The BEST Guide to POLAND
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Posts by Seanus  

Joined: 25 Dec 2007 / Male ♂
Last Post: 29 Dec 2011
Threads: Total: 15 / Live: 1 / Archived: 14
Posts: Total: 19666 / Live: 3050 / Archived: 16616
From: Poland, Gliwice
Speaks Polish?: Tak, umiem
Interests: Cycling, chess and language

Displayed posts: 3051 / page 33 of 102
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Seanus   
28 Nov 2010
News / Polish Lithuanian Diplomatic War? At last. [534]

I figured you were joking but it's good to have confirmation of that. I often use winks and am not that serious on the forum.

Oh, come on, murders and general killings are part of the fabric of history amongst Baltic/former CIS states and Poland. I just don't see why we don't look for commonalities. The Koreas are making the same mistake now, letting bullying forces stymie their drive for peace.
Seanus   
27 Nov 2010
News / Polish Lithuanian Diplomatic War? At last. [534]

Oh, for sure. However, we have to interpret what is written for what it is and he didn't even add a wink mark. If I were a Lithuanian, I wouldn't be best pleased. It adds fuel to the fire. Poles and Lithuanians really aren't so different on a global scale. No need for any war.
Seanus   
27 Nov 2010
News / Polish Lithuanian Diplomatic War? At last. [534]

People like Sokrates see history from one side. He is likely fuming that the Lithuanian govt require Poles to use Lithuanian versions of their names. The history is far from easy and sometimes things like that happen. Poles have done well from Lithuania. Just think Słowacki, Mickiewicz and Piłsudski :) :)
Seanus   
25 Nov 2010
News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

Delph, hand-picked by LK? Eh, news flash, he died in Smoleńsk! Or did you mean JK? It isn't a case of picking like in Russia where VP put himself in charge. Poland, as you know, is very procedural and the responsibility naturally falls on certain shoulders in official circles. Anything beyond that is lower-level committees or net-users to get to the heart of the matter.
Seanus   
24 Nov 2010
History / Roman Dmowski-Patriot, Nationalist, Anti-Semite? [252]

True enough! I like the fact that he looked for a counterbalance to what Pilly was offering but he did come across as OTT at times. Still, he echoed the sentiments of many Poles that learned of the cheating ways of some Jews. I say some because many Jews were very poor just before the outbreak of WWII. He merely saw what they were up to but maybe didn't go about rectifying it in the right way.
Seanus   
24 Nov 2010
History / Roman Dmowski-Patriot, Nationalist, Anti-Semite? [252]

Not anti-Semitic at all. Who here actually lived through the times when there were many Jews here? My father-in-law did and he is a very level-headed man with no axes to grind. He knows how they operated and was a first-hand victim of their ruthless business exploits. It has nothing to do with me believing or not, jonni. The fact is I don't know either way but he is a highly trustworthy source and is not radical.

Dmowski was merely protecting a country which had undergone uprisings immediately after gaining their independence in 1918 and he was sceptical of all those Jews coming across from Russia before Hitler unleashed his deadly Final Solution on them. He was referring to their modus operandi and wasn't stabbing at ethnicity too much.
Seanus   
24 Nov 2010
History / Roman Dmowski-Patriot, Nationalist, Anti-Semite? [252]

He was the nemesis of Piłsudski. When compared to JP, he was anti-Semitic in his tone. However, given the cheating that many Jewish business folk were engaged in at the time, I'm hardly surprised that he wanted to carve out a Polishness which meant protecting themselves against being exploited. He was pragmatic in that sense but may have overstepped some lines according to some.
Seanus   
24 Nov 2010
News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

Delph, they are told to tow the party line which, in this case, means being in bed with the Russian govt. Haven't you heard of party whips and containing dissident rebels? I'm not overly convinced by the conspiracy arguments but, nonetheless, you cannot get away from the reality of political operations insofar as they engage in sweep-under jobs.

International relations and opportunism are playing a bigger role here than getting to the heart of the matter. Poland is not France (an inquisitorial country to the max).
Seanus   
23 Nov 2010
News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

It took quite a while for the tasty morsels of 9/11 to get out and it's the same here. As I keep saying, I'm waiting for a smart person to put together a highly credible and cogent case for the anti-official line. There are quite a few fishy things and there is an element that delph is missing here. That of allegiances. It didn't come as a surprise that they are trying to get Russia under the NATO umbrella as they are trying to unite factions in one big structure. This is a one-world government start, fawning people under the guise of cooperation. PO party members and military personnel are looking for closer ties now. To rock the boat would be to go against the express desires of big guns in the world. Complicity is a must for them. The truth comes later.
Seanus   
12 Nov 2010
Life / I saw Polish nationalism today [263]

Hooligans, obviously enough, show it. They are unquestioning in their support of Nazi ideology and are unflappable in their conviction. Watch Ross Kemp's documentary film on Polish hooligans, available at Google Video. Nationalism on display!
Seanus   
3 Nov 2010
Food / Taste of food in Poland vs other countries [188]

Let's have a look at Ksysia's post as she wrote the most.

