Privatisation flop

It seems that privatisation lucky streak of PO-led government has come to an end or has just been suspended for a while. A bit of a pity, given that from 2006 to early 2009 privatisation proceedings resembled an obstacle course. Privatisation through stock exchange was brought to a halt in 2006 when PiS-led government took over and wasted several chances to sell stakes in state-owned firms above their intrinsic value (rampant bull market allowed for it). Then came the bear market of 2007-2009, when it was hard to sell anything to private investors and when market made it hard for private investors to make profits on IPOs.

The tide has turned in 2009, with the comeback of upbeat market sentiment. In the first half of 2009 the government finalised the privatisation of Coal Mine Bogdanka, one of the best-run and most profitable coal mines in Poland. IPO price was considerably low, as the bull market starting in February 2009 was still in teething phase and market participants were still wary of relapse of bear market. The government sold shares in Bogdanka for 48.00 PLN per share, while the open price on flotation day was 56.10 PLN - investors who had subscribed for the stocks could reap a profit of 17% right away or wait until October 2010 for a tender offer, under which a Czech company wanted to buy up shares of Bogdanka at the price over two times higher than IPO one. Those who earned the most on the transactions are future pensioners, as key buyers were Polish pension funds. This means that the Company is still state-owned as assets in pension funds are not owned by members of pension funds, but by the state. In the meantime the state sold (to itself, with intermediation of expensive financial instututions) another stake in Bogdanka, on 9 March 2010, for 70.50 PLN per share.

2010 saw three spectalular privatisations.

PZU was floated on Warsaw Stock Exchange on 12 May 2010. The IPO price was 312.50 PLN per share, when the market opened, stocks were traded for 349 PLN, the same day market closed at around 360 PLN. Investors, including me, enjoyed returns of 12 - 16%. This was the first privatisation run as part of 'civic shareholding' (akcjonariat obywatelski) programme. Number of stocks for which a single investor could subscribe was capped at 30 (what gave an equivalent of circa 10,000 PLN) and stocks were sold with modest discount, to let ordinary people earn. PZU IPO, mostly after years of squabbling with Eureko was perceived as a great success. Currently PZU stocks cost around 390 PLN

Tauron Polska Energia stocks were first traded on 30 June 2010. This time there was a dent on the government's offer. The initial issue price of 6.30 PLN was too high for institutional investors and the stocks were eventually sold for 5.13 PLN. The flotation day was, coincidentally, the day when the biggest market correction in 2010 hit its trough and open price was no higher and no lower than 5.13 PLN. Profits weren't reaped, but according to analysts' valuations the Company was much undervalued. I also bought these shares in IPO and first quotations were a big let-down for me. My exit strategy was to buy up some more stocks, if the price went down and I followed out my plan. A few months later Tauron stock began to increase in price and within six months fetched a return of 35%. Patience was rewarded. In 2011 the price dropped, I began selling and buying back stocks with a view to earn more. Currently Tauron stocks are traded for around 6.60 PLN, not much below their ever-time high of 6.92 PLN from 17 December 2010 when they were becoming a component of WIG20.

Warsaw Stock Exchange went public in November 2010. IPO price was 43.00 PLN and was deemed to be overvalued. Despite this, demand on WSE shares was record-high and with open price on 9 November 2010 at 50.75 profits for a private investor reached 18%. Not bad. I didn't subscribe, as I thought the price was too high and I was wrong. Since then WSE stock price hit its low of around 44 PLN and high of 54 PLN and still seems to me overvalued. But after all this means the government has made a good deal on behalf of taxpayers. Currenly you can buy one share of WSE for around 52 PLN.

Over 2010 the PO-led government has established an excellent track record in terms of privatisation through stock exchange. But one success following another increases risk of complacency and hubris. Perils wait just round the corner and treasury minister Aleksander Grad had to learn a hard lesson this year.

One of two big IPO planned for 2011 were Bank BGŻ and Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa. The former has already been floated, the latter is due to become public in July.

First step of Bank BGŻ hapless IPO was its issue price of 90 PLN, with P/E at 34x. Such high price-earnings ratio implied the bank was much overvalued. Demand from private investors was not as high as in any of three big offers in 2010, but was high enough to cover the whole tranche of stocks earmarked for them. Investment and pension funds categorically refused to buy BGŻ stocks at such sky-high price and as a result the issue price had to be brought down to 60 PLN, much closer to the intrinsic value of these shares. The state had planned to raise 1.44 billion PLN from sale of 37% stake in BGŻ, but eventually it had to make do with 344 million PLN from sale of 12% of shares. Minister Grad now waits until the bank's value gets higher (this may take some time) and thinks hard how to bend over backwards to meet privatisation proceeds targets for 2011. In the meantime it was revealed that some time ago Rabobank, the majority shareholder of BGŻ offered the state 74 PLN for one share of BGŻ - 14 PLN per share more than the market wanted to pay, plus savings on IPO costs. The Polish adage saying that "an avaricious man loses twice" proved right. Shares of BGŻ were floated last Friday. Individual investors could subscribe for 120 shares for 90 PLN each, and eventually were assigned 20 shares per 60 PLN each. With opening price of 62.50 PLN one could earn 50 PLN minus transaction costs and capital gains tax. Lovely... I still hold 20 shares, my strategy on what to do with those security is rather unclear, but today as I was passing by a BGŻ branch I felt like an owner.

