76F and 96%RH. Forecast calls for clear to partly cloudy and hot. Last night was gorgeous. Gentle breeze, and nicely cool. New water feature burbling away….
One of the things I got done yesterday was to add the pump and filter to the wife’s water feature in front of the house. Very pleasant to sit there and listen to the sound of the moving water. Not so pleasant to hear the frog which has already taken up residence hammering away, calling to mates or rivals.
I got one of the chainsaws to start and run briefly. I’ll be looking at the carb on that one first as I know now that it has a good fuel line, starter, and spark. One very common failure is that the fuel pickup line rots and falls off in the tank. That is a finicky fix but simple in concept. Never thought I’d be doing small engine repair for fun.
Kids are home this week. We thought a ‘chill’ week would be nice before starting the summer “camps” which babysit them for daylight hours. With both parents working a whole industry has developed that provides “edutainment” options for daycare during the summer. Home care to daycare to day camps to intensive supplemental school programs. Decline of home time and decline of school systems combining to suck money out of parents pockets which makes them work harder and longer…. hmm, almost like it was planned. Too many people making money off of it for any real change.
And swim team practice every morning for a couple of hours. Last year they were in the same group. This year I get to sit there for two groups…
And people need breakfast so I better get going.
n
Good news for Ayj??
“Romania Ruling Party Boss Slapped With 3½ Year Prison Sentence For Graft”
This is the guy you were hoping to get rid of isn’t it?? Or am I confusing corrupt politicians this morning?
n
“Multiple ‘rapid-fire’ tornadoes hit Ohio city leaving buildings ‘cut in half’, people trapped and millions without power as rescuers use snow plows to clear the debris
Tornadoes first touched down in the city of Trotwood, just outside Dayton, at about 11pm on Monday night
The National Weather Service described the initial tornado as ‘extremely dangerous’ and warned residents to remain in their shelters
Weather officials reported signs on their radars of debris being lifted tens of thousands of feet when the first tornado touched down
Photos taken by residents showed widespread damage with homes severely damaged and trees and power lines brought down
There were reports of houses being cut in half and others were completely flattened as millions lost power”
With both parents working a whole industry has developed that provides “edutainment” options for daycare during the summer.
My son went to ID Tech’s Minecraft camp at UT the first summer we were here. I wasn’t impressed, but I did see inside the famed Dell “dorm room”, the suite hosting the elementary kids’ computer camp down the hall.
If ID is set up on the penthouse level of the Dobie Center again this year, I may sneak up for more pictures. Our temp “co working” space is in the food court of the building.
If you send the kids to ID, be prepared for follow up work at home or the week’s work will be lost effort.
well
not for me, we have no shortages of that, but as you may know Romania had a big season with corrupt politicians time ago, this is a recoil (it is not the exact word, but forgive me), jail only
We have a gig in Grenada in October. MrsAtoz has been there before. Just after hurricanes destroyed the spice crops. They are having a tough time coming back.
Anybody else been there? Any recommendations? A couple of daughters went with MrsAtoz and spent time on the beach. Yawn.
Her trip to Jamaica (the shit side) was described as “the armpit of the Caribe.”
Apropos Memorial Day:
“The Lieutenant Wouldn’t Like It”
Might be time for a re-re-re-…re-read.
We have a gig in Grenada in October. MrsAtoz has been there before. Just after hurricanes destroyed the spice crops. They are having a tough time coming back.
Isn’t Ross University on the island?
No wonder doctors hate Medicare. Got my bill from the ER visit in April for the Stones. ER doctor charged $1537.00. Medicare paid at 100% $0.18. Then Medicare paid $134.08 leaving an amount of $1369.22 not covered. Supplemental will pay $33.52 of that amount. I will pay nothing.
ER charges for the hospital were $3871.79. Medicare will pay $3122.64 at 100%, then $567.32 at some other rate. The the hospital gets paid $3831.79, supplemental pays $141.38. Just the CT scan alone was $2640.00.
The urologist visit three days later only paid $204.00 out of $925.00 in submitted charges.
Without insurance and Medicare that little ER scenario and subsequent doctors visit would have cost me $5300.00. No wonder medical incidents will break people into poverty and lifelong indebtedness.
These bills do not cover the actual surgery.
I originally was hesitant on getting plan “F” for my supplement as it is the most expensive coverage, about $150.00 a month. The upside is that I pay nothing. What Medicare does not cover then the supplemental will cover.
