When will Confidence Against COVID be Restored

Will we ever return to "business as usual" since the invasion of COVID-19 more than a year ago?  According to a new Pew Research Center survey nearly 60 percent of Americans believe it will take a  more than a year before most businesses, schools, churches, etc., return to what they were prior to the pandemic.  

Although more than four million businesses received emergency loans from the Small Business Association (SBA), a study conducted by researchers at Harvard Business School and The University of Chicago indicates over 100 thousand small businesses have closed their doors forever.  Meanwhile, the Pew Research Center study shows that only 16 percent believe businesses will be able to bounce back in 6 months to a year.   A whopping 81 percent believe it will take a year or more for the job market to recover.

When you examine the study along gender, racial, income status, and political lines, it reveals the following:

60% of women believe it could take two or more years to return to some sense of normalcy, compare to 53 percent of men.  

64% of Black Americans believe it will take longer than a year to resume a normal life, compared to 56% for Asians and 51% for Hispanics.  

People in the upper income brackets are the most optimistic about when life will return to normal.  49% believe the country will get back to business as usual in 6 months to a year compared to 43 percent of people who fall into the middle income bracket and 40% for lower income.

Republicans account for 44% of people who think it will take more than two years for jobs to return in comparison to 26% of Democrats. (Wonder how different these numbers would be in Trump were still in office)?    

It's been over a year now since we've been dealing with the pandemic that has taken more than 500 thousand lives.  Personally, I don't want us to return to "business as usual."  I want to see us grow from this mess and implement new strategies to avoid a similar disaster in the future.  Perhaps it means getting rid of ELECTED OFFICIALS on the local, state and national levels to make that happen.  What do you think? 

COVID and Thanksgiving

I just came across another survey that, once again, shows the differences between baby boomers and millennials.  In the midst of a pandemic, Lending Tree conducted a survey to find out how much money people, who are planning to host a Thanksgiving dinner, will spend on all the fixins'. Based on the responses, millennials plan to outspend baby boomers by a 3 to 1 margin.

Here were some of the key findings:

On average, Americans will spend around $475 to host Thanksgiving, which is up more than 50 percent from 2019.  Those who are hosting say the additional expenses are being used to make up for holidays that weren't celebrated earlier in the year due to Corona. Millennials expect to spend $556.46 while baby boomers say they will be spending less than $175.  So when you go to your daughter or son's house for Turkey Day this year expect a Happy Thanksgiving, Valentines, Memorial Day, July4th, Birthday celebration! 

41 percent of Americans plan to host Thanksgiving this year, up from 33 percent last year (when there was NO pandemic). 

Hosts say they will spend roughly 8.5 hours preparing for the holiday feast and someone will take off from work to prepare.  (Why, when we're all working from home anyway?)

42 percent of the hosts surveyed say the worry about heated debates that could  break out at the dinner table. (Perhaps everyone should be required to leave any perceived weapons at home because Donald Trump's name is sure to come up!) 

22 percent are nervous about discussing politics.  Only 22 percent? (Having a woman of color as the second in charge of the U.S. should generate some lively discussion or to discover how many family members truly believe the election was stolen from the bully baby in the White House).

15 percent are concerned their guests will argue about the pandemic.  Again, only 15 percent?  My question for the survey would've been: "Will you be requiring ALL guests wear a mask?"

10 percent say they are concerned about "family drama." 

38 percent of the hosts surveyed say they plan to borrow money to cover Thanksgiving costs, including charging a credit card or taking out a holiday loan. (Perhaps Lending Tree will drum up some more business since they do give out personal loans) 

32 percent say they will use coupons and shop around for the best deals.  Or perhaps they can check out the Food Bank in their community and get a free Thanksgiving food basket. 

Please Stop Apologizing White America

If you've noticed, there's a wave sweeping across the U.S.  I call it racial correctness.  It's like political correctness which is a term used to describe "language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offending, insulting or marginalizing people who are socially disadvantaged or discriminated against."  Since the televised murder of George Floyd, many (not ALL) whites are apologizing for "not understanding" "not seeing" or "turning a blind eye" to the injustices and suffering black people have experienced for more than 400 years.  Now, all of a sudden, they want to LISTEN.

