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MBASSY
Spring 2012
OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND NEWSLETTER
WASHINGTON, DC JUNE 2011
#5
FROM THE AMBASSADOR
Dear Readers,
"Poland is one of our strongest and closest allies in the
world – and is a leader in a Europe." U.S. President
Barack Obama spoke these words in Warsaw on May 28
during his visit to Poland, the last stop on a European tour
that also included the United Kingdom, Ireland and
France.
In this newsletter issue, we focus on that visit, which was
centered around bilateral meetings with Poland's President
Bronislaw Komorowski and Poland's Prime Minister
Donald Tusk on topics crucial to the Poland-U.S.
relationship: security; economy and energy; support for
democracy in Europe's eastern and southern
neighborhoods; and people-to-people contacts, including
Poland's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program.
In an important element in the U.S.-Europe dialogue, the
Polish and U.S. Presidents co-hosted a dinner for the
heads of Central and Eastern European countries.
Poland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the
European Union on July 1. Our next newsletter will be
devoted to that Presidency, but we've included a preview
of it here, including a section on the logo, created by the
same artist who drew the iconic Solidarity logo more than
30 years ago.
We've included a report on the Wroclaw Global Forum,
during which I co-hosted a gala dinner with
U.S. Ambassador to Poland Lee Feinstein. The dinner's
highlight was the presentation of Freedom Awards to
individuals around the world who made significant
contributions to the fight for democracy, like Esraa Abdel
Fattah, one of the initiators of the Egyptian April 6 Youth
Movement and Belarusian opposition activists Ales
Byalyatski, Natalya Kaliada and Zhanna Litvina.
You can also read about the Polish Institute of Arts and
Sciences annual meeting, and a conference the Embassy
hosted about a recently published U.S. Information
Administration report on shale gas.
To round off our newsletter, we've included a book and
video game (yes!) recommendation.
President Obama also met with Polish democracy leaders
and human rights activists – those who successfully
helped steer Poland from Communism to democracy.
President Obama discussed cooperation between
the U.S. and Poland in democracy promotion throughout
the world.
We invite you to stay in touch with us on our social media
pages, where we post interesting and relevant news items
daily; photos and videos that we create on a variety of
topics; and links to the exciting initiatives Poland is
spearheading for the duration of its EU Council
Presidency.
He praised Poland's work in this arena, and said that
"Poland’s story demonstrates how a proud and determined
and enthusiastic people can overcome extraordinary
challenges and build a democracy that represents the great
strength and character of this nation, while now serving as
an example for Europe and the world."
With best regards,
IN THIS ISSUE
Ambassador’s Welcome
U.S President Barack Obama in Poland
Poland’s Presidency of the Council
of the European Union: A Preview
1
2-5
6
Poland’s Presidency: The Logo
6
The Wroclaw Global Forum
7
The Polish Institute of Arts &
Sciences in America Annual Meeting
“Europe’s Shale Gas Potential”
Seminar
7
Book + Video Game Recommendation
8
Did You Know:
A Rooftop Garden + a Peacock
June 2011
Embassy of Poland Newsletter
U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA IN WARSAW, MAY 27-28
THE POLAND-U.S.
PARTNERSHIP: AN OVERVIEW
President Obama met with Poland's
President Bronislaw Komorowski and
Prime Minister Donald Tusk to discuss
the following new initiatives in the
U.S.-Polish partnership:
Security Cooperation
Aviation Detachment: A Poland-U.S.
memorandum provides for the
establishment of a U.S. Air Force
detachment in Poland, which will
facilitate regular rotations of U.S.
military aircraft to Poland to train with
Poland’s Air Force. This agreement
was signed on June 13 by Poland's
Minister of Defense Bogdan Klich and
U.S. Ambassador to Poland Lee
Feinstein. Polish-U.S. military
exercises are scheduled to commence
in 2013. According to a White House
statement, "The Aviation Detachment
will improve our already excellent
bilateral defense cooperation and our
armed forces’ ability to operate
together as NATO allies."
Defense Trade: Poland and the U.S.
concluded a Reciprocal Defense
Procurement Agreement. Its aim:
reduction of barriers to defense trade
and facilitating defense cooperation.
Economic and Energy Cooperation
Strategic Dialogue on Clean Energy:
A Polish-U.S. Strategic Dialogue will
be held about mutual efforts to develop
new clean and sustainable energy
sources – including clean coal, shale
gas, wind and nuclear power.
Polish-U.S. Business Summit:
Poland and the U.S. will hold a highlevel Business Roundtable for the
private and government sectors to
together identify and promote new
commercial opportunities between our
two nations.
Support for Democracy and
Human Rights Around the World
Tunisia Joint Mentorship Initiative:
A Polish democracy transition team
visited Tunisia in April. Poland and the
U.S. will send democracy activists and
transition experts to Tunisia to work on
institution-building with the country's
new government and civil society.
Supporting Democracy in Belarus:
Poland and the U.S. have condemned
Belarus President Lukashenka's actions
and his post-December 2010 election
crackdowns. Poland and the U.S.
jointly support Belarusian civil society
– specifically by expanding the
Kirkland and Kalinowski Scholarships,
supporting BelSat independent TV
programming, and collaborating with
Poland's new International Solidarity
Foundation on these and other efforts.
People-to-People Contacts
Travel to the U.S.: President Obama
has endorsed legislation co-sponsored
by U.S. Congress members that would
reform the qualification requirements
for the visa waiver program so that
strong U.S. allies like Poland receive
proper consideration.
Counterterrorism and
Law Enforcement Cooperation:
Poland and the U.S. have negotiated
and signed an agreement on a mutual
exchange of information about known
or suspected terrorists, and are
negotiating a second agreement about
serious crime to further strengthen law
enforcement cooperation between our
two nations.
Youth Exchange: The U.S.-Poland
Parliamentary Youth Exchange
Program, which brings U.S. and
Polish high school students to each
others' countries, will be expanded and
jointly funded.
Photos, clockwise from left: 1. Presidents Obama &
Komorowski in front of the Presidential Palace in
Warsaw; 2. The Presidents in the Palace;
3. At a breakfast hosted by Prime Minister D. Tusk;
4+5. With the Prime Minister following their
bilateral meeting & joint press conference;
6. Shaking hands with Pres. Komorowski;
7. The U.S. & Polish Presidents enjoy a moment of
levity in Poland’s Presidential Palace. Photos
courtesy of the official website of the President of the
Republic of Poland; Piotr Molecki/KPRP & the
Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of
Poland; Grzegorz Roginski/CIR
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June 2011
Embassy of Poland Newsletter
PRESIDENTS KOMOROWSKI
& OBAMA CO-HOST A
DINNER TO CONCLUDE
THE 17TH CENTRAL &
EASTERN EUROPEAN
SUMMIT
President Obama joined President Komorowski
the evening of May 27 in hosting an informal
working dinner at the Presidential Palace for the
heads of Central and Eastern European countries,
who were completing a summit in Warsaw.
Dinner discussions focused on democracy
advancement, prosperity and stability in Europe,
and an examination of remaining challenges,
including Belarus; as well as on the "Arab
spring," its implications for Europe, and how the
U.S. and Europe can work together to support
successful democratic transitions across the
Middle East and North Africa.
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MEETING WITH POLISH DEMOCRACY LEADERS
On May 28, President Barack
Obama met with Polish politicians,
activists and Solidarity leaders in
Warsaw’s Presidential Palace to
learn about Poland's transition into
democracy after 1989 as well as to
discuss U.S.-Polish cooperation in
democracy promotion.
Introducing those who had gathered
to meet with President Obama,
President Komorowski said that
they had “fought for Polish freedom
and for the democratic state, and
fought well.”
During the meeting, President
Obama told the group: "Your
actions charted a course for freedom
that inspired many on this continent
and beyond. [W]e want to
encourage all states undergoing
similar experiences to learn from
Poland."
Solidarity leaders Senate Speaker
Bogdan Borusewicz and Poland's
former Prime Minister Tadeusz
Mazowiecki (above photo; seated to
President Obama’s right) spoke about
Poland's transformation to
democracy in the 1990s. Mr.
