As you may know, Poland is the most accommodating country toward the Ukrainian people. The UN states that over 14 million people are thought to have fled their homes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Poland has taken the most, as you can see from the numbers below.
(Some people who traveled from Moldova to Romania are included in both countries’ totals).
The Help offered
The EU has granted Ukrainians the right to stay and work throughout its 27 member nations for up to 3 years. Poland, which has taken the highest number of refugees, and Moldova, which has the largest concentration of refugees by population, have both asked for international support to help fund their efforts.
The Struggles
Poland has offered many special benefits in order to support the growing number of Ukrainian refugees. For example payments for the households that keep refugees, free use of public transport, extra spots in kindergartens and schools, and free medical benefits (checkups and tests). Unfortunately, due to the high number of people that need help and the lack of funds, the Polish Government has decided to revoke some of the benefits.
The Withdrawal
The families or individuals that have taken refugees into their homes, via a law passed in March, were entitled to a daily payment of 40 zlotych (approximately 8-9 euros). The Government, sometime in April, counted that about 600 000 Ukrainian people benefited from such help.
Last week, though, the deputy interior minister Paweł Szefernaker announced that this benefit will no longer be available. He also mentioned that many refugees chose to return back and mentioned that since the 10th of May there have been more people crossing the border into Ukraine than into Poland.
Starting the 1st of June also the free municipal public for the refugees from Ukraine has been revoked. Free train travel is also off since this month.
I said I would not be doing this… but it is Star Wars and I can’t help myself!!!
If you have followed me for quite some time now, you may know that I am a huge fan of Star Wars. Anything Star Wars goes, from the Originals to the Prequels to the Sequels. From the comic books, to the books to the manga. Well, if you are a fan too, you know the new Star Wars Series: Obi-Wan Kenobi is on now, on Disney+. I wanted to do a review of this week’s episode as it was simply breathtaking! So be warned, there will be SPOILERS! THIS IS THE WAY!!!
The Obi-Wan – Darth Vader duel
I’ll just jump to that as that was the bloody highlight of the episode! (And of the week! And year!)
The series might have its awesome moments of cinematography, some are… meh! But the fighting scene in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3 gave me the chills! It can be counted now amongst the classic scenes of the Star Wars Universe. We have waited for a confrontation between these 2 and we were gifted a masterpiece performance by both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen.
Obi-Wan and Leia reach Mapuzo (mining planet) after escaping the Inquisitors, only to be tracked down by the Empire again. Vader learns that Obi is there and goes down himself to “finish the job”. We awaited for a long time to see the confrontation between Master and Apprentice and, by God!, we got it!
You can sense the anger swelling, like a river whose dams were broken, when he says: “I am what you made me”… and then launches himself brutally/bestially/feral towards Obi. He wants Obi-Wan to experience pain and suffer like he did. He will take it slow.
I especially loved the sadistic touch when Vader throws Obi-Wan into a pile of burning sand (that he ignites, masterfully with his saber). He replicates his feeling and his torture on Mustafar. Obi-Wan thankfully escapes with the help of a new characther (which grows on me fast!): Tala.
Look who called blasters “uncivilised”
Throughout the 3 episodes of Obi-Wan that we had until now, there would have been countless opportunities for him to draw out his lightsaber… instead… Obi fights with a blaster! Like he is afraid of using the lightsaber, like it does not feel comfortable in his hand anymore.
The Obi-Wan we knew was proud of being one with the Force and using the lightsaber elegantly. The battered Owi-Wan reaches to the gun and blasts Troopers off, probably never once thinking of pulling out the sword. This is how far he has dropped from the grace of the Force. He struggles to find its (and his) Balance (and we can see that clearly in Episode 2, when she stops Little Leia from falling to her doom). He struggles to find connection…
James Earl Jones is back!
James Earl Jones reprises his role as Darth Vader – voice only, as Hayden Christensen is doing all the dirty work 😉 – and he is fabulous as he was 40 years ago! His voice does not age and he delivers each line impecably. I am so happy to have him back, alongside Ewan and Hayden!
Vader is ruthless!
Now, I really need to come back to the duel.. It is just so well acted by James Earl Jones & embodied by Hayden. His anger and rage reminded me of the ending of Rogue One – hallway scene. The Vader-Obi scenes are intense and downright scary. The burning scene may be part of a horror movie. But this pretty much may setup Obi-Wans later on battered look and pre-mature aging… I think it may work! I also enjoyed the way the scenes were light up: blue vs red. James’s voice really gets deep and you will have goosebumps!
