Dreamin'

Are there any pics of ms y were she isn't holding a cup of ?

When I was pregnant, I longed to be able to sleep on my back again. Now, I hardly ever do, but it's nice to have the option. Kinda OT, but I thought this was interesting link

x 2!

You make an excellent point. At #30 and #37, both countries could do a lot better. Unfortunately, we also seem to be stuck in our respective ruts. In Canada, we have the same scenario, only it's the US model that makes us nervous. Our public health care system (warts and all) is a source of national pride and Kiefer's grandfather, Tommy Douglas, is a hero to many. Last year, the Premier of BC visited Sweden, Norway, France and the UK to explore new approaches to improve our health care, but I'm not convinced that what appears to work in Europe will work for us. (I also suspect that h

When you compare Canadians and insured Americans, the quality of our health care is about the same, and our infant and child mortality rates and life expectancy are slightly better. WHO report Did you stay in the ice hotel?

Canadians do pay our own way, it's just that our model is "sharing for survival." It's not drug companies gouging US residents that pays for universal health care in Canada, it's taxes. We pay much higher taxes than Americans do. (I'm a social democrat, so I don't have a problem with that. Others, of course, do.) Surprisingly, I've heard that the US govt. spends more per capita on health care than we do. WTF?

Alison, we do have a shortage of family physicians in Canada, because medical schools have cut back on enrolment and more students are choosing specialties over family medicine. An estimated 4 million Canadians don't have a family doctor (must rely on walk-in clinics for primary care). As Dr. Judy said, access to preventive medicine is key. I see my family doctor about once a year (it's usually easy to get an appt.) and I received excellent prenatal care with a schedule of monthly/weekly visits to an obstetrician. After Hannah was born, we got a home visit from a public health nurse as w

I'm skeptical. The American system is for-profit, so I don't know why you would be subsidizing health care for the rest of us. If this is true, it doesn't make sense from a business (or a political) perspective. Who knew that Big Pharma was so altruistic? If I was a share holder, I'd be asking questions! I suspect that a lot of $ is going toward administrative costs (it's just not as efficient as a single payer system like ours) and ending up in corporate pockets. It doesn't surprise me that the US spends more on research than Canada since our population is comparatively small (a littl

And yet something as basic as public health care seems completely out of reach to many Americans despite the fact that so many other countries have it. Perhaps the real question is not, "Do you have a right to health care?", but "Why don't you have a right to health care?" Those are good questions, Alison. As far as I know, nothing prevents me from seeing a top specialist (if I get a referral from my family doctor) and if I'm not happy with the care I receive, I suppose I could go back to my GP and ask to see someone else. We can't shop around to the extent that some very wealthy America

Public health care is something that I care about deeply. Our current system certainly isn't perfect, but I worry when I hear politicians talking about moving toward a public-private system (like France, which arguably has the best health care in the world) because of NAFTA. Until I'm sure that the Canada Health Act will be protected, I'm not eager to move away from a single payer system and embrace a hybrid model.

Fortunately, it is my right to have. (Thanks to Jack Bauer's grandfather.)

Seeing a Newfie comedian (Shaun Majumder) cast as a terrorist was hilarious. Better secure those borders people! I watched all of season 5 and the first few episodes of season 6 on DVD last week to catch up. (Still haven't seen 1-4, but I have a feeling I won't wait too long.)

This is a lot of fun. (Although I did get that Cuttlefish song stuck in my head for days, so beware!) WHB = Jon Langford, Kelly Hogan, Sally Timms, and Devil in a Woodpile. You can order it from Bloodshot.

Welcome SMS! My daughter will be 4 months old in just a couple of days. She attended many solo Tweedy/Cline/Kotche shows and listened to a lot of Neil Young when she was still in my womb. Her favourite lullaby is "Cinnamon Girl" (she even "sings" along with me) Hannah's top 5 picks: Pet Sounds (Who needs Mozart when you've got Brian Wilson?) Abbey Road Pink Moon After The Goldrush ("Only Love Can Break Your Heart") Blue Horse ("The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs...")

I like Smeared, but I think they had been listening to too much My Bloody Valentine at the time. There are some great songs on that album (buried under a lot of noise), but it hasn't aged as well as the other stuff. "Underwhelmed" still makes me smile. I also like 4 Nights at the Palais Royale, but if my budget was limited, I'd go for One Chord To Another and Twice Removed first. This is a good primer. AMG: Sloan

I wanted to eat there when I was visiting Portland, but my friends insisted that we find some "real food." Pffttt! Doughnuts are, in fact, nature's most perfect food.

As they used to say on Dead Dog Cafe, "Stay calm. Be brave. Wait for the signs."

It's all part of the myth-making. Every great band has a little bit of that, I think.

Obama could be to the US as Trudeau was to Canada in the late 1960s. Obamamania!

I regret that I didn't visit Cuba when Castro was in power. I think things will change a lot after he is gone... maybe not all for the best.

Another harvest of Neil Young: Tunes from landmark 1971 concerts will be released this spring

I nominated Jay Ferguson in the first underrated songwriter thread. (An underappreciated songwriter in an underappreciated band.) I love all of his songs on the new album, especially "Light Years." Andrew Scott has said that Sloan is equal parts Roy Orbison (Jay), leather (Patrick), stand-up comedy (Chris), and the Muppet Show (Andrew). In an unprecedented act of gushing fangirl love, I wrote this review for GloNo last year. For me, they're right up there with Wilco (live).

Eagerly awaiting a Don McKellar marathon (Twitch City, Roadkill, Highway 61, and Last Night) when my order from Amazon arrives.

Lacrosse is the national (summer) sport of Canada.