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Calendar of Events 2008
| At the beginning of the year, we have written,
published and distributed a lengthy “Guide to Immigration in the
United States”, in the English and Polish languages. This was sent
to numerous non-profit and Polonia organizations and made available
on my website. I also renewed my contract to continue publishing a
monthly column in News of Polonia, a Polish and English bilingual
newspaper published in Los Angeles. The column appears in both the
English and Polish languages. I sometimes publish columns on legal
subjects for the White Eagle, another Polish /English newspaper
published on the West Coast of the United States. |
| Jan. 4 |
Conference with James Valdez, deportation
officer of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding
issuance of a travel document for a citizen in removal
proceedings |
| Jan. 8 |
Mayor Gavin Newsom’s inauguration, San Francisco City Hall |
| Jan. 15 |
Consul Corps tour of Silicon Valley and panel discussion on
Nano-Tech, Green Tech and E-Health. American Electronics
Associationof San Francisco, Bankers Club, San Francisco. |
| Jan. 16 |
Conference with principals of Market Street Associates, an
outsourcing company promoting Polish IT professionals with Silicon
Valley companies. |
| Jan. 25 |
Reception for India’s Republic Day at Palace of Fine Arts, San
Francisco. |
| Jan. 26 |
Bal Karnawalowy for the Yacht Club of Poland in San Francisco.
Served as a Sponsor to the Polish Yacht Club entry in the Pacific
Cup race to Hawaii in summer of 2008. |
| Jan. 30 |
Meeting with principals of Harper Associates, a Bay Area IT
executive search company, and the principals of Market Street
Associates, in an effort to promote outsourcing to
Poland. |
| Feb. 5 |
Lunch with Ivan Trejo, Consul of Mexico at Mexican
Consulate in San Francisco. |
| Feb. 12 |
Meeting of Consul Corps of San Francisco, Bankers Club, San
Francisco. |
| Feb. 20 |
Arrival of President Lech Walesa at San Francisco airport. Pawel
Trela and Ewa Szafranska of our offices greeted President Walesa and
assisted with his layover in San Francisco. |
| Feb. 29 |
Conference of all Polish Honorary Consuls under the jurisdiction
of the Polish Consulate, in Los Angeles. All day meetings regarding
roles of the various Consuls and our duties as Honorary Consuls.
Taking place at the Polish Consulate in Los Angeles at the direction
of Consul General Paulina Kapuscinska. |
| In March, our efforts to create a sister-city
relationship with San Francisco and Krakow bore great fruit. We had
been working for some time to create interest with both city
governments in a sister city relationship. This month, we obtained
the agreement of both the President of Krakow and the mayor of San
Francisco to establish the sister-city relationship between the two
cities. Throughout the summer, we communicated with both mayors’
offices to advance the agreement, and in October, I went to Poland
to meet with city officials in Krakow to discuss the establishment
of the sister city agreement. Following the establishment of the
relationship, we hope to have many cultural, academic, and
commercial exchanges. |
| Mar. 9 |
Meeting with Roger Merckling, former Vice President of
Hewlett-Packard, interested in establishing a platform for
outsourcing professionals in Poland |
| Mar. 14 |
Lunch Reception for Minister of Foreign Affairs for the
government of Colombia, at the invitation of the Consul General of
Colombia. Bankers Club, San Francisco. |
| Mar. 26 |
Reception on occasion of Greek National Day, organized by Greek
Consulate at Green Room of the War Memorial |
| Meetings and work to plan and organize the visit of
Vice Premier, which took place at the end of the month. The
delegation included: Waldemar Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Economy, Dariusz Bogdan, Podsekretarz Stanu w MG, Zofia
Schnitzer, Glowny Specialista w. MG, P.Pplk. Krzysztof Kowalczyk,
Zestepca Szefa, BOR. |
Apr. 4 |
Reception with Consul General Rafal Carballo,
Consulate of El Salvador |
Apr. 7 |
Screening of Andrzej Wajda's film KATYN at
Rossmoor |
Apr. 8 |
Meeting of Consul Corps of San Francisco, Bankers
Club, San Francisco. Meeting with Barbara Kaufman, Director of the
Office of the Governor. |
Apr. 10 |
Seminar on Events of Poland 1968, University of
California, Berkeley |
Apr. 12 |
International House annual Festival of Cultures at the
University in Berkeley Organized and attended exhibits on Polish
culture at the International House annual Festival of Cultures at
the University in Berkeley, 9 am -5 pm. Polish dance group
Lowiczanie also performed. |
Apr. 19 |
San Francisco Polonia Meeting at PolAm Credit Union
Offices in Redwood City. |
Apr. 20 |
Kasia Kodzis Concert, Berkeley. Talented young Polish
American soloist performed arias at a concert in Berkeley. |
Apr. 24 |
Reception to celebrate the anniversary of birth of St.
