One more go

ESPN.com:

Expect Steve Yzerman to announce to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday that he'll return for one final season. The classy captain spent three hours on Friday with Wings GM Ken Holland and senior vice president Jim Devellano in Toronto, where the team presented him with a one-year offer. Yzerman, 40, was going to discuss the contract with his wife over the weekend and let the team know by the end of day Sunday, the day before the free agency market opens. Yzerman already has been invited to the Canadian Olympic orientation camp in British Columbia in two weeks and is expected to return for at least one more go-round. 'He's not going to go anywhere else,' Holland said. 'Hopefully, he'll still come back. I think he should go out playing on the ice.'

... and raising a cup.

A little perspective

Here is an instant-message conversation I just had with a Belarussian friend of mine. He’s intelligent, and extremely in touch with sentiments in his country. It offers a lot perspective into how Belarussians are reacting to the Warsaw-Minsk crisis, how they see international politics playing out, and how best to approach the situation from a Belarussian point of view. We’ll call him “Alexei”.

(I have made several editorial corrections for spelling, grammar, and coherence. Anything in brackets: [*] is mine, and did not take place during the conversation. I have also censored inappropriate language. Other than the above, everything is recorded without change.)

Gustav says: I'd love to know what you think about all this sh*t going down between Poland and Belarus. I bet everybody's asking you that, huh?

Alexei says: Not everybody, just my wife. So far you are second.

Gustav says: Well, what do you think?

Alexei says: I think the Polish are not very clever.

Gustav says: Why not?

Alexei says: Look, you are on the street, and suddenly there is a mad dog barking at you and trying to bite your foot. What do you do?

Gustav says: Beat him the hell off of my leg.

Alexei says: Ignore him, try to get away. And when you are safe - make him disappear. It is stupid to pick a fight with a mad dog (or person). By doing so, you do not look clever.

Gustav says: C'mon man. This can't be ignored. You can't let ethnic Poles get arrested for no reason and journalists harassed…

Alexei says: I agree - not in a democracy. But Belarus is not a democracy.

Gustav says: But what about when a democracy comes up against a non-democracy? That's what you have here. You're not a Lukashenko supporter, are you?

Alexei says: I am not. But I am not a Polish supporter in this conflict either. I do not like hypocrisy.

Gustav says: How are the Poles hypocritical?

Alexei says: Its' obvious.

Gustav says: Explain it to me.

Alexei says: A Polish journalist the other day put it in his report from Belarus. The real victims here are Belarussians. Why no one in Poland cares about them?

Gustav says: Really? I didn't see that report. What did it say? How are the Poles somehow hurting the Belarussians?

Alexei says: If you have Polish passport, you are safe, you'll land in Poland. If you are Polish by nationality and Belarussian by passport - you can hope to land to Poland (though I do not believe that that a Polish chick in Belarus has any chance to get to Poland – outside of Belarus she has no value for Polish politicians). But, if you are Belarussian - you have it F*CKED UP.

The most oppressed people in Belarus are Belarussians - poor and terrorized by the regime.

And about the Polish - Why don't they create an alternative organization in Belarus if they care so much? They also can help financially - at least to the Polish with Belarussian passports. Instead they prefer to speak, speak, speak, and make political careers before the elections.

Gustav says: But why create an alternative organization when this Polish Union was serving its purpose? It doesn't matter what organizations are set up, Lukashenko would persecute them. And why do you blame Poles for the plight of the Belarussians? I agree that ordinary Belarussians are the worst off - SO WHY NOT RISE UP? The Belarussians would receive all the international support there is - It's another Ukraine, Georgia, or Kyrgyzstan. It's not Poland's fault the Belarussians are chicken.

Alexei says: Whatever the Polish do in the conflict, Lukashenko will only benefit inside of Belarus. It is very easy to be anti-Polish in my country. Half of our folklore is based around fighting Polish oppression. (Centuries of living together.)

Gustav says: Surely the solution then, is to GET RID OF LUKASHENKO, and not "ignore" him. You say that whatever Poland does makes him more powerful. If they ignored him would he get weaker? Hardly. He would get stronger.

Alexei says: Not inside of the country. He needs an external enemy to support his popularity. The Polish offered themselves. Stupid. (Polish politicians are stupid).

My wife [who is Portuguese] also says Belarussians are chickens. You forget history. The majority of European nations went through dictatorships not so long ago. And in Belarus anyone who rose or spoke against him in the past 10 years disappeared. And people saw and see it on TV and in the newspapers. Who will do anything now?

Besides, for a lot of people he is a good president (now also for all Polish-haters).

Gustav says: Well, I must agree the chicken comment was out of line. But the observation about resounding international support still holds.

Alexei says: There is NO international support. It is all theater.

The revolution in Ukraine cost 500,000,000-1,000,000,000 USD.

Gustav says: How? What cost that much?

Alexei says: Keeping people on the streets. Buying support of the army and police, etc. Ask [our mutual Ukrainian friend]. But that’s not the point.

Gustav says: Ok, so everybody just leaves Belarus alone, lets Lukashenko do what he wants, and he somehow magically disappears? I don't buy that for a second. If Lukashenko didn't have any enemies, don't you think he'd be making them in order to support his popularity just as you said? In fact, isn't that what he's doing now? Isn't he picking a fight with Poland to do just that? Is your solution really to let him harass ethnic Poles and hope he goes away?

Alexei says: The first thing that the "international community" should have done is to isolate Lukashenko and cut his funds (he does not keep money under the mattress).

Gustav says: Well, we can agree on that. But Lukashenko is getting money from Russia isn't he? That's the biggest problem isn't it? Lukashenko won't go away until Russia wants him to.

Alexei says: No, he is not. The people of Belarus work for him. Ok, his son was (may be still is) in the USA. Lukashenko is not welcome to Europe as a president. But as a private person he freely goes to ski in Austria. Inside of the country everybody knows that he gets money out of Belarus via Austrian Reiffeisen Bank. Finally, the person who set up his whole financial system lives in the UK.

In reality nobody in the West wants to touch him. And all this "noise" is for the public - to keep their attention on Poland off real local problems.

By the way, do you know that Belarus does not have any international or national debt? It is one of his strong propaganda points.

Gustav says: But they don't have anything either! You can't have any debt if you're not buying anything!

Alexei says: Again, I agree with you on this one. To develop economy they will have to borrow.

Gustav says: That's not the point. Don't the Belarussians see that the reason they have no debt is because they have practically nothing?

Alexei says: They do. They also see that Russians and Ukrainians and so many other people also do not have anything and have huge debt.

Gustav says: Ok, I see your point.

So, let's say you were the President of the US, or Poland, or Russia. If you were a major world leader, what would you do to bring Belarus into the family of democratic nations as quickly as possible? How would you solve this crisis?

Alexei says: This crisis is on for 10 years already and will continue for another 30 easily. If anyone would be interested to change anything, first they would have to look at a 5- to 10-year time span.

Then, speak with the Russians. Guarantee them that whatever changes in Belarus, it will always stay their field of interest. Then put mass media all around it - satellite TV channels, radio stations in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Russia. Print newspapers. And work to change public opinion in Belarus though public opinion in Russia.

Gustav says: So Russia is the key...

Alexei says: I am afraid yes. Russia is the key here.

Gustav says: George Bush is very buddy-buddy with Putin. Do you think Putin would trust GWB if he told him that whatever happens in Belarus, it will still remain within their sphere of influence?

Alexei says: No.

By the way, I started to import beef jerky. Would you like to try some?

Gustav says: Sure! I love beef jerky. I hated that weird fish stuff you had before though...

Alexei says: Ok, next time we meet I will take some. And let’s discuss politics also then. Cheers, I have to go.

Just in case you missed it

These are the top 3 headlines right now on Radio Polonia's English language website:

The senate slams Belarus' anti-Polish policy

EC calls on Belarus to respect minority rights

Polish-Belarus relations in crisis

And the top audio file:

Poland and Belarus: from bad to worse

Well, it's not as if the country is at a standstill, but it sure seems to be all anybody can talk about. The dispute has finally found its way to Brussels, and the EU will become more deeply involved.

The problem is, nobody wants to touch Belarus with a ten-foot pole (pun intended) for fear of pissing off Russia. Brussels already has about 300 different headaches to worry about, and doesn't need another one. The Belarussians, for the most part, don't seem to really want change that much either. For these two groups, the Poles, once again, are stirring up trouble - as always.

The Poles, heady from the "victory" in Ukraine, are itching to really change things in a part of the world which is historically Polish. There are other motives too, of course. A democratic Belarus would probably be another ally in the fight against Russian dominance of energy resources in the region, it would be a buffer zone between Poland and Russia (Poles are always paranoid about being attacked by invaders. Can you blame them?), and it's a great market for Polish goods. Additionally, it's one more piece of the puzzle of Central and Eastern European countries that seem to be forming a bloc of which Poland sees itself as head. The Visegrad group comprises The Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland - a population of about 60-65 million people total. Warsaw would like to see Ukraine, Belarus, and perhaps Lithuania added to the group eventually as well, making the CEE countries more than able to counterbalance those ninnies in Western Europe. Oh yeah, they're also pissed because ethnic Poles are being systematically denied their rights.

The EU can't help but get involved now, and that means that soon this spat is going to be on cable television news networks and websites and newspapers tomorrow morning, or the day after.

And then people will have to take sides.

It's all quite exciting. How is this going to end?

Today's talking points

WBJ:

Deputies call for international condemnation of Belarus following recent events

Yesterday turned out to be the most dramatic day in the history of the Association of Poles in Belarus (ZPB). The regime of the country's president Alexander Lukashenko continues to increase the tension between Poland and Belarus and reached a climax point on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday when the Belarussian militia tried to enter the office of the Union by force. The country's authorities have managed to force changes in the board of the Polish organization by dismissing Anżelika Borys from the seat of the Association's head as well as seven other members of the organization. On Tuesday, on rediculous charges they detained the deputy president of ZPB Józef Porzecki, Mieczysław Jaśkiewicz and Polish journalist Andrzej Poczobut. Polish politicians are shocked about the course of events and claim that drastic steps should be immediately taken. "This is a scandal which requires a more energetic reaction and moving the issue to the international arena, at least to the forum of the EU Council in Strasbourg, but also possibly to the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations. Belarus has to be condemned not only by Poland. Other countries have to react," announced Sejm Speaker and presidential candidate Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz.

When am I going to see this story in the mainstream news?

Polish PM meets with US Secretary of Defense in Iraq

Prime Minister Marek Belka spent his second day in Iraq yesterday (Wednesday), during which he met with US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The day before he was present at the seat of the multi-national military division, the control of which was just handed over to General Piotr Czerwiński. The fifth contingent of the Polish soldiers is also the last. Starting next year, Poles will only train the Iraqi security services. General George Casey, the commander in chief of the US army in Iraq, announced that if the political process will continue to develop and if the Iraqi security services gains strength, the Americans will significantly reduce the number of soldiers residing in Iraq in summer of next year.

Miners win improved retirement scheme following protest and Sejm vote

Following the violent protest by the workers of the mining sector, Sejm deputies yesterday decided that employees of this sector will have their own, more beneficial, retirement program. The deputies voted to allow miners the right to retire after working 25 years underground without regard to age. However, the government as well as experts criticize this decision. "Today the insurance system costs a lot because many people take advantage of it. We pay zł.14 billion for early retirements," explained Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, the Deputy Minister for Social Policy. She failed however, to convince the opposition. "The miners work in extreme conditions, in hot air, humidity and have to be treated in a special way. We have to limit the expenditures, but not at the cost of the working people," claimed Maria Nowak of Law and Justice (PiS).

PiS is getting more populist by the minute. Still leading in the polls - I don't like where this is headed.

Oleksy joins the growing band of resentful SLD ex-leaders

Former leader of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) Józef Oleksy announced yesterday that he is not interested in becoming a candidate for a seat in the Senate, although he has not yet made his final decision concerning this issue. Oleksy was annoyed at the party's authorities that they removed his right, as with Leszek Miller and Jerzy Jaskiernia, to run for a seat to the Sejm from the SLD list, but can only be a candidate in the election to the Senate. "It has been decided that I am responsible for the catastrophe of the party in the opinion polls. I am against selecting people who should be held politically responsible for the fall in support. Some people were not punished," said Oleksy, who said that tomorrow he will discuss the issue of the future of former SLD leaders with the current head of the party, Wojciech Olejniczak.

Well, Józef, you're at least partly responsible, aren't you? Shouldn't have lied about spying for the Communists in the past. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The Guardian:

Poland May Create John Paul II Holiday

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to support a measure that will establish a national day to honor the late Pope John Paul II.

The lower house, or Sejm, voted 338-3 for the bill that will make Oct. 16 a day of reflection and remembrance of the Polish-born Karol Wojtyla. That date was chosen because he was elected pope on Oct. 16, 1978. Two lawmakers abstained from voting.

The bill now goes to the Senate, which is expected to approve it this week. President Aleksander Kwasniewski is expected to sign it into law.

The annual holiday will be dedicated to remembering and studying John Paul's teachings, but it won't be a government holiday. Banks, schools and government offices will stay open.

John Paul II, who died April 2, was greatly loved and admired in Poland, his predominantly Roman Catholic homeland.

INTERESTING TRIVIA:

The head negotiator for the US in the six-way N. Korea nuclear-disarmament talks is Christopher Hill. Mr. Hill was US Ambassador to Poland during 9/11, and left his post here early last year.

Police and miners injured as union protest turns into running battle

WBJ:

Yesterday's protest of 5,500 miners in Warsaw turned into a battle with the police during which 24 policemen and seven miners were injured. The miners arrived in Warsaw to convince the Sejm to pass a retirement act prepared by the Solidarity trade union, which guaranteed the miners the right to retire after 25 years of work. The Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz did not agree to put the act to the vote, claiming, "at the end of its term the Sejm does not have the right to make decisions which may ruin the public finance system." The representatives of the miners negotiated with Cimoszewicz who ultimately agreed to meet some of their demands and to put the draft act forward for voting. However, it did not stop some of the miners initiating a battle with the police and damaging, among others, a nearby monument and two diplomatic vehicles from a nearby embassy. The police detained around 70 of the most aggressive protesters. "I want to express my regret because of what happened in front of the Sejm," stated Dominik Kolorz, the head of the miners' Solidarity trade union, "There were a 100 insane people for whom I apologize." The Sejm is to vote on the act today or tomorrow.

Leaders of the Polish Union in Belarus in police custody

Radio Polonia:

Conflict between Belarus and Poland intensifies

Leaders of the Polish Union in Belarus have been taken by Belarussian police for questioning while the headquarets of the Union have been surrounded.Belarus authorities do not recognise the new authorities of the union questionning their independence.Minsk has expelled a third Polish diplomat on Tuesday describing the order as retaliation for Poland’s expulsion on Monday of a Belarus diplomat from Warsaw. Minsk accuses Poland of interference in its internal affairs and contacts with Belarus opposition. According to analysts in Poland this is not a conflict between Poland and Belarus it is rather president Lukashenko’s battle with the west. Poland should aim at evoking reactions from the European Union and show that the conflict is not an affair between Warsaw and Minsk. The Polish foreign Ministry is to present an official stand on the conflict on Thursday.

Tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions as gulf with Belarus widens further

The WBJ:

Poland made another major symbolic move and ordered the tit-for-tat expulsion of the Charge d'Affair at the Belarusian embassy in response to expulsion of the head of the Polish consulate in Minsk. Last Friday the Belarusian Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement that was highly critical of Poland and Belarus state television once again accused Poland of hostile actions against the country. "The KGB and our secret services were trying to prove that they were not guilty and it was Warsaw and Polish diplomats who were the reasons behind the whole dispute," said Uładzimir Podgoł, an independent expert. The whole dispute surrounds the elections of the new head of the Union of Poles in Belarus (ZPB) in which Belarus officials are trying to push for their candidate to take the position. The officials' favorite is Tadeusz Kruczkowski, who appeared in one of the anti-Polish movies.

What is the future of the American Labor Movement?

Detroit Free Press:

Teamsters and service union to quit the AFL-CIO

Defections will be biggest labor rift since the 1930s

CHICAGO -- Jolting organized labor, the Teamsters and a massive service employees union decided Sunday to bolt the AFL-CIO, paving the way for two other labor groups to sever ties in the movement's biggest schism since the 1930s.

The four dissident unions, representing nearly one-third of the AFL-CIO's 13 million members, announced they were boycotting the federation's convention that is to begin today, a step that was widely considered to be a precursor to leaving the federation.

They are part of the Change to Win Coalition, a group of seven unions pledging to accomplish what the AFL-CIO has failed to do: reverse the decades-long decline in union membership. But many union presidents, labor experts and Democratic Party leaders fear the split will weaken the movement politically and hurt unionized workers who need a united and powerful ally against business interests and global competition.

The Service Employees International Union, the largest AFL-CIO affiliate with 1.8 million members, has spearheaded the exodus and is to announce today that it is leaving the AFL-CIO, said several labor officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Teamsters plan to declare their departure at the same Change to Win news conference, officials said.

Two other boycotting unions signaled similar intentions: United Food and Commercial Workers and UNITE HERE, a group of textile and hotel workers. But they were not scheduled to take part in today's news conference, officials said.

"Our differences are so fundamental and so principled that, at this point, I don't think there is a chance there will be a change of course," said UFCW President Joe Hansen.

Without directly saying so, coalition leaders seemed to be establishing the group as a newly minted rival of the AFL-CIO. "Today will be remembered as a rebirth of union strength in America," coalition chairwoman Anna Burger said.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, expected to easily win re-election over the objections of the dissidents, suggested the dissidents were spoiled sports, leaving after their demands were not met.

"It's a shame for working people that before the first vote has been cast, four unions have decided that if they can't win, they won't show up for the game," Sweeney said. The rhetoric was unusually personal, in part because dissident leader Andy Stern of the SEIU is a former protege of Sweeney's.

Leaders of the dissident unions say the AFL-CIO leadership has failed to stop the steep decline in union membership. In addition to seeking the ouster of Sweeney, they have demanded more money for organizing, power to force mergers of smaller unions and other changes they say are key to adapting to vast changes in society and the economy.

Rank-and-file members of the 52 non-boycotting AFL-CIO affiliates expressed confusion and anger over the action.

"If there was ever a time we workers need to stick together, it's today," said Olegario Bustamante, a steelworker from Cicero, Ill.

It's the biggest rift in organized labor since 1938, when the CIO split from the AFL. The organizations merged in the mid-1950s.

The boycott means the unions will not pay $7 million in back dues to the AFL-CIO today, an act that some labor officials consider tantamount to quitting the federation. Still, hope for a resolution remains until the unions formally announce their disaffiliation from the AFL-CIO, officials said.

If they quit the federation, the unions would take about $35 million from the AFL-CIO, which has already been forced to lay off a quarter of its 400-person staff.

The four unions already had formed the Change to Win Coalition to pressure Sweeney to undertake major changes to the federation. That coalition scheduled a news conference this afternoon at which the SEIU and the Teamsters intend to announce disaffiliation from the AFL-CIO, officials said.

The SEIU is led by former Sweeney protege Andy Stern who has turned against his former boss.

Two other unions that are part of the dissident coalition did not plan to leave the Chicago convention: the Laborers International Union of North America and the United Farm Workers.

The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, the seventh member of the coalition, left the AFL-CIO in 2002.

Leaders of the dissident unions say the AFL-CIO leadership has failed to stop the steep decline in union membership. In addition to seeking the ouster of Sweeney, they have demanded more money for organizing, power to force mergers of smaller unions and other changes they say are key to adapting to vast changes in society and the economy.

Sweeney's allies contend he has taken steps to change the AFL-CIO, meeting many of the dissidents' demands. Globalization, automation and the transition from an industrial-based economy have forced hundreds of thousands of unionized workers out of jobs, weakening labor's role.

The dissidents largely represent workers in retail and service sectors, the heart of the emerging new U.S. economy. Sweeney's allies are primarily industrial unions whose workers are facing the brunt of global economic shifts.

THE IMPACT
•On membership: The AFL-CIO will lose 3.2 million Service Employees International and Teamsters members and about $20 million in annual dues.

•On labor: Internal turmoil could draw attention from issues like organizing, raising wages and protecting health care benefits.

•On politics: A weaker labor movement could hurt the Democratic Party, its traditional political ally.

Instead of higher wages, unions need to be getting smarter. They've accomplished a lot in fighting for workers' safety and reasonable labor hours. Now, there are increasing concerns that Americans are working too much, that they don't have enough access to health care, and that American jobs are moving overseas. If the unions concentrated on these areas, they wouldn't be hemorrhaging members, nor losing out on the influence battle.

Working too much-

Compared with Europe, Americans receive precious little vacation. Instead of the typical two weeks in America, in Poland an entry-level job earns 20 workdays of vacation. After 10 years (which includes time at college), you get 26. This amount of vacation is not the reason behind Europe's recent slump - that has more to do with difficulties in hiring and firing, as well as high taxation and a high level of bureaucracy.

A few more days of vacation would be in order ...

Americans also work more than 8 hours per day, on average, if you include time on the cell phone, work at home, and skipped lunch hours (just grab some Mickey D's right? - too much work is also detrimental to Americans' health).

Labor unions need to focus (no, not necessarily on reducing work hours), but on promoting things like remote working. Due to increasing technology, people like computer programers, all sorts of writers and independent contractors, can work from home. Working from home reduces the time in the car(see, there are environmental benefits as well), reducing stress levels and time away from the family (and you can still work those 8 hours). For working moms and dads, it could be the solution to spending more time with kids. As flex-time becomes more and more popular, remote working is the next step. Unions need to work with employers and if necessary push them to find more ways to allow their workers more flexibility. That's better for workers' stress levels, their psychology, their physiology, their families, and the environment.


Health care-

This is a battle I see playing out not between the unions and employers, but between unions (and hopefully employers on the same side) and health-care providers and pharmaceuticals. Intellectual property rights need to be restricted so that drugs and health care can become more affordable. If the government isn't going to guarantee health care, then at least we can try to make it guaranteed if you work. However, as we can see in the case of GM, health care costs are now just too much for one company to handle. They need to be reduced, so that health coverage can become a viable - and ubiquitous! - benefit for workers. Undoubtedly, employees will have to cover some of the costs in the future, but we can minimize the costs to both employees and companies.

American jobs overseas/outsourcing-

I am in favor of allowing companies to move their place of production if it allows them better business opportunities. Do you like those cheap clothes? Be glad American companies are moving to China then. But this leaves lots of Americans (with highly specialized skills and with few marketable skills in the new economy) out of work, and the unions can do something about that. Instead of coming out against outsourcing outright, they should take a more long-term view. I think requiring a business to help cover the costs of retraining its workers is not too much to ask. This could be done in two ways, either by requiring the employer to pay one fee up front to help offset the cost of retraining workers (which could either be done through government programs - some alreday exist - or through private training businesses) or they pay a tax which goes to government funding for such retraining.

For an economy to work efficiently, it's got to be flexible. Investing in programs that make our workers more flexible will keep unemployment low and our economy chugging - while we buy the inexpensive raw materials and cheap goods from the countries that can do it best and cheapest.

Unions could also work towards legislation guaranteeing employee retirement benefits against corrupt or incompetent management, and adding members in middle management and new technologies, which they so far haven't been able to gain.

Or, they could keep arguing about how best to get their members more money per hour, how to prevent outsourcing from making businesses more efficient, and how to keep the Republicans out of office (something they're dreadful at) - and become extinct.

Latest parliamentary poll numbers

Angus Reid Consultants:

Law and Justice, Civic Platform Tops in Poland



The opposition Law and Justice Party (PiS) is the most popular political organization in Poland, according to a poll by Ipsos. 27 per cent of respondents would vote for the PiS in this year’s general election, a four per cent increase since May.

Civic Platform (PO) is in second place with 21 per cent, followed by both the governing Democratic Left Alliance-Labour Union (SLD-UP) and the Self-Defence of the Polish Republic (SRP) with 14 per cent, and the League of Polish Families (LPR) with nine per cent. Support is lower for the Social Democracy of Poland (SDP), the Peasant’s Party (PSL), the Democratic Party of Poland (PD), the Union for Real Politics (UPR) and the National Pensioners’ Party (KPEiR).

On May 18, Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski announced that the election to renew the two houses of Parliament would take place on Sept. 25. Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski is openly considering a coalition government with Civic Platform.

Prime minister Leszek Miller stepped down in May 2004 after Poland officially joined the European Union (EU). Miller had administered the government since 2001, but lost his majority after a split with the PSL in March 2003. Kwasniewski appointed SLD member Marek Belka as acting prime minister.

Poland currently has 2,350 soldiers in Iraq, the fourth largest contingent of the coalition after the United States, Britain and Italy. In April, defence minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Poland would withdraw its troops at the end of the year, when the current mandate expires. Szmajdzinski added that the mission could be extended if the United Nations (UN) Security Council or the Iraqi government request Poland to keep the troops in place.

Polling Data

What party would you support in the next election?
Jul. 2005 May 2005

Law and Justice Party (PiS) 27% 23%


Civic Platform (PO) 21% 21%


Democratic Left Alliance-Labour Union (SLD-UP) 14% 5%


Self-Defense (SO) 14% 16%


League of Polish Families (LPR) 9% 11%


Social Democracy of Poland (SDP) 6% 6%


Peasant’s Party (PSL) 3% 4%


Democratic Party of Poland (PD) 3% 3%


Union for Real Politics (UPR) 2% 2%


National Pensioners’ Party (KPEiR) 1% 2%

Source: Ipsos
Methodology: Interviews to 958 Polish adults, conducted from Jul. 7 to Jul. 12, 2005. Margin of error is 3.2 percent.

Wow! look at that jump for SLD! That's almost entirely due to Cimoszewicz's entrance into the presidential race, plus some cosmetic measures from the party.

But the best news is that ALL populist parties have slipped in the polls. Self-Defense, LPR, and PSL all lost ground. LPR (the religious far-right) slipped the most, by 3 points. Now if PO could just overtake PiS...

PO is the better center-right party, in terms of philosophy, but both of their leaders are detestable and their campaign has been a disaster. PiS has taken all the publicity, and PO is hardly ever in the news.

But some of us have a soft spot for it

Happy Birthday, Palace of Culture and Science



Opened: 22 July 1955
Height: 231 metres to spire tip
Contains 40 million bricks
Took three years to complete
3,288 rooms on 43 floors
16 Russians died during construction

BBC NEWS:

Poles tolerate Stalinist palace

Warsaw's Stalin-era skyscraper, the Palace of Culture and Science, is 50 years old on Friday.

But the gift from Josef Stalin to then communist Poland is also one of the country's most controversial buildings, the BBC's Adam Easton reports.

It was a gift that nobody wanted. For decades it was hated because it was the symbol of Soviet domination of the country.

It was designed by Russian architect Lev Rudniev in classic socialist realist style. Inside, it is full of marble and ornate chandeliers, but outside its stone-clad walls are home to dozens of statues of muscle-bound worker heroes with chiselled cheekbones clutching enormous hammers.

It is certainly not to everyone's taste.

"The Palace of Culture is not handsome. It's very ugly," says Warsaw's chief architect Michal Borowski, who has his office in the building.

"But it is here and it's a part of our city. You could ask is Warsaw a nice city? No, Warsaw is not a very nice city. But it is an interesting city."

Concert greats

In 1952, Russian workers were brought in to build the palace. There were so many, Polish workers had to build a makeshift "friendship" settlement of wooden cottages to house them.


We don't remember the communist times, it's only a building. Maybe it's a symbol of communism but we don't see it that way
Young Warsaw resident

A 3.3-hectare area of war-torn Warsaw was cleared to make way for the structure which contains 40 million bricks. It was completed in lightning speed and handed over to the people on 22 July, 1955.

Inside its 43 storeys there are 3,200 rooms. It was here the communists used to hold their party congresses. But it was also home to a swimming pool, a theatre, a museum and a 2,800-seat concert hall.

Over the years, stars like Marlene Dietrich, Ella Fitzgerald and a youthful Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones performed there.

Despite the recent addition of modern skyscrapers nearby, it still dominates the city skyline. Its outline can be seen from 15km (nine miles) away.

When communism collapsed in 1989, many Varsovians thought the palace should too. That is exactly what happened in the popular Polish film Rozmowy kontrolowane (Controlled Conversations) when the main character pulled the flush of a toilet in the palace.

But attitudes have softened in the last 15 years. The political symbolism has faded. Most of the city's inhabitants, like Michal Borowski, grew up with it.

"When I was very, very young I used to go there. I learnt to play table tennis; I learnt swimming, even dancing there. During Christmas holidays thousands of children used to go there and get small gifts like three oranges, which were rare at that time," Mr Borowski said.

Mr Borowski wants to develop the area around the palace and plans to construct a modern art museum, a music theatre, shops and apartment blocks.

Sentimental value

In fact, many of the capital's younger residents - too young to remember communism - actually like it.

"It's got some sentimental value for me because my university courses used to be here. It's got a certain style. I don't like walls of glass. It's a Warsaw landmark so I think it should stay," said one.

"I like it. The architecture is funny. You don't see this style anymore. We don't remember the communist times, it's only a building. Maybe it's a symbol of communism but we don't see it that way," said another.

"I think it now has a position similar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It's a part of the city and it should stay. It reminds me of the Empire State Building. So, if it's used in New York, why not Warsaw?" said another woman.

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This is Kalamazoo - not Karachi - in the year 2005

Something to make me reconsider raising a family in my home country:

The Detroit News:

Evolution battle grows in schools

Michigan districts debate whether to teach intelligent design; critics call it disguised religion.

Jeff Conner knew he had to talk to school administrators when he learned his daughter was shown a video in science class that said evolutionary researchers were not scientists, and when she was assigned an essay about her beliefs on evolution and creation.

