Language / Polish war cries/battle sayings [21]

Lem had mentioned one:

History / Poland worst off as a result? (life in German Prussia vs. Russian communism) [14]


Actually, aren't we forgetting that Churchill wasn't the Prime Minister at the time when Germany attacked Poland? Chamberlain was, the same man who sold Czechoslovakia to appease Hitler.

History / Why have Poles contributed so little to Academics? (Particularly Science) [180]

Delphi, Europe is a big place, and Poland is fairly large too. You definitely can find nepotism in many places in Europe and North America, but academia is supposed to be governed by high ethical standards. People may still do it from time to time, but at least they know that this is wrong. What shocked me during that dinner was the utter disregard even for the appearances. Hiring a relative - business as usual.

History / Why have Poles contributed so little to Academics? (Particularly Science) [180]

Jews are EVERYWHERE, not only in Poland, overrepresented in "white collar" jobs, including science, and this overrepresentation translates into a statistically elevated ratio of true achievements. There are two reasons for this, one is of a mixed, cultural/genetic nature, the other one is purely cultural.

The first factor is, of course, the intelligence. Argue as much as you want whether the reason for the above-average intelligence among Ashkenazi Jews is a result of genetic or rather cultural factors. The other reason is purely cultural, and is based on a thing that is alien to most Europeans. Let me illustrate this with an anecdote.

More than 10 years ago, we had an after-conference farewell dinner. Naturally, we were trading stories and observations. A Jewish professor told a story about her nephew, who was, well, let's put it in this way: he wasn't an Einstein. So, "to give him a head start, I employed him in my lab", said the professor. She said it without any shame, without even a trace of a realization that what she did is virtually everywhere (outside Asia and Africa) considered inappropriate. For me, it is completely natural to judge people on their merits alone, and promote/recommend an Indian or a Chinese over a fellow Pole, without any regrets. Jews are much more governed by nepotism and ethnic solidarity, and these translate into additional opportunities for their fellow Jews, not available to members of ethnic groups more concerned about fairness and merits - the basic elements of the academic ethos.

Work / My friend is looking for a job in Poland with a physics degree [32]

B.Sc. is equivalent to the Polish "licencjat". This is too little to land a good job in a process based on screening of resumes by HR. Now, it is entirely possible that his actual programming skills are outstanding. In such case, he should look for a job through personal networking.

A little bit of advice: he should emphasize "programming" rather than "physics". For programmers, formal requirements are often loose. For physicists, a Polish "magister" or a PhD (from any country) would be necessary.

Law / Is there a legal requirement for us to support aging parents in Poland? [26]

Delphi is correct, there is such a legal obligation (Kodeks Rodzinny, Art. 128 and Art. 133 § 2). Naturally, if the father wants to enforce it, he will need to go to court. If he was a non-supportive parent, not present in your life, then the court will probably laugh at him.

History / Was the Polish/ Lithuanian commonwealth a European power? [111]


From the 16th century on, being a seafaring nation was increasingly becoming the primary determinant of a "European power". The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth wasn't one. Perhaps it was if you consider the earlier period.

Real Estate / Good places to live in Krakow [20]

Krakow is absolutely terrible. I lived there and eventually got sick with commuting. In the summer it's not too bad - you can ride bike. But when the weather gets worse, you are at the mercy of the limited number of parking spaces, slow public transport and extremely limited number of routes from the suburbs to the center (read: traffic jams). Kraków may be acceptable if your work place is located in the suburbs and you can live nearby. But otherwise - beware!

History / Lithuanians hate Poles? [156]


Poles, interestingly, have generally negative attitudes toward Russia, but positive feelings for Russians.

Life / Polish pride. PL stickers, flags and the white eagle! Where does our obsession come from? [79]


My only bumper sticker reads "Ron Paul 2012". :)

USA, Canada / Where can i find Spirytus Rektyfikowany in the USA? [77]

1. Buy a bottle of vodka and a bag of dry ice.
2. Pour vodka in some plastic or metal container, to make the process safer.
3. Adding isopropyl alcohol (any pharmacy) to dry ice in a plastic bowl makes a nice freezing bath. Use it to freeze the container with your vodka. Water from vodka will form ice, and the remaining liquid will be concentrated ethanol. Pour it out an enjoy. This is the Gummi way. ;-)

A warning: some plastics may become brittle in such low temperatures.

