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Posts by SeanBM  

Joined: 10 Mar 2008 / Male ♂
Last Post: 6 Jun 2017
Threads: Total: 34 / In This Archive: 14
Posts: Total: 5781 / In This Archive: 2780
From: Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

Displayed posts: 2794 / page 22 of 94
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SeanBM   
21 Apr 2011
Genealogy / Lots of Johnsons in Poland... [3]

Lots of Johnsons in Poland...

Isn't a Johnson a penis in American English?
Puts a whole new meaning to your thread P3.
SeanBM   
21 Apr 2011
News / Poland's Lost Generation [172]

You are failing to understand, that the country has lost a generation and the future will show this in 10 years time.

The average Pole had very limited ability to emigrate, so when the doors opened approximately 2 million left over the next few years.
2 million of 40 million is 5%.

Research conducted by PKO Bank Polski, Poland's largest retail bank, shows that 63% of Polish immigrants to the UK are aged between 24 and 35 with 40% possessing a university degree.[36] However, with the rapid growth of salaries in Poland, booming economy, strong value of the złoty, and decreasing unemployment (which fell from 14.2% in May 2006 to 8% in March 2008[37]), the flight of Polish workers is slowing.[39]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_drain#Central_and_Eastern_Europe

How does it really compare to other countries?

I know Ireland has had the biggest emigration ever and we do not have a lost generation.
SeanBM   
21 Apr 2011
History / The smallest Poland ever? [115]

The smallest Poland ever?

Nope.

I really like this animation of Polish Borders 990 - 2008
SeanBM   
20 Apr 2011
News / The best Poland ever? [125]

those who do not bother to vote are the best indication of the number of people excluded from the society; they are the real outcasts.

The number of people who do not bother to vote are not excluded by society, they exclude themselves. And if they are too lazy to vote, who's fault is that?

In the 2007 parliamentary elections, he (Tusk) got more than 534,000 votes, which is the best individual result in the electoral history of the Third Polish Republic. His Civic Platform won the elections with 41% of the votes.

Webster's Online Dictionary

I think some people are only happy when they're moaning about something... AdamKadmon :)
SeanBM   
20 Apr 2011
News / The best Poland ever? [125]

Hey man, stay on one side of an argument would you? ;)

According to Sikorski's words.

And according to your words? :)
SeanBM   
20 Apr 2011
Life / Building: treatment methods of and understanding timber in Poland [16]

In Polish it's szelak.

Jainie Mack, thanks a lot Z_D.
I am going to be doing a load of wood in the coming months and this is perfect.

This szelak, is even better than the knotting stuff I was talking about, as the knotting is light brown, needs to be sanded and painted over.

Whereas szelak can be au natural, great!

I didn't use anything special on the knots for my terrace and it's south facing but even with the sun beating on it, the sap hasn't come out much, a little here and there. If you know, is this because the wood was probably dried properly?
SeanBM   
20 Apr 2011
News / The best Poland ever? [125]

No, Poland had it's Golden Age and what's we have now is not even comperable to XVI century.

Hmmm... I wonder... I always think the past is romanticised too much.

Mortality rates, health services, No pensions, distribution of wealth, no internet...oh my Goud! no Polish Forums ;)

Do you agree?

The quality of life has vastly improved for the majority of the people here in Poland over the ten years I have known her.
SeanBM   
20 Apr 2011
History / Why did communism in Poland fail? [180]

Are you saying that the few jobs that are indeed taken through Nepotism or some other type of favouritism compared to the vast majority of jobs that aren't is equal to Communism where you had no chance whatsoever unless you were in the elite, that is not a fair comparison, I think.

Hahaha come one Sean, after what has happened over the last three years or so, I believe most western economies are fabricated.

You may have a point. Things have gotton out of control in the West.

But what I find most laughable, is that despite the fact that I have this freedom, it does me very little good. It's just rhetoric. But somehow the idea is more important than the how it actually works.

Theoretically, this freedom of speech can lead to a new democratically elected party which can change your circumstance. Again something in the S.U. that wasn't possible.

China seems to be doing reasonably well, wouldn't you say? Most of their businesses are state owned.

Does it really? considering the wealth distribution sucks? Just because a government has a **** load of money, does it make it a successful country?

Yep.

Nice contribution Raj_ryder.

The system in Poland was socialism, Poland stopped being a socialist country and became a capitalist democracy in 1989.

I am not sure that is correct:
SeanBM   
19 Apr 2011
History / Why did communism in Poland fail? [180]

uring socialist times especially the 80's Pl

Why do you say "Socialist" instead of "communist"?
SeanBM   
19 Apr 2011
News / Poland's Lost Generation [172]

Why would I re-invest it in some crappy business in Poland?

When are gonna stop feeling sorry for yourself and dragging Poland down?
The fact that you even dream of only a 'crappy' business, speaks a lot about you.
Should I play violin music when reading your posts?
SeanBM   
19 Apr 2011
UK, Ireland / Do Poles and EU Citizens exploit the British welfare state [129]

And by the way ... the Polish motorways are built by cheap immigrant labour as well ... the Chinese.

