In order to describe the features of Polish hospitality, autobiographical records containing memories of hospitality from various historical periods were compiled. The research material included about 300 episodes from 30 published sources. A targeted selection was made according to a combination of three criteria: a di versity of social positions among the authors, the biographies of the authors, and the detail of description. An analysis of the material was conducted in order to contribute to a better understanding of the social significance of hospitality. The oretical assumptions about hospitality in conditions of stability and social crisis were advanced. The analysis showed that in times of relative stability, hospital ity was biographically important when it allowed a person to transition between positions in the social structure (usually between close levels) and involved some form of promotion. On the other hand, in conditions of intensified change and crises, the order was disturbed: on the one hand, visits to the homes of persons occupying more distant positions in the hierarchy (both up and down the social ladder) became more common, but on the other hand, there could be a challenge to or rejection of traditional requirements of hospitality. The first situation occurs especially at the beginning of a crisis, and with the depletion of resources, the increase in the number of negative experiences, and socialization to a long-term threat, a survival strategy begins to take shape in which only the closest circles prevail. Such findings suggest that a more cautious look should be taken at both the theoretical concepts in which hospitality is considered a useful social invention especially in times of increased need and at the Polish self-stereotype as a nation with a culture based on hospitality, invariable generosity, and an inclination to selflessness.

This article presents the results of observations of selected fluxes of the radiation balance in north-western Spitsbergen in the years from 2010 to 2014. Measurements were taken in Ny-Ålesund and in the area of Kaffiøyra, on different surface types occurring in the Polar zone: moraine, tundra, snow and ice. Substantial differences in the radiation balance among the various types of surface were observed. The observations carried out in the summer seasons of 2010-2014 in the area of Kaffiøyra demonstrated that the considerable reflection of solar radiation on the Waldemar Glacier (albedo 55%) resulted in a smaller solar energy net income. During the polar day, a diurnal course of the components of the radiation balance was apparently related to the solar elevation angle. When the sun was low over the horizon, the radiation balance became negative, especially on the glacier. Diurnal, annual and multi-annual variations in the radiation balance have a significant influence on the functioning of the environment in polar conditions.

Niniejszy artykuł zredagowany z okazji 500-lecia Reformacji koncentruje się wokół kolejnych setnych rocznic tego wydarzenia i ich obchodów w danym kontekście historycznym i w odniesieniu do postrzegania osoby Marcina Lutra. W ciągu 500 lat od pamiętnego wystąpienia Ojca Reformacji, które zapoczątkowało ruch „reformy protestanckiej”, co najmniej każde kolejne sto lat obchodzone było jako szczególne upamiętnienie tego faktu, który zmienił bieg historii Europy i świata oraz wstrząsnął chrześcijaństwem. Poszczególne, okrągłe rocznice Reformacji należy więc rozpatrywać w odniesieniu do ówczesnej sytuacji społeczno-politycznej w Europie, a zwłaszcza w Niemczech. Nie mniej ważne jest zwrócenie uwagi na postać założyciela Kościoła reformowanego, na którym skupiała się zawsze, również dziś, idea świętowania rocznicy Reformacji. W powyższym artykule przedstawia się główne wątki z życia Marcina Lutra w kontekście jego reformy chrześcijaństwa oraz zasadnicze idee przewodnie jego myśli. Następnie analizuje się rozwój Reformacji, rozumiany jako pogłębienie doktryny i ustabilizowanie się praktyki, w latach po śmierci założyciela ruchu reformatorskiego. Na tym tle przedstawia się kolejne rocznice reformy protestanckiej w odniesieniu do sytuacji religijnej i politycznej w Europie i na świecie ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem ostatniej rocznicy 500-lecia Reformacji i jej postrzegania zarówno w Kościołach protestanckich, jak i w Kościele katolickim w kontekście rozwoju ruchu ekumenicznego.

After several years of research, the foraminiferal fauna of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetland Islands) has become themost studied fiord in West Antarctica with respect to foraminifera. As such, it provides actualistic data for better understanding of paleoenvironmental records from this dynamically changing area. Over a few years, the bay was systematically sampled down to 520 m water depth, for multi−chambered and mono− thalamous benthic foraminifera, including soft−walled allogromiids often overlooked in for− mer studies. Altogether, 138 taxa were identified, and three new taxa described. This paper aims to integrate these results, put them into a broader perspective, and supplement them with information that was not presented to date. Most notably, a record of the vertical distribution of Rose Bengal stained foraminifera below the sediment surface and the proportions of soft and robustly−testate forms at different sites are described.