Issue # 14 - venus web page

#14 008
e
u
iss uary 2
r
feb
680
:
ISSN
7-0
189
Cultural Events
Around the World
Ampersand Magazine
under the patronage of:
GD&K
Group’s new
project
more info on
page 12
&
&
&
U
L
-N
B
S
W
e
n
i
z
a
g
a
M
ish
l
g
n
E
’s
&
Ampersand aims to bridge the gap
between cultures to give students
the opportunity to explore different worlds. It also hopes to bring
together people speaking different
tongues, through a language that is
perhaps native to none, but common to all. Ampersand seeks to
make a strong connection between
students and the English language
and helps them discover its beauty
and importance in today’s world.
Ampersand Team:
Marta Balbous
Katarzyna Brigge
Marcin Fijak
Łukasz Fleszar
Marek Gibiec
Jarosław Grzegorzek
Aleksandra Kawecka
Elizabeth Kociołek
Szymon Korzeniowski
Kinga Ogonowska
Lyudmyla Svystunova
Mark Swaim
Andrzej Tokarski
Małgorzta Wiendlocha
Inna Zaripova
Filip Zieliński (Editor-In-Chief)
Freelance Writers:
Rector Richard Magner
Piotr Bykowski
Beata Cholewa
Ewa Czech
Rachel Lachance
Katarzyna Les
Victor-Andreas März
Address:
Ampersand
Ul. Zielona 27
33-300 Nowy Sącz
Poland
Visit our web site:
http://ampersand.wsb-nlu.edu.pl
or write to us at:
[email protected]
Advertising Department:
To learn how you can advertise in
Ampersand magazine, kindly contact
Marcin Fijak at Ampersand for more
details. (phone: 0 514 094 120)
In order to preserve the integrity of the material published in Ampersand, the articles in this magazine are subject to copyright and may not be altered or reproduced without prior knowledge of the Editor. You may only copy materials for your own private non-commercial purposes as well as educational purposes.
Articles submitted for publication become the property of Ampersand magazine. We reserve the right to edit such articles for publication. In the case where an
author requests that an article not be edited, the editorial committee will decide whether to include it for publication or not.
2
issue #14
february 2008
&
&
Editor’s Garden
&
A considerable amount of time has elapsed since
the New Year began, and so confusion as well as
determination that was present in companies,
government, schools, and other institutions is already
over. The budgets are done and distributed among
departments, plans for enhancing the infrastructure
and developing foreign policy strategy are finished,
and the exam session is over. Hopefully. Thus, this part
of the year is more relaxed as everything seems to be
so clear and transparent, and no changes are coming.
If that is what you think, you are totally wrong, since
Ampersand Magazine is being modified, transformed,
and revolutionized. You can obviously approach it
calmly but you’ll be soon excited and regretting there
aren’t even more articles. We have come up with some
general truths concerning life, and we don’t want to
comply with them.
The natural process of growing and developing an
organization requires changes to face new demands
of the stakeholders, to enhance certain procedures by
making them more efficient and quicker, to achieve
the mission statement, and to handle human resources
turnover that is inevitable in students’ establishments.
This phenomenon has just occurred in Ampersand,
since a couple of main contributors to this magazine are
going to graduate in June and pursue their own careers
elsewhere. There have been several great individuals at
WSB-NLU that established thriving organizations but
once they were gone, clubs, societies, and other groups
they created collapsed. Why? Because those people
represented the product of their entrepreneurial
spirits, and they were brands themselves. That is the
reason why we want to introduce changes and make
the transition process as smooth as possible. The belief
in the success of changing our magazine is fueling us
with power, innovation and eagerness to take action.
In other words, I have just become the chief editor
and many changes will be made so that, hopefully,
You will find Ampersand more interesting, filled with
articles that contain usable knowledge or ones that
make You think twice. Cultural events and culture as
such is the theme of this volume of the magazine, and
thus many writers have expressed their experiences
of participating in a variety of happenings around the
world. The business world is also a crucial topic that is
going to be present in every issue of Ampersand from
now on. Since skiing has been gaining popularity for
decades, and a lot of investments are made all over
the world in this industry, we have one exceptionally
fascinating article about it. It’s actually hard to mention
all the items we’ve included in the fourteenth issue that
are recommended to read, so instead of going through
the introduction note, why don’t you give it a chance?
issue #14
In This Issue:
“Everyone Wants to be Irish...”
St. Patrick’s Day in New York City sure is one great
parade that has a deeper meaning then most of the
participants, and spectators think.
Rock Around Europe
Do you feel like going to a festival in the summer?
We’ve prepared a more then decent concert guide for
Europe.
There’s No Business Like Snow Business
Majority of people, in this part of Europe, have tried
one of the winter sports. What makes it so special, so
tempting for millions around the world?
Invasion of Blogospheric Friendships
Even though your professors may now seem like out
of practice when it comes to partying, that wasn’t
the case when they were students your age. Find out
more…
Mass Media and Culture
Culture changes because of the way we are obtaining information, and since so few control them, and
media increasingly influence our lives, we are in turn
manipulated by ….
4
10
14
16
17
february 2008
3
&
&
&
“Everybody wants to be Irish
on St. Patrick’s Day”
by Marek Gibiec
A pint of beer in your hand, bagpipes
under your arm, plastic shamrock
ornament on your jacket, and green
color everywhere. All this is enough,
know that you’re in Ireland. Now, add a
two-million strong crowd lining up the
street with a few more pints of beer along
with 150 thousand people marching and
playing Irish music, and you can find
yourself in New York City, at the biggest
Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the world.
Every year, around March 17th, New
Yorkers and others from far away who
come to the New York City for this event,
gather together to celebrate the national
holiday of Ireland. But it is not just
an event for the Irish, it’s an event that
gathers all groups of people regardless of
their ancestry as the Saint Patrick’s Day
Parade in New York City is a holiday for
everyone.
Two million people cover the sidewalks,
balconies, café shops and restaurants to
watch the most spectacular parade New
York City hosts each year. During the
time when marchers head towards 5th
Avenue, offices in Manhattan become
empty, as people pour out onto the streets
to watch marching bands, bagpipes
bands, dancing groups, and even police
officers fire fighters happily celebrate in
the green festival.
Marching uptown in New York City is
a memorable experience for numerous
reasons. Firstly, because of the bagpipes
behind you, in front of you, and all
around you. Hundreds of people playing
this Irish instrument at one time (for
several hours, as they start practicing
long before the parade starts), can affect
your mental health. So if you ever have
a chance to take part in that parade,
earplugs will be handy, I promise.
Secondly, the atmosphere is unforgettable
since everyone is dressed either in official
uniforms, or in Irish traditional clothes.
You can quickly feel the spirit. Being
among so many people laughing, playing
instruments and having pure fun, makes
you want to celebrate too, even if you’re
totally unfamiliar with the tradition of
this festival or the Saint Patrick’s Day
holiday.
Taking a deeper look at the Saint Patrick’s
Day parade, I have to say that this is
another great event when American
people (not only those of Irish ancestry)
gather together to manifest their
unanimity and patriotism. Some of them
don’t even realize that; they just simply
celebrate with fun and drinking. Many
people take this parade as a statement
of being proud of the past and honoring
those who fought for the freedom of
America. This is a great example of
how to respect the past in a joyful and
practical way.
Parades on St. Day are common in
many Irish and American cities. If you
ever have a chance to be abroad around
March 17th, I recommend taking part in
this amazing event.
Disclaimer: While St. Patrick’s Day is a
Christian holiday, this article is meant
to describe only the Parade as a secular,
cultural event.
4
issue #14
february 2008
&
Facts Snapshot
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was
held in Boston in 1737.
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in
New York took place in 1762, when
Irish soldiers in the British Army
marched through the city.
&
&
The St. Patrick’s Day parade is the
only parade in New York that marches
uptown instead of downtown.
Many cities dye rivers or canals green
for St. Patrick’s Day celebration (left:
Chicago River).
Cultural Celebrations:
the Taste of Chicago
by Katarzyna Les
Chicago is known world wide for its
breathtaking skyline, extravagant parties,
and the Chicago Bears football team. You
can’t drive through Downtown without
being in awe of all the expensive stores,
five star hotels, restaurants, and of course,
Oprah’s talk show studio. Starting from
the city’s streets, which are filled with
businessmen, travelers, and solicitors, all
the way to the nightlife, which stops the
next morning, Chicago has a unique and
specific culture of its own.
One event in particular,
everyone
together in order to celebrate Chicago
and its multi-cultural food. It shows
what Chicago the city is really about.
Unlike other events that happen
throughout the year, such as the third
of May (Polish Independence Day), the
White Sox games (which only White
Sox fans attend), the Puerto Rican Day
Parade or even Christmas, the Taste of
Chicago brings all nationalities together
in order form one extremely diverse
culture. This festival is an event that,
without any doubts, sparks the interest
in every generation, because every age
group favors types of food, and food is
what is all about.
