News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Pol: I am talking about the way he talks. I have personally met the guy and I was impressed.

@Delph; this morning I went shopping to Carrefour and took a (quick) look at main newspapers and they all announce PiS's victory. I must say that I have NEVER seen anything like this. I've seen quite a few instances when newspapers announced tight scores even if X's or Y's victory was to be expected. What is going now in Poland is extraordinary, in the true meaning of the word. Although the election is only tomorrow, people including medias take PiS's victory for granted. The question is: what is da..ed wrong with PO that they turn people of?

Saying that PiS shall win tomorrow is almost like saying that New Year shall starts on Jan. 1 in our culture. For the past months, PiS's victory has become such a matter of fact that I am most amazed.

Classifieds / Coming to Poznan in December - Looking for some girl in Christmas times [33]

Sorry, Seo, but when a guy puts such an ad, he means "business" and everybody understands this way, including of course any girl who would respond. If sex were not part of the deal, you would look for a bunch of buddies to have drinks/to visit the city with. You know, no girl/woman is stupid, they all know that nothing is free and if a guy feeds/entertains, he'll ask for reimbursement in kind ;).

PS: sorry but as you are from India, it won't be easy to attract Polish girls and on top of that Polish (like all Western) women are well aware of the too many rapes that occur in India.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Very true! The charisma factor is very important and sometimes the most important. Current PiS leaders don't have much but PO's have O. EK doesn't have any, she does not feel comfortable around "normal people" and for the past few weeks has been completely lost, running around in circles like a chicken which got his head cut off. Her nightmare should end tomorrow night and as of Monday off, she'll be able to sleep and take it easy in her Radom (you would not catch me dead there ;)). Komorowski and Tusk look like in a coma (reason why Merkel gave Tusk his job as she is sure he won't say anything or act against her) and they put anybody to sleep. How can they gather crowds to vote for them?

Palikot, Kukiz, Zandberg for instance do have a hell of a charisma. In politics it's crucial to have charisma.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

I was at Centrum Metro Station tonight at 6 and Razem were still there offering coffee. As they were there this morning, I expect them to be at Metro Station all day today and amazingly they were the only party to be there. Those knowing Warsaw know that the area in front of Centrum Metro Station is a great place to meet the population/voters. I'm wondering why others parties did not come. In May, that's where Duda offered coffee.

Since PO did a lousy campaign in May and now a lot say that they have done a lousy campaign too for Sunday's election, why does PO run since they seem not to be able to campaign. A campaign is very difficult, it demands a strategy, a lot of efforts (and also money) so if too hard for PO maybe they should change jobs ;).

UK, Ireland / Sugar tax in the UK. Polish friends addicted? [55]

@Harry: people are fat, even obese, for a lot of reasons including psychological and hormonal (for instance thyroid) disorders. Since a lot of overweight/obesity cases result from bad eating habits, school should teach nutrition (when I was in primary school, we had some lessons). Also, authorities through media should educate people. I watch a lot of BBC programs and what do I see? People eating pizza with fries or fries with spaghetti ;)

UK, Ireland / Sugar tax in the UK. Polish friends addicted? [55]

@Jon: yes, that bloody wędliny!!!!!!! It probably causes a lot of cancer. This morning on an overcrowed (normal) tram, I was just behind a guy who had wędliny sandwiches in his backpack, it stank like in hell.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Zie: I agree with you. E. Kopacz seems completely lost and tries to save some furniture like she would in her flat in fire. Medias are very interested in A. Zandberg who did very well on Tuesday. Of course Razem woN'T rule Poland but they could play a role in Polish politics. A bit more than a year ago, nobody would have thought that Siriza and Tsipras would rule Greece and Podomos have been very successfull in Spain (they rule Madrid and Barcelona) and likely to win Parliamentary election in Dec 2015 so why not Razem in Poland? I remember A. Grodzka saying that she meant to build a Polish Siriza movement but because of who A. Grodzka is, if a Siriza like party is to be, people would prefer A. Zandberg, a charismatic and intelligent CLEAN CUT boy. He has a PhD in history, teaches (or taught) at the university, looks like a good boy.... So he's binational! I thought weird to immigrate from Denmark to Poland especially at the time but if his mother is from Poland, it makes sense to me. This morning, Razem was offering coffee (just like Duda did in May) at Centrum Metro Station in Warsaw. Razem are using the "garbage contract" issue and this could appeal to the youth. However I don't think the youth to vote for Razem is the same youth to vote for Kukiz ;).

Let's see what happens on Sunday night!

