Your tires are more important than you could imagine. Until recently I didn't know that this was the case. Let me explain.

I had an accident and my insurance company told me that I could lower my rate if I took a safe driving course. So, I did. In the course, I learned things like to make sure that you stay in your lane when you are rounding a curve, allow a distance behind other cars in case you need to brake suddenly, and watch ahead to ensure that you know what might happen if another driver suddenly pulls out into traffic in front of your car.

Although it was a very informative course, it didn't state one very important factor. That is to make sure that you have good tires on your car. Before my accident I had Douglas tires that I had purchased at Walmart. They were the worst tires that could ever be put on a vehicle. They caused my braking to take a lot of distance before the car would stop. They hydroplaned in the rain. My car would pull right into water on the side of the road. When turning left, I had to pull far to the right to ensure that my car didn't go into the left lane. And within a little over a year the tires were worn down so much that I needed to replace them before I could have my car inspected. Don't ever by Douglas tires!

This isn't about Douglas tires, though. This is about Hankook tires. I had decided to rid myself of the awful Douglas tires. So, I began looking for quality tires at a good price. There were quite a few good brands at decent prices online. So, it was hard to decide which to choose. I finally checked Walmart again just to see what they offered. As I was looking at tires on Walmart, I saw Hankook Kinergies. I had no idea what they were. I just thought that they were some cheap brand that I wouldn't want but I Googled them just to be sure. To my surprise, they were Car and Driver's top all-season tire as of June 2019. There were only four tires in my size left. So, I quickly ordered them. I was still unsure if they would be that good but...

The Hankook Kinergies have been on my car a little over a month now, time enough to know exactly how good they are. They aren't just good. They are great! They make driving a breeze. The Kinergies hug the road in all conditions. They brake immediately. I even tried them on gravel. My car stopped instantly. If I need to stop suddenly because a person or a car jumps out in front of me, they stop, period. Around curves, they don't drift. No hydroplaning on water. The Kinergies go right through water as if I'm driving on a dry street. On top of hugging the road, they are quiet and smooth, touring tire quiet and smooth. They are touring tires that really perform.

One more very important point. While I was searching for tires, I found that the Hankook Kinergies have a 90,000 mile warranty. In case you have no idea what that means, they are guaranteed not to wear until they reach 90,000 miles. The highest warranty that I have seen for other tires is 80,000 miles. These exceed every other tire. Even if you can't find them at the extremely low price that I found them, understand that you will not have to replace them for the life of your car. Think about that. You won't have to replace them next year or the year after or the year after that. They will still be road worthy and inspectable after a few years. Nobody could drive 90,000 miles in a year or even two or three years.

So, if you want the very best possible tires possible, buy Hankooks. My suggestion is the Kinergie all-seasons.

ThredUP has good deals. They offer up to 90% off retail. Yet, thredUP has some problems for both buyers and sellers. They tell consumers that they have a 12-point inspection. When I contacted thredUP support, they could not tell me what the 12-points were. Was the 12-points a fib? I did ask twice.
They do have good deals. So, I ordered three items. One of the items had a very large, obvious stain. They did allow me to return it and stated that once in a while something might be overlooked.

ThredUP touts their virtues. They reclaim clothing. On their Our Impact page, they state "Thrifting can help solve the fashion waste crises." "Buying one used item reduces its carbon, waste, and water footprints by 82%." This all sounds wonderful but there is a problem with their company. The problem is that they are reaping a huge profit at the expense of those who sell their used clothing to thredUP. So, thredUp is environmentally friendly but are they ethical?

Their payouts for sellers are low compared to Poshmark or even Ebay. I found this out when I was getting ready to send clothing that I no longer wanted to thredUP using their cleanout kit. It sounds so easy. You just order a cleanout kit, fill it up and send it to thredUP in the large shipping bag with the prepaid label that they send to you. Thredup sells the items for you. They take the pictures, write the description and post it on their website. After your item is sold, you receive your payout.

All well and good but I had to compare their payouts to other clothing thrift sites. What I found out was that they pay a very low amount for most items. Here is how it works. Anything under a resale price of $100 is paid much less by thredUP than Poshmark or even Ebay. Let me give you a couple of examples. Let's say that you have an item that sells for $50 on any of the three sites. ThredUP pays you $15. Poshmark pays you $40 and Ebay pays you $44 minus shipping of around $5. So, $39. Let's say that one of your items sells for $20. At threUP you will receive a payout of $3. With Poshmark, you will receive $16. With Ebay, you will receive $12.60 after shipping charges. So, let's say that you send in clothing with a resale value of $500 with an average resale value of $25 each. Your total payout for Poshmark would be $400. For Ebay it would also be $400. For thredUP it would be only $100. ThredUP has a good scheme going on.

This is not an innocent situation. They know what they are doing. They post on their Resale Report page "Secondhand Market Set to Hit $64B in the Next 5 Years" "thredUP Weathers Covid Storm Better Than Competition" "82% of America hasn't yet resold clothing, but most consumers are open to doing so. 67% of people who haven't are open to reselling their clothing."

Market Watch states that thredUP "listed revenue of $186 million in 2020, up 14% year-on-year. Net losses grew to $47.9 million in 2020 from $38.2 million in 2019, it said." I hope that the losses were because more people were recycling their clothing through thredUP. They will do this for free. Just mark that you don't want your items returned when you order your cleanout kit. If they really care about the environment, they won't mind.

Then go to Poshmark or Ebay to sell your gently used clothing.

