NO. 26 WWW.KRAKOWPOST.COM NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 WEEKLY November of memory: Poland remembers those who passed EU Blue Card for skilled workers The EU’s need for 20 mln highly qualified employees in the next two decades has been widely reported. The proposed Blue Card may be the answer 2 Ombudsman tackles WWII compensation The 1996 provision granting monetary compensation for those transported during World War II is now being questioned by the Ombudsman 3

Chechen refugees flee to Europe Chechen refugees flee Western Europe in search of a safer life. Many encounter unexpectedly tough immigration procedures 6 Polish Germans few points at polls Polish Germans have suffered the worst election result of any mi- The beginning of November in Poland is always marked with the lights of candles nority in the nation since 1991 7 burning in graveyards. The lights commemorate deceased relatives and friends.

Urszula Ciolkiewicz “I celebrate All Saints’ Day every year,” Polish airports soon STAFF JOURNALIST says Beata Paradysz, a psychology student from Warsaw. “I visit the graves of my to float their shares The beginning of November in Poland family as well as the graves of the great is always marked with the lights of candles and famous Poles at the Powazki Ceme- The state-owned airport group burning in graveyards. tery. This is an unusual time, when you can Panstwowe Porty Lotnicze (PPL) The first and second day of this month is pause during the everyday fuss and rush will be restructured as a limited the time when Poles stream to the cemeter- and think about the sense and direction of ies to decorate the graves with flowers and your life. Moreover, I just like the look of company. Full commercialization to light the flames. The lights commemo- the lighted graveyards in the evening.” is expected within a year 8 rate deceased relatives and friends. The Festival of All Saints (All Saints’ Day) is a feast celebrated in honor of all the saints, known and unknown. In the Roman Catholic Church, Nov. 1 is the day which recalls those who have attained eternal joy in heaven, while the next day commemo- rates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Nov. 2 is known as All Souls’ Day. Few Poles remember that this feast has pre-Christian, pagan roots. This day was celebrated as early as before the birth of house of entertainment Christ by Slavs and Celts. All Souls’ Day in Poland commemo- the best entertainment in Krakow rates the pagan festival called “Dziady,” described in the famous work of Adam piano bar Mickiewicz, the Polish Romantic poet. live-music sessions Slavic ancestors prayed for those who bring card – get prize couldn’t find the way to Nawia, mythologi- cal land of the dead. In Tyrol, cakes are left HOTEL NOVOTEL, ul. Armii Krajowej 11 on the table for the dead and the room kept Tel.: +48 (0) 12 636-0807 warm for their comfort. In Bolivia there is

See MEMORY on Page 9 2 The Krakow Post POLAND NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 R E G I O N A L N E W S Poland denies Russian hackers down web Blue Card for skilled and site of Ukrainian president Russian nationalists claimed early this will accept week to have hacked into and disabled the official web site of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in a retaliation cyber willing to work in the EU Russian meat attack. A group called the Eurasian Youth Union, whose leader is banned from inspectors Ukraine for having vandalized Ukrainian national symbols, said it had acted because its own web site had come under attack by agence france-presse Ukrainian authorities. Attacks against Yushchenko’s web site Poland denied late last week reports – www.president.gov.ua – began on Sun- that it had agreed to give access to Rus- day and were continuing on Tuesday, the sian meat inspectors, a move that could president’s press office said, without iden- have ended a bilateral dispute holding tifying the suspected hackers. up a key EU-Russia trade deal. The press office said it had registered “The position of Poland concerning the embargo imposed by the Russian 18,000 separate cyber attacks against the Federation on Polish food goods has web site coming from Britain, Israel, Ka- not changed,” Polish Foreign Minister zakhstan, Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. Anna Fotyga said in a statement. “Yushchenko’s official web site will not “Concerning products affected by work unless Kyiv stops its attacks against the embargo, we demand an uncondi- the official web site of the Eurasian Youth tional and total lifting of this embargo Group,” the group said in a statement quot- without delay. Only a lifting will allow ed by Interfax news agency. Leaders of the possible checks by Russian veterinary Eurasian Youth Group were banned from services in firms affected by the em- traveling to Ukraine earlier this year after bargo,” she said. they claimed to have vandalized Ukrainian Earlier in the week Russian news national symbols on a mountain in the west agencies cited Sergei Yastrzhembsky, of the country. (AFP) the Kremlin official in charge of EU re- lations, as saying at an EU-Russia sum- Deputy Czech PM to sue mit in Portugal that Poland had agreed over corruption allegations to Russian inspections. “It’s a positive signal and I think Czech Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek that we can start this important work, announced early this week that he would these inspections, in November,” Yastr- sue the country’s public broadcaster over a zhembsky had been quoted as saying. program that accused him of receiving large Since November last year, Poland sums of money while on state benefit. has blocked the start of talks between “Criminal proceedings will be launched the EU and Russia to renew a 10-year- against this program,” Cunek’s Christian old partnership and cooperation agree- Democrat Party announced on its Internet ment (PCA) in retaliation against Rus- page. Monday night’s edition of Czech Tele- sia’s decision to ban the import of meat from Poland in 2005. vision’s investigative program “Reporteri Liberal and pro-business opposition CT” related to money Cunek is alleged to The administrative capital of South Africa, Central Pretoria. leader Donald Tusk’s victory in Polish have received in the late 1990s, before his parliamentary elections on Sunday has time as a politician. Michal Wojtas granted a permanent resident’s card auto- some countries – most probably Great Brit- raised hopes of a possible breakthrough At the time he was receiving state ben- STAFF JOURNALIST matically after getting a job offer with pay ain, Ireland and Denmark – will oppose the in the dispute after he signalled closer efit. The sum quoted in the program related at least three times higher than the mini- Blue Card project. relations with Brussels and Moscow. to 3.5 mln koruna (130,170 euro, $188,300) The EU’s need for 20 mln highly quali- mum wage of the country. He or she could The Polish job market already has suf- A source close to the European Com- deposited in various bank accounts. fied employees in the next two decades has bring along immediate family and after two fered from what can be called a “brain mission said of Yastrzhembsky’s com- In an interview that appeared in Tuesday’s been widely reported. years seek work throughout the EU. drain” to the UK, Germany and Holland, ments: “This can be considered as a edition of the left-wing daily, Pravo, Cunek The worker shortage in the common Another condition, however, is that the where salaries are much higher. In the infor- first step, a sign of detente,” although said he only claimed child support benefit to market has prompted the European Parlia- job vacancy could not be filled by an EU mation technology and engineering sectors, “this does not solve the problem.” which his family was entitled. ment to propose a solution to the European citizen. Polish wages are now close to the European Alexei Alexeyenko, spokesman for It is not the first time that Cunek, the re- Commission. The new law would harmonize immigra- average as companies fight for workers. the Russian state veterinary service, gional development minister, has faced cor- It’s called Blue Card (named after the tion rules in the 27 countries of the EU and And Polish entrepreneurs, as well as their said the decision was “expected” and ruption allegations. color of the EU flag) and is based on a high- attract the skilled people from developing colleagues from other EU countries, will that he hoped the issue “will no longer Police accused him of having accepted a ly successful American immigration pro- countries who now usually choose jobs in warmly welcome any law that might bring be political.” bribe of half a mln koruna from a building gram for highly educated professionals that the U.S. and Canada because of their liberal skilled computer specialists from Eastern The agreement is seen as particularly firm when he was mayor of the eastern town has attracted people around the world to the immigration plans. and Southern Asia or Africa. important in the EU because it will in- of Vsetin in 2002. U.S. labor market for the last two decades. The draft filed by the European Parlia- For those regions, the intensification of clude provisions for energy relations as Although the authorities closed the inves- According to the Blue Card draft, an ment does not go as far as the North Ameri- the global fight for employees may have the EU increases its reliance on Russian oil and gas imports. tigation in August, the circumstances under employee from outside of the EU would be can programs. And it is highly possible that very bad consequences. which that decision was taken are still being examined. During his time as mayor of Vse- tin, Cunek controversially expelled Roma families from the center of the city. He be- came leader of the Christian Democrats at the end of 2006. The party is a junior member of the frag- ile three-way center-right coalition of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. (AFP) Turkish sailors presumed dead after Slovak shipwreck Seven Turkish sailors were missing and presumed dead early this week after their ship, sailing under the Slovak flag, sank in the Baltic Sea at the weekend, the navy coastguard said. “Our divers have completed their second dive today. They are still trying to get into the ship, but so far they haven’t found any sign of life and it seems the hull is full of water so we think the possibility of finding them alive is very, very small,” coastguard duty commander Hans Christian told AFP. The 80-meter (260-foot) Omer N was partly submerged and lying on its side after it ran aground on a sandbank on Sunday in the Femer Strait between Denmark and Ger- many. The cargo ship, which was transport- ing ammonium chloride and was en route from Gdynia, Poland to Nantes, France, had a crew of 11 on board, all of whom were Turkish. Three of them were rescued on Sunday and one was plucked dead from the sea. One of the seven missing was a woman, Christian said. He said the coastguard was considering whether to send its eight divers down for a third attempt. “We are also investigating how to try to salvage the ship,” he said. (AFP) NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 POLAND The Krakow Post 3

New premier Ombudsman tackles WWII deportation off to Britain to thank expat compensation in Constitutional Tribunal voters According to the Ombudsman granting com- agence france-presse pensation for those who were forced into

