News / Blood libel fresco in Polish cathedral? [35]


You can't buy it. You must get some floor and water, and cut some Christian baby's throat and make it yourself. But don't worry, you've still got a lot of time to learn to do it properly before the Passover.


I was answering mainly for the sake of other people who may read this thread. Reasonable people know that blood libel is a load of sh*t, but not everyone knows why it is so absurd.

I'm generally very anti-religious but I really get p*ssed off when someone talks such crap. If someone wants to criticize reasonably something Jewish, they get at Israeli politics, gender inequality in Orthodox communities, some nationalistic attitudes etc. But to talk such crap one must be an idiot.

Anyway, thanks to JoeP now I know why this matzah I got from Jews tasted much better than the one from the shop :P. I just thought it was because it was home made.

Life / People with Down Syndrome/Mental disability in Poland [26]

There is no good system of introducing mentally disabled people into normal lives. They just stay at home locked up. And many people think they should, instead of trying to live within the community.

I remember how (positively) shocked I was, when I was served by a mentally disabled boy in a youth hostel canteen in Germany. In Poland, nobody would just think of it - such boy would stay at home and never earn a grosz. I know that employers who hire disabled people get some support from the state but for some reason they don't do it.

Also, ill people don't receive therapy which helps them to live within a community.I know one guy with Aspergers who's left on his own just because he's intelligent. He desperately needs some professional therapist to teach him basic social skills, but he doesn't receive any therapy. I don't think anyone would want to hire him after he graduates because of his behaviour (he's the most annoying person I've ever met and I'd never hire him), so I guess he will stay at home with his parents and get odd jobs from time to time. If someone took care of him, he could lead a normal life because Aspergers is not even a mental disability. The whole system sucks.

Life / People with Down Syndrome/Mental disability in Poland [26]

So, maybe something changes. But these are still exceptions :(

Travel / Cancel PKP ticket possible with refund? [3]

Yes, it is. And I think you need to have your bill with you.

But you will get some 90% of the ticket value back. If you paid extra for reservations, you will not get back the reservations payment back.

Life / Dogs in Poland - why do we keep them? [28]


I wish we had...


Each time some kids see me cleaning after my dog, they laugh at me or insult me. There are little trash bins in my neighbourhood, so each time I walk my dog, I end up carrying the poo in a bag for long distance. It's not just weak reinforcement of the law.

Language / I need a good dictionary! (book) [21]

Damn it, I didn't manage to get to the centre during the day, when the bookshops are still open. Sorry. But as soon as I get there, I'll have a look.

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

'One/oneself' are used as generic terms in dictionaries. If you take an English idiom dictionary, you can find an entry for: 'to be on one's wit's end', and it's assumed that the reader knows it also refers to: he's on his wit's end', 'I'm on my wit's end' etc.

Ergo, 'się' refers also to 'myself', 'yourself', 'themselves' etc.

I think your problem is that you don't know how to use a dictionary.

News / Blood libel fresco in Polish cathedral? [35]

The problem with blood libel is not that Jews are accused of killing someone. Jews have murdered a lot of people, and there are some psychopaths among Jews like among any other nationality.

What is crap about it is that the blood libel connects the crimes with Judaism and states that this is a ritual and that the blood is needed for matzah. And since the Torah is the basis of all the branches of Judaism, and it clearly says: 'You can't eat blood', the blood libel is just bulls.hit.

Jews have lived in isolated communities, so all the evil that any Jew committed was not ascribed to an individual but to Judaism. Nobody says that raping and killing a woman is a Christian ritual just because there are some people in Christian communities who have committed that. That would be absurd, because Christianity forbids to kill and rape. And so is the blood libel absurd, because Judaism forbids to kill innocent people and to consume blood.


You cannot equate community to religion!!!
Neither Christianity, Judaism, Islam or Buddhism has a devil-worshipping cult. If you worship devil, than you aren't a Christian, follower of Judaism, Muslim or Buddhist. You're a devil worshipper.