Life / Why is Prostitution still legal in Poland? [106]


Perhaps because Poland was never a theocratic country? There is a space between what is socially desirable, and what is penalized. This space is called freedom.

Love / Malaysian Girl with Polish Guy... any chance together? [16]

Now I am going to make a guess. If you guys come and leave the United States so easily, then I am assuming that your socioeconomic status is relatively high. Scientists? Engineers? Students? Things like real racial prejudices among such people are extremely rare. So, I suggest that you stop worrying about "because I am an Asian".

It's rather a regular boy-girl issue, and one of the possible factors may be that some people cannot properly appreciate things that come their way too easily. Your boyfriend may have such a problem. Inviting him in an "I only moderately care" way would be a good idea. He should chase you, rather than you chase him. (I can't believe I am writing such things; where is my sense of solidarity with other men???).

Love / Malaysian Girl with Polish Guy... any chance together? [16]

niana

I am Polish, my wife is an ethnic Chinese. I can tell you with a substantial certainty that there are no fundamental, cultural factors preventing Poles from developing inter-racial or inter-faith relationships. Cultural differences do exist, but their impact is minor. Maybe he just wanted to live alone?

All the best to you.

News / Amnesty to Illegal immigrants in Poland [102]


Absolutely. I am wondering if the "blood" advocates have heard about the Polish national anthem played by Artur Rubinstein, or about the Tatar DNA in Henryk Sienkiewicz.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rubinstein#Polish_affinity

History / In Memory of victims, who had their lives cruelly taken at Treblinka Death Camp in Poland [104]


Ah, the light becomes to dawn. Now scroll up to #55, please, and note that it had been referenced precisely as "a source of showing the sick mind of Herr Streicher and others", in the context of discussing the causes of the Holocaust. NOT as "a wellspring of historical fact" regarding Jews. And this defines your rant #56 alleging my anti-semitism as unjustified, offensive, and arguably as just a manifestation of deeply rooted anti-Polish resentments. Face it: you expect anti-semitism so much, you are on such a short fuse, that you interpreted as an attack on Jews something that clearly wasn't one.

History / In Memory of victims, who had their lives cruelly taken at Treblinka Death Camp in Poland [104]


Absolutely! Nevertheless, this does not nullify the significance of Der Stürmer, its authors, contents and readers, for the understanding of the attitudes toward Jews in Germany.

History / In Memory of victims, who had their lives cruelly taken at Treblinka Death Camp in Poland [104]


Pardon me, but are you advocating purposefully excluding available relevant, historical materials from the research? Then this is not research aimed at discovering the truth, but rather at confirming presumptions.

I understand that Der Stürmer is a particularly vile propaganda that may offend some sensitivities, but this is the very propaganda that had created the receptive environment for the Holocaust. This is the factor responsible for the fact that most Germans preferred to look the other way. If you ignore these sources, you will be condemned, like Lyzko, to creating unsupported sociological constructs, based on what your biased mind considers correct, rather than on what really happened in the 1930s Germany.

History / In Memory of victims, who had their lives cruelly taken at Treblinka Death Camp in Poland [104]


How can you consider yourself a historian if you are emotionally unable to use appropriate sources? If you want to research the minds of WWII-era Germans and their rationale for wholesale murder, then you MUST refer to sources like Der Stürmer! If you plainly REFUSE, then you are a quack, not a scientist. But you do more than refuse - you dare to attribute materials someone else wants to study personally to the researcher, and this is precisely as rational, as refusing to shake hands with an HIV researcher, because you may get infected. Got it?

Naturally, the world is full of imbeciles. The professor who studies propaganda (with the focus on WWII German and GDR political propaganda) and who posted these reference materials, sometimes receives equally idiotic comments.

calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/faq.htm


Normally, I am quite tolerant to people from the left side of the bell curve, but you, my friend, claim to be a historian and this raises the bar a little.


