Language / What is the most annoying thing about non-native Polish speakers? [90]

Sorry, I guess I wasn't logged in. I am the "guest" above.

News / Is Poland experiencing the same economic problems as is USA? [30]

It is the people buying things on credit, things that they don't even need, like a new car, or a house that they only want to make money on and so deteriorate the neighborhood because they don't even live there to maintain the property, and the drug dealers move in to the abandoned property which is abandoned because the jack asses in California and New York decided to try to sell Texas, Florida, and Colorado properties for at more than twice their actual value and no honest citizens can afford it. This screws things up for honest/disciplined people who just need a way to get to work and a roof over their head, and it breeds crime and inflates prices by creating an artificial deficiency.

USA, Canada / POLISH AMERICANS AND THE 2008 US ELECTION [79]

To all those who claim that the USA presidential election is a personality contest: then it is your own fault, and from the "reasoning" that I have read here regarding why various candidates are in bad favor, you are only endorsing this contest. If you want to decide who is the best candidate, then don't disparage them with vacuous popular derrogations, actually try to identify their policies. And if you really believe that you can't trust anything that they say, then at least recognize that all three of the contenders have had statistically significant political carriers and their votes on formerly implimented policies are available. Lastly, and I urgently hope that everyone realizes this fact: you are not limited to vote for party nominees. One of the greatest political autrocities committed by the USA media is to try to convince the citizens that a vote for a "third party candidate" is a wasted vote. This is precisely the reason that McCain has the Republican nomination.

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

- a MickyD's in what looked like a 13th century (i.e. really freakin' old by US standards) basement (w Krakowie)

- a shopping center at the top of the ski-lift (w Zakopanu)

- public transportation (my first experience with such a concept)

- buying fireworks in "Walmart" (the apparent Polish eq. thereof) for Sylwester

- no card games during a social gathering

- extremely formal

- proliferation of homemade "wodka" (and I use the term loosely) and the intense social obligation to "sample" each "variety"

- the furniture (especially the bed) and bedding implimentations (all though now I suppose it would be much less of a shock since IKEA has established a strong presense here)

- extreme security measures

- old fashioned market is the norm, even w Krakowie (I absolutely love this aspect of Poland)

- funny warning sign for pedestrians crossing the road (it is a stick figure getting hit by a "stick car" and flying off balance)

- Oswencim

- three days of Christmas

- Polish driving/"roadways"

- breakfast

- all that spoken and writen Polish everywhere (although sadly it is hard to get away from English in the background)

Food / COFFEE BRANDS IN POLAND & ELSEWHERE? [17]

Tchibo is the best value (quality vs. price), and they have an interesting little store with the most random assortments of items. I have recently had the displeasure of experiencing a very bland package of Lavazza (which used to be my favorite), and I no longer go out of my way to find it. I used to be a bean-grinding snob - I would even do it in the office. But I decided that the preground coffee was just as good and a lot less work, so I only grind the brands that are available exclusively whole bean. I always err on the side of finely ground. Millstone and Sweetwater are pretty good.

Food / Żubrówka + apple juice anyone? [41]

Gimme Jack all the way. I could not find it in Krakow (of course, I didn't look in every store). I haven't seen Zubrowka in the US. It's funny, if I found it here, I would probably think it was the coolest bottle of alcohol in the store. It is very difficult to find Zywiec here, too (and amusing to see how it is spelled in some of the databases).

BTW, bulgogi is where it's at.

Language / 'przytulic' cannot ever be properly translated into English [33]

I don't understand what is missing from "snuggle". Should there be violins playing in the background? Should there be candles and stuff? Should one partner be resembling a "6" while the other mimicks a "9"? So przytulic = "to snuggle with violins in the background and candles and stuff while in 69"? Or is it like in that movie "Cacoon" where they "share themselves" (straszliwy)?

BTW: I think I might get beyond przytulenie when I use that word next time. Thanks.

Language / What does "czy" mean? [37]

I would say don't confuse "czy" with "is/are/will/etc." that is used in English sometimes to start a sentence? That is either already acounted for in the Polish by "jest/bedzie/etc." or it is "hidden" in the Polish verb (because Polish actually has verb forms for perfective vs. imperfective unlike in English where we have to use helping verbs).

