Our Broken Health Care System has Proven Inadequate

As we all continue to distance ourselves from other people and sanitize everything we touch or that comes into our houses, I can't help but worry about all the older and chronically ill people who have been exposed to the COVID-19, and the families of those who have died. 

I can't help but wonder how many would have been saved had we begun fighting this months ago. I can't help but think that what I've said for many years, we have a broken health care system, has proven to be so true, and now we hear that from many people who didn't make much noise in the past.

I knew our health care system was not the best in the world when my family members (four or more) died from medical mistakes. It became horribly evident to me when the best health care system failed my husband. 

His care was a grotesque medley of mistakes from the wrong diagnosis in the beginning to the end of his life after a team of doctors in Emory Hospital incorrectly diagnosed him with an infectious disease. They filled him with antibiotics, even after they were told he was fighting cancer. I knew the cancer had come roaring back, but those smart physicians refused to contact his cancer doctor in Blairsville. Hospitals and physician practices are in competition. I didn’t know that, but learned the hard way.

I wish it had not taken a pandemic to prove my words. Our hospitals, poorly prepared, with insufficient supplies and far too few nurses, evidently had made no preparation for the day when a health crisis would explode this country. From what I have read and heard these past weeks, scientists and smart medical people who tried to warn us were ignored. In 2015, Bill Gates said we were not prepared for a deadly virus that would be coming.

 Our pompous leaders fell way behind on preparing us, and we the people buried our heads in the sand, not wanting to believe we were not the best. We have heard and preached to ourselves that we are the best until we believed it. Or, we did believe it until a few weeks ago.

I am sympathetic to Senator Sanders who has proclaimed for years that we need a new method of health care. We need a central system where all people can be fairly treated. But that is not the basics of this problem to me. 

My husband and I had insurance and could see doctors, but the administrators are more dollar-minded than healing-minded. Even now hospitals have been fighting over who will get the supplies needed in this crisis. With no federal oversight, it has come down to governors trying to purchase the needed supplies. Hospitals in NYC are overrun with sick people while some hospitals, where there are fewer patients, still have masks and gowns. The governors in those states hold on to them because they fear what will be coming. It makes for states competing with each other and our citizens paying the price.

I imagine some hospitals hoarded their ventilators because of what they expect will happen in their area soon. Small hospitals like Phoebe Putney in Albany, Georgia, were swamped with coronavirus patients and were not prepared at all. Not enough nursing help, not nearly enough ventilators, and not enough protection for the medical staff. Where could they go for help? We had no plan in place for such a disaster. 

This deadly virus will kill thousands of people and I think many could be saved if only we had proactive people in leadership. But, I was told by a city government employee, government is always reactive. That is why two or three people have to die at an intersection before a stop light is installed or any effort is made to prevent what might happen next.

I have been accused of over-reacting, but I would rather over-react by taking precautions than wait and and see. By then it is often too late.  

We need more people in leadership who look for approaching problems and prepare for them, not wait until they have to react, as we are doing now.

What do you think? Are you one to act on your concerns before they become major? Do you think our leaders in this pandemic acted soon enough? 

Folk School closed - My Classes at Home

John C. Campbell Folk School is closed due to Covid-19. A person who attended a dance there recently has been diagnosed with this virus. Now several more people have been found to be positive.

NCWN-West will not hold the monthly Literary Hour there in March or April. We will see what the future holds.

This illness is far more severe for those who are elderly and for anyone with high blood pressure or heart problems. Almost everyone I know over the age of sixty is taking blood pressure medicine.

The younger people can get this virus and will be very sick with possible long-lasting effects. But the young adults don't seem to be as careful about social distancing or following the guidelines. They can cause the death of someone simply by spreading the virus when they gather with their friends or any groups of people. 

Families are coming up to the mountains like it is vacation time. What are they thinking? Don't they realize this virus is in every state and no one is safe from it?

No matter what kind of treatment is found, and there is not one that has been proven to work, the only way to stop this virus is by stopping the spread of it.

I am self-isolating at my home, and it isn't easy because I usually have some help come in once or twice a week. Now I have no one come inside my home, and I am responsible for everything. I try to go for a ride and take my little dog to a place where we won't be near anyone. She gets in a walk and it keeps me from feeling like a shut-in. 

