Language / Busha and JaJa [140]


There are many such sites that I came across while helping some people here with their genealogy projects. But I have nothing handy right now and would have to collect the links. Some of the links can be found on this forum. My general feeling is that Poles emigrated from all part of former Poland: Galicia, Prussia, Silesia. Just one example:


I think we had some thread about Texas Silesians. Here is the appropriate wiki article en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Silesian

I think I was giving some advice here about immigration from Trójwieś: Istebna, Jaworzynka, Koniaków - Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodship.

Just give me some time; I'll try to deal with your questions one at a time. I need some break now. :-)

Language / Busha and JaJa [140]

I am not sure where such conclusion can be drawn from. As we all known, many words are in use long before they are sanctioned by dictionaries. And the decisions are often almost political.

For example, if I remember correctly, the end of XIX c. and beginning of XX c. was the period of rapid standardization of Polish grammar and orthography, but also a period of extreme competition between Kraków and Warsaw language schools. Jan Aleksander Karłowicz, a co-author of <<Kryński, Karłowicz, Niedźwiedzki (1900 – 1927) „Słownik języka polskiego”>> belonged to the latter, and hence his dictionary is called "słownik warszawski".

And as its name implies the dictionary is based on Warsaw school of spelling, grammar and very possibly choice of dictionary entries.

The diminutives are not just formed randomly, they follow some patterns of series of correlations. And those very much depend on local dialects.

For example there is a pattern:
0 => -k- => -cia
baba => babka => babcia
mama => mamka => mamcia
żona => żonka => żoncia

but there also other patterns, like this one:
pattern: 0 => -k- => -usia / -uś
baba => babka => babusia/ babuś
(mać) => matka => matusia/ matuś
córa => córka => córusia/ córuś
mama => mamka => mamusia/ mamuś
wnuka => wnuczka => wnusia/ wnuczuś
ciocia => ciotka => ciotusia/ ciotuś
dziad => dziadek => dziadziuś
tata => tatko/ tatek => tatuś
wnuk => wnuczek => wnuczuś/wnuś
syn => synek => synuś.
Evidently, since there is no "babcia" in the Linde's dictionary, but "babusia" one could draw a conclusion that the choice of the "baba" pattern came from Masovian dialect, since it was Warsaw where Linde (1771-1847) lived and worked. On the other hand his dictionary was much expanded during consecutive editions, printed in Lwów 50 years later, so the pattern could actually come from Galicia, and the Kraków schools. But that's just a general observation; I am not a linguist trained in following such patterns.

Language / Busha and JaJa [140]

My family and I have always used "babcia" thingie, and I have never heard about "busia" thing before I joined this forum, so I am also impartial here. I am just annoyed by this thing being made some idiotic symbol of supposed backwardness of Polish-American peasants - according do delphiandomine. So I researched the issue and found a lot about Polish dialects using "busia" in Poland. Somehow the facts I have been presenting here felt on the death ears though.


In response Delph quoted a Pol-Am article, which refers to "Słownik Warszawski" by "Kryński, Karłowicz, Niedźwiedzki (1900 - 1927)" - a reference #3 from my previous post. This is huge, multi-volume dictionary, and has never been reprinted in modern times. There are some copies available though and one such copy can be accessed via web interface, which I linked as reference #4 in my previous post. One has to keep in mind that this interface is based on OCR software (Optical Character Recognition) to convert graphemes into printable characters. As such possible software errors should be expected.

Anyway I went there to check Tokarski's claim (ref # 1), and found the following fragments

test 1: babcia

Results
Found 4 results
Displaying results 1-4

1. CIOT> [Ciocia- babcia , cioei-babci,
2. błędne dróżki. Ciocio- babcia , i, Im.
3. e, [Ciocia- babcia ] babka nierodzona. Wil
4. . Pani Anzelmowa stroi się babcia jakby L. Małomiejskie lafiryndy

Not very much, not very useful. None of those look like a real definition; they look more or less like part of examples.

Test 2: baba
This time I got 170 results. Ignoring examples, fragments of proverbs and definitions not related to a family structure I found only two relevant entries:
32: 1. stara kobieta, baba. 2. matka matki
175: babka, baba, matki mojej lub ojca
Test 3: babka
77 results, no reference to babcia

That's what my cursory search of Warsaw Dictionary shows. You are welcomed to try it yourself.

You can also use the same interface, to search for "babcia" in Linde's dictionary. Again:
baba => 113 results
babka => 47 results
babcia => 0 results
babusia => 4 results:
1. babka, babunia, babusia, babi, babiarz, + three examples

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]


That's Romanian ţuică stuff, right? In Polish transliteration it would look like: cuika, or cłika. This T up front is confusing, because it is T with cedilla.