Bread - UK stuff is quite spongy but I think she overstated the point somewhat. The brown bread like Hovis, Allison and Kingsmills is quite tasty. High quality IMHO. Polish bread is of superior quality but it gets stale too quickly. Maybe that's why it is often use for wodzionka :) :)

Meat - If you are talking about wędliny then Poland is definitely ahead. However, to pass everything else off as sub-standard crap is rather harsh. I enjoyed my cold cuts when I was a kid and still remember to this day that they are of reasonable quality. Meat from highlander restaurants is tasty too but I think the UK edges Poland here when it comes to beef and pork. Poland has nothing that even comes close to Aberdeen Angus beef. Still, Poland is strong when it comes to meat in general.

Fish - Try a fishmonger's, for example. ANYONE who says that their fish is bad is speaking from a dark place. They produce very fresh produce and delicious at that.

Veggies - It depends where you look, really. I'm quite happy with the standard in the UK but I prefer them here.

Coffee - Not the best in the UK or Poland

Tea - Knocking British tea takes a bit of doing but it is overrated.

Eggs - VG in both the UK and Poland

Milk - Fractionally better in Poland but some tasty brands in the UK

Juice - It depends. It's of variable quality. Some is pure juice, some isn't. Like here.
Seanus   
2 Nov 2010
Genealogy / Popular Polish First Names? [152]

Would it be Piotr, Crow? There is Pyotr in Russian and likely a Balkan equivalent, right?
Seanus   
31 Oct 2010
Life / The Polish Dream - move out from Poland as fast as possible [73]

I see two major faults in this country. The distorted perception of money. Many people seem to think 5500PLN a month (gross) is superb. It's quite ok for sure but nothing to write home about.

The second is the acceptance without too much questioning. For4 was right on the ball with his comment. They offer little in general.
Seanus   
30 Oct 2010
Life / The Polish Dream - move out from Poland as fast as possible [73]

As I said before, we cannot underestimate the bureaucratic factor here. It is a major turnoff for many. When Poles say 'welcome to Poland' after encountering negativity, they know what they are talking about. I really believe that too many Poles make life difficult for one another.
Seanus   
30 Oct 2010
Life / The Polish Dream - move out from Poland as fast as possible [73]

I am surprised that that statement came from one so young. As you grow older in Poland, you learn to ignore your fellow Poles. At least that's how it appears in many places here. However, they rapidly grow disillusioned when they come into contact with clerks, a necessary part of Polish life. There's no getting round it really.

I respect those that stay behind and enjoy the good things that Poland has to offer. Their naive romanticism about life abroad may backfire as their heart isn't fully in it. We all know that many Poles are driven by their heart. I keep coming across Poles that tried to make a fist of it in the UK but their romantic leanings meant that they didn't give 100%.

Poland is just over 20 years out of communism. Much rebuilding needs to be done and outsourcing roadwork, for example, to Chinese people is hardly encouraging given the number of able-bodied Poles that could be doing that work. I hate to say it, being a social democrat of sorts (God I hate labels), but Poland needs to invest in courses in capitalism. Not the 'I'm alright Jack' brand but more along the lines of the self-made man, consonant with the American Dream.
Seanus   
30 Oct 2010
Love / Why do so many Polish girls dye their hair BLACK? [124]

As pgtx will tell you, I do mention my wife quite a bit but I try not to discuss her by going into detail. I don't think she would accept the label 'satanist' in its entirety, Zeti, but part of her definitely identifies with their ideology. We were on our way back from Aberdeen and we met a Polish guy who was miffed that she wasn't Catholic. She has a black metal book about satanists. A mad bunch indeed! Black suits the mood. It's rebellious and sinister. It doesn't stop at the hair either, of course.
Seanus   
18 Oct 2010
Food / What exactly is Polish Bread? [91]

They say the wędliny (cold cuts) has changed more but I doubt that bread has really changed that much.

The bread with a sesame crust is really tasty :)
Seanus   
18 Oct 2010
UK, Ireland / Poles in the UK, you know were the door is [105]

For sure! Locals on both side can only take so much. I think the attitude the OP was getting at was those that view the UK as a dumping ground and there are quite a few of those that I've encountered. They see it as a bailout clause and that they will instantly get a job if things don't work out here.

However, many and likely most Poles now research it well before going. They are not like those that were on the first plane across in May 2004. There were so many losers then that jumped ship and my Polish contacts want nothing to do with them.