Heaven Help Us

Trayvon Martin has sparked a moral and ethical nerve in this country. Unfortunately, it is a nerve that has be festering for quite a while. There are examples of this kind of tragedy all over the country everyday and you pray there will be an end. Thanks to technology Trayvon's murder (because that's what it was) went viral via twitter, face book and the Internet in general.

What if we didn't have social media to spread the news about Trayvon Martin?

What are the lessons you teach your fellow man about this tragedy? Have you ever talk about race relations to get a better understanding?

Do you hope that you don't have to talk about it, because you have friends of different cultures, ethnic groups and backgrounds?

Is it just assumed because you have those relationships that you have an understanding of one's thoughts about race and the sensitive issues surrounding it?

You would be assuming too much if you think like that. Have you ever been offended by what a friend said, but didn't admit it? Did you give them a moral pass, because they're your friend? I'm sure you have, because the friend is generally a good and descent person. So why does this matter?

It matters, because one of the most offensive things a person without understanding could say is "Just Get Over It". More importantly, you telling yourself, I'll get over it.

My Thoughts

I think its important to have dialog about the Trayvon Martin case with your friends. There are a number of issues that can be healthy to discuss. Teach your son's, daughter's, mentor's and colleagues how to discuss this issue in various ways. First, research the issue for the "facts" and understand both sides of this matter. This is an emotionally charged issue, so you want to approach it with some intelligence, not just emotion. You want to be able to hear others who may not share your view.

Have an open forum with friends. Allow others to express their opinions while you facilitate the conversation. Utilize this discussion to discuss issues such as the role of race and media in influencing how we view society.

My faith in God and music helps me to cope with this issue. I have a son and a little boy on the way. I know more than ever how my parents felt every time my brother and I left the house to hang with friends. I'm reminded of a song that I've been listening too these days by one of my favorite artist, Stevie Wonder. Heaven Help Us All was a song released in the early 70's by Stevie Wonder. 


"Now I lay me down before I go to sleep. In a troubled world, I pray the Lord to keep, keep hatred from the mighty, And the mighty from the small, Heaven help us all..."http://youtu.be/vrlBeEkvzHY

Are You Really Covered?

Health insurance is something that's important to us, because it provides coverage for the unknown. We never know when we have to go to a health care provider for symptoms related to sickness or injury. We also know how financially devastating it would be if health insurance wasn't available to us. Medical costs are expensive with health insurance, so we can imagine how much more it would cost if we didn't have it. So the question is, if you have health insurance are really covered?

Within each health plan, there are things that our health insurance will cover, and there are things it will not. Most people are not really familiar with their health plans to the degree necessary. As long as the co-pay is $20 most people are satisfied, and that's a mistake. Because of the rising cost of health care, most employers offer their employees High Deductible Health Plans also called HDHP. Do you know if you are involved in a HDHP?

High Deductible Health Plans are plans that provide standard coverage, however, the deductible is higher in cost for the employee to pay. What is a deductible? According to the definition, the deductible is the expenses that must be paid out of pocket before an insurer will pay any expenses. Just like car insurance, there is a certain amount you must pay before the insurer will pay their percentage. Most people do not know what their deductibles  are for each category and that's a scary thought. Your insurer may tell you what your total deductible may be, however, you should do more research. Know how much of a deductible you need to pay for certain situations. For example, if you are admitted to the emergency room and have to go into surgery, how much is that going to cost you? Once you're out of surgery and you have to do rehab, how much is that going to cost you? Once you're done with rehab, do you have to go for physical therapy? Will you have to miss work for a short time because of the sickness or injury? Do you have short term disability? If so, when will it pay? These are questions people don't think about when it comes to their insurance.

No matter how good of an insurance plan you THINK you have, these are things you need to know. It doesn't matter if your employer will pay 100% of you're major medical, there are still gaps in your coverage that you're not aware.


My Thoughts:

Recently, I've been in conversations with a number of people about health insurance. It should be noted as a profession, I work for a major supplemental insurance company, so I have some incite to this subject. It also compelled me to educate the public about this unknown information. The next blog will be about how to cover the gaps in your health insurance. I hope you find this blog helpful, and you start to ask questions.

I Got Sucker Punched!

This weekend I ventured to see the highly anticipated Sucker Punch http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810133258/info. The movie was build to be a action pack adventure, a must see according to reviewers and friends alike. I must say, after watching the movie I felt like Virgil Hill getting punched in the ribs by Roy Jones Jr. The movie was dark and creepy with a story line that was incomplete. I don't mind a movie being dark, but I felt like I was watching an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit with all the child molestation acts by the step-dad. Not to mention all the child labor laws that were broken and prostitution ring being run at a mental institution. Through all of this I'm suppose to find the "adventure" and "action" that was used to promote this movie? To be fair, there was some action scenes in the movie and the super hero "Charlie's Angels" did put up a good fight, but like Virgil Hill I couldn't recover from the mat after being hit in the ribs.

Is Boxing Still Relevant?