Little Leia is a miracle
I say no to bullying and treating actors bad! And I have seen a fair share of Star Wars fans that picked on Little Leia. I, for one, think she does a marvellous job and she embodies Leia’s feistyness very well! I think Carrie Fisher would have been so bloody proud of her and taken her under her wing.
In today’s episode I really loved her interactions with Obi-Wan when she asks about The Force and how it works. Also when she realises that Obi-Wan knew her mother. When she asks Ben if he is her father… and he comes back and says he wishes he would have been (THAT! WAS! HEARTBREAKING!!!).
Also, watching Obi-Wan made me want to re-read the manga Leia – Princess of Alderaan. I think the directors and producers were certainly reading that.
Obi-Wan had a brother!!!
Well… Ben remembers that he had a brother… glipses of his past life, before he was taken in to become a Jedi. Well… I know I am not the only one whose mind went straight to: Owen Kenobi!!!
Anyway, my Star Wars rant/net for the day is over and now I am left to ponder what Episode 4 will bring!
All children are cordially invited to play together on the occasion of Children’s Day. This year MPK SA is organizing on May 29 (Sunday) from 12.00 to 15.00 at the Nowa Huta tram depot, at ul. Ujastek 12. There will be plenty of attractions for children, including the possibility of driving a real tram on your own.
Children will also be able to:
Visit places where trams are repaired,
Drive a tram through a car wash,
See technical vehicles and historic vehicles that used to run on Krakow streets in the distant past.
MPK SA has planned games, competitions, and games for the youngest. Interesting prizes are waiting for those who will take part in the competitions.
There will also be trips on which historical vehicles will take participants for a ride around the city
MPK will also talk about security. On the premises of the depot, policemen, city guards and MPK traffic inspectors will appear in their official cars. Children will be able to meet them and ask questions about safe movement in Krakow.
When does the event start?
You will be able to get to the depot in Nowa Huta by unique historic trams, which will leave punctually at 10.30 from the Podgórze tram depot, at ul. J. Brożka 3.
MPK invites all children in Krakow to play together, including those who escaped here from the war in Ukraine. On monitors installed in trams and buses, the invitation to the Children’s Day organized by MPK SA will be displayed in Polish and Ukrainian.
Krakow and seven other European cities have passed the formal qualifications in the competition for the title of the Green Capital of Europe 2024. Currently, applications are evaluated by experts appointed by the European Commission. The city authorities are trying to win this title once again, which is at least surprising for some residents.
Among 8 European cities with over 100,000 residents – who passed the qualification in the competition – apart from Krakow were: Cagliari (Italy), Florence (Italy), Kosice (Slovakia), Murcia (Spain), Prato (Italy), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Valencia (Spain).
The winners will be announced on October 27 in Grenoble – the city that won the title of the Green Capital of Europe 2022. The competition, which was organized for the first time in 2010, was won, among others, by Stockholm, Oslo, and Lahti. It was in the Finnish city that Krakow performed in the final last year, but Tallinn turned out to be better.
On behalf of the city, the City Greenery Authority is trying to get the title. During the last edition of the competition, we talked, among others, about the sense of taking part in this competition with the director of ZZM, Piotr Kempf.
The fire of Krakow in 1850 was one of the most tragic events that happened to the city in the 19th century. This is how the event was reported at that time.
Krakow, July 18 (Thursday)
“10:00 pm. We have experienced a terrible day, and we do not foresee the end of our suffering. A terrible fire bursts around us, a terrible glow shines over the entire city, heavy smoke collapses. A sea of fire flooded the streets and the market square. Roofs fall, beams break, collapse. The dead hour struck for the city The fire is spreading more and more, it occupies the streets along the streets, life, estates, and even the existence of the city itself hangs from the wind. if he returns, the rest of the houses will go to dust.
Miserable town! The last defeat has finished you, in your streets and squares there will be only rubble, around which whole families will sit, and with a begging stick, you should search for some unburned rag, undamaged equipment. We have neither the time nor the head at this moment to appreciate all the misfortunes; we wait for the next days with fear, we tremble for the present moment, for the rest of the streets. What to do with a thousand victims, where to hug them? what to feed? We have no loft for our sisters, brothers, and mothers; bare pavement strewn with bare wood and the sky black with fire, this is our only refuge.
