Polish Christmas Eve dinner

Polish traditions are rich and colorful. Christmas time is especially important to Poles because of the Jesus Christ’s birth celebrated by all Roman Catholics. After the first star is spotted, Polish family begins the Christmas Eve dinner with a passage from the Bible, Luke 2:1-14, The Birth of Jesus Christ. Next, everyone brakes the “oplatek” and goes around the table with wishes for the next year. Contrary to the Western traditions, kids open their presents after the Christmas Eve dinner.
I found a great description of the dinner here.

Typical dishes include barszcz wigilijny z uszkami (Christmas Eve borscht with mushroom uszka dumplings), carp in aspic, herring (sledze), breaded whitefish, meatless cabbage rolls (golabki), and noodles with poppyseed. Desserts might include nuts, tangerines, chocolates, makowiec (poppyseed roll), mazurek (a jam-filled flat pastry), piernik (honey-spice cake), pierniczki (gingerbread cookies), kompot (fruit compote), cognac, liqueurs, mead and krupnik (a honey-spiced vodka). Kutia, a kind of gruel with cracked wheat and honey, is also eaten in some parts of Poland on Christmas Eve.

Take a look at couple of sample pictures of this year’s dinner. The Christmas Eve borscht with mushroom dumplings was so delicious that I haven’t had a chance to take a picture before it was gone.  Merry Christmas.

cabbage stuffed croquettes – krokiety

dumplings – pierogi

rice with fruit – ryz z owocami

herring with onions in oil – sledzie z cebula w oleju

“Chytra baba” aka “Cunning old woman” takes over Poland’s web

The town square Christmas Eve celebration intended for the less fortunate residents of Radom, turned into a shameless freeloading frenzy. 

It took about 30 seconds for the grabby people to clear the tables. One liter bottles of soft drinks and loaves of bread disappeared before anyone had a chance to taste anything. The spread was to accompany traditional hot Christmas dishes: borsch with dumplings, pierogi, and bigos (cabbage and meat stew). Distribution of hot dishes went fairly smoothly with everyone enjoying the meal.

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So why the excitement? Over 50 cent bottles of citrus flavored water?

The outrage goes deeper than the monetary value of soft drinks and bread. It's the way the people behaved at the tables. Personally, the whole scene reminds me of the lines to the empty stores during the 80's when a delivery truck unloaded the goods and people would go nuts. But that was communist Poland. Today, Poland is an economic miracle country with positive growth numbers among the unlucky European countries ran down with recession and unemployment. Are people that greedy? 

One woman in particular, labeled, "chytra baba" or "cunning old woman", gives a black eye to all the values cherished by Poles, when she grabs not one, not two, but three bottles from the table and casually walks away with her loot. Just take a look at the YouTube video. Pay attention to a woman in a white hat. She does not look like a homeless person in need of food. The football-like bottle pass was amazing. That alone upset a lot of folks.  

Not surprisingly, the "cunning old woman" is a new Internet hit in Poland. Her photo-shopped persona is plastered everywhere trying to grab all kids of items from the famous scenes. Take a look at her Facebook page. The sarcastic side of fame reminds us once again that nothing in the world can hide from a judging eye of the Skynet.

Merry Christmas everyone. Don't get slapped at the table for grabbing your favorite pierogi too quick.

60 years of the Radio Free Europe

For millions of people who lived behind the Iron Curtain for over 40 years, Radio Free Europe was the only source of the factual and independent news. Year 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the first broadcast on May 3rd, 1952, from Munich, Germany. Between the Polish Pope, John Paul II, Solidarity leader and Polish President, Lech Wałęsa, and the American President, Ronald Reagan, Radio Free Europe shines with its own accomplishments.

Founded by the United States, Radio Free Europe gave hope to all Eastern European countries terrorized by the communist regimes. Among the Polish broadcasters, Jan Nowak-Jeziorański(1914-2005), the Polish section leader, is the most recognizable person of his time.

As a young boy, during the 80′s, I vividly remember the family friend glued to an old radio turning the frequency knob every 10 seconds to catch the Radio Wolna Europa news. For people who realized how evil the communist regime was, listening to the station was a must. Radio Free Europe was an inspiration to portable Solidarity movement radio stations (Radio Solidarność) in several Polish cities. Reaching couple hundred meters and broadcasting from a tape recorder, those makeshift radios provided another avenue for the Solidarity movement to be heard.

The Polish-language history, photos, articles, and movies about the Radio Wolna Europa are available at www.wolnaeuropa.pl. The 1964 movie, “This is Radio Free Europe”, gives the inside glimpse of the RFE.

