« March 2023

Welcome to the Androscoggin Area Retired Educators' Association Newsletter for March 2023

From the President - Rosita Friel

Treasurer's Report

from Gina Fuller

Click this link to read the treasurer's report for March 2023.

Treasurer's Report

The March Luncheon cost our treasury $131.    55 Members paid for the March Luncheon with several not able to attend.  We initially were charged for 47 meals but when I did a head count I counted 49 people.  Green Label counted 50 meals.  I will pay for that extra meal next month.  We were charged a service charge of $164.50 and a room rental of $100.  

Volunteer Hours!

Please remember to submit your volunteer hours!!

Joyce has added this simple to use form. Download it here.  Let's go team!!

Volunteer Hours Submission

From the State House

by Crystal Ward

March AREA News Letter

In Augusta, there have been 2000 bills proposed as of  Mar 5, only 900 have been printed things are moving slow. What we have seen show three major bills impacting retired in MainePers. The first thing worked on was the Supplemental Budget it contained another Ad Hoc one time COLA increase of 1% for this year, it passed.

The legislature’s Labor and Housing Committee UNANIMOUSLY voted to send a report to the Appropriations Committee asking them to prioritize pension improvements in the state budget.  This is great news.  It is nice to see strong, bipartisan support to make necessary improvements to our pension and retirement benefits. They unanimously passed all three bills below!!!!!!!

LD 111 would require the State to pay the Medicare Cost of $164 per month.

LD 112  would increase the State’s share of the cost of Health Care Insurance from 55% to 65% by 2024

LD70  Provides that the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) increases for retired state employees and teachers and their beneficiaries apply to a retiree's entire retirement benefit instead of only to the first $24,911.84 (2023  COLA cap amount)  of the retirement benefit. Some members are confused they believe when they get a 3% COLA increase that it applies to their whole amount like Social Security this is NOT true. If your Pension is $37,000 you receive a COLA increase on only the first $24,911.84 (2023) so you did not receive a real 3% raise! The Committee approved lifting the COLA cap amount to $40,000!

All of these bills are costly, but they need to do something to help correct the mess a legislature made in 2011.

In addition, please consider writing the members of the Labor Committee.  Thank them for their UNANIMOUS support of LD 70 to lift the COLA cap to $40,000, LD 111 and LD 112 .Nothing fancy just a simple Thank you will go a long ways ....................................

You can send a note of thanks to the members of the Labor and Housing Committee by emailing - LBHS@legislature.maine.gov   The message will get to all legislators on the Labor Committee. . Start you message with: Honorable Senator Tipping and Representative Roeder and members of the Labor and Housing Committee…

More work to be done to get these through the Appropriations Committee ,the House, the Senate and get the Governor to sign into law, but so far things are positive .  

Down in Washington D.C.

House Bill HR 82 the Social Security Fairness Bill has been reintroduced and Representatives Golden and Pingree have already co-signed.

In the Senate ,Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), joined by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), reintroduced the Senate version S597 of the Social Security Fairness Act. The bill would fully repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) that deprive 2.5 million public-service workers, including educators, of Social Security benefits they have earned.  Senator King is expected to co-sign this bill.  That’s step 1 of many, so here we go again.

Please say thank you to Senator Collins collins.senate.gov and Rep Golden golden.house.gov

TV Ads are saying that there will be cuts to  Medicare Advantage Plan , Like our MEABT Medicare Advantage Plan.

I have been asked to look into this, here is what I could find from VERIFY 

Potential cuts to Medicare benefits have been a hot topic for U.S. lawmakers in recent months. Now, advertisements claim President Biden's administration is proposing cuts to Medicare Advantage that could reduce benefits by hundreds of dollars per retiree. Many VERIFY readers asked us if those claims are true. 

We can VERIFY that, no, the Biden administration is not proposing cuts to Medicare Advantage benefits.

Two recent announcements from the Biden administration are likely behind the claims about cuts to Medicare Advantage benefits. 

One is a rule change that would allow the federal government to recover past overpayments to Medicare Advantage insurers and is set to take effect in April. Second, the federal government recently announced a proposed update to how Medicare Advantage insurers will be paid starting in 2024.

But the changes don't require cuts to benefits for Medicare Advantage enrollees, experts say. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 

I will keep you informed as things happen .

