Journal 125 – The Polish May 3,1791 Constitution

The people of Poland formed and adopted the first democratic constitution in Europe on May 3, 1791. This was the second democratic constitution in the world.
The Polish constitution was inspired by the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution of 1787.
At that time, Poland was a powerful force in Europe. The authors of the May 3,1791 Constitution proposed a democratic form of government. In the American Revolution two the Polish patriots participated: Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Casimir Pulaski.
After many years of oppression, especially third partitions, Poland became a free and independent country.

Journal 125 – Labor Day

Labor Day is a holiday honoring working people. On this day, labor organizations sponsor various celebrations; for most people it is a day of rest.
In Europe, Labor Day is observed on May 1. In America, Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September. This year, it will be on September 3.
The holiday began in 1882, originating from a desire to create a day off for the “working man”. Today, Labor Day is often regarded as a day of rest. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, and public art events.
Many years ago, in Poland and all socialistic countries, street parades which exhibit to the public the strength of the working class were organized by the local governments and institutions. The people were obligated to participate in special parades, because they could lose their jobs.
Many people, because of this reason, hated May 1. I remember this holiday with great clarity and unpleasant feelings. In those times, I was a dean assistant who was responsible for students participating in these parades. Most of the students didn’t like to participate in those kinds of events. Right now, parades are not organized.

Journal 124 – The Two Polish Holidays

Soon, the Polish people will celebrate two holidays. They will have a long weekend.
On May 1, the Poles will celebrate the Labor Day. The same holiday is celebrated in the USA, Canada and Puerto Rico on the first Monday in September.
On May 3, the second holiday is the Polish Constitution of 1791. I will write about both of them in the next two journals.

Journal 123 – Moscow – a capital which I remember with pleasure


Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first democratically elected president, who died on April 23 of hear failure at the age of 76, was berried on April 25.
Yeltsin was buried in Moscow Novodevichy Cementary, which is located close to the Moscow river, and a baroque 16th century convent. It has been the traditional burial place for Russian’s elite during both Soviet and non-communist areas. The former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev with his wife Nina Kuhartshuk and composer Dmitry Shostakovich are buried there. There is resting famous playwright Mikhail Bulgakow, the author of the Master and Margarita.
Yeltsin’s spot is located close to the grave of Raisa Gorbachev’s wife. Raisa died in 1999, because of leukemia. I visited this old, historical cemetery many times.
The newspaper, Nezavisimaja Gazieta, has written that the Russian people remember Yeltsin as the man who gave people new life and new opportunities, and removed fear from their hearts.
However, the newspaper, Moskovsky Komsomolets, alluded to Yeltsin’s penchant for alcohol. In this context, the author noticed that Yeltsin’s one personal weakness, which is understandable and forgivable in Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yeltsin’s successor, led mourners on the way from Christ the Cathedral to the cemetery. Former Amreican Presidents George Bush, Sen. and Bill Clinton, former British Prime Minister John Major, Britain’s Prince Andrew and former Polish President Lech Walesa were among those who paid their final respect Boris Yeltsin. The leaders from former Soviet republics which are today of independent countries were present. Among them were, Kazakhstan President Nurtsultan Nazarbayev, Armenia President Kocharian, Belorus President Aleksander Lukashenko, Ukraine Prime Minister Victor Yanukovich and the Presidents Lithuania and Estonia.
I like to write about Moscow. I like this metropolis. I spent there a few laborious years of my life. I would like to see this city after 18 years, because I was there the last time in 1989.

Journal 122 – The Orthodox church officially presided over Yeltsin’s funeral

The former Soviet president, Boris Yeltsin, was buried on Monday, April 23, in Moscow. The service was held in full accordance with Orthodox Christian tradition in the ornate Christ the Savior Cathedral. This Cathedral was destroyed by the Soviet government in 1931, the year of Yeltsin’s birth. It was reconstructed with Yeltsin’s approval when he was the president.
It was the first time, since the death of Czar Aleksander III in 1894, that the Orthodox church officially presided over the funeral of a head of state. In the previous journals, I have written, that the czar’s son, Nikolai II, was murdered with his family after Bolshevik revolution in 1917. The whole family was buried in a secret mass grave. After this, the Soviet government effectively put a stop to religious life in the country. Right now, we are witnesses’ very interesting times.

