Life / Why do Poles talk so badly about Poland? [25]

Based upon Delph's reply, it reminds me of comments made recently to me by a high level executive at Or...len according to which Or...len automatically throw away cv's from applicants graduated from certain schools in Poland. It happens in all companies.

When living in Poland, we all know about those Mickey Mouse schools to be avoided like the plague.

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Random: I have checked and yes, it is true! Amazing!

@Polsyr; it seems to be like that ink used in "underdeveloped" countries when elections. Voters have to dip their thumbs in such ink so they won't vote several times ;). In terms of the Rainbow, it sure shall help the police..

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Polsyr: as high as a 20-floor-building? It'll be seen from anywhere in Warsaw

@Delph: great idea so not hard to find the vandals! ;)

@Jon: most of the year, it's so grey here, with hardly any artificial light that bright colored lights as provided by the rainbow shall only be positive. I'm sure the area's inhabitants shall be happy......

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Jon: if no public money involved, so much the better! :) But, what about protection? Do you think cops shall be needed or shall cameras be installed? I have heard that in said area people are kind of ... broad minded but extremists could easily come from other parts.

Well, it'll look nice and at night with all the colored lights on, it'll look brilliant :

When is it supposed to be finalized?

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

I have seen the new Rainbow (on the net). It sure does look impressive. It looks like it's going to be so huge so it'll be seen from very far away. Why in that area? I expect the area was chosen maybe because most people living there are more tolerant than the average Varsovian/Pole, aren't they? If so not much fear to have it attacked by b####ts.

It does look very nice indeed but my concern is its financing. If much public money is to be involved, I'm not sure I'll be in favor of project because needless to say I'd rather have my tax ZL go to priorities (schools, health, transportation, helping those in bad need...).

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

When is the new Rainbow expected to be ready? It'll be nice in that area, adding more colors. I suppose that the area shall become gay friendly so a lot of gays shall settle down there, including opening cafés and other businesses. Very soon another trendy place in Warsaw :)

News / Nazi gold train 'found in Poland' [90]

of course, in case there is something valuable, not only as per international laws but also as per mere morality, Poland cannot keep belongings stolen from people (including little kids) tortured and killed in atrocious ways norrmal people cannot even imagine.

It there is anything, it'll be handed over to descendants of nazi victims and it'll be right...

Personally I would not want to wear a ring or a necklace or whatever stolen from someone exterminated simply because Jewish (or anything else). Sorry, I have morals.

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Pol: when you leave the Church and turn left into the narrower (than Marszałkowska) street (I don't know its name), right at the corner, you have that café ;). There is no delikatessy there (or wasn't last week when I was there)

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]

So don't mention the letters. Next time, you meet the mailman, tell him they no longer live at the place. If he asks you what you did with the letters addressed to them, you just tell him that you sent them back to senders ;).

If you suspect that they work under the table, tell authorities!

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]

You may mention the letters and when doing so, you just say as you have written here; you have opened them by accident. All of us sometimes receive letters addressed to former tenants/landlords and we open them by mistake so no crime ;). Some of the letters were rather important and they should have been sent registered with "return receipt requested". Don't they do so in England?

It is pure hell where you live and you need to solve problem asap.

So do get on the phone tomorrow at 9.00 and call authorities!

Do come back tomorrow to tell us!

All the best!

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]

@Ryouga: this situation cannot last for ever so please do act as of now! Tomorrow at 9.00 call the housing authorities/social worker/city hall or whomever can be concerned in England (I don't know), briefly tell them about situation and that you are vulnerable and also very scarred for your safety and you need an appointment right away to further discuss. Of course at said meeting, you'll bring as much evidence as you can, including the letters they receive in your mailbox.

These people are pure garbage and they have to be straightened up.

PS: maybe you could see a doctor and ask him to write a letter stating that you are very affected by situation and have gotten into depression.

ps 2: @Ryouga: when you call tomorrow, do mention that they cheat, they don't pay tax and believe me the authorities will act swiftly.

