Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]


It's pretty vulgar actually - it's ok among friends though :)


Oh we do use it. We'll often refer to a person as a bollocks if we don't like them. 'Yer man's a right bollocks.' We'll also say it when we mess something up or do something badly. A typical utterance would be 'Ah Jaysu! I'm after makin' a right bollocks of it'.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]

Here, knock yourself out:

government.se/articles/2017/02/facts-about-migration-and-crime-in-sweden/

Classifieds / Asian community in Poland [113]


Why do you think that? What a Silly Billy you are.


You really are an ignorant lump aren't you? People from South East Asia, which the OP is referring to, are the among the most highly educated immigrants in Poland on work or study visas. They don't rock up at the Belarusian border.

Travel / Being Transgender and visiting Wroclaw [467]


Well, I suppose at least it's a newspaper of sorts (is that a fish supper hidden in its depths?) instead of his usual weird dark web rubbish.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


Ok - so now the rape stats in Sweden, where according to you women are being assaulted left right and centre by immigrants are FAKE? That's your argument? Anyway you'll obviously advise your granddaughter not to go to the police if a guy ever forces himself on her no matter how much fun reporting is.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


Yes, actually thinking before you speak would be a good idea.

You do realise that many women in Poland don't report rape to the police? Especially younger women and teenage girls.

"A court overturned a rape conviction because the 14-year-old victim did not scream during the incident. Critics say the case is illustrative of wider failings in how rape is defined and dealt with in Poland's justice system."

If you bothered your arse to check on the Polish governments own published stats, back in 2013 there were apparently no rapes of girls aged under 16 - not one single rape. Do you believe that's the true figure? But in 2021 there were 306 rapes of girls under 16. Now it's time to do some of your promised thinking. Rape and domestic violence are starting to be taken more seriously in Poland and a culture is growing where women feel they can go and report what's happened to them.

You live in cloud cuckoo land. You really do. You think you have the measure of what's going on in the world whereas in fact you haven't a clue of the realities.

Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]


I'm not talking about posters for kids.


Here, you might like this from my own childhood. How to cross the road safely. We learned this in school :)

youtube.com/watch?v=PEssgMQ1O_k

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


Because their definition of rape includes any form of sex without consent including in a relationship plus any form of sexual assault like being groped on the subway. That's rape in Sweden.

Eurostat figures show that Sweden had 64 reported rapes per 100,000 residents in 2016, compared to 10 in Germany. When Sweden's figures were recalculated using the German definitions, the new figure was 15 reported rapes per 100,000 residents.


Perhaps I should have explained the term 'skanger'. It's a Dublin word for low life scum types, the types who recently put an American tourist into a coma literally seconds after he walked out of his accommodation. So it doesn't matter what colour they are. If I see three threatening looking guys on the street at midnight I have exactly the same reaction.

independent.ie/irish-news/family-of-american-tourist-stephen-termini-thank-irish-people-for-support/a1994826367.html

Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]


Oh dear, I am really sorry to hear that Jon. Wishing you a full recovery. Hope you're not in too much pain :(

Life / In Poland on holiday - need help with bad case of homesickness [108]


People self-medicate up to the eyeballs in Poland. Terrible hypochondriacs. Public health education is shite but it's improving.


I'm sure that she will be monitored for any issues arising from her weight. And there is NHS advice on this topic. They may not have wanted to 'fire brigade' her on her first visit.

nhstaysidecdn.scot.nhs.uk/NHSTaysideWeb/idcplg?IdcService=GET_SECURE_FILE&Rendition=web&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&noSaveAs=1&dDocName=prod_244782

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]

I don't have a Polish mother. I'm Irish. And we learned not to invite people in when we asked the Normans for hand in battle and ended up being invaded! But I wouldn't find Polish history with the Mongols to be any excuse for selfishness and lack of empathy.

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]


Not for Poland there isn't.


I am a Catholic and had fourteen years of convent school education. We were taught to put others first. Not that that's always best practice in real life but the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and the Beatitudes form a strong part of Catholic teaching that are supposed to be part of your daily life.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


Show me the stats that prove otherwise.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


My reaction to three skangers of any colour or race is the same. Btw I lived in London and frequently encountered black youths in the street - at night!! Wow! I wasn't mugged or assaulted by them.

I notice that you choose to ignore the facts regarding the crime rate in Sweden which has dropped in the last thirty years and is still about six times lower than the USA.

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]


But it isn't. A referendum has to have a legally binding result. This is not a referendum. This is an opinion poll. It's a gimmick, not an example of direct democracy.


Of Poles surveyed in the study. And they're probably opposed because they don't realise that Poland has an opt-out :) Poles generally don't give a flying fiddlers about other nations, only themselves. The EU has already said that Poland has taken so many Ukrainians that they don't have to take any migrants, nor do they have pay anything. Do you think Poles really care about the rest of the EU countries?

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


Follow your own advice.

Fact: 1990 crime in Sweden per 100k people stood at 1.11. In 2021 it stood at 1.08.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


Yes definitely. Historically many women, especially in small communities in European countries never report being raped.


You're making an assumption without any facts to back it up, that most rapes in Sweden are committed by black men against white women- the interesting thing is that most victims of rape by an 'immigrant' in Sweden are not Swedish but are the women of their own communities.

