Yusef Komunyakaa: Questioning traditional metaphors of light and darkness

The theory of language promoted by cognitive linguistics points to metaphor as the crucial element of language and thought: a mode of thinking which determines our perception of reality. Stressing the importance of metaphor in our everyday life, George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, and Mark Turner state that the nature of poetic metaphors is the same as the nature of conventional metaphors which appear in standard language. Creating poetic metaphors, poets simply explore conventional metaphors, using four major strategies: expanding, elaborating, composing, and questioning. Focusing on questioning as the main strategy through which American multicultural literatures can undermine basic Western concepts of the English language, this study examines the ways in which Yusef Komunyakaa questions conventional metaphors of light and darkness in his poetry. Chapter One of this thesis situates the cognitive linguistics\u27 theory of metaphor in the context of African American literary criticism, especially the theory of double-voice. Chapter Two investigates Komunyakaa\u27s treatment of conventional metaphors of outer and inner sight, directly related to the concepts of light and darkness, in Neon Vernacular, and emphasizes the importance of the imagery of seeing in Komunyakaa\u27s definition of power relations in the contemporary world. Chapter Three focuses directly on metaphors of light and darkness in Neon Vernacular: Komunyakaa\u27s attempts to reverse the traditional definitions through criticism of light, as well as his use of the imagery of union between light and darkness as a metaphor of the African-American double-consciousness. Chapter Four analyzes Komunyakaa\u27s use of metaphors of light and darkness in Dien Cai Dau to describe an extreme situation of the Vietnam war, and define the identity of the American nation in liminal circumstances. The final part of this thesis concludes that Komunyakaa\u27s central imagery of light and darkness in union might be treated as a metaphor of the underlining feature of Komunyakaa\u27s work: merging of Western and African traditions

Oczekiwania pracodawców wobec kompetencji absolwentów kierunków ekonomicznych

Modern economy requires graduates to possess particular competences, not only those associated with knowledge and skills emerging from the particular course of studies. The subject matter of the present paper contributes to the discussion on shaping university graduates’ vocational competences. The objective of the study was to identify expectations of employers who employ graduates of fiance and accounting studies with regard to their finess for employment. The analysis encompassed required competences and areas defied by employers as additional qualifiations. As the results of the study, the practical recommendations for students of economics were formulated.Współczesna gospodarka oczekuje od absolwentów szczególnych kompetencji związanych nie tylko z wiedzą i umiejętnościami wynikającymi z ukończenia danego kierunku studiów. Problematyka prezentowanego opracowania wpisuje się w dyskusję nad kształtowaniem kompetencji zawodowych absolwentów szkół wyższych. Celem badań była identyfiacja oczekiwań pracodawców zatrudniających absolwentów kierunku fianse i rachunkowość wobec kandydatów do pracy. Analizie poddano wymagane kompetencje oraz te obszary, które pracodawcy oceniali jako dodatkowe kwalifiacje. Dzięki przeprowadzonym badaniom opracowano rekomendacje praktyczne dla studentów kierunków ekonomicznych w zakresie zapotrzebowania pracodawców na kompetencje absolwentów

Translation’s Deceit: Czesław Miłosz and Negro Spirituals

This article discusses the politics of translation of eleven negro spirituals, which Czesław Miłosz produced in 1948, while working as a cultural attaché of the Polish embassy in Washington D.C. Initially, Miłosz intended to publish all of these translations in the Polish literary weekly Nowiny Literackie. Although only a few of these translations appeared in the weekly, the article proposes that Miłosz’s project played a role in opposing the Soviet cultural and political domination of Poland after World War II. Drawing parallels between research on slavery and the analysis of power structures in post-war Poland presented in The Captive Mind, the article argues that Miłosz’s translations were driven by the “ethics of deception” akin to resistance strategies inscribed in the original contexts of production of negro spirituals. The article relies on theories of translation developed by deconstruction to question the traditional hierarchies between “translation” and “the original,” and, consequently, to complicate Miłosz’s position as “a translator” of spirituals. Since spirituals are improvisational by origin, specifi c examples of Miłosz’s translation choices demonstrate that his role in the translation process was participatory and creative rather than imitative. Thus the article concludes that the translation of spirituals enabled Miłosz both to be and not to be the author of these texts, a subversive move in the Soviet-dominated system, where direct expressions of longing for freedom (only implicitly voiced in the spirituals) may not have been welcome. This interpretation is consistent with Miłosz’s other early works, which draw parallels between Polish post-war and slavery/colonial experiences, and adds to current debates on the possible convergences between post-Soviet and postcolonial conditions

