brunito has left 111 comments

brunito comments on another step closer to dictatorship

Funny you guys say that about Venezuela Because he actually did use a legal mean to get rid of that network wich so blatently tried to get rid of him back then, he revoked their license at renewal time...

The same has nearly happened here in Canada after a radio network who kept harassing certain people not redneck enough to their taste or even worse degrading meteo anchors working for competing networks trough phrases and slogans like 'she must have everything in her boobs because she sure ain't have any in her brains' or 'she must have fucked PKP (the chairman of Quebecor) to get that job' over and over for 4 years and would respond to complaints by 'so sue me if you're not happy' comments until one girl got fed up, sued them for $500,000 CAD and won nearly over $300,000 CAD...

Then came payback time for everbody else and they basically got their license put on life support with revockable status at all times within 30 days implemented after having put them on surveillance for 10 years in their 2 previous license renewals...

RCTV is not your typical agnostic network, it is Fox News multiplied by 100....

RCTV openly pushed people to go on illegal strikes
RCTV has been knowned to have been involved in the failed military coup
RCTV was sleeping with Condy... (what? she'd already made a statement hailing the change in office of/illegal removal of a duely elected official within 12 hours before retracting?

Chavez might be a little too leftist, I can agree with that but ever since he came back and got elected LEGALLY, he's entitled to run his terms without external influence.

Can anyone say that about the States or even Canada? (remember the 2000 Florida fiasco with Jeb Bush or the Option Canada/adscams dealings of Jean Chrétien and Jean Charest?)

brunito comments on Bogota or Medellin?

I'm based in Montreal and you?

brunito comments on Bogota or Medellin?

Should have been a little more precise Thanks dibbs for the info.

Actually, what I mean by being a manufacturer's representative has more to do with services then with manufactured goods per say.

What I mean is that I'm heavily involved in providing personalised service to the broadcast industry up here in Canada for certain technologies. These are technologies that require local presence and good relationships with clients. The manufacturers with whom I'm in talks are barely present in Latin America and we would like to develop the awareness of their offerings.

Right now, most of the times, when someone from Latin America wants to get those equipments and services, they have to go trough the traditional route most of the time wich is to say they have to get in touch over the phone or email with a reseller based in Florida who has no local presence or service in Latin America and is not interested in developping said presence.

One of the companies that I represent and with whom I'm in talks right now about this project has even told me that he approached distributors and manufacturer's reps anout 18 months ago in order to developp the Latin America Market and they turned him down because LA represents barely 10% of the world market to them. They told him that they would consider taking Latin America if he would let them get everything outside of the USA...!!!

He of course turned them down because he's really happy with his current arrangements in other regions.

That's where I think we might be able to come in, me and my associates.

I've had the chance to go down to Colombia for the last 10 years and to explore different business avenues with both my best friend (who's originaly from Colombia but grew up in the house next door to mine in Canada) as well as with some people that we've met over the years down in Colombia.

I think the Latin America market is ripe for local service and personalised sales in that area...

Thanks

brunito comments on Arriving in Santa Marta on April 2nd for 4 days

Well I guess I'm not as popular as I used to be.... ;-(

brunito comments on Cartagena to Medellin

Get the tickets bought by a friend... That's usually what I do, I'll also ask them to check out Aerorepublica and Avianca both and get the cheapest.

It's saved me a bunch of money in the past for me and my novia.

brunito comments on Implications for Colombia if the US attacked Venezuela?

might as well say that Canada's next on the list... since WE HAVE the world's largest oil reserve (even bigger then Venezuela and Saudi Arabia)

They're just not ready yet since wxtracting it from sand is still costly even though Shell, Exxon and ours friends George W, Dick and Condoleza find excuses every day to piss us off?

Ever heard of the softwood issue?
The potable water issue?
the St-Lawrence River issue?

And now the passport issue?

