Poland & Beyond

Taste of Polonia Festival 2015 Labor Day Weekend

2015-08-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

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

2015-08-07T21:57:00.001-05:00

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

2015-08-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

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

2015-07-31T20:27:00.000-05:00

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

2015-07-19T20:09:00.000-05:00

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

2015-07-18T18:03:00.004-05:00

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

2013-12-28T21:52:00.001-06:00

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

2013-11-20T14:58:00.001-06:00

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

2013-11-09T21:17:00.002-06:00

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

2013-11-09T20:35:00.000-06:00

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

2013-11-07T17:03:00.000-06:00

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

2013-10-31T23:11:00.000-05:00

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

2013-08-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

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

2013-08-02T20:13:00.001-05:00

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.

View Larger Map
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?

2013-06-24T23:39:00.002-05:00

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

2013-06-06T22:31:00.002-05:00

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

2013-05-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

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

2013-05-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

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?

They don't understand the culture and language. All the sz, rz, cz, dz sounds just don't make any sense.
They think that the immigrants steal their jobs. The BIG question is which jobs?
They want the immigrants to blend in and fully adopt the British culture. For the most part the tea time and cucumber sandwich.
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.
They want the immigrants to pay their fair share of taxes. I suspect that most of them do already.
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?

Kids of the immigrants will basically pay for your retirement. This is a big one.
Your aging population will get a healthy kick of working-age, young workers.
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.
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

2013-05-02T21:49:00.003-05:00

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

Chicago’s Polish Constitution Day Parade May 4, 2013

2013-05-02T07:44:00.000-05:00

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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Polish Easter traditions

2013-04-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

Out of the all Polish traditions, the Easter celebration is one of the most pronounced traditions in Polish culture. Combination of the Roman Catholic faith and strong identity of various Polish regions make the Easter the most important holiday in the country. Poles celebrate The Holy Week (Wielki Tydzień) with the intense preparations for the upcoming Easter Sunday starting on Palm Sunday.

Definition: Holy Week is the week preceding Easter and the final week of Lent. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Holy Week includes Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday) and Good Friday, which, together with Holy Saturday, are known as the Triduum. Before the revision of the liturgical calendar in 1969, Holy Week was the second week of Passiontide; in the current calendar, Passiontide is synonymous with Holy Week. During Holy Week, Christians commemorate the Passion of Christ, Who died on Good Friday in preparation for the sins of mankind, and rose on Easter Sunday to give new life to all who believe. Thus, while Holy Week is solemn and sorrowful, it also anticipates the joy of Easter through the recognition of God's goodness in sending His Son to die for our salvation. Source

On Palm Sunday (Niedziela Palmowa), Poles bring their “palms” to church for blessing. Since there are no actual palm trees in Poland, the “palms” are made from pussy willows, colorful paper, and other greenery. Check out this great description of “palm” tradition here.

On Good Friday, the local firemen begin the watch next to the tomb of Jesus. Having done the watch as a teenager, I remember how important it was for us to walk the line and keep the straight pose while holding the swords being dressed up i the official uniforms. I got a little pale during my turn but that's a story for another time.

On Holy Saturday, everyone attends the morning blessing of the food baskets (koszyk ze święconką). Kids prepare painted eggs (pisanki or kraszanki) using wax or boiling eggs in the onion peels. Depending on the region, the eggs can be decorated with all kinds of color paper. Hollow eggs (wydmuszki) are particularly crafty to make since one must drill small holes in the eggs to remove the yolk before decorating the fragile shell. Besides eggs, baskets usually contain salt, pepper, white or dark sausage, lamb made out of butter, wine, ham, horseradish, and yeast or coffee cake.

If you haven't had a white Polish sausage, trust me, you will enjoy it immensely. In fact, you might not go back to your regular sausage. Interestingly, many catholic churches in the United States, especially ones with a significant Polish or Polish-American population, adopted the food basket blessing tradition allowing the Americans to enrich their culture.

