Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]


This is why it was surprising to me when the Polish ministry of climate and environment recently approved a one-off payment of 630 euros for households that use coal as a primary source of heating. It's almost as if they are encouraging people to stay on the coal needle. In a market economy, extremely high prices for coal should encourage a move towards renewables. It is true that people will suffer in the short term, but the pain is necessary for hard decisions to be made.

To me, it's not clear who is being protected - Polish miners, or Polish consumers.

Edit: Regarding wood... Do you realize that it produces 30%+ more CO2 emissions than coal? For a person that seems to care about the environment, it's surprising to hear you use the dirtiest possible fuel.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

@pawian

When I said that it's not as simple as PiShead incompetence, I meant factors such as:

1) Polish coal is of inferior quality, and located at much greater depths than Russian coal (read: more expensive to extract)

2) PiS is trying to reorient coal freight to Poland's river systems, as rail is already overloaded and necessary for transporting other commodities. The problem is the Natura 2000 EU regulations which do not allow for the upgrading of transport infrastructure on the Oder and Vistula. Add to this historically low river levels, which means barges have to be loaded lightly. Otherwise, transport by river barge is cheaper and many times more environmentally friendly than auto or rail transport.

3) Polish miners have already stated that it's not possible to grow production to a level necessary to cover lost Russian imports.

4) Importing coal from Colombia or South Africa, when logistics are included, results in a price to the consumer that is even higher than the 2,500 zlotys mentioned above (I read about 3,000).

P.S. - @Pawian - do you use coal or gas to heat?

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

Merged:

Poland and Coal

Dearest PF members,

I'm curious to collect your opinions on Poland's special relationship with coal.

From a DW article published today:

Poland uses 10 million tons of coal a year to heat households - a whopping 87% of all coal consumed in EU homes in 2019, according to the Warsaw-based independent think tank Forum Energii. About half of this is extracted domestically, while Russia used to make up about 40%, or 3.9 million tons a year.

While the rest of Europe is discussing how to wean itself off Russian gas and oil, Poland surprises (as it tends to do) with its own unique set of challenges. The Świnoujście LNG terminal, and Baltic Pipe, seem to have done very little towards protecting Polish energy consumers. While Morawiecki lectures Germany and France regarding their naïveté vis-a-vis Russia, it emerges (suddenly) that Poland is itself compromised.

An elderly couple was interviewed for this article. Quote:

Barbara and Witold Walesa - a retired couple who lives in the small town of Deblin, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Warsaw - have recently shifted to natural gas as their main fuel source for heating. They use coal only as a top-up reserve when they need it.

"It's up to about 2,500 zlotys, about four times higher than last year," Barbara told DW. "We are probably OK, but some won't be when it gets cold."

How did this state of affairs come to be? I know Pawian will say that it is the fault of PiSheads, but if one is to be objective and honest - this cannot be the whole reason.

As Poland searches the world for coal, from South Africa, Indonesia, to the United States - what are the attitudes of the local population towards this traditional, yet dirty form of energy and heat? What lessons can be extracted?

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

@Lyzko

Wow! Whenever I think you could not possibly be more obtuse - you surprise by achieving evermore breathtaking levels of stupidity. I studied English exclusively through non-native academic types that you seem to hate so much, until I finally arrived in the United States. In my time here, there's been many occasions where I had to correct the locals regarding grammar and proper terminology.

The idioms that you hold up as an indicator of an unachievable level of authenticity, need only be explained once.

News / Lukashenko - removes graveyard - AK resistance fighters [51]

@Kashub1410

I will violate my vow of radio silence to say this is absolutely disgusting if true. Idiotic, wrong, and embarrassing.

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]


Well yes, I'm not saying it's a good proxy, but unlike the video you shared it will be watched by many millions. The average person can't be expected to watch a 25 minute video about a subject removed 70 years. The short rap video, however, can awaken discussion amongst the multitudes that would rather carry on with their lives.

