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Posts by Bobko  

Joined: 13 Mar 2017 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 4 hrs ago
Threads: Total: 28 / Live: 24 / Archived: 4
Posts: Total: 2863 / Live: 2787 / Archived: 76 		From: New York
Speaks Polish?: A
Interests: reading, camping

Displayed posts: 2811 / page 25 of 94
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Bobko   
5 May 2025
History / PAŃSTWO - A Tale of Polish Occupation [27]

What happened - not fun anymore

It's hard man. I have to sit for 20-30 minutes writing a post. Then I look at it, and am disgusted with my writing, and infinitely embarrassed I decided to share it.

A proper few paragraphs, if I wanted you to be really impressed - should take days/weeks.
Bobko   
5 May 2025
News / Attacks against healthcare workers in Poland [142]

Not long ago another prison guard shot dead his 5-year-old daughter

Something about being a prison guard...

The ring leader of the Abu Ghraib torture clique was a former corrections officer. Had multiple complaints against him by inmates, at first. Then got a restraining order from his wife, after beating her. Still had no issues re-enlisting with the Army, and then got to do his favorite job again but now in Iraq.

When you spend 8 hours a day around men caged like animals, maybe it does something to your psyche.
Bobko   
2 May 2025
History / PAŃSTWO - A Tale of Polish Occupation [27]

Scene: A small village N. somewhere between Yekaterinburg and Irkutsk. The local Orthodox parish - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - has been designated for transfer to the Roman Catholic Church under the "Ecclesiastical Realignment Agreement" brokered by PAŃSTWO's religious affairs bureau.

Father Janusz (Polish priest, mid-50s, practical, not overly ambitious) arrives to formally take possession. He finds Father Mikhail (Russian Orthodox, older, tired, kind-eyed) already waiting in the cold vestibule. The church smells of wax and mildew. A stray cat sleeps in the lectern.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Father Janusz:
You are Father Mikhail?

Father Mikhail:
Yes. You must be Father Janusz.

Father Janusz:
I am. I have the transfer papers. You have the keys?

Father Mikhail (produces them):
Such as they are. The big one sticks. We use a hammer.

Father Janusz (nodding):
That's often the way.

[They stand in silence. Neither makes a move toward the keys.]

Father Janusz:
I am instructed to conduct a formal inventory.

Father Mikhail:
If you wish. But I advise against counting the hymnals. Half were chewed by mice during the last... political adjustment.

Father Janusz:
Understandable.

Father Mikhail:
The iconostasis is original. Except for St. George's face. A soldier borrowed it in 1943 and never returned it.

Father Janusz:
Noted.

[The cat stretches and yawns. Neither priest reacts.]

Father Mikhail:
The parishioners will be slow to adjust. Most cannot tell the difference between Latin and Church Slavonic. They go where the candles are cheaper.

Father Janusz:
That is true everywhere.

[A pause.]

Father Mikhail:
I suppose you will change the calendar?

Father Janusz:
Yes.

Father Mikhail:
They will object at first. Then they will enjoy having two Christmases.

[They both nod.]

Father Janusz:
The bishop in Smolensk requests that any Orthodox relics be set aside for collection.

Father Mikhail:
There is only one relic. A finger bone said to be from St. Euphrosynus. The provenance is questionable.

Father Janusz:
In what way?

Father Mikhail:
The bone is rather large. Some say it came from a horse.

Father Janusz:
I will note it as pending clarification.

[They fall into a companionable silence.]

Father Mikhail:
The parish records are in the sacristy. You will find the attendance figures have been... optimistic. The last census was during Lent, when numbers tend to be higher due to the fasting market closing early.

Father Janusz:
A familiar pattern.

[The cat jumps down and pads toward the door.]

Father Mikhail:
I will remain in the village. I am told there is need of a man who can repair fences.

Father Janusz:
A valuable skill. Perhaps more valuable than theology these days.

Father Mikhail:
It always has been.

[They exchange the keys without ceremony.]
Bobko   
30 Apr 2025
History / PAŃSTWO - A Tale of Polish Occupation [27]

Gauleiter?! Surely you meant Wojewoda Moskiewski!

This exalted office is already reserved for Zbigniew Stonoga.

He would make a great Voyevoda, that man.... I would follow him beyond the River Styx.

@Torq

Why is it so much easier to write dialogue, than to write narrative prose?

Does this mean that film scriptwriters are inferior to other authors?

Does this mean that Hasek was some kind of an amateur, since Sveik is almost completely dialogue?
Bobko   
29 Apr 2025
History / PAŃSTWO - A Tale of Polish Occupation [27]

@Torq

Excellent. I imagined Braun as Gauleiter of Moscow, but Vladivostok should do.