Despite this I'm looking forward to next IPO of Jatrzębska Spółka Węglowa, which may be hampered by demands of brazen trade unionists (read spongers) from the Company. May those deals be brought off wisely - I make this wish both as a taxpayer and as an investor, or to make no bones, a speculator.

In praise of free speech.

Six o'clock in the morning. Functionaries of Internal Security Agency break down the door and trespass onto a flat inhabited by 25-year-old chap. Are we back in 2006 or 2007 when various people were arrested in the spotlight (some of them have never been proven guilty and acquited)? No, we are in luminuous times when enlighted Civic Platform is in power and civic freedoms are thriving. This statement was borne out on Tuesday when a guy who ran antykomor.pl site had his computer forfeited by secret services, just because he had run a website on which he had ridiculed president Komorowski.

From 2005 several websites were set up with just one goal - to make laugh of late president Kaczynski and his brother who wielded power as prime minister. Politicians of PiS and believers of the sturdy party expressed their outrage at the fact ordinary people wanted to make fun of clunky twins. Usually the key explanation was that all those people couldn't do it off their own bat and must have been inspired by an overarching, invisible force, called the System.

Times have changed. Since the Smolensk disaster it is no longer passe to admit to support Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his party. A group of people who declare they used to be drowned out for years can easily have their say. Antykomor was created in that time, in the surge of anti-PO movement. He did what many people had done during president Kaczynski's term. Let's face it - the current and the previous president have both been mediocre and no wonder such websites spring up. It is quite natural in the civic society, in which people have to have a right to give vent to their emotions.

I first heard about the site after its closure, so google cache memory was my only source of information on the content of antykomor.pl. I have to say I didn't find anything what would justify stepping into Antykomor's author's flat early in the morning, maybe except one photomontage on which the president appears to be compelling a drunk girl to do him a blow job.

This one was below the belt, but the guy should be wise enough to know there are boundaries that must not be overstepped. This still doesn't justify the forfeiture of computer, he could only be requested to delete offensive content and materials he hadn't had copyrights to.

Officiousness is worse than fascism. After the hapless action PiS scores another point and PO slides down on a slippery slope it has been for months of its feckless rule. Who the hell hatched the idea of detaining author of such website? It is absolutely normal in mature democracies that some people are dissatisfied with the politicians in charge of their countries and ridicule them. Think about all mockery at Nicholas Sarkozy, George W. Bush or Barack Obama. I think the article 135, paragraph 2 of Polish penal code which defines punishment for insulting the president (up to 3 years of imprisonment) should be overruled. Why should a president enjoy any special protection? He indeed is a symbol and deserves respect, but other people also deserve respect. So what's the difference between liability for insulting a president and insulting a prime minister. Should only the former be punished? Wasn't the legislator a bit ticklish? Isn't the situation in Poland ludicrous - people who accuse state officials of high treason and felonies go unpunished and the guy who pokes fun at president's numerous missteps has to play host to Internal Security Agents?

I was okay with making fun of president Kaczynski and I am okay with ridiculing president Komorowski (he gives us ample reasons for doing so) and I will be okay if any other president is mocked at, of course within reason, what means with offensive remarks, insults and lies. I was counting down days till the end of Lech Kaczynski's presidency, so why not do same with Komorowski?

Judgement day coming soon

An odd posting on a working day, prompted by the news about the upcoming worldwide disaster due this Saturday. We have survived many ends of the world, for the past few years there haven't been many such events. The most popular until now was the Mayan date of the last day, 21 December 2012, but recently it has been superseded by the closer one, 21 May 2011, as predicted by weird broadcaster and preacher Harold Camping, aged 89. The Family Radio he runs unremittingly spreads the news about the imminent judgement day and those prophecies have also reached Poland. The nearest billboard informing about the event can be found in Warszawa Jeziorki, near ul. Karczunkowska.

It says the Bible certifies it and we should cry out to God for mercy. For some of us it's too late...

I actually thought the news about such rare events as ends of the world are niche products for bored to death geeks, but the reality has taken me aback. Not only tabloids such as Fakt and Super Express informed about the event, but the sensation was also picked up up by System-controlled TVN24 and Gazeta Wyborcza... Moreover I heard people discussing the issue at work (another upside of open plans) and in a train. Two days ago I logged in to facebook and was hit by a question...


Finding myself totally unable to plump for any option I didn't tick any way of spending the time left until the end of the world.

Whenever I hear about such self-styled prophets, I ask myself what will they say, if nothing happens. Family Radio provides me with the answer...

What if May 21 ends and nothing occurs?

The Biblical evidence is too overwhelming and specific to be wrong. Christ's people can look with great confidence to this date because God promises His "beloved" He will not come upon them as a thief in the night.

