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Posts by cyg  

Joined: 31 Oct 2007 / Male ♂
Last Post: 25 Jul 2008
Threads: Total: 5 / Live: 0 / Archived: 5
Posts: Total: 119 / Live: 36 / Archived: 83
From: Chicago, IL
Speaks Polish?: Yes
Interests: architecture, politics, biking, art, photography

Displayed posts: 36 / page 1 of 2
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cyg   
25 Jul 2008
Life / I'm British in Poland and I think that it's time to go back to the UK! [240]

I think the bureaucracy is getting better, but very slowly and rather unevenly, as SeanBM has pointed out. It's still a long road to anything resembling a normal system.

I'm wondering how long it's going to take politicians to figure out that the state they represent and therefore they themselves would be a whole lot less reprehensible for average Poles if you didn't have to run around with a stack of papers for official permission in triplicate every time you wanted to sneeze.

Take for instance a building permit - you have to get a whole mess of papers from various public offices in order to get it. Now how difficult would it be for the building permit office to simply get that information from the others, seeing as they all represent public authorities? I can understand supplying personal or business information, but why do I have to go to the gmina office so I can take something from them to the powiat office? Wouldn't it be simpler for them to do it directly? That would also avoid having everything authorized, stamped, fingerprinted, signed, spit-on-over-the-shoulder and whatever other old time magick the officials require, because there'd be no question about the documents' authenticity. And you could hire a whole bunch of friends-of-rabbit to do the correspondence, so everyone would be happy.
cyg   
23 Jul 2008
Travel / Poland in photo riddles [3134]

That looks like something I've seen out of a train window near Krakow. Still no idea what it might be.
cyg   
1 Jun 2008
Law / How do I verify a Polish company's existence? [240]

If you know their VAT number, you can run a check through the EU's website:
ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vieshome.do?selectedLanguage=EN

However, this only works if the company has applied to make their VAT number valid in the EU - which for some strange reason isn't automatic. In other words, you could get a false negative if the company isn't an EU-registered VAT payer.
cyg   
31 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

Both volumes are collections of first-person accounts by survivors, with only an introduction added by the main editor, himself a Holocaust survivor. I'm not sure how much editing was done on the individual pieces before I got them to translate, though my understanding was that they wanted to keep them as authentic as possible.
cyg   
31 May 2008
Life / Why many funny stories about Polish People in Europe? [38]

You couldnt say that about any british city, we fought like lions in the 2nd world war.

You had La Manche on your side - probably the only reason you didn't get overrun like everyone else in 1939-40. Don't take it the wrong way, though - lucky for everyone you didn't.
cyg   
31 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

One of them was about people from Siemiatycze traveling to Belgium in search of illegal work before Poland joined EU, so I thought you might have been involved in that project. If so I would like to know if it’s worth reading.

Aaaah. Sorry about jumping on you but after reading some of the conversation here I thought I saw a "see - he's in with the Jews" thing coming.

In fact, I only took the pictures for the CSM story about Siemiatycze. Someone else wrote the articles.

As far as the book goes, I think it's worth reading if you're interested in that segment of history. However, I'd say the first volume is probably more valuable as a primary source because of the method in which the stories were collected - as a survey for association membership, originally not meant for publication. That means they're much more matter-of-fact than the second book, where some of the authors try to get artistic with their account, sometimes to no great effect.

Both give a slightly different perspective than most Holocaust stories because the people involved actually stayed in Poland and often had normal, full lives afterwards. The gradations of good and evil are much more subtly distributed than in some other accounts I've seen/read. That doesn't mean they're a pleasant read, though.
cyg   
30 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

Your newspaper is most likely on the payroll of George Soros

I damn well wish it was - half of my worldly worries would disappear. Alas, my considerable Masonic/Jewish/whathaveyounot influence doesn't reach that high.

Then you must be blind with your eyes wide open.

Yeah, right. Let's just say you know everything better than I do and get it over with.
cyg   
29 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

You were brainwashed by commie propaganda.

If you think commies were the only ones incarcerated there, think again. Some of the most brutal treatment was reserved for Nationalists, and I wouldn't think they'd like you to think of them as reds.

Accusing someone of commie brainwashing just because he doesn't see pre-war Poland as the promised land is a bit rash, to say the least.
cyg   
29 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

Jeez, Patrycja, do you try to at least understand who's saying what, or do you just respond with the same mantra to everyone? You begin by quoting my post, but then go on to argue against something I never said, which is that Bereza was comparable to Auschwitz. It didn't have to be to be a horrid s***hole and a serious blemish on Poland's honor, just like Guantanamo is for the US without anyone having been killed there at all.
cyg   
29 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

Man, u miss sarcasm beautifully. Try and think of the word concentration in a different way and u'll see.

