How Will Changes In Health Care Effect You?

When my parents were a young married couple, they paid for doctor visits, shots and medicine out-of-pocket. At the time few people had great health insurance, if any.  But in the 60s, office visits cost $6. Shots were $4. Even hospital stays could be paid off in installments of $112 dollars a week [$16 each day] over a short period of time.  And that's how my parents paid for medical expanses, from check-ups to a premature birth.   Those days are gone. Now health care has gotten very sophisticated, and each procedure can cost thousands of dollars.  The reality is an average Joe could quickly go bankrupt without health insurance.

In the United States many of the urban poor are covered.  My hairdresser, who works at a ritzy Manhattan hair salon – but earns a low wage without benefits* – receives comprehensive health care from top New York doctors at a prestigious hospital as a Medicaid patient.  And contrary to what you hear about government-run programs, my retired relatives on Medicare are content with the level of care they receive. Many of us don't remember a time before these safety nets were in place.  Nowadays it's often the middle class who must worry about losing health care should they max out their insurance, or loose their jobs.

So it's worth taking a look at what the Obama Administration fought hard to pass.  Regardless of where you stand on health care reform, some of the changes take effect starting in September.  According to Organizing For America, a pro-Obama volunteer group, here is what the new reforms will do:

Directly quoted:

"1.  Prevents insurance companies from canceling your policy if you get sick.  Right now, insurance companies can retroactively cancel your policy when you become sick if you or your employer made an unintentional mistake on your paperwork.

2.  Stops insurance companies from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Beginning in September, discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions will be banned―a protection that will be extended to all Americans in 2014.

3.  Prohibits setting lifetime limits on insurance policies issued or renewed after Sept. 23, 2010. No longer will insurance companies be able to take away coverage at the very moment when patients need it most. More than 100 million Americans have health coverage that imposes lifetime limits on care.

4.  Phases out annual dollar limits on coverage over the next three years.  Even more aggressive than lifetime limits are annual dollar limits on what an insurance company will pay for your health care. For the people with medical costs that hit these limits, the consequences can be devastating.

5.  Allows you to designate any available participating primary care doctor as your provider. You’ll be able to keep the primary care doctor or pediatrician you choose, and see an OB-GYN without referral.

6.  Removes insurance company barriers to receiving emergency care and prevents them from charging you more because you’re out of network. You’ll be able to get emergency care at a hospital outside of your plan’s network without facing higher co-pays or deductibles or having to fight to get approval first.”


And of course, the most controversial aspect of the new health care bill is being challenged in the courts -- namely that everyone must have medical insurance. 

I think it's vital we take the time to learn how the new legislation will effect us and not simply listen to political pundits, who appear on television.  Recommended reading: Heath Care Reform by Jonathan Gruber.  You have every right to your opinion.  Just be informed, so that fear based on misunderstanding doesn't rule the day.


*It's worth noting that businesses, which once offered employees benefits now hire workers as independent contractors, so they don't have to pay for health care.

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10 Wardrobe Pieces Every Man Should Own

When it comes to fashion, I haven't forgotten about men.  But since I'm a woman, I went straight to the source:  I asked a couple of stylish men to come up with their list of what every well-dressed man needs in his closet.  See if you agree.

Here is Carl's list:

1. Blue, or grey pinstripe suit

2. Blue, or black blazer

3. Nice denim slacks

4. A pair of chinos

5. White cotton dress shirt

6. Simple-design tie

7. Loafers

8. Black leather, dress shoes, with leather soles

9. Polo shirts

10. A pair of walking shorts

Dave said:

1. Polished black shoes

2. Black suit

3. Dress shirt, a solid color

4. A bold tie that is not busy

5. Two watches, one dressy and one classic

6. Argyle socks

7. Polo shirts, 3 different colors

8. Non-cargo shorts, white and navy blue

9. Nice sunglasses

10. Tennis shoes that are clean and comfortable

Thanks men for contributing.  With classics like these, every man can [pare down and still] look his best.


