The BEST Guide to POLAND
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Posts by Polson  

Joined: 9 May 2007 / Male ♂
Last Post: 11 Sep 2016
Threads: Total: 5 / Live: 2 / Archived: 3
Posts: Total: 1767 / Live: 346 / Archived: 1421
From: Europe
Speaks Polish?: Trying hard (sometimes) to learn...
Interests: Music, sport, history, geography, science, languages...and probably Poland too.

Displayed posts: 348 / page 1 of 12
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Polson   
3 May 2016
Food / Is brain-damaging vegan fad growing in Poland? [176]

I stated they were among the first to form animal welfare laws which groups like PETA fight for.

Unfortunately, no other governments had had the guts to form such ethical laws since the nazis, pity ;)

You don't have to be a vegetarian to put a dent into animal cruelty.

Probably not. But I read somewhere that we eat like 7,000 animals in a lifetime. That's still 7,000 lifes spared when you're a vegetarian.
Or, if you prefer, 7,000 deaths you won't participate in. That's quite something, especially if you like animals ;)

I think I'd rather have a new drug tested on a rat than a human being.

Indeed, vegetarians/vegans don't expect cruelty to just disappear. They want to minimize it as much as possible.
As to animal testing, alternative methods exist. I'm not saying we could avoid 100% of all animal experiments, but some cruel experiments really could and should be avoided.

even other animals are cruel to each other. Ever see a cat catch a mouse?

True. But there's something nice about humans: we have moral/ethics. We don't do just what we want. We are responsible beings (or at least we're supposed to). Responsability is the key word here I think. I'm not shocked when a lion catches and kills a antelope, but I am when I see humans treating animals like they were furniture from IKEA, that we can "produce", kill, disassemble and stock.

(Actually, furniture from IKEA may receive a better treatment than the animals we eat)

Also, some of the more extreme PETA types are against milking cows and many vegans are against drinking milk

Vegans reject all animal products. The thing is: as every (mammal) female, cows don't produce milk all the time. They have milk only when they have to feed their calf. In the dairy industry, cows are inseminated every year, so they can "produce" a calf (and MILK). The separation of the cow and its calf happens ASAP after birth (which, apparently, make them scream and look for each other for days) so we can get as much milk as possible. If the calf is a male, it will only live a few months and then be slaughtered. If it's a female, it will become like its mother and have a short and exhausting life.

A cow can live about 20 years in the wild. Dairy cows in the dairy industry do not live more than 5-6 years. As soon as they "produce" less, they are transformed into minced meat for hamburgers.

Vegans are not crazy. They're actually very logical... ;)

What are the pro's and con's though of being a vegan or even vegetarian?

Becoming vegetarian is actually easy. Turning vegan is a bit harder, but probably more rewarding.
Pro's and con's, I don't know, it depends. Becoming vegetarian was probably the best decision of my life (so far). I can't find any serious con. It's all good to me. The food is diverse, rich, tasty, and healthy (I eat more organic food now than when I was an omnivore). And it feels so much better to know that what you eat hasn't caused any pain.

It looks like missing out on vitamins and minerals, especially b12, are the biggest concerns.

I think vegetarians and vegans generally have a more diverse (and quality) diet than omnivorous people. They eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals. The vitamin and mineral intake is generally good. But yes, as any diet, you can miss out on some vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin B12 is a famous "problem". But it can be easily fixed.
Various studies have shown that vegetarians are healthier (and live longer apparently) than omnivorous people. Vegans do even better...

If I gave up eating meat
for even a week, I'd probably eat like pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. and probably gain weight thanks to carbs and still feel hungry all the time.

I think I read somewhere that there could be some sort of drug addiction with meat... ;)
I can share my own experience. Ever since I'm a vegetarian, I don't feel hungry all the time, and I haven't gained much weight.

I think our body adapts to what we give it (food).
One more thing: there are "famous" vegetarian/vegan bodybuilders. But to be honest, I don't know if they take steroids or any other food supplement ;)

Animals eat each other too - it's part of nature.

