Translated by Craig Proctor Although at the beginning of his government Polish prime minister Donald Tusk claimed thanks to his polices, soon Poles would be returning home from Ireland and UK en mass. So far this has not happened. Donald Tusk himself lowered the tone and no longer mentions the subject. Yet a growing number […]
society
Welcome to the real World
This article is in response to Amy Mackinnon’s article on graduate employment, ‘Never had it s good?‘ Amy Mackinnon’s recent piece on graduate unemployment provoked discussion amongst me and my Polish friends. Some said “what’s the point of publishing this, it’s nothing new”. But although it might be old story for all us Poles, it […]
Quo vadis, Internet?
Translated by Craig Proctor Were the thousands who marched down the streets calling us to arms against ACTA the only ones concerned with internet freedom? The government’s designs on the internet users freedom were fought off, and their lives returned to normal, in other words Facebook, Google and other sites resembling Wykop and Reddit. Having […]
Our house, in the middle of the street
In this interview Tomasz Oryński talks to Phil Jeffcock, a British man who converted a double-decker bus into a home to live life on the open road. Have you ever dreamed about living the life of free man? To do not be a slave to debt, a mortage, to be able to work only where you […]
Fighting antisemitsm with surrealism
In Łódź they’re fighting anti-Semitism with surrealism. Someone once said that with Polish anti-semitism, it is not that every Jew is the enemy, just that every enemy is a Jew. In some circles, to call someone a Jew is tantamount to insult, a phenomenon which is particularly common amongst football fans. The anti-Semitism and racism […]
The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity
Jerzy Owsiak was always a colorful person. A quicksilver character who could never find a place for himself. He attempted to study various subjects from philosophy to the arts, evaded military service by faking mental illness and in the process became so interested in mental health that he become certified psychotherapists. He is also certified […]
Is Poland really a Catholic country?
Poland abroad is perceived as a deeply Catholic country. Bishops present at every state celebration, consecrating of every new build place – from universities to public toilets… But is that picture true? How it really looks when it comes to everyday people? To examine this we have, again, to come back in Polish history. Poland […]
Why there are demonstrations in today’s Poland
On Polish Facebook one internet meme became very popular in recent days. In the background we can see a picture of recent riots, small crying kid is comforted by his mom. „Don’t be afraid, son, they are just patriots”. That’s true, recent events in Warsaw scared many Poles. But when asked by a foreigner what […]
Two sad movies about happiness
“Return of the idiot” (“Návrat idiota”) and “Something like happiness” (“Štěstí“) are two movies dealing with the interpersonal relations. In both of them the viewer follow a group of Czech people from the small city, who live their ordinary lives and try to find happiness. Although at first sight both movies appear very similar (even the […]
Milan Kundera and the West
Milan Kundera is a writer who sits astride between the West and Eastern Europe. Being born in Brno he spent his first half of life in Czechoslovakia. Since 1975 he has been living in France. His work life can be divided into two parts, demarcating two different periods – before and after immigration. This unique […]