Salon Weekly
~ In 4 Color-Coded Sections:
- Table Notes
- Events & Opportunities
- Articles, Letters (“opinions expressed are not necessarily mine”...ellen)
- Books, Reviews, Films, Magazines
- Tri-State Treasures: compiled by Jim Kesner
A Weekly Email Publication of The Lloyd House: Circulation: 650. Growing out
of the Wednesday Night Salon . For info about the Salon, see the bottom of
this email. Join us at the Lloyd House every week of the year at 5:45 for pot
luck and discussion. 3901 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio. To Submit events
for the Weekly, send (not attachment) me email, subject line
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lot of work that way. Send submissions by Wednesday evening.
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seventh year),
(to unsubscribe see below, bottom of page).
................................................... Section One: Table Notes ............................................................................ (Note: these notes were taken at the table and have NOT been approved or corrected by the speakers. Reader beware of inevitable misunderstandings and misrepresentations. E.B.)
At the table Wednesday this week: (Smallest turn-out in years due to level 3 snow emergency all day. Cosy and great, though.)
Carolyn, Marilyn, Ginger, Ellen’s MacBook, Spencer, Judy
Spencer Konicov, Judy Cirillo, Carolyn Aufderhaar, Marilyn Gale, Ginger Lee Frank, Ellen Bierhorst (Small turn out due to the level 3 snow emergency all day, only lifted this evening.)
Discussion of Pres. Obama, meeting with the Republicans in Congress, giving an interview to a media organization in the Islamic world.
In the inaugural address he mentioned Americans of various faiths, and also “non-believers”. Appreciated by Ginger.
Ginger: the city council will be voting on the urban garden proposal. Very positive. The city has several hundred ieces of property , vacant lots, and 88 of them could be suitable for gardens. They will pick 10 of them as pilot gardens; people in the communities have to be interested in working in the garden. ... Telling the story of “people’s park” in Berkely CA. The people designed and built a wonderful park. But The University erected a tall fence; Reagan was governor. The Nat’l Guard was brought in with heavy arms. 200, 000 demonstrators came, marched. Confronted the army. Full battle gear, bayonettes . The women started dancing, bare breasted, and defused the situation.
Marilyn the movie “The Wrestler”. V. realistic. The power of female sexuality.
Discussion of some priests’ censure of Catholics who voted for Obama because he was not against abortion.
Spencer: I had cataract surgery yesterday... It’s great. Only took 15 minutes. Local anesthesia.
Ginger: fortune telling and soothsaying now legal in a parish (county) in Louisiana after the anti-soothsaying ordinance was deemed unconstitutional.
Spencer: we miss Will Rogers.
Marilyn: listening to Barbara Walter’s autobiog. “Audition”. It’s a history of women in TV. Very interesting.
Ginger: last night I attended the local film group festival of women’s films. The last event to be held at the Art Museum. So Cinti World Cinema is looking for a home. A local woman film maker talked about how it is still very difficult as a woman in the business. Still lots of sexism. 90% a man’s business. There were only 50 people there, but that was remarkable given the bad weather.
... One thing impressed me about Obama,.. When Roberts was administering the oath of office and blew the wording, he chose to say the oath the wrong way as Roberts spoke it. Showed me his stature.
Ginger: in my “Church and State” newsletter it tells about Cinti. Zoo cutting its ties with the Creationist Museum.
Judy: the amazing life story of the Monarch butterfly... It takes 4 generations to make the whole circuit from Canada to Mexico and back.
(We looked up the differences between butterlies and moths... See http://insects.about.com/od/learningaboutinsects/a/butterflyormoth.htm )
Ginger: the original name for butterflies is “flutter-by”.
... Hernia repair surgery. Then kidney stones.
Ellen: wonderful New Yorker article on health care reform (see entire article below in navy Articles section). The Massachusetts experience. (P.S. SPAN Ohio, the health care reform group sends link to their site: http://www.guaranteedhealthcare4all.org/ ... I used to support them, but now not so sure. Read the New Yorker article!)
Marilyn: my clients’ experience is that Medicaid is much better to deal with than private companies like Anthem etc.
Ginger: I have a huge medical bill. I have told the hospital that if they will charge me only the amounts that the insured patients pay, I will pay the whole thing right now. I have no health insurance.
Spencer: when I had surgery on my finger they charged me $800 for recovery room. I recovered at Graeter’s.
After 3 years they finally charged me about 50%.
Carolyn: Bill L. was hospitalized and it was paid by grants.
~ End of Table Notes~
- Hugs to everyone,
Ellen
Section Two: Events & Opportunities
Service Event:
WE WILL DO OUR MEAL AT THE DROP IN CENTER ON SAT. FEB 14, VALENTINE’S DAY. Dinner time.
We need volunteers at 2 pm to prepare the food, and 8 – 12 volunteers to serve it at 6 – 8. Please send email with subject line “volunteer prepare” or “volunteer serve” only.
We will also need about $150 to purchase items needed. (meat, slaw, bread, fruit) Please help, however small your donation. ($5 would be great! More would be fantastic.) You may mail your donation to the Lloyd House: Make check out (not tax deductable, we are not a 301 or whatever that number is) to
Ellen Bierhorst,
3901 Clifton Ave. Cinti 45220.
Write on check “meal for drop in center”.
Please do Ellen a favor:
I need to collect references from “constituents” as the convener of the Lloyd House Salon and publisher of this Weekly newsletter. Please take a moment* and go to http://www.linkedin.com , put my name, Ellen Bierhorst, in the “people search” box, and when it comes up, click on the link in blue that says “Recommend this person”*. Then say something nice about what a community service it is to have the weekly Salon pot luck gatherings and the Salon Weekly newsletter, and what kind of a job I have done since July, 2001. Would help me out a lot. Ellen
*(I just learned that to give a recommendation you have to sign up at linkedin.com, then join my network, then after I “accept” you can leave a recommendation. Sounds like a lot of trouble. )
To those of you who responded to this request, many many thanks! ellen
A Morning Cup of Yoga! With professional teacher Phoenix Wilson
When: Fridays 9:00 – 10:30 AM
Where: THE LLOYD HOUSE third floor Zendo
Leave your car in the back or on Lafayette Ave., bring a sticky mat if you have one, let yourself in the front door, leave your shoes in the foyer and find your way to the third floor. We’ll see you there!
Date: Starting January 30th 2009
Cost: $ 13 each class or $ 77 for the 7 week session
Greetings and Happy New Year!
Start your day and weekend with a clear mind, invigorated body and renewed spirit.
This class is open to new and experienced students.
Instructor, Phoenix Wilson, RYT , 859-341-9642 phoenixwilson@mac.com <mailto:phoenixwilson@mac.com> , please call or e-mail if you are interested in or have questions about the class.
A little bit about my background ~~ I am a certified Yoga and Tai Chi Chih instructor. My studies include various styles of Yoga primarily focusing on Iyengar and Anusara. I have been teaching for the past eight years in the greater Cincinnati area including three years of training and teaching in Japan. My goal is to blend what I have learned into a fully integrated practice. Our practice will focus on the cultivation of healthy body alignment, the flow of energy in the body and a more peaceful and open heart. I am excited to have this opportunity to share in the practice of Yoga at the Lloyd House!
Namaste. Phoenix
Help Jeff Cobb promote “Earth Hour Cincinnati”... An international demonstration to promote power conservation and reduce Climate Change. Make a phone call. See Article below in Blue section. Ellen.
Foreign Affairs talk coming, Valentine’s day morning in Pleasant Ridge
Friends,
In case this interests you or your groups. Feel free to invite others if
you like.
I invited this speaker to another group right after the 2000 election
and he had alot of interesting things to say then,
and this lecture may hold even more traction. He is a UC political
scientist with significant bio linking him to very high level policy groups.
Mr. G.
A US and World Affairs lecture: Saturday morning, February 14, ART
(Association for Rational Thought alias Cincinnati Skeptics)
Where When: 10-12 am followed by lunch at Molly Malone's (near corner
of Ridge and Montgomery), Pleasant Ridge.
Richard J. Harknett, "Consistency You Can Believe In: America and the
World 2008-2012"
Abstract: The approach will change, but the objectives will not. Barack
Obama, by both circumstance and apparent inclination, will be focused on
a restoration of American power within the contours of pre-George W.