The resonance of the Kazakh video I shared above was twofold. Number one on the corruption side (where the bureaucrat gives his kid a lego of an uncompleted monorail). Two, on the Covid side (nobody in charge actually followed the rules). This - contrasted to the executed ancestors, started a discussion on how venal society had become, compared to just recently when people were willing to give their life for an idea of a better country. Finally, that no matter what happened (Russians in first part of video beating Kazakh detainee), you need to keep walking into the future together (the rest of the video where the Russian features). Kazakhstan went a completely different path than Ukraine in dealing with its past. Kazakhstan suffered proportionally more from the event the Ukrainians call the Holodomor.

So there should be not just hate and sadness, but also some call to action to be better in the present. To work hard harder towards a better future.

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

@GefreiterKania

Here's a video you should watch. Unfortunately this is not Russian, but Kazakh. However, I am sure that 90% of the views under this video are Russian.

This is the right way to do a Polish history of Katyn. A Ukrainian way to do Holodomor.

Irina Kayratovna (brilliant name), shot a video for a song about weed that basically got all of Kazakhstan talking. The group consists of three Kazakhs and one Russian. In this video they show the evolution of Kazakh attitudes to the killing of the Kazakh intelligentsia by the Bolsheviks, and how it went from brutal shootings to grandkids watching it on iPads. Addresses covid, and corruption. You need to have some command of turkic languages to understand, but its not necessary you can just watch pictures.

How do Poles educated the young generation about Katyn?

youtu.be/Jk7Ff9s2nkw

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

@mafketis

Damn, you can see from that album cover that Rostropovich had a complete hard-on for Vishnevskaya!

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]


WOOOOOOW! How did I not know about this guy?

Now your debt for Blok is repaid. You are free, and released from your oath. Be free Kania!

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

Another very entertaining music clip, with a good story. From same Tatar girl as did the Putin joke video above. In this case the song is called "Tatarin", and is about her Tatar boyfriend and his "traditional" views.

Even though he looks like an absolute thug, the main character in the video is actually played by a very artsy photographer.

youtu.be/yQR_NLeXKtw

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

@Cojestdocholery

OMG, this will take me some time to work through. What I can say already, after listening to the first few, is that you - Cojest- most surprisingly are a hopeless romantic!

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

I decided I must inject some culture into this thread.

First song is a cover by a modern band of an old Revolution-era song about kicking the bourgeoisie's ass ( a little tongue in cheek). Nice views of the city from a river point of view

Second song is by a female Tatar singer. The joke of the song, and the music video - is how Putin becomes "reborn" just as his term limit begins to end.

Both videos are high quality productions. The one about Putin won prizes in Cannes and Berlin. Tell me again that we live in a North Korea-like state lol. Worth taking a look:

youtu.be/k7TxSDRqdC4

youtu.be/6vkYvZpTHng

Another music video for people that think Russia is like China or North Korea.

Horror/Goth group ICESPEAK, song titled "Death No More". Beautiful cinematography again, even if the song is a little too out there for my taste. There's a scene where they are sitting on top of riot police shoulders on red square, then one of them eating raw meat on top of Lenin's Mausoleum, and then smoking weed in front of the parliament building while discussing arrests at protests - all while singing about what a depressing place Russia can be. Still not in jail, exiled, or #cancelled.

youtu.be/MBG3Gdt5OGs

History / Why American military aid to Europe and Poland is important to America itself? [221]

More Polish imports in USSR:

1) "Odra" brand jeans
2) Catalogue of "Pollena" cosmetics factory.
3) Polish furniture set.
4) "Start" photo camera.

• 
  C8C39D7A15C54C5BB.jpeg
  
• 
  012981EB83A54450A.jpeg
  
• 
  6039E5D0F55E43A98.jpeg
  
• 
  F709D4110CF44EFDA.jpeg
  

History / Why American military aid to Europe and Poland is important to America itself? [221]


Maybe I need to learn more about trade, but this seems to me a good deal! Much better than if you made Swiss watches and BMWs and we sent you buckwheat and pipe fittings.

Crap for crap shows Russians were not imperial overlords, but honest brokers.

Some photos below of Polish stores and Polish goods in Moscow. There were apparently two prominent Polish stores - Wanda (Ванда) and Polish Fashion (Польская Мода). Popular consumer products were Polish lipstick, toner, and perfumes. Among perfumes the most popular brand was the absolutely hilariously named «Может Быть» and «Быть Может». I would translate this as "Perhaps Possible" and "Possible Perhaps".