Poland’s premier-in-waiting Donald Tusk Nazi or Soviet labor camps cannot be made is off to London to thank expatriate Polish dependent upon whether the transporta- voters who helped him rout Warsaw’s ruling conservatives in an election a week ago. tion was made out of Poland’s then official “Donald Tusk is going to London to say a symbolic thank you to all the Polish emi- borders (in existence before Sept. 1, 1939), grants around the world who supported him as the 1996 provision expresses massively during the election,” Krzysztof Lisek, an official from Tusk’s Civic Plat- form (PO) party, told AFP. Justyna Krzywicka Russian officer Tusk will hold a rally on Saturday in Eal- STAFF JOURNALIST ing, a part of London where a long-estab- sentenced to hard lished Polish community has mushroomed The 1996 provision granting monetary compensation for since Poland joined the EU more than three those transported during World War II has been questioned by years ago. Tusk is expected to become prime labor for spying minister shortly after the first session of the the Ombudsman. The Polish Press Agency (PAP) reports the new parliament next Monday. matter has been taken to the Constitutional Tribunal by Janusz Tusk traveled to Britain and Ireland at Kochanwoski. According to the Ombudsman granting com- the end of September to drum up support for pensation for those who were forced into Nazi or Soviet labor PO, as he sought to end two years of rule camps cannot be made dependent upon whether the transporta- by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) tion was made out of Poland’s then official borders (in exis- party. During visits to London, Glasgow tence before Sept. 1, 1939), as the 1996 provision expresses. and Dublin, Tusk promised to spur Poland’s The current provision allows for compensation to be given economy to lure home some of the more than one mln Poles who have moved to Brit- if the following conditions are met: forced labor had to last for ain and Ireland to find jobs since 2004. at least 6 months, those who were transported were taken out Both countries were among the first west of Poland’s then official borders (in existence before Sept. 1, European states to open their labor markets 1939), forced labor was carried out on Nazi territory between to that year’s ex-Communist EU newcom- 1939 and 1945, or on Soviet territory or Soviet occupied terri- ers. Britain and Ireland provided fertile terri- tory between Sept. 17, 1939 to Feb. 5, 1945. tory for PO in the Oct. 21 vote: figures from If transportations were carried out after this period and until Poland’s national electoral commission 1948, the transportations had to be made within Poland’s cur- show the party obtained almost 75 percent of the British vote and just over 77 percent rently existing borders. Moscow Kremlin. in Ireland, compared with its overall result This provision according to Kochanowski is not only dis- of almost 42 percent. criminatory for those who have been deported, but it also agence france-presse In contrast, PiS, which is steered by breaches fundamental notions of justice. The Ombudsman twins President Lech Kaczysnki and defeat- claims this provision has led to an “arbitrary differentiation of A Russian officer convicted of spying for ed Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, won persons who were victims of a particular type of repression.” Poland was sentenced to seven years hard just over 12 percent of the vote in Britain Many have been refused compensation on the grounds that the labor early this week, the Military Tribunal and almost 11 percent in Ireland, compared forced labor they carried out was on Polish territory within the in Moscow announced. with some 32 percent nationally. “Sergei Yurenia... was found guilty of Just over 48,000 British-based Poles official borders in existence before Sept. 1, 1939. signed up to vote at the Polish embassy in Kochanowski argues this is an unjust treatment of persons high treason for espionage,” tribunal spokes- London, as well as the country’s consulates who were deported and found in the same forced labor situa- man Alexandre Minchanovsky told AFP. and a string of community centers from tion, yet deprived of compensation due to the area on which the “Recruited by Polish special services, northern Scotland to England’s south coast. forced labor was carried out. Yurenia transmitted Russian secret classi- In Ireland, just over 21,000 registered. The Ombudsman argues the legislator drafted a provision fied information from 2005 to 2006 on the Their turnout rate beat that of home- that is in effect in breach of constitutional principles of equality deployment, hierarchy and the armaments based Poles: around 75 percent of British- and justice. The result of this provision is a refusal of compen- of numerous military units in Moscow,” he registered voters took part, and 66 percent said. Yurenia also tried to become a member in Ireland, compared to almost 54 percent sation for a large part of the deportees. nationally. Estimates for the British-based WWII saw some 2.8 mln persons transported by Nazis out of the Federal Security Service – the succes- Polish community range from 300,000 in of Poland to forced labor camps on Nazi occupied territory. sor organization to the Soviet-era KGB. some government studies, to one mln, half Between 1939 and 1941 around 400,000 Polish citizens were Arrested in March, the officer “pleaded of whom live in the London area, accord- transported East during the Soviet occupation. Further tens of guilty and expressed remorse,” the spokes- ing to some Polish sources. Ireland’s Pol- thousands of persons were deported to Soviet Russia after the The 1996 provision granting monetary compensation for those trans- man said, adding that “the tribunal took into ish community is currently estimated at Red Army entered Poland in 1944. ported during World War II has been questioned by the Ombudsman. account that Mr. Yurenia had a small child.” 150,000-250,000. Victims of Election winners reach Communist regime agreement on coalition commemorated agence france-presse agence france-presse tailed framework” of his government. He reiterated his intention to end Poland’s Bodies of 1,998 people including 477 Poles, The leader of Poland’s election-winning military mission in Iraq next year “in its cur- killed by the Soviet secret service NKVD be- pro-business Civic Platform (PO), Donald rent form” and pledged to “soon” sign the tween 1937 and 1941, were solemnly reburied Tusk, said early this week that his party had EU Charter of Fundamental Rights – which near Kyiv late last week. reached agreement on forming a coalition the former government rejected. The relatives of victims and some Ukrainian government with a centrist movement. Tusk’s party missed its target of a major- and Polish officials gathered for the ceremony of reinterment, which was held in a forest outside “During a meeting with Waldemar Paw- ity in the 460-member parliament, capturing Kyiv, where tens of thousands of victims of the lak (the leader of the Polish Peasants’ Party), 209 seats to PiS’ 166. we confirmed our will to work together. We Soviet regime were murdered and buried. The That made it necessary to bring the ru- ceremony was accompanied by the Ukrainian agreed that the two parties will form a coali- ral-based Polish Peasants’ Party (PSL) into national anthem and music of a military orches- tion government,” premier-in-waiting Tusk government as a junior coalition member. tra, as most of the dead had been professional told reporters. PSL, which won 31 seats, already runs sev- soldiers, TV channel 5 showed. “Negotiations are almost complete. eral local governments together with PO. “My grandfather was killed in Kyiv in August Waldemar Pawlak and I are now working on The two parties have yet to finalize the exact 1937. He worked as an engineer in Vinnytsia a joint policy statement,” he said. share-out of ministerial posts, but Tusk indi- [center of Ukraine], he was building a signal of- Pawlak, 48, who was premier for 17 cated PSL was likely to receive three posts: fice center. All of the engineers, who worked in months in the mid-1990s, could be named the economy and agriculture portfolios, and Vinnytsia in the summer of 1937, were brought economy minister, party sources say, and either the Environment Ministry, or Labor to Kyiv. Then, after a trial, all of them were also possibly deputy prime minister. Ministry. shot,” said a dole-looking woman on TV 5. Tusk, 50, also told Polish TV Tuesday Tusk said the coalition talks have dem- According to various estimates up to 120,000 people, arrested and killed by the NKVD be- that it was “highly likely” he would propose onstrated that the two parties have “major tween 1936 and 1941 in Kyiv, were secretly Radoslaw Sikorski for the post of foreign similarities in their points of view.” minister. buried in the forest near the village of Bykivnia He said they had agreed to simplify Po- outside the Ukrainian capital. Sikorski joined PO after quitting the gov- land’s current, complex system of tax bands, In 1994, a memorial complex to the victims ernment in February following a clash with but without cutting taxes “in the next two of the Stalin regime was created in Bykivnianski Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his years.” He did not give further details. forest, and in 2001 the forest became a state his- identical twin brother, President Lech Kac- Tax reform has been seen as a sticking torical and memorial site. zynski. point in a coalition, because while PSL Civic Platform thrashed the Kaczynski’s has supported a shake up, it has expressed right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party in doubts about Tusk’s pledge to introduce a the Oct. 21 snap election, and it is up to the single-rate “flat tax,” a system already in Drop by with our advert on president to formally appoint his brother’s place in much of ex-Communist Europe. successor when he steps down on Nov. 5. PSL has also raised concerns about pg. 15 and receive a free beer!6 Tusk said he would be ready “within 24 planned social security reforms, which it The leader of Poland’s election-winning pro-business Civic Platform (PO), Donald Tusk, hours” to give the president the “highly de- says could hit farmers’ pockets. said his party had reached a coalition agreement. 4 The Krakow Post POLAND NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007

R E G I O N A L N E W S Czech urges energy giant CEZ to switch strategy Anniversary of distinguished Czech Deputy Prime Minister Martin Bursik early this week called on energy gi- ant CEZ to invest locally rather than pursue foreign acquisitions, as in Bulgaria or Ro- mania. Investments in Romania and Bul- garia make the company attractive for priva- Polish philosopher Kolakowski tization “but for the Czech customer at this moment it does nothing at all,” Bursik, who In 1953 Kolakowski earned a Ph.D. at is Green Party leader, said during a debate the university with a dissertation on Baruch on Czech public television. Spinoza, a Dutch philosopher who was one “We want to open up a debate with CEZ,” of the great rationalists of the 17th Century. Bursik said, criticizing the company for not Between 1953 and 1968 he was a profes- using the latest technology in a 25-bln-ko- sor in the Department of Modern Philoso- runa (932-mln-euro, $1.3-bln) refit of one 1.2:Mariusz_Kubik G DFL phy at Warsaw University. of its major coal fired plants, Tusimice. He also worked at the Communist Party’s Bursik’s demand CEZ switch its invest- Institute of Social Sciences and the Polish ment policy is uncertain to bring any results Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Philoso- though. Energy policy is a sensitive issue phy and Sociology from 1953 to 1955. within the three-party governing coalition In 1968 he lost his job at Warsaw Uni- made up of the Greens, Christian Democrats versity for supporting student protesters. and rightwing Civic Democrats. This forced him to emigrate. The Greens have imposed a ban on new Since 1970 he has been a faculty mem- nuclear power plants and coal mining in new ber at Oxford University in England, but he areas, a move which is opposed by leading has also lectured at other prestigious uni- Civic Democrats. versities, including Yale, the University of CEZ, which is around two-thirds owned Chicago and the University of California at by the Czech state, is already the biggest Berkeley. power company in Central and Eastern Kolakowski’s criticism of Marxism in Europe. It has aggressively bought up dis- his book “Main Currents of Marxism,” tribution and electricity production assets in published in 1976, led to the Communist Bulgaria, neighboring Poland and Romania Party expelling him. in recent years. Last week CEZ bid to take His philosophical thought has often part in a multi-bln euro tender to build two touched on the link between the mind and blocks of the Cernavoda nuclear reactor in religion. Romania. The company’s high profits, first For example, he has delved into the half net income rose 26.8 percent to 21 bln question of God’s presence in human life. koruna, combined with higher electricity That work has included a look at the ques- prices, with baseload power due to climb tion of whether the mind is able to do with- by 14.4 percent from January, have focused out religion. domestic attention on how it is spending its Some of Kolakowski’s writings have massive cash reserves and profits. (AFP) grown out of his fascination with the reli- Ukrainian nationalists clash gious thought of Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist and religious with police over monument philosopher. For example, Kolakowski has Police clashed with Ukrainian national- written about human existence when hu- ists early this week in the southern port city mans believe in God and human existence of Odessa as the protestors tried to stop the when humans don’t believe in God. inauguration of a monument to Russian em- Kolakowski’s 400 works have been press Catherine II. translated into numerous languages. Many Officers made several arrests as the pro- had a significant influence in shaping the testors tried to break through a police cordon Polish opposition’s attitude toward Com- to the central square of Odessa and prevent munist rule. the unveiling of the monument to the em- On Oct. 23, Leszek Kolakowski celebrated his 80th birthday. Some of his most important works are press, a controversial figure in Ukrainian “The Key to Heaven” (1957), “Tales from history. It was Catherine who abolished the Urszula Ciolkiewicz the country 37 years ago when his support War II. Later he would become a fervent the Kingdom of Lailonia” (1963), “The last freedoms of the Zaporizhian Cossacks, STAFF JOURNALIST for student demonstrators got him cross- anti-Marxist. Presence of Myth” (1972) and “Why Is who settled along the river of Dnieper in the edged with the Communist regime. Between 1945 and 1950 he studied phi- There Something Rather Than Nothing?” 16th Century – in what is now Ukraine. A man who gave Poland’s anti-Commu- Kolakowski, who is also a poplarizer of losophy at the University of Lodz and War- (2007). He has received many prestigious Several hundred members of groups nist movement its philosophical underpin- the great philosophers’ thoughts, was born saw University. awards, including the Polish Pen Club representing nationalists and Ukrainian nings observed his 80th birthday in Britain in 1927 in Radom to a family with socialist As a student he became an assistant to Award for outstanding literary achieve- Cossacks gathered in the center of Odessa last week. and anti-religious traditions. Prof. Tadeusz Kotarbinski of Warsaw Uni- ment and the John Kluge Prize for lifetime chanting “Shame!” Leszek Kolakowski, considered the most A firm believer in Marxism as a youth, versity, one of Poland’s foremost philoso- achievement in the humanistic and social But the opening ceremony went ahead outstanding living Polish philosopher, left he joined the Communist Party after World phers and an authority on ethics. sciences. in front of several thousand people, after an hour’s delay, the television station TV5 reported. Catherine II, empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796, ordered the foundation of Further delays in preparations for Euro 2012 the city of Odessa in 1764. In the same year she abolished Ukrainian autonomy, deposed the last hetman (chief) the krakow post but she did not point to any specific of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, and forced area as her favorite. She underlined a unification of the Cossacks into Russian While the time until 2012’s Euro- that her suggestions are just ideas to army. (AFP) pean soccer championships in Poland be considered by the new govern- 1.2:Zuska G DFL and Ukraine is running out quickly, ment. Its head will almost certainly be Striker Baros becomes politi- preparations for building the National PO leader Donald Tusk, a dedicated cal football in party cash row Stadium in Warsaw, where the open- football fan from the coastal city of ing match is to be held, drag on. Gdansk. Czech football star Milan Baros was at It still remains unsure where the The outgoing government of Jaro- the center of a government row over who new stadium actually will actually be slaw Kaczynski has already requested promised his football academy a hefty grant built. Last week Mayor of Warsaw stadium designs from about 20 archi- following his help campaigning in elections, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz objected tectural firms. A selection is to be an- local media reported early this week. to the idea of constructing the stadium nounced by the end of November. Mi- The Lyon-based striker actively supported near the site of the now-destroyed chal Borowski of the Sports Ministry the Civic Democrats in the June 2006 elec- Tenth Anniversary Stadium on the says any further delays in the project tions, making appearances at party rallies bank of the Vistula River very close could cause the stadium’s comple- and allowing his face to appear on campaign to the center of the city. tion to be set back until the middle of posters across the country. This site had been accepted by the 2011. Following the party’s election win, he Ministry of Sports and Tourism. Un- If new problems develop, the asked for a 10-mln-koruna (370,000-euro, like stadiums in the other five cities, Union of European Football Asso- $540,000) grant for his football acedemy in the Warsaw project is managed by ciations may even move the Warsaw the east of the country. state, not local, authorities. matches to some other city. But Baros’s application was not success- As a new government will be The Tenth Anniversary Stadium ful. Who led Baros to believe that the cash formed early in November following was built in 1955, 10 years after the would be forthcoming is now the subject of parliamentary elections won by the beginning of Communist rule in Po- a furious row within the rightwing party. opposition Civic Platform (PO), con- land. It held up to 100,000 spectators Vlastimil Tlusty, former Civic Democrat struction may be changed. Gronkie- during sports and political events. finance minister turned party rebel, told the wicz-Waltz, a prominent member of In the 80s the stadium deteriorated daily newspaper Lidovy Noviny that party the PO, said that the proposed stadi- into ruin and it became one of the leader and current Prime Minister Mirek To- um site in one of the most expensive biggest markets in Europe, a center polanek had led Baros to believe he would parts of the city could be sold for a of illegal software, arms and alcohol get the cash. Topolanek has refused to com- great profit. traffic. ment, but close aides have denied the allega- The stadium could then be built The stadium was closed at the end tion, the paper added. (AFP) on the outskirts of Warsaw, she said, of September. Mayor of Warsaw Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz. NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 POLAND The Krakow Post 5 No prison for murder culprits Six F-16 Fighting

www.kprm.gov Falcons soon to arrive in Poland DFL 1.2-Radomil talk G DFL

Attorney General Zbigniew Ziobro. His decision allowed the six men to be tried while not in jail.

