Author: TECH

Democrats and Republicans don’t seem to agree on much these days, but both parties understand that Social Security needs reforming. The latest Trustees’ Report revealed that the program is just six years away from a potentially devastating 22% benefit cut, and many seniors are already struggling to get by with the checks they have today. There are ways to avoid the cut, but so far, no plan has gained the traction it would need to become law. However, one proposal — raising the ceiling on Social Security payroll taxes — has garnered bipartisan support, and most Americans wouldn’t notice any…

A surprisingly large number and diversity of bee species — 74 out of 96 tested — have magnetic properties, according to research my colleagues and I recently published in the journal Science Advances.Some animals are able to use iron-based magnetic compounds, such as magnetite, to detect and navigate via the Earth’s magnetic field — a sense called magnetoreception. We considered magnetism in the insects we tested to be a proxy for which species might be magnetoreceptive.For decades, biologists have known that social, cavity-nesting honeybees exhibit magnetoreception. Most researchers assumed that this internal compass was tied to living in a colony;…

Waiting to claim Social Security can mean a bigger monthly check, but nearly half of working Americans say they plan to claim benefits before reaching their full retirement age (FRA).According to the Schroders 2025 U.S. Retirement Survey, 44% of non-retirees expect to file for Social Security benefits before reaching age 67, the FRA for workers born in or after 1960. Delaying benefits until age 70 maximizes your monthly payout, but only 10% of respondents said they were going to wait until then to begin receiving Social Security.According to the survey, the reasons for claiming earlier included:wanting access to funds as…

Julie the elephant’s first day at Pangea Elephant Sanctuary in Portugal – SWNS A lazy retirement was bestowed upon the last circus elephant in Portugal who just became a resident of the country’s first sanctuary dedicated to working pachyderms. After 40 years of performing, Julie was transported on June 30 from her old circus home to the Pangea Elephant Sanctuary in Alentejo. Julie was captured as a calf in Africa during the late-1980s, and brought to Portugal where she began performing in circuses in 1988. In 2018, the Portuguese government passed a law to ban wild animal performances by 2024.…

Social Security retirees in the US are expected to get a 3.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2027, according to the latest projection by The Senior Citizens’ League’s COLA Watch. If the projection becomes official, the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit would increase by about $77, taking it from roughly $2,026 to $2,103.41 per month.Social Security retirees could receive a $77 monthly COLA increase in 2027 (REUTERS)Despite the increase, retirees would still receive about $597 less each month than the estimated average monthly living expenses of an older American, which are around $2,700. The projection has renewed calls from senior…

May tends to be a marathon month for Backline, and 2026 was no exception. The music industry’s go-to mental health nonprofit spent Mental Health Awareness Month doing what it does best: meeting artists, crews, and industry pros exactly where they are — backstage, on tour buses, at festivals, and in the quiet moments between sets. From dropping their 2025 Impact Report to celebrating the 90-day milestone of their new 24/7 crisis line B-LINE, to showing up at Kilby Block Party, Music Biz, and Spotify’s first-ever Nashville Mental Health & Songwriter Summit, Backline made one thing clear: the conversation around mental…

If you’re receiving Social Security benefits (or expect to someday), you’ve probably heard some people discuss the program’s cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, with the same excitement as the first moon landing.But that’s also understandable.Social Security plays a big role in many people’s retirement finances. So a larger COLA versus a smaller one could spell the difference between being able to cover retirement expenses and struggling. If you’re wondering where Social Security’s COLAs come from and how they’re calculated, these are good questions to be asking. Getting the back story on COLAs could help you understand what to expect from benefit…

Asking the right questions is the answer. In a recent email newsletter I wrote, “Calm your mind today. Don’t think outside the box. Think like there is no box.” And to my surprise, 67 people quoted that line and responded with the same general question: “How?” I’ve spent some time thinking about how to answer their collective question in the most universal way possible, and I’ve decided that the simplest explanation I can give is this: Ask yourself better questions — questions that focus your thoughts and filter out the excess noise that’s been cluttering your mind. The calming and…

A game a daySelf-care also means improving your brain health. Just play. Maybe Sudoku, a puzzle, or a word game. Make it a daily habit.“It engages the brain and helps boost memory. There are a slew of simple ways to enhance memory — learning something new, doing simple activities using your non-dominant hand, counting backwards,” says Dr Arun.“While browsing the internet, learn something about AI, read an interesting fact you never knew, or learn new words or a language on an app. Anything that keeps the brain engaged in a healthy way helps.”Another healthy habit, Dr Arun adds, is a…

                                What Do You Think? To be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in Maryland, a worker must be a “covered employee.” A recent case addresses how that rule applies when an NFL player signs a contract to play in Maryland but is injured in the team’s out-of-state facility before he ever plays a regular game. The defensive tackle was signed to a standard one-year NFL contract with the Washington Commanders. Most of the games that year would be at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. The…