Living

Living story sections

The Yearly Medicare Advertising Blitz

by RDavis | Health

It’s bad enough that we are being subjected to a barrage of political ads as the mid-term election approaches. Those of us in the Medicare eligibility pool are also experiencing the yearly lust to enroll by private insurance companies hoping you will switch to a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare pays them extremely well when people sign up for Advantage plans.

My simple advice is that if you are enrolled in traditional Medicare stay there. Consider switching back to traditional Medicare if you are in an Advantage plan. From October 15 until January 15, 2023 Medicare beneficiaries can switch Medicare plans.

Understanding all of the implications of types of Medicare plans can be difficult. If you look at some of the most important issues, such as cost, then decisions can be easier. Medicare Part A has no cost for most people. In 2023 the standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B will be $164.90 and the annual deductible will be $226.

Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – October 2022

by cgrotke | Health

It is time for the October 2022 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them.  Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

Vermont and MA have very limited looks at what are going on these days, with weekly snapshots. NH attempt daily updates but doesn’t always give new totals. We try…. : )

The Pandemic is Not Over

by RDavis | Health

The pandemic is not over. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if you think that COVID is not still in the air and infecting and killing people you are not accepting reality. According to the CDC there 49,808 new cases a day, 353 deaths every day and 3737 hospitalizations every day.

Nearly 96 million Americans (an underestimate) have been infected with COVID, 1,051,389 Americans have died and there are currently 20,033 people now being treated in U.S. hospitals for severe cases of COVID. Those numbers have slowed over recent months but the disease is still very much with us and will most likely become something we have to deal with for a long time.

My wife and I have been extremely careful about respecting the power of COVID and up until two weeks ago we thought we would be able to avoid becoming infected. We have had two boosters and also the Omicron protective (third) booster. We wear masks in all indoor public places and try to avoid crowds.

If The Names On The Ballot Aren’t Printed The Same Size, Is That Ballot Fraud?

by CrisEricson2016 | Questions & Answers

To Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos:

There appears to be a serious question of ballot fraud in the printing of the Nov. 8, 2022 general election ballot in Vermont. See attached Burlington sample ballot.

The names of candidates, including myself, Ms. Cris Ericson, for U.S. Senator are printed smaller than names of candidates for other offices even though there are three empty spaces in the bottom of the
middle column so there is no reason to print those names smaller.

Rabbi Weiss Was Not Billy Graham

by SK-B | Living

The Rabbi was our synagogue’s spiritual leader for a decade or more. Since it was my childhood, it seemed like forever. For me, Rabbi Weiss will always be The Rabbi.

When my family arrived in the newly-minted post WWII lower-middle class community, the Jewish center consisted of Rabbi Weiss working from a desk in the back of a real estate office, with Hebrew School classes in members’ basements. There was a building fund for the future synagogue, which at the time was Rabbi Weiss’ impossible dream.

The rabbi was fired a few years after the shul was built. Suddenly, it seems, the governing board replaced Rabbi Weiss with a younger guy, who wore a United States Air Force Reserve uniform to his very first public appearance at the Jewish Community Center of Bayside Hills. My mother disapproved. She felt it was flamboyant, not fitting for a Rabbi. “They got rid of Rabbi Weiss” my mother said, “because they want Billy Graham!”

It’s Time To End The British Monarchy

by RDavis | Activism

If you want to see an institution out of step with the world in 2022 then look to the British monarchy. It was created in the 10th century when Anglo Saxon England moved from an elective monarchy to a primogeniture system after England was conquered by the Normans in 1066.

That means that British citizens have accepted this family business over the centuries and they have done little to stop one family from accumulating massive wealth while strutting around like peacocks. The royal family has had some power to alter history over the years but in 2022 they do little but bolster some of their pet causes and promulgate a lifestyle of pomp and circumstance.

Shopping Day at Swap Shop

by rbrem | Home & Garden

Another SHOPPING DAY (no donations accepted) at Swap Shop at WSWMD on Old Ferry Road, Brattleboro on Saturday, September 17, 8:30 am to noon. ALL ITEMS ARE FREE.

SCHEDULE & HOURS:
Shopping Days- 1st & 3rd Saturdays of the month
Donation Days- 2nd & 4th Saturdays of the month
If a month contains 5 weeks, the Swap Shop will be closed
Hours are 8:30am-12pm.  (Large donation loads may not be accepted after 11:30am)

Where Are The Dental Therapists?

by RDavis | Health

It was about 10 years ago when a group of Vermont health care activists started working on the creation of a new level of dental practitioner to fill in gaps in the provision of dental care. Bills passed the Vermont Senate in 2015 and the House in 2016 and S.20 was signed into law by Governor Peter Shumlin in June 2016.

An April 2016 story in VTDigger provides a description of what the bill does. “The profession would require more education than a dental hygienist but less education than a dentist.
A dental therapist would have a bachelor’s degree and be allowed to perform eight procedures more than a dental hygienist. The person would need to work under a contract with a supervising dentist, who has a doctorate. However, the dentist would not need to practice in the same building as the dental therapist.’

“The Vermont Technical College in Randolph has outlined sample curriculum for a four-year program to train dental therapists should S.20 become law. The person would learn the same three years’ worth of curriculum as a dental hygienist but spend an additional year in training.”

Autumn Moon Festival of China, Korea and Vietnam

by ACCVT | Family

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents the 22nd annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) which is celebrated in China, Korea, Vietnam and other places around the world. Celebrate the Autumn Moon Festival with crafts, songs, food, taiji, paper lanterns, Chinese exercises, the Korean rope tug and more. Hear the story of The Goddess of the Moon, Chang’e; the great archer Hou-Yi; and the Elixir of Immortality. Then watch the harvest moon rise. The celebration will start with a pot-luck (bring a dish to share). The Moon Festival will be held Saturday, September 10th, from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Kiwanis Shelter atop Memorial Park Drive, Brattleboro, VT.  All ages, free to the public, Rain or Shine. For more information call (802) 579-9088 or visit accvt.org. 

Brattleboro and VT COVID-19 Regional Dashboard Summary – September 2022

by cgrotke | Health

It is time for the September 2022 dashboard summary. We continue semi-regular COVID-19 dashboard numbers from the Vermont Department of Health, and MA and NH counties that surround Brattleboro, as long as they continue providing them.  Scroll down the new comments for the latest.

Vermont and MA have very limited looks at what are going on these days, with weekly snapshots. NH attempt daily updates but doesn’t always give new totals. We try…. : )

Dear Grandchild

by Norsehorse | Family

A message to one’s grandchild, from their Opa (when they are old enough to understand, someday; Opa = Grandfather):

It is okay to be scared, to cry and, if need be, even to give up on something; just, whatever happens, never ever give up on either yourself or those whom you love most dearly.

Another Shopping Day at Swap Shop

by rbrem | Home & Garden

Another SHOPPING DAY (no donations accepted) at Swap Shop at WSWMD on Old Ferry Road, Brattleboro on Saturday, September 3, 8:30 am to noon. ALL ITEMS ARE FREE.

SCHEDULE & HOURS:
Shopping Days- 1st & 3rd Saturdays of the month
Donation Days- 2nd & 4th Saturdays of the month
If a month contains 5 weeks, the Swap Shop will be closed
Hours are 8:30am-12pm.  (Large donation loads may not be accepted after 11:30am)

The Perils of Campaign Finance

by RDavis | Activism

If you want some insight into the problems that current campaign finance laws create, the Vermont Democratic primary for the U.S. House may prove instructive. Windham County Senator Becca Balint and Lt. Governor Mollie Gray squared off in what proved to be a lopsided race. Balint handily defeated Gray. If Balint wins the general election she will be the first woman and first openly gay member of Vermont’s congressional delegation.

According to VT Digger, ” …LGBTQ Victory Fund, which spent just shy of $1 million on Balint’s behalf in the race, had recently benefited from a $1.1 million donation from Nishad Singh, a top executive at the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The political action committee’s financial disclosures make clear that the lion’s share of the outside spending supporting Balint’s run came from Singh’s donation.”

Stop the Squirrel Pot Shots Please

by rootrunner | Nature

Over this past Summer I have noticed more and more squirrels visiting our feeders showing up with nasty/raw wounds and punctures right above or behind their shoulders where you might expect a target shooter/sniper to aim and fire a B-B or pellet gun site to do the most damage. There are an increasing numbers of these squirrels now along with an amputee, one blinded in one eye, and one shot near an ear that is deformed with paralysis so this particular squirrel has a lop ear making him look like Yoda (Yes we call him Yoda). I know they are attacked or even eaten once in a while by other wild animals no matter how willy or fight aggressively among themselves, but this would only explain some amount of pervasive suffering here we see these days.