Did you know 70 percent of all football players in the United States are under the age of 14? My 10-year-old grandson is in that statistic.
Did you also know that football has the highest injury rate of any team sport and each child between the ages of 9 and 12 who plays the sport experiences an average of 240 head impacts during a single season. My grandson is also in that statistic as a running back/linebacker/quarterback.
This weekend we learned first-hand the dangers of football when my grandson was injured by an opposing player who head-butted him in the arm. Jarod, starting as quarterback, was forced to leave the game and taken to Urgent Care for x-rays and treatment. Fortunately, his arm wasn't broken but he did suffer a tear of the muscle in his right bicep which will require an MRI to determine how serious the tear is.
I know my daughter (and other parents) invest hundreds of dollars every season to give their children the right to play a sport they enjoy. As a grandmother who is a huge fan of football, I am now questioning if that investment is worth it. I am looking at it differently now that an injury has hit home.
Sunday, November 06, 2016
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Donald Trump Has Brought Out the Worst in America
This isn't meant to be another one of those bash Donald Trump blog posts. This is, instead, a commentary on the negativity his campaign has sparked.
Racists have come out of the woodwork like roaches in the dark. For the most part, these supporters would be classified as poor whites, angry because they can't advance with little or no education and the majority of them would also be identified as angry white males. They have taken off their hoods, jumped on his bandwagon, taken off their hoods and are leading the "make America great" campaign. They have gotten behind a candidate who spews some of the nastiest comments and behaved in such a manner that has to embarrass any decent, conscientious, law-abiding white person in America.
People like 78-year-old man John Franklin McGraw of North Carolina have felt free to assault non Trump supporters at presidential candidate's rallies. "The victim deserved it. The next time we see him we might have to kill him," is what McGraw was quoted as saying.
Instead of denouncing the violence, Donald Trump has dismissed it and stirs up his avowed racist followers with comments like: "Laziness is a trait in blacks. I believe that."
And what about that endorsement from the KKK? Trump refused to renounce white nationalist David Duke when Duke said on his radio show that voting for any other candidate other than Trump was "really treason to your heritage."
I am still trying to understand how so many other viable candidates in the republican party allowed a Donald Trump to become the eventual nominee. Perhaps this is the after affects of the Tea Party movement. Believe me, I would've voted for Mark Rubio over Hillary Clinton for sure!
Does being white and privileged automatically make you a racist? Perhaps it does since they are not, nor do they ever have to be, exposed to what life is like in the 97 percent of America. Perhaps others finding out that they didn't earn their fortune legally and, if truth be told, they are no better than the common criminals who steal just to survive. Perhaps fear of losing their wealth or having more of a level playing field is more than they can bear.
Donald Trump has brought out the worst in white America, whether it was intentional did it or not.
So why do white americans get behind a candidate like that? They have to know he won't do anymore for them than he'll do for us. At the bottom is at the bottom---black AND white.
Perhaps Donald Trump gives them hope just like President Obama gave us.
Racists have come out of the woodwork like roaches in the dark. For the most part, these supporters would be classified as poor whites, angry because they can't advance with little or no education and the majority of them would also be identified as angry white males. They have taken off their hoods, jumped on his bandwagon, taken off their hoods and are leading the "make America great" campaign. They have gotten behind a candidate who spews some of the nastiest comments and behaved in such a manner that has to embarrass any decent, conscientious, law-abiding white person in America.
People like 78-year-old man John Franklin McGraw of North Carolina have felt free to assault non Trump supporters at presidential candidate's rallies. "The victim deserved it. The next time we see him we might have to kill him," is what McGraw was quoted as saying.
Instead of denouncing the violence, Donald Trump has dismissed it and stirs up his avowed racist followers with comments like: "Laziness is a trait in blacks. I believe that."
And what about that endorsement from the KKK? Trump refused to renounce white nationalist David Duke when Duke said on his radio show that voting for any other candidate other than Trump was "really treason to your heritage."
I am still trying to understand how so many other viable candidates in the republican party allowed a Donald Trump to become the eventual nominee. Perhaps this is the after affects of the Tea Party movement. Believe me, I would've voted for Mark Rubio over Hillary Clinton for sure!
Does being white and privileged automatically make you a racist? Perhaps it does since they are not, nor do they ever have to be, exposed to what life is like in the 97 percent of America. Perhaps others finding out that they didn't earn their fortune legally and, if truth be told, they are no better than the common criminals who steal just to survive. Perhaps fear of losing their wealth or having more of a level playing field is more than they can bear.
Donald Trump has brought out the worst in white America, whether it was intentional did it or not.
So why do white americans get behind a candidate like that? They have to know he won't do anymore for them than he'll do for us. At the bottom is at the bottom---black AND white.