Within days after Floyd's murder, I had white friends and acquaintances call, text or email me to see how I was doing and to ask what they could do to try to make a difference in bringing about change and ending racism.  (Perhaps you had the same experience if you are black).  The sad thing here is we have been begging and screaming for change for so long and it always seems to fall on deaf ears---until now.  Perhaps it took three very publicized murders (Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd) for whites to finally get the fact that police brutality against blacks is a very real thing and there is not such thing as "equal justice under the law" and white supremacists can gun down a black man while jogging on a public street and almost get away with murder.

Needless to say, emotions have been are raw on both sides. Social media platforms have been inundated with post after post and video after video of  hateful rhetoric, protesting, police brutalities that aren't covered on the news and apologies from people who finally woke up and understood what their white privilege really means.  Krista Vernoff, Grey's Anatomy Showrunner, told her Twitter fans that her white privilege kept her from having a criminal record:

"Between the ages of 11-22, my friends and I were chased and/or admonished by police on several occasions for drinking or doing illegal drugs on private property or in public.  I have no criminal record.  When I was 15, I was given 6 months probation for stealing thousand of dollars of merchandise from a Mall and was chased by police."

A number of companies, who count on the mighty black dollar, have been issuing public apologies:

Christene Barberich of Refinery29 posted this on Instagram:  I’d like to start by saying that I’ve read and taken in the raw and personal accounts of Black women and women of color regarding their experiences inside our company at Refinery29. And, what's clear from these experiences, is that R29 has to change. We have to do better, and that starts with making room. And, so I will be stepping aside in my role at R29 to help diversify our leadership in editorial and ensure this brand and the people it touches can spark a new defining chapter. 

Dolls Kill:  We fucked up. We should have been quicker + louder and this is what we r doing about it.

We all remember the apology Drew Brees was forced to make after he said he would never respect anyone who didn't stand for the flag or the national anthem and NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell went on ESPN and apologized for not listening to the players earlier on the subject of racism and Colin Kaepernick's peaceful protest back in 2016 that got him black balled by the league.

Here's my advice:  Just stop apologizing white america and start taking action.  As Mahatma Ghandi so eloquently put it:  Be the change you want to see in the world.

One more thing:  Why in the hell did it take Quaker Oats 131 years to have a wake-up call that the  the "Aunt Jemima" brand was purely RACIST?

New Survey Says Millennials are Feeling the Pressure of Adulthood

It's been awhile since I came across a survey that caught my attention but I just found one that was commissioned and released by by Farm Rich .  No surprise that there was a generational divide when it comes to exactly what it means to be an "adult."    

The new national survey indicates millennials put more pressure on themselves to reach adulthood as compared to baby boomers and GenX.  After the age of 26, millennials believe it becomes embarrassing if they aren't classified as full-fledged adults.  

So exactly what does it mean to reach that level  of "maturity"?   The top 10 signs according to the survey are:

1. Having a budget (55 percent)
2. Buying a house (54 percent)
3. Filing your own taxes (52 percent)
4. Understanding and monitoring your credit score (48 percent)
5. Investing in your 401(k) (46 percent)
6. Doing your own laundry (43 percent)
7. Scheduling regular doctors' appointments (38 percent)
8. Making a list to take when going to the grocery store (35 percent)
9. Cooking dinner most of Monday through Friday (33 percent)
10. Watching the nightly news (31 percent)

I wasn't a part of this survey but, for the record, I only do four of the above consistently.  How about you?

A couple of other interesting notes:

1:  When asked what's considered to be the "favorite" age in life, the average millennial said they'd like to be 23 for the rest of their lives, while baby boomers said 32.  

2:  Millennials believe frozen foods are a staple in the kitchen of adults and having vegetables, fruits and coffee are the top foods you need if you want to call yourself an adult.

