Credit Checks for Care

A close friend of mine back home in New Jersey is recuperating from an emergency liver transplant. It's got me thinking of my own situation--unemployed with no health care plan. I'm also wondering, in light of recent events with the healthcare system here in Johnston County , if I became so ill here would I receive the level of extended care needed to keep me alive? Have we entered an era of credit checks for care?
I ask because, Johnston Health, currently operating at or close to the red, is now running credit checks on patients to gauge how likely the facility is to get paid for their services. While credit checks are nothing new, I thought hospitals' main goal is to heal what ails you.
So does the standard of care here in Johnston County become diminished (apparently you still get treatment even with bad credit) if you don't have the means to pay? And if not, why bother with the credit checks?
My friend's journey to the transplant list goes like this: she went to her local urgent care center where medical personnel couldn't believe she was still walking, let alone driving. Next she went to the local emergency room. Initially she was given the usual level of scorn and disdain for the gall of showing up to this facility seeking treatment, but was eventually admitted. Upon closer inspection of her health care plan, doctors began coming out of the woodwork and even going so far as to call in colleagues from their practice; and running lots of tests. Thank God for those Cadillac benefits!
My friend was then sent up to New York University Medical Center to receive her actual transplant.
So if I find myself in the emergency room here in Johnston County, do I tell you my social security number first or what ails me?

NJ Slayings Underscore Need for Immigration Reform

The decision by a New Jersey Superior Court judge has once again pointed a spotlight on our need to greater control our borders against illegal immigrants. On Thursday, November 4, 2010, Melvin Jovel, 21, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, was sentenced to life in prison for the slayings of three New Jersey teenagers and the attempted murder of a fourth. Jovel received three consecutive life sentences in prison.
Jovel, and five other men, according to prosecutors, lined up the victims against a wall in Newark, NJ and shot each in the back of the head. All of the victims attended or planned to attend Delaware State University.
Jovel, according to newspaper reports, expressed no remorse as he addressed the court in Spanish. The lone surviving victim, angry at first, then calm, told Jovel he inspired her to inspire others to be closer to God.
What angers me most about this story is that Jovel has been allowed to live in this country illegally for most of his life. He has mooched off of the NJ school system and all of the resources at the teachers disposal --even more so since he didn't speak English--to prepare him to someday become a productive member of society. Then as if he hasn't taken enough from the state, Jovel, with the help of his friends, arbitrarily decided to take the life of three of New Jersey's brightest stars. Now the mooching continues as he gets to sit in prison for the rest of his life receiving three hot meals a day and a warm bed at night.
My final complaint is this: when will we decide to stop allowing illegal immigrants to cross our borders and snub their noses at our culture (he doesn't speak English) and our sense of right and wrong?

The Kids Are Alright - (Not!)

After several wins by candidates backed by the Tea Party movement, it's become clear to me that the kids are not alright. The Tea Party movement claims it's main focus is to reduce spending by Big Government. That's great. And it would be an even greater idea were we not in a recession.
The Obama administration has been doing what it can to stimulate an economy to create jobs to put people back to work, keep jobless benefits available for those still trying to find work, keep food on the table at local food pantries for families struggling to make ends meet, and keep local healthcare benefits on the table for the working poor.
There's more to the spending strategy than the Tea Party supporters are allowing themselves to see right now. If we are going to turn the mid-term November elections around to make sure help for our fellow human being is there when they really need it, we as a people need to not be complacent with the success of 2008.
We need to bring the momentum from 2008 back around to the mid-term election since our work is not done. Otherwise the kids will not be alright.

