the cosmopolitan review

POLITICS A Pole at the Head of the European Parliament
In recent years, many ground-breaking events in European history have been marked, especially from the perspective of Poland. This year Poles celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the fall of Communism in Poland: the roundtable talks and the first democratic parliamentary elections, bringing about almost unbelievable changes to Europe. With the election of Jerzy Buzek as the President of the European Parliament, the last remaining symbols of the old divisions are dropping. By Kasia Szyndel. MORE

MUSINGS On Lobbying in My Forefather's Country: A Personal Coming-of-Age
Ever since picking up my first copy of The Economist, its fast-paced kaleidoscope of economics and politics was just the stuff my teenage dreams and ambitions were made of. Yet I never imagined that I would work one day in the lobbying industry and, as a second-generation Polish-American, especially not back in my forefathers’ country. In high school after all, being a “Lobbyist” was a slur on par with being a “Nazi” or, for that matter, a “Capitalist”. By Anya Ogorkiewicz. MORE

EVENTS Photo Exhibit Depicts Scenes from Bruno Schulz
Entering the inner courtyard of Galeria Jabłkowskich in mid-July 2009, I immediately got the strange feeling of crossing the very thin line between dreams and reality. Mannequins -- and almost solely mannequins -- are virtually everywhere, in every single photograph. Some of them smiling mysteriously or, with hostility? Bizarre grimaces, faces looking dazed, absent; others almost transparent or invisible and desperately staring ahead. All of them inhabited somewhat unspecified mysterious places: empty streets, decadent cafés, stylized shop displays, bourgeois lofts, modish ateliers. By Aleksandra Styś. MORE

biPOLar Reminiscences: Fathers, Socks and Figi
I recently reminisced about my son’s visit to England when he was eighteen. He took his bike with him and had his itinerary well planned. It included a trip to Hatherleigh, a little town in Devon where my family spent a year when my parents were reunited after their long wartime separation. The Soviets had deported them to a camp in the north of Russia in 1940 and there, three months later, I was born. After Hitler’s attack on the Soviet Union, Stalin was forced to release his Polish prisoners as a condition of joining the western allies. By Irene Tomaszewski. MORE

SPORTS Polish Football: A Survival Guide
Polish football is not well known outside Poland. Older fans may remember the national team that twice won the World Cup Bronze 1974 and 1982. However, Poland will stage the European Championship in 2012, so Polish football should become less of a terra incognita. Here is an “Alphabet of Polish Football.” By Filip Dutkowski. MORE

MUSINGS Life Advice: Plato vs. Grandma 
A while ago a reader asked me to devote a column to the concept of a civil society. For a number of reasons, the time is ripe for me to oblige. To look at civil society we need, I figure, at least two experts. One can be Plato, who is an old guy who had too much time around the 4th century BC and remains the undisputed expert on the subject of creating a perfect state that can never exist. The other expert is my Polish grandma who came to Canada two months ago and is currently living with me, making sure I eat enough beets. By Patrycja Romanowska. MORE

EVENTS Notes from a Concert: Freedom '89
“Lech – Lech – Lech!” The crowd chants as Lech Wałęsa, co-founder of Solidarity and former President of Poland, walks onto the Pritzker Pavilion outdoor stage in Chicago’s Millennium Park. He is the honorary guest here at “Freedom ’89,” a multi-media concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism in Poland. I’ve seen Wałęsa in photographs and videos, but never in person. His hair, once dark brown, is now completely white, but he’s unmistakably recognizable. By Justine Jablonska. MORE

MUSINGS Kids and the Polish Law
While scanning the CBC website recently I came across an article headlined “Anti-spanking laws around the world” and noted the following paragraph in particular: Sweden was the first country in the world to introduce anti-spanking legislation, in 1979. Finland, Norway and Austria followed suit over the next decade. As of March 2009, 24 countries had introduced a full ban on corporal punishment for children — both at home and in school. Italy and Nepal have yet to confirm legislation that would outlaw corporal punishment for children, although both countries have supreme court rulings in favour of prohibition. By Irene Tomaszewski MORE

POETRY Second Language Poems

Kitchen Polish
I can’t tell you about Kant
in Polish, or the Reformation,
or deconstruction
or why the Nazis moved east
before moving west... by John Guzlowski. MORE

EVENTS Quo Vadis: The Polish-Canadian Youth Leadership Challenge
Attended by 117 Canadian students and young professionals of Polish origin representing almost all regions of Canada, Quo Vadis was organized under the themes of Heritage, Leadership and Unity. “The organizers have a very professional approach and [Quo Vadis] is proof that it’s possible for young people to think big,” echoed Arek Gruszowski, a young entrepreneur from Edmonton, Alberta. By Anna Kisielewska. MORE