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10 Wardrobe Pieces Every Woman Should Own

Nowadays I shop with a less is more mentality.  It's liberating, but you have to develop a smart antenna.  I look for classic pieces that are easy to care for, yet hold up well over time.  With few exceptions, my clothing can do double duty -- be mixed and matched with other articles to stretch my wardrobe, plus go from casual to dress up.  My values are to scale back, but I still want to put my best foot forward and look pretty.  Here are my picks for basics that are eternal, the gold standards, in any woman's wardrobe:

Coco Chanel

1) Dark blue denim jeans – They are dressier and more versatile than lighter washes.

2) Leather jacket – It's positively fetching and will outlast/outlive you.

3) Long black leggings – They are casual chic and make legs look endless.

4) Pearl or diamond stud earrings – Buy the one you can afford.  You can't go wrong either way.

5) A little black dress – First created by Coco Chanel -- I saw the original in a museum.  If you put that first dress on today, you'd still look ultra-modern and like a knowout.

6) Ballet flats – I love patent leather flats.  They dress up everything from the little black dress to blue jeans.

7) Pumps – A two-inch heel is a classic.

8) A scarf – Either cotton or silk in a beautiful, complementary color to make your outfits pop.

9) Cardigan sweaters – One black and another in a light shade that flatters your skin.  I buy cashmere for winter and cotton to wear in the summer months.  They last for years.

10) T-shirts – 100% cotton, or made with a little lycra to hold their shape.  I wear T-shirts to layer under a dress or pair with pants under a blazer.  You can buy T-shirts in so many styles and wear them in place of a cotton blouse.  They are so easy to wash and wear and stay winkle-free, so they're perfect for traveling.

That's my list of ten essentials.  What would you add?

Now go out in style, and enjoy!  (See the 10 pieces every man should wear.)

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Relief For Sore Muscles

You won't believe what I put on an overworked knee.  I can hardly believe it, myself.  Let me explain: I live across the street from an old style pharmacy.  It's been in the neighborhood for two generations.  When you walk in the door, the employees really seem to care.  You get personal service that's reliable, along with recommendations for pain ointments that are downright unconventional.  The day I walked in the door to buy a rub for my sore knee, I never imagined I'd leave carrying 16 oz of Absorbine Veterinary Liniment.  There's a silhouette of a horse on the bottle!  It gave me pause, to say the least.  Did I walk into a drug, or a horse supply store?  Was this a joke, or what?  It turned out not to be a joke, and the ingredients, while potent, seem harmless.  The liniment contains a herbal formula with plant extracts like calendula, echinacea and wormwood.  Other active ingredients include menthol, chloroxylenol and iodine.  The label says it relieves muscle soreness, stiffness and swelling.  It stimulates circulation, acts as a “bracer” and “tightener” and you can even use it on cuts and abrasions.  Talk about multi-tasking!  Maybe it also keeps bugs away?

But the label never mentions whether people should use it.  The directions only explain how it's good for your horse!  Perhaps, I shouldn't be surprised that a horse incurs temporary aches and pains and stiffness from a workout.  And now I know, Absorbine Veterinary Liniment helps relieve these discomforts.  It should be applied to all four legs and rubbed on the back, loin and shoulders, before covering your horse with a heavy blanket.

Ok ... but what about a human knee?  There was only one way to find out.  So on the advice of a zany* pharmacist, I took the liniment home and rubbed it on my sore knee.  I only had the one leg to try it on.  But, you know what?  My knee does feel better! Although new to me, this stuff has been around since 1892, and it just goes to show, what's good for a horse is good for me. Whatever works, I always say.  Cost: 10.98 for 16 oz. 
*in a good way

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The Everly Brothers Sing, Reviews

The Everly Brothers appearing on "Music Scene" in November, 1969

Many music fans know the Everly Brothers for their early hits like "Bye, Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Suzy," and perhaps "Cathy's Clown," a mega hit that put their second record label, the newly minted Warner Bros. Records, on the map.  The Everly Brothers went on to record albums [together and separately] throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, and the quality of their later albums never waned.  Although not as accepted by the American public, nor music critics -- who wanted Don and Phil to remain the same 50s duo -- their later releases were every bit as good as their early hits.  Here are my reviews for two of their later albums: 

The Everly Brothers Sing: 

The Everly Brothers were often accused of trying to sound hip when they performed or created music in the late 1960s - early 1970s, and why should that be?  Some listeners forget just how young the brothers were when they first hit the charts in 1957.  Phil was 18, and Don had just turned 20.  They were still young men in the late 60s and early 70s.  Why wouldn't their music (and hair) reflect the contemporary times they were living in?  Many of the 1960s musicians who followed and were influenced by the Everly Brothers were in the same age bracket as their idols.  Note that Don was born in 1937, Phil in 1939, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones in 1936, John Lennon of the Beatles in 1940, and Eric Burdon of the Animals in 1941.