Right, I see. :-)

nope it wasnt.. it was a prison.. every country has these to sort out criminals
who sabatoge safety..

Oh, come on, a prison is where you keep criminals who have been sentenced by a court. Bereza was more like a more brutal version of Guantanamo, where you got kidnapped to if you stepped on the wrong toes and where torture and humiliation was the order of the day. Now granted many countries had places like that at the time, but that doesn't make it right, and neither does the fact that some of the people kept there were genuinely dangerous.

Auschwitz was an extermination camp, not a concentration camp.

The point it was called a concentration camp and that's the name that's stuck with that kind of place afterwards. When most people see a swastika, they are likely to think "nazis" not "the Sun". Same with "concentration camp" - the term just doesn't have the same meaning it did in Bereza's time. Right now it would be more accurate to talk about a "penal camp" or some such.
cyg   
29 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

It's a pity that an inflamatory creature like that lives in Poland, makes a living in Poland and, and that New Warsaw Express considers it appropriate to employ such hateful individuals.

First off, as I'm sure he'll gladly point out, we don't employ him. We're glad to have him writing a column and an occasional article for us, but that's more of a hobby than a job.

As far as "polonophobia" (a horrid word - makes us sound diseased or something) - being Polish myself, and having known Harry for a number of years, I can definitely assure you that he is nothing of what you allege. If not succumbing to national myths and having an independent point of view means you're a polonophobe, then I'm one too. Harry and I have had our share of disagreements, and I've often thought he argues points that don't really need it, but I've never felt that he has any sort of bias against Poles or Poland.

The only concentration camps run by Poles were for the intellectuals to ponder on the issues of the day

Bereza Kartuska was a concentration camp. The point is that it wasn't a death camp.
cyg   
29 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

Well, z_darius, in fact I know where Harry makes his living, and cheap pamphlets it ain't. And he hardly rates as a "polonophobe", either.

But having said that, Harry, you did use the term "concentration camp" for Bereza, which I myself would accept if it hadn't been for Auschwitz, Buchenwald and a few other places of this type along the way. Words take on new meanings, and old ones become outdated, as I think has happened in this case.

Bereza was a horrible place, and its creators should probably roast in hell for eternity, but it was no Mauthausen.
cyg   
29 May 2008
History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

Has anyone here noticed that you're talking about two different things - concentration camps and death camps? German death camps were called concentration camps, but they bear little similarity to British, Polish or American camps of this type. The Brits invented the concentration camp during the Boer War, and I'm sure they weren't pleasant things, just as Bereza Kartuska wasn't, and you can argue about the rightfulness of what was being done there, but comparing them to Auschwitz or Buchenwald is a complete misunderstanding, IMHO.
cyg   
26 May 2008
Life / Polish and Czechs [190]

Can't every Polish member of the forum just put each of the neighbour in order of preference

Pan Sławek, Pani Bronia, Pan Piotr. The old man with the dog downstairs is dead last - he's always complaining about something and the dog's nuts.
cyg   
15 May 2008
Life / Polish and Czechs [190]

Poles see as funny and lazy but meanwhile economically and culturally superior.

Does your wife see you as "culturally superior"? I have a Slovak friend who lives in Warsaw, who told me most Slovaks (and I presume Czechs) couldn't care less that there is a country to the north of them. I find that somewhat strange, but that may be because of my inherent wanderlust and curiosity.
cyg   
8 Mar 2008
History / Polish hatred towards Jews... [1290]

Well, these kinds of things don't help Polish-Jewish relations at all:

The tomb of a venerated 18th century Hassidic leader, tzadik Elimelech in the south-eastern town of Leżajsk, fell victim to anti-semitic vandals on the night of Mach 4-5.

nwe.pl/National.php?article_id=360
cyg   
29 Feb 2008
Food / What is your favorite Polish Vodka? [653]

I think that Zubrowka sucks ass, but it is possible that I drank the "fake" Zubrowka, since the real one is outlawed in the USA because of the poisonous Bison Grass.

Bison grass IS NOT poisonous. I'd be dead long ago if it was.

Aren't all top shelf vodkas made strictly out of wheat nowadays?

No. There are lots of potato vodkas, and the French just forced through a rule in the EU that says you can even make it out of your grandfather's dirty socks, just as long as you put some note about it on the label. Apparently they want to sell fruit distillates as vodka, but if you ask me they're trying to find ways to utilize overripe brie.

