Post on 01-Apr-2016
description
High
School
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Table of contents
4 Youth in Action
7 Travel: New York City
8 Travel: Wroclaw
10 Travel: Vancouver
12 Travel: Malta
14 Warsaw: Pride Parade
16 Warsaw: Lana Del Rey
18 Sports: Mon(ey)aco
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Youth in Action: June 2013 - a Dutch experience
At the end of May six people from the great class 1D took part in an educational project in Holland.
And yup, I know how it sounds. You’re envious right now that you couldn’t be there and
experience all of the great things about Holland with us. Well, I won’t lie to you and say that it
wasn’t amazing, but the consolation I can give you is that the project wasn’t held in Amsterdam
but a little village called Bant right outside of Amsterdam, as the topic of the whole event was “ In
the middle of nowhere”.
At first we considered Bant a downside of the
whole project, but the Dutch village turned
out to be a really lovely and truly beautiful
place. All in all, we spent some quality time
there and I can assure you that each of us
would get back there any minute, if we only
could.
You’re probably wondering what we were
doing there throughout the whole
week.
Basically, we gathered knowledge about the 5
participating countries - Turkey, Italy,
Romania, Sweden and of course the
Netherlands – and shared as much as we
know about our own country.
Each participant had to present their own
country and city, so that during one week you
could find out as much as possible about the
others’ cultures and customs. But the greatest
thing that came along with it was that we got
to know some truly amazing people and
gained lots of unforgettable memories.
Every day we would analyze issues concerning
rural areas in small, 6-member international
groups and after that, share our ideas and
opinions with the rest of the other groups.
Additionally, we spent some time doing a
little bit of ‘’get to know each other’’
activities, which proved to be really cruel as
we became really good friends. The cruelty
lies in the fact that we had to part company
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and say goodbye after just 7 days.
The schedule for the whole week was pretty
similar, but somehow every day was different
and simultaneously amazing. The best part of
the schedule, for most people there, were the
intercultural evenings. Every evening, two
teams shared with the rest of the group their
traditional food and drinks, talked about their
customs, home cities and generally tried their
best to make us feel closer to their country.
They also presented some of their traditional
dances and music, which made each evening a
really great experience, filled with lots of fun
and joy.
As you can see, the whole event was pretty
well-organized , which proved to be a big
advantage. Also, the thing I liked the most
about the organization was the food. Every
day was assigned to one team which was
supposed to cook their traditional meals. This
was an amazing idea, as you had a chance to
try many dishes from different countries,
which resulted in a great variety of interesting
meals during the week.
Still, though the whole project was definitely
great, it also proved to be a challenge for us.
The project started on Friday and the ‘’Polish
Team Day’’ was supposed to be on Tuesday.
Throughout the whole three days we were a
little bit nervous about our turn because only
one person from our team had the slightest
idea about cooking. And imagine this – 6
people barely knowing how to make
scrambled eggs, preparing a meal that
consisted of three kinds of dumplings for 44
hungry people! Believe me – the experience in
the kitchen will stay in my mind forever.
So yeah, we were a little bit afraid when the
day came. In fact, we started preparing the
food the night before our day, so we could
manage with everything.
I don’t have to say that our time in the kitchen
definitely wasn’t a calm and peaceful
experience. I guess it’s a Polish thing to
scream a little bit and get nervous real quick
when something goes wrong … But after all, I
have to admit it, we had quite a good time
cooking in that big, professional kitchen. We
laughed a lot and somehow the cooking
challenge became quite a nice thing to do
together. And yeah, at the end of the day we
were super exhausted, but I guess it was
worth it, as people liked the food a lot. In fact,
they liked it so much that there was nothing
left for us. At least, Polish cuisine didn’t turn
out to be a total fiasco!
That is, in short, what our days in Holland
looked like. We enjoyed the time we spent
there a lot and when the project was coming
to an end, everyone was a little bit down in
the dumps. And I was especially, cause my
great Polish team chose to spend the last day
in..wait for it..WALIBI Amusement Park! Yeah !