No wonder doctors hate Medicare. Got my bill from the ER visit in April for the Stones. ER doctor charged $1537.00. Medicare paid at 100% $0.18. Then Medicare paid $134.08 leaving an amount of $1369.22 not covered. Supplemental will pay $33.52 of that amount. I will pay nothing.
Depends on the doctor.
Medicare covered what the ER doctor will probably see out of the deal before taxes. On a per hour basis, that isn’t bad compared to what a GP gets for a similar office visit without a supplemental.
No ER doctor is going to actually pocket $1500 for kidney stones. Figure 30 minutes with you would mean a top line income of $6 million per year at that rate.
You funny.
More like 5 minutes was all the time he spent.
I bet he BILLED for an extended visit….
n
From FEMA
Flooding & Tornadoes – Central U.S.
Current Situation:
A significant severe weather event began Monday night and continued into this morning; heavy
rainfall, damaging straight-line winds, and dangerous tornadic activity spread northeastward from the
Central/Southern Plains to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, and continued into the Northeast.
Approximately 48 preliminary reports of tornado touchdowns across 13 states in the last 12 hours.
Lifeline Impacts:
Safety and Security
• OH: 3 preliminary tornado touchdowns reported overnight in OH (possible EF-4 near Dayton)
o Significant home and property damage in Celina, OH (pop.10.5k) and Trotwood, OH (pop. 24k)
o Downed power lines and trees, mass debris fields, multiple fires, and trapped individuals
• IN: Preliminary reports of 14 tornado touchdowns, 2 in/near Pendleton (pop. 4k), where at least 75
structures were damaged or destroyed; also isolated roadway debris fields and flash flooding
• OK: NWS confirmed an EF-3 tornado impacted El Reno, multiple additional touchdowns; hotel and
trailer park damaged, Oklahoma City University, local church, and the state capital damaged
• IA: 3 reported tornados across NE Iowa;
• OK: 1k Residents in Braggs are cut off from services by floodwaters; power is expected to take a
week to restore; a temporary road is being built to provide ingress/egress
Food, Water, Sheltering
• 13 shelters open with 261 (+71) occupants (ARC Midnight Shelter Count)
o OK: 9 / 161 (+34)
o KS: 2 / 48 (+40)
o MO: 2 (-2) / 52 (-3)
• Mandatory/voluntary evacuations remain in effect for OK, AR (Fort Smith-500 homes), KS
(Independence-pop 9k and Coffeyville-pop 10k)
Health & Medical
• OH: One fatality and 12+ injuries
• OK: Six confirmed fatalities and numerous injuries from May 21 – present
• KS: 25 injuries reported due to severe weather/flooding
• MO: 20 injuries reported due to flooding
Transportation
• Numerous highways and secondary roads closed or damaged in
OK, AR, IA, and OH
Energy
• Minimal power outages across all impacted areas
Hazardous Materials:
• Multiple wastewater plants experienced bypasses; Muskogee
wastewater plant is being shut down; Fort Gibson water and
wastewater systems are without power
Well, I was there for 3 hours. Two of those hours were sitting in the waiting area, the next hour in an actual ER room. Of that less than 5 minutes was with the ER doctor. Two minutes initially, then a CT scan, back to the room for more waiting and a blood sample, then the ER doctor for another couple of minutes, then the rest of the time (30 minutes) waiting on paperwork.
I bet he BILLED for an extended visit….
The nurses reviewing charts and billing for the insurance company behind the supplement would have kicked it back. Doctors are easy targets to shift blame onto due to class warfare.
“Episode 543 Scott Adams: Teaching You Some Tricks for Spotting Fake News When Everyone Else is Getting Duped”
https://blog.dilbert.com/2019/05/27/episode-543-scott-adams-teaching-you-some-tricks-for-spotting-fake-news-when-everyone-else-is-getting-duped/
Scott Adams is right. And note that he has added “science” to the fake news list as science has been politicized. Science was politicized in Galileo’s day and people in power are still using “science” for their agenda now.
Over The Hedge: Timmy has the measles
https://www.gocomics.com/overthehedge/2019/05/27
Wow, liberals are going after the anti-vaxxers.
Anyone we know?
If so, condolences….
Wow, liberals are going after the anti-vaxxers.
Dr. Dean Edell was the voice of reason the last time the left went after the rational anti-vaxxers. Sadly, he’s retired, and the modern ad market would never support a new show like his.
