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Photo courtesy of Falashad on Flickr. Shared under Creative Commons license 2.0.
Since my last Walden Wednesday entry focused on a plant I definitely don't want to see on our homestead site, this week it seems fair to write about one I want to encourage. As a little girl, I loved hunting for wild strawberries in the fields and along the woodland paths. The tiny, red berries nestled like jewels amidst their green leaves, smaller and sweeter than the conventional strawberries my parents brought home in plastic cartons from the grocery store. The taste always reminds me of summer and of childhood. So I was thrilled to see the familiar green leaves of the wild strawberry growing along the edge of our driveway.
Photo courtesy of Free Photos on Flickr. Shared under Creative Commons 2.0 license.
While some people might not be happy about wild strawberries popping up in their lawns and gardens, I want to encourage these strawberries to spread across the homestead. Even without the delicious berries, I'm fond of the green leaves (I don't have the botanical vocabulary to describe them, but they always remind me of ruffled potato chips). I also learned that wild strawberry leaves are high in Vitamin C and can make a medicinal tea that's good for stomach aches! Plus, the white flowers that bloom in the spring are delicate and beautiful.
Drew and I can't stand mowing and we think conventional lawns are boring, but we like the idea of low ground covers growing in the open spaces of the site. I can't imagine a more beautiful — or delicious! — lawn than a field of wild strawberries.
Photo by Joshua Mayer on Flickr. Shared under Creative Commons license 2.0.
We were lucky to have Drew's parents in town this last week, so I asked my mother-in-law, who knows a lot about botany, how to encourage our strawberry plants to grow. She suggested bending a wire clothes hanger into a U-shape and using it to divide up the rhizomes. Yesterday, I noticed that the room we are staying in has a lone wire coat hanger in the closet, so I want to try it later this week. I'll take photos if I do — if it works, it can document the process for other people, and if it doesn't, it's a warning of what not to do.
A very nice piece of writing Mindy, after being there you described it truthfully and beautifully. If you want this type of ground cover instead of grass, may I also suggest herbs? Creeping thyme would be nice, can take traffic, and would smell lovely as you walked on it. There are many herbs that come in a low "creeping" form that you could use, and you certainly have the space and climate. Another plus, would be that they don't take very much water and, they never need to be mowed. Just a suggestion, have a look at The Herb Farm, a specialty nursery that is by Snoqualmie Falls. They have the biggest herb collection for sale I have ever seen, and Gary and I could stop by and hold them for you or bring them over. I enjoyed your writing very much, but I find I DO miss you and Andy very much!
If you'd like more wire coat hangers…I have some!
Anne and I also don't like mowing and have encouraged moss to grow in our front yard and since we live in within city limits we need to keep our yard somewhat conventional. However, I have mowed around a few patches of wild flowers that started growing and let them bloom before cutting them. We have also discussed ways that we can change our yard to be less of a hassle to mow. So far, our ideas cost more than our budget allows. Some day though. . .


The anonymous individual said the app makes border crossing easier and faster, and also seeks to help recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), also known as "Dreamers,"Motherboard reported.
Beyond this, there will be be additional safeguards built into the app that "prevent or actively disable" US officials from using it. The app's functionality hinges on specific movement signatures and "limited engagements," Motherboard reported.


text:
Aston Martin previews the next DBS with Project AM310 concept
By C.C. Weiss
Aston Martin previews the next...
The AM310 concept debuted at the Concorso d'Eleganza Ville d'Este
During the festivities of this past weekend's Concorso d'Eleganza Ville d'Este in Lake Como, Italy, Aston Martin introduced a new concept called the Project AM310. Unlike the superlative BMW Zagato Coupe, the AM310 is expected to serve as more than a one-off concept - it's reportedly a preview of the replacement for the DBS.
According to media reports, the new Aston Martin concept made its debut on the banks of Lake Como with very little fanfare. Indeed, information about the car on Aston's website is limited to this brief statement: "Entered in the prestigious Concorso d'Eleganza Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes, Project AM310 points to an exciting and dynamic future for Aston Martin as we prepare to celebrate our centenary next year in truly luxurious and sporting style."
The concept lost out on the design award to a freshly painted Alfa Romeo 4C, and perhaps that's because judges saw exactly what us car fans see: a concept that looks like it's already a part of Aston's line-up.
To be fair, while the overall shape and look of the AM310 is pure Aston 2012, you'll find some revisions if you investigate a little closer. The rounded haunches and rear fascia, redesigned front-end (particularly down low), and One-77-inspired side vents and tail lamps separate the AM310 from the soon-to-be-replaced DBS.
According to Autocar, the AM310/new DBS will differentiate itself slightly from the current DBS in terms of materials. The new flagship will use more generous amounts of carbon fiber in the chassis and body, borrowing again from the limited edition One-77. It will be powered by a 6.0-liter V-12 engine with an output increase to around 550 hp.
The DBS replacement is expected to get a full reveal within the next few months.
Source: Aston Martin via Autocar
AutomotiveConcept CarsAston MartinConcours dEleganceConcorso d'Eleganza Ville d'Este
C.C. Weiss
Chris joined the New Atlas team in 2011 and now serves as the automotive and campers editor, traveling extensively to gather the latest news on cars, outdoor sports gear and other innovations designed to help people experience and enjoy the greater world around them.
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New Atlas Weekly Newscast