Needless to say, I don’t like that kind of things
and spending the day in Amsterdam versus
spending the day in WALIBI was an obvious
choice for me. But as we were a team, you
know, democracy and stuff …
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Anyway, we spent the last day in this
amusement park and, though I’m really not
fond of places like that, I will admit it here – it
wasn’t so bad. But the only reason for it is that
my friends were there and I could watch them
screaming from a very safe place, which is
obviously the surface of the earth.
Unfortunately, even the day in the
amusement park had to end and now we’re
back in Poland again, doing usual things,
working hard, etc.
We all miss the atmosphere of the project and
we miss the people we met there too.
It’s amazing how many things you can gain
from just one week in Holland…
Cross your fingers, cause maybe you’ll be the
one to go on the next project like that!
Kasia Skoneczna
___________________________________________________________________________
On the evaluation day, when we were
supposed to place a paper boat on a place
that reflects our feelings about the
exchange, I told everyone “I placed my
boat on the beach, because I haven’t felt
so relaxed in a long time and for that
I thank all of you”. As simple as that but it
meant a world to me. When I’m in
Warsaw I always feel like I have to do
something, I have to be somewhere or
I have to help someone. Which is a thing
I don’t usually mind, but in Holland I
realized that slowing the pace of our lives
is truly needed sometimes. Even though
I slept very little, I never felt tired, because
I was relaxing throughout the whole time.
I was surrounded by great people, I was
constantly absorbing their great energy
and I was doing a job that gave me
pleasure. It’s the kind of happiness and
relaxation that money can’t buy.
I still remember all of the little things that
made me so happy during that week. One
of those things was my lovely secret
friend, who never failed to put a smile on
my face. If you don’t know what a SF is, he
or she is a person that anonymously gives
you presents every day. And let me just
tell you – nobody ever had a better SF
than me. One of my favorites was a cute
smiley face magnet with a note
“Remember me and always smile. Just like
this little magnet. Lotta love xxx”. I keep it
in my wallet and I kid you not – I smile
every time I see it.
With good people surrounding you,
nothing can go wrong. After every trip, I
always like to play a game “who would I
pack in my suitcase and bring back home
with me”. And to be honest, I couldn’t
choose. I set a number of 5 people, but it
turned out to be AT LEAST 8. I can tell you
that each and every one of them was
amazing in their own way. Some more
memorable, some less, but all 44 of us
made a damn good team. I cried my eyes
out at the “see you soon party”. On the
bus home all I could think of were all of
the wonderful memories which I could not
forget about. Holland will always be in my
heart. I may forget about it, but its
warmth will always stay with me.
Hania Sagan
7
New York: May/June 2013 Earlier this month, I had the pleasure to go to New York City. Even though it was my second time there, I still enjoyed it. I have to admit - I’ve seen much more of the great NYC during this visit. I explored a lot of great places, but I’m going to share my 4 favorite spots with you.
On the first day of my trip I decided to go the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s one of the best museums I’ve ever been to in my life. It displays art from the Ancient Egypt to XXI century so it’s a museum where literally everybody can find something for themselves. What is not known by many people is that this museum has a rooftop garden with a nice view and a lovely café.
The next spot to see was the Central Park. Sounds like a cliché way to spend time in NYC, but still, it’s something you cannot miss. This park is a great place to spend your free time during hot summer days. You can cool yourself off by the lake or go to the funfair. For those who enjoy poetry, from time to time there are great Shakespeare’s plays to see.
Then came the much anticipated time to see SoHo. This downtown district is becoming very „in”. It’s a center of modern fashion and art. People are choosing to shop there over shopping in the popular 5th Avenue, because of the variety of well-known brands along with those of new designers’, who have just gotten into the market. It’s commonly considered to be original and fresh.
The last, but not least interesting place to visit is the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building. You can see the entire New York skyline from there, which is a truly impressive and amazing view. The view literally takes your breath away. When you’re up there, the feeling you get makes you decide that you will come back to New York City someday. I know I will.
