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Moments From The Jackson Memorial

Brook Shields gave us tremendous insight into Michael Jackson.  She said that she and Michael Jackson followed the same path. Both were child stars and both were denied their childhood, according  the Shields.  She understood  Jackson and cherished the moments that they spent together. It was without the pressure and they could absolutely be themselves

The Human Side of Jackson Revealed at His Memorial

Michael Jackson, the human side of him,  at least was given a tribute today. Jackson was a contradictory figure, no matter what you may think about him and his personal life, no one can deny that Michael Jackson cared about the world.  If you had the experience of seeing his memorial tribute today, you know what I am talking about.

Michael Jackson, despite his flaws and questionable decisions, cared about humanity. That was the message that we received today.  He was an iconic influence on the world and touched many, many, lives positively. So all of us need to pause and give the Jackson family a chance to breathe and mourn the loss of their son and brother……. Michael Jackson.

A Visit To New York City

Visiting New York city in March  was fun. I’ll be honest it is not the best time of the year to go, however, It’s New York; so there’s always an awful lot to do, you’ll be entertained and you will enjoy the trip! The month of March has it drawbacks, even for New York.  With that said, it is still a great time of the year to take in the sights of the “Big Apple”.

Start spreading the news, New York lives up to it’s advance billing!  Let’s see, there are interesting people,  more than enough venues to visit, plenty of Broadway shows, great food, and much more. My wife and I visited New York city in March 2006.  Actually I won the trip in a sales contest. It was a pre-paid trip, airfare, and hotel.  Three nights in New York city we stayed at the Belvedere Hotel, located about a half mile from Times Square.  This was a getaway trip on the cheap! Yes, we did not spend a lot of money, because we did not have a lot of money!  But we managed to have a great time, see a lot of sights, and get a real good flavor of the “City That Never Sleeps”. Trust me  New York  never sleeps!

We flew out of Rochester, New York, on Jet Blue.  On a scale of one to five, with five being the best experience, I’d give Jet Blue a five, primarily because of the in flight television at each seat via Jet Blue. If you have to fly anywhere, pray that Jet Blue has service in your city, that way it breaks up a tedious flight, that often can be quite boring.  Jet Blue offers standard satellite television.  That alone is a great reason to choose Jet Blue and sets the stage for  a great trip!

The flight from Rochester  took about one and half hours.  So it was a short flight.  We took a shuttle from JFK to our hotel, the Belvedere, located about a mile from Times Square.  It was an older, but well kept hotel.  We did get a room with a view, if you would call it that. Our view was a run down apartment cross the way. But for $225 per night, pre-paid, it was a bargain! After all we were in New York! You can’t beat that.  We mapped out our trip and we had pre-established walking rules. We would walk, ride the subway, or take the bus, anywhere we traveled in New York. We really had limited funds. Be sure to schedule your trip during the week starting on Tuesday.  That way you can get the best discounted hotel fares from a travel agent or on your own.

I  carried a  back pack, which we used to carry everything.  Our schedule included the following venues;  Metropolitan Museum of the Arts, ESPN Zone in Times Square, Madam Tossauds Wax Museum, The Empire State Building, China Town, NBC Studios,  Virgils Bar-be-que, and we made sure we took in some shopping while we were there.  Neither my wife or I, had the privilege or should I say the experience of riding  the subway. So we had no idea what we were doing, but we got detailed instructions from a Bellhop on what subway to take to the Metropolitan Museum of the arts.

The Bellhops instructions were to take the “A” train which we did, we had to transfer one time, but we made it to our stop about  three blocks from the museum. We paid an expensive fee to get in and view items for over three hours in the Museum, which was well worth the trip. By the time we finished, we were ready for our trip back to the Times Square, which was an adventure to say the least!  We figured we would back track on the subway, which we did, the only problem was we missed our stop in Midtown Manhattan.  Despite our best intentions, we were on not on our way to Mid Town Manhattan, but to Brooklyn!  Granted Brooklyn would have been interesting, however we did not have enough time to digress from our schedule.  We got off at the next stop, walked to other side of the subway system and boarded the next subway to Mid- Town Manhattan.

