ALF

Very , I've been retired and on medicare. Looks like they turned over management to Advantage plans that have lower copay that I experienced so far. So many of these plans out there and different , have to do your research to get one that is right for you.

Health care costs for retired Americans expected to surge next year Medicare Part B premiums are soaring, pushing health care costs higher On a monthly basis, retirees and older Americans are paying $170.10 for Medicare Part B premium, an amount that is typically deducted directly from Social Security checks. Much of the increase this year stems from steeper Medicare Part B premiums for Americans age 65 and older. Medicare imposed a 14.5% increase on premiums for Part B, outpatient coverage, in 2022 – a record high and nearly double that of the national inflation rate of 8.3%. https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/health-care-costs-retired-americans-fidelity

Oil, Gas Employment Will Take Five Years To Recover From Covid: Rystad The U.S. oil and gas industry lost 200,000 jobs during the pandemic, according to Rystad calculations. This represented 20% of the total workforce in the sector. In 2020 alone, 100,000 oil and gas jobs were lost in the United States—mostly in the drilling tools and services segment. Now, as demand for oil and gas has recovered—and oil and gas prices along with it—more than half of those jobs have since been added back. But the remainder of the recovery is set to be slower, based on Rystad Energy's oil price scenario where WTI averages $106 this year, $70 per barrel next year, and $50 per barrel in 2025. https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Oil-Gas-Employment-Will-Take-Five-Years-To-Recover-From-Covid-Rystad.html

I would think the nuclear deterrent would be effective . They should not count on hacking to be 100%

The contract Watson is slated to sign with the Browns, at a base-salary level, is far less than what he was scheduled to make with the Texans. Money lost on a suspension comes out of the player’s base pay for the season, so Watson would lose around $55,000 per game under his new deal if a suspension is levied, whereas he would have lost nearly $2 million per game with the Texans. https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2022/03/18/deshaun-watson-contract-browns-suspension/ His base salary for 2022 is $1M https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/cleveland-browns/deshaun-watson-21753/

I wonder if victims families started suing some psychologists for malpractice they might tighten up , at least send them a message.

Sri Lanka down to its last day of petrol, warns new PM Sri Lanka’s newly appointed prime minister has said that the cash-strapped island nation has run out of petrol stock, as he said the country desperately needed to secure $75m in foreign exchange in the next few days to pay for essential imports, including medicine. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/16/sri-lanka-down-to-its-last-day-of-petrol-pm Good grief , what the heck else can go wrong, good people are hurting everywhere.

McDonald's to leave Russia for good after 30 years McDonald's has said it will permanently leave Russia after more than 30 years and has started to sell its restaurants. The move comes after it temporarily closed its 850 outlets in March. The fast food giant said it made the decision because of the "humanitarian crisis" and "unpredictable operating environment" caused by the Ukraine war. The chain said its priorities included seeking to ensure its 62,000 employees in Russia continued to be paid until any sale was completed and that they had "future employment with any potential buyer". McDonald's said it would write off a charge of up to $1.4bn (£1.1bn) to cover the exit from its investment. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61463876 Good , the Russian people can thank Putin A comment to this article : NATO's top recruiter - Putin is employee of the month!

Erie DA on news someone threatened a pizza business and local brewer over phone yesterday and referenced what happened at Tops. They traced and arrested him last night charged with D felony up to 7years. They will take serious all these false threats.

Upon further review , both are crazy.

All for making voting fraud proof with ID , (free for low income) and tight for mail in. Everyone has to have complete confidence in the results in every State. We don't need another 2020 and Jan 6

One retired Buffalo Police Officer said it best , you can pass all the gun laws you want, but if you don't change peoples hearts it won't matter.

Yes NYC decides Presidential and Senate races . Just by accident that Kathy is now Gov and very lucky for Bills fans to get stadium funding.

It looked like the first officers to take him in custody had side arms the killer was in body armor with AR 15. The officers would have a difficult shot to bring him down before he used the AR against them.

Absentee Voting NY You may apply for an absentee ballot in any of the following ways: By going in-person to your local county board of elections By designating another person to deliver your application in-person to your local county board of elections and receive your ballot You can download a PDF version of the New York State Absentee Ballot Application Form: If you cannot pick up your ballot, you have the right to designate someone to pick it up for you. Only that person designated on your application may pick up and deliver your ballot. https://www.elections.ny.gov/VotingAbsentee.html

It's means this killer is the definition of pure evil.

