The Anthony Reeves Experience

 If you are one of countless Americans wondering about or have questions about the vaccine, I had the opportunity to speak to a couple of Doctor friends and here are few questions you should be asking: 1) Can you get COVID from the vaccine?? Based on my conversations, the current vaccines are not created from the live virus that causes COVID 19.  However, if you’re not sure or worried, make sure you ask your provider or the person administering the vaccine. 2) Will it affect your DNA? As of now, based on my conversations, the vaccine will not affect or integrate with your DNA. 3) Who is the first to get it? As of right now, the STATES are tasked with the responsibility of assigning priority.  However, based on my conversations, individuals at the highest risk of COVID19 (including individuals over the age of 65) are high on the list. 4) Is there only one company making the vaccine? Right now, there are 3 that have gone through the FDA and gotten approval.  However, t...

Interviewing myself: My transition from Naval Officer to College Student 12/24 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : There is nothing more terrifying than leaving the safety of your job to becoming a struggling college student, especially if you are not sure you are going to be able to make it through the program. Tune in today as I do this 'self interview' of me about it was like to transition from a Naval Officer to a struggling college student. There was a lot decisions made a long the way and I hope you can gain some insight from my experiences.

A few months ago, I saw a post on a friend’s page that spoke about the low mortality rate of COVID19.  I noticed a few others chiming in accordingly in terms of the rate.  I decided to post (one of the rare things I do because I try my best to not make comments on any of my friends’ pages relating to things that may cause conflict).  However, in this instance, I had to mention the CDC noted that the COVID19 mortality among Black, Latino and Indigienous Americans was significantly higher (as of 11/2020, it 2.7 times for white Americans).  I made this comment for 3 very specific reasons (none that I discussed but I do here).   One, even though collectively the mortality may be lower but for a few specific demographics (including the one I belong), the impact is devastating.  So, it’s difficulty to say ‘It’s not that bad’ when as a Black person “IT IS that bad”. Two, a large swath of People of Color work in occupations that don’t give them the ability to work...

Life and Leadership lessons I learned from US Army ROTC Advanced Camp 12/19 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : One of the pathways to become an officer in the United States Army is through the participation in the Reserved Officers Training Corps or ROTC. A large number of universities offer ROTC training and students who participate in this training (called cadets) will endure 4 years of classroom and field training. The crucial part of the ROTC program is attending Advanced Camp. Advanced Camp occurs during the summer between a cadet's junior and senior year. Cadets converge on select military installations (in my day, it was Fort Riley) where they participate in a variety of exercises and scenarios in an effort to evaluate their leadership skills. The cumulative score from Advanced Camp is used in order for the cadet to be commissioned as an Army officer. Even though the time at Advanced Camp is relatively short (when I attended, it was about 5 1/2 weeks), the exer...

Living paycheck to paycheck is a hard reality for a lot of people trying to survive.   As Congress works towards another round of stimulus, I wonder how many of them TRULY remembers (or have experienced) living pay check to pay check? When I graduated from college in 1991, I got my first job in 1992 working for the state of Florida as a Safety and Health Specialist.  It paid $20,000 a year.  I was financing my first car (Chevrolet Cavalier).  I relocated from Tampa to Tallahassee.  I got a two bed room, one bath apartment at a one bedroom rate (it was the last apartment they had).  I lived in North Tallahassee and my job was in South Tallahassee (7 miles one way to work).  I was single (no girlfriend, no wife) with no kids and no health problems.  Sounds good so far, right?? Now, here’s the Math. First, I was paid monthly which meant before taxes my salary was roughly $1666 a month.   Once you factor in Social Security, Medicare, and FICA wit...

  COVID19 has put people all over the world is the devastating position of survival mode.  Work environments have changed.  People have lost loved ones.  People have lost their jobs.   The whole world is feeling the effects of the pandemic in ways they have never experienced. I can tell you that having a devastating life changing situation is not new experience for some of us.   We have all had challenges in our lives that has caused us to have to adapt to things quickly.  How many of us have been in the position of presenting a 'professional face' while dealing with a 'personal crisis'?   I can tell you that when I was running on my law firm several years, I had a few hiccups that forced me to balance a few things: 1) WALKING As crazy as it seemed, I had two cars and BOTH broke down.   Like a lot of people who procrastinate, I had one car that broke down but since I had another car that worked, I didn't stress, until the ...

We all know we will pass away at some point in our lives.  However, we hope that we can live a full life with no health problems to a ripe old age. Unfortunately, there is a real possibility that, at some point in your life, you or a loved one may have an unexpected health crisis.  Something completely unexpected that will shake you to the bone personally, emotionally and financially.    For me, it happened in 2014.   I was running my own law firm and my wife had a serious health emergency.  The next few months after exposed me to a lot of realities I had never experienced: 1) The Emergency Room experience When I got to the Emergency Room, due to the nature of my wife’s condition, she was seen right away.   However, the thing I remember was some one from accounting who came into the room and wanted to speak with me.  They asked two things:   1) what’s your insurance and 2) what’s your credit card for unexpected things your insurance won’t cov...