Bush policy. The past eight years rested on some significant departures
in foreign and national security assumptions. Some will be viewed as
temporary fixes or unsustainable assessments and be cast aside, while
others will surprisingly endure. Rather than launching a change agent
foreign policy on the heels of what amounted to a radical foreign policy
by American standards, the new administration is likely to be an amalgam
of William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan approaches
leading to a policy of pragmatism couched in optimism. If successful,
Obama will consolidate the United States' leadership in the world for a
significant period of time. The talk will divide into three sections:
1). An outline of the world President Obama inherits and the challenges
and opportunities that exist from the perspective of US foreign and
national security;
2). Preliminary observations about Obama's likely approach based on his
key appointments and inaugural address;
3). A concluding prediction on Obama the consolidator and the prospect
of stable American world prominence.
Bio
Richard J. Harknett is associate professor of political science at the
University of Cincinnati and former Faculty Chair of the Charles Phelps
Taft Research Center. His publications are in the areas of international
relations theory, security studies, and American national security
policy. His academic research has been translated into policy
environments during both the Clinton and Bush administrations in which
he has presented briefings at the Pentagon and US War Colleges as well
as European government and academic settings, including his work
"Integrated Security: A Strategic Response to Anonymity and the Problem
of the Few," and "Barbarians At and Behind the Gates: The Loss of
Contingency and the Search for Homeland Security. He holds a
professorial lecturer position at the Diplomatic Academy, Vienna,
Austria after having served there as a Fulbright professor.
"Happy Feet"
A Workshop to Learn Great Foot Massage
with Alan Hundley, LMT, LLC
Saturday February 28, 2009
1:30pm – 5pm
At The Lloyd House in Clifton
$50 in advance, $60 at the door
Register on-line with Alan www.threewaters.com <http://www.threewaters.com> (Paypal accepted) or by sending a check to 12 Burton Woods Lane, Cincinnati Ohio 45229
call 513-281-8606 for more information or email Alan ahundley@fuse.net
Join Alan to learn “the 33 Foot Form” – an easy step-by-step approach to foot massage that will help some lucky person in your life to have happier feet. Just like the 33 joints in the foot, this technique is made up of 33 individual movements taught in sequence. The form uses reflexology, spirals, torsions, compressions, extensions and even some energy work to provide the most thorough experience. Handouts will be given to diagram the sequence. Bring a friend or come alone. Feel free to bring a pillow or two and an oil or cream you’d like to use. Clean feet are a big plus.
NOTE: YOU Do NOT have to be a massage therapist to attend!
Alan now has a DVD of the “Happy Feet” technique available for $20.
The Lloyd House is at
3901 Clifton Ave. 45220
Please park on Lafayette Ave. Also, please remove shoes in foyer, unless medically necessary. Workshop is in the third floor turret room, “the Zendo”
Alan Hundley, LLC
12 Burton Woods Lane
Cincinnati Ohio 45229
513-281-8606
www.threewaters.com <http://www.threewaters.com>
File your “next of kin” info. At Ohio website
While listening to the radio on my way to work this morning, I heard an interview with a woman who had lost her son in a car accident. She was unable to be contacted for 7 hours after her son was injured and he died alone. By initiating the 'Next of Kin Bill,' signed into law by Governor Strickland on May 1, 2008, she has worked to ensure that each driver in the state of Ohio can register 2 emergency contacts (with up to 3 telephone numbers each) through the BMV to be contacted in the event of an emergency. This is a very simple procedure that took me less than 3 minutes to complete online. You can also go right to the Ohio BMV web site (<http://www.ohiobmv.com/> ) and click on the bar that says 'View/Edit your next of kin/emergency contact info.
Under FEATURES.
And please, pass this on to every Ohio resident in your email address book!! How would law enforcement find your loved ones if you were in an accident? The only information first responders have to identify you is the address on your drivers license. Is someone always home at the address on your drivers license? If not, the police then must begin a time intensive search to find your loved ones. Precious hours that will pass before your family knows you are injured and have been taken to a hospital. The national average is SIX HOURS before law enforcement can locate next of kin!
The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles now offers you the opportunity to voluntarily provide emergency contact information. All you need is your Ohio Drivers License or State ID. Then click on this link www.ohiobmv.com to enter the two people you would like to be notified if you are injured and unable to speak. Your emergency contact information is very secure and can only be accessed by authorized law enforcement personnel.
This means that your loved ones can be found within minutes.....not hours after you have been involved in any kind of accident!
IDEAS FOR MENTAL HEALTH:
(See my pieces on wellness in my website http://www.lloydhouse.com ... Useful pieces about insomnia, eating disorder, visiting family at holidays, and the newest, how husbands fear their wives...etc.)
Everyone needs a psychologist sometime in their life.
Ellen Bierhorst Ph.D. is a good one. In practice over 30 years. 513 221 1289
Areas of particular interest: 12 Step Program support; Family and Relationship issues; Young Adult Issues; Chronic Illness and Senior Adult Issues; Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Issues, Holistic Wellness (body/mind/spirit approach), Clinical Hypnosis, EMDR.
- Get a fresh perspective. Sort out tangles in interpersonal relationships. Clear away the messes of the past. Become empowered to launch your new life. Heal trauma, change, loss. Escape from the bondage of addictive behavior(alcohol, drugs, food, tobacco, gambling, etc.)
- Central location (Clifton Ave. at Lafayette)
- Beautiful setting (The historic Lloyd House)
- Many health insurance plans will pay a percentage. (Standard fee $125/hour. Some pro bono work available.)
- Compassion and good humor.
- Rapid results.
YOGA at Lloyd House. Wednesdays 9:15 – 10:30 am. Open, free practice group led by Nina Tolley.
Tai Chi practice group Sundays 10:15 a.m. Led by Jackie Millay.
Friday morning Yoga class with professional Yoga teacher Phoenix Wilson (she’s terrific!) starting 1/30/09, $13, 9:00 am.
Articles
- Great article on Health Care Reform
- Photos from our Inauguration Trip
- Salonista Jeff Cobb on Earth Hour Cincinnati
New Yorker Magazine Jan. 26, 2009
Getting THERE FROM HERE
How should Obama reform health care?
by Atul Gawande (a cancer surgeon from Massachusetts)
Our jerry-rigged health-care system contains many models that reformers can build on.
In every industrialized nation, the movement to reform health care has begun with stories about cruelty. The Canadians had stories like the 1946 Toronto Globe and Mail report of a woman in labor who was refused help by three successive physicians, apparently because of her inability to pay. In Australia, a 1954 letter published in the Sydney Morning Herald sought help for a young woman who had lung disease. She couldn’t afford to refill her oxygen tank, and had been forced to ration her intake “to a point where she is on the borderline of death.” In Britain, George Bernard Shaw was at a London hospital visiting an eminent physician when an assistant came in to report that a sick man had arrived requesting treatment. “Is he worth it?” the physician asked. It was the normality of the question that shocked Shaw and prompted his scathing and influential 1906 play, “The Doctor’s Dilemma.” The British health system, he charged, was “a conspiracy to exploit popular credulity and human suffering.”
In the United States, our stories are like the one that appeared in the Times before Christmas. Starla Darling, pregnant and due for delivery, had just taken maternity leave from her factory job at Archway & Mother’s Cookie Company, in Ashland, Ohio, when she received a letter informing her that the company was going out of business. In three days, the letter said, she and almost three hundred co-workers would be laid off, and would lose their health-insurance coverage. The company was self-insured, so the employees didn’t have the option of paying for the insurance themselves—their insurance plan was being terminated.
“When I heard that I was losing my insurance, I was scared,” Darling told the Times. Her husband had been laid off from his job, too. “I remember that the bill for my son’s delivery in 2005 was about $9,000, and I knew I would never be able to pay that by myself.” So she prevailed on her midwife to induce labor while she still had insurance coverage. During labor, Darling began bleeding profusely, and needed a Cesarean section. Mother and baby pulled through. But the insurer denied Darling’s claim for coverage. The couple ended up owing more than seventeen thousand dollars.
The stories become unconscionable in any society that purports to serve the needs of ordinary people, and, at some alchemical point, they combine with opportunity and leadership to produce change. Britain reached this point and enacted universal health-care coverage in 1945, Canada in 1966, Australia in 1974. The United States may finally be there now. In 2007, fifty-seven million Americans had difficulty paying their medical bills, up fourteen million from 2003. On average, they had two thousand dollars in medical debt and had been contacted by a collection agency at least once. Because, in part, of underpayment, half of American hospitals operated at a loss in 2007. Today, large numbers of employers are limiting or dropping insurance coverage in order to stay afloat, or simply going under—even hospitals themselves.
