News / The EU's plans for Poland. [10]

Coal is not good, let's be clear on that. Both Katowice and Krakow are on top 5 list (Polish cities make up for 50% of the top 10 list) over the most polluted areas in Europe. The air in Krakow is the equivalent of smoking 2500 cigarettes a year, and is also the reason why they will now ban the burning of coal and wood inside the city of Krakow.

Nuclear is the way to go until something else come up.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

Poland will most likely never come up to the standards of for example todays Sweden. Thing is, judging by how things are looking, neither will Sweden. So Poland will come closer and catch up, by a growing economy a bit and by others economy falling more.

Last time Sweden created a new job (netto) in the private sector was in the 1960's, and the Swedish people is the most indebted in the world (the greeks can really suck it). The whole economy is artificially fueled via consumtion, which is possible due to credits and the fact that interest rates are tax deductible to absurd levels. House loans are also mortage free, average time to pay off an apartment in Stockholm right now is 145 years. Our PISA results are in absolute freefall, the crucial export is decreasing and where new innovations are supposed to come from with such a crappy school is really troublesome and worrying. There's a reason why young Swedes move to Norway to peel bananas. Welcome to the green side of the grass...

Or I'm wrong and everything is just peachy.

Work / Career path in Shared Service Center (SSC) in Poland [4]

1) It is a very good starting salary, and I mean very good.
2) About career path I guess it depends on yourself, but yes there is a lot to learn in these centers. I would say it depends mostly on which company. "Accountant" will most likely lead you on the expert path (pretty much ends on position of Senior Accountant, if that is fun I don't know).

3) Money and salary isn't everything. But salary developments isn't much different in Poland from other countries, meaning that the only sure way to get a higher salary is to switch companies.

I would say in general that you will find more oppertunities and a more interesting workplace in a global SSC than in a standard accounting department. It's all a question about how much you value a high salary (which you won't find in Poland) versus the actual work. And again, it also depends on which company. Plus of course the invaluable experience of working in an international enviroment in a foreign country.

Travel / Ryanair cut charges. Poles to take advantage? [20]

I'll stick with Norwegian, they already have half the price for luggage compared to Ryan, plus 5kg more for the price. The total cost isn't that much higher and they go to and from Arlanda.

Edit: The point of priority boarding is in my view not the boarding of the plane, but rather the situation at the gate. You don't have to wait in line, you have a different queue so you can hang around at more fun places than the area around the gate.

News / Emigration from Poland (2.1m Poles are living abroad, most within Europe) [37]

I went the other way, I'm happy and can't complain.

News / Premier says no recession for Poland [148]


Youth unemployment is a structural European problem (with the exception of Germany and Austria). Poland has the same youth unemployment as Sweden (~25%).

Probably life isn't always so easy for people in Poland if they have no education, in rural areas even less. But I can see the work availible in the fields of IT, Finance and Accounting in the international companies located in Krakow (and Wroclaw and Warsaw), there's no end to the job positions that come out on a daily basis. But for sure stats aren't lying, your avarage pole doesn't have a lot of disposable income, wages are low across the board.

But my, albeit short, experience about people leaving Poland (at least for the UK) is that the people who have a hard time finding work in Poland move to the UK. People with education seem more willing to stay, probably because they can find work. Feel free to correct me, but the majority of Poles now living in the UK doesn't hold a University degree?

Young uneducated Swedes who can't find work move to Norway (service jobs, bars, restaurants and peeling bananas). Sounds familiar?

Polish economy is a whole I won't get in to, don't have enough knowledge about it.

Love / Girlfriend visiting Poland without me concerns [7]

A quick visit to the internet says the first written law about this was in England 1275. Then it was the age of 12, but most of the world today has the legal age set between 14-16 (spelled fourteen, fifteen and sixteen). Poland has 15.

News / Poland versus Greece in economy [175]


My point was no more than a thread started in 2012 talking about last years economics, with an article from 2010 as source. I.e in present time irrelevant and that particular statement was untrue. But it was correct when the article was written, two years ago.

I think it's about etiquette to advertise that you are copying texts from two years ago when starting a thread.

News / Poland versus Greece in economy [175]


So, they are actually correct. Because the article is from 2010...

News / Poland versus Greece in economy [175]


I'd like to see your source, since it's wrong.

Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]

The main problem people have with Ryanair is their expectations in my experience. They expect to get the same treatment as with bigger and more expensive airlines. They want free food, they want a personal masseuse rubbing their feet during flight and so on. Ryanair is more of stepping on to a bus, rather than your classical flight, I like it. My only problem is the small/remote airports you have to go to. But you get what you pay for, and with Ryanair you get a "bus" ticket.

There's always a lot, crazy amount of complaining about Ryanair, but nobody is forcing people to fly with them. They can always pay the triple amount of money and go with some other airline. But they never do. In the end, people want a cheap bus ticket.

But I still agree that they have dodgy ways of charging people for small mistakes. But if you know what you are doing, you will be fine. I have never ever had one single problem with Ryanair, and I have used them a lot. But that's because I don't forget to check in, I don't forget to print the boardingpass, I weigh all my bags at home before arrival to the airport and so on.

Edit*

There's one more thing, the only thing that has ever truly irritated me about Ryanair. It's their measurements for the handluggage allowed in the plane, they have it lower than the standards of all other airlines (and therefore, below all standard handluggage bags), which forces you to buy a new one. Practically enough, they sell a special Ryanair bag from Samsonite, offered to everyone bying a ticket....