Francis of Assisi, De Young Museum, San Francisco. |
Apr. 25 |
Met with Consul General of Colombia and several of his
Consular staff at Colombian Consulate in San Francisco. |
Apr. 29 |
Greeted Waldemar Pawlak and his delegation at the
airport, San Francisco.
His delegation included:
- Waldemar Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy
- Dariusz Bogdan, Podsekretarz Stanu w MG
- Zofia Schnitzer, Glowny Specialista w. MG
- P.Pplk. Krzysztof Kowalczyk, Zestepca Szefa, BOR
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| Apr. 29 |
Private dinner with Waldemar Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Economy, and his delegation at restaurant, Palo Alto,
California. |
| Apr. 30 |
Speech by Waldemar Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Economy, at Stanford University. Followed by dinner in his honor at
Stanford Faculty Club, Stanford California. |
| This month, we used the occasion of Polish
Constitution Day to promote the honor Polish history and culture, as
well as promote the Sister City proposal between San Francisco and
Krakow. There was a flag raising ceremony in City Hall, as well as a
reception in our offices to honor the occasion. We met with several
City officials to discuss the Sister City proposal and obtained
approval of the proposal with great help from my co-consul, Tad
Taube. |
May 1 |
World Affairs Council Reception to honor Waldemar
Pawlak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Bankers Club,
San Francisco, California. |
| May 2 |
Flag Raising Ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. Officiated
along with Mayor Newsom in a formal flag raising ceremony at City
Hall on behalf of the Consulate of Poland. |
| May 3 |
Friends of John Paul II Foundation Ball, Marriott Hotel,
Monterey, California. I was the guest of honor at this Polonia Ball.
Made a speech honoring the late Pope John Paul II. |
| May 4 |
Rafal Blechacz Concert, San Jose |
| May 6 |
Meeting with Consul General of El Salvador and University of
California, Berkeley professor in our offices |
| May 7 |
Rafal Blechacz Concert, Santa Rosa |
| May 11 |
Rafal Blechacz Concert, Herbst Theater, San Francisco. I
introduced Rafal Blechacz for his performance at Herbst Theater, San
Francisco. Reception after the concert for Mr. Blechacz |
| May 18 |
Polish Constitution Day celebration in Golden Gate Park, San
Francisco, with Polish Folk dancing and music |
| May 21 |
Witold Rybczinski at Herbst Theater, San Francisco. |
| May 21 |
Lunch meeting with Consul General of Colombia, Jose Miguel
Castiblanco in San Francisco. |
| May 27 |
Lunch meeting with Shana Penn of Taube Foundation and deputy to
Tad Taube regarding plans for future events. |
| During the summer, I corresponded with Professor
Michael McFaul of Stanford University. Professor McFaul is one of
President elect Barack Obama’s key advisors on foreign affairs,
especially on subjects of Central and Eastern Europe. I met Prof.