Edell was a self-described “old hippie doctor”, but he was also a scientist. His crusade against Airborne is well known, but I also remember him being critical of Michael J. Fox going off his meds to testify before Congress leading up to the 2006 election which gave us Speaker Pelosi 1.0. Edell didn’t automatically support the Liberal point of view if the science wasn’t there.
They want your kid to have 9 or 10 vaccines before entering childcare. They like to give most of those AT THE SAME TIME. Does it make sense to whack a toddler with 10 hostile things on the same day? Or hep B the day after birth?
We spread ours out, did single shots where we could, and I fought tooth and nail to keep them from giving my NEWBORN the Hep B.
I’m not anti-vax, but like what’s going on inside public schools, if your knowledge is more than 5 years out of date, you don’t really know what’s going on.
n
Gray Man: Camouflage for Crowds, Cities, and Civil Crisis
Methinks OFD would’ve loved this book.
I’m not anti-vax, but like what’s going on inside public schools, if your knowledge is more than 5 years out of date, you don’t really know what’s going on.
I’m not anti-vax either, but having friends either killed or nearly killed by Kaiser stupidity, I can believe the rational anti-vaxxers when they say that they have a problem with the organization’s approach to vaccinations.
In SW WA State, ground zero of the pandemic, my wife’s employer was pretty much the only alternative to Kaiser, and the clinic management is so thick that they still believe my wife will walk back through the door and pick up where she left off one day.
That reminds me. Our Florida house sold again. The couple tried to sell right after they moved in, but the market in 2011 just wouldn’t support simply breaking even.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2804-Timbre-Shoals-Pl-Brandon-FL-33511/44988985_zpid/?view=public
We didn’t have the money to put into the place like they spent, but I noticed, sadly, that the real oak floors (1989) are gone from the kitchen.
We didn’t have the money to put into the place like they spent, but I noticed, sadly, that the real oak floors (1989) are gone from the kitchen.
Real wood floors in the kitchen are awesome until someone floods the kitchen real good. Don’t ask me how I know this.
[snip] What Medicare does not cover then the supplemental will cover. [snip]
A bit of nit picking: Of the *approved* charges, what Medicare does not cover the level F supplement will. If Medicare says a charge is not allowable (genetic testing, say) then the supplement won’t touch it. And different lettered levels pay differing percentages of what Medicare didn’t pay for approved charges.
“Gray Man: Camouflage for Crowds, Cities, and Civil Crisis”
Methinks OFD would’ve loved this book.
The foreign tourists were easy to spot in Chicago in March. Canada Goose for the whole family.
Real Oak floors in the kitchen are awesone until someone floods the kitchen real good. Don’t ask me how I know this.
We had enough spare panels stashed in the attic to re-cover half the floor area, but never had a disaster like you’re talking about.
I’m guessing the flooring guy cut them quite a deal on the tile to get his hands on the oak pieces. The kitchen had a lot of long, uncut boards.
They didn’t touch our Master Bath one bit. Good. I’ll plea the 5th on what’s under that paint, but the 80s fad of wallpaper in the bathroom was a really stupid idea.
OK, your nit (wherever that is located) has been picked. Like the medical documents I got while dealing with my aunt most of the stuff is confusing. And I believe designed that way on purpose. It employs a lot of people to figure it out and some charges may actually slip by.
OK, your nit (wherever that is located) has been picked. Like the medical documents I got while dealing with my aunt most of the stuff is confusing. And I believe designed that way on purpose. It employs a lot of people to figure it out and some charges may actually slip by.
BTW, Texas is getting ready to have a new “no surprises” medical billing law. “Texas Senate passes legislation to prevent surprise medical bills with arbitration, mediation”
https://www.texastribune.org/2019/04/16/texas-senate-passes-bill-combat-surprise-medical-bills/
“Surprise medical bills happen when out-of-network health care providers and insurance companies can’t agree on the price of a medical treatment, leaving the patient to pick up the amount insurance won’t pay.”
I am not sure if the bill is constitutional but I do like it.
I also like the bill.
I got stung last year when the hospital used an out of network anesthesiologist in spite of my specifically asking the hospital to use in-network. I got stuck with about $1,500.00 that insurance would not pay even though my maximum out of pocket had been reached. The anesthesia group would not budge, the insurance would not budge. Out of network, tough.
