Language / Usage of Polish Instrumental Case? [22]

No, you missed the point. All six examples I gave are correct. Read them again very carefully.

I am a deadbeat, a sluggard, a lazybones. Jestem leniem.
I am lazy. Jestem leniwy.
I am a lazy worker. Jestem leniwym robotnikiem.

Language / Usage of Polish Instrumental Case? [22]


Jestem leniem. (noun: leń)
Jestem leniwy. (adj)
Jestem leniwym uczniem.

Oni są leniami. (noun: lenie)
Oni są leniwi.
Oni są leniwymi uczniami.

Food / What do people in Poland eat? [11]


[A trolling question deserves a trolling answer.]
The standard fare, just as in USA:
Caterpillars - tasting like blackberries, centipedes, moths, earthworms, maggots, mashed blowflies, daddy longlegs.

More fancy food includes:
Roasted grasshoppers - tasting something like almonds, pickled centipedes, earthworms stuffed with ants' eggs, fat ceterpillars fed on onions.
But the greatest success there is: rainworms stuffed with some kind of tiny fly that migrates from Mexico.

- The source: Josef Skvorecky, "The Bride of Texas"
(From stories about a feud between Uncle Habakuk, a black slave and Mister Williams, a plantation supervisor)
"Oh, no. Uncle Habakuk got used to it, it was Mister Williams who didn't. Whenever Uncle Habakuk stuffed himself with those creepy little things -- he liked daddy longlegs the best; when he chewed them Mister Williams threw up himself."

History / Welcome to Lemmingrad! [59]

Generally, not a bad idea, but instead of putting a term limit on the ruling party, why not to follow ancient Greek democracy and restrict individual members of parliament from serving for more than two consecutive terms, or even better - for the life time. Twins serving simultaneously are counted as one serving two terms. [My rules, do not complain]

This way your dream of getting rid of the eye-shifting Tusk would be satisfied. So would be my dream of getting Kaczyński off the political scene forever. Would not it be dandy to open the political arena for the young blood and fair fight?

Life / Fake goods in Poland [42]


homeofficeweekly.com/business/avoid-scams1.html

Oh, well, Vancouver is keeping up too.

Life / Fake goods in Poland [42]


How about a vehicle you supposedly won at the national lottery, you lucky bastard ... and all you have to do is just to pay some mere $800 to cover the shipping costs and tax. The offer is valid for today only, the payment must go to some numbered account?

Courtesy of a phone scam artist calling you from Montreal - the scam capital of the world!

That car is bigger than a chain saw and a generator, and you even did not see it. :-)

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

This puzzle seems to be a source of fun for junior high school students who cherish catching their teachers off guard. It is also a perennial bore for various internet user groups, discussing subtle aspects of "polska język to być trudna język". Language authorities, such as prof. Jerzy Bralczyk or prof. Mirosław Bońko, PWN are being asked about it at least once a month.

The general consensus is that the verb "obejść", perfective aspect, is irregular since it does not form a passive participle. The advice is to substitute this verb by another one - such as "okrążać" to form a passive voice, as in "jezioro zostało okrążone". This is exactly what catsoldier did in his English example.

It is perhaps worth pointing out that the verb "obchodzić", imperfective aspect, is regular and forms passive participle - as in "to jezioro jest zwykle obchodzone lewą stroną", or metaphorically as in "to święto jest obchodzone wiosną".

However Prof. Bralczyk points out that there are ancient forms that can be used in lieu of passive participle for "obejść" - as used by H. Sienkiewicz in the expression "nieobeszłe lasy", so he suggests that theoretically "obeszłe" could be used as a complementary form (although quite weird) to "nieobeszłe". Quick Google search reveals that the form "nieobeszłe" (although not "obeszłe") was used by several poets:

Jan Kochanowski (Pieśni. Księgi wtóre. Pieśń XXV, verse 3): "Tyś fundament założył nieobeszłej ziemi / I przykryłeś jej nagość zioły rozlicznemi."

K.I. Gałczyński, Noctes Aninenses, Noc umiera: "nieobeszła otwarła się głębia / dla dywanów i dla poduszek."

Cz. Miłosz, Miasto: "Żyć jeszcze raz, na nieobeszłej ziemi"

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Management was of no use for me. Physics, Engineering and Computer Science it was all I needed to make me happy and versatile enough.

