In recent negotiations for influenza vaccine between a Canadian health official and an American representative, it was clear that there was an intended paradox between the American government's sudden reliance on Canada for influenza vaccine despite the fact that the Bush administration wants to discourage Americans from buying prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies.

Not seeing the irony in the request, the American continued to press for the vaccine and then demanded to know why the United States would be charged for the vaccine when Canadians get theirs "for free."

The Canadian official replied, "Well, it's not free. Our government pays for it."

"Well then," the American asked, "How much will it cost us?"

The Canadian replied, "Well, we don't know...we'll let you know."

In frustration, the American demanded, "Well, it's urgent, so just send an invoice with the shipment. Now we need to settle on how the vaccine will be delivered?"

After careful consideration, the Canadian official replied, "How about by cow? Twenty vials of vaccine will be tied around the neck of every Canadian beef cow that passes over the border. Of course if you want a quicker delivery, we have several softwood lumber trucks available..."