Life / Relation in Poland to Orthodox Christians? [117]

@GefreiterKania

Hahaha! One of them, the one my family happens to belong to, is 200M people strong. Is that Microdox? Your Big Brother Church is of course bigger... but only because it subsumes the planet.

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]


what has changed is that you were willing to be objective in 2013, but now that the war has come around you have become a TASS/VOA correspondent.

Life / Relation in Poland to Orthodox Christians? [117]


This is what I am reacting to!

The only thing you have going for you is what Jesus happened to say to Peter at some point, in passing.

We have 2,000 years of tradition and everything else.

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]

@pawian

Ok - fine - I apologize. But I don't think I hallucinated this, I just can't find it.

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]

@pawian

I think it's in Polanda, I can't find it. I felt that what I found was better, but ok!

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]

@GefreiterKania

Stalin was too clever by half. He thought he would permanently sow discord between the Poles and Ukrainians by annexing Lvov. Lvov turned out to be a time bomb under the Soviet Union itself. Much more shrewd would have been to give the Carpathians and Lvov to the Poles, and earn eternal alliance of the Ukrainians and Madyars :)

Life / Relation in Poland to Orthodox Christians? [117]

Poland missed a huge opportunity by deciding to be Catholic. One may argue that all the problems Poland has encountered, is because they decided to join the ranks of the Roman schismatics. In this way, Grace was lost.

Any person with a brain understands that through apostolic succession the Orthodox Christian Church is the spiritual successor to the original body of believers in Christ that was composed of the Apostles. This apostolic succession manifests itself through the unbroken succession of its bishops back to the apostles.

Quoting from Orthodox Wiki here:

The unbrokenness of apostolic succession is significant because of Jesus Christ's promise that the "gates of hell" (Matthew 16:18) would not prevail against the Church, and his promise that he himself would be with the apostles to "the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

By reading pre-schism Fathers, such as Saint John of Damascus, or Saint Basil, specifically what they wrote about religious rituals - you can see that the Orthodox Church is the only modern church which can claim to still follow those traditions.

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]


Go and find a thread called "East Europe's Wild Nature - flora and fauna (zoological thread)".

There you may find such pearls as below:


... and more interesting quotes. I understand that this war has made everybody emotional, but we should not forget to use our reason.

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]


Are you not a member of the Church of Ukraine? In this past year you have told me I'm an agitator for claiming there are Banderists in Ukraine. When the former UA ambassador to Germany, Melnyk, said Bandera was a fine man and that the Poles had it coming - you didn't believe me until I provided you a link.

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]

I see you have no appetite for discussing Ukrainian nationalists and their heinous crimes.

Perhaps I should have tried a different angle... What is the proper name of the largest city in Western Ukraine? Options:

1) Lvov
2) Lwow
3) Lemberg
4) Lviv

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]


If it evolved towards Peace, as you say Jon - then Poland is truly the Christ among Nations.


How Pawian has changed)

History / 70th anniversary of 1943 Wołyń/Volhynia and Eastern Galicia Massacre - controvercies [443]


Now, as we approach the 80th anniversary of the massacre in Wolyn, it is appropriate to reflect on how things have evolved over the past ten years.


No, no! This is incorrect. A bullet to the head, or a rocket falling on your apartment, during war, is still most cruel genocide. This is what the Russians do now. Using pitchforks to toss babies shows that the Ukrainians maintained brotherly restraint throughout.


Uhmm, excuse me? It is most definitely genocide. If it's children that are being resettled away from a war zone, then it's genocide squared!

Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [382]


Mhmm. In cities less and less, but in villages many houses will have their own unique recipes. Some add hard candy, others add jam, some dump straight sugar.

Travel / Hiking and Camping Trails in Poland [51]

Merged:

Camping in Poland

It's all in the title of the thread. How does camping in Poland, work?

Here on the East Coast of the US, I have been camping primarily in three different areas. The Delaware Water Gap (PA), The Adirondacks (NY), and The Catskills (NY). Usually my trips are focused around a river, and involve a kayak or a canoe. The canoe is for carrying the big backpacks, equipment, and the 80L cooler for beer and food. Whoever gets the canoe will be slower, and much more tired than the rest, but it is an important job.

As we go down the river, we look for little brown signs that are nailed to trees facing the river. The signs have a maple leaf and a number on them, indicating a campsite. If there are already kayaks or canoes parked in front of the sign, we continue rowing until we find a site that's not occupied. If we can't find one by sundown, that's when people begin getting nasty (this is why it's important to be on the river by 8:30 AM latest).