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


You and I have completely different experiences due to different backgrounds. Shortly: during my undergraduate times not many girls studied physics, mathematics, or engineering. But quite a lot studied biology, medicine, dentistry, some studied chemistry. Quite a number studied pedagogy, archeology, history, art, music, etc. Many, many women became teachers. And then there were six public universities at that city and I assume that many women studied gardening, forestry, economy. Now there are eight of them: Classical U., Medical U., Nature U., Economical U., Artistic U., U of Technology, Musical Academy, Physical Education Academy. There are also about 20 private colleges,

At that time gender roles did not exist. One of my female friends who was employed at the same institute as I was, went through the same graduation process: from assistant-trainee, through assistant, senior assistant and assistant professor. And we both were receiving the same salary at each level.

My wife graduated in psychology. She did not need to hunt for a husband at her age. She was professional enough and she enjoyed many years of employment at various correctional facilities as psychologist. She put all her heart in her profession. Psychology students were mostly females, and they treated their future profession quite seriously, You should have listen to their discussions, which were as hot as our discussions about physics or engineering.

All Polish ladies I have met here in Canada, and who are part of our cirque of friends are professionals: Ewa is a biologist with passion, working on new drugs and running her own lab; Bożena, a mechanical engineer from Poland has been a senior drafwoman for years; Barbara teaches English (ESL) for immigration services; Ewa #2 is a consultant engineer in acoustics and vibrations; Ola, an electronic engineer from Poland could not stand a stress so she re-qualified: she runs flower shops and organizes banquets in big hotels; Ala is a police officer. I know of many Polish women that are real estate agents; some run bookstores, are involved in music, jazz concerts, theaters.

In summary: we all have different experiences. Generalizations are bad as usual..

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Sorry, reading your post I had an impression that you valued a formal education above all other forms. This is why I stressed importance of teaching.


So what kind of curriculum is broad enough in you opinion?

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]


Google knows about both versions, although the one "z rączkami" is statistically more popular. But do not despair; there are also "torby z uchwytami", "z szelkami" and even "z ramiączkami". Check the corresponding Google images of various bags.

Genealogy / Surname: Tyminski [2]


Very unlikely place name, since this has no meaning in Polish language. Macerów (o with acute) looks a bit better, but still not that good. Macierów, or Maciorów - still not found by Google. But MACIEJÓW represents several villages in Poland.


A very rare surname in Poland. There are only 8 people of that name, and they all live in town called Pleszew.
On the other hand the surname BARON (with single R) is a bit more popular. There are 5226 people of this surname, living mostly in Silesian and Opole voivodships. BARON is also quite popular in Germany (estimated 7154 persons), but not Barron (estimated 117 people).

Make sure that you have all spellings right.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]

I understand your calm since you actually breed them, so it seems. I woke up once in similar circumstances one night when sleeping over in a house, which was overrun with mice for dozens of years (of which I learned later). I freaked out, feeling one walking on my chest and seeing another one climbing up the cable of the bedside lamp. Yuck!

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Initially theoretical mechanics and continuum mechanics, and later quantum mechanics and solid state physics.

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Neither is true. You may fill so confident of your acquired knowledge, either way, until one day you are put to a real test of teaching the others. You will sweat bullets: for every hour of tutoring or lecturing you will take as much as five times of real time to prepare yourself to that task. The pressure becomes easier with time, and at some point you can teach in your dream with zero preparation. But it takes time before that is to happen.

By the way, I used to teach, and I was acknowledged several times by my students in two different categories: as "the best professor" and as the "the best tutor" at some university.

Food / What made in Poland produce would you recommend [110]


Do you know that the real reason for the doom of the Franklin's expedition on "Enterprise" (1845) through the North West Passage (Canada now) were the tins he loaded on board? Franklin knew about people dying of hunger in the previous expeditions, so he swore not to let it happen in his voyage. He ordered thousands of tins to be stowed 'which were later found to have lead soldering that was "thick and sloppily done, and dripped like melted candle wax down the inside surface"'. When they were imprisoned in ice, they were dying of lead poisoning, without realizing that. Inuits reported their crazy and scary behaviour; describing their facial features as black. Franklin wanted the best for his crew but his actions led to a disaster, including cannibalism.

In view od the above: Krakus tins? Why should I try them? :-)

OK, I remember being treated every morning to a pea soup and a pork fat spread, during our military summer camps. Notwithstanding all those ridiculousness of the Polish army (I assume - any army), the pork spread was actually excellent. Wrapped in a waxed paper, delivered by "Baltona" to Polish Navy and Marine, would be transferred to Polish Army after it expired. Nevertheless it was still delicious.

