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  • Do It Yourself: Unclogging Tough Drains

    Do It Yourself: Unclogging Tough Drains

    You turn on the faucet, and the sink begins to fill with water. You think, okay, maybe I’ve got the stopper in. To your dismay, the drain is open and unimpeded, but the water is only barely draining. You’ve got a clogged, slow drain and you’re dreading calling a plumber and seeing the huge bill attached to their visit. What can you do?

    Today we’re looking at a few ways you can try to unclog a drain yourself, and why you really should do so. Let’s get into some DIY home maintenance, some Feng Shui, and how to avoid paying an arm and a leg to the plumber.

    Unclogging Tough Drains

    Why You Should

    The last thing you need in your home is a slow-draining sink or tub. They’re absolute breeding grounds for bacteria, making your home smelly and unsanitary. One of the best things about living in a home with modern amenities is plumbing: pipes that carry waste and dirt away from your home are critical to sanitary living and a long lifespan.

    If the “sanitation” argument isn’t doing it for you, consider the Feng Shui angle. Maybe you’ve heard of this philosophy: it holds that the way you organize your living space directs the flow of Chi, or spirit energy, in your home. In Western terms, a bad living space puts your head in a bad space. Feng Shui practitioners claim that slow drains can be a drain on your energy, ensuring lower finances, draining your good health, dragging down travel plans and even clogging your sinuses.

    Calling in the Plumber

    Your first instinct may be to call in the plumber. However, as good of advice as this is in an emergency situation, a slow drain is no emergency. You should try every home solution you can, first. Plumbers have to upcharge a ton for a variety of reasons, so you’ll end up spending a lot more on them than you will on any home solutions.

    A slow drain is almost always cause by a soft blockage. This can be hair or similar gunk that’s just cluttered up and become a ball of water-stopping grossness. A soft blockage like this can usually be broken down by some abrasive chemicals. Of course, if none of these home remedies work, it’s time to call in a pro, sadly.

    Drano (and Other Products)

    Store-bought drain cleaners, like name-brand Drano and all of its derivatives, can be helpful for these types of clogs. Typically, these drain products work best on clogs that are either caught in the first vertical trap of the drain, or in the third section. Things caught in the U-trap, the second, horizontal section, usually require a bit more in-depth solution.

    Drano should be able to break up any gunk caught in the drain that isn’t, say, a solid blockage. If someone has gotten a marble or some other little foreign object stuck in the drain, it’ll need to be removed manually.

    Removing the U-Trap

    If the blockage still isn’t gone, it’s time to go hands-on. Make sure that there is no drain product in the U-trap by thoroughly flushing the drain in question. Once that’s done, get some gloves on and put a bucket under the pipes. Remove the nuts from the front and back of the trap and then take it off. Let the water drain from both sides, and then drain the water from the removed trap.

    Take a bent pipe cleaner and scrub out whatever gunk or blockage is gumming up the works. Once that’s done, just re-attach the trap and send some warm water through the pipe. The blockage should be cleared. If neither of these approaches did the trick, it’s time to call in a pro.


  • Artificial Intelligence: Fact vs Fiction

    Artificial Intelligence: Fact vs Fiction

    One of the most misunderstood terms in computer science is “artificial intelligence”. While many people are familiar with the term artificial intelligence, or its shortened form, AI, they might have a picture of AI in their mind that doesn’t reflect the reality. Sci-fi movies paint a picture of an AI as simply a human-like intelligence that lives in a computer. That’s not entirely accurately.

    Today we’re looking a bit more closely at real artificial intelligence initiatives, how they differ from pop culture depictions of AI, and some of the ethical and philosophical questions raised by artificial intelligence technology.

    What is Artificial Intelligence?

    In simple terms, artificial intelligence refers to intelligence being displayed by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and other animals. In the popular conception of an artificial intelligence, the term refers to machines that can mimic natural intelligence features such as problem solving, learning and innovation.