True. But we're no lions or wolves or cats. We are humans. We can adapt, think, make the difference between good and bad, and change our habits to suit our moral/ethics. I really like wolves, but I don't expect them to do anything like that ;)

Poland already has such wonderful food that isn't treated with hormones, antibiotics, and all sorts of other garbage like the food in N. America.

Mm, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Our meat industry (in the whole EU including Poland (very probably)) also uses all sorts of hormones, antibiotics, etc. Which is not surprising considering how important meat is in our culture. When you need to produce that much, I think hormones and antibiotics are inevitable at some point.

It's really late here. We'll keep talking tomorrow, if you want to ;)
Polson   
2 May 2016
Food / Is brain-damaging vegan fad growing in Poland? [176]

I stated that they were some of first people to create animal welfare laws.

Good for their image ;) But it has nothing to do with vegetarianism/veganism today.

He also wrote in his diary that Hitler planned to ban slaughterhouses once the war ended

I wouldn't care much about what a guy who supposedly wanted to ban slaughterhouses for animals but created slaughterhouses for humans said ;)

Thanks Polson that's very nice of you but I was just joking.

Phew! ;)

I honestly don't feel like I've had a good meal unless it has meat in it.

I understand. Habits. You were born and raised with meat at every meal (more or less). That's probably the hardest part to get over. But it wasn't hard for me. The moment I saw the piece of meat in my plate not as just food but as the (bloody) part of a sensible being who had had a miserable life and a cruel death, I had no problem to quit eating meat.

I'd fell hungry all the time if all I ate was salad and tofu.

That's true. Tofu alone is quite tasteless. But if you know how to cook it (and what to cook it with), it can replace meat.

I almost never eat tofu anyway.

veggie burgers

I've had a veggie kebab lately (with seitan), very nice.

They think that by only eating wheat grains and tofu that they're going to save the world and end cruelty to animals.

They don't eat just that, but yes, they're more likely to "save the world and end cruelty to animals" than the persons who don't act.

Well actually, millions of animals each year are killed by white and soy bean combines each year.

There's a HUGE difference between killing animals by accident and a system that "breeds" and kills them ON PURPOSE by billions every year.

Human consumption intentionally kills over 1,000 BILLION animals every year. If this is not a massacre, what is it?
Also, I'm pretty sure that most of the world production of soy beans is intended to livestock, not humans. So if you think about it, by eating meat, you kill animals twice: the rabbits in soy bean crops and the cows in industrial farms ;)
Polson   
2 May 2016
Food / Is brain-damaging vegan fad growing in Poland? [176]

Meat is basically dead animals, reared (especially in Poland) in a cruel way and slaughtered so a particular species can steal the protein and carbohydrate from their corpses.

Indeed. Barbarians do that. Civilised people can decide and act differently (ok, this is provocation, a little, but somehow true ;)).

Himler banned trapping and put severe restrictions on hunting while Goebels, a conservationist himself, described Hitler as a vegetarian.

This is all political, Adrian. The nazis needed to work on their image. And showing empathy to animals helps a lot!
As to Hitler being a vegetarian, this is VERY debatable. If this really was true, it could have been for medical reasons (the guy wasn't very healthy). Also, apparently, Hitler's favourite meal contained meat.

PETA ought to be proud of their roots

This is unfair (and wrong). Vegetarianism was not created by Nazi Germany, please... Some Ancient Greeks like Pythagoras were vegetarian. Were they nazis?

That's fine... let the idiots eat that nasty vegan garbage. For every animal they don't eat, I'll eat three.

Adrian, you're smarter than that. Come on.

I think I'll have a delicious baby cow sandwich.

