Back to heat and humidity. 81F at 11 pm when I went to bed. That’s a bit hotter than the previous week. Some parts of town got more rain yesterday, so that’s good. I didn’t see any but there was a lot of very localized weather yesterday.
My show wrapped up, I put the stuff back in storage, and went by one of my favorite auctioneers. She’s open to trying an auction with a bunch of my ‘show’ non-prepping hobby stuff. I am going to do some sorting, and see what I end up with. I’ll certainly get some stuff together for her. My other local auctions aren’t taking my stuff this week.
I need to get it all arranged one way or another so I can head up to the BOL and stay for a week if needed. We were planning on being up there for the holiday weekend. I’ll just get an early start, and stay a bit later. Maybe. We’ll see.
Today though, I have a couple of small things to pick up. And some storage unit organizing, and some office cleaning…
So I should get to it. Gotta re-stack the stuff…
n
church today. Does that count ?
– yes, absolutely. That’s a huge community to draw on.
n
75F and raining this am. Rain seems to be tapering off.
There is something white and foul smelling dripping from the attic of my garage. I think I know where to start looking for the dead thing. Oh joy.
n
You made your bed…
now get raped in it.
n
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/violent-crime-rocks-sweden-ahead-elections
–seriously? NOW? JUST MOMENTS AWAY? They finally noticed the crack?
n
Europe tries too hard to not be “American”.
Doesn’t Herr Greta hail from Sweden?
Don’t you mean “Hail Greta from Sweden!”
I blame the parents, fwiw.
n
Greta is probably safe.
The question is not whether the pogrom will come to Sweden, the question is when. We’ll see if the Viking blood has been bred out of them, and if they have the resolve to let the weather do half the work.
Your tax $$ at waste!
>> seriously? NOW? JUST MOMENTS AWAY? They finally noticed the crack?
They need Elon there running the show.
SpaceX will develop the real moon rocket. SLS is about full employment for the next decade scrapping infrastructure which, in some cases, goes back to Orion.
The engine that leaked was not tested during the Wet Dress Rehearsal because of thee other leaks they found. SMDH
>> seriously? NOW? JUST MOMENTS AWAY? They finally noticed the crack?
They need Elon there running the show.
No, they do not need Elon. His management style does not work with firm entrenched bureaucracies that have civil service rules about hiring and firing people.
Reputedly, NASA has over a thousand engineers sitting at home in their jammies. And that was before the Koof.
“Census Bureau: 3.8 million renters will likely be evicted in the next two months — why the rental crisis keeps getting worse”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/census-bureau-3-8-million-100000978.html
“For the first time ever, the median rent in the U.S. topped $2,000 a month in June — and the increases show no sign of stopping.”
“Those rising rents mean that households representing a total of 8.5 million people were behind on their rent at the end of August, according to Census Bureau figures. And 3.8 million of those renters say they’re somewhat or very likely to be evicted in the next two months.”
I had no idea that this was still a problem. We got rid of our three rent houses, we have one house left to sell but we have to get rid of the precious crap XXXX family heirlooms first.
Lynn:
During Covid, the gummint banned evictions. The eviction ban was cancelled only a couple of months ago, so the people who hadn’t bothered to pay rent are finally getting the boot.
“Had quite some fun this weekend. I bought a new Barcalounger power recliner (big and tall Blair blue leather model designed for 300 lbs, $1,720 plus tax, $2,800 list price) last week. Got it Thursday on large freight truck, it weighs 151 lbs.
Unboxed it, sat in it, the left arm promptly broke. Emailed the Amazon third party seller and they sent a furniture technician at 7am Saturday morning from Humble, TX. The furniture tech took the underskirt off on the left arm and promptly said something was wrong. He then decided that a piece of the wood frame was missing. He then tried putting on three L metal brackets but those did not help. He then emailed the third party seller that the recliner needed to be replaced as the next stage was a full disassembly. Hopefully they will agree on Monday, otherwise I will get Amazon involved.
I gave the tech a $40 tip for his honest work and 100 mile round trip (the seller paid him for 45 minutes). Then I went back to bed.
Chinesium. It is not just bad capacitors, rotten steel, and cheap plastic crap. They cannot get even expensive stuff right.”
