High

School

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Table of contents

4 Youth in Action

7 Travel: New York City

8 Travel: Wroclaw

10 Travel: Vancouver

12 Travel: Malta

14 Warsaw: Pride Parade

16 Warsaw: Lana Del Rey

18 Sports: Mon(ey)aco

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Youth in Action: June 2013 - a Dutch experience

At the end of May six people from the great class 1D took part in an educational project in Holland.

And yup, I know how it sounds. You’re envious right now that you couldn’t be there and

experience all of the great things about Holland with us. Well, I won’t lie to you and say that it

wasn’t amazing, but the consolation I can give you is that the project wasn’t held in Amsterdam

but a little village called Bant right outside of Amsterdam, as the topic of the whole event was “ In

the middle of nowhere”.

At first we considered Bant a downside of the

whole project, but the Dutch village turned

out to be a really lovely and truly beautiful

place. All in all, we spent some quality time

there and I can assure you that each of us

would get back there any minute, if we only

could.

You’re probably wondering what we were

doing there throughout the whole

week.

Basically, we gathered knowledge about the 5

participating countries - Turkey, Italy,

Romania, Sweden and of course the

Netherlands – and shared as much as we

know about our own country.

Each participant had to present their own

country and city, so that during one week you

could find out as much as possible about the

others’ cultures and customs. But the greatest

thing that came along with it was that we got

to know some truly amazing people and

gained lots of unforgettable memories.

Every day we would analyze issues concerning

rural areas in small, 6-member international

groups and after that, share our ideas and

opinions with the rest of the other groups.

Additionally, we spent some time doing a

little bit of ‘’get to know each other’’

activities, which proved to be really cruel as

we became really good friends. The cruelty

lies in the fact that we had to part company

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and say goodbye after just 7 days.

The schedule for the whole week was pretty

similar, but somehow every day was different

and simultaneously amazing. The best part of

the schedule, for most people there, were the

intercultural evenings. Every evening, two

teams shared with the rest of the group their

traditional food and drinks, talked about their

customs, home cities and generally tried their

best to make us feel closer to their country.

They also presented some of their traditional

dances and music, which made each evening a

really great experience, filled with lots of fun

and joy.

As you can see, the whole event was pretty

well-organized , which proved to be a big

advantage. Also, the thing I liked the most

about the organization was the food. Every

day was assigned to one team which was

supposed to cook their traditional meals. This

was an amazing idea, as you had a chance to

try many dishes from different countries,

which resulted in a great variety of interesting

meals during the week.

Still, though the whole project was definitely

great, it also proved to be a challenge for us.

The project started on Friday and the ‘’Polish

Team Day’’ was supposed to be on Tuesday.

Throughout the whole three days we were a

little bit nervous about our turn because only

one person from our team had the slightest

idea about cooking. And imagine this – 6

people barely knowing how to make

scrambled eggs, preparing a meal that

consisted of three kinds of dumplings for 44

hungry people! Believe me – the experience in

the kitchen will stay in my mind forever.

So yeah, we were a little bit afraid when the

day came. In fact, we started preparing the

food the night before our day, so we could

manage with everything.

I don’t have to say that our time in the kitchen

definitely wasn’t a calm and peaceful

experience. I guess it’s a Polish thing to

scream a little bit and get nervous real quick

when something goes wrong … But after all, I

have to admit it, we had quite a good time

cooking in that big, professional kitchen. We

laughed a lot and somehow the cooking

challenge became quite a nice thing to do

together. And yeah, at the end of the day we

were super exhausted, but I guess it was

worth it, as people liked the food a lot. In fact,

they liked it so much that there was nothing

left for us. At least, Polish cuisine didn’t turn

out to be a total fiasco!

That is, in short, what our days in Holland

looked like. We enjoyed the time we spent

there a lot and when the project was coming

to an end, everyone was a little bit down in

the dumps. And I was especially, cause my

great Polish team chose to spend the last day

in..wait for it..WALIBI Amusement Park! Yeah !