    Within the scientific community, there is an ongoing effect known as the “AI effect.” This observation states that any functionality once thought to be “artificial intelligence” that becomes achievable by current-day machines is no longer dubbed AI. For instance, tasks such as understanding human speech, playing games like chess and Go and decrypting written language were all once reserved for “artificial intelligence,” though they are now common computer programs.

    In short, as Tesler’s Theorem jokes, “AI is whatever hasn’t been done yet.”

    Types of AI

    There are three main types of artificial intelligence. These include analytical, human-inspired and, finally, humanized AI. Analytical AI is the simplest, and encompasses things like learning, problem-solving and understanding representations of the world around them. Human-inspired AI are more complex and would involve the understanding and emulation of human emotion. Essentially, these would be “emotionally intelligent” AI.

    Finally, humanized AI would most closely resemble the sci-fi incarnation of a human-like intelligence that can think, reason, emote and feel in all the same ways as a human being. Humanized AI, in theory, would be fully self-aware, cognizant, and, essential, would have all of the elements that make natural intelligence aware of their place in the world. This form of AI carries serious philosophical and ethical implications.

    Ethics and Philosophy

    Humanized AI raises a serious question: is a sufficiently intelligent computer program, one that shows evidence of self-awareness, a person? Should society extend human rights and legal protections to artificial intelligences? How should we react should the artificial intelligence prove hostile, or hold values contrary to those of its creator?

    Even deeper than these questions, there are serious philosophical questions about the nature of consciousness. We know we are conscious, or, at least, each individual can know that they are conscious. However, it’s difficult to distinguish a sufficiently well-programmed piece of software from a truly self-aware machine intelligence. How can we know that the program in question is actually experiencing consciousness, not just emulating the signifiers of consciousness we programmed into it?

    Reality vs Expectation

    The difference in the reality of artificial intelligence and the expectations of them have led to a number of miscommunications between researchers and their funding. Companies and universities funding AI research often expect fully-aware, sentient AI to leap fully-formed from the researchers’ computers, while the researchers are simply making iterative probes into the nature of machine learning and intelligence.

    In the short-term, it’s unclear if any of the software we currently have could be defined as “artificial intelligence,” due to the AI effect reclassifying innovations as simple machine processes, not intelligence. In the long-term, we will have a number of decisions to make regarding the future of artificial intelligence, how we as a species deal with machine intelligence, and what rights we extend to apparently self-aware programs.


  • Choosing an ISP for Your Business: What to Look For

    Choosing an ISP for Your Business: What to Look For

    The days of businesses not relying on internet services to get work done are long behind us. No matter what field your business is engaged in, you need to have a great internet connection. It needs to be fast, it needs to be reliable, and it needs to fit your budget.

    Often, getting all three of these factors to line up is a herculean feat. However, today we’re going to help you narrow it down by pointing out some of the biggest factors that make a business internet plan attractive to a business like yours.

    Types of Internet Available

    There are a number of different types of internet. If you’re not familiar with anything other than “broadband” and “dial-up,” this section is for you. There are a number of different types of internet available, and they each offer various strengths and weaknesses. Most well-known among modern internet connections is likely DSL, once called just “broadband.” DSL stands for digital subscriber line, and it’s the middle-ground on speed and price. It’s completely fine, nothing to write home about.

    Another older, but still popular, solution is cable internet. This is an internet form that literally uses coaxial television cables to send the data to your computer. Introduced in the 90’s, this internet solution is still pretty fast, offering speeds of up to 100 Mbps. The only issues with cable internet are that coaxial cables aren’t nearly as plentiful now as they were in 1998, and it remains relatively expensive. Oh, and it slows down when your neighbors get on the internet.

    Less Common Internet Providers

    If you want a faster connection via for your internet, you’re not getting DSL or cable. You’ve got a much faster option available, thankfully. Fiber internet uses fiber optic cables to deliver information as pulses of light, offering the fastest internet speeds currently available. In fact, fiber optic cables are the oldest option for sending internet data: they were how the basis of the internet was formed. However, they’re expensive, and they have a decidedly shorter reach than other forms of internet.

