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Chopin’s 200th

2010 marks the 200th anniversary of Fryderyk Chopin’s birth. In honor of the occasion iTunes is highlighting Alice Sara Ott’s album of Chopin waltzes. You can take a sample listen at the iTunes website.

Fryderyk Chopin was born March 1, 1810 at the village of Żelazowa Wola, in the Duchy of Warsaw. He was regarded a child-prodigy pianist. He left Poland for good on November 2, 1830 for a trip to Italy. The outbreak of the Polish November Uprising seven days later, and its subsequent suppression by Russia, led to Chopin’s becoming one of many expatriates of the Polish Great Emigration.

Settling in Paris, Chopin worked as a composer and piano teacher, while giving few public performances. Chopin remained an ardent Polish patriot throughout his short life. For the greater part of his life Chopin suffered from poor health; he died in Paris on October 17, 1849 of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Chopin’s compositions, of which there are over 230, were written primarily for the piano as solo instrument. Though technically demanding, they emphasize nuance and expressive depth rather than sheer virtuosity. Chopin invented musical forms such as the instrumental ballade and was responsible for major innovations in the piano sonata, mazurka, waltz, nocturne, polonaise, étude, impromptu and prélude.

Alice Sara Ott, a German-Japanese pianist, was born in Munich in 1988. Her second compilation, noted above, is a series of complete waltzes by Frederic Chopin.

The following is Piosenka litewska from Chopin’s Polish Songs, Op. 74

Perspective, Political, , , , ,

What Sen. Enzi really wants

M. Patricia Smith’s nomination as Solicitor of the Department of Labor has moved forward with a cloture vote today along party lines. There should be an up-or-down vote on the nomination tomorrow or the day after. See SENATUS for details on the vote.

Senator Enzi, the leading Republican on the Senate HELP Committee, had been blocking the nomination, for no good, valid, or honest reason. As both Republicans and Democrats have done in recent years, he has abused the whole practice of filibuster (I’ll write more on that later).

To respond to his ignorant criticism would take volumes. Frankly, he is scandalous in his use of innuendo and distorted facts to paint those he doesn’t like as incompetent managers and liars (an example of his blathering at the Washington Examiner). I would hate to be his child and have made a mistake. Of course his blather is par for the course in Washington (a pox on both houses). If someone won’t bow to your personal agenda, destroy them by whatever means possible.

Sen. Harkin, no flaming liberal, provided the facts that refute Sen. Enzi line by line during his pre-cloture vote statements. The Congressional Record should have his factual testimony in-full by tomorrow. I encourage you to check it out.

So to my title above, ‘What does Sen. Enzi really want?’ I believe he wants the following:

  • That workers not be educated as to their rights under the law.
  • That low wage workers have no recourse when their wages are stolen.
  • That any person or organization providing assistance only do so according to an approved script and to approved eligible individuals.
  • That employers who skirt the rules, especially those who hire low wage and immigrant workers presuming that they can abuse them, be free to establish a system of indentured servitude.
  • That disreputable, race-to-the-bottom, employers be free to re-establish the company store and a chit and voucher program.
  • That rights are only for those in Sen. Enzi’s social and economic demographic.
  • That the law is only a set of suggestions and optional guidelines, especially laws that protect the lower classes.
  • That truth be subservient to agenda.
  • That the United States be known as the land of permanent masters and servants.
  • That the Republican Party abjure its tie to the abolition of slavery.

Amy Traub, writing at Huffington, gives a great narrative on the things Ms. Smith has done and works to prevent in New York in New York’s Hidden Crime Wave

And we thought crime in New York City was low. According to the NYPD just 418 robberies were reported in New York last week, along with 695 incidents of grand larceny. Not bad for a city of more than 8 million people. But the rosy numbers overlook a devastating series of thefts that never make it into the police statistics: last week the city may have experienced just 375 burglaries but it also saw an estimated 317,263 cases of employer wage theft from their own low wage workers. More than $18.4 million were stolen from wages in that week alone. And because the wage violations are systematic and ongoing, the crimes recur every week throughout the year.

