Today couldn't have ended a moment too soon, although if it's at all like yesterday, it may not be over yet. I'm exhausted and I can't imagine how emergency crews are still functioning. Some of them have been going for two days straight and I've seen the same guys at calls day after day.
Today about 11:30 a.m., plane full of would-be hunters from Georgia fell out of the sky into a yard at a subdivision near the airport. Theories abound as to why -- it was foggy and icy at that time, the pilot misjudged his first approach and may have caused the plane to stall as he pulled up -- either way, the plane slammed near dead on into the ground in the front yard of a home where a woman sat doing her taxes. No trees were clipped. No homes were damaged. All six men on board died instantly.
In just over a week I've been to the scenes of eight deaths. Men ranging from a 40-year-old construction worker having a beer on his way home after work and losing control of his pickup so that he slammed head-on into a mini-van loaded with travelers (who thankfully weren't hurt) to a guy my father's age (68) whose pickup was struck by a tractor-trailer that lost its brakes coming down Lowgap Mountain, and now six men of unknown ages and abilities that I've been getting to know through Internet postings as community and business leaders. I feel like I need my spirit cleansed, as though bits of their souls, disrupted from their voyage through life, had attached themselves to mine. In between, we had a man struck while trying to catch a runaway dog on a rural road (he survived, the dog was killed) and a chemical spill.
I missed the dog incident, but otherwise I've climbed the roadbanks, stood in the cold, and waded the water with the rescue workers. I also had the luxury of not handling the bodies and going home to bed while they were still dealing with a toxic chemical last night. Now I'm blogging on the couch while the rescuers are, quite possibly, sorting through the wreckage for more remains, so I guess I shouldn't complain. And I'm not, really. Sometimes a long string of days like these makes me question my career choice: did I really have to be a newspaper reporter? Then again, I have the comfort of knowing I talked my editor out of using the photo that I could plainly see a man's hand in, I kept the trust and respect of the professionals and volunteers working the scenes, and I didn't cause unnecessary harm to do my job. More than I can say for some of my peers.
I'm glad I'm home now with the police scanner quiet in a corner. Hopefully, it will stay that way. I think we've had enough.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Self inflicted
My husband and I stopped for a quick dinner last week at one of the local restaurants serving a buffet and fell into what is an all too common discussion of health -- or more specifically, obesity.
Two rather large women came in, apparently mother and daughter, with a younger child in tow and settled in to round their plates with multiple helpings of Chinese food. The child, well below teen years, matched them round for round.
While our health care system preaches to us and lawsuits try to get compensation for high fat diet choices, the problem continues to grow -- literally -- and whatever our size, if we have health insurance, we're paying for it.
Many insurance companies are tacking on penalties for smokers, and if we're destined to continue dealing with the legal mess of health insurance, they should do the same for obesity or even being significantly overweight. In fact, while you might manage to lie about your tobacco use (altho at a former employer that was a firing offense), any visit to your physician will quickly reveal the truth behind the numbers.
Why further penalize people struggling with weight? Think about it. Many of them are not struggling. They're either wallowing in it (I can't do anything about it) by eating any and everything their heart desires or pretending it's not a health issue. At the same time they're racking up health care expenses for diabetes, heart disease and joint ailments. They're becoming disabled because their bodies can't carry them around in any functional way, and then they can watch TV and eat full time. And who pays for those trips to the doctor? Everyone with insurance or, once they have none themselves, everyone who pays taxes to support Medicaid. Then they wind up with free medical care. Once they're disabled, it's on the rest of us to support them. Yet it's an accepted and often multi-generational thing. And really, when you're struggling with weight issues, other than self determination, wouldn't some financial incentive help? It would at least keep you from buying a dozen donuts or something.
Then there's the fact that our society encourages it. You can buy a burger meal, complete with fries, softdrink, and all the fat your body can stand, much cheaper than a salad, despite the fact that hamburger is $3 a pound and lettuce a dollar a head. If you go to a restaurant, you don't have the option of getting a smaller serving unless you're a child or senior citizen, and then you're choices are limited. So you get this huge plate of food and you "by gosh don't want to waste a $12 meal, and who wants to fool with asking for carry outs besides it's the same calories later, so you may as well eat it now." Why can't good restaurants offer a smaller plate? Who said servings had to be so big or cost so much? And if they can design diet meals and ship them to you for $11 a day, why can't a restaurant serve them for just a bit more?
Sure, in a perfect world we'd all grow a garden of vegetables in our back yard or some community lot and have healthy food to eat, and we'd fix our meals at home, but we're a long way from a perfect world. As long as we're trying to squeeze several incomes and a lot of extracurricular activities into our days, we don't have time for either option. So we're going to eat out or buy what we can afford that's quick at the grocery store.
And while we blog on the Internet and read a dozen papers on line every day, we don't think we have time for exercise and fall into a reverse trap on physical fitness, thinking we need a $2,000 piece of equipment or a gym membership for a perfect body and if we can't have that we may as well stay on the couch and watch TV, when the truth is, walking is the best exercise and all we really need is a good pair of shoes and some commitment. (And that's what we're really lacking.)