God in His mercy has revealed the vital information needed to know the day. Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 will occur because the bible declares it. Anyone whom God has not saved will arrive at that day with no hope for salvation. God warns simply the "door will be shut."

I'm looking forward to seeing what they say when indeed nothing occurs. I've come up with a few versions:

a) someone tampered with the calendar and 21 May 2011 was not 21 May 2011,

b) the God gave us another chance,

c) we have made a minor error in our calculations, but beware, because the end is nigh.

Now a simple explanation why there should be no end of the world on Saturday. The end of the world will hit out of the blue, not when people expect it.

At the end of the day, whenever I hear such prophecies I'm afraid one day the mechanism of self-fulfilling prophecy may work. An idiot may try to fulfil the destiny, press some red button, launch a nuclear missile or do something equally dangerous...

Beware... of false prophets...

Longevity

My paternal grandfather turns 85 this Tuesday. Maybe it's not yet a grand old age (although far longer than average lifespan), but there's a chance that he makes it to the next round, 90th, anniversary. He'd been in a very good health until the age of 80, then he had several attacks of epilepsy and some other problems with general health. This year, after passing out unexpectedly he spent a few days in a hospital. He still cleans up the house and does the shopping, mentally he's fit enough to do the household chores unaided.

His birthday made me think a bit of the determinants of length of a human life. I've even drawn up a short list of factors.

1. Genes - probably the most meaningful factor. Length of our life, no accidents permitting is written in the genes at the moment of birth. Some are predestined to live 90 years, some have to die 25 years earlier. Genes of longevity may be passed on to next generations. In my family the fateful age was 87. Three out of seven of my great-grandparents, whose dates of deaths are known, died aged 87, my maternal grandfather also passed away aged 87 (he had predicted it seven years earlier...).

2. Resilience - stronger people, who don't give up, bear up what fate brings should live longer.

3. Temper - patient, kind-hearted, joyful people are more likely to live longer than aggressive and hot-tempered ones.

4. Social activities - the more friends you have, the better your relationships with your family are, the more time you spend with other people (nad enjoy it), the longer you should stay on this earth.

5. Sport - people who do some sports and have a daily, or at least weekly dose of physical exercise, should stay fit longer and hence the probability that they die from heart attack should decrease...

6. Train your brain - I'm not sure if it can extend life, but for sure if brainteasers, crosswords and books keep you company, risk of senility in the old age should go down.

7. Stress - here the correlation is negative. The more stressful life you lead, the shorter might it be...

8. Happiness - works just as in the case of social activities.

9. Place of residence - generally refers to factors other than listed above. On where you live depends how well-equipped hospitals are, how well-trained doctors are and how easy access to medicines is.

10. Wealth - sadly. Well-off people can afford to undergo costly therapies that can save their or their relatives' lives. Not everyone can.

11. Awareness of health - look at the example of breast cancer prevention. Those women who suffer from it usually were oblivious of the possibility to have their breast examined each three years or were afraid of the very examination. Results are dire.

12. Smoking, drinking, other addictions - it is said that each smoked cigarette shortens your life by 18 minutes. I've never had a cigarette in my mouth in my life but I still wonder how long would live those people who died aged over 100 and smoked several cigarettes a day over decades. In small doses alcohol also should not hamper one's health.

Anything to add to that list?

Actually if the factors above were that very crucial, my paternal grandparents, both aged 85, married to each other for over 62 years, would not be predestined to live that long. So is everything written in the genes? Or somewhere else?

At the very end of this short (again, but easier to digest) post a small reflection. It is said, in the context of imminent collapse of pension systems, that people will live longer and longer. Is it so certain. "Live fast, die young" - look at young yuppies who break their backs to make roaring careers and make lots money and ask yourself, if they'll be able to carry on like this for 40 years. Imagine a man working 60 hours a week for four decades when he retires in his sixties. What will be left? Who will be left?

Provocative paragraph, but if it's a bit controversial, it suits the blog very well :)

Taxation and justice - again

Prompted by yesterday's discussion with a fellow blogger on the donation tax, I settled on revisiting the topic of justice in taxation, once brought up here... This time the aspect of effectiveness will not be touched upon, but instead I will try to focus on justice.

From my short research done while cycling around I conclude there are four main bases of taxation.

1. The mere being or existence, as in the case of poll tax. The concept can be traced back to middle ages and assumes that everyone should pay the same amount of tax, regardless of their income and wealth. Today this form of taxation is generally deemed to be unfair, as people's and entities' ability to bear the burden of taxation varies, depending on their income or wealth, and is hardly ever used by local or state governments to raise revenues.

