In the land of the poor

Is the USA the poorest “rich” country in the world? Yes, it is. It is truly the land of the one-percenters and their victims. Check this eye-opening article in the UK’s Daily Mail. Here.By the way, you can find out more about American poverty at the aptly titled site American Poverty.

Las Vegas “rat people”

You know I posted on this last year (I’m too lazy to find the post but I think it was from The Sun in Britain; in fact, I think this latest article uses some of the same photos). Deep in the flood tunnels under Vegas hundreds upon hundreds of people, about a thousand or so, have made their homes, living like human rats in constantly damp and wet conditions. Nevada newspapers evidently don’t like reporting this story, so we have to turn to the freer foreign press.  A British commenter said it best, Civilized America”, the land of the free……to live like rats. It’s like this…”Deep beneath Vegas’s glittering lights lies a sinister labyrinth inhabited by poisonous spiders and a man nicknamed The Troll who wields an iron bar. But astonishingly, the 200 miles of flood tunnels are also home to 1,000 people who eke out a living in the strip’s dark underbelly. Some, like Steven and his girlfriend Kathryn, have furnished their home with considerable care – their 400sq ft ‘bungalow’ boasts a double bed, a wardrobe and even a bookshelf…” Here (London Daily Mail). Let’s face it, what an ugly third world country this is…well, maybe when China takes over things will get a little better.

Note: For a lot  more info than you can get from some newspaper articles you might want to read Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, by Mathew O’Brien, published as part of the  Travel Holiday Guides series. (Travel holiday guide? The title of the book doesn’t seem to fit in with a tourist series, does it?)

Haiti: progress-resistant culture

From a NY Times op ed piece: “…to put the thorny issue of culture at the center of efforts to tackle global poverty. Why is Haiti so poor? Well, it has a history of oppression, slavery and colonialism. But so does Barbados, and Barbados is doing pretty well. Haiti has endured ruthless dictators, corruption and foreign invasions. But so has the Dominican Republic, and the D.R. is in much better shape. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island and the same basic environment, yet the border between the two societies offers one of the starkest contrasts on earth — with trees and progress on one side, and deforestation and poverty and early death on the other…There is the influence of the voodoo religion, which spreads the message that life is capricious and planning futile. There are high levels of social mistrust. Responsibility is often not internalized. Child-rearing practices often involve neglect in the early years and harsh retribution when kids hit 9 or 10.”

California officially (more or less) reaches third world status

The golden state: from golden to corpse. And what do they say–what starts in CA works its way east?…”California has a special place in the American psyche. It is the Golden State: a playground of the rich and famous with perfect weather. It symbolises a lifestyle of sunshine, swimming pools and the Hollywood dream factory. But the state that was once held up as the epitome of the boundless opportunities of America has collapsed. From its politics to its economy to its environment and way of life, California is like a patient on life support.” Of course if you lived in California you’ve already known this for a long time now. Everyone’s talking about it. Even the foreign press is taking note. You see? Just when you thought you couldn’t reach your goal–there it is, already right in front of you– done. All you have to do now is check it off on your To Do list.