Off-Topic / Leftist idiocy rampant in the West [470]


What is nice about hair transplants, is you can effectively change your identity. I say this as an active duty intelligence agent.

For example, if before you had straight hair - by transplanting your pubic hair or ass hair on to your dome you now have curly hair. You'll be surprised how often this is enough to confuse counterintelligence.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]


This is not true. I am - if I was a Polish citizen - a neutral party.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]


... and here we are - back where we started.

Perhaps, you have a solution which is practicable for Poland to solve its shortage of coal ahead of this winter, that does not include the "past tense" and spreading blame upon your political opponents?

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

@pawian

Was it not you, that several months ago was agitating to cut all trade links with Russia? Now you are saying that Poland should have continued trading with orcs up to the point that it's needs were covered through this winter? What happened to sleeping in your fur coat as long as it meant Russia would be cut from access to hard currency?

News / Ruling PiS party tried to cover up eco disaster in Odra River [88]

As a lifelong amateur fisherman (I just came back a few hours ago from a day trip fishing), it is absolutely depressing to look at that dead catfish.

We have regular issues like this in Russia, and even had a paper and pulp mill located on Lake Baikal (25% of world's freshwater reserves in just this one lake) that dumped toxic chemicals into the lake for 50 years until it was finally shutdown in 2013. You folks might not like Putin, but he's the first Russian leader in forever to take environmental issues seriously. Perhaps it's because he's also an avid fisherman.

Fisherman for President!

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]


I see. Apologies for causing confusion, and yes you are correct - that's what I meant.

Before anybody else accuses me of providing a too simplistic explanation of the causes for the Industrial Revolution - allow me to say that coal is just one factor, but a very important one. Of course, Britain's legal system, the high literacy rates, it's expansive overseas holdings, and the fact that the most important inventions were discovered there are all very important factors too. However, in many ways they are also tied to coal. For example, James Watt's steam engine, was invented as a solution to the problem of pumping water out of coal mines - before it began to be applied to other uses.

Stick to the subject of the thread please, i.e. Poland

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

@pawian

I don't know how this chart disproves what I said.

It shows a rebound in wood coverage at the turn of the century, by which point coal would have completely phased out wood as a source of energy and heat. Also, you can see the rate of decline in wood coverage was reduced in the period lasting from 1300 to 1700, which is when coal exploitation began to rise in Britain. It picked up again afterwards, but this is due to an explosion in the population of Britain.

Quote from Wiki:

Coal production increased dramatically in the 19th century as the Industrial Revolution gathered pace, as a fuel for steam engines such as the Newcomen engine, and later, the Watt steam engine. To produce firewood in the 1860s equivalent in energy terms to domestic consumption of coal would have required 25 million acres (100,000 km2) of land per year, nearly the entire farmland area of England (26 million acres (105,000 km2))

Finally, my point was why the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain and not elsewhere. Pointing out that there were almost no forests left by the time it was in full swing is completely besides the point. Industrial, or rather proto-industrial extraction of coal in Britain began precisely in the 13th century - when sea coal began to run out, and people started following the seams inland. This happened in Britain several centuries before it happened in the rest of Europe, which again, is why Britain was well positioned for the Industrial Revolution to happen there.


Yes. They would be flooded, unless active (expensive) measures were taken to place them on "conservation". Restarting flooded mines is near impossible, and much more expensive and much less safe than digging new ones.

Off-Topic / Stop the SS!!!! [140]


I don't understand why this is an insult. Perhaps because I'm a Mongolophile. I would love to be Mongol. A tiny population, that commands an enormous territory to this day. In the past, when they were similarly tiny in comparison to all their neighbors - they managed to conquer half the known world (still the largest empire in history). Despite killing untold millions, they were the first to tie Eurasia into one political unit - spurring trade, and with it the spread of technology and institutions.

Mongols are an incredible race! I'm in awe of their traditional throat singing, which is also still practiced by our Tuvans and Buryats in Russia.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

@pawian

Left outside the discussion, is that if everyone adopted your methods - soon there would be no forests at all. I'm assuming you're not burning trees from your land, but from someone else's - otherwise your orchard would look like the Gobi Desert.