“Lynn, I have already been in touch with the service dept at Barcalounger. Based on the techs report and pictures they think the best option is to replace the chair. Wait until you receive the replacement chair before disposing of the original chair. Before disposing of the original chair please take a sharp knife and slash the leather back, seats, and arms. Send us a picture showing the damage. Then you can dispose of the original chair. I hope to get the replacement chair shipped this week. As soon as it does I will update you with the tracking information. Can you please respond to this email so we know the message was received?”
Well at least he is one happy dude.
He won’t be happy when she tells him that he is going to be a father. At 14, one can barely comprehend that. Shoot, at 22, I could barely comprehend that when the wife told me she was pregnant. We had been talking about it but we had not totally decided to jump off that cliff and then whoosh, we were three months pregnant on our first wedding anniversary. So much for the birth control pill.
Wow.
Do a video.
I used to know machine shop guys. Most stood on squishy mats, but some just wore shoes with soft heels and soles. I wear soft shoes, and I can’t tell whether I am standing on concrete, wood, or marshmallows.
I remember walking two or three miles as a kid, and shoes with sturdy leather heels made my heels sore. Rubber heels or sneakers were heaven. I was particularly fond of Keds. When Hush Puppies came out, they were cheaper and better. Wolverine made shoe uppers from pigskin, with durable soft one piece bottoms. They were reasonably water resistant, and very durable. A friend orders their work shoes, and loves ‘em. Not cheap. Maybe I will switch next time. I haven’t had a comfy hard toe strong sole shoe in a long time. My current ones are light, but stiff.
BTW, I was taught that boots do not have laces. If it has laces, it is a shoe, no matter how high. The exception is loafers, my favorite shoe.
All military boots have laces.
We did not allow any loose materials around our sixteen foot lathes with four foot swings at TXU. The machinists worked on bare concrete. If you got caught up in that huge lathe, the 10 ? 20 ? hp motor would take you for a ride. Probably fatal.
We had even bigger temporary lathes for working on our 700,000 hp steam turbines. Thirty foot length with a seven foot swing for working on our double flow low pressure steam turbines. We brought in machinists from Schenectady, NY (GE) for those as we were machining the last two rows of the 28 inch long blades in place to repair the steam condensation damage on the trailing edges. The GE engineer took one look at the blades and told us that we were less than a year from throwing a blade (very bad thing) on our 14 year old steam turbine.
Photoshop? And then somehow repair the chair?
Cork or the equivalent used to be written into union contracts for machinists.
No reason they couldn’t be glued down tho.
But yeah, it is a thing, I knew a guy who pulled a YouTube machining video he made because he hadn’t taken his wedding ring off in it, and felt it was a dangerous precedent for newbies that might be watching.
Gwynne Shotwell is the adult in the room at SpaceX. When the time comes, she will make sure the moon rocket gets built outside of NASA’s bureaucracy.
Do a video.
Before disposing of the original chair please take a sharp knife and slash the leather back, seats, and arms. Send us a picture showing the damage.
I assume that you are talking about the recliner. I might but I won’t do it until I have the new chair in hand and confirmed to be new and usable.
The old new recliner is not usable without a full strip and rebuild from the ground up. Something is really wrong with it. The tech has four years of experience plus a two week training session in the South Carolina shop where they used to build these recliners before they moved it to China in 2008. He says he could fix it in a day or three but it would be expensive.
“Clashes brew over Diablo Canyon extension plan as 40% of expected renewables fail to come online”
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/diablo-canyon-nuclear-newsom-legislature/630661/
California is freaking nuts. They are making plans that do not resemble reality at all.
I was poking around the Medicare site. Looking for a Part D plan. It just goes around and around… like trying to figure out CSS for your website when you have no clue beyond “change this and refresh the page”.
I’m not on any drugs other than a couple of aspirin once in a while and a Tums if supper disagrees. Does Vitamin B, aka Beer count? Or a dose of Vitamin I once a month?
I suspect I’ll be told to take some kind of blood pressure pill. Because “they” keep lowering the numbers for High BP.
Looks like the lowest cost drug plan is about $7 a month with a $600 or so deductible. After you pay out $600 your monthly prescription of a generic is a buck or two. Hang on here… how many pills are you popping everyday? You can pay more per month and the deductible goes down. Just eyeballing it, it’s a wash
I have the Healthcare.gov stuff. It’s worthless as far as I can tell. Sure, with my income and and all, I’m on a plan that costs me nothing but there’s an $8000 deductible before it pays anything. I could be stupid and I’m misreading the benefits. But the way I read it, yeah, no, I’m not going to the Dr. for a check-up and get hit with a big bill.
