Webster, Mass. (PMN)—The American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) is scheduling its 12th Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) for June 20-26, 2010, in Washington, D.C., according to Committee Chairman Irena Mirecki. The Conference seeks to assist and inspire high school graduates and college students of Polish background, ages 17-26, who are interested in civic and political activism to realize their full potential and assume leadership roles in various fields at all levels of society.

The conference is an up-close and intensive opportunity for young Polish Americans, chosen from all over the U.S., to explore the political processes and interact with national and international leaders in the realms of foreign policy, business, science, education, journalism, culture, and Polish American and East Central European affairs.

The general format of the Conference is as follows:

• Mornings – meetings with government and other leaders in their working environments.
• Afternoons – lectures on related historical, political and leadership topics/processes.
• Evenings – selected working evenings are spent in informal seminars or dinners with individuals who exemplify leadership qualities in their fields.

The sessions are held at such sites as the Library of Congress, U.S. Congress, think tanks and local universities.

In the past, the Youth Leadership Conference has given the students opportunities to meet with U.S. Senators and Representatives, government officials in the departments of State, Commerce, Treasury, Defense, and in Intelligence, nationally known journalists and authors, political scientists, officials of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, and prominent figures of Polonia, business, and the professions.

Detailed instructions for applying may be obtained from the ACPC website at http://www.polishcultureacpc.org or by contacting YLC Chairman Irena Mirecki at (703) 241-1149, or irena@mirecki.us .

[The foregoing is adapted from material prepared by Jo Louise Winters.]

Hamtramck, Michigan (PMN)—The Piast Institute, a national institute for Polish and Polish-American Affairs, and the co-founder and President of the Institute, Dr. Thaddeus C. Radzilowski, were featured in a front page article of the December 17, 2009, issue of the Detroit Free Press.

In the past, states the article, the United States has documented where its people hail from by using the U.S. census, conducted every 10 years as mandated in the Constitution. But the 2010 census form, in a departure from 2000 and previous decades, will not contain a question asking people about their ancestry, prompting concern among metro Detroit's diverse ethnic communities.

Government officials say they eliminated the ancestry question, along with several others, because they wanted a shorter form that will make it easier for people to complete. But ethnic groups are worried that they might lose their fair share of federal and private dollars since institutions often rely on census data to allocate funds. They say "white" isn't enough on the 2010 census form.

"There is no such thing as white culture," said Thaddeus Radzilowski, President of the Piast Institute, a Polish-American group in Hamtramck that is one of 56 census Information Centers in the United States and the only one in Michigan. Having the ancestry question "provides a better notion of our pluralistic society and who we are," Radzilowski said.

Washington, D.C.-Congressman Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) issued a statement on December 17, 2009, after his provision to extend the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) was included in H.R. 4321, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act. The measure would extend the VWP for an additional two years, so that the United States can ultimately make permanent the VWP and extend visa-free travel privileges to Poland.

The VWP expired this summer, but Quigley's provision would extend it to June 30, 2011. The Homeland Security Department is currently working on developing plans to modernize the program.

"Poland is a staunch ally of and great friend to the United States. As a member of the European Union and the North Atlantic Trade Organization, Poland has been steadfast in its commitment to freedom and democratic ideals," Quigley stated. "Eighteen years ago, the Polish government repealed a visa requirement for United States citizens traveling to Poland, and now we must make this diplomatic courtesy a two-way street"

Quigley added, "This is especially meaningful to the families of the thriving Polish community in the 5th district, and will make it much easier for their relatives to visit the United States. Poland has done so much for America, and it is our turn to repay this great nation. I am honored that Congressman Gutierrez and the nearly 100 supporters of this bill felt strongly that this provision should be included, and I look forward to working with them to help this bill become law."

In his first term in Congress, Quigley has emerged as an outspoken advocate for Poland and Polish-Americans. He has spoken on the House floor in support of the inclusion of Poland as a country that may participate in the Visa Waiver Program and also co-sponsored and helped pass a measure to grant honorary citizenship to Polish general Casimir Pulaski. Quigley continues to work with the Polish Embassy in Washington and Polish Ambassador Robert Kupiecki.

Brooklyn, N.Y.--Old-timers remember the song that began with the words, "The Old Grey Mare, She Ain’t What She Used To Be." According to Frank Milewski, President of the Upper New York Division of the Polish American Congress (PAC), "These words seem especially appropriate today when you look at the direction the New York Times is sadly heading. Accuracy and credibility are not what they used to be at the paper."

The latest gaffe, says Milewski, appeared in a recent story about the theft of the sign the Germans put above the Auschwitz gate when they operated the death camp in World War II. With the Times once again revealing its inability to grasp basic facts about the war, it failed to include Poles among the victims held at Auschwitz.

In her December 24, 2009, report on the theft of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" ["Work Makes Freedom"] sign at Auschwitz, Judy Dempsey listed "Jews, Roma, homosexuals, conscientious objectors, and Soviet and German political prisoners" as the victims in Auschwitz. Poles are not mentioned at all.

In view of the oversight, the PAC felt it had to respond. In a letter to the Public Editor of the New York Times, the PAC referred to the numbers of victims killed at Auschwitz. "Regardless which numbers are (or were) used, Jews are indisputably the largest group," stated the PAC, "Poles are the second largest."

The PAC correspondence added, "Our question about the way the New York Times reports the Holocaust is particularly pertinent in view of numerous interpretations your newspaper has used in the past. Quite frequently, the Times has chosen to call Auschwitz a ‘Polish’ death camp instead of describing it as the ‘German’ death camp it was."