Chicago being itself, signifies that
everything that occurs in it, or anything
that Chicago is associated with, must be
major. Taste is the largest food festival in
the world, and the biggest event held in
issue #14
Chicago, which comes surprise. During
the Taste of Chicago, participants are
able to try every type of food from Asian
to African or from Greek to French.
Taste has everything. This is the time for
restaurants to show what they can cook
and serve, as well as to attract even more
customers than they had before. In 2007,
between June 27th and July 6th, Taste
featured sixty-four restaurants. Some
that caught my eye were Kasia’s Deli,
which featured17 varieties of Pierogies
including spinach and chicken, Sabor
Latino which featured Puerto Rican food
(which is not the same as Mexican), Eli’s
Cheesecake, and The Noodle Vietnamese
Cuisine.
The taste offers more than just food. (for
free of course), families get a chance to
reconcile withtheir relatives in special
© Akiko and
Hasebe
pavilions,
couples are able to enjoy
nightly film performances. There are
famous Chefs who cook right in front
your eyes and numerous musicians
perform at the same time to keep the fun
going all day long. The Family Village
offers arts and crafts as a souvenir for
both young and old, the Goin’ Green
section has everything nature has to
offer, along with fireworks on July 4th at
Macy’s.
People are obsessed with he Taste of
Chicago so much, that they even decide
to stay at hotels overnight so they can be
at the festival as soon as they wake up.
Whetherit means staying at the Hilton or
taking the metro to get to Taste (driving
is highly not recommended because
it’s Chicago, which means limited and
over priced parking), people will go
to extremes just to get that little aste of
Akiko
Hasebe
Chicago at least once in©their
lifetime.
february 2008
5
&
&
&
One Little Animal and a Crucial
Prediction for Everybody
by Aleksandra Kawecka
Imagine a foggy second day of February
in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The
whole city gathers in one place waiting
impatiently for a forecast. Men wear
black and white tuxedos, children stare
at the ground, and women wonder what
the forecast will be. And in the next
second, a little animal emerges from its
burrow and that’s what everybody was
waiting and hoping for. Based on his
behavior the local community will know
something more about the weather in
the upcoming weeks.
The forecasters name is Phil. Nobody
knows how old he really is, but he
certainly is in Punxsutawney to predict
the weather, and this is what he does
every year. Believe it or not, he also talks
to the president of the Groundhog Club
in a special language, “Groundhogese”,
which is only understood by the current
president and the groundhog..
Let’s go back to the scenario. There are
two situations – the first one means, that
if the groundhog fails to see its shadow,
the winter will be cloudy and will end
soon. He later on decides to stay on the
surface of the ground.
On the other hand, if he sees his shadow,
he goes back to the burrow. That means
the winter will be present for the next 6
weeks. Believe it or not, that works for
the small city in Pennsylvania, as well
as for other states. As the members of
the Groundhog Club say, the prediction
works in 100% and there is only one
© Michael Oberman. Used with permission.
groundhog that is real. All others are
only impostors.
This kind of legend, somehow ties present
times with the past ones. It is based on the
fact that nature used to influence people
and their lives. The legend has survived
through the centuries and its origins are
someplace in the mists of time. The ritual
comes from beliefs that were associated
with Candlemas Day and traditions of
Christian people in Europe.
There is also a Scottish saying:
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and snow
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop
It was the Roman legions, during
takeovers of the northern states that
allegedly brought this tradition to the
German people. They also picked it
up and stated that if the sun made an
appearance on Candlemas Day, a little
animal would predict the winter and
bad weather. Germans were known as
Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers. For them,
the groundhog was a very intelligent
animal, and that is why they decided to
believe his predictions.
On February 2nd, 2008, in Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania, Phil saw his shadow before
an estimated crowd of 30,000. The result
is six more weeks of winter. The legend
continues, people still believe and this is
what makes the celebration so unique believing in nature’s power.
6
issue #14
february 2008
&
A Heart of Hope
&
by Marta Balbous
When tragedy strikes, few are the
people who have the strength to square
up to the new situation that has been
forcefully thrust upon them. For many
of us, the concept of losing a loved one
or becoming handicapped due to an
accident or disease is unimaginable.
For others, it is a reality. It is therefore
up to each and every one of us to ‘lend
a hand’ when someone needs it. Why?
Because it is our moral obligation to take
responsibility for our fellow citizens.
One of the greatest Canadian heroes of the
20th entury was Terry Fox – a young and
talented aspiring athlete, who at the age
of eighteen, had his right leg amputated
above the knee following a diagnosis
with osteosarcoma, a malignant form
of bone cancer. Terry did not lose hope
and three years later, in 1980, decided
to run across Canada to raise money for
cancer research. He began his journey by
dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic
Ocean. However, due to complications
and health problems, he could not fulfill
his dream of running coast to coast.
Less then a year later Terry died, but his
Marathon of Hope did not…
The now world-famous Terry Fox Run
is an annual, informal event organized
in many countries across the globe, with
millions of participants every year. The
length of the course varies, however, it is
imperative to note that in the Run there
are no winners or losers, but rather, it
is the participation that counts. Terry
wanted to raise awareness about cancer
more than anything else, which is also the
reason why he often refused corporate
&
sponsorship, and his wish is respected
to this day. The idea behind the Run is
that its participants should aim to find
sponsors and raise money from people
upon completing it.
Although hundreds of millions of dollars
have been collected to this day through
the Run, one cannot fail to note that this
is probably just a drop in the ocean of the
expenses for cancer research. However, it
is a drop nonetheless! Perhaps what Terry
Fox has managed to do in the midst of
all the tragedy surrounding his short life,
is to give us hope – something we need
more than ever in today’s world.
There are many more heart-warming
examples of man’s strength in the face of
trails and tribulations. I recently read the
story of an American couple who, upon
losing their son, a talented pole vaulter,
in a fatal car accident, decided to set
up a foundation in his name, through
which they hoped to fund a scholarship
for someone who shared their son’s
passion for the sport but could not afford
university tuition fees.
When Tocqueville described the United
States, he commended the people’s ability
to get things done – when faced with a
problem, hey did not wait for the help
of the government, but resolved their
own issues by setting up associations of
various kinds. Unfortunately, with many
years of communism which loomed
over Polish history, we have not had the
tradition of organizing ourselves within
issue #14
foundations or volunteering our time,
effort, knowledge and money. Thankfully,
this situation is changing.
One of the most important yearly
events in Poland, the Final of the Great
Orchestra of Christmas Charity (Wielka
Orchiestra Świątecznej Pomocy), held
every January, aims to raise money for
different medical programs. This year,
the Orchestra ‘played’ for the sixteenth
time and raised over 12,5 million
dollars for children suffering from
otolaryngological conditions, through
the work of hundreds of volunteers, who
collected money in special boxes and
distributed red hearts to the generous
public.
Whether or not we believe in a social
system or in the efficacy of charity
organizations is irrelevant. Whether
we prefer to give money to the poor or
to directly help out a family in need in
our neighborhood is beside the point.
We should remember the golden rule:
“Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you.” We can, each of us, find
ourselves in a hopeless situation in the
blink of an eye. If we do, what happens
then? Do we lose faith and hope and
wallow in our misery, or do we step up
and become an inspiration to millions of
people around the world? As Al Pacino
once said in one of his movies: “When
the s**t hits the fan, some guys run and
some guys stay.” The question is, which
of these ‘guys’ are we?
february 2008
7
&
&
&
Hanami
Spirit
by Gosia Wiendlocha
It looks like winter is ending, and that
makes us think more optimistically about
everything. We’re waiting for nature to
wake up and surround us with a variety
of colors that will fill us with passionate
feelings and awake the will to go ahead.
That’s the most natural thing we can
observe. Looking at the Japanese way
of watching the magic of spring appear
certainly can inspire positive emotions.
‘Hanami’ is the Japanese custom of
enjoying ‘Sakura’ (cherry trees). The
trees bloom all over Japan from late
March to early May, signaling the
beginning of spring. People really look
forward to it because it is the time when
Japanese people gather in great numbers
wherever the trees can be found. The
cherry flowers are in full bloom only
for a couple of days. That is why parks
are flooded by people watching leaves
with a trace of sadness, as they fall down
from the tree, flutter in the spring breeze,
and end their short journey on the cold
earth. Sounds melancholic? Well, for
Japanese, it is a time for many long walks
and fun parties. It is a form of renewing
spirits by singing songs, telling stories,
drinking sake, laughing, spending time
in the company of family, friends or even
co-workers. For some of us it might be
hard to understand why Japanese people
have parties when cherry blossoms are
blooming for such a short time. It is
© Akiko Hasebe.
Used with permission.
mostly explained that Hanami is a huge
part of Japanese culture. It’s a way of
welcoming a new beginning as in Japan,
many things, such as school for example,
start in April. Thus, ‘Hanami’ symbolizes
beginning.
I personally consider this event as a great
occasion that brings a mixture of feelings
and willingness to work, study and deal
with everyday situations. We might need
such an event in our Polish culture, don’t
you think?
© Akiko Hasebe.