Mazowiecki was the first noncommunist Prime Minister in
Central and Eastern Europe after
World War II.
President Obama recalled his
memories of the Solidarity
movement when it first began: "I
remember at that time
understanding that history was
being made because ordinary
people were standing up and doing
extraordinary things with great
courage and against great odds."
The peaceful revolution launched
by Poland's Solidarity leadership,
President Obama said, "eventually
led to a regime’s collapse and the
downfall of a broader system of
Soviet repression. And that’s had
ripple effects and ramifications
around the world, not just in
Central and Eastern Europe."
Poland today is actively engaged in
sharing its experiences with
countries in Eastern Europe and
North Africa: A democracy
transition team visited Tunisia in
April, while in May, Poland's
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski
traveled to Benghazi to meet with
Libya's Transitional National
Council in a visit coordinated with
EU High Representative Catherine
Ashton and NATO allies.
President Obama commended Poland on its
stance on Belarus, where post-December 2010
election crackdowns on independent media,
opposition leaders and civil society are an
ongoing occurrence. Poland has strongly and
actively condemned the current Belarusian
regime for these actions and is working to
ensure a coordinated U.S.-EU approach to
tougher sanctions. Poland hosted an
international donor's conference, "Solidarity
with Belarus," in February as an ongoing joint
response between the U.S. and EU; both
countries increased their annual aid for Belarus
during the conference, which we reported on in
our February newsletter.
Photos courtesy of the official website of the President
of the Republic of Poland | Photo Credit: Wojciech
Grzedzinski/KPRP
LEARN MORE:
o President Obama and President
Komorowski's remarks from their meeting
with Polish Democracy Leaders
o Statement by the U.S. President on the
Recent Convictions of Political Prisoners in
Belarus
o Fact Sheet: U.S.-Polish Efforts to Advance
Democracy Worldwide
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Embassy of Poland Newsletter
June 2011
PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THE
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER IN WARSAW
"In Honor of Your Sacrifice – From the American People" –
the inscription on a wreath laid by U.S. President Barack
Obama on behalf of the United States at the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier in Warsaw on May 27. The Tomb was the
President's first stop in Poland.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony and an inspection of
Warsaw Garrison's Honor Guard Troops, the President met
and spoke with Polish war veterans – including veterans from
the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, as well as Polish soldiers who
recently returned from the International Security Assistance
Force in Afghanistan (some had also served in Operation Iraqi
Freedom), and Illinois National Guardsmen deployed to
Afghanistan or Iraq along with the Polish military.
ABOUT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Located in Pilsudski Square in central Warsaw, the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier pays homage to those who died fighting
for Poland's independence. Its story begins right after World
War I, when European nations began paying tribute to soldiers
who died in combat and whose remains were either never
found or never identified.
A stone tablet commemorating all the unknown Polish soldiers
who died during WWI and the Polish-Soviet War of
1919-1920 was placed in front of Warsaw's Saxon Palace in
1924. A year later, Poland's Ministry of War transported the
remains of an unknown Polish soldier from the Cemetery of
the Defenders of Lwów to Warsaw, which were laid to rest in
a newly built Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in the
Saxon Palace gardens.
Photos: 1. President Obama’s wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier;
behind the Polish Honor Guard, an eternal flame flickers in memory of
unknown soldiers who died for Poland;
2. President Barack Obama at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw
3. The Tomb o f the Unknown Soldier by night
LEARN MORE about President Obama’s Visit to Poland:
o Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Tusk
in Joint Press Conference in Warsaw, Poland
o Remarks by President Obama and President
Komorowski after Bilateral Meeting
o Fact Sheet: U.S.-Poland Cooperation on Clean Energy
o Fact Sheet: U.S.-Poland Business Roundtable
o Fact Sheet: U.S.-Poland Bilateral Defense Cooperation
o Fact Sheet: The United States & Poland – An Alliance
and Partnership for the 21st Century
o Letter from President Obama regarding Poland and the
Visa Waiver Program
The Tomb included 14 urns filled with soil from
14 battlegrounds and a Virtuti Military medal – Poland's
highest (and oldest) military honor, awarded for heroism and
courage during war. Two steel gratings on the Tomb bear
emblems of Poland's two highest Polish military decorations:
the Virtuti Militari and Cross of Valor.