One would think that the collapse of the communism in the Eastern Europe would be the end of the Radio Free Europe. Not so. In 1995, the RFE headquarters were moved from Munich to Prague, Czech Republic, to continue the broadcasting work as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Some interesting facts from their website:

Countries: 21 (including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia )
Languages: 28
Platforms: Radio (AM, FM, Satellite), Internet, Television
Broadcast Hours: approximately 1,100 hours/week
Audience: 24 million/week (radio, web, streaming audio) (FY2011)
Employees: 500+ in Prague and Washington and 750 freelancers in 19 bureaus across the broadcast region.
Budget: $92.7 million (FY2011)

Judging from the broadcast map, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is here to stay. At least until all the craziness in the Kreplakistan-like states finally disappears.

Creator of Polish cartoon, “Reksio”, lives in poverty

Growing up as a kid in Poland in 70s and 80s, everyone knew the cartoon characters: “Bolek i Lolek” and “Reksio”. 

By today’s standards, those plain, family friendly, uplifting cartoons are bleak and unattractive. However, in a communist Poland, kids loved Reksio and played Bolek and Lolek games. Let’s now forget about Tola, the female friend of Bolek and Lolek. Both movies are forever imprinted in Polish history. 

In fact, the movies were so popular at the time, they were distributed by many all over the world. Not surprisingly, “Bolek i Lolek” is known even in countries like Iran.
Today, Polish kids watch the “Sesame Street” and “Pokemon”. The old, hand drawn cartoons, lost their appeal but their creators are still around. 

Just recently, the 86 years old animator who created “Reksio”, Marian Wantoła, was featured on Polish TVP show “Case for a reporter” (Sprawa dla reportera). Shockingly, the animator who spent 47 years at the studio since the age of 25, now lives in town of Bielsko-Biała in a run-down house without running water, gas, with mold and coal stove for heating. Being a honest, hard working guy in a communist Poland, pretty much put him in a state of poverty. 

Polish vlogger, Krzysztof Gonciarz, who first reported on this disgrace, started a website to raise funds to help Marian Wantoła. 

You can watch the video and check out the website at http://www.indiegogo.com/Reksio
And some Bolek and Lolek.



Update: December 8th, 2012.
So far, the http://www.indiegogo.com/Reksio website, collected over $30,000 for the animator, Marian Wantoła.  That's a great response.  However, an article from gazeta.pl sheds some new light on the whole situation.  

First of all, the animator lives comfortably in his own apartment, paid off years ago.  There is running water, no sign of mold, and working coal furnace.  It might not be a Ritz, but the conditions are far from what it was reported by the media.  

Second of all, just to make sure that everyone understands, Mr. Wantoła is not a creator of the famous "Reksio".  He's the animator and never claimed to be a creator.  Lechosław Marszałek is the true creator of "Reksio". 

Were people duped by the sad story to extort some money?  It's for you to decide.

Polish terrorist-wannabe, Brunon Kwiecień, arrested for planning to bomb government buildings

Source: nasza-klasa.pl

Polish style of filthy-mouth politics just became more serious.  On November 9th, 2012, the Polish Internal Security Agency (Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego aka ABW), arrested 45-year old chemist, Dr. Brunon Kwiecień, charging him with planning to bomb the Polish Parliament, office of the Polish President, and the other Polish government buildings.  Dr. Kwiecień works at as a research fellow at the Agricultural University in Kraków.  You can check out his university profile here. 

According to wyborcza.pl, his actions were not based on his social or economic situation considering his steady employment and salary of about $15,500 a year plus $2,500 flat rental income.  His wife also works at the same university as a biologist.  Newsweek.pl describes his actions as "nationalist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic" based on the recent wave of hatred spread by mass media in Poland, mostly owned or controlled by foreign entities.

Whatever his reasons have been, this person is not to be taken lightly.  So it seems.  His neighbor stated that Kwiecień loved the explosives as a kid and even lost some fingers in a firecracker accident. Thenews.pl and ABW report that he was able to accumulate 4 tonnes TNT and other pyrotechnic materials, detonators, fuses, remote detonators, firearms, ammunition, bulletproof vests, Kevlar helmets, ghillie suits, Polish and foreign registration plates, sniper and bomb-making manuals.

How was he able to prepare such a details operation?  He's job as an explosives chemist for the university provided a perfect cover.  Kwiecień was able to recruit 4 people that were later arrested but promptly released by a judge without any charge.  Strange.

Now, let the games begin.  Paraphrasing the words of the poplar Polish movie character, captain Hans Kloss, from the 1968 TV series "Stawka większa niż życie": Nie ze mną te numery Brunon!

Polish media already exploded, yes, pun intended, with reports of the Internal Security Agency provocation.  Although, Kwiecień's wife reported his behavior to the authorities after he started asking questions about the biological germ-ware, the question of motive still remains.  Is Kwiecień just a misguided and frustrated psycho fantasizing of destroying current Polish government run by Civic Platform (PO = Platforma Obywatelska)?  Or, was he pushed by the ABW agents to the extreme?  We'll find out soon enough.  Or will we?