Crystal Ward , Legislative chairperson

To Your Health - Eye Drops

In case you missed the news about eyedrop recalls here is the latest information from AARP.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued recall notices for eye drop manufacturers Pharmedica and Apotex, citing contamination concerns. In February, EzriCare Artificial Tears were recalled after being linked to antibiotic-resistant infections.

Which brands of drops have been recalled? EzriCare and Delsam Pharma "Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops." Global Pharma Healthcare on February 2 recalled all lots of its EzriCare and Delsam Pharma brands of "Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops," which it said could be contaminated with bacteria

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued recall notices for eye drop manufacturers Pharmedica and Apotex, citing contamination concerns. In February, EzriCare Artificial Tears were recalled after being linked to antibiotic-resistant infections. At least 55 cases were reported, which resulted in vision loss, hospitalization and one death.

From Mona Ervin

Tech support scams  -

You Get a Phone Call, Pop-Up, or Email Telling You There's a Problem With Your Computer

Often, scammers are behind these calls, pop-up messages, and emails. They want to get your money, personal information, or access to your files. This can harm your network, put your data at risk, and damage your business.

How the Scam Works The scammers may pretend to be from a well-known tech company, such as Microsoft. They use lots of technical terms to convince you that the problems with your computer are real. They may ask you to open some files or run a scan on your computer — and then tell you those files or the scan results show a problem…but there isn’t one.

The scammers may then Ask you to give them remote access to your computer — which lets them access all information stored on it, and on any network connected to  -

• 
  
• Try to enroll you in a worthless computer maintenance or warranty program
• Install malware that gives them access to your computer and sensitive data, like user names and password
• Ask for credit card information so they can bill you for phony services or services available elsewhere for free
• Try to sell you software or repair services that are worthless or available elsewhere for free
• Direct you to websites and ask you to enter credit card, bank account, and other personal information
• 
  

Protect Yourselves!!!!

If a caller says your computer has a problem, hang up.

If you get a pop-up message to call tech support, ignore it. Some pop-up messages about computer issues are legitimate, but do not call a number or click on a link that appears in a pop-up message warning you of a computer problem.

If you’re worried about a virus or other threat, call your security software company directly, using the phone number on its website, the sales receipt, or the product packaging. Or consult a trusted security professional.

Never give someone your password, and don’t give remote access to your computer to someone who contacts you unexpectedly.

If you have been or suspect that you have been scammed do the following:

If you shared your password with a scammer, change it on every account that uses this password. Remember to use unique passwords for each account and service. Consider using a password manager.

Get rid of malware. Update or download legitimate security software. Scan your computer, and delete anything the software says is a problem. If you need help, consult a trusted security professional.

If the affected computer is connected to your network, you or a security professional should check the entire network for intrusions.

If you bought bogus services, ask your credit card company to reverse the charges, and check your statement for any charges you didn’t approve. Keep checking your credit card statements to make sure the scammer doesn’t try to re-charge you every month.

Report the attack right away to the FTC at FTC.gov/Complaint.

Reverse Mortgage Scams - In this day and age of soring costs for everything, many seniors are falling victim to reverse mortgage scams.  Many seniors see reverse mortgages as a way to maintain the life style they have become accustomed to, but beware these mortgages may not  be as rosy as they appear.

Reverse Mortgage information to be  aware of:

The timing of the green post card from National Data Research couldn’t be better. With its bold headline, “New Government Program for Seniors Over 62,” the unsolicited mailing offers some welcome promises in these tough economic times: the chance to pay off existing mortgages and credit card debt, make home repairs and renovations, even the ability to “enhance your lifestyle.”

Just sign the postage-paid card, list your phone number and your age and your spouse’s, and you’ll receive “free information about how much money you qualify for.” After all, the card notes, “It is your Legal Right as a United States Taxpayer to receive all the Information available to you.”

What is not disclosed anywhere on the post card is its real purpose: to collect your contact information so it can be sold to vendors of reverse mortgages. And from there, it could be sold to other salesmen, resulting in unwanted mail and telephone solicitations.

Although there is nothing illegal about selling reverse mortgages, which let property owners collect money borrowed against equity they’ve acquired in their homes, this recent mailing is another example of correspondence that masquerades as official government offerings when it’s anything but.

In this case, National Data Research is another official-sounding name used by Acc-U-Lead, a Texas-based company with a long history of mailing what authorities call deceptive mailings that target older citizens.

The bottom line: Don’t let an official-sounding name fool you, in letters, e-mails or phone calls. A bona fide government entity can easily be checked with an online search, and these copycats are likely to be scammers who ask for upfront fees for “free government money.”