Zuzia Kędzia
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Wroclaw: May 2013
To be honest, I didn’t believe in spending vacations in Poland. I always thought that I could only
have fun in a truly exotic place that has many new things and new people of different cultures and
nations. Well, a person can be wrong from time to time. At the beginning of May, two of my
friends and I went to Wroclaw for a couple of days and we totally loved it. A city filled with art and
good food can never be not fun.
I combined my little vacations with my voluntary work, which proved to be an excellent idea. I only
worked from 9 am till 2 pm, so I could still devote the rest of the days to all kinds of fun that Wroclaw
could offer. My job was to help at a 4-day design festival called WrocLOVE Design in which Polish
artists from all over the world exhibited their works of art. It was all kinds of art in one place –
fashion, paintings, interior design, sculptures, toys – everything was perfectly prepared and selected
which, made that festival a truly exceptional experience. It was the first edition of the festival but
since it was such a huge success, they are already planning the following editions. I really hope they
keep the festival going, and if they do, I’d highly recommend you go there.
Wroclaw is aiming for the title of the European Capital of Culture and I’d personally give the title to it
with no hesitation. My friends and I were so lucky to be in town for the opening of the new
exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art and we all really enjoyed it, each in her own way. I love
modern art so for me, the museum was a great place to be. The exhibition ironically portrayed
commercialism in today’s world and I think it was very well done. I personally am not that against
commercialism in itself, but I like seeing other people’s points of view, especially through art.
Commercialism was shown throughout time, how it evolved and how people change due to it and
again, I loved how it all was so well thought out.
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The next place we went to was the National Museum. I was dying to see the Vinyl Rally and the
Polish Modern Art part and my friends enjoyed an exhibition called “From Cranach to Picasso.
Santander Collection” . I must say that I was in awe of how all of those different kinds of art rubbed
along in one building, none outdoing the other, since there are so many people with so many
different tastes in art. The Museum was a place that everybody could enjoy.
The next amazing place was the cinema called “New Horizons” (“Nowe Horyzonty”). What was
interesting about it, was that it wasn’t a normal movie theatre. It was a very artistic place full of great
food, furniture, swings hanging from the ceiling, indoor balconies and modern art. The movie theatre
played interesting movies from the past, some from a year ago, some from 10 years ago. It closed at
midnight, so that made it even more exceptional.
If you know me just a little bit I’m a huge fan of eating out. And coming from an expert - Wroclaw is a
truly amazing place when it comes to independent cafés and restaurants. My hands-down-favorite
place was BLT (Ruska Street 58/59), an amazing burger place with the most amazing classic burgers
ever. If you ever go to Wroclaw, you simply must go there and taste some burgers. Inevitably tasty.
Aside from BLT, I’d love to recommend 3 more places to you. First – Central Café (św. Antoniego 10)
with the best bagels ever. Second – Bema Café (Drobnera Street 38) with the best interior design
and Italian sodas ever (take green banana). Third – Frankie’s Juice (Wita Stwosza Street 57) with the
best juice mixes ever. If you’re ever in Wroclaw. You. Have. To. Go. There.
Wroclaw was definitely a very nice experience. It was a 4-day getaway which I really needed at the
time. We’ve done way more things in Wroclaw, but I’ve only mentioned my definite top things for it
not to take up too many pages. Our next stop is Cracow. My advice – take good friends, research the
city a bit beforehand and hit the road! TLK is actually not that bad. We even met a really nice Finish
musician from a metal band who played for us on my friend’s guitar.
Hania Sagan
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Top things to do in Vancouver
I had the pleasure to live in Vancouver for nearly two years. The motto of the city - “The Best
Place on Earth” can be found on every car registration plate, which I guess speaks for itself.
Vancouver is a very multicultural city, whose nearly half of the population is called a “visible
minority”. It is a perfect place to visit, for both beach lovers (Vancouver offers magnificent
beaches; from clothing-optional to casual) and winter sports fanatics (you can ski or snowboard
in the northern part of the Metro, Vancouver).