Needless to say, I don’t like that kind of things

and spending the day in Amsterdam versus

spending the day in WALIBI was an obvious

choice for me. But as we were a team, you

know, democracy and stuff …

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Anyway, we spent the last day in this

amusement park and, though I’m really not

fond of places like that, I will admit it here – it

wasn’t so bad. But the only reason for it is that

my friends were there and I could watch them

screaming from a very safe place, which is

obviously the surface of the earth.

Unfortunately, even the day in the

amusement park had to end and now we’re

back in Poland again, doing usual things,

working hard, etc.

We all miss the atmosphere of the project and

we miss the people we met there too.

It’s amazing how many things you can gain

from just one week in Holland…

Cross your fingers, cause maybe you’ll be the

one to go on the next project like that!

Kasia Skoneczna

___________________________________________________________________________

On the evaluation day, when we were

supposed to place a paper boat on a place

that reflects our feelings about the

exchange, I told everyone “I placed my

boat on the beach, because I haven’t felt

so relaxed in a long time and for that

I thank all of you”. As simple as that but it

meant a world to me. When I’m in

Warsaw I always feel like I have to do

something, I have to be somewhere or

I have to help someone. Which is a thing

I don’t usually mind, but in Holland I

realized that slowing the pace of our lives

is truly needed sometimes. Even though

I slept very little, I never felt tired, because

I was relaxing throughout the whole time.

I was surrounded by great people, I was

constantly absorbing their great energy

and I was doing a job that gave me

pleasure. It’s the kind of happiness and

relaxation that money can’t buy.

I still remember all of the little things that

made me so happy during that week. One

of those things was my lovely secret

friend, who never failed to put a smile on

my face. If you don’t know what a SF is, he

or she is a person that anonymously gives

you presents every day. And let me just

tell you – nobody ever had a better SF

than me. One of my favorites was a cute

smiley face magnet with a note

“Remember me and always smile. Just like

this little magnet. Lotta love xxx”. I keep it

in my wallet and I kid you not – I smile

every time I see it.

With good people surrounding you,

nothing can go wrong. After every trip, I

always like to play a game “who would I

pack in my suitcase and bring back home

with me”. And to be honest, I couldn’t

choose. I set a number of 5 people, but it

turned out to be AT LEAST 8. I can tell you

that each and every one of them was

amazing in their own way. Some more

memorable, some less, but all 44 of us

made a damn good team. I cried my eyes

out at the “see you soon party”. On the

bus home all I could think of were all of

the wonderful memories which I could not

forget about. Holland will always be in my

heart. I may forget about it, but its

warmth will always stay with me.

Hania Sagan

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New York: May/June 2013 Earlier this month, I had the pleasure to go to New York City. Even though it was my second time there, I still enjoyed it. I have to admit - I’ve seen much more of the great NYC during this visit. I explored a lot of great places, but I’m going to share my 4 favorite spots with you.

On the first day of my trip I decided to go the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s one of the best museums I’ve ever been to in my life. It displays art from the Ancient Egypt to XXI century so it’s a museum where literally everybody can find something for themselves. What is not known by many people is that this museum has a rooftop garden with a nice view and a lovely café.

The next spot to see was the Central Park. Sounds like a cliché way to spend time in NYC, but still, it’s something you cannot miss. This park is a great place to spend your free time during hot summer days. You can cool yourself off by the lake or go to the funfair. For those who enjoy poetry, from time to time there are great Shakespeare’s plays to see.

Then came the much anticipated time to see SoHo. This downtown district is becoming very „in”. It’s a center of modern fashion and art. People are choosing to shop there over shopping in the popular 5th Avenue, because of the variety of well-known brands along with those of new designers’, who have just gotten into the market. It’s commonly considered to be original and fresh.

The last, but not least interesting place to visit is the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building. You can see the entire New York skyline from there, which is a truly impressive and amazing view. The view literally takes your breath away. When you’re up there, the feeling you get makes you decide that you will come back to New York City someday. I know I will.

