Travel / Gdansk Christmas markets [26]


I second that. If it is a Christmas market you are looking for, the one in Wrocław is the best.

Love / How common or culturally accepted is divorce in Poland? [43]

@jon357

Your argument isn't with me. It's with the Church. I'm just telling you what their rules are, as laid out in Canon Law. Whether you like them or not is your concern. The fact remains that many people in Poland do take them very seriously, and don't want to risk alienating family and friends by breaking them, or risk eternal damnation. For them, the real-life consequences can be very real and very nasty indeed. And a rational person stuck in that sort of environment would be acting very reasonably indeed if they made every effort to avoid them.

Travel / Gdansk Christmas markets [26]

@Lisah78

If you were staying for a longer time, it would definitely be worthwhile investing in proper winter gear, with emphasis on (real) wool, (real) down, (real) fur and (real) leather. Long down-filled coat, fur-lined skin gloves, long woolen underwear, sweater, scarf and socks, solid leather high shoes and a good hat. You will be comfortable even at -30 with a strong wind.

For a few days, though, you'll just have to bring the best you can and dress in as many layers as you can. And hope for the best weather you can get. If it does drop down to -30 with a strong wind, you won't be spending much time at an a outdoor market, so make sure to find things to do indoors.

You are aware that vodka is the leading cause of people freezing to death in the world?

Law / Poland's Residence Permit for Parents (Non-EU) [8]


I was talking about getting them residency.

As for the visitor visa, that will be very difficult, too. Sponsorship or not, the parents will have to convince the consul that they will return home when their visa expires. That's going to be very difficult to do if they are dependent on their child for support. This proves that their ties to Poland are stronger than their ties to their home country. Sponsorship does not guarantee that a visa will be granted.

Love / How common or culturally accepted is divorce in Poland? [43]


Then the marriage was not valid according to Canon Law, which is why an annulment was granted. She was never married in the eyes of the Church. Whether you and I consider that BS is immaterial in the eyes of the Church.


And won't, unless the person tries to remarry, in which case the Church can do a lot to make the life of that person miserable if that person continues to practice the faith. To a practicing Catholic, having the sacraments withheld is a very serious matter, a matter of heaven and hell. Also, living in a rural community where everyone else is Catholic can be difficult. That describes a large part of Poland.

If the person chooses to abandon the faith, on the other hand, there is nothing the Church can do except deny them a funeral. Or lobby to make civil divorce for all citizens difficult or impossible.


I agree. The annulment business is a bit of a money-making racket and an opportunity for clerics to throw their weight around and lord over the faithful. However, that does not change the fact that those are the rules of the Church, and that those rules are taken very seriously by many. To the point that the greatest dispute in the Church at the present moment and the probable cause of any eventual schism is precisely over those rules and how they should be enforced.

Love / How common or culturally accepted is divorce in Poland? [43]


Not quite. Canon law clearly states that a marriage that has been validly entered into and consummated may never be dissolved by anyone under any circumstances, and remains in force until the death of one of the spouses.

Can. 1141 A marriage that is ratum et consummatum can be dissolved by no human power and by no cause, except death.

A marriage that has been validly entered into CAN be dissolved if, and only if, it has not been consummated. For example, if the husband becomes incurably impotent after marriage, but before consumation. (A famous example of this was the dissolution of the first marriage of Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of then-Pope Alexander VI). It is possible that your friend was called upon to help with such a rare case, but much more probable that he was involved in an annulment.

Can. 1142 For a just cause, the Roman Pontiff can dissolve a non-consummated marriage between baptized persons or between a baptized party and a non-baptized party at the request of both parties or of one of them, even if the other party is unwilling.

Provided that the rather stringent conditions for dissolution are met, the decision to do so belongs to the Pope alone. No one else can grant a dissolution. The Diocesan Marriage Tribunal only decides if the conditions have been met, and, if so, prepare the request to be sent to the Pope.

Once a valid marriage has been consummated, though, even the Pope is powerless to dissolve it.

Love / How common or culturally accepted is divorce in Poland? [43]


As long as you never petitioned the Church to get that marriage recognized by the Church, yes, you can get a civil divorce and get remarried in the Church.


No, there is an essential difference. Today, it doesn't make much difference, but in the times when inheritance of property and titles depended on legitimacy, it made a huge difference.


