I am going to use this forum to spout off about health care. I know, it has nothing to do with writing, but maybe in writing about it, I will at least put it out there. I may not exorcise any demons, but others will be aware they exist.
We have a health care crisis in this country. The crisis is that the insurance companies have become our doctors. We have taken health care out of the equation. It is strictly a business deal for the insurance company. They deny claims for those who are really in need.
Imagine you suddenly are exhibiting signs of cancer. Your energy level has dropped, you are having cramps in your belly, and there is blood in your urine. Now it could be endrometritis, or a simple infection. Your doctor wants to do an ultrasound to find out. In the meantime, you are not able to sleep from the cramps, your job is suffering because of your lack of energy, and your home life has fallen into disrepair. Dishes have piled up, and laundry is just too much effort.
The doctor wants to do the ultrasound to check on your uterus, but he has to wait. He needs permission from your insurance company. So for two weeks the pain and the panic grow.
Who made the insurance company God? Politics.
Now imagine this same scenario and you have no health insurance. You don't have the money to pay for an ultrasound. You are without any recourse.
For many Americans this is a reality. Our quality of life has taken a nose dive. How can we say we are the best nation on earth, when we so clearly lack in this area?
I love my country. I love my neighbors. Lets fix this problem!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
WIFI
Today I joined the ranks of writers sitting in coffee shops and typing away as if the noisy world around them doesn't exist. I received my laptop on Thursday, and took it to my son so he could teach me the necessary things. Now, armored with that advice, the firewall he put on for me, and the ability to find a wifi signal, I am typing away as if the noisy world doesn't exist.
I can completely ignore the grinding of coffee grounds and hubbub of people talking. I am immersed with the aroma of coffee and fresh baked goods. Cold sweeps over me every time the door opens, and I love every second of it.
I am finally mobile! I can whip out my computer and write wherever I want. I can check spelling and let my imagination run rampant down new streets and avenues. I can sit beside a lake and watch a sunset.
Hold on you say, couldn't you always do those things with material of the real world? Notebooks, pens, pencils and dictionaries have long been the standard aids to wordsmiths. Yes, until now, those were my tools of choice. My desktop computer at home was the means of saving and printing. I found over time, that I wrote better on my home computer than I ever did on paper. I could edit on the fly, and not leave messy scribbled blotches where the previous word just didn't make the cut. Now my work looks finished and neat on the page. I can type much faster than I can write so that my trail of thought doesn't leave me behind as it meanders the creative avenues.
The laptop has freed me further from the bounds of earth. Now I fly. I sing to the wind and dance in meadows. Freedom in not just another word, when you find yourself leaping over rocks than hitherto blocked your path.
I can completely ignore the grinding of coffee grounds and hubbub of people talking. I am immersed with the aroma of coffee and fresh baked goods. Cold sweeps over me every time the door opens, and I love every second of it.
I am finally mobile! I can whip out my computer and write wherever I want. I can check spelling and let my imagination run rampant down new streets and avenues. I can sit beside a lake and watch a sunset.
Hold on you say, couldn't you always do those things with material of the real world? Notebooks, pens, pencils and dictionaries have long been the standard aids to wordsmiths. Yes, until now, those were my tools of choice. My desktop computer at home was the means of saving and printing. I found over time, that I wrote better on my home computer than I ever did on paper. I could edit on the fly, and not leave messy scribbled blotches where the previous word just didn't make the cut. Now my work looks finished and neat on the page. I can type much faster than I can write so that my trail of thought doesn't leave me behind as it meanders the creative avenues.
The laptop has freed me further from the bounds of earth. Now I fly. I sing to the wind and dance in meadows. Freedom in not just another word, when you find yourself leaping over rocks than hitherto blocked your path.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Community Journalism
There are those times in life when you find something that engages your interest, holds your attention without work, and makes you sit forward in your chair to catch every word. That is the way I felt tonight as I sat through a Journalism Seminar. I must admit, I went with all of the wrong ideas about what I would learn. I expected to hear the formula on how to organize a news story. I thought I would be regaled with editor stories and deadline headaches. Instead, we learned that the new Journalism is now online. We were given the tools for that, instead of the newsprint exercises I expected.
Ross Williams and David McDonald, both of Grand Rapids, gave a free class on Community Journalism on Feb. 7, 2008 at the computer commons of CLC in Brainerd, to teach students about the KAXE Radio's idea of creating a community sharing of ideas, news, community services, opinions and local happenings.