On another note, the Polish Army really dropped the ball on this one.  The guy is a MacGyver of explosives.  With a resource like that, they could be producing some mean bombs.  Their loss.

Pablopavo and Ludziki performing “Do Stu”

If you wonder what is going on with the contemporary Polish music scene, you might be surprised. New artists of the past 20 years of post-communist Poland, shaped the unique niche in our country. Behind the shallow mass-media garbage fed to an average Pole, there is a rich and deep wave of new music growing out of frustrated young artists itching to be heard. Hip-hip, reggae, punk, industrial, blues, rock, ska and many other genres, have strong following in Poland. The list of bands and artists is endless. Today, check out Pablopavo and Ludziki performing "Do Stu".

Who’s to blame for Polish National Independence Day riots in Warsaw?

Yesterday, November 11th, Poland celebrated the Polish National Independence Day. Poland restored it's independence in 1918 led by one of the most important Polish statesman and First Marshal, Józef Pilsudski.

Every year, different Polish political fractions and groups, mainly the ruling Civic Platform (PO = Platforma Obywatelska) and opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS = Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc), claim to be the only true continuators of the independence movement.

Sadly, today, during the nationalist march in Warsaw, organized by the All Polish Youth (Młodzież Wszechpolska) and the National Radical Camp (ONR = Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny), a wave of violence took over the city. Although, both groups have questionable ideology, one must wonder what really happened yesterday that sparked the clash with the police.

Polish media reports that from the very beginning of the march, stones and flares were thrown from the crowd at the police. The other side claims a premeditated police provocation.

Below are some of the YouTube videos taken during the march. One question stands out: why are plain clothes policemen wearing ski masks are mingling in the crowd? Mix a batch of angry youth and you have yourself a riot. And to be clear, yes, the police acted in a very provocative way. You make up your own opinion on who's to blame for that mess. To put things in perspective: the tolerance is a two way highway.

 

Polish Film Festival in America (PFFA) starts November 2nd, 2012

All the info and details are at the Polish Festival in America (PFFA) website.

The 24th edition of Polish film Festival in America (PFFA), the world’s largest showcase of Polish film, will take place from Friday, November 2 to Sunday, November 18, 2012 in five premier cinematic venues in the Chicagoland.

Was the TNT reside found inside the crashed Polish presidential plane?

The gloomy waters around the Polish presidential plane crash in Smolensk on April 10, 2010, are getting ever murkier. On Tuesday, October 29th, 2012, Polish newspaper "Rzeczpospolita" reported that TNT and nitroglycerin residue was found on 30 plane seats and passenger clothes. Even though, the newspaper retraced the claim today due to the unconfirmed sources, the media firestorm over Poland blew up already.

Although, the Russian investigators deny any such findings, the bigger questions remains: why, in the name of all that is logical, the wreck of the Polish Tu-154 plane is still in Russian hands? Why Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, haven't used any means necessary to transport what is left from the plane back to Poland to conduct an international investigation? Was the late President Lech Kaczynski such an enemy of the ruling Civic Platform, that even after his death he's posing a threat? Next April, Poles will already observe the third anniversary of the this devastating crash. Get moving Tusk!

To add to the insult and the shadow conspiracy, last week, Polish flight engineer, Remigiusz Muś, who landed on Yak-40 in Smolensk just before the crash, committed a "suicide". Warrant Officer Muś was and important witness during the crash investigation. He was vocal about the Russian tower operator asking the Tu-154 pilot to decent the plane to 50 meters. Read more about what Muś said here. 

Even the Russian newspaper "Pravda" reports the key testimony about the crash:

In his testimony, Mus reported that the flight officer on duty gave the Polish liner a permission to descend to the "decision-making height" of 50 meters, despite the thick fog, says RBC. Officially, the air controller did not allow to descend below 100 meters. According to Mus, the Yak-40 was also allowed to go down to 50 meters. The flight engineer also claimed that he had heard two explosions a few seconds before the Tu-154 crashed.

Recently retired from the Polish air force, 42-year-old guy with a decent pension, loving wife, open to new employment possibilities does not hang himself without a warning.  It just doesn't add up.

But wait there's more!  Two weeks ago, a Russian blogger released gruesome pictures of the killed officials.  Read more about it here.

Want more?  Four bodies were already exhumed, DNA-tested, and confirmed as wrongly identified and buried after the crash. The Polish military prosecutors are testing remaining bodies to rule out any mistakes.

What is going on here?  Haven't DNA tests been performed already?  Who runs this operation?  Idiots?