The building was damaged by German aerial bombing in 1939
and demolished by the Wehrmacht following the 1944
Warsaw Uprising. After the war, a small section of the original
Saxon Palace was rebuilt – including the Tomb – and reopened
in 1946 with the addition of soil from 24 additional
battlegrounds into the original urns and tablets with the names
of World War II battlefields where Poles fought. But
communist authorities eradicated any mention of the PolishSoviet War of 1920 and included just a handful of the Polish
Armed Forces' battles in the West. After Poland regained its
independence in 1989, these historical omissions were
corrected.
With the sole exception of the German occupation of Warsaw
in World War II, an honor guard has stood sentinel at the
Tomb since 1925.
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June 2011
Embassy of Poland Newsletter
PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THE
WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING
MONUMENT
On his first evening in Poland, U.S. President
Barack Obama participated in a wreath-laying
ceremony at the Monument to the Heroes of the
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, where he was joined
by Holocaust survivors, Poles honored as the
Righteous Among the Nations*, and leaders of
the Jewish community in Poland as well as
Polish government officials.
The President was also briefed about the
Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which is
scheduled to open next year near the
Monument.
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, April 19-May 16,
1943 was the largest revolt by Jews during
World War II. The Monument, located on the
site of the first clashes of the Warsaw Ghetto
Uprising, pays homage to those who fought and
those who survived.
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest ghetto
created in German-occupied Poland by Nazis to
hold Poland's three million Jews in concentrated
areas. Approximately 400,000 Polish Jews were
packed into the Warsaw Ghetto; thousands died
from disease and starvation. By September 1942,
300,000 had been deported and perished in the
German Nazi Treblinka extermination camp. In
the spring of 1943, those remaining in the
Warsaw Ghetto began an armed revolt. 13,000
Jews were killed in the Ghetto during the
Uprising; those who survived were shipped off
to Treblinka.
*The Righteous Among the Nations is an
official title awarded by Yad Vashem on behalf
of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to
non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews
during World War II. Poland has the highest
number of Righteous Among the Nations.
German-occupied Poland had the severest
punishments in all of occupied Europe for
aiding Jews: concealing a Jew was punishable
by death to all household members.
ABOUT THE WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING MONUMENT
The monument, by artist Nathan Rappaport, was unveiled April 19, 1948, on the
fifth anniversary of the Uprising, and rises ~36 feet into the air.
One side, titled, “the Battle,” features a bronze sculpture of men, women, and
children, symbolizing the fighters' heroism: the figures hold pistols, grenades,
bottles with gasoline. The opposite side shows the suffering and martyrdom of the
Jews persecuted and killed by the Nazis in World War II. Titled, "March to
Destruction," this side also has characteristic Nazi helmets, representing the
crimes’ perpetrators.
Two bronze menorahs are depicted on the stone slab in front of the monument
with inscriptions in Polish, Yiddish and Hebrew: "From the Jewish nation to its
fighters and martyrs."
In a chilling twist of fate, the monument is surrounded by slabs of a material
called labradorite that was ordered from Swedish quarries in 1942 by the Minister
of Economy of the Third Reich for future use for monuments to Hitler's victory.
Photo: U.S. President Barack Obama at the Warsaw Ghetto Monument in Warsaw on May 27;
Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
PRESIDENT OBAMA IN WARSAW'S
FIELD CATHEDRAL OF THE POLISH ARMY
As the last point of his trip to Poland,
President Obama visited the Field
Cathedral of the Polish Army to meet
with the families of the April 2010 plane
crash that resulted in the deaths of
Poland's President Lech Kaczynski, First
Lady Maria Kaczynska and 94 Polish
military, civic and religious leaders.
The Cathedral contains a memorial
plaque for the plane crash victims. It also
contains a Katyn Chapel – a mausoleum
built in honor of the memory of more
than 21,000 Polish officers, soldiers
and civilians massacred by the Soviet
NKVD in 1940.