NAFTA was not about free trade for everyone in North America, it was just for our friends at the Bush / Cheney corporation (it was signed by his dad btw).

brunito comments on Bringing Yacht to Cartagena

I have an amiga who works at motomar drop me a private message if you wish to contact motomar

brunito comments on Another doubt about Colombia: security hassles

Rubiazo, come out with hard facts before stating the following: 'Canadians just have their heads in the sand on that one. Canada now has 50% more violent crime than the US does and as soon as people get out of denial you'll see broken glass all over roofs there too!'

It sure ain't Montreal since murder rate in 2005 was about 3 times less then it was 20 years ago...

Take a look at this site (official canadian govt site) for real statistics:

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040728/d040728a.htm

brunito comments on Search: Bogota hotel near aiport

thanks, anything cheaper like a 80,000 pesos a night?

Or is it dangerous to stay at the airport all night?

brunito comments on Driving in Barranquilla video

lol QT non standard player LOL LOL LOL umm

You're certainly not in the broadcast industry to say that...

About 80% of the WMV files originate from QT broadcast files...

Have you been to www.apple.com/quicktime?

ps: I am in the broadcast industry. For every WMV based broadcast workstation I sell, there are a hundred QT based hoing out...

Go to my site:

www.inso.ca/video

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

Frog is not in as much as a racist surname as it used to be Frog is to french canadians and french what yankee is to americans. Of course if you take it out of context...

Enough already with the political correctness crap!

Too much political correctness has resulted in what? The rise of the ultra right movement in the States as a backlash and as a result, 8 years of Bush and his minions... (big generalization here)

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

oh well I did'nt ask for a comment or lack thereof of political correctness comment, I just asked if you had the link...

maybe if the site was a little easier to manage and had more offerings as far as topics are concerned, we would'nt get that much 'reminded' about post or threads being in the wrong topic?

As I've said in previous posts when Peter asked for suggestions, there are alternative technologies that are much more user friendly.

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

Rikito, thanks for the pic comment! :-) I'd tell her but then she'd be pissed off at me because it's on the website...

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

you're not so bad after all there is still hope for you! ;-) as long as it's not a Canadian but a Dry!

ps:adrimm or Sylvia, do you still have the link to the frog spoof of the I am Canadian ad?

Rikito, you've got to listen to that one

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

I know I know nothings bugs anybody more then having someone tell you you're wrong, your're doing it for the wrong reasons plus you're full of shit and then having them prove it to you!

That's what I call the french foreign minister's speech to the UN security councill in late 2002 early 2003 before the Iraqui war...

;-)

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

I'm not saying you lost those wars I'm just saying that both times the USA lost important battles against french canadian militia.

I guess you guys forgot I'm from Quebec? :-)

I know I'm on a string here but that's what happens when some people start generalising about other people like Rikito has been doing and nobody puts him on notice for it,

It's like the US senate who criticizes the british MP about the gas for medicine scandall and everytime he tells them to bring him to court they find an excuse.

What? people are alowed to bring charges against others without proof but don't you dare do the same against them? (does Halliburton ring a bell to anyone?)

Anyway, off topic but at least I know I'm off topic anyway.

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

Here they are http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Canada_(1775)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812

brunito comments on Ingrid Betancourt

I don't beleive you Rikito... The first thing they tell you at the NSA, CIA, Isreali Mossad, British MI-6 5 or 10 and even Canadian SCRS or French Ministry of Interior Special Ops is NEVER EVER to divulge your envolvment past present or future with them in order to protect yourself, your family or your friends.

Why do you think that Cheney underhand is facing criminal charges and a 30 years prison sentence?

If you're so keen on saying that you used to be with NSA, you're either a liar or a disgraced agent...

Brunito, a frog who's proud to be one.

ps: btw, we sent the USA packing twice in the 1900s so I guess us frogs knew what we were doing...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812

brunito comments on HOW TO CALL CELL PHONE IN CALI

for the uptenth time it's 01157315xxx-xxxx where xxx-xxxx is the phone number...

brunito comments on Which Colombian city has the nicest weather/most desirable climate?

of all the colombian cities I've been to, Medellin is my... favorite as far as climate goes.

