Importance of Triple Helix

Bit more than a month ago I participated at the conference Finance and Public Private Partnership, Polish reality and international experience organized by University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów and Polish Rectors Foundation, where I had presentation related to how Korean Higher Education Sector puts emphasis on Triple Helix.

Triple Helix is quite new concept developed by loet Leydesdorff and Han Woo Park. It explains how proper cooperation between governments both central and local, higher education and research sector and business sector are dependant on each other like triple helix DNA would be. Ths DNA is nowadays needed for any economy to grow and  be knowledge based economy.

During my presentation, but even more in aftermath paper I have written I put emphasis on how knowledge based businesses are important to country's growth and that global brand which operated in common electronics and home appliances sector does more to any country's diplomacy and international position than any Ministry of Foreign Affairs would do. Moreover it creates jobs and jobs means growth.

Basic example of such a business is Samsung. Even if it does not always make best phones or best appliances it has conquered the international market and even now i sit in front of Samsung LCD screen, not to mention my other two computers and my dad's cellphone ( I am fidel fan of Nokia though :P).

What lessons are there for Poland from it? Poland should focus on developing global brand based on graphene technology. Both european and Polish attitude to competition and business is focused on small competing with eachother technology companies. Some of modern crucial inventions have been done in Poland starting from Blue Ray ending on industrial processing of graphene. But if the money doesn't go to support one business with research center and create a huge conglomerate out of this, soon the technology will be there for sale from small businesses whoch owners are more interested in comfortable life than in far reaching visions of global electronics market. In worst case scenario Samsung just comes and buys the technology off.

Last remark I have after observing the reality and researching the topic is that stupid fashion focusing economy on trade and services should come to an end. To grow, any economy must have goods that are produced and sold, and trade and services are only surroundings. We see it very well in German economy which still has companies like BASF for example, and also others that develop. assemble, produce and sell real goods for real cash. Any economy which is based on virtual bank related non existing currency will eventually fail or suffer serious troubles like USA does. USA which starting from late 70's advertised trade and services, not industry based economic model. We all see where did it go.

Having said all this, I wish that Poland eventually unifies authorities, businesses and research cnters around creating Polish equivalent of Samsung. This merged with amazing brains and hardworking people should lead finally to success. Instead of supporting 10 smaller, create 1 big.

Korea...Poland, some comparisons

Today "International" Committee for Aviation Crash Investigation (MAK in Russian) with general Anodina on it's lead had published "report" on Smolensk crash which occured on April 10th near Smolensk in Russia. In this catastrophe the President of Poland with his wife and 94 other leaders, congressmen, intellectuals together with whole crew were died.

Initially it supposed to be a turning point in Polish-Russian relations. Two days before "Katyn" was allowed to be shown only on Russia Today which is an english language TV station with popularity not exceeding 2% of the society. After the crash "breakthrough" step allowed a movie to be shown on other Russian TV stations.

In Poland a stream of dezinformation, different opinions, attitudes followed with PM blind belief in new modern Russia which will stand up to the call of modern western investigation with solid and transparent standards in it's base.

So we had been waiting for the outcome and as predicted MAK accused the Air Force Chief general Blasik for being drunk and for shouting on pilots in the cocpit.

In the meanwhile Dmitrij Medvedev, president of Russia visited Poland. Journalists were covering this visit emphasising with genuine pride how secured is this visit, how many choppers, secret service agents and panzer cars are there so noone would know in which of them president Medvedev really is.


It is difficult to reach bigger contrast. Back in Smolensk there was just one Secret Service agent without any gun covering security of the ambassador Bahr more than the president of Poland, airport, airfield remembering of sheep-run more than of modern sophisticated airport. That all surrounded by woods and city's dumpster mount and a barrack which certainly would use some renovation pretending to be control tower. In that "control tower" there were 3 guys all of whom had never been taken for interrogation by Polish prosecutors.
If I was told that these are the conditions offered for a visit of a foreign head of the state, several years ago I would not believe.
This resemble some long term submissive prejudice residing in brains of old generation in power in Poland. Generation in media and in politics. They consider such circumstances as normal and a matter of fact because Russia is bigger and their president deserves better treatment. I can imagine what would Russian media say if we told president Medvedev to land on a sheep-run.

Do I suspect a foul play? Yes I do, at least in a way the "investigation" is being done. Pieces of the aircraft are still to be found near the site. The wreckage was not even covered with anything and money from bank accounts of the victims had been stolen using their bank cards, this is how well the site was secured.