The chapel walls are lined with
nameplates, one for each of the
victims. 15,000 have names; 7,000
are blank, representing those victims
whose names are yet unknown.
Photo: President Obama at the Field Cathedral
of the Polish Army in Warsaw on May 28;
Official White House Photo by Lawrence
Jackson
5
June 2011
Embassy of Poland Newsletter
POLAND'S PRESIDENCY OF THE EU COUNCIL: A PREVIEW
Poland will take the Presidency of the
Council of the European Union on July 1.
We’ll be devoting our next newsletter
to Poland’s Presidency.
Here, we’ve laid out Poland’s priorities
for its Presidency as well as background information
on what the Presidency entails.
The Council of the EU:
What Is It?
The Council of the European Union is
the EU's major decision-making body.
The Council's main task is the adoption
of European legislation – it does this
with the European Parliament.
The Council represents the countries of
the EU. The Council is not composed of
permanent members, but one minister
from each EU country always
participates in Council meetings.
Decisions made by the Council are thus
usually reached following negotiations
between all EU members.
A General Secretariat of the Council of
the EU is based in Brussels; its
responsibility is ensuring the Council's
effective functioning.
The Presidency of the Council of the
EU: What Does It Mean?
A different EU country presides over the
Council of the European Union's work
every six months. Poland will take the
presidency on July 1, and will be the
host to a majority of the EU's events at
that time. Poland will also play a key
role in EU activities: It will organize EU
meetings; set the EU's political agenda;
and ensure the EU's development,
integration and security.
The Presidency of the EU Council:
Main Tasks
The Presidency:
1. Conducts the EU Council's work, and the
work of its subsidiary bodies – working
groups and committees:
• Meeting organization: hundreds of
meetings, from the highest level to
informal meetings for exchanging views
• Building bridges: working out
agreements among member states, esp.
in cases of sensitive or controversial
issues
• Signing acts adopted by the Council
• Convening intergovernmental
conferences of Member State
representatives on a per-need basis to
introduce amendments to the Treaty on
European Union.
2. Represents the EU Council in dealings
with other EU institutions – the European
Commission and the European Parliament
3. Supports the EU High Representative in
representing the EU in international
relations with non-EU countries and
international organizations
• Occurs in cooperation with the High
Representative for the Common Foreign
and Security Policy and the
Commissioner for External Relations.
• Identifying the most important areas of
EU potential activity during the
Presidency
• Setting possible priorities for the
Presidency.
The Priorities of
Poland’s Presidency of the Council of
the EU
Poland has set the following priorities
for its presidency.
As its main tasks: leading the EU toward
faster economic growth, and an
enhanced political community.
Poland will achieve these tasks by
focusing on three priorities:
1. European integration as the source
of growth
2. A secure Europe
3. A Europe benefiting from openness
Learn More:
o The official website of Poland’s
Presidency of the Council of the
European Union:
pl2011.eu/en
o The priorities of Poland’s Presidency
in detail
o The Six-Month Program of Poland’s
Presidency
o Aims & conclusions of former
Presidencies
POLAND'S PRESIDENCY OF THE EU COUNCIL: THE LOGO
The iconic Solidarność logo is instantly recognizable; designed
during the Gdansk Shipyard strikes in 1980 by Jerzy Janiszewski,
it instantly become a strong visual
symbol of Poland's struggle for
freedom and independence from
communism. Today, the image of
red letters with a Polish red-andwhite flag jutting upward from the N remains one of the world's
most famous graphic logos. And when Poland takes the
Presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1, it will do so under
a logo designed by the same artist who drew the Solidarność logo
30 years ago.
"I wanted the logo, in its visual form, to be associated with
positive energy, to be dynamic and turned towards the future,"
three elements closely tied into Poland's Presidency, said Mr.
Janiszewski. He was inspired to
create a form out of arrows directed
upwards, symbolizing development,
innovation, growth, creativity, even
competition. The arrows are linked,
& their colors represent the
numerous flags of the EU member states, giving the logo strength
and cohesion.