Zuzia Kędzia

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Wroclaw: May 2013

To be honest, I didn’t believe in spending vacations in Poland. I always thought that I could only

have fun in a truly exotic place that has many new things and new people of different cultures and

nations. Well, a person can be wrong from time to time. At the beginning of May, two of my

friends and I went to Wroclaw for a couple of days and we totally loved it. A city filled with art and

good food can never be not fun.

I combined my little vacations with my voluntary work, which proved to be an excellent idea. I only

worked from 9 am till 2 pm, so I could still devote the rest of the days to all kinds of fun that Wroclaw

could offer. My job was to help at a 4-day design festival called WrocLOVE Design in which Polish

artists from all over the world exhibited their works of art. It was all kinds of art in one place –

fashion, paintings, interior design, sculptures, toys – everything was perfectly prepared and selected

which, made that festival a truly exceptional experience. It was the first edition of the festival but

since it was such a huge success, they are already planning the following editions. I really hope they

keep the festival going, and if they do, I’d highly recommend you go there.

Wroclaw is aiming for the title of the European Capital of Culture and I’d personally give the title to it

with no hesitation. My friends and I were so lucky to be in town for the opening of the new

exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art and we all really enjoyed it, each in her own way. I love

modern art so for me, the museum was a great place to be. The exhibition ironically portrayed

commercialism in today’s world and I think it was very well done. I personally am not that against

commercialism in itself, but I like seeing other people’s points of view, especially through art.

Commercialism was shown throughout time, how it evolved and how people change due to it and

again, I loved how it all was so well thought out.

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The next place we went to was the National Museum. I was dying to see the Vinyl Rally and the

Polish Modern Art part and my friends enjoyed an exhibition called “From Cranach to Picasso.

Santander Collection” . I must say that I was in awe of how all of those different kinds of art rubbed

along in one building, none outdoing the other, since there are so many people with so many

different tastes in art. The Museum was a place that everybody could enjoy.

The next amazing place was the cinema called “New Horizons” (“Nowe Horyzonty”). What was

interesting about it, was that it wasn’t a normal movie theatre. It was a very artistic place full of great

food, furniture, swings hanging from the ceiling, indoor balconies and modern art. The movie theatre

played interesting movies from the past, some from a year ago, some from 10 years ago. It closed at

midnight, so that made it even more exceptional.

If you know me just a little bit I’m a huge fan of eating out. And coming from an expert - Wroclaw is a

truly amazing place when it comes to independent cafés and restaurants. My hands-down-favorite

place was BLT (Ruska Street 58/59), an amazing burger place with the most amazing classic burgers

ever. If you ever go to Wroclaw, you simply must go there and taste some burgers. Inevitably tasty.

Aside from BLT, I’d love to recommend 3 more places to you. First – Central Café (św. Antoniego 10)

with the best bagels ever. Second – Bema Café (Drobnera Street 38) with the best interior design

and Italian sodas ever (take green banana). Third – Frankie’s Juice (Wita Stwosza Street 57) with the

best juice mixes ever. If you’re ever in Wroclaw. You. Have. To. Go. There.

Wroclaw was definitely a very nice experience. It was a 4-day getaway which I really needed at the

time. We’ve done way more things in Wroclaw, but I’ve only mentioned my definite top things for it

not to take up too many pages. Our next stop is Cracow. My advice – take good friends, research the

city a bit beforehand and hit the road! TLK is actually not that bad. We even met a really nice Finish

musician from a metal band who played for us on my friend’s guitar.

Hania Sagan

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Top things to do in Vancouver

I had the pleasure to live in Vancouver for nearly two years. The motto of the city - “The Best

Place on Earth” can be found on every car registration plate, which I guess speaks for itself.

Vancouver is a very multicultural city, whose nearly half of the population is called a “visible

minority”. It is a perfect place to visit, for both beach lovers (Vancouver offers magnificent

beaches; from clothing-optional to casual) and winter sports fanatics (you can ski or snowboard

in the northern part of the Metro, Vancouver).

