News / WOSP in Poland [161]

Looking at this, I'm not so sure.

o2.pl/artykul/kim-jest-stefan-w-ktory-nozem-zaatakowal-prezydenta-adamowicza-mamy-zdjecia-6338202705208961a?fbclid=IwAR2HKgfmuXs5r8xpRVas5PxNLrjH6w3ZLDGPQ9KoiGPmdXE89tsNQSYbB5M

Appears to have been a typical muscle chav who liked dirty business. I wouldn't rule out the mental illness part on the grounds that Polish prisons are hardly nice places, but I'd suspect that it was just a matter of revenge.

Real Estate / Where to look on the internet for Poland Real Estate [112]

Just saw your PM.

No, there isn't, unfortunately. Depending on the circumstances, you can petition the court responsible for processing the sale to release that information. For instance, if a property was sold as part of an inheritance, then you would be within your rights to find out how much the asset was sold for if you were entitled to inherit part of the assets.

Or, if you intend to buy the property, you can check the property register - more info here - migrant.info.pl/land-and-mortgage-register.html - you should always ask the prospective seller to give the number so that you can check that everything is legitimate before signing even a pre-contract.

News / WOSP in Poland [161]


It wouldn't surprise me. There's huge issues in Poland with mental health issues and prisoners (as you say), and someone who allowed himself to believe the non-stop propaganda could easily be led to believe that Adamowicz was responsible for imprisoning him.

News / WOSP in Poland [161]

It's absolutely awful. I hope he's okay, as the reports are saying that he was in critical condition when he was rushed to hospital.

News / WOSP in Poland [161]

I'm just shocked. All that boasting online about how Poland doesn't have a problem with terrorism and stabbings, and what happens here?

News / WOSP in Poland [161]


That's because the dominant posters here aren't actually in Poland. ;)

It used to be indifferent, then PiS tried to wreck it and I suddenly became a big supporter ;)

It would be nice to believe that it was a pro-wrestling style charade, but the attempts to prosecute Owsiak for bad language in public shows that it's not. They hate him because they can't control him, just like opposition parties.

Strangely enough, PiS have no problem with WOŚP funding equipment for poor hospitals.

Oh my ******* God.

The President of Gdańsk has been stabbed on stage at the WOŚP concert in Gdańsk by someone shouting that he spent time in prison because of the main opposition party, Platforma Obywatelska. He's apparently alive, but he had to be resuscitated on site. There's no more information, but he's alive as far as has been reported.

This is what PiS have done to Poland.

UK, Ireland / Inheritance Law in Poland and debts - how does it affect a British child? [27]


Nothing. The girl isn't under any sort of Polish jurisdiction, and it would be impossible for the court to prove that your daughter actually received any correspondence on the matter. In your daughter's case, the debts will be time-expired by the time she grows up anyway.


Don't do anything until they do contact you. When they do, just send a letter back formally rejecting the "inheritance", that's it.

Language / Slavic languages words similarities with Polish [240]


Can you communicate in Czech? I've got some friends who live close to the border, and they're useless in Czech. I even know one girl that lives in Kudowa-Zdrój and she can't put together a grammatically correct sentence in Czech - in her words, the Czechs in the border areas understand Polish and the Poles understand the local Czech dialect, so no-one bothers to actually learn it.

News / Degenerate "rainbow" eyesore to disappear from Saviour Square (Plac Zbawiciela) in Warsaw [297]

Even if the alternative is life in an orphanage?

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1049]


In this specific case, it refers to the new ability of the Prosecutor General (and some others, such as the Human Rights Ombusman) to make an extraordinary complaint to the Supreme Court about a previous legally binding decision. It means that a previous court decision (from the last 20 years, I think) can be overturned.

It's a dangerous concept, as it means no judgement can be considered final from the last 20 years.

The translation in English is probably something like "extraordinary complaint", but mafketis/Ziemowit will know better.

Law / How to acquire Polish citizenship through marriage as an American? More info in the post. [18]

You need to pass the B1 exam in Polish and meet the other requirements, such as at least 2 years of residency on a permanent residence/long term EU permit while being married for 3.

1. Old information. In your case, it's as above.

3. Nothing.

4. EU citizens can live and work elsewhere in the EEA freely.

Work / Work as English proofreader in Poland [19]


That's by far the best bit of advice I've read on here in a long time.

I'd only add - be assertive, especially when money is concerned.

News / Poland's News sources [59]


I'd argue that populists aren't democratic at all. They might win power through democracy, but they consistently do things to erode democracy as soon as they gain power. Hungary, Russia, Poland, the USA - there's a very clear pattern of populists seeing electoral victory as giving them the right to do as they want without consulting others.

Work / Work as English proofreader in Poland [19]

The trick is not to go near publishing houses, but rather private clients who will pay. However, it's also important to have a clear understanding of the differences between proofreading and editing, and to charge accordingly.

Work / Work as English proofreader in Poland [19]

Register as self employed, then make as many connections as you possibly can. It's a very competitive market, though earnings can be very high if you know how to do it properly. You need to hustle like hell, and make sure that marketing/PR departments in every small/medium sized company knows your name.