So why listen to this neglected and their later albums?  My answer is for the voices ... and to hear recording artists, who, indeed, changed the times, but also allowed themselves to be changed by the times.  On this album the hit, "Bowling Green," Don's solo, "A Whiter Shade of Pale," and the reissued "It's All Over" -- with Phil singing the solo lines -- are all brilliant songs.  Both Don and Phil are spectacular lead ... and harmony singers.  A listener will never find better voices.

Some Hearts:  (The last studio album)

It would surprise no one that I have all three of the Everly Brothers' Mercury studio albums. I like this last album just as much as the first two (produced by Dave Edmunds). "Some Hearts," produced by Don and Phil, themselves, features what they do best - love songs, and they sing them ... well ... from the heart. Once again their songs capture interesting observations about falling in and out of love. Like their first two 80s albums, this last one brings the Everlys' sound up-to-date while keeping the emphasis on their crisp, stirring voices. Standouts, for me, include the ballad: "Be My Love Again" and the stompers: "Ride the Wind" and "Angel of the Darkness."  There is always a little bit of country and a lot of rock and roll in the Everly sound.  And what is true of their music overall also holds for this, their last studio album, namely, you'll never grow tired of listening to it. {Also pick up Roots, which Rolling Stone calls "one of the finest early country-rock albums."}

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Homemade OxiClean Is Cheap

Do you ever use a product and wonder why it's so expensive?  I like adding the booster OxiClean to detergent when I do laundry.  Perhaps I've been brainwashed by effective advertising because I use it to make my detergent clean better.  I want to keep my clothes bright and stain-free.  And since the stain remover doesn't contain bleach, it's safe to use on colors and whites alike.  But lately, I wonder why a 3-pound tub costs $10 - $12.  That really adds up!  Usually if you can find out what's in a cleaner, you can make it for pennies.  And as it turns out, OxiClean has just two ingredients, and they are cheap and easy to obtain.  What you get is a liquid, not a powder, but I can live with that.  The active ingredient in OxiClean is sodium percarbonate (Na2CO3•H2O2), which is a combination of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Here's how to make the laundry booster at home: 

1} Buy washing soda. – (not baking soda)  Washing soda is sold in the laundry detergent aisle of your supermarket, and it's cheap.

2} Buy hydrogen peroxide. – Available at any drug, or beauty store. And, it's cheap.

3} Get a mixing cup, or buy a spray bottle.

4} Combine your two ingredients:  2 tablespoons of washing soda for every 1 cup [8 ounces] of hydrogen peroxide.

Add to your laundry with your detergent, or use the spray bottle mixture to spot clean.  Just let the solution sit for several hours beforehand to form the sodium percarbonate, and be sure to give the spray bottle a shake every time you use it.  

Now in addition to saving a few bucks, don't you feel like a chemist?


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Step Into The World of Ideas

Keith Richards, the pulse and menacing edge of the Rolling Stones

Is this a face only a mother could love?

Have you ever noticed how everything in life is paid for with time, money, or consequences? And for any of us, there's only a limited amount of time and money. In the pictures above, Keith Richards was once a young man, and now he's an old one. Time sure flies, and it doesn't take long to live a life. Keith just might outlive us all.

Now just for a moment, let's accept an old premise: "The best things in life are free." Can you think of one? Reading, watching movies and listening to music are free if you visit your local library, or swap with friends. And even when you don't borrow, compared to other hobbies and pleasures, they cost less, yet pay a rich return. The human spirit is free. Thinking is free. Exchanging ideas is free ... and enjoyable. So for the rest of the summer, why not spend some of your leisure time reading a good book, a handful of magazines, or and interesting blog? Listen to good music too. Have fun soaking up ideas ... and just thinking. It's priceless.