Some Polish moonshine I used to taste was always flavoured with prunes after distillation, which would:

- kill some bad taste of the original booze
- add some good color - giving the booze resemblance of a brandy

As I was told, my friend's mother used to produce her booze in the most primitive still ever, made of:

- sizeable laundry cauldron, filled with mash at the bottom - made mostly of sugar and yeast plus some fruits for flavor. That was put on the top of the stove.

- an eating bowl, upside down, serving as a foundation
- another eating bowl, on top the first one to serve as an alcohol collector
- a big washing bowl, on the top of the cauldron, filled with very cold water. Fresh bread was used to seal the edge of the cauldron and the washing ball.

The process was simple: stove heating, evaporation, condensation at the the washing bawl, collection of alcohol at the bottom bowl.

He claimed, that all that smell coming from the regular cooking was sufficient enough to hide the smell of alcohol being produced. She was not afraid of any unexpected inspections. Not that it was any problem at all, since only three people were entitled to run such business: her, the police station commander and the parish priest.


Congratulations! I am impressed. :-)

Language / Busha and JaJa [140]


Please pip, not again. This word is as Polish as mamcia, żońcia, wujcio, stryjcio, stryjeneczka, wujaszek, synuś, wnuś, babusia and babuś. The only difference is that "busia" appears only in several dialects across Poland and is not listed in any mainstream dictionary. It is however listed in several dialectal dictionaries.

And to cool some tempers here - according to [1], the word "babcia" has not been even officially registered in any Polish dictionary until 1958, since it only appeared (in endearing sense) in the Doroszewski's dictionary[2]. The so-called Warsaw Dictionary[3], does not have such an entry, and only mentions the word "babcia" four times in passing as "ciocio-babcia" or "ciocia-babcia". You may check it yourself using the browser [4]. Certainly no such word exists in [5] - a dictionary of the 16th century Polish - although babka is. There is also no entry for "babcia" in Linde's dictionary[6] (1854-1861), but babka is.

Doroszewski has two separate entries for "baba", one for "babka" and one for "babcia". The latter is defined as "affectionally about mother of father or mother; about old woman". His entry for "babka" has 14 meanings, carefully described.

[1] R. Tokarski: Struktura pola znaczeniowego (studium językoznawcze). Warszawa 1984, s. 137
[2] Słownik języka polskiego pod red. W. Doroszewskiego, 1958 - 1969, doroszewski.pwn.pl
[3] Kryński, Karłowicz, Niedźwiedzki (1900 - 1927) "Słownik języka polskiego", a so-called Warsaw Dictionary
[4] Browser with advanced search capability of multi-volumed Warsaw Dictionary[3] and also other dictionaries, poliqarp.wbl.klf.uw.edu.pl/slownik-warszawski/
[5] S. Bąk, M. R. Mayenowa, F. Pepłowski (eds.). Dictionary of the 16th century Polish. Wrocław - Warszawa, 1966-???? (work in progress)
[6] M. Samuel Bogumił Linde. Dictionary of Polish (2nd edition). Lwów 1854-1861.

I am also bored of repeating the old arguments, so I just only suggest that you google [busia gwara -kenya -uganda] in order to see several entries to dialectal dictionaries - all describing "busia" as "babcia". And then take a look at a map of Poland to see where are those areas where the word "busia" is used in diminutive or hypocoristic form. And just to avoid getting into yet another boring discussion: those areas are NOT Kashubian. Pay attention to Kociewie, Babimojszczyzna, Kramsko, Wijewo, Mazury Wieleńscy, Stara Wiśniewka.


The formerLower Silesian dialect is still preserved at Chwalim near Wolsztyn (Zielona Góra) and in the so-called dialect of Rawicz's Chazaks, which includes two villages near Leszno (Brenno and Wijewo) and about 22 villages near Rawicz. These dialects have survived thanks to the settlement in the past of Silesian population on the border of the Greater Poland and Silesia. Currently those dialects are vanishing. Wijewo dialect is one of those areas where busia = babka.

But to sweeten up this post, here is a jocular Kashubian text, where the word Busia is used. I hope you like it:
by Zyta Wejer. Nowi Rok - barani skok!

Genealogy / Common surnames in Poland NOT of Polish origin ? [87]


Here you go Lyzko:
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pajt%C3%A1s

The actual spelling is not "paitas" but "pajtás", plural pajtások.
This is a Hungarian word of Turkish origin - the Polish etymologia.org was right here.
From Ottoman Turkish پاﻳﺪﺍﺵ (pâydâş, "parter, sharer"), from پای (pây, "share, portion").
Hungarian meaning:

- comrade, companion, pal
- pioneer (member of a child organization in the soviet bloc)

Genealogy / Common surnames in Poland NOT of Polish origin ? [87]


Yes, now you have to check Hungarian sources, then Turkish ones. :-)
But that's "małe piwo" for you, Lyzko. :-)

Genealogy / Common surnames in Poland NOT of Polish origin ? [87]


Check this page,
stankiewicze.com/index.php?kat=44&sub=548
Scroll down to a group of 20 or so names starting with PAJD- . Assuming that your name is of Polish origin, then it comes from the word "pajda", as in "pajda chleba" (chunk, piece of bread). Synonyms: skiba, kawałek, kroma, kromka.

