Polityka (Polish pronunciation: [pɔˈlitɨka], Politics) is a centre-left weekly newsmagazine in Poland. With a circulation of 170,000 (as of June 2006) it is the country's biggest selling weekly, ahead of Newsweek's Polish edition and Wprost. Today, the magazine has a slightly intellectual, social liberal profile, setting it apart from the more conservative Wprost and the glossier approach of Newsweek Poland. Prominent editors and permanent contributors include Adam Krzemiński, Janina Paradowska, Daniel Passent, Ludwik Stomma, Adam Szostkiewicz, Jacek Żakowski, Ryszard Kapuściński, Jerzy Urban, and Krzysztof Zanussi

Since 1959 Polityka awards its History Award (for history book of the year) and since 1993 it confers annually the Paszport Polityki awards for artists. Since late 1990s it also funds scholarships for young scientists.

Established in 1957, after the end of Polish Stalinism, the magazine slowly developed a reputation for moderately critical journalism, promoting economical way of thinking, although always remaining within the constraints of the tightly controlled press in a communist country. Notably, Polityka was launched to replace the more radical Po prostu (1947–1957). The magazine reached reputation in 1961, printing five parts of Adolf Eichmann's memoires, stolen by anti-Nazis and given to Polityka (the only other magazine, that acquired fragments of these memoires, was Life)^[1]. In 1983 the magazine was a subject of critics of Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for postulating political pluralism^[2]. Its long-time editor was Mieczysław Rakowski, later the last First Secretary of communist party and the last communist prime minister of Poland, who eventually concurred with the democratic process of ending communist rule in Poland in 1989. Polityka supported talks of Round Table in Poland, which concluded with agreement to hold free elections eventually resulting in peaceful end of the communist rule in Poland.

After the fall of communism in 1989, Polityka became part of Poland's newly free press. In 1990, Polityka team left the state-owned publisher RSW Prasa-Książka-Ruch with rights to title and established an independent cooperative called "Polityka" - Spółdzielnia Pracy (it is a unique situation in the press market that such magazine is published by a cooperative). From 1994, editor of Polityka is Jerzy Baczyński. In 1995, the magazine changed its format from broadsheet to a standard coloured magazine, currently with over 100 pages.

Criticism[link]

Polityka is sometimes accused of showing a neo-communist and leftist bias in their articles, as many of their leading editors served communist regime. These loyalties were claimed to persist after 1989: Janina Paradowska, for example, was accused of knowing from Adam Michnik about the corruptive proposal of Lew Rywin which eventually led to the outbreak of the so called Rywin affair, but together with the editorial team deciding not to publicise it until Michnik did so.^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Antoni Macierewicz

Antoni Macierewicz (born 3 August 1948 in Warsaw) is a Polish Catholic politician, anti-communist activist, member of Sejm, journalist and a former internal affairs minister, former vice-minister of national defence in Jarosław Kaczyński's government, and current parliamentary representative.

Early years and activity during the Communist Poland[link]

Youngest son of Zdzisław and Maria Macierewicz, one of their three children. His father, a scientist and noted researcher in chemistry, was a soldier of Home Army during World War II and a member of Labour Party (Poland), committed suicide under the pressure from the communist Secret Police soon after his youngest son had been born. After getting his master degree in history from Warsaw University Macierewicz had begun doctoral studies in history of South America at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, but due to his involvement in the 1968 Polish political crisis he was arrested and his studies terminated. In the years 1968-1989 he was a prominent member of the democratic opposition to communist rule and one of the founders of the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR), working together with Jacek Kuroń and Adam Michnik, and together they started publishing monthly Głos in 1977. He was one of the organizers of Solidarity (Polish trade union) in Warsaw. He was arrested and interned after the Wojciech Jaruzelski's junta had imposed the martial law in Poland on December 13, 1981. He escaped from the prison in Nowy Łupków and was in hiding until 1984. In 1988 he was a member of Solidarity Citizens' Committee.

III Republic of Poland 1990 to present[link]

