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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.

Here's a capital idea: a $280 round-trip fare on Southwest from LAX to Washington Dulles that includes all taxes and fees. It is subject to availability, and there is a 10-day advance-purchase requirement. There is no minimum stay. The ticket is for travel Tuesdays and Wednesdays through May and from Aug. 28 to Oct. 30. Info: Southwest , (800) 435-9792. Source: Airfarewatchdog.com Follow us on Twitter @latimestravel and like us on Facebook

Pity the poor Washington novelist, hunched over his word processor trying to make imagination outfly reality. What invented scenario, what mere contrivance of plot and character could rival the unlikely characters and improbable events that have been saturating the newspapers and airwaves? Christopher Buckley was coming home on Amtrak, working on a chapter in his new novel that involves a black friend of the president, a smooth fixer type named Burton Galilee.

Here's a quiz derived from National Council for Geographic Education curricula and questions devised for the National Geographic Bee. The bee, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, will draw the winners of state contests to Washington, D.C., to compete May 20 to 22 in the nationals. First prize includes a $25,000 college scholarship and a trip to the Galápagos Islands. No prizes given for correctly answering these geography-related questions, just bragging rights. (Note: The questions get progressively tougher.)

A controversial World War II monument to be built on the section of the Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument won 9-2 approval from the National Capital Planning Commission. The vote came after a series of witnesses denounced the plan as ugly and an obstacle to one of Washington's best-known views. The witness list showed 26 against the plan and six for it. Although the vote was technically a preliminary approval of the site and design, no major changes seemed likely.

Home run hitter Sammy Sosa and a pair of Scouts were on deck Wednesday to help President Clinton and his wife light the national Christmas tree. After a traditional 3-2-1 countdown, flipping the light switch was an honor being shared by Jessica Scott, from Washington's Brownie Troop 1257, and local Cub Scout Edgar Allen Shepard Jr.

HOUSTON -- When news broke today that blind Chinese human rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng plans to stay in China rather than seek asylum in the U.S., Bob Fu may have been one of the few people who was not surprised. Fu, who has advocated for Chen and other Chinese human rights activists through his Midland, Texas-based nonprofit ChinaAid, said he has been in touch with Chen, 40, before the activist's dramatic escape to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on April 22. "He's not interested in seeking political asylum or refugee" status, said Fu, 44. "If the Chinese government offers him a security guard and meet some of his demands to punish some of the officials, if that's a risk he wants to take, he may just choose to stay in China.

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.

Big-time, bed-rattling snoring is more than just a detriment to good sleep or happy relationships. It's also a sign that airways aren't open and clear. In extreme cases, snorers spend chunks of the night gasping for breath, a dangerous condition called sleep apnea. If they could somehow open up their airways, they would breathe easier without all of the racket and without the risk. Instead of sucking air through a mask or going under the knife — two common approaches to apnea — many snorers hope they can get extra breathing room with the help of an oral appliance that fits inside the mouth.

If you're planning a trip to China and don't have an up-to-date visa in hand, you may encounter some additional red tape. On Aug. 1, the Chinese government started requiring that travelers seeking tourist visas, officially known as L visas, submit a letter of invitation and photocopies of the traveler's round-trip ticket and hotel reservations.   To obtain a business, or F Visa, applicants must now have an invitation letter or “confirmation letter of invitation” issued by an authorized Chinese agency.

Here's a quiz derived from National Council for Geographic Education curricula and questions devised for the National Geographic Bee. The bee, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, will draw the winners of state contests to Washington, D.C., to compete May 20 to 22 in the nationals. First prize includes a $25,000 college scholarship and a trip to the Galápagos Islands. No prizes given for correctly answering these geography-related questions, just bragging rights. (Note: The questions get progressively tougher.)

