The BEST Guide to POLAND
Unanswered  |  Archives [3] 
  
Account: Guest

Posts by monia  

Joined: 2 Mar 2012 / Female ♀
Last Post: 2 Mar 2014
Threads: Total: 3 / Live: 0 / Archived: 3
Posts: Total: 212 / Live: 50 / Archived: 162
From: Warsaw
Speaks Polish?: yes
Interests: business, politics, history, geography,arts and crafts

Displayed posts: 50 / page 1 of 2
sort: Oldest first   Latest first   |
monia   
5 Apr 2012
News / History lessons no more in Poland (Tusk's change) [61]

At the age of 17-19 years, the young minds begin to open up to more serious issues of political nature: civic responsibility, national loyalty and betrayal, and it is time when you start talking to them about difficult issues, at this age they will be able to better understand the complexity of history – but they will not have history lessons at this age any more.

For most young Poles picture of the history will have to be stopped at an infantile level.

Future engineers, doctors, scientists, even lawyers will have a knowledge of history at the level of a child.
These days to enter to the faculty of law it is not required to pass history even on the basic level , the future holder of the Master Degree in Law will be half illiterate .

Before the reforms in the high school in the basic version there were 240 hours of history throughout 4 year cycle. Currently it is 60 hours.

They seem trivial to me, in this context, disputes over The Museum - European House, which is to be built in Brussels. A couple, maybe a few dozen spectators from across Europe, will have the opportunity to see the Battle of Grunwald, or about the partitions. Will you see there any other Polish names outside of Lech Walesa and a woman in the seventeenth century, burned at the stake (the symbol of Polish intolerance)????

European history is full of such cases, but why was it chosen as a Polish example? Only some technocrats from EU might know, probably trying to hide these dark ages reality and shed it on other less affluent countries .Thanks to this trick in years to come, young students will find out that only Poland burned people on the stakes. Ufff…….that`s beyond my comprehension.

Without a new generation of educated Poles, this empty space which will remain after washing out the history from high schools will be filled in by simplistic thinking. There will be a very fertile field, for speculations such as theories of conspiracy. The mind left without historical background will go through a disturbing trail of suspicions.

Were there any historians among these reformers - a President of the Polish Historical Society, and maybe the chairman of the Committee of Historical Sciences, or Dean of the Faculty of History at the Jagiellonian University? Professors - Chwalba, Paczkowski, Samsonowicz, Tazbir, No ………….it does not matter.

It is important that it was “a 100 people “commission!!!!! This figure validates their competence. So this was important. And it is financed, with very specifically indicated sources: the European Social Fund.

Polish Ministry of Education already is too poor to finance work on the same subject.

But the “future assistance” will be received and the work has been completed.

The “ future assistance “ to erase national unity , identity , civic responsibility and national loyalty, aiming the straight way to create gray masses without their own views , easy to control .
monia   
5 Apr 2012
News / History lessons no more in Poland (Tusk's change) [61]

Why don`t you mention guys who support the reform? They are equally notable historians and experts.

Not in my opinion .

Come to any high school in Poland and try to talk to students like that. I assure you, they will consider you an alien who dropped from another galaxy. :):):):)

I have no doubts that there are enlightened minds around us , knowledge- hungry young people , but I am talking about future elite . There won`t be any , I guess. I perfectly realize the fact, without visiting your school , how poor historical background Polish students have in general. It referes not only to history but general knowledge .

The Polish school continues to be a place where memorizing of prepared knowledge and its enforcement takes place , which scope is determined by authorities and teachers. The school will not be a place where the students' own knowledge of the surrounding reality is created .

The scope of the modernization of the system is done only by another shortening of the period of general education.

The great flaw of the educational reform lies in releasing a large number of graduates with relatively low key competencies in general knowledge .

Will early specialization change this situation? I doubt it.

Besides, I wonder whether the Ministry has got any scientific evidence proving that at the age of sixteen the student knows who he wants to be in the future and therefore he can start the stage of specialized training, in preparation for certain higher education.

What will happen to a high school student who will choose the first class on literature, and before graduation will change his/her mind and want to study at the polytechnic?

Is the age of 16 enough to determine the life`s future ?
monia   
8 Jul 2012
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

I don't show off, act different or in an odd way. You are missing the point where other countries were much welcoming and pretty nicer to incomers. Why is it just Poland?!