Networks and Competitiveness in Polish Foreign-owned and Domestic Firms

In this study deepens the available knowledge about the networks of Polish manufacturing firms. Among the questions touched upon in this analysis are: Do foreign-owned companies have less developed networks of Polish suppliers than domestically owned companies? What is the role of the science and technology sector in industrial innovation? What benefits do firms derive from cooperation with various types of partners? To achieve a mix of mature and emerging industries, four manufacturing industries were selected for analysis: • electronics • auto/auto parts • pharmaceuticals •food and beverages. The introduction, briefly overviews the recent development and performance of the four industries in Poland. The second section presents case studies of eight firms – two from each of the four industries studied. These case studies were carried out in 2003. The third section, analyzes data collected from a sample of 226 companies in 2004.Networks, upgrading, Poland, manufacturing, competitiveness.

Rocznik Lubuski (t. 31, cz.1): Muzea i ochrona dziedzictwa kulturowego na Środkowym Nadodrzu

Muzea i Ochrona Dziedzictwa Kulturowego na Środkowym Nadodrzu

"THE CORRELATION BETWEEN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ENTERPRISES INNOVATION"

Celem niniejszej pracy jest analiza związku pomiędzy społeczną odpowiedzialnością biznesu i innowacyjnością przedsiębiorstw. Autorka zamierza wykazać współzależność pomiędzy stosowaniem narzędzi z zakresu społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu na innowacyjność przedsiębiorstw. W pierwszej części przedstawiono pojęcie społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu poprzez określenie jego istoty oraz wpływu na działalność przedsiębiorstw. Dodatkowo, autorka przybliżyła czytelnikowi stan społecznej odpowiedzialności polskich przedsiębiorstw. Druga część pracy traktuje o innowacyjności, analizując pojęcie innowacji poprzez wskazanie typologii innowacji, definiując pojęcie procesu innowacyjnego, a w końcu przedstawiając związek, jaki występuje pomiędzy społeczną odpowiedzialnością biznesu a innowacyjnością. Trzecia część pracy zawiera wyniki badań własnych o charakterze ilościowym dotyczących opinii pracowników na temat wpływu stosowania narzędzi z zakresu społecznej odpowiedzialności biznesu na innowacyjność przedsiębiorstw. Do przeprowadzenia badań autorka wykorzystała kwestionariusz wspomagany komputerowo.In this paper, the author tries to demonstrate the correlation between Corporate Social Responsibility and enterprises innovation. The main purpose of this article is to find out how significant Corporate Social Responsibility actives are in increasing enterprises Innovation. In the first part of this study the author tries to highlight the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and its influence on activity of enterprises. In addition to this, the author presents the current awareness of the idea of Corporate Social Responsibility in Poland. In the second part of this paper the author defines the concept of Innovation and also attempts to relate Corporate Social Responsibility instruments to the level of enterprises Innovation. The third part of this study shows results of empirical studies. This paper discusses the link between Corporate Social Responsibility and enterprises innovation with references to existing literature and articles in professional journals

„My vision of reality seems to be blurred”

