Rapist wants presidential pardon

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Polish News
and
Entertainment
Friday 5th February 2010
Issue 5 (56)
Rapist wants presidential pardon
Family hand in petition
for clemency
NATIONAL
Tomczak got double life for rape - but “it wasn’t me” he says.
At the time many in the UK’s Polish
community doubted that Tomczak, a
grade-A law student who had travelled
to Exeter to work in a hotel during the
summer holidays, would receive a fair
trial in the city, owing to an apparent
campaign in the press to secure his
conviction.
Along with fears that the trial was
prejudiced, Tomczak’s legal team have also
raised concerns over the DNA evidence
that played a key role in the case.
Although DNA evidence found on
the victim and Tomczak matched, the
p.3 REGIONAL
Pole’s legal team point out that the first
sample taken by police was discarded
after contamination, and the same
fate also befell a second sample owing
to a technical problem in computer
software.
It was only at the third attempt that
police managed to find a match.
The family’s lawyer also argue that
other evidence used to secure the 25-yearold’s conviction was circumstantial, and
that CCTV footage taken of man close to
the victim appeared to show somebody
dressed differently to Tomczak.
p.6 BUSINESS
Putin invites Tusk to Katyn service Polish Fritzl sentenced
Poland’s fraught and emotional relations
with Russia may have taken an unexpected
turn for the better after Moscow invited the
Polish prime minister to attend ceremonies
marking the 70th-anniversary of the
Katyn Massacre. In April Donald Tusk and
Vladimir Putin will attend a mservice for
the 20,000 Poles murdered on the orders of
Stalin in the spring of 1940.
© PAP
T
he family of a Polish man serving a
double life sentence in England for
rape and grievous bodily harm have
requested that President Lech Kaczynski
asks the British legal authorities for a pardon.
The president’s office confirmed that it
had received an official request for pardon
on behalf of Jakub Tomczak, and that it
would pass it on to the attorney-general for
England and Wales.
His family has also started a petition,
which now boasts over 6,500 signatures,
calling for his release.
In 2007, Tomczak was convicted in the
English city of Exeter of a sexual assault on
a 48-year-old woman that left his victim
with permanent brain damage. On the
night of the attack in July 2006 police found
the woman in a car park, naked and with a
cracked skull that erased her memory of
the assault.
But despite the jury returning
an 11-1 verdict and strong DNA
evidence, Tomczak ’s family contest the
conviction.
“First of all, the injured party worked
for the local police, and her husband is a
policeman, which must have affected the
attitude of the court and the public,” said
Krzysztof Czeszejko-Sochacki, a lawyer
working for the Tomczak family.
A Bialystok court this Thursday sentenced 47-year-old Krzsysztof Bartoszuk
to ten years in prison for the repeated
rape of his daughter over a six year period. Prosecutors had asked for the
maximum sentence of fifteen years, but
charges of extreme cruelty, including
beatings and tyings up, against the man
were not proven.
p.9
Govt. outlines euro adoption plan
Donald Tusk on Wednesday provided an
update on his government’s proposed plan
for Poland adopting the euro, but opposition
from coalition partner PSL appears to be
delaying his submitting it to Brussels for
approval. Tusk’s cabinet had been expected
to approve a revised convergence plan
detailing how soon Poland could move
towards entering the eurozone.
2
EDITORIAL
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Contents
News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Regional news. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
What’s on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
From the editor
Quotes of the week
This week in history
here is something
very
wrong with Poland’s judicial system.
On Thursday a court
in Bialystok sentenced
a 47-year old dad to 10
years in prison. That may sound like a long
time. But he was found guilty of holding his
daughter captive for six years, repeatedly
beating and raping her, and in the interim
fathering (if that’s the word) her two children.
A further three offences were added to
the list and the prosecution asked for a
minimum of 15 years. But the judge ruled
that 10 would be a more suitable number
since “extreme cruelty” had not been used
by the man against his daughter.
Quite what the judge would qualify as
that, given the horror this girl has been
through, is unclear.
No judicial system is infallible. All have
their weaknesses. But for people to have faith
in their judicial system, they need to see that
that system is working. They need to see
‘justice’ has been served. If they don’t then the
system loses respect and it loses credibility.
That can be dangerous.
My local barman reckons the court
should’ve locked him up and thrown away the
key. He’s not alone. Others reckon he should’ve
been strung up. They are also not alone.
This paper doesn’t advocate either, but
it does ask why, when the government
has recently introduced a law allowing for
the chemical castration of paedophiles,
and even more recently a law demanding
stringent punishment for perpetrators
of domestic violence, this particular
offence should be treated so comparatively
leniently.
Poland’s laws on incest are shady, but so it
seems are its laws on false imprisonment and
rape - this case uncomfortably fits all three.
Courts should never follow public whim,
nor its prejudices. But they should uphold
consistent standards.
This case has done neither, to its
detriment.
“In order to win, Lech Kaczynski would
have to become someone else.” PM Donald
Tusk, on the probability of President Lech
Kaczynski being re-elected as president
1989 - The Polish Round Table Talks
take place in Warsaw (lasting until April
4). The government initiates discussions
with the banned ‘Solidarnosc’ trade union
and other opposition groups in an attempt
to defuse growing social unrest.
WIYP Sp. z o.o. • Ul. Paderewskiego 1 • 81-831 Sopot
tel. +48 58 555 9818 • tel/fax. +48 58 555 0831 • [email protected]
“I do not hold a grudge towards the Prime
Minister. This is just politics. I’ve got used to
such things.” PO MP Grzegorz Schetyna,
commenting on his reaction to PM Donald
Tusk’s decision concerning his dismissal
from the office of the Interior Minister
“I knew from the start that the
presentation of the stabilisation plan
would not necessarily mean stability in the
coalition. However, I am sure we will sort
this out.” PM Donald Tusk, on the recent
differences of opinion in the coalition 0ver
farmer’s pension reforms
1990 - Poland gets back its national
emblem from 1927. During Communist
times, the crown was removed from the
eagle’s head.
2002 – Andrzej Modrzejewski, CEO of
PKN Orlen, is arrested in what is known as
the ‘Orlengate’ scandal. One of the biggest
scandals in Polish political history, it has been
suggested that the real reason for the arrest was
to force Modrzejewki’s dismissal thus stopping
a contract worth USD 14 bln being signed.
Readers’ thoughts
The NPE weekend QUIZ
Dear Ed, couldn’t help but wonder at
all those people left without electricity
in the recent cold spell. How on earth do
people survive in temperatures of -10 or
more, for two weeks, with no power? It
simply beggars belief and makes me shiver
just to think about it. On the one hand, I
understand that Poland has had a difficult
history and the infrastructure hasn’t been
invested in for a long time. On the other
hand, I find it difficult to comprehend
how, in this day and age, people can be left
without fundamental services for weeks on
end. I mean, it’s not as if severe winters are
something new in this part of the world, are
they? I hope they’ve all been reconnected.
Tom Sheraton, Krakow
Here’s a pic of Poland’s latest sporting star - a biathalon
supremo. Question:
is who is she?
Dear Ed
Re last week’s article about the liberation
of Auschwitz, I think it’s really important
to point out that soon after, the Soviet Red
Army put Auschwitz back into use to hold
Poles. Hundreds and thousands continued
to be tortured and murdered there by their
‘liberators’.
Kamil Muszynski, Wroclaw
Publisher:
WIYP Sp. z o.o.
Editor-in-Chief: Ed Wight
([email protected])
Sport & Travel:
Alex Webber
(alex.webbe​r@newpolan​dexpress.p​l)
Business: Tom Anessi
Nationwide: Graham Crawford
(graham.cra​wford@newp​olandexpre​ss.pl)
Staff Writers: Steve Sibbald, Matt Day
Assistant Editor:
Karolina Montygierd - Łojbo
([email protected])
Get the answer
right and you could
win this great prize:
A double ticket to
go and see the finale of the Shanties
Festival in Krakow on Feb 28th. What’s
that? In short, it’s a good old knees up
featuring beer and the sort of songs
sung by sailors. Moreover, it’s one of
the most important shanty events in
the world. That Krakow is 500km away
from the sea doesn’t put off the 10,000
odd souls who turn up, and nor should
it you.
Last week’s competition winner was
Andrea Lacobelli who got to enjoy a top
night in Sopot.