DID YOU KNOW  from Mona Ervin

Well, as the saying goes, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  The beginning of March was certainly “lionlike” almost monster like with the snow and the wind gusts.  In that vein, this months quiz is all about monsters.  Not the friendly ones like Sully and Mike from Monsters, Inc, but the evil kind.  The monsters described below come from literature and movies.  How many can you identify?

1. In Greek mythology, this monster had the body of a man and the head and tail of a bull. It was the offspring of the Cretan Queen Pasiphae and a majestic bull. Due to its monstrous form, King Minos ordered the craftsman, Daedalus, and his son, Icarus, to build a huge maze known as the Labyrinth to house the beast who remained in the Labyrinth receiving annual offerings of youths and maidens to eat. He was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus. Who was this monster?
2. This monster is a literary creation of Mary Shelley. It is an artificial man comprised from pieces of corpses who come to life. After some damning evidence was uncovered, it was found that Shelley had actually tried many of the experiments on her pet dog, Richard. Who is this creation?
3. In Greek mythology, this female monster is also called Gorgo,  and is one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those who gazed into her eyes would turn to stone. Who is this monstrous female?
4. This monster known by two names is “found” in the forests of North America.  It  is often described as a large, muscular, bipedal ape-like creature covered in black, dark brown, or dark reddish hair.  Anecdotal descriptions estimate a height of roughly 6–9 ft, with some descriptions having the creatures standing as tall as 10–15 ft.  Some alleged observations describe this creature as more "man-like", with reports of a human-like face. The enormous footprints for which the creature is named are claimed to be as large 24 in long and 8 in wide.  What are the two names by which this monster is known?
5. This next creature is a gigantic water-snake-like monster with nine heads (the number varies), one of which was immortal. The monster’s haunt was the marshes of Lerna,, from which he periodically emerged to harry the people and livestock of Lerna.  Anyone who attempted to behead the this monstrous snake found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound. The destruction of the Lernean creature became one of the 12 Labors of Hercules. Who was this hideous creature?
6. These next monsters are rooted in Norse, Greek, Roman, Creole and West African mythology.  These creatures are animated corpses brought back to life and are referred to as the “undead.”  Who are they – hint there is a popular television program about them.
7. This giant monster was spawned from the waste of nuclear tests, discovered in the sea and rises to threaten Japan. The only hope of stopping the monster is the oxygen destroyer, a weapon as deadly and as morally troubling as the atomic bombs that created the monster. This movie monster was a clear embodiment of Japanese fears about nuclear weapons in the wake of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As more movies were filmed the monster progressed changing into a less destructive and more heroic character.  Who is this popular anti-hero monster?
8. This next  monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the Southwestern United States and the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is a heavy, typically slow-moving reptile, up to 22 in long, and it is the only venomous lizard native to the United States. The monster is sluggish in nature, so it is not generally dangerous and very rarely poses a real threat to humans. However, it has a fearsome reputation and is sometimes killed in spite of the species being protected by state law in Arizona. Its name comes from the river where it was once plentiful. What is this monster called?
9. This monster, a vampire, was created by Bram Stoker.  The monster came from Transylvania and ended up  in London, where it was eventually killed. Who is this famous monster whose persona has been adapted for film over 30  times?
10. Affectionately known as Nessie this monster, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to live in the waters of the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protruding from the water. Who is this monster?

Answers:

1.The Minotaur

2. Frankenstein

3. Medusa

4.Bigfoot or Sasquatch

5.The Hydra

6. Zombies

7. Godzilla

8. Gila Monster

9. Dracula

10.Loch Ness Monster

VINDICATED!!  SAVED!!! YES!!!

At long last, I feel vinidcated. 

Everyone, well, lots and lots of people, give me a hard time for contending that a box cake has everything you need, and not enough of what you want.  My reputation as a kitchen experimenter is known, and sometimes ridiculed in the family.

How exciting to read this web page.

How to Make a Box Cake Better

or

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/baking-guide/crowd-pleasing-cakes/how-to-make-box-cake-better

And Mona sends along this book to consider.  I ordered the book on Amazon.  (Thanks Mona!)

The "other" thing you might try is adding a half-cup of ricotta cheese to the mix.  That works very well with a lemon cake, creating a nice, moist Italian lemon cake.

Let's keep it always - EEEEZEEE KWEEEZEEEN

See you on April 12, 2023.