Anyway. I found a phone number to call.
I have no idea how my Mom and Dad figured this out.
Or stitch it all up and have a Frankenstein Chair.
Save the power parts as spares?
Or stitch it all up and have a Frankenstein Chair.
Save the power parts as spares?
Nah, I will trash the chair. Too expensive to fix right and I do not have the time. I will gut it and figure out what is really wrong with it first.
I may keep the electronics and motor though.
I have no idea how my Mom and Dad figured this out.
You and a 100 million others. There are 60 million people IIRC on Medicare and Medicaid already. It is a huge mess.
That’s what I meant.
I’m all onboard with gutting and figuring out what it broken.
Lynn:
During Covid, the gummint banned evictions. The eviction ban was cancelled only a couple of months ago, so the people who hadn’t bothered to pay rent are finally getting the boot.
If the people could not honestly pay the rent then that was one thing. But if they just stopped paying, shame on them.
My wife evicted a renter during the Koof from one of her rent houses for non-payment. The renter agreed to move back in with their children. My wife got burned for three months rent and sold the rent house with one side empty (duplex).
Mom and Dad had Tricare. A couple of Purple Hearts, yeah, he earned that stuff.
What seems really effed up (to me) is that here I am on a Fed.gov site and I’m supposed to call an 800 number to talk to someone in Texas to fix the details.
So much for the Omnipotent Federal Government. /sarc
Anyway. If I sign up late, I pay a penalty for Part D that seems excessive.
On the other hand, if I get to where I need tons of pills to function, that penalty won’t matter.
I’m just trying to cover my ass.
It is the result of IQ’s less than 20.
Dr. Pournelle’s term was “Lotus Eaters” IIRC.
The problem now is that everyones pensions and 401(k) plans are heavily invested in the tech companies and California real estate.
Spain was front-page news at the time:
The US military is still missing 6 nuclear weapons that were lost decades ago
https://taskandpurpose.com/history/us-military-nuclear-weapons-missing/
@Lynn
I’ve been to DC. Much like New Orleans: staff at the hotel warned us not to cross the street and turn left.
Washington Commanders rookie Brian Robinson Jr. was shot multiple times during an attempted robbery in Washington, D.C.
“Alert: Shooting Investigation in the 1000 block of H Street NE. Lookout for two black juvenile males with shoulder length dreads, medium complexion, wearing a black or brown shirt with yellow smiley faces on it.”
https://redstate.com/levon/2022/08/29/emerging-nfl-player-brian-robinson-jr-shot-in-attempted-robbery-two-juvenile-suspects-remain-at-large-n619339
Congress reserved the power to make laws for WDC.
With a Republican majority in both houses, make WDC:
1. A three strikes zone for firearm violence.
2, Underage firearm possession a mandatory five years. Hard five.
You could add another ten or so, but the thing is to shove it up the libs posteriors, turn it sideways and break it off. They want sensible gun laws? Pass ‘em and let Biden sign ’em, or explain why.
Regarding Medicare drug coverage – wife and I use a Humana plan for “Part D”. Happy with it.
“SpaceX Reveals Expected Speeds for ‘Best Effort’ Starlink Tier”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/spacex-reveals-expected-speeds-for-best-effort-starlink-tier
“The Best Effort tier is arriving for select Starlink customers stuck in the pre-order backlog.”
I would do it for my office. But I would keep at least one of my AT&T DSL lines.
BTW, I now have a third AT&T DSL line for the office. We changed our three phones lines from copper to voip for a savings from $490/month to $160/month.
So AT&T installed a third DSL line on my copper 25 pair cable to the CO and put the three voip lines on it. I kid you not. The voip clarity is good and my fax machine still works.
Oh yeah, I use United Healthcare for Part D and am not switching.
Paul, I went with Part D through Kaiser, on Medicare.
I think it was on the order of $15/mo. Kind of a wash for the generic medicine I take, but it also makes it easy to do the mail order pharmacy, which is a plus.
And if I ever suddenly need $1,000/mo meds it is ready to go.
But, if you decide against it, I believe you can always *move to another state* and start a new plan, getting the Part D then.
Yes, you will. Basically, paying the premiums all the way back to the time you were eligible. Plus, a little extra to make certain you learned your lesson. How dare you try and game the system?
