JonnyM
22 Feb 2012
Life / Anyone know of an English-language translation of "Kapuściński Non-Fiction", yet? [18]
Was. Like Kapuscinski, a travel writer. Also very good.
Was. Like Kapuscinski, a travel writer. Also very good.
JonnyM
21 Feb 2012
Love / 'Seks po polsku' - the sex lives of Poles: [45]
In that case you probably met your 'dates' in a convent. Poles in my experience are very open about intimate matters.
Yes ive been to Poland several times and dated many Polish girls. Polish girls are not open about talking about sex.
In that case you probably met your 'dates' in a convent. Poles in my experience are very open about intimate matters.
JonnyM
21 Feb 2012
Life / Anyone know of an English-language translation of "Kapuściński Non-Fiction", yet? [18]
Read him and see - he's a travel writer on a par with James Morris or Norman Douglas - truly one of the greats.
What is so special with the Kapuściński?
I've never heard anything special about his books.
I've never heard anything special about his books.
Read him and see - he's a travel writer on a par with James Morris or Norman Douglas - truly one of the greats.
JonnyM
21 Feb 2012
News / Becoming non-EUnuch -> giving up your share of handouts. [36]
Me neither, but the healthy state of the stock exchange and bond market here suggest that there's no shortage of investment.
Poland has a population 50 times that of Iceland and an economy as different as it can be.
Me neither, but the healthy state of the stock exchange and bond market here suggest that there's no shortage of investment.
Iceland was able to devalue the currency.
Poland has a population 50 times that of Iceland and an economy as different as it can be.
JonnyM
21 Feb 2012
USA, Canada / Polonia who needs help with Polish Documentary [27]
Hello! Here's a link to a BBC documentary, one of a series on gangs around the world. This episode was on Polish football hooligan gangs. It's from 2006 but worth watching:
And here's a link to all his media writings, not just on Poland.
Good Luck!
To be specific, I need help with a documentary concerning Polish football hooliganism from many different aspects.
Hello! Here's a link to a BBC documentary, one of a series on gangs around the world. This episode was on Polish football hooligan gangs. It's from 2006 but worth watching:
For general modern history of Poland, Timothy Garton-Ash takes some beating.
And here's a link to all his media writings, not just on Poland.
Good Luck!
JonnyM
20 Feb 2012
Language / Need some Polish language help.....with a twist! [39]
This is the only way. A little every day. Absolutely the best way is to be in Poland where you have to use the language to get by.
It doesn't mean 'a lush' ;-)
Practice, man, practice.
This is the only way. A little every day. Absolutely the best way is to be in Poland where you have to use the language to get by.
"żul" (a lush :)
It doesn't mean 'a lush' ;-)
JonnyM
20 Feb 2012
Life / Anyone know of an English-language translation of "Kapuściński Non-Fiction", yet? [18]
Great news!
The book is forthcoming!
Great news!
JonnyM
20 Feb 2012
Life / Living Costs and life in Poznan? [70]
Just about, with very careful shopping. Plenty have to, including pensioners on 800zl a month.
That's more realistic.
I'm still not convinced 300zl would be possible but apparently it is!
Just about, with very careful shopping. Plenty have to, including pensioners on 800zl a month.
My partner and I don't eat anything special and yet we spend about 1000zl per month.
That's more realistic.
JonnyM
20 Feb 2012
History / Romantic Aristocrat Stories from Poland's Past [16]
Here's another of her.
Avira said it was OK but perhaps better to be safe rather than sorry. There are some good pictures which as a government site should be kosher.
Here's another of her.
Johnny, My Kaspersky Anti-Virus suggested the website may contain a trojan...
Avira said it was OK but perhaps better to be safe rather than sorry. There are some good pictures which as a government site should be kosher.
JonnyM
20 Feb 2012
History / Romantic Aristocrat Stories from Poland's Past [16]
This might be just what you're looking for ;-)
Anyone got any other suggestions?
This might be just what you're looking for ;-)
Daisy, Princess of Pless, died in 1943 in relative poverty at Waldenburg, today Wałbrzych, Poland
JonnyM
19 Feb 2012
News / Becoming non-EUnuch -> giving up your share of handouts. [36]
Simple as. Or just send it to a suitable charity; perhaps the Wielka Orkiestra.
Simple as. Or just send it to a suitable charity; perhaps the Wielka Orkiestra.
JonnyM
19 Feb 2012
Work / Minimum basic salary in Poland [96]
It was in the media about 7 or 8 years ago. If I remember the owners were a Dutch company. I don't really remember any more.
It was in the media about 7 or 8 years ago. If I remember the owners were a Dutch company. I don't really remember any more.
JonnyM
19 Feb 2012
Work / Minimum basic salary in Poland [96]
Some villagers up near Szczecin burnt down a veg processing plant on a former PGR. Why? Because the owners banned them for health and safety reasons from drinking vodka near the machinery. They'd modernised the workers' flats, increased salaries but the Neds said they didn't care about that.
Indeed. I'm almost certain that if you opened up a factory in many of these villages, they wouldn't take the jobs anyway - they wouldn't want to work to someone else's standards and ways.
Some villagers up near Szczecin burnt down a veg processing plant on a former PGR. Why? Because the owners banned them for health and safety reasons from drinking vodka near the machinery. They'd modernised the workers' flats, increased salaries but the Neds said they didn't care about that.
JonnyM
19 Feb 2012
Work / Minimum basic salary in Poland [96]
Easy enough - any of us can do it.
Pretty well. The equivalent of Chavs in the UK in many cases.People who for decades steadfastly refused jobs in nearby towns because they'd have to get up on time and stay sober.
A lot of people live on that and manage holidays, cars etc.
Try to make potatoes to grow.
Easy enough - any of us can do it.
's also dragged down by many peasants in villages who live off small parcels of land
Pretty well. The equivalent of Chavs in the UK in many cases.People who for decades steadfastly refused jobs in nearby towns because they'd have to get up on time and stay sober.
Not bad. A couple both earning average wage can easily afford decent accommodation in a Polish city by those figures.
A lot of people live on that and manage holidays, cars etc.
JonnyM
19 Feb 2012
Life / Why are Polish so conservative and religious? [240]
It is extreme trolling really. Poland has always had a dichotomy between the rural and small-town 'religious conservative' Ciemnogrod and the urban, more enlightened, centuries old liberal tradition. It isn't possible to reduce the situation by saying it's backward. There has always been so much more here.
Much of the OP's premise is just plain nonsense.
It is extreme trolling really. Poland has always had a dichotomy between the rural and small-town 'religious conservative' Ciemnogrod and the urban, more enlightened, centuries old liberal tradition. It isn't possible to reduce the situation by saying it's backward. There has always been so much more here.
Much of the OP's premise is just plain nonsense.
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
News / Should countries be boycotted for offending Poles? [60]
Perhaps when you stop sponging off the Polish state. After all, somebody has to pay tax here, don't they...
.Why don't you all just **** off of Poland,once and for all?
Perhaps when you stop sponging off the Polish state. After all, somebody has to pay tax here, don't they...
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
History / Lech Kaczynski - was he a good leader? [88]
Basically they were voted out at the earliest possible opportunity. And also lost the subsequent election.
They took the 20% away from Lepper and Giertych - yes. But they lost the centrist voters that won them the 2005 election - and with it, the Government.
Basically they were voted out at the earliest possible opportunity. And also lost the subsequent election.
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]
But is a fact. And Poland's economy is growing.
That's still not a compliment
But is a fact. And Poland's economy is growing.
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
News / Should countries be boycotted for offending Poles? [60]
So you're denying that Poland is the largest net recipient of EU funding, much of which comes from The Netherlands? A boycott of all things Dutch would be near impossible in Poland.
As I remember, you even offered to pay your share back. Did you ever get around to honouring that?
So you're denying that Poland is the largest net recipient of EU funding, much of which comes from The Netherlands? A boycott of all things Dutch would be near impossible in Poland.
As I remember, you even offered to pay your share back. Did you ever get around to honouring that?
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
News / Should countries be boycotted for offending Poles? [60]
Back for a holiday?
Don't forget to avoid motorways, trains, trams, and any public sector building. If you're boycotting things paid for by Holland, that is.
I am in Poland.
Back for a holiday?
Don't forget to avoid motorways, trains, trams, and any public sector building. If you're boycotting things paid for by Holland, that is.
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]
Very much so. A 3 bedroom house in some of those places costs less than a studio flat in a bad part of Warsaw.
Konin and Kutno are pretty high on my list.
Compare Warsaw to a grim ex-mining town/village in the UK and it's far better off, for instance. Jonny will tell you more than me, but in general - there are parts of Poland that are far better off than parts of the UK.
Very much so. A 3 bedroom house in some of those places costs less than a studio flat in a bad part of Warsaw.
Walbrzych is an ex mining town and probably my second least favourite Polish city.
Konin and Kutno are pretty high on my list.
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
News / Should countries be boycotted for offending Poles? [60]
Says you in America.
Exactly.
Half of those companies aren't Dutch anyway.
Starting boycotts is also inviting boycotts. It would be a shame if other Europeans started boycotting Polish products due to certain political parties' opposition to us buying property here.
When I say "we",I mean "We the Poles".
Says you in America.
OK boycott. Start by disconnecting from the net as the EU paid for the setup and don't leave town as the EU is paying for your main roads
Exactly.
There are calls for boycott of Dutch goods such as:
Half of those companies aren't Dutch anyway.