That`s a lie , Polish medical universities admit foreign students without the same procedures as they admit Polish , for the prosaic reason they want to get more money in their budgets . The state doesn`t care much about your education , because you will go back to your countries and treat your own citizens on your own responsibility .

You are an Arab and that`s a fact without any doubt . It doesn`t matter what country you come from it is irrelevant . What`s more important is the fact that you just come from a different background than most Polish people come from and you should know that.

We are very homogenious country and in smaller cities there is a great chance that people have never seen black or coloured people in their entire lives . You should be prepared for some curiosity and shouldn`t be surprised by the lack of universal knowledge of English language in such places . English is spoken widely in larger cities , for farmers don`t speak in English with their neighbors . I don`t see the point why would old people have the ability of speaking different languages . In Poland students have the possibility to choose from many languages to learn during the entire course of education . It is not only English , but it is German and French too . So when you meet a person who doesn't speak English it means he/she chose other foreign language to study at school .

You possess so little knowledge about Poland that you don`t even know that for many years the universal foreign language for Polish children was the Russian language . That`s why older people don`t speak English at all . The other thing learning other languages is not very popular as we don`t have too many emigrants ( contrary to the countries you mentioned ) and Polish government institutions don`t deal with foreigners too frequently except maybe Warsaw where they have more cases especially at immigration center at Długa street in Warsaw .

Polish people are modest and even rich people don`t show off their money . You are obviously poor but your state pays for you tuitions and allowances . So , you should be modest and very grateful for that .

You hate Olsztyn people and I know why .
By coincidence I have a friend who was admitted to med faculty for foreigners and I know some details . Most of the students are Arabic . They show off their money and this situation is difficult to bear for local boys because they make in most cases as little as 1200 zl a month . Secondly you are not appreciated by Polish med students at all . You know why : because they had to score at least 90 % of extended exams from biology , chemistry and physics at it is extremely tough to get it . But you didn`t have to do it . Your story about hard exams is just untrue and we both know what I am talking about .

Poland is not different from other countries . The difference is that there are not too many Arabs living here . The other thing is that young girls like you for your government`s money, lols and that`s why you get so much attention .Your financial situation remains in a sharp contrast the Polish boys are in , because they can`t afford to take their girlfriends for a night out in the best club in Olsztyn . This is not a big city and that English Division at med faculty has become famous for treating locals especialy boys with superiority over the years . So , this unkind response you got was earnestly worked for by you and your colleagues .

You are surprised why Hipis wanted so much Polsh passport . I will answer you. I am not sure you will understand that though , maybe it will not give him much benefits as you are saying , but for some people money is not the most important thing in life there are other more important values ,
monia   
17 Jul 2012
Life / What's wrong with Poland? I don't see anything. [121]

All I've learned here is that English speaking Americans of vaguely Polish descent hate Poland for reasons they cannot explain.

Your description is very accurate , but I must inform you for your well being that most of Poland`s haters who post on PF are not Americans of Polish descent but expats mostly from Great Britain who came to Poland to teach English , but because they barely can make ends meet they are very frustrated , because they didn`t become selfmade millionaires and the only one thing that keeps them alive is the idea of bashing Poles . What a pity that this attitude can`t apply to Poles who can`t say any negatives about Britain !

.Now all their frustration they spill on Poles or Polonia posters . The norm and adopted rule here is bashing everybody who gives any positive approach to Poland.
monia   
17 Jul 2012
Life / What's wrong with Poland? I don't see anything. [121]

his site is full of people with an agenda

Of course , you are right , but the majority of those people with agenda come from UK. Americans are more objective than them in my opinion. On the other hand there are posters from UK who are objective too .
monia   
5 Jan 2013
Travel / Castles and Palaces in Poland (with pictures) [155]

The level of constant endeavors to diminish our heritage among some of you amazes me. An example is in this thread. So, I will try to bring some historical facts about Malbork.

Firstly
Of course Malbork castle is the biggest castle in the world. A simple Google in the internet will provide you with the proper information. Malbork is the biggest – no question about it.

Secondly
Why do you diminish our pride by saying – zee Germans built it?
We have the right to boast with Malbork too, why, just read this:
Zee Germans had this obsessive idea of settling on Polish territory from the beginning of modern Europe, but their endeavors were always build on treachery and bribery .The story of Teutonic Order was not different. After the fall of the Latin countries, the Crusade`s military orders have moved their headquarters to Europe. Initially placed their headquarters in Hungary, in 1226 year , the order was brought by Prince Conrad Mazowiecki to Poland to fight against Prussian pagan tribes ( Prussian pagan tribes were not Germanic ).

