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Posts by Bobko  

Joined: 13 Mar 2017 / Male ♂
Last Post: 11 hrs ago
Threads: Total: 28 / Live: 24 / Archived: 4
Posts: Total: 2704 / Live: 2628 / Archived: 76
From: New York
Speaks Polish?: A
Interests: reading, camping

Displayed posts: 2652 / page 7 of 89
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Bobko   
8 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / Stock Market Talk and Trading - part 2 [732]

I don't know where I read it but I think renewables are getting close to 50 percent of Polish power market.

I read that renewables capacity has for the first time overtaken coal fired capacity.
Bobko   
8 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]

Those who get into spotlight are usually in the music industry

Which makes sense.

Using modern gene sequencing and linguistic analysis, scientists have narrowed down the origins of Gypsies to northwest India. Specifically Gujarat and Rajasthan.

It's speculated that it took them several hundred years to arrive in Europe (entering Europe through the Bosporus and through the northern Caspian Steppe).

But before we had DNA sequencing and other things, we had the story from the Shahnameh. The story is a mix of fact and legend, but it clearly shows they were initially called for their musical talents:

According to a legend reported in the Persian epic poem, the Shahnameh, the Sassanian king Bahram V Gor learned towards the end of his reign (421-439) that the poor could not afford to enjoy music, and so he asked the king of India to send him ten thousand luris, lute-playing experts. When the luris arrived, Bahrām gave each one an ox, a donkey, and a donkey-load of wheat so they could live on agriculture and play music for free for the poor. However, the luris ate the oxen and the wheat and came back a year later with their cheeks hollowed by hunger. The king, angered with their having wasted what he had given them, ordered them to pack up their bags and go wandering around the world on their donkeys.

To me it's mind blowing, that before airplanes, and ships, and trains, several tens of thousands of people managed to walk from India to Portugal - in what in historical terms - amounts to the blink of an eye.
Bobko   
7 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]

@jon357

Ok, maybe I'm wrong. I know plenty of people that lead normal lives that are half or quarter or whatever, but never a full blown representative of the people.
Bobko   
7 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]

I know one who works in finance for a well known multinational

Oh stop it...

He must be a half breed. Never saw a genuine Gypsy in finance.
Bobko   
7 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [414]

You might not like it though

If I only judged books by the criteria of how much their message comports with my inherent biases - I would still look and sound like Johnny Reb.
Bobko   
7 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]

however the stereotypes are usually wrong

If they are wrong - then what do they do instead?

In Russia - if they are honest - they engage largely in vegetable sales (retail), and woodwork.
Bobko   
7 Jul 2025
Genealogy / Polish and gypsy traditions [140]

Many/most settled

Do they still support themselves primarily through begging and petty crime, even though settled?
Bobko   
7 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / Russian Views On Poland and Vice Versa [414]

English version of Andrzej Nowak's Polska i Rosja. Sąsiedztwo wolności i despotyzmu X-XXI w. ...

Fine... I will read it.
Bobko   
7 Jul 2025
Life / Will Poland ever be multicultural like Sweden, Germany or France? [283]

the largest foreign inmate groups are actually Turks, followed by nationals from countries like Romania

Surprised Romania is not number 1, but instead Turkey. Also, no Bulgaria?

Maybe the type of crime gypsies are proficient at, does not result in prison sentences? Just seems strange, given that nearly every European big city center has gypsies running petty crime networks.

Recently, gypsies have made it to New York. I don't know where they came from, but one day they appeared in the subway - typically a young woman, and always with a small baby. One time, I saw a scene where an older Orthodox Jewish gentleman got into an argument with a gypsy in a subway car. "This is the richest country in the world! You have no shame! There is no reason to do what you are doing! I spit on you!". I thought this was pretty amusing.

I don't think their pickpocketing, or ball game tricks will work very well in the United States. Pickpocketing is likely to result in having your spine broken, or getting shot. Scamming people using ball games and card tricks, will work until you play against some gentlemen from the projects.