At 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the blows from the tower and the alarm in the marketplace announced the fire, although it was said that it had been going on for some time. Soon we saw a terrible fire in the lower mills on Krupnicza Street. The wind was blowing strong, the neighboring houses caught fire immediately, ….. four houses were burned down before the water spray ran up! There was no help. Everything that lay in the direction of the wind burned off; the fire did not know where to extend any further …. people started to come back when it was announced at 1 1/4 that the house of Mrs. Bartynowska on Goiłębia Street and the plantations had started to burn. The fire came out of the attic and soon spread over the entire roof. But a new scream: Wiślana Street is on fire! we run and we see a fire on the roof of the tenement house near the Hare. No water jets! nor a ladder! The academic buildings, the library, the dormitory, and offices were in terrible danger. The academic youth sprang up, ran to the roof, formed a chain of 150 people, and in a superhuman attempt to stop the fire, which had already begun to show up in the library building, was finally stopped.
A new scream: the Wielopolski Palace is on fire, I rush there and from Grodzka Street we can see a fire taking place from the roof. Fire in four places at once …. not a single spray! no help! not even the ladders! Nothing, nothing at all, all put at the mercy of the destructive element. Inhabitants start to get out of their homes, everyone saves what they can … meanwhile, the entire area from the tenement house is lit up by the Hare, and the fire is thrown into Gołębia block, into Bracka Street, into the bishop’s palace.
The plantation fire is progressing, the technician, the university printing house and the Unicki Church are in charge. No way to stop the dreadful clouds of fire …. no one is stopping them! Fire terrible on this side. The Wielopolski Palace is on fire, the entire Bracka Street is on fire, and the Starosty House is taken care of. The fire moves to the Franciscans. Streets filled with fires, choked with heavy waves of smoke, it is impossible to enter the apartments, nor cross the street.
A new shrill cry: Rapp’s tenement house on Carpenter’s Street is on fire, it is throwing fire into the Dominican Republic. The sea of fiery spilled over the rooftops and rages with the wind.
A fire enters the market square; the entire south side takes care of; the wind pushes him into the streets of Grodzka!
At that moment, the fire joined the plantations at Gołębia, Wiślana, and Franciszkańska Streets; for plantations at a small market, Szeroka Street, Ś. Józefa …. everything is on fire.
Four churches are burning at once …… and at the moment there are only naked, black walls, among the flames, which are still emerging here and there, there are cornices and gothic vaults. Suddenly, in the Dominican church, the roof falls on the vault, which still persists. The unburned beams still glow on the walls, and from there, and from there, the sheet metal is dripping from there. All the buildings and the library are burning next to the church. monastery, there are butcher’s shops. At the moment, butchers’ houses behind the plantations are on fire, the wind is blowing him more and more from the entire square between the Dominican plantations until a pillar of fire has tied almost under the old Vistula.
The Franciscan Church is on fire; dry altar trees, pews, cloisters are busy, hissing, crackling! The vault collapses, and the fire rushes into the monastery. from the monastery to the surrounding houses; in the courtyard, there are several dozen families, a few poor monks, and around them, a fiery river spread out with a wreath; the gate inaccessible, the only escape through the wall from the garden.
In Grodzka Street, the raging element spills out from the roof onto the roof, all the way to Śgo Józefa Street. But on the other hand, the inhabitants had already ripped off the roofs, and for a moment halted the terrible progress of destruction.
It was five o’clock, everyone lowered their hands because there was no more help. It was only counted that some buildings covered with tiles would be erected abroad! …. in Grodzka Street, the fire leaned against the passage in front of the court building, the part between Grodzka and Poselska on one side burned down. The house on the corner of Wiślana and Gołębia and the building of the Academy covered with tiles defended Śtej Anny Street and the eastern part of the Market Square. Everything is on fire until now! Unless the scaffolding has already collapsed and the red tongues of fire hiss the windows
Around 7 a.m., a few citizens stopped at the Hotel Dresden, thinking about the remedial measures. It was said that the commanding general himself, who had been on horseback from the very first moment, caught a man with sulfur dioxide in his hand, a wax candle, and a cotton-wrapped packet of gunpowder. At his home, attorney Boguński caught a 10-year-old boy dressed in rags, who was running to the attic. On request, where are you going? I’m going to save, he replied. There is no smoking here, replied the owner of the house, and surprised by the boy’s answer, he took him and found the materials needed to set fire to him. At that moment he took him to the barracks in Walter’s tenement house and handed him over to the military authority with the corpus delicti. Four other seriously suspected arson attacks were also apprehended and taken to the main guardhouse.
