Life / Can any young Poles can still speak Russian [25]

not that common at all - my bro who is 32 now still was taught Russian at school and is able to understand some Russian and speak a couple of words (this helped him a bit in dealing with Lithuanians in his job in Northern Ireland) - his girlfriend who is a couple of years younger than him was not schooled in Russian and she can't speak nor understand any Russian that is not obviously similar to Polish (most Russian is not obviously similar to Polish for a non-accustomed ear)

pozdrawliaju was s Nowym Godom ;) kakaja u was pogoda w sientabrie Korol Athelstan? idjot czasto dożd?? - there is a well established Polish transcryption of the Russian language though many Poles may be completely unfamiliar with it

News / Has there been an influx of Polish people into Germany? [21]


while in Britain I heard stories about English trades people not caring to show up for appointed work, delaying the jobs on end, charging serious buck for jobs and in all that being able to spend half their time in England and half on Spanish vacations - I don't know how widespread such instances were but the arrival of Polish trades people was at least at first welcome by the populace - I think the English trades people were probably a bit spoilt by the general affluance

News / Damien Perquis Football player granted Polish citizenship insulted by the PIS ? [30]

am I so convincing or what? :)

News / Has there been an influx of Polish people into Germany? [21]


yes - very true - my neighbour already works in Germany for two years now - the family stays here

News / Damien Perquis Football player granted Polish citizenship insulted by the PIS ? [30]


heh - you actually believed this - think yourself how low you think of Kaczyński for a moment - and how much it is based on whatever you actually seen him do or say

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

I think he just made cheap promises for the sake of the promises (or for the sake of filling the media with PO generated news) - the same probably goes to his anouncement in 2008 that Poland will adapt eurocurrency in 2011 - to me this looked instantly like a pure PR-stunt - polls showed that people most people wanted euro (most never realize what it can actually mean) - and the media were suddenly full of it - now Tusk shows off the green island on the map of Europe but will he ever admit that it is mostly thanks to keeping the PLN zloty? - well he actually probably will - most people in Poland have a short memory when it comes to politics unless they are bombarded with a message constantly (that's what you need media for)

I don't think Tusk ever bothered himself with thinking what would be the use of 'a personalised laptop for every kid' - it just sounded so cool and slick - just as the euro thing

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

you mean not every kid in gimnazjum has an access to one??

what is then 'a personalised laptop and internet access' for every gimnazjum student then??

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


actually in Poland this is a norm - Donald Tusk in his first day in government promised a laptop for every school kid in Poland - I just wonder if he believed in that himself (or how does anyone make himself believe a lie they tell just for the moment they utter it) - if you followed Tusk any closer you would found out that he never gave a single interview with any journalist that could possibly ask him some troublesome question (starting from some time in 2005)

History / Polish bombers over Berlin in 1939? [19]

nothing like that happened - there was some war-time hutzpah propaganda on the side of Polish authorities - Polish radio anounced for example that on September the 6th the French achieved a breakthrough on the western front in several locations - news about Polish bombers raids over Berlin were of equal worth and from the same motivation

News / Damien Perquis Football player granted Polish citizenship insulted by the PIS ? [30]


actually wouldn't you prefer people around you spoke their minds instead of going around the business of creating an 'image'

btw if the Western media love to suddenly quote Jan Tomaszewski who is nobody for them (ever heard any Western media quote Tomaszewski on anything before???) just happens to currently support PiS, isn't it that you are actually witnessing an effort (more or less conscious) on creating a negative image of the whole political movement (not a first incidence and most probably not the last one)

UK, Ireland / Why do so many Polish guys in the UK have a crew cut or buzz cut? [106]

sure - if you were born and raised into Specnaz :P

History / Poland Lithuania - current relations [124]


yes this is true - but well - Poland and Polish people never wanted this war - it was king August's plot that drew Poland into the war (raid on Riga by Saxon troops from Polish territory)

News / Damien Perquis Football player granted Polish citizenship insulted by the PIS ? [30]


no way - google it yourself :)

ok I'll save you the effort - it wasn't spit actually - Kaczyński just misfortunatetly sneezed on Mr Perquis's black suit while the two were being introduced to each other - that's the sort of PR disaster Kaczyński sadly is ;)

News / Damien Perquis Football player granted Polish citizenship insulted by the PIS ? [30]

are you allowed to take part in the parliamentary election if you are not holdin Polish citizenship - I ask out of curiousity not out of spite

Law / Starting a car junkyard in Poland [27]

that may well be true in the US or in Polish law - that can be a lot different in Polish practice though (if it weren't people wouldn't be dumping their garbage including old TV sets, chemical containers etc in forests - so no - most Polish people are not environmentally conscious - there is also a second side to it - local authorities tend to gang-deal with companies who charge exorbitant prices for taking your refuse to a landfill)

News / Damien Perquis Football player granted Polish citizenship insulted by the PIS ? [30]

Damien Perquis was personally spat on by Jarosław Kaczyński - this is the sort of politics PiS is about

(ok I have no idea what mr Tomaszewski said about Perquis - neither did I know that Tomaszewski is a member of PiS)