Ross Williams started us off by explaining Community Journalism to us. KAXE Radio is creating the forum for a community of blogs, local services and local experts. It includes stories about the impact on local events and emergency services. A collective effort of the community would be the basis of the website. We now live with a worldwide view of life, and often our local events are lost by the sheer magnitude of Internet content. This coalescing of local information can find a local audience. You would be able to go online to see that the small store down the road actually has a website, or the church down the road is having a lunch that you are invited to if you bring a hotdish.
Since content would need to be updated daily, a variety of input would be most welcome. The audience is quickly bored and wants new information. If each person adds one thing per week, then the newest stories could be put at the top and there would always be fresh reading.
Ross did give us the old basic of journalistic writing: the 5 W's. We all know them from elementary school, Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Try to cover all of these questions in one sentence. My second paragraph covers the five W's in this story.
We were given wristbands with the website www.kaxecommons.org on the side. We were encouraged to go to the website and see for ourselves what was offered there. The website is still growing as more find out about it and add their own flavor of comments or contents.
We were challenged to create a blog and write a story. I dusted off this older blog that I had started and abandoned. I think I am going to enjoy renewing my interest in this.
While Ross kept us on task and was quick to explain any questions, David McDonald leapt back and forth on subjects, but was also very engaging with his enthusiasm for the subject. He expounded on Multi-Media presentations of our stories, which can include: text, photos, audio, video and animation. First get to know your software, then edit and present. Just writing a story is so last century. We live in the age of You Tube which communicates effectively to society without text.
He broke us down into two groups, Native and immigrant. The younger population has grown up with technology at their fingertips and are much more native in their response. It is a normal part of their lives. Immigrants, or those of us who came to it later in life, may not be quite so nimble.
David entertained us with stories of his time working for Reuters as a reporter for the BBC. His point was about ethics. We must be aware of how our stories will affect those involved. Could someone get fired for telling us something, and then we report it? He gave us an example of a doctor he interviewed in Sudan during a coupe. There was demonstrations in the streets and upheaval with the government. David interviewed the doctor, who blasted the current leaders. David submitted his story to the BBC. The story went out over the wires and later David heard that the doctor was arrested.
He reminded us that anything on the Internet is public domain. Anyone can read it and anyone can have an opinion of it. Ross spoke up and said the phrase, "Security by obscurity." Together they brought home the lesson that if you put it out there, it is out there for all to see. Just because you are one small person, you may become suddenly famous for something you thought no one would read or see. Employers have learned to check My Space websites of prospective employees.
David also gave us a lesson on journalism by telling us to decide which direction we want our stories to take. We can go the "objective" route, and give both sides of an issue. We can do the "PR" route, and give a one-sided view of a subject. Usually you would do that when you are being paid to show the good side of something. The third option was to do the Art, or subjective view.
David talked a bit about using consent forms. It is a good way to protect yourself from future litigation, and may be required by some medias that you might work with. David says to use your good judgment about anything you write. Gain access to your information in an ethical way. When you write you are responsible for your words.
The entire night we learned quite a bit about Citizen Journalism. We each belong to a local community and it is ours to talk about, blog about, take pictures of and share with others who belong to our same community and are as interested as we are. The point was made that in five years the media will be far advanced from what we see now. Look how far we have come already. David predicted that there would be no static websites in the future.
David said to only go down three levels into the story, or you run the risk of the story going all over the place. State clearly if you are being objective or subjective.
Ross told us we are all publishers.
In the future KAXE will bring other great free seminars for us. Doug McGill of Rochester may come to teach us how to write a great story. He has written for the New York Times and Blomberg News Service Bureau Chief. Scott Hall may give a seminar on how to write and produce for radio. So stay tuned for those. While you are waiting check out www.kaxecommons.org website and start sharing your local fare.
After the seminar I heard comments that proved others enjoyed it as much as I had. E. Hoskins said, " I am so glad that I made the decision to take part in the meeting. It was very informative and interesting. I had a lot of fun. "
G. Hoskins said, "This was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed learning the new skills. You never know when you will need them in the future."
Al Martin said, "It wasn't what I expected, but I really enjoyed it and learned a lot of unexpected things."
In conclusion I would like to repeat a line you will find at the top of the website. "Community Internet is like Community Radio. It takes a medium that can reach the world and focuses it on building local communities."
Hope to see you in the blogs.
Ross Williams and David McDonald, both of Grand Rapids, gave a free class on Community Journalism on Feb. 7, 2008 at the computer commons of CLC in Brainerd, to teach students about the KAXE Radio's idea of creating a community sharing of ideas, news, community services, opinions and local happenings.
