Bad Example

Take a moment to read the article below and the corresponding study by the  PNHP expressing the numerous flaws in Masschusetts’ so-called “universal” health system.  The study reflects the reality of the faulty program in Masschusetts, which is already nearing bankruptcy and dramatically increasing healthcare costs for low-income families.  Despite these shortcomings, the soundbyte of offering a universal system is powerful on the political stage, and has led many to look to Massachusetts as a prototype for nationwide healthcare reform.  Such a suggestion is ludicrous, and any attempt would be a colossal waste of time and resources serving only to exacerbate the healthcare dilemma we face.  I am unfamiliar with the single payer system suggested by the PNHP, but as stated in an earlier post, any proposed solution has its shortcomings.  Nevertheless, the Massachusetts system is a mess, shortsighted and outrageously expensive.  Any solution for increased access to healthcare will require a drastic reshaping of the medical insurance industry, which must increase coverage, release control of information and increase transparency; all measures that would negatively affect their profit margins and have heretofore been rejected.  But considering that 31 cents of every healthcare dollar is spent on administrative costs, shouldn’t there be a universal outcry to restrict the control of insurers?  They are clearly inefficient.  The government is certainly no model of efficiency, but there needs to be a unilateral move for reform.  That means collaboration from insurers, physicians, providers, and both state and federal government.  Quite an undertaking to be sure, but let’s hope we move forward with a better plan than the one enacted in Massachusetts.

The Failure of the Massachusetts Health Care System:

http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/pnhp-massachusetts-healthcare-system-failure

Closed? No, We Didn’t Mean It

It turns out the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University will not be closed after all.  After heated public outcry, and impassioned letters by Brandeis faculty and Rose Museum staff, University President Jehuda Reinharz is pulling back on the decision to close the museum.  Clarifying his position, Reinharz offers contrition for the expedition and miscommunication caused by the board decision to sell of the Rose’s art collection, and is now stating that the museum will remain open.  Though certain pieces may still be put up for sale, the “crisis of confidence” caused by the board’s actions has led to a new path.
President Reinharz’s letter is available below:

http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/exhibitionist/2009/02/brandeis_presid.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed3

JCVD

JCVD

http://www.jcvd-themovie.com/
This is my favorite film in recent memory.  No, it is not the technical marvel that gains critical attention, or the high profile film that garners award mention, but this to me is the rawest, most probing, and purest entertainments I have seen in quite some time.  Currently, The Wrestler and its star Mickey Rourke are getting showered with acclaim for the “true to life” portrayal of a fallen star in search of redemption.  JCVD dwarfs that film.  The Wrestler is quite good, but its power lies almost entirely in the hands of Mickey Rourke’s performance and the title character, which has many shared circumstances to Rourke’s experience; unfortunately the rest of the film’s contrivance nearly undermines the buoyancy of Rourke’s portrayal.  But where JCVD exceeds that accomplishment is in asking the actor, Jean Claude Van Damme, to portray himself.  There is no character or chosen genre to hide behind.  The story is fictional, yes.  But, after two viewings, I am amazed by the wrenching emotion of a fictional situation starring a known personality.  JCVD succeeds in humanizing an action star, a fallen action star that has become to many a punchline.  On top of that, it is drenched in cinematic style.  The film is an homage to some of cinema’s greatest works: Sunset Boulevard, The Battle of Algiers, and certainly Dog Day Afternoon.  No, this film does not capture the quality of those aforementioned.  Nevertheless, this film is a revelation. A true original. This is a B-movie, and it is entirely self-aware.  I realize I have heaped praise that may distort your view and I beg your pardon.  But I am not doing it for a headline nor for publicity.  I am doing it to share the joy and excitement this film brought to me.  I love the movies, and I am so disillusioned by the dispassion and commercialism instilled by film-marketing that I spend less and less time at the movies, and even less time watching films at home.  It is a phenomenon that saddens me, yet I feel it sharpens my appreciation.  These days I am elated by simply being able to enjoy a movie, an experience that was at one time nearly quotidien to me.  It is harder and harder for me to feel that joy, yet once found the pleasure is in greater measure.  JCVD is a terrific film.  Do not see it as a punchline.  I watched it with a sold out crowd on a 15 degree February evening.  The crowd was energized, demonstrative, engaged, and vocal.  When is the last time you experienced that at the movies?  When is the last time you went to the movies?