News / Don't go to Poland ... because you could end up coming back in a coffin [313]

Am I the only one thinking this will be a non-issue? Yes, there probably will be riots. It's European football, there's ALWAYS riots. And it is also likely that it will be the usual suspects like every tournament (Euro/WC) played in Europe: England-Germany-Poland. I think it will be a great summer and a great tournament. Mind you that most of the hools you see on domestic matches, won't be seen on the national ones. Especially pricy Euro-matches.

News / FEMI-FASCISTS MARCH AGAIN IN POLAND [126]

I can speak for myself, thank you very much. So, what is your problem, my simple minded, uneducated and mentally unstable friend?

News / FEMI-FASCISTS MARCH AGAIN IN POLAND [126]

I also believe that a proposal to ban abortion completely was recently passed. That means no abortion even in case of rape or danger to the mothers health. A total ban that is.

News / What is the population of Poland's non-european minority? [142]


Ok, you can't be taken seriously. Just admit that you are frustrated that everyone doesn't share your opinions, but have no ways whatsoever to argue for your position?

Ad hominem and guilt by association, classic signs of someone lacking knowledge and arguments.

News / What is the population of Poland's non-european minority? [142]

So the academic world hasn't got the correct grip of what multiculturalism is? Would you mind telling them (and me) then what is?

News / What is the population of Poland's non-european minority? [142]

I think I'm pretty much dead on.


For me it is a problem. When cultural customs such as murdering innocent girls because they have "dishonored" their family, then yes, I see the issue as a problem. The ideology of multuculturalism also say (because of the cultural relativism) that these customs are not better nor worse than for example our European customs and values, they are simply "different" and must be understood. The same goes with circumcition, female mutilation, to the freedom from religion. So focus shifts from individual to group (ethnic group), where your personal rights is in somewhat way decided according to which ethnic group you belong.

And if your opinion is that this have nothing to do with multiculturalism, then we probably won't get much further in the discussion than this.

News / What is the population of Poland's non-european minority? [142]

For me there are two types:

1. The situation where there are different ethnic groups and cultures living in the same area.
2. The political ideology of multiculturalism. Which includes the cultural relativism, focus on ethnicity and collectivity (i.e. seperate laws and the likes). This is mainly a problem in western Europe, but the discussion have begun in many places. Some even dare to speak that maybe not all cultures and their customs are equally good.

News / What is the population of Poland's non-european minority? [142]

You claim something that most certainly isn't a universal truth or something that is the general consensus. Then it is on you to back it up when questioned.

Multiculturalism may have been working in some places, but works horribly in most. Rwanda, Indonesia, India, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Russia (and former Soviet)... Or even in todays Europe where we can't say there aren't big issues going on.

News / What is the population of Poland's non-european minority? [142]

You come with a statement, it's on you to back it up. Debate/Argument 101.

News / Should countries be boycotted for offending Poles? [60]

Most of the times it's being used to deport Bulgarian and Romanian beggers/criminals, at least up here. And yes, the laws apply for the whole EU. Unless you have a well filled bank account or a job (or study), you are not allowed to stay longer than three months. This applies for all nationalities and all countries. Of course a country can still grant you the right to stay, even if before mentioned criterias are not fullfilled. But that's entirely up to the country in question to decide by it's own.

That the British isles obviously have generous benefits seems a bit strange to me. What are the criterias for receiving them? There's no way in hell an EU-citizen would be granted any social benefits here (and we are the motherland of social benefits).

Life / Why are Polish so conservative and religious? [240]

Online gambling is illegal? Does this mean that polish online gambling sites are illegal, or are all online gambling illegal? If the latter, doesn't that break a whole heap of EU-regulations and laws? And, how is this implemented?

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]


The Hollywood lobby is obviously very powerful and influential. In an economics sense, the money these businesses are losing on pirating are less than peanuts. And still they are getting this kind of laws going.

It's crazy really.

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

youtube.com/watch?v=N8Xg_C2YmG0

Polonia / Trip to Sweden - questions [39]

Why not take the scenery route through Lithunia, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Finland -> Arctic circle -> cross the northern border of Sweden? No ferries needed!

;-)

Travel / DRIVING TO POLAND THIS THURSDAY ANY TIPS? [35]

No, but I believe it is required that you bring proof of registration of your car, and it is generally recommended that you bring proof of insurance. Another tip is to go to your insurance company and get the standard form to fill in if you happen to be in any incident. Just to make things easier.

Travel / DRIVING TO POLAND THIS THURSDAY ANY TIPS? [35]

Always keep an eye on your rearview mirror, they will be coming and they will be coming fast. You are expected to drive a bit on the shoulder to help with them overtaking you. And be prepered for the same procedure for oncoming traffic. After driving myself to Poland I found that the talk about the "crazy polish drivers" was a bit exaggerated, but there are some, so don't sleep behind the wheel.

And try your best not to fill up on petrol in Germany, only get as much as you need to cross the polish border since the price is much lower in Poland.

Travel / Road Trip in Maluch! Best places / roads to go? :) Start - Krakow [12]

I hope you are speaking figuratively, because if your average lawbook is this high, then its physically impossible for a Maluch to be above it.

Law / Difference between an expat and a immigrant (or permanet resident) in Poland [41]

Expat - Relocated professional with a contract.
Immigrant - The rest.

In my opinion. Even though the correct one from a language point of view is that anybody not residing in their country of birth is an expatriate*.

/wiki/Expatriate

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]

I hasn't occured to you to think exactly why the callcenters are in Poland and not in Denmark in the first place? ;-)

Secondly, it's a callcenter job, your education doesn't matter. You will never be well paid in a job like that, period. Not in any country. You can't make 50k/month as a cleaner no matter how many Phd's you have. But like all freshmen you have to start somewhere. Very few students go directly to a well paid job. A callcenter in a big company is not a bad start for someone who is skilled and want to advance. Only problem I see is this loans you talked about.