Send your answers to
[email protected]
Events: Klaudia Mampe
(events_pol​and@inyour​pocket.com),
Vaughan Elliott, Łukasz Jankowski
Graphic Designer: Tomáš Haman
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Sales Director: Malgorzata Drzaszcz (gdr@newpol​andexpress​.pl)
Maps: © Hiuppo
© Petr Novák, wikipedia.org
T
3
NEWS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Putin invites Tusk to
Katyn commemoration
P
oland’s fraught and emotional relations with Russia may have taken an
unexpected turn for the better after
Moscow invited the Polish prime minister
to attend ceremonies marking the 70thanniversary of the Katyn Massacre.
In April, both Donald Tusk and his
Russian peer, Vladimir Putin, will attend a
memorial service for the estimated 20,000
Poles murdered on the orders of Stalin in
the spring of 1940.
“Prime Minister (Putin) invited him to
jointly visit Katyn,” Mr Putin’s spokesman
Dmitry Peskov, while Mr Tusk’s office
provided more detail.
“Prime Minister Putin underlined that
he is aware of how important the Katyn
issue is for Poles. Prime Minister Putin
said: ‘I believe that our joint appearance at
this ceremony will have a very big symbolic
meaning’.”, reported a spokesman for Mr
Tusk.
The invitation could help ease tensions
between the countries over the massacre
that have for long cast a shadow over bilateral relations.
Warsaw has frequently accused Moscow
of obstructing attempts by Poland to
investigate the slaughter. In particular
Poland has voiced great frustration over
its failure to get complete access to files on
Katyn in the Kremlin’s archives.
PM questioned
For many Poles Moscow’s alleged footdragging over the massacre has fuelled the
belief that despite admissions of guilt from
Russia’s leaders the Kremlin has shown no
real contrition over an event that is still
a source of deep and painful emotion in
Poland.
This has helped colour recent clashes
between Moscow and Warsaw over
Poland’s decision to locate a US Patriot
missile battery near the Russian border,
and a heated argument 18 months
ago over the Polish government’s now
reversed agreement to host components
of a controversial American anti-missile
shield.
But news of Mr Putin’s invitations to the
Poles was not welcomed by all.
Memorial, a Russian NGO that
investigates Russia’s totalitarian past,
and monitors human and civil rights
in the country, has criticised the
move. In particular it has attacked the
Kremlin’s decision to downplay the event
diplomatically by limiting the ceremony to
prime ministers as opposed to presidents.
This, Memorial alleges, comes as
evidence of an attempt to hoodwink the
Poles and of the Kremlin’s continued
refusal to reconcile itself with crimes
committed by the Soviet Union against
Poland.
P
rime Minister Donald Tusk began
testifying this week before a commission set up to investigate allegations that members of the Civic Platform
party (PO) lobbied on behalf of various
gambling companies.
While one government spokesman said
that Tusk would not be providing any ‘new
or spectacular’ information or evidence to
the case, the PM allowed for the whole of
Thursday for the testimony and stated that
the commission would “not be easing off”.
In total, four top politicians left their
posts in October last year over the gambling
scandal following claims that some had
lobbied to block provisions in a bill which
would have seen the taxes paid to the state
by the gambling industry increase.
The head of the Central Anti-Corruption
Bureau was sacked by Tusk, due to
allegations that he had abused the power
entrusted to him during an investigation
in 2007. Three more politicians handed
in their resignations that day; the deputy
prime minister, the justice minister and
the deputy economy minister.
The PM’s testimony comes only days
after he revealed that he would not be in the
running for the presidency come Autumn.
Instead, he said, he would prefer to work
at maintaining the nation’s economic
development and growth, as opposed to
trying to compete for the ‘prestige and
honour’ that is associated with being
President.
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4
NEWS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Olewnik mystery Get your tips out
deepens
T
T
he tragic Olewnik murder case took
a bizarre new twist with allegations
that victim’s body was tampered
with as it lay in an official morgue awaiting
examination.
Press reports said that in 2006 somebody
entered the room containing the remains
of Krzysztof Olewnik, a 27-year-old
businessman kidnapped and murdered in
2001, and stayed there for a few minutes.
Just who these people were, how they got
in and why they wanted to get is now the
subject of an official investigation.
“The public prosecutor wants to
determine how these people got in and
what they did there,” said Krzysztof
Kwiatkowski, justice minister, adding
that investigators had requested computer
records from the security company
protecting the morgue.
Officials will be keen to ascertain how the
unidentified people got into the guarded
morgue and managed to type in the
security pass code without anybody raising
the alarm. Although an examination of
computer files might reveal exactly when the
intruders entered the room it will shed little
light on just why the rules and regulations
governing access to evidence were flouted in
such a brazen and flagrant manner.
To make matters worse there is also
evidence suggesting that the remains,
which had been recovered from woodland
a few days before, were tampered with.
Officials have also refused to discount
the possibility that the remains may
not actually belong to Olewnik. Last
month evidence surfaced suggesting that
pathologists had failed to make a clear
indentification of the corpse: news that
prompted the Olewnik family to have
Krzysztof’s body exhumed.
The latest allegations have deepened
widespread suspicions that high-ranking and
powerful individuals want to hide evidence
that might implicate them in the what has
turned out to be to be the most infamous
murder case in post-communist Poland.
Pointing to a series of bizarre events that
dogged the investigation into Krzysztof’s
kidnapping and murder, the Olewnik
family have long maintained that the gang
convicted of his death had the protection
of well-placed politicians in local
government.
Records went gone missing, obvious
leads never followed and a number of
people linked to the case have now died in
mysterious circumstances.
he Tax office (Urzad Skarbowy)
has said it will levy taxes on people
working in the customer service industry.
Jobs such as waiters, hairdressers
and bar staff, where workers can
expect to enjoy receiving tips for good
service, may soon require employees
to declare any additional income for
tax purposes.
At the moment, the focus is more on
casino workers, which, according to a
study by the Tax office, is the area where
the declaration of tips is the lowest of
all.
“Cash in the form of tips provided by
casino customers, being put into one pot
and then shared out between the employees,
represents income from employment
and should be subject to taxation,” says
Wieslaw Drozdz, a spokesman for the Tax
office on TOK FM.
“If the tips are going directly into
the hands of the employee and not the
employer, they should be accounted
for.”
But according to Boguslaw Grabowski,
a former member of the Monetary Policy
Council, tips have always been a separate
issue when it comes to general income and
should remain so.
“Even in the Income Tax Act of
individuals, it is stated that there is a
certain amount of income that is exempt
from taxation, and we should recognize
this within reason.”
“Tipping is something that is a
fragment of normal economic and social
life. It is absurd to attempt some sort
of administrative taxation system. This
cannot be done, and you just have to
resign from that,” stated former Minister
of Infrastructure, Krzysztof Bohemia on
Radio TOK FM.
Klub Dialogu Polish Language School
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5
NEWS
IN BRIEF
Church introduces fingerprint log
A priest has installed an electronic reader
in his church in the town of Gryfow Slaski for
schoolchildren to leave their fingerprints, in order
to monitor their attendance at mass.
The scheme involves pupils marking their prints
over a three year period. If they attend 200 times,
they will be freed from the obligation of having to
pass an exam prior to their confirmation.
“The idea is great. We don’t have to stand in line
to get a signature in our confirmation notebooks,”
said one pupil.
Polish war hero celebrates birthday
The last lancer of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw
celebrated his 110th birthday this week.
Jozef Kowalski, who rose through the ranks to
become Sergeant, eventually settled down with
his family in the village of Przemyslaw, but not
before spending over five years in a German POW
camp during WWII.
As well as Kowalski’s family, PM Donald Tusk was
there to join in with the celebrations.
“The man is a living legend of Polish history,” says
historian Darius Kurek.
Communist murder case to be re-opened?
The Justice Ministry is calling for the case against
a communist official for the 1983 murder of
Grzegorz Przemyk to be re-tried.
If granted, communist functionary Ireneusz K
faces life in jail.
As it was a communist crime it cannot expire,
Justice Minister Zbigniew Cwiakalski emphasized.
He is also keen to know why the prosecutor
agreed with the court that the case should be
discontinued.
19-year old Przemyk was the son of a well-known
freedom movement activist and poet Barbara
Sadowska and was celebrating his final exams
when he was arrested, taken to the police
headquarters and beaten to death.
