March; 2008
Issue
48
In This
Issue:
*Consul General's message
*American Choir
*U.S Elections 2008
*American Blues
*Partnership for Democracy
*Lecture on Library Trends
*Videoconference on Missile Defense
*E-journalUSA
The traditional American saying is that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, but it seems that the lion has skipped us in Krakow this year! We are enjoying the early spring weather.
In February, I had the opportunity to meet Silesian Governor Zygmunt Łukaszczyk and newly elected Marshall of the Silesian regional assembly Bogusław Piotr Śmigielski. People in the Silesia region are doing a superb job of attracting foreign investment.
We also continued our work to inform the public about missile defense with the visit of Baker Spring, an expert in ballistic missile systems from the Washington-based Heritage Foundation. On March 5 another American expert on missile defense, Robert Bell, will join us. Mr. Bell was formerly with the National Security Council and is now a NATO defense expert. As always, please check our mission’s web site for the latest information on missile defense at http://poland.usembassy.gov/missile-defense.html
We have some exciting events coming up in March. The Choir Variations from Tennessee’s Pellissippi State Technical Community College will have a free concert in the Mariacki Church on the Rynek at 7:15 on March 5. We also have an exciting blues musician from Chicago, Khalif “Wailin” Walters, coming to our area March 12-14. Khalif will give an interactive talk on the history of blues music and will play the blues as well. Details on his appearances are in this issue of Spotlight and on our web site.
It seems that everywhere I go in Poland, people are talking about the U.S. elections. This has certainly been the one of the most exciting campaigns that I can remember, and we are still months away from the general election! We have two outstanding political commentators coming to Krakow in March--American journalists Susan Spencer and Tom Oliphant. They have covered many U.S. presidential election campaigns and will give us their analysis of the 2008 race so far. More on their public events is included in this issue of Spotlight.
For the business community in March, we are collaborating with the American Chamber of Commerce in Wroclaw to organize a panel discussion on corporate social responsibility. The panel will feature business leaders and NGOs who have successfully developed innovative community projects. If you are interested in learning more, please call 012-424-5188.
Please also check our web site during the month of March for a new feature: a special page devoted to materials for teachers of English. Our Information Resource Center staff has been hard at work finding the latest Internet resources for teachers, and we are excited to share these with you!
The American Choir Variations in Poland
The American choir Variations will be touring Poland March 3-7. They will launch their tour with a free concert at Warsaw's Wilanow Castle on March 3. In Krakow they will sing at St. Mary's Basilica on Wednesday, March 5 at 19:15 and at Florianka Concert Hall at Basztowa 8 on March 7 at 18:00. The choir is made up of 36 students from Tennessee's Pellissippi State Technical Community College. The group's 18 men and 18 women will perform a program that provides a balanced mix of traditional choral music with American folk songs, African American spirituals, and lighter fare such as "Broadway" selections. The program will include a cappella selections and others accompanied by piano. At St. Mary's Basilica in Krakow, the program will include traditional spiritual music.
For a short selection of music and video from the choir's 2007 tour of Normandy and Paris
please visit: http://etsms.pstcc.edu/ets/france-video/
Tour details:
March 3, 18:30 Warsaw Wilanow Castle
March 4, 16:00 Lublin Catholic University
March 4, 20:00 Chelm
March 5, 19:15 Krakow St. Mary's Basilica
March 7, 18:00 Krakow, Florianka, Concert Hall, ul. Basztowa 8
American Journalists on 2008 Elections
The U.S. Consulate General is pleased to announce the visit of two prominent U.S. journalists who will give several lectures and presentations in Krakow and Katowice. Susan Spencer, the Emmy award-winning CBS correspondent, will meet with students at Tischner European University and KSW Krakow University College. Tom Oliphant, the Boston Globe correspondent and columnist, will discuss U.S. elections with Jagiellonian University and Silesian University students.
Both Susan Spencer and Tom Oliphant will be guests at a public meeting held on Monday, March 10 at the "The Jaszczury Club", Rynek 8, Krakow.
(Photos courtesy
U.S. Embassy Copenhagen, Denmark)
American Blues in the South of Poland
Chicago-born blues musician Khalif "Wailin" Walter, guitarist, composer and singer will be giving four interactive lectures/performances on the history of the blues for Polish audiences March 12-14. The U.S. Consulate in Krakow and its partner institutions cordially invite the public to the following performances:
Mar. 12
19:15 - "YES" Cultural Cellar, Rzeszow, Reformacka 4
Mar. 13
18:00 - KSW Krakow University College, Krakow, Herlinga-Grudzinskiego 1, room 026 A
Mar. 14
12:00 - The Hoover Complex of High and Secondary Schools, Ruda Slaska, Orzegowska 25, aula
Mar. 14
19:00 - "Marcholt" Gallery , Katowice, Warszawska 37
"Partnership for Democracy" Study Tour for Ukrainian Journalists on the New Schengen Border
On March 11-14 a group of 30 Ukrainian journalists from various media across Ukraine will be studying the issues and challenges on the Polish-Ukrainian border since Poland's entrance to the Schengen zone. The program, organized with input and cooperation of the U.S. Consulate General, will consist of meetings with the border guards, custom officers, police and officials from local and national governments.
Trends in University Libraries in America
Laura Kaspari Hohmann, Information Resource Officer, will give a lecture on "Trends in University Libraries in America" at the Information and Library Science Institute, Wroclaw University on March 17 at 1:00 p.m. The lecture will focus on the role of librarians in teaching information literacy skills, changes in the accreditation process and the use of Web 2.0 technologies. Laura Kaspari Hohmann received her Master's in Library and Information Services from the University of Denver. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she was the library director at Northern Marianas College on Saipan in the Western Pacific.
Laura Kaspari Hohmann will give a lecture on U.S. Elections on March 17 at 10:00 a.m. at the American Corner in Dolnoslaska Library, Rynek 58 Wroclaw.
Please see the Election package on www.america.gov that offers in depth information on U.S. elections 2008 including publications, videos, articles, polls and quizzes. You can also find explanations of voting and the election process, candidate's view on key international issues, issues related to state and local elections and a close-up view of campaigns in selected districts across the United States.
Videoconference on Missile Defense
The U.S. Consulate General in Krakow and the Association of Students of International Relations at the Jagiellonian University will hold a videoconference on missile defense on March 18 at Stolarska 9 in Krakow. The American panelist will be James M. Lindsay, director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin. Previously, Dr. Lindsay was deputy director and senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution. In 1996-1997, he was director for global issues and multilateral affairs on the staff of the National Security Council. His responsibilities included UN reform, State Department reorganization and funding for international affairs. He has also served as a consultant to the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century (Hart-Rudman Commission). Dr. Lindsay has authored, co-authored, or edited more than fifteen books and fifty journal articles and book chapters on various aspects of American foreign policy and international relations. More information on the speaker: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/faculty/james-lindsay/
Please contact the U.S. Consulate if you would like to attend: tel 12 42451 43
Immigrants made the United States what it is. Being an American depends on acceptance of certain American ideals, not on the place of birth of a person or of his or her ancestors. This edition of eJournal USA tells the story of immigration and diversity as it has played out through the centuries and continues to play out now.
PDF version of the journal: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/0208/ijse/ijse0208.pdf
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U.S. Consulate General, ul.
Stolarska 9, Krakow, tel.: 12 424-5100
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