Take a look at the baskets from my church on Holy Saturday. Afterwards, the kids had a blast with the Easter egg hunt.

During the Easter Sunday lunch, right after the mass celebration, everyone at the table must taste at least a little bite of every blessed food before starting the Easter feast. Among regional dishes, traditional Polish Easter tablet should have: vegetable salad (sałatka jarzynowa), white borscht (biały barszcz or żurek wielkanocny) served with eggs, smoked bacon slab (boczek wędzony), deviled eggs (jajka faszerowane), white Polish sausage (biała kiełbasa), baked ham (szynka pieczona) Growing up in Poland, I still remember the smell of poppy seed roll (makowiec), yeast cake with plums (placek drożdżowy ze śliwkami), and classic cake (babka).

But wait, there’s more! In Poland, Monday after Easter is known as Wet Easter Monday (Śmigus-Dyngus aka Lany Poniedziałek), where boys spray the girls with buckets of water. You start as a little kid with little egg-shaped squirters and move on to empty dishwasher liquid bottles to finally end up with a 20 liter bucket as a teenager. The firemen also get some action with their hoses. Check out the video! Yes, sometimes the fun gets out of control but it’s only one day a year so girls are forgiving. 2013 Wet Easter Monday will be substituted with a snowball fight since there is 15 cm of snow in most parts of Poland. Snow Easter bunnies are also planned so that will be interesting.

So there you have it, Polish Easter in a nutshell. If you want to add your traditions or foods, please contribute. Thanks.

Habemus Papam – white smoke over the Sistine Chapel

2013-03-13T13:30:00.004-05:00

Couple of minutes ago, white smoke came out over the Sistine Chapel. The new Pope was elected after only 5 votes. My young son seems to be semi-interested in the whole process. I did explain to him about the whole process so something might sink in.

Now, everyone is waiting to find out who will be the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. And, what his name will be.

Update: New Pope: Jorge Mario Bergoglio - Francis - from Argentina, Buenos Aires.

Amazing panoramic photography by Jan Zięba

2013-03-11T23:35:00.003-05:00

Comparing to France, Italy, or Great Britain, Poland's architectural wonders receive less attention in the media around the globe. It's not because of the quality of the offer but rather due to a minuscule advertising budget the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage allocates toward the advertisement in the western media. The shortsighted lack of pow factor, directly affects the image of Poland as a tourist destination and cuts into substantial profits from the tourism.

Luckily, the well organized Euro Cup 2012 have proven to be a hit among football fans (translate: soccer fans for the Americans) and gave Poland much needed exposure. However, besides the brand new football stadiums, city centers, restaurants, and gorgeous and friendly Polish women, foreign visitors haven't discovered the true beauty of Poland: it's history and architecture.

There are countless websites dedicated to introducing the Polish goodies to the would-be travelers. However, one website, which came to my attention just recently, provides a panoramic view of the most amazing buildings in Poland and other locations in Europe.

The website http://zieba.wroclaw.pl is a work of art put together by Jan Zięba. If you are interested in his work, the contact information is available on the home page. The images are fantastic, and I urge you to take a look at his work. Enjoy.

Can Brits accept Poles living in Britain?

2013-02-13T22:22:00.000-06:00

After reading The Telegraph’s article “Why Poles love coming to Britain“, I was surprised with all the comments, both positive and negative, about Poles and the British immigration situation in general. The conversation became quite heated, so, I jumped in with my own arguments.
The diversity of the comments was quite enjoyable. It must be a different readership sampling or more involved citizens. In any case, arguments from the pro-immigration group and the not-so-much-for-more-immigrants people, were interesting and illuminating.

It seems that Brits, as any other nation obviously, are quite disgusted with the freeloading hordes of immigrants taking over their country. No argument here. Germans deal with their Turks, France with Gypsies, Denmark with Pakistanis and Somalis, and United States with Mexicans. However, British situation is different since a majority of the latest immigrants are from the Eastern Europe making them an easy target.

