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Posts by jon357  

Joined: 15 Mar 2012 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 18 Jul 2025
Threads: Total: 73 / In This Archive: 51
Posts: Total: 24805 / In This Archive: 10045 		From: In the Heart of Darkness
Speaks Polish?: Tak

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jon357   
9 May 2012
News / Presidential elections and debates 2015 Poland [472]

The next president of Poland will be Jarosław Gowin.

We could do worse, but we could also do better. He's got a big fan base in Krakow, however there are stronger contenders elsewhere.

plus he's a blue-blood

hmmmmm

But evertyhting is possible in love, war and politics, so don't hold your breath!

Personally I would favour either Jerzy Buzek ( a true statesman), Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz (very competent running Warsaw) or Radek Sikorski (a breath of fresh air).
jon357   
9 May 2012
Life / You've been in Poland a while if .... [49]

You expect meat to taste like meat and are shocked when it's chewy, tough, etc

Or you expect a lovely juicy steak to be fried for twenty minutes instead of four until it's indistinguishable from any other meat.
jon357   
9 May 2012
News / What should Poland do to solve the population crisis? [101]

--no income tax for any family with at least three children

So a very rich family with 3 kids would pay no tax but a poor family with only 2 who can't conceive a third would pay tax?

--no income tax for any fmaily with 4 or more children and a hefty child-reading allowance for the 4th and further children;

France has given tax concessions to larger families for years and it has had no effect.

-- 'bykowe' tax on those (singles or marrieds) who have no children

Wow - an infertility tax!

plus an active but closely montiored and controlled pro-immigration policy

We have this already.

sp. from the Slavic east who fulfil the cultural-linguistic requrements (this might help keep out the undesirable third-worlders

That is pure racism.

The immirgation policy would be regularly adjusted in line with current manpower needs;

We have this already.Have you ever thought of moving to China?
jon357   
9 May 2012
Life / Post office in Warsaw center to send a foreign letter? [3]

Do you know a post office in warsaw near center, from where i can send some letter to a foreign country?

There are plenty. They all have 'Poczta' written over the door. The biggest one is at ul. Swietokrzyska 31-33 by the junction with ul. Jasna. Make sure you are in the larger of the two rooms (off Swietokrzyska, i.e. furthest from the corner of the building) and that you press the appropriate button on the machine (the button marked 'listy') and wait until your number flashes up on the indicator. Make sure you wait near the windows and be assertive about queue-jumpers.

How priority mail is called in polish?

Just pick up one of the blue stickers marked 'priorytet' and give it to the person behind the counter along with whatever you want to send.

And are envolve also available in those post office?

There are kiosks selling envelopes inside the main post office. make sure you have addressed it before you get to the counter.

Any polish language tips to visit those office

Any good phrasebook has a section on visiting the post office.

It is called priorytet. It is the same as air mail, only the name has been changed. Probably some Brussels eruocratcrat behind hsi desk thought it up. They are aslways coming up with dubious innovations

It's always been called that during the 12 years I've lived here and in any case doesn't always go by air for shorter distances, so air-mail would be a misnomer. Nothing to do with Brussels, hardly dubious and not an innovation either. Maybe you'd prefer if everything kept its PRL-era name.

To the OP: It might be easier and quicker for you to go to a smaller Post Office - the centre and suburbs are dotted with them. If you give some idea of where you are, we can tell you the nearest one.
jon357   
9 May 2012
History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]

in Polish history the partitions had such significant importance that they warrant an exception

A very interesting idea, however it would hardly be practical to financially settle claims from 200 years ago - I doubt any court would be willing (or able) to rule on them and nobody living has any personal emotional investment in this.

I think this exception should also apply to native Americans and black people in the US

I'm not sure how it would work with black people in the US, unless it was somehow in the form of affirmative action. For Native Americans, it would be great if he various treaties and settlements made with them were honoured.

These things should be decided summarily by a special UN congress.

A good idea. In Poland it would make sense for the European Court to be involved than the UN, however either option would be very unpopular on a domestic level.
jon357   
9 May 2012
History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]

That's a powerful argument, but surely it's not based on 'I say so' standard, right?

It's based on common sense - there has to be a cut off point or you'd get people claiming compensation for property lost since the dawn of recorded history.

Can you cite some case law or treaty, or something else to back up this 'living memory' limit?

In Poland, there needs to be either legally valid written proof of ownership or in the absence of that, living witnesses.
jon357   
9 May 2012
Life / You've been in Poland a while if .... [49]

and if, as a female ...

You have come to understand that eating is an entirely unnecessary activity.

