Originally Posted by laca

Well everyone knows who are the most arrogant people in the world are.

Ignorance and arrogance are twins they often walk together.
Lao Tzu

Originally Posted by Jihad4Beer

So you come here to brag in front of Americans about how wonderful Cuba is, and then you call Americans arrogant?

Are you trying to make friends?

Originally Posted by laca

Recently I met Sara Foster, inelegant black American student, at the entrance of the famous Havana faculty of medicine. She was one among few hundred extremely bright manly black and Latino young people from USA who are studying medicine in Cuba. They were given opportunity by Cuban government to study for free ( free university fee, food and accommodation ) and gain university degree that they could only dream of as a members of suppressed and socially underprivileged class in their country.
While we were having coffee at the university cantina she simply introduced herself as an American girl with the life dream to become a doctor.
”My mother is very poor, when I was very young my father was falsely accused and sent to a prison where he died. I almost don’t remember him.
Then another tragedy hit us again, when my brother, who was only 23 yo, as American soldier, was killed in Iraq. When it happened I realize that I have only my poor mother and myself, destine to live in the country which would discriminate me as a second class citizen for the rest of my life only because of the color of my skin”.
“ When I got news that I was accepted by Havana University I was overwhelmed by joy, and then I realize I didn’t have money for airfare ticket, you know, because of embargo I had to fly via Canada.”
”My black neighbors who were equally poor as my mother collected money among themselves as well as local church priest, that’s how I managed to by a ticket".
"In Canada I met some of my countrymen who rejected to go to Iraq and had to escape as refugees. Majority of them told me they were much happier over there and didn't have intention to go back to USA. Later my mother told me that she was intimidated by FBI agents who “were searching for hidden drugs” in our flat, but actually letting her know that I was on their black list as a “potential terrorist”. I am so happy here I don’t want to go back to USA and again to experience discrimination, miserable life of my black community and now probably long term prison based on false accusations. At the same time I am fully aware that my mother is on her own, if I can bring her here with me than my life will be fulfilled”.
"As a doctor, I want to help desperate African American people who can’t afford even medical help because of their extreme poverty and miserable position in the society. People here are so happy and friendly, and not so alienated from each other like in USA where everything is about television, shopping centers, junk food and extreme materialism".
"First time in my life I experienced feeling to be treated equally in the society as other citizens and not to be discriminated because of my race".
All the best Sara, I said to her.
After listening to her story I felt at the same time happy and sad for her.
Maybe one day she will be able to return in her country as a” first class citizen” without fear for her mother and herself.


Note:
In spite of half century of USA imposed embargo Cuba has one of the best health systems in the world that was founded by Che Guevara who was a doctor of medicine himself (For example Cuba has lower mortality infants rate then USA )
http://www.ifconews.org/MedicalSchool/main.htm
(http://www.queensu.ca/philosophy/cuba/jose_marti.html).
Cuban life expectancy highest in Latin America
This according to both the CIA's world fact book and the WHO. At approximately 77 and one half years. This puts Cuba just about equal with the United States, and in the top 25% of nations worldwide.
Cuban health system provides, first class, totally free medical services to all citizens.
So called health tourism, last year, managed to generate equal income for Cuban economy as ordinary tourism. More and more “tourists” come here from the Western and other parts of the world, particularly from USA and Canada, to get medical treatment that they can not afford in their countries. Cuba also generously provide free medical university education for thousand foreign students from Latino America and for those underprivileged and discriminated young and bright people from USA who would never get chance to study university because of discriminatory policy imposed on them by USA government.

Originally Posted by laca

The problem is that you are thinking with a US capitalist mentality. Socialism does not divide people by nation but they will help any person in need.

Originally Posted by laca

In other words capitalist symbols like money and profit are not solution for everything.

Originally Posted by laca

Don’t by silly.

Originally Posted by laca

America has freedom of choice but nothing to choose from.

Originally Posted by laca

There is no much to be seen in your Zombie Disneyland.

Originally Posted by laca

Obese brainless morons who walk around without knowing how to live and why they live.

Originally Posted by laca

Immoral and stupid president former alcoholics and drug addicts who got ” job for the boys” from his empire daddy.

Originally Posted by laca

Or previous one who wanted to behave the world by bombarding sovereign countries and killing innocent people but who could not behave himself by raping his secretary in his white house ( Clinton ).