This story was scary! and we know that under our feet there is some hellish plot that has sworn the doom of the city. We could not comprehend, we did not want to believe, and yet the fact was told clearly, clearly. At that time, Mr. Maciszewski, whose entire apartment had burned down to the top, made a request to go to JESzef Komisya Gub. and HE Commander and ask them to bring a summary judgment, the Chamber of any caught in the act of arson, was immediately shot. This sentence was heeded and soon citizens: Boguński, Lipiński, Skarzyński, Kremer Karol, Kalinka and others went to HE Head of the Commission and Guber. declaring his wish to him. J. Excellencya replied that he could not announce the summary court, but because they were guilty, he would summon the President of the Tribunal.
An inquisition began with the accused who was apprehended by attorney Boguński … and after At 9 a.m. with the sound of drums, the military headquarters announced from the Central Committee, a decree that ordered candles in the windows to be burned, citizens were called to guard their homes, patrols were sent and it was ordered that whoever dares to resist them or is caught in the act of suspicion, will be immediately judged martial. North. We walked around the fire point again, the wind is stronger, choking smoke is spreading all over the square. The fire in the house of Mrs. Wąsowiczowa and Skotnickie falls deeper. Sikawka worked in the same house for some time, then it stopped.
Where are the other water jets?
Part of Wiślana Street is on fire in the background. The bishop’s palace burned down completely. The naked walls of the Franciscan Church are sticking out! the buildings next to the plantations seem to have survived, at least we have not seen any fire on them at the moment. From Bracka Street, or rather from Gołębia Street to Św. Joseph one sea of fire; we haven’t seen a single hive here again. But from this side the fire was stopped; only the interiors of houses are on fire. Stolarska Street is burning down; also the southern part of a small square; weak rescue! no people to help, no water. – Behind the plantations, the butcher’s houses glisten with still unburned coal.
Wentzl’s house in the market square was twice in terrible danger and twice almost miraculously survived. On one, the other and the third side it was boiling, we only saw a few chimneys sweeps on the roofs, diligently flooding water and tearing off shingles.
The Czech bookshop burned down; we saw books being thrown away, but it was too late. The files of two notaries, Ekielski and Korytowski, were burnt to the ground.
Everything depends on the wind right now – we cannot tell with certainty its direction, but it seems to be blowing in the same direction, only slightly stronger. It is only lucky that the roofs are no longer burning anywhere, the terrible fire glows deep inside the houses. All the walls seem to be cracked.Strong patrols walk the streets; the entire army is under arms; on the streets of the guard. In the plantations, the furniture of the unfortunate victims is folded and rested with the remnants of their property. On the market square, from Baranów to Grodzka Street, sofas, chairs, paintings and other movables are allowed together. Warta guards everywhere.
We hear about a few unhappy ones. who were burned. Among others, the venerable old man Filipowski, unable to get up from his bed, burned himself to coal, as they say. Several children found death. Poor victims, you died in terrible torments! but you did not survive your misfortune.
4 o’clock in the morning. Thank God we think the danger is over. The fire goes out. We are just coming back from the technique and house of Bartynowska. We come back filled with adoration for this noble university youth, because we have witnessed her sacrifice (…)
At 1 1/2 we walked out again for a city overview. The northern part of the market square is burning inside, the fire is renewing in technology, Franciszkany or rather the surrounding building is quiet, but in Grodzka Street between Szeroka and Ś. Joseph, the fire bursts violently from the windows. A water-pipe attached to one of the houses works poorly, the danger was in danger, the neighboring houses. who had miraculously survived so far, could for a moment alleviate the general misfortune. Weak rescue.
On Ś. Józef, among the furniture and scattered cloths, we can see a water spray standing in vain, it cannot be pulled into Grodzka Street, and there is no one to introduce it. In the street, wide Dominican buildings throw out a terrible fire, we did not see a living soul. The night and clouds of smoke, from among which the moon sometimes flickered red, made it impossible to see what was going on inside.
Behind the plantations the lights of the butchers’ fires glistened; no one again! We come back Sienna Street beats two o’clock, followed by the alarm, beating drums, announcing a new fire in the city from the Maryacka Tower. We ask where the water jets run to the Sukiennice. There it is easy; they call a fire in S. Anna Street and it’s quiet there; scream, there is fire in Szpitalna Street. the alarm turned out to be false. We return to the house of Mrs. Wąsowicz. The youth created a line and brought water to the water-pipe, which extinguishes the fire. We saw no danger here, but all the greater with technology. There was a fire in this place again, it is threatening the academy. The danger was terrible. University youth are thrown in this direction, pp Majer, Kuczyński and Pol are in charge of the defense. Two water jets were brought in, a double row was created. Then, with extraordinary effort, the ladder was brought down, professor Krupiński climbed on it and threw a huge beam onto the ground, which might burn for a long time. Seeing that with technology the danger decreases, especially since Mr. Majer has manned the roof of the university with people, they run at the end of the Gołembia block from Rudawa, bring water, pull a water-pipe and flood the fire in Mrs. Bartynowska’s house, which he recovered.