Used with permission.
NIRVANA It Is.
by Elizabeth Kociołek
The destruction of greed, hatred and
delusion is NIRVANA.
Venerable Sariputta
Now, that we are past hard, painful and
stressful time that called “sesja”, each
and every one of us can take some deep
breaths and relax. For some, this might
be easy, for others, a bit more difficult;
however, it is healthy and needed for a
sane being.
8
issue #14
The absolute peace of mind, without
any desires, negative emotions and
unpleasant thoughts, which Im sure
everybody is looking for, is called
NIRVANA. The Budda says that such a
state of mind is “the highest happiness”.
It is reached due to the calmness inside
of us, obtained from enlightenment. This
kind of happiness cannot be compared
with any other happiness acomplished
by entertainment. NIRVANA is not
a place it is a truth, which needs to be
realized. Believe it or not, one can get
there without dying.
Nirvana Day, or Parinirvana, is
celebrated on various dates depending
on the calendars that Buddhists use.
This year it was celebrated on February
8th or 15th. The difference in the name
of the festivals occurs because of two
different Buddhist schools: Hinayana and
Mahayana. Nirvana Day is celebrated to
commemorate the death of Buddha. He
february 2008
&
&
passed away at the age of 80, after reaching NIRVANA.
This holiday is celebrated by meditating is monasteries or
temples. Like the name of the festival and its date, celebrations
are different in various places of the world. Nirvana Day
enables people to reflect on their lives and try to find a way of
obtaining inner peace the most important goal of Buddhists.
To gain that, one needs to get rid of all wants and suffering.
During Parinirvana, people also pray for their dead relatives
and friends. Not only is it a spiritual festival, but also a social
one. In monasteries, food is being prepared and people
bring presents like clothes and money. Passages from the
Paranibbana Sutta, are read, which describe the last days of
Buddha on Earth.
&
“How can I reach NIRVANA?” The answer to the question is
not simple, neither is achieving it. One must find their own
NIRVANA. However, there are some guidelines which should
be followed. The first step is meditation. We have to realize
that life is full of suffering. Secondly, suffering is caused by
our desiresThus, the only way to fight suffering is to bring
desires to an end. The Eightfold Path has to be followed. It
consists of right: view, thoughts, speech, action, livelihood,
effort, mindfulness and contemplation.
Not easy, right? NIRVANA can also be divided into two
categories. The first partial NIRVANA, takes place when a
person is still alive. The “perfect NIRVANA”, during which
one awakes completely, happens when his or her body dies.
NIRVANA is reached when the physical body is without any
bonds.
“Now, monks, I exhort you: the components of the personality
are subject to decay; exert yourselves with diligence!” – these
were the Buddha’s last words.
issue #14
february 2008
9
&
&
&
Cultural Events: Rock
Around Europe
by Łukasz Fleszar
If we are speaking about cultural
differences, we should first take into
consideration what are some of the
representative places where we can
observe those differences. there are no
better places to conduct such h than at
music festivals. They are universal, and
observe how people act and behave. W
in large groups, and observe what they
do to have a good time. Europe is the
home of many music festivals. Some are
found in Belgium, Denmark, Germany,
England Czech Republic and Poland.
Music festivals give strength to thousands
of fans, thirsty for sounds from all
overEurope. Sometimes they come a
long way to see their idols onstage. It
would seem that nowadays, during the
technocratic era, live performances
would be forgotten and everyone rather
enjoy a show on his/her computer screen.
However, it is not that way. The proof is
in looking at a number of music shows
that attract thousands of people.
First in line is the Download Festival
in England. It is a three day music
festival held annually at the spiritual
home of rock music at Donington Park
in England. It takes place at the end
of Spring. Last year, despite the heat
and tremendous crowd, everyone was
friendly, spontaneous and full of energy.
It was kind of a breaking of a stereotype,
because I had always considered British
people as rather reserved, stand- and
cold. Everyone was singing along with
bands and “mosh pitting” in huge circles
next to the main stage. There was a wide
diversity of audience. There were many
people in their twenties or thirties, but
there also a lot of older people in their
forties and fifties. Well, I guess rockers
are never too old to go for a good gig.
The Download Festival is one of the
biggest s on the old continent. Last year,
during 3 days, 27 bands appeared and
in the audience was more than 75,000
people.
Belgium
The Graspop Festival is
a rock festival in Dessel
that taken place each
year since 1996. Despite
the small size of the
festival grounds (having a
perimeter of only 4 km),
draws a large number
of
international
spectators. The event
was not originally
a heavy metal
festival. In 1995,
the
headliners
were Joe Cocker
and Simple Minds.
Germany
On my first visit to Germany,
my friends and I arrived in
Nürburgring. What we saw
was a mini-city of tents placed
all around a big racing stadium
which local people call “the
Ring”. Everything was planned
with German precision. Food
and beer stands were placed in
strategic areas so there were no
big lines seen anywhere. ven if
someone was doing something
stupid, the security guards did
not use force The atmosphereis
hard to describe.
Though there were
language problems,
people were so
open that everyone
could communicate
nonverbally. In the
evening, after the
first band appeared
on stage, the magic
began and lasted
the whole night.
It was a great
feeling when the
last band was
playing their last
song and it was
already dawn, and
nobody felt tired. It
was pure magic.
Some facts about the Rock-am- festival:
The Rock-am- and Rock-im-Park
festivals are two simultaneous rock
music events held annually in Germany.
While Rock-am- takes place at the
Nürburgring racetrack in the west of
Germany, Rock-im-Park takes place
in the Frankenstadion in Nürnberg, in
the south-east part of the country. Both
festivals are usually regarded as one
event with an identical lineup. All artists
perform one day at Nürburgring and
another day at Nürnberg during the three
day event. Together Rock-im-Park and
Rock-am- are the largest music festivals
in Germany and one of the largest in the
world with a combined attendance of
150,000 people in 2007.
10
issue #14
february 2008
&
&
Denmark
The Roskilde Festival is held south of
Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the
two biggest annual rock music festivals
in Europe. It was created in 1971 by two
high school students, Mogens Sandfær
and Jesper Switzer Møller, and was
promoted by Carl Fischer. In 1973, the
festival was taken over by the Roskilde
Foundation, which has since run the
festival as a non-profit organization for
development and support of music,
culture, and humanism.
Thisis Denmark’s first real music oriented
festival, originally for hippies but today
covering more of the mainstream youth
from Scandinavia and the rest of Europe.
The Roskilde Festival in 2006 had more
than 170 performing bands and gathered
more than 79,000 people, 21,000
volunteers, 5,000 media representatives
and 3,000 artists — which means that
almost 110,000 people participated in the
festival. If you would like to experience
the biggest rock event in Europe, and are
a fan of soft rock,then this is the festival
to attend.
Czech Republic
Our neighbors know how to have a good
time. For the past few years, the Czech
Republic hasbecome the best place to go
fora festival. The reasons are due to low
costs, short distance from Poland, great
beer, and awesome people. any music
festivals held there, one of the best is the
Masters of Rock.
The Masters of Rock is a big heavy
metal festival in Europe. The main styles
&
represented atare power speed and heavy
metal, though the organizers are trying
to make the festival more open for other
rock and metal styles such as progressive
rock/meta hardcore, death metal or even
ska. It takes place in Vizovice. In 2005,
there were over 20,000 in attendance.
In 2006, over 25,000 attended, and in
2007, more than 30,000. The festival is
held every summer. In 2008, the festival
will take place from July 12-15. With a
combination of great weather and more
is needed?
Festival. This is an unforgettable event.
To be there in a tent camp with so many
people and to feel the atmosphere of the
hippie culture is something great. If you
have heard the phrase “creative chaos”
you can see and experience it. It all looks
totally ,disordered, but it surprisingly
works. Points to consider: parties in a
tent village, baths in mud, cheap but tasty
food from Hare Krishna representatives
and rock and roll 24 hours per day. It
is a mandatory music marathon for
everybody.
Poland
The Woodstock Festival is an annual
free rock music festival inspired by, and
named after, the original Woodstock
Festival. It has taken place in different
Polish cities since 1995. Since the
11th festival, its organizers have called
“Przystanek Woodstock the biggest
open-air festival in Europe”.
Flower-power, pacifism, never ending
parties, an ocean of people, and all of this
in the middle of Europe. What is this? It
is the Polish equivalent of Woodstock.
Every rocker has to be at least once in
his or her lifetime at the Woodstock
The festival’s motto is “Love, Friendship,
and Peace.” It is organized by the
Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity
foundation, as a way of thanking its
volunteers. Generally, during a weekendlong event, the main stage is in continuous
use from early afternoon to late night,
featuring performances by more than 30
bands. In 2003 there were approximately
400,000 people listening to the music. A
battle of the bands takes place prior to
the festival, and the winners are given a
chance to perform.
