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Posts by Trevek  

Joined: 21 May 2008 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 12 Jun 2016
Threads: Total: 25 / Live: 3 / Archived: 22
Posts: Total: 1699 / Live: 243 / Archived: 1456 		From: Olsztyn
Speaks Polish?: not a lot
Interests: varied

Displayed posts: 246 / page 8 of 9
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Trevek   
3 Feb 2010
History / 'Battle of Britain' won thanks to Polish aces !! [158]

Interesting - America didn't have an Air Force during WWI and many Americans volunteered to fight for the French, the British (usually via Canadian military) and in this case for the Polish.

I thought it was more because US weren't inmvolved in WW1 for the first 3 years or so, so many pilots couldn't fight as part of the US forces. Cooper actually joined the Polish airforce after WW1 to help fight the Bolsheviks.

to be precise - Polish Americans, sons of ex -emigrants to US

Cooper was of British descent, not Polish. he felt he should help Poland because his grandfather told him tales of Kościuszko fighting for American freedom in the War of Independence. He felt Americans should help Polish independence. It was one of the reasons the squadron was named after Kościuszko.
Trevek   
3 Feb 2010
Study / "MAGISTER" OR "MASTERS DEGREE" - ARE THEY THE SAME? [75]

yeah, at the moment I'm MA MA MSc (only got the last one so people didn't think I was some large, black female singer).

Did the under grad contribute towards the post grad ?

No. The system is a possible 3 years MA (ordinary) or an honours (decided after the 2nd year) in 4.

After this it seems things like M.Phils are 2 years.

I did my MA (postgrad) in Belfast and then the MSc in Edinburgh (as one year of a PhD course).

The Belfast MA was a 'conversion' into anthropology.
Trevek   
3 Feb 2010
Study / "MAGISTER" OR "MASTERS DEGREE" - ARE THEY THE SAME? [75]

Not long ago I heard about someone who had an MA from (I think) Edinburgh who was turned town for an English teaching job in Saudi, because they couldn't get their heads round the idea of an MA being a first degree.

What I find awkward is that convention says that when you write your degrees after your name, you don't put your first degree if you have a second. BUT, as I have a post-grad MA as well as an UG MA, I have to put both or folk think I only have one.
Trevek   
2 Feb 2010
History / 'Battle of Britain' won thanks to Polish aces !! [158]

Have there been any films made about the 303rd squadron?

Don't know, but interestingly, the original Kościuszko sqn was founded by an American, who later made the film King Kong.
Trevek   
2 Feb 2010
Study / "MAGISTER" OR "MASTERS DEGREE" - ARE THEY THE SAME? [75]

- Any degree gained as a 4/5 year Magister that wasn't split into Bachleors and Masters segments isn't comparable to a UK Masters for a multitude of reasons and should be seen as something between a Bachleor's degree with honours and a Masters. However, be careful, because many degrees were academically rigorous and could be easily as difficult as a UK Masters degree - but officially, they're not comparable.

In ScottishAncient Universities, like Glasgow, an MA is also like a BA. As an honours degree it is 4 years, rather than 3 in England. However, you can also do an 'ordinary' MA in 3 years.
Trevek   
1 Feb 2010
Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

Murzyn may be a direct equivalent of nigger but is neutral, although nigger is (has become) offensive.

But 'nigger' has never been an 'official' term. It is based on southern US dialect of 'negro' and so it's connected with slavery. Perhaps the most polite useage of it in a 'white' context is 'nigger minstrel', referring to the black-faced singers who sang 'southern songs' in mock black dialect. It's pretty well accepted now as racist and offensive (except, perhaps, in Australia).
Trevek   
31 Jan 2010
Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

The situation is totally different in the UK where the word Paki is commonly known as a very racist term.

This is still a problem because it is often thought of by the older generations as just a short form of Pakistani. I've even heard Asians refer to a 'corner shop' as a 'paki' shop.

I think the problem with 'murzyn' is that it is like 'negro', not necessarily a racist word but rather out-of-date. Murzyn is from the word 'Moor' and not all Blacks are Moorish.

I might agree if it would be "Murzynek Sambo"

In UK the Russian martial art SAMBO (a term based on the Russian version of samo-obrona) is called SOMBO because it might offend people if it had a racist name like SAMBO. Of course, nobody worries about offending the Russians.

Its just a term used by ghetto people as far as I can see, Ive heard a few WIGGAS use it in the UK...It just makes me cringe when I hear anyone use it.... Nignog used to the word of the day back in the 70s in the UK, this was offensive towards blacks though.

The thing about the word 'nigger' is that it is derived from 'negro' and was used as an insult. The Black community in US started using the word 'to reclaim it' (a bit like how the Gay community now use the term 'queer', which was originally an insult). That Blacks can use the term is controversial even amongst Blacks (and can be used as an insult as well)/

nignog previously had the meaning of someone who was inexperienced, particularly used in the army. Even today they'll use the term 'nig' for a rookie or young soldier.
Trevek   
25 Jan 2010
History / Is There A Polish Foreign Legion? [35]

Hmmm, not sure. The old method of teaching French in the French FL is/was to hit the guy who didn't understand until he learned it. I think most foreigners wouldbe beaten to death using that method to teach Polish.
Trevek   
24 Jan 2010
History / Is There A Polish Foreign Legion? [35]

Ah, you're not getting mixed up with either Piłsudski's Legions or the fact there are quite a few Poles in the French Foreign Legion? OR that sometimes writers might refer to Napoleon's Polish regiments as 'Polish legions'.
Trevek   
31 Dec 2009
History / Polish-German alliance. [489]

A British friend of mine told me about his devout catholic grandmother watching a film report of the pope being jumped on by the crazed female, "Oh, what a shame... I know he's german, but he's still a human being!"

