Buy now (3)

Consumers are weaker than sellers and that’s a well known fact. If you should have any problems with products bought in Poland and sellers deny to look into your case there are several state and non-state insitutions that you can turn to for help and advice.

Urząd Ochrony Konkurencji i Konsumentów (UOKiK)

UOKiK was founded over 20 years ago. One of its tasks is to check whether sellers follow the law. On their website in the consumer area you can find frequently asked questions and other useful informations. For more information please visit http://www.uokik.gov.pl or call 800 007 007 (trully a James Bond numer isn’t it?).

Rzecznik Konsumentów (RK)

While UOKiK is tackling abusive laws RK is handling individual cases. In Poland there are over 360 people that occupy this job. Few things you should know about their work:

1. They work together with UOKiK.

2. They’ll help you posting complains.

3. They will represent you in court.

4. They won’t charge you for their work.

If you don’t trust the Government you can always go to private institutions (co-financed by the Government) such as Polish Consumer Federation (Federacja Konsumentów - http://www.federacja-konsumentow.org.pl/) or Association of Polish Consumers (Stowarzyszenie Konsumentów Polskich – http://www.skp.pl). Their legal suport is free. In addition they organise information campaigns.

I highly encourage you to watch these two videos:

While I never had to go to institutions mentioned above it is good to know about them and know about your consumer rights. Sellers often try to avoid taking responsibility for faulty things and bend the law to their will but us consumers have the power to change it by showing knowledge about our rights (and sometimes by threats of going to court).

Questions:

1. Do you think that consumers are well protected in Poland, do you have any knowledge about consumer proctection in other countries?

2. Did you learn something new from my presentation? :)

Finally I would like to thank you guys for participation the the blog, this is my fourth and last semester here. Wish me good luck with defending my masters project! Have a nice summer! *salutes*

Buy now (2)

It happened - you bought something. You feel that your life is complete with this new pair of trousers/mp3 player/whatever. But what if the product does not meet your needs or is faulty? This is where consumer awareness comes into the picture.

When you change your mind and want to give back the product you bought the seller may not allow you to do so. You can find signs „No refunds”. That’s perfectly legal, refunds for products without faults are optional and depend on the seller’s good will. However signs „No refunds and complaints” („Zwrotów i reklamacji nie przyjmujemy”) are forbidden and against the law. You can and should post a complaint if your item is faulty. If you see a sign like this you might as well notify the police.

Important fact: when shopping in an internet store or via a traveling salesman then the deal is set outside of the place of the company. In this case you can break the deal within 10 days and get a full refund (minus shipping costs). Therefore internet shops give you a chance to get a refund for a product that does not meet your needs, even if it’s not faulty. Think of TV's with bad pixels etc.

Now let’s assume you bought a cellular phone in a local electronics store. After some time you notice that it has a fault which is not made by you. In this case you can choose between two actions.

First is a warranty repair within the warranty period (if there is one). It’s a free service, although the repair time is not regulated by any law apart from „in adequate time”.

Second action, giving you much more rights is nonconformity of goods with the contract (niezgodność towaru z umową). It’s applicable when the product is faulty or does not have the properties said it should have. In this case a consumer can opt for a repair, exchange for a new item with no faults, discount or a refund. The latter two are possible only in case the repair or exchange is not possible. Seller should notify you within two weeks about his decision. In case this doesn't happen it means that he agreed with your complaint.

Important fact: always take and store in a safe place the proof of purchase. If your product turns out to be faulty this proof is the first thing the seller will ask for. The warranty card may not be filled out but the proof of purchase is a must have – it proves you bought the item in this particular store on a specific date.

Complains on food products can be made within 3 days from the date of opening.

Of course these are not your only rights, in the next part I will talk about organisations founded to help consumers.

Questions:

1. Did you know about the nonconformity of goods right?

2. Have you ever used your consumer rights, was the product vaulable?

Buy now (1)

On the market you can take on different roles but there is one role we all play – we are all consumers.

This weeks presentation will be about consumers with a special focus on their rights in Poland. The aim is to familiarize you with your rights during the process and after a transaction so that when something goes wrong you won’t get duped.

Let’s start with the basics. What do consumers do? In a nutshell – driven by their individual needs - they buy.

Based on research several consumer types have been distinguished. Based on a book „Segmentacja rynku i typologia konsumentów” written by A. Kusińska, types and subtypes are as follows:

Older people

o Type 1: can’t afford too much, they shop by themselves and are active and working. Their education is low, earned money is likely to be spent on medical services and holidays. Usually have loans. Typical age up to 69 years.

o Type 2: same as type 1 but their health disallows them to shop by themselves. They depend on family and/or neighbours. Their average age is above 80 years.

o Type 3: similar to type 1 but they don’t have a job and are not willing to have one. Usually they are live in small towns or villages.

o Type 4: highly educated, working and active. They like to shop in big centres, don’t have any loans or obligations. Typically they are a live together marriage.