Sure, some people really struggle with weight issues. They're working with their physicians, support groups, or personal trainers to address them. I give them credit and hope they reach their healthy goals. For the rest, it's a self-inflicted ailment that I'm tired of subsidizing.
Two rather large women came in, apparently mother and daughter, with a younger child in tow and settled in to round their plates with multiple helpings of Chinese food. The child, well below teen years, matched them round for round.
While our health care system preaches to us and lawsuits try to get compensation for high fat diet choices, the problem continues to grow -- literally -- and whatever our size, if we have health insurance, we're paying for it.
Many insurance companies are tacking on penalties for smokers, and if we're destined to continue dealing with the legal mess of health insurance, they should do the same for obesity or even being significantly overweight. In fact, while you might manage to lie about your tobacco use (altho at a former employer that was a firing offense), any visit to your physician will quickly reveal the truth behind the numbers.
Why further penalize people struggling with weight? Think about it. Many of them are not struggling. They're either wallowing in it (I can't do anything about it) by eating any and everything their heart desires or pretending it's not a health issue. At the same time they're racking up health care expenses for diabetes, heart disease and joint ailments. They're becoming disabled because their bodies can't carry them around in any functional way, and then they can watch TV and eat full time. And who pays for those trips to the doctor? Everyone with insurance or, once they have none themselves, everyone who pays taxes to support Medicaid. Then they wind up with free medical care. Once they're disabled, it's on the rest of us to support them. Yet it's an accepted and often multi-generational thing. And really, when you're struggling with weight issues, other than self determination, wouldn't some financial incentive help? It would at least keep you from buying a dozen donuts or something.
Then there's the fact that our society encourages it. You can buy a burger meal, complete with fries, softdrink, and all the fat your body can stand, much cheaper than a salad, despite the fact that hamburger is $3 a pound and lettuce a dollar a head. If you go to a restaurant, you don't have the option of getting a smaller serving unless you're a child or senior citizen, and then you're choices are limited. So you get this huge plate of food and you "by gosh don't want to waste a $12 meal, and who wants to fool with asking for carry outs besides it's the same calories later, so you may as well eat it now." Why can't good restaurants offer a smaller plate? Who said servings had to be so big or cost so much? And if they can design diet meals and ship them to you for $11 a day, why can't a restaurant serve them for just a bit more?
Sure, in a perfect world we'd all grow a garden of vegetables in our back yard or some community lot and have healthy food to eat, and we'd fix our meals at home, but we're a long way from a perfect world. As long as we're trying to squeeze several incomes and a lot of extracurricular activities into our days, we don't have time for either option. So we're going to eat out or buy what we can afford that's quick at the grocery store.
And while we blog on the Internet and read a dozen papers on line every day, we don't think we have time for exercise and fall into a reverse trap on physical fitness, thinking we need a $2,000 piece of equipment or a gym membership for a perfect body and if we can't have that we may as well stay on the couch and watch TV, when the truth is, walking is the best exercise and all we really need is a good pair of shoes and some commitment. (And that's what we're really lacking.)
Sure, some people really struggle with weight issues. They're working with their physicians, support groups, or personal trainers to address them. I give them credit and hope they reach their healthy goals. For the rest, it's a self-inflicted ailment that I'm tired of subsidizing.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Jumping in
Another beautiful January day! No really. And I've been wanting to try blogging instead of just responding so here I am. Whether anyone cares or not, that remains to be seen....
About me? Well, saying I'm a health nut would be taking it too far, but I've fallen into the category of "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." So, I'm taking better care of myself. Two years ago, cholesterol and weight were up and I changed my diet some and started walking a lot. Now I'm 20 lbs. lighter (at least until Super Bowl weekend, then I'll need a while to recover) and much healthier. The walking is with every dog in the neighborhood, hence dogwalkr.
I'm intrigued with local politics; think state politics have a purpose and feel like everyone thinks they're from D.C. once they get there. One would think someone would have the sense to fix health care. I had skin cancer taken off four years ago and can't see the same doctor for my new concern because they're out of network. A new doctor wants a referral, so several of them can line up for a shot at my wallet. Insurance sucks and it's time for a change, but since it has to come from D.C., where government policies are good and lobbying strong, let's not hold our breath.
OK, back to weekend work. I'll get better at this, I promise
About me? Well, saying I'm a health nut would be taking it too far, but I've fallen into the category of "If I'd known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself." So, I'm taking better care of myself. Two years ago, cholesterol and weight were up and I changed my diet some and started walking a lot. Now I'm 20 lbs. lighter (at least until Super Bowl weekend, then I'll need a while to recover) and much healthier. The walking is with every dog in the neighborhood, hence dogwalkr.
I'm intrigued with local politics; think state politics have a purpose and feel like everyone thinks they're from D.C. once they get there. One would think someone would have the sense to fix health care. I had skin cancer taken off four years ago and can't see the same doctor for my new concern because they're out of network. A new doctor wants a referral, so several of them can line up for a shot at my wallet. Insurance sucks and it's time for a change, but since it has to come from D.C., where government policies are good and lobbying strong, let's not hold our breath.
OK, back to weekend work. I'll get better at this, I promise
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