News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]


That's a little of an oversimplification.
Taxes may have to be raised to pay for the irresponsible fiscal policies of the conservatives. Bush practically ruined the Union.

Would you rather pay for the rich and affluent by being burdened with the high cost of wars so that big companies can get fat contracts in Iraq? Do you realize how much big corporations get in federal subsidies?

Having said that, I don;t really see any difference between dems and cons in the US. After all, both parties are just puppets and storefronts of Pepsico and the like.

Language / I know "się" is the only reflexive personal pronoun..but "jak się masz?" [34]


In fact you have no idea about facts.
First, the reflexive pronoun "się" is of protoindoeuropean origin much like spanish "se", English "self", German "sich" or Swedish "sig".

Second, there is no simplification of any sort in the case of Polish "się", as it relates to russian suffix "-sya" or -ся/-сь (for instance vernulsya).

With the complete ignorance, malice, and stupidity, typical of your "linguistics" drivels you don't even realize that the example you give "cjebja" translates into Polish also as "siebie".

Language / Polish language problems (orthography) [47]


This is where historical grammar comes to play and help understand why in fact "ó" and "u" vs "ż" vs "rz" absolutely make sense.

These seemingly illogical rules od spelling and pronunciation are present in the English language for exactl the same (historic) reasons. For instance in english, how do you pronounce "oo", e, o, a. Why, in RP, you don't pronounce "r" (as in car) but still use it in writing. That makes "absolutely NO SENSE", does it? ;)


Yet another example of Stalinist linguistics, huh?
In fact Russian was one of the languages in the East and its importance varied depending on the time. Polish, on the other hand, was THE language between the 16th and 18th century, a lingua franca of sorts in Central and Eastern Europe, due to the prominence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Language / Use of prefixes in f.s tense/rules for forming them? [23]


I'm not sure any general rules in that regard exists, unless I don't understand what you're asking for.

for instance, the words you are asking about:

powiem - here po- is not a prefix, but a part of the word
posłuchaj - po- changes the meaning of the word, other prefixes for sluchać may be wy-, za- u- prze-, w-, do- etc. Some of these create a distinct meaning, although within the same semantic field.

przetanczyć - prze- changes the meaning. other prefixes may be za-, wy- od- etc.

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


I'm with BW on that one. I see no luck in any of it. You may consider yourself lucky to be born into a society that had the will to achieve what it did, but as a collective entity, that society worked hard for where it is, and for what now is in danger of collapse.

I also think that as Europeans (including and perhaps mostly those who established the US of A) know very well what it meant to be disenfranchised. Many of them left their home countries BECAUSE they were disenfranchised in their own countries, and they and established societies with somewhat decent social, political and economic structures. Of course they are far from perfect but nevertheless the areas with this and similar systems are a magnet for all others.

Now what did the disenfranchised people of other backgrounds do? Where is South Africa now? Former Rhodesia? How did the freed American slaves do in Liberia? Ever considered emigrating to Liberia? Heck, even Africans stay away from the place and choose to move on North or West across the Atlantic. How is the ethnic mixing doing in Darfur?

European way of life is in grave danger of islamisation and that is not a good sign at all. It's nice and dandy to exchange cultural experiences but when those foreign experiences and their representatives threaten the very core and nature of the societies which are nice enough to give them shelter, then expect trouble.

The only sure thing in this world is change, so it is likely that the "privileged position" you admit you have will be gone and unavailable to others in the future. If Muslims will have it their way you will look at privilege not from an ethnic point of view but from the gender one. You will consider yourself lucky to not be a woman.

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


"Muslim integration"?
What do you mean by that? I thought were were trying to have a serious dsicussion here but you're just a joker.
Muslim integration. hahaha!

Yeah, allahu akbar.

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


Some stories become legends, some never make it to main stream consciousness. We all know about Boston Tea Party. But do we all know what was the real and immediate cause of that party and the rebellion/independence to follow? Do we know that Europeans (namely the British monarchy) got in trouble with the Colonists because the Monarchy signed away the Indian Country (roughly the vast area in and around Illionois), The good-hearted settlers were pissed as they were about to be legally bound not to expand their presence towards the west anymore.

The couple centuries to follow weren't exactly years of racial nirvana either, and Martin Luther King was killed for making sure Americans paid attention to that.

You see... if someone makes a post with a statement that Poland is not worldly enough because of insufficient number of Africans and Asians why are you not looking closer at that racist statement?

What exactly is wrong with white people in Poland that they allegedly need some race mixing? That's what Poland is - it's inhabited by white people. They like it that way so let them decide if they want a change.

