Finally, some effective television ads regarding healthcare reform. To the point and very creative. Have you seen other ads you like? What makes them good ads? Share them in the comments (you can post a link or embed the video code).
There's a lot we can learn from Jane Hamsher's media presence this past week (in addition to her blog FireDogLake's concerted efforts along with local bloggers to support Democrats who are wholly behind a public option).
But check out this that Andrea Mitchell conducted with her. There are numerous lessons for us to learn from how Hamsher framed the debate, how she was gently on the offensive during the whole interview, and how she would NOT let Mitchell's presentation of what had been told to the media be the END all for the discussion (see her "why not?" about Evan Bayh). Too often, the media tells people its interviewing that so and so said this and the "this" goes unchallenged. I applaud jane hamsher for her work in this interview.
Here's the video, and I transcribed some of the interview below it. (click on "thre's more" for the transcript).
Lee Ballinger of Rock and Rap Confidential -- a group comprised of musicians, music appreciators, and healthcare advocates -- sent out this message to its email list:
Yesterday I happened to find myself sitting in a car in the parking lot of a convenience store just outside the tiny hamlet of Clifty in northwestern Arkansas. The bread deliveryman emerged from the store with a tray of bread that had passed the expiration date for sale. He was a middle-aged white guy--he looked something like Hank Hill of King of the Hill. An older black woman was sitting in her car with her window down. He passed right by her and she asked him if she could have the discarded bread...
Over at LAist, Andy Sternberg holds the media accountable:
Our fires were on front pages around the world. So how come when Mexico experiences "one of the worst [catastrophes] in the country's recent history" it barely garners mention in the states? The Tabasco flood has been the BBC's top story for 48 hours and not only is the Beeb on the story -- bbcnews.com is seeking "your pictures" and publishing "your stories" in addition to video.
The LA Times / America doesn't care about Mexicans, as Kanye might say.
UPDATE: The Saturday LAT relates a dire situation in Tabasco:
"The scene here is terrible, it's biblical," said Javier Velazco, assistant director of the Red Cross in Tabasco. "We're attending to thousands of people. We're delivering food, rope and water, but it's not enough. We need everybody's help."
The flooding has raised fears of possible outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases.
Mauricio Hernandez, a federal health official, said: "With so many people packed together there is a chance that infectious diseases could spread."
Officials tested for 600 suspected cases of cholera, a waterborne sickness which is often fatal but has not been reported in Mexico for at least six years, but none was positive, according to Hernandez.
The government has also sent 20,000 Hepatitis A vaccinations and was giving booster shots to children to prevent outbreaks, Hernandez said.
But medical care was difficult because at least 50 of the state's hospitals and medical centres had flooded.
In September, I worked in a hospital in Chiapas, a bordering state and the southern most state of Mexico. It would rain for 2 days straight, a downpour (which was even louder at night in our sleeping quarters which had corrugated iron roofs), and somedays we'd walk through a few inches of rain. It looks like a significant amount of Chiapas is now also being flooded by a few feet.
If you've got more information or know of other ways that help can be provided, please share in the comments below or write a post. thanks.
What is health justice? How are health & human rights fiercely connected to the wellness of our neighborhoods? How do we reframe policy debates? How do we continue dreaming and building instead of just reacting & surviving? And how do we support each other in our healing?
Cure This is an online space for storytelling, discussion, & radical transformation. Create an account to write a diary or comment. Questions or thoughts: lotusfeet [at] hotmail [dot] com
News: CureThis was part of an exhibit in Chicago: "Visual resistance in feminist health movements, 1969-2009" [link]
