Culture and Tradition

Recently I had a speech at our local Toastmaster's Club about the Indo-European languages. I overestimated my audience since I thought that people know about Indo-European languages everywhere in the world or at least in the countries of European ancestry. My audience had no clue not only about Indo-European languages but also about how different European languages are interrelated. No, wonder, we live in homogenous America, not in multinational Europe. People here are not exposed to foreign languages like Europeans do.

Read more: What do we know about Indo-European Languages

SIERPC, Poland  Who could have possibly imagined that while visiting the Museum of the Mazovian Countryside here on July 30, 2008 we would encounter the very personification of one of Nobel laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz's most beloved, entertaining, shrewd and patriotic fictional characters - Pan Jan Onufry Zagloba, who appears to the delight of the reader in the 17^th century-set Polish epic classics of "With Fire and Sword," "The Deluge," and other celebrated books by the author.

After touring the many authentic and unique buildings in this amazing Mazovian skansen, located here 75 miles north-west of Warsaw, our foursome (three Polish friends and I) retreated from the hot summer sun to the 18^th century log-constructed karczma (inn/tavern), well protected by its heavily thatched roof, for necessary refreshments.

Read more: Pan Zagloba- Visiting Mazovian Countryside Museum

Some performers are all flash and no substance, but in the world of country music, Pee Wee King was both.

  Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski was born on the south side of Milwaukee in 1914 to John and Helen (nee Mielczarek) Kuczysnski. His parents spoke Polish and broken English and the youngster switched easily between the two languages. He was called Frank and was taught to play violin and accordion. Dad led a polka band and young Frank joined up at age fifteen.
     It was not long before he started his own band, the King's Jesters, and took the stage name Frank King, in tribute to "Waltz King" bandleader Wayne King. They played a mixture of polkas, cowboy and pop songs. In 1933 his band was a regular on the Milwaukee radio show Badger State Barn Dance. A young Gene Autry hired them as his back up band as their music turned more to the country and western side. It was Autry who nicknamed King "Pee Wee" for his five foot six inch height, as well as the fact that there were three Franks in the band.

Read more: Kuczynski - King of Country Music

WASHINGTON, D.C. An Imaginary Flight Becomes A Reality. The fully booked imaginary LOT Polish Airline flight to ‘Poland The Beautiful' became airborne here in the Grand Ballroom at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland on June 6, 2008. Upon ‘landing' in Poland, a score and more of African-American students, mainly 6^th graders at the Anne Beers Elementary School, proceeded to take the many passengers on a very unique and lively cultural tour of Poland.

Polish Embassy Embraces Washington School Children. Students from the Anne Beers Elementary School in Washington, D.C., participating in Embassy Adoption Program, are featured above singing ‘Piekna Nasza Polska Cala' (Poland The Beautiful) at the Embassy just prior to their departure to Warsaw, Poland.

Read more: Poland The Beautiful: An Imaginary Flight