Taste of Polonia Festival 2015 Labor Day Weekend

Chicago is the home to the highest number of Polish immigrants and Polish-Americans in the United States.  If you are looking for a Polish cultural event, Chicago is the place to be.  One of the best festivals is the Labor Day Weekend Taste of Polonia Festival.

Since 1979, the festival is sponsored by the Copernicus Center, a well established Polish cultural hub. 

Between Friday, September 4th and Monday, September 7th, you will enjoy Polish cuisine and beer, kids attractions, casino, film festival, folk dancing, exhibits, and live music.

This year, you can party with De Mono and Marika, popular bands straight from Poland.  Visit Taste of Polonia website to find out all the details about the festival.

Some directions from the Copernicus Center website:

Driving Directions

The Copernicus Center is located on the Northwest side of Chicago at 5216 West Lawrence Avenue, one block east of Milwaukee Avenue, and two blocks west of the Kennedy Expressway (I-90), Exit 84. (watch for sign at the exit) 

Public Transportation

The Copernicus Center is easily accessible by public transportation. The Lawrence Avenue bus #81 stops in front of the building. CTA and PACE buses stop at the CTA Jefferson Park Terminal, located just two blocks northwest of the Center. METRA (Union Pacific/Northwest Line) and CTA Blue Line trains both stop at “Jefferson Park.”

Kids of Polish immigrants learn Polish online at Libratus

There is an interesting online service directed to help kids of Polish immigrants to learn Polish.  
Website: http://www.libratus.edu.pl

Andrzej Duda officially sworn in as a new Polish President

Yesterday, Andrzej Duda became a new Polish President. He beat President Bronislaw Komorowski who couldn't convince Poles to give him a chance to lead the country in a second term. Duda was backed by the opposition conservative Law and Justice party while Komorowski had the support of the ruling Civic Platform party.

On the personal note, having an attractive wife Agata and cute daughter Kinga appealed to Poles as well since we all like photogenic families and in today's elections the image is priceless.

Even though the President has limited powers, Duda promised a lot of changes including lowering the retirement age and increasing tax free income levels. The most important presidential powers are overseeing Polish arm forces and ability to veto legislations.

President Duda is 43 and his term is 5 years so he has plenty of time to prove himself. So, like in the old Polish saying, pożyjemy zobaczymy (time will show).

The official website of the President of the Republic of Poland.

President Andrzej Duda with wife Agata.         

Kinga, daughter of the President and his parents.

71st anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising against the German occupation

The Warsaw Uprising began on August 1st, 1944 and this year Poles celebrate 71st anniversary of this heroic 63-day fight of World War II by the Polish Home Army against the German occupation. 

The Warsaw Rising is considered to be the single largest military effort undertaken by a resistance group in Europe. The Polish resistance Home Army decided to start the rising to free the capital from under the Nazi occupation at a time when the Soviet Red Army was approaching Warsaw from the east on its way to Berlin. However, on Stalin's orders the Soviet offensive was stopped and Warsaw was left to bleed to death. Before the Soviets finally captured the city in January 1945, the Nazis had demolished most of the buildings and infrastructure.

There are hundreds of pictures documenting this tragic event: Warsaw Uprising Photos

Excellent Polish politics blog in English

Just recently, I came across an excellent Polish politics blog written in English.  The blog is being run by Aleks Szczerbiak, Professor of Politics and Contemporary European Studies at the University of Sussex.

I found his analysis of the current political news in Poland to be excellent.

Check it out at: https://polishpoliticsblog.wordpress.com/

Polish comedy group "Kabaret Ani Mru-Mru" touring USA

By far, Kabaret Ani Mru-Mru, is one of the best Polish comedy groups today.  Their sketches are witty and hilarious.  If you enjoy Polish comedy, you will have a blast.

Dates and cities.

CHICAGO

Copernicus Center 

9/26/2015 (Saturday) 7:00 PM 

5216 W Lawrence Avenue

Chicago, IL 60630

NEW YORK

Tribeca Performing Arts Center 

9/27/2015 (Sunday) 3:00 PM 

199 Chambers Street

New York, NY

NEW JERSEY

Polish American Cultural Center 

9/27/2015 (Sunday) 7:00 PM 

1-3 Monroe Street

Passaic, NJ 07055

Greedy cunning old woman strikes at Bialystok

Personally, I think the story of the "cunning old lady" or "chytra baba" from last year's Christmas celebration at the town square in Radom became a template for all the nasty freeloaders all over Poland. You can watch the video and read my post from last year here.

