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Posts by NorthMancPolak  

Joined: 13 Jun 2010 / Male ♂
Last Post: 2 Dec 2012
Threads: 4
Posts: 646

Displayed posts: 650 / page 8 of 22
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NorthMancPolak   
26 Jun 2012
Feedback / Read PF, but never post? [29]

Strangely, it is the same ip as that used by Des Essientes.

That's not possible, he simply wouldn't use multiple usernames ;)
hehe

why is it so hard for Udo and others to register and use the forum freely?

1. They know they can't be banned unless you block their IP.
2. They know that members can't block them.
3. Which is why so many banned posters return as guests, or why certain full members troll under guest names.
NorthMancPolak   
26 Jun 2012
Language / Learn Polish or Russian [86]

Whenever I read these Polish-American threads, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Probably both.

Thank heavens that we think differently over here - all the (many) Polish kids in my school spoke Polish. Even if some, like my brother, lost it as they grew older (although he has returned to the language recently and speaks it surprisingly well now).

There was no question that we would speak the language - why are things so different on the other side of the Atlantic? I've heard some of these Polish-Americans speak Polish on TVP Polonia etc and I could barely understand them. That would be unheard of amongst my generation over here! It can't be just the distance to Poland, otherwise most UK Hong Kong Chinese could barely speak any Cantonese, and that's not generally the case.
NorthMancPolak   
26 Jun 2012
Feedback / Read PF, but never post? [29]

Fifty guests at the moment you cant all be shy

Thread title fail.

If you had started a thread entitled "Blonde Polish girl looking for Asian men", you would have had dozens of replies by now.
NorthMancPolak   
25 Jun 2012
News / How has Euro2012 benefitted Polish tourism? [8]

Hi North Manc... funny but this seems to contradict the other article. I still believe that football fans arn't generally tourists. The majority of 'die hard' fans that i know spend every penny watching their team regardless of were they are playing and probably wouldn't return unless they had a footballing reason to.

Read this again:

Nearly 80% of respondents claimed that they would visit our country again

(as many as 92% of respondents) stated that they would recommend Poland to a friend after returning home

We can assume that these respondents were football supporters. They may return as supporters, or as tourists.

There were no games in Krakow, but Krakow was FULL of a wide range of foreign supporters a couple of weeks ago. What do you think they were there for, if there were no games?

It's also possible, or highly likely, that these supporters would recommend Poland to non-supporters. Now can you see why Euro 2012 may continue to be good for Poland?

However, it's also clear that you would prefer it if Poland did not benefit from this tournament, as you never have anything good to say about Poland.
NorthMancPolak   
25 Jun 2012
News / How has Euro2012 benefitted Polish tourism? [8]

This article expands upon the short report in Rzeczpospolita a couple of weeks ago.

I'm not going to translate it in full, but the following section is self-explanatory:

The second rating of EURO 2012 in Poland - research foreign fans

Very good organization , positive atmosphere , high level of security - the assessment of foreign fans group stage of Euro 2012 in Poland .

Fans and foreign tourists very much appreciate the group stage of Euro 2012 in Poland . This is the result of research conducted by PBS during the World Cup in Polish host cities of EURO 2012 92 % of respondents positively assess the atmosphere during the tournament , and 85 % very well talk about the organization of the Championships Poland. Ratings foreigners for EURO 2012 in Poland are better than the results of similar studies conducted during the EURO 2008 in Austria .

The research was conducted by PBS at 4 EURO 2012 Host Cities on 8 , 10, 16 and 18 June , in a total of 4000 people over 15 years old. Foreign fans and tourists were interviewed before, during and after the match. Over 60 % of them were for the first time in Poland. The study was conducted in two waves : 8 and June 10 and 16 and June 18 , so that it was possible to obtain the most reliable ratings foreigners for organizations across the group stage of Euro 2012 in Poland .