Michal Wojtas police failed to respond to the situation. All six attackers were charged in the STAFF JOURNALIST According to police testimony, there was case. not a free patrol car available at that time. Prosecutors charged the Winek brothers Six men accused of killing a 60-year-old Two policemen received suspension with murder and demanded that they each former prison inmate in northeastern Po- sentences of up to one year for their neg- receive 10 years in prison. land have been handed suspended sentenc- But the jury decided that no evidence the krakow post not accompanied by support equipment. es ranging from six months to two years, a was exhibited to prove that they intended The first F-16s in Poland – called far lighter punishment than that sought by In a case that to kill the victim. Six F-16 Fighting Falcons, known “Hawks“ – arrived in November 2006 at prosecutors. has been widely The three other suspects were charged to their pilots as “Vipers,” will come to Krzesiny Airport. In a case that has been widely discussed with shorter sentences. Poland in November. They are the result “The decision that we made in 2003 in the Polish media and followed closely discussed in the The Winek brothers were sentenced to of a deal signed by Poland on April 18, to buy multitask Fighting Falcons was by many, the men from Wlodowo and Bo- Polish media and three years of probation with a mandatory 2003. According to the document, the good,” said Polish President Lech Kac- guchwaly villages were charged with the two years jail sentence if they commit a Polish government purchased 48 new zynski. “This country with 38 mln peo- murder of “Jozef C.” followed closely crime within that probation period. F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the ple, which belongs to NATO and the EU, Termed “Murder in Wlodowo” by the The other three who took part in the U.S. The deal, reportedly worth nearly has to have the equipment to meet poten- media, the incident occurred on July 1, by many, the men beating received six-month to two-year $3.6 bln, included not only the actual tial dangers. I will do my best to make 2005. The victim had been sentenced 23 from Wlodowo sentences. fighter airframes, but also armament and sure that the modernization process in times for different crimes and spent 34 They were found guilty of assault with a support equipment and training for Pol- the army will be continued.” years of his life behind bars. and Boguchwaly dangerous object. ish pilots and maintenance crews. The The F16 Falcon is said to be the most Jozef C. lived in Wlodowo with his villages, were Wlodowo inhabitants who have sup- armament, which Poland will receive capable fourth-generation multirole common-law wife and daughter. He often ported their neighbors throughout the trial in November, includes the AIM-120 ad- fighter with a legendary combat record caused disturbances and threatened many charged with the are happy that they will not serve any time vanced medium-range air-to-air missile of 72 victories and 0 losses. of the locals, who lived in fear for them- murder of in prison. (AMRAAM) which has an all-weather, The jet aircraft was designed as a selves and their children. However, they also believe the six men beyond-visual-range capability. lightweight fighter. Since production On the day of the murder, the victim “Jozef C.” should have been acquitted on the grounds Also arriving are the AIM-9X Side- started in 1976, more than 4,000 aircraft had beaten his common-law wife and had that they only acted in self-defense. winder air-to-air missile, laser-guided have been built. threatened to kill her. But Andrzej Rzeplinski from the Helsin- Paveway bombs and the air-to-ground They are used in many countries, in- He then appeared in front of the Winek ligence. ki Foundation for Human Rights believes tactical Maverick missile (AGM) de- cluding Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, brothers’ house and proceeded to scream, A few hours later, when the victim be- that the incident was murder and the jury’s signed for close air support. Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Neth- threatening to burn down their home. gan to threaten the lives of the villagers, the sentence was incorrect. Earlier, 27 Falcons, which arrived erlands, Norway, Pakistan, South Korea, In the brawl that ensued, Jozef C. wound- Winek brothers and three other men began In addition, police may not feel obligat- from the U.S. in 2006, were built only Portugal, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, ed one of the brothers with a knife and then to chase him. Jozef C. was then forced to ed to intervene in such cases, even though for unarmed training flights and were Turkey, U.S. and Venezuela. fled the scene. Three different people noti- the ground and beaten to death with shovels they should do so, according to the law. fied the police from a nearby town, but the and other objects. The trial has lasted 11 months to date. Poland’s ex-sports minister charged in corruption probe

agence france-presse corruption case, which is tied to alleged mis- office himself after his conservative Law use of a government sports center in War- and Justice party lost Sunday’s snap elec- Poland’s ex-Sports Minister Tomasz Lip- saw, she said. tion. Law and Justice came to power two iec, who was appointed to step up the fight Lipiec was arrested earlier Thursday by years ago after campaigning on an anti-graft AGENCJA NIERUCHOMOŚCI CC:2.2:Slawek against graft, was charged late this week Poland’s CBA anti-corruption agency as platform. www.property-krakow.com after being arrested in a bribery probe, the part of what CBA official Tomasz Fratczak When he appointed Lipiec in October Warsaw prosecutor’s office announced. said was a probe into a “major scandal.” 2005, Kaczynski gave the minister the spe- Lipiec, 36, is accused of “having accept- Lipiec, a former Olympic-level race cific task of battling corruption in the sports ed a material benefit related to his public of- walker who moved into journalism before world, and particularly on the Polish foot- fice,” spokeswoman Katarzyna Szeska told entering politics, was fired in July by Prime ball scene. reporters. Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The image of Polish football has been He could face a 10-year prison sentence, Kaczynski acted after two of Lipiec’s tarnished over recent years by a match-fix- Szeska said, without giving further details aides who ran the COS sports center in War- ing scandal which has led to more than 60 of the type of bribe Lipiec had allegedly ac- saw were arrested in a probe of fraud in the arrests – including several referees, a top cepted or the sum involved. rental of the facility. official with the Polish Football Association Sixteen individuals are implicated in the The prime minister is shortly due to leave (PZPN) and a string of club officials. Ex-Sports Minister Tomasz Lipiec.

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Those who muster the courage to do so find that A 45-year-old engineer and carpenter bringing it up does not help them gain refu- named Aslambek is one of the Chechens gee status. who is in Poland under tolerated-stay sta- Another case that has brought outrage is tus. that of Issa, a Chechen who went to Belgium “I arrived in Poland in 2005 with my wife after the Polish government rejected his ap- and three children,” he said. “In my family plication for refugee status several times. village in Chechnya I repaired guerrillas’ The Belgians found him and deported him damaged cars.” back to Poland. Before he left Belgium, he Russian soldiers caught him one night. was diagnosed as having tuberculosis and They took him to a prison. “During inter- jaundice. rogations lasting several days, I was bitten, He wrote in his diary that “after arriving connected to electric wires and had my teeth in Poland, I was placed in a guarded refugee filed,” he said. center in Lesznowola, where my medicines Polish immigration officials gave him were taken away and I was denied a medi- tolerated-stay rather than refugee status cal examination and treatment.” Not until he because he was unable to supply enough lost consciousness was he transported to a evidence that he was a victim of political hospital, where he died in surgery. oppression. He described in his diary the refugee cen- After he received tolerated-stay status, ter guards’ humiliating treatment of him and his family moved “to a small cellar which his dashed hopes for a better life. we rented thanks to money that our relatives Chechens’ reaction to the way they have sent from abroad.” been treated in Poland has ranged from re- When one of his daughters developed a signed acceptance to activism and protest. serious viral infection, volunteers helped In August 2004, a group of Chechens him arrange medical care. staged a hunger strike at the refugee center Aslambek said that before he met the vol- in Lublin. They were protesting the govern- unteers, he was under the impression that his ment’s lack of help to refugees and the EU’s Chechen children. family would be unable to get medical care Dublin Regulation, which says that an im- without paying a hefty fee. He was lucky migrant can apply for refugee status only in that the volunteer helped him cut through the EU country where he first arrived. Rafal Blachnio Century tsarist Russia conquered the area to Polish immigration authorities have been the lack of information and the language It is really unjust to prevent Chechens Mariusz Nieroda strengthen its position in the North Cauca- unsympathetic or even hostile to the refu- barrier. from going on to countries who have the contributing journalists sus and gain control of natural resources gees’ plight, many Chechens say. A more serious problem for those under resources to care for and integrate asylum Ever since, the Chechens have viewed “After arriving in Poland and applying tolerated-stay status is lack of resources to seekers, a Chechen named Rusin said. The recent death of three Chechen girls in Russian rule as occupation and have mount- for refugee status, I was located in one of meet basic needs, including housing. That In July 2005 another group of Chechens the Bieszczady Mountains of Poland is a re- ed intermittent waves of resistance to it. 18 overcrowded Polish refugee center,” said has prompted some Chechens to make a staged a hunger strike in the refugee camp in minder that thousands of Chechens continue World War II was one of the worst peri- Magomed, a refugee in Grozny. He waited risky return to Russia, where at least they Bielany, near Warsaw. to flee the war in their homeland. ods. Josef Stalin, who distrusted the Chech- in the camp for a year, he said, before the can get help from relatives. This time the authorities’ reaction was When the girls’ mother got lost in the ens, sent hundreds of thousands of them government agreed to give him political Chechens who appeal the government’s swift and – some human rights activists mountains, she told them to stay put while to Kazakhstan on board cattles wagons in asylum. rejection of their request for refugee sta- would say – oppressive. she and her toddler son went for help. When 1944. Half of the entire population died During the waiting period he was not al- tus must wait months for a decision. In the They transferred the protest leaders to she returned, the girls were dead of expo- from starvation and cold. lowed to work. Even if he had been allowed meantime, they lose their right to stay in a other refugee centers. They included mem- sure. When the Soviet Union disintegrated in to work, he would have been unable to han- refugee camp. bers of a family whose father had to stay As the closest country in the EU to Rus- 1991, the Chechens saw a chance to regain dle a job because he doesn’t speak Polish – Non-governmental organizations have behind in a hospital. And members of an- sia, Poland has become a magnet for Chech- their freedom. and the government has not made language stepped in to help Chechens whose situ- other family whose children were attending en refugees. In fact, more than 90 percent of Chechen leaders declared independence. teachers available to refugees. ations have become desperate because of Warsaw schools. refugees in Poland are Chechen. Russia reacted by sending military forces to In 2006 the Polish government received lack of resources. But those organizations Those episodes of activism led to author- Poland is not where many of them want to the area to try to stamp out the independence 3,772 applications for refugee status from can help only a small fraction of those who ities looking for terrorist plots, as opposed end up, however. It’s better than their home- movement. Chechens and others in Russia. It rejected need it. Human rights organizations decry to simple protest movements. A S.W.A.T land because it’s not embroiled in a war. With Russian troops dying by the hun- most of the requests. not only the lack of help that Poland gives team raided the refugee center in Lublin But Chechen refugees say Polish officials dreds, the first Chechen war quickly became In fact, the EU’s refugee organization Chechens but also the government’s stance on Dec. 10, 2005, searching for Chechens are unsympathetic to their plight, are reluc- unpopular in Russia. It ended with an un- says only 5 percent of Chechens who apply that it must have documentary evidence of rumoured to be planning an assassination. tant to grant them political asylum and do easy truce in 1996. for refugee status in Poland actually get it. political oppression in Chechnya before Police refused to reveal details. not offer much resettlement help. In fact, The second Chechen War began in 1999 The figure is 23 percent in Germany, 42 per- awarding refugee status to a Chechen. “Three Chechens were arrested. After Poland rejects the political-asylum applica- after Vladimir Putin became president. He cent in France and 90 percent in Austria. That hard-nose stance assumes that the interrogation they were released without tions of most Chechens coming here. accused Chechens of unexplained apart- Jan Wegrzyn, the director of Poland’s im- asylum seeker is lying, the critics say. Even any accusation,” said a volunteer at the The reason is not a bias against Chechen ment-complex bombings in Moscow and migration service, says Poland’s low accep- in a criminal court proceeding, they point center who did not want to reveal her name refugees, but a simple lack of resources to Wolgodonsk. Although the Russians never tance rate is a matter of money. out, there is a presumption that the accused because she wants to continue helping the help them, government officials say. proved a Chechen connection, it gave Putin Poland is simply “not wealthy enough to is innocent until proven guilty. refugees there. Thus, many Chechens try to cross Poland a reason to invade Chechnya again with the award more refugee statuses,” he said. “We Some Chechens have provided the gov- She said the sudden appearance of the without immigration authorities catching support of the Russian people. simply cannot afford paying welfare for so ernment with documentation of oppression uniformed, masked and arms-carrying men them so they can settle in an EU country that The second war, which still rages, has many refugees.” – and the government has rejected their re- traumatized many of the refugees. Within is more welcoming. In Austria, for example, been fiercer and more cruel than the first, It is doing “all that is in its power” to do, quest for political asylum anyway. a week, some Chechen families had left, more than 90 percent of refugees seeking with independent observers claiming atroci- given its resources, however, Wegrzyn said. Twenty-five-year Shamil gave Polish im- thinking it was better to be on their own political asylum are granted it. ties on both sides. Human rights groups have Human rights organizations criticize Po- migration officials a summons that police than in an environment that was frighten- If refugees are caught in Poland, they are accused Russian troops of mass executions, land for granting refugee status to so few who wanted to question him about guerrilla ing. stuck with it as their new homeland, how- torture, rape, hostage taking for ransom and Chechens. Amnesty International calls it a ties issued to him in Chechnya. Shamil also The trauma led to a pregnant woman ever. That’s because the EU has a rule that the setting up of concentration camps. “violation of the Geneva Convention” on gave Polish officials a copy of a hospital fo- having to be taken to a hospital to save her the country where a refugee first arrives is dealing with victims of war. rensic examination proving that he had been fetus, the volunteer said. the one where he must apply for residence. Now Poland gives most of the Chechens who tortured. Chechens continued to protest the gov- do not receive refugee status a “tolerated- “These documents were rejected,” he ernment’s treatment despite the traumas. History The brutality of the second Chechen war stay” status. It doesn’t give them much. said. Polish officials justified the rejection Just last month, police stopped a busload has led to a torrent of refugees. Most simply They do not get permanent residency. on grounds that “the documents were issued of Chechens going to Warsaw to demon- The conflict between Russia and Chech- hit Poland before continuing to head west, They must leave the refugee camps where in Chechnya, where it is possible to buy any strate in front of the national immigration nya goes back 300 years, when in the 18th but some try to settle here. they first settled without any government counterfeit document.” building. financial support. And the EU will not al- Polish officials’ rejection of the politi- They kept the Chechens under guard for low Poland to let them go on to another EU cal-asylum application of a woman named 12 hours, making it impossible for them to country. Malika has caused outrage in Poland and hold the protest, said Jakub Hylyk, who was Kamil Rusin of the Committee to Free the abroad. on the bus. Caucasus says by refusing to allow Chech- One of Malika’s children died in her Police said they stopped the bus to search ens to go on to another EU country, Poland arms after suffering shrapnel wounds from for illegal immigrants and to ensure the is playing the role of buffer for other EU a bomb. Polish officials rejected her ap- safety of those who were legal immigrants. plication for political asylum, however, on Chechens and volunteers who help them grounds that “the death of her child was a say the stories of Aslambek, Shamil and side effect of military actions but not a result Issa are far too common in Poland, rooted of direct persecution” against her. in what they maintain is an uncaring and Polish officials also refuse to recognize unhelpful government immigration policy.

