The story of Akiane Kramarik. Of course, the sort of personal revelations she recounts are not matters of faith, but very individual. In addition, revelations which may occur, and which are left unguided, degenerate into a fragile human, very fallible “spiritual” construct with little basis in the truth of the Divine. Nonetheless, she paints beautifully.
From TheSpec: City tries again for social housing funds
The city is pitching four social housing projects to the province in hopes of receiving a final slice of government stimulus cash.
The city’s previous applications — which included a proposal to turn the former Royal Connaught Hotel into mixed-use housing — were all turned down. This application is Hamilton’s last chance to receive funding from the joint federal-provincial program.
The proposals the city chose to submit were judged based on several criteria, including cost, the bidder’s background, site and construction readiness, and location, said Rick Male, the city’s director of financial services.
The four housing proposals, which were approved by council recently, were the highest-scoring submissions of the 13 compliant projects submitted.
The city’s top priority is a proposal from the Hellenic Community of Hamilton and District. It asks for $210,000 to turn an old fire hall on its property into four affordable housing units, which would add to the 39 units the non-profit organization already operates, said Nathan Hondronicols, president of the Hellenic Community.
The second priority on the list, submitted by Homestead Christian Care, is for 46 housing units at the site of a former bar on Main Street East. The two final proposals, which were also included in the last round of applications, are proposals for 27 units for families on Burton Street and 59 units for seniors on Upper Gage.
There’s about $120 million up for grabs this round, said Brent Whitty of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Successful projects will be announced by the end of March.
In the previous application, the controversial Connaught proposal was listed as the city’s top priority for funding. Tony Battaglia, spokesperson for the group that owns the Connaught, said he was surprised to learn the proposal was excluded from this round of applications after it was listed as the city’s first priority last time.
Anthony Jasinski, treasurer of the Canadian diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church of Canada, shares Battaglia’s concern. His church’s proposal for 83 units on Barton Street was included in the last round but nixed this time.
“We’re very upset,” he said. “We’re still fuming over this last result and we’d like to know what it is that invalidated us.”
Of course, governments reaching decisions in secret, or according to subjective criteria, is not the sole province of communist or authoritative regimes. It happens in Canada too. A good RFP process should result in scored rankings which are then open to all. After-all, it is the public’s money, and they should be able to judge whether the process was properly followed and whether the RFPs were equitably scored.
From the NY Times: Poland Looks Inward After Film Puts ‘Mall Girl’ Culture on View
WARSAW — They loiter at the mall for hours, young teenage girls selling their bodies in return for designer jeans, Nokia cell phones, even a pair of socks.
Katarzyna Roslaniec, a former film student, first spotted a cluster of mall girls three years ago, decked out in thigh-high latex boots. She followed them and chatted them up over cigarettes. Over the next six months, the teens told her about their sex lives, about the men they called “sponsors,” about their lust for expensive labels, their absent parents, their premature pregnancies, their broken dreams.
Ms. Roslaniec, 29, scribbled their secrets in her notepad, memorizing the way they peppered their speech with words like “frajer” — “loser” in English.
She gossiped with them on Grono.net, the Polish equivalent of Facebook. Soon, she had a large network of mall girls.
The result is the darkly devastating fictional film, “Galerianki,” or Mall Girls, which premiered in Poland in the autumn and has provoked an ongoing national debate about moral decadence in this conservative, predominantly Catholic country, 20 years after the fall of Communism.
The film tells the story of four teenage girls who turn tricks in the restrooms of shopping malls to support their clothing addiction. It has attained such cult status that parents across the country say they are confiscating DVDs of the film for fear it provides a lurid instruction manual.
The revelation that Catholic girls, some from middle-class families, are prostituting themselves for a Chanel scarf or an expensive sushi dinner is causing many here to question whether materialism is polluting the nation’s soul…
Adam Bogoryja-Zakrzewski, a journalist who made a documentary about mall girls, said the phenomenon had laid bare the extent to which the powerful Polish Catholic church — anti abortion, anti-gay and anti-contraception — was out of touch with the younger generation, for whom sex, alcohol and consumerism held more appeal. “The shopping mall has become the new cathedral in Poland,” he said…
In Communist times the Church offered a viable alternative to the status quo and the government agenda. What was lost in the transition is the sense of Catholic faith as a viable alternative.