Ross Williams started us off by explaining Community Journalism to us. KAXE Radio is creating the forum for a community of blogs, local services and local experts. It includes stories about the impact on local events and emergency services. A collective effort of the community would be the basis of the website. We now live with a worldwide view of life, and often our local events are lost by the sheer magnitude of Internet content. This coalescing of local information can find a local audience. You would be able to go online to see that the small store down the road actually has a website, or the church down the road is having a lunch that you are invited to if you bring a hotdish.
Since content would need to be updated daily, a variety of input would be most welcome. The audience is quickly bored and wants new information. If each person adds one thing per week, then the newest stories could be put at the top and there would always be fresh reading.
Ross did give us the old basic of journalistic writing: the 5 W's. We all know them from elementary school, Who, What, Where, When, and Why. Try to cover all of these questions in one sentence. My second paragraph covers the five W's in this story.
We were given wristbands with the website www.kaxecommons.org on the side. We were encouraged to go to the website and see for ourselves what was offered there. The website is still growing as more find out about it and add their own flavor of comments or contents.
We were challenged to create a blog and write a story. I dusted off this older blog that I had started and abandoned. I think I am going to enjoy renewing my interest in this.
While Ross kept us on task and was quick to explain any questions, David McDonald leapt back and forth on subjects, but was also very engaging with his enthusiasm for the subject. He expounded on Multi-Media presentations of our stories, which can include: text, photos, audio, video and animation. First get to know your software, then edit and present. Just writing a story is so last century. We live in the age of You Tube which communicates effectively to society without text.
He broke us down into two groups, Native and immigrant. The younger population has grown up with technology at their fingertips and are much more native in their response. It is a normal part of their lives. Immigrants, or those of us who came to it later in life, may not be quite so nimble.
David entertained us with stories of his time working for Reuters as a reporter for the BBC. His point was about ethics. We must be aware of how our stories will affect those involved. Could someone get fired for telling us something, and then we report it? He gave us an example of a doctor he interviewed in Sudan during a coupe. There was demonstrations in the streets and upheaval with the government. David interviewed the doctor, who blasted the current leaders. David submitted his story to the BBC. The story went out over the wires and later David heard that the doctor was arrested.
He reminded us that anything on the Internet is public domain. Anyone can read it and anyone can have an opinion of it. Ross spoke up and said the phrase, "Security by obscurity." Together they brought home the lesson that if you put it out there, it is out there for all to see. Just because you are one small person, you may become suddenly famous for something you thought no one would read or see. Employers have learned to check My Space websites of prospective employees.
David also gave us a lesson on journalism by telling us to decide which direction we want our stories to take. We can go the "objective" route, and give both sides of an issue. We can do the "PR" route, and give a one-sided view of a subject. Usually you would do that when you are being paid to show the good side of something. The third option was to do the Art, or subjective view.
David talked a bit about using consent forms. It is a good way to protect yourself from future litigation, and may be required by some medias that you might work with. David says to use your good judgment about anything you write. Gain access to your information in an ethical way. When you write you are responsible for your words.
The entire night we learned quite a bit about Citizen Journalism. We each belong to a local community and it is ours to talk about, blog about, take pictures of and share with others who belong to our same community and are as interested as we are. The point was made that in five years the media will be far advanced from what we see now. Look how far we have come already. David predicted that there would be no static websites in the future.
David said to only go down three levels into the story, or you run the risk of the story going all over the place. State clearly if you are being objective or subjective.
Ross told us we are all publishers.
In the future KAXE will bring other great free seminars for us. Doug McGill of Rochester may come to teach us how to write a great story. He has written for the New York Times and Blomberg News Service Bureau Chief. Scott Hall may give a seminar on how to write and produce for radio. So stay tuned for those. While you are waiting check out www.kaxecommons.org website and start sharing your local fare.
After the seminar I heard comments that proved others enjoyed it as much as I had. E. Hoskins said, " I am so glad that I made the decision to take part in the meeting. It was very informative and interesting. I had a lot of fun. "
G. Hoskins said, "This was a wonderful experience. I enjoyed learning the new skills. You never know when you will need them in the future."
Al Martin said, "It wasn't what I expected, but I really enjoyed it and learned a lot of unexpected things."
In conclusion I would like to repeat a line you will find at the top of the website. "Community Internet is like Community Radio. It takes a medium that can reach the world and focuses it on building local communities."
Hope to see you in the blogs.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Dog Attack Creates a Hero
Sixty year old David Deziel was walking near his home on a beautiful summer day near Deerwood, Minnesota, when two pit bulls and another small dog leapt out of the woods. They pulled David off his feet and mauled his legs. In an interview with The Brainerd Dispatch David said, "It was so frightening. I couldn't comprehend this and I still can't. If a wild animal would have attacked me I could have handled that, but two pets?''