Middle class

o Type 1: not very educated and earning below average. Thier main priorities are happiness, family, good health and children's education. They spend their holidays at home, camping or visit family members.

o Type 2: have high private and business life expectations. Invest in themselves and their family. They earn a lot and for holidays they choose organised trips.

o Type 3: established their own company, like to take a risk. Important for them is: family and career. Thanks to their high earnings they can afford more expensive products. Holiday preferences are similar to type 2.

o Type 4: material things have little meaning to them, they expect functionality. They value independence. Holiday preferences are not established.

Young ones

o Type 1: people of success, they like to test out new things especially luxury ones. In their free time they read books, listen to music or go for a walk. Education is important to them.

o Type 2: have limited funds but value good quality. They are loyal to known brands and are reluctant to novelties. Free time is good for a bike ride or hang out with their friends.

o Type 3: discount hunters, they don’t like to test out new things. They spend free time on watching tv.

o Type 4: price and quality is equally important to them. Before buying they think a lot and ask friends for opinions.

Questions:

1. What type are you? Or maybe you’re special?

2. Do you think you know your rights as a consumer?

Adrenaline - Part 3

„An extreme sport (also called action sport and adventure sport) is a popular term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent danger, and that are counter-cultural."(source: wikipedia.org)



This definition is not exact though as some of the sports (for example road cycling) which are said to be highly risky and result in numerous injuries are not considered extreme. We can safely say that extreme sports are non-traditional sports that require people to combine athletic skill with pronounced risk.

Extreme sports might have gained popularity thanks to the increased safety of modern life. Some people may lack a feeling of danger in their everyday lives and so seek out dangerous and stressful situations doing extreme sports. Another reason is that sports technology improved over the years provides a better equipment that reduces risk and pain. Of course, let’s not forget that extreme sports are very appealing to the media. And by saying appealing I mean it’s a huge business. Much of the hype about extreme sports comes not from the participants, but from the industry that surrounds it. Extreme sport goods - including TV shows, graffiti art, energy drinks, and clothing - are a bigger business than sports themselves. The Extreme Sports Channel has an estimated audience of 20 million across Europe, most of whom wouldn't go anywhere near a half-pipe.



Even the most extreme of extreme sport pales into comparison with early climbers and explorers, for whom the risks were great and the outcomes unknown. The advert for Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914-17 Trans-Antarctic expedition read: “Men wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” (source pbs.org)



The history of extreme sports is still evolving. Some extreme sports combine the techniques and physical skills of two or more sports, often mainstream sports that were once considered extreme. As more people become aware of extreme sports, the activities gain more enthusiasts. Those who pride themselves in participating in cutting-edge activities are constantly searching for new ways to test themselves. This ensures the creativity required for the development of newer extreme sports. There is no doubt that as new techniques are tried and experimented with, the history of extreme sports will include many new and daring innovations.



Discussion topics:

1. Do you find extreme sports appealing?
   
2. What is the most extreme variation of sports that you’ve ever heard about or seen?
3. Given a chance would you like to try base jumping from the top of a skyscraper?

How to spend summer in Warsaw - Part 3

Hello again.
I already told you about spending time outdoors, today I would like to concentrate on spending time indoor. I would like to tell you about few museums which I enjoy most.

1. Muzeum Kolejnictwa
Since I remember, I was visiting "Muzeum Kolejnictwa" every year. I always like watching old trains.
What you can find there: Firstly you will enter indoor part of museum. There are many photos, items related to railways and of course little train models. When you will finish inside tour you will go outside, for the greatest part of museum. Outside you can find many old locomotives. They are so amazing. And despite of the sign at the start of outside tour, you can get inside almost everyone of them. If you are interested you can find more info here: http://www.muzeumkolejnictwa.waw.pl

O this site you can also find info about trip in retro train. I was few times on it. Also great time to spend a whole day.

