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Posts by polonius  

Joined: 24 Sep 2012 / Male ♂
Last Post: 10 Apr 2013
Threads: 54
Posts: 420
From: USA Shelby Township, MI
Speaks Polish?: yes
Interests: everyhting pertianing to Poland, Polonia, Poles and things Polish

Displayed posts: 474 / page 7 of 16
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polonius   
21 Nov 2012
Life / Christmas in Poland - commercial, religious, family get together or what? [23]

Althouhg the traditonal asepcts (wigilia, opłatek, kolędy, pasterka) are still holding on, the bulk of Xmas activities in Poland are mainly geared to...make China richer.

One positive change from the commie days, however, is the growth of charitable activites. Owsiak's Christmas Charity Orchestra is the best known, but a new drive called 'Szlachetna Paczka' is growing in popularity. There are also many other foundations and groups helping the needy at Christmas time.
polonius   
18 Nov 2012
Life / Czas honoru (Time of honoru) TV serial [38]

That's commercialism for you. A prime-time offer on a mainstream channel has to have generous sponors and a large audience. If it were purely a History Channel style documentary it would attract only a handful of history buufs or WW2 and Stalin-era hobbyists.
polonius   
18 Nov 2012
Law / Poland - 55th best place to do business [3]

PAP on Sunday reported Poland advancing from 74th to 55th place in the latest World Bank ranking of business conditions. Poland has improved its position thanks to reforms in four key areas: registering assets, taxation, executing contracts and bankruptcy proceedings. Russia has advanced by 6 places and Ukraine by 16, but Hungary had declined by 5 places and Bulgaria by two.

serwis.papnews.com.pl/00520104/listframe.nlx?855S912C508264A5
polonius   
18 Nov 2012
News / March for Poland's democracy organized by PiS 13th Dec [49]

PiS is planniung a great march for demcoracy and free media in Warsaw on 13th December, PiS leader Jarosław KaczyńskiJ said.

President of the Poland's Law and Justice party Jaroslaw Kaczynski invited everyone to participate in a march in defense of free media and democracy , which passes through the streets of Warsaw on December 13 this year . During the meetings with the residents of Lower Silesia noted that Polish society wants change.

- We have to prepare a big operation guarding Polish elections , guarding it that these voices are well numbered. I have no evidence that the former were rigged, but guarded God watches over - explained the president of PiS.

polonius   
18 Nov 2012
News / Polish things marketing turnoffs? [12]

Word is going round that Zelmer is being sold off to a Bosch-Siemens consortium. Another Polish brand goes into foreign hands. As if Poland had so many brands to spare!?
polonius   
18 Nov 2012
Food / Goose meat anyone in Poland? [20]

Goose is definitely not KFC-style utility food but festive holiday fare. Perhaps comaprable to the difference betweern filety z mintaja and lobster.
polonius   
17 Nov 2012
Food / Goose meat anyone in Poland? [20]

Merged: Where's the goose?

What's with the Poles? A Polish TV commentator said Poland produced and exported the best geese in the world, but the averga Pole eat only a few grammes of goose meat a year? What happened to the custom fo roast goose on Martinmas?

Roast goose is one of the tastiest meats around. Wędzony półgęsek (smoked goose breast) was once a Polish speciality.
polonius   
17 Nov 2012
Love / If you're a Polish person.. Before you marry a foreigner... [7]

Dunno. Didn't write the article and am not a lawyer. I imagine they don't extradite people for alimony arrears.
I can see where many of the once free online papers are increasingly forcing users to pay. Or they give you one or two sentences for free and then to see the rest you must subscribe.
polonius   
17 Nov 2012
Love / If you're a Polish person.. Before you marry a foreigner... [7]

Rzepa ran an interesting item that Poles should consider before marrying a foreigner. One of the points stated that under Polish law the party at fault in a divorce case has to pay alimony until death.

prawo.rp.pl/temat/757949.html
polonius   
16 Nov 2012
History / Pokłosie (film on Jedwabne) [36]

Historian Jan Chodakiewicz alleges that Pokłosie is an attempt to make Poles feel guilty of the Holocaust.
polonius   
15 Nov 2012
History / Pokłosie (film on Jedwabne) [36]

Has anyone on PF viewed this film already or heard about it?

It is a feature film based on one of the most controversial episodes in Poland's World War Two history, the Jedwabne massacre of Jews by their Polish neighbours. It was released Friday in the country's cinemas.

iphone.france24.com/en/20121109-film-wwii-polish-massacre-jews-opens-poland
polonius   
15 Nov 2012
Po polsku / Czy ktoś pamięta ORMO? [22]

Coś mi się obiło, że tenże sędzia Krzyże skazał Komprowskiego czy któregoś z innych solidaruchów. Może się mylę.
polonius   
14 Nov 2012
Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

GLONEK: Traceable to at least two different meanings: 1) A thick slice of bread; 2) algae. Which of the two lay behind the Glonek surname and why is anybody's guess. Boletus may have some additional insight.
polonius   
11 Nov 2012
Off-Topic / Languages you [dis]like [9]

I don't dislike any language, but I fund Dutch and Czech somewhat amusing. Portuguese as well as Chinese and Korean sound strange. I espeally react that way when I hear TV news readers speak. Xhosa (an African 'click' language) is really weird.
polonius   
11 Nov 2012
News / Polish things marketing turnoffs? [12]

Does the concept 'Polish and good' exist in Poland or elsewhere in Europe or the world? The way people think of Swiss watches, German/Japanese cars, French wines, Italian food (and opera), etc.?

