Skilled IT specialists: Region`s biggest advantage

Transcription

NO. 27
WWW.KRAKOWPOST.COM
NOVEMBER 8-NOVEMBER 14, 2007 WEEKLY
Skilled IT specialists: Region’s biggest advantage
Zywiec shows
support for Roma
The Zywiec City Council and
the city’s Association of Roma
will organize a Roma cultural
festival and other events to help
counter racism against Roma 2
Rectors propose
tuition fees for all
A declaration by the Conference
of Rectors of Academic Schools
in Poland about introducing
tuition fees for all students has
4
sparked a lively debate
Missile defense
shield on agenda
Experts say if the negotiations
conclude relatively quickly, the
defense shield could well be
operational by 2012
5
Luxembourg opens
job market to Poles
Luxembourg opens job market
to Poles and citizens of the seven
other new EU nations
7
Anniversary of
Krakow’s liberation
It’s been 89 years since Krakow
became the first city in Poland to
regain its freedom after 72 years
of Austrian occupation
10
Silesia police make
wish come true
Patrick Pochopien is now the
youngest policeman in Poland
at 9 years old after being sworn
in on Oct. 26 as part of the
Make-A-Wish Foundation 12
Poland: Europe’s
kingdom of spam
Poland is Europe’s biggest spam
receiver. The nation’s spam
explosion can be blamed on
carelessness and neglect
12
Grand opening of the MAN factory in Niepolomice. Krakow and the entire Malopolska region may soon become the IT capital of Poland. During the last couple of years,
international companies such as IBM, Motorola, Google, MAN, Delphi, Sabre, Capgemini and ABB have located their IT labs in Krakow. PHOTO/Szymon Urban
Michal Wojtas
STAFF JOURNALIST
As more and more information technology-related companies open branches in
Krakow, enthusiasts speak of a local version
of California’s Silicon Valley.
If the trend continues, Krakow and the
entire Malopolska region will really become
an IT capital of Poland. During the last couple of years, international companies such as
IBM, Motorola, Google, MAN, Delphi, Sabre, Capgemini and ABB have located their
IT labs in Krakow.
In addition, some of the biggest Polish ebusiness-related enterprises – including Comarch, Onet and Interia – opened branches
in the city. The major factor attracting them
to Krakow is an abundance of highly educated personnel.
Universities based in the city educate
180,000 students each year. In particular,
the University of Science and Technology
(AGH), Krakow University of Technology
(PK) and Jagiellonian University’s (UJ)
computer studies graduates supply the rising
demand for skilled IT employees.
The competition in the job market serves
all Krakow residents as wages rise to meet
the demand for highly educated specialists.
In some cases the wages reach or even
exceed European standards.
A good programmer with two or three
years of experience may earn up to 10,000
zloty (2,700 euro) a month, five times the
average wage in Poland.
Local authorities try to make investing
in Krakow and the region easier. One of the
institutions that helps foreign investors is the
Malopolska Agency for Regional Development (MARR). Its task is to contribute to
comprehensive development of the region.
The agency distributes EU funding, serves
as a consultant in the labor market and also
an intermediary between local government
and foreign investors.
Another institution important for the development of the IT sector is Krakow Technology Park, a company which manages the
Krakow Special Economic Zone. The zone
offers tax incentives to investors and pro-
vides them with space for research facilities
and offices.
It also establishes good relations with local authorities as the city itself is one of the
shareholders of the technology park, as is
the state, Malopolska voivodeship (one of
16 Polish administrative provinces), AGH,
UJ, PK and Mittal Steel.
The technology park administers 300
hectares of land in Krakow and nearby
towns as well as in other cities of the region:
Tarnow, Krosno and Nowy Sacz.
In October the enterprise was granted 25
mln euro from the EU Innovative Economy
program to stimulate development of the
See SILICON on Page 9
P O L A N D
The Krakow Post
R E G I O N A L
N E W S
Lithuanian, 102, becomes
country’s oldest bridegroom
A 102-year-old Lithuanian man has become the Baltic country’s oldest recorded
bridegroom after tying the knot with his 76year old fiancee, the daily Laikinoji Sostine
reported early this week. The newspaper said
Stanislovas Grigas and his bride Brone Mikutiene had been married Saturday in a ceremony in Kaunas, Lithuania’s second city.
“As far as I know, until now Lithuania
has never seen a bridegroom of such a solid
age,” Kestutis Ignatavicius, the master of
ceremonies at Kaunas City Hall, who married the couple, was quoted as saying by the
newspaper.
“It may even be a European record,” Ignatavicius added.
Lithuanian statistics show that the country’s previous oldest groom was an 84-yearold who was married in 1986. The oldest
recorded bride, meanwhile, was an 80-yearold whose wedding took place in 1991.
Grigas and Mikutiene have reportedly
known each other since 1972, when Grigas
was still married to his first wife.
Mikutiene helped him around the house
after Grigas’ wife died in 1992 and his two
sons passed away in 1995 and 2006. She
has been living in Grigas’ house since this
spring, Laikinoji Sostine reported.
The newspaper also said that it was Grigas’ idea to get married.
“The main decisions in the family are
taken by him, and I usually agree with him,”
Mikutiene was quoted as saying. (AFP)
NOVEMBER 8-NOVEMBER 14, 2007
Zywiec City Council shows
support for local Roma
GFDL 1.2:Witold
2
agence france-presse
Kidnapped Iraqi journalist
freed in Baghdad
An Iraqi correspondent for the U.S. station Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was
freed in Baghdad late last week after nearly
two weeks in captivity, her employers said.
Jumana Al-Obaidi, 29, an employee of
the Arab service of RFE/RL, Radio Free
Iraq, was abducted on Oct. 22 while she was
going to the Environment Ministry for an interview, the station said in a statement.
Her driver was shot and killed and his
body dumped on the street.
“All of us at RFE/RL are very relieved
that Jumana’s ordeal is now over,” RFE/RL
chief Jeffrey Gedmin said. (AFP)
Seven injured as Czech
police clash with extremists
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov criticized Ukrainian authorities
late last week for failing to take action over
what he called an “armed raid” on a partly
Russian-owned oil refinery. He made his
comments amid a row over the ownership of
the Kremenchug refinery in central Ukraine,
which is one of the largest in the country.
“It is clear that the seizure of the Kremenchug refinery, of which Russian investors
own an important stake, is illegal and can be
termed an armed raid, or quite simply banditry,” Ivanov said at a meeting of a government commission, quoted by Interfax news
agency.
“The Ukrainian authorities’ passivity is
astonishing. I hope it will end. Usually a
change of power doesn’t mean anarchy. We
are counting on the situation being normalized,” he said, referring to recent parliamentary polls expected to bring in a new Ukrainian government.
The struggle for control of the refinery
was given fresh impetus by a recent Ukrainian court ruling that ordered the reinstatement of Pavlo Ovcharenko as the head of
the facility. He was ousted as head of the
operating company, Ukrtatnafta, by its Russian shareholders in 2004. The conflict also
comes amid wider energy political tensions
between Russia and Ukraine, a major gas
transit route.
According to Rustam Minnikhanov,
prime minister of the Russian province of
Tatarstan, the main Russian shareholder,
50 men entered the site on Oct. 19, beat its
guards and took hold of the refinery’s documents and official stamp.
Ovcharenko has said he merely entered
the site with bailiffs. The dispute centers on
an 18 percent stake that was held by offshore
companies close to Russia, but which was
won by the Ukrainian state in May after a
lengthy court battle.
Apart from the 18 percent stake, the
Ukrainian state owns another 43.1 percent,
the Tatarstan authorities own 28.7 percent
directly and 8.6 percent is owned by the Tatarstan-based oil company Tatneft. (AFP)
Poland’s Iraq
mission to end
in current form:
incoming PM
The Zywiec City Council and the city’s Association of Roma will organize a Roma cultural festival and other events to help counter racism.
Kinga Rodkiewicz
STAFF JOURNALIST
The Zywiec City Council and the city’s
Association of Roma will organize a Roma
cultural festival and other events to help
counter racism against Roma.
The decision was made after skinheads
painted racist graffiti on the outside walls of
Roma homes in Zywiec, where about 200
Roma live.
“Sociologists and Roma experts will lead
interesting, educational meetings,” said
Zywiec City Council spokesman Tomasz
Terteka.
In addition, “in schools we will organize
a photographic exhibition which tells about
the Roma’s life in Poland,” he said. Next
year the city plans a Roma cultural festival
that will last several days. It will include ex-
hibits and bands, he said.
Two months ago skinheads painted racial
slurs on a building where Roma live. Police
made several arrests recently.
The suspects will be charged with destruction of property and fascist activities.
The Roma association complained that
police took too long to make the arrests – an
accusation police deny.
“We expect a decisive approach from
the police against people who are spreading hatred and exhort others” to hatred, an
association statement said. The statement
added that Roma want both city and local
church officials “to condemn those people
for racist practices and take some actions
which will prevent similar situations in the
future.”
Police say they moved as quickly as they
could on the case.
“We don’t treat Roma like second-class
citizens,” said police spokesman Wieslaw
Zon. He said police take each case before
them seriously, and act accordingly.
Terteka said the city does everything it
can to help Roma have a better life.
“We try to improve their living conditions,” he said. For example, “they receive
financial and material benefits from the
Municipal Social Assistance Center.”
What’s more, “for three years Zywiec
has been a participant in the government
program ‘Assist a Roma,’” he said.
Under that program, a Roma becomes a
teacher’s helper.
His or her work includes helping Roma
children with homework and making sure
they are safe to and from school. The city
council also gives the teacher’s helper money for children’s books.
Poland’s new government plans to end
the country’s role in the U.S.-led coalition
in Iraq in its “current form” next year,
prime minister-designate Donald Tusk
said in an interview published Monday.
Speaking to the daily Gazeta Wyborcza, Tusk said it was important that the
U.S. recognize that his pro-business Civic
Platform had won power with a pledge to
“end the mission in Iraq at least in its current form, in 2008.”
“I support that position,” said Tusk,
who is poised to take office after trouncing the conservative Law and Justice
party in the Oct. 21 snap election.
Warsaw has been one of the closest
U.S. allies over Iraq. Polish troops took
part in the 2003 invasion, sparking a bitter
verbal battle with anti-war EU members,
notably France.
US-Polish ties strengthened after the
election in 2005 of Law and Justice.
Last December, President Lech Kaczynski extended the deployment of its
900-strong force until the end of this year,
and the conservative government had said
it was planning to send a new group of
soldiers in 2008.
In its election manifesto, Civic Platform promised a “rapid withdrawal” of
Poland’s troops – a highly popular idea,
because opinion surveys show that more
than 80 percent of Poles oppose the mission.
But neither the party nor Tusk have
elaborated on a target date, nor explained
what a change from the mission’s “current
form” would imply.
During the election campaign, outgoing Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski,
the president’s identical twin brother, had
fiercely defended the Iraq mission, saying
“desertion is always the worst and stupidest option.”
But Civic Platform’s poll ratings
jumped on the eve of the election after
Tusk challenged Jaroslaw Kaczynski in a
televised debate, asking the premier:
“What gives you the right, you and
your brother, to extend the mission in
Iraq ... to put the lives of Polish soldiers
at risk?”
Last Friday, 31-year-old Corporal Andrzej Filipek died in a mine blast in southeastern Iraq, bringing to 22 the number of
Polish soldiers killed in Iraq since 2003.
Last month, Polish Ambassador Edward Pietrzyk was seriously injured and
his driver killed by a roadside bomb in
Baghdad.
Culture plays smaller role in Poland than much of EU
the krakow post
Culture plays a significant role
in the daily life of Europeans. But
in comparison with other citizens
of the EU, a statistical Pole is not as
involved in culture, the newspaper
Gazeta Wyborcza reported.
The aim of the survey, carried
out within the European Statistical
System, was to measure the cultural activities in 27 EU member
states in 2006.
The results of the poll described
different areas: cultural heritage
and employment; cultural sectors
in publishing, architectural activities and cinema; external trade in
cultural goods, and time spent on
cultural activities.
With some exceptions, the results for Poles are not very encouraging. EU citizens went to the
cinema more than 900 mln times in
2006. Among Poles, however, only
44 percent acknowledged visiting a
movie theater last year.
The statistical Pole went to the
cinema less than once during a
whole year.
In comparison the European average was 1.9 visits to the cinema
during the year. The Irish were the
most frequent cinema-goers, with
an average of 4.2 visits.