I would disagree with the Spanish analogy as well, because one can also make such constructions as "¿Que ...?" which would then be "Czy co ...?", and I don't know if that would make sense.

I think of "czy" as Polish for the "missing word" that belongs to the set: what, who, where, when, etc.. I would venture to say that, when "czy" begins a question, it simply has no English translation. Haha, this is payback for a/an/the, except that we English speakers only need to be aware of it and don't have to worry about when to use one of three different versions.

That reminds me, that is another thing I never got the hang of. When to use "czy", "albo", and there was some third word. I would translate all of them to "or".

The third word is "lub".

Language / Pronunciation difference between Ź and Ż / RZ [83]

Just to clarify, are the following associations also true?

ż = rz ?
ź(i) = z(i) ?

and the palatalization that you mentioned works also for the c and s versions? I wonder if I will ever be able to distinguish these sounds. Now I know how the Koreans feel with "l" and "r".

USA, Canada / US Polonians complain about petrol prices... [11]

I haven't seen a $7000 car on the market in a LONG time. Is that a used Isuzu?

"It's a free country."

I'm sure it's for sale, but I don't think it's free. I never understand what people mean by this statement. But probably this is one of those debate tricks where, if you disagree, then you look unpatriotic (albeit an antiquated sentiment) whereas all it really amounts to saying is "I should be allowed to do whatever I want". I don't agree with this and I hope most people don't. The situation is that everything you do has some effect on everything else. And when you burn more than your share of gas you deplete everyone's resource, not to mention worsen everyone's air quality. And then there's the extra rubber that gets rubbed onto the ground and the extra (quite nasty) fluids that are exchanged (I think gear oil is the worst in terms of nastiness x frequency of exchange). And finally, after you get done being free in your country to simply throw away the car and get a new one, all that glass and metal and artificial interior crap gets to sit in a junk yard. You should have to store all of your old fluids and tires in your living room, and your old car, too, when you get tired of playing with it like an apathetic jerk.

Unfortunately, this diverse car culture leads to the dilema that, while driving a smaller car is generally better on the resources and environment, it is unsafe due to the jackasses in their monster tanks on their cell phones. For instance, one of the greatest cars ever produced, our 94 Corolla, was slammed from behind at a crosswalk by a careless F-250 driver. We couldn't even see any damage to his 50 million ton bumper, but the insurance company totalled our poor baby. So, just like that, not running over the pedestrians in the cross-walk cost us about $5,000 (the difference we have to pay out of pocket to regain a car in good condition) and an irreplaceable vehicle while the jackass probably hasn't even batted an eye since.

USA, Canada / I might be moving to Florida.... [36]

Why do you think you get less? YOU get to live in PL. Location, location, location. Don't artificially hype up FL, y'all. There are a few ridiculously expensive cities on the coast and then everything else is pretty much a whole lot of nothing (piney woods). Oh, ya, that reminds me. Don't expect a bunch of tropical ambience, either, unless you are rich, you will live in the pine tree forrest.

Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

I can't believe I forgot this one:

eating raw meat (sausage, bacon)

USA, Canada / I might be moving to Florida.... [36]

mafketis,

I'm just going to take a wild guess that you're from south FL, I-4 or further. Although there is also a possibility that you are from that much nicer but less well known area (of which I dare not speak).

Language / 'przytulic' cannot ever be properly translated into English [33]

After an orgasm I just want to go to sleep. So this is like tryptophan in turkey? I wonder if this is just a matter of someone giving the word their own personal meaning, like I do with so many words.

So, if you don't kiss (unsexually) then "nie przytulisz"? If you don't stroke then "nie przytulisz"?

I could also say that when I "snuggle", in my experience, there is also stroking and kissing involved. But that doesn't mean that stroking and kissing are part of the meaning of "snuggle" (officially).

I don't mean to be contrary. Actually, I like the idea of untranslatable words; they really do give a sense of culture. But I am just suspicious about this one ...

Language / 'przytulic' cannot ever be properly translated into English [33]

Wouldn't that be "cieszyc sie"? I guess you could argue that is two words, but I always thought that those verbs that come with reflexives are really just a compound verb.