2. Muzeum techniki
The next one I would like to tell you is "Muzeum Techniki". I also always enjoy visiting it. First of all you need to know that they don't have any new inventions. All exhibits are old, but you can see what technology was in past. You can remember yours childhood when you will see washing machine "frania". You can also see many old computers. A calculater with size of a room.
There are many great exhibits there. All of you will find somethink interesting there.
If you like to visit it, here you have more info: http://www.muzeum-techniki.waw.pl

























3. Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego
Another worth visiting museum is "Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego".
It is a pretty new museum. It is very modern. When I visited it, it make a very good impression on me. It wasn't anythink I was expecting. This is number one museum to visit. Not only becouse of being so modern but also it saying many about very important historical event. I recommend for anyone to visit it. More info here: http://www.1944.pl/

4. Centrum nauki Kopernik
Last place I would like to talk about is "Centrum nauki Kopernik". I never been there so I cannot tell you much about it, but probably anyone have heard of it. From what I heard it is very modern, with many interactive exhibitions. The only problem is to get inside. I was trying 3 times to visit it, but the queues was so long that I give up. If you are not sure about it, just go on this website and see what they have in offer. http://www.kopernik.org.pl/

Few questions for you:
Have you ever been in museums metioned before? What was yours opinion?
Could you recommend any other museum in Warsaw?
If you have ever been in "Centrum Kopernika", can you share your thoughts with us?

Adrenaline - Part 2

Adrenaline affects everybody in a similar way. As I have described it in my recent presentation - your heart beats faster, blood pressure rises, you become more alert, and your body enters “fight or flight” mode. While the physiological experience is the same, how it is interpreted by different people varies tremendously. Some of us interpret the “adrenaline rush” as an enjoyable and positive effect. Others find it repelling.



“Adrenaline junkie is a term used to describe somebody who appears to be addicted to epinephrine and such a person is sometimes described as getting a ‘high’ from life. The term ‘Adrenaline Junkie’ was popularly used in the 1991 movie Point Break in reference to people who favor dangerous activities for the adrenaline rush that accompanies them.” (source: wikipedia.org)



Although adrenaline junkie is a term that describes someone who is addicted to thrilling and fear-inducing situations, you don’t have to be a sky diver, F1 driver or a marine to be hooked on the rush that comes from a little stress. In fact, adrenaline junkies come in much more subtle forms. Everyday adrenaline junkie is much more common than the indestructible stuntman film character types. They tend to cause crisis situations in their lives, either consciously or unconsciously to get the rush from the excitement. These are the people who work best under pressuring and stressful circumstances. An example of the everyday adrenaline junkie could be a student or a worker who waits until the last minute to begin a project and then has to really struggle to get it done on time.

Of course not every hard working person is an adrenaline junkie. Some people seem to experience crisis after crisis and always over schedule themselves.

Everyday adrenaline junkies or stressed workers?




Some research has shown that babies who are deprived of oxygen at birth sometimes grow up to develop a higher need for stimulation. They tend to become risk takers much more often than regular children. While research strategies can’t precisely say that the lack of oxygen at birth creates an adrenalin surge that the individual then continues to try and recreate, that is one theory that is being examined by the scientists.

Discussion topics:

1. In your opinion is there a difference between how men and women perceive the fight and flight response?
2. Do you think adrenaline addiction is something that should be treated and cured or is it just a personal quality that characterises a person?
3. Are you an adrenaline junkie? http://stress.about.com/library/adrenaline/bl_adrenaline_self_test.htm

How to spend summer in Warsaw - Part 2

Hello again...
Last time I was talking about bike trips. Today I would like to tell you how you can spend summer weekend outdoors. Surprisingly there are many interesting places, in Warsaw, to spend free time outdoors.

Firstly, I would like to tell you what to do when it is very hot outside. The best way is jump in water. So where we can find any outdoor swimming pool or lake? If you have time you can go on Zalew Zegrzyński. It is about 30km from center of warsaw and it is possible to go there by bus.


Show bigger map

If you are looking somethink closer, I would recommend you to try park wodny moczydło.
This is a very large area with two swimming pools, where you can spend all day sunbathing and swimming. Also on site there are playing fields and bars with food. But it is better to prepare food yourself.

Secondly, I would like to recommend you a great place for spending whole day. This place is Warsaw zoo. I was there many times, and everytime i enjoy it very much. I think that anyone can afford price for ticket. For students it is 12zł. If you are still not encouraged you, just see Warsaw zoo home page: http://www.zoo.waw.pl/
You can find there live cam's, virtual tour, movies and galleries.

Finally, I will tell you about few nice places to go for a walk.
For a nice walk in the fresh air, I can recommend you to visit the "Łazienki" park. Near town center you can take a walk on Old Town or "Pola Mokotowskie" where you can find many pub's, in which you can drink cold beer at open air. Unfortunately, the prices are quite expensive :(

Could you recommend other outdoor swimming pools ?
Have you ever been in Warsaw Zoo, if so, whether you like it?
Do you know some good places to drink beer at open air ?