This whole shady cover up is yet another proof of the inability of the current Polish government to handle any emergency situation. Don't get me started about the still unanswered question about the cause of the crash.  Sadly, about half of the population voted for this so-called "new intelligentsia". 

All Saint's Day as a kid in the Roman Catholic Poland

Agree or disagree, Poland's history, culture, and traditions are shaped heavily by the Roman Catholic Church. One would say that Polish religious customs are one of a kind in the world. For centuries, being a nation of many different cultures, Polish tradition is surely a mix of an Eastern and Western world.

Photo by planetka @ stock.xchng

Poland celebrates all of the important Roman Catholic holidays like Easter, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Second Day Christmas Day, Corpus Christi, and Assumption Day. Similarly, All Saint's Day (Wszystkich Świętych) and All Souls' Day (Dzień Zaduszny), celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, respectively, are also very special to the Poles.

Having to live in Poland, in a family house right across from a cemetery, I vividly remember the view and the aroma of the thousands of candles flickering with a rainbow of colors. Hundreds of people walking and praying among the lit, marble tombs, reflecting on passed on relatives and friends. The cemetery was full of life until the very late night hours. Around one or two in the morning, the glow of candles seemed to slowly extinguish. Until the next day, when the candles started to glow again.

For a Polish kid, All Saint's Day was also a chance to explore. Explore with fire and hot wax, of course. On that day, ordinarily forbidden box of matches became a box of flaming and hazardous fire sticks used in every way possible to prolong the fun. Lighting up the candles was just a pre-game to more fun, read: dangerous games.

Flicking the match was one of my favorites. In one hand, you hold the match (zapałka) with your thumb on the strike strip (draska), and using the other hand, you flick the match with your index finger. If you are skilled, the lit match will shoot up in the air like a small rocket. If you could hit your buddy with the match, you have mastered the skill. No, nobody lost an eye.

Another activity was the hot, candle wax (wosk). Making the wax fist was a must. Having so much colorful and moldable material around was a perfect opportunity for an experimentation. Yes, the first layer was painful but after couple of extra layers, our fists were ready for the smash-a-ton. The hardest shell would win. The reward was a pink hand smelling like a candle.

But the most fun, and by far, the most dangerous game played in the cemetery, was the explosive spit cup called patena. You take a small, burnt out, metal candle cylinder, wrap some wire around it for a handle, fill it up with wax, and hold it over a lit candle. When the wax catches on fire, you spit in the cylinder causing the wax to explode up in the air. If you showed up at the school next day with all your eyebrows intact, your patena obviously sucked.

Looking from a perspective, those games were extremely dangerous. One would hope that today, the sentimental parents would at least provide some good tips and supervision. American style Halloween is fun, but All Saint's Day in Poland rules the pants out of trick-o-treating.

Please, share your experience about living in Poland. Our experience and traditions make us what we are today.

Foreign owned media in Poland continue the anti Polish immigrants campaign

The foreign owned mass media in Poland, especially the popular web portals, continue the misinformation campaign directed toward the Polish immigrants.  The issue is not new but the level of the subtle negativity is growing.  

Whoever is controlling the misinformation, is trying to influence the view of the so-called "Polonia" (Polish immigrants) presented to the Poles in the home country.
For the most part, the online articles are shallow and misguiding.  The latest example comes again from the onet.pl portal.  In the photo journal story titled "Jackowo i Polakowo. Zobacz, jak żyją nasi rodacy w USA", a dozen random pictures from New York City Brooklyn's "Little Poland" and Chicago's "Polish Village" summarize the life of Poles.  The commentaries point out what you can expect to find in those Polish enclaves using the term "Polish ghetto".

One must wonder why certain elements in Poland really despise Polish immigrants in the U.S.  Is it because they had a chance for a better life?  Perhaps the negative campaign is design to discredit the well established Polish organizations overseas that disagree with the current Polish political leaders with questionable agenda?

You cannot generalize the life of an immigrant.  Yes, a lot of older Poles don't speak English but that fact doesn't prevent them from working or establishing businesses.  Yes, their own businesses, ran with limited English!  That’s the beauty of the America.  If you want to succeed, the doors are open.  Is that what rubs you the wrong way?  The ability to come to America and become a successful individual?

The traditional inner-city Polish neighborhoods are changing all over U.S.  Slow but constant migration to the suburbs in search of better schools, safer streets, and larger housing is a new reality for all immigrants.  Someone said that America is not a melting pot of cultures but rather a jar of marbles; all different but coexisting and working together.  Poles have a long way to go when learning to coexist with other cultures but surprisingly, they do very well in America.

Is it all pretty and bubbly?  Of course not.  Like with any other social group, Poles have their share of misconduct and black sheep.  But it's not a national failure but rather an individual choice of people that just took a wrong turn in life.  Coexistence and respect is a two-way highway.  Americans don't force their culture on anyone but if you don't diversify your experiences and refuse to discover new ways of interacting with people, you will be stuck in the past.

