I thought Festivus was simply a joke written for Seinfeld. I didn't know that it would become an enduring holiday where its celebrants vent their grievances and in general erect their own Anti-Holiday. Nor did I know that Dan O' Keefe, one of Seinfeld's writers, actually celebrated Festivus, a creation of a his father.
But yesterday New York Times writer Allen Salkin, author of Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us, explained this enduring and endearing holiday on 640 KFI's Bill Handel Show.
I'm no economist. Nor am I partisan. But our current health care system fails hard-working everyday people all the time.
Case in point. This morning, I talked to my gardner Francisco. He works 10-hour days six days a week. He has health insurance with a limit of $75,000. A year ago his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. The cost? Close to $300,000. He owes over $200,000 and he is trying to pay it off at $1,300 a month.
I don't know what should replace the current system, but I do know the status quo stinks.
After talking to Francisco, it was hard to say "Merry Christmas" without sounding cruel.
This morning on NPR's Saturday Edition with Scott Simon, a science report shows that men have this psychological need to aim when they using a urinal. Otherwise, there's spillage. A scientists found that in Holland the public urinals are emblazoned with a fly that cuts down on spillage by 80%. One of my favorite NPR stories ever.
Yes, the Minority Report is here after all. Wired Science reports that a brain scan was used for the first time to aid in the sentencing of a murder suspect.
We can argue the compromise of our civil rights in the face of "Minority Report" policing, not as an abstraction or philosophical idea coming in the future, but as an issue in the here and now. Yesterday on KPCC's Pat Morrison, she discussed the predictive policing meeting among criminal justice researchers.
Their purpose is to discuss the use of technology, statistics, and profiling in order to pinpoint crimes being conceived in criminals' minds. Minority Report, is coming sooner than we thought. Like most people, I'm ambivalent.
I just heard on Larry Mantle that Ruth Seymour, described as blunt but brilliant, will be leaving KCRW by February of 2010.
She was the first to develop synergy with public radio, taking risks with programming, introducing cutting edge music, and integrating the internet and other industries with KCRW's programming, making it one of the most successful NPR stations in the country.
Today on Pat Morrison, she will talk to Steve Bollard about how enrollment caps and unaffordable costs at community colleges and universities alike evidence that California, once the pride of higher education, may have entered its Educational Dark Ages.
Bill Handel on KFI did an excellent job this morning of reporting what I presume is the LA Times article about children being saved from a sex-trafficking ring.
The father of two daughters (one who wants to be a model), Handel gave an impassioned report on children, ages 9-19, who are often approached by pimps and their wives (I suppose the wives give these predators credibility) at malls who promise the girls modeling careers. They then enslave the girls and pimp them out. The stories of exploitation Handel reported on were, as you can imagine, gut-wrenching.
A huge raid led to the arrest of over 700 people, including customers here in the Los Angeles area.
Handel explained that our recession has made parents work more hours and spend less time with their children who left unattended grow apart from their parents and become more vulnerable to predators.
With is popular morning show, Handel did a commendable job of bringing this crisis to the attention of a lot of people.
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