The shocking new wage theft data come from research [pdf] unveiled this morning by the National Employment Law Project. After a rigorous study involving thousands of front-line workers in New York’s low wage industries, researchers documented the prevalence of New York City’s workplace violations for the first time.

The study reveals a crime wage centered on the city’s most vulnerable workers. More than one in five workers in the city’s low-wage industries was paid less than the minimum wage. More than three in four were denied the overtime pay they were legally owed. When workers tried to stand up for themselves (for example, by filing a complaint with a government agency or attempting to organize a union) they faced a high risk of illegal employer retaliation: being fired, getting their hours cut, or having the boss threaten to call immigration authorities. Not surprisingly, many workers decided to remain silent, even as they continued to work in dangerous conditions or saw their earnings stolen.

Imagine the destructive impact on New York’s families and communities. Although the average worker in the city’s low-wage industries earns just $20,644 a year, they lost an average 15 percent of that to wage theft. That amounts to an average $3,016 annually stolen from some of the lowest-income working families in the city…

Are you ready for your employer to arbitrarily cut your salary by 15%? That 15% cut isn’t for any good economic reason, and certainly no legal reason. It is just so you can continue to work the same hours at less pay, and he can take it home to buy himself a better bottle of scotch. Maybe he’ll share that scotch with Sen. Enzi. Wonder if he hypocritically likes it neat.

Funny that my son was recently studying indentured servitude. I can’t wait till my son learns about human trafficking. I will be able to point to Sen. Enzi (if he’s still there) as a proponent of the very things that aid in its continuance.

PNCC, , ,

Ironbound – Newark and St. Paul’s PNCC

The Ironbound BID has included a Historical Review of the Ironbound Section in Newark, NJ on its website. This article was prepared by the Newark Preservation and Landmark Committee, and was originally published with a grant from the Newark Bicentennial Commission.

Section 5 of the history includes a mention of the defunct PNCC —“ St. Paul’s Parish of the PNCC (ca 1940). St. Paul’s was the third parish of the PNCC in Newark, NJ and incidentally was the only parish named St Paul’s in the PNCC.

EMILIO SERIO’S ART STUDIO, 30 Houston St. In one of the most imaginative transformations in the city, this onetime church and school is now the home and studio of a Newark painter and sculptor. The wooden building was erected as a public school in 1879, and served later as a tinsmith’s shop, Greek Catholic Church, social club, and Polish National Catholic Church. The structure had fallen into disuse when it was bought by Serio in 1970, but he remodeled and furnished it as a charming place for himself and his patrons. The old church is furnished with antiques and an abundance of art.

The Studio’s website includes pictures of the building and the history of its adaptation into an art studio.

Poland - Polish - Polonia, , ,

Respecting the silence, telling the stories

Dr. John Z. Guzlowski recently posted a short blog about journalist Justine Jablonska’s series of online articles about four Poles who survived the Nazi and Soviet invasions of Poland. In The Stories of Four Poles he notes:

The population of Poland was about 36,000,000 when the Nazis decided to destroy the country and its people. Six million of them died. The ones who didn’t die lived unimaginable lives for decades and decades to come, first under the hammer of the Nazis and then under the hammer and sickle of the Communists.

Not all of them want to talk about what happened. Some Poles don’t want to remember the killings, brutality, deportation, enslavement, deprivation, and suffering that many of them felt would never end. My mother was one of these Poles. If I asked her about what those years under the Nazis were like, she would wave me away and tell me simply, “If they give you bread, you eat it. If they beat you, you run away.”

I respect the silence of those like my mother who wouldn’t talk about those years. I’m sure she felt that she was protecting my sister Donna and me from the kind of sorrow few can bear.

Other Poles, however, were like my dad. He was a man who felt that it was his duty to let people know about the terrible things that were done. He didn’t want people to forget the evil that came down upon the Poles.

Justine Jablonska, a graduate student in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, recently published a series of reports about four Poles who, like my father, feel that they must keep the memories of what happened alive.

