Love / 20% of adult Poles are single and live with Mummy! [241]

I can't see any problem with sons and daughters living at home, I have three daughters and we are always delighted to see them. All our daughters are very independent successful women within their own professions, all are financially independent from their husbands. The reason they come home is to relax and chill out, I should imagine the reason for the younger generation living at home, is to save to set themselves up in their own apartments. A reasonable one bedroom apartment in the area I live in London would cost £180,000 plus. So the young person would require a £40,000 deposit in to-days market. When I left home I was sixteen when I bought my first house, my monthly mortgage was half my monthly salary, so it was never easy.

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]


Sokrates that is a question that always puzzle me, Holland and one of the Scandinavian countries were building u boats 250 in number for Germany and what ever the German built themselves. According to the treaty Germany and the other members of the treaty had a limit on capital ships of 19000 tons. Germany built four pocket battleships 45000 tons plus, I can only imagine that international capitalism saw Hitler as some sort of a hammer against communism, Hitler had little interest in the German Navy because they got mauled by the Royal Navy in the 1WW. The German Naval plan of action was to sink merchant shipping and deprive GB of materials, on the 3rd of September the Graf Spree sunk three ships in the South Atlantic. So the Royal Navy was at war from day one, the Kriegsmarine was an unbalanced navy in 1939. she needed another four years to build to full strength then nothing could have stopped her. I have no idea what double dealing was taking place behind closed doors, but Germany showed signs of slipping back into recession in 1938, which was Hitlers main reason for going to war in 1939. If Germany finished her full term of development, he may have had the A bomb and a method of delivery, and an incredible modern army.

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

I have enjoyed this thread very much I enjoy people saying positive things about their countries, rather then the negative which seems to be more fashionable. Today we had the bad news about the plane crash in the Katyń forest, which made me think about my friend her father was a judge in Warsaw. When the Germans and USSR attacked in 1939, her parents and other members of the family were most likely victims of that massacre. I know she believed as I did that it was only military personnel, but I have learned lately that it was anyone that held any kind of higher administrative position. Zosya was a lady of great fortitude and spirit, and she would have gone through hell for kids. She was my friend and like my older sister for 45 years, she died in 2001 the last of all the Poles I knew who had fought for Poland and died in exile. Everyone of them would have given ten years of their lives to have returned to Poland, some of them did and were never heard of again. I will never see Poland because I am to old and not to well, but I will read your threads and keep in touch that way. Maybe someone will post some pictures of the mountains and woodlands of Poland.

Regards

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]


Thank you Sean for your kind comments, and the wonderful links showing the beauty of Poland. I can see why you guys love it and have decided to live there, everything seems easy to access. Krakow looks beautiful Zosya spoke about it a lot, I am now not sure if she lived there, and went to university in Warsaw. Or lived in Warsaw and went and went to university in Krakow, I don't suppose I shall ever know now. I remember her telling me about a picture or statue,of Our Lady Of some place which was very important to Polish people. This image was reproduced in the camp she was in, by a polish artist on the wall of their hut, they did it by cutting up tin cans. She said it gave them hope, she also told me about musicians who played classical music to the prisoners. I don't know if she ever wrote it down, her daughters moved to America and we lost touch. Thanks for your help Sean it was very much appreciated.


Thank you Mr Grunwald for your kind reply and suggestion,

Regards

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]


RN, thank you for your reply I am also a Dublin man who left many years ago, I was sixteen and a bit just left school, and joined the Royal Navy with my pal to see the world. We had visions of being on the same ships and exploring wonderful countries together. Of course it never worked out like that, the next time we saw each other again was 45 years later. As you can imagine we had plenty to talk about.


Eurolo, thank you for the stunning pictures, I enjoyed looking at them very much with your permission I will download them, and keep them in an album.


Darius you are called after a Persian King, are you from Persia a wonderful civilisation that gave so much to the world. You were right Darius it was "The Black Madonna of Czestochowa," I could hear my friend in my mind saying it, but i could not remember the name Czestochowa. When my brother married in Spain in a town called Chipiona in El Andalus, they also had a Black Madonna. Thank you Darius for your help I shall look out for your posts.

Kindest regards to all.

PS I'm not really sad just regretful about all the question I should have asked, and now that I'm older I seem to have more questions then answers.

