Tax Time: What's Your Tax Bracket?

 

The Sixteenth Amendment of the U. S. constitution gives Congress the ability to tax your personal income. As of 2012, six different tax brackets are in place that determine how much tax an individual or a married couple pays on their income. With all the talk in Washington, D.C. about tax reform aimed at raising or reducing taxes, you might want to take a look at your tax bracket to see what proposals apply to you.

Tax Time: State Tax Rates

When I retired, I decided to leave the cold winter weather of the Midwest, particularly the "hawk" of Chicago's bitter cold. I thought I'd save money by moving to a state with no state income tax.  Little did I know how naive I was. I knew so little and did no research, which is just about abnormal for me.  But, as time passe, I learned about state taxes little by little. Here's some of the major bits of information I accumulated over time.

My Movie "Mistake" Book: Some of the Worst Films of 2012

When my kids were growing up, they loved to point out "Mom's Mistakes", so any thing stupid or idiotic I did, they'd haul out the imaginary "mistake book" and make another entry. As the years went by, the book got heavier and heavier. So, while I won't attempt to quantify which movies were the worst of last year's films, I will share my ideas on which movies were unimaginative, soulless and worthy of being listed in my mistake book of total disasters.Some of my choices qualified as soon as I heard the title or the of the star:

Fifty Years of James Bond: The Actors

Five decades of handsome, suave, tough portrayals of Agent 007, James Bond has left audiences to choose their favorite Bond actors. Surrounded by beautiful women, lavish locations, fancy cars and gadgets and coupled with plenty of rugged action, the actors were programmed to be successful. Each brought his own style and tone to the fictional character and developed an individual fan base. The devil is in the details some say, so let's look at the quartet of the highest money makers for the franchise.

Sean Connery, longest running actor of the Bond series, earned a total of $4.3 billion. He starred in five of the highest grossing films, Thunderball, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, and From Russia With Love. The Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one of them being a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award) and three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award and a Henrietta Award). 1989, he was proclaimed "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine and in 1999, at age 69, he was voted "Sexiest Man of the Century". He was knighted in July 2000.

Roger Moore follows Connery, earning $3.8 billion starring in three of the top ten grossing Bond films, Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker. English actor Moore played the British secret agent from 1973 to 1985, claiming the title of the longest serving Bond actor. prior to his role as Bond, he starred as Simon Templar in The Saint, between 1962 and 1969. Knighthood came to Moore in June 2003, for his charity work throughout his career and not for his acting. On 11 October 2007, three days before he turned 80, Moore was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work on television and in film.

In 1995, Pierce Brosnan became the fifth actor to portray secret agent James Bond in the film series, starring in four films between 1995 and 2002. He earned $2 billion for the franchise. Following a stage acting career, he rose to popularity in the television series Remington Steele (1982–87). Since playing Bond, he has starred in such successes as The Matador (nominated for a Golden Globe, 2005), Mamma Mia! (National Movie Award, 2008), and The Ghost Writer (2010). In later years, the Irish actor has become known for his charitable work and environmental activism. Brosnan became an American citizen in 2004.

Daniel Craig is breaking all Bond records in the latest Bond film, Skyfall. it well may be the first time a Bond film has been given serious consideration for the Best Picture Oscar. Currently, Craig has grossed $1.8 billion for the franchise in his three Bond films. Craig achieved international fame when chosen as the sixth actor to play the role of James Bond, replacing Pierce Brosnan. Though initially greeted with scepticism, his debut in Casino Royale was highly acclaimed and earned him a BAFTA award nomination, with the film becoming the highest grossing in the series to date. Quantum of Solace followed two years later, with the third film Skyfall, premiered on 23 October 2012.

 



Trick or Treat? Scary Halloween Movies

Trick or Treat? Have them both as we approach Halloween. Get a treat with a blast from the past. Turn the lights down and enjoy Michael Jackson's all time killer hit "Thriller".  Later, take a stroll down memory lane and revisit some of the most memorable movie characters who exude evil and create fear in movie fans. Here are just a few.

Astronaut Sally Ride: Rest in Peace

Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, died on July 23, 2012 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer, her company said. She was 61.

"Sally lived her life to the fullest, with boundless energy, curiosity, intelligence, passion, commitment and love. Her integrity was absolute; her spirit was immeasurable; her approach to life was fearless," read a statement on the website of Sally Ride Science, a company she started to help teach students -- particularly young women and girls -- about science, math and technology.

In the obituary for Ride, female partner of 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy, is listed first as a survivor. Then the obituary mentions her mother and other family members. Ride had been married to a fellow astronaut for five years, from 1982 to 1987. The news about O'Shaughnessy surprised those not in Ride's inner circle and sparked a national debate about the intensely complex and private issue of coming out and throwing your name behind gay causes.

"Could she have helped the cause? Maybe," says Fred Sainz, vice president of communications for the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. "For her not to have shared an incredibly important aspect of her life — being in a committed long-term relationship with a woman — meant many Americans did not get to see a dimension of her life that would have helped them understand us (gay people) and our contributions to society."

Her contributions can still be appreciated in a new context now, according to Ride's sister, Bear Ride, a lesbian who has supported gay rights causes.

"She was just a very private person who wanted to do things her way," Bear Ride told the Associated Press in an e-mail. "She didn't like labels (including hero)."

 

"At the end of the day, I gained an incredible respect for Sally Ride for knowing who she was and that she was true to herself and her family," says Sainz in an article for USA Today. "Clearly, it was not important to her that she live someone else's sense of who she should be. I think that's how we should all live our lives."

The Virgin Queen: Warrior, Woman, Queen

Hollywood created many films about Queen Elizabeth I. Recently, The Movie Channel presented a number of these biopics spanning from 1939 to the present. Take a look at a brief assortment:

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

Matronly Elizabeth I loves Robert Deveraux, 2nd Earl of Essex, but politics come before the relationship. Better Davis stars, along with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.