Love / Do women like strong men in Poland ? [39]

Once again, Atch, the difference between the Austrians vs. the Poles is as I've said many times before; the Austrians today feign the hand kiss and pretend both superficial politeness as well as Catholicism, whereas the Poles still take that stuff seriously, very seriously.

On a side note, it's a pity if Poles give up the hand kiss, maybe the last bastion of non-politically correct civility left these days! What with LGBTQ, "We-them" etc.. sexuality itself is beginning to mean little. Where do we draw the line?

Love / I am a black girl in a relationship with a Polish man but I have many questions. [21]

Powodzenia, Blackgirl212!

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]

Quite the contrary, paw.
A teacher, unlike a leopard, CAN change their "spots", if they
so choose. After all, one stops learning, they might as well stop teaching!
(Hey, there goes half the teaching profession LOL) Just joking, folks.

But an ideologue, be they Communist, Capitalist, Faschist, what have you,
will always remain mired, indeed imprisoned, in the penitentiary of their
own making.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]

Thanks again for sharing, pawian.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]

Interesting. Thanks:-)

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]

How about foreign languages?

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]

Which subjects did she teach?

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]

Traditionally, Poland has always prided herself on being
more Westernized. Even you should know that:-)

As I've said before, Duda is a much more Westernized
figure than Putin, a known hater of Western culture, ever was.
Once a KBG man, ALWAYS a KBG man.

News / Polish Miracle-Die Welt [12]

I understand though from the news that Polish salaries haven been going up and that they are slowly but surely becoming competitive with Western wages.

Could "The Economist" have gotten it entirely wrong??

Love / Do women like strong men in Poland ? [39]

If you care to watch the above-mentioned film, you might think differently.

I met the daughter of some Polish acquaintances a few weeks ago, and I greeted her with the customary hand kiss. Even if she objected, she exhibited a trait practically non-existent in the States any longer, namely good manners.

Travel / Is Poland a popular tourist destination for Swedes? [20]

You're confirming my very point, Milo!
Poles are no less known for drunkenness than any other Europeans:-) Although for many years Swedes had such a reputation, to an extent when I was there too, much of the stories concerning boatloads of Swedes going over to Denmark for cheap booze, are largely a thing of the past.

I've traveled extensively throughout the Continent, and so kindly refrain from condescending remarks!

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]

I'd probably choose Poland, even
if I spoke better Russian!

Duda simply doesn't frighten me
as much as Putin. Putin isn't even
known as an anti-Semite, he is
though a cruel throwback to Czarist times.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

@Milo,
I'd be a hypocrite if I denied the fact that a great many Jews refused to assimilate. The reality is that those same Jews were almost deathly afraid of losing their birth identity and for good reason were often loathe to trust local authorities whom they knew scarcely had their best interests at heart!

Originally, the Jews entered what was then the European continent sometime following the Destruction of the Second Temple, at which time the they were literally, and not figuratively, scattered to the four winds, most of whom ended up among peoples who despised them as outsiders.

How ironic, that a tribe which has known only hardship, contributing to some of that very hardship, should have become a nation unto themselves, defined by their infighting instead of by their unity.

Travel / Is Poland a popular tourist destination for Swedes? [20]

Another unfair charactarization, Alien!
Indeed Poles, Aussies, Germans, above all, Dutch and Brits abroad, have an even greater reputation for inebriated behavior than the Swedes, or at least equal.

Travel / Is Poland a popular tourist destination for Swedes? [20]

Thanks, jon. I'd suspected for some time that Poles were more than slightly interested in Sweden, but wasn't sure regarding vice-versa:-)
Any Swedes out there in Cyberland who wish to weigh in?

News / Polish Miracle-Die Welt [12]

"CUD NAD WISLA" I'd always thought was referring to Poland's meteoric rise during the High Tech bubble way back in the late '90's.

Love / Do women like strong men in Poland ? [39]

Check out "Crossroads", a Polish flick from the last ten years if that, and just watch the young guys in their '20's, fairly common-looking types at best, when one of them introduces them to his girl friend aka fiance. Second nature to him, the first bloke raises her hand to near his lips in the traditional hand kiss. This film isn't from the 1940's, Joker.

