Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]

Again, thank you all.
I think $20 would be insulting, especially since we already send $300 each Christmas (my mother started that, since this is her only sibling and her family, I'm just continuing the tradition for her). That's why I thought $400 might be a good number - more significant occasion than Christmas. What I would really like to do is send a $400 present. I thought about high quality Egyptian bed linens, but I was warned about un-standard bed sizes in Poland. Maybe linens are not the best choice..

One interesting factor in our deteriorating relationship is freakin' facebook. They keep posting all kinds of anti-American sht on their pages, and although I've been known to rage about the stupidities around me myself, for some reason I get defensive when I see their posts. Now that I think of it, this might be akin to those living in Poland objecting to criticisms from abroad. ;)

Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]


grrr.
My mother swears she will only send $20.

Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]

bride's mother was raised with me for my first 5 years. We kept in touch, but last time I offered to pay for her trip to visit me in Florida, she said she would rather have the money. :/

We already send $100 each for her, her mother and her daughter every Christmas, graduation etc. so this may become a bit of a materialistic relationship. Somebody suggested that since I am not coming, I could send more money as a present, and this was beginning to really irk me.

On second thought, $300 it is. In złotych.

Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]

Thank you all. This is a relief. :)

Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]

I'm faced with a similar dilemma. My cousin (once removed) is getting married in Poland. I'm politely declining the invitation (Radom in November?!), but I'm stumped as to how much money to send.

The young couple is still struggling, but insist on spending 40,000 - 60,000 zł on the wedding for 120 guests. I have a strong suspicion that they're counting on large influx of money from us, the 'Merican contingent.

Now, by their standards, we are pretty rich, not the least of it because here most of the family gatherings, including weddings, are a backyard garden/beach home-made affairs. We simply do not hand over a bunch of money to venues that decide for us how the affair should be done.

In addition, there are couple of large home improvement projects that have to be done this year that will put a hurt on us, and I'm having a hard time handing over a $1000 for the bride to impress her in-laws.

I'm thinking $400 should be enough to make them happy. What do you think?

Genealogy / Where are the Lemkos now? Do they still exist in Poland? [32]

Are we talking about one of highlanders's clans? Czuhonskie gorale?

History / Ordinary Polish people who collaborated with the Communist authorities? [28]

Harry


Keep in mind that very few people today will admit to being a party members back then. Better still, it's considered rude to even ask that question.

History / Ordinary Polish people who collaborated with the Communist authorities? [28]

I don't think either one of you got my point.

The most numerous crimes against the government back then was black marketing and bribes, and EVERYBODY was doing it. And everyone knew it was against the law. Everyone, but the biggest puts kombinowal.

Ratting out your neighbour, or "collaborating" as some like to spin it, was not a political act, but a underhanded move by somebody driven by envy, revenge or self preservation.

You mad at your neighbor? Drop a dime on him! Did you get busted and can get off by giving up your dealer? Give him up! It should sound familiar, it is very succesfully done in the US. Certainly not the thing only seen in communist countries.

Incidentally, the kind of people that did the "collaborating" back then are the same kind that demand punishment for the "collaborators" now. Politics has nothing to do with it, but they throw it in because it's to their advantage, same way the law was used to one's own advantage back then.

But there is another, much more insidious implication on those that managed to adopt, or even thrive in those times. It doesn't matter if they may accomplished it with wisdom and work ethic. They must have done it by knowing somebody in government! If you tear their life apart, you'll probably find something, because either they were not "clean" or knew someone who wasn't.

History / Ordinary Polish people who collaborated with the Communist authorities? [28]

What exactly do you mean by cooperating, Bren?
Joining a government organization in order to get a place to live, or a job, or their child in Uni?
Marching in the May 1 parade, or not trying to blow up the party headquarters?

Most people were just trying to live and take care of their families. Some may actually believed in idealistic communist tenets. I think asking somebody who lived in communist Poland, not of their own choice and presumably not in jail, whether they've cooperated with the government is ignorant and insulting.

As an aside, do you think everybody paying taxes in US is cooperating with the US government?

Real Estate / Property Developer HORROR in Lodz [28]


that certainly applies to the lostinlodz's developer here.

Real Estate / Property Developer HORROR in Lodz [28]

That's a cautionary tale about buying unfinished property.
You did not have a choice in developers here, but if one is building a house, choosing a builder is a most important decision you'll make.

I know a little about builders in the Caribbean, and it is worth waiting for a year or two for the one you want, one that is recommended by previous customers, and their work seen with your own eyes.