What exactly is wrong with some of the most liberal countries in the world that they bend over for the scum that ruins they way of life they worked for. Dutch, Norwegians or Swedes - other than being, per capita, the largest donors of foreign aid, what dd they do wrong to deserve the mess their countries are in?

Again, using what Krzysztof reminded us of, "my home is my castle" is a good way to put it. If the piece of garbage, whether he's black, pink or translucent, who made that racist post about Poland doesn't like it there then I wouldn't have a problem if he was shown the way out of the country and back to where he came from. I also sincerely hope that he is nabbed for his overstay in Poland and gets what he deserves from one of the more overzealous Polish cops, or fellow inmates in some county jail.

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


You should have written that in the first post.

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


Those worst traits are dominant and those traits are destroying the host countries, and those traits are what is really hardly productive. They are very much relevant to the topic about tolerance towards other ethnic groups.

So, just for the order of things, and in response to the title of the thread:

Tolerant? Yes.
Bending over? No!

There is a limit to hospitality, This is applicable to individual homes, and I don't see a reason why it should not be applicable to entire nations.

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


Than you don't know facts, or you are interpreting them like any good muslim would.
This 18 year old girl's promiscuity consisted of not wearing a burka in her own, officially nonmuslim country:



But then... she asked for it huh?

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


That's an ignorant statement and far from funny. Tell it to your wifey and see if she likes it. After all she did have sex, didn't she? Would it be much bother to her to find herself.

Happy "worldliness".

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


I can speak only for myself, so let set the record straight. You are putting words in my mouth. I never stated what should be, but merely what is. Never did I mention anything about superiority, slaves and kings. That's all in your mind.

I actually responded to a poster who wrote what he though Poland should be like. I resent that kind of social engineering. What are you proposing? Importing some Africans and Asians to Poland for variety, and as objects for the enjoyment by worldly tourists?

How many would you like to import? Any special tribes/nationalities you have in mind? Should they be of randomly selected height and weight or a little more systematic selection should be applied?


Very nice and reassuring words, but no, we are not all on this planet for the same goals. Not all of us want to impose burkas on their wives, and are perfectly happy with just one wife.

Look at some recently posted youtube videos about the ethnic and religious tensions in Sweden. Read about the same in Holland, Denmark and other European countries where people, after generations of their ancestors' work and effort, no longer feel safe, nor at home.

Sweden and Denmark were countries with some of the lowest crime rates, with crimes such as rape almost nonexistent. WTF was wrong with that? Did it really benefit Sweden to now have one of the highest rape rates per capita in the world?

Are the newcomers to Sweden really enriching that country? Is there really such great value for tourists in their presence in the country which gave them shelter?

I don't live in Poland, and it is my conscious decision not to vote in Polish elections even though I am legally entitled to do that. The people of the country will decide what they want, but whatever they will decide the status quo is what it is and I expressed, and repeat again, my criticism of statement that Poland has not enough people of this race or another.

As I wrote before, things may, and likely will change, but right now Poland is what it is, and if you find it culturally and ethnically boring then get the hell out of there.

If you need to find enjoyment in racial variety you are free to travel around the world. You shouldn't have a problem finding what you are looking for. After all about 80% of this planet's population is non-white.

Life / Poles' tolerance towards other Races [190]


And yet you are considering all kinds of swindles to stay in Poland. Why is that?

No. Poland has the right number of africans and asians - perhaps even a tad too high, so feel free to leave. If you want to see asians you go to asia, when you want to see africans you go to... yes, africa.

Now, do you think it would be reasonable to expect Polish culture in Poland, or do you think China would be a better place to get that experience. Poland is what it is 100% white minus 0.0000001% other. It may change, but hasn't yet so get used to it, or go back home.

Life / Are Polish People Racist? [1037]


That is a possibility. My dictionary doesn't list the word "primative" so I assumed you crated it from "primate". If you just made a spelling error then, well... a boy from such a good family making spelling errors smacks of someone "primative".

Language / Numbers in Polish - two different ways? [44]

numeral

jeden - pierwszy, pierwsza, pierwsze
dwa - drugi, druga, drigie
trzy - trzeci, trzecia, trzecie
cztery - czwarty, czwarta, czwarte


dwa is correct

sekunda means "a second" as a unit of time

Life / Are Polish People Racist? [1037]


It doesn't look all that bad. Sure, it doesn't seem she considers you a full primate, but her seeing you as a primative is a good sign. I'd consider you primative too.

