Polish Presidential Poll

Komorowski & Kaczyński Go Head-to-Head

According to the latest opinion poll, commissioned by Gazeta Wyborcza, on the upcoming Polish presidential elections, Civic Platform (PO) candidate, Speaker of the House and Acting President Bronisław Komorowski would win with 52% of the votes. The Law and Justice (PiS) opposition candidate Jarosław Kaczyński can expect a meagre 27% according to the poll. The Democratic Party (SD) candidate Andrzej Olechowski, in third place, manages a puny 7%. Deputy Prime Minister  Waldemar Pawlak of the Polish Peasant Party (PSL)  would obtain 5% and Grzegorz Napieralski of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) would only muster a poor 3%. Should the presidential elections, set to take place on June 20th, mirror these polled results there will not be a second round of votes. However, Gazeta Wyborcza also conducted an opinion poll on a possible second (knock-out) round of presidential elections. Bronisław Komorowski would gain 67%, Jarosław Kaczyński 33%.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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Jarosław Kaczyński Has Decided

Twin For President?

“The general feeling in Law and Justice (PiS) is that Jarosław Kaczyński, identical twin brother of the late Lech Kaczyński who died in the tragic air crash over Smolensk should run for President. He is a hard man and only he knows what he will do in the race for the Presidency,” said PiS MEP Jacek Kurski live on air on RMF FM. Kurski added, “the general feeling in the PiS camp and amongst those who survived the tragic Smolensk air crash is that Jarosław Kaczyński should be the PiS candidate for President. He already knows what he’s going to do. But it’s clear that we have to continue with the fight, in honour of those who died”. Kurski also stated that, “the Lech Kaczyński myth will be to Poland’s advantage in the years to come. His brother must decide if his candidacy will augment or erode this myth”.
RMF FM

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Kaczyński Funeral in Kraków

Poland Bids Farewell

On this day, the 18th April, in 1025 Bolesław I the Brave was crowned in the former capital of Poland, Gniezno. On the 18th April 2007, UEFA took the historic decision to award the 2012 European Championships to Poland and Ukraine. Tthe 18th April 2010 witnesses the funeral of President Lech Aleksander Kaczyński together with his wife Maria at Wawel Castle, Kraków. Already this morning, thousands of people have lined the streets patiently waiting for the funeral procession that will take in many of Kraków’s historic streets. The funeral procession will begin at St. Mary’s Basilica, Kraków where the coffins of the President and his wife now lie and will then wind its way through Kraków, along the Royal Road and to Wawel Castle where the President and the First Lady will be buried.
Wirtualna Polska

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Funeral Cancellations Begin

Volcanic Ash Problem

Due to the eruption of the volcano on the Icelandic glacier in the area of Eyjafjallajoekull thousands of planes around Europe have been grounded. For the people of Poland awaiting the world’s heads of state for the funeral of President Lech Kaczyński and his wife Maria, it may spell disaster as the ash cloud that has now spread over much of northern Europe and provoked many countries to close their airspace could well affect the President’s funeral. Kraków is gearing up for one of the largest international events in recent years and will host kings, queens, princes, presidents, prime ministers and other world leaders. The funeral will begin on Sunday at 2pm. Due to the volcanic ash cloud, and the cancellation of flights and closure of airspace, the Prime Minister of South Korea and Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs have cancelled their visit to Kraków. US President Barack Obama has vowed to make the journey although his visit is also in doubt. Many leaders including Slovakian President Ivan Gašparovič and Austrian President Heinz Fischer will make the journey to Kraków by car.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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Kopacz: Right Person, Right Time

Kopacz - Doing Her Best

Poland’s Minister of Health Ewa Kopacz travelled to Moscow the day after the Smoleńsk air crash in order to help with the identification of bodies, help the families of the victims and help in the coordination of the investigation. The Russian team of experts are clearly impressed by her professionalism and dedication. She did, after all, previously work in forensics. Minister of Health Ewa Kopacz has only words of gratitude and thanks for her Russian colleagues and is at great pains to praise the work they are doing. “I wonder if Poland’s doctors would have helped as much as our Russian friends if a similar disaster had happened in Poland?” she asks. She goes on to talk about one of the most difficult moments she had in the last few days where the remains of some of the victims were in several coffins. “To begin with, we were unable to say how many people we had in front of us,” her voice visibly shaking as she re-tells the story. She goes on to add, “One of the biggest problems we have is that the families of the victims are often unable to identify the bodies in front of them. They find it impossible to believe that the remains lying before them might be their loved one”.
Fakt

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Catholics Attack MP Mucha

More Than Just An Egg?