From etymologia.org : pajda:
 pajda, bajda chleba, 'kromka'. It comes from Turkish and Hungarian "paj" meaning "porcja" in Polish, a portion in English. In some dialects "pajtasz" means "towarzysz" (companion), which comes from Hungarian "paitas".

Genealogy / Common surnames in Poland NOT of Polish origin ? [87]

Yes, absolutely. Thanks. :-)
I missed another big group of 60 or so surnames, starting with SAPI- . This includes Sapiecha, Sapieha, Sapierzyński and Sapieżyński.

History / Difference between the Pospolite ruszenie and the Winged Hussars in Poland? [10]


Once every so often, the local commanders were obliged to call "pospolite ruszenie" for the purpose of review and enumeration. The results were often disappointing: many poor men - so-called "szlachta zagrodowa" or "szaraczkowa szlachta" - would come with no horse, no retinue, with obsolete weapons, or just with clubs or sticks. North east Masovia and Podlasie come to mind.

Here is one interesting registry list:
Chorągiew Ziemska Smoleńska 5 stycznia 1633 roku - Banner (squadron) of Smolensk Land, January 5, 1633
Organization of Smolensk Land militia is quite interesting, as it was quite different than in other lands:

- The Smoileńsk fortress was a gateway to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and also the perfect base for offensives against Moscow, therefore it was subject to special protection;

- Lands in the province (voivodship) of Smolensk were properties of the state (although there were some exceptions to this), even if its former owner from the Muscovite times went to the Polish side. The king handed out the estates to the gentry just for life or with inheritance rights. The estates could not be donated, sold or pledged without the consent of the king. Estates could be inherited only in the male line, and after the family expired, the estate became the property of the Commonwealth again. The fief privilege implied the duty to defend the state;

- The landowner was obliged to keep in the local castle (Smoleńsk?) a household with a journeyman or a farmer with a musket and other infantry weapons - as a kind of support to the castle crew - and the pantry for six months;

- During the war, a nobleman (szlachcic) had to fight in person or by deputy.

The registry represents alphabetical list of retinues, including those who served in mercenary banners and the losses during the siege (after January 5, 1633)

The list is organized as follows:

- entry number in the register
- name of the owner of the retinue
- his office
- those present/absent (1/0)
- number of journeymen
- number of householders (farmers, peasants)
- killed, shot, missing, taken prisoner
- additional sources

The details are presented here:

gosiewski.pl/inne/Smolensk-alfabetycznie.htm

Genealogy / Common surnames in Poland NOT of Polish origin ? [87]

Right. According to Stankiewicze web page "sapać" is one of the possible roots for family of surnames:

- Sapis, Sapiska, Sapiszczak, Sapiszczuk, Sapiszko ==> from Belarusian Sapega, this from Eastern Slavic sopet', sapać
- Sapiuk, Sapjuk, Sapka, Sapkiewicz, Sapko, Sapkowski, Sapnia, Sapoch, Sapocha, Sapociński, Sapocki, Sapoćko, Sapok (Silesian), Sapoliński, Sapolski, Sapoł, Sapołyga ==> from sapać or from Old Polish "sap", now "syk" (English hiss)

The word "sapa", "sapka", in the dialects around Kraków, Lesser Poland, has two meanings:

- meal based on flour
- big mud, not very thick, often referred to as "taká sapa"

According to database "Moi Krewni" *My Relatives" surname Sapko appears 253 times in contemporary Poland, especially in its Eastern part:

- Krasnystaw county (61)
- Świdnik county (36)
- Lublin city (33)
- Kraków city (22)
- Chełm county (10)
- £ęczna county (9)
- Gdynia county (8)
- Słupsk city (8)
- Chełm city (8)
- Przeworsk county (6)

Genealogy / How did Leszek Miller get the surname Miller - is it a Polish name? [30]

Actually no. :-)
There are several possibilities:
1. His father came to America with the name Miller from Poland. Miller, Millerowicz, Millerowicz, Millert, with double LL, also exist in Poland. As Polonius already stated there are 6000 people of that name currently living in Poland.

2. His father came to America with the name Müller from Poland(?), which has been later anglicized to Miller. He could be brought as a Pole, even though his name was German. We know of many such cases: General Anders, General Juliusz Rómmel, Christine von Habsburg (*), etc.

3. We actually do not know, whether his father is the first generation immigrant. And that opens up to many possibilities, such as German Grandpa, Polish Grandma, bringing his father up as a Pole, etc.