If you don’t have another drug option, such as from another provider, you really want Part D. I get my medicines from the VA so I don’t have Part D. Wife has no other option, so she has to have Part D. Her current rate is $22.70 a month and is automatically deducted from her Social Security.
Wife is using Humana. All the providers are all about the same as they have to follow Medicare rules for prescription programs.
Why do you really want Part D? In the case of my wife, for the first eight months of the year, I have had to spend $7.5K+ out of my pocket. Her share of copay and deductible. According to reports from Humana they have paid $16.5K+ of that cost. A little over $24K for prescription drugs this year. The real expense was related to that heart attack a year ago. Few people could afford $24K a year in drug costs. The name brand drugs are really expensive. No generics available. Especially for effective heart medicines.
My wife has reached the catastrophic category on prescriptions. The highest amount she will pay for the rest of the year is $3.95 for any prescription. Humana covers the rest of the cost.
You really do want Part D. It is not that expensive for the premiums. About $270.00 for the year in the case of the wife. I think age affects the premium cost. Yes, I still paid a lot out of pocket due to Medicare rules of how things are covered. Various drug categories with the good stuff in brackets where little is covered until the catastrophic category is reached. I [not so fondly] remember having to pay $1,200.00 for a three-month supply for some drug at the start of the year. Insurance covered nothing.
I am fortunate that my copy to the VA is now $0.00 a year with no deductible. That back injury I acquired while in the service has turned out to be of significant value.
And you really want to avoid Part C Medicare. Limited providers, some stuff not covered, a hassle seeing specialists. Part C is for the gullible.
The church I used to work for changed from copper lines into a PBX to VOIP coming in on two DSL pairs. There is also internet for guests on the same system. Lot of PBX functions that would have been really costly when replacing the really old PBX. AT&T really pushed the system and provided the church a good deal. The cost for service was reduced and AT&T provided 11 VOIP phones at no cost with a one year commitment.
My reading of the rules say that is not true. Medicare is federal and moving makes no difference. Skip the premiums for a couple of years and then apply, back premiums are due. Medicare Part B and Part D.
The rules are so complicated I am not opposed to being corrected on my understanding.
Check your deductible and copay amounts. They can be quite high. Until you reach catastrophic levels the costs can really suck the money. My impression is that this is basically a Medicare rate and does not vary by provider. Again, I am open to correction.
All of the Medicare Part D providers provide mail order prescriptions. It generally has to be a three-month supply. Less than that and a regular pharmacy has to be used. Still convenient as regular pharmacies will not provide a three-month supply whereas mail order pharmacies will.
“Bill Gates and Samsung have developed a toilet with an incinerator”
https://www.neowin.net/news/bill-gates-and-samsung-have-developed-a-toilet-with-an-incinerator/
Probably only $100,000 each ! And probably needs 230 volt, 50 amp power.
I wonder if it works in space in zero gravity ?
“Listening to European Electricity Traders Is Very, Very Scary”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/08/29/listening-to-european-electricity-traders-is-very-very-scary/
“Every week, the people who trade electricity in the UK get to quiz the managers of the national grid for an hour. The conference call, which anyone can monitor, offers an insight into what the men and women on the front line of the power market are worried about. Listening to them is getting scarier by the week — and suggests keeping the lights on this winter will be a lot more challenging than European governments are admitting.”
Brings to mind the old axoim, “If you can’t be a good example, then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.”
With Humana as my Part D, I get 3-month supplies of drugs all the time. At a slight savings over a 30-day supply.
Our main pharmacy is WalMart (about 24 minutes away), and they have drive-up as well as in-store pharmacy counters. I think they do mail order, but never have used it.
I can get the same prices at some closer pharmacies, but WalMark works fine, as it’s also our regular food store.
My aunt and uncle had an electric toilet at their place in Port Townsend. Beckett Point, the community in which they lived, had significant restrictions on toilets. This was before sewer lines were installed. In the addition my uncle added on he desired a toilet. Could not be a liquid toilet. So an electric toilet was installed. Place a paper in the bowl, pinch a loaf, drop the contents in the lower chamber, turn on the timer. It was vented out the roof. A couple of hours later just a pile of ash that required cleaning out every so often.
This was back in 1980 so really not a new invention.
Mine changed to Centerwell Pharmacy. Still part of Humana, I think.
