Real Estate / PLN 2,500 the going rate for an apartment in Poland [210]

Haven't been back to Poland for a while eh? Anyway, a couple of months ago, the average salary here was around €950 a month...

There are apartments outside of the center which are somewhat cheaper.

so €700/week is about what, €2200 a month after taxes? So how much is a furnished 60m2 apartment in central Dublin with all bills paid? While we're at it, how much is a beer and a pack of smokes going for now a days?

Is real estate overpriced? Sure. Is rental property unaffordable...nope.

Anyway, the people that live here, in Wroclaw, know where this apartment stands in the scheme of things.

Real Estate / PLN 2,500 the going rate for an apartment in Poland [210]

Compared to what? Other furnished apartments with bills paid in central Wroclaw? Renting is cheaper than buying at the moment.

News / Polish Policeman shoots down a foreigner in Warsaw [300]

Are those stills from a security camera earlier in the slides?

Life / POLISH TEENAGERS TURN TO PROSTITUTION... [77]


It's an accepted part of the youth culture in Poland.

Real Estate / PLN 2,500 the going rate for an apartment in Poland [210]


2500 with utilities for a furnished apartment in the center is criminal?

Average salaries here run about 3300/mo. That's about 2700 net.

What's everyone whining about?

Full time starting out at McDonalds and you've got 1100/mo in your pocket at the end of the month.

News / Polish Policeman shoots down a foreigner in Warsaw [300]


Of course I do, it's a nice pistol. Why wouldn't I brag about it? It's cheaper than a HiPower and is a joy to shoot.


What's the problem?

So tell me Dr. Safety, ever had a knife pulled on you? Ever had your home robbed? How quickly do the police respond to a call in your neighborhood? Has the crime rate in your country gone up or down over the last 20 years? I guess if the police were doing their job, none of the crime statistics would play a role...

But all that is irrelevant of course, the reason that I own guns is so that I can shoot dead any agent of the government that attempts to deprive me of my life or liberty. Whether you're a Nazi, or a Communist, or a Nationalist, or a Religious whacko, or.... Well, you get the picture.

News / Polish Policeman shoots down a foreigner in Warsaw [300]


Maybe, they're trading their last line of defense for a drop in gun crime which still hasn't taken place.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/16_07_09_bcs.pdf

Let me get this straight, the suggestion is to have all the legal gun owners give up their guns so that the gun crime rate will go up?

Isn't it strange how the areas in the US with the highest rates of gun ownership have the least amount of gun related violence?

I understand that Jamaica is now gun free as well, good for them!

Anyway, I'm pretty happy when I'm in the Czech Republic, where gun ownership is nearly a national pastime. I have a very nice CZ75 that I carry on occasion. Even better than that, I know that the chances of me becoming the victim of gun violence in the gun crazy Czech Republic is about half that of heavily restricted Poland. Strange world.

News / Zloty exchange rates - is this just speculation? [87]

The worst thing about all this currency volatility is the amount of consumer debt that is financed in CHF and EUR. Last big fall happened in conjunction with rate cuts, so it didn't hurt too much. This time rates can't go any lower... Hope everyone that has foreign currency denominated debt is hedging somehow...

Still happy with gold :)

News / Komorowski for complex-ridden Poles? [94]


Have a link for that?


The ones that go abroad are usually more radicalized...


The problem with most privatization schemes is that they turn state monopolies into private monopolies. True privatization needs to take place. The kind that allows us to make international phone calls for next to nothing, the kind that allows us to send our kids to whatever schools we want.


They are publicly traded privately owned companies.

But why not compare to Hong Kong of the 60s-90s? Capitalism without a judiciary that is willing to tackle property rights doesn't make sense.

News / What's the stupidest question asked about Poland? [414]

and pork, next question please.

News / Komorowski for complex-ridden Poles? [94]


No, they're both disgusting displays of welfare.


Then Poland should do what it needs to and get out of the EU, repay that money, re-nationalize industries, and close Poland off to foreign investment. Problem solved, or? It's a Polish choice, with all the consequences that comes with making that decision. I do recall there was a referendum here and nearly 80% wanted into the EU. Has that changed? Is Poland incapable of making decisions? So weak that it can be talked into being "ripped up", as you call it? Is the FDI and the freedom of movement really tearing Poland apart?

News / Komorowski for complex-ridden Poles? [94]


Jurek is a Catholic facist who gives lip service to liberal economics. JKM is the real deal, but he'll never go very far because most people will never be able to give up the nanny state in exchange for long term prosperity.