Vancouver is located in British

Columbia, Canada. It is the largest

city of the province. It served as

the host of the 2010 Winter

Olympics.

The first thing that tourists should do is visit

the Vancouver Lookout at Harbor Centre in Downtown. It is the best first stop with a fantastic 360 degree view of the

city, harbor and mountains.

Capilano Suspension Bridge is situated in North Vancouver. It crosses 230 feet above Capilano

River to towering evergreens. It offers wonderful views

in a rainforest climate. However, it is not for the faint of

heart!

Rogers Arena, home of the

Vancouver Canucks, has become a

trilling and entertaining place for

hockey fans. For more than 15 years

the Canucks have been battling against

other NHL teams for the Stanley Cup. It

also serves as a concert hall, hosting a

lot of top chart American artists.

Vancouver has very wide connections of

transportation. Translink Vancouver offers Skytrains,

buses and the seabus that helps you get to every

location you want, from UBC to SFU, from North

Vancouver to Richmond.

Stanley Park is a huge natural park,

located next to downtown, about ten

percent larger than NYC’s Central Park.

It attracts 8 million visitors every year.

It is connected with West Vancouver by

the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Near the park,

you find English Bay, which is the most

popular beach in Vancouver.

Granville Island is an island situated

between Vancouver and downtown. It

is home to Emily Carr University of Art

and Design. You can also find a variety

of local products on Granville.

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At the end of your visit, you should check out Gastown where you can find the souvenirs, boutiques, galleries, fashion houses of Vancouver. It is a great place to hang out with your friends when you are about to leave

Vancouver and decide to buy gifts for your family and friends. It is lined with unique and exciting shopping

experiences. Gastown offers best cafes and restaurants in town; a great spot for hipsters!

North Vancouver is where I used to live. It is not

a district but an independent city located just up north

of Vancouver. It is part of the Vancouver’s north shore.

It is very easy to get there; you can take the Seabus,

which is Vancouver’s symbolic means of

transportation between mainland and North

Vancouver or by Lion’s Gate Bridge (built after the

Second World War) going from Stanley Park to West

and North Vancouver. You’ll find many attractions at

Lonsdale Quay (markets, cafés, restaurants, hotels). It

is the best place to raise a family!

West Vancouver is the best place to enjoy

the beautiful landscape of the city. That is where

the richest Vancouverites live, with best homes

that offer the best views of Vancouver and the

Pacific Ocean.

Commercial Drive in Downtown offers 300

shops and restaurants

with cuisines of 27

different countries. Enjoy

this North America’s

most unique shopping

districts.

Science World is a place for exhibitions, fairs, scientific projects

that offer attractions that ignite your mind with wonders of science and

world’s discoveries.

Vancouver Aquarium is located in Stanley Park . It has 50 000 captivating

creatures like belugas, whales, dolphins, sea insects, African penguins and the

amazing sensory effects of the 4D Experience Theatre

The two most famous shopping malls are Pacific Centre in

Downtown and Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby. To find the world’s most expensive and glamorous shops like Louis Vuitton,

Hermes, Gucci, Chanel you have to travel downtown.

Guest author – Mateusz Nguyen

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Malta: your holiday destination

I know, I know, the holidays haven’t started yet, we’re still at school and as teachers say, we

should study as usual, till the very end of the school year, as we’re supposed to do. Well, it’s

possibly true, but let’s be honest - I refuse to believe that teachers don’t think about holidays and

don’t crave for those lazy summer days as much as we, students, do. Everybody wants to get some

rest and this is, ladies and gentlemen, the truth. So let’s forget about school obligations for a while

and dream about the holidays once more… And if the holidays of your dreams consist of lots of

sun, sandy beaches, blue salty sea, lots of rest during the day and parties at night…then they are all

to be found in Malta, your perfect holiday destination.

It is said that people speak two languages

there, Maltese and English, but the reality is a

bit different, as they speak MOSTLY Maltese.