Food / How to sour/clabber homogenised store-bought milk [17]


None of the "remedies" described here is effective. At least not after hard liquor.

What will be effective is anything containing a good doze of fat. Hot/warm chicken soup is probably the easiest to get and use. Milk based drinks will be OK the morning after if there was too much wine, since milk is a decent antidote to the acidity of wine.

It's grade 7 chemistry, dear children, second semester - organic chemistry. Or at least used to be when I was 13. Yup, they gave us all the hints they could :))

Food / Poland's Summertime! Let's BBQ [79]


These are harder to identify:

yummy:

poison:

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]


You may be surprised to learn that dictionaries authors do not invent words. They include them (or not) as the usage gets recognition. It amy also come as a surprise to you that dozens of phobias are not listed in webster's, even though have have been legitimated psychological conditions dealt with by English speaking clinical psychologists for decades.

A little exercise for you; try to find tyrannosaurus rex in webster's. Virtually every teenager knows the meaning, but the the tyrannosaurus rex is not in webster's.

Krzysztof's post explains that for you.

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Polish_sentiment


Strangely, there is a word polonistyka in Polish - a study of Polish language and literature. There is anglistyka, germanistyka etc.

Life / My girlfriend wants to go back to Poland as she thinks lifes better there [36]


With current economic outlook (UK 1.9%, Poland 6.4%), and if there are no changes in the growth of either economy then it'll take about 14 years and 3 months.

The issue though is not just GDP. It all depends on how far will a dollar take you in UK as opposed to Poland.

Life / Cultural readjustment... returning to Poland from the West. [58]


The issue may lie on the fact that for many of us upon return we do not find ourselves in the country we left. In my case that country doesn't exist anymore (only Michal still lives in it).

Things changed a lot, so the last time I was in Poland I did feel like a foreigner. If I travel to a country I never visited before I know things will be different. Not always sure how and in what respect, but there is that expectation of difference that makes things feel they way they should be i.e. weird :)

USA, Canada / Rationing food in some US-based stores [32]

I'm sure farmers won't need them. Monsanto will make sure of that :)

USA, Canada / Rationing food in some US-based stores [32]

The Time magazine article I was referring to appears to be available online.

A little teaser:
Meanwhile, by diverting grain and oilseed crops from dinner plates to fuel tanks, biofuels are jacking up world food prices and endangering the hungry. The grain it takes to fill an SUV tank with ethanol could feed a person for a year. Harvests are being plucked to fuel our cars instead of ourselves. The U.N.'s World Food Program says it needs $500 million in additional funding and supplies, calling the rising costs for food nothing less than a global emergency. Soaring corn prices have sparked tortilla riots in Mexico City, and skyrocketing flour prices have destabilized Pakistan, which wasn't exactly tranquil when flour was affordable.

Language / Correct form of BYĆ. Please help! [96]


Luckilly, for the present tense this requirement doesn't exist for the word być. Just in case you're still struggling a little, let's start with some basics. I will make some statements that might seem to those in the know as not really rules, but for now I may be rounding some things up.

The simplest sentence in Polish requires two parts:

Subject + Predicate i.e. (the person or object who/which performs an action or activity) + (the activity)

Actions can be performed by an individual subject, or by a collection of subjects. For instance "Iam" or "weare". The bolded words are subjects, the ones in italics are the activities. Here the bolded words happen to be also so called personal pronouns, i.e. words generically denoting a person. When I speak about actions I perform, I will use the personal pronoun "I", isntead of my fist name.

When I say "John is whatever" then I am not using a personal pronoun, but if I continue talking about Jonh, I don't need to continue using his name. Instead I will use the personal pronoun "he". I hope this is logical to you. In short, personal pronouns specify (in Polish and in English, among others) the number of persons performing an action (one or more i.e. singular or plural), and sometimes the gender. What is also important, the persona pronoun describes the relation of the speaker to the person who performs some action.

Example:

Speaking about myself I will say "I am doing something". I am one person so the personal pronoun is called 1st person singular. Yup, grammar acknowledges the egotistic tendencies in humans. The enumeration of personal pronouns always starts with I. It's a rule.

When I speak to one person directly I will address them by "you" (second person, singular), but when I talk to anybody about actions of a person not being addressed, I will use she, she or it - this will be 3rd person singular.

The good news is: this is the end of personal pronouns, but , the bad news is: thus far we dealt only with singular form of personal pronouns. Let's recap before hitting on the plurals

English - Polish
1st person singular: I - ja
2nd person singular: you - ty
3rd person singular: he/she/it - on, ona, ono

The above is to be remembered for ever and ever. Amen.

