News / The financial burden of the SKOK system in Poland [4]

Things like SKOK (and a few other smaller institutions, Cepelia comes to mind) is in a sense a Spolka Nomenklatura, basically a self-preserving institution that tried to make the transition from the PRL years with as minimum effort as possible, as much advantage to the people who run it as possible and frankly a great deal of arrogance.

If the SKOK system modelled itself on the way Credit Unions work in the UK, it would be a huge success.

They won't of course, the slimmed down structure, the accountability, the transparency and the democratic control by the members would make them melt down in shock.

UK, Ireland / Polish candidate for London mayor to represent 2nd-class citzens [26]

Remember that this is the same guy who built that house in Ealing that the neighbours went mad about. Extremely wealthy so very far indeed from a second-class anything. Not that Poles are 'second-class citizens' in the UK anyway.

Exhibitionists are so entertaining to watch...

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News / LGBT hate speech to be banned in Poland [208]

Remember it has to be a. Accurate, b. Not hate speech, c. A criticism of something that people choose rather than are born with, i.e. skin colour, sexuality, gender and d. Hate speech against a minority

The new law is a very positive thing and in line with both the centuries' old tradition of tolerance, liberalism and equality in Poland as well as the norm within Europe as a whole.

News / LGBT hate speech to be banned in Poland [208]


And in any case some of the worst offenders are either based in Poland, elsewhere in the Union or have recoverable assets there. In any case, don't the Polish courts just collect the debts via the U.S. federal court system anyway? I'm sure that's happened before.

History / History of European and Poland's anti-semitism [192]


Not all Poles who have Jewish roots have chosen to go down that path. Rabbi Schudrich by the way would be happy to tell you how many enquiries he's had compared with those who have actually done something about it. And that's probably the tip of the iceberg. Anti-semitism, especially out in the sticks and/or among the lower classes is so entrenched that many Poles prefer to emphasise a different heritage.

History / History of European and Poland's anti-semitism [192]

Many of the survivors were forced out in 1968 sadly, however there are still many thousands of Poles who don't necessarily identify as Jewish but do have Jewish surnames.

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Nope. Comparing him to the ones you've mentioned isn't comparing like for like - two are actually poets. As a novelist, he's absolutely in the first rank and the literary language he chooses, one that was in his lifetime spoken by a third of the inhabitants of Warsaw, is very poignant given the sad events of history.

Genealogy / Trying to find information on my great grandfather (Antoni) [5]

Another possibility is that he dropped the name Nicodemus at some stage.

An example is the number of women in Poland called Halina who have Helena on their birth certificate - they dropped the name because it pins people down to a (pre-war) age group. Antoni is by the way an old man's name in Poland. Fashionable once, then out of fashion. Perhaps your great-grandfather dropped Nicodemus. Or perhaps this Nicodemus was a brother - is it a common surname?

Genealogy / Trying to find information on my great grandfather (Antoni) [5]

Was this your great-grandfather, a relative or another person?

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Was he gazing into a mirror when he said that?

History / History of European and Poland's anti-semitism [192]


Because your 'open discussion' is just looking for excuses for anti-Semitism as evidenced by your posts in other threads.

History / History of European and Poland's anti-semitism [192]


There isn't any. Hatred is hatred. Any so-called 'excuses' are just a pretext.

History / History of European and Poland's anti-semitism [192]


The reason here is simply fear of 'the other'. Unless you prefer victim blaming.


Nonsense. Any hostility by that group or members of that group is merely a defence against hate crimes of others.


So you're suggesting jealousy by the inferior to teh superior.

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]


Ironically, probably Poland's greatest writer. Very sad that Yiddish as a literary language is now almost dead.

Life / How much money should I save to move to Poland? [17]

Yes. More than enough.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


You mean falling inflation. True deflation is a while away.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


WTF?


I find the opposite. There isn't full deflation yet, and hopefully there won't be, however non-imported, non-sugar foods have risen far lower than salaries.


