Moving Sands...
One of my dreams is to visit Cuba. Havanah, Trinidad and Santiago, in particular.
I love Cuba and like the Cubans.
And I like Fidel Castro. I don't care what you think of him.
You probably have demonized him as much as you have demonized Saddam Hussein.
But then, come to think of it, no Leader has been wilfully demonized as much as Saddam Hussein. And we all know what the end result was/is. The end result is today's Iraq.
I love Cuba for many reasons. One of them is Salsa and then, there is Cuban music, and Cuban cigars. But these are not the only reasons...Am not that frivolous!
I had learned a few Salsa steps, which I have unfortunately no way of practicing.
Saturday night would have been a perfect opportunity to studiously put what I have learned into full swing.
And what better way to dance salsa but to the wonderful, exhilarating voices of Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portundo and Compay Segundo.
Do you know why the word Salsa was coined to certain Cuban melodies ?
Salsa music is a mixture of many ethnic backgrounds, with an African predominance. Hence the word Salsa in Spanish, meaning a Sauce.
You know what Sauce is, dont' you?
It's like when you order a salad or a hamburger and they ask you what kind of dressing/sauce you would like it with.
I remember vaguely one had the choice between blue cheese, swiss cheese, a thousand islands, mushroom sauce, barbeque or red hot chilli...
In Iraq, we have different kinds of Salsas/Sauces, as well.
We have the a thousand islands salsa. It presents itself like that.
You are walking in the street and a bullet hits you and you don't know where from exactly. It can be from a thousand and one places. Each place, each district, has become an island onto itself.
Then we also have blue cheese salsa. It is when you leave your front house door and see a couple of blue faced decomposing bodies, rotting away in the sun and the stray dogs are nibbling at them.
Radhee (from Adhamiya - the soooneeee stronghold) told me that, only yesterday he saw two corpses lying in front of his house and the dogs were feeding on its owners.
"Who murdered them ?" I asked.
"How the hell should I know. This place is sealed, even a fly cannot enter."
Makes you wonder...
And we also have red hot chilli salsa. Don't you dare think you are the only ones who can taste these wonderful sauces.
In Iraq, red hot chilli is when a thug, usually a sectarian son of a bitch, throws acid in your face, or on your body, or when you are burned alive because your name is Omar or Aisha.
We also have Swiss cheese. You know that cheese with holes in it ?
That is when you find corpses with drill holes in them. Drill holes by the turbaned black crows.
And of course we have the barbeque salsa. No, not barbed, we have barbed too but this is barbeque.
Barbeque salsa comes in different flavors.
You can be carbonised by an explosion, that is usually a car bomb. Or die of thirst, and that is barbequed by heat and lack of water. Or you can end up like Raouf, with broken ribs, swelling, pus-ridden wounds, and ankles that look like baked potatoes due to being chained.
Then, you have the mushroom salsa. Mushroom sauce comes in two basic styles.
One is when you discover you have depleted uranium in your piss and you develop a thousand tumors that no medicine in the world can cure.
And the other is the less offensive one, but offensive nonetheless.
It is when you go and search for a job because you have been unemployed for over 2 years and you present 3 university diplomas and 5 languages.
And some American motherfucker who can't spell and who is in charge of "reconstruction" of your country - a country which he has managed to destroy - tells you in his twisted, ugly, nasal accent:
" Why don't you grow a mushroom farm." And who happens to be an ex-salsa teacher.
And, no, I did not learn the steps from him.
In Iraq, we move to salsa tunes too. We just don't know who exactly is playing the music though.
To be or not to be and with which salsa does one end is the Question.
But more importantly, Who is who and who is exactly cooking all these wonderful sauces? Remains to be seen in further gory episodes.
And as the French say and I like the French for their very pertinent proverbs:
" On ne sait plus à quelle sauce on va être manger."
A rough translation : We don't know with which sauce we will be devoured, eaten.
So tell me, can you Salsa?
It is Saturday night after all and I miss dancing.
Dancing away from moving sands...
Painting : Iraqi artist, Jaber Alwan.
I love Cuba and like the Cubans.
And I like Fidel Castro. I don't care what you think of him.
You probably have demonized him as much as you have demonized Saddam Hussein.