Now if I can convince my novia to move there when I migrate to Colombia?

brunito comments on guess the gringa

you do know that Hilary Swank is considered a trailerpark girl/whitetrash survivor?

She's even said it herself?

Certainly not bad for someone who has won 2 oscars.

It proves that good can come out of anywhere and that with perseverance anything can happen...

brunito comments on Is it common for a colombian boyfriend to financially support his girlfriend?

the only times I've sent money to her in Colombia were for english courses because I was pushing her to attend some more and I said I would help her out pay tuition fees. I think it has cost me maybe 500,000 COP over the last 3 years so she's probably paying a part of it.

i have also sent her money to reserve hotels (El Dorado in Ctg for example) or our flights together between Ctg and San Andres.

when we've been to other cities visiting friends and families, we've always stayed at their places and even though I wanted to leave a small allowance for the troubles, I've always been told that my presence was enough of a gift and not to bother with that.

I've even been made to understand by friends and or familly that they would be offended if i insisted on leaving a gift (monetary or otherwise) as a thank you.

4 years ago she did ask me to help her out with paying her last tuition fee at University for her accountig degree (she's a certified accountant down in CTG). She told me she needed no more then 300,000 COP and she would give it back to me as soon as she was better financially.

Her former employer had just went under, she had not worked for about 2 months (without telling me) and she'd just found another job in accounting. I was able to confirm all of this.

I sent her the money but not wanting to pay Western Union's fees, I sent her a cashier's check from a canadian bank in USD.

She got it but exchangin proved to be a pain in the at #$ (colombian banks wanted to freeze the money for 6 monhs)

She sent it back to me and I told her I would send her some with Western Union (wich I always use now) and she told me not to bother because she was now better financially and that she had managed to pay the tuition fee.

It's the only time she's ever asked me for help.

Like I said, when I send her money it's either for english classes wich I've strongly suggested to her to take so it's normal I help her out or when we plan vacations.

Anyway, my 2 cents.

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

franko, if I go to Toronto or Vancouver and go in crisis mode because nobody will serve me in french, not even at a government office by the way. I will be made to pass for another stupid french canadian, quebecois or worse 'frog' who is too stupid to learn to speak white (meaning english)!

Now if you (DELTED) come to Montreal, the first thing your likes will insist on is to be spoken to in english. Why is that so?

As for adscam, give us a break, we're even more disgusted in Qc then you guys are out West, if not why were (DELETED) vote again for the liberals last year.

As for the tax issue, your statement has never been further from the truth, maybe you're mixing us with the Maritimes or Newfoundland?

We certainly did not vote for them last year!

Altough Sylvie might have ;-), afterall she's an allophone... But stil I can't blame her for not voting for the Bloc and I would give her hell if she voted for the rednecks oh sorry the conservatives...

You need a revision of your courses (DELETED, no personal insults)

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

Rubiazo, there is a difference between organized crime wich the Warriors are even though they hide behind protecting their native heritage and the whole Metis mess and execution of Louis Riel in late 19th century.

I admit that I'm not proud of our government's past actions against first nations and Metis but it is in no means justification for the 'Warriors' existence, actions or heavy illegal activities.

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

Rubiazo, if you want to generalize about our mistreatment of Indios, let me as well...

1)in Oka, they can't keep their act together, they finally elect one of their own who has the balls to clean the house in regards to the Warriors gang doing business with the biker gangs, Cali cartel as well as the Montreal branch of the NYC mafia and what does he get for his willingness to clean the house? The Warrior gang goes ahead and 'orchastrates' a siege of the Office police office (entirely staffed by Indios btw) comparable in size and violence to 'Assault on precinct 13'

2)in the early 90s, when both the federal and provincial governments had had enough with cost of health care in regards to smoking and jacked the taxes on a pack of smoke 300%, The 'Warriors' gang as well as the Cornwall gang got involved with big tabacco industry to funnel trough Oka and Cornwall BILLIONS of dollars worth of cigarettes. Why do you think our governmrent is suing the tobacco industry because of that ripoff instead of the 'Warriors'? it's easier to prove and more politically correct. Everybody knows that entire reserves were and are still involved in this trade. Still today, cheapest cigarettes are found in Oka because they won't abide by our laws unless it suits them. I'd love to do the same and not get arrested by the police for fear of having CNN knocking on the government's door the next morning.