And if you think it's not unusual to sit at a restaurant table with a glass of still water whilst your man stuffs his face with three courses.

And whether male or female, you know you've been in Poland a while if you think table napkins are wafer thin, 5 inches' square and always in a fan shape.

And if the waiter in a restaurant vanishes for half an hour, brings something totally different to your order, vanishes again for half an hour when you want to pay the bill and you think that's perfectly normal.
jon357   
8 May 2012
Food / Is Polish food still more natural than in the West? [142]

since when has Knorr been Polish?

Most of it's made here by Unilever. They use the Winiary factory.

Its garbage and riddled with chemicals. You are what you eat. You eat crap all the time, you will look like crap. Food is fuel. If you put the wrong kind in, it will slow you down.

Pretty well true - and a lot of the stuff consumed day to day in Poland (in cities at any rate) is very low quality.

chips

People here have an aversion to actually cutting the potatoes and deep frying them - frozen chips are the new national dish - even the restaurants use them.
jon357   
8 May 2012
History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]

conspiracy theorist just like anyone else who

The issue in hand isn't about 'anyone else' it is about one particular person - who is a conspiracy theorist of the worst kind.

Israels

The real estate in question is in Poland, not Israel and whatever you personally believe the shortcomings of that country to be, it is has nothing whatsoever to do with property claims here.

Nobody is dodging anything.

Unfortunately there's an element in this country who believe that no property should be returned.

But if you knew history, you would know that not only Jews were wronged during and after WW2. Poles were too.

I do know history, thank you - however two groups being wronged by the same party isn't a good reason to allow members of one group to have the permanent use and 'ownership' of the homes of members of the other group even when claimed by the heirs of the rightful owners.

And whenever the Time of Trouble takes place on Earth, do not expect to receive the earthly justice.

You will receive it in Heaven.

An interesting thought, Pawian, however if that were the basis of any kind of law suit - not only property claims - nothing would ever get done.
jon357   
7 May 2012
History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]

Holocaust Industry

No such thing and a very loaded term.

You claim some things to be true about the guy yet can't seem to bring yourself to actually explain why

Claim what? That he's a Communist (his own words) or a Conspiracy Theorist (read his book).

It is the young Poles, just recently saved from the Holocaust, died in heavy fighting with Jerusalem. Today is estimated that more than half of the then 130-thousand Israeli army were Polish Jews.

Very much so. The links between the Jewish people and Poland go very deep - one can't separate Jewishness from Warsaw's history, nor can one dodge the issue of confiscated property.
jon357   
6 May 2012
History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]

The question is, how are some Jewish people not profiting from the Holocaust Industry

No. The question is whether or not people are.

So? What was the evidence provided? Who was the judge? Who was the plaintiff? What were the circumstances surrounding the events?

Read up on it.

If it was libel for speaking out against the Holocaust

It wasn't.

You're just calling the guy names without actually providing a detailed basis for your accusations.

Actually, that's his own description, but don't let the truth stand in the way of your paranoia.

I can post reviews by people too:

Yes - and for every one that damns him with faint praise there are a dozen who expose the nonsense he writes.

There is no 'holocaust industry'.
jon357   
6 May 2012
History / Why are Jews pestering Poland for "proper" WW2 monetary restitution/reparations? [750]

Who are you to question his integrity?

Someone who has read the book and can see what errant nonsense his spurious claims are. If you want a second opinion though:

"this is not research; it isn't even political literature... I don't even think it should be reviewed or critiqued as a legitimate book."Israel Guttman, Chairman of the Scientific Council of Yad Vashem, Advisor to the Polish government on Jewish affairs, Judaism and Holocaust commemoration

"a most trivial book, which appeals to easily aroused anti-Semitic prejudices."Hans Mommsen, Professor of History at the University of Bonn

"trash" Peter Novick, Professor of History at the University of Chicago

How is the Jewish community NOT making money from victim status? No complaints from you about that, eh?

Don't you think they'd rather 6 million people weren't murdered because they were of that community and that any property restitution is simply recovering their own property?

Finkelstein may be making money from his book but he was doing just fine financially before making his stand

He'd actually lost a fortune through successful libel actions against him.

Basically a conspiracy theorist, and as a person who describes himself as "an old-fashioned communist" one with unsavoury political views.
jon357   
6 May 2012
History / Bronisław Grąbczewski, (1855-1926) - Great enemy of Britain [15]

sn't a classical definition of string-pulling?

I'd say that he was in pretty much the same situation as most of the rulers of the flag states - without as far as I know becoming one.

I was talking about achievements of a single man, not about Russian politics.

