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

Sadly it's not time yet for the Russians to fully acknowledge and revaluate what happened to them during the Soviet reign in general and at stalin's reign in particular. This is still not an altogether rare occurrence when I see people denying the Katyn as well as stalin's crimes against humanity on the whole. Katyn is probably the most ignominious page in Russian history.

News / Anti-Polish propaganda (proposed change to Polish property restitution laws) [21]


Depends on what I'd read. If you can provide a reliable source, that would be nice.

News / Anti-Polish propaganda (proposed change to Polish property restitution laws) [21]

Any example of a pogrom organized by Russian authorities?

News / Anti-Polish propaganda (proposed change to Polish property restitution laws) [21]


In Russian that would be "razgrom".

News / Anti-Polish propaganda (proposed change to Polish property restitution laws) [21]


Pogrom is a noun related to another noun "grom"=thunder and a verb "gromit"=to crush, to bludgeon. The word rather implies devastating, demolishing than killing.

Grom is very common nick for dogs and animals in general. Never heard of pogrom but that's a good idea... sounds awesome in my mind.

History / What do Poles owe to Russians? [193]

Thanks for the nice watch, Pawian!
I have a question. How do you assess Krylov's Polish (third video from the bottom) where he's singing on a 1-10 scale? :)

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

That may well be the government that boosts it. ;) According to their figures the average in Moscow is roughly $1450. I can hardly believe that.

Life / Is Poland a poor country? [578]

What is average net salary in Poland? In Russia it's $700. I think it's about the same in Poland.

Travel / Driving in Poland, are there any rules at all? [149]


Welcome to the Slavic World! :) I wonder if that some sort of a gene that makes many many Slavs behave that way or this is just lack of culture (of driving in this particular case). Whatever the Poles try to position themselves (we're schlyachta you're the peasantry) in most of situations I recognize the Russians/the Ukrainians.

Love / My Polish wife got married to me but she's still not in love? [34]


Like what? What does she do that makes you think she loves you? And if so... why do you need her word? Would that make you feel better?

History / Polish Officer in NATO, Col. Ryszard Kukliński. [145]


Possibly because you're not a soldier.

History / Polish Officer in NATO, Col. Ryszard Kukliński. [145]


Is it like some Russians trying to insist that Putin is not Russian? :)

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]


Why have you posted this, hero? Are you a teen to post a video where you break the law (start passing through the double solid line + use your cellphone)?


No, the fine for not having seatbelt fastened used to be lower - so low that corrupted Russian cops didn't bother to stop those who didn't use it. Also on some cars seatbelts are really uncomfortable.

Here's my first car: No AC + uncomfortable seatbelts made any summerday look like hell.

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]

To say that seatbelts are uncomfortable thus I won't wear them was a typically Russian thing to say. :)

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]


Simple. Cause the government doesn't want to take a risk of losing yet another taxpayer, potential father/mother of another taxpayer, worker who can contribute to the wellbeing of the state and if you're a man a potential soldier. That is why.

Yes, we all want freedom of... everything. But freedom is in fact a very loose concept. We are eventually not free of some duties imposed by the government particularly via the notion of patriotism.

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]


I heard that a man ran into a lamp pole driving 50 kmph. He hit the helm which tore his spleen. By the time the ambulance came he was dead.

News / Polish immigrants are losing Polish heritage -- a goal? [10]


I'm Sasha. :) Sascha nemec.


Very few. I can think of only Lev Shestov who had some levers to impact Russian society but he did that in very Russian manner.

Of course it depends on what we count as bourgeoise. After 1905 things have drastically changed. Every single member of some Russian parties were Jewish. For the Russians it was payback time.

If you have any link to provide me more info about tsarist Jewish bourgeoise please share. As far as I know the Jews in Russia was doing good at least until they came to power.


Well at first they were really unite and made good number of NKVD members (as well as in the government). But as Stalin came the number of Jewish people on executive positions in the NKVD began to sink slowly. It namely dropped from 38% in 1934 to 5% in 1941.

The number of Jews perished in camps compared to that of the Russians and other nationalities inhabited the USSR is insignificant.

Life / 200zl mandat and 3 points for not wearing seatbelts? [75]


I think that the policeman did a perfect job with no that Slavic tenderheartedness and all... The breach was indeed a silly one.

News / Polish immigrants are losing Polish heritage -- a goal? [10]


Here's the right sequence.

Genealogy / "Choroszucha" - Jewish family name? [19]

This last name doesn't sound Jewish to me at all. From what I googled in RUnet it seems like the last name occurs in Belorussia, Poland, Ukraine and in Southern parts of Russia. Origins are "beautiful", "handsome". In modern Russian "chorosziy" is "good".

Btw ask your mother if she had any relatives in Grodno and its area or if she knows some relatives with a name Wikenty spelling may be different).

Memory book of NKVD atrocities contains Wikenty Choroszhucha as one of the victims...

News / Does Poland support the idea of Slavic unity? [129]


Where did you get them from?

News / Does Poland support the idea of Slavic unity? [129]


Oh yeah. I was wrong. The Czech (or according to some sources a Slovak) Jan Herkel later proposed a term "panslavism". That's what I took as "invention".

News / Does Poland support the idea of Slavic unity? [129]


There're roughly 300 mln Slavs in the World. Roughly 300 mln people in the Wolrd speak Russian. So you're certainly not correct.

Alex, unity based on ethnicity is probably the most feeble one these days. Even religion matters more, not mention money or any financial interest.
Besides, it takes will of millions to build any sort of union and it takes just one spiteful man to shaken the balance.
I don't really mind Slavs living as one big family but I think it would last long.

Btw, panslavism is not a Russian invention, it's Czech as far as I remember, though it was well taken up by the Russians.

Life / Can most people in Poland speak Russian? [43]


ROFL :)))) That was a hillarious tit for tat.

Love / Why marriage ring on the right hand finger in Poland? [11]


lol what are "Soviet countries"? :)) Since when Norway is a Soviet country?

In Latin "sinister" is "left" and "dexter" is "right". Here is whence a tradition to use right hand fingers came. Right hand is more associated with positive things in some countries and in Orthodox faith.

Left hand is less used, that's where I see the reason to wear wedding rings on left hand fingers.


Not all of them. E.g. Greece, Germany, Spain, part of Netherlands, Austria etc.


Jason's right.

Off-Topic / Book: Gogol's Taras Bulba [37]


Isn't that an approach of any empire?




Gde? :)

Off-Topic / Book: Gogol's Taras Bulba [37]


If you mean ethnicity then yes, but if you mean nationality i.e. cultural affiliation then it was rather Russian.

Off-Topic / Book: Gogol's Taras Bulba [37]


It's one of the greatest Russian writers who ranges with Pushkin, Dostoevskiy, Tolstoy and some others. To label his work "Polonophobic" would be too shallow. However for some it doesn't bear any other content but Polonophobia.

Btw I believe TB is not the best thing the master have created.

History / Slavic vs Germanic thinking.... and the philosophical differences [251]


Because you're an example of such an alliance?

Life / Are Poles mentally more Eastern European or Western European? [171]


True. There's only Eastern Europe which gets more westernized as one goes westwards. :)