McFaul at the dinner for Premier Pawlak in April. At his request, I
provided talking points to Professor McFaul on the subject of
Poland’s suitability for the visa waiver. Professor McFaul later
corresponded with the Deputy Secretary of State in an effort to move
the issue of Poland’s eligibility for the waiver. Followed up with
Professor McFaul on this subject. |
| Jun. 1 |
Met with President Lech Walesa at San Francisco airport. I
greeted President Walesa and assisted with his visit to San
Francisco. Assisted he and his staff at their hotel in San
Francisco. |
| Jun. 11 |
Reception for Russian National Day organized by the Russian
Consulate in San Francisco. I attended with my office assistant
Yelena Abubekerova. |
| Jun. 23 |
Reception for Luxembourg National Day, organized by the Consul
General of Luxembourg, at Tiburon, California. |
| Jun. 25-28 |
AILA Conference on immigration reform and law, Vancouver,
Canada. I attended this conference on the subject of the immigration
reform legislation, as well as other immigration law
subjects. |
| Served as a Sponsor to the Polish Yacht Club entry in
the Pacific Cup race to Hawaii in July of 2008. The ship sailed
under the Polish flag, the first time Poland was represented in the
Pacific Cup |
| Jul. 3 |
Meeting with Magdalena Zimka, applicant for an
internship at our offices. |
| Jul. 9 |
Lunch meeting with Consul General of Peru Nicholas Roncaglio at
Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco. |
| Jul. 14 |
Launching of the Polish Yacht Club entry in the Pacific
Cup
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| Jul. 18 |
Meeting with Mexican business delegation regarding business with
Poland and other subjects
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| Jul. 19 |
Reception for Peruvian National Day, Westin St. Francis Hotel,
in San Francisco. |
| Jul. 23 |
Represented Poland at the International tall ships festival, The
Festival of Sails, San Francisco. I sailed on the tall ship Lynx as
the guest of the Festival Committee. |
| Jul. 24 |
Reception for Colombia National Day, organized by the Consul
General of Colombia, at Colombian Consulate in San
Francisco. |
| Aug. 7 |
Reception for Consul General of Ireland, Seyfarth Shaw
offices, in San Francisco. |
| Aug. 11 |
Met with Consul General of El Salvador at our offices.
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| Aug. 11 |
Reception and film screening for Wanda Koscia in our offices,
renowned British-Polish filmmaker and the producer of a new film
about the Warsaw Uprising. We held a reception at our office with
leaders of the Polonia Community, including President of PAC,
US-Polish Trade Council, other Polonia groups, business leaders
attending. The event was also attended by several Consul Generals
and other dignitaries in San Francisco. |
| Exchange of ideas and proposals for the proposed
Sister City agreement between the officials of the City of Krakow
and the Mayor’s office of San Francisco. Met with Shana Penn and
Steven Dobbs and communicated with Filip Berkowicz, Pelnomocnik
Prezydenta ds. Kulturalny; Matthew Goudeau of the San Francisco
Mayor’s Office of Protocol and Mark Chandler, Commercial Office,
City of San Francisco. |
| Sept. 8 |
Reception for Brazilian Independence Day, in San
Francisco.
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| Sept. 10 |
Reception and dinner at the United Irish Cultural Center in San
Francisco |
| Sept. 11 |
Met with Consul General of Colombia and several of his Consular
staff at Colombian Consulate in San Francisco. |
| Sept. 13 |
Polish Festival, Roseville, including Polish music, food and
culture.. |
| Sept. 16 |
Meeting of Consul Corps of San Francisco, Bankers Club, San
Francisco. Meeting with Richard Vigna, Director, Field Office, US
Customs, Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and
Immigration Services in San Francisco. |
| Sept. 17 |
Lunch meeting with Consul General of Guatemala Ana Patricia
Ramirez at a restaurant in San Francisco. |
| Sept. 18-19 |
Visiting delegation from City of Katowice including Mayor of
Katowice. Meeting between Polish delegation and various Silicon
Valley companies on the subject of increasing its business with
Poland. |
| Sept. 19 |
Reception at our offices for visiting delegation from Katowice,
Poland.
The delegation included:
- Mayor of Katowice Piotr Uszok,
- several members of the Sejm,
- Professor Jerzy Rutkowski of the Silesian University of
Technology
- and Mateusz Skowronski, Manager of the Investor Assistance
Center.
