Polonia / POLES vs BULGARIANS [160]


Lots of phenotypical variety in Bulgaria from almost northern european looking to very middle (and further) eastern. There's a big Turkish genetic element along with a large gypsy community. I remember one year the maids in the hotel weren't speaking Bulgarian to each other.... didn't hear enough to catch what language it was (but they were gypsy/darker Turkish looking.

Polonia / POLES vs BULGARIANS [160]

No, middle eastern corruption at... more or less everything. Mostly they leave tourists alone except for those going to bars where drugs are sold. I remember when I was following the Norwegian press about 10 years ago there were a lot of stories one summer about Bloody Beach (Sunny Beach) and people getting robbed, stabbed etc trying to buy drugs.

And the Bulgarian aesthetic for women is not.... subtle... the picture below is actually pretty low key....

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Polonia / POLES vs BULGARIANS [160]


Several times mostly around Nesebar and I might go there around the end of the month. But I'm past the nightlife stage (which has long been a violent occasionally dangerous shambles there) so it's just a nice place to chill on the Black Sea with nice food and nice alcohol and sometimes nice beaches.

The organized crime element is fairly visible (Balkans plus Ottoman past = societal dysfunction) and the corruption level is off the charts. I generally like the place but it's... the Balkans (with an Ottoman past) so..... yeah.......

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]


Nothing especially, but they don't fit in anybody else's box and Ukrainian nationalism can only exist at the expense of other, older nationalisms (esp Polish and Russian). The language is too close to Polish for Russians (who can be quite deranged in their hatred of it) and too much like Russian for Poles (who don't have strong feelings about it). On the other hand Poland has more direct and recent experience with the worst strains of old school Ukrainian nationalism.

Ironically, Putin has done more for Ukrainian nationalism than any Ukrainian since WWII though it's far removed from earlier versions.

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]

Good opinion/article on how and why PiS is buying votes in the Sejm

onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/kulisy-dealu-kukiza-z-kaczynskim-tak-wladza-korumpuje-poslow-podcast/gnwb1h8,79cfc278

The article also makes clear, the first vote in the Sejm only required a majority of those present, if the Senate rejects it then an absolute majority of the Sejm (231 votes) is needed to override that (and PiS is probably out their bribing Konfederacja at this moment).

And.... it makes it clear that for PiS the US is in the same league as Russia, China or "Arabs"..... not being a very good ally there....

excerpts...

"Cel jest jeden - do wyborców mają przestać docierać informacje o błędach i aferach rządów PiS."
(There is one goal - information on blunders by and scandals in the PiS government is not to reach voters.)

"Przy ograniczeniu dostępu do informacji (uderzenie w TVN), zablokowaniu niewygodnych dla władzy kontroli (zmiana prezesa NIK) i rozdaniu pieniędzy swym wyborcom (uchwalenie Polskiego Ładu), Kaczyński miałby szansę znów wygrać wybory."

(By limiting access to information (striking TVN), blocking auditing that is inconvenient for the government (changing the president of NIK) and distributing money to its voters (passing the Polish Deal) Kaczyński would have a chance to win elections again.)

"pieniądze ściągnięte z klasy średniej i przedsiębiorców trafią do elektoratu socjalnego PiS"
(money taken from the middle class and entrepreneurs will make its way to the welfare voters of PiS)

"Paweł Kukiz, do tej pory określający się mianem antysystemowca, okazał się liderem formacji, którą po prostu można kupić"
Paweł Kukiz, who has so far styled himself as an opponent of the system has turned out to be the leader of a group that can simply be bought)

The whole last section is very funny...

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


But the underlying problems remain.... Russia is a stunted economy too based on resource extraction and not based enough on anything else and is far too stratified to have a healthy society (it's an oligarch infested kleptocracy with a massive underclass that has no equivalent in Poland, see vatniki).