    Another uncommon internet service is via satellite. Satellite is great for businesses in remote regions that might not have internet wiring readily available. To be fair, satellite internet is rarely as fast as DSL, though it’s typically the only option for remotely located businesses. As such, if it’s all you can get, it’ll get the job done.

    Also, dial-up internet technically still exists. Yes, we’re serious. Yes, it’s incredibly slow, and it’s dirt-cheap. You probably do not want dial-up internet in your place of businesses unless you have almost nothing to do with the internet.

    Consider Your Needs

    Do you need the absolute fastest internet speeds available? Well, that depends on what your business does, and how big it is. Just because you have a big budget for internet doesn’t mean you need to break the bank on the best internet service available. On average, if you’re operating a smaller business with five or so employees, an internet speed of 30 Mbps or so should do the trick.

    Meanwhile, if you’re operating with seven to twenty employees, you’re probably going to want an internet speed exceeding 60 Mbps. As such, it follows that with more than twenty employees, you’re going to want 100 Mbps or more, and when you’re getting above that, you’re likely operating a medium-sized business of fifty or more employees.

    Other Considerations

    Make sure you know what the average yearly downtime for a given ISP is before you sign up with them. Likewise, check what their customer service scores are like. Are other customers satisfied with their internet, and with their customer support? Ask about any data caps, how long the contract is for, and any other spooky fine print that you might want to steer clear of.


  • Best Employee Time Tracking Software: Smarter Business Solutions

    Best Employee Time Tracking Software: Smarter Business Solutions

    Every business needs the right tools in order to succeed. Chief among these tools are employee management tools. When your employees clock in, when they leave: these are critical data points you have to have great tracking of. Time tracking software is how you generate payroll, and how you accurately keep up with billable hours, time management and project durations.

    When you get employee time tracking software, you need the best. It needs to be reliable, easy to use and easier to read. No one wants to have to decipher crazy tables and illegible data points in order to try to generate payroll. Today we’re looking at a few of the best employee tracking software solutions on the market to help you narrow it down to the best options. Run your business like a pro with these smart time tracking solutions.

    Beebole

    Don’t let the odd name fool you: Beebole is a great app for businesses of any size. Whether you have only 10 employees or 1,000, Beebole can help you to manage your team’s time. Of course, it can track basic time sheets, but it’s also great for coordinating project time management as well as budget monitoring.

    Beebole offers budget tracking, configurable time reports, one-click timers and a lot more. It’s incredibly simple and easy-to-use, but it’s also highly modular and can be configured to do pretty much whatever you need it to. To add to how easy it is to use, it’s also got a mobile app that works on all mobile devices, and can even be used when offline. Beebole only costs $6 per month, and there are even discounts for large groups.

    Scoro

    Scoro is a very popular time sheet program capable of handling tons of functions for your business. The basic time-tracking is there, of course, keeping up with billable hours employee in and out times and project durations. This information is presented in a clear and easy-to-read format, and can be used to help coordinate team efforts on project. This is a stellar tool for people who need their teams to work consistently on time-sensitive projects.

    Scoro is a lot more than just time-tracking, though. It also offers billing automation, quoting and invoicing, time and work reports, CRM and a lot more. It can probably replace three or four different tools you’re already using for these tasks, likely saving you a ton of money. Scoro costs only $26 per month per user, and you can try it out for 14 days for free.

    Harvest

    Harvest is a favorite time-tracking app of hundreds of businesses. It’s one of the best-known time tracking software solutions, and for good reason: it’s a very focused time tracker for businesses of small or medium size. It’s not like the other software suites on this list, though: it’s not a team collaboration tool, it’s primary function is as a time tracker. This single-mindedness makes it incredibly straightforward: it has one job, and it does that job quite well.

    Harvest is available in both free and paid plans. The paid version starts at $12 per month per user. The app supports real-time tracking of time spent on the job, generates estimates of invoices based on collected data, and can even integrate data from across a wide variety of time-tracking tools. In short, there’s a lot of very useful features under the hood of this deceptively simple time-tracking app. Whether you’re running a small business and just need an inexpensive solution for your time-tracking or you’re running a medium-sized business and need an efficient and focused time-tracker, Harvest can fill these roles for you.


  • Heed the Warning Signs: Alcoholism and its Effects

    Heed the Warning Signs: Alcoholism and its Effects

    Alcoholism is not a laughing matter. The symptoms can be hard to spot sometimes, whether in yourself or in a loved one, but they are deadly serious. Alcoholism can, and will, affect every aspect of the sufferers life, and can have residual effects that harm their loved ones, too. Today we’ll be looking at some of the biggest red flags that suggest the presence of alcoholism, or alcoholic tendencies.

    Remember, of course, that there’s a difference between enjoying a few drinks with friends and abusing alcohol. We’ll be going over these distinctions, as it’s common for sufferers to shrug off their drinking problem as simply “cutting loose” and “having fun.”

    Drinking Alone

    A person who consistently drinks alone may be suffering from alcoholism. It’s unusual to sit by oneself and drink, whether that’s just a few drinks to “take the edge off” or drinking to intoxication while alone. A strong, consistent desire to consume alcohol, even when there’s no one else around, is an indicator of alcoholism.

    This practice has been somewhat normalized by the image of someone just enjoying a single glass of wine or a can of beer. However, these little indulgences can lead to serious problems with alcohol abuse. When you’re alone, just grab a soda, or a water. There’s no need to drink just because you’ve got a free minute.

    Blacking Out

    Drinking until you’re “blackout drunk” is a very disorienting and unpleasant experience. Being “blackout drunk” means that you’re so inebriated that you will experience anterograde amnesia, forgetting many of the details of the night of drinking. This condition is also referred to as “blacking out,” and is, sadly, a goal for some binge-drinkers.

    Such behavior indicates a serious abuse of alcohol. If you or someone you know drinks to the point of blacking out, this is a red flag. Even when drinking socially, this much alcohol consumption is detrimental both to your physical health and your mental health.

    Mood Swings, Irritability

    Mood swings and irritability, as well as a general feeling of being hungover whenever not drinking, can be symptoms of alcohol dependency. People who abuse alcohol can develop severe physical dependencies on alcohol, and when they’re not drinking they feel feverish, nauseous, irritable and unwell.

    If you or someone you know seems to only be in a good mood when drinking, take heed of this red flag. A related symptom is mood swings that appear out of nowhere. One minute, the person seems happy and content, but the next they are inexplicably angry and irritated with their surroundings. This often follows nights of binge drinking and could be a symptom of alcohol dependency.

    Missing Responsibilities/Obligations

    Let’s not mince words: a person who is missing their obligations in order to drink, or because of being hungover from drinking, is an alcoholic. There are no shades of grey: if you’re calling out of work in order to sleep of a night of binge drinking, you’re suffering from alcoholism and need to seek help.

    If someone you love is consistently missing responsibilities and has little or no explanation as to why, they might be shirking their obligations to drink. Such situations can be incredibly awkward, as alcoholics can often become extremely defensive if confronted on their drinking habits.

    What to do

    Those who are suffering from alcoholism, or their loved ones, can often feel helpless in the face of the condition. However, there is help out there: alcoholism rehabilitation is available for sufferers. There are both in-patient and out-patient facilities, as well as support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. The first step to confronting alcoholism, of course, is admitting that there is a problem. Only then can the sufferer seek help with their condition and get treatment.


  • What is Eosinophilic Asthma? Signs and Symptoms

    What is Eosinophilic Asthma? Signs and Symptoms

    Nearly one in twelve people in the US suffers from some form of asthma. As research into the conditions that underly asthma has gotten more robust, it has become apparent that asthma is not just one condition, but several that can cause similar symptoms. One such condition is eosinophilic asthma. Unlike traditional asthma, it requires some distinct treatments.

