Here's some stuff the average Polish-American doesn't know.
Most Polish-American folks say when they read stuff like this the feel more Polish pride.

Here is an item you'll find on the Quirky page: A Polish pirate made himself King of Madagascar. Count Maurycy Beniowski (also known as Baron Maurice de Benyowski) was born in Poland to a noble family. At that time Poland was partitioned into three parts, Beniowski was born in the Russian part. As a youngster he took part in the Polish uprising to liberate Poland from the Russian rule (Konfederacja Barska) and after being captured by Russians was sent into exile to Siberia. However he managed to escape and after some tumultuous years he found himself leading an armed expedition headed toward Madagascar. On an African Island near Madagascar he managed to establish a stronghold, and pronounced himself the king of Madagascar. We can easily classify him as a pirate because he was not above attacking shipping lanes around Madagascar, and he didn't represent any authority. One of the nearby islands (Mauritius) was named after this Polish adventurer and to this day he is remembered there. See more: [Click Here] Here is an item you'll find on the Uniquely Polish page: There is a desert in Poland. The Bledowska Desert is an accumulation of loose sand away from any sea, created thousands of years ago by a melting glacier. It lies between Klucze, Chechlo, and Bledów. It is 9 km long, 3-4 km wide, and the average depth of sand is 25 m. As late as in the 1950s and 1960s you could still observe such phenomena as mirages, sand storms, sand vortices and oases here. Now the desert is quickly becoming covered with vegetation, colonized mainly by Caspian willows, and it's getting harder and harder to find patches of spectacular bare sand. Fortunately for the lovers of the exotic, some scientists think that the desert is going to recover, at least partially.Over the last few years, the Bledowska Desert has become a favorite with paragliding aficionados. Two factors contribute to this popularity: a series of relatively high hills making excellent launching sites and favorable air currents allowing you to soar high. See more: [Click Here] It didn't happen, but: While Christianity appears to be in a steep decline across most of Europe, in Poland the faith still burns brightly. The question is whether Poland is an anomaly, a quirky throwback to another era, or a harbinger of Europe's coming culture war. I have faith it is the latter. JPII hoped that the intense spirituality of his native Poland would spark a "new evangelization" in Western Europe. During most of his papacy, there was scant sign of that happening. But more recently Poland has emerged at the fore of a fledgling movement to restore Christian values to Europe. Poland's churches are still packed; its seminaries still ordaining great numbers of priests. The census data shows: 96 percent of the population identify themselves as Roman Catholic; 57 percent say they attend Mass every Sunday. Now, there seems to be more statues of Pope John Paul II across Poland than there once were of Lenin. A few years ago, a typical Pole was Catholic in his private life. Today, they express it openly and want it expressed in public policy. Political parties are listening. Aleksander Kwasniewski, the reformed communist who was Poland's former president said: "there is no excuse for making references to ancient Greece and Rome, and to the Enlightenment, without making reference to the Christian values which are so important to the development of Europe." Lawmakers in the fall of 2006 have drawn up a resolution naming Jesus Christ as the honorary king of Poland, but the 46 MPs behind the idea have failed to win support from the country's powerful Roman Catholic church. See more: [Click Here] Listen to Polish Pride Radio on last.fm [Click Here] Polish Pride section of the Polish Heritage Gift Shop [Click Here] Polish Pride Cookies 2 eggs 3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter 1 (6-ounce) bag chocolate chips Topping: 3 tablespoons sugar 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, baking powder and butter. Once the mixture becomes dough, stir in chocolate chips. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Add more flour, if necessary. Roll dough into a shape that resembles a snake, 1 inch in diameter by 15 inches in length. Use fork to lightly press cookies and make slight indent on top of cookie. Mix topping by combining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle topping on cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes on a non-stick cookie sheet. Slice cookies on angle while cookies are still warm.

Here is a story. Believe it or don't: On a trip to the Bay Area I was walking through San Francisco's Chinatown, I'm fascinated with all the Chinese restaurants, shops, signs and banners. Then I turned a corner and saw a building with the sign, "Ignacy Pacholski's Chinese Laundry." "Ignacy Pacholski?" "How the heck does that name fit in here?" So I walk into the shop and see an old Chinese gentleman behind the counter. I ask, "How did this place get a name like "Ignacy Pacholski's Chinese Laundry?" The old man answers, "Is name of owner." I ask, "Well, who and where is the owner?" "Me, is right here," replies the old man. "You? How did you ever get a name like Ignacy Pacholski?" "Is simple," says the old man. "Many, many year ago when come to this country, was stand in line at Documentation Center. Man in front is gentleman from Poland. Lady look at him and go, 'What your name?' He say, 'Ignacy Pacholski.' Then she look at me and go, "What your name?' I say, "Sem Dem Ting.'" Display of Polish Pride The words for Polish Pride ~ Polska Duma Pride in Our Heritage The Polish American Journal proudly joins Polish American organizations, schools, churches, libraries, and cultural groups throughout the United States in celebrating Polish American Heritage Month. As Polish Americans, we have so many outstanding accomplishments of which we can be proud. The most influential religious leader on Earth, Pope John Paul II, shares our heritage. Throughout the 1970's and 80's Poles stood alone in their struggle for freedom against communist tyranny; they became the beacon of hope for all other Eastern bloc countries and proved it was possible for small countries to receive their national identity and break away from the U.S.S.R. The contributions which Poles have made to science, technology, music, art and literature are outstanding. Yes, indeed we can be proud of our Polish American heritage. The concept of designating a special month in which to celebrate our heritage was begun in Pennsylvania in 1981 at the suggestion of Michael Blichasz, a Polish American activist in Philadelphia. At that time, August was designated Polish American Heritage Month and it was only celbrated in Pennsylvania. However, in 1986, Blichasz, president of the Eastern Pennsylvania District of the Polish American Congress and of the Polish American Cultural Center in Philadelphia, made a proposal at a national PAC meeting that Heritage Month be celebrated nation wide. His proposal was adopted, however, the month was changed to October, which coincides with the death of General Casimir Pulaski. The celebration in October is also more practical because it allows school children to participate in activities which would not be possible during the summer month of August. Today, all Polish American communities celebrate Heritage Month. Because of active participation by Polish Americans across the country, more and more children are learning about the contributions of Poles and Polish Americans. These take the form of guest speakers at schools, exhibits within schools, ceremonies at town and city halls and memorials, exhibits and displays in shopping malls, and social events such as dances and food festivals. Do you volunteer at any such event? If not, you should. You will be doing your part to help spread the good word about Poles, and help to preserve our heritage here in the United States. It is up to us as parents, aunts, uncles, and gramdparents to instill Polish pride in the younger generation. If we don't do it, no one else will, and that would be a tragedy and the end of a lineage strong in faith, family and community. One of the greatest benefits of Polish American Heritage Month is that is causes us to take time from our daily routine to pay special attention to our heritage. Regardless of what we do to celebrate this month, make a promise to yourself to do something special because you are special, you are a Polish American! This article first appeared in the Polish American Journal - October, 2002