News / Die Welt-Poland and Germany are the economic driving force of Europe [239]


That means that an average Chinese will be more likely to have a job than an average American. That also means that the average American's debt will continue to increase.


Agreed on both counts, although I'd prefer that instead of rocking America started to work.

News / Die Welt-Poland and Germany are the economic driving force of Europe [239]

Sure they have problems and nobody in their right mind would choose to live in China over the US. The point is that you cite numbers with little understanding of what they mean, and even then, you cite numbers that you pull out of your rear end.

Chinese economy grew by "measly" 8% to 10% since 2006, which in the US would be considered a boom. For the same period the US economy had some serious lows, reaching -2.63%. So while Chinese economy continued to grow, the US economy shrank and unemployment grew to about 10%. If things go well the US economy is likely to grow by some 2.5% in 2011. For the same time the Chinese economy is projected to grow at about 8 to 9% and their unemployment is at about 4 to 4.5%. Some predict that it won;t be all roses for China though, and that their growth will shrink to about 7.5%, which is 3 times better than what's expected for the US.

In conclusion... the gap is closing and your 2006 data is useless.

News / Die Welt-Poland and Germany are the economic driving force of Europe [239]


It doesn't. That's why saying that the Chinese make 3% of what Americans do is not a true picture of reality. even then, the numbers are false Chinese PPP is 16% of that in the US, not 3%.


Chinese economy had constant growth since 2006, the US was romancing recession. A lot changed since 2006.

News / Die Welt-Poland and Germany are the economic driving force of Europe [239]


These numbers are meaningless. China is certainly no heaven but you cannot compare wages without their context and pretend you painted a true comparison.

USA, Canada / Think you're Polish (and live in the USA)? [161]


First, where did I praise China?
Second, read that list again. So much of it applies to the US.


No need to wait. It's been happening right before our eyes.
But, if you insist... mainstream economists predict more hard times ahead. There are even mentions of bank bailouts version 2.0.


Sure it is. But the topic is the US and the state the US is in is not pretty.

USA, Canada / Think you're Polish (and live in the USA)? [161]


you may lol all you want but this is no conspiracy theory. It is mainstream media. America is in decline. China, which just a few decades ago could hardly feed her citizens, is now the leading creditor to the US.

Only the blind can't see that the US is bleeding badly, and I'm not saying this with glee. After all, living in Canada, I appreciated the US being the largest buyer of Canadian goods and services.

USA, Canada / Things that Polish-American should know about Poland. [168]


I wrote nothing about any Schengen theories. I wrote about Polish law in regards to visas for Americans. I linked to a relevant page of Poland's government website where they state clearly that Americans (among others). Do not need visas to visit Poland. Wikipedia states the same, in the very article Harry linked to, and immediately under the fragment he quoted.

But of course you are the only and final judge in regards to Polish visa regulations :)

USA, Canada / Things that Polish-American should know about Poland. [168]


First, you cannot "leave" an ethnicity on an individual level. It takes a generation or two before doubts can arise. That is especially clear in the context of North America where there is not such thing as "ethnically American". Obama is not one, Clinton is not one either.

There is also no such thing as "ethnic Canadians" to denote an ethnicity. In fact the term "ethnic Canadian" denotes a person with ethnic roots or ties to their countries of origin, either directly or through their parents. So Canada's Prime Minister is NOT and ethnic Canadian. The same applies to "ethnic Americans". They are in fact "plastic Americans", as opposed to those born in the US and Native Americans, aka American Indians.

If we were to accept your thesis then it would follow that a Pole living in Canada by choice is of no ethnicity at all. Is that even possible?


Really?
You forgot to mention that Americans, Polish or otherwise, [msz.gov.pl/Countries,whose,citizens,are,not,required,to,have,a,visa,when,entering,Poland,2347.html] do not need visas to visit Poland.

What you also "forgot" to mention from the very source you quoted is:

Poland treats nationals of other countries whom it considers Polish citizens as if they were solely Polish.

A Pole does not lose Polish citizenship by virtue of living outside Poland, not matter what oaths of "allegiance", or rather oaths of convenience they take. Let's face it, out of about 50% of naturalized Canadians only those of British Commonwealth take the so called queen seriously. And even then, only some. To others the queen is a thing of fairy tales or of the past at best.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, a Polish citizen can not lose Polish citizenship, unless at own request. Not matter how hard various foreigners try, and regardless how much they write on the matter, the bottom line is that unless an individual Polish person formally wishes otherwise, once a Pole always a Pole. And that's the law.

Persons who are not Polish citizens can certainly voice their opinions but they have zero influence on the matter. If they live and work in Poland then it is their duty to pay income and other local taxes, a part of which is used to allow Poles living abroad to vote in Polish elections. That is really appreciated.

Keep up the good job.

Life / I got beaten and kicks in my face just cuz i dont look polish [205]

is that what she told you? ;)

History / Silesia occupation [49]


Not any more than all of Canadian territories are.

News / Poland's atheist loonies have had their 5 minutes [239]


actually, not all Christian denominations have this doormat vermin policy.
I haven't seen or experienced even one example of that policy used by RC, or Lutherans (just some of the examples).


I only had two attempts of visits by mormons in the last 20+ years. In both cases the encounters were very brief. In that same time I had literally literally dozens of visits at my door and hundreds by phone from travel agencies, charities (real and fake) electric power distributors, natural power distributors, political candidates, cosmetics gurus etc. Should I be ticked of with electricity and should I stop using soap?

Work / What is the average age of graduate students in Poland? [17]


You heard incorrectly.

News / Poland's atheist loonies have had their 5 minutes [239]


OK, so you met a Christian who happens to be a jerk.
Chances are you also heard abut another Christian, known a Mother Teresa. And yet you chose to use the jerk as a representative of the what Christians stand for.

Why not someone who can easily be considered a good person?
Are you prejudiced?

News / Poland's atheist loonies have had their 5 minutes [239]


Reading, it seems, is not enough to some.
Catholicism is not a religion of ancient Rome, but a religion that was legalized in ancient Rome, indeed by Constantine. He did not create it. The Roman Catholic Church (with emphasis on the Catholic) began at least about 150 years before Constantine was born.

RC Church is THE Christian Church, and all others are mostly offshoots growing out of it as de facto branches, even though, mistakenly, they consider themselves as completely separate. The RC is the base for their various interpretations of the scripture.

And no, the Protestant Reformation did not happen because Constantine allegedly founded it or because allegedly it was the Religion of Ancient Rome. I see no references in the RC doctrine to personalities such as Jupiter, Minerva, Mars, Apollo, Diana or Vesta. These were some of the Ancient Rome's deities.

Martin Luther did not fight the RC doctrine as such. He fought against the corruption within the Church's hierarchy, although some theological basics come to the fore eventually. Some of the Protestant movements had actually little to nothing to do with the Catholic dogma at all so it was replaced with other dogmas for reasons very much Earthly. One of the most glaring examples was one Henry VIII, formerly The Defender of the (Catholic) Faith.

So yeah, read "it's" history. I mean really read about it. It's fascinating.

Study / Opinions about '2 weeks intensive Polish course' [26]


We had a poster here, a bright and young American fella who bragged he would learn Polish in 30 days. After a little more than that someone asked him about the progress. He claimed some distractions made him change the schedule a little, but he still insisted he would make it.

I think it was some 2 years go. We haven't heard from him in a while, in Polish or English.

2 weeks to learn Polish sounds like a very blatant scam.

News / Gazeta Wyborcza of Poland losing readers [301]


You are strangely silent in regards to this lowlife's comment that is started the "off topic" with this perfidious comment:


Are you applying the same, clearly prejudiced, approach in judging the value of "news"papers as you do in attacking the people whose family members were insulted without any reason?

USA, Canada / CULTURE SHOCK! (of my Polish finance who visited the US) [210]


Have you been to Buffalo other than to see a Bills' game, or to see Canadians whack the US hockey team?

I was there for about 3 years on every business day and some weekends. I know the place pretty well. It's a dump. No question about it. I'm not in a rush to go there if I don't have to, but the next time I'm across the river I'll take a few pictures of the route. I won't even go to the worst of the dump. Kinda risky and beyond dump, so I'll just show you the average residential 'hood.

About 1/3 of former Buffalo residents thought the same about the city. Some who stayed may as well think it's a paradise. Others simply any other choice since food coupons won't buy you much mobility within the US anyway.

USA, Canada / What phone card should I use to call from USA to Poland? [8]

Lately I have been using CiCi. $10 buys me ~6.6 hours with Poland.

News / Pole-basher Gross up to old tricks [284]


Still trying to avoid the answer. Understandable.
After all, why should we believe your opinion of Finkelstein over that of Chomsky's.


Put these drugs away Harry. You may not get better but at least there is a chance you'll stop getting worse.


which is what Finkelstein says all along. Gross is yet another mediocre scribe trying to make a buck or two.

News / Pole-basher Gross up to old tricks [284]


They don't have to know it.


You still haven't uttered a word on the subject. I'm not surprised. It would push your self ridicule to the limits if you tried to discredit the academic qualifications of Chomsky.