Hamtramck, Michigan (PMN)—The Piast Institute, a national institute for Polish and Polish-American affairs, has announced its presence on the popular social networking sites Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. In accordance with its mission of "Building a New Polonia for the 21st Century" Piast constantly seeks new ways to connect and involve Polonia of all ages in the hope of bringing Polonia from different backgrounds together. The Institute believes a non-stop presence in the virtual world of Facebook and Twitter will help it gain exposure, promoting Polish and Polish American culture and issues among younger members of the Polish American community.

"The digital world around us is constantly changing, and as a community we have to be able to keep up with the technology to keep the younger generation interested in things Polish," says Dominik Stecula, the Director of Research at the Piast Institute. But, social networking is not only about youth. "According to Pew Research Center the percentage of American adults who have a profile on social networking sites quadrupled in the last five years and now stands at 35%. This is the future and as a community we have to learn how to utilize Facebook, Twitter and whatever the future will bring us to our advantage."

The Institute intends to update its social profiles with important information, reports and events, so it will be an easy way for someone interested in the Polish American community to stay connected and informed.

To follow Piast on Facebook, simply log on to http://www.facebook.com and search for the Piast Institute and for the Friends of Piast. To keep up with tweets, connect with Piast at http://www.twitter.com/piastinstitute. To get the visual behind the work of the Institute at Flickr, look for Piast Institute at http://www.flickr.com.

To be added to the Piast Institute e-mail list, send a request to info@piastinstitute.org. For more information, contact Virginia Skrzyniarz at (313) 733-4535 or by e-mail at skrzyniarz@piastinstitute.org.

San Diego, Calif. (PMN)—Project In Posterum [Project for the Future] is a non-profit corporation established in 2004 in California with the announced purpose of being organized "for the specific purpose of preserving and popularizing selected subjects of World War II history and its aftermath with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe." The stated goals, according to the organization’s website, will be achieved through facilitating the growth and development of online and traditional publishing resources of related documents and information for the general public with a special attention toward students.

Current projects include:

• Warsaw Uprising 1944 — An online presentation at http://www.warsawuprising.com of photographs, film clips, documents, memoirs, personal accounts, and related event materials. The project involves conducting research, digitizing documents and photographs, collecting and translating testimonies, as well as providing support for projects promoting the subject of the Warsaw Uprising in educational programs and media.

• Zegota – An online presentation at http://www.zegota.org of materials related to rescuing Jews in German-occupied Poland, with an emphasis on the history of Zegota, the Council to Aid Jews. The project involves collecting testimonies, photographs, and documents related to both the rescued and the rescuers. It appears that the website is a work in progress.

• Saving Jews – An online database at http://www.savingjews.org of Polish Christians who lost their lives saving Jews during World War II, as well as the Polish rescuers of Jews recognized by Yad Vashem as the Righteous Among the Nations. Project In Posterum is a custodian of the website.

Translating Memoirs – Translating from Polish to English testimonies and memoirs of the Warsaw Uprising veterans.

For more information contact Project In Posterum, P.O. Box 501923, San Diego, CA 92150-1923 or visit http://www.projectinposterum.org .

Washington, D.C. (PMN)—A two-day conference commemorating the life and works of the prolific Polish avant-garde writer and artist Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz (better known as Witkacy) is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, February 25-26, 2010, at the National Polish Center in Washington, D.C.

Witkacy’s impressive contributions to drama, literature, painting, portraiture, photography, and philosophy reflected a unique world view that often intimately combined artistic form with socio-political content. On the 125th anniversary of his birth, National Polish Center aims to reassess his work, to demonstrate his continuing relevance in the 21st Century, and to build on the growing and diverse studies devoted to the artist in Poland and in the U.S.

The Center has issued a call for papers and contributions to the topic: "Witkacy: 21st Century Perspectives." A selection committee will consider all submissions, but will favor those devoted to studies that focus on the interplay of the individual versus society in Witkacy’s work across the genres.

Contact Mark Rudnicki at mrudnick@gmu.edu regarding the deadline and rules for submission of abstracts, which should be 250-300 words in length and sent in a Microsoft Word document.

The conference keynote speakers will be Prof. Lech Sokol of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences and Prof. Daniel Gerould of the City University of New York (CUNY). For more information on the conference and other events surrounding the Witkacy2010 Festival, visit http://www.witkacy2010.com.

General information about the National Polish Center may be found at http://www.nationalpolishcenter.org.

GENERAL PULASKI BECOMES
“SQUIRRLEY” IN OLEANS, N.Y. 

Olean, New York—The December 22, 2009, issue of the Olean Times Herald, announced in an article by Chris Chapman that “A new squirrel has invaded the landscape of the city; this one has a military rank and a proud tradition attached. Gen. Casimir Krupnik, sponsored by the Pulaski Club, has made his debut in the area.” The statement was attributed to Amy Sherburne, “Woodland in the City” project director.

The name Gen. Casimir Krupnik is a combination of the namesake of the club, Brig. Gen. Casimir Pulaski, and a traditional Polish drink, called Krupnik.

The Pulaski Club informed the writer that Gen. Pulaski is known as the father of the American Cavalry, after being appointed its head by George Washington during the American Revolutionary War in 1773. He came to the colonies after being outlawed by the Russian government for his ideal of a free Poland. The drink, Chapman learned via an Internet search, is a honey liqueur, and a Polish and Lithuanian tradition.

Club President Mark Whiteman said, “[Members of the] Pulaski Club were pleased to get involved with the Woodland in the City, and giving back to the community.” The members of the club voted on the name, as well.

The general’s whimsical sculpture was the 50-hour creation of area artist Jim Douglas. He has created two others.

The creation of the squirrel, from blank fiberglass shell to the general himself, can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watchv=E4YXYsv3Uv8, set to the music of Social Distortion.

Gen. Casimir Krupnik is the 27th squirrel to find a home in Olean’s Woodland in the City program.