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It’s Enough To Make You Sick

by RDavis | Health

Vermonters who purchase their own health insurance whether they are young or old got some really bad news recently. The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) approved increases in the small group market for Blue Cross and MVP that border on outrageous. The GMCB is charged with the task of assuring the solvency of insurance companies so the consumers’ needs for affordable insurance do not enter the mix very much.

Blue Cross asked for a 24% increase and ended up with a 22.8% increase which translates to an average annual increase of 19.8%. MVP asked for an 11.5% increase and the board gave them 11.1% which is a 14.2% increase over last year. The board does have a time when the public can comment before the increases are finalized, but when people tell them they can’t afford another double digit increase they show little sympathy and hide behind statements that the cost of health care is rising too fast.

Everyone is taking a hit, but seniors may have a harder time than others because a lot of us are living on fixed incomes and have to live within a budget range. This kind of increase blows any budgeting out of the water. I have a Vermont Medigap Blue Plan D Medicare supplemental policy with Blue Cross of Vermont that cost me $191 a month last year. I was notified it will cost me $234 in 2025. It will cost me an extra $516 next year for the privilege of buying a Medigap policy. The cost of Medicare Part B is also slated for an increase.

Bafflingly Blind

by AnneODyne | Questions & Answers

I remember as a young kid observing the arrangement where a lawyer would defend as a matter of their profession the most dangerous or deranged suspects. I thought about the ethical dilemmas that must have been involved. In my young mind it had to be complicated. What if the advocate intuited their client’s guilt?

Now as an adult I’m reading about special prosecutors being prosecuted just for doing their jobs.  How does this make sense?  Given the venal behavior of the Supreme Court, and the professed intentions of the Attorney General nominee, and near unlimited powers of immunity granted a priori to an executive officer, can we even call what we have now a system of Justice?

World Chess Championship: Ding-Gukesh Singapore 2024

by CCM Holland Mills | Recreation & Sports

Ding Liren defends his newly-won crown against Gukesh Dommaraju, the youngest challenger ever at age 18.  Game 1 begins Monday 25 November 4am EST; Game 14 will be December 12; if necessary, tie-breaking games will be played December 13.

The time control is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 60 minutes for the next 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the rest of the game. There’s a 30-second increment per move starting on move 61.   Players are not allowed to draw by agreement before move 41.

Brattleboro October Precipitation

by local | Nature

Continued dry with only 2 rain events during the month totaling 1.38″.  Normal rain for October is 4.77″. For the calendar year the total is now 38.67″ compared to the NOAA average of 39.71″.  At the end of August the calendar year total was a +5.37″ and now we are over an inch below normal.  It has been enjoyable weather.

Across Windham County, CoCoRaHs stations reported a high of 2.71″ and a low of 0.73″ for the month of October.  I did see a few snowflakes in the air one day this month.  All my numbers are from a rain gauge located in the S.E. corner of Brattleboro.

Lantern Walk hosted by Brattleboro Area Hospice

by BrattleboroHospice | Family

Brattleboro Area Hospice will hold its 2nd Annual Lantern Walk on Thursday November 7th, 5:30-7pm.

Location: The walk will start and end on the Common on Park Place. The route will walk down Main St., turning around at Elliot St. and returning to the Common for a short remembrance service.

We will start gathering at 5pm and begin walking at 5:30pm. Lanterns will be provided or you may bring your own. It will be dark by 5:30 so a flashlight is recommended.

I Discussed The Ongoing Homeless Crisis With Artificial Intelligence “ChatGPT”, and Here Are It’s Suggestions!

by CrisEricson2016 | Activism

Message to: ChatGPT

Cris Ericson said:
Hi! ChatGPT, I went to a news link because I want to know if the Governor of Vermont is following through with his idea to let homeless children stay in the State Police Barracks in Williston, Vermont but when I clicked on the link, all I got was this … (deleted)
ChatGPT said:
It sounds like you’re encountering some confusing content. I couldn’t find specific updates on the Governor of Vermont’s proposal about homeless children staying in State Police Barracks. If you want, I can help look for more recent news articles or summarize related information.

How Do You Make A Political Issue Video Go “Viral” So You Alert People To The Importance Of Issues?

by CrisEricson2016 | Questions & Answers

I first went to Google to ask it how to make a video go viral, and then I went to YouTube to view some of the Google suggestions,
and then I learned it’s a lot more work than I thought. I tried to follow some of the instructions but so far I just don’t have the “art” of being concise and getting a message across in 30 seconds or 60 seconds, and my editing skills, or lack thereof, don’t help.

I think some of the basic ideas the “How To” videos were trying to get across, is that you don’t go “Viral” overnight. Some of them discussed the “method” of creating a “challenge” and making a new short video every single day while showing that you are participating in the “challenge” you have chosen or created.

The Yearly Medicare Blitz

by RDavis | Health

It’s that time of year when seniors are assaulted with all kinds of media ads for Medicare Advantage enrollment.

It is also the open enrollment period for Medicare, from October 15-December 7, when Medicare enrollees can change plans. Choosing a plan is always complicated but, if you gather good information, you can make an informed decision.

Less than half of seniors are enrolled in traditional Medicare. This plan has predictable costs and when coupled with a Medicare Supplemental policy will provide 100% coverage for hospital and outpatient care. Medicare coverage is comprehensive and traditional Medicare allows you to go to any health care provider in the country who is a Medicare provider. Almost all providers accept Medicare.

Food & Culture Tour of Oaxaca, Mexico, Scheduled for January

by roadnews | Travel

Long-time Brattleboro resident, Mimi Marchev, will lead a tour of Oaxaca to explore the region’s culture and its cuisine from January 15 to 23, 2025. The trip is coordinated by Travel Fever Tours of Putney.

Oaxaca has become a leading culinary destination, both for Mexicans and for visitors from the United States. Its reputation is well deserved, but it is based on much more than a collection of top restaurants. Oaxaca’s cuisine has sprung from the area’s strong indigenous roots; notably from the Zapotec and Mixtec people. Food is not merely sustenance in Oaxaca; it is an expression of heritage, identity, and community.