Journal 121 – My family after World War II

After World War II, my family had to begin a new life. It wasn’t easy. My father was 52 years old, then. He was a handyman and tried many different jobs.
Finally, he became a professional fisherman. It was a prestigious occupation in those days. My family had a small farm, too. Soon, my sister got married and I remained with my parents. They worked very hard and our family was middle wealthy. I graduated from high school and university. We had a good time.
World War II was for my family a big disaster. My older brother lost his life, and my family's properties were burned. My parents didn’t give up, but began a new life in different circumstances and our family succeeded. In 1945, the political situation was changed totally, because Poland remained under communist rules for the few next decades.

Journal 120 – My family before World War II

In the journal 114, I have written generally about World War II. Right now, in the following two journals, I am going to write about my family before and after WW II.
World War II began in 1939 in Poland, where my family lived. Before the war my family was wealthy, after the one it had to begin a new life. My parents, Wasyl and Maria, were rich farmers until WW II. They had two children, Maria and George. Both attended high schools. It was rareness in those times in Poland. WW II interrupted the learning of my siblings. My older brother, George, lost his life. My sister, Maria, never after completed her tutorial seminary. Soon after WW II, communist authorities deported my family together with most other Ukrainian families from the southeastern area to Eastern Prussia. It was territory that belonged to Germany before WW II. Because of this action, which named Vistula, my family lost whole its properties during a few hours.

Journal 119 – Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died

Today is Monday, April 23, 2007. The Russian Interfax news agency announced that Boris Yeltsin passed away of heart failure. He was 76. He was the first Russian president. Yeltsin held the office from 1991 to 1999. He helped to final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to democracy.
Yeltsin abruptly resigned in December 1999 after eight years as president because of his health problems. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin successes him. Former the Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said, “Yeltsin’s legacy includes both: great deeds for the country and serious errors”.

Journal 118 - Lenin ordered to murder Czar’s Nicholas II family

Nicholas II, 1868-1918, was the last czar of Russia. He ruled from 1894 to 1917 and believed that a czar must have absolute power.
During Nicholas II reign, industry developed rapidly in Russia. Literature, science, and other branches of learning also made impressive gains. However, workers in the cities became dissatisfied with living and working conditions.
Nicholas II attempted to expand Russian territory in Asia. It was a reason the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Russia lost it and people revolted in 1905.
In the beginning 1906, Nicholas’s government gave workers some health insurances, allowed peasant families to assume ownership of the village land which they farming, and improved public education. In 1914, these reforms were interrupted by the World War I. Nicholas took direct command of the Russian army. The Russian people blamed him for Russia’s military failures. Some people accused Alexandra, Nicolas’s German-born wife, of treason. In country were shortages of food and fuel. The people revolted in March 1917. Nicholas gave up his throne on March 15.
In November 1917, Bolsheviks took power in the country. They imprisoned Nicholas II, his wife and children in Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. On July 17 or 18, 1918, they were killed. The czar’s family consisted of: Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their 5 children. There were 4 daughters and son Alexei, who was afflicted by hemophilia. At that time, this disease was untreatable; it usually led to death. Together with them, were killed all members czar’s court staff. Historians consider that decision about this murder was personally made by Lenin.
In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church declared as saints Czar Nicholas II and his family. Contemporarily, 860 others who were killed by the Bolsheviks were canonized.