Yet wherever the prospect of universal health insurance has been considered, it has been widely attacked as a Bolshevik fantasy—a coercive system to be imposed upon people by benighted socialist master planners. People fear the unintended consequences of drastic change, the blunt force of government. However terrible the system may seem, we all know that it could be worse—especially for those who already have dependable coverage and access to good doctors and hospitals.
Many would-be reformers hold that “true” reform must simply override those fears. They believe that a new system will be far better for most people, and that those who would hang on to the old do so out of either lack of imagination or narrow self-interest. On the left, then, single-payer enthusiasts argue that the only coherent solution is to end private health insurance and replace it with a national insurance program. And, on the right, the free marketeers argue that the only coherent solution is to end public insurance and employer-controlled health benefits so that we can all buy our own coverage and put market forces to work.
Neither side can stand the other. But both reserve special contempt for the pragmatists, who would build around the mess we have. The country has this one chance, the idealist maintains, to sweep away our inhumane, wasteful patchwork system and replace it with something new and more rational. So we should prepare for a bold overhaul, just as every other Western democracy has. True reform requires transformation at a stroke. But is this really the way it has occurred in other countries? The answer is no. And the reality of how health reform has come about elsewhere is both surprising and instructive.
No example is more striking than that of Great Britain, which has the most socialized health system in the industrialized world. Established on July 5, 1948, the National Health Service owns the vast majority of the country’s hospitals, blood banks, and ambulance operations, employs most specialist physicians as salaried government workers, and has made medical care available to every resident for free. The system is so thoroughly government-controlled that, across the Atlantic, we imagine it had to have been imposed by fiat, by the coercion of ideological planners bending the system to their will.
But look at the news report in the Times of London on July 6, 1948, headlined “FIRST DAY OF HEALTH SERVICE.” You might expect descriptions of bureaucratic shock troops walking into hospitals, insurance-company executives and doctors protesting in the streets, patients standing outside chemist shops worrying about whether they can get their prescriptions filled. Instead, there was only a four-paragraph notice between an item on the King and Queen’s return from a holiday in Scotland and one on currency problems in Germany.
The beginning of the new national health service “was taking place smoothly,” the report said. No major problems were noted by the 2,751 hospitals involved or by patients arriving to see their family doctors. Ninety per cent of the British Medical Association’s members signed up with the program voluntarily—and found that they had a larger and steadier income by doing so. The greatest difficulty, it turned out, was the unexpected pent-up demand for everything from basic dental care to pediatric visits for hundreds of thousands of people who had been going without.
The program proved successful and lasting, historians say, precisely because it was not the result of an ideologue’s master plan. Instead, the N.H.S. was a pragmatic outgrowth of circumstances peculiar to Britain immediately after the Second World War. The single most important moment that determined what Britain’s health-care system would look like was not any policymaker’s meeting in 1945 but the country’s declaration of war on Germany, on September 3, 1939.
As tensions between the two countries mounted, Britain’s ministers realized that they would have to prepare not only for land and sea combat but also for air attacks on cities on an unprecedented scale. And so, in the days before war was declared, the British government oversaw an immense evacuation; three and a half million people moved out of the cities and into the countryside. The government had to arrange transport and lodging for those in need, along with supervision, food, and schooling for hundreds of thousands of children whose parents had stayed behind to join in the war effort. It also had to insure that medical services were in place—both in the receiving regions, whose populations had exploded, and in the cities, where up to two million war-injured civilians and returning servicemen were anticipated.
As a matter of wartime necessity, the government began a national Emergency Medical Service to supplement the local services. Within a period of months, sometimes weeks, it built or expanded hundreds of hospitals. It conducted a survey of the existing hospitals and discovered that essential services were either missing or severely inadequate—laboratories, X-ray facilities, ambulances, care for fractures and burns and head injuries. The Ministry of Health was forced to upgrade and, ultimately, to operate these services itself.
The war compelled the government to provide free hospital treatment for civilian casualties, as well as for combatants. In London and other cities, the government asked local hospitals to transfer some of the sick to private hospitals in the outer suburbs in order to make room for victims of the war. As a result, the government wound up paying for a large fraction of the private hospitals’ costs. Likewise, doctors received government salaries for the portion of their time that was devoted to the new wartime medical service. When the Blitz came, in September, 1940, vast numbers of private hospitals and clinics were destroyed, further increasing the government’s share of medical costs. The private hospitals and doctors whose doors were still open had far fewer paying patients and were close to financial ruin.
Churchill’s government intended the program to be temporary. But the war destroyed the status quo for patients, doctors, and hospitals alike. Moreover, the new system proved better than the old. Despite the ravages of war, the health of the population had improved. The medical and social services had reduced infant and adult mortality rates. Even the dental care was better. By the end of 1944, when the wartime medical service began to demobilize, the country’s citizens did not want to see it go. The private hospitals didn’t, either; they had come to depend on those government payments.
By 1945, when the National Health Service was proposed, it had become evident that a national system of health coverage was not only necessary but also largely already in place—with nationally run hospitals, salaried doctors, and free care for everyone. So, while the ideal of universal coverage was spurred by those horror stories, the particular system that emerged in Britain was not the product of socialist ideology or a deliberate policy process in which all the theoretical options were weighed. It was, instead, an almost conservative creation: a program that built on a tested, practical means of providing adequate health care for everyone, while protecting the existing services that people depended upon every day. No other major country has adopted the British system—not because it didn’t work but because other countries came to universalize health care under entirely different circumstances.
In France, in the winter of 1945, President de Gaulle was likewise weighing how to insure that his nation’s population had decent health care after the devastation of war. But the system that he inherited upon liberation had no significant public insurance or hospital sector. Seventy-five per cent of the population paid cash for private medical care, and many people had become too destitute to afford heat, let alone medications or hospital visits.
Long before the war, large manufacturers and unions had organized collective insurance funds for their employees, financed through a self-imposed payroll tax, rather than a set premium. This was virtually the only insurance system in place, and it became the scaffolding for French health care. With an almost impossible range of crises on its hands—food shortages, destroyed power plants, a quarter of the population living as refugees—the de Gaulle government had neither the time nor the capacity to create an entirely new health-care system. So it built on what it had, expanding the existing payroll-tax-funded, private insurance system to cover all wage earners, their families, and retirees. The self-employed were added in the nineteen-sixties. And the remainder of uninsured residents were finally included in 2000.
Today, Sécurité Sociale provides payroll-tax-financed insurance to all French residents, primarily through a hundred and forty-four independent, not-for-profit, local insurance funds. The French health-care system has among the highest public-satisfaction levels of any major Western country; and, compared with Americans, the French have a higher life expectancy, lower infant mortality, more physicians, and lower costs. In 2000, the World Health Organization ranked it the best health-care system in the world. (The United States was ranked thirty-seventh.)
Switzerland, because of its wartime neutrality, escaped the damage that drove health-care reform elsewhere. Instead, most of its citizens came to rely on private commercial health-insurance coverage. When problems with coverage gaps and inconsistencies finally led the nation to pass its universal-coverage law, in 1994, it had no experience with public insurance. So the country—you get the picture now—built on what it already had. It required every resident to purchase private health insurance and provided subsidies to limit the cost to no more than about ten per cent of an individual’s income.
Every industrialized nation in the world except the United States has a national system that guarantees affordable health care for all its citizens. Nearly all have been popular and successful. But each has taken a drastically different form, and the reason has rarely been ideology. Rather, each country has built on its own history, however imperfect, unusual, and untidy.
ocial scientists have a name for this pattern of evolution based on past experience. They call it “path-dependence.” In the battles between Betamax and VHS video recorders, Mac and P.C. computers, the QWERTY typewriter keyboard and alternative designs, they found that small, early events played a far more critical role in the market outcome than did the question of which design was better. Paul Krugman received a Nobel Prize in Economics in part for showing that trade patterns and the geographic location of industrial production are also path-dependent. The first firms to get established in a given industry, he pointed out, attract suppliers, skilled labor, specialized financing, and physical infrastructure. This entrenches local advantages that lead other firms producing similar goods to set up business in the same area—even if prices, taxes, and competition are stiffer. “The long shadow cast by history over location is apparent at all scales, from the smallest to the largest—from the cluster of costume jewelry firms in Providence to the concentration of 60 million people in the Northeast Corridor,” Krugman wrote in 1991.
With path-dependent processes, the outcome is unpredictable at the start. Small, often random events early in the process are “remembered,” continuing to have influence later. And, as you go along, the range of future possibilities gets narrower. It becomes more and more unlikely that you can simply shift from one path to another, even if you are locked in on a path that has a lower payoff than an alternate one.
