Do you have a child in 2021? You could qualify for a $ 3,600 child tax credit.Photo: Drazen Zigic (Shutterstock)

If you find an unexpected letter in your mailbox this week that purportedly came from the IRS offering you thousands of dollars in cash for a child tax credit, don’t panic – it’s not a scam. In fact, you should keep these letters as a receipt for the very real refundable tax credit that was passed as part of President Biden’s America bailout plan. Here’s what you need to know.

What is the child tax credit worth and how is it different this year?

The Child tax deduction is a tax break worth up to $ 3,600 per child for taxpayers with dependent children, and 88% of families should qualify for at least some cash, according to the IRS (this Lifehacker post break it down for you). The special thing about the loan is that it is a repayable loan that is paid out in advance, with half of the money being regularly on the 15th of each month, starting in July and through to the end of the year (the remaining half of the credit becomes as part of your 2021 tax return).

What is this IRS letter about?

In fact, two letters are sent to 36 million families: one saying you may be eligible for the child tax credit and a second follow-up letter giving an estimate of how much you are actually owed. Note that it is possible to receive the first letter and ultimately not qualify for the credit as it will be prorated for those who exceed certain thresholds of gross annual income (AGI) based on your 2019 or 2020 tax return (to get an estimate of.) how much to expect, use CNET’s calculator Here). However, if your AGI for the 2021 tax year is less than the following, expect a full payment of $ 3,600 per child:

• Single: $ 75,000
• Head of Household: $ 112,500
• Marriage together: $ 150,000

It is important that these prepayments are based on your AGI 2021. For this reason, the IRS is setting up a portal where you can make adjustments to your 2021 income or the status of your dependent children (such as the birth of a new child). It is expected to be online on July 1st (in the meantime, keep an eye on that) IRS website for more information on the portal as soon as it becomes available).

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What should I do with these letters?

Until you actually receive a check or a direct deposit, be sure to keep both letters for documentation purposes – especially the second, as it contains an estimate of how much money you will actually receive. If this turns out to be less than your due, you can use these letters as part of a recovery claim when you file your taxes for 2021.

What if you haven’t received these letters? Well, the IRS only started sending them out less than a week ago so they could be caught in the mail. Otherwise, you may want to confirm the following:

• You actually are entitled for the tax credit
• Does the IRS have your newest address?
• That you actually filed a statement for 2019 or 2020.

Photo: Nixx Photography (Shutterstock)

Concern about germs has shaped everyone’s life for the last year and a half, especially one germ: the virus that causes COVID-19. But the billions of other bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that surround us have not ceased to exist. What do we really have to be afraid of? And how can we protect ourselves without overdoing it?

I read this article from Today about office germs “Nature heals” with a little sadness. Remember when a regular part of the news cycle there were local news teams wiping and declaring a category of objects dirtier than a toilet? It looks like we’re back.

We are always surrounded by microbes and that is normal

Have you ever been outside with children? Sooner or later one of them will complain that an ant is crawling on or near them. If you are the parent, they expect you to do something about it. And then you have to explain that we are outside and that bugs live outside.

Likewise, you don’t need to be shocked if there are microbes in your home or on the surfaces you touch frequently. Here they live.

Bacteria and other microbes inhabit every corner of the earth. They live on our skin and in our bodies, in miniature ecosystems that we call our “microbiome”. Some of them cause disease, but most of them are bystanders.

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What about all of these bacteria on your desk or your kitchen counter or whatever? Most of the time we took them there. You didn’t invade Microbe Central like a tiny invading army; it’s just the germs that were already on our skin and then we touched things and left some of them behind.

As a microbiologist, Mark O. Martin told us during a previous germ frenzy (this one about hand dryers in public toilets), “You have microbes all over your skin, but that doesn’t stop you from holding hands.”

What is actually worth it

Now that we have established that we are surrounded by largely harmless microbes, let’s talk about what we can do to protect ourselves from those who might actually make us sick.

