Life / Why is Polish Christmas on the 24th? [87]

Dec 24 is Christmas Eve, which is the night when Jesus was born. So we await Jesus's birth and think of the suffering and hardship Mary and Joseph went through by leaving hitter home, trying to hide from the Roman authorities, and trying to find a place in Bethlehem for the night. It's more religious and spiritual, because the focus isn't as much on presents. During the day of Dec 24th, you're supposed to fast, and then you eat a humble dinner that night - as a way to respect and relate Mary and Joseph's hardship and Jesus' birth in humble circumstances. For example, you're not supposed to eat meat, because that is too extravagant. You open presents the evening of the 24th because that is represents the gift that Jesus' birth gave to the world. December 25th is the first day of Christmas, and on this day you can have a feast.

That's really interesting, thanks!

Life / Top 10 Poland fashion brands [25]

Lasocki (beautiful leather shoes, bags, and accessories) - the brand is sold in stores called CCC.
Risk is a clothing boutique in Warsaw that has a few locations, I think.

Real Estate / American whinging and whining when buying or renting property in Poland [30]

This thread is beyond ridiculous. Just a bunch trolls trying to outdo each other.

Love / Why are Polish girls so confusing? [30]

UM, because Polish girls (and all girls and women, everywhere) don't owe you kisses and other sexual favors. Just because they talk to you, doesn't mean you are entitled to making out or sleeping with them.

Do you expect MALE friends to make out with you just because you talked to them or told them their basketball throw was good, or took care of their beer at the bar once? No? Then why do you expect that from females?

Now, in response to that, you might say something like "But Texas, I'm not trying to sleep with men, LOL!" Well, that's where your problem is. If you ONLY focus on trying to be all romantical and sexy with women, you will get women who will either A) play games with you; B) not really know how to react and be vague so as to "let you down gently"; or C) just use you for sex the same way you are using them for sex.

The first girl you described was probably just being her normal, friendly self, and didn't realize that the fact that she conversed with you made you think she was going to do anything else with you.

As for the second girl, well she had an ex boyfriend, as you know yourself, you can't just turn your feelings on and off like a faucet. She clearly wasn't over him, and she might have felt like you were trying to take advantage of her vulnerability. And it is true - most girls/women (of ANY nationality) prefer to get to know a guy before he moves in for the kill. Like, it's really extremely off-putting when a guy tries to make out with you and get in your pants after like 30 minutes of conversation. I'm sorry you were with a girl who wasn't over her ex yet, though. But also think of what YOU wanted from her. If you were mainly with her for the sexual companionship, then she was doing the same exact thing to you: she was just with you for the sexual companionship. But what she REALLY wanted was a close, intimate, loving relationship - as is evidenced by the fact that she still was not over her ex-boyfriend.

Moral of the story: You get what you give.

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

Well, to be fair, Britain's empire gave way to the U.S. which just happens to speak the same language. And the U.S. appears to weakening at the moment, at least somewhat. China is a huge now, and many corporations and savvy business people are looking in that direction.

It's always good to know other languages; after all, you don't know how long the status quo will last. China has the world's largest population and a steadily growing middle and upper class.

Life / Right or wrong, Polish controversies [11]

There was a similar article in the US about a guy who murdered his parents and sister when he was 15. He pled insanity and spent 6 years in a mental institution. He changed his name after getting out and went on get master's and Ph.D. degrees and is now a professor of psychology at Millikin Universty in Illinois. He's 61 now.

usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/02/19840090-boy-who-killed-family-turns-up-46-years-later-as-college-professor?lite


I agree. There is a reason why pedophiles and sexual offenders have to register as such and let their neighborhood know, as well as stay away a certain distance from children - even after they've served their time!

Children are a nation's most precious resource, and we can't play play fast and loose with laws regarding them just so some former criminal doesn't get his or her feelings hurt.

Language / Why when spelling Polish names abroad, Polish letters are ignored? [68]

THIS JUST IN! Different languages are.....wait for it....different!

Travel / Just visited Poland - here is my random rant [154]

Necessity is the mother of invention. In order to survive, people are forced to become creative, think outside the box, provide superior service/products in order to beat out their competition and ... survive. So yes, recessions do lead to developments, because you are forced to develop improvements in order to survive.