(*)


I just want to add this:


Most of the time - yes. But the reverse process existed in many communities.
Some examples include names of Catholic Bambers, settled around Poznań. The current mayor of Luboń, south of Poznań, Dariusz Szmyt is a descendant of one of the first 60 Bambers that settled there, Karol Józef Schmidt.

The Poznań city scribe, Jan Rzepecki, wrote in 1730s a settler contract between owners of Dębiec, south of Poznań, and the 16 Bamber families. He spelled their names the way he heard them. They were illiterate, they signed the contracts with crosses and they were in no position to check their names spellings. Only later the German spelling was reintroduced by the Prussian oficials:

1 - Andrzej Hirsz z żoną Dorotą i dziećmi
2 - Piotr Wagner z żoną Elżbietą i dziećmi
3 - Jan Remlei z żoną i dziećmi
4 - Michałowa Ferczowa, imieniem Kunegunda, wdowa z dziećmi
5 - Jan Szmdt z żoną Małgorzatą i dziećmi
6 - Hans Jurga Ruth z żoną Anną i dziećmi
7 - Michał Hiller z żoną Dorotą i dziećmi
8 - Jan Baierlam z żoną Kunegundą i dziećmi
9 - Kasper Rysz z żoną Barbarą i dziećmi
10 - Hans Sznayder z żoną Anną i dziećmi
11 - Frans Hirsz z żoną Katarzyną i dziećmi
12 - Jurga Hirsz z żoną Maryanną i dziećmi
13 - Adam Petz z żoną Barbarą i dziećmi
14 - Konrad Sznayder, syn Hansa Sznaydra, z żoną Marianną
15 - Elżbieta Fischerowa, wdowa z dziećmi
16 - Frydrych Sznayder, syn Hansa Sznaydra, z żoną Magdaleną i dziećmi

Another example involves descendants of Taubdeutsche, Walddeutsche (Polish: Głuchoniemcy) settled in Lesser Poland, Jasło Pits, around XIV c. and later, and finally becoming Polonized around XVI c. The Polish wikipedia page,

pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C5%82uchoniemcy
provides a long list of polonized surnames., such as:
Bartman (Barthmann)
Miler/Mylar (Müller)
Gucwa (Gutz)
Janas (Janess)
etc.

Genealogy / How did Leszek Miller get the surname Miller - is it a Polish name? [30]


If the subject is a surname of somebody living in Poland, then Anglicizing makes very little sense (although it is not improbable), while Polonizing makes a lot of sense. Keep in mind that there are plenty of surnames that came from the German words Miller / Müller, but which have typical Slavic sounding: Milera, Milerczyk, Milerowicz, Milerowski, Milerski, Milert and Milerz. They have nothing to do with German=>English transformation.

News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [385]


You quoted the "so-called" Polish media experts, in this case Polish Radio, from Oct 2, 2007 - a heyday times of our sensationalists. Exactly, as I said, the deja vu again. Laughable, Harry.

You said nothing of value in your first post, nor in your second "retort". You get tangled around the $123 millions figure, which I mentioned in my post as well. The difference is that this figure was assumed in 2003, in the early MON plan, which was followed up. This is not any revelation Harry, they knew about potential service expences and about spare part costs.

But obviously you cannot read Polish so you conveniently ignored the first links I posted - the MON report of 2008. I did not invented those numbers.

And you ignored the second link too, where they show the fifth anniversary numbers, related to the F-16s that actually do fly Harry.

The fifth birthday of F-16 - a balance sheet
mon.gov.pl/pl/artykul/12083 , 2011-11-09

Since 2009-11-09, when the first F-16 was flown in to Krzesiny near Poznan:

- Continuous training of flying personnel in joint air operations with Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Spain [they forgot to mention USA and Great Britain, boletus]

- in 2011 component "Jastrząb" from Krzesiny obtained positive certification FORCEVAL, a necessary condition for participation in NATO operations in the framework of TACEVAL - Tactical Evaluation Program.

- Both Tactical Air Bases: 32 BLT (£ask) and 31 BLT (Krzesiny) are in continuous combat duty (32 BLT since January 2010, 31 BLT since June 2011) NATINADS (Nato Integrated System of Air Defence),

- Both bases 32 BLT (Janurary 2010) and 31 BLT (June 2011) are in continuous QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) combat duty - part of NATINADS.
- Since 2009-12-14 the basic pilot training course takes place in Krzesiny , rather than exclusively in USA.
- Training of ground crews in English and in 23 technical specialization has been also moved from USA to Poland
- As of 2011-11-02, during the five years, Polish F-16s flew 14 834 sorties with a total number of 25 719 hours. [Probably too few, but that's the salary issue - boletus]

- The bases have 49 F-16 pilots [again, this number should be higher. It's all about salaries - boletus], including three Basic Course pilots and nine instructors. Five of the pilots have more than 1000 flight hours. 820 millions PLN was invested in Krzesiny for 61 various investments and repairs; similarly the £ask base was expanded and modernized for 435 PLN.