Not necessarily, and probably not. The Church can recognize you as being married even if you did not get married in the Church. In Canon Law, the concept is referred to as "natural marriage". If you were to get married to the same person in a Catholic Church, chances are that the ceremony performed would not be an actual marriage, but the blessing of an already existing one.

If you were to civilly divorce your wife, on the other hand, and try to get remarried to someone else in the Catholic Church, then it may be allowed. Or not. Canon law in these circumstances is devilishly convoluted. A lot depends on where you got married, the nature of the state's definition of marriage, whether your marriage was performed or recognized by a different religious group, and which one. And also on whether you had previously explicitly or implicitly asked the Church to recognize that marriage.

Law / Poland's Residence Permit for Parents (Non-EU) [8]


I don't think any EU member states allow parents of adult EU residents to be reunited except under the most extraordinary of circumstances, generally to help support a minor child.


Your parents would have to get that visa on their own merits. Since they are destitute (dependent on you for income), they will have a hard time convincing a consul that they have the means to support themselves during their stay. If you sponsor them, then they will not be able to stay longer than the length of the visa. They would not be allowed to seek work or apply for residency, as that would violate the terms of the visa. In any case, it is going to be virtually impossible to prove to the consul that they intend to leave the country when their visas expire, as they clearly have no intention to do so.

The reason you find so little about it on the internet is that what you are trying to do is next to impossible.

Love / How common or culturally accepted is divorce in Poland? [43]


Just to be clear, the Roman Catholic Church does not permit couples married in the Church to divorce under any circumstances, period. A valid sacramental marriage is in force until one of the couple dies. Only then is remarriage permitted. There is no provision for divorce in Catholic Church canon law.

"Annulment" is not a form of divorce. It is a decree from the Church certifying that there was never any valid sacramental marriage in the first place. Of course, there are a lot of mental, and financial, shenanigans involved, but, in the strict sense, it is not the equivalent of a divorce.

Contrary to common belief, Henry VIII never asked the Pope for a divorce. The Pope cannot grant divorces. He asked for a annulment on the basis that Catherine was his brother's widow. The Pope refused to grant it because Henry had received a dispensation to marry her from a previous pope.

If a couple that is validly married in the Church get a civil divorce, the Church does not recognize it, and considers the couple still married in the eyes of the Church. No exceptions. It is not a sin to get a civil divorce in the eyes of the Church, but it is a sin to get remarried outside of the Church because then you would be committing adultery.

Genealogy / Possible error of Poland's town's name [3]

@balrog_99

Yes, it's misspelled. "E" cannot follow "G" in Polish. The place you are looking for is Gieraszowice, a tiny village in southeastern Poland:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gieraszowice

UK, Ireland / Polish career criminal gets six years for rape [43]

@G (undercover)

My sentiments exactly.

Law / Poland's Residence Permit for Parents (Non-EU) [8]

@Pytania123

Parents are not considered family members for purposes of family reunification, and generally have to apply independently on their own merits. You would have to speak to a qualified immigration attorney to determine which, if any, options are available to you in your particular case.

Study / What requirements for moving through ECTS to any other European Country, if coming to Poland on student visa? [15]


Very few, and they are more in the field of computer engineering. Courses in English are generally inferior to courses in Polish, and are not regarded highly by employers. A degree from a good IIT back home is worth more than a degree from an English-language program in Poland.


You can get a job with a good IT degree, but the wages will be far below those in the richer countries of the EU or the English speaking countries, and the work less interesting, with fewer opportunities for advancement and quality networking. Savings potential is especially frustratingly low. Most Indians who get a job in Poland leave for better jobs at better wages in richer countries within a year or two. It's not a good place to establish a career, and won't be for quite some time.


Theoretically possible, but, in reality, impossible.

Law / How to legally do an agency contract in Poland? [12]

@NabaP

If anybody has an idea that is worth considering, you are going to have to pay for it. Free anonymous internet forums are a cesspools filled to the brim with worthless nonsense. You're wasting your time fishing for free legal advice here. Find a good attorney.

Law / How to legally do an agency contract in Poland? [12]

@NabaP

So you are asking for worthless free advice from a bunch of clueless clowns like me on some random internet forum, instead of paying for real-world expert advice?