Artykuł jest zapisem rozmowy z Katarzyną Jakubiak (ur. 1973), pisarką, tłumaczką, wykładowczynią, przeprowadzonej przez Justynę Sobolewską i Sławomira Iwasiowa w ramach Festiwalu Literatury Kobiet „Gryfia” w czerwcu 2013 roku w Szczecinie. Autorka była nominowana w tym roku do Literackiej Nagrody „Gryfia” za tom prozy Nieostre widzenia. Zarówno książka, jak i rozmowa, która toczyła się wokół poszczególnych tekstów z tego zbioru, dotyczą takich zagadnień, jak emigracyjność, literatura akademicka czy reprezentacja w utworach literackich. Pisarka, opowiadając o kolejnych etapach powstawania zbioru Nieostre widzenia, mówiła także o swoich doświadczeniach emigracyjnych, podróżach oraz pracy na uniwersytetach w Stanach Zjednoczonych i Europie. To tematyka, którą interesują się prowadzący rozmowę: Justyna Sobolewska jest uznaną krytyczką literacką, znawczynią współczesnej literatury polskiej, współpracującą z najważniejszymi mediami opiniotwórczymi (m.in. z tygodnikiem „Polityka”), natomiast Sławomir Iwasiów bada związki najnowszej prozy z takimi kategoriami, jak podróżowanie czy tożsamość.The article documents a meet-the-author session with Katarzyna Jakubiak (born in 1973) – polish writer, translator and academic teacher. The interview took place in Szczecin on June 2013 during the cultural event Festiwal Literatury Kobiet Gryfia and was moderated by Justyna Sobolewska and Sławomir Iwasiów. This year the author got nomination to award Literacka Nagroda Gryfia for collection of short stories entitled „Nieostre widzenia”. The debate between Jakubiak, Sobolewska and Iwasiów was focused on certain issues such as: emigration, academic literature and representation in prose. Jakubiak told the audience about the process of writing but also talked about emigrational experience, traveling and teaching at the American and European universities. Those are the subjects that were interesting for the interviewers: Justyna Sobolewska is a recognized literary critic, a connoisseur of modern-day Polish literature who works for major opinion leaders in media (such as weekly magazine Polityka), while Sławomir Iwasiów is a literary scholar who explores the latest Polish prose and its relationships with such categories as travel and identity

Processing of 3D Weather Radar Data with Application for Assimilation in the NWP Model

The paper is focused on the processing of 3D weather radar data to minimize the impact of a number of errors from different sources, both meteorological and non-meteorological. The data is also quantitatively characterized in terms of its quality. A set of dedicated algorithms based on analysis of the reflectivity field pattern is described. All the developed algorithms were tested on data from the Polish radar network POLRAD. Quality control plays a key role in avoiding the introduction of incorrect information into applications using radar data. One of the quality control methods is radar data assimilation in numerical weather prediction models to estimate initial conditions of the atmosphere. The study shows an experiment with quality controlled radar data assimilation in the COAMPS model using the ensemble Kalman filter technique. The analysis proved the potential of radar data for such applications; however, further investigations will be indispensable

Processing of 3D Weather Radar Data with Application for Assimilation in the NWP Model

The paper is focused on the processing of 3D weather radar data to minimize the impact of a number of errors from different sources, both meteorological and non-meteorological. The data is also quantitatively characterized in terms of its quality. A set of dedicated algorithms based on analysis of the reflectivity field pattern is described. All the developed algorithms were tested on data from the Polish radar network POLRAD. Quality control plays a key role in avoiding the introduction of incorrect information into applications using radar data. One of the quality control methods is radar data assimilation in numerical weather prediction models to estimate initial conditions of the atmosphere. The study shows an experiment with quality controlled radar data assimilation in the COAMPS model using the ensemble Kalman filter technique. The analysis proved the potential of radar data for such applications; however, further investigations will be indispensable

Processing of 3D Weather Radar Data with Application for Assimilation in the NWP Model

The paper is focused on the processing of 3D weather radar data to minimize the impact of a number of errors from different sources, both meteorological and non-meteorological. The data is also quantitatively characterized in terms of its quality. A set of dedicated algorithms based on analysis of the reflectivity field pattern is described. All the developed algorithms were tested on data from the Polish radar network POLRAD. Quality control plays a key role in avoiding the introduction of incorrect information into applications using radar data. One of the quality control methods is radar data assimilation in numerical weather prediction models to estimate initial conditions of the atmosphere. The study shows an experiment with quality controlled radar data assimilation in the COAMPS model using the ensemble Kalman filter technique. The analysis proved the potential of radar data for such applications; however, further investigations will be indispensable