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Posts by Mali  

Joined: 3 Mar 2008 / Female ♀ 		Last Post: 1 Jun 2008
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Posts: Total: 300 / In This Archive: 200

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Mali   
22 Apr 2008
Life / What do Polish people think of burning the national flags? [58]

Who did the flag represent if there was no Polish government, or Poland as a State?

The state does not always represent the majority of the people. How often do you get a majority govt? The state often serves in self interest at the expense of the masses.

Most nations also have laws what you can do with other people - murder, prostitution, child abuse, adoption laws etc, are all regulated. Does that mean people's lives belong to the state?

Actually, most laws are what you can not do, rather than what you can do.
In a centralized state, the lives of people pretty much belong to the government. Even in a neoliberal decentralized state where there is supposed to be little involvement of the state, as in the US, there is a lot of governmental involvement in people's lives.

And what about flags of nations who do not have an independent State, or government? Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and a host of others were in that situation. Who do or did those flag represent when there was no state or government?

The people appropriated the flag as their own. Ultimately, I believe that the flag belongs to the state, once it is reinstated.

Our perceptions may differ because of a generation that sets us apart, and perhaps the culture, even though we are both Polish.

I don't want to sound too dramatic, but for me as a person born and raised in Poland, whose history has been so difficult in the last couple of centuries, it is not acceptable to burn the Polish flag. Thousands gave their lives for the right to display it. IMO this is similar to desecrating graves.

I don't think that they're anything wrong with wanting to display the flag or even being proud of it. However, if a people are fundamentally against what their government is doing (ie starting a war), they should be allowed to burn the flag to show their unhappiness and not be punished for it. Of course, the situation differs in many nations because of their history and I do think that it would be different to burn a flag in Poland (where people had to fight for their flag, as you said) versus the US where you are expected to agree with what the state is doing because you are unpatriotic if you disagree.
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
News / Why does Poland love the US? [144]

This was the papers quote not mine.

I know. I was referring to the insanity of proliferating Warsaw with 'antimissiles'. What a way to make enemies.
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
Life / What do Polish people think of burning the national flags? [58]

That is not true! U can still get away with it. U might get shot by a disgruntled Iraqi veteran monkey though! I made a blog disrespecting the military on yahoo and was booted off. I recieved several death threats just for saying the military doesn't deserve any more respect than other occupations Mc Donalds employees included LOL.

Just you wait Rocky lol! Grow a beard and they'll reserve an all-inclusive package just for you.
People that serve burgers are even more patriotic than the military because they serve Freedom Fries! :)
Don't you love knowing that you're serving your country and clogging your arteries at the same time? yay for blind patriotism.

Just don't drink the water. Excuse me, I mean, just don't have the water forced into your mouth at high volume and speed.

Waterboarding is a sport in the Torture Olympics.
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
Love / BLACK GUYS POLISH WOMEN [809]

True. Although I believe that slavery was involved in building many of these civilizations. However, it was from within so it was a class thing rather than a racial thing (not that that makes slavery any better)

Egypt
Maya
Ancient China
Aztec
the one from India (I always forget what they were called)
etc
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
Life / What do Polish people think of burning the national flags? [58]

i thought burning the spangly banner was tantamount to treason, punishable by a painful and public death.

technically, there is no punishment for it. However, the CIA will probably think you're a terrorist and will blacklist you and treat you to a vacation in a resort called Guatanamo Bay.
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
Love / BLACK GUYS POLISH WOMEN [809]

Would you care to elaborate and mention which ethnic groups are "more intelligent" than others?

The ones that have better access to education have better chances of being more 'intelligent' but I don't think that it is an inherent quality.

Remember that study done by that British professor (Richard Lynn) who was saying that whites are smarter than blacks but asians are smarter than whites? Hasn't it been discredited already?
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
Travel / Cheap airlines are not THAT cheap anymore ! [30]

they believe hand lugagge will suffice!