Polish immigrants and Polish-Americans are a well respected group.  Americans value our cultures and admire the will to push forward.  It's a stubborn handyman "Polack" that will lay your roof, fix your car, and take care of your kids while cleaning your house.  Yes, immigrants must start somewhere but you have no right to put them down with some one-sided articles.  You have no idea how it is to start a new life in a new country leaving all that you knew behind.  No idea.  

And if you think you have an idea because you spent 6 months in Germany or Ireland working some construction jobs, wait about 5 years and then revisit your thoughts.  I guarantee, you will look at your life very differently. 

So, my message to every Pole behind the nasty comments below every anti-American or anti-Polonia article on the who-the-hell-knows-who-controls-and-pays-to-get-us-fighting-with-each-other website is this: Stop being a tool!

Smolensk Polish presidential plane crash victims bodies photos are made public

This horrific and intriguing story about the Polish presidential plane crash on April 10th, 2010, is just keeps getting more gruesome.  The crash took lives of Poland’s president, Lech Kaczyński his wife, and 94 others.  Read the details about the crash here.

Photo by Bessarro/stock.xchng

Two years after the crash, some families voiced their concern about the identity of their buried loved ones.  Sure enough, last month, after couple exhumations, the investigators fund out that some of the bodies were mistakenly switched in Russia.  All the investigators, doctors, army and intelligence officials from Poland and Russia couldn't keep the correct records?  It’s just unreal.

This week, some Russian blogger published classified pictures from the crash showing scattered bodies all over the crash site and in coffins.  Since then, Polish government asked for assistance in removing those pictures.  However, other countries like Germany and USA would not comply due to freedom of speech laws.  You can see some of the pics here.  

Now, word of warning: some the actual pictures of the bodies are very disturbing.  Scroll down to the section with Photo 1 through Photo 7.  See it here.  Or check it here.

Give me one man and and I give you one option, give me a hundred, and I’ll give you, well you know what I mean.  It’s hard to believe that the Russian made and serviced T-154 passenger jetliner would just crash into the ground without anyone surviving.  On the other hand, who’s really to blame?  Pilots?  Tower?  Fog?

For some strange reason, US is not being asked directly by the Polish government to provide some intelligence info about the crash.  Perhaps, a satellite photos or communication transmission would shed some light on the crash.  Why are they holding back?  Strange.

Why are the Russians still in possession of the plane wreck?  It’s been two year already.  Even if they would have to pack all the parts on the rigs, they could be done in a week.  Bizarre.

Is U.S. economic reality misrepresented on Polish onet.pl?

Photo by Fastfood at stock.xchn

Among Polish web portals, the onet.pl is the most popular one.  Poles from all over the world visit the website to check for the latest news, opinions, and entertainment. Free email and blog service is also very popular.

Recently, onet.pl majority 75% stake was sold to the Axel Springer Media AG based in Zürich, Switzerland.  The other 25% stake still belongs with the International Trading and Investments Holdings SA Luxembourg (ITI Group), which owns the TVN Group (TV and media).  Enough with the stats.

I’ve been following the onet.pl news for over 15 years.  Recently, the portal evolved into a cover-all aspects service with a strong emphasis on gossip, smut, and controversial topics.  Whatever sells the advertisements?  Right?

It wouldn’t be a big deal, considering what you can find on the Internet, but the worrying fact is that the portal misrepresents the U.S. social and economic reality.  The portal influence on Poles is yet unknown but judging from the hundreds of comments left under most of the articles, Poles are reading and feeling very strongly about the information provided.

What do you think about the latest article called “Milionom zrujnowanych Amerykanów grozi głód” or “Millions of Americans face hunger”?  Same article was also published on the Polish “The Times” site.  The original article, “This is our nation too, say America’s ‘invisible poor’” by Rhys Blakely, published in British “The Times”, describes hundreds of residents of Crystal City, TX waiting in the food bank line.  Really?  The town with the population of 7,000 residents of mostly Hispanic decent, 97.1%, on the border with Mexico is used as a yard stick to show the economic state of the U.S.?  Apparently so.

None of the reasons leading to this situation in Crystal City, TX are taken into a consideration.  The education level, the job market, the overall situation of the Zavala county.  For an average Pole who has never been to the U.S., this article is just a pure anti-American propaganda.  After reading the comments, I’ve came to the conclusion that the propaganda works.  I haven’t seen that many dumb and idiotic comments for some time.

Get a grip Poles, not everything on the Internet is black and white.  Read between the lines, research, make up your own mind.  Don’t let some owners of the website to dictate your point of view.  Shades of gray people, shades of gray.

