Page 13 News of Polonia Pasadena, California December 2008

Please send articles about your

Polish Organization To the

NEWS OF POLONIA

Please accept

our best wishes for Christmas

and the New Year.

May your dreams come true,

may your plans and desires be

fulfilled

and may peace and comfort

reign both in the USA

and

in the Old Country

Paulina Kapuścińska

Consul General

Republic of Poland

Los Angeles

With Associates

11 grudnia 2008 roku, w typowo studenckiej miejscowości Berkeley,leżącej po

wschodniej stronie zatoki San Francisko, odbył się organizowany już po raz szósty przez

zespół taneczny “Łowiczanie” , doroczny Słowiański Koncert Kolęd.

Ciepła i kameralna sala klubu Hillside witała wchodzących zapachem ciast, grzanego

wina, strojnej choinki. Świąteczny nastrój czuć było wokół. W przeciwieństwie do lat

poprzednich więcej było osób innych narodowości; nie zabrakło jednak oczywiście wśród

obecnych, współzałożycielki tego zespołu, wszechobecnej, kochanej harcmistrzyni

Krystyny Chciuk oraz dyrektora artystycznego Mary Kay Stuvland. Pośród gości na sali

zauważyłem Konsula Honorowego RP Chrisa Keroskiego, bliskich mi ze Szkoły Języka

Polskiego – Basię Szlachtę i Danusię Pokalski oraz wielu innych. Nie o nich to jednak

dzisiaj.

Rozpoczął się koncert. Byłem oczarowny. Wchłaniałem każdy dźwięk, każdą nutę.

Nawet moje niewyszkolone muzycznie ucho czuło w tym wszystkim uduchowione

piękno, podkreślane oprócz muzyki i śpiewu, pięknymi strojami. Przez scenę przelewali

się śpiewający Łowicznie, Ukraińcy, Chorwaci, pięknymi głosami uraczyli nas

wokaliści : Dalyte Kodzis, Anna Samborska i Lily Storm w świat marzeń wprowadzili

instrumentaliści Paweł Walerowsi i Susan Worland. Znana i lubiana łowiczańska Kapela

podbiła serca całej widowni.

Na zakończenie jak i poprzednio nie zabrakło wspólnych śpiewów najpiękniejszch kolęd.

Nie zabrakło zaproszenia na 10 stycznia do Martinez, na wieczór Macieja Danka,

doroczny wieczór muzyki i poezji pod tytułem “Zatoka Poezji”.

Przytulony do ciepła samochodu wracałem do domu. Jakiś taki inny. Świąteczny w

duchu. Następnego ranka i ja postawiłem i ustroiłem u siebie choinkę. Wieczorem kolęd i

do mnie doszedł przyjemny czas oczekiwania na święta Bożego narodzenia. Już dziś też

planuję swe wyjście na siódmy, przyszłoroczny wieczór słowiańskich kolęd.

Dziękuję wszystkim występującym i organizatorom, za dar świątecznego nastroju. ❒

Wspaniały koncert kolęd Ryszard Urbaniak

Czekałem z niecierpliwością na to wydarzenie rok cały. Warto było.

Father Dan saved St. Nick from 3

Father Greg pieced together a bishop‟s

outfit from the old, long-disused

vestments stored in the rectory attic. He

also found an elderly bearded parishioner

named Ed Kamiński who agreed to play

the part. At each appearance, Mr.

Kamiński as Święty Mikołaj and Father

Dan as the emcee debunked the

commercialized Santa myth of elves, red-

nosed reindeer, North Pole workshop,

Mrs. Claus, sliding down chimneys and

the “ho-ho-ho” business promoted by

advertisers, sales promoters, song writers

and others out to fleece the public. The

message they got across instead was that

ST. NICHOLAS COMES DOWN FROM

HE AV EN I N SP I R I T EACH

DECEMBER, QUIZZES KIDS ON

THEIR RPAYERS AND GOOD DEEDS

AND REWARDS THEM WITH SMALL

GIFTS TO INPSIRE THEM TO SHARE

WHAT THEY HAVE WITH OTHERS.