Claire's offers free ear piercing with the purchase of earrings. So, I went to a Claire's to see what type of deal I could get. As I entered the store, I saw that Claire's had precious metal earrings for $9 with ear piercing. The young woman employee asked if she could help me. I told her that my granddaughter wanted a second ear piercing. The woman led me to the earrings that were offered for piercings. I asked her which earrings were the least expensive. She pointed to the 3mm Stainless Steel Ball earrings and told me that it would be $36.99. She quickly added "She can take it out in three weeks". If you go to 'Claire's Ear Piercing Kits' online, you will see them offered at this price. I then asked her "why is it so expensive for a little stainless steel ball?" She told me that she didn't know. I laughed and said that didn't sound like free piercing to me. She continued "The piercing is free. It's the metal that you pay for." As I started to leave, she said "It's expensive because of the solution that you get is $20 and you have to get it." I asked "You have to get it?" Her reply was "New York State law mandates that I have to give you a solution." Of course, I was recording our conversation which I have the legal right to do in New York State.

When I got home, I Googled New York State law ear piercing and was brought to the New York State Department of Health 'Body Art - Tattooing and Body Piercing' which made no mention of cleaning solution. It stated to ensure that the piercer Washes their hands before piercing and uses single-use gloves, Cleans the area to be pierced, Uses a single-use, disposable razor to shave the skin to be pierced, if needed, Uses sterile needles, clamps, receiving tubes and body jewelry, Provides aftercare information.My next step was to contact the New York State Department of Health at the phone number that they provided at the bottom of the page.

I saw nothing mandating ear piercers to give a solution. So, I contacted the New York State Department of Health by email. The reply that I received stated "NYS law does not mandate that an ear piercing business give you a "solution I cannot recommend what you use for aftercare, because I am not a licensed medical provider. There is no law stating that you must purchase ear care solution. You can lodge a complaint with the NYS Attorney General if you feel their practice is fraud". Yes, I will be lodging a complaint with the Attorney General. I would advise anyone else who goes to Claire's and is told the same thing to file a complaint with Attorney General. As was stated by the Health Department employee, who is a Sanitarian, this is fraud.

A little addtional information. If you go to the Claire's website, you can find 3 mm sterling silver earrings for $4.99. They will show you at the top of their page that you can purchase $9 precious metal earrings. Of course, this means that you are required to spend from $36.99 to $231.99. Depending which earrings your choose, to have your ears pierced at Claire's. On their website, Claire's shows that he solution is $20 for the 'Ear Piercing Rapid 3 Week After Care Cleanser' but they also carry 'Claire's Ear Care Solution' for $8.

I did some research on the Claire's website to compare what they offered for earrings in their ear piercing kits vs. what you can buy if you just want to buy earrings. Claire's corporate is pretty smart. They don't offer any stainless steel earrings except for with the ear piercing kits. They also don't offer any solid gold earrings except with the kits. They don't sell diamond earrings except with the kits. The kits have 24k gold plated earrings while the separate earrings are 18k gold plated. They have attempted ensure that customers can't compare the kit earring prices to the earrings offered without piercing. So, we are talking apples to oranges. They can get away with it, right? Well, no they can't. Did I happen to mention that I know a lot about jewelry. I have operated a jewelry website, created my own pieces, and I am a member of the Gemological Institute of America. I know gems and I know metals.

So, let's consider a few things. Sterling silver is a precious metal. Stainless steel is not. Stainless steel is less expensive than sterling silver. Easy to understand, right? So, if they can sell 3 mm sterling silver ball stud earrings for $4.99, they could sell stainless steel 3 mm ball stud earrings for less than $4.99. We are back to the question of why free ear piercing costs $36.99 for 3 mm stainless steel ball studs but sterling silver ball studs are $4.99. Hum. Yes, this is fraudulent. Their ear piercing is not free.

Also, I made a few other comparisons. Although Claires makes a major effort to sell different types of earrings in the kits than as separates to deceive consumers, there were a few things that I could find.

They did offer titanium earrings in the kits and separately at different prices. In fact, the kit earrings should be less expensive than the separate titanium earrings because the kit earrings are a choice of an unidentifiable composite material or a crystal stone. The separate titanium earrings are all cubic zirconia which is more expensive. Their kit staineless steel crystal earrings are more expensive than their separate sterling silver crystal earrings--I ensured that I chose tinted crystal so there is not confusion in the comparison.

Then, there are the 'Claire's Exclusives' earrings at the top of the ear piercing kits page. These are 'Unicorn With Stainless Steel Post' and 'Make a Wish Blue Glitter Star With Stainless Steel Post'. So, I studied their unicorn earrings and their glitter earrings not offered as kit items. I found several unicorn earrings ranging from $3.49 to $6.49. The $6.49 was for the sterling silver earrings. There were glitter earrings for as low as $2.49. The posts appear to be stainless steel but I can't be certain without careful analysis. Maybe I will buy a pair and bring them home to determine whether the posts are stainless steel.

Did I happen to mention that I know a lot about jewelry. I have operated a jewelry website, created my own pieces, and I am a member of the Gemological Institute of America. Do fraudulent companies like Claire's really believe that not one person will ever have the capability to see that they are fraudulent?

One last thing. Let's talk about Claire's and your health. According to People Magazine, a 7-year old girl had her ears pierced at Claire's. Then, her mother used the Rapid After Care Cleanser on her daughter's ears as she was instructed. Claire's states on their site "dermatologist- and pediatrician-tested." "After three weeks, the girl's piercings looked healed. So, the mother removed the earrings and changed to another pair of earrings. One week later, the daughter's ears were infected to the point that, on a nurse's advice, the mother took the girl to the hospital. The mother stated that a piercing is a wound which requires six weeks to heal. Claire's might try to state that the earrings that the mother replaced the Claire's earrings with caused the infection. There is just one problem with this. If the ear piercing could heal in 3 weeks, the healed ears would not become infected with a different pair of earrings.

When I told my daughter about this, she told me to go to Sally's where they have numerous types of self piercing guns which include the earrings. I bought mine for $7 and had my daughter pierce my ears. Then I used alcohol to care for my new piercings. I'm almost healed and it has only been five days. I did change to another pair of earrings but I will continue to use alcohol for six weeks to be sure that they are healed.

Anybody up for a class action lawsuit?