International training, details

- 2011-07, Germany, with Eurofighter, 32 BLT aircraft
- 2011-07, "SAFE SKIES 2011", 32 BLT
- 2010-04, Germany, "BRILLIANT ARDENT 2010", 32 BLT
- 2010-04, £ask, "SQUADRON EXCHANGE" with 52 USAF Wing from Spanghdal and 31 BLT
- 2010-05, Germany, "ELITE 2010", 32 BLT
- 2011-07, static exhibition, Spanghdal, 32 BLT
- 2011-08, static exhibition, Slovakia, 32 BLT
- 2011, 2010 Polish squadron exchange, Malbolrk Mig-29 and 31 BLT
- 2010-04, "Frisian Flag", Holland, 31 BLT
- 2010-06, Polish-Belgian "Squadron exchange", Krzesiny, 31 BLT
- 2011-05, France, "NATO TIGER MEET", 31 BLT

In addition:

- 2011-08, Russia, "Vigilant Skies"
- 2009 and 2011, Air shows, Radom, 31 BLT, and 32 BLT
- 2008, Denmark, "SQUADRON EXCHANGE"
- 2009 (3 times) and 2011 (3 times), "TACTICAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME", first in Belgium, then in Spain
- 2009-06, Sweden, "LOYAL ARROW"
- 2009-06, Greece, "SQUADRON EXCHANGE"
- 2009-09, Denmark, "BOLD AVENGER"
- 2009-12, Spain, SQUADRON EXCHANGE"

My Toronto residence has nothing to do with the merits, mister "taxis paying" Harry and now the military expert. Going personal rather than ad rem? Do not make me laugh. I have been carefully following for years many discussions on F-16s among the military and business people. I have heard it before about Gripens, Mig-29 (Soviet era, you said?) modernization and other issues. As an example, just look at the discussion forum "F-16 vs. Gripen",

f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-1029.html
and you will find plenty of pro and contra arguments for both types of military aircraft. I do not need to seek any advice from you "Harry, the tax payer", nor from dummy journalists going after next sensations.

I say, although things could be better as usual - but considering that this is Poland - the status of our F-16s fleet is actually quite good.

News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [385]

[There must be something newer in MON site, than the 2008 article I presented as the first link, but unfortunately their web masters have not learned yet how to organize search through their database time-wise, starting from the newest articles. So the searches there are really mundane. When I have time, I'll try to find something appropriate from the year 2012.]

Summarizing the 2008 article, section 11:
1. As I said before: 1 malfunction per 12 hours on F-16 compared to 1 malfunction per 4-5 hours on Mig-29. Not bad, considering many factors.
2. According to reliability theory the intensity of malfunctions is high at the beginning of exploitation, then go down with time to some minimal plateau level and then starts growing up again when parts become worn. This is a so-called bathtub curve, since it looks like a cross section of the old fashioned tub. F-16 has about 200,000 parts. Think about it for a while.

3. Poland bought the newest version of F-16, so-called block 52+, not used by anyone before that. Some of the malfunctions are typical to initial/experimental exploitation. This is why the Polish-American team of experts decided to plan for three years of spare parts in advance, with extra margin provided.

4. Before accepting the delivery of any F-16 the Polish technicians went through about 80 pages of very detailed technical procedures. The more faults they initially found the better for the exploitation of the craft.

5. The package of spare parts, was prepared based on the experience of USAF and other users of F-16s. For that $123 millions were reserved. It was assumed that the last spare part would be used three years after the delivery of the last of the 48 Polish F-16s, that is around year 2011. That leads to $0.28 millions per single aircraft F-16 - again less than for MIG-29 and Su-22.

There is also a lot to be said about so-called offset.
2011-05-25
logistyka.wnp.pl/dotychczas-ok-5-5-mld-dolarow-z-offsetu-po-kupnie-samolotow-f-16,141051_1_0_0.html

The offset agreement, concluded in 2003 with the company Lockheed Martin for the purchase of F-16 amounted to 6.028 billion dollars, or about 170 percent of delivery. After eight years, the ministry of the economy describes the contract as satisfactory.

2012-09-28
logistyka.wnp.pl/bydgoszcz-centrum-obslugi-i-napraw-samolotow-f-16,151791_1_0_0.html

Maintenance and repair of aircraft F-16 within the offset framework, including electrical, hydraulics and chassis, will be conducted in the WZL nr 2 (Military Aircraft Factory No. 2) in Bydgoszcz - announced the Ministry of Economy on Wednesday,

In May WZL No. 2 signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin Corporation regarding the transfer of technology and infrastructure for dry paint stripping and painting of the F-16s. The Bydgoszcz plant will receive technology of old paint removal and painting of these machines, as well as necessary equipment and machinery for this work. Lockheed also provides funding for the construction of the hangar for such work.

