Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/772629
Onlyafewmonthsago, I told you about what was happening in the world of the Chrome- book, a lap- top that runs on the Chrome OS operat- ing system and is de- signed to be used pri- marily while connected to the internet. I mentioned that Chromebooks had just outsold Apple's range of Macs (and for the first time in the U.S.). Chromebooks have be- come so popular that man- ufacturers are competing like crazy to expand func- tionality while at the same time lowering the price. You know who wins that game, right? Consumers. Prepare to be hit with a serious case of FUD — fear, uncertainty and doubt — if you go online or head to a store to pur- chase a Chromebook. That's because there are hundreds to choose from made by dozens of man- ufacturers. But not to worry. I don't expect you to slog through all of this. Remember, it's my job to do the hard work so you won't have to! By way of review, a Chromebook laptop is ideal for someone who wants to surf the internet, communicate by email, stream movies and vid- eos, and build a library of photos and music. While each of the computers I'm about to recommend has internal storage and ports to connect external hard drives, flash drives and memory cards, a Chrome- book is generally designed to be connected to the in- ternet. There are count- less free Google apps for Chromebooks. Just re- member that a Chrome- book is not a Micro- soft Windows computer. "Chromebooks vs. Win- dows Laptops: The Real Story" (as seen on chrome- bookvswindows.com) does a great job listing the dif- ferences and the reasons why a Chromebook is so much better in some sit- uations (and so much cheaper). Chrome OS is se- cure, fast and super simple — you know, the very op- posite of Windows. I am excited to tell you about two new Acer Chromebooks, either of which would make an ab- solutely stunning gift. ACER CHROMEBOOK 15. Want to know why this made my very short list of recommended Chrome- books? The price! And the battery life. And the nice big screen, too. And its thinness and light weight (just 4.3 pounds). It has an Intel Celeron processor, an HD display, 2 GB memory and a 16 GB eMMC hard drive. The 15.6-inch display is much larger than the 13.3- inch Chromebooks on the market. I've tested the heck out of the battery. It lasts for 10 to 12 hours for me, and that's on a sin- gle charge. It's hard to be- lieve but true. This is such a sweet laptop — the per- fect choice for a student, a parent or a grandparent who is ready to get serious with storing photos and keeping in touch via email — and maybe even tiptoe into Facebook and online shopping. At this time and for the foreseeable future, the Acer Chromebook 15 is available at Wal-Mart for about $199. Wow. ACER CHROMEBOOK 14. This Chromebook has 4 GB memory and a 32 GB hard drive. These dif- ferences make it faster and more efficient that the Acer Chromebook 15, which will make a big dif- ference for a more expe- rienced user. At up to 12 hours with a single charge, its battery life is impres- sive. Just about everyone who uses this Chrome- book comments on the re- markable display, which is 14 inches with full HD IPS (1920x1080) and Intel HD graphics. It's just beauti- ful. Acer really outdid it- self when it brought out this Chromebook! It costs about $292 on Amazon. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Chromebooklaptopsare better than ever; cheaper too The Tehama County HealthPartnershipwillmeet 11:30a.m.to1p.m.Thursday, Jan. 12 at the Dignity Health Solano Street Medical Clinic Meeting Room, 2126 Solano St. in Corning. Come network and continue to work on the Health Partnership Action Plan and discuss transpor- tation gaps in the county, with Phyllis Avilla facil- itating the discussion. The Tehama County Health Partnership is a col- laborative effort among var- ious organizations and in- dividuals to improve the health and well being of Tehama County residents. Its vision includes physi- cal health, mental health and other aspects that im- prove quality of life, such as education, safety, em- ployment, housing, trans- portation and recreation. The partnership meets at 11:30 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month alternating between Corn- ing and Red Bluff. Check the Daily News' community calendar for details. For more information call 527-6824 or email ja- cobsonm@tcha.net. TEHAMA COUNTY Healthpartnershipmeetingset Mary Hunt REDDING Shasta College Horticulture department will be offering courses in Landscape Design and In- tegrated Pest Management this spring semester. Registration for these course offerings is impor- tant as they are only of- fered every other year. Landscape Design (AGEH 35) focuses on the basic landscape design principles with special at- tention and projects di- rected at designing water smart landscaping. Stu- dents will learn how to use the landscape design software, Dynascape, to create beautiful and func- tional landscapes that meet Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance stan- dards. Landscape Architect Kirkwood Hale will teach the 3 unit class Monday and Wednesday nights on the Shasta College main campus. Students need to have taken Plant Identification (AGEH 10 or AGNR 6) or have a working knowledge of plants to sign up for this class — see Leimone Waite for prerequisite waiver. As part of the Pest Con- trol Advisor Preparation Certificate two courses will be offered, Integrated Pest Management (AGEH 26) and Plant Protection Mate- rials (AGEH 61). Integrated Pest Management will be taught 4-6 p.m. Tuesdays and 4-7 p.m. Thursdays on the main Shasta College Campus. It covers how to identify plant pests and diseases and how to control them using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The goal of IPM is to reduce or eliminate the use of Pesti- cides while still maintain- ing a productive and qual- ity crop. The course is taught by Molly Greenwood, PCA. The Plant Protection Ma- terials class