Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Basketball Banquet
Last night was the banquet for the NCHS basketball program. The 90 minutes went by quickly, thanks to the spirited, succinct, sincere and selfless commentary of coaches Goldman, Short, and Witzig. Besides the peanut butter chocolate brownies, gift certificate and signed card from the players, this one will be memorable for these coaches that demonstrate the right way to run a basketball program. They embodied the type of attitude preached by John Wooden, that if you give your best effort then you've succeeded, regardless of the number of wins. Nonetheless, these teams won over 2/3 of their games, including a varsity regional championship. With luck, this is just a taste of next year!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Would You Please Read This Post Because Of The Lesson It Contains?
"A social experiment involved someone attempting to cut in line in front of people using a copying machine. 'Excuse me, may I use the Xerox copy machine?' A little over half the people agreed. The fascinating thing is that she found she could get almost everyone to comply when they changed the phrasing of the request to: 'Excuse me, may I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?' The reason was nonsensical. Of course you need a copying machine in order to make copies. So why does it work so effectively? Because the word because triggers an unconscious acceptance that a valid explanation will follow. We hear something and we have almost a Pavlovian response to accept it. Whether the sentence makes sense or not, we assume it does and, therefore, we don't bother to process the explanation." - David Lieberman
Sunday, March 28, 2010
10 Ways The Health Care Bill May Affect You
From Investopedia.com:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act, more commonly referred to as the "healthcare bill", has taken over a year to craft and has been a lightning rod for political debate because it effectively reshapes major facets of the country's healthcare industry.
Here are 10 things you need to know about how the new law may affect you:
1. Your Kids are Covered
Starting this year, if you have an adult child who cannot get health insurance from his or her employer and is to some degree dependent on you financially, your child can stay on your insurance policy until he or she is 26 years old. Currently, many insurance companies do not allow adult children to remain on their parents' plan once they reach 19 or leave school.
2. You Can't be Dropped
Starting this fall, your health insurance company will no longer be allowed to "drop" you (cancel your policy) if you get sick. In 2009, "rescission" was revealed to be a relatively common cost-cutting practice by several insurance companies. The practice proved to be common enough to spur several lawsuits; for example, in 2008 and 2009, California's largest insurers were made to pay out more than $19 million in fines for dropping policyholders who fell ill.
3. You Can't be Denied Insurance
Starting this year your child (or children) cannot be denied coverage simply because they have a pre-existing health condition. Health insurance companies will also be barred from denying adults applying for coverage if they have a pre-existing condition, but not until 2014.
4. You Can Spend What You Need to
Prior to the new law, health insurance companies set a maximum limit on the monetary amount of benefits that a policyholder could receive. This meant that those who developed expensive or long-lasting medical conditions could run out of coverage. Starting this year, companies will be barred from instituting caps on coverage.
5. You Don't Have to Wait
If you currently have pre-existing conditions that have prevented you from being able to qualify for health insurance for at least six months you will have coverage options before 2014. Starting this fall, you will be able to purchase insurance through a state-run "high-risk pool", which will cap your personal out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare. You will not be required to pay more than $5,950 of your own money for medical expenses; families will not have to pay any more than $11,900.
6. You Must be Insured
Under the new law starting in 2014, you will have to purchase health insurance or risk being fined. If your employer does not offer health insurance as a benefit or if you do not earn enough money to purchase a plan, you may get assistance from the government. The fines for not purchasing insurance will be levied according to a sliding scale based on income. Starting in 2014, the lowest fine would be $95 or 1% of a person's income (whichever is greater) and then increase to a high of $695 or 2.5% of an individual's taxable income by 2016. There will be a maximum cap on fines.
7. You'll Have More Options
Starting in 2014 (when you will be required by law to have health insurance), states will operate new insurance marketplaces - called "exchanges" - that will provide you with more options for buying an individual policy if you can't get, or afford, insurance from your workplace and you earn too much income to qualify for Medicaid. In addition, millions of low- and middle-income families (earning up to $88,200 annually) will be able to qualify for financial assistance from the federal government to purchase insurance through their state exchange.
8. Flexible Spending Accounts Will Become Less Flexible
Three years from now, flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will have lower contribution limits - meaning you won't be able to have as much money deducted from your paycheck pre-tax and deposited into an FSA for medical expenses as is currently allowed. The new maximum amount allowed will be $2,500. In addition, fewer expenses will qualify for FSA spending. For example, you will no longer be able to use your FSA to help defray the cost of over-the-counter drugs.
9. If You Earn More, You'll Pay More
Starting in 2018, if your combined family income exceeds $250,000 you are going to be taking less money home each pay period. That's because you will have more money deducted from your paycheck to go toward increased Medicare payroll taxes. In addition to higher payroll taxes you will also have to pay 3.8% tax on any unearned income, which is currently tax-exempt.
10. Medicare May Cover More or Less of Your Expenses
Starting this year, if Medicare is your primary form of health insurance you will no longer have to pay for preventive care such as an annual physical, screenings for treatable conditions or routine laboratory work. In addition, you will get a $250 check from the federal government to help pay for prescription drugs currently not covered as a result of the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole".
