Free Republic

The threat against our shared reality.A time existed when you could turn to a library, a newspaper, or a news network and be fairly confident the information you received was factual. Seeing used to be believing. Photos, videos, recordings, and other sources validated information. Those days are gone. Mis- and disinformation run rampant through digital spaces, creating branching narratives that emerge from algorithmic bubbles and infiltrate the real world. And now that the technology to generate spurious video and audio with AI is accessible and quickly improving, the difference between real and fake is becoming harder to discern. Fact and...

As a retiree from high school teaching in NYC, we have Medicare (80%) and supplemental insurance (20%). Effective Jan. 1, our insurance will be NYC Medicare Advantage Plus Plan and will be administered by Emblem Health and by Blue Shield, not by the troika of Medicare, Emblem Health, and Blue Shield as is presently the case. All medical bills will go to the new plan. The plan in turn will pay the doctors and hospital. There is a $253 deductible for each person and a $300 deductible for hospital admission. My experience is that we are already moving toward Medicare...