Clipmarks | melizer's clips

Did the IRS waste $42 million on letters?

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:33:30 GMT

clipped by: melizer

WASHINGTON - At a cost of nearly $42 million, the IRS wants you to know: Your check is almost in the mail.

The Internal Revenue Service is spending the money on letters to alert taxpayers to expect rebate checks as part of the economic stimulus plan.

The notices are going out this month to an estimated 130 million households who filed returns for the 2006 tax year, at a cost $41.8 million, IRS spokesman John Lipold confirmed.

That works out to about 32 cents to print, process and mail each letter. It doesn't include the tab for another round of mailings planned for those who didn't file tax returns last year but may still qualify for a rebate.

Democrats accused the Bush administration of wasting time and postage.

"There are countless better uses for $42 million than a self-congratulatory mailer that gives the president a pat on the back for an idea that wasn't even his," Sen. Charles Schumer said Friday, arguing the IRS could more effectively spend the money to catch tax cheats.

When will I get my tax rebate?

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:26:13 GMT

clipped by: melizer

Clip Source: www.leonardrea.com

*The check is in the mail*
*Week*	*Last 2 digits of your SSN*	*Receive your check by week of*
1	00 - 09	July 23
2	10 - 19	July 30
3	20 - 29	August 6
4	30 - 39	August 13
5	40 - 49	August 20
6	50 - 59	August 27
7	60 - 69	Sept. 3
8	70 - 79	Sept. 10
9	80 - 89	Sept. 17
10	90 - 99	Sept. 24
For married taxpayers who filed a joint return, the first Social Security Number on the return determines the mailing date.Source: Internal Revenue Service

Man charged for putting Ding Dongs in laundromat dryers

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 08:46:17 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: The video isn't very interesting, but the story is!

Clip Source: usatoday.feedroom.com

Man puts ding dongs in dryers

Mar. 7 - A man in Salem, Arkansas has been charged with vandalism, after being caught on surveillance video putting Ding Dong treats into people's clothes at a laundromat.

Vermont towns vote to arrest Bush and Cheney

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:40:59 GMT

clipped by: melizer

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Voters in two Vermont towns on Tuesday approved a measure that would instruct police to arrest President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution," local media reported.

The nonbinding, symbolic measure, passed in Brattleboro and Marlboro in a state known for taking liberal positions on national issues, instructs town police to "extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them."

State lawmakers have passed nonbinding resolutions to end the war in Iraq and impeach Bush and Cheney, and several towns have also passed resolutions of impeachment. None of them have caught on in Washington.

Bush has never visited the state as president, though he has spent vacations at his family compound in nearby Maine.

Roughly 12,000 people live in Brattleboro, located on the Connecticut River in the state's southeastern corner. Nearby Marlboro has a population of roughly 1,000.

'9/11 attacks made up, ' says French best actress Oscar-winner

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:38:52 GMT

clipped by: melizer

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Actress Marion Cotillard sparked a political row yesterday after accusing America of fabricating the 9/11 attacks.

The 32-year-old French actress, who received an Oscar last month for her performance as singer Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, openly questioned the truth behind the terrorist atrocity in an interview broadcast on a French website.

"I think we're lied to about a number of things," Cotillard said, singling out the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center as an example of the US making up horror stories for political ends.

But after her outburst, in which she also queried the 1969 Moon landings, a successful future in Hollywood appears to be in jeopardy.

Pamela Anderson seeks to annul 2-month marriage

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:29:28 GMT

clipped by: melizer

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

LOS ANGELES - Court documents show that Pamela Anderson is seeking an annulment, rather than a divorce, from husband Rick Salomon. The actress is seeking to annul the two-month marriage based on fraud. No other details were available, and Anderson's publicist did not immediately return an e-mail request for comment Tuesday.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles on Friday, Anderson asked the court not to award spousal support and to keep her and Salomon's income and property separate. On Monday, Anderson filed a request to have a retired judge handle the annulment proceedings — a common practice in celebrity split-ups as it keeps matters private and out of the court.

Anderson and Salomon, both 40, were married Oct. 6 in Las Vegas and separated Dec. 13. He's best known for making a sex videotape with then-girlfriend Paris Hilton and was previously married to actress Shannen Doherty.