We made it back to our hotel around 4PM, we rested a while and decided to go to  ESPN Zone in Times Square for dinner. It literally took us about a half hour to  to go one half mile, because there were so many people in Times Square; tourists, street vendors, hawkers, you name it, people were literally everywhere! We finally made it to Times Square and got a bite to eat. We started back to the hotel around 9 PM. Where we planned the activity for the next day.  That would be China Town.

We got up bright and early, got a bite to eat at a corner sub and caught a city transit bus to China Town. It was a straight shot from  Times Square, no transfers, and we could see where we we going!  What a welcome relief from the subway. We did some shopping while in China town and headed back to Times Square. We walked from there to the Empire State Building and took the tour of the building.  It is an older building, but the tour was well worth it. It was a windy on the top floor however the view of New York city was great. We brought a few souvenirs and headed back to mid town. We made a stop at the New York Public Libary in Midtown.  This was one of the highlights of the trip.  I love libraries, so it was exciting just to see such an expansive library.

We happened to end up back on Times Square but this time we  ended up at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.  We decided to  go for it  and paid  admission to the museum.   Nearly everyone has heard of the museum and it was with out  doubt a treat.  We took tons of pictures Larry King, Bill Clinton, John Stein Brenner, Donald Trump, Ted Turner, Barbara Walters, Hillary Clinton,  Joe Namath, Babe Ruth, Lance Armstrong, the cast of  Today Show,  Martin Luther King, Prince, the likeness of all were displayed in the museum.

We left  Madame Tussauds and  headed to Virgils Bar-be-Que, which was located right off Times Square about  two block from ESPN Zone. Virgils had great bar-be-que and the people in the restaurant provided great conversation.  The Big East Tournament is annually held in New York City at Madison Square Garden, and the tournament was in full force on this day. Nearly every Syracuse Fan on the Planet was in Virgils that night, so talking about the tournament and my favorite team, the Louisville Cardinals was a special treat. Plus the food was excellent. If you’re ever in New York, be sure to visit Virgils.

We started out the next day by checking out of our hotel, leaving our bags in storage and visiting NBC studios, where we purchased souvenirs and other items.  We started back to our hotel where we caught a shuttle  to the airport for our flight back to Rochester.

If you ever plan a trip to New York. Talk to people who have been there.  They can recommend good restaurants and places to visit.  Usually they can tell you how to obtain reduced Broadway tickets.  Be sure to plan your trip, where you will stay, how you will get there etc. Be flexible, things will certainly change when you get there, you never know what will happen in the city. Expect a whirlwind trip and the chance to see New York up close and personal.

Michael’s Music and His Impact On The World

A few days ago  Michael Jackson died . It is and will be a day we will all remember. We cannot believe that he has gone.  Over the last  few days we have heard that thought repeated over and over from celebrity, to dignitary, to common people. Everyone has a Michael Jackson memory, story, or period of time when Michael Jackson’s music made an impact on their life.  Michael Jackson was with us as we grew from child to adult . Michael Jackson was with us as our kids discovered his remarkable talent. Michael Jackson transcended generations. Michael Jackson crossed over from  an  R &B legend to a mega Pop Star over the course of his career.

Micheal Jackson is and will be continue to be an American Icon, and now he’s much more than that,  he is a world icon.  Micheal  Jackson personified a generation of change, whether he realized it or  not  he brought together all the generations, all the civil right struggles, and the people who led them,  to all agree on one common theme. This man, despite his faults,  was a talented singer with God given ability to inspire the world.

I followed Michael   from the start, a ten year old , who sung with his brothers  the Jackson Five.  They hailed  from an obscure community called Gary, Indiana.  I was 16 when I heard some one play a cassette tape of I want you back. It was an experience that I will never forget. I was in a social studies class in Louisville, Kentucky. My immediate reaction was to ask who was this group. I quickly learned it was the Jackson Five.  Soon,  I learned that Micheal Jackson was the lead singer. Even then in 1970, Michael  Jackson’s music started to transcend generations, my parents, our baby boom generation,  and all future generations.  All because of his music.