The least frequent cinema-go-
ers were the Romanians (0.1), the
Bulgarians (0.3) and the Slovaks
(0.6). In the EU, cultural employment accounted for 2.7 percent of
total employment.
In Poland, the rate was 1.7 percent. In the EU, 3.9 percent of all
higher education students were
studying the arts. Poland had the
lowest share of arts students, 1.0
percent.
The highest proportions of arts
students, more than 10 percent,
were found in Malta and Ireland.
On the positive side, about 80 percent of the population in Poland
watched or listened to a cultural
program on TV or radio in 2006,
which is more than European average. Sixty-four percent of Poles
read at least one book in the last 12
months, close to the European average of 71 percent.
The most active book readers
lived in Sweden – 87 percent – and
the least on Malta – 45 percent.
The most popular cultural activities in Poland were: museums and
galleries (32 percent of Poles went
there at least once last year), concerts (29 percent), public libraries
(37 percent). Less than 20 percent
of Polish citizens went to the theater (the lowest number in the EU)
and only about 12 percent to the
ballet or opera.
P O L A N D
The Krakow Post
Greenpeace campaign against global
warming in Poland surprises Warsaw
Tatra
Mountains
will be safer
in winter
LUK Agency
Greenpeace’s new ads encourage Warsaw residents
to buy the most popular
commodities – potatoes,
bread and water. But one
thing is unusual – they’re
selling for very high prices Incoming PM
thanks expat
voters in London
Alicja Natkaniec
the krakow post
STAFF JOURNALIST
A new elevated highway will be constructed in the Polish Tatra National Park to
minimize the risk posed by snow avalanches
in the region of Morskie Oko, the biggest
lake in Tatra.
Such an investment will allow tourists to
get to the lake safely.
The new winter route is to be ready next
year. This is another change in the Tatra
Mountains after the introduction of one-way
traffic on the Orla Perc, a paved hiking trail
in the High Tatras.
In winter, when it’s snowing heavily,
the area of Morskie Oko is particularly susceptible to avalanches rolling down from
the mountain peaks. The avalanches are so
powerful that they can break through the
lake’s thick ice and cover the surface of the
lake.
In recent winters, avalanches even
cracked window panes in the mountain shelter on the bank of the lake. The avalanches
also often reach the road leading to the lake,
the site of one of the most popular hiking
trails in the park.
Many times hikers have been forced to
wait in the shelter for a few days until the
Tatra Voluntary Rescue Service determined
that the avalanche danger had decreased.
“We want to limit the danger of avalanches in this mountain area,” said Zbigniew Krzan, the vice director of the park.
“We are planning the construction of the
special winter bypass from the Wlosienica
Glade to the Morskie Oko. The special
platform, which will be constructed on this
route, won’t destroy the unique flora of the
Tatra National Park.”
The switch to one-way traffic in the
Tatra Mountains has been successful. The
introduction of this regulation on Orla Perc
helped to reduce congestion and the risk of
serious accidents on the route.
“Nevertheless, the danger of fatal accidents is always a part mountain trips,”
cautioned Pawel Skawinski, a mountain
rescuer.
Some interesting billboards have been attracting the attention of the citizens of Warsaw. The
advertisements encourage residents of the capital
city to buy the most popular commodities – potatoes, bread and water. But one thing is unusual
– extremely high prices. The posters on the billboards advertise the potatoes for 89.99 zloty per kilogram, a loaf of bread
for 75 zloty and a 5-liter bottle of water for 100
zloty.
Normally, the price of each of them amounts to
3 to5 zloty. Each poster is accompanied with the
words “Hot prices!” The advertisements are similar to campaigns run by supermarkets. This controversial campaign is the latest idea of
Greenpeace organization. Its aim is to draw attention at the problem of climate change, with high
food prices being a prime example. For Greenpeace, focusing on efforts to stop
global warming and climate change is a priority
issue.
According to the organization’s scientists, disruptions to ecosystems may harm everything and
have negative long-term effects, such as hundreds
of species extinct, problems with basic commodities and also high prices.
Greenpeace says climate change could bring
devastation to people and communities, especially
in the poorest countries.
Greenpeace uses direct action to attract attention to particular environmental problems. It maintains pressure on lawmakers and corporations but
also tries to influence ordinary people. The organization contends that climate change
is already harming people and ecosystems. Its reality can be seen in melting glaciers, disintegrating
polar ice, thawing permafrost, dying coral reefs,
rising sea levels, changing ecosystems and fatal
heat waves. One of the most dangerous and common effects
of global warming might be a reduction of crops
of basic vegetables and a water deficit. The ad
campaign in Poland is connected with this effect
of climate change. It is also possible to sign a Greenpeace petition
addressed to the Polish government on the web
site: www.greenpeace.org/poland.
For Greenpeace, focusing on efforts to stop global warming and climate change is a
priority issue.
A Polish sea captain was jailed for
12 months by a British court Friday
after crashing his ship into an unmanned gas platform in the North
Sea while drunk.
Zbigniew Krakowski admitted being nearly three times over the legal
alcohol limit and entering a 500-meter (1,640 feet) exclusion around the
Viking Echo gas platform, 40 miles
(64 kilometers) north-east of Cromer
in eastern England.
The 56-year-old from Szczecin,
north-west Poland, was in charge of
the 2,000-ton Jork from Luebeck,
northern Germany, to New Holland
in north Lincolnshire, eastern England, when the crash happened on
August 4. Lincoln Crown Court was
told that the accident caused damage
of between seven mln and 10 mln
pounds (10.1 mln-14.4 mln euro,
$14.6 mln-$20.8).
The platform, owned by U.S. firm
ConocoPhillips, remains out of action and is losing the firm 615,000
pounds a month in revenue. Repair
work cannot start until April next
year at the earliest, the hearing was
told.
Krakoswki, who had been sitting
with his back to the ship’s bow looking at the vessel’s computer when
the collision happened, afterwards
opened a bottle of vodka sometimes
kept for tipping dock workers, possibly out of shock.
He had earlier been told to alter
the ship’s course by seven degrees
when he took control from the chief
officer.
The court was told that Krakowski, who has more than 30 years’
experience, ignored the instructions
and only looked over his shoulder at
intervals.
Judge John Milmo heard that the
skipper only realized the danger
when the Jork, which was carrying
wheat, was between 100 to 150 yards
(91 to 137 meters) from the Viking
Echo.
He then tried to change course,
but the ship struck the rig a glancing blow. It continued another 500
meters before stopping and listing. It
sank a day later.
The seven-member crew abandoned ship and were rescued by a
passing boat.
Krakowski’s
lawyer,
Allan
Mainds, told the court his client was
“genuinely remorseful” at what had
happened.
“It’s not just the loss of his career
but he has remorse for what has taken place, the loss to the company that
owns the vessel, the huge loss of gas
(production) and the disaster for the
crew,” he added.
GFDL 1.2:Sir48
Drunken Polish skipper jailed for 12 months by
British court after rig collision on the North Sea
3
Rig on the North Sea.
Prime minister-in-waiting Donald Tusk
visited London late last week to thank expatriate voters for their part in propelling him
to the premiership.
Tusk held a rally in Ealing, west London,
where a long-established Polish community
has mushroomed since Poland joined the
EU in May 2004 and Britain opened its labor market to Polish workers.
Wearing a dark suit and a blue tie, Tusk
addressed supporters at Ealing Town Hall,
standing before the Polish and British flags.
He then was to dine with the Polish ambassador to Britain.
Estimates for the British-based Polish
community range from 300,000 in some
government studies, to one mln, half of
whom live in the London area, according to
some Polish sources.
Tusk is expected to become prime minister shortly after the first session of the new
parliament on Monday.
Tusk travelled to Britain and Ireland at
the end of September to drum up support for
his Civic Platform (PO) party, as he sought
to end two years of rule by the conservative
Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Britain provided fertile territory for PO in
the Oct. 21 vote: figures from Poland’s national electoral commission show the party
obtained almost 75 percent of the British
vote, compared with its overall result of almost 42 percent.
Just over 48,000 British-based Poles
signed up to vote at the Polish embassy in
London, as well as the country’s consulates and a string of community centers from
northern Scotland to England’s south coast.
Their turnout rate beat that of home-based
Poles: around 75 percent of British-registered voters took part compared to almost
54 percent nationally.
4
P O L A N D
The Krakow Post
R E G I O N A L
N E W S
Czech lorry stuck for three
days after sat-nav blunder
A Czech lorry driver was stranded for
three nights in south-west England after
his satellite navigation system directed him
down a narrow country lane, British newspapers reported late last week.
Yuri Odenhai, 45, was on his way to pick
up a cargo of televisions from a depot in the
county of Devon when his 40-ton truck became stuck fast on a sharp bend near the village of Ivybridge, east of Plymouth.
The trucker’s company, Kohlman and
Hasek, refused to pay for an expensive recovery operation at the weekend, meaning
the 50-foot (15-meter) long, eight-feet wide
truck remained wedged in place.
Newspapers said Odenhai had tried to
ask for directions before following the satnav down the lane but his English was not
up to scratch and he could not make himself
understood.
The lorry was eventually towed out by
a tractor after a tree surgeon cut away surrounding vegetation.
Mat Auburn, 19, said his family took pity
on Odenhai and invited him in for meals
during his ordeal, striking up a friendship.
But he preferred to stay in his cab overnight
rather than find bed and breakfast accommodation.
“The diversion put a few miles on people’s journeys. He had stopped near a house
to ask for directions but the woman couldn’t
understand him,” Auburn was quoted as telling the Times. (AFP)
Polish university rectors
propose tuition fees for all
Portugal takes over NATO
patrols of Baltic skies
Portugal took charge of NATO patrols
over the three Baltic states late last week,
replacing the Romanian military, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said.
Portuguese pilots will patrol the air space
of the trans-Atlantic alliance newcomers using four F-16 fighters, which arrived Friday
at Zokniai air base in northern Lithuania.
Some 70 members of the Portuguese
military will be deployed at the base, the
ministry said.
Other members of the 26-nation North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have
taken turns patrolling the skies of Estonia,
Latvia and Lithuania since the three Baltic
states joined the alliance in March 2004.
Romania, which also joined NATO in
2004, handed over to Portugal after completing its three-month mission.
The Portuguese are due to be deployed
for six weeks, the ministry said, and will
then hand over to Norway.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which regained their independence from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991, lack the aircraft
and personnel to police their skies themselves. Earlier this year, the three countries
asked NATO to extend the air patrol mission
until 2018. The current patrol agreement
runs out next year. (AFP)
Canada lifts visa regulations
for Czech, Latvia republics
Immigration Minister Diane Finley announced early this week that citizens of the
Czech Republic and the Republic of Latvia
no longer require a temporary resident visa
to visit Canada.
“After careful analysis, Canada has determined the visa requirement for the Czech
Republic and the Republic of Latvia will be
removed,” Finley said in a statement.
“Canada enjoys strong ties with both of
these countries, and lifting the visa requirement will help us build on those relationships to the benefit of Canadians and the
citizens of the Republic of Latvia and the
Czech Republic.” The move follows European Commission threats of possible retaliatory measures if Canada failed to lift visa
requirements on eight EU member nations
by year-end. These included Bulgaria, the
Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Canada’s Immigration Department said
Wednesday it would continue to work with
the remaining new EU member states toward its goal of having visa-free travel for
all EU citizens “as soon as possible.”
Canadian officials would visit these
countries as part of its ongoing review to
determine when visa requirements can be
removed, it added.
Finley commented: “We are committed
to the free and secure movement of people
between the EU and Canada.” (AFP)
About half of the 2 mln students in Poland pay tuition fees.
Michal Wojtas
STAFF JOURNALIST
A recent declaration by the Conference
of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland about introducing tuition fees for all
students has sparked a lively discussion as
expected.
While some people see this proposal as
an opportunity to increase higher education
standards in Poland and to equalize academic access, a majority of students seem
to oppose the idea.
The rectors conference, which brings
together the heads of Polish universities,
proposed ending the division of students.
Currently the state covers all the costs
for students who pass the entrance exams
for the state-financed universities, while
those who fail the exams have to pay for
every semester.
According to the rectors, no one should
be exempt from paying, while a wide program of credits and scholarships should ex-
ist for the students.
Charging tuition for all should improve
the financial situations of the universities.
Even though the percentage of students in
Poland is among the highest in Europe, the
standards are often poor as the academies
cut costs in order to keep the best employees and develop infrastructure.
As a result, annual expenses per Polish
student are $3,300 while the EU average is
$7,800 and the U.S. average is four times
higher.
The Organization of Economical Cooperation and Development, which presented
these figures in its recent report on education, has also urged Poland to introduce tuition fees for all.