Walmart is a preferred provider for Humana (Centerwell).
@Paul, yep, as others corrected me, moving won’t help with the Part D thing.
My mistake, that’s an Obamacare work around.
Delurking only to help @paul.
Find yourself an insurance broker who specializes in Medicare. It costs you nothing and they’re familiar with all the options. I used one here in Houston and will recommend her if asked.
The broker will also help you avoid the various penalties and other difficulties you run into if you sign up late, like a thing called underwriting. Your first sign-up is hassle-free; changes in the future are a pain.
Back to lurking mode due to your infestation.
“Men’s Occupy Mars T-Shirt $30.00”
https://shop.spacex.com/products/occupy-mars-t-shirt?variant=29800895414351
I want one !
Hat tip to:
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/elon-musks-apocalypse-warning-predicts-27856019
Why does Elon have a “Nuke Mars” tshirt ? Is there sometime I should know ?
Just refilled the tank on the ronson butane lighter I keep on my desk. There were definite cryogenic issues 🙂
Got cold enough to hurt my widdle fingers.
n
I wonder what burrito beta man has gotten infected…
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/beto-orourke-hospitalized-cancels-campaign-events/
sounds kinda serious if he’s on an IV pump.
n
The US will bail out Europe this winter. That’s what everyone expects.
Americans are polite. The rest of the world views it as something to exploit.
I wonder what burrito beta man has gotten infected…
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/beto-orourke-hospitalized-cancels-campaign-events/
sounds kinda serious if he’s on an IV pump.
n
Monkeypox ?
I understand that the vaccine for Monkeypox and Smallpox is the same. I was surprised to read that.
“The US will bail out Europe this winter.”
The Congresscritters will have to evaluate the effects on their quality of life.
I intend to leverage my vote.
I just released version 16.15 of my software. Man, this one has been a real bear. The office manager did me a real favor this afternoon and inverted my quick release email list (name, email instead of email, name). My homebuilt email list server silently barfed all over it as I thought that gmail was no longer taking my mass produced emails. I went down several rabbit holes with smtp and a few other things. Sigh, programmers are their own worst enemies.
Kabuki theater at the FBI:
https://redstate.com/slee/2022/08/29/who-is-fbi-agent-timothy-thibault-n619796
His immediate and once-removed supervisors have a 99 and 95% chance, respectively, of being fully aware of his actions and motivations.
Which leaves a 1 and 5% chance, respectively, that they are merely incompetent.
And adds up to a 100% reason to shitcan them all, with a small chance that they shouldn’t have their pensions removed also, for gross violation of their oath of office.
I read Doctor Doolittle:
https://twitter.com/Gabriele_Corno/status/1391296878340452354
The US will bail out Europe this winter. That’s what everyone expects.
Americans are polite. The rest of the world views it as something to exploit.
Not gonna happen. Will require almost infinite resources and shipping ability. All of the world’s energy carrying ships are overbooked already delivering loads of gasoline, diesel, propane, coal, and LNG from USA, Indonesia, and Australia to UK, Europe, China, Japan, etc.
I just got a note this morning that TVA has decided to build more nuclear power plants, nothing else is stable enough to meet their power service requirements for the next 50 years.
https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/podcast-greg-boerschig-talks-about-tvas-nuclear-future
I read Doctor Doolittle:
https://twitter.com/Gabriele_Corno/status/1391296878340452354
That is cool ! I wonder where that was.
I wonder what burrito beta man has gotten infected…
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/08/beto-orourke-hospitalized-cancels-campaign-events/
sounds kinda serious if he’s on an IV pump.
n
BTW, Bozo was here in Rosenberg, TX a week ago. Only 50 people showed up to see him.
I see that under bridge dweller is back with its down arrows. Oh well.
I wonder what burrito beta man has gotten infected…
‘Spose he was late getting the bathhouse memo?
Part D drug coverage: As a Navy retiree, Tricare for Life mails me all my medications with reasonable co-pays. And between Medicare and Tricare, I don’t think I’ve seen any doctor’s bills in years now.
Thank you all for your support!
You’re welcome.
Sincerely,
A. Taxpayer.
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2022/08/29/conservatives-dared-to-do-a-three-hour-shift-as-a-barista/
LOL. Come spend a day making small bales with me. Bring your granny–she’s closer my age and probably tougher than you. We can both watch from the mow and laugh when you collapse trying to unload 200 bales. Watch that PTO!
