Random Thoughts

Why I’m REALLY glad not to be in DC this summer:

To escape this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…A severe weather statement for the Washington DC Metro area through Thursday, August 3rd:
“We are anticipating an extreme heat wave with temperatures of up to 104F. These temperatures combined with high humidity will cause the heat index to rise to 110F.” (Federal Government announcement to employees)

On life in the Czech Republic:

As of July 1, the Czech Government issued new traffic regulations in order to cut down on the extremely high number of driving accidents. In fact, according to European Union statistics, Czechs drivers have the highest number of accidents in the EU. An Italian I recently met also noted that Croatia had made mandatory extra insurance requirements for Czech tourists given their poor record in what is the most popular vacation destination in Europe.

But to get explain a bit of bureaucratic Czech red tape, which I fine quite hilarious as a foreigner, but would pull out my hair if I were a resident…

Drivers 60 years of age and older now have to obtain a certificate from a doctor stating that they are competent to drive. An additional certificate is necessary at 65, then 68 and thereafter every two years. Drivers without a proper certificate may receive a fine of up to CZK 25,000 (1100USD).

Some Say We Are What We Eat, One Czech Says We Are What We Speak….A Note on Language:

“A language is a jealous and amorous lover reflecting itself in a mirror whenever a language community looks into it. It is a reflection in a mirror for its is such as we are, such as our life and our world is: and it is a lover for it has control over us to a certain extent. It compels us to think only within the scope of permitted limits. It is amorous, because it is subjective. It ties ribbons and bows and it gives a distorted view of reality here and there. It is jealous for it runs away, blurs and disappears when we don’t attend to it enough, when we don’t use it and when we are unfaithful with another language. A language is what we are. And we are what our language is.”

Miroslava Holubova, “Grandma’s Pepper Thus Teat Gas or How African Languages Adapt Themselves to the Modern World” in Multicultural Magazine, July 2006