My Monday night classes are going really well. Although I have never before taught an online course, I think we are doing well. My students seem to like it. I am thinking about doing more of these in the future.

If you are a writer and would like to guest post here, please let me know. I welcome interviews and 300 word articles on how to deal with this virus, how to keep busy at home, or how to write a good story.

Stay safe, stay well.

Sun Rising on a Troubled World

Lakes of fog  at base of Georgia Mountains at sunrise

I seldom see a sunrise, but I awoke at 4:30 AM today and can’t seem to go back to sleep. I am isolating myself for now because of the coronavirus. I am in the high risk group so I don’t want to take any chances.

The sky is unbelievably beautiful, long striations of dark blue clouds to the east over a ridge of mountains.To the south, I see a slight pink tinge above the blue clouds and mountains that float over a lake of white fog.

I am very lucky to live in such a scenic area. If I must stay home, I have a good place to stay. But I am a people person, and I know I must find ways to communicate with others so I don’t get depressed.

I will talk on the phone, email and take a drive or walk my buddy, Lexie. But I also plan to write real letters and send cards to those who don’t use email or don’t talk on the phone for whatever reason. My elderly cousins and my brother are not on the computer.

I miss physical therapy because I was attending twice a week and it was so good for me. Now, I am scheduling thirty minutes each day, writing it on my calendar, to take care of myself physically. That means I get up from my computer or my chair and move! I can dance or do exercises with a video on You Tube. When it is not raining, I plan to take Lexie for a short walk, but we seem to have more rainy days than sunny lately.

I heard that the number of people diagnosed with this virus have increased quickly in the past two weeks. I wonder if my self quarantine will last more than a month. The news is not good and I worry for the medical people who must tend to the sick, taking their chances that they will not contract this horrible illness.

I know it seems to those who are young and healthy that all this concern is not necessary, but I hope everyone in this country, in the world, in fact, will take it very seriously. We will lose many people, and they might be close to us. They could include us. Stay safe, my dear friends. Hang in for the long haul.

Sun rising to the east of my house hidden by fog and clouds

From 26 to 2....the Democratic Presidential Candidates Have Dwindled

Thanks to Roger Carlton for this post where he gives his thoughts on the political situation of today. 
Roger is columnist for Graham Star newspaper in Robbinsville, NC.

Roger Carlton

Remember the ant and the rubber tree plant. 
That ant had high hopes and so did a whole bunch of Presidential candidates. In that popular song by Doris Day the ant moved the rubber tree plant because he had high hopes. So what happened to those political high hopes held by so many candidates of promise?

Let's start with the debate debacles: The format was horrible. Point counterpoint is no way to inform the voting public of the character of the candidates or the merit of their proposals. Raising your hand for recognition demeans the office. It is what elementary school students do. It would have been so much better to give each candidate five minutes to express their five top problems and solutions. Brief and to the point. Frankly it means nothing to this writer to hear what one candidate thinks about another. Would you expect a candidate to say that their opponent's position is better than their own?

The pundit debate monitors did a terrible job of focusing the issues and controlling the screechers. Half the debate time spent on Medicare for all and no questions about climate change and the explosive growth of mass murder borders on malfeasance by someone who calls themselves a journalist. In this environment, the candidate with the best one liners seemed to be heroic to the debate monitors and the candidate with manners and who followed the rules was labelled weak. Did anyone make their decision on who to vote for based on debate performance? Doubtful.

The billionaire factor. One candidate spent $250 million starting nearly a year ago with a single message. He was the best person to beat President Trump. Could you figure out what he would do once elected? Another candidate spent $500 million in a few weeks telling us his role as Mayor of New York gave him the credentials to be a good President. Probably true but his total of 20 minutes of debate performance negated a lifetime of business, philanthropic and political success.

Please keep one thing in mind. The total primary expenses through Super Tuesday were nearly $900 million. The money went mostly to media so this kumatai slugfest was a source of untold profits for the media moguls and their stockholders. No wonder the Wall Street Journal vilifies one of the candidates as being a Socialist without explaining what that means. To put the dollars into perspective more money has been spent so far than the taxable value of 80 percent of the property in Graham County.