People reacted quickly to the economic and political changes in Poland. The money came out of the mattresses and people began to take care of more than basic needs. One of the earliest rush purchases was of “Goldstar VCRs.” People bought them like candy. Generally, the public were very agile in redirecting according to the social condition – a more natural and normal situation.
Unfortunately, the Church did not adapt to the new status quo in Poland and left a gap between people’s expectations and the Church’s reality. The Roman Church in Poland threw itself headlong into politics and the reclamation of ‘lost property.’ While the older generations, already conditioned to Church as a part of their social identity, have remained in the Church, younger people have abandoned the Church.
The reasons start with the lack of adaptation and relevancy in the new socio-political order in Poland, the appearance of greed and political gamesmanship early on (including politically motivated homilies on Sundays). That was exacerbated by paedophilia/paederasty scandals, the discovery of a number of clergy, including high ranking bishops who were in league with the communist government, and the Church’s voice being overshadowed by religio-political movements such as the Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk’s Radio Maryja (more-or-less the neo-cons of Poland).
For more on this see The Battle for Souls by Jan Puhl:
The Roman Catholic Church sees itself as the custodian of Polish culture. Even today, it still carries weight in the nation’s politics. But fewer and fewer people are obeying its commandments…
Those fewer and fewer are the young, the future. They are at the mall…
A Serbian-Canadian’s reflection of NATO’s involvement in the internal affairs of Serbia. Also recall that NATO bombed Serbia on Easter Sunday. From The Bloody Catholic Easter 1999 by Dr. Vladimir Ajdacic at Swans
Easter is the most sacred and the happiest day for Christians. However, the people of Yugoslavia will never forget Easter 1999. NATO, led by the Americans, carried out vicious bombing attacks on a variety of civilian targets in Yugoslavia. Despite a message and request from the Pope not to bomb during this important Christian holy day, NATO bloodied their hands. The patriarch of the Russian Eastern Orthodox Church, Aleksej II, predicted their actions correctly. NATO’s message, written on the bombs and tomahawk missiles was, “Easter presents to the Serbs”…
Similarly, NATO working outside its bounds in Afghanistan, continues to ‘mis-target’ civilians.
From the December 2009 issue of the Cosmopolitan Review, published by the alumni of Poland in the Rockies, a biennial symposium in Polish studies held at Canmore, Alberta.
Work on this issue was in full swing before we suddenly realized that this is actually an anniversary issue. Cosmopolitan Review has turned one year old. Thanks for joining us on this adventure and stick around. It’s going to be a fun ride.
EXCITING NEWS: Poland in the Rockies Announces 2010 Symposium
Poland in the Rockies, the 10-day Polish studies symposium in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, is set for July 21-31, 2010. The slate of speakers is already posted on the website and it guarantees the liveliest exchange of ideas to be found anywhere between the Rockies and the Tatras.
What can I say about Poland, after one month in Warsaw? That the Poles have become more American than the Americans? If not entirely accurate, like other facile observations, there’s a grain of truth here. Part of the reason is that Poles are doing well these days. By Wanda Urbanska.
Someone once joked that the best thing about reading Reviews is that you can discuss the books at dinner parties without actually having to read them. Well, if you read the very best of the Reviews there is an element of truth in that, though do bear in mind that not all Reviews are created equal…
CONVERSATIONS A few questions for…Prof. Marek Suszko
As we reflect on the 20 years since the fall of communism in Europe and ponder what the future may hold, CR recently had a chance to ask a few questions of Professor Marek Suszko, who teaches at the Department of History at Loyola University in Chicago. He shared some insight about the positive developments that have taken place in Poland since 1989, the country’s role in the EU and its relationship with the United States.
