Life / Polish and Czechs [191]

Used to be during the Sputnik Era, Russian (more then German, even more than English) was the glue which held communication between most Slavs together. Much later during the '90's after the fall of the Wall, English of course took over (German though overtaking in certain sectors among the Poles).

Today, I personally know any number of youngish Poles terribly curious about Czech Republic as well as the Czech language. Vice-versa though, I really couldn't say.

Life / Polish and Czechs [191]

Poles and Czechs are nonetheless Slavs, much as the Portuguese and the French are technically Latins and therefore will share certain common tendencies (linguistically, for instance), even though they might indeed have little to do with one another on a practical daily basis:-)

As far as the rest of what I've posted, I consider my remarks both appropriate as well as historically accurate.

Life / Polish and Czechs [191]

@kaprys,

You choose only the most extreme examples to prove your premise. Why not simply come out and admit that many Poles during the War agreed with Hitler that the Jews were less than worthy of saving, if only for different reasons.

Study the history of anti-Semitism some time and learn how the Church taught the heresy for centuries that the Jews killed Christ.

Life / Polish and Czechs [191]

Like way too many Polish gentiles, Jews such as your Rumkowsky examples, and the kapos you mention were also forced into committing heinous acts to save their own skin. The difference of course between the latter and the actual Nazis or their collaborators is that no Jew purposely or voluntarily sought to exterminate their own people.

Come on there, kaprys, let's quit rationalizing, shall we.

Life / Polish and Czechs [191]

And Poland was just a bunch of little angels, huh? There WAS a Czech resistance as well, you know!! Not all of Czechoslovakia was composed of Dr. Hachas and their ilk.

How about Masaryk and Benes.
:-)

News / North Koreans working in Poland and in Denmark [36]

With Trump in power, they will undoubtedly only become more numerous!

News / North Koreans working in Poland and in Denmark [36]

Makes sense, jon. Spot on, sir!

Language / Spelling "aunt" in Polish [142]

Informative as always, DominicB! Many thanks:-)

Language / Spelling "aunt" in Polish [142]

Wondering whether the "Huzulen" are identical to the Ruthenians.

News / North Koreans working in Poland and in Denmark [36]

@jon, I hate to contradict you, but I read recently in "The Journal of International Affairs" published by Princeton, I believe, that of all the nations in the developed world, North Korea has practically the lowest functional ability in English.

Can you imagine a conversation between a simple North Korean day laborer and their Polish supervisor??
Although somehow it seems to work, this is nonetheless the stuff of high comedy!

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

Be careful with nomenclature, Wielki! "White" refers more to the perceived skin color than it does to the racial ethnicity. For example, Hispanics, Berbers and Hindus among various other nationalities belong technically to the Caucausian race, although they are usually a good deal darker than Germans, Swedes or Brits, although the latter are all under the umbrella of "Caucasian", even if not superficially "white".

:-)

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

One can be Polish and "ethnically" Slavic or Jewish and ethnically "Semitic":-) The Semites, Slavs, Teutons, and Mongoloids, for instance all are their own ethnic group belonging to separate races, among whom the Semites, Slavs and Teutons are "Caucasian" vs. "Asiatic" (Mongoloids) or "Negroid" (native Ghanans, along with a host of other "black" Africans).

Make sense now?

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

WielkiPolak, I consider myself a Caucasian American of the Jewish faith, as you are a Pole of the Catholic faith. Some people are Jews in Poland, others Catholic, still others atheists etc. The main thing is that any Pole despite their religion is still considered Polish.

Some people think that there's a Jewish race. This is xenophobic nonsense and must be set to rights. Do you, WielkiPolak, consider yourself of the Polish "race"??? Of course, not. You're a Pole because you were born in Poland, although an ex-pat, speak the language, and were raised in Poland. Your parents might be Ghanian, like John Godson, yet you still consider yourself Polish, no?

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

Nobody ever said Jews are perfect, except certain misguided members of our tribe who feel Israel can do no wrong. 'Course, we're not perfect....we haven't had much practice:-))

History / What is Poles opinion on Intermarium (Międzymorze)? [188]

Sounds practically as though you'd have been the one to have planned the assassination of your first president of the Republic, Gabriel Narutowicz, accusing him of selling out his country to foreign interests.