So as you can see there are many
opportunities to listen to good music and
to go a little wild on one of the mentioned
festivals.If you ever venture to attend
one, look around for me, because I will
be there for sure.
issue #14
february 2008
11
Kazimierz to tętniąca życiem i jedna z najszybciej
rozwijających się dzielnic Krakowa. Właśnie tu
GD&K wzniosło inwestycję najwyższego standardu,
przeznaczoną dla Klientów, dla których esencję
stylu stanowi ta legendarna lokalizacja.
w klimacie włoskim z elementami środkowoeuropejskiego stylu.
Budynek przy ul. Kupa 6 jest wyrazem
konserwatywnego podejścia do planowania
obiektów w centrum historycznych miast.
OFF WHITE to pierwszy w Krakowie obiekt typu
Wyrażoną w oszczędnej formie prostotę
Business & Leisure Apartments.
detalu, podkreślają stosownie dobrany tynk
rewaloryzacyjny, odpowiednie proporcje okien
W budynku znajduje się 9 apartamentów o
oraz brama wejściowa o harmonijnych kształtach.
powierzchniach od 44 do 166 m². Wśród nich
Wszystkie te wzajemnie dopełniające się szczegóły,
perełkę stanowi wyjątkowy, dwupoziomowy
nadają obiektowi charakter doskonale wpisujący
penthouse z tarasami oferującymi niezapomniane się w przyległe do niego budynki.
widoki panoramy Kazimierza i wzgórza
wawelskiego. Na parterze budynku znajdować
Kluczowym elementem koncepcji jest stworzenie
się będzie elegancka restauracja, utrzymana
wyjątkowego miejsca, w którym podróżnicy
Architekt: GD&K Consulting sp. z o.o.
Ovotz Design Lab – projekt wnętrz.
Budynek: apart – hotel.
Powierzchnia mieszkaniowa: 600 m².
Powierzchnia usługowa: 90 m².
Atuty: wysoki standard wyposażenia, recepcja.
Konstrukcja: żelbetowa słupowa.
Systemy HVAC: klimatyzacja, wentylacja mechaniczna.
Wysokość wnętrz: 250 cm.
Data ukończenia obiektu: październik 2007.
przybywający do Krakowa, czy to w celach
biznesowych, czy też turystycznych znajdą nocleg
w standardzie przekraczającym ten spotykany
nawet w najbardziej luksusowych hotelach.
W OFF WHITE Klienci otrzymają praktycznie pełen
room service, ale ci, którzy cenią sobie spokój i
intymność, mogą w pełni cieszyć się nimi dzięki
niezależności poszczególnych apartamentów (np.
dzięki w pełni wyposażonej kuchni).
Komfort poruszania się po budynku zapewnia
przestronna i elegancko wykończona klatka
schodowa oraz winda.
Nowa Kamienica
ul. Rakowicka 7
31 – 511 Kraków
Telefon (0-12) 619 40 00
Telefon (0-12) 619 40 10
Faks (0-12) 619 40 01
www.gdkgroup.pl
GD&K Group poszukuje pracownika na
stanowisko:
• Asystentki / Asystenci (Zarządu, Działów:
Marketingu, Finansowego, Prawnego,
Administracji / HR)
• Sekretariat / Referent
• Archiwista
• Facility Manager (Zarządca
Nieruchomości)
• Kontroler budowlany
• Kontroler finansowy
• Marketing Manager
• Junior Marketer
• Sprzedawca mieszkań
• Project Manager
• Stanowiska w Dziale Project Finance
• Stanowiska w Dziale Finansów,
Księgowości
Aplikacje prosimy przesyłać wyłącznie
mailem na adres rekrutacja@gdkgroup.
pl. W temacie maila należy podać
imię, nazwisko oraz stanowisko, na
które składana jest aplikacja. CV i list
motywacyjny prosimy zatytułować według
wzoru: imie_nazwisko_CV.doc oraz imię_
nazwisko_LM.doc.
Uprzejmie informujemy, iż odpowiemy
tylko wybranym kandydatom.
Rozmowy kwalifikacyjne odbędą się w
siedzibie firmy GD&K Consulting w budynku
Nowej Kamienicy przy ul. Rakowickiej 7 w
Krakowie.
GD&K
Austrian Carnival and the
Tradition of Ballroom Dances
by Beata Cholewa
Vienna is the capital of Austria, an
internationally famous city for its music,
culture and art. It is also referred to as
the capital of ballroom dancing and the
birthplace of the Viennese waltz.
Austria is also one of the few places in the
world where special festivities, such as
ballroom dances, are of big importance
for society.
The official carnival season in Austria,
also known as the 5th season of the
year, begins each year on the 11th of
November at 11:11 am and ends 40 days
before Easter.
The Austrian carnival called “Fasching”
starts flourishing with the beginning
of the ball season between January and
February. During the “Faschingszeit”
Austrians celebrate at over 300 balls held
in Austria. The first ballroom dance,
called “Silvesterball” (“New Years Ball”),
officially opens the Austrian ball season,
and takes place every year on the 31st
of December at the Imperial Palace in
issue #14
Vienna. The most glamorous and famous
ball has been taking place in the Vienna
State Opera since the year 1877. The
“Viennese Opernball” has been drawing
the attention of many well known artists
from all over the world of whom some,
such as Sofia Loren, Geri Halliwell, Paris
Hilton and Pamela Anderson, have
already visited this fascinating event.
But balls are not only organized for the
upper social classes. Universities, dance
schools, charity organizations, even
political parties host their own balls.
Only about forty balls out of 300 are
special social events organized for the
upper social class, such as the Opera Ball,
Imperial Ball and Philharmonic Ball. The
remaining balls are less formal events but
offer as much fun, festive decorations and
the possibility to waltz into the night, as
all other balls.
A must at every ballroom dance is the
“Viennese waltz”! Every visitor of an
Austrian ball must know how to waltz.
The Viennese waltz is a traditional dance,
seen at every formal dancing event in
Vienna.
The official Ball season comes to an
end in February, however many balls
organized by schools and all kinds of
other organizations give you the chance
to enjoy these events until June.
&
&
&
Balls organized by schools and dancing
schools are usually opened with a dance
by youngsters. Through this opening
dance, also called a “debut”, teenage
girls and boys are officially introduced
to society. From my own experience as
a “debut dancer” I can say, that this is an
experience no girl would want to miss.
Just imagine, having all eyes on you when
you appear on the parquet (dance floor)
with a beautiful white dress, pretty hair
and luckily a handsome dancing partner
;) It gives every girl the chance to feel like
a princess for one night.
Austria’s ball dances are one of a kind.
They are unique.
Alles Walzer – everybody waltz!
february 2008
13
&
&
&
There’s No Business Like
SNOW
BUSINESS
by Kinga Ogonowska
What hides behind the term: SNOW
business? It consists of all kinds of
business activities related to winter sports
that are, as a matter of fact, SNOWdependant. This business is getting
increasingly popular and … incredibly
profitable. The SNOW business seems to
be a gold mine for mountainous districts,
and a great chance for people living there
to make use of the natural landscape.
The Malopolska Region boasts about
having as many as 30 ski resorts, offering
a range of skiable terrain for everybody,
from beginners to advanced skiers. You
should not worry if you do not know
anything about skiing, and, or, do not
own skis. Nearly all destinations have
their own ski rental services and ski
schools. Malopolska is the place to come
and enjoy the thrill of winter adventure.
Ski areas of all sizes attract thousands
of visitors to their version of a winter
wonderland. Each year, domestic and
international vacationers head to the
hills in search of high-speed chairlifts,
well-groomed slopes, snowboard parks,
and first-class hotels and restaurants.
There is something wonderful about
skiing that I have always observed and
appreciated - no matter on which level
the skier’s skills are, a great time is always
experienced. Isn’t this wonderful? . In
this sport you do not have to be the best
to succeed, nor do you have to be the best
at everything to enjoy yourself. Just have
fun with what you are comfortable with,
which leads to new levels of capability.
The only thing you need, is to have the
will to take another step forward. The
late Dolores LaChapelle, a well known
skier and writer, claims skiing is not just
fun. For her, “It’s life, fully lived, life lived
in a blaze of reality.”
White craziness, so-called snowy
business, has a lot to do with skiing
and Business Development. I have also
heard an opinion, that it is comparatively
easy to come from a skiing excursion
to a business meeting. This is where
business development and skiing make
a crossover.
Even though winter is considered
the slowest season for tourism,, this
assumption certainly does not apply to
the skiing industry. The people who work
and invest in this field have no reason to
complain about incomes that snow brings
along. However, much of the money
flowsfrom attractions that depend on
winter weather. In the snow-dependent
industry, snow in the mountains is like a
natural marketing tool for skiing resorts.
A good snowfall helps to draw skiers
from all over the country, as well as from
abroad.
It is reported that tourism is one of
Malopolska’s fastest-growing industries,
with numbers of visitors spending huge
amounts of money on white craziness.