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Neanderthal man in Poland
P
olish archaeologists have discovered
three Neanderthal teeth in a cave
close to Krakow.
The actual find was made back in 2008
but it was kept under wraps while tests
were carried out to determine how old they
were.
According to Dr. Mikolaj Urbanski of
the Department of Archaeology at the
University of Szczecin, the discovery
is significant as it goes some way to
proving that Neanderthal man existed
in Poland. It also suggests he used some
form of tooth pick and had good dental
hygiene.
Speaking to TVP, the research team
boss said “We can see that on at least one
of these teeth there has been a simple tool
used to ensure hygiene - and that tool was
a sort of tooth pick.”
While only one of the
teeth has
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Farmer poses as gynaecologist
A farmer from Szczecin has appeared in court
after posing as a gynaecologist.
Donning a white coat and stethoscope, the
45-year old wandered hospital corridors
administering examinations for two years.
Police believe that he wasn’t acting alone and at
least one other person was in on the scam.
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Hunt for Mengele diary
The Auschwitz museum has expressed its interest
in the diary of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele.
The anonymous buyer of the 200-page journal,
the grandson of a former Auschwitz prisoner, has
stated that he is willing to ‘sacrifice’ the book as
part of the 65th commemoration of the Holocaust.
“We are trying to contact the purchaser in the
US as we would like to read the contents. If this
is valuable, then the Auschwitz-Birkenau State
Museum is undoubtedly the best place for it,”
says museum spokesman Jaroslaw Mensfelt.
also belonged to Neanderthals who lived
somewhere in the region of 100,000 to
80,000 years ago.
Although a number of artefacts have
been uncovered in this country before,
it’s the first time that actual Neanderthal
bodily remains have been found.
The teeth were discovered in the
Stajnia Cave, north of the Carpathian
Mountains with other objects including
various flint tools and the bones of both
the woolly mammoth and the woolly
rhinoceros.
In addition to these, the team also came
across a hammer constructed from the
antlers of a reindeer and cave bear bones
featuring cut marks, which show that they
were eaten.
“The cave bears were big, dangerous
animals and this supports the view the
Neanderthals were really efficient hunters,”
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REGIONAL NEWS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Nationwide with Graham Crawford:
Bringing you the best from across the regions.
If you have any news for Graham, send him an email at [email protected]
Without rhyme or region
A
de pre s sion
called Miriam has descended on Poland
and
unburdened
herself of a vast
quantity of snow, on
top of the large amounts that had already
accumulated over a seriously wintry January. And yet life goes on much the same as
normal. A mere three centimetres of snow
in the UK and we have headlines screaming ‘Arctic conditions!’ and the whole
country grinds to a halt.
In defence of the dumb Brits, though,
it’s worth recalling that snow is a rare
occurrence in many areas. There would
be a scandal if local authorities there
employed full-time snow plough drivers.
Meanwhile, it’s a standing joke here that
every year the headline ‘Road authorities
surprised by winter’ reappears.
In Switzerland heavy snow has no ill
effects – among numerous other measures,
I’ve read they even have helicopters
standing by to deliver vital supplies to
remote communities. In Poland the
response to adversity seems to be to
ignore that it’s there. Everyone carries on
as normal, trudging through snowdrifts
without seeing them. Snow? What snow?
There was a similar situation when the
road outside my home was being worked on.
The working area was completely open and
pedestrians sashayed blithely in between
yellow diggers and steamrollers. If they were
Americans they’d probably be throwing
themselves under the diggers to claim
compensation. Brits would write to their MP,
demanding free hard hats be provided. Here,
everyone just tried to ignore it. That’s either
incredibly stoic, or incredibly daft – or both.
Zachodnio-pomorskie
in order to avert the possibility of dangerous flooding when the thaw arrives. The
area of the greatest threat appears to lie
along the lower Odra and the Jezioro Dabski region which surrounds Szczecin. On
Tuesday a team of seven icebreakers was
battling with ice up to 40cm thick, several
kilometres long, but the operation was
suspended as the pack ice refused to flow
into the sea, probably as a result of local
currents and the lack of movement along
the waterway. Andrzej Kreft, of the Water
Management Authority, with almost 20
years experience in battling with ice commented to reporters from TVN24, “I can’t
remember a situation like it.” Experts are
hoping for a slow rise in temperatures,
that will enable the accumulated water to
flow normally. The likelihood of flooding
increases with the rate of thaw and increases further if accompanied by fresh
rainfall.
Breaking the ice
P
olish and German icebreakers are struggling
to break through
the floes in the
Odra river that runs
along the border of
the two countries
Podlaskie
Polish Fritzl sentenced
A
Bialystok court
this Thursday
sentenced 47-year-old
Krzsysztof Bartoszuk
to ten years in prison
for the repeated rape
of his daughter over a
six year period. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence
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of fifteen years, but charges of extreme cruelty
against the man were not proven. The court
heard how the daughter’s nightmare began
with being molested when she was 13. The
father began to systematically rape her once
she was fifteen, leading to two children, both
of whom were abandoned after birth (see
NPE 12/15). He reportedly told his daughter,
“You’re my property and nobody is going to
touch you.” The girl’s mother was a silent witness to the ongoing situation, both women being intimidated by threats of violence.
Valentine's Day weekend
in Le Cedre
on 13th and 14th February
Price 169zł. per couple; additionally 10% for service.
healthy smile clinic
Dent-a-Medical
Dental clinic
3 Duchnicka st. (near CH Arkadia)
Warsaw
Registration tel. 668 878 011
Le Cedre Lebanese Restaurant
Al. Solidarności 61, Warsaw
Tel. 22 670 11 66
www.lecedre.pl
[email protected]
7
REGIONAL NEWS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
American School of Warsaw
Established in 1953
� Internationally experienced and certified faculty
� American philosophy of education
� Small classes and low student/faculty ratio
� Pre-K (age 4) to grade 12 (age 18)
� Excellent facilities and classroom resources
� Outstanding IB exam results
E
US 10
HO y 20
EN uar
OP Febr 13:00
6th at
ul. Warszawska 202 05-520 Konstancin-Jeziorna +4 8 (0) 22 702 8500 www.asw.waw.pl [email protected]
Mazowieckie Sex for a badge
A
33-yea r-old
resident of Gostynin was arrested
this week for impersonating a police
officer and using a
fake police badge
to acquire sexual
services from prostitutes. In a modus operandi that repeated itself precisely dozens
of times, the man carefully selected prostitutes from local papers that were offering
services from their own homes. He would
arrive at the doorstep then flash the silver
badge at them and announce that there
was an investigation concerning an infection with HIV which would lead to a lot of
trouble for the prostitute, making it impossible for her to work for several months. He
then suggested that he could be persuaded
to keep a secret if the woman had sex with
Pomorskie Rebiechowo races ahead
G
dansk’s Rebiechowo airport noted
a massive 11% growth
in passenger movement in January in
comparison with 2009,
taking it to second
place in the ranking of
him. If the woman still resisted, he threatened to make the nature of her work public.
The badge he used was a plastic toy of the
kind readily available from any toy shop
and even had the word ‘Police’ written
on it in English, not Polish. But most of
his victims didn’t look closely enough at
the flashing badge in a black wallet. So
far police have found eight women who
were cheated in this way, but they do not
exclude the possibility that further cases
will be found. The man, who lives in
Gostynin and works in Plock, and is in a
steady relationship, was taken completely
by surprise. He was even carrying the fake
plastic police badge when arrested by Plock
officers. The man faces up to ten years in
prison.
Criminal label
P
olice from Minsk Mazowiecki arrested
the owner of a private printing works
this Wednesday for producing labels for
faked products. On entering the printing
regional airports in Poland. The figures showed
141,000 passengers passed through the airport,
a stunning result in comparison to the other
airports around Poland. “These are only initial
figures which can still change, but not by more
than a few hundred people,” Tomasz Kloskowski, Vice-Director of the airport told reporters.
Dog day afternoon
I
n a follow-up to the widely reported story
of the dog that drifted for four days on
house police found large quantities of the
fake labelling still hot off the press. Labels
covered a wide range of goods, including high end alcohols, fizzy drinks, cigarettes, crisps and soap powders. Janusz L.,
the owner, spent the night in police cells.
