Life / How do you celebrate Easter in Poland? [29]

Which of the following Easter-related practices do you observe:
-- Easter confession?
-- Attendance at Good Friday services
-- making pisanki
-- blessing of Easter baskets on Holy Saturday
-- visitng Christ Tomb tabelaux at several parishes
-- Resurrection mass at daybreak
-- sharing blessed Easter eggs at Easter breakafast
-- Easter breakfast
-- żur, hard-boiled eggs, kiełbasa, ham, pasztet, babka, mazurki, sernik, sękacz
-- Wet Easter Monday (śmigus-dyngus)
-- other?

Genealogy / Stanisław-derived last names [8]

If you are a Pole or a person of Polish ancestry, live in Poland or in or near a Polonian community abroad or have ever been to Poland, chances are you have encountered some of the following surnames.

STANIS£AW, derived from two Slavonic roots meaning 'glory of the camp' is not related to Stanley except for its similar sound (in Middle English the latter meant 'stoney meadow').

Stanisław has genrated various patronymic nicknames including Stanisławczak, Stanisławiak, Stanisławek and Stanisławski (from the standard form) and even more numerously from its hypocoristic (endearing, pet) versions. These inlcude Stachowiak, Stachniak, Stachowicz, Stachura and Stachacz (from Stach), Stańczak, Stankiewicz, Stańczyk, Stanecki, Staniewicz and Stanasiuk (from Stanek) and Stasiak, Stasiecki, Staśkiewicz Staszczak, Stasik, Stasiuk and Staśkowiak (from Staś).

For more information on the above and other Polish surnames please contact me

Genealogy / Lots of Johnsons in Poland... [3]

English has such John-dervied surnames as Johns, Johnson and perhaps a few others (Johnly, Johning, Johnman, etc.) but Polish has got oodles and oodles of them including: Janas, Janaczek, Jancewicz, Janasiewicz, Janasz, Jańczak, Janciak, Jńczuk, Jańczyk, Jańczycki, Janczewski, Janic, Janicki, Januiec, Janikowski, Janiszyn. Janmkiewicz, Jankowicz, Jankowski,m Janowski, Janda, Janota, Janowiec, Januk, Januszczyk, Januszczak, Januszewicz, Jasiak, Jasiecki, Jasiewicz, Jaśkiewicz, Jaśkowiak, Jaśkowski, Jaszkowiak, Jaszowski...this is just a sampling to which in the eastern borderlands we can add: Iwaniak, Iwańczyk, Iwańczak, Iwańczuk, Iwaniuk, Iwanicki, Iwaniec, Iwanko, Iwanowicz, Iwaszko, Iwiński, Iwulski, Waniewski, Wankiewicz, Wańkowicz, Waniek, Waniak, Wański...and in and around Śląsk -- Hanak, Hańczyk, Hankiewicz, Hanus, Hanszczyk, Hanusiak, Hanuszkiewicz, Hanysz, Hanziuk, Hankus, Haniszewski, etc.

History / The smallest Poland ever? [115]

Today's Poland is the smallest independent Poland ever, smaller by some 20% than the already truncated 2nd Republic (1918-1939), and only one-third the size of the Rzplita Objga Narodów. This is not counting the tiny Napoleonic satellite known as the Duchy of Warsaw, which was hardly independent, nor the fluctuating statehood of early mediaeval Poland before Casimir's time.

Today's compact, ethncially homogenous Poland was Dmowski's dream, whereas Piłsudski's conception was more Jagiellonian in scope.
The disadvantage of being a medium-sized rather than a big country are obvious in terms of smaller economic, demographic and cultural potential as well as being internationally less reckoned with.

One obvious advnatge is the lack of minority problems which plague Russia, the USA, France, Britain, Gdermany et al.
And other pluses and minuses you can think of? Are you satisfied with Poland's current territorial extent?

News / The best Poland ever? [125]

Addressing the Sejm and turning to the PiS opposition benches Foreign Secretary Radosław Sikorski said: 'This is the best Poland we have ever had. Learn to love it!'

Do you agree?

UK, Ireland / Poland and Britain? What has caused the downtur in the UK? [28]

Following various remarks on PF one can conclude that Brits are even more critical of their own country than Americans are of theirs, by and large. Of course, Poles are also highly critical of Poland and many are just waiting for 1st May to head for greener pastures in Germany and Austria.

Some UK expats are dismayed at what they find at home after spending a few years in Poland. Some have even toyed with the notion of returning to Lechistan.

What has caused the downturn in the UK? Is it only the economy? Have interpersonal relations also deteriorated? Is failed multi-culti (Merkel's remark) to blame? That still is not a problem in Poland to any significant degree.

News / Acquisition of HSW (Poland's building equipment maker) by leading Chinese manufacturer. [17]

Poland's biggest building-equipment maker (and armaments factory) is due to be taken over the China's Liu Gong corporation before the year is out, Rzeczpospolita's online service reported. This is one of the biggest Chinese investments in Poland and will be worth 250 million zlotys. On Tuesday, traded unionists will start talks on a social packet, the works Solidarity chairman Henryk Szostak said.

Stalowa Wola employs 2,100 workers, of which 1,270 work in the company's civilian section.