But the students who now enjoy free
studies don’t believe such a move would
bring any benefits for them.
Basically they don’t trust that the government would guarantee suitable help in
covering the fees.
Even though some students don’t have
to pay fees now, the costs of studying in a
city away from home are still high, especially for low-income families.
About half of the 2 mln students in Poland pay tuition fees. Some of them pay at
private schools and some at state-financed
schools where at least 50 percent should
study for free, according to the law.
The rectors say those who pay usually
come from lower-income families from
outside big cities, where education standards are lower, and they more often don’t
pass entrance exams.
The proposed reform should also help
to make educational opportunities more
equal, as the Polish Constitution states. The
public discussion of fees in higher education in Poland is a very old one.
There have been previous attempts to expand the fees, but none of them succeeded.
In 2005 Marek Belka’s government
planned to reform the financing system of
universities, but an election defeat ended
the attempt.
The winners of the Oct. 21 parliamentary elections – Civic Platform (PO) – are
seen as a liberal party.
Even though they haven’t taken a position on university fees, it’s highly possible
that they would back the reform. But it
could also mean losing the backing of the
students, one of most PO-friendly groups.
Poland profits from medical tourism
Alicja Natkaniec
STAFF JOURNALIST
Even though the reputation of general Polish health services is continually deteriorating domestically, where
falling ill for a Pole or a foreigner can
be a nightmare experience, specialist
medical services such as plastic surgery are booming in Poland.
Thousands of foreigners, mainly
from Western Europe, are coming to
Poland to get a body makeover.
Driving the flow of interest is relatively low costs for procedures, on demand service and ease of access from
across Europe.
Poland is one of a number of countries which is enjoying the global
trend in medical tourism.
In recent years, a growing number
of patients seeking cosmetic surgery
have ventured abroad to take advantage of low cost medical services.
Popular destinations include Thailand, India, and some areas of Central
Europe.
The Institute of Tourism in Poland
estimates that the number of foreigners coming to Poland for operations
amounts to 250,000 people per year,
which is about 1.5 percent of all tourists coming to Poland.
Only last year medical tourism at-
tracted around $65 mln to the Polish
economy, which with more effective
promotion could increase many fold.
Most often, the medical packages
at private clinics include round-trip
airfare plus a brief vacation package,
or it is accompanied by private postoperative care.
Procedures in demand include
reconstructive surgery for disfigurement correction, along with elective
surgery procedures such as liposuction, buttocks and abdomen sculpting,
and breast augmentation.
Prices in Poland are half to one
third of those in the UK or Germany,
with a breast enlargement costing
6,250 euro in the UK or 5,200 euro
in Germany going for 2,250 euro in
Poland.
Similarly, liposuction worth 4,850
euro in the UK or 3000 euro in Germany, costs 1,000 euro in Poland. A
nose correction costing 5,000 euro in
the UK comes in at about 1,300 euro
in Poland.
Poland also provides dentistry services, popular also for its low costs
and high quality modern technology
and services.
Doctors say client demand is continuing to grow along with income
prospects from the ever expanding
medical services market.
Poland is one of a number of countries which is enjoying the global trend in medical tourism.
P O L A N D
Missile defense shield back on agenda
The Krakow Post
5
Polish soldiers
return from
Afghanistan
tour of duty
If the negotiations conclude relatively quickly, the defense shield should be operational by the end of 2012.
Michal Wojtas
STAFF JOURNALIST
With negotiations on forming a new Polish government still underway, the deputy
chief of the American mission in Poland,
Kenneth Hillas, called for a continuation of
negotiations on the Missile Defense Shield
System, which is to include one base in Poland and one in the Czech Republic.
Hillas spoke about this issue during his
meeting with students of the University of
Silesia on Oct. 29 in Katowice. He underlined the fact that while the negotiations
began with Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s government, the U.S. Embassy also discussed this
subject with opposition parties, including
Civic Platform (PO). Civic Platform won
the Oct. 21 elections and is now forming a
government with the party chairman, Donald Tusk, as prime minister.
“I expect that when the new government
led by Mr. Tusk is formed it will review the
situation and we will resume our talks,”
Hillas said. He also tried to convince the
audience that the Anti-Rocket Shield, as
it is called by Polish media, will increase
security not only in the U.S. but also in Poland and throughout Europe.
Americans have negotiated the issue
already with three recent Polish governments, but the most important questions
– such as the location of the U.S. Army
base, the covering of the costs and the legal status of American personnel in Poland
– remain unresolved.
Americans have negotiated the issue already
with three recent
Polish governments,
but the most important questions – such
as the location of the
U.S. Army base, the
covering of the costs
and the legal status of
American personnel
in Poland – remain
unresolved.
The atmosphere of the negotiations is
also influenced by Russia, which strongly
opposes the project. The Missile Defense
Shield would consist of two bases. A radar
base would be located in the Czech Republic, and the Polish part would be a rocket
base equipped with 10 sets of Interceptor
anti-ballistic missiles.
The task for the system would be to
detect and destroy long-range missiles
launched in the Middle East region, especially in Iran.
The project should cost American taxpayers about $1.5 bln. According to Hillas,
U.S. personnel in Poland would number
200 to 300 people, mostly civilians.
According to Polish media, the most
probable base site would be an old military
airport in the village of Redzikowo near the
city of Slupsk on the Baltic Coast.
If the negotiations conclude relatively
quickly, the defense shield should be operational by the end of 2012.
However, two weeks ago U.S. Secretary
of Defense Robert Gates proposed to Russia to delay the opening of the bases until
there is “definitive proof” of a missile danger from Iran.
And last week in the U.S. Congress,
Democratic Rep. John Murtha, head of the
House appropriations defense subcommittee, warned that the George Bush administration would not receive its requested
$310 mln for the missile shield as planned
for next year’s budget.
If the negotiations with the new Polish
government don’t progress quickly, this
may even result in cancellation of the missile program.
the krakow post
On Oct. 30 at Strachowice military
airfield Wroclaw, 270 kilometers northwest from Krakow, the first of two Polish military contingents was welcomed
home from their tour of duty in Afghanistan. The second contingent is due home
in November.
Army General Witold Poluchowicz thanked the 140 servicemen during
the homecoming ceremony for their
hard work during the mission and the
soldier’s families for their support and
patience. Poluchowicz said the mission
successfully achieved its aims under difficult conditions.
“The mission was really complicated”
said Major Michal Holub. “We had to
deal with intense enemy action.”
Mission commander General Marek
Tomaszycki emphasized that the soldier’s previous mission experience
counted little for this tour as they faced
new challenges this time round and
could not afford to become complacent
in the field.
“A fact we are proud about is the trust
established with the local communities.
Around 80 percent of Afghanis are positive about us,v” said Tomaszycki.
The Polish military contingent is part
of the International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF), which is the NATO-led,
UN-mandated operation in Afghanistan
that was established to assist the government of Afghanistan in maintaining
security.
Polish soldiers have been deployed
in Afghanistan since 2002, with a significant increase of 900 troops sent early
this year to major areas of conflict in the
eastern Afghanistan region near Pakistan’s border.
Troop’s duties have involved combat roles, support and training of Afghani forces along with participating in
humanitarian missions. General Jerzy
Bieziewicz is the commander of Poland’s 1200-plus contingency currently
active in Afghanistan and says training
Afghani forces is crucial to the future
security of the country.
Of the 35,000-plus military personnel
in Afghanistan, around 18,500 troops
from 37 countries are NATO members,
with the remainder part of the U.S. led
coalition.
Seventy-three forced laborers sent home
the krakow post
Seventy-three Ukrainian women living in
squalid conditions in one house are having to
leave Poland today because they do not have
permission to work in a Christmas-wreath factory. Despite their difficult living conditions,
most of the women say they want to stay because they need the money.
Immigration officials say that although the
women have legal visas, they are deporting
them because they had permits only for agricultural work, not factory work. Their deportation means they cannot return to Poland legally
for a year.
The women were working in Trzeborz, near
the city of Pyrzyce in northern Poland. They
earned 7 zloty an hour making Christmas
wreaths and decorations.
Lieutenant Colonel Jacek Ogrodowicz of
the Polish Border Guard said the owner of the
factory, Jan Siwiec, faces sanctions in the case,
although it will depend on what testimony the
women give. Prosecutors could accuse him of
hiring the women even though he knew their
work permits prohibited them from doing factory work. He could also face an accusation
of keeping the women in unsanitary living
conditions. The house where the women lived
was unfinished, with only concrete floors and
walls. Not one room had a window. There was
no space between the beds jammed into each
bedroom. The beds contained no pillows or
bedding – just straw mattresses. Even worse
was the bathroom situation. None had bathtubs
or showers – only sinks. And there were only a
handful of sinks for all 73 women.
“These women were living like animals,”
said Ludmila Aleksiejewa of the Helsinkibased International Federation for Human
Rights.
The women, who don’t want to lose their
jobs, downplayed their living conditions.
“It isn’t too bad – it isn’t too bad,” one of
them told the Polish radio station RMF-FM.
“We have water, a kitchen and heat.”
The women said they don’t understand why
they have to leave if they want to work. Maria
Andrusiak recently lost her husband. “I wanted
to earn some money in Poland for the tombstone,” she told the Szczecin Voice newspaper.
“Now I’m alone with my four children. In
Ukraine there is no work.”
Hanna Jackiel came to Poland to help two
adult daughters and their grandchildren. “But
now everything is over,” she sighed.
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6
P O L A N D
The Krakow Post
GDFL 1.2:Anniolek’s Photo
Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki: One Rospuda remains undisturbed Europe’s forests
booming, but
of the top 100 living geniuses
fire remains a
threat: study
Kronos Quartet plays Gorecki’s 3rd Symphony.
Joanna Zabierek
staff journalist
The Telegraph newspaper has included
the 74-year-old Polish composer Henryk
Mikolaj Gorecki in its list of the top 100 living geniuses.
Gorecki is the 32nd most important genius on the list, which was based partly on
a survey of 4,000 Britons and partly on an
expert panel’s selections.
In first place are Britain’s Tim BernersLee, who invented the World Wide Web, and
Albert Hoffman, the Swiss scientist who
created the drug LSD.
As might be expected, Americans dominate the list, with 43 names.
Britons make up almost a quarter of the
list – 24. That is a great showing in light of
the fact that Britain’s population is much
smaller than America’s. The renowned British physicist and astronomer Stephen Hawking is seventh on the list.
Gorecki leaped from obscurity to worldwide fame when the American record company Elektra Recording released a recording
of his Third Symphony in 1992. It featured
the American soprano Dawn Upshaw.
Within two years Elektra sold a mln copies of the recording, which Gorecki had
composed 15 years earlier. It was also high
on the classical-music charts in both the U.S.
and Great Britain.
The British radio station Classic FM
broadcast the symphony over and over because so many listeners asked for it. Classical music fans weren’t the only ones who
liked it. So did young people, truck drivers
and many others unfamiliar with the classical genre.
Gorecki is higher on the Telegraph’s list
of geniuses than such celebrities as rock star
David Bowie, actress Meryl Streep, opera
singer Placido Domingo and poet and singer
Leonard Cohen. That indicates the deep impression his symphony made on Britain.
The 4,000 Britons who participated in the
genius survey were asked to list 10 living
geniuses. They came up with about 1,100
names.
A panel of six experts chose 100 of the
1,100, then ranked them from 1 to 100. The
rankings were based on a genius’s breakthrough discoveries or innovations, intellectual power, achievements, popular acclaim
and cultural importance.
The global consulting company Creators
Synectics used the experts’ scores to compile the final ranking.
Nigel Clark, a managing partner of Creators Synectics, offered this explanation for
why Tim Berners-Lee and Albert Hoffman
were tied for first on the list: “Both of them
have, in their own way, turned the world that
we live in upside down. And it may be that
alone that accounts for their acclamation as
the world’s greatest living geniuses.”
Great Britain is the country with the highest number of geniuses on a population basis – one genius per 2.5 mln people. Most
are artists and musicians, including artist
Damien Hirst at number 15, poet Seamus
Heaney at 26, playwright Harold Pinter at
31, Sir Paul McCartney at 58, David Bowie
at 67, Harry Potter author JK Rowling at 83
and filmmaker Ken Russell at 100.
Sir Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin Group of companies, is 49th, chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall 58th and psychologist Dorothy Rowe 72nd.
The most surprising person on the list is
Osama bin Laden, who is tied for 43rd.