Seanus,

Poland needs someone to tell Poles that the only people that can change their situation are the people themselves. Get up, and get it done. Poland is responsible for Poland. Poland is now a big boy and is solely responsible for itself. Some people have caught on to that and done really well... quite a few haven't...

News / Poland standing tall in troubled times [11]


They've softened up quite a bit. I'd be worried about the looming consumer credit monster. Interested to see how Lukas will be doing at the end of 2010, or when god forbid, difficult times hit Poland.

Work / Are you teaching English in Poland? [120]


That's for the criminal bit, his estate can still be (and is being) sued for civil damages.

News / Flood situation worsens in southern Poland [119]

I think half of southern Poland has floated through Wroclaw though. I did some investigation yesterday at Tawerna...might do some more inspecting this afternoon...

News / Flood situation worsens in southern Poland [119]

I was thinking about driving to Legnica and buying a couple of crates of water and doing some good old fashioned panic profiteering.

News / Flood situation worsens in southern Poland [119]

In '97 this place was fine. Moving the car to a garage tomorrow morning. Google Earth does a good job with elevation, hopefully we'll be ok on our little island...

If tomorrow goes all '97, I'm loading the cats up and flying to prague...

Life / How Safe Are the Polish Cities? [179]


really?

Wroclaw is candyland.

USA, Canada / Why do Americans (and Canadians) hate Polish people? [226]


Or, "why are some people idiots?". That would be a better question.

How about, "Why do some Poles look down on Asians, Ukrainians, Gypsies, Africans, etc?".

History / If i could write European history i would unite Europe under Polish language [67]

more interesting are things like "budget" "meeting" "drink"

Life / Polish Tattoo (considered the eagle) [29]

Probably got it because this one just isn't as cool.

News / Goldman Sachs says it will no longer profit from undermining Polish zloty [29]


We were talking about the quantum fund, not what he does with his money. Nothing that happened was really surprising.

News / Goldman Sachs says it will no longer profit from undermining Polish zloty [29]


What Soros did was transparent, completely legal. There were reforms put into place afterward to guard against it. We'll probably see quite a few more fraud cases come up against Goldman. Disclosure is the name of the game in finance.

I just can't believe that all these banks are getting huge EU bailouts now. Shameful. Goldman is making in a killing in Greece, and will do so in Portugal as well. It's reward without risk investing. I really would like to loan Ireland a couple billion right now on stupid terms and let those idiots in Germany and Holland pick up the bill.

USA, Canada / Do you speak English? Have you lived in America? New LOVE/HATE list......... [144]


We have guns in the US to protect ourselves from the government, and to protect ourselves from other citizens when the government fails to provide adequate protection for our lives and property.

News / Jarosław Kaczyński sharing his words with Russians! [57]

Ask the military prosecutors, they have the transcripts...

Life / I was cursing Poland daily, then returned home, but now thinking of going back.. [39]

We're not like that. Just make the best of where you're at, find out what's most important to you, and find a place that best suits you. Everywhere has it's positives and it's negatives. I've never really been to any countries where I wouldn't want to live for a year or so.

News / WHY DOES POLAND BUY GAS FROM RUSSIA? [105]


Uh no. The point is to make money. E.ON, Gazprom, and BASF aren't building Nord Stream so that they can donate transit fees to Poland. If the Polish government were to have offered to provide land, security, and waive transit fees for the next 100 years, I'm sure the pipeline would have made landfall on Polish shores. It would be idiotic to do so out of the kindness of their commercial hearts.


Wasn't Sikorski one of the most outspoken critics of Nord Stream? I think there was a comment about Nazis and Soviets that came up...

Life / Good place to live in Poland (if you want to move on)? [66]

If you can survive on potatoes and onions alone, food is cheaper. If you like a bit of variety in your diet, it's definitely more expensive. The only thing cheap about Poland is the cost of basic labor, which is why services and locally produced products are so cheap.

Travel / Poland to Romania (and back!) [18]

I just got back from Iasi and Bucharest yesterday. I'll be going to Cluj, Iasi, and then Bucharest in the next couple of weeks from Wroclaw if anyone wants to come along. Can split fuel and landing fees/handling. I'll be there for about a week. A bit over 3 hours for Wroclaw-Cluj.

Food / How to find Halal Food in Poznan (Muslim food in Poland) [55]


How do you slaughter your animals?