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"Venezuela Cost of living Stats, NationMaster." 2014. <http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/Venezuela/Cost-of-living>.
"Venezuela Cost of living Stats", NationMaster [Internet]. 2014. Avaliable from: <http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/Venezuela/Cost-of-living>.
"Venezuela Cost of living Stats", NationMaster. Avaliable at: nationmaster.com. Assessed 2014.


text:
Alleged BTC-e.com Co-Owner Arrested
2018-03-07 Bitcoin
The bitcoin exchange BTC-e.com went offline on July 25 after the arrest of Alexander Vinnik, who is according to the US Department of Justice related to the exchange and was arrested by local police while on holidays in Greece.
Charged by the Department of Justice for $4 billion worth of money laundering, Vinnik had a hefty title on his head while on holidays. Greek police forces cooperated with US authorities to complete this arrest. The 38-year-old had a warrant for his arrest that Greek authorities went through with procedures to issue an international arrest warrant and proceeded with the arrest after reviewing and accepting the full spectrum of the charges Vinnik is faced by from the US Department of Justice:
operation of an unlicensed money service business
conspiracy to commit money laundering
engaging in unlawful monetary transactions
Police officers from Greek police forces traced and arrested the 38-year-old man during the morning hours of the 25th of July in the area of Chalkidiki. After the investigation by officers from the Greek Cyber Crime Unit and Forensic Science Division departments in the hotel room Vinnik was residing in, the following items are reported to have been found and seized:
(2) laptops
(2) tablets
(5) cell phones
(1) router
(1) camera
(4) credit cards
More specifically on Alexander Vinnik's crimes, he is thought to be in charge of money laundering operations since 2011, with the Department of Justice considering his ventures some of the most important websites of cybercrime worldwide. Based on US investigations, Alexander Vinnik is thought to have laundered at least 4 billion in US dollars through cryptocurrency trading, helping facilitate trades of up to 7 million bitcoins and withdrawals of about 5.5 million bitcoins.
In the Department of Justice's report, there's mention that Alexander Vinnik is allegedly involved in the laundering of bitcoin funds that originated from one of the early "hacks" that the fallen exchange Mt. Gox went through before it ultimately failed. As for the exchange BTC-e, that Alexander Vinnik is said to have been operating, it is charged with doing business in the USA while being unlicensed and failing to follow KYC/AML regulations.
Furthermore, Acting FinCEN Director's Jamal El-Hindi statements indicate that a crackdown on unlicensed bitcoin exchanges could be underway as he said that "We will hold accountable foreign-located money transmitters, including virtual currency exchangers, that do business in the United States when they willfully violate U.S. AML laws," going on to say "Today's action should be a strong deterrent to anyone who thinks that they can facilitate ransomware, dark net drug sales, or conduct other illicit activity using encrypted virtual currency. Treasury's FinCEN team and our law enforcement partners will work with foreign counterparts across the globe to appropriately oversee virtual currency exchangers and administrators who attempt to subvert U.S. law and avoid complying with U.S. AML safeguards."
With Alexander Vinnik destined to face charges in the United States after being arrested in Greece, it's obvious that no foreign grounds can be safe for bitcoin exchanges with international operations. US authorities are trying to set a bold example for BTC-e's competitors on how important operating within the law is to them. It's no wonder that crime prosecution takes the criminal side of cryptocurrency more seriously. This vision that US authorities have is reflected in the strong message that's attempted to be broadcasted through BTC-e's example.
Amid all this, BTC-e's domain was also seized, leaving all of its customers unable to access funds while the exchange's future remains uncertain. In a recent update from a forum account that has for long been associated with BTC-e though, it was highlighted that the service was always based on trust and that there would be efforts to re-establish operations or return user funds: "For all those who buried us, I will remind you that the service has always worked on trust and we are ready to answer for it. The funds will be returned to everyone!"
Most notably though, there was confirmation that the FBI had raided data centers of the exchange, seizing equipment: "seized all equipment, the servers contained databases and purses of our service." A more questionable statement however pushed back on the claims that Alexander Vinnik was related to BTC-e: "officially declare – Alexander was never the head or employee of our service." This way leaving users even more uncertain about events to potentially unfold, with just a pinch of hope.
btc-e
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text:
Ellen Lubic
PUBLIC ED IN PERIL?-That noisy rumbling sound in LA County comes from teachers who are in "teacher jail" rattling their cages at the news this week that the bought and paid for LAUSD Board of Education announced they hired Wall Street billionaire, Austin Beutner, to finally privatize the District.
This news was delivered while these accused teachers are awaiting their fate to be determined by LAUSD with possible firing without due process, which means losing all their contracted benefits, so as to save the District money.
Finally, another coup by Eli Broad and his band of billionaires, including Beutner, Riordan, Milkin, Waltons/Jenner, Luskin, the LASR - Mdm.Alter and her Sony president mate, and others. They planned this giant coup for years which emerged with their rapidly arranged development of the 501(c)(3) Great Public Schools Now, and the concurrent hiring of the two deadly efficient pros to run it.
The info came to light when Sony's Prez who is married to Mdm. Alter, had his email hacked and all their correspondence was online for the world to read. Perceptive readers found that there were secret meetings in place at various homes on the Westside to plan the takeover of LAUSD and imposecharter schools using taxpayer money to finance these essentially private schools which have no oversight, and which are totally controlled by their own Boards who set standards, curriculum, and payments to the CEO and teachers. Most astounding is that the CEO appoints his/her own Board which can be his/her family members, and they rubber stamp these directives.
Eli Broad, who devised this scheme when he started his own non-profit in 1999 and reinforced it over the years, is so hated by so many that, allegedly, in the past few years the other billionaires finally took charge and used his plan but not his name. He had stated publicly that he wanted to take over another 50 percent of the LAUSD District in addition to the 12% he already has privatized, and eventually privatize it totally with charter schools, but this was an overreach and even the local media seemed alarmed. So the "real in-group" of greed mongers has a two-fold goal: first, to create workers they will need as cogs in their industries, and second, to succeed in their drive to bust the unions -- all unions -- starting with the easiest, teachers unions, so that these new cogs from their charter schools will have no representation when they become workers and remain low pay, quiet drudges without benefits.
Eli and his Silicon Valley buddy billionaire then manufactured a lawsuit filed in Central California, Vergara v. California, and of course including negative aspects of teachers and the teachers' union. The first go around found them winning this toxic case adjudicated by a Judge Treuwithout a jury. Governor Jerry Brown saw through this and he along with teachers and the union appealed the decision. The higher Appeals Court agreed that this verdict was not clean and they reversed the Treu decision.