    Today we’re looking at eosinophil asthma, its symptoms, its causes and how it is diagnosed and treated. It’s distinct from asthma in a number of noteworthy ways. If you feel like you might be suffering from asthma, speak to your doctor. They will be able to help you narrow down your symptoms and figure out what is causing your ailment.

    Eosinophilic Asthma

    Eosinophilic asthma, commonly shortened to EA, is a severe form of asthma. One of its telltale signs is a very high level of white blood cells in the body. Namely, the condition is marked by the white blood cells in the body causing inflammation in the airways, stopping the normal flow of oxygen throughout the body.

    Typically, white blood cells serve a role in the immune system, helping the body to isolate and obliterate foreign contagions. However, in cases of EA, the body’s overabundance of these white blood cells causes swelling and airway blockages, leading to full-blown asthma attacks.

    Symptoms

    The symptoms of EA are often similar to those of traditional asthma, and some of these symptoms even share similarities to chronic pulmonary obstructive disorder, or COPD. Symptoms can include shortness or breath, wheezing, chronic sinus infection symptoms, coughing, chest tightness, obstructed breathing and even nasal polyps.

    One of the most notable symptoms, of course, is the high level of eosinophils in the blood, from which EA derives its name. Since the symptoms of this condition closely mirror several other conditions, it’s important you work with your doctor to understand what exactly is causing your symptoms, so you get the proper treatment for the condition you’re suffering from.

    Diagnosis

    Often, people are first diagnosed with traditional asthma, even if they have EA. This is because EA’s symptoms are so similar to those of traditional asthma, and some of the only tests that can easily determine if this isn’t the case is bloodwork. As such, asthma sufferers who aren’t responding well to traditional asthma treatment, like inhalers, might be suffering from EA.

    Other tests that might be able to determine the presence of EA, instead of asthma, would be a physical exam. If the physical found that the patient suffered from nasal polyps, that could be an indicator that they were dealing with EA, instead of asthma.

    Treatment

    Inhaled corticosteroids, the common treatment for traditional asthma, may have less effect on someone suffering from EA. Larger doses might have some impact early on, but constantly increasing the dosage has diminishing returns and stops helping after a time. As such, doctors typically prefer to address the inflammation cause by EA through different medications.

    One such medication is a corticosteroid in pill form, which can have some success in preventing inflammation. However, these have a number of side effects that inhaled corticosteroids don’t usually entail. Likewise, rescue inhalers might be prescribed, but they have diminishing returns for people with EA.

    Other treatment options could include leukotrienes modifiers, which help to keep the impact of eosinophils down. Leukotrienes tend to pair up with eosinophils, so modifying them can impact the inflammatory nature of the eosinophils. Another option for treatment is biologic therapies, medications that block out chemicals that are typically connected to causing inflammation in the body. These medications are usually delivered via an IV or an injection, as they operate best intravenously.


  • Best Smartphones in 2019: Best Phones Money Can Buy

    Best Smartphones in 2019: Best Phones Money Can Buy

    When it’s time to upgrade, you want nothing but the best. If money is truly no object and you want to own the very best cellphone, you’ve got an overflowing number of options in 2019. From Samsung phones with killer displays to Google’s unbelievably cameras, there are ample options. If you’re looking for something from Apple, the newest iPhone X models are also stellar options.

    Today we’re breaking down some of the top smartphones on the market and what each offers. For today’s list, we’re not worried about price: we’re only concerned with raw performance. Here are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the best smartphones that money can buy.

    Android or iOS?