HISTORY The Noble and Compassionate Heart of the Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijay Sinhi
Between August 1942 and November 1946, close to 1,000 Polish children and their guardians lived in idyllic settlements on the Kathiawar Peninsula in India not far from the summer residence of the Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijay Sinhi. They had come at the Maharaja’s invitation from orphanages in Ashkabad, the capital of Turkmenistan, and Samarkand … by Irene Tomaszewski.
FOOD for thought Google, Poland, cultural projections
Artist Ian Wojtowicz, a 2008 PitR alumnus, has put together an interactive animation inviting reflection about identity. TRY it (This is really cool!)
Op-Ed The Pole Position: be like Dexter and tap into your inner glee for success
Young professionals face a tough climb. They’re full of ambition, talent and determination, but the climb is often a tough one. The competition is plentiful and opportunities sparse. How than do you stand out from among the crowd? A hard work ethic and wisdom is important; but people also like working with those that they find interesting. By Filip Terlecki.
…and more.
Current Events, Media, Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia
Josh Ruebner, National Advocacy Director, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation will be presenting Thursday, February 25, 7PM at Albany Law School on “Military Aid to Israel: Legal, Political, Economic, and Humanitarian Impact.” The presentation is sponsored by the Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA)
Military Aid to Israel: Legal, Political, Economic, and Humanitarian Impact
Thursday, February 25
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Matthew Bender Room 425
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue,
Albany, New York 12208-3494
Between 2009-2018, the United States is scheduled to give Israel $30 billion in military aid. Through its illegal 42-year military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, Israel has misused U.S. weapons in violation of U.S. law to kill and injure Palestinian civilians, destroy Palestinian civilian infrastructure, blockade the Gaza Strip, and build illegal settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem. The average American taxpayer will pay $19.19 in military aid to Israel in 2010.
How much of this total will your community provide? Is this a good use of your tax dollars? What role do your taxes, here in Albany, play in perpetuating violence in the Middle East?
The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a national coalition of nearly 300 organizations working to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law, and equality.
Two from Interfaith Worker Justice:
Extend Unemployment and COBRA Now!
Are you unemployed? Do you know someone who is? Urgent action is needed to make sure that Congress extends the lifeline for workers by extending unemployment and COBRA coverage before the end of the month. Your response will help someone put food on the table, keep their lights on and of course, enable them to live with some dignity during this harsh economic climate. Click Here to take action!
This isn’t an issue of slackers who sit around enjoying a check. There are too few jobs for too many unemployed workers, approx. 1 job for every 4 persons unemployed. Further, the skill sets of many unemployed workers will not transfer forward. They will need significant retraining to be prepared for the time when jobs once again become available. Also remember that unemployment assistance, which is temporary help for people who are ready, willing, and able to work, makes an immediate economic impact. Those dollars are spent, returning $1.67 to the economy for every dollar in assistance.
Principles on Jobs
It is time for people of faith to act and bring their moral vision to the national conversation on jobs.
Interfaith Worker Justice has stood with workers in times of economic prosperity and stands with them now in this time of economic crisis. Yet we are continually confronted by stories of workers who want to work but can’t find jobs, workers whose hours have been cut from full time to part time and workers who have been victimized by employers who will not pay them for the work they have done.
Our religious traditions teach us that work is a sacred act, that when we labor we are “God’s hands” on earth. Those who work and those who cannot work must be treated fairly. “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages.” (Jeremiah 22:13)
As people of faith, we call for an economy that provides a good job for everyone who wants and needs one. While it is good and right to pass measures that can put some people back to work, it is not enough. All jobs should be good jobs, paying living wages and benefits, allowing workers dignity and a voice at the workplace, ensuring worker’s health and safety, and guaranteeing their right to organize unions.
IWJ has developed a “Statement of Principles” on Jobs that I have signed. Please join me in signing that principle statement.
If you are planning a wedding there are certain cautions you should take as a member of the PNCC. If your intended is a member of the R.C. Church, and you plan to marry in the PNCC, your intended may face difficulties with their pastor or bishop.
The core problem is that the R.C. Church requires that your intended obtain a “dispensation from canonical form“1 from their bishop. If they do not, your marriage will not be recognized by the R.C. Church. Note that if your intended does not do so, the Roman Church may consider you to be “living in sin.”