In non-cosmetics the most popular Polish import was frozen Polish fruits from the company Hortex.

Can you guys tell me what you imported from USSR?

• 
  B8501F5A40204A958.jpeg
  
• 
  ECDA5E773A3B46209.jpeg
  
• 
  4B7D6BF57CCB43098.jpeg
  
• 
  9141CAD0D206421DA.jpeg
  

News / Poland, Western Europe and the USA - What if Ukraine disappears from the map? [144]


How exactly is it, that you know already in what shape the withdrawn/encircled Ukrainian formations are? From what is being reported by Russian war journalists, they took very heavy losses when withdrawing from the Gorskoye-Zolotoye pocket, and even heavier losses when swimming across the river from Severodonetsk to Lisichansk. Now the group trying to break out from Lisichanks to Seversk and Soledar are taking very heavy losses too, because the roads have been cut and all their escape routes are covered by artillery that's already dialed-in.

One Ukrainian unit commander posted on Facebook that it took him and his men 2 days of running between bushes, and crawling around at night through the tree lines to cross a few kms of terrain before reaching his lines. Again, Russian sources reporting that some withdrawing units took as much as 50% losses.

I think the gloves are off, and now the accent is on breaking the will of the AFU through a few very hot weeks/months.

Alternative explanation (if they really did pull out the majority of formations intact): it doesn't make a difference whether they are encircled now in a smaller pocket consisting of Lisichansk only, or a larger one that would materialize after Russian lines can connect through Slovyansk-Soledar-Artemovsk. Though I agree with you, the Russian army should be raining constant hellfire on them during their retreats.

Finally - the Ukrainian explanation. They have fooled us. Through disinformation in media, they convinced us they were still holding on to Severodonetsk, when in fact for two days they were quietly retreating in small numbers and mining key axis of movement. A small group of rearguard forces continued to make noise to give us the impression of more serious numbers. With their men safe, they continued to calmly watch us expends tens of tons of ammunition daily on empty positions. Finally, a stupid Ukrainian journalist blew the brilliant operation by announcing that Ukrainian soldiers were successfully withdrawn. This triggered the movement of our forces into the city, and the end of this chapter.

You are a smart man, you decide which scenario is plausible.

Life / Polish Classical Music [101]


Ahahahaha. I don't know why, but this was very funny to me. "Orc Music" - lol.

I would imagine it would be Heavy Metal or some Prodigy/Aphex Twin style music.

Life / Polish Classical Music [101]


Apologies in advance for the inquiry - but is there any other Polish composer to discuss?

Life / Polish Classical Music [101]


Interesting. Probably true - Spartacus is big for us ever since the October Revolution. The reason every sports facility in every town is named either Dinamo or Spartak (just joking).

I actually know nothing about this specific piece. Is it tinged with a Russian/Soviet hue everywhere it's produced?

Edit: ok just learned it's a Soviet work. Maybe it was not the NYCB when I watched it but some visiting group?

Life / Polish Classical Music [101]


Both come - I believe... though God knows I'm no specialist in this discipline of sports or arts, or whatever the hell it is. When I went it was NYCB.

Life / Polish Classical Music [101]

@AntV

I went to the NY Philharmonic once or twice. Now they call me twenty times a year asking for an "urgently needed donation" to keep the Philharmonic going. I hate the Philharmonic.

We got three things there, all in one place. The Met Opera, the Philharmonic, and the Ballet. I've been to all three at different points (it's 7 blocks away from my apt). I hated the ballet (went to see Spartacus, expecting some badassery with swords, saw instead a powdered man in tights jumping around). Opera was actually nice, but only because they had LCD screens built into the seat in front with English subtitles. Otherwise I would have fallen asleep. Philharmonic I went to see some German lady play the Bach Cello Suites. Was for a class. Was ok.

Life / Polish Classical Music [101]

Feeling distinctly uncultured while reading through this thread. You people and your erudite takes on music are inspiring to observe!

News / Will America send troops to fight a Russian invasion of Baltics and/or Poland? [283]


Mhmm, kicked our ass so hard they gave away their economic heartland.