"It also symbolizes the figures of people from [EU member states]
keeping together, & being led by Poland," said Mr. Janiszewski,
adding that the logo is also meant to express a youthful spirit.
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June 2011
Embassy of Poland Newsletter
THE WROCLAW GLOBAL FORUM: JUNE 9 - 11, WROCLAW, POLAND
The Second Annual Wroclaw Global Forum brought
together former and current heads of state, politicians,
diplomats and intellectuals from around the world who
participated in panels on matters pertaining to
transatlantic relations.
During the forum, Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs
Radoslaw Sikorski (right) and Moldovan Premier
Vladimir Filat received Freedom Awards for their work in
promoting democracy and the transatlantic values of
freedom of speech and human rights.
During his speech, Minister Sikorski announced Poland’s
plans to launch a European Endowment for Democracy
during Poland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of
the EU. “It is time for Poland to give back,” the Minister
said. He also noted: “Dictators delude themselves
thinking they can crush the craving for liberty. Time and
again, history proves them wrong.”
Freedom Awards were presented to opposition activists
from Belarus – Ales Byalyatski, Natalya Kaliada, Zhanna
Litvina – and Esraa Abdel Fattah, blogger and one of the
founders of the Egyptian April 6 Youth Movement.
PIASA ANNUAL MEETING
The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of
America held its 69th annual meeting June 10-11.
Nearly 150 participants participated in 19 sessions
on a wide range of topics, including economy,
medicine, culture & history. Popular sessions
included Economics, Politics, & Society in Contemporary Poland,
organized by Dr. John Napoleon Saykiewicz (Duquesne
University.\), Poland, USA & China at the Threshold of Globalization,
by Dr. Bozena Leven (College of New Jersey) as well as Protest &
the Polish People’s Republic by Prof. Leonard Baldyga.
The Embassy of Poland hosted a reception for meeting
participants, who viewed an exhibit on Maria Sklodowska-Curie.
During the reception, Prof. Zbigniew Darzynkiewicz was awarded
a diploma as a foreign member of Poland’s Academy of Science.
PIASA member Prof. Zbigniew Brzezinski
was the closing gala’s keynote speaker, &
emphasized the key role of PIASA in
integrating the Polish scientific community
in the U.S., as well as the merits of longtime
former PIASA Director & President Dr. Tadeusz Gromada.
Prof. Mieczyslaw Boleslaw Biskupski (right) of
Central Connecticut State University is the new
PIASA director; Dr. Bozena Leven is the new
Executive Director. We wish the newly elected
leadership of PIASA success in continuing the
mission of this highly meritorious PolishAmerican institution.
Photo of Dr. Bozena Leven with Prof. Zbigniew Brzezinski at the PIASA meeting
courtesy of Vince Chesney.
U.S. Senator
John McCain,
and Adam
Michnik and
Helena Łuczywo
of Poland's
Gazeta Wyborcza
also received
Freedom
Awards.
"The Freedom Awards remind us of our responsibility to
support the spirit of democracy wherever it arises. This year,
we will recognize the powerful legacy of Solidarity, the
steady progress of Moldova, and the incredible awakening in
North Africa. And we will not forget the brave people of
Belarus and their struggle for freedom," said Atlantic Council
President and CEO Frederick Kempe.
The Freedom Awards were presented during a gala coorganized by Poland's Ambassador to the U.S. Robert
Kupiecki and U.S. Ambassador to Poland Lee Feinstein.
For a complete program and photos from the event: www.wgf2011.eu.
“EUROPE'S SHALE GAS POTENTIAL”
A recently published U.S. Energy Information Administration
report on shale gas was the focus of a seminar hosted by the
Embassy of Poland on May 26.
The meeting's discussions centered around the potential of shale
gas in European countries, as well as the main economic,
regulatory, technological and environmental aspects related to
the future exploration of unconventional gas.
