Genealogy / Are Silesians people German/Germanic? [178]

@Tacitus, Crow is the roving troll/provocateur extraordinaire at PF. Pay no attention to most of what he posts:-)

Apropos your remarks concerning the presence of Roman settlers in the German Empire, it's also a well-known fact that the Germanic Vandals among others were responsible for plundering Rome upon their invasion of Italy. A thousand or so years later, one Adolf Hitler proudly staked claim to his now famous boast that the German Volk are "barbarians who are proud to be barbarians".

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

Auschwitz remains the singular manifestation of the entire Holocaust, not only of the Shoah. Although the town of Oswiecim sadly bears the name of this site, according to a recent Polish documentary I saw, the inhabitants of Oswiecim are rightfully ashamed of the stain brought to their town by association with the infamous camp.

Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [305]

So long as one sincerely tries to learn the language of their host country to very best of their abilities, the foreigness will at superficially fade momentarily into the background. Stand out like a sore thumb, well, that's the risk one takes moving to a relatively homogenous and conservative society:-)

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

Multi-cultural as the Austro-Hungarian was, you're also well aware, that mix didn't include the racial diversity of a true melting pot such as the US.

Jews rubbing shoulders with Huzulen, assorted Slavs, Germans, Poles, and Ruthenians is not equal to W.A.S.P. Americans being forced to interact with Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, and Native Americans, I don't care what anyone says:-)

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

Austrians are merely looking out for their country's own interests, that's all! She's not a melting pot society like the US, even the UK to an extent, therefore is disturbed by the onslaught of non-German-speaking refugees in their midst, many of whom refuse or cannot assimilate.

Language / Polish Language Exchange Thread [145]

Hello,

Just sent you a private message, balaclava890!
Marek aka "Lyzka"

UK, Ireland / Why Poles will never belong in England [327]

Nice riposte.

Travel / Pot in Poland for tourists [285]

My own feelings about marijuana are that, compared with cigarettes or conventional alcoholic beverages, pot over time distorts (often permanently) the users ability to think and reason, to make independent judgement! When someone on the street appears to be unsually chatty, while appearing normal, only to erratically yell, gesture wildly and stare etc.several seconds later, this can normally be attributed to some sort of illicit drugs aka "controlled substances".

Whether or not cannabis can actually '"treat" glaucoma among other conditions, remains to be seen:-)

Travel / Pot in Poland for tourists [285]

I'd imagine certain resort-type places such as Zakopane in the Tatras would perhaps welcome this tourism.

Travel / Pot in Poland for tourists [285]

Your English seems relatively fluent and so if you find locals who actually can communicate with you, you'll soon see your English will go a great deal further than Swedish in Poland:-)

By the way, when I was in Sweden (having visited there before journeying on to Poland), I found English only took me so far. If I hadn't learned Swedish, I'd have been in a quandry many a time.

Enjoy!

Travel / Pot in Poland for tourists [285]

You'll doubtless find the Poles a tad more conservative in general regarding such matters in contrast with the Swedes:-) While to be sure, marijuana usage rarely has the same stigma as it has here in the US, Poland is a conservative Catholic, rather than a more traditionally liberal-leaning, leftish Lutheran one.

Polish can be a challenge for you. Stick with it though and you won't regret it:-)

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

In comparison with the US however, Germany (not sure about Poland in this respect) appoints "professional" jurors (Schoeffen) to serve behind closed doors before a judge renders the final decision. This is presumably to insure a carefully and accurately arrived at verdict, impartiality not being an issues as it is here in the States.

UK, Ireland / Why Poles will never belong in England [327]

One of the master stylists of the English language was Joseph Conrad - a native POLE who didn't even learn English until a twenty-five-year old seaman!! His writing surely belongs to England as to no other country, just like Hardy, Dickens or Maugham:-)

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

Seems to an outsider that Poland is about to implode, at least so long as PiS appears so hated. Not that KOD's much better, yet apparently a majority of the entire country came out several days ago in favor of less gov't interference in the court system:-)

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]

"Direct democracy"

Kind of takes me back to that well-known riposte of Gandhi's when asked his opinion of Western Civilization: "Sounds like a marvelous idea, why doesn't somebody try it?"

))))

Real Estate / Economical room by the month in Lublin? [24]

"English tuition"?

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

I always was divided about that. Sad it's come to this, tragic, really.

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

Agree 100% with you there, Maf! Glad to see we still see eye to eye on some things:-)

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

Statistically correct, Maf. And yet how in heaven's name do we separate the rotten apples from the rest of the bleedin' batch, would you tell me?

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

I'll grant you that much! On the other hand, ISIS doesn't represent the whole of Islam any more than the mega militant Meier Kahane represented all Jews or even Israelis!

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

Why should the Ukraine forcibly convert to a different denomination? I think it's foolish too!

Life / Are Poles mentally more Eastern European or Western European? [170]

Right. Poland as well in an attempt to Christianize aka Westernize! To this day, the Russian Orthodox faith as practiced in nearly every South and East Slavic nation differs from Catholicism.

News / Germany After the EU and the Russian Scenario - future of the European Union and Poland [310]

I roundly concur, Ironside, and it's probably YOU!

In fact, those countries who were asked were undoubtedly coerced in some measure into going along with Merkel's plan. Being the head of Europe's economic super power does have certain advantages:-)

That being said, I emphasize, only those countries who were consulted. Poland might not have been among them.

Life / Are Poles mentally more Eastern European or Western European? [170]

In addition, among Slavs, the Poles are surely the most "Germanic" of the bunch, at least in terms of their outward appearance:-)
Many has been the time right here in the States when I've mistaken Polish tourists and visitors for German, even Scandinavian!

As I may have posted once before, Poles are more Western in their mentality, owing in large measure to their relatively early conversion to Catholicism, hence their adaptation of both the Latin alphabet as well as countless loanwords, most used in everyday language, such as "literatura", "restauracja" "inauguracja", "matura" etc....

Feedback / I love this forum - It's so Polish: tolerant, inconsistent, amusing [337]

Poles may wish they were far from religion. The fact remains though that most consider themselves, at least nominally, Catholics.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]

Apart from some Kaszub admixture, while the majority of "ethnic" Poles may well be fair-haired and blue- or light-eyed, I've known Poles who have brown eyes (though never black in my experience) and coarse brownish hair, only their typically oval-shaped, lozenge-like faces and high cheekbones giving away the fact that they are Poles:-)

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

Names ending either in "-chuk", "-chak" or "enko" are Ukrainian! You may be right regarding Shostakovitch (actually of Polish descent partially!), but not about Yevtushenko:-)

Don't forget either, many Ukrainian nationals during the Soviet period tried to disguise their identity.

Feedback / I love this forum - It's so Polish: tolerant, inconsistent, amusing [337]

Don't follow your question, nothanks! Poland is an arch-Catholic country, always has been.

??

News / Poland has accepted over a million Ukrainian refugees. Why does the EU keep telling propaganda about Poland? [304]

See post #63, przyjacielPL!

Feedback / I love this forum - It's so Polish: tolerant, inconsistent, amusing [337]

Or just...POLISH:-)

We are what we are. Would an American Forum be any different, that is, any less "American"?