Food / OKOCIM PORTER BETTER THAN GUINNESS STOUT? [43]

I don't know why people are so surprised about people comparing Porter to Stout. In Ireland Guiness is still often referred to as "Porter". Actually, Porter is sweeter than Stout but are close relations.

The name Porter allegedly comes from the black beer drunk by the porters of Covent garden Market in London. During the 18/19th Century there was a fair amount of trade in Stout and Porter from Britain to the Baltic regions. The English company Courage (used to?) produce(d) a "Russian Imperial Stout" which was stronger than ordinary Stout. traditionally, Baltic Porters exported from Britain/Ireland were allowed to ferment and mature during the voyage and were therefore a lot stronger at the other end.

As to the original poster... Yes, I'm a Porter fan.

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]


I think there is also the problem that (until recently) many Brits simply didn't meet (non-English speaking) foreigners in their part of Britain. I grew up in Shropshire and learned French and German... I never met a French person there for the first 20 years of my life. Likewise, when I was in the army in Germany, protecting the world from the communists, very few of my fellow squaddies spoke German to any degree. We weren't even given classes.

Harry

Is that sunny Shropshire with the road signs? I believe there is a flourishing little Polish community around Whitchurch, hence a Polish shop. However, the reason for the signs probably has a lot to do with a number of bus and transport companies hiring Polish drivers who can't speak English. A friend of mine who works for the Merseyside Police told me a tale about 3 Polish bus drivers who brought the city centre to a standstill when they all drove up a blocked road. It was part of their normal bus-route but on that occasion was closed for repairs. they couldn't read the diversion notices and simply followed their normal route. Being unable to turn around, the police had to stop the traffic to allow the three buses to reverse out again. So signs in Polish are probably not a bad idea.

Food / OKOCIM PORTER BETTER THAN GUINNESS STOUT? [43]


Oooh! You'll understand why it's called 'stout'. I'm rather port(er)ly myself after having lived in belfast.


But bottled Guiness is very different from the draught. more like the porter.

Does anyone cook with porter?

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]


What I find frustrating is the lack of English in tourist areas (museums etc) and transport systems. A few years ago, in Krakow, I was stopped by a ticket inspector on the tram. I handed him my ticket and he pointed out I needed another for my rucksack... I asked how i was supposed to know. he said it was signed. yes, but the sign was in Polish. A bit inconsiderate when it was a main tourist route.

Likewise, the toilets in warsaw station have/had instructions in several languages except English

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]

Of course, let's look at this another way... probably if it was a polish citizen in canada who couldn't speak canadian, the cops would've tazered him.

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]


Oh come on, be realistic... it's not like they can even put up signs in Polish sometimes. I mean, I drive from Olsztyn to warsaw for about 3.5 hours to go to the airport. The only sign for the airport is about 1km from the place.

Another time I tried to find the national Library... no signs, just guessed the big building over there looked like a library.

Life / Lack of Spacial Acuity in Poland [69]

My worry is that this all happens concerning vehicles as well. There seems to be a total lack of awareness of reversing vehicles in car-parks etc, even when the weather is icy and there's no guarantee a driver can stop IF they see the person who insists on walking behind a moving vehicle.

Then there are those drivers who seem to see the huge space behind your car but fail to realise they can't drive through the 5cm gap until you have moved your car. Mind you, they will try and can't seem to understand that waiting 20 seconds for you to complete your manouver is quicker than the 5 minutes it takes everyone to scream, shout and reverse when they box you in.


I think it's a zen thing. "If I walk looking straight ahead and believing that there are no vehicles on the road, then there are none!"

Of course, it would help if the pedestrian crossings/zebras weren't so ridiculously close to junctions.

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]


I was being ironic, Harry. My point being, in Warsaw they can't even signpost their own city using Polish signs.

Don't forget, there are also documents in Chinese, Urdu, Bengali etc


Ah, the trick with the French is to either speak French well or very badly. all the French want is a sign that you respect their being French and not automatically assuming they can/should parle en Anglais. If you attempt and speak really bad French they will often suggest English, partly out of gratitude that you tried, but also because your French is hrting their ears.

Life / Lack of Spacial Acuity in Poland [69]


In Poland it is probably the case. the problem is a driver is never sure if they have seen the car. I think it is a little different if they look and appear to see the car. It's probably precisely because Polish drivers DON'T stop at zebras which makes the pedestrian do it.

In my experience, stopping for pedestrians is dangerous, because even if they do cross (often they just stop and stare at you or wave you on) other drivers just tear across the crossing, looking at you to see what's wrong with you for stopping.

History / Polish hatred towards Jews... [1290]

Ah, more hatred on show here...

telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7078401/Poland-revives-its-Jewish-past.html

History / Polish hatred towards Jews... [1290]


laurence Rees makes this point in his book about Auschwitz, saying Treblinka and Sobibor were the major death camps until later in the war when Auschwitz was expanded and developed, in particular for Hungarian Jews. The killing rate advanced considerably after that. Anne Frank herself was evacuated from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen.

