Best Car Deals: March 2011

While analysts have said the automotive industry has been in recovery for months, February new car sales have sealed it: consumers are back in showrooms ready and willing to buy. Most car makers report that sales in February 2011 were up about 20 percent compared to the same time a year ago. The sales increase has the industry on track to sell over 13 million new cars and trucks this year—a level not seen since 2009's Cash for Clunkers sales extravaganza.



While sales are usually pushed by incentives, that wasn't the case for this February. TrueCar.com reports that industry-wide incentive spending for February was at its lowest levels since 2007. When automakers spend less on incentives, consumers feel the pinch. The average price for a new car in February was up $132 from the average price in January. It seems that car makers feel secure enough to dial back discounts and cash back offers.

Scientists' amazing California discovery includes fishing tackle 12,000 years old

People are discovering antique fishing tackle all the time, in closets and at garage sales, but none of that compares to discoveries made recently by archaeologists at two of the Channel Islands off Southern California.

Looking for signs of ancient human settlement, they unearthed meticulously-crafted spearheads and other tools (see photo at right) that date back 12,000 years and provide insight into the lives of a seafaring culture that obtained bounty from the ocean.

The astonishing discoveries, at three sites on Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands west of Santa Barbara, strongly support the theory that during an era when the first traces of humans appeared in the archaeological record in North America, a coastal culture existed that was distinct from the well-chronicled inland Clovis culture, which consisted of big-game hunters who subsisted on mastodons and other large mammals.

5 health reasons to not quit coffee

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine

I really like coffee. The morning ritual of brewing a cup, the smell that perks me up before I take a sip and, of course, the flavor all make it my favorite beverage aside from water (water’s delicious!). As a registered dietitian and a nutrition editor for EatingWell Magazine, I know that coffee is fine in moderation. It has lots of antioxidants and is low in calories if you don’t load it up with cream and sugar. Nonetheless, I always feel slightly guilty about drinking it—you know, in a “it’s so good, it must be bad” kind of way.

Claiming the Making Work Pay Credit

The Making Work Pay tax credit put some extra cash into most workers' paychecks in 2010. A single taxpayer was eligible for up to $400 last year, while married couples brought home a maximum of $800.


The money was added to paychecks via reduced payroll withholding. But that isn't the end, of the credit. Now that filing season has arrived, you have to account for that money by filing Schedule M.
The IRS wants this form if you file a long Form 1040 or the slightly shorter Form 1040A. Taxpayers who can file the shortest return, 1040EZ, will simply use a work sheet on the back of that form.
Why the Extra Work?

Miami Heat players moved to tears after another close loss

It's safe to say the Miami Heat took Sunday's loss to the Chicago Bulls harder than some of their noted fair-weather fans. According to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, several Miami players were reduced to tears following the team's 87-86 loss to the Bulls. The defeat marked their third close loss to Chicago this season, and it tops off a frustrating week that started last Sunday with the squad's tough defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks. The Heat now have lost four in a row.

Skippy Natural Super Chunk Peanut Butter

anut butter is a commercial brand of peanut butter made in the United States. Ninety million jars of Skippy are sold annually. It was first sold on February 1, 1933.
 
History

"Skippy" was first used as a trademark for peanut butter by the Rosefield Packing Co., Ltd., ofAlameda, California, in 1933. Percy Crosby, creator of the "Skippy" comic strip, had the trademark invalidated in 1934, but Rosefield persisted after Crosby was committed to an insane asylum, and its successor companies, most recentlyUnilever, have been granted rights to the trademark over the objection of Crosby's heirs. There has been much litigation on this point over the decades, some of which remains in progress.[1]

House moves to repeal tax filing requirement

WASHINGTON – An unpopular tax filing requirement for businesses that was included in the new health care law would be repealed under a bill headed for a vote in the House Thursday.

A provision tucked into the new law would require millions of businesses to file tax forms for every vendor that sells them more than $600 in goods each year, starting in 2012. The requirement is projected to rise nearly $25 billion over the next decade by ensuring that vendors pay their taxes. But lawmakers in both parties say it could create a paperwork nightmare for businesses and the Internal Revenue Service.

'Saturday Night Live' Recap: Miley Cyrus Does Her Best Justin Bieber

Here's the good news: "Saturday Night Live" functioned exactly as it was supposed to last night. The Charlie Sheen jokes were immediate and plentiful, and guest host Miley Cyrus playfully emasculated her teen heartthrob counterpart, Justin Bieber. But here's the potentially sad news that comes along with it: This made for an inoffensive, uneventful, and very lazy "SNL."

Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift Reveals Support Acts For Upcoming Tour

Taylor Swift has revealed the support acts for her forthcoming North American tour.