And, never let the builder have all the money before the job is done.

Love / English girl. Do Polish men afraid to show their feelings or they are just not comfortable in UK? [84]

I don't think this has much to do with his nationality. There might be a health issue - mental or physical. Or, in the large gamut of normal sexual activity scale, he might be placed towards one end of it. Unless you can convince him to get some counseling, (and with a Polish man that possibility is pretty slim), or there is some specific stuff that gets him excited that you have not hit on yet, you got to make up your mind about what you can, and cannot live with.

Life / What is a Multiplexer? Could someone please explain? [5]

Multiplexer is a device that combines two or more signals for transport along fewer wires (or carriers).
As for your original question, you need to specify what signals do you need to multiplex. Audio, analog video, DVI, HDMI, ethernet, cable, wireless?

Life / Calendar of Polish Name Days [36]

I prefer name day to birthday. First of all, no one asks you how many name days has it been. And on some of the more popular name days, everyone is partying. The only caviat is that your name needs a patron saint.

Merged: Happy name day to all the Ewa's and Eva's and Eve's out there.

They've been jipped out of good portion of the presents their whole lives because their name day falls on Christmas Eve.
And Adam's too. Have a good one!

Travel / Over staying 90 day limit in Poland (do they even know I'm here?) [18]

according to the info here, you can apply up to 3 days before your time is up. You'll get a stamp that you applied, I guess.

udsc.gov.pl/EXTENSION,OF,VALIDITY,OF,A,SCHENGEN,VISA,1 918.html

Travel / Over staying 90 day limit in Poland (do they even know I'm here?) [18]


US citizens do not require a visa to travel to Poland for less than 90 days.

Travel / Over staying 90 day limit in Poland (do they even know I'm here?) [18]

This is a wild guess, but I'll venture that because you're an American, they probably will not care.

so, if you get an overzealous official and they ask you what day you arrived, I would probably tell the truth. If acting confused does not work. ;)

Travel / Over staying 90 day limit in Poland (do they even know I'm here?) [18]

I don't think the immigration authorities rely on the passport stamps to keep track of you. My passport does not get stamped everytime I travel.

In some situations, like Americans in Cuba, passports do not get stamped as a rule. But that does not mean that Cubans don't know you're there.

So, beware.

Remember that all your passport info was entered before you boarded the plane in US, then electronic passenger manifesto was submitted to your country of entry.

News / Don't let Poland become like my country, France. [630]

Jews have nothing to do with the op's post. Some devout Christians had a bad reaction to seeing Jews and Christians in combined in the same phrase, that's all.

News / Don't let Poland become like my country, France. [630]

It's really annoying when someone demands you answer THEIR questions. Sure sign they're only interested in the points they're making.

Love / Do Polish men make good husbands? [106]


in this sense:


(making clear what's acceptable and what's not, instead of hoping for a miraculous change)

Love / Do Polish men make good husbands? [106]

Polish men need strong women.
Then everything will be fine.
;)

News / Don't let Poland become like my country, France. [630]

According to the Pew Research Center, Europe's population was 6% Muslim in 2010, and is projected to be 8% Muslim by 2030.

Law / Laws on walking a dog in Polska [67]

Anthropomorphism - that's attributing human characteristics to animals. We get started on that with childrens' stories and grow out of it, mostly, as we get older.

Every time someone tells me their dog is their best friend, I think to myself "you should keep that a secret...".
Your dog will protect you, and try to do what you want to the best of its ability because you are its meal ticket.
If that what one requires of a best friend.. then no wonder so many people get more worked up by hearing about abused animals than about abused people.

UK, Ireland / Culture shock (my neighbours in the UK are Polish and Slovak) [88]


Often, "please" in Polish is implied by the tone

Law / Laws on walking a dog in Polska [67]


It's obvious that you love your dog very, very much.
To balance that, it would be good if you had some empathy for people that might be scared sh!tless by a 40 pound dog running up and jumping on them.

Law / Laws on walking a dog in Polska [67]

wait, on the public path, you could not control your dog, so she's the unreasonable one?
Sheesh, dog license should require a short common sense test.

News / Don't let Poland become like my country, France. [630]

ok, let the paranoia reign then and lets assemble all the gods' armies

News / Don't let Poland become like my country, France. [630]


Then fight for separation of church and state. Across the board.

News / Don't let Poland become like my country, France. [630]


True! Sharia is a perfect example why religious tenets, especially extreme ones, should not have any influence on government.