Law / Polish Cop Took My Car Registration :S [143]


I thought it was but wasn't sure if it had dual spelling.

Actually, the "canadian" language thing was a joke. Sorry if you didn't get it. I'll write to my family in Canada and tell them the joke fell flat.


Well it wasn't me who posted that list but let's see... now there's a point... many of these countries have more than one official language (like Gambia). Brunei's offical language is actually Standard Malay, Fijian is actually a language

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fijian_language
whereas a number of these places also have regional creoles (like Antigua). Cameroon has it's own pidgin and mix of French, English and pidgin

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camfranglais
in fact English AND French are the official languages and there are around 250 other languages in the country (probably why they use French and English as offical languages). The offical language of India is actually Hindi, which is just one of a variety of Indian languages (English is allowed by the constitution as a secondary official language). Ethiopia: Ahmaric. Barbadian could be used to describe the Bajan creole language, which is also a recognised language in Barbados

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajan

So actually not all of them have English as a sole official language.

However, none of these countries seem to have Polish as an official language but does that mean that Polish Police officers should speak Standard Malay, French, Hindi, Ahmaric, Pidgin/Creole etc?

I still haven't worked out what Australians speak.

Genealogy / Szczepany, Poland [6]

This page also has some links.

progenealogists.com/poland/archives.htm

You can find it on the google map, but put "szczepany podlasie"

Genealogy / Szczepany, Poland [6]


There are at least 2. One is about 30km from Bialystok and the other, I think, is near Czestochowa

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]


Could that be the result of a spelling mistake somewhere? maybe something like Grotowski?

Life / Lack of Spacial Acuity in Poland [69]

So do I, but they still often wave me across (great, I've just p1ssed off the rest of the drivers behind me) or stare at me like a stunned cow, probably thinking I'm a mugger waiting for them to cross so i can run them over and steal their wallet.

Needless to say, it's also a great time for the Audis to overtake me...

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

Fabisiak and Wejkowski?

News / Poland's supreme administrative court rules against RHD cars [57]

So, if it is a collector's item you need to get it 'changed'?

I don't see that LHD matter to many Polish drivers, cos they overtake in the face of on-coming traffic when they CAN see it in their LHD. In fact, I think all Audis should be RHD because they drive on the left most of the time anyway!

Life / Poland's Idiotic Road Marking [9]

Agreed BIG TIME. My major bugbear is the amount of times people have driven down from Olsztyn to Warsaw airport and got lost. There are no signs anywhere for over 200km, no signs as you come into the city, no signs in the city... until you are about 2 km from it.

My colleague said, "Follow the signs for Katowice" I said I didn't want katowice airport. "No, follow the signs for katowice and eventually you'll see the pilots memorial (probably for those who got lost trying to find the airport by car!), turn left and go straight on!"

Gdansk, is fairly well signposted for a good distance beforehand.

With regards to the markings in the video, it reminds me of when they removed a roundabout in Olsztyn and replaced it with traffic lights. Just one problem, they didn't put filter lights in for those turning left... so as soon as the lights change the poor sods are stuck in the middle of the junction with2 lines of traffic haring towards them with horns blaring!

Mind you, I think Olsztyn is the playground for cretins masquerading as road designers... and don't even start me about the alfa shopping centre!

Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [310]


Not sure about that. there's a band in Gdansk
myspace.com/gdanskpipeband

Life / Ghost Bikes in Poland [11]

Cool idea!

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]


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.


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.


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.

Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]


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).

Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]


Apparently Klingon is the second largest artificial language after Esperanto.


Apparently there are a small number of native Esperanto speakers, who have been brought up with it as a primary language. george Soros is one.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Esperanto_speakers

Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

so he speaks the languages of communism, socialism, capitalism AND Esperanto (what a linguist!).

Love / Are all Polish men Psychos? [111]


If they drive an Audi, yes.

Study / "MAGISTER" OR "MASTERS DEGREE" - ARE THEY THE SAME? [75]


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.

History / 'Battle of Britain' won thanks to Polish aces !! [158]


Don't know, but interestingly, the original Kościuszko sqn was founded by an American, who later made the film King Kong.

Life / Do you think a smoking ban would be a good thing in Polish restaurants and Bars? [217]

if not a total ban, then at least harder segregation. I rarely go to pubs now as my wife has allergies and neither of us feel well after being in a pub with no air conditioning and a thick fug of smoke.

I remember going back to Glasgow once and being amazed to find that i didn't stink at the end of the night. It happened in a club in £odż too... even the Poles commented how nice it was to not reek like an ashtray at the end of the evening (there was air conditioning in the club).


In germany there was a pub which charged everyone 'membership' (the price of 5 beers) and you got 5 'free' beers. This made it a private members only club... and so exempt from the smoking ban.

Study / "MAGISTER" OR "MASTERS DEGREE" - ARE THEY THE SAME? [75]


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.