Let it be a warning for you then. If you want to

improve your English and party at the same

time… well, you had better decide which one

you want more. Before you decide, I should

tell you that the place is really magical and

worth seeing, so don’t put it out of your mind

just because of the English level. You can learn

English at school.

Malta is small and beautiful, peaceful during

the day and also peaceful at night, if you stay

away from the part of the city called Paceville.

Paceville is full of different night clubs and

bars. As everything in Malta, it is not big, but

due to the collection of clubs in one place, it

may seem like a paradise for ‘’party animals”.

Someone once said to me ‘’ if you weren’t in

Paceville, you weren’t in Malta’’ .

I personally wouldn’t really say so, but the

truth is, if you want a big party – either in the

club or at the beach, as the beach is also part

of Paceville – I can’t imagine a better place for

you to go.

But if you’re not a party animal, Malta still has

a lot to offer. I don’t want to be your

traditional guide here, cause obviously you

can find that on any internet site about Malta,

but I still have to mention that visiting

Valletta, the capital of Malta, is a must. And

here the saying may be applicable – if you

haven’t been to Valletta, you haven’t been to

Malta. What I can add is that the city makes

you feel so calm you don’t ever want to leave

the place. All those flowers and buildings are

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things which just make a damn good

impression.

In Malta you can meet people from all over

the world and this is the thing I like the most.

You meet somebody on the first day and I can

assure you, you’ll meet this person again,

cause Malta is really small. And after you

spent a week there, you’ll go back to your

country with lots of contacts to friends from

all over the world.

You’ll meet lots of Russians, Germans, Spanish

and Italian people but also Japanese people

and lots of Poles. I don’t have to add that

Poles are one of the first there to party! If you

feel lonely, go to Paceville and you’ll meet lots

of Polish people, trust me.

As for Maltese people, they’re open and

mostly welcoming. If you go out on the streets

during the evening, you can see that they

don’t close the doors to their apartments.

Probably because it’s frigging hot in there, but

also, they seem not to care about their privacy

so much. They come outside with the tables

during the evenings, call their neighbors and

sit together almost on the street, talking and

laughing. That’s the wonderful thing to see,

this openness all around in the air and living

without all this rush we have everywhere in

our country.

But here comes another warning - most

Maltese people seem to be fed up with

tourists all around them, so watch out ‘cause

they don’t necessarily have to be nice to you. I

don’t blame them. Malta is small and they

have no room for themselves, cause tourists

are always around, partying for most of the

time.

All in all, if you’re looking for a place to escape

to for a week or two, to party or just to get

some rest and sit a little bit in the sunny

weather, Malta is a place you should visit.

Think about it the next time you’re planning

your holidays. And now, well, maybe let’s get

back to our classes for a short while before

the end of the school year comes. Wish you all

an amazing summer!

Kasia Skoneczna

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Pride Parade: June 2013 ”

“

Literally everybody I asked told me not to go. My friend’s mum who’s a cop told me not to go. But I

figured – if I’m supporting a cause, I’m going to support it till the end, because that’s the whole

point of fighting for what one believes in.

I was not the only volunteer there – there

were 12 more volunteers with me so we were

all in this together. I decided to stick to what I

had promised and help at the actual parade.

Best decision I’ve made in a long time. I

honestly don’t remember the last time I

experienced so much good energy emanating

from so many people. I saw straight couples

holding hands and waving rainbow flags, I saw

foreigners who thanked me in English when I

handed them a pamphlet and I saw old ladies

who proudly marched with us waving to

Varsovians . We were all so different yet

similar, because we all valued love as the

most important thing in the world.

I should tell you – I was not afraid of all this at

the beginning. It was mainly all my friends,

who made me feel insecure. Nobody I knew

went with me, but I didn’t blame them. Also,

on Wednesday, after helping at the film

festival, I went to a premiere of a film called

“Parade”, which, long story short, tells the

story of a parade in Serbia in which a gay

person dies as a result of a beating. Actually, it

is a very positive movie, because it was trying

to depict a taboo subject in a pleasant way,

but it also tried to present the true situation

in Serbia. I guess it was the year 2000 or 2001

when the story happened. I went to the movie

theatre with a friend and he felt the exact

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same way. He also said that it was a good

movie, so it wasn’t only me who liked it. It

wouldn’t top my list of favorite movies, but it

will definitely stay in my mind. Back to the

point – this movie also gave me some slight

second thoughts about the parade. But I

figured – if there’s any justice in this world,

we will be all protected by a higher power

because we’re supporting a great cause.

