by William Yakowicz

Where: Kampa Island, Petrin Hill, Dvorce, and many more locations
When: The last night of April
Attractions: Bongo players, Fire poi, bag pipes, bonfires, umm….and pivo

    The origin of this celebration is debatable, but the tradition is not: big burning bonfires, grilled sausages, witches swooping around, and folks dancing to tribal drums and bagpipes. Pálení carodejnic ("The Burning of the Witches") takes place 30 April every year. The origin of this festival seems to be a brewing concoction of traditions and cultures.

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Covering issues from fat-camps to Ibogaine. This month we take a closer look at dependence from the most obvious to the most absurd. The process of becoming an addict, what we're addicted to and the mammoth industry that has been created to provide for and cure our addictions. Don't think you're above addiction, it comes in many different forms and flourishes within every echelon of society. We're all hooked on something in one way or another -- be it chocolate, heavy metal, VyVoleni or Facebook (!).

Delving into the murky depths of addiction, Provokator 26 features the following;

Getting Off on Mother Nature by Marika
Game Over? By Chris McMorrow
Anti-Social Networking by Wendy Wrangham
Exercise Addiction by Becka McFadden
Just Give me some Truth: Drug Facts by Tolula Dada
Metalism by Peter Utgaard
The Power of Abstaining by Jessica Bloor
Fat Camp: The Unbearable Heaviness of Being by Jessi Tabalba
The Chronicles of Yet Another Ex-Patriate Artist in Berlin by Taylor Williams
Crash Course in Addiction by Stephan Delbos
Classlessifieds
Back Facts

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by Karl Körner

Who can believe it’s been eighty years since the first screening of Danish director Carl Theodore Dreyer's cinematic masterpiece, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc? Or that ninety-three years have passed since Danish baker L.C. Klitteng, inventor of the Danish pastry, baked his first doughy sweets in New York City?

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So the FBI have their wire taps turned off for non-payment and the world realizes that Big Brother is a lot like their real life big brother in that he needs to borrow money off them to pay their phone bill.

He's also prone to getting drunk and starting fights with your uncle.

All I know is that if they get their reinstatement free waived I count that as a kickback.

Oh, and this is SO going to go on their credit rating.

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By Stephan Delbos

Christmas goes deeper than religion, commercialism, snow, and even December. I’m not talking about pot-bellied angels and handsome men on snowy bridges. Christmas is another face of the festival spirit that dwells in all of us.
     
Sometimes we need to stop and reflect on our tenuous existence. Sometimes some of us need a stiff glass of egg nog. Fortunately, we have an occasion for both. We call it Christmas. Unfortunately, Christmas has been shanghaied by shopping malls. What’s the bonafide man or woman to do? Our answer comes from Italy via Brooklyn, New York.

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Wishing you a Happy Festivus!

This issue, we at Provokátor have avoided the single holiday in hopes of embracing other events of note that occur during the winter solstice season. The December/January issue presents the history behind New Years celebrations, some facts about those nasty resolutions, the consumer based Christmas markets, and what to do in Brrrrlin during this cheery season.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Appease the present purgatory with our How To…? – The DIY: Xmas Card (Poor Man's Holiday Guide). Prying into the various deviations of this month's theme of 'Festivus'— inquisitive about the matters of the holiday season beyond the holydays, like the special sentimentality behind 'The Time of Airing Grievances', and the rituals of group national anthem singing at midnight—Provokátor features the following:

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BLATT GETS A NEW FACE

We are happy to announce the launch of the new BLATT web site,
featuring our new logo and updated design, courtesy of BLATT Art
Director Mario Dzurila. Check it out:

http://www.blatt.cz

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Today is Thanksgiving. So be thankful and give thanks. At least according to Wiki that is what everyone does when we sit down at the table to eat our Thanksgiving feast. Two birds that are giving thanks this year are the ones that President Bush pardoned, saying, "You cannot take the heat and you are definitely going to stay out of the kitchen."

Additionally, we the people get to vote on the name of the turkeys, www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/thanksgiving/2007.