Was it an assasination? Who knows. I personally favor carelessness of the "control tower". What if really drunken guys were sitting there and reacted too slowly? But on the contrary I must admit that the control tower leader Plusin suggested to redirect the flight into the spare airport. From the transcript of the control tower talks at some point he says "Fuck, for now they insist to bring the plane down". Who is "they"? This should be clearly stated in the MAK report and it isn't. MAK report totally ignores the control tower transcript of all communication, not only with the plane but also with other people on the phone and those present in the building.

Also straight after the catastrophe my blog had been viewed by a very weird Moscow based business in the control of internet activity, market research. They are apparently not interested in Korean issues because they stopped watching my blog just after I stopped mentioning the crash.

How is it all related to Korea? I remember Cheonan sinking this year. Immediate international investigation, rushed legal proceedings and quick and clear results which happen to be accurate. If South Korean Air Force One crashed on the Russian territory, the investigation would be immediately Korean. They would not even ask anyone if they can or cannot. They would do, what they usually do, act first and worry later.

This is why I love Korea. One of the many many reasons.

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On the side. Crashes like that are very popular movie topics, also it is possible to get Pulitzer if a journalist touches such topic. But up to date noone is asking any inconvenient questions about how the MAK investigation was done.

Meanwhile president Medvedev walks on the red carpet in Warsaw. He will probably eat cavior in the presidential palace and smile to a few photos.

CNN Poland Korea - Global Connections

Last tuesday a lady from CNN asked me if I agreed to show on Global Connections as they have a Poland -Korea week ongoing.

It prooves imagination and high IQ actually to spot the simmilarities and connections between the two countries, cause they are there and many of them.

In OECD ranking Polish and Koreans work the longest hours in developed countries outscoring demonized USA by 7 places.

Unlike other rather cool and hush down East Asians, the Koreans are hot-tempered and one has impression that they tend to blow up even in business, and this happens to Polish as well. We do quarrel and blow up a lot, enough if I mention my dad who is like a volcano.

On Global Connections website people had been putting thoughts which popped up in their minds on the topic.

From very accurate like simmilarities in folk cuisine - cabbage (sourkraut) and dumplings, to very absurd and idiotic like paper cut and caligraphy paper.

Here I come to the very core of my point. Making superficial remarks by American who doesn't speak proper Polish anymore and had maybe one Polish grandfather does not make much sense here, does it? Yet it very often happens. So, according to some Polish-American Polish culture is all about "wy -chee - naan - kee" how he had written it in the website.

Never again mention paper-cut as something core important in Polish culture if you don't actually know it and have never been there. Polish folk culture differs a lot and when you drive 30 km the folk traditional dress maybe already the whole different. Paper cuts were peasants solution for cheap wall decorations in a region which is much smaller than Warsaw nowadays and it was ... more than 100 years ago, so it has now a museum value and is not a living culture at all. Therefore attaching it as something called "Polish culture" may be strongly insulting.


If you really want to know what Polish culture is about, get to know Możdżer, Chopin, Penderecki, Kilar, Polanski, Kieslowski, Kossak, and so on and so on. If you are interested in folk culture, move your ass and come before you say that "paper cut" is what defines it. 

Core difference is that Korea had been a feudal state until 1910, and Poland had first form of democracy established as early as 1570. Therefore Korean culture is strongly homogenous, but even they had also had astonishingly beautiful poetry and even for them it may be insulting to be associated with cabbage and paper.




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Though I must admit that EXPO had been a success in terms of architecture. The EXPO -POLAND  building
had been copied around whole Asia including Dubai, and within first 4 days of the show, 28000 people visited the building. Maybe those who visited will, after all, go to visit and discover even more. And especially that modern buildings in Warsaw are not made of "Wy Chee  nan kee". 

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The show on CNN was cool. It was very nice to get some recognition as a country on CNN, however so late. Global stocks, inverstors, funds, and business would not admit it but invests a lot in "Warsaw" related entities, bonds, financial instruments and others. As Jack Nicholson said" Better Late Than Later". Korea was also a veeery long time ago discovered by international business. Only media, as usual, are the latest.

I appeared on the show for brief second, and I do promise that I will never ever do it again because it is not nice and not professional to be "grey citizen" speaking for CNN. I had no make-up cause the lady was late, had forgotten the appointment and all my nice cloths, nice hairstyle and nice makeup was gone when she finally contacted me at more or less 1 am.