Taylor Swift, the American country singer-songwriter, will be supported by the likes of Frankie Ballard and Danny Gokey on her upcoming tour of the US, reports Cmt.com. 

The rock-band Needtobreathe have already been confirmed as the main opening act for the tour, but Swift has named a number of new artists who are set to perform brief sets at the start of each show. 28-year-old Ballard, who won Kenny Chesney's 'Next Big Star' competition in 2008, will join Swift for ten of the arena shows.

Broad seals England's six-run thriller

What a World Cup England are producing. From a thrilling tie against India to the shock of losing to Ireland they have now conjured a stunning fightback to beat South Africa by six runs in a gripping contest on a tough pitch in Chennai.

They took all ten wickets for 102 through a combination of spin, reverse swing, perseverance and the never-say-die-attitude which is such a trait of this team, with Stuart Broad sealing the victory with two wickets in four balls after Dale Steyn's 31-ball 20 had taken his team close to the winning line.

It showed you don't need 600 runs to create an epic one-day international and the celebrations when Morne Morkel was caught behind proved how important it was for England spirits. Without it they would have faced the real possibility of heading home early, but can now approach the clashes against Bangladesh and West Indies with much greater heart. What will please Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower is that it was the much-maligned attack that won the match - after the batting struggled to post 171 - as Broad took 4 for 15, James Anderson produced a devastating burst of reverse swing shortly before the 34-over ball change and Graeme Swann bowled with guile and craft to set up the prospect of victory.

7 Richter scale quake to destroy 72,000 city buildings: Food minister

Some 72,000 buildings out of the 326,000 in the capital run the risk of getting demolished if there is an earthquake of magnitude 7 in the Richter scale in Madhupur area of Tangail.

Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said this in Parliament on Sunday replying to a starred question of ruling party lawmaker M Shahiduzzaman Sarkar.

Dr Razzaque said that to face the disastrous situation due to earthquake, the government has formed 1,200 community voluntary teams in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet through the Fire Service and Civil Defense.

He said these teams have been given training on rescue operation and first aid.

Historic March 7 today

The nation will observe the historic March 7 on Monday in a befitting manner, commemorating the fiery and soulful address of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on this day in 1971 when he made a clarion call to the people to fight against the Pakistani occupation forces to achieve the long-cherished independence.

Before a mammoth rally at the then Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on March 7 in 1971, Bangabandhu in a virtual announcement of independence declared, “— ebarer sangram amader muktir sangram, ebarer sangram swadhinatar sangram (our struggle this time is the struggle for independence, our struggle this time is the struggle for liberation)”.

Bangabandhu, who became the undisputed leader of the then Pakistan following the massive victory of his party Awami League in the 1970 general elections, had to call upon his people to prepare for a fight when the Pakistani centrists were dilly- dallying to hand over power to the then majority party.

3 Bangladeshis fleeing Libya drown in Greek waters

Three Bangladesh nationals evacuated from Libya drowned in Greek waters on Saturday night while trying to swim to shore from a ship moored at Hania Port of Crete Island, according to the foreign ministry.

‘After berthing at Hania Port, some 47 jumped ship and three of them died and 18 have been hospitalised,’ the ministry said in a release Sunday evening.

The victims were believed to be workers of South Korean Daewoo Engineering & Construction Ltd. Their identities were, however, not available immediately.

The Bangladesh ambassador in Greece, Mohammad Azizul Haque, and the mission staff were closely working with the local authorities and with Daewoo in arranging their repatriation to Bangladesh, said the ministry.

Daewoo Engineering & Construction Ltd chartered two ships to relocate some 2,042 Bangladeshi expatriate workers from Libya, it said.

‘Forty-nine people left the ship. They used a rope to climb down,’ a merchant marine official of Greece, told Agence France-Presse.

Authorities alerted by local residents initially found 31 men, all drenched, on a beach near Souda Bay in the early hours of Sunday.

One fruit a day, keeps the doctor away

An apple a day, keeps the doctor away — is a very old saying. Apple may not be the answer to your health, but fruits are definitely one of the ways of having good health. They are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. Moreover, in many cases the ailments caused by the intake of unnatural foods can be successfully treated by fruits. Fruits are helpful in so many ways. Such as —

- Apples, grapes and many other fruits contain pectin, a soluble fiber that helps regulate blood cholesterol levels.

- Fruits are easily digested and have a cleansing effect on the blood and the digestive tract.

- Fruits are an excellent source of important vitamins.

- Many fruits are high in potassium, an electrolyte essential to maintaining a proper balance of body fluids. Adequate potassium also appears to reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure.