To talk or not to talk. That is the question. President Obama’s efforts to bring friends and foes together for a little table talk to address pressing issues is in his words a switch from the old-style Washington politics of the past.
However, it remains to be seen if table talk will work for the healthcare and energy lobbyists, and the special for-profit interests related to both. Organizing for America has already launched their counter attack against the “swift boating” of healthcare reform. Apparently a media splash is about to be launched — by the same people who crafted the anti-Kerry message in 2004–to keep Americans sentimentally and cautiously attached to the current faulty healthcare system.
Meanwhile single-payer activists are like the voice in the wilderness. For them the President offers an explanation – he doesn’t want to risk losing any healthcare reform for an ideological purity. At his New Mexico town hall meeting on Credit Card Reform, the President made the point that healthcare is 1/6 of the economy, a complication that makes the task of reform difficult. (I’ve heard this from healthcare professionals with no interest in making profits but reforming healthcare.)
“If I were starting a system from scratch, then I think the idea of moving towards a single-payer system coule very well make sense. That’s the kind of system that you have in most industrialized countries in the world. The only problem is we’re not starting from scratch….”
View the Rio Rancho, New Mexico town hall meeting from this link (CNN) or read the transcript.
Energy, an essential resource, but treated more like a consumer product, faces a different challenge — lack of the kind of innovation medicine has experienced in the last 10 years. Nevertheless energy must be addressed with the same seriousness for future generations.
Arts Beat – New York Times What effect is the economy having on your life and work as an artist, writer, actor, or musician? Tell us your story by commenting below or by e-mailing us at artsbeat@nytimes.com. The responses come from beyond the burroughs. Some artists say the downturn may be good for art in terms of quality and vision. Some are using the down time to spend more time with their art. Of course, losing the day job cuts back on other things if you’re not making a living from your art and especially if you have a family to support. But artists seem to have some practice in managing the bad times. But hopefully it doesn’t become habit.
Read responses at this link: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/attention-artists/
Quite a few artists say down-times may be good for art (mostly visual) in terms of quality.
Washington Post dance critic Sarah Kaufman is asking for a little more heft on the ballet stage from its choreographers. “The art form is suffering through a dearth of daring and imagination. Critics and audiences alike have been complaining about a prolonged fallow period. Yet the artistic sclerosis din’t just happen. One inescapable reason for it is Balanchine’s dominance, overshadowing other avenues of creativity–for instance, the one-act short-story ballets that almost no one creates anymore.”
The economy of avant-garde applied to set, story, and body mass from the Balanchine aesthetic has apparently worn out its welcome as a standard with Kaufman and maybe others including audiences or new audiences to ballets. Story ballets are expensive to produce but what would Christmas be without “The Nutcracker”? No one’s hating on Balanchine, but apparently a shout out is going to the next generation — if the modern Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, and Bill T. Jones can tell stories, what’s up? What would a ballet dancer’s biography look like without a “Swan Lake,” “Giselle” or an Anthony Tudor on their CV?
Ironically, when Balanchine was alive, the argument was going the other way. Does ballet always have to be about dying pricesses and princes, and love stories?
In the 1977 film “The Turning Point,” real-life American Ballet Theatre principal Leslie Brown as the up-and-coming ballerina Amelia comes up against this “generational” argument when the “fresh, new choreographer” yells at her during a rehearsal of “his new work” demanding that she not show emotion. You are a body in space. No feeling. If the filmmakers had known better, they would’ve asked a real life “fresh, new choreographer” to create a new work for this part of the story. In real life on film, Brown was rehearsing Alvin Ailey’s “The River” set to the music of Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington. [It appears in the closing credits, but isn’t part of the script.] The symbolism of the river in African American culture and history does evoke emotion — listen to Sam Cooke. The river has a story. The Ailey company’s program note says as much: “A legendary collaboration between renowned choreographer Alvin Ailey and musical genius Duke Ellington, The River celebrates birth, life and rebirth. Ailey’s choreographic allegory combines modern dance, Classical ballet and Jazz to convey the mutability of water on its voyage to the sea — much like the journey of life.”
Brown walks out on the rehearsal as she’s been influenced more by the life of her mentor/Godmother played by Anne Bancroft who is now realizing she is way past her prime. Amelia was right though maybe her interpretation was coming from a different place. But I digress.
“Ballet has to get its humanity back,” Kaufman writes.” “Telling a story may be viewed as unhip in our postmodern age, but human cravings don’t subside just because artistic manifestos tell them to. We’ll always love stories, especially when they’re about us.”
It’s interesting for Kaufman to write this as Balanchine’s protegee, muse. and other musings Suzanne Farrell has a resident ballet company at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC – The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Farrell makes no bones about her mission to restore Balanchine’s works and keep the technique and artistry in the ballet vocaulary.
I’m just realizing I rarely attend the ballet since the companies have cut back on story ballets. And I was blown away by my first Balanchine performance by New York City Ballet. For me Balanchine transformed music into a living, moving body. I was studying music at the time, so what I saw was music. And in music, there is some sense of story through the rise, tempo, and fall of the notes — I guess if you’re a musician. But Kaufman’s article is worthy of a debate on this topic.
It looks as if journalist Roxana Saberi is free, read released. She was originally sentenced to an 8-year jail term in Iran for spying. The court reduced it to a two-year suspended prison term. She worked as a freelance journalist for NPR and the BBC. I suppose Iran is more interested in being at the talk table than North Korea.
Book Addiction Michael Dirda asks is book buying an addiction or compulsion? I suffer from a book something to the point that I have to bargain with myself: “For each book you buy, you give away one or two.” I’ve given away books I’ve ended up buying back from the used book store or purchasing a new copy because some where down the line, I needed it again. Addiction? Compulsion? I’ll buy a book before buying a pair of shoes. And guess what, the book lasts longer and takes me further.
