As we finally reach the end of our preparations it is my pleasure to present you with an update of the information about the IPO in Warsaw. In this newsletter we bring to you the final programme and some practical information. Attached you will find a special monitoring form for the IPO participants. Please send the requested data as soon as possible. I look forward to meeting you in Warsaw.
Jozef Niznik Chairman of the IPO Organizing Committee
Update
Eventually we have received confirmation of participation in the 13th IPO from 16 countries: Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Izrael, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania and Turkey. We regret to inform you that prof. Bhuvan Chandel will not be able to attend this years IPO. Prof. William McBride, FISP Secretary General, will act on her behalf as the FIPS representative. Unfortunately he is able to join us from the 21st of May. That means that the selected topics will have to arrive to Warsaw from FISP in a sealed envelope which shall be opened on the meeting of the heads of delegations. We hope that these topics will reach us soon. However, in case something should go wrong we will have to be prepared to select the topics in the traditional way so we ask you to bring your topic suggestions with you. We have decided that the workshops will be a kind of a follow up to prof. Jacek Holowka¡¯s lecture on Philosophy and a Dialogue Between Cultures, which he will give at the Opening Evening on May 19. We plan four parallel seminar groups which will discuss different aspects of the Olympiad¡¯s theme. These are:
Liberalism and Cultural Rights
Tradition and Universalism
Dialogue and Domination
Assimilation and Isolation
In the second part of the workshop¡¯s discussion - the same day after the lunch - we expect that each seminar group will present its conclusions at a plenary meeting. We will have an honourable guest from UNESCO among us - Ms. Moufida Goucha, Chief of the Section for Philosophy and Human Science. We will have a good chance to discuss with her the place of the International Philosophy Olympiad in the UNESCO ¡°Strategy for Philosophy¡± during a Jury meeting with her on the 22nd of May. Plese read the ¡°Strategy for Philosophy¡± document (see attached). We have launched our own website. Please visit www.filozofia.org.pl/ipo
Programme of the 13th International Philosophy Olympiad
WEDNESDAY, May 18th
Arrival of non-European IPO participants
THURSDAY, May 19th
till 5.00 p.m. Arrival and registration of IPO participants (Hotel Gromada)
7.00 p.m. Welcoming and introduction of all delegations (SCEK)
ARRIVAL AND AIRPORT TRANSFER IPO reception service will be located next to the Hertz Rent a Car stand at the F. Chopin Airport in Warsaw. Look for the IPO sign. Our colleagues on the airport will be happy to arrange your transport to the hotel. Please note that this will be possible only if you give us the details of your arrival. We are waiting for these information till May 15th.
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION You need tickets (polish:bilety) for public transport (ZTM) and should not forget to validate them when entering a bus or a streetcar. You can buy those tickets in a variety pf places - in fact in most newspaper and tobacco stands. The price for a single trip adult ticket is 2, 40 PLN. Students have a 50% reduced rate.
ACCOMMODATION You will all be staying in Gromada Hotel (Common name is ¡°Dom Chlopa¡±), which is located at the Plac Powstancow, close to the Old Town and within walking distance from the PAN-building, where the award ceremony will takes place, the presidential palace and the University of Warsaw, in Krakowskie Przedmiescie. The PAN-building is in Nowy Swiat 72 (Staszic Palace. Staszic Palace is easy to recognize because of the seated figure of Copernicus outside (main entrance behind his back).
WHEATHER The most recent wheather forecasts indicate that we will have a relatively cool May in Poland. We do not expect, against previous assumptions, that the temperature will be very hot. Please visit http://www.warsawtour.pl/index.php?lang=5&id=& where you can always find a 3-day forecast for Warsaw.
POLISH CURRENCY Polish currency is zloty. One zloty is 100 groszy. The present exchange rate to US$ and European Euro is about :
1$ = 3.20 zloty
1? = 4.20 zloty
IPO Participant Monitoring Form
Language of participation (english, french or german):
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To help us make any reasonable adjustments which may be necessary please indicate any specific needs concerning your medical condition and dietary requirements.
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Any special wishes?
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Newsletter April 2005
Foreword
I am most happy to give you an overview of the preparations for the 13th IPO in Warsaw. In this short newsletter you will find the general information as well as a preliminary programme of this event. In case you were looking for some additional information about Poland or Warsaw we have presented you with some links to English-language websites. I look forward to meeting you in Warsaw.
Jozef Niznik President of the IPO Organizing Committee
General information about the IPO in Warsaw
The 13th International Philosophy Olympiad in Warsaw is organized by The Polish Philosophical Society in cooperation with SCEK (The Warsaw Centre for Cultural Education) under the patronage of the President of Warsaw, Chancellor of Warsaw University and Polish National Commission for UNESCO.
Approximately 25 delegations of countries had been invited this year for the contest. All costs of full-board accommodation between 19th (18th in the case of non-European participants) and 23rd of May are covered by the organizers. Transport from and back to the airport will also be arranged. Please inform us about the exact time of your arrival.
The IPO participants will be accommodated in Gromada Hotel at Plac Powstancow Warszawy 2. The IPO headquarters, where the welcoming ceremony and lecture will be held, will be in SCEK (The Warsaw Centre for Cultural Education) at Jezuicka 4 street (The Old Town). It will also be the place of a permanent IPO office and information centre. The closing reremony will take place in Staszic Palace, Nowy Swiat 72, in the Polish Academy of Sciences Building, which is housing the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology.
The examinations will be held on the 20th of May (Friday) in a secondary school: Gimnazjum nr 42 Twarda Street 8/12. We have prepared a cultural and entertainment programme for all participants. The details will be presented on your arrival. You will be also informed of any other interesting events and places that you could visit in your free time.
Please remember to purchase travel insurance as the organizers cannot provide it. Mind that the weather in Warsaw in May is likely to be quite hot. Last year it was over 30¡ÆC .
The preliminary programme
Wednesday, May 18th
Arrival of non-European IPO participants
18.00 p.m. facultative meeting
Thursday, May 19th
till 5.00 p.m. Arrival of IPO participants
7.00 p.m. Welcoming and introduction of all delegations