New Polish Celebrity

Another Fit Polish Girl

Poland’s version of Cindy Crawford is 31-year-old Ewa Chodakowska. At any time of the day or night, around 190,000 women exercise with Ewa. A year ago no one in Poland had ever heard of her. She lived in Greece, where she graduated from the International Sports College as a Pilates instructor and personal trainer. “At the beginning, I worked in the most prestigious health club in Athens and then I opened my own studio. I gained the trust and recognition of Greek celebrities, actresses and footballers’ wives. They could have trained with the best in Greece, but chose me,” she says. Ewa decided to return to Poland in order to share her passion for exercise with Polish women, and to motivate and inspire them, as well as support those who are ready for a mind and body health revolution. “My method is focused on building mental strength through physical exercise,” she adds. She returned to Poland a mere eighteen months ago, but has already released five DVDs which are all best-sellers. In April, she is going to publish her first book and in June she plans on organising the largest group exercise session at the National Stadium in order to break the current Guinness record. Chodakowska is not a normal trainer who just barks out orders. She tries to motivate people who want to know how to start exercising, how to change their lives and, most importantly, how to be happy. She already has 190,000 fans on Facebook. As she points out, “it’s not about diet or exercise; the most important thing is to strive for the forging of relationships with other people. “My work is my passion, so I work from dawn to dusk. When you love what you do, you never think of it as work. For me, it’s sixteen hours daily of pure satisfaction.”
Gazeta.pl

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Mushroom Map

Mushroom Heaven

Would you like to go mushroom picking but have no idea which forest you should choose? Now, you can get advice on the internet. On internet fora, mushroom pickers brag about how many kilos, baskets, buckets and even boots of this forest delicacy they have collected. Those who have no experience mushroom picking can make use of the internet service grzyby.pl. You can find ‘mushroom’ maps with information about where to find boletuses, xerocomuses and suilluses in Poland. The maps are based on internet user ‘reports’ on where they have been picking mushrooms and the ‘intensity of harvest’. You can also discover how you to collect mushrooms in order to avoid bringing home a basketful of toadstools.
Dziennik

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Halle Berry in Poland

Halle Berry in Poland

Poland is becoming increasingly popular with Hollywood’s movers and shakers and has recently been visited by a slew of Hollywood A-listers as well as top rock and pop acts. This year has already seen the likes of rockers Kasabian, Pearl Jam and Desperate Housewives star and sex symbol Eva Longoria come to Poland. What is more, the likes of John Cleese, Danny DeVito, Gérard Depardieu and Bruce Willis have all recently been in famous Polish TV ads. Now Halle Berry is set to make the journey to Poland as part of the promotional tour of her new fragrance ‘Reveal’. Ms Berry will be promoting ‘Reveal’ in the Warsaw shopping mall Galeria Mokotów.
Plotek.pl

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Edyta Górniak Greedy

Górniak Wants More

Singer and top Polish celebrity Edyta Górniak has thrown a spanner into the works of her much talked about participation in the next edition of Taniec z gwiazdami (the Polish version of Strictly Come Dancing). Edyta Górniak has allegedly made outrageous demands casting doubt on her participation in the twelfth edition of the show. TVN, who produce and run the show, are unwilling to bow to her demands which include PLN 60,000 for taking part in the show and the opportunity to not dance with Rafał Maserak (who has previously won the show twice with different celebrity partners). Górniak believes his luck is about to run out and is demanding a different partner. Her demands could lead the producers of Taniec z gwiazdami to find a ‘star’ with more realistic demands.
Fakt

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Czesław Śpiewa for Newzar!

Czesław Speaks to Newzar

Newzar will very soon have the opportunity to guest musical sensation Czesław Śpiewa (Czesław Mozil). In an exclusive for Newzar, Czesław Mozil will be talking about his unconventional music and his attitude to Poland. Just to remind those readers who do not know, Czesław was born in Poland but emigrated with his family to Denmark. He recently returned to the country of his forefathers marking his return with an explosion onto the Polish musical scene. The exclusive will be a treat for those who are keen on alternative music. Also, an interview with Mademoiselle Karen, whose music is as unconventional as Czesław’s, will soon be posted on Newzar. The two artists are good friends and often tour together with other musicians.

