News / Poland's Most Quoted [22]


Isn't that a paraphrase of a sentence from Orwell's "Animal Farm"?

Something by J. Tuwim:

Thou shall not covet your neighbour’s wife in vain

Life / Persian community in Warsaw? (i don't mean cats) [18]

Feedback / Text that is unsuccessfully posted is too easily lost. [54]


not now :)

Feedback / Text that is unsuccessfully posted is too easily lost. [54]


Indeed, but... albo rybka albo pipka.

Feedback / Text that is unsuccessfully posted is too easily lost. [54]

One way to keep typed in text is via the browser. It will disregard whatever the coders decided on the server side. The tip below works only with firefox:

in the address bar type:

about:config

in the Filter line type:

browser.cache.check_doc_frequency

and hit ENTER

Change value to 2.

The above remedies text lost after Back button is clicked in the browser, subsequent to clicking other links.

Meanings of values:

0 - check for a new version of a page once per session (a session starts when the first browseer window opens and ends when the last browser window closes).

1 - check for a new version every time a page is loaded.
2 - always load the page from cache.
3 - check for a new version when the page is out of date. (Default)

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


Mostly in old proverbs I think:

Nudy na pudy (very boring, something to the effect of boredom by the pound)

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


It's not unusual for plumbers in Poland. Pipe lengths will be metric but diameters are in inches or fractions of inches.

Love / Polish men and marriage. [13]


Apparently he doesn't want to bother with trivial matters ;)

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


Urszula,

this is how it works in construction:

You don't ask people what they can do, you ask them to show you. In many cases all it takes is see a guy grab a hammer and you see right away if he ever had a hammer in his hand. Put them on the scaffolding for just a couple hours and you'll know exactly what to expect. If your brother can't spot a fraud from an experienced construction worker then... well.. the frauds seem smarter than one might think, eh?

I met plenty of the types you describe too, but they were construction workers only in the sense that someone was desperate enough to hire them. Otherwise these were students, bureaucrats, waiters, history teachers etc, who came to the US to make a quick buck and go back.

A true construction worker from Poland (or any other country for that matter) won't fiddle with conversions and such. They work with the material and tools handed to them, and they do a damn fine job.

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


I checked.
You are correct, it's got to do with some salt (chlorine).
I was wrong.

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


Wasn't the only logic F's use of the lowest (at the time) recorded temp somewhere in Holland as the base for 0 Degrees F?

Law / umowa o dzielo z prawami autorskimi [10]

An even bigger thing to consider in this is who holds the copyrights. Often, this is not a simple ability, or inability to obtain continued profits from work, but sometimes, if new ways of doing things are discovered (think patents) during the creation of the final result the customer may become the owner of those too, and the contractor cannot use those methods for any subsequent contracts without paying royalty to the former client.

Things can get pretty complex and hairy, so it's always best to get in touch with a lawyer to make sure you understand what you are signing, and what the future ramifications are.

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


It's just practical. All building materials use imperial units. It's much easier to think about room height as 8 feet instead of 2438.4 mm. For rough carpentry 1/8" is plenty precise. For fine woodworking I settle for 1/64". In metric there is just too many of those little lines on the tape measure :)

When I was first asked to help out with construction estimates I had no idea what an inch was, or a cinder block for that matter. It also takes some getting used to dividing things, such as 3/4" into two 3/8", 5/16" and such. After all those years though I can eyeball measurements in SAE much better than in metric.


I have similar issues with some units. I can understand only metric temperature. I'm ok with inches and pounds though.


Bullcrap. There is nothing to figure out. A number is a number, and in fact most Polish tradesmen are aware of inches since they are still using them in Poland for plumbing measurements.


You really have no clue what you're talking about, do you? I've supervised construction workers in NY, and I never saw issues you describe. In fact I can compare them to those awesome "craftsmen" who built the shacks of Brooklyn and some areas of Queens. To demolish an average 2 or 3 story house they used a hammer and a 2 by 4. Knocked one brick in, wedged the 2 by 4 in the hole, pryed and ran. The house went down. Then they were ready to build it the way houses were meant to build - to last.

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]

Sean,

I think you used linear units instead area units to convert to metric.

1000 sq/ft = 92.9 sq/m
3000 sq/ft = 278.71 sq/m

a single sheet of flooring plywood (4 by 8 feet) is 32 sq/ft (2.97 m). You need plenty of those for an average floor.