.Contra In Vitro is an association that has collected 160,000 signatures with regard to the introduction of a bill prohibiting in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Attempts to undertake IVF would be punishable by up to three years in prison. The bill was discussed in the Sejm last year. The chairman of the Council for Families Bishop Kazimierz Górny appealed to MPs for prudent discussion regarding Contra In Vitro’s bill. PO and the Left were against the bill and it was not passed. Recently, the association demanded from the Ministry of Health an inspection of clinics performing IVF. According to Contra In Vitro “veterinary embryologists” work in many of these clinics.

Now the association is closely monitoring MP Joanna Mucha, member of PO, a member of the parliamentary bioethics team and lecturer at the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL). The reason for this is a statement from the March session of the Polish Episcopal Conference for Bioethics saying that the Catholic Church supports an absolute ban on IVF. Contra In Vitro says on their website that they are being attacked by the authorities, the largest parliamentary groupings and the liberal media and they expect academics working at catholic universities to at least be loyal to them. MP Mucha, a lecturer at KUL, however, has publicly stated that she is a supporter of IVF and adds that other religions have no problem with IVF. The statement, according to the association, is a stab in the back. Contra In Vitro suggests that MP Mucha should resign from KUL. The MP has stated that she has not seen the Contra In Vitro statement and replies that people of different denominations or even atheists can work at catholic universities. It is not compulsory for them to accept the Church’s teachings. Moreover, the authorities of KUL have never discussed with Joanna Mucha her work in the bioethics team. The Polish Episcopal Conference has not stated whether they approve of the Contra In Vitro appeal.

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Russia Pays Tribute to Poland

A Sad Day For Poland & Russia

Since the early morning hours, the Polish embassy in Moscow has been a place where Russian people have been showing their solidarity with the mortified Poles. Florists around the metro stations surrounding the embassy say that they have run out of red and white flowers. The reaction of the Russian media is also unprecedented. The first flowers in front of the embassy appeared shortly after yesterday’s tragedy and today there is a carpet of flowers, candles and even letters written by Russian citizens. “We should love people now because they leave this world so soon,” the Russian Information Agency Novosti quoted the Polish poem by Father Jan Twardowski. “This tragedy will bring us closer together. Although we are already close,” said one of the people in front of the embassy. “They were  people, our friends; they were part of our lives. We extend our condolences to the whole Polish nation,” said members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official army choir of the Russian armed forces, who came to lay flowers in front of the embassy.

A Sad Day For Poland & Russia

The Polish tragedy has united the Russian people. The Russian media is full of information and comments concerning the plane crash – all of them with very warm and friendly overtones. “I feel sorry for the Poles that have died. I feel real human grief. It can be said that half of their political elite died in the accident. The Poles are clearly not favoured by either history or fate. Accept my condolences. It seems that some sort of mysticism is at work here. Just after Poland managed to snatch recognition of the Katyń massacre from the jaws of the Russian elite something like this happens. Why? What forces are involved here? And again it all happened in Smolensk. When you look at the history of Polish-Russian relations you always see Smolensk,” Eduard Limonov posted on his blog. Russians are also impressed by the reaction of their own authorities. A journalist of the Echo of Moscow, by some described as the last bastion of free media in Russia, said that “it is a rare moment when I sympathise with the authorities… Today I am happy that President Medvedev is also my president,” he wrote. “We did not want to, but once again we have brought you grief,” wrote Matthew Ganopolski, an Echo of Moscow columnist. “Forgive us that another tragedy happened to you in Russia,” he added.
gazeta.pl

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Easier to Obtain Maintenance Grants

Cheaper Studies?

A number of changes will be made in the amendment to a higher education bill. Scholarships and grants will be awarded based on different principles. Among the most important alterations, the Ministry of Education mentions an increase of 25% of the minimal income which guarantees obtaining a maintenance grant (it is now PLN 602). Witold Jurek, deputy secretary of state, informed the public about the expected changes. According to Jurek, these alterations will give people more access to higher education. He also added that the proportions between scholarships and maintenance grants will be changed.  Now it is 50-50; after the reform it will be 75% (maintenance grants) and 25% (scholarships). The Ministry wishes not to count scholarships obtained from the European Union’s structural funds and international contracts, benefits obtained based on the Education Act and those from municipal entities as well as scholarships funded by private sponsors. Witold Jurek added that now it is easier to obtain scholarships through a specialised scholarship programme. In 2008, the sum of money devoted to this programme amounted to PLN 86 million and in 2009 it increased to PLN 330 million. The above-mentioned sums are intended for students who undertake specialised study programmes.
Gazeta Prawna

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First Pole At BlueNote

Becoming Blue

Aga Zaryan is the first Polish performer to sign up with the legendary recording label. Eight years after her debut, My lullaby, the jazz singer known for her unique interpretations of jazz classics decided to record her own, original album and achieved great success literally overnight! Looking Walking Being went gold  on the first day.
Tomasz Handzlik (TK): You recorded your album at BlueNote, which used to be (or still is) ‘home’ to such legends as Miles Davis, Bobby McFerrin, Cassandra Wilson…
Aga Zaryan (AZ): When I learned that they had listened to my material and the record got the green light I was extremely happy. It was always a dream of mine to wind up under the wings of a large recording company so that my music could be heard not only in Poland but abroad. I had confidence in myself, believed I had created some quality material but was shocked nonetheless. Dreams do come true! The BlueNote logo will hopefully open a lot of doors for me.

TK: But BlueNote has changed a lot since it was set up back in 1939…
AZ: It used to be the biggest mainstream recording company in the world back then with Coltrane and Davis as its prime stars. It went through a crisis afterwards but nowadays it is prospering again, largely thanks to artists such as Norah Jones who is actually not a jazz vocalist. But having a BlueNote record is still a great source of pride
TK: Are you planning to take on America now?
AZ: It’s not impossible. Trying to achieve success on the US market interpreting classic hits would be rather difficult as there are a great number of great singers with that kind of repertoire. I, on the other hand, have my own, original material that I have created with the help of a few talented musicians. I see that as a huge advantage.
TK: Do you read poetry?
AZ: I do, lately it’s been Barańczak and Zagajewski but the point is that I enjoy singing about serious matters, that is why to me lyrics are just as important as harmony or melody. There are no empty notes in my music, there are strong words behind them.
TK: Your singing style is somewhat similar to that of Abbey Lincoln’s…
AZ: Music is supposed to tell stories. My voice is not just an instrument, I do not have to use it to its full strength in every piece. Sometimes you can convey more if you are simple and natural. That is the way Abbey Lincoln or Shirley Horn did it for whom I have much respect. I want to create music that is smart and cohesive but I also like to enhance it by mixing various styles – afro jazz, jazz-rock, bossa nova. Jazz is the music of freedom with an unlimited number of paths, so it is important that it comes from the heart. In addition, it should be an expression of the needs of your heart, not the needs of the producer of the record.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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Polish Companies Going Abroad

Polish Business Expands

Polish companies are entering foreign markets with increased confidence. Since 1994, foreign Polish investment totals PLN 76 billion. On the other hand, only one in five companies has its own production facilities in a foreign country. The consulting firm KPMG together with the Polish Information and Foreign Investments Agency (PAIiIZ) chose 112 random companies out of the thousand largest with mostly Polish capital, and later concluded that nine out of ten companies had already expanded abroad. 88% export their products, 55% cooperate with foreign partners while 23% have branches abroad and 18% have production facilities. Although the last two figures are not impressive, they nonetheless show the considerable progress the country has achieved since joining the EU. “The Polish economic reforms started twenty years ago but Polish companies started expanding into foreign markets only five-six years ago,” says a KPMG representative. According to KPMG’s research results, neighbouring countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic and Ukraine are the most popular expansion destinations. The main reason for going beyond the domestic market is the potential for increased profits. “It is important that these companies are selling their products under Polish brands. As these products become more recognisable, the companies will receive higher commission on their sale,” says a manager from PAIiIZ. The majority of Polish company managers believe that the decision to expand globally has had a positive impact on the competitive position of the company. There is one problem though – the Polish authorities do not provide sufficient assistance needed for further growth. A specialised agency whose main tasks would include assisting Polish companies abroad and bringing in foreign investment was to be set up in place of PAIiIZ years ago but those plans have yet to be put into effect.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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