As a little girl, I would pick up a whole pile of my parents' National Geographic Magazines and thumb through them for hours. They were amazing. I could visit people all over the world. I could see art and culture, history and archaeology, not to mention advertisements for Cadillacs or was that Oldsmobiles? These magazines amazed me. They opened my eyes to many interesting things that I would not have otherwise known existed.

In my teenage years, I ordered Smithsonian Magazine and enjoyed all that it brought to me. It was similar to National Geographic yet a little more upscale, something that I wanted at that time. Smithsonian Magazine somehow seemed better. Although National Geographic Magazine had wonderful pictures, Smithsonian images seemed more artistic while still capturing the impact of any particular subject matter.

I have ordered both magazines on and off for many years. And so it was that I, EVIDENTLY, ordered National Geographic Magazine last year. I was unaware that I had done so until I received my renewal notice in my email. It was automatic. I'm really glad that I was notified. Otherwise, I would not have known that I was a subscriber. You see, my subscription was digital, something that I was completely unaware of. The renewal was also $19.99 per month which is $239.88 per year. And for that I didn't even get a paper copy, just digital.

Naturally, I called National Geographic Customer Service and told them that I had never received a paper magazine. Their answer was that I had only chosen the digital version and that the paper version would cost an additional $34. I took that to mean per month. They never offered to allow me to subscribe to the print magazine alone. At that time, I cancelled my subscription.

I went online to see how much National Geographic cost for an initial subscription. It appeared that I had to order the digital format then add the print edition on top of that. You can even see in the initial subscription offer that you can order digital but only one type, "National Geographic Magazine", "Nat Geo History", or "Nat Geo Kids". I can understand that the kids magazine is something that would be ordered separately. After you choose the magazine that you want, your choices are a monthly digital subscription, a yearly digital subscription, or a yearly digital and print edition. What happened to the old concept of just paper magazines? What if I didn't have a computer? Would I not be able to order National Geographic?

On top of that when you initially order a National Geographic Magazine, you will enter your billing details. Then you will see the subscribe button. The subscribe button is before the fine print that you would just think is the legal print and contacts. What you actually see is that the fine print for the annual subscription states "Annual Subscriptions Your subscription will automatically be renewed each year. Before the start of each renewal, you will be sent a reminder notice stating the current rate. If you do nothing, your credit card will automatically be charged for another membership year at the renewal rate then in effect." My renewal rate was $19.99 per month for the digital edition which was emailed to me. That was their "renewal rate in effect". You would have to be an academic researcher or really, really love National Geographic to pay $239.88 annually for a digital only magazine subscription. Of course, academics are given free access to academic journals and other publications. That just leaves people who really love National Geographic Magazine or maybe people who don't realize how much the renewal costs.

When I called back after cancelling, I asked how much for the print edition alone. The CS rep told me that I would need to start a new subscription. That was good because at least I could receive a better deal. She told me that the print edition would be $39 per year. I told her that it was less for the digital and print magazine together at National Geographic online. I pulled up the page with the "offer" and found that it was $24 per year for the digital and print editions together. So, she offered me the print edition for $24. I told her that both together were offered for $24. She asked if I wanted both. I said no I just wanted the print edition. She told that would be $24. I asked whether I could subscribe to the print edition for less than $24 since I only wanted the print edition. She told me no. I have done as I always do when dealing with a difficult company. I used Audacity to record the conversation. At least some things are still free in this world of greedy businesses. If anyone wants to hear it, just let me know.

So, the price for National Geographic Magazine is somewhat negotiable unless you simply renew. If I do subscribe to National Geographic in the future, I will ensure that I subscribe from Publisher's Clearing House or another inexpensive vendor. I always see magazine deals from these vendors. And I will ensure that it tells me that I will receive the print edition. That is where I went wrong the last time.

Meanwhile, I just subscribed to Smithsonian Magazine. They gave me an offer that I could not refuse. 11 issues for $8 or 22 issues for $16 for a senior discount membership. The online price for younger people is almost the same. 11 issues for $12. They tell you "Your first issue will arrive in six to eight weeks." So, you know that you are receiving an actual physical magazine just like the old days. And they don't mandate automatic renewal. They just send you the magazine. When it is time to renew there is a renewal tab to choose at the top of the account page. It might cost a little more next year but I bet it will cost less than National Geographic. Additionally, Smithsonian gives you many membership discounts while National Geographic tries to sell you books and other items.

Smithsonian Magazine also states "Ninety-nine percent of membership dues are allocated for Smithsonian magazine." I think that means that the money doesn't go into an executive's pocket. National Geographic doesn't say where their money goes. That could get into a whole kettle of fish though. National Geographic is considered a non-profit organization. They have had three different CEOs in the last three years. Their annual revenue was $5.5 billion as of 2020.

Save yourself some trouble and order Smithsonian Magazine instead of National Geographic.

Before now, I kind of took Dove for granted. Sure they have the advertisements that they help your skin but they never scream "ours is the best". They are subtle, and low key with their approach. So, I was surprised to see that Dove created the absolutely best skin creams.

Let me go back a little bit. I have tried almost every cream and lotion available, both the expensive ones and the less expensive ones with limited results. They only helped to heal my poor very chapped and rough winter hands a little. Some were greasy. Some were runny. I didn't like them but I had to do something. I had even read all of the ingredients on each lotion or cream. Some seemed as if they would be promising but...

Last year I saw Dove Body Care Rich Nourishment Cream at DT. Well, I had tried so many others that I thought why not add Dove to the list. I wouldn't be wasting much money, only a dollar. So, it was worth a shot. The thing was that, after all of the other lotions and creams, the Dove Body Care Rich Nourishment Cream actually healed my hands. Not just that but the case was a small, sturdy, screw top container that I could carry in my purse. This Dove Cream turned out to be extraordinary. It healed even my horrible skin quickly. It wasn't greasy like some emollients or runny like a lotion. It was a cream that would rub into my skin and begin healing immediately as well as providing a moisture barrier to protect my skin from further damage. It was perfect.