He has been and still is a representative at the Sejm, and chairman of the Catholic-National Movement party, lately merged with PiS. He was Minister of Internal Affairs in the Jan Olszewski's government (1991–1992). As a minister responsible for the police and security services, he was afforded full access to the former communist documentary archives including records of communist intelligence and secret service agents.On May 28, 1992 Polish Parliament passed law requiring the minister of Internal Affairs to provide Sejm with the list of then senators, representatives, ministers, voivodes, judges and prosecutors who had been secret communist agents between 1945-1990 (the military secret agents were excluded). On 4th June 1982, Macierewicz provided the list of 64 members of the government and parliament (but not voivodes) that had been listed as secret agents in the archives of the communist secret police to the Convent of Senior Parliamentarians(Konwent Seniorów), and also he provided the second list containing just 2 names of highest importance, of the president Lech Wałęsa and then Marshall of Sejm Wiesław Chrzanowski. As the crisis had been unfolding, prior to the lists presentation, on May 29, 1992 the opposition parties submitted Motion of no confidence asking for the vote on the fate of Olszewski's government. On the night of June 4/5 1992 after the presentation of the lists, the motion of no confidence was granted and Olszewski's government was dismissed - the situation well depicted in the documentary Nocna zmiana (Night Shift). Olszewski defending his minister named the actions of Macierewicz ‘itself a concerted conspiracy perpetrated by circles of former high ranking communist secret police officers’ aimed at dismembering his government and thwart plans to purge off former communists from public offices and services.^[1]

In 1992 Macierewicz founded his own party (Polish Action) which soon ceased to exist. Then he repaired his relations with Olszewski and joined his party (Movement for Reconstruction of Poland) and became his deputy in 1996. He ran to parliament on the Olszewski ‘s party ticket. Later he left Olszewski again in 1997 to set up his own National Catholic Movement. In 2001 he joined a different party of League of Polish Families and was on their ticket re-elected to parliament in 2001 but left them due to differences. In 2002 he tried to run for the mayor of Warsaw coming 8th on the ballot with 1.09% of popular vote.

Following successful campaign of Lech Kaczyński and his twin brother in 2005 (presidential and parliamentary election) Macierewicz was called upon by prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński to the post of deputy defense minister.

In July 2006, he was appointed to lead the liquidation of the Military Information Services, and upon finishing his task from October 2006 he was the chief of the newly restructured military counter-intelligence service until the fall of Kaczyński government. On 16 February 2007 the liquidation report was published in Polish Monitor and it is known as Raport Macierewicza. Also in 2007 he run for a seat of Sejm representative and was elected to the parliament.

Since July 20, 2010 Macierewicz, member of Sejm, is the head of the parliamentary committee ( "Zespół Parlamentarny Ds. Zbadania Przyczyn Katastrofy TU-154M z 10 kwietnia 2010 r.") set to investigate and to establish the causes of the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash. On June 29-30, 2011 the committee published "Biała Księga Smoleńskiej Tragedii" (White Book of Smolensk Tragedy), where some 170 thousands of documents were published on their websites and 19 causes of the crash presented, pointing to Polish and Russian causes of the crash. Also in 2011 "Gazeta Polska" awarded Macierewicz a title of Man of the Year 2010." Macierewicz makes public speeches and regularly appears in Radio Maryja and Telewizja Trwam, as well as he writes for various publications.

Footnotes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Antoni Macierewicz

• official Sejm page

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Czesław Śpiewa
Czesław Śpiewa, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Czesław Mozil
Born	(1979-04-12) April 12, 1979 (age 33) Zabrze, Poland
Genres	Alternative
Occupations	Singer, musician, composer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, melodica, accordion
Years active	2000 – present
Labels	Mystic Production
Associated acts	Tesco Value, Kasia Nosowska, Gaba Kulka, Acid Drinkers, Nergal, Stanisław Sojka, Hey

Czesław Śpiewa (Translation: Czesław Sings, born Czesław Mozil on April 12, 1979 in Zabrze) is a Polish-Danish singer, composer, and musician (mostly using the accordion), and graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music.^[1]

Life[link]

Mozil moved to Denmark when he was 5, returning to Poland at the age of 28. He makes hard-to-classify music, with pieces of cabaret, rock, and even punk rock.^[2]

He also founded the Danish rock band Tesco Value.

In 2007 he played live with the Polish band Hey during their MTV Unplugged show.

Czesław is a judge on the talent show X-Factor (Poland).

Discography[link]

Solo[link]

• Debiut (2008) POL #1^[3]
• Pop (2010) POL #2^[4]

Singles[link]

• Maszynka do Świerkania (2008)
• Mieszko i Dobrawa Jako Początek Państwa Polskiego (2008)
• Ucieczka z wesołego miasteczka (2008)
• The Tournus (2009)
• W Sam RazNaRaz (2010)
• O Tych W Krakowie (2010)
• Krucha Blondynka (2010)

Features[link]

• Hey - MTV Unplugged (2007)
• WdoWa - Superekstra (2010)
• Acid Drinkers - Fishdick Zwei - The Dick Is Rising Again (2010)
• Let Me Introduce You To The End - Free to download - A Voice from the mountain (2010) (Download link ryansocash.eu/voice.zip)^[5]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Czesław Śpiewa on Myspace
• Official Website (Polish)
• Record Label (English)