The irony is that he is tied with a man
who is one of the symbols of the Western
capitalist system that he hates – Microsoft
founder Bill Gates. America’s former world
heavyweight champion boxer Mohammed
Ali is also tied for 43rd.
Augustow will get the by-pass it has been demanding for many years, and
ecologists can be sure that Rospuda remains undisturbed.
Joanna Zabierek
staff journalist
It took almost a year to settle the conflict
between ecology activists, politicians and
Augustow inhabitants.
An anxiously sought compromise has
been reached: Augustow will get the bypass it has been demanding for years and
ecologists can be sure that Rospuda remains
undisturbed, the Polish daily newspaper
Dziennik informed.
The conflict began a year earlier when
the construction of a highly controversial
section of the Via Baltica expressway – the
Augustow Town bypass – through the pristine Rospuda wetlands in northeast Poland
was proposed. The decision to commence
building was announced by Poland’s Environmental Department head, Jan Szyszko,
and Tadeusz Topczewski, the Director of the
Bureau for Roads and Highways in Bialystok- which is the project investor, despite the
fact that the region is protected by the EU
Natura 2000 program.
This decision met a number of protests
both in Poland and abroad. The European
Commission opened legal procedures
against the Polish government, as the road
development passing across the Rospuda
wetlands would severely damage protected
natural sites.
Also, Polish Ombudsman appealed for
halting the construction works. He claimed
that there was an alternative bypass project
that should be taken into consideration.
This environmentally sound project
worked its way around the Rospuda valley
and was even less costly than the environmentally harmful variant, which had already
been accepted.
However, despite the strong opposition,
the construction works was not put to a halt.
The EU sent its commission of environmental experts to overhaul the disputable investment.
The result of its work sped up the legal
action against Poland, which began in December of 2006. Stavros Dimas, the EU
Environmental Commissioner, has reprimanded the Polish government and set forth
an appeal to stop the construction.
However, Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw
Kaczynski and Environmental Board of Director Szyszko were the strong supporters of
the harmful construction works.
To the relief of many environmentalists
and residents of Augustow, the situation has
changed just after the new election.
The victor of the parliamentary elections,
the Civic Platform (PO), has pointed a finger
at the group of experts in charge of the construction, who in turn, have agreed to take
the alternative route of the Via-Baltica into
consideration again.
This new, environmentally-safe project
amplifies the idea of building an expressway
from Poland to Lithuania, from Warsaw
straight to Suwalki and the Lithuanian border, via Lomza and Elk, omitting the Rospuda valley.
This means that a highway will not disturb the wetlands.
Augustow inhabitants, who have objected
to the enormous traffic and dangerous roads
via the center of Augustow for many years
have something to be glad about – they will
have the bypass they have been fighting so
long for.
“Finally someone has admitted that the
Baltic expressway from Poland to Lithuania,
the so-called Via Baltica, can be built somewhere else, without damaging the unique
Rospuda Valley near Augustow,” Polish environmentalists said on Polish Radio.
Fires pose a major threat to Europe’s woodlands, but the continent
remains the world’s only area where
forest ecosystems are undergoing a revival, an international study said early
this week.
“Forest fires continue to be a major
challenge,” said the study by two UN
agencies and an international forest
body.
“Hundreds of thousands of hectares
of forest are burnt annually,” the study
said. However, it noted that despite a
rising number of fires, the actual area
burnt did not increase from 2000-2005,
mainly due to “more effective fire suppression in many countries.”
The report was released during a
two-day international conference in
Warsaw which was due to highlight
the danger by adopting a declaration
of solidarity with Greece, where forest fires in August killed 67 people and
ravaged 150,000 hectares.
Conference participants hailed the
report’s findings that Europe’s total
forested area has grown by 13 mln
hectares over the past 15 years to reach
more than a bln hectares.
Some 80 percent of the total is located in the European part of Russia.
Forestland now covers 44 percent
of Europe, and accounts for a quarter
of the global total, the report said.
The volume of wood in Europe has
reached a record 112 bln cubic meters,
and is growing by 350 mln cubic meters a year, the study added.
At the conference, the EU’s agriculture commissioner, Mariann Fischer
Boel, said the continent’s lumber industry is currently exploiting 60 percent of available renewable forest resources, and that there was room for
development.
The study was prepared by the UN’s
Economic Commission for Europe and
its Food and Agriculture Organization,
as well as the secterariat of the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of
Forests in Europe.
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P O L A N D
The Krakow Post
7
Luxembourg opens Incoming PM vows
job market to Poles to rebuild ties with
GFDL 1.2:Donarreiskoffer
Germany, Russia
Urszula Ciolkiewicz
staff journalist
Luxembourg has opened its employment market to Poles and citizens
of the seven other new members of
the EU. The country’s employers pay
well, and jobs are available in finance,
high-tech, office work, construction
and industry.
Luxembourg opened its job market
to residents of new EU members on
Nov. 1. The Netherlands opened its
job market May 1. Britain and Ireland
opened their markets immediately after the EU expanded in 2004.
Luxembourg is the smallest EU
country, with 480,000 people in an
area of 2,500 square kilometers. For
a comparison, the population of Warsaw is about three times bigger.
The gross domestic product in
Luxembourg is an incredible 76,000 per person
– a reflection of the country’s
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wealthy.
Forty percent of those in the country are foreigners – the highest figure
embourgish. It is the world’s only
remaining grand duchy. At 52, Grand
Duke Henry is the youngest European
monarch. Luxembourg is an important
financial center. Its 220 banks make
Luxembourg opened its job
banking the sector with the most jobs.
market to residents of new
The other sectors with plentiful
EU members on Nov. 1. The
jobs are construction, industry and agNetherlands opened its job
riculture. Luxembourg has many EU
market May 1. Britain and
institutions which together employ
Ireland opened their markets
about 8,000 people.
immediately after the EU
Working in a profession in Luxexpanded in 2004.
embourg requires French, German or
English. If you speak French, you can
in the EU.
check job possibilities on the Internet.
Luxembourg is one of the Benelux
Salaries in Luxembourg are good.
countries, the other two being BelAn unskilled worker can count on a
gium and The Netherlands. It shares minimum of 1,570 euro per month
borders with Belgium, France and and someone with skills a minimum
Germany.
of 1,884 euro per month.
The country has three official
Salaries in the financial sector range
languages: French, German and Luxfrom 2,200 to 7,500 euro per month.
The majority of people
earn an average of 40,000
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Incoming liberal prime minister, Donald Tusk,
vowed early this week to heal rifts with neighbors
Germany and Russia and restore trust in Warsaw
dented by the defeated conservatives.
“Poland’s priorities in its relations with its neighbors and with the EU have remained stable since
1989. The past two years did not really change
these priorities but the way of doing things was not
very effective in achieving Poland’s goals,” Tusk
told reporters.
Tusk’s Civic Platform beat the ruling Law and
Justice party of identical twins President Lech
Kaczynski and prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski
in a snap election on Oct. 21, ending two years of
conservative rule.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski resigned on Monday and
Lech Kaczynski, whose presidential term runs until 2010, is set to appoint Tusk as prime minister by
the end of the week.
Tusk announced he would stick to his choice of
foreign minister, despite public opposition from
the president. Tusk has picked Radoslaw Sikorski,
who was defense minister in the previous government but was axed earlier this year after falling out
with the Kaczynskis. He later jumped ship to the
opposition.
“I respect the views of the president and his
subjective judgement on Sikorski’s capacities. My
views on his capacities are different and I’m sticking to my choice,” said Tusk.
The Kaczynskis had a reputation for quarreling
with fellow leaders of the 27-nation EU – notably Germany, as the twins revived the spectre of
World War II to accuse Berlin of trying to dominate Europe. The brothers argued they were simply defending Poland’s interests in the EU, which
Warsaw had joined in 2004.
Tusk said mending fences with Germany would
be a key goal.
“I would like relations to get back to the level
that we saw in the early 1990s, when the treaties
were signed and symbolic meetings took place,”
he said.
He was referring to accords which fixed the Polish-German frontier, and landmark talks between
then German chancellor Helmut Kohl and Tadeusz
Mazowiecki, who was Poland’s first prime minister after the fall of communism in 1989.
“Relations between Poland and Germany don’t
need a radical breakthrough, but rather an increase
in mutual trust,” said Tusk, a member of Poland’s
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Kashubian minority over whose Baltic coast territory Poles and Germans battled for centuries.
Fellow EU leaders barely disguised their relief
last month at the conservatives’ defeat, and Tusk
also reaffirmed he wants to repair relations with
the rest of the bloc.
“We are the most pro-European party in Poland,” he said, underlining that he is poised to meet
European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso
who is scheduled to visit Warsaw Thursday.
Tusk said he also wanted to repair ties with
Russia, pledging “an effort to build trust on both
sides.”
Differences between Warsaw and Moscow have
caused “more tension than necessary” over the
past two years, he said.
Warsaw, for example, has held up a key EURussia trade deal because Moscow has banned
imports of Polish meat – an embargo that the Kaczynskis said was purely political.
But Tusk said Russia should still accept that Poland has friendly ties with the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia, whose pro-Western
leaders have fallen foul of Moscow.
He also signalled a change of tone in relations
with the United States, reaffirming that Warsaw
plans next year to pull Polish troops out of Iraq
and would drive a harder bargain in talks on siting
a battery of missiles in Poland as part of a planned
U.S. defense shield.
“If we are to increase U.S. security, we should
expect a financial contribution to increase Polish
security,” he said. Tusk spoke at a conference he
organized specifically for Poland’s foreign press
corps, which was itself a sign of how he wants to
ring the changes: neither of the Kaczynskis has
ever held such an event.
8
B U S I N E S S
The Krakow Post
GM launches first
EU Chevrolet
production in Poland
U.S. giant General Motors early this week launched production of the Aveo economy car at a plant in Poland, marking
the first time a vehicle from the Chevrolet brand has been built
in the EU. The Chevrolet Aveo is being produced in Poland under a deal between GM and the Ukrainian company UkrAvto,
which owns the FSO plant in Warsaw.
GM, which already produces the Aveo in its plants in South
Korea, said it plans to turn out a combined total of 70,000 1.2and l.4-liter versions of the cars in Warsaw in 2008.
The Polish-produced vehicles will initially be destined for
the Ukrainian and Russian markets, but will go on sale in the
EU in April. In 2009, production is to be beefed up to 100,000
cars a year. The estimated production capacity of the FSO plant
is 240,000 a year. The Chevrolet launch marks a homecoming
for what was a cult brand in Poland before World War II, said
FSO head Janusz Wozniak.
Chevrolet set up a factory in Poland in 1928 but the site was
closed because of the war and the subsequent creation of Poland’s pro-Soviet Communist government, which fell in 1989.
GM already owns an Opel plant in the southern city of
Gliwice, which produces its Astra and Zafira range. In 2005,
UkrAvto bought the Communist-era FSO plant from the
troubled South Korean group Daewoo, which had owned the
site for 10 years. UkrAvto has continued making the compact
Daewoo Lanos at the FSO sites and sells 95 percent of its production in Ukraine. GM took over Daewoo Motor in 2002 but
Daewoo-FSO was not part of the assets of the South Korean
group which were acquired by the U.S. auto giant. GM and
UkrAvto said in a statement early this week that they were
planning to set up a joint company to run the FSO plant and
oversee production of the Chevrolet Aveo.
UkrAvto will hold a 60 percent stake in the company and
the rest will be owned by GM’s South Korean unit, GM Daewoo, they said.
Production of the Aveo in the EU will help GM meet rising
demand for the car.
Wayne Brannon, head of Chevrolet Europe, said 79,000
Aveos have been registered in the EU since the beginning of
the year and that the company expects 40,000 more to be on the
road by the end of December.
But GM and UkrAvto’s production plans could fall foul of
the European Commission.
Because public funds have been used in the past to keep the
FSO plant afloat, Brussels has set a production cap of 150,000
vehicles a year until 2011, to stop the legacy of state aid skewing the car market.
FSO, backed by the Polish government, has contested the
ruling, arguing that the aid was paid out before Poland joined
the EU in 2004 and so does not breach the competition rules of
the 27-country bloc.
Poles are drinking
more and more wine
Justyna Krzywicka
Staff JOURNALIST
Poles are appreciating the art of drinking
wine. Specialist wine shops are increasing in
their numbers. Currently there are over 250 wine
specialty shops within the country. The trend in
this new wine appreciation is growing as are the
numbers of such shops.
