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Huntsville got its start as a small town that grew around one settler’s homestead at the beginning of the 19th century. Over time, the town grew steadily as textile and related industries began to grow and wealthy planters relocated to the area from the Carolinas and Georgia. In 1855, the town received a significant boost with the construction of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad: this thoroughfare was the first to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River. Huntsville’s location along this critical railroad line, then, led to the rapid development of Huntsville real estate. With the economic boom of the railroad came jobs, opportunity, and, thus, people: the arrival of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, then, was a major advent in the town’s growth.

As a decent-sized southern city, Huntsville necessarily had a role to play in the Civil War. In 1861, Huntsville vehemently opposed secession from the Union – but eventually provided troops for the Confederacy when the South was formally invaded. Huntsville troops and regiments were present at the critical battle at Bull Run, as well as Lee’s ultimate surrender to Grand at Appomattox in 1865. The Huntsville real estate area was the birthplace of eight Civil War generals – four who fought for the North and four who fought for the South. In 1862, Huntsville was seized by Union troops and used as a base for Union soldiers. This turned out to be a fortunate occurrence for the city of Huntsville, as the presence of Union troops within the city limits prevented the city from being burned. Unlike other southern towns and cities, then, Huntsville was able to preserve many historic buildings and architectural gems that might otherwise not have made it through the war intact.

In the period after the Civil War, the Huntsville Alabama real estate area continued to grow at a remarkable pace. Industry quickly grew in this city, and it continued to draw residents from all walks of life. Today, Huntsville is a thriving city home to a wide range of residents. The presence of a major Army armory and NASA facility mean that Huntsville is home to many scientists and engineers who help to enrich the cultural and educational life of the city. Choosing a home in the Huntsville Alabama real estate market, then, puts buyers in a prime position for educational, economic, and cultural growth.

About the Author:

Huntsville real estate agent Steve Thomas specializes in Huntsville real estate relocation, home buying, selling, and investing. For the exclusive Huntsville Alabama real estate resource, visit www.huntsvilleareahomes.com today.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Huntsville Real Estate – Huntsville Alabama Real Estate

OK, no one really likes tax time, but, owning your own home business can make April 15th a bit more enjoyable if you know how to save money on your taxes. There are many legitimate business deductions allowed by the IRS for the home business entrepreneur the key is knowing what they are and what you need to do to claim them.

Sandy Botkin, CPA and former IRS attorney, says “If you do not have a home based business you are loosing money.” The tax advantages to a properly formed home business and not a hobby are worth your time and efforts.

Tax Advantages

Business Deductions

It should go without saying that all business deductions should be reasonable and necessary. And to prove those claims you must keep accurate books and records. If the IRS where to audit you they would be looking for such items as sources of income, detailed expenses, bank statements, credit card statements and all receipts for purchased items and services rendered.

The more deductions your business can legitimately take, the lower its taxable profit will be. Here is a simple example: if you earn $100,000 per year from your job and home-based business, combined, but have $15,000 in allowable business deductions from your business, you would only pay taxes of your net income of $85,000. At 30% tax rate, that could save you $4,500 in federal taxes!

Auto Expenses

Proper logging of all business related travel will help you reduce your yearly auto expense. You will need to track the date, purpose of the trip, and round trip mileage. These few extra steps will save you money on gas, yearly upkeep and insurance costs.

Education / Training Expenses

All home business owners need to keep on top of their industry or may need to update their computer skills. Cost for seminars, online training programs, books, e-books, professional memberships and subscriptions are all deductible. You can even deduct those fees from your lawyer and tax professional.

Business Entertaining

Does your home business require you entertain clients? If so, you can deduct a percentage of those costs directly related to the business. Keeping good notes on this activity, jotting down who was their, what was discussed and making certain that business activity was foremost, will ensure the acceptance of this claim by the IRS.

Travel

How would you like to have your vacations paid? The IRS allows you to combine business travel with pleasure provided your primary purpose for the trip was for business. You can deduct such expenses as your plane fare, operating cost of your car, rental cars, taxis, lodging, meals, tips, dry cleaning, telephone calls, faxes, well you get the idea. However, this will not include expenses for family members if they accompany you, unless they work for you!

