Attack in Cuenca

Ken Burns, the great maker of PBS documentaries, made a multiple part series on US Prohibition a couple of years ago. I think it was his very best work to date. Highly recommend it.

Anyway, the best line from the whole series was this:
"Prohibition was the best thing that ever happened to organized crime."

I think we can extrapolate that to all government attempts to restrict personal choices.

[Moderated: off topic]

gardener1 wrote:

Ken Burns, the great maker of PBS documentaries, made a multiple part series on US Prohibition a couple of years ago. I think it was his very best work to date. Highly recommend it.

Anyway, the best line from the whole series was this:
"Prohibition was the best thing that ever happened to organized crime."

I think we can extrapolate that to all government attempts to restrict personal choices.

Yeah, I'm totally fed up with the no bicycle helmet gangs. I blame the government.

Black & White is a serviceable Scotch, and it sells for about $ 25.00 a fifth.
But..... < you knew that was coming > I recently ran into a fellow that has a connection to a distributor here in Cuenca, and the prices are markedly lower.
Cheers!!!
Nags

I don't drink, but if I did, I think I'd find a good bootlegger -- it would be fun transporting myself back to the 1920s.

BobH wrote:

I don't drink, but if I did, I think I'd find a good bootlegger -- it would be fun transporting myself back to the 1920s.

Prohibition is also blamed for starting NASCAR.  Perhaps Ecuador could employe the bootleggers as race car drivers.

ZenSPIKE wrote:

I recently ran into a fellow that has a connection to a distributor here in Cuenca, and the prices are markedly lower.
Cheers!!!
Nags

My new best friend starting next week

symo

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Black & White is a serviceable Scotch,

'Serviceable' appropriate word; now there's a man who knows something about scotch.

Neil: << I swear, that pooch is getting better looking than you every day! >>

Well, what can I say?  He had a head start on me.

The garage is coming along.  I've got the plumbing and electrical roughed in and hope to hang sheet rock by New Years.

John

P.S. pog mo thoin

Ahhh,
now I understand your email. At least you had the good sense to say it in Gaelic, which most folks wouldn't get. And of course, I expected to get " swatted " back. Plus, you know I have thicker skin than that!
Glad the project is coming along well.
Take Care,
Neil
Ps. I don't know Gaelic, but know a gal that has a motorcycle blog, and that's her catch phrase.

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Ahhh,
Ps. I don't know Gaelic, but know a gal that has a motorcycle blog, and that's her catch phrase.

And for the rest of us, there's Google Translate.

Grin...
don't tell anyone he said " kiss my ass " I'd appreciate it.
Nags

Not only are there many "your age" here, there are many single women who seem to be enjoying the city.  There are opportunities to walk - as long as you watch the sidewalk.  One local lady told me people often ask her why people in Cuenca look down so much.  Her reply, "so we don't fall."  As in many places in the world, sidewalk repair is not necessarily the most important when compared to food and clothing.  So, bring sturdy walking shoes when you come to visit. Oft repeated useful advice is to visit before moving so you can determine if you prefer the city, a suburb, Quito, the coast, etc.  Do come to see for yourself.

I swear I am just going to cancel out of Expat.com. Very un-useful data. I am pleased to report that there are "not" thousands dying from drinking the water, hundreds dead from being targeted by taxis, millions getting mugged every day. Everyone talks about Cuenca like it is a foreign planet 100 light years away. Folks, it just-another-city out of 600,000 on the globe. There were more killings in Chicago last night than have been in Cuenca this year, what...six? Once you get here, only check this site once a month for your own sanity. For a real exciting ride, stop investigating and just come on down sight unseen already. Talk about kicking a dead horse, sheesh.

Ken has done some very insightful documentaries. Pretty sharp guy.

The information on this thread is incredibly outdated  and irrelevant in 2017. Here are the facts.

Ecuador's total murders back in 2012 were about 1934.

Fast forward to 2016 and total murders were 914. That's a drastic decrease and the lowest level in 30 years.

They have done a phenomenal job bringing the murder rate down to 5.6, and only second to Chile's 3.6 in all of Latin America.

That's right Ecuador has the second lowest murder rate in all of Latin America.

InSight Crime's 2016 Homicide Round-up

ZenSPIKE wrote:

Ken has done some very insightful documentaries. Pretty sharp guy.

Loved the music and the history presented in his latest Vietnam series, got angry all over again.