UK, Ireland / Are you able to hear the different English accents? [97]


No, there's instrumental utility in learning to cope with an accent you have to deal with a lot. That doesn't equate with active interest in learning about different accents.

Travel / My Experience in Poland (compared to Germany) [100]


I'm in western Poland and for regular treatment.... not really. As in the rural US there was/is a tradition of giving doctors 'gifts' (candy, alcohol, stuff like that) after treatment and/or being a private patient of a doctor in the hospital (so they have an incentive to make sure you're treated well) but the growth of private practices has taken away most of those incentives.

For some kinds of specialist treatments I've heard of bribes to get to the head of the line but a well known specialist was recently arrested for that. So the presence of sting operations will probably reduce that.

Travel / My Experience in Poland (compared to Germany) [100]


But you definitely implied that bribes are a normal part of doing business in Poland and those living here told you that.... not really (it happens but is not the order of the day). And you keep accusing us of taking/giving bribes but being too shy to admit it.

UK, Ireland / Are you able to hear the different English accents? [97]


Here's the thing, most Polish people who learn English (in Poland, and some outside Poland) do so purely instrumentally. They are not looking for a new language to use with their nearest and dearest nor a new culture to embrace. They simply want an auxilliary language that isn't too hard to learn and doesn't threaten their national identity and one that will be useful in travel and/or work.

This means that lots of things that interest native speakers (like different accents/dialects, funny word games, slang, etc etc etc) are of no special interest to them. Given that they may transfer attitudes toward Polish to English they may regard anything that's not "standard English" as being of questionable value and their idea of 'standard English' is liable to resemble the BBC in the 1970s.

There are individual exceptions but that's the general case. Also accents (except the broadest) are always harder to distinguish for non-native users than for natives.

Also, as I've mentioned before, most Americans (like me) can't tell most British accents apart (they can distinguish very broad Scottish, Cockney (is that still a thing?), something like RP and Irish.... and that's about it.

At a conference recently I heard a question from an attendee from Northern England and I only understood about 60% or so (and that was mostly the polite introductions to his real question). I have no idea what non-native speakers made of it.... One and one I was able to converse with him but not without a lot of "excuse me?"s and "huh?"s thrown in on my part....

Travel / My Experience in Poland (compared to Germany) [100]


I sometimes wonder if he's ever actually met a Polish person... I have heard of some.... unsavory practices among Poles in the US. Many years ago (90s) a friend won the greencard lottery and was looking for employment (in the NYC area) that didn't need great language skills since her English was very limited (since improved). Anyhoo, she thought maybe working as a maid might be an idea and she found out that getting hired wasn't up to the employers as access to Polish cleaning ladies was controlled by a kind of maid mafia. If she wanted a job she had to 'buy' it from a cleaning lady who was quitting (the usual price was two or three months average income). She gave up on that idea.

I've also heard of a lot worse (she said the movie Szczęśliwego Nowego Jorku was nowhere near as bad as the reality on the street in Greenpoint), but part of the point is that these were practices that would not be found/allowed in Poland.

Travel / My Experience in Poland (compared to Germany) [100]


Again, you know nothing of Poland (as lived on a day to day basis). It certainly didn't used to be rare at all for those people who have been cornered into paying bribes to tell people about it. I've heard of it (again, mostly things like cars and building permits that don't don't apply to me).

Travel / My Experience in Poland (compared to Germany) [100]


I love Hungary (Orban... not so mcuh) and one of the big differences is that Hungary seems to have a Big Country Attitude while Poland often has a Small Country Attitude. It's hard to express, but in many ways Hungary still thinks of itself as a major power and Poland... doesn't.


Well in the case of Hungary, the country was devastated by the Gyurcsány years (that's exactly how Hungarians I know describe it, imagine if PO was as bad as PiSites always say it was Gyurcsány was worse) and the runaway corruption/incompetence of that government made it very possible for Orban to retake power.

I don't worry about PiS as neo-Orbanites I worry about their venal corruption and PRL style incompetence blowing up and opening the door for something far worse...

Travel / My Experience in Poland (compared to Germany) [100]


He knows less about living in Poland than you do. Don't listen to him. I've lived over 20 years in Poland and never paid a bribe.

From what I can tell bribes are limited to certain areas, anything to do with cars (especially importing them) or drivers licenses (the system used to be completely corrupt but I think it's better now?) and dodgy construction (builing first and trying to get the permit after).

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


All he cares about is what PiS tells him to care about. They haven't told him to worry about Białowieża so he'll give them the benefit of a doubt until it's all pure commercial forest with no tourist or cultural value.

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


Szyszko cutting down trees?

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


In Greece? Portugal? Spain? Italy?

The Euro serves production and banking economies very well but it's crap on a stick for service economies.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


Better than the current EU alternative which is rule by technocrats who are not directly affected by the policies they enact.

And Mark Blyth claims the working class was essentially voting their (rather than economic elitists') interests with Brexit...

youtube.com/watch?v=3xq-gWv91WM

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

The first three are negative arguments "if we don't do X then Y might not happen", if you expect to win a referendum you need to phrase them positively.

Thanks to the EU we are at peace in Northern Ireland, Scotland is still a proud constituent/member/part of the UK and Gibraltar remains under British control!

But then that makes British people look like losers who need fairy godmothers from Brussels to keep them from harming themselves or others.

