News / Poland growth rate [34]

Of course it would... but

-0.047% number support my view that quite a lot don't have it... Of course you can see many women with that "polish-mother" sentiment, but very often it is towards somebody else's child :-)

-0.047% may fool you. It seems like there is stability (two children per women) but it isn't. Bear in mind that people are dying older and older which disturb picture here... In fact current fertility rate in Poland is about 1.3 children per women... (2007).

PS. More interesting info here (in polish... ooo, in english too!):

News / Poland growth rate [34]


Sokrates I have quite a contrary experience. Your statement is an invalid extrapolation :-) Well, everybody do that sometimes :-)

Anyway growth rate is a problem. Imigration is not an answer, at least not in the western europe style. There is quite not funny joke in Poland that in 2100 Poland will border on China... So, maybe in 2150 China will border on (T)Gurkey... Poland population growth problems is nothing in comparision with Ukraine or Russia...

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


You would be surprised... :-)

Travel / Vacation in Wroclaw in June with 20 Month Old Baby [6]

Lori, I think point 8 of the offer – „Recreational Wrocław” would suit you and your baby
( wrota.wroclaw.pl/w/oferta/oferta_eng.htm ). The tour goes through the biggest park in the city, which hides the city’s history and curious details as well. It can be individually customised. If you are interested, please let us know at: biuro@wrota.wroclaw.pl

to get more details.

Ups, the above post was addressed to yogababysmama. Lori, if you get in touch with us and give your expectations, we’ll be happy to prepare a customized tour for you as well. You can also choose the standard tour which leads through the oldest area (including medieval churches, the town hall, the baroque university building an a lot of legends and stories).

biuro@wrota.wroclaw.pl
Hope to meet you soon!

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]

Many of you pro communist people usually refers to how capitalism is bad because of the big greedy companies. Yes, to big and powerful is a problem, but what you seem to forget is that almost in all capitalist countries most part of GDP fall to small bussiness, very often small family bussiness. In fact small bussiness is in the core of capitalist system (for example in USA it is almost 70% of GDP). In my opinion the most important error in communist ideology lies in undermining small bussiness. There is no prosperity without small bussiness, there is no fast rebuild after crisis without small bussiness. Every political system which undermines small bussiness is doomed.

This is exactly what happened in Poland in communism era, small bussiness has been eradicated. Half of the GDP was gone and people got angry...

Travel / Vacation in Wroclaw in June with 20 Month Old Baby [6]

Hi yogababysmama
I won't deny: this is an advert. But if you're coming to Wroclaw maybe it's not such a bad idea to explore the city with a professional city guide? If you're interested, go to Syzyfki

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Well, a few years ago I was working in Spain for couple of months in some IT project... It was consultant role. They hired us because they have a fire going on. Anyway after few days we found out why there was a fire:

- nobody had any idea what they were doing
- usually they were starting at 9:30, but weren't doing anything till "siesta"
- between 01:00 - 03:00 p.m. almost everybody was out
- well, at 04:00 p.m. they were starting to realize that they had done nothing
- about 06:00 p.m. everybody was terrified because managers came and shouted "why nothing was working?!" so they all was staying till 09:00 p.m.

Managers... well, all they've been doing was never ending every day meetings and pissing off everyone by asking "what were you doing all day?" (well, everyone was at the meeting, right? )

In the end in spite of huge part of the system wasn't working at all project ended "successfully"... Only because of client apparently didn't assume that it will work properly anyway...

So you can see clearly similarities with communist approach (at least in most of companies in communist Poland):
- not many people had any idea what is the purpose of his/her work
- not many people was doing anything at work
The difference was
- nobody cared about managers and leaved about 04:00 p.m.
- everybody knew that client wasn't important...

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Well espana, speak for yourself...

PS. if espana has something to do with Spain, then don't let me start about Spanish attitude...

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


I see a difference, but I'm worried about future. That's why I'm writing about this USSR history whitenning in Russian history books. Young generation learns about history from this twisted books... Effect? youth movements like "Nasi" (ours?).

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


I must be my terrible english :-)
For example (simplifacation):
USSR made Sputnik, this was great achievement, so Russians used to say: "we did that".
USSR made Gulag, this was terrible thing, Russians used to say: "it wasn't our ancestors fault, it was this evil outsiders. Stalin? Stalin was from Georgia!".