2. Consumption, with the most popular VAT. I have to say I would struggle to provide you with a rationale of this form of taxation, but it surely can be categorised as an effective way of collecting money, as value added tax, or sales tax is hard to avoid. When it comes to justice, here it is quite possible to adjust the tax rate to taxpayers' ability to pay taxes to their capacity to bear tax burdens. Basic goods, such as bread, diary products, medicines, utility services can be taxed at lower rate, while cars, petrol, foreign trips and other luxurious goods can be taxed at the higher rate, as their consumers can afford to spend more on them. The state can tamper with VAT rates to affect the structure of consumption, e.g. merit goods may have a low tax rate levied, while demerit goods will have not only higher VAT rate, but also another tax, especially for sinners, imposed. The tool is effective and no wonder Polish government, when at a pinch, decided to raise VAT rather than income taxes.

3. Wealth. I don't even know if there is a Polish equivalent of 'wealth tax', as this tax does not function in Poland at all. This form gives much room for tax avoidance, as the wealthiest people would move their assets to tax havens. The concept behind this is that the well-off should somehow share their wealth with the poorer. I am generally against it, as people should be taxed as they are coming into wealth, not as they are already wealthy. A proper property tax is not used in Poland. I would be glad to see it levied, as it would bring prices on property market into balance. Prices would surely fall and better reflect real values or properties.

4. Income. The broadest issue, so I'll take the liberty of omitting corporate taxes and focus on four forms of personal taxes.

A) Personal income tax. It is generally accepted that flat and progressive taxes are said to be most fair. Tax rates and brackets are supplemented with tax deductibes items and tax allowances. My own take on the best personal tax system has been laid out in the post linked at the beginning and has not changed since then.

B) Capital gains tax. Is a standard in all civilised countries. There have been proposals to scrap it in Poland, as when it had been introduced in 2001 it had been meant to be a temporary measure to bring people on spending in economic slowdown, then in stayed on. My sense of justice incites me to a strong disapproval when I hear proposals to lift it; for two reasons. Firstly, I live in an area when lots of ex-farmers sold their plots of land for millions of zlotys in 1990s and 2000s and now they don't have to go to work every day and toil away nine hours a day as I do, but they sit on their arses and live off interest of the money their got from selling the land. If my work was taxed and their income not, that would be despicable. Secondly, I am a stock market speculator. With a bit of knowledge and luck it might be a great way to earn (or lose) quickly a lot of money without much effort. I would be a slap on the faces of all hard-working people, if I and the likes of me didn't have to pay tax on our 'murky dealings'. The main argument agianst capital gains tax is that it creates a 'double taxation', which is wrong, because you once earn some money and you pay income tax, then you invest that money and pay tax only on the interest or gains you earn.

C) Inheritance tax. The government of Law and Justice lifted this form of tax for the closest relatives of the deceased. From my point of view, this wasn't a fairly good decision. An inheritance is a windfall, your wealth increases, although you usually haven't put any effort into working for it. Therefore I think this tax should be levied even on the closest relatives, but they should pay a lower rate than people who have been bequeathed something by a person from outside their family.

D) Donation tax. If you are given some money, property or anything that has a significant value for free, this is also a windfall. As in the case of inheritance tax, this is also a form of coming into some wealth without making an effort. In Poland closest relatives are also exempted from donation tax payments. It is not fair actually, often children get money, flats or cars from their parents, but they haven't contributed to creation of such wealth. This means children form well-off families are better-off in comparison to those who have to accumulate their wealth on their own. Thank God donations from third parties are taxed, but taxation rates are in Poland lower or similar to the ones on income taxes. In my opinion they should be higher, as those who put effort into coming into wealth, should be tax at lower rates than ones who simply get the money.

Voices of disagreement are strongly encouraged! Nothing does as good as exchange of opinions!

“Blasphemies” on beatification day

The word in the post title to be taken with a pinch of salt, but this piece is an attempt to swim against the tide on a day when events in Rome make almost all headlines in Poland and only some abroad.

Brits had their day of celebrations on Friday, when the royal wedding took place, Poles are having their day today, when John Paul II, the Pope they love(d) is officially declared blessed. Both events spurred a sort of craze in both nations, although much different they were, due to different character of events, in both countries there are people who have not been afflicted with it.

The beatification gives rise to some discussions about self-censorship. In Poland it is not officially forbidden to criticise the late Pope, but journalists somehow tend to refrain from it. In the week preceding the beatification New York Times published an article in which it explored all pros and cons of the decision to beatify Karol Wojtyła very short after his death and called into question whether he deserved to be beatified at all.

Pope’s critics, usually from outside the Catholic Church, come up with two reasons why John Paul II does not deserve to be declared blessed.
Firstly, for not moving the Church with the times. I actually do not understand this argument. The Church is an independent organisation, membership to which is not obligatory, those who want to join it and stay in have to accept the rules it sets. The Church is an exclusive, religious organisation and hence its rules should be strict to allow it to maintain its authority. And after all, John Paul II changed many papal customs, Catholic Church has been moving with the times, but has always lagged behind it.
Secondly, for covering-up sexual child abuse scandals. And here opponents score a point. Some say the Pope actually did not know much about the abuse cases as flow of information was filtered by the bishops from his administration. Nonetheless, this problem properly. It is not fair, given that all people should be equal before law. Secular paedophiles appear before courts, are sentenced, then go to jail and their “atonement”, meted out by fellow prisoners is anything but pleasant. Priests guilty of child abuse have usually been protected within the Church…