First, let me just explain how important the tradition of the Christmas wafer or "opłatek" is during the Christmas Eve in Polish tradition.  The wafers are a reminder of the Body of Christ and are shared among the family before the Christmas Eve dinner.  Wafers are baked from wheat flour and water and depict some Christian images.  Family members wish each other health, happiness, and fortune and break a piece of the wafer from each other's hand consuming the wafers as a sign of peace.  All in all, the significance of the wafer is one of the most important Polish Christmas traditions.

Now, take a look at the below YouTube video.  The lady with the basket passes the wafers to all the people at the town square in Białystok when the greedy cunning old lady grabs a fistful of wafers without any hesitation.  And what do you know?  Yes, she even has a baggy for her loot.  I guess she'll be making wafer sandwiches for the Christmas diner.

Enej and Pectus at Copernicus Center in Chicago

On November 23, 2013, at 7:30 PM, at Chicago's best known Polish venue, Copernicus Center, fans can see one of the hottest new Polish bands: Enej and Pectus.  Both groups will perform their hugely popular hits live on stage.

Where: Copernicus Center, 5216 W Lawrence Avenue, Chicago IL 60630
When: Saturday, November 23, 2013 @ 7:30 PM
Tickets online: bilety.com or ticketfly.com           
Tickets by phone: Polamer 773.685.8222 or 708.867.9200 - Bookstore D&Z 773.282.4222 - Bookstore Quo Vadis 773.622.1271

Enej band was created in 2002 by brothers Piotr and Pawel Soloduch together with a friend Lukasz Kojrys in Polish town of Olsztyn.  Band was named after cheerful Cossack character called Enej from a poem Eneida by an Ukrainian author Iwan Kotlarewski.  Since most of the band members have Ukrainian roots, the band creates music described as Ukrainian folk, ska, and alternative. Their most famous hits are "Radio Hello", "„Skrzydlate Rece" and "Tak smakuje zycie".  You can read more about the band on the band's website enej.pl.

If you want some info on band Pectus, their website actually provides are really nice English info version available at pectus.com.pl.
Band's best hits are "Barcelona", "Dla Ciebie" and "Oceany".  Check out the YouTube videos below.

More Polish license plates around Chicagoland

So here it is again.  Some more Polish license plates around Chicagoland.  Just in case you wonder what they mean.  Here you have it.

Legia stands for Legion but it really represents the Polish football team (soccer) Legia Warszawa from, yes you guessed it, Warsaw.

Legia

Irena PM stands for a popular woman's name, Irene. Not sure about PM. Perhaps she's pm-esing.

Irena PM

Kept the best one for last. Fura means a fat wheels, loosely speaking, and everyone in Poland knows if you own a great fura, you spent some serious cash for your ride.  It's a funny play on words since originally, fura, described an old fashion horse wagon.

Fura

Polish National Independence Day - November 11

The National Independence Day, celebrated on November 11, is the most important event in modern Polish history.  After 123 years of partition by Prussia, Austria, and Russia, First Marshal of Poland, Józef Piłsudski, led the fight for the independence at the end of the Word War I.  Gaining the independence and restoring the nation was no small task.  Poland was split between three, very different occupiers, with different infrastructure, governmental and judicial systems, languages, and levels of development.

After Bolshevik Russia attacked Poland in 1919 and suffered a great defeat in Battle of Warsaw in 1920, Second Polish Republic finally established it's right to exist as a strong nation.  Until this day, Józef Piłsudski is recognized as the most important Polish statesman.  You can find more information about the National Independence Day here.

During the World War II (1939-1945) , under the German occupation, and then under the communist rule (1945-1989) the National Independence Day on November 11th was forbidden.  Currently, every year Polish statesmen gather at the Piłsudski Square for the change of guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the arm forces defilade afterwards.

Double Nobel prize winner Marie Skłodowska-Curie was Polish

Most uninitiated don't realize that Marie Curie was born  Maria Salomea Skłodowska. Yes Marie Skłodowska-Curie was Polish and all her scientific work was done in Paris, France, where she also met her French husband Pierre Curie.

