USA, Canada / WHAT'S THE CANADIAN HEALTH SERVICE REALLY LIKE? [15]

I have some family in Canada, they don't rave about it but then again they don't complain...they are probably aware that they could have it worse by living south of the border. You hear of people travelling to the US for special procedures once in a while, and Lech Walesa flew all the way to the US to have some operation a while back, but not everyone is in the admirable financial position that he happens to be in. The whole system with private insurance and HMOs sounds great if you are steadily employed but if you happen to be a part time or contract worker and you get sick, well then might as well start digging your grave. Ditto if your insurance company thinks that your illness is too long term and too expensive, they drop people from their lists of insured often. Or so they say.

UK, Ireland / "Polish ambassador warns - think twice about coming to Britain for work " [126]


one thing you may not know is that a few Western publications have gotten on the outsourcing bandwagon, they fire staff in England (or US) and have Indians in Bombay write the news stories for pennies on the dollar.

News / Polish-Hungarian friendship - reality till today or just a phantasmagoria [144]


your goulash is among the tastiest of soups and is to be envied. I absolutely love Hungary, even though the people there sometimes seem strangly uncommuinicative...

UK, Ireland / Polish driver dies as car shears in half... [38]


you want a sterotype? heres one: Poles are like ovedrgrown teenagers who have just gotten their driving licenses. Seruiously, thats the best way to describe the way people drive here. Even adult Poles drive like they have taken daddy's car out for a spin and are trying to impress Suzie Q Hotpants. No manners, agressive, and irritating with their honking. And they will park anywhere they please. LOL


Hell, I'm glad there's one less idiot on the road, his demise lessens the risk that he'd smash into me or into some car full of kids. Anyone that dumb deserves his spot in purgatory.

USA, Canada / Why Americans of Polish orgin do not exist in the USA politics? [34]


here is your answer, cut out from a similair tthread:

In early 20th century, some ethnic slurs were popularized to describe Polish people in the U.S., such as "Polacks" or the term "white *******" - used by the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) due to the fact that Polish-American men were marrying African-American women regardless of their race,[54] but most notably, it was the spread of Polack (or Polish) jokes.

The WASPS are still in charge. Don't let the election of Obama fool you.

Real Estate / Avoiding tax when selling a flat in PL [19]

a lady at the Urzad Skarbowy told me that in order not to pay the 10% tax you have to submit to them a statement saying that the money from the sale will be used for "other home improvement or purchase." In other words reinvesting in housing. She said that paying off a mortgage qualifies under this category, as long as you have not taken part in a previous loan interest payment program (I think there was some program a while back where the govt would pay off your interest on a home loan)...obvioously u would want to ask around some more and confirm this, but I seemed to have heard it from the horses mouth...

Life / Dogs in Poland - why do we keep them? [28]


also curious is why Poles refuse to muzzle and leash their grumpy mutts when walking them in crowded urban environments...

Life / Scammed in Poland again [49]

alhough the sad fact remains that Poland is still stuck in the old days of the paper that decides whether you will dig trenches or sit in the boardroom...ie you can't be a sworn translator in this goofy land even if you pass the test with flying colors, not without the right degree (only English majors can be sworn translators of English). Supposedly you cant teach in a public school either if you dont have an Ed. degree, or so Im told. Not that anyone would ever want to work in a Polish pubic school. Now that would be a silly idea!

Law / What name would sound appropriate for a company in Poland ? [13]


haha he's right, these are the most common. or some goofy sounding combination of random prefix and suffix like:

AsBud
BudPol
PolBud
AnusDent
DentPol
PolMaax
MaxPolDent
BudMar
MarDentBud

and so on, the list of possible combinations is endless

My favorite is the Sanus Dental near my flat, their logo from a distance makes it look like Anus Dental

Life / Scammed in Poland again [49]


good for you, and stick it to the twat. I hate that elitist I have so and so paper tripe in Poland, besides half of em bought their papers on the black market LOL! What,s hilarious is that concern with whether or not any given employer, school, training ctr gives a paper or not as opposed to concern whether or not youll actually get any positive experience out of it....

Real Estate / Avoiding tax when selling a flat in PL [19]


what is a mystery is why these dingbat politicians couldnt wipe the slate clean and just rewrite everything instead of the usual "OK from now on, if you did this you pay that, bu only from so and so date, and if you..." Jesus they are all either high or stupid.

In the interest of closing this thread, it seems that yes you can include paying off the mortgage in the category "investment in home within two years" unless you have taken advantage of a previous interest relief program. So we are in the clear.

UK, Ireland / Moving to england from Poland? I'm making a documentary [23]


heres a funny example of Warsaw crassness: I was approaching the counter at to order something (and was literally two steps away from it) and this little college age twat sees me and bum rushes the counter to order before me. I swear this city is full of a*holes.

Real Estate / Avoiding tax when selling a flat in PL [19]


so I have heard of certain exemptions, including one where people who owe money to the bank on the flat are exempt. can anyone confirm this? It seems stupid that someone who owes 70% of the value to the bank be whacked with a tax on the entire value of the flat...I mean Juche Christ if this is true (for people who bought before 2007) then it means you pretty much lose money no matter what, unless I understand this all wrong.