In addition, the tourism and recreation
business also supports residents of the
mountainous parts of Poland with jobs
for ski and snowboard instructors, ,
technicians, ski patrol members, lift
operators, ski shop workers, or resort
operators and support staff workers. Most
of these people love to ski or snowboard,
and they turn their hobby into cash. Since
most of these jobs are seasonal, they are
ideal for anyone looking for temporary
employment that pays well. It’s targeted
for everyone from college students to
trained professionals searching for a
change of pace. These individuals enjoy
breathtaking scenery and get benefits
such as free ski passes, equipment and
meal discounts, and much more. Imagine
having a job where you can spend much
of your time flying down near-vertical
slopes or ripping incredible half-pipes at
the best ski resorts in Eastern Europe. For
me it sounds like a dream come true.
When a resort, such as the one in
Wierchomla, does really well, that
has a direct trickle-down effect on the
14
issue #14
february 2008
&
&
businesses. Skiers and snowboarders
make a greater impact on local ventures
than traditional vacationers. Ski
vacationers have a higher household
income than traditional tourists.
When skiers come for skiing, they spend
upwards to 2 500 PLN and even more
for lodging, fuel and food. They stay
an average of eight nights per visit, two
more nights than regular vacationers.
Plentiful snowfalls guarantee attracting
lots of skiers craving for some fun on
the slopes. Local ski areas have been
trampled with snow this year, drawing
more visitors to the region and boosting
the local economy. Early season snow
attracts more skiers and snowboarders,
who spent money at local hotels,
restaurants and retail shops. When
slopes get good snow, not only does that
mean good business for the owners, but
also for hotels, restaurants and the local
economy. Skiing has become a big part of
our local economy.
European ski destinations and tour
operators have realized the need to
advertise skiing and snowboarding
possibilities they offer. They are actually
being forced to address snow facility
issues in a more businesslike fashion. If
more people are to be tempted by the
slopes, then marketing policies, of both
destinations and operators in Europe,
&
will have to be increasingly aggressive.
As they say, “Competition never sleeps;
it is only you moving backwards”. During
the winter season, shops that sell ski and
snowboarding gear are busy. Surplus of
snow causes that, at sport shops, sales
of snowboards and winter clothing are
piling up like drifts on a country road.
We should remember snowboarding
is coming into fashion too.This trendy
sport stands an impulse for innovation
in the winter sports business.
Those who study at WSB-NLU enjoy
many high quality ski resorts such as
Wierchomla, Jaworzyna Krynicka,
Slotwiny and Ryterski Raj. There are
literally dozens of places to ski in close
proximity to the school.
For some people, skiing is an art.
Professionals say skiing is a dance, and
the mountain always leads. Tomasz
Żerebecki, a freshman student of
psychology at WSB-NLU, is in the
national juniors’ league in alpine skiing.
Tomek is a rising star whose opinion
about skiing and his history is presented
below.
My family has a long skiing tradition, which was passed on to me and my sister.
My first coach was my father, who taught me how to ski. Later on, becoming a
member of “Snieżka Karpacz”, I developed my skills. Outstanding performance
in competitions were recognized by the Polish Skiing Association and the Local
Skiing Association and that allowed me to qualify for the national team. This
let me go to the National World Juniors’ Championships! In 2004 I started the
pretty well-known School of Sport Championships in Zakopane. There I began
training with Maciej Jankowski with whom I still associate. In the 2006 season,
a very dangerous injury of breaking both legs prevented me from doing sport
for over a year. Fortunately, thanks to doctors, my family, a psychologist, a
rehabilitant and a supporting company, I managed to go back on the slopes to
pursue my dreams.
Tomek’s successes:
3rd place in the European Cup Fila Sprint/Brixen-Italy competition
4th place in the European Cup Fila Sprint/Mittenwald-Germany competition
10th place in the European Championships Ricki-Czech Republic
25th place in the World Championships Topolino-Itally
22nd place in the World Championships Abetone-Italy
3-time medallist in the Polish National Championship
4-time golden medallist in Dolny Slask Championship
4-time golden medallist in the Polish Cup competition
4-time silver medallist in the Polish Cup competition
5-time bronze medallist in the Polish Cup competition
5th place in the Polish Seniors’ Championship
issue #14
february 2008
15
&
&
&
Invasion of
Blogospheric Friendships
by Piotr Bykowski
In the era of cyberspace, the flow of
information has been boundless up to
the point where even communication
between people has become internetfocused. Youth have adopted fresh
trends of talking using technology like
computers and cell phones. Most of the
messages are typed which broadens the
conversation into the sense of sight.
Exclusion of emotions and voice tone
make the plain text hard to interpret.
However, people tend to like the privacy
and possibility to hide their imperfections
while conversing over the internet. This is
why websites that offer online friendships
are becoming so popular these days.
Tons of websites offering various types
of ways to search for friends have
become a plague on the internet. These
blogospheres tend to be addictive as
more and more people join internet
communities. In this way our realistic
social life is at stake. Time consuming
activities of typing messages to everyone
is nowadays extremely popular. Constant
profile changes, new uploads of pictures
or even writing notes on so called “blogs”
which are the variation of a digital journal
seriously effect our time consumption.
People want to be cool, trendy and
therefore they make constant changes
on their profiles. At some point, it even
matters to them how many friends they
have as they become competitive with
others as to the amount of people that
potentially are their friends. The number
of people you know has become an
indicator of popularity and shows how
cool and outgoing a person you are. The
more websites you are logged into, the
more people you “know” and this makes
your personae fashionable in terms of
internet friendships. Unfortunately, the
more web-pages to visit the more people
you have to respond to. At some point
it becomes so addictive that we do not
realize how these internet societies are
destroying our real social lives as they
consume more and more of our free time
that could be used for going out with
non-virtual friends.
On the other hand, it seems to be fun
finding your friends, sharing photos
and sending messages. Sometimes you
16
issue #14
can actually meet people by accident
as you accidentally added someone as
your friend. Tons of such websites are
created every month. Some of them
are more popular than others, which
is mainly based upon the amount of
different applications that are offered
besides looking for friends. Sites like
www.facebook.com or www.myspace.
com have become so fashionable that
they have actually begun to fight over
potential users by offering many funny
applications starting with sharing
interests, poking others, sending gifts
and ending with multiplayer games and
personalized horoscopes for each day of
the year. It is a way to kill off free time,
and also a way to find out what actually
is happening in the lives of your friends.
Nowadays, with opened borders, people
travel a lot and change not only cities but
also countries that they live in. Therefore,
blogospheres are also a good way to find
old friends that you have lost contact
with and you wouldn’t even recognize if
they passed next to you on the street. This
is why these web pages are becoming so
popular among youth.
In Poland there are two well known
web pages that fit into the blogosphericfriendship pages. One of them is www.
grono.net which is not as popular as
foreign sites, although it is trying its
best. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer any
fun applications besides finding friends,
sharing photos and videos, different
forums and newly introduced assigning
to schools you have or are attending. The
other growing web site is called www.
nasza-klasa.pl (our-class.pl) which was
actually created with the idea of only
finding classmates. Although, it doesn’t
offer any fun application and the only
thing you can do is share photos and
send messages to friends, its simplicity
seems to attract more and more people.
Perhaps as time goes by, new fresh
designs and additional applications will
allow them to compete with such giants
like facebook.com and myspace.com.
Blogospheric-friendships are becoming
a new trend among youth. Although you
find friends, have fun chatting on them
and using fun applications, it is still a
threat to a person’s real social life. As it is
consuming more and more time, at one
point we might end up with applications
which allow to go clubbing with your
cyber friends through the internet. This
way, you will be able to party and even
get into relationships without going out
of your room. Our social life suffers
incredibly from these types of websites,
and it will affect our lives negatively as
we sacrifice more time for the internet.
The only solution would be to put on
shoes and go out. It doesn’t matter if you
go clubbing or to a library, but just get
out interacting with people as much as
possible. Life is too short to waste on
internet societies. Get a life, get out.
february 2008
&
Mass Media and Culture
by Mark A Swaim
It’s 6 AM. Your phone awakes you with
music, talk radio, advertisements. You
get out of bed, head to the bathroom and
look at yourself in the mirror. You pick up
toothpaste, shaving cream, soap, without
giving much thought to the brand names
that you stare at each morning.
You head to the kitchen, open the
refrigerator, cabinets etc. and once again
you are bombarded with various messages
promoting a company or a product.
Eventually, you head out the door to go
to work or school. You pass by billboards
and signs, each portraying a message to
the masses. Even at work the attacks
show no signs of letting up. On clothing,
computers, furniture, wherever you
look, messages are being channeled your
way. Not even your email box escapes
the flow of messages from spammers
or companies attempting to put ideas
into your head. At lunch you escape to
the local cafeteria, only to find a newly
installed monitor blaring messages in
your hearing. There is literally no place
to go to escape the bombardments of
messages.
All that can be done is to learn how to
deal with, process the thousands upon
thousands of messages that enter our
brain each day.
Our world today is a world of mass
communication. And in the 21st century,
the masses know things happening
around the globe the moment they
happen. No wait time. No picking up
the newspaper to read what happened
yesterday. News is in real time, in real
places, in our living rooms and even on
our hips and in our watches and ears. It
is a world so filled with dynamic content,
that some students find learning possible
only through visualization.