At his daughter's middle school in Gull Lake, near Kalamazoo, two seventh-grade science instructors were teaching intelligent design -- a belief that the complexity of the universe is evidence of an intelligent cause behind it.

"I wasn't happy about it because they were teaching this as science and it isn't," said Conner, a Michigan State University professor who researches evolutionary science, and believes intelligent design is too close to creationism.

The case was one of several across the country that, 80 years after the Scopes trial, has renewed the passionate debate about what public schools should and should not teach about the origins of life.

Evolution is taught in many public schools, but the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987 made lessons in creationism unconstitutional.

Since then, the intelligent design movement has gained momentum and it, along with other critics of evolution, has caused controversy in public schools in 31 states, including Michigan.

Classroom instruction and textbook usage is under siege as school leaders, scientists, politicians and people of faith continue to debate the origin of life.

Absolutely outrageous.

Intelligent design cannot be disproved, therefore, it is not science.

Period.

A hilarious sentence

Wired News:

The industry group revoked the game's M rating, which labeled it appropriate for players 17 or older, and re-filed it under AO for 'adults only' -- raising the minimum age to 18, the year at which a delicate teen becomes less susceptible to the harmful influence of computer-generated cartoon sex.

-- And we all know about the harmful effects of computer-generated cartoon sex.

I heard it causes cancer...

This is coming as a result of all this Grand Theft Auto nonsense.

When will parents take responsibility for raising their kids, and stop blaming content makers who want to help the rest of us have a little bit of sneaky fun? Would you please have a look at what your child is playing on his Playstation and would you please have a discussion with him about it, if you find anything offensive or inappropriate?

The rest of us would like to get on with our lives.

And yes, I do know that Hillary has come out against it, and I completely disagree with her.

But that won't stop me from voting for her in 2008, if I have to choose between her and some reactionary Bible-beater.

How the hell am I supposed to ever send my kids to college?

The Detroit Free Press:

All I can say is that I'm thrilled my son is 7. I've got 11 years to pump up his college fund. No more McNuggets or Transformers robots.

But parents who have a child or two in high school have got to be real edgy.

What do you do if your child's heading for college in four years? Some of the state's universities have raised tuition this year by more than 10%. What if they raise tuition another 10% next year? And the next?

What do you do? Stop eating? The brutal reality: The cost of college tuition would double in six years if a college raised tuition 12.3% each year forward. (University of Michigan tuition and fees will go up 12.3% this fall for in-state freshmen.)

Could you double your money in six years? OK, if you bought Google, you're in luck. But forget it otherwise.

"This really means you've got to look for cuts in other areas of your personal spending," said Bob Bilkie, president of Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. in Southfield.

Bilkie has three daughters. Amanda's a senior at U-M. Ashley's a sophomore at U-M. And Megan is a senior at Salem High School in Plymouth. She wants to go to U-M and later to medical school.

He'll feel a pinch. But he says he's been blessed with a good job -- and saved frugally. So he thinks he'll be OK.

Another cushion: His daughters have jobs -- and are required to save half of what they make for college extras.

"If they want to go to Starbucks, it's on their dime," Bilkie said.

What do you do if you've only got a few years to go?

•If money is tight, tell your child to consider a lower-priced college. People who don't choose U-M or Michigan State University can find jobs.

Excuse me, but F--- YOU! I'll be damned if my kids won't meet their potential because I can't bring home the dough. And by the way, U-M or MSU? Man, those are safety schools, not the ones to which I hope my kids will be aspiring. I want my kids going to private colleges with reasonable class sizes and better professors - those schools cost easily three times that of U-M. I know. I went to one.

•Forget about quick fixes -- and do not bet the college money on poker. Or stocks.

People may think they can make 10% a year on stocks. OK, remember 2000, 2001 and 2002, when people lost money?

"Equity returns are made up of home runs and strikeouts," said Fran Kinniry, principal for Vanguard Investment Counseling and Research in Malvern, Pa.

Kinniry notes: Stocks lost money one out of every four years if you look at returns from 1926 through 2004. Better short-term bets for money needed in the next five years or so: Bond funds, U.S. savings bonds or money market accounts.

•The Michigan College Savings Program may be a good option for a college 529 plan.

Savers who set aside money in the Michigan 529 can take a state income-tax deduction. All 529s aren't equal. Michigan taxpayers do not get a state income-tax deduction if they invest in other 529 plans.

•Consider the Michigan Education Trust, the state's prepaid college tuition plan. The plan is open to high school students. Enrollment begins Sept. 1. We don't know the price yet.

But if your child is in 10th grade, for example, I'd expect that you'd have to pay more than $8,750 to buy a one-year MET contract that would cover two semesters.

(I've set aside some money in the MET plan and the Michigan college savings plan. Yes, I have just one son and believe in saving for college. And we'll save more.)

•Should you plan to just borrow from your 401(k)?

I've learned to never say never, but boy, I wouldn't dream of taking money out of my 401(k) for my son.

Sure, my heart melts when I see that little boy's gorgeous smile, which is especially charming now that he's lost two front teeth. But he's not, repeat not, getting my 401(k).

Most parents shouldn't hand over their retirement cushion to cover a child's college education.

"There are other sources of money that people should look at first," said Stuart Ritter, a certified financial planner for T. Rowe Price, a mutual fund company based in Baltimore.

•Consider borrowing more money.

Take out a home equity loan, which can be tax deductible. Or a parent might consider a PLUS student loan.

Under a the federal PLUS loan program, parents can borrow money to cover any costs not already covered by the student's financial aid package, up to the full cost of attendance. So you can borrow plenty of money. PLUS loans have variable interest rates but won't go higher than 9%. The interest rate on the PLUS loan now is 6.10%.

Parents who have bad credit histories should look into a PLUS loan.

"You get the same interest rate and fee structure regardless of your credit score or history," said Martha Holler, a spokeswoman for Sallie Mae, the nation's largest provider of education loans.

If your credit history is bad, you will pay a higher rate for a home equity loan or other types of consumer loans. Not so with a PLUS loan.

•The student needs to work, look for scholarships and, yes, maybe, borrow more money.

A freshman this year can borrow $2,625 for a federal Stafford student loan. A senior can borrow $5,500. Current rate: 4.7%. But a student doesn't have to pay on the loans while in college.

Some Detroit News headlines from the past week:

Students fear tuition hikes

Wayne State hikes tuition 18.5 percent - University's board acts to compensate for an anticipated reduction in aid from the state

U-M, MSU fall tuition skyrockets - Incoming freshmen at the state's two largest colleges will pay about $1,000 more for classes

Northern Michigan increases tuition 9.8 percent

Where is this going?

Radio Polonia:

Belarusian media slam Poland
The pro-government Belarusian media blame Poland and the Union of Poles in Belarus for the on-going diplomatic dispute between Warsaw and Minsk. The biggest government daily Sovietskaya Bialorusia prints a letter from a Pole who claims that the Union should serve the Belarusian state and the nation.

Head of the state committee for religious minorities Stanislav Vuko argues in another daily that the Belarusian authorities do not carry the blame for the situation in the Union of Poles. He attributes them to internal conflicts in the union.

The problems started when the union replaced its old leadership loyal to the government with new, independent-minded people.
The opposition dailies write that the authorities are afraid of a revolution. The crisis on the Warsaw-Minsk line is also analyzed in the context of the worsening of Polish-Russian relation
Poland’s foreign minister Adam Rotfeld says firmly that the problems are in Belarus and criticizes the authoritarian rule of president Alexander Lukashenko.

Two Polish diplomats have been expelled from Belarus recently. Minister Rotfeld announced that Poland will respond with a similar move.

Government Defies an Order to Release Iraq Abuse Photos

New York Times:

Lawyers for the Defense Department are refusing to cooperate with a federal judge's order to release secret photographs and videotapes related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.

The lawyers said in a letter sent to the federal court in Manhattan late Thursday that they would file a sealed brief explaining their reasons for not turning over the material, which they were to have released by yesterday.

The photographs were some of thousands turned over by Specialist Joseph M. Darby, the whistle-blower who exposed the abuse at Abu Ghraib by giving investigators computer disks containing photographs and videos of prisoners being abused, sexually humiliated and threatened with growling dogs.

The small number of the photographs released in spring 2004 provoked international outrage at the American military.

In early June, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein of Federal District Court in Manhattan ordered the release of the additional photographs, part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union to determine the extent of abuse at American military prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The government has turned over more than 60,000 pages of documents on the treatment of detainees, some containing graphic descriptions of mistreatment. But the material that the judge ordered released - the A.C.L.U. says there are 87 photographs and 4 videos - would be the first images released in the suit. The judge said they would be the "best evidence" in the debate about the treatment of Abu Ghraib prisoners.

"There is another dimension to a picture that is of much greater moment and immediacy" than a document, Judge Hellerstein said in court.

He rejected arguments from the government that releasing the photographs would violate the Geneva Conventions because prisoners might be identified and "further humiliated," but he ordered any identifying features to be removed from the images.

In the letter sent Thursday, Sean Lane, an assistant United States attorney, said that the government was withholding the photographs because they "could result in harm to individuals," and that it would outline the reasons in a sealed brief to the court.

The A.C.L.U. accused the government of continuing to stonewall requests for information "of critical public interest."

"The government chose the last possible moment to raise this argument," said Amrit Singh, a staff lawyer with the A.C.L.U.

"Because it is under seal, we don't know whether their reasons are adequate," Ms. Singh said.

Andrew Sullivan had this to say:

A few weeks ago, I predicted on the Chris Matthews Show that more photographs of the Abu Ghraib abuses and torture would be released by the end of last month. After all, a judge had ruled in favor of the ACLU's request for the materials. The government obeys the law of the land, doesn't it? Not in this administration, which has, by presidential memo, declared the president above the law in fighting the war on terror. Now they have deployed one last, desperate tactic to keep the real truth about Abu Ghraib from reaching the public. The Bush administration first argued that dissemination of the photos would violate the Geneva Conventions. Ahem. When that failed, they argued in a sealed brief to the court that the photos "could result in harm to individuals." Like the soldiers and commanders responsible for abusing prisoners? Or the political masters who made such abuse legal? Look: I know we are at war and these photographs could inflame passions further. But they could also give the lie to the administration's claim that the prison was only the site for a handful of rogue soldiers making up rules on the night shift. They could give the lie to the notion that what happened at Abu Ghraib was merely "frat-house rough-housing." They could show rape and murder and torture - with legal cover sanctioned by White House memos. They could finally force someone to take responsibility for what happened, and for the policies that are still in place allowing for abusive treatment of prisoners. We can fight a war and remain a humane, law-abiding culture as well. We'll soon see if we still live in a country in which the president is subject to the law.

And here is some more great commentary.

We are all to blame

The New Republic Online:
The conclusion of a weeklong crash-course on Darfur by Smith College Professor Eric Reeves:

Genocidal destruction in Darfur will continue for the foreseeable future. The resources to halt massive, ethnically targeted destruction--of lives and livelihoods--are nowhere in sight. The consequences of this destruction, now extending over almost two and a half years, will be evident for years--in villages that have been burned to the ground, in poisoned water sources, in the cruel impoverishment of people who have lost everything, in deaths that will continue to mount relentlessly.

There is currently no evidence that the international community is prepared to deploy adequate protection for either Darfur's vulnerable civilian populations or endangered humanitarian operations. August, traditionally the month of heaviest rains, will see a further attenuation of relief efforts as transport of food and other critical supplies becomes mired in flooded river beds and blocked by severed road arteries. At the same time, water-borne diseases, along with malaria and a wide range of communicable diseases, will take huge numbers of lives. These diseases will be particularly potent killers because so much of the civilian population of Darfur has been seriously weakened by malnutrition. Famine conditions have already been identified in parts of Darfur, and the U.N.'s World Food Program estimates that 3.5 million people will need food assistance in the near future.

We have failed in Darfur. The only question now is the ultimate moral scale of our failure.

...

Those who would object to such a NATO deployment must answer, clearly and honestly, a fundamental question: Who besides NATO has the requisite size of forces, the logistical and transport capacity, the essential interoperability, and the experience to mount such a protection operation? The answer is certainly not the A.U., as recent months and any unbiased survey of potential A.U. capacity will indicate. The A.U. must be commended for its efforts to date; it must be encouraged to take upon itself as much of the military obligation as possible; NATO countries must accelerate the training of African military personnel and provide necessary logistics and transport on a highly expedited basis. But the A.U. cannot, in the end, be the organization to answer the desperate call of Darfur.

...

More broadly, the international community cannot allow the present "climate of impunity" (as many have described it) to prevail indefinitely. Genocide must be punished or the force of international law will be seriously compromised. Future genocidaires will be guided by the vigor and timeliness with which justice is meted out.

...

The plan I have laid out above for NATO intervention is unlikely to be implemented. Even so, it is important that the stark moral choice confronting the international community be absolutely clear. History must not record this moment as one in which our decision was uninformed by either the scale of the human catastrophe or an understanding of what is required to stop genocidal destruction.

And so, despite the long odds against an intervention actually taking place, it is our obligation to say with conviction and understanding the most urgent truth: In the absence of humanitarian intervention Darfur's civilian population, as well as humanitarian workers, will be consigned to pervasive, deadly insecurity; displaced persons will remain trapped in camps that are hotbeds of disease; agricultural production will remain at a standstill, leaving millions of people dependent on international food assistance for the foreseeable future; aid workers will continue to fall prey to targeted and opportunistic violence.

In other words, the genocide in Darfur will continue. We could stop it. We have simply chosen not to.

Europe - tolerant as always

The BBC:

Protests disrupt Latvia gay march

Latvian police have arrested protesters after they shouted insults and threw eggs at people taking part in the Baltic state's first gay pride march.

The few dozen marchers were outnumbered by hundreds of protesters who blocked the narrow streets of the capital.

Police were forced to alter the march route and to form a chain around the parade participants to protect them.

The march had sparked outrage in Latvia and only went ahead after a court overturned a council ban on the event.

Officials said that six of the protesters had been detained for their part in disrupting the march.

Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis had opposed the event, saying Riga should 'not promote things like that'.

'For sexual minorities to parade in the very heart of Riga, next to the Doma church, is unacceptable,' he told LNT television on Wednesday.

One of those who took part in Saturday's march, 61-year-old Lars-Peter Sjouberg, from Sweden, said he had been shocked by the offensive remarks made by protesters.

'Protesters here were really aggressive [...] but it won't stop me from helping my Latvian friends fight for their rights.'

We are now so scared...

... that every runaway suspect is in danger of his head being dashed like a jack-o-lantern on Devil's Night.

Doesn't this mean the terrorists are winning?

Poland's Row With Belarus To Affect Visa Policy

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

Polish authorities have suggested they could toss a Belarusian diplomat out of the country and hinted at visa troubles for Belarusians in the latest installment of a tit-for-tat row that erupted two months ago between those neighboring countries.

'The actions of the Belarusian authorities not only deteriorate the climate of bilateral relations but contain destructive elements,' PAP quoted Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksander Checko as saying yesterday.

