History / Poland - Russia Russians ready for discussion about history ? [105]

I know. Still, reviving old threads is a good idea. P3 invents new threads all the time so it's good to have old ones back.

Plus, this thread could be popular.

Law / Linux, Unix, and Open Source in Poland [119]

One of my students has just written a book on Linux applications. Should you experience any technical problems, please let me know and I can refer you to him. I'm not so familiar with it myself. The PF member, Greg, is getting ever better at it. He is 'the leader'.

Genealogy / need help finding someone in poland but don't have much information. [10]

People here can guide you through it. If you look carefully enough, sb posted guidelines (McCoy I think).

News / Poles honour 'Cold Warrior' Ronald Reagan [92]

The very notion of cosmic justice, as the name suggests, is hardly rooted in the ground. The reality is that idealists aim for a level playing field through ideas like 'equal pay for equal work', which is hard to quantify anyway. You can apply it to factory production/output but not to many other jobs in an accurate way. However, striving for such standards is important in setting out groundrules by which we abide. Employers have a whole raft of legislation to wade through to ensure compliance with their industrial practices. Social justice is achieved through the relative uniformity of provisions.

What do Americans here think? Did Reagan, as a Republican, value social justice?

News / Poles honour 'Cold Warrior' Ronald Reagan [92]

It's a complicated area. Do you think Reagan, as an American, valued traditional justice? I guess so. Did he value social justice? Now that's a different question.

Work / Teaching English in Lublin. [23]

Sb mentioned the word aware. I was just ensuring that some useful threads for people don't slide. There is no gain to me. After all, connecting people is what it is all about (thanks Nokia) :)

Work / Teaching English in Lublin. [23]

For example, ukpolska shows his good side here. I have no idea why he flipped. He needs to quote me rather than making blank statements.

Care to teach this woman, ukpolska?

Life / How much do you spend a week (or month) on food shopping in Poland? [19]

You should be fine. Just don't eat out too much ;)

Plenty bread rolls with cheese to go around.

News / Poles honour 'Cold Warrior' Ronald Reagan [92]

Well, justice in the West has been found wanting on MANY occasions. I still have books on my shelf concerning miscarriages of justice, care to read them? Justice wasn't given to blacks for a long time. Is it just to invade other countries, transgressing national boundaries and sovereignty? Internment was just? (detention without trial). That's intellectual strength, is it?

False, lesser? Come on, that's holier-than-thou. 'In what follows I show that on the issue of justice, the ancient Greeks eventually came admirably close to the truth-a truth that was then overturned by the triumph of Christianity, a fact that still haunts us today' theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2007-spring/rise-fall-greek-justice.asp

What I said was that there is some substantive overlap thematically but it's a fairly distinct branch. They have different ends sometimes. You MUST read this, enthralling reading, tsowell.com/spquestc.html

A fantastic expose.

Traditional justice and social justice have different modes of enquiry and tenets. Social justice is more concerned with redressing social iniquities which proponents/exponents of traditional justice may not perceive as unjust or showing injustice.

I agree with the naivety part. Religion, inter alia, can cause this. I'd argue that, ceteris paribus, religion is the driving force which underpins their irrational naivety.

Travel / Poland is becoming too expensive to visit. It is a nice country, but [46]

I agree, Poland has many tourist attractions. Expensive to live in for some? Yes. Expensive to visit for most tourists? No

News / Poles honour 'Cold Warrior' Ronald Reagan [92]

Sorry, lesser, but major seminars and tutorials have been held on the difference between traditional concepts of justice and social justice. Social justice even has its own treatment in Wikipedia should you care to have a look. I know what you are saying, justice is a catch-all term but there are sub divisions.

The concept is not flawed. People and ethnic groups have different conceptions of justice. For example, let's imagine that you have a group of Saudis who believe that beheading is the just way to dispense with a criminal. Brits would dismiss it as draconian. Or, a Saudi sees a Brit drink alcohol in Saudi Arabia. They threaten to behead him. It goes against our concepts of justice. To us, it'd be a grossly disproportionate response.

What I wanted to say, in simple terms, was that social justice is a branch of justice which naturally encompasses the same terms and notions.

History / Polish Anti-semitism - origins? [186]

Thanks, Greg. That one-liner is timeless and priceless :)

History / Polish Anti-semitism - origins? [186]

And its origins ;)

News / Poles honour 'Cold Warrior' Ronald Reagan [92]

Ordinary, or natural justice focusses more on the rights of the individual relative to existing law and prevailing circumstances/political climate etc.