    While the conversation about the best phone rages on, so does the conversation about the best phone OS. Of course, both iOS and Android have their distinctive pros and cons. However, we’re not going to tell you which side to pick, so we’ve included top phones from both sides of the ongoing smartphone wars.

    iPhone XS

    The newest iteration of Apple’s revolutionary iPhone X line is a worthy successor to the phone lineage that started the smartphone craze. No physical face buttons, no fingerprint reader and no bezels, aside from that controversial screen notch, make this a sleek, black mirror. The Face ID unlocking tech is stellar, working in a variety of lighting and weather conditions. This tech is truly years ahead of other phone maker’s facial recognition. This is all powered by the unparalleled A12 Bionic chip running the phone.

    The iPhone XS also sports a number of incredible cameras, each taking stellar pictures in both standard mode and portrait mode. What’s more, those pictures pop incredibly on the XS’s massive OLED screen, its deep blacks and vibrant colors making for a truly impressive handset. That being said, this is quite the pricey phone: starting out at $1,000 for the normal size one, and jumping even higher for the larger iPhone XS Plus, this one will set you back. However, that’s the price you pay for the best iPhone ever made.

    Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

    If you didn’t expect the Samsung Galaxy line’s newest iteration to show up, you might not be a smartphone enthusiast. The S10 Plus carries forward a number of innovations seen on prior iterations of the Galaxy line, including a long battery life, a huge screen and a top-of-the-line processor. While the Infinity-O design isn’t the most popular design decision Samsung has ever made, but it’s easy enough to overlook.

    Using the MicroUSB input, you can expand the phone’s storage to an impressive 1.5 TB. That’s a lot of music and photos! Likewise, the phone’s astonishing Live Focus photo style looks incredible for pictures taken with the interior selfie cams. Now, if only those selfie cams didn’t cut an ugly hole in the middle of the screen…

    Google Pixel 3 XL

    The closest thing to an iPhone you’ll see on the Android platform, Google’s Pixel phone line has the keys to the Android kingdom. As Google makes Android, their in-house smartphone line gets all of the latest goodies and updates for the OS. Essentially, this is the Apple “walled garden” design ethos, but executed on an Android device.

    The Pixel 3 XL impresses in pretty much every way. The screen is huge and gorgeous. Camera performance is unparalleled and blows us away every time. The processor running under the hood gives Apple a run for their money, and that’s really saying something. If you’re interested in being on the cutting edge of Android updates and love Google’s design philosophy, then you’ll love the Pixel 3 XL.


  • Lemon Juice Cleanse: Is it Real? Does it Work?

    Lemon Juice Cleanse: Is it Real? Does it Work?

    Everyone’s heard of juice cleanses. Proponents of these juice cleanse (or “master cleanse”) diets proclaim that they help you to burn fat quickly, and that they somehow “cleanse” your system of residual “toxins”. The question we have is: are these the real deal? Do they actually work to help you lose weight, and do they really have these cleansing properties? Let’s look at the science behind these cleanse diets.

    Lemon Juice Cleanse

    The Diet

    First, let’s look at the diet in question and ask a few questions about it. Firstly, what is the diet? In short, the lemon juice cleanse is just that: a juice fast wherein the practitioner eats no solid food for ten days and ingests only a sweetened lemon juice concoction. This is pretty much par the course for any fast-based diet.

    There are also some variations on this diet that have you ingest saltwater and some laxative teas. These inclusions are ostensibly for the “cleanse” portion of the juice cleanse, though their efficacy is… debated, to put it nicely.

    Easing in and Out

    It’s not recommended that you just jump headlong into a liquid fast. Doing so would be very taxing on your system. Instead, start by cutting out processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, meat and dairy. (If you’re really down for long-term weight loss, stop here!) The next day, cut out solid foods and move to smoothies and broths. The day after, drink only orange juice and the lemon concoction.

    The Master Cleanse’s creators then recommend you stay on the diet for between 10 and 40 days, though there is no research to back up this time table. Reverse the way you eased into the cleanse when you’re finished, introducing other items back into your diet.