It has massive social problems like violence at all levels of society not to mention drug addiction among the young which are simply ignored and the government usually does absolutely nothing to help people in cases of natural disaster.

None of what Russia is (or is likely to be) is in line with general Polish aspirations.


Historically, no one in this part of the world has ever much like Ukrainians... current relations are about as positive as possible.

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Cause the last time svkked donkey d]cks?

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Gonna defend that?

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Russia NATO and the EU are close, China is far away. There would be Muslim block but there's no clear leader (Saudi, Iran and Turkey are all vying for the position but none has it or is likely to get it because Muslims don't do social cooperation).

Russia is a more immediate concern since it does project force in the region. It's not that successful - Crimea was a dirty win, Novorossija was a failure and East Ukraine remains a quagmire. But also I don't think Lukashenka would still be in power without Russian feet on the ground keeping his institutions going. And any kind of projected force is a big hit with the vatniki so he has to keep them up. Biden's attempt to get rid of fracking has raised the price of oil so that adventures are economically feasible, so.... where's next?


What nation states? Hardly anyone wants to be a nation state (and nation state institutions like public education, police, courts, subsidized healthcare, social mobility are all dying in most places). Russia wants to be an empire again (as does Turkey) the EU wants to be La-la Peaceful Rainbow Land on the outside and an instrument of German industrial and financial power on the inside and the US is an empire in rapid decline (can't even tame a bunch of goat-fvkkers in Afghanistan or maintain public order domestically).

Playing off one against the other only works if there is a clear alliance, which allows for the "I'm with X but what can you do for me?" and the "X is so sniffing around, how much do you want to keep me?" But "court me!" is not a feasible long term strategy.

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]

This should surprise no one... except for the usual chowderheads

ir.corporate.discovery.com/news-and-events/financial-news/financial-news-details/2021/Discovery-Inc.-to-Charge-the-Government-of-Poland-with-Violations-to-the-US-Poland-Bilateral-Investment-Treaty/default.aspx

businessinsider.com.pl/media/tv-radio/lex-tvn-discovery-podejmie-kroki-prawne-wobec-polski/eps1kpk

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


That's what a small minority of MPs (across the right) seem to want...


Poland has to basically choose a side, not a pleasant thought but the only realistic one.....

US-NATO

EU

Russia

Trying to keep all three in balance while striking its own way is.... not an option. All have problems and faults but the first two won't any kind of existential threat to Poland for the foreseeable future while the last..... hmmmmmm what does history say?

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Pretty much.


I'd say more that a person who wants to return to PRL ways (though cognitive dissonance prevents them from putting it that way).

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Are you suggesting they're not?

They actually are trying to play the PiS game - be 'independent' by making enemies all around.... Antagonizing the German dominated EU, the US and Russia all at the same time.... what could possiblye go wrong?

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Not the country I was thinking of....

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


It's just a banana exporting business..... who cares?

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Historically the US does not do 'nothing' when its business interests come under attack...

Interesting tidbit.... apparently Sachajko, used an excuse for the unconstitutional 'reasumpcja' is a longstanding supporter of Lukashenka and Putin.... (like many in Konfederacja)

The longer PiS is in power the greater the odds that Poland ends up back in the Russian sphere of influence with Russian troops in Poland

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Are there senate members that PiS can buy? If not and the senat votes it down then what's needed to override that, simple majority or 2/3?

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


Interesting idea but if that was the idea... then really stupid way to try to achieve that (we are talking about PiS .....)


That's what they are, cowards (armchair warriors) in some ways they're looking to become the new PSL (align with anyone who'll give them a morsel of power).

What massive losers.

curiouser and curiouser....

Double K from PSL unexpectedly put forth a resolution to delay voting on the Lex tvn (probably Sept 2). Voting took place a few minutes later.... and it passed!

456 MPs voted, 229 were for, 227 against and none abstained....

Recess was announced, first for 15 minutes and then until 18.00.... will they pull that old PiS trick and try to redo the vote?

