Job Discussion Forums

[JonnytheMann]

Che Guevara sent people to die before firing squads without trial. He directly participated in dozens of executions. It is ironic that he's such an icon for aging lefties as most of them are against the death penalty.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Che argued in favor of a first strike only to be bitterly disappointed when Moscow withdrew its offensive missiles.

He used guerrilla warfare to achieve his ends in many different countries. I abhor violence. Just as I am disgusted with Bush for the Iraq war, I am disgusted with Che for his violent, murderous revolutions. The true heros of the world are people like Ghandi and MLK who relied on non-violent civil disobedience.

I find it baffling that old leftists admire Che when his biggest legacy is Castro regime. Do we really wish the whole world were like Cuba? It's a country without religious freedom, sexual freedom, & economic freedom. People do not have the right to disagree with the government. People are still risking their lives by fleeing the country in boats. I met a woman who fled Cuba in a rickety boat (along with two young children) a few months ago. During the boat trip, she clutched her children to her side and prayed for her life. Her husband had fled to the US a few years earlier to start earning money for their boat rides. I think it cost $10,000/person. He worked like a dog and lived like a pauper to save that money. What on earth would possess people to do things like this unless Cuba were a hellhole for them?

[thelmadatter]

Playa... lets us know the situation there when you can. Watching as much as I can on the news. I understand you are near where the eye hit. Hope everyone is OK.

[Samantha]

Me too. I am thinking about all of you over there. It looks like you took a bad hit and we will look forward to you getting back on line with reports of how things went. Fingers crossed it will be soon.

[MixtecaMike]

[Gringo Greg]

Cuba is far from a utopia and many people are desperate to live elsewhere for economic reasons, not political reasons. Greed is greed everywhere.

But the same can be said about the Philippines, people line up in long lines to get passports and pay thousands of dollars just for the ability to work as a domestic helper in Kuwait for $175 a month. Just to send money back home to support the rich oligarchy that takes and takes and takes.

Sick and dying children who show up at the hospital are not cared for if the parents can't make a deposit and pay for all hospital services in advance. Hospitals lack experienced nurses, the good experienced ones have already went abroad to earn higher salaries. The ones that are left are inexpereinced or just plain bad. There is a lack of doctors, the good ones have went abroad or just went back to nursing school.

Yes there are countries worse than Cuba and some of them are capitalist.

[aisha]

if you go on playa.info you can read about the updates on the storm. playadelsoul is also a member of that forum. there are no reported fatalities and it wasn't as bad as it could've been. thank god! there was very little structural damage to concrete buildings, but there was a little damage to palapas. There are a lot of trees down and so some roads are blocked. Electricity has been turned back on in some areas, although lines are down in some spots. i'm so relieved that no one was seriously hurt. i just have to get in touch with my friends now!

[thelmadatter]

Thats good to hear Aisha. Pictures show a lot of mess. Read somewhere that there is concern about the Mayan communities down there because their housing is not exactly the best. Heard anything about that?

[moonraven]

Housing of the local Mayan people, as well as the temporary housing in the rings of poverty surrounding both Cancun and Playa del Carmen, is very fragile--despite the rose-colored view taken by some posters on this thread that has all of them raking in almost 8000 pesos a week working in souvenir shops.

As in all tragedies of nature--be it a tsunami in Sri Lanka or a hurricane in Quintana Roo--the poor are the ones who take it in the shorts, as their makeshift dwellings are swept away, and ditto to the diabilitos that they have used to create access to electrical power in areas with no basic services. Torrential rains turn unpaved "streets" into impassable mudholes. Children suffer from outbreaks of diarrhea as families have no access to potable water. And a whole list of etceteras.

The pols and bureaucrats in Chetumal are concerned about these folks? If that is true, it would be a first. In the past, they have diverted construction materials for homes to their garages--and sold them on the black market.

[PlayadelSoul]

Life is getting back to normal. Playa has a strong sense of community and everyone is helping clean up.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

PlayadelSoul,

What would you "guess-timate" the population (minus tourists) of Playa del Carmen to be? Is there a relatively large expat community in Playa?

[PlayadelSoul]

I have been told that it is around 18,000. As far as ex-pats, it depends on the "pat". There are some Americans here, but mostly it is Canadian, European and South American ex-pats that make up the foreign contingent.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

Thanks, PlayadelSoul. Can I assume you meant 18,000 expats and not a total population of 18,000? I'd imagined Playa to be about the size of Progreso here in Yucatan. Progreso has a population of between 45,000 and 60,000, depending on whose figures one wants to believe. That surprised me, because I didn't think Progreso was that big.

[aisha]

that surprises me too! 45,00-60,00 in Progresso . When I was there it didn't seem to be that populated.

[PlayadelSoul]

I can't believe that there are that many people in Progreso.

My numbers came from a long time resident of Playa. He may have been giving me 1978 census data. However, be assured that there are not 18,000 ex-pats here.

I will try to do some research and get back with the population.

[Ben Round de Bloc]