Category: News and Views

2019 Tax Refund Chart Can Help You Guess When You’ll Receive Your Money

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If anyone tells you that they have the 2019 tax filing season all figured, they’re lying. By all accounts, the upcoming tax season is going to be tricky. Despite a shoestring staff due to the shutdown, new tax forms and new tax rules, the 2019 tax season is still set to open on January 28, 2019. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claims that the season will operate as close to normal as possible—including issuing tax refunds.

So when are those tax refunds coming? Assuming no delays, what follows are my best guesses for expected returns based on filing dates and information from the IRS:

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Brexit: Delay is ‘most likely’ option, says former chancellor | BBC News

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Former Chancellor George Osborne has said delaying the UK’s exit from the EU is now the “most likely” option.

The UK has to choose between no deal – which he compared to Russian roulette – or no Brexit for now, he told the BBC.

MPs are proposing alternative plans to the PM’s deal with the EU, including seeking an extension to the UK’s exit date – it is due to leave on 29 March.

But the prime minister has said the “right way” to rule out no-deal Brexit is to approve her withdrawal agreement.

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Samsung could release three variants of the Galaxy S10 | TechCrunch

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That new leak lines up with previous leaks. As you can see on the photo, the new devices don’t have a notch. They feature a hole-punch selfie camera instead. If you’re looking for the fingerprint sensor, Samsung could choose to embed it in the screen.

Just like in previous years, in addition to the main S10, there will be a bigger version of the device — the S10+. On this photo, you can see that the bigger version has two selfie cameras instead of one.

But the S10E is a new addition to the lineup. Samsung is launching a more affordable version of the S10 at the same time as the S10. The S10E features two cameras on the back instead of three for instance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the S10E had an LCD display instead of an AMOLED display as well.

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Coinstar machines will start selling Bitcoin at the grocery store | TechCrunch

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You know those machines at the grocery store that transform your gallon jugs worth of change into more usable currency? They’re about to start selling Bitcoin .

To make this impulse shopping dream come true, Coinstar, the company behind those ubiquitous change-counting kiosks, has partnered with Coinme, a startup that operates a small network of cryptocurrency-dispensing ATMs around the country.

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The Detroit Auto Show Proves Americans Sure Love SUVs | WIRED

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THE DETROIT AUTO Show circa 2004: Gas prices are low. Auto sales are is good. Bigger is better. The only electrics on the floor are the hybrids brought along by the Japanese automakers like Toyota and Honda. Tesla is a Silicon Valley startup with big ideas, safely ignored. Cars are machines that people buy, own, and drive themselves. Automakers are taking the wraps off their latest machines, talking up power and comfort while the metal gleams in the spotlights.

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Google employees will hold Twitter campaign to end forced arbitration | Mashable

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai might just want to check his Twitter tomorrow.

A group called Googlers for Ending Forced Arbitration will hold a tweetstorm on Tuesday, Jan. 15 to educate the public about forced arbitration agreements and advocate for their removal from the tech industry. The group, which says it’s run by organizers of the Google Walkouts and dozens of other employees, announced the plan in a Medium blog post to inform people about “how forced arbitration denies 60 million Americans access to their civil rights.”

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YouTube reveals what curse words will get your video demonetized | Mashable

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Hell yeah. YouTube is finally letting creators know what curse words they can use without taking a financial hit.

In a video uploaded to its Creator Insider channel, YouTube has finally defined what exactly constitutes profanity on the platform. YouTube creators have often struggled with censoring their own content over fear that their videos will be demonetized, thus affecting their earning potential.

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Why retailers are fleeing Fifth Avenue | CNN

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Midtown Manhattan has been one of the most coveted spots in the world for fashion houses. Now, it’s emptying out.

Calvin Klein announced Thursday that it would close its Madison Avenue store in the spring. It joins an exodus that includes Ralph Lauren (RL), Lord & Taylor and Henri Bendel. Gap (GPS) also said over the holidays that it was on its way out, and Versace is reportedly looking to leave Fifth Avenue, too.

The departures show how the role of the flagship fashion store has changed. In many cases, high rent in Midtown Manhattan has made a physical store there untenable. And changes in consumer behavior have forced many of these brands to rethink their strategies.

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Here’s How Many People Have Caught the Flu So Far This Season (Hint: It’s a Lot) | Live Science

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We’re in the midst of flu season, and millions of people have caught the virus already.

Influenza has sickened an estimated 6 million to 7 million Americans since October, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Although health officials closely track the flu every year, this is the first time the CDC has provided estimates on the number of flu illnesses in the midst of flu season, the agency said in a statement released today (Jan. 11). Typically, the CDC waits until the end of flu season before calculating the estimates.

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