The political scientist Paul Pierson observed that this sounds a lot like politics, and not just economics. When a social policy entails major setup costs and large numbers of people who must devote time and resources to developing expertise, early choices become difficult to reverse. And if the choices involve what economists call “increasing returns”—where the benefits of a policy increase as more people organize their activities around it—those early decisions become self-reinforcing. America’s transportation system developed this way. The century-old decision to base it on gasoline-powered automobiles led to a gigantic manufacturing capacity, along with roads, repair facilities, and fuelling stations that now make it exceedingly difficult to do things differently.
There’s a similar explanation for our employment-based health-care system. Like Switzerland, America made it through the war without damage to its domestic infrastructure. Unlike Switzerland, we sent much of our workforce abroad to fight. This led the Roosevelt Administration to impose national wage controls to prevent inflationary increases in labor costs. Employers who wanted to compete for workers could, however, offer commercial health insurance. That spurred our distinctive reliance on private insurance obtained through one’s place of employment—a source of troubles (for employers and the unemployed alike) that we’ve struggled with for six decades.
Some people regard the path-dependence of our policies as evidence of weak leadership; we have, they charge, allowed our choices to be constrained by history and by vested interests. But that’s too simple. The reality is that leaders are held responsible for the hazards of change as well as for the benefits. And the history of master-planned transformation isn’t exactly inspiring. The familiar horror story is Mao’s Great Leap Forward, where the collectivization of farming caused some thirty million deaths from famine. But, to take an example from our own era, consider Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s disastrous reinvention of modern military operations for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in which he insisted on deploying far fewer ground troops than were needed. Or consider a health-care example: the 2003 prescription-drug program for America’s elderly.
This legislation aimed to expand the Medicare insurance program in order to provide drug coverage for some ten million elderly Americans who lacked it, averaging fifteen hundred dollars per person annually. The White House, congressional Republicans, and the pharmaceutical industry opposed providing this coverage through the existing Medicare public-insurance program. Instead, they created an entirely new, market-oriented program that offered the elderly an online choice of competing, partially subsidized commercial drug-insurance plans. It was, in theory, a reasonable approach. But it meant that twenty-five million Americans got new drug plans, and that all sixty thousand retail pharmacies in the United States had to establish contracts and billing systems for those plans.
On January 1, 2006, the program went into effect nationwide. The result was chaos. There had been little realistic consideration of how millions of elderly people with cognitive difficulties, chronic illness, or limited English would manage to select the right plan for themselves. Even the savviest struggled to figure out how to navigate the choices: insurance companies offered 1,429 prescription-drug plans across the country. People arrived at their pharmacy only to discover that they needed an insurance card that hadn’t come, or that they hadn’t received pre-authorization for their drugs, or had switched to a plan that didn’t cover the drugs they took. Tens of thousands were unable to get their prescriptions filled, many for essential drugs like insulin, inhalers, and blood-pressure medications. The result was a public-health crisis in thirty-seven states, which had to provide emergency pharmacy payments for the frail. We will never know how many were harmed, but it is likely that the program killed people.
This is the trouble with the lure of the ideal. Over and over in the health-reform debate, one hears serious policy analysts say that the only genuine solution is to replace our health-care system (with a single-payer system, a free-market system, or whatever); anything else is a missed opportunity. But this is a siren song.
Yes, American health care is an appallingly patched-together ship, with rotting timbers, water leaking in, mercenaries on board, and fifteen per cent of the passengers thrown over the rails just to keep it afloat. But hundreds of millions of people depend on it. The system provides more than thirty-five million hospital stays a year, sixty-four million surgical procedures, nine hundred million office visits, three and a half billion prescriptions. It represents a sixth of our economy. There is no dry-docking health care for a few months, or even for an afternoon, while we rebuild it. Grand plans admit no possibility of mistakes or failures, or the chance to learn from them. If we get things wrong, people will die. This doesn’t mean that ambitious reform is beyond us. But we have to start with what we have.
hat kind of constraint isn’t unique to the health-care system. A century ago, the modern phone system was built on a structure that came to be called the P.S.T.N., the Public Switched Telephone Network. This automated system connects our phone calls twenty-four hours a day, and over time it has had to be upgraded. But you can’t turn off the phone system and do a reboot. It’s too critical to too many. So engineers have had to add on one patch after another.
The P.S.T.N. is probably the shaggiest, most convoluted system around; it contains tens of millions of lines of software code. Given a chance for a do-over, no self-respecting engineer would create anything remotely like it. Yet this jerry-rigged system has provided us with 911 emergency service, voice mail, instant global connectivity, mobile-phone lines, and the transformation from analog to digital communication. It has also been fantastically reliable, designed to have as little as two hours of total downtime every forty years. As a system that can’t be turned off, the P.S.T.N. may be the ultimate in path-dependence. But that hasn’t prevented dramatic change. The structure may not have undergone revolution; the way it functions has. The P.S.T.N. has made the twenty-first century possible.
So accepting the path-dependent nature of our health-care system—recognizing that we had better build on what we’ve got—doesn’t mean that we have to curtail our ambitions. The overarching goal of health-care reform is to establish a system that has three basic attributes. It should leave no one uncovered—medical debt must disappear as a cause of personal bankruptcy in America. It should no longer be an economic catastrophe for employers. And it should hold doctors, nurses, hospitals, drug and device companies, and insurers collectively responsible for making care better, safer, and less costly.
We cannot swap out our old system for a new one that will accomplish all this. But we can build a new system on the old one. On the start date for our new health-care system—on, say, January 1, 2011—there need be no noticeable change for the vast majority of Americans who have dependable coverage and decent health care. But we can construct a kind of lifeboat alongside it for those who have been left out or dumped out, a rescue program for people like Starla Darling.
In designing this program, we’ll inevitably want to build on the institutions we already have. That precept sounds as if it would severely limit our choices. But our health-care system has been a hodgepodge for so long that we actually have experience with all kinds of systems. The truth is that American health care has been more flotilla than ship. Our veterans’ health-care system is a program of twelve hundred government-run hospitals and other medical facilities all across the country (just like Britain’s). We could open it up to other people. We could give people a chance to join Medicare, our government insurance program (much like Canada’s). Or we could provide people with coverage through the benefits program that federal workers already have, a system of private-insurance choices (like Switzerland’s).
These are all established programs, each with advantages and disadvantages. The veterans’ system has low costs, one of the nation’s best information-technology systems for health care, and quality of care that (despite what you’ve heard) has, in recent years, come to exceed the private sector’s on numerous measures. But it has a tightly limited choice of clinicians—you can’t go to see any doctor you want, and the nearest facility may be far away from where you live. Medicare allows you to go to almost any private doctor or hospital you like, and has been enormously popular among its beneficiaries, but it costs about a third more per person and has had a hard time getting doctors and hospitals to improve the quality and safety of their care. Federal workers are entitled to a range of subsidized private-insurance choices, but insurance companies have done even less than Medicare to contain costs and most have done little to improve health care (although there are some striking exceptions).
Any of the programs could allow us to offer a starting group of Americans—the uninsured under twenty-five years of age, say—the chance to join within weeks. With time and experience, the programs could be made available to everyone who lacks coverage. The current discussion between the Obama Administration and congressional leaders seems to center on opening up the federal workers’ insurance options and Medicare (or the equivalent) this way, with subsidized premiums for those with low incomes. The costs have to be dealt with. The leading proposals would try to hold down health-care spending in various ways (by, for example, requiring better management of patients with expensive chronic diseases); employers would have to pay some additional amount in taxes if they didn’t provide health insurance for their employees. There’s nothing easy about any of this. But, if we accept it, we’ll all have a lifeboat when we need one.
It won’t necessarily be clear what the final system will look like. Maybe employers will continue to slough off benefits, and that lifeboat will grow to become the entire system. Or maybe employers will decide to strengthen their benefits programs to attract employees, and American health care will emerge as a mixture of the new and the old. We could have Medicare for retirees, the V.A. for veterans, employer-organized insurance for some workers, federally organized insurance for others. The system will undoubtedly be messier than anything an idealist would devise. But the results would almost certainly be better.
Massachusetts, where I live and work, recently became the first state to adopt a system of universal health coverage for its residents. It didn’t organize a government takeover of the state’s hospitals or insurance companies, or force people into a new system of state-run clinics. It built on what existed. On July 1, 2007, the state began offering an online choice of four private insurance plans for people without health coverage. The cost is zero for the poor; for the rest, it is limited to no more than about eight per cent of income. The vast majority of families, who had insurance through work, didn’t notice a thing when the program was launched. But those who had no coverage had to enroll in a plan or incur a tax penalty.
