One of my favorite films and soundtracks--Jackie Brown

I watched the film Jackie Brown again last night. I don't know how many times I've seen it, but it's one of those films worth seeing again, just to appreciate the acting (all of the actors and actresses are superb in their roles) and to fill in the small plot gaps that one may have missed the previous times. It also has a great soundtrack; I love listening to the songs--many are from my growing-up and young adult years. If you want to just get away for a few hours and enjoy watching (and listening) to a film, I recommend Jackie Brown. It came out in 1997, but I don't remember seeing it for the first time then. I think I may have avoided it because Quentin Tarantino was the director, and his films are so eclectic and violent that I was unsure how this film would be. It is violent, but not any more so than many other films in this genre. I've seen worse violence, to put it that way. 

Pam Grier is stewardess Jackie Brown--cool, composed, smart and calculating. I can't see anyone else playing this role; she is just so good in it. Jackie Brown is no fool, and has no qualms about setting up illegal weapons dealer Ordell Robbie (played by Samuel L. Jackson) in order to get him out of the way and to keep his money while playing the FBI as well. After all, Ordell doesn't care whether she goes to prison for smuggling his money into the USA from Mexico, it's about survival of the fittest. Ordell is also smart, but not as smart as Jackie. Robert Forster is also so good as Max Cherry, the bail bondsman who falls in love with Jackie Brown at first sight and decides to help her. His basic decency prevents him from taking any of the money she will possibly end up stealing, except for the regular fee he charges all those who request his services. 

Quentin Tarantino apparently revived the careers of both Pam Grier and Robert Forster by choosing them to be in this film. He had good instincts in choosing them, because they are excellent actors and perfect for their roles. Samuel L. Jackson is also quite good, Robert De Niro, Michael Keaton, and Bridget Fonda likewise. A very good movie ensemble. 

As I mentioned, the soundtrack is also a big part of the movie, with the following songs:

• "Across 110th Street" by Bobby Womack and Peace 
• "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson 
• "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?" by Bill Withers 
• "Tennessee Stud" by Johnny Cash 
• "Natural High" by Bloodstone 
• "Long Time Woman" by Pam Grier 
• "(Holy Matrimony) Letter to the Firm" by Foxy Brown 
• "Street Life" performed by Randy Crawford 
• "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" by The Delfonics 
• "Midnight Confessions" by The Grass Roots 
• "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton 
• "The Lions and the Cucumber" by The Vampire Sound Incorporation 
• "Monte Carlo Nights" by Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods 

My favorites are Across 110th Street, Strawberry Letter 23, Street Life, and Inside My Love. After I watched the film, I downloaded the soundtrack to the movie from iTunes. And that got me started on 1970s soul songs; I went searching for some of my favorites, and downloaded them too. Isaac Haye's Theme from Shaft, Betcha by Golly Wow by The Stylistics, Whatcha See is Whatcha Get by The Dramatics, Rock Your Baby by George McCrae, and Back Stabbers by The O'Jays. Listening to these songs is a total trip down memory lane, and a very pleasant one. 

An ethics lesson in the midst of a pandemic

Here is a hypothetical situation concerning getting the vaccine against the coronavirus. A hospital department contacts its employees late on a Saturday evening to let them know that if they want, they can get the vaccine that evening. The only thing the department employees are told is that the vaccine expiration date is the following day--Sunday, so the vaccines must be used up quickly. Around two hundred employees show up to take the vaccine; all are wearing masks, and all are trying to practice social distancing while waiting in line. One of the organizers walks around counting heads and telling the employees in a loud voice to remember to stand six feet apart. It is only when each employee is sitting with the vaccinator that he or she is told that the vaccines had not been stored at the right temperature and that there is a question as to whether or not they will be effective at producing antibodies against the virus. In other words, showing up for the vaccine dose may mean that the trip was a wasted effort. The vaccine may work, which would be good news, and it may not work, which is not good news. The latter means waiting for a new first vaccine dose; for some employees, this is a rather bitter pill to swallow because some of them lose their place in the regular vaccine line sponsored by the city municipality where they live or the hospital where they work. The hospital department that arranged the vaccinations has apparently not contacted upper hospital management about their vaccination program arranged on the fly; in other words, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. The hospital department decides to arrange for antibody testing starting around seventeen days after the vaccination date; it will call in each employee for a blood test and test for the production of antibodies against the virus. This could take some time--both the blood collections and the antibody tests--so it is uncertain when the results of the tests will be available. In the meantime, older employees (circa sixty-five to seventy-five years old) are being called in by the city municipality to get vaccinated. The municipality has no idea that these employees have been vaccinated with a possible ineffective vaccine dose. The employees are stressed because they are unsure of what to do--wait for the department to arrange everything, or take the new vaccine dose offered them. If they don't take the latter offer, they may lose their place in line and may have to wait another month or more to get a functioning vaccine. During a pandemic, the stress factor is high and nerves are frayed. It would be best to give employees the whole story, right from the start. 

If you were one of these employees and were a student in an ethics class, you might broach the following questions for discussion:

• Why weren't the employees told the whole story--that the vaccines might be ineffective?
• Why were only some few leaders told the whole story, and why didn't they inform all employees?
• Why wasn't there a general announcement that evening before vaccinations started that the vaccines might be ineffective?
• Are the results of these vaccinations going to be used in a research article of some sort? If so, all employees must consent to the use of their data in an eventual article. Some may choose not to.
• Even if the information gained from such a project is useful and informative, which it actually is, it would have been better to have fully informed employees about what they were signing up for. 
• Does this type of behavior help to build employee trust in management?

This is as it turns out, a true story. While all the employees will eventually get vaccinated with a second dose if the vaccine they received proves effective, and there is good reason to believe that it is effective, it would have been far better to have fully informed all employees. Some leaders will say 'what's the big deal? It all worked out well. Why are employees dissatisfied?' The answer is that they're happy to have been vaccinated, but dissatisfied with the way it went down. It's a learning experience for all leaders. The next time, they should make sure that all employees are fully-informed. That way, it's win-win for everyone. 

Happy Easter

A lovely Easter scene at my friend Jean's house--some beautiful spring flowers in front of a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi (my favorite saint). I love the statue and the color combination of the flowers--just seeing them makes me happy. I asked her if I could share her photo and she said yes. I'm also including the text to the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi--one of my favorite prayers. We need more instruments of peace in the world, more people willing to bring joy, hope, light and truth into the lives of others. Happy Easter to everyone! 

 

Prayer of Saint Francis 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love.

Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.

Where there is discord, let me bring union.

Where there is error, let me bring truth.

Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.

Where there is despair, let me bring hope.

Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.

Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

O Master, let me not seek as much

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love,

for it is in giving that one receives,

it is in self-forgetting that one finds,

it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,

it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

Some of my garden photos on FineArt America

The gift of a poem at Easter

I love this poem for so many reasons that you'll understand when you read it. Enjoy. Wishing all my readers a very Happy Easter!