NorthMancPolak   
25 Jun 2012
Travel / How come no one ever seems to pay for the bus in Poland? [63]

If you travel with large bags (such as backpacks) you must buy a 1.50zł ticket for the bag.

hehe, I also noticed this a few months ago, when I was considering where in Poland to visit.This didn't put me off of course - I went to Kraków/Warszawa for different reasons.

But I can't remember any problems (or extra payments) with my bag, the last time I was in Wrocław. However, this was a few years ago, and I only take a cabin-sized suitcase on holiday anyway. I think it's a more recent rule, but the locals may correct me on this.

I wonder if you can get away with it if you put your bag on your head, then they can't say that you're taking up extra floor space? lol
NorthMancPolak   
25 Jun 2012
Travel / English man going to clubs in Warsaw! [8]

No-one takes any notice of grubas anyway, he's just another member of the "golumpkies" brigade, who have probably never even been to Poland (or the UK), yet that's all he ever rants about.

You'll be fine. Just don't do anything you wouldn't do back home, but that applies to any foreign country.
NorthMancPolak   
24 Jun 2012
Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

Yes, but still you hired cheap Polish seasonal immigrant workers to have it renovated

I don't need to hire Polish workers, I do the job myself.

Why do you assume you would get 1600 netto in Krakow?

But you are much better educated, aren`t you? So, why such pessimism?

Because I know that my profession is badly paid and not valued in Poland. It would be madness for me to try and work in Poland.

You, as a teacher, should know that education does not always equate to a good salary - particularly in Poland, but increasingly in the UK as well.
NorthMancPolak   
24 Jun 2012
Life / Polish Dance/Techno music [49]

Echoplex

Seconded.

Like a Polish Basic Channel/Infiniti, imo, but not really hard enough for me.
NorthMancPolak   
24 Jun 2012
Travel / Massive thanks to Poland for the Euro time! [19]

I came here to meet a girl though, not for the football... :))

lol

Well, at least you're honest - unlike all the loser guest-account posters on here who claim to have developed a sudden interest in Polish culture, and want to move to Poland to become "students", etc.

Yeah me too, just back was in Poznan and Gdansk. The Polish are a great people, and made us feel really welcome. Take a bow Poland we all had a great time.

You guys did your country proud, why can't all football fans be like that.
NorthMancPolak   
24 Jun 2012
Language / Jas Fasola = Mr. Bean, why? [12]

LOL this thread has reminded me of this...

2:30 onwards...

"Mr. Bean do an E", haha

youtube.com/watch?v=kOZlJiOvXsU
NorthMancPolak   
24 Jun 2012
Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

I am sure you don`t pay for a lot of things in Britain

I don't know where you get this crazy idea that we have "free" things over here. And don't tell me that education and the NHS is free - it isn't. It is paid for through taxes. Just because a doctor doesn't give you a bill when you leave hospital, it doesn't mean it hasn't been paid for. I pay around £750 (nearly 4000PLN) in taxes each month, which is what funds all those "free" things you keep going on about.

The only people who get anything "free" over here are the underclass (often undeserving), pensioners (who will have earned it, through lifelong taxes) or the unemployed/long-term sick (and many of these aren't entitled to claim a lot of things, despite having worked before) . People like me, who have worked for decades, get nothing for free - and we are usually the ones who get the least help if we lose our jobs.

but come to Poland to get them 3, 4 times cheaper.

It's only cheaper if you come to Poland as a visitor, earning UK money. Poland appears cheap to UK visitors, but it doesn't mean that Poland is cheap for Polish residents.

I've tried to explain to you before, but you don't listen. Sometimes I wonder if you really are a teacher.

So I'll explain things again.

My flat here in Manchester costs around 2300 PLN a month for around 60m2 of space. But I earn about 11000-12000 PLN/month (netto).

So I decide to move to Poland. I get exactly the same job I do here, but it pays up to 1600 PLN a month netto, if I'm lucky. Now, please tell me how much space I can rent or buy in one of Poland's largest cities with 1600 PLN a month? Or, more importantly, how much would be left for travel/food, etc. Actually, you don't need to answer, because I know.
NorthMancPolak   
24 Jun 2012
Language / Should I just learn German? [55]

Okay but original poster stated he plans on working/living in Europe.