Vancouver is located in British
Columbia, Canada. It is the largest
city of the province. It served as
the host of the 2010 Winter
Olympics.
The first thing that tourists should do is visit
the Vancouver Lookout at Harbor Centre in Downtown. It is the best first stop with a fantastic 360 degree view of the
city, harbor and mountains.
Capilano Suspension Bridge is situated in North Vancouver. It crosses 230 feet above Capilano
River to towering evergreens. It offers wonderful views
in a rainforest climate. However, it is not for the faint of
heart!
Rogers Arena, home of the
Vancouver Canucks, has become a
trilling and entertaining place for
hockey fans. For more than 15 years
the Canucks have been battling against
other NHL teams for the Stanley Cup. It
also serves as a concert hall, hosting a
lot of top chart American artists.
Vancouver has very wide connections of
transportation. Translink Vancouver offers Skytrains,
buses and the seabus that helps you get to every
location you want, from UBC to SFU, from North
Vancouver to Richmond.
Stanley Park is a huge natural park,
located next to downtown, about ten
percent larger than NYC’s Central Park.
It attracts 8 million visitors every year.
It is connected with West Vancouver by
the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Near the park,
you find English Bay, which is the most
popular beach in Vancouver.
Granville Island is an island situated
between Vancouver and downtown. It
is home to Emily Carr University of Art
and Design. You can also find a variety
of local products on Granville.
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At the end of your visit, you should check out Gastown where you can find the souvenirs, boutiques, galleries, fashion houses of Vancouver. It is a great place to hang out with your friends when you are about to leave
Vancouver and decide to buy gifts for your family and friends. It is lined with unique and exciting shopping
experiences. Gastown offers best cafes and restaurants in town; a great spot for hipsters!
North Vancouver is where I used to live. It is not
a district but an independent city located just up north
of Vancouver. It is part of the Vancouver’s north shore.
It is very easy to get there; you can take the Seabus,
which is Vancouver’s symbolic means of
transportation between mainland and North
Vancouver or by Lion’s Gate Bridge (built after the
Second World War) going from Stanley Park to West
and North Vancouver. You’ll find many attractions at
Lonsdale Quay (markets, cafés, restaurants, hotels). It
is the best place to raise a family!
West Vancouver is the best place to enjoy
the beautiful landscape of the city. That is where
the richest Vancouverites live, with best homes
that offer the best views of Vancouver and the
Pacific Ocean.
Commercial Drive in Downtown offers 300
shops and restaurants
with cuisines of 27
different countries. Enjoy
this North America’s
most unique shopping
districts.
Science World is a place for exhibitions, fairs, scientific projects
that offer attractions that ignite your mind with wonders of science and
world’s discoveries.
Vancouver Aquarium is located in Stanley Park . It has 50 000 captivating
creatures like belugas, whales, dolphins, sea insects, African penguins and the
amazing sensory effects of the 4D Experience Theatre
The two most famous shopping malls are Pacific Centre in
Downtown and Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby. To find the world’s most expensive and glamorous shops like Louis Vuitton,
Hermes, Gucci, Chanel you have to travel downtown.
Guest author – Mateusz Nguyen
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Malta: your holiday destination
I know, I know, the holidays haven’t started yet, we’re still at school and as teachers say, we
should study as usual, till the very end of the school year, as we’re supposed to do. Well, it’s
possibly true, but let’s be honest - I refuse to believe that teachers don’t think about holidays and
don’t crave for those lazy summer days as much as we, students, do. Everybody wants to get some
rest and this is, ladies and gentlemen, the truth. So let’s forget about school obligations for a while
and dream about the holidays once more… And if the holidays of your dreams consist of lots of
sun, sandy beaches, blue salty sea, lots of rest during the day and parties at night…then they are all
to be found in Malta, your perfect holiday destination.
It is said that people speak two languages
there, Maltese and English, but the reality is a
bit different, as they speak MOSTLY Maltese.
