Another Mall, well, A Small Plaza Rather...

donP

Newbie
Dec 14, 2008
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Disclaimer:
I do not want to compete with Sr. Potemkin, but thought, you might (for a change) want to see a smaller 'plaza' ...;)

You can see it between the time marks 00:49 and 00:53.

[video=youtube;VbZw_5Cjj74]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbZw_5Cjj74[/video]


donP
 
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DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
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WOW..excellent video. It's amazing to think that there are 100's if not 1000's of communities like this throughout the country. I think this video is a great insight into what is definitely part of "The Real DR" that is often referenced here on DR1...

There are so many good people and organizations, both abroad and in the DR who are trying to help communities like this, but it is such a HUGE undertaking, it's hard to imagine things getting much better anytime soon. But then again...you have to start somewhere, and I think the university group that did this project made an excellent effort to change the lives and living conditions for this one small community in the Nation's Capital.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Pischardo is not going to approve of this video being posted.


Tourists and visitors are only supposed to see the Great "Spacious" Malls.

Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores

Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores

Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores - Empty Stores
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
13,315
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I think this video is a great insight into what is definitely part of "The Real DR" that is often referenced here on DR1...
Its always interesting how some people consider "the real DR" to be that lived by 8.8% of the population. Sure, its almost 900,000 but in a county with over 9.3 million people, well...

In the Capital, households in extreme poverty are less than 5% of the total.

Yes, definitely the "real DR."

But let me guess, the DR of the Casa de Campo type is the 'fake DR' one. lol :rolleyes:

Here's another bummer, the DR is among the 3 most successful countries in reducing the number of people living in marginal neighborhoods such as the ones shown in the video, at least according to a study done by the United Nations Habitat program. (http://www.unhabitat.org/documents/SOWC10/SP/227million_will_have_left_the_slums_by2010.pdf www.unhabitat.org)

Yes, I know. Based on the mantra some have here on DR1, this type of information puts the doom and gloom mantra into a perspective many here like to ignore. :)
 
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SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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NALs:

Yep!


If you keep ignoring the less than 5% in the capital, perhaps they will all die and go away, then you won't be embarrassed by them any more.

A normal person would refer to almost 900,000 as almost 10% of the population.

But you come up with 8.8% to minimize it.


Since when in the D.R. do statistics relate to actual facts?
Do you have a "PERCENTAGE" for that?

Nail that to your stats tables!

You should stick to the "Polls" forum so it's easier to ignore you.
 

DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
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Its always interesting how some people consider "the real DR" to be that lived by 8.8% of the population. Sure, its almost 900,000 but in a county with over 9.3 million people, well...

In the Capital, households in extreme poverty are less than 5% of the total.

Yes, definitely the "real DR."

But let me guess, the DR of the Casa de Campo type is the 'fake DR' one. lol :rolleyes:

Here's another bummer, the DR is among the 3 most successful countries in reducing the number of people living in marginal neighborhoods such as the ones shown in the video, at least according to a study done by the United Nations Habitat program. (http://www.unhabitat.org/documents/SOWC10/SP/227million_will_have_left_the_slums_by2010.pdf UN-HABITAT.:. Home)

Yes, I know. Based on the mantra some have here on DR1, this type of information puts the doom and gloom mantra into a perspective many here like to ignore. :)

To me "The Real DR" is the 99.9% of the country the exists outside of the All Inclusive hotels and most of the tourist zones. And I would say 8.8% or even 5%, or whatever percentage of Dominicans live in conditions presented in that video is a PART (as I stated) of that reality!!
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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i would have to agree somewhat with NALs on that. this is not THE real DR. part of real DR, yes, but not all and everything of DR. there is more to DR than just poverty: it's the rich and poor, campos and cities, beaches and mountains, naturaleza y civilizacion.

sometimes i feel sorry for people living in such conditions. but there is always something that sobers me up: do not think for a moment those houses and lots have titles and legal papers, people build on stolen land. could they not steal it from somewhere else? higher up? not so close to the low rivers? no, because poor dominicans use rivers as a source of water and as a sewer. so they want to build as close to the water as possible. there is no forward thinking as far as the consequences: flooding and health hazard. people bring it upon by themselves.

and no, i would not like to go as far as wishing for all those poor folks to die away. but i am all for burning those dwellings down to the ground and relocating people to safer places. i am all for the government providing power, water and sewage system but NOT FOR FREE. nothing good ever comes from giving stuff for free. pay for what you receive or STFU and stop demanding that senor presidente should give you this and that.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
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Santiago
The DR has it's poor, that's for sure.

