thanks for informing me. i suspect what you said, but never been there - not a Fidel nor Batista fam - one capitalist thug equils the other socialist/communist sort (refer to that great Who song).Immanuel Can wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:03 amWell, what you notice immediately is that everybody essentially lives at a similar level...a very low level. Not starvation, but not a lot better. Everything's dirty and run-down...even Havana itself. All the cars are old and cobbled together. The cement is falling off the buildings. The beaches are beautiful. But just about nothing else really is. But the people think they're doing about as well as they could, because the government does all it can to keep them from realizing otherwise.
And there's no real industry, since the sugar plantations closed. You're not allowed to own a boat, unless you are tied closely to the government, because they know you're likely to take it about 90 miles north, one way, and jump off in Key West. You're not allowed to start many businesses, so there's a large black market...but most of the available goods are not what North Americans would call worth having. Running a business there is nearly impossible, because the government interference will get you, if the sense of entitlement of the workers doesn't kill your business, in itself.
There's no beef to be had, at all. In fact, it's a criminal offence to slaughter a cow. There's a little pork, and some chicken...not of great quality. A dozen eggs...very hard to come by. The cooking is low on spices and flavour. There are two brands of beer in the whole island, both from the same brewery. And, of course, there's rum. Theft is a serious issue. The justice system is horrible, and jails are wretched.
I've never been there, you have - we both are objective in mindset, and so i thank you for your cogent observations per cuba.
is this so? if so, uncool thuggery by gov, per persons working in tourism. if what you say is true (no reason to doubt you) - i find it reprehensible.Immanuel Can wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:03 am And you notice that people are desperate for a job in the tourist industry, where many work 36 hour shifts, with no sleep...because people who work in that industry get some scraps of crappy food left over from the tourists, and a little more access to money than people who don't work near tourists. So you can't afford to lose a job in the tourist zones, and the government can make you work as long and hard as they want, and you can do absolutely nothing about it.
as i suspected. thanks for your observations.Immanuel Can wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:03 am There are no supplies of basic things. Medicine is in short supply. Equipment is poor or unavailable. Refrigerators, tractors, cars, air conditioners...all very hard to get, with waiting lists years long. Nothing is in abundance.
I had no idea they have a gas shortage, and again thanks for the education. (as you know mainline media has no interest in educating, just maximising division for add revinue.Immanuel Can wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:03 am Nowadays, they have a gasoline shortage, since they relied on Venezuela, another badly mismanaged socialist economy that has collapsed. So you can imagine how many problems that causes...no generator fuel, nothing to power cars or motorbikes, and so on.
-- what is the State/s per Lybia - 8 yrs post civil war? (not a Kadfia appologist - fully supported his death and thier war over there - my point is MSM does no follow up - i know there are at least 2 states there in that land (but prob more?)
and Somalia? - the last time i heard about that land was fukcing 25 yrs ago!!!!!!!!!!!! - and some such via the Eptheoplians via the African States coalition what 10 yrs ago taking control of part of "somaliland" - point being is MSM is crap.
what is the state/s of Lybia and somalia? - what are the "city states" lands and what is has been happeing in those lands the last 2 decades?
silence via the media!!!!!!!! - and i value education - i'd like to know what "countries" are existing in both Lybia and Somalia today - but i have no source to educate me on the matter (no thanks to MSM).
I'd honestly welcome your discussion of those nations you visited.Immanuel Can wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:03 am I've been in quite a few worse countries, where poverty is really grinding and miserable.
per myself, it only visited England, Wales, Scottland, Canada and Mexico. all yrs ago.
I can give you my obserservations of those nations per my visiting them if you like.
yep of course - the more "right" the gov the more unequal wealth distribution.Immanuel Can wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:03 am But Cuba, at its best, is one level above that, and several levels below the poverty level in North America. There's misery, but in Cuba, it's pretty equally distributed in the general rural population. In other poor countries, it's more unequal -- some people in poverty and misery, and some richer.
most ignorant folks thinks that Saudi Arabia is populated by oil shieks, they had no clue that 1/5 of population lives in poverty, and why there is a grass roots via the poor there to overthrow the gov and instill a Taliban types rule over SA (the gov is most Taliban now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so lol - no difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - yes and no/ no difference per 95 percent of Saudis (poor = poor pre or post fish faced Salmon (trying to be cute - Prince so and so is a good looking guy - though full on asshole/killer(cut off finders of your critic in a foriegn land before finally offering mercy by killing/then desicrate the dissmembered corpse via trashbags/city dump in Turkey). buy yes a difference (Gov of SA is Wahhabist! why? originally cultural history - today? (I suspect to pacify the 20percet mad as hell and poor) - i.e the gov of SA plays "devout Wahhabist" while robing peter (the 20 percent poor of SA) - in order to not have a replay of 1789 France (I'd welcome that replay myself).
you get my point SA folks - 1/5 of them see "let them eat cake" via their Goverment, so they are not all wealthy sheiks! - far from it!
ok, thanks for the education Sir! welcome future discussions.Immanuel Can wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:03 am But then, many of those countries have a base poverty level well above the normal living level of Cuba. And in Cuba, there's very little evidence of any wealth at all.