How much has mass communication
changed our world, our cultures?
To fully grasp the significance of this
medium on our world, just think of the
vocabulary it has spawned: Internet,
email, facebook, myspace, wiki, surfing,
loading, google, blogging, IM, “It’s a
wonderful life”, “We’ll always have Paris”,
“I’ll be back”, “You need a break today”,
“Let’s roll”, “Don’t tase me bro”, MTV, Big
Brother, Global Village, fast food, drive
issue #14
thru, “give peace a chance”, pro-choice,
pro-life, fundamentalism, extreme
sports, 911…
The 20th century can rightly be described
as having been a century filled with
amazing technological advances, but the
21st century has already relegated many
of those advances to history. The world
has changed, and with it culture has
changed. What is amazing is how slow
people are to accepting and adapting to
change. Mass communication not only
affects culture, but changes it. Because
of advancing technology, we are able to
learn and enjoy a rich variety of cultures
around us, able to be wiser in business
and engage in global discussions on
various topics.
Mass communication has changed the
way we do business, the way we do
politics, the way we practice religion and
the way we socialize. It has changed the
way we shop, the way we dress and the
way we behave. It has even changed our
languages, traditions and sense of privacy.
It has changed the way we listen to music
and our ideas of romance and sex. It
has changed the way we view people,
especially people who hold different
values. It has expanded our minds, and
made our world a smaller place.
In a word, mass media has become the
modern story teller, recording events
and life around the globe. But like all
story books, we read and see only what
those controlling the media want us to
read and see. Media can create
news,
suppress
news,
change viewpoints,
steer
political
elections, incite
the
masses
or lull them
into apathy. It
has become like
a modern god,
worshipped for what
it brings to our senses
and trusted as being an
accurate interpretation
of the world around us.
media, controls the masses. In a 2004
NY Times editorial, William Safire wrote
that that number had dwindled to six
media giants:
✳✳ Viacom - CBS - MTV
✳✳ Murdoch - FoxTV HarperCollins - Weekly Standard NYPost - London Times - DirectTV
✳✳ GE - NBC - Universal - Vivendi
✳✳ Time - Warner - CNN - AOL
✳✳ Disney - ABC - ESPN
✳✳ Comcast
&
&
All information that comes from the
media is thus filtered through a handful
of people who dominate and control
mass media. For better or for worse, they
are often the trend setters in our modern
world, telling us what is important and
broadcasting their philosophies and
beliefs in sometimes not so subtle ways.
It can be quite scary to think that only
a few powerful people effectively change
our world. And they do so through mass
media. These people are not elected by
the people and are not necessarily for the
people. They have agendas and preach
their doctrines and like most businesses,
allow content to be directed by economic
benefits, not necessarily by truth or
integrity.
Mass Media is not a subject to learn
in school. Mass Media is a part of our
everyday life and those who know how
to use this medium enjoy successful
businesses.
In 2002, ten corporations
controlled all media content.
It is widely acknowledged
that whoever controls the
february 2008
17
&
&
&
Investments in the Polish Market
by Inna Zaripova
The last couple of years have been very
successful for Poland. From the poorest
region in the European Union, it has
become the fastest growing country. Now
it has the strongest economy in Central
and Eastern Europe. Winning the
competition to be a host of Euro-2012 has
not only given Poland a chance to prove
that it can organize such a big event, but
also has given the country a huge amount
of investments that will be put to the
further development of the country Since
it is ranked in the top ten most attractive
countries for foreign investments in the
world, according to the Ernst &Young
“European Attractiveness Survey 2007,
and it’s GDP is growing twice as fast as
in Western Europe, investors from all
over the world are searching throughout
the country where to put their money
in. Does it mean that this country has a
colossal investment potential?
In the past, the government was
always a problem for the investors.
It was known to be amateurish and
deplorably nationalistic. Now it does as
much as possible to keep the economy
stable and to make good conditions
for the investors. Poland offers various
investment incentives tailored to
investor’s needs. For example, the country
has different taxation systems approved
by local authorities. Also European
Union Structural Funds support Poland
by direct and indirect investments to
approve the existing infrastructure.
The result of past and current investments
is quite impressive - the GDP for the
year, 2007, was US$ billion 409.9,
and the real GDP was 6.5%. The new
government and policies will increase
the number of investments. Poland has
already established strong relations with
Germany. This friendship has had a big
influence on the expansion of the Polish
market. German companies enter the
market, knowing that they have support
and they are sure about the stability of
the economic situation. According to
the PaIiIz, the major investors in Poland
in 2006 were Germany, the Netherlands
and the US. They made 44.8% of the
investments.
In December 2006 there were 248
German companies that were working
in Poland. They were the firms that had
been working herein Poland for a long
time and those that had just entered the
Polish market. This number is growing
very fast. Due to the KPMG research in
2006, 80% of Poland’s current investors
were satisfied and they were prepared
to reinvest. Even though Polish business
sometimes has problems and difficulties
with the government, investors take the
risk. Poland is a country with cheap
labor and huge human resources.
With 38.1 million citizens, and a 61 %
workforceThere are, Poland is a land of
business opportunities.
It is a well known fact that Poles emigrate
to other countries hoping to find a job
with higher wages. But this situation
is set to change, as new international
companies will be opened and new work
places will be created. Now Poland has
about 20 million highly educated young
people that are ambitious, willing to
work and make money. If now foreign
companies actually exploit Poles by
paying them less, compared to other
European countries, then this inequality
is meant to change too. the rest of,rather
appoint a non-Polish citizen as
Poland’s economic transformation began
in 1989. It is still on going, onand the
country needs investments to reach
its aims. Nowadays it has dynamic and
fast development. The new government
claims that Poland has a safe and stable
environment, secured by membership in
the EU, NATO and OECD. Also, great
human resources, a strategic location and
a large domestic market attract investors
to come.
18
issue #14
february 2008
&
Foreign Education
&
by Filip Zieliński
&
Going for college or a graduate school
to a foreign country is becoming normal
in our globalized, interconnected world.
It provides a person with outstanding
education, and other skills that cannot be
measured in any tests like the ease with
which one adapts to a different culture.
It surely costs a lot of money, but it’s like
an investment that will be pay off in 10
or 15 years. If you have ever considered
studying abroad, do you know what is
required to apply to tertiary education
institutions? Are you aware of different
scholarships? Or is it just a plan that
will never be fulfilled, and even though
you pretend to be interested, you have
not taken time to search the web for
appropriate schools, and standardized
entry tests?
Most of the people that intend to leave
their home country, and gain some useful
knowledge elsewhere, do it after high
school. Attending college in Europe does
not require any additional tests apart
from final exams like ‘matura’. American
undergraduate schools on the other hand,
demand ACT or SAT entry tests, which
examine student’s basic knowledge on
various subjects from English, through
mathematics to other spheres of science.
If your native language isn’t English, you
need to be extra assessed by TOEFL or
IETLS, especially when applying for
American schools. The availability of
language tests is rather decent, as one
can take them in major Polish cities
at suitable time throughout the year.
Unfortunately, ACT can be taken in
only one location in Warsaw (for more
details: http://www.actstudent.org/), and
I couldn’t find information on SAT test
centers in Poland, so ambitious students
might have to go to Germany or other
neighboring country to write the exam.
and Psychology. GMAT is targeted at
business-oriented majors, but many
economic schools demand either this
test or the previously mentioned one.
The exam does not measure particular
knowledge on i.e. marketing concepts,
or management theories. It evaluates
student’s analytical skills in writing,
and quantitative assignments, which is
basically math. If you consider taking an
MBA program in a renowned university,
GMAT needs to be passed, and it needs
to be passed almost perfectly. English
language tests are the same for both
colleges and grad schools.
Money is another big issue students face
upon applying to foreign schools. Each
institution has different scholarship
programs, but there are also foundations
that finance studies, i.e. Fulbright’s
Foundation or Rotary International. I
believe that once you’re accepted to an
outstanding university, money won’t be
as hard to find as it seemed before. Just
try, because you never know what might
happen!
When it comes to graduate schools,
most of the foreign institutions require
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
or Graduate Management Admission
Test (GMAT). The first one can be
either a general test, that assesses
skills not necessarily connected to any
particular field of study, or a subject
test, which measures achievements in
eight particular subjects: Biochemistry,
Cell and Molecular Biology; Biology;
Chemistry; Computer Science; Literature
in English; Mathematics; Physics;
issue #14
february 2008
19
&
&
&
Live Your Dreams:
Gain Practical Experience Early
by Victor-Andreas März
Why do employers value “practical
experience” as their number one criterion
when selecting candidates for a job? Do
you wonder how people know exactly
what they want to work as even before
they graduate? Or how they get a top
job they want without jumping through
hoops?
Don’t wait for an employer to offer you
just any job – position yourself so you
can choose your job and employer!