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Vancouver International Airport where Robert Dziekanski was waiting for his mother.

agence france-presse and it had been 25 hours since he left home, said Kosteckyj. The death of a Polish emigre after police stunned “He was not a sophisticated traveler... He was him with a taser at an airport in Canada sparked a a fellow simply lost in an English-speaking world diplomatic incident, with Poland demanding full unable to communicate.” details of the subsequent investigation. Police statements on Oct. 14 said “he was The Polish government issued a diplomatic sweating profusely, behaving irrationally, throwing note asking “Canadian authorities to provide us chairs, tipping his luggage cart over, pounding on promptly with full and transparent results of the in- glass windows ... and screaming in what sounded vestigation of this tragic accident,” Maciej Krych, like an Eastern European language.” Poland’s consul general in this western Canadian Documents obtained by CTV news showed that city, told AFP. within two minutes after police arrived, they used Robert Dziekanski, 40, died on Oct. 14 after a a stun gun on Dziekanski. Ambulance attendants brief struggle with security guards and police, who arrived 12 minutes later and were not able to re- Michal Wojtas years later, they had four MPs in Justice (PiS) – dominated the public were called after he started throwing things and vive him. staff journalist Sejm, and one in the Senate. The last debate before the elections. screaming in the airport’s arrival zone. “Our Polish community (is) in a state of shock,” three elections brought them two plac- Even though the German candi- A preliminary coroner’s report Friday showed said Krych. A public inquest will be carried out, Last week’s high voting turnout es in Sejm. dates aired their spots on local TV, there were no drugs or alcohol in Dziekanski’s Jeff Dolan, the province’s assistant deputy chief was good news for Poland, but a ma- many voters turned to the Civic Plat- body, said the lawyer for Zofia Cisowski, the dead coroner, told AFP. jor disappointment for the German form. According to the last nation- man’s mother. Unlike other voter com- The death has fueled controversy about taser population in Poland, who managed to wide census of 2002, Germans are Dziekanski, a construction worker, had flown stun guns, which have been linked to other deaths get only one place in Sejm- the lower mittees, ethnic minorities the second-largest ethnic minority in from Frankfurt to live with his mother in Canada. in the country, including one in the same week as house of the Polish parliament. do not have to meet the Poland after Silesians. Silesians are He spoke only Polish, had never traveled before Dziekanski’s. The leader of the German minor- standard of receiving at not, however, recognized as a nation and was “scared” and “stressed” by the journey, ity in Poland, Henryk Kroll, who was least 5 percent of the na- by the Polish state. said the lawyer, Walter Kosteckyj. an MP for all five previous terms of tionwide vote totals to get Five years ago 160,000 people liv- Dziekanski waited for his mother in the airport’s Sejm, failed to secure a seat this year. a place in Sejm. ing in Poland declared themselves luggage area, but she was not allowed to enter the Kroll lost by just 297 votes to as Germans, most of them living in secure zone and could not find anyone to tell her if Ryszard Galla, a colleague from the Opole Voivodeship, where they make her son had arrived, said Kosteckyj. After several German minority-voting list. Unlike other voter committees, eth- up 10 percent of the population. hours, she left. He plans to step down as chair- nic minorities do not have to meet the Silesians comprise 0.45 percent of A few feet away from her, on the other side of man next spring, and Galla, who has standard of receiving at least 5 percent the inhabitants of Poland while Ger- the security zone wall, Dziekanski waited for 10 already revealed plans to reform the of the nationwide vote totals to get a mans account for 0.4 percent. Other hours, said the lawyer. organization, will almost surely take place in Sejm. ethnic minorities are: Belarusians “It’s unbelievable you have a guy sitting in what over. This year’s result was the poor- Kroll said the defeat stemmed from (0.13), Ukrainians (0.08), Romanians is supposed to be a secure area for 10 hours ... est showing in parliamentary elections two causes. First, many Germans have (0.03), Russians, Lemkos and Lithu- without immigration or airport authorities at least since Poland was freed from Commu- left Poland for better-paying jobs in anians (all – 0.01). Some 1.23 percent asking the guy or finding out what the problem is,” nist dictatorship. other EU countries, including Ger- of people living in Poland declare he said. In 1991, Germans had seven seats many. Second, the two biggest parties other nationalities while 2.03 percent When Dziekanski finally emerged into the pub- in Sejm, and one in the Senate. Two – Civic Platform (PO) and Law and don’t specify ethnicity. lic arrivals area, there was no one to meet him

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Kraków, ul. Tomasza 31 Tel.: 425-4000 8 The Krakow Post BUSINESS NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007

Polish treasury pulls The Charter will not threaten out of sale of insurer reclaimed land in Poland Retirement packages Justyna Krzywicka PZU to Eureko Staff JOURNALIST

agence france-presse Property ownership will not be under threat should Poland accept the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the The Polish treasury said Friday it had “with- EU. Mark Gray the spokesman for the European Com- drawn” from an eight-year-old contract with mission stated on Friday Article 51 of the Charter “clear- Netherlands-based insurer Eureko, under which slowly killing ZUS ly states that the Charter only binds Member States in the group had bought 30 percent of Polish insurer those situations, which are regulated by the EU.” PZU. Justyna Krzywicka tion reform, changes are mandatory, percent of workers aged between 55 The treasury said in a statement that Eureko According to the Polish Press Agency (PAP), Gray Staff JOURNALIST as Poland cannot afford to fund super- and 64 years in the EU at 28.1 per- had breached the contract by asking foreign arbi- assured that restitution of property in the new Member trators to try to settle a dispute related to the deal, States remains outside the EU jurisdiction. annuation for people who are entering cent. The average for the EU is 43.5 rather than turning to the Polish courts first. This reassurance comes as a response to the state- Poland has the highest number of retirement while still at a productive percent. The statement said the “withdrawal” could be ment made by Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga, who on retirees in all of the EU. Within the age. Today nearly all women who have followed by the outright cancellation of the con- Wednesday stated if Poland was to accept the Charter last seven years over 360,000 people If early retirement provisions are reached 55 years are eligible for early tract. it would threaten those living on land reclaimed after have entered the retirement age in to continue, monthly social security retirement. Treasury spokesman Pawel Kozyra declined to Poland. The Social Security Office payments will have to increase across The Constitutional Tribunal ruling elaborate, or explain why the decision had been World War II. Fotyga heavily criticized the Civic Plat- form (PO) for being pro Charter. PO wants to revoke the (ZUS) has had to add a further 1.2 the board. This will also apply to in- last Tuesday may mean that all men made just over week before Poland’s conservative mln pensions to its retirement payout who have reached 60 years of age and Law and Justice party leaves office after losing decision of the current government, who with the Brit- budget within this period. have 35 years of productive work be- last Sunday’s snap election to the pro-business ish government, signed the restrictive application of the Poland has the high- Civic Platform. Charter protocol. According to the Gazeta Prawna hind them may be able to enter early Michal Nastula, head of Eureko Poland, said The EC spokesman told PAP that EU law does not it is estimated a further 199 bln zloty est number of retir- retirement. that the contract “remained in place.” concern itself with property rights, as it is a matter for will be needed to pay retirement pay- ees in all of the EU. Experts are pushing for quick re- “There is no actual or legal basis for the trea- each member state. Further the Charter is not retrospec- ments between the years 2008 and structuring of the existing laws. The sury to pull out,” Nastula was quoted as saying 2012. Experts predict, if amend- Within the last seven push wants to see an increase in the by Poland’s PAP news agency. Eureko has been tive and cannot deal with matters that occurred just after WWII. ments extending the retirement age years over 360,000 retirement age and a termination of locked in a long-running legal dispute with the in Poland are not implemented and any additional retirement benefits. Polish government over the privatization of PZU. Article 51(1) states that the provisions of “this Char- people have entered additional retirement benefits are not Gora emphasizes that the general Eureko bought 30 percent of PZU in 1999 for ter are addressed to institutions and bodies of the EU the retirement age in 3.1 bln zloty, which was then worth 694.5 mln with due regard for the principle of subsidiary and to reduced, ZUS will be threatened with belief in Poland that early retirement euro. the Member States only when they are implementing bankruptcy. Poland. opens up job opportunities for the Its stake has now risen to 33 percent minus one EU law.” And subsection 2 of the Act assures that “this Currently the official retirement young is a myth. Poland has the high- share. It said that as part of the deal it was entitled Charter does not establish any new power or task for age in Poland is 60 for women and est unemployment rate in Europe af- to buy a further 21 percent, which would have the Community or the EU, or modify powers and tasks 65 for men. Early retirement pack- creases in taxation. This approach ter Slovakia and a very large number given it a controlling stake in the Polish group. ages mean that the actual average is however will solve little as Poland’s of young retirees. But the Polish treasury, which controls 55 percent defined by the Treaties.” A spokesman for the European Council will assure on much lower. average life expectancy continues New EU Member States are in- of PZU, contested Eureko’s claims. The main problem lies with early In 2005, an international arbitration court in Thursday the Charter will not impede on any reclaimed to rise. Since 1990 the average life creasing their retirement ages sys- London ruled in favour of Eureko, saying the Pol- land matters in Poland. retirement legislation. There is a wide expectancy for males has increased tematically. All except Poland. The ish treasury had not upheld its side of the priva- Accepted in December 2000 the Charter of Fundamen- range of provisions dating back to the by 5 years and 4 and a half years for Czech Republic will see its retirement tization deal. tal Rights of the EU contains human rights provisions early 80s. women. Poles are leading healthier age raised to 63 years for both men “The arbitration process was launched under an “solemnly proclaimed” by the European Parliament, the During the post marshal law years lifestyles and their general health has and women. Slovakia is increasing international accord,” said Nastula. “Eureko will Council of the EU and the European Commission. the government was being generous also improved. the retirement age by 9 months each not abandon the arbitration process. In the coming with offering extended retirement In the last year women taking ad- year until 2014. weeks we plan to move to its next stage,” related A version of the Charter was proposed by the Euro- pean Constitution in October 2004 that was rejected by packages across various professions. vantage of early retirement were on The Civic Platform (PO) has plans to potential compensation payments, he said. Dancers for example were permit- “We don’t understand the (treasury’s) state- France and The Netherlands. It was intended to enable average 56 years old, men 57.9 years to increase the retirement age to 65 ment. From our point of view, the best way to the EU to accede the European Convention on Human ted to enter early retirement at the age old. The average age in the EU is 60.4 for both men and women by 2020 and settle our differences is to reach a compromise. Rights. This would allow the European Court of Justice of 40. Today most of these provisions for women and 61.4 for men. In the to 67 by 2025. We are still hopeful that such a solution will be to make rulings based on the Charter are still in existence allowing for UK and in Ireland those who enter If such unpopular reform is to be possible,” he said. The Charter gains legally binding force along with broad rights that impedes the system. retirement are 64 years old. introduced, it must be done quickly PZU made 3.28 bln zloty (886 mln euro) in net the Reform Treaty of Lisbon on the 12th of December According to Prof. Marek Gora Early retirement legislation in Po- – before the electorate starts prepar- profit last year, and 1.12 bln zloty in the first half who is working on retirement legisla- land means that Poland has the lowest ing for the next elections. of 2007. in Strasburg. Polish airports soon to float their shares

