Life in the Middle

The Nintendo Wii has taken over the video game world by storm. When it was first announced, I remember people scoffing and laughing at the new fangled contraption. Now look at the Wii, it is an unparalleled success and keeps raking in the money as if it is capable of printing money itself. The system itself is very cool and the Wii games are different from the other consoles. The best games on the Wii are the exclusive titles that are not available on the other console. Crappier port versions of the popular games on PS3 and Xbox are not as good as the games that are designed only for the Wii. Games like Zelda and Super Mario Galaxy are triple A titles that would be hits on any other system, but are only available on the Wii, and with the motion controlled features, they are unique to the Wii’s capabilities.

Even the racing games, which are not up to par with the next generation graphics of the other two machines, are somehow more fun on the Wii. It is because of the unique control schemes that allow the player to tilt or turn the remote like a steering wheel that make them so much more fun. Another system that is kind of going in the opposite direction as the Wii, is Sony’s handheld machine, PSP. It is a beautiful handheld gaming device, easy to use, does more than just play games with its SD cards and MP3 capabilities, but it has struggled to gain a huge market share. Why? The main reason is that for all its power and its ability to display gorgeous, console like graphics, there has not been that killer PSP games that makes everybody run out and buy one. Most people I know play it only occasionally and only when the rare must play game hits retail shelves. There is just a lack of quality PSP games out there. I understand that it can play near identical ports of console games, but that is not what most people are searching for in a handheld gaming device. They want simple, fun, easy to pick up titles that they can play in bite sized time increments. The DS does this much better than the PSP and has done it for a long time. Sony is going to have to rethink the PSP strategy if they want the system to live past this current generation.

I by no means am dismissing or making light of the whole flu panic that has gripped the country, but wall to wall coverage of what has so far been nothing more than a bad case of the ordinary flu has got to stop. Yes, keep us up to date on what is going on. I have a theory on what happened in Mexico and why so many people were not able to recover and died- they probably didn't get medical attention fast enough. They were probably too poor or in areas that medical attention was not readily available. I also think that the Mexican government sat on the information for too long. I think that it might be a good time to relax, make sure that you are doing what you need to do to keep from getting sick. Wash your hands regularly, carry some antibacterial lotion with you for your kids and make sure you cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing. Not everybody will be affected who is exposed, some people require longer and more direct exposure due to their body make-up and immune system. If you are sick, stay home, don't go around other people and if you suspect you have this flu, call a doctor. I know that this one came from out of nowhere and it has a scary name, but keep in mind that over 30,000 people a year die of flu elated complications in the US. Do I suggest going to Mexico and visiting sick people or completely disregarding any of the safety measures that the CDC recommends No, of course not, but people don't need to panic and with some simple steps and common sense, the spread of this flu could be drastically reduced. Even if it does become widespread, it is still prudent to stay calm and remain rational in our decisions. With a little common sense and some patience to wait and find out the real story and the scientific facts behind the illness, we can react in a calm and measured fashion. Everbody has enough to worry about without the media stepping up their efforts in scaring people with misinformation.

Student Health Insurance: Not an Elective

With rising tuition and living costs, many students and their families may overlook an important item in their college education budgets: health insurance. A 2007 student college health survey carried out by the University of Minnesota revealed that 14.6% of students in their system lacked coverage. The largest concentrations of uninsured were among graduate students (26.2%) and international students (54.6%); this disparity is often due to eligibility of dependents under age 25 to maintain coverage under their parents’ plans.

Many students, especially if they are young and healthy, feel they can forgo student health insurance and rely their university’s health care services to meet their needs. They may pay a fee of around $300-$400 a semester to be eligible for routine medical care, immunizations, and mental health services. However, medical issues that require hospital care as well as facilities and doctors located off-campus may not be adequately covered. No student is completely safe from accidents or infectious diseases that could drive up their medical expenses.