If you still believe that it’s just your degree
that is going to get you a great job, it’s high
time you wake up. Today, knowledge of
foreign languages, computer applications,
the Internet, and good grades on your
transcript are just filtering criteria for
employers offering good jobs. If you
want more than an average employer
can offer, you have to give more than the
average graduate. Experience of working
or studying abroad, a third or fourth
language and extracurricular activities
(AIESEC,
Student
Government,
Volunteering, Social Engagements, etc.)
are nice pluses. However, in the end, the
most decisive argument for any employer
will be how much job experience you
have gained throughout your studies
and what specific kind it is. Ideally, by
the time you finish a 3-year degree you
would have worked professionally for
nine to twelve months across companies
and their departments (i.e. 3 internships
with three months time each).
The more experience you gain in the real
world, the more you will get to know
what you like and don’t like to do once
20
issue #14
you finish your studies. This will give
you the focus which most people lack
during their studies and enable you to
weigh the pros and cons of an industry/
company and department. With each
internship or work experience you will
gain practical exposure on how the
world ticks and on top of this, you will
build up your ability to appreciate job
roles and tasks associated with the job.
Most importantly, though, you will build
up a repository of basic skills required
for any professional job and potentially
develop a first expertise. This will give
you the edge recruiters are after when
hiring graduates into top jobs.
For example, in my case, I did not do
anything during the first four months
of vacation I had after my first year
of studies – what a big waste of time it
was, judging retrospectively. Finishing
the second year at WSB-NLU, a lucky
coincidence allowed me to do some
“mini”-internships starting at a German
waste management company with 100
employees, followed by an international
retail bank and then a Polish utility
company. Each of the internships had
a duration of about 2-3 weeks in total.
I quickly learned one thing about each
of the internships - I don’t want to have
anything to do with banking, utilities
or waste management. That knowledge
alone was enough reason for me to start
applying for a longer term internship in
another industry – trying out something
new. After applying blindly to more than
60 internships across Europe, I finally
managed to get two interviews, one of
which resulted in a six months contract
assisting the CEO of a management
consultancy in Germany. As I learned on
my arrival and first day there, it turned
out to be the largest human resource
management consultancy in Germany
(note: the lesson learned here is that
I should have targeted my job hunt
a lot more during my research of the
company I wanted to work for – this way
I could have avoided some 40 out of the
60 applications).
This internship, and another one at
a global software house in Germany,
gave me close to one-year’s professional
experience by the time I had finished
my bachelor degree; I knew of several
industries I didn’t want to work in, and
I found one that was appealing and
interesting to me – professional services,
specifically management consulting. The
opportunity to write my bachelor thesis
in a professional context and increasing
my overall grade was an additional bonus
I received from the work experience.
I continued to study in Australia and
completed a Masters from Melbournebased Monash University, the country’s
largest University and Asia-wide topranking in International Business.
During my studies I worked parttime for the very same software house
I completed my last internship in. I
confirmed my interest of working in this
country for this company and in the role
as a Business Consultant.
So you see that trying out different work
experiences until you find something
good is essential. The earlier you start,
february 2008
the better for you in the long-term.
Doing internships throughout your
studies minimizes the stress you might
experience after you complete your degree
when looking for a job. It’s important to
utilize the time you have at university
and particularly in between semesters to
find out about yourself, find a profession
you would like to do and that you would
be good at. Experiencing the pros and
cons of a particular job/ industry/ place
of work first hand is always better than
being told and finding out retrospectively.
The more diverse work experience you
collect throughout your studies, the more
you’ll be able to appreciate different job
roles and descriptions, which in turn will
help you avoid the wrong employer or
job in the first place when you apply for
employment.
Try various Industries – there are many
industries; try to get to know them
Different Departments – try to work
in different divisions of a company with
different people to get a taste of what
people do differently and what say they
have in the organization
Start early – the earlier you start working,
the more experience you can gain before
you finish your studies; this will benefit
you in the long-run, i.e. you become
more attractive to potential employers
Pay – most internships don’t pay well,
some don’t pay at all. Some will pay you
if you do a good job. Remember, it’s
not the money that counts here, but the
experience you gain from doing the job
and the ability to position yourself better
&
in the future.
In the next issue of Ampersand we will
look into the topic of how to read and
interpret diverse job roles/ descriptions
and their requirements towards you.
This will help you focus your job hunt
and avoid the common pitfalls that lead
to disappointment and frustration.
In the upcoming three articles we will
together discuss the following topics:
&
&
“Learn how to read Job Role Descriptions”
– Translation errors for “fresh” job
applicants
“Line up the Right Jobs” – Prepare your
choices sooner rather than later
“Develop a Transition Strategy” – Moving
from university into the “real world”
Globalization
Nowadays
by Ewa Czech
It used to be that countries were
independent from each other politically,
financially and economically. Nowadays
there have been a lot of changes and
the world has become smaller since
the distribution of products and
information has become global. Because
of technological progress, we can link to
every country on the planet; the borders
stay the same but their function is
different. The creation of one global trade
has made the most powerful countries
even more influential and controlling. As
the result, people start to worry about the
real effects of globalization on their lives.
They feel anxious that they gradually are
starting to lose control of their lives and
the situation in their countries. There
are many corporations that are more
powerful and better suited financially
than many governments around the
world. Will these big businesses that are
driven by imperialistic motivations and
profits decide the future of the world?
that can come up during the exchange of
goods and services. The means to achieve
the goal of maximum efficiency are
often in conflict with the people’s wants
and needs. There are many countries in
which the economies and politics are
based on adhering to the aim to become
a financial world power. According to a
study by Richard B. Freeman in 1985 “the
global economic world comprised North
America, Western Europe, Japan, as well
as chunks of Latin America, Africa and
the countries of East Asia.” There were
around 2.5 billion people who engaged
In the book “Financial globalization
and the emerging economies” by José
Antonio Ocampo, Stefano Zamagni,
Ricardo Ffrench-Davis, Carlo Pietrobelli,
it is stated that countries look only to
improve its economic growth and this
makes them blind towards problems
issue #14
february 2008
21
&
&
&
in business activities. Right now when
most countries are democracies and
allow free trade, the number is much
higher (Friedman, 182). According to
Wikipedia there is a Group of Eight
(G8) countries that are most engaged
in international trade. Countries like
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Russia, The United Kingdom and the
USA represent 65% of the total world
economy (2). These countries decide on
world trade policies since they are very
influential in deciding the activities of the
United Nations, the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF). By
implementing the economic policies that
help them gain profits, these countries
are responsible for poverty and the
degradation of the natural environment
in the developing countries.
Many of those countries have their
imperialistic roots in history. They have
the power, knowledge, information
and technology to decide on a new
world order und to use other nations
to build its empires. They “suppress
human ingenuity, and control creativity
and thinking, putting these greatest
human wealth in the right and narrow
frames of corporations, laboratories and
institutions (even universities) which
are increasingly controlled by vested
power centers. They develop and enforce
regulations, codes and contracts to
ensure their control over people, nature,
processes, knowledge, science and
technology”.
China’s development. The World Bank
reported that in 1990 there were 375
million of people that struggled with
extreme poverty earning less than $1
per day. In 2001 there were 212 millions
and this amount is predicted to decrease
to 16 millions in 2015(Freedman,
315). It can clearly be seen that foreign
companies by bringing jobs improve
economical situation in the country they
invest in. On the other hand there is a lot
of risk and unethical business practices
happening together with that. Companies
in search for profit maximization do not
care about the people, government and
anything else. They used the resources
and when there is a better opportunity to
move forward they use it.
The world is “getting flatter” and it is
getting flatter in third world countries
as well. Nowadays those realms need to
compete with each other to be able to
keep investors within its borders. Right
now, Mexico has to compete with China.
China with India, India with Egypt as
the international situation dramatically
changes every day. At the beginning,
most products were made in Mexico
but multinational companies realized
that there were countries with cheaper
labor and more opportunities. They
moved their businesses to China leaving
former employers behind with no help
or plans for the future. First they used
them by taking their resources and cheap
labor; they gave them jobs but made
a variety of reforms that changed the
past system into a free economy where
people couldn’t rely on help from their
government anymore, and lastly when
they exploited them to the end, they
just left them to even more poverty. This
caused unhappiness, crime and violent
relations toward their exploiters.
Is there anything that can be done to
change this situation? Since globalization
is like a bomb once set up and it cannot
be stopped, we should look forward
to making this process in a way where
everyone can benefit.
All countries search for economic
prosperity and advancement. Because
of globalization, there is a chance
for developing counties to enter the
world market. On the other hand for
the developed countries, moving the
production process to places where the
labor is cheaper and production costs
lower makes them earn more money.
After the Breton Woods meeting in July
1944, international policies changed and
counties could trade according to special
rules and regulations. It was the time
when importing and outsourcing began.