And so on.. This process lead to idealization of USSR. In that way history is rewritten.
Putin indeed said that USSR collapse was great tragedy...

So, Russians cann't expect that other nations will accept Russia as a heir apparent of USSR achivements without taking USSR faults.

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


The problem is that Russia wanted to inherit only this what was good in USSR, in symbolic level as well (national anthem for example...). No other past soviet state do that (?)...

Because of that there is still a lot of "white stains" in Russian history books (I only heard about it, didn't see). Because of that there is for example this unnecessary obstruction regarding Katyn in Russian court.

Simply put: you cann't just take what was good and forget what was bad, and start saying around the world how tragic it was that USSR collapsed (Putin). It is simply incoherent message.


Germany... They have some pull back recently, but still they've managed with their past quite well. Personally I don't require from Russia any big moves, just this constant denial is tiring. Of course important factor here is time... to many important people in soviets era are still alive.

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


OMG... I've really started to believe that you are from NK, now I finally see you are joking :-)

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Well if it is the most realest then there is no hope for communism.
Communism has a tiny chance only if there is no personality cult. NK doesn't pass that test.
If real communism is some kind of optimum point, then NK is aproaching it from the wrong direction something like -1/n where n->infinity...

So I have to disagree with you Juche, I think that the most realest communism is in Sweden they are like 1/n where n->infinity... I hope that they will stop at some point because you know they will clash with you, o wait that is impossible, well at least they will be very close to you, if you don't stop that madness :-)

PS. Juche, did you get that book I've recomended you? You really need it :-)

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Yeah... this worked out perfectly on Siberia... so many cultures mix together.
From Pole point of view the only difference between German fascism and Soviet Union communism during Stalin rule was in scale and instruments used for slavery and extermination. Fortunately after Stalin it was mostly only kind of slavery.

I have to say that Soviets were much cleverer, especially regarding propaganda. I cann't believe so many people still believes in that system, especially french "intellectuals".

We can argue for what extent soviet type of communism was real communism,
but it is insanity to claim that this system was working and was benefiting simple man.


It Poland quality of food was much better to, at least between 1978 - 1989. During that time shops were empty, so people used to get food straight from relatives in the village

(if someone was lucky enough to have them)... :-) So this was very ecological food...

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Isn't that a perfect description of current China?

News / Most important invention made in Poland [53]

Reverse Polish Notation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_Polish_notation

More interesting things there: powells.com/biblio?isbn=9780792322931

Here something I hope I will understand some day: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banach-Tarski_paradox
:-)

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]

Ok Juche, I surrender...


?
Maybe some good czech humour could help you, any Czech on forum?
I think you should read "Adventures of good soldier szwejk"... It would give you an idea what I think about "march to drill music"...

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Hm.. Warsaw has one line but this line has more stations that yours two combined :-)
This red line is metro:

Warsaw lines

In fact neither of this two cities can be proud of their metro net :-) Fifty years of communism.... It is not like during communism nothing is build... The problem is that much less usable things is build because of misallocation of resources. Juche think about this big hotel of yours? Wasn't it a waste? so many years for what? Some concrete skyrocket? You could build third metro line instead...

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Maybe... but I think that the most important is a fact that in 80' oil prices went down.
It killed USSR, because it was sources driven economy. I think Gajdar did nice article somewhere about it.

The same thing is now with Russia, but at least there is no weapon race, and they have big cash reserves. This time they will survive I think.


:-)

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]

You mean you have been working for free ?!? Some would called that slavery, but maybe only because it looks like Egyptian piramid...
Who do you (as a nation) plan to bury there?

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Man... I'm really hoping you are joking, but if not, that's interesting:
Have you been paid for work? I see volunteer, but anyway, have you been paid?

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Well, I know... In fact I really like "Palace of Culture" and I'm not eating in McDonald, but...


OMG! One Palace of Culture is enough!

Hm... maybe Palace of Culture wasn't the greatest architectural communist sin.
The worst was Great Plate(?) = Wielka Płyta. I think we need at least another fifty years to get rid of that....

PS. Juche, are you really from North Korea ?! Man, you have a communist masterpiece in NK, don't you?:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryugyong_Hotel

It is AWESOME ;-)

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]


Where did find these revelations? Only because Poles were ruled by communists doesn't mean, that everything Poles build in Poland between 1945-1989, counts as "brotherly support". And yes, there were some Soviets on contracts in Poland, but there were also Poles on contracts in USSR. Usually it wasn't for free...


