Poland Never Seems to Catch a Break from USA

Polish media have been speculating recently about whether Polish-American negotiations over the missile shield have come to a halt. Poland has demanded long-term military assistance from the United States, in particular the delivery of Patriot air defense missiles, in return for allowing the Americans to set up their missile base there. According to unofficial diplomatic sources, the Polish authorities are not satisfied with what the Americans have offered Warsaw so far.

From the American Revolution to the War on Terror -- Poland has given so much -- without much thanks from America.

Sign of Solidarity

The Solidarity trade union will present Polish athletes going to Beijing with Solidarity armbands, as a gesture of solidarity with Tibet and abused Chinese workers. However, the athletes and sports officials say they're unlikely to wear them. A couple of weeks ago the Tygodnik Powszechny weekly asked Solidarity to grant permission for its globally recognisable logo to be placed on the Polish athletes' costumes.

The petition was discussed by the union's National Council. 'We should have stepped forward with the idea ourselves", said Wojciech Buczak, head of Solidarity in the Rzeszów area. "My proposition is that we print a couple of thousand of the kind of Solidarity armbands that we used during the strikes in the 1980s. We would present not only the Polish Olympic committee with them, but also other committees, from all over the world. Let the athletes wear them during the opening ceremony and the medal-awarding ceremonies. This would be a clear and beautiful gesture of solidarity with the abused Chinese workers and the persecuted Tibetans".

China Doesn't Like Polish Support for Tibet

The Chinese government has voiced annoyance at Warsaw City Council for supporting Tibet's independence and inviting the Dalai Lama to Warsaw. In a meeting on April 11, a diplomat from the Political Section of the Chinese Embassy in Warsaw, Ms. Yu Ruilin, expressed her utmost exasperation on behalf of China at the firm and unjustified accusations toward the Government of the People's Republic of China.

Gazeta Wyborcza quotes the Chinese official, who wrote: "The unrest in Tibet was not simply a peaceful demonstration." She criticised the invitation issued by the Warsaw Council to the Dalai Lama and demanded that the Polish state authorities, "influence local authority institutions to abstain from actions discrediting the Chinese government in the future".

In a reply letter, the Polish Foreign Ministry said they had no authority over local governments in Poland. "We're entitled to our own view. I'm not surprised that it isn't popular in China. The invitation for Dhalai Lma is still standing. Nothing has changed there," said Ewa Malinowska-Grupinsk a at the Warsaw City Council.

"The issue of violating the human rights in Tibet deserves attention," agreed Maciej Maciejowski, representing the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party in the Council. At the end of March, the Warsaw Council organized a demonstration outside Warsaw Town Hall, on behalf of Varsovians, deeply moved by 'Tibet's tragedy' and appealed to the Mayor of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz- Waltz, to begin co-operation with the Tibetan authorities in exile, represented by Dalai Lama.

Russian Contract on JPII

The weekly Wprost, shows a politburo document, signed by Mikhail Gorbachev, which appears to warrant a KGB contract killing on John Paul II.

Polish journalist David Dastych brings this to light in a book, "About the Pope: Spies in the Vatican". The politburo document says: "Use all available possibilities to prevent a new political trend, initiated by the Polish pope…" The document, which dates back to November 1979, - one year after Karol Wojtyla became pope - is signed by eight top Party officials including Konstantin Rusakov, who coordinated action with the Polish communist party, and Mikhail Gorbachev. In Rome, Pope John Paul II survived four bullets on May 13, 1981 shot by Turk Mehmet Ali Hagca.

Easy to Swallow

As many as 54 per cent of Poles above the age of 15 take multivitamins, according to a recent study by pollster TNS OBOP.

Multivitamins are more popular with women, who make 61 per cent of those taking them, and relatively young people. Over a half of vitamin takers are people under 40.

According to respondents the products should provide a complete set of vitamins, boost strength, immunity and vitality, as well as contribute to the proper functioning of the organism. However, the study also showed that although Poles eagerly take multivitamins in autumn and spring, when human immunity is at the lowest and Poland is plagued by flues and colds, they fail to do so regularly throughout the year.


Source: thenews.pl

Unemployment Down

Poland has registered the highest decline in unemployment of all the European Union member states. In February, 8 percent of Poles were jobless compared to 11.5 percent last February.

Not too long ago unemployment was 18%.

Gay Activists OK

A Polish court has ruled in favor of an education-ministry official who was fired in June 2006 after for proposing that homosexual activist organizations should be invited to speak in public-school classrooms.

Miroslaw Sielatycki was awarded 20,000 zloty after the court ruled that his dismissal by former former education minister Roman Giertych was an act of illegal discrimination.

I am waiting for straight porn stars to be invited into the classroom, here or there. I hate oppression.

Sex Out of Wedlock

Rzeczpospolita reports the Polish public is moving away from Catholic attitudes toward marriage and sexuality, according to new survey results published in the newspaper.

The poll found that 66% of the respondents accept sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman. Nine percent of the respondents said that they were currently involved in sexual affairs outside marriage.

In the poll, 33% said that a marriage blessed by the Catholic Church is important. Another 32% said that marriage is important in itself, regardless of whether or not the Church has recognized the union.

33% believe that the use of contraception is always acceptable.