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]

if they fraud with their tax, just drop a line to tax office ;).

So you opened their letters!!!! "lol"

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]

@Ryouga: do as we advise you to and do as Jon said: write down in detail whatever wrong they do so you'll be able to give concrete tacts.

This is awful to live around such jerks.

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]

Yes, getting help from Polish community coud be good too. Maybe this before calling cops.

UK, Ireland / My bad experiences with Polish neighbours in UK (not meant to offend) [173]

As it is going on and on and on ... do call the cops and tell them that besides the non stop noise all the time, you feel threatened. These people should be kicked out of their flat. Do you know whether they pay rent and utilities?

Sad to live in such conditions!

News / Nazi gold train 'found in Poland' [90]

Probably it is like that guy (Tomasz Zu... ski) says. In case of a treasury, I seriously doubt that Poland may keep property stolen from war victims. I am sure that there are international laws in such matters and needless to say, it would be MORALLY wrong and not to Poland's "glory".

News / Nazi gold train 'found in Poland' [90]

According to the Polish guy (I don't remember his name, Tomasz Zu..... ski), who is in charge of the matter, it's most likely that train contains highly dangerous materials. Should said train have contained gold, jewels....., for sure a lot of people whould have been looking for it since 1945.

News / Poland Plans New Canal from Vistula to the Baltic. Drought? [12]

I crossed the river last Thursday and I can say that your aunt is for sure joking.

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

yes, hope and light after darkness and in case of countries like South Africa, it could also mean diversity. If I remember right, the flag from Mauricius (I had once a colleague from there) looks a bit like a rainbow (in their case, most probably, it refers to the multitude of ethnies and colors there).

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Pol: a lot of people use a rainbow as a symbol and they are not gay ;). In my neighborhood there is a (private) day care center using it and not far away from it, there is an organization dealing with blind kids using symbol too. What I'm saying is that gays have not taken the rainbow symbol away from anybody else. If I am not wrong, South Africa calls itself the "rainbow nation" and although South Africa has legalized same sex marriage, I doubt that all (or most of) South Africans are gay ;).

don't think: rainbow = homosexuals!

Life / Funeral Traditions in Poland [67]

@Jchin; besides, of course, offering sympathy and flowers, the best is to make people understand that you are with them, and available for any futher help they may need while staying a bit away from them if they wish to remain alone. In Europe, we don't offer money to surviving relatives when someone has just passed away;). It would be very odd and very vulgar.

(in my culture, there is nothing wrong offering money as Christmas gifts, for instance but I have been told by several Poles that here (in Poland) it is considered vulgar).

So just sympathy, flowers and (as needed) long term support.

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Jon: OK if 100% PRIVATE money. Poland has unfortunately a lot of other priorities. Health is only ONE of them (I'm talking about it since I was in the system last week. Believe me, it is shocking to see numerous cancer patients (often with no food eaten since hours) standing up to 2 or 3 hours or even longer because .... not enough chairs). This lack of chairs (which I see EVERY year) is of course not the only problem in Polish health system and also the lack of money can be observed in everything in Poland and that's the reason why the little public money should be used more wisely.. ... Same goes for instance with the stadions built for the Euro (a very high civil servant told me a lot about their financing at the time and trust me, they do cost a lot to taxpayers)....

Misuse of public money is of course universal but we talk about Poland, a poor country, with a lot of unsatisfied (including most basic) needs... I am sure, most Poles feel the way I do ..

Back to the topic please

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Jon: Inspite of a mere steel and plastic rainbow, I believe that Homosexuals in Poland (and elsewhere) would prefer to have the same rights (marriage which would also stop penalizing them in terms of tax paying, adoption...) as the others.