The krakow post It is estimated some 9 mln passengers will have come through Okecie by the end The state-owned airport group Panst- of this year. PPL’s investment plans for the

wowe Porty Lotnicze (PPL) will be re- development of Polish airports within the PLL_LOT structured as a limited company. The mat- next 4 years are approximated at 1.6 bln ter is to reach the Ministry of Transport as zloty. PPL is therefore looking to enter the soon as it will be possible. Full commer- stock exchange to find capital to develop cialization is expected to take place within its airports further. a year to a year and a half, the Gazeta The state of Poland’s central airport hub Prawna reports. is in crisis mode. Its expansion was further According to the executive director of stalled two weeks ago when PPL terminat- PPL Pawel Latacz, the next plan will be ed the contract with the construction com- to float the airports’ shares on the Warsaw pany. No final decision has been under- Stock Exchange. It is estimated some 30 taken as to whether Okecie will indeed be percent of the shares will be put to offer. Poland’s central airport or whether a new A further 20 percent will be allocated to site is needed. This has delayed any further PPL’s workers after commercialization construction work and development. has taken place. According to the Gazeta A second runway would cater for 25 Prawna, the majority of the shares will re- mln passengers, appeasing the influx until main with the State Treasury. the year 2025. This, according to Latacz, is The new departure terminal in Warsaw’s a band-aid solution and instead plans need Okecie is to be completed and opened by to be drafted for a duo-airport solution March 2008. This is the final deadline giv- such as Okecie-Modlin or plans incorpo- en if Poland is to abide by the Schengen rating other regional airports. Agreement procedures. It is expected PPL Proposals are being drafted for an air- will also commence the development of port in Swidnik near Lublin. Further sug- Etiuda, the neighboring terminal for bud- gested areas are Koszalin, Babie Doly near get airlines around the same time. Gdynia and Kamien Slaski near Opole. To serve the south of Poland, an air- port near Kielce is also in the cards, as Brazilian restaurant a satellite airport for Krakow. in the Old Town ul. Sw. Tomasza 28 We invite you every day Get your message across today! from 12:00 p.m. Contact: Andrzej Advertise in Kowalski, Marketing Manager The Krakow Post! +48 (0) 798-683-160 Reservations: Tel.: (0) 12 422-5323 www.ipanema.pl NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 KRAKOW The Krakow Post 9 Krakow Book Fair comes to an end Alicja Natkaniec latest work “Storia della bruttezza” (“The STAFF JOURNALIST History of Ugliness”), which is currently premiering in 16 countries. The 11th annual Krakow Book Fair Among the “greatest hits” there was also closed its doors on Sunday after four days a book by former Polish president and his- of frenzied trading, talks and networking torical leader of “Solidarity” Lech Walesa attended by thousands of dedicated book “Moja III RP” (“My 3rd Republic of Po- lovers and industry connoisseurs. land”). This informative forum for booksellers, Other unique offerings included a new publishers, librarians, book production ser- printing of a set of essays and reports by vices and above all – lovers of literature, Ryszard Kapuscinski, the new edition of is one of the biggest of its kind in Poland. famous historical books by Pawel Jasienica The Krakow Book Fair is held annually and an interview with one of Poland’s fa- in a huge exhibition hall on Krakow’s ul. mous philosophers – Leszek Kolakowski. Centralna. Visitors could also buy essays previ- As every year, the event attracted thou- ously unpublished in Poland by French sands of people and brought together un- writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, books by der one roof about 500 exhibitors from all José Carlos Somoza, Carlos Fuentes, Etgar across Poland and hundreds of celebrated Keret, Caroline Graham, Doris Lessing and guests. The program included a vast array many more. of exhibitions, meetings with writers and The highlight of the fair was the presen- professional seminars. It offered access to tation of the prestigious Jan Dlugosz Prize the newest books but also business con- awarded annually to Polish authors who tacts, cultural meetings and discussions excel in the academic field of humanities. about trends in the global publishing in- This year’s winner was the esteemed his- dustry. torian Prof. Jerzy Strzelczyk, in recogni- The Krakow Book Fair presents emerg- tion of his recent work titled “Zapomniane ing, independent and established authors, narody Europy” (“The Forgotten Nations from Poland and abroad. This year the lead- of Europe”). ing “star” of the fair was Jonathan Carroll Over the last decade, the Krakow Book an American writer who achieved fame in Fair has grown to become one of the most Poland with his renowned book “The Land important and prestigious cultural events of Laughs.” He was in Krakow to present promoting the printed word. It has es- his latest book titled “Ghost in Love.” tablished a prominent position amongst Among the Polish writers signing their literary and publishing communities and works and meeting with the public were continues to draw increasing interest from Wojciech Cejrowski, Katarzyna Grochola, bookshops and publishing houses alike. Roma Ligocka, Malgorzata Musierowicz, In years past it has played host to an Slawomir Mrozek, Marcin Swietlicki, impressive array of important authors in- Olga Tokarczuk and Janusz L. Wisniewski, cluding Stanislaw Lem, Slawomir Mrozek, to name but a few. Members of the public Jerzy Pilch, Andrzej Sapkowski, Andrzej took the opportunity to discuss contempo- Stasiuk, and Norman Davies, as well as rary movements in poetry and prose with representatives of culture, politics, science, established and emerging writers present at art and the media. the fair. Publishers presented newly avail- They include politicians like Wladyslaw able publications along with announcing Bartoszewski, composer Krzysztof Pend- upcoming titles to be released in time for erecki and renowned Polish actors – Jerzy winter reading. On offer amongst the many Stuhr, Grazyna Szapolowska and Anna Poet Marcin Swietlicki. treats from publishers was Umberto Eco’s Dymna. November of memory: Poland remembers those who passed From MEMORY on Page 1 a strong belief that the dead eat the food that This feast, dedicated to Saint Mary and the with families. People put up tents and feast and also among the Protestants. In the U.S., by many people. At the most famous Warsaw is left out for them. martyrs, has been celebrated in Rome ever in a picnic-like atmosphere. They also offer people celebrate Halloween on the night of graveyard, Powazki, there is an annual collec- The food is supposed to be consumed in since. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catho- prayers, lay flowers and light candles on the Oct. 31. In the streets numerous parades are tion for the renovation of the graves. the morning. In the early church, Christians lics celebrate All Saints’ Sunday, which is a graves. In Mexico, as well in Portugal and held, which sometimes continue until the Donations are collected by people repre- would celebrate the anniversary of a martyr’s commemoration of all saints collectively on Spain, offerings are made on this day. morning light. Children disguise themselves senting Polish culture and art, well-known death for Christ by serving an all-night vigil, the first Sunday after Pentecost (which is the In Spain there is yet another custom. The in costumes and wander door-to-door, yell- actors and singers. Powazki Cemetery was followed by the Eucharist over their tomb or 50th day after Easter Sunday). play “Don Juan Tenorio” is traditionally per- ing: “Trick or treat!” to receive the usual gifts founded in 1790 and now covers 43 hectares. place of martyrdom. In the 4th Century the In countries with a Catholic tradition, Nov. formed. of candies. Fund drives for rescuing cemetery relics are Christians began to transfer their relics and 1 is a holiday. Catholics from non-European English-speaking countries celebrate the The most prominent Halloween symbol is also conducted at the Old Cemetery in Lodz celebrate the feast days of specific martyrs countries have distinctive customs related to Festival of All Saints by singing the hymn a carved pumpkin, lit by a candle inside. and at Rakowicki Cemetery in Krakow in common. The origin of the Festival of All this feast. “For All The Saints” by William Walshaw All Souls’ Day is also known as the Com- On All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days the Saints as celebrated in the West is related to In Mexico and the Philippines, All Saints’ How. memoration of all the Faithful Departed, De- graveyards are the most visited places in Po- Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated the Pan- Day has a very joyful character. In Mexico The Feast of All Souls, commemorat- functs’ Day (in Mexico and Belgium) or Day land. Despite the amount of people gathered theon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all there are numerous masquerades, while in ing the faithful departed, is celebrated in the of the Dead (in Italy). in one place, nothing disturbs the atmosphere the martyrs in 609 or 610. the Philippines the graveyards are thronged Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church On Nov. 1-2, Polish graveyards are visited of silence and reverie. AGH opens pavilion worth 7mln zloty

Kinga Rodkiewicz matic control, computer and electronic engi- STAFF JOURNALIST neering (Department of Telecommunications is part of this group), Prof. Tomasz Sznuc, said

The University of Science and Technology during the opening ceremony that “this new Agency LUK (AGH) in Krakow – the biggest technical uni- pavilion will solve the problems with the lec- versity in Poland – has a new pavilion worth ture halls that we had before.” 7 mln zloty. Students from throughout the AGH agree The new building belongs to the Depart- that the new facilities bode well for the fu- ment of Telecommunications and was opened ture. on Oct. 24 thanks to the financial help of the Student Michal Soltyniak said: “The new Ministry of Science and Higher Education. pavilions are always built with high-tech “Thanks to money from the ministry,” said laboratories, a great value since technology Prof. Antoni Tajdus, the rector of the AGH, is changing at a fast rate. We will have well- “we can see that our university becomes more educated students, and that will benefit our beautiful. The new lecture halls and laborato- futures.” ries will improve conditions for both students “Our building isn’t as modern as this new and staff.” pavilion,” said Dominik Wojcik, a fifth-year The number of students who have decided student in mining and geoengineering. “How- to study one of the five specializations avail- ever, our building has specific history and able in the department is growing from year atmosphere thanks to the end-term examina- to year. More than 5,000 students are learning tions when all students are working by the about such things as high-speed networking sweat of their brows. The new pavilion will and services to the e-world. have to work to acquire such an extraordinary The dean of the faculty of electrical, auto- atmosphere.” AGH Pavilion. 10 The Krakow Post KRAKOW NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 “Indian Puzzles” pieces together colorful image of India

Photography. Though having previously exhibited other works in Warsaw and the Photography Festival in Lodz, this is her first individual,

Adelina Krupski public exhibit. The main space of the Pauza Club, facing ul. Florianska, holds some of the works, dis- played in a large format. In addition, a sepa- rate room contains the whole twenty-piece collection lined up, with some of the main works repeated in a smaller version. Unfortunately, not all of the photographs Rzymanek would have liked to share are in- cluded in the exhibit. In fact, it could be said that there are missing pieces to the puzzle. Nevertheless, the selection successfully re- flects the vision and approach of the artist, through astonishing, vivid scenes, convey- ing a blend of visual, sensory and spiritual elements.