Then Broad hired and assigned his infamous boys, John Deasy (who had been forced out of LAUSD and was being investigated by the FBI), and Ben Austin, (from the failing Parent Revolution group, who got this flawed law carried by ex-legislator Gloria Romero who is still preaching to her choir) to do his bidding as the ostensible "street vendors" to sweep the country with similar law suits. They got LA School Report,owned by Mdm. Alter, to transfer the self-serving online rag to the Right leaning hands of the beauty queen, Campbell Brown, and her nationally known Republican "fixer" husband, Dan Senor. Then they put Alter et al in the background and stepped up the heat for the election of BoE members who followed Eli's party line to privatize the LA County public schools.
Meanwhile, Anthony Villaraigosa, out-going mayor of LA then, Herbalife tout thereafter, and candidate for Governor now, was dancing for Broad, his puppet master, and charterizing schools with Deasy as "rapidly" as they could. The adulterer mayor, (who had cheated on his teacher wife of many years, and who admitted publicly he never would have gotten into UCLA as an undergrad without the benefit of affirmative action, and who failed the Bar Exam so many times he finally gave up) was talking all over the city about his drive to "rapidly" close public schools and turn them into charters. These talks, some even at UCLA in the Luskin School of Public Policy, can be found online.
Some of these emerged charters were/are found in the fanciest part of LA County, such as Woodland Hills and Pacific Palisades. These elitist charter schools still flourish while those in the inner cities were/are run mainly by non-educator business folks who could hand pick the students. They did/do not choose students who were/are "hard to teach," or "special needs," or English language learners, thereby starving these students' real public schools of necessary services. Many of these charters have been shut down for malfeasance perpetrated by their CEOs.
Through all the years this scheme has been building, the Board's long time elected member who is not an educator, Monica Garcia, took all she could get in the way of offers from the billionaires. They all colluded to first get Refugio Rodriguez elected to partner with her in driving the Board toward privatizing, and then in the next election, it was a clean sweep with Medvoin and Gonez who had more Big Donor money (about $14 million) to campaign with than a battalion of teachers could ever earn in a lifetime. It was only a decade before that running for LA BoE cost around $15,000. This is way beyond inflation.
Who can also forget the huge collusion between Garcia, the billionaires, the phony influx of bussed in "parents for Deasy" and the non-profit supporters, for the orchestrated street theater on Oct. 29, 2013 estimated by journalists to have cost Eli and his pals about $14,000. This is when the ignominious Board of Education voted for a new contract for Deasy, in secret meetings of course, and did not allow any public comment against his second contract even after the IPad scam costing the District a fortune using line item Construction Bond cash. All of this is documented online.
There are so many side issues like rigged accusations leading to "teacher jail" inhabited by a vast army of teachers entering their later years with many who are "of color" and are just about to have their life time benefits, said to be about $60,000 a year, like health care and pensions, vest, all taken away without due process. The Rafe Esquith case reflects more of the worst of LAUSD run by a titular Superintendent, but really run by "Broad and Company"... and now by his pal, Austin Beutner.
Take into account the push Broad and Riordan made to buy the LA Timesand their op-ed article about what selfless philanthropists they are, and shortly after, their close friend and Wall Street colleague Austin Beutner was named publisher of our local paper. All this information is online, about the real owners of our public schools, the giants of industry, the Bonfire of the Vanities guys and gals, with their names on endless buildings, who now have clawed to control the New Normal of private, unsupervised education, paid for by the taxpayers who have no input. What other industry can earn major monetary returns for "free market" investors yet have no investment by the Founders, and be only paid for by public taxpayers?
Austin Beutner, who it is said acquired his billions on Wall Street as a hedge fund manager, along with other DFER billionaires like Wesley Tillson, learned from Rupert Murdoch how vast a wealth accumulator public schooling is in America. Murdoch wrote about it being the best private, free market, investment opportunity, and Tillson and his pals started teaching their hedge fund investors how to glean fortunes from investing in "public" charter schools.
In California, the CCSA, California Charter School Association, built a sound base (partially financed also by Fetullah Gulen, the Turkish imam who has made billions with his over 150 charter schools in the United States, and with his Los Angeles schools run by Mdm. Caprice Young whom he groomed). The CCSAbecame the biggest lobbying bully in Sacramento, and they got/get whatever they wanted/want, including buying the now indicted Refugio Rodriguez a seat on the LAUSD BoE who was mentored by Monica Garcia and helped by the Latino "Voteria" scam.
As with the current BoE, the influx of mind boggling cash from these same billionaires plus Bloomberg, Petersen, and other out of state "vulture" philanthropists, bought more seats in the recent elections. They spent $14-17 million on the last election for Medvoin and Gonez to win, and rapidly the con artist Monica Garcia was appointed President of the Board when Rodriguez was finally indicted on charges involving election tampering/fraud. (He's also being investigated for financial mismanagement of the 16 Charters he founded.) Medvoin was supported in the grandest style by the Westside wealthy; he, a young man who spent a year failing at teaching, became their current mouthpiece.
What a setup!
Now their "bought" BoE members, Garcia, Rodriguez, Gonez, Medvoin, have hired Wall Streeter Beutnerwith the help of the waffler,old time Board member, Vladovic. Only the two former teacher/administrators Scott Schemerelson and George McKenna had the cojones, intelligence, and ethical value system to vote against him. The flakes and phonies who are motivated by dollar signs are now firmly in charge at Beudry.
This week the LA Timesreported that Beutner said, "real estate owned by the District should be a money maker." It sure has been in the past when Eli sold the BoE and the District the BeudryStreet location at a huge profit.
So much is kept hidden from the public -- We, the Taxpayers, who foot all the bills for the charter schools -- regarding the blatant theft within, plus the costly mistakes made by top administrators like Deasy, Eli's favorite puppet, when he used taxpayer money to buy a billion dollars of obsolete computers from Apple and then gave Pearson an open ended contract for curriculum development and imposed MiSiS which failed, damaging students who lost their classes needed for graduation. Fortunately, Cortines cut off the Deasy contracts and recouped a bit of taxpayer money, but it all left the District on the verge of bankruptcy, which, if implemented, could have motivated these same insider billionaires to snap up the huge real estate holdings for pennies on the dollar.
So, I wonder if a Wall Street tycoon is a more reliable Superintendent of LA Schools than a proven educator? Every educator I know thinks not.
I have been writing about LAUSD for some years, yet things have gone from bad to dreadful. Every decision is made behind tightly shut doors. A few years ago, at the end of the infamous Deasytenure, many teachers, administrators, residents, and parents who represent "the public" demanded a voice in revising this disgusting "pay for play" system. They demanded an end to Blue Ribbon panels making the rules of how LAUSD should be run. But what they got was the Bluest Ribbon panel of oligarchs led by Austin Beutner, who carries the flag for his fellow greed mongers and who now has the ultimate authority to run LAUSDinto the ground. They are probably drooling at Spago's at the prospect.
It all hangs together...just follow the money.
(Ellen Lubic is Director of Joining Forces for Education, a public policy educator and journalist, RESIST leader, and an occasional CityWatch contributor.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.