So what is your reaction to this survey?  Do you agree with its findings?

God Takes on Millennials and Social Media in New TV Show

I finally got to see the much anticipated new CBS-TV show, God Friended Me starring Brandon Michael Hall.  This is the same young man who, last season, was the star of a short-lived sitcom on ABC called The Mayor.  

This show kind of reminds me of the Touched by an Angel series (1994-2003) that was popular among members of my baby boomer generation, as well as my parents generation.

In God Friended Me, Hall plays a character named Miles Finer, who is an outspoken atheist living in New York City.  He declares himself to be the Millennial Prophet and uses his radio podcast as a platform to challenge God's existence.  He is constantly reminding his audience there is no God and that's OK.  Then all of a sudden he starts receiving friend requests on Facebook from someone identifying themselves as “God.” 

Miles initially deletes the requests thinking someone is playing a joke on him or as the young folks like to say, "he is being catfished."  But “God” is persistent, and Miles finally accepts his friend request. "God" then starts suggesting friends to Miles on Facebook—first someone named “John Dove”, who happens to coincidentally rush by him on the street at that moment and whose life he ends up saving.  Then there's “Cara Bloom” a budding young journalist who needs a "sensational story" to keep her job.  

As the series begins to evolve, you learn that Miles is estranged from his father who just happens to be a preacher.  With the help of a friend, who just happens to know how to hack into computers, Miles is able to track down an IP address to determine the location of "God" and they found him in New Jersey!  Or maybe they didn't.....because the identity of the person connected to the IP address has yet to be revealed. Is this an elaborate hoax, or is God real and working through Facebook to challenge Miles’s unbelief?

God Friended Me is just the kind of show Millennials should watch. I can just imagine how many of them would view such a request, especially since a study by the Pew Research Center indicates 63 percent of men and 37 percent of women (between the ages of 18-29) say they don't believe in God.  Another Pew survey indicated:   

• Belief in the God of the Bible declines with age.
• Those under age 50 viewed God as less powerful and less involved in earthly affairs than do older Americans.
• Among college graduates, only 45 percent believe in the God of the Bible.

Perhaps God Friended Me will change some more Millennial minds and hearts this season.  

A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh--Ezekiel 36-26.

A New Survey Says Millennials Blame Baby Boomers for Their Troubles and They Should

OK--I've got a new survey to report to you---this one courtesy of Axios and Survey Monkey.

Millennials say baby boomers are to blame for ruining their lives and guess what?  I happen to agree with them despite the fact that I am a member of the baby boomer generation.  

Fifty-one percent of millennials say boomers have made things worst for their generation.  Not only are they in debt from student loans but they also inherited two wars and they face an uncertain job future with speculation that artificial intelligence may replace some jobs they would vie for in their future.  

Baby boomers, on the other hand, don't appear to be trying to leave the job market anytime soon unless they're FORCED out so with retirement age being as late as age 70, boomers can still be collecting a nice paycheck right up until the end.  

No doubt about it, the boomer generation has been a greedy generation.  They have controlled Congress and and been the CEO's of the major corporations in America.  According to Linette Lopez, a millennial, "The baby boomers who have controlled this country since the 1980's are selfish, entitled generation.  Instead of spending money on education our government has repeatedly chosen to cut taxes for the wealthy."  

And if that's not enough, a survey of millionaire baby boomers (of which I was NOT included), more than 50 percent said they had no plans to leave an inheritance to their children. One woman was quoted as saying she had made a lot of sacrifices for her children over the years, including paying her daughter's medical tuition.  According to this survey, conducted by U.S. Trust, some wealthy boomers worry that their kids will squander their inheritance money or develop a sense of entitlement.  

Ha! 

Millennials did offer some suggestions on how to improve things for their future.  One being to remove all old government officials and set term limits for the House and Senate representatives (I LOVE that idea!).  

A number of them said IMPEACH TRUMP and then make sure you get out and vote. 