I'm an economic historian by training. A classic explanation of why the industrial revolution happened in Britain first, is that they burned all their trees (believe it or not, at one point Britain was covered in forests), and consequently were forced to make an early transition to coal (with which they were blessed). The higher caloric output of coal, it's ready availability, and the fact that Britain was the first to develop its deposits at a truly industrial scale (again, because they were forced) fueled the Industrial Revolution - spurring developments in metallurgy, scaling of manufacturing, and provision of heat. However, Britain lost its forests forever.

In brief - your approach is absolutely not sustainable.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

@pawian
So you do not argue that burning wood produces more CO2 than burning coal?

As mentioned in my edit above, I concede to your point about ancient carbon vs recent carbon.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]


Please enlighten me. I'm always willing to learn. You are, after all, a teacher - no?

Edit: Your earlier point has merit. While the tree grows it sequesters carbon, but then... you release it again? Your point about your garden is meaningless. If you did not own this land, somebody else would. They might have burned gas instead of coal or wood. Because you are blessed with large land holdings, doesn't release you from responsibility.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]


This is why it was surprising to me when the Polish ministry of climate and environment recently approved a one-off payment of 630 euros for households that use coal as a primary source of heating. It's almost as if they are encouraging people to stay on the coal needle. In a market economy, extremely high prices for coal should encourage a move towards renewables. It is true that people will suffer in the short term, but the pain is necessary for hard decisions to be made.

To me, it's not clear who is being protected - Polish miners, or Polish consumers.

Edit: Regarding wood... Do you realize that it produces 30%+ more CO2 emissions than coal? For a person that seems to care about the environment, it's surprising to hear you use the dirtiest possible fuel.

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

@pawian

When I said that it's not as simple as PiShead incompetence, I meant factors such as:

1) Polish coal is of inferior quality, and located at much greater depths than Russian coal (read: more expensive to extract)

2) PiS is trying to reorient coal freight to Poland's river systems, as rail is already overloaded and necessary for transporting other commodities. The problem is the Natura 2000 EU regulations which do not allow for the upgrading of transport infrastructure on the Oder and Vistula. Add to this historically low river levels, which means barges have to be loaded lightly. Otherwise, transport by river barge is cheaper and many times more environmentally friendly than auto or rail transport.

3) Polish miners have already stated that it's not possible to grow production to a level necessary to cover lost Russian imports.

4) Importing coal from Colombia or South Africa, when logistics are included, results in a price to the consumer that is even higher than the 2,500 zlotys mentioned above (I read about 3,000).

P.S. - @Pawian - do you use coal or gas to heat?

Law / Why is Poland importing so much coal? [76]

Merged:

Poland and Coal

Dearest PF members,

I'm curious to collect your opinions on Poland's special relationship with coal.

From a DW article published today:

Poland uses 10 million tons of coal a year to heat households - a whopping 87% of all coal consumed in EU homes in 2019, according to the Warsaw-based independent think tank Forum Energii. About half of this is extracted domestically, while Russia used to make up about 40%, or 3.9 million tons a year.

While the rest of Europe is discussing how to wean itself off Russian gas and oil, Poland surprises (as it tends to do) with its own unique set of challenges. The Świnoujście LNG terminal, and Baltic Pipe, seem to have done very little towards protecting Polish energy consumers. While Morawiecki lectures Germany and France regarding their naïveté vis-a-vis Russia, it emerges (suddenly) that Poland is itself compromised.

An elderly couple was interviewed for this article. Quote:

Barbara and Witold Walesa - a retired couple who lives in the small town of Deblin, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Warsaw - have recently shifted to natural gas as their main fuel source for heating. They use coal only as a top-up reserve when they need it.

"It's up to about 2,500 zlotys, about four times higher than last year," Barbara told DW. "We are probably OK, but some won't be when it gets cold."

How did this state of affairs come to be? I know Pawian will say that it is the fault of PiSheads, but if one is to be objective and honest - this cannot be the whole reason.

As Poland searches the world for coal, from South Africa, Indonesia, to the United States - what are the attitudes of the local population towards this traditional, yet dirty form of energy and heat? What lessons can be extracted?

