News / Poles, Polonians and aliens on Pussy Riot? [182]


They did what they did because they saw that the Church is hand-in-glove with the Putin adminstration. Their actions were distasteful to many people (myself included) and I believe they should have respected the property rights of the owners. Nevertheless, the sentence given by the Russian court has been viewed by a great number of people (myself included) as being grossly disproportionate.

Russia as a country is in danger of repeating old sins in another guise. Totalitarianism, whether in the form of Soviet Communism, theocracy, or a convenient accommodation of the two is no basis for social or political progress. And neither is suppression of a few young people making a point. "Why break a butterfly upon a wheel."

Food / What do non-Poles think about eating the following Polish foods? [1303]


Looks a bit boring, to be frank. I've just come back from Tykocin. At the newly rebuilt castle I ate rack of lamb, boiled potatoes and rocket salad with halumi and balsamic vinegar. 50PLN. Highly recommended. We were actually staying at Kiermusy, but the food there does not deserve its reputation. To be fair the accommodation was fine, but I've had better food in milk bars.

Work / Profi-Lingua - Still dodgy/shady? [13]


I worked for these creatures a few years ago until they cut pay. I don't remember anything about bank credit affecting teachers but


were appalling. I used to send corrected versions of their dreadful stuff (which was often adapted from coursebooks, but with special speak up errors included) every week to head office. They changed some stuff and left other handouts as they were. In fairness to students I used to point out the errors at the start of every class. Once I offered to check every piece of material for them. I said it would take me two weeks, working full time on it, and asked for a very reasonable amount to do it. No.

News / Poles, Polonians and aliens on Pussy Riot? [182]


The group were protesting about the Church's links to Putin. As we know from Poland, priests can deliver a lot of votes.
Just before the sentence the Church called for clemency, but until that time had been lobbying for a stiff sentence. Very Christian.
What P-riot did should have been viewed as no more than breach of the peace. Their two-year sentence is a political message to Putin's opponents in the entertainment world.

News / Poles, Polonians and aliens on Pussy Riot? [182]

P-riot have successfully shown up Putin's Russia for what it is. Two years in a penal colony for upsetting the superstitious. What they did was offensive, and what the Russian judiciary has done to them is offensive, but who's got the guns? The message is clear to dissenters. Mess with Putin or his political allies, e.g. the Church at your peril.

Real Estate / Buying an old-ish house in Poland - how to get it evaluated [7]

My Polish wife and I built a house here in Poland, and we needed a certified building manager to OK every stage of the process by law.. This is the kind of guy you need. They don't have a vested interest in the house and don't care whether it's falling to bits or in good repair, so they are impartial.

Is the house occupied? The bank (God damn and blast their eyes) will certainly need a report before they bless you with their generosity.

A good building manager will go through everything like bad mushrooms.

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

Tabasco 13PLN. Elsewhere?

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

15 point Red Deer stag antlers 75GBP. ebayuk

Life / Let`s compare prices of services and products in Poland [359]

There are Roe deer antlers on ebayuk for between 10 and 60 GBP.

Language / Polish regional accents? [141]


I haven't heard that line of reasoning since I was about six.


Just shows how wrong you can be, then. For me social class is irrelevant.


How did you arrive at that idea? I merely want to point out that regional accents exist, even among what you term the middle classes.


I am not qualified to comment on Polish accents. I am, however, somewhat qualified to comment on English.


I see nothing noble in your comments. If people look down on me, that's their problem; I have no self-esteem deficit, I can assure you.


I challenged your assertion. Anyway, I'll let you have the no doubt withering Parthian shot. Subject closed as far as I'm concerned.

Language / Polish regional accents? [141]


Did I say I was?


You sound like a snob to me.
Believe what you like. You grossly over-simplified a linguistic point. My response was aggressive, I admit, because people who don't know better might believe you, and I wanted to counter your assertion.


You must lead a very sheltered life. How old are you?


Your circle of friends must be tiny.


Perhaps you think that I should know my place, your ladyship.

News / 70% of Poles like Komorowski. Do you? [120]


This is exactly what we mean by him being a national embarrassment. He looked like a village idiot in this clip.

Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]

So, the feast of the Assumption of the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary).

Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]

Is that a church they are leaving? From the people''s posture, I'd say it must be some kind of religious service. Looks like early spring.

Language / Polish regional accents? [141]


Some would see this as welcome social levelling, but I hate it. It sounds ugly to me. On the BBC last week I heard an economics correspondent pronounce sales as sows. Ugh!

