Travel / Polish people have a weird attitude torwards tourists [82]


Good point. :)

News / Should Poland leave the EU institution? [147]

@photo above:

11 goals for our national team in exchange for a moderately attractive blonde? That's a bargain! We have throngs of blondes and not nearly enough NT goals. :)

However, I don't see the connection with the EU here (Olisadebe was from Nigeria, as far as I can remember).

News / Should Poland leave the EU institution? [147]


True.

Although a lot depends on how the UK will fare outside the EU. If they end up better off being outside, then the eurosceptic forces throughout the Union will be strenghtened immensely.

Life / The Pole, as an example of a perfect Russophobe, in a spherical vacuum [42]

Alosha is a legend! :) I like it when he mixes Polish and Russian in his songs...

youtu.be/a2MA1PG24U4

Life / The Pole, as an example of a perfect Russophobe, in a spherical vacuum [42]


There is also a cabaret in Słupsk (DKD) who sing love songs in Russian because they claim that's the best language to sing about love. :)

Life / The Pole, as an example of a perfect Russophobe, in a spherical vacuum [42]

Thanks, Pawian. Just saying it like it is. :)

Life / The Pole, as an example of a perfect Russophobe, in a spherical vacuum [42]


A knee-jerk defensive reaction, after the trauma of partitions, uprisings and 45 years of forced "friendship". The reaction towards Russian state is quite understandable.

When it comes to attitude towards Russian people, you won't see much hostility or dismissiveness. Russian people are indeed Slavic, like we are, but they belong to a different civilisation (Byzantine with elements of Turanic, in contrast to Latin civilisation in Poland), so we are simply closer socially and culturally not only to Czechs or Slovaks (obviously) but also to Italians or the French - the same civilisation. So, what you see as dismissiveness is simply a realistic reception of a nation that is culturally, socially and politically very different from ours.

Mafketis is also quite right in his remarks about countries that tasted Russian "friendship" and don't really want to have anything more to do with the Russian state. It's not dismisiveness or hostility, but merely a political realism acquired during the long history of mutual contacts.

Surely, there is much to be admired about Russia - beautiful nature, great literature, brave and resilient people to name just a few things. But we prefer to admire these things from a safe distance.

Work / What Jobs are there in Poland for an Englishman besides teaching english? [70]


If you play football, Ekstraklasa clubs are hiring. High wages, zero expectations for success - great job! :)

Life / Do Russians and Poles get along? [53]


It may be true, but it doesn't mean that they can't get along.

Life / Do Russians and Poles get along? [53]


Well, he is an expert on pretty much everything in the entire Universe, isn't he? :)

Life / Do Russians and Poles get along? [53]


Russian and Poles - yes, no problem. Russian and Polish governments - not so much. ;)

News / A Polish u-boat calls for help? [16]


God granted his children a certain measure of free will, which they abuse by rebelling against Him and His law.


Exactly. And a great solution to fight peacefully has already been invented - FOOTBALL... but we still have wars :(

News / A Polish u-boat calls for help? [16]

Better no war at all. Unfortunately, si vis pacem para bellum and all that, so we have to spend all the money for weapons instead of more useful things and more pressing needs. :-/

What's wrong with humanity? Christians explain it with original sin - the crack in sinful human nature that makes it desire wealth and power, hence all the wars and billions upon billions spent on armies. I wonder how atheists explain the dark side of human nature and the tendency towards greed, lust and evil in general.

News / A Polish u-boat calls for help? [16]

New military tactics - a total surprise for Russians. :)

I asked my cousin (an army major) about it, and he says that Baltic is a relatively small body of water, so it can be covered with proper surface-to-water missiles, that's why we bought Norwegian Kongsberg NSM missiles and we are building up the rocket forces. One rocket can sink one ship, so I suppose it's cheaper.

News / A Polish u-boat calls for help? [16]

I read a plausible explanation for the state of Polish Navy on another forum today: since Russians are significantly strengthening their Baltic Fleet with new vessels and tons of equipment (something that we cannot afford), the High Command decided to practically, gradually disband our entire navy. In this way we will make sure that in case of war not a single Polish warship will be sunk and not a single sea battle will be won by Russians.

Smart :)

News / A Polish u-boat calls for help? [16]

It might have something to do with the shift in defence strategy, which puts much more emphasis on air and land forces, but Polish Navy has been severely neglected and something should be done about it.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]


Well, I suppose it's a question of my superior intelligence (matched only by my good looks and manners).


Language is a communication tool, so the point is to communicate - get the ball over the net, not woo people with your smooth phrases and sophisticated idiom. Most employers understand that; those who expect native-like fluency from foreigners will inevitably be disappointed.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Hollywood movies? I can read sophisticated dialogue from 17th century Shakespeare's dramas and understand most of it. :) Face it, Lyzko, English IS easy. No other language in the world is anywhere near angielszczyzna in terms of relative effortlessness when it comes to learning it up to, more or less, B2 level.