text:
Making Additional Work for Yourself and Others
January 6, 2022 by Keith Fogg 6 Comments
The way the IRS is processing paper returns filed in 2021 is adding significant complexity, cost and time for itself and for taxpayers. This post highlights the problems created for the clients of one preparer, which provide a lesson for everyone trying to get a paper return processed. In each of the cases discussed below, the taxpayer timely filed a paper return with the IRS and included a check with the return. The IRS quickly extracted the check from the envelope but failed to note on its system that the check was submitted with a return.
Instead, it subsequently questioned the taxpayer about why the taxpayer had not filed a return, leading to confusion and unnecessary time spent simply because the IRS did not note the receipt of the return at the time of opening the envelope and did not timely process the return thereafter. If the IRS would note the receipt of the return at the time of extracting the check from the envelope containing the return and the check, it would seem that it could save itself, and the taxpayer, some trouble. I have not spoken with anyone at the IRS to explain to me why what has happened here occurred. Perhaps there is a good explanation and we welcome comments that could shed light on this process.
Here is a link to the CP80 that a 94-year-old taxpayer received. The IRS notice is only a single page, and instructs the taxpayer that if they have already filed their return, they should send a copy with an original signature to the address on the notice. Following this instruction causes the taxpayer (and presumably the preparer) to duplicate work and will cause the IRS more work since it now has two returns to process. The taxpayer made a $5,607 payment with the return, which was mailed to the correct Cincinnati address with the 1040-V voucher. The return was filed in late February 2021.
The taxpayer receiving the CP80 is the seventh taxpayer of one preparer to receive such a notice – the other five had also filed their returns with a payment and voucher. And all six of them were concerned that this was a hoax since each of them knew that their returns had been filed and the payment submitted with the return. The preparer was suspicious also, until receiving the third client call in one afternoon and realizing that the problem was one of processing by the IRS.
Three of the notices were sent with an Austin return address, and three with a Kansas City return address. There is no street address, just the four-digit ZIP Code extension, –0025 in both cases. Note that there is no return envelope provided, I suppose because returns could be bulky, and no "clip the bottom third of this page to use as a mailing label."
IRS has a transaction code — 610 — for "payment with return." If the IRS is adding that code as it processes the payment, it seems inexplicable that it would send out a notice to someone questioning whether they had filed a return. How hard would it be, to suppress notices that say "we don't have your return," to people who made a payment with a return?
This all goes back to when IRS decided to outsource payment processing to private lockboxes. It reduced Service Center staffing, but probably cost money in the long run. The mail is now opened, the check and 1040-V payment voucher processed, and the return is then forwarded to a Service Center, sometimes hundreds of miles away. It seems that the process of extracting the check does not involve notating the receipt of a return.
The taxpayers referenced in this post filed their paper return with the 1040-V payment voucher and a check, mailing it as required to an address in Cincinnati. The IRS followed its normal procedure, cashing the check and then sending the return to the pile of "full paid" returns, to process when all of the refund and balance-due returns have been worked. The IRS says there are still 6.3 million returns left to be processed – and the language implies that these returns all have errors or require special handling, like verifying recovery rebate credits. The tax preparer asserts that these issues are not involved with most of the returns here. Several of them have only a Schedule B attached. Most don't even have a 1099-R showing withholding. Four of these returns were filed in February; the other two, by mid-March.
The IRS notice instructs the taxpayer to send a copy of their return with an original signature to the address on the notice. So that's what the preparer is doing. This not only creates more work for the preparer, and anxiety for the clients, but more work for IRS when they get around to processing the full paid returns. Indeed, the IRS operational status website says, "Please don't file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return." Unfortunately for everyone involved here, most tax professionals are deeply uncomfortable with ignoring an IRS letter. The CYA principle is a strong thumb on the scale that would lead most professionals to send the requested response, even knowing that it's almost certainly unnecessary and will cause their client further delays and correspondence.
In pre-Covid days, IRS programmed its computers to send a notice to anyone with a credit on their account if the return had not been processed by late December. They must have suppressed such notices in December of 2020 because I know they were still processing returns well into the new year. But this year, someone forgot, someone had retired or someone did not think through what was happening. If the 2022 filing season is anything like 2021, the IRS may want to suppress next year's CP80 notices in advance. If it intends to continue the process of requesting duplicate returns despite the language on its website and despite the extra work it causes everyone, perhaps it could explain the reasons for creating this additional work so that practitioners can explain it to their clients who must pay for additional practitioner services because of the IRS practice or rely on the practitioner to eat the additional time because of the practice.
Filed Under: Return
Raymond Cohen says
The IRS is creating more work for itself when it sends a refund with no explanation. In one case, the refund was due to the non-taxability of unemployment. By omitting an explanation, it creates more work for the IRS and the accountant.
Robert Kantowitz says
The problem is that there is bureaucracy (so it is hard to find out who is responsible), no incentive to get things right (not all that many government functionaries will reach out beyond their narrow responsibilities to solve a problem) and apparently little or no accountability. In most private settings, this would have been resolved and the individuals responsible likely fired, and if the amount were large enough and a private party were acting unreasonably, the aggrieved party could get the courts to intervene. (Think, for example, of a home purchase where the seller's mortgage lender, which was paid off at closing, did not process a lien release.)
Anthony Rodriguez says
Payments received are coded according to whatever document or paperwork they are received with. Payment with return is a 610. A 610 payment is processed (cashed) and the return with it may be processed at a later time (original receipt date kept) or lost. If IRS claims no return was received, a transcript can be requested and the 610 code can be argued as date of original filing of a return.
Payment with an ES Voucher (1040-V) is coded as 660. Payment is processed and awaiting filing of original return. Estimated taxpayers will usually have 3 of the 660 payments on their account and a 610 with their original filed tax return.