SACRAMENTO - When Michelle Rhee wants to make a point about what she sees as the coddling of American children, she refers to her daughters' abundant soccer trophies. "My daughters suck at soccer," she says to crowds that roar with knowing laughter. The former District of Columbia schools chancellor is pitch perfect in the role of outraged parent and education reformer, distilling complex policy debates into bare-knuckled banter. In Rhee's world, as she recently told crowds in Los Angeles and Sacramento, teacher seniority protections are "whack," principals can be "nutty" and charter schools can be "crappy.

A spring break in the nation's capital is a rite of passage for some families, but if the airfare from the West Coast to the East has stretched your vacation budget, take heart. Many places are free, thanks to government funding (although the sequester may cause some changes in hours or personnel). Here are some suggestions on how to make the most with the least: Smithsonian: No visit to Washington, D.C., is complete without a visit to the nation's museums. First-time visitors learn fast that a trip to the Smithsonian is not a visit to one place.

WASHINGTON -- A drive-by shooting early Monday morning in Washington, D.C., injured at least 11 people. None of the victims' injuries are life-threatening, a Washington Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman said Monday. The department is investigating whether a 12th person was hurt when two cars sped by a street corner in an up-and-coming part of the city, opening fire on a crowd gathered outside a building. Police have not yet released any information on the shooters' potential motives.

The Batman mask worn by George Clooney , the slinky Catwoman suit worn by Halle Berry and other Hollywood film items will be donated to a Smithsonian museum on Friday (today). In an afternoon ceremony in Washington, D.C. , Warner Bros. Chairman Barry Meyer is scheduled to turn over more than 30 artifacts from 13 of his studio's films to the National Museum of American History . The pieces are dominated by superheroes but draw on a little of the studio's past, too. Among the items being donated to the Smithsonian are the overcoat worn by Bette Davis in "Now, Voyager" (1942)

What's remarkable about photojournalist Leonard Freed's book "This Is the Day: The March on Washington" (Getty: $29.95), a photo essay documenting the historic Aug. 28, 1963, civil-rights march, is that it includes only one photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. A wide-angle shot of the crowd gathered at the base of the Lincoln Memorial shows a barely discernible King at the podium giving his celebrated "I Have a Dream" speech. Freed's "focus was on seeing the event from multiple points of view, from students to clergy to the national park rangers," said Paul Farber, instructor of urban studies at the University of Pennsylvania who worked closely with the photographer's widow, Brigitte, to select 75 images from his archive of 500 black-and-white photos (Freed died in 2006)

At the headquarters of Boston Medical Group in Costa Mesa, six salesmen were working the toll-free appointment line on a recent afternoon, fielding calls from men around the country enticed by newspaper and radio ads promising a "proven" solution to erectile dysfunction in "one office visit. " The results are visible "right there in the office," one sales representative told a caller. "It's amazing. " Following a script, he answered a few questions and offered to schedule a $195 consultation at one of the company's 21 U.S. clinics.

For more than 20 years, Kristine Kidd tasted what came her way as the food editor at Bon Appetit magazine. But she never felt great. "I had digestive issues my whole life," she says, but 2 1/2 years ago, the aching joints, bloating, fatigue and digestive problems became so severe she couldn't ignore the symptoms of celiac disease. She had already left her job and started doing some research, she says in the roomy, sunny kitchen of her hilltop home in Topanga Canyon. "I was so miserable.

The latest artwork to join the permanent Phillips Collection in Washin g ton isn't an oil painting, a sketch or even a sculpture. It's a small room that will be coated with more than 800 pounds of beeswax and where one to two people at a time can squeeze in and behold its golden-tinged walls. The idea is to create "a meditative encounter that is expected to be immediate and intense," according to a museum statement. The installation is the brainchild of German artist Wolfgang Laib, who in the past has created temporary wax rooms at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at several European museums.

California is sorely lacking when it comes to school reform, failing to adopt policies to limit teacher tenure and use student test scores in teacher evaluations, according to a rating of states issued Monday by a high-profile education advocacy group. California received an overall grade of F, ranking 41st nationally, from StudentsFirst, a Sacramento-based group run by Michelle Rhee, the former schools chancellor in Washington, D.C., whose outspoken views have polarized those who share her focus on improving the nation's schools.