Cheatin' Heart? Your Tax Return Will Tell on You


By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service
Illustration by Monica Seaberry

Now that you've filed your taxes, take a hard look at your return. The innocent-looking pages of numbers could reveal a nasty surprise: a cheating spouse.

Why would a dishonest mate be truthful with the Internal Revenue Service?

"Your spouse may forgive you, but the IRS never will,'' said Helen O'Planick, a tax professional in Manchester, Pa. "They have a little longer arm and there are so many paper trails.''

Healers Reflect on Va Tech Tragedy

By Michele M. Melendez and Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service

How do you make sense of the senseless?

The violence and horror that punished the campus of Virginia Tech, leaving 33 dead, is incomprehensible. Yet we yearn for some grasp of our own reactions, if not even greater understanding. Many of us will turn to trusted counselors — therapists, spiritual leaders and others we admire. Here, gathered in the tragedy's aftermath, is guidance from some of those healers.

"For the people directly hit by a tragedy like this, this is not a good time for philosophical discussions. It's time for grieving, not for explaining. It's time just to try to survive the tragedy. Reflection comes later.

"For those of us who are not directly hit, it is a chance to think together, to pray. ...

"Take a little time to feel the sadness in a meditative or prayerful way. Let that feeling flow, but in the flow of that compassion, then consider what difference I can make in alleviating suffering.

"That's a beautiful and a healing response. There's no need to feel the least bit of helplessness. There are circumstances where we're overwhelmed, but there is some freedom with which we can respond. ...

"In the Biblical tradition, we're called to respond with love, not with fear. We're called to respond with compassion and not with terror. We're called to respond with sharing the suffering. That is also a passion that moves us into action.''

— Catherine Keller, professor of theology at Drew University in Madison, N.J.

***

"It's a good thing to try to get a measure of control back. The most important thing is to have the experience of being heard and creating communities for people to share the uncertainty. People who are going to isolate themselves are going to have the hardest time. ...

"Those who are not directly touched by it can help by sending notes of encouragement, putting flowers on sites. Anything that helps us communicate that we care about what happened and we care about the people, and we want to make it right.''

— The Rev. Dennis Kenny, director of pastoral care at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio

***

FCC Auction Key for Wireless Broadband


By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service
Illustration by Monica Seaberry

WASHINGTON — There's about to be a land rush in telecommunications as the U.S. government auctions the only remaining airwaves suitable for nationwide, high-speed wireless Web access.

Big telephone and cable companies are jostling alongside Internet and technology entrepreneurs to control the spectrum, estimated to be worth as much as $30 billion.

"It's the biggest chunk of spectrum to come back into the public administration in a generation and it's by far the most valuable piece,'' said Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press, a Washington-based nonprofit focused on communications policy.

And it's a hot topic in Washington: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., will explore the issues in a hearing Thursday, and the Federal Communications Commission, hoping to schedule the auction this fall, may vote on rules as early as April 25.

What's at stake? The auction winners will determine whether American homes, businesses and classrooms have access to a third "pipe'' for high-speed Internet, not to mention better reception and innovative services for mobile phones and other devices.

When Debt Is Smart


By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service
Illustration by Monica Seaberry

Americans are drowning in debt. Advice abounds to cut up the credit cards, rethink the car loan, and step away from the home equity line.

But in many circumstances, debt isn't simply acceptable, it's the best option. After all, without a mortgage or student loan, many people would never own a home or graduate from college.

"It can be smart to have debt because it means you have other people's money going to work for you,'' said Kenneth Shapiro, a financial security adviser in Hazlet, N.J.

Here are six key questions to ask before taking out a loan, or deciding to pay one off early.

Wanted: Opportunities for Part-Timers


By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service
Illustration by Monica Seaberry

Professionals seeking part-time opportunities generally look in vain for meaningful, well-paid positions. Jobs advertised as flexible tend to be scut work, entry level or work-at-home scams.

Take it from Jennifer Pultz: "The part-time jobs are not really career oriented."