Let it be a warning for you then. If you want to
improve your English and party at the same
time… well, you had better decide which one
you want more. Before you decide, I should
tell you that the place is really magical and
worth seeing, so don’t put it out of your mind
just because of the English level. You can learn
English at school.
Malta is small and beautiful, peaceful during
the day and also peaceful at night, if you stay
away from the part of the city called Paceville.
Paceville is full of different night clubs and
bars. As everything in Malta, it is not big, but
due to the collection of clubs in one place, it
may seem like a paradise for ‘’party animals”.
Someone once said to me ‘’ if you weren’t in
Paceville, you weren’t in Malta’’ .
I personally wouldn’t really say so, but the
truth is, if you want a big party – either in the
club or at the beach, as the beach is also part
of Paceville – I can’t imagine a better place for
you to go.
But if you’re not a party animal, Malta still has
a lot to offer. I don’t want to be your
traditional guide here, cause obviously you
can find that on any internet site about Malta,
but I still have to mention that visiting
Valletta, the capital of Malta, is a must. And
here the saying may be applicable – if you
haven’t been to Valletta, you haven’t been to
Malta. What I can add is that the city makes
you feel so calm you don’t ever want to leave
the place. All those flowers and buildings are
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things which just make a damn good
impression.
In Malta you can meet people from all over
the world and this is the thing I like the most.
You meet somebody on the first day and I can
assure you, you’ll meet this person again,
cause Malta is really small. And after you
spent a week there, you’ll go back to your
country with lots of contacts to friends from
all over the world.
You’ll meet lots of Russians, Germans, Spanish
and Italian people but also Japanese people
and lots of Poles. I don’t have to add that
Poles are one of the first there to party! If you
feel lonely, go to Paceville and you’ll meet lots
of Polish people, trust me.
As for Maltese people, they’re open and
mostly welcoming. If you go out on the streets
during the evening, you can see that they
don’t close the doors to their apartments.
Probably because it’s frigging hot in there, but
also, they seem not to care about their privacy
so much. They come outside with the tables
during the evenings, call their neighbors and
sit together almost on the street, talking and
laughing. That’s the wonderful thing to see,
this openness all around in the air and living
without all this rush we have everywhere in
our country.
But here comes another warning - most
Maltese people seem to be fed up with
tourists all around them, so watch out ‘cause
they don’t necessarily have to be nice to you. I
don’t blame them. Malta is small and they
have no room for themselves, cause tourists
are always around, partying for most of the
time.
All in all, if you’re looking for a place to escape
to for a week or two, to party or just to get
some rest and sit a little bit in the sunny
weather, Malta is a place you should visit.
Think about it the next time you’re planning
your holidays. And now, well, maybe let’s get
back to our classes for a short while before
the end of the school year comes. Wish you all
an amazing summer!
Kasia Skoneczna
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Pride Parade: June 2013 ”
“
Literally everybody I asked told me not to go. My friend’s mum who’s a cop told me not to go. But I
figured – if I’m supporting a cause, I’m going to support it till the end, because that’s the whole
point of fighting for what one believes in.
I was not the only volunteer there – there
were 12 more volunteers with me so we were
all in this together. I decided to stick to what I
had promised and help at the actual parade.
Best decision I’ve made in a long time. I
honestly don’t remember the last time I
experienced so much good energy emanating
from so many people. I saw straight couples
holding hands and waving rainbow flags, I saw
foreigners who thanked me in English when I
handed them a pamphlet and I saw old ladies
who proudly marched with us waving to
Varsovians . We were all so different yet
similar, because we all valued love as the
most important thing in the world.
I should tell you – I was not afraid of all this at
the beginning. It was mainly all my friends,
who made me feel insecure. Nobody I knew
went with me, but I didn’t blame them. Also,
on Wednesday, after helping at the film
festival, I went to a premiere of a film called
“Parade”, which, long story short, tells the
story of a parade in Serbia in which a gay
person dies as a result of a beating. Actually, it
is a very positive movie, because it was trying
to depict a taboo subject in a pleasant way,
but it also tried to present the true situation
in Serbia. I guess it was the year 2000 or 2001
when the story happened. I went to the movie
theatre with a friend and he felt the exact
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same way. He also said that it was a good
movie, so it wasn’t only me who liked it. It
wouldn’t top my list of favorite movies, but it
will definitely stay in my mind. Back to the
point – this movie also gave me some slight
second thoughts about the parade. But I
figured – if there’s any justice in this world,
we will be all protected by a higher power
because we’re supporting a great cause.