At these marked sites, there is typically a fire ring prepared by a ranger (metal or made of rocks), and a nice clearing (ticks are a big problem here). No toilets or water. The sites are free to use. However, if you pay a small amount you can also book campsites online. Those are typically better set up.

The fine for camping "wild" is not large, but if you get a ranger who's in a bad mood, you may be forced to pack your things in the dark, after a long day, and follow the ranger to a preapproved site to rebuild your camp. This is for when camping on public land.

Camping on private land can get you into all sorts of trouble, including getting shot. It's not always clear if you are on public or private land.

So, how does it work in Poland?

History / "Westerner's" most ridiculous beliefs about the time of communism in Poland [73]


Your brother should be reported to the ICC for crimes against humanity.

I joke. Thanks for sharing that.

History / "Westerner's" most ridiculous beliefs about the time of communism in Poland [73]


That's fascinating! What did he do?

Recently I surprised a Western friend simply by telling him that it was Western and Japanese finance that paid for most of the gas and oil pipelines which the Soviet Union constructed in the 1970s and 1980s.

He was giving me the normal spiel about what a turd Merkel was for buying into "Putin's lies", and I told him - "Bro. Western governments were providing billions of dollars of loans to the USSR at the height of the Cold War in order to secure energy supplies." He didn't believe me at first, but after a quick Google search he almost fell of his chair.

In his head it did not make sense that governments would send billions of dollars to a country which had 15,000 nukes aimed at them.

The world is a complex place.

Off-Topic / Serbia etc. thread 3 [365]

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History / "Westerner's" most ridiculous beliefs about the time of communism in Poland [73]

A most ridiculous Western belief about the time of Communism in Poland, is that Russia controlled daily life there down to the smallest minutiae. In reality, this thread is proof that Poland had an entirely different atmosphere to that which existed in the USSR. On the censorship front, on the emigration front, and so on. It was again totally different if Czechoslovakia is discussed, and different once more if you look at a country like Hungary.

In the Polish poster thread I uploaded a Polish poster for The Terminator with Arnold Schwarzenegger. My Ukrainian girlfriend born in the early 1990s, was surprised that it was possible to see this movie in a theater on the other side of the iron curtain. I was embarrassed for her, since she does not have the excuse of being an ignorant American.

My cousins that are in their 40s all grew up on Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme movies which they traded around on VHS cassettes.

They even had rip off gaming consoles with rip off video games.

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Life / The Legacy of Polish Poster design [36]

This poster is more badass than the original one. Also, the title: Electroniczny Morderca... amazing!

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Life / Boys acting and dressing feminine, girls acting and dressing masculine - transgender teens in Poland [272]


You would have had a hard time living in the 1600s.

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Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [382]


Are you joking? Russia is the one that took the best from both sides of the family.

From the West we learned how to be hypocrites, and from the East we learned how to have a good time while doing it.

USA, Canada / Cigarettes reach nine dollars a pack in New York [109]


It is 2023, and now a pack of Marlboro Reds (the only cigarettes for real men) in NYC costs $16-18.

It seems bad... but in Sydney, Australia it's close to $30.

On the one hand, I'm happy for NY's budget, which must be bursting from tobacco tax revenues (right? surely this policy could not result in interstate contraband?). On the other hand, I'm worried that eventually people will get fed up and stop smoking altogether. We will lose an entire culture then.

How will I explain to my grandkids, what it meant to light a cigarette for a beautiful stranger? How you would cup your hands, just so, to shield the flame. The eyes meeting, and a conversation effortlessly started. Yes, it will be sad when this is gone.

We're already always on our phones, and without cigarettes people will just stop talking to each other - period.

News / R. Trzaskowski, current mayor of Warsaw, future President of Poland [301]


I thought I did... ha! But you're right, I meant natural gas. I understand that LPG is not typically transported by pipeline. However, I did think that it's possible to acquire natural gas in tanks, if a grid connection is not available.

Now I understand that this is not possible. The reason, is that the symmetry of the methane molecule is such that it cannot be easily liquified. You could still store methane in a tank in gas form, but it would be barely enough to prepare a meal.

I'm actually quite embarrassed that I'm learning this only now. It's not really excusable in my situation.

Thanks!

Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [382]


That's why I am so grateful when you teach me!

Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [382]


Tolerance: For what? Jews?

Multi-Ethnic Character: BS. A bunch of different shades of white. Russians at least have Tuvans and Chukchi, etc. If you look at France or Italy closer you will also see a past of many ethnicities, not less than in Poland.

Political Freedoms: For oligarchs, and nobody else. You could find these kind of arrangements in the Lowlands, in the Merchant Republics of Italy, and other places.