So what happens if TP sends in an original return with an ES Voucher (1040V)? The payment should be coded as a 610, the presence of a 1040 tax return takes precedence over the 1040-V. If an employee puts in the 660 code and the original return is subsequently lost, it all goes downhill from there. It can be put right but that will take time.
It all comes down to employee training!
Steven M. Harris says
From actual personal experience. For both 2019 (Taxpayer Advocate required to correct) and 2020 (still unprocessed, no contact) tax returns. Check with Form 1040 received in Charlotte. Check is processed there and return is sent to Austin for processing. Letter received inquiring why payments but no return filed, from San Jose. Fraud service center personnel at Austin get Form 1040 to review and hold up processing thinking it is part of some refund scheme.
Mordecai Cohen says
The only solution at this point is to get the National Taxpayer Advocate involved. The advocate's websites accepts comments about systemic problems with-in the IRS. I have used it and they have actually responded that the issue is being addressed. At this time of year with a minimal amount of new return being received may they can intervene on everyone's behalf.
Keith Fogg says
Here is information about the experience of one individual caught up in the situation described in the post:
Charles Rogers of College Station prides himself on paying his taxes ahead of the deadline, but a recent trip to his mailbox left him worrying about his return. He received a notice stating that the IRS does not have a tax return on file for him and warned that if he didn't send his return promptly, he would lose credit for the taxes paid in 2020.
"I got a notice in the mail Tuesday from the IRS saying they had not received my 2020 tax forms, and I knew they had received it because they cashed my check," said Rogers. "The letter acknowledged that I had a credit with the IRS but said, if I didn't file my forms immediately, they would confiscate my credit basically."
Instead of doing what the letter from the IRS said, Rogers decided to call to get a better understanding. It's something that he says he's glad he did.
"I called and waited on hold for about 40 minutes and finally got in touch with someone," said Rogers. "They said that the computer has sent the notices out automatically and that the IRS was behind in processing returns and to give them about 16 weeks to get it processed."
Rogers says the instructions became confusing because that's not what the letter told him to do. He says the letter made it seem like more forms had to be sent in immediately.
"The lady said, 'no, don't do that because you're going to create an even bigger problem when my original IRS return and my duplicate return both show up in the system that would create a bigger problem for the computer,'" said Rogers. "So she said just wait, and we'll contact you when we get it straightened out."
https://www.kbtx.com/2021/12/23/received-confusing-tax-letter-heres-what-experts-say-you-should-do/
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International Development Committee
Loans should become larger part of UK's aid programme
Role of the Committee
Formal Minutes
Sub-Committee on the Work of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact
The focus of UK funded aid programmes should shift away from grants and towards a system of loans and other financial instruments, say MPs in the UK Parliament.
The Future of UK Development Cooperation: Phase 1: Development Finance
The Future of UK Development Cooperation: Phase 1: Development Finance (PDF 2.26MB)
Inquiry: The Future of UK Development Cooperation: Phase 1: Development Finance
Over the next ten years, development aid in the form of grants should be replaced for lower middle income countries, say MPs on the International Development Committee of the House of Commons. DFID should also establish a financial instrument team, prepare a development finance strategy and publish a Development Finance White Paper during 2014. This strategy should include consideration of whether to establish a UK development bank.
Launching a report examining the role of Development Finance in the Future of UK Development Cooperation, Sir Malcolm Bruce, Chair of the International Development Committee said today:
"We believe the overwhelming drive in UK aid should continue to focus on lifting people out of poverty and meeting post-2015 development objectives. The UK should continue to fund the development and delivery of key services to the very poorest people in low income countries through a system of grants. We should also continue to channel 0.7 % of GNI into development cooperation. But, to support structural transformation in lower middle income countries we suggest that a significant proportion of future UK development finance should also be delivered via a system of concessional loans and other financial instruments."
In its core recommendations the international development committee suggests:
Grants should continue to be used to finance rapid and widespread access to basic minimum needs such as health, education, sanitation and water in lower income countries, in emergency settings, in failed states and in major conflict areas.
Grant finance should also be used to help provide a range of global public goods – such as knowledge, environment and governance – required to achieve the post 2015 development agenda.
Within a few years, grant funding for lower middle income countries should be substantially replaced by a range of financial instruments including returnable capital, with grants used only where no other form of finance is possible. UK aid in general and grant aid in particular should remain focused on lower income countries.
While care must be taken not to re-burden lower income countries with unmanageable debt, sustainable lending should also be considered for some investments in lower income countries, not least infrastructure.
DFID should establish a financial instrument team to prepare a strategy and publish a Development Finance White paper during 2014. This team should examine which instruments could be used most effectively and in which contexts. It should also coordinate various finance initiatives currently being tested, monitor and draw together different bilateral and multilateral approaches, design new instruments and drive future innovation.
DFID should continue to channel some of its finance through multilaterals, making greater use of their specialist skills and expertise rather than replicating these within its own bilateral programmes.
Over the longer term DFID must undertake the work required to establish if and when it will be advantageous to establish a UK Development Bank
Commenting further, Sir Malcolm added,
"Aid is important for promoting growth and for leveraging in other resources. In middle income countries there is considerable scope to use UK aid funding to support the private sector to deliver programmes that generate economic growth, create jobs, raise tax revenues and reap social benefits, although the presumption should be that such support is provided in the form of returnable capital wherever feasible.
"The UK should also consider the establishment of a UK Development Bank which could give the DFID bilateral programme much greater scope to increase the impact of its aid spending through providing a wider range of financial instruments, including concessional loans."
The Committee believes these changes will ensure that DFID remains a leading and effective player in a rapidly changing international finance landscape. A future inquiry will focus on the role of policy coherence to achieve development objectives to complement the current inquiry into finance.
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More news on: Parliament, government and politics, Parliament, International affairs, International development, House of Commons news, Commons news, Committee news