Most of the time most voters (regardless of education level) vote according to their identity (real or perceived or aspirational). Leave was able to appeal to an independent sovreign identity. Remain appealed to an economic and/or helpless identity.

Personally I don't care if the UK is in the EU or not, but those that do care should have done a better job of thinking through winning arguments and should let events take their course now. The best way to convince a child that fire is dangerous is to let them singe their finger a time or two.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]


Well then maybe they'll learn something if the results aren't good for them. Or maybe only people up to your standards should be allowed to vote?

The Remain campaign was worse than pathetic relying mostly on purely economic arguments in an era that has clearly shown that economists are not to be trusted with public policy.

Name three non-economic reasons that the UK is better off in the EU.

Travel / My Experience in Poland (compared to Germany) [100]


That's what paper and pen are for... in a situation where I don't know if I can be understood it's always worked well (provided you know what train you want/need).


There are a number or posters on this board who are hoping to reduce the percentage of blond haired children in Poland by a considerable degree.... no word on if they they that Zimbabwe or Yemen would be improved by more blond haired children....

News / Brutal rape by Polish man on homeless woman in Rome [50]


I made a prediction, einstein, hopefully the conditions for checking its accuracy will never happen. But the evidence from pretty much every other European country is that Afro-Muslim immigration coincides with a strong increase in the rate of assaults against women.


Plese point out any factual errors that you can find in the link. If you can't point out factual errors then I'll assume you're just taste signalling and have no counter arguments against the information published.

News / Brutal rape by Polish man on homeless woman in Rome [50]

Go to town, you might learn something....

gatestoneinstitute.org/9934/germany-rape-january

And of course...

theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/nov/04/rotherham-child-sexual-exploitation-eight-men-jailed

News / Brutal rape by Polish man on homeless woman in Rome [50]


Only because there are very few African or Muslim men in Poland... if their number rises, so will the percentage of violent rapes committed by them (I'm a prophet or sorts...)

News / Brutal rape by Polish man on homeless woman in Rome [50]


this is cheap and vile, trying to insinuate that the couple brutally attacked in Rimini by a non-Italian gang of ethnic moroccans and sub-saharan africans was actually committed by Poles

But try as he might there is no general pattern of Polish sexual assault against women in EU countries while there are very clear patterns of assault against women by those of North African and Sub-Saharan African descent (not to mention South Asian).

It's a ploy by delph to trivialize the Rimini attack and attacks by African and middle east migrants.

Work / Diary of a Teacher in Poland [181]


Maybe this is a national difference with 'seldom' being more common in the US than in other varieties? It certainly seems like an unremarkable word to me.

I say 'albeit' pretty normally and don't think of it as especially rarified (hitherto is another kettle of fish and would be weird in everyday usage).

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]

I use lubczyk a lot and always used store bought... it's very good with duck.

Study / Recrutation at Warsaw or Wroclaw University closed? [18]


he's moving to take over for polly as village curmudgeon?

Study / Recrutation at Warsaw or Wroclaw University closed? [18]


No. The Polish term is rekrutacja, which makes it sound like recruitment but the meaning is actually more like 'application period'. That's the deadline he missed.

There is a process of odwołanie (appeal) but that's for people who applied in time and failed to get in.

Also, many programs have late rekrutacja if they need more students (and/or positions might open up if accepted students don't show). The mentality of Polish office workers would not to mention these unless specifically asked.

Knowing what question to ask is key in dealing with any bureacracy (especially in Poland).

Food / Herb used in Polish rosol (chicken soup)? [88]

[moved from]


Real Polish rosół isn't a soup. At it's best, it's a wywar (decoction) a kind of clear liquid essence of chicken.

Travel / Golabki in Mragowo - where to buy? [10]


They are time consuming though which makes it more special when someone does make it. And done well they are very delicious. I have a friend that makes excellent ones (but only does so a couple times a year cause it's time consuming).

That said, I like Hungarian ones (cooked together with sauerkraut) wtih paprika sauce and sour cream or Bulgarian and Romanian ones (made with whole leaves of pickled cabbage) a little better.

I've had the ones from a jar too (many years ago) not very..... good..... (diplomatic silence)

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


Yes, you've been thorough at backing your side, your opponents (dolno, ironside, gumishu) simply rely on assertions from PiS.....

You're winning 6-0 but the other side is throwing a hissy and refusing to come to the net to congratulate you.

News / Berlin terrorist attack -- Poland's ethnic homogeneity a true blessing [436]


Virtually the same as Lebanon but the point stands. One problem was that Germany forbade translators from conveying this type of of information so they couldn't say "He says he's from Syria but his accent is Iraqi" .


As long as those making the decisions don't just take the migrant's word for them and do physiological checking (pretty precise) that sounds like a good idea.

Aslo not allowing for family reunification (so that big family's can't send their most dispensable member and if he establishes a beachhead follow along).

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


Some people are simply bound and determined to support every plank of the PiS platform. I'm sure that dolno, irony and gumibear could justify what they've done to Pride of Poland (decreased it to 1/8 of what it was two years ago).

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]



Indeed....

News / Berlin terrorist attack -- Poland's ethnic homogeneity a true blessing [436]


So where do the rules say that one country can unilaterally dispose of border controls against illegal aliens? And that other countries are supposed to help control the damage of Merkel's Migrant Madness?

If the EU is just turning into a few politiicans and unelected technocrats telling everybody else what to do then getting out is a good idea.