These reports are gathered together under the title “Four stories: The nurse, the child, the Resistance fighter and the Home Army soldier.”…

Perspective, PNCC, ,

Saving what can be saved

So this doesn’t happen (from the Young Fogey):

Destruction of Transfiguration church, Philadelphia, PA

In part why the PNCC was born. This doesn’t happen when the people own and care for the building. When the Bishop is the sole decision maker you get a merely dollars and cents approach. Even in situations where PNCC parishes have moved to the suburbs they’ve taken everything with them, the art and furnishings donated by their ancestors, and have integrated them into their new buildings.

From the Buffalo News: Windows from a bygone Catholic church and other relics find a safe haven

A Buffalo museum founded last year to preserve art and artifacts from area religious groups has made its biggest acquisition to date. More than 30 stained-glass windows from the former Queen of Peace Catholic Church on Genesee Street are now part of the growing collection of the Buffalo Religious Arts Center, which is housed in another former Catholic church on East Street near Amherst Street in Black Rock.

The center also recently received word that its home building, the former St. Francis Xavier Church, completed in 1913, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Removing the ornate windows properly from Queen of Peace took months. The former church, which was sold in April to a Muslim group, now functions as a mosque and community center, and the windows depicting a variety of Christian imagery and Catholic saints were considered inappropriate.

So the Muslim group brokered a three-way deal with the Buffalo Religious Arts Center and church restorationist Henry Swiatek, who spent several weeks on the project.

—They’re in good hands now,— Swiatek said.

—These windows are of extremely high quality. Surprisingly, they were in very good condition. Some of them were in excellent condition.—

Most of the windows, crafted by Buffalo glassmaker Leo Frohe, eventually will be displayed at the center, which is still in an acquisition phase.

So far, the center has acquired more than 100 pieces of art from a dozen churches and a synagogue.

A few windows from Queen of Peace featuring Polish saints also have been installed in the chapel at Corpus Christi, a traditionally Polish Catholic church on the East Side.

—They really look like they belong here,— said the Rev. Anzelm Chalupka, pastor.

Organizers of the Buffalo Religious Arts Center initially planned to lease or sell a three-story, 33,000-square-foot school building next to the former St. Francis Xavier Church on East Street.

Now, they figure the school is large enough for them to rent some space for income and still have enough room for displays of stained glass. A full renovation of the school, however, is expected to cost about $3 million.

The historic designation of the basilica-style church, built in 1913, and its accompanying buildings, will help the center get access to more grant opportunities.

In addition to artwork, the center has started collecting vintage photographs of religious celebrations, such as weddings, baptisms and First Communions, church anniversary books and rosaries.

—Each and every church has a history,— said Mary Holland, executive director of the center. —It’s not only a museum of artwork, it’s also about history.—

Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

The history of Poles in Alaska

From PolishSite, a history of Poles in Alaska from 1741 to the present day in: Polish Tracks in Alaska by Martin S. Nowak

Foreign crewmen have been common on the ships of most nations down through the centuries. Russia was no exception. Men of varied backgrounds manned her ships, including Poles.

Poles were among the crews of Vitus Bering, himself a Dane, and Alexei Chirikov, that discovered Alaska for the Russians in 1741. Research has identified the names of Poles in the ships’ logs. Translated from the Latinized Russian are surnames such as Wielkopolski (Velikopolski), Buczowski (Butzovski), and Kozmian (Kozmin). And Jan Kozyrewski was a consultant to the Bering expeditions. Before Bering, ships under the command of Dmitry Pawlecki, a Polish Russian, in 1732 sailed the strait between Siberia and America and supposedly saw the shores of Alaska…

Christian Witness, Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia, ,

Putting an end to wage theft – National Action Day results

On the National Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft:

  • Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) raised $7,383 toward its efforts to stop wage theft;
  • In Memphis, the Workers Interfaith Network released the results of a survey it conducted of local low-wage workers, 68 percent of whom reported not being paid for all the hours they’d worked;
  • In Chicago, four Polish workers each owed over $10,000 by a contractorThe contractor is Walter Bochenek, a prominent Polish contractor. Bochenek owns three construction companies and has long hired Polish immigrants, many of whom don’t speak English. Since 2007, workers hired by Bochenek for a rehabilitation of the Sacred Heart School on the city’s north side have been shotchanged $70,000. Pan Bochenek, My dla ciebie – Ty z nami?, together with religious leaders and organizers with the Arise Chicago Worker Center, announced a lawsuit for back wages at one of the contractor’s current work sites;
  • A rally and press conference were held at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, workers and members of the clergy joined with the Workers’ Rights Center to demand both state and federal government measures to combat wage theft;
  • IWJ, along with key allies (NDLON, NELP, AFL-CIO, Change to Win, SEIU), met with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and other top Department of Labor officials about increasing enforcement and outreach efforts in the department’s Wage and Hour Division and OSHA; and
  • In New York, the Department of Labor announced the results of a sweep of restaurants in the tony Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn.

From The Brooklyn Paper: Slopers in guilt trap as restaurants shortchange deliverymen

First, Park Slope residents had to feel bad about eating non-organic food and having a high carbon footprint. Now, they even have to confront their liberal guilt when ordering in.

Last week, the state Labor Department claimed that 25 Slope restaurants underpaid their mostly immigrant workers as little as $2.75 per hour – a charge that has left Park Slope reeling, as customers struggle to reconcile their political sympathies with their appetites.

Much-loved stalwarts such as Aunt Suzie’s, and Taqueria, plus others including Bogota, Sette, Coco Roco, Olive Vine, Uncle Moe’s and Bagel World were caught in the dragnet, which included fines and negotiated settlements that stemmed from more than $910,000 in allegedly underpaid wages.

“Wage theft happens not only in dimly lit factories or grim depressed neighborhoods,” state Labor Commissioner Patricia Smith said in a statement. “Even our very nicest neighborhoods sometimes have sweatshops on their main streets.”

…

Still, all of the workers who spoke with The Brooklyn Paper bore no ill will toward their employers – in fact, they were grateful for the money.

“The boss looks for ways to help people, actually. Here we are fine,” one employee who wished to remain anonymous said in Spanish.

A typical response from undocumented workers. They are afraid to cry foul because the boss will immediately turn them over to Immigration. The workers live in fear and are thankful for the work. Their employers know the situations and purposefully exploit these folks. Its happened over and over, from Polish immigrants forced to visit the company stores of West Virginia and Pennsylvania to the well off neighborhoods in the cities and suburbs of today.

The workers weren’t upset, but in Park Slope, where buying a Fair Trade heirloom tomato that costs $2.50 is a badge of honor, many were shocked to find that they were benefitting from a system propped up on cheap labor.

“In this community, this happens?” said Sheri Saltzberg, a 35-year resident of the neighborhood. “It makes me question how those restaurants treat their staff.”

Others were disappointed that their favorite restaurants had been accused of such abuses.

“I was sad because those were places I had gone to,” said David Chorlian, a member of the Park Slope Food Co-Op. “One of them was Miriam’s and another was Aunt Susie’s. I was stupidly surprised that this happened.”

David, Wait till you see the two business owners responses at the end. They don’t give a **** for your sentiment or your country.

Most of the fines were the result of excessive workweeks at salaries below the minimum wage. But roughly half of the underpaid wages were allegedly at two restaurants: Coco Roco and Olive Vine.

The eateries were cited for underpaying their workers a whopping $587,000. In one example, food deliverymen were paid a meager $210 for a 70-hour workweek. The two restaurants’ abuses were so excessive, in fact, that the Labor Department expanded its search to two other locations of both eateries, a spokesperson said.

…

Still, owners who did agree to talk bristled at the notion that they were abusing their workers.

Martin Medina, the owner of Rachel’s on Fifth Avenue between Seventh and Eight streets, insisted he treated his workers fairly and that they did not work excessive hours. Instead, he likened Labor Department inspectors to “meter maids” who bully small business owners and never leave without levying a fine.

“They say I’m not paying overtime or giving lunch breaks, it’s a total lie!” said a fuming Medina. “If I was treating my workers bad, why would they stay with me?”