But then, come to think of it, no Leader has been wilfully demonized as much as Saddam Hussein. And we all know what the end result was/is. The end result is today's Iraq.
I love Cuba for many reasons. One of them is Salsa and then, there is Cuban music, and Cuban cigars. But these are not the only reasons...Am not that frivolous!
I had learned a few Salsa steps, which I have unfortunately no way of practicing.
Saturday night would have been a perfect opportunity to studiously put what I have learned into full swing.
And what better way to dance salsa but to the wonderful, exhilarating voices of Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portundo and Compay Segundo.
Do you know why the word Salsa was coined to certain Cuban melodies ?
Salsa music is a mixture of many ethnic backgrounds, with an African predominance. Hence the word Salsa in Spanish, meaning a Sauce.
You know what Sauce is, dont' you?
It's like when you order a salad or a hamburger and they ask you what kind of dressing/sauce you would like it with.
I remember vaguely one had the choice between blue cheese, swiss cheese, a thousand islands, mushroom sauce, barbeque or red hot chilli...
In Iraq, we have different kinds of Salsas/Sauces, as well.
We have the a thousand islands salsa. It presents itself like that.
You are walking in the street and a bullet hits you and you don't know where from exactly. It can be from a thousand and one places. Each place, each district, has become an island onto itself.
Then we also have blue cheese salsa. It is when you leave your front house door and see a couple of blue faced decomposing bodies, rotting away in the sun and the stray dogs are nibbling at them.
Radhee (from Adhamiya - the soooneeee stronghold) told me that, only yesterday he saw two corpses lying in front of his house and the dogs were feeding on its owners.
"Who murdered them ?" I asked.
"How the hell should I know. This place is sealed, even a fly cannot enter."
Makes you wonder...
And we also have red hot chilli salsa. Don't you dare think you are the only ones who can taste these wonderful sauces.
In Iraq, red hot chilli is when a thug, usually a sectarian son of a bitch, throws acid in your face, or on your body, or when you are burned alive because your name is Omar or Aisha.
We also have Swiss cheese. You know that cheese with holes in it ?
That is when you find corpses with drill holes in them. Drill holes by the turbaned black crows.
And of course we have the barbeque salsa. No, not barbed, we have barbed too but this is barbeque.
Barbeque salsa comes in different flavors.
You can be carbonised by an explosion, that is usually a car bomb. Or die of thirst, and that is barbequed by heat and lack of water. Or you can end up like Raouf, with broken ribs, swelling, pus-ridden wounds, and ankles that look like baked potatoes due to being chained.
Then, you have the mushroom salsa. Mushroom sauce comes in two basic styles.
One is when you discover you have depleted uranium in your piss and you develop a thousand tumors that no medicine in the world can cure.
And the other is the less offensive one, but offensive nonetheless.
It is when you go and search for a job because you have been unemployed for over 2 years and you present 3 university diplomas and 5 languages.
And some American motherfucker who can't spell and who is in charge of "reconstruction" of your country - a country which he has managed to destroy - tells you in his twisted, ugly, nasal accent:
" Why don't you grow a mushroom farm." And who happens to be an ex-salsa teacher.
And, no, I did not learn the steps from him.
In Iraq, we move to salsa tunes too. We just don't know who exactly is playing the music though.
To be or not to be and with which salsa does one end is the Question.
But more importantly, Who is who and who is exactly cooking all these wonderful sauces? Remains to be seen in further gory episodes.
And as the French say and I like the French for their very pertinent proverbs:
" On ne sait plus à quelle sauce on va être manger."
A rough translation : We don't know with which sauce we will be devoured, eaten.
So tell me, can you Salsa?
It is Saturday night after all and I miss dancing.
Dancing away from moving sands...
Painting : Iraqi artist, Jaber Alwan.
Comments
I've heard Baghdad was a vibrant city before the U.S. invasion. You yourself described the night life, strolling under the moonlight near the Tigris, people in cafes, men smoking cigars, talking, eating, music, dancing.
And now? I don't know how you can find the words, but you do and they cut right to the heart.
P.S. I've fallen in love with Arabic music. Can you recommend a few of your favorites? I'd like to share the music with Americans, so that they can get a more visceral sense of the people whose lives we've destroyed.
Sure I will give you some links to some realy good arabic music.
