Author Archives: susanonthesoapbox

The Perfect Gift

What’s the perfect wedding gift for your little sister?  The one who’s been married twice and waited 10 years before she decided she was ready to take the plunge again?  I’ve been pondering this question for weeks and time is … Continue reading

Posted in General Health Care, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Zwoz The Wizard of Oz – The Sequel

If men are from Mars and women are from Venus then the Health Minister must be from Nix, one of the 4 moons orbiting the non-planet known as Pluto.  The Mars/Venus paradigm is supposed to help the sexes understand each … Continue reading

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged | 4 Comments

Zwoz: The Wizard of Oz

It’s amazing what you can learn about a person in 45 minutes.  After 6 long months the Whitemud Citizen’s for Public Health (WCPH)* was granted an audience with the Health Minister, Mr. Zwozdesky.  It’s hard to describe the meeting, although … Continue reading

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Susan’s Eye–and the death of common sense

Everyone knows that you shouldn’t put ear drops in your eye, right?  But what happens when your doctor prescribes ear drops for a nasty eye infection, then what do you do? After 3 days of wondering why the tiny little … Continue reading

Posted in General Health Care | 6 Comments

The Blue Moon And Its Impact on Oil Sands Development

Once in a blue moon something remarkable happens in the world of politics—disparate opinions begin to align.  Last week the Federal government, the Alberta Federation of Labour, Greenpeace and Environmental Defence agreed with former Premier Peter Lougheed:  the pace oil … Continue reading

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Lessons Learned from the Americans

I just returned from a business trip to Washington DC.  It was hot, sticky, confused and angry—hot and sticky because 200 years ago some bright light decided that the best place to locate the capital was in the middle of … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Politics and Government | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dr Patrick White (aka Rocky Balboa)

Dr Patrick White is a very smart man.  He has to be.  He’s is the lead negotiator for the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) which is negotiating a new 3 year master agreement for physicians services with the Alberta Dept of … Continue reading

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Musings on Canada Day

Have you ever wondered why the American Declaration of Independence reverberates phrases like:   “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these … Continue reading

Posted in Politics and Government, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Russian Stacking Dolls

We’ve all seen Matryoshka dolls, those wooden Russian stacking dolls that open up to reveal a smaller doll nestled inside.  You keep opening the dolls one by one until eventually you find the smallest innermost doll—a baby doll carved from … Continue reading

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Full Monty

Remember the movie The Full Monty.  It’s the story of 2 unemployed steelworkers from Sheffield.  They’re desperate for cash when they stumble upon a Chippendales type strip show and realize in an ill conceived flash of genius that they’ve found … Continue reading

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , | 2 Comments