Police investigations are continuing and
the man faces up to five years in prison
for copyright infringements. In a related
incident, police in Olsztyn (WarminskoMazurskie) arrested the owners of a fake
Coca-Cola manufacturing operation and
police in Bialystok (Podlaskie) stopped two
HGVs full of the falsified fizzy drink.
Stadium sappers
S
appers were called in this week to remove a UXB from the construction site
of the National Stadium. The shell, a remnant of World War II, with a diameter of
80cm, was uncovered by a JCB working on
the site. The removal was fast and uneventful with minimal interference to the ongoing work.
pack ice before being rescued alive by the
crew of the weather ship Baltica, the reunion
with the dog’s purported owner didn’t go
to the satisfaction of the crew. While the
dog already responds to the crew and approaches them, there was no such sign of
recognition of the person claiming to be the
owner. The crew has decided that the dog
will remain with them. The crew was also
rewarded this week with an honorary medal
from the Animal Protection society.
8
REGIONAL NEWS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Lubuskie
Dolnoslaskie
Stadium of harmony
Making tracks
orzow councillors experienced a rare state of
harmony when they
agreed to extend
the city’s speedway
stadium, not using
credit, as the President had proposed, but for cash savings
made on other projects. The stadium will
be extended with funds from the delayed
adaptation of the Town Hall (PLN 6mln)
and the City’s Eastern Embankment (PLN
3.8mln).
The President’s original proposal for
credit was sent back for discussion and a
consensus was reached. “It’s a satisfying
moment. We’re used to this kind of
discussion ending in an argument, and
here it turned out that we can talk to
one another sensibly and arrive at a
compromise,” Robert Surowiec, head of
the Civic Platform (PO) told reporters.
row is brewing
over the rail
line running from
Wroclaw centre to
the city’s airport, an
important element
of the infrastructure required to host
Euro 2012. The funds for the line, PLN
85mln are in place and applications for
EU support are on the way to approval. An
earlier problem regarding the intersection
of the railway line and road access to the
airport has been resolved by the city building a longer bridge instead of forcing Polish Rail Lines (PLK) to construct a costly
tunnel. The problem now lies in the land
purchase for the project.
The land required is valued at PLN 18mln,
money that PLK simply doesn’t have. They
have submitted a request for Wroclaw City
Hall to buy the land and hand it over to
them for free. Pawel Czuma, for the City Hall
commented, “PLK’s demands are surprising.
We’ve already gone out of our way to
accommodate them by deciding to build the
bridge. Designing and building it will cost us
an extra ten to twenty million zloty.”
G
Hero posty
A
Gorzow postman came to the rescue
when he noticed a flat on his round on
fire. He smashed down the front door and
carried the female occupant to safety. Both
him and the woman were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke.
The 31-year-old postman will receive a financial reward for “heroism in the line of
duty”.
A
Clean cards
W
roclaw’s President Dutkiewicz has
been cleared of misuse of official
credit cards by a City Hall audit committee. The charges were levelled against the
President by opponents in the Civic Platform (PO) party who claimed Dutkiewicz
was wasting public funds for promotion of
the city on activities designed for his own
personal advancement and promoting his
political formation Poland XXI. The committee analysed his credit card bills and
revealed that in 2008 the President spent
a total of just over PLN 30,000 on travel
expenses, hotels, business meals and small
presents for dignitaries when on official
trips in Poland and abroad. All the expenses were accompanied by the relevant
receipts and bills. Tomasz Hanczarek, PO
councillor and a member of the auditing
committee told reporters from Gazeta
Wroclaw, “From the formal point of view,
everything is in order. However, the judgement as to whether spending thirty thousand zloty on trips, meetings and presents
is a lot or a little, we shall leave to the citizens of Wroclaw.”
Chocolate drop
W
orkers at Wroclaw’s Cadbury factory
face the threat of redundancies after
the company was taken over by American
food giant Kraft at the end of January this
year. Agnieszka Kepinska, head of PR for
Kraft Foods Polska told reporters, “At this
stage it’s too early to answer such questions.” The company is required to sell off
the Wedel brand, though, as the European
Commission stipulated this in order to
avoid the creation of a monopoly. Only
once that process is completed will the 700
workers currently employed at the factory
learn their fate.
Assailants at large
Z
ielona Gora police are seeking two
young men in connection with a
series of brutal attacks and attempted
rapes on young women in the city that
have taken place in the last two weeks.
The two assailants, one aged about twenty,
the other in his mid-thirties, attacked
four women in separate incidents. Only
three of the women have made official
statements, though. The fourth woman
was apparently so traumatised, she refused
to make a statement, trying to forget about
the entire incident. “The attackers were
extremely cruel. One of the women was
heavily beaten, another was slashed on the
face and neck with a sharp instrument,
probably a razorblade,” Malgorzata
Stanislawska, press officer for the Zielona
Gora police told reporters. Police have
prepared descriptions of the two men and
are appealing for witnesses to the attacks
to come forward. Meanwhile, the attacks
have generated an atmosphere of fear in
the city and police have warned women not
to go out alone after dark.
Warsawinyoourpocket_120x98_Febr2010.indd 2
04.02.2010 15:20:07 Uhr
9
BUSINESS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
BUSINESS IN BRIEF
Poland among best countries for investment
Poland has been ranked among the top
countries globally for business investment. The
latest AT Kearney Foreign Direct Investment
Confidence Index placed Poland 6th in terms of
its attractiveness for companies to invest in, a
sharp rise from the country’s 16th place ranking in
the previous list published in 2007. Higher ratings
this year were given only to China, the U.S., India,
Brazil, and Germany.
Companies fined for price fixing
The lock manufacturer Gerda and the paint
producer Sniezka have been found guilty of price
fixing and have received fines totalling PLN 8
mln. The Office of Competition and Consumer
Protection determined that both companies
illegally set the prices charged by their distributors
and threatened to stop working with those who
did not agree to their pricing terms. Gerda was
fined a total of PLN 1.2 mln, while Sniezka received
a PLN 6.7 mln fine.
IN NUMBERS
4.0%
WIG-20 stock index falls during the week of January
29- February 4 after losing 4.1 percent on Thursday.
PLN
23.8 bln
Polish budget deficit for 2009. The final
number was PLN 3.4 bln lower than planned
due to higher revenues and spending cuts.
12.8%
Unemployment in Poland rises nearly a full
point in January. Experts say higher benefits
may have encouraged more people to register.
NBP OFFICIAL CURRENCY RATES - 05/02/2010
Currency
Czech Koruna
Danish Krone
Estonian Kroon
Euro
Hong Kong Dollar
Hungarian Forint
Japanese Yen Norwegian Krone Pound Sterling Russian Ruble Swiss Franc US Dollar Symbol
1 CZK
1 DKK
1 EEK
1 EUR
1 HKD
100 HUF
100 JPY
1 NOK
1 GBP
1 RUB
1 CHF
1 USD
Mid-rate
0,1561
0,5496
0,2615
4,0921
0,385
1,4918
3,345
0,4987
4,7009
0,0981
2,7837
2,9915
Visit our
New Poland Express Facebook
site and become our fan or
follow Newpoland on Twitter
Govt. outlines euro adoption plan
P
rime Minister Donald Tusk on
Wednesday provided an update on
his government’s proposed plan for
Poland adopting the euro, but opposition
from coalition partner PSL appears to be
delaying his submitting it to Brussels for
approval.
Tusk ’s cabinet had been expected
to approve a revised convergence
plan detailing how soon Poland could
move towards entering the eurozone,
but a dispute over overhauling the
country’s expensive pension scheme
for farmers appears to be a stumbling
block.
The government says that overhauling
the KRUS retirement system is necessary if
Poland is to reduce its deficit to 3 percent of
GDP, which is a requirement for entering
the EMR2, an initial stage in the Euro
adoption process.
Although there had been talk earlier
of reaching this deficit reduction goal as
early as next year, the new target is 2012.
Tusk warned that if economic growth
slowed the date could be pushed back to
2013.
The government recently announced
plans cutting spending and speeding up
privatization this year, but the proposal
still leaves a budget deficit of some PLN 30
bln for 2010.
Tusk tried to downplay the impact
of the rift on the retirement issue with
PSL. “I don’t think there is conflict
within the coalition. Our temperaments
are complementary and we understand
each other very well, even when our
views differ,” he said during the press
conference he held on the convergence
plan.
