Turning

I'm an 84-year-old man on Social Security with original Medicare and Mutual of Omaha gap insurance. My insurance premium was raised from $262 to $363 a month, a 39% jump. After all my monthly expenses, I have just $240 left. What can I do in the event of another increase in my premiums? If you've had your current Medicare supplement plan for years, it's not surprising that you've seen your costs steadily rise, says Steve Zaleznick, senior Medicare advisor at PlanPrescriber, a Maynard, Mass.-based online provider of Medicare education and plan comparison tools.

SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc. Chief Executive Marissa Mayer is attempting a bold - and risky - strategy to turn around the struggling Internet giant with the $1.1-billion acquisition of Tumblr, a trendy social blogging service popular with teens and young adults. Though Yahoo still has a massive online audience, it's losing its grip on young people and how they consume the Internet on mobile devices. Tumblr, a 6-year-old company with 100 million users who share links, photos and blog posts, represents the new guard of the Internet.

WASHINGTON - President Obama said Friday he wanted to put more Americans to work by slashing the amount of time it takes to grant federal approval for big job-creating projects. But Obama's choice of venue for his remarks - a Baltimore company that makes mining and pumping equipment - provided fodder for Republicans. They noted that the company president had, just the day before, testified on Capitol Hill in support of the Keystone XL pipeline, which the Obama administration has delayed for years over environmental concerns.

A word of advice. Never use the phrase "just a burger" with Nancy Silverton. I did and was promptly challenged on every aspect of burger-making, starting with where to buy the meat, what grind, size of patty, how to cook it, what to serve with it, what pickle, what bun, what ketchup, what mayonnaise, what mustard, what cheese, how thick to slice the avocado, what bacon, what smoke on the bacon, what occasion. The co-founder of Campanile restaurant and La Brea Bakery may be famous for more sophisticated food, but to her, the burger is one of the great American dishes, and exactly the thing that she likes to give friends for an end-of-summer barbecue.

NEW YORK - The next wave of union protesters isn't blue collar. It's lawyers, paralegals, secretaries, helicopter pilots, judges, insurance agents and podiatrists. These white-collar workers are not exactly the picture of the labor movement, but they are becoming a more essential part of it as they turn to unions for help in a tough economy as bosses try to squeeze out more profits. "Employers have been downsizing, asking employees to take on larger roles, making them work more hours," said Nicole Korkolis, spokeswoman for the Office and Professional Employees International Union.

The sharp cracks echoing from the East Bakersfield street were loud enough to jolt Ruben Ceballos from a midnight slumber. Then he heard screams. The 19-year-old jumped from his living room sofa and hurried to the kitchen door, which offered a view of the violent scene outside - Kern County sheriff's deputies repeatedly striking a man in the head with batons as he lay on the pavement. "I saw two sheriff's deputies on top of this guy, just beating him," Ceballos said in an interview Monday.

Ever wanted to know what your dog was doing all day without having to set up a complicated video camera system? People Power, a Palo Alto software company, has released a mobile app that can easily turn an old iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into a security camera. The company's free app, Presence, makes it possible for users who have Wi-Fi to set up one Apple device as a video camera and another as a monitor. For instance, a dog owner could take an old iPhone, turn it into a camera and then watch the pooch on an iPad at work.

"Turning Green," an amusing Irish coming-of-age comedy set in 1979, takes its title from the effect of chug-a-lug beer drinking upon 16-year-old James (gifted newcomer Donal Gallery). Pub patrons bet on his prowess, and James adds his winnings to the money he's trying to save up to get him and his younger brother, Pete (Killian Morgan), back to their native America. Six years earlier, after the death of their mother, their father shipped them off to three maiden aunts living in a coastal town as idyllic as it is boring for James.