Leaving aside the controversial topics, let’s move on to more down-to-earth issues. I, as an unreligious, have not been made ponder upon the very Karol Wojtyła, but upon his teachings, heritage Catholics all over the world had received from him, but not surely taken it in…

Now what do we have left in Poland? 40% of people regularly going to church on Sundays? Unreflective religiousness, meaning people practise because they have been taught to practise, not necessarily out of a deeper need? Drunk driving? Tax evasion (which is a form of theft)? Illegally made out sick leaves for healthy people that costs Polish state and employers millions of zlotys every months? Mistrust? Envy? Hostility? Malice? People who can’t see further than the end of their own nose? Aggression in public life and between common people? Claims of moral superiority made by the most ardent Catholics? Accusing fellow men of treason without any substantial evidence?

Overwhelming hypocrisy, the biggest cancer of Polish Catholicism? Once some old ladies cross the doorstep of their church they backbite their neighbours. Once some men step out of the same church they go to a nearby inn, knock back a few bottles of beer, sit behind the wheel and drive home. Youngsters declare they love John Paul II and then go for a party, put on condoms and shag one another? Am I exaggerating? No, I have seen each of the situations described above at least once in my life…

More and more it occurs to me that, to paraphrase a popular quotation from Polish film “Kiler”, Polacy zrobili sobie z dziesięciu przykazań spółkę z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością (Poles have made the Decalogue a limited partnership). OK, they may go by the rules set by the Church and the Pope who is in charge of it, but only to the extent to which it is convenient for them. They are Catholics, they have some rules to follow, but when it comes to pre-marital sex, or use of contraception techniques, the same rules are somehow waived. Isn’t it peculiar?

Religion, in Poland particularly bound with Polishness in the history, is now, owing to the past, treated instrumentally. A good Pole and a god patriot should, according to old beliefs, be a catholic. Last August, prompted by my colleague (a practising, yet very moderate Catholic) I mused about what John Paul II felt when he watched goings-on outside the presidential palace in August 2010? What did the late Pope feel when religious symbols when used for strictly political ends? What does the now Blessed Karol Wojtyła feel when he looks from above on politicians who cite his teachings to prove their moral superiority and then violently attack their political opponents, not without resorting to lies and manipulations?

My counter-point is that you don’t have to be religious to be a decent man. If we can draw any lesson from this day, do commemorate Pope in a different way than it has been done. Heritage of John Paul II should not consists in monuments, roundabouts named after him or carpets with his face weaved on them and sold during harvest festivals. Real heritage consists in following the most universal teachings in every day lives.

Pay taxes, don’t shirk work, have courage to admit you were wrong and make up for it, help your fellow men in need, be honest, reliable, dependable, keep your promises, have respect for other people, keep calm, take care of public goods, don’t sponge on the state (= on fellow taxpayers), be fair, always tell the truth, take responsibility for your deeds, don’t take credit for other people’s merits… The list could be much longer, but… I am asking too much??? If all people acted like this, life would be much, much better…

And now what is left? Quite often still anger and shame…

Student SGH vs. omnipotent bureaucracy – three short stories.

All presented in a bit weird way – as timelines…

Case 1 – Master’s thesis

September 2009 – I took a decision to complete all courses on Master’s studies within three semesters, rather than within four, as it is was set out in curriculum of studies.

July 2010 – To achieve the goal I began writing my Master’s thesis, with a view to submit it as early as possible and part company with my ignoble school.

12 October 2010 – I submitted a Master’s seminar application in the student office (dziekanat). I had a choice either to take two seminars in one semester (technically feasible) or do the first part of the seminar over the third semester and the second over the fourth semester. I opted for the latter to give myself a safety buffer in case I couldn’t make it in the allotted time, having in mind that it would put back a date of my Master’s exam.

5 January 2011 – I made it. Master’s thesis was prepared and approved by the supervisor.

16 February 2011 – I visited the student office to submit the Master’s seminar application for the second semester. Rules and regulations of studying clearly stipulate a student is obliged to do this within first two weeks of each semester. Despite this I was rebuffed and told not to show up there before I got the credit for the previous semester… Procedures clashed with the overwhelming system…

11 March 2011 – Having logged in to my account in SGH’s IT system I found out I had become a fourth semester student…

16 March 2011 – I finally submitted the hapless application, but was instructed not to put my thesis through an anti-plagiarism system, as, according to student office worker, the system was not ready to deal with theses uploaded by last semester student. I was also told to do this next week. Slightly bemused I postponed the process of checking if I wasn’t a copycat.

