marnie723

ChrisNJ have you ever lived in another country to experience any other system? I've lived in Canada & the US. & I'll take the Canadian system anyday!!! (at least in this article the Canadian govt paif for it) If we dig we can all find problems about our healthcare systems but I believe universal is better for everyone. Hope your never unemployed in the US because your screwed if you are.

Are you Americans starting a wall around the north border too??? lol!

HA HA....you forget the best thing about Canadians is their sense of humor. We can laugh at ourselves better than anyone. Just ask all the comedians we've produced....Jim Carey, Dan Ackroyd, Mike Myers, John Candy, Michael J Fox, Phil Hartmen, Eugene Levy, Rich Little, etc etc etc...

And take your guns with you!!!

You sound American thru & thru MR. Gurlygurl, you should move to the US with that mentality.

WOW Wasa are you like the LBT police?

Ihave been threatened twice by individuals carrying weapons, once a knife and the second time an individual threatened me with a steel ball welded to a chain. I feel no need to cary a knife or ball and chain to defend myself nor do I want a gun. I agree with this, I would much rather take a chance outrunning a knife or any other weapon than a gun, I think my chances are better. When guns are involved probably no one will come out a winner. You really do have to live in a country where guns are controlled to understand how it is. I don't worry someone else may have a gun so I need to protect myself with one also.

I was wondering if OHIP would cover any complications you might have after you've paid for your band. What I mean are things like surgury to take it out or repair it. Did you discuss this with the lapband doctors? I know you have to pay for the band & fills but I was wondering what happens if you have any complications?

It's funny how divided people are on this subject. People living in the United States really believe a gun will protect them & that they want the "right to bear arms" I guess that's why the United States has billions of guns and more death from guns than any country in the world. I just wonder how many of those deaths were from self-defense? (it's a fact the US has more deaths, look it up)

Hi.. a little off topic but I was wondering how your health care system works. I am a Canadian living in the US right now & I have been following along all the debates on how public vs.private health systems work. Here in the US you're screwed if you don't have insurance or money & in Canada there is long wait lists for some operations. I understand how it works in Britain & France and most Countries have a socialized health system. In Canada they are debating about having a 2-tier system one publically funded & one privately for people who can pay cash. Most people are against this because they fear it will end up like the US system, where it's for profit. I am wondering if this system has worked in other countries from people who actually use it, not politicians or medical associations who warp the facts to fit there cause. We have health insurance here in the US but I still can't get use to how much each appointment costs(you have to pay a portion) & annual deductibles. Neighbours of ours who are self employed pay 1200$ a month for health insurance for a family of 3 in their early 30's. So are people living in Australia happy with their health system ??

That is such a LAME LAME LAME arguement!!!!! What does that mean, the weapon itself isn't what shot a hole in someone? I guess it should be permitted to let people have every type of weapon they choose and just hope there aren't any accidents, or curious children, or temporarily angry moments that get out of hand, or hateful people and I guess the this whole war based on "weapons of mass destruction" really is even more absurd than people think since it turns out the weapons aren't what kill people anyway! ( or at least according to the theory above)

I think it depends on what climate you live in. If you live somewhere that that the 4 seasons can mean mud,snow,rain,sleet you probably were brought up to take "your muddy shoes off at the door!" I think it's common courtesy to offer to take off your shoes so you don't track dirt thru someones clean home. However living in a sunny hot climate the need to take off your shoes entering a home isn't as great. I still take them off unless someone tells me not too. I just read that article in Macleans magazine, I guess some Americans feel it's a Canadian thing. Maybe it's just more a "Northern thing" including the northern States.

I have to do a 12mth supervised diet(I'm now in mth 8) & am a little worried about having it approved. If I end up self-paying(Mexico?) I will feel I totally wasted this last year when I could have been banded. Anyone had any experience with this? thxs.

oops...I hit reply before I was done.. In a Country where guns are banned/severly limited I don't feel the need to have a gun because I'm not worried that the other guy might have one. Here in the US there is sooooo many guns that you feel like the odd man out without one. Jack....I didn't think cars let alone drivers licenses were around when the constitution was written. ha ha.

Wow Kat....you have a very interesting & scary history, I can't even imagine! One thing I did notice was that all the crimes committed by your ex-husband involved the use of a gun. I think that again speaks to the availability to them & hence the crimes committed by them. Since living here in Texas(which I love by the way, it's true about Southern hospitality) I still laugh everytime I walk into a Walmart or grocery store & see the sign telling people "guns aren't allowed" I almost feel like I need to get one if everyone else out there has one but that makes as much sense to me as giving everyone a grenade because someone else might have one. I

I just read in todays paper there has been 54 cops killed by guns alone in 2007 in the US!! I just can't understand the mentality of thinking everyone should own a gun to protect themselves. If you own a handgun in Canada you have to be a collector or target shooter & if you are transporting your gun ANYWHERE you have to have the equivalent of a police escort to get it there. You have to notify the police you are transporting the gun. Shotguns in Canada can only hold 3shells & fully automatic shotguns are illegal. That's enough for hunting. In the States you can have a handgun by showing your drivers license to the store clerk & they run a check on you...I think the stats speak for themselves with all the gun deaths in the US.