However, if you are a high-income individual or couple (making more than $85,000 individually or $170,000 jointly), your prescription drug subsidy will be reduced. In addition, if you are one of the more than 10 million people currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan you may be facing higher premiums because your insurance company's subsidy from the federal government is going to be dramatically reduced.
Conclusion
Over the next few months you will most likely receive information in the mail from your health insurance company about how the newly signed law will affect your coverage. Read the correspondence carefully and don't hesitate to ask questions about your policy; there may be new, more affordable options for you down the road.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act, more commonly referred to as the "healthcare bill", has taken over a year to craft and has been a lightning rod for political debate because it effectively reshapes major facets of the country's healthcare industry.
Here are 10 things you need to know about how the new law may affect you:
1. Your Kids are Covered
Starting this year, if you have an adult child who cannot get health insurance from his or her employer and is to some degree dependent on you financially, your child can stay on your insurance policy until he or she is 26 years old. Currently, many insurance companies do not allow adult children to remain on their parents' plan once they reach 19 or leave school.
2. You Can't be Dropped
Starting this fall, your health insurance company will no longer be allowed to "drop" you (cancel your policy) if you get sick. In 2009, "rescission" was revealed to be a relatively common cost-cutting practice by several insurance companies. The practice proved to be common enough to spur several lawsuits; for example, in 2008 and 2009, California's largest insurers were made to pay out more than $19 million in fines for dropping policyholders who fell ill.
3. You Can't be Denied Insurance
Starting this year your child (or children) cannot be denied coverage simply because they have a pre-existing health condition. Health insurance companies will also be barred from denying adults applying for coverage if they have a pre-existing condition, but not until 2014.
4. You Can Spend What You Need to
Prior to the new law, health insurance companies set a maximum limit on the monetary amount of benefits that a policyholder could receive. This meant that those who developed expensive or long-lasting medical conditions could run out of coverage. Starting this year, companies will be barred from instituting caps on coverage.
5. You Don't Have to Wait
If you currently have pre-existing conditions that have prevented you from being able to qualify for health insurance for at least six months you will have coverage options before 2014. Starting this fall, you will be able to purchase insurance through a state-run "high-risk pool", which will cap your personal out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare. You will not be required to pay more than $5,950 of your own money for medical expenses; families will not have to pay any more than $11,900.
6. You Must be Insured
Under the new law starting in 2014, you will have to purchase health insurance or risk being fined. If your employer does not offer health insurance as a benefit or if you do not earn enough money to purchase a plan, you may get assistance from the government. The fines for not purchasing insurance will be levied according to a sliding scale based on income. Starting in 2014, the lowest fine would be $95 or 1% of a person's income (whichever is greater) and then increase to a high of $695 or 2.5% of an individual's taxable income by 2016. There will be a maximum cap on fines.
7. You'll Have More Options
Starting in 2014 (when you will be required by law to have health insurance), states will operate new insurance marketplaces - called "exchanges" - that will provide you with more options for buying an individual policy if you can't get, or afford, insurance from your workplace and you earn too much income to qualify for Medicaid. In addition, millions of low- and middle-income families (earning up to $88,200 annually) will be able to qualify for financial assistance from the federal government to purchase insurance through their state exchange.
8. Flexible Spending Accounts Will Become Less Flexible
Three years from now, flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will have lower contribution limits - meaning you won't be able to have as much money deducted from your paycheck pre-tax and deposited into an FSA for medical expenses as is currently allowed. The new maximum amount allowed will be $2,500. In addition, fewer expenses will qualify for FSA spending. For example, you will no longer be able to use your FSA to help defray the cost of over-the-counter drugs.
9. If You Earn More, You'll Pay More
Starting in 2018, if your combined family income exceeds $250,000 you are going to be taking less money home each pay period. That's because you will have more money deducted from your paycheck to go toward increased Medicare payroll taxes. In addition to higher payroll taxes you will also have to pay 3.8% tax on any unearned income, which is currently tax-exempt.
10. Medicare May Cover More or Less of Your Expenses
Starting this year, if Medicare is your primary form of health insurance you will no longer have to pay for preventive care such as an annual physical, screenings for treatable conditions or routine laboratory work. In addition, you will get a $250 check from the federal government to help pay for prescription drugs currently not covered as a result of the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole".
However, if you are a high-income individual or couple (making more than $85,000 individually or $170,000 jointly), your prescription drug subsidy will be reduced. In addition, if you are one of the more than 10 million people currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan you may be facing higher premiums because your insurance company's subsidy from the federal government is going to be dramatically reduced.
Conclusion
Over the next few months you will most likely receive information in the mail from your health insurance company about how the newly signed law will affect your coverage. Read the correspondence carefully and don't hesitate to ask questions about your policy; there may be new, more affordable options for you down the road.