The government’s proposal to bring
farmers into the national pension
system would require them to make
bigger
monthly
contributions.
Meanwhile, PSL needs to show its
support for its rural electorate, since
recent polls show the party is struggling
to maintain the 5 percent voter support
it needs to enter parliament in the next
elections.
Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki
said that another obstacle is PSL’s
opposition to the government’s plans to
tax farmers as a way to raise PLN 2.8 bln
in additional revenues. “Even if these are
the rich farmers who pay, and for Minister
Boni every farmer with more than 15
hectares is rich, I know that this group
does not have this kind of money,” he told
TVN24.
In theory, the government is supposed
to send the convergence plan to Brussels
on Friday, but without PSL’s support this
deadline will be hard to meet.
The government has set a target date of
2015 for entering the eurozone, but a poll
of analysts by Reuters showed that most of
those surveyed feel Poland could adopt the
Euro as early as 2014.
Bad debts not getting out of hand
D
ata from Poland’s largest debt collection agency show that Poles are
most often having problems paying off small bank loans and bills, rather
than mortgages or other large debts.
According to a report released by
Wroclaw-based Kruk, Poland’s largest debt
collection agency, the average bad debt sent
to the company for collection was PLN 3,900,
but when only the debts of individuals and
not businesses were included the number
dropped to PLN 2,250.
The report provided one of the first
comprehensive pictures of the kinds and
amounts of loans that ended up in collection.
Kruk’s portfolio includes some PLN 10 bln in
bad debts, roughly a quarter of the national
total. Most accounts are held on behalf of
banks unable to collect on loans.
The company also reported that last year
most people preferred to put off dealing
with their debts. Only 95,000 individuals
agreed to a monthly instalment plan to
pay off their arrears. For those that did,
the average payment varied from PLN 198
to PLN 275 per month, depending on the
region.
The report’s data show that the average
debtor comes from the Silesia or the
Warsaw region and is 35 years old. He is
in debt for not paying a bank loan or for
falling behind on the bills for a cell phone,
cable television, or internet access.
Iwona Slomska of Kruk’s board of
directors noted that the statistics show
most overdue debts are not astronomically
high. “This is good news for both the debtor
and the collection agency. The current level
of debt of our company’s average client
means he has a good chance of being able
to manage the problem.”
The company did not reveal how many
cases had to be brought to court due a lack
of willingness among debtors to cooperate.
10
ENTERTAINMENT
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND: Travel musings from inyourpocket’s ‘Uncle’ Alex Webber
E
ight months back
I was scheduled
to visit Torun. I
didn’t, preferring instead to save that trip
for the coldest month
of the millennium. It’s
in winter, I reasoned, that the shadowy form of this Gothic jewel can best
be appreciated. I was wrong. Torun’s
a beautiful town alright, but it’s better observed from an upright position,
not on your arse following somersault number seven on some sheet ice
streets.
I arrived on Wednesday, falling
out of the train and into the sort of
weather that would give a woolly
mammoth something to panic about.
A hobbling taxi driver lumped my bag
into the boot, before manoeuvring
like a maniac through side streets
and snow drifts. The destination was
the Hotel Retman, and we just about
made it with only one wing mirror
killed. Now the Retman turned out to
be a fine choice, but I have to confess
it wasn’t my first. That was the 1231, a
four star job whose website mentioned
something about a microbrewery.
Later investigations did indeed
reveal an onsite bar titled Mini
Browar, though this panned out to
be a Captain’s Cabin style space with
Zywiec on tap and Manuel on duty.
That wasn’t the only disappointment.
I’m a walking one man mayhem
machine, so I have to admit Torun
didn’t exactly light my candle. The
nightlife here isn’t so much dormant
as dead; that my travelling companion,
a book on Himmler, turned out to be
more laughs than any bars I blessed
is testament in itself. Still, Torun is
not without its charms. Where else,
for instance, can you find a place like
Masala, an Indian restaurant replete
with a picture of Napoleon. As it turns
out, the pic of the pocket frog was more
than justified – he dined here in 1812,
though certainly not on the Indiana
Jones pizza I ordered, and the venue
has a history that outdates any other
hostelry in Poland.
But history, so it seems, follows
Torun. The town was born in 1231,
and the Teutonic Knights who founded
it weren’t shy in erecting all sorts of
barmy brick buildings that impress. It’s
in one of these that Nicolas Copernicus
was created, though exactly where
is open to debate – there’s three
candidates for that honour, and
more razor minds than mine have
yet to reach a concise conclusion.
Now Copernicus, for those out of the
astrological loop, was the brain-box
who deduced that it was the world
that spun around the sun, and not vice
versa, and it was a theory that might
well have got him into serious bother
had he not dropped dead practically
minutes after it was published. Today
his life is remembered in a must-visit
museum that charts his odyssey from
jammy merchant offspring to planet
changing genius.
And that’s not the only museum
for your list. Gingerbread has been
making Torun famous since medieval
times, and the local stuff is so good
that Chopin used to have it sent to his
family back in Warsaw. Now you can
learn all about the stuff in a museum
that’s bang next door to the hotel I’m
scribbling from. Of course I haven’t
visited, I had another pilgrimage to
make, and an important one at that. It
was to the Church of the Virgin Mary,
which is where you’ll find Princess
Wazowna entombed, and apart
from looking quite tidy in surviving
pictures, she’s the girl I have to thank
for introducing tobacco to Poland. Rest
in Peace, sweet cheeks.
Then there’s the Leaning Tower, a
wonky fortification built as penance by
a randy knight who couldn’t keep his
hands to himself, as well as a donkey
statue marking the spot where criminal
gits once faced fierce retribution. A
pretty city with a plain soul were my first
impressions, but that’s just one more
thing I got wrong. Go to Torun, just
don’t go in winter.
Warsaw
7.2.2010 - White Lies
Stodoła, ul. Batorego 10, tel. (+48) 22 825 60 31
QConcert starts at 20:00. Tickets 100/90zł.
Available at www.eventim.pl and before the
concert.
6.2.2010 - Born From Pain
Liverpool, ul. Świdnicka 37, tel. (+48) 71 343 23
53, www.myspace.com/bornfrompain.QConcert
starts at 20:00. Tickets 25/30zł. Available Empik,
Rynek 50, A-3 (Open 09:00 - 21:00, Sun 11:00 21:00).
11.2.2010 - Lipali
Lizard King, ul. Św. Tomasza 11a, tel. (+48) 669
45 26 36.QConcert starts at 20:00. Tickets 25zł.
Available at www.eventim.pl.
Wroclaw
6.2.2010 - Archive
Wytwórnia Filmów Fabularnych, ul. Wystawowa 1
QConcert starts at 20:00. Tickets 100zł. Available
at www.eventim.pl.
Krakow
7.2.2010 - Dagadana
Drukarnia, ul. Nadwiślańska 1
QConcert starts at 20:00. Tickets 25zł. Available
before the concert.
Lodz
11.2.2010 - Collective Jazz Quartet
Wytwórnia Club, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42
631 80 00.QConcert starts qat 20:00. Tickets 2035zł. Available at Cultural Information Centre, ul.
Piotrkowska 102 A, D-3 (Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat
10:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun).
In cooperation with In Your Pocket city guides
11
ENTERTAINMENT
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Warsaw
Lodz
9.2.2010 - Emilie Autumn
Progresja, ul. Kaliskiego 15 a (Bemowo), tel.
(+48) 22 683 75 42
From the start of her she lessons at the
tender age of 10, she was trying to inject the
electronic into the classical style. Unfortunately
the powers that be didn’t approve of her
experimentation and she went into more
improvised violin music. The trouble didn’t stop
there however, her musical tastes and overall
style (bright dyed hair, extravagant clothing)
lead to her expulsion from university, but all’s
well that ends well. Her breaking through point
was meeting Courtney Love, who introduced
Miss Autumn to Billie Corgan. After a few on
stage collaborations and 6 albums she’s finally
coming to Warsaw.QConcert starts at 20:00.
Tickets 59/69zł. Available at www.eventim.pl
and EMPiK, ul. Nowy Świat 15/17 (Open 09:00 22:00, Sun 11:00 - 19:00).
