Partycypacja w życiu miasta i przeszkody dla mobilności osób starszych w Łodzi

The article analyzes participation of senior citizens in urban life of Łódź in the context of spending their free time. The paper is also aimed at revealing obstacles for their mobility within the city. It occurred that the elderly want to participate more in urban life, especially because of their strong desire to meet other people. However, there are still many barriers, mostly relating to public transport and road infrastructure, that make such participation difficult. Also many deficiencies may be found in seniors’ residential environment as well as in public green areas.W artykule podjęto się zbadania uczestnictwa seniorów w życiu miejskim Łodzi w kontekście spędzania przez nich czasu wolnego. Jego celem było również ukazanie przeszkód utrudniających starszym osobom poruszanie się w obrębie miasta. Badanie potwierdziło, że seniorzy pragną głębszego uczestnictwa w życiu miejskim, szczególnie ze względu na silne pragnienie spotykania innych ludzi. Nie sprzyja temu jednak istnienie wielu barier związanych z transportem publicznym oraz infrastrukturą drogową. Szereg niedostatków zgłoszono również w odniesieniu do otoczenia miejsc zamieszkania seniorów oraz terenów zieleni publicznej.This publication was supported with a grant for young scientists and PhD students at the University of Łódź

Domestic Final Demand as a Determinant of R&D Activity in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries

This article presents the results of an empirical study conducted based on selected countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The study focused on the impact of domestic final demand for products manufactured by individual industries on the R&D activity in the country. The main research tools are the Leontief model and R&D multipliers. The application of the input-output methods allows domestic R&D expenditures to be broken down into institutional sectors to establish what part of the expenditures is embodied in products manufactured to meet final household demand, in exports, etc.kraju a aktywnością krajowej sfery badawczo-rozwojowej. Głównym narzędziem badawczym jest model Leontiefa oraz mnożniki nakładów na B+R. Zastosowane metody pozwalają także na dekompozycję krajowych nakładów na B+R według sektorów instytucjonalnych, czyli np. określenie jaka część krajowych nakładów na B+R zostaje ucieleśniona w produktach wytwarzanych na zaspokojenie popytu finalnego gospodarstw domowych, czy w produktach przeznaczonych na eksport. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań empirycznych przeprowadzonych dla wybranych krajów Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej. Badania te dotyczyły zależności między popytem finalnym na produkty określonych gałęzi gospodarki, które są wytwarzan

SKI Touring in Poland: Who Takes Part in this Form of Specialised Tourism? How Do They Take Part and Why?

The article presents a description of ski touring by Polish tourists. The author is looking for answers to the following questions: Who goes on this form of tourism? How and why? How experienced are the tourists? Are they aware of the risks involved? Are they theoretically and practically prepared for the danger of avalanches? The author compares their social features and tourist-recreational behaviour to research conducted by the Central Statistical Office in 2012

GIS w polskiej edukacji wyższej – dyskusja

Norvay Grants FSS/2014/HEI/W/0114/U/001

GIS in the Studies of Łódź Geographers

Published in: Origin of Relief of Central Poland and Its Anthropogenic Transformation in Łódź University Geographical Research, edited by. E.Kobojek, T.MarszałThe scientific community of geographers in the University of Łódź uses GIS for scientific research to a different extent, mainly as a tool for spatial analyses of the subject of their studies. They include both socio-economic geographers and physical geographers

Dharma and religion in Tagore’s views

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), one of the greatest contemporary Indian thinkers, discussed the problem of religion and faith on the ground of global pluralism and religious diversity. He presented his views in numerous poetical works (including Gitanjali, a collection of Song offerings translated into English, for which he was awarded with the Noble Prize in literature in 1913), but he also delivered many speeches, mostly addressed to the Western audience (e.g. The religion of Man). In his writing, Tagore often uses the terms “religion” and dharma interchangeably. This article focuses on both key terms and on the question whether they may be seen as equivalent according to him. Does he really equalize both terms? or, How was his understanding of “religion” and dharma influenced by his cultural background? The article opens with the analyse of the dictionary definitions of both key terms. Next, at the basis of dictionary explanation the main question is raised: whether “religion” and dharma could be treated as equivalents in their whole range of meanings or should their understanding be limited to a chosen definition or definitions? In the following section, Tagore’s concept of the so called “Man the Eternal” and “Divinity in Man” is briefly described. Final comments include some remarks on both terms explained in the light of Tagore’s view on comparative methodology. He claims that “religion” and dharma are close in meaning, since they both stand for the rational description of the individual experience of divinity. Therefore, they may ultimately lead to the common end, regardless their different cultural roots and various circumstances in which both concepts developed. Tagore argues for freedom as the preliminary condition for understanding of the phenomenon of transcendence of human nature towards the experience of divinity. He understands freedom as perfect harmony realized in this world but not merely through our response to it in knowing but in being. Only when such an approach is accepted the experience of “Man the Eternal” can be achieved. In this respect all human beings may meet, regardless they come from Western or Eastern culture. Such an exposition of the core of religious experience allows us to use the terms of “religion” and dharma interchangeably, and thus contribute to the comparative methodology in religious studies

Female and male attractiveness as depicted in the Vanaparvan of the Mahābhārata

This paper deals with the bodily attractiveness of heroines and heroes, as described in one of the two most important epics of India. The basis for this analysis is the love stories and episodes included in the main plot of the Vanaparvan, the third book of the Mahābhārata. The stories from this book have been taken into consideration due to their numerous occurrences, which are a sufficient ground for generalizations. Many characteristic features of their protagonists are repeated in different sub‑stories. Also, the images of female and male characters, princesses, queens and kings are presented and discussed in detail. The external beauty of such female heroines as Damayantī, Sāvitrī, Sukanyā, Suśobhanā and Sitā; as well as the attractiveness of two semi‑goddesses, called Apsarases, are described and analysed. The names of the Apsarases discussed in the context of female beauty are Urvaśī and Menakā. Besides this, the image of an unnamed courtesan is discussed, as it is the most detailed description of a female character and probably follows the ideal of female beauty as shown in the Mahābhārata. As far as the male protagonists are concerned, the images of heroes such as Nala, Bhīma, Aśvapati, Rāma and Daśaratha are taken into consideration. The examples of male attractiveness also include features of the five main heroes of the Mahābhārata: the Paṇḍava brothers

The Warsaw – Lodz Duopolis in the light of the changes in the urban population density

The article presents the changes in the urban population density in the 20th c., in central Poland, in an area where the two largest Polish cities – Warsaw and Lodz are situated, within a distance of 120 km from each other. The analysis was conducted by means of a statistical method used for estimating discret distributions – the kernel function method. The conclusions served the purpose of presenting the changes which took place around these cities, as well as an academic discussion regarding the condition and the future of the duopolis in the light of the discussed factor