Speaking in a religious way – I knew that God
is more than just words and he truly loves
every single one of his children, no matter
what.
When the day came, I was super positive. The
sun was bright and I felt rested. I arrived at
the Parliament building at around 2:30. I
changed into my pink parade shirt and started
giving out pamphlets. When I was walking
around, I saw lots of cops. They were
surrounding us from all around. They were
keeping everybody safe and for that I thank
them. This actually went on for the whole day.
I’ve never had such warm feelings towards
the government. It was the best thing they
could do for all of us. The parade started at
3:30 and everybody proudly and happily
marched around Warsaw. The music was on,
everybody was dancing, the flags were waving
and everybody had enormous smiles on their
faces. I truly felt like the whole city was
uniting. 8 thousand people stopped the traffic
and we didn’t get one hostile look from the
Varsovians. There were people with
unpleasant banners, but to be honest, they
were a small minority. Near the Palace of
Culture and Science, a large group of women
from the Women’s’ Congress joined us and
the platform started blasting Beyonce’s “Who
Run The World – Girls”. It was not just a gay
parade anymore. It was a parade of equality
and love, values which we all proudly stand
for. I’m going to say this again – the energy
that was emanating from everybody was
indescribable. I had so much fun and I am so
glad I could help there as a volunteer. I am
proud to have been a part of such a wonderful
event. I wish everything best for my gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender friends. We
are all in this world together and the only way
to live happily is to fully accept each other for
what we are.
On a different note, at the end of the parade I
understood something. I feared for my health
and life only that one day. Nothing happened,
but I constantly had a tiny feeling that
something might. And imagine that all of
these people have to struggle with this fear all
day, every day. During the walk we saw a
couple of really hurtful banners. There were
no big guys in black who were around, but
there were groups of people standing by
banners like “we want men, not p******” . It
was unpleasant even for me to read
something like this. But as we know stupid
and conservative people are everywhere. I’m
just glad it’s not the majority anymore.
This year’s parade, the 13th, was the calmest
Pride Parade in years. 8 thousand people. No
eggs, no potatoes thrown at us. Rainbow flags
waving in the sunlight. I still remember the
whole march. I really do wish everything best
for everybody who stands for such amazing
values as love, freedom and tolerance. Shame
on those who don’t.
Cheers, Hania Sagan
P.S. All the song lyrics are from Same Love by Macklemore
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Lana Del Rey: concert review
When I found out about the most incredible event of this year, I knew I had to go. At the
beginning of June it seemed to me like it’d been YEARS since I bought the ticket to Lana’s concert.
Actually it was 8 months. I told all of my friends about the concert (as it wasn't such a big event in
the Polish media, which was strange, considering that Lana is really well-known here) and they
acted as if they had a billion years to consider going, ask their parents, and buy the tickets. I
wanted them to go, they wanted to go. But guess what - I was left alone.
It wouldn't have bothered me so much if only
my father would drive me there and back.
And here lies the problem. He wasn't going to
be in town then. So what did I do? Of course, I
opened Facebook – the best solution to every
XXI century problem - and found some
random people who I only barely knew and
who were going. For a while I thought that it
was all lost, but then I saw it - Pauline had a
ticket (thank you so much my beloved
Facebook!). I texted her immediately - she
was coming with a group of friends and she
told me I could join them. I guess that it went
so fast because this is what makes us girls- we
love to have fun, and we always know that
the more the merrier. Everybody knows it.