He never mentioned work.

Unless you are an artist, there is no way French will help you more with your job than German

It depends on the job, and your clients.

''French speaking countries''

Except for Switzerland, they are all African countries

You may have been born in Poland, but you are more American than you think - you forgot Canada!

Wow for once a couple people read the topic instead of arguing about french which I never mentioned, thank you.

That's how it is on here, you'll get used to it eventually.

You appear to still be in your teens, with a somewhat vague plan for the future (which didn't even mention work/business) so you should be pleased to receive a wide variety of opinions and suggestions. German's a very useful language in Europe, but it entirely depends on where you want to live/work, and what you want to do.
NorthMancPolak   
22 Jun 2012
Life / 3 reasons why winter is the best time of the year in Poland [58]

Well, I love cold weather/snow. If I won the lottery (and therefore became wealthy) I'd only move up the road from where I live now. One of those big houses on the other side of the nearby main road would do nicely. There's no way I'd move to some mock-Tudor footballer country like Alderley Edge, even if that is where many wealthy people move to! lol
NorthMancPolak   
22 Jun 2012
Language / Should I just learn German? [55]

French? That language is being fazed out especially as Germany continues to become the Economic power in Europe & global player.

LOL, you really don't get it, do you? This is why so many people criticise Americans, because your "superior" country and education system doesn't appear to teach you to look at the global scheme of things.

Germany is indeed a major economic power, but the language is not an official language anywhere outside Europe. It's a language I'd consider learning, though; but only for holidays, as I am unlikely to ever need it at work. My main interest is within the Slavic world, so it makes no difference to me whether Czech/Slovak/Russian etc. is considered by many to be a waste of time learning; for me, they will always be useful languages. But if you are looking at a global business perspective, you need to concentrate on the languages below.

You may dislike or look down upon French, but you also need to face the facts. French is still a language of significant value in several non-European continents.

If you know the following languages, you can communicate with virtually everyone in the world, or at least everyone you are ever likely to need to speak to: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin and possibly Russian. That's just 6-7 languages, and you can get by almost anywhere. German doesn't even come close to making this list, as many of the German speakers you may come into contact with are likely to know either English or French.
NorthMancPolak   
21 Jun 2012
USA, Canada / Chicago Polish - funny stories? [5]

4am, lol. In my heyday, that was time to drop another cheeky half, not to go home :)
NorthMancPolak   
20 Jun 2012
USA, Canada / Chicago Polish - funny stories? [5]

And they still wonder why we laugh at words like "pierogies". There was a load of "you guys" in a Carrefour in Krakow the other day, and they didn't even know what butter was in Polish. So obviously of Polish background, yet so obviously American.
NorthMancPolak   
20 Jun 2012
Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]

lol true WB, the Chinese would save a fortune, Americans would pay through the nose. Sounds fair to me. Especially as I'd rather sit next to a slim HK cutie, rather than some huge US porker lol
NorthMancPolak   
20 Jun 2012
Love / ARE POLISH GIRLS GOLD-DIGGERS? [359]

I think that PP's forgotten that women never have anything to wear, even when the wardrobe's full, lol
NorthMancPolak   
20 Jun 2012
Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]

Post #42 makes complete sense. A 110kg allowance would give me 22kg of luggage (that's a lot of Ptasie Mleczko and DVDs lol). Under the current rules, I would be charged for the extra baggage, while some lazy 130kg salad dodger doesn't pay any more for his ticket, and still gets to take a bag! It makes no sense at all if you think about it.
NorthMancPolak   
19 Jun 2012
Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]

You tend to get what you pay for in the airline world. The main reason I won't touch Ryanair is because they carry very little spare fuel. When you've been held in as many holding patterns as I have, this matters more than the lack of free food.
NorthMancPolak   
19 Jun 2012
Travel / Has anyone used OLT Express yet? [8]