To learn more about the Bay Boomer/Millennial Divide, you can get a copy of my book on Amazon.  I wrote this BEFORE this survey came out.

Axios/SurveyMonkey online poll was conducted April 9-13 among 4,638 adults in the United States. The modeled error estimate is 2 percentage points. Data have been weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States age 18 and over.



   

This Survey Stinks for Baby Boomers

The majority of baby boomers do not wash their underwear enough!  That's what an online survey by Mulberry Cleaners revealed recently.  The results were published in Reader's Digest.

I have to admit I was very surprised to read the results, which indicated 16 percent of middle-aged folks reported NEVER washing their underwear.  Now, 16 percent may not sound like a large number but that's still 16 percent too many, in comparison to 85 percent of millennials who said they toss their undergarments in the laundry after one or two wears.  Only 10.3 percent of millennial women said they never washed theirs, which might make sense if these young women had parents who were enablers and never taught them to do much of anything, especially how to wash clothes.

When it comes to washing bed sheets, 43 percent of women said they wash them every week, compared to seven percent of men who said they had washed their sheets only once in six months.  But even worse than that is the fact that 12 percent of the men surveyed said they couldn't even remember the last time they washed their bedding.  Let's hope, for their sake, they were in a drunken stupor when they took the survey.

About 1000 people participated.

As far as the dirty underwear goes, my question is, why wear any at all if you're not going to wash them?

Millennials Set to Make a Big Splash for the Wine Industry

The demand for wine in the United States is expected to over a billion gallons by the year 2021, and millennials will be leading the way when it comes to purchases, according to a new report released by Freedonia Focus Reports.

Millennials seem to have an acquired taste for sparkling wines and, coupled with the fact that they are now considered to be the larges single generation, their taste buds will be catered to even more.

According to a USA Today report, Millennials drank 42 percent of all wines in 2015, more than any other generation.  That percentage equates to nearly 160 million cases of wine--an average of two cases per person.  And among the most frequent drinkers under 30, two-thirds are women.

According an article to Nancy Light, a spokesperson at the Wine Institute, Wine is much more a part of American culture today than it was two decades ago.  Millennials grew up around wine (thanks to their parents mostly) and they don't feeling intimidated when ordering or asking questions about it.

Baby boomers, meanwhile, are still drinking wine but, unlike Millennials, they are drinking more hard liquor, which is leading to greater problems of alcohol abuse.  As a matter of fact, boomers currently have the highest rate of alcohol abuse.

Millennials Want Their Own Day

In case you haven't heard the news, there's a online petition encouraging the man they call the President of the U.S. to establish a National Millennials Day.

Self-proclaimed millennial leaders James Goodnow and Ryan Avery want to establish June 19 as a day for Generation Y to dispel the FAKE NEWS being spread about them.  They say they simply want to show those of us who have labeled them as "entitled" selfish" lazy" "narcissistic" (and other choice adjectives) that they can be important contributors to society.  Their "vision is to make National Millennials Day a day of service--a day when they reach out and help others in their communities.

 According to their website, millennialsday.org, organizers say "With National Millennials Day, we want to turn the stereotypes inside--out.  To show that we're more GENERATION WE than Generation ME. To transform ideals into actions.  To inspire hope for the future.  To celebrate the most open-minded, connected, innovative, purpose-driven generation on the planet:  Millennials."

Why shouldn't Millennials have their own time to shine?  After all, baby boomers have their own Recognition Day, which is celebrated on June 21 annually.

You can help make June 19 National Millennial Day by signing the petition on their website.  I'm supplying the link here:  National Millennials Day and, yes, I am signing the petition.

Hopefully, the man they call the President knows what a "millennial" is and will truly care about this generation.

Millennial Parents are Worried about Keeping a Clean House Among Other Things

Money, health, family, safety, time, and the future are some of the things Millennial parents say they are worried about as they take their rightful places in adulthood and parenting.  In a new study by Microban, Millennials, some who now have children of their own, were asked to share the top concerns they have.

