Killing Me Softly 101

Really. Did these Americans then get food stamps. GR? (Government relief?), subsidized housing. Medicaid?

Not really the same as a rural Laotian who trades a chicken for half a peck of cucumbers, Jimbo, then goes back to his bamboo hut with the wife and kids and grandma spitting beetle nut juice playing while he plays a khaen in a Mor lam band with the the rest of the inlaws.

Man like who needs foodstamps when you can just grab a lizzard for a snack?

That is what I meant by perspective.

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One day I woke up and my rose coloured glasses were opaque.

jimbo

No. When I need you I'll mention something about cyber-masochism.



I'm not sure why you're comparing the topic of poverty in the US with Laos, but hey....go for it, if that's what you like.

I'm not at all ill-informed about poverty in other nations that exists on a completely different scale than the US.

But one might assume that poverty existing (in the way that it does) in the US is quite a contradiction to the way "america" is most often presented in the media.

Compare your description of Laos to a poor, diseased family in sub-Saharan Africa and I'd still feel as if you're deep into apples and oranges.

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phuketbound

What is your point with all of these statistics, Jimbo? I think you should change your title to, 'U.S facing Depression." I am serious. I believe all of what you quote is happening in the U.S. There are some serious problems, but you know what? There are many Americans that are doing great things as individuals to help some of the major problems such as poverty, in the U.S.

I was just watching Oprah the other day, and it was amazing to see this man on the show. They can't rely on the government at this point, so I think that the changes are coming from individuals and grassroots organizations.

I'm afraid that what is happening in the U.S has already spilled over here in Canada. Inflation has come up by 3%, and the cost of gas has risen beyond belief. I think the problem is that people are so dependent on material things, that people are trying to keep up with the Joneses..so to speak. It is almost impossible to do now.

Here is that guy on Oprah who used to work for Bill Gates, and walked away from millions. Pretty inspiring American.

Changing the World

__________________
'Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak'
~Thomas Carlyle

jimbo

My point?

All statistics (100% correct or not) bring some truths to light.

Some truths that are not always available to the lazy skewed media watching public.

You won't find me denying or criticizing the hard working people at the grass-roots level and beyond.

I don't feel that my country has lost all meaning. I'm hopeful.

What's your point then? There's a guy on Oprah who traded luxury for real work? That's great,..we need 1,000,000 more like him.

You want inspiring?...check these folks out:

Freeganism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
'Freegans' choose to eat garbage - Tucker - MSNBC.com

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phuketbound

Well my point is that the U.S is in shambles, and it is unfortunate that there is so much poverty there, as well as in many other countries (some definitely worse than others). I think that many people are striving to help those in need, and that is what counts. Hopefully the new government can create some positive change.

Thanks for the links..very interesting and a great way to help conserve. Ive never heard of this before.

__________________
'Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak'
~Thomas Carlyle

jimbo

I wouldn't get your hopes too high on that one. I don't believe it is the govt. that will ultimately "fix" anything.



---

1.Guns: 200 million guns (100 times the Iraqi army) and 25,000 people killed by firearms every year (the equivalent of many years of civil war in Yugoslavia). Firearm deaths per 100,000 people (CDCP, Bureau Of Justice Statistics, 1998): 14.24 in the U.S., 4.31 in Canada, 0.7 in Holland, and only 0.41 in England (where not even police carry guns). Which means that if you live in the U.S., you are 40 times more likely to die of gunshots than if you live in Britain.

2. No universal health insurance: 44 million citizens without medical insurance (1999), or one every six citizens, which makes the US the last in the developed world, lower than Russia, China, India and even all of South America.

3. Education: the USA educational system is the most expensive on earth and one of the worst in the developed world. Scores of USA citizens with dual citizenship move back to their countries of origins when their children turn 6 or 7: they can get a much better education and even for free, and in a country where kids don't carry guns into school.

4. A democracy under attack on so many fronts. See Reform the electoral system

5. Family breakdown

6. Death penalty: the death penalty is still legal in the U.S. and the U.S. ranks third in the world in executions (73 in 1997, slightly less in 1998 and slightly more in 1999).

7. Serial killers and mass murderers: they are almost a USA exclusive. Since 1960, over 100 people have been charged with killing more than 10 people. In the rest of the western world, only 2 people have been charged with the same crime. Serial killers tend to be invariably male, white, anglosaxon and protestant:

8. No vacations: the average USA citizen has only two weeks of paid time off (compared with five weeks in Italy, France and Germany), which results in stress and low quality of life, not to mention little knowledge of the rest of the world.

9. Stock market: 45% of USA household holds shares (1997 data), as opposed to 25% in 1987 and to only 3% in 1929; stock market gains amounted to about 35% of personal disposable income in the U.S. in 1997 (versus 6% in Germany). A crash of the stock market would have far more dramatic repercussions than in 1929.