Because at a minimum they are your indentured servants and live in fear of what you will do if they speak up. Why don’t you point your indignation at the fact that you broke the law.

Indeed, some restaurants ended up on the list for seemingly minor infractions.

Melissa Murphy, owner of Sweet Melissa Patisserie said that her bakery cafe underpaid its workers by just $382 over two years. She attributed the mistake to clerical error.

Minor or not, even tiny amounts of money are a big deal to immigrant workers.

“A lot of people with low skill levels don’t have a lot of job options,” said Terri Gerstein, a deputy commissioner with the Department of Labor. “They’ll stay in a bad situation for fear of complaining or retaliation from the government.”

Exactly.

Some Slope residents are talking boycott, including, of course, workers at the Food Co-op.
“People are actively minded here,” Danielle Leon, who was shopping at the co-op said. “They [might] boycott these restaurants.”

But most owners seem more concerned with their profit margins than their tarnished reputations. Irene LoRe, the owner of Aunt Suzie’s, which allegedly underpaid its workers $10,196, even testified against a bill requiring paid sick days for workers.

…

In the end, it’s unlikely that boycott talk will take hold, added renowned restaurateur Alan Harding, best known for the now-closed Patois and the still humming Pacifico. Despite all the righteous chatter, customers are just like the restaurant owners – always trying to save a buck, he said.

“There is this ‘Oh woe is the deliveryman’ idea, but God forbid the turkey burger goes up $2 to reflect the required worker’s insurance and fair wage,” Harding said.

And it’s not as though cheap, hard-working labor is just going to disappear. As such, Medina said he would fight the fines to the bitter end.

“The immigrants I love,” he said. “It’s the Americans I hate.”

Now for the irony… Mr. Medina who owns Rachel’s Taqueria is the son of immigrants, from Mexico. He’s livin’ the American dream by pushing down on immigrants (his own people – I looove you, but be my slave) and cursing the people of the country that’s given him every opportunity. Mr. Medina, return to Mexico and push your taco stand around Mexico City. We’ll see how far you get. The Mexican meter maids will put you away for a long time…

Christian Witness, Current Events, , , ,

November 19th: Campaign against Wage Theft National Day of Action

ndalogo2On November 19th, Agencies, organizations, and individuals will join together in taking action to fight Wage Theft. Some will join in delegations to unethical employers, while others will participate in demonstrations and other actions to raise awareness and support for those who have had wages stolen.

If interested in joining in the National Day of Action or more information on the National Day of Action, please contact Cara Gold or call her at (773) 728-8400 x 34.

Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , ,

Interesting artifact of Polish-Ottoman-Turkish history

From the Hí¼rriyet Daily News & Economic Review: Muslims, Christians pray together in Polonezkí¶y

Poles in and Turks greeted each other warmly as the priest at the small church in Polonezkí¶y, a village on Istanbul’s Asian outskirts settled by Polish emigrants in the 19th century, invited worshippers to exchange the peace during the All Saints’ Day mass on Nov. 1.

Muslim Turks participating in a Christian ritual was —normal for Polonezkí¶y,— an elderly inhabitant of the town said. The priest conducted the mass in both Polish and Turkish so that everyone could participate. After the mass, the congregants commemorated the deceased at a nearby cemetery with flowers while the priest blessed the gravestones with holy water, just as he would in Poland.

The cemetery reflects the story of Polonezkí¶y. The majority of the oldest graves belong to Polish soldiers, combatants in many national uprisings during the 19th century. The Ottoman state was the only one in Europe that did not recognize Russian, Prussian and Austrian’s late-18th century partitions of Poland.

In 1841, Duke Adam Czartoryski sent emissary Michał Czajkowski from Paris to Istanbul to negotiate the establishment of a Polish colony there. One year later, Sultan Abdí¼lmecid I granted Istanbul’s Polish mission the right to take land from the Lazarite Order and establish a semi-autonomous Polish settlement, Adampol, named after Czartoryski.