The day begins to dawn, the people from the market square, calmness returns to the minds.
6 o’clock in the morning. We walked around the horrible theater of misfortune once more. Heavy smoke is rising from several houses, here and there a beam, a balcony, or a window frame is burning. The walls and chimneys are naked, black, and tanned as crosses over the graves of the former exystentia. Owners of burnt houses come out to the streets, wanting to find out that they still have a lot of bricks from their former estates. (…) In one part of the city, where the shop stood near the shop, the warehouse near the warehouse, only the skeletons of houses and streets remained. It is a terrible sight.
Stolarska Street is burning down; from the Dominican building opposite the church, puffs of fire are piling up against the eye. Sikawka at the end of his mission wants to save a few unburned rain and ceilings. The city is covered with a mourning smoke with heavy smoke.
Only two houses remained from the northern part of the square; from Wiślana street, a stretch from Ś. Anna and Rynek, from Gołębia Street the academic building (all the more Technics) and a corner house, from Bracka Street, part of the house of Fr. Jabłonowskiego, from Grodzka Street up to Śgo Józefa, three or four houses from Poselska Street; nothing from Stolarska Street. This is the most general picture of desolation. And who can count the unsettled losses, who can adequately assess this blow, from which Krakow may never recover?
The house and the Soviet trade of Szukiewicz completely burned down; Fiedlein’s bookstore, as we hear, survived, although it is located in a house (serving as barracks) where a fire broke out very early. The fire was nowhere as fierce as on Stolarska Street. There, among others, the house of Mr. Morsztyn burnt down, along with an expensive library and a rare collection of numismatic items.
At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, when the worst fire was occupying the northern part of the Market Square on the west side and in connection with Stolarska Street it was threatening the nearest houses at the Church of the Virgin Mary standing, priest Złowodzki left the church with Sanctissimum in his hand and immediately surrounded by a mass of people. he stood on the corner of Sienna street and, falling on his knees, began to sing: We take refuge in Your protection, Lord! It was an indescribable sight. There the inhabitants breaking out from among the flames. what else could be saved; then the army is fully armed; here the people are beseeching the God of substitutes and begging mercy over the rest of the poor city!
The inhabitants of the city are accompanied by a resignation that is difficult to explain, perhaps with the immeasurable enormity of misfortune. It is necessary to confess that rescue is not organized anymore, but also infirm, or rather none. No water jets (as far as we know, there were only four), no carts, barrels, watering cans, no everything that belongs to the fire brigade)
We do not go into the reasons, we describe the fact. In a word, the fate of our city hangs from the direction of the town hall flag. Quietness and indescribable consternation.
In tomorrow’s issue we will try to complete this inaccurate picture written under the impression and at the moment of the drama taking place. For now, only a few remarks that we need to press against the pen.
We have heard that the local authorities are already devising measures to alleviate the fate of the unfortunate victims, if possible. For this purpose, many citizens were summoned to the deliberations. The government in this matter will have to the aid of every honest man, every inhabitant who came out of this terrible flood happily.
Here we want to give you one piece of advice. When, after the Hamburg fire, a large part of the inhabitants found themselves without an attic, wooden huts were built immediately where they could accommodate those who had not found shelter elsewhere (…)
PS. 9 o’clock in the morning. The wind is stronger and the market is blowing strongly. As long as the fire is not completely put out, there is a danger that the smoldering embers may ignite the fire. (…)11 a.m. At the moment, all efforts are aimed at the house of Mączyńska, opposite the guardhouse, in order to prevent the fire from spreading further along the eastern part of the market square. There is more energy and bounce in defense. A water-pipe in constant motion and several lines of people giving water. We saw soldiers on the neighboring roof, and now the entire company has been commanded to rescue.
The gendarmes were sent around the peasants to help us, we have already seen a dozen arriving. There is already free circulation on Stolarska, Szeroka and Franciszkańska Streets. It is still smoldering everywhere but the flame is nowhere.
We saw 5 people burned in the gruel shop next to the Church of St. Mary; the corpses of these unfortunate ones bear traces of the most horrible sufferings.
