Stories about Poland from January, 2009
Russia, Poland: Robert Amsterdam's Interview
Translation of Robert Amsterdam's interview in the Polish Gazeta Wyborzca – at Robert Amsterdam Blog.
Poland: Maanam
the POLSKI blog writes about Maanam, a Polish band that, in the early 1980s, was “the epitome of cool, largely thanks to their unique sound and the distinctive voice and fiery personality of their lead singer, Kora.”
Europe: The “Two Cows” Jokes
Inspired by the “two cows” joke that's “been around for years in one form or another,” 20 east comes up with a few ones of his own.
Poland, UK: “Reverse Migration of Poles”
As more Poles are reportedly leaving the UK, the POLSKI blog notes that “it may imply that the era of cheap Polish labour – and jokes – might be coming to an end…”
Poland: Racism, Bad Roads and Euro 2012
Writing about Euro 2012 and racism, the beatroot concludes: “There are some nasty little racists at Poland’s football stadia, but believe me, Poland’s roads are a lot bigger threat to the fabric of society – and international football tournaments – than those idiots.”
Poland: Name Days vs Birthdays?
the POLSKI blog writes about celebration of ‘name days’ in Poland.
Poland: Back Home From the UK
the POLSKI blog writes that due to the crisis, many Poles are returning home from the UK – and others are encouraged to by a UK-based organization called “Poland Street.”
Poland: Obama, BBC and ‘CIA Prison’
The beatroot writes about a BBC reporter's failed attempt to find out whether Poles were “pleased with Obama” for his decision to shut down Guantanamo “and all rendition camps, one of which was in Poland.”
Poland: “No More Scapegoats”
The beatroot writes about what George W. Bush's departure might mean for Poland: “And now Bush has gone, who are they gonna blame for all the other stuff he wasn’t responsible for? Maybe one day we are going to miss Old George. No more scapegoats.”
Poland: A View on Entropa
The beatroot comments on Entropa: “I don’t know which is sadder: the state of some contemporary art, which has to delve into crude stereotypes to get its kicks; or politicians like a Giertych, or a Kaczynski who provided, on an enamelled plate, the crude stereotype of Poland in the first...
Poland: Katarzyna Hejna on Feminism
Katarzyna Hejna talks about feminism in Poland – at Polandian.
U.S.: Polish Place Names
A compendium of U.S. towns with Polish names – at Polandian.
Poland: A Trip to Łódz
20 east writes about a trip to Łódz.
Europe: Entropa
Belatedly, links to some posts on Entropa: Margarete of The Foreigner's Guide to Living in Slovakia believes “it should be taken down”; Kosmopolito thinks that “the debate around the project is also part of the installation”; BBC's Mark Mardell writes that “the fact that it is a hoax does not...
Poland, Israel: “Using the Holocaust to Beat the Israelis”
The beatroot wrote on Jan. 8: “When protestors – who know little of either Gaza or Warsaw – shout slogans involving ‘holocaust’, or ‘genocide’ or ‘Warsaw ghetto’ they degrade all those terms and memories, and put off one person – me – who would like to join them in condemning...
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Accounts by Wojciech Tochman and Peter Lippman
Kirk Johnson of Americans for Bosnia writes about the newly-published English translation of a collection of Polish-language articles by journalist Wojciech Tochman (“Like Eating a Stone: Surviving the Past in Bosnia”): “I can only highly recommend that anyone interested in the human stories behind official statistics on refugee returns and...
Poland: Nuclear Power?
Leopolis writes about the prospect of nuclear power in Poland.
Estonia, Poland, Ukraine: The Holocaust
A Step At A Time quotes from an article on the “European complicity and responsibility” for the Holocaust and the ways in which Poland and Ukraine are dealing with “vague and extremely unfair accusations levelled at a whole nation.” AnTyx writes about Estonia's pre-war Jewish population: “While it is a...
Poland, UK: Abortion
Polandian notes that thousands of Polish women are having abortions in the UK: “With it being illegal here in Poland, they are forced to travel to other countries thereby adding bureaucratic hassle and a strange environment/language to what must already be a very nasty and stressful situation.”
Poland: Allegations of homosexuality as political instrument
The beatroot comments on the allegations made by a populist politician against former Polish Prime Minister Lech Kaczynski for being gay.
Poland: Does Tusk deliver on his promises?
Polandian discusses whether Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his governing party, Civic Platform, actually have delivered on any of their promises after more than a year in power.