Do you kill it yourself or...?
Polson   
2 May 2016
Food / Is brain-damaging vegan fad growing in Poland? [176]

I agree with everything you said, except the last sentence (of course ;)).
Not sure what you mean by "trendy PC causes to promote". I don't see why extending our empathy to our four-legged (and two-winged/finned) companions would be a "trendy PC cause".

If meat is not an absolute necessity, why would I keep causing pain and suffering to so many beings?
This is a genuine question. I don't see it as a naive "trendy PC cause", but more a real philosophical, ethical questioning.

Only if we see animals as mere objects can we keep treating them this way. Otherwise, we need to rethink a few things.
Polson   
1 May 2016
Food / Is brain-damaging vegan fad growing in Poland? [176]

By eliminating all animal products from the diet vegans increase the risk of certain nutritional deficiencies.

Various nutritional deficiencies are found among omnivorous people too.

vitamins B-12 and D, calcium

Most of the synthetic B12 world production goes to livestock supplementation. Which means that the B12 we get from the animals we eat actually come from food supplementation and medication these animals get in "farms". I'd rather supplement myself directly than through dead animal flesh.

Vitamin D can be synthesised by your body just by sun exposure.
As to calcium, the countries where dairy products consumption is the highest are also the ones where bone problems (such as osteoporosis) are the most commonly found. Calcium can be found in non-animal products.

Homo sapiens is an omnivore and a diverse, balanced diet is his best choice.

This is very true. A diverse and balanced diet is one of the keys to a good health. But meat consumption is not vital. A diverse and balanced diet without animal products can be very healthy.

Homo sapiens is an omnivore indeed. Which means that we, humans, CAN eat everything (more or less). Not that we HAVE TO.
Humans have always adapted their diet to what their environment could "produce". Most of humans are lactose intolerant. While others eat insects.

We eat too much meat. And emerging countries like China and India tend to eat more and more meat. Which will cause great environmental and ethical problems.
Polson   
23 Apr 2016
Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1040]

Hi Isa. I can try, but I'm not fluent enough to assure you this is gonna be correct...
Anyway.

Czy masz moje zdjęcia? (=do you have my pictures?)
Or, Czy masz zdjęcia o mnie? (=do you have pictures of me? Not sure about this one...)

Czy możesz wysłać te zdjęcia? (=Can you send these pictures?)
Polson   
5 Dec 2015
History / Time for Slavic Commonwealth around Poland as center [223]

The idea of Intermarium is interesting, but I just read an article stating that the project was... US-backed. Which makes me wonder.
I wonder if Americans support the project to, again, contain Russia on Europe eastern borders, or to divide and weaken Europeans even more.
Maybe both.
Polson   
5 Nov 2015
History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

InPolska, Poland has been in the middle of both the Eastern and the Western 'worlds' for centuries, and has been influenced by both.
Some Poles may be kind of 'ashamed' of being called Eastern Europeans, for the pejorative connotation the term may carry. But lots of Poles don't really feel ashamed, they just feel it's not really accurate. They know they're a sort of mix of these different cultures. They cannot consider themselves Eastern (only). Also, Eastern implies orthodox. Poles are catholic. That's a huge difference, culturally speaking.
Polson   
23 Sep 2015
News / Poland Sports News [1076]

That was quite something. The fifth goal is brilliant.
I like Guardiola's face right after the 'massacre' ;)
Polson   
27 Aug 2015
News / Poland Sports News [1076]

In the medal classification Poland is currently 3rd behind Jamaica and the US

Not really. Poland is 5th (which is still really good).
iaafbeijing2015.com/special/iaaf_medaltable_en
And the leader of that "ranking" (actually table, not ranking) is... Kenya, surprisingly (but kinda cool!).
Six medals for Poland so far, and I hope there are more to come ;)
Polson   
29 Mar 2014
Language / Extremely Hard - Polish the hardest language to learn [226]

No probs, mate. I'm half Polish and still struggling with the language (so maybe my frustration showed, but that's all), and I could never tell which language is the hardest, it depends on too many things.
Polson   
29 Mar 2014
Language / Extremely Hard - Polish the hardest language to learn [226]

Czech is harder than Polish.