The photo shows Polish pavilon on EXPO. Wy -chee-naan-kee. Enjoy.

"Sustainable" concept of development

I think I might have written about this before, but today I had a successfull presentation about international aspect of sustainability at the University of Ajou Global Leadership for Sustainable Development International Seminar, exactly today, October 20th.

During my research I have read thousands of pages, papers, and so on, but also interviewed people, read newspapers. From common sense observation, sustainable development was put aside after the 1997 financial crisis in Korea, and it is very said because it influences not only natural environment but also national heritage - traditional Korea in terms of it's authentic non-museum non- festive manner is disappearing if not disappeared already.

Faculty are conscious about it, and they admit it as a sad fact, but not much can they do within this matter. They would have to be very close to actual policymakers in the presidential's committee to change that.
Maybe something even more is needed, such a conclusion came to my mind at the very end of my presentation. The comprehensive system of environmental awareness education is needed from the very kindergarden in schools and also in public media. Our minds are already shaped when we join academia, It's too late to learn about sustainable development or eco-friendly approach and manners of life.

How is it in Poland, one may ask. Well Poland is green because of it's historic heritage, public approach is divided, just like in Korea. Some say: grow, develop, grow, develop, build, expand, and some say: think before you act and "though shall not kill". Positivism and it's historic legacy of natural scientists who involved into early modern conservation ideas led to establishing first Natural Reserves and Natural Parks in the late 19th/early 20th Century. Later Sustainable Development was under the carpet during communist times, two professors worked on it and two of them also served as high rank UN ofiicials building framework fundamentals for global sustainability. For those really interested I recommend works and interviews of Ignacius Sachs or Stefan Kozłowski (more of Sachs in english).

Both Poland and Korea are facing modern development pressures. But both are conscious about growth limitations, and seek the way to achieve sustainability, and have ways to share the experience: Poland it's fundamental heritage for global conservation and Korea it's global stewardship for sustainable ideas.

The paper and the presentation will be published soon at my website: www.agnieszka,schibgilla.de

Have a nice day, evening, night.

Enjoy the natural world till you still can, treasure every little bit of it.
"The culture which cuts off from the wild life in nature around us and also from the wild life of our inner selves, is meant for self-destruction" Gary Snyder

Offtopicz: economy and culture

I am tired. Really tired so much that I can't sleep at night sometimes. It is my multitasking personality which makes this burden and I know I do it to myself and noone else does. Studies, radio, NG, museum, exhibition, photos, social life, thesis, etc. etc.

Today I have started analyzing the faces of economy in various corners of the world, especially I mean time spent at work, financial satisfaction, and many others.

Like a lot of people in Europe I have been previously convinced that agressive face of capitalism comes from USA and that if you do not wanna work 24/7 for shitty money as a first generation immigrant better don't go there.

But it seems that according to OECD comparison this is my homeland, Poland which takes the second place in the classification. Netherlands ( I have also lived there) takes the last place. So I have seen on my own eyes, talking to people and watching stuff. Polish were in Netherlands just as hardworking as Berbers, Marrocans and others. The prize for that comes only to fresh graduates after prestigious subsidiezed studies in the West, others need to proove themselves first. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yearly_working_time_2004.jpg

In Netherlands most of people leave home at 7:30 and go back home at 4 or 5 unless they have specific responsibility for network maintainance or managerial jobs. On Sunday only gas stations are places where you can buy anything as most of shops are closed. In East Europe most of shops operate on Sundays at least until 4 if not longer, not to mention Tesco or other networks.

The place South Korea takes requires deeper analysis. Does that 1st place mean that these people are the richest, the most happy or the country most effective? Not so sure. The responsibility structure is so mild that you never know if the goal gets accomplished on time. Many western managers I met mentioned that 3 Europeans do more within 3 hours until lunch than most of Koreans do until 4 pm. I cannot verify myself any of that as so far I am just a grant student or a university lab worker ( apart from freelance journalism), and this world is so much different from any corporate environment. Yet I have seen both hardworking and both lazy people, so it depends. Anyway Korea always accomplishes goal on time, so maybe that is what matters?

But I wish the most that the economic growth is not at the expense of the nation which has no real state law to secure it's interest at work and regulate labour issues. But for that there are needed leaders of changes, whose message can be heard.