“A.F. Branco Cartoon – Changing Of The Guard”
https://comicallyincorrect.com/a-f-branco-cartoon-changing-of-the-guard-4/
“Our leadership is changing Washington D.C. and the country into a radical far-left Banana-style republic. Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2022”
“The Shores Beyond Time (Chronicle of the Dark Star, 3)” by Kevin Emerson
https://www.amazon.com/Shores-Beyond-Time-Chronicle-Dark/dp/0062306782?tag=ttgnet-20/
Book number three of a three book young teenage science fiction series. I read the well printed and well bound trade paperback published by Walden Pond Press in 2020 that I bought used on Amazon. I was real surprised that I had to purchase a used copy of the book, it may have even been remaindered since it had a sharpie mark on the bottom.
In the year 2256, mankind has abandoned Earth and the Solar system. The sun started converting into a red giant a hundred years ago, expanded rapidly, and exploded into a nova. Mankind had moved to Mars and rapidly built many 100 million passenger spaceships and is moving to another star system almost 15 light years away. The humans used stasis pods to make the 150 year dangerous journey, waking up every ten years or so. The first stop was a small planet in the void that was mostly ice so they could refuel the starliners.
Thirteen year olds Liam and Phoebe caught up to the starliner Scorpius at the Delphi refueling station almost a light year away from Earth in the void after over ten years in stasis. But, somebody blew up the refueling station and attacked the Scorpius. There are pieces of the Scorpius in orbit around Delphi but she is still getting ready to leave. The other hundred plus starliners have already left for Alpha Centauri. And there is a weird area of space outside Delphi that is attracting them. And now everyone knows that Terrans are not the only humanoids in the universe.
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (151 reviews)
@Lynn
“rapidly built many 100 million passenger spaceships”
Did they have to crack the core for the steel?
Hillary Clinton posts a throwback photo in support of Finland’s dancing prime minister
https://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2022/08/29/hillary-clinton-posts-a-throwback-photo-in-support-of-finlands-dancing-prime-minister-n492989
Why? Seismo peg?
@Lynn
“rapidly built many 100 million passenger spaceships”
Did they have to crack the core for the steel?
The author did not say. But there is a tremendous amount of iron and carbon in the asteroid belt.
And the Earth’s core is mostly nickel. Nope, you are correct, the Earth’s core is a mix of iron and nickel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_outer_core
I have a pet theory that Fermi’s Paradox is partly explained by the race not making the leap to space based resource extraction the FIRST time they are capable. By the second time they get their tech up to the task, all the easily extracted planetary resources are either used up, or difficult to get, making the leap so difficult that it doesn’t happen.
If we don’t make the leap this time, it will be very hard to recover, when all the ore deposits have been used up, forex.
Or consider if some one thing is critical to the transition, but the race used it up. Like if whale oil was somehow critical, we had it in abundance once, but not any more.
n
@Paul re. Medicare part D
lpdbw>”Find yourself an insurance broker who specializes in Medicare. It costs you nothing and they’re familiar with all the options. I used one here in Houston and will recommend her if asked.”
That is very good advice. Just to put a finer point on it, you need a broker who is licensed to sell Medicare part D. Many brokers don’t bother with part D because it doesn’t pay well, and so they don’t keep up with the changes in the laws and regulations. The broker doesn’t cost you anything, and is likely to save you money and vexation. Do not put this off, as the brokers tend to be very busy at the end of the month because so many people do put it off, and as I mentioned, there tends to be a shortage of good brokers who are licensed for part D.
My wife got the $7 plan for each of us, but we haven’t had to use it yet. It seems to be the best bet if you don’t have any standing prescriptions and don’t expect to get any. Note that you have to re-evaluate every year when open enrollment begins (scheduled for Oct 15 – Dec 7 this year). The insurance companies make dramatic changes to some of their policies, both in coverage terms and premiums. Even the drug lists can change dramatically, so you need a broker who will run your drugs (easy when there are none) for each policy that you are considering. The main reason you don’t want to blow off getting a policy is that if you are uninsured and encounter an expensive disease or injury, you will have to wait for the open enrollment period to get a part D plan.
