Using Gallup data as a guide, the New York Times has sniffed out the happiest person in America—and he has confirmed his good cheer. Every day for three years, Gallup has called 1,000 random Americans and asked them questions related to their quality of life, and its findings…
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Continue reading …Kennedy Center Celebrates India By Stephanie Green This month you can travel across the globe without even updating your passport. Maximum INDIA is the Kennedy Center’s celebration of the culture, cuisine, music, literature, and even jewelry of India that have fascinated the world for centuries . Arts Blog caught up with Alicia Adams , vice president of international programming and dance at the Kennedy Center, and curator of this festival, for an online Q & A. Arts Blog: What is it about India that is so enchanting, especially to Americans? Adams: So much about India is fascinating. When I was planning the festival, I thought maximum INDIA was a fitting title because everything about India is maximum: the intensity of color, heat, people; the gods, the spices in the food, the languages. . . We hope to represent the vibrancy and richness of the culture and its people. Arts Blog: How will the various artistic mediums be presented and exhibited for guests? Adams: There will be exhibitions/ installations throughout the building by major Indian visual artists. They will be in the major halls including Hall of States, Hall of Nations plus in all public spaces on the Terrace level. We have even had an Indian architect to redesign the jazz club into what we are calling the Monsoon Club. He created a carpet in the ceiling using 1 million threads to create the effect of a monsoon frozen in time. Film and literature series will be presented in our theaters and there will be forums and various education programs to augment the actual screening of the film. Arts Blog: What can people learn about India that they did not know before, even people who have been lucky enough to visit? Adams: India is a country of 1.2 billion people with unimaginable beauty, humanity and diversity. We hope to have people come away from this festival with more knowledge about the country and the culture through participating in the wide range of arts that we are presenting. Source : The Washington Post
Continue reading …Casimir Pulaski Day 2011: Chicago, Cook County Businesses Closed Monday is Casimir Pulaski Day, which honors a man who is considered a war hero in both the United States and Poland. The Illinois General Assembly declared the first Monday in March to be Pulaski Day in 1977 to honor the Revolutionary War hero who reportedly saved General George Washington’s life in 1777. The holiday also seeks to honor the heritage of Polish-Americans–as Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw. Chicago Public Schools are closed Monday, along with Chicago libraries and Cook County courts. Some suburban and Catholic schools remain open. Parking meters must be fed, banks and financial markets remain open, federal courts remain open and mail delivery continues. There is no garbage pickup in Chicago. The Sabina P. Logisz Great Hall of the Polish Museum of America is holding a Pulaski Day celebration at 10 a.m. which will feature speeches by Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Polish American leaders. The event will also feature Polish entertainment, a scholarship presentation and a wreath-laying ceremony. A reception follows. The museum is located at 984 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Related Searches : casimir pulaski day, casimir pulaski Cuortesy : The Huffington Post
Continue reading …Schedule M : The 2010 Tax Credit Explained [VIDEO] by Mary Phillips-Sandy “M” may stand for “money.” Part of the 2009 stimulus package was President Barack Obama’s Making Work Pay tax credit, or Schedule M, which adjusted federal withholding tables to increase take-home pay by up to $400 for working individuals and up to $800 for working married couples. As the New York Times reported last year, this caused confusion for taxpayers, many of whom didn’t know they had to complete a brand-new Schedule M IRS form in order to claim the credit on their returns. The situation got even messier for retirees who could claim the Making Work Pay credit, but only after deducting it from other federal tax credits. Guess what? You may need to deal with Schedule M again for the 2010 tax year. According to the IRS, the Making Work Pay credit and adjusted withholding tables remained in effect in 2010. The refundable credit was available for self-employed people, and was reduced for higher-income earners, starting at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples filing jointly. In order to claim the credit, anyone who files a form 1040 or 1040A needs to complete and file a Schedule M form to calculate how the credit impacted their paychecks and tax liability. (A simplified worksheet is built in to the 1040EZ.) One more twist, since life with the U.S. tax code is never simple: The 2009 stimulus included a $250 tax cut for retirees, which had to be accounted for via Schedule M. That was a one-time-only deal, so it’s not an issue for 2010. Here’s an IRS insider explaining how the Making Work Pay credit, well, works: Recovery: Making Work Pay – 2010 Courtesy : AOL News
Continue reading …Thanks to advances in DNA science, many thought that the “unknown soldier” was a thing of the past, but now Arlington National Cemetery finds itself, once again, with multiple unknowns to bury. Of the eight sets of remains found in a single grave in October, only three have been identified…
Continue reading …Both the US and Afghanistan agree that the US military should maintain its involvement with Afghanistan past 2014 by continuing to train and advise Afghan troops, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “Obviously it would be a small fraction of the presence that we have today, but I think we’re willing…
Continue reading …When rescuers decided to abandon efforts to save Devin Westenskow after he fell into a mine shaft on Wednesday, it was “the hardest thing ever,” said his family in a statement. Even so, they understood why the decision was made. But not everyone is so understanding. “I have no doubt…
Continue reading …Can’t get enough of Charlie Sheen and his winning outlook on life? Well, you’re in luck: Sheen is in talks with Mark Cuban to do something on HDNet, the billionaire’s cable network. Talk show, reality show, or a program featuring tiger blood … the details have not been worked out, but…
Continue reading …Looks like Lindsay Lohan is going to be a screen star again. A surveillance video allegedly showing her “lifting” jewelry from a store has reportedly been sold by the shop for $35,000. Venice Beach jewelry store Kamofie & Co. sold the tape to a Beverly Hills software company, which…
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