But now you have opened a can of worms...I have so many good songs in mind. What is your preferred taste?
Apart from that, they are a musical people.
I'd rather do Kama Sutra. I was born with it. Nothing to learn. See, easy!!
Oh for Cuba, Castro and Che:
During the Dark Ages (Cold War days) the US accused every friend of a communist country of being communist. The Communists are coming!!! In trading with the communist, you don't Salsa with Wall Street, and that is dangerous to you political health. The US (and their British poodle, when necessary) undermined and leveraged ever “communist” democratically elected government, out of “power.
Cuba traded with its friends on terms akin to barter, and hence the trade was fairer and more balanced. The US tried to isolate Cuba by victimizing those who dare to Salsa with Castro.
Currently, the Cubans have thousands of medical doctors serving the Venezuelan government. Also, they are training several thousands more, from around the world. Students from the US attend medical school in Cuba, at no cost. The only condition is that they return and work in a “poor” area of the US.
Bolton, who wants to WMD the UN, accused Cuba of developing WMD, after it was announced that clinical trials of Cuba-developed drugs were about to begin in the US. Of course, it was WMD, Weapons of Mass Destruction of cancer cells.
That Bolt-on had something bolted-off, his brains. Lend the man an SAE “wench.” And screw him on for it. (No correction necessary – I pass)
Cuba has a well developed Biotechnology Industry and cooperates with several countries in this area.
The US pharmaceutical companies would experience withdrawal symptoms if denied its "drug" of “parasitizing the consumers,” especially since there are few new drugs “in the US pharmaceutical pipeline.” So they have to be co-conspirators in the development and FDA approval of Cuban WMD. I suppose Wall Street will have to salsa to the dictates of the US pharma companies.
Now onto development of a gene-specific, fast-acting, spray-on Salsa (sauce). It will express those genes which will cause AWTD* to self-destruct, (shrivel and shed) upon contact. Leave it the dogs will get it. Now you can be hang them from only one head.
*American Weapons of “Tight-space” Destruction ((AWTD).
Cuba survived despite numerous US attempts to depose its leader and repossess it, for the Mafia, as their crime den.
Had Che succeeded, Latin America would have been a paradise. The constant onslaught of the US on Communism necessitated that the communist countries divert resources to counter the threat. This is true for all countries under US threat.
One, so-accused country, introduced free secondary (High-School) education, built several secondary schools, established a university, placed a nurse and a dispenser in almost every village, developed and distributed vast areas of agricultural land, at little cost to the farmers (the farmers profited from the produce but the govt. retained ownership of the land, to prevent its sale), enabled the ownership of low cost, newly built houses and other projects too numerous to mention. The education system was the envy of the region.
A dispenser is a pharmacist who – diagnoses illness, dispenses medicines and performs simple medical procedures. The number of doctors was few and were all trained, at great expense, in the US or UK.
These developments benefited all races which chose to participate. The “opposition races,” did the dirty work, on the dictates of their masters, the CIA, and MI5/6. The CIA supplied the list of “the communists” to the then colonial power. This led to numerous arrests. These actions had started in the early, “50’s (or possibly late ‘40’s), with the imprisonment of the leader of the Communist Party. Several of my uncles were imprisoned. There were strikes, demonstrations, lootings and burning of buildings and assaults on the race with expressed communist genes. Assaults on women were the desired way to humiliate the other race. These thugs were at the beck and call of the CIA. The CIA’s bombing of a passenger-launch caused the death of several of the opposition race. This led to the unleashing of mass violence on the race supporting the government. The number of those murdered is unknown. An investigation was never held.
The violence brought the violent British, softly, softly, and the fucking started. All, the “tight places” were fair game.
One of my teachers married a British gun-man; the local men were not good; too smart, too black (hair), too “born with a tan.” Knew too much Math, Science and other disciplines of enormous consequence. Don’t blame the woman, the natives had no guns so they cultivated “brains.” Have guns shall cultivate death. Her “desire” led her to nest(le) under a dumb gun-man, all guns drawn. The White gun-man, uneducated dumb British/English, man of choice, "bestest" man at the show.
They spread their wings and flew to the “English” country.