News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

The strangest thing I find about this incident is why there was so many top officials on one plane, it's like they they were setting themselves up for a disaster. None of us know what happened in that cockpit, Anything could have happened the pilot may even have had a heart attack. All the sabotage theories reminds of when Kennedy was shot, the finger was pointed at all sorts even LBJ. I personally was not sorry to see him removed, he put Britain right in the firing line over the Bay of Pigs we would have been the first to go in Europe. I have no respect for any politician or for the world bank. Or for the saber rattlers on this thread who talk so glibly of war, try it don't fantasize about it they are looking for recruits for Afghanistan. If you get back tell me if you want to go back again.

News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [493]


That was not my experience I fought beside conscripts and they gave a good account of themselves. It's amazing how you will fight when someones trying to kill you. I'm still trying to work out if Crow was a soldier in the Serbian War, like him I feel Serbia had a raw deal............. I am also surprised nobody has mentioned China as a potential aggressor.

News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [493]


Bratwurst Boy, I have no idea how the quote was attributed to you, the statement was made by delphiandomine.

Regards

History / The great mistakes of Poland's history? [216]


Sok Poland was rearming before the war as I'm sure you know, and Britain and France asked them to stop because it could antagonized the Germans. I always believed Poland was betrayed, the main reason for giving Stalin his way with Poland, was America wanted Stalin's help to defeat the Jap's. Not needed in the end because they used the Abomb, you may know other reasons I would be interested to hear them.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


I wish you guys would stop believing everything you read in your respective newspapers, I was in Vietnam. The crap I have read in books, and what was reported by the Magazines and newspapers at the time was fantasy. I served with the Australian Army in the Phuoc Tuy Province, we also served with the Yanks during the Tet Offencive. I never saw any women raped, there was no need the bars were full of girls. We had rules of engagement if we went outside them or anyone in your section, he would get his head kicked in. As regards Katyń Stalin was a vicious count, with everyone around him scared for their lives. Maybe Jed can tell me if this is true Stalin was dead twenty four hours because his aides could pluck up enough courage to knock at his bedroom door. (most likely a lie)

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

Correct me if I'm wrong I read that Hitler held referendums regarding his handling of Germany's affairs, and each time had a 98% yes vote from the public. During the war in Britain Stalin and the Red Army were hailed as the saviours of the free world. After the war they were the devils incarnate ready to conquer and enslave the West. whose interests are we serving.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


Sasha I worked with Russian engineers in London in 1977, we were working on the design and fabrication of two Methanol Plants for Siberia. I have always found that people have more in common when we get to know each other. Only one of the Russian spoke English, and one of our engineers spoke Russian. We went drinking together every Friday night, and had a great time. We also had Russian interpreters about six and a great looking girl from Moscow. One of the interpreters was Fergus Maclean his father was Donand MacLean, the British defector Fergus looked and sounded like Prince Charles?. I went to Moscow and Leningrad in 1982 we had a great time, the Hermitage was amazing.

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]


For years I have always believed the name Ashkenazi was farmer, but I had also heard them referred to by other Jews as German Jews so I stand corrected.

Most of the Polish Jews I met were Hasidic Jews either Polish or Polish descent very nice people when you got past the unfamiliar way they dressed. I remember one guy I got to know and liked, I asked him why they only employed each other. He said because of their religous observances no Christian employer would put up with it so they employed each other. The reason I asked him this question was because some of the guys were saying "bloody Jews they all stick together" they only employ each other. Low level anti-semitism the type of crap one used to hear every day without an ounce of thought behind it. Like a statement I read on this tread of someone who visited a mans home who happened to be Jewish and had paintings on his on his walls. And his statement was "Whats this with the Jews and paintings" well a bit of news for you mate lots of people buy paintings. I'm an Irishman and I have paintings hanging on my walls, some thing that gives me and others pleasure.

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]


I was over there three years ago, and I was not very impressed with the centre of the city and the spike in the middle of O'Connell Street. So we drove outside Dublin during the day, and spent our evenings around Clontarf were I grew up. The time prior to that was 1982 which was a much better Dublin then the one I found in 2007.


That was something I was more aware of the next year, when I went with my brother and not my wife. We went on a trip down memory lane visiting all our old favourite watering holes, the only one of the few that retained its character was Toners. The only change was old Mr Toner was long gone but they still did a great pint of the black stuff. And we did find the younger men were more racist then the woman as it is in London. Its sad really spending all that energy on hate instead of getting on with their lives and moving forward. My brother was mentioning the other day that we are due another visit to Dublin, we were thinking around Autumn it would be really nice to meet you and have a few in The Bailey. I hope you are feeling a bit better, and make a complete recovery soon.

