The 5 Most "Stressed-Out" Cities In The U.S.A.

1) Stockton, California

2) Miami, Florida

3) Merced, California

4) Modesto, California

5) Sacramento, California

10 States in America With The Deadliest Eating Habits

This list is also based on high obesity rates & high risk of ailments such as heart disease & diabetes:

1) Mississippi

2) Alabama

3) Missouri

4) Kansas

5) Oklahoma

6) Nevada

7) South Dakota (a surprise to me)

8) Ohio

9) Arizona (also a slight surprise to me as well)

10) New Mexico

"Obama-Care" Still Not Being Treated Fair

In February of 2K11, Florida Judge Roger Vinson became the 2nd federal judge to rule that the Health Reform Bill was deemed unconstitutional on the basis of the Commerce Clause. Vinson's ruling stipulates that it is unconstitutional for the government to regulate commerce that has not yet occured by forcing someone to buy health insurance they may not want. In December of 2K10, Virginia Federal Judge Henry Hudson rejected the "mandate" provision of the bill that all citizens must be covered.

With this second setback, President Barack Obama's landmark health-care bill must be weighed in by the Supreme Court on the legality of the legislation that was passed by Congress last year in 2K10. The ones that will be most affected by these setbacks are African-Americans who live in poverty or are the "working poor." Many of the illnesses that commonly plague Black people such as heart disease, hypertension & diabetes require expensive medicine, preventative care & routine visits to see the doctor. Unfortunately, most Black people don't go to the doctor unless they are already ill & this irresponsibility explains why the mortality rate for African-Americans with some of these curable diseases is higher than Caucasians.

President Obama's proposed bill has some popular provisions in it. If Congress has some semblance of rationale, those particular provisions should remain in there. This health-care reform issue continues to be a crucial one for millions of Americans & their families who are truly in dire need of affordable, reasonable benefits for the near future.

Will BYU Lose Its Roar Come March Madness?

The BYU mens basketball team as of this blog post has enjoyed a great season thus far. Currently they are ranked 3rd in the nation in the AP polls with a gaudy 28-3 record. An integral part of their successful run has been the play of super-talented 6'9 sophmore F/C Brandon Davies, the team's leading rebounder. But on Tuesday March 1st, Davies was unfortunately kicked off the team for the remainder of the regular season, plus the conference & NCAA tournaments due to him breaking the Mormon school honor code by engaging in premarital sex with his freshman girlfriend, who happens to play volleyball for the BYU womens team.

Are you kidding me, athletic director Tom Holmoe?  Let the young man live & give him the opportunity at least to learn from his mistake. I understand that it's a rule that's been respected & honored traditionally at BYU, but it shouldn't warrant him getting banished from the team. If anything, he should be suspended for a few games at the least. Losing a player of Davies' caliber will hurt the Cougars' drive towards the National Championship, taking place in Houston, TX on April 4th, immensely in my opinion, but coach Dave Rose is optimistic that the team will regroup & recover in time for March Madness. "This team has found ways to win games all year & I have all the confidence in the world that we will continue to do that," he said. "We'll get better. We'll find ways to deal with the loss of a player that we've relied on."

If Davies is outright kicked out of BYU for his discrepency, he should either enter this years NBA Draft as an underclassman if he is deemed ready psychologically & physically or transfer to another University so he can continue his academic studies, improve on his total game & most importantly, mature as an adult in today's society. As for the BYU Cougars, we'll see if they can continue roaring without one of its leaders all the way to Houston.

Season#12: Dancing With The Stars

The past 11 seasons of DWTS has been one of the more fascinating "must-see TV" spectacles, & the Spring 2K11 edition promises to be yet another fun, entertaining & drama-filled 8 weeks! Here are the celeb competitors for Season 12:

*Actor Ralph Macchio
*Entrepeneur Romeo Miller (Master P's son)
*Disney actress Chelsea Kane
*Fashion model Petra Nemcova
*Former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard
*Actress/former Playboy Playmate Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett
*"The Queen of All Media" Wendy Williams
*Actress Kirstie Alley
*Wresting superstar Chris Jericho
*NFL player Hines Ward (Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers)
*"Loveline" radio host Mike Catherwood (an unknown to the global public)

Here's how I visualize the 12th cycle going down:

*Most Intriguing To Watch: Wendy Williams, Kirstie Alley & Romeo Miller.
*Most Likely To Do Really Well: Ralph Macchio, Mike Catherwood, (sleeper pick) Sugar Ray Leonard, Chris Jericho, Petra Nemcova & Chelsea Kane.
*The "2 Left Feet" Syndrome: Hines Ward, Kirstie Alley, Wendy Williams & Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett.
*Just A Random Thought: Hines Ward dancing to an altered musical arrangement of the hit rap song by Pittsburgh-based rapper Wiz Khalifa, "Black & Yellow." That would be pretty interesting to say the least!
*Clear-Cut Winner Out Of The Pack: Whomever is lucky enough to be partnered with repeat champion pro dancer Derek Hough out of the female celebs competing. (LOL) But seriously, I can't call it at this present juncture, but rest assure I'll be tuned in every step of the way for 2 months starting Monday, March 21st at 8pm EST on ABC TV!