10.2.2010 - Depeche Mode
Hala Arena, ul. Bandurskiego 7 (Łódź Kaliska),
www.livenation.pl
9.2.2010 - Last Jew In Europe
Theatre of Wola, ul. Kasprzaka 22 (Wola), tel.
(+48) 22 632 24 78
That rarest of beasts - a play with English
subtitles. Last Jew in Europe is a contemporary
story about intolerance and hatred in Europe.
The author Tuvia Tenenbom is the founder of
New York’s Jewish Theater. His grand parents
used to live in Łódź and that’s where this play
takes place. An American Mormon arrives in
Łódź on the day before the wedding of Maria
and Joseph with the intention of baptising the
souls of dead Jews...QEvent starts at 19:00.
Tickets 15-60zł. Full schedule available at www.
teatrnawoli.pl. Available at Theatre of Wola’s
box office (Open depending on repertoire)
9.2.2010 - PEPSI ROCKS! presents Ocean
Hard Rock Cafe, ul. Złota 59 (Złote Tarasy),
tel. (+48) 22 222 07 00, www.hardrockcafe.pl
Depeche Mode bring their unique sound of
electro doom to Łódź, ostensibly to promote
their new album Sounds of the Universe. The
Basildon born legends are huge out here,
so get booking quick.QTime coming soon.
Tickets 176-550zł. Available at www.eventim.pl.
6.2.2010 - Ray Wilson & the Berlin Symphony
Ensemble
Wytwórnia Club, ul. Łąkowa 29, tel. (+48) 42
631 80 00
Ray Wilson has a couple of claims to fame: 1. He
replaced Phil Collins, briefly, as Genesis vocalist.
2. With Stiltskin he had a number 1 with the song
‘Inside’, on the back of a Levis advert. Tonight he’ll
be playing with the Berlin Symphony Ensemble,
expect to hear the biggest hits of Genesis and
songs by Wilson. With 10 performers in total, it
should be an interesting atypical symphonic rock
night out, if you like that sort of thing. I think I’m
having my teeth filed into points without anesthetic
and really don’t want to miss that, neverming, next
time maybe...QConcert starts at 18:00. Tickets
70/80zł. Available at Cultural Information Centre,
ul. Piotrkowska 102 A, D-3 (Open 10:00 - 18:00, Sat
10:00 - 14:00. Closed Sun).
Be In The Know
with In Your Pocket
The most comprehensive concert,
exhibition and events listings for
visitors to Poland are just a click away
www.inyourpocket.com
Far Eastern cuisine with thousands of years of tradition,
mystery and experience in the Asian secrets of long lasting
health. If you would like to experience the art, culture and
taste of the Far East, we invite you to SANHO Sushi & Grill.
Our excellent location makes us an ideal place for business
meetings; enjoying our food in peace and tranquility
encourages the adoption of agreements.
Sopot
Wrocław rockers Ocean, I wonder how many
groups over the years have had that name, play
an eclectic mix from simple rock riffs to jazzy
guitar riffs. Whatever, it rocks and they have
recorded 3 albums and toured extensively. Last
October they put out the imaginarily entitled
fourth album “Cztery” (“Four”) featuring the hit
single “Czas by krzyczec”, “Time to scream.”
QConcert starts at 21:30. Tickets 20/15zł.
Available at Hard Rock Cafe (Open 12:00 02:00) and before the concert.
9.2.2010 - Jazz Travel - Karolina Glazer
Versalka, ul. Bohaterów Monte Casino 63, tel.
(+48) 602 63 66 37
Karolina Glazer is a
rising star of Polish
vocal jazz. In June
2009 her debut album
‘Normal’ was released
and her work has
drawn attention not
only in Poland but
also in Europe. She
has a 4-octave range
and is inspired by
world music.QConcert starts at 20:00. Tickets
15-30zł. Available at Versalka (Open 09:00 23:00) and before the concert.
In observation of Valentine‘s Day
we warmly invite you on February
13th and 14th to a romantic
dinner for two.
Three specially-prepared ‚lovebird‘
menus come accompanied by
sparkling wine in our pleasant and
relaxing atmosphere.
Full-course meals from 175-210zł.
SANHO Sushi & Grill!
Take time for yourself!
ul. Widok 16, 00-023 Warszawa
tel: 22-826-18-71
e-mail: [email protected], www.sanho.pl
In cooperation with In Your Pocket city guides
12
ENTERTAINMENT
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Valentine’s Day Events
Gdansk
14.2.2010 - Jacek Wójcicki - Valentine’s Concert
Fryderyk Chopin Baltic Philharmonic Hall, ul.
Ołowianka 1, tel. (+48) 663 16 67 10
Tenor and actor Jacek Wójcicki is also
a member of a group who perform in
Kraków’s famous ‘Piwnica Pod Baranami’.
On Valentine’s Day he will playing his
interpretations of pieces from the repertoire of
Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Plácido
Domingo as well as arias by Jan Kiepura.
There will be also special, surprise guest of
the evening: a mysterious lady of the Polish
stage, the tension’s mounting all the time.
QConcert starts at 18:00. Tickets 80 -100zł.
Available at www.eventim.pl.
12.2.2010 - Valentine’s Day in Wolne Miasto
Wolne Miasto, ul. Św. Ducha 2, tel. (+48) 58
305 22 55, www.hotelwm.pl
Here the price includes one night in the hotel
and breakfast in bed. Before that there’s a free
party at the Parlament club and a romantic
dinner in their Zeppelin restaurant.QPrice
330zł. Reservations on phone.
Warsaw
14.2.2010 - Valentine’s Day - All You Need Is
Love - The Magic of The Beatles
Congress Hall, Pl. Defilad 1
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the
coming together of the Fab four and this will
be a concert for Valentine’s Day. The organisers
make the bold claim that ‘The Magic of The
Beatles’ are the best Beatles cover band
around, well Oasis have split up so they might
be right.QConcert starts at 19:00. Tickets 60220zł. Available at www.eventim.pl and and
Congress Hall box office (Open 11:00-18:00,
Sat, Sun 11:00-15:00).
13.2.2010 - Life is Magnifique
Sofitel Warsaw Victoria, ul. Królewska 11, tel.
(+48) 22 657 80 11
‘Life is Magnifique’ is the motto of the Sofitel
Warsaw Victoria and for this most special
of evenings the hotel has put together
something very exciting. It all takes place in
the Canaletto hotel restaurant and the menu
is as sophisticated as you could wish for. If you
decide to stay the night in one of the Junior
Suite rooms , there will be a chocolate surprise
from the hotel’s chef Olivier Croso waiting. With
breakfast for two and the option of checking
out late, you’d be hard pressed to find a more
complete offer if you fancy really spoiling your
significant other. The price of 645zł includes the
room and transport to and from Okęcie Airport
or the Central Train Station if needed. However,
you don’t have to book a room, dinner alone
is a very reasonable 295złQPrice 295-645zł.
Reservations on phone.
13.2.2010 - Valentine’s Weekend
Hard Rock Cafe, ul. Złota 59 (Złote Tarasy),
tel. (+48) 22 222 07 00, www.hardrockcafe.pl
Calling all lovers, the Hard Rock Cafe has
prepared a special menu for two for 110zł.
The price includes: Starters: A combination
of Chicken Quesadillas & Veggie Spring
Rolls. Entrees: Grilled Salmon Or Herb Grilled
Chicken Breast and for Dessert: Valentine’s
Brownie Mmmmm.QEvent starts at 22:00.
Price 110zł. Reservations on phone.
13.2.2010 - Valentine’s Weekend in Le Cedre
Le Cedre, Al. Solidarności 61, tel. (+48) 22
670 11 66
Le Cedre is another fine venue which has
organised something exceptional for Valentine’s.
If you didn’t know, the Cedar tree is the national
symbol of Lebanon and this engaging den of
exoticism has stood the test of time and through
the years acquired a loyal fan base who swear
this to be one of the most authentic Eastern
exports to be found this side of Beruit. Tonight’s
menu looks like this - a hearty platter of hot and
cold Mezzahs. The main course is grilled chicken
& beef stew served with vegetables and basmati
rice. Dessert is a surprise - go on treat yourself.
Q11:00-23:00. Price 186zł.