We now learn that the Sand Rock Castle was burnt down by yesterday’s fire. “
Source: dziennik “CZAS” Nr 163 Kraków 19 Lipca – Piątek. Rok 1850
I have heard so many times the word “guilt” recently… We started saying it even more during COVID times and now, with the war knocking at our doors, I can’t help feeling that most of us live in a world where that word sits upon us, pressing us and sometimes blinding us and paralyzing us from taking any move.
As you all know – those that have experienced guilt at least once in their lives… – the sense of guilt is filled with negativity and it comes from over-thinking things. We tend to overanalyze things and overheat our brains so much that afterward, we feel overburdened by the things that crossed our minds.
A feeling creeping over me…
Everyone goes on Guilt Trips – sometimes we do it on our own or sometimes the guilt just creeps upon us, even when we are doing regular things in the house…
Say you just woke up and you are fixing yourself your breakfast. You might turn on the TV to hear the news, or you might flick through your phone to see what is new. Escaping from mass media and the news about the War in Ukraine is just not possible. You might have done your level best into helping out the situation: you might have volunteered for the refugees to have a home or helped bring in food and other supplies, you may have raised money from abroad to buy medical equipment and send it over… but it does not feel like it is enough, is it?
What is fair in this life?…
How fair is it to live in a country where there is Peace when just next door the War is raging and taking its toll?… How fair is it that you get to live and a child from Ukraine, from Mariupol, is lying dead on the pavement, his brains splattered, as unfeeling people pass by and go hunt for more? The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 1,964 civilian deaths during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine as of April 13, 2022. Of them, 161 were children.
We cried over the years over the atrocities committed in World War 2 but we never learn… We have said that many geniuses were lost in those days. Many children’s lives were lost back then… but what about the children we are losing now? We know only about this 161… but how that figure will grow!
It could be me… It could be you next!
Since the War in Ukraine started more than 10 million people have been displaced. Imagine yourself waking up in the middle of the night, having to leave NOW because your life is in danger. You cannot take much with you… and you must leave all behind. All your life. To go into the unknown.
All of this comes rushing down as we make breakfast, as we brush our teeth, as we go about our daily business… Reminding us we are doing things that people from Ukraine did not so long ago… Guilt… Guilt is a powerful tool. A tool that can help you sink ever further or lift us all up to give a stronger helping hand. What we choose to do next is up to us!
Yours truly,
A mother, a wife, a daughter… a woman like other women
No more discounted fares for those traveling without tickets. The city wants to recover PLN 41 million by entering free riders into the debtors’ register.
The Public Transport Authority in Krakow is waiting for PLN 41 million of unpaid fines and, since March, has been entering people who do not validate tickets in the BIG InfoMonitor Register of Debtors. Currently, there are almost 100,000 in areas across the country due to unpaid fines. Poles, their debts amount to PLN 141 million. Krakow followed the example of Warsaw, which thanks to the 61,000 PLN, in 2 months we managed to recover over 600 thousand PLN – even before publishing the cases in the debtor’s database.
It is getting harder and harder to remain an unpunished free rider. With a view to reporting people who do not buy tickets and then do not pay the penalty fee, other cities sign an agreement with the BIG InfoMonitor register of debtors. They have already done so Warsaw, Łódź, Rzeszów, Lublin, Białystok, Płock, Radom, Gdańsk, Olsztyn, Częstochowa, Katowice and other cities of the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis, and from March also Krakow joined.
– Thanks to the requests for payment sent in December to the capital free riders, ZTM Warszawa has already recovered 633 thousand. PLN receivables even before the case is made public in the register. After being added to the list of debtors, the impact of the register increases even more. Debtors wishing to obtain financing, installment purchases or signing a subscription agreement usually strive to delete the entry and contact the creditor – says Łukasz Rączkowski, BIG InfoMonitor expert.
Transport is more expensive and savings on the ticket are tempting
The pandemic has reduced the number of passengers, and rising fuel prices and wages have hit urban transport companies hard. In Krakow, where in 2019 ticket revenues covered 53 percent. of the total costs of functioning of public transport, in 2020 it was only 38 percent. In 2021, it improved a bit, tickets were financed by 41%. ZTP costs.
– But it’s still far from expected. The situation is difficult, but we do not want to completely pass the cost increase only to passengers who buy tickets, hence the decision to report people who want to travel for free to the register of debtors. We hope that the information on this subject will act preventively and will translate into a decrease in the number of free riders in our buses and trams – says Magdalena Musiał, Deputy Director for Organization and Supervision of the Public Transport Authority in Krakow.