The number one worry for millennial parents is money.  Ninety-two percent agreed that being financially secure was an issue for them and their families.  That not only means having more money but also a better paying job and a home equity line of credit.

Another issue for Millennial parents is not having enough time to to the things they want to.  An overwhelming number say they would prefer to spend more time with their family (especially their mates) and friends but often times their schedules are busy and demanding.  When they do have a little bit of down time, the parents find their homes taking a back seat.  Seventy-four percent agree they are worried about keeping a clean house.

So what are baby boomer parents worried about?

1)  Having enough savings to retire

2)  When and if they can afford to stop working

3)  Their children having enough to live on

4)  Living a long, HEALTHY life

5)  Dementia





About the Survey

Microban, in conjunction with Turner Research Network, surveyed 1039 Millennials age 20 to 35 with at least one child age 13 or under living at their home online.

All Millennials Are NOT Alike

The decision to write my latest book, The Baby Boomer/Millennial Divide:  Making it Work at Work, came after returning to the job market as a woman over 50.  I went into culture shock momentarily after finding myself working side-by-side with people young enough to be my daughter.  As someone who comes from the "old school" ways of doing things and a low tolerance for nonsense and foolishness, I had to learn to adapt to the new reality:  Millennials have arrived and if I wanted to stay in the job market I had work with them.

Much to my surprise, my younger co-workers have been a breath of fresh air.  They have made me laugh and taught me skills to help me improve my own job performance.  As I continue to study them, I have come to a very clear conclusion:

ALL MILLENNIALS ARE NOT ALIKE.

All of the research and data indicates this Gen Y group is made up of job hoppers who don't like the business as usual mentality, they're very creative, independent thinkers, tech savvy and obsessed with social media. Younger Millennials would probably agree, however, older Millennials are quite different and the difference in their ages has everything to do with it.  Take Facebook, for example, which was created in 2004 as a way to connect college students.  It has certainly been embraced by practically all of them but Snapchat, on the other hand, wasn't created until 2011 and some older Millennials don't view the app as having any real significant value for them.

According to the US Census Bureau, the Millennial generation is made up of young people who were born between 1982 and 2000.  The more I think about this---the more I realize it's got to be impossible for this entire Gen Y group to identify with each other.  Think about it.  The youngest Millennial is 17. The oldest is 34. There is no way these two age groups have lived or shared the same experiences.  For example, the youngest Millennials were babies when 9/11 hit in 2001, while the older of the group were college age.  Older Millennials lived through the recession, while the younger group is dealing with the result of it.  Everyone was worried about the Y2K bug in 2000, while the majority of younger Millennials probably have no clue of what the worry was all about. And if you take it one step further, you'll find the differences may be even greater when you separate Millennials by ethnicity.

My daughter is a Millennial, born in the late 80's.  During her high school years, Facebook was a fad but when she went to college and became serious about wanting to have a career she, very wisely, (and through my coaxing) shut down her account once she understood the ramifications of her posts or those of her friends.  She is also more settled with her own place, her own bills and a son to raise. Unlike some white Millennials in her age group, her responsibilities keep her from living a "care-free" "live in the moment" lifestyle and jet-setting off with friends whenever she pleases.  

As a baby boomer, I also take issue with the "lumping" together of the so-called greatest generation. I share little, if anything with folks born in the early 1950s or late 1940s but we have been identified as baby boomers born between 1946 - 1964.

The problem is, so-called experts, put labels on people and groups based on race, age, sex, etc.  Then they create data based on research which, may or may not be totally accurate. (And some of them get paid very well to do it).

The bottom line is no entire generation is alike so don't buy into the hype.

Another Senseless Killing Tied to Facebook

Thank God baby boomers didn't have access to social media as teens and young adults.  Can you imagine what you would see?  Hippies and flower children everywhere smoking weed and telling you about the beauty of the world.  Black folks with big afros dancing in the streets shouting, "Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.  You might have even seen the "live" version of John Lennon and Yoko Ono spending their two-week long "bed-in" as a protest against the Vietnam War--and yes, you surely would've seen protests and marches.