Tinned Krakus hams and Wódka Wyborowa came close years ago, but now? Are there any Polish products at present that stand out for quality, innovation, attractiveness, etc. world-wide or even European-wide? I don't mean Germans doing their weekly shopping in Polish border towns.
polonius   
10 Nov 2012
Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4501]

The legend of how the Wieniawa clan and coat of arms evolved into Pomian you may fidn itneresting.

WIENIAWA: The legend surrounding Wieniawa tells of a raging bison that attacked the prince’s hunting party in a forest. A knight named £astek grabbed the animal by its horns, thrust a bent-twig hoop through its nose and led it to the prince. When another courtier tried to hold the animal, it started rampaging, so £astek lopped of its head with one swoop of his mighty sword. For his bravery the prince granted him the bison-head coat of arms known as Wieniawa. The crowned lion in the crest was apparently the heraldic emblem of the reward-granting prince.

POMIAN: The origin of this coat of arms goes back to a member of the Wieniawa clan named Chebda who out of sheer hatred murdered his own brother Jarand, the dean of Gniezno. King Władysław ruled that one of the penalties for that act of infamy should be the removal of the nose-ring depicted by the Wieniawa crest and the addition of a sword running through the bison’s head to symbolize the fratricide. The new crest was renamed Pomian to reflect the now archaic word “pomiana” (quarrel, atrocity, scandal).

DOLIWA: The Doliwa coat of arms goes back to the times when the pagan Jadvingians were planning to capture Liw (pronounced: leev) castle in northern Poland (Mazowsze region) and sent a scout ahead to size things up. A Polish knight known as Porajczyk (bearer of the Poraj coat of arms) spotted the pagan scout, took him aside and said he wanted to capture the castle himself and would gladly join forces and share the spoils with the pagans. Porajczyk won the confidence of the pagan chief and told him which side of the castle was the most vulnerable. He managed to slip away back to the castle and told his commander of the ruse. Polish troops surrounded the area, ambushing and decimating the pagans. Porajczyk was rewarded with land and treasures by the king who added two more rosettes to his Poraj coat of arms (said to be of Czech origin) and renamed it Doliwa (from “Do Liwa!” – a battle-cry meaning “Onward to Liw!”).

LUBICZ: The Lubicz coat of arms goes back to an episode in the Middle Ages, when the army of King Kazimierz had been ambushed by a powerful force of pagan Prussians. A knight named Lubicz (bearing the Pobóg coat of arms) led a troop of his own soldiers against the enemy with such ferocity that he sent them fleeing for safety. In recognition of his splendid service, Kazimierz rewarded him with numerous possessions. He also added another cavalier’s cross to his Pobóg crest, which depicted a standing golden horseshoe topped with a cavalier’s cross on a blue shield, removed the hound from the crest, and renamed the modified coat of arms after the brave knight. This heraldic device is shared by 710 variously surnamed and mostly unrelated Polish noble families.

NA£ĘCZ: The Nałęcz (head-band) coats of arms is thought to have acquired its name from Lake Nałęcz and depicts a white or silver cloth head tied at the bottom and set against a red shield. According to one legend, such a head-band, symbolising royal favour, was bestowed by Mieszko I (922-992), Poland’s first historical ruler, on those pagan chieftains who willingly accepted Christianity.
polonius   
10 Nov 2012
News / Polish things marketing turnoffs? [12]

POLISH CONNOTATIONS ARE MARKETING TURN-OFFS
Gazeta Wyborcza on Saturday reported a PEMI association study which showed
that firms are ashamed of admitting their products are made in Poland. Of
the 1,244 Polish firms surveyed only one in four (28%) boasted their
products’ Polish origin and a mere 13% uses a Polish context to promote
its products. Business psychologist Jacek Santorski indicated that the
none-too-positive narration in public life, politics and culture also
influences the state of mind of Polish entrepreneurs and managers.
“It’s not a question of brand promotion but reflects the extent to
which we are proud of ourselves,” he commented.
polonius   
10 Nov 2012
Life / Why Radosław, not Czesław? [34]