Yikes! I take more than a hand luggage when I go camping for 2 days! A hand luggage will fit toothpaste, some lipgloss and maybe a light sweater lol!

From Canada, it costs more than $1000 to travel to pretty much anywhere in Europe :( Toronto to Montreal costs anywhere from over $200 - $500 and the flight is a little over an hour. rip off.
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]

Excellent post. No one is going to be 'handed' anything. Whether its Clinton or Obama, the poorer working class people are not going to suddenly become richer because a lot of capitalism depends on cheap labour. I had a prof last semester that used to work for the Cdn. govt and he said that when Ontario provincially elected a left-leaning party (NDP), the day after the elections the premier was flown to the IMF offices in New York where he had to ensure a group of chairmen and officials that he wouldn't make any drastic changes that would effect the capitalist economy in such a way that it would appear socialist. It'll be the same thing in the States. Tons of promises will be made about increasing social benefits but it'll either be completely forgotten by the inauguration day, or it'll be partially implemented over a long period of time.
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
News / Why does Poland love the US? [144]

with Russia now resurgent to
its east, and so the government in Warsaw wants the United States to
base part of its planned antimissile system here to provide an
American guarantee of safety

Insanity
Mali   
22 Apr 2008
Life / What do Polish people think of burning the national flags? [58]

Guess what. That flag did not represent the Polish government. It was used against it. It represented Poland and Polish patriots who were fed up with Poland's government.

In this case the people are using the flag for their cause, but in most cases I would associate it with the government or the state, I should say. The people can think of the flag as 'theirs' but really it is a representation of the state. Even if appropriated by the people, most nations have rules as to what you can do with the flag -> meaning that it is the state rather than the people.

Rocky, there are tons of 'rules' pertaining to the treatment of the flag, not being allowed to burn it is just one of many. There's a 'Flag Code', however there are no penalties as of yet for breaking the code. **so lame that there's a code in the first place**

According to ushistory:

When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of approximately equal size. International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace.

"the union of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff." Section 8d reads, "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel." Section 8b reads, "The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground."

The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature

The best one is that a flag on a tshirt is still considered a flag, so it must be respected as such. If the tshirt is old and ratty, it must be 'retired in a dignified way'
Mali   
21 Apr 2008
Life / What do Polish people think of burning the national flags? [58]

If people are p*ssed off with their gov't, then why shouldn't they be able to burn the flag? Maybe if the gov't would respect the citizens, the citizens would respect the flag.

Nazi USA

I'm thinking 'Stalin USA' would be more appropriate since Stalin was known for jailing civilians for things related to freedom of expression.
There's a comical play written by an American called 'Travesties' (Tom Stoppard) where four unlikely characters meet in Vienna during WWI and they sit around and discuss their 'art'. The characters were James Joyce, Tristan Tzara (sp?), Henry Carr (a 'nobody') and Joseph Stalin. Reading Stalin's take on art is sometimes reminiscent of what is going on in America: its okay to express yourself however you want, as long as you do it in a patriotic way. Obviously its an exaggerated version of the dictator but some parts were uncanny.
Mali   
20 Apr 2008
Life / Bad opinion about Polish people - rumour or the truth? [90]

- a gorgeous Mulberry one, a b'day present from my husband :(

awwwww.... Its always the worst when something of sentimental value gets stolen.

Both instances in quiet wine bars just a few blocks from home....

Our house was robbed during broad daylight in a nice suburb in Toronto. They ran out of time because they probably heard someone coming so they only got to a few things (dvd, mom`s jewelry, $3000 cash that my dad had just withdrawn from the bank and left it in his nightstand drawer because he didn`t expect to be robbed the next day)
Mali   
20 Apr 2008
Life / Bad opinion about Polish people - rumour or the truth? [90]

In Toronto, people generally have a good opinion of Polish people. But then, the Polish population here does not stand out as much as the Chinese or Italian populations do.