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Belgian actresses who were born in 1938
Here are 5 famous actresses from Belgium were born in 1938:
Heddie Suls
Heddie Suls (May 11, 1938 Balen-) is a Belgian actor. She has one child, Raf Van Assche.
Chris Lomme
Chris Lomme (December 5, 1938 Kortrijk-) a.k.a. Christine Lomme is a Belgian actor.
Violetta Villas (June 10, 1938 Verviers-December 5, 2011 Lewin Kłodzki) also known as Czesława Maria Gospodarek, mlle. Villas, VV, Czeslawa Cieslak, Czeslawa Cieslak-Gospodarek, Czeslawa Maria Cieslak, Czesława Gospodarek, the voice of the atomic age, the singing toast of the continent, a voice like French champagne or Viola was a Belgian singer, actor, songwriter and composer. She had one child, Krzysztof Gospodarek.
Martine Franck (April 2, 1938 Antwerp-August 16, 2012 Paris) was a Belgian photographer and actor.
Gerda Marchand
Gerda Marchand (April 16, 1938 Borgerhout-) is a Belgian actor.
Indonesian actors born in 1995 List of the top 6 Indonesian actors who were born in 1995
American actresses born in 1984 List of the top 50 American actresses who were born in 1984
Swiss actresses died in 1982 List of the top 1 Swiss actresses who died in 1982
Mexican actresses died in 1999 List of the top 3 Mexican actresses who died in 1999
Indian actresses died in 1984 List of the top 3 Indian actresses who died in 1984
Italian actresses died at age 61 List of the top 4 Italian actresses who died when they were 61