For more information, contact or visit:

Pauza ul. Florianska 18/3 – 1st floor [email protected] www.pauza.pl

Magdalena Rzymanek, holding the Holga camera, with which she traveled to India and photographed the scenes comprising “Indian Puzzles.”

Adelina Krupski medium-format, 120-film toy camera that ral state, free of any further manipulation. Delhi, Agra, Goa, Jodhpur, Varanasi, Hyder- Staff Journalist often causes distorting effects, such as light Rzymanek says that, on her first trip to India abad and Mysore. leaks and blur. three years ago, she used a digital camera According to Rzymanek, “nothing is for The exhibit titled “Indian Puzzles,” made As a result, the photographs come across and found it did not suit the project, as it certain in India, either visually or even in the up of a series of color photographs taken by as obscure and dreamlike, while also com- failed to meet the desired effect and the pho- mentality of the people – everything is there, Magdalena Rzymanek during her travels municating liveliness through wonderfully tographs did not have the right impact. tangled together.” She mentions the exam- throughout India last year, is currently on vibrant colors. These effects, states Rzy- The pieces comprising the collection ple of the gap between wealth and poverty. display at the Pauza Club in Krakow, con- manek, “are part of the camera’s charm.” are unique, not only for their angle, diver- “The Taj Mahal, for instance, enormous and tinuing until Nov. 30. While the photographer does, for the most sity and style, but also for the technique by magical, makes an unbelievable impression, Rzymanek, a photographer originating part, retain control over the camera, another which they are created. “When taking these though just outside those walls, it’s filled from the Silesia region in Poland, traveled to exciting peculiarity of the Holga is the way photographs,” says Rzymanek, “I was led with poverty – India is a very contrasting India in December 2006 with the aim of pho- in which the final outcome remains unpre- by my emotions.” Consequently, the pho- country.” tographing the country in a way that would dictable. tographs depict a variety of subject matters, Originally having studied biology, Rzy- capture its overwhelming sense of variety, Developed commercially and transferred such as people, places, architecture, and manek started pursuing photography during uncertainty, and contrast. She accomplished onto computer solely for printing purposes, animals, encountered in the different areas her second year in college, a passion which this, using a Holga, a cheaply manufactured, the photographs are presented in their natu- of Rzymanek visited, namely the cities of led her to enroll in the Warsaw School of Photos at the exhibit. “Raz, Dwa, Trzy” Krzysztof Skonieczn One of the most notorious details about the band is Staff Journalist the unique atmosphere they create during their long and intense performances: a sense of youthful rebelliousness This week will be a busy one for the Rotunda Com- that doesn’t seem to grow old, despite the age of the musi- munity Center, which will be hosting two musical perfor- cians. mances by two major Polish bands. Almost ten years junior of ‘Kult’, ‘Raz, Dwa, Trzy’ On Sunday, Nov. 4, the club will host the band, Kult. seems to present a paradoxically higher level of maturity Wednesday, Nov. 7 will feature a musical performance by – if measured by the level of composure. Raz, Dwa, Trzy. Their musical style oscillates between rock and smooth Regardless of the important role Polish lyrics may jazz, and the lyrics have the form of contemporary po- play in their songs, both of the groups are, music-wise, etry, to which the soft, pleasing voice of front man Adam recommendable even for those who are not fluent in the Nowak fits perfectly. language. Their interesting and witty songs address subjects of When, in 1982, vocalist Kazik Staszewski and his love and religion. Recently, the band has become increas- companions changed the name of their band, ‘Novelty ingly interested in presenting their own versions of songs Poland’ to ‘Kult’, they must have done it with a kind of written by famous Polish poets. prophetic vision. In 2002 they recorded an album filled with songs of For the past 25 years, the group has become one of Agnieszka Osiecka, for the fifth anniversary of the poet’s Poland’s “cult bands.” death. Their latest album is called “Młynarski,” the name Deriving from punk rock, the group mixes it’s sounds of the poet whose songs they are covering. with new wave, rock, jazz and traditional Polish ballads- Even though the pieces are not the group’s original krakowpost.com all paired with Staszewski’s charismatic voice and some- creations, their renditions offers a fresh look, which is what controversial personality. certainly worth listening to. NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 KRAKOW The Krakow Post 11 Mittal takes the rest of Nowa Huta Steelworks Poland Michal Wojtas to become the sole owner of the group. The govern- Staff JOURNALIST ment sold its remaining shares for 436 mln zloty. According to the daily newspaper Gazeta Wybor- Mittal Steel Co., the world’s largest steel producer, cza, the Polish Treasury will earn 2 bln zloty on this is now the sole owner of the Nowa Huta steelworks. year’s privatization deals, 1 bln less than planned. In The global giant on Oct. 15 bought the remaining 2005, the first year of the government led by the Law shares owned by the former Polskie Huty Stali gov- and Justice Party (PiS), the Treasury earned only 600 ernment group, giving it 100 percent control of Po- mln zloty. land’s largest steelworks in Krakow, Czestochowa, Takeovers of public sector industries by private Katowice and Sosnowiec. The consortium, founded companies have been one of the most important in 1976 in Calcutta, India, by Lakshmi Mittal, has changes in the Polish economy since communism owned the majority of the Nowa Huta group since collapsed in 1989. The most impressive year was 2003, when an agreement on the sale of the govern- 2000 when the state recorded 27.1 bln zloty from ment-owned PHS shares was reached with the Polish privatization. Treasury Ministry. Nowa Huta steelworks was one of the most im- At that time, Mittal bought the majority of Nowa portant enterprises in Communist Poland after World Huta shares for 6 mln zloty (1.6 mln euro) and also War II. agreed to cover 1.6 bln zloty in debts of the four An entire district of Krakow, initially a separate steelworks and to invest another 2 bln zloty in their city with 200,000 inhabitants, was built to meet the development. housing needs of Nowa Huta workers. An agreement on the takeover of the remaining At its peak, the steelworks named after Soviet state-owned shares in the PHS was reached in 2004. Communist leader Lenin employed 40,000 people However, the price (1 zloty or 3.6 euro per share) and produced 7 mln tons of steel a year. was questioned by the Supreme Chamber of Control As the steel industry slumped in the 80s, both (NIK), an audit body controlling all state institu- numbers went down. Now the steelworks has no tions. The NIK decision was proved right. more than 10,000 workers, and this is expected to Now Mittal has agreed to pay 6.5 zloty per share continue decreasing. “Rahim Blak” says Al-Fan Center of Islamic Culture underway

Monika Stumpo like playing ping-pong. We propose a site. ed that “Rahim Blak’s” Islamic Center was Staff Journalist It gets rejected but eventually one will get not just another monument or “Duchamp through. You can’t assume that you will get fountain” but would enrich lives on many “Rahim Blak” is a group acting as the acceptance on the first try.” He adds, “If the levels. Al-Fan, which means art in Arabic, driving force behind the proposed building location of the center is the main problem, would, she continued, appeal to a wider au- of the new Al-Fan Center of Islamic Cul- then there is really no problem at all.” dience than “shocking modern art.” ture that is hoped to be built in Salwator. The conference began with a recitation Stanislaw Denko, a renowned Krakow- “Rahim Blak” is a pseudonym taken ian architect who designed Auditorium from the name of Rahim, an emigrant from Maximum, is designing Al-Fan. Kosovo. “Rahim Blak” is The proposal calls for space to hold art Dozens of local residents of Salwator exhibitions as well as a lecture hall. This voiced their discomfort with the building a group acting as would be similar to Krakow’s Center of of the facility at a conference on Wednes- the driving force Japanese Art and Technology, Manggha. day night, Oct. 24, at the Auditorium Another feature of Al-Fan would be a Maximum. The audience, both Muslim and behind the pro- prayer room for the few Muslim’s residing Christian, ranged from art students to the posed building of in Krakow and the surrounding area. older local residents. “Rahim Blak” addressed the real concern The artist wants it to be a place for in- the new Al-Fan of the nearby residents. Can Poles be ac- tercultural discussion where average Poles cepting of a different religion and culture in can learn more about Islamic Culture an Center of Islamic their neighborhood? Muslims from around d also serve as a gathering place for the Culture that is Poland agreed with an unidentified Muslim about 300 Islamic families living in the doctor from Silesia who stated, “We are Małopolska Province. hoped to be built Poles.” He stressed that he wanted this as a Rahim sat in the front, prepared to pres- in Salwator. center that reflected his religion and did not ent his views to the gathering and hear want it taken over by fundamentalists. theirs. “Rahim Blak” agreed that there was no An old man with his wife stood and com- from the Koran by Idris Sajjad. The hope place at the center for the intolerance and plained that it was “different.” A younger

