CLEARLAKE – as every American knows, we're “the richest, most powerful nation on the planet.”

Why, then, do we rank dead last among developed nations in preventable deaths? Why is the US “the most obese nation in history”? Why is our health care system actually “a phenomenally expensive disease-care system”? Why are most US bankruptcies due to excruciatingly high medical bills – and why are 47 million Americans uninsured?

Second Sunday Cinema's two free films for June 14 do answer those questions, but place far more emphasis on providing solid information on how we can stay healthy and change our health system to provide affordable, equitable, high-quality health care for all our citizens, no matter what our income is.

Amiable Frontline reporter TR Reid visited five capitalist democracies to get information on how they provide health care in Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland. The result is his entertaining, fast-moving and informative film, “Sick Around the World.”

Although their approaches differ in some ways, all five nations can boast of the following: their citizens are happy to pay nothing or next to nothing for excellent preventive and sick care. Waiting lists are either short or nonexistent. Doctors pay little to nothing for malpractice insurance; they're not filthy rich, but are comfortable and relaxed, and enjoy their work.

Legislators here at home are now beginning to consider health-care reform. But we don't have to reinvent the wheel here, folks! Successful systems are already up and running. None of those five nations have that much-feared “socialized medicine.”

This film is way better than Michael Moore's “Sicko” because it provides solid, detailed, hopeful and interesting information on how we, too, can enjoy an excellent health-care system – if only we can get our legislators to support public health care.

Of course the best way to go is to avoid doctors and hospitals as much as possible. One of the reasons US citizens are notably less healthy than the people of other developed nations can be summed up thusly: Due to the current system and our lack of information, we wait until symptoms emerge, and then pay huge sums of money to get our symptoms treated instead of being healed.

How about this alternative: we eat healthy foods, we get a lot of exercise doing things we love and which we can afford since we're not spending our money on sky-high health insurance.

As of now, the US government subsidizes high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar processed “foods” but gives no subsidies at all to healthy fruit, nut, vegetable and leguminous crops. Until the government changes its ways, we can take charge of our own lives by eating real, unprocessed and healthy foods healthily prepared. Then we won't have to take time off to go see the doctor (which is always such fun).

These two films are one hour and 40 minutes, respectively. Stay for one or both.

The venue is the Clearlake United Methodist Church at 14521 Pearl Ave. in Clearlake. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the film starts at 6 p.m.

For more information call 707-279-2957.

What in the world is WAD? "WAD" stands for “Writers, Actors, Directors,” three of the most essential elements of theater, coming together in one 24-hour period to put on an evening full of outrageously unique theater.

The evening will consist of six completely different short plays, all built upon one theme seen from six distinctive points of view.

Ukiah Players Theater Co. (UPT) is again sponsoring this event which will take place Saturday, June 6, at 8 p.m. at the Ukiah Players Theater, 1041 Low Gap Road, Ukiah. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the door.

How does the WAD work? Six teams of talented performers converge on UPT on Friday night (the night before the performance).

At 8 p.m. they select a theme (they actually draw it out of a hat!) and the writers go home to write a script. Yikes! The script is due in at 8 a.m. the next day!

The director and actors from each team then receive the scripts, rehearse and memorize them all day and perform them that night at 8 p.m.! Crazy!

Yes, it is crazy, but is amazingly good theater. This year's participants involve groups from Mendocino College, two groups from Lake County Theatre Co., two from UPT (representing the youth and the alumni) and two ad hoc groups, one pulled together by the talented Margie Loesch and another made up of of the wildly uninhibited guys we all remember from "Shakespeare Un-abridged."

Don't miss it! You'll be sorry if you do!

Novelist Molly Dwyer, author of Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein, will teach a historical fiction writing workshop in Ukiah on June 20. Courtesy photo.

UKIAH – Registration is now open for “Story Stalking: Historical Fiction Writing Workshop” with novelist Molly Dwyer in Ukiah.

This historical fiction writing workshop, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 20 takes place at Mariposa Center, a rural retreat in an oak-filled canyon 10 minutes from Ukiah/Highway 101 in Mendocino County.

The $75 workshop fee includes a copy of Dwyer’s award-winning novel, “Requiem for the Author of Frankenstein” and a box lunch. Early registration is advised, as space is limited. For registration forms and workshop details, go to www.mollydwyer.com or call Dot at 707-463-2736 or 707-272-8305.

Molly Dwyer’s debut novel, published last year, won a national award for historical fiction and was recently nominated for the Northern California Book Award in Fiction as one of the best works by a Northern California author published in 2008.

During the daylong workshop, Dwyer will use guided and free writing experiences, conversation and presentation to explore four aspects of writing historical fiction: research, framing, structure and ethics. She goes beyond standard linear approaches to research, such as Internet and primary sources, to include intuitive methods, such as dreaming and synchronicity.

In framing a story, Dwyer addresses how to shape fact into fiction and develop a strong sense of time and place with special attention to the sensibilities of characters living in another period or culture. She’ll suggest ways to structure a complex story that facilitate movement between research and writing, exploring background, foreground and back-story elements.

Finally, she will examine ethical questions in writing historical fiction, including how to stretch the facts to fit the fiction and how to transform fiction to fit the facts, as well as how to strike a balance between the two.

Dwyer has received glowing reviews for her presentations and workshops throughout the western United States and internationally.

“Molly Dwyer gave one of the best, most articulate presentations about writing I have ever experienced, at any venue,” says Cindy Pavlinac, vice president of the California Writers Club Marin Branch. Molly’s perspective is grounding, informative, inspiring, and current."

Singer Sonia McAlear will perform at Harbor Village Artists in Lucerne on Saturday, June 13, 2009. Courtesy photo.

LUCERNE – Join songstress Sonia McAlear for an afternoon of lite rock at the Harbor Village Artists complex on Saturday, June 13.

McAlear will perform from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

She moved to Lake County in 1997 and discovered her passion for music.

McAlear's new career has taken her on several musical endeavors around the county, including performances at Mary Lou's in Lucerne and Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino.

Harbor Village Artists Colony is located at 6197 E. Highway 20, Lucerne.

For more information, call 707-274-2346.

One poet and one fiction writer from California will receive a $500 honorarium and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City, where they will meet with agents, editors and prominent writers, and give a public reading of their work in Spring 2010.

The winners will be selected by Karen Tei Yamashita (fiction) and Juan Felipe Herrera (poetry).

The contest is open to poets and fiction writers who:

• Have never published a book, or;

• Have published no more than one full-length book in the genre in which they are applying, and;

• Have resided in California for at least two consecutive years prior to the date they submit their manuscripts.

An application must accompany all manuscripts and be postmarked no later than Aug. 31.

For complete guidelines and an application, please visit www.pw.org/about-us/california_writers_exchange_award.