A Polish Historian about Poland

Have a look (French)

The Bros from Warsaw

There is such an over-the-top absence of any form of intelligence in what the Polish government, through the speeches of its two major representatives, said in the last days before the Brussels meeting of the European Council took place.
One thing made such a big and bad impression on me: in an attempt to change the voting system of the future European Council ( that should be derived whatsoever both from the calculation of national entities and population), it has been said that the Polish weight on it should be calculated also summing up all the victims that Poland suffered during II WW. It is one of those assessments that are against any form of logically-structured way of reasoning.
I guess that the Czech Prime Minister, Topolanek, said something that sums up my thoughts:“When I heard that, I felt a cold stream running through my back.“
What strikes me so much is the stupidity that this couple of last-minute politicians are able to condensate in 80% of the things they say. I have the feeling that they do not represent so many of the things I knew about Poland and its beautiful and curious, tollerant and sensitive people. I am so disappointed on one side, and sad on the other because I have the feeling that there is no way that this is going to change soon. The Polish government seemed able to be pro the American government even after these catastrophical 7 years of the Bush jr ´s Foreign Policy (that is rather a miracle); it is close minded, filled up with rancid catholic intolerance, against Germany, Russia and EU, apparently, and not coping really well with the problem of the thousands of Poles, that every year are going abroad to be better off than back home.
I think that being European implies also to have the right to criticize politicians of foreign countries when they are going over the top: I hope the Brothers will leave their posts soon: Poland deserves much better and Europe needs Poland much more than Poland needs the two racist brothers living in the world of rage.

Have a look

NY Times on Capo Verde

Suicide rates have been worldwide increasing

An interesting article about a global phenomenon...
The Economist

On-line learning plus some other stuff.

If any of you is interested or knows somebody who is, please get some more infos.
Have a look.
It is raining a lot in here, the internship is fine, the old job in the restaurant is still bearable.
I´ll go to Barcelona for three days in August: the summary of my sommer vacations.
Does any one know some people in Kassel? We need a place to stay for one night soon.

Australien und die Einsamkeit

Australien sieht ganz oft so aus. Niemand ist da und man kann entdecken, was eigentlich das Gefühl "allein in der Natur zu sein" bedeutet. Wir sind leider nicht mehr daran gewohnt.

nah ja...

What kind of person am I (become)? After more than a year in Berlin I have not created anything similar to a circle of friends or anything like acquaintances...sounds terrible even to me that I write it now...there have been the few European volunteers I have been in a good contact with: they are all gone: they were very few anyway...there have been the few people I knew in here...I guess I can count them on one hand...none of them is listed as a friend...and I am listening to my inner feelings...the few friends are those who were friends even before I came in here...not a good sign.

So considering the fact that I cannot complain about the absence of chances to know new people in such a big city, I guess I have to turn to myself...it is not about the environment.
I am probably changed a lot: I can hardly stand company for longer than an half an hour if I get to think that the conversation is not bringing me anywhere, unless it is the first time I talk to this person, or unless I am in a very good mood - in such a situation that usually happens seldom...I feel also scared by the choice of the topic: in such situations I am often looking for a new topic to talk about all the time...Even when I feel I could have never ending monologues, I can hardly keep on for more than a couple of minutes...could it be listed as depression? I actually feel very well and I do read and learn new stuff with pleasure everyday....but I turn into something really misanthropical with such an big ease...
I have spent most of the last months either alone or with one person...in the last days I realized that it happens kind of often that I do not say a word for eight or ten hours in a row...that is scaring, mostly because I find it relaxing and not so uncomfortable...
Fortunately I start a new work experience on Monday: I guess I shall have to speak a bit more with people, just people...