Warsaw does not rule out a diplomatic expulsion in connection with the ouster earlier this month of Andrzej Buczak, director of the consular department of the Polish Embassy in Minsk, Checko reportedly said. Checko added that Buczak's expulsion 'cannot remain without influence on the efficiency of visa services and facilitations in traveling to Poland' for Belarusians.

Checko also stressed that Minsk's decision is tantamount to the rejection of the Polish offer of solving the ongoing Warsaw-Minsk diplomatic dispute through negotiation.

A Pattern Emerging?

A series of reciprocal diplomatic expulsions began in May when Minsk ousted Polish diplomat Marek Bucko, accusing him of interfering with activities of the Union of Poles in Belarus.

Minsk also recently denied a visa renewal to an American professor who had taught business and law classes at Belarusian State University since 2003 without offering an explanation. The professor, Terry Boesch, subsequently told RFE/RL's Belarus Service that he believes his case is part of a campaign to rid Belarus of Western influence ahead of general elections slated for 2006.

Instead of considering using Polish troops in some future operation in Palestine, why isn't Bush coming out strongly on the Polish side in this issue, further putting pressure on the Belorussian government? Bush says his goal is to spread democracy - why is so little being done to oust the last dictatorship in Europe, especially with such strong New European allies willing to step right in and do the diplomatic heavy lifting? The EU as a whole would show unbending support for such a move (meaning it could go a long way towards repairing relations). What is the reason?

One word: Putin

Injustice to Poland

The Boston Globe :

TEARS WELL in Maria Buczyk's eyes as she talks about her 83-year-old mother. ''She lives in Chicago, and she's quite sick,' Buczyk says in a voice tense with emotion. Eugeniusz, her husband, pats her shoulder comfortingly. ''I really need to see her.'

We are standing in a courtyard of the American Embassy in Poland. The Buczyks are waiting in line to apply for visas so they can travel to the United States. This is their third time going through the process; they were turned down twice before, they say, after being interviewed by consular officers who barely glanced at their documents. ''They said I was going to immigrate,' Maria recalls -- i.e., remain in the United States beyond the 90 days allowed on a tourist visa. ''It's not true. I just want a month with my mother.'

Like everyone else in line, the Buczyks are carrying a sheaf of paperwork: passports, photographs, and a nonimmigrant visa application that had to be filled out on the Internet before being printed. Because Eugeniusz is in his 50s, he didn't have to complete the supplemental application required of all men up to age 45. (Sample query: ''Do you have any specialized skills or training, including firearms, explosives, nuclear, biological, or chemical experience?') On the other hand, he and Maria have brought along additional documents they hope will bolster their application -- a letter of invitation from a US citizen and a bank statement showing their savings in Poland. But these are optional, and the embassy's guidelines candidly warn that ''the consular officer may choose not to look at them if it appears that additional documents won't make a difference.'

Definitely not optional is the final item in the Buczyks' folder -- a bank check for $100, the mandatory ''visa services' fee that must be paid by anyone who applies for a US visa. In a country where $1,000 is the average monthly income, $100 is not a trivial sum, and as the Buczyks have learned, it is nonrefundable -- the embassy keeps the money whether a visa is granted or not. Nor is that the only cost: To schedule their interview, the Buczyks had to call a special embassy ''infoline" -- a call for which they were charged nearly $1.50 per minute.

The whole ordeal strikes Poles as overbearing, insulting, and unfair. Americans have been able to enter Poland without a visa for years; why, they ask, should Poles have to go through such a demeaning procedure in order to enter the United States? Especially -- this really sticks in the Polish craw -- when Washington has waived visa requirements for citizens of nearly every Western European nation, including Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, and Ireland.

US consular officials reply that Poland is not being discriminated against but that it simply hasn't met the conditions stipulated by Congress for inclusion in the visa waiver program -- starting with the requirement that a country's visa denial rate be no higher than 3 percent. Currently, about 25 percent of Polish visa applicants get rejected. But the 3 percent rule strikes many Poles as a Catch-22.
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''Why are you refusing visas? What is it based on? The criteria seem to be things like -- students who aren't married and don't have a car or property get turned down," says Marek Purowski, a spokesman for the Polish Embassy in Washington. ''So an honest student in Poland who saves for many years in order to legitimately visit the US will be rejected, and then his rejection gets held against us" as a reason to require visas.

The visa issue has become the biggest irritant in US-Polish relations. ''It cuts across all layers of Polish society," says US Ambassador Victor Ashe. ''From the hotel chambermaid to the business executive, every Pole is familiar with this issue." With more than 9 million Americans of Polish descent, many Poles feel a particular kinship with the United States. That kinship has been reflected in national policy: At a time of rising anti-US sentiment, Poland has been notably pro-American.

Especially on Iraq. Not only did the Poles resist French and German pressure to be ''good Europeans" and oppose the war, they contributed more troops to the US-led coalition than any other European country except Britain and Italy. Naively, perhaps, they expected their support to be rewarded, and Washington's refusal to ease the visa requirement is widely interpreted here as ingratitude.

Sure, there are good reasons not to exempt Poland from the existing visa regime. But there is an even better reason to consider doing so, at least on a trial basis -- a reason articulated best by George W. Bush. ''Listen," the president told reporters in February, ''Poland has been a fantastic ally." Indeed it has. And in statecraft, as in private life, special friends deserve special consideration.

Globalization isn't always bad...

The WBJ:

PPM’s Danish takeover means meaty investments, succulent job prospects

PPM Agros Koszalin, a meat producer which went bankrupt two years ago, is to be taken over by a Danish investor. The name of the investor has not been revealed, but it has been said that the Danish company plans to start up the production line as soon as possible, irrespective of huge investments that will be involved in restructuring PPM and bringing it back on the market. They also plan to change the company's profile, and become a part of the fish rather than the meat processing industry. Additionally, they plan to hire about 700 people, which is a lot compared to the previous 400 employees. President of the Polish association of the fish processing industry, Jerzy Safader, thinks that a new Danish investor should not threaten the domestic market, as the product coming out from the Polish plant will be sold in Denmark's outlet markets. Moreover, the domestic fish processing industry is competitive in foreign markets with exports of EUR 400 million a year.

Thoughts for the day

1. The disaster that is Poland's public health system enters a new chapter

Warsaw Business Journal:
Minister calls for NFZ officials to resign

The conflict between two state institutions managing the health sector seems to have reached a climax, as Health Minister Marek Balicki is demanding the dismissal of the president of the National Health Fund (NFZ) Jerzy Miller. "I will not comment on this now. I will call a press conference before the meeting of the Fund's council," announced Balicki. Miller also declined from commenting on the situation. The decision whether he should keep his job is now up the the NFZ council, which according to unofficial information supports its boss. The direct cause of the conflict between the institutions is the NFZ's money. According to Balicki, the Fund has over zł.400 million of surplus cash which it plans to spend right after the parliamentary elections so that the public would acknowledge an immediate improvement of the situation of the health care system. "The funds should spend the money on treating people now, patients cannot wait," Balicki warns.

The health system crisis is the most important issue facing Poland, and none of the politicians are touching it before the elections.


2. It is now clear that 3 Poles died in the London bombings of 7/7.


3. GM has released more bad news. A loss of over $286 million despite rising sales and gaining market share. Gustav's prediction: GM will move most of its manufacturing to Alabama and other southern states, as well as Mexico, as soon as its contracts with the unions allow. Michigan's economy will tank.

Free Press story

New York Times story


3. Poland's economic ties with Iran are growing:

Poland joins Iran’s ardent gas customers

WARSAW (Reuters) -- Poland's natural gas monopoly PGNiG is in talks to help build a pipeline that would bring gas from Iran and Turkmenistan to the European Union, seeking an alternative to Russian energy supplies, its CEO said this week.

Marek Kossowski said PGNiG -- the last major central European gas firm still in state hands -- was in talks with a consortium of energy companies seeking to extend the Nabucco pipeline to carry gas from central Asia via Turkey to Austria.

"We are living in such times that all diversification of supplies is very beneficial, especially in light of terror threats," Kossowski said in an interview. "We are interested in the Nabucco pipeline and are already in talks with the consortium that is building it. We are ready to join this project financially and as a client, which can guarantee stable demand for gas from the pipeline."

read the rest


4. Poland and the US' defense relationship gets stranger:

Radio Polonia:
Poland to receive $100 million aid

Polish and American defence ministers met in Washington to discuss the details of US military aid. The promised 100 million US dollars will be used for modernization of Polish army – among others training of Polish fighter pilots and purchase of Hummer armed vehicles. The meeting was the final part of Polish Minister’s visit, Jerzy Szmajdzinski visited also the naval base Norfolk, Virginia, National Defence University and met a group of senators in Washington. Mr Szmajdzinski refused to comment on information that Polish soldiers could be sent to Gaza strip as a part of peace-keeping mission.

Excuse me, but holy shit! When did the Poles sign up for this? Could it just be an ugly rumor?

This $100 million in aid comes despite this controversy:

Warsaw Business Journal:
US media questions Bumar's Iraqi contracts

Arms manufacturer Bumar has so far managed to sign 35 contracts with Iraq for the delivery of military supplies, worth a total of $400 million. This result might have given grounds for the company to give itself a pat on the back, but instead have led to critical remarks in the American media. US-based newspapers belonging to Knight Ridder Newspapers, one of the largest press distributors, declared that the former Iraqi government signed unbeneficial contracts and lost as much as $300 million on them. The reasons for the losses were also due to alleged corrupt propositions from Bumar. A group of Iraqi inspectors came to Poland in order to check a fleet they ordered, which was to be renovated, and cost the government $100 million. What they found were 24 thirty-year old helicopters from the soviet era. The disappointed team refused to accept the fleet and returned home empty handed, writes the American press. "We have signed a contract for the delivery of 24 used helicopters Mi-17. The contract said that these can be manufactured between 1974-92. The Iraqi inspectors initially highly evaluated the equipment and informed us that they do not have the rights to sign the protocol to collect them," announced Bumar president, Roman Baczyński.

5. The Pistons are hiring Flip Saunders to replace Brown. Fine. All I know about him is what I've read today, but I trust Joe Dumars' judgement.

ESPN.com story

6. Prince Bandahar is retiring as Saudi ambassador to the US. He'll be replaced by the current Saudi ambassador to Britain. Here's what was written in the NY Times about Prince Turki:

"Yes, he knew members of Al Qaeda," an American official said. "Yes, he talked to the Taliban. At times he delivered messages to us and from us regarding Osama bin Laden and others. Yes, he had links that in this day and age would be considered problematic, but at the time we used those links." The official said that Prince Turki seemed to have "gotten out of that business" since 2001 and that "he understands that times have changed."

story

But really, Prince Bandahar looks like an Ewok, doesn't he?




6. From CNN today:

Ex-officers: CIA leak may have harmed U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Eleven former intelligence officers say the leak of CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity may have damaged national security and the government's ability to gather intelligence.

The former officers made their views known in a three-page statement to congressional leaders.

They said the Republican National Committee has circulated suggestions for officials to deal with the Plame case by focusing on the idea that Plame was not working undercover and legally merited no protection.

Thousands of U.S. intelligence officers work at desks in the Washington area every day whose identities are shielded, as Plame's was when her identity was leaked by Bush administration officials, the 11 former officers said.

I'm still not convinced it was Rove who actually leaked the name to reporters, but whoever did put US security in jeopardy, and ought to be punished. That Plame was in Washington is no excuse, because an experienced field agent is now unable to perform duties in the field should she be required to do so, and her former contacts may be in danger. If you had been one of her contacts, how eager would you be to continue cooperation with the CIA? Not too eager, I imagine.

Just another day in Warsaw

Check out this post on a blog called "Idle words". Hilarious and very accurate. Especially for gun and law-enforcement enthusiasts.

Speaking of integration - Polish immigrants in Texas

The Bandera Bulletin:

Our Polish heritage: rugged individualism and community spirit

As the St. Stanislaus parish celebrates its 150th anniversary, much is being written about the first Silesian families who settled in Bandera in 1854. Today people marvel at their courage, resourcefulness and determination to succeed in a new country that was a hostile wilderness. Looking at the background of these people can help us understand how they overcame the hostilities of the frontier. Their experience contributes to an understanding of how Bandera developed into a unique Hill Country town.

The homeland of what we call the Polish immigrants was [and still is...] known as Silesia. In the 1800s it was under Prussian control. Despite the fact that the region had been separated from Poland for over five hundred years, it had a strong Polish identity.

The culture of the region was a rich blend of east and west; people were constantly interacting with many ethnic groups who spoke different languages. German was the language used for business, while Polish and various dialects were used at home. Many of the Texas immigrants spoke German and Polish, as well as the Silesian dialect. Those in the first wave of immigration to Texas were educated people who typically were land owners in Silesia. They were in a social class between the gentry and laborers.

Silesia was known as a poor region. When natural disasters occurred, such as droughts and plagues, the people of Silesia were often the hardest hit. Difficult economic conditions, mandatory military service in the Prussian Army for men of ages 20 to 40, epidemics of typhus and cholera, increasing crime and devastating floods were some of the hardships the people of Silesia endured during the 1800s. One ironic coincidence is that all of the regions the Silesian immigrants came from were subject to periodic flooding.

The area was predominantly Catholic, and their deeply held religious beliefs sustained them for centuries. When letters from Father Moczygemba in Texas, a priest from their own region, reached them, the Silesians were predisposed to accept his claims of opportunity in Texas. From 1852 to 1854, Father Moczygemba was assigned to the town of New Braunfels, where he saw German immigrants prosper in an open society. In 1854 he moved to the Alsatian community of Castroville, where again he witnessed the success of European immigrants. His letters inviting people to come to Texas for a better life were treated as gospel. As the Silesians reacted positively to his letters, Father Moczygemba selected two areas for the relocation of the Silesians, one in an unnamed area in Karnes County and the other in Bandera.

When a family decided to emigrate, the head of the household had to petition the King of Prussia for permission to leave the country. Single women needed the permission of their fathers to be included in the petition. When a Document of Dismissal from Prussia was issued, the rights of being a Prussian citizen were forsaken.

Offsetting the difficulties of selling their possessions and saying good-bye to family and friends were the promises of their own church, free land and economic opportunity waiting for them. Speculating about the new country was one way to get through the arduous two-month sea voyage.

The Weser, which was the first ship to bring the Silesians to America, landed at Galveston on December 3rd, 1854. A small group of Silesians followed a few days later on the Antoinette. The 159 Silesians then went by boat to Indianola, where they progressed on foot or in carts to San Antonio, where Father Moczygemba met them. He led most of the group to the area that would become known as Panna Maria.

Knowing that the families going to the more dangerous site of Bandera would have to be self-sufficient, the priest selected families according to the skills of the men, hardiness of the women and ages and sex of the children. In February 1855, they were taken by teamsters in ox carts to Bandera, where jobs had been secured for them in the James and Montel sawmill. The drivers were instructed to take anyone into Bandera for free, but they were prohibited from taking any one out of Bandera.

