While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processes tax returns and begins implementation of tax reform, the agency continues its march to leave millions of taxpayers without easily accessible instructions to file tax returns. In 2011, the IRS discontinued mailing tax forms and the Tax Instruction Guide for individuals (Publication 17) to the public. In addition, they ended the long practice of equipping libraries or post offices with the printed instruction booklet. The only place to find the instructions on paper is through the Government Publishing Office, where a hard copy version can be ordered for $​10. These changes took place without Congressional oversight or public input. Click Read More below for additional information.

In the midst of technological advances, essential reading and writing skills are being somewhat lost in the process of keeping up with the latest ‘trend’. More than a quarter (26 percent) of American adults admit to not having read even part of a book within the past year. That's according to statistics coming out of the Pew Research Centre. Science supports the idea that reading is good for you on several levels. Reading fiction can help with an open-mind and creative thinking - According to research conducted at the University of Toronto, study participants who read short-story fiction experienced far less need for "cognitive closure" compared with counterparts who read nonfiction essays. Essentially, they tested as more open-minded, compared with the readers of essays. "Although nonfiction reading allows students to learn the subject matter, it may not always help them in thinking about it," the authors write. Click Read More below for additional information.

L Brands, Inc. reported net sales of $2.351 billion for the nine weeks ended July 3, 2021, compared to net sales of $1.369 billion for the nine weeks ended July 4, 2020. Second quarter 2020 sales were negatively impacted by the closure of stores for approximately half the quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales for the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2021 increased 12 percent compared to sales of $2.101 billion for the same period of 2019. Bath & Body Works net sales were $1.239 billion for the nine-week period ended July 3, 2021, compared to net sales of $743.5 million for the nine weeks ended July 4, 2020. Bath & Body Works sales for the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2021 increased 48 percent compared to the same period of 2019. Victoria’s Secret net sales were $1.112 billion for the nine-week period ended July 3, 2021, compared to net sales of $625.7 million for the nine weeks ended July 4, 2020. Victoria’s Secret comparable sales for the first nine weeks of the second quarter of 2021 increased 3 percent compared to the same period in 2019.