"Decoded"

Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z is releasing a new book titled "Decoded" on November 16. The book reads as a biography and decodes 36 of his classic songs. The New York Post previews the book, which appears to be fascinating and a must buy. The artist, aka Shawn Carter opens up about his past of dealing drugs, getting high with Biggie and getting the sample approval on "Hard Luck Life" from the Annie franchise.

Jay-Z is worth an estimated $450 million, and doesn't have to release a book recounting his life. His rags to riches story is a testament to hard work, maximizing talent and rising above adversity.

"It Feels Bad"

President Barack Obama had the tough job of meeting the press yesterday after taking the political beating of his life the night before. Democrats lost the House of Representatives, barely kept the Senate, and lost major swing states to elected Republican governors. The President took the hit stating that "It Feels Bad" that the policies that he's pushed in 2 years have been rejected by the electorate.

I've hoped that Obama would not be a one term president, but after Tuesday night, he's facing a major uphill battle to regain the presidency in 2012. His only hope now is to quickly turn around the economy and get unemployment in the 7-8% range. The crazy thing is that President Obama hasn't done a horrible job in my opinion, but perception is reality and reality hit him over the head Tuesday. How he responds will be interesting, but I suggest he place a call to the master politician, Bill Clinton. Clinton's demise was predicted after 1994 mid terms, but he moved to the center on policy and survived to serve another term.

Randy Moss Iverson!

Wide receiver Randy Moss Iverson was waived by the Minnesota Vikings yesterday, after another unproductive Sunday afternoon and 4 games of work with his new/former team. Moss Iverson's uninspired performances since being traded by his old team the New England Patriots has been baffling to say the least, and his praise of his old team Sunday after they defeated the Vikings clearly shows that Randy Moss Iverson left his heart in New England. Moss Iverson was fined by the NFL last week for not speaking to the media, and even went on one of his weird rants about not giving any more interviews except to himself.

Perhaps Randy Mosss Iverson is not the player that he once was, and is trying to convince us otherwise. With professional athletes, skills do diminish when we least expect it, and if Moss Iverson isn't careful, he may be playing football with his namesake in Turkey.

Maurice Lucas Dead at 58!

Maurice Lucas died yesterday after losing a battle with bladder cancer. He was only 58 years old. Lucas was Bill Walton's enforcer while playing power forward for the Portland Trail Blazers and was a member of their 1977 championship team. A very tough loss for the N.B.A family.

Poor, Hungry and Unhealthy!

The Philadelphia Inquirer is running a series on being poor, hungry and unhealthy in the city. We normally associate poverty with hunger, but living in poverty contributes to being unhealthy, with a direct correlation with obesity and diabetes because of the poor food choices that are made.

Our first lady is now making the rounds promoting healthy living, and honestly I haven't seen or heard any of her interviews, but poverty continues to be the one issue that has long term effects for any person trying to live a productive existence. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables in poverty stricken areas has a direct impact on future heath.