Starting boycotts is also inviting boycotts. It would be a shame if other Europeans started boycotting Polish products due to certain political parties' opposition to us buying property here.
JonnyM
18 Feb 2012
Work / IS THERE A PROFESSION LIKE "HEALER" IN POLAND, WHICH EXAMINATION, WHICH ADMINISTRATION? [9]
Yes. Bio-energia therapeutic. But only an informal body to register. You might want to check out 'Kaudan'.
Yes. Bio-energia therapeutic. But only an informal body to register. You might want to check out 'Kaudan'.
JonnyM
17 Feb 2012
JonnyM
17 Feb 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]
Most of the stuff the farmers sell on the street markets in Warsaw comes from the wholesale veg market, more often than not imported from Holland :-(
Cheaper than the supermarkets, but then again they don't pay tax or overheads.
Most of the stuff the farmers sell on the street markets in Warsaw comes from the wholesale veg market, more often than not imported from Holland :-(
Cheaper than the supermarkets, but then again they don't pay tax or overheads.
JonnyM
17 Feb 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]
Same here. If I had a quid every time someone criticised me for not getting a mortgage on a second flat when prices were rising I'd be rich. And if I'd taken that advice I'd probably have had negative equity now and a big headache.
That seems to be a situation that people end up in - old ladies in huge houses in the UK that they can't afford to heat. There are plenty of people like that in Poland and likely to be more given the rural 1990s building boom with all those vast 3 storey houses.
I don't think the guy in question has much of a clue about anything. He shouldn't have been able to borrow enough to buy the second flat and would be unlikely to be able to pay off the credit (which by the way is in Swiss Francs) by selling it. He's in a bit of a Catch 22 situation. Perhaps he's thinking about his old age
do try to avoid unnecessary / unrealistic levels of debt.
Same here. If I had a quid every time someone criticised me for not getting a mortgage on a second flat when prices were rising I'd be rich. And if I'd taken that advice I'd probably have had negative equity now and a big headache.
the mindset of why somebody would be asset rich and cash poor.
That seems to be a situation that people end up in - old ladies in huge houses in the UK that they can't afford to heat. There are plenty of people like that in Poland and likely to be more given the rural 1990s building boom with all those vast 3 storey houses.
What do you think drives them to maintain that kind of position?
I don't think the guy in question has much of a clue about anything. He shouldn't have been able to borrow enough to buy the second flat and would be unlikely to be able to pay off the credit (which by the way is in Swiss Francs) by selling it. He's in a bit of a Catch 22 situation. Perhaps he's thinking about his old age
JonnyM
17 Feb 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]
Now that's something you'd have to ask someone, isn't it.
Off the top of my head, three acquaintances come to mind. One has a very low mortgage on one flat, the other he inherited, I've never asked him about the dzialka and he earns about 3k. Another person has one flat which I think is inherited, a very posh buy-to-let with a huge mortgage secured as far as I know partly on the other and an income of about 1.5k. He can hardly afford to eat properly. The third inherited one flat, bought the other for peanuts in the early 90s without a mortgage and is now effectively unemployed living of the rent from one of them.
These stories are not unusual in Warsaw.
From your experience, are they carrying mortgages on these properties or are they owned outright through inheritance?
Now that's something you'd have to ask someone, isn't it.
Off the top of my head, three acquaintances come to mind. One has a very low mortgage on one flat, the other he inherited, I've never asked him about the dzialka and he earns about 3k. Another person has one flat which I think is inherited, a very posh buy-to-let with a huge mortgage secured as far as I know partly on the other and an income of about 1.5k. He can hardly afford to eat properly. The third inherited one flat, bought the other for peanuts in the early 90s without a mortgage and is now effectively unemployed living of the rent from one of them.
These stories are not unusual in Warsaw.
JonnyM
17 Feb 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]
Average wage, 2 flats and a dzialka.
It's dearer than it used to be. Do they still put reduced stuff out late in the day? I know people in England who only go shopping at teatime to get the bargains. That happens sometimes in PL but not as often.
Can you expand on this?
Average wage, 2 flats and a dzialka.
the coop is sooooooooooooo expensive these days...you would need a bloody divvy if u shopped there.
It's dearer than it used to be. Do they still put reduced stuff out late in the day? I know people in England who only go shopping at teatime to get the bargains. That happens sometimes in PL but not as often.
JonnyM
17 Feb 2012
Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]
A lot depends where you are in England and how you shop. It is possible to live OK on very little by shopping at traditional markets for fresh veg and meat (mostly a Northern thing), going to Aldi, Jack Fulton's etc (in the North mainly) as well as getting your divvy from the Co-op.
A lot depends where you are in England and how you shop. It is possible to live OK on very little by shopping at traditional markets for fresh veg and meat (mostly a Northern thing), going to Aldi, Jack Fulton's etc (in the North mainly) as well as getting your divvy from the Co-op.