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Turning In Their Graves

Kuba Wojewódzki and Michał Figurski have both shocked and amused thousands of radio listeners and YouTube viewers with their latest shenanigans. Live on EskaRock radio, rapping to the tune of Dr Dre’s “Still”, Figurski and Wojewódzki launched into a full frontal attack on Law and Justice (PiS) presidential candidate Jarosław Kaczyński. Wojewódzki’s and Figurski’s song, entitled, “Po Trupach Do Celu” (literally, ‘to trample over corpses in order to get what one wants’) begins with Wojewódzki rapping, “Be afraid Poles, the (Kaczyński) Fourth Republic is returning”. We hear him later singing, “Jarek, Jarek, has lots of friends and every one of them wants to be buried at Wawel”.  The song has led to Coca-Cola pulling out of their sponsorship deal with Wojewódzki and Figurski. What is more, Magdalena Bajer, head of the Media Ethics Commission has called the song disgraceful and feels it goes well beyond the ethical line that journalists should not cross. However, the head of EskaRock Bogusław Potoniec does not believe the song was over the top. Listen for yourselves:

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Controversial Ad Withdrawn

Police Pig Dog

A skating magazine has decided to withdraw an advertisement in which a teenager is aiming a gun at the head of a police officer. The Szczecin-based skateboarder clothing manufacturer Stoprocent has been using controversy to promote its Guru Gomez collection – the ad shows a policeman kneeling before a teenage boy who is holding a gun pointed at the man. The caption reads: “On your knees, pig!” The ad first appeared in the January issue of Info Magazine Skateboard. Initially, one of the two owners of the magazine and co-creator of the ad Łukasz Kosy explained that the ad was meant to be a joke. “Young boys dislike policemen and security guards,” he said.

After publishing its first article on the controversy, Gazeta Wyborcza received a letter signed by over 30 representatives of the skateboarding community (skateboarders, editors of magazines and online portals, organisers of events and contests, shop owners and equipment manufacturers) which read (excerpt): “Neither the idea behind the advertisement nor Lukasz Kosy’s statement has anything to do with the origins of or the values skateboarding holds dear. We refuse to accept an ad that depicts and promotes violence. The skateboard unites people and does not cause rifts among them”. A similar letter was later written by representatives of the Czech skateboarding scene, whose authors “had difficulty understanding the ad and were hoping it was a one-off incident”. The editor of Info Magazine Skateboard has stated that the ad will not appear in future editions in spite of the fact that it will mean the loss of a few thousand zloty. The district attorney’s office in Toruń is currently looking into the issue in order to determine whether the law has been broken. The Warsaw police headquarters have issued a statement saying that the ad does in fact violate the law by “either publically encouraging a crime or publically condoning it”.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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Marek Kondrat Speaks

Kondrat - Actor, Oenophile

When did you last drink ‘Jabol’ (cheap Polish wine)?

20 years ago, I guess, when I was building a house in Mazury. Together with my brother-in-law we bought a crate of ‘Jabol’ for the workers, but at 4 a.m, after fishing all night, we would treat ourselves to ‘Jabol’ too. It was great. [smiling] 

They say that back in the times of Historia żółtej ciżemki and O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc, the Kaczyński brothers were taller than you.

That’s true and I was glad that after many years I could “look down on them”. I remember them from my childhood and I have a theory that if someone is full of hate they stop growing! [smiling]

In that case, one former deputy PM must have had an idyllic childhood.

I think Mr Roman had his fair share of abuse. The Kaczyński brothers on the other hand fed themselves with hatred for the system and everything around them. That sort of nutrition doesn’t boost growth.

But it’s effective.

And hazardous too. Identical twins do everything together. The President is his brother’s president, not ours. I’ve noticed Jarek’s dominance over Leszek, which is clearly visible. Jarek was probably born first and poor Leszek came second. Today, the Kaczyński brothers are like Nixon towards the end of his term, when he could well have caused a great deal of harm. Luckily, somebody spotted it and stopped him.

Kondrat - President?

Perhaps it’s your turn now? We’ve had actors who took the presidency.

No thanks. I’ve already had such proposals. Besides, we all know that those actors who became presidents were rather poor actors. [smiling]

But you would be a fantastic speaker.