"The positive opinion of the Committee for Offset Agreements means for us the consent for another deal with Lockheed, which will allow us to carry out maintenance, repair and overhaul of aggregates and hydraulic, avionics, pneumatics and fuel system" - said spokesman for WZL No. 2, Piotr Rutkowski.

Offset Agreement between the Polish State Treasury and Lockheed Martin Corporation, regarding - inter alia - service support of F-16 aircraft, was signed on April 18, 2003. Its value is 6.028 billion dollars, and the contract expires in 2013.

2012-06-12, Poles in Red Flag exercise

More than 70 aircrafts took part in Red Flag exercise in Alaska, starting from Eielson near Fairbanks. Among them 6 (out of 8) Polish F-16C/D Block 52+.

[One F-16 had to stop at Boston to check on one of the malfunctioning systems (perhaps landing gear). Another F-16 kept it a company. They joined the rest few days later, but did not take part in the main exercise. Details here: 2012-05-24.

This was a big deal to be there, as the crafts could train with the real munition, which is not possible on this scale anywhere in Europe.

A curiosity:

All Polish Air Force F-16 taking part in Red Flag are equipped with conformal tanks (block 52+), enabling them longer range, longer time spent in the air. Unlike traditional tanks hanged under the fuselage or the wings, the conformal tanks do not increase the aerodynamic drag. According to Polish pilots, their F-16s were the envy of other participants in the exercise - exactly because of these tanks. They could continue with their exercises when another aircrafts were running out of fuel. Thanks to that the Polish pilots could practice more tactical elements during one sortie.


Something recent Harry here, just for you.

2012-10-08. altair.com.pl/news/view?news_id=8759&q=F-16

Today afternoon Polish F-16s from 32 BLT (32 Air Base in £ask) returned from British exercise MACE XIV. [There is one squadron #10 in £ask, with 13 F-16C and 3 F-16D (two-seaters)]

The seven-days exercise, which involved crew of 40 Poles, was held in the British Air Base in Leeming, UK - with dedicated proving ground in Spadeam. The goal of the exercise was to test effectiveness of the radar ground stations, part of the air defences, against Polish F-16 in a strictly specified time limit.

After realizing the risk of being tracked down the pilot performed defensive maneuvers, using self-defence measures in the form of flares and dipoles. After landing, during the debriefing, the effectiveness of the pilot's defensive maneuvers was also being assessed.

News / THE ARMY OF POLAND - THE REALITY [385]

It would be nice if you answered the question and didn't go off topic instead. Lonman was asking about USAF F-16s to be stationed at £ask Air Base, not Polish F-16s.

But since you started, I just wonder where you get your revelations from. Sources, Harry?

I do not believe my eyes. It looks like 2006 déjà vu again, when the bunch of idiot journalists - having not the slightest ideas about the engineering notions of exploitation and reliability, jumped all over so-called catastrophic inefficiency and unreliability of Polish F-16s. Sure the malfunctions or failures have existed. During the initial period 2006-2008, a single serious malfunction on a given F-16 appeared in average every 12 hours of the flying time. This record is three times better than for Mig-29, where one malfunction appeared every 4-5 hours of flying time.

You may want to read the section 11, "The most typical critique regarding F-16s", paragraph "Defects rate" and "Spare parts", from the 2008 report, here:

mon.gov.pl/pl/strona/222/PG_154_196

Have some F-16s which actually work, Harry?
How about reading this (sorry, I have no time for translation now) for example?:
2011-11-09, Fifth anniversary of exploitation of F-16s
mon.gov.pl/pl/artykul/12083

You may also want to consult these Polish Air Force pages:
sp.mil.pl
Some of the pages are in English.

Language / Usage of Polish Instrumental Case? [22]


Your friend could have made a mistake the first time. But since he repeats it again it looks like he has no understanding of Polish grammar. I can accept mistakes, but I really hate when people mislead the others purposely.

"Oni są leniwy" is wrong, wrong, definitely wrong.

Here is the entire battery for you.
1. Instrumental noun. Singular: from leń => leniem; Plural: from lenie => leniami
I am a sluggard. => Jestem leniem.
You are a sluggard. => Jesteś leniem.
He/she/it is a sluggard. => On/Ona/Ono jest leniem.
We are sluggards. => Jesteśmu leniami.
You are sluggards. => Jesteście leniami.
They are sluggards. => Oni/One/One są leniami.