The results have been remarkable. After a year, 97.4 per cent of Massachusetts residents had coverage, and the remaining gap continues to close. Despite the requirement that individuals buy insurance and that employers either provide coverage or pay a tax, the program has remained extremely popular. Repeated surveys have found that at least two-thirds of the state’s residents support the reform.
The Massachusetts plan didn’t do anything about medical costs, however, and, with layoffs accelerating, more people require subsidized care than the state predicted. Insurance premiums continue to rise here, just as they do elsewhere in the country. Many residents also complain that eight per cent of their income is too much to pay for health insurance, even though, on average, premiums amount to twice that much. The experience has shown national policymakers that they will have to be serious about reducing costs.
For all that, the majority of state residents would not go back to the old system. I’m among them. For years, about one in ten of my patients—I specialize in cancer surgery—had no insurance. Even though I’d waive my fee, they struggled to pay for their tests, medications, and hospital stay.
I once took care of a nineteen-year-old college student who had maxed out her insurance coverage. She had a treatable but metastatic cancer. But neither she nor her parents could afford the radiation therapy that she required. I made calls to find state programs, charities—anything that could help her—to no avail. She put off the treatment for almost a year because she didn’t want to force her parents to take out a second mortgage on their home. But eventually they had to choose between their daughter and their life’s savings.
For the past year, I haven’t had a single Massachusetts patient who has had to ask how much the necessary tests will cost; not one who has told me he needed to put off his cancer operation until he found a job that provided insurance coverage. And that’s a remarkable change: a glimpse of American health care without the routine cruelty.
It will be no utopia. People will still face co-payments and premiums. There may still be agonizing disputes over coverage for non-standard treatments. Whatever the system’s contours, we will still find it exasperating, even disappointing. We’re not going to get perfection. But we can have transformation—which is to say, a health-care system that works. And there are ways to get there that start from where we are.
Ellen and Steve Sunderland in D.C. for the Inauguration
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On MLK Day, the day before the inauguration Steve and I walked to the Mall. The city filling up with cars and people.
? Steve at Lincoln Memorial on MLK Day. His legs held out better than mine (we are the same age).
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The crowds in the streets on Inauguration day were overwhelming. I’ve never seen anything like it. The temperature was cold, but the spirit was wonderful. Photos by Steve Sunderland
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Hi Ellen,
Here is my vision for Earth Hour Cincinnati as it is now: to have the Mayor officially proclaim that Cincinnati will take part in Earth Hour and publicly ask everyone in the city to participate. Have the major large buildings that make up the Cincinnati skyline participate (P&G, 5/3 Bank, Kroger, etc.). From 8:00AM to 2:00PM on March 28, stage events at Fountain Square about climate change, the environment, energy, etc. Have someone from The Climate Project (the people that Al Gore personally trained to give his presentation) give part of his presentation. Display short clips from Earth Hour, 350.org <http://350.org> , 1Sky.org, The Climate Project, etc. on the large video screen overlooking Fountain Square. Ask each one of those orgs if they want to make a special short video thanking Cincinnati for participating in Earth Hour (assuming it becomes official) to show on the screen over the Square, and also ask them to post that video on their websites. Get the message to Obama and ask him to make Washington DC the seventh capital city to participate in Earth Hour, and challenge all national leaders to do the same. (See below email which I think you've seen already.)
Since the Salon group is a known power on City Council, I thought I would see if you guys were interested in contacting the council/Mayor and asking that the city officially participate, and spreading the message across all of your networks. I think that would have a much greater impact than me alone meeting with him (which I'm also going to do) and/or sending an email to the city proclamations request address for a proclamation (which I've already done). I'm also open to another other ideas any Salonista has about how to make this vision a reality. :0)
(here is an old list of council members and some media persons to help you contact them. Phone calls are good, too. City Hall main number: 513 591 6000. ellen)
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http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/pages/-3412-/ a list of council members and phone numbers... the above plus Bortz, Qualls.
Main City web page: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/index.html?CFID=1009449&CFTOKEN=56088846
Thanks!
Jeff
If you are concerned about climate change, then consider taking part in Earth Hour www.earthhour.org <http://www.earthhour.org> . This involves turning off all lights in your home on Saturday March 28 @ 8:30 PM for one hour, as a way of showing that you care enough about climate change to take action.
I can't imagine a more win-win situation than our new Green President having the White House and Washington DC honor Earth Hour, and asking the leaders of all other nations to do the same in their country. The White House Press Corps will do the advertising for free, everyone on the planet will focus on the Earth, energy use will drop, all for little or no money! You can write your Congresspeople to ask the President-Elect @ www.house.gov <http://www.house.gov> or www.senate.gov <http://www.senate.gov> , and/or ask the President-Elect directly @ change.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment_agenda/ <http://change.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment_agenda/> by clicking on 'Submit Your Ideas'. (Feel free to copy/paste the first two sentences of this paragraph if you are pressed for time, then hit 'Submit Form.')
The leadership of 168 cities have committed to participating, as have six national capitals around the world. Last year 50 million individual people honored Earth Hour by turning off their lights for one hour. Are you ready to take action on climate change? Join us!
Jeff Cobb
Climate Change Advocates of Cincinnati
http://climate-change-advocates-of-cincinnati.groups.local.1sky.org/en/summary/
"'Congratulations - just remember one thing: from now on you will always eat well and you'll never hear the truth again.' And that stuck with me," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen quoting a letter sent to him on being promoted to Admiral
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Books,Movies, Reviews It’s up to you folks to send me blurbs. I know you are reading. and going to movies. What? Is it good? Ellen.............................................
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Tri-State Treasures
Tri-State Treasures is a compilation of unique local people, places, and events that may enrich your lives. These treasures have been submitted by you and others who value supporting quality community offerings. Please consider supporting these treasures, and distributing the information for others to enjoy. And please continue forwarding your Tri-State Treasures ideas to jkesner@nuvox.net.
Information about Tri-State Treasures and how to submit them is at the bottom of this email. Please help me by providing all basic information, and formatting your submissions as described below. Thank you.
Sincerely, Jim
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Renew America Together: President Obama believes that we, as Americans, have a responsibility to help our communities & fellow citizens. In summoning a new spirit of service, he is calling on us to make an enduring commitment to our neighborhoods. Sign up today @ www.usaservice.org & let's renew America together.
Click for Free Food for Hungry Animals: Click on the purple button at The Animal Rescue Site & give food to an animal living in a shelter or sanctuary - at no cost to you. Remember to do it daily by putting it on your Outlook calendar or requesting daily email reminders. Go to www.theanimalrescuesite.com/tpc/ERA_011309_ARS.
La Petite France Celebrates 25th Anniversary: Alliance Française announces the anniversary celebration of La Petite France during February. This lovely French restaurant & bistro with an authentic feel opened its doors 25 years ago. It has been the lifework of Danièle Crandall, a longtime member & supporter of the Alliance Française. Danièle was born & raised in the Pas de Calais region of Northern France. She grew up working in family restaurants where she developed her culinary skills. She has received numerous awards & honors for her authentic style of French cooking. To honor the anniversary & to thank her clients, Danièle has created a 3-course dinner menu for the special price of $25. (Not valid with other special offers or discount certificates.) This promotion will be available during February (except Valentine’s Day). At La Petite France, 3177 Glendale-Milford Road, Evendale, OH 45241. More info & RSVP @ 513-733-8383, info@LaPetiteFrance.biz & www.lapetitefrance.biz.
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Bobby Broom Deep Blue Organ Trio [Thursday 29 January @ 7:30 PM]: Bobby Broom, the original recording artist & guitarist of Sonny Rollins' working group, leads his current working combo. Celebrating the classic jazz combo configuration of the Hammond B3 organ, guitar & drums, plus the Black-American experience thru music, Chris Foreman, Greg Rockingham & Bobby Broom bring a modern edge to a musical timepiece. Admission is $5; free if jazz club member or if you come to happy hour (5-7 PM). Free parking. At The Redmoor, 3187 Linwood Avenue, Mt Lookout Square, Cincinnati, OH 45208. More info @ 513.871.6789, waltb31@gmail.com & www.jaspersmtlookout.com.