Several years ago the spouse went for her yearly female checkup at an in-network facility. However, all the providers, readers of x-rays, lab work, everything was out of network. Something that was never told to us. We had even contacted the insurance company to find an in-network facility as my wife’s prior practitioner had retired. We got stuck with a large bill that was a surprise when I thought routine and preventative procedures were covered per the policy. I almost think the insurance company told us about the facility so the insurance would not have to pay.
I am not sure if the bill is constitutional but I do like it.
It was a very odd Legislative agenda.
Ray, I was employed for a while answering Medicare questions. I’m still in the habit of trying to answer those questions as fully and correctly as possible. The worst part of the job was that the pay was terrible. The second worst part was Corporate America Bureaucracy.
As has been pointed out before, insurance companies exist to earn money for their shareholders, not to pay claims. Every claim they pay decreases that profit. Their incentive is to deny.
Yep, I believe it is intentionally misleading. And designed to confuse.
Something needs to change. Free market principles would be nice. No more price fixing. Pricing transparency. Written estimates, like auto repair. Incentives to the patient to reduce spending.
n
pcb_duffer if you could put it in plain language it would be a boon to all. I’m still a decade away but man is it confusing.
n
Day two of vacation. We left Flagstaff around 7 this morning and headed for the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Not too busy, and we had a bite to eat there and then took the red bus line to the last observation point. We got off and hiked our way back to the start. 7+ miles. You can get on and off the bus at various points, but you miss some great views.
The worst parts were the various overlooks where the busses stop. Lots of people doing lots of stupid things. The best views were along the trail, right by the edge, with no handrails.
After that, we drove to Monument Valley. We just checked into The View hotel. Our balcony looks right out on Monument Valley – it’s very impressive. Chilling for the evening, and hoping the sky clears so we can see the Milky Way.
From @ech on Sunday:
One of these days, Disney will sweep through ESPN with a scythe. Disney does not tolerate money losers for long.
There have been two major waves of layoffs at ESPN over the last few years. One got rid of on-air talent. One cut the technical staff.
The problem at ESPN is not overpaid talent (actually they are), the problem is that they paid way, way, way, way too much for the sports content. They bid up ALL of the sports content so much that CBS, NBC, and the others could not even afford to compete.
Deals like Monday Night Football or the olympics do not make money sense on their own. They have to be cost shifting and cross subsidizing. ( the bidders, not necessarily ESPN.) The olympics is especially frustrating when they bid for it, then don’t show most of it. They missed a ton of “stories” this last time and made some almost incomprehensible choices for what they emphasized.
n
@ITGuy1998: Sounds like a good vacation. Always worth avoiding the tour pustules that burst on all the standard stopping places – go an inch off the beaten track, and you’re already away from the crowds.
Funny day here yesterday. The people buying our house had a whole afternoon of appointments with contractors, getting bids on work they want to have done. Which is absolutely fine – it means they are already emotionally invested in the house, and that’s cool. It’s just strange to not be involved in those discussions.
Out tonight with the wife, celebrating 25 years. 25 years wow. Seems like a long time. Interesting that it coincides with a time of big changes – us moving, kids moving out, etc, etc. Over the course of the next year, we will be starting a completely new segment of our lives – and so will the kids, which will be good to see.
Almost all events are now available on streaming. For the Winter Games, almost everything was available in real time on one of the NBC cable channels. I recall being able to watch curling and biathelon in real time. Of course, the prestige events were only available in the US in prime time.
Re: house buying and selling.
Living that now as we are prepping our house for sale. Had a dishwasher leak that damaged the white oak in our kitchen. Replaced the boards after a week of drying out. Wood floors do not belong in a kitchen or any other room where moisture is expected.
That said, laminate flooring is better than most at resisting moisture. We’re seeing a lot of laminate as the default flooring along with wall-to-wall carpet in the bedrooms and granite counters. This is “flipper make-up” and why we are looking at “light fixers” below market so we can do things our way–it’s a long, tough process.
.mg
“I recall being able to watch curling and biathelon in real time.”
Well I love the biathlon, and enjoyed watching it on their prime OTA coverage. Weird choice for them though as the primary coverage.
IIRC they missed some big stories in ski jumping and freestyle. I didn’t see much downhill either, but I could have just missed it.
They spent a lot of time on speed skating.
Overall I felt they were showing things will less than mass market appeal on their primary coverage. Could just be my perception though.
n
(and I’m not one to seek out coverage, especially streaming.)