[A-List] Russia's Lost to Japan

[Sabri Oncu <soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I'll still be watching each and every game,
> of course - 'coz it's all on public service
> broadcasting here (as it is in Turkey) in what's
> left of the almost great Australian welfare state ...

One of the greatest welfare states I have ever lived was Canada.
My brother's daughter was born at the University Hospital in
Edmonton and I had spent half a day or so there in 1990, waiting
for my niece's arrival. Everything was covered by an $18/month
state health insurance, the attention was exceptional and the
hospital looked like as if it was from a 23rd century Star Trek
show. Alberta at the time was an oil-rich province after all. My
sister-in-law spent two days at the hospital after an easy birth
and it was covered by the insurance.

In 1995, here in Berkeley, USA, I had to bring my spouse home
about 10 hours after she gave birth to our son, because our son
was born just before midnight and they kicked us out the next
day. She was still bleeding after a difficult birth and we were
told that for each additional day she stays at the hospital we
had to pay about $2000. The monthly insurance payments, though
not paid by us but by our employers, were about a few hundred
dollars per month at the time.

When I broke my arm while roller blading a few years ago, I had
to wait in a temporary sling for two days to get a real cast and
it only happened that soon because I bugged my doctor
consistently to remind him the pain I was in. Otherwise, I had to
wait for longer than a week to get that cast. This is the "free
market" way was I suppose.

I wonder how my Canadian friends are doing in these days as far
as social services go.

Best,
Sabri