73rd anniversary of Russians backstabbing Poland on September 17th, 1939

It's hard to believe that 73 years ago, on September 17th, 1939, Soviet Russia attacked Poland right after Nazi Germany started the World War II on September 1st.  Poland was pretty much erased from the map of Europe since both totalitarian regimes divided Poland in half.  As a first country in the World, Poland resisted Hitler and made possible for France and Great Britain to respond.

The secret pact of Ribbentrop-Molotov singed a month earlier made Hitler and Stalin best pals for about 21 months.  Yes, the same Molotov that forged out plans to invade Finland.  And yes, the same guy after whom Finns named the gasoline bombs - Molotov cocktails - used to fight the Russians aggressors.

Hitler's crimes against humanity are well known and publicized but Stalin's crimes seem to slip through the cracks of history.  Or, the definition of it.

So, for starters, let's get the naming convention straight.  Nazis = Germans.  Soviets = Russians.  Years of watering down the naming to make the mysterious Nazis and Soviets responsible for murdering millions of people worked very well.  Ask some American teenagers about who the Nazis were and they won't be able to pinpoint the nationality of those cruel Nazis you speak of.  Yes, I've ended the sentence with the preposition of the phrase.  Yes, the Soviet Union was a patch of different countries but the Russians were the leading force behind Lenin's bloody revolution and Stalin's mass murders.  Interestingly, Stalin himself was Georgian and his real name was Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili.  He combined "stal", a Russian word for steel, with parts of Lenin to create his new name: Stalin.  Since cars were in short supply those days, he had to compensate in some other way.

Right after Russians took over the Eastern part of Poland, with the 13 millions inhabitants, the killings of Polish intelligentsia, Polish police, land owners, and Polish officers began.  Before Hitler's attack in 1941, the historians estimate that Stalin killed between 90-100,000 Poles and 1 million were either sent to slave work camps, factories, or concentration camps of Siberia.

The most hideous Russian murder is the Katyn Forest massacre.  In the spring of 1940, the Russian NKVD systematically killed 22,000 Poles with a single shot in the head.

Of the total killed, about 8,000 were officers taken prisoner during the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland, another 6,000 were police officers, with the rest being Polish intelligentsia arrested for allegedly being "intelligence agents, gendarmes, landowners, saboteurs, factory owners, lawyers, officials and priests".

The 2007 Andrzej Wajda's film "Katyń", tells the horrible story about the massacre.  To this day, Russians are refusing to open the secret Stalin's archives to finally reveal the whole truth about those killings.  Many suspect that most of the high ranking former NKVD officers involved, held many leadership positions in the former Soviet Union.  If any of those monsters are still alive, they must be tried for war crimes.

Why am I so passionate about the WWII history?  Before she passed away, my Polish grandmother told me all kinds of stories from that time.  She lived as a teenager in the Eastern Poland known as "Kresy".  She and her family were finally expelled by the communists to the west part of new Poland after the war ended.  That war touched my family in many ways.  Totalitarian regimes will fail.  People want a true freedom and no government will keep everyone blindfolded forever.

Warsaw rental bicycles thefts and vandalism

Sharing bicycles in the high density urban areas - what a great idea!  If you've recently been to London, perhaps to enjoy the Olympics, you might have noticed Boris Bikes all over the town.  The Barclays Cycle Hire bike rental scheme which began in 2010, with Boris Johnson as London's mayor, was an instant hit.  Short history from Wikipedia:

BCH commenced operations in July 2010 with 5,000 bicycles and 315 docking stations distributed across the City of London and parts of eight London boroughs.^[10] The coverage zone spans approximately 17 square miles (44 km²), roughly matching the Zone 1 Travelcard area. Currently there are some 8,000 'Boris Bikes' and 570 docking stations in the BCH scheme, which has been used for more than 14 million journeys to date.

How does the system work?  You can register to receive a member key or just rent the bike with a plastic.  The best perk: first 30 min is free and the hour after, only £1!  The video explains how it's done.

The bikes had their share of vandalism, like the "F%&k" stickers placed right above the Barclay's logo, reading "F%&k Barclays".  The overall reception by Londoners, though, was favorable.

Similar bike-rental scheme called Veturilo, was launched in Warsaw just a month ago.  There are 1024 bikes and 57 rental stations in the major neighborhoods of Warsaw.  The bikes will operate between March and November.  

Finally, some great green idea for Warsaw and for the people.

However, after notorious thefts and vandalism totaling $15,000 in the first month, many question if Poles are ready for such advanced form of rentals.  Police is catching people riding the bikes after removing the banners and stickers even though the bikes have a very unique design are are easily recognizable.  

The repair crews have to replace parts, wheels, slashed tires, and even reconstruct whole bikes.  