Here's a decription of the Warrior gang:

Warrior
Radical fundamental group of Natives who often engage in illegal economic activities, such as black-market cigarette and alcohol sales, and who are active participants in the defense of Native Indian rights.

Problem with this description is that they forgot drug activities, murder and total dominance of the politcal scene in both Oka, Akwesasne and Chateauguay.

Us whites are getting fed up with this and btw, there are more then one example of good neighbourhood between Whites and Indios in Qc as well. Paix des Braves passed by the previous government is a very good example of good coming out of a negociation.

So stop generalizing please.

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

Tinto in regards to Peter Jennings you're a little overboard I can assure you that he was far from an uneducated canuck and that he came from a long history of news reporting both from him, his father and CBC (René Lévesque, Pierre Nadeau, Peter Jennings' father and others)

The reason why everybody in the States tought he was a joke was because a supposed executive 'genius' at ABC tought that at 26 years old, Peter Jennings would be the next 'Cronkite' wich he eventually became after realizing the absurdity of ABC's position and use of him. That's when he went to Middle East and opened a news bureau in Lebanon before becoming the bureau chief in London and finally main anchor in NYC.

As for the 'blame Canada' what do you think my links are for?

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

For all the american clueless who gob everything the neobarbs feed down your troats about Canada:

South Park
http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/000470.html

Newt Gingrich
http://www.infowars.com/articles/world/canada_gingrish_retract_terrorists_from_canada.htm

Fox News' favorite target:
http://www.newshounds.us/2005/07/12/oh_canada_.php

Newt goes at it again and receives a letter from the canadian embassador in Washington
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/can-am/washington/ambassador/050419letter-en.asp

Some Fox News network anchors are so poorly educated in history and politics that they go on national TV and say that Canada was a willing member of the US forces during the Vietnam War. Canada is not Australia...
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0206-23.htm

How that b**** Coulter wants to resolve the Islam issue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Coulter#Canada_and_the_Vietnam_War

Took me less then 30 minutes and I got interrupted a few times...

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

Gomezman is this why your fellow americans are so adamant on always blaming us?

I guess the next excuse will be that since Canada can't do shit about anything, we (meaning americans) better forego the constitution?

Last time someone was publicly advocating rethorics comparable to what the neoconservative (or should I say neobarbs?) are pushing as an agenda, it was in a small country called Germany in the early 1930s...

This, of course is my opinion, but unfortunatly 911 has been an excuse for far too many excesses in civil rights, corporate power and else.

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

LOL elmo you compare Toronto nightlife in the States. Well, even Burlington, VT is better than Toronto!!! :-)

At least in Toronto they don't presume to card you at clubs even though you're over 25 like they do in San Antonio, TX!!!

You should come to Montreal my men, now this is a true city, not a dormitory like Toronto or Calgary are at half past five...

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

Found the posts I was refering to Malpractice insurance is killing the profession
http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/11574#comment-81442

HMO std operating procedures
http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/11574#comment-81446

GomezMan you contradict yourself...
http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/11574#comment-81776

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

Gomezman, actually the scandal up here 3 or 4 years ago was about people from Middle East getting their hands on the 'castonguette' health card without being legal residents so we've had more then our fair share of profiters.

Also, regarding people who are complaining about doctors working for the government at the government's wishes. Need I remind them about the cost of medical school up here in Canada against down in the States?

Need I remind them also about the trend of these jackals or vipers working at HMOs in the States and coming up here every spring to do some hunting?

Who should actually complain more? the government who invested more then $100,000 in a student's training or the 'poor' doctor who's not happy with making only $250,000?

