Monday, February 08, 2010
Early deduction for Haiti relief donations
A law signed by President Obama on January 22 lets you take an early tax deduction for contributions you make for earthquake relief to Haiti. And if you use your cell phone to donate via a text message, the new law gives you an easier method for substantiating your contribution.
If you itemize deductions on your tax return, you may elect to take a charitable deduction on your 2009 return for Haiti contributions made after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010. Claiming a 2010 contribution on your 2009 return will give you an earlier tax benefit, though you may also wait until you file your 2010 return to take the deduction.
Here are other important details.
The contributions must be made specifically for relief related to the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.
The contributions must be made to qualified charities, rather than to specific individuals.
Only cash contributions qualify for the earlier 2009 deduction option; contributions of property or goods do not qualify.
Contributions made to foreign charities generally don't qualify.
You'll need records to substantiate any deductible donations you make. But a special easing of the rules will allow you to use your telephone bill as substantiation for donations made by text message. The phone bill must show the name of the organization receiving your donation, the date of the contribution, and the amount you gave. For other donation methods, you'll need a bank record or written communication from the charity.
If you claim a Haiti relief deduction on your 2009 return, you may not also claim the same donation on your 2010 return (which you'll be filing in 2011). To decide whether to take the deduction on your 2009 or 2010 return, run the numbers to see which year will give you the bigger tax savings. For 2009, higher-income taxpayers have a limit on their total itemized deductions. This limit is eliminated for 2010, so the deduction could actually provide a bigger tax break if taken on your 2010 tax return.
If you itemize deductions on your tax return, you may elect to take a charitable deduction on your 2009 return for Haiti contributions made after January 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010. Claiming a 2010 contribution on your 2009 return will give you an earlier tax benefit, though you may also wait until you file your 2010 return to take the deduction.
Here are other important details.
The contributions must be made specifically for relief related to the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.
The contributions must be made to qualified charities, rather than to specific individuals.
Only cash contributions qualify for the earlier 2009 deduction option; contributions of property or goods do not qualify.
Contributions made to foreign charities generally don't qualify.
You'll need records to substantiate any deductible donations you make. But a special easing of the rules will allow you to use your telephone bill as substantiation for donations made by text message. The phone bill must show the name of the organization receiving your donation, the date of the contribution, and the amount you gave. For other donation methods, you'll need a bank record or written communication from the charity.
If you claim a Haiti relief deduction on your 2009 return, you may not also claim the same donation on your 2010 return (which you'll be filing in 2011). To decide whether to take the deduction on your 2009 or 2010 return, run the numbers to see which year will give you the bigger tax savings. For 2009, higher-income taxpayers have a limit on their total itemized deductions. This limit is eliminated for 2010, so the deduction could actually provide a bigger tax break if taken on your 2010 tax return.
Labels: haiti tax deduction
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Cleveland Sports
No, this isn't going to be a depressing post about the Drive or Fumble or Shot or our lack of Super Bowl appearances.
The Cleveland Sports Awards was held last Wednesday (February 3, 2010) at the Renaissance Hotel Ballroom and it reinforced how many tremendous athletes we have in the area and that sports goes beyond the NBA, NFL and MLB.
Sure, the professional sports were on the agenda with LeBron James winning best Pro Athlete over his teammate Mo Williams and Browns Pro Bowler Joe Thomas.
But a lot of fun was interacting with the amateur and school athletes. Olympians such as Carol Heiss, Hayes Jenkins, Dominique Moceanu, Diana Munz, Tonia Kwiatkowski and Bill Kerslake attended as did school and amateur athletes such as CSU's J'Nathan Bullock, Elyria HS' Tess Sito and Euclid's (now Texas A&M's) Jessica Beard.
There are some great photos and videos from the event (like Bob Feller with the Captains mascot!) at GreatLakesGeek.Com
The Cleveland Sports Awards was held last Wednesday (February 3, 2010) at the Renaissance Hotel Ballroom and it reinforced how many tremendous athletes we have in the area and that sports goes beyond the NBA, NFL and MLB.
Sure, the professional sports were on the agenda with LeBron James winning best Pro Athlete over his teammate Mo Williams and Browns Pro Bowler Joe Thomas.
But a lot of fun was interacting with the amateur and school athletes. Olympians such as Carol Heiss, Hayes Jenkins, Dominique Moceanu, Diana Munz, Tonia Kwiatkowski and Bill Kerslake attended as did school and amateur athletes such as CSU's J'Nathan Bullock, Elyria HS' Tess Sito and Euclid's (now Texas A&M's) Jessica Beard.
There are some great photos and videos from the event (like Bob Feller with the Captains mascot!) at GreatLakesGeek.Com
Labels: cleveland sports
Monday, February 01, 2010
Win free tickets to Great Big Home & Garden Expo
There are 2, count 'em 2, home and garden shows this year. The original moved to Euclid and was held last week. A new one, Great Big Home & Garden Expo, is going to be at the I-X Center next week.
