Loose Change: Tram Hero
He’s out there, somewhere. Righting wrongs and protecting the weak. Roaming the streets of Krakow on the side of the
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Perspectives on Poland
Loose Change: The Sexy Shop
I had high hopes for the Sexy Shop. Nestled comfortably in double-fronted premises of moderate size on ul. Tomasza, ‘sexy’
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Loose Change: Proud To Be…
I ‘m fascinated by the qualities nationalities ascribe to themselves – the super powers people assume themselves to have acquired by the simple expedient of being born to speakers of a particular language or within lines drawn on a map. We’re all guilty of it…
Read more Loose Change: The Deck Chair Menace
When did the deck chair become an acceptable form of seating? Thinking back to the early summer, which seems frighteningly recent, I don’t remember ever seeing one in the fragrant beer gardens of our fair city. Now, as the thoughts of alfresco drinkers turn…
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Perspectives on Poland: Freeze the Racists Out of Euro 2012
The England team are due to visit the former Nazi Auschwitz–Birkenau extermination camps today. Also on their schedule is a trip to the Schindler Factory in Krakow – the inspiration for Spielberg’s blockbuster Schindler’s List. It is vitally important that high-profile…
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Perspectives on Poland: Coming to Terms with Anti-Semitism
Last night, the BBC broadcast a terrifying documentary swarming with images of Polish and Ukrainian football hooligans chanting anti-Semitic slogans, making Nazi salutes and abusing black players. The impression given by Euro 2012: Stadiums of Hate was that the…
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Perspectives on Poland: The Krakow Boob
Stags and footie fans hoping to get an eyeful of womanly Polish curves in Krakow this summer could get more than they bargained for, as plans are announced to convert a local hill into a giant breast. A winning project for this year’s ArtBoom Festival will see Kopiec Krakus dyed pink…
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Perspectives on Poland: A Nation Facepalms
The nation has spoken – Poland’s official Euro 2012 anthem is titled: ‘Cluck Cluck Euro’s Cool’ (Koko koko Euro spoko). Yes, that is ‘cluck’ as in the noise a chicken makes. When the nation woke up the next morning, it buried its head in its hands and muttered “Oh god, what have we…
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Perspectives on Poland: Right Side of the Lens
This month I made my second, annual visit to the World Press Photo exhibition. That’s enough severed heads, crushed bodies
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Perspectives on Poland: The death of Catherine Z.
The body of 21-year-old British student Catherine Z. was found by a railway embankment in Krakow on 30 July. She
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