2. Stand alone adjective, takes Nominative form if no object is following it
Summary:
Singular: leniwy (masculine), leniwa (feminine), leniwe (neutral)
Plural: leniwi (masc), leniwe (fem and neut)

Details:
I am lazy. => (Ja) jestem leniwy. (Ja) jestem leniwa (feminine). (Ja) jestem leniwe (neutral).
You are lazy. => (Ty) jesteś leniwy. (Ty) jesteś leniwa (feminine). (Ty) jesteś leniwe (neutral)
He is lazy. She is lazy. It is lazy. => On jest leniwy. Ona jest leniwa. Ono jest leniwe.
We are lazy. => (My) jesteśmy leniwi (masc or mixed). (My) jesteśmy leniwe (fem or neut).
You are lazy. => (Wy) jesteście leniwi (masc or mixed). (Wy) jesteście leniwe (fem or neut).
They are lazy. => Oni są leniwi (masc or mixed). One są leniwe (feminine or neut).

3. Adjective preceding an object
Nominative in both languages:
This is a lazy student. => To jest leniwy uczeń, leniwa uczennica, leniwe dziecko.
These are lazy students. => To są leniwi studenci, leniwe studentki, leniwe dzieci.

Nominative in English , Instrumental in Polish
Summary:
Singular, instrumental: leniwym uczniem, leniwą uczennicą, leniwym dzieckiem
(all forms the same in all cases, differences only between masculine, feminine and neutral forms)
Plural, instrumental: leniwymi uczniami, uczennicami, dziećmi.
(all forms the same, adjectives: no differences btw m, f, n; differences only in nouns (uczeń, uczennica))

Details:
I am a lazy student. => (Ja) jestem leniwym uczniem. (Ja) jestem leniwą uczennicą. (Ja) jestem leniwym dzieckiem.
You are a lazy student. => (Ty) jesteś leniwym uczniem. (Ty) jesteś leniwą uczennicą. (Ty) jesteś leniwym dzieckiem. (neutral)
He is a lazy student. => On jest leniwym uczniem. Ona jest leniwą uczennicą. Ono jest leniwym dzieckiem.
We are lazy students. => (My) jesteśmy leniwymi uczniami. (My) jesteśmy leniwymi uczennicami. (My) jesteśmy leniwymi dziećmi.
You are lazy students. => (Wy) jesteście leniwymi uczniami. (Wy) jesteście leniwymi uczennicami. (Wy) jesteście leniwymi dziećmi.
They are lazy students. => Oni są leniwymi uczniami. One są leniwymi uczennicami. One są leniwymi dziećmi.

Language / Usage of Polish Instrumental Case? [22]

No, you missed the point. All six examples I gave are correct. Read them again very carefully.

I am a deadbeat, a sluggard, a lazybones. Jestem leniem.
I am lazy. Jestem leniwy.
I am a lazy worker. Jestem leniwym robotnikiem.

Language / Usage of Polish Instrumental Case? [22]


Jestem leniem. (noun: leń)
Jestem leniwy. (adj)
Jestem leniwym uczniem.

Oni są leniami. (noun: lenie)
Oni są leniwi.
Oni są leniwymi uczniami.

Food / What do people in Poland eat? [11]


[A trolling question deserves a trolling answer.]
The standard fare, just as in USA:
Caterpillars - tasting like blackberries, centipedes, moths, earthworms, maggots, mashed blowflies, daddy longlegs.

More fancy food includes:
Roasted grasshoppers - tasting something like almonds, pickled centipedes, earthworms stuffed with ants' eggs, fat ceterpillars fed on onions.
But the greatest success there is: rainworms stuffed with some kind of tiny fly that migrates from Mexico.

- The source: Josef Skvorecky, "The Bride of Texas"
(From stories about a feud between Uncle Habakuk, a black slave and Mister Williams, a plantation supervisor)
"Oh, no. Uncle Habakuk got used to it, it was Mister Williams who didn't. Whenever Uncle Habakuk stuffed himself with those creepy little things -- he liked daddy longlegs the best; when he chewed them Mister Williams threw up himself."

History / Welcome to Lemmingrad! [59]

Generally, not a bad idea, but instead of putting a term limit on the ruling party, why not to follow ancient Greek democracy and restrict individual members of parliament from serving for more than two consecutive terms, or even better - for the life time. Twins serving simultaneously are counted as one serving two terms. [My rules, do not complain]

This way your dream of getting rid of the eye-shifting Tusk would be satisfied. So would be my dream of getting Kaczyński off the political scene forever. Would not it be dandy to open the political arena for the young blood and fair fight?

Life / Fake goods in Poland [42]


homeofficeweekly.com/business/avoid-scams1.html

Oh, well, Vancouver is keeping up too.

Life / Fake goods in Poland [42]


How about a vehicle you supposedly won at the national lottery, you lucky bastard ... and all you have to do is just to pay some mere $800 to cover the shipping costs and tax. The offer is valid for today only, the payment must go to some numbered account?

Courtesy of a phone scam artist calling you from Montreal - the scam capital of the world!