Can't Win for Losing

When things went wrong for my grandmother she would say, "I can't win for losing." That's how I feel right now. No sooner than I have satisfactorily resolved my complaint with Circle C Meats than I have another battle to fight. And this battle is against Goliath. Today my Goliath is Priceline.com.
Last month my husband and I decided to spend our wedding anniversary in Pensacola, Fl. He was hired by a non-profit organization working the oil spill in the Gulf. They were covering his lodging expenses so I purchased a plane ticket to Florida. A month into his job and two days before my departure he was abruptly given his walking papers. We are both currently unemployed.
We made the decision to scratch the flight I booked on Priceline.com and file a claim with the insurance company so as not to incur more expenses. Long story short: the insurance company says (and Priceline is standing behind them) I don't have recourse for reimbursement because I was a self-employed person/independent contractor/not employed by big business for at least three years.
I wish my grandmother were still here. In her 70+ years on this earth she experienced her share of disappointment and truly understood that sometimes "I can't win for losing."

Of Madison Avenue and Meat

I can't afford to buy from Madison Avenue in NYC. That's why I've occasionally indulged in quality knockoffs. I'm convinced the only good thing to come off the back of a truck is a really good Gucci knockoff.
Here's why:
Yesterday, two men from Circle C Meats (Garner, NC) knocked on my door here in Smithfield, NC and asked my husband and I to buy some meat from the cooler in the back of their pickup. We protested mightily at first, but there were a lot of words coming out of their mouth and they kept lowering the price on this "top quality" beef that we could never buy at the grocery store for this price. And, but wait, there's more...they threw in some "free" chicken. By the time they stopped making deals I was writing a check for $189.52. It wasn't until after they left we came to our senses--we were snookered. Our price per pound came out to about $9. There's not enough meat there to support that price.
We called asking for a refund. They said read your brochure--it says no refund. We called the bank to cancel our check, but we were too late. We've lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and are reiterating our request in writing to Circle C for a refund. Both North Carolina law and federal law says we have three days to reconsider our purchase. So we now have to wait and see what happens next.
So the moral of this story is buying meat off the back of a pickup is a far cry from Madison Avenue. Stick to the Gucci knockoffs. You'll be just a little bit closer.

Chip-in-a-Shoe

There's a rumor out there that high-end show designers like Christian Louboutin might start adding tracking devices or some kind of microchip to their shoes in an effort to curb knockoffs. After all if I pony up $600 for a pair of bury-me-in-my-Christian Louboutin-pumps then I had damn well better get the real McCoy.
So my favorite shoe designer has all of my movements in a database somewhere, helping them design footwear for every movement for every environment I might find myself. Oooh, more shoes for me!!
But there is a dark side to this. Some weirdo with an underground foot fetish working for the shoe empire might need to act out his fantasy in real life. Then my family will really have to bury me in my pumps (if homicide will release them).
Also, some wacko on the street with a homemade scanner might decide to rob me of my super delicious luxury shoes. Again, there is violence associated with my purchase.
Let's look at this another way? Where does the company's right to make a legitimate profit supercede my right to privacy?
So my choices are to allow the Christian Louboutin to potentially invade my life and track my every movement (maybe even putting me in harm's way) or go without should the chip-in-a-shoe become a reality.
Fortunately, I value privacy over looking good.

Songs of the Sea and Shore

It's only been a few months since Thunder and Spice came into existence. Jim, Jerry, Laura, her daughter Elaina met at a rehearsal last winter for singers for the summer Renaissance Faires in North Carolina.
Each loves to sing songs of the sea and shore, which includes sea shanties, pirate and pub songs, as well as melodic harmonies in the Celtic, Folk and Renaissance tradition. Each member puts a variety of theatrical talents and years of musical experience to use in this versatile performance group.
They have so far performed at the Raleigh/Wake Forest and Rocky Mount Faires, Bath Fest (Bath, NC) and later this summer will soon travel to Charlotte for the Faire.
Whether singing bawdy songs at the pub, leading a family crowd in folk sing-alongs, trading sea shanties with pirate crews, these lads and ladies perform with incredible energy and a contagious sense of fun!
Learn a little more about Thunder and Spice via the movie below.