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


Apartments would vary. The first one I rented was about 1000 sq/ft.

In Canada the newer ones they tend to be in the 2000-3000 sq/ft area. Lots of 1960/70's are about 1000 sq/ft (split levels so really a lot more than that). Square footage is considered only for rooms which are above ground level. Of course there are also smaller and larger ones.

Real Estate / Construction (Poland Vrs where you are from) [66]


While the theory may have some meat to it the reasons were far more practical. Over 60% of the country was destroyed by WW2. The ugly "bloki" was the fastest way to allow families to have a semblance of a dwelling.

In general I prefer the approach to construction in N. America. Standards exists and are consistent. Have been for a long time. When you want to replace an electric switch in a 100 year old house the one you get today will fit the 100 year old box perfectly.

Some small things changed. For instance lumber standards. 2 by 4 became 1 3/4 by 3 3/4 and now it is 1 1/2 by 3 1/2 but overall things work just fine from generation to generation.

Among the minor issues I have found in North America is patching and hiding failures in some aspects of construction. Let's take baseboards. They install one. Doesn't fit very well so they install another one to cover cracks and seams. Then another one. By the time they are done the baseboards is a foot high. I also found that the quality of brickwork in an average house in many parts of the US is really poor.

In general, I think if the same construction standards were present in Poland I bet more people would own houses. Building a house in N.America is a snap and most people would be able to build one themselves (give or take electrical or plumbing system). In Poland an average one family house require a thick book of plans and calculations or material strengths etc. In N.America the same is reduced to just a couple of sheets of blueprints and a drawing of a detail or two. No need to calculate anything since materials are so standardized that it is obvious that (depending on the species of wood) a 2 by 4 is safe for up to 4'8" for joists and up to 6'5" for joists (in climate zone 5).

USA, Canada / Why aren't Polish people immigrating to Canada instead of the UK? [148]


Depends on what those credentials are.


Yes, they are, but you don't have to go to the other side of Lake Huron or Lake Superior. I never heard about black flies until I went up North.

Life / Holiday's in Poland! Not allowed thanksgiving off. [30]


Angry reaction is not justified.
Refusal to honor the holiday is.

I'm pretty sure they wouldn't allow Poles working in the US to take a day off on May the 3rd. Heck, some employers they don't allow employees to take some of the US holidays.

Study / Moving to Poland/Finished High School in USA/How I Get Into PL College [12]


Not trying to scare you or dissuade from anything. Whatever you do will be what you want to do. Life is a series of successes and failures. If you learn from the latter then they won't occur as often. Like the other poster, I am offering a doze of reality. If you're up to it then all the power to you.

I think a lot of questions you have can be answered only by the actual school, or even the department where you would like to study. Call or email them.

Go, have a blast and good luck.

Language / Expressing "happiness" in Polish [29]


Spoko is a little more versatile than that, and it can be compared to English cool. We

some examples:

- "spoko z niego koleś" (he's a cool fella)
- "widziales to juz" (have you seen it yet?)
tak, spoko film (yes, cool movie) [not bad no super awesome]
- spoko imprezka (cool party)

The word is not really all that new. It has been in use since early 1980's.

Study / Moving to Poland/Finished High School in USA/How I Get Into PL College [12]


That would be a "diploma", as high schools in the US do not offer degrees.
I'm not sure how things look in Poland now, but when I left (over 20 years ago) high school diploma was worth lees on the job market in Poland than it is worth in the US today.

I'd say you need to keep moving on with your education, or become a billgates.

USA, Canada / NO VISAS to Canada for Poles in the near future [62]


Too much to write. I still hoped until last year, when I vowed - never again will I visit that... ahem... place, except to go to the airport. Listen to CBC Radio 1. You'll see what I mean.


I'll try.
You're on LSD? Or on a plane? or on top of CN Tower? Or you are sever hundred meters tall?

Otherwise you can't see downtown Buffalo (the only area with buildings tall enough to bee seen from afar) lights when standing in any spot in downtown Toronto. The distance of 100km of straight line of sight will place Buffalo below the line of horizon. Heck, you can't see Buffalo from St. Catharines, ON or even Lewiston, NY. I'm pretty sure you can't see it from any of the Grand Island bridges.


Sounds like my backyard.


I finished a cute little shed in the backyard. Just last week :)


I only know what it costs for aerial photography. 8 hours costs $1200.

USA, Canada / NO VISAS to Canada for Poles in the near future [62]


Don't kill the messenger ;)


It's good just for a drive by.
As for the pollution, sorry to mention Toronto again, but I look in its direction every day coming from work, driving down from the top of the hill close to Vineland Estate Wineries. More often than not the city is covered in haze, aka smog, so I can't see any of the city's tall stuff.

To be fair, the air quality in Hamilton is better than that in most of Niagara. It's got to do with the Escarpment and how it plays out on the grand scheme of (climactic) things.

USA, Canada / NO VISAS to Canada for Poles in the near future [62]


The Canadian side of Niagara Falls is what you want to see. Americans didn't invest a whole lot on their side of the river, so there is no point in crossing the border, unless you like Buffalo chicken wings (yummy)., or want to see what happens to cities when jobs are exported abroad. Once the 4th largest (in economic terms) city in the US, Buffalo is now known as a city with freaky snow weather.

The best time to visit Niagara is in Summer months when they offer a lot of festivals, special events and the area is simply pretty to just be here. Late Fall and Winters are drabby and not much to do or see here, even though they do some little tricks around the Falls.

When my sister visited a few years ago I kinda worried what I could show here here in the region, so I started doing research and long story short - after two weeks of intense tourism she siad enough, and just went with her hubby to Algonquin National Park for a couple days.

Toronto is just a stone throw away (100+ km) but frankly, other than a museum and an odd theater (like hundreds in Poland) I'm not sure why anyone would like to visit Toronto. Once an example of a great success in most urban studies curricula, it is now used as an example of a failure. A city without a soul, constantly trying to (re) define itself.

One "interesting" place in the area is Hamilton, about half way between Niagara and Toronto. It is called by some Ontario's Anus, as the only parts of the city visible from the highway traveled by millions are industrial installations.

As for the rest of Canada... when do I start? The biggest attraction here is raw nature. Pure and untouched in most parts. If you travel by private plane you can see quite a bit in two or three weeks ;)

News / Poland Needs to Shape up [43]


So if you are so smart don;t give money to any church, and don't try to become a financial advisor to the whole nation.


What the fvck is that? You must be American, or something.


There is no such evidence, and there can be no scientific evidence that god or gods do not exist. A scientific evidence like that is practically and logically impossible.

News / Poland Needs to Shape up [43]


Catholic religion held Poland together for over 1000 years.


Like they did in the US? How did that work out?

Life / PATRIOTISM -- POLISH OR OTHERWISE? [23]


There were no specific examples. You painted with a very wide brush. This is what you wrote (emphasis mine):


"anything" easily includes pride of one's country. "anyone" may too (read on).


No need to fell sorry for me. Thank you for your concern though.

Never did I say anything about a person;s pride for events from remote past, did I?

Nations were not defined long time ago. That's when they started being defined, and the process continues to this day. It will continue tomorrow, for those nations which survive. Anybody participation in that nation's life perpetuates its character and contributes to it, even if only in the minutest of ways. That's what makes people proud why they are a part of one nation or the other.

A glaring example is parent's pride of their child's achievements. The parents may be feeble but their son may be a general, they may be illiterate but their daughter is a leading scientist in some discipline. What have they done to be proud? Fed her? Big deal. That's what parents do, right?

Another example. I live in Canada. I am proud of various Canadian, smaller or greater, reasons for pride. Canadian hockey team is one of the best. I am proud of it even though I do not play hockey. Heck, I can't skate at all. But I pay taxes here, and those taxes cover the costs of minor hockey leagues, local hockey arenas and such.

I dunno how else I could explain this simple really concept, so you don't have to feel so sad on the account of feeling pity for me.

Life / PATRIOTISM -- POLISH OR OTHERWISE? [23]


That postulate fails in case of entire nations. With so many aspects to nationhood, with so many people required to define and execute its achievements and to overcome its failures, most individuals who did not fail the national objectives have a reason to be proud. The of input an individual input may be very small its importance is in numbers. Just ask any general.

A notions history and character may be driven by a few but it's made possible by many. Anyone with truly analytical skills will recognize that.

News / Walesa excluded from Polish national gala [38]

He didn't attribute them to anybody else.
Who's the author?

News / Walesa excluded from Polish national gala [38]


what the fvuck is that monstrosity?


No wonder. You didn't even make it in Polish either.