How can matriculating students ensure that they won’t end up in the emergency room when they can afford it the least? Every college or university has different policies and resources concerning health insurance. The first step is to find out what the institution’s requirements are, in order to use them as a reference when comparing options for coverage. It is often the case that students that are enrolled in more than a certain amount of credit hours are required to have some sort of health insurance. Also, a student who does not indicate enrollment in a medical plan when filling out required registration paperwork may be automatically enrolled in and charged for the school’s medical insurance. Student athletes might be required to obtain specific coverage.

As previously mentioned, many students can remain on their parents’ existing health plan as long as they continue to be actively enrolled at their school. Otherwise, they can compare the school’s plan with outside options. Internet sites such as Health Insurance Finders or eHealthInsurance can provide links to available providers.

As in any type of health insurance, it is important to examine how premiums, deductibles, and prescriptions will affect the total costs. Other issues to consider when comparing plans include convenience for the student; would it be difficult to find a facility or doctor who accepts the outside insurance? Would it make more sense to take advantage of the easier access to the school’s health services, and what is the quality of those services? Also, does the plan cover graduate students as well as undergraduates? If students travel or participate in a program in another country, are they still covered?

Student health insurance may be another burden for students and families who are also grappling with financial assistance and other choices affecting the cost of their education. But it is an essential provision that must be made to ensure peace of mind and a healthy college experience.

I have been studying all about business and marketing and advertising, and one of the most interesting things that I just became aware of is using promotional items to advertise for your business. When they first brought up the topic of promotional items in school, I really wasn?t sure what they were talking about, but then someone said to me, you know logo products like pens and umbrellas that businesses give to you to advertise their business for them?

Then I knew what they meant, I had always called them logo products but apparently they can be called, promotional products, promotional items, promotional gifts, or logo items, so this is where my confusion came from. Anyway, I can assure you that from everything I learned you should definitely use promotional items in your business. These logo products have a long life and business owners who have used them, different one?s each year, have noticed that years later, their customers will still be using the logo products that they were given years prior. The business owners said that they were really surprised at how inexpensive logo products and promotional items were and that for the amount of advertising they were still getting from these promotions, that promotional items were definitely a more worthwhile investment than let?s say taking out an ad in the local paper. One small business owner, said that he sees many more people come in because of our own customers and because of the logo products than he ever sees from an ad in the local paper.

His recommendation to the class was to get out there and use all the free and cheap advertising that we can find and that buying up some unique promotional items and logo items is a very good start for a new business with very few dollars to invest in advertising.

After he left, a discussion ensued about the use of promotional products and logo items and the instructor had us write down a few ideas. Some of my classmates were afraid that they wouldn?t be able to afford these types of promotional items when they were just starting up a business, but the instructor told us that even promotional items like pens are available and they are really cheap. He said then when you establish a customer base, you may want to have give aways of logo items or even start giving them out to customers for referrals and birthdays and such.

Over all I learned a lot about promotional items and we were given an assignment to go home and research promotional items and logo items on the web to get an idea of the cost. Overall, what I found is that they really aren?t very expensive at all, and a seemingly much better investment than taking out an ad.

When my parents decided to go away on their trip, my mother was a little bit concerned because she wouldn’t be around and she wanted to make sure that my sister was covered for the things that she needed while she was away. She contacted her credit card company and had an extra card sent to my sister in her name, so that she could use the card. Apparently, after a few weeks she hadn’t received it so she called the company and they sent my sister a card and all seemed fine. Well, being that it was a card that my mother hardly used, she figured if my sister needed it, she could use it. My sister spoke to my mother after she returned from the trip and my mother had told her to use the credit card for something that she needed to purchase, and when my sister did, it was only about $100 and it was declined. You would need to know that this would not be like my parents, so my sister was alarmed and called to get the available balance from the Visa card and found that there was only $24 available. She immediately called my mother, who completely lost it. She said that there was about $1200 available on the credit card. Well, it turns out that the credit card company did send the first card, but someone must have nabbed it out of the mail, and so when they resent the card the representative never even noticed there was a problem. Well, my mother has always worked to keep good credit and was not only very concerned about having to pay the charges that were obviously not hers, but also about how this would affect her credit rating. Thank goodness, the credit card company took care of the whole thing. They found out that the money was spent at Circuit City for big ticket items and fortunately they had the guy on camera who had used the card. She was not held liable for any of those charges, and fortunately it did not cause her credit report any harm, she even got a free credit report to make sure that her credit score was still good. What a freaky thing to have happen to someone you know! It is a little scary to think about how often identity theft happens in this country, really.

