USA, Canada / US resident, have a baby with a Polish girl. Need help on Polish Passport. [30]


Absolutely. Catagorically. ASAP. If you're of limited means, get in touch with lafchicago.org - they're non-profit and practice both immigration and family law.

Travel / Southern Poland in pictures :) [14]

Thanks again guys - I appreciate the compliments!


Nope - just an amateur, but I've been doing it on and off for 15 years, and I'm hoping to put together my first public exhibition in the next year (in Krakow).


Haha - I do remember seeing a McDonalds on Ulica Floriańska (very close to the brama) and thinking "WTF?". Maybe it's nice inside, but it just seemed out of place.

Travel / Ski and Snowboard - Poland 09/10 season (updated: 10/11 season) [84]

Hey any backcountry skiers or ski mountaineers here?

Edit: I'm hoping to ski Mount Elbrus in the next year or so - it would be great to meet someone interested in coming who can speak Russian.

Travel / Southern Poland in pictures :) [14]

Thank you! My other stuff (Canada, etc.) is here: picasaweb.google.com/lucas.poznanski

Life / Do you think a smoking ban would be a good thing in Polish restaurants and Bars? [217]

I haven't read through all the posts on this thread, so I apologize if my comment is redundant. Just a simple observation: if all bars and restaurants are mandated by law to be smoke-free, how can anyone argue that it will affect business? You mean to say that people will just stop going to pubs if they can't smoke there? Doesn't make any sense.

Here in Canada we (finally!) banned smoking, and the only side effect was healthier places to eat, drink and hang out. Period. People just smoke outside.

People often observe that Poles have a "culture of entitlement", and I'm hard-pressed to think of a better example of this than having the opinion that other people should just go home if they don't like you poisoning their air. What a ridiculous and ignorant sentiment. Would you be OK with me bringing my motorcycle into the pub and letting it idle? If you don't like carbon monoxide poisoning, then go home! [...]

Love / Do Polish girls like Balkan guys? [24]

These generalizations are so infantile. Let us know when you finally kiss a girl.

News / Poland's Vietnamese: A tough transition but they're surviving [31]


This is a refreshing - and insightful - reprieve from the ignorant racism evident in Szczerski's remark.

Speaking as a Canadian, I can tell you that 1) cultural diversity is an invariably positive force in any society, and 2) Asian cultures are *extremely* disciplined and value strong work ethics above all else.

Any Pole who mistreats foreigners - those struggling to learn Polish and contribute to Polish society against all odds - is a small-minded bigot who should travel more and speak less.

USA, Canada / Compulsory military service for Polish-Canadian returning to Poland? [11]

Great! Thanks guys. I had been a Communications Officer in the Canadian army, and quite frankly I've had enough of that life. That having been said, if the Russians or Germans attacked Poland again, I would be the first to drop everything and enlist. :)