So, let's suppose that there is a Jewish community and within this community some Jews have decided to worship devil. For the sake of the devil they want to transgress Halacha, blaspheme a bit, so they decide to kill someone and add the non-kosher blood to the ritual Pesach matzah. That's probable. But in this case, they do not longer observe Judaism, so their crime cannot be associated with it.

It's like saying that drawing a pentacle with a goat's blood on the floor is a Christian ritual because some kids within some Christian community decided to worship Satan and did it.

Love / Poking tongue out at a Polish girl - is it considered rude/offensive? [37]

When you poke your tongue out in a Polish kindergarten, it's considered rude. But when an adult doing that might be considered a bit retarded.

Food / Favorite Pierogi? [56]

I like ruskie with sour cream and melted butter with fried onions. The onions must be cut into little pieces and fried on the butter. You pour this on your pierogi and then, add the cream. I can have thirty at once, too. But they must be home made.

And I like sauerkraut and forest mushroom pierogi with lard and skwarki. Sauerkraut for the filling must be fried on lard, of course. But I eat in only for Christmas Eve, because it takes a lot of time to make them.

UK, Ireland / Polish Music Festival in London (and I'm a bit miffed) [22]

What a pity that stuff like Doda or Bajm represent Polish 'music' in London :(

Life / Wedding in Poland - my experience [39]

We call hair of the dog klin.

Wypij klina!

News / Poland boycotts German goods? [266]


There are many German words for tools in Poland. Also, most sailing term are German. But I don't know how they came to Polish.


I haven't read such BS for a long time, even on the net.

Language / Road Madam = dictionary Polish [23]

I am lilac work.

Jestem bez pracy.

Life / PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICES... Problem with Neighbour in Poland. [24]


?מה פתאום

It does, it means "alphabet" and it's pronounced alefbet.


Which most probably comes from Greek analphabetos via some European language, as a lot of Modern Hebrew words do. The Greek pronunciation (analfabet) implies this. From the same Greek word comes Polish analfabeta.

Anyway, it's not very probable to come across an illiterate person in Poland. Even if it's a nightmare neighbour.

Food / What is the name of a Soup made from fried onions and buckwheat? [7]

Maybe with some vegetables and potatos, too? f yes, it's surely krupnik. I can't think of any other soup with kasza.

Life / Is Poland cold? [40]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland#Climate

Study / Study Music in Poland? [26]

Polish musical education is very conservative. If your nephew is into Bach or Chopin, it will be OK for him to study in Poland. But if he's more into Stockhausen or Boulez, he'd better stay out of Poland and go there only once a year for Warsaw Autumn.

I have some experience working with or observing the work of classically trained musicians and I think Polish musical education is limiting. Improvisation and creativity is not encouraged. Many of those people can only play by notes and if they don't have everything written down, they get lost. It is not only my opinion (I'm a musician with no formal education) but also one shared e.g. by my conductor who's getting her second degree in music.

Of course, to a creative person, musical education can do no harm and only help, but I wouldn't count for learning anything more than technique, theory and history of music until the 19th century. Sorry to say this, but most classically trained musicians I know are too conservative to understand anything that was after Schoenberg.

Language / Help with pronunciation of Gorecki Symphony [41]

Mother, mother, don't weep,
The Purest Queen of the Heavens
Always support me.
Hail Mary, full of grace.

I don't think any pseudo-phonetic transcription can give you any idea of the pronunciation. Polish sounds are just completely different.
I think you should either get a recording of this symphony (it shouldn't be a problem), or if you can't figure it out, I can recite it and record it for you, and send it to you in mp3 (I'm a native speaker, so that will be the most proper pronunciation). I don't have the best mic in the world but it should be enough. If you want it, send me your e-mail via PM.

Cool someone is finally not interested in Doda or Feel but in some real music.

Love / What are the chicks like in Poland ? [69]


Hey, I'm a Polish girl and I haven't had any tan on me for ages, even natural one! I'm the most sun-avoiding creature I know. It's not true that all Polish girls use fake tan. You can see my untanned face in my avatar.

Tanning centres in Poland are associated with some certain group of women. Not very bright ones...

Love / What are the chicks like in Poland ? [69]

frenchboy - yes, my skin is so brown!

Language / W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie [23]


It is. 'Sz' and 'cz''are voiceless, so 'w' becomes voiceless, too. In most languages you have processes like that, only English speakers make themselves more problems and do not devoice sounds.

Life / Help with Polish Nicknames / Diminutive Names [21]

Janina - Janka
Barbara - Basia

Samuel - I wouldn't try to make a nickname out of it
Michael - is not a Polish name at all. The Polish equivalent is Michał and it's diminutive is Michaś, but it's good only for a little boy. You usually don't use nicknames for this name

Lusia is a nickname of Lucyna

News / "Jokes" on the account of Poles are part of assimilation process? [19]

I'm a Pole and I can laugh at Polish jokes. I drink moderately, don't steal bikes, I'm educated, so I don't take those jokes personally :P Sometimes I even laugh at sexist jokes. Sometimes I even tell sexist jokes or jokes abot stupid Poles. So what? These are just jokes. If you know your worth, jokes can do you no harm.

Oh, and there's one joke that even describes me but it makes it even funnnier for me.

The devil brought a Pole, an English man, a German man and a French man to the edge of an abyss. He came to the English man and said: 'Jump!'.

'I won't' the English man said.
'A gentleman would'. So the guy jumped.
Next he came to the French guy.
'Jump!'
'I won't'
'But it's en vogue'
So he jumped. Next he came to the German man.
'Jump!'
'I won't'
'But it's an order'
So he jumped. Finally the devil came to the Pole.
'Jump!'
'I won't'
'OK, then don't jump.'
'What? You're telling me I won't jump?!'
And he jumped.

Study / Study Music in Poland? [26]

Rakky, and what kind of formal musical education has he got? It's not so easy to get into a music academy.

News / "Jokes" on the account of Poles are part of assimilation process? [19]

I don't drink vodka, I drink absinthe: 2 bottles a day. And I don't steal bikes or aeroplanes because I'm more civilized. I steal break into accounts via Internet and steal money.

Language / Instrumental form in Polish [65]

Not "najlepszą" but "największą".

This is a very advanced question. The problem is not about syntax (which is OK in both sentences) but about semantics. I can explain it to you, but it will be long and difficult. I hope you know the difference between syntax and semantics... Are you sure you will feel like reading and analysing it?

If you know the theme-rheme (or topic-focus) distinction, then, it will be a bit shorter.

Life / Catholic Church services in Poland [10]

Hebrew. It's even used in Jewish liturgy :P

There's one funny thing about Polish masses, but, I don't know, maybe it's done everywhere...

When the priest takes the bread or the cup and raises it to show it to the congregation, people bow heir heads and look at the floor instead of of looking at what is shown to them.

Life / 'The Pianist' - the movie. What's your opinion? Polanski [59]

Quite well done, I liked it. And I liked the music in the film.
I loved the scene when Szpilman, dirty and wearing rags, started playing Chopin to prove he's a pianist.

Life / People with Down Syndrome/Mental disability in Poland [26]


So, apart from lower taxes etc.

Imagine you employ a 'normal' person to a very simple job. Such a worker will be bored and pissed off with doing such stupid stuff. He or she would feel humiliated to do this instead of getting something more demanding.

And imagine you employ a mentally handicapped person who is not suitable to do anything more complicated. Such a person will be very happy to have a real job, earn real money, he or she will feel needed, important and a part of the 'normal' society.

Would you prefer to work with happy and thankful subordinates or with the ones who hate the lousy job you give them?