News / Should recent arrivals to Poland, such as Syrian migrants, be required to learn Polish? [10]

My goodness! don't you'll know that the US are a country of IMmigrants.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

1. @Gumi; what about Vietnamese speaking Polish in Poland and everybody speaking English in UK????? ;). Poles speaking English don't sociolize with Blacks, Indians, and consorts in UK ;)! And what about most Poles' attitude towards Jews, homosexuals and others, a problem of language????? ;). "lol"

2. another poll :
wyborcza.pl/1,75478,19075373,sondaz-wyborczy-newsweeka-szanse-na-mandaty-ma-az-osiem-ugrupowan.html

Polls are polls and sometimes even contradictory.

Classifieds / Coming to Poznan in December - Looking for some girl in Christmas times [33]

G60: "lol"! :)

Classifieds / Coming to Poznan in December - Looking for some girl in Christmas times [33]

Pitiful these posts! What do those primitive males take women for? Do they think Polish women are so desperate that they'll jump to bed with them? On top of that the guys are so cheap that they prefer to use free random forums rather than to pay for professionals.

UK, Ireland / Sugar tax in the UK. Polish friends addicted? [55]

@NoWay: Polish diet "healthy"???? It is even worse than eating at McDo!!! Only starches and grease and TONS of salt, pork and greasy sausage and as to vegetables and fruit, very limited ;). I prefer McDo...

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Maf and G: I seriously doubt that most Poles do ever sociolize with .... Arabs, Blacks, Vietnamese, Indians and whoever "exotic" ;) be abroad or in big Polish cities. And as to outside of Polish big cities, one can count "exotic looking people" on the fingers of one hand.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Maf: there are so few "different" people in Poland that by pure maths, it is impossible that a lot of Poles do interact with them. Even in Warsaw, how many Varsovians do mingle with people who are different? How many Varsovians do interact and even socialize with Blacks, Indians, Jews, homosexuals, even ... transexuals.... ? I would say fewer than 1% of total Varsovian population.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@G: even when living abroad, Poles usually live in ghettos and do not mingle for sure with Blacks, Muslims, Jews, Indians and whatever "exotic" ....... However, how many Indians, Muslims, Jews... has Jacek Kowalski mingled with in Radom, Kielce or you name-it?

@Rozu: obviously true! :)

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Polsyr: yes, this is what I meant. The poll of course is pure theory since hardly any Pole has neighbors who are different ;). Since Poland is the most homogeneous country of Europe, with everybody being white and of European stock and catholic, it makes sense that MOST Poles have never seen anyone different.... This needless to say does not help re ... tolerance and mind opening ;););)

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Polsyr: I am saying that MOST Poles have never seen anyone different from them and it is NOT contradictory to poll since purely hypothesis ;) since MOST Poles don't live next to Jews, Muslims, gays, atheists, etc etc...

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Polsyr: I remember some years ago, the question was asked to lyceum kids from several EU countries re having Jews for neighbors and the most hostile were .... Poles. Most Poles have never seen anybody different and therefore they are scarred and they are against ;)

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Maf: For your info, the first time I put a foot in Poland was in March 1990 and I got married in Katowice in June 1990 and since then a lot of trips to the country before settling with Polish husband. Nobody can deny that most Poles live in poverty and have to think of emigrating in order to eat and feed their family. Yesterday I heard on tv that Poland was the EU country with the highest precarity % and also among the worst one in terms of difference between the rich and the poor. Yes, around max. 20% of Poles make it but it means that most of them do not. I do know that most expats mingle with the rich only but it does not mean that others do not exist. When I hear about life of those people, I am shocked, a lot of them just survive. Earlier today, the owner of a language school told me that in areas such as Bialystok and consorts, teachers on umowa o dzieło (= no benefits of any kind) were paid .... 25zl/hour. If you think this is "ok", I invite you to try ;)

You may not know them and even see them but believe me, they do exist. Maybe you should look at the world the way it is and not the way you imagine it.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Delph: "your friends are undecided between PO and Petru"!!! Do you if not mingle with at least see the non privilieged Poles? According to official figures, 70% of Poles make less than 2,700. Most Poles struggle, have to go West for bread, live in lousy tiny flats with often grand parents. I know that 99.99%, including you and including me, expats only deal with the very rich but the others exist too. I don't mingle with them but I see them and no big deal to see them since they are far more numerous. Even in Warsaw, often I come across people that amaze me as they are so poor and look so desperate that they seem to come from another planet. Often I travel on trams/buses coming from or going to dirt poor areas outside of Warsaw and I am often scarred as people look "very different" from the Poles I interact with. Of course, in Polska B, things are much worse. Early this year, I spent one day at Nowy Sącz and I'm still shocked. I happen to regularly go to Katowice and believe me, in some areas, it looks like in books written by Dickens and by Zola. When I go to Saint Sephen's cemetary in Bogucice, I cross areas that look like not much "better" than those described by Zola in "Germinal". I wouldn't dare walking through them even during day. Do you expect people living there to vote (if they ever do) for PO or for Petru? What do they get out the "Polish prosperity"? Nothing and you'd like them to be "thankful"?