23 March 2011 – Same old story. Again I was ordered to wait for one more week.

30 March 2011 – I couldn’t leave the office earlier, so around midday I simply called the student office. I talked with another worker who told me I had been misinformed and the system had always been operational. Delay was then two weeks (or six weeks, if I was to count in the delay in accepting Master’s seminar applications)

31 April 2011 – I waded through all regulations concerning submitting Master’s thesis. One of quite bizarre ones was that it was not the student whose duty was to submit the thesis and several attachments by the supervisor in the flesh. I contacted the supervisor and asked him when he could go with me to the student office and handle all formalities. The only possible date was next Monday, around midday.

1 April 2011 – I took a day off at work (tapping my paid holidays) to wrangle with my beloved school.

2 April 2011 – I put the thesis through anti-plagiarism system, printed out the thesis and dozens of attachments, had my thesis bound, arranged a meeting with my supervisor.

4 April 2011 – I went to my supervisor’s work, where he were supposed to meet, unfortunately he couldn’t go out of the office, so he signed all documents and wrote at the back of an envelope a power of attorney for me to submit the thesis and attachments on his behalf. He pointed out the requirement that the supervisor was to do the job was virtually dead. Half an hour later, at school, he was proved wrong. The school followed all procedures… The whole day went down the drain.

13 April 2011 – My supervisor and I finally made it to the student office together and submitted the thesis and all documents. A student office worker, the one who had misinformed me, refused to confirm the receipt of the thesis and attachments and told us not to change workings of her always perfect office. I was also rebuked for reproaching the office over being open only three hours a day in hours inconvenient for working students – I was told to choose either to work and study on weekends or to quit the job and study in day-time mode.

Since then I have received credit for my Master’s seminar and my thesis has been handed over to a reviewer. According to the regulations, he has one month to review the thesis. If he doesn’t he won’t be penalised in any way. And this is the worst – for such misconduct or neglect of duties people should be fined. A fine of 1,000 PLN would make them meet deadlines… Of course now I don’t know when the reviewed thesis will be returned to student office and when the date of final exam will be set, but somehow I don’t hope for the best…

Cases 2 – Driving licence

9 May 2006 – My first medical check-up. A doctor came to a driving school, charged 100 PLN, asked if I was healthy and checked my eyesight. My glasses then weren’t powerful enough and I was prescribed a temporary driving licence, valid five years.

January 2011 – my driving licence was to expire on 9 May 2011 so I took first steps to find out what to do to have it prolonged. I had to do a medical check-up and obtain a doctor’s certificate with no counter-indications for driving. In a health centre I was told to wait until I got a health-care package from my employer to bring down the costs…

14 April 2011 – a real struggle began. I made several call to several health centres. In each I was told to do a different check-up, to visit different doctors, some even wanted to send me to a psychiatrist. I tried to do the whole thing at work and one colleague from different department, who overheard to whole conversation (another ‘advantage’ of open plans) told me to go to a doctor from a chain of health centres at which my bank purchased packages for employees. She said that doctor did the whole job even in transport department of my gmina, so what she said sounded like rubbish. Eventually, after find it out which examination I needed to have done, I was left with the choice either to go to a private health centre 500 metres near my house or to have the check-up in Warsaw. In both centres prices were prohibitive and nothing was included in my package. The case was, however, that according to new transport law I had to have level of glucose in my blood checked and this had to be done on empty stomach. The health centre in Warsaw did it only in the afternoon, so I plumped for early hours on Thursday, 21 April and took another paid day off.

21 April 2011 – I reported to the nearby health centre. On the door I saw the sticker advertising medical services provided in partnership with the chain of health centres I have my health care package with. To my surprise two out of three check-ups were covered by my employer and I only had to pay 70 PLN instead of 149 PLN. One nice surprise. I had my driving licence prolonged by ten years. In the transport department things went on quite smoothly, after queuing up for some forty minutes. After forking out 154 PLN and tapping a day off I wait for a new driving licence, which I won’t probably pick up before my old one expires, but this is really a minor issue.

Case 3 – Cyfrowy Polsat (this one dedicated to Scatts)

1 October 2009 – after terminating the contract on Neostrada we bought a subscription to Play Online Mobile Internet and wished it delivered a better service than Tepsa…

2010 – Play Online sucked… Couldn’t wait to the end of the contract. They declared the maximum connection speed would be 1 Mbps. Actual speed reached in peak hours around 60 kbps, as much as on my first dial-up modem in 2001…

March 2011 – I researched mobile operators’ mobile internet offers. I ruled out Play out of hand, then what three main mobile operators offered didn’t seem interesting and in the light of the fact their networks were already congested even off-putting. Once I found a leaflet advertising Cyfrowy Polsat, checked their page in the internet and settled on their plan 3 GB + 9 GB for 50 PLN. I told about it my parents and my father, after he heard the name of our new provider, immediately hatched the idea of buying the internet connection bundled with satellite television.

