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Post by Bonobo on Feb 19, 2008 22:06:57 GMT 1
This is Mieczysław Widaj, a stalinist judge who sentenced about 100 Polish patriotic anti-communists to death in 1950s. He died at the age of 95. He was never brought to justice for his deeds. Yet, justice called on him after his death. Paradoxically, his family had bought a grave site in the cemetery where 2000 Polish patriots murdered by communists were buried secretly after being shot in the back of the head or hanged in secret police basements. When famililes of murdered people learnt about the intended burial of the stalinist judge, they prostested vehemently to the priest and even the bishop. The bishop ordered the priest to deny the burial. Widaj`s family are organizing a burial at another cemetery. The deeds and crimes will be remembered for ever. Both of stalinist communism and fascism. Unforgiven. www.polonica.net/imag/pl_Widaj.jpg |
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Post by Bonobo on Feb 26, 2008 22:56:06 GMT 1
The residents of Redzikowo, a village in northern Poland, don`t want to host the American anti-rocket shield on their territory. They are afraid the new construction will halt the economic development of the area.  Hmmm??? Economic growth in Redzikowo is threatened?? hahahaha 20 years ago those people would go on a pilgrimage to Częstochowa or even Mecca to receive such a lucky chance from life. Today, they refuse to accept a small shield. Really, some people are so spoilt. Like children. W dupach im się poprzewracało (They have a mishmash in their asses). hahahahaha |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 2, 2008 16:45:45 GMT 1
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Post by jeanne on Mar 3, 2008 0:52:56 GMT 1
All of these photos of hurricane Emma are frightening. The photos of the graves made me sad, however, as I have learned from your photos of Nov 1st/Nov 2nd in the past that Poles put so much effort and love into maintaining the graves of their loved ones.
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 3, 2008 8:41:25 GMT 1
All of these photos of hurricane Emma are frightening. The photos of the graves made me sad, however, as I have learned from your photos of Nov 1st/Nov 2nd in the past that Poles put so much effort and love into maintaining the graves of their loved ones. Yes, it is sad, but luckily, they are only things, and everything can be repaired. It is worse when living people suffer. |
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livia
Just born
Posts: 121
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Post by livia on Mar 3, 2008 10:47:23 GMT 1
All of these photos of hurricane Emma are frightening. Yes, Emma was really frightful and people died injured due to the wind accidents. In Poland and all over Central and Northern Europe. We were to go to Zelazowa Wola (Frederic Chopin's childhood birthplace ) and hiking in Kampinowska Forests but we've stayed in the city instead. Even today the wind is high but at least not destructive anymore. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 29, 2008 21:35:27 GMT 1
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Post by Bonobo on May 1, 2008 19:10:00 GMT 1
1 May was celebrated by leftist parties today. Of course, red flags were a must. www.tvn24.pl/-1,1548146,wiadomosc.html   As usual there were troublemakers who tried to stop red parades.  |
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Post by Bonobo on Jun 23, 2008 21:43:40 GMT 1
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gigi
Kindergarten kid
Posts: 1,470
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Post by gigi on Jun 24, 2008 2:07:19 GMT 1
Wow - I can't believe how much water and hail are in those photos (and that some people are trying to drive around in it)!  |
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Post by Bonobo on Jun 24, 2008 21:32:46 GMT 1
CIA agents admit their jails were in Poland for three years
Warsaw Business Journal
23rd June 2008
American CIA agents told the New York Times that the most important
CIA jails were located in Poland for about three years
American CIA agents told the New York Times that the most important
CIA jails were located in Poland for about three years. The country
was chosen as it had no cultural or religious links with Al Qaeda,
which limited the risk of infiltration or attack from its
supporters. "What is even more important, Polish agents were willing
to cooperate," said a CIA agent.
"This news does not surprise me, as this confirms what we were
saying for a long time," said Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch.
He added that he did not understand why Polish authorities denied
the truth, if it was going to be revealed sooner or later.