Anderson was previously married to singer Kid Rock and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee.

Across The Universe Day

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:07:01 GMT

clipped by: melizer

Clip Source: www.acrosstheuniverseday.com

Monday, February 4th 2008 is the exact 40th anniversary of the Beatles recording their anthem of universal peace - "Across The Universe" - in 1968.

To mark the occasion, Beatles fans worldwide are invited to play that Beatles song at the same time of day - creating a harmonic convergence around the globe.

And the Beatles' universal message will NOT be restricted to Planet Earth!

The US Space Agency NASA will play a major part in the celebrations by beaming the song "Across The Universe" literally Across The Universe!

NASA is going to transmit the Beatles tune from a satellite antenna directly into outer space! And it will do this at the exact same time as fans Across The World are playing "Across The Universe"!

Incredible $1 bet

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 01:12:12 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: A man in England predicts the winners of eight horse races at near impossible odds.

Clip Source: sports.yahoo.com

LONDON - A lucky gambler has made 1 million pounds, or about $1.97 million, from a 50 pence ($1) bet, British bookmaker William Hill said Saturday.

The man, who William Hill has not identified, correctly guessed the outcome of eight horse races Friday, beating odds of two-million-to-one.

He walked into a William Hill branch in the north England town of Thirsk and placed wagers on eight horses in eight different contests in a so-called “accumulator bet,” the company said.

His first win came when a horse called “Isn’t That Lucky” won the 2:55 p.m. race at the Sandown track, southwest of London. By the time “A Dream Come True” crossed the finish line at the Wolverhampton racecourse in central England later that evening, the man had won 1 million pounds.

the man was oblivious to his win when he came to a different William Hill branch Saturday to place more 50 pence bets. Sharpe said the man had not won any of Saturday’s wagers, losing 2.50 pounds.

Dumbest TV Shows Ever: Deal or No Deal

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:30:16 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: LOL! That's the perfect way to describe the experience of watching this show.

Clip Source: www.maximonline.com

Deal or No Deal
If you've ever quietly seethed while your girlfriend waffled for hours between two-dozen wallpaper patterns at Home Depot, you've beheld the skill required to win up to 20 years' salary on DND. Wanna liven up this TV version of millionaire whack-a-mole for Wheel of Fortune rejects? Put a hungry wolverine in one of the briefcases.

Yogurt may take the bite out of gum disease

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:23:37 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: I don't quite understand from the story if yogurt is helping topically (contact between yogurt and the inside of your mouth) or just nutritionally, by digesting it....?

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regularly eating yogurt and other foods with lactic acid may be good for your mouth, Japanese researchers report.

Previous research identified a lower occurrence of periodontal disease among people who eat high amounts of dairy products, but did not identify which dairy products were most beneficial, the researchers report.

Compared with individuals reporting no lactic acid food intake, those eating 55 grams or more of yogurt or lactic acid drinks a day had significantly fewer markers of severe periodontal disease

"The beneficial effect on periodontal disease might be based on the probiotic effect of lactobacilli found in lactic acid foods," Shimazaki told Reuters Health. Probiotics are living microorganisms, such as the Lactobacillus bacteria in yogurt that are beneficial to one's health.

further analyze the probiotic effect of lactic acid foods by assessing the distribution of lactic acid bacteria in subjects' mouths based on the lactic acid foods they eat.

Tags: yogurt, gum disease, dental health

Under The Hood of the New Knight Rider 3000 KITT

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 21:56:04 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: Under the Hood With Knight Rider 2.0: Trans Am vs. Ford Mustang (Featuring Exclusive New KITT Specs—and Classic Hasselhoff!)

Clip Source: www.popularmechanics.com

If you were a child of the 1980s, or are just a fan of very-late-night cable television, then you've most likely seen Michael Knight (played by a pre-Baywatch David Hasselhoff) and his chatty supercar sidekick, KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), do battle with bad guys on the small-screen action-adventure show Knight Rider.

