Sandra Block

Facebook might have a billion users, but at least 10% of them aren’t human

qz.com — This is James. He's on Facebook. He has no idea what Facebook is. Because he's a dog. There are at least 100 million other accounts on Facebook like James's-pets, brands, toasters. Yet Facebook appears to include them in the figures of "monthly active users," which it lists in its quarterly reports-and which the press loves...

Investing now? Nervous? Here's what to do

usatoday.com — Nervous about investing when stocks are at record highs? (Photo: Thinkstock) Investing in the stock market when it's at an all-time high seems like one of those ominous moments, like when someone decides to go for a swim in Jaws or peer at an egg in any of the Alien movies.

New Options for Retiree Health Benefits

kiplinger.com — Alternatives are emerging as employers drop retirees from group health plans. As employers continue to drop retirees from group health plans, new alternatives are emerging that may ease the pain for seniors. A growing number of employers are making cash contributions to individual accounts that help seniors pay for insurance they shop for themselves.

10 Factors That Raise Insurance Premiums-Kiplinger

kiplinger.com — Don't get hit by these unexpected rate boosters. Actuaries at insurance companies spend their entire careers looking for tiny statistical nuances that can predict the likelihood that someone will file a claim -- and that can justify charging higher premiums. Some of the criteria are obvious, such as your driving record for car insurance or your medical history for life and health insurance.

Obama names new IRS commissioner

usatoday.com — President Obama makes a statement on the IRS controversy May 15 in the White House. (Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images) WASHINGTON - President Obama will name a new acting IRS commissioner by the end of this week, a White House official has confirmed.

Capitol Hill softball game falls victim to IRS-Tea Party turmoil

dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com — If you've never worked in Washington, D.C., you have no idea of what's really important in the nation's capital. It's softball. I am not kidding. Every year when the weather starts to warm up, the city's attention turns to softball.

Every Page of Moby-Dick, Illustrated

brainpickings.org — Illustrated insights on love, hate, God, capitalism, and the rest of life via Herman Melville and found paper. Since 2009, former high school English teacher and self-taught artist Matt Kish has been drawing every page of the 552-page Signet Classics paperback edition of Herman Melville's iconic Moby-Dick, methodically producing one gorgeous, obsessive drawing per day for 552 days using pages from discarded books and a variety of drawing tools, from ballpoint pen to crayon to ink and watercolor.