Merry Men (and Women)

For this multi-media (mm) project I'll be focusing on the newly formed folk group Thunder & Spice. This group of Merry men (and women) love the music from the Renaissance period--think the days of King Henry VIII. The group wants to reintroduce the music of days long ago to contemporary society.
I think now -literally- is a great time to talk about and highlight that period of music. The movie "Robin Hood" has just been released and we will hear a lot of this kind of music (both instrumental and with words). Just as the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies have inspired a new era of pirates, the "Robin Hood" movie serves as a great way to highlight this genre of music and maybe even inspire a few singers and musicians to get involved. There are four members of the group, one of whom is a teenager. I'm curious as to why she gives up her weekends for North Carolina Renaissance Faires when she could be at the mall or something with her friends. The other three are adults and also volunteer their weekends at Faires. Why? What is the motivation? What about the music of the period draws them in? I will use audio (like that found here) and photographs. This audio is a little snippet of a song Thunder & Spice call "Lobo." Sung in Spanish and loosely translated, the song tells the story of an encounter of a beautiful young girl and a dangerous and dastardly wolf.

Little Thunder, Big Spice

As a way to take my career to the next level, I'm going to engage in a little multi-media (mm) storytelling over the next few weeks.
I’m going to start my intro to mm with a profile on a rising folk group out of the Raleigh area. When I think about the group, Thunder & Spice, I think about Malcolm Gladwell described how the club kids in the 1990s bought back the Hush Puppies brand. Intentional or not, they reminded a whole new generation of not-quite-as-young people that it’s cool to be retro.
In 2010, a quartet of folk singers is giving retro a whole new meaning. They are trying to revive the maritime and renaissance songs of centuries long ago. The recently formed Thunder & Spice, out of the Raleigh area, spend their available weekends at area Renaissance Faires where visitors are transported to the time of King Henry VIII, when women were Lady’s and Lass’ and curtseyed to a passerby and men were fine gentlemen hopefully of good standing with the King. But the music reflected a time of merriment on land—carousing in pubs, romancing a love (even if only for a night)--and of hard work on ships—turning the capstan or setting a sail.
Over the coming weeks, this blog will profile Thunder & Spice (Laura, Jerry, Elaina, and Jim), as they recall the days of old through song, balancing everyday work, life and family.
So if an underground movement of young club kids can make what’s old new again, Thunder & Spice should have an easy time of restoring a fading art form.

Country Life, City Life

I recently moved to North Carolina. Smithfield (not the ham place), specifically. I'm living in a farm house that was first built in the early 1900's with subsequent sections added on later. I'm liking the extra space--coming from a one bedroom basement apartment, 3 bedrooms feels like a mansion.
I'm taking advantage of the yard I never had growing up in the projects of New Jersey's seaside bedroom community of Red Bank. I shared a postage stamp size front yard with the neighbor next door. In the back, we shared a clothes line as part of postage stamp. On our 1 acre of land we've started a garden and a compost pile. It think it's the latter part that has really bought home my new diggs.
A friend called the other day and I didn't answer because I was turning my compost heap. Hmmm...turning my compost heap...not something any of my friends would ever think they (or I) would hear me say. But the composting is a good, albeit sometimes tedious and even downright boring thing, sometimes. On the plus side I'm trying to convince myself that having a few hours of boring tasks such as managing my compost heap or raking my yard is just the time I need for reflection. It's a chance for me to turn off my phones--actually I just put them away from my immediate reach--and get a little exercise.
Now I just need to repeat that little directive 100 more times and I'm sure I'll start to believe it.

Sleepy Stupors

I've been having this ongoing conversation with my brother-in-law about personal responsibility. I was reminded of a quick trip I took earlier this month to Anaheim to attend the Natural Products Expo West show. On my van ride from the airport to my crappy hotel, the driver, a non-native born who had just become an American citizen was in such good spirits, made a comment about how much he loves this country and how fortunate we are to have 24 hour McDonald's. However, the down side of that, he said, was that these restaurants are making our kids fat.
Tired after my cross country flight, I piped up with McDonald's isn't making our kids fat. Parents are making their kids fat by allowing them to eat greasy goodness far more than the kids' limited amount of exercise allows for. In my sleepy stupor, the truth was out.
Along the same lines I watched an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution TV show. While I applaud his efforts to bring nutrition back to school breakfasts and lunches in the U.S. I think he's missing the boat. Why is a celebre-chef, from England no less, taking up the cause to transform our kids' school eating Habitats?
Since when is it too hard to turn the TV off at night, put our kids to bed and get them up in the morning to a bowl of cereal? I'm not even talking bacon and eggs!
So to the current and future parents (like myself) I say, let's exert a little personal responsibility for our charges.