High/Low Week 12 2010
This was a solid, successful week. I think the biggest danger is complacency. When I'm on my game, I pick up on temptations to participate in or initiate negative or disrespectful conversation. When I sit here and fail to come up with them, it means that I probably let myself slide into one of them almost instinctively.
We had dinner with Coach Goldman this Tuesday. It was the first time that Dena got a chance to meet and socialize with him, and I was glad for the chance for her to meet such a fine person.
As the week went on, there were strings of professional successes. Tyson made some great progress in a bit of career development. Our department head Gerry chipped in some support on another matter that will probably strengthen our unit. Another team project was completed when we finished inventorying what had once been an unknown wasteland of files. And the training program on CVAT that we'll be conducting for a dozen people took on a firmer and encouraging shape, with plenty of time for adjustments yet.
I was contacted by Becky Mentzer from the ISU Honors Program. This might help meet the 2010 goal of finding an organization to be involved in during retirement. I'd approached her to schedule lunch and find out what kind of volunteer needs they anticipate, figuring that any long-term plan is best set up by making introductions well in advance.
We settled on a "full size" car, a la Chevy Impala or the like, to be our ride out to North Carolina for vacation. The reservation is made... let the countdown begin in earnest!
We had dinner with Coach Goldman this Tuesday. It was the first time that Dena got a chance to meet and socialize with him, and I was glad for the chance for her to meet such a fine person.
As the week went on, there were strings of professional successes. Tyson made some great progress in a bit of career development. Our department head Gerry chipped in some support on another matter that will probably strengthen our unit. Another team project was completed when we finished inventorying what had once been an unknown wasteland of files. And the training program on CVAT that we'll be conducting for a dozen people took on a firmer and encouraging shape, with plenty of time for adjustments yet.
I was contacted by Becky Mentzer from the ISU Honors Program. This might help meet the 2010 goal of finding an organization to be involved in during retirement. I'd approached her to schedule lunch and find out what kind of volunteer needs they anticipate, figuring that any long-term plan is best set up by making introductions well in advance.
We settled on a "full size" car, a la Chevy Impala or the like, to be our ride out to North Carolina for vacation. The reservation is made... let the countdown begin in earnest!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Four Sets Of Ten
After a little binge snacking last night, I decided to advance my 10-mile run planned for Sunday and do some calorie-burning this morning. Running on five hours of sleep, I figured it'd also shake off the morning brain fog.
No visions of greatness here... a quiet 10 minute mile pace was slow enough to allow me to read magazines, and the beauty of treadmill trotting flowered again as I was able to make a couple quick bathroom/water breaks at the 4 and 7 mile marks. Throw in some ESPN and a friend on a neighboring machine and the 100 minutes passed quickly.
Since I'd skipped Saturday morning basketball in order to do this, I at least decided to shoot until I hit ten free throws in a row a couple of times. Except for the fact that running leaves my arms cold for reasons that sports physiologists can probably explain, my stroke was dead on. It took less than twenty minutes for me to accomplish the feat.
Then I decided to make ten three-pointers before calling it a day.
Man, I was on FIRE! I made seven in a row. I think the thousand free throws from the last few weeks have refined my follow through in a way that translates immediately beyond the arc. Just a matter of adjusting leg strength.
At this rate, I'll have a shot at nationals. Anyone know the minimum age for the Senior Olympics?
No visions of greatness here... a quiet 10 minute mile pace was slow enough to allow me to read magazines, and the beauty of treadmill trotting flowered again as I was able to make a couple quick bathroom/water breaks at the 4 and 7 mile marks. Throw in some ESPN and a friend on a neighboring machine and the 100 minutes passed quickly.
Since I'd skipped Saturday morning basketball in order to do this, I at least decided to shoot until I hit ten free throws in a row a couple of times. Except for the fact that running leaves my arms cold for reasons that sports physiologists can probably explain, my stroke was dead on. It took less than twenty minutes for me to accomplish the feat.
Then I decided to make ten three-pointers before calling it a day.
Man, I was on FIRE! I made seven in a row. I think the thousand free throws from the last few weeks have refined my follow through in a way that translates immediately beyond the arc. Just a matter of adjusting leg strength.
At this rate, I'll have a shot at nationals. Anyone know the minimum age for the Senior Olympics?
iPod CPR
My iPod was pronounced dead this morning, the screen frozen in a grotesque mask of "Do Not Disconnect" message following a routine morning sync to recharge the battery.
Then, Dena pointed me toward the Help menu from the iTunes home page. Within were instructions for resetting an iPod such as mine. There was no time to lose:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1320
The machine gasped to life! The Easter season is glorious again. 'Scuse me while I jam to some tunes...
Then, Dena pointed me toward the Help menu from the iTunes home page. Within were instructions for resetting an iPod such as mine. There was no time to lose:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1320
The machine gasped to life! The Easter season is glorious again. 'Scuse me while I jam to some tunes...
Friday, March 26, 2010
A Whiff Of Trouble
http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/sow_experts/post/David-James-whiffs-and-Avram-Grant-s-face-says-i?urn=sow,230045
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