The poor dumb kid had only enough brains to pull a trigger, and hence was not aware that his mother was an outlaw. So he presented his wife to her mother-out-law and the marriage was promptly outlawed. What else, the lady is an Outlaw, not unlike shrub, Chain-y, Lice, TB and the newly minted poodle GB (Gordon “Black,” I meant Brown). What an aggregation!!
After she was dumped, by her mother-out-law, she followed the falling stars back home and I had my teacher back. And everybody lived happily ever after. And I was happy. Story end book closed. And I went to sleep with a smile.
Now back to serious:
Wall Street was walled out from our development. We did not grovel to anyone for a single penny.
US and British tax payers financed the (CIA/MI5/6)’s “pussy-walk” operations. US taxpayers paid, we died. Why "pussy-walk?" "FirePower" accords themsleves that divine right." Visit my 2004 creation of my Global Injustice blog and read about my early writing on "Firepower."
The election accounting process was changed and the “communist” was deposed. The old slaves were re-slaved by the old slave masters (colonized minds never die), serving the dictates of the CIA and MI5/6.
The violence makers were to be rewarded. The CIA “funneled” money to the AFLCIO who “funneled” it to the local VUT (Violent Unions of Trade). (Funnel collection was never a hobby then, or I would have been funnel-wealthy) This was to fund the construction of their houses. All the houses were awarded to the strikers and violence perpetrators. They were all of one race. The houses were priced at 5 times that for which the communist provided houses.
Capitalism at screw. All the tight places were now loose places and everythang began to "fall apart" and the country became the most (per Capita) heavily indebted country in the world and one of the poorest on this side of the moat.
The rest is history but the government has changed again and the parties are vying for the Cup of Sucking Power, to be awarded by The Bush in the Castle.
You can get Cuban cigars in any old shop you like, but if you want Cuban coffee, guess who can deliver the goods?
Hey, no prizes for the answer. Good old Walmart. Now isn't it strange how those hypocritical Yankee scum don't prosecute Walmart for trading with the enemy?
Hey, and like I said to you, who pays to keep that Scot in power and kissing the Yankee's arses?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=477811&in_page_id=1770
Why "Shriti the Shriek" of course; and before anybody says anything to me about tea; it's over ten years since I last drank tea. It's best to boycott the Yankee hypocrites and get your coffee from the free-trade store. Boycott America, Scotland, Israel and India, until the world is free of the parasites. Never drink tea.
Hey, by the way, I am not trying to convert anybody. My Goddess is all powerful; She knows Her own power and She doesn't need anybody groveling to Her on their knees, and She is not jealous. I am merely pointing out that some people are not very discerning when they choose their deities; in short, some were born to grovel, and guess where most of them ran away to? Yea right; the "Land of the Free".
I don't beg to anybody. In your face sky-god.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kTHSYeNEFjQ
Of Argentina, Córdoba, Río Tercero.
God blog.
why dont you boycott the western invention of the internet?
Im sure ur mom still makes lunch for you.
tell me how much tea is grown in america u fucktard.
-slug
قياديون عراقيون يتفقون على إطلاق سراح السجناء وإجراء انتخابات محلية وإعادة البعثيين إلى الخدمة المدنية
Interesting ... but so?
*T*
Did you choose unwisely? It seems to me that Allah has let Iraq down somewhat. I'll give you the invocation to Inana.
Lady of all the divine powers, resplendent light, righteous woman clothed in radiance, beloved of An and Urac! Mistress of heaven, with the great pectoral jewels, who loves the good headdress befitting the office of en priestess, who has seized all seven of its divine powers! My lady, you are the guardian of the great divine powers! You have taken up the divine powers, you have hung the divine powers from your hand. You have gathered up the divine powers, you have clasped the divine powers to your breast. Like a dragon you have deposited venom on the foreign lands. When like Ickur you roar at the earth, no vegetation can stand up to you. As a flood descending upon those foreign lands, powerful one of heaven and earth, you are their Inana.
Raining blazing fire down upon the Land, endowed with divine powers by An, lady who rides upon a beast, whose words are spoken at the holy command of An! The great rites are yours: who can fathom them? Destroyer of the foreign lands, you confer strength on the storm. Beloved of Enlil, you have made awesome terror weigh upon the Land. You stand at the service of An's commands.