text:
Q: Convert ISO-8601 timestamp from UTC-7:00 to "Europe/Amsterdam" (CEST) time, which is UTC+2:00 In Perl I use a bash command to convert an ISO-8601 timestamp to local format YYYY-mm-dd HH:MM:SS.
These timestamps, for example, are used in Google Cloud JSON APIs. For example
2016-08-09T17:05:05.414-07:00. Check the source below for a working example.
This works fine, but is there a way to accomplish the same in Perl without using a bash command? Of course I'm sure there is, but I couldn't find anything simple.
#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;
use warnings;

my $f = `date -d 2016-08-09T17:05:05.414-07:00 +'%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'`;
chop $f;

print "$f\n";    # 2016-08-10 02:05:05

A: The DateTime modules are the obvious choice for this. Your original string is formatted according to the ISO-8601 standard so the DateTime::Format::ISO8601 will parse it directly
Then it is simply a matter of setting the time zone to zero and formatting the result as required
Here's the code
use strict;
use warnings 'all';
use feature 'say';

use DateTime::Format::ISO8601;

say localise_time('2016-08-09T17:05:05.414-07:00');

sub localise_time {
    my ($dt) = @_;

    $dt = DateTime::Format::ISO8601->parse_datetime($dt);
    $dt->set_time_zone('Europe/Amsterdam');

