I hear about the business and political corruption in the Czech Republic, and I think, well, what about the US? People dwell on this or that problem and it occurs to me that maybe certain foreigners and academics just need to have something to talk about, to make them feel needed, or if not actually needed, then at least that’s there’s some general reason for them to be here in the first place. It has become my habit to return to Prague every year or so for a few months at a time, and for the most part everything looks all right to me - particularly when I’m carrying a fairly well-padded wallet in my back pocket. But the longer