Tag Archives: Poland

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In Poland.

BBC reports:

Women in Poland have gone on strike in protest against proposals for a total ban on abortion.

They marched through the streets wearing black as a sign of mourning for their reproductive rights.

Women who oppose the ban are staying away from work and school and refusing to do domestic chores, in a protest inspired by a women’s strike in Iceland in 1975.

Anti-abortion protests are being held around the country too.

Women took to the streets of the capital city, Warsaw, in a pro-choice march on what they are calling “Black Monday”.

Further to this…

People who wish to express their solidarity with women in Poland are invited to bring a candle to the Polish consulate on Eden Quay this evening between 5.30 to 7pm.

Dublin – Solidarity with Polish women on strike (Facebook)

Black Monday: Women in Poland go on strike against abortion ban (BBC)

UPDATE:

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Lenny Abrahamson writes:

Huge protests happening in Poland against a full scale attack on women’s rights. They are asking for support from abroad…

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Are ya Having That writes:

‘LeatherJacketGuy’ Tastes Every Polish Beer He Could Find & Tells Us Some ‘Crazy Facts About Polish People!’

Meanwhile….
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From left: Minister of State Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Polish Ambassador to Ireland Ryszard Sarkowicz, President of Leinster Rugby Robert McDermott and Leinster player Isaac Boss  launching the PolskaÉire Festival at Donnybrook Stadium

Come see the giants of Polish rugby in Dublin.

Sękowska-Moroney Nikola writes:

Polish and Irish rugby teams will meet for the first time in history for a friendly match on May 21st, as part of this year’s PolskaÉire Festival.

Arka Gdynia, Poland’s champions, will face a Leinster Representative Side in this historic encounter. Witness history in the making and join us on May 21st at Donnybrook Stadium…

FIGHTSKI!

PolskaÉire Festival

Pic: Rafał Kostrzewa

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Um.

Ted writes:

“There seems to be only 3 lonely seats left at the Aviva Lansdowne Road Nua for the EURO 2016 qualifier against Poland on March 29…Full price of course.”

RUN!

Uefa Euro 2016 (Ticketmaster)

Meanwhile, in rugby…

tickets

Bugger.

Anon writes:

Mad shocked at the price differences for 6 Nations tickets…

Viagogo

yaltaWinston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at Yalta, Crimea February 1945

The Yalta Conference.

Seventy years ago this week.

Ironically, one of the main aims of the Yalta conference got turned on its head and has shown the extraordinary turns of history. This was the aim of all the participants to punish Germany and split it into four military zones and possibly into two or three separate ‘agricultural’ Germanies, to prevent it ever coming back as one big power again, to dominate and disrupt the world.

However, with a Cold War growing, the West realised that it needed a strong Germany, and the Soviets followed suit by building up Eastern Germany. Seventy years later, and with the two Germanies united, the country is at the absolute centre of Europe, running the EU and acting as economic powerhouse for the entire continent.

…many Poles never forgave the way that they were sold into Communism by the British, having seen Britain enter the war to save them from Hitler. It is interesting that Churchill, who made much of Chamberlain’s appeasement and trust in Hitler, should himself suffer the same with the Soviet leader.

The port of Yalta and the great global carve-up (Eamon Delaney, Independent.ie)

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Extraordinarily haunting drone footage of Auschwitz-Birkenau by BBC News. To wit:

Drone video shows the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp as it is today – 70 years after it was liberated by Soviet troops. The camp in Poland is now maintained as a World Heritage Site and is visited by thousands of tourists and survivors every year. Auschwitz was the largest camp established by the Germans during World War II. More than a million people – the vast majority of them Jews – died there between 1940, when it was built, and 1945, when it was liberated by the Soviet army.

Railway tracks into Auschwitz-Birkenau – Trains filled with victims from throughout occupied Europe arrived at the camp almost every day between 1942 and the summer of 1944.

Ruins of wooden huts at Birkenau – Birkenau (or Auschwitz II) was erected in 1941 solely as a death camp, the wooden huts are now in ruins with only brick fireplaces and chimneys remaining.

Entrance to Auschwitz I -The wrought-iron sign over the entrance bears the words Arbeit Macht Frei – “Work sets you free”. The brick-built buildings were the former cavalry barracks of the Polish Army.

Courtyard between blocks 10 and 11 at Auschwitz I – Block 11 was called “the Block of Death” by prisoners. Executions took place between Block 10 and Block 11 and posts in the yard were used to string up prisoners by their wrists.

fullist/BBCNews

(H/T: Kevin Whitty)

krakow

This morning.

Krakow International Airport, Poland.

Martin C writes:

Ryanair’s new classy image is just a pile of marketing cock….
I figured it was a good idea to take the kids on a break to see Auschwitz/Birkenau for a couple of days but we’re stranded in Krakow airport now, day number 2 due to freezing fog nothing leaving or landing (I only know that because of flightradar24 when I get the odd sliver of wifi) and it’s all stacking up however Ryanair have NO STAFF on the ground, ZERO ASSISTANCE, chaos…upset kids, angry adults and the airport have stupidly kept cramming people into the airside gate area like cattle knowing full well nothing is happening (the flight boards have the flights up but with bullsh*t times, you can see some flights circling now for over an hour with flightradar24, others like mine haven’t even left their origin you liars) having use of a laptop and wifi is all fine and well for someone like me but there’s a lot of older people in the frame that are not internet savvy, trying to help them out I’m becoming some sort of a mini-travel agent…MICHAEL O’LEARY GET SOME FUPPING BUSSES ORGANISED NOW TO TAKE US TO BERLIN OR SOME AIRPORT THAT YOU CAN LAND YOUR PLANES INTO TO GET US OUT OF HERE AND HOME. PLEASE.

Anyone?