-- KORA HAS PASSED AWAY: “On July 28, 2018, at dawn, in her beautifully situated home in Bliżów in Roztocze, Zamość county, surrounded by her closest loved ones, husband Kamil Sipowicz, two sons, and friends (including Prof. Magdalena Środa), Kora, or Olga Sipowicz née Ostrowska, formerly Jackowska (born 1951) passed away – the most prominent artist of Polish rock, vocalist and poet – songwriter, whose lyrics were also published in collections of poetry, the lead singer of the legendary Maanam band from 1976–2008.” https://oko.press/kora-nie-zyje-czekam-na-wiatr-co-rozgoni-szare-sklebione-zaslony/

-- A YEAR AGO, KAMILA GASIUK-PIHOWICZ WAS FEATURED ON GW'S FRONT PAGE AND SPOKEN OF AS THE NEW OPPOSITION LEADER.

-- MICHAŁ DANIELEWSKI IN GW: WITH ANGRY FACES AND CLENCHED FISTS, WE WON'T BEAT PiS: “So, in Poland, against authoritarian rule, we have no weapon of hope; instead, we brandish a paper sword with a blunt edge of fatalism. We shout with rage and powerlessness. Those gifted with the longest memories have even concluded that all elections will be rigged, and the only thing left for us is to give the authorities the middle finger. ‘Fuck off…’ is our most popular slogan lately. Unfortunately, we are sad, we are hopeless. It's all the more infuriating because we know we can be different. How did it happen that we no longer want to convince others of our arguments? Why do we furiously hurl curses at the television and rank-and-file police officers, hidden in a cocoon of moral and historical righteousness? Is Jarosław Kaczyński truly so powerful that he has reduced our sensitivity and sense of humor to pathetic babble composed of invectives, a sense of injustice, and gargantuan frustration? Seriously?”

-- DANIELEWSKI: IF WE BECOME LIKE PAWŁOWICZ AND CRUDE MEMES REPLACE MROŻEK – WE WILL LOSE: “If we don't regain our sense of humor – we are lost. If we behave like Krystyna Pawłowicz, if crude memes about the opponent replace Mrożek and Gombrowicz for us – we will lose. If we don't find the hope that in the early nineties made us believe we would finally become a full member of the West – we will fall. If we endlessly ritually lament spilled milk – we will be destroyed. If, instead of seeking strength in our values and ideas, we wallow in glorifying further defeats – they will make us into easily digestible pâté. Kaczyński won't even have to rig the elections. We will poison ourselves with venom and hatred. And in the end, we will fight among ourselves, because that will be the only struggle we are capable of winning.” http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,23719034,zle-twarze-zacisniete-piesci-tak-nie-wygramy-z-pis.html

-- PLATFORMA WANTS TO TURN LEFT BECAUSE ITS RESEARCH SHOWED SO - Iwona Szpala in GW:“– The situation with Ujazdowski was the swan song of conservatives in PO, of course at this political stage – says someone associated with Schetyna's party. They explain that the party has conducted focus group research which showed that in local elections, people expect Platforma to lean left, to adopt a softer, pro-social policy. Especially in large cities, which are the showpieces of Schetyna's party. It is around these cities that PO intends to build its campaign. These territories, inaccessible to PiS for years, are to be presented as the last bastions of civil liberties that must be defended. – We want Poles to answer the question during the campaign whether they choose Western-style local government or the hands-on control executed by PiS voivodes and Joachim Brudziński – says a politician from the PO leadership.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23726665,labedzi-spiew-konserwatystow-w-po-platforma-chce-skrecic-w.html

-- KAJA PLUTO: THEY REDUCED EUROPEAN VALUES TO HIGHWAYS - writes in Newsweek: “The young left (and right) does not reproach the fathers of the Third Polish Republic for their humanistic sensitivity, but rather for unconditionally prioritizing the now-overturned dogmas of neoliberal economics over it. Not intellectual daydreams, but mindless consumption, materialism, and social Darwinism. Not finally, deliberations on 'Penser l'Europe,' but reducing European values to good highways, glass skyscrapers, and expensive cars.”

-- KAJA PLUTO ON TRZASKOWSKI'S ARCHAIZING TONE: “As for Trzaskowski, it wasn't his education that evoked snickers, but his pretentious, egocentric, and archaizing tone, which might be suitable for a campaign for the president of a Krakow enthusiasts' club, but not necessarily for the mayor of the capital. And those who snickered the loudest cannot be, en masse, intellectual snobs, if only because… they themselves belong to the intelligentsia.”