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Frightening Fact: Presently there are 1.1 billion people without sufficient access to drinking water and 2.6 billion without enough water for proper sanitation. Roughly 3900 children in underdeveloped countries die each day from diarrhea alone as a result. Predictions currently forecast that two thirds of the earths population will have insufficient access to water by 2025.  So, we all
have something to look forward too.

 Dr Martin Samuels studies acute life-threatening stress or, being scared to death.  He claims that not only can a sudden onset of fear cause a heart attack in sufferers of heart disease and the infirm, but in anybody should the circumstances be just right.  If the brain releases a high enough dose of adrenaline to the heart the resulting cell death and intense contractions can cause it to fail.  Which is good to know... just don't worry about it too much.

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Furcht liegt im Auge des Betrachters (besonders wenn man mit einem Schlachtermesser auf ihn zu läuft)

Als ich 5 Jahre alt war, tapezierten meine Eltern mein Zimmer mit einer "echt niedlichen" Tapete, auf der Comic-Tiere mit Glubschaugen aus den Blättern eines dichten Dschungels hervor starrten. Erwachsene fanden die Tapete total super und liesen sich zu Kommentaren wie "Oh, wie süss!" und "Wo habt ihr denn die gefunden?" hinreissen.

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By Catherine Park

Take a babysitter, a microwave oven and throw in some LSD. What do you get? A classic urban legend that first cropped up back in the 60s.

So here is the story. A couple leaves their child with a teenage babysitter while they go out to a cocktail party. The girl takes LSD and starts hallucinating, the baby starts crying; the girl freaks out. A couple of hours later parents call home to check up on things. “Don’t worry, everything’s cookin’,” answers the babysitter, “the turkey’s in the oven.” ”What turkey?!” They rush home and find out that the babysitter mistook the baby for the turkey and microwaved him.

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By Stephan Delbos

Returning from the dead requires intervention, divine or otherwise. I'd like to be reincarnated as a peacock, but until I get God or science on my side, I won't hold my breath. In the world of literary magazines, life after death is just as unlikely. If you think graveyards are scary, you haven't seen the stacks of discontinued journals most publishers keep in their closet. But the reincarnation of The Prague Revue proves there are exceptions for the faithful. 

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Phobias
A persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of a specific thing or situation that compels one to avoid it, despite the awareness and reassurance that it is not dangerous.
A strong fear, dislike, or aversion.

Most Common Phobias (according to Forbes)
1.    Snakephobia, Zemmiphobia, Bugs, Mice, Snakes

2.    Acrophobia, Fear of Heights
3.    Aquaphobia or Hydrophobia, Fear of Water
4.    Agoraphobia, Public Transportation
5.    Brontophobia Fear of Storms, lighting and thunder

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Press Release / Provokátor Magazine Issue 23, October/November 2007
31 October 2007, Prague

Nothing is Terrible Except Fear Itself
The golem, the Balkan civil war, five minutes to live, the scary kit. In Issue 23 of Provokator.org we explore all things scary and provide the stories to prove it. The question is, what do you really find scary?

This issue, we at Provokátor have donned black and stared out from under a hood to find out the meaning behind ‘scary’. Released on October 22, the double October/November issue presents the mind-probing issues of real life events, myths, Dave Vanians gothic air, and one woman’s connection to The Devil’s Bible.

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Though many associate Absinthe and the famous green fairy with Prague, there are many places that love the green liquor that the Czech Republic is famous for. The following article is about Absinthe re-entering the US. 

The Proof is in the Absinthe
Formerly banned liquor returns with fanfare
By Kathy Flanigan

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. Or so one might believe, considering the buzz over its return to legal status after 95 years of exile.

Welcome back the opaque green liquor with a back story as cloudy as its pour.

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SAN FRANCISCO - Days after the end of World War II, an American soldier entering the wreckage of Adolf Hitler's mountain stronghold found that fierce Allied bombing had left the "Eagle's Nest" in ruins.

Hitler was dead, and other soldiers had already looted the inside of his private residence, even stripping the leather from furniture. Nearly everything of value was gone — except for the Fuhrer's globe.