News / Poland's News sources [59]


Yes, the systematic stripping of powers from local/regional authorities and centralising everything in Warsaw is a great example. Gliński recently turned round and announced that all the Polish film studios will be under one central roof, and there are many other examples where they've taken away autonomy and returned things to direct ministerial control.

Of course, someone who only reads pro-government propaganda and who doesn't live in Poland will have no idea about this.

News / Poland's News sources [59]


Both of them are propaganda outlets for PiS and completely untrustworthy.

News / Poland's News sources [59]


It really is that primitive. I'm absolutely convinced however that the propaganda is framed to fit the mentality of those consuming it.

Feedback / Member warning system to prevent abuse / spam / off-topic posts [145]


Also a very good idea.

May I suggest that if someone racks up 5 warnings, they should be automatically gone for a while?

Feedback / Member warning system to prevent abuse / spam / off-topic posts [145]

Excellent idea, mods.

Much more effective than silly warnings, IMO. Whoever has more than 2-3 warnings can get suspended for a month instead of 3 days.

Off-Topic / Ukraine, Belarus, Russia in EU in 2030? [105]


It's true, but getting the entire Western Balkans into the EU has to be considered the "end game" for the EU as far as expansion goes (okay, there's Georgia, but I think realistically, they'd be better off in EFTA along with Israel eventually), and an obvious red line for Serbia is being forced to accept Kosovan independence. Perhaps it again goes back to legal fictions - perhaps it could be agreed that electors in Kosovan territory are responsible for the administration of Kosovo and that status cannot be changed without the agreement of voters there.

Forcing Serbia to agree to Kosovan independence will never work, and from the EU's point of view, it's much better to have Serbia inside than outside. Realistically, there's no way for Bosnia to join the EU without Serbia at the same time (not that it's likely to happen anytime soon...), and likewise with Kosovo. If Kosovo doesn't join, then it also keeps the door shut on Albania, so it effectively leaves only Montenegro and Macedonia as potential members anytime soon.


I still think the 2004 expansion was stupid and misguided. Estonia and Slovenia were ready, possibly Malta too. The rest? No.

Off-Topic / Ukraine, Belarus, Russia in EU in 2030? [105]


I do think we need a sensible solution in this respect. It would be easiest to come up with some legal fiction that Kosovo is still an integral part of Serbia, but that for the purposes of administration, the province is temporarily administered by the provincial government in Pristina pending a final settlement.

Serbia then wouldn't have to recognise Kosovan independence, while Kosovo could join the EU at the same time as Serbia.

Feedback / Member warning system to prevent abuse / spam / off-topic posts [145]


I think it really would be so much easier if they permanently banned you rather than having to deal with all this whining and complaining. We don't need extra warnings, we need you to simply shut up and stop moaning about every single mod decision.

You get banned for being a dick, it's really that simple.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]


Guns are hardly used in crime in Poland. The handful of incidents that do occur are hardly worth liberalising gun laws for.

The current situation in Poland is fine, especially as gun owners are subjected to frequent unannounced checks.

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]


Hey now, plenty of Poles/Czechs/Slovaks working in Germany. It came in useful once in a restaurant when I didn't have a clue what was written on the menu and the waitress looked suspiciously non-German. A question in Polish about whether she understood Polish was met with "Ano, rozumiem po polsky" (Slovak), and that was that :) It turned out that she was from Eastern Slovakia, so even easier to understand.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]


We don't need guns. We don't need armed security men in schools (who then wet their pants and hide like babies when a real shooter turns up), nor do we need Americans telling us that we need guns.

History / Occupation of Eastern Poland in 1939 [98]


Interesting question, actually. I suspect if it was a normal reasonable country, then Poland would have allied with it in the face of German aggression.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


But then again, the same thing has led to Poland doing very well, as employers value the way that a large part of society is educated.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


Also known as "the approach followed in Poland by many Montessori places".

I visited a "Montessori" nursery once (that can remain nameless to protect the guilty) as part of the teacher training here. The place was a shambles, as it was clearly obvious that the owner had established it to make money and nothing else. They were clearly changing things to meet parental demands, the teachers were dreadful and very inexperienced, and you could see that they had no real idea beyond some books.

I went to a different one, owned and managed by a real Montessori teacher, and you could see the difference - she was very honest that financially, it was a struggle, and that to provide the kids with a great environment for learning, she had to spend most of her evenings applying for various grants and prizes. She was telling me how parents would come, argue with the philosophy and then take their kids out when she wouldn't bend and break to their demands. Her answer was always the same - it's a Montessori nursery, and if they want something different, they should go elsewhere.

It's the same with the democratic schools that are set up here. They don't work for various reasons, and that's speaking as someone who adores the lunatic that was A.S. Neill. Parents think they're some magic solution, but they panic as soon as they realise that their kid isn't actually attending all these lovely lessons, but instead prefers to sit around doing nothing.

Life / Stereotypes about Polish people being stupid? [281]


No, there's definitely some environmental factors there too. I had a lecturer at UAM in Poznań who showed me this article - aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/TheEarlyCatastrophe.pdf - if you're not familiar with it, it's well worth a read as it shows how early the differences start.