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]


M-G I think that was Vernon Avenue I lived on St Lawrence's Avenue right at the top on the left hand side. It was a great place for a kid to grow up, St Ann's estate was our playground and Dollymount beach for swimming and hunting rabbits. Our local pub when we were old enough was the The Yacht which served a great pint of Guinness. Toners is in Baggot Street it has not changed since the 1920's, I'm sure you will like it and the food's not bad. Take care I'm glad you are feeling better.

History / Poles and (Polish) Jews... Victims of war... and beyond [380]


I heard the punishment for helping a Jew in Poland was the immediate execution of your whole family. The number of people recognized in the yad Vashem who helped the Jews is 5742. It would take an extraordinary type of person to risk their families life for a stranger maybe if it was just my own life I don't know?

History / Poles and (Polish) Jews... Victims of war... and beyond [380]


"Sophie's Choice" was written by William Styron an American protestant the film was not as good as the book but stuck pretty close to it.


In 1937 the Polish government showed interest in the Nazi Madagascar plan but never had any plans to exterminate the Jews. The invasion in 1939 brought the Polish Catholics and the Polish Jews closer then they had ever been.

All countries in the West were antisemitic at that time to some degree other groups were consumed with hate. Like the Blackshirts in Britain who were attacking the Jews in the poor areas were they lived but the Jews fought back and beat them off the streets.

History / Poles and (Polish) Jews... Victims of war... and beyond [380]


I used the word antisemitic wrongly in the context of the general Irish and British people it was more of a perception of what they thought a Jewish person was. On the same basis as someone might make a remark a Thick Paddy or a Tight Scotsman a generalisation and that was the level of it.

Has any historian ever worked out why the Nazi's moved so early in the war on the final solution. Just to write that sentence sends a shiver through me of course the men who made these decisions did not have to carry to carry out their dirty work. It is a question that has always puzzled me the Germans being such a methodical race and all the Germans I have known have been nice caring intelligent people.

History / Poles and (Polish) Jews... Victims of war... and beyond [380]


I don't think it would have mattered where the disabled were murdered the outcry would have been from the parents relatives and friends of the victims. The Jews were a different

situation they were removed en block so there was no one left to complain or even bother.

[ the idea at first was simply shoot them, but when they tried that, it became too expensive[/quote]

When they began shooting the Jews they dug massive pits lined the victims up and machine gunned them. The people doing the killing started to suffer from stress related illness's. I have seen documentaries were Himmler attended and he was even discussed it was at that point when they decided to find another method of disposal.

Any normal person who has been in a war and has had to kill people as I have will understand how there would be a massive stress factor killing defenceless people. When we were in action we were firing at targets who had guns in their hands trying to kill us. They cease to become targets and become people after the action when you go out to clear up the area and get the body count.

As regards the AK not helping the ZZ the Jewish underground I don't believe this the AK helped to arm them. After the fall of the Warsaw ghetto the ZZ operated in a much wider sector. I knew a Polish couple who were in the AK most of their work was sabotage not taking the Germans on in battle which would have been suicide. I have also spoken to Polish Jews who were helped to escape by the AK I even worked with one who told me all about it. I am not saying what I'm writing was everyone's experience its the experiences of the people I knew who were there.

Study / Rumor about racism - will I be fine in Poland as a black International student from Africa? [245]

Sean this is the second or third time you have warned Africans off regarding the risks of blacks being hospitalised in the UK is this your contribution to immigration control. As regards the guy who started the thread he's just a wind up merchant if he has been going out with Turkish and Greek woman and has not been warned off that Island has changed since I was there. But maybe that's why he wants to leave, if you go to Poland play it safe stick to the students union forget the clubs and local birds.

News / "POLISH death camps" term used by "Parade Magazine" Anti-Polish Bigots [249]


Hi skysoulmate I really enjoyed your post and thanks for the link to that nice Jewish lady. I have known many Poles most were of the generation who fought with General Anders and some with the AK. And only once did I ever here any anti Jewish comments made and that was by a guy who was brain damaged from the war. He used to blame the Jews for Hitler attacking Poland and to argue with him was a waste of time but the poor guy was damaged and who could blame them after a war like that.