While they had no way to leave Bandera, after giving up their homeland and suffering the hardships of the journey, it is unlikely that any of the Silesians would have considered leaving. They had no other dream to pursue.

The influx of Silesians to Texas occurred in a three year time period, 1854 to 1856. The Texas drought of 1856 and 1857 halted further immigration. Despite the hardships, the Silesians established colonies, churches and schools. In Bandera, while language, customs and dress may have distinguished the Silesians from other townspeople, the town was so small and the hardships of living on the frontier so great, all of Bandera's citizens had to work together to survive. This was especially true in times of crisis.

The same can be said of present-day Bandera. The town continues to attract unique individuals who pursue their lives with minimal interference. But, when a crisis occurs, the outpouring of assistance is overwhelming. Many towns in the Hill Country are known for the predominance of one ethnic group. Fredericksburg and New Braunfels are German; Castroville is Alsatian. Bandera remains an eclectic group of individuals. The first Silesians-or as we now know them, Polish-offer to us an example of how to live with dignity in hardship, and how to survive and flourish with faith and hard work.

Map of Polish regions here

Poles getting nervous

Radio Polonia:

Is Al- Quaeda a threat to Poland?

Poland was quick to react to the terrorist ultimatum attributed to Al-Qaeda issued on the web, saying that it takes all warnings seriously. Al – Qaeda made it clear they are giving European countries present in Iraq one month to withdraw their forces. Poland is not ignoring such threats but it is not planning an early withdrawal.

Al-Qaeda has warned European nations to pull out their troops from Iraq within a month, or face more fatal attacks like the deadly London bombings. The hit list targets Denmark, Holland, the UK and Italy by name. But it didn’t exclude other countries and their military forces that are stationed on Iraqi soil. Poland has said that it is taking any terrorist threat seriously. Arkadiusz Szydłowski from the defense policy department at the Polish Ministry of Defense thinks that Poland should keep to its pledge by continuing to fight terrorism.

But just how prepared is Warsaw in the event of a possible terrorist attack? Roman Polko security adviser at the Major’s office says that city authorities have taken all the necessary steps to safeguard the city from a possible attack.

Such ultimatums are commonplace after terrorist attacks in Europe. But Professor Janusz Danecki, an expert in Arab studies, believes that such warnings will not make coalition members back down in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier this month Poland dispatched its final contingent of 1200 troops to Iraq before officially pulling out of that country at year’s end. It is the third largest contingent of forces in the US-led stabilization mission. It looks like Poland is ready to keep administering the central south sector of Iraq with a multi-national force of several thousand troops, terrorist threats, or no terrorist threats.

Thoughts for the day

#1. More pure whitebread for the Supreme Court. How surprised I am that Bush didn't pick an hispanic, as expected...


#2. The Polish government is pushing LOT (the Polish national airline) to go European over Boeing.

Warsaw Business Journal:

Ministry throws Airbus a lifeline in LOT's choice

LOT's delay in choosing its new fleet has attracted the interest of the Treasury Ministry (MSP). According to the Treasury Minister, Jacek Socha, the company should employ an independent analyst. LOT has been mulling its choice of new long-distance airplanes for many months. After the prolonged internal procedures, MSP decided to participate actively in the negotiations. The Ministry's reaction is favorable for Airbus, even though it was Boeing that recently took the leading position in the negotiations. "It was a good idea that the Ministry asked LOT to verify the procedures and to consider the possibility of employing a person from outside the firm to analyze the whole process," said Andrzej Mierzwa, partner of Concordia Financial Consultants and a consultant in Airbus.

This decision was supposed to be made in December, and it's been delayed and delayed. All the rumors coming out of LOT suggest they're itching to choose Boeing, whose new 787 model would be perfect for the type of flights LOT makes - mostly shorter flights within continental Europe and the UK. It makes a few transatlantic flights to Chigago and New York each week, and the 787 has plenty of capacity to support that route. Then there's the Asian routes - a new one to New Delhi I believe, and some to Bangkok. Once again, the 787 provides plenty of capacity for a medium-sized airline like LOT on those flights. The new 787's efficiency is also a major plus for LOT, whose costs are far too high. On top of that the US Exprot-Import Bank is willing to offer LOT some very favorable terms if they agree to buy Boeing. Seems to me that Socha and Co. simply don't want to piss off European countries again, after the government purchased F-16s from Lockheed instead of other military aircraft from European makers in 2003 - and LOT is going to pay the price.


#3. At the beginning of the year, economists were expecing a bad first half and a good second half of the year for the Polish economy. They now seem to be right. After horrendous Q1 growth of 2.1%, June's industrial production numbers are 1.8% higher than expected year on year, and with companies like Wal-Mart making noises like it will enter the market with in the next 12 months, it really does look like the investment boom that was expected in the second half may indeed materialize. It's too early to tell of course, but the numbers are a relief. The driving force, in my view, is low wages (but they're rising) and low inflation (which probably won't rise). The Monetary Policy Council has reversed direction and begun cutting interest rates hard, but after these numbers it may do well to keep them steady this month.

Warsaw Business Journal:

Analysts upbeat after output figures come in higher than expected

According to Central Statistical Office data published yesterday, industrial output in June was 6.8% higher than a year ago while most of the analysts expected a growth of around 5%. "There are signs of an improvement in the industry and the whole economy," said Urban Górski, an economist with Bank Millennium. The largest growth was noted in the production of medical equipment, machines, rubber and metal products as well as the production of foodstuffs and beverages. According to analysts, data concerning production in the building industry, which in June this year grew by 29.9% in comparison with June 2004, provides reasons for optimism since it may indicate an investment revival. Economists have already increased their estimations concerning GDP growth in Q2 this year. Rafał Benecki from ING Bank Śląski expects economic growth in Q2 to amount to 2.7-2.8%. "It is slightly better than in Q1 because we had a very poor April. But data for June show that we have overcome the decrease," said Benecki.

#4. Rzeczpospolita ("Shech-pos-POL-eet-ah", meaning "Republic" the country's second-largest non-tabloid daily) reports today that the scandal-ridden SLD is running former Prime Minister Leszek Miller and former Prime Minister and party leader Jósef ("YOU-sef") Oleksy (o-LEK-sih) for the Senate. What are they thinking? These are perhaps the two most crooked and incompetent politicians in the country. Perhaps by running them for the Senate (the upper house of Parliament, but not very powerful) they think they can squeak them in under the radar. But why?


#5. It's silly, but that's politics, I guess:

Warsaw Business Journal:

Poland and US proffer their pawns in extradition battle

According to Rzeczpospolita, officials from the US Department of Justice have set numerous conditions before they will agree to extradite Polish businessman Edward Mazur, who is suspected of commissioning the murder of former police chief General Marek Papała. The Americans demanded, among other items, the autopsy results of the murdered general, ballistics expertise and a description of evidence secured at the scene of the crime. Polish prosecutors believe those demands are just a pretext not to extradite Mazur. According to them, the Department of Justice has prolonged the case, as the extradition request submitted to the Department in April has still not reached the prosecutor's office in Chicago. Poland and the US are also negotiating the extradition of an Iranian detained in Poland, who is suspected of terrorist activity. According to Rzeczpospolita, there is a kind of bargaining going on between the two parties with respect to those two extraditions.

#6. Finally, the US economy continues to grow, and it's nothing but bulls, bulls, bulls on Wall Street. Did everybody forget about the twin trade and current-account deficits just because inflation is low?

Ladies and gentlemen, your Presidential candidates

Though it started out with eight or nine candidates, and still has four or five contenders (there are 21 candidates registered), the race to become President of Poland has effectively been narrowed down to two: Speaker of the Sejm (pronounced "same", the lower house of the Polish parlaiment) Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz ("Chee-mo-SHAY-vitch"), and the current mayor of Warsaw, Lech Kaczyński ("Ka-CHIN-ski").

Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland's widest read newspaper, reported today that Cimoszewicz, who at first refused to enter the race before being urged to do so by the Left establishment, including current President Kwaśniewski, was leading in the race with 31% of the vote. As soon as he entered the race he was on top of the polls, though regular campaigning had begun a few months back. Jolanta Kwaśniewska, Mr. Kwaśniewski's wife and the current First Lady of Poland, is the Cimoszewicz campaign manager.

Cimoszewicz instantly took the top spot in the polls as much for his endorsement by the political establishment as for his distance from it. Though a founding member of the ruling scandal-ridden SLD (the Democratic Left Alliance - and that appellate is now required), he was never implicated in any of the dirty dealings that sunk the party (although recent Parliamentary polls put the SLD at 7% - 4% higher than previously and over the 5% threshold required to keep them in Parliament). He was a member of the Communist party, but if you were politically ambitious in the late 60's and early 70's in Poland, you had to be. Kwaśniewski too is a former communist, and has been nothing but a free-market capitalist and westernist since the fall of communism. Cimoszewicz is much the same. He was also Prime Minister for a short time, and was a well-spoken Foreign Affairs Minister.

His popularity is also surprising given his shock refusal to testify at the "Orlengate" committee hearings, set up to investigate one of those very scandals for which the SLD earned its flattering prefix. He had a good point though, saying that nearly everyone on the commission (all leaders or very-high ups in the respective parties) had a political agenda against him. He has been called to testify again this week. The Polish public was not enthused with his shenanigans, nonetheless, they prefer him to Lech Kaczyński.

According to today's Gazeta Wyborcza poll, Lech Kaczyński is in second place, with 20% of the vote. That means he and Cimoszewicz would go through to a second round if elections were held today - there is little sign of those numbers changing between now and October 9, the scheduled date of the election, barring a major event.

Kaczyński is a member of the PiS (Law and Justice) party, which his twin brother Jarosław leads. If PiS wins Parliamentary elections in September, and Lech wins the presidential election, we'll have twin brothers as President and Prime Minister of Poland. They first came into the public eye as child movie stars.

Kaczyński is widely reviled in Warsaw, mostly for his banning of the Equality Parade, which is the annual GLBT pride event. Last year he banned the parade as well, but this year they got arround the ban, by setting up several demonstration points around the city and simply walking to them together, one after another. Despite that, crime has dropped significantly in Warsaw since he's been mayor, and investment has increased.

Warsaw Station endorses Cimoszewicz.

Kaczyński deserves applause for putting more police on the streets of Warsaw, and for making it more business friendly. There is a palpable decline in bureaucracy, which is welcome. Much more however, remains to be done.

And his party has taken a decidedly anti-open-market stance in an effor to differentiate itself from PO (Civic Platform) which is another center-right party looking to overtake PiS in the Parliamentary polls. PO is much more open-market, advocating both a flat tax and complete privatization of state companies. PiS has come out against both.

Kaczyński's resistance to the Equality Parade is also disturbing. In Poland, the President is head of state, an ambassador. Such pig-headedness is sure to win few negotiations, few new investments, and few friends.

It looks very much like Cimoszewicz will not relenquish his lead though, and conservatives in the States need not be annoyed by this former communist. As Kwaśniewski's hand-picked successor, he's not expected to change Poland's policy of strong friendship with the US. As a previous Foreign Minister, he was tactful and balanced Poland's economic relationship with Europe deftly with its relatoinship of security with the US. What I like most about him is that he understands the need to attract investment in innovation and infrastructure here. As much influence he'll have on domestic policy (which isn't a whole lot), he'll focus on getting high-tech investments here, to provide jobs for Poland's extremely well-educated and extremely unemployed (40%) youth. Better infrastructure will just increase the chance of investment.

google search: Cimoszewicz

google search: Lech Kaczyński

Wikipedia's Polish presidential election, 2005 page

Poland's new fascination with Jews

The Boston Globe:

IN A 1973 ESSAY, Cynthia Ozick speculated on how Jews would be remembered if, like every other nation of antiquity, they had vanished long ago. As people speak today of ''the glory that was Greece,' she mused, the achievements of the long-gone Jews would be celebrated as ''the genius that was Israel.'

''How -- if there were no Jews -- the world would be enraptured!' she wrote. ''The people that stood at Sinai to receive a desert vision of purity, the people of scholarly shepherds, humane prophetic geniuses, dreams of justice and mercy' -- how admired they would be. In a world without Jews, the memory of Jewish civilization would be endlessly fascinating. ''Christian ladies,' Ozick imagined, would ''study 'The Priceless Culture of the Jews' at Chautauqua in the summertime' or create Jewish prayer shawls at ''a workshop on tallith making.'

Well, Jews haven't vanished from the world. They have, however, all but vanished from Poland. More than 90 percent of Poland's Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, and most of those who survived emigrated long ago. The result is that a land that once was home to 3 million Jews -- 10 percent of Polish society, the largest Jewish population in Europe -- is now more than 99.9 percent non-Jewish. Millions of Poles have never knowingly met a Jew. But, oh, how enraptured they are with the genius that was Israel!

I arrived in Krakow near the end of the annual Jewish Culture Festival, a nine-day extravaganza of concerts, lectures, films, and exhibitions -- all with the aim, to quote a festival brochure, of ''presenting Jewish culture in all its abundance.' An elegant catalog, 160 pages long, lists a dizzying array of offerings: lectures on ''Talmudic thought' and ''Jewish medical ethics,' forums on European anti-Semitism and the Hebrew poetry of Haim Nahman Bialik, concerts of klezmer music, liturgical music, and ''Songs of the Ghettos and Jewish Resistance," workshops on Jewish cooking, Hasidic wedding dances, and celebrating Hanukkah with children.

Such a cornucopia would be impressive in Los Angeles or New York. In Krakow, with just 200 Jews in a metropolitan population of 1.5 million, it is astounding. More or less as Ozick imagined in 1973, Jews and Jewish culture are being embraced far more ardently in their absence than was ever the case when they were such a visible presence.

I caught part of the festival's closing concert, a kind of Jewish Woodstock that grows bigger every year. In the heart of what used to be Krakow's Jewish quarter, before an outdoor stage dominated by a giant electric menorah, 10,000 exuberant Poles swayed, cheered, and sang along as dozens of Jewish artists performed. The concert lasted for seven hours and was broadcast live on TV. In a country with no more than a wisp of Jewish life, where does such an appetite for things Jewish come from?

For some Poles, interest in Jewish culture is simply fun, or a fad; several in the crowd told me they had come because the concert is such a popular scene. But others, like 26-year-old Ola, who attended with her two young daughters, were drawn by an inchoate attraction they couldn't explain.

''I can't imagine Krakow without Jewish culture," she told me. But when I gently pressed her to say what ''Jewish culture" means -- how, for example, would she explain it to her daughters? -- she replied, vaguely, ''It's more about feeling than knowing. 'Jewish' to me means a warm feeling."

Then there are people like Tomasz Sierkierski, a 30-year-old computer programmer who was one of a dozen Poles honored during the festival for preserving Jewish landmarks. Searching for a way to reclaim some of Poland's lost Jewish heritage, he discovered a forgotten Jewish cemetery in Skarszewy, a small town not far from Gdansk. ''It was really destroyed," he said, ''full of trash and weeds." He recruited a group of teens from his old high school, and they spent the summer of 2004 carrying away the rubbish, cleaning and righting the fallen gravestones, and building a stone border.