The penalty currently works like this: For each month that you could have had part D but didn’t, you accrue a permanent penalty on all future premiums of 1% of the national average policy monthly cost, which I think amounts to about $0.35 this year. The penalty is recalculated every year according to the new average cost, and never goes away. If you have a plan for a while but let it lapse, you accumulate more penalty months. Check with your licensed broker to get a more complete explanation.
I have a pet theory that Fermi’s Paradox is partly explained by the race not making the leap to space based resource extraction the FIRST time they are capable. By the second time they get their tech up to the task, all the easily extracted planetary resources are either used up, or difficult to get, making the leap so difficult that it doesn’t happen.
If we don’t make the leap this time, it will be very hard to recover, when all the ore deposits have been used up, forex.
Or consider if some one thing is critical to the transition, but the race used it up. Like if whale oil was somehow critical, we had it in abundance once, but not any more.
C. S. Lewis said that the distances between the stars is God’s quarantine system.
And to make that incredible journey between the stars would require huge amounts of resources. I saw an estimate once that the Apollo program used 1% (IIRC) of the GDP of the USA and a quarter million people for several years and that was just to the Moon. Of course, they had to invent everything in the space program that we now take for granted.
From Medicare.gov:
The cost of the late enrollment penalty depends on how long you went without Part D or creditable prescription drug coverage.
Medicare calculates the penalty by multiplying 1% of the “national base beneficiary premium” ($33.37 in 2022) times the number of full, uncovered months you didn’t have Part D or creditable coverage. The monthly premium is rounded to the nearest $.10 and added to your monthly Part D premium.
The national base beneficiary premium may change each year, so your penalty amount may also change each year.
So every month you don’t have it you get charged an extra $.33 on top of your premium. About 4.00 extra a month for every year you decline the insurance. Unless you have current prescription coverage, usually through employment, that is equilvalent.
We already know how to build a nuclear star drive system, and when we get desperate enough, somebody will build one.
It’s the Orion Nuclear Pulse Drive, “designed” by Freeman Dyson, and depicted in the Pournelle/Niven novel “Footfall”. A pusher plate with ENORMOUS shock absorbers, and you set off nuclear explosions just behind the pusher plate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)
The nice thing is, the bigger the starship, the more efficient it will be.
Busy day (moving sucks even when it’s not you moving, but couldn’t leave our goddaughter in the lurch (ex- troubles, but that’s a story for another day)), so in catch-up mode…
>> No, they do not need Elon. His management style does not work with firm entrenched bureaucracies that have civil service rules about hiring and firing people.
Reputedly, NASA has over a thousand engineers sitting at home in their jammies. And that was before the Koof.
We just need Elon to make their lives so miserable using his management style that they go on strike and then President (DeSantis?) can fire most/all(?) of them as Reagan did with the air-traffic controllers.
ADDED: Used Shuttle parts?? What is this, High School shop class?
>> During Covid, the gummint banned evictions. The eviction ban was cancelled only a couple of months ago, so the people who hadn’t bothered to pay rent are finally getting the boot.
Including this nut-job in NYFC.
And finally my younger son, with 3-4 days WFH, is thinking of retreating at least to the burbs somewhere in PA. Hey, it’s not here in the desert but at least it’s in the right direction.
We already know how to build a nuclear star drive system, and when we get desperate enough, somebody will build one.
It’s the Orion Nuclear Pulse Drive, “designed” by Freeman Dyson, and depicted in the Pournelle/Niven novel “Footfall”. A pusher plate with ENORMOUS shock absorbers, and you set off nuclear explosions just behind the pusher plate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)
The nice thing is, the bigger the starship, the more efficient it will be.
Just don’t hit anything when you are going 0.3c. A grain of dust will go through armor plate like a hot knife through cheese.
We don’t know how to build force fields, yet.
ADDED: Used Shuttle parts?? What is this, High School shop class?
Yes, the SLS looks to have the capabilities of the Apollo series using heavily modified Space Shuttle technology. You know, Artemis was the sister of Apollo in the Greek pantheon.
The four engines at the bottom of the main booster are 20+ year old Space Shuttle engines, which have been in space before. The Solid Rocket Boosters are also ex-Shuttle, with an fifth segment added on. Hopefully all of the parts were sitting in a warehouse, not a salvage yard.
“Give me that torch, Louie ! I’m feeling scientific !”
>> Before disposing of the original chair please take a sharp knife and slash the leather back, seats, and arms. Send us a picture showing the damage.
Photoshop? And then somehow repair the chair?
