Culture Watch

Deborah Masters’ Spirits, whose heads measure up to five feet in height, are clothed in white, robe-like garments, and wear talismans signifying their identities. Suspended from the ceiling by chains, they stare out at us impassively, silently dwelling in their own consciousness. The Little Spirits, both human and animal, have a quirky individuality and engaging liveliness. more »

Jane Shortall writes: A Dubliner, a girl in her twenties, envies me for living in that city through the seventies. She and many of her friends do not snigger at those years described as ‘the decade that style forgot.’ They love how things were back then, citing everything from our apparent carefree life, lots of jobs, not so many crazy rules, many different styles of clothing and, in their words, totally brilliant music. ‘Tell me, what music from today will we be listening to in forty years’ time?’ she asked. Yes, I did see lots of bands in Dublin back then. From Led Zeppelin to Horslips, they came to Dublin and belted out their hits. more »

Sonya Zalubowski writes: Her name was Delilah, intriguing, especially for a dog that didn’t even weigh six pounds.  Was she named after the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, the temptress that helped lead to the strongman’s downfall? Besides my own pop culture ignorance — I’d never heard of the song — I had no idea because she was a rescue dog that I found online. Someone else named her. That was just the beginning of the mystery about to unfold for me, the mystery involved in adopting such a dog, both the joys and sorrows. more »

Claims costs generally grew from 2014 to 2017, but selected issuers sometimes experienced wide swings in costs from year to year. Most issuers attributed the volatility in costs, in part, to large changes in the number and health of enrollees each year. Average monthly claims costs varied significantly across issuers in the same state. For selected issuers, differences in per member per month claims costs within a given state were often more than $100 — significant given that median per member per month claims costs were about $300. Selected issuers also varied significantly in their decisions to expand or reduce their participation in the exchanges and make changes to premiums and plan design. more »