That's far from true, the overwhelming majority of the roads are being built by German and Spanish companies.
Very few were carried out by Chinese but the anti-immigration tabloids homed in on.

If you're serious about fixing Britain's economy then start here.

Absolutely!
We all turn on each other while the culprits get away Scot free.
SeanBM   
19 Apr 2011
News / Poland's Lost Generation [172]

most of the immigrants are arriving from Ireland and UK, with their Polish girlfriends/boyfriends wives/husbands in search of greener pastures.

Well then, it's gonna be tough for the love refugees :)

Don't be so hard on moherowe berety; they survived the war and communism, now they are finding very difficult to understand a new reality. Religion is but the only thing that stayed the same so they cling to it desperately.

I didn't mean to sound hard on them and I agree with everything you have said and therefore if I was to call any generation in Poland a "Lost generation" it'd be them.

They don't bother me in the slightest but you can see they are tough from having survived tougher times.
Just watch them in the cue at the post office :)))
SeanBM   
19 Apr 2011
History / Why did communism in Poland fail? [180]

the arms race

The arms race was a frightening time.

I remember as a kid hearing that the S.U. had enough Nuclear weapons to destroy the earth 13 times over.
I thought "What's the point, after the first time it's all over..."

star wars program

Straight out of a movie, gotta love it :)

Where did you get that from Southern?
SeanBM   
18 Apr 2011
News / Could Poland be self-sustainable in energy? [56]

Clickable map of wind farms in Poland:
Map of wind power in Polish voivodships in Poland 2010:

Thanks for the info Boletus.

By the look of those maps, is there so much more wind up the North West of Poland?

Does anyone know about any E.U. or Polish government initiatives about renewable energies subsidies?
SeanBM   
18 Apr 2011
History / Why did communism in Poland fail? [180]

Without that terror,

Was the terror not just a way to reinforce the failing system?
I mean, it doesn't appear to be the root cause of the failing of communism but just a way to maintain it through brute force and terror, as you say.

communism was a foreign concept imposed upon them by the enemy.

This is a great point that I think many people from the other side of the iron curtain miss.

one of the main premises of its existance is elimination of private property. No human will ever care about something not his more than about his/her own.

I agree, reminds me of the free bikes they had in Holland.
The idea was that white bikes were to be used by everyone, you just pick them up cycle wherever you want and leave it outside for the next person.

They were painted black and sold off.

"correctness" of one party

It can also be argued that there is a correctness in two parties (as we have now in many countries) that are no different from each other, so it really makes no difference who you vote for.

there is no sex in Communism ;)

? No? ;)

you HAVE to believe that a leader in some remote Russian (sorry for my bias) village is thinking how to make your life better, day and night. He might even not eat just to make sure that everything is Ok at your crammed apartment. You simply have to BELIEVE, reality doesn't matter - it is a lie anyway.

The state will look after you personally.... never gonna happen.
I don't think it is biased to say Russian, it was the U.S.S.R after all.

People do not like to be constraint by their government and so communism had to fail.

Again was the constraints not trying to desperately hold on to a failing system, it wasn't the cause of the initial problem itself, was it? but just a way of keeping it going?

The better question would be why did Communism fail.

That was the thread title, someone must have edited it but that's okay :)

Because it failed to provide its citizens the quality and quantity of consumption that had become the standard of modernity over the last third of the twentieth century.

Why did it fail to provide the quality and quantity of consumption?

I will suggest a hypothetical to dispel what I am led to understand if I am incorrect, if it was managed more efficiently would it have succeed?

I ask because it is not discussed much outside of countries that were effected by it and to understand it so it doesn't happen again.

Seems to me,Red,white or polka dot coloured banners its all the same,its always the few ,the rich and powerfull who controll the many whether thats the rich and powerfull communist in a Volga or the rich and powerfull capitalist in a Maybach.

The democratic Capitalist system we have today, for all it's disappointments, still the people could (theoretically) vote in whoever they want and what they want.

Ironically, the monopolization of banks and multinational corporations, along with "two" party elections that are not much different from each other seems more and more like a kind of Neo-communism.

The worst is when you see the worthless scum on the post-communist horizon driving on stolen money while some others haven't got their salary for a few months.

I find this to be a very good point, it seems to me that communism did not allow people's natural behaviour.
As in stark contrast to The American Dream: "if I have a good idea and work hard enough, I too can drive a nice big car."

Whereas in communism, it just seemed to build resentment and was just really unfair, no chance of material success, a comfortable life, holidays anywhere you wanted every year and simple things like sugar or bananas in the shops.

On a personal note, I dislike it when people say "Poles were not so materialistic during communism" because the exact same thing was said about Ireland when we were poor.

I find that remark condescending because it is always someone from a rich country who visits Poland or Ireland for short periods and finds the people ''friendly'' and ''quaint''.

"Oh how lovely, Look at the people ploughing the fields with a horse and plough."
And then feck off back to their home entertainment systems and convertible cars.
Whereas the people stuck in the field are meant to continue "happily" with their back breaking work.

Feck that, give these people half a chance and they would work and live a much more comfortable life, why wouldn't they?
And then we get told how materialistic we have become?!?
We were always materialistic, it's just we had no materials!!!