Advertising

All expenses involved with advertising or promoting your business are deductible. For example, business cards, classified ads, brochures, flyer’s, posters, t-shirts are just a few.

Interest

Interest on credit cards and business loans are fully deductible.

Computers and Software

Is your business done on the computer? Do you need software to operate your business? Do you need to connect to the Internet? These rules can change based on the business model so be sure to check with your account for your industry.

Charitable Contributions

Part of being a model citizen and business owner is to give back to your community. Charitable contributions are allowable. Again you should consult with a professional on what you can take based on your business structure.

Household Expenses

This is one of the most valuable deductions. If you use a percentage of your home, say a den or the basement “exclusively” this will qualify you for this deduction. You can save on your utility bills, phone bills, maintenance; even a portion of the interest you pay on your home is deductible.

These 10 tips only scratch the surface of the tax benefits owning a home business provides. As always it’s important to consult with a CPA or Tax Attorney to ensure you are taking the proper deductions and getting all you deserve. Keeping those hard earned dollars in your pocket and out of Uncles Sam’s is to your benefit.

About the Author:

Bob and Cindy are both home based business entrepreneurs with 15 years experience in owning Real Estate and Network Marketing businesses. You can own your own business today that provides residual income for your future. To learn more about how you can secure your financial future… Go to: http://www.ThingsLookGreatIn2008.com
For advice and strategies on building success with your online business visit our blog at http://www.blog.bobandcindyfloyd.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Owning Your Own Home Business -10 Reasons to Look Forward to April 15th

England is an island full of historical attractions with artefacts before the creation of the nation. However, only a few towns live to tell the story of the settlement in this once Roman colony. Chester is one of them. As one of the most recognizable cities in Cheshire, Chester is depicted as one of the oldest cities in England. This historic city lies along the River Dee, one of the oldest agricultural settlements in Europe. The city is also the gateway to Wales, as it lies directly on the border. With its historical atmosphere, Chester is considered one of the most heavily visited cities in this part of the island.

The key attractions in Chester are historical sites, the most prominent of which is the Grosvenor Museum. This museum was named after Richard Grosvenor who was a Second Marquess of Westminster. The Grosvenor Museum depicts the city’s rich Roman heritage. In the same breadth, you can also find the Dewa Roman experience, a small museum rich in interactive and hands-on exhibits that also features Roman history in England. If that is not Roman for you, you can go to the Roman Chester, the oldest part of the town. Here you will find old walls, Roman gardens, and the Amphitheatre.

Aside from the must-do educational tours and smart strolls, Chester also offers a variety of activities for families to enjoy. One of these activities is boating along the River Dee. You can start from the expanse of Grosvenor Park and ride a ferry or motorboat, so you can witness the city in its highest glory. You can also rent rowing boats in the park, so you can escape to a romantic time with your loved one with the full town in view. The Chester Zoo also offers a different taste of English wildlife. Here, you will find a large collection of elephants of varying sizes.

Once you hit the local Chester pubs, you will find its people very endearing. With a people as jolly as theirs, even the taste of the food is carried away on top of an already delicious meal. One of the best restaurants in Chester is Ego. Ego was created in the centre of the city, making it one of the hotspots for professionals and students. If you need to go Asian, the Siam restaurant in the city road may just do the job. Siam serves exotic Thai in hot and sizzling fashion. There is also a Japanese restaurant near Siam.

After a long day strolling and eating, it is time to simmer down and find the best local entertainment in Chester. While it is a challenge to find people with talent that you actually like, you can find many acts in local pubs where they host an English comedy night. Chester is also famous for its racing bars, as you can find pubs that have large cable TV screens pointed to dog and horse races around the city. Other entertainment options in Chester include theatre and the usual cinemas and malls.