Certainly a remarkable man, as was Przewalski whose expeditions naturally had a military as well as scientific role.

Do not get me wrong: I have no pleasure in Russian colonization of Central Asia, Caucasus, Poland

Same here. The British administration in India was far from perfect however a Russian one doesn't bear thinking about.

So did British, and for the same reason.

Basically military technology (and the Germans' need for oil to fuel it) changed everything.

The Great Game is going on again today in many ways - with the Americans this time. Poland is caught up in it this time - just as Britain is, but mostly just to provide cannon fodder.
jon357   
5 May 2012
Food / Miracle Whip availability in Poland? [43]

Its ultra mild, doesn't say where its made and its sliced

No, no and no. You must be thinking of a different product. This one isn't at all mild, is made at the Mlekovita factory and comes in large blocks to be cut in the shop. Interestingly, my local shop has it for 22zl a kilo.
jon357   
5 May 2012
History / Poland worst off as a result? (life in German Prussia vs. Russian communism) [14]

My question is, was life for Poles who chose to live in Prussia when it was a Germanic Nation, better or worst for Poles than when they where suffered with Communism?

When it was occupied during the war there were starvation rations, the closure of educational establishments, ghettoes, death camps and mass executions. Even during the period of partition there was a brutal suppression of dissent and a failed German attempt to eliminate Polish culture. During the communist period it was, once it had all settled down a society of which many people have fond memories.
jon357   
5 May 2012
Food / Miracle Whip availability in Poland? [43]

I've just had some of the Polish stuff. It's actually not bad - on a par with the sort of stuff you'd get in Aldi or Lidl in the UK. It's still made the same way as Polish ser zolty so it won't grate properly and you have to be careful cooking with it but the main thing is that it actually has a bit of flavour. The danger is that it might prove to have too much flavour for the market here.
jon357   
5 May 2012
History / Bronisław Grąbczewski, (1855-1926) - Great enemy of Britain [15]

So what was it that Grąbczewski lost, as an individual? Here is not a place to go to all the details of his expeditions. Suffice to say that his achievement in the exploration and scientific field are very impressive. I'd say he lost nothing there

In 1907 the Russians had to give it all up - mostly due to fear of German expansionism in the Middle East.

So what was it that Grąbczewski lost, as an individual? Here is not a place to go to all the details of his expeditions.

Unavoidable given the debacle with the last Qing rulers. A few years before that, the 1888 fiasco you mention led to the Russians conceding huge territories. I wouldn't call it masterminding anything except the slaughter in cold blood of 600 Afghans by the Russian army. It's also stretching things somewhat to call Abdur Rahman Khan a 'British puppet'.

An interesting man, though no match for Sir Francis Younghusband and Lord Dufferin.
jon357   
5 May 2012
Food / Miracle Whip availability in Poland? [43]

let me guess .. "not" Trojmiasto ...

Definitely not.

Still stating opinion as fact, as always.You're not Pole so you can stick to your Salad Cram sandwiches if you prefer.Polish love their own food, it doesn't matter what you think of it, expat.

I don't touch Salad Cream,secondly I'm not an expat and thirdly Polish food is bland and often processed.

Try Majonez Kielecki (Kielce Mayonnaise) similar in taste to Miracle Whip but better!

Even better, make it fresh rather than buy jars. Takes minutes and tastes a thousand times better than some chemical stuff from Winiary etc.

Today I found Cheddar Cheese in my local shop, for instance

Is that the Polish-made stuff? I just bought some but haven't tried it yet. It looks like it's from a factory rather than a farm, but if it tastes better than the usual ser zolty (i.e. tastes of something) that's a step forward.
jon357   
5 May 2012
Food / Miracle Whip availability in Poland? [43]

All that great Polish food in Poland, and people want Heinz Salad Cream????? :)

Polish food isn't that great. Mostly bland and processed.

t *might* be available in a Kuchnia Swiata shop

That is probably the best bet.

I know I'm still hunting for Heinz Salad Cream ...

I've seen it once or twice in my local supermarket, Mini Europa in pl. Wilsona. They don't have it all the time (and I don't especially look for it) but if you happen to be in the area it's worth popping in.
jon357   
5 May 2012
History / Bronisław Grąbczewski, (1855-1926) - Great enemy of Britain [15]

Bronislav Grombchevsky (who was very much a Russified Pole, like his comrade Przewalski) was an interesting character who albeit very loyal to his Russian masters nevertheless lost the great game he was playing. Having said that, he was certainly respected by the British: here's a link to the relevant bit of Sir Francis Younghusband's memoirs:

Grombchevsky