-- FROM THEIR PARENTS THEY HEARD: 'WHAT WILL YOU GET OUT OF THIS?' AND NOW THEY'RE ACCUSED OF NOT PROTESTING - Kaja PLUTO continues: “The left and right wings (stretching from Krytyka Polityczna to Klub Jagielloński) differ greatly, but they are united by their pro-state orientation, ideological conviction, and opposition to the bland post-politics practiced during the PO governments. These are young scientists, journalists, artists, NGO workers, and activists who, for next to nothing or after overtime at their corporate jobs, try to change the world (here I refer again to Tomasz Plata's article). From their liberal parents, regarding their activities, they usually heard, 'What will you get out of this?', and today they hear accusations of 'not engaging,' meaning not going to shout at a protest.” http://m.newsweek.pl/opinie/agata-bielik-robson-jestesmy-glupi,artykuly,430665,1.html

-- PIOTR WÓJCIK ON THE EXPERTS' DECEPTION REGARDING SUNDAY TRADING BAN: “The ban on Sunday trading is a perfect example of how much experts can be wrong or outright deceitful. After its introduction, shops were predicted to collapse, but instead, sales are increasing, and small neighborhood stores are benefiting. (...) As it turns out, none of the critics' predictions about the restriction of Sunday trading have materialized so far. Retail sales are growing, as is employment in retail. Poles have managed the Sunday product deficits, and the budget is also doing well. Of course, the regulations restricting trading are not perfect, they are sometimes circumvented, and gas station employees may ask why they are worse off than discount store employees, having to work on Sundays. However, imperfect regulations can be improved. There are also no solutions that will simultaneously make life easier for all professional groups. After almost five months since the introduction of regulations that have ensured free Sundays for one of the weakest professional groups, we can say it was worth it.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,161770,23719228,gospodarka-straci-50-mld-zl-znikna-miejsca-pracy-dlaczego.html

-- JOANNA STARĘGA-PIASEK SPEAKS TO ELIZA OLCZYK ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIC UNION'S LEFT-WING STANCE TOWARDS THE KLD LIBERALS IN 1993 in an interview for RZ: “I had ambivalent feelings. I remember that after the 1993 elections, when the liberals fell out of the Sejm, Tadeusz Mazowiecki said that the young, intelligent, capable people lost the elections and it would be a shame. He also announced that he would come to the next session of the UD National Council with a proposal to merge with them. At that point, Zosia Kuratowska said: 'We shouldn't agree to that, because we are so different that we will never agree, and they will outmaneuver us.' Her opinion was credible to me, but I also agreed with Mazowiecki because I valued some liberals. As a result, I abstained. However, the overwhelming majority of the National Council voted for the merger with the Liberal Democratic Congress. And it must be admitted that the liberals brought some life into our grouping.”

-- THE LIBERALS DIDN'T CONSIDER IT PROPER TO DEAL WITH SOME LOSERS - STARĘGA RECALLS THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS SOCIAL WELFARE: “If it weren't for Boni, the climate for social welfare under the Bielecki government would have been terrible. The liberals didn't consider it proper to deal with some losers and allocate budget money to them. When they listed what needed to be done, social welfare always ended up at the bottom. In such situations, I used to say that health starts with 'z' and should be at the end, and social welfare a bit higher.” http://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/307269943-Joanna-Starega-Piasek-Zbyt-dlugo-trzymalismy-Tuska-w-terminie.html&template=restricted

-- A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM WITH THE CURRENT ELECTORAL LAW IS A BAD SCENARIO FOR THE OPPOSITION - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI, UNLIKE DOMINIK UHLIG YESTERDAY IN GW: “Platforma, after potentially attracting the left, especially the post-communist left, will be an ideal target for PiS propaganda, which already claims that PO is fundamentally a post-communist organization acting in defense of the old order. Furthermore, younger generation left-wing voters will not be particularly eager to support a left-wing bloc in coalition with liberals who, as PiS and the so-called 'symetrists' argue, are responsible for all of Poland's catastrophes.”