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [98]

@Lyzko

Wow! Whenever I think you could not possibly be more obtuse - you surprise by achieving evermore breathtaking levels of stupidity. I studied English exclusively through non-native academic types that you seem to hate so much, until I finally arrived in the United States. In my time here, there's been many occasions where I had to correct the locals regarding grammar and proper terminology.

The idioms that you hold up as an indicator of an unachievable level of authenticity, need only be explained once.

News / Lukashenko - removes graveyard - AK resistance fighters [51]

@Kashub1410

I will violate my vow of radio silence to say this is absolutely disgusting if true. Idiotic, wrong, and embarrassing.

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]


Well yes, I'm not saying it's a good proxy, but unlike the video you shared it will be watched by many millions. The average person can't be expected to watch a 25 minute video about a subject removed 70 years. The short rap video, however, can awaken discussion amongst the multitudes that would rather carry on with their lives.

The resonance of the Kazakh video I shared above was twofold. Number one on the corruption side (where the bureaucrat gives his kid a lego of an uncompleted monorail). Two, on the Covid side (nobody in charge actually followed the rules). This - contrasted to the executed ancestors, started a discussion on how venal society had become, compared to just recently when people were willing to give their life for an idea of a better country. Finally, that no matter what happened (Russians in first part of video beating Kazakh detainee), you need to keep walking into the future together (the rest of the video where the Russian features). Kazakhstan went a completely different path than Ukraine in dealing with its past. Kazakhstan suffered proportionally more from the event the Ukrainians call the Holodomor.

So there should be not just hate and sadness, but also some call to action to be better in the present. To work hard harder towards a better future.

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

@GefreiterKania

Here's a video you should watch. Unfortunately this is not Russian, but Kazakh. However, I am sure that 90% of the views under this video are Russian.

This is the right way to do a Polish history of Katyn. A Ukrainian way to do Holodomor.

Irina Kayratovna (brilliant name), shot a video for a song about weed that basically got all of Kazakhstan talking. The group consists of three Kazakhs and one Russian. In this video they show the evolution of Kazakh attitudes to the killing of the Kazakh intelligentsia by the Bolsheviks, and how it went from brutal shootings to grandkids watching it on iPads. Addresses covid, and corruption. You need to have some command of turkic languages to understand, but its not necessary you can just watch pictures.

How do Poles educated the young generation about Katyn?

youtu.be/Jk7Ff9s2nkw

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

@mafketis

Damn, you can see from that album cover that Rostropovich had a complete hard-on for Vishnevskaya!

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]


WOOOOOOW! How did I not know about this guy?

Now your debt for Blok is repaid. You are free, and released from your oath. Be free Kania!

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

Another very entertaining music clip, with a good story. From same Tatar girl as did the Putin joke video above. In this case the song is called "Tatarin", and is about her Tatar boyfriend and his "traditional" views.

Even though he looks like an absolute thug, the main character in the video is actually played by a very artsy photographer.

youtu.be/yQR_NLeXKtw

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

@Cojestdocholery

OMG, this will take me some time to work through. What I can say already, after listening to the first few, is that you - Cojest- most surprisingly are a hopeless romantic!

History / POLISH AND RUSSIAN FRIENDSHIP WILL LAST FOREVER [513]

I decided I must inject some culture into this thread.

First song is a cover by a modern band of an old Revolution-era song about kicking the bourgeoisie's ass ( a little tongue in cheek). Nice views of the city from a river point of view

Second song is by a female Tatar singer. The joke of the song, and the music video - is how Putin becomes "reborn" just as his term limit begins to end.

Both videos are high quality productions. The one about Putin won prizes in Cannes and Berlin. Tell me again that we live in a North Korea-like state lol. Worth taking a look:

youtu.be/k7TxSDRqdC4

youtu.be/6vkYvZpTHng

Another music video for people that think Russia is like China or North Korea.