Baltic Prussians were tribes who inhabited the territory of present Mazury, Kaliningrad areas, the area of Samogitia (now Lithuania). Prussians did not adopt Christianity; often raided Polish lands especially Mazovia, the raids were the main reason to bring the Knights to Poland by Prince Conrad Mazowiecki. People of Prussia were exterminated by the Teutonic Knights in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, some Prussians assimilated with the Poles and Lithuanians. This is a joke to claim by Germans that the lands of present Mazury region was their, while the truth is so different - the first settlers were Prussian tribes which were totally perished with the hands of Teutonic order – doubtfully German people. After the killing of Prussian tribes the settlement of peasants from Poland , Czech and Germany started .

Kingdom of Poland after many years of fights with Teutonic order defeated them and resolved the order. It was in 1525. The last Grand Master of the Order (Teutonic) in power over the state - Albrecht Hohenzollern, turned the State of the Teutonic Order in the secular state (Prussia) and became its ruler (prince). At the same time paid homage to his uncle Sigismund the Old, king of Poland. So as you see our king was the Master`s uncle. So our relations with longtime enemies were changing over the time and at that time, we as a state were so powerful and could decide about the future of the new state of Prussia which paid us a homage.

Going back to the subject of Malbork, as a payment for their fight with Prussian tribes the knights received from the Polish Duke in land tenancy, a region of Chelmno. With the help of forged documents obtained by the Knights, the Pope (believe it or not, he possessed such power in those times) confirmed that Chelmno was their land and the pagans too.

Malbork castle was sold in 1457 to the Polish king Casimir the Jagiellonian for the amount of 190,000 florins (approximately 660 kg of gold) by the Czech mercenary commander Ulrich, which had a lock on the lien in exchange for overdue wages, in default of the payment of the Teutonic Knights order. Polish king triumphantly entered the castle on June 7, 1457. From then on, until 1772 - partitioning of Poland was one of the residences of Polish kings.

As you can see we could destroy the castle, plunder it or level to the ground, but instead we dealt with it in a legal way - we paid for it. If the house changes its owner in a legal way the buyer becomes his legal owner. So why can`t we be proud of our property? If this property was being well kept and renovated over the centuries by Poles it has become our pride too. You will not change the history.

It has been built on Polish soil , on a land given in tenancy by Polish duke , with Polish bricks and other materials by different nationalities , then legally bought by Polish king .
monia   
5 Jan 2013
Travel / Castles and Palaces in Poland (with pictures) [155]

You are Czech aren`t you ?

It needs an average IQ level person to comprehend something different after reading my post and come to some conclusions as follows:
1 having defeated Germanic order after 200 years of fighting we could do anything with the castle and pay nothing , but Polish King along with the nobles was an honored person and he felt it was a dishonor not to pay for such a huge structure ( sic!) to a lawful creditor who was not connected with sleazy Germanic order but a legal owner of the castle of that time for their unpaid debts . So the money didn`t go to the Germanic order. What a joke of fate . If they paid their debts we would have taken it over for free.

2 Polish people are not thieves like Germans or Swedes who were plundering our land and whatever couldn`t be taken away and moved to their country it was burned down by them. Those plundered Polish national tresures are kept as theirs in their museums with brazen writtings attached - "spoils of the wars ". Swedes robbed all original works of Mikołaj Kopernik and keep them till today with no intention to return . Napoleon was the same thief and he stole national treasures from Italy , now the whole Louvre is packed with the greatest Italian paitings like Mona Lisa and many others .

The only answer to you is such - because we have morals !

Maybe you Czechs don`t even understand what it means as you helped to Teutonic Knights and fought along with them against Poles as mercenary soldiers . Some of your countrymen were not paid for that service , thats why the huge debt aroused . But it doesn`t need to be smart to conclude that there were a lot of Czechs fighting for the order if the debt for unpaid pay was worth 650 kg of gold .
monia   
10 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

As a group of people it is easier to determine our Polish heritage , not only by clothes, but by the colour of hair or eyes and the structure of face . But honestly Polish look is so diversified that it is very hard to guess if you look just at the certain individual . But if you look at the group of Polish youths you can see some common features , for me it means rather slim and oval face with not strong but instead oval or pointy jaw with light eyes and hair , with mouth rather normal neither big nor small . If I was to compare Polish with British kids I would say that the main difference would be such that having protrusive eyes and teeth is a feature almost unseen among Polish and such feature happens among British as well as Dutch . Also red heads with pale skin are very rare among Polish almost unencountered .