Adrenaline - Part 1

“Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system.” (source: Wikipedia.org)

The first person to isolate and identify the adrenaline substance in 1895 was in fact a Polish physiologist - Napoleon Cybulski. Napoleon called it “nadnerczyna” back then.



Adrenaline helps our bodies adjust to sudden stress factors. When a person becomes frightened or angry, adrenaline is released into the blood. The hormone causes changes in the body to make it more efficient for “fight or flight” response.

The “fight or flight” response is a rapid and severe stress response. It’s an instinct that we cannot control. The aim of it is quite simple in fact - to keep us safe. Humans utilize adrenaline as a survival technique, our bodies are preparing for fight or flight, even though the situation may call for neither. Still, it’s a vital part of our most basic survival mechanism.

The “fight or flight” response alarms us and prepares our body for an action. It can either be a fight when faced with a sudden danger, or a runaway when fighting isn't an option. Thanks to the “fight or flight” response people are able to push their bodies to the limit. The danger triggering an adrenaline rush can be real or imagined. Whatever the reason is stress causes adrenaline to be produced.



“Adrenaline increases the strength and rate of the heartbeat and raises the blood pressure. It also speeds up the conversion of glycogen into glucose, which provides energy to the muscles.” (source: http://hubpages.com)



Alcohol and some drugs are also sources of adrenal hormones production that gives us the same rush effect when facing a real-live danger. It’s been proven that substances like heroin, caffeine and cocaine create a dopamine hormone, which might result in a feeling of being “high on adrenaline” which can be highly addictive.

Adrenaline can also be used to treat some cases of sickness. “Epinephrine injection is used to treat severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to insect stings or bites, foods, drugs, and other allergens. Epinephrine is also used to treat exercise-induced anaphylaxis.” (source: http://www.drugs.com)

Discussion topics:

1. When is the last time you've faced a situation which in turn resulted in a "fight or flight" reaction? Did you fight or flight?
2. Are you one of the people who are highly motivated and get a rush when faced with a stressful situation?
3. Taking into account that we live in a developing, civilized and computerized society, do you think humans will ever degenerate the adrenaline hormone that helped us survive for ages?
   

How to spend summer in Warsaw - Part 1

For most of people, it is impossible to spend whole summer on holiday. We have to work, go to school or simply we can't afford spending whole summer on vacation. I would like to share with you, my ways of spending summer in Warsaw.

1. Bike

The only requirement for riding a bike is a bike. If you already have a bike you need to know where you can ride and where you can enjoy riding. Let start from places where you can ride a bike. Below I attach a map of available cycling routes in warsaw. The only problem in large cities with cycling is that it is not safe to ride on the streets, so plan your trip that way that you will have most of it on cycling routes.


Show bigger map

We can ask question then, where it is worth to ride?
I would like to recommend a place where I spend almost every summer weekend. This place is Park of Culture in Powsin. The shortest bike route to Powsin is from metro Kabaty. Alternatively, for lazy one, you can get pretty close by car or bus.


Show bigger map

What we can do there?
It is placed in the forest. You can just go there, relax, drink beer, eat a grilled sausage. You can even make yours own grill or campfire. There are specialy prepared places for it.
They are many volleyball and tennis courts. You can also find football and basketball field. Also minigolf and pingpong. Prices of renting are very cheap. (except tennis which is always expensive). For older people, you can always see many of them playing cheese or bridge.
If it is too hot, you can always go to swimming pool.
Almost every weekend there are different event at Powsin. You can see details here:
http://www.parkpowsin.pl/
Moreover, there is botanical garden near. For more info check: http://www.ogrod-powsin.pl/
If you never been there I recommend it as a great place to spend whole day.

Do you like riding bike ?
Have you ever been in Powsin, if so, whether you like it?
Can you recommend other places for bike trip?

Funeral habits

In my last presentations I would like to share with you with habits and customs about the behavior after human death in different religions.

When a Muslim dies in a hospital, the family may experience anxiety if they feel that staff is unfamiliar with Muslims traditions. Firstly, it is important to put on some gloves so that the body is not touched

directly. The face of the dead person should be turned towards Mecca. Arms and legs should be straightened, the mouth and eyes should be closed. After death the body is washed by the family member of the same sex. Then it is wrapped in the white linen clothes. According to the Islamic tradition, a dead person should be buried as soon as possible (within 24 hours). A Muslim is always buried, never cremated. Post-mortem examinations are discouraged unless they are required by law.