EVENTS The New Wave: Young Polish-Canadian Professionals Take Action
As its inaugural event YPCPA hosted a wine and cheese mixer that offered a chance for young professionals to network. The event took place at the Thompson-Landry Gallery located in the heart of Toronto’s vibrant Distillery District. Choosing the right venue was key. “We really want to embrace the duality of who we are (Polish-Canadians) and therefore reflect that in the choice of venue” explains Urszula Terlecki. By Filip Terlecki. MORE

EVENTS Poland Hosts 30 Young Canadians and Americans at Szkoła Liderów
Thirty university students and young professionals from Canada and the United States attended the first School for Leaders of the North America Polish Community (Szkoła Liderów Polonijnych Ameryki Północnej), organized June 29-July 12 under the patronage of the Speaker of the Polish Senate, Bogdan Borusewicz. A second session for young people from Western Europe is planned for August 24-September 6. MORE

POLITICS Legislation Sought for Our "No-Vacation" Nation
The United States is the only developed country in the world in which workers are not guaranteed the right to a paid vacation under the law. In fact, our epidemic of overwork is so widespread that many people don't see the need for initiative. "One more government mandate," they mutter. One need only look at other countries around the world to see that the US is out of step. In the European Union, workers are guaranteed a minimum of 20 paid vacation days yearly. By Wanda Urbanska. MORE

REVIEWS Great Reading from Ohio University Press
CR recently came across two marvelous novellas by Polish American author Danuta Mostwin in a single volume, Testaments: Two Novellas of Emigration and Exile, published by Ohio University Press. Beautifully translated by Marta Erdman and Nina Dyke, the novellas are multi-faceted, well polished, and expertly set little gems that illuminate complex characters struggling with lives altered by circumstances, the psychological changes imposed by dislocation and loneliness, and the philosophical reflections prompted by their fate. MORE

REVIEWS The Peasant Prince: Thaddeus Kosciuszko and the Age of Revolution
On a recent trip to Boston, ambling around the city with a friend, I happened upon a statue of Tadeusz Kosciuszko in the public garden. My friend, a Texan named Adam who had never heard of pierogi let alone Polish patriots of the Revolutionary War era prior to meeting me, furrowed his brow at the long, difficult name inscribed on the monument and asked for an explanation of my excitement. I began with a deep breath and launched into a brief but thorough account of Kosciuszko’s contributions to the rebel fight for freedom during the Revolutionary War. Reviewed by Nina Jankowicz. MORE

REVIEWS Katyń: A Crime Without Punishment
Katyn: A Crime Without Punishment is the latest volume in “The Annals of Communism” series published by Yale University Press. Rightly described as the most important publishing project currently in progress in the United States, it documents the 70-year reign of terror that began with the Communist revolution in Russia and has been largely ignored by western intellectuals -- when not actively indulged by them. Reviewed by Irene Tomaszewski MORE

REVIEWS Less is More
Less is More: Embracing simplicity for a healthy planet, a caring economy and lasting happiness edited by Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska, opened my eyes to the philosophical underpinnings of the Simplicity movement advocating a simpler, less cluttered lifestyle, one where the focus is not on mindless material consumption, but rather on inner riches, connection with nature, meaningful involvement in the community and, above all, the act of making conscious choices about how we lead our lives. Reviewed by Anna Kisielewska. MORE

TRAVEL Of Self-governance and Nature: Exploring Ecovillages in Denmark

What if, in one way or another, every citizen could spend some time participating in his and her own food production? According to economist Jean Gadrey, producing goods and services in an ecological way requires more work than producing the “same” goods and services in a way destructive to the environment and the climate. Investing in sustainable and natural food could generate employment, while at the same time, limiting the negative impacts on our ecosystems. Svanholm’s inhabitants are trying to work in this direction. Kinia Adamczyk visits two ecovillages in Denmark. MORE

SPOTLIGHT ON Poland in the Rockies alumni... Antoni and Jan Kowalczewski

Jan Kowalczewski (right) who's finishing his PhD in neuroscience at the University of Alberta, and his brother, Antoni, a computer scientist, teamed up to develop a device that could revolutionize physiotherapy for people who have had a stroke or a spinal cord injury. Working with Dr. Arthur Prochazka at the University of Alberta, Jan knew what kind of physiotherapy was needed, and came up with a solution to make it accessible and affordable, but to take it from an idea to a reality he needed the talent of his computer whiz brother. Together (and with the help of many talented individuals) they made it happen. Read more for the full story, or watch a video. MORE

SPOTLIGHT ON Poland in the Rockies alumna ... Katherine Cioch
Loyola's Fellowship Office congratulates Katherine Cioch, who was awarded a Fulbright Full Research Grant for 2009-10 to study in Poland. In 2008, Katherine earned a BA in political science and a BS in psychology, and in May 2009, she completed her MA in international and comparative politics. Her proposed research focuses on human trafficking, a complex, international phenomenon that has grown exponentially with the increase of globalization. Katherine seeks to investigate and evaluate the role of the La Strada Foundation Against Trafficking in Persons and Slavery, a Polish NGO dedicated to combating and preventing human trafficking in Poland. MORE