When we got to Torwar THAT evening, we
were in very good moods. So good that even
the Legia fans who were leaving the stadium
10 meters behind us couldn't jeopardise it. I
can't believe I actually had fun whilst standing
in a line. They hadn’t even begun to let us in
and yet there already was hysteria. The so -
called "True Fans" (psycho fans, according to
my dictionary) were wearing wreaths and
were screaming and jumping and passing out.
They also held up high some flowers while
standing on their toes for like 30 minutes.
Cute or crazy? Well it would be safe to say - a
little bit of both.
Finally, some guy in blue jeans and white shirt
let us in. We took a few pictures, then quickly
headed for the stage. I must say I really loved
the decorations, and the atmosphere they
created. Foggy violet, smoky pink, all shades
of blue – it was melancholic and so artistic. I
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was pleasantly surprised by the supporting act
- the band was really good. Honestly, I hadn’t
been paying attention to Dawid Podsiadło’s
music career before, but now I will because it
is definitely worth it. One of my new friends
compared the band’s style to the one
represented by The Kooks. I totally agreed
with him. I enjoyed it very much, and I'm sure
other people did too. But still, we all couldn't
wait to hear Lana's voice.
When she finally came, even I (a fan, but not a
desperate, psycho one ) couldn't help myself
from getting as close to the stage as it was
only possible. Miss Grant looked stunning that
night. She welcomed Warsaw with "Cola". I
heard a lot of opinions, saying pretty much the
same- that Lana Del Rey is not able to sing
live. Bullshit. Not only can she, but she does it
damn well. I can assure you that she didn't use
playback. She would stop in the middle of a
verse to randomly comment on some gifts,
and then got back to the song. Just like that.
She was asked to sing "Knocking On Heaven’s
Door" by Guns & Roses. She did it her own
way, but it was good. Different, but pretty
good.
This concert had a soul. I'm not kidding, that’s
how it felt. Everybody was so nice to each
other. Lana went off the stage incredibly
often, to hug her fans, to talk with them. After
the first hugging/talking thing she said that it
was a really memorable night.
At the concert she sang: Cola, Body electric,
Carmen, Blue Jeans, Dark Paradise,
Summertime Sadness, Born to die, Young and
Beautiful, Ride, Video Games and National
Anthem. During the last song, National
Anthem, she wrapped the Polish flag, which
she had received earlier from a fan, around
her arms. It was really nice of her. After the
singing part of the show came to an end (no,
concerts are not just about singing), she got
off the stage again. The fans took pictures
with their Goddess, got autographs, and hugs.
I didn't manage to get close enough to hug
Lana - fighting with emotionally unstable
people wasn’t at the top of my dreams then.
Besides, I was happy. I loved the performance.
The only thing that bothered me was the
length - shorter than planned. I thought that
concerts were supposed to last longer than
originally decided, not the other way around.
Anyway, too short or too long, it was
definitely worth going.
Daria Kurpiewska
18
MON(ey)ACO
Monaco is the city by the Mediterranean Sea with marvelous landscapes, luxury apartments and
world famous casinos. Can one imagine a better place to live for multi-billionaires ? But recently
it's been a trendy destination for footballers as they are moving to AS Monaco. They are tempted
by Dmitry Rybolovlev with preposterously immense salaries. The rich Russian businessman is going
to have the new football power built.
For most of the last couple of decades of the
20th century, Monaco was at the top of
French football. The problems appeared along
with the beginning of the new millennium.
The club was facing numerous financial
difficulties. In 2003, this money issue took
effect. Despite finishing second in the league,
the club was relegated to Ligue 2 by the
French Professional League for amassing a €50
million debt. Fortunately, the royal family of
Monaco got involved in the dispute and the
penalty was canceled. The next season was
quite successful. The team consisting of
Fernando Morientes, Ludovic Giuly and Dado
Pršo succeeded in reaching the Champions
League Final, beating Real Madrid and
Chelsea along the way. However, despite the
success on the pitch, the 2003–04 season was
the club's worst financial year in its history. In
this case, it was impossible to convince the
best players to stay in Monaco. The club
wasn't well managed as well. In years 2004-
2008 it was run by six coaches (!). The board
also failed to purchase high- class players.