Journal 117 – Today is April 22. Vladimir Lenin was born on April 22,1870, in Simbirsk. In those days, it was a quiet town on the Volga River. Lenin’s real name was Vladimir Ilyich Ylyanov. He adopted the name Lenin in 1901. The name may refer to the Lena River of Siberia.
Lenin was a founder the Communist Party in Russia and set up the world’s first Communist Party dictatorship.
He led the October Revolution of 1917. In that year the Communists seized power in Russia. He then ruled the country until his death in 1924.
Lenin put into practice the theories of Karol Marx who was a German social philosopher. According to Karol Marx, the free enterprise system, which is based on privately owned business, would eventually destroy itself.
Lenin established a pattern for Communist revolutions. He took control of the government, and ruled as a dictator. All political parties, anti-Communist speeches and publications abolished.
Lenin was devoted to his Communist goals. He despised all religions, too. He is an author of the statement that, “Religion is opium for people”. The Russian people had religious beliefs, so Lenin didn’t try to close all the churches. Later, during the Stalin’s area, many of them exchanged in the museums of atheism.
The empire established by Lenin collapsed only in 1991. Communism as a political and social idea didn’t come true.

Journal 116 – Senator Rita Levi Montalcini birthday as national holiday in Italy

Today is April 22, 2007. Rita Levi Montalcini and her countrymen celebrate Mrs. Montalcini 98 birthday. It is almost a national holiday in Italy.
Mrs. Levi Montalcini was born April 22, 1909 in Turin in the Jewish family. In 1938, she had to leave Italy because of reasons racial acts. In those times, dictator B. Mussolini governed the country. In the first, she found a shelter in Belgium and next in the USA. In September 1946, Levi Montalcini accepted an invitation to Washington University in St. Louis. Then, she began her scientific career. In 1968, she became the tenth woman elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences. She received the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1986. In 2001, President Carlo Azeglio appointed her for life senator. She works in the Italian Parliament and continues her scientific researches.
Italian mass media call Prof. Rita Levi Montalcini “a senator full of beans”.

Journal 115 – Earth Day on April 22


Today is April 22,2007. The whole world celebrates Earth Day. Each year in this day, millions of people throughout the world gather to clean up the earth.
Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States of America in 1970. That same year, the U.S. Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency.
Simultaneously, an American Congress passed the Clean Act. This law says that cars and factories have to limit the amount of air pollution they could give off.

Journal 114 - World War II as big disaster in human history

World War II killed more people and destroyed more properties than any other war in human history. It began on September 1, 1939, when Germany attacked Poland. WW II ended on September 2, 1945; in Europe on May 9,1945.
This war began in Europe but spread to nearly every part of the world (Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean). The armies were fought on land, at sea, and in the air.
About 17 million soldiers died during the six years of this war. Millions of people died as prisoners in Germany’s concentration camps.
During this war, two groups of nations fought. One group, called the Axis. It consisted of nine countries was led by Germany, Italy, and Japan. The other group, called the Allies, was made up of 50 countries. It was led by the Soviet Union, the USA, the Great Britain and China.
The first was attacked Poland. Two days late, Great Britain, France and several other nations joined Poland in the war against Germany. In August, 1939, the Soviet Union and Germany had made an agreement not to fight each other. This secret agreement was called Pact Ribbentrop-Molotow from names the foreign ministers these two countries.
The USA entered World War II after Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It was for Americans a big shock. It is interesting, that in the beginning WW II, American President Delano Roosevelt, announced neutrality of his country. After the USA and the Soviet Union united their power, German troops began to lose more battles. The world remembers the date June 6,1944, which is called D-Day. In this victory battle, the Allies troops were commanded by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower. In 1953, D. Eisenhower became the American president and held his office for two terms.
Germany finally surrounded, or gave up, on May 7, 1945; but Japan was fighting still. In this situation, American President Harry Truman, gave an order dropped two atomic bombs on Japanese cities in August 1945. Finally, Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945. In this day, World War II ended at last.

