President Obama is Coming to the Czech Republic!

What a great time to be an American in Prague! It's incredibly interesting to watch the Czech Presidency of the EU (that's the first six months of the year), the Velvet Revolution is twenty years old in November, and the President of my country, the United States of America, is coming here in April! How cool is that?

It's not everyday that I'm inspired to write a politician a letter. My Czech friends, with their heartfelt and probing questions about the proposed missile base, inspired me to write this one to President Obama in January. Link on the title to read the post.

It's actually going to happen!

More Patriotism: In Love with Abe Lincoln

Ben Franklin said after America declared her independence: "you have a Republic, if you can keep it." The last eight years we came pretty close to internally losing our way as a country, rather than someone taking it away from us.

Bad leadership is not the norm in America. I don't know why, but my country has been blessed with some really extraordinary, humble men leading us that inspire love. Maybe I'm a little homesick for the known. Or maybe it's knowing that Lincoln inspires my new president too. Or maybe it's just I appreciate where this writer is coming from after I spent four days learning about Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois last year. This beautiful tribute to Abe Lincoln in word and pictures that I've linked to in the title moves me so, I wanted to share it.

An Unexpectedly Patriotic Weekend

This weekend I went over to my friends' flat and watched the first two installments of the HBO series "John Adams" about America's founding father and second president. My friend Nhan said, "it can't help but make you feel more patriotic." So true.

John Adams had an eye for talent. He considered himself obnoxious and widely unpopular in his own time. Yet it's impossible to not like a guy who valued his wife's advice so much. On my life list of 'things to do' is to read the letters John and Abigail Adams wrote to each other while he was away at the Continental Congress. In addition to selecting a great partner, Adams also suggested George Washington to be the first General of the Continental Army and Thomas Jefferson to author the Declaration of Independence. Humanity's general consensus: good calls.

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk

The next day I went out to see "Milk," the new movie about San Francisco activist Harvey Milk, starring Sean Penn. Sean Penn was totally believable as a gay man. Penn won the Oscar later that night for "Best Actor." He deserved it.

It was fascinating to see how America's founding fathers constantly inspire new generations of people to demand their rights. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician elected in America. Today in America, being openly gay still takes a lot of courage (American teenagers who are dealing with their sexual orientation have a higher than normal suicide attempt rate) but it's a lot easier because of people like Harvey Milk. This movie, like the "John Adams" mini-series, made me so damn proud of my country. Here was another wonderful example of Americans leading the cry for us to live as if "all men are created equal." MILK is a movie that sends hope all over the globe to people who need it. That's what the America I know and love is supposed to do. Spread hope.

My First Negative Experience in the Czech Republic

Yesterday my cell phone was pickpocketed. It happened at one of the metro stations most frequently used by tourists. Email me if you need to get ahold of me. I swore this would never happen to me and it did.

What was it like to be a Czech Christian during Communism?

St. Clement's Church in Old Town Prague

My church, St. Clements, is a happening place full of happening people. I like it. Nobody in the congregation takes themselves too seriously, including our very nice chaplain. I'm adding his blog to my list of Czech Expat Blogs on the side of my home page. Ricky Yates hails from Britain originally. I hope you enjoy reading about his Anglican adventures.

One of the things I enjoy most about my church is our wonderful sense of community. This week after church we had a quite fun and quite silly 'soup luncheon and bottle raffle'. Raffle tickets could be purchased for anything in a bottle. It was fun to chat up my fellow expats and see who would win the single malt scotch (which would be totally wasted on me!) and who would win the champagne and bubble bath (yea! I won these and they are not wasted on me!).

On behalf of my fellow parishioners, I'd like to invite you to join us if you live in the Prague area for a series of thought-provoking lectures about being a Christian during Communist times. Here are the details from Ricky so far with more to follow later:

Lent Seminar Series
2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. But what was it like to be a Christian during the Communist era, particularly the period of religious suppression that followed the Russian invasion of 1968? On five Thursday evenings during Lent, we will have five different speakers from various Czech Christian Churches speaking about their experience. They will either speak in English or be interpreted into English by one of our Czech speaking members.

Venue: No. 18 Klimentska down the street from the church (take the elevator to the 3rd floor). This is our fellowship hall.

Time: 7 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.

Thursday 5th March - Bishop Busan Hejbal of the Old Catholic Church
Bishop Dusan was forced to work as a tram driver and construction worker by the communist authorities. He was also a folk/rock protest singer and he has promised to bring along his guitar and possibly sing one or two of his protest songs!

Thursday 12th March - Professor Tomas Halik of the Roman Catholic Church
Professor Halik was secretly ordained as a Roman Catholic priest during the communist era in the former East Germany. He is a well-known writer and speaker and a number of his books have been translated into English by Church member Gerry Turner.

Thursday 19th March - Professor Jakub (Jack) Trojan of the Czech Evangelical Brethren
Professor Trojan is professor of theological ethics at the Protestant Faculty of Theology of Charles University.

Thursday 26th March & Thursday 2nd April
Confirmation of final speakers to be announced later.

I Could Have Danced All Night

For a jazz lover, the Prague Jazz scene is wonderfully vibrant. I could go hear live jazz in a different spot for probably three weeks straight. Last week though was something special: the 50th anniversary of Traditional Jazz Studio, a Prague jazz band playing FANTASTIC music.

You read that right. This band has been playing together since the 1950s for 50 years! Last week they played and reminisced at the smoke-free Czech National Museum of Music.

Pavel, clarinetist and band leader

Pavel, the band leader, said that back in the 50's, the Communist regime didn't object to their music too much because it was, after all, the music of the "poor American Negro." Doing more instrumental music, rather than vocals, helped avoid official objections.

By the 1960's Pavel said musicians must have dropped in status, in the regime's eyes, as a potential danger to be watched extra carefully. The authorities turned their censorous attention to people in literature instead.

The band playing together full tilt
This was probably
"When the Saints Go Marching In"

Two horn players having a blast (literally)

Fantastic brass and bass

The piano player had great riffs
all through the night

I almost couldn't get a picture of the drummer
he was back there working the skins so hard

Two musicians who obviously enjoy each other
on the bandstand and off.

Here's someone you don't meet everyday: a contented man.
The trumpet player had all three
of his childhood dreams come true.
He became an engineer.
He plays the horn for joy, not as a job.
He played it in America, live.

No one could keep off the dance floor!

These guys have created magic for 50 years. The next day I was so exhilarated from all that dancing I kept singing Rogers and Hammerstein's "I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night." Is there a mailing list? Put me on in it! Wherever these guys are playing, I'm there!

You might enjoy this later post about Pavel's band:

An Evening of Jazz at the Reduta

Two great spoofs

Rick Steves, an American TV host on PBS famous for his shows about travel in Europe, has found a new travel expert that he is really excited about...someone who may be able to tell you more about Europe than he can! Where else would you find someone this skilled but YouTube. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O_G03zqHf8

And daughter #2 has sent along an Obama spoof that perfectly captures America's joy besides being completely hilarious. I can just imagine the dance floor filling up with everyone singing along when this video gets played:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PI12R8YNU>