The problem of free-riding, whether by public transport or rail, and then avoiding paying penalties on this account is quite big in Poland. According to the data of the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register, over 99,000 For free riders from all over the country, almost PLN 141 million has to be repaid for free-riding. In financially difficult times, there may be more debtors, because, as Poles declare, when there are problems with money and there is a shortage of life, the first thought is to postpone the settlement of cable TV subscriptions, then the telephone and internet bills, and third place for possible fees related to the purchase of tickets for journeys. This idea is shared by 23 percent. respondents. And this shows that traveling without a ticket in the minds of people using passenger transport services is one of the ways to save money.
Ticket to register
However, the savings may turn out to be questionable. For example, in Krakow, the basic additional fare for traveling without a valid ticket is PLN 240, and in the case of reduced fare, the penalty fee is PLN 160. If the free rider does not pay the penalty within 30 days from the designated deadline, the carrier may enter it in the register of debtors kept by BIG. The condition is the arrears of min. PLN 200 and sending a request for payment with information about the planned entry on the list of BIG debtors.
– We intend to report to the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register people who will not pay fees for the lack of a public transport ticket. Annually, it may be about 30 thousand. receivables. At the end of January, we had to enforce over 133,000. additional fees worth nearly PLN 41 million. The record holder has over 55.4 thousand to be repaid. PLN – says Magdalena Musiał.
Practice shows that some people pay off arrears already when they learn that they can be entered in the register, others ignore their presence in the register until it begins to disturb them, for example, in taking out a loan, purchasing a telecommunications subscription or signing a cable TV contract.
– The mere announcement that information about the debt will be added to the register causes some to pay off the liability immediately after receiving the summons. They do not want to be entered, because such information, which is almost publicly available, reduces the payer’s credibility and may take away the opportunity for credits, loans or purchases. Before establishing cooperation, banks, loan companies, telecommunications service providers and contractors verify a potential client in BIG, both consumers and companies. In addition, data on debts appearing in BIG InfoMonitor also appear on most BIK reports downloaded by banks when verifying the customer’s credit history – explains Łukasz Rączkowski.
Cities are mobilizing, and so are debtors
According to the data collected in the BIG InfoMonitor Register of Debtors, in January this year the number of debtors-free riders exceeded 99,000, together they have almost PLN 141 million in arrears to be repaid. Compared to last year, almost 44.5 thousand were lost. free riders, and the arrears decreased by almost PLN 53 million. There were several reasons. Pandemic, remote work, remote learning, fewer opportunities for spending and COVID-19-related financial concerns made passenger transport less used, but many people who had all sorts of arrears used the time of the coronavirus to put their financial situation in order and “opted out” of the debtors’ register paying off debts. From the time of the pandemic to the end of January this year. the number of debtors in BIG InfoMonitor decreased by 112 thousand. to 2.13 million people, and the sum of arrears by over PLN 3.5 billion to 39,
– The aim of the cooperation between the Public Transport Authority in Krakow and the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register is to motivate passengers to travel honestly, so that others do not lose on the so-called “free riders”. The more people buy tickets, the higher the share of ticket revenues in financing public transport and the chance of avoiding fare increases. The more so because the transport offer has been made more attractive, and the operating costs of ZTP have increased – says Magdalena Musiał. – We also hope that cooperation with BIG will allow us to collect amounts due from dishonest passengers. People who end up in the debtors’ register will sooner or later stumble over this arrears on their way to a loan or subscription contract with a telecommunications company and will have to choose to pay off the arrears and implement plans, or give them up – he adds.
Most stowaways in Mazovia
Currently, the largest number of free riders in the BIG InfoMonitor Debtors Register comes from Mazovia. At the end of January, their number amounted to almost 20,000, and the total debt exceeded PLN 34.5 million. Next in line is Silesia and the province. Lodzkie. The inhabitants of Podkarpacie and Podlasie have the lowest arrears. At the same time, Podlasie has the highest average arrears per person – PLN 1,947, which would indicate that those who travel without a ticket do it often.
Ash Wednesday (Środa Popielcowa, Popielec) is a great holiday in Poland. As you know, the Polish people are mainly Catholic faith, and this is a Catholic feast, so be prepared to have amounts of people getting to church to be blessed by having ash/dust placed on their heads.