Food / Jacket potatoes - do Polish people like them? [22]

That name in Polish is "stonka ziemniaczana", or "żuk z Kolorado".

Schoolchildren were making drawings in their school "wall newsletters" (A0 size, bristol, card stock) of American bombers dropping the Colorado Beetles on Poland's potato fields. Organized groups of schoolchildren, factory workers, young communist organizations, pioneers (communist scouting) were being sent into the potato fields with the bottles of "nafta" (kerosene) to pick them up manually and drawn them in the kerosene.

The real stories about the plagues of beetles in various times are here:
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonka_ziemniaczana
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle

Food / Jacket potatoes - do Polish people like them? [22]


Statistics:
If this is the case then this must be a distribution problem, not the producers' fault. Polish National Registry has 129 varieties (source 2: as of October 2011) legally acceptable for consumption in Poland: both for the direct consumption and for the production of food (such as potato chips, French fries, mashed potatoes), animal feed, starch and ethanol. Among them the direct consumption varieties prevail (71%). Earlier source (source 1: year 2003) lists 117 varieties: 83 of Polish origin (69.9% of seeding area) and 34 Dutch and German (30.1% of seedling area). In the last several years 59 new varieties have been registered (33 national and 26 foreign). The Potato Institute - a part of Institute of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization) takes care of the research of new varieties.

Desired properties:
Poland specializes in early maturing varieties. There are many, many properties to be considered during selection of varieties: size of tubers, shape (round is better), regularity, depth of meshes (shallow is better), skin quality (smooth is visually better), resistance to light (some get green in time), type (A: salad type B: general utility, desired quality: not too loose, not crumbling during cooking), tastiness, resistance to blackening during cooking, heterogeneity of flesh, resistance to viruses.

Most popular varieties:
- Very Early:
(source 1) [Denar and Lord (national); Impala and Krasa (foreign)]
(source 2) [Krasa, Irys, Gloria, Denar, Berber, Lord, Irga]
- Early:
(source 1) [Korona (national); Vineta and Vitara (foreign)]
(source 2) [Nora, Augusta, Gracja, Vineta]
- Mid-Early:
(source 1) [Bartek, Andromeda and Zebra (national); Satina and Folva (foreign)]
(source 2) [Ibis, Pirol, Żagiel, Satina, Kuba]
- Mid-Late and Late:
(source 1) [Syrena and Wawrzyn (national)]
- Late:
(source 2) [Uran, Lenino, Bzura, Ślęza, Sonda, Medea]
[1] ppr.pl/dzial-odmiany-ziemniakow-3730.php
[2] pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziemniak
[3] ihar.edu.pl/ziemniak.php

News / A new AWS (Poland Solidarity Movement)? [54]


Absolutely. Do you remember, I mentioned the mean and the variance? These are the two parameters describing the exact shape of the bell function - be it shallow, or sharp, it is still the bell curve, including PRL bells. :-)

I have known many good, honest people, working miracles during PRL. Doctors "Judyms", working their butts of. Pro publico bono.

Food / Jacket potatoes - do Polish people like them? [22]

Possible, but I have never noticed that. Maybe because it all depends on kind of potatoes you eat. For example, the "Yukon Gold Potatoes", so popular in Canada, are good for many things, but not good at all for "placki ziemniaczane" (potato pancakes, potato latkes). Too watery in my experience.

Speaking of baking ... Think about traditional "wykopki" (Fall field potato digging), and baking some of them in situ, in hot ashes from burned "łęty ziemniaczane" (dry stems and leaves), for instant consumption. You are lucky if you remembered to bring some salt. :-)

Food / Jacket potatoes - do Polish people like them? [22]


I think you two are talking about two different things: "ziemniaki w mundurkach" are just boiled in their skins, "pieczone ziemniaki w mundurkach" ("w łupinkach") are baked in the oven.


Do not worry about Polish tastebuds. :-) There are many, many ways to use "ziemniaki" in various recipes. :-)
kwestiasmaku.com/zielony_srodek/ziemniaki/przepisy.html

Restaurants and home cooking are two different things. I am not speaking for young generation, or any generation for that matter, but as far as I remember "ziemniaki" w mundurkach (boiled) were always a part of the diet in our family and those of my many acquaintances.

+ served with hearing in sour cream during various fasts
+ being a part of various delicious Polish salads: boiled potato + various veggies, preserved green pees, eggs, cream or mayonnaise; same with with herring but no eggs; as #1 + sausage

+ part of the German "potato salads"

News / A new AWS (Poland Solidarity Movement)? [54]


What are you going to be when you grow up?

Do not be so naive trying to convince everybody, who cares or cares not, that all that bad stuff comes from the left and all that angelic stuff - from the right. The law of normal distribution applies to PiS as well. The Gausian (bell) curve - describing shady business doing and scams for example, Polonius, is everywhere exactly the same. The standard means and deviations may be different, but then you have no data to support your claim that RIGHT is always right, or predominantly right.

• 
  
  

Food / What made in Poland produce would you recommend [110]


Why should I buy some preserved ham (of any make whatsoever) rather than some freshly smoked one? With a bit of fat (z tłuszczykiem) or without? No vote for me for Krakus Ham - unless planning to stay six months in the North West Passage, surrounded by ice. :-)

News / A new AWS (Poland Solidarity Movement)? [54]

I admit, economy is not my cup of tea, but I watched what have happened with two Polish aircraft manufacurers (AugustaWelland)
pzl.swidnik.pl and PZL-Mielec (Sikorsky) pzlmielec.pl/en over the last several years.

Mielec is still producing its staple planes M28, M28B Bryza, and M18 Dromader plus Sikorsky's S70i-Black Hawk.
During the 20th MSPO Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze together with Sikorsky Aircraft signed three cooperation agreements with the leading enterprises of the aviation industry in Poland: Military Aviation Works no. 1, ECT-PZL Aerospace Industries and Central Military Bureau of Design and Technology. All agreements establish an extensive cooperation in the event of selection of S-70i BLACK HAWK helicopter by MOD as a multi-purpose helicopter for Polish Army.

Świdnik continues modernizing its many civilian and military versions of Sokół helicopters; it starts development of Sokół W-3PL/N Naval Helicopter based on Sokół W-3PL Głuszec (modern military); exports the military versions to Philippine Air Force; began exporting Sokół W-3A to Chile, as a firefighting helicopter; recently delivered the 1000th fuselage for AugustaWestland. PZL-Świdnik signed the contract with Pilatus Aicraft Ltd. for assembling up to 50 fuselages per year of Pilatus PC-12 - a single-engine turboprop aircraft, designed for transport of persons and cargo, providing seating for up to 9 passengers in the standard version. Approximately 120 Świdnik employees will work at the assembly of PC-12 aircraft fuselages.

PZL-Świdnik SA and 14 Polish Partners joined forces in establishing the AW149 Industrial Team. The AW149 is the only new generation multi-role military helicopter in its category in decades, and the result of extensive design input from Polish engineers and their technological know-how. The military twin engine helicopter made its first appearance at MSPO 2012, Kielce, Poland - 3/6 September 2012.

Both companies and Eurocopter will soon start bidding for the contract of 70 military helicopters for Polish Armed Force to be ordered by MON. The choices are: AW149 (AugustaWestland-Świdnik), EC-725 (Eurocopter) and UH-60i Black Hawk (Sikorsky-Mielec).

I somehow feel proud to see what these companies do, about Polish technologies being used in production, about Polish designs. And I do not see workers loosing their jobs. In contrary, both parent companies brought with them modern technologies and processes, as well as many contracts, which benefit Polish plants and their workers.

Food / What made in Poland produce would you recommend [110]

I sometimes treat my colleagues, co-workers, people I meat frequently to some Polish delicacies. That includes "Śliwka w czekoladzie". While most of my choices are met with appreciation the reception of the last item is less than enthusiastic on average. And this is why:


In this case such perception comes from Ontarians, mostly Torontonians.


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prune


I meet, of course

Life / Poland and every aspect..... Please help me learn and understand the realities? [108]


Well, that's one interpretation. And as we know, this did not help her much - as Bolesław, son of Doubrava (Dobrawa), sent her packing to Germany, after Mieszko's death, together with her three adolescent sons, his half-brothers. Another interpretation is that Mieszko intended to strengthen the position of the Poland's emerging church hierarchy and to make it fully independent from the German and Bohemian structures.