Here are as few of the names given to newly born infants in Warsaw as reported in the 10-11 Nov 2012 issue of Gazeta Wyborcza:
Kamil, Boleslaw, Jasio, Zosia, Hania, Alan, Ania, Aleksandra, Anielka, Katarzyna, Bartosz, Dawid, Lucja, Natali, Sebastian, Przemek, Piotrek, Maja, Maciej, Joanna, Sznmus, Antos, Oliwier, Dawid, Filip, Gabriela, Ola, Hania, Nadia, Gabriel, Milosz...
polonius   
9 Nov 2012
Po polsku / Czy ktoś pamięta ORMO? [22]

Nie śledziłem kariery tow. Krzyża (Krzyże, Krzyżego??). Może to był błąd. Ale nie byłby on jedynym, który prześliznął się przez sito lustracji. Ogólna koncepcja sanacji (oczyszczyenia) w projekcie IV RP była słuszna, ale za późno wprowadzona, kiedy niedobitki PRL-u już się wkręcili do systemu, korzystały z tłustych emerytur i w wielu wypadkach zdążyly się przekręcić bez poniesienia zasłużonej kary za kolaborację z reżimem.
polonius   
9 Nov 2012
Life / Why Radosław, not Czesław? [34]

Stanisław has made a moderate come-back, but not Stanisława? Why?
Some have labeled names such as Zygmunt, Czesław, Jadwiga and Genowefa as old-fashioned. OK. Which names to the mordern Polish ear these days sound pretentious?

For instance Andżela (however it's spelt), André, Pamela, Bruce?
polonius   
9 Nov 2012
Life / (Serdeczna Matko) Polish song sung at Polish funerals [17]

Popular (non-scientific) phonetic transcription:
NOTE: Upper-ase syllables get the stress.

sare-DECH-nah MAHT-kaw, aw-pye-KOON-kah LOO-jee.
nyekh cheh pwahch SHA-rut daw lee-TUSH-chee ZBOO-jee.
vig-NINE-tsy EH-vi daw CHE-byeh vau-WAH-mi
ZMEE-wooy sheh ZMEE-wooy, nyekh sheh nyeh too-WAH-mi.

NOTE: the short e (liek that in such English words as let, get, bet, etc.) is often indicated above as eh. That is not to be pronounced like the trademark Canadian interjection 'eh' (ey).
polonius   
9 Nov 2012
Life / (Serdeczna Matko) Polish song sung at Polish funerals [17]

Berni23 is pulling your leg. 'Serdeczna Matko' can be sung on various occasions: weddings, funerals, Marian devotions, etc.

SERDECZNA MATKO
Serdeczna Matko, opiekunko ludzi,
Niech Cię płacz sierot do litości zbudzi.
// Wygnańcy Ewy do Ciebie wołamy:
Zmiłuj się zmiłuj, niech się nie tułamy. //

Zasłużyliśmy, to prawda, przez złości,
By nas Bóg karał rózgą surowości.
// Lecz kiedy Ojciec rozgniewany siecze,
Szczęśliwy kto się do Matki uciecze. //

BELOVED MOTHER
Beloved Mother, guardian of the nation,
Hear orphans weeping in their supplication.
We are Eve’s exiles, do you hear us praying?
Show us your mercy when we begin straying.

We have sinned often over all the ages,
Hence we deserve God’s punishment that rages.
But when the Father strikes, be our defender,
Be our safe refuge, Mother dear and tender.
polonius   
6 Nov 2012
Life / Why Radosław, not Czesław? [34]

Why do you think Józef (once the most popular of names) and Kazimierz (another top choice at one time) are rarely encountered today. Is it the Józef Stalin or Piłsduski connection?

The worst are the fly-by-night pop culture names such as Violetta or Isaura which soon become passé.
polonius   
6 Nov 2012
Life / Why Radosław, not Czesław? [34]

Naming patterns go in waves, but are they entriely spontaneous or arbitrary? To what extent is a name's sound and association a factor? What is behind the fact that Polish baby boys nowadays are occasionally named Stanisław, Radosław and Przemysław (very old first names!), but rarely if ever Czesław, Zdzisław, Bolesław, Władysław. Wacław or Zygmunt.

Why did Kasper, the traditional name ascribed to one of the Three Kings, get changed to Kacper? Why are the otehr two (Melchior and Baltazar) rare used today?

Not many Poles realise that Genowefa shares the same root as Jennifer. Genowefa is very rare in Poland nowadays.
Apostolic names continue to be popular in Poland (Jan, Mateusz, Piotr, Paweł, £ukasz, Maciej, Andrzej, Jakub, etc. but Tadeusz (Juda) is not. Of course, Judasz is an obvious no-no.

Baby girls often get New Testament names: Maria, Anna, Magdalena, Elżbieta or those of popular saints -- Katarzyna, Barbara, Teresa, but not Jadwiga. Anyone know why?
polonius   
5 Nov 2012
Food / How to make a Polish Pepper Vodka? [5]

For purely medicinal purposes this is a good recipe. But for drinking enjoyment, after straining away the peppercorns, you might add 1-2 teaspoons simple syrup. (1 teaspoon sugar dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water). It will soften the harsh edge.