Maintaining the rainbow also costs public money and believe me, Poland and Warsaw have other priorities. I was all last week at Centrum Onkologii (Ursynow) for tests and inspite of big improvements, such as water dispensers and fans in big quantities, NOT ENOUGH seats in most treatment areas and as a result patients (who have cancer, not a mere f...ing cold ;)) have to stand for up to some hours while waiting. I am personally shoked when I see (often old) people with cancer obliged to stand for hours before their tests or to meet with (overworked) doctors because there are not enough ... chairs. This is ONE example of unacceptable things we still can find in Poland. Since further to my operation in 2009, I have to visit said hospital once a year, I can say that I see above said situation all the time...

Also we sure could do with more transportation means in Warsaw as buses, trams and even metro are always full (at least 50% of the time, I have no seat).

Sure having a rainbow is nice but personally I believe giving equal rights to all should be a priority. Such projects should be privately financed (I would agree to personally chip in).

What about the ridiculous plastic palm tree at Ch. de Gaulle Rondo, how much did it cost? I expect the artist to be X's or Y's good friend.

Life / Funeral Traditions in Poland [67]

@Jchin: No, people don't give any "special gifts", money (would be conisdered vulgar) etc .... People expect to be of course offered sympathy and also moral support from others. Needless to say, later on concrete support such as helping widow to find a job, or helping financing kids' education would be greatly appreciated. The only gift that can be offered is flowers to the grave. At least, this is so in European cultures.

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

@Pol3: what pervert café?

@Jon: where in Central Warsaw?

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

I don't have time to go and check for myself today. Has the rainbow finally been removed and if so where is it now?

PS: where are the cops and the dogs now???? ;)

Travel / My comments about Poland after staying there. [28]

Grow up, guys! Why should the OP be in love with Poland and everything Polish? Poland (just like any other place in the world) is not the paradise and everybody is free to like it or dislike it. The guy came to Poland and experienced it and did not like it and konieć. He has the right to do so, hasn't he?

News / Surprising ranking of Polish supermarkets (Biedronka expensive?) Living expenses in Poland. [35]

@Smurf: I don't think Leclerc is very expensive (comparable to Carrefour). I often shop at both Carrefour and Leclerc in same area (Blue City and Popularna, if you know Warsaw) and the prices are similar. I think Piotr & Paweł is much more expensive. I buy a lot at P & P's (their own brand (cereal, jams, cookies, coffee, herbal teas, diary and cleaning products....) is really great and decently priced) but I don't for instance normally buy their fruit and vegetables, eggs... because really too expensive. I have noticed that sometimes SAME brands of cereal or jams are cheaper at P & P's than at Carrefour's. Whenever I go to Alma's (it happens) I don't buy very expensive things.

Well, "cheap" and "expensive" are relative ;).

In fact, the ideal would be to shop everywhere but who has time?

News / Surprising ranking of Polish supermarkets (Biedronka expensive?) Living expenses in Poland. [35]

I don't like Auchan although I do like Simply, which belongs to same (Adéo) group (incl. Décathlon, Merlin Leroy...). When working at Willanow on my way back home, I shop at Simply (very nice store, at least the one at Willanow because I have realized that the area matters a lot).

I prefer Leclerc (go often to their Popularna store). I have just discovered their store at Ursynow (Galeria KEN = Al. KEN) and it's really great and huge. I have started returning to Carrefour as some of their stores are close to great. I no longer go to Tesco's because gone to the dogs. Otherwise, I go to Piotr & Pawel, to Społem (although none close to my home) and to small neighborhood shops. I rarely go to Alma's (only when there is one where I happen to be and I need to buy things). In summer, I buy fruit and vegetables from street vendors. Although the Leclerc Ursynow store is not close to where I live, I'll go there once in a while because really great.

News / Surprising ranking of Polish supermarkets (Biedronka expensive?) Living expenses in Poland. [35]

@Smurf: I did buy a few things in the past and I have eaten some more stuff from biedronka at people's so not hard to know that it is poor quality. Maybe 10% of their things are ok and that's all. The Portuguese owner is no philanthropist and therefore if his prices are lower, it is not out of pure generosity but simply because his crap is not worth more.

Biedronka is the no.1 store in Poland just because of its prices as most people cannot afford any better not because it's the best.