Be careful with raw meat and other food safety hazards

Certain foods can be contaminated with harmful bacteria, such as salmonella in raw chicken and eggs, E. coli in beef, and so on. For this reason, it is important to wash your hands after preparing these foods and to wash or disinfect the utensils and surfaces that have come into contact with these foods. (Hot, soapy water is good enough for most kitchen appliances, but if you’d prefer to use a disinfectant on your countertops, that’s fine, too.)

Wash your hands fairly often

Aside from washing your hands after handling raw meat, you should also wash them after handling trash, pets or pet-related items (such as their trash or food bowls), diapers, actual dirt (you have no idea how many microbes are in the dirt) ) and after using the toilet. The CDC has further guidelines in their hand washing instructions here.

It’s also a good idea to wash your hands before you eat to make sure what you’ve touched doesn’t get into your mouth.

Appropriately frequent hand washing also keeps the nastier microbes off surfaces like your desk, as, as you will remember, most of the time we got them there with our own dirty hands.

Take precautions around people who are sick or who may be sick

The thing about germs that make people sick is that we get them from other sick people. If your child has diarrhea, be careful about cleaning the bathroom. (This is a good time to use an appropriate disinfectant like bleach).

Some of the things we learned from COVID will come in handy here too. Wearing a mask in public can help keep your germs away from others when you are sick. It can also help keep you from getting sick, even with colds and flu.

Surface cleaning and the use of hand sanitizer have been found may not be particularly important in preventing the spread of COVID, but also other diseases such as colds, flu and diarrheal diseases spread through surface contact.

Photo: Claire Lower

Hello everyone and welcome back to Prix Fixed, Lifehacker’s column of menu planning advice.

This week’s email is a request for a meal for parents – parents whom the email sender hasn’t seen or hugged for in too long:

Hello Claire!

I want to make a nice dinner for my parents next month. This is the first time since autumn 2019 that we can see each other in person; That’s the longest time we’ve ever been without a visitor.

Number of people: 4 adults

Diet Restrictions: Both my parents and I are on the noom diet. Basically, this means that we are really looking at fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and white meat. We can still make a dessert that isn’t too high in calories (think of a foam cake with fresh fruit or something like a date bar). As for the side dishes, we make a lot of soups on broth, large salads with vinaigrette; not so much mashed potatoes (I miss you all the time, potatoes). We all drink; and most of us like gin. (You can make me temporarily cut back on my potato consumption, but you’ll take my liquor out of my clenched fists, Noom.)

Cooking utensils: We have a good set of pots and pans (stainless steel and antique cast iron), baking pans, etc. There is a 35 year old kitchen help, a food processor, but no mixer. We also have a Sous Vide and an Instant Pot (both bought on my recommendation because I won’t be silent about your columns). My parents have a gas stove / oven and grill (I’m bad at grilling but ready to practice).

Cooking: I’m a pretty competent home cook. Knife skills can always improve; but I am fully able to follow a recipe, and I can ripple a little if necessary or if the mind moves me to do so. Baking skills are greatly improved when I use mixes. I can make a mean meringue though.

It is also remarkable that my parents live in the middle of nowhere and regularly buy “special ingredients” in the Mennonite shop in the middle of nowhere for an hour in one direction.

Please let me know if there is anything else you want to know. Many Thanks!

I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with Noom and its parameters, but “loading up fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, and white meat” is a concept that I can really get my brain working on. The first time I read this sentence, I paused, closed my eyes and enthusiastically whispered “poached chicken” in an empty living room. I know poached chicken doesn’t sound exciting, but trust me – it is.

Like AA Newton in. explained her iconic blog In terms of poultry preparation, poaching is the method used to maximize the bird’s potential. “Oh, but what about the skin?” Hater will moan. We will remove it after the chicken is poached and fry it, oh you of little faith. (Did you really think I had no plan for the skin?)

Not only is a poached chicken the most tender and juicy form of chicken, the poaching broth is – in a word – divine. You can toss any flavoring in the pot, but I usually use a whole clove of garlic, a whole shallot, and a very large piece of garlic, like in “one that takes up 80% of the palm of my hand”.

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Photo: Claire Lower

The result is a simple looking but complex tasting and immensely soothing dish. It feels healing, much like a good, long hug with a loved one you haven’t seen in over a year.