After a year, I still had a lot of the cream left but there it was again in DT. On top of that, it's sister, Dove Nourishing Body Care Beauty Cream had joined it on the store shelf. So, I picked up another of the one that I knew worked and one of the Beauty Creams. The Dove Beauty Cream turned out to be another superb product for skin care. It seemed to begin healing the moment that I rubbed it into my skin. It, too, was a cream, not a lotion. So, it was not runny and it was not greasy, just healing and protective.

I don't like to be insulting to the other brands but the Dove ingredients are the best combination of all of the healing and nourishing elements that you can find. I have included images of the ingredients so that you can see this for yourself.

I have now spent a whole three dollars on the best skin healers and protectors that I have ever used. Maybe I should throw all of the others out. I know that I will only use Dove from now on but I really hate to waste all of the money that I spent on the other brands.

If your hands or body need healing help, I would tell you to head to DT and pick one or two up. A dollar or two isn't much to risk and I know that you will agree with me that either one will be the best skin help that you will have ever used.

Nobody pays attention to Ajax. They are low key, really low key, too low key. I don't even remember seeing an Ajax commercial--ever. With all of the companies screaming "it cuts grease and it's used to clean oil off ducks" or "it's plant based, green" or "fresh scent", Ajax is easy to overlook. I used to think that way. Ajax couldn't be any good if it cost that little.

But then something happened that totally changed my mind. I ran out of the "cuts grease and gets oil off ducks". I had used it for years. So, while I was at DG, I tried to buy more. They were out of stock. Everybody wanted this brand. They do advertise.

What were my options? I could drive somewhere else to buy my usual dish detergent or I could buy what DG did have in stock. What they had in stock was Ajax at a really great price. Before I bought it, I tipped the bottle up and down. It wasn't runny like the cheap brands. It was just like the concentrated dish detergent. So, I bought one, took it home and started using it. I actually thought that I would just use it until I went to a store again and bought the "cuts grease" dish detergent.

But a funny thing happened. Ajax worked really well. It cut grease completely and it was long lasting. I didn't need to use much to wash a lot of dishes. Yes, Ajax was the real deal, the good stuff.

Don't get me wrong. I still like the "cuts grease". I even made a point of buying the Ultra Maximum Powerwash Spray with Fresh Scent in the fancy bottle. Yes, that worked but Ajax did just as well. It was even amusing that a friend who had come to my house asked me about my Ajax. "When did you get that?" I thought about explaining the situation to her but I just said "It works really well". Again, nobody takes Ajax seriously.

Now I swear by Ajax. I won't buy any other brand. I have nothing against the "cuts grease". It is a great product from a very ethical company but so is Ajax and Ajax costs less.

Try Ajax. You will be surprised. You can even buy a small bottle of Ajax dish detergent at DT for a dollar to try it out. You don't have to take my word for it but I do have to tell you that, by this point in time and after all of these years, I have probably hand washed a million dishes. I know the difference between something that works and a poor imitation. Ajax works.

Okay, Dollar Tree doesn't want you to know this but I will tell you. For many years, I have doubted the quality of Dollar Tree store brands. It turns out that I was right--for the second time.

It is good to know that Dollar Tree has been in the news lately because of their growth and revenues. Dollar Tree is doing very well. Https_//www_fool_com/investing/2020/11/24/dollar-tree-to-expand-higher-price-points-concept/ Motley Fool "Dollar Tree to Expand Higher Price Points Concept After Solid Q3 Results" and https_//www_supermarketnews_com/retail-financial/dollar-general-dollar-tree-stay-expansion-track "Dollar General, Dollar Tree stay on expansion track". Unfortunately, they are doing well at the expense of their customers.

Let me give you a little background. In November of 2019 the FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) issued a warning letter to Greenbrier International, Inc., their parent company, for tainted over-the-counter (OTC) medications which were being sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores. These stores had to pull many foreign OTC medications due to the fact that they were tainted. Yes, tainted. According to the FDA, the warning letter was issued "for receiving over-the-counter (OTC) drugs produced by foreign manufacturers found to have serious violations of federal law. The warning letter outlines multiple violations of current good manufacturing practices (GMP) at contract manufacturers used to produce Dollar Tree's Assured Brand OTC drugs as well as other drug products sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores." The customers who bought these medications were risking their lives but, as Dollar Tree operates, the customers were never warned. Https_//www_fda_gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-issues-warning-letter-dollar-tree-stores-receiving-potentially-unsafe-drugs "FDA issues warning letter to Dollar Tree stores for receiving potentially unsafe drugs".

Right now they are selling unusable products and not warning customers, again. They haven't pulled these products and there is no recall. I checked their recall page. They are just leaving them in their store for unsuspecting customers to buy. Other companies have recalls. Not Dollar Tree. They don't want to remove these because that is $1,875,000 that they would lose. So, they just pawn them off on unsuspecting customers. Let me explain.

I have had three children and I'm older. So, I sometimes need bladder pads. For those who don't know, they're like panty pads but for bladder leaks. Dollar Tree had some for only one dollar. So, I thought I would try them. The very first one I used leaked through. I was shocked. How could that have happened? I opened a fresh one. There was no plastic liner, just padding. Without plastic liners to stop leaks, you have a real problem.

The next time I was in Dollar Tree, I looked at the panty pads. Someone had opened one of the packs. There was one laying on top of the packages. I picked it up and looked it. It didn't have a liner either. I do like that some people are smart enough to open a package and check to find out if they are usable. I bought a third type just to examine it. No, no liner.

I contacted Dollar Tree Customer Service but I was transferred to a voicemail twice. I called back to ask to speak to a real person. A woman with a hostile voice told me that transferring me to the voicemail was all that she could do.