Her achievements included a theory of radioactivity (a term that she coined^[2]), techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two elements, polonium and radium. Under her direction, the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment ofneoplasms, using radioactive isotopes. She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and in Warsaw, which remain major centres of medical research today. During World War I, she established the first military field radiological centres.
While a French citizen, Marie Skłodowska Curie (she used both surnames)^[3][4] never lost her sense of Polish identity. She taught her daughters the Polish language and took them on visits to Poland.^[5] She named the first chemical element that she discovered – polonium, which she first isolated in 1898 – after her native country.^[a]
Curie died in 1934 at the sanatorium of Sancellemoz (Haute-Savoie), France, due to aplastic anemia brought on by exposure to radiation – mainly, it seems, during her World War I service in mobile x-ray units created by her. - Wikipedia

An interesting lifehacker.com article prompted me to write a post about Marie Curie who, at the time, was one of the most admired scientists in the field reserved for men.  After winning a Nobel prize, twice, she came to the United States to meet the most powerful men at the time.  Smithsonian website writes about her visit.

She attended a luncheon on her first day at the house of Mrs. Andrew Carnegie before receptions at the Waldorf Astoria and Carnegie Hall. She would later appear at the American Museum of Natural History, where an exhibit commemorated her discovery of radium. The American Chemical Society, the New York Mineralogical Club, cancer research facilities and the Bureau of Mines held events in her honor. Later that week, 2,000 Smith College students sang Curie’s praises in a choral concert before bestowing her with an honorary degree. Dozens more colleges and universities, including Yale, Wellesley and the University of Chicago, conferred honors on her.

The marquee event of her six-week U.S. tour was held in the East Room of the White House. President Warren Harding spoke at length, praising her “great attainments in the realms of science and intellect” and saying she represented the best in womanhood. “We lay at your feet the testimony of that love which all the generations of men have been wont to bestow upon the noble woman, the unselfish wife, the devoted mother.”

So what so important about Marie Curie today?  Well, looks like Yasser Arafat was poisoned by a lethal dose of polonium, an isotope discovered by Curie.  I just hope Poles won't be blamed by some unreasonable Palestinians for the death of their leader.  If a time machine is ever invented, watch out Marie, Poland will send some GROM boys to protect you. Read the CBS News article here.

The Swiss lab examined Arafat's remains and his underclothes and a travel bag that he had with him in the days before his death in a Paris hospital and found that the polonium and lead amounts could not be naturally occurring. The timeframe of his illness and death were also consistent with polonium poisoning, they said.
"You don't accidentally or voluntarily absorb a source of polonium -- it's not something that appears in the environment like that," said Patrice Mangin, director of the laboratory, on Thursday. He said he could not say unequivocally what killed Arafat.

Polish football traditions still alive in Honduras

Since the 70s and 80s, Polish national football team, aka national soccer team for all of you Americans, hasn't really accomplished any memorable victories. As a nation of avid football fans, Poles are devastated with the ongoing lack of achievements given the fact that individual Polish players like Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Błaszczykowski, Wojciech Szczęsny, Łukasz Piszczek, Artur Boruc, or Przemysław Tytoń, just to name a few, are very successful footballers in major European football leagues.  Presumably, an issue of a monetary motivation.

After Poland and Ukraine hosted a very well organized EURO 2012 European Football Championship last year, all excuses about lack of proper venues and young talent are no longer valid.  When the Orlik 2012 program was completed, almost every township in Poland developed a new soccer field available for young players to practice and enhance their skills.  Light of motivation?

But not all hope is lost.  While watching MLS match, Houston Dynamo vs. D.C. United last Sunday, it came to my attention that number 27 from Houston, carries a middle name of one of the most famous Polish players, Zbigniew "Zibi" Boniek.  Yes, it was native Honduran Oscar Boniek Garcia Ramirez and for whatever reason, name on his jersey reads Boniek.  His Twitter account is also @OscarBoniek.  Congrats to his parents recognizing Boniek's talent.  Hopefully, the motivation for Oscar Boniek will increase from his annual $120,000 to something more substantial.  If the Honduran with Polish name playing for US team can't carry Polish football traditions, who can?

2013 Polish picnic at Yorkville, Illinois

Welcome back to Yorkville. This year, the Polish picnic sponsored by Polish Radio 1030 AM and Polish TV station, Polvision, will be held on Sunday, August 11th, from 11:00 AM to the sunset. The star of this year's picnic is a very popular Polish band, Formacja Niezywych Schabuff. It's a funny name and it translates loosely to Dead Pork Chops Formation. The band has been around for 25 years and it has some fine hits. Check it out below.