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

@KiWo, you might be right! Never went in much for Rock when I was a teen, so rarely paid much attention to names, just songs. When someone asked me once what I thought of Jefferson Airplane, I cluelessly asked from which hangar it was leaving:-)

@Ktos,
A few years back, our German Tourist Office in New York supposedly issued a warning to American Jews and other "minorities" that maybe it would be a nice idea not to book their next vacation visit to Germany. It was a filthy then as it is filthy and unrealistic to read your post now.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1050]

Of course, thanks Looker! I meant "przybysz" as in the phrase I read recently "...przybysz ze wsi.....", which I translated (idiomaticallyLOL) as "local yokel".

There have been some new descriptions about people from villages who come to big town. They are called 'sloiki' (glass jars). Reason being that when they go and visit families they give them prepared food which is put in glass jars for them to keep in the fridge.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1050]

Anything in meaning like "przybisz"?

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

Presently working on an article entitled "The Day The Music Died" (based on the James Taylor classic "American Pie"), actually an editorial for our local gazette, high lighting, among other laments, how we've lost our sense of language ever since the takeover of digital technology aka the smartphone etc.

When I was a junior high schooler, I can still remember how our manipulation of the English language defined who and what we are, and who we would become. If a fellow classmate were to answer an idiomatically straightforward question, above a mere "Hi, how are ya?" with "Wha' happen'?" instead of an appropriately literate response, that poor classmate would have been skewered alive by the others in the class, probably teased because of their inarticulateness. Who knows, maybe I'd have joined in:-)

Nowadays, "Wha' happen'?" was the response I just received a little while ago when I called my bank to inquire why I hadn't yet received my account statement.

Pretty shabby state of affairs I'd say. Wouldn't you?

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Moving as well! Catch the conclusion of "Zakazane piosenki" (1944??), where Danuta Szaflarski, accompanied by the remaining leads, sings the song, her eyes filling with tears as she mouths the lyrics.

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Polish patriotic songs such as "Warszawianka" I find especially stirring to listen to, quite touching, even if one isn't Polish.

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

Bored, because mom and dad fell asleep at the switch way too long ago to have been able to make a positive difference in their lives. Having watched that post-War cinema icon "Rebel Without a Cause", frankly, I was always on Jim Backus' side, not James Dean's and felt sorry for both parents that they'd allowed their son to carry on so.

"Bored"??? Sure they were, because they lacked the same proper guidance which made The Greatest Generation and their parents the role models they were and continue to be:-)

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

Agreed, Dirk Diggler! I found their lot repulsive when I was a teen, I find it as repugnant today. When someone talks to me about protest and the '60's, amid the Merry Pranksters and the Acid Droppers, I become apoplectic!!!

You want to show me real protest, and not "for fun" either, 'cuz I'm a bored rich kid out for a lark? Show me the lower- and lower-middle class rioting during the 30's and into the early '40's on the streets of New York and other Eastern cities, fighting with their very lives for the right to a minimum wage and a fair shake, that godsend to our society the spoiled '68ers so took for granted.

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

@DominicB, I can only take your word for it, as you've become far more familiar with contemporary Poland than I. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention Szpilman along with Godowsky and Josef Hofmann (later a proud US citizen).

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Well that certainly made up for it with some of the finest instrumental performers this side of paradise: Paderewski, Horszowski, Brailowsky, Henryk Szering etc.
Then there was also the "Polish thrush", often mentioned in the same breath as Caruso, Jan Kiepura! Can't forget about him.

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Wonder why that is, DominicB.

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

I've only experienced Polish choirs here in the New York Tri-State area and found the particpants in general darned attractive myself. Or were you referring to their choice of repertoire?

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Christmas festivities do include often a fair amount of imbibing, this is true. Maybe that's why we wish people a "merry" Christmas, as "merry" in British English means slightly tipsy owing to alcohol consumption. Colder countries tend to drink more anyway than in warmer climates:-)

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Polish carols are lovely. Once many years ago, I was a guest at the annual Christmas bash at the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York and came away deeply moved at how reverently Poles seem to take their national traditions.