With all due caution to avoid political incorrectness the gender, gay, racial and religious factors remain top of mind with many voters. Let's be honest. It took 143 years from the end of the Civil War to elect an African American President and it has been 100 years since women were granted the right to vote. While the two remaining candidates don't fit into the definition of diversity, let us hope that they will select a capable Vice President running mate who comes from one of the groups that made capable candidates available but could not put them across the line for the top job.

The fire in your gut concern. 

Many of the candidates had great resumes but bland personas. Bernie consistently railed against the oligarchs on Wall Street and the outrageous profits made by the medical companies. He wanted you to believe that the money changers needed to be thrown out of the Washington temple and he was the candidate to do that. Joe Biden said wait a minute. We can't afford all this. He was calm and did not point his finger at you. All the rest of the candidates fought for a place in the continuum of recognition by the media and failed to find a sweet spot. 

Finally, voters saw through the opposition dirt researching and did not hold a candidate responsible for some stupid behavior or slip of the tongue 30 or more years ago. Who among us hasn't said or done something that they regret. Joe Biden helped his son with getting a lucrative job for which he was unqualified. Bernie praised some political strongmen with whom he was enamored many years ago. Has not the current incumbent in the White House done the same for his children and their spouses? Does he not cotton up to the current strongmen of the world? 

All these factors taken together whittled down a broad and diverse group of candidates to two old white guys. 

Perhaps Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest best describes the primary process to date. There are a few more big primaries. It seems that all the debate smoke and mirrors will now pare down to who has the best chance to beat President Trump. Is that any different than four years ago when the question was who had the best chance to beat Hillary Clinton?  

     

DataDataU came to my rescue

Today, Feb. 26, I am happy to have had Courtney Williams, co-owner of DataData U, in Hiawassee, Georgia spend an hour with me at my computers. She is kind and patient, helping me without intimidating me. No arrogance or patronizing tone from this smart young woman. She understands that new technology can be overwhelming for someone like me. She asked me to tell her what I needed. She explained and corrected my problems. She taught me what I needed to know.

I bought a new laptop a few months ago. It came with all the latest updates from Microsoft, so new and different that I just could not wrap my mind around many of the changes. I found out that I am like many people who don’t like the Microsoft Edge.

I find I need to use either Chrome or Firefox for my default. Last night I could not sign into Chrome or Amazon, but today, thanks to Courtney, I have all the programs I use pinned where I can easily click on them. I can pop right into Google and Amazon with no problems at all.

If you live in Hiawassee, Young Harris, Georgia or Hayesville, NC, I suggest you put this number on your list to “go to” when you have computer questions. 

Courtney recognized that I had a virus in my desktop, and she went to work clearing that out. That was likely why all my passwords failed last night.

I needed a printer connected for both my desktop and my laptop. Courtney set that up quickly and advised me to purchase a longer cord for the printer.

Because I am extremely impressed with Courtney and Ron, I am recommending them to anyone in my local region. Oh, BTW, Ron hooked me up with a router that brings in all my streaming programs now. Find them at the link below.

http://www.datadatau.com/

DataDataU, INC is locally owned and operated in beautiful Hiawassee, Georgia.  We offer a wide range of IT services and solutions to the Northeast Georgia and Western North Carolina area, focusing primarily on Towns County, GA and Clay County, NC. With the progress of remote support tools, we have extended our reach and service systems on-line for our customers all over the United States.

Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin wins Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition

NCWN-West Member Wins Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition

Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin of Cullowhee won first place for her essay, “Plum Song.” She will receive $1,000, and Ecotone will consider her essay for publication. Cabanis-Brewin is an award-winning business writer and editor by trade but in her real life she farms, keeps chickens, bees, and the occasional pig and writes about Southern Appalachia. Her poetry and essays have been published in numerous journals throughout the Southeast. Her chapbook Patriate was the 2007 Longleaf Press Open Chapbook competition winner and her essay “White Lobelia” was a runner up in the 2012 Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition I am delighted that my friend, Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin won first prize in the Rose Post Creative Nonfiction Competition. She is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading her essay, "Plum Song." Read the article here: https://www.ncwriters.org/index.php/our-members/network-news/11065-rpcncw-20

Time Management for Writers. How do we do it?

Time Management Tips for Writers

Posted: 27 Feb 2019 03:25 PM PST

I am one of the writers who complain that we never have enough time to write although we claim that we love writing. Are you like me, planning to write, but thinking about other things like, I need to do laundry now, or I need to pay some bills before I forget about it, or I must clean out my refrigerator and on and on. Do you procrastinate about your writing?