Other bands include Wishing Well, Przystanek Polskie Granie and DJ Mike. Besides the music, there are activities for kids and adults, games, great food, Polish beer, soccer match, lottery and much much more. This is the largest Polish picnic around Chicago so plan on joining the party! Parking is only $20 per car. Location: Polish National Alliance Youth Camp, 10701 River Rd, Yorkville, IL 60560

Przystanek Woodstock Festival Poland 2013

Over 500,000 people from all over the Europe will join together for three days of music and partying at Woodstock Festival 2013 in Kostrzyn, Poland.  Read more about the festival here.

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Jurek Owsiak started this largest music festival in Poland in 1995. This is the same guy who runs the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity collecting donations for medical equipment for needy kids in Poland. Dates: From Thursday, August 1st through Saturday, August 3rd, 2013 You can watch the festival live at owsiaknet.pl  or YouTube.

 Large stage.
 

Small stage.

Would Poles ridicule Americans for driving tiny Fiat 500?

The irony of a Fiat 500 debut in the North America last year is that the high gasoline prices finally forced middle-class Americans to accept mini cars ridiculed for the last 50 years as European tuna cans on wheels.  Introduction of the Mini Cooper, followed by Smart Car, followed by Honda Fit, followed by Chevy Spark, and many others, flooded the market with new wave of fuel efficient  mini vehicles.

It makes me laugh when I read the Fiat 500 reviews raving about "surprisingly spacious", "retro-adorable", "cute", small car with "personality".  Let's be honest, it's just a small car trying to take advantage of the mysterious youth days of the babyboomers who happened to visit Europe.  And it's not that cheap either. 

What puts even bigger smile on my face is the story of a Polish Fiat 126p produced in Poland (under Italian license) between 1973 and 2000.  The communist government realized that mass produced Fiat will be the answer to wants and needs of Polish families.  And, they were right.  Everyone wanted the orange tuna can on wheels.  Poles would pre-pay for the car and wait years to finally receive one.  Fiat 126p was easy to maintain, rear wheel drive, small car with the engine in the back that you could start with a stick   in case you pulled the metal starter lever too quickly and ripped the metal cable.  You could pack a family of 5 in this thing with half of dozen suitcases on the roof and travel 10 hours to the Baltic Sea and everyone was excited just to be independent. 

Couple of Fiat 126p were imported to Chicago, more for fun than everyday use and only one or two remain in hands of a local car shop owners.  Americans had a blast when they saw one passing by making characteristic engine sound.  Different times, different era. 

Today, the tables have turned.  Americans are lining up to buy small cars and all of a sudden small is cool and trendy.  Would Poles ridicule Americans for driving tiny Fiat 500?  It all depends on the situation of their wallets, here in US, and in Poland.  One thing for sure, Poles who experienced Fiat 126p in Poland are not going back in time.  It was cute while it lasted but believe me, Fiat 500 will not be a new status symbol anytime soon.

  by  Free Photo Fun 

Max Kolonko becoming most popular Polish YouTube persona

YouTube is known for all kinds of wacky videos but from time to time, we find a real gem.  About six months ago, Polish reporter living in New York City, Max Kolonko, launched his MaxTV YouTube channel and instantly became a hit among the Polish community.

What's his secret?  He's motto "I say it how it is", became a catch phrase for his politically incorrect videos.  Why politically incorrect?  Because he reports the facts in an unfiltered fashion, without the major-media fluff, omitting facts, or cutouts.  Poles are tired of a state-controlled media or questionable private media conglomerates, hence the craving for a down-to-earth reporter who will report the news straight up.

Keep them coming Max Kolonko.  Check out some of his videos.

 

Polish code on American car registration plates

While driving around Chicago, you will notice all kids of stickers, bumper stickers, logos, and customized car registration plates.  Every immigrant group has a set of the "secret codes" and so does the Polish community.  The obvious ones, Polish flag and Polish Eagle, are easy to spot but the customized registration plates spelled out in Polish are a different story.

Couple of days ago, I got an interesting one.  Check out the picture below.  It states "PAN BOG 1".  It translates to "Lord God 1".  Who knew?  The Creator is actually Polish.  Like with other things in life, connections, connections, connections.

Registration plate with an interesting message.

