Earth Day 2015

Hi All,

Did you know that Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 is Earth Day?  Click on this link for a very comprehensive summary of what Earth Day is, how it started, and what it means to planet Earth.  For a bit of context, click on this History Channel link that talks about the history of Earth Day.

Readers would do well to take a look at the formal Earth Day website - which can be viewed here.
The site is chock full of facts, articles, links and more about Earth Day and the Earth day network. 

Even the US government has information about Earth Day - click on this link for the whole story.  There are links and activities, volunteer events for Earth Day, and a brief history of Earth Day.

Envirolink has an Earth Day 2015 calendar which can be found by clicking on this link.  Users can add their own events to the calendar, and view all Earth Day events here as well.

Finally, click on this link which explains 'why Earth Day is important' and this link as well.

Happy Earth Day 2015!

Regards,
Stu

Hi All,

So here we are! It's down to the wire because today is April 15th. Which means its tax time.  Your taxes are due by 11:59pm tonight.

Here are a few quick links that'll help you get through the next few hours:
IRS website
Automatic Extension of Time form from the IRS. 
Click on this link for an article that explains what you can do if you have to file an extension for your tax return for 2014. 

This next article is an interesting read. The title is 'Tax Day: Get Your Return in On Time'.  The article includes filing tips from the IRS that are common mistakes. 

Click this link if you can't pay your federal tax bill in full.  

Click here if you need an extension form for your New York State taxes.

For those of you who are still determined to file your taxes here are a few sites that will give you some tips and suggestions on how to make filing easier.

IRS Interactive Tax Assistant
2014 Federal Tax Rate Schedules
You and Your Taxes - from AARP
About.com/Money - Filling Out Your Own Tax Return
IRS - Filing Your Taxes

Good luck filing your taxes.

Regards,
Stu

Credit Reports

Hi All,

You've probably heard about something called a 'credit score' in the news lately.  Click here for a fairly recent article about credit scores. (Specifically the big three credit reporting agencies are overhauling their credit reporting practices.)

But what exactly does a credit score do for you?  Interestingly enough, this next article is from Wikipedia - and gives you a good summary of what is, and what is not, a credit score. 

This next link is from myFICO.com and has a section about credit scores.  What makes a good credit score you ask?  Read on!  Credit.com has a good summary of the credit score ranges for various credit agencies.

Note that there are 3 different major companies that generate credit reports: Experian, TransUnion  and Equifax.

How can you get a free copy of your credit report you ask? Great question - click on this link to a get a copy of your credit report.

Readers might want to click on this next link which is from Bankrate.com - an unbiased source for information related to mortgages, bank rates, credit cards, insurance, investments, taxes, retirement, financial planning and much more - titled 'How to Read a Credit Report'.  

You might want to click on this link from the FTC.gov which discusses credit reports in more detail. 

Finally, the library has 9 books on the topic of consumer credit.  Click on this link to see those titles that we have in the library. 

Hope this helps you get a credit score that you need or want or deserve!

Regards,
Stu

HistoryOrb.com

Hi All,

Long-time readers of this blog might realize that I have a 'thing' for history websites.  That's okay - we all have an interest way or another....

History Orb is a neat - and well organized - website that has links to Historical Events, Famous Birthdays, Weddings, Famous Deaths, Famous People, Events by Date, Events by Day and Events By Country.  There is also a search box at the top right part of the screen where users can enter the name of a person, an event, a place/location or a year...There is also a link for Today in History By Topic.

The site is nicely organized, easy to navigate and well, just fun to peruse!

Enjoy the site.
Stu

April Fools' Day 2015

 Hi All,

Happy April Fool's Day. Click on this link for a Wikipedia style article about April Fools' Day

And now, with that little ditty of an introduction out of the way....on to the meat of today's entry: lots of links related to the various hoaxes and practical jokes of all time!  Enjoy the article and enjoy the smiles and giggles and laughs and guffaws.

Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time

April Fools' Day on the Web - 2004-2015 - amazingly current and funny

Long Island.com April Fools' Day Pranks For Kids - safe and fun

Newsday - April Fools' Day Pranks For Kids

You Probably Fell For These Internet April Fools' Day Pranks 

10 Super Easy April Fools' Day Pranks to Play On Your Kids

Finally, click on this link - which takes you to the library card catalog.  Specifically this link goes to the card catalog for books on the subject of 'April Fools Day' in the Farmingdale Public Library.

Enjoy the site and the pranks and the laughs!

Stu