Stories about Poland from May, 2006
Poland: The Pope's Visit
Kinuk reports on the Pope's visit to Poland: “Civil servants have been given Friday off, at least in Warsaw. Schools have had to cancel lessons. There is a complete ban on alcohol sales in the whole of Warsaw. Nudie and sexy ads are banned from television. It’s all gone a...
Europe: Eurovision Song Contest
Rachel of Pustolovina: Adventure in Serbian shares her impressions on this year's Eurovision Song Contest, the first one she's watched.
Poland: The Da Vinci Code
The beatroot writes about the apparent sin of going to see The Da Vinci Code in Poland.
Poland, Russia: Sciagawki/Shpargalki
Edward Lucas, Central and East European correspondent of the Economist, writes about sciagawki: cheat sheets used by Polish students to survive exams, which are “largely a memory test.” Tom Adshead of The Future of Russia points out in the comments section that sciagawki is shpargalki in Russian – and that...
Poland: Gay Activist and Homophobia
rod 2.0:beta writes about Krystian Legierski, “a Polish-born black gay activist. He is 27 years old and the owner of Le Madame, the influential Warsaw club that was recently shut down by the government.” The beatroot cites the U.S. State Department's annual human rights report, which places Poland as the...
Poland: Revolution Needed to Fight Red Tape
Kinuk thinks a revolution is needed in Poland, at the local government level: “In the 21st century, I am waiting for the wheels of 19th century-style bureaucracy to turn so that I can get my 20th century piece of plastic. In the age of digital masterfulness, my piece of plastic...
Poland: Homophobic Coalition Party Official
The beatroot writes about Wojciech Wierzejski, the homophobic spokesman for the League of Polish Families, one of the three parties that make up Poland’s government coalition.
Poland: Different Kind of Diaspora
Aaron Fowles of p3 writes about young Polish friends who are planning to go to England to earn some money: “England is a shangri-la for many Polish people. It's the local version of the American dream: Work hard, earn money, be happy. Learn English for free.” Becca of Boo shares...
Banned White-Red-White Flag of Belarus Travels Abroad
This flag used to be the official state flag of Belarus from 1991 to 1995. Following the controversial referendum of May 14, 1995, president Aleksandr Lukashenko banned it and reintroduced a variation of the Soviet-time Belarusian flag. During their visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, in early May, Belarusian LJ users lysaye-dzyaucho...
Poland: Politics and Freedom of Speech
Our Man in Gdansk writes about how freedom of speech in Poland is sometimes affected by politics: “In the puling adolescent west the new boss of a TV station or newspaper might be expected to trot out some feelgood cliches about how he does not intend to interfere in anyway...
Poland: Footbal ‘Pseudo-Fans’
Kinuk writes about football and the trouble that Polish football hooligans are causing.
Poland: Controversial New Minister of Education
Students and teachers protested this week in Poland against the appointment of Roman Giertych – “catholic-nationalist, arch-conservative” – as Minister for Education, the beatroot reports – and then muses on what “Polish education curriculum [would] look like if [Giertych] had a free rein to do what he liked.”
Polish Blogosphere Update
Who says that in the blogosphere text is king? Photographers are alive and clicking in the Polish Blogosphere. Fotosia shows us everyday Poland through her camera. Staying with the visual arts, Polska＊ポーランド＊Poland provides a virtual tour of Warsaw parks, from a Japanese perspective (though I don't know what the perspective...
Poland: Preparations For the Pope's Visit
p3 writes that some of Poland's preparations for the Pope's visit don't make sense: “This is typical Poland for me. Someone important is coming so let's slap up a coat of paint (apply it thin because it's expensive) and as soon as our guest of honor is gone everything starts...
Poland: High School Finals
Kinuk wishes good luck to the Polish students who are about to take their final exams: “Maturzysci, as the students taking the end-of-school exams (the equivalent of British A-levels) are called, still dress up to write their exams. Black trousers or black skirts for some, white shirt or blouse and...
Poland: Populist Politics
The beatroot explains what ‘populist’ means in the context of Poland: “The truth these days is that, in this post-ideological world of managerial politics, where policy is driven by focus groups, all parties have become populist.”
Poland: Anti-Semitic Deputy Prime Minister
The beatroot writes about Andrzej Lepper, Poland's new deputy prime minister, who received an honorary degree from a private Ukrainian college with a dubious reputation and is considered an anti-Semite.
Poland: Getting Residence Permit
Becca of p3 compares her experience of getting registered Brussels to that of getting registered in Poland: “Brussels take note: Poland is well known for its inability to carry out the simplest procedure without metres and metres of red tape. If they can sort my paperwork for me in just...
Poland: Endless Attempts at Building a Coalition
The beatroot discusses the coalition-building process in Poland, nearly eight months after the general election: “Will this charade ever end? A coalition has just been signed, but it’s 19 votes short of a parliamentary majority. Which means, if my meager mathematics is correct, that this is no coalition at all.”