Plural forms are pretty much direct derivatives of of singular forms, and the order in which we enumerate them starts from within and goes outward too, i.e. again in the egocentric fashion. The plural form for "I" is "we", you doesn't change in English but it changes in Polish. Let's look at the table below:

English - Polish
1st person plural: we - my
2nd person plural: you - wy
3rd person plural: they - oni, one

Another table to remember till your last breath, or at least as long as you speak a foreign language

In the above you will notice some differences in the number of pronouns for both languages for 3rd person. "They" is a collection of persons or object. In English "they" will be used regardless of the gender of individual components of that collection, but not so in Polish. The rule is simple: if at least one member of the collection (3rd person, plural) is male then "oni" is used. Otherwise "one" is correct.

Just a side note, and to be sure you understand; in the plural forms table, when we call a pronoun 1st or 2nd or 3rd person, the word person is a grammatical concept, so it the word itself does not assume plural form.

Let's put the personal pronouns and "być" together in another table:

English - Polish
Singular

1st person singular: I am - ja jestem
2nd person singular: you are - ty jesteś
3rd person singular: he/she/it is - on/ona/ono jest

Plural

1st person plural: we are- my jesteśmy
2nd person plural: you are - wy jesteście
3rd person plural: they are - oni, one są

Notice that within the same person of the same plurality the form of the word "być" does not change. So "ona jest" and "on jest". This is exactly the same as in English.

In your original post you appear to be unsure what forms of "być" to use when the subject of the sentence is a name. This requires a quick mental substitution and things become clear.

Using some of your examples:

There is one Michel. Nobody accompanies him in the sentence, so we know it's singular. Half of the job is done.

Now,

You are not Michel, so the form of "byc" for 1st person singular (I) does NOT apply.
You are talking to Michel so form for 2nd person singular (you) does NOT apply.
The only one left is 3rd person singular, i.e Michel = he. If that was Michelle then the personal pronoun to use as a substitute would be "she".

Thus we arrive at the final answer Michel is 3rd person singular, so the form "jest" will apply.

Similar process will be used to take care of the other examples.

Agnieszka i Robert - more than one person, so they are plural
They are not you, and they are not who you are addressing. Instead they are who you are talking about, so they are 3rd person plural.

OK< I hope I didn't make it harder than I thought it was for you before this post.

USA, Canada / Rationing food in some US-based stores [32]


It turns out rice can be used to produce biofuels.


I can't notice that because that it not true. But I'm surprised you didn't do your homework before posting this. See...the US is the 3rd largest rice exporter globally.


That too, but Asia is a big place, and even in the largest beneficiary of the higher standard of living, China, a vast majority of people did not come even close to get even the smallest crumbs from the pie. The rely on rice as just as they did Marco Polo first reached the area.

In India they are in dire situation.

In the US alone, 12% of agricultural land is used for biofuel crops. It's a huge part of agriculture. Still, those 12% manages to replace only 1% of crude oil.

Language / (part 2) Polish Language Pronunciation - Sample Words and Phrases [311]


NEVER as "a"


But it does. Here are the rules for pronouncing ą:

[ą] as the last sound of a word
[om] before [ b], [b'], [p], [p'] example: dąb [d o m p]
[on] before [d], [t], [dz], [c], [dż], [cz] example: kąt [k o n t]
[oń] before [dź], [ć] example: rżnąć [r ż n o ń ć]
[oŋ] before [g], [g'], [k], [k'] example: bąk [b o ŋ k]
[o] before [ł], [l] example: wziął [w ź o ł]

USA, Canada / Rationing food in some US-based stores [32]


But it did get to him, which means that cement was there ;)

In the 80's there was the Olympics in Moscow. Any time Russians were building something big there were severe shortages of relevant materials in most of the countries occupied by them.

But to be honest, my point was not so much availability to an average Joe Shmoe, or should I say to an average Kowalski, but the fact that Poland had all the capacity to produce the cement it needed and then some. But not enough to feed the hungry thief in the east.

USA, Canada / Rationing food in some US-based stores [32]

The statement might seem silly. Only yours fails to mention where Polish cement went, and especially in the 1980's? Remember?

The whole Swietokrzyskie is, for practical purposes, one huge bag of unprocessed cement. My dad used to work in Gacki, Dolina Nidy, where they produced cement. Most of it went straight to the east.

Language / Things Polish people who speak English language say [180]


That is strange. I'd say PiS in Polish is prononunced more like peace than piss.