There are so many unknowns related to "Dagome iudex" and so many interpretations. How accurate was the first summary made from the original document, about 100 years later? There are obvious errors and assumptions made by the copyist, who admitted alongside that he knows nothing "about those people" and assumed that they were Sardinians and ruled by four judges. Why Dagome? How to interprete the word iudex, other than the judge? Why was not Mieszko's real name used while one of Oda's sons was mentioned as Mieszko (Misico)? Why the third son of Oda is not mentioned, even though they were more or less of the similar age? Why Bolesław was not mentioned at all - is it because he was already made fully independent and the overlord of Lesser Poland? What is this mystery place name Schinesghe appearing in the description of Poland's borders? Szczecin? Gniezno?

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Fail again.
Think equestrian and sailing (in one event now). For example, 2012 US equestrian show jumping team consisted of two men and two women. Medals won by teammates Beezie Madden (woman) and McLain Ward (man) in the last two Olympics: two golds for each and a bronze for Beezie.

Tennis (in early Games in since 2012) and Badminton (since 1996) have mixed doubles events.

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Women Nobel Price winners in Physiology or Medicine:
1947 Gerty Radnitz Cori, USA
1977 Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, USA
1983 Barbara McClintock, USA
1986 Rita Levi-Montalicini, Italy
1988 Gertrude Elion, USA
1995 Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, Germany
2004, Linda Buck, USA
2008 Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, France
2009 Elizabeth H. Blackburn, USA
2009 Carol W. Greider, USA

History / Polish Royal Bastards [23]

Władysław Konstanty, Count Vasenau or Vasenhoff, a bastard son of Władysław IV Vasa (1635 –1698)

Władysław IV Vasa (Polish: Władysław IV Waza; Latin: Vladislaus IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV Vasa; Lithuanian: Vladislovas IV Vaza; 1595 – 1648) was a Polish and Swedish prince from the House of Vasa. He reigned as King of Poland from 8 November 1632 to his death in 1648.

Władysław Konstanty was born around the year 1635. The problem is that his father Wladyslaw IV was then a bachelor, and his mother was Jadwiga (Jadwiżka) £uszkowska, a townswoman from Lwów. "Full of fornication and magic skills" - wrote about her Lithuanian Chancellor Albrecht Stanisław Radziwiłł. She was not a queen material and the illegitimate child not only had no chance to the throne, but even to the general acceptance.


- wrote Dr. Bozena Fabiani in her book "Na dworze Wazów w Warszawie” (In the court of Vasas in Warsaw).

The King have been pressured to finally find a wife and father a legal son, because he was already 40 years old. There was a threat of dynastic crisis! This is why a little Władysław Konstanty grew up only for couple of years in the Warsaw castle. Those days ended in 1637, when his father married Cecilia Renata Habsburg, and his mother was given away to Jan Wypyski, Grabie coat of arms, governor of Merecz, Lithuania. With time, the fate of the boy became even more regrettable. When he was a teenager, in a short time he lost his father, mother and the stepfather. Historians suggest that he could only count on his uncle - Jan Kazimierz (John Casimir), who abdicated in 1668 and was succeeded by Władysław IV on the throne.

He spent his adult life outside the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, using the title of Count Vasenau or Vasenhoff. For a time he lived at the English court of King Charles II, later in the Netherlands, and finally in Spain. There he started the affair with the wife of Prince de Chalais. When the aristocrat learned that he was made a cuckold, he locked his wife in a convent, while Władysław Konstanty wisely left the Iberian Peninsula.

He went to France to join his uncle Jan Kazimierz (John Casimir), who after his abdication had decided to settle on the Seine. The former Polish king tried to get the official recognition of his nephew, but in the meantime he died. Enriched by 30,000 livres, which he inherited from his uncle, Count Vasenau went to Rome to join his distant relative - Christina Vasa, former queen of Sweden who abdicated in 1654 in favour of Carolus Gustavus, the Poland's nemesis. Christina appointed the illegitimate son of Wladyslaw IV a captain of her guard, and in year 1676 she sent him on a certain mission to Sweden.

Władysław Konstanty during his stay in Italy started the affair with Princess Salvati. At the end of his life, Count Vasenau calmed down. He stayed nine years at the court of Christina until her death and later he became chamberlain to Pope Alexander VIII. He died on 19 March, 1698. In his will he appointed as his heir certain Giovanni Francesco, Cardinal Albani and later Pope Clement XI, who founded him a marble medallion in Roma's church Santissime Stimmate di San Francesco. De Vasenau appears on it in no other name but the "son of the Polish king"!