This is also why I am so puzzled at why the gendarmes in Paris or the Carabinieri in Rome seem to give zero f*cks about Gypsy crimes. In fact, they won't do anything to punish them - but they WILL drag you to the nearest police station if you go so far as to throw a scammer's equipment into the Seine (my friend did this, and to his surprise he was arrested). Not sure if he was arrested for polluting the Seine, or for destruction of property - but still kind of amazing.

If I put my "logical hat" on, I think the practical reasons may be:

1) These are Bulgarian and Romanian citizens - meaning they are free to travel within Europe. If you start cracking down on them in one place, they'll simply pick up and move to Marseille, or Milan, or Madrid.

2) They list fake residential addresses, and carry fake IDs. Arresting them is worth more administrative hassle than the trouble they create.

3) Being decentralized and solely focused on petty crime - they are preferable to say Russian or Corsican gangs running more organized rackets around tourist areas.

4) They represent a tax on idiots, and a nice little boost for the local French economy. If a tourist was planning to spend €200, suddenly he has spent €250 instead. Gypsies still need to eat and fix their cars - so the money contributes to French GDP.

But honestly - how can it be normal to arrest tourists and not the pickpocket or scammer who had provoked the tourist?
Bobko   
6 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / Hillary Clinton Doesn't want Americans birthing Children, Immigrants do this. [46]

I'm tellinfmg you - it's the rejection of the Church's teaching, the diabolical sexual revolutio and the culture of hedonism.

It's true, that you see some kind of anomalous stabilization of birth rates under Francisco Franco and Augusto Pinochet. You can confirm this for yourself, I don't have the time now to find the papers.

These Catholic dictators somehow managed to stop the trends of history and industry.

I'm not a specialist in this space, so can't really flesh this out. But I have seen this in papers and data.

Edit: I found one graph


  • IMG_7303.jpeg
Bobko   
6 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / Hillary Clinton Doesn't want Americans birthing Children, Immigrants do this. [46]

Socialist brainwashing experiment thinking being gay is normal in society.

If you are interested in the actual answer - it's not gays.

What seems to be the problem is marriages.

Marriage rates are low, and when people do marry - they often do it late or divorce quickly.

Married people still make the requisite number of babies. Just not so many people getting married anymore (early) or doing a very good job at maintaining those marriages.

Thanks Boomers - for being toxic assh*les that turned everybody off from the institute of family!

Your dysfunctional approach to family has doomed humanity.
Bobko   
6 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / Stock Market Talk and Trading - part 2 [732]

Am I the only person that feels disgusted with ppl talking about pension system as if it's an investment?

What exactly is the reason for the disgust?

-///-

Somebody has worked hard all his life, and he deserves assurance in that he will be supported in his old age unconditionally? That this should not be subject to market volatility or other factors?

-///-

It's actually very important for the pension system to be investment based. The opposite, where the government simply finds money for you every year within its budget, is a much worse solution.

1) Pension funds are in many cases the largest buyers of corporate and government debt. They finance companies and they finance the government.

2) Pension funds are often the largest or only investors into large infrastructure projects.

3) Pension funds are far superior to the Average Joe in allocating his capital efficiently. Evidence the inane suggestions on this thread.

4) Pension funds tie old people and young people together, through aligning their interests in the market in a non speculative way.

5) Beyond aligning young and old, pension funds align labor and capital. In many instances, pension funds are the only ones who can speak authentically for the working and middle class. Especially in big boardroom brawls.
Bobko   
6 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / Hillary Clinton Doesn't want Americans birthing Children, Immigrants do this. [46]

Hillary Clinton is absolutely right! There's no way America can maintain its population, without receiving in even more immigrants.

I agree with Johnny here. Unless Americans suddenly start making more babies - Hillary is unfortunately correct. However unpopular her position may be...

