-- THIS WAS THE FINAL WEEK OF LECH KACZYŃSKI'S PRESIDENCY - 300POLITYKA reconstructs the president's final days in office. "He will announce his decision. I think it will happen soon, but not tomorrow. Definitely by the end of spring," said Władysław Stasiak, head of President Lech Kaczyński's Chancellery, in an interview with Fakt on March 31, 2010. Ten days later, the President was no longer alive. What was – according to the official communiqués of the Chancellery – the final week of the life of the President of the Republic and the First Lady like? https://300polityka.pl/news/2020/04/10/ostatni-tydzien-prezydentury-lecha-kaczynskiego/ -- MAYBE WE SHOULD SIMPLY LEARN TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS? - TOMASZ KRZYŻAK IN RZ: “This memory must not be instrumentalized; it must not be appropriated. Paradoxically, the coronavirus might help in understanding this. Is the tenth anniversary of the Smoleńsk catastrophe a chance for reconciliation, for ending the Polish-Polish war? Perhaps it is, but we should have no illusions that we will take advantage of it. Fifteen years ago, when John Paul II died, we also spoke of a chance; ten years ago, too; last year, when Paweł Adamowicz was murdered, we also mentioned it. So, perhaps instead of talking about chances for reconciliation, we should simply start learning how to resolve conflicts? What if we tried to see the opponent as a partner, acknowledge that they might have a point, and engage in dialogue with them? Not for our own good, but for the good of the Republic.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304099869-Krzyzak-Smolenska-cisza-nad-Polska.html -- MAŁGORZATA WASSERMANN ON WAITING FOR THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE TO FINISH ITS WORK - tells Jacek Nizinkiewicz in RZ: “The report does not hold up and repeats Anodina's lies. This report is a mockery. If Maciej Lask's team, in over 100 pages, refers to Anodina's report while disagreeing with it, and then shortly afterwards, it replicates her report and sees no problem with it, it's passing judgment on itself. I hope that once the prosecutor's office concludes its work, we will learn the causes of the catastrophe, its course, and only then will we be able to identify those responsible. I am not bloodthirsty.” https://www.rp.pl/Katastrofa-smolenska/304099861-Malgorzata-Wassermann-Ojciec-wciaz-jest-z-nami.html -- IT IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO ISOLATE PiS VOTERS - WE DEHUMANIZE THEM - MICHAŁ BILEWICZ IN CONVERSATION WITH JACEK GĄDKA ON GAZETA.PL: “This traumatic disintegration accompanies us to this day – even now, with Law and Justice in power, there remains a huge distance for many people from this party and its supporters. While I understand the reluctance towards politicians who break the law and abuse power, it is incomprehensible to isolate ourselves from that part of the PiS electorate that believes in an assassination attempt. After all, people who have come to believe in a conspiracy are themselves victims of manipulation. Paulina Górska's research shows that we continue to distance ourselves from PiS voters, and even dehumanize them a little, not considering them fully human.” -- BILEWICZ CONTINUES ON DISTANCING FROM PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: “That's how it looked during the PO (Civic Platform) government. 'Smoleńsk sect,' 'tin and sausage specialists,' 'Smoleńsk people.' These terms clearly show the attitude towards people who differed in how they explained the plane crash. In our research, we observed that opponents of conspiracy theories distance themselves more from proponents of the conspiracy than vice versa. They would not want to live next to someone who believes in an assassination. They would not accept their daughter being in a relationship with someone who allows for the possibility that traces of TNT were found on the wings of the Tu-154.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,25858144,michal-bilewicz.html -- JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI ON BAVARIA, DWORCZYK ON RETURNING TO NORMALCY, MFA LODGES NOTE REGARDING WRECKAGE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/04/10/ -- ABSTRACTING FROM POLITICAL SYMPATHIES, THE POLISH GOVERNMENT SWIFTLY INTRODUCED QUARANTINE AND WE DID NOT HAVE A CORONAPARTY - TOMASZ DZIECIĄTKOWSKI, virologist - in conversation with Łukasz Rogojsz on gazeta.pl: “First and foremost, abstracting from all political sympathies or antipathies, the Polish government swiftly introduced quarantine. Poles largely behaved responsibly and rationally. We did not have a 'coronaparty' after the quarantine was announced, unlike the Italians or Spaniards. The demographic structure in Poland is also different from, for example, Italy. Italians are a relatively old society, where multi-generational families are a very popular lifestyle model. Therefore, it is easy to get infected within one's own family, and there are more people who are most susceptible to infection. We do not have that here.” -- EXPERT ON THE TURNING POINT WITHIN 2 WEEKS: “Looking very cautiously, a turning point will most likely occur in the next 10-14 days, and the number of daily infections should start to decrease in Poland. At the same time, I think new infections will persist until roughly mid-May and gradually decrease until the beginning of June.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,173952,25856470,nie-urzadzilismy-sobie-koronaparty-po-ogloszeniu-kwarantanny.html -- AN INTERESTING OBSERVATION BY MACIEJ GDULA ON THE CORE OF PRIVATE HEALTHCARE OPERATION - in conversation with Michał Sutowski in Krytyka: “But indeed, single-profile private hospitals did not emerge. So, you can get a private test, but private treatment is already 'not their business.' This is generally how the private healthcare sector operates. It is willing to profit from relatively cheap services, but expensive treatment is already 'not its concern.' In any case, I hope the crisis will show us how dependent we are on each other and that neglecting what is shared has its consequences.