Social justice is focussed more on the collective. Some say it is innately left-wing but some liberals have championed their various causes.

Justice varies according to social grouping and religious backgrounds etc. You can have all manner of distinctions. Let's call social justice a subset of justice.

My point is that there are different classifications of justice: market justice, criminal justice etc etc. You are right that they all fall under the heading of justice.

Anyway, Reagan...he was a good man in ways and entered into a constructive dialogue with Gorbachev.

Life / Polish charitable foundations [3]

Good question. There was the national orchestra just the other week.

Is giving to charity popular here?

News / Poles honour 'Cold Warrior' Ronald Reagan [92]

Social justice is a more qualified term. Justice is more general.

Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

I agree, they play ball and you do likewise. I agree with the convention of giving up your seat for older people. They are frail and the tram rattles along anything but smoothly. However, it' s their recalcitrant ways that cost them. Skipping queues is just not on, it could lead to anarchy if accepted on a large scale.

This negative me-me-me attitude is, frankly, pathetic!

However, young ones seem to be better.

Life / Poland has killed my inner child [105]

You know, it can be that way sometimes. However, Warsaw likely has many options. It is much bigger than many places. Just imagine living in a village.

Travel / Poland is becoming too expensive to visit. It is a nice country, but [46]

I've been hearing this more and more. More thoughts from those who live here, please.

Food / polish cheesecake-need explanation & recipe [5]

In a mood for thinking about food. Cheesecake, yummy.

UK, Ireland / Formal Qualifcations in Polish- UK [10]

Yeah, but what happens when many more Poles return home? It's good in a way that we recognise Polish through a formal qualification.

History / Poland - Russia Russians ready for discussion about history ? [105]

Another one for Borrka, Prince, CK and Sasha to thrash out. Oh, Celinski too

History / Polish Anti-semitism - origins? [186]

Great points, eric_the_nave. His intention wasn't to gloss up his rescuing by a Polish family. He expressed his gratitude to the many Poles who were hospitable and loyal. Read the chapter 'Szałas's betrayal'. However, there was inherent mistrust which, then, was largely a class issue. Szpilman remarked that an on-the-run couple entailed some risk but that it was safer than being with semi-educated Poles who would sell out the Jews to their masters. Fear throws up such reactions, rational or otherwise, but every one of us here would do ourselves a favour and remember that we didn't live in those times. Those guys did and we can forgive them for what might appear as hyperbole.

HB, how's your Polish? Yes, you are more Polish than I am.

Love / Are Polish women "PRUDE"?!? [24]

Prudish or prudent? Prudes? Hmm..some are, some aren't. Perhaps a little vainer than most, yes. Taken collectively.

History / Polish Anti-semitism - origins? [186]

I thought Szpilman's account was fairly balanced. He didn't have axes to grind from what I could tell.

History / Polish Anti-semitism - origins? [186]

Hmm...never come across that, Harry. I know about the Kielce Pogrom of 1946 and other isolated incidents. I think those Poles were furious at what they saw as the Jews bringing the Nazis to Poland.

History / Polish Anti-semitism - origins? [186]

I don't think the issue is Polish culpability here. To suggest so would be pretty defensive. Ligota was an important body for the Jews. Read The Pianist to see that the Poles were not anti-Semitic but just petrified and cooperative (because they had to be).

This is Polish forums after all but, if you want to mention the hand of other countries, you are more than welcome to do so. It just might deflect from the thread.

Love / British Asian with Polish Stunner!!! [22]

Nice success story, you have made sth positive happen so well done.

You have to take the plunge and check out new things. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all.

History / Polish Anti-semitism - origins? [186]

Oh, there is still anti-Semitism here but it not a prominent issue today. It has been toned down substantially.

Good to see Hateful Bunch being her usual emotive and non-rational self.

She isn't even Polish and I don't know if she even lives here. Not a reliable source unless she is a historian.

UK, Ireland / Formal Qualifcations in Polish- UK [10]

Well, it's less useful noimmi. Things can change, Poland has been in the EU for almost 5 years now. The Poles are moving in many directions, that's what the Germans and French did before them. Spreading the net leads to a spreading in influence.

You are right, other languages are more used at the moment but change comes in many forms.