Finally, after AS Monaco ended up the
2010/11 season in 18th position, it was
relegated to Ligue 2.
This is the time when our hero enters the
stage. His name is Dmitry Rybolovlev ranked
#119 in Forbes' billionaire's list in 2013. In
December 2011 66% of AS Monaco’s total
shares were acquired by the Russian. The new
owner helped Monaco to win the second
French league in May 2013 - two years after
the relegation. Despite that achievement,
Rybolovlev doesn't seem to be sufficiently
satisfied. His aim is to capture the title of the
best team in France or even whole Europe.
Some would say : the great talkers are not
great doers. But he has already shocked the
football world - he is going to spend over 200
million euro to satisfy his ambition.
The transfer bill has already gone beyond the
€100 million. Two Porto players- João
Moutinho and James Rodríguez were signed
for a combined €70 million. And Ricardo
Carvalho left Real for Monaco for free. But
the move that’s made the most waves is a €60
million deal for the infallible striker Radamel
Falcao. Although Falcao with his play drew
attention of the most successful clubs in
Europe like Real Madrid or Manchester
United, he joined AS Monaco, the team that
has just been promoted to Ligue 1. According
to unofficial information, Yohan Cabaye is
also very pleased to complete his move to
Monaco. However, it's not over yet. Dmitry
19
Rybolovlev has also considered buying such
world - class players like Victor Valdes,Daniel
Agger, Branislav Ivanović, Eric Abidal, Claudio
Marchisio, Andy Caroll, Hulk or Carlos Tevez.
Undoubtedly the most surprising news is that
Real Madrid is rumored to have been offered
over 100 million euro for his best player-
Cristiano Ronaldo. Given the consent of the
Spanish club, it would be the most expensive
transfer in history.
Of course the big money spending is possible
thanks to Rybolovlev's generosity. But there's
another issue which seems to be
controversial. AS Monaco, although allowed to
play in the French football league, is situated
outside the French border and isn’t subject to
the French law. It means Monaco isn't taxable
to France. According to Monaco's law, this
tiny principality is the only taxless place in the
world.
At the same time, France has imposed high
taxation, forcing rich people, such as famous
actor Gerard Depardieu, who has acquired
Russian citizenship, to search for adopted
“motherlands”.
That makes a great gap between Monaco and
the rest of the French teams competing in
Ligue 1. For example, for a football player that
would cost Monaco about 1.05 million euro,
taxes included, every other team of Ligue 1
would have to pay a total amount of 3.19
million euro, taxes included- just to match the
offer. French sides have already complained,
they request AS Monaco to move the club's
residence inside the French border. A lot of
French football teams refuse to sell their
players to Monaco, to "punish" the club this
way for receiving special economic relief.
Monaco also claimed that the top French
football clubs' federation's leader requested
the club to pay 200 million euro to put an end
to the conflict and to let the club stay in
Monaco. For AS Monaco, this demand is
“totally unacceptable” and it plans to go to
court.
Then AS Monaco is completely dependable on
the amount of money in Rybolovlev's wallet.
For some people it's easy to complain that
contemporary football is all about money
which is indispensible to achieve a success.
Instead of making a noise about something we
do not have influence on, we should see the
positives. AS Monaco is slowly becoming the
next big thing on the world stage and will
make Ligue 1 more competitive. Now, only
PSG seems to look like the best French team,
able to make a difference in Champions
League. Unfortunately, the Parisians don't
have anyone that can equal their level of
football in whole France. Even Olympique
Lyon, the team that just a few years ago
won the championship of Ligue 1 seven times
in a row, can't compete with PSG.
Paradoxically, only AS Monaco with Dmitry
Rybolovlev valiantly stomping forward, can
confuse the PSG'S ambitious plans.
Despite the sceptical opinion, Monaco is
becoming the new football power and its
wealthy owner has already set his heart on
capturing the most important European
trophies.
Marcin Nalepa
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