  When I went to law school, I lived in constant fear that I would not make it.  Every semester of each year, I had this nagging fear that someone would determine that I didn’t deserve to be there.    It didn’t matter that I made it through my First year, my second year and even into my third year.  For whatever reason, I had made the conscious realization that I was probably going to wash out. The problem was that I got in my own way.  I had convinced myself that you needed a certain GPA, a certain major, and a certain background.   I had convinced myself that I was lucky to get in but not that I deserved to get in to law school.  Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed myself the entire time but I spent so much time worrying about not graduating that I never fully enjoyed myself.  When I did graduate, it was more of a shock than a relief.   I took all the tests.  Wrote all of the papers.  Completed all of the requirements.  But fo...

When I got commissioned as an Army officer, I was terrified about what it would mean to be ‘IN CHARGE’.  The reality is that I had actively avoided leadership positions (in theory because I often found myself in charge of something. Lol). However, I remember I spoke to a Master Sergeant and I asked him, point blank, “What should I do when I get to my first unit as a new Lieutenant?”.   To my surprise, he laid out a very simple plan: 1) Wait and observe for about 30 days.  He said that too many young leaders want to come in and make changes to show they are in charge but they are not taking the time to evaluate the circumstances they are charged with leading.   Look at your assets.  Look at your personnel.  Look at how the organization does things. 2) Speak to your Squad leaders and Platoon Sergeant (i.e. Talk to your leaders).   Take the time to speak with the individuals who have been there and have been in charge.  They can tell how things are d...

When I ran my own law firm, I decided to use consultants in an effort to grow my firm.  One of my good friends referred me to someone.  He was very good.   However, after a while, my wife (who was also my office manager) asked me a serious question: “Why are you paying him to do for you what you have friends who do this already?” I had to stop for a second.  This guy was a business consultant who was speaking with me about marketing, bookkeeping, case development, business management, IT and accounting.   I valued his opinion but when my wife asked me the question, i had to stop and ask myself, “Do I have friends who do this already??” Of course, the answer was yes because, my wife said so.   However, it was more than that.   A lot of us feel that we don’t want to bother our friends in their chosen profession.  We don’t want to be a burden.   Unfortunately, what happens is that by keeping our lives so separate, we totally overlook the skills ...

  For my young people out there who are starting college, finishing college, or just starting their career, here’s a little shocker about me. I only had thoughts of being a judge 7 years ago. Now, if you’re trying to do the math, that means I didn’t think about it until I was 44 years old. And guess what? That’s ok! When I graduated from High School, do you know what I wanted to be? A CardioThoracic Surgeon! A heart surgeon! That was cool as far as I was concerned. By the time I graduated from College, I had the bio degree but wasn’t going to medical school.  Between the age of 21 (graduating from college) to 48 (when I became appointed as a judge), i had 5 different careers (Safety and Health Specialists, Naval Officer, Associate in a law firm, College Professor, and Business owner), went to Grad School and Law School, lived in 4 different states (Fl, Alabama, Rhode Island, and NC), 6 different apartments, and 2 different homes.  I say this because at the early start of ...

#employee #jobs #jobbenefits #employee Easy but NOT so Easy: Job Perks (when applying for a job) 12/08 by Tony Reeves - JD MPH BS | Social Networking : When people apply for a job, most of us focus on annual leave, sick leave, health insurance and retirement benefits. How many of us think about education assistance? Wellness plans? Bonuses? Career Development? All of these are crucial benefits employers provide that we often don't think about asking. In today's episode of ?Easy but NOT so easy?, the focus on how easy it is to overlook extra benefits that may help us advance ourselves personally and professionally.

Reeves Point of View:  8:45am, September 11, 2001 I was on the phone with a fellow law school classmate.  My wife was at work.   I was cooking eggs for breakfast.  The sun was shining.  We were talking about what we were going to do now that we passed one of the toughest exams in the country.   We were excited about the future. 60 seconds later, she asked me to turn to the news to confirm she saw what she thought she was seeing.    When I turned the channel, I saw a building burning.   Not knowing what I was seeing, a few minutes later, we both witnessed a plane strike one of the World Trade Center buildings.   In an instance, I asked if what I was seeing was real or something else.  In one instant, our life changed right before our eyes. Most of us cannot remember what happens in our life from one moment to the next.   However, there are specific moments in time that we must ALWAYS remember.  Ther...