Journal 113 – First woman to travel in space

Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first woman to travel in space. From June 16 to June 19, 1963, Tereshkova traveled around the Earth 45 times in the spacecraft Vostok 6. She orbited Earth one every 88 minutes. Tereshkova was the first space traveler with no experience as a test pilot. Her hobby was parachuting. She made more than 125 jumps before volunteering for space-flight training school. Valentina Tereshkowa, 69, was born in western Russia. Before she became a cosmonaut, she worked in a textile mill. In 1963, she married cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev.

Journal 112 – A marriage made in the heavens

On August 10, 2003, Yuri Malenchenko, the Soviet cosmonaut, became the first person to marry in space. Yuri has exchanged vows with American citizen Ekaterina Dmitriew of Houston, Texas.
Yuri was 240 miles above New Zealand aboard the ISS; his future wife, Ekaterina, was at the Johnson Space Center at Houston.
The best man was an American astronaut Edward Lu, who was the member of the ISS crew. Simultaneously, Lu played Wedding March on a portable electronic keyboard.
The family friend, Harry Noe, stood on the ground on behalf of Yuri, in Texas. William Yeoman, a justice of the peace, pronounced Yuri and Ekaterina husband and wife. The bride and groom placed rings on their own fingers.
Malenchenko and Lu could be seen the wedding party members on the ground on a large TV screen. When Yuri came back to Earth, the couple repeated their vows in a church in Russia. Next, they spent their honeymoon in Australia. Malenchenko, 41, was a colonel in the Russian Air Force. Yuri’s wife, Ekaterina, is 14 years younger than he is. They have settled in Moscow.

Journal 111 - International Space Station

International Space Station (ISS) is a large, inhabited Earth satellite. It has built by more than 15 nations in space. The first part of the station was launched in 1998. The station consists of about 8 cylindrical sections called modules. Each module lunched from Earth separately; astronauts and cosmonauts connected the sections in space. The ISS orbits Earth at an altitude of about 250 miles.
The USA and Russia are providing most of the modules and other equipment. Canada built a mobile robot arm; it was installed in 2001. In this undertaking participated Japan and the European Space Agency (many members). Brazil provides equipment. This country signed a special separate agreement with the United States; it has permission to send a Brazilian astronaut to the station.

Journal 110 – Star City nearly Moscow

Star City is a highly restricted military facility northeast of Moscow. It serves as airfield, where cosmonauts have been trained. In the Soviet era the town was a highly confidential and secured area. It was isolated from the rest of the world. Today, many Russian cosmonauts live here with their families.
The town has its own railway, shops and post office. On January 11, 1960, in Star City was inaugurated the Cosmonaut Training Center. In 1968, after Gagarin’s death, it was renamed Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center (GCTC). It was made in memory of the first man in space. In this center cosmonauts are trained for their missions.
In contrary to the USA, the former Soviet Union kept all information about its cosmic centers in strict confidence.

Journal 109 – National Aeronautics and Space Administration


NASA is an abbreviation National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is a US. government agency. It carries out space flights people who can learn more about Earth and other planets. NASA has 10 major centers. In these centers, work scientist, engineers, and technicians. One of the most important centers is the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA establish in 1958. In 1969, NASA launched the first spacecraft to land people on the moon. In 1986, the space shuttle broke in the sky and 7 astronauts were killing. In 2003, the same situation happened with shuttle Columbia. In this case, were killing all seven crew members, too.
The USA has had many achievements in this area. However, on April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin of the former Soviet Union became the first person to travel in space. But yet, 23 days later, on May 5, Alan B. Shepherd, Jr. became the first U.S. astronaut. But, he didn’t go into orbit. Only, John Glenn, was the first American who circled the earth three times on February 20,1962. Glenn himself flew again in space in October 1998. He was in those days, 77 years old.

Journal 108 – Astronaut or cosmonaut?

Astronaut is a person who pilots a spacecraft in space program of the United States. In Russia and the others European countries this man or woman is called cosmonaut. The Chinese people called this kind of person taikonaut. This word comes from Chinese words “tai kong” which mean “outer space”. An astronaut, cosmonaut and taikonaut can be too a person who works in space. How call men and women who are lanchued in a space, in different countries, I don’t know.

