Friday, January 28, 2022

TWF 323: Big Winter Storm Approaching, Jan 28, 2022

 Hello, friends,

The below image is courtesy of the National Weather Service.



I mean, that says enough, doesn't it?  Well, Accuweather says this:


That's...Honestly twice as bad as the 6-12 we were predicted to get as of a couple days ago, which is why I decided it deserved an article.  That means it's time to review some of our usual winter weather tips!  If you've got one you'd like to share, leave it in the comments and I'll credit you and add it to the list.

(Yes, this list seems to repeat year to year for a reason, but it's been tweaked here and there)


Try to stock up on anything you need before the snow gets heavy.  It goes without saying that if you can't drive safely, if you can't move well, then you are at risk of getting injured while walking around, or crashing your car if you risk driving.  I know it's kind of an old motif, but get your "bread and milk" now.
 - Keep your pets and beloved animals inside!!!  They won't be able to move through two feet of snow any better than you will, and if the temperature is cold out, they can get sick or even freeze to death.  Have some compassion.  If you can, put out a large styrofoam box/cooler/something, stuffed with straw, for local stray cats/animals to take shelter in; in these days, compassion is a must.  If you've got some spare pet food, put that out - staying warm burns calories.
 - Help your neighbors clear the snow from their sidewalks if you can.  If possible - and I mean unless you absolutely cannot - clear out a 3-feet circle around your nearby fire hydrants.  (via TJ Johnson.)  Make sure to dress warmly, wear sturdy and stable boots, and take your time shoveling!
 - If the power goes out, be careful with candles! Nobody needs a fire!
 Keep a cell phone handy; a battery-powered radio is a good idea, too.  If you need to report a non-life-threatening emergency, call the Nassau County line at 1-888-684-4274.  For medical emergencies ONLY, use 911.  Charge it up as much as you can as early as you can.
 - Get your car off the road!  Park your cars in your driveway, if you can. (Via FFD member Robert Volpe).  Village lots are typically available for public parking if you can't.
 - Try to have cash available!  In the event that there is no electricity to run credit cards or operate ATMs, you'll want to have money around if you need to pay for anything.
 - Once the storm is over, call your friends and family and see if they're alright!

Thursday, January 27, 2022

TWF 322 - Poetry Month & Contest At Long Island Arts Council.

 Hello, friends.

April is Poetry Month for Long Island Arts Council at Freeport.  I wish I had a direct link to a page specifically dedicated to the poetry contest they're running, but that's not available at present.  What is available is information and registration for the seventh annual high school-oriented poetry contest!



I would strongly encourage any and all interested youths to apply (with parental permission, of course).  Sharing poetry is often very personal, and while it might not seem like a huge stepping stone, but I promise you that if you're poetically inclined, earlier publication credits are a positive step for your portfolio down the path.

I know, lots of alliteration, there.  If you noticed, you oughta consider entering the contest!

As for me:  I'm presently kicking back in CoVID-Positive quarantine; I'm feeling about 97% healthy, a fact which I'm crediting to my vaccination.  If you haven't already gotten yours, please do.


Jesse Pohlman is an author from Long Island, New York; born and raised in Freeport.  Well, maybe not "born" in Freeport - Freeport Hospital wasn't doing delivery in 1984.

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

TWF 321: Hospital Update, A Story, And A Call To Action (CoVID Update #15)

Editorial note:  Opinions ahead.

 Hello, friends,

This is like the cliche freshman college essay:  I want to start with giving credit to News 12 on the germ of this article, which some beta-readers have identified as a bit of a rant, but there are serious problems afoot in Long Island, and it's due to our old pal the Coronavirus.  I'm opening with some data, I'm following that up with a personal story, and - at the end of this - I am calling upon Governor Hochul to take significant action to combat the Coronavirus pandemic.

Hospital overcrowding and overload has reached highs that honestly haven't really been seen, at least since the beginning of the pandemic.  With the Omicron variant in town, U.S. Case Positivity rates have skyrocketed.  NBC News reports that on January 3rd, over one million tests returned positive.  Just think about that:  1/330 people in the country came down with CoVID.  Child hospitalizations are at climbing rapidly, as reported by ReutersSeems like Freeport Schools going remote for at least this week was a good idea, now, doesn't it?


Oh:  And here's Nassau County's caseload.

Notice how it's kind of just going almost straight up?



News 12 is reporting that Nassau University Medical Center is overwhelmed.  That's no surprise.  60% of the hospital's population is there specifically for CoVID, and - if I'm reading the first link in this post right - the other 40% was positive?  That's, like, 100%.  I think they could have been clearer with their reporting, there, honestly.

At any rate, other hospitals are increasing their requirements for in-patient emergency admission.  Virtually anything that can be managed outpatient is being called upon to be handled outpatient, even if that's not exactly ideal for the patient.  Then there's the case of the Florida hospital turning away pregnant people because they're overwhelmed with CoVID.  You know, because that's a thing.


