Polonia / Poland, Germany, France, Spain or Greece? [35]

I wouldn't say Sofia is a hole - I visited a few times for work and really liked it. In terms of beauty however it is certainly no better than Krakow - both are similar, an interesting Centre full of quirky cafes and interesting sites but ringed by some horrible commie era housing.

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1199]

I recognize it - a n ugly square between a brewery and the station, a few malls and a giant stadium - it has not been an attractive town since 1944

News / Poland Parliamentary Elections 2019 [93]

This thread is about the elections in free democratic Poland - PiS won and whether you like it or not it was a democratic process. Maybe you should try that in Russia some time ?

Can we now get back to taking about that and let Rich enjoy his tram ride home

Real Estate / Buy Land in Poland and Build a House from Wood [6]

You first need to read about the restrictions on buying farmland - which apply to both Poles and foreigners. Basically you need to be a registered farmer.

For your plans you might like to buy a small plot next to a lake where it would be easier to get permission, but you will also probably have some neighbors. A wooden house is just for summer ? Winters are going to be a big problem if you want to live their year round so make sure the road is passable and you have a water supply.

News / How could PiS better spend billions instead of 500+ ? [280]

What do people think about the ZUS relief for small business - generally I am in favor, and PO had lots of chances to do that when they were in govt. on the other hand the kind of businesses it is aimed at are in my view the ones most likely to employ students and immigrants without paying thee ZUS !

Also going to create tax traps where at some point it is not worth to earn more as you will lose the ZUS benefit.

News / How could PiS better spend billions instead of 500+ ? [280]

Lots of people do go private Ironside, but part of the reason I pay my taxes on time and our very high ZUS is to have a health service that my family can use. If that is getting worse because the money has been given away to bribe voters then it will erode people's belief in the system.

News / How could PiS better spend billions instead of 500+ ? [280]

But giving money away can be done at the stroke of a pen. Reforming hospitals and schools takes years of expertise and effort and the problem is that PiS does not have a lot of smart people in its ranks who are able to do that

. Health and education have not stood still in the last 4 years, they have gone backwards - probably not easy to perceive if you live in Australia, so the government should present concrete plans for them

News / How could PiS better spend billions instead of 500+ ? [280]

Yes but there are plenty of functioning welfare states in Europe that have high taxes but deliver good levels of health and education and relatively low work weeks - Sweden, Austria, Germany etc. Not socialist but rather social democracy - Poland seems to be going down a different path of handouts rather than a contract between the citizen and the state.

News / How could PiS better spend billions instead of 500+ ? [280]

I wasn't that bothered by the first round of 500+ - I travel often in small Polish towns and know that life was very hard there for young families, the stimulus mostly went on kids things and the cost to the budget was not huge and a lot came back in VAT and retailers profits.

Now I am getting very concerned with the constant handouts - more and more, combined with shrinking the tax base by exempting people under 26 (why ?) and an early pension age.

If you are a high taxpayer and generally a liberal caring sharing person then it is easy to understand the safety net for those who need it and the need for a health service and good schools. What is more difficult to stomach is no questions asked handouts that you get basically for breathing and eventually the taxpayers will get up fed up about that. PiS did some good work to squeeze tax evasion but that is not an exhausted way of funding these promises - the only alternatives are either higher taxes or more debt and neither will end well.

News / Scandals, conflicts, tensions, arguments - real life examples from Poland [543]

Maf the irony of this is that the NIK is supposed to be the organization that supervises govt probity !

News / Scandals, conflicts, tensions, arguments - real life examples from Poland [543]

I think he read it in Pravda during the tram ride home

In fact it has almost doubled over the last 10 years - doesn't matter if its PO or PiS - Both have benefited from the economic effects of EU membership and lots of investment

Off-Topic / Random Sports News [855]

It is weird my Alma mater in the US sending me emails 3-4 times a week to donate while at the same time paying a salary of several million bucks to the basketball coach. Of course I realize that the sports is an important way of developing a lifelong connection but all the same there are few other public servants who get that kind of cash !

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [692]

He means that even for Polish citizens there are restrictions - you now have to be a registered farmer in order to buy and some other requirements like living a certain amount of time there.

I haven't heard about your solution but it sounds risky - I would be very cautious about buying a building without title to the land underneath.