Another woman I admire deeply, is Angela Merkel.

Hard to disagree here. Definitely the most important German leader of the past 30 years.

I'm grateful to the Somali community for choosing to make Michigan their home, in these United States.

Hear hear! They are hard working people, with strong family values. Exactly the kind of people Michigan needs to build back better.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

Where was that? o_O

Before Russia designated specific geographic zones where gambling was legal. There was a period of a gray area. If you wanted to gamble, you had to do it in the back of all sorts of restaurants, pool halls, boutiques, etc.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / God and Religion Talk [273]

proper consecration of Russia to Immaculate Heart of Mary was done very recently

and we discussed it here.

Completely inappropriate. For such things permission is asked - and if not granted - it is not done.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

Yeah, that's pretty typical. She's probably ashamed.

Ashamed of what?! Saying "thank you"?

She's a woman - no one expects her to go toe to toe with a dude. There's no shame in that you got beat by some assh*le - it's for him to be ashamed about.

But someone suffered physical injury on your behalf, without any need or obligation to do so. Civilized behavior would be to say, "Thank you - you really didn't have to - but I appreciate it."
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

she always blanks me

Puzzling, right?

In another instance - I saw a guy at a pool hall/poker place - kick a waitress carrying a tray right in the stomach. She doubled over and collapsed.

I started giving him lectures about good behavior, and he cracked a cue stick across the back of my head.

Later I saw her, and she didn't even say hello to me. So much for chivalry.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

That's what police is for though

The babushka that came and took care of me, and called the ambulance - said she had called the cops 15 minutes prior.

I don't know if they ever showed up.

If this old woman was not watching our little circus below, I'm not sure that I would not be some kind of full retard today with an IQ of 50. She scared the guy away from me, and then sat around my unconscious body until doctors arrived.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / God and Religion Talk [273]

@Torq

I don't know man... still hard to see you as anything but schismatics - but I will still read the book.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

I'm telling you what I know.

Well... I actually have a perspective that might shed light on why guys don't want to intervene in random fights between husbands and wives on the street.

One time, I was dropping off my then girlfriend at her block of flats. As we were pulling into the parking area, we saw a guy dragging his girl around by her hair and kicking her. I walked my girlfriend to her door, and assured her I would go and take a second look at what was going on.

Walking up to them, I could see the guy was completely out of control, but also likely completely unaware of his surroundings. So I decided quickly I would headlock him from behind. While he was there wheezing, I told his lady it's probably best if she just goes home and stops trying to debate him.

Then, when it was just me and him alone - I made it clear to him I got nothing against him. After several times asking him if he had calmed down, I let him go.

As I was walking back to my car, I felt a sudden flash of blinding white light. The f*cker had walked over to the rubbish carts, picked up a champagne bottle, and crushed it over my head.

A fun two months for me after that. Kinda put me off intervening in people's domestic disputes.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Off-Topic / God and Religion Talk [273]

Russia have to return/convert to Roman Catholicism if they are to avoid eventual moral and civilizational decline

Ok... that's an interesting hook!

Enough for me to read it.
Bobko   
5 Jul 2025
Law / Gun control in Poland: should Polish people be allowed to own guns? [1070]

No such thing in PRL.

My mom did not close the door well into the 90s. So much so, that I was not in the habit of carrying keys, and would often get locked out if she did decide to lock it for some reason before visiting her friends or going out on some chores.

I could also walk into my friend's homes, and ask their moms to feed me or give me tea - and this was totally normal. I think now if someone's kid shows up somewhere randomly asking for food, that would result in a very dramatic call to his parents.

Because parents were stupid

Explain.

And that changed how?

In modern Moscow you would be lucky to have your wallet back in 24 hours, fully intact.

Never heard of such a thing in Poland.

I find this hard to believe. Even me and my friends have done several of these "street consultations" with guys that get very "handsy" with their girls, or some retarded shopkeeper that gives a kid hell for some small crime.