Grzegorz Braun *pushes the intercom button*:
Let the chinks in, Ms Kowalska

Amazing.
Bobko   
29 Apr 2025
History / PAŃSTWO - A Tale of Polish Occupation [27]

Checkpoint outside Oryol. A folding table, one broken chair. Rylov (Russian private) and Walicki (Pole - equivalent rank) are manning the station. They've been told to question any travelers and "record suspicious behavior in accordance with DUCH Directive 42/Б." So far, no travelers.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Rylov:
You ever actually caught someone suspicious?

Walicki (without looking up):
Not really. Closest was an American rabbi, came through with a guide and a translator. Said he was visiting to "check in on the Jewish community."

Rylov:
What did you tell him about the Jewish community?

Walicki:
Told him we just guard the road.

Rylov:
Was he wearing a hat?

Walicki:
Of course. And gloves, even though it wasn't cold. Gave us some brochures.

[Pause.]

Rylov:
So what'd you write in the log?

Walicki:
"Cleric. Foreign. Expressed general concern. Provided literature."

[A man with a bicycle rides past without stopping. He salutes vaguely with two fingers. Neither soldier reacts.]

Rylov:
You think they'll make us fill out the form for him?

Walicki:
Depends. Did he look ideologically consistent?

Rylov:
His chain was rusty.

Walicki (nodding):
That's a good sign. Revolutionaries always oil their chains. They're obsessed with progress.

[Pause. Walicki begins writing.]

Rylov:
What are you putting?

Walicki:
"Subject: Bicycle man. Status: inconclusive. Chain rusty, but honest eyes."

Rylov (with awe):
You should get promoted.

Walicki:
Promotions cost money.

[The wind changes. A dog barks once, then goes quiet again.]

----------------------------------------
@Torq

I like the first cover!
Bobko   
29 Apr 2025
History / PAŃSTWO - A Tale of Polish Occupation [27]

Leading member of PIOTR, Captain Marcin Burak wasn't looking positively at the whole situation.

Very nice Grunnie.... hahaha!

This is what we should do - write books, instead of slinging insults at each other.
Bobko   
29 Apr 2025
History / PAŃSTWO - A Tale of Polish Occupation [27]

Inspired by Kania's kind words - I have decided to serialize my PAŃSTWO chronicles.

As a reminder, this is a fictional record of a Polish occupation of Russia - triggered by an unprovoked Russian declaration of war, followed by their immediate surrender (thanks Grunnie for the idea).

-----------

Internal Call Log - PAŃSTWO Headquarters

April 17 - Day 9 of Polish Presence in the Former Russian Federation

Call between Nikolai Sergeyevich (Head of Cultural Affairs, Ural District) and PAŃSTWO's DUCH (Departament Ujednolicenia Cierpienia i Heroizmu). On the phone for DUCH is Lieutenant Kazimierz Wrzodak.

-----------------

Nikolai Sergeyevich:
Good afternoon, Pan Wrzodak. I'm calling again on behalf of the Ural District Cultural Committee. I've been instructed to submit our "Regional Identity Compliance Report," but I'm having trouble answering section seven.

Lt. Wrzodak:
Section seven... that's "Local Expressions of Polishness and Willingness to Participate in the Romantic Struggle Against Invisible Enemies," correct?

Nikolai:
Yes. The form asks us to list "examples of spontaneous Polish melancholy in regional art." Our resident sculptor made a statue titled "Sad Man With Cabbage", but it turns out it was about tax reform. Does that qualify?

Lt. Wrzodak:
It depends. Does the cabbage represent the futility of fiscal clarity in the face of cosmic disorder?

Nikolai (uncertain):
The man is weeping and the cabbage is partially shredded. There's also a receipt nailed to the plinth.

Lt. Wrzodak:
Excellent. That meets the criteria for Class II Symbolic Despair. Proceed.

Nikolai:
Thank you. We also attempted a painting. The initial proposal - Chopin crying in a snowy wasteland - was deemed too abstract. So the team produced a new work titled "Kościuszko Receives an Administrative Summons."

Lt. Wrzodak (suddenly attentive):
Go on.

Nikolai:
It depicts General Kościuszko being handed a stack of official papers by a junior clerk from the Ministry of Seasonal Road Maintenance. Behind him, a portrait of the Virgin Mary is hung slightly crooked. There is a sense that Kościuszko doesn't understand what he's being fined for, but feels morally obligated to accept it.

Lt. Wrzodak (quietly):
That... is magnificent. It encapsulates everything. Duty. Confusion. The quiet humiliation of paperwork. Send it immediately to the Central Registry of Heroic Misunderstandings.

Nikolai:
Of course. I'll have it couriered.

Lt. Wrzodak:
Ensure the Virgin's frame remains crooked. It's essential.