The ashes are made from palm branches blessed on the previous year on Palm Sunday. The priests place the ashes on the people’s foreheads saying: Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return’ (‘Z prochu powstałeś i w proch się obrócisz’). The blessed are supposed to avoid meat, alcohol, sweets and snacks on that day.
This rite is performed on that day all over the world, not only in Poland. All people of Catholic faith can undertake this ritual. However, Greek Catholics do not have this rite, but some Protestant churches do.
The sweetest holiday of the year is coming soon. Fat Thursday is the last Thursday before Lent.
When is Fat Thursday (Tłustyczwartek) 2022?
This year, this sweet Polish holiday falls on February 24. According to tradition, it is exactly 6 days before Ash Wednesday – March 2. Fat Thursday always falls 52 days before Easter. And on that day, no one will tell us that we eat too much.
Where does this tradition come from?
The genesis of Fat Thursday goes back to paganism. The Romans celebrated the so-called fat day. It was believed then that winter was over and it was time to welcome spring. They feasted by drinking wine and eating fatty things, including “donuts”, which were then made of bread dough and stuffed with bacon – If you ask me, I want a piece of that!
Around the 16th century, the custom of eating donuts in a sweet version appeared in Poland. They had a peanut or an almond inside, and whoever found them was to be successful and prosperous in the coming year.
Superstitions and superstitions associated with Fat Thursday (Tłustyczwartek)
An old Polish superstition warns that whoever does not consume donuts on that day will have bad luck hanging over it until the end of December. The round donut symbolizes the whole year, so eating it is supposed to bring prosperity and happiness. I say don’t settle on just one – eat all the happiness you can find! 🙂
According to the tradition, on this day we should eat butter, cream, cheese or meat. It is food that symbolizes abundance.
The so-called “pomyjka” was also a popular Greater Poland custom. It was believed that serving at the table and cooking on a Fat Thursday provided prosperity and prosperity as well as good health. Therefore, on Fat Thursday, they all served each other and helped the lady of the house prepare dinner.
I dunno about you, but I’ll get my fair share of donuts 😉 Hope I can get some with rose jam!
So… I wanted to share a story from today with you…
A Romanian-Polish (double-citizenship) lady enters a local shop (to help the local economy and the small enterprises VS going to big chains like Kaufland, Auchan, Carrefour, or others). She sits in a queue nicely, with her selected products: green onion tails (PL: “szczypiorek”) and some radish (PL: “rzodkiewka”). There are 2 ladies in front. One goes out fast but the 2nd one has many things to buy and she seems an older client as the ladies are familiar with each other. The lady that sells the products asks he where she has been in the last month or so as she did not see her for a very long while. To which the buyer replies that she has been off because her child could not walk a week after she went to give him the COVID shots.
COVID Shots for Polish children between the ages of 5 and 11
COVID 19 Deaths by Age Group (for the USA) between January 1st, 2020 and October 16th, 2021 show that 1.7% of all deaths among US children aged 5 to 11 was due to COVID.
Also, the leading causes of death (same age group) place COVID 19 deaths below the number of deaths from influenza and pneumonia.
It is true that outbreak investigations have demonstrated efficient transmission among children and adults, however, having the shots taken does not mean you won’t get COVID 19! It may mean you will get a milder version and the risk of transmission to others is lower (again, this does not mean you are not a carrier!).
Back to the story…
Now coming back to the story.. the lady said her son was stuck to the bed for over a week after taking his first COVID shots. Doctors said it was muscle inflammation and after checking him they also discovered that he had that reaction because he was COVID 19 infected. Now… it baffles me how come the doctor that checked before did not realize that or do a COVID test before the shot. It also baffles me how people choose to act for the benefit of their children yet end up doing harm.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-vaccine and I do not believe that children’s vaccines provoke diseases like autism. My child has taken the vaccines prescribed by the officials but never extra ones. And I will not start now. It is one thing to vaccinate myself, but another to “test” that on my child. I know, you will say these vaccines have been tested, but we really don’t know the long-term effects, don’t we? And we won’t know them for many more years to come. Should I feel comfortable in my daughter taking a vaccine that will not stop her from having the disease, will not stop the disease from spreading, yet it has one of the possible outcomes written down as DEATH?!
I don’t know about you, but I surely do not!
Influenza vaccines have been around for centuries and they are always changing. I know people that take them every year but they still get sick. There is always another variant, there are always changes and we try to catch up but we never can. For me, the COVID vaccine is like an Influenza vaccine… a vaccine that will not catch up.
I know this is a choice each takes, but I just felt the need to say this one out loud. If it is not helping you more than it is hurting you, what is the point?
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