Law / 'Karta Pobytu' & long-term visa [27]

Makes me wonder if they suspect that he's going to do a runner, yet can't find the legal basis to deny the visa.

Study / Shocking! Test standards in Polish schools. [165]

It's quite normal - but the one crucial difference is that universities won't regard it as serious. It's impossible to explain quickly - but if you do something "too easy" - it won't be taken into consideration later.

What about Lithuanians/Germans doing Polish as a second language? Isn't it the same for them?

News / Icy blast cleans the streets of the homeless in Poland.. [63]

What they did last year was nice - they opened basically tents that were heated, where you could go and drink yourself into oblivion - but they didn't care if you were drunk or not. They should have them all winter - there's no need to kill people because they have an addiction.

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


Would that be like how Poles are jealous of Germans and Russians because they were enslaved and looked down upon for years, too?


When did you last visit Poland?


A great country in some respects, tinpot in others. Very Polish, if you will.


What disproves it is the fact that you support it.

Study / Shocking! Test standards in Polish schools. [165]


Hardly surprises me to be honest - and confirms my feelings that these companies are only in Wroclaw with the help of some massive grants.

As for you, Grzegorz - I see the sour grapes are still...sour with you.

Study / Shocking! Test standards in Polish schools. [165]


True - I know one company that hired a good, reliable Polish teacher for roughly 3000zl a month (the cost to them) - the appeal of umowa o prace for an English teaching job that isn't in a public school is very appealing.

Beats me why more companies don't simply hire one or tw o in-house teachers rather than relying on language schools, actually.

Study / Shocking! Test standards in Polish schools. [165]

It's all about the papers Stu! They've got a paper that says they can do something, so obviously they can do it...

News / Boom for food exports from Poland [17]


There is, actually. :(

I don't remember where I found it, but there is some (legal) small scale hunting of them - usually for rich foreign arseholes.

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]


Learnt that language in the village, too? Explains things.


If you respected your freedom, you wouldn't live in the United States.

I'm also fairly certain that your little story is just that - a little story. The way you talk...nah. Just no.

Law / IT department (computer programming) - Opening up an Office/Business in Poland [53]

Ouch.

Must admit - I approve of such 'naming and shaming'.


Fraudster? Dangerous accusation to make - Australia doesn't have much of a sense of humour when it comes to this sort of thing.

Feather my own nest? I don't work for language schools, sorry :) As for making money - who isn't interested in making money?

Caring about nobody? Sorry, but when did you last do anything for Poland?

Making money at the expense of the Pole? Well, yes, they're the ones who pay my wages. I suppose Poles in the UK are just making money at the expense of the Brits, too?

As for "being Jewish" - what the **** does that matter?

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]


What, a provincial city in a small European country? Sorry, but I don't deny coming from a beautiful (in summer, when the sun shines) city that has 11 months of crap weather and people who have a massive chip on their shoulder. And you? :)


I'm wondering how brains and guts are related. The two are generally in inverse proportion.

And yes, America is generally bad when they act as the world's policeman. ACTA is, after all, an American invention.


Village is very much an insult in urbane Poland.


If you were so proud, why do you criticise Poland and her ways so frequently for your few posts? It's the old Polish complex again - you can see countless examples online where they've moved abroad and immediately fall in love with their new surroundings - all the while criticising Poland for being this, that and the next thing. You're not the first and not the last to exhibit such strange behaviour.


Some provisions within ACTA are no bad thing - being able to legally seize those aforementioned Indian fake drugs for instance, even when they're merely in transit through ACTA signatory countries can only be a good thing. Bear in mind that the Indians certainly aren't taking responsibility for any problems with the drugs.

Then again, I doubt you've actually read what ACTA proposes - and you certainly don't seem to understand that signing ACTA isn't the same thing as ratifying it.

Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]


Gumishu is the expert on this, but I wonder if it's anything to do with the authorities on Polish not being quick to coin new words for new English words?

Law / IT department (computer programming) - Opening up an Office/Business in Poland [53]


Mainstream? Yeah, suuure. So mainstream that you know, companies are just falling over themselves to hire Polish teleworkers! I mean, it's so mainstream that some of the biggest names here are just...er...spending a fortune on accommodating them.

Sorry, but telecommuting simply isn't "mainstream' at all in Europe.


Does it matter if it is or not? They wanted one and got one - you can't play ping-pong at home, can you?

Then again, I guess it fits in with your general, typical scorn for Poles. I've noticed that most of the posts you make are looking down at people here - insecurity, perhaps?


And back to the point that the Polonia and Poles who move there seem to all be from the same stock - village dwelling, arrogant and for totally unfounded reasons.


Are you still ranting on about this? Then again, I suppose you have little else to do in America. Poland didn't listen to your battle cry, so now - all you can do with yourself is rant on PF instead. Anyway, the only humiliation here was how you comically changed your tune after PiS lost. Terribly good fun.

Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]


Foreign languages are just fashionable right now, I suppose. The awkardest word is still "lunch" though in Polish.

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]


Nah, you just ranted blindly about how India couldn't possible be ripping off European drug companies, no no..course not. Never.


Yawn. America pretends to be the land of the free, but we all know fine well that it isn't. The bullying of Poland by the US Embassy recently is just yet another fine example why America really should just get lost and deal with her own problems first. Then again, you'll never say a bad word about the country that let you escape from the village, eh?

History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]


Why is it a bad idea? If you'd actually read the article, you'd see that it was considered as a "last gasp" option - and any sane, rational country should have such plans.

Incidentally, what if the leader wasn't elected? I mean - your republic was so tinpot that Ford (who was neither elected vice president or president) became President!

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]


You're the one that brought up health care, not me. The whole "anti-generic" attack is on India - it has nothing to do with legally sold generic drugs in Europe, and 100% to do with stopping knock-off Indian (and Chinese, though less so) drugs.


I'm more amused that you seem to think that you aren't already under such surveillance. Never heard of Echelon, have we?


Echelon already thoroughly dissects your communications.


I wasn't talking about anything else, rather just countering the whole fallacy that ACTA will stop access to generic drugs.

Anyway, you gave up your civil liberties the second you took up American residency.

Law / IT department (computer programming) - Opening up an Office/Business in Poland [53]


Sure, I suppose it would also be good for testing nuclear bombs. Katowice is a horrible, grim place - and you're not going to attract talented people there unless you offer them high, high salaries. I know at least three people who have refused (better) jobs there because - it's Katowice.


Telecommuting isn't always desirable for programming. If it was, then he would have already identified that as being an option.


I don't see people queuing up to live in Katowice, do you? It simply isn't attractive for people who can work in Wroclaw, Krakow, Poznan or Warsaw instead. Why the hell would anyone with fairly desirable skills willingly want to work in Katowice, unless the money was incredibly attractive? The place is a depressing dump.

(speaking of which - I know one rather big IT company that's about to close their Katowice branch and move entirely to Poznan - why? Because they can't get the best to work in Katowice).


There are also many drawbacks - it's much harder to create team spirit through telecommuting, IT guys often have all sorts of added perks at work (one example - the geeks demanded a ping-pong table and got it) - on the whole, it depends very much on specifics. You also don't necessarily want to hire younger people to work at home as they might not be disciplined enough outside of an office environment.

If it was so great, then companies would have thoroughly embraced it. But - not everyone has the talent for telecommuting.


Well yes, especially when you're relying on the knowledge of people who live in America and have no idea about what's going on in Poland.


Ahaha. And you are, exactly? Oh wait..you're village dwelling PiS voting Polonia.

Law / IT department (computer programming) - Opening up an Office/Business in Poland [53]


The new terminal won't change much - the existing one already has plenty of capacity. But it will give Wroclaw a better airport for travellers at least.

Ryanair opening a base means nothing - they've got a habit of opening and closing them constantly. Wroclaw is clearly giving airlines a great deal now - but what if they stop? Ryanair are infamous for closing down bases for trivial rises in fees.

Krakow is dreadfully located though.

History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]


Brave article, and very pragmatic. If Israel's very survival was on the table, assassinating the American President in order to get help isn't such a bad idea.

I would assume that almost every credible Special Forces have similar plans, including the UK.

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]


They are ripoffs when they're made in some dodgy Indian lab while the drug is still patented. Given that the pharmaceutical companies pour big bucks into Europe (one of the biggest employers of IT staff in Poznan are Hoffman-La Roche - do you want to see those companies start to reduce their operations because some Indians are stealing all their patents?

European generic drugs are totally different, and they aren't under threat by ACTA.


And in India, they couldn't care less about whether it's still patented or not.


That's an interesting interpretation. Fair use laws pretty much ensure that such nonsense can never be prosecuted - but it certainly stops someone from ripping off the hard work that went into the recipe.

Sorry, but try making valid criticisms next time. European health care isn't under threat by ACTA, but the livelihood of dodgy Indians with no scruples certainly is. And - quite honestly - who gives a toss about them?

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]


The real thing that's under threat is India's pharma industry - all based on reverse engineering drugs and producing insanely cheap copies for distribution elsewhere.

No issue for Europe - these knock off drugs don't get sold here anyway. In fact, it's arguable that it's great for Europe - less generic ripoffs on the market means European pharma companies can sell more, creating more jobs in Europe to support their sales. As for generic drug sales in Europe - they will only, as now, get sold when the patent expires. What's new there?

Law / IT department (computer programming) - Opening up an Office/Business in Poland [53]


Or could it be because it's a good location in general?


Wrong. Like your historical knowledge, you seem to be lacking in knowledge about Poland - otherwise you'd know that Poznan is as hot as Krakow.


And yet there are many, many IT centres in Poznan - especially international businesses. And don't forget that the biggest Polish name in the market is based here.


Likewise in Poznan. In fact, even more so - because the backbone lies along the Berlin-Warsaw axis.


Anyone recommending Katowice for anything other than ritual suicide deserves scorn.


Yeah yeah yeah. Says the person who claims Gdansk to be a "Great place for business".

News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

And many people who are involved in the content that people wish to steal online. You know, they actually depend on this stuff for their livelihood.

Are they stupid, too? I mean, if there's no jobs for them, there's no content to steal...

UK, Ireland / Cultural misunderstandings - Polish and English [26]

You can't be particularly well travelled if you think that Poles are rude. As for clerks - treat them the way you want to be treated, and it's normally fine. I've had very little problems with them in Poland, simply because smiling and cooperating with them gets you further than pulling faces and acting like you know best.

As for saying "Hello" to some strangers - I'd give a strange look to anyone that did that as well outside of the mountains. It's not normal behaviour.

Work / So I received an offer from a Poland language school - what's your take on this? [59]

Honestly - given the utter lack of professionalism in the ESL sector, there's no harm in presenting your own contract to a school. I've done it a couple of times where they really needed a teacher, especially with schools out of Poznan where I couldn't meet them personally. It won't work with the big chain schools, but with smaller ones - it's quite possible. Quite a few times now, I've thrashed out a contract to my liking - but I don't try and screw them with it as well.

It all depends on the specifics - if they're desperate, then the more chance of getting a contract in your favour.

I did once quit a job after being accused of breaking a contract that I didn't sign (and didn't even see), but that was another story...

Love / Why do Polish girls and women look at me in a flirty way? [44]


Err..Poland had plenty of Arab/African students well before that.


Mostly by jealous Americans who claim to be Polish.

I saw a beautiful woman the other day - clearly a mix of African and Polish. And she was stunning, to say the least.

Love / Why do Polish girls and women look at me in a flirty way? [44]

What, you mean a tiny percentage of Polish women prove something?

Then again, Polish men do tend to be boneheaded compared to Polish women.

Work / So I received an offer from a Poland language school - what's your take on this? [59]


Pretty much. I'd actually love to know if a school has ever enforced a contract in Poland.


Don't be afraid to do things on your terms - if a school needs you enough, they'll agree to anything. But next time, make sure that the contract is loaded in your favour ;)

Work / So I received an offer from a Poland language school - what's your take on this? [59]


I think it's a sign of how poor the ESL industry is when it comes to professionalism - many of them seem to be English filology graduates who are totally unable to manage.


Unfortunately - they actually had you there, because without it being in the contract, it's worthless. While verbal contracts can be accepted by the courts, you'd have a hell of a time actually proving others. Still - morons to lose someone reliable over something so small. I'd be willing to bet any money that they were still charging the client!