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/gdula-puto-smolensk-koronawirus/ -- SOME POLITICIANS HAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY VERIFIED BY THE CRISIS - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “There are also figures who have been negatively verified by this crisis. I will repeat that political polls should be treated with caution, but nevertheless, successive surveys showing that support for Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska is dwindling, and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has taken second place in the presidential race, give food for thought. The problem for the Civic Coalition candidate was not only inconsistency (unclear communication regarding whether she would conduct a campaign) but also her personality. It is increasingly clear that the Deputy Marshal lacks that certain something that people seek in difficult times.” -- A HAND THAT COULD NOT BE PREDICTED JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Kosiniak-Kamysz's continuous rise, on the other hand, shows that voters are impressed by his fighting spirit, consistency, and also a certain calmness, which is a result of his state experience, despite his relatively young age. Kosiniak also managed to capitalize in difficult times on the fact that he is a doctor and the leader of a party with a clear political message. Where are the other party leaders against this backdrop? Where are Borys Budka, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Adrian Zandberg? On every side of the political scene, it is clear that the epidemic will not only be a great test for politicians but may also sooner or later bring about a completely new distribution of roles in our public life. A distribution that could not have been predicted just a few weeks ago.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304099868-Szuldrzynski-Byc-jak-Elzbieta-II.html -- THE LATEST SHIELD OFFERS HOPE - JAKUB BODZIONY IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: “The conference held by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and NBP President Adam Glapiński offers hope that Poland will respond better to the economic crisis. (...) the government is finally introducing the foundations of a program that, in exchange for maintaining employment, offers employers non-repayable subsidies. This is a belated, likely insufficient, but necessary move.” -- A CHEAP STATE IS A WEAK STATE - BODZIONY CONTINUES: “Although there will be time to draw conclusions from the epidemic, it can certainly be said that a 'cheap state' is simply a weak state that copes much worse in a crisis.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2020/04/10/bodziony-powrot-z-tarcza-czy-na-tarczy/ -- THE SHIELD WILL CAUSE INFLATION - WITOLD GADOMSKI IN GW: “The inflationary effects will be delayed, so the government will boast of success for a while – saving so many enterprises and jobs. But the negative consequences will come when other economies regain their dynamism thanks to government programs that do not boil down to handing out printed money.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,25860018,tarcza-finansowa-nbp-wydrukuje-rzad-rozda.html -- PRINTING EMPTY MONEY - COMMENTARY BY FOR (INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS) BY ANDRZEJ RZOŃCA: “This purchase, combined with the announced bill of exchange credit for refinancing loans for entrepreneurs, also threatens a return to the pathologies of a monobank. (...) Savers and healthy companies that build their success through hard work and inventiveness, rather than relying on access to power, will lose out. The greater their role in the economy declines and the role of companies friendly to the government grows, the weaker Poland's economic growth will be and the greater the risk of its collapse. Polish democracy will also weaken, as the government will not only support 'friendly' companies but also force them to provide assistance to itself. By dismantling the financial Constitution of our state, the NBP has joined actions that are leading us back to the era of the Polish People's Republic (PRL). Clearly, its leadership has not learned the lesson from the fall of socialism that the bill for the government's carefree consumption in fat years cannot be paid for by printing empty money.” https://for.org.pl/pl/a/7687,komentarz-for-nbp-cofa-nas-do-prl-u Photo: Jacopo Tintoretto, The Crucifixion, Scuola Grande di San Rocco in Venice. “The Crucifixion” is one of Tintoretto's few signed and dated works. Its composition is an innovative solution, never before practiced. At first glance, it appears chaotic, full of figures spread across the entire vast plane. Nevertheless, symmetry can be observed. The vertical axis is the crucified Christ, and the crowd around him forms a circle with proportionally distributed figures. Such a style refers to the Renaissance manner of painters, as does the frontally depicted figure of Christ. The gathered figures also form separate stories, separate motifs from New Testament events. In the central part, three crosses are meant to depict three stages of the crucifixion. The middle one is already in place. Behind him, a centurion is visible – a soldier is about to offer Jesus a sponge soaked in vinegar. In front of him is a group of mourners, the only ones immersed in sadness. Among the grieving, Saint John and Mary can be recognized. The cross on the left is being raised. According to tradition, the good thief, who believed in the Savior's words before his death, was to be hanged on it. On the right, preparations are underway to raise the third cross. The evil thief is to be hanged on it, and not without reason is he depicted with his back to Jesus. In the foreground, a figure is digging a hole for the third cross. Next to him are two soldiers gambling for Christ's garments. https://www.rp.pl/Historia/180329065-Jak-artysci-widzieli-ukrzyzowanie-Jezusa.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Ewa Dałkowska, Halina Frąckowiak, Małgorzata Omilanowska, Tadeusz Truskolaski, Magdalena Adamowicz, Wojciech Olejniczak, Michał Tober, Ziemowit Szczerek, Krzysztof Paszyk, Beata Cholewińska.