Secondly this types of men and women which are so visible in GB after the year 2004 are rare now in Poland. The majority of them have left Poland . It is very true that they were loudy , bad-mannered I would say primitive , and since few years I `ve noticed a sharp decline of such people strolling around shopping centres in Warsaw . In the early 2000 I was almost haunted and intimidated by such look .

This trend of truck suit douchebags became popular in Poland in the early nineties , Now our society is very much changed . If you walk around any mall you will notice people dressed as any average European .

I am not talking about ladies , because they dress with better dress code as their counterparts from other parts of Europe . It is not only my perception.

In Italy or Spain the natives say that Polish women are perceived as classy and stylish in most cases very well dressed .


  • 800pxNastolatki1.JP.jpg

  • polska_u21.jpg
monia   
10 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

alexnye

So . your statement just proves that you can`t determine northern European nationality just by their look , with Southern European it would be much easier ,because of the skin complexion
monia   
10 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

Does she have Polish ancestry ?


  • ambr.jpg
monia   
10 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

alexnye

Do you think she is a mixture of Polish and Pakistani ancestry ?
monia   
10 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

No. She's British.

Any other clues ?
monia   
11 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

Zetigrek asked you about the picture I posted in #1306 post . My personal picture is still in my profile , just different one .
monia   
11 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

Her mother or father is Polish.

You are right , haha :) How did you find out ?
monia   
11 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

I can spot a Polish women miles away ;))

The general perception of Polish look is very biased and generalized to one red neck type look of a man or some sluttish type of a woman you may find in London near Polish bars and restaurants. . Many of them would never guess that one of the most internationally acclaimed model is in fact very much Polish , having as a matter of fact Polish mother .
monia   
11 Jan 2013
Genealogy / Polish looks? [1410]

Race or Ethnicity: Maori, English, Scottish, Norwegian, Irish, German, Welsh, Swedish

You haven`t even watched that movie , have you ? It was not about his ancestry at all . Some people were promoting Poland before Euro 2012 . Some of them were Polish . This is what the movie is all about .
monia   
13 Jan 2013
News / Predictions about Poland for 2013 [85]

Although I don`t agree with Jon many times , I have to admit that he is right . You , Warszawski , are quite wrong on the subject . The article refers to all Polish immigrants arrived in UK after 2004 . I do not understand why you are so willingly denying this obvious fact. What is the meaning of your senseless dispute over obvious data .
monia   
13 Jan 2013
News / Predictions about Poland for 2013 [85]

Re read the thread and then you will realize you are agreeing with me. Jon357 in his typical fashion is attempting to ' brow beat' the meaning of the word ' recently'.

No , I still don`t agree with you , because it was you who said
warszawski:
800,000 Poles have recently arrived in the UK and him challenging you about the recent figures as 40 000. Recent doesn`t mean since 2004 .
monia   
13 Jan 2013
News / Predictions about Poland for 2013 [85]

Recent can mean what you wish it to at the time of print. If you would like to contact the author of the article who is Polish I am sure she will advise you on her interpretation of the meaning of the word recent/ly in the context of her work.

This man awkwardly used a word "recent" in quite different context , but he meant recent number comparing with overall number as everybody knows that Polish immigrants were flocking to UK earlier ( before 2004 ).

Why can`t you admit this obvious fact . I don`t see the point of arguing any longer over this .
monia   
30 Jan 2013
Travel / Castles and Palaces in Poland (with pictures) [155]

Reconstructed castle in Bobolice:

Amazing piece of architecture and incredible reconstruction work . Very nice .

One advantage of comunism in Poland was that such castles became national treasures opened to everyone and serving to all people as museums, not just wealthy prince and his family . Nationalization in this sector was a boon for the people and the art itself.
monia   
11 Feb 2013
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

CIA`s look at Central Europe

Poland is located not in the west or east but in the very heart of Europe. Classification of Poland as Eastern sounds always derogatory as it brings always cold war era naming to my mind.

Well-read person will always know that we are central European country.

central2013.eu


  • Central_Europe_in_CI.png
monia   
12 Feb 2013
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

it doesn't. Why do you think the word eastern is derogatory? By saying something like that you are showing disrespect for all the great cultures and nations from Ukraine to Japan. It is just a name and it's neutral. I don't understand what's the problem with Poland being a part of Eastern Europe, it actually is, it's not Western Europe for sure, and I'm fine with that, why can't you be?

