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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Health Care in The United States of America


Finally, A Health Care Plan for The United States of America!

I have been watching the long and drawn out process in The United States as they have tried to work toward a health care system that they could be proud of. I have been asking myself just how do you call yourself the greatest country in the world, and yet your citizens are dying because they cannot get full cover health insurance; or the health insurance they do have has so many exclusions as to be useless?

Why has that situation gone for such a long time without the government having done something to rectify it? Both Democratic and Republican Presidents have looked at the problem, sniffed around it; some have made an attempt to have a go at fixing the problem, but the present President Obama committed his party to getting the job done.

On Tuesday, the 23rd March, 2010, history was made as The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2010 was signed into law by President Obama. Now, everyone in the United States, except illegal immigrants will have access to life saving health care. (This was also my daughter’s birthday, so a very appropriate day for such an important event.)

I would say Well Done America, except that would not be true when the entire Republican Party voted against the Bill. I am unable to say that they all believed it was a bad Bill, but this we do know for certain: It was a Democratic initiative, not a Republican one, and that’s the whole problem with the American system of politics. Party politics wherever practised puts party before country, and far too often the country suffers.

America! It was absolutely disgraceful and an abomination that you couldn’t have done the right thing and put in place a National Health Plan sooner so that annually, 100,000 citizens might not have died due to a lack of medical care. It didn’t have to be a perfect plan, but it had to be a useful program that would act as a lifeline for those in need.

Finally, a giant step forward has been taken, and all American residents will benefit. It is a great legacy for President Obama, who may yet turn out to be the greatest President of them all. America’s gamble has worked, in that the country chose the best candidate for the job. This is an important strategy for the future that any country should follow.

Congratulations! President Obama. We will now see a knock-on effect as other countries around the world follow your example. It is that important!

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Las Fiestas de la Fallas of Valencia









Las Fiestas de Las Fallas is Valencia. It is everything that Valencia is made of, including passión, religión, danger, fire, explosions, dangerous and very Mad Bulls, art, noise, incredible displays of fireworks, fashions, culture, history, custom, food, drink, dancing, music, colour, and excess, lots of excess.

For anyone who had been hiding under a rock, and who chose to arrive in Valencia by rail during the first three weeks of March, they would be met at the train station by an incredible amount of noise. They might choose not to get off the train as the sounds are similar to that of a war zone. From the first day of March the idea is to make as much noise on a continuous basis as we can so in order to chase away the old man of Winter. It always seems to work because on March 21st Spring officially arrives.

The weather had been so foul leading up to this year’s celebrations, that when the sun came out people joined in with such enthusiasm that we forgot our woes and the crisis. The basis of Fallas is the construction of monuments that tell some form of tale. They may be about local politics or international characters, and they should include something quite rude. Britain’s Royal Family have often been lambasted.

I first heard about this festival wherein monuments were constructed, some costing about as much as a brand new car. They are then planted in cross streets as the presentation of various clubs and associations. Money is raised to complete their presentations, and when the festival comes to an end they are set on fire where they stand. I couldn’t believe what I was being told and so had to see for myself what took place.

Last year we saw a monument that cost 900,000 euros to construct blown up and set on fire. True, it’s not quite the same thing as simply piling up notes to the total value of 900,000 euros and striking a match. That sum represented employment for several artisans for a year, and materials, plus the event itself brings into Valencia more than two million visitors, but still, I can’t help thinking about the poor, the homeless, the hungry who need help.

To describe in any kind of detail all of the things that happen during Fallas would be quite impossible. Fallas is the biggest festival on the Valencian calendar, bigger than America’s Cup; bigger than Formula One, and it is Valencia’s own creation. It truly is one of those things that has to be experienced personally to be believed.

One interesting aspect is that the interior of the city, which is a vast area excludes normal traffic flow, including public transport. People who live within can get accreditation for their vehicles, but getting around is very difficult. Some six hundred streets are cut off which makes moving in a vehicle very difficult, plus pedestrians take over complete streets, so someone behind the wheel of a car has to move at a walking pace. It’s an amazing thing to turn the heart of a city into a temporary pedestrian zone.