But then, given some 3 decades of your brain on ventolin that wouldn't surprise me either.


So your reasons are better than others'.
OK, sorry, didn't realize that.

News / Pole-basher Gross up to old tricks [284]


The issue is whether he is diligent or not. He is not and it doesn't require a person from the same school to show that. Facts are independent of where someone has his office.


As many as Gross.


Is the personal attack in a cowardly distraction from Chomsky's comments I linked to?


Don't encourage him. It's already damaged what he thinks is his brain.

News / Pole-basher Gross up to old tricks [284]


You forgot about one detail. The US oath of allegiance is bogus. It ends with "so help me God", which in a State with the official separation of Church and State is equivalent to " just kiddin' ".

News / Pole-basher Gross up to old tricks [284]


wrong argument. Consensus views are of insufficient value when it comes deciding whether something is true or not. There was once a consensus view about the Sun revolving around the Earth.


Finkelstein is much closer to being historian than Jan Gross, who is has a degree in physics and sociology.


Completely irrelevant. Both you and I can name any number of giants of science and intellect who never set foot in an Ivy League school. The ideas and achievements of those prominent scientists is taught in places like Princeton. Sadly, some of it but pretty mediocre types.

News / Pole-basher Gross up to old tricks [284]


The act of desecrating graves is in itself disgusting, agreed here, but technically, I'm not sure you can steal from a dead person. It seems that while an act of theft itself may indeed occur when an item is been taken out of the grave, but it is not a theft from the deceased person , but rather from the person's heirs, if there are any.

News / Pole-basher Gross up to old tricks [284]


If I could have a dollar for every time a Princeton prof spews garbage...


"we"? Are you going through a multiple personality issues?


Nothing to do with Finkelstein's qualifications and you know that very well. Unless you feel more qualified that one on the leading intellectuals alive today:

youtube.com/watch?v=P8ENawcSliA
Brain frozen today, or just acting stupid?
How is a son of Jewish parents, and born in the US "Polish" born?


Well, if you insist Finkelstein is "Polish born" then there are a huge number of "Polish born" Ivy League professors.


So you're OK with people criticizing Poland but you flip when they do the same to the US? I don't understand that either.

USA, Canada / CULTURE SHOCK! (of my Polish finance who visited the US) [210]


Upstate NY is a big place :)
Some nice areas though indeed. I particularly liked weekend trips to the West Point Academy. Nice spots to spend a weekend. But then, this spot was (and I guess still is) subject to a very particular branch of "economy". They're doing well. So are some little picturesque areas such as Spring Valley and such. But... does that change the fact that Buffalo is a dump? (and don;t get me started on Detroit or Baltimore)


As long as you drive cars and have light bulbs, yeah, you will the US will be buying from Canada what they cannot steal without much negative PR. Heck, we are also thankful even for those few dollars Americans bring in the middle of scorching Summer, looking for nearby ski resorts :)


Sadly, we have only just under 50% the Chinese you enjoy in the US.

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]


you lost me

USA, Canada / CULTURE SHOCK! (of my Polish finance who visited the US) [210]


I certainly didn't want to generalize, but seeing Buffalo, well.. I hope you understand.


Hey, they threw those $4B on the table recently so there is some change for grabs. It's not like the city has any real chance though. The place is a dump. Did I say that yet?

Oh, and besides, pecunia non olet.

USA, Canada / What should I bring back from the U.S. to Poland? [46]


Actually, he is right and his post was hilarious.
Besides, is being ridiculously fat a cultural diversity? I thought it's actually a medically recognized mental and physical disability?

USA, Canada / CULTURE SHOCK! (of my Polish finance who visited the US) [210]

Haven't been to paradise yet, and I wouldn't call Buffalo, NY hell either, but it seems you have never been to the city. It's is a depressing dump.

But don't take my word for it. Just pay a visit (Niagara Falls, Canada is just across the river and a nice place to visit). Or, if you, understandably, luck funds for the trip, read some of these:

Buffalo, which peaked at more than half a million people in the 1950s, has seen its population decline by almost 50 percent as industries shut down and people left for the suburbs or other cities. (note from me: do you know a lot of prosperous cities with a declining population?)

Like other rust belt cities such as Flint, Michigan, Buffalo has attempted to revitalize its beleaguered economy and crumbling infrastructure. In the first decade of the 21st century, a massive increase in economic development spending has attempted to reverse its dwindling prosperity. $4 billion was spent in 2007 compared to a $50 million average for the previous ten years

They are working on it for sure. But it still looks bleak, i.e. it is a dump.