Well, this palace is not so bad, there is nice view from a top, if you know what I mean ;-)

History / Why communism failed in Poland? [275]

The problem with communism is, that everywhere it was introduced with some military power and everywhere there is/was some kind of dictatorship. From ancient times, every dictatorship fails sooner or later. There is no long term stability without freedom.

Communism in Poland failed because it was introduced by Soviets = external dictatorship.
When soviets failed, their puppets in Poland failed too.


Man, what a bullshit... The only things USSR built in Poland was "Palace of Culture" and military bases... Yes, Poland was devastated, but Poles rebuilt it, nobody else...

Ok, Poland got part of Germany, and lost territory on the east, but before Poland got it, Russians took away every single screw from factories there. Wroclaw (Brezlau) in 1945 was a desert in very essence of this world.


Hm... where have you been between 1989 - 2000? During this period Russia had even bigger problems than Poland, Czechs, Hungary... It is obviously quite contrary to your statement


what can you say then about even more agrarian Russia in 1917? :-)

News / More and more jobs moving to Poland from other parts of Europe... [50]


Public help plus I believe somewhere there: ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/customs/index_en.htm

you can find out that tax for parts is lower than tax for finished electronic goods.
At least that was the case in the past.


I think that is the price for english as an international language :-)
There are not many Indians speaking polish, german, dutch... :-)
I assure you that at least in Poland we don't plan to accept english as an official language, so call centers for polish customers are safe :-)

PS. Hm... curiosity is that recently in Poland opened up call centers for European customers... For example HP opened such branch in Wroclaw for French customers...

News / More and more jobs moving to Poland from other parts of Europe... [50]


They will not all move to asia. The reason for that is duty... There is a lot of talking about free trade but in reality EU is very good in defending internal EU market. Especially during crisis I don't see any new successful WTO meetings. I think that in the long view some tax equality among competing countries in EU is inevitable.

PS. Important thing is that Dell isn't european company. So we shouldn't worry about Dell, we should rather think what should we do to have in europe more companies like Nokia. I mean companies which are modern and originate in Europe. I think EU should support biotechnology sector. I'm from IT sector but I think future belongs to biotechnology.

News / More and more jobs moving to Poland from other parts of Europe... [50]

Poland is and will be for some time a place with cheap labour. Wasn't it the same in Ireland twenty years ago? I feel sorry for people in Limerick, but at the same time I'm happy that Lodz will get some new jobs... Nothing is for ever in this world...

USA, Canada / Senate Approves $838 Billion Economic Recovery Package [9]

It doesn't look good. I recommend you this site: market-ticker.denninger.net

It seems to me that this guy knows what he is talking about. I hope he is wrong... but if he is right then America will end in Depression. I wonder how it will influence Poland. Not only economical, but also for example what will happen with NATO?

What he points out today is news from Bloomberg which says:

"China should seek guarantees that its $682 billion holdings of U.S. government debt won't be eroded by "reckless policies," said Yu Yongding, a former adviser to the central bank.

The U.S. "should make the Chinese feel confident that the value of the assets at least will not be eroded in a significant way," Yu, who now heads the World Economics and Politics Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in response to e-mailed questions yesterday from Beijing. He declined to elaborate on the assurances needed by China, the biggest foreign holder of U.S. government debt."

What will US do when Chinese stop buying treasuries? FED cann't buy everything (it is already buying some of it!)

News / Polish engineer beheaded in Pakistan. [347]

Many people here says "Islam - religion of peace" or "most muslims are moderate".
It is just not true, at least from outside view...
There are over bilion of them. Why there are only "moderate muslims" and fanatical muslim terrorists? Where is big group of fair and noisy muslisms? Ok, maybe there are a few, but A FEW in over bilion population ?! Why, if this big "moderate" group is so peaceful and just, there are no "march for peace" or "march against fanaticism" organized and attended mostly by muslims? When some draughtsman did funny picture with Muhhamad, then was big outrage, where is this outrage now, when innocent man was killed?

FOR OUTSIDERS MUSLIMS LOOKS LIKE BIG MASS OF SECRET ADMIRERS OF MUSLIM TERRORISTS.

When someone is silent then his/her voice doesn't count!

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


It was a Pyrrhic victory. Poland history was written by Soviet Union and local communists for fifty years.