Michael came along when the world, particularly, America,  was in a transition from the struggles of the Civil Rights movement, to the protest of  the war in Viet Nam.  His music helped defined who we were as individuals and how we reacted to the events around us. There are only a few musical group or individuals  who had that kind of  musical persuasion ability.  Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Carol King, Fleetwood Mac.  On the world stage Michael could be classified along with  Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali; all leaders who shaped the impressions, outlooks,  and viewpoints, not only in America, but for the world.

Michael Jackson in my opinion, is the first singer  to do this. Granted there have been many great, talented singers; but none worked as hard to reach all segments and races of society than Michael Jackson.  Even though  some would like to claim him as their own, Jackson belongs to the world, because of his music. When we  look back on  his life, we should focus on the music, because this is where he made the most profound and lasting impact on all of us.

My favorite Michael Jackson Songs

Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five

I want you back

Whos Loving You

Stop The Love You Save

I’ll Be  There

Never can saygoodbye

Dancing Machine

Shake You Body Down To The Ground

I want to be where you are

Michael  Jackson Solo Career

Rock With Me

Billy Jean

Remember the time

Man in the Mirror

Don’t Matter If you’re Black or White

Aretha- Share Your Love With Me

Aretha- Until You Come Back To Me

President Barack Obama Sing Aretha

Aretha Franklin- Say A Little Prayer

Obama Takes The Right Stance In Iran Unrest

Pat Buchanan supported President Barack Obama’s hand off stand in letting the protest in Iran play out. He stated that the United States cannot have blood on it hand by “egging on” Iranian protectors by articulating support for one side over the other. This is a fine line that Obama is walking and so far he is taking the right stance. Some in the Republican party are calling the comments by Republicans in the Senate calling for more input from President Obama as irresponsible.

Medicare is Confusing

Medicare Advantage Regulations

Medicare Advantage is the new name for Medicare + Choice. Medicare advantage includes Medicare Managed Care Plans, Medicare Preferred Provider Organization Plans, Medicare Private Fee For Service Plans, and Medicare Specialty Plans. Medicare typically provides supplemental coverage to supplement what primary insurance carrier will not cover or cover you when you have no insurance coverage.

When you select Medicare coverage there is a price you pay. If you have no insurance and you are 65 or older, Medicare is available. However, there are cost that must be paid. If you have no income. Your personal assets must be exhausted before Medicare will pay for any coverage. In fact you can be denied any coverage if you have any personal assets. The incentive for the elderly with no income is to rid themselves of assets in order to insure coverage by Medicare.

The current rule is a five year look back. That means your assets must be sold at least five or more years from the time of coverage request. Even then it is a scary and tentative situation. Medicare Advantage merely gives you choices of the type of plan you would like to receive. Much like the employer sponsored Group health Insurance plans. There are regulations involved in this coverage.

Regulations

1.)Enrollees must use only HMO Providers Only

2.) Specialty care must be approved in advance ( special request are often turned down)

3.) Medical Coverage request can be appealed (this causes delays and cost valuable treatment time)

4.)HMO can decide each year whether to offer a Medicare Plan

5.)You must be 65 or older to participate in the plan.

6.)To enroll in the Medicare Advantage Program individuals must be entitled to benefits under Part A and enrolled under Part B of the Medicare Program.

7.) People with end stage renal disease (pre-existing condition) or excluded from participating

8.) If end stage renal disease is contacted while enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, the individual can continue and coverage will not be denied.

(Source: medicareadvocacy.org)

Summary

You must be very careful in selecting a Medicare coverage plan. Things to consider would be what is covered under the plan? The cost of the plan. Are you eligible for participation? Will you have to pay a premium for supplemental coverage? What are the pros and cons of standard Medicare coverage vs. Medicare Advantage . What is the out of network cost, should you choose to select a doctor, that is not in the Medicare Advantage Network? How must will the plan actually pay for services and how much will you be responsible for uncovered treatment?

These are just a few the questions that must be answered in deciding between stand Medicare programs and Medicare Advantage. You also must be careful when dealing with private Insurance carrier who try convince you to buy their coverage, knowing that full payment of services will not be covered. There are a number of things to consider.

The Medicare system is extremely confusing, before deciding on any plan or program do your homework and confirm any and everything that is said to you.