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instigator media group wants

YOU!

let yourself be heard for once and join our community online: choose your username and password, log in, and be a part of Provokátor! you will be able to submit content, vote for our polls, win prizes, t-shirts, free tickets for concerts, start discussions and much more!  Instigator Media Group  is an ever growing organism, don't lose your chance to be a part of it...

Again, LET YOURSELF BE HEARD!

ART= AKCE

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POLL:

WHAT DOG IS WHICH RELIGION?

ISSUE 37 OUT TODAY!

Look at the cover image and guess!

Register to the website to submit your answer and win prizes, tix, merch of megalomaniacs (a.k.a. bands)!

Vote HERE!

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SURPRISED? Click here to know more!

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Anti-Nazi protesters blocked streets and rail lines into Dresden and hurled missiles and insults at far-right demonstrators on the 65th anniversary of the allied bombing raids that destroyed the once beautiful German city.

Original article from euronews.net

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Man muss nicht von Archäologen ausgegraben werden, um im Museum zu landen. Norwegens Vorzeigekapelle Kaizers Orchestra schreiben seit Jahren als international erfolgreichste norwegischsprachige Band Musikgeschichte und sind so gewissermaßen als musikalische Botschafter unterwegs. Als die Band sich 2003 von Norwegen aus aufmachte, den Kontinent zu unterwerfen, ging ein Raunen durch die Reihen - wie konnte Musik so wild und doch so eingängig sein? So durchdacht und doch so roh? Und darf man eigentlich südlich des Polarkreises auf norwegisch singen? Drei Alben und ungezählte Konzerte später ist ihr Name in aller Munde. Mit Anzug und Krawatte stehen Kaizers Orchestra an über 100 Abenden im Jahr auf den Bühnen Europas und bearbeiten neben den gängigen Instrumenten (Schlagzeug, Gitarren, (Kontra-) Bass) eine Pumporgel, ein Akkordeon, eine Aschentonne, zwei Autofelgen und ein paar Ölfässer mit einer Virtuosität, dass so manchem Berufsmusiker ganz anders wird. Genie und Wahnsinn liegen doch erschreckend nah beieinander. Dass ihre krude Mischung aus Polka und Rock 'n' Roll auch auf CD funktioniert, bewiesen schon die Abverkäufe in Skandinavien. Aber als Kaizers Orchestra schließlich im Sommer 2005 ihr drittes Album "Maestro" bei Universal Music Germany veröffentlichten, hätte wohl niemand seine Großmutter darauf verwettet, dass das gut geht. Und doch. Es liegt in der Natur der Sache, dass Kaizers Orchestra mit jedem Ticket und jeder CD auch ein Stück ihres Landes verkaufen. Und es ist an der Zeit, ihr Wirken und Werkeln in offiziellem Rahmen zu würdigen.

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21.02.2010

Super Pilot (cz), Trashcat (uk) @ Klub 007 Strahov

Chaloupeckého 7, Praha 6, 160 00

Start: 19:00

Entrance fee: 150 czk

Super pilot is a band whose motto says it all: “Dirty rock for your dirty soul”, keeping true to their unique mix of punk and dirty folk music.

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Evropsky Sen - Culture Knockout II

Berlin, Mitte 2010

Ackerkeller, Schokoladen, Z-Bar, Club der Polnischen Versager

see some of the pictures here.

check out live perfomances: Rocket Fuel Explosion, Guma Guar and Super Pilot!

Contact Poetry here.

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The Secrets of Looking Good on the Dance Floor

Why do some clubbers shake it like a Polaroid picture while others prefer to perch on a bar stool? British psychologist Peter Lovatt, who has conducted rigorous field work in nightclubs, believes he can explain why some booty shaking is hot -- and some is not. It's all about your hormones.

Original article from Der Spiegel.

Photo: Rob Zoom.

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A Right to Lust

The subtler charms of feminist pornography are finding an audience in the Czech Republic

by Bára Procházková.

Original article from Prague Monitor.

Original picture here.

English article here and the Czech original one here.

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The first visit by the new German coalition’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, to Ankara has unsurprisingly brought to the agenda not Turkish-German relations, but Turkey’s European Union membership process, and at the same time, it has served as an occasion for showing that Berlin’s mind is very confused about this matter.