European Country Briefing Series: France [Thursday 29 January @ 5:30-7:30 PM]: The European-American Chamber of Commerce invites you to the kick off their European Country Briefing Series with the country of France. The Series is a new quarterly program of the EACC, featuring briefings on 4 European countries in 2009: France, Austria, Belgium & the UK. For this 1st event, Consul General of France, Jean-Baptiste Main de Boissière along with Jean-Pierre Novak & Servan Cazenave at the Invest in France Agency will present investment opportunities in France, the country's position in Europe, its relationship with the USA & its accomplishment as outgoing Presidency of the EU. Presentations will be followed by a cocktail reception. $25 for members, $35 for non-members, $50 at the door. At the Cincinnatian, 601 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.852.6510, EACC@europe-cincinnati.com & www.europe-cincinnati.com/index.php?id=982.
Sir Roger Norrington Opera Rap [Thursday 29 January @ 7 PM]: Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director Evans Mirageas will engage legendary conductor Sir Roger Norrington in this rare & stimulating conversation about famous recordings that provided music lovers a new-found appreciation for Mozart, & an intro to Maestro Norrington’s interpretation of Cincinnati Opera’s 2009 production of The Marriage of Figaro. Tickets are $5. At Music Hall’s Corbett Tower, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info & tix @ 513.241.2742 & www.cincinnatiopera.org.
Raymond Lane, Jr. Art Exhibit [opening Friday 30 January @ 5-8 PM]: Raymond Lane Jr., a local artist, will host an opening reception for his original clay sculptures of Harriet Tubman. A unique chance to view this collection of 6 sculptures in uniquely historical setting. Children, students, teachers & adults are encouraged to attend this art opening that also includes events from the Underground Railroad. Free admission; donations welcome. Exhibit closing reception will be Friday 3 April @ 5-8 PM. At the new Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 2nd Floor Gallery, 2950 Gilbert Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45206. More info @ 513.324.2218 & stowehouse@zoomtown.com.
Forgotten Cincinnati Opening [Friday 30 January @ 6-9 PM]: From abandoned amusement parks & crumbling breweries to forgotten neighborhoods & other derelict structures & locales, Sherman Cahal & Ronny Salerno present photographs of a deserted Queen City. Exhibit runs thru Thursday 26 February. At Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.721.7275 & info@parkandvine.com.
The James Hart Quartet & Guests [Friday-Saturday 30-31 January @ 9 PM - 1 AM]: James Hart on piano, Jim Anderson on bass & Mark Wolfley on drums will be joined by 2 musicians from CCM: trombonist Marc Fields on Friday night, & vibraphonist Rusty Burge on Saturday night. Marc Fields fronts the band with his virtuosic & mellow interpretations of jazz standards. Rusty Burge will do what he does best: thrill his audience musically & visually with a blizzard of notes followed by the most beautiful harmonic & melodic improvisations. Both are outstanding musicians who have performed with so many of the greats, & traveled the world performing to thrilled audiences. And all this beautiful music in the lush surroundings of the art deco Palm Court Room, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel, 35 West 5th Street @ Race, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.421.9100.
Be My Secret Valentine - PreValentines Day Art Sale [Friday-Saturday 30-31 January @ 6-10 PM (Fri) & 11 AM - 3 PM (Sat)]: Pick up a personal gift for your Valentine at Studio 313 & get 10-50% off selected works. Celebrate, eat, drink & talk to 12 exhibiting artists about their paintings, photographs, ceramics, jewelry & enamel miniatures. Tim Freeman, Karen Gaski, Ann Geise, Tom & Mary Kinney, Thomas McFarlane, Francis Michaels, Karen Minzner, Judi Parks, Suzzanna Shehata, Gina Stevenson & Jay Wolford. Free; valet parking $4, free shuttle from parking lot corner @ Reading Rd. & Pendleton St. At Studio 313, Pendleton Art Center, 1310 Pendleton Street, Cincinnati, OH 43202. More info @ 513.843.2710, judiparks@gmail.com, http://pendletonartcenter.com/ebrochure.pdf & www.pendletonstudio313.blogspot.com.
Going Local: Ideas & Resources for Eating Closer to Home [Saturday 31 January @ 9 AM-Noon]: Steve Edwards is an organic farmer with the Earth-Shares Community Supported Agriculture program at Grailville & board member of Ohio Ecological Food & Farming Association. Deborah Jordan is a producer of the Central Ohio River Valley Food Guide & member of the Enright Ridge Ecovillage. They will engage the group in activities to inform & deepen commitment to "going local," including their personal journeys to local, organic foods; pros & cons of CSAs, farmer’s markets, growing your own & other ways of finding local foods; & photo tour of food resources in our area. The workshop will be followed by an optional lunch & tour of the food production facilities at Grailville. Workshop is $25; lunch & tour is $10. At Grailville Retreat & Program Center, 932 O'Bannonville Road, Loveland, OH 45140. More info & registration @ 513.683.2340 & www.grailville.org.
Winter Cycling [Saturday 31 January @ 11 AM]: Stay green when everything else has turned gray at this free class on riding your bike during the winter months. Pick up tips & lots of encouragement on making it thru the perennial arctic blast from Kerry Nordstrom of Campus Cyclery & Sarai Snyder of Reser Bicycle Outfitters. Locally-roasted coffee provided. At Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info & RSVP @ 513.721.7275 & info@parkandvine.com.
Chinese New Year Celebration - Year of the Ox [Saturday 31 January @ 1-4 PM]: Dance performance, different cultural stations, managed by the Liuzhou ESL teachers from Cin-Liu Sister City Program TE 10. Bamboo dance for all, Dragon parade finale. No food or drinks offered. Come early; expected 500 people to attend. Presented by Cin-Liu Sister City Committee. At Cincinnati Main Public Library, Children's Learning Center, 9th & Vine, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.369.6922.
Oil & Water: The Paintings of Jose Luis Nunez & Tom Saulino [opening Saturday 31 January @ 4-8 PM]: Check out the remarkable paintings of these two outstanding young artists. Wine & hors d'oeuvres. Exhibit runs thru Saturday 28 February. At Gallery 42 Fine Art, 105 East Main Street, Mason, OH 45040. More info @ 513.234.7874 & www.gallery42fineart.com.
Chinese School Spring Festival [Saturday 31 January @ 5:30 PM]: Performances by Chinese School students & Chinese dinner. Presented by Greater Cincinnati Chinese School. At Mason Middle School, 6370 Mason-Montgomery Road, Mason, OH 45040. More info @ jayshi@cinci.rr.com.
Reiki 1 & 2 [Saturday 31 January & Sunday 1 February @ 9 AM - 5 PM]: Learn this Japanese relaxation & stress reduction technique with Marion Corbin-Mayer, MA/RMT. Reiki 1 includes lecture, attunement & lots of practice (certificate awarded at the end of each day, 8.5 CNE per class). Reiki 2 includes symbols & distance healing techniques (8.5 CNE for each class). Reiki 1 is $127; Reiki 2 is $175; $50 deposit & reservations required per level; $275 for both if PIF. At Creative Catalysts, Studio #231 in Essex Studios, 2511 Essex Place, Cincinnati, OH 45206. More info @ 513.368.1994 & www.creativecatalysts.net.
Cloth Diapering Cuteness [Sunday 1 February @ 2 PM]: An informal class on all aspects of cloth diapering the 1st Sunday of each month. Their 2 in-house mamas tailor each discussion to the specific questions of present parents. Afterward, browse the best selection of cloth diapers in Cincinnati & take advantage of Park + Vine's package discounts. At Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.721.7275 & info@parkandvine.com.
State of Eight - Presidential Exhibit [Sunday 1 February - Wednesday 1 April @ 8 AM - 4 PM]: The William Howard Taft National Historic site hosts a traveling exhibit celebrating Presidents day; a Bicentennial Tribute to Ohio's Presidential Legacy, on loan from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center that examines the influential role that Ohio has played in presidential politics: 8 men elected President of the United States. A series of panels explores the lives of these leaders, plus broader aspects of the Buckeye State's presidential legacy. Ohio cities have been sites for 5 presidential conventions hosted by major parties & more than 20 third-party gatherings. A long list of Ohio hopefuls tried but failed to reside in the White House, including female presidential candidate, Victoria Woodhull, in 1872. National Park Service staff provide tours. Free admission. At William Howard Taft National Historic Site, 2038 Auburn Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45219; ask about free parking. More info @ 513.684.3262 & www.nps.gov/wiho.
Appearances by Artist, Writer & Spiritualist Rex Oxley with his Natural Mandala [Sunday 1 February thru 30 April]:
<> Meditate on Rex Oxley's Natural Mandala [Sundays 1 February to 30 April @ 10:30 AM]: The region’s only member of the United Churches of Spiritual Living will use the inspiration, creativity & earthiness of the mandala as the basis of Sunday talks while the Ohio artist's spiritual artwork hangs at Beacon of Life Spiritual Center. Artist Oxley will lead meditation workshops & talk about his meditative creative process in building the mandala.