An environmental educator from Portland, Ore., Pultz left the work force when her sons were toddlers, figuring to return part time when they were in kindergarten. She's been actively job hunting since hitting that milestone two years ago. "It's so frustrating," she says.

Enter the Internet. Several new Web sites all launched since August are matching talent with stimulating part-time, seasonal or project-based employment. The sites hope to serve older professionals who aren't ready to fully retire, parents scaling back or returning to work, and even young singles who want time to pursue a hobby or entrepreneurial venture.

"There are so many qualified people out there that want to work but need the flexibility," said Ilyse Shapiro of Wynnewood, Pa., who began MyPartTimePRO.com in February. Shapiro cites a June Gallup Poll finding that 51 percent of Americans would like to work part time before completely retiring.

Multi-tasking Has a Downside


By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service
Illustration by Monica Seaberry

We feel so efficient, listening to a teleconference while sorting e-mail and eating lunch at the same time. But experts warn that instead of completing three tasks in the space of one, we're really spending more time to achieve mediocre results.

"Research that's looked at multi-tasking shows that you can't do it well. No one can," said Kristin Byron, assistant professor of management at Syracuse University. "You're fighting the way your brain works."

The brain acts on just one task at a time. What we perceive as simultaneous multi-tasking is really rapid switching back and forth to keep different tasks going even if one is as simple as deciding to lift the sandwich for another bite.

It's like the classic vaudeville act of spinning plates. Your brain can set a task in motion, then another, and then another, before returning to pick up the first task, explained David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. "If the demands of any given task aren't too taxing, you can get two, three, four plates going up, but at some point you're going to reach a threshold when they're going to crash."

Employers Should Eye Workplace Romance


By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service
Illustration by Monica Seaberry


The arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak may be an extreme example of an office crush gone awry, but it nonetheless highlights some real concerns for employers regarding workplace romance.

Managers must balance respect for staff privacy with vigilance for signs that a personal relationship might be jeopardizing the productivity or safety of their employees, workplace experts said.

"They want to make sure nothing escalates to the level of this situation," said Mimi Moore, an employment lawyer at Bryan Cave in Chicago. But "there's a line that employers have to draw in terms of getting too involved in people's personal lives."

Time to Think About Taxes

By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service

Preparing your income tax return? This year, pay special attention to deadlines, dates and paperwork.

First, the good news: Taxes are due April 17, a couple of days later than usual. The traditional April 15 is a Sunday, and a local holiday on April 16 would affect six states and the District of Columbia, so the Internal Revenue Service pushed back the deadline for all Americans.

Not so good: Tax code complications are likely to cause delays and revisions in some of the forms you receive in the mail. Mutual fund companies could send corrected 1099s as late as March, said Rod Coleman, senior vice president at SYM Financial Advisors in Warsaw, Ind.

"People who have filed their taxes too eagerly end up looking at a revision," Coleman said. "Mid-March ought to get you past most of it."

To prepare your taxes, you'll need the following paperwork and information:

Managing E-Mail Overload


By Katherine Reynolds Lewis
c.2007 Newhouse News Service
Illustration courtesy Cohesive Knowledge Solutions

Do you ever sit down to check your e-mail "for a minute," and the next thing you know, two hours have passed?

You've got company. American professionals spend over 40 percent of the workday on e-mail and information storage, and consider a third of the time wasted, according to research by Cohesive Knowledge Solutions, a Guilford, Conn., corporate training firm.

That amounts to $300 billion in lost productivity, said CKS chief executive Mike Song, co-author of "The Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your E-mail Before it Manages You."

"People have reached the breaking point," Song said.

The burden on personnel and computer servers has some companies training their work forces to use e-mail more efficiently. Last year, 42 percent of companies surveyed conducted e-mail training, up from 24 percent five years earlier, according to the ePolicy Institute in Columbus, Ohio.

The results are striking. On average, one 45-minute CKS seminar saved Novartis Oncology employees eight days a year, and 75 minutes of training returned 11 days a year to the typical Capital One worker.

"Few investments in business ... have that kind of payback," said Nic Oatridge, global head of information technology for Novartis Oncology in Florham Park, N.J. "People are saying we've set them free."