Travel / Which places in Praga, Warsaw are MOST DANGEROUS at night? [15]

Plenty of new investment in Praga - new malls and housing and the Google campus

News / PiS and Russian political/economic interests [70]

What are the economic disadvantages? Can you pount to one economic statistic that has got worse in Poland since 2004?

Inflation ? Unemployment? Employment ? GDP ? Inequality ? Exports ? Anything ?

News / Scandals, conflicts, tensions, arguments - real life examples from Poland [543]

The answers will of course be depressing - referring to what PO were doing four or five years ago.

I don't know why they can't have clear rules about what is and is not paid for when it comes to travelling back to your home constituency. It's really tremendous arrogance

Classifieds / I am selling my Polish money [22]

They are worth nothing i am afraid - mot enough even to buy a can of Coke

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [692]

Also fancied getting goats Paw but was put off by their strong smell

Our neighbor has an enclosure with about 15 danielki and makes pretty good money from that

Life / Polish people and TV Series - so good and hilariously spot on :) [99]

For that kind of thing then nomrally the morning shows - Dzien Dobry TVN or PnS. But they don't normally sit on a sofa, more like a recorded interview in some studio.

In the late nights there was also Szymon Majewski a few years back - a mix of pranks and interviews a bit like Stefan Raab in Germany.

News / Scandals, conflicts, tensions, arguments - real life examples from Poland [543]

Of course PO were corrupt - but part of the election promise from 2015 was that PIS would end this corruption and patronage - they have not done that and I agree that it has probably got worse.

As for Macierewicz being married - well it is conceivable that some married people like to experiment.

History / MAP OF POLAND IN 1880'S [95]

Some parts were - like Wloclawek and czernikowo probably right on the border.

Maybe Chasniki in Belarus ? Was a Jewish town up until the holocaust

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

Was taken down a few years ago but they are talking about a new hologram version.

Plac Zbawiciela is still one of the main hipster areas of Warsaw and a good place to get a late drink

Genealogy / Want to find a person [777]

If you know the name of the club then try its fb or instagram page

There might be a Ukrainians in Krakow fb group - sonewhere where people arrange transport, accommodation and work. You could leave a message there.

If it was a strip club then she probably used an alias.

If a normal club then if you are that desperate why not just get another Ryanair flight and find her.

Always ask for a number if you like someone!

Off-Topic / Random Sports News [855]

Here's a radical thought - like millions of people i like both football and the American version (prefer college to NFL but will watch both)

Not really keen on rugby but it got much better after going professional

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

Prices of lots of fruit and veg are going up sharply - a dry summer but also high fuel costs, closed sundays, the proposed retail taxes and higher wages both for fruit pickers and supermarket staff.

Off-Topic / Random Sports News [855]

Your team is not called Ohio but rahther Russia and they have underperformed for many years when it comes to football - even when the USSR were good it was mostly due to Ukrainian and Georgian players and they never gelled during tournaments.

No coincidence that football is one of the most difficult games in which to get an unfair advantage through drugs or bribing officials. Too much luck involved and underdogs always have a chance.

Of course the USSR and Russia have plenty of success when judges can be bunged some cash or weightlifters can be doped up to the eyeballs

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

A long time ago i worked on the privatization of Polands biggest ketchup factory - Heinz bought it and wanted to change the recipe but the Poles were used to their own ketchup taste so after a few tasting panels they just kept it as it is. I normally avoid it - sweet and cloying taste. If i am grilling i use mustard and chrzan.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

I do sometimes have it for breakfast - I don't mean making it from scratch but if I am driving somewhere early on a winter morning and there is some in the fridge I will have it - its filling and healthy (kind of - it has vegetables) and will keep you going for a few hours.

Food / What Polish foods and brands do you miss when you go to other countries? [216]

The only place its eaten as a side dish is in the Red Apple buffet, washed down by some heavily marked up Okocim

Of course here in Poland its normally a quick meal in itself - at a Zajazd or on the train, at a poprawiny or from a Miedzychod jar. Maybe a slice of bread with it.

Life / Place of Living Choice: Poland vs Hungary vs Germany [44]

Living in a small town and commuting is feasible but the trains are not as frequent as they are in Germany. In winter that is going to be a challenge - dark cold mornings and evenings with quite a lot of travel disruption. I don't know Kielce we'll but in Torun or Krakow there are plenty of quiet areas of the city where you could live quite cheaply.