Originally Posted by laca

Intellectuals and free minded people oppressed by democratic dictatorship of stupid gun mentality majority.

Originally Posted by laca

TV and Hollywood crap that promotes heatred, violence junk food and cheep CIA sponsored propaganda.

Originally Posted by laca

If you want anyone to live in this brainless Coca cola shopping “paradise” , the answer is NO THANK YOU.

Originally Posted by conformfailure

I agree.

No thank you is my answer at well.

Originally Posted by daisym

I have posted on this before laca, and I can tell you that one of the problems on this forum is that many of the posters here cannot accept that there could possibly be anything good about Cuba, or about anything they don't agree with.

many people who post on this forum like to see things in simple black/white terms.

Its not that these people are openly discriminated against in their access to medical school - just that economic disadvantage prevents them from accessing education. The ideology that is dominant in the US (and in many other places) has two fundamentals when it comes to discussion of people who experience disadvantage/are discriminated against. One is, that 'blame the victim' is the norm, the other is, that people should not expect 'handouts' or help from the government. The cornerstone of the free market ideology is that intervention to help people is a negative, and makes people lazy. (yes, I know if you look you can find inconsistencies with this in terms of subsidies and encouragements to certain sectors of the economy ... but that isn't seen in the same terms).

You cannot fight that ideology, especially if you come from a country which automatically is associated with 'the bad guys.' as Cuba is.

Originally Posted by laca

Don’t by silly.
America has freedom of choice but nothing to choose from.
There is no much to be seen in your Zombie Disneyland. Obese brainless morons who walk around without knowing how to live and why they live.

Originally Posted by JHC

You and I agree on many things but I would have to disagree here. First, the story presented by Laca reeks of untruth.
I don't know much about Cuba honestly but I do know about the US and particularly about the opportunities afforded to good students ESPECIALLY if they are minorities. The one in this story is both black and female and wishing to study medicine - that's like a ticket.

Seriously Daisy, this I tell you is true. You know I have a daughter rapidly approaching college and I've been through college twice myself. I've known many, many minority students who are in college because they have special scholarships for minorities and special admissions requirements because they are minorities. I'm totally serious. It won't take you much time to verify this on the internet.

So this story just doesn't make sense.
The US, is as racist as Australia. But there are times when it pays to be minority in the US and college education time is one of them.

Originally Posted by laca

I am just trying to open your eyes by telling you the truth that you are unable to hear from your corrupted media ( like CNN etc ).

Originally Posted by iamwhatiseem

......

Originally Posted by daisym

I know what you say re scholarships is correct - however in my experience of such programmes (and I have worked on equity programmes in several universities) while belonging to the right category can be seen as getting you into the course of your choice - and especially those courses where a shortage of professionals from the 'target group' is seen as a factor influencing outcomes for the group as a whole - in actual fact, those who are able to access these programmes are often already relatively advantaged.

several months ago I saw a documentary discussing the same thing, and it included interviews with poor black students from the US who stated they would never have been able to study medicine in their own country.

There was also a lot of information about the important role Cuba's doctors played in poorer countries, and the resources Cuba was putting into medicine - which has resulted in a significant number of 'medical tourists' from the US and other places. The standard of medical care was excellent, and the quality of the service to Cubans was also excellent.

There was of course a down side to it - and there were doctors who were quite clearly afraid to speak out/voice criticisms. Despite being well resourced they were paid appallingly low wages, and worked long hours.

I am not saying Cuba is wonderful - my comment was re the knee jerk reaction I am so sick of seeing on this forum - if its not something we agree with, its automatically all bad. No system is 100% good, or 100% bad. doesn't matter which one it is you are looking at - and Cuba does have a few good points.... although no shortage of bad ones too.

The same goes for the US. I would prefer to belong to a minority group in some parts of the US, or some parts of Australia, than I would in some parts of western Europe, and certainly many other parts of the globe - but it still doesn't mean that minority groups in our countries will automatically benefit from the programmes you mentioned - even when they are 'worthy.'

Originally Posted by Wallaroo

Who the hell could hate a people who created Muttley in the first place? Im a huge fan of of him too. Hhhhh hhhhh hhhhh!

Originally Posted by Jihad4Beer

Open my eyes with an obvious BS story?

Try again. I don't want to be like you.


Hey, did the Free Cuban Media allow you to see the 1000s of Cuban defectors in Miami dancing in the streets when it was learned that Castro's health was failing?