Law / Buying a USED CAR in Poland, my personal experiences and TRAPS to avoid !! [133]


I haven't been up north for a while, Doug. Are the roads still that bad? Where I live the main roads are very good. And I keep hearing that I live in something called Polska B, where polar bears walk down the street and everyone is a poor farmer with one cow. This afternoon we went out for a spin on road 19, which passes our village, and the surface was as good as anything in western Europe. No kidding.

Law / Buying a USED CAR in Poland, my personal experiences and TRAPS to avoid !! [133]


There may be some truth in that, but I find that asking the owner what's wrong with the car usually elicits an honest response. I've bought four cars in Poland, and have always asked the question. Every time (except once, when there really was nothing wrong) the owner has told me the truth, and I've been able to get the price down accordingly.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


It's a possibility. We keep one solely so my technophobe mother-in-law can keep in touch. Young people (i.e. those less likely to be PiS voters) tend not to have them.

News / Poland's PiS party members and crime [346]


The election was a case of PO losing rather than PiS winning. PO had lost steam - inevitable after a long run - and were seen to be flabby and uncaring. They'll be back alright. Whether that's good or bad, I leave to others to decide. I've long been completely cynical about politicians, although as a democrat I never fail to vote. PiS are institutionally dysfunctional. They'll fall apart as they always do.

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


I can imagine the kind of knuckle-draggers you correspond with. They hardly represent a broad spectrum of Polish society. More likely white supremacist bigots if you are anything to go by. It's a pity we can't be tested on our knowledge of Texas and Poland.

youtube.com/watch?v=yRZZpk_9k8E

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


OK Johnny, as a true Pole you'll be able to find some stats on surveys conducted on whether Poles want guns or not, or media articles on Poles lobbying for guns. Having said that, you might find that difficult as Poles do not want guns. But you wouldn't know that, would you? What you know about Poland would fit on a grain of rice.

News / Poland's post-election political scene [4080]


PiS seemed very keen to have young people behind speakers at election meetings. We all know that their base is elderly and dying off, but this does indeed provide an opportunity for a new generation of reactionary young people to come through the PiS ranks (I can't see them becoming a normal European Social Democrat party). As for the highly toxic Kaczynski, PiS finally got the message, but with him around the party will always be seen as a joke internationally.

Language / Polish names without a nickname (or less frequently shortened) [61]


Apart from Tony Benn's son I've never encountered a male Hilary. I didn't know Beverly could be given to a boy. The only Beverley I've known is the pleasant market town north of Hull. I have less pleasant memories of its racetrack, though. Lost my shirt. Long journey home.

Life / Can someone tell me about the reason behind being gay in Poland being wrong [148]

No, Ktos, you have misunderstood my point.

Life / Can someone tell me about the reason behind being gay in Poland being wrong [148]

Ktos, could you please tell me one of these excusively "hompsexual acts"? As far as I am aware there is nothing that homosexual men do in bed that heterosexual couples don't do.

Life / Can someone tell me about the reason behind being gay in Poland being wrong [148]


Thanks for the link, Jon. I nearly fell off my chair laughing (guess which prominent member of PF I was thinking of?).

Life / Can someone tell me about the reason behind being gay in Poland being wrong [148]


The bigots who objected to you kissing a white woman (if that's what it was all about) probably consider miscegeny to be a perversion. I'm glad you experienced it, but not surprised you didn't learn anything from it.

Love / Do Polish girls like to marry a man from Lebanon ??? [41]


That level of ignorance is rare, even on PF.

Language / Polish names without a nickname (or less frequently shortened) [61]


No, I have a friend who is often called Ewjuniu (not sure how you'd spell it). Might be a Podlasie thing.

Language / Polish names without a nickname (or less frequently shortened) [61]

Ewa - Ewka; Ewjunu.

Life / Poor hygiene of people in public places in Poland [46]

Our neighbour has just had her first bathroom and toilet installed. She's 93.

Life / Polish loos have made great strides.... [12]

The last time I attempted to use the PKS loos in B.Stok I did a runner after hearing two men having vigorous sex in one of the cubicles. I later saw one of them coming out. I wonder if the Mac Shack opposite knew how he spent his lunch break. Hope he washed his hands.

Life / Polish loos have made great strides.... [12]

InPolska, check out the award-winning toilets at Białystok railway station. (But don't check out the subteranean hellhole beneath the pks station nearby.)

Travel / I'm so bored in Poland! [129]

You've got me feeling all Christmassy. btw, is anyone else burning coal yet? We had some delivered yesterday (620 PLN/tonne), and it was just in time.

"...wine was a bit too expensive for the average Joe..." Definitely.

Travel / I'm so bored in Poland! [129]

It's much less common in the UK. My brother is the only Brit I know who regularly makes it, and that is because he used to go to German Christmas markets and liked it there. You can always tell who's had a glass by the dopey grin from ear to ear. I have fond memories of the square in Kraków at Christmas. Eating grilled Oscypek with cranberry sauce, and drinking mulled wine.

Travel / I'm so bored in Poland! [129]


True, but don't forget the mulled wine. Straight to the cns.

Travel / I'm so bored in Poland! [129]


That's true, Doug, but my workplace is anything but quiet. I spent eleven hours yesterday in a university building with hundreds of students sitting on the stairs (what is it with students and stairs?) chatting away noisily. It's great to get back to the village, but even there we have the sounds of tractors, birds, cats singing love songs, neighbourhood dogs, chain saws, etc. Having said that, sometimes, in the dead of night, you can hear a pin drop, and when they sometimes turn off the street lights the stars are magnificent. We may not have the big city attractions, but we also don't have to listen to sirens all night. Horses for courses.

News / Duda invited to march in Poland's Independence Day parade [182]

Polonius, by saying that the rainbow "provoked" violence, you sound like someone justifying Kristalnacht thugs as being provoked by Jews.

Travel / I'm so bored in Poland! [129]

Sorry to hear that, Carly. Download Stellarium and expand your horizons.

Travel / I'm so bored in Poland! [129]

Carlyjam: cinema, theatre, museums, parks, books, forest walks, sightseeing, day trips (just the two of you), the night sky (at the moment you can see the moon, Jupiter, Venus and Mars in an arc in the eastern sky at 0530). Sorry, but I've never been bored in my life.

Work / English teachers in Poland - why are they so unhappy? [89]

I've just sent out my invoices for September and I'm not unhappy. If you are serious about any career, you can make a go of it. If you are a backbacking tefl-drunk, you get out what you put in.

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]


I have no idea what that means.

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]

The benefits of EU membership can be seen all over Poland, and people know where the help has come from. Americans who have never visited Poland know nothing about it. I'm thinking of joining an American website and telling them how they should live. I wonder what the response will be.


It is much more likely that the children of recent immigrants will fully assimilate, just as others have done in the past.

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]


Do you think Borat would be available to head this up?

Food / Smalec in a Jar - how to make it better? [19]

Glad to hear that. Right now I'm breakfasting on bacon fried in smalec, with two fried eggs. Good to know I've chosen the healthy option.