Perhaps Donald Trump gives them hope just like President Obama gave us.
Sunday, October 02, 2016
Thank You Lebron James for Fulfilling My Bucket Wish List
I remember Marion Motley from the OLD Cleveland (Bulldogs) Browns coming over our house to socialize with my parents. (He and my mother went to high school together). I remember Brian Sipe and the "Kardiac Kids" who always had me on the edge of my seat when they were playing. I remember how proud I was when my high school classmate Phil Hubbard made his presence known on the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper and Mark Price (the Cavalier's three-point king).
But in all of those years, we never won a championship or even came close. My saddest memory is the 1987 AFC Championship Game between the Browns and Broncos on January 17, 1988 at Mile High Stadium. With 1:12 left in the game, Browns running back Earnest Byner fumbled on the Broncos 1 yard line while trying to score a touchdown to pull within one point. The Broncos went on to win 38–33 after taking an intentional safety.
Since that time, I've gone through life wishing and hoping that I would see a Championship before I die.
And then, lo and behold, a saviour named Lebron James came to the Cleveland Cavaliers and gave me hope. I saw his promise when he carried the team to the finals in his first year. I wasn't one of the fans who went beserk when he left to go to the Miami Heat. I remained a loyal fan and even told people that once he won a championship there, he would return to Cleveland.
And he did just that. And he didn't disappoint. In his second return year with Cleveland, he carried the team on his back for a World Championship. And he did it while I happened to be on vacation from work.
I remember telling my husband before the start of game 7 that if Cleveland won, I was going home to be a part of the parade. I wouldn't dare miss it for the world. I remember crying hysterically during the final minutes when I knew victory was ours. I also remember my grandson, who was a Golden State Warriors (Stephon Curry) fan, leaving a stinging voicemail message about how Cleveland cheated and how they sucked. I laughed as I thought "He has no idea he's going to Cleveland for the parade with grandma!"
We drove to Cleveland to be among the estimated 1.8 million others who also wanted to witness history. And we had a great spot---right in front of course.
So even though Lebron never looked my way when I yelled out his name, we did get high five's from Matt Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert and I fell in love with Josh Cribbs (who I didn't even recognize before the parade).
Thank you Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers for making one of my bucket list dreams come true.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
It's Not Surprising that Millennials Don't Trust Hillary Clinton
Recently, I've been reading quite a few articles about the impact Millennials could have on the upcoming Presidential election. One would think the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump would be a no-brainer but that's not necessarily the case.
Mrs. Clinton made history when she became the first female presidential nominee of a major political party. While I did not personally vote for her in the primary, I was happy to see her win the nomination as a major accomplishment for women everywhere.
I am a Baby Boomer just like the Democratic candidate but I am siding with Millennials when it comes to what I think about her. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released earlier this year indicated that 53 percent of all voters rated her poorly when it comes to her honesty and being straightforward.
Iowa native and former Bernie Sanders supporter Taylor Gipple actually confronted Mrs. Clinton while she was on the campaign trail and said, "I've heard from quite a few people my age that think you're dishonest..."
As an African-American baby boomer, I have yet to hear her address issues I am most concerned about. It's like she's straddling the fence. I get the impression that she is taking the black vote for granted because many of us feel a vote for Trump sets the clock back 75 years. Mrs. Clinton wants and NEEDS our votes but she also doesn't want to alienate her white middle-of-the-road constituents by saying anything that would sound appeasing to us. I still haven't forgotten how she courted white blue collars in South Carolina while seeming to alienate US.
And let's go back to her campaign against President Obama in 2008: (courtesy of the Huffington Post)
By May, after most observers had already concluded that Barack Obama had clinched the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton was still trying to undermine his candidacy by arguing that he wasn’t getting enough support from white voters. She put that argument in the most explicit terms yet: “There was just an AP article posted that found how Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans is weakening again, and how the, you know, whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me … I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on.” Clinton’s comments not only made the case that a Black candidate could not appeal to white voters; they also played on nasty stereotypes about Black people and other people of color by equating “white Americans” with “hard-working Americans.”
Perhaps she needs to take a chapter out of President Obama's book for winning elections and realize you can draw more flies with honey than with BULL--. Transparency is important. Inclusiveness is critical to America's continued greatness as a nation.
Bernie could still be a write-in.
Mrs. Clinton made history when she became the first female presidential nominee of a major political party. While I did not personally vote for her in the primary, I was happy to see her win the nomination as a major accomplishment for women everywhere.
I am a Baby Boomer just like the Democratic candidate but I am siding with Millennials when it comes to what I think about her. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released earlier this year indicated that 53 percent of all voters rated her poorly when it comes to her honesty and being straightforward.