Okay, the 'consumer culture' has gone too far, even for me but when you are poor or you can't get the things that make your life easier, it isn't quaint, it's a day to day struggle.

Rant over* :)
SeanBM   
17 Apr 2011
News / Poland's Lost Generation [172]

They don't dream about rebelling and changing the world. They are deeply suspicious of collective action: all solutions to their problems are private.

Sounds good to me :)

I view this differently, take an average Polish family living in a house with 4/5 generations altogether in the countryside (most Poles are from the countryside).

Their grandparents and parents are probably VERY politically minded, full of stories and suspicions from the SB and Smolensk.
And all you want to do is be able to live in your own house with a job you can bear and a few quid so you can have a family and your own life (but not too far away from your family:).

Nothing ''lost'' about it, it's as natural as chicks leaving the nest.

they leave it to rot.

I also disagree with the harshness you put on them.
Wanting a better life for yourself is perfectly normal.

PL has just made cheap, educated labour its main export.

Don't forget that that 'export' was sending back billions making up part of Poland's GDP.
People who are forced into emigration for work are hardly likely to love their adopted country.
Of the Polish people I met in Ireland and London most want to move back to Poland after they get a few quid together, fair enough. Many won't because at that stage they will have new lives but I think most will.

Whereas most of the immigrants who live in Poland were not forced to come here to find a job but by choice.

I would say the "lost generation" are the moherowy beret, their world has been completely changed from Communism to Capitalism and extreme religiosity.
SeanBM   
17 Apr 2011
History / Why did communism in Poland fail? [180]

I had started a similar thread.Generally Polaci never seemed fond for adopting communism.

Ah, I didn't see that.
I will have a read through, thanks.

Edit*
Feck I even posted in it...
My grey matter isn't firing up the old neurons the way it used to :)
SeanBM   
17 Apr 2011
History / Why did communism in Poland fail? [180]

As a foreigner, from the other side of the Iron Curtain, I still find it difficult to get my head around communism even after all these years of living in ex-communist countries.

So no doubt some of our more cynical Polish members will laugh at me trying to look at communism but I am quite happy to be corrected in any misunderstandings I may have about what it was like.

So why did communism fail?

I will have a stab at it, I invite you to add your own or just rip mine to shreds.

- No private companies (technically next to none) and therefore no competition which led to poor services and no reason to work.
- No incentives, did people study for years just to get paid the same as others who didn't? seems unfair to me.
- The economy was completely fabricated i.e. had no basis in reality. I was told that the beautiful oak parquet flooring that you find in the crummiest of flats was due to it being A.) the only thing available and B.) cheap. It was cheap becuase the price was not based on a market or supply and demand but just made up.

- With everything in the hands of the state and no competition it led to the inevitable mismanagement of pretty much everything. So nothing in the shops, 100% employment meant job creation which meant more bureaucracy resulting in ineffectiveness. In Lithuania they have a saying "The Lithuanian pretended to work and the Russians pretended to pay them".

- it didn't allow people freedoms such as of individuality, expression, political criticism, religion and pursuit of personal gain.

This post got me thinking about this topic:

the very word Communism just spreads dread throughout the mind of the person thinking of it and who can blame them. When most Caucasian people think of that social state they would immediately imagine the Soviet Union and probably former Easter block countries with their endless rows of grey blocks of small flats. Miserable people all standing in cues waiting for their measly rations of cheese, milk, bread and if their lucky a small pack of coffee. Traditional communism would mean not being free, not being able to speak your mind, being blinded by state controlled media and fear.

This, to me, is the effect but what was the cause of Communism failing?

Also if you are interested in Poland and communism make sure you look at this thread, it's one of the best on here: Communism fell 20 years ago, Poland led the fight since WW2
SeanBM   
16 Apr 2011
Study / Is Poland a good place to study for Black Africans? [90]

pro-Europe

What does that even mean?

Does it just mean you are a Pole living in Scandinavia, so you don't say E.U.? :)

socialist! Socialist!

A come on, Socialists (Scandinavian model) aren't that bad :)

IS poland a good place to study for Black Africans?

No idea, I am not African.

Probably find it very cold during winter.
SeanBM   
14 Apr 2011
News / What are Poland's optimal both real and virtual neighbors? [81]

heard recently that around 50 per cent of Polish businesses are on the verge of bankruptcy

Where did you get that from?

also Polish debt grows dramatically

And still much lower comparatively.
27th External
47th public debt
SeanBM   
13 Apr 2011
History / Nowa Huta and other achievments of PRL (People's Republic of Poland) [79]

the Communist politics and world view came into play, because they built it as a contrast to Krakow, no?

They actually built it upwind from Krakow, hoping that the smoke would destroy Krakow.
that's what I was told by locals.

The city was basically built to house the steel workers at the big plant there, no?

Yes.

In the pictures I see of it now, at least there are trees and greenery,

And it is huge, from one building across a bit of green, then a sidewalk, then another bit of green, then two lanes of traffic, then another bit of green, then a tram line and the same the other side, it's huge.

The town planning deserves a mention, spider man would be proud.

Poland Kopernik