A lot of that is to do with the wartime decimation of the cities and the post-war influx of rural people. Sadly the fewer pubs per head a country has, the more right-wing the governments seem to be. A lot of reasons for that.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Bingo.

If people want to shop on a Sunday, and shops want to open, why not? When the PiS flappers forced shops to close on public holidays, it was the shop workers who lost out, and the petrol station owners who cashed in.


That isn't generally considered a barometer of political performance. It may however reflect falling consumer prices - another Platforma success.


The Citizens' Platform has improved things rather well. They've certainly achieved more than those nutjobs in PiS did - the odium under which they were dumped from office was spectacular. They are however quietly successful; a government of technicians rather than gobby and headline grabbing politicians. They could well be a victim of their own success, however if providing they follow past form, one or two of the ringleaders of the PiSuarzy will open their mouths wide enough to put at least one of their feet in before the election.

News / Dunkin Donuts to come to Poland [46]


In Poland they tend not to have the full menu. The last time that doughnut place was operating in Poland they didn't sell anything like that. Just really nasty doughnuts, weak coffee and sugary drinks. Also, things like bacon/guacamole, much as I like the sound of that myself, are way outside the tastes of the demographic who might go somewhere like that in Warsaw. Let alone smaller places.

Horrible 'food' (though it isn't really worthy of the name food). I really hope it goes bust like last time and gets replaced by something better.

News / Does democratic Poland guarantee it's LGBT citizens respect for human and civil rights? [1169]

It's actually an unpleasant extreme right wing website that most people in Poland have never heard of. And they're (or the pond life who runs it is) just being nasty about someone whose boots he is not fit to lick.

Fronda and its 'readership' have zero influence on human rights legislation in Poland; quite simply nobody listens to them.

Genealogy / I don't know what my Polish birth name was as we were never given spelling [9]

'czyk' is more Polish however the borders have been fluid and people moved. This means that 'czek' and 'czuk' are also possibilities regardless of how the pronunciation was told to you. Do you have any old family documents? Or ancestry.co.uk? That told me a surprise about the spelling of a name in my family; it has become garbled in the telling of a story.

Real Estate / Landlord in Poland wants me to pay 4500 zl for cancellation of contract [16]

That's exactly what I'd do, except I'd inform him the day after. Not before.

Genealogy / I don't know what my Polish birth name was as we were never given spelling [9]

Danczuk?

Real Estate / Landlord in Poland wants me to pay 4500 zl for cancellation of contract [16]

Landlords the world over see the deposit as theirs to keep. You probably wouldn't get it back anyway, but he does have to justify the reason way. Him needing to advertise is not justification. Nor is it in the contract.

This guy however is a crook, a liar and a chancer, and you should make sure you have someone with you whenever he is there. There is certainly no reason to pay him a penny towards his advert.

This is very much a Polish trick, where they don't seem to have grasped the concept of an inclusive price for things. Or pretend not to if it is to their advantage. This is more or less what he's doing here.

Basically he just doesn't want to pay the deposit back. You should make sure someone very assertive is with you when you see him next.

News / Does democratic Poland guarantee it's LGBT citizens respect for human and civil rights? [1169]

Don't be so negative. For the past few decades society has been only getting better.

Genealogy / Are the origins of Bernatowicz French? [23]

Yes, its origin is Armenian.

Food / Where to buy "yerba mate" in Poland? [20]

Yes, lots of places sell. It. Kuchnia Swiata though have a particularly large range of types. The Zloty Taras one is better than at Arkadia which has reduced in size.

Genealogy / Are the origins of Bernatowicz French? [23]

The origin of the name is Armenian.

Language / Am I being detained? Equivalent phrase in Polish language. [11]

No worries, I learnt these distinctions the hard way :-)

Although there are legal differences from place to place, it pretty much feels the same.

Language / Am I being detained? Equivalent phrase in Polish language. [11]

Remanded in custody is closer to "areszt", as in "areszt śledczy" although there are subtle differences.

The legal concepts differ as well as the actual procedures.