Is this behaviour part of the culture or Poles just feel that any community property can be taken, read: stolen, without any consequences?   But wait, this is not community property.  Three companies shelled out a lot of money to launch this project.

The comments under the article describing the vandalism are merciless.  Those actions are, without a question, condemned.  Hopefully, the perpetrators will grow bored or be caught to stop this senseless acts.  Otherwise, whoever invested the money, will be taken for a ride.

How will Polish-Americans vote this year?

The next Presidential Election is on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.  How will Polish-Americans vote this year? 

As with rest of the Americans, Polish-Americans are seeking good jobs and better lives.  It all comes down to the money in the pocket.  Chicagoland area is known for a large Polish population and Polish culture.  

When it comes to jobs, the majority of the Poles run their own contractor businesses.  Yes, many are employed in cleaning/caretaking industry but the real money is in building and remodeling gigs.  Correction: the real money was there, before the recession.  It seems that the main income stream comes from the "hail damage" insurance claims.  More about that some other time.

The other group invested in college education and is working for the private and public sector.  It seems that every large company has some Poles or Polish-Americans working there.  

Yes, the Poles are a large group in America but do they make their voices be heard during the elections?  The short answer is no. 

Many older Poles don't find the elections to be legit based on their experiences from the communist Poland (before 1989).  The undocumented Poles cannot vote.  And the rest are just simply keeping the politics out of their lives being busy working two jobs to support the family and the "American dream".

So how will Polish-Americans vote this year?  The jobs and taxes are very important.  Second, the immigration reform.  Romney wins on the taxes but Obama caters to the undocumented.  After talking to some friends, most are pro-Romney.  Mishandling of the economy is the number one disappointment.  Second, the Obamacare. 

Polish-Americans choice: Romney.

You can check both candidates and their stands on the issues at: Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney.

Yorkville Polish picnic - it was fun!

The Yorkville, IL, "Picnic of Picnics" at Yorkville, sponsored by Radio 1030 AM and TV Polvision was quite fun.  Everyone could find something good: delicious Polish food, Zywiec beer, life entertainment for both adults and children, and gorgeous weather. 

The Marszalek Band delivered a great show.  Straight from Poland, the star of the evening, Agnieszka Wlodarczyk, performed some songs from her album and some covers.  Judging from the applause, the guys were especially happy.  

I'm not sure how many people showed up but they had to open a secondary parking lot to accommodate all the cars.

I have to agree with the comments on the 1030 AM radio, there were a lot of smiling faces of happy people at the picnic.  

Agnieszka Wlodarczyk

Agnieszka Wlodarczyk

Agnieszka Wlodarczyk

Main stage crowd.

The best Polish picnic in Chicagoland: Yorkville

        Radio 1030 AM and TV Polvision invite you to 

"Picnic of Picnics"

August 19th, 2012 

Located at Polish National Alliance Youth Camp

10701 River Rd, Yorkville, IL 60560

Starting at 11:00 AM with a Holy Mass

From the South Suburbs

Take I-55 (US 66) to Plainfield Rd.126 (exit 261) and go to Rt. 47 north and pass over the Fox River Bridge, turn left on River St. (camp approx. one mile down)

From the North Suburbs

From North Suburbs and Chicago take I-88 West go to 56 Sugar Grove then go to Rt. 47 South and turn right on River St.

  On the stage:

The Reason

Lady Aneta z The Silver Orkiestra

Chicago Marszalek Band

Jarek Spychalski as Shakin' Stevens

Electro Halny

Wishing Well 

DJ Seba K

DJ team: Paul Blend i DJ Dextro

and straight from Poland 

AGNIESZKA WŁODARCZYK

Hawaiian and African jungle kid's stage

with the best Hawaiian outfit contest

Winner receives $500 value photo session at Casablanca young talent agency 

Sports:

Jerzy Jurak trophy soccer tournament

Field race 

Also raffle lottery:

Prizes include: iPod, notebook, kids scouters, tickets to Bristol Renaissance Fair and Day Out with Thomas

Adult prizes include: TV set, notebook, kitchen appliances

Win one of the 40 free package shipments from POLAMER

Polish food:

Potato pancakes, kielbasa, pierogi, Polish grinders, fried fish and cold beer

Parking $15

Say hello to your friends all over the world with the picnic web cam!

Source: http://polskieradio.com/piknik-yorkville.aspx

Animated history of Poland

This animated history of Poland created by a Polish master of animation, Tomasz Bagiński, remains one of the best testaments to a turbulent history of the Polish Nation.  The movie, sponsored by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, was a hit at the 2010 EXPO in Shanghai, China.  For someone unfamiliar with Poland's history, the highlights of the major events will spark a taste for more. 