At this link I found some good tips and you might like to check it out.
One that I like is scheduling my writing time on my calendar just as I do doctor's appointments.
Recently while discussing how overwhelmed I feel about what I have to do in the next month or two, I realized I must cut these tasks into manageable pieces.

I want to set aside a day for each project I am working on and not let anything else interrupt me.
One day I will only work on NCWN-West tasks. Another day I will plan my classes for Writers Circle around the Table. One day will be spent organizing my studio.

It is hard to write or do the things we really want to do when we are at home all day and have the responsibility of keeping house. Often the organizing gurus say, delegate some of the chores to your family members. Well - my little Lexie is not much help. She is an eleven pound canine who demands her feeding and her playing time. I have no human in my house to help me.

LEXIE

But, I can limit my telephone time, my online reading of blogs and other interesting sites, and make certain tasks top priority. What I can't do is stop the wasting of time with technology interruptions such as today when I could not get into my online bank account, or talk to a human being when I called about my credit card. Do you find that what is supposed to make life easier is often taking much more of our time because it is not working properly?

Anyway, I hope you are organized and find time to write and create what is waiting in your mind today. If you have any tips to help us, please leave a comment or email me.

Contact Glenda Beall, Writers Circle, www.gcbmountaingirl@gmail.com
Visit www.profilesandpedigrees.blogspot.com - Writing Life Stories

NCWN West Presents These Events for 2020

Winter is a time we writers often hunker down, spend more time writing, submitting our work and planning for the coming year. In our area, we resume several of our writing events in March when the weather is more predictable. The critique groups continue year round, but it is not fair to a writer to have them plan for a reading or for teaching a class when the unpredictable weather might prevent anyone from attending.  

As Program Coordinator, I and volunteers work on a schedule of writers and poets for our Literary Hour at the John C. Campbell Folk School. This year from April to October, the NC Writers' Network West brings two of its more than 100 members in western NC and North Georgia to the stage at the Keith House Community Room. Students and faculty of the school and local community residents attend these programs. We feature published writers and poets as well as newer writers who enjoy the warm welcome of the folk school audiences. We include the audience by having them introduce themselves or by having them participate with questions for the writers.

Also beginning in March is Coffee with the Poets and Writers held monthly at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville, NC. We began this event in 2007 at Phillips and Lloyd Bookshop, and it is still a favorite. The attendance continues to grow. The Open Mic portion each month is open to anyone who wants to bring a poem or short prose piece. Featured are members of NC Writers' Network.

Nearly a decade ago, Karen Holmes who lives in Hiawassee and in Atlanta, attended a Writers Workshop in Blairsville, GA, sponsored by NCWN-West. She was impressed and became a member. After attending critique groups and readings for awhile, Karen created Writers' Night Out, a monthly gathering of writers set in north Georgia. She invited outstanding authors and poets from Atlanta and paired them with local writers each month. Many of those who traveled up from the city, stayed over and taught classes at Writers Circle around the Table. We were given the chance to meet and study with Robert Brewer, poetry editor of Writers' Digest and Michael Diebert, poetry editor of the Chattahoochee Review. Because of this event hosted by Karen Holmes, award winning poet, local writers met, learned and networked with people of influence in the literary world.

All of these events are sponsored by NCWN-West, a program of the state organization for the mountain community of western North Carolina and north Georgia. Since 1990 the writing community in the mountains has grown and NCWN-West now has a membership of 130.  The state organization receives support from the NC Arts Council and is a non-profit organization, therefore, we as a program, are also non-profit.

In the past two decades we have published anthologies, Lights in the Mountains and Echoes across the Blue Ridge, with work by mountain writers, held annual conferences and appointed representatives for NCWN-West who hold meetings for writers in counties from Henderson to Cherokee and in Towns and Union Counties in Georgia.

Over the years, small, individual groups of writers were spawned from the NCWN West monthly free events, but most professional writers become members of NCWN and therefore, NCWN-West. Members will tell you how helpful it has been to their success to be a part of the organization. From connections to top editors as well as contests for poetry and prose writers,        membership has something for all writers.

Writing is a solitary art, but when we come together in our writing community we don't feel alone and we learn from each other.