For countries like China, Russia, Mexico,
Brazil and India this new situation was
the only way for improvement. In order
to make international exchange possible,
they had to change the whole structure of
their national economies by privatizing
the state own companies and uniting
laws and regulation to internationally
agreed standards. They knew that
foreign companies would bring jobs and
decrease poverty that people struggle
with. This was efficient by looking at
22
issue #14
february 2008
&
From the Desk of…
Rector Richard Magner
After being asked to write an article about
my business experience and differences
in corporate culture I began reflecting
on the various organizations that I have
been a member of over the years and
what it was that made them any more or
any less effective than any others. I can
honestly say, in looking back, that the
only effective organizational cultures
were the ones that were able to change in
order to make the most out of uncertain
situations.
Capital One Financial Credit Card
Services conducted approximately 27,000
tests of products, prices, features, and
packages, marketing channels, credit and
collection procedures in the late 1990’s
and had to adapt to a market through
risk mitigation (Capital One 1998 annual
report page 4). Many professional service
firms recruited and developed people
with general management skills that
would be valuable to clients regardless
of how the market evolved.
As globalization, digitization, and
unfettered capital markets raise levels
of uncertainty, continued survival will
belong to those organizations that have
a strong culture of innovation and
adaptation. Sure, an organization may
avoid foolhardy mistakes waiting for
uncertainty to diminish, but in doing so,
may squander a chance to lay claim to a
first mover advantage. There is a time to
shape a market and a time to adapt to a
market; however in either case you must
be clear on what your alternatives are.
Shapers generally attempt to deal with
uncertainty by driving an industry or
market their way. This can be accomplished
by introducing a fundamental product
or service, or innovating that redefines
how competition takes place such as
Dell Computer’s direct-sales approach.
Adapters, on the other hand, take the
existing markets as a given and try to
define defensible positions with the
market attempting to win thorough
speed and agility in capturing new
opportunities as the market changes.
Radical acts of organizational culture
change leave people disoriented and
disenfranchised, cut off from the past
but unprepared to enter the future.
More often than not, change efforts fail
because organizations fail to recognize
and manage the human components
of change. New technical solutions
require involvement by individuals
throughout an organization who are
willing to alter their behaviors and ways
of thinking. Accomplishing that takes
time, motivation, skills, and practice.
Yet, because changes to behaviors and
ways of thinking are less tangible and
typically more time-consuming than the
technical solution, the human aspects
only get the attention they need from the
best of organizations.
&
&
These are just a few examples that have
led me to believe, that the only effective
organizational cultures are ones that
are able to change to make the most
out of uncertain situations. They have
developed their capacity for rapid
adaptation, flexibility, and innovation
and the capacity to change. However,
at the very center of organizational
culture are the people, so in addition
to developing this capacity for change,
organizations need to make the most
of existing capabilities as well. Whether
or not change becomes excessive and
destructive depends on how changes
are organized and managed. Motorola
had great success in out daily operations
but wore out the people, resulting in the
change not contributing to sustainable
performance.
Those successful in shaping cultures have
a clear vision of an industry’s future, like
Bill Gates had for personal computers,
a lot of money or a strong reputation,
innovative skills and operational
excellence. Such was not the case at
Motorola who through the Iridium
project attempted and subsequently failed
to shape the satellite telephone market
with inept marketing and products that
did not work.
But do not think that an adapting culture
is an easy fall back strategy that is not
proactive. Quite the contrary, following
a shapers lead, hedging against risks, and
building a flexible culture requires real
commitments both human and financial.
issue #14
february 2008
23
&
&
&
Campus.FM:
Students on the Waves
by Szymon Korzeniowski
Finally, the time has come for Nowy
Sącz to have its own student radio!
Well, it’s not a full-fledged radio yet, but
everything has to have a beginning... So
far, Campus.FM is a two-hour weekly
program on Radio Galicja 104.6 FM.
At the very beginning, everybody was a
bit unsure of how it would all come out,
since the majority of us never worked
on a radio before. However, thanks to
the great support of the guys at Radio
Galicja, we were completely sucked in by
the radio lifestyle.
The first stage of our adventure was the
so-called ‘voice emission check’ which
we all had to go through in order to
determine if our voices were OK for the
radio. Even though it was just a matter
of reading aloud several pieces of news,
it was not as easy as it seemed. On the
radio, even the slightest amount of stress
in your voice can be heard. Fortunately, it
turned out that all of us passed the test.
The next step was to form groups. Every
group takes care of a different area. Paulina
and Robert are our school reporters –
reporting on various events taking place
at WSB. Kasia and I dig out all kinds of
info about the world of music. I also take
care of Music Gone Nuts - every week we
present one track, which you definitely
are not going to hear anywhere else.
Ela and Piotrek are Campus.FM’s party
animals - if you want to know what’s
going on in Nowy Sącz clubs, they’re the
ones to ask. Ola and Kamil are our movie
maniacs - every week they find tons of
news about movies and celebrities. Last,
but not least - ‘Rosswieszak’, our Special
Operations Group delivers interviews
from the heart of Poland. Politicians,
actors, musicians... Nobody can hide
from their almighty microphone!
As you can see, there are quite a lot of
people already on board, but we are
looking for new guys all the time!
If you would like to join us, write to
[email protected].
Tune in to Campus.FM every Wednesday
between 9 PM and 11 PM, on Radio
Galicja 104.6 FM!
24
issue #14
Tips For Wannabe Radio Announcers
1. Do not act - speak as if you were talking to a friend. The listeners should focus
on what you are saying rather than how you are saying it.
2. Know what you are talking about. If you are reading a text for the first time, you
might have little idea about its essence. Read the text several times earlier, but do
not memorize it!
3. Smile as you speak! Listeners prefer cheerful speakers. Let them know that you
enjoy your work, or otherwise your stress might spread to them.
4. Do not use words or phrases which you would not use off-air. If you use slang in
your everyday language, feel free - but do not go overboard, or you might sound
unnatural.
5. Last, but not least... Be yourself! Even if you have your favorite radio or TV
announcers, don’t try to imitate them. Pretending to be someone else might only
cause listeners to make fun of you.
february 2008
&
&
&
REKLAMA
JAZZGOT
issue #14
february 2008
25
&
&
&
Horoscopes
by Your Star Alpha Centauri
Aries
Leo
Sagittarius
If your academic fire has almost burned
out, a new study partner may help reignite
it. Take the time to honestly evaluate
your usual partner in crime; some time
apart will bring you luck this month.
Hold your tongue around superiors.
As a proud lion you may think that you
are the only person who knows what is
going on lately. Despite this, a lack of
trust in a stranger could cause a disaster
this month. On the other hand, an open
heart and mind will bring you luck.
Work will go smoothly and successfully
this month only after you have invested in
a new gadget to help you stay organized.
Spending time alone with your thoughts
will bring social and financial rewards
this spring. Be patient!
This month: Make your own pizza.
This month: Bake cookies for your
neighbor.
This month: Spend a Saturday at the
library.
Taurus
Virgo
Capricorn
This month may feel like a thorn in your
side. A lost relationship will resurface
and add to your stress. Working in a new
environment will give you the focus you
need. Keep your eyes open for a few lies
coming from a trusted friend.
Let workaholism be your only addiction
this month; others will follow your lead.
A weekend outing near the middle of
the month may surprisingly open up a
professional opportunity, just make sure
to mind your manners.
This month: Have an extra cup of coffee.
This month: Hit the books. Hard.
There will be tension between you and
a friend this month. Be prepared to
fight for what you believe in, and not
necessarily what is most convenient.
Look to an innocent bystander for help.
Exiting your comfort zone will only
make you stronger.
Gemini
Libra
Aquarius
A financial reward is on its way to you;
use this as an opportunity to return a
favor to a close friend. A fun gathering
may cause relationship drama near the
end of the month; only honesty will save
your reputation and social life.
Now that a new romance is on the rise, it
is time to open up and be honest about
what annoys and frustrates you. Do not
let this relationship be like the last. A
confession will keep the passion going,
even through the stress of school.
The winter sun is shining on you this
month. Find someone to laugh with and
remain a source of optimism for stressed
out friends; they will return your favor
next month. You may lose an important
object in the coming weeks.
This month: Discover a new band.
This month: Memorize the alphabet
backwards.
This month: Add extra spice to every
meal.
Cancer
Scorpio
Pisces
Watch out for nosey family members in
the coming weeks. Analyze the possible
double meaning of strange phone
messages and you will avoid punishment
for something you did not do. Be
suspicious of overly generous peers.
Leaving an old friend behind is a good
idea. Their initial anger will subside later
this month and your energy will return
in full force and impress those who have
been ignoring you. Be punctual and you
will be rewarded.
Exercise is your best medicine these
days. Physical activity will increase your
mental activity and you will soon be the
star of your class, not the usual clown.
A shocking email is on its way; remain
calm and seek advice from a parent.
This month: Howl at the moon, just
once.
This month: Stock up on new pens.
This month: Polish your boots.
March 21-April 1
April 20-May 20
May 21-June 21
June 22-July 22
26
issue #14
July 23-August 22
August 23-September 22
September 23-October 22
October 23-November 21
November 22-December 21
December 22-January 19
This month: Wish upon a star.
January 20-February 18
February 19-March 20
february 2008