Krakow
14.2.2010 - Valentine’s Day Concert AFFABRE CONCINUI
Auditorium Maximum, ul. Krupnicza 35
Affabre Continui are a Polish group singing
capella. The esoteric name comes from Latin
and means ‘Sounds perfect’, maybe they
are Darling Buds fans too. Their repertoire
concentrates on different types of music;
the first is the compositions of Chopin
and Schuman, the second is entertaining
compositions from XX century, a wide selection
then.QConcert starts at 18:00. Tickets 65zł.
Available at www.eventim.pl.
14.2.2010 - Paris...Paris
Percheron, ul. Zwierzyniecka 31, tel. (+48) 12
379 59 50
Things go all Parisian at the Cafe Oranżeria on
the 6th floor with a special menu and a good
promotion on wines. After the supper there will be a
French film show. C’est bon.QOpen 12:00 - 23:00.
Price 80zł per person. Reservations on phone.
14.2.2010 - Valentine’s Day in Radisson Blu Hotel
Radisson Blu, ul. Straszewskiego 17, tel. (+48)
12 618 88 88. Treat your better half to a romantic
dinner with live music. The menu is an exquisite
menu with a glass of wine with every meal. If
you want to spend the night at the hotel, then
there’s a special offer of the night with breakfast
at a reasonable 340zł.QEvent starts at 18:00.
Price 150zł. Reservations of phone.
Sopot
14.2.2010 - Jazz Valentine’s
Pick&Roll, ul. Zamkowa Góra 3-5, tel. (+48) 58
555 85 23
A concert by jazz pianist and composer,
Sławek Jaskulke. He is also the leader of 3yo
and a member of the Zbigniew Namysłowski
Quartet. He has also composed music for
Gdańsk-Bremen Jazz Bridge, David Murray,
David Fuczynski, Furio di Castri, Ed Schuller,
Tymon Tymański and Mika Urbaniak. He is seen
by many as the future of Polish arty jazz. Each
pair attending gets cheese and biscuits and a
bottle of Jean Bousquet wine, how civilised is
that?QConcert starts at 20:00. Double tickets
100zł. Available at Aquapark Sopot’s Box
Office, ul. Zamkowa Góra 3-5, M-2 (Open 09:00
- 20:00).
14.2.2010 - Valentine’s Day in Cyrano et
Roxane
Cyrano et Roxane, ul. Bohaterów Monte
Cassino 11, tel. (+48) 660 75 95 94
Live French music and a strolling accordionist
should engender the appropriate mood here.
There’s a glass of champagne for all those
besotted couples as they indulge in duck
with cherries, my tummy’s rumbling already.
QOpen 13:00 - 23:00. Price 115zł. per person.
Reservations on phone.
13.2.2010 - Valentine’s Day in Restauracja
Autorska Pasjami
Hotel Rezydent, Pl. Konstytucji 3 Maja 3, tel.
(+48) 58 55 55 904
A real treat for all gourmandisers. Each couple
gets a chocolate surprise from the restaurant
chef with a fortune telling divination about your
relationship. The atmosphere promises to be
elegant with the sounds of the piano wafting
around the delicate decor. Everything on the
menu sounds delicious and includes rasberry
sorbet, ‘Kir Royal’ coctail, seafood platter and
heart-shaped lime and strawberry cake. I’m
there already.QEvents start at 20:00 on Sat
and at 18:00 on Sun. Price 360zł per couple.
Reservations on phone.
12.2.2010 - Valentine’s Weekend in Sheraton
Sopot Hotel
Sheraton Sopot Hotel, ul. Powstańców
Warszawy 12/14, tel. (+48) 58 767 16 00,
www.sheraton.pl/sopot
Make a weekend of it at the Sheraton. There
will be a bottle of wine waiting for you in your
room on Friday and dinner at the Pasta&Vino
restaurant. Spoil yourself in the spa as long as
you want, then on Saturday get rid of some
calories by going nordic walking with an
instructor. After that, take a massage for your
aching feet. It all winds up with Sunday lunch.
QPrice 1900zł. Reservations on phone.
In cooperation with In Your Pocket city guides
13 SPORT
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Kubica tops rich list
F
1 driver Robert Kubica has been
named Poland’s highest earning sportsman after coining five
million euros last year. Kubica endured
a torrid season last year representing
BMW-Sauber team, yet is now projected
to eclipse last year’s pay cheque by half a
million euros after signing for Renault.
Super Express ranked Man United re-
Live sports on television this week
Televised sports at Bar Below
serve keeper Tomasz Kuszczak in second after the goalie raked in 2.6 million euros. Fellow keepers Jerzy Dudek,
Artur Boruc and Lukasz Fabianski also
made it into the top ten. Other stars on
the list include tennis player Agnieszka
Radwanska, on 1.68 million, and basketball player Marcin Gortat, on 1.8
million.
Triumphant return for handball heroes
O
ver five hundred fans were on hand
to give the Polish team a heroes’ welcome after they returned from the
European Handball Championships held in
Austria. The Poles claimed fourth place in
the tournament, narrowly edged out of the
third place playoff by Iceland 29-26. The result means the Poles automatically qualify
for the World Cup next year. The red and
whites had topped Group B, before eventually running out of steam in the semis, losing to Croatia 24-21. It was the French who
claimed the crown however, beating the Croats 25-21 in the final, thereby becoming the
first team to hold the World, European and
Olympic handball titles at the same time.
Malysz flies again
A
dam Malysz wound back the clock
with a second place podium finish
– the 79th of his career – after finishing in second spot in Wednesday’s World
Cup ski jumping meeting in Klingenthal,
Germany. Simon Ammann from Switzerland came top, doing just enough to oust
The Eagle of the Wisla. For Malysz the result
Football News
C
racovia are set to break the bank
with a million zloty swoop for 23
year old Alexander Suvorov. The
Moldovan forward is widely expected to
become the clubs record signing after turning down an improved contract from current side FC Sheriff Tiraspol. Suvorov has
made 14 appearances for the national team
with one goal under his belt, and Cracovia
will hope his arrival will add beef to a team
that’s managed to hit the net just thirteen
is his second podium place of the season,
following third in Lillehammer, and gives
his army of followers hope that the Pole is
saving himself for one last hurrah in the upcoming Winter Olympics. Malysz is widely
recognized as a bona fide sporting legend,
and remains the only athlete on earth to
win the World Cup four times on the trot.
times this season.
Tomasz Cywka has been
linked with a return to Poland with Lechia Gdansk rumoured to be trailing the
23 year old midfielder. Cywka has been at
Wigan Athletic since 2006, but has yet to
break into the first team, and sources claim
the Pole is now ready to return home for
the chance of first team football. Finally,
relegation candidates Zaglebie Lubin have
signed Colombian midfielder Sergio Reina
in a bid to arrest their alarming decline.
Fri 5.02
FOOTBALL
Bundesliga
Werder Bremen v Hertha Berlin
Sat 6.02
FOOTBALL
Liverpool v Everton
Tottenham v Aston Villa
Doncaster v Reading
Barcelona v Getafe
Real Madrid v Espanyol
RUGBY SIX NATIONS CUP
Ireland v Italy
England v Wales
Sun 7.02
FOOTBALL
Dunfermline v Celtic
Birmingham v Wolves
Chelsea v Arsenal
Zaragoza v Sevilla
Racing v Atletico Madrid
RUGBY SIX NATIONS CUP
Scotland v France
KO 1:45 PM
KO 6:30 PM
KO 6:20 PM
KO 8:00 PM
KO 10:00PM
KO 3:30 PM
KO 6:00 PM
KO 1:15 PM
KO 2:30 PM
KO 5:00 PM
KO 7:00 PM
KO 9:00 PM
KO 3:30 PM
Mon 8.02
CRICKET
India v South Africa
FOOTBALL
League One
Colchester v Southend
KO 8:45 PM
Tue 9.02
FOOTBALL
Man City v Bolton
Carlisle United v Leeds United
KO 8:45PM
KO 8:00 PM
Wed 10.02
CRICKET
India v South Africa
FOOTBALL
Scottish Premier League
Motherwell v Rangers
Barclays Premier League
Arsenal v Liverpool
Everton v Chelsea
Thu 11.02
Mixed Martial Arts
Don’t miss
any of the action
BAR BELOW
ul. Marszałkowska 64, Warszawa
tel.: 022 621 18 50, www.barbelow.pl
Open 17:00 - last guest,
Sat 12:00 - last guest
KO 8:30 PM
5:00 PM
KO 5:00 PM
KO 8:00 PM
KO 8:45 PM
KO 8:45 PM
10:00 PM
14
CLASSIFIEDS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Classifieds:
Place your free ads and community
news here. Email [email protected]
“FRESH – Warsaw Young Artist Festival”
Flat for Sale in Warsaw - Anin
Personal and Business Coaching
Date: Sunday, February 14, 2010
Time: 12:30 – 20:00
Location: Sheraton Hotel Warsaw - Grand Ballroom
You are cordially invited to an art show and sale by
Polish artists at the beginning of their careers. They
are young, well trained artists who are bringing
their “fresh”, innovative art works to be exhibited.