Why an easy target? Because, immigrants from the EU member states are eligible for all the social net goodies enjoyed by the native Brits. And that is the real issue here. Speaking broken-English, fresh of the plane or a bus, newcomers looking for a chance of a better life, chipping away the status quo of the “regular” or “integrated” immigrants. Doesn’t matter that an overwhelming majority of Poles are willing to work hard and establish their households to bring or start their families. To some Brits, they are a threat.

For some reason, some of the comments marginalized Polish soldiers sacrifices during the WWII, mentioned in the article. Perhaps Brits don’t want to remember this fact but Poles did fights on all fronts of the WWII, including UK.

UberNibbler: So 5,820,000 Poles, including 3,000,000 Polish Jews, or 16% of the total population killed during the WWII is not enough for you? Looks like UK lost 450,900 people or 0.94% of the total population. US lost 418,500 people. France 567,600. When you take the number of total pre-war population of Western Europe, it looks to me that Poland suffered its fair share. How many unaccounted murders were committed on the Polish anti-communists after the war? Well, that’s a book. So don’t you dare insult our patriotism.

zeppelin: The Poles were some of the best spitfire pilots that we had in WW2. I visit some Polish graves of some downed Polish pilots on Romney Marsh, and as far as I am concerned, we are indebted to these men who allowed us our freedom today, and we should remember their sacrifice.

UberNibbler: First of all, the telegraph website comments are quite an adventure. In a positive way. Great conversations.
Well, since you started, let’s have a quick history WWII lesson, shall we?
—RAF No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N…
—Battle of Monte Cassino
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B…
—Breaking the Enigma code – surprised?
http://www.polandinexile.com/e…
—1st Armoured Divison – Polish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1…
—Cichociemni – “The Unseen and Silent” covert operation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C…
…and finally, a nice summary of the Polish contribution during the WWII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P…
As a first country in Europe, Poland took on Hitler and said no to his insane view of new Europe. You can say anything about Poles but when it comes to the credit for our history, we take what’s ours.

pry: Do not forget the “doomed soldiers” of the biggest anti-communist uprising in Europe lasting till nearly 60′s.

UberNibbler: Absolutely. To the West - virtually unknown story of the Polish underground resistance during and way after WWII. Home Army AK and National Armed Forces NSZ, prosecuted after the war and continuing fighting the communist regime. If anyone wants to get a feel of that time, watch one of the greatest and most compelling movie released in recent times: General Nil (2009). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v… After years of half-baked productions, this movie, based on a true story of general Emil Fieldorf, shows the real deal. Another movie, Historia Roja (Story of Roj) currently in production struggling with financing to finish the masterpiece, will tell another true story about Polish commander Mieczyslaw Dziemieszkiewicz. http://ratujmyroja.pl After years and years of communist and post-communist lies, the true history of those times is finally reaching the light.
…since I’m on the roll here, people tend to forget about France and its sins during WWII. Comparing to Poland, France shamelessly took the collaborator exit. So much for the 1939 “power” in Europe. But talking fecal matter about Poland and our “weakness” is ok. Wrong.

There are tons of more great comments for you to enjoy. And one that gets right to the point of all that frustration with the immigration is from RodPolisher. Great nick btw. Read the articles. If you dare.

Here’s 3 different families for starters…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…

Like with any society, there is some undesirable behavior. That would apply to the immigrants but also to the Brits. Nice counter from: AlenLemone

“UK man held over ‘murder’ in Spain” :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…
“Pictured: Moment British man, 32, is arrested in France for sexual assault and brutal murder of mother-of-three” :
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…
“British man arrested in Spain on suspicion of murdering his mother” :
http://www.independent.co.uk/n…
“Briton arrested in Benalmadena for Tenerife brawl death” :
http://www.theolivepress.es/sp…
“Ten Britons arrested in Spain over ‘boiler room fraud’ ” :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-2…