LOVVVEEE ITTTTT!!!

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

@Rich,
Of course Poland, along with numerous other nations, among them England (courtesy of Cromwell, but don't tell Catholic Ireland!), France, Spain, and Italy for example, did for sure invite Jews in as political footballs. However, once their usefulness as tradespeople had been served, what's more, they refused to convert, they became Public Enemy No.1 across the board.

Sadly, they've turned over the past hundred and ten years or so, from those who DEFIED the pack, to the pack themselves.
I'm referring though to the Orthodox sects in areas such as Williamsburg, Bklyn, not fellow Jews of whom I am in the least proud.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

Simple, yet not always transparent to most. The Church perpetuated the age-old lie that the Jews, rather than the Romans, murdered Christ by crucifying him.

Jews had always been individualists, Johnny, not content to merely follow the pack! This made them a threat to the existing power that be at the time and on into the future.

The Church further demonized the Jews by forcing them into thankless work vs. honored vocations or trades. As money lending was off limits to Christians, this then fell to the Jews to serve as pawnbrokers and/or tax collectors. The latter then turned them into the hated enemy of the poor farmers who often had little choice but to "go the Jew" whenever money was scarce.

Moreover, with the advent of the Plague, gentiles were usually off at some war or other and as Jews were forbidden from joining guilds or the military, they were able to stay home with their possessions while the Christians returned home to nothing, mostly having been ravaged by famine, death, and poverty, whilst though the Jews appeared to be living in relative comfort.

This further exacerbated hatred of Jews as shiftless pariah, determined to destroy the Christians.

Off-Topic / What is your comfort food??? [39]

What's the going price on moonshine (bimber) nowadays, just curious? LOL

Love / Do women like strong men in Poland ? [39]

@Alien, are you trying to stereotype Polish men as somehow cavemen with limited intelligence but less limited biceps??

Seems you've been living in Germany too long, pal!

News / NATO expansion in northern Europe - great news for Poland [137]

Ukraine though never thought herself isolated from Mother Russia, merely analogous to almost tenant farmers or vassals simply living on their lord's fiefdom.

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [930]

The only Jewish "myth", Kaszub, was the delusion that Jewish Poles as Jews could peacefully co-exist with gentile Poles! Clearly , this didn't entirely work out in the German-speaking world either, only in countries such as Germany and Austria, the Jews were usually innumerable times more culturally assimilated than in Poland:-)

Polish Jews, by in large observant and living in shtettl communities, never for a minute deluded themselves into thinking they were considered as "Polish as the Poles". However, the German Jews lulled themselves into a pipe dream of complete symbiosis with their gentile neighbors, believing the Enlightenment ideal of co-existing as fellow citizens. The latter was the real tragedy of the ensuing Holocaust.

News / NATO expansion in northern Europe - great news for Poland [137]

It depends here on what you term "old approach", pawian. If what you mean is that Ukraine should continue to remain the dumping ground, that is, whipping boy for Kremlin bullying, obviously the answer is no.

Love / Do women like strong men in Poland ? [39]

I'd have to agree.
Having observed social behavior, to this day, a woman is still usually greeted by a man with a hand kiss (not really a kiss) whereas a man to another man, with a bone-cracking grip!

News / Ruling PiS party tried to cover up eco disaster in Odra River [88]

Going back even further to Communist times, most of Eastern Europe was ruled by leaders who couldn't have given a rat's ass about the environment!

Former East Germany was a huge offender in this respect. The town of Bitterfeld was in fact a sort of poster child for the damage done to its surroundings during the old era.

News / NATO expansion in northern Europe - great news for Poland [137]

The point is that both countries have pursued a degree of so-called "neutrality" bordering on isolationism! Nice to see a sea change in the government of at least one of them, finally a sense of teamwork, being members of the club, not merely of some abstraction known as "Europe".

News / NATO expansion in northern Europe - great news for Poland [137]

Swedes have mixed reactions though. Haven't had contact with Finns of late, but I think historically the Swedes rather enjoyed their reputation for neutrality, much like the Swiss (with whom they're sometimes confused here in the States) and are not big joiners.

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [126]

Quite so.