    Weight Loss

    For those wondering, yes, going without solid food for ten days is doable, and it’s not necessarily bad for you. However, it’s also not exactly good for you: regularly taking in vitamins and minerals and other nutrients is better than fasting. However, fasting is technically better for you than eating a bunch of junk food for ten days. That said, ideally, you should just be eating stuff that is good for you.

    In short, this diet is technically a good way to lose weight in the short term. This goes for any fasting: you’ll likely see pretty quick results, as your body goes into survival mode and starts burning your fat. Here’s the catch: without proper nutrition and exercise, when you start eating normal food again, you’re going to gain that weight back just as fast.

    Removing “Toxins”

    One of the biggest selling points of any “cleanse” diet is their claim to be able to remove “toxins” from your body. Here’s the thing: if there are toxins in your body, you’ve got problems that some lemon juice isn’t going to fix, you need to be in a hospital. Your body isn’t just loaded full of toxic gunk, even if you’re normally eating junk food. Your liver is really good at neutralizing toxins, and does so every day.

    In fact, the only diets that can purport to have any effect on toxins are those that bolster the liver’s ability to neutralize them. These diets tend to incorporate things like seaweed and cruciferous vegetables, and are largely backed by scientific research. “Cleanse” diets, on the other hand, have no such properties. They’re more accurately referred to as “juice fasts,” as they have no proven ability to cleanse the body of anything aside from a higher calorie intake.

    Should You do the Master Cleanse?

    No, probably not. It’s not very good for you, and you’ll probably just feel dizzy and gross for the duration. You might lose a few pounds from not eating anything, but then you’re going to gain that back when you get off of this crazy diet. Instead of this diet, consider just eating healthier foods and exercising! It’s a tried and true health routine.


  • What is the AARP? Facts and Benefits

    What is the AARP? Facts and Benefits

    You’ve certainly heard of the AARP, though you might not be sure what exactly the organization is. The name stands for American Association of Retired Persons, and they’re primarily known for their lobbying activities for older Americans. The organization is a non-profit, and it sports more than 38 million members. It’s a rather sizable lobbying force, and it offers a multitude of benefits to its considerable number of members.

    Originally founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, the modern AARP is derived from an earlier non-profit, the National Retired Teachers Association, or NRTA. Today, the NRTA still exists within the AARP, though it’s no longer the primary face of the organization. Today we’re looking at what exactly the AARP does, what it offers members, and whether joining is a good idea for you.

    Historical Overview

    The non-profit started as the NRTA in 1947, and was created by Ethel Percy Andrus. Andrus created the NRTA to promote her philosophy regarding productive aging, to destigmatize the experience of growing older. In 1958, in order to spread this philosophy further, Andrus opened the organization to all Americans over 50, thus creating the AARP.

    There has been some controversy over this version of events, however. In 1978, a 60 Minutes report claimed that the AARP was originally created by Leonard Davis, the founder of insurance agency Colonial Penn Group, and was primarily meant to advertise the insurance group to older Americans. Following the publication of this report, the AARP stopped offering Colonial Penn insurance plans, and switched to Prudential Financial. Whether this was spurred by the report or not is unclear.

    Non-Profit Status

    The AARP was the subject of another controversy in the 1990’s. During this period, Senate hearings spearheaded by Senate Republican Alan K. Simpson investigated the organization’s non-profit, tax-exempt status. While the organization retained its tax-exempt status following the hearings, Simpson stated he was still “troubled” by the committee’s findings and the AARP’s practices.

    According to the investigation, the committee did not find sufficient evidence that the AARP couldn’t be classified as a non-profit. Assertions that the organization existed primarily to sell insurance to members were found to be unproven, though the seeds of doubt were sown by these investigations. Simpson later described the AARP as “the greatest abuse of American generosity I witnessed in my time in the U.S. Senate”.

    Benefits for Members

    The majority of members of the AARP sign up in order to take advantage of the multitude of benefits the non-profit offers. Chief among these benefits is the free tax preparation service, which is a popular service used by over 2 million members every year. Retired persons often have incredibly complex tax returns due to their numerous assets and income sources, so it’s no surprise they would want help preparing their taxes.