was that this calming exposure to the Mus- isolationism associated with Islamic Fun- krakowpost.com member of the audience shouted back “By lim religion would reassure the dissidents damentalism. different do you mean bad?” The confer- that the center would be an asset to the When asked by an art student, the art- ence organizers stressed that being differ- community. ist admitted that the center is an excellent ent was “the whole point.” It would be a Marta Raczek, an acclaimed art histo- venue to promote “Rahim Blak’s” work but unique addition to the art and culture scene rian, talked about “art that can really have added that the goals extended to benefiting in Krakow. “Rahim Blak” is philosophical an impact.” all of his “brothers.” “Rahim Blak” does about the planned construction. “The loca- This included avant-garde art that made not plan to run Al-Fan Center, just to set tion of Al-Fan is still only a proposal. It’s its way into public acceptance. Raczek add- the idea into motion. 12 The Krakow Post KATOWICE NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 String of hotels to be Ecological town to be built near Siewierz built in Katowice Joanna Zabierek the krakow post biological sewage treatment. The town’s en- sistants to collect drawings during an exam. STAFF JOURNALIST ergy would come from sun-panels and bio- Today it is used to describe innovative plan- TUP Company, the owner of a dozen mass burning. Rainwater would be used to ning methods. First stages of the town’s con- Katowice needs more hotels. Katowice hectares of attractive ground in Siewierz, in wash out the toilets. According to Wojciech struction are expected in 2008. has hosted few big events recently, such as a green district on Perzycko-Siewierski Bay, Halicki, a biologist and specialist of ecology, The project is expected to be finished in sport, cultural and trade meetings. The main wants to build a new town of about 5,000 in- such ecological solutions will be no more 20-25 years. It will be realized in four stages. problem for people visiting the capital of habitants. There will be not only apartments expensive than standard treatments. . The first houses will be built in 2009-2010. Silesia is a lack of hotel rooms. but also places to rest and work. Halicki is an author of the idea, but the A 40-room motel in turn and a 1120-room Katowice aspires to be a metropolis at- The concept of the town was worked out project was worked out in cooperation with hotel and conference center will be built in tracting tourists, investors and artists of by 12 town planners from various countries. a group of specialists during “Charrette” 2011/2012, before Euro 2012. world fame. The region is developing very The town will consist of four parts, each of workshops. This modern apartment district “We estimate the value of the whole proj- quickly, and the city wants to be well pre- which will have its own market. It is planned is going to be built according to the Ameri- ect at about 900 mln zloty – 1 bln zloty. In pared to be an optional site for Euro 2012, to build low-income houses in the market can pattern of ecological town-garden with the first stage we will have to invest about the European football championships. and terraced houses along the streets. Far- its own market, yacht port, church, hotels 100 mln zloty, but we hope the project will As the daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza reports, accommodations for average tour- ther from city center the apartment houses and shops. This town of 120 square kilo- be, at least partly, self financed,” Robert ists are the biggest problem. Katowice has will be low-rise. This areas will be small and meters will be open, created according to Moritz, the chief of TUP told PAP. only about 800 sleeping rooms of average pedestrian-friendly. The town is planned to the innovative methods of Charrette. The Prices of the new city’s houses and apart- standards. be self-sufficient. There will be shops, cafes, term “Charrette” arose in France in the 19th ments are unknown but the town is expected That is far too few to house visitors for various services and a church. The town will Century in the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. to be a great attraction for tourists, scientists such events as the concert by the Red Hot also have ecological solutions, including Originally it signified a trolley used by as- and planning specialists. Chili Peppers, not to mention Euro 2012. So Katowice definitely needs develop- ment in this area. So far it has only Spodek, a great spectator arena, where all major events take place. But that is not enough to keep tourists in this city or even the region. Having prob- lems finding a “bed and breakfast,” they flee from Katowice looking for a more conve- nient place. 16th Fusion Festival A good solution for Katowice would be Justyna Krzywicka 10 at the Gornoslaski Centrum Kultury (Sile- The closing of the festival will see Eng- ria Rondo with works displayed by artists building a few low-cost hotels for the aver- sTAFF JOURNALIST sian Cultural Center) in Katowice. land’s alternative Piano Magic performers. In such as Roland Topor. Topor’s translator will age tourist who doesn’t need any extra fa- The Quartet will include Henryk Mikolaj the Teatr Rozrywki (Entertainment Theatre) present the works and life of the artist as well cilities, but just wants to sleep in decent and The 16th Fusion Festival in Silesia will be- Gorecki quartets into their program, which the group will satisfy all those seeking ethe- as Marie Binet from Paris. clean conditions. Such hotels would bring a gin on Nov. 9 lasting until Nov. 27. includes “The Songs Are Sung.” real independent vibes at the festival. Other events include photo exhibitions great benefit to restaurants, pubs and shops It will include various musical, artistic, lit- The Silesian Quartet concert will be com- Other alternative performers will include from the young photographer Andrzej Tobis and also to museums, theaters and galleries. erary and theatrical events. pletely devoted to celebrating the works of France’s Loyola, Troy Von Balthazar, George who with his “A-Z” exhibition depicts the Does the city have any hotel plans? A few The festival will kick off with a perfor- the American composer Philip Glass. Dorn Screams as well as the phenomenal stereotypes existing between Poles and Ger- have been started. Near expressway A4, next mance by Denez Prigent from Brittany. The In the second week of the concert audienc- French group Jack the Ripper. mans. Literary and poetic evenings with Chin to the shopping center “Threeponds,” the performer is the first to combine traditional es will be able to appreciate the Il Giardino The newly discovered Parisian group Zhu Hao and Wang Yin are also part of the building of the “System” hotel continues. folk music from Brittany with modern elec- Armonico group in the church of Saint Apos- Caravan Palace is set to entice all with their program, as well as various other young Pol- There will be more than 200 rooms of tronics. Trip-hop, electronics as well as jazz tles Peter and Paul in Katowice. The group electric-swing performance. Performers from ish and English poets. two- and three-star standards. Near Novotel, are fused with traditional Gwerz vocals and will penetrate the various levels of European Moldavia, Romania, Turkey and Serbia also the two-star “Etap” hotel has been built. hymns. baroque music. The renowned violinist Chris- form part of the program. Info about the festival and booking of tickets Plans for the next few years include erect- The Kronos Quartet will perform on Nov. tophe Coin will perform the solos. Graphic art events will be held at the Gale- can be found at: www.cameralis.art.pl ing two hotels: one next to Silesia Cen- ter and the other near Katowice Business Center. They will have a total of about 500 rooms, Gazeta Wyborcza reported. These investments are a good step for- ward. But they are not enough. The center of Silesia faces need for more police officers Katowice needs renovation. And hotels could be a major element of Kinga Rodkiewicz didates. cruiting film, but three meetings attracted Another skeptic of the police recruitment the city’s new image. The railway station sTAFF JOURNALIST Some of the requirements: at least a sec- only 90 people. Unemployed Silesians are campaign is Przemyslaw Koperski, director area is sleazy. One attractive hotel would ondary education, Polish citizenship and an reluctant to attend the meetings and be identi- of the Employment Agency in Silesia. make the area more attractive to tourists. Silesia needs police officers. unimpeachable reputation. fied for fear that if they refuse to apply for po- “The police have to understand that the la- And it is not only the railway station area The main police station is struggling to In addition, candidates must meet psycho- lice jobs, they will lose their unemployment bor market has become a worker’s market,” that needs revitalization. hire an additional 800 police officers. One logical and physical standards and have no benefits and social insurance. Koperski told Gazeta Wyborcza. “Without in- Many other districts, squares and streets source may be a series of meetings with un- criminal record. “I know from television and the Internet creasing wages and improving working con- are neglected. employed people, which is being organized A police career offers the advantage of that the police are recruiting people,” said ditions, the recruiting drives won’t mobilize The city authorities have no precise plan yet. But derelict tenement houses could be by labor exchanges. If this tactic is successful early retirement – as soon as 15 years. How- Marcin Tycfrom Wodzislaw Slaski, an unem- young people to wear police uniforms.” renovated into small hotels and hostels. in hiring officers for the main police station, it ever, interest expressed at the unemployment ployed graduate of Silesian University. “But Inspector Arkadiusz Pawelczylm, vice Such a development would revive the cen- may be tried throughout the country. meetings has been minimal so far. I’m not interested in being a policeman. Low commandant of the police, says salaries are ter of Katowice and make this place more According to the daily newspaper Gazeta In Katowice, only 20 people attended a pay and outdated equipment at the police sta- scheduled to rise. hospitable for tourists, businessmen and Wyborcza, employment agency clerks are meeting and only two expressed interest in a tions discourage me from taking a job. Poli- “New recruits will receive about 2,200 particularly for students, who usually look combing lists of 1,700 registered jobless police career. ticians promise modernization of the police, zloty per month, an increase of about 500 for cheap accommodations in the center of people in Silesia to find suitable police can- In Gliwice, police presented a special re- but they have never kept their word.” zloty,” he told Gazeta Wyborcza. the city. JOBS

Top Management MINI Sharing an office: Solution for freelancers M 31, University degree in engineering, 6 years of top management Joanna Zabierek Office sharing is more than just using location. They even bought the furniture experience in leading sTAFF JOURNALIST the same workspace. It is also about net- and equipment. companies in industrial working with others who are involved in Office sharing can have its problems, in- cooling, refrigerating sector. Being a freelancer has a lot of advan- an independent work existence. cluding conflicts among co-workers doing Project management. tages: You’re independent, you can work For example, it’s often difficult to be- different jobs. For example, at a time when Negotiations. Prepare flexible hours and there is no supervisor come inspired when you’re working alone one worker needs quiet to concentrate, an- WEB Design technical solutions. Full scope of technical behind your back. at home, having little or no contact with other is having to make phone calls. Enthusiasts!!! But not everything is rose-colored. the outside world. You can feel almost Filipowski said the answer is to create support: pre-planning. PC. Without others around, freelancing can be paralyzed sometimes by the lack of con- a set of rules that all office sharers must You are wanted! Contact: jerrybarrows@ lonely. tact and stimulation. follow. yahoo.com

Sharing an office allows freelancers to So far, office sharing in Poland is “If we organize it well, there should be We are currently looking for people to RESUME be independent while enjoying the benefits available only in Warsaw, Wroclaw and no problem,” he said. join our Web Design team. of a traditional office, including the con- Poznan. Filipowski said some jobs that people Business/Personal Assistant tact with others. Kuba Filipowski of Poznan created the do as independent agents don’t lend them- Successful applicants will: MINI Office sharing has become popular in first office-sharing facility in the country. selves to office sharing. “Some jobs re- - be interested in good the U.S. Now it’s starting to be seen in Some time back, the Web page designer quire having to have a quiet representative comunication with users Talented, experienced lady Poland. decided to give up his full-time job for office – for example, architect, investment is looking for a job of - knowledge Adobe Illustrator Office sharing gives you proper office freelancing. He quickly learned how iso- consultant or financial advisor.” Business/Personal Assistant equipment, a place to meet clients, phone lated he could get working at home. Because of computers and the Internet, and Photoshop (full- or part-time) services and a mailing address. It also fills So he and two colleagues rented an however, more and more people are able - basics and principles of Degree in Philology, 10 people’s need to socialize. office together. The sharing arrangement to work from home. HTML and CSS years experience in Western Before office sharing swept across has worked so well that they are trying to America’s experience shows that not companies. Very America, freelancers who felt isolated popularize the idea. long after home-based workers shout with If you are interested, please write to us: responsible, goal would often work in a coffee shop for a The U.S. has companies that specialize joy over not having to spend eight hours [email protected] excellent organizational and time each day. Although this gave them a in arranging office-sharing space. in an office, they “start to feel the lack of interpersonal skills. chance to be around others, the “others” In Poland one can only dream about it. a community spirit and inspiration,” Fili- Please contact me at: [email protected] were usually not people with whom they Filikipowski and his colleagues had to do powski said. And that bodes well for his CALL TO ADVERTISE: Andrzej Kowalski, Marketing Manager, +48 (0) 798-683-160 could relate to through work. everything on their own. They found the new business. RESUME NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 ALTERNATIVE CONSUMER The Krakow Post 13 Fire in the mouth: Poland’s bootleg vodka tradition CC:2.5:Bartosz Senderek

When a Pole asks a foreigner what he associates with Poland, he almost always hears the same answer: strong vodka.

