The Sunday New York Times contains an interesting opinion piece by columnist, Paul Krugman, entitled, "The Geezers are All Right." http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/opinion/krugman-the-geezers-are-all-right.html?hp. Mr. Krugman is a professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University and the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2008. I highly recommend that you read the article if you are concerned about the future of your Social Security and Medicare benefits (and, quite frankly, who isn't?)
The article points out that there is no real need to cut benefits now for anyone since for the time being there is no shortfall. As Mr. Krugman argues quite persuasively, "[t]he risk is that we might, at some point in the future, have to cut benefits; to avoid this risk of future benefit cuts, we are supposed to act pre-emptively by...cutting future benefits. What problem, exactly, are we solving here?"
Mr. Krugman also points out that the cost of health care has actually appeared to flatten out recently and proposed cuts in Medicare may not be necessary if other measures already in place and soon to be in place, including Obamacare, are fully implemented.
It appears that a lot of the hand-wringing and doom and gloom about these vital social programs is just plain unwarranted. This is not to say that nothing should be done to improve these programs, but cutting benefits now for anyone is not the answer.
I am pleased to let you know that my e-book on how to negotiate better deals when buying a car or a house is now available on Amazon for Kindle. The Baby Boomer's Practical Guide to Every Day Negotiations http://www.amazon.com/Boomers-Practical-Guide-Negotiations-ebook/dp/B00BRPVH4U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1370283473&sr=1-1&keywords=tony+basinski
Monday, June 3, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
On the The Road to Cooperstown and The Baseball Hall of Fame
Located in Upstate New York 220 miles from New York City is a small village called Cooperstown. Well known as the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, it is really much more and well worth a visit even if you are not a baseball fan. If you are a fan, of course, a visit is all but mandatory. There is something for just about everyone.
We spent two days in Cooperstown recently as a stopover on our way to Ithaca, New York for a graduation at Ithaca College (more on that trip on another post). The first day, after checking into our hotel, a Country Inns and Suites in nearby Milford, we asked the desk clerk for a recommendation for dinner that evening. Without hesitation, she suggested the Hawkeye Bar and Grill. Located in the historic Otesaga Resort Hotel, www.Otesaga.com, (60 Lake Drive, Cooperstown, NY, 800-348-6222) the Hawkeye Bar serves lunch and dinner alongside Lake Otesaga. You can eat either indoors in the very well-appointed dining room or outside on the terrace under umbrellas with views of the lake and the Leatherstocking golf course. Because it was a chilly evening, we opted to eat indoors.
The menu is for the most part traditional American fare. I had a delicious Caesar salad to start. My wife had the salmon for her entree and I had the beef tenderloin. Both were perfectly prepared to our requested doneness. Accompanying the meal was delicious homemade cranberry bread. When we asked our server for more, the waitress not only refilled our basket, she also gave us a doggy bag filled with the bread for a snack at our hotel later that evening.
After dinner we took a brief stroll around the Otesaga hotel and the grounds. It has a true resort atmosphere and next time we are in Cooperstown, we will definitely return either to stay or again have dinner.
In upcoming posts we will discuss our visits to the Hall of Fame, the Fenimore Art Museum and most intriguing of all, the Fly Creek Cider Mill. In addition, we will discuss the Dreamspark baseball tournament held in Cooperstown every summer.
We spent two days in Cooperstown recently as a stopover on our way to Ithaca, New York for a graduation at Ithaca College (more on that trip on another post). The first day, after checking into our hotel, a Country Inns and Suites in nearby Milford, we asked the desk clerk for a recommendation for dinner that evening. Without hesitation, she suggested the Hawkeye Bar and Grill. Located in the historic Otesaga Resort Hotel, www.Otesaga.com, (60 Lake Drive, Cooperstown, NY, 800-348-6222) the Hawkeye Bar serves lunch and dinner alongside Lake Otesaga. You can eat either indoors in the very well-appointed dining room or outside on the terrace under umbrellas with views of the lake and the Leatherstocking golf course. Because it was a chilly evening, we opted to eat indoors.
The menu is for the most part traditional American fare. I had a delicious Caesar salad to start. My wife had the salmon for her entree and I had the beef tenderloin. Both were perfectly prepared to our requested doneness. Accompanying the meal was delicious homemade cranberry bread. When we asked our server for more, the waitress not only refilled our basket, she also gave us a doggy bag filled with the bread for a snack at our hotel later that evening.
After dinner we took a brief stroll around the Otesaga hotel and the grounds. It has a true resort atmosphere and next time we are in Cooperstown, we will definitely return either to stay or again have dinner.
In upcoming posts we will discuss our visits to the Hall of Fame, the Fenimore Art Museum and most intriguing of all, the Fly Creek Cider Mill. In addition, we will discuss the Dreamspark baseball tournament held in Cooperstown every summer.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Boomers Retire? No, Just Repurpose
F. Scott Fitzgerald said that "there are no second acts in American lives." Boy, was he wrong. Baby boomers across the country are proving that there are not only second acts, but third, even fourth acts after they ostensibly retire.
The AARP has recognized this and provided a website that can help repurpose your life if you are retired or near retirement and seeking another career. The cite is entitled www.lifereimagined.org. Many people pay thousands of dollars to so-called life coaches who are supposed to provide guidance in seeking new careers or starting new business ventures. While the AARP site won't take the place of a good coach, it is free and does offer a number of articles and resources that you can explore on your own.
The website is accessed through Linkedin As its mission statement says, it "helps experienced professionals find jobs, manage their careers, start businesses and explore options through engaging articles and interactive tools.
Let me know if you find it to be helpful.
The AARP has recognized this and provided a website that can help repurpose your life if you are retired or near retirement and seeking another career. The cite is entitled www.lifereimagined.org. Many people pay thousands of dollars to so-called life coaches who are supposed to provide guidance in seeking new careers or starting new business ventures. While the AARP site won't take the place of a good coach, it is free and does offer a number of articles and resources that you can explore on your own.
The website is accessed through Linkedin As its mission statement says, it "helps experienced professionals find jobs, manage their careers, start businesses and explore options through engaging articles and interactive tools.
Let me know if you find it to be helpful.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Trouble Sleeping? Here Are Two Cures That Really Work
Many boomers and near boomers have trouble sleeping. There are many prescription and non prescription drugs available as sleep aids. Many people are reluctant to use those due to potential side effects and the danger of possible addiction. What are the alternatives?
One method I have used successfully is a form of breath work. I take 4 deep breaths and usually I am out before I know it. I inhale through the nose for a count if 4. The key is to breathe from the diaphragm rather than the chest. Next exhale as long and as loud as you can but at least for a count of 8, twice the amount of inhalation. This form of breathe work seems to relax the mind and body and bring on sleep.
I recently came across another method recommended by the well known alternative medicine expert Dr. Andrew Weil. He says that jasmine can be as effective as any drug. Jasmine is found in soaps as well as room diffusers. I have not tried it yet but I do intend to do so. If you do decide to do it, let me know if it works for you.
Sleep tight!
One method I have used successfully is a form of breath work. I take 4 deep breaths and usually I am out before I know it. I inhale through the nose for a count if 4. The key is to breathe from the diaphragm rather than the chest. Next exhale as long and as loud as you can but at least for a count of 8, twice the amount of inhalation. This form of breathe work seems to relax the mind and body and bring on sleep.
I recently came across another method recommended by the well known alternative medicine expert Dr. Andrew Weil. He says that jasmine can be as effective as any drug. Jasmine is found in soaps as well as room diffusers. I have not tried it yet but I do intend to do so. If you do decide to do it, let me know if it works for you.
Sleep tight!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
What Are Boomers Doing?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/23/retirement-age-oldest-boomers_n_3326226.htmlhttp://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130521/OPINION07/305210037/Don-t-count-out-baby-boomers-just-yet
Here are a couple of very interesting articles on boomer retirement plans and their contributions. I know I was surprised when I read them and I think you wiki be too.
Here are a couple of very interesting articles on boomer retirement plans and their contributions. I know I was surprised when I read them and I think you wiki be too.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Sightings Over Sixty: Best of the Boomer Blogs
Sightings Over Sixty: Best of the Boomer Blogs
This is a nice baby boomer blog. I thought I would share it with you. Please let me know what you think.
This is a nice baby boomer blog. I thought I would share it with you. Please let me know what you think.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Is Barefoot Running Bad for You and Your Feet?
About a year and a half ago, I bought a pair of Nike Free barefoot-style running shoes. Although I am not a runner, I do try to walk two to three miles a day. As with a lot of runners and walkers, I was fascinated by the articles and books that touted the benefits of running barefoot or with shoes that mimicked that style. Supposedly, according to anecdotal evidence, it prevented a whole host of foot and leg injuries. After wearing the Nikes for about a year, I developed a pain in my right ankle and foot. After several months of pain and visits to several doctors, I finally learned that I had three fractures to my heel. Since I could not relate the injury to any specific time when I struck the heel or suffered an accident, I began to wonder if the shoes were the cause. A recent study suggests that may be the case.
In an article published in the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the author, Sarah Ridge, a professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University, presented the results of an experiment she conducted to determine whether barefoot running reduced injuries or caused them. Dr. Ridge gave a group of 18 men and women Vibram Five Fingers shoes which are designed to mimic barefoot running. Another group of 18 wore their normal shoes. All of the participants were experienced runners who usually ran between 10 and 15 miles per week. Before beginning the study, all of the runners were given MRIs and tested for foot injuries. Both groups tested similarly.
After ten weeks, both groups were re-tested. Those tests showed that nearly half of the runners wearing the barefoot style shoes showed signs of bone injuries to the foot. These included increased edema, or the accumulation of fluid around the bone, and actual stress fractures to the heel and metatarsal. Those in the control group, who wore their usual shoes, showed no such signs of injury.
What does this mean for the average runner or walker? I think it shows that before choosing to wear the barefoot style shoe, make sure they are right for you and your style of running or walking. And, above all, be very cautious as you use the shoes, making sure that they are not causing injury.
In an article published in the journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the author, Sarah Ridge, a professor of exercise science at Brigham Young University, presented the results of an experiment she conducted to determine whether barefoot running reduced injuries or caused them. Dr. Ridge gave a group of 18 men and women Vibram Five Fingers shoes which are designed to mimic barefoot running. Another group of 18 wore their normal shoes. All of the participants were experienced runners who usually ran between 10 and 15 miles per week. Before beginning the study, all of the runners were given MRIs and tested for foot injuries. Both groups tested similarly.
After ten weeks, both groups were re-tested. Those tests showed that nearly half of the runners wearing the barefoot style shoes showed signs of bone injuries to the foot. These included increased edema, or the accumulation of fluid around the bone, and actual stress fractures to the heel and metatarsal. Those in the control group, who wore their usual shoes, showed no such signs of injury.
What does this mean for the average runner or walker? I think it shows that before choosing to wear the barefoot style shoe, make sure they are right for you and your style of running or walking. And, above all, be very cautious as you use the shoes, making sure that they are not causing injury.
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