It's an Expat Thing: Unsolved Mysteries

[brocolliandtea]

Mysteries:

Why is the pedestrian crosswalk the most dangerous place in the city to be at?

Why doesnt anyone in the nation put their garbage out in garbage cans? (is it fear of theft)

Why does the butcher shop have a huge, price menu without a price on it?

Why do Arg. public buses emit clouds of black fumes, bombing the street in a haze?

Why are all the sidewalks broken? Why do we have to pay taxes? Who's responsible if we break our leg?

Why dont people here use a garbage can? Ive never seen so much littering.

Why doesnt the govt. ever ever arrest the counterfeiters?? This problem has been around for over 5 years, perhaps forever!

Last mystery.....Is there justice in Argentina?

 

[malbec]

Why doesnt anyone in the nation put their garbage out in garbage cans? (is it fear of theft)

Many do.

Why does the butcher shop have a huge, price menu without a price on it?

Inflation. He probably doesn't know the price of the meat until he receives it in the mornings.

Why do Arg. public buses emit clouds of black fumes, bombing the street in a haze?

Because european engine manufacturers try to get rid of their Euro 2 compliant buses (as they are not allowed to sell them in Europe anymore). Of course there is no control in Argentina either...probably no one in the govt. has ever heard of Euro 2 or Euro 5.

Why are all the sidewalks broken?

To ensure you walk concentrated and pay attention to things happening around you.

Why do we have to pay taxes?

To pay what?

Who's responsible if we break our leg?

La 'ta Madre que los remil parió

Why dont people here use a garbage can?

We do until it's full.

Ive never seen so much littering.

Come on! You probably mean Zürich, München, Paris. But surely not Napoli, Jakarta, Bankgkok or Istanbul. Make fair comparisons.

Why doesnt the govt. ever ever arrest the counterfeiters??

Would you arrest yourself?

Last mystery.....Is there justice in Argentina?

Yes, only when River defeats los Bosteros

 

[nikad]

Many do.

Inflation. He probably doesn't know the price of the meat until he receives it in the mornings.

Because european engine manufacturers try to get rid of their Euro 2 compliant buses (as they are not allowed to sell them in Europe anymore). Of course there is no control in Argentina either...probably no one in the govt. has ever heard of Euro 2 or Euro 5.

To ensure you walk concentrated and pay attention to things happening around you.

To pay what?

La 'ta Madre que los remil parió

We do until it's full.

Come on! You probably mean Zürich, München, Paris. But surely not Napoli, Jakarta, Bankgkok or Istanbul. Make fair comparisons.

Would you arrest yourself?

Yes, only when River defeats los Bosteros

ahh I was about to give you a " Thanks " until I read your last line.... too bad

 

[mikew]

My big unsolved mystery is why the Lavalle subte station smells like a sewage treatment plant.

 

[victoria]

Here's another one .... many taxis have "GCBA" on their sides. Obviously, I know what the "BA" stands for, but what about the "GC"?

 

[gusgutier]

Here's another one .... many taxis have "GCBA" on their sides. Obviously, I know what the "BA" stands for, but what about the "GC"?

Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. You also can find (non in cabs) CABA for ciudad autonoma de buenos aires

 

[tangobob]

Mysteries:

Why are all the sidewalks broken?

I think I can answer this one, When my building was completed, within months the telephone people came and smashed up the pavements to put new cables in and never returned to repair them properly
Read all about it here
http://tangogales.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/something-new-every-day/

 

[tangobob]

Another unsolved mystery:
Why are people who study nature called naturalists?
Yet people who go around Au Natural called naturists?

 

[mini]

I think I can answer this one, When my building was completed, within months the telephone people came and smashed up the pavements to put new cables in and never returned to repair them properly
Read all about it here
http://tangogales.wordpress.com/2009/05/30/something-new-every-day/

From what I recall but can't confirm it seems this is because it's not their responsibility to repair it properly. The sidewalks belong to the building i.e.. the land is owned privately by each property & not by the government. So each house is responsible for having their sidewalk in good repair (or not).
Clearly some people don't have the money & other don't care. This is also why they are all different colors, stones, designs, etc.

Instead of seizing pension funds, Cristina should seize the sidewalks.

 

[brocolliandtea]

Then why cant people sue for breaking their leg, falling down and injuring themselves, etc. Ive seen so many people tumble. Its dangerous, isnt it? On Florida recently I sank down into a hole up to my knee! So arg. local govt. washes their hands of any responsibility to provide safe sidewalks by either fixing them themselves or by enforcing the building owners responsibility to do so? If yes, I guess its not a surprise. This is a country where its every man for himself and its always someone elses fault.

Its just common sense that the govt. could make the utilities fix the sidewalk to the state that they found it and could also make owners fix their sidewalks. BUT since that would be a crazy system with so many different owners to deal with, the logical efficient system would be for the city to maintain uniformly safe sidewalks citywide.

But I know, I know, we are in Argentina. Leave good ideas behind.