Maybe this thread should be renamed to: I Had my (fill in the blank) Stolen in (fill in the blank)

I`ve never had anything stolen in my travels although when I visited Venice, there were signs everywhere saying to watch for pickpockets.

When my family was still living in Poland (in the early 1980s) my mom had her wallet stolen in a store during a busy time of the day.

I bet he had a grand old time of it with that 40p :)

Wow, what a b*tchy thing to say!
Mali   
20 Apr 2008
UK, Ireland / UK recession on the way? [58]

It appears as though the UK is heading for another recession.

UK and pretty much everywhere else. In Canada, economists are saying that the coming recession will be the worst one in 50 years. Gas prices are soaring and people are panicking. My family hasn`t felt it yet, but we`ll see what happens in the next few months.

Exactly what the bankers want. World recession is their dream. If they had their way, it'd be a world government in recession so they could call the shots.

Yup. A few rich ba$tards calling the shots. They probably figured out how much money they can make by inducing a debt crisis in the third world, so why not do it worldwide?
Mali   
19 Apr 2008
UK, Ireland / My Views Of Poles Working in the UK [169]

Toronto has more than 50% of people whose first language is not English, so do a good research before moving here. We already have people who complain about immigration here. Just a fact

Downtown Toronto is like a mini trip around the world. From Little Italy (now mostly Portuguese people) to Greek town to China town etc...
If you do not like immigrants, do NOT come to Toronto! lol!

so true.

So, what`s your sign? *I`m not hitting on you...or am I?*

don't a lot of people there speak french??

Not in the Tdot. Ottawa, Québec and New Brunswick have tons of French speakers. Getting students to even learn French in Toronto is like pulling teeth.
Mali   
19 Apr 2008
Life / The strangest things in Poland [468]

anti-granny

granny hater :)

i find it strange that they stand right behind you at the kiosks, so when you turn around you actually find them under your feet... then they expect you to say sorry, even though its their fault.

So true. Breathing room can sometimes be a foreign idea in Poland.

The staring thing is also very true and very annoying. It makes a person feel like an alien...
Mali   
16 Apr 2008
History / Is anything but Polish history taught in Polish schools? [50]

us evil brits

past tense....none of you evil brits had anything to do with evil brit history ;)
*pet peeve -> people in contemporary times acting as if they had anything to do with the way that their nation was shaped*

anyway,can we get back to the Polish stuff please?????

I never went to Polish school :(

victory belongs to the peoples of Vietnam,

Didn't Cambodia come in and 'help', in order to make the Vietnamese feel indebted?
Mali   
16 Apr 2008
History / Is anything but Polish history taught in Polish schools? [50]

isthatu2:
As to the present day,lets look at the third world,in general which countries are the ones doing the best? Yes,it has to be stated,those that were former colonies or in fact members of the present commenwealth. India is the power hous of central asia is it not,this can clearly be laid at the door of the infrastructure left behind when Britain pulled out in 1947,it is or has been untill recently the same for the African nations.

My money would be on China. They hold over $3 Trillion in foreign reserves. The economy (and army) is growing. There are still tons of poor people, especially in rural areas but the government itself is becoming very powerful.
Mali   
16 Apr 2008
History / Is anything but Polish history taught in Polish schools? [50]

you actually still have lots of indians.. not so much here and of course they got pushed out to wastelands.

Our Natives are living on reserves not fit for animals. As time goes on, their land gets smaller and smaller and their water gets infected with E.Coli, Canadian police barge in with weapons etc... Not exactly a great living.

hey, the french were way nicer then the english in dealing with the injuns

They were both equally bad, IMO.
Natives were seen as 'savages' by both nations and were treated as such. It's an ugly history that Canada loves to cover up in history class.
Mali   
16 Apr 2008
Language / How Many of you love the Polish Language? [79]

I don't love the language. Too many sz cz rz etc...
It's not as ugly sounding as German but still pretty bad.

English is far more melodic and nicer on the ear

I always hear people saying that English is an ugly language because it doesn't adhere to rules as much as languages such as Italian and French where most verbs end in the same letters.

