Yesterday on our Facebook page a reader posted an interesting comment with regard to Polish-Canadians voting in the upcoming elections which we had brought up in our blog post about the Polish initiative Masz głos, masz wybór! („you’ve got a voice, you’ve got a choice.”)
Malgosia Gawrys wrote :
I have a bit of an issue with the idea of voting in the Polish elections. Most people (of my generation) that I know who are Polish-Canadian still hold dual citizenship, which is great. However, they left Poland over 20 years ago, often as young children, and haven’t lived in the country ever since.
I can’t say I am comfortable with the idea that I am allowed to decide the future of a country in which I don’t live, and I would imagine this could be a great source of frustration for many Polish people actually living in Poland.
We are outsiders, and as much as we can feel a deep connection to our motherland and are up to date with the issues; political, economic or other, the government that we would help to elect would after all, not be governing us, and having a say in that would make me feel very much out of place.
I am curious to know if other people feel the same way I do or disagree.
So what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? As Malgosia suggested it would be interesting to hear how Poles living in Poland feel about this.
Let us know what you think and cast your vote, if not for the President, then our poll. You can also join our conversation on Facebook.
On June 11, 2010 in South Africa 32 teams from around the world will compete for the most coveted trophy on the planet. Poland and Canada did not qualify. So, who do you pick to win the 2010 World Cup?
The decision to bury President Lech Kaczynski along side the country’s heroes and royalty at the Wawel Castle has sparked protests across Poland and abroad. It seems that, though grief-stricken, Poles do not think that the president should be buried at a place reserved for the nation’s bravest and brightest.
Recently, demonstrations were held in Warsaw and Krakow. A Facebook page dedicated to opposing the decision generated over 30,000 supporters in just hours, and Polish Forums have been on fire with discussion about the topic. Numerous articles across Poland and the world have been written about this and Krakow based English language blog Poloandian has also joined the discussion with some interesting insights.
Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda has said the following:
“President Lech Kaczynski was an ordinary and good man, but there is no reason for him to lie in the Wawel among the kings of Poland and Marshal Jozef Pilsudski”
Wawel Cathedral in Kraków
The funeral will happen on Sunday and many of the world leaders are slated to attend, among them U.S President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and leaders of Russia, France and Germany.
…Since 1037, Wawel Cathedral has been the burial-place of Polish kings, even after the capital moved to Warsaw. The royal tombs of all but four of Poland’s 45 rulers can be seen in the cathedral’s side chapels…
…From the 19th century, only great national heroes were honored by a burial in Wawel Cathedral. These include: Tadeusz Kosciuszko (buried 1817); the great romantic poets Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Slowacki (whose bodies were brought back from exile for burial here); and Marshal Józef Pilsudski, the hero of independent Poland between the two world wars (buried in the crypt in 1935)…
So what do you think?
To learn more about the Wawel Cathedral visit its website.
Many have said that because of Saturday’s tragic plane crash near Katyn the world will now know what happened there 70 years ago, the Katyn Massacre. Social media outlets were abuzz yesterday with the idea that Andrzej Wajda’s Academy Award nominated film Katyn should be broadcast on television in Canada and the United States. We agree! What do you think?
Except for the CBC (in Canada) and PBS (in the U.S) all broadcasters are commercial entities. They air programs that will generate revenue, and what generates revenue are audience numbers. Hence, the more people interested in a particular topic/theme the higher the chance that a network will air something related to it.
Andrzej Wajda’s Katyn
So, we strongly encourage you to contact Canadian and American broadcasters to voice your opinion. Contact them via whatever means you can: mail, phone, email (although messenger pigeons are NOT recommended.)
The important thing is that YOU voice your opinion. Below is the contact information. You can also join our ‘Let’s Get Katyn on TV ‘ Facebook page.
Canada
Global
Canwest Media Inc.
121 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON
M4W 3M5
In the latest edition of The Cosmopolitan Review writer Christian Davies discusses Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski’s call to tear down Warsaw’s historic (Soviet-era) Palace of Culture. It seems a bit too Taliban-ish to us. What do you think?
After all, some love it and some don’t. And some just see it as a big canvas…
Summer is just around the corner and with it comes travel. Europe has a lot to offer and Poland especially has some very exciting and growing “new” cities. There’s all that rich history and culture, exciting new architecture and innovative urban projects. But above all else a terrific atmosphere, especially if you’re into lounging away in a city square at some historic café over a cold drink or a coffee.
But this post is not about you.
Your best friend has an opportunity to see only ONE city in Poland. And this friend is extremely excited. Which one do you recommend? So…
I have a bit of an issue with the idea of voting in the Polish elections. Most people (of my generation) that I know who are Polish-Canadian still hold dual citizenship, which is great. However, they left Poland over 20 years ago, often as young children, and haven’t lived in the country ever since.
We are outsiders, and as much as we can feel a deep connection to our motherland and are up to date with the issues; political, economic or other, the government that we would help to elect would after all, not be governing us, and having a say in that would make me feel very much out of place.
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