At your battle-cry, my lady, the foreign lands bow low. When humanity comes before you in awed silence at the terrifying radiance and tempest, you grasp the most terrible of all the divine powers. Because of you, the threshold of tears is opened, and people walk along the path of the house of great lamentations. In the van of battle, all is struck down before you. With your strength, my lady, teeth can crush flint. You charge forward like a charging storm. You roar with the roaring storm, you continually thunder with Ickur. You spread exhaustion with the stormwinds, while your own feet remain tireless. With the lamenting balaj drum a lament is struck up.
My lady, the great Anuna gods fly from you to the ruin mounds like scudding bats. They dare not stand before your terrible gaze. They dare not confront your terrible countenance. Who can cool your raging heart? Your malevolent anger is too great to cool. Lady, can your mood be soothed? Lady, can your heart be gladdened? Eldest daughter of Suen, your rage cannot be cooled!
Lady supreme over the foreign lands, who can take anything from your province? Once you have extended your province over the hills: If you frown at the mountains), vegetation there is ruined. Their great gateways are set afire. Blood is poured into their rivers because of you, and their people must drink it. They must lead their troops captive before you, all together. They must scatter their élite regiments for you, all together. They must stand their able-bodied young men at your service, all together. Tempests have filled the dancing-places of their cities. They drive their young men before you as prisoners. Your holy command has been spoken over the city which has not declared "The foreign lands are yours!", wherever they have not declared "It is your own father's!"; and it is brought back under your feet. Responsible care is removed from its sheepfolds. Its woman no longer speaks affectionately with her husband; at dead of night she no longer takes counsel with him, and she no longer reveals to him the pure thoughts of her heart. Impetuous wild cow, great daughter of Suen, lady greater than An, who can take anything from your province?
Great queen of queens, issue of a holy womb for righteous divine powers, greater than your own mother, wise and sage, lady of all the foreign lands, life-force of the teeming people: I will recite your holy song! True goddess fit for divine powers, your splendid utterances are magnificent. Deep-hearted, good woman with a radiant heart, I will enumerate your divine powers for you!
En-hedu-ana the en priestess, entered my holy jipar in your service. I carried the ritual basket, and intoned the song of joy. But funeral offerings were brought, as if I had never lived there. I approached the light, but the light was scorching hot to me. I approached that shade, but I was covered with a storm. My honeyed mouth became venomous. My ability to soothe moods vanished.
Suen, tell An about Lugal-ane and my fate! May An undo it for me! As soon as you tell An about it, An will release me. The woman will take the destiny away from Lugal-ane; foreign lands and flood lie at her feet. The woman too is exalted, and can make cities tremble. Step forward, so that she will cool her heart for me.
En-hedu-ana, will recite a prayer to you. To you, holy Inana, I shall give free vent to my tears like sweet beer! I shall say to her "Your decision!" Do not be anxious about Acimbabbar. In connection with the purification rites of holy An, Lugal-ane has altered everything of his, and has stripped An of the E-ana. He has not stood in awe of the greatest deity. He has turned that temple, whose attractions were inexhaustible, whose beauty was endless, into a destroyed temple. While he entered before me as if he was a partner, really he approached out of envy.
My good divine wild cow, drive out the man, capture the man! In the place of divine encouragement, what is my standing now? May An extradite the land which is a malevolent rebel against your Nanna! May An smash that city! May Enlil curse it! May its plaintive child not be placated by his mother! Lady, with the laments begun, may your ship of lamentation be abandoned in hostile territory. Must I die because of my holy songs? My Nanna has paid no heed to me. He has destroyed me utterly in renegade territory. Acimbabbar has certainly not pronounced a verdict on me. What is it to me if he has pronounced it? What is it to me if he has not pronounced it? He stood there in triumph and drove me out of the temple. He made me fly like a swallow from the window; I have exhausted my life-strength. He made me walk through the thorn bushes of the mountains. He stripped me of the rightful crown of the en priestess. He gave me a knife and dagger, saying to me "These are appropriate ornaments for you".
Most precious lady, beloved by An, your holy heart is great; may it be assuaged on my behalf! Beloved spouse of Ucumgal-ana, you are the great lady of the horizon and zenith of the heavens. The Anuna have submitted to you. From birth you were the junior queen: how supreme you are now over the Anuna, the great gods! The Anuna kiss the ground with their lips before you. But my own trial is not yet concluded, although a hostile verdict encloses me as if it were my own verdict. I did not reach out my hands to the flowered bed. I did not reveal the pronouncements of Ningal to anybody. My lady beloved of An, may your heart be calmed towards me, the brilliant en priestess of Nanna!