We held a reception at our office with leaders of
the Polonia Community, including US-Polish Trade Council and other
business leaders. |
| Sept. 18 |
Met with Vice-Consul General Hector Peralta and Consul Juan
Manuel Sanchez of Mexico at Mexican Consulate in San
Francisco. |
| Sept. 21 |
Polish Festival, San Jose, including Polish music, food and
culture.. |
| Sept. 28 |
Participated in the award ceremony where Polish Veterans were
honored with medals by Consul Wojciech Bergier in Walnut Creek,
California. There was also a ceremony and service honoring the
victims of the Warsaw Uprising. |
Participated in the First International Convention of
Polish Honorary Consuls. Participated in meetings with many
officials of the Polish Foreign Ministry (MSW), as well as
Ministries of Economy, Finance, Culture and many others. During this
convention, I met and spoke with many prominent Polish leaders, past
and present, including: President Lech Walesa and Foreign Minister
Radoslaw Sikorski, Vice Premier Pawlak, Minister Wladyslaw
Bartoszewski, and Pawel Wojciechowicz, President of Polish
Information & Foreign Investment Agency.
I also
participated in meetings and negotiations regarding the proposed
Sister City agreement between the officials of the City of Krakow
and the Mayor’s office of San Francisco. Met with Filip Berkowicz,
Pelnomocnik Prezydenta ds. Kulturalny; Grazyna Leja, Pelnomocnik
Prezydenta ds. Turystyki; Krzysztof Gruner, Director, International
Cooperation Bureau; Agata Mierzynska, International Cooperation
Bureau in Krakow. Reported the result of these meetings with the
City of San Francisco. |
| Oct. 1 |
Meeting with Piotr Trebinski, applicant for an
internship at our offices. |
| Oct. 8-Dec. 12 |
Piotr Abraszewski's Exhibit of oil paintings and watercolors of
San Francisco, Caffe Union. |
| Oct. 12 |
Polish Heritage Festival, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
including Polish music, food and culture.. |
| Oct. 19 |
Piotr Andrzejewski Concert, Univ. of California, Berkeley |
| Oct. 20-24 |
Attended the First Conference of Polish Honorary Consuls in
Warsaw |
| Oct. 21 |
Honorary Consul Program begins.
9:00-14:00
Program activities at the Royal Castle
14:00-15:00
Lunch at the Royal Castle with the Hon.Consuls
19:00-21:00 Dinner with Secretary of State and other
Hon.Consuls and Concert |
| Oct. 22 |
Honorary Consul Program continues.
9:00 -10:30
Tour of Warsaw Uprising museum *
10:30- 12:00 Plenary
session of meeting of Hon. Consuls (Hotel Bristol)
12:00
-14:30 Conference continues at Hotel Bristol
14:30 –
15:30 Lunch with other Honorary Consuls
15:30 –
18:00 Meeting with Vice Premier Pawlak, Minister Wladyslaw
Bartoszewski and other government leaders at the office of the
Premier
19:00 – 22:00 Gala dinner and concert at the
Belwedere Restaurant in Lazienki Park |
| Oct. 22 |
Meeting with Pawel Wojciechowicz, President of Polish
Information & Foreign Investment Agency. |
| Oct. 23 |
Meetings in City of Krakow regarding Sister-City project.
Meetings with City officials including:
- Filip Berkowicz, Pelnomocnik Prezydenta ds. Kulturalny
- Grazyna Leja, Pelnomocnik Prezydenta ds. Turystyki
- Krzysztof Gruner, Director, International Cooperation Bureau
- Agata Mierzynska, International Cooperation Bureau
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| Oct. 23 |
Meeting in Krakow with Filip Wejman, dean of American Law school
program at Jagiellonian University (UJ) School of Law. |
| Oct. 23 |
Return to Warsaw. Hon. Consul Program continues.