WHERE"S GREEN????? Your a Canadian living in Toronto(gun problems of late) Green. I would be interested to see a comment here from you on gun control. I moved from Toronto to Texas and I am all for gun control. I read about more people shot in Texas in a week than Canada has in a year.

Thanks for your reply CW8. I've heard the Canadian gov't use other countries 2-tier system as examples. I don't think anyone has a perfect health-care system except maybe France & maybe that can't last forever. Everyone is critical of their own countries health care but I think people have to be thankful for what they have. Living here in the U.S. now I had to take my 2year old to an emergency room one night due to a high fever & being disoriented. The facilities were nice, new & the doctor spend 5mintures with us, told me my son had an ear infection & gave me a prescription for antibiotics. Cost of the visit to the E.R......3500$... separate doctors bill 68$. Luckily we had our deductible paid already of 600$. So my out of pocket expense was 418$ for this one quick visit to the E.R I had to pay a 10% copay, & the doctors bill. WOW! I almost fell over.....that was my portion of the bill WITH good health insurance. I was use to never paying a dime in Canada. The worry in Canada is that a 2-tier system will not solve wait times for operations because doctors will take the private health insurance patients first where they are able to make more money essentially allowing the affluent people to receive better care. I am waiting to rent the Michael Moore movie "Sicko" about different healthcare systems.

Marijuana legal in Ontario Hi Green. As a Canadian, I too lived in the GTA area for many years before getting transferred to the U.S. so I do have some knowledge of Ontario & Canadian laws. This legalized pot law was so brief alot of people aren't even aware it happened that's why I sent the above link. If you scan the net you will find lots of articles about this in 2003. Sorry, but you need to check your facts. A friend of mine also is an OPP officer & works in narcotics so I remember when this happened & the many discussions we had. I'm not on a witchhunt I was merely trying to make a point that although smokers feel they have rights, would these same people complain if pot was being blown around....would they find that offensive. I personnally like the smell of pot but I still don't want to suck it in nor do I want to suck in exhaust fumes....it's all pollution that I personally can't stand the smell of.

Here's some: 1. In high school the cutest guy rode the same school bus as me. One night he was talking with me & I was feeling really good about it until a sixth grader decided that was a good time to grab my boob & announce to everyone on the bus that " it was just all fat" At the time I was 5'6" & 155. The person laughing the HARDEST was the schools cutest guy who had just been talking to me.!! I had no where to go but sit on that bus, in that seat, for another hour. Then when I was 22 I worked as a customer service rep. I had started the job a size 16 then starved myself down to a 8-10. A customer I had been dealing with came back about 6mths after I had lost the weight & then proceeded to ask me what happened to the "fat, unhappy girl that that worked here" I said before it sunk in that I had been the only one working there for the last 18mths. The guy says to me, " no your too pretty this other girl was really sloppy huge, and really grumpy looking. " After that for the sake of my job I had to sit there & pretend that I wasn't that girl he had just described to my face. It was all I could do to hold back the tears!

I also was told I was built like a brick shithouse(about 80 pds ago) and have debated for years whether that was an insult or compliment. I have always been "sturdy" even in my thin years but after I polled everyone I found to find what it meant I think it also is meant as a compliment. How about "amazon woman?"

Also another point would be that banning smoking in areas like restaurants, bars, schools including outdoor areas probably will make a huge difference to not getting younger generations addicted. If they can't light up in these areas maybe they will never start if for no other reason than the inconvenience. How many smokers wish they had never started ? I wish I had never tasted potato chips or pepsi but I have & now I need the lap band to make it illegal....haha

Here's something to think about....Ontario has been debating legalizing marijuana, it even was legal for a VERY short time before the law was overturned. If smoking pot WAS ever made legal than I guess all you tobacco smokers won't mind having marijuana blown in your face & interrupting your meal , smelling like it & getting stoned even if you don't do it yourself ? I'm just throwing the thought out there because in my mind it's the same thing. I don't do it but I don't want it wafting into my face either.

I agree these spots are great. We have them in Canada too & I use to think it was so pathetic that kids/pregnant women couldn't walk that far UNTIL I was 8 months pregnant & could barely walk any distance comfortably. I only went into stores then when I REALLY had to & was sooooo thankful to have a handy spot. Then when my 2nd one came along & my oldest was under 2yrs old it seemed I had to go to store more for diapers etc etc & then your pulling out strollers, unbuckling car seats & it takes like an hour just to get out of the freakin' car......those spots are great!

I am counting down my supervised diet to qualify for insurance & following along here. I am really concerned about all the foods I see that people are having problems with. It seems lots of people can't eat steak,chicken,eggs,bread,lots of veggies, fruit with skins & rice or pasta. WHAT"S LEFT TO EAT?? Are alot of people surviving on protein shakes & soup? I like to cook but I'm not sure I'm that imaginitive to make meals out of such little choice. I've done the Atkins diet & couldn't keep it up because of the lack of selection. If you all tell me I'll never be hungry again so don't worry about it then ok....but I just want to be prepared if I'm just going to be sucking soup thru a straw for the rest of my life. Ha Ha.