The Rzeczpospolita reports that Ambra, the
leader on the Polish wine market anticipates an
increase of its number of wine specialty shops
by 150 percent within the next three years. Currently there are 20 Centrum Wina stores owned
by Ambra. Warsaw’s Grand Cru operates 16
such wine shops on a franchise basis with an
annual 25 percent increase in its profit margin
within the four years of its existence. The company estimates an increase of 35 percent for this
year alone.
Grand Cru will open an additional four stores
by the end of this year. The company plans to
have 70 to 80 shops nation wide by 2010. The
average franchise start-up cost for opening a
Grand Cru store is between 10,000 to 15,000
zloty.
The leader in Poznan’s wine market is Bartex. Customers may not only purchase but also
sample wines within the store. The shop with
its wine tasting tables was opened a year and a
half ago and proved a great success. The wine
sales this year have increased significantly. The
company is planning to open new wine tasting
venues and shops.
It is not only the big cities that are benefiting from the wine booms. Smaller towns such as
Kolobrzeg where companies such as Top Wina
Swiata are enjoying an increase in sales by as
much as 20 percent annually.
Wine makers and sellers are confident that
the increase in sales is not only thanks to wine
connoisseurs. According to wine store owners
wine is becoming more popular in Poland, and
it is taking over from other traditional alcohols
of choice. Statistics compiled by the Nielsen
company, indicate wine sales from July 2006
until June 2007 increased by 25 percent, some
710 mln zloty. The most popular wines are from
Argentina, Chile and Australia. There is still potential for growth. Poles consume only 1.5 liters
of wine annually per head. In comparison Denmark, originally not a wine drinking country,
consumes on average some 35 liters per head.
All taxpayers will soon be able to
lodge their tax returns electronically
Justyna Krzywicka
Staff JOURNALIST
All companies and businesses will be
able to file their tax returns via the internet as of the Jan. 1, 2008. Until now
only 8 percent of companies have been
able to do so.
Some 39 various forms of tax return
declarations will be made available by
next January.
This will include the VAT-7 monthly
tax declaration. The Ministry of Finance
has announced this method will simplify
the process.
According to the Rzeczpospolita the
ambitious plan will also be made available to normal tax payers.
They however will have to wait until
April 2008. Tax return forms such as PIT
36, PIT 37 and PIT 38 will be able to be
lodged electronically.
Although lodging taxation declarations has been available since August
2006, it only applied to companies with
annual profits of 5 mln euro net. Such
companies were permitted to file their
declarations at specially designated tax
offices. Statistics showed however that
All companies and
businesses will be able
to file their tax returns
via the internet as of
the Jan. 1, 2008. Until
now only 8 percent of
companies have been
able to do so.
only 677 companies used this method
out of the 7.5 mln companies eligible.
The primary cause for this according
to experts is a lack of knowledge. Additionally, declaration documents have
been partially available in electronic for-
mat and partially in paper. This has made
the process confusing and the electronic
option merely an experiment for most
companies.
For the system to work and be user
friendly much needs to be done in the
way of improving the tax office web site.
Taxpayers in Poland are often unaware
of procedural changes and current web
sites offer little in way of information.
Currently the electronic system available to eligible companies is quite convoluted. One of the major requirements
to be able to lodge claims electronically
is to be in possession of an electronic
signature with the help of a certificate.
A taxpayer must first attend an authorized certificate center and apply for
such a certificate with a 401.38 zloty fee.
The certificate is valid for one year only
and can be renewed for just a little over
100 zloty.
The price of such certificates has
dropped significantly. In 2003 the cost
was around 1,000 zloty.
Energy prices deregulated from 2008
The Department for Energy Regulation (Urzad Regulacji Energetyki)
informed that as of the beginning of
2008 the Department will no longer be
regulating energy prices.
This decision comes as a result of
changes in June this year. Since June,
consumers have been able to purchase
energy from wherever they choose. Prior to June consumers were restricted to
electrical companies assigned to them
as a result of their residential address.
Adam Szejnfield, senator for the
Civic Platform (PO) claims this decision needs to be withdrawn, reports
Rzeczpospolita. The URE director
Adam Szafranski disagrees with him
and claims withdrawing any deregulation decisions would be “irresponsible.”
According to experts deregulation
would mean an increase in energy prices. Rates may rise by 10 to 15 percent
meaning an increase in annual energy
bills by 5 to 7 percent for the average
household. The industrial sector, which
uses up 80 percent of Poland’s energy,
would also be hard hit. This in turn
would see the rise of goods and ser-
vices prices.
Szejnfeld claims the decision of the
URE director was too rash and undertaken without any consultation from
appropriate bodies. The market and
its consumers are not ready for such
drastic changes claims the senator. In
his statement Szejnfeld pointed out that
“the last days of the outgoing government cannot be spent on undertaking
decisions that may have significant impacts.” He appealed to the URE director to withdraw the decision.
Szafranski told the Rzeczpospolita
that the decision was “thoroughly
thought through.” He agrees with the
view that the sale of energy on the free
market does not function how it should
and it is therefore difficult to speak
positively of the competition entering
that market.
He adds however that unless the state
deregulates pricing there cannot be any
competition on the market. Szafranski
assures the deregulation alone will not
cause the increase in rates.
“Energy prices will increase due to
the investments made by power plants.
And this would have happened sooner
or later, regardless of whether there was
price regulation or not,” he suggests.
cc:sa:Skyblue
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9
“Watch Docs – Human Rights in Film”
Martyna Olszowska
STAFF JOURNALIST
Foreigners and Poles alike have a chance to watch human rights-related documentary films in Krakow.
“Watch Docs – Human Rights in Film”
is an international documentary film festival
showing from Nov. 15-18 at Kino Pod Baranami. The festival, organized by The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR)
over the past 7 years, is a mechanism for educating a wider public audience about human
rights through the language of film.
Warsaw hosts the main festival in December, with Watch Docs’ touring program this
year being shown across 19 cities in Poland
along with Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
Watch Docs has had a touring program since
2003. This is its third visit to Krakow.
Last year’s program attracted more than
3000 viewers and the number of films is
growing every year. Two years ago there
were 27 films in the program; this year there
is over 70. All of the films are grouped into
11 thematic sections and are complemented
by meetings and discussions with scientists,
experts and social activists. Most of the films
and events are in English.
The winning films of last year’s Watch
Docs will be screened for the opening of
the Krakow festival program. “These are the
most interesting films, with the prizes they received being the best testimony to this,” said
Urszula Kahul coordinator of the Krakow
festival program.
A school in Nepal, shootings in Brooklyn’s
Bedford-Stuyvesant, an editing masterpiece
which consists solely of archival films from
the World War II siege of Leningrad, and
a Chinese orphanage are among the films
showing on the opening night.
Films from Israel “Avenge But One of My
Two Eyes” by Avi Mograbi, France “Even
if She Had Been a Criminal…” by Jean-Gabriel Périot, Canada and Norway “On a Tightrope” by Peter Lom, Poland “Go to Louisa”
by Grzegorz Pacek and “How to Do It” by
Marcel Lozinski, Russia “Blockade” by Sergei Loznitsa, Serbia “Punam” by Lucian
Muntean and the U.S. “Bullets in the Hood:
A Bed-Stuy Story” by Terrence Fisher and
Daniel Howard have received recognition at
previous international film festivals.
All will be on show at Kino Pod Baranami
on Nov. 16 at 19:00 and Nov. 19 at 17:00 at
Kino Sfinks Theater in Nowa Huta. Before
the official opening on Nov. 16 a selection of
short films “Gestures of Reconciliation” will
be screened at the Goethe Institute.
The films are from an international competition involving 280 young filmmakers
from 11 countries, which was organized in
2005 by the German Fund “Remembrance
and the Future” and the Goethe Institute, and
revolve around the common theme of cross-
cultural gestures of reconciliation as reflected
in all domains of social life.
On the following evening the Goethe Institute will screen from 17:00 “The Discreet
Charm of Propaganda.” These are two, very
well documented German films: “The Goebbels Experiment” by Lutz Hachmeister and
“Hitler’s Hit Parade” by Oliver Axer and Suzanne Benze.
The first one tries to break the stereotype
of Goebbels as an “inveterate liar of the Third
Reich” by exposing him as stage-managing
his life and constantly reinventing himself.
“Hitler’s Hit Parade” is an archival composition. It comprises amateur, animated and
educational movies as well as commercials
and propaganda clips all to the accompaniment of dance and popular music from the
Third Reich.
“I especially recommend ‘Street Fight’ by
Marshall Curry, an Oscar nominated documentary film about democracy,” says fellow
Krakow program coordinator Jolanta Rydel.
“The director sets up camp in Newark, U.S.,
to focus on a local election contest.”
Screening in the “Election Campaigns
Backstage” section of the program, the U.S.
film about an Iraq election in 2005, “My
Country, My Country,” is reportedly quite
well know in its land of origin. U.S. Consul
in Krakow Anne Hall will be present after the
screening on Saturday to meet with fellow
filmgoers.
Films from India, Cuba and Burma dominate this year’s festival. In addition to a retrospective of Indian director Ananda Patwardhana and documentaries filmed in or about
Cuba, there will be meetings and discussion
panels.
On Nov. 18 there will be a meeting with
Solidarity Polish-Burma Society member
Sylwia Gil and Than Htike from Burma, who
will talk about the current political and social
situation in his country.
“It is hard not to organize such an event
with what is happening in Burma,” said
Rydel.
There will also be an opportunity to talk
about Cuba with Daniel B. Burns, who spent
many years in the country helping nuns looking after street children.
Admission to all film screenings and accompanying events is free. Free entry tickets
can be collected at Kino Pod Baranami during the week preceding the festival. Details
can be found at: www.hfhrpol.waw.pl/festival
and www.kinopodbaranami.pl
The first five The Krakow Post readers to
ask for a free ticket at Kino Pod Baranami
will receive free entry for the opening night
on Nov. 12. The Krakow Post is an official
media partner of the event.
Skilled IT specialists: Region’s biggest advantage
From SILICON on Page 1
IT sector in Malopolska. But the Silicon Valley in southern Poland should not be limited
to Krakow or Malopolska.
In July authorities of Malopolska, LowerSilesian, Opole and Silesian voivodeships
signed an agreement with the mayors of
the regional capitals of Krakow, Wroclaw,
Opole and Katowice.
The agreement activated an initiative
called New Technology Companies Highway (AFNT), which should help combine
the potential of IT enterprises from the area.
The idea is already quite old. Its father is
Jerzy Szymura, a programmer and businessman and the former chairman of Techmex,
one of the biggest Polish IT companies.
In the mid-90s Szymura proposed that
companies, universities and authorities from
the area surrounding the Polish part of the
A4 international highway cooperate on a
common strategy of development. The first
agreement based on Szymura’s guidelines
was signed in 2000, but its effects were not
sufficient.
The most recent agreement suggests that
companies jointly commission research and
cooperate with universities and subcontractors in other countries. In the future a largescale enterprise could be strong enough
to compete with IT-oriented regions like
Bavaria. As in Krakow, the AFNT’s main
advantage should be the skilled labor pool
created by the region’s 125 higher education
institutions and their 600,000 students (a
third of all Polish students).
Another factor bringing investment to
the four voivodeships should be a high level
of communication and transportation infrastructure provided by the three rapidly developing airports in Katowice, Wroclaw and
Krakow and direct rail connections with the
biggest cities of Central Europe.
The roads, however, still may need a major investment to make the region more driver-friendly. Money could be provided by the
Polish Transport and Infrastructure Ministry
and from EU development funds.
The future for the IT sector in Krakow
and Malopolska seems bright, but labor market specialists already warn that soon there
will not be enough programmers to keep local companies working.
The universities have to produce more
computer specialists so that this pessimistic
scenario doesn’t come true. And more specialists shouldn’t automatically mean lower
quality.
Technical education has to keep pace with
worldwide trends. And here’s another danger. University teachers will be tempted to
leave school to earn much more in private
companies. If wages of scholars and researchers don’t grow and remain competitive, the standards are bound to fall.
Online shopping industry growing throughout country
Justyna Krzywicka
Staff JOURNALIST
Online stores in Poland no longer cater
only for customers interested in books and
CDs. Today buying a washing machine online or ordering products to decorate your
home’s interior is as easy as purchasing limited vinyl on ebay.
There are approximately 3,000 online
shops in Poland. Some 440 of them sell
home wares and interior decorations including furniture, bathroom fixtures and lighting. Statistics gathered by www.Skelpy24.pl
show there are twice as many online home
supply stores than there are online multimedia or book shops.
It appears Poles have become comfortable shopping online.
According to the Rzeczpospolita the
consumer has less security concerns and is
much more prepared to purchase more expensive items.
