Politics and Economy

WASHINGTON, D.C. Poland's Foreign Minister Pays Strategic Visit To Washington. Radoslaw Sikorski, Foreign Minister of Poland, pictured below at his reception in the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, had an intense and crucial four-day official visit here beginning on January 31, 2008.

Min. Sikorski met with U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. As a result, Poland has agreed "in principal" to allow the United States to place 10 interceptor missiles on Polish territory as a defense mechanism to protect the U.S. and Europe from ballistic missile attack from "rouge states" like Iran. It would also be necessary to establish a linked and dedicated radar instillation in the Czech Republic in order for the missile shield to function. The overall cost of the project is estimated to be $3.5 billion.

Read more: Poland "Agrees" To U.S. Missile Defense Plan.

Every country has its own sense of humor. Everyone knows how unique English humor is, for example. During forty years of Communism, Poles developed their own jokes, which were mainly related to the political situation. Thanks to these jokes Poles were able to release their tension, stress and a feeling of frustration with the Communistic system. Jokes were one of the few things that remained as a tool to fight the regime.

Read more: Political Jokes in Poland versus Polish Jokes in America

These photographs are from the archives of Richard Poremski taken during his trips to Poland in 1976 and 1978. They are currently being published in the Polish-American Journal. The photographs show the scenes from lives of average people in Poland 30-40 years ago. We are planning to add more photos, so please, check our collection every month.

Read more: PRL From the Archives of Richard Poremski

Hard Coal mining as well as other sectors of heavy industry were treated preferentially during the forty years of communism as the most vital and strategic industries for the economy and defense of our country. We were reminded continuously that the work of the miner is extremely important and the coal is our most important natural resource and the export product. Polish power plants were also mainly based on the coal, now it is slowly readjusting to the natural gas which is cleaner than coal.

Read more: Coal Mining in Upper Silesia and Heavy Industry in Poland During Communism