Will PiS (now officially a minority government) be able to hold together a majority until Sept 2

The soap opera continues....

And true to their crooked PRL nature PiS is forcing a vote on resumption of voting (in clear violation of the law)

Support for PiS is spitting in the face of the law!

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


They're following their vision: A PRL style media that does not scrutinize or report anything negative about them.... In their vision different channels simply argue about how awesome they are...

And they're royally pissing off the US (supposedly a key ally)... so there's that.

Though there's apparently also talk about amendments being introduced to except the US from the provisions... which means it was a lot of time and effort expended into.... distracting the public from more of their theft and incompetence?

Language / Terms of endearment in Polish [225]

Because that's "Teddy Bear" or "Bear" and not specifically Panda?

Language / Terms of endearment in Polish [225]

I'm not a native speaker but I've heard pandzia (PAN-ja) (vowels as in Spanish or Italian thoughout)

But that sounds feminine. A minute or so of googling found

pandzioch (PAN-jokh) the final ch is pronounced like loch in Scottish and pandzioszek (pan-JOH-sheck)

To address him directly, pandziochu (pan-JOH-khu) or pandzioszku (pan-JOSH-ku)

History / The Warsaw Uprising memory. To remember who you are. [180]


True.... sitting on their asses and preventing anyone else from helping took up valuable time.... think how much further west the Iron Curtain would have fallen... Amsterdam? The People's Republic of France?

History / The Warsaw Uprising memory. To remember who you are. [180]


Well pro-Soviet Rich probably wishes that Poland had become a Soviet republic.... he'd never have left then... (if you believe his story, which.....)

The uprising (based on knowledge of the time) was a desperate and risky endeavor that didn't pay off but the ultimate fate of Warsaw or Poland wouldn't have been too different had it never happened the Nazi army was going to kill and destroy no matter what.

News / Rape and sexual abuse in Poland [202]


Not even an ex, it seems she was hoping that a guy she was crushing on would become interested in her if she told a story about being attacked (and then the story took on a life of its own).

News / Rape and sexual abuse in Poland [202]

The "Jackie" case from Rolling Stone was horrific not least because universities have no business micro-managing or adjudicating sexual encounters between students - if a crime was committed then call the (real, not campus) police.

Of course that story was so over-the-top that many stopped believing long before the whole truth came out.

History / The Warsaw Uprising memory. To remember who you are. [180]


Whatever other flaws I may have (and there are.... a lot) I try to minimize collective considerations, it's a big part of traditional American values (an ideal that many fail to live up to).

To paraphrase MLK jr.: "I have a dream that little children will one day live in a Europe where they will not be judged not by the deeds and misdeeds of their ancestors but by the content of their character."

History / The Warsaw Uprising memory. To remember who you are. [180]


There are people who believe in collective guilt and those who don't.

I personally don't.

Most politics in this part of the world are built around the idea of collective guilt.

News / Rape and sexual abuse in Poland [202]


It's not guaranteed but the odds are stacked against kids from broken homes....

"Step- and single-parent families accounted for only one-third (33%) of all children in the United States but accounted for more than two-thirds (66.8%) of all children who were sexually abused"

from: "The New SilenceFamily Breakdown and Child Sexual Abuse"

History / The Warsaw Uprising memory. To remember who you are. [180]

@Lyzko

No....

"the Romani Holocaust-also known as the Porajmos, the Pharrajimos ("Cutting up", "Fragmentation", "Destruction"), and the Samudaripen ("Mass killing")-was the effort by Nazi Germany and its World War II allies to commit ethnic cleansing and eventually genocide against Europe's Romani people during the Holocaust era"

from:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_genocide

History / The Warsaw Uprising memory. To remember who you are. [180]


Who shoehorned it into this thread? Who is uninterested in talking about other genocides (including those going on now)?

What about the Porajmos?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_genocide