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


if you ever considered do delve into it you would have learned that they meant 3 million flats in 8 years - and not built by the state but with the help of state maintained financing programmes like 'Rodzina na swoim' ('Rodzina na swoim' was moderately successful actually AFAIK and was not completely out of touch - it was meant as an incentive for the construction industry to build new homes)


yes, I would be delighted to 'heil' you - though I think I would be worried a bit you will not 'heil' back - I can't believe not everyone is a good Nazional Sozialist as me and our beloved leader Jaro Kacz - and well the police of course never bothered those who put out 'Donald ma Tole' banners on football matches - no - and well ABW never arrived at 6 a.m. at the doors of the nazi who maintained antykomor.pl website - yes you are far from here pal - and in your case being far means you are able to see far less

UK, Ireland / Why do so many Polish guys in the UK have a crew cut or buzz cut? [106]


I like having my hair short by I have never shaved my head -

short hair especially for me is simply practical - when my hair grows longer it gets curly - for me it's a serious nuisance - I can't be bothered with combing it - after washing short hair you don't need to dry it with an electric dryer - drying with a towel is enough

as for shaving your head - well - I simply don't get the idea - seems pretty odd to me - that is also a question of how long you need to leave your hair so that you do not look nearly shaved-off (I don't personally like that kind of look too on myself) - from what I have learned people with shaved heads look more aggressive - I doubt it is a conscious choice most who do do it subconsciously - to look more dangerous/aggressive

there is another side to the practicality of cutting your hair short - many do it with the help of their friends saving on a visit to a barber (electric haircutting machines get there use here and these can be pretty cheap) - in England a visit to a barber sets you back at least 10 quid and for many Poles it is an pointless waste of good money (I could well live on 10 quid a week for example at times in England (I mean buying food stuff)) - I still prefer to have my hair cut by a barber and with scissors mostly so I never economised on it

now I know what a buzz cut is - and no - I wouldn't like my hair this way (it's just next to shaving your head ain't it)

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


if PiS is so very socialist what is so wrong with them in the eyes of SLD then - isn't SLD supposed to be a left wing party?

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


yes it's highly unlikely that PiS will receive 40 per cent of the votes - but if it however somehow happens (which of course I would much welcome) then in case there is a lot of lost votes (parties not getting over the 5 per cent threshold) then they might actually end up close to 50 per cent of parliamentary seats - then there is a question if they can carve up a faction that would desert PO and form a majority for a PiS government (there are a couple of moderate people in PO in terms of PiS-hating) - but yes this is highly unlikely - even if PIS has 40 per cent of the votes most PO will opt for coalition government with SLD (in this scenario I presume a three parties parliament) - the SLD will try to get a very good bargain out of this coaltion (there would be pretty much resentment in PO and the partners would not trust each other anyway unlike the PO-PSL deal) - this coupled with not so bright economical forecasts can result in early elections say in early 2013 (because late 2013 will have Poles waking up to the effects of 'climatic agreements' and having to pay perhaps even double the current electricity bills not to mention the big businesses closing (some industries in Poland are very electricity dependant) and people losing jobs

Language / Miłość, how to decline it in the accusative? [9]


I confirm that - widzę mysz, pełnię straż (I stand guard)

Life / Could anyone tell me about any Polish bands that are/were popular. [17]

I haven't heard more depressing band in my life actually - when I hear them my stomach turns - the vocalist and his lyrics play a big part in this revolution

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]


r

those who used to vote for Samoobrona were doing so exactly because PSL had nothing to offer them - they neither cared or did anything for these people - so I don't believe the majority of those who voted for Samoobrona will vote for PSL (I actually believe only a small minority will)

Law / 1 euro = 4,46637049 złotego polskiego [21]


otherwise the debt will break the 55 per cent constitutional limit and budget cuts will be necessary for 2012 - over 1/4 of the Polish debt is owed to foreign financial institutions so we need to pay it back in their currencies

History / I want to meet Lech Walesa, can anyone help me? [29]


didn't know that

Language / Simple business Polish phrases required please [13]

is the Szanowni Państwo the sole Polish phrase in the letter? if so doesn't it look completely out of place?

Language / Simple business Polish phrases required please [13]

just one thing - don't use 'dziękuję i pozdrawiam' in the same letter as 'z wyrazami szacunku' or 'z poważaniem' - the latter are very formal the former is quite informal - they don't mix well

the phrases a.k. has added are actually part of formal Polish letter writing - if you are contacting smaller businesses it is pretty safe to be quite informal (starting an e-mail with Dzień dobry is perfectly fine so is ending it with 'Pozdrawiam i dziękuję' especially as these are supposed be the only things in Polish in the letter - actually Szanowni Państwo as a sole Polish phrase in letter is pretty odd/strange/artificial/out of place) - to be honest less and less Poles use the formal register anyway (especially in writing)

History / I want to meet Lech Walesa, can anyone help me? [29]

and how many hours a day do you think he is sitting on skype - wouldn't you be pretty upset when everyone wanted to chat with you while you just want to read some news on the web

Life / Could anyone tell me about any Polish bands that are/were popular. [17]

Coma is a puke :P

History / I want to meet Lech Walesa, can anyone help me? [29]

well you can hire him - otherwise I wouldn't count on meeting him in person