Regional accents in England are often a delight to listen to. My personal favourites are Geordie and that mellifluous West-country burr you hear in Devon.

My ear is out of practise now, but when I was growing up I could hear the difference between a Greenwich accent and that of my home turf, Woolwich, barely two miles down the road.

Language / Polish regional accents? [141]


Same here. And my active vocabulary has shrunk. Keeping it simple means I avoid all kinds of wonderful words, and now I find myself searching my memory for them when I have to write something at a high level.

Language / Polish regional accents? [141]


London.


forty-five years of education have modified my London accent. I'd call it educated home counties, 1980 with remnants of south London when very relaxed.


So you have, for example, a friend in Tyneside who has


as a friend from, say, Cornwall. Try Q-tips. What you call RP has changed over the decades, anyway. Listen to BBC announcers from the 1950s and those of today. The term is virtually meaningless.


I beg to differ, based on what you have said.

Love / Why can't a guy from a foreign country marry a girl from Poland ? [44]

When you went on holiday and cancelled the milk and papers you forgot to tell the newsagent to send the lad when you got back. In 2004.

Language / Polish regional accents? [141]

" 'Standard pronunciation' is a dialect with an army and a navy."

Work / Teaching English in Poland without TESL certificate? [17]


Yes, but you'd have to either work for an exploitative cowboy outfit or go it alone, legally or illegally.


That would be a big help.


I'm not sure what an MA in Library means, but an MA means a lot here.


It covers more than just living expenses if you are qualified. Why not take a course in TEFL/TESOL? The outlay would make a big difference in the long run.

Language / Polish regional accents? [141]

You know the square root of fkuc all about English accents.


This is more than generalizing a bit; it's nonsense.

UK, Ireland / Polish woman living in England is moving back to Poland. How much money do I need? [87]


No. You'll live in poverty.

Law / Turkish citizen. Civil marriage in Poland - Urgent [25]

Possibly good news, Yusuf. Today I spoke to a lady who seems to know what she's talking about. She told me that one month is the maximum period between application and ceremony. She said that if you have everything in order, depending on how busy they are, you may not have to wait very long. They always tell you the maximum to cover their backs.

So the message seems to be a) get all the required papers together b) get married in a small town c) get married in winter.

Law / Turkish citizen. Civil marriage in Poland - Urgent [25]


We applied a couple of months before as we were in no hurry. It may also depend on where you do it. In our small town things are generally faster than in the big cities, e.g. planning/building permission. However, as far as I know, it's not possible to get married very quickly. Let's face it, there are good, common sense reasons for that.


She's right, of course. Two trips = twice the fun. İyi şanslar!

Law / Turkish citizen. Civil marriage in Poland - Urgent [25]


It's not Las Vegas Yusuf! There aren't very many bureaucratic things you can do in one day in Poland. As Harry says, find out the legal basis for their decision and take it from there. And remember, there's always Vegas.

Law / Turkish citizen. Civil marriage in Poland - Urgent [25]


I am a foreigner who married a Pole, and we both had to attend the register office when we applied in order to sign application documents. While it is in order to grant proxy power to your wife for some things (e.g. my wife deals with ZUS for me) I am inclined to think that for something like marriage you'll both have to be there. Is it such a problem for you to come?

Travel / First visit to Poland in 20 years - bus/traintravel around the country [11]

There are trains from Warszawa Wschodnia to Hajnówka, with one change. Time about 3.5 hrs. Bus or taxi 25km to Białowieża. Local guides and transport are available at the tourist information office in Białowieża or at Wejmutka (see my link above). imo the north-east is the best place for birdwatching.

Travel / First visit to Poland in 20 years - bus/traintravel around the country [11]

wildpoland.com/biebrza-marshes-wild-trips
Great place for water birds, as is siemianowka.pl
this reservoir is home to 150 species.
wejmutka.pl
This is a fairly new hotel/nature centre which runs courses on birds and wildlife in Białowieża.

Life / Cost of living in Wroclaw (rent price too) [119]

What do you usually spend money on when you're away from home?


Cinema, clubs? How tight/lavish is your budget? Be more specific and I'm sure someone from Wroclaw will help you out.

News / 70% of Poles like Komorowski. Do you? [120]


The thread is about the current president, not about party politics.

Poland's team seriously impressed their EU colleagues in accession negotiations. They punched well above their diplomatic weight at the time and earned a great deal of respect on all sides. Poland is not a yes-man.


Fine. You were, I believe, in a minority, but you have every right to respect who you want to.