Mind you, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Creating a language that is both simple and yet able to express complex ideas is no simple feat. Well done, English-speaking nations! Thank you for giving us this useful (and simple) tool to communicate. :)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]


Well, I suppose it's the lack of complicated declension system and grammatical gender that makes English easier to learn up to, let's say, B2 level (C1 and C2 levels are a completely different matter). That's why it is the most popular international language. It would take significantly more time for most people in the world to achieve anything close to B2 in German, Polish, French or Japanese.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]


Well, I've heard a German DSD teacher delivering a speech in (almost) perfect Polish to her students, to congratulate them on getting the diploma, so it's hard but not impossible. :)

History / What do Poles owe to Jews? [593]


What??? Sarmatism is a purely Polish idea and concept. What has Serbia to do with it?


That's what we should do. I agree with the words of Polish pre-WW2 foreign minister Józef Beck, who said:

"Vatican is one of the most responsible parties for the tragedy of my country. Too late had I realised that we conducted foreign policies serving the egoistic agenda of the Catholic Church."

pl.wikiquote.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Beck

Roman-catholic Church has been one of the most destructive forces in Polish history. Thwarting Polish spirit, freedom struggles and uprisings - one could write books on the topic. Poland would be in a completely different place if the counter-reformation had failed and we had followed either the Lutheran or Reformed path.

History / What do Poles owe to Jews? [593]


Mother Poland claims all Slavs as her rightful children. ;)

History / What do Poles owe to Jews? [593]


A.k.a western Poland (Chociebuż, Budziszyn, Żytawa). ;)

News / Ryszard Czarnecki - Poland's politician and Member of the European Parliament [30]


A politician? Prosecuted for fraud? In Poland? Are you kidding me?

That would be a nightmare, thin edge of the wedge. We don't have nearly enough prosecutors, judges and prisons to open this Pandora's box.


I am not a keen admirer of his political talents either.

News / Ryszard Czarnecki - Poland's politician and Member of the European Parliament [30]



According to the information by the European Parliament, Czarnecki has already begun returning the money. :)

money.pl/gospodarka/ryszard-czarnecki-musi-oddac-pieniadze-chodzi-o-niebagatelna-kwote-6627919130934080a.html

History / Kashubians are nation in Poland? [124]

I identify as a Kashubian (Kaszuba) myself. :) There is a strong feeling of ethnic identity among us, and yes - Kashubian IS a different language (not a dialect!) but it is all within a greater Polish ethos. People who compare Kashubia or Silesia to Kosovo, where an entirely different nation from Serbian emerged (mainly through Albanian women giving birth to babies and Serbian women... well... they probably had something more important to do), are competely ignorant.

Kashubians and Silesians are small minorities, living among overwhelming Polish majority in both regions:

- 230k Kashubians and over 2.1 million Poles in Pomerania (and these are not exclusive groups - most Kashubians identify as Poles also);
- it is the same in Silesia - 800k Silesians among over 7 million Poles in both Upper and Lower Silesia (double identification applies as well).

Both ethnicities - Silesian and Kashubian - are Slavic peoples, speaking Slavic languages/dialects, so comparing these two minorities to Albanians in Kosovo (different nationality, different language, different religion) is beyond ridiculous.

News / Ryszard Czarnecki - Poland's politician and Member of the European Parliament [30]


It's actually 100k euro.

businessinsider.com.pl/wiadomosci/nie-tylko-ryszard-czarnecki-lista-politykow-ktorzy-mogli-naciagac-podatnikow-jest/fkz3bff

oko.press/czarnecki-musi-zwrocic-parlamentowi-europejskiemu-nawet-100-tys-euro/

It is always a mystery to me -- the level of greed of some people. He was the vice-president of the European Parliament, he was raking it in (he was a European MP for 16 years!). And still he felt it necessary to cheat and steal the European taxpayers' money (and the travel expenses were peanuts compared to his official earnings). If it happened during PO's reign it would be a scandal on a national scale, and today--nothing--Czarnecki is still a PiS member and he is still writing articles for PiS-controlled newspapers and magazines. A moral authority, one might say.

Mind boggles.

Life / Polish and Czechs [191]


Hmm... would I rather have...

1. ... razed buildings and my honour intact?
2. ... lovely buildings and my anus sore?

After much consideration I go for option 1.

Life / Polish and Czechs [191]

Czechia is an absolutely lovely country. The only reservation I have is that whenever the sh*t hits the fan they tend to turn around, bend over and spread their butt cheeks rather invitingly.

Other than that, nice people.