"Since President Bush admitted that such centers existed, there is
no need to deny it. Until the authorities confirm it, we shall not
know the truth," said the former head of the National Security
Agency.
Hard to decide what to think about it... The Polish government denies vehemently and claims the news is an element of the election campaign in the United States, aimed at discrediting the Republican administration.
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gigi
Kindergarten kid
Posts: 1,470
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Post by gigi on Jun 24, 2008 23:05:57 GMT 1
The Polish government denies vehemently and claims the news is an element of the election campaign in the United States, aimed at discrediting the Republican administration. Doesn't the Polish government want to be included in the circus that will be the 2008 U.S. presidential election??? |
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Post by Bonobo on Jun 24, 2008 23:14:36 GMT 1
Wow - I can't believe how much water and hail are in those photos (and that some people are trying to drive around in it)! Neither could I. But they had to drive- the riv.. the road was too shallow to sail.... ;D ;D The Polish government denies vehemently and claims the news is an element of the election campaign in the United States, aimed at discrediting the Republican administration. Doesn't the Polish government want to be included in the circus that will be the 2008 U.S. presidential election??? They probably consider it discrediting. Those CIA agents who corroborated the news suggested they had chosen Poland because it was like 51 state of America. |
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Post by jeanne on Jun 25, 2008 11:52:03 GMT 1
They probably consider it discrediting. Those CIA agents who corroborated the news suggested they had chosen Poland because it was like 51 state of America. Do you remember the speech Pres. Bush gave thanking members of the Iraq war coalition?...and he forgot to mention Poland??? Ha! 51st state!!  |
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Post by tufta on Jun 25, 2008 15:39:39 GMT 1
Do you remember the speech Pres. Bush gave thanking members of the Iraq war coalition?...and he forgot to mention Poland??? Ha! 51st state!! Was it George Bush who forgot to mention Poland or John Kerry, and Bush reacted with this now (in)famous "You forgot Poland". |
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Post by Bonobo on Jun 26, 2008 18:01:00 GMT 1
Do you remember the speech Pres. Bush gave thanking members of the Iraq war coalition?...and he forgot to mention Poland??? Ha! 51st state!! Was it George Bush who forgot to mention Poland or John Kerry, and Bush reacted with this now (in)famous "You forgot Poland". hahahahahaha I have googled it and found out you are partly right: Bush said You forgot Poland to Kerry during 2004 election debates.
In the first debate of the United States Presidential election of 2004, John Kerry accused Bush of failing to gain widespread international support for the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, saying "... when we went in, there were three countries: Great Britain, Australia and the United States. That's not a grand coalition. We can do better." Bush, who had used Poland earlier in the debate as an example of the international presence in Iraq, replied by saying "Well, actually, he forgot Poland."[2] Paraphrased as "You forgot Poland", the term became a popular catch phrase among Bush detractors, seen as a humorously petty rebuttal of Kerry's original point (i.e. that Bush claimed that over 40 nations were supporting the invasion, when the number of nations that had contributed over 1,000 troops was far lower; therefore even if Bush's statement was entirely accurate, four nations with significant troop numbers on the ground as opposed to three was still not "a grand coalition", according to detractors).[original research?] At the time, Poland was fourth in troops sent to the country, behind South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_forgot_Poland#Internet_memeYet, Jeanne was talking about a recent speech by Bush in which he actually didn`t mention Poland as a coalition partner and some Polish patriots felt offended... ;D ;D |
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Post by jeanne on Jun 27, 2008 1:12:52 GMT 1
Do you remember the speech Pres. Bush gave thanking members of the Iraq war coalition?...and he forgot to mention Poland??? Ha! 51st state!! Was it George Bush who forgot to mention Poland or John Kerry, and Bush reacted with this now (in)famous "You forgot Poland". Hi Tufta, You had me questioning my memory there...but I think Bonobo has clarified it...It was two separate incidents, and I was thinking of the Bush speech where he forgot to include Poland. Bonobo, Thanks for clarifying that, but I also think the Bush speech was a few years ago, not recently...unless he did it again!! |
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Post by tufta on Jun 27, 2008 8:35:37 GMT 1
thanks!
