During a time when everyone is giving thanks and surrounding themselves by family and friends, most thankful that they made it through another year, the commercially-charged event that has become known as Black Friday throws a wrench into the spirit of things. Less than 24 hours after the turkey has been carved and the typical feast devoured, crazed shoppers line up outside the malls, department stores and every other shop known to man, eager to get their Christmas shopping started – and, for many, completed – before they return home.
But what really irritates me is the lengths to which people will go to secure the hottest toy or most wanted video game console of the holiday season. While some of those items are in limited supply, others are on store shelves even before the huge Black Friday sales. It’s just the matter of saving a few bucks that drives people to fight, tooth and nail, to get their hands on those particular items – not to mention standing in line all night or sleeping in store parking lots awaiting the wee morning hours when the stores open their doors.
Over the years, there have been numerous reports of people fighting over items and shoppers being trampled to death … all in the name of greed.I understand how important Black Friday is, as it stimulates the economy just before the end of the year, but, clearly, the shopping holiday brings out the absolute worst in people. This year, alone, there were several instances in which people let that greed get the better of them. In Buffalo, N.Y., a man was trampled trying to enter a Target store. In Sacramento, Calif., shoppers and security personnel in a Walmart store were pushed and shoved, forcing an evacuation of the electronics section. Then, of course, there was the incident in West Palm Beach, Fla., in which merchandise three women had purchased was stolen from their vehicle while they continued their shopping spree.
Honestly, what is wrong with people? When did decorum become passé? And, believe me, the stores that advertise ridiculously low prices for short periods of time on particular items – of which they often have only a limited supply – aren’t helping matters. If anything, they’re feeding the insanity. Granted, I have never once been a part of the shopping extravaganza, there was one year when I unintentionally got caught up in the whole mess. I had to run to Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving on my way back to UW-River Falls to get some ink cartridges for my printer in order to be able to print out an extremely important term paper I had to turn in the following week.
Thinking that I would be in and out, able to avoid the crowds since I didn’t get there until after 9 a.m., it wasn’t long before I found out the error of my ways. On Black Friday, there is no such thing as quick when it comes to shopping, which I realized when I got in line to check out. Trying to find the end of the line was a trying task in itself, as I had to venture past the washers, dryers and refrigerators, then past the microwaves and vacuums, all the way back to the TVs. Needless to say, I was glad I skipped my morning coffee that day … going to the bathroom was certainly not an option. After that one encounter, I vowed never to leave the house on Black Friday ever again … unless, of course, it was to go to the bar with friends to hang out with a more sane crowd.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
In Case Of Emergency ...
I may have spoken too soon in last week’s editorial about positivity being the end result of change. With last Tuesday’s announcement regarding the city’s only hospital, the opposite is true in this case. While I understand the reasoning behind the forthcoming closure of Franciscan Skemp Healthcare’s (FSH) Arcadia hospital, I’m sure I’m not the only one who is frustrated by the decision.
First of all, regardless of the numbers that have been recorded at the hospital over the past few years, I am fairly certain that the peace of mind gained by knowing that hospital-based care was not far away was far more important. I know that some people base their home-buying decisions on, not only educational facilities, but accessibility to a hospital. Not having a hospital in the city could be detrimental to the housing market and overall economic state of this community. While I am glad that FSH will be expanding its clinic services and nursing home care, the mere fact that there will not be 24-hour care is somewhat unsettling, especially given the fact that people are active outside the 9-5 timeframe. And given the fact that we have manufacturing companies in this town and many, many farms in the vicinity, life-threatening accidents do happen.
The thought of not having that kind of care right here in Arcadia is certainly something to worry about. Say someone is in a bad car accident along Highway 93 just up the hill from Arcadia (which has been known to happen) and the individual needs immediate medical attention. Well, guess what. Once that hospital closes, that attention will be at least 20-25 miles away, which could prove fatal in some instances. Regardless of what the numbers show, there’s no doubt in my mind that the lack of patients goes far beyond need. Over the past few years, with the economy faltering, I’ll bet hospitals across the country saw a decrease in numbers. That’s because health care is expensive and those who have been laid off or are only working part-time jobs in order to make ends meet likely don’t have health care coverage.
As I’ve alluded to in the past, when it comes to budgeting money, health care is usually one of the things that is a ways down the list of importance. Take me, for example. A few months ago, I rolled my ankle. And this wasn’t just like a twist or a sprain. My foot and leg were completely perpendicular … to the point that I heard a snap. And I’m not one to complain about pain, but that hurt something fierce. Within an hour, my ankle swelled up to the size of a grapefruit and it turned purple.
Granted, I should have played it smart and went to the hospital to have it X-rayed to make sure I hadn’t broken anything, I did the math in my head. Without health insurance, there was no way I would be able to pay the bill. Ergo, I let it mend on its own. It took over two weeks for the swelling to go down and, to this day, anytime I walk, my ankle makes a clicking sound. When I stand too long or when there’s bad weather, it swells up, likely because it didn’t mend properly, but, all in all, it healed well enough that I can still get around.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who would trade a few days of limping for hundreds of dollars. However, I think that closing the hospital now was a bad call. If and when ObamaCare takes effect, people’s attitude toward emergency care will likely change as well. That being said, I think now would be the opportune time for another health care provider to start thinking about locating a hospital in Arcadia. I’m sure it would gain overwhelming support.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
First of all, regardless of the numbers that have been recorded at the hospital over the past few years, I am fairly certain that the peace of mind gained by knowing that hospital-based care was not far away was far more important. I know that some people base their home-buying decisions on, not only educational facilities, but accessibility to a hospital. Not having a hospital in the city could be detrimental to the housing market and overall economic state of this community. While I am glad that FSH will be expanding its clinic services and nursing home care, the mere fact that there will not be 24-hour care is somewhat unsettling, especially given the fact that people are active outside the 9-5 timeframe. And given the fact that we have manufacturing companies in this town and many, many farms in the vicinity, life-threatening accidents do happen.
The thought of not having that kind of care right here in Arcadia is certainly something to worry about. Say someone is in a bad car accident along Highway 93 just up the hill from Arcadia (which has been known to happen) and the individual needs immediate medical attention. Well, guess what. Once that hospital closes, that attention will be at least 20-25 miles away, which could prove fatal in some instances. Regardless of what the numbers show, there’s no doubt in my mind that the lack of patients goes far beyond need. Over the past few years, with the economy faltering, I’ll bet hospitals across the country saw a decrease in numbers. That’s because health care is expensive and those who have been laid off or are only working part-time jobs in order to make ends meet likely don’t have health care coverage.
As I’ve alluded to in the past, when it comes to budgeting money, health care is usually one of the things that is a ways down the list of importance. Take me, for example. A few months ago, I rolled my ankle. And this wasn’t just like a twist or a sprain. My foot and leg were completely perpendicular … to the point that I heard a snap. And I’m not one to complain about pain, but that hurt something fierce. Within an hour, my ankle swelled up to the size of a grapefruit and it turned purple.
Granted, I should have played it smart and went to the hospital to have it X-rayed to make sure I hadn’t broken anything, I did the math in my head. Without health insurance, there was no way I would be able to pay the bill. Ergo, I let it mend on its own. It took over two weeks for the swelling to go down and, to this day, anytime I walk, my ankle makes a clicking sound. When I stand too long or when there’s bad weather, it swells up, likely because it didn’t mend properly, but, all in all, it healed well enough that I can still get around.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who would trade a few days of limping for hundreds of dollars. However, I think that closing the hospital now was a bad call. If and when ObamaCare takes effect, people’s attitude toward emergency care will likely change as well. That being said, I think now would be the opportune time for another health care provider to start thinking about locating a hospital in Arcadia. I’m sure it would gain overwhelming support.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Changes
Whoever said change was bad was completely wrong. Just look at all of the changes that have taken place right here in little ol’ Arcadia. Considering this is a town of under 5,000, I’d say we’ve got it pretty good. Unfortunately, that, oftentimes, can be taken for granted. We have city officials who care about developing this area and making Arcadia all that it can be. We have an amazing educational system that strives for excellence. We have a hugely successful business industry. And we have one of the best economies of any municipality in the state, which is only solidified by a generous and extraordinarily active community.
