My lunchtime news reading over the last few days has identified a few stories that could best be described as looking at issues and stories in a different way:
- From the “Helping Your Neighbor” Department: Those who follow the news know that this week is a make or break week for the health-care reform efforts. To many (including me), the notion of requiring everyone to have some form of health insurance (speaking independently of the form of that insurance) is just like mandating all drivers to have auto insurance: It helps prevent the uninsured from obtaining benefits on the backs of the insured. However, last week I heard of a different approach to medical costs being done by a group of Christians—and these folks are concerned that mandated health insurance would destroy their faith-based system. I’m not talking Christian Scientist here—it’s not that form of faith. Rather, this group simply pools their medical bills, and each agrees to pay their share of the bills of the others. There’s no guarantee bills will be paid (they take that on faith), and there is a maximum expense that will be covered. The funds don’t go through a central office; they go from one participant to the other. There are various restrictions: no coverage for abortions or sexually transmitted diseases, for example. The approach evidently works, although I do see a problem with their not being able to negotiate advantagious rates for their members.
- From the “In The Beginning” Department: As you know, we are in awards season. But there is one group that is seemingly never honored: the folks that do the opening and closing credits. Until now. The NY Times has an interesting article on a new award at SXSW honors the artists who make film titles. I think this is a great idea: there are many opening sequences that are quite spectacular (for example, the animated opening of “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World”); similarly (although it is more of a lost art), many TV credit sequences are spectacular (although I hated the show itself, the animated opening of “The Nanny” was a wonderful capture of the show). So what are your favorite openings: who would you give the awards to?
- From the “It’s Not Over Until The…” Department: I’m sure we all thought the life of media sensation* Anna-Nicole Smith was a soap opera (*: media sensation was the most appropriate adjective; actress or model didn’t seem appropriate, and some four-letter terms seemed too harsh). Well, her life now isn’t just a soap opera, it is really being turned into an opera. That’s right: Mark-Anthony Turnage has written “Anna-Nicole Smith”, an opera being presented by the Royal Opera in London, starring Eva-Marie Westbroek as the tītular, as well as tĭtular, character. Watch for it in February 2011.
- From the “Nervous Set” Department: When I was growing up (and the Los Angeles Times was a really good paper), the Sunday Calendar section had a great cartoonist: Jules Feiffer. Mr. Feiffer also illustrated books (such as one of my favorites, “The Phantom Toolbooth”), and wrote numerous plays and musicals for Broadway. He always looked at things a different way. Thus, I was pleased to learn that (a) he is still alive, and has (b) written a memoir titled “Backing Into Forward” (which was reviewed in the Sunday LA Times). Definately worth exploring.
Lastly, in an effort that I’m sure would have pleased dear ixixlix, the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles is conducting a survey of backyard lizard species. The last one was done 76 years ago. Back then searchers were looking for the “Lizard People’s catacomb city” beneath what is now the new downtown performing arts high school on Grand Avenue next to the Hollywood Freeway. There are thought to be about 4,675 lizard species worldwide. It is unknown how many of them exist in heavily developed Southern California.