Ty Pennigton and Cheryl Tiegs (whatever happened to that poster on my wall?) are the biggest named celebs at the show.
You can enter to win free tickets at ClevelandSeniors.Com or ClevelandWomen.Com
Ty Pennigton and Cheryl Tiegs (whatever happened to that poster on my wall?) are the biggest named celebs at the show.
You can enter to win free tickets at ClevelandSeniors.Com or ClevelandWomen.Com
Saturday, January 30, 2010
What's the word? Thunderbird
One of my all time favorite bands is the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
E-mal cient Thunderbird 3 is now out but I can't rate it as fabulous. I have used Eudora as my main e-mail client for many years. It's no longer being supported and many recommend a move to Thunderbird.
Thunderbird 3 is now out and the Mozilla folks have some cool features. One is for the situation where you promise to attach a file to a message and then forget to attach. Thunderbird 3 will scan your message for words like 'attachment' and then prompt you if you don't actually attach anything.
The tabbed model, a la their web browser Firefox is also cool. But they still don't have a separate line for CC or BCC when you create an e-mail. Any addresses go to the To field by default and then you have to move to CC or BCC. That's too kludgy.
I wonder about the future of e-mail clients when so many seem to be going to the cloud (gmail, etc) for their mail.
E-mal cient Thunderbird 3 is now out but I can't rate it as fabulous. I have used Eudora as my main e-mail client for many years. It's no longer being supported and many recommend a move to Thunderbird.
Thunderbird 3 is now out and the Mozilla folks have some cool features. One is for the situation where you promise to attach a file to a message and then forget to attach. Thunderbird 3 will scan your message for words like 'attachment' and then prompt you if you don't actually attach anything.
The tabbed model, a la their web browser Firefox is also cool. But they still don't have a separate line for CC or BCC when you create an e-mail. Any addresses go to the To field by default and then you have to move to CC or BCC. That's too kludgy.
I wonder about the future of e-mail clients when so many seem to be going to the cloud (gmail, etc) for their mail.
Labels: Thunderbird email
More Jerry Stiller
We just added some terrific sound bites from the Jerry Stiller interview.
Listen to him talk about the Browns moving from Cleveland, his family excursions (with wife Anne Meara, son Ben Stiller and daughter Amy), Cain Park, Alpine Village, Kenley Players and more Cleveland stuff.
He even calls Cleveland the Catskills of the Midwest! Take a listen.
Listen to him talk about the Browns moving from Cleveland, his family excursions (with wife Anne Meara, son Ben Stiller and daughter Amy), Cain Park, Alpine Village, Kenley Players and more Cleveland stuff.
He even calls Cleveland the Catskills of the Midwest! Take a listen.
Labels: Jerry Stiller interview
Jerry Stiller and Cleveland
Watching Seinfeld or King of Queens you would think that Jerry Stiller, who played George Costanza's father and Dough Heffernan's father-in-law, would be a loud, obnoxious boor.
Actually he is a soft-spoken fascinating man with a font of stories from the glory days of comedy up through the present.
My sister Debbie interviewed him last week about his current role in Hallmark's Ice Dreams and they started talking about his memories of Cleveland and the good old days.
Read about Jerry Stiller and Cleveland and much more.
Happy belated Festivus, Jerry!
Labels: jerry stiller Cleveland interview
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
99 cent software - one day only
WinPatrol Plus has always been a pretty good security program. Now, as an experiment, they are offering a lifetime license for the grand sum of 99 cents.
This is a one-day only experiment starting at midnight EST on Jan 29th and will last 24 hours. It will be available at WinPatrol.com.
It normally sells for $29.95 and the 99 cent license will be good for life.
Get more details at GreatLakesGeek.com
This is a one-day only experiment starting at midnight EST on Jan 29th and will last 24 hours. It will be available at WinPatrol.com.
It normally sells for $29.95 and the 99 cent license will be good for life.
Get more details at GreatLakesGeek.com
Friday, January 22, 2010
Jerry Stiller - Love him or hate him?
I don't know of anyone who is indifferent about Jerry Stiller. In recent years he is of course best known for his roles as George Costanza's father on Seinfeld and as Arthur Spooner on King of Queens.
My sister did an interview with him this week (will be posted soon) about his new Hallmark movie called Ice Dreams
But mention his name and some people will recoil with "I can't stand him!" while others gush "He's hilarious!"
However you feel, it's a fascinating story of a relatively minor comic (teaming up with his wife Anne Meara) who hit the big time on TV.
He does a great job on the Hallmark Ice Dreams special too.
He has some Cleveland connections which will be exposed in the upcoming interview.
So, what do you think of the actor?