It must be known! It must be known! Nanna has not yet spoken out! He has said, "He is yours!" Be it known that you are lofty as the heavens! Be it known that you are broad as the earth! Be it known that you destroy the rebel lands! Be it known that you roar at the foreign lands! Be it known that you crush heads! Be it known that you devour corpses like a dog! Be it known that your gaze is terrible! Be it known that you lift your terrible gaze! Be it known that you have flashing eyes! Be it known that you are unshakeable and unyielding! Be it known that you always stand triumphant! That Nanna has not yet spoken out, and that he has said "He is yours!" has made you greater, my lady; you have become the greatest! My lady beloved by An, I shall tell of all your rages! I have heaped up the coals in the censer, and prepared the purification rites. The Ecdam-kug shrine awaits you. Might your heart not be appeased towards me?
Since it was full, too full for me, great exalted lady, I have recited this song for you. May a singer repeat to you at noon that which was recited to you at dead of night: "Because of your captive spouse, because of your captive child, your rage is increased, your heart unassuaged."
The powerful lady, respected in the gathering of rulers, has accepted her offerings from her. Inana's holy heart has been assuaged. The light was sweet for her, delight extended over her, she was full of fairest beauty. Like the light of the rising moon, she exuded delight. Nanna came out to gaze at her properly, and her mother Ningal blessed her. The door posts greeted her. Everyone's speech to the mistress is exalted. Praise be to the destroyer of foreign lands, endowed with divine powers by An, to my lady enveloped in beauty, to Inana!
"Though the people were poor in Cuba, the streets were teaming with life -- people mingling, talking, dancing, music everywhere."
I've had taste of what you describe from the young family in the apartment above mine.
I often fantasize about beating the wife and children to death and enjoying the silence. I'd kill a lot of people to live in a quiet retirement community in Florida.
People like you should be gassed.
I thought americans are not allowed to go to Cuba. How could they possibly be training in the Medical field there?
I know all about Goddesses for God's sake. I have read my own history. Her name was Ishtar.
Stop trying to convert me , you are starting to sound like some born again freak!
Don't you think that is rather extreme? Maybe you ought to buy some ear plugs or something...lol
Muchas gracias por las palabras de solidaridad. My spanish is not so good. Hope you understood. After Cuba my next stop will be Argentina for some tango lessons
:-)
Dancing beats politics.
Thank you. Will visit your blog and write to you. Kindly send me your mail address.
Uruknet is a credible reference and I trust them. So it is fine by me.
Best Regards
It is all "kharbata fee kharbata", ya3nee last minute political patchworking. It won't work. There is no state apparatus. They can try to manoeuver anything they want. So ? Nada, nothing, ziltch...
Had they really wanted to do anything, they had 4 years...
But in 4 years, 1 million iraqis dead and 4 million displaced. And these are conservative estimates in my opinion. Ya3nee al kharra akho el bol.
I said it over 7 months ago, since I started blogging that Israeli contractors, buyers of land and Mossad are present in Iraq.
They are to be found in Hillah and were caught by the locals there.
They are to be found in so called Kurdistan where they trained the peshmergas and were involved in construction bids including Erbil airport.
They are also to be found in Baghdad. In 2004, there was a "research" bureau established off Abu Nawas Street, dealing with Israeli - Iraqi relations.
And today, another confirmation of the Mossad in Western Iraq.
Check the link below and I cannot stress it enough. You must put uruknet on your favorites and read the news there, if you want an accurate picture on what is happening in Iraq.
http://uruknet.info/?p=m35694&s1=h1
off the topic:
Here is an interesting blog that is exposing harvard universities practice of hiring war criminals from Israel. It seems the more corrupt one is, the better the chance they'll find employment at american universities.
http://harvardwarcriminals.blogspot.com/2007/05/dan-halutz.html
LOL
*T*
Restrictions on American-travel to Cuba was imposed, or re-imposed, by the current uncounted (Bush) regime However, it was recently in the news, of Cuban-trained American doctors returning to the US to work. One of my students told me he is planning to study medicine in Cuba. I cannot tell you under what condition(s) they are able to study in Cuba. Perhaps the restrictions are only on tourists. Also, I cannot imagine that US pharma reps are not visiting Cuba for business purposes.