For the rest of us, the number game should provide the best overview of just how much of a burden on the British society are the immigrants. The IZA (Institute for the Study of Labor) put together a great document summarizing all of the handouts in UK. You can find it here.
One fact that won’t change regardless of the arguments is: Poles see UK as a great place to work and live. The big question is: can Brits accept Poles in the long run without prejudice? I leave you with this:

UberNibbler: Please read between the lines. This article is trying to tell you something. Legally, UK government cannot pick and choose between “desirable” and “less desirable” immigrants. Will Poles have easier time adjusting to the British culture, religion, values? Of course they will. Poles are Christians, raised in a traditional country, share the patriotism and history of a national pride with the UK. In fact, regular Polish families see UK as a perfect opportunity to continue their lives in a similar environment, bar the corruption, distrusted political “elites”, and lack of good paying jobs. Can the article flatly say: thank you white, conservative, Polish people for rescuing our country? No, it’s illegal. But deep down, we all know the game. The game of racial and religious balance. Why is Germany no longer seeing Turks as a crisis? Because Eastern Block balanced the scale. Yes, all immigration brings spice to every country. As with genetic pool, diversity is needed. You can thank all the Eastern Europeans in about 20 years when their children start paying for your overrated social benefits. Don’t mention it, you’re welcome.

New superpower policing the world? Not so fast Europe.

2013-01-29T00:59:00.001-06:00

The latest article by Anne Applebaum from January 28th, 2013 in National Post, titled "Anne Applebaum on Europe: The world's new superpower", inaccurate at its core, raised some interesting points about the EU's military capabilities. In short, Mrs. Applebaum claims that EU, with it's 27 member states, out of which 21 are NATO members, has the potential to match the military power of the United States. Perhaps being married to the Polish Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, distracted Mrs. Applebaum from the rest of the political reality of the European Union.

Although the EU members came a long way modernizing their arsenals and coordinating EU defenses, the patchwork of member-states is no match for the global reach of the United States. This simple conclusion has nothing to do with being an American chauvinist or European Union critic. The crude facts and pure numbers may not expose the "new superpower" entirely, but the base of the EU weakness lays with the member states.

According to SIPRI Yearbook 2012, quoted in the euobserver.com, United States military spending was $711billion comparing to $496 billion of all 27 European Union members. EU spending sounds impressive until it's broken down to individual countries. United Kingdom ($62.7 billion), France ($62.5 billion), Germany ($46.7 billion), and Italy ($34.5 billion), top the list of the highest EU spenders. Proportionally to their size, rest of the EU members spend much less individually.

Right there, the numbers tell the half of the story. Only UK and France have the real muscle to conduct any real war effort. Short-lived that is, of course. Wiki provides even more info about the number of troops, planes, aircraft careers, submarines, tanks, and so on. Some counties look better than other. Poland for example, with it's recently purchased F-16s, and $9.7 billion military budget, looks like a bigger player among the former Eastern Block.

But what's more important than equipment and military budgets? In short, different agendas of the former colonial powers versus rest of the Europe.

Fighting terrorist in Mali by French using, most likely, the Foreign Legion, has too much of the cleanup undertone. Perhaps a deeper feeling of a colonial remorse? The world admires France for standing up to the al-Qaeda with the solders hitching a ride on whatever transport planes they could scramble from the US and private companies. However, hitchhiking is not a superpower. Besides, with 10% of the French population being Muslim, it's obvious that France just taking care of the business before the flames spread too close to home.

For counties like Slovenia, Hungary, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, this war is a distant conflict not worth loosing human lives and money. Yes, some counties will express support, lend some planes, but involving their soldiers in this war is just not worth the trouble. And why not you may ask? First of all, the myopic view of the Muslim extremists danger and secondly, because the United States kept out of this futile escapade. Let's be honest, without a full US support, chances of a prompt victory are limited. In reality, Mali could become another Afghanistan where today's allies become tomorrow's enemies.

Sooner or later, US will loose interest in Europe or NATO, and by then, one would hope EU is prepared to take over the real job of protecting the Old Continent. But that just it - the Old Continent.