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Post by Bonobo on Jun 28, 2008 1:14:47 GMT 1
Bonobo, Thanks for clarifying that, but I also think the Bush speech was a few years ago, not recently...unless he did it again!! No, it was only last year, in December. Bush thanked various countries for their participation in Afghanistan war but forgot Poland which has kept quite a big contingent of 1000 soldiers there. polishpress.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bush-omits-poland/
- ‘My aim is to help the allies in finding a task they will be able to realise, and to convince them that we need time before the experience of democracy in Afghanistan works‘ - declared Mr Bush thanking the British, the Canadian, the Danish, the Australian and “other allies” for their effort.Well, yes, some Polish avid patriots felt offended. I didn`t. We can`t expect too much from President Bush. He has a lot of problems on his mind, can`t remember about Poland all the time. |
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Post by Bonobo on Jun 28, 2008 1:15:20 GMT 1
It`s OK. Everything I do, I do it for you!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D |
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gigi
Kindergarten kid
Posts: 1,470
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Post by gigi on Jul 14, 2008 16:40:38 GMT 1
BRONISLAW GEREMEK KILLED IN A CAR CRASH ON SUNDAY, JULY 13
From BBC news:
Bronislaw Geremek, a key anti-communist dissident and former Polish foreign minister, has been killed in a car crash, police have announced. Mr Geremek, 76, died when the car he was in hit an oncoming vehicle in western Poland on Sunday afternoon. He was one of the key advisers to Lech Walesa, the Solidarity union leader which helped topple communist rule. Mr Geremek was foreign minister from 1997-2000 and European Parliament member since 2004. Mr Geremek died when his Mercedes car collided with a van near the western town of Lubien, police spokeswoman Hanna Wachowiak said. It was not immediately clear on whether he was driving at the time. The former foreign minister - a historian by training - oversaw his country's accession to Nato.
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Post by Bonobo on Jul 17, 2008 23:12:57 GMT 1
BRONISLAW GEREMEK KILLED IN A CAR CRASH ON SUNDAY, JULY 13From BBC news: Bronislaw Geremek, a key anti-communist dissident and former Polish foreign minister, has been killed in a car crash, police have announced. Mr Geremek, 76, died when the car he was in hit an oncoming vehicle in western Poland on Sunday afternoon. He was one of the key advisers to Lech Walesa, the Solidarity union leader which helped topple communist rule. Mr Geremek was foreign minister from 1997-2000 and European Parliament member since 2004. Mr Geremek died when his Mercedes car collided with a van near the western town of Lubien, police spokeswoman Hanna Wachowiak said. It was not immediately clear on whether he was driving at the time. The former foreign minister - a historian by training - oversaw his country's accession to Nato. A very puzzling death. Geremek was the main adviser to Walesa. A lot of things that Walesa said or did as the leader of Solidarity were provided by Geremek who liked to pull strings but prefered to remain in the shadow. A typical cabinet politician.... |
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Post by Bonobo on Jul 18, 2008 20:12:00 GMT 1
BRONISLAW GEREMEK KILLED IN A CAR CRASH ON SUNDAY, JULY 13From BBC news: Bronislaw Geremek, a key anti-communist dissident and former Polish foreign minister, has been killed in a car crash, police have announced. Mr Geremek, 76, died when the car he was in hit an oncoming vehicle in western Poland on Sunday afternoon. He was one of the key advisers to Lech Walesa, the Solidarity union leader which helped topple communist rule. Mr Geremek was foreign minister from 1997-2000 and European Parliament member since 2004. Mr Geremek died when his Mercedes car collided with a van near the western town of Lubien, police spokeswoman Hanna Wachowiak said. It was not immediately clear on whether he was driving at the time. The former foreign minister - a historian by training - oversaw his country's accession to Nato. Not all people are sadenned. 
