History / Anyone know 88 Helena Wolinska masterminding execution of Gen Fieldorf? [15]

One problem is that back in the 1950's, when General Wolińska was a prosecutor, the Polish government asked Britain to send back ex AK soldiers to face trial. They didn't send even one single person back then for political reasons, so why start now?

And it's significant that she is a holocaust survivor who was granted asylum when expelled by the communists in 1968.

It seems to me thet General Fieldorf was a true hero, it also seems that he was convicted by a recognised Polish court. Whatever happened all those years ago, an 88 year old woman should never be extradited for political crimes, however vile.

History / Chicago Public Radio on *Polish* concentration camps [62]

On the one hand, saying 'Polish concentration camps' shows a spectacular misunderstanding of history, on the other hand, objecting so strongly to it shows a spectacular misunderstanding of the English language and the attitudes to nationality of the culture that gave rise to it.

A friend here in Warsaw was getting really upset about a news report referring to 'Polish concentration camps'. I don't blame him and understand why people here don't like it.

The same guy though, thinks nothing of referring to Malbork as a 'Polish castle'.

Either 'German concentration camps' and 'German castle', or 'Polish castle' and 'Polish concentration camps'.

It just shows that not everything is as simple as it seems.

History / Chicago Public Radio on *Polish* concentration camps [62]


However the first concentration camp in Europe, Bereza-Kartuszka was set up in (then) Poland by the Poles in the 1930s, before the war, and definitely not 'under Soviet orders' or 'a British invention'.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bereza_Kartuska_Detention_Camp

History / Chicago Public Radio on *Polish* concentration camps [62]


Agreed. Though in the case of pages relating to Poland, there is always very heavy and often acrimonious discussion and in some cases calls for the pages to reflect the Polish point of view and no other even to the extent of translating the Polish-language version!

There's something called the 'Polish Wikipedia Committee' comprising historians and other academics of strongly differing opinions, and they exist to maintain some sort of order (some call it control) on pages concerning Poland.

As for Bereza-Kartuza, more deserves to be known about it - if only to exorcise the ghosts and bring comfort to those (surely elderly) whose relatives were tortured and died there.

Life / The Guardian : Living in Poland [30]


Thanks for quoting my post on the other forum!!

A friend who is a journalist told me the Guardian pay 800 quid plus expenses for an article like that. More if there are pictures. It seems the journalist just got a cheap flight, turned up at Bar Below, Sense, etc and spoke to some of the regulars, who in my experience tend to sit at the bar and tell people how wonderfully they're doing. Some claim to have payed no tax in years, others to have deflowered dozens of village maidens, others to live in swish coroprate apartments. The truth is usually a bit more down to earth.

In ten years here I've seen many people turn up in Warsaw, some do well and stay, some crash and burn, many somewhere in between. Like anywhere else, life iswhat you make it. This isn't the Poland of ten years ago, nor is it Moscow.

But journalists are only really interested in filling column inches in as interesting a way as possible!

Life / BRITS Expats in Poland ARE YOU MISSING ENGLISH FOOD? [48]

Marks and Spencer (in Złoty Taras, Warsaw) have small (but growing) food hall - with mince pies!!, and 'Kuchnie Świat on the lowest level of Złoty Taras has a British foods section (also US, Aus, NZ, RSA). They even sell Bitter Lemon, Custard, Golden Syrup.

UK, Ireland / British throwing food to trashes... [26]

It's a real shame they throw food away (except for the bigos, ALL of which should be quickly disposed of).

I often take food back to UK as presents and never had any trouble, but that's in a suitcase. I know the Post Office have complained about packages with mouldy, potentially salmonella laden food, breaking open and upsetting postmen.

I think the same rules apply here - last time I flew back to Katowice airport they were throwing away tuna sandwiches in case thay were infected with bovine bluetongue.

UK, Ireland / POLISH STUDENT MISSING IN YORKSHIRE UK.... BODY FOUND.. [26]

The person arrested has an English name (Daniel Sykes), is aged 25 and lived in the same neighbourhood. They didn't give any other details, except that Tobiasz had travelled by taxi to three cashpoints that night and withdrawn 40 pounds each time.

What a dreadful Christmas present for the families concerned!

This link, to the local police website has quite a bit on the story. Poor guy...

westyorkshire.police.uk/section-item.asp?sid=12&iid=4220

UK, Ireland / British throwing food to trashes... [26]


Cezarek eats anything except bigos. He even climbed onto the kitchen counter to get at some sledzik, but bigos...

;-))