A word of caution: you need to start preparing the dish about 3-5 hours before consumption, but only 20% of that time requires your active participation, as the chicken gets its flavor from a long steeping time.

For one side, I’m a huge fan of a crushed cucumber salad. (Smashed Cukes hold the dressing so much more effectively than smooth slices.) For dessert, I would take advantage of the enormous abundance of late spring and grab the fruit that is most in season in your area. If that’s a melon, grab it or do something Chili salt; If it’s a berry, use half a liter of heavy cream. If you want to have cocktails – and I would think you do – I suggest Meyer lemon white women or Gin Old Fashioneds with fresh lemon syrup.

The shopping list

Enough chat – let’s go shopping. You will need:

• 1 chicken
• 1 large piece of ginger (get a thick knob that is at least 2 inches long)
• 1 shallot (or a bunch of spring onions)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Whatever kind of quick-cooking vegetables you like – spinach, baby pak choi, and sweet pea leaves work well (you’ll need a large handful per person)
• 2 large (or 4 small) cucumbers
• Toasted sesame oil
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sambal Oelek (or Sriracha)
• Fish sauce
• The freshest seasonal fruit your local shop has to offer
• If that fruit is melon or pineapple: chilli salt (or the ingredients for making it) this chili salt)
• If this fruit is a berry or a stone fruit: cream
• Whatever cocktail ingredients you use for that Old-fashioned or White ladies

Pantry Staples You May Have But Might Need To Buy:

• sugar
• salt
• Brown sugar
• I am willow

The plan

To prepare the poached chicken you will need:

• The chicken
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 shallot
• 1 very large piece of ginger
• A large handful of salt (to exfoliate the chicken)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of white sugar
• 4 large handfuls of these quick cooking greens. (Or 4 Baby Pak Choys)

About five hours before dinner (or three hours if your chicken is very small), take the chicken out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature on the counter for an hour. (Starting a room temperature chicken in room temperature water will ensure that it is fully cooked.) Once it has lost its chill, take it out of its wrapper, remove any giblets, and place it in a colander in the sink . Pour a large handful of salt on the chicken, scrub it inside and out, and rinse it off. This will remove any dirt from the skin and create a clearer, better tasting broth.

Put the chicken in a saucepan, fill the hollow with water, then turn it so the breast is facing up and add enough water to cover it. Cut the first 1/4 inch or so from the top of your garlic to expose the cloves (and be sure to rinse the root end well), cut your shallot in half, and remove the outside papery stuff (or rinse Some spring onions). , and chop the ginger, unpeeled, roughly into 1/4-inch slices.

Put everything in the saucepan with salt and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for half an hour, then cover, remove from heat and let steep for 2-4 hours, depending on size. (Most medium-sized chickens are great at three hours, but you can’t really overcook them using this method.)

Do something else up to an hour before serving, then start with the cucumber salad. (If any of the chicken sticks out during boiling, add a little more water.)

For the cucumber salad you will need:

• 2 large or 4 small cucumbers
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of white sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons of Sambal Oelek or Sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

When the chicken has another hour to steep, take your cukes, rinse them well, put them in a gallon freezer bag, and mash them with a heavy ladle or small pan. Break the large pieces into bite-sized pieces with your hands. Add the salt and white sugar to the bag, shake it to coat it, then place the cucumbers in a colander in the sink or large bowl. Put the whole thing in the fridge for an hour. Mix the remaining ingredients in a jar, seal the jar, and shake it to make your dressing. Set aside until dinner.

Photo: Claire Lower

After your chicken has brewed time is up, carefully remove it from the pot by inserting a sturdy, long-handled spoon into the recess and gently tilting it up so that the broth in the recess flows back into the pot. (While you are doing this, have someone else start making the cocktails and tell them to make yours first.)