-- WROŃSKI ON BAD NEWS FOR DUDA: “The new electoral law also means a defeat for President Andrzej Duda. His signature on the changes will mean that he relies solely on PiS's mercy, even though the electorate of Paweł Kukiz and parts of the centrist movement were decisive for his success in the 2015 elections.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23726791,ordynacja-do-europarlamentu-ma-spelnic-sen-kaczynskiego-o-systemie.html

-- ADAM MICHNIK IN A LETTER TO PAWEŁ ADAMOWICZ, published by GW: “So, there are two Gdańsks, two Polands, two understandings of fair justice. You belong to that Gdańsk of August '80, and those thugs with fascist manners who long for the climate of martial law belong to the Poland of the Gdańsk trial and Judge Zieniuk. I remain optimistic. I believed that 'an eagle would not be defeated by a crow'; I believe that in Poland 'fascism will not pass.' Please accept my respect and gratitude, Paweł.” http://adamowicz.pl/2018/07/24/list-adama-michnika/

-- THE UNYIELDING MAN FROM JURATA - Wojciech Czuchnowski in GW: “Duda signed and fled to his summer residence in Jurata. This is also typical of this man, who never dared to confront people with different views. In the most difficult moments, he was absent or, like a nocturnal phantom, appeared only with his infamous pen. On Thursday, people showed him what they thought about it. He received thousands of pens…” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23724066,niezlomny-z-juraty-tym-gorzej-dla-faktow.html

-- DUDA'S THIRD TERM OF OFFICE – A FLACCID PRESIDENCY - LUDWIK DORN: “He was a subservient notary – a 'fetch it, give it, sweep it up' type of aide to the chairman. Then he started to assert himself, initiating a period of bloated presidential heroism. The Senate's rejection of his proposal for a constitutional referendum formally marks the beginning of the third stage – the time of the president's political flaccidity.”

-- DORN ON KACZYŃSKI: “What interest does the PiS chairman have in appointing Andrzej Duda as the Father of the Nation, when he himself, a mere MP, 'in a grey cloak, but blue in spirit' is the 'immortal brigadier of hope'? (Alfons Dzięciołowski, 'Song about Józef Piłsudski', 1915).”

-- YOU WILL ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE A POLITICAL WIMP - DORN CONTINUES ABOUT DUDA: “The political arrangement between the President of the Republic and the PiS chairman can be described as follows: you, Mr. President, will accept that you are a political wimp and will do what I tell you, and in return, I will occasionally massage you for the public in the presidential role and guarantee that no one in PiS will humiliate you; and, of course, the party will nominate you for president in the next elections. And in this way, together, we will push my PiS cart through the ruts of the 2019 and 2020 elections.” https://www.tvn24.pl/magazyn-tvn2,166,2862

-- FRAGMENT OF A CONVERSATION BETWEEN JACKA NIZINKIEWICZA AND RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI, WHEN NIZINKIEWICZ ACCUSES THE PO CANDIDATE OF BEING ASLEEP - SERIOUSLY? REALLY? WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FROM?: “- You give the impression of a sleeping candidate who becomes active once in a while.

“- Seriously? Really? Where did you get that from? You're probably not observing this campaign, which is just about to start, and what is pre-campaign. We work from morning till night, 150 meetings, a lot of ideas. We recently shifted gears to show that Warsaw can be managed from the street level, while Patryk Jaki occasionally organizes meetings where he only lets his supporters in.

“- I tuned into one of the recent meetings. I was astonished.

“- So many people attend Patryk Jaki's meetings?

“- No, only his supporters attend.”

“- Significantly fewer attend your meetings.

“- That's nonsense. Don't repeat those stereotypes. At my meetings, when I organized open ones, 300 people would attend. One thing is important. I don't set up a gate at my meetings. I don't only let my supporters in, like my opponent does. I ask people what questions they have, what comments they have. My opponent puts on an hour-long show where he talks about me for an hour. If the opponent conducts a campaign solely about me, and not about Warsaw, it bodes poorly. I don't know where the editor's admiration for his conversation with Warsaw residents comes from, because it's exclusively about me.

“- It's not a question of admiration, it's a question of attendance. We see photos, we see video footage.

“- Have you seen photos from my meetings?

“- Do more people come than to Jaki's meetings?

