There’s an interview with Bronis?aw Wildstein, new chairman of the state TV company, in today’s Rzeczpospolita. Jaros?aw Murawski asks this champion of the citizen’s right – nay, obligation – to be well-informed about democratic society’s workings if Wildstein has not sacked certain people because they are protected by Samoobrona (coalition members). Wildstein fearlessly replies: “If […]
Today’s Gazeta Wyborcza has a full-page ad for a car on its front page. Above it are the words (I’m quoting from memory as I did not buy it) “This ad makes childrens’ dreams come true.” As the sound of vomit splashing into the bottom of sickbags dies down, may I remind you that today […]
This week’s Polityka has an ad for a cultural event called a “Gala of Film Music” to take place in the National Philharmonic in Warsaw on June 25th. There is a photograph of a concert hall and orchestra and another photograph of a cup of coffee. A caption tells us that “the gala is a […]
On the back page of today’s Dziennik is a short piece about the EU’s “You control climate change” campaign. The slogan is translated as “Kontroluj zmiany klimatu,” which means “Monitor changes in the climate.”
“Ambitny” is the Polish word used to describe art which is – well – ambitious, demanding, challenging. Powstanie Warszawskie (Warsaw Uprising) by Lao Che is most definitely “ambitny.” Over ten tracks it sets out to capture the doomed uprising that took place in 1944 and which was described by Miron Bia?oszewski in Pami?tnik z powstania […]
“There’s a fact that until now has been rarely considered. The Da Vinci Code came out in 2000, but had its greatest success in 2002 at a time of strong friction between the White House and the Vatican, opposed to the impending attack on Iraq. […] In those days, in the US, the scandal of […]
Today’s Wyborcza takes rival newspapers Fakt and Dziennik (both published by Springer Verlag) to task for their hysterical coverage of the doctors’ strike. El?bieta Cichocka comments that for several months she has been hearing with “przera?enie” (terror, dread) how doctors have been discussing the use of “miners’” tactics – i.e. physical, violent protests. Miners and […]
A short passage from Marcin Swietlicki’s new novel, Dwanascie (Twelve), should give pause to all internet posters except me. A brash Varsovian kicked out of a Krakow pub thinks on his way out that he’ll destroy the business by writing about it in his blog. The blog entry he thinks up: avoid the “Office” on […]
“Terrorists” reads the headline in today’s Fakt (in English: Fact – I present this information without a trace of irony). Beneath it are photographs of the terrorists in question: about half a dozen doctors, who are on strike at the moment in Poland (80 hospitals out). The tabloid whips itself into the usual frenzy of […]