So, I checked how many Dollar Tree stores there are. Dollar Tree states on their about page that there are 15,000 Dollar Tree Stores. The store I was in had about 125 total packages, 25 of five items. If you multiply the number of packages of these items by 15,000 stores, you find that Dollar Tree is selling a total of 1,875,000 packages of bad merchandise. So, they have $1,875,000 worth of merchandise to get rid of. Guess what? They are getting rid of them by selling them to you without telling you that they are defective.

I have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). I will keep shopping at Dollar Tree but I will stick to buying less costly known brands at Dollar Tree, never their brands. Dollar Tree store brands really can't be trusted. Buyer beware.

I used to love Google and swear by them. But not anymore. I have learned too much about the problems with using Google services.

My Robinhood account was hacked. I received an email notice that I had logged in to Robinhood. I had not! Luckily, I had taken the money out. The hackers got nothing. But my credit union account was also hacked. They took out thousands of dollars. They did this by using my email username and password to verify that "I" was authorizing an ACH transfer to their account. Then, they deleted the email. I had to go into my deleted emails and restore the ones that they had used to determine that had actually happened. I did verify that this occurred. So, they hacked at least three of my accounts. Luckily, I constantly work against hackers and scammers. I knew how to handle it. So, I did get my money back. But what if this was all of the money that I had in the world and I needed it to live on? What if I did not know how to handle fraudulent situations? Did Google care at all? No. As long as they are making money, they are happy. Watch "The Social Dilemma" on Netflix.

So, let me explain a few things. Google will try to refute my claims. Before they do, I want to tell you how secure my laptop is. Then I will tell you how they hacked my usernames and passwords. I have a boot partition security program to protect my boot from viruses that hackers might want to deploy. I have a ransomware protection program. I also have the usual firewall and Windows Defender. Then, I have a web defender from a reputable virus protection company as well as unhackme which I run once a day. I have a keystroke logger protection program and a few others. My wiFi is secured and I change my username and password frequently. I even disconnect from the internet when I'm not using it and turn my computer off when I am doing something else. What I am trying to say is that they could not have gotten my usernames and passwords from my laptop. They had to have come from somewhere else. That somewhere else is at Google passwords online, https://passwords.google.com/. You may not know it but Google offers a free service where they keep a backup copy of your usernames and passwords when you save them in Google Chrome. That way, if you ever lose them, you can go to passwords.google.com to find them. The problem is that, obviously, this can be hacked. Mine were. So, I suggest removing all of your passwords from passwords.google.com and from Google Chrome Browser then change all of your passwords. Never ever save them in Google Chrome. I even recommend not using the Google Chrome Browser at all. Use Avast Browser or AVG Browser. They are free and genuinely secure. Choose DuckDuckGo as your search engine. It does give you excellent search results. Do not, under any circumstances, use Epic Browser. They claim to be secure but their search results are almost all ads. If Epic is only out for the advertising dollar, they are probably not as secure as they claim. I don't know, yet, about MS Edge and Bing. Honestly, I haven't researched them yet. I will then I will write a review about them.

Now, let's move on to Google Maps. I was using Google Maps on my phone as my GPS. I didn't like my actual GPS because it took me to a wrong place ONCE. So, I thought that Google would have the latest and greatest GPS system. Oh was I wrong. First of all, I travel a lot. I go to cities that I don't know. So, I depend on a GPS to get me from point A to point Z. Sometimes I pull in somewhere for a cup of coffee or to fill up my tank. I've noticed on cloudy days that when I'm leaving wherever, Google Maps will say "go south on Main Street" or something similar. The problem is that on a cloudy day, I don't know which way is south when I am in unfamiliar territory. So, I just turn right or left. Then, if I am going in the wrong direction, Google will tell me "make a u-turn". The problem with this is that I might be in heavy traffic. I can't just make a u-turn. I have to find a place where I can turn around. Then, on a few of my trips, Google Maps would take me the long way around. I could get into details to explain this but let me just say that it would take me around a beltway when I could simply go down a city street with a much shorter distance. It also took me many miles south when I was trying to go north. It wanted me to take the four lane highway instead of the shortest route. I even tried to change my destination to a place that was due north. It still took me east for a long distance before giving me a route to the north. I went many, many miles out of my way.

Suffice it to say, that, as a long time Google user, even understanding that Google is the top search engine, I will never use Google anything again. I advise you to not use Google either.

I would never spend the high prices that the major American software companies charge for photo editing programs. I'm not a professional photographer. I do love photography as a hobby, though. While I was searching for free alternative photography software, I stumbled on Giveaway sites where you can download legal, commercial software given away by various software companies. One company that often offered this software was Franzis.

Franzis is a company in Germany. They are well known in Europe. After trying out some of their free software, I could see why. All of their software is above and beyond in its technical capabilities and their prices are amazingly low.

They offer anything that you could want for photography including HDR, raw, denoise, sharpen, focus, remove objects, black and white, color, hip and retro looks, enlarging, drawing styles, nature, retouch, presets, stock photos, mockups, and backgrounds, and more.

You can even buy Franzis bundles for a much lower price than buying each program separately. They also sell their previous versions for between $20 to $40. The older versions work great. They are the last version before the latest version. They just don't have all of the new features that the latest versions do.

They also have two giveaways on their site. You can try these for yourself to see the quality of their software. They are "PhotoBuzzer - One-Click image editing with WOW-Factor" and "HDR projects 4 Pro - The perfect engine to create awesome HDR-Images from single images and exposure series".

Whether you are a professional photographer, a person who takes your photography seriously, or you just love editing your personal photos to perfection, you need to check out this site.

When I shop, I want the best for a really low price. Quality and price are both important to me. So, when I decided that I wanted all stainless steel appliances, I started shopping around to see what there was. At Lowe's I found a Hisense 17.1-cu ft refrigerator, 32 inch width, model No. Is HBM17158SS. It is an exclusive. Right now, it is priced at $899 but I bought it for $699 in February. Keep an eye on it and the price will drop again. It is all stainless steel. It is even Energy Star Certified for a lower energy bill and it is also good for the environment.