I once posted on thread along those lines some time ago but can't seem to find the post.

brunito comments on Comparing Colombian to Canada

incredible what a liitle googling can do HMO horror stories:

http://www.managedcaremag.com/archives/9709/9709.reporterview.shtml
http://thevop.com/HMOs_and_health_care.htm

How making profit around health care is not that good an idea

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2004/june/forprofit_hospitals_.php


Medicare fiasco

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-07-24-medicare_x.htm

Seniors making a trip north for affordable medication

http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourhealth/a2003-06-25-moreamericans.html

Need I say more?

brunito comments on Flights to Santa Marta

AeroRepublica offers flights to SantaMarta AeroRepublica is a low fare with good service aviation company in Colombia.

Buy your tickets direct at the counter...

http://www.aerorepublica.com.co

Around 330,000 COP per person round trip

brunito comments on Calling a cell phone in Cali

All you have to do is... ... call 011 57 315 574 XXXX

011 for international

57 for Colombia

315 for cellphone company

574 XXXX her cell phone number

brunito comments on

a colombian, a gringo, a jew, a quebecois and a newfie go to a stripper's club

They all order beer and then some lap dancing from the single, most beautifull redhead they've ever seen. They bitch it out over who gets the first dance and then the gringo finally gets the first dance. the others are a little miffed but they're thinking that they'll be next.

The gringo gets her to lapdance for 3 songs and then pays her in cash with an OK tip.

Next is the quebecois who, not wanting to be outdone by the gringo makes her dance on his lap for 5 songs. and then pays her with a nice tip.

The jew is next, makes her lapdance just 2 songs and asks for a rebate because he's all about haggling, making her furious and calling the bouncer who trows him out of the club.

Then comes the newfie, who keeps making her dancing like hell, she's bouncing around like crazy, being very seductive and very provocative but never showing him her butt up untill what must be the 20th song. She's happy because she thinks that guy is going to make her a fortune that night. Then she turns around and starts showing him her butt. Finally! says the newfie, I can pass my ATM card in her slot!

Wich he does and then leaves saying he's paid his dues...

Now the colombian is there alone, pissed like hell and knowing that he'd better leave because now there's no way she'll let him smoothtalk her into gringa freebies....

brunito comments on Traveler's checks

Traveler's checks are a pain in Medellin At least in 1999, they were a pain.

My recommendation is to bring your ATM card and credit card and you'll be fine with few fees.

At least that's my case.

That's what I've been doing for the last 2 trips when in Colombia.

brunito comments on Does The Family Guy air in Colombia?

what about Celine doing Jacko? http://gorillamask.net/dionjacko.shtml

brunito comments on Does The Family Guy air in Colombia?

sylvie I wonder if un gars une fille concept has been sold to a latin america country?

This is awesome canadian TV

ps: do you watch Les Bougons?

brunito comments on Denver Public Library favors Colombians over non-Spanish speakers

Rubiazo you make it sound like we all talk like that... :-)

what about Texas english?

if our use of the french is so bad, we're certainly not the ones englicizing it more year after year like our cousins are doing in France.

Ever heard the word 'courriel'? If it was'nt for our Office de la langue française and some journalists we would have ended up adopting email as an official french word all over the world (that's what the Academie de la langue française wanted to do)

what you're discribing has more to do with accents than anything else. I could compare it with my diffficulties of sometimes understanding exactly what my costeña novia is saying compared to my childhood friend whom I grew up with and is a paisa. God, it's even easier to listen to his montañera girlfriend (she's from Bogota) than it is to listen to my novia or worst another friend from Cartagena.

Sometimes I'll ask them to repeat it 3 times before think I understand.

brunito comments on Denver Public Library favors Colombians over non-Spanish speakers

UC on another comment you made There's another thing that can really piss me off in Montreal is since that more then 70% of the population is francophone why is then that whenever I go into a store (not only downtown but all over the place) I'm always being first adressed to in english???

If I go to Toronto, can I expect people to adress me in french, well..... NO!