Why do Poles like Sierkierski -- and there are many -- go to so much trouble? Of all the causes to care about, why worry about Jewish memory?

''Because," he told me, ''it is Polish memory too." He knows that nothing will bring back the rich Jewish culture that was so much a part of Polish life. But he wants at least to keep it from being forgotten.

When he first came to Skarszewy, he couldn't locate the cemetery. No one knew anything about it. Eventually an elderly woman pointed him in the right direction, and he found the neglected graves.

''Before this project," Sierkierski said, ''no one even knew a Jewish cemetery existed. Now the whole town knows." That, the look on his face makes clear, made the whole thing worthwhile.

As minorities move to suburbs, hate follows

Detroit Free Press:

Racial tensions rise with population changes

They've had enough.

For three years, Reginald and Lori Doster have put up with racial slurs, KKK graffiti and an arson attack that terrified their daughter.

So next month, the African-American couple plan to leave their Taylor home, taking with them bitter memories of living on a predominantly white block.

The Taylor case is one of a string of recent incidents in which black people are being greeted with racial violence after they move into neighborhoods with no or few African Americans. With Detroit's black population increasingly leaving the city for the suburbs, it's a problem some fear may continue. And it comes at a time when the issue of minorities moving in next door has become widely debated.

On June 29, ABC-TV canceled a series it had been hyping called 'Welcome to the Neighborhood,' a reality show that featured white evangelical Christians choosing from a diverse group of families to move into a home on their block. Some of the episodes ABC had planned to air showed white neighbors making bigoted statements toward minorities. After pressure from fair-housing groups, the network pulled the series.

In metro Detroit meanwhile, a series of anti-black incidents in recent weeks has raised concerns with civil rights groups, police and residents.

'It's ridiculous that someone in this country would have to deal with this,' Reginald Doster, a computer administrator, said at his Taylor home last week. 'You're dealing with ignorance.'

•In Trenton two weeks ago, police reported that two crosses were burned on consecutive nights on the lawn of a home owned by an African-American man who moved in the week before with his white wife and their two children.

•In Warren last month, an African-American family came home to discover someone had trashed their house and scrawled its walls with white-power slogans.

Police continue to investigate both incidents, but such cases can often be hard to solve. In the Trenton incident, police nabbed two men shortly after the second cross-burning, but released them. They're now waiting for the lab results of some evidence, said Lt. Greg Plagens. In Warren, police are waiting for lab results, said Sgt. Jeff Knoblauch.

In the Doster case on Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced a 33-year-old Taylor man, Michael Richardson, to four years in prison for lying during a grand jury investigation into an arson at the home. No one has been charged in the arson. But federal investigators say Richardson lied about who may have set the fire.

According to court records, days after the Dosters bought the home, someone broke a window and poured gasoline through it. Much of the home was damaged.

"This fire was just a part of a months-long campaign to drive the Dosters out of the neighborhood," said federal prosecutors in a report. The Dosters spent thousands of dollars to clean up the home and redecorate it. In October 2002, someone scrawled "KKK" on the side of their home.

And in the months following, investigators and the Dosters said, the pattern continued. Kids taunted Lori Doster with racial slurs, and someone tore up their tires.

The harassment took a psychological toll. Reginald Doster had trouble sleeping. The couple's daughter, who was 9 at the time of the arson attack, was afraid to sleep in her bedroom, which faced the back of the house. And their 14-year-old son, who had been an honor student, saw his grades slip.

"I didn't understand it," said their daughter, Vianca, about the arson attack.

Her mother, Lori Doster, added, "She didn't know what race was."

"Until we moved here," said Reginald Doster.

Some of their white neighbors acknowledge that there is some racism in the area, but they say what happened to the Dosters was wrong.

"I hear people talking, you hear people saying" a racial slur, said Audrey Emery, 67, who is white and lives a couple of houses down from the Dosters. "My feeling is I have nothing against blacks ... I know a lot of black people. We're like brothers and sisters."

Emery said she felt bad when the Dosters' home was attacked.

"This is a free country. You can move where you want," she said. "It's just wrong."

It's also against the law, say civil rights activists. But when the racial demographics of a community change, violence may increase, said an official with the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In metro Detroit, the problem of black people encountering racial violence when they move into white neighborhoods goes back decades, say historians. One day in September 1925, a mob of hundreds of whites rushed the Detroit home of Ossian Sweet, a black doctor, who had just moved into a white neighborhood. And during the post-war era, many blacks were hassled after moving into all-white blocks.

In Trenton, Warren and Taylor, as with other Detroit suburbs, from 1990 to 2000 the African-American population increased, according to U.S. census figures. In Taylor, the African-American population jumped 93%, to almost 9% of the city's population, compared to 4% in 1990.

"It sort of goes in phases," said Shanna Smith, head of the National Fair Housing Alliance, about such incidents. Her Washington, D.C.-based group helped convince ABC to drop the controversial TV show about minorities moving into a white neighborhood. The local office of the alliance receives about 150 complaints of housing bias every year, but that figure also includes cases in which blacks and other minorities are denied opportunities to move into a neighborhood.

Across the state, there were 276 hate crimes related to race and ethnicity in Michigan for 2003, according to the FBI. But it's unclear which of those specifically dealt with minorities moving into white suburbs.

James Netter, a real estate agent from Wayne who is African American, said government must deal strongly with racial attacks. He remembers that in 1996, a church in Wayne with a largely African-American congregation was defaced with swastikas. The recent incidents concern him.

"My daughter is there in Iraq fighting for democracy and freedom, and yet she couldn't come to Trenton and buy a house in peace," said Netter. "What hypocrisy."

White residents are also upset by the racism.

"There's no place in society for those acts," said Heather Holland, pastor of St. Philip Lutheran Church in Trenton. "It just saddens me and makes me angry."

For the Dosters, a sort of resignation has set in. In their family room lies a stack of cardboard boxes they will soon fill to move into a Taylor neighborhood they hope will be more accommodating.

"I'm still ticked off, but what can you do?" said Reginald Doster. "This is what happens in America."

Belarus orders expulsion of Polish diplomat

International Relations and Security Network ISN :

Belarus said on Sunday it would expel Polish diplomat, Andrzej Buczak, an adviser in the Polish Embassy, the Belarus government said in a statement. The Polish diplomat was given until 21 July to leave the country in retaliation for Poland’s expulsion of a Belarus diplomat. The Belarus government claims that Poland managed to install a pro-Western leadership in the Union of Poles of Belarus to foment anti-Belarus activities. In May, Minsk expelled a Polish diplomat, and Poland retaliated by expelling a Belarus diplomat.

Soldier captures his would be murderer and gives him medical aid

The Army Times via Trey Jackson and Instapundit

During a routine patrol in Baghdad June 2, Army Pfc. Stephen Tschiderer, a medic, was shot in the chest by an enemy sniper, hiding in a van just 75 yards away. The incident was filmed by the insurgents.

Tschiderer, with E Troop, 101st “Saber” Cavalry Division, attached to 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, was knocked to the ground from the impact, but he popped right back up, took cover and located the enemy’s position.

After tracking down the now-wounded sniper with a team from B Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Iraqi Army Brigade, Tschiderer secured the terrorist with a pair of handcuffs and gave medical aid to the terrorist who’d tried to kill him just minutes before.

Check out the video.

As much as these terrorists don't deserve the treatment they got, the story still fills me with hope. These are exactly the values we have to be promoting -- by example first. The message must be that we operate differently: by the rule of law. If we abandon that, the war is lost.

I've also been impressed lately by the public relations effort by the forces in Iraq nowadays. Perhaps it's only for the TV cameras, but I've seen several clips over the past few months of soldiers being extremely polite and understanding in the face of screaming-mourning Iraqi women and men, complaining about lost loved ones and the lack of progress. The soldiers showed patience and understanding, even apologizing for the inconvenience, as well as sharing their own hardships ("I've lost seven buddies that were like brothers to me, we're all in this together") in order to demonstrate empathy.

They don't have to do this, and traditional military tactics don't involve such delicate behavior. And though it may seem a slow process, that behavior builds trust (something which humans build up slowly anyway, even moreso in such difficult circumstances). That's in our interest in Iraq. The more they trust us, the more everyday citizens will be willing to help and cooperate with us, and hence the quicker we defeat the terrorists and get Iraqi security forces back up on their feet.

For those WS readers less familiar with the blogosphere, both Instapundit and Trey Jackson are conservative bloggers. Their point on the story is that it's not getting the deserved media attention. I agree.

Now Poland Claims Its Share in the Iraqi Cake

Al Jazeerah:

Polish fuel group to seek Iraqi extraction rights

WARSAW (Reuters) -

Poland's prime minister and the head of a state oil holding company will visit Iraq to seek extraction contracts for oilfields in its northern Kirkuk region, financial daily Parkiet reported on Saturday.

Parkiet said Prime Minister Marek Belka and Nafta Polska chief Adam Sek were likely to make the trip later this month, and wanted to secure upstream supplies for state-dominated oil group PKN Orlen, which is one of 14 firms bidding for a nearby Turkish refinery Tupras.

'We are going to present the Iraqis our offer,' Parkiet reported Sek as saying. 'At the beginning we would be satisfied if we secured (extraction rights to) around 500,000 tonnes annually.'

Poland has almost no domestic oil deposits, and Orlen and its other major refiner Lotos import most of their crude from Russia.

Nafta Polska began a search late last year for foreign exploration and extraction rights which to date has generated only some preliminary talks, including for fields in Libya.

The deal could connect with Orlen's bid for the Tupras refinery, where it faces stiff competition from several oil majors as well as regional competitor Austria's OMV and Turkish domestic players.

In its five-year strategy unveiled earlier this year, Orlen said it would focus on developing its existing assets, but it has also said it has about 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion) to spend on acquisitions."

Poles remember Bastille Day by storming the French Embassy

The Warsaw Business Journal:

On the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, around 500 people employed by companies such as Telekomunikacja Polska, Orbis, Elektrownia Rybnik and Wyborowa SA, which were taken over by French investors, organized a protest in front of the French Embassy in Warsaw. The employees accuse the investors of neglecting the development of the companies they control, massive layoffs of workers and a systematic lowering of salaries. The protesters, which held banners saying, for example: "France Telecom - one more Bastille to storm," decided to ask the French government for mediation, claiming that they want a "fair dialogue with the employers." Although there was a French national-holiday reception taking place at the embassy at the time of the reception, the ambassador met with the delegation of trade unionists and promised to act.

Polish farmers show the region how it's done in wake of EU accession

The Warsaw Business Journal:

Since Poland's accession to the EU, Polish farmers have enjoyed more profits than farmers from neighboring countries, and have maximized their use of EU subsidies. Exports have increased rapidly to not only the old member countries, where Polish goods are cheap, but also to Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic. "We are among those countries that from net importers became net exporters. The only sector where our results are negative is pork exports," said Wiesław Zapędowski, Deputy Agriculture Minister. According to all prognoses, Polish exports will continue to grow. The profitability of Polish agriculture increased by 8.2%, while in Hungary, for instance, it decreased by 14%. The EU Commission estimates that thanks to the common agricultural policy, by 2011 farmers' revenues in the 10 new member states will increase on average by 126%, but Polish farmers will profit most

Ex-policeman detained for Warsaw metro bomb hoax

Reuters:

WARSAW, July 14 (Reuters) - A former Polish policeman was detained on Thursday suspected of triggering a false bomb alert in Warsaw's underground in the wake of deadly blasts in London last week.

Police identified the suspect as Jacek K. and said he served as a policeman in the 1990s. If convicted, the 44-year-old faces up to eight years in jail.

The suspect used a pre-paid mobile phone to call an emergency number to set off the alarm, which led to a full-scale evacuation of the underground on Tuesday, police said.

"We have detained the person responsible for the false alarm. The prosecutor's office will take care of further steps," said police spokeswoman Alicja Hytrek.

Warsaw was hit by several more bomb hoaxes on Wednesday and police said they were checking whether he was involved in those as well.

Poland had heightened security at train and bus stations, airports and the underground after last Thursday's attacks on London's transport system which killed at least 52 people.

Alongside Britain, Poland is part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, where it has about 1,700 soldiers.

Fans are least of NHL's problems

Mitch Albom:

Now that we know there'll be a hockey season, I have one question: Who's NOT going to go see it?

Red Wings fans will go. Are you kidding? Do you think the average octopus-thrower gives a hoot if there's a salary cap?

Avalanche fans will go. Do you think the guy in Denver with the Avs flag flapping from his window cares about arbitration?

And Canadians will go. Let's be honest. Is there a choice?

Come on. Be real. Hockey is back. Hockey fans are happy. That's as basic as saying the dog's bowl is full so his tail is wagging. All this talk that fans will reject the NHL upon its return, that they're angry, vengeful, that they've learned to live without it, I'm sorry, I'm not buying it. Sports is entertainment. It makes people happy. And for the most part, to quote singer Sheryl Crow, if it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?

Fans aren't. They will come.

But understand what happened in the last 301 days. Hockey, as an entity, as a business, went backward. It did what most struggling businesses do in this cut-throat global marketplace: It cut costs.

And in so doing, it shrunk.

No pity contracts allowed

So today, even though no one is ready to discuss the details, here are a few certainties about the "new" NHL: You won't see it on national TV very often. You won't be cheering for new, expensive free agents. And you likely won't see ticket prices coming down.

The owners can spin it all they want, but they had an unhealthy sport on their hands, so they cut off a leg to kill the gangrene, and they hope, in time, they'll be able to move around again.

What does it mean for the Red Wings? A lot. The Wings, in many ways, were the heart of the problem. Not because Mike Ilitch had issues with money. But because he didn't have issues with money. Most teams couldn't keep up with Ilitch's spending, and when they tried, they didn't have the same success. They also couldn't keep up with his revenues (hey, we do love our red-and-white merchandise, don't we?), so their coffers were not as full, hence, not as much dough to buy a Derian Hatcher or two $8-million goalies.

All that changes now. The playing field will be largely leveled. More expensive Wings will leave than, say, will moderately priced Nashville Predators. A perfect example? Nicklas Lidstrom. Detroit's defensive heart earns $10 million a year. Under the expected new rules, that would be more than 20% of the salary cap, so his pay would have to be cut by several million just to keep him. (Which may happen anyhow, since a 24% across-the-board cut is reportedly part of the deal.)

Either way, if you had four more players like Lidstrom, that's your entire payroll. The whole thing. Five players! Last I looked, you can't field a team with five players. Unless you skip the goalie.

So stars will have to go. And at the top of the Wings' question mark list is the biggest star of all, Steve Yzerman. Almost nobody in Detroit would argue allowing the Captain his own farewell timetable. Most would say, "Pay him for his years of service." But as with any cost-cutting business these days, sentimentality -- along with the office Christmas party -- is the first thing to go.