My sister did an interview with him this week (will be posted soon) about his new Hallmark movie called Ice Dreams
But mention his name and some people will recoil with "I can't stand him!" while others gush "He's hilarious!"
However you feel, it's a fascinating story of a relatively minor comic (teaming up with his wife Anne Meara) who hit the big time on TV.
He does a great job on the Hallmark Ice Dreams special too.
He has some Cleveland connections which will be exposed in the upcoming interview.
So, what do you think of the actor?
Labels: jerry stiller hallmark seinfeld
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Empty Sky?
What happens when you point the Hubble Space Telescope at a seemingly blank patch of sky?
It's not so empty. Watch the results of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3D project.
Our puniness (is that a word?) is further exemplified in these planet and solar system models.
It's not so empty. Watch the results of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field 3D project.
Our puniness (is that a word?) is further exemplified in these planet and solar system models.
Labels: Hubble telescope solar system planets space
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Elder Abuse
I heard on the news today about some punks who are targeting the elderly. One pretends to shovel their snow and the other goes through their house and grabs anything of value. What punks!
Targeting the helpless - seniors, kids, disabled, etc - is particularly vile and disgusting. Unfortunately we hear these news stories too often. But there is much that we never hear.
It's not just criminals. Sometimes elder abuse comes at the hands of caretakers and even family members.
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland published a great article on Elder Abuse in their newsletter and let us reprint it on ClevelandSeniors.Com.
One of the sad things was when I was searching for books on the subject, I found 361 on Amazon alone. It's really a shame how prevalent this problem is.
Targeting the helpless - seniors, kids, disabled, etc - is particularly vile and disgusting. Unfortunately we hear these news stories too often. But there is much that we never hear.
It's not just criminals. Sometimes elder abuse comes at the hands of caretakers and even family members.
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland published a great article on Elder Abuse in their newsletter and let us reprint it on ClevelandSeniors.Com.
One of the sad things was when I was searching for books on the subject, I found 361 on Amazon alone. It's really a shame how prevalent this problem is.
Labels: elder abuse seniors
Health Care system with IBM CEO Sam Palmisano
In these days of Web 2.0, Google and Twitter it is easy to forget that the largest computer company in the world is Big Blue, IBM.
Sam Palmisano was keynote speaker at the annual Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit on October 6, 2009. He used the occasion to introduce IBM's new Personal DNA Sequencer Project.
He also spoke about the health care system and the 4 essential qualities of any reliable system.
And IBM knows systems!
Palmisano's best line? The health care system isn't broken... because it's not really a system!
See more and watch video snippets of Sam Palmisano's keynote
Sam Palmisano was keynote speaker at the annual Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit on October 6, 2009. He used the occasion to introduce IBM's new Personal DNA Sequencer Project.
He also spoke about the health care system and the 4 essential qualities of any reliable system.
And IBM knows systems!
Palmisano's best line? The health care system isn't broken... because it's not really a system!
See more and watch video snippets of Sam Palmisano's keynote
Labels: palmisano IBM health care system
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Gumby creator dies
Gumby animator Art Clokey died yesterday in California at age 89.
Clokey first molded Gumby for a surreal student project at the University of Southern California called "Gumbasia." That led to his making shorts for the "Howdy Doody Show" and several series through the years.
Clokey had said he modeled Gumby's funky sweeping head on his father's hairdo.
Gumby's reaction to the passing? He was... wait for it... bent out of shape.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Google Tax in France
Andreas Pouros, COO of Greenlight wrote today that France’s “Google tax” – Sounds like protectionism - and I agree.
Porous says "A report has been made public proposing that France begins taxing the likes of Google to subsidise its own creative industry. The authors of the report suggest that this new taxation could raise up to the equivalent of $28 million, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t much money at all.
The suggestion that the tax will help France subsidize music artists and book publishers doesn’t therefore sound like the sole objective here, given that this amount of money won’t make much of a difference if it’s spread so thinly across France’s creative community.
On this basis it feels like protectionism of the worst sort – instead of collaborating with successful, innovative companies, or creating an environment that promotes innovation domestically, France appears to want to give its own industries an unfair commercial advantage by taking money from non-French firms.
More on France's Google Tax and Pouros' comments.
Porous says "A report has been made public proposing that France begins taxing the likes of Google to subsidise its own creative industry. The authors of the report suggest that this new taxation could raise up to the equivalent of $28 million, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t much money at all.
The suggestion that the tax will help France subsidize music artists and book publishers doesn’t therefore sound like the sole objective here, given that this amount of money won’t make much of a difference if it’s spread so thinly across France’s creative community.
On this basis it feels like protectionism of the worst sort – instead of collaborating with successful, innovative companies, or creating an environment that promotes innovation domestically, France appears to want to give its own industries an unfair commercial advantage by taking money from non-French firms.
More on France's Google Tax and Pouros' comments.
Labels: France Google Tax