You have to pay for plastic bags in many Western countries as well. Do you know how horrible plastic bags are for the environment? Horrible. Some say it takes 500 years for a plastic bag to decompose, but the truth is, the plastic decomposes into tiny pieces fairly quickly, and THESE stick around for a long, long time. They also emit many hazardous toxins and chemicals - into our food and water supply! Consumers end up with hundreds of single-use plastic bags and nothing to do with them. Do you know how many freaking plastic bags I had before they made you pay for them or bring your own? TONS. I was drowning in plastic bags!!! I'd even ask them to stop double-bagging my groceries and to put more in each bag. Yes, it's annoying when you forget to bring your bag, but you know... not having polyethylene terephthalate in my food and water kind of makes up for it. Making you pay a very, very small fee is a great idea, along with promoting use of durable grocery bags.

USA, Canada / Differences in How Polish People Raise a Child and How Americans Raise a Child [149]

I know this is off topic, but I just could not help but comment.


I know time has passed, and I do not mean to reopen old wounds but --- honey! Where do you get off thinking that it is the woman's (i.e. YOUR) job to buy gifts for the man left and right in an attempt to get him to stay in the relationship?? HE should be providing for YOU. You gave of yourself far, far too much, and you gave him absolute free reign to do what he pleased. I don't feel a relationship should be a "tit for tat."

You are WAY better off without him! You need a REAL MAN, not an immature boy.

History / Polish aristocrats - would be better off if we had Polish magnate families? [69]

of course Poland would be better off! A lot of people on this thread are arguing about schlata going back hundreds of years... why this is relevant to the OP's question, I am not sure. The upper classes that were murdered during and after WWII would have CERTAINLY benefitted Poland! These were the inteligentsia - doctors, lawyers, scholars, professors, economists, thinkers, artists, businessmen, generals, etc - basically THE people who create the sophisticate culture of a country!! How can any of you say Poland would not be better off with them? A lot of these people owned property and private businesses - businesses that would stimulate and grow Poland's economy instead of massacring it during communism. The old moneyed people tend to be more patriotic that the nouveau riche - who often give their loyalty to money rather than country and tradition. Now, not all nouveau riche are tacky and uncultured - and I am certainly not saying that entrepreneurship is bad! Quite the contrary - I feel the one thing that may save Poland is private ownership and private business. It's just those politicians who sell out every Polish endeavor they can for their own profit.

USA, Canada / How to get Drivers license in IL without social security? [96]

Tygrys, I hear you. However, I wasn't referring to the illegal immigration status of Jamie, which is another discussion entirely (not minimizing it at all). However, if Jamie is CREATING JOBS for Americans, and in this creation of jobs he/she is perfectly legal and legitimate, how is Jamie a burden on the system? I am simply curious about Beelzebub's logic. Note, I am not condoning or condemning Jamie being here illegally. I am focusing purely on Jamie's business and job creation, divorced from his/her residency status.

Life / Poland needs more immigrants and their children - which nationalities are the best? [518]


So why not make the grass greener in Poland?


Yes, exactly. The question should be "What can Poland do to make herself attractive to immigrants (and, by extension, Poles and expats)?" not "What immigrants can we import?" As it stands, I don't see how a giant influx of immigrants would do anything, except create too many job-seekers for too few jobs.


Um what?? You honestly expect people to return to Poland just to f**k and pop out kids, but GOD FORBID they thrive and prosper and contribute to job creation, innovation, and economic growth?? Who's going to pay for all those kids? YOUR taxes? Let me ask you this: how are you going to be able to pay your taxes if you don't have a job -- which THOSE Poles would be creating by increasing their "personal prosperity." Maybe THIS is why Poland isn't exactly attracting droves of highly skilled and educated immigrants, and is causing 2.2 or 3 million Poles to MOVE OUT. Because Poland apparently wants millions of jobless babies instead of jobs and economic growth.

News Flash! Poland isn't a communist country anymore! Time to wake up and smell the coffee!

USA, Canada / How to get Drivers license in IL without social security? [96]

Beelzebub, just purely out of curiosity, if Jaime pays taxes and employs legal workers and runs his/her business according to all legal statutes, how, exactly, is he/she a burden on the system? A criminal? Technically, yes. But a burden?

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]


I'm sorry, but how are they being penalized for not having a piece of paper? The very definition of the term "illegal alien" implies that the government had no hand in them immigrating here. No body forced them to. Nobody asked them to. How are they being "penalized" in a place where they shouldn't be in the first place? I am not trying to be harsh or mean or inhumane; I'm just trying to figure out your logic.