2 April 2011 – my father and I set off to the nearest shop of Cyfrowy Polsat in Piaseczno. It was supposed to be open on Saturday from 9:00 am. We arrived there at five past nine and it was closed. We hung around for 40 minutes and the owner failed to turn up. I called CP’s customer service and heard they couldn’t help it as this was an outlet run under franchise contract and the closure was its owner’s business… Back home I found the old leaflet which contained the number of CP’s sales representative. He agreed to visit us at home and came around some two hours later. A man in his 50’s seemed to have had problems finding a better job and was forced to foist CP upon people. Clunky but honest, he didn’t persuade us to buy a mobile phone with CP, nor to order extra TV packages. Having acquainted with offer we plumped for internet + sat TV bundle and placed an order. The rep was to hand over the order to a technician who would be supposed to contact us and deliver a satellite dish, a decoder and internet devices.

14 April 2011 – till then nobody got in touch with us. My father called the rep, who said he had forgotten about the order, but promised to mend his ways.

15 April 2011 – the technician called and said he would turn up with equipment and contracts the other day. He told us to wait all day long for him because he didn’t knew when he would be able to come…

16 April 2011 – a quarter before nine the technician called to let us know he would be in ten minutes. My father told firmly the technician and his assistant would start installing the dish only after he finished reading the contract. Ten minutes upon their arrival technician were drilling holes in the wall of our house and my father handed me the contract and attachments to read it, as he didn’t… The contract included two factual errors (wrong prices), three understatements and lacked all attachments. I called the customer service of CP, learnt they have three lines, one for TV subscribers, one for internet and mobile phone subscribers and one for potential clients. Having talked to seven consultants after forty minutes I established I was right to have deemed the contract flawed. In the meantime the technician mistook the cardinal points and drilled four holes in the western wall of our house, which turned out not to be the southern wall. The holes remained but Mr technician did not give up and decided to fix the satellite dish to the existing aerial mast with terrestrial TV and radio aerials. He accidentally dismantled my FM aerial which provided excellent signal to my Hi-fi system, my father didn’t bother because the thought this aerial was totally superfluous. Finally we ended up with not signed contracts, satellite dish hung and wires attached to the outer wall and pulled into the drawing room. An hour after the technician left wires came off the wall. The rest of the day was spent on fixing the wire back to the wall and laying it under baseboards in the drawing room.

21 April 2011 – they came again, installed everything and now it even works.

Internet connection, compared to Play Online works like a miracle, TV is OK, hope further dealings with customer service will not be a pain in the neck…

Not the country for disadvantaged people

I've promised to post today, so I'm doing this, but just not to go back on the promise. Unfortunately I spent almost the whole day running errands with doctors. I had taken the day off to sort out the prolongation of my driving licence (expires on 9 May), but to boot I caught a cold (or rather developed one not properly cured from the beginning of April) during a business trip and earlier in the office and had to visit a GP...

And here it came to be a surprise. Normally it is actually very hard to make an immediate appointment with a doctor when you are in urgent need, if the situation is really bad you have to fork out around 100 PLN for a private visit. Many Poles cannot afford to pay so much, but eventually do, as health is more important than other consumption expenditures. My parents ended up shelling out 100 PLN for a home visit in October last year when my fever surged to +39.5C...

And those who can afford to pay... Get it for free, not because they are insured in national health service system, but because, as I, also have health care package bought by their employers. Waving my health insurance card today allowed me to consult a doctor immediately, while other, worse-off patients were waiting... I can't say I feel well about this. Is it fair that a private health centre which has contracts both with state-run health insurers and with private companies puts well-off employees of well-off private companies in a privileged position against ordinary people? Does it square with your sense of justice?

Or maybe it is fair because my employer has pulled down walls and in open plans germs find no obstacles (walls and doors) to fly around, forty colleagues around me cough and sneeze, everyone wants to have a bit of fresh air and open windows create draughts?

Over, the post about struggling with Polish bereaucracy due around Easter Monday, I'm going to bed to heat myself up and recuperate (needless to say I refused to take a sick leave, as I need to pull off a critically important deal by Tuesday at the latest).

Have a good Easter...

Perfect - Autobiografia - the third stab at it

These days, where ordinary pulp stands for popular music it's good to look back on the days I can't even remember and reminesce the timeless, magnificent songs. Those with lofty lyrics, carrying several messages between the lines, telling remarkable stories, memorable, embedded in deeper cultural or historical context, are particlarly hard to translate into a foreign language.

One of such songs is Autobiografia, by Perfect. The song was released in 1982, in the dead of martial law and tells a story of one man's life, set in the gloom and hopelessness of socialist Poland.

I've long planned to translate it into English. The task was to be particularly difficult, a few times I set out to do it, to no avail. Just a few days ago I discovered other English-language bloggers had read my mind and had done the job. Pacze Moj dedicated two posts, with two different translations, one more literal, the other more poetical. Then it turned out Pan Steeva had another try on it. As native speakers they've done a great job, I, as a Pole, would not be capable of. But after all I read Pan Steeva's version and decided to enhance it a little bit.

The final translation below (copyrights generally attibuted to Pacze Moj, Pan Steeva and Student SGH).

I was only ten:

We first heard about him then;

In my basement was our club.

My pal's radio played:

Then 'Blue Suede Shoes' I first heard

And I couldn't sleep that night.

Wind of change would blow

The imprisoned were let go

Once again, we laughed and joked.