But I can't imagine in a million years that you would ever see the tragedies that are being shown today via Facebook.  Just last week I wrote a blog post about the outrageous murder-suicide committed in San Bernardino involving Carl Anderson and his estranged wife, Karen.  He walked into her classroom and shot her to death before killing himself. He didn't post his actions on Facebook but he gave everyone the appearance, via his Facebook videos, that he was the happiest and luckiest man in the world and his wife was everything to him.  A FLAT OUT LIE! But he has his Facebook followers fooled.

Now we have another senseless murder tied to a woman named Joy Lane in Cleveland, Ohio.  Her estranged boyfriend, identified as Steve Stephens, gunned down a complete stranger, identified as 74-year-old Robert Godwin, on the street because he was upset over her lack of attention/affection for him anymore.  This happened on Easter Sunday, shortly after Godwin left his family's home after having dinner.  Stephens, like Anderson, used Facebook as a platform----although he made it a point to upload the crime after he did it.  The murder stayed on the site until being removed by a Facebook official.

What makes this story, and the one last week, so tragic is that these so-called men used social media as a platform in such a devious and disturbing way.  I don't know what has happened to make so many people lose sight of their values, morals, dignity and character.  For all the good social media can do, we then get to see the evil it can project and I fear there is no end in sight. 

Back in 1964, Bob Dylan wrote a song called, The Times, They Are a Changin'.  

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly aging
Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand
Cause the times they are a-changing

Yes they have!

The Deadly Threat of Alzheimer's for Baby Boomers

A new report out last week says 1 in 3 baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's between now and mid-century and the cost to Medicare will skyrocket.

According to research presented at the July 2014 International Alzheimer's Association International Conference, there will be a shift toward more severe forms of the disease, leading to greater Medicare costs. In 2020, the projected Medicare costs of caring for baby boomers with Alzheimer's in the community will amount to $11.86 billion, in 2014 dollars, which is the equivalent of 2.1% of total Medicare spending. By 2040, when the baby boom generation is aged 76-94, the projected Medicare costs will jump to $328.15 billion, in 2014 dollars and represent an increase to 24.2% of total Medicare spending.  

Key findings include:

• The prevalence of Alzheimer's among American baby boomers will rise from 1.2% in 2020, when most boomers will be in their 60s and early 70s, to an astonishing 50.1% in 2050, when all the boomers will be age 85+. This means that by 2040, more than twice as many baby boomers will have Alzheimer's disease (10.3 million) compared with the equivalent age group in 2015 (4.7 million).
• When the first baby boomers turn 70 in 2016, Alzheimer's prevalence in their age group will jump from less than 1% among individuals ages 65-69 to nearly 2.5% among individuals ages 70-74. At the same time, the number of Americans needing Alzheimer's care and support will increase dramatically, with huge cost implications for decades to come.

Dr. Keith Fargo of the Alzheimer's Association Director of Scientific Programs & Outreach says, "The risk of Alzheimer's increases with age, and as baby boomers get older, the number of people developing the disease will rise to levels far beyond anything we've ever seen before."

SCARY THOUGHT.

What may be even scarier for some of you is how your own children and grandchildren may respond to your need for medical care. 

About AAIC

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the largest gathering of leading researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia and fostering a vital, collegial research community.

AAIC 2015 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/ 
AAIC 2015 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/press.asp

About the Alzheimer's Association®

The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

Baby Boomers and Millennials and Diversity

I guess it's time for older white Americans to start panicking.  The latest numbers are out and it shows that the Millennials are now the most DIVERSE generation in America.  We all heard there was going to be a changing of the guard but we didn't expect it until somewhere around 2050 (as reported in an article by CNN).

Well, the U.S. Census Bureau now CONFIRMS it.  Millennials are now the majority in population and diversity.  Now that's a two for one.  The generation born between 1982 and 2000 now number 83.1 million, compared to 75.4 million baby boomers (and remember we're dying off daily).