Controversial radio station thanks God for Geremek's death?
thenews.pl
17.07.2008
Tributes both inside and outside Poland poured in after the tragic
death of Bronislaw Geremek last Sunday. But not everyone appears to be sorry he has gone.
"Thank you God for taking him away from us", read a banner held
aloft by listeners from the controversial radio station, Radio
Maryja, outside a central Warsaw church yesterday.
When asked by journalists who they were referring to, none of the
demonstrators would openly admit that the banner refers to the late Solidarity activist and former foreign minister Professor Bronislaw Geremek, who died in a car crash last Sunday. One of them, however, said it was about "The one who advised President Bolek", alluding to the fact that Professor Geremek had been former President Lech Walesa's advisor in the 1980s.
A book published recently by two historians allege that Walesa had
colluded with the communist secret services in the early 1970s under the code name "Bolek".
Professor Bronislaw Geremek co-operated with Lech Walesa since the wave of strikes at the Gdansk Shipyard in the early 1980s. In 1991, President Walesa appointed Geremek as prime minister, though he failed to form a cabinet.
The demonstrators also read out a list of Polish MPs who wanted
ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by Poland, calling them "traitors".
Radio Maryja is a controversial broadcaster, frequently criticized
for its perceived anti-Semitism and the political nature of some of
its programs.
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Post by Bonobo on Jul 19, 2008 1:01:41 GMT 1
Art vandal Polish MEP's diplomatic immunity waived
thenews.pl
08.07.2008
The European Parliament has decided to waive the diplomatic immunity of Polish MEP Witold Tomczak, accused of destroying a work of art in a gallery in Warsaw worth 40,000 zloty.
The art work in question was a statue of Pope John Paul II being
crushed by a meteor.
The decision to waive Tomczak's immunity was first made on 25 June by a European Parliament committee. The MEPs have now formally confirmed it by an overwhelming majority during a session in Strasbourg.
Tomczak destroyed "La Nona Ora" by Maurizio Cattelan when it was on display at the Zacheta gallery in Warsaw in 2000. The politician, who then belonged to the catholic-nationalist League of Polish Families (LPR), came into the gallery and removed the art work, resulting in the statue's leg falling off.
The work of art was then withdrawn from the exhibition.
Tomczak explained that he did it in the name of his beliefs and that
his voters expected him to do so.
This is the second time that the European Parliament has agreed to
waive Tomczak's immunity - the first time in February. Tomczak was
then charged with insulting police officers in 1999 and breaking
traffic regulations.  
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gigi
Kindergarten kid
Posts: 1,470
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Post by gigi on Jul 28, 2008 0:56:49 GMT 1
Source: EurActiv
The European Parliament is questioning the environmental impact and geopolitical implications of a planned Baltic Sea pipeline that would bring Russian gas into Germany, bypassing Poland and the Baltic states.
A large majority of MEPs - 542 in favour and 60 against - on 8 July voted in favour of a non-legislative own-initiative report by Polish MEP Marcin Libicki. It raises objections to the planned construction of Nord Stream, a 1220 kilometre pipeline that would stretch along the Baltic seabed.
Nord Stream is one of the EU's priority energy projects, seen as part of EU efforts to secure its supply of natural gas for the coming decades. If approved, construction could begin in 2010 and be finalised by the spring of 2011. Once operational, the pipe would bring 55 billion cubic metres of Russian gas per year into Germany, from where it could be sold off to other member states.
Gazprom, German energy giant E.ON and chemical firm BASF are backing the project along with Gasunie, a Dutch gas company.
The Libicki report acknowledges that Nord Stream is important for the EU's future energy security, but warns that the Baltic seabed is "especially vulnerable" to environmental damage caused by the laying of the large steel and concrete-reinforced pipes, which measure over 1.5 metres in diameter. There are also concerns that World War II era munitions still littering the seabed could be set off during construction.