Last week, NBC unveiled an all-new, controversial KITT, which is set to star in the made-for-TV Knight Rider movie in February. Based on the still-to-be-released Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR (click here for engine-revving video), this virtual Stang comes tricked out with a supercomputer that can hack almost any system; a very capable weapons system; and a body—thanks to nanotechnology—that's able to shape-shift and change color at will. Like its predecessor, the 21st century KITT gets AI from digital effects wizards that makes it an ideal crime-fighting partner: logical, precise and infinitely smart.

SPECIAL FEATURES COMPARISON

Tags: kitt, knight rider, hasselhoff, trans am, shelby mustang

Tiger in zoo mauling taunted by her victims?

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:15:28 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: This enrages me - the animals should definitely be protected from punks like these. We can't afford to lose any more tigers. I think the boys got what they deserved. If their friend that was killed wasn't taunting her, then his death is these brothers' fault as well. I've only been to zoos for school and work, and I always see boys & men taunting gorillas and the big cats. There should be guards on duty at these particular exhibits and guys like these should be ejected from the zoo immediately.

Clip Source: abclocal.go.com

"I don't think my son would do something like taunt animals," Carlos Sousa told ABC's "Good Morning America." "It's unbelievable, but only the evidence can prove that. And right now I can't say much."

"I don't think this deserves to happen to anybody - taunting or not taunting," Carlos Sousa told ABC. "Animals should be protected from the people and the people should be protected from the animals."

The same tiger, a 4-year-old female named Tatiana, ripped the flesh off a zookeeper's arm just before Christmas a year ago

Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo said Wednesday he gave no thought to destroying Tatiana after the 2006 incident, because "the tiger was acting as a normal tiger does.

Clip Source: www.ktvu.com

Tiger Attack Survivors Not Cooperating With Police

the brothers have had run-ins with authorities before. They were arraigned Oct. 22 on suspicion of public drunkenness and resisting a police officer charges.

Paul Dhaliwal also has three other cases

reckless driving and evading a police officer

public intoxication

Tags: zoo, animal rights

Hello Kitty turns attention to young men

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:46:32 GMT

clipped by: melizer

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

"We think Hello Kitty is accepted by young men as a design statement in fashion," he said.

The usual bubble-headed shape of Hello Kitty was slightly changed for a more rugged, cool look to appeal to men in their teens and early 20s.

The planned products mark the first time Sanrio is developing Hello Kitty items especially for males, Tohmatsu said.

"Young men these days grew up with character goods," said Tohmatsu. "That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty."

Brennivín Icelandic Schnapps - Black Death

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:58:44 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: In Iceland, it is consumed on Þorláksmessa ("St. Thorlac's Day"), which falls on December 23, the feast day of St. Thorlac.

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Brennivín (see also Brännvin) is an Icelandic schnapps, considered the country's signature alcoholic beverage. It is made from fermented potato pulp, and flavoured with caraway seeds. It is sometimes called svarti dauði ("black death").

Despite its unofficial status as national beverage and a traditional drink for the mid-winter feast of Þorrablót, many Icelanders do not regularly drink it. The drink has a strong taste and high alcohol content (37.5% ABV), and carries an equivocal reputation: despite the fact that Iceland levies huge taxes on most alcoholic beverages, brennivín is actually one of the moderately priced liquors available in the national alcohol store, Vínbúð, and is thus often associated with alcoholics. It's very difficult to find in the United States.

Britney's Little Sister Jamie Lynn Pregnant

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:09:05 GMT

clipped by: melizer
clipper's remarks: I thought it was interesting that Jamie Lynn went to see the movie Juno (about a pregnant teen) with her mother and a day later confessed. And it's sad that when they asked Britney for a comment, she didn't even know about it.

Clip Source: www.ok-magazine.com

Jamie Lynn Spears, younger sister of Britney Spears, is pregnant with the child of her boyfriend of over two years, Casey Aldridge. And in an exclusive interview in the new issue of OK! , the teenager opens up about her pregnancy, which just passed the 12-week mark, and which she says came as a total shock to her.

"I can’t say it was something I was planning to do right now," the 16-year-old confesses to OK!. "But now that it’s in my lap and that it’s something I have to deal with, I’m looking forward to being the best mom I can be."