You do interact twith the very rich but open your eyes and look at the lot of most Poles. Of course Poland has developed (thanks to EU money ;)) over the past few years but the whole Polish population have not benefitted from all this. Only let's say 10% of the population live "properly". Most Poles have it too tough and there is the reason why they don't vote for PO and they vote for PiS and quite a few others.

You know, you need to go beyond YOUR and your friends' personal situation but consider the WHOLE population.

As I said, we need to respect Poles' choice. They seem to want PiS and no matter what, we, foreigners, have no business to criticize their choice. I suppose that they know Poland better than we do and even if people are poor, they are not stupid and have to be respected.

Sorry, we, foreigners, have to right to think and act as neo-colonialists. I for sure don't.

Calm down because your attitude has become .... not normal! :)

Love / Scottish & Polish relationships [229]

Sean Connery, isn't he the one who believes that women should be beaten up by their husbands/partners? I was shocked....

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Pol: Yes, expats in Poland live among the very rich. I do too but I am well aware that these rich only make up max 2% of the Polish population and that the rest thereof have to struggle like dogs to make ends meet .... I understand that most Poles are fed up of PO.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Delph: you have to realize that most Poles are dissatisfied with the current situation (in Poland) and want changes and therefore they're ready to vote for any available party.

I myself am shocked by the poverty I see on a daily basis while traveling and walking around Warsaw and it's much worse in other areas. The old folks live in dire poverty, cannot buy medications, the youth leaves the country for bread, and most of them in ages between make peanuts when not unemployed. Of course, PiS are NOT the answer but people are fed up. Although my economic situation is good, I am well aware that I belong to the few "privileged" and that most Poles are not as fortunate and as a result, I do NOT despite their opinions and their votes.

I like neither PiS nor PO but since PiS are to win, no change in my life one way or the other. If most Poles vote PiS in, as democrats we have to respect their choice (besides, Poland is their country and not ours, so why should we give them "advice" and behave as neo-colonialists?). Poles are grown up people and they don't need expats to tell them how to run their country.

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Yes, Ziemo, all medias seem to agree that Adrian Zandberg was really great. I've checked his background, 36-years-old, PhD in history and his parents come from ... Denmark. Of course, he won't be elected but it is good to see young new faces in politics be in Poland or elsewhere. For sure, Razem shall attract alot of precarians but according to medias so shall PiS. I heard this am on French international France24 channel that Poland is the EU country with the largest % of precarians. This is not acceptable. People need concrete and steady jobs that enable them to eat (not only in Poland but of course everywhere).

As to Kukiz, I don't think his song is anti-Church. He makes fun of ONE priest but does not criticize the Church.

Food / Best Polish Potato Variety for Mashing [67]

true, Johnny! All the chemical sh..ts they use to grow potatoes and the rest! On top of that, in areas like in Poland, we have soils contaminated by Chernobyl..... This is scarry when we realize what we eat....

Food / Best Polish Potato Variety for Mashing [67]

also difficult in Poland to find huge potatoes suitable for baking. Maybe at Carrefour and consorts... I have never looked in there...

Food / Best Polish Potato Variety for Mashing [67]

So now, it's like that too in Ireland! In France it's been like that for ages. In Poland maybe in some 10/20 ....years..... Not only for potatoes but also for everything else, the key to good receipes is the ingredients, they must be of good quality and suitable. Although I can't/don't cook, I know a lot re cooking and also enjoy fancy stuff.

Food / Best Polish Potato Variety for Mashing [67]

It's me above (54789012). I was not logged in so I enter anything ...

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

@Maf: ah, ok! :). Early in the morning, my mind is still on slow mode ;).

News / Poland Parliamentary elections 2015 [1060]

Who/what is TKM? Anyhow, I don't see anybody panicking except in PF. Most of the people I mingle with are PO and for them on Monday, it'll be business as usual.

In EU national goverments have very little impact on their own countries since 80% of the laws/decisions come from Brussels/Merkel clique. As a consequence no more than 50% of the people bother to vote (I have stopped and don't believe that I'll ever vote again).