Section Archive Letter from Prague
Dubbing has its drawbacks but children knowing Alain Delon is cool, non?
The Czech Ministry of Education called recently for the country’s public
service TV station Česká Televize to show more films with subtitles. The
suggestion is that the language skills of Czechs will improve if fewer of
the movies they watch are dubbed. More
One nation over with God
Statistics about Czechs often seem to me to come from some other country I
don’t know. But there are two popular ones that I can vouch for: that
Czechs drink more beer than anyone in the universe, and that 81% of them
are atheists, agnostics or non-believers. The rationale behind either of
those is a question for a longer discussion, but both of them seem like
rather obvious positions to me. I like living in a place where there is
lots of beer and no god. More
No escape from the October elections
In my new status as an almost fulltime pedestrian and part time public
transport user it is clear that that the upcoming elections in Prague are
unavoidable above or below ground.
More
Why I look up to many Czechs
The Czechs are one of the world’s tallest nations. In fact when I first
came here I found it slightly disconcerting. On a good day I’m 5 feet 10
inches, and I was used to feeling I was of average height in Ireland.
More
A pub I wish I could visit
I don’t know what it is about the area where my wife, my son, and I live
in the Czech capital that it can’t have a decent pub. Crazy as it may
sound, it’s true: the establishment closest to our home, and
there’s only one, is lousy. I’m not even a big pub-goer - but I
wouldn’t mind going once in a while if I could. More
Charles Bridge: the MTV years
The hugely successful American musician Kanye West was in Prague recently
making what is being described as a movie to accompany his as yet untitled
new album. The rapper kept fans informed about his time in the Czech
capital via Twitter, saying he had been doing 16-hour shoots and describing
filming here as “like a child’s delusions become reality!”
More
Statues –all change!
This week the city hall of Ústí nad Labem opened a new atrium which it had
reconstructed at considerable expense - more than thirty million crowns. It
was back-slapping, smiles and congratulations all round as people gathered
to view the new site, but the speeches and fanfare accompanying the event
were somewhat dampened by the black looks some of the locals directed at
members of the local administration. As far as they were concerned there
was a fly in the ointment, because the bronze statue dominating the new
atrium was more than familiar.
More
The long shadow of Emperor Franz Joseph
August 18 marked the 130th anniversary of birth of one of the most distinct
figures of the old Austrian empire, Emperor Franz Joseph I. He ruled his
peoples for nearly seven decades, and although Czechs today don’t seem to
identify with this particular period in their history, the legacy of the
‘aged monarch’, as he was semi-officially referred to towards the end
of his life, is still apparent in most of his former empire today.
More
Prague overrun by friendly people... when will it all end?
Some people say that Czechs are unfriendly. Obviously, such people are
simply not in the right place at the right time. Try any central Prague
metro exit or the top of Wenceslaus Square for example, where I have been
stopped by the friendliest Czechs imaginable every day for the last two
months now, sometimes even several times a day, sometimes several times
within five minutes. They want to talk to me about all kinds of things.
More
A dumpling is a dumpling
For a brief period after graduating from high school in Germany, I found
myself confused as to what course to take in life, professionally. So I
enrolled for a program of study in English Linguistics.
More
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