G8, the people and the rest of the world

What are all the people (minus a couple of thousands of idiots with rocks in hand) in Rostock/Heiligendamm standing for? Do we know that? Do they know that?
For few days in June the Chefs of Government/State of the 7 richest countries in the world - plus the rich-in-natural-resources-poor-in-democratic-standards Russia - will meet in an ex residence of the German kings, protected by the most sophisticated security systems, by two circles of iron and some thousands policemen.
That is a fact.
We also know what they will mainly discuss about, and we also know how hard will it be to find agreements over some topics (Kyoto, liberalization in agricultural products, HIV help in Africa) and how easy will it be to find it over some others (Libralization of Services, Deregulation and Fight on Terror). We can already forsay that the results will not probably emprove the life conditions of the most, not even when considering the trade-offs on a national base.
What are then the people on the streets of Rostock standing for?
Ungerechtigkeit der Welt, said a girl I talked to last week. It means: the injustice(s) of this world. That is a point, a good one but also a very general one. Many of those are probably standing for the same (vague) idea. I do agree.
The problem, for me, is that many of the people, who go there to show their dislike for the effects of the globalization and of the internationalization and decentralization of the different national economies (plus some other things), are totally missing any kind of idea, plan, program, even a slogan, serious enough to be considered an alternative, a credible platform of ideas, not just for themselves but for the whole group of possible world-listeners.
I did not believe that until few days ago, actually, for I did always consider the "Movement", or whatsoever is nowadays called, a serious and accountable mix of "good" people, on the average, with plans, programs and projects that go on anyway.
(My point is also that these things still happen: there is unfortunately no more global movement, though.)
When the first demonstrations in Rostock took place, the so called "Black Blocks" and their hormonal and macho violence reached any German Broadcast while anything, not connected with that violence, lost importance and relevance. Exactly like in Genoa in 2001 - but 9/11 had not happened yet.
After the new few-men-show of the stree riots I changed my mind.
Why? Keep on reading, please.
It is unbelievable to hear speakers of some of the organizations present at the contro-meeting (or reading a TAZ journalist´s opinion) declaring that, in the end, having these groups of dudes dressing black shirts and throwing stones - when not firing up anything on their way - is a sort of price the "Movement" has to pay, everytime a big event takes place. They do not say that so clearly but, when they do not mark the distance from the violent, when they are not trying to show that the contents (where are they?) they stand for are totally different, when they keep on demonstrate next to this misanthropical amount of overexcited idiots, what else are they implying?!
In reply to such a critic, they would tell me:"Well, you should come here and see"...what kind of hope is there for a movement that chooses such a philosophy: "Something is always better than nothing"?! What would happen, if the meeting did not take place...? It is not a rhetoric question.
This Heiligendamm-meeting will be another such-a-meeting, where the politicians will spend their time in a castel, will have a couple of press conferences and, at the end, will go back home to their usual business; where most of the "normal" people will demonstrate against everything (police, security measures, globalization, Africa, pollution, global-warming and the Iraqi War - sorry if I have forgotten something...); where the retarted will have shown off their muscles; where the German police will have smelt some more people, like in the DDR times; and where those 86% of the world population, that is not represented by those 8 Mesdames et Monsieurs, will have an even worse opinion on the ability of that 14% to choose (their representatives) for the better...
...and where hopefully nobody will be killed.
....good news, uh...?

I have also found a job for the summer!

Well I guess that in the last five days so many things have happened.
I will be working, for free, obviusly, in this private Insitute for the summer.
Tomorrow I am going to the first German wedding of my life.
That is already a lot, uh?

Elliott Smith and the end of May...

I am here, listening "Miss Misery" and some other songs once more...it is so loud that the sound of his fingers sliding on the strings could be annoying...and maybe they are....
His music has amused for ages, since those days I really discovered him with Paul, in Brno, when the winter 2004-2005 was not gone yet...late, much later than I should have done...a cuple of yeras before that my ex-girlfriend had talked about him but I was not curious enough, probably, so when I heard the first couple of songs I was not so impressed.
Later his music turned to be a source of ever-changing feelings and emotions for myself...Elliott Smith is me writing my essay, sitting at the desk before finishing university, is being in love, being dismissed, being here and there, happy or sentimental, on the train or in a bus in Australia...
I would define his death one of the biggest losses that my "Education Sentimentale" has experienced.
They chose me for this Master...I am happy but already considering whether I should say yes or wait for the other one in German.
Take care you all, those who like Elliott Smith particularly...