Jenna called me very excited and asked me to go to dinner with her, and that she was paying, which definitely was an indication that something was up. She said that she wanted to surprise me with something and that she would meet me at the restaurant about 6 when she got off. I really couldn’t imagine what she was going to surprise me with, but I did wait anxiously to find out what it was, and I even got to the restaurant about a half an hour early and watched the door waiting for her to arrive. I figured since she said it was a surprise, that it must be something good.

When she arrived, she was smiling ear to ear and we sat down and order something to drink, and then she told me that she was offered a Department Head position at the store she works at, and I thought to myself---Huh? I told her it was great and that I was glad that all her hard work was paying off, and then I asked the question…Is it a part time position? The answer came as quite a surprise, as she told me no, it was a full time position and it would mean that she would have to put her schooling on hold for a while. I suggested to her that might not be the best idea, I mean I didn’t want to burst her bubble or anything like that, I just wanted to make sure that she was clearly thinking about her future. She said that she knew that she still wanted to continue her schooling and perhaps the best way to do this was to enroll in an online school. She said that she had looked into it once before, and that they offer a lot of different course options, and it is something that she can fit in around her crazy retail hours. She said they offer everything online from culinary schools to interior design school and mechanic school. Honestly, she said that they offer online bachelors degree programs and an online masters degree program. I asked her if these schools were really giving out valid degrees, or where they worthless, and she proceeded to tell me that there are many online colleges and online universities that offer fully accredited programs and degrees.

I told her that I was very proud of her, not only for the promotion that she had just received but also for her determination to continue her schooling while working full time. I told her that I knew if anyone could do it, she could. We talked a little bit about the future, nothing solid yet, just thinking in that direction. Jenna is really great and my family really likes her, but I just don’t think I am quite in that serious place yet, we are having a good time, but I don’t want to jinx it.

I just got off with an old friend and he was telling me about his latest business venture. This guy is really smart and is constantly looking for new ways to generate money. He is still in school and is going to school for website marketing and design. He has been really into computers for as long as I can remember so it seems like the perfect career path for him. Apparently, they had a guest speaker in one of his classes about a month ago and Joey was really impressed by this guy. After class he wanted to talk to him more about his business, so he offered to take him out for a coffee at the local coffee house to pick his brain some more. The guy actually runs two companies one is a SEO company and one that sells textlinks. They apparently really hit it off, and after talking for about an hour, the guy offered him a job. The job is as one of his content providers. In other words he types content for websites using keywords that help the clients get better ranking in natural search and higher page rank for their websites. He started working for this guy right away and he said it is working out great. He gets paid for the pages he creates, and he can work as much or as little as he likes and does it from home on his own computer. He says it is a great job to do while you are going through school and not only that but he loves working for this guy. They have met several times, and he says this guy has so much information from working in the business that he is learning so much. He even offered me a job working for their profession SEO Company, but I told him it sounded great but I didn?t think I knew enough about computers to do it. He said to let him know if I am interested in working with them and he will put in a good word for me with them. I told him I would let him know, I am just not sure this is a job for me.