Life / Scammed in Poland again [49]

shame on you for not having him break a sweat first. then, if work was done satisfactorily, you pay. of course, in North Korea, we all work for the glory of the state so money is not an issue, we don't know these strange problems you seem to have.

Life / Retire in Poland - Good or Bad Idea? [74]


sounds like ze Poleesh, who do love to complain and ineed seems to be a national sport. moral to this thread...."The grass is always greener somewhere else."

Life / Retire in Poland - Good or Bad Idea? [74]


at the risk of going off topic, what's this supposed to mean?

Life / Retire in Poland - Good or Bad Idea? [74]


Just today there was an article in the Polish papers how a doctor looked over a sick patiernt and said "He doesnt interest me, wheel him out of here" where the man was then wheeled out the front door of the hospital, and left to die on the bench out front. The article speculated that the man looked too poor to treat. This was in the royal city of Krakow.

Retire to Poland? Often (not always) the weather is truly dreary, the health service sucks (even the private ones can be crap), and you need that dog-eat-dog instinct to survive...well unless you are retired, but be aware that as soon as your new townfolk learn that you have come from the US or UK to retire they will probably be scheming how to screw you out of your cash;) You'll hear this warning from many Poles themselves.

As to Aaaargh, very funny...and lots of truth to what you wrote although brutal, but then again even urban Poles look upon "na wsi" with true horror. There has always been a big divide here between urban folk and rural backwards bumpkins.

As to the above poster who said that returning to Poland and being in awe of the joy of hearing Polish everywhere around you...that will eventually wear off. Poland is getting expensive, wages are static, customer service stinks, officials can be a real pain (as the doctor in Krakow showed us), and yeah it was fun, but....

...stuff it, time to haulass back to Pyongyang!!

Life / Polish Train Travel - Scary? [101]


well, maybe you were sleeping, then it is partly your fault. Polish trains are just as safe or dangerous as most others. In over four years of taking Polish trains (long distance 5 or 6 times a year, commuter train about 30 times) I have never been robbed or had anything stolen, although I did witness a pickpocketing incident once.

Real Estate / Avoiding tax when selling a flat in PL [19]

this concerns a flat bought in 2006, and waiting until 2011 is not an option, unfortunately. Doesnt seem fair what with us not having multiple properties for sale or anything...

my leader is especially curious if there are any exemptions if the property was bought with bank financing for it does not seem fair to tax someone 10% on the value of the property if the bank owns 80 percent of it....

Life / Most overpriced things in Poland? [72]


true, but the major difference is that educated people in the US generally find it easier to get ahead, buy a house and a car, for example. No one doubts that there are poor people in the USA. But in Poland you have legions of the educated poor, people who have degrees and have nothing to do with them (especially after graduation or if they try to switch careers). In Poland you need connections (or a supreme dose of luck) to get a good job, without which you are trudge up **** creek. The beauty of countries like the US (and Canada, for example) is that they have relatively open economies allowing people to get ahead.

Life / WHY POLISH PEOPLE DON'T USE THEIR NATIVE FIRST NAME WHEN ABROAD? [136]

Normal aspect of assimilation for better or for worse. If your name is Waclaw and you go to America for good, why not start calling yourself Wally once your English is good enough. On the other hand if you are in the US for one season serving ice cream at your local amusement park for that H1 visa, why bother. Anyway, Chinese folks are notorious for giving themselves English names too whenever they go abroad, its certainly not a Polish thing.

Life / Could I live on 2000zl in Poland? [30]


this sum would be better as an additional source of income, but not your only means so you could theoretically pick up some additional work while here, depending on what you are qualified to do. In Warsaw 2500 net per month is not so great even if you share a flat with someone. In small towns it would be OK, but certainly not an extravagant life. If I were you I would think twice, and consider someplace cheaper than Poland, but not Belarus, where because of cryptic bueraucracy you probably wouldnt be allowed to settle there. Consider rural Bulgaria....

Life / I'm an American who lived in Poland for 6 years. I'm not welcome anymore. [169]


you can coming to DPRK where in Pyongyang you are very welcome

News / Most important invention made in Poland [53]


those slippers you used to have to put on when entering museums

History / US snubs Poland over WW II ceremony? [75]


loyal puppy! but the dynamics of the regrowth of socialistic will provide a power balance which will send Poland and her very people on the orbit of Juche-like self suffient!!

Life / Most overpriced things in Poland? [72]


your colon must hate you, but then again that's none of my business haha

Life / Most overpriced things in Poland? [72]


that has long been the case. Poland isnt too expensive if your western company sends you on a contract and you are paid what you would be in London or Boston. If you are a local earning local wage, Poland is expensive. no wonder so many Poles say stuff it and take off for good.

News / Death Sentence in Poland, when was it abolished? Last executed? [26]


a better punishment would be to force the inmate/offender to have to listen to disco polo music or similar at extremely loud volume, 24 hours per day 7 days a week. For 10 years.