Next religions is Buddhism – according to its beliefs, in death the consciousness departs from one’s life and begins the journey into another new life. For Buddhists, death is a process in which the consciousness gradually separates from the body. This can take up to three days, which is when death occurs. It is very important to provide as much peace and quiet for the dying person as possible. The

more composed and calm mind is at death, the greater the opportunity for a rebirth. Immediately following signs of physical death, Buddhists believe that it is best to keep the body in a peaceful state. Traditionally, the body is taken home, and for a period of three days the body is not touched. The deceased may be cremated or buried depending on the wishes of the family.

Last religion is Judaism. According to this religious law, someone should stay with the dying person so that the soul does not feel alone. The body should also not be left alone after death. It is important to leave in place any drains and tubes, as fluid in them is considered to be part of the body and must be buried with it. They should be covered with some bandages. Any incisions or cuts must be covered. The body is prepared for burial as soon as possible after death. The body is prepared by members of the chevra kaddisha(see on Wikipedia what it is) or burial society, and the body is covered with a sheet. Like in Muslim, post-mortem examinations are discoursed.

What do you think about those customs?
Would you prefer to have your body buried or cremated after death?
What do you think about providing bodies for science universities after death?

As an addition, two photographs from funeral in Bali, provided by Mrs Świerk



Pictures sources:
Mecca - http://www.deskpicture.com/DPs/Places/mecca_2.jpg
Buddha- http://images2.layoutsparks.com/1/44477/green-buddha-statue-worship.jpg
Judaism - http://kirbyscoffee.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/judaism2.jpg

Few interesting facts about water (3)

Last part of presentation is a case described by one man on some forum. Here it is. He said that for few weeks on his terrace there was 5l curved bottle with 1,5 l water in it. It was at the very beginning of winter so the temperature outside was about -5 degrees. He took the bottle from the terrace to his flat where temperature was about 21 degrees. He screwed the bottle and after a while he poured water into the sink. And there would be nothing interesting in this case expect that when water from the bottle landed into the sink it suddenly changed into the ice. It is the occurrence of overcooling liquid. Typical liquid theoretically should change into crystal substance in the temperature of coagulation. But crystallization is process which demand some initiation. In described case this initiation was the thrilling of the bottle. If we would like to reach the effect of overcooled substance we ought to decrease its temperature very slow, or so fast that it has no time to crystallize. I ought to test it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqvqk7Fjn3U

And last question and interesting fact connected with water I would like to present is: why we can slide on the ice? So simple question but not so obvious answer. It is known that for the good sliding conditions responsible is thick water layer which is between the skate blade and pane. Friction between skater and ice is 100 times smaller than between the brick shifting on the thick layer of sand. In the nature so little friction is only in our joints. For many years people thought that for the occurrence of melting the ice responsible is the pressure of the skater to the ice. But researches have shown that skater ought to weight 500 kg to melt enough ice under its pressure. Scientist relatively recently came to the conclusion that the friction is responsible for melting the ice. During skaters ride warmth is totally used to melting the ice. Behind the skater there are white lines on the ice. This is the result of fast freezing of this thick layer of water which was melted as the effect of fraction between skater and ice.

Was this presentation interesting for you?

Would you like to try reach the overcool liquid effect?

Do you like to skate or you preffer to roller-skate?

Few interesting facts about water (2)

There is the bug called Nartnik which can rise on the water. When You will carefully put the needle, or plastic card, they would not sink. Why?

It is god question, because as Archimedes said, : every objects which is thicker than water will sink. Objects can float on the water when the relation of thickness is opposite. For example ball made from steel will surly sink, bud ship which is also made from steel is no going down, because average thickness of steel and air inside the ship is smaller than thickness of water. Force of lift is working only when the part of object is submerged into the water. Needle , nartnik or plastic card can float on the water not submerging in it, so the Archimedes theory do not concerns them. Before every object pierce the water surface it meets with obstacle, the surface tention. Water pane is like membrane which can band a little. When on the water pane there are little objects which are not absorbing water, they are able to lie on the water surface.

In this context it is appropriate to mention about the lizard called basilisk or even “Jesus”. Second name isconnected with the fact that this lizard can walk, precisely run, on the water. It is not using the water pane tension because it is to heavy. It is using its wide feet, fast legs and special technique. Basilisk is not attacking water bu his leg straightly, but his legs are directed aslant, what protect them from sinking and give stabilization. Here are some video materials of this amazing creature, and some people who tries to achieve the same effects.

http://www.focus.pl/rozrywka/video/kategoria-rozrywka-video/0/film/jaszczurka-biegajaca-po-wodzie/strona-video/2/sortowanie-video/1/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe3St1GgoHQ

Do you think that people will be able in future to walk on the water?

How great achievement was the Archimedes observation?

Have You ever heard about what you just have read?