16:00 – 18:00 Meeting with Speaker of Sejm
19:30 – 22:00 Dinner in honor of Hon.Consuls at Fortega
Restaurant (Fort Traugutta) by Foreign Ministry attended by
President Lech Walesa and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his
wife, Anne Applebaum. |
| Oct. 23 |
Dinner and Meeting with Pawel Potorczyn, Director of the Chopin
Institute |
| Oct. 24 |
Meeting with Wojciech Szelagowski, former Vice President of
Polish Information & Foreign Investment Agency. |
| Oct. 28 |
Friends of John Paul II Foundation celebrates the anniversary of
the election to the Holy See of Pope John Paul II, Carmel Mission,
Carmel California. |
| Preparation of the proposed Sister City agreement
between the officials of the City of Krakow and the Mayor’s office
of San Francisco. Communicated with Matthew Goudeau of the San
Francisco Mayor’s Office of Protocol and Mark Chandler, Commercial
Office, City of San Francisco |
| Nov. 5 |
Meeting of Taube Foundation Advisory Board, San
Francisco. Met with other members of the Board of the Taube
Foundation, a philanthropic SF organization doing extensive work in
Poland. Meeting took place at the Jewish Community Center. |
| Nov. 10 |
Lunch and Meeting of the Global Trade Council in honor of new
members of the Consular Corps, Bankers Club, San Francisco. Attended
with fellow Honorary Consul Tad Taube and Shana Penn, and Ernest
Weiner, former President of the American Jewish Committee. |
| Nov. 13-16 |
Paso Robles, Paderewski Festival, honoring Polish statesman and
pianist Paderewski |
| Nov. 16 |
Polish Independence Observance, St. Mary's Cathedral, organized
by Polish American Congress -NoCal Division |
| Nov. 16 |
Piot Beczala Concert, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco |
| Nov. 18 |
Reception of exhibit of Latin American art at the Consulate for
Mexico. |
| Nov. 20 |
Dinner of the American Jewish Committee, San Francisco. Dinner
was in Honor of Ernest Weiner, former President of the American
Jewish Committee. |
| Nov. 21 |
Annual dinner of Polish Ameican Engineers Club, Menlo Park,
California. |
| Nov. 22 |
Lunch in Honor of Diana Kolaczkowska, Polonia leader in Palo
Alto. I presented Mrs. Kolaczkowska with a plaque for her diligent
work on behalf of Polonia. |
| Nov. 22 |
Polish-American Educational Committee of San Francisco holds the
Barborka Ball, in Pleasant Hill, California, a fundraiser for the
Polish school |
| Discussions with the Mayor and the Mayor’s office
regarding his potential trip to Poland in July for the signing of
the Sister City agreement with Krakow. Forwarded the proposed Sister
City agreement to the Mayor’s office of San Francisco. Communicated
with Mayor Newsom, Filip Berkowicz, Pelnomocnik Prezydenta ds.
Kulturalny; Matthew Goudeau of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of
Protocol and Mark Chandler, Commercial Office, City of San
Francisco |
| Dec. 1 |
Reception for exhibit of Peruvian photography at the
Consulate for Peru. |
| Dec. 2 |
Mayor’s Holiday Party, Club Fugazi. Attended with the Consul
General of Ireland. Attended by many members of the Consulate Corps.
I used the occasion to speak with the Mayor about a potential visit
to Poland in 2009 for the signing of the Sister City Agreement with
Krakow. |
| Dec. 5 |
Meeting with Stefan Wisniowski, President of Kresy-Siberiacki
Group, regarding efforts to set up a cyber museum for family members
of victims of deportation from the Kresy region of Poland, to
Siberia. Mr. Wisniowski was visiting from Australia where he serves
as President of the Group. We also discussed the efforts to obtain
compensation for such victims and their families. |
| Dec. 11 |
Meeting with Vice Director P. Kaiser, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, the vice director of local office of Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at our offices in San Francisco,
regarding the case of a Polish citizen facing deportation. |
| Dec. 11 |
Meeting with Dean Pat Medina, Dean of the San Francisco State
University paralegal studies program regarding the intern program at
our Consular and Law Offices. |
| Dec. 11 |
Annual Christmas Carol concert by Polish chorus, Lowiczanie. Our
office is the financial sponsor for the event held in Berkeley,
California each year. |
| Dec. 13 |
and Holiday Party for East Bay Polish American Association.
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| Dec. 18 |
Our Consulate’s Holiday Party for Consul Generals. We held a
reception at our office attended by many members of the Consulate
Corps, City officials and leaders of the Polonia community. |
| Dec. 21 |
Wigilia and Holiday Party for Polish Arts and Culture
Foundation. |
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