News / "Drink Hard" - Bruce Willis to endorse Polish vodka [48]

It's still here. Anyway, why is Bruce Willis a good face for vodka? I mean, he is hardly what Sean Connery is to whisky :) Do you know how big Suntory Zen got when he endorsed it? It was a cheap but very good whisky :)

News / "Drink Hard" - Bruce Willis to endorse Polish vodka [48]

Only 15 months behind the times, David. You're getting better :)

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

My wife seems to think that it's 'suicido' but we'd never say that in Britain. Pulled from the deeper recesses of something :)

Anyway, cheating? It happens.

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

Suiciders, that was a Bushism, zeti. Nice one :) It has a cool look to it :)

Yeah, past papers help but a lot of it is just guessing what will be in the test. The multiple choice papers always gave hope :)

Very true about the Japanese notion of kao/face. They have to be seen to be doing well and those that fall by the wayside really fall as their society is not the most forgiving ;)

Love / All Polish women can't be nutters can they? [257]

That's very true, Ironside. My wife is that way :) She is also protective :) I don't find that to be the trait of a nutter at all.

Love / All Polish women can't be nutters can they? [257]

I never met him, southern. However, I'm not likely to fear many people given my size.

I had a really nice lesson today with a vet-to-be. She was really cool and I admire anyone who wants to help animals. She won my respect instantly.

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

Deflection is where you divert attention away from the thread. Cheating is known in many countries and I can understand the kids doing it due to intense pressure.

We don't want to build a pressure valve like that seen in Japan. They have 'gogatsou byou' which translates as 'May illness'. Students jump off the bridge into the Dotombori river because they didn't get the grades they needed to gain entry to university. That may seem extreme but when a culture squeezes you like that, you either cope or buckle.

Love / All Polish women can't be nutters can they? [257]

Personally, I find it one of the most anti-Christian things you can do and thus will never do it. My wife will always know when I am with a private female student. For example, I have a lesson in 15 mins and she knows where I'll be. I keep nothing hidden from her.

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

You've answered the second part in the first, zeti :) :)

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

Wow, some deflection again, that's sth new ;) ;) ;)

Cheating at schools in Poland will go on unless the authorities clamp down on it. It is a concern as it gives people a false sense of what they can do. In the end, you are only cheating yourself.

News / The Polish government has announced a potential VAT rise from 22% to 23%. [19]

Well, economics contains many principles, one of which is the domino effect. If other economies are not flourishing then there is no way that Poland's will, ceteris paribus.

The harmonisation/streamlining drive is gonna take Poland away from a fiscal course that it has been accustomed to. Just look at how Poland had to turn things around at the collapse of communism. Now it will just be dictated to. Brits used to feel that 17.5% VAT was high but 23%, well....

Let's face it, many are not happy with public services here and haven't been for some time. A 1% increase in tax isn't gonna make a jot of difference, it'll just appear as a slap in the face for those that are already paying too much tax. People will begin to wonder what they are getting for their money.

Love / All Polish women can't be nutters can they? [257]

That's one thing that I have never maintained. There are plenty others here to say that Polish women are loose. Southern leads that campaign!

Plenty nutters on the go :(

I remember one from a few years ago that wanted to date me (and more she said). When I told her that it wasn't a good idea (she had a BF), she flew off the handle and immediately went running back to her BF, tears flooding down her face. She had a few bad things to say about me afterwards but she knew she was in the wrong. I will NEVER cheat on my wife or get in the way of a relationship (I wasn't with my wife then). Some women I've known seem to think it's ok (my Japanese GF, for example) but I don't and it has to stop.

Love / All Polish women can't be nutters can they? [257]

IMHO, many have been in oh so many ways. I know female students where there is ample mutual respect so they restore my confidence. Many of my Polish male friends have told me horror stories of what they've had to put up with.

Reporting me (cliping) was one situation. I was told by a super student, a Krystyna, that this isn't done here and that's why I was taken aback. I was in the clear and my boss agreed after hearing both sides. She feels the same about Polish culture and she is Polish.

There is a deep-rooted instability in quite a few women I've had the misfortune of meeting here. It's just a fact and I'd rather say otherwise. They are just livewires and hotheads.

God Bless those that can live as Jesus did but I'm afraid that Catholic is just a neat sticker they put on. Many are anything but!

I hope my Polish female students continue to avoid such bizarre behaviour and be the good people they are.

UK, Ireland / Any direct flights from Aberdeen or Inverness to Poland? [11]

Thanks for the help, MIPK :) It just goes to show how money trumps convenience.

History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

Sobieski is right here. You cannot go down that road. Land passes hands during times of war.

News / The Polish government has announced a potential VAT rise from 22% to 23%. [19]

Tusk to the rescue! He'll put it up to 24% and then, somewhat heroically, announce a cut to 23%. What a genius he is!

News / New cross war in Warsaw [530]

What, so it's fine to have crosses in classrooms but not ok to have one symbolic one? It's not fanaticism, it's just respect.

News / The Polish government has announced a potential VAT rise from 22% to 23%. [19]

Belka will be sure to stuff it up and Kommie will rubber stamp it :(

Welcome to the EU indeed :(

News / The Polish government has announced a potential VAT rise from 22% to 23%. [19]

They certainly haven't got it right like the Japanese have. 6% income tax and 5% federal tax on any good you purchase. It makes sense, you control your spending and what you need. It taxes those that are greedy and feel the need to buy too many things.

Love / How easy is it to pick up a girl from a club/bar in Warsaw ? [65]

Sour grapes? Nope, I've never tried. It never interested me.

Very sure :)

There's no thrill involved.

Life / Why are the Italians and Polski so much alike? [90]

Ramen, for example, come from China. Udon and soba are Japanese.

News / Nigel Farage voice of reason for Poland and EU? [79]

Farage would raise the case for the redeployment of democratic tools. There needs to be a return to EU citizens having more say in how they are governed.

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

The same idea works in Scotland, zeti. It's all a game til you get to uni level anyway. I personally prefer to challenge myself in a test but I can see why some would want to take the easier route.

Love / Need help and assistance to ask polish girl out [48]

He probably did in the end :)

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

I don't know how it works at uni but there is cheating in private language schools. I could ask my student friend, Kasia, who is studying Medicine. She's a smart cookie but says the going is tough.

Love / Need help and assistance to ask polish girl out [48]

Don't worry, fireif, doubts are normal :)

Life / Why is cheating at schools in Poland accepted?! [155]

It's called 'getting by with a little help from my friends' ;) ;)

Communistic notion, the common good prevails ;)

Travel / My friends advise me not to go to Warsaw because people are horrible there? [30]

Well, I appreciate the high standard of education here as it leads to interesting discussions. However, this 'better' comment is hard to prove. It's just different. I wouldn't say that most of my students have the same level of education as I have, for example.

Beware of the bragging, shygirl, it comes from chips on shoulders and deep-seated insecurities on their part. Stick with the ones who are modest and quietly know they are good at what they do.

Travel / What is "must-see" in Poland? [8]

Zakopane or the Bieszczady mountains for hiking :)

The Poles are becoming quite a sporty bunch so outdoor sports aren't hard to find.

Travel / My friends advise me not to go to Warsaw because people are horrible there? [30]

It's an experience if you are not accustomed to it so I'd roll with that. I did find more snobbery amongst those from Warsaw when I holidayed with many Poles but you can ignore that.

It all depends what you value but it'll allow you to form some impressions for yourself. That's a major part of life!