On the night of the 19th it is time to burn them all to the ground, and that signals the start of preparing for next year’s event. It is quite something to see the free flow of tears, not just in the young women, but also in grown men who have been closely involved with the project everyday for a year. Watching them burn must be something like cremating your grandmother. Very difficult to accept!

Not surprising, residents who are subject to non-stop noise, and restricted access to their homes take this time of year to go on warm vacations to South America. Who can blame them?

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Sidney Poitier


Sir Sidney Poitier

Sydney Poitier is twelve years my senior, having been born of Bahamian parents on February 27, 1927. Because his parents were in Miami at the time, and his birth was pre-mature he automatically came to hold American citizenship, together with his Bahamian status. On a side note, he is father to five daughters, including one whose name is Sydney Tamia Poitier. I particularly mention this for the avoidance of confusion.

Sidney Poitier’s life is a monument to dignity. He is an actor, director, author and a diplomat. His era was the same as James Earl Jones, and he had to fight a lot of the same unnecessary battles to overcome the odds against succeeding.

His early life was that of an unwanted (by white society) black young man who laboured in the usual list of menial jobs. He grew up on Cat Island Key in the Bahamas and in Nassau until he was 15. I have great empathy with this period in his life. In those days to be such a person you lived without any real ambition. Most people simply focused on what was available in their own neighbourhoods, but at age 15 Sidney was sent back to Miami to live with relatives, and at age 17 he set out to face real life in New York City.

It goes without saying that he would have been sorely tried in that environment. He joined the U.S. Army, probably out of a desperate attempt at survival. In New York he encountered the American Negro Theatre and auditioned and was thought to have promise. However, he spoke like someone from the Islands and had to brush up his vocal act. This was the turning point in his life, and although his career started in fits and starts he was eventually seen by the famous director Daryl F. Zanuck in 1950 who cast him in a starring role in “No Way Out.” He played the role of a black doctor who was confronted with having to save the life of a segregationist. He played the role so superbly that he had to be taken seriously.

That was followed by “Blackboard Jungle” in 1955 that gave him real momentum. However, he was cast to co-star in The Defiant One’s” alongside Robert Mitchum. The problem with this was that Mitchum refused to work alongside a black man, so Mitchum was sacked. That was a truly amazing thing to have happened at that time. His place was taken by Tony Curtis and was a great success.

The details of Sidney’s life is what makes him so interesting. His list of accomplishments read like the history of Hollywood itself. All the while we have to keep in mind the humble beginnings from whence he came. None of the people with whom he associated would have said to him that when he was being honoured by the movers and shakers of the world, that he should remember his roots, because such a possibility would have been absurd.

Looking briefly at his work we see that he has 52 film credits, including many hits. He directed 9 films, and starred in eight Made-for-Television films.

His two most memorable films, in my view are “Guess who’s Coming to Dinner”, and “They Call me MISTER Tibbs!” These films when viewed in today’s world might seem somewhat tame, but at the time they were electrifying to white audiences, and especially to black audiences they were heart-stopping. I also think they were instrumental in moving the civil rights argument ahead by a quantum leap.

In 1974, Sidney Poitier was made a KBE by Queen Elizabeth II. That is to say that he became a Knight Commander of the British Empire. This means that he is entitled to be known as Sir Sidney Poitier, and his wife is Lady Poitier. Neither he or his wife actively use their titles, but under his association with the Bahamas and The Commonwealth, these are legal designations to which they are entitled.

Interestingly, when we watched the very stirring classroom tearjerker in 1996 called “To Sir, With Love”, we had no idea that he was a real and legal “Sir.”

It is my great honour to say that I met Sidney Poitier in London when he was directing “A Warm December.” He actually considered me to audition for a pivotal role as the doctor . I think I have no acting skills, and in light of the fact that he stands for excellence, I thought it best not to even try. Perhaps I was wrong.

Sidney has gathered at least 15 awards or forms of recognition throughout his long and distinguished career, including the Oscar for “Lillies of the Fields,” and in 2009 President Barak Obama bestowed The American “Medal of Freedom” upon him for a life well lived.

Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones. Two giants of the same entertainment industry of the same era, who could have been competitors, but who worked together for the furtherance of their art, the industry, and for civil rights. Humanity owes these two men so much, but we were entertained while growing up, so we don’t even realise what was accomplished. The American voters learned to vote for the best option without any unnecessary fixed criteria, and that is a wonderful thing for the world at large.

To Sidney Poitier I say “Live Long my friend. Live to see your great granddaughter grow up. Live to enjoy your daughters’ happiness. It is my honour to have met you and to have lived within your era. Live long, Live well, Live happy, and continue to live with dignity. Well Done, Sir!”

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

Sunday, March 7, 2010

A Day at the Spa


How to Pamper Yourself

We were going to have a day at the Spa back in October, however I chose to have a day at the hospital instead by having a motor cycle accident. I have learned not to confuse the two in future. Then my wife and I were going to go away in December but I was having therapy everyday, so that got scrubbed. But, Lorna hit upon a great idea. There is an exclusive hotel and spa near to us where we could go on a day pass. Trouble with that is they closed over the Christmas and New Year period. Probably something to do with staff wanting to have holidays so that they could go home to be with family over that period of time, or some other such “trivial” reason.
Then it occurred to Lorna that there is another exclusive spa within distance of home that is used by members of the Valencia Football Club. The manager is someone known to Lorna so we went on a reconnoiter to see what was what. Turns out we were welcome to spend a day there, and we can become members if we so choose. To make matters even better, the facilities were just perfect to help my therapy.
There is a water circuit that consists of several types of treatments. Firstly you have to take a normal shower before entering any of the specialized rooms. We went to the dry saunas where we roasted ourselves, then back to the showers. Then came the cold shower room where you enter a cubicle, and if you really like pain you stood under a bucket that was filled with ice cold water. By pulling a cord the water tipped over you. Assuming you didn't actually pass out you then went back to the normal shower to warm up.
Then came two troughs of water with hard smooth rocks on the bottom. The idea was to walk first along the warm water side and then cross over to the cold side. This treatment should be done five times. As my leg was swollen it was suggested that I do exactly this at home, using first cold and then hot water to try and decrease the swelling.
There was another sauna, this time a wet room where the mist was so dense you could not see your hand. There could have been other people there but unless they coughed or said something their identity would have been safe.
Then we went on to a room where there was a basin that had fine chipped ice that you were supposed to rub over yourself. I rubbed a little on my leg but I was very frugal with those people's ice. They didn't have to refill the tray because of me. Then we could completely immerse ourselves in a small pool of heated water, which was just to my liking, and following that we could get out and go into another small pool of cold water. I considered they were going a little bit too far with this theme by this time.
Then came a big pool with water massage stations and one where the water cascades over your head and shoulders. That was my favorite. I could have stayed there forever, but it was not to be as we had booked the honeymoon treatments, so after an hour and a half of messing about on the water circuit it was time to head to the Honeymoon Suite. It was nice to know that we can go back anytime to repeat the water circuit at 32 euros a time.
The Honeymoon treatment consists of first each of us going to a separate room where we were immersed in a tub of bubbling water. I made sure it was just bubbling and not actually boiling. They then poured in some chocolate to flavor the water. I panicked just then until I remembered that we were in Valencia and not Borneo. I asked whether I could actually drink the water as it smelled so delicious. They said I could, but that I shouldn't try to drink the tub dry.
The tub gave a wonderful massage and was so relaxing that I started to fall asleep. The only thing that stopped me was that I was in a deep dish tub and if I slipped down it would probably feel heavenly, but that is where I would have been headed.
After that was over, and I have to be honest, I didn't want it to end, we were both taken to a single room where two people, one assigned to each of us, gave us the most luxurious all-over body massage using chocolate oil. I thought by now my name was Cad Bury. I have had some pretty good body massages by airport security but this was unlike anything else. When it was over, and I must be honest, I didn't want it to end, (did I say that already?) I explained to my masseur that although I had tried my best I could not scrub all the chocolate off in the shower.
It took him a full minute to realize I had just told him a joke.
We shall return, although in reality no-one deserves to be that pampered.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael