Compact archive April 22, 2008

Kava Kava is the rock band / live dance act from Huddersfield in the UK featuring the soulful vocals of Pat Fulgoni, Matt Bond guitarist, Jason Riley on bass guitar alongside drums, electronica, brass, strings and beats.

They originally starting out as a four-piece live psychedelic funk outfit with heavy George Clinton influences. In the UK Kava Kava cut their teeth through the underground festival/party scene, with NME describing the band as “gorgeous new psychedelic funk” for their debut ‘You Can Live Here’

The band expanded into a six piece and released 2004’s ‘Maui’ album on independent label Chocolate Fireguard Records. The music on ‘Maui’ is more dance, electronic, funk and disco influenced.

Kava Kava with Pat Fulgoni in Prague, 10th May 2008 in Prague Club Rock Café, Narodni 20, Prague 1

We are used to President Vaclav Klaus travelling the world, ready to start a speech about global warming, and that it is not caused by human activity. This time it won’t be him critisizing, but Matin Bursik of the Greens, contributing to global warming discussion. As we can expect, it will represent the official policy of the EU, one of the main protagonists on the world stage fighting the global warming.

Martin Bursik is an Environmentalist, not an Economist like Klaus. Which means we won’t be embarrassed as a country like the last time. And he was also invited for more important business in the area of nature protection; the American Governors invited him to a conference dedicated to climate changes as an important EU politician who sees into that matter, in search of some steps to solution.

Terezín (German: Theresienstadt) is the name of a former military fortress and garrison town in the Usti nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. During the WWII it served as an concentration camp, and to honour those who died there serves the Terezin Memorial. It is simple, yet expressive.

It consists of numerous blocks of stone, with bronze plates giving information of who and when a person died. Until recently, when somebody stole over 800 hundreds of them, to sell them as a bronze metal in a collection centre. They were partially placed in one centre, smaller part in other, the rest is still looking for. As well as the thief.

This action has aroused politicians who agreed there must be something done and prepare a new law, which would make it much harder for collection centres to buy stolen metals. This cause will quite probably change the attitude, which allowed many similar thefts on monuments or art pieces before.

The 1st May is probably going to be quite interesting; The Nacionalist National Party, well known for their extreme stances and provocations, like the neo-nazi marches, prespres another action. The date and setting is well planned; they plan it as a counter-action for the Communist party, at the very same place.

1st May is known as the date, when during Cummunism most of people were expected to defile with lampions to demonstrate their love for the red party. Now it only attratct the communist core, who mostly come to recall the old days at the Prague Exhibition Ground.

The Nacionalists (generally assumed to be neo-nazis) prepared a surprise – they plan to form a ‘corridor of shame’ for those who plan to come to the communist meeting – who wants to come in, has to go throught the corridor.

In the light of reflectors, mostly 15-year-old models showed their catwalk, as the finals of Elite Model World 2008 took place. Those girls hope they would have the same fate as Cindy Crawford or Karen Mulder many years ago. The best three of them can look forward to few-million-worth contracts and especially fulfilment of their big dream.

Jennifer Messelier from France became the winner, Ymre Stiekema from Holland was second, Hana Jirickova from the Czech Republic was third.

The theme that is traditionally present wherever this contest takes place is anorexia. How thin is too thin? The 15 yo Peruvian Juan Cervera was clearly too much – shape of shoulder bones clearly visible, eyes deep in the face, thin hands… when watching the contest one can think bulimia and anorexia is not an illness, but a standard which is necessary to get to the contest in the first place. So no change there.