In most of countries in the West such things were historically shaped by a long term social clash or dialogue ( mostly dialogue) and it took a 100 years to stabilize the situation. Maybe it's too much to expect a randomized process in any other corner of the world.

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It is also very nice to know that USA is still, after all, an eldorado. Of ideas.
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That reminds me of a coverage done for Trójka przekracza granice somewhen in 2008, when during the election year several radio reporters travelled through the States and interviewed average people on their feelings on crisis, elections, etc. Somewhere in Arizona in a very small city a lady said: " Yes, there is a crisis, but my neighbors will help me, I will help my neighbors and we will survive. If you want to feel welcome and accepted, come to us" I remembered these words for a long time.

From the cauch on the second floor in Warsaw,
Me.

In memoriam

 This time this post will not be on Asian or Korean matters.

I made this movie about Mr President. It is my first movie, so have some understanding...
President of Poland Lech Kaczynski passed away

Today at about 9 am CET the presidential plane crashed near Smolensk (Russia) at 4th attempt to land.
The president of Poland with the First Lady and 88 other top important leaders of the country are dead.

Mr President was flying to attend the 70th anniversary of Katin genocide. During the 2nd World War Soviet "Ally" in the war versus Nazi Germany gathered and killed about 22 000 of top Polish intelligentsia: military officers, official leaders, aristocrats and nobles, professors, lawyers, doctors, and priests.

Several days ago in Katin met Mr Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Mr Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, and Mr Vladimir Putin, cirrent Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

Despite of variety of optimistic comments in Poland, "historical breakthrough" after years of silence and denying Soviet/Russian involvement and governmental conspiracy in the Katin Massacre, it was only a tiny step on the very long road ahead. There was indeed Prime Minister of Russia in Katin, but there weren't many Russian media, there were not any news on the topic, and on the very day of the meeting pravda.ru put some concert of the secondary pop-star or her divorce as the top news of the day.

Mr President wasn't invited to Katin on the official meetings with Prime Minister Putin, because he was the person responsible for the idea of the "eastern partnership" of the European Union and spreading the idea of democracy and souvereignity to the east, slow democratisation of Belarus, and also the main inventor of the Belsat TV project which is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - the Belarus satelite tv independent on the Lukashenka regime.

Now following cnn.com:
(CNN) -- There are no survivors in the crash of a plane that was carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, according to the governor of Smolensk, the Russian region where the plane crashed.
The plane was approaching the airport at Smolensk and probably hit some trees at the end of the runway, a spokesman for Poland's Foreign Ministry told CNN.

"It caught fire, the fire has now been extinguished, but the extent of the damage is such that it's unlikely anybody on board survived," Piotr Paszkowsk said.
Kaczynski was 60.
Pictures from the scene showed parts of the airplane charred and strewn through a wooded area. Some pieces, including one of the wheel wells, were upside-down.
The crash happened around 10:50 a.m. (2:50 a.m. ET) on the outskirts of the town of Pechorsk in the Smolensk region, the Investigation Committee of the Russian prosecutor's office said in a written statement on its Web site.
The Tupolev-154 was carrying a total of 132 and was landing in heavy fog, the committee said.

The chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed his condolences after the crash.

 On the crash site the journalists from Poland are not being allowed to even come closer to the site because of "securing evidence". They are kept in total ignorance and do not know anything new.
 
Currently the head of the state is Mr Bronislaw Komorowski, the Spealer of the Polish Lower Chamber of the Parliament.
 
In the Katin woodland there were people waiting for Mr President. These were members of the families of those murdered in Katin, journalists, and priests and other public involved.
 
On the plane crashed were in order of the presidency:
Mr President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczyński
Mrs First Lady of the Republic of Poland, Maria Kaczyńska
Mr Ryszard Kaczorowski, the last President of the Republic of Poland in exile
Mr Krzysztof Putra, vice - speaker of the Parliament

Mrs Krystyna Bochenek, vice-speaker of the Senate
Mr Jerzy Szmajdziński, vice-cpeaker of the Parliament
Mr Władysław Stasiak, the presidential Chief of Staff
Mr Aleksander Szczygło, the president of the National Security Council
Mr Paweł Wypych, Minister of Staff of the President of Poland
Mr Mariusz Handzlik, Undersecretary of State in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland
Mr Andrzej Kremer, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Gen. Franciszek Gągor, Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Poland
Mr Andrzej Przewoźnik, The President of the Historical Memory Council
Mr Grzegorz Dolniak, vice - leader of the Civic Platform Parliamentary Club, the Polish Congressman
Mr Przemysław Gosiewski, leader of the Law and Justice Parliamentary Club, the Polish Congressman
Mr Zbigniew Wasserman, the Polish Congressman, Mr President's Friend
Mr Janusz Kochanowski, the Ombudsman
Mr Sławomir Skrzypek, The President of the National Bank of Poland, Mr President's Friend
Mr Janusz Kurtyka, The President of the National Memory Institute, IPN
Bishop Gen. Tadeusz Płoski, The Field Chaplain of the Polish Army