This refrigerator is counter-depth. So, it will not stick out far from your counters and it can accommodate larger items because it has large storage areas. It has adjustable glass shelves and adjustable bins in the door. You can even adjust the divider in the crisper. It has spill-proof shelves. So easy to clean. It also has LED lighting so that you can easily see what is in your fridge. The refrigerator temperatures range between 36°F to 46°F.

The freezer is a bottom-freezer which is what I wanted. It is easy to access and it has roller bearings for easy pull-out. It will also accommodate larger items. The freezer compartment ranges from 5° to -11°F. What Hisense calls super freeze technology "rapidly lowers the freezer compartment temperature to as low as -11°F to freeze fresh food faster and maintain the temperature of the frozen food during periods of high usage, full grocery loads, or temporarily warm room temperatures." I have left mine set to -2°F which is still subzero. Most refrigerators with subzero freezers sell for many thousands of dollars.

It has air filtration with a dual evaporator cooling system to keep foods fresh and it is frost-free. It also has electronic temperature control so that it will stay at the perfect temperature that you set it too.

Since it is stainless steel, it is fingerprint-resistant and easy to clean. Just a little 409, wipe it off, dry it with a lint-free cloth and it is perfect again.

It has a reversible door so that you can open the door from whichever side you choose. It has a reversible door so that you can open the door from whichever side you choose. You do have to use the included hardware if you decide to change it from the setup side.

The noise level is 43, quiet. I never hear it.

Lowe's even delivered and set it up for free.

It comes with a 2-year warranty on parts and labor. They only thing that is excluded is physical damage.

The only downside is that it doesn't have an ice maker but I have seen many ice makers have problems. I actually prefer ice trays to ice makers.

This is my perfect refrigerator. I completely recommend the Hisense HBM17158SS.

Trying to deal with Square Trade was very difficult. I was back and forth with them many times before I could get them to let me file a claim. I had purchased a refurbished TV on Ebay. It was not under a manufacturer's warranty and the Square Trade coverage was only for one year. So, if it had a problem after one year, it would not be covered. One day, after seven months of use, it suddenly had a white line from top to bottom on the screen. I tried to file a claim but the Square Trade website claim area said that I needed to contact Philips to verify that my TV was not under the manufacturer's warranty before I could file a claim with Square Trade. Since Square Trade had given me a protection plan until November 5,2020, they were aware that it was not covered by a manufacturer's warranty. If there had been a manufacturer's warranty that covered one year, their protection plan should have been from November 5,2020 until November 5,2021. I did verify with Philips anyway. After I had done so, I went back to Square Trade and found the same statement in my claim area. So, I chatted at Square Trade. I was told that I needed to upload my receipt. I did so. Then I saw the same message again a few days later. I chatted for a second time. I was told that my receipt had not been uploaded. I uploaded again with the chat agent online with me then told him that I had made screen shots of the upload. He even stated that it would be difficult to do the upload. I told him that I am a geek and I did it very quickly. I wonder what would have happened if someone who is not as adept at computers had tried to do so. Then he told me that I would receive an email in two days. After over a week, I had still not heard from Square Trade. At that time, I chatted for the third time and was told that I would need to call a Square Trade claim specialist. The Square Trade claim specialist asked if the damage was accidental which was not covered. I said "No, the TV was not moved at all from the time I purchased it and placed it on my entertainment center." Then I was passed to a TV technician. At this point, I told him that I was recording the conversation. First, he told me that I could not do that. I told him that I could because Square Trade stated that they could record the conversation. He put me on hold for several minutes then came back to speak with me. He, again, asked me if the TV had been moved at all. I took this to be an attempt to negate my service plan by trying to consider the problem accidental damage. I told him that I had not moved it at all since placing it on my entertainment center. He had me do several tests with the TV. Then he asked me to upload various pictures of the problem with the TV along with the model and serial number. Over a week later, I had still not heard from Square Trade again. I called the Square Trade claim specialist number again and told them so. They had me speak with another TV technician. Finally, I reached a reputable person at Square Trade. He looked at the record of my prior conversation and stated that he could see that I had already tested the TV with a Square Trade TV technician. Then he told me that the TV could not be repaired because the parts would cost more than the value of the TV and that a check would be mailed out for about $25 less than I paid for the TV. He based the payment on what the TV would be worth right now, not what I had paid for it. Square Trade does state this when you purchase a protection plant. I did receive my check a few days later. I wish that a better company would offer service plans. Square Trade is pretty much a scam even though I like other Allstate insurance. I have it for my home and car. Check my screen shots as proof.

My tire ran over a screw. I didn't want to call roadside assistance to put my donut on because it was the third tire in a little over a month. So, I bought a can of Fix a Flat. I have used Fix a Flat for over 20 years. It always works. I asked my son to remove the screw before I used the Fix a Flat. He said "It won't work". "All of the air will leak out of the tire". But, as usual, it did. It put enough pressure in the tire for me to drive to a convenience store to finish adding air with their air compressor.

When I got my car to the tire repair shop, the repair man took the tire off the car and began to check it. After about fifteen minutes, he came to me to tell me that it was fine. In fact, he acted as if I was crazy. He had placed the tire in water to look for air bubbles (the air coming out of the tire) and didn't see any. He had put soap on it to look for air leaks. He said that he had even put 50 psi pressure in the tire that is supposed to have 32 psi and it didn't blow. I told him that I knew that there was a puncture. I turned the tire around and around, looking for the puncture but I couldn't see it either while it was wet. He put the tire back on my car and parked it outside. A few minutes later, I could see the puncture because the tire was dry. At that point, I left. I have been riding on it for about a month now. It has not lost any pressure.