It's as if we've moved backwards culturally 80 years to keep accomodating our immigrants and our anglophones for fear of them moving to Ontario! Well, what's keeping you? go on get out of the way and move over there. What? you haven't left yet?


You can see how sometimes this is really a pissoff

brunito comments on Denver Public Library favors Colombians over non-Spanish speakers

UC Problem is that you make the assumption that all anglo canadians are bilingual wixh is far from the truth.

It has been proven time and again that there are a lot more french canadians who are bilingual then there are anglo canadians who are bilingual.

Next time you come to Montreal, I'll be more then happy to bring you to certain parts of St-Lambert, Westmount or NDG where you'll have a lot of difficulty finding an anglophone who speaks french.

Now, let's go try that in Winnipeg in the french suburbs and I can garantee you that we'll easily find that all of the franco canadians over in Mannitoba are fully bilingual wich is far from the truth when compared to their anglo canadian neighbours.

Btw, I don't remember who said that we're protecting our culture against the anglo canadian one but I can assure you that it's not true since a lot of social studies have now proven that the anglo canadian culture is now blended into the gringo one except for politics. We're basically protecting ourselves against gringo culture.

As for speaking other languages. As far as I'm concerned, what you do in your own house is your own business but let me tell you something: nothing pisses me off more when our tenents or some of my colleagues start speaking together in front of me like I'm not there and in arabic on top of that. Hey moron! we're in Montreal, nor Toronto nor Medellin.

I was in Toronto 2 years ago, actually more in Markham and one night I decided to go eat out of the hotel. I get to this food court a couple of blocks away with all types of asian restaurants. I was glad because I wanted to try some.

You know what pissed me off? Everything was written in either mandarin or vietnamese. Nothing in english!

And then people wonder why we have a language police in Quebec province...

brunito comments on fotos fr medellin first batch..

silicon valley??? :-) jajaja.

you're funny caslug

hope you enjoyed the parade.

brunito comments on Canadian Debit Card & Carrying Passport Rule

Passport use What I've always done and it's worked for me is to leave my passport at the hotel period. To tell you the truth, I've never needed my passport with me while in Colombia, States or Mexico except when taking planes between 2 cities or, more recently, while in NYC for an Apple corporate training to gain access to the CitiCorp building since that's the only piece of identity they would accept from foreigners.

Remember that contrary to what people think, a true used canadian passport can be worth upwards of 10,000 USD on the black market (also very popular with the 'Mossad/CIA's of this world) and for that reason and others, I never carry it with me but leave it in a 'safe' place where I'm staying.

Also, your passport is not your property, it is the Crown's (read the notes on it carefully) and if you happen to loose it or have it stolen prepare for some serious questioning by Canadian Embassy as well as RCMP...

I can say that I've never had that misfortune and I wish that it will never happen to me either...

As for ATM cards, Cirrus is a much more present ATM network in Colombia than Plus is. If I remember correctly, Cirrus is available pretty much anywhere (Conavi, Citibank, Bancafe) whereas Plus is only offered trough Banco de Colombia and to my surprise there aren't that many branches in Cartagena (there's one on San Martin near DeCameron Hotel crossing street if I remember correctly)

brunito comments on Colombia in books and film

My GGM fav is... Crónica de una muerte anunciada

100 years of solitude felt like Les Misérables meaning it takes him 50 pages just to introduce 1 character. I understand that both are masterpieces but 50 pages to introduce a character is a little long for my taste...

brunito comments on Buying a 2005 Subaru

http://www.subaru.com.co/

http://www.subaru.com.co/HTML/Contactenos/directorio_oficinas.htm

took 10 seconds to google it

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=subaru+colombia&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

brunito comments on Travel warning for Colombians

License exam Did she visually inspect the car?
Did she adjust her seat?
Did she adjust her mirrors?
Did she ask the examiner to check out her head/turn/warning lights while she was turning them on/off?