Horror/Goth group ICESPEAK, song titled "Death No More". Beautiful cinematography again, even if the song is a little too out there for my taste. There's a scene where they are sitting on top of riot police shoulders on red square, then one of them eating raw meat on top of Lenin's Mausoleum, and then smoking weed in front of the parliament building while discussing arrests at protests - all while singing about what a depressing place Russia can be. Still not in jail, exiled, or #cancelled.

youtu.be/MBG3Gdt5OGs

History / Why American military aid to Europe and Poland is important to America itself? [63]

More Polish imports in USSR:

1) "Odra" brand jeans
2) Catalogue of "Pollena" cosmetics factory.
3) Polish furniture set.
4) "Start" photo camera.

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History / Why American military aid to Europe and Poland is important to America itself? [63]


Maybe I need to learn more about trade, but this seems to me a good deal! Much better than if you made Swiss watches and BMWs and we sent you buckwheat and pipe fittings.

Crap for crap shows Russians were not imperial overlords, but honest brokers.

Some photos below of Polish stores and Polish goods in Moscow. There were apparently two prominent Polish stores - Wanda (Ванда) and Polish Fashion (Польская Мода). Popular consumer products were Polish lipstick, toner, and perfumes. Among perfumes the most popular brand was the absolutely hilariously named «Может Быть» and «Быть Может». I would translate this as "Perhaps Possible" and "Possible Perhaps".

In non-cosmetics the most popular Polish import was frozen Polish fruits from the company Hortex.

Can you guys tell me what you imported from USSR?

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News / Poland, Western Europe and the USA - What if Ukraine disappears from the map? [78]


How exactly is it, that you know already in what shape the withdrawn/encircled Ukrainian formations are? From what is being reported by Russian war journalists, they took very heavy losses when withdrawing from the Gorskoye-Zolotoye pocket, and even heavier losses when swimming across the river from Severodonetsk to Lisichansk. Now the group trying to break out from Lisichanks to Seversk and Soledar are taking very heavy losses too, because the roads have been cut and all their escape routes are covered by artillery that's already dialed-in.

One Ukrainian unit commander posted on Facebook that it took him and his men 2 days of running between bushes, and crawling around at night through the tree lines to cross a few kms of terrain before reaching his lines. Again, Russian sources reporting that some withdrawing units took as much as 50% losses.

I think the gloves are off, and now the accent is on breaking the will of the AFU through a few very hot weeks/months.

Alternative explanation (if they really did pull out the majority of formations intact): it doesn't make a difference whether they are encircled now in a smaller pocket consisting of Lisichansk only, or a larger one that would materialize after Russian lines can connect through Slovyansk-Soledar-Artemovsk. Though I agree with you, the Russian army should be raining constant hellfire on them during their retreats.

Finally - the Ukrainian explanation. They have fooled us. Through disinformation in media, they convinced us they were still holding on to Severodonetsk, when in fact for two days they were quietly retreating in small numbers and mining key axis of movement. A small group of rearguard forces continued to make noise to give us the impression of more serious numbers. With their men safe, they continued to calmly watch us expends tens of tons of ammunition daily on empty positions. Finally, a stupid Ukrainian journalist blew the brilliant operation by announcing that Ukrainian soldiers were successfully withdrawn. This triggered the movement of our forces into the city, and the end of this chapter.

You are a smart man, you decide which scenario is plausible.

Life / Polish Classical Music [100]


Ahahahaha. I don't know why, but this was very funny to me. "Orc Music" - lol.

I would imagine it would be Heavy Metal or some Prodigy/Aphex Twin style music.

Life / Polish Classical Music [100]


Apologies in advance for the inquiry - but is there any other Polish composer to discuss?

Life / Polish Classical Music [100]


Interesting. Probably true - Spartacus is big for us ever since the October Revolution. The reason every sports facility in every town is named either Dinamo or Spartak (just joking).

I actually know nothing about this specific piece. Is it tinged with a Russian/Soviet hue everywhere it's produced?

Edit: ok just learned it's a Soviet work. Maybe it was not the NYCB when I watched it but some visiting group?

Life / Polish Classical Music [100]


Both come - I believe... though God knows I'm no specialist in this discipline of sports or arts, or whatever the hell it is. When I went it was NYCB.