Astronauts, cosmonauts and taikonaut operate spacecraft. They can conduct scientific programs. The word astronaut comes from Greek words that mean sailor among the stars. Cosmonaut means sailor of the universe. When we are talking about cosmos, we mean any complete and harmonious system.

Journal 107 - First Brazilin in space

In March 2007, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency launched a Soyuz TMA 8 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is a mission to the International Space Station. Aboard the spacecraft were three astronauts: Russian Pavel Vinogradov, American Jeffrey Williams and Brazilian Marcos Pontes. Pontes was the first Brazilian in space. The spacecraft was scheduled to dock at the space station on April 1. The crew had conducted various scientific experiments during the mission.
Marcos Pontes and two others astronauts, Russian Valery Tokarev and American Bill McArthur, who arrived in space station earlier, left this station on April 9. They returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz spacecraft.
P. Vinogradov and J. Williams remainded at the space station. They are going to stay there for 6 months. Good luck!

Journal 106 - Marta Stewart went to Kazakhstan

Marta Stewart, well-known the American business owner who specializes in advice about homemaking, cooking and gardening, came last Friday to Baikonur, Kazahstan, to watch his friend. Stewart is longtime friend of Charles Simonyi. He is the famous Amercian softwared engineer and developer of Microsoft Word. Simonyi paid 25 million for a 12-day trip to the international space station with Fiodor Jurchichin and Oleg Kotow, two Russian cosmonauts. Charles Simonyi was born in Hungary. He participates in Microsoft success. Right now, 58-year old Simonyi is billionaire.

Journal 105 – Pope Benedict XVI releases first book as pope

A few years ago, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger began writing his personal mediation on Jesus Christ’s teaching. This book entitled “Jesus of Nazareth” is released today, on Friday 13, 2007.
Present Pope, Benedict XVI, in his book criticizes cruelty of capitalism and colonialism. The fundamental question which is exploring in this book is: what Jesus did? The book consists of the 448 pages. It first will appear in bookstores in German, Italian and Polish on next Monday. It will be tribute in Benedict’s 80th birthday. The English edition is due for release May 15. It will be translated for 16 other languages.
Pope Benedict XVI is prolific and well-know theologian. He has written many books before he became the pope.

Journal 104 - Yuri Gagarin - Columbus of the Cosmos

Today is April 12, 2007. The Soviet air force pilot, Yuri Gagarin, was the first human to travel in space. It happened on April 12, 1961. It was an event without precedent. Americans were shocked. In 1962, astronaut John H. Glenn, Jr., became the first American to orbit the earth.
Yuri Gagarin circled the earth at a speed of more than 17,000 mph. The trip lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes. Gagarin’s spacecraft Vostok 1 was in orbit for 89.1 minutes. At the highest point, Gagarin was about 203 miles above the earth.
Gagarin is known in Russian history as “the Columbus of the Cosmos”.
Yuri Gagarin was born in 1934 and was killed in a plane crash in 1968.

Journal 103 - Disinterest and religiousness

Disinterest and religiousness aren’t only determined by the environment. Laura Koenig from University of Minnesota researched the activities of adult twins. Koenig discovered that disinterest and religiousness usually occurred together. They are qualified socially and genetically.
Laura Koenig considers that the common point of vies that religious people behave more disinterestedly, because they became shaped in this way, didn’t prove come true. Some people have a particular predisposition to altruistic behavior, although that they aren’t religious.

102 – Ukraine as a European country

Ukraine is a country in eastern Europe. It is Europe’s second largest country in area; only Russia, Ukrainian’s neighbor, has more land. Ukraine area is 233,090 square miles, and population about 46 million. Ukrainian’s capital and largest city is Kiev.
Ukraine was one of the fifth republics of the former Soviet Union. For many decades, the Soviet Union forced Ukrainians to use the Russian language in government, schools, newspapers and television. The Moscow Empire favored the Russian culture over the Ukrainian culture. Many Ukrainians resented this policy and hated the Soviet government. In 1932 and 1933, millions of Ukrainians died of famine.
In 1991, following an upheaval in the Soviet government Ukraine declared its political independence. Moscow still wants to decide about many Ukrainian political problems.