Dwyane Wade had 25 points and seven assists, Michael Beasley added 22 points and the Miami Heat was in control throughout an easy 104-86 victory over the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic on Thursday night. Dwight Howard finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic. Vince Carter was scoreless for the first 21 minutes before finishing with 10 points. The Magic has dominated the Sunshine State rivalry in recent years, winning 12 of the last 14 meetings coming into Thursday, but now the Heat has won two in a row. -- associated press

NEW YORK - The next wave of union protesters isn't blue collar. It's lawyers, paralegals, secretaries, helicopter pilots, judges, insurance agents and podiatrists. These white-collar workers are not exactly the picture of the labor movement, but they are becoming a more essential part of it as they turn to unions for help in a tough economy as bosses try to squeeze out more profits. "Employers have been downsizing, asking employees to take on larger roles, making them work more hours," said Nicole Korkolis, spokeswoman for the Office and Professional Employees International Union.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - After a resounding victory in Pakistan's national elections, presumptive new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could have pressed his populist, hard-line approach that paints the U.S. as hopelessly malevolent and self-interested. Instead, Sharif, who served as prime minister in the 1990s, and his top aides have tried during the last few days to ensure that Washington does not feel alienated by his return to power. Sharif's team has denounced claims by critics who call him soft on militants and emphasized that the tension between Pakistan and the United States tied to American drone strikes and other issues cannot be resolved through threats and condemnation.

Brent Burns practically set up base camp next to Jonathan Quick in the third period, the San Jose forward getting clean looks and helping generate chance after chance against Quick. The Kings' goalie had to be at his very best under a prolonged third-period siege by Burns and his teammates, reaching back and pulling off a virtuoso performance from his 2012 playoff playbook. That playbook, as you might remember, is titled, "Most valuable player of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

For all the anguish he caused, there were moments when Manny Ramirez was a unique, irresistible, almost childlike force. That would be the Manny who was electric at the plate, and jovial and carefree in the clubhouse. Not the drug-busted, non-talking, non-producing Manny. But when he was going good, there was no one like him, neither via his baseball prowess or special antics on and off the field. Ramirez, who turns 41 on May 30, is not willing to give up the ghost just yet. After failing to hook up with the Oakland Athletics last season, he is now playing baseball in Taiwan.

WASHINGTON - First came the letter-writing campaigns, then the protests at town hall meetings and now the television ads. The last several weeks in New Hampshire have had the feel of a heated electoral season - but the target of this siege, first-term Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte, isn't on the ballot until 2016. Welcome to Round 2 in the battle over gun control. The first round ended last month, when a proposal to expand the background check system to cover most commercial gun sales fizzled in the Senate.

"How do I make this old bike go faster?" That refrain, heard frequently among the teeming masses riding from downtown to the beach in last month's CicLAvia and sure to be repeated again at the next one on June 23, has one obvious answer (work out more, dude) and three not-so-obvious ones: Oil the chain, adjust the seat to the proper height (so there's a slight bend in your knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke) and get some "clip-in" cycling shoes and pedals. Snapped into matching pedals via a step-in cleat you attach to a port on the bottom, clip-in shoes include a stiff sole and the ability to pull up as well as push down, thereby providing a huge mechanical advantage that transfers more of your energy into the crank.

For a driver, turning right on a red light is very convenient. However, careless drivers can make it very dangerous for pedestrians. Frequently, people stopped at red lights (and stop signs) only look to the left for oncoming traffic without even a glance to the right to check for pedestrians crossing the street. Pedestrians do still have the right of way. I have had quite a few close calls, and who knows how many people have actually been hurt in this situation.

On occasion, my wife and I have taken out-of-town visitors on Sunday outings to the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles to expose the uninitiated to the joy of a live gospel choir. I sometimes wonder how I stand with that power greater than myself while intruding on a house of worship solely to observe a spectacle. But we're always received so warmly that I quickly lose myself in the music and forget where I am. In that state, I've paid little notice to hats and shoes and dresses.

SAN FRANCISCO - The night started out on a high note with nine women, including a newlywed, out celebrating Saturday in the Bay Area. A limousine driver with LimoStop Inc. picked up the women in Oakland and was going to drop them off about 40 miles away at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City. But as the white 1999 Lincoln Town Car crossed the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, the passengers noticed smoke coming from the back of the vehicle, said San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault.