Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

Oh Novi, thank you so much for joining us in this thread. I'm about to go and watch A Christmas Carol now, the George C. Scott one from 1984. American he may have been, but he is the definitive Ebeneezer Scrooge for me :)

It doesn't matter if you're an atheist. The spirit of Christmas can live within you - all year round.

Wonder where Maf is these days? Sparing a thought and a prayer for Johnny Reb and remembering Adrian. God bless all our friends on the Forum.

Off-Topic / Life after Covid19 [82]


I'm sorry to hear that Paulina. I had Covid in December last year. The cough is exhausting, I know. And you'll probably feel weak for quite a long time after you get 'better'. Hope you and all your family will soon be over the worst of it.

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Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

That's lovely Grunwald - reminds me of the Viennese boys' choirs. Thank you for adding to the thread and hope you have a happy Christmas :)

Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

And this is for Jon :)

Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

This is for you Novi, because I know you love Enya :)

Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]


Of course! What I miss at this time of year is the singing and the music in the air everywhere. We really do love to sing in Ireland and during December you hear a lot of singing and do a lot of singing in the weeks coming up to Christmas.

Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

And this is why I miss Ireland. Sean Boland, doorman at Dublin department store gives us a song for Christmas:):

History / Famous Russian Poles [243]


I always thought he was well into late middle age, if not older. I doubt very much that he went to Ukraine. He's either dead or got fed up with this place, or he was being paid to post here and he gave up the job or was fired.

Life / Polish women who made amazing careers against patriarchal society [59]


From one of your favourite sources:

"All-female Israeli 'lionesses' combat unit of just 13 soldiers 'killed nearly 100 Hamas gunmen as they helped liberate kibbutz'"

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12669623/israeli-lionesses-kill-hamas-gunmen.html

About a quarter of the IDF is female troops.

Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

Hark the Herald Angels Sing :)

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Off-Topic / Christmas Greetings for 2023! [47]

Blessings to all!

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News / Poland says no to flood of Immigrants [648]


Link to a proper news source please, instead of a dodgy right wing weasel, bootlicker Twitter account known for its fake news.

Work / Analytical Chemistry / Chemistry jobs for graduates from abroad [4]

Depends somewhat on where you want to move to but the fact that you don't have fluent Polish is a disadvantage;combine that with lack of industry experience and you'll be up against it. Your best bet would be to get two years experience in the UK and take Polish classes. What kind of work does your girlfriend do?

News / Poland says no to flood of Immigrants [648]


Yes, he did.

News / Poland says no to flood of Immigrants [648]


Not a Muslim. Sikh actually. British Army family.


White, British. Not a Muslim.


White, British. Not a Muslim.


White, British. Not a Muslim.


White, British. Not a Muslim

So basically you lied. Quelle surprise!


Have the 'Muslims' to thank for much of their civilisation. Ruled by the Moors for about 700 years until the end of the 15th century.

"The influence of the Moors' culture reached out far beyond Spanish borders, with the mighty cities of Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada and Cádiz being recognised throughout Europe and North Africa as centres of great learning, renowned for magnificent art and architecture, and homes to eminent scientists and philosophers. In the countyside, they also left behind sophisticated irrigation systems, testament to their skilled agriculture, and many pueblos blancos - white-painted hillside villages."

There were other lies and inaccuracies in your post too. Why so many lies??

News / Polish Parliamentary Elections 2023 [933]


Every job has its drawbacks. One of the cons of retail is weekend work but at least it's paid. People who work in offices for example often end up doing unpaid overtime, teachers such as yourself do plenty of work outside of classroom hours for which they're not paid eg. marking homework, researching topics for lessons, preparing lesson materials/plans.

Food / What Polish foods do foreigners generally not take to? [115]


I recently bought some Jaffa Cakes in Dealz. I'd forgotten how much 'fruitier' they are than Delicje. Delicje are a lot sweeter. Dealz have a good selection of English biscuits for Christmas this year. If only they had some decent marmalade - a nice chunky Seville for your tea and toast.

Law / Polish Police and Their Tactics [181]


Judge of what?


He wasn't in my class so I didn't know the parents. But the consensus from the staff that did, was that they were ok.


Meeting between teacher, principal and parents together, then a meeting between principal and parents, then referral to the child psychologist, then assigned to the 'resource' teacher as she's known, for a certain number of hours per week. The resource teacher is a qualified primary school teacher who does other kinds of training in addition, to work with children who have various difficulties. It could be autism or some specific disorder or a general behavioural problem. Possible ongoing visits from the psychologist. The general idea is that the parents feel they're being supported in dealing with the behaviour and you try to work as a team.

As for whether it worked, I don't know the details of his case because they're kept confidential of course. He went to the resource teacher every week. He didn't do anything else outrageous, I know that, but he continued to be a difficult child. He left us to go to a boys' school when he was seven. Our school was only co-educational for the first three years, then all girls, which is usually the case in Ireland, single sex schools.

Law / Polish Police and Their Tactics [181]


With respect, your experience of teachers is in the Polish education system and Ireland is totally different, both the training and the school ethos. Apart from that Montessori training is heavily psychology based as Dr Montessori was a paediatrician and psychologist and her system was derived solely from observing children's behaviours, not from theory.


That' why I put 'good' in quotes. In Ireland teachers have a lot of contact with parents and because of our social structure and small population size teachers may well have taught the parents of some pupils. You can always sense when there's something going on under the surface. You see it in the children. Notice how the boys in particular talk to their mothers, what the tone is, the language used and even if you've never met the father, you've met him, if you know what I mean. Maybe not always, but sometimes you can actually hear the father talking when the seven year old opens his mouth.


Absolutely. Irish primary schools (kids start when they're four) have a whole system in place for dealing with these issues.

Law / Polish Police and Their Tactics [181]


Well, I trained as a Montessori teacher (ages 3-12 years) so I understand the stages of development and I worked with children in the inner city of Dublin for almost 20 years, many of whom came from dodgy family backgrounds so I'm speaking from that perspective.

Having known/taught hundreds of children, there were many who were vulnerable to being lead astray into petty crime and obviously one wouldn't want to see them get a criminal record. However if their misdemeanours went through the courts, as Jon said, their behaviour would be taken more seriously and addressed more efficiently than leaving it in the hands of social services alone.

There are two types of children that are really a worry. One is the kids who are borderline special needs, with well below average IQ and can end up going along with stuff because they want to have a friend, or be obedient to their parents (yes, parents use young kids to help with crimes). They get exploited all the time, but again they need proper intervention.

However, there is another group of children who, even at the age of five, have something very sinister going on. I suppose they are the sociopaths. I came across at least three and when you look into their eyes, even when they're under the age of six, you can see that something is not right in there.

One example is a five year old boy who put bleach in a teacher's tea when her back was turned. He had previously thrown a hamster across the room 'to see if it would burst'. When asked why he put bleach in the tea, he gave a very interesting answer. 'Because it has no colour so she wouldn't know it was there'. Now, he gave from a 'good' family. Nice parents, professional people, well educated etc. but in denial about his behaviour. At that age he had full knowledge and deliberate intent to harm. If that boy, at the age of ten, goes on to stab someone in the back 'for fun', what then?

News / Poland says no to flood of Immigrants [648]

Absolutely not :) Btw the President of Ireland has no part in politics. He's more like an ambassador. He or she is always a person of some culture and refinement like 'Miggledy' our present incumbent - Michael D Higgins to you. Generally the President speaks fluent Irish and is an expert in some way on Irish culture and history. He embodies the spirit of Ireland. Conor McGregor, rather than being a national treasure, is seen as a national embarrassment.

Law / Polish Police and Their Tactics [181]


Yes, that was a disgrace. The judge did take into account those circumstances and the fact that their unfortunate home circumstances had made them what they were, but he was right in his sentencing. They should be detained at HM's pleasure.

News / Poland says no to flood of Immigrants [648]


It won't happen. Btw the President of Ireland has no political role.

Law / Polish Police and Their Tactics [181]


Absolutely.


Is that the two brothers, ten and eleven years old, in the UK who abducted the other boys and tortured them, one to within an inch of his life?


I don't think there should be any minimum age for violent crime. If a child is old enough to commit a crime or abet in the commission of crime, that needs to go through the criminal justice system - but obviously in an appropriate manner for very young children who clearly need psychological or other intervention. For trial in an actual court I think nine or ten is perfectly acceptable.

Law / Polish Police and Their Tactics [181]


I totally disagree with that. There have been murders carried out by children younger than that, with full knowledge of what they're doing. Certainly there are assaults and violent crimes perpetrated by under 14s. They need to be held accountable.

News / Poland says no to flood of Immigrants [648]


Europe is not a country.


The USA laws are based on the law of England which is why you have trial by jury. The UK and Ireland - which are in Europe - have trial by jury.

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [231]

Yes, I'd say the appetite for unity is not that great anymore. It's a nice romantic idea but the hard realities are a big stumbling block. The economics are one thing but accommodating the Orange men is a step too far! (Excuse the pun!)

Life / Differences between Irish, British, Polish, American and other nations culture, tradition, music - loose talk [231]


Not just them though. It has to be an all-island referendum. Northern ireland's only options are stay in the UK or join with the Republic as they really couldn't survive on their own. I'd say we're still a long way from a border poll.


Northern Ireland has its own legal system. Irish laws don't apply there.


Don' you worry. We're well able to handle it. People will either ignore it and say what they want or will make a mockery of it; getting a test case into the courts will be a priority for a lot of people. I'm not bothered by it. I'm going to carry on saying exactly what I want to, including calling teenage scumbags exactly that.