Father Dan put his flair for drawing to

good use and created a coloring picture

that explained that St. Nicholas was NOT

AN OVERSIZED ELF FROM THE

NORTH POLE, BUT A SAINTLY

BISHOP FROM HEAVEN.

The word soon got around the medium-

sized Midwestern town and other area

parishes, this PNA group, that PRCUA

branch, a Falcons nest, a Polish Club or

veterans‟ post in a neighboring

community all wanted the real Święty

Mikołaj to turn up at their gatherings.

There was a write-up in the local

newspaper, and soon the Associated Press

picked up on a nice holiday-themed

human-interest piece. Father Dan

appeared on radio and TV talk shows.

The general message he conveyed was:

“The pop-culture mainstream has our kids

sufficiently brainwashed with its cartoon

characters, action movies, violent

computer games, loud music and all the

high-priced gadgets that they are

supposed to „want‟ for Christmas. Those

who create all the advertising gimmicks

are unconcerned about our youngsters‟

welfare and future and interested only in

maximum profits, so they peddle their

passing fads to the detriment of time-

honored traditions.”

“A St. Nicholas figure is especially

needed in today‟s America to add a sense

of balance to the pop-culture brain-

washing our kids are subjected to by

MTV, Hollywood, computer games and

the whole culture of rampant

commercialism. Who is better suited to

tell kids that it is better to give than to

receive, that goodness is its own reward

and that egoism is responsible for all the

bad things we see around us? The real St.

Nicholas symbolizes kindness, gentleness

and anonymous altruism – doing good

without waiting to be thanked. Isn‟t that

what‟s lacking in today‟s selfish, violent

times?” Among those concerned about

our youngsters‟ welfare, such reasoning

stirred many a heart and mind. ❒

Katyn executioners

named

A December 15, 2008 article in the

news.pl reports... The Russian Memorial

Society NGO, investigating the “Katyn

massacre”, has discovered a list of

names of Soviet secret agents

responsible for murdering thousands of

Polish officers in 1940. The man in charge of the mass murder

is thought to be personally responsible for

the death of 50,000 people over a long

and bloody career.

Researcher Nikita Pietrov has got hold

of a list of officers of the NKVD - a

forerunner to the KGB - who participated

in the Katyn massacre, where up to

22,000 Polish officers were murdered in

prison camps and forests in Russia.

The head executioner turns out to be the

then 45-year-old Vasilij Blochin. Making

his first kill of Russian dissidents in 1927

he went on to execute people regularly for

the next 29 years, causing the death of an

estimated 50,000.

Records indicate that Blochin was

especially trusted by Stalin, who used him

to eliminate many of his enemies, real and

imagined. The Katyn massacre was

among the executioner‟s special tasks for

which he received considerable reward

once Stalin signed their fate in the spring

of 1940.

Researcher Nikita Pietrov claims that

the Soviet secret police rewarded not only

high ranking officers involved in the

murders, but also drivers, typists and

ordinary soldiers.

The Soviets initially claimed that that

Nazi soldiers were responsible for the

Katyn massacre. But after an investigation

in the 1990s, Moscow admitted that it was

in fact the NKVD who were responsible

but have since refused, both to label the

massacre as „genocide‟, or carry out

prosecutions against those still alive who

took part.

Nikita Pietrov of NGO Memorial

Society is trying to establish and reveal

the names of all Katyn executioners who

are still being protected against war crime

trials by the Russian authorities. (jm/pg)

Source: Gazeta Wyborcza ❒

__________

Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year

Molly and Mark Romeo

Janek’s Corner from 4

thanks to the long-term scheme, the city

can now be proud of the Hybrid-buses and

low-energy-use trams that operate on a

daily basis in the city. These means of

transportation are being employed during

the Conference to be primarily used by

the Conference’s guests.

First signs of the positive influence

on the city The most important fact that should be

noticed is the public optimism in the

success of the organization of the

Conference. The majority of Poznaniaks

think that it is a very important event for

Poznań that can result in a number of

opportunities for the city and its

inhabitants. Moreover, the organization of

the Conference has greatly contributed to

the development of the local infrastructure

including growth of the local airport, new

roads and serviced accommodation.

The Conference is said to be a valuable

check before the European Football

Championship in 2012. Poznań is going

to be a host city. ❒

__________