Apart from environmental concerns, Poland and the Baltic States have also raised objections about being bypassed by the project. Re-routing the scheme over land would have brought transit fees to the countries concerned.
In backing the Libicki report, Parliament is asking the Commission to conduct a separate assessment of the project on the grounds that it lacks "institutional structures capable of responding adequately to the environmental and geopolitical security issues associated with this project". But the Commission has already indicated that carrying out such assessments is not the job of the EU.
"Let me be very clear on this point. The Commission cannot participate actively in such a specific assessment," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in January. Such assessments are currently being carried out by individual countries under the so-called ESPOO Convention, which governs the assessment of transboundary environmental projects.
The Nord Stream consortium also scoffs at the idea of a further impact assessment. Maartje van Putten, a former Dutch MEP who now represents the consortium in Brussels, says Nord Stream is taking care of "every detail" with respect to ensuring the safety of the project, and is investing around €100 million in impact assessments.
Ramboll, a Danish consultancy that is conducting a private impact assessment for Nord Stream, is expected to release its findings in October.
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gigi
Kindergarten kid
Posts: 1,470
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Post by gigi on Aug 2, 2008 14:21:31 GMT 1
Poland ministry to close Gypsy-only classes
By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's Education Minister plans to shut down Gypsy-only school classes following complaints they are discriminatory.
"There will absolutely be no more forming of separate classes for Roma children," Katarzyna Hall told radio Tok FM on Friday. "We must put an end to this."
In 2004, the Council of Europe appealed to Poland and other nations with Roma, or Gypsy, minorities to put an end to segregated classes.
But Poland's Dziennik daily newspaper reported this week that, according to Interior Ministry data, separate Gypsy classes were run this year in five southern and eastern towns.
The Gypsy children were sent to separate classes under the pretext that they did not speak Polish, although many were fluent, the newspaper reported.
One school even had separate entrances for Gypsies and Poles, according to the paper.
Krzysztof Stanowski, Hall's deputy, told The Associated Press that all children will be put together, regardless of ethnicity, as of Sept. 1.
"The minister is talking to all local education authorities concerned and has said that starting this school year separate Roma classes will not be formed," Stanowski said.
He said the Ministry of Education opposed any kind of discrimination, and praised the newspaper for raising the issue.
From Seattlepi.com
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Post by Bonobo on Aug 3, 2008 19:26:06 GMT 1
Poland ministry to close Gypsy-only classes By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's Education Minister plans to shut down Gypsy-only school classes following complaints they are discriminatory. Yes, they are discriminatory, but it was just an attempt to solve the problem of gypsy kids who don`t want to attand school for various reasons. One of them is their traditional love of freedom and disregard for organised institutions which set some requirements: gypsies tend to ignore non-gypsy rules. Another reason could be the attitude of Polish kids who, I can assume, take after their parents and consider gypsies as lower class people. You can imagine how it looks in class.... That is why gypsy children are reluctant to attend Polish schools and the new solution to the problem was creating all gypsy classes where gypsy kids could feel better. I dn`t know if they did, but now it seems the solution is unconstitutional. |
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 6, 2009 21:10:31 GMT 1
Poland-Germany feud over of Nazi museum defused
A major row between Poland and Germany has been defused after a controversial German politician withdrew her nomination to the board of a planned museum documenting the expulsion of Germans from Eastern Europe at the end of the Second World War.
Erika Steinbach, a leading light in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats party, pulled out of the running after ferocious lobbying from Poland, which had warned Berlin that Polish-German relations would suffer if Mrs Steinbach was appointed.
A statement from the German Federation of Expellees, a group representing the interests of those expelled and which is headed by Mrs Steinbach, said it wanted to "end this blockage, which we did not cause".
As leader of the federation the controversial politician had infuriated Poles by calling into question the current Polish-German border, and had sparked fears that if on the museum's board she would play down Polish suffering and try and portray the Germans who once lived in areas that now form part of Poland as victims.