Speaking in a religious way – I knew that God

is more than just words and he truly loves

every single one of his children, no matter

what.

When the day came, I was super positive. The

sun was bright and I felt rested. I arrived at

the Parliament building at around 2:30. I

changed into my pink parade shirt and started

giving out pamphlets. When I was walking

around, I saw lots of cops. They were

surrounding us from all around. They were

keeping everybody safe and for that I thank

them. This actually went on for the whole day.

I’ve never had such warm feelings towards

the government. It was the best thing they

could do for all of us. The parade started at

3:30 and everybody proudly and happily

marched around Warsaw. The music was on,

everybody was dancing, the flags were waving

and everybody had enormous smiles on their

faces. I truly felt like the whole city was

uniting. 8 thousand people stopped the traffic

and we didn’t get one hostile look from the

Varsovians. There were people with

unpleasant banners, but to be honest, they

were a small minority. Near the Palace of

Culture and Science, a large group of women

from the Women’s’ Congress joined us and

the platform started blasting Beyonce’s “Who

Run The World – Girls”. It was not just a gay

parade anymore. It was a parade of equality

and love, values which we all proudly stand

for. I’m going to say this again – the energy

that was emanating from everybody was

indescribable. I had so much fun and I am so

glad I could help there as a volunteer. I am

proud to have been a part of such a wonderful

event. I wish everything best for my gay,

lesbian, bisexual and transgender friends. We

are all in this world together and the only way

to live happily is to fully accept each other for

what we are.

On a different note, at the end of the parade I

understood something. I feared for my health

and life only that one day. Nothing happened,

but I constantly had a tiny feeling that

something might. And imagine that all of

these people have to struggle with this fear all

day, every day. During the walk we saw a

couple of really hurtful banners. There were

no big guys in black who were around, but

there were groups of people standing by

banners like “we want men, not p******” . It

was unpleasant even for me to read

something like this. But as we know stupid

and conservative people are everywhere. I’m

just glad it’s not the majority anymore.

This year’s parade, the 13th, was the calmest

Pride Parade in years. 8 thousand people. No

eggs, no potatoes thrown at us. Rainbow flags

waving in the sunlight. I still remember the

whole march. I really do wish everything best

for everybody who stands for such amazing

values as love, freedom and tolerance. Shame

on those who don’t.

Cheers, Hania Sagan

P.S. All the song lyrics are from Same Love by Macklemore

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Lana Del Rey: concert review

When I found out about the most incredible event of this year, I knew I had to go. At the

beginning of June it seemed to me like it’d been YEARS since I bought the ticket to Lana’s concert.

Actually it was 8 months. I told all of my friends about the concert (as it wasn't such a big event in

the Polish media, which was strange, considering that Lana is really well-known here) and they

acted as if they had a billion years to consider going, ask their parents, and buy the tickets. I

wanted them to go, they wanted to go. But guess what - I was left alone.

It wouldn't have bothered me so much if only

my father would drive me there and back.

And here lies the problem. He wasn't going to

be in town then. So what did I do? Of course, I

opened Facebook – the best solution to every

XXI century problem - and found some

random people who I only barely knew and

who were going. For a while I thought that it

was all lost, but then I saw it - Pauline had a

ticket (thank you so much my beloved

Facebook!). I texted her immediately - she

was coming with a group of friends and she

told me I could join them. I guess that it went

so fast because this is what makes us girls- we

love to have fun, and we always know that

the more the merrier. Everybody knows it.

When we got to Torwar THAT evening, we

were in very good moods. So good that even

the Legia fans who were leaving the stadium

10 meters behind us couldn't jeopardise it. I

can't believe I actually had fun whilst standing

in a line. They hadn’t even begun to let us in

and yet there already was hysteria. The so -

called "True Fans" (psycho fans, according to

my dictionary) were wearing wreaths and

were screaming and jumping and passing out.

They also held up high some flowers while

standing on their toes for like 30 minutes.

Cute or crazy? Well it would be safe to say - a

little bit of both.

Finally, some guy in blue jeans and white shirt

let us in. We took a few pictures, then quickly

headed for the stage. I must say I really loved

the decorations, and the atmosphere they

created. Foggy violet, smoky pink, all shades

of blue – it was melancholic and so artistic. I

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was pleasantly surprised by the supporting act

- the band was really good. Honestly, I hadn’t

been paying attention to Dawid Podsiadło’s

music career before, but now I will because it

is definitely worth it. One of my new friends

compared the band’s style to the one

represented by The Kooks. I totally agreed

with him. I enjoyed it very much, and I'm sure

other people did too. But still, we all couldn't

wait to hear Lana's voice.

When she finally came, even I (a fan, but not a

desperate, psycho one ) couldn't help myself

from getting as close to the stage as it was

only possible. Miss Grant looked stunning that

night. She welcomed Warsaw with "Cola". I

heard a lot of opinions, saying pretty much the

same- that Lana Del Rey is not able to sing

live. Bullshit. Not only can she, but she does it

damn well. I can assure you that she didn't use

playback. She would stop in the middle of a

verse to randomly comment on some gifts,

and then got back to the song. Just like that.

She was asked to sing "Knocking On Heaven’s

Door" by Guns & Roses. She did it her own

way, but it was good. Different, but pretty

good.

This concert had a soul. I'm not kidding, that’s

how it felt. Everybody was so nice to each

other. Lana went off the stage incredibly

often, to hug her fans, to talk with them. After

the first hugging/talking thing she said that it

was a really memorable night.

At the concert she sang: Cola, Body electric,

Carmen, Blue Jeans, Dark Paradise,

Summertime Sadness, Born to die, Young and

Beautiful, Ride, Video Games and National

Anthem. During the last song, National

Anthem, she wrapped the Polish flag, which

she had received earlier from a fan, around

her arms. It was really nice of her. After the

singing part of the show came to an end (no,

concerts are not just about singing), she got

off the stage again. The fans took pictures

with their Goddess, got autographs, and hugs.

I didn't manage to get close enough to hug

Lana - fighting with emotionally unstable

people wasn’t at the top of my dreams then.

Besides, I was happy. I loved the performance.

The only thing that bothered me was the

length - shorter than planned. I thought that

concerts were supposed to last longer than

originally decided, not the other way around.

Anyway, too short or too long, it was

definitely worth going.

Daria Kurpiewska

18

MON(ey)ACO

Monaco is the city by the Mediterranean Sea with marvelous landscapes, luxury apartments and

world famous casinos. Can one imagine a better place to live for multi-billionaires ? But recently

it's been a trendy destination for footballers as they are moving to AS Monaco. They are tempted

by Dmitry Rybolovlev with preposterously immense salaries. The rich Russian businessman is going

to have the new football power built.

For most of the last couple of decades of the

20th century, Monaco was at the top of

French football. The problems appeared along

with the beginning of the new millennium.

The club was facing numerous financial

difficulties. In 2003, this money issue took

effect. Despite finishing second in the league,

the club was relegated to Ligue 2 by the

French Professional League for amassing a €50

million debt. Fortunately, the royal family of

Monaco got involved in the dispute and the

penalty was canceled. The next season was

quite successful. The team consisting of

Fernando Morientes, Ludovic Giuly and Dado

Pršo succeeded in reaching the Champions

League Final, beating Real Madrid and

Chelsea along the way. However, despite the

success on the pitch, the 2003–04 season was

the club's worst financial year in its history. In

this case, it was impossible to convince the

best players to stay in Monaco. The club

wasn't well managed as well. In years 2004-

2008 it was run by six coaches (!). The board

also failed to purchase high- class players.