Tire repair shops hate Fix a Flat because it leaves some of the Fix a Flat goo inside the tire. It is messy for them, but it works. I need my tire to be inflated even if it is hard on the tire people. I always warn them that I used Fix a Flat before they do a repair. One mechanic told me to try another type of tire repair in a can. I won't because I won't mess with a good thing. I know that Fix a Flat will work. It won't fix a gaping hole but it will fix a good size puncture if you run over something. You can trust Fix a Flat. You can see that I really had a screw hole in my tire in the images. I have proof. And it is so easy to use. You just unscrew your valve stem cap, screw the Fix a Flat tube onto your valve, fill your tire, then drive it for a few miles so that it can coat the inside of your tire. After that, fill it to the proper pressure and you will be good to go.

I clean my face with facial cleansing wipes on hot days so that I don't have to take an extra shower. I had run out of facial wipes. So, I started looking for more. I found the perfect wipes at, of all places, Dollar Tree. When I buy anything, I look for price but I really look for quality. I was amazed to see the quality of Global Beauty facial wipes. The ingredients were exceptional. I know from past experience that many expensive, major brands use ingredients that are not good for our skin or hair. All of the ingredients in Global Beauty facial wipes are safe and effective. For instance, the Cocoa Butter cleansing wipes have water as the first ingredient (they have to be wet). Then, glycerin, cocoa seed butter, argan oil. It is important to note that the higher an ingredient is listed, the more of the substance it contains. So, the prime ingredients are glycerin, cocoa seed butter, and argan oil. Then glyceryl stearate (a glycerin and stearic acid compound) which has a has a rating of 0 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) database which means it is absolutely safe. These wipes also have many vitamins which are good for our skin. And they are PH balanced, hypo-allergenic, not tested on animals, and can be used for all skin types. There are even many types of wipes, aloe vera, retinol, collagen and more.

Global Beauty facial wipes are amazing. They should cost much more. Go away Estee Lauder. There are even 30 per package, more than many of the others.

Check out their website. It is a few more dollars to buy their products at their website but not much and they have 60 or more facial wipes instead of the 30 wipes along with many high quality beauty care products.

UPDATE: I received a phone call from a no caller ID number which turned out to be a Training Regional Manager from Mavis. He told me that he had seen the review and so was contacting me. When I mentioned the email from Mavis Customer Service, he told me that his Regional Manager had not received it. He said that he will be checking with the Regional Manager about the situation. I will update here whenever anything progresses--if it does.

I had spongy brakes. So, I went to Mavis Discount Tire. For many years, they had been honest and had made many repairs for me. Not true today.

I called the day before and asked for an appointment. The man I spoke to told me that he made a ten o'clock appointment for me. When I arrived, I saw that the shop was very busy. All bays were filled and the parking lot was also full. I told the man at the counter my name and that I had a ten o'clock appointment. He looked at his computer then told me that the other man had not written it down. I told him that I would like to come back later because it was obviously busy. He told me that it would be busier later. I wondered how that was possible.

After three hours, my car was finally in the bay with the wheels removed. The man at the counter went into the bay area, looked at my brakes then came back to me to tell me that my brake pads were fine and would not need to be replaced. I asked if I could go into the bay area. He allowed me to do so. I didn't bother to look at anything except the rotors because he had told me that the pads were fine and that the caliper needed to be replaced. I believed him. I should not have and I should have taken pictures. My rotors were fine. They had a little rust around the edges but there was no scoring of the rotors at all. They were otherwise like new. I knew from past experience that they did not need to be replaced.

After another hour, the counter man said that my car was finished. At this point, I was so tired of waiting that I just paid the bill without even looking at it. I should have looked over the bill and questioned many of the charges but I just wanted to leave there. Later, I received an email with the bill. I saw that the brake pads that the counter man had said did not need to be replaced had been replaced. I also saw that the rotors which I knew did not need to be replaced had been replaced as well.

Since I knew that Mavis employees were dishonest, I contacted Mavis customer support. They sent me an email stating that the Regional District Manager would get back to me about the issue. It has now been almost two weeks and he never got back to me. Maybe that is because I told them that I knew that they operated on commmission. I had surmised this by the fact that they trumped up the bill.

So, I made an appointment with my local, trusted mechanic. When I spoke with him, he asked me "Why would you take your car there?" I explained that it took three to four days to get into have him look at my car. Then he told me "They operate on commission. You should never take your car there." He explained that he was honest and would never replace something that didn't need to be replaced. See my Firestone blog reasons for spongy brakes image. Rotors and brake pads don't cause spongy brakes. If the calipers were bad, my car would have pulled to one side and squealed when braking. Now I can report them to my state repair shop licensing agency to prove that they are fraudulent.

My words of advice: Number one--don't take your car Mavis. Number two: If you are in a real hurry and need to do so, be patient, don't just pay for unneeded repairs like I did. Number three: Bring someone who knows cars and have them look at the "needed" repair before you say yes. Never let them go to town on your car. They will replace everything that they can just to increase your bill. Even tell them that you would like to take pictures before the repair is done. In this way, they will know that you have evidence. My evidence is the bill, the emails, and the Firestone blog image. Number four--when they complete fraudulent repairs, report them to your state repair shop licensing agency.

After someone asked about the site, I checked it. It does not contain job listings. It is a site dedicated to affiliate links. That is, the site recommends sites with links. When someone clicks on the link, this site receives money. All of the links lead to businesses asking you to pay money to earn money. A legitimate job site does not use affiliate links. It lists jobs. I know what affiliate links are because I have had my own websites in the past and used affiliate links. You can tell that this is what is happening when you click on a link and see "subid2=779178766" or similar on the search bar. This is how topjobsreviewed.com is getting paid. The reviews are phony and I would doubt that they were seen on MSNBC, ABC, USA Today or any of the other sites they show. If they were, it was to advertise their site. Stay away from topjobsreviewed.com. This smells like a scam.