I even know what I’d say! I once came out top in a Warsaw presidential poll! The journalists Najsztub and Żakowski asked me why I won’t take up the gauntlet but I don’t know enough about Polish people. I don’t know who we really are. Just like those in power, who don’t travel that much and don’t know “the nation”, as they love to call us. The difference is that I admit to it.  

How would you describe Poland?

This country is ‘different’. Poles have the dilemma of not wanting to belong to any civilization, be it western or eastern. We choose to dabble in our heroic history whereas Europe offers us cooperation, but this cooperation rejects Europe’s painful past. What really annoys me are the ignoramuses trying to convince me that they are on a mission, using words like “nation”, “Poland”, “patriotism”, “motherland”, and treating me like an idiot. They take advantage of the blessings of democracy. Polish people either feel inferior about their provincialism or are extremely pompous towards those ‘worse off’ than us: Albanians, Romanians or Romanies… There is a song in Stanisławski’s cabaret: “Thank you Albania that you exist. Thank you Albania, thank you. Thanks to you we’re not the worst, thanks to you we’re not last.”

wywiadowcy.pl

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A Guide to Vacations

Watching the Minutes

There are a number of ‘first minute’ (fm) deals on the market at the moment. Would making a booking so much in advance be wise? Fms start late in the year and decrease in number the closer we get to the vacation season. Beginning in March or April, regular catalogue rates start replacing fms. Generally fms are attractive to tourists as there is a wide range of offers to choose from, it is fairly simple to find an interesting deal both in terms of cost and location, regardless of one’s preferences. How about the cost of fms? According to travel advisors we should expect around a 10% discount; accepting anything lower would not be advisable. Fares, especially those of the discounted variety, always need to be examined in detail as packages that feature 30-40% discounts too often mysteriously ‘disappear’ when the customer finally decides to make a purchase.

What time of year should one consider finding the lowest-priced package? Avoiding the high season is always a good decision. The worst month to buy is May: first minute deals are rarely available while there are few ‘last minute’ deals (lms). Waiting until the last moment to take advantage of an lm offer is not always good as frequently the range of options is limited therefore lms generally take a back seat to fms. One must not overlook the fact that the quoted price is often a fraction of the cost. Airport fees, visas, entrance fees and single room requests always incur extra charges. Reading the fine print should be compulsory before we decide on a purchase as travel agencies tend to conceal certain facts that may discourage a potential buyer such as long distances to the beach or city centre, no attractions in the vicinity of the hotel, or “room type to be assigned upon arrival”. Opting for a low-cost deal is recommended more for those who vacation regularly and find it easier to cope with possible disappointments. Conversely people who take time off for holidays less frequently had better not get involved in risky ventures and should sign an agreement with a proven, reliable provider. One additional feature that holiday-makers may consider is a fixed price guarantee, one that protects against a price hike in the event of changes in exchange rates or increased transport costs.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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First Pure Party

No Alcohol, We

‘Pure Party’ in Freta Gallery – great music in a ‘pure’ atmosphere. If you are longing for a party without cigarette smoke and endless supplies of alcohol then we have good news for you. On Saturday, for the first time in Poland, there will be a ‘Pure Party’ in Warsaw. If you are looking to have a good time and all you really need is great music and the company of interesting people where drinking and smoking are not mandatory then ‘Pure Party’ is for you. There is no place for fun artificially created by cigarettes and alcohol, which many people are normally unable to relax without. You are likely to meet loners, globetrotters as well as connoisseurs as ‘Pure Party’ is not only about music – everyone will have the opportunity to taste dishes from around the world with one restriction: no meat will be served. There will be plenty of vegetarian dishes and some for vegans also. A circus-like performance with African instruments playing in the background will start things off. Fans of music of all kinds will find something for themselves during the party as oriental music, reggae, latino and even tango will be heard throughout the event. The highlight will be a mixture of exotic trance and ‘primeval’ energy. Instead of alcohol, participants will have to settle for freshly-squeezed fruit juices or chai, a combination of tea, milk, herbs and spices. Marcin Garczyński, one of the organisers believes that “the event we are preparing will generate plenty of genuine joy and will not lead to hangovers and gaps in one’s memory”. ‘Pure Party’ starts at 20:00 on Saturday, tickets are still available but are selling fast.
Metro

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