Sore Loser

The world of sports had two major announcements this week: American Evan Lysacek took home the gold in the Olympic men's figure skating and Tiger Woods told us again--this time via closed caption--how sorry he was for being exposed as a cheater. Actually, what Woods said was he was sorry for thinking he was so special that he could do whatever he wanted --such as cheating and lying--and not be expected to have to answer for his heightened sense of bravado.
Likewise, to the surprise of Russian skater Yevgeny Plushenko, Olympic judges awarded Lysacek the gold. In the short program Lysacek scored only .55 points below Plushenko. But for Plushenko, .55 points must have seemed like such an insurmountable gap, that there would be no way Lysacek could possibly come back from behind.
Also, in the long program there was praise for Plushenko's performance--described as daring. Lysacek's performance was described as technically correct, although possibly too safe, some analysts believe.
I see the parallel between Woods and Plushenko as this: two men who took stardom too far. So full of themselves, they never saw loss coming.

In a Pickle

I'm in a pickle. Literally. My husband, always looking for the best value for his money, bought nearly a gallon of pickles. At the same time he bought about a gallon of sauerkraut. What in the world are two people going to do with that level of condiments in the fridge? The simple solution here is to poll friends and family for recipes involving pickles or sauerkraut. I can't image a recipe involving pickles and kraut. I could always troll the web for ideas of what to do...right? One would think.
Well, I did. I keep coming up with some of the finest pork and sausage recipes that Germany has to offer alongside kraut. OK, kraut problem solved. Kind of...enough to diversify a dinner party...I guess...
But what about pickles? Are they only good for topping off that burger? Do we only envision pickles alongside slices of deli meat? If there's more to a pickle than using it as a verb - as in to pickle cucumbers (which I don't like) or even eggs--which brings back memories of that never ending jar of pickled eggs on the counter at the corner store back home--then I welcome the feedback...

On Loss

I'm having a sad day. A friend of a friend lost her daughter to the child's father. He shot and killed his nine-year old daughter, after arguing on the phone with the child's mother. The man also shot the babysitter. An innocent bystander.
My friend is grieving over the loss of this child and keeps running scenarios about the number of times she babysat the girl. My friend recalls how easily she could have been the babysitter. My friend is grieving for her friend who will not see her child agonize over what to wear to her school dance. There will be no high school graduation and no first day of college.
Instead, she will live with the loss of her child. And the father will sit in prison for the rest of his life. I'm not sure leaving this man alive at the expense of New York's taxpaying citizens is fair. The father had no remorse when he pulled the trigger and a firing squad won't either.

Talking in a Recession

An recent newspaper article points out that for some reason homicides were down in Wilmington last year. Partially that's comforting news. I always like it when murderers take a break from killing for a while.
But the part that's troubling is the why? Why are homicide rates down? The story ponders the concept of good police work and better police tactics. That's a possibility. Maybe it's because citizens are taking back their streets. Or maybe the economy is taking its toll on the illegal drug business. Another option is that we're taking more responsibility for our children, and becoming better, more attentive parents.
I'd like to think that if there's one good thing that's come out of this recession it's that people are tightening their family budgets and finding more creative ways to do things together with limited resources. Our teens aren't spending as much time away from home and we as the primary influencers in their lives are taking the time to dig deeper about what they are thinking and doing.
So when we talk about why homicide rates have dropped, don't leave out the possibility that maybe we're raising smarter children, who are making better decisions about life.