That's your (and Magda's) opinion.
These guys seem to disagree tho.

I see the mod edited your post, since you called me 'idiot'.

Poison

It's PoLson, you idi...buddy ;)
I should have chosen another nickname...like Pó£śóń.
Polson   
15 Dec 2013
News / POLAND to have its own automobile brand (back), the SYRENA! [36]

They manufacture cars in Poland.

Leopard, yes. It's actually Swedish-Polish (the company HQs are in Trelleborg, Sweden, if I remember well). Nice cars too, but you can't expect to sell millions of these.

better yet change the name all together.

there is a lot to a name.

I totally agree, I was thinking about that too. Syrena may be alright, but Meluzyna... I can't imagine a Frenchman saying 'hey, I'm driving a Syrena Meluzyna'... 7 syllables, that's way too long, and probably too Polish too :P

Tesla motors in USA. I love their vision. This company needs to be apart of that movement.

Indeed. It's gaining in popularity, and for good reasons I guess.
Polson   
15 Dec 2013
News / POLAND to have its own automobile brand (back), the SYRENA! [36]

Here's what the car will look like:

it's probably connected with the Warsaw's coat of arms

Clearly:

Before Syrena, they had been producing a car called Warszawa.

I heard about that too, and here's a very nice prototype:

New Warsaw car
Polson   
14 Dec 2013
News / POLAND to have its own automobile brand (back), the SYRENA! [36]

Maybe some good news for the Polish automotive industry. After having produced foreign cars for decades, Poland is about to produce a...Polish car. And not just for the Polish market.

The revived brand, Syrena, inactive for 30 years, is ready to attack again.

The first car to be produced will be the Syrena Meluzyna, a sort of Beetle-Mini mix.

Have a look and share your opinion.

Official page (in English and Polish)
newsyrena.com/#homepage

Absent from the market for 30 years, Syrena remains Poland's greatest automotive brand with tremendous international potential. In response to growing demand for the return of Poland's "Queen of Motorways", the Syrena brand has been officially reactivated.

Polson   
10 Dec 2013
USA, Canada / Why do you guys think that so much Polonia is fake? [51]

last time I heard there are no arabs in Poland

There are some. Not many.
And yes, I was talking about France.

Polaks dont fuk around

Polaks are not cowards and pussies

Polaks never go to cops and it is in our nature to hate authority, politicians and cops

Stop with the generalisation nonsense.
Strangely, I've spent a lot of time with Poles (from Poland, the real ones, right?) and I've never heard anything about cops and politicians. I mean not more than in France or elsewhere.

wjoskach or mjasteczkach

Wioskach or miasteczkach ;)
Polson   
10 Dec 2013
USA, Canada / Why do you guys think that so much Polonia is fake? [51]

Why dont we bring the hooligan culture with us like them?

a nation of fighters and warriors who love to fight

Is that a culture? I thought the Poles were (still) largely Christian, not skinheads.
You should be happy about the fact that Poles usually integrate well into the countries they emigrate to.
I'd rather have a successful, desperate housewives-like Polonia, than a bunch of gangstas that don't want to have anything to do with the country they live in.

And before you say anything, if you don't like the country you live in, why don't you go back to your country, or to another country you'd feel closer to?

We're not France

Many Arabs (not all of course) are our Mexicans, if I can make the comparison. They often live within their own community, and have much stronger ties with their fellows than with their country of adoption (France). And this is good...for no-one.
Polson   
24 Nov 2013
Life / Conflicting views about life in Poland? [45]

every time I chat with Polish person he/she keep complaining that life in Poland is ****** and bad

Complaining is one of the fav hobbies of people, every people, not just in Poland. In France, we say 'l'herbe est toujours plus verte ailleurs', the grass is always greener on the other side. I guess you know what I mean. This is not specific to Poland and Polish people.