In fact, to understand the current political and social trends in Poland, one must learn about the Polish past.  Kings and Queens, Teutonic Knights, union with Latvia, wars and uprisings, lost and won independence, famous leaders and scientists - all shaped the Polish culture and history.

Visiting Poland is a lot of fun and, for those who like the history, a great authentic adventure.  If you have a chance to visit, travel to Poland, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Tomasz Bagiński, "Tomek" Bagiński (born 10 January 1976, Białystok) is a BAFTA Award-winning Polish artist and animator, best known for his Oscar-nominated short movie, The Cathedral (2002). For his newest short, Fallen Art (2004), he received a BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation and Grand Prix for Digital Shorts at Golden Horse Film Festival 2005 (shared with: Jarek Sawko and Piotr Sikora). Bagiński also created cinematics for The Witcher computer game.

Source: Wiki

Working the Poles and the polls

Visiting Poland to get the Polish-American votes?  Nice touch Mitt Romney.  Last week, invited by world-famous Solidarity leader and former Polish President Lech Walesa, presidential candidate Mitt Romney, his wife Ann, and son Josh, traveled to Gdansk and Warsaw.  Romney met with Lech Walesa, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, President Bronislaw Komorowski, and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. 

By the way, most Poles don't realize that the last name of their president means an elephant's tooth.  That would explain his stabbing political agenda.

In general, the reception was very positive and warm.  Poles greeting Romney on the streets felt important and hopeful again after unfulfilled promises of President Obama.  Besides United Kingdom, Poland is the most loyal and steady ally of the United States in Europe.  

As for the political views, Poles still remember the influence and pressure on the Soviet Union from Ronald Reagan to end the communism in Eastern Europe.  Although the Polish transformation to a free market economy after 1989 was somehow rocky, overall, people are much better off then under the communist rule. 

We all know the visit was directed to Polish-American voters back at the States.  Large Polish diaspora cannot be ignored.  But it's a two way highway - Poles back at the States must mobilize and show up at the polls in great numbers, regardless of their political views.  Why bother to vote?  

Voter turnout is on the rise and out of about 60% voters, a slight majority of 31% or 1/3, will actually make a decision for the rest of the country.  Voter IDs laws and other ways to curb voter fraud will most likely have an impact on this election.

So how can you work the Poles at the polls?  What's important to an average Polish citizen?

1. Remove tourist visa requirements for Poland already - don't worry they won't flood US with mad carpentry skills and smuggle tons of vodka 

2. Polish forces are/were involved in Afghanistan and Iraq - promises of construction and supply contracts were never fulfilled - Poland needs some solid gestures

3. Install the missile defence system - Bush giveth, Obama taketh - well almost giveth, but Poles are convinced that EU/NATO alone won't be able to defend Poland from a sudden attack

What reception President Obama would receive?  I'm sure positive as well.  So all comes down to who can work the Poles at the polls the best.

Polish medals count at the 2012 Summer Olympics

The official website for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London provides great county profile for each of the participating counties.  You can learn about the athletes, competitions, and number won medals. 

Photos by Ambrozjo at SXC

During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Poland was able to win 10 medals, 3 gold, 6 silver, and 1 bronze.  

So far, London has been difficult for Poles.  Can the athletes squeeze out more medals this year?

One most positive accent of the Olympics is the mass turnout of Polish fans, both from Poland and living in the Great Britain.  Some estimate the number of recent Polish migrants at around 1 million.  No wonder London turns white and red around the Olympic venues when Poles compete. 

                              Total medals: 10

Athletics: Men's Shot Put - 1 Gold - Tomasz Majewski

Athletics: Women's Hammer Throw - Anita Wlodarczyk

Canoe Sprint: Women's Kayak Double (K2) 500m - 1 Bronze - Karolina Naja and Beata Mikolajczyk

Rowing: Women's Double Sculls - 1 Bronze - Julia Michalska and Magdalena Fularczyk  

Sailing: Men's RS-X - 1 Bronze - Zofia Noceti-Klepacka

Sailing: Women's RS-X - 1 Bronze - Przemyslaw Miarczynski

Shooting: Women's 10m Air Rifle - 1 Silver - Sylwia Bogacka
 
Weightlifting: Men's 85kg - 1 Gold - Adrian Edward Zielinski

Weightlifting: Men's 105kg - 1 Bronze - Bartlomiej Wojciech Bonk
 
Wrestling: Men's 84kg Greco-Roman - 1 Bronze - Damian Janikowski

Go Poland!  The whole country is watching and hoping for more medals!

I was always fascinated with shot put athletes.  Wikipedia defines shot put as "a track and field event involving "throwing"/"putting" (throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy metal ball - the shot - as far as possible".  For me, it's simply a poor man's cannon from the Medieval era.  Besides, Poles are great with their balls.