ICY THINGS

If you follow any Euro-blogs (and there are a number of them), you’ll know that much has been written lately about the fingerprinting of foreign visitors – at least those, who cannot travel to the States without a visa. I wonder if most here realize what an odd assortment of “potential trouble-makers” we are screening: from Poland, the Czech Republic – yes, fingerprinting has begun. And Germany, the UK, or France? No, not at all.

Interesting, isn’t it that the US visa requirement is like a layer of PERMAFROST: seemingly forever in place for countries once known as within “Eastern Europe,” though presumably for economic now rather than political reasons. But with COLD WAR overtones nonetheless.

Here are some conclusions I’ve drawn from a blog written by someone whom I gather is also a radio announcer in the Czech Republic:

1. If you refused entry to the Czech Republic for all Americans who could not spell Czechoslovakia, few Americans would ever get to see Prague.
2. Slovakia is much more religious than the Czech Republic (this is relevant as yesterday—Three Kings Day--was a national holiday in Slovakia, but not for the Czechs)
3. It was a FREEZING -14 C in Brno yesterday.

Just to let you know, the wind-chill gave us -30 F readings yesterday in Madison. Not to brag or anything, but it was really COLD.