Poland is in a group of European countries with the greatest
potential of unconventional gas, and has the added advantage of
being one of the most advanced countries globally in terms of
exploration work on shale gas. If geological forecasts are
confirmed from drilling projects, Poland may be able to begin
producing natural gas within the next decade. If that is the case,
the geopolitics of gas on the European continent would change,
as would the role of natural gas in Poland's energy mix and in
other European countries.
Seminar speakers included Vello Kuuskraa, President of
Advanced Resources International (ARI) and the report's coauthor; Sally Kornfeld, U.S. Department of Energy team leader,
and Trevor Smith, Business Development Manager at the Gas
Technology Institute. Seminar participants included U.S.
administration representatives from the U.S. State Department,
Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and
the Energy Information Administration; members of the U.S.
Congress; World Bank; Washington, DC-based think tanks;
business communities and Washington, DC-based embassies.
The report, "World Shale Gas Resources: An Initial Assessment
of 14 Regions Outside the United States,"
is available here.
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June 2011
Embassy of Poland Newsletter
And now for something a bit different in our recommendations: a video game & the book it’s based on;
both were presented to U.S. President Barack Obama by Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk during their meeting in Warsaw May 28.
TO READ: “THE LAST WISH” BY ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI
"The Last Wish" by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej
Sapkowski is a collection of short stories centered
around Geralt of Rivia: part assassin, part sorcerer, all
witcher. His life's goal: destroy evil monsters. "But not
everything monstrous-looking is evil," reads the book's
blurb, "and not everything fair is good."
In Sapkowski's worlds, witchers are specially trained &
have their physical bodies altered at a young age to
endow them with supernatural abilities so that they can
be more effective at monster-hunting & killing.
(For those of us not cool enough to know the term
previously, present company included, a witcher is a person
who practices black magic or black arts.)
The book precedes "The Witcher" series, which further delves
into Geralt’s world, filled with fantastical characters &
scenarios that explore various shades of gray in interpersonal
(or inter-fantasy character) relationships & deeds.
The book has been translated into numerous languages,
& is the inspiration for the video game, "The Witcher."
TO PLAY: “THE WITCHER 2”
"The Witcher 2" (Polish: ''Wiedźmin'') is a video roleplaying game based on the series by A. Sapkowski.
The game lays out an elaborate medieval fantasy
world, whose protagonist Geralt of Rivia is a witcher
with supernatural powers who hunts monsters. The
game presents a series of moral choices to its players,
& time-delayed consequences reinforce Sapkowski's
characteristic no-black-and-white morality.
We consulted with folks who
have played the game, all of
whom gave it an enthusiastic
thumbs-up, said it was
"awesome" & praised the
graphics (screenshot on the right)
& storyline. The game was developed by CD Projekt RED
STUDIO and published by Atari, Inc. & CD Projekt.
Did You Know: A Rooftop Garden + A Peacock
The University of Warsaw Library is home to one
of Europe's largest rooftop gardens – 10,000 sq m
(107,639 sq ft).
The library was completed in 1999; the garden
opened three years later, featuring elaborate
garden landscapes, intricately woven bridges that
take visitors to various charming nooks and
lookout points through an amazing array of flowers, vines, plants and
small trees.
Learn more about the library and its garden here. For a 360˚ panoramic
view of the garden, click the Garden tab.
For more photos of the University of Warsaw library & peacocks – as
well as other photos taken in Warsaw, visit our Facebook album.
This charming gentleman lives in
the Park Lazienkowski – the Royal
Baths, which date back to the 17th
century & today comprise
Warsaw's largest park, where
peacocks roam freely. Part of the
pheasant family, males are called
peacocks while females are
peahens. And both are also called peafowl.
Only peacocks have elaborate tails & head ornaments;
they’re meant to attract lady peahen admirers.
There are two species of peafowl: Indian / blue and
Javanese / green. Both species are from hot climates, but
only the blue can survive through winters.
For more Embassy news + information:
FACEBOOK:
Embassy of Poland, DC
TWITTER:
@PolishEmbassyUS
Previous Newsletter Issues
EMBASSY OF THE
REPUBLIC
OF POLAND
2640 16th St NW
Washington DC
washington.polemb.net
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Justine Jablonska:
newsletter editor-in-chief
[email protected]
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