Iowa native and former Bernie Sanders supporter Taylor Gipple actually confronted Mrs. Clinton while she was on the campaign trail and said, "I've heard from quite a few people my age that think you're dishonest..."
As an African-American baby boomer, I have yet to hear her address issues I am most concerned about. It's like she's straddling the fence. I get the impression that she is taking the black vote for granted because many of us feel a vote for Trump sets the clock back 75 years. Mrs. Clinton wants and NEEDS our votes but she also doesn't want to alienate her white middle-of-the-road constituents by saying anything that would sound appeasing to us. I still haven't forgotten how she courted white blue collars in South Carolina while seeming to alienate US.
And let's go back to her campaign against President Obama in 2008: (courtesy of the Huffington Post)
By May, after most observers had already concluded that Barack Obama had clinched the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton was still trying to undermine his candidacy by arguing that he wasn’t getting enough support from white voters. She put that argument in the most explicit terms yet: “There was just an AP article posted that found how Senator Obama’s support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans is weakening again, and how the, you know, whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me … I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on.” Clinton’s comments not only made the case that a Black candidate could not appeal to white voters; they also played on nasty stereotypes about Black people and other people of color by equating “white Americans” with “hard-working Americans.”
Perhaps she needs to take a chapter out of President Obama's book for winning elections and realize you can draw more flies with honey than with BULL--. Transparency is important. Inclusiveness is critical to America's continued greatness as a nation.
Bernie could still be a write-in.
Monday, May 30, 2016
A Year in the Life of Me
May 29, 2015 was the last time I made an entry into this blog before I posted one yesterday. A whole year has gone by. A lot has happened in that time frame. I became a year older and found myself lamenting over the would've, should've, could've of my life. Mind you, I've accomplished many wonderful achievements but in my mind, I COULD'VE always done more and I WOULD'VE if I had more operating capital and I SHOULD'VE had more hustle, more drive, more of what it takes to get to the Oprah level. (Perhaps I am the only one who has felt like this).
During the past year I gave up my quest to become an entrepreneur---or a boomerpreneur as I affectionately "coined" it. That led me to start looking for work again which I found, lost and found it again. I will say this, once you've worked for yourself it's hard to go back and work for someone else---especially in an environment where you are just one of the faceless at the bottom of the totem pole. The last time I felt that low was in my very first job nearly 40 years ago. I am still learning to swallow my pride and say "Yes, suh" and "Naw suh" to the man. And it is appalling to see how corporate greed is out of control with little or no respect for their employees or consumers. (That's another blog post for another day).
My mortality has all of a sudden gotten really real. Around Thanksgiving of last year, I became ill. I thought it was a flu virus but I wasn't getting any better. It zapped my energy and distanced me from the world. On many occasions, I felt like I was near death. And then a good friend of mine passed away. I stopped writing publicly. I stopped making the daily social media rounds. I became a recluse and, ironically, after a few months, I discovered I could live without social media.
So why am I sharing this? Because I know someone is going through something similar---if not more complicated than me. I have learned a lot about me over the past year and, believe me, not all of it has been good.
Here are my takeaways:
1) Stop fighting with the noise inside your head: The negative thoughts will keep you from moving forward. Life itself is full of ups and downs. You only make matters worst when you keep harping on your "woe is me mentality."
2) Learn to manage stress: When I find myself slipping into a mental place I don't want to go to, I pray, read my bible or play some old-school, upbeat music. It changes the channel of my mind and takes me to a happy place where I can rejuvenate and renew my spirit.
3) Be around people and things that inspire you: When I disconnected from social media (especially Facebook) I cut out more than 80 percent of the noise that was affecting my world. I became overwhelmed with the "perceived" success of my friends. When I stopped connecting online, I found other things to inspire me like taking walks at Umstead Park and going to the gym more often. I also decided (with my husband) to change churches and I have actually found inspiration in many of my millennial co-workers. They keep me laughing and appreciate my wisdom.
4) I am still resilient: In my nearly 60 years on this earth I have learned that I can bounce back after bad things happen and I am still employable.
When a baby is learning to walk, they will fall many times before they finally gain the confidence to stand and walk on their own. We all fail from time to time but it doesn't mean we are a total failure in life. Failures are a part of life. If you don't fail, you don't learn and if you don't learn you will never change.
During the past year I gave up my quest to become an entrepreneur---or a boomerpreneur as I affectionately "coined" it. That led me to start looking for work again which I found, lost and found it again. I will say this, once you've worked for yourself it's hard to go back and work for someone else---especially in an environment where you are just one of the faceless at the bottom of the totem pole. The last time I felt that low was in my very first job nearly 40 years ago. I am still learning to swallow my pride and say "Yes, suh" and "Naw suh" to the man. And it is appalling to see how corporate greed is out of control with little or no respect for their employees or consumers. (That's another blog post for another day).
My mortality has all of a sudden gotten really real. Around Thanksgiving of last year, I became ill. I thought it was a flu virus but I wasn't getting any better. It zapped my energy and distanced me from the world. On many occasions, I felt like I was near death. And then a good friend of mine passed away. I stopped writing publicly. I stopped making the daily social media rounds. I became a recluse and, ironically, after a few months, I discovered I could live without social media.
So why am I sharing this? Because I know someone is going through something similar---if not more complicated than me. I have learned a lot about me over the past year and, believe me, not all of it has been good.
Here are my takeaways:
1) Stop fighting with the noise inside your head: The negative thoughts will keep you from moving forward. Life itself is full of ups and downs. You only make matters worst when you keep harping on your "woe is me mentality."
2) Learn to manage stress: When I find myself slipping into a mental place I don't want to go to, I pray, read my bible or play some old-school, upbeat music. It changes the channel of my mind and takes me to a happy place where I can rejuvenate and renew my spirit.
3) Be around people and things that inspire you: When I disconnected from social media (especially Facebook) I cut out more than 80 percent of the noise that was affecting my world. I became overwhelmed with the "perceived" success of my friends. When I stopped connecting online, I found other things to inspire me like taking walks at Umstead Park and going to the gym more often. I also decided (with my husband) to change churches and I have actually found inspiration in many of my millennial co-workers. They keep me laughing and appreciate my wisdom.
4) I am still resilient: In my nearly 60 years on this earth I have learned that I can bounce back after bad things happen and I am still employable.
When a baby is learning to walk, they will fall many times before they finally gain the confidence to stand and walk on their own. We all fail from time to time but it doesn't mean we are a total failure in life. Failures are a part of life. If you don't fail, you don't learn and if you don't learn you will never change.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Summer Driving May Be Hazardous to your Wallet
With our 10 year wedding anniversary coming up, Nate and I decided we wanted to take another trip to the North Carolina mountains. It's one of those long drives I don't mind taking because you get to explore the natural beauty of the State.
What I do mind, however, is the state's mandated gasoline excise tax which ranks in the top 10 of the highest in the country. Perhaps gas prices wouldn't be as high if it weren't for the excise tax, which combines both state and federal.
Here is a list of the top 10 states with the highest federal and state gasoline excise taxes:
1) Pennsylvania at 68.7/gal
2) Washington at 62.9/gal
3) NY at 60.72/gal
4) Hawaii at 60.39/gal
5) California at 58.83/gal
6) Connecticut at 56.26/gal
7) Florida at 54.98
8) North Carolina at 53.65/gal
9) Rhode Island at 52.40
10 Nevada at 52.25
I have a couple of tips for saving on gas:
1) If you're traveling long distances, use cruise control so you're not always having to accelerate on the gas pedal.
2) Use your overdrive. It allows you to operate at fewer RPM's. If it does less work, you'll use less gas. (Hubby taught me that one).
Popular Mechanics offers 6 Driving Tactics to help you save gas and money during your summer travels: Summer Driving Saving Tips
What I do mind, however, is the state's mandated gasoline excise tax which ranks in the top 10 of the highest in the country. Perhaps gas prices wouldn't be as high if it weren't for the excise tax, which combines both state and federal.
Here is a list of the top 10 states with the highest federal and state gasoline excise taxes:
1) Pennsylvania at 68.7/gal
2) Washington at 62.9/gal
3) NY at 60.72/gal
4) Hawaii at 60.39/gal
5) California at 58.83/gal
6) Connecticut at 56.26/gal
7) Florida at 54.98
8) North Carolina at 53.65/gal
9) Rhode Island at 52.40
10 Nevada at 52.25
I have a couple of tips for saving on gas:
1) If you're traveling long distances, use cruise control so you're not always having to accelerate on the gas pedal.
2) Use your overdrive. It allows you to operate at fewer RPM's. If it does less work, you'll use less gas. (Hubby taught me that one).
Popular Mechanics offers 6 Driving Tactics to help you save gas and money during your summer travels: Summer Driving Saving Tips
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Passing the Torch from Baby Boomers to Millennials to Gen Z
Whether baby boomers can accept it or not, a changing of the guard has taken place with millennials and the up and coming Gen Z generations...
-
On Valentine's Day I received an unexpected---but pleasant surprise when the Producer of NBC's My Carolina Today called to ask me to... -
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them. 2. K...
-
Last weekend, a snowstorm swept across North Carolina. We got about six inches. Schools were closed and city services came to a halt for a...