America’s Most Congested Cities.
Planning a move, relocating for a job…. then you better check this. Inrix, a leading provider of traffic infomration colelcts and analyzes data from 80,000 people that they track with specialized GPS amchines. Nationwide, the report found that traffic congestion hit bottom in March last year after 18 months of steady declines and is back on the rise as the economy shows signs of recovery. According to the report, how quickly traffic congestion returns to pre-recession levels will be dependent on jobs and fuel prices. Not surprising to anyone who has ever been to Los Angeles .. it is the most congested city.
The top 10 most congested metropolitan areas in the U.S.
- Los Angeles, CA
- New York, NY
- Chicago, IL
- Washington D.C.
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- San Francisco, CA
- Houston, TX
- Boston, MA
- Seattle, WA
- Atlanta, GA
For more analysis, check out www.inrix.com.
Millions of unemployed face years without jobs
I usually don’t post articles posted elsewhere but there was an article in New York Times that I was compelled to post. According to the article Economists fear that the number of unemployed in this recession will cause great pain to everyone. Even when the economy recovers some of today’s unemployed will be so far behind that they will be “poor” for a very long time. Simply they are new poor .. well educated or well skilled but unable to get by.
Here is a link to the full article from New York Times.
Unemployment Benefits will trigger tax bills in 2010
Millions of Americans who have been out of work for months are relying on unemployment benefits to put food on the table. In November, Congress extended benefits by up to 20 weeks for workers in states with high jobless rates.
But what many people may not realize is that some of those benefits are taxable. The economic stimulus package enacted last year excluded the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits from 2009 gross income. For unemployed married couples, each spouse is eligible to exclude up to $2,400 in benefits.
Taxpayers who receive unemployment benefits should receive Form 1099-G, which shows the amount of benefits you received for the year. You should report unemployment compensation that exceeds $2,400 on line 19 of Form 1040, line 13 of Form 1040A, or line 3 of Form 1040EZ.
The $2,400 exclusion wasn’t extended into 2010. That means all of the unemployment benefits you receive this year could be taxable. For more information, see IRS Publication 525.
To reduce the tax hit, make sure you take advantage of all the deductions available to you. For example, expenses in connection with looking for another job may be deductible.
Legitimate deductions include the cost of printing and mailing a résumé, traveling for interviews and job placement agency fees. You must itemize to deduct job-hunting costs, and only expenses that exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income are deductible.
Apple IPAD and Hitler’s response
Before I dwell into Hitlers parody of Apple’s Ipad, there has been a cult following for the movie Downfall(German: Der Untergang). The movie was released in 2004 and depicts the final days of Adolf Hitler in his bunker. The movie was a nominee for the Academy Award in the best foreign film category. Now for the fun part. There are atleast 50 parodies of the last scene where Hitler is yelling at his staff. Below is the latest parody about the Ipad. Enjoy.
Happy New year
Wishing our readers, viewers, advertisers, contributors and everyone who helped increase our audience 1000% in 2009 a very very Happy New Year.