<> Meet Rex Oxley [Fri 20 Feb @ 6:30-8:30 PM]: Meet Rex Oxley & see his natural mandala.
<> Celebrate Mother Earth with a Mandala Meditation [Wed 22 Apr @ 7:30-9 PM]: Meet Rex Oxley with his natural mandala.
<> Mandala Meditation Workshops [Sat 21 Feb @ 1:30-4:30 PM & Thu 26 Mar @ 6:30-9 PM]: Rex Oxley leads how-to-meditate workshops based on his natural mandala. $15.
At Beacon of Life Spiritual Center, 5701 Murray Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45227. More info @ 513.218.2128, info@beaconoflife.org, www.beaconoflife.org & www.naturalmandala.com.
Pandora Discussion [Monday 2 February @ 7-9 PM]: Tim Westergren, Chief Strategy Officer & Founder of Pandora Radio, is traveling the country to meet with listeners to collect feedback, research local music & spread the word of the Music Genome Project. Tim will host a free town hall discussion in Clifton, sharing some Pandora/Music Genome Project history, an update on what they've got cookin' & answer questions about the service & company. A free, fun, interesting & informal evening. At the Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45220. More info @ 513.723.1180, tmc@one.net, www.pandora.com & http://blog.pandora.com/pandora/.
A Green Home [Wednesday 4 February @ 6-8 PM]: Attend the Krohn Conservatory's kick-off of the “Living the Green Life Mayor’s Green Lecture Series.” The 1st program provides simple ways of making your home green. Sponsored by Duke Energy, Toyota, Brand Image, Worms Way & Andy’s Mediterranean Grille. At Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.421.5707, Andrea.Schepmann@cincinnati-oh.gov & www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityparks/pages/-3452-/.
Chinese Tea Tasting [Wednesday 4 February @ 6:30-8:30 PM]: Taste & discuss Essencha's Chinese tea selections, from Keemuns to Silver Needles & just about everything in between that's Chinese. There will be a bit of discussion of history & culture. Learn various methods of preparing these wonderful teas. Light foods are included. Reservations required, $18 per person. At Essencha Tea House, 3212a Madison Road, Cincinnati OH, 45209. RSVP @ 513.533.4832 & tea@essencha.com. More info @ www.essencha.com.
Gem of the Ocean [Wednesday 4 - Sunday 27 February]: Nominated for 5 Tonys, including Best Play, August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean is a powerful & evocative look at the culture & tradition of 20th-century African-American life. Reality & mysticism collide in this haunting, soulful tale that chronologically begins Wilson's epic 10-play "Century Cycle" about the African-American experience & sets the stage for his other plays, including last season's sold-out production of his final chapter "Radio Golf." This is "Wilson's juiciest material" ~ Chicago Tribune. Pay-What-You-Can preview is Mon 2 Feb @ 7 PM. At Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, 1127 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info & tix @ 513.421.3555, boxoffice@cincyetc.com & www.cincyetc.com.
Cincinnati Klezmer Project [Thursday 5 February @ 7:30 PM]: Since 1993, Greater Cincinnati’s top Klezmer ensemble has performed Eastern European Jewish folk music & Yiddish & Israeli songs at secular & sacred venues across the region. Recording artist & Miami University professor Michele Gingras joins accomplished guitarist Steven F. Stuhlbarg & mandolin player Irina Bernadsky in the performance of this energetic & expressive style of music. At The Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center, 1028 Scott Boulevard, Covington, KY 41011. More info & tix @ 859.491.2030, www.thecarnegie.com/theatre/theatre.php & www.klezmerproject.com.
Chinese Lunar New Year Gala [Friday 6 February @ 5-9:30 PM]: Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce presents this gala, featuring a gourmet Chinese dinner, silent auction, cultural performance & a keynote speech "Future Trends in China & Potential Business Impact" by Chris Hassall, P&G's Vice President of Corporate Communications & North America External Relations. Enjoy an evening of networking with local businesses. Tickets are $60 for members; $80 for non-members; reservation @ ChineseChamberOffice@gmail.com. At the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel, 35 West 5th Street, Downtown Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.852.4100, admin@gcccc.us & www.cincychinesechamber.org.
DIY Herbalism for the Thrifty Greenie [Saturday 7 February @ 11 AM]: Make your New Year's resolutions come true & create a sustainable you, inside & out, with Herbalist Abby Artemisia. Learn how to make shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste & more using procured herbs & other natural ingredients. $40 registration payable upon arrival. At Park + Vine, 1109 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.721.7275 & abbyartemisia@yahoo.com.
Tom Calarco Book Signing [Saturday 7 February @ 4-6 PM]: Author Tom Calarco will sign copies of his recently published non-fiction book People of the Underground Railroad: A Biographical Dictionary. This 408-page hard-cover book retails for $75. The book features brief biographies of individuals associated with the Underground Railroad along with photographs. The Underground Railroad may be the best example in U.S. history of blacks & whites working together for a common good. Free admission; donations accepted. At Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 2950 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45207. More info @ 513.751.0651, stowehouse@zoomtown.com, tomcalarco@adelphia.net, www.harrietbeecherstowe.org & www.greenwood.com/catalog/gr3924.aspx.
Oh Freedom! A Musical Tribute to African-American History [Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays 7-21 February]: Cincinnati Opera presents 9 free community performances of Oh Freedom!, a musical tribute to African-American history. Through story-telling & song, Oh Freedom! chronicles the struggle from slavery thru the Civil Rights Movement. This 45-minute piece for families includes music from spirituals & gospel to opera arias including “Go Down Moses,” “Lift Ev’ry Voice & Sing,” “Summertime,” & many more. More info, dates, times & locations @ 513.768.5562 & www.cincinnatiopera.org/content.jsp?articleId=746.
Tour of French Art Treasures [Sunday 8 February @ 2 PM]: The Alliance Française & Taft Museum of Art present an interactive gallery tour of major works of French art at the Taft Museum. This tour will be led by Eric M. Lee, Ph.D., Director of the museum. Refreshments & a social hour will follow the tour. Dr. Lee will discuss the historical & social context, & provenance of French paintings & decorative arts at the Taft including the ivory Virgin & Child from the Abbey of Saint Denis, which is arguably the most important Gothic sculpture in North America. $25 for Alliance Française or Taft Museum members; $35 for non-members. Registration includes tour, refreshments, & a tax-deductible donation to the Alliance Française. At Taft Museum of Art, 315 Pike Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (meet in the lobby by the gift shop). Parking on the street or in the Museum garage. More info & RSVP @ 513.352.5140, www.taftmuseum.org & www.france-cincinnati.com/af/.
The New School Montessori Open House [Sunday 8 February @ 2-4 PM]: The New School Montessori in North Avondale invites families to visit their facility. Teachers, parents & school administrators will happily answer questions as you wander thru the beautiful Mitchell mansion that houses the school. At 3 Burton Woods Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45229. More info @ 513.281.7999 & www.thenewschool.cc.
Pam Rose & Jason Wilber Concert [Sunday 8 February @ 7:30 PM]: Few voices have the power to cut to the bone like Pam Rose's. She is a profound songwriting & consummate musicianship on a variety of instruments. Classically trained, her roots are acoustic rock & folk; her soul is Southern. Rose & writing partner Mary Ann Kennedy have been nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for their acclaimed duo Kennedy Rose, which has performed twice for President Bill Clinton, & at the Nobel Peace Prize Presentation in Oslo. Pam will be joined onstage by folk singer/songwriter Jason Wilber, who has pleasing audiences in the US & Europe with witty & insightful songs featured on his 5 solo CDs. Jason has played lead guitar for notable folk, rock, and country artists such as John Prine, & appeared often on radio & TV including Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Austin City Limits, The Grand Ole Opry, to name a few. Presented by Greater Cincinnati Performing Arts Society. At the Gallagher Student Center, Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207. More info @ www.gcparts.org.
Reiki 2nd Degree Classes, Practice & Attunement. [Wednesdays 11, 18 & 25 February @ 7-9 PM]: After this class, you'll be able to use more power, healing over distances, & do emotional/mental healing. It's fun to watch folk be amazed at themselves. Classes taught by Patricia Garry; $90 for the 3 sessions. More info, location & registration @ 513.281.6864 & patricia@patriciagarry.com.