I was just showing you how first of all the things you listed are not unique to Poland. However, I also think this is complete historic revisionism to view these things as somehow implicitly liberal (the Roman Empire is then very liberal, and the Mongol Empire). It's just you interpreting it that way, from today's vantage point. In reality - 95% of your liberal or centrist thought is Western in basis and very modern with no root in Polish history.


Hmph! Maybe I'm wrong - ha. This is interesting.

Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [382]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so I will post it here in my trash bin of a thread.

Why is it that all liberals everywhere get all their ideas from the West? Whether they're Chinese liberals, or Russian liberals, or Polish liberals - they all decide to do whatever it is they do after they had been thoroughly brainwashed by sneaky Anglos.

Does it make sense, what I'm saying? Like, they never come up with some uniquely Russian liberalism. I understand why Putin, Xi, Orban etc want to ban all foreign influences, like Soros and Burger King. They prevent our left-brained populations from thinking for themselves.

That is, I'm sure Putin would not ban some uniquely Russian form of liberalism. He's just irritated that the gender matrix and gay-love stuff comes from the West, like many other things some Russians like. As a true patriot, he wants to see indigenous development. For example, if instead of changing the pronouns we use for ourselves, liberal Russians did something original - something nobody on earth had ever done before - like insist on their right to consume vegetables rectally - then I'm sure Putin would defend their right to do so to the death. For Russians, and for Putin, it is important to be first in all things. We are not readers, we are writers - and the copycat liberalism offends our spirit.

TLDR: The problem of liberals in the Non-West is their lack of originality, and constantly looking back at how things are done "over there".

News / R. Trzaskowski, current mayor of Warsaw, future President of Poland [301]


If it is so simple, why does the Polish government not do the same thing? I don't think you appreciate the colossal amounts of money required in building energy infrastructure. Some cooperative of average citizens with initiative will not accomplish anything.

What kind of group of entrepreneurs, regardless of tax breaks, has the capability to cut thousand km long paths through forests and tundra, construct technical roads, build compressor stations, and contract millions of tons of steel.

What the government really has to do, in Russia at least, is liberalize the energy market (more than it has been already). At the moment, Russians pay a comical cost for gas. Gazprom can earn many multiples of what it can on a Russian, on a German or a Hungarian. So, there is very little incentive for Gazprom to invest in bringing more Russians online to the grid. Instead, it will build some stadium, or recreation center, perhaps a kindergarten - so that it can report the government that its doing something socially useful - but not build the pipeline.

As a Russian, I would prefer for the government to build stadiums and recreation centers, and for Gazprom to focus on earning profits and paying taxes. However, that's not how things work in Russia.

Now, if Russians were forced to pay prices for gas that are closer to European prices you would see several things happen:

1) Gazprom would suddenly be interested in working with these customers and investing in the necessary infrastructure
2) People would stop treating gas like it's free, and would start implementing various energy saving approaches
3) The gas that is saved by Russians being more economical (this will be colossal amounts, tens of billions of cubic meters), can be exported to people that actually pay market prices - making more money.

Of course, the average Russian will suffer, and there will be protests everywhere.. but this is still better than the current situation which is just absurd. Russians need to learn that energy is not free.

News / R. Trzaskowski, current mayor of Warsaw, future President of Poland [301]


How much does such an installation cost? I'm assuming you don't have to reformat everything, but just the boiler? Would it still not make sense, even if installation was paid for by the gas company, because there is no connection to the grid or is using gas tanks still an option?

As a Russian, I have to say it's amusing to read a Pole write that his government will likely never bring the grid to his village. If this is the case, then why are so many Poles online constantly trolling Russians that as a gas superpower the country still cannot connect all Russians to gas.

Seems Russia has real issues, not just corruption, if compact Poland struggles to invest in a grid. Try guaranteeing gas access across 11 time zones...

News / R. Trzaskowski, current mayor of Warsaw, future President of Poland [301]


It cracks me up all the time how Poles contract coal in fu&king tons. Do you realize how unusual this is in the 21st century?

The last time I saw a ton of coal was at my grandma's farm in the village in the 1990s. At the time I was obsessed with paleontology, and would spend hours sifting through the coal looking for fossils, but never actually found any.

Was looking for something like in the picture below. Instead, it was crap coal that fell apart in your fingers into a fine dust.

How is it delivered? At my grandma's farm, a Russian KAMAZ truck would come, and dump it all in the driveway in front of the garage. Then my grandpa and I would have to shovel it into a shed situated adjacent. Afterwards, I'd spray the driveway down with a hose (wonder if this is bad ecologically).

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Life / Paintings of artists from Poland? [192]

@pawian

I agree sexist posters are disgusting!

Not every Polish man is proficient on the vacuum cleaner.

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