The implications of Alice Guo's departure (Opinion MT)

[scott h]

5 hours ago, baronapart said:

I travelled extensively in Ukraine and Russia from 2005 to 2017. Ukraine was by far the most corrupt country I have been to. Everything was fueled by bribes.

I spent a total of about a month in Ukraine, working with their army in 2009 (I think), I did not really have any dealings with the government or any officials except military, but I have heard news reports on corruption, and I will take your word for it and believe you.

But what a lovely country! Really nice people, clean streets, clean rivers, functioning transport system, manageable traffic, walkable parks without shanties of homeless or beggars pestering us, and really, really pretty girls.

Now having said all that, we were only in and about the L'viv (L'vov) area, so my impressions might be skewed, as if the only place in the Philippines a person saw was Makati, Ayala Alabang or Boracay. If you say things are different in other parts of the Ukraine I will believe you.

If not or not at least to the scale of problems that the Philippines have I would say the Ukraine is a fine example that a country might be "corrupt" but still be functional.  

[baronapart]

On 9/2/2024 at 3:07 PM, scott h said:

I spent a total of about a month in Ukraine, working with their army in 2009 (I think), I did not really have any dealings with the government or any officials except military, but I have heard news reports on corruption, and I will take your word for it and believe you.

But what a lovely country! Really nice people, clean streets, clean rivers, functioning transport system, manageable traffic, walkable parks without shanties of homeless or beggars pestering us, and really, really pretty girls.

Now having said all that, we were only in and about the L'viv (L'vov) area, so my impressions might be skewed, as if the only place in the Philippines a person saw was Makati, Ayala Alabang or Boracay. If you say things are different in other parts of the Ukraine I will believe you.

If not or not at least to the scale of problems that the Philippines have I would say the Ukraine is a fine example that a country might be "corrupt" but still be functional.  

I was married to a Ukrainian woman of Russian ethnicity for six years. Lvov is the garden spot of Ukraine. It is more Polish by history and geography. My ex wife was from Kherson. I have also spent a lot of time in Kyiv and Kharkov.  The eastern part of Ukraine is/was far more Russian and Soviet in character. The breakup of the Soviet Union hit those areas hard. People do what they have to do to survive. I agree with you that for the most part they are wonderful hardworking people. History has never been kind to them. And of course the women can be incredibly beautiful.  That is a story for a different day ;-) Das Vadanya!