That car is bigger than a chain saw and a generator, and you even did not see it. :-)

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]

This puzzle seems to be a source of fun for junior high school students who cherish catching their teachers off guard. It is also a perennial bore for various internet user groups, discussing subtle aspects of "polska język to być trudna język". Language authorities, such as prof. Jerzy Bralczyk or prof. Mirosław Bońko, PWN are being asked about it at least once a month.

The general consensus is that the verb "obejść", perfective aspect, is irregular since it does not form a passive participle. The advice is to substitute this verb by another one - such as "okrążać" to form a passive voice, as in "jezioro zostało okrążone". This is exactly what catsoldier did in his English example.

It is perhaps worth pointing out that the verb "obchodzić", imperfective aspect, is regular and forms passive participle - as in "to jezioro jest zwykle obchodzone lewą stroną", or metaphorically as in "to święto jest obchodzone wiosną".

However Prof. Bralczyk points out that there are ancient forms that can be used in lieu of passive participle for "obejść" - as used by H. Sienkiewicz in the expression "nieobeszłe lasy", so he suggests that theoretically "obeszłe" could be used as a complementary form (although quite weird) to "nieobeszłe". Quick Google search reveals that the form "nieobeszłe" (although not "obeszłe") was used by several poets:

Jan Kochanowski (Pieśni. Księgi wtóre. Pieśń XXV, verse 3): "Tyś fundament założył nieobeszłej ziemi / I przykryłeś jej nagość zioły rozlicznemi."

K.I. Gałczyński, Noctes Aninenses, Noc umiera: "nieobeszła otwarła się głębia / dla dywanów i dla poduszek."

Cz. Miłosz, Miasto: "Żyć jeszcze raz, na nieobeszłej ziemi"

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Management was of no use for me. Physics, Engineering and Computer Science it was all I needed to make me happy and versatile enough.

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


You and I have completely different experiences due to different backgrounds. Shortly: during my undergraduate times not many girls studied physics, mathematics, or engineering. But quite a lot studied biology, medicine, dentistry, some studied chemistry. Quite a number studied pedagogy, archeology, history, art, music, etc. Many, many women became teachers. And then there were six public universities at that city and I assume that many women studied gardening, forestry, economy. Now there are eight of them: Classical U., Medical U., Nature U., Economical U., Artistic U., U of Technology, Musical Academy, Physical Education Academy. There are also about 20 private colleges,

At that time gender roles did not exist. One of my female friends who was employed at the same institute as I was, went through the same graduation process: from assistant-trainee, through assistant, senior assistant and assistant professor. And we both were receiving the same salary at each level.

My wife graduated in psychology. She did not need to hunt for a husband at her age. She was professional enough and she enjoyed many years of employment at various correctional facilities as psychologist. She put all her heart in her profession. Psychology students were mostly females, and they treated their future profession quite seriously, You should have listen to their discussions, which were as hot as our discussions about physics or engineering.

All Polish ladies I have met here in Canada, and who are part of our cirque of friends are professionals: Ewa is a biologist with passion, working on new drugs and running her own lab; Bożena, a mechanical engineer from Poland has been a senior drafwoman for years; Barbara teaches English (ESL) for immigration services; Ewa #2 is a consultant engineer in acoustics and vibrations; Ola, an electronic engineer from Poland could not stand a stress so she re-qualified: she runs flower shops and organizes banquets in big hotels; Ala is a police officer. I know of many Polish women that are real estate agents; some run bookstores, are involved in music, jazz concerts, theaters.

In summary: we all have different experiences. Generalizations are bad as usual..

Love / Why don't Polish women treat education seriously for themselves? [130]


Sorry, reading your post I had an impression that you valued a formal education above all other forms. This is why I stressed importance of teaching.


So what kind of curriculum is broad enough in you opinion?

Language / Polish Grammar quiz/puzzles: [47]


Google knows about both versions, although the one "z rączkami" is statistically more popular. But do not despair; there are also "torby z uchwytami", "z szelkami" and even "z ramiączkami". Check the corresponding Google images of various bags.

Genealogy / Surname: Tyminski [2]


Very unlikely place name, since this has no meaning in Polish language. Macerów (o with acute) looks a bit better, but still not that good. Macierów, or Maciorów - still not found by Google. But MACIEJÓW represents several villages in Poland.


A very rare surname in Poland. There are only 8 people of that name, and they all live in town called Pleszew.
On the other hand the surname BARON (with single R) is a bit more popular. There are 5226 people of this surname, living mostly in Silesian and Opole voivodships. BARON is also quite popular in Germany (estimated 7154 persons), but not Barron (estimated 117 people).

Make sure that you have all spellings right.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]

I understand your calm since you actually breed them, so it seems. I woke up once in similar circumstances one night when sleeping over in a house, which was overrun with mice for dozens of years (of which I learned later). I freaked out, feeling one walking on my chest and seeing another one climbing up the cable of the bedside lamp. Yuck!