I have spent a year searching for a remote job due to illness. Many sites do not offer jobs for everyone. If you don't have a bachelor's degree and several years of experience, you will not find a job. Many of these sites charge for the privilege of not finding a job. Some sites just don't offer very much. Also, there are many scam site on the internet. I have signed up for a few only to find out that they just wanted my email address so that they could attempt spam me or scam me. You have to be very careful which websites you use to seek employment.

Today I had a unique experience. Theworkathomewoman.com sent me an email listing including "The Best Work-From-Home Jobs for 2020". It had jobs that I can do as well as resources to help me and even jobs for beginners. No degree required. And her job postings are free.

Theworkathomewoman.com offers legitimate work-from-home opportunities. She has been featured on Forbes, CNN, Woman's Day, Mashable and many more. You can sign up for her emails very easily. Just click her "Get it here" link. She will send you a "free 36-page Scam Prevention Planner to research companies, track your applications, and steer clear of work-from-home scams." You will also be signed up for her emails filled with job information.

Her free resources are amazing. Her articles will assist you with your job search, resume, training and qualifications and all for free.

Not only does she offer jobs but "Start a Business", "Start a Blog", and "Make Extra Money" articles.

Theworkathomewoman.com is extensive. It is filled with job ideas, prospective employers, and, most importantly, remote jobs that many people will qualify for.

And, gentlemen, it is not just for the ladies. You can come here too. It's really great information.

She does state "This post may contain paid and/or affiliate links. Please refer to our disclosure policy for further information." However, she also states "This page includes affiliate links. Please be aware that we only promote advertising from companies that we feel we can legitimately recommend to our readers." You can also choose to not have your information sold.

I highly recommend her website.

I was searching for a listing of search engines. I found that Alexa had "The top 500 sites on the web" and thought that it would be good because Alexa use to list search engines rankings before Amazon bought it. As I went through the listings on Alexa and checked each search engine, I found that at least half of the listed search engines were defunct, no longer search engines, or were companies selling products. Others were now malicious sites that have taken over many of the domain names. I had to be really careful to not infect my computer while checking the urls. The top sites are still in existence but what are their true ranks?

There is no way to contact Alexa support unless you sign up for a trial membership. So, you can't even question their data. A membership starts at $149 a month. Certified Alexa Rank starts at $19.99 for 10 million page views per month. What are they certifying? What are people really getting for that amount? The information is old. How can site owners be given rankings if Alexa doesn't even know what it is ranking?

Alexa is a scam. I would advise website owners to think twice before signing up Alexa.

I haven't bought anything at BrandsMart USA but I will! I was looking for a window air conditioning unit. They had the best price online for what I wanted. The only problem that I had was that they wanted to charge a lot for shipping. I wrote BrandsMart USA customer service and told them that I didn't buy my AC there because of the shipping charges. Then I bought one locally. I should have waited an hour because they IMMEDIATELY wrote me back saying that I should not be charge when ordering over $100. I know that this is true because I checked them out on the Better Business Bureau website. They are accredited by the BBB and they have an A+ rating. If you need appliances of any type, big or small, check them out. I'm going to start checking them first when I need any type of appliance.

Last year I bought a Toshiba RAC-PD1011CRU 10,000 Cooling Capacity (BTU) Portable Air Conditioner at a great price. It is chilling my living room again this year. This AC rolls from room to room easily and it is not evaporative. So, I don't need to fill it with water all of the time as I would with many portable ACs. It has many settings and even comes with a remote control. It is also a dehumidifier. It's two in one!

I thought that I would just roll it around to different rooms but I decided to buy a window AC for my bedroom this year. So, I bought a Toshiba RAC-WK0512CMRU window AC. It, too, blasted out cold air within only a minute of turning it on.

I like the Toshiba designs. That is one thing that I look for when buying anything. Some companies have not changed their designs in decades. I'm sorry but they are outdated and ugly. Also, I trust Toshiba. They are a reputable company. I don't know some of the other companies that I saw and I wouldn't buy anything made by a company that I don't know to be reputable.

I didn't want to spend a lot, either, as I would have done with most of the major name brand companies. Toshiba does have the best prices for whatever BTUs you want. I always check for the best product at the best price from a reputable company. I like being a smart shopper.

Besides these things, Toshiba ACs come with everything you need for installation. You don't need to try to find the right installation kit.

So, I completely endorse Toshiba air conditioners.

In fact, the only problem I had was that the window unit was quite heavy. My daughter told me so when she installed it. She told me that her ACs were lighter. I don't know which brand she has. I researched to find out that the lighter an AC is, the less area it can cool. The weight is due to the amount of copper used in the AC unit. The more, the better.

So, while you are considering air conditioning units, definitely keep Toshiba in mind.

And if you ever have an issue, you can easily get in touch with Toshiba at https://www.toshiba-lifestyle.com/us/. This includes their US 800 number and Technical Support Outside the US among other things.

I shop at both Lowe's and Home Depot. I trust both stores to carry many items that I want at good prices. I like them both for different reasons at different times.

They are both very similar but there are differences. I always look up items online before going to either store. One will sell something that I want for much less than the other. It doesn't matter if it is a low dollar item or a high value item. They will carry very similar products but the prices for those products will vary a lot between the two stores. Then, they vary slightly with what they offer. One might have something in the quantity that I want while the other will not. One might have a color or design that I prefer.

Lowe's had landscape fabric pins for less than at Home Depot. Home Depot had vinyl sheeting flooring for less than Lowe's. With the flooring comparison, Lowe's does not carry TrafficMaster. I checked reviews online and TrafficMaster is quite similar to Congoleum which Lowe's does carry.

I did have a problem with my local Home Depot store when I purchased my range. They had the best price but it was a floor model. Since it was a floor model, they were going to charge me for delivery and for installation. I found out that I could order it online, not a floor model, for the same price and have it delivered and setup for free. I didn't try to buy a floor model appliance at Lowe's. They had the best price for the type of refrigerator that I wanted and they delivered for free.

I really like both stores but I think that you need to check online before shopping at either store.