just another day

In Prague, as I entered a passage lined by shops and stinky fast food, I heard a woman's voice pleading, "help me!".  At the other end, I saw a person in a coat, on the floor, surrounded by three or more large policemen.

I shook my head and saw a sad faced response from the vratnice.

Upstairs, I asked a young friend what had happened.  She said, in a disapproving voice, it was a homeless person who had become "hysterical".

There is another shop beside the one which rents the two-wheeled menaces that terrorize the pedestrians, and I imagined it was its employees or proprietors who had complained.  Later, I saw them leaving, large in their generous coats--or perhaps obese people made even larger in their warm coats.

I am sure the homeless woman enjoys no such luxuries, and I felt it was obscene that she had been thrown out, especially if by that crowd of people living with smug comforts.

As I left, I spoke to the vratnice, saying that she had probably only wanted to stay inside outside of the cold.  He agreed, saying that inside, in this little mall or shop-lined passage, it would be more pleasant than out in the cold.

My young friend felt no such sympathy.

I think of that homeless woman together with the garish sign that flashes news around the corner at the British super-store.....Yesterday it told us that the Greeks had "refused help" from the EU.
Help?  No. The Greek government has refused to continue with a lie.  And, it is a case of democracy versus the bankers.

What pure propaganda to describe it as a refusal to take "help"!

Just like the Czech economist writing in today's paper that the American economy had recovered.  He was responsible enough to cite the relevant statistics, but he did not consider statistics or arguments pointing in the other direction.

These are the things I think of when I think of Prague.  I don't think about its "beauty".