Café’s buzzing scene,

Like tornadoes, jazz blew clean:

Just to play

My wish was.

Father, God knows where

Those days he would go astray.

Me? My finger nail came off,

Shavings out of picks

Played the guitar, learnt the tricks.

And I found the thrill of sex.

Music Postcard craze,

Found five hundred in those days;

Not a single pair of jeans

Come Saturday night

Was Luxembourg, drinks, free house

And we felt

Lust for life!

There were us three.

Though in our blood we were free,

With one goal stuck deep in our minds:

In several years,

Have the world at our heels,

Never hard up.

Alpaga plonk,

And discussions 'til dawn,

Our spirits were always awake.

Who punched whose nose?

And whose tears for this flowed

Things happening.

Separated us,

Perfect Pola Raska's face;

All ready to lay down our lives.

On a summer night,

On a blanket in moonlight,

What I wanted then, I found.

She said quick to me that our problems they might be.

I just had my homework done;

She turned up the heat.

After some time, we don't meet.

Once again,

Me alone.

Roles go in vain,

they can't relieve my pain

Life has taught me much more than they did.

Dossed on the floor,

I was wasting my time.

My greatest time

Pub far away

Klezmer asked me to play;

So much rubbish that still I go red.

One certain day,

Figured out that I knew:

Nothing at all.

Hearing my past,

Overcoming at last

Coming real was my greatest dream then

The thousandth crowd,

Drinking words from my mouth,

All loving me.

A hotel, a fan,

Saying "recorder I ran

That's just how a real throat should sing".

I open the door,

Saying nothing at all:

Walls never can

So it was doable. Are there still untranslatable songs, or does it just take a skillful translator to render the lyrics, rhymes, subtexts?

Hats off to all skillful translators (no, not to me).

Another busy weekend ahead, next posting comes probably on Thursday, when I'm taking a day off.

The fateful day

Tuesday, 11 September 2001. Afternoon was warm and sunny. I was then at the beginning of my second year in middle school. Classes finished at 14:25 and some 10 minutes later I was home. My father was on holiday and watched the newly launched first Polish news channel - TVN24. A few minutes past 3 p.m. TV showed a burning WTC tower, then it broadcast live the moment another plane hit the other tower. We thought this was a quite interesting catastrophic film, but couldn't make out why it was broadcast by TVN24.

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction...

--------------------------------------------

3,133 days later...

My head felt heavy for the third day in row. I somehow felt tired after Easter break filled with job-looking-related tasks. Maybe I had slept for too long, maybe too short. I could just mope around the house, do the toiletry, clean my room. I turned the computer on, left a comment on another blog, then turned the computer off.

My mother and I talked for a while about the work/school - life balance. I think the conclusion wasn't reached, because I set about filling in another job application, that time for an internship in a treasury department at the state-controlled bank. I asked myself whether I really wanted to work there. On second thoughts I decided to give it a try. OK, name, surname, address, history of education.

My radioclock was on, tuned to RMF FM. At 09:26 the boring routine of entering personal data was interrupted by a terse news item that a Polish plane had had problems approchaing the runway in Smolensk. I stopped for a while, reluctant to carry on. "President would be walking on crutches", I thought.

There are things that go far beyond comprehension. Planes crash rarely, planes carrying important politicians don't crash in civilised countries. It can happen to a dictator reigning an African country. Some people can be injured, nobody surely died. Such a huge tragedy seemed unbelievable.

TV was on. The chaos was indeed hard to describe. As it now turns out, first, unofficial news about the disaster were in newsrooms just after 9:00, everyone was waiting to confirm it... TV stations were showing either news programmes informing about the tragedy or broadcast commemoration ceremonies in Katyn.

The first person I called was my close friend who repeatedly wished death on president Kaczynski. I felt odly curious to see his reaction. His flatmate picked up the phone, I asked if I could talk to my friend. I asked if he already knew, he said he didn't. When I told the president had died I left him speechless for a few seconds. Then he asked if I meant Lech Kaczynski and quickly added this was not a heart attack, but a big disaster in which tens of other people died. He was devastated...

The truth began so sink in and loom much more shocking as the list of passengers was unveiled.

Two questions were in my mind on that day: if the Polish state's continuity procedures would work properly and who the hell had allowed to put so many state officials on board of one plane...

Around quarter to eleven I turned another TV on. A woman in her 50's was shouting: Ruskie na pewno maczały w tym palce, to u nich się stało...

We watched the history in the making...

A year has gone by. Lives have gone on. People looked for jobs and some found them, films were shot, suburbs were flooded, presidential election was held, computers crashed, people rowed over politics and contemplated the eternal, crosses were put up and removed, money was lent to gamblers, but discussions on the causes of the Smolensk disaster never ceased, questions remain unanswered, Poles remain divided, MA theses were written, carrers started, natural disasters hit innocent people out of the blue, financial markets remained ruthless, pension system in Poland was reformed. Business as usual...

Rememberance should be fostered, but... business as usual...?