So here's how it breaks down:

• All race and ethnic groups except single-race, non-Hispanic whites had more births than deaths between 2013 and 2014.

• Five states or equivalents are now considered majority-minority: Hawaii (77.0 percent), the District of Columbia (64.2 percent), California (61.5 percent), New Mexico (61.1 percent) and Texas (56.5 percent).

• Florida had the highest percentage of its population age 65 and older among states in 2014 (19.1 percent), followed by Maine (18.3 percent). Alaska had the lowest percentage (9.4 percent), followed by Utah (10.0 percent).

• California had the largest non-Hispanic white alone population of any state in 2014 (14.9 million).  California also had the largest Hispanic population of any state in 2014 (15.0 million).

• New York had the largest black population of any state or equivalent in 2014 (3.8 million); The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of blacks (50.6 percent), followed by Mississippi (38.2 percent).

• The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of females of any state or equivalent (52.6 percent), followed by Delaware (51.6 percent).

• Alaska has the highest male percentage (52.6 percent), followed by North Dakota (51.3 percent).

My Girlfriend Turned 65 This Year

I don't know what's more surprising:

1) I have a 65-year-old girlfriend
2) I'm hanging out with the 60 and over crowd

When my friend announced her upcoming birthday, she made it a point to let me know she was going to become medicare eligible. She wore it as a badge of honor. And why shouldn't she? She has lived long enough to earn her medicare stripes. She paid for years as a hard-working employee and now it's time to collect what is rightfully hers.

But the cool thing is she doesn't look a day over 50 and, despite being diabetic, she takes good care of herself by getting plenty of exercise and eating right. Yes, she is among the first wave of baby boomers who turned 65 in 2013. She's gone from "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud" to "Say it louder, I'm 65 and I'm prouder!"

It's funny how times change........

Ten years ago, I would not have been in the company of anyone in their 60's unless we were together at church, but it seems as though the older I get, the older my girlfriends have gotten as well.

In my 40's I always felt like the woman who had as much in common with the 30-somethings as I did with my own peer group. Now that I'm on the other side of 55, I don't find the conversations with 30-year-olds to be as stimulating or even worthy of a "girlfriend moment." Now don't get me wrong, there is much to learn from young people when it comes to understanding the new ways of doing business but when it comes to talking about hot flashes, grandchildren, husbands and the good old days, they don't share my journey. They don't KNOW my journey because they haven't arrived there yet.

Of course, there is so much they can learn from me and my older girlfriends but I suspect that they're not really interested in talking about personal summers and their idea of the good old days probably only dates back to the 1980s. But that's okay because the one thing we have gained is plenty of wisdom and experience. That's something that only comes with AGING.

Happy Birthday Paulette!

So how many friends do YOU have over the age of 60?

Baby Boomers and the Easter Parade

Hey baby boomers, do you remember when you were little and how you got all dressed up to go to church on Easter Sunday? My church, like many others I'm sure, was known as Fashion Central with mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandmas, grandpas and others modeling their finest attire. It was a time in the history of the baby boomer generation where you could look pretty with nothing hanging out, too revealing or too short and a boy's pants certainly were halfway off his butt.

Now that I'm older, I no longer put on my easter bonnet for the Easter parade. That tradition has been passed down to my grandson who, by the way, doesn't just show up in church on Easter to showcase his style.

Do you have a favorite Easter memory? Please share it here and HAPPY EASTER!

The Tea Party May Be for Boomers But Not For Babies

Last month, my three-year-old grandson joined our neighborhood youth soccer league. I wanted him involved in some type of sport so he could burn off some energy and learn how to play with others. So far---so good.

But what I have come to discover is, his coach---"Coach John"---is a proud member of the Tea Party. You know them---the gun toting, we don't like anything President Obama does, Sarah Palin supporters who are stockpiling weapons and daring anyone to take away their second amendment rights.

