American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture
Dr. Sowell on medical care
In The ‘cost’ of medical care, Dr. Sowell makes a vital distinction:
The difference between prices and costs is not just a fine distinction made by economists. Prices are what pay for costs — and if they do not pay enough to cover the costs, then centuries of history in countries around the world show that the supply is going to decline in quantity or quality, or both. In the case of medical care, the supply is a matter of life and death.
Read the rest.
He put the spar in Spartacus/ Spartacus’s Cause
Ok, so I watched Spartacus because Alan Bates was in it. I’ve been a fan of Alan Bates for decades, and wanted to watch his last performance, which he filmed while undergoing chemotherapy.
Bates was his usual brilliant self, even when the part was small and his character made a number of p.c. comments any self-respecting Roman consul would probably never utter even if he were around today. Bates had a way of saying a line while digging-in-and-turning-the-knife that few actors have been able to do, and he was in fine shape.
I did stay to watch the whole miniseries because I saw the original Kubric movie starring Kirk Douglas, and in my eyes Goran Visnjic’s Spartacus beats Kirk’s. Goran’s DDG (drop-dead-gorgeous), and as a gladiator he looked credible in the top-fighters category, agile, big (not steroid-big, just muscular and tall), with 6-pack abs, and would have creamed Kirk’s and probably Russell’s gladiators, too (Russell’s not all that big in person). Goran put the spar in Spartacus.
Sandal-and-toga epics have been on screen since the days of silent movies. Each generation places its message in its version. The director of the TV Spartacus said “There are interesting parallels about power and evildoers” , and the executive producer “defends the remake for exploring the same political themes, such as personal freedom and segregation, that were pertinent more than 40 years ago [my italics]. “I think it’s more relevant today to look at the fact that we haven’t maybe progressed as far as we think we have,” she says”. While they were at it, they injected the dialog with ridiculous allusions to US politics: Crassus refers to Spartacus’ slave army as “terrorists”, talks about a “New World Order” and even uses the phrase “you’re either with us or against us”. They took the idiotic route to the sandal-and-toga. In looking at what they consider pertinent “more than 40 years ago”, they missed the point of a struggle that started more than 2000 years ago: slavery.
Sadly, by doing so both the director and the exec producer “missed an opportunity to speak up” (to misquote Jacques Chirac). A brief note at the end of the lengthy program, reminding the audience that slavery still exists, would have given their message meaning. And it would have honored the real-life Spartacus.
Spirit of America’s TV station update
I just received this email:
Today we delivered to Marines at Camp Pendleton, CA the equipment that will be used to equip Iraqi-owned and operated television stations in Al Anbar province. On Saturday, May 1 the Marines will fly the equipment from March Air Force Base to Iraq. This initiative and the original request is described here: http://www.spiritofamerica.net/req_12/request.html. We try hard to provide rapid response to requests we receive. Here is the timeline of this project:April 8: SoA receives Marines request for television equipment.
April 14: SoA posts the request on our Web site and begins fundraising.
April 29: SoA delivers $82,687 of TV studio equipment to Camp Pendleton.
April 29: Marines pack donated equipment and prepare for shipment to Iraq.
May 1: Marines fly equipment to Iraq.This rapid turnaround makes a difference in Iraq.
We have received $1,532,931 in donations in the last two weeks. Contributions from 7,438 donors have been made to every request and every area of Spirit of America’s operations. I can’t begin to describe the effects this generosity will have on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan – both in helping the people of those countries and in supporting the hard work of those serving there.
As encouraging as the last 14 days have been, I believe we are just at the beginning of seeing homefront support for America’s efforts in Iraq. We’re fortunate to receive emails, letters and handwritten notes from our donors that thank us for finally getting the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. Since 9/11 many have felt helpless. That no longer need be the case.
You can find more on what’s happened and what next at: http://www.spiritofamerica.net/blog. As promised, we have an accounting there of how the money was spent on the first phase of the Marines TV request.
All the best,
Jim Hake
UNScam
Roger’s been reading about Canada. Friends of Saddam has a different list than the fiirst list, and
There was a tacit agreement between OIP (UN Office of the Iraq Program) and the Iraqi regime that none of the foreign UN staff would be either British or American nationals. In addition, the OPI and UN agencies deliberately refused to employ any Kurd among its international staff.
The NY Times is asleep at the wheel.
Godot’s parking-building-built-on-the-stream (G’sPBBOTS) has kinks . . .
. . . or at least that’s what the headline says: Kinks in electronic systems delay garage opening by another week, while work proceeded on the mixed-use building and plaza, named Building A/Witherspoon House, which should open in October*.
An appellate court will hear arguments in the Concerned Citizens of [The Principality] lawsuit seeking a halt to the downtown redevelopment project. May 24 hearing set for garage lawsuit “The suit alleges that the borough improperly applied the state’s redevelopment law to the project and did not put the 413.7 million bond ordinance to help finance the project to a referendum”. Phase 1 (Godot’s parking-building-built-on-the-stream, and Building A) is under way. Phase 2, the proposed building on the Tulane parking lot, needs final site plan review by the Planning Board.
*”Good weather in the spring and summer months is essential for the October opening”.
Hm. The library was scheduled to open in December, and it’s just started running a limited schedule. G’sPBBOTS has kinks and hasn’t opened, but was scheduled to open in December. I say Building A will open in . . . late March. Assuming, of course that the Borough doesn’t lose in court.
What, you don’t like your haircut?
Budget woes elicit outcry. Tax-crunched residents bring ideas to table, read the dead-tree press headline: The Borough Council ran a forum on the 2004 municipal budget, and people showed up to complain. The salient points of the article were
The first item is to be expected. Council’s on a spending binge.
The second item goes like this: taxes go up since taxpayers subsidize parking, which in turn brings in more cars, which in turn need a $14 million building, which in turn needs subsidies, and on and on.
The third item is never going to happen. Tax-exempt status of non-profits is going to remain exactly the way it is. What’s a great deal more likely to happen is the last item: people vote with their feet. A great many bastions of middle-class prosperity in New Jersey have been ruined by mismanagement. You can name a few if you’ve lived in this state for a decade or so. If you are of a certain age, you or your parents might have even voted with your feet, too.
Speaking of haircuts,
From one bad haircut to another:
Chris Muir’s Day By Day‘s cartoon yesterday, April 30, had Zed watching the TV news where they talked about Kerry flying in his hairdresser by private jet, and the last box showed Zed listening to the commentator say Senator Kerry’s CAFE legislation will require SUVs to attain 35 MPG, to which Zed thinks,
Who’s really getting a haircut here?
Thank you Chris.