What's this all mean?

Well, dammit Jim, I'm not a doctor.  I'm just a part-time journalist trying to interpret data.  What it screams to me is that everyone is catching CoVID at this point, even though vaccinations are definitely keeping serious illness at bay for those of us who have paid attention to the science.  (If you've got a problem with that sentiment, just leave now, because we're going deep.)

As to the concrete effects of this new wave of hospitalpolicy changes, I'm just not sure.  They might mean that hospitals aren't going to accept non-life-threatening injuries, such as from moderate-to-severe car accidents.  "Oh,  your arm might be broken?  Too bad, get it treated outpatient."  It might not!  I know people who have had serious surgeries postponed, and while they were non-specific with their reasoning, I'm betting they didn't need to be clear about it.

And the more I write, the more concretely an idea forms in my mind.

I have a story I'm ready to tell:

I know that, due to CoVID, hospitals have put in place a policy in place where, generally speaking, you can't have guests in an emergency room.  There are limited exceptions, and this is where we get personal.  When my dad was in his last month of life, we decided to take him to the emergency room to see if there was anything that could be done to help him.  At that point, he was an immunocompromised cancer patient with suspected internal bleeding fresh off a first-time infusion of Cyramza, so he got in pretty quick - only, I wasn't allowed to go in with him.  I stressed that I was his healthcare proxy and power of attorney, that he could not advocate for himself in any effective manner, and they still wouldn't budge.  I was told to wait in the car.

Of course, being completely sick and disoriented, he was totally unable to provide a medical history for himself.  Totally.  I was called back within 10 minutes and sheepishly told they needed someone to help out with him.  It was only a short period of torment for a dying man, but it was terrible nonetheless.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this exemption regard, but I cannot imagine going to an ER when you're sick and being Goddess-damned alone.  It's a horrifying thought, to imagine going through that - and infuriating to imagine my wife going through it.  But people have to go through it, nonetheless?

And, in large part, people are going through that because other people are making selfish choices which damn them entirely?!

Enough.

No More.


A Call For Action From The Governor

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in the 1905 Jacobson Vs Massachusetts that states have the power to compel citizen vaccination in the face of a public health crisis.  The relevant overview is down below:



I am calling upon New York Governor Kathy Hochul to implement mandatory vaccination, either directly through executive order mandates, legislative mandates, and vaccine passports; or - at least - through existing requirements for school admission and any other mechanisms like mandates for all state workers to be vaccinated.  I am calling on all candidates for Governor, including Jumanne Williams and Tom Suozzi, to make this a part of their platform.  I am furthermore calling on all legislators to back specific laws being written to compel vaccination.

Yes, we are at that point.

No, I don't care about your self-assigned "Freedoms" in this case, because by refusing to get vaccinated all you are doing is hurting the sick and defenseless out of pure, unbridled selfishness.  Vaccines are safe, they will almost certainly not hurt you.  The science is well tested and established since the 1990's.  The disease is bad enough to warrant it, with one million cases in a day and overwhelmed hospitals.  The legal authority was established over a century ago by the highest court in the country.  I'm sorry, but you are not - and,  unless you are 115 years or so old, have never even plausibly been - "Free" to kill, cripple, and traumatize innocent people by turning yourself into a vector for disease.  You do, in fact, have a fundamental responsibility to protect your fellow Human being.

If you have a problem with this?  Don't bother arguing, here.  Give me an angry reaction and I'll tell you to kiss off.  This was and is something of a factual review of our situation, something of a rant, and definitely a sad story.

And I've seen enough suffering.

I'm done.


Jesse Pohlman is an author and recovering teacher from Long Island, New York, born and raised in Freeport.  He's currently furious at the state of affairs and the harm it's caused, both directly and indirectly.

Saturday, January 1, 2022

TWF 320: Additional Nassau County Test Kit Giveaway 1/2/2022! (CoViD Update #14)

 Greetings, friends!  And with another hat-tip to Jason Bass!


I hope you're enjoying the start to this new year!  For me, it's the year of "Organization," meaning I'm trying to get my life in order.  Which is good, since stability may well have arrived!

I'm truly sorry I'm coming a bit too late to help a lot of people, but I was just hat-tipped by my buddy and occasional co-conspirator for TWF that new the Nassau County Executive, Bruce Blakeman, is running another test kit giveaway both today and tomorrow.  Newsday reports that the give-away will run from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM both on 1/1/2022 and 1/2/2022, at the NYCB Nassau Coliseum.  The article is both paywalled, buried under articles about Thursday's giveaway, and dated as of yesterday, so it wouldn't surprise me if information is slow to get out.

Unfortunately, it's too late to benefit from this today.  I only just found out, after all.  But tomorrow is another story!

Additionally, as reported by Long Island Business News, the county is operating a testing facility out of Christopher Morley Park.  Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, though appointments are required.

Take care and be safe!