But to insinuate that the majority of people live like they do in Guachupita is a typical gringo over exaggeration.

People need to get out more. AI's and Sosua's bars don't count.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Yes, a small part.

One (1) video posted versus being inundated with "Hundreds" of photos posted by Pischardo.

Amazing how one (1) video gets people upset and in arms over it.

What's the percentage of that one (1) video to the hundreds of photos by Pischardo?
Pretty darn small.
Way, way less then one (1) percentage point.

It's not that the "WRONG" picture is being painted by that one (1) video,
but that the picture painted by Pischardo is not 100% the truth he wants to portray.

Too many over react, I saw no insinuation that the majority in the D.R. was that poor.
I could very easily show pictures of three areas in Santiago where people do live like that.

It was 4 areas that I knew about, but the 4th was washed away when the person in charge of the dam opened the flood gates and drowned many of them a few years back.

PS: It may be down to two (2) I heard rumors that the storms last week caused a disaster to the area on Bartolome. I have not been by there to check it out.
 
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Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
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Santiago
Ok, some of you didn't get the memo: the DR has poor but the majority of the people don't live like they do in the video. Next.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Ok, some of you didn't get the memo: the DR has rich but the majority of the people don't live like that. Next.
 

DavidZ

Silver
Aug 29, 2005
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Jeez...who's stupid enough to think anyone is stupid enough to believe everyone in the DR is super-rich or super-poor. I commented on the video because it shows a level of poverty many people have never seen and may not have believed existed in the DR.

No one in the video states anything that would lead one to believe this represents the majority of the DR, but I've seen many communities like this all over the country and it is by no means a small amount of people in this situation. 800,000 - 1,000,000 people in a country of any size is A LOT of people...
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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I see we get the usual "Mantra",from the "Ususal Sources"!
Hey,you guys forgot your usual,"The USA has "Poor People Too", response to whenever someone talks,or in this case "Shows" the "REAL DR"!
Just as some people don't want to hear that they have "Bad Breath:,or "BO",you don't want to hear ANYTHING remotly critical of the DR.
Even when it's TRUE!!
"8%,you wish!!!!
That looks like about 50% of the neighborhoods I pass through on my wayto my house.
No wonder there are so many,many cases of Colera,and other diseases killing so many Dominicans today!
Well,at least we can be thankful that there are enough areas like in the video,to provide a never ending supply of beautiful young "Dominicans" willing to sell themselves for a few hundred pesos!
"Oh",you are aware that the DR. has more women working as prostitutes around the planet than any country except Thailand,Brazil,and the Philipines,(All of which have populations MANY times larger than the DR!)
"But,The USA has "Prostitues" TOO!"
THERE,I saved you some trouble!
You guys,with your,"It's not so bad here!" attitude are really pathetic!
If it is ONLY 8%,that's "8%" TOO MUCH!!!!
The "8 %",thank you for your concern,NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,069
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South Coast
I've seen quite a few of those 'neighborhoods', all over the country.

Anyone who has been in La Sirena in San Cristobal passes a large one on the right side just as you go over the little bridge.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
5,808
946
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Anyone who want to take a tour of Cienfuego's mazes, let me know.

One word of warning, I got lost going from one street to the next through one of the mazes, had to walk for blocks to another intersection in order to come back down the street I was parked on.

If you start praying during the tour, I will take you back to your mommy.

A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth ...
 

pi2

Banned
Oct 12, 2011
961
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A whole lot of people in fact as witnessed on this forum. Look at CC for goodness sakes.

There are certainly areas far worse that that in the Video. It is sad that the governments priority is to spend billions of dollars on new roads in SD rather than minimal public housing. It would help to stop importing cars for a few years too - this would generate jobs repairing those on the roads already in the DR.

pi2
 

LaTeacher

Bronze
May 2, 2008
852
66
48
there are different levels of poverty - the video shows extreme poverty (usually defined as people living on less that 2USD per day). most parts of cienfuegos are NOT extreme poverty - but to think that supporting a family on 7000 pesos a month makes them not impoverished, that's not right. the extremely wealthy and the extremely impoverished are small parts of dominican society - the impoverished and rising middle class make a more complete spectrum.

at the same time, you can't blame people's lack of foresight - generational poverty has stipped them of the ability to think about the future. if the land by the riverbed is the land that's available for stealing (with little backlash from the gov't) that's what they'lltake because it'swhat they need today.it's also why women start selling themselves to put food on the table because they need to take care of the immediate need of food and shelter.