Author: Kevin McCartney

Here I am working in Warsaw on the scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Some of you may remember a television interview we did from here two
years ago.

Everyone here is Poland would ask me about Donald Trump, and my
response was always the same – Do not worry, he has zero chance of
winning, indeed if he wins I will eat my hat.  Well, I was in Warsaw
working on the scanning electron microscope on the day after the
election, and he am eating my hat.

This is a chemist shop – apparently for brewing supplies – in Poznań.
Mike, this picture is for you!

In Poznań is the St. Martin Cruisant Museum.  The cruisants there are
on the EU heritage list.  The first picture shows the preparation with
two people from the audience (the person on the right, Pandora, is a
Fulbright).  The second picture shows the cruisants prior to being put
into the oven.

Two scenes from the Poznań old city (stare miasto).  First picture is
of the old city hall (now a museum) and the second of some of the
buildings around the city square.

This is a horse statue / clock just outside the train station in
Berlin, where I met Kate enroute to Poznań.  Large and very
interesting.

This is a wall memorial to Herbert Hoover, in Poznań.  We do not rank
Hoover high due to the Great Depression of 1929 (caused by practices
during the Calvin Coolidge administration), but the man demonstrated
extraordinary competency previous to being elected.  Among his
projects was humanitarian work in eastern Europe after WWI, when there
was widespread famine.  Herbert Hoover is deeply respected in Poland.

My wife Kate joined me for three days in Poznań, an old Polish city is
west-central Poland.  The first picture shows a beautiful building in
the old city (stare miasto) with the two billiegoats that are the
city’s mascot.  The second picture is a fairly typical corner building
near our motel.

This is the recognition event for a retiring dean.  I saw the Polish
equivalent of a convocation, which was done similarly.  Much more
formal than at UMPI, but with pomp, ceremony and prestige.  The rector
(president) and other VIPS are dressed in their academic best, which
includes metals and finery.  To the left is a portion of the student
honor guard, with the school flags (see second picture, with myself
and a Chinese colleague).  The session is completed with a lecture,
this one on climate change.

Friday night was folk music at the Cutty Sark Pub.  I love folk music
(Kocham muzyka ludowa).  This is just part of the group, playing Irish
and Polish (sometimes Irish tunes with Polish lyrics), plus „Shady
Grove” for me, with guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, accordian and
flutes/penny whistles.