There is also an increase in online clothing shops. Comparatively there is the same
number of online clothing shops as there
are computer and video gaming stores on
the Polish online market. Until recently
purchasing clothes online was considered
difficult but consumers are beginning to appreciate the convenience. In the U.S. clothes
purchased online totaled $13.3 bln, while the
computer online shops brought in $17.2 bln.
The trend in Poland is not as developed but
is growing steadily. Clothing online store in
Poland amount to 300.
The demographic which makes purchases online is also changing. Initially being
a young buyers’ market the online sale industry is reaching to other less experienced
internet users.
The SeniorSklep.pl (Senior Shop) online
shop is the first on the market to specialize
in products for people over the age of 50.
The least popular online shopping sector
is food.
There are only 80 online shops in Poland,
considerably less than in Western Europe or
in the U.S. Cheaper prices are not its draw
card. What attracts these e-customers is the
convenience of not having to visit a supermarket.
With the easy access of small stores, corner shops, delicatessens and fruit and vegetable vendors strewn across the country,
Poles have little to complain about when it
comes to convenience.
The most popular online shops in Poland include www.merlin.pl, www.agito.pl,
www.empki.com and all are widening their
range of products.
Merlin, traditionally an online CD and
book shop, wants to become an online
shopping center. It has already expanded its
product range to include cosmetics, home
wares and tools.
It is estimated online sales in Poland will
increase by 1 bln zloty this year alone. The
figures for last year show sales worth 4.5 to
5 bln zloty.
10
K R A K O W
The Krakow Post
Adelina Krupski
89th Anniversary of Krakow’s liberation
This year on Oct. 31, Krakow celebrated the 89th anniversary of Krakow’s liberation from Austrian occupation.
Grazyna Zawada
Staff Journalist
It’s been 89 years since Krakow became the
first city in Poland to regain its freedom after
72 years of Austrian occupation. In October of
1918, Krakow was a part of the Galicja region
that belonged to the multinational Austro-Hungarian Empire.
At that time, however, the empire was on
the verge of collapse because of losses suffered
in World War I, and the empire’s nations were
preparing for separation and the establishment
of their own governments.
On Oct. 31, a 29-year-old lieutenant, Antoni
Stawarz, decided to attack an Austrian garrison
in the Podgorze district in order to drive the
Austrians from Krakow and to allow the Poles
to take over.
This bold act was the result of a detailed
plan by Stawarz and other Polish soldiers and
civil officers in Krakow, and it turned out to
be a success. Austrians gave up without a shot,
and Krakow became free. Other Polish cities
had to wait until the end of the war on Nov. 11,
which is an official national holiday.
This year on Oct. 31, Krakow celebrated the
89th anniversary of this event.
At noon the mayor, Jacek Majchrowski,
laid flowers at a commemorative plaque in the
Town Hall tower and presided over an honor
guard ceremony performed by the 13th Galician Infantry Regiment, the Krakowskie Dzieci
(“Children of Krakow”).
krakowpost.com
In Planty Park, a concert by a brass orchestra
took place, and flowers were put on Stawarz’s
grave in Rakowicki cemetery. It also was announced that a new Krakow street would be
named for Ludwik Iwaszko, one of the officers
who bravely led the soldiers from Podgorze
district to Market Square against the Austrians.
The climax of the celebrations was a traditional relay race by the seven oldest high
schools in Krakow (Nos. 1 to 7). The teenagers’
competition was spirited, and the winner was
high school No. 5. It received the saber of Lt.
Stawarz, as well as other prizes.
There was, however, a bit of controversy on
the anniversary. One of the celebration’s events
was the administering of an oath to newly admitted members of the municipal guard. The
stand at Market Square was used for the presentation of the municipal guard and its equipment
and for recruiting brochures. To the astonishment of many, the stand also was occupied by
the Anwa company, a Toyota dealer in Krakow,
which was promoting its vehicles and encouraging test drives.
“This is appalling!” said one of the older
people attending the celebration. “They’re mixing a national celebration with merchandise!”
That opinion was shared by Jerzy Bukowski, chairman of Krakow’s Veterans Organizations Association.
“It’s time to remove the municipal guard
chief,” wrote one contributor to the Internet
forum of gazeta.krakow.pl The associations
of the municipal guard chief, Janusz Wiaterek,
with this car dealer have been widely known
and discussed in Krakow.
A couple of months ago, the chief used a
new Toyota for his private use, and the car was
then rented by the municipal guard. Another
controversial action by Wiaterek was his use
of a municipal guard radio car for a trip to a
Toyota event.
A municipal guard spokeswoman, Marta
Ciesla, said the relationship between Toyota
and the municipal guard is proper, legal and
free of any compensations by any of the parties. However, the mayor’s spokesman, Marcin Helbin, said Janusz Wiaterek will have to
explain the entire situation to the mayor, as
the municipality had not been notified of the
Toyota dealer’s role in the celebration.
Master chef from Bangkok Therapong Kochpratarn (Left).
On Nov. 6, the opening ceremony of the Thai cuisine festival was held at Radisson SAS. The festival was launched with a symbolic ribbon cutting by Vannaporn
Ketudat from the Warsaw-based Thai Trade Center and Radisson SAS Director Michael Rathgeb.
K R A K O W
The Krakow Post
11
Krakow cops crack murder case after 15 years
Kinga Rodkiewicz
STAFF JOURNALIST
Joseph L., 53 years old, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment Oct.
30 for a murder he committed 15 years
ago. In 2006, officers from the Krakow
X-Files, a special department of police
that deals with unexplained crimes, reopened an investigation into the disappearance of Jacek C. after becoming
suspicious of Joseph L.
Police searched his garage with a
georadar, a specialist device that uses radio waves to form images through solid
objects like earth or walls, and came up
short before continuing their investigation in the basement where they found
the skeletal remains of Jacek C.
Joseph L. told the court that he acted
in self-defense after his brother-in-law
attacked him during a quarrel with a
metal object.
After wrestling the metal object off
him, Joseph L. proceeded to bludgeon
Jacek C. around the head. Joseph L. realized that his brother-in-law was dead
after hitting him several times on the
head and decided to bury the body in the
basement.
The court was not convinced by
Joseph L’s. self-defense explanation,
with the court finding his actions were
premeditated after the testimony of an
expert witness who stated that the victim had been tied up, gagged and beaten
repeatedly around the head with a metal
object. Family members of the victim
felt that 12 years imprisonment was too
lenient for the crime of murder.
The court’s decision took into account
Joseph L’s. cooperation with helping police find the corpse and his lack of prior
convictions, before passing sentence.
The Krakow Special Investigation
Department has solved a range of difficult cases, most of which occurred more
than a decade ago.
A famous case, solved in 2006, began
when a woman from Krakow informed
the police about the disappearance of
her husband.
Police from the department investigating the case found her husband’s
corpse hidden inside the kitchen wall.
The wife and her lover had killed him.
They were convicted of the murder and
sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
Legendary progressive Polish rock
band SBB to play at Klub Studio
Krzystof Skonieczny
Staff Journalist
Quality Accommodation for Less
TOURNET
Guest Rooms
ul. Miodowa 7
Kazimierz District, Krakow
Tel.: (0) 12 292-0088
www.accommodation.krakow.pl
try tighter, “rockier” sounds, which in turn
generated the content and title of their new
record. Despite the new line-up, long-standing fans seem to enjoy the change, for the
techniques of the new drummer seem to
remind them of Piotrowski and his musical
style. The concert begins at 20:00, and the
gates open an hour earlier. Klub Studio is
on ul. Budryka 4, in the vicinity of AGH’s
Student Campus.
Information concerning ticket reservations can be found at: www.klubstudio.pl
The tickets cost 35-45 zloty.
krakowpost.com
The legendary Polish progressive rock
band, SBB, will play at Klub Studio on
Friday, Nov. 9. This performance is part of
the 2007 “The Rock” tour, named after their
newly released full-length LP.
SBB was once labeled as “the best Polish
rock band in the last 45 years,” and indeed,
no other Polish group has reached a comparable position both in the country or abroad.
Their roots date back to 1971, when vocalist, bassist and keyboard player Jozef
Skrzek formed the Silesian Blues Band
with guitarist Antimos “Lakis” Apostolis
and drummer Jerzy Piotrowski. At first they
played alongside another future Polish music icon Czeslaw Niemen, but then continued to pursue their own path.
When they released their first record
in 1974, they had changed the meaning of
the abbreviation SBB into “Szukaj, Burz,
Buduj” (“Search, Destroy, Build”), which
has become a sort of personal artistic creed.
During the beginning of their musical
journey, they played wild blues-rock music,
much like that of the style of Cream, with
many fierce and improvised parts. Then,
fascinated by the likes of the Mahavishnu
Orchestra, the band began exploring more
complex and sensitive areas of music. This
led them to creating their own recipe for
progressive rock, including melancholy,
rage, calamity and fury, all forged into long,
intricate pieces.
SBB has entered the new millennium
with a fresh line up – Paul Wertico, a former
member of the Pat Metheny Group replaced
Piotrowski, who had to drop out of the band
due to health issues.
With that being so, their “intercontinental” line-up headlined the prestigious Baja
Prog festival in Mexico, and opened for two
Polish Deep Purple concerts in 2006.
However, the New Year brought a new
change; Hungarian Gabor Nehmet replaced
Wertico. His arrival encouraged the band to
12
K A T O W I C E
The Krakow Post
Trabant and Fiat in Monte Carlo
the krakow post
Let’s imagine this situation: An old Trabant, an automobile produced by the East
German automaker in Zwickau and once the
most common vehicle in East Germany, and
another old vehicle, the Fiat 125p, are dashing up to the world’s most luxurious place
– a casino in Monte Carlo. It would be for
sure a big contrast.
At the beginning of October, it was only
a dream of four lovers of old cars. Now it is
already a fact. Four young people from Katowice have an unusual hobby: They crash
old cars. They started by buying old Fiats
126p, which were no longer street-legal
After tuning them up, they crashed the
cars on off-road rides. Their dream was to
organize a long trip in their old cars. They
decided to connect it with a charity campaign supporting orphanages.
That is how the idea of the first Polish
“Zlomobol” arose.
The name Zlomobol means a crazy excursion by old cars that have their origin in
Communist countries and are worth no more
than 1,000 zloty. The four traced a route
from Katowice to Monte Carlo.
At the beginning there were 15 teams
planning to take part in the ride, but most
of them gave up because of a lack of time,
leaving the four original zealots. They set off
at the beginning of October.
The Fiat 125p and Trabant, “decorated”
with colorful tags advertising the companies
which supported their charity campaign,
finished the tour on Oct. 30. There were
mishaps. Near the Italian border, the Trabant
turned belly up.
With the help of Italian petrol station
workers, the adventurers managed to repair
it. The next day they drove through northern
Italy and reached Monaco late at night. They
parked their clunkers in front of the casino,
next to cars like Aston Martin, Bentley and
Rolls Royce.
The reaction of the casino guests was
exactly what they expected – astonishment.
The four old-car zealots from Katowice
were a sensation of the night. Their adventure gained widespread publicity and congratulations.
Some companies offered sponsorships,
and other old-cars lovers declared their intentions to take part in the next Zlomobol.
“Next year we will conquer Monte Carlo
once more and in the following years we
will go to places where nobody has seen
Trabant or Fiat 126p before,” the travelers
told the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. “We
hope there will be much more interest and
many more participants in next year’s edition of the ride.”
Silesia police make boy’s wish come true
Kinga Rodkiewicz
sTAFF JOURNALIST
Patrick Pochopien became the
youngest police officer in Poland at 9
years of age when he was sworn in on
Oct. 26. Pochopien who has leukemia
was sworn in with 246 fellow officers
during the official police oath ceremony
in Katowice, 80 kilometers north-west
of Krakow. After which he received an
honorable police identification card,
uniform and handcuffs – ready to serve
and protect.
“Now you are my subordinate” police Commander Zbigniew Stawarz
told Pochopien. “I have only one order
for you; to recover soon, and listen to
your parents and the doctors. I think
that in a few years you’ll be a tall policeman.”
Patrick could fulfill his dream thanks
to the Make-A-Wish foundation. He
filled his graduation day doing police
work, doling out traffic citations on the
highway along Katowice to Tychy.
“We found out about Patrick’s dream
a few weeks ago” said Andrzej Gaska a
police spokesman. “Our service is here
to help people. That’s why we decided
to use the oaths ceremony and help this
boy realize his wish.”