How did I find this out? When I created a Facebook Fan Page for the soccer group the other day, I invited everyone involved to become a fan. He did. I then went to his profile page and read his comments and also saw the people he was connected too--very scary.

This is certainly not someone I would want to be an influence in my grandson's life but so far, he hasn't been anything but decent and helpful to the kids, who are mostly African American.

I'm writing this post as an advisory to parents and grandparents. With social media being as prevelant as it is today, you can find out about anybody with a little research. Do your homework and know who your children are associating with---even if it's for the little activities like soccer.

The High Cost to Live

Two weeks ago my 90-year-old mother in law was diagnosed with lung cancer. According to her son/my husband, she never smoked a day in her life so this was surprising news. But that's not what this blog is all about.

This blog is about the prescription charges associated with treating this form of cancer. The doctor who treated her during her stay in the hospital wrote a prescription for a drug called Tarceva and told us the cost for a 30-day supply would be between $5,000 and $7000 depending on her insurance coverage. Medicare, we were told, doesn't cover the expense because it is an experimental drug. We were also told there was no guarantee with the medication. It might prolong her life for six months.

My first question is, what ingredients could be in a pill that would warrant charging that much money?

My mother in law is 90-years-old and spent her entire career as a nurse. If she is being used as a guinea pig, why isn't the drug FREE?

How can a drug company in good conscious charge such an outrageous price for medication knowing the average person who needs it can't afford it?

As caregivers, we don't want to be put in a position where we have decide to let our loved one die because we can't afford the meds.

There are literally thousands of baby boomers just like us who are caring for aging parents and are facing similar situations. Please let us hear from you

And as for those people who remain adamantly opposed to health care reform, may God save you from yourself.

When Grandma Becomes Ma

I have joined the ranks of a growing number of baby boomers who have taken on the task of raising their grandchildren.

No, I'm not doing it because I want to. I'm doing it because it's necessary. I'm doing it because I want my daughter and her son to have a chance to beat the odds and the stereotypes placed on them by the "do-gooders" of our society.

My daughter started college this week in another part of the state. She had the option of taking her soon-to-be-two-year-old with her or leaving him here with me. I chose option B. My daughter is still trying to get her own life together and having her son with her would only get in her way from accomplishing her goals.

The way I see it, my role of being a grandparent is more important than ever. My grandson is among a number of children being raised in single-parent households and as a young black male, the odds are already stacked against him before he can talk.

Being a good grandparent today requires all the wisdom, understanding, patience and love I've acquired throughout my lifetime.

It means grandma wears another hat: "MA"

Where do people like Jesse Helms go when they die?

I'm a baby boomer woman who believes in God. I believe in Heaven and hell. I believe in the Ten Commandments---one being “Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.” Now I’ll be the first to admit that’s not always easy to do because there are some people who do everything in their power to get on my last nerve. But then I think they probably don’t know any better so I just forgive them and move on.

So here we have former North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms who died on July 4 at the ripe old age of 86. He spent his entire political career as a hate monger and he was never ashamed or apologetic about it. He was a master at creating fear in the hearts and minds of white, rural North Carolinians by pointing out the fact that if he weren’t in Congress to fight for their “white rights” black people would take over and take away everything they rightfully owned.

Many of the people he catered to were white baby boomers and seniors.

Today, as I watched a portion of his funeral on TV, I heard the minister called him a good, decent man who loved God and loved the people he served for thirty years. But what about the people he didn’t love?

Does loving God—but hating minorities—give him a free pass into Heaven? My pastor always says “How can you love a God whom you never see and despise your fellow man here on earth?” That’s what Jesse did all of his life.

And no, he didn’t have a come to Jesus moment right before his death---where he apologized for any past sins he may have committed. He didn’t come out and issue a statement saying he loved everybody and was just playing the political game of the times.

So tell me, where do people like Jesse go when they die? Does he think he’ll enter a segregated Heaven? Oh, and wouldn’t it be something if God didn’t look anything like some churches paint Him out to be?