Here are a few quotes to get you started.  Pick a favorite:

1} Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains to its original dimensions.  Oliver Wendell Holmes

2} You only go around once, but if you work it out right, once is enough.  Unknown

3} If you marry for money, you will earn it every day of your life.  Old saying

4} If there is a nuclear war, only two things will survive - Keith Richards and bugs.  Bill Hicks, comedian

5} He drew a circle that shut me out -- heretic, rebel, a thing to flout, but love and I had the wit to win: we drew a circle that took him in!  Edwin Markham

6} He got what he wanted, but lost what he had. Little Richard discussing Elvis' fame.

7} Don't let what you cannot do, interfere with what you can.  John Wooden

8} As long as he walks the earth alive, man makes mistakes as long as he strives.  Johann von Goethe

9} How do you measure success?

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a redeemed social condition, or a job well done;

To know even one other life has breathed because you lived -- this is to have succeeded.  Ralph Waldon Emmerson

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ChicTiq Links Shoppers With Local Boutiques

Louis Vuitton, Soho

New York City is a shopper's paradise.  Everything is available from haute couture to ready-to-wear.  And now the task of finding one-of-a-kind shops and discounts is just a click away.

ChicTiq is a new online service that lists all the local boutiques in New York City, by neighborhood and category.  It is the brainchild of three friends from the University of Pennsylvania, Landon Berns, Daniel Panzer and Jonathan Lehr.  The idea for the directory first came to Berns, as he tried to help his sister find shops and promotions in the area, only to discover there were no simple steps to gather the information.  So the three college friends teamed up and launched ChicTiq to make the search quick and easy.  ChicTiq lets shoppers generate and customize a list of retail boutiques in any New York City neighborhood.  Store addresses and phone numbers are provided, and there's an app you can add to your iPhone.  Also, a map pinpoints store locations so shoppers know exactly where to go.  A must-have for tourists!

So far, there are 1,300 stores on a list that's growing.  Boutiques can communicate with customers in real time to tell them about fabulous deals and happenings in the shop.  They may announce the arrival of new designers and special events.

All a shopper needs to do is logon and enter a zip code, or category like “shoes,” to pull up a list of nearby boutiques with the latest sales and promotions.

ChicTiq is a handy tool in a tech savvy age.  With the click of a button, shoppers can be in-the-know, finding the best deals on the hottest fashions in their area.  The company plans to expand to other cities.  Miami is next.

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A Well-Stocked Bar

My parents rarely touched alcohol, but had a cabinet stocked with wine and spirits, including Danziger Goldwasser (a strong herbal tonic with tiny flakes of 22k gold).  These were pulled out on special occasions to offer hospitality to dinner guests.  If we ate a fancy meal as a family, we didn't serve alcohol, but always wanted to have something available for company.

And just to show how much a person is a product of her upbringing, I've carried on the same practice.  In my cabinet sits a bottle of Italian red wine, Moet & Chandon Champagne (a gift), Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon, Mount Gay Barbados rum, Frangelico liqueur, Chambord liqueur and a bottle of Moosehead beer that's been in the refrigerator for years.  Since I seldom drink, isn't it interesting how much of a chip off the old block I am? How about you?


As it turns out, my family is not alone.  Several magazines have stressed the importance of keeping wine and some basics on hand, just in case visitors drop in.  Cosmopolitan says, it's a tell tale sign that someone has moved past his or her college years into adulthood.  And according to Vanity Fair, a Well-Stocked Bar should include:

Rose's lime juice	horseradish
Triple sec	cocktail olives
club soda	cocktail onions
tonic	lemons and limes
tomato juice	stirrers, shakers and strainers
Angostura bitters
grenadine

In reality, there are no rules to stocking a bar.  It depends on you and your guests; and whether you like mixed drinks.  Personally, I'd rather eat than drink.  Give me sharp cheddar cheese, hummus, crackers and a single glass of red wine, and I'm satisfied.

But for adults with other tastes, here are some Bar Tips, courtesy of Goodhousekeeping [condensed]:

*Chill cocktail and beer glasses ahead of time.

*Handle glasses by the stem to avoid warming the contents.

*Add carbonated beverages at the last minute, even to punches.

*Avoid spills, by not filling glasses to the brim.

*Keep towels handy; making drinks can be messy.

*Don't overserve.

*And never allow an inebriated guest to drive.

Bottoms Up!


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