    $dt->strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S');
}

output
2016-08-10 02:05:05

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
History of European Water Polo Championships
Utrecht 1966 and Barcelona 1970
11th European Championship – Utrecht (Netherlands) 1966 Electronic debutFor the first time, an electronic timing system was used at the European Championships. It was especially important for the swimming disciplines, but it was also useful for water polo. However, just in case, there was still the good old "stopwatch" on the scoreboard because at that time people did not believe
Budapest 1958 and Leipzig 1962
9th European Championship – Budapest (Hungary) 1958 For the first time on Margaret Island (Margit Sziget)After 32 years, the European Water Polo Championships returned to the country that has been most successful in the sport. After 1926 and the first European Championship held in the swimming pool of Csazsar (now Bela Komjadi), the competition was held for the first time
Vienna 1950 and Turin 1954
7th European Championship – Vienna (Austria) 1950 Later relocation to AustriaOriginally, the 1950 European Championships was to be held in Budapest, which had already taken over the organization of the competition. However, in 1948, LEN requested permission from Hungary for all athletes, judges, and foreign fans to enter without visas. The Hungarian government was given a deadline of only one
London 1938 and Monte Carlo 1947
5th European Championship – London (Great Britain) 1938 The last pre-war championship The 1938 European Championships in London took place barely 13 months before the start of the most terrible war conflict in human history, and for the first time in the home country of water polo, Great Britain. The European Championships in London took place from 7 to 13
Paris 1931 and Magdeburg 1934
3rd European Championships – Paris (France) 1931 Round robin Paris, once again an Olympic city, hosted the 3rd European Championships which was held on more days than there were teams. In fact, the matches took place from 23 to 30 August 1931, i.e. for 8 days, and there were 7 national teams. It was played on the principle of a
Budapest 1926 and Bologna 1927
1st European Championships – Budapest (Hungary) 1926 The tournament lasted only five daysThe first European Water Polo Championships was held in the capital of Hungary, Budapest. The water polo tournament, which was part of the European Aquatics Championships, lasted only five days, from 18 August to 22 August. Only 4 national teams competedLogically, the tournament was short because only 4
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Love the outdoors, creativity born through music, inspiration found in dogs? Then step into nature on a canvas with our second ANH Artist Q&A! North Carolina-native Kent Paulette brings meaning to every brushstroke varying from his "Ninja Splat" technique to his spontaneous "Leafing" brushstrokes. Whether he's pelting canvases with paint in a mountain creek, body surfing while absorbing the words of the ocean, or creating masterpieces in his Banner Elk studio, Paulette captures life in the moment with breathtaking beauty. Step into the world of this self-taught artist to find out more about his latest project and be inspired!
Q1. You mentioned in your bio that your parents were supportive of your artistic efforts. Did you always know that you wanted to paint?
A1: After high school I spent a year putting together a book of my writings and artwork. During that time, I was learning to use Photoshop and Illustrator. After that, I just wanted to use actual paint instead of digital paint and I haven't stopped since.
Q2. Since you spend most of your time painting in mountain creeks, would you say nature plays a big role in your artwork?
A2: Haha, well I definitely spend most of my time playing in mountain creeks. I did have fun that one time painting in the creek when I was creating my Ninja Splat video. During the week, I get inspired by the nature that surrounds me, and then on the weekends I bring that inspiration with me when I go to paint at Studio 140 in Banner Elk, NC. But even there, I mostly paint outside, so I'm never that far from the trees. I regularly hug trees, swim in the creek no matter how cold the water is, and talk to the birds. I went to the beach for a couple weeks this summer and probably spent 80 hours alone in the ocean riding 2,000 waves. I came back to the mountains and each wave became a brushstroke in my series of Eros paintings. During all of those hours alone, the ocean would speak to me and I would roar back at it. I chanted and raged into the waves and the ocean sang along. One of the phrases from those songs was, "I am human when I obsess, but I am shaman when I am free." I'm now in the early stages of planning my next series titled "Shaman Not Human".
A3: I've been painting in front of people for the last couple years, and it's so different than painting alone. Before, when I'd paint alone, I'd always try to control my environment by turning off my phone, playing only certain music, not talking to anyone, etc. But at the same time I was trying to let go of control in other aspects by inserting chance events like letting the paint drip or throwing it through the air. Now, when I paint in public, people will come up to me and scare me, or ask me a million questions, or tell me their opinion about the painting. Compliments can be just as bad as criticisms. If I've just started a painting and they say it's perfect, then it can be hard for me to move past that and continue to take risks. But these encounters with people are also chance events just like the wind and rain that often step in to collaborate with me on my paintings. What I'm learning with all this is how to insert the present moment into each brushstroke.
Q4. Does the imagery in your paintings come from what's around you while you work, things you've seen before, or a combination of both?
A4: Sometimes it's those things, but I usually paint from photographs. I'm most interested in the brushstrokes and the moment when the paint touches the canvas. As far as the subjects go, I respect all things equally and I try to express that love when I paint any subject.
Q5. You said you don't like to paint with hesitation. Does that mean you paint every piece from start to finish in one sitting or rather, creek-standing?
A5: For several years before I started painting in public, I would finish most of my paintings in one day. I was pretty obsessive about it and I needed to give up control in that area, too. Now I go with the flow a bit more. Sometimes I start a painting on one weekend and then finish it on another.
Q6. How would you describe your creative process? We have to know more about throwing thick paint at canvases eight feet away!
A6: I call those Ninja Splats 'cause I look like a ninja when I throw the globs of paint and then they go "splat!" I also have Ninja Splashes which involve a certain flick of the wrist at just the right moment or else the paint goes flying straight up in the air. Other types of brushstrokes I use are my Building Blocks, Leafing, Scratching Thoughts, Kisses, Slaps, Screams, Spells, Windows and lots of others that I haven't titled yet. They happen spontaneously and it's all about capturing the present moment with each type of brushstroke.
Q7. As an artist, what would you say is your favorite medium to use?
A7: I used to use oil paint but for the last several years I've mainly used acrylic. I'd say acrylics are my favorite.
Q8. Who would you say is your biggest inspiration?
A8: My best friend for many years was my dog Corky and she remains my biggest inspiration. You can see her little love light shining in everything that I create.
Q9. Are you a completely self-taught artist, or did you complete art training/education somewhere? If so, where?
A9: I had some art classes growing up in elementary and high school but other than that I'm completely self-taught. For each painting I learn by playing with the paint and by setting up experiments to see what happens.
Q10. You said music plays a big role in your creative process. Do you have any musical artists to add to our playlists?
A10: Laura Marling, John Hartford, Fela Kuti, Tunng, Blue Roses, DJ Zebra's mashups, Jeff Black, Brandi Carlile, The Tallest Man on Earth, and Pete Roe.
Q11. Do you think local art is important? If so, why?
A11: People often tell me when I'm painting that they used to make art but don't anymore for some reason or another. I always try to encourage them to get back into it because I think they'll be happier getting to express that side of themselves. Other people tell me that they have no artistic skills and I try to encourage them to do something creative also. And of course, I always encourage kids to paint and to continue to do so as they get older. I see first-hand just how important it is to have local art as I watch so many people visit our gallery and walk away feeling inspired to go create something artistic themselves.
Q12. What advice would you pass on to aspiring artists faced with a world full of new technology?
A12: The new technology has its uses like allowing artists to stay connected and share their work with a larger audience. I certainly use it artistically, socially, and commercially, but I try to place limits on how I use technology so I don't get too swept away in it. My brother and I jumped into our mountain creek recently in late October. Afterwards, I told him that the shock of that cold water made us forget all about our iPhones.