The other night at dinner with the family we got to talking about finances, as many families are doing these days. Worrying about the economy and how it is going to affect our futures, is very much on our minds. We were raised to know the value of money and to have respect for it. We lived a simple life as kids and my sister and I are still living relatively simple lives. Saving and putting money aside whenever we can is important to both of us. My sister was saying that with grocery costs on the rise, that she has been trying to find new ways to save some money and one thing that she just recently did was switch her insurance to a new company. She said that she read somewhere that it was a good idea to shop around and so she gave it a try and it really paid off. She called around to Nationwide and State Farm and a few of the smaller insurance companies and when all was said and done she saved money on her homeowners insurance, auto insurance and her short term disability and life insurance plans. She said the over all savings was over $1000 per year. She couldn?t believe that just changing insurance companies could save her that kind of money. She never believed it would work that simply. I was I guess being a little skeptical and said something like she probably was getting less coverage, but she assured me that she thoroughly checked out the insurance coverage and that it was identical. Well honestly the whole discussion sent both Jenna and myself home to check out our car insurance and renter?s insurance rates, and you won?t believe it, but we were both able to save significant money by switching our insurance policies, however, they were to different companies. What I never realized is a company gives rates based on their own criteria, and just because one person can save money with a company does not mean that everyone who is using that company is getting the best rate for themselves. In any case, I guess the lesson here is shop around and you may just find a deal and finding a deal is like finding money lying on the ground. It is free money that you can save or spend on something that you really want, instead of boring old car insurance.

I just got off the phone with my mother and she was so excited she could hardly stand it. Needless to say with Dee always needing so much assistance and care, my mother and father have not been away together in over 20 years. Well, my mother just booked them a vacation, which she is going to surprise my father with when he comes home tonight. She had been looking into a few places that she has wanted to go to and she was first looking at a ski vacation rental, but I suggested to her, that it might be better for her and my father to travel earlier in the year. After all, the winter months can be difficult for traveling especially on two older people like my parents. Well, then my mother decided that she wanted to go to the ocean, because she hadn’t been there since she was a kid and she just remembered loving it. I told her I thought that was a good idea as the prices on hotels and motels at the beach would go down after Labor Day, but the weather would still be nice enough to go to the beach and enjoy it. She was going to call a travel agent, but I assured her with all the information on the internet, that would not be necessary. I showed her how to go online and type in weekly vacation rental or holiday rental or cheapest airfare. I showed her some of the sites that you can use to compare rates and book flights and get cheap tickets and she was happy as a clam. I also told her sometimes it is best to contact the hotels and airlines directly to get the best travel deals. After a few weeks of research, she decided that they would go to Myrtle Beach, SC for their vacation. She knew that my father could get the time off work and so she made all the arrangements for a beachfront rental in South Carolina. She also was going to drive to SC, but I assured her that flying would be the better and more enjoyable and relaxing way to go. She booked their flights on off days, and got a really great deal. They will be going for a week in September and I think that my mother is too excited to wait that long. I know this is going to be a great treat for her and my father, a little getaway for just the two of them, and it is long overdue.

I am not really sure why women tend to be so over concerned about their weight. It seems like every woman I know is constantly watching what they eat. For instance my girlfriend Jenna just started a diet and it is one of those low carb diets, so that means we don't really go out to eat Italian or Chinese food anymore. If we are going out somewhere it is usually a steak house, which I don't mind, but she will eat a steak and a salad. Jenna is not overweight but she says that she has put on 5 lbs in the last month, so she is panicking. My mother on the other hand eats all low fat food, although, I don't really think that it is helping her much. It seems to me that she has been dieting since the day I was born, and has yet to really lose weight, which is kind of scary. It could be because she buys lots of low fat stuff but eats too much of it. Eating low fat Oreos won't help if you eat the whole package. Anyway, I wonder if getting women focused on weight loss is just another way to make a buck. It seems that there are more diet plans out there than one person could probably try in a lifetime. Jenny Craig, Atkins Diet, Weight Watchers, South Beach Diet…and on and on, where does it end? The problem is that it doesn't end. Dieting is just a vicious cycle. You eat according to a diet, lose weight, and then stop dieting and gain it all back and usually more. The truth is it is just a roller coaster ride, but don't try telling a woman this…they will attack you viciously.

I personally take a more healthy approach to my weight management. I eat right, exercise daily and take vitamins. I find that keeping myself to a routine which includes eating healthy for breakfast and lunch, gives me a little more leeway to have some dessert after dinner or have an occasional beer. I enjoy eating right and exercising as I feel better and look better because of it. I have tried to encourage Jenna to join me, but she insists that it is better for her to eat low carb and lose the weight first, then however, she promises to join me in my routine. It will be a great thing to be able to workout together.