Now I do like Portuguese.

I HATE the sound of Portuguese! A few of my closest friends are Porkchops and when I hear them speak it sounds to me like lazy Spanish (words sound slurred). Plus, my friends mother is this big, fat, evil woman that would refuse to speak to anyone that came over in English because she wanted us to think that she didn't understand but then we'd always find her at the door of my friend's room eavesdropping on our conversations.
Mali   
16 Apr 2008
History / Is anything but Polish history taught in Polish schools? [50]

POLISH schools

How about Canadian schools? :)
Up until University, I was taught that the English and the French that settled in Canada did so peacefully with the fur trade. There was nothing about the English coming in and infecting the Natives with syphilis or the French selling them weapons to kill other nations of Natives. We learned that the French convincingly converted the Hurons into Catholicism but we didn't learn that they were wiped out soon after.

The educational process can be very selective and I think that this is the case with many nations, not just Poland.

Btw, my mom has an MA in world history. She went to a uni in Kielce and she had no problems getting her MA approved in Canada (they even awarded her the years that she taught in Poland), while my brother's gf's parents who both got their MAs in Croatia had to do bridging courses. Obviously education in Poland isn't that bad :)
Mali   
13 Apr 2008
USA, Canada / advice on where to live in Canada [64]

LOL!

I only meant that lawyers have to go through more schooling than do teachers (not to mention that law school costs A LOT more than teacher's college), so its kind of weird when a teacher makes more than a lawyer.
Mali   
13 Apr 2008
USA, Canada / advice on where to live in Canada [64]

You seem to have the mindset that to make good money you have to work for someone RockyMason. It's all about having your own business either full time or on the side after hours. That's how we make 50, 60 sometimes even 70 an hour with a minimal tax hit.

You seem to have the mindset that to make good money you have to work for someone RockyMason. It's all about having your own business either full time or on the side after hours. That's how we make 50, 60 sometimes even 70 an hour with a minimal tax hit.

Yes, exactly what I meant. :)

Minimal tax hit? Are u high? It doesn't matter who u work for u pay the same taxes on the same salaries in the US. If u misreport your earnings that is called fraud. U can get put in prison for decades by the IRS. Most small businesses go under if u didn't know zoogle!

Entrepreneurs are loved in Canada :). Small businesses are encouraged here, which is how people can potentially make a lot of money doing the same thing they'd be doing if they worked for someone else.

Taxes are lower for entrepreneurs under a certain range (didn't research the range, so I don't know exactly) and people write off just about everything. Write-offs are an art form for small businesses.

I was speaking about people that I actually know. I assumed it was average (yes, I know assuming is the worst thing a lawyer could do but I'm not a lawyer yet :) ). I've never bothered to look up the average because I have no interest in it.

As for the lawyer wages, I've known lawyers that work for the crown and don't make that much and lawyers that own their own firms (usually small ones) or work for mid-sized firms and are easily making over $100k. It all depends. Our real estate lawyer has his own small firm and is making a lot more than $100k (I know this because he always teases my mom for being a teacher, since he almost became on himself until he realized how much he hated it and became a lawyer instead. Now he teases her that while she's working her butt off, he's sitting around stamping papers and making 2-3 times her salary).

80k a year

My mom makes more than that as a teacher. She has her MA, and she's in the top category, so she gets paid a bit more than an average teacher, but still, she shouldn't be making more than a lawyer :S

Business in the surrounding Toronto area (I won't speak for all of Canada) can be a huge money-maker if you know what you're doing and start your own business (and get a good accountant). If you know about flipping houses, certain areas in Etobicoke are a gold-mine. You'd have to learn the important bylaws first because its an old town and you wouldn't want to get your building operation shut down for something silly.
Mali   
11 Apr 2008
USA, Canada / advice on where to live in Canada [64]

Definitely. No one will give you the money if you don't know what you're doing or if you don't have much of a reputation.