Inspired by WB's Ryanair thread lol. They fly a few routes I would definitely use. Has anyone used them yet? Any good?
NorthMancPolak   
19 Jun 2012
Travel / Ryanair travel by air - subtle scams to be wary of [98]

I've only flown with three low-cost airlines; none of them were particularly good experiences, and I won't do it again. One missed a landing (never heard so many screams), another kept us on board for 3 hours (to fill the seats with an incoming flight), and of course there is Ryanair's in-your face advertising (although this was in the days when you really could fly WRO-STN for £30, so it was worth it). I fly quite a lot, and I always manage to find good prices with LOT/BA/bmi etc. I have to take checked baggage, so full-service carriers work out better for me. Slightly off-topic: anyone know why I keep having this recurring nightmare... BA OneWorld 747 crashes vertically (nose up) soon after take-off, flying east-west from the "north" runway at LHR? :(
NorthMancPolak   
17 Jun 2012
News / Will EURO 2012 be a proud moment for Poland and its people or set back Poland 20 years? [86]

Surely a PiS-loving paper would be posting "TUSK TO BLAME : 10% OF VISITORS WON'T COME BACK" ;)

lol :) But what you know what the usual suspects are like on here ;)

So far, so good I'd say. The ones who are objecting are, as usual, either moronic hooligans who couldn't afford tickets anyway or the usual PiS voting suspects.

Agreed. I've had a love-hate relationship with football for many years, but I think I've come back a fan :0

Or came over thinking that Polish women would be begging for foreign men, but couldn't find one, despite being foreign :D
NorthMancPolak   
17 Jun 2012
News / Will EURO 2012 be a proud moment for Poland and its people or set back Poland 20 years? [86]

Go back to England if you don't like it. You never post anything positive about Poland, so why you waste your time on here is beyond me.

Back on topic...

Well, after spending a most of the past week in Poland, I can happily ignore the (cough) "impartial" UK media's biased opinion of Poland. Not that I ever thought it would be any different, but still.

Take Krakow on Friday, for example: hundreds, if not thousands, of people in football shirts - not just Polish, but German, Russian, English, Irish, Dutch, Ukrainian, Czech, German, and probably a few others I forgot about. Groups wandering about in their respective shirts, some noisier than others (the English, naturally - especially the Newcastle fans lol)... but NO TROUBLE whatsoever. Can you imagine that happening in an English city?

Or Warsaw yesterday: lots of groups of non-whites (many, many more than usual) standing or wandering around, clearly there for football... yet they seemed happy and enjoying the atmosphere. In fact, I probably looked more worried, but that's because I know Warsaw pretty well (lol).

I also read a report in one of yesterday's Polish papers which suggested that over 80% of Euro 2012 visitors would return to Poland, and over 90% would recommend Poland as a holiday destination (I await the inevitable "lol which PiS-loving paper did you read that in?" insult, but I'm ready for it :p ). Unlike the UK, it's unlikely that anyone in Poland would attempt to divide the responses upon racial lines, but it tells you something that the BBC will never tell you - despite all this allegedly widespread racism/anti-Semitism/whatever, it hasn't put many Euro 2012 visitors off returning the country.

Clearly, the tournament has been good for Poland, and looks like it may be very good for future Polish tourism as well. And if you object to this, because you don't feel that Poland "deserves" this boost to its tourism sector, then you're welcome to take your holidays in Lagos or Port Moresby instead.
NorthMancPolak   
17 Jun 2012
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

that's a very old borrowing, in case you were interested. probably pre-WW2.

In the sense which refers to środki zabronione w sporcie, I agree - I've known about this usage for decades. But it's only a few years since I came across the other meaning, so I thought it was a more recent usage. I seem to have come across it much more often in the media recently (and not just during Euro 2012 either). I was not aware that this meaning was also very old! lol
NorthMancPolak   
16 Jun 2012
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

Noticed in this week's Euro 2012-obsessed media: w foodzonie, w fanboxie, and the increasingly- popular doping/dopingowac (etc). I love this language :D