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER
I admit, I watched both President Obama and Wanda Sykes’ videos twice. But where are the journalists in this crowd? There are some enthusiastic locals I’ve heard of who crash this party. But for some reason I’m sure this year’s ticket was so hot, the old “put on a tux,” show up and look the part probably didn’t fly, especially with so many Hollywood party crashers at the door. Hopefully, the Lincoln bedroom will not see the designer foot traffic of the Clinton years. Hollywood really seem to be making an effort to stake their claim and make their mark on the coat tails of the Obama presidency. Celebrity with more purpose. As I’ve observed, there’s a love/envy thing between celebrity and political cultures. But this time we have a President who has topped them both. Ideas seem to turn his head, not necessarily glamour or fame. But I’m sure during the campaign his fundraisers’ heads were spinning.
HEALTH CARE – Don’t sit this one out!
Is the President asking the health care industry to change their evil ways or “if you don’t do something, I will”? It’s hard to say where this one will go. I don’t think Americans are totally opposed to paying a little something for healthcare. What people hate most are the hidden fees, multiple billings, the outrageous high costs, and the quality of care or refusal to treat people based on a person’s insurance type, ability to pay or a pre-existing condition. It’s enough to drive Harry and Louise over a cliff. All healthcare is not equal.
I had no intention of giving up bacon. But apparently someone else wasn’t so sure about bringing it home along with the Swine flu.
The Obama team knows the power of words, so they’ve given the pig farmers and maybe the pigs a break. We’re now dealing with H1N1. Note: You don’t get H1N1 by eating pork. High blood pressure, maybe. The wrath of God for some religions, maybe.
After the Vice President’s direct fatherly or brotherly advice, the President has stepped in with some official words of information and a little comfort. Even some kudos to his predecessor for preparations as part of their Homeland Security program. I’m off to work in a very public place. For this administration, hand washing only applies to its literal interpretation in preventing the spread of H1N1 flu.
Grown-ups told us to stop acting like pigs and wash your hands for a reason.
“According to state agents of the Mexican social security institute, the vector of this outbreak are the clouds of flies that come out of the hog barns, and the waste lagoons into which the Mexican-US company spews tons of excrement,” reported Mexico City newspaper La Jornada.”
Source: Guardian UK
How would George Orwell spin this? Are we closer to swine than we think?
What would Gabe say? Can there be Love in the Time of Swine Flu?
It seems that swine flu is not only a health issue, but an environmental one as well. In the meantime…do as the grown-ups say – if you’re sick, stay home or stay where you are and call a doctor. For the rest of us, eat your vegetables and fruit, get your rest, stay well.
Until recently, I had no way of knowing how long she had suffered or how hard she had tried to get help during her last days. But even without knowing the details, Pam’s exit from this life screams volumes about the lack of affordable healthcare in this country. It speaks to what recourse musicians and other artists who are not making the superstar bucks have in seeking and receiving medical care they need and the complete and full treatment their problems require – especially in the area of mental illness.
Dawn E. Robinson, February 2005 vocalmusician.com
Pam Bricker
My friend Dawn wrote this on her website days after she learned of the suicide of Pam Bricker, a talented and versatile vocal musician who performed in the Washington, DC area. The story goes Pam showed up at the emergency room asking for help. The desk asked if she had health insurance. They sent her home. None of us knew about Pam’s clinical depression. None of us knew she had no healthcare to fight it.
Another vocalist died of a heart attack – same scenario (shows up in the emergency room); same outcome (turned away for lack of health insurance).
Like most musicians, artists, and others surviving from gig-to-gig (if you get paid), once you take care of the housing, utilities and food, there is little left to buy into a healthcare plan. And there definitely is little left for the COBRA from that day job you had to quit when you got that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing back up or open for someone famous. You took a leap of faith. And you hoped it would take you a little higher. But sometimes, it doesn’t work out that way.
I have a photo of Pam and me with our heads pressed together and our hands on our chins kind of sweetly mugging for the camera at a wedding reception. We both looked happy that day. I found that photo about a week after I got the news of her death. Even today, I just can’t believe it.
So I’m going to add my voice to the healthcare fight. I pay for my own health insurance on a monthly basis that increases a little over 20% each year. I haven’t had a major illness, so the coverage hasn’t been put to the real test. When I look at the bills I would pay for required routine stuff (uninsured), one physical would cost nearly 4 months salary. But what if a major illness comes along? At the rate the current healthcare situation is going, the insurance companies and health administrators will make you wish you’ll check out early.
Yesterday I received this message: On Tuesday, March 10th, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the main health industry lobbyist group, is having a conference on “health care reform” at the Ritz in Washington, DC.
The health insurance industry was one of the main lobbyists against Bill Clinton’s health care reform efforts, and they’ve already come out against the health care in President Obama’s budget, objecting to forcing health insurance companies to compete to offer Medicare plans. They are trying to fool the American people that they are for real reform with this conference, but make no mistake, they will stop at nothing to protect their profits at the expense of our health, and that means opposing President Obama’s plans.
A broad coalition of health care reform groups, from single payer advocates to supporters of Obama’s health care agenda, are rallying outside of AHIP’s conference and presenting an award to AHIP’s CEO, Karen Ignagni, for best protector of profits at the expense of our health.
Can you join us to send the message that the insurance industry can’t be trusted with health care reform?
When:
Tuesday, March 10 from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where:
Outside the Ritz-Carlton (Washington, DC)
1150 22nd St, NW
Washington, DC 20037