Journal 101 - High political tension on the Ukraine

Last Monday, Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko, dissolved the parliament. He called yearly elections on May 27. It caused a political crisis, because the parliament refused to acknowledge the order and voted down to continue meetings.
The main problem is the conflict between President Victor Yushchenko and his rival Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych. The president represents politics, which is directed to the West, however the prime minister has pro Moscow attitude.
President Yushchenko insisted that, “The political situation in the state is under control and stable”. He added, “I am calling on the Ukrainian people to make a fair conscious and responsible choice which will end this stage of political conflict and will open a new stage for Ukraine”.

Journal 100 - In memorial Pope John Paul II

Today is April 2. Two years ago, Pope John Paul II passed away at Vatican. It was a very sad day for millions people in the world, not only Poles and Catholics.
Pope John Paul II was one of the most influential world spiritual leaders in the second half of twentieth century.
The Polish people have in mind the pope’s homilies, characteristic voice and figure. About 70% Poles state that they put into practice the pope’s teaching.
Today, Polish President Lech Kaczynski with the First Lady went to Vatican. Many the Polish pilgrims visit the pope’s tomb.

Journal 99 – April Fools’ Day

Today is the first day of April. It is All Fools’ Day. In many countries, for example in the USA and Poland, it is the custom on this day to play tricks on people. A favorite joke is to send someone on a fool’s errand. This victim is called and April Fool. Exactly, no one knows where the April Fools’ custom began. Some consider that it’s the fatherland is France.

Journal 98 – Preparing for lifelong learning

Lifelong learning is a common idea in the contemporary world. In this area, schools play a very important role. They provide alumnus with particular skills, general knowledge and motivation.
First of all, a very important key play particular skills. The basic of them are: reading and writing; the more complicated is ability to find variety points of view in different sources. At present, the Internet is the biggest library in the world.
Second of all, each high school alumni should have motivation to enrich her or his knowledge and improve skills. It can be in general or professional area. Motivation is as an engine, which gives us stimulus and energy to do something. Simplify, we can say about two major kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. The first is more valuable than second one. At all, it is a problem how to motivate students to learn, especially for whole their lives. It is very important and complicated.
Finally, the educators discovered correlation between the level of education and motivation to lifelong learning. The general regularity says: when the level of education increases, needs for lifelong learning raise proportionally.
All three basic components discussed above, which make possible lifelong learning, can be topics for separate journals.

Journal 97 - About terminology

Americans are definite on the concept, which tells about learning for the whole of life as lifelong learning. I understood this term relatively recently. One department at NCC has a name The Language Center of Lifelong Learning.
In Poland, in this case, we use the term “permanent education”. I asked one American lady and she told me, that the term “perpetual learning” is the most proper to define the process mentioned above. I think that the adjective “perpetual” describes something which is…eternal. It is interesting that the adverb “perpetually” means in Polish “permanently”.
At present, I am confused. The other problem: we should say about “lifelong learning” or “lifelong education”.

Journal 96 – Lifelong learning isn’t fashion but necessity

You have written in your comments to my journal, that to be a student is your love. Somebody, who states it, is a true teacher. I am convinced; the learning during the whole of life is one of the most important traits of a teacher's personality. Lifelong learning is the concept that says, “It is never too late for learning”. Somebody consider that …get married too.
Lifelong learning is an attitude which opens to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. It throws out the door the axiom that, “You cannot teach an old dog new tricks”. Lifelong learning is important because of the acceleration of scientific and technological progress. This kind of learning provides many opportunities at all ages and in numerous contexts: at work, at home, and during free time. It isn’t only through formal channels such as school