You don`t understand a bit of what I`ve said . I suppose most of people here understood my explanation. I suppose that you are not Polish so you can`t feel the undertones of such naming .

I will say it clearer- it doesn`t matter where Poland is located if someone , 20 years after the fall of the iron curtain , still uses this east- west differentiation which was strictly political , it means for me that this individual uses such language for his agenda mainly to stigmatize Poles as backward nation coming from a country located behind the iron curtain - I don`t need to dwell on this subject any further .

Europe UN

Where have you found it , in your closet ? Without any link this map could be 50 years old , so don`t bother .
monia   
12 Feb 2013
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

It is too bad that you didn`t cite their explanation . They clearly inform you what it means and where it comes from - the name "eastern" . So they give many definitions but they also say that name eastern Europe is volatile .

Eastern Europe is the eastern part of the European continent. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region".[1] A related United Nations paper adds that "every assessment of spatial identities is essentially a social and cultural construct".[2]

The one who created this site forgot that there is central Europe too . So it is outdated and irrelevant to today`s Europe .
monia   
12 Feb 2013
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

Crochet - east- west does not exist any more . Such differentiation finished more than 20 years ago . So only backard people use this term . I love Poland and I know the value of Polish people , I appreciate our past , our history , our heritage . I am very proud of being a Polish lady , lol. So you don`t need to explain to me anything .

From the same site which TheOther cited we can read -

Contemporary developments

The fall of the Iron Curtain brought the end of the East-West division in Europe,[21] but this geopolitical concept is sometimes still used for quick reference by the media.[22]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Europe#UN
monia   
12 Feb 2013
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

offence Monia, but you're talking rubbish

Sorry , but you are one frustrated lady who can`t understand anything and my efforts to explain you some facts came to an end . Goodnight .
monia   
13 May 2013
Life / Bribery and corruption 'fact of life' in Poland? [152]

Fifty nine percent of business managers told the consulting firm's '2013 Fraud Survey' that bribery and corruption are common in Poland.

This forum will never stop entertaining me . Every time ( once every few weeks I open this site and every time I find some entertaining subjects about my country )

Are you serious warszawski ?

Better start tracking the affairs in the old EU financial institutions , banks and enterprises , where bribery has become so well camouflaged that it is difficult to pinpoint, ( through the long years of bribery practices ) Who ,but the Ernst & Young were involved in the scandal of Enron's creative accounting. Try harder !
monia   
13 May 2013
Life / Bribery and corruption 'fact of life' in Poland? [152]

specialist doctors working in public hospitals

Is not that a global problem ? Do you think Poles invented it ?

ADAMS, 61 years of age, previously admitted
to making fraudulent claims for health care
proceeds and to willfully attempting to evade taxes. In addition to the prison sentence, ADAMS
must forfeit $3,724,721 to the federal government
and make restitution in the amount of $3,136,293
to the various healthcare providers that he defrauded, including Medicare and Medicaid

justice.gov/usao/wvn/news/2013/march/Adams.pdf

The latest campaign was launched in December 2010 and has uncovered a series of complex schemes used by medical professional including use of off-shore accounts and payments made by insurance companies.

It comes as Treasury figures show that £13.1 million has been clawed back from more than 2,000 medical staff since the HMRC launched its crackdown.

One doctor has paid back more than £1 million while one dentist has repaid more than £300,000, it was reported.

telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/t ax/9348282/More-than-1000-doctors-and-dentists-targeted-by-HMRC-o ver-tax-evasion.html

Here is the full text saved on my PC about the EU big scale bribery example going in millions of Euro not some few Polish zlotys :

Among ordinary citizens, one of the most enduring images of the EU is that of the 'gravy train' - MEPs and bureaucrats in Brussels determined to get their hands on as many taxpayer-funded perks as possible. Given the EU's continuing popularity crisis, you would think that the various EU institutions would be all over this issue like a rash.

monia   
14 May 2013
Life / Bribery and corruption 'fact of life' in Poland? [152]

He retired in February, received the Commission's approval to take up posts with Fleishman-Hillard, a public relations firm, the Royal Bank of Scotland and associations representing German banks and Turkish commodity exchanges.

It means in short he worked for them as an EU commissioner , geting favourable legal provisions or EU financing for them and now he gets legal money for it as a payroll emploee . Anything but a joke .