Polish vodkas are made either out of potatoes or rye - I don't think there are any wheat vodkas around.
cyg   
7 Feb 2008
Life / Poles - the Nation of Liars? [478]

Officially it's the Health Department. In fact its a bureaucratic empire with virtually no limits on its powers. Not the only one you'll have to deal with here, I should mention.
cyg   
7 Feb 2008
Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]

If you're British, you should have no problem registering as self-employed (actually it's called something along the lines of "having your own business activity") in Poland. You DO NOT need a work permit here.
cyg   
4 Feb 2008
Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]

Whether the salary's good or not depends what you'll be doing. For a burger flipper it would be insanely good, but maybe not great for a corporate lawyer. In any case, you should be able to live pretty comfortably on that in Krakow.
cyg   
4 Feb 2008
Work / Have been offered a job in Warsaw - should I move to Poland?? [48]

I think it is still very much of a challenge living here, especially once you get embroiled in running around offices, trying to sort anything out etc!

Most of us have happily given up on sorting anything out. Adopt a Zen attitude and all your troubles just melt away. In Poland you only get in trouble if you try to overachieve. Otherwise just enjoy the veneer.
cyg   
4 Feb 2008
Work / Have been offered a job in Warsaw - should I move to Poland?? [48]

Ten years ago this was the place to be - all opportunity, all potential, and a challenge around every corner. Today it's just another European city, full of everything an average person might want. Shopping malls, movie theaters, clubs, bars, art exhibitions - you name it. I'm telling you - there's just no challenge in living here any more. If you want real fun, look at Uzbekistan or the Transdnester - you'll really feel alive there.
cyg   
2 Jan 2008
History / Polish hatred towards Jews... [1290]

this website conveys the impression that Poles still hate Jews.

Web forums don't really give you an accurate representation of any population's opinions - the loonies tend to hijack any conversation that concerns their subject of obsession, but that's hardly representative of anything.

There are Poles who are anti-Semites just as there are French, German, American and probably Thai or New Guinean anti-Semites. There are also plenty of Jews who have prejudices against Poles, Blacks and Asians. No nation has a monopoly on ignorance and bigotry. That doesn't mean that the idiots and racists are representative of any of them.
cyg   
22 Dec 2007
Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

I think in the States it's sold as Budvar or something like that - the result of a trademark spat that ended with the American stuff being sold as just "Bud" in Europe. (Actually, I should say "marketed" and not "sold" - I don't think too many people here actually pay to drink it.)
cyg   
21 Dec 2007
Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]

Anybody who likes Budweiser doesnt really know what Beer is!

True if you're talking about Milwaukee Bud-water, but not the original Czech Budweiser - that's a beer-lover's beer and hardly anything Poland makes stands up to it.

Żywiec has been giving me monster headaches ever since Heineken took over - which is funny, because the Heinie brewed in the same place doesn't.

My favorite beers in Poland - Żubr, Leżajsk and Tyskie, in that order.
cyg   
9 Dec 2007
Life / Which nations do Poles like the most / the least? [148]

- I wonder how many such Poles you've met? I wonder if their number is large enough to make generalisations about all Poles? From my own experience - and I can back it up with tons of supporting evidence - many American educated people have a far more admiring attitude towards Russian culture than Poles. Yes, American Russophiles are Russophiles indeed.

You hit the nail on the head - we're generalizing, and that's never very accurate is it? We'd have to conduct a full-scale study to get any sort of reasonable results to talk about. I've never come across anything like that - I seem to remember a general study of national likes or dislikes, and Russia ranked pretty low, but again, it was Russia and not Russians, if I remember correctly. And anyways, educated people aren't representative of people in general in any country.

- Nope, it doesn't seem to be. - Suspicion denotes thinking ahead and the ability to act in one's defense; fear seems to denote lack of clear thinking and helplessness.

To me they're one and the same - the only reason you'd be suspicious of someone is if you were afraid of what they could do to you.

- Can you give any specific examples of this alleged 'weird' admiration? Well, yes, many of us (not me!) admire some of the things they make, such as cars, but you Americans also admire them, don't you? Would you call the American admiration 'weird' too?

I meant it was weird because it was mixed with fear (or if you like suspicion). I think many Poles admire German efficiency and wealth, though that's probably going to change when they get to know them better.

Regarding German phobias towards Poles - I never suggested they didn't have any. I definitely agree that Germans have a much more skewed view of Poles than the other way around.

As far as bureaucrats go, Polish ones are a special breed. I've never gotten quite the runaround in the US that I get on a routine visit to the meldunek office - not to mention the fact that in the US you just don't deal with public officials that much, and in Poland you need to file a permit application in triplicate to sneeze. Ask anyone who's had to apply for a residency permit (not counting EU citizens after accession, who I hear get special treatment now). Polish bureaucracy IS getting better, but it's still pretty damn bad. Anyway, this is completely OT.