And many other importand leaders and special people

Non omnis moriar

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My personal comment:
3 days ago I haven't seen any russian tv in Katin. Now they are there and it's good.
Why can't they have better planes, but only those stupid Tupolev junk?
Why like during the worst Soviet times, journalists are kept far away from the site?
Why Mr Radoslaw Sikorski did not go immediately to Russia?
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And why did they have so many stupid interpersonal conflicts which were played against them by Russia during last months?

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And again, why did they go there? Because of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM1zyQ_zffM&feature=related

Poland - Korea 20 years passed...

On November 2nd 20 years have passed since Poland and Korea established officially bilateral ties. In Poland there is a special Korean cultural year celebrated, a lot of trade fairs and exhibitions have been opened as well. One of the most fruitful in enterprise followed was Korean Product Show held in Warsaw in June.

Here in Seoul with the occasion both sides have exchanged traditional diplomatic chit chat letters saying how wonderful it has been so far and how they intend it to be. Indeed they do not have to go too far to visit each other as Polish Embassy in Seoul is situated in the most prestigious spot - near the Special Presidential Area, next to Gyeokbongguk Palace ( if I spelled that right).

So far Korean companies like Samsung, Ssangyoung, and LG have invested more than 1.7 bln $ in Poland creating design and development centers and employing lots of people.
However diplomatic chit chat is one and reality is another. There is an anonymous unconfirmed rumour that all Korean industries are withdrawing from Poland within next year due to the special tax abolition period will have expired by then. Yet due to my current information this proves to be not true so far. We'll see what the officials from Poland tell me and when.

It is a good occasion to try to summarize similarities and differences between our two nations. Koreans are very intelligent, patriotic and conscious people. They like to drink a lot, too. They are not afraid to be loud in the evening at some bar or restaurant. And they know who Walesa was ( it's very good that they don't know who Walesa is today as they probably would be confused a bit).

Polish people... are lucky. Oh yes, they are hardworking too, when it is really needed, but they are mostly lucky. Like with that special spirit in the air watching over them for centuries and always sparing just from under the hammer of fate. Current state of polish economy is a little bit of both of that. After we joined EU most of young labor force not competitive on polish market fled abroad and started sending money home. And more money and more money. Sustainable central government policy towards state bonds management and transparent fiscal and bank legal system spared Poland from "financial crisis" inferno. Even after huge panic and mass foreign capital withdrawal and some hocus pocus of Goldman Sachs last year economy merely slowed down a bit by 2 to 3%.

Ill - considered currency hedges have hit some firms, some "end of the chain" companies suffered impact from old EU collapsing economy, but nevertheless 60% of big ones plan new investments this year.

How these circumstances are being used, that's different. If Poland learns - and I think that has learnd a lot by now - that wind of change never blows twice - then a little bit of hard work applied and success gonna last.

Looks like this is visible now by polish businessmen. They often complain about bailout plans and other stability magic techniques giving remark like Jozef Przyblwa, a hotelier in one of the Silesian towns, stating that the crisis has weeded out the "weak and reckless".
Polish central government despite of wishes or more brutal orders from old EU states like France or Germany which consistently try to impose "shut up and obey" policy towards Poland, keeps minding it's own business using whatever it takes to built the state of the future.

This is very similar to Korea as well. One of the most important factors which makes this country successful is good foreign affairs management and very determined strategy of economic patriotism within the global village of these days. With growing Japanese agressive attitude and constant threat from China is like modern Poland eclypsed between two non-friendly states trying not just to survive, but succeed.

Are there differences...? Oh yes. Polish people are veeeery individualistic. They do not obey much and must see own interest in any action taken. Where two Polish meet, there are 5 opinions - a common sense tells. Koreans are very collectivist and will always obey to the orders.
Despite of the differences, simmilarity of fate and history and some traits of mentality makes it all the way possible to cooperate.

This is all for now. Next post is coming soon.