10. Illicit drugs: virtually ubiquitous in all sectors of society, from the president down to the ghettos. A person whose brain has been permanently retarded by marijuana is considered perfectly normal. A governor who sniffed cocaine as a youth is a perfectly reasonable candidate for president

11. Immigration laws: they preclude entrance to badly needed skilled workers (from babysitters to software engineers) but let in huge numbers of unskilled relatives. Any foreigner who can find a good job at home, gets quickly discouraged by the US Immigration laws to find a job in the US.

12. Metric system: in the year 2000 USA citizens still use gallons and feet and miles. A USA citizen abroad is a farce as s/he tries to figure out a distance or a weight.

13. Public transportation: most USA states lack the fast and efficient public transportation that is available in Europe and in the Far East and is being left behind. There is no bullet-train in the western states. There is no plan for magnetic trains. There is no frequent, reliable, super-fast connection between most of the metropoles of the USA.

14. Pentagon: the US spends several times more in weapons than Russia and China combined. Russia has been steadily reducing its military budget, while the US keeps increasing it. This has become a one-country arms race. It was senseless enough when there were two countries racing, but now there is only one country racing.

15. Pollution: the U.S. is the #1 polluting country in the world. The staggering fact is that the heavy industries are not to be blamed, as they have the most stringent code in the world. USA pollution stems from consumers, millions of ordinary citizens who are convinced of being good citizens only because they "recycle",

16. Obesity. Ranked by number of deaths, this would be number one: 300,000 USA citizens die every year of causes related to obesity. The AIDS epidemics has never even come close to this number. 7% of all health care dollars are spent on obesity-related deseases.

17. Alcohol. Not only has the United States the highest number of alcoholics in the West, but the country also pays a dear price for their actions: alcohol is a factor in a third of all rapes, in a quarter of all assaults, and in half of all homicides.

Political News

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phuketbound

My hopes are not high, but I can still hope, even though I don't live there. There will be a definite backlash, and Canadians are feeling it already. I heard talk of war last night where Russia was involved.

I guess your not so proud of your country, eh? Do you think you'll move back there?

__________________
'Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak'
~Thomas Carlyle

jimbo

No plans to move back. I am proud of Americans, many of them in so many ways, but I am certainly not impressed with the political system. Politicians (not just in the US) are shysters, addicted to power. They will say ANYTHING to get elected, imho.

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phuketbound

Well as Gandi quotes, 'You must be the change you want to see in the world' I don't think that he just traded luxury for real work. He gave up millions to help the underpriviledged in third world countries and in his home country by donating books to children and to the schools.

As I said before, materialistic possessions has kept made so many people spoiled in North America, that everyone feels they have to have the latest this or that just to be accepted. The kindest people I've ever met where the poorest people.

__________________
'Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak'
~Thomas Carlyle

jonny danger

No surprise there. If poor people were nasty they'd starve. If rich people were generous they wouldn't be rich for long.

What I'm facing now is the realization I will most likely never go home again. My pee wee social security wouldn't keep me in ciggies. And I'm not about to throw myself at the mercy of my family. But according to economic theory the money and riches never fly off to the Moon, it's all still here on Earth. Someone has it and could put it to good use right about now. It isn't a matter of the richies having to actually give it away, but to just learn that a billion dollars is enough, I think I'll stop gouging now.

I can never help thinking of World problems and progressions in Darwinian terms; will the most selfish dog-hearten people of the Earth inherit the Earth? We were better off as the chimp's rivals two million years ago.

Killing Me Softly 101

Let me see. One score is 20. So the plural is 40 or so. Damn 40 or 60 parents move back to the old country to get their children educated. A real shocker in a nation of 301 million people. Not.

You are a tad bit biased sir.
United States — Population: 301,139,947 (July 2007 est.)

You obviously haven't traveled much in South America. If you did the rose colored glasses were completely opaque.
So one per 3 million people. Not a really great number. What do you call the people who drive around Darfur and kill hundreds in villages, freedom fighters or serial killers? They would be black. Robert Magumbe is a what????
Gee. I would think that so many owners within the society is a good thing not a bad thing. Guess we studied economics from different books.
I am not. Go jump in a lake. I know what a kilometer is and a kilogram too. Really on a rant tonight. Just pop an Ambien and sleep it off.
Yeah. Because nearly everyone (including that poverty stricken ghetto family you were so concerned about) owns a car.

Sir, you must stop watching Fox(notthe)News and Bill O'reilly. Get out more. Smell the flowers in the garden. Maybe switch to the International Tribune. Some deep breaths.

Glad you got that off your chest.

Maybe try yoga.

__________________
One day I woke up and my rose coloured glasses were opaque.