Original article by Ali Yurttagül*, Prague post

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Using Music as a Weapon at Guantanamo

For years, US interrogators at Guantanamo used painfully loud music on prisoners at Camp Delta. Rock musicians like Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and civil rights organization are demanding an investigation into the practice.

Original article from Der Spiegel.

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Original article from BBC NEWS online

Drinking whisky will result in a worse hangover than vodka, according to research by US scientists.

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Original article by Johan Huizinga, Radio Netherlands

The Netherlands is no longer alone in its permissive approach to drugs. Legislative changes in the Czech Republic look set to make it the country with the most liberal drug policy in Europe.

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London firms act as fronts for drug-dealing and money-laundering and provide hideouts for fugitive gunmen, says anti-mafia investigator

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Original article by Daniel Fisher, BBC NEWS online

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is hoping for some New Year's resolution among his countrymen, as he takes on one of Russia's most deeply-entrenched and prickliest problems - alcoholism.

From 1 January, restrictions on the price of vodka in Russia come into force.

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Original article from BBC NEWS online

Serbian President Boris Tadic has been fined 400 euros (£360) for toasting Serbia's qualification for the football World Cup with champagne at a stadium.

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Original article by Richard Black, BBC NEWS online

Negotiations at the UN climate summit have been suspended after developing countries withdrew their co-operation.

Delegations were angry at what they saw as moves by the Danish host government to sideline talks on more emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol.

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Original article from BBC NEWS online

The Irish parliament is to review its rules of conduct after a lawmaker swore heavily during a budget debate.

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Original article from CNN.com

Copenhagen, Denmark (CNN) -- Barely an hour after U.S. President Barack Obama landing in Copenhagen, Denmark on Friday, he headed into a meeting with other world leaders to hammer out an agreement on climate change.

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Original article from BBC News online

Men and women may respond differently to danger, a brain scan study suggests.

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Original article by Sarah Gordon, Mail online

Top ten 'ugliest' buildings in the world unveiled - and many are in our most beautiful cities

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Original article by Nick Meo, SFGate online

Concord resident Tareq Shawl Azim says he always knew he would one day return to his parents' country to make it a better place.

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Caped crusaders, telepathic powers, invisibility, comedians! Something doesn't fit? Shows how little you know.  The Supernaturals comedy troupe continues their latest and greatest show at the Kookaburra Comedy Club, Berlin. 

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Bohème Noir is a party for the nonconformistic. Here you have the borderliners, burlesque and baroque, fetish and fantasy, goth and glitz, cyber, rubber, fags and freaks, captured in a pulsating mix of music, arts and dance.

Bohème Noir ist die Party für eine Gesellschaft der Unkonventionellen. Hier treffen sich die Grenzgänger, Burlesque und Baroque, Fetisch und Fantasy, Goth und Gewandung, Body Mods, Cyber, Rubber, Fags und Freaks. Mit Musik, Tanz und Kunst durch die Nacht getragen. Dress to impress!

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Original article CNN.com

Image from GreenPeace.org

REYKJAVIK, Iceland - All reporters will tell you from time to time that they do their work out of love of the story, a need to tell the world. This, I’m sorry to say, is not one of those times.

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By Fernando Ballester

White-collar crime is not violent by nature, but often results in the loss of thousands of people's savings. The most irritating aspect is that high-status criminals can afford the best attorneys and know how to get their punishments reduced or avoid imprisonment altogether.

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By Instigator in Chief
 

A combination of State dictum and citizens’ mutual consent (or lack there of) frame types of crime and definitions vary, as does the penalty excised.

Blue Collar Crime:  ‘Blue-collar’ derives from the durable clothing of laborers and factory workers. Blue-collar crimes are allegedly related to the opportunities available to the potential lawbreaker.

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Original article by Klára Jiřičná, Prague Post online

Street parties, parades, concerts and cheap beer all on the agenda

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Original article by Kristen Gelineau, SFGate online

In the world of fiddler crabs, the best form of protection for females is, apparently, having sex with the neighbors, according to an Australian study published Wednesday.

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Original article by Jill Lawless, SFGate online

So you think London, population 8 million, is crowded with the living?

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