For years, the dialog between the PNCC and RC Churches has tried to resolve this issue (as well as the ability of PNCC members to stand as godparents in the RC Church). The PNCC has repeatedly requested that the Roman Church do away with this requirement. The main difference between the Apostolic Churches is that the sacrament in both the PNCC and Orthodox Churches2 are based on one sacramental theology while that theology differs in the Roman Church. In the PNCC and Orthodox Churches the priest is the minister of the sacrament. In the Roman Church the couple is said to be the minister of the sacrament.
Also of note, if you plan to marry in the R.C. Church, some priests therein may deny the Eucharist to your intended and their family. You do need to cover this issue with them in advance. If they insist that they cannot give your intended’s parents or family communion, grab the nearest pew missal and point to the section in the back regarding admittance to the Eucharist. If that doesn’t help — well that priest (or deacon) isn’t following the rules, so you may want to seek marriage in your PNCC parish.
Both of these problems are roadblocks placed in the way of PNCC members who attempt to practice and hold true to their faith. It has also been noted that some R.C. pastors and bishops have made the process of obtaining a dispensation extremely cumbersome for those intending to marry a member of the PNCC. Of course this is an attempt to coerce members of the PNCC.
While we may not like something, we should respect the theology of the R.C. Church3. We do expect them to respect ours in turn. So it comes down to politics and certain Roman bishops and priests who wish to “drive the point home” in opposition to the Roman Church’s own teaching on admission to Eucharist and avoidance of coercion.
So, take note and plan ahead. Talk to your intended’s pastor and attempt to obtain the “paperwork.” If you are marrying in his parish do cover the issue of Eucharistic reception because there have been well noted cases of grandma getting up to go to communion and being told to go away. That’s not the sort of sadness you need on your wedding day.
1 This from the R.C. Archdiocese of Chicago. It gives the general principals etc. Your intended’s diocese may have different requirements.
2 A dispensation from canonical form is required for validity in PNCC marriages while it is only required for liceity in Orthodox marriages. The requirements should, at-a-minimum, be the same since the theological argument is the same.
3 Of course it is inconsistent in relation to validity versus liceity.
My son now has orthodontia. One of the keys to successful treatment is really good oral hygiene. His orthodontist, Dr. Michael Parker (I’d very highly recommend him to anyone in the Albany area) suggested that for flossing he use a new product called the Platypus flosser. These are similar to flossers you can find in a drugstore etc, but they are molded differently so as to fit under the orthodontia. It is really quite inventive and easy to use.
In any event, the doctor gave us a sample and a website for ordering. The Platypus is not available in retail stores. I went on-line to order and… well… I could say pricy, but that would be an understatement. A bag of 25 is $13.95. That’s $0.558 per flossing experience.
Being the good dad, and wanting success for my son, I proceeded to order the flossers, taking advantage of a ‘two free bags when you order ten’ offer. That brought the per unit price down a little. In the midst of ordering I did become a bit incensed at the price and let the company know in the order for comment box. My statement basically indicated that they were overpriced for a piece of moulded plastic, that I didn’t like the price, and that I was ordering because there were no alternatives.
The shipment came today. Included therein was a 10% off coupon for my next order, and here’s the classy part, a personal note from Jessie Sturgis, their Marketing Coordinator. Needless to say, it was a very kind note, expressed understanding of my position, and indicated a commitment to lower prices once production picks up and they enter the retail market.
Ms. Sturgis, thank you for the time you took to speak to a customer and to understand the customer’s point-of-view. With that sort of class your company will go far.
Save the Date for Interfaith Worker Justice’s Public Policy Training!
March 14th-16th – Chicago
Learn from experts on the IWJ national staff and local organizational leaders. The trainers bring extensive experience in interfaith organizing, worker and union campaigns, and organizational development.
This Training is designed for:
Sessions covering…
IWJ National Office
1020 W Bryn Mawr, 4th floor
Chicago, IL 60660
More information on registration and costs is available at the IWJ website.
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