From the Wiki article for the Moscow Peace Treaty:

"Finland ceded approximately half of Finnish Karelia, exceeding the amount of territory demanded by the Soviets before the war. The ceded area included Finland's industrial centre, the cities of Viipuri (Finland's second-largest city), Käkisalmi, Sortavala, Suojärvi, and the whole of Viipuri Bay (with its islands).

Finland also had to cede a part of the Salla area, the Finnish part of the Kalastajansaarento (Rybachi) Peninsula in the Barents Sea, and in the Gulf of Finland the islands of Suursaari, Tytärsaari, Lavansaari (now Moshchny Island о. Мощный), Peninsaari (now Maly Island, о. Малый) and Seiskari. Finally, the Hanko Peninsula was leased to the Soviet Union as a naval base for 30 years at an annual rent of 8 million marks. The total area ceded by Finland amounted to approximately 9% of its territory.

The harsh terms imposed on the Finns led them to seek support from Nazi Germany."

Of course, it worked wonderfully when the Finns went in for round 2, with the assistance of their new Nazi friends. The result was the Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948, where Finland agreed to (in addition to all its earlier concessions): "[...] to resist armed attacks by "Germany or its allies" (in reality interpreted as the United States and allies) against Finland, or against the Soviet Union through Finland. If necessary, Finland was to ask for Soviet military aid to do so."

Link:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_Peace_Treaty
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finno-Soviet_Treaty_of_1948

Great success! Now Finns can tell themselves they are heroes, just as Poles can, and soon Ukrainians will be able to.

News / Will America send troops to fight a Russian invasion of Baltics and/or Poland? [283]

Oh my, what a rollercoaster this Finland/Sweden thing is! Do you think Finland and Sweden will put all their exalted values up their ass, and extradite those 73 Kurds to serve time in Turkey? If the stakes are - protecting your own skin, I suppose they might. Europeans, after all, are always "flexible".

• 
  612A5F3045F9479AB.jpeg
  

News / Up to 80 Polish fighters killed in Ukraine [63]

Nothing. Except that Russians usually come to collect, sooner or later, and you should be prepared to pay. Over short time horizons, however - nothing.

Bismarck had something to say about Russia in this regard:

Do not expect that once taking advantage of Russia's weakness, you will receive dividends forever. Russian has always come for their money. And when they come - do not rely on an agreement signed by you, you are supposed to justify. They are not worth the paper it is written. Therefore, with the Russian is to play fair, or do not play.

News / Will America send troops to fight a Russian invasion of Baltics and/or Poland? [283]

@Crow

Hmm. Seems so.

News / Will America send troops to fight a Russian invasion of Baltics and/or Poland? [283]

Hey! This is my old thread! I'm some kind of genius, surely - for anticipating the high relevance of this topic all the way back in 2017.

*pats himself on back*

News / Strange object over Poland's Silesia [27]


Delirium Tremens, known colloquially in some English-speaking countries as "the shakes", or "seeing pink elephants" - is often known to cause visual hallucinations of "little green men". However, we can safely rule out alcohol withdrawal as the reason for these absolutely factual events because as with the farmer and so with the people from Gdynia - all affirmed they were sober on that day.

Food / Polish Pizza !! The best in the world? [330]

@jon357

Your hate for Poland and all things Polish is painfully palpable. But why come online, and in a forum intended for people to share things about Poland, would you come and spew your toxic venom?

Have you not better things to do? Polish pizza makes Poles happy, and ketchup is both nutritious and delicious. Accept it, you imperialist scum.

Food / Polish Pizza !! The best in the world? [330]

@Przelotnyptak1

Ahem... The title of the thread is "Polish Pizza - Best in the World". Please stay on topic.

News / Strange object over Poland's Silesia [27]

@GefreiterKania

Oh sh!t. You told me you were a Pomeranian, but I did not think you were from Gdańsk. Nice man! I really want to visit Gdańsk - all my life been wanting to go there.

Rapidly moving on. It seems you have a somewhat dismissive attitude to Poland's history vis-à-vis unidentified flying objects. Is it so fantastic to you, that people would want to travel the galaxy only to abduct a Polish farmer? Some people already claim that Polish people are extraterrestrials - and if you follow the evidence you will begin to see that it is more than just rumor. Don't hate, if you don't understand.