In addition, the students must still take and pass the USMLE (US Medical Licensing Exams).
The score for US trained students is lower than that for others. So a higher score is expected of a Cuban-trained doctor.
One of my daughters (US trained) expects to take her USMLE in a few months and I may get additional information from her. As I had mentioned earlier, her husband is also a doctor, and I say with regret, he is in the US Navy. He has been posted to Iraq at least twice. At his wedding reception, he declared that he is willing to die for two things, his country and my daughter. I wonder, for what is he willing to kill? Incidentally, he is of Trinidadian parentage, Indian descent. I don’t know how he reconciles killing people with saving people. His Hippocratic oath?
Maybe tomorrow Hamas, Hizhullah and The Iraqi Resistance will take their rightful place in history.
Not the history written by the world's publishing house.
I second that.
My you must be excessively tolerant to have accepted a son in law like that.
How does he reconcile being "colored" and "in the navy" for starters and then reconcile all of that with occupying an innocent people and contributing in the destruction of their country and reconcile all of the above with being a doctor who is supposed to save lives!!!
Wallah this is beyond me.
"The score for US trained students is lower than that for others. So a higher score is expected of a Cuban-trained doctor."
Medical School in the US is difficult and the requirements for people educated outside the states is 'higher' due to differences in education systems.
I don't think this is unique to the US. All countries have their own education requirements. Anyone educated outside most likely will have the disadvantage.
Also, Cuba formed an alliance with Russia during the cold war, because it was strategically close to American shores to launch attacks if needed. That was a bad decision on Cuba's part. The Soviet Union collapsed and stopped funding and supplying Cuba which left it in shambles for years.
In his last visit to NY, more precisely to the Unite Nations in NY, a few years ago, president Fidel Castro during a speach at the Riverside Church in the Bronx (I believe), he offered to educate as many USAmerican doctors for free as they wanted to accept his offer, and in exchange they had to pledge to work with the poor in the USA for a number of years (I don't know or remember the particulars). The thing is, the US law is through the department of treasury, so as long as no money is used in any way, technically they don't break the law. My understanding is that Cuba supplies transport from Mexico to eliminate the monetary transaction.
Yesterday while at work, the radio station I listen to during its Saturday night Jazz show introduced a new once a month sub program. Two hours of Afro Cuban music, it was quite good, if interested go here and press "listen now". The archive will only last until the next show sat. http://www.wmnf.org/programs/show/182
The Jazz is not bad either.
One other comment to something you mentioned in another post, actually something some Iraquis are saying about "needing a strong lider"... but that is exactly what the USA always does, making sure that strong lider is strong to the opposing natives and plyant to the US interests. In pass history the USA has never being against any kind of dictatorship, actually they are the reason so many countries have them, but what it's important is that they are pliant to USA interest, thats all.
Peace
Thanks for the jazz link, am listening to it now...Good stuff!
US is not interested in Democracy, a huge lie. Think of Allende in Chile and that will sober up anyone from any illusions they may entertain about their great fucked up democracy called the U.S
NDHF eds
Layla, again your piece is a must, so naturally we took it, of course.
Not sure whether you do email or not, but should you be interested you can always write on us should you feel our coverage's inaccurate (you can always leave a comment to our discussion section too), we're all for improving our coverage ;)
Should you hesitate on our trustworthiness (which I think you should as with anyone) you can always enquiry on that e.g. from Uruknet.info (Paola ;) and the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq (AMSI), both being our close buddies and associates in wide range of matters we're dealing together.
Most warmest regards,
Editor Louhi
p.s. Should you have spare time you can find out about us from our news desk: there, inbetween our Afghanistan/Finland coverage is some info concerning ourselves explained.
I love Salsa too
There is La Troba Cubana,
romantic, socialists songs
I will find a link
Your Spanish is very good
AH.. Mexico will have to be a stop ok??? before or After Cuba...
That is for sure.. ok? LOL
Much love
May you smile again, and not only dance the Salsa, but let your heart beat to the Rumba as well.
Iraq will survive!
Mejores deseos.