Kinga Rodkiewicz ter of vodka production. The alcohol was exported be plum brandy from Lacko in southeast Poland. on the web site: www.sliwowica.net.pl Actually, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fi- STAFF JOURNALIST to Silesia, and then to what is now the Czech Re- First the drinker notices the tempting smell of On a nationwide scale, the quality of Lacko nance organized a commission to prepare the rules public, Germany and Austria. the plums. When he drinks a glass, he feels the fire brandy became well known thanks to Inkas Ferber, of production and retail trade for the home-made When a Pole asks a foreigner what he associ- In 1782 Jan Baczewski opened the first big dis- in his mouth and a great flavor as well. Then the who married Grossbard’s daughter. Ferber used alcohols. ates with Poland, he almost always hears the same tillery in Lviv, which produced vodka and some delightful warmth spreads into his body. only the best fruits and well-made equipment, in- However, the act to legalize domestic alcohols answer: strong vodka. liquors. The label stated: “The only vodka which “Plum brandy gives vim and blushes cheeks,” cluding oak casks in which the brandy matured. hasn’t been enacted yet. The popularity of Polish alcohols is connected is as good as Baczewski’s vodka is the Russian al- a label says. But one has to be careful how many At that time, alcohol was exported mainly to That’s why homemade Lacko brandy cannot be with a long history of making alcoholic drinks and cohol of Peter Smirnoff from Moscow.” glasses he drinks. The sweet homemade brandy is Palestine. bought at a shop. with recipes handed down for generations. The Smirnoff label contained the same state- 75 percent alcohol. When WWII broke out and Jews were arrested, Jacob, a college student from Lacko, said: For centuries, Polish people have produced ment about Baczewski’s vodka. In Communist In 1992, the heritage conservator (a person who alcohol production collapsed in Poland. But soon “Only trustworthy people who know the right homemade alcoholic drinks. The technology of Poland after World War II, it was difficult to buy is responsible for the preservation and renovation after the war ended, people started to make their time and place can obtain a bottle. It costs 45 to producing vodka came to Poland in the 13th and a bottle of good vodka because of the limitation of monuments) acknowledged the Lacko brandy alcohol again. 50 zloty.” 14th centuries, thanks to Arabian and Italian mer- created by alcohol rationing coupons. as a national cultural landmark. Since 2004, the process has been celebrated at Opponents of legalization of homemade alco- chants. The first written document about vodka In response, many Poles produced homemade According to documents dating to 1698, the the European Fest of the Plum Brandy and Pick- hols say they are dangerous to health. In compari- dates to 1405, from a court in Randomizer. alcohol. However, those who manufactured home- brandy story begins with the people of Lacko ing Fruit. son to national companies in which there are some The golden age for the alcohol industry devel- made vodka were said to be enemies of the state growing plum trees. The biggest attraction of this day is a stand quality controls, the lack of standards for home- oped in the 16th Century when Poland became and were targets of TV and newspaper campaigns. Serfs picked the plums and delivered them to where everyone can see the process of plum bran- made production is the main cause of concern. known as Europe’s granary. Posters from that era depicted old, hunched-over the manor, where the fruits were used to produce dy production. According to a 2006 Polish law, Even good bootleg vodka may contain some Corn production was so high that surpluses not men with eyeglasses and walking sticks in emaci- alcohol. Lacko’s golden age began in 1882 when producing plum brandy – as well as other home- alcohols that are said to be carcinogens, or cancer used for food and alcohol production were ex- ated hands. a Jewish family rented a parish ground and built made alcohol drinks – is a crime unless the distill- agents. ported to western Europe. In that era, each noble The poster said: “Homemade vodka is the cause a distillery. ery is properly registered. There is also a possibility of methanol contami- family produced its own unique liquor made from of blindness.” Police raids destroyed the home dis- From 1882 to 1912, Samuel Grossbard owned Franciszek Mlynarczyk, mayor of Lacko, has nation. Methanol even in minimal concentrations different fruits and herbs. tilleries, and the offenders were arrested and jailed. the company. In 1912 a record 15,000 liters of helped write a law that proposes the production of can cause blindness and death. Almost every male convent also produced alco- The most popular drinks in the People’s Republic plum brandy was produced. homemade alcohols. However, plum brandy gourmets hope that the holic drinks. Even the peasants, especially along of Poland were liquors made from caraway, an- The brandy was delivered to neighboring shops “Our fruit growers produce 5,000 liters of plum government, following a Balkans example where the Polish borderland, produced their own alco- ise, barberry, mint, blackberries and ginger. Other with a label certifying it as a high-quality drink. brandy a year,” Mlynarczyk told Dziennik. “The homemade alcohol is legal, will legalize it in Po- hols; the most popular were made from quince and drinks included hunter vodka, peach brandy, pear From 1960 to 1980, Henry Maciuszek and Joseph Internal Revenue wants me to denounce the people land. Then there will be no obstacles to buying it wild strawberries. brandy, juniper vodka and many others. Biernacki, headmasters at the local primary school, who produce the brandy. The police do nothing be- in the shops and feeling from time to time that fire During the 17th Century, Krakow was the cen- Today, the best-known homemade alcohol may created the distinctive labels. They can still be seen cause in Lacko everybody knows each other.” in the mouth.

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Philip Palmer Staff Journalist

Last Tuesday, Swieta Krowa played host to a complex and emotion- ally charged but ultimately beguiling performance of Butoh dance by Seattle-based expert and instructor, Joan Laage. She was joined by regu- lar collaborator, Tomek Choloniewski, on an unconventional percussion kit, partially composed of upside-down pots and pans and Krzysztof Trzewiczek, on electronics. Laage lived in Krakow for a couple of years before returning recently to the States, and the audience contained many ex-students and acquaintances, lending the whole event a bizarre home- coming aura. Butoh is a hybrid Expressionist dance form that emerged in trauma- tized post-war Japan and combines elements of theater, improvisation and traditional Japanese performance art in an attempt to discover what it means to be human. Reality is often grotesquely distorted in an attempt to get to the heart of the matter and anger and pain, and the other raw primeval emotions that we share with our cousins in the animal world are unleashed and allowed to roam free or snuffed out as the performer sees fit. In order to further emphasize humanity’s increasingly tenuous relationship with nature (and by implication, cast off the twin curses of modern society, technology and progress), some performers attempt to “transform” themselves into other beings. Many performers also have an ambiguous attitude towards their sexuality while performing and this is probably why the fetal state and old age have an important symbolic significance in many performances. A very basic narrative sequence was decided before the performance. Soren A. Gauger Laage started off nestled inside an alcove above the stage in fetal posi- STAFF JOURNALIST tion, a spindly finger gesturing mysteriously, and ended up making her way through the audience to a raised platform behind the seating area, A typical problem when faced with contemporary art: half an hour into the first (of five) installments of Matthew Bar- encouraging participation as she went. Everything that happened in be- ney’s “Cremaster” film series, which is “on tour” in Poland this tween was freely improvised. The musicians and dancer had agreed be- month and played at Krakow’s Pod Baranami Cinemas Oct. fore the performance to try not to follow each other, so sometimes the 29-31, the university professor sitting next to me whispers in music matched the dancing, sometimes it didn’t, which led both to mo- my ear: “Do you think they’re trying to make fools of us?” This ments of glorious serendipity when the music perfectly seemed to mirror anxiety of the modern art viewer – afraid to be delighted in case or add something extra to the dance and moments of alienation, where the artist is playing a joke on their lack of sophistication, afraid frenetic stage activity was accompanied by momentous silences or tender to boo in case lurking under all the glitzy nonsense is some- moments by cacophony. thing brilliant that they haven’t perceived – this is a situation, I believe, that is fairly unique to the history of art, and which has Further distance was created by Laage’s use of reality-distorting con- reached pathological proportions of late. The average visitor to tortions and flickering reptilian movements. She explained to me after a contemporary art gallery adopts a stony face, and does his/her the performance that it is assumed that in a standing position, we are per- best to show no response whatsoever to anything on display. fectly balanced, but, in fact, “stillness is an illusion,” and through using Matthew Barney is a 40-year-old native of San Francisco minute movements, she believes it is possible to discover life’s rhythm, who is already considered part of the canon of American vi- our bodies and our internal state. sual art. He started making video art in 1990, earned a reputa- As she transformed herself into different states of being, often portray- tion as an enfant terrible, moved on to film and performance, ing various emotions in the process, what had happened before was con- and to top it all off married Icelandic pop sensation Bjork. The veniently forgotten. At one point she shielded her face in terror from the Cremaster series is already being touted as his “masterpiece,” and was made between 1994-2002. On a more provincial note, lamp that hung above the stage. Later, she playfully dangled it below her I have never seen the Pod Baranami cinemas more clogged face, which was plastered in the customary white Butoh face paint, giv- with fashionable young people desperate to get their hands on Encounters with Jewish Culture ing it a ghostly aura. She removed her sailor’s cap to reveal a fluffy parrot tickets. In our first film two blimps fly over a technicolor-blue that was carefully placed on the pipe that ringed the stage, and sat there (all colors here are highly-saturated) football field, upon which Monday, November 5th, 2007, Fear – A meeting with Prof. Jan for the rest of the performance, forlorn and unloved. As she removed dance a team of women in odd harlequin costumes. The blimps 6:00 p.m. T. GROSS and presentation of her top layer of clothes, her emotions changed. With her pants, went her are peopled by bored stewardesses, tables filled with grapes the Polish edition of his book; prudery and a sensuous interlude followed involving splayed legs and and with centerpieces of a statue that might be disfigured phalli Religion and the Questions of organized jointly with the ZNAK a red rose. With her jacket, went her cocksureness, to be replaced by a or the legs of satyrs, and women in lingerie under the tables. The women under the tables eat grapes, the grapes come out of Boundaries – A meeting with Publishing House. beseeching childlike wonder. Prof. Tomasz WĘCŁAWSKI and their high-heeled shoes, and then they rearrange these grapes Laage told me after the performance that she hoped I had discovered into different patterns, which are then mimicked by the harle- Beata POKORSKA of Questions Thursday, November 8th, 2007, more about my own body. I am not so sure about that, but the performance of Boundaries Research Group, 6:00 p.m. quin-women on the football field. This is repeated many times, certainly challenged staunchly-held assumptions in a very original way University of Poznan. for over half an hour. And that’s it. and somehow managed to draw the audience in, despite the numerous Anyone putting forth an interpretation of this film, treating Opening of an exhibition of draw- distance-creating effects. the content seriously, will indeed probably end up making a Wednesday, November 7th, 2007, ings and prints by Ryszard BILAN fool of himself. This is not because the film is non-narrative: 6:00 p.m. (France). Roy Andersen’s Songs from the Seventh Floor and Sokolov’s Russian Ark are only two examples of non-narrative films about which there is a great deal to say. The strange feeling of emptiness one gets in watching Cremaster 1 and 2 must come from somewhere else. It partly comes, no doubt, from Barney’s palette. These films are hyper-stylized, a blend of video art, high-budget com- mercial, and music video aesthetics. Every hair-do, manicure, cosmetics job and piece of furniture is the subject of the most meticulous detail. As such, these films give the impression of being “designed” (some might prefer to say “sculpted”), and for the first five minutes there is a certain intoxicating effect that comes in watching them. BAYIT HADASH But ultimately a non-narrative film depends a great deal on the director’s intuition, and though any judgement of this must be enormously subjective, the Cremaster films do not impress ARKA NOEGO here. Cremaster 2, which is more interesting than the first, de- pends on a series of cloaked or literal bee metaphors, many of Our restaurant is located which are only wrapped up together by a short speech by a man in one of the oldest INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF KRAKÓW playing Houdini. Barney may succeed in playing some inter- esting tricks with his honeycomb symbols, but the overwhelm- buildings in Kazimierz. ing impression is that it adds up to nothing. And many of the We serve all kinds of Jewish The International Women’s Association of Krakow (IWAK) is a individual scenes (a phallus ejaculating honey, a death-metal multicultural, social and family oriented organization providing vocalist covered in swarming bees, etc.) reveal an artist with a cuisine, based mostly friendship, advice and support to its members, either in Krakow fairly second-rate capacity for creating a metaphor. on local recipes. area temporary or permanently. Somewhere in Barney’s promotional materials, one no Come to enjoy delicious doubt finds a line like: “Barney takes all the refuse and detritus There is a wide range of interest groups which you are welcome of modern civilization and spins it into gold.” America is cur- Jewish dishes. to participate in: Book Club, Cooking Club, Kids Club, Play- rently filled to the brim with artists working on this project, of group, Bible Studies, Tennis, Aerobics Club, Dance Club, Craft course, but Barney is rare in his sincerity. He really would like Club, Charity Group. Any one is welcome to share their talents you to find mythology in a Goodyear advertisement, beauty in Live klezmer music a gas-station uniform. Warhol would never have gone this far: every night at 20:00. with others and start a new group/club. Barney is painting Campbell’s Soup cans and wants you to find poetry, not irony. Open daily: 09:00-02:00 Throughout the year, there are many social events on either a There is, of course, the possibility that I am guilty of watch- monthly basis or specific dates for special occasions. Our month- ing these films the wrong way, and that one need turn off the ly newsletter is published to keep you informed of IWAK activi- critical part of your brain while watching Barney’s films and ul. Szeroka 2 ties and tips about life in Krakow. simply delight in their candy-colored over-abundance. But if +48 (12) 4291528 this is the case, things are very badly off for America’s contem- [email protected] porary art, indeed. www.arka-noego.pl Our web site: www.iwak.pl NOVEMBER 1-NOVEMBER 7, 2007 CLASSIFIEDS The Krakow Post

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Open: 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: edi- Mon-Sat: 11:00-06:00 [email protected], or by post. The Krakow Post reserves the right to edit letters. Jargon Media Spolka z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnoscią, KRS 0000 267205, ul. Sun: 20:00-06:00 Retoryka 17 Lokal 31, 31-108 Krakow (Adres redakcji) Telefon: Mechnice 077-464- 0492, Krakow 012-429-3090, Telefax: Mechnice 077-464-0492, eMail: jargonmedia@ gmail.com, Redaktor naczelny Wojciech Zaluski, Krakow 01.11.2007 Drukarnia: Gru- Discounts on drinks with this ad. pa wydawnicza Polska Presse, Czasopismo dostępne w cyklu tygodniowym/bezplatne, Wydawnictwo nie ponosi odpowiedzialnosci za materialy prasowe nie zamowione oraz Credit cards accepted. tresć reklam i ogloszen umieszczonych odplatnie. www.krakowpost.com