—Thank the Lord, who gave us this land where we can pray for Poland and talk about Poland in Polish —“ let’s pray and act righteously and God will return us to our Motherland,— Czajkowski, also known as Mehmet Sadık PaŁŸa after he converted to Islam and served in the Ottoman army, said in a letter during the initial settlement period.

Speaking Polish in Poland was forbidden under Prussian and Russian rule, but Adampol was a safe haven for Polish patriots. Poles not only found refuge in the Sultan’s land, but also fought on the side of the Ottomans in the Crimean War (1853-56) against the Russians.

polonezkoyBy the end of the 19th century approximately 150 Poles lived in the village. Even in 1918 after Poland finally re-gained its independence, the Poles in Adampol remained in Turkey. Today, there are about 750 inhabitants in Polonezkí¶y, 90 of whom are of Polish origin.

—We are Turks with Polish origin,— said Antoni Dohoda, one of the elderly inhabitants. —I was a Turkish officer,— he said proudly. The Polish-Turkish friendship seen in Polonezkí¶y is indeed amazing: The villagers said it was natural to see Polish and Turkish flags flying side-by-side or flowers from the gendarmerie at Czartoryski’s monument.

On one side of Adam Mickiewicz St., named for a famous Polish writer who died in Istanbul in 1855, there is both a Catholic church and a mosque just a few meters away from each other. —We go to weddings together, funerals and we carry coffins for each other when needed,— said Dohoda, somewhat surprised at the question about religious issues.

Dohoda said he was not worried about the loss of Polish culture and language. Though there is now much intermarriage in the community, he said this was a worldwide trend. Whatever the case, religious and cultural life in the community remains strong —“ mass is held every Saturday evening, after which Sister Arleta leads a number of children in religious study. Also, the children prepare a nativity play for the birth of Jesus every Christmas.

Recently, land from the graves of Adam Czartoryski and Michał Czajkowski were brought to Polonezkí¶y and placed in symbolic graves in a ceremony attended by Polish President Lech Kaczyński. Indeed, the town often receives visits from Polish heads of state during their trips to Turkey, having hosted former presidents Lech Wałęsa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the past.

Polonezkí¶y keeps ties not only with Poland, where children go every year for holidays, but also with similar Polish migrant communities in Romania. In October, Polonezkí¶y welcomed 12 children and two teachers from Nowy Soloniec in Romania.

—We also want to establish connections with Polish towns in Georgia. The origins of these villages are the same —“ they were built by Polish patriots,— said Polonezkí¶y Mayor Daniel Ohotski. These meetings with other Polish children motivate interest in Polish culture and help to maintain the language, he said.

Polonezkí¶y is not just a heritage park for Polish culture, but also a beautiful destination for residents of Istanbul seeking a quiet place for a weekend getaway. Hotels and restaurants offering traditional Polish and Turkish food attract Istanbul clientele.

The fact that there is no public transportation connecting Polonezkí¶y to Istanbul helps to maintain the peacefulness of the village. Moreover, Ohotski is not very enthusiastic about the idea of having a public bus —“ —That would bring too many people. It is good the way it is now,— he said.

Christian Witness, , , , , , ,

All for a dollar

…but the price of the sin being committed is death (Romans 6:23, Deuteronomy 24:14-15). From IWJ:

blog_banner

What’s a dollar worth to you?

Three candy bars, 10 text messages, a third of a venti latte? It seems a dollar can’t get you much these days. Well, it depends on whom you ask.

To families of low-wage workers underpaid a dollar for every hour he or she works, that one dollar could mean the difference between a roof over their heads or homelessness.

The illegal underpayment or non-payment of workers’ wages affects millions of workers each year. Too many unscrupulous employers are getting away with wage theft and too many families are hurting because of it. Together we can end this crime against workers!

November 19th is Interfaith Worker Justice’s National Day of Action to Stop Wage Theft. IWJ, its affiliated groups, and various communities of faith will be holding prayer vigils, rallies and press events in different parts of the country drawing attention to this egregious crime and how it disrupts the lives of working families.

If so inclined you may donate to support this day of action.

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