Genealogy / Olkowski, Rombkowski - Finding my Polish Roots [10]

OLKOWSKI: topo nick from Olki or Olków

ROMBKOWSKI: presumed original spelling Rąbkowski; topo nikc from Rąbka or Rąbkowa (extremely rare).

For more information on family whereabouts, heraldic links (coats of arms) and contacts with root-tracers, family-tree makers and possibly even living long-lost relations please contact me

USA, Canada / CULTURE SHOCK! (of my Polish finance who visited the US) [210]

Is that 'finance' in the headline (instead of fiancé) not a freudian slip?

Genealogy / Scott Grifka, Family history [13]

Au contraire, already Prof. Witold Doroszewski back in the late 1930s hopped on a motorcycle and toured the Polish and Kashubian enclaves of Wisconsin and other states. He was equipped with a wire-recorder (the predecessor of the tape recorder) and produced volumes of materials on the Polish-American language.

BTW, by what stretch of the imagination can wow, sorki and spoko be regarded as 'real Polish'?

Genealogy / Scott Grifka, Family history [13]

BUSIA/BUSHA:What's with this anti-busha (busia) thing anyway? It's simply a Polish-American reigional variant for grandmother, just as the Québecois French contains many words not known in France. Busha is no more idiotic than some of the idiotic things people in Poland say like sorki, wow, spoko, nara, pozdro, piona, ziomal, etc. Why don't you post-PRL-ians start criticising that nonsense you hear all about you these days?

GRIFKA: only 11 people use this surname in Poland and all live in the Szczecin area suggesting they are descendants of post-WW2 repatriates. Probably the original spelling was Grywka which looks to be the eastern (Ruthenian) version of Polish grzywka (mane).

News / 100 days of Komorowski presidency [41]

He has submitted his first legislative intiative -- a measure to adjust Poland's constitution to EU requirements.

News / 100 days of Komorowski presidency [41]

A TNS OBOP poll taken earlier this month showed that 43% believed Komorowski was fulfilling his presidential duties properly, 21% expressed the opposite view and 36% were undecided.

Life / What do Poles want, what drives them...? [58]

Todays Poles are by and large (there are always exceptions) guided by what Hollywood and other American popcommercial propaganda tells them how to live and what they're supposed to want and strive for.

Food / Any racuchy (raised pancake) fans? [5]

What about bliny, buckwheat-flour pancakes? Ever eat them the Russian way with caviare and sour cream?

News / NGOs - activism or nest-feathering in Poland? [8]

I was interested in the pros and cons of NGOs, as I haven't made up my mind on them yet. Like with most everything else, there is an upside and downside. Take charities...there are high-overhead charities (fund-raisiing drives ostensibly benefiting the handicapped, cancer victims, mentally retarded, whatever) where much or most of the freewill donations collected go to pay fo fancy offices and equipment, hired staff, company cars, conferences, banquets, etc. Others make it a point to slash operating costs to the bare bones so the beneficiaries can benefit from the revenues, and that is how it should be, shouldn't it?

Genealogy / Fabianowicz name [5]

FABIANOWICZ: This is a straightforward surname of patronymic origin which means nothing more than 'Fabian's kid'; an equivalent English surname would be Fabianson. It also appears in the form Pabianowicz

Life / The Polish people have a strange attitude to cats and dogs? [84]

I once heard this riddle from a Pole:
Co to jest - kudłate, ma cztery nogi i leci w powietrzu? - Kot kopnięty w tyłek!
(What is furry, has got 4 legs and flies in the air? - A cat kicked in the behind!)

News / Giant Jesus Rising in Świebodzin ( Tallest in world ) [323]

Some may think the Jesus statue is dumb, some that it is a sign of stupidity to crudely hurt the religious feelings of others. Whatever the case, the structure has all the makings of a major tourist attraction, and tourism means investments, revenues, jobs and general development.

BTW, how much do you, Smuf, regularly donate to homeless and/or animal shelters or other charitable causes?

News / Designer drugs kill 18 in Poland [32]

Today President Komroowski signed the anti-designer drug bill into law. Hopefully this will end both the public health hazard as well as the hypocrisy of big red pills being sold as 'collector's items' and cynically labelled 'not for human consumption' (wink, wink). Ever heard of a teenager who keeps pills and powders in a glass cabinet for friends to admire as a hobby?

Genealogy / Huminsky last name - I would appreciate any info [9]

You might check with the state archives in Warsaw: archiwa.gov.pl

Language / The Future of Polish Language [179]

Polish should be around for some time to come, although admittedly it will probably absorb a lot more English vocabulary, syntax and idioms. But it will still be Polish. Those countries that already now have a good command of English and not too many native speakers of their own language (eg Holland, the Scandinavian countries, etc.) could see their native tongues become extinct far sooner. My impression is that countries with a poorer command of English (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine, Romania and others) may see their native languages survive longer than the smaller above-mentioned Germanic countries. Although Germany has a good command of English, its sheer size amy guarantee German a longer longevity. Whether we are talking one or more centuries - remains to be seen. Who knows - maybe our great grandchildren will all end up speaking obligatory Mandarin?!

Study / Considerations for US Family Moving to Poland (esp. Int'l Schools) [36]

I would suggest a semester at an American, British or international school in Poland (English instrcution) whilst your daughter picks up Polish at the playground and in the courtyard, watching Polish TV kids shows, etc. In six months her Polish should be good enough to enrol in a normal Polish primary school. A school to consider in Kraków: iskonline.org

Genealogy / Kucharski Family [5]

Kucharski has already been answered elsewhere.

Food / Polish placki v latkes (potato pancakes) [22]

But some people refry pre-boiled pyzy and kopytka, so maybe that's why he had the impression it was something fried. I also prefer refried thigns including pierogi.

News / America's Tea Party like Poland's Solidarnosc? [59]

Actually, if one does an honest and impassive overview, no human solution to how soceity should work has ever really succeeded. How to reconcile rich and poor, privileged and disadvantaged, sick and healthy, dynamic and lethargic, honest and dishonest...?

Privatise everything (like Thatcher) or retain state control? Create a huge and costly nanny state or leave most decisions to citizens. Print more money like Obama or keep tight monetarist control? Beef up law enforcement or decrminalise...? Every option produces its own set of negative consequences.

Food / Sliced bread contains more preservatives [3]

One would have to use two loaves of the same bread -- one pre-sliced and the other whole. Depending on the humidity in the air such bread may simply go stale (become rock hard) without going mouldy.

Language / jesc/zjesc and possible english translations for the imperfective/perfective [30]

There are other possibilities: jadać and zjadać (imperfective frequentative forms):
We Francji będę codziennie jadał ślimaki. (In France I will be eating snails daily -- they don't call 'em żabojady for nothing!).
Tomek obiecał, że od dziś będzie zjadał wszystko, co na talerzu. (Tommy promised that from today we would be eating up everything on his plate).

Genealogy / LUIZ HAVRO - HELP PLEASE TO FIND ANY DOC ABOUT MY WIFES GRANDFATHER? [4]

HAWRO: short for Hawril -- the Ukrainian equivalent of the Polish first name Gabriel.

The Hawro surname is shared by 712 people in Poland. As you can see the largest concnetration is in the country's SE corner in the Przemyśl (135) and neighbouring Rzeszów (106) areas of what was once (until 1918) Austrian-occupied Galicja. Repatriated Hawros now also make their home in the recovered lands in and around Wrocław (86) and Legnica. (68).

Wa:16, BP:13, Bs:6, BB:11, By:14, Ch:6, Cz:7, El:15, Gd:18, Go:7, JG:10, Ka:34, Ki:3, Kn:4, Ko:7, Kr:11, Ks:10, Lg:68, Ls:1, Lu:9, £d:3, NS:4, Ol:1, Op:6, Pl:7, Pt:3, Po:5, Pr:135, Rz:106, Su:1, Sz:8, Tb:8, Wb:29, Wr:86, Za:36, ZG:4