Travel / Kielce and the area - amazing Polish Pocket Knives live there [105]

I'm sure you'd love it there - it's a shame it's so bloody expensive. But a nice way to visit Ireland which is affordable is to volunteer to help on an organic family farm for a week or two. They provide accommodation and food so you'd just have your travelling expenses. Who knows, maybe one day? :))

wwoof.ie/en/hosts

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [558]


You see, that's an American perspective. Now where I come from, we don't have many black people. But we have an absolute scum bag class of particularly violent, feral white youths. They're pretty easy to spot, so for me, my reaction would be based on what part of town I'm in, what the white guys look like and what the black guys look like. The black guys are quite possibly harmless and the white guys will kick my head in if I look at them in a way they don't like.

Travel / Kielce and the area - amazing Polish Pocket Knives live there [105]

@ Paulina, thanks for sharing all your memories. You can see the real love you have for your region. That's wonderful! Yes, Ireland is hilly, partly because it's a small island and coastal areas always seem to have very steep hills but pretty much everywhere you go in Ireland there are sloping, winding roads. There are a lot of places where the road goes up, down, up, down again over a run of a few hundred metres :) and we have many hump backed bridges. This was one of my local ones when I lived in the Wicklow mountains.The bridge is just about one car wide and when the farmer is driving the cows across you just wait :) If you meet another car one of you reverses. An artist lives in the little cottage with the red door.

youtube.com/watch?v=gYKGGjmCVSQ

UK, Ireland / Voting in October Elections from the UK [17]


The only reason they won't is because they're afraid of Russia. But being in NATO mitigates that threat anyway. Kaczynski is delusional regarding Poland's economic strength, probably feels Poland is sufficiently on her feet now to go it alone. He has a fantasy of a completely independent Poland, free from what he perceives as foreign 'interference' in Polish affairs. I doubt that he'll achieve his aim but he'll keep trying. The EU however has to evolve. It needs an overhaul and needs to reform itself to reflect present circumstances. Europe is changing and the EU has to change with it. They need to look at the fact that they have no means to expel rogue members like Hungary. That has to be addressed.

UK, Ireland / Voting in October Elections from the UK [17]


Dealing with officials in Poland is much better than it used to be but if you're from the UK, you'll find Poles can seem quite rude. They often ignore emails and will generally only answer them if they absolutely must. They're not interested in your feedback. They actually don't care whether you found their service good or not and they won't pretend to care. Nobody does anything in Poland just to be nice or polite. They do things if they must or if they want to.


Yes they are - and they're actually just an opinion poll really. PIS will use them to justify actions they make take in the future. The one about immigrants is ludicrous because Poland has already been told by the EU that in acknowledgement of the number of Ukrainians they've taken, they won't be asked to take any other refugees or asylum seekers nor will they have to pay into the fund in lieu. So the question appears to be pointless. The actual purpose behind the questions is to try to stir up anti EU feeling among a section of the electorate who is not very well informed. They're testing the water for the ultimate aim which is Polexit. Kaczynski would like to see that happen before he dies.

Travel / Kielce and the area - amazing Polish Pocket Knives live there [105]


Lucky you!


A place that nurtured your artistic soul :)

The photos are beautiful, especially the 'shires' one with the curvy roads :)) That's what I miss when I'm in Poland. So many of Poland's roads are straight and I'm used to dangerous bends!

UK, Ireland / Voting in October Elections from the UK [17]


You should have been a journalist, Jon :) You have a way with words. You should consider writing a book about your experiences in Poland, something along the Bill Bryson Notes from a Small Island lines. I'd buy it!

UK, Ireland / Voting in October Elections from the UK [17]


It appears to be a hangover from the old days when settlers first arrived in America and their original homelands continued to allow them to vote. But generations later it's really bizarre. The idea of Americans voting in Polish or Italian elections, voting the government into power, and now deciding questions of national importance in referenda- madness. The other problem is that often these people have a sentimental and completely unrealistic idea of the 'homeland', know very little about real life there in modern times or what the issues are. They frequently vote because they are disillusioned with life in modern America and think they can maintain some kind of Eutopia in their ancestral homelands.

UK, Ireland / Voting in October Elections from the UK [17]


So you should be. You won't have to live with the consequences of your vote. It's not fair to use a vote that will impact the daily lives of people in another country but will not affect yours. An example is the question planned for the referendum which asks about raising the retirement age. This has a direct effect on state pensions in the future.

Law / Is it possible to change visit visa to student or work permit in Poland? [16]


Only if you apply to a university and get accepted. They give you a letter which you present when applying for a student visa. You've probably missed the application deadlines for study this year. Check the website of the university you're interested in. Here is an example from Warsaw University of Technology:

students.pw.edu.pl/Resources/Application-Glossary/Deadlines

Just to be clear, you can't change your tourist visa to a student visa. You get a new one for study.

Life / Poland is something special [9]

It should be pointed out that the poster Avalon sadly died only four months after starting this thread.

Off-Topic / Things We Love [307]

Oh, gosh, yes, I'd forgotten the 'lashings' :) Thanks so much for the recipe! And I'll definitely be trying to get a copy of the cookbook.

Off-Topic / Things We Love [307]


I remember in the Famous Five books they always had ginger beer :) The homemade stuff sounds like a nice idea. I might try that!