Many have just graduated from the art academies
in Warsaw. With the wide range of amazing art, we
are sure that you will find something of interest. This
program has been designed to benefit both art
connoisseurs and artists. Art will be available for
purchase. Prices will range from 500 to 5000 PLN.
There will also be art exhibited from the International
Baccalaureate High School Students from the
American School of Warsaw and The British School
of Warsaw.
Please join us in “discovering” these great new Polish
artists.
This exhibit is being organized by the American
Friends of Warsaw and the Young Polish Artists.
Spacious & quiet flat of 132m2, 5 rooms (4 bedrooms)
ideal for family with children
- separate, fully furnished kitchen with dining space,
- large and bright living room,
- four bedrooms, two bathrooms,
- garage.
Many shops in immediate surroundings, also
playschools primary and secondary schools.
www.mieszkaniewaninie.pl
You are at a crossroad in your life, You have lost the
sense of fulfilment and pleasure in your work, You want
to achieve the same results with less stress and a better
life, Or you would like to get an attentive ear and a
sounding board.
Olivier AUBER, a coach with experience is offering
sessions to Assist You in finding Your solution to Your
problem.
www.BEfficient.eu
Studio to Rent
Easyjet Cancellations
To Rent: Small Studio with Sunny Balcony
3 mins from Metro ‘Ratusz’ / Quiet Street with
Parking. Living Room w/Kitchen, Bathroom,
Basement Storage. Fully furnished, renovated,
wooden floor, 24 sqm. Washing Machine, ADSL +
WiFi, Phone Line. PLN 1,600 + Bills (approx. PLN
300) p.c.m. Available from February / March 2010
Contact Michael under: [email protected]
Anyone that should have travelled on Easyjet
7251 or 7252 Liverpool-Krakow on December
24th could be entitled to compensation.
[email protected] for
more information. NO WIN NO FEE.
Private Spanish Lessons
Volkswagen Touran for sale
Christian Life Seminar
Spanish teacher (NATIVE SPEAKER) with
experience in private tuition. I would be happy
to teach you spanish and improve your level with
intensive and funny lessons.
Contact Elena, 722 15 58 10,
[email protected]
Warsaw downtown area.
Price 50 zl/60 min.
2005 (July) VW Touran 5 + 2 seater.
1.6L petrol. 6 speed.
Blue. Good condition.
Fully serviced. 2 sets of tyres.
90,000km. 35,000PLN O.N.O.
Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life
invites you to a Christian Life Seminar.
A series of talks intended to bring one to a
renewed understanding of God and His love on
Feb 13 & 14, 2010 from 9am-5pm. It will be held
in the NMP Parish Church at Ul. Domaniewska
20 (cor Niepodległości) in Mokotow. contact:
660387207, [email protected]
Career opportunity
Snowboard + equipment
Land for rent/lease near Warsaw
This is an exciting opportunity for the right
candidates to join a select financial services
group who lead the international marketplace in
financial services. We are expanding rapidly as
a company, and are currently looking to build on
this success by recruiting business development
staff. For more information, please e-mail info@
aesfinance.com with “Warsaw” as the subject.
Hardly used and in excellent condition:
Hammer Snowboard 165cm
Burton Toe clip bindings
Rider’s back protector
Boots Size 44
Bag
Price: 1000zl (original cost 2600zl)
Contact: Peter in Warsaw on 506030161
2,640 hctr of land near Radom and Białobrzegow
for long term lease.
Ideal logistics/transport/warehousing, petrol
station/LPG service. Entry from all sides including
highway E7. Located in Maksymilianów.
Possibility to rent in parts. Line for electricity and
other utilities included. Price 5 zł/M2 to negotiate.
Contact: Dinesh Sharma Mob:+48-500-122-836
Studio to Rent
Private Polish/English Lessons
Villa to rent
To Rent: Small Studio with Sunny Balcony
3 mins from Metro ‘Ratusz’ / Quiet Street with
Parking. Living Room w/Kitchen, Bathroom,
Basement Storage. Fully furnished, renovated,
wooden floor, 24 sqm. Washing Machine, ADSL +
WiFi, Phone Line. PLN 1,600 + Bills (approx. PLN
300) p.c.m. Available from February / March 2010
Contact Michael under: [email protected]
Professional and experienced teacher available
for private tuition. Polish and English language
lessons for adults and children which are
interesting, effective, and fun. Also, private tuition
for schoolchildren. Contact Anna on 0602 312
243, [email protected]
Stunning wooden villa to rent in Zakopane. Newly
built wooden house, sleeps 8, uninterrupted
views of mountains, close to slopes, stylish
contemporary decor, sauna, cinema room - from
€750 per week. [email protected].
Contact [email protected]
15
COMMUNITY NEWS
The New Poland Express I Friday 5th February 2010 I www.nwe.pl
Community Groups:
Place free listings for
your community groups here. Email [email protected]
Tri-City Toastmasters
HASH HOUSE HARRIERS
Toastmasters club
When: The club meets on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th
Wednesday of each month
Where: ul. Kartuska 5, second floor, 80-103
GDAŃSK.
tri-city-t​oastmaster​s@googlegr​oups.com
Phone: 504 304 764
We are a Polish and Expat social group who organise a
walk/run in a forest, park or around the city, followed by
a few beers (or whatever takes your fancy!). We meet at
the Marriott hotel on alternate Saturdays at 2pm. “Hash
House Harriers” is an international group, which was
originally established in Malaysia 70 years ago.
All are welcome. For details, call Martin at 502-052-958.
Email [email protected] or www.warsawhash.pl
Toastmasters club (Polska) invites all to its weekly
meetings. Toastmasters is the international
organization for learning the art of public
speaking and enhancing leadership skills.
Meetings every Wednesday at 19.00 at the Palace
of Culture 12th floor (premises of Collegium
Civitas) - entrance from ul. Marszałkowska side.
For more details visit www.toastmasters.org.pl or
call Etan at 696-292-451
International Women’s Group
International Rotary Club
Poznan International Church
Meetings are held twice a month on the first
Monday (at rotating locations between 10:30
and 12:30) and the third Monday of the month at
Restauracja Tapa y Toro located in the Zlote Trasy
Shopping Mall (ul. Zlota 59) from 10:00 - 11:00.
For more information see www.iwgwarsaw.com or
contact us at [email protected]
International Rotary Club - Warszawa Wilanow is
the only English speaking Rotary Club in Warsaw.
Visiting Rotarians are warmly welcomed
to join the weekly meetings held at the
Polonia Palace Hotel, Al. Jerozolimskie 45.
Tuesday’s at 12:00, except the last Tuesday
of each month when the meeting is at 19:00.
For more information: +48 601 897 731
Every Sunday at 10:00
Contact details: www.international.pl. It’s simple at P.I.C..
Come and experience God through current music and
relevant teaching. Grow in your relationship with God
and others by making friends and joining a small group.
Serve God and people by being generous with the gifts
God has given you. Go and make a difference in the
world by sharing the love of Christ.
Gospel Baptist CHURCH
Expat meetings
ul. Czerniowiecka 4, Warsaw. Services are held
in Polish and English languages: Sun. 11:00
(Sunday School), 12:00 (AM service), 18:00 (PM
Service), Thurs. 19:00. For more information
contact: Pastor Paul Sock, mob. 0500-270-990,
e-mail: [email protected]
Meeting English speakers in Warsaw just got a
whole load easier. We don’t teach you Salsa,
we make you pay for your own drinks, but
we do promise to give you the premier multicultural event of the week at Warsaw’s very own
Professional Wednesday Meetup.
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