England

It's really cold and rainy here. 'Luckily' I've been stuck in training and have managed to see absolutely nothing. Although this evening myself, a frenchman, and an italian went to Windsor, saw the castle wall, had bad Thai food, and a few beers...and walked around in terrible, terrible weather. Strange country.

A telephone conversation with my girlfriend

Jana: I had my hair done today. It's really dark now. Me: Is it your natural color? Jana: I don't know.

Uh-oh

Here we go again...

Roman Catholics in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) have received Muslim support in protests against the release of the movie, The Da Vinci Code

"Muslims in India will help their Christian brothers protest this attack on our common religious belief," he said. His stance was supported by Syed Noori, president of Mumbai-based Raza Academy, a Muslim cultural organisation that organises protests on issues concerning Islam. "If the government doesn't do anything, we will try our own ways of stopping the film from being shown," he said. "We are prepared for violent protests in India if needed."

The Da Vinci Code was a fairly stupid book. It was poorly written and researched, the characters had the personality of a cardboard box, and the revelations were mostly nonsense. It's pretty hardcore about the Church, basically saying it'll go as far as murder to keep religious secrets from escaping the vaults of history. But am I offended by the movie? Not really. If I was going to be offended by the movie I just wouldn't see it. In fact, it doesn't concern me at all. If people want to see something they should have the opportunity to see it. Is it a free speach issue? Yeah, and just because it offends people with the same religion as me doesn't mean I support shielding the content from everyone. And hey, if guys like Syed Noori ("We are prepared for violent protests") are on your side, you know you're definitely wrong.

Flatulence

Kyle sent me a great article the other day about how scientists have developed a flatulence-free bean. It is good to see our scientists are focused on the great health and development problems of our day. My favorite part is the included quote:

Despite the obvious social concerns, there is no physiological harm from the flatulence caused by eating beans

That needs no further elaboration.

News

Congratulations to my sister Amanda! She has apparently completed all her requirements to graduate from college. Hopefully she'll follow in her brother's footsteps and move to Eastern Europe. That reminds me: I will be in Austin from May 26th through June 11th. This is the last time I'll be in the US for at least a year, so get your Nick while you can!

Life in Prague

There is an area right outside the cafeteria where everyone from my building goes to smoke. It's supposed to be part of the parking lot, but it is in fact strewen with large ash trays and office workers in search of something more interesting than the minutae of their lives - namely chatter and highly addictive carcinogens. My office, afflicted with both severe boredom and many italians, provides a large number of the idle laborers. In fact, almost all the senior management spends a nice chunk of time hanging out there. I, of course, am not a smoker but instead a drinker of beer, a liquid whose side effects include both numerous health benefits intermingled with copious application of fat to the stomach. It is normal in Prague to occasionally take a beer with lunch (by occasionally I mean every day) and I do partake. But today I saw something that even I have not done. As Matthieu and I returned from the pub we saw some of our coworkers milling about the smoking area. Matthieu was the first to notice that they had cans of beer. 'They must be taking them to the park' I responded. As we walked up they mentioned they were planning on going to the park with their beer and sandwiches. And then, inexplicably, they started drinking their beers. During luch, right outside the building, in the smoking area where all our managers hang around. I'm still somewhat amazed by their nonchalance. But, as you might imagine, I think it's great. I mean, smokers get to take countless breaks to suck their cancer sticks. Why shouldn't I have 2 or 3 beer breaks during the day? I think I've been in this country too long...