Millions of Germans were forced from their homes during and after the Second World War as borders changed and liberated countries sought some measures of justice.
But with some six million Poles dying in the war and countless cities, town and villages razed to the ground, Poland views any possible attempt to lessen German culpability with indignation.
Reacting to the news, government spokesman Pawel Gras said: "This is a success. I consider this a good day and good news." But Dorota Arciszewska-Mielewczyk, a leading politician from Poland's main opposition party, Law and Justice, warned that Mrs Steinbach might still have influence over the project. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/4938127/Poland-Germany-feud-over-of-Nazi-museum-diffused.htmlSteinbach in Polish propaganda pictures   Erika Steinbach Reconciles
Criticism of Erika Steinbach united Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, the President, the Prime Minister and the PiS leader yesterday.
Asked about Ms Steinbach by journalists in Berlin Monday, Mr Sikorski appealed to the head of the Federation of Expellees to follow the example of President Horst Köhler, who was born in Poland in a family of wartime settlers and never considered himself an expellee.
'Do people whose families had lived there for generations want to be identified with a person like Ms Steinbach who came here with Hitler and had to leave with Hitler?' asked Mr Sikorski. 'Who was no expellee, but whose family, who father, it was Feldfebel Hermann, I believe, had to flee before the victoriously attacking Red Army and Polish Army,' said Mr Sikorski.
Poland opposes Ms Steinbach's participation in the board of the 'visible sign' museum that is to commemorate German expellees. Prime Minister Donald Tusk repeated yesterday her presence on the board was unacceptable for Poland. He called Mr Sikorski's statement tough, but noted that in Pomerania (Sikorski comes from Bydgoszcz) even those have only basic historical sensitivity know what the Nazi Germans did with the local population.
Also President Lech Kaczyński said Ms Steinbach's views and the fact that she wields considerable influence in a powerful party - she sits on the board of the CDU - cannot go unnoticed in Poland.
But he added, 'I won't count a lady's years but I think she was born long after Hitler's death.' (Which is actually a mistake: Ms Steinbach was bon in 1943).
Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński believes Mr Sikorski said the truth.
'Though she didn't come here with Hitler, because she was born here, but her parents did,' he said. And he went on to criticise the government for a soft policy towards Germany which 'bears sour fruit.'
Ms Steinbach herself demanded in yesterday's Bild that the German government shield her from the Polish pressure. Frank Walter Steinmeier (SPD), deputy chancellor and foreign minister, wants Chancellor Angela Merkel to decide as soon as possible on removing Ms Steinbach from the 'visible sign' board.
'The German foreign minister's duty is to defend German citizens against slander,' Ms Steinbach replied in Bild.
She meant a statement by Prof Władysław Bartoszewski who two weeks ago compared her to the Lefebvrist bishop Richard Williamson, a Holocaust denier.
Ms Steinbach stressed yet again she would not withdraw her candidature for the board of the planned museum.
Translated by Marcin Wawrzynczak
Źródło: Gazeta Wyborcza
Polish politicians say she is anti-Polish and that making her a German representative to develop German Polish reconciliation is like sending a confirmed anti-semite to talks in Jerusalem. What exactly Poles object to: 1. She was against German-Polish border treaty in 1991. 2. She was against Poland`s access to NATO in 1998 and EU in 2004. 3. She lies about her origin. She claims she was expelled as a child from Western Prussia, while the truth is that her parents came to Poland as occupants during WW2 and settled near the town of Rumia, which was Polish. 4. About 1/3 of the members of her organization, The Association of the Expelled are former Nazis. I think it is enough to understand Polish resentment.
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 14, 2009 21:22:13 GMT 1
Poles Wealthier but Less Kind, Survey Shows
Gazeta Wyborcza
2009-02-24
Poland's position in the world has improved, the economy is better
too. But we are less honest and have less time for our loved ones.
These are some of the findings of a recent CBPS survey about changes in socio-political life in the post-transformation period.