Chester has a little bit of everything, but it certainly has a lot of history and it shows. Wherever you go, the air in this city is refreshing and alluring. From the old walls to the newly built structures, Chester is a setting for a perfect family holiday.
About the Author:

Graciela Saltise is a freelance travel writer and enjoys travelling around the UK. She is formerly a Chester model, having spent years as a Manchester VIP model and for a Manchester model agency.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Historic Chester Has One of the Uks Oldest Roman Amphitheatres

Andy Warhol was born Andrew Warhola 1928. Born to Slovak immigrants, he was reared in a working class suburb of Pittsburgh. From an early age, Warhol showed an interest in photography and drawing, attending free classes at Carnegie Institute. The only member of his family to attend college, he entered the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Melon University) in 1945, where he majored in pictorial design. Upon graduation, Warhol moved to New York with fellow student Philip Pearlstein. He found steady work as a commercial artist working as an illustrator for several magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker. He also did advertising and window displays for retail stores such as Bonwit Teller and I. Miller. Prophetically, his first assignment was for Glamour magazine for an article titled “Success is a Job in New York.”

Throughout the nineteen fifties, Warhol enjoyed a successful career as a commercial artist, winning several commendations from the Art Director’s Club and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. During this period, he shortened his name to “Warhol.” In 1952, the artist had his first solo exhibition at the Hugo Gallery, exhibiting Fifteen Drawings Based on the Writings of Truman Capote. Subsequently, Warhol’s work was exhibited in several venues throughout the fifties including his first group show at The Museum of Modern Art in 1955. In 1953 the artist produced his first illustrated book, A is an Alphabet and Love is a Pink Cake, which he gave to his clients and associates. With a burgeoning career as an illustrator, he formed Andy Warhol Enterprises in 1957.

1960 marked a turning point in Warhol’s prolific career. He painted his first works based on comics and advertisements, enlarging and transferring the source images onto his canvases with an opaque projector. In 1961, Warhol showed his paintings, Advertisement, Little King, Superman, Before and After, and Superman, Before and After, and Saturday’s Popeye in a window display of Bonwit Teller department store. Appropriating images from popular culture, Warhol created many paintings that remain icons of 20th-century art including the Campbell’s Soup Can, Marilyn and Elvis series. In 1962, the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles exhibited his Campbell’s Soup Cans and in New York, the Stable gallery showed the Baseball, Coca-Cola, Do It Yourself and Dance Diagram paintings among others.

In addition to painting and creating box sculptures such as Brillo Box and Heinz Box, Warhol began working in other mediums including record producing (The Velvet Underground), magazine publishing (Interview) and filmmaking. His avant-garde films such as Chelsea Girls, Blow Job and Empire have become classics of the underground genre. In 1968, Valerie Solanis, a periodic factory visitor, and sole member of SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) walked into the Factory and shot Warhol. The attack was near fatal.

In the 1970′s, Warhol renewed his focus on painting and worked extensively on a commissioned basis both for corporations and for individuals whose portrait he painted. Works created in this decade include Skulls, Hammer and Sickles, Torsos, Maos and Shadows. Warhol also published The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (from A to B and Back Again). Firmly established as a major 20th-century artist and international celebrity, Warhol was given a major retrospective of his work at the Pasadena Art Museum which traveled to museums around the world. In the late seventies Warhol began dictating an oral diary to his colleague Pat Hackett, which became the basis for the best-selling Andy Warhol Diaries.

Warhol also began work on Andy Warhol‘s TV, a series of half hour of video programs patterned after Interview magazine. In 1985, “Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes” appeared on MTV, half hour programs featuring celebrities, artists, musicians, and designers, with Warhol as the host. The paintings he created during this time included Dollar Signs, Guns and Last Suppers. He also produced several paintings in collaboration with other artists including Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente.

Following routine gall bladder surgery, Andy Warhol died of complications during his recovery on 1987. After his burial in Pittsburgh, his friends and associates organized a memorial mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on April 1 that was attended by more than 2,000 people. His Paintings are available here. Please purchase on online www.etabletop.com

About the Author:

Representing Best Artist Andy Warhol in the website www.etabletop.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – About Best Artist Andy Warhol