The Make-A-Wish foundation was
established in Poland during 2003 and
is active in 16 cities throughout the
country.
The organization’s main aim is to
help sick children with life threatening
illnesses to make their dreams come
true with over one thousand dreams
fulfilled to date.
“Younger children mainly dream of
being a princess or knight. The older
ones have more materialistic dreams”
said Ewa Chruscinska from the foundation. “Recently we made 7-year-old
Jacob’s wish come true, when he was
visited by world famous paleontologist
professor Jack Horner from Montana
State University.” Children often want
to meet famous people, especially actors and singers. Recent celebrities
who have met with children through
the foundation are Mandaryna a popular Polish singer and Mariusz Pudzianowski the world’s strongest man.
Not all children live long enough to
have their wishes come true, dieing before their wish is granted.
Chris Greicius from the U.S. state
of Arizona is the inspiration behind the
foundation being established. In 1980
his dream of being a motorcycle police officer was granted when he was
taken for a ride on a police motorbike.
A month later he died of leukemia, having his wish fulfilled, following which
the Make-A-Wish foundation was
formed.
Boy meets “Bob the Builder.” The Make-A-Wish foundation was established in Poland in 2003.
Accident during
landing in
Katowice-Pyrzowice
Airport
Adelina Krupski
STAFF JOURNALIST
An Air Europa Boeing 737-800, chartered by the UN to transport Polish peacekeeping soldiers returning from the mission
in Lebanon, hit several dozen approach
lights during its landing at the Pyrzowice
airport on the night of Oct. 27.
The accident, shortly after midnight, occurred as a result of an extremely low descent during low visibility conditions due
to fog. The directional guidance and flashing approach lamps struck by the plane
ranged in height from a few centimeters to
over 10 meters.
Fortunately, of the 114 soldiers and 11
crew members on board, no one was injured. Specialists assert the safe landing
was thanks to an exceptionally quick response on the part of the pilot, who evidently is very highly skilled.
Despite having landed safely, the aircraft destroyed guiding lights at a stretch of
around 870 meters and suffered extensive
damage to its fuselage, wings, flap fairings,
lights and the nacelles on its engines. The
accident has resulted in significant losses
for the airport, and for the airline.
Representatives of the airport claim that
ground services personnel carried out the
landing procedure correctly and do not
wish to discuss whether pilot error was a
contributing factor. While crew members
underwent a routine blood test shortly after
the incident, no indications of alcohol use
were found.
Though the next aircraft due to land had
to wait until the runway was cleared of debris, the accident did not cause any further
air traffic delays. The aircraft was towed
to a parking stand, where it is expected to
remain for approximately two more weeks
until it is fully repaired. New lights will
also be ordered and installed within this
time. According to the spokesman for the
Pyrzowice Airport, Cezary Orzech, pilots
are aware of the damaged lights, so that no
difficulties are expected for landing in all
but very poor weather.
However, states Orzech, problems could
arise in the case of extremely bad weather
conditions, as not all pilots are equally
qualified. Aircraft approaching Pyrzowice
in such circumstances will be directed to
land in the Krakow-Balice Airport.
Piotr Pietrzak, spokesman for the Krakow Airport, says Katowice dealt with the
problem promptly and efficiently, installing
a simplified approach lighting system, and
that the Krakow Airport has not had to admit any extra aircraft bound for Katowice.
J O B S
Poland: Europe’s kingdom of spam
MINI
WEB Design
Enthusiasts!!!
You are wanted!
We are currently looking
for people to join our Web
Design team.
Successful applicants will:
- be interested in good
comunication with users
- knowledge Adobe
Illustrator
and Photoshop
- basics and principles of
HTML and CSS
If you are interested, please
write to us:
[email protected]
A school of English in
Krakow is looking for a
native English teacher.
The position is available
immediately for a period
of one year, although this
may be extended.
The individual should
be enthusiastic and
creative, possession
of a recognized
teaching qualification
(CELTA/TEFL) and
some relevant previous
experience in work with
groups is required.
If you are interested in
this vacancy or would
like further information
please do not hesitate to
send your CV to us at:
[email protected],
or Tel.: 506-008-992
CALL TO
ADVERTISE:
Andrzej Kowalski,
Marketing Manager,
+48 (0) 798-683-160
MINI
RESUME
Hardly anyone likes receiving
spam at work, or on their private
email address.
Most people get annoyed or
angry when they open the mailbox and see dozens of unsolicited
messages. They click “delete”
and perhaps think the problem is
resolved.
However, the spam just keeps
arriving and increasing, and may
include dangerous contents.
What exactly is spam? According to the New Oxford Dictionary
of English, spam is “irrelevant or
inappropriate messages sent on
the Internet to a large number of
newsgroups or users.”
There are few listed origins for
the word spam. The most suitable
may be the Esperanto “senpete
alsendita mesago,” which means
“message being sent to someone
without being asked for.” “Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia”
describes “spamming” as the
abuse of electronic messaging
systems by indiscriminately sending unsolicited bulk messages.
Wikipedia derives “spam”
from a Monty Python sketch, set
in a cafe where nearly every item
used to infect the computer with
a virus and to use it afterwards for
more spam attacks. Experts emphasize that Internet users can do
a lot to protect their computers.
First, they can install anti-virus
programs.
They should not give their email address to strangers and they
should beware of registering for
contests or promotions on web
sites that may be dangerous.
They should also avoid corrupted or vulnerable software
such as the popular Internet Explorer.
Sending spam is illegal in Poland, so Internet users can defend
themselves legally.
The fine currently is 5,000
zloty, and that may be increased
to 100,000 zloty.
One should continue the fight
with spammers although it is difficult, as most of them keep their
servers on small islands where
spamming is not against the law.
The result is that more and
more spam is being produced in
Europe, including Poland.
The number of spam sent by
Poles has doubled since last year.
Soon we will catch up the U.S. or
No. 2 China, although Poland has
a much smaller population.
M 31, University degree in
engineering, 6 years
of top management
experience in leading
companies in industrial
cooling, refrigerating sector.
Project management.
Negotiations. Prepare
technical solutions. Full
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support: pre-planning. PC.
Contact: jerrybarrows@
yahoo.com
Business/Personal Assistant
MINI
RESUME
sTAFF JOURNALIST
on the menu includes Spam, the
American luncheon meat.
Spam, a pressed loaf both
praised and criticized for its taste,
became famous during World
War II because it was one of the
few meat products not subject
to rationing. Electronic spam is
very popular among advertisers who have no operating costs
beyond the management of their
mailing lists, and it is difficult to
hold senders accountable for their
mass mailings.
The world’s bigger spam producer is the U.S.; Poland is No.
3. And according to the Polish
newspaper Dziennik, Poland is
Europe’s biggest spam receiver.
Poland’s spam explosion can be
blamed on carelessness and neglect.
Most Poles have completely
forgotten anti-spam protection.
The result is that 86 percent of
our e-mail is spam.
“Our computers have become
an easy target for spam because
they are unprotected,” Miroslaw
Maj, an Internet web expert, told
Dziennik.
Internet users are innocently
entering suspicious web sites,
downloading games and films
which often are just programs
VACANCY
Joanna Zabierek
Top Management
Native English Teacher
Talented, experienced lady
is looking for a job of
Business/Personal Assistant
(full- or part-time)
Degree in Philology, 10
years experience in Western
companies. Very
responsible, goal
excellent organizational and
interpersonal skills.
Please contact me at:
[email protected]
A L T E R N A T I V E
GFDL 1.2:Radosław Drozdzewski
Silesian “Parzybroda” soup
Traditional Products’ List
“Parzybroda,” the traditional Silesian soup prepared mainly around Czestochowa,
has been added to the “Traditional Products List” of the Department of Agriculture.
Kinga Rodkiewicz
STAFF JOURNALIST
“Parzybroda,” the traditional Silesian soup
prepared mainly in and around Czestochowa, has
been added to the “Traditional Products List” of
the Department of Agriculture.
The name of the soup – the chin’s scald – refers
to the fact that the meal is said to be so delicious,
people eat it before it has cooled, and as a result,
burn their chins.
The recipe for this Silesian soup contains
simple, yet delicious ingredients: cabbage, potato,
bacon and caraway.
In the past, this rural soup was served during
communal potato harvests, which were very common in the rural areas of Poland, and consisted of
the entire community taking part in them. Children
were given free days from school, and adults had
off from work.
Today, people still have communal harvests in
their villages, although they are much more rare.
“Parzybroda” is one of 25 soups from Silesia
that are included in the list. The Department of Ag-
riculture has previously approved, among others,
“wodzionka,” the “water soup” that is known in
Silesia as the soup made from nothing; in which
bread, garlic and lard are added to boiling water.
“Sometimes I like to prepare the water soup
with fried potatoes,” shared Marcin Pendolski
from Katowice. “The flavor of this soup reminds
me of my childhood when my grandmother used
to serve it.”
Also on the list is “zurek,” a traditional sour
soup with boiled eggs, sausage and potatoes,
which is served during the Christmas Eve Supper.
The “Traditional Products List” contains Polish products that have been prepared for at least
25 years.
The list is said to be a source of information
about culinary traditions in different Polish regions. However, being on the list does not provide
any legal protection to the producer.
According to the guide, published by the Department of Agriculture, suggestions for the list
may be written by individuals, companies and organizations that produce the agricultural products,
groceries or beverages.
EPE Translations
English - Polish - English
Agency providing translation services for
companies working
in multicultural environment as well as for
private individuals.
Deliver standard, technical and sworn
translations at competitive prices.
Also provide interpreters located in
Ireland, UK and Poland.
Check out www.epetranslations.com
tel: (0048) (0) 12 4212300
C O N S U M E R
The Krakow Post
13
Poland’s Cardinal Glemp
to play himself in film of
murdered priest
Poland’s Cardinal Jozef Glemp is playing himself in a film dedicated to Father
Jerzy Popieluszko, the Solidarity chaplain
killed by the Communist secret police in
1984, producers said last week.
Glemp, who is the primate, or head, of the
church in deeply Catholic Poland, reenacts
real conversations he had with Popieluszko,
Julita Swiercz-Wieczynska, the boss of the
Focus Producers company, told AFP.
“We have already filmed the scenes with
the primate. Cardinal Glemp is a natural
when he’s in front of the camera,” said
Swiercz-Wieczynska.
“He’s also been a consultant, sharing his
memories with us. We’re making a historical film and we want to get as close as possible to reality,” she said.
Make-up artists helped to take two decades off Glemp, who is now 87, so he
looked more like his younger self.
The film, entitled simply “Popieluszko,”
is due for release late in 2008.
It stars 33-year-old Adam Woronowicz,
who is mostly known for his television
work, and who bears an uncanny resemblance to the eponymous priest.
The death of 37-year-old Popieluszko
turned him into an enduring symbol of opposition to Poland’s Communist regime.
It also highlighted the crucial role played
by the church, which was one of the few
bulwarks against the Communist authorities in this country of 38 mln, where more
than 90 percent of the population is Roman
Catholic.
Popieluszko stood shoulder to shoulder
with Solidarity, the Communist bloc’s first
free trade union, which was founded in
1980. After the regime’s martial law crackdown on December 13, 1981, Popieluszko
won renown for his sermons, which drew
thousands of people to his parish chruch in
Warsaw.
Popieluszko was kidnapped and tortured
to death on Oct. 19, 1984 by a three-man
FOR PERMANENT,
TEMPORARY AND
CONTRACT STAFF
IN IRELAND & UK
l Ireland
tel: (00353) 45 883420
e-mail: [email protected]
l Manchester, UK
tel: (0044) 0 161 9090050
e-mail: [email protected]
commando from the Communist SB security police, who dumped his body in the
River Vistula.
Amid widespread revulsion at the murder, Poland’s then Communist leader, General Wojciech Jaruzelski, took the unprecedented step of putting on trial the security
police officers who carried out the killing.
Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski and Lieutenants Leszek Pekala and Waldemar
Chmielewski were sentenced respectively
to 25, 15 and 14 years in prison, in a highprofile 1985 trial. They were identified
thanks to the priest’s driver, who escaped.
All three are out of prison now, having
been freed under an amnesty before serving
their full sentences.
After the fall of the regime in 1989,
high-ranking Communist officials believed
to have ordered the priest’s murder were
also brought to trial, but acquitted for lack
of evidence.
The Vatican began moves to beatify Popieluszko in 2001.
14
The Krakow Post
A R T S
&
I D E A S
Mexican altar of the dead
Barbara Bajak
Staff Journalist
Encounters with Jewish Culture
Thursday,
November 8th, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
Opening of an exhibition of
drawings and prints by
Ryszard BILAN (France).