Eastern Europeans and British symbiosis

After reading several British online articles, it seems that the Eastern European wave of immigration to Great Britain is still one of the top subjects of the concerned British citizens.  Because of the sheer numbers (800,000 or more), Poles are singled out as the one nationality that is overtaking the fragile British job market. In my previous post "Can Brits accept Poles living in Britain?", I had a chance to discuss the subject with the interested parties.

As a Polish immigrant living in the US for 19 years, I understand the pushback and worries of the native population when it comes to a rapid influx of a foreign culture.  I probably shouldn't mention native population realizing the fate of the native American Indians.  All my Polish friends traveled the same immigrant road so both sides have valid arguments.

Perhaps US is a bit different when it comes to treatment of the immigrants but the struggle of the new immigrants is very similar.  Lack of English language skills, unknown environment, learning how things work, getting around bureaucracy, and homesickness are the roadblocks of every immigrant.

So why are the Brits are so afraid of the new immigrants?

1. They don't understand the culture and language.  All the sz, rz, cz, dz sounds just don't make any sense.
2. They think that the immigrants steal their jobs.  The BIG question is which jobs?
3. They want the immigrants to blend in and fully adopt the British culture.  For the most part the tea time and cucumber sandwich.
4. They are afraid of the whole social warfare system collapse.  I would deflect that worry toward the non-European refugees.  Let's leave it at that.
5. They want the immigrants to pay their fair share of taxes.  I suspect that most of them do already.
6. They can't deal with the increase of the crime.  Statistics dear Watson!

Those are my 6 more important worries.  Feel free to comment and add more below.

Why Brits should be grateful for the new Eastern European immigrants?

1. Kids of the immigrants will basically pay for your retirement. This is a big one.
2. Your aging population will get a healthy kick of working-age, young workers.
3. Your stiff culture will be injected with revitalized and lively traditions.  Get ready for some kielbasa, pierogi, bigos, makowiec, Wielkanoc, Boze Narodzenie, Constituion Day… the list goes on.
4. Your country will save tons of money on trade education since Poland and other counties already paid for the training.  In return, you can spend money on our kids who will repay you in about 50 years.

Recently, BBC came out with a great documentary about Eastern European immigrants in a town of Peterborough.  The best comment: Part 3 @ 5:29.  Watch it and draw your own conclusion.

 

National Polish Flag Day celebrated on May 2nd

Since 2004, May 2nd is the official Polish Flag Day. The Polish flag consists of two horizontal stripes: white on the top and red on the bottom. Variation of the flag displaying a crowned, white eagle national coat of arms on the white stripe is flown abroad and at sea. Read more about the Polish flag here.

White and red were officially adopted as national colors in 1831. They are of heraldic origin and derive from the tinctures (colors) of the coats of arms of the two constituent nations of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, i.e. the White Eagle of Poland and the Pursuer of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a white knight riding a white horse, both on a red shield. Prior to that, Polish soldiers wore cockades of various color combinations. The national flag was officially adopted in 1919. Since 2004, Polish Flag Day is celebrated on May 2. The flag is flown continuously on the buildings of the highest national authorities, such as the parliament and the presidential palace. Other institutions and many Polish people fly the national flag on national holidays and other special occasions of national significance. Current Polish law does not restrict the use of the national flag without the coat of arms as long as the flag is not disrespected.

May 2nd is a second public holiday after the May 1st, currently known as State Holiday, before the May 3rd, which is a Polish Constitution Day. Besides the important religious holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Corpus Christi, the three day long May holiday is the longest public holiday in Poland. Even the reminiscence of the old, communist International Labor Day of May 1st, won't shadow the obvious benefits of the couple days off from work. So if you sit in traffic in Chicago and notice Polish flags on cars and trucks, now you know why.

Source: www.prezydent.pl

Source: www.prezydent.pl

Chicago’s Polish Constitution Day Parade May 4, 2013

This year’s Chicago celebration of the Polish Constitution of 1791 will be held on Saturday, May 4th, 2013 with another massive parade on Columbus Drive in Grant Park on Chicago’s beautiful lakefront. This 122st Chicago parade in honor of this historic document, the first democratic constitution in Europe and second in the world only to the United States Constitution is once again expected to draw 250,000 eager revelers to the lakefront and untold thousands more to the television coverage of the parade expected to once again be provided by ABC-7 and Polish stations.

Time and location: 11:30 AM on Columbus Drive and Balbo, in front of Buckingham Fountain in Chicago.

Source: Polish Constitution Day Parade Committee

2012 Parade ABC-7 float

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