I don't know about Louisianna but here in Quebec province, failure to do more than one of these items before putting the car in motion is grounds for exam failure...

brunito comments on Do Gringas Prefer Colombianos? Some biology thoughts..

Sylvie I'm all for meeting you up here in... Montreal....

:-)

And put practice to all those discussions that have been going on...

;)

brunito comments on Respect for others, Responsibility for one's actions, or nobody has anything to sue for...

Btw, I do know of somebody who did just that. He got his entire education at McGill on Qc resident fees and once he had his degree in radiology moved down to South Carolina, got married, got 2 kids.

He is now thinking of coming back here. Why? his 2 kids are costing him upwards of $50k USD per semester (one is at Harvard, the other at Duke).

Now, of course , he finds that our educational system is not that bad after all....


Btw, you'd be surprised how many americans are studying at McGill and how many europeans/africans are studying at Université de Montréal, UQAM, or Université de Sherbrooke

And I haven't even talked about Concordia or Laval yet...

brunito comments on Respect for others, Responsibility for one's actions, or nobody has anything to sue for...

Rubiazo You know what? I don't care at all for those who keep complaining about our system and keep saying that the american system with all its HMO and malpractice crap is so much better then our system when HMOs keep pushing down your throat the doctor THEY WANT you to use so he won't provide you the best care there is.

So please stop telling me that the american system is better. This is a fabulation brought up by the neo conservatives to make you the citizen eat more out of their hands food that you put there in the first place...

Then, there is the whole education scam that a lot of people are getting found of here in Qc. Right, get Harvard or Sorbonne quality education at 10% of the cost since you're a canadian resident, get loan to finance your 8 years of study then default on your loan by disappearing from the map or going under the radar by going down to the States or to Europe or to Australia where they actually send head hunters to Montreal, Qc City and Sherbrooke to steal our final year students on graduation day.

A law should be passed making it mandatory for people studying in medicine in a public University in Qc to be responsible for life for their student loans and to stay here for the duration of the reimbursement before being allowed to leave the province for friendlier skies (calling them vampires would be more appropriate)

brunito comments on Respect for others, Responsibility for one's actions, or nobody has anything to sue for...

Malpractice insurance is killing the profession I have a friend who's a neuro-surgeon.

She's hyper specialised and after doing her residency here in Montreal at Notre Dame Hospital went on to get a special residency training at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for 2 years more (special training and learning from top neuro-surgeon who has developped new brain tumor surgery protocols in the late 90s.

She then went on to study more about spinal cord surgery as well as back pain surgery for another 2 years at a top university hospital in France.

Now bear in mind that those fees were not covered by our education system and that the residency work at both places was barely covering her rent and cost of living.

When she got back to Montreal, Hopkins wanted her back for full time work but she was'nt that much interested and malpractice insurance fees scared her. Here, in Quebec, her insurance cost her at most/worst $50,000 CAD per year. If it were anywhere else in Canada, it would cost her at least $75,000 CAD per year because there is a higher complaint ratio then in Quebec province for malpractice issues.

If she were in the States? at least $200,000 USD per year...

Then people wonder why hospitals are closing down in the States for refusal of doctors to work in them because of insurance fees....

I think I prefer our universal health system where our doctors can be held accountable for their errors and pay for them albeit sometimes it can be long or borderline (HIV case at Ste-Justine is an example but at the same time the doctor in question always followed protocol and was a top doctor in her field. the error was the hospital refusing that the doctor disclose her information to her patients/their families even though she offered to. Sad thing is that when asked if they would have still agreed to be operated by her, 90% would have accepted because that doctor (not my friend) was one of the world's best pediatric surgeons in her domain). Of course the hospital waited untill the doctor died and then launched a scare recall campain for blood samples in order to avoid liability...

Anyway, I'm very proud of my friend because she had the guts to refuse Hopkins' offer where she could easily have made a million USD per year. She chose to stay in Qc instead and work with our system. As she told me, she's not interested at retiring at 45 like her fellow students from her residency time at Hopkins keep telling here when she sees them at conventions...