Nikolai:
Yes, sir. One last question - do the official forms in the painting need to reference a real department?

Lt. Wrzodak:
I defer to your best judgement here, Nikolai.

Nikolai:
Perfect. Thank you, Pan Wrzodak. Long live the Commonwealth.

[Line disconnects. A pigeon flies into Nikolai's office window and dies without cause. The paperwork begins.]
Bobko   
28 Apr 2025
History / Poles should apologise to Ukrainians first [487]

he had pleasure of trolling Poles

Espana is a poet and a scholar. I try to follow humbly in his footsteps. But I sketch in charcoal, and he paints with light. I am the echo, and he is the voice.

I am the candle to his sun.

Once I read a post from Espana, and he said - "My dog is stupid. I think he is Polish."
Bobko   
18 Apr 2025
History / What made Poland into the country it is today? [62]

let's declare you 100% Polish

Please... Appreciated, but not necessary :)

I think maybe I am unfair towards characters like Lyzko and Milo.

Russians know what 966 means, because the separation of Czechs, Poles, and Russians is an important part of the mythology of Slavs. Lech, Czech, Rus - and all that stuff. Also, any Russian that gets curious about how Christianity came to Russia, will probably next try to understand how it happened for the Poles and Czechs.
Bobko   
18 Apr 2025
History / What made Poland into the country it is today? [62]

For most of us it is the dialling code for Saudi Arabia...

What the f*ck...

Aren't you a son of some big Polish patriot? I'm not Polish and I knew immediately what 966 meant. I'm pretty sure Velund knows too.

You seem to be about as Polish as Johnny Reb.

Back to what made Poland into the country it is today

Let's look at your points, critically.

1) Solidarnost' - an expression of Poland's innate democratic instincts. Did this appear suddenly in the 1980s, or was it something that had defined Poland over a much longer period of time?

2) Pope John Paul II - Poland is defined by its almost "extreme" Catholicism. While tremendously popular in Poland, and a point of national pride, John Paul II likely had little to do with making Poland such a religious society. This probably took root much earlier, and for other reasons.

3) Joining the EU - Poland joined the EU in 2004. Half the Poles on this forum are Eurosceptics, like Ironside or Korvinus. Joining the EU led to a huge improvement in incomes and infrastructure, but it hasn't changed who Poles are. In the same way that Spaniards are still Spaniards, and Italians are still Italians.

4) Joining NATO - this one just leaves me scratching my head. In what way has joining NATO shaped what Poland is today? Are you under NATO occupation?

5) Polish energy to transform - what?

Ask Bobko

Thanks Rich, like I have nothing better to do... Wait - I don't, haha!

I think Rich's answer was good, and actually a bit surprising to hear coming from him. He usually talks about Poland in disparaging terms, and how happy he was to leave it. So it was unexpected to see him provide a no-nonsense response, grounded in Polish historical fact, without any insults peppered in.

So, why does everything since 966 matter?

At least because in 966 the Pole Mieszko accepted Christianity from the priests in Rome. In 988 the Russian Vladimir accepted Christianity from the Greeks, coming from Constantinople. To this day Poland is Catholic, and Russia is Orthodox.
Bobko   
15 Apr 2025
History / What made Poland into the country it is today? [62]

@Lyzko

How could it be a typo, if within the same sentence Richard mentions this includes events that happened a thousand years later? He mistyped the entire sentence?

Why is it comical that a Pole might consider events in 966 still relevant to the process of formation of national identity?

You are a Jew, correct? Do you find it so preposterous, if someone argues that the destruction of the Second Temple had a shaping effect on Jewish consciousness?

Do you think it's hilarious, that someone may think it still affects modern Jewish life - that they were expelled from all European countries in the Middle Ages?
Bobko   
11 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / Stock Market Talk and Trading - part 2 [733]

Go to your local coffee shop and buy a coffee for 5 bucks.

Perhaps it is too simple an example.

Lets imagine this:

1) I am Boeing

2) I buy jet engines from Rolls Royce for $20 million dollars.

3) A trade deficit is formed with Rolls Royce - for exactly $20 million dollars

4) Rolls Royce stubbornly refuses to buy airplanes for me, but instead insists I simply continue buying engines

Am I a loser?

Does it matter that I later sold a plane for $80 million dollars to China Airlines - netting a 25% margin in the process?

How about this:

1) You go to the barber, and he cuts your hair. Charges $30.

2) You now have a trade deficit of $30 with the barber.

3) You go home, and with the hour saved from not cutting your own hair - earn 100X what you paid to the barber.

Should you then go back to the barber, and demand that he purchase a $30 foot massage from you - to balance accounts?
Bobko   
10 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / Stock Market Talk and Trading - part 2 [733]

Another great stock pick if you are bullish Russia - GAZPROM.