Germans and Russians want Poland's soul and land.

Nah, germans just want their cars back!
Trevek   
31 Dec 2009
Life / Do Polish workers have post-Christmas break? [12]

Mind you, missing stuff isn't just at christmas... bought a set of old photos from US about 3 months ago. Never arrived. The guy sent replacements to UK. They were then sent to me here.

Royal Mail. I cannot recall the number of items I received at my address which were meant for someone else,

Oh, I know that one too. When I was in Glasgow I lived at 88 Copeland Rd. I kept getting mountains of mail for 88 Nelson Street (Obviously they could only read numbers). The bloody sorting office was 100 metres from my house. I complained loads of times and took the mail back and gave it to them face to face. One time I was missing something I'd been waiting for. I said I wanted the postie to go to Nelson Street and ask all the people if they'd received it (Nelson street was a tenament, so about 8 flats; Copeland Rd was a house).

The post woman replied, "Oh, there's no point, there's nobody living there with your name!" She just couldn't get it when I pointed out there was nobody in my house with any of the names of the dozens of people living in Nelson Street.

for our amusement please let us know when/if they ever arrive.

Yippee! Both arrived this week. Only two weeks, not that bad! I'm still waiting for the photos posted from US in November.
Trevek   
31 Dec 2009
Life / Do Polish workers have post-Christmas break? [12]

Do Polish postal workers have a break or something after christmas?

Considering before Christmas i sent some stuff to UK which took about 4 days to arrive (normal) I am always amazed at how late things arrive coming the other way (if they arrive at all).

I received notice of an Amazon order being dispatched on 22nd but on 31st I still have no sign of it. Likewise, a number of items posted before then still haven't arrived.

Is this normal or is there some kind of post-christmas build up which explains the delays?
Trevek   
29 Dec 2009
Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [267]

As for Poland, yeah foreigners are welcome, rarely into family circles but as friends etc yes.

Hmm, not sure I agree there. Many of the foreigners (Germans, Americans, Canadians, Brits, French) I know in Poland are (or were) married to locals.
Trevek   
29 Dec 2009
Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [267]

I've been present when Black people have been brought to some small villages in recent years. Like you say, they are like tourist attractions. In one village we heard people from neighbouring villages were dressing up in their sunday best and taking a walk to see if they could see any Black people.

On the same occassion we had to warn the group of young British Blacks, who came as part of an arts/social project, that they would be entering a place where few people had seen or met a Black person face-to-face. It was necessary because these lads had never been in a place where there were no other Blacks, and the constant attention from passers-by (even in the town) was irritating them. Funnily enough, I'm from Britain and grew up in a very mixed area, but even I look if I see a Black person in town, it being rather uncommon.
Trevek   
20 Aug 2009
Life / Polish movies with English subtitles [87]

A numer of recent mainstream Polish films have been issued on DVD with English subtitles.
Ranczo, Da Vinci, Angels in Krakow, Ogniem i Mieczem and loads more.

What's annoying is that British/US films issued by Polish firms such as monolith DON'T have English subtitles, just Polish lektor and Polish subs.
Trevek   
4 Mar 2009
History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [582]

Germany will give 1 million euros for badly needed restoration work at the Auschwitz death camp museum in neighboring Poland, where more than one million Jews perished during World War Two.

The ironies of history... built by Poles (as an army barracks), extended by Germans, (partly) destroyed by inmates and (partly) dismantled by Germans, rebuilt by Poles (as a museum) and now refurbished/restored by Germans.

Since only Jews perished there, it is sort of a Jewish cemetary. One would think Israel would be concerned and help maintain it.

What about the Poles who were first housed there, the Gypsies et al? Anyway, I thought Israel was more into collecting Jewish items, like the Bruno Schulz murals. Maybe they could transport the whole camp over there.
Trevek   
3 Mar 2009
Life / Olsztyn life; I'm Indian and I like the place [43]

are there any polish language schools in olsztyn, where would my husband try for work he is polish

I think there are only one or two schools which offer Polish to foreigners. That being said, there might be work either through the university or privately. Companies like Michelin have a number of French and British workers who need teaching. The local library organisation also has a number of exchange volunteers who sometimes need classes.

There ar a number of language schools offering a variety of languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch, English, Russian etc).

The number of non-Polish is growing, so there would probably be a greater call for Polish classes.

For anyone asking about the weather in may, well it can be warm and sunny (can also be wet). What is certain is that the spring is there and the forsts are wonderful places.

Lived here for 6 years.
Trevek   
1 Mar 2009
Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

it's the Brits who are too polite

True. I've realised that waiting inbetween two post office kiosks or not forcing my place in a queue is the road to being ignored.

I once stood with my wife in a supermarket queue. she then went to get something else. The women all circumnavigated me and then sternly accused me of pushing in. When I blew my top and said if they flt that way I'd stand at the end of the queue, despite the fact that my wife had been there and that they had all pushed past me, they got a little embarrassed. "Oh yes, there was a lady there, wasn't there?" Then one or two of them insisted that I go infront of them.