"I know this," Yzerman's good friend, Darren Pang of ESPN, told me Wednesday, "Steve won't take a pity contract. ... He knows young players like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are the team's future. ...

"It's been a wonderful book but sometimes I feel like the final page has been turned."

More like rewritten.

Paying the price to play

Now, in some ways, you can't fault owners for demanding these changes. Who wants a league that loses money? On the other hand, it was the owners' greed that created much of the problem. They did a good job of shifting the blame to the players, who have been losing leverage like a snowman in the sun. Amazingly, in certain parts of Canada, it's the players who get verbally abused for being "greedy" or "unappreciative."

It was a lockout, not a strike, right?

"Hockey players are the most humble bunch of athletes out there," Pang said. "Maybe they took some things for granted before. But they've given back a lot just to get back on the ice."

And back they will be. Come October, we'll see a cheaper version of what we left behind. Old fans will come back; new ones won't.

If these past 301 days proved anything, it's that hockey remains a regional sport that calls itself national and is losing an international sports war. In Detroit, it's happy days.

Then again, we were never the problem.

I was at this concert

U2.com:

The World in White and Red

Seventy thousand Polish fans created an unforgettable national flag for New Year’s Day last night.

It was one of those great U2 moments. Five songs into their set in Poland’s southern Chorzow city stadium, Edge’s piano signalled the start of New Year’s Day –a song originally inspired by Lech Walesa and the Solidarity movement to free Poland from communism. Suddenly all the fans on the pitch raised flags and scarves in red – while all the fans in the seats around the stadium brandished white flags and scarves.

Bono was so moved by the white and red sea before him that he took off his jacket, turned it inside out and put it back on to show the red lining inside. He then walked to the front of the stage and bowed to an ecstatic audience as a mark of respect to their creativity and their spectacular re-creation of the national flag.

As Willie Williams, U2’s Show Designer notes in his latest tour diary, it was ‘wonderful humbling and thrilling.’

‘The best moment was going into New Year’s Day where the audience, entirely of their own volition, produced flags and scarves. Everyone on the floor of the stadium had red, everyone in the grandstands had white, so the whole stadium turned into a huge Polish flag.
‘ I have never seen an audience do anything like it before – getting it together to surprise and delight us. I think my mouth must have fallen open. Who organized this? The fact that it was premeditated made it all the more extraordinary; an audience consciously plotting to put on a show for the performers. It was absolutely wonderful, humbling, thrilling all at the same time. A great, great crowd, and a unique atmosphere.

The idea to highlight the Polish inspiration for the classic U2 song came from local fans, caught fire on the net and was boosted with local media prior to the show. Coming just days after Live 8 and in the run up to the G8 meetings in Scotland (Bono is flying in today), it was a oignant sign that people really can and do change history.

The rest of the show, by the way, was also pretty damn good!

Even if it was heaving with rain earlier in the evening, leaving The Killers drenched, the weather by and large cleared up by the time U2 arrived on stage for their first Polish date since PopMart.
It was obviously going to be a bit of a homecoming from when Vertigo Air touched down earlier in the day – screaming fans and hungry media (see our shots) mobbing the band as they arrived.
On stage, Bono sang,
‘See the world in green and blue
Brand new Poland right in front you’
during Beautiful Day, in acknowledgment of the tumultuous reception given the band by Polish fans. And at a time when Africa is on the political agenda like never before in recent history, it seemed like the recent political journey of Poland was an emblem of the possibilities of people power.
‘Our prayer,’ said Bono, ‘Is for the kingdom come on earth not just in heaven, on earth, build our countries, build our cities… so much possibility in this great country…’

Unsurprisingly, the audience were loving it – and singing along as well as any fans have on the road to date.

There’s just one other neat connection we ought to mention. As Miracle Drug began, Bono asked if anyone could come up on stage and translate a story he wanted to tell. A young Polish beauty leapt at her moment and, through her, Bono told a tale of a little boy from Poland who once stole his glasses but gave him some rosary beads instead.

That’ll be the late Pope John Paul II then – and didn’t the crowd love that story!

Except that we loved that story because after searching for five minutes for "someone who speaks good English," Bono calls this girl up on stage. When he tells her to translate the story she says:

"Listen everybody, I really don't know how to speak English, I just wanted to get up here!"

The crowd roared with laughter, and of course, Bono thought he was hilarious. Still most in the audience understood. And we all appreciated the touch.

The show was incredible.

Who's next?

Madrid, London -- who's next?

Might Warsaw be on that list?

Or is it just insignificant and poor enough to be counted out of the terrorists' plans?

We have only one subway line, and it doesn't carry that many people.

There are lots on the busses and trams though.

So, Mr Bremer, where did all the money go?

The Guardian :

At the end of the Iraq war, vast sums of money were made available to the US-led provisional authorities, headed by Paul Bremer, to spend on rebuilding the country. By the time Bremer left the post eight months later, $8.8bn of that money had disappeared. Ed Harriman on the extraordinary scandal of Iraq's missing billions

When Paul Bremer, the American pro consul in Baghdad until June last year, arrived in Iraq soon after the official end of hostilities, there was $6bn left over from the UN Oil for Food Programme, as well as sequestered and frozen assets, and at least $10bn from resumed Iraqi oil exports. Under Security Council Resolution 1483, passed on May 22 2003, all these funds were transferred into a new account held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, called the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), and intended to be spent by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) 'in a transparent manner ... for the benefit of the Iraqi people'.

The US Congress also voted to spend $18.4bn of US taxpayers' money on the redevelopment of Iraq. By June 28 last year, however, when Bremer left Baghdad two days early to avoid possible attack on the way to the airport, his CPA had spent up to $20bn of Iraqi money, compared with $300m of US funds. The 'reconstruction' of Iraq is the largest American-led occupation programme since the Marshall Plan - but the US government funded the Marshall Plan. Defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Bremer have made sure that the reconstruction of Iraq is paid for by the 'liberated' country, by the Iraqis themselves.

The CPA maintained one fund of nearly $600m cash for which there is no paperwork: $200m of it was kept in a room in one of Saddam's former palaces. The US soldier in charge used to keep the key to the room in his backpack, which he left on his desk when he popped out for lunch. Again, this is Iraqi money, not US funds.

The "financial irregularities" described in audit reports carried out by agencies of the American government and auditors working for the international community collectively give a detailed insight into the mentality of the American occupation authorities and the way they operated. Truckloads of dollars were handed out for which neither they nor the recipients felt they had to be accountable.

The auditors have so far referred more than a hundred contracts, involving billions of dollars paid to American personnel and corporations, for investigation and possible criminal prosecution. They have also discovered that $8.8bn that passed through the new Iraqi government ministries in Baghdad while Bremer was in charge is unaccounted for, with little prospect of finding out where it has gone. A further $3.4bn appropriated by Congress for Iraqi development has since been siphoned off to finance "security".

Although Bremer was expected to manage Iraqi funds in a transparent manner, it was only in October 2003, six months after the fall of Saddam, that an International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) was established to provide independent, international financial oversight of CPA spending. (This board includes representatives from the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.)

The IAMB first spent months trying to find auditors acceptable to the US. The Bahrain office of KPMG was finally appointed in April 2004. It was stonewalled.

"KPMG has encountered resistance from CPA staff regarding the submission of information required to complete our procedures," they wrote in an interim report. "Staff have indicated ... that cooperation with KPMG's undertakings is given a low priority." KPMG had one meeting at the Iraqi Ministry of Finance; meetings at all the other ministries were repeatedly postponed. The auditors even had trouble getting passes to enter the Green Zone.

There appears to have been good reason for the Americans to stall. At the end of June 2004, the CPA would be disbanded and Bremer would leave Iraq. There was no way the Bush administration would want independent auditors to publish a report into the financial propriety of its Iraqi administration while the CPA was still in existence and Bremer at its head still answerable to the press. So the report was published in July.

The auditors found that the CPA didn't keep accounts of the hundreds of millions of dollars of cash in its vault, had awarded contracts worth billions of dollars to American firms without tender, and had no idea what was happening to the money from the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), which was being spent by the interim Iraqi government ministries.

This lack of transparency has led to allegations of corruption. An Iraqi hospital administrator told me that when he came to sign a contract, the American army officer representing the CPA had crossed out the original price and doubled it. The Iraqi protested that the original price was enough. The American officer explained that the increase (more than $1m) was his retirement package.

When the Iraqi Governing Council asked Bremer why a contract to repair the Samarah cement factory was costing $60m rather than the agreed $20m, the American representative reportedly told them that they should be grateful the coalition had saved them from Saddam. Iraqis who were close to the Americans, had access to the Green Zone or held prominent posts in the new government ministries were also in a position personally to benefit enormously. Iraqi businessmen complain endlessly that they had to offer substantial bribes to Iraqi middlemen just to be able to bid for CPA contracts. Iraqi ministers' relatives got top jobs and fat contracts.

Further evidence of lack of transparency comes from a series of audits and reports carried out by the CPA's own inspector general's office (CPAIG). Set up in January 2004, it reports to Congress. Its auditors, accountants and criminal investigators often found themselves sitting alone at cafe tables in the Green Zone, shunned by their CPA compatriots. Their audit, published in July 2004, found that the American contracts officers in the CPA and Iraqi ministries "did not ensure that ... contract files contained all the required documents, a fair and reasonable price was paid for the services received, contractors were capable of meeting delivery schedules, or that contractors were paid in accordance with contract requirements".

Pilfering was rife. Millions of dollars in cash went missing from the Iraqi Central Bank. Between $11m and $26m worth of Iraqi property sequestered by the CPA was unaccounted for. The payroll was padded with hundreds of ghost employees. Millions of dollars were paid to contractors for phantom work. Some $3,379,505 was billed, for example, for "personnel not in the field performing work" and "other improper charges" on just one oil pipeline repair contract.

Most of the 69 criminal investigations the CPAIG instigated related to alleged theft, fraud, waste, assault and extortion. It also investigated "a number of other cases that, because of their sensitivity, cannot be included in this report". One such case may have arisen when 19 billion new Iraqi dinars, worth about £6.5m, was found on a plane in Lebanon that had been sent there by the American-appointed Iraqi interior minister.

At the same time, the IAMB discovered that Iraqi oil exports were unmetered. Neither the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organisation nor the American authorities could give a satisfactory explanation for this. "The only reason you wouldn't monitor them is if you don't want anyone else to know how much is going through," one petroleum executive told me.

Officially, Iraq exported $10bn worth of oil in the first year of the American occupation. Christian Aid has estimated that up to $4bn more may have been exported and is unaccounted for. If so, this would have created an off-the-books fund that both the Americans and their Iraqi allies could use with impunity to cover expenditures they would rather keep secret - among them the occupation costs, which were rising far beyond what the Bush administration could comfortably admit to Congress and the international community.

In the few weeks before Bremer left Iraq, the CPA handed out more than $3bn in new contracts to be paid for with Iraqi funds and managed by the US embassy in Baghdad. The CPA inspector general, now called the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (Sigir), has just released an audit report on the way the embassy has dealt with that responsibility. The auditors reviewed the files of 225 contracts totalling $327m to see if the embassy "could identify the current value of paid and unpaid contract obligations".

It couldn't. "Our review showed that financial records ... understated payments made by $108,255,875" and "overstated unpaid obligations by $119,361,286". The auditors also reviewed the paperwork of a further 300 contracts worth $332.9m: "Of 198 contract files reviewed, 154 did not contain evidence that goods and services were received, 169 did not contain invoices, and 14 did not contain evidence of payment."

Read the rest

London Review of Books full report

Salary Cap to Ruin Wings

But the players are finding better ways to bring in more revenue

Detroit News:

Wings face big changes as NHL finally nears deal

Salary cap would force Detroit to end lavish ways; revamped rules aim to spice up lagging sport.

Hockey's deep freeze is about to thaw.

All indications are a new labor agreement could be days away, and the NHL will return this fall.

But will Hockeytown fans warm up to the new product?

The game will undergo modifications, but the Detroit Red Wings could face wholesale changes.

The captain, Steve Yzerman, could retire. Defensemen Chris Chelios and Derian Hatcher and goalie Curtis Joseph could be sacrificed to meet the new salary cap.

One position is certain, though. Brendan Shanahan has emerged as a power broker in the league.

Even while negotiations lagged, players and management were in agreement on one item: The game needs to be juiced.

Enter Shanahan. During the lockout, he convened summit meetings in Toronto and Romulus to discuss the sport. People took note.

When play resumes, several measures will be instituted to encourage more offense. "I'm intrigued," said Margy Bishop of Dearborn Heights, a longtime Wings fan. "Particularly the shootout (after OT to eliminate ties). That really could be interesting.

"They (the league) have to do something. It's been a long time, a whole year. Life has gone on without them, and everyone survived just fine."

Proposals to eliminate the red line, streamline goalie equipment and regulate obstruction penalties are meant to generate offensive flow and increase scoring.

"The important thing is to create scoring chances," said Wings player representative -- and goaltender -- Manny Legace. "A 2-1 game can still be an exciting game with a lot of good scoring chances. A lot of things they're talking about (rule changes) will open up the game.

"I can see why they went after goalie equipment because it was getting out of control. But at the same time, you don't want to see anyone getting hurt. (And) what happens if scoring still doesn't increase next year? Then what are they going to do? Make the nets larger and have us become like soccer goalies and dive around all over the place?"

Any future tweaks to the rulebook will be in the hands of a new nine-member rules committee, of which Shanahan is a member.

It was widely accepted that obstruction -- hooking, holding, interference -- had gotten out of hand, and players weren't allowed to showcase their skills.

"They're trying to keep the pace of the game going," Wings coach Dave Lewis said. "Generating speed through the neutral zone, creating offensive chances. The key is to eliminate obstruction."

One change, the shootout, is sure to irritate old-school fans.

"I'm a traditionalist, but I can see how fans enjoy it," said Lewis of a series of penalty-shot breakaways during a shootout period. "My concern is, you're making more of an individual process rather than a team process."

Off the ice, there will be little to no obstruction as players move from team to team this summer. Nearly 200 players are expected to be free agents.

"It will be the busiest time ever for us (agents), players and GMs," agent Pat Brisson told the Associated Press. "It seems it will be a completely new system and we'll have to learn it quick. ... It will be pretty wild."

A projected salary cap of $36 million to $40 million will have a huge impact on heavy-spending teams such as the Wings.

Detroit, which spent approximately $78 million on player salaries for the 2003-04 season, has approximately $32 million committed to 12 players for the 2005-06 season.

Yzerman, 40, an unrestricted free agent, is still to announce whether he'll return.

Chelios, 43, and Joseph, 38, are unrestricted free agents who would have to take huge pay cuts for the Wings to re-sign them.

Hatcher, who has three years and $20 million left on his contract, could be a candidate for a buyout.

And with young players such as forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who are restricted free agents and seemingly worthy of raises, navigating the salary cap will be difficult for general manager Ken Holland.

Of more long-ranging financial concern for the league is the lack of a national television contract.