Total market cap is $35 billion dollars. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil which is tiny in comparison is worth almost half a trillion dollars.

You can own the largest gas producer in the world, for a 90% discount.

Did I forget to say it pays a 50% dividend? Who cares about the stock price performance, when Gazprom prints money for you? It will continue to print money in dividends, for as long as the Russian government relies on it to fill up its coffers.
Bobko   
10 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / Stock Market Talk and Trading - part 2 [733]

6 stocks, from any stock market, even Mogadishu

Look at Surgutneftegas.

The company's market cap is 1.6 trillion rubles. It has almost 7 trillion Rubles of cash-like assets on its balance, and practically zero debt.

That is, the company is worth about $16 billion dollars, while it has almost $70B of cash sitting in deposits.

Theoretically - if you could buy the company, you would immediately get a 4X+ return.

It's one of the most mysterious companies on the Moscow Exchange. It has been hoarding cash for almost twenty years. Nobody knows anything about who it's shareholders are, beyond its mysterious director Vladimir Bogdanov who only controls a small share.

Rumor is that it is Putin's personal piggy bank. It's as good an explanation as any, for why an oil and gas company would hoard dollars like Smaug the Dragon.

At one point last year - SURGUTNEFTEGAS accounted for 40% of all FX deposits in Russia. There were about $150B of USD-denominated deposits in Russia, and $70B of it was held by SNG.

They never invest this cash into anything. Not even US Treasuries (they can't do it now because they are sanctioned). They could have turned that $70B into $500 billion by now, through simple investment activity, but instead they just collect more and more cash.

So there's a stock tip for you - a company which controls 5 times more cash than its worth.
Bobko   
8 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / USA and The Middle East. [27]

Trump is doing exactly the right thing by attacking the Houtis in Yemen.

It's very funny how to you:

1) Trump is a galactic-scale moron for destroying the US economy with tariffs

2) Trump is a complete idiot for not respecting his alliance with your sh*thole of a country

3) Trump is a traitor for selling Ukraine down the river

4) and so on, and so forth...

But then at the same time "Trump is exactly right to be attacking the Houthis".

In Russian we say - "Either pull your pants up, or take the crucifix off your neck".

I realize that hating brown people is your primary forte, but what do you know specifically about the Houthis to be able to say that "Trump is doing exactly the right thing?"
Bobko   
5 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [191]

@Torq

Slavs are Gods of literature.

They seem like idiots, but at the same time they see through your soul :)
Bobko   
5 Apr 2025
Life / Trendsetter from Poland. [86]

keeping chickens in cages has been banned in the EU

F*cking idiots.

I hope you starve to death.
Bobko   
5 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

Brat Grzegorz

I love this motherf*cker.

But still my number one is Zbigniew Stonoga, after I was introduced to him by Kania.

Only Stonoga can honestly tell his "imbecilic" electorate, that the way PiS will f*ck them... "tak sie powinno was jiebat jak tylko was Moze".

Respect to this man.
Bobko   
4 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

insulted the jewish faith and its' followers as satanic

Once again - I ask you what about this appears to you as antisemitic?

You are beginning to sound a little bit hysterical. Please calm down.
Bobko   
4 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [191]

haha

Did you forget the Imperial secret agent that was tasked with "entering Schweik's trust"?

Agent Brettschneider?

Who was so ashamed of the costs he imposed on the Inperial treasury, that he locked himself in an apartment with the seven poor wretches he bought from Schweik - and was eventually eaten by them?

When Schweik heard about this, he only said: "It will be hard for him to gather his bones at the Final Judgement".
Bobko   
4 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [191]

@Torq
Have you forgot Schweik?!?!


  • IMG_6113.jpeg
Bobko   
4 Apr 2025
News / Presidential elections 2025 - the race has commenced!!! [665]

After extinguishing the candles, the politician described Hanukkah as "satanic" and said he was restoring "normality". He later said that "those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed".

What do you find anti-Semitic about this?

First - an open flame inside a historic building is a dangerous fire hazard.

Second - if I say that Ramadan is Satanic - does that mean I am a Arabophobe? Of course not.

Third - should people that take part in Satanic worship not be ashamed?
Bobko   
4 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [191]

Could you maybe elaborate on that?

What would you like to know?

If you are in the market for a Schnauzer, for example, I would recommend equipping yourself with some cod liver.

If we are talking a Dachshund - then of course I would suggest carrying some smoked meats in your pocket. Perhaps a toy or two.
Bobko   
3 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [191]

We can afford beef, lamb, chicken, pork and many other meats......

Yes, but this is only because of colonialism.
Bobko   
3 Apr 2025
Off-Topic / What's your hobby? [191]

Yeah and eating them

You do not eat dogs in Britain?