“- In the beginning, when open meetings were organized and the ones I organized in the districts, 100, 200, or 300 people came. The format is completely different at 'bench' meetings, where we meet in a much more intimate setting. True, there were 100 people in Żoliborz, sometimes 20, 30, 15 come, but that's exactly the point, because it's a different format.” http://www.rp.pl/Wybory-samorzadowe/180729576-Rafal-Trzaskowski-Kampania-Patryka-Jakiego-Od-czasu-do-czasu-spotkania-ze-zwolennikami.html

-- JOURNALISTS SPLIT HAIRS WHILE PEOPLE'S REACTIONS ARE POSITIVE - RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI in conversation with Marcin Antosiewicz in Newsweek: “First, there hasn't been a single serious slip-up so far. Second, I see a disconnect between the reactions of the people I've met at my 150 meetings and those I meet on the street every day, and what I read in the media. Journalists are splitting hairs, while on the streets, I encounter very positive comments.”

-- TRZASKOWSKI TELLS ANTOSIEWICZ HE WANTS TO SERVE A FULL 5-YEAR TERM: “Yes, because I need time to show a different style of governance in Warsaw.” http://m.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/rafal-trzaskowski-rozmowa-z-kandydatem-po-na-prezydenta-warszawy,artykuly,430656,1.html

-- JAROSŁAW WAŁĘSA IS A SUPPORTER OF THE ABORTION COMPROMISE - tells Dorota Wodecka in GW: “Not necessarily on demand. I am a supporter of the current compromise.”

-- WAŁĘSA ASKED BY WODECKA ABOUT HIS STATE AFTER THE ACCIDENT: “I don't remember anything like that. And perhaps that's why my faith in eternal life was shaken. Before the accident, I knew I would exist after death. But since the accident, I've been wondering: what if this life on earth is all I have? And that caused a transformation in me. If I accept the end of my existence with death, it means that to live eternally, I should leave something behind. I'm not just talking about great professional achievements, but above all about those seemingly simpler, yet most important things: children and raising them to be good people, becoming better every day. That's what life is about.” http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,23721190,jaroslaw-walesa-po-wypadku-nie-widzialem-swiatla-w-tunelu.html

-- ONE OF THE FUNNIER FRAGMENTS OF THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN PIOTR WITWICKI AND ZIEMOWIT KOSSAKOWSKI:“The best part is that when I approached the president in Powiśle, Rafał Trzaskowski, who was there as a staff member, gave me a 'I Support Bronisław Komorowski' badge. Thanks to it, I blended into the crowd, and then I asked the president questions and was told to go to Norway. You could say that Rafał enabled me to ask difficult questions to Komorowski. I hope that with my group, I will manage to carry out many more such notable actions.” http://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/307269964-Byly-dziennikarz-TVP-ujawnia-kulisy-ataku-na-lekarzy-rezydentow.html&template=restricted

-- DOROTA MASŁOWSKA ON THE VITAL WORLD OF MINIBUSES AND THE DEPRESSIVE, SAGGY WORLD OF THE MIDDLE CLASS - says in an interview with Zofia Król from Dwutygodnik.com, which GW reprints: “The middle class already has established identity gestures and their Lidl wines recommended by sommeliers in 'Wprost'. We build rituals, identity, but we completely lose vitality. This kind of hipsterism, i.e., urban youthfulness, sometimes adopted by fifty-year-olds, seemingly anti-bourgeois, but actually ultra-bourgeois – design, wool hats, nonchalant clothes, colorful socks, scuffed shoes. All of this leads to some kind of sloppiness, paleness, weakness, not engaging in sports, and if so, ringo. There's a general sag to it, men walk in the park with strollers, gender roles are blurred, there's a trend for unisex, including in household chores. Meanwhile, the world of minibuses and apartment blocks is full of stamina, a big focus on natural selection, on sex, on emphasizing gender traits – women have long eyelashes and injected lips; men have exaggerated muscles, much more radical sexual behaviors, discos, dancing, fast cars – they are simply more vital, sexual, and somehow alive. And we suffer from depression, watch TV series, and lose blood.” http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,23716623,dorota-maslowska-prawdziwe-zycie-jest-w-busie-do-lublina.html#nowyMTmagazyn

-- LINK TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ON DWUTYGODNIK.COM: http://www.dwutygodnik.com/artykul/7779-nakreca-sie-mrok.html

-- 7 YEARS AGO, the KBWLP (State Commission for the Investigation of National Catastrophes) announced the final report from the investigation into the Smoleńsk catastrophe – the so-called Miller Report.

-- BIRTHDAYS: Kazimierz Michał Ujazdowski, Katarzyna Wężyk, Piotr Maślak, Beata Baczyńska, Sławomir Jeneralski, SUNDAY: Rafał Jurkowlaniec, Łukasz Borkowski.