    Another major benefits that members receive is the discount on insurance, including home, auto, life and health insurance discounts through a partnered agency. There are also discounts and benefits on travel packages, particularly cruises, that are offered to members. The AARP magazine distributed to members is the most-circulated publication in the US, as well, and is a major draw to joining.

    Membership

    Membership with the AARP is $16 per year at its base amount, though this number could be lower if you sign up for multiple years at once. In all, it’s not a lot for the number of discounts and benefits you get. The only requirement for members is that you’re over 50 years old.

    Really, the only thing holding anyone back from signing on as a member would be lingering concerns over their practices as a non-profit, which includes lobbying. Some people cite residual concerns from the 90’s era Senate hearings as a reason to not be a member. It’s up to you whether these concerns are enough to stop from signing up and enjoying the benefits.


  • Where You Should Buy Glasses: The Best Deals

    Where You Should Buy Glasses: The Best Deals

    When it comes time to buy glasses, it won’t surprise you to hear that your prescription is going to be expensive. That goes double if you’re buying from your eye doctor’s office, as they have a pretty sizable markup on spectacles. Where should you go to buy your glasses, then? Certainly there’s somewhere you can go to find a better deal on glasses than your doctor’s office, right? Let’s look at some places you can go to save a couple of bucks on your next pair of glasses.

    Best Deals on Glasses

    Getting Your Prescription

    Once your eye doctor gives you a checkup on your eyes, they’ll write you a prescription for glasses. When they do so, ask them for a copy of it. They’ll likely encourage you to buy your glasses from their office, though you’re under no obligation to do so. It’s unlikely your eye doctor will have any issue giving you a copy of your prescription, but if they do, don’t stress!

    Legally, any licensed eye doctor has to give you a copy of your prescription. If your doctor isn’t cooperating in giving you your prescription after you’ve paid for the appointment, you should remind them that it is their legal obligation to do so. If they continue to insist you buy your glasses from them before they hand over such a prescription, it’s time to contact your local medical authority and find a new eye doctor.

    Online or In Store?

    First, consider whether you’d like to buy your glasses online or from a store. Make sure you’ve got your prescription from your eye doctor and consider which option you like better. When you shop online, you get to avoid the long lines and traffic associated with shopping out and about. On the other hand, you’ve also got to wait for shipping, and you can’t try frames on to see how they look on you.

    Shopping in-store allows you to see the glasses on your face before you sign up for the frames. Likewise, you can leave with the glasses you buy in-hand and won’t have to wait for shipping, which is nice. On the flip side, it’s often a bit pricier to go through any in-person retailers, as you can often find tremendous deals on glasses online.

    Costco Wholesalers

    If you have a Costco card and you need a new pair of glasses, you’re in luck. Costco is noted as one of the least expensive places to pick up glasses in-store in the country. All you need to do is bring them your prescriptions! Unlike LensCrafters, who have an average glasses cost of $369, Costco offers an average cost of $184 for their glasses. That’s considerable savings when you look at the glasses: they’re identical.

    Keep in mind that Costco, while inexpensive, isn’t the best deal out there on glasses. There are even better discounts you can find on glasses if you go through certain online retailers.

    Online Discounts

    There are a number of online sites you can go through to save a ton on glasses. Examples include ZenniOptical.com, EyeBuyDirect.com and 39DollarGlasses.com. These websites allow you to get a pretty sizable discount on your glasses through their bare-bones distribution. For examples, Zenni Optical grinds their lenses in China, uses low-cost materials for frames and includes shipping in the costs.

    Often, these sites keep the costs low by offering no ongoing service on the eyeglasses they sell. Once you buy the glasses, they’re yours, and any damage they incur is up to you to fix. However, when you can just buy another pair for under $50, this is a reasonable trade-off for some people.