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]

@Dirk diggler

Pretty much a moot question, anyway. Poland has already built just about all the onshore turbines it can profitably build, and any further installations will be off shore. Poland really got shafted in the energy department:

Geothermal: very low potential
Hydropower: very low potential
Tidal power: very low potential
Solar: very low potential
Biofuel: very low potential
Onshore wind: very low potential
Offshore wind: modest potential, at best
Gas and oil: modest potential, but difficult to exploit
Nuclear: total lack of political, popular and investor interest

Leaving just coal as its only real resource.

Work / Confused ... 1 yr London Vs Poland Base hiring [30]

Like I said, first world problems. Poor things! Makes me want to cry!

Law / Question on conversion of a Schengen visa to Polish Temporary Residence Card (TRC) [13]

You have to get a job BEFORE you come to Poland, while you are still in your home country, and then apply for a work visa.

Work / Confused ... 1 yr London Vs Poland Base hiring [30]


Someone without kids who is struggling on 100k GBP, even in London, is struggling exclusively with first world problems, the kind of problems most people in the world who are truly struggling long to have.

Law / Question on conversion of a Schengen visa to Polish Temporary Residence Card (TRC) [13]

@innana

No.

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]


That's a completely different principle that does not apply to inland waters, including rivers. In that case, the water is basically being pushed by the rotation of the earth rather than by gravity. River currents are generated by water flowing downhill, driven by gravity. No height difference, no flow.


Yes, you can, as I said, But you are not going to be able to get much energy from it, and getting that energy is going to be a lot more costly than running a turbine with a fast moving stream. Often so costly that it exceeds the value of the electricity you get from it, as is the case in Poland.

Like I said, even the largest hydroelectric plant on the largest river in Poland produces a rather disappointing 160 MW. Nor are there any other places you can build anything near the generation capacity of that dam in Poland. Poland has already reached peak hydroelectric production, and there is no possibility of expansion. Just about every (non-pump storage) hydroelectric plant that can be built has already been built, and those few that haven't are extremely low capacity and/or prohibitively costly.

I've been looking for information about hydroelectric power in Poland in English, and, unsurprisingly, didn't find much. I did find a good simple explanation about how hydropower works, though. Here's the link:

wvic.com/Content/How_Hydropower_Works.cfm

It basically says what I have written before.


Poland never built a nuclear power plant. There were plans, and construction actually started, but then Chernobyl happened and the plant was left unfinished. Subsequent plans never made it past the talking stage. Then there were plans to work together with Lithuania and Latvia to co-finance a plant in Lithuania. Nothing has come of that yet, and probably never will.

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]

@johnny reb

That's all irrelevant. The energy you can get is determined by the head (height) the water descends. Gears do not create energy. Gravity does. You're thinking of gears as some sort of magical solution. Physics doesn't work that way.

The biggest (non-pumped storage) hydroelectric power station in Poland is actually down on the plain, built on the Wisła river at Włocławek, a place on the river where it's marginally feasible to extract energy. It produces only about 160 MW of power, which is not that large for a hydroelectric installation. Hoover Dam produces 13 times as much. The Grand Coulee Dam produces 42 times as much, and the Three Gorges Dam in China produces a whopping 140 times as much. Why? Mainly height.

The dam at Wrocławek was built during Communist times, mostly as a showpiece, and probably would not be built today because it is not economical. In fact, there's talk of getting rid of it. The original plans for the project included the building more dams along the Wisła, but those plans were abandoned because they were not economically feasible.

Think of it this way. You want to make a living by picking up quarters from the ground. This would make sense in a place where there were dozens of quarters per square foot lying on the ground. It wouldn't make sense in a place where there were only a few quarters per acre. You would spend more time and energy looking for them than they are worth.

Large rapid streams in mountainous areas are lots of quarters. Slow streams on the plains are a lot fewer quarters. So are small rapid streams in mountainous areas. Poland doesn't have any large rapid streams in mountainous areas. All it has are the other two.

Work / Moving to Poland with Family - cost of living and salary? [46]


It is sufficient to save some money, but you would have to literally live like a monk to save that much. Count on 3000 PLN at the most, if you are moderately careful with your money. Maybe 3500 if you are very frugal. But generally, people get tired of the frugal lifestyle very fast and eventually spend more and save less.

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]


I didn't say anything about water falls, but about water falling, or going from a higher place to a lower place, like the bowling ball I mentioned. Water flows because it is falling downhill. The bigger the hill, the more energy it releases on its trip from top to bottom. The problem in Poland is that there are very few big hills for water to run down, so the potential energy is very low. Hydroelectric power depends on two things: the volume of water moving through the turbines, and the difference in height that it drops. Poland has the first, but it doesn't have the second.

A hydroelectric dam is, though, essentially a large artificial waterfall. When the water flows over the edge, it move the turbines, like a pinwheel in the wind. The higher the dam, the faster the water falls, and the faster the turbines can turn, producing more electricity. Just like the pinwheel spins faster when the air blows faster. And the higher the difference in height the water travels downwards, the more energy it releases, and the cheaper and easier it gets to get energy from.


A swift current happens when water moves down a big hill, that is, when there is a large height distance. The steeper the hill, the faster the current, and the more energy you can get from it. On the plains of Poland, there are no big hills, so the rivers are not very swift. So the energy you can get from them is generally is worth less than the cost of building a hydroelectric plant that could harness it.


That doesn't make any difference (in terms of energy production). The energy produced by the flow of the water remains the same. Gears can't create energy, only transmit it. So the output of the turbine remains the same. What would happen is that you can turn only a much smaller turbine, which produces much less electricity.

You seem to be thinking about waterwheels, which were once used to power mills. Yes, those are possible even on slow rivers. But even in the old days, the lazier the river, the bigger the waterwheel you had to build. It was more economical to either build them on swift streams, or to build a dam. Waterwheels like that were not very efficient, which is why you rarely see them nowadays. And their power output was minuscule compared to a hydroelectric dam. Like a gazillionth of what a good dam produces.

Life / Polish specialty items - what souvenirs should I bring home to friends/family? [20]

If you are looking for a brick-amd-mortar store, the Cepelia shop in Warsaw is on the corner of Marszalkowska and Jeruzalimskie, across from the central train station.

Life / Polish specialty items - what souvenirs should I bring home to friends/family? [20]

The most widely known source for folk art and souvenirs is Cepelia:
cepelia.com.pl/index.html

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]


I've been told that, too, and I lived in Poland for 12 years!

As for the rpm's, etc. It's a matter of simple physics. The energy available to you is the energy that is released when the water falls a distance. The greater the distance, the greater the energy. Try dropping a bowling ball on your toe from a height of 1 inch. It wouldn't hurt at all. Now from three feet, you could break your foot. From 100 feet, you foot would be hamburger.

The problem with Poland is that the country is mostly rather flat, so little energy is released when the water falls through the turbines. This means that each turbine will produce a lot less energy than the same turbine would in, say, Hoover Dam, where the water falls a much greater distance.

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]

@johnny reb

Unfortunately, there are very few streams in those mountains that can be harnessed for hydroelectric power, all of them small. Poland is on the rain-shadow side of those mountains, so precipitation is relatively low. Most of those few streams have already been dammed, producing only about 4% of the power of the country, or, rather, much less, as many of them are pumped storage reservoirs. Those reservoirs do not actually produce any energy at all. Any recent gains in generation capacity are due to the increase in pumped storage facilities.

Turning the turbines is not the problem. Turning them fast enough to produce enough energy to pay off is, and for that, you need a substantial drop in height. Low potential energy means low output, which means higher cost per unit generated. Very few of the rivers on the plain meet that requirement.

In the EU, Poland ranks 24th out of 25 in terms of hydroelectric generation potential. Holland actually has negative hydroelectric potential, because water has to be pumped up into the sea.


Yes, it does. That's exactly what those pumped storage facilities are for.

Building dams costs a lot, and is very destructive to the environment. Most of those built in Poland were built for flood control, with hydroelectric generation as a secondary purpose.

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]


Not in Poland. The country is far too flat.

Work / Offer of 12k zloty enough in Warsaw? [10]


That's about right.


Yes. You get about 68% cash in hand. Or about 12,000 PLN cash in hand.

You could potentially save up to 6000 PLN a month, assuming no trips back to India or to expensive places in the West.

There are tons of things to do in Warsaw, especially with the income you will be making. Best way to find out is to ask your Polish coworkers. The public transport system is very good, and monthly tickets are inexpensive.