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Day: May 31, 2007

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Poland - Polish - Polonia,

Yummy cheese

From Polish Radio via the Polish American Forum: Slovakia backs down on sheep’s cheese war

Slovakia will withdraw its veto on the registration of the Polish `oscypek‘ highlander cheese. An agreement on the matter has been signed by Poland’s deputy premier and agriculture minister Andrzej Lepper and his Slovak opposite number Miroslav Jurenia.

Slovakia officially filed the veto with the European Commission on February 19th claiming it has for centuries been the producer of a similar type of cheese under the name of `osztiepok’.

If Poland would receive the Recognized Certificate of Origin, its `osztiepok’ could encounter serious barriers in export to other EU markets, Slovakia argued.

However, the Polish side had been successful in explaining to its southern neighbors that a bilateral agreement of December 2005 effectively guarantees the two products and their brand names absolute independence of each other, having entirely different cow milk content and place of origin.

This allows for independent registration of the Slovak and Polish cheese product. The contentious cheese has been produced from times immemorial on both sides of the border in the Tatra mountain region with the initial differences becoming more visible, or rather palatable.

The Polish `oscypek’ continues to be hand made by highlander shepherds and has a cow milk content of only 40%, while in the Slovak `osztiepok’ variety it goes up to 80% and the cheese is produced in seven selected dairy plants with Dutch and French capital participation.

Now if some of my Górale friends or family would just send some over… Oh, and a case of Harnaś as well.

Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective

OK, I’m confused

As I noted in my article, Rules are rules, especially if we don’t like you, The Roman Catholic Church uses its prerogative (which it is perfectly entitled to) to discharge folks who don’t follow its beliefs.

There have been numerous articles on the subject. Examples include the firing of unmarried pregnant teachers and the subject I wrote on, the firing of a devoted church youth music director (who happens to be the wife of a PNCC priest on active duty with the U.S. Air Force), and so on.

My feed reader caught two articles today that show the discrepancies and unequal treatment practiced from diocese to diocese.

From NineMSN: Catholic schools in bid to ban non-Catholics

Tasmanian Catholic schools have applied for an exemption to the state’s Anti-Discrimination Act in a bid for the power to turn away non-Catholic students.

Archbishop Adrian Doyle has outlined the new plan, which aims for all Catholic schools to have at least 75 percent Catholic students.

He said the policy would ensure “very strong Catholic ethos and vision” in Tasmanian Catholic schools, and would be slowly rolled out across the state…

— versus —

From RTí‰: Presbyterian gets top Catholic Church post

The Catholic Church in Ireland has appointed a Presbyterian as the head of its child protection unit.

Ian Elliot, Director of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Belfast, is to become the first Chief Executive of the Church’s National Board for Child Protection.

When he takes up his duties in a month’s time, he will have completed two years on secondment to Northern Ireland’s civil service where he has led a major reform programme for child protection services.
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Church sources say he is the first non-Catholic to be appointed to such a senior post in Irish Catholicism.

OK, so there’s a shortage of Roman Catholics in Ireland!?!

I get that I’m being sarcastic, but doesn’t the Roman Church’s inconsistent treatment of folks make it look all subjective and vindictive?

Again, no problem if the Church chooses to solely hire Roman Catholics, and solely Roman Catholics who follow Church teaching. That might actually represent something – a strength of witness. Instead it looks like it is all ends justify the means Machiavellian. That’s unfortunate.

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