Monday,
LITERARY PROGRAM
Hans Frank and Brigitte Frank Were
My Parents – A meeting with Niklas
FRANK and promotion of his book
My German Mother.
Meeting in German simultaneously
translated into Polish.
Tuesday,
The Image of Poland in Israel – A
meeting with Michał SOBELMAN.
Thursday,
LITERARY PROGRAM
I Saw the Angel of Death.
Experiences of Polish Jews
Deported to the USSR during
World War II – A book
presentation and meeting
with Prof. Feliks TYCH.
Advertise in
The Krakow
Post!
Contact:
Andrzej
Kowalski,
Marketing
Manager
+48 (0)
798-683-160
Skeletons dressed as Mexican Mariachi
surrounded by flowers and fanciful patterns.
Intricate, multicolored paper cutouts hung
on walls, some representing figures related
to death and some in traditional, flowery
motifs.
Candy-like decorated skulls scattered all
over.
Together these pieces of an exhibit at the
Cervantes Institute in Krakow make up a
grotesque carnival of not-so-sober death.
The only thing lacking is a cemetery with
tombstones.
“These are indeed made of sugar,” explained Monica Velarde, who oversees the
exhibition. “In Mexico, we have a different
approach to death than in other cultures. We
simply do not treat it seriously.”
The exhibit was timed to pay homage to
the outstanding Mexican artist Frida Kahlo
on the 100th anniversary of her death.
Mexicans celebrate the day of the saints
by preparing extravagant altars and mocking the somber subject of death, although
they remain serious about those who died.
They tell stories about the deceased at the
festive family event - and even party in the
cemetery.
This tradition has its roots in the Aztec
culture that dominated Mexico before the
Spaniards invaded the land in the 16th Century. The Roman Catholic Church in Mexico
started celebrating the Day of Old Souls
instead of the Day of All Saints. That was
when the idea of purgatory was introduced
to the locals.
The Indians were then allowed to pray
for their dead and in that way prevent their
relatives from going to hell. The natives introduced their traditions into the ceremony,
however. Among them was the notion of
providing the deceased with food and other
earthly trappings.
“If we went back to the days of the Aztecs,
we would find the god of death, represented
by a skull, ever-present,” Velarde noted.
“In today’s celebrations we use various
versions of the symbol,” she said. “There
are skulls made of sugar, clay, chocolate. We
present them to our friends.”
Part of the Krakow exhibition is a small
display of photos that show us what a Mexican funeral celebration is like nowadays.
In 2003 UNESCO declared Mexico’s funeral tradition a non-written World Heritage
event.
Altar de Los Muertos en Mexico at Cervantes Institute, ul. Kanonicza 12. Exhibition open until Nov. 15.
BAYIT HADASH
ARKA NOEGO
Our restaurant is located
in one of the oldest
buildings in Kazimierz.
We serve all kinds of Jewish
cuisine, based mostly
on local recipes.
Come to enjoy delicious
Jewish dishes.
Live klezmer music
every night at 20:00.
Open daily: 09:00-02:00
ul. Szeroka 2
+48 (12) 4291528
[email protected]
www.arka-noego.pl
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF KRAKÓW
The International Women’s Association of Krakow (IWAK) is a
multicultural, social and family oriented Organization providing
friendship, advice and support to its members, either in Krakow
area temporary or permanently.
There is a wide range of interest groups which you are welcome
to participate in: Book Club, Cooking Club, Kids Club, Playgroup, Bible Studies, Tennis, Aerobics Club, Dance Club, Craft
Club, Charity Group. Any one is welcome to share their talents
with others and start a new group/club.
Throughout the year, there are many social events on either a
monthly basis or specific dates for special occasions. Our monthly newsletter is published to keep you informed of IWAK activities and tips about life in Krakow.
Our web site: www.iwak.pl
15th
Audio Art
Festival
ready to begin
Artist Christina Kubisch.
Soren A. Gauger
STAFF JOURNALIST
Krakow has many fine festivals, but perhaps none so continually innovative, provocative and challenging as the Audio Art
Festival, taking place this year from Nov. 16-25 at the Bunkier
Sztuki and the Music Academy. Now in its fifteenth year, this
festival has seen bicycles played as instruments, pieces composed using flowers as scores, a four-hour piece for solo piano
that had neither rhythm nor melody... Audio art has evolved as
a catch-all term for music that otherwise defies categorization,
and thus by its very nature it is always one step ahead – or to
the side – of the current musical culture.
A glimpse at the schedule of this international event confirms the above. The 20:00 show on Nov. 16, for example, features performances which are almost all labeled “interactive”
or “installation” – or both. Perhaps the most outlandish of these
will be Christina Kubisch’s (Berlin) “Electric Walk Krakow,”
which will allow audience members/participants stroll through
the old town and listen to the “music” of the city’s electromagnetic fields.
On Nov. 18 at 18:00 we have, for example, Israeli electronics wizard Eran Sachs, a classically-trained Death Metal, Grind
Core and Noise enthusiast who has since moved on to electronic and experimental music, and who plays his own self-made
“system,” known as the “No-Input-Mixer.” He has played with
John Zorn’s legendary Cobra group, and “tends to fuse the
sonic with the political.” The same evening brings us the Qfwfwq Duo from Boston, with their interactive performance that
“uses live sound-image interaction and the use of movement to
articulate complex sounds and digital visual material.” Lots of
sensors and motion-tracking devices guaranteed.
Over at the Music Academy, Zhang Xiaofu (China) will be
playing a blend of traditional Chinese instruments and electronics on Nov. 23 (18:00).
The following day at the same time will see the Copenhagen-based Piano and Poetry ensemble perform on piano, toys,
percussion and electric bass.
Their music has elements of blues and free-jazz while succumbing fully to neither, with some other elements thrown in
that some would call “playful,” and others “goofball.” Martin
Klapper is the “electronics and musical toys specialist,” so you
know what you’re in for.
By the time the festival closes with some much-touted ensembles from Lisbon and Brno, you will probably be ready
to rediscover some traditional qualities in music, such as harmony, melody etc., but time spent at the Audio Art Festival is
seldom regretted.
BUILDING & REPAIR
ANGLO-POLISH EXPERT BUILDERS
Specialists in Interior Renovations. Quality,
Efficiency and Reliability. In Poland and
Across Europe. References Available.
Please Call: +48 608-849-189
WOODEN HOMES
Companies wanted who can built wooden
houses in Western Europe. [email protected]
BOOKS
Looking for books of Betrand Russell in
English. [email protected]
GUITAR CATERING
Are you looking for classical guitar music
for your restaurant or gathering. Spanish,
Argentinian and Italian classical music.
[email protected]
EDITING SERVICES
Need help editing your English-language
texts? Write: [email protected]
PRIVATE LESSONS
Lessons in English with native speakers
– journalists. Improve your conversation
skills and grammar through reading, analyzing and discussing interesting articles.
Decent rates. [email protected]
Looking for a Polish-language teacher for
private lessons. Lessons for advertisement
in classifieds section of this newspaper.
Email: [email protected]
NETWORKING
A Dutch businessman is looking to meet
fellow countrymen based in Krakow and
the region for networking, chatting and
generally being cheap together. Write:
[email protected]
Looking for Russian speakers to hang out,
talk, have a good time. Please write me at:
[email protected]
Searching for lonely depressed people
who are questioning the meaning of life.
[email protected]
Get your message
across today!
Hostels
I want to find any and all books printed by
Soviet and pre-Soviet Russian publishing
houses, or even old samizdat. I am also
looking for Soviet newspapers and magazines of sorts and genres. Please send me
an email with a list of what you have to my
box: [email protected]
MEDICAL SERVICES
Medical Service for Foreigners
+48 609-201-372. Since 1990.
The Krakow Post
C L A S S I F I E D S
Momotown Hostel
ul. Miodowa 28
Tel.: (0) 12 429-6929
[email protected]
www.momotownhostel.com
VACANCIES
Looking for an in-house web site developer. Fluent English, PhP 4 and 5, Mysql,
CMS. Experienced in web design, joomla
experience preferred. Send your CV to us
at: [email protected]
INVESTORS
Looking for individuals interested in investing in a growing and successful business in
Poland. Please write: [email protected]
CATERING
Hostel Hocus Pocus Krakow
ul. Florianska 28
Tel.: (0) 12 421-0844
[email protected]
www.hostelhocuspocus.pl
Interested in trying homemade Russian
pelmeni or Armenian pierogi? Top Russian
chef offers great quality for low prices.
Write: [email protected]
Introductions
PERSONALS
An 82-year-old English businessman is
looking to meet a nice Polish lady aged
18-25 for a long-term relationship. Must
look good in a string. Please email:
[email protected]
Looking desperately for you. We met Sat.
the 15th at Sioux restaurant. Funny Dutch
guy. You had black hair, red coat. Please
react to: [email protected]
“Polonia” Matrimonial Agency
Have a lovely Polish wife.
Over 500 offers in our photo gallery.
Tel.: (0) 12 633-6152
ul. Krowoderska 61a/9
[email protected]
www.bm-polonia.pl
Heirate eine Polin. Über 500
schöne Damen auf Partnersuche.
Overweight Englishman gives lessons in
love for the frigid. $50 per lesson, excluding tips. [email protected]
Lieber Jacek, please contact me, nur fuer
dich. [email protected]
Taxis
PIANO LESSONS
Barbakan
ul. Ks. St. Truszkowskiego 52
(0) 12 683-3599
eMail:
[email protected]
www.taxi.barbakan.krakow.pl
Piano lessons for kids and adults. All styles.
Beginning to upper-intermediate levels,
taught by a professional. Good rates 50 zloty
per hour. Home studio 8 min from Main Sq.
[email protected] or (0) 605-727-912
Advertise in
The Krakow Post!
Contact:
Andrzej
Kowalski,
Marketing
Manager
+48 (0) 798-683-160
Tele-Taxi
ul. Dzielskiego 2
Toll Free!
(0) 800 500-500
Tel.: (0) 12 413-9696
(0) 501-449-626
[email protected]
Looking for
individuals
interested in
investing in a
growing and
successful
business
in Poland.
Bookstores
Please write:
[email protected]
krakowpost.com
Inter Book
The Oldest Bookstore in Krakow
ul. Karmelicka 27
Tel.: (0) 12 632-1008
[email protected]
www.interbook.com.pl
Night Club 37
37 Mogilska St.
Tel.: (0) 12 411-7441
Cell: (0) 506-698-745
Krakow’s top
night club offers the most
beautiful escorts in town.
In-house and outcall.
Professionalism and
safety guaranteed.
Open:
Mon-Sat: 11:00-06:00
Sun: 20:00-06:00
Discounts on drinks with this ad.
Credit cards accepted.
Nicolaas Hoff, Publisher
Marshall Comins, Publisher
Wojciech Zaluski, Editor-In-Chief
In cooperation with:
Hal Foster, Editor
Don Summerside, Editor
Jim Patten, Editor
Randy Renegar, Editor
Aaron Wise, Editor
Nicole R. Miller, Editor
Soren A. Gauger, Journalist
Danuta Filipowicz, Journalist
Grazyna Zawada, Journalist
Anna Biernat, Journalist
Adelina Krupski, Journalist
Alicja Natkaniec, Journalist
Justyna Krzywicka, Journalist
Krzysztof Skonieczny, Journalist
Michal Wojtas, Journalist
T O
O U R
CALL TO
ADVERTISE:
Andrzej Kowalski,
Marketing Manager
+48 (0) 798-683-160
R E A D E R S
The Krakow Post welcomes letters to the editor. Letters for publication should be signed and
bear the signatory’s address and telephone number. Letters should be sent by eMail to: [email protected], or by post. The Krakow Post reserves the right to edit letters.
Jargon Media Spolka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnoscią, KRS 0000 267205, ul.
Retoryka 17 Lokal 31, 31-108 Krakow (Adres redakcji) Telefon: Mechnice 077-4640492, Krakow 012-429-3090, Telefax: Mechnice 077-464-0492, eMail: jargonmedia@
gmail.com, Redaktor naczelny Wojciech Zaluski, Krakow 08.11.2007 Drukarnia: Grupa wydawnicza Polska Presse, Czasopismo dostępne w cyklu tygodniowym/bezplatne,
Wydawnictwo nie ponosi odpowiedzialnosci za materialy prasowe nie zamowione oraz
tresć reklam i ogloszen umieszczonych odplatnie. www.krakowpost.com

Skilled IT specialists: Region`s biggest advantage

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