When I began working and living in Arcadia, I quickly learned just what a great community it really was. With so much potential, it only made sense that vast changes would take place that would make it even better. And, boy was I right. In less than 12 months, the City of Arcadia has undergone quite the facelift. Not only is there a new McDonald’s on the east end of town, but there have been new businesses celebrating their grand openings all year long.
And then, there’s the obvious reconstruction project that took most of the summer to complete. Sure, it was a pain with all of the detours and delays while construction was underway, but just look at the final result: turn lanes that allow for better traffic flow, a beautiful parking area that’s more than just pavement, curb and gutter (which will most likely become the defining cornerstone of the business district) and a vastly improved sewer system. Oh, and let’s not forget about the city’s first traffic signals. Then there’s the relocation of the Arcadia Area Historical Society to the former OLPH Church. In my opinion, there’s no better place to have a historical museum than in one of the most iconic and historical buildings in the city. There is also a significant change in education on the horizon, as the Arcadia School District is moving forward with plans for a new PK-8 facility to replace the current elementary and middle school on Main Street.
Looking back on all of the old newspapers while researching information for the “From Our Files” section, its unbelievable how far this community has come. And, if you go even further back and look at old photos of downtown Arcadia, when the streets were made of dirt and horses served as one of the main modes of transportation, there’s no doubt that this community is headed in the right direction. While we may not be to the point of flying cars or hoverboards (as Robert Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future” had predicted would happen by 2015), the leaps and bounds that technology has allowed us to take only leads me to believe that more change is on its way.
Oddly, “Back to the Future” also predicted daily and weekly newspapers would be delivered “Via Compu-fax Satellite” and that clearly is not, nor will it ever be, the case. While the Internet has become a primary source for retrieving news these days, I often wish the prediction that the newspaper industry would be flourishing instead of floundering would have come true.
But, as I have learned, nothing positive can ever be achieved without change.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
When I began working and living in Arcadia, I quickly learned just what a great community it really was. With so much potential, it only made sense that vast changes would take place that would make it even better. And, boy was I right. In less than 12 months, the City of Arcadia has undergone quite the facelift. Not only is there a new McDonald’s on the east end of town, but there have been new businesses celebrating their grand openings all year long.
And then, there’s the obvious reconstruction project that took most of the summer to complete. Sure, it was a pain with all of the detours and delays while construction was underway, but just look at the final result: turn lanes that allow for better traffic flow, a beautiful parking area that’s more than just pavement, curb and gutter (which will most likely become the defining cornerstone of the business district) and a vastly improved sewer system. Oh, and let’s not forget about the city’s first traffic signals. Then there’s the relocation of the Arcadia Area Historical Society to the former OLPH Church. In my opinion, there’s no better place to have a historical museum than in one of the most iconic and historical buildings in the city. There is also a significant change in education on the horizon, as the Arcadia School District is moving forward with plans for a new PK-8 facility to replace the current elementary and middle school on Main Street.
Looking back on all of the old newspapers while researching information for the “From Our Files” section, its unbelievable how far this community has come. And, if you go even further back and look at old photos of downtown Arcadia, when the streets were made of dirt and horses served as one of the main modes of transportation, there’s no doubt that this community is headed in the right direction. While we may not be to the point of flying cars or hoverboards (as Robert Zemeckis’ “Back to the Future” had predicted would happen by 2015), the leaps and bounds that technology has allowed us to take only leads me to believe that more change is on its way.
Oddly, “Back to the Future” also predicted daily and weekly newspapers would be delivered “Via Compu-fax Satellite” and that clearly is not, nor will it ever be, the case. While the Internet has become a primary source for retrieving news these days, I often wish the prediction that the newspaper industry would be flourishing instead of floundering would have come true.
But, as I have learned, nothing positive can ever be achieved without change.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
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