Respondents where asked in what areas they believe things have
improved and in what they have worsened since 1989.
Things are perceived to have improved in most areas. Those viewed
most optimistically are Poland's global achievements. Three in four
respondents say the country's international position and security
have improved, and six in ten say Poland's relations with her
neighbours have improved. Seven in ten say the economy is better.
Close to sixty percent of respondents notice that people in Poland
work harder and their living conditions have improved. As many
acknowledge an improvement in the quality of education and schooling.
Over a half believe that our self-esteem has grown and that we have more say politically. Forty nine percent say Poles are tolerant for people with different views.
The survey shows that Poland's systemic transformation is viewed as a success.
'Those who believe they've benefited from the transformation also
have a better opinion about it,' says Rafa³ Boguszewski at CBOS.
But not everything is seen to present a rosy picture. Close to one in
two respondents say social security has worsened, 54 percent say the same of healthcare, and as many as 68 percent say crime is higher today than before 1989.
Respondents also notice a weakening of human relationships. Close to one in two point to a lesser intensity of social contacts, weaker family bonds, and less intense religious practices.
Respondents also believe that relations between people have worsened - 54 percent say people are less kind towards each other than they used to be, and 44 percent that they are less honest.
Poles' readiness to help others is a matter of some ambivalence - one in three respondents say things have improved here, but as many believe otherwise.
CBOS, 15 January 2009, 1,089-strong representative adult sample
What has improved and worsened in Poland since 1989 (percentage of replies)
Item better worse
Poland's international position 75 9
economy 70 14
education 68 22
democracy 57 15
social security 36 45
healthcare 29 54
honesty 19 44
crime 13 68
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Post by Bonobo on Mar 14, 2009 22:05:44 GMT 1
"Bodies" exhibition probed in Poland By Gabriela Baczynska Fri Feb 27, 2009
By Gabriela Baczynska
WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish prosecutors are investigating whether a controversial exhibition displaying human cadavers amounts to desecration of the human body, a spokesman said Friday.
"Bodies... the exhibition," which has toured a number of countries, consists of 13 corpses and around 250 body parts which have undergone a process known as "plastination" which preserves human tissue permanently using liquid silicone rubber.
"We are investigating this case to check whether the corpses were not desecrated and whether all procedures needed to mount such an exhibition in Poland were carried out," a spokesman for the Warsaw prosecutors' office, Mateusz Martyniuk, told Reuters.
The exhibition, which has also drawn criticism from some Polish politicians, is housed in a Warsaw shopping mall and is scheduled to run until mid-July. The organizers said they had met all legal requirements to bring it to Poland.
"The exhibition entered the European Union a few months ago and in line with all sanitary procedures, customs regulations and others," said Agnieszka Rojewska from Media Metropolis, the public relations agency promoting the display in Poland.
She said more than 10,000 people had visited the exhibition since it opened a week ago. Its chief medical adviser is Roy Glover, professor emeritus of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Michigan.
Sanitary officials expressed concern. "Thirteen dead people appear out of the blue in the center of Warsaw. It provokes the deepest astonishment, amazement and suspicion," said Deputy General Sanitary Inspector for Poland, Jan Orgelbrand.
He invoked the specter of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz, located in southern Poland, where the remains of murdered Jews were used in the manufacture of various products.
"The human being is sacred... A 'beautiful' lamp made of human skin in Auschwitz is the riposte to the question of where the human being ends and where art begins," he said.
Poland was home to one of the world's largest Jewish communities before the Nazis slaughtered most of them during World War Two in camps such as Auschwitz, where some 1.5 million Jews from all over Europe were killed.
Comment among people viewing the exhibition was mixed.
"There are some critical opinions about this, but I don't agree with them. That's what we are like," visitor Anna Jurek told Reuters.
Last year, the "Bodies" exhibition also stirred controversy in the United States. The promoter agreed to stop using remains of undocumented origin in the New York display after a probe by the state attorney general.www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE51Q1YQ20090227 |
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