Around this time the early sixty I did a lot of work for Jews mainly Polish Hasidic Jews one day I was talking to a young guy and an old man.The old man got upset and started to cry when he left us I asked my friend if I had upset him. He said no their is a lot of them cry when they talk about Poland because they are home sick. In the six months I worked in that area of London I can't remember anyone saying a bad word about Polish Christians. I was not aware about any anti-Jewish or anti-Christian feelings in Poland until I joined this forum.

I found this forum by accident looking for information on Poland to understand about the USSR occupation. To see if the Soviets tried to suppress the peoples religion and to hear it from from Poles and not get it second hand. Most of the guys I knew never saw Poland again a lot of them died in their sixties from chest complaints my mate said it was from the bad conditions in the gulags.

In my opinion it is totally unjust for that rag to refer to them as Polish Death Camps. Maybe it is the time for the Polish Government to make a direct challenge about the ownership of these sites. I don't see why Poland should have to suffer this insult when they had nothing to do with the construction of them and her citizens were murdered in them.

News / "POLISH death camps" term used by "Parade Magazine" Anti-Polish Bigots [249]


I agree with what you say people have to take ownership of this protest themselves Which I have done today not as a Pole but as an Irishman I have written to the "Parade Magazine" stating my protest. I have never been to Auschwitz-Birkenau so I know nothing about the tour and I don't know if it is directed mainly at the Jewish victims and if the other victims are forgotten about. My friend was in a Nazi concentration camp and she told me about the lines of huts they were they were housed in mostly AK prisoners. And the terrible conditions they had to endure the starvation which caused their teeth to fall out and their periods to stop. She told me about an all woman orchestra that played at the camp I discovered only last week that Zorya was at Birkenau because that was the only camp with an all lady orchestra. She may have told me the name and I had forgotten It was over fifty years ago since she told me and she is no longer with us. I am now crying thinking of this and the insult to her and my other friends. I will stop now because I find it difficult to see the screen.

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]

Religious Jews live in Jewish enclaves because of their strict observance to the Torah, and the Talmud. Which would make it very difficult for them, to live within a Christian or secular neighborhood. Not impossible just very difficult, frum Jews (religious Jews) lives are completely governed by what is written in the Torah.

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]

In the 16th century most of the population could not read, I think some of the sentiments expressed by Martin Luther and the educated classes, who had access to Jewish scriptures and could read Hebrew or common Greek. Some of the writings are not nice reading for the Christians who considered themselves the true religion.

PS I hope you can understand this, I don't know how to put your quotes in boxes

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]

Of course you are right the Jews would not write hate-literature about themselves, I was referring to the Christian educated classes. I am aware the Jews were used as political scape-goats, by the ruling classes, sometimes to redirect revolts againist themselves. And by the Church to emphasise that the way to salvation, lay with them the Christian Church. Other wise the Christians would have wiped them out in Europe long before that. The Jews were kept alive in Europe because they were an easy mark, to blame when time got tough.

I hope you are keeping well M-G and your health has improved.

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]


Zimmy Poland was the only country occupied by Germany that had a death sentence for helping or sheltering a Jew. And Poland has the highest number of rightest among the genitals in the Holocaust Museum in Israel over 6000. Poland took the greatest bashing during the war, and was sold down the drain after the war. And the Jews should remember 80 million people died during the war. And the only victims we ever hear about are the Jews, this is not to minimise what happened what happened to the Jews, but the others should be remembered also.

History / Let's talk about the POLISH ARMY [79]


Nobody is asking you for sympathy Muslim.

Life / Cannabis / Weed in Poland... How much does marijuana cost per gram and how easy is to get it? [355]


Memory Lane, I remember going to a Pink Floyd gig in the early seventies, the laser show was great and the music was amazing. And we had a few joints before we went there, most likely Thai-sticks or Paki-black.

History / Polish history is 100% glorious [297]

M-G that might be the Dutch view of what happened but not the true facts, King Billy as the Ulster Orange men call him. Invaded Britain with the help of seven English protestant politicians known as the Seven Immortals. One of them being Winston Churchill's ancestor, James11 was William's father-in law and uncle, and William was married to Mary James daughter, and Williams first cousin. The reason for the Invasion was James wife had a baby boy, which knocked Mary out of line for the succession for the throne. He arrived in Britain with an army of 16000 men,and was joined with an other army supplied by the English traitors. The rightful King was deposed he went to Ireland to raise an army, and was defeated at the Battle OF THE BOYNE. William was crowned King of England, and one of his first royal acts, was to sign a law that no catholic would ever be Prime Minister of England.