Gradually lift the chicken out, using another spoon for extra support if necessary. Place the chicken on the cutting board and remove most (or all!) Of the skin. Then, lay the pieces of skin flat in a non-stick pan over medium heat, turning occasionally to ensure that both sides are crispy. While the skin is crispy, strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and pour it back into the saucepan. Bring the broth back to a simmer, rinse and toss the vegetables in the broth and cook until they are light green. Scoop the vegetables and broth into bowls, slice the chicken and bless each bowl with white or dark meat, depending on the bowl owner’s preference. Dab the chicken skin briefly on kitchen paper, season with salt, and place the skin on the poached chicken. Toss the cucumbers with just enough dressing to coat them and serve the salad next to the bowls of broth and chicken.

If you’re serving pineapple or melon for dessert, chop them up and serve them with chili salt. If you serve berries or stone fruits, Get them out of the fridge If you are serving the chicken to allow it to reach room temperature, rinse (and slice if necessary) just before serving. Divide them into small bowls (or tea cups) and pour them in so much cold cream how you feel comfortable upstairs. You can even add a pinch or two of sugar if you’re prone to it. I’m not going to tell Mr. Noom.

Photo: Afrika Studio (Shutterstock)

There is an idea that is sold and perpetuated as our jobs become more and more intertwined with our personal identities: the idea is that work is not so much a means to an end (paying bills, putting food on the table, and financing our lives )), but a way to live out our passions and make our dreams come true for over 40 hours a week. It’s a phenomenon that Psychologists speak of “entanglement”“And it involves increasingly blurred boundaries between self, work and personal identity.

This concept is encouraged by the idea of ​​a “dream job” that you may see on questionable job advertisements. Listicles, and the Thoughts from motivational speakers. The idea is undeniably a trap – how can work, no matter what you do, take on qualities that don’t feel like work? – but the concept remains a fixation for workers who demand a certain sense of accomplishment from their careers.

Is there a dream job?

If you’re a consultant committed to helping dissatisfied employees find their ideal calling, then dream jobs are true. These career coaches and workplace advisors keep the idea alive because it is profitable, or at least lucrative enough, to keep the dream alive, so to speak.

In an emerging society celebrating rockstar CEOs, it’s no surprise that many Americans are shooting for their dream job in an ultimately futile pursuit of something that does not necessarily exist. Of course, such high expectations can cause workers to crash dramatically when reality sets in.

For Sophie Brown, a young journalist interviewed by the BBC in 2018, an idealized version of the job didn’t match the long hours and demands of her first big break in the industry.

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you said the publication:

I hated the job and I hated the people there … late at night, early morning and on weekends … me and my partner were like ships passing by at night, I hadn’t spent time with my family in years and I realized that this dream job that I had worked hard for was actually not what I wanted.

It is true that you can (and probably should) try to gain a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from your work. But if you put too much emphasis on getting your job or get personal satisfaction from it, you risk an existential crisis.

This will make you happier at work

For Ross McCammon, author of the Works Well With Others corporate etiquette guide, the key to ultimately finding your emotional base in the workplace is to focus less on the job and more on your personal and professional development. “We should all strive for a certain area or even a certain job title, but a certain profession? That seems misguided, ”he says.

Urging people to have a more realistic understanding of what a job is, he tells Lifehacker, “A job is the work you do, the people you work with, and the culture of the place you are work. Some of it you can search for, some you can control, but a lot just happens organically. ”

A dream can be a motivational tool to help you take a path you might enjoy, but if realizing a dream or achieving perfection becomes the driving force behind a career, “you will never get there,” says McCammon .

Instead, focus on the professional and personal improvement that you will always see throughout your career – and enjoy those victories.

“There are far too many variables” in a career for it to reflect the subjective idea of ​​a dream. But, as McCammon says, “That’s what makes a career so interesting, fun, and fulfilling – that you can look back and see how you’ve adjusted your vision to take advantage of all the opportunities you could never expect.”

In addition, it is most important to understand that all jobs suffer from monotony and their own particular headache. This can be especially daunting when you make a living doing what you love and find that your burning passion is now little more than a calling riddled with emails, zoom meetings, and daily deadlines.

That’s not to say that your job shouldn’t be driven by your passion, but learning how to separate your full-time job from your human need for fulfillment will serve you well throughout your career. You are human, not your job.