Deziel had just made the turn for the return walk home when the first pit bull rushed out at him. Deziel believed it had been stalking him from the woods. The large pit bull clamped down on his knee. A second pit bull, smaller than the first, arrived and attacked the other knee. The smaller dog began chewing on bits of Deziel's flesh as the two larger dogs tore it off.
Deziel tried to hit them and force them off his body, but nothing worked. They mainly damaged his legs but also bit him in the face and ears.
This could be just another dog attack story, except for one thing: Teresa Catlin was driving by. Teresa, 37, saw the dogs attacking David. Though she lived in the neighborhood, she and David did not know each other. Teresa felt she had to act. "I pulled the van over, put it in park and looked around for something to use on the dogs and I found a flashlight,'' she said. "I ran out of the van yelling and waving the flashlight and one of the dogs backed off. I got right between the dog and David and called 911.'' She knew David didn't have a chance if she didn't help, and she didn't have time to be afraid.
Teresa was not attacked by the dogs, perhaps because of the flashlight, perhaps because of her assertiveness. The dogs lay down, panting from exertion as if nothing had happened. Teresa sat down beside David and they prayed together.
When emergency personnel arrived one of the dogs ran away. The other dog was shot so aid could be given to David. They transported him to the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby. He was then taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. David came close to death on the fourth and fifth day when the trauma from his wounds, over 200 punctures and rips, began to take their toll. The pain was extensive.
Deziel is still full of scars, but so thankful to Teresa, who braved three attacking dogs with only a flashlight. Teresa knew the dogs from other incidents involving them. Her son had his pants ripped by one of them when he rode his bike down the road. A neighbor lost his dog, inside it's kennel, when one of the pit bulls broke in and killed it. Although calls had been made to authorities about them, they were still running free on the day they attacked David Deziel.
Diziel said, "How do you repay someone for saving your life?' What is a human life worth? There are no words to describe my feeling about her. I'm so proud of her, she's my hero. I don't know how to thank her.''
Heroes can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be afraid, but help anyway, or perhaps fearless in the face of overwhelming odds. Teresa Catlin is more than brave, more than exemplary; Teresa Catlin is the kind of hero that we should all strive to be. If she had stayed in her van and called 911, then David Deziel would not be healing today. We all must ask ourselves what we would have done in the same situation. Would we have been a Teresa that day? Or would we have done the safe thing?
Deziel had just made the turn for the return walk home when the first pit bull rushed out at him. Deziel believed it had been stalking him from the woods. The large pit bull clamped down on his knee. A second pit bull, smaller than the first, arrived and attacked the other knee. The smaller dog began chewing on bits of Deziel's flesh as the two larger dogs tore it off.
Deziel tried to hit them and force them off his body, but nothing worked. They mainly damaged his legs but also bit him in the face and ears.
This could be just another dog attack story, except for one thing: Teresa Catlin was driving by. Teresa, 37, saw the dogs attacking David. Though she lived in the neighborhood, she and David did not know each other. Teresa felt she had to act. "I pulled the van over, put it in park and looked around for something to use on the dogs and I found a flashlight,'' she said. "I ran out of the van yelling and waving the flashlight and one of the dogs backed off. I got right between the dog and David and called 911.'' She knew David didn't have a chance if she didn't help, and she didn't have time to be afraid.
Teresa was not attacked by the dogs, perhaps because of the flashlight, perhaps because of her assertiveness. The dogs lay down, panting from exertion as if nothing had happened. Teresa sat down beside David and they prayed together.
When emergency personnel arrived one of the dogs ran away. The other dog was shot so aid could be given to David. They transported him to the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center in Crosby. He was then taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. David came close to death on the fourth and fifth day when the trauma from his wounds, over 200 punctures and rips, began to take their toll. The pain was extensive.
Deziel is still full of scars, but so thankful to Teresa, who braved three attacking dogs with only a flashlight. Teresa knew the dogs from other incidents involving them. Her son had his pants ripped by one of them when he rode his bike down the road. A neighbor lost his dog, inside it's kennel, when one of the pit bulls broke in and killed it. Although calls had been made to authorities about them, they were still running free on the day they attacked David Deziel.
Diziel said, "How do you repay someone for saving your life?' What is a human life worth? There are no words to describe my feeling about her. I'm so proud of her, she's my hero. I don't know how to thank her.''
Heroes can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be afraid, but help anyway, or perhaps fearless in the face of overwhelming odds. Teresa Catlin is more than brave, more than exemplary; Teresa Catlin is the kind of hero that we should all strive to be. If she had stayed in her van and called 911, then David Deziel would not be healing today. We all must ask ourselves what we would have done in the same situation. Would we have been a Teresa that day? Or would we have done the safe thing?
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