A interview on CH 4 at 11pm with a black man who spoke to the killer for 1 and 3/4 hour Friday outside that Tops. They talked about all kind of subjects. He normally sat outside there to talk to people but Saturday afternoon the guard who was killed kept clearing the area that saved his life. Buffalo is making such progress then this tragedy happens , sad beyond belief. It's a shame that good black man with his kindness to the killer the day before didn't change his mind.

On WKBW tv , report of 8 dead , shooter was white ? Tops on Jefferson Ave

A republican Congress cut Obama's budget to reduce the deficit, PPE was a casualty .

Texas power grid operator urges residents to conserve energy as plants go offline "At this time, all generation resources available are operating. We’re asking Texans to conserve power when they can by setting their thermostats to 78-degrees or above and avoiding the usage of large appliances (such as dishwashers, washers and dryers) during peak hours between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. through the weekend.," wrote ERCOT Interim CEO Brad Jones. Texas residents are being asked to conserve power after six power plants tripped offline. https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-power-grid-operator-residents-conserve-energy-plants-go-offline So switch to electric cars and trucks , oh wait.

As water runs short in California, commission rejects $1.4 billion desalination plant Eleven members of the California Coastal Commission voted against the facility, which water treatment developer Poseidon Water has been trying to build for decades. Poseidon said the plant would be capable of producing up to 50 million gallons of drinking water a day, helping to make the region more drought resilient. https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/12/us/california-water-desalinization-vote-drought-climate/index.html

Record diesel prices, tight supplies could be next blow to the US economy Leading energy economist Phil Verleger worries that the tight supply could send the average US price of diesel to $10 a gallon by the end of the summer, up from its current record average price of $5.56, according to AAA. Diesel prices that high could put the brakes on the US economy, he said. The average price of diesel has soared to between $7.27 and $8.95 a gallon across Western European countries, and it isn't much cheaper in most of Eastern Europe. Those high prices have prompted a huge surge in exports of diesel to Europe from US and Canadian refineries that would normally be supplying US truck stops and trucking companies. Exports of US diesel to Europe since the start of April are up 36% compared to the same period a year ago, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Oil refineries are making as much diesel, and similarly expensive jet fuel, as possible with the oil they have, which is driving up the price of gasoline. But there is less US and Canadian refining capacity today than there was before the pandemic, as some refineries closed permanently, and others are being converted to refine renewable fuels rather than crude oil All these factors mean that the supplies of diesel are very tight, particularly in the Northeast, where the EIA said the inventories are at a record low based on data that goes as far back as 1990. https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/12/energy/record-diesel-prices/index.html So exporting diesel from US to Europe to make a higher profit and drives up price of gasoline here , way to go big oil. Maybe big oil can ask for even more oil from the strategic reserve so they can export even more at a big profit.

Trump’s Budget Cuts Leave Food Safety on Back Burner This week, President Donald Trump released an outline of his first federal budget. His 2018 budget plans include slashing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) funding by a whopping $4.7 billion. This will bring the agency’s budget down to a total of about $17.9 billion, representing a 21 percent cut compared to the previous fiscal year. Budget cuts will affect a number of USDA’s programs, including food safety and international food aid--both of which are lumped into what’s been categorized as “discretionary” spending. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)--which controls the overwhelming majority of food inspections in the U.S., is expected to experience an 18 percent budget reduction. https://www.food-safety.com/articles/5228-trumpe28099s-budget-cuts-leave-food-safety-on-back-burner Just like lack of PPE in national reserve , Biden is playing catch up again to the damage done

Elon Musk tweets that deal for Twitter is on hold Twitter shares were down 24 percent in premarket No other details were available. https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/elon-musk-tweets-that-deal-for-twitter-is-on-hold

Typically, 98% of baby formula consumed in the U.S. is made domestically, according to federal officials. The FDA is working with Abbott to fix the violations that triggered the shutdown of its Michigan plant, which produces Similac, EleCare and several other leading powdered formulas.12 hours ago Needed more safety inspectors to prevent recall. Penny wise and pound foolish once again.