ESPN, the primary U.S. rights holder before the lockout, did not renew its contract.

ESPN said it's looking for an arrangement similar to the one the NHL has with NBC, which will televise seven regular-season weekend games. The network pays no broadcasting fee but splits whatever profits there are after the season.

The NHL said it has no interest in such an arrangement with ESPN.

No other television network has, at this point, shown interest in the NHL.

Without a broadcasting deal, the league's revenues would be limited to ticket sales and souvenirs. Also, interest in the sport won't grow if nontraditional hockey markets aren't exposed to the game.

That's not a concern in Hockeytown, though.

"Of course I'm going to watch the guys play," said Brian Perkins of Livonia. "I plan on watching as many games as I can on television. I just missed it, the whole season."

Tusk Calls for Common Russia Policy

Radio Polonia:

Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Platform and center-right presidential candidate has said that one of the principle tasks of Polish diplomacy should be convincing EU partners to forge a common Eastern policy. Commenting on the fact of omitting president Aleksander Kwasniewski on the list of invited guests for the gala celebrations marking 750 years of Kaliningrad, the strategic Russian enclave presently bordering with the enlarged EU, Tusk interpreted the move as a Russian attempt to create a division among leading countries of the European Union. The Civic Platform leader also voiced concern with the fact that France and Germany had accepted the invitation, conscious of the omission of neighboring Poland and Lithuania. This proves the two countries will not turn down any chance of practicing their individual policy towards Russia. Poland must display more determination in settling its relations with Russia, he stated.

Polish intelligence contribition in WW 2 confirmed

Radio Polonia:

Polish foreign minister Adam Rotfeld considers the report on Poland’s contribution to the Allied victory in World War Two compiled by the joint Polish-British commission of historians as a meaningful development in the countries’ mutual relations. The document presented in London points to 44% of British intelligence information as coming from Polish agents and sources. Minister Rotfeld, who is on a working visit to the UK, said the report is accompanied by mixed feelings. On the one hand, Poland is very satisfied by the British authorities’ consent to opening war intelligence files to Polish historians. On the other, he underscored, the question arises: why has it taken 60 post-war years for the move to be made? Adam Rotfeld added, the report confirms the tremendous contribution of Poles to the anti-Nazi effort and the ultimate victory of the Allies. The head of Polish diplomacy also pointed to the increased meaning of intelligence documents found in British archives about the Holocaust passed on by Polish sources during the war. Now, nobody can say they had no knowledge about the genocide, Rotfeld said.

Latest Presidential poll numbers

According to Rzeczpospolita

Cimoszewicz: 28

Kaczyński: 19

Lepper: 17

Religa: 15

Tusk: 11

Borowski: 5

Hope for the Hapless Left

Warsaw Business Journal:

The candidacy of Włodzimerz Cimoszewicz for President is the left's best chance to hang on to power

It came as a surprise to nobody except perhaps himself when last week Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz announced that he would indeed be running for President, despite earlier statements that he was planning to quit politics. Recent polls suggest that Cimoszewicz is very popular among the public - a rarity for members of the scandal-ridden Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) - and has a good chance of winning at the polls in October. Some surveys put him ahead of the current favorite, Lech Kaczyński.

'Looking at the latest surveys, millions of people expect me to run,' Cimoszewicz said.

Current President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who is prohibited by law from running for a third term, has also been pushing for Cimoszewicz to stand. The two have a close relationship, and Cimoszewicz, who was also Prime Minister from February 1996 to October 1997, served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during most of Kwaśniewski's second term. Kwaśniewski's wife, Jolanta, has been put in charge of Cimoszewicz's campaign.

Pressure on Cimoszewicz to stand in the election has been growing from inside his party over the last few weeks. The SLD, currently the ruling party in government, is expected to lose in a landslide in September's parliamentary polls. Analysts say their only chance to hang onto some measure of power is to win the presidential election.

However, Cimoszewicz says he will run on an independent ticket, not the SLD's. Still, that's where most of his support will come from. The SLD's 'reserve candidate' (in case Cimoszewicz didn't run), Jerzy Szmajdziński, withdrew from the race upon news of Cimoszewicz's candidacy.

Cimoszewicz is expected to focus on European issues during the campaign, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the EU one year after Poland's accession. However, those plans could be hindered by current squabbles within the bloc. Kwaśniewski had hoped to tie Europe to the presidential poll by scheduling a referendum on the proposed constitution for the same day, but was forced to indefinitely postpone it due to the current EU crisis.

Happy Fourth of July

Fourth of July Stories:

Union and Secessionist Families Clash in Sacramento, California

The following story concerns the display of Union and Confederate flags by two families in Sacramento, California, on July 4, 1864, and how those families almost came to blows. The event speaks to the significance of the flag as an important symbol and representation of patriotic sentiments, as well as the need for individual expression of those beliefs. Telling as well is the newspaper editor's decision to report this incident, which seems to us inconsequential if compared to other more noteworthy Fourth of July happenings. Yet, for Sacramentians it was newsworthy--two familes brawl over the flag, Union soldiers arrive, and a retraction by one of the participants occurs. The complete account was printed in two separate newspaper articles that are quoted in full below.

The day began with Sacramento residents waking up to the sounds of cannons firing and bells ringing. A sense of joy and excitement prevailed; everyone anticipated a full day's worth of parties, parades, and pandemonium. This was, after all, the 87th anniversary of the glorious Fourth and Sacramentians did up this holiday in grandeur and style. The spectacle of the day was a parade consisting of both military and civilian participants. Among the notable officials processing was California Governor Frederick F. Low.

Coupled with this joy was an undercurrent of concern for the great war going on back East. The city's newspaper provided news about the conflict. Reading headlines as "The Great Contest--Army of the Potomac" and "The Trenches and Sharpshooting" on July 4 caused citizens to ponder just how the war would affect their future. Indeed, Sacramento was pro-Union; however, this story provides evidence that some residents had pro-Confederate leanings.

A Union and secession war on a small scale occurred on Monday afternoon on G Street, near Fourteenth. A double house at that locality is occupied by two families--those of John Drummond, Union, and John Clary, Secesh. Heretofore these familes have lived together in peace and quietness. On Monday morning [4th of July] Mrs. Drummond heard Mrs. Clary order her child, who had gone into the room with a small American flag, to leave, as she would not have the rag about the place. Mrs. Drummond at once called her child home. In the afternoon Mrs. Drummond put up the flag over the door. Mrs. Clary tore it down, stating that that was the only door which she could pass through, and she would not be compelled to walk under the Union flag. Mrs. Drummond put it up again, and procuring a small piece of board, which made a formidable weapon, threatened to strike Mrs. Clary with it if she attempted to tear it down again. Mrs. Clary then repaired to her room and improvised a Confederate flag, although it was not made according to regulation. This she pinned to the Union flag, when Mrs. Drummond again appeared and tore it down, leaving the stars and stripes afloat, of course. Before placing the Confederate flag up, Mrs. Clary was joined by her husband, who justified his wife in her course. Mrs. Drummond informed him that she would as soon strike him as his wife if he acted as she had done. When Mrs. Clary pinned up the flag Mrs. Drummond dealt a heavy blow at her, but Mrs. Clary dodged and escaped its consequences. Soon afterward Mrs. Drummond was joined by her husband, who, after learning what had occurred, went into Clary's room, Clary and two other men being present, took off his coat, said he could whip any Secessionist in the room, and gave them his views on the subject under discussion explicitly and without reserve. Clary defended his wife's course, and looked occasionally at a double-barreled shotgun in the room, but no blows were struck. Clary said his wife should put up a flag if she chose and he would defend it. Drummond responded that she could not put up a traitor flag on that house or any other i n this city, and that he for one would shoot down him or any other man who would make the attempt. The Union flag was kept afloat until evening, when Mrs. Drummond took it down. (Sacramento Daily Union, 6 July 1864, 3.)

The second article provides some clarification and additional information. The correct address of Mrs. Drummond is cited and the fact that Union troops were summoned. It seems possible that Mrs. Drummond or her husband, upon reading the first article, contacted the newspaper and provided the following additional information-- in particular, the fact that she was the cousin of General Rosecrans, who was likely well known to readers..

That Flag.--Mrs. Drummond, the lady who persisted in keeping the Stars and Stripes afloat over her door on the Fourth of July is a cousin of General Rosecrans. Her residence is located on H street, above Fourteenth, instead of G street, as stated in a former article. The flag put up on the morning of the 5th still floats over the house, although Clary, on first seeing it, declared that it should come down. Soon after this declaration was made, several soldiers from Camp Union stopped at the house and were anxious to see the man who was going to tear down the flag. Clary, on seeing them, disclaimed being that individual, and declared that he was as good a friend to the Union as any other man. (Sacramento Daily Union, 8 July 1864, 3.)

MEAP scores drop in math, science, social studies, writing

The Detroit News:

"Michigan high school students' scores dipped in math, science, social studies and writing, according to state tests of the Class of 2005 released today.

The only subject in the Michigan Educational Assessment Program, or MEAP, tests that saw an improvement was reading, which increased by 2 percentage points. Nearly 78 percent of the Class of 2005 could read at grade level compared with almost 76 percent in the Class of 2004.

The biggest drop was in science: about a 5 percentage point decrease. Fifty-eight percent of this year's graduating seniors passed the test compared to 63 percent of the Class of 2004.

Math scores dipped by almost 2 percentage points, going from a 57 percent passing rate to 59 percent. In social studies, only 34 percent of students passed, down from 35 percent last year.

More than 109,000 student took the assessment from the Class of 2005. "

This is gonna be fun

We're in for a big rumble.

I can't wait to see what happens.


US Supreme Court justice resigns

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court and a crucial centrist, is to retire.

Ms O'Connor, 75, has often cast the deciding vote on the nine-member court, leading some US commentators to call her the most powerful woman in America.

She is the first Supreme Court justice to retire since 1994, giving George W Bush his first chance to name a judge.

The former Arizona politician was nominated by Ronald Reagan to serve on the court and took up her seat in 1981.

In a statement at the White House, President Bush praised Ms O'Connor as a "discerning and diligent judge", who has earned universal respect.

He said he would consult with senators to find a successor, and said he would be "deliberate and thorough" in his search.

The president's nomination to the court must be approved by the Senate.

Speculation has mounted that Mr Bush will now nominate a conservative to the court in an effort to tilt the balance of opinion on the bench.

The president called for a "dignified process", which he aims to conclude by the start of the new Supreme Court term in early October.

Saving Africa, the conservative way

Economist.com:

Bob Geldof and Bono have some unlikely friends in America

RICK WARREN is arguably the most influential evangelical pastor in America. His Saddleback church in California is the largest megachurch in the country, with 20,000 worshippers every Sunday; one of his websites, Pastors.com, provides “resources” such as sermons to 140,000 pastors around the country; and his book, “The Purpose-Driven Life”, has sold 25m copies. Mr Warren now has a new cause. God has told him to serve the world's downtrodden, he says, particularly in Africa; and Saddleback is sending missionaries there to fight poverty and disease, starting in Rwanda.

Mr Warren is not alone. America's evangelicals are beginning to embrace international causes such as poverty with the same fervour that they have long brought to domestic causes. The overseas issue that first excited their interest was a specifically religious one—the persecution of their fellow Christians around the world. But since the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998, in the teeth of fierce opposition from the Clinton administration, their interest has broadened to include America's policies on, among other things, sex trafficking, the civil war in Sudan, North Korea, international debt relief and AIDS. They are at the centre of a whirligig of congressional legislation, presidential initiatives, diplomatic manoeuvres, international protests and stock-divestment campaigns.

If the European campaign for aid for Africa is dominated by bleeding-heart liberals, poring over the Guardian and L'Humanité, the American campaign is dominated by Bible-believing Christians, poring over their copies of Christianity Today and discussing abstinence pledges. In Europe, the campaign to help Africa is fronted by a foul-mouthed Irish rock star. In America, you are more likely to run into Sam Brownback, a fiercely conservative senator from Kansas, who has sponsored legislation condemning Sudanese slavery, or Chuck Colson, a born-again Nixon operative who served time for Watergate and wants American Christians to recover the heritage of William Wilberforce. Both would probably tell Sir Bob Geldof to get his hair cut.

By no means all these Christian activists are card-carrying conservatives. Jim Wallis, a prominent left-wing evangelical, is leading an ecumenical group of Christians to Britain for a pre-G8 summit. Mr Warren has shrewdly branded himself as a moderate (though he subtly signalled his support for George Bush in the last election). But over the past decade, much of the hard lifting has been done by members of the religious right.

That is partly because conservative churches are far more buoyant than their liberal rivals are. The Southern Baptists send more missionaries abroad than all the mainline Protestant denominations combined. But it is also because they are much better placed to advocate compassion in the Bush White House. During a discussion of a plan to spend $15 billion fighting AIDS, the president turned to his silver-penned speech-writer (and fellow Christian), Michael Gerson. “Mr President,” came the reply, “if this is possible, and we don't do it, we will never be forgiven.”

Until recently, evangelical Protestants had taken a rather isolationist view of foreign policy (with a particular loathing for the unGodly UN). Why are they now so interested in global poverty? Allen Hertzke, author of the excellent “Freeing God's Children: The Unlikely Alliance for Global Human Rights” (Rowman & Littlefield), points to two developments.

First, evangelical America has become increasingly sophisticated. The teachers and bankers flocking to the megachurches want to spend their political capital on more than just abortion and gay marriage. Second, Christianity has shifted to the developing world. In 1900, 80% of the world's Christians lived in Europe and in America; today, 60% live in the developing world. More Presbyterians go to church in Ghana than in Scotland. America's evangelical churches are intent on gathering souls in these new places. In 2002, for instance, the Southern Baptist Convention spent $290m abroad, establishing 8,369 churches and baptising 421,436 converts. Many missionaries return home shocked by the poverty and disease that they have encountered.

A billion volunteers

This new side to evangelical America has all sorts of consequences for American politics. White Protestants have pulled the Republican Party to the “right” on domestic causes for the past quarter-century; now they are beginning to pull the party to the “left” on international issues. This is producing some unexpected political alliances—with the black congressional caucus over Sudan, for example, and with feminists such as Gloria Steinem over sex slavery. It is softening the religious right's sometimes fearsome image. And it is handing power to more moderate figures such as Mr Warren who can mediate between right and left.

Evangelicals are also changing foreign policy. In the perennial battle between Kissingerian realists and neoconservative idealists in Washington, they help tip the balance towards idealism. They are also helping to reconfigure America's somewhat moribund human-rights movement (though evangelicals are notably less upset about Guantánamo Bay than Amnesty International is).

There are undoubtedly dangers in marrying aid with faith. Evangelicals can sound uncomfortably like latter-day Dr Livingstones, determined to convert the heathen to Christianity and abstinence. They also find it difficult to work with people they disagree with (including each other). But they do have things to offer, including a global network of churches that can deliver everything from education to medical treatment. “We've got more volunteers than anybody else,” says Mr Warren. “Government doesn't have a billion volunteers. Business doesn't have a billion volunteers.