No, he just waited for an excuse to proclaim this again. The evolution of this thread is a PERFECT reference material for the study of virulent Jewish anti-Polonism - a relevant to the discussion, legitimate reference, clearly (and even redundantly) marked as a quote, serving as a lame excuse to start and anti-Polish rant in #56...

History / In Memory of victims, who had their lives cruelly taken at Treblinka Death Camp in Poland [104]


Well, as for Jews, wasn't this the Nazis' rationale for genocide?

calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/sturmer.htm

Some quotes:

History / In Memory of victims, who had their lives cruelly taken at Treblinka Death Camp in Poland [104]

Actually, guillotining is an antithesis of "liberty, equality, fraternity". Your analysis of the reasons for the Holocaust genocide involved lamenting the different fate of the "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" principles in, respectively, France and Germany. I just pointed out that the fate wasn't so much different...

History / In Memory of victims, who had their lives cruelly taken at Treblinka Death Camp in Poland [104]


I'll play a devil's advocate: what about the concept of the guillotine that accompanied the previous three?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution#The_guillotine_as_a_symbol

Perhaps WWII Germany was just following and "perfecting" that tradition of disregard for human life?

UK, Ireland / Polish is an official language in the UK? [68]


1. Open a beer
2. Turn on the TV, put some good movie in the DVD player. In English. Turn the English subtitles on.
3. Enjoy
4. Repeat the process every evening.

Food / Borscht - Zurek / Bialy barszcz recipe [153]

Vinegar and starch? It's barbarity! :) (no offense, please!)
This should be made from the same fermented stuff that is used for making bread (sourdough, just a little diluted). Other ingredients: sausage (either raw or smoked, sweet Italian sausage available in US grocery stores works fine), a potato cut into cubes, a bullion cube, some garlic, black pepper, marjoram, a bay leaf. Just before serving, add a spoon of sour cream.

Names for this soup: żurek, zalewajka.

I have never tried making this with vinegar, but quite conceivably using fermented rye flour produces a "milder" taste (this should be no surprise to any winemaker).

UK, Ireland / Polish is an official language in the UK? [68]


I completely agree! After all, if Poles decide that UK is a better place for them to live than Poland, then it doesn't make much sense attempting to transform the said UK into another copy of Poland. Assimilate (nobody is expecting a 100% assimilation though) and be respectful to the culture of the host country!

Life / Is parity the answer for Polish women? [262]

Parity, just as other implementations of affirmative action, will have the following effect: it will be harder for competent individuals belonging to protected groups to qualify. How so? Because where competence counts, others with subject them to a tougher scrutiny, to verify that they are indeed competent, rather than just piggybacking on AA policies. Where competence does not count so much, they will be crowded out by legions of those, whose competence is defined solely by belonging to protected groups.

Love / Do Polish women fight about everything? [39]

Women DO fight, especially during the pre-menstrual phase of the estrous cycle. Conversely, during the estrus she will be sweet to you. Amuse yourself by plotting the emotional changes against time. It's biology that shaped them this way: when a woman does not get pregnant, it is evolutionarily preferred if she attempts to switch partners (by being a b.tch to the current one). There was an article in The Lancet some time ago about this mechanism. Now, it is about your luck if your particular specimen can keep this more or less under the control of her brain, or not.

History / Question about land of former Poland/modern Belarus [11]


It does not have to be true in 100% of cases. However, generally it is true that organized resettlements were done along the lines I described. Lwów -> Wrocław, Wileńszczyzna -> Pomorze. The latter applies to part of my own family; they have been resettled from a village near Nowa Wilejka, a region that now belongs to Belarus, to Kashubia. Conversely, there is a running joke (not devoid of merit) among Polish scientists that Wrocław University is actually a renamed Lwów University.

USA, Canada / Where do most Polish-Americans identify on the political spectrum? [142]


They consistently tend to vote Democratic, although after what Roosevelt and his party did to Poland this is just a proof that Polish jokes are not without merit.

Personally, I am a libertarian, and a Ron Paul supporter.

News / Polish Doctor Burzynski finds a cure for incurable cancer [22]


I assume graves of the people who didn't survive are not presented, to balance the message?
The efficacy of a treatment is not measured by PR stunts. It is established by clinical trials. Antineoplastons have failed such trials, as far as I know.