Finally, after AS Monaco ended up the

2010/11 season in 18th position, it was

relegated to Ligue 2.

This is the time when our hero enters the

stage. His name is Dmitry Rybolovlev ranked

#119 in Forbes' billionaire's list in 2013. In

December 2011 66% of AS Monaco’s total

shares were acquired by the Russian. The new

owner helped Monaco to win the second

French league in May 2013 - two years after

the relegation. Despite that achievement,

Rybolovlev doesn't seem to be sufficiently

satisfied. His aim is to capture the title of the

best team in France or even whole Europe.

Some would say : the great talkers are not

great doers. But he has already shocked the

football world - he is going to spend over 200

million euro to satisfy his ambition.

The transfer bill has already gone beyond the

€100 million. Two Porto players- João

Moutinho and James Rodríguez were signed

for a combined €70 million. And Ricardo

Carvalho left Real for Monaco for free. But

the move that’s made the most waves is a €60

million deal for the infallible striker Radamel

Falcao. Although Falcao with his play drew

attention of the most successful clubs in

Europe like Real Madrid or Manchester

United, he joined AS Monaco, the team that

has just been promoted to Ligue 1. According

to unofficial information, Yohan Cabaye is

also very pleased to complete his move to

Monaco. However, it's not over yet. Dmitry

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Rybolovlev has also considered buying such

world - class players like Victor Valdes,Daniel

Agger, Branislav Ivanović, Eric Abidal, Claudio

Marchisio, Andy Caroll, Hulk or Carlos Tevez.

Undoubtedly the most surprising news is that

Real Madrid is rumored to have been offered

over 100 million euro for his best player-

Cristiano Ronaldo. Given the consent of the

Spanish club, it would be the most expensive

transfer in history.

Of course the big money spending is possible

thanks to Rybolovlev's generosity. But there's

another issue which seems to be

controversial. AS Monaco, although allowed to

play in the French football league, is situated

outside the French border and isn’t subject to

the French law. It means Monaco isn't taxable

to France. According to Monaco's law, this

tiny principality is the only taxless place in the

world.

At the same time, France has imposed high

taxation, forcing rich people, such as famous

actor Gerard Depardieu, who has acquired

Russian citizenship, to search for adopted

“motherlands”.

That makes a great gap between Monaco and

the rest of the French teams competing in

Ligue 1. For example, for a football player that

would cost Monaco about 1.05 million euro,

taxes included, every other team of Ligue 1

would have to pay a total amount of 3.19

million euro, taxes included- just to match the

offer. French sides have already complained,

they request AS Monaco to move the club's

residence inside the French border. A lot of

French football teams refuse to sell their

players to Monaco, to "punish" the club this

way for receiving special economic relief.

Monaco also claimed that the top French

football clubs' federation's leader requested

the club to pay 200 million euro to put an end

to the conflict and to let the club stay in

Monaco. For AS Monaco, this demand is

“totally unacceptable” and it plans to go to

court.

Then AS Monaco is completely dependable on

the amount of money in Rybolovlev's wallet.

For some people it's easy to complain that

contemporary football is all about money

which is indispensible to achieve a success.

Instead of making a noise about something we

do not have influence on, we should see the

positives. AS Monaco is slowly becoming the

next big thing on the world stage and will

make Ligue 1 more competitive. Now, only

PSG seems to look like the best French team,

able to make a difference in Champions

League. Unfortunately, the Parisians don't

have anyone that can equal their level of

football in whole France. Even Olympique

Lyon, the team that just a few years ago

won the championship of Ligue 1 seven times

in a row, can't compete with PSG.

Paradoxically, only AS Monaco with Dmitry

Rybolovlev valiantly stomping forward, can

confuse the PSG'S ambitious plans.

Despite the sceptical opinion, Monaco is

becoming the new football power and its

wealthy owner has already set his heart on

capturing the most important European

trophies.

Marcin Nalepa

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