This weekend I was all excited to see the boxing match between two undefeated world class boxers in Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley. The two gentleman represent the  Jr.welterweight division which means the weight limit is not to exceed 140lbs. The most famous Jr. Welterweight boxer was Sugar Ray Leonard to give you an idea. Both boxers were title belt holders, so this made for an interesting contest. Needless to say, the boxing match did not live up to the media hype surrounding this long awaited event. In defense of the boxing match in general, boxing historians will tell you styles make fights, so maybe that had something to do with it. After talking with friends about this contest, it got me to thinking is boxing still a relevant sport?
Growing up I was exposed to boxing by my dad, who's a major fan of the sport. During those days, you could see well-known boxers on Saturday afternoon's right after cartoons. Boxing didn't have a problem marketing its product to fans because it was accessible. Today, if you want to see boxing you need to have cable and that's just to see the average boxer. If you want to see the major players of the sport you have to buy the fight for an average cost of $50. I believe over time this had disconnected the average person from watching the sport and more importantly disconnected the athletic kid from becoming a boxer. Most of the best athletes play football, basketball, soccer, track, etc. You could say these sports have done a great job over the same period of time in marketing the product to the fans. As boxing experienced a decrease in fan participation, football had experienced the opposite affect. There are reports that this year's Super Bowl will have over 100 million viewers. Still does that mean boxing is relevant? The answer is YES, boxing is still a relevant sport. Boxing is trying to do a better job in marketing its product to the average viewer, and over time I think these efforts will work. Boxing has a major place in American History. It was boxing that gave American's hope in WWII, when Joe Louis defeated Germany's Max Schmeling in the rematch at Yankee Stadium. The most beloved athletic figure in all of sports in the world is Muhammad Ali. American's couldn't erase boxing out of our culture if we tried.
Today, boxing is our "Sneaky Obsession". Most people who say they're not interested in boxing find themselves at fight parties. Why is that so? Well, the next time you talk to someone and ask if they watch boxing and they tell you no, just ask "Will you watch the Manny Pacquiao  vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr fight?"

How Smart Are Your Kids?

The Daily Beast published a list called "America's Smartest Kids" this week http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2546/1/. The listed is ranked by US States, so the question is how smart is your kid? More importantly, do you live in a state that values education? Could the impact of No Child Left Behind effect the ranking of this list? Obviously, there many factors that play into the success of child. The commitment of parents to their child's education plays a role in how the list is determined. However, this list does bring up interesting points like the perception of do you live in a smart or dumb state? If you live in a dumb state, then who's fault is it? This could be much to do about nothing, but I think there's some merit in this list.

Is Tom Brady Overrated?

The weekend produced some memorable playoff football games. One particular game stood out for me, and that was the New England Patriots verses the New York Jets. The week long banter around this game was amazing. Coaches and players taking shots at each other in the press, while the media were citing 101 ways why the Patriots were going to defeat the Jets. Most of the points focused on Tom Brady and his greatest. The game itself was entertaining and truth telling at best. It got me to thinking about my previous blog citing Tom Brady's ranking as one of the NFL's all time greats. I'm convinced more than ever, Tom Brady is overrated.

Tom Brady's biggest career wins have come on the foot of Adam Vinateri. Think about it, the infamous "Tuck Rule" game verses the Oakland Raiders, Vinateri delivers two huge field goals to send the Patriots to the Super Bowl. In 2002, Super Bowl XXXVI, Adam Vinateri wins the game on 48-yard field goal verses the St. Louis Rams as time expires, however Brady is named MVP will less than stellar statistics. In 2004, Super Bowl XXXVIII, Adam Vinateri makes a 41-yard field as time expires to defeat the Carolina Panthers. In Super Bowl XXXVIX, the difference in score is an Adam Vinateri field, which edges the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21. Since then, the New England Patriots and Tom Brady have yet to win another Super Bowl.

It seems to me if Tom Brady is to be considered the greatest quarterback since Joe Montana, the Patriots may need to get Adam Vinateri back on the roster.

Is the Heisman Trophy Winner Really The Best Football Player?

Now that the 2010-2011 college football season is over and the allegedly #1 college football team (Auburn Tigers) has been crowned, it's time to reflect. First, I'm not sure if Auburn is actually the best college football team in the country. There is still another undefeated division 1 college football team left, and that's TCU-Texas Christian University. Until this matter is resolved, the term "Alleged" will always apply. Usually, the team that plays for the championship has the Heisman Trophy winner. Now this year that player is Cameron Newton, Quarterback for the Auburn Tigers.

Usually the Heisman Trophy winner is a 1st round pick in the NFL draft, because he is allegedly the best college football player in the country. But is he really the best college football player in the country? History has shown that Heisman Trophy winners rarely live up to their hype. In fact, on the NFL's list of the greatest 100 players of all time, only one Heisman Trophy winner is even in the top 20 http://top100.nfl.com/. I have a problem with the NFL's list in general, because one Tom Brady is in the top 25 which is extremely too high of a ranking for him, but that's another blog to debate.

So, will Cameron Newton be the next best football player to hit the NFL? According to history, he could be just another average player with alot of hype.