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Ongoing Tri-State Treasures
I Love You Because: A Modern Day Musical Love Story [thru Saturday 21 February @ 8 PM]: Geeky Greeting Card Writer, Austin Bennett, has his life turned upside down when he finds his girlfriend with another man. This is a charming & wickedly funny musical about finding love where it's least expected. By Joshua Salzman & Ryan Cunningham. 2 performances on Valentines Day @ 4 PM & 8 PM. at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, 1120 Jackson Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info & tix @ 513.300.5669 & www.knowtheatre.com.
Positively Ninety - Interviews with Lively Nonagenarians [thru Saturday 7 March @ 6-8 PM]: An exhibit of photographs & writings about the incredible liveliness of nonagenarians by Connie Springer, writer & photographer. With partial funding from the City of Cincinnati's Individual Artist's Grant. At Kennedy Heights Arts Center, 6546 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45213. More info @ 513.631.4278, larkspur@fuse.net & www.kennedyarts.org.
St Mary's Cathedral Basilica Concert Series [Sundays thru 15 March @ 3 PM]: Enjoy beautiful music in an amazing space. St Mary's Cathedral Basilica presents the 33rd Series of concert music. Most concerts are free. At St Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Madison Avenue @ 12th Street, Covington, KY 41011. More info @ 859.431.2060, cathedralconcertseries@fuse.net & www.covcathedral.com/frame1.htm.
Miami University Italian-American Film Series [Wednesdays thru 29 April @ 7:30 PM]: Curated & presented by Professor Sante Matteo. Free & open to the public. In 102 Benton Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056. This venue is a recently refurbished auditorium with very comfortable seating (& convenient adjacent parking) on the north side of High Street (Route 27 N from Cincinnati) at the intersection of Tallawanda Street. Map @ www.miami.muohio.edu/about_miami/campusmap/. More info @ matteos@muohio.edu.
Feb 4: Marty (1955) Delbert Mann
Feb 11: Big Night (1996) Stanley Tucci and Scott Campbell
Feb 18: A Bronx Tale (1993) Robert De Niro
Feb 25: Jungle Fever (1991) Spike Lee
Mar 4: Somebody up There Likes Me (1956) Robert Wise, with Paul Newman
Mar 18: Son of the Sheik, with Rudolf Valentino (1926) George Fitzmaurice
Mar 25: Saturday Night Fever (1977) John Badham
Apr 1: Donnie Brasco (1997) Mike Newell
Apr 8: The Godfather (1972), Francis Ford Coppola
Apr 15: Goodfellas (1990), Martin Scorsese
Apr 22: The Freshman (1990) Andrew Bergman
Apr 29: The Sopranos, episodes from the TV series, David Chase
Italian Film Series: Italy Is Made; Now We Must Make Italians [Thursdays thru 30 April @ 5 PM]: A 2nd film series curated & presented by Professor Sante Matteo. All movies are in Italian, some without English subtitles, & will be presented in Italian; those with English subtitles are noted. Free & open to the public. In 40 Irvin Hall, East Spring Street north of South Oak Street, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056. More info @ matteos@muohio.edu & www.miami.muohio.edu/about_miami/campusmap/.
Jan. 29: 1860, Alessandro Blasetti (1933), with subtitles
Feb. 5: Nabucco, opera, Giuseppe Verdi, 1842, with subtitles
Feb 12: Viva l’Italia, Roberto Rossellini (1960)
Feb. 19: Ernani, opera, Giuseppe Verdi, 1844, with subtitles
Feb. 26: Pinocchio, Roberto Benigni (2002), with subtitles
Mar. 5: Il Gattopardo, part I, Luchino Visconti (1963), subtitles
Mar. 19: Il Gattopardo, part II; Cavalleria rusticana, opera, Pietro Mascagni, 1890, subtitles
Mar. 26: Tosca, opera, Giacomo Puccini, 1900, subtitles
Apr. 2: Cuore, part I, Luigi Comencini (1984—TV mini-series)
Apr. 9: Cuore, part II
Apr. 16: Cuore, part III
Apr. 23: Tutti a casa, Luigi Comencini (1960)
Apr. 30: Tornando a casa, Vincenzo Marra (2001)
Course in Miracles Group [2nd & 4th Wednesday of each month @ 6-7:30 PM]: Based on a set of 3 books guiding the student to live the principles of forgiveness & peace of mind. $5 love offering. At the Jade Healing Center, 9122 Montgomery Road #11, Cincinnati, OH 45242. More info @ 513.309.8377, maryclaybon@gmail.com & www.themiddlewayhealth.com.
Be Organized in 2009 [3rd Tuesday of each month @ 6:30-8:30 PM]: Do you wish you were more organized in some area of your life? Whether you want to conquer your desk, a room in your home, or your life in general, invest in this monthly coaching circle with Marion Corbin-Mayer & Polly Giblin to help stay on target in 2009. Circle begins Tuesday 20 January, to occur on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. $30 per session; series of 6 for $150; $15 deposit & reservation required. At Creative Catalysts, Studio #231 in Essex Studios, 2511 Essex Place, Cincinnati, OH 45206. More info @ 513.368.1994 & www.creativecatalysts.net.
The Obameter: "I want you to hold our government accountable. I want you to hold me accountable." ~ Barack Obama. Now you can by monitoring http://politifact.org/truth-o-meter/.
The Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center recognizes that parents of young children need a place where they can be nurtured & celebrated. In the Center's cozy Victorian house in historic Northside, families can participate in a wide array of enrichment classes with their kids from infancy thru age 12: music, art, developmental play, foreign & sign languages, yoga, & much more. Parent workshops are offered to help parents with their skills, plus events for the whole family to enjoy together. Parents can socialize before & after classes while enjoying a cup of coffee in the sunroom or visiting the family playroom. From prenatal to preteen & everything in between. At the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center, 4244 Hamilton Avenue, Northside, Cincinnati, OH 45223. More info @ 513-591-2332, cfec@fuse.net & www.theplaceforfamilies.com.
Sunday Jazz Jam Sessions: ballet tech cincinnati has hosted monthly Jazz Jam Sessions on the 3rd Sunday of each month since January 2008. The Jam Sessions are open to the public, & offer a unique opportunity for jazz musicians of all ages & skill levels. Professional, college & high school musicians perform together or observe skilled jazz musicians in action. The audience of all ages enjoys great jazz in a relaxed no smoking/no alcohol atmosphere. The House Band provides keyboard, drum set, amplifiers, mikes & a rhythm section for sit-in musicians. At ballet tech cincinnati, 6543 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, OH 45213. More info @ 513.841.2822, marvel@zoomtown.com & www.ballettechcincinnati.org.
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Tri-State Treasures is compiled by Jim Kesner.
Submit Tri-State Treasures, or request your email address to be added or removed from the list by sending an email to jkesner@nuvox.net; please specify "Tri-State Treasures."
Email addresses are posted in BlindCopy to protect your identity. Email addresses are not shared, given, or sold without explicit permission from its owner.
Tri-State Treasures are typically transmitted on Wednesdays; submissions should be received as soon as possible for best probability of being included.
Because my time is limited, please help by submitting your Tri-State Treasures in the following format. This will help help me immeasurably & enhance the probability the item will be incorporated into Tri-State Treasures:
Brief Title of the Treasure [date @ time]: Brief description of the treasure; what is it; why is it wonderful & unique. Cost. Sponsor. Location including address & zip code. More info @ telephone, email, & website.
A Fictitious Example:
Fabulous Film Festival [Friday 3 May @ 8-10 PM]: The first & best fabulous film festival in the city of Cincinnati will present live-action, documentary, & short films. Blah, blah, blah. Presented by Flicks R Us. Tickets are $8. At The Movie Theatre, 111 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45200. More info @ 513.111.2222, info@filmfestival.com, & www.filmfestival.com.
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The Lloyd House Salon (usually about 12 people) Meets on WEDNESDAYS at 5:45, EVERY Wednesday, 52 WEEKS/YEAR come hell or high water, as my mother used to say.
We of the Lloyd House Salon gather in a spirit of respect, sympathy and compassion for one another in order to exchange ideas for our mutual pleasure and enlightenment. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Our Salon blog is a promising interactive site: http:lloydhouse.blogspot.com Also, we have an Interactive Yahoo Salon group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LloydHouseSalon ...........
For Pot Luck procedures including food suggestions, mission and history visit http://home.fuse.net/ellenbierhorst/Potluck.html . You are invited also to visit the Lloyd House website: http://www.lloydhouse.com > To unsubscribe from the Lloyd House Potluck Salon list, send a REPLY message to me and in the SUBJECT line type in "unsub potluck #". In the place of # > type in the numeral that follows the subject line of my Weekly email. It > will be 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. This tells me which sub-list your name is on so I can delete it. Thanks! ellen bierhorst