is a fully on- line class that covers the safe use of pesticides, which pesticides are used for different applications, the regulations related to pesticide application, and the role of a Pest Control Advisor. Both are 3-unit courses that will help prepare stu- dents for the Pesticide Ap- plicators Certificate exam and the state Pest Control Advisor exam. Pest Control Advisors are basically plant doc- tors who help to diagnose plant pests and diseases and make recommenda- tions to growers on how to control them. The state of California is predicting a shortage of Pest Control Advisors, es- pecially with the new legal- ization of recreational mar- ijuana growing. AGEH 26 — Integrated Pest Man- agement — Section num- ber S3728 and AGEH 61 — Plant Protection Materials — Section number S0802. To register for any of these classes go to http:// www.shastacollege.edu/. For more information contact Leimone Waite at 242-2210 or lwaite@shasta- college.edu. SHASTA COLLEGE Landscape Design and Integrated Pest Management courses CONTRIBUTED Kylie Irwin, le , and Laura Reyes. Kylie Irwin and Laura Reyes, of the Tehama County Police Activities League Martial Arts Program dem- onstrated Women's Wellness and Empowerment self-de- fense techniques on Jan. 4 at the regular meeting of the Red Bluff Kiwanis, held at the Elks Lodge. They showed the members how to use the Kubotan as a legal way to protect them- selves against an attacker. It was announced at this demonstration that Reyes was chosen as the 2016 Vol- unteer of the Year for the PAL Martial Arts Group. As the manager she enrolls new students and ensures a smooth operation of the pro- gram by assisting the black belt instructors in daily op- erations in order to make it run smoothly. There are around 50 students in the free anti-bullying classes 3-5 p.m. Mondays and Thurs- days. A Kubotan is a four- to five-inch aluminum dowel also used as a keychain de- vised by Okinawan Ka- rate Master Tak Kubota. Kubotans are offered free to women who participate in free self-defense classes several times each month at the PAL Center for Ex- cellence, 1005 Vista Way, Ste. C, across from Trainor Field and the Vista Prepara- tory Academy soccer fields. Visit www.tehamaso.org/ pal or call the instructor at 840-0345 for more informa- tion. PAL MARTIAL ARTS Fr ee w om en 's self-defense cl as se s o ff er ed As the tax filing season approaches, the Internal Revenue Service reminds low- and moderate-income workers that they can take steps now to save for re- tirement and earn a spe- cial tax credit in 2016 and years ahead. The saver's credit helps offset part of the first $2,000 workers voluntarily contribute to IRAs and 401(k) plans and similar workplace retirement pro- grams. Also known as the retirement savings contri- butions credit, the saver's credit is available in addi- tion to any other tax sav- ings that apply. Eligible workers still have time to make qual- ifying retirement contri- butions and get the saver's credit on their 2016 tax returns. People have un- til the due date for filing their 2016 return, April 18, to set up a new individual retirement arrangement or add money to an exist- ing IRA for 2016. This in- cludes the Treasury De- partment's https://myra. gov. However, elective de- ferrals must be made by the end of the year to a 401(k) plan or similar workplace program, such as a 403(b) plan for em- ployees of public schools and certain tax-exempt or- ganizations, a governmen- tal 457 plan for state or lo- cal government employees, or the Thrift Savings Plan for federal employees. Employees who are un- able to set aside money for this year may want to schedule their 2017 contri- butions soon so their em- ployer can begin withhold- ing them in January. The saver's credit can be claimed by: Married couples filing jointly with incomes up to $61,500 in 2016 or $62,000 in 2017; Heads of Household with incomes up to $46,125 in 2016 or $46,500 in 2017; Married individuals fil- ing separately and singles with incomes up to $30,750 in 2016 or $31,000 in 2017. Like other tax credits, the saver's credit can in- crease a taxpayer's refund or reduce the tax owed. Though the maximum sav- er's credit is $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples), the IRS cautioned that it is of- ten much less and, due in part to the impact of other deductions and credits, may, in fact, be zero for some taxpayers. A taxpayer's credit amount is based on his or her filing status, adjusted gross income, tax liability and amount contributed to qualifying retirement programs. Form 8880 is used to claim the saver's credit, and its instructions have details on figuring the credit correctly. In tax year 2014, the most recent year for which complete figures are avail- able, saver's credits total- ing nearly $1.4 billion were claimed on more than 7.9 million individual income tax returns. The saver's credit sup- plements other tax bene- fits available to people who set money aside for retire- ment. For example, most workers may deduct their contributions to a tradi- tional IRA. Though Roth IRA contributions are not deductible, qualifying withdrawals, usually after retirement, are tax-free. Normally, contributions to 401(k) and similar work- place plans are not taxed until withdrawn. TAX PREPAREDNESS Plan now to get full benefit of Saver's Credit The Daily News Office Will Be Closed Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Retail advertising deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 17 edition is Friday, Jan. 13 at Noon. Classified advertising deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 17 edition is Monday, Jan. 16 at Noon. (530) 527-2151 728MAINST.,REDBLUFF DAILY NEWS 25yearsprofessional experience. QualityWork Very Reasonable Rates Red Bluff Transmission • Automatic • Manual • Computer Diagnosis • Clutches • Transfer Cases • CV Axles CALL TODAY! 529-4493 440 Antelope Blvd. #6 Bob's Youcantmissus... 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