Category Archives: Life

“A prestigious group of scientists from around the world is warning that population growth, widespread destruction of natural ecosystems, and climate change may be driving Earth toward an irreversible change in the biosphere, a planet-wide tipping point that would have destructive consequences absent adequate preparation and mitigation.

‘It really will be a new world, biologically, at that point,’ warns Anthony Barnosky, professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of a review paper appearing in the June 7 issue of the journal Nature. ‘The data suggests that there will be a reduction in biodiversity and severe impacts on much of what we depend on to sustain our quality of life, including, for example, fisheries, agriculture, forest products and clean water. This could happen within just a few generations.'”

–“Scientists Uncover Evidence of Impending Tipping Point for Earth.” UC Berkeley News Center.  June 6, 2012. Web.

“If there are two things I like to do every day of my life, it’s: 1) look after my health, and 2) laugh. Not a bad combo, right? But did you know that by doing the second, you’re also doing the first?

Not that you shouldn’t climb onto that life-cycle, but laughter — all by itself — treats the body to a whole array of health benefits. For starters, a good, big laugh relieves physical tension and relaxes your muscles for up to 45 minutes. (Maybe that’s why everyone feels so laid back when someone starts telling jokes at a party!) Laughter also keeps the immune system humming by decreasing stress hormones and boosting infection-fighting antibodies. It even protects the heart by keeping those blood vessels pumping.”

–Marlo Thomas. “National Humor Month: Laughing Your Way to Good Health.”  Huffington Post April 26, 2102. Web.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

–Steve Jobs. Commencement address to Stanford University graduates. 2005.

“How have California’s tax policies changed over time? Over the past three decades, the cost of funding state services has shifted from corporations to personal income tax filers. The Department of Finance estimates that personal income tax receipts will provide 51.5 percent of General Fund revenues in 2011-12, up from 35.4 percent in 1980-81. Corporate tax receipts are expected to provide 12.4 percent of General Fund revenues in 2010-11, down from 14.6 percent in 1980-81.

New, increased, and expanded corporate tax breaks and the 1996 corporate tax rate reduction are responsible for the decline in the share of state revenues provided by the corporate income tax. Additional corporate tax cuts included in the September 2008 and February 2009 budget agreements will result in a loss of nearly $2 billion per year when fully implemented.”

—The California Budget Project. California Teacher 65.1 (Sept-Oct. 2011): 8-9. Quote on page 9.

“Who doesn’t pay taxes in California? In 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, 611,318 taxpayers reported incomes of $200,000 or more. However, 2,431 of these households paid no California personal income tax. The number of high income ‘no tax’ returns more than quadrupled between 1997 and 2008, rising from 579 to 2,431.”

—The California Budget Project. California Teacher 65.1 (Sept-Oct. 2011): 8-9. Quote on page 9.

“How does the growth in corporate income compare to that for individuals? The available data show that the recent growth in corporate profits reported for California tax purposes far exceeds that of income reported by individual taxpayers. Between 2001 and 2009, the total adjusted gross income of California’s person income taxpayers increased by 16.5 percent. In contrast, the net profits reported by corporations for California tax purposes nearly tripled, rising by 192 percent.”

—The California Budget Project. California Teacher 65.1 (Sept-Oct. 2011): 8-9. Quote on page 8.

“How much does the ‘average’ California family earn? California’s 2009 median household income–the income at which half of all households earned more and half earned less–was $56,134. The median income for all California personal income taxfilers was $35,923 in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available. The 2008 median income of Californians filing joint tax returns was $68,981.”

—The California Budget Project. California Teacher 65.1 (Sept-Oct. 2011): 8-9. Quote on page 8.

“How much do Californians pay in state and local taxes? Measured as a share of family income, California’s lowest-income families pay the most in taxes. The bottom fifth of the state’s non-elderly families, with an average income of $12,600, spent 11.1 percent of their income on state and local taxes. In comparison, the wealthiest 1 percent, with an average income of $2.3 million, spent 7.8 percent of their income on state and local taxes. … Higher-income families pay a larger share of their income in income taxes. Lower-income families pay a greater share of their income in sales and property taxes.”

—The California Budget Project. California Teacher 65.1 (Sept-Oct. 2011): 8-9. Quote on page 8.