Something similar happened to my older son. He ordered a kids’ play structure on-line and after it arrived and he assembled it it was obvious the original pictures didn’t quite match the delivered product as there were parts of the structure where his kids couldn’t even stand up without banging their heads. Since it was sold with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, he called the company (in Cali iirc) and the customer service person (also Cali, dude) said to take a chain saw and/or a big sledge and go all ‘rage room’ on it and send some before and after pics. When he was done, and the company satisfied, he was able to rescue enough of what was left to put together a play ice-cream stand for the kids. Btw, he thought of the Photoshop approach as well but it didn’t quite seem the right thing to do.
Interesting to hear another instance of the ‘slash it’ approach.
>> And if I ever suddenly need $1,000/mo meds it is ready to go.
Check your deductible and copay amounts. They can be quite high. Until you reach catastrophic levels the costs can really suck the money.
Things with Part D will get quite interesting come 2024 as a Part D $2,000 yearly out-of-pocket limit goes into effect, passed as part of the recent “Inflation Reduction Act.” But not to worry, somebody’s gonna have to pay for your $10,000/month cancer drug after you reach your OOP limit on January 2nd.
>> And you really want to avoid Part C Medicare. Limited providers, some stuff not covered, a hassle seeing specialists. Part C is for the gullible.
Hey now, it keeps Joe Namath and JJ Walker off of food-stamps! And better than the guy that gets the solo by the open car window.
>> I’m just trying to cover my ass.
Hey, @paul, try pants :O
>> All of the Medicare Part D providers provide mail order prescriptions. It generally has to be a three-month supply. Less than that and a regular pharmacy has to be used. Still convenient as regular pharmacies will not provide a three-month supply whereas mail order pharmacies will.
On my pre-Medicare employer drug plan (CVS Caremark) I was able to pick up my 90-day refills at my local CVS Pharmacy. As I am considering CVS for my Part D I wonder if that option will remain available.
Tina says ‘drink more water’…
>> Part D drug coverage: As a Navy retiree, Tricare for Life mails me all my medications with reasonable co-pays. And between Medicare and Tricare, I don’t think I’ve seen any doctor’s bills in years now.
Thank you all for your support!
No, thank you for your service!
Muslim integration is a problem. Switzerland has now taken to deporting Imams who preach violence. But then, we have (a) fewer muslim immigrants and (b) better integration. Even so, you get the subcommunities of immigrant who try to form little islands: the older generation barely speaks the native language, and they don’t interact with the rest of us.
The long-term solution is forced integration: Kids go to school and must respect local traditions. No, your muslim girls do not get separate swimming classes from the boys. Yes, your male students will shake the hands of their female teachers. No, none of your women or girls will wear a niqab. No, you don’t get to build minarets; mosques must fit in with the local architecture, like any other building. Etc. Etc.
Unfortunately, that kind of long-term solution takes at least two generations to work. We are just now – finally – seeing the communities from ex-Yugoslavia merge into mainstream society. That’s been 30 years, and the process is ongoing. They make up about 5% of our population now. Of course, they were probably less extreme than migrants from the Middle East and certainly better educated than those from Africa.
There are still too many well-meaning leftists who just don’t understand that not all cultures are compatible, and not all people are good. They never did understand what it meant, that most of the refugees from the Middle East and Africa were young males.
Artemis scrub, live. None of the *four* wet-dress rehearsals ever finished successfully. Try to launch anyway. Surprise, surprise, there were problems that a wet-dress rehearsal should have caught. The boondoggle will almost certainly have to go back to the hanger, and they can try again in October.
Whatever happens, the pork will continue for the foreseeable future. Successful launch? Build the next one. Fiery failure? Build the next one.
It’s going to be an…interesting Winter.
I kind of wish I had paid the price to get battery storage for our solar. On the other hand, it’s not unusual for our roof to be snow-covered for a week, or for us to have 2-3 weeks of heavy overcast in the Winter. No afforable battery is going to cover that length of time.
We have a well-insulated house and plenty of wood…
On the positive side, lots of energy projects that have been held up by crazy tree-hugging are now likely to be pushed through. Raising some existing dams, building a couple of new ones, for example. I’m all for protecting the landscape and wildlife, but the greenies block literally *anything*. Oh, funny, resistence to nuclear power is also disappearing fast. It will be nice to see some sensible changes…