Via Reddit.

via xkcd: Eternal Flame.

Well, last night was the night.  It is at the end of the episode for the listeners of that podcast.  But what the hell, here is the song.  No saucing necessary.  All it took was about 20 minutes and some Garageband on the Mac.

First off, I don’t sing, can’t sing, but sang anyway.  The first time I heard this song was from Laurie’s uncle Rob.  He does a much better job of it than I ever could.

Enjoy!

If you photograph the police doing something out of line, snap that pic and take the ACLU’s advice.

If you are stopped or detained for taking photographs:

• Always remain polite and never physically resist a police officer.
• If stopped for photography, the right question to ask is, “am I free to go?” If the officer says no, then you are being detained, something that under the law an officer cannot do without reasonable suspicion that you have or are about to commit a crime or are in the process of doing so. Until you ask to leave, your being stopped is considered voluntary under the law and is legal.
• If you are detained, politely ask what crime you are suspected of committing, and remind the officer that taking photographs is your right under the First Amendment and does not constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

via Know Your Rights: Photographers | American Civil Liberties Union.

I’ll be chronicling the month here and tracking the number of swings that I’m doing at Kettlebellchallenges.com.   It’s a new site that I’ve been working on.  It’s functional, but will be added upon and updated before and during the challenge.  If you want to track your workouts there, sign-up and start your challenge.

The end game?  To complete the challenge, be in better shape at the end of the month and to fully embrace the kettlebell workout.

Enjoy a short video of Tom showing good double arm swing form.

As you can see, the sales tax rate in Long Beach is already higher than surrounding cities. A full 1% higher than neighboring Los Alamitos.  But, that 1% decrease is a good start.  I always have the option of purchasing goods in Orange County.  *wink-wink*  But how is the state going to recoup that lost revenue. Here’s one way that was shown to me just today. Late fees.  The notice below was inside my father-in-law’s DMV renewal bill that he received today.

So, as of July 1, 2011, as well as paying 1% less sales tax, you also have less time to pay your DMV registration renewal fees.  The state has chopped the advance notice that you have enjoyed on your DMV renewal from 60 days to basically a week.  That’s right!  The bill that I saw is due on July 24th, just one week from when it was received.  What does that mean for y’all?  Well, if you read all you statements and pay them when you receive them, you’re golden.  If, however, you are like me and you’re used to that couple of month buffer between when you receive and when you pay your DMV renewal, you may find yourself with a fine, especially if you don’t read the notices you receive with the bill.

And there it is.  I believe that the state is offsetting the loss in sales tax, at least partially, with the elimination of the 60-day advanced notification.

I’m going to verify this on my vehicle registration when it comes in August.  Also, from what I saw on the FIL’s bill, the 30-day grace period mentioned in the notice doesn’t actually exist.  On the day that the fees are due on his bill, the next date on the bill showed late fees immediately on the day after it is due, not 30 days later.  That may be an oversight on the formatting of the new bill, and maybe in a month that will be fixed.

In the meantime, read all the notices that come with your bills.  You may be saving yourself late fees and other hidden taxes because of it.

Even after seeing this description of the new Google service, I still want in.  Is that wrong?

Hello,

Unfortunately, Governor Brown has signed into law the bill that we emailed you about earlier today. As a result of this, contracts with all California residents participating in the Amazon Associates Program are terminated effective today, June 29, 2011. Those California residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned before today will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule.

You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of California. If you are not currently a resident of California, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here. And if you relocate to another state in the near future please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program.

To avoid confusion, we would like to clarify that this development will only impact our ability to offer the Associates Program to California residents and will not affect your ability to purchase fromAmazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com.

We have enjoyed working with you and other California-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to California residents. As mentioned before, we are continuing to work on alternative ways to help California residents monetize their websites and we will be sure to contact you when these become available.

Regards,

The Amazon Associates Team

Hello,

For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of California residents. Unfortunately, a potential new law that may be signed by Governor Brown compels us to terminate this program for California-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers – including but not limited to those referred by California-based marketing affiliates like you – even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.

We oppose this bill because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It is supported by big-box retailers, most of which are based outside California, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that we must take this action.

As a result, we will terminate contracts with all California residents that are participants in the Amazon Associates Program as of the date (if any) that the California law becomes effective. We will send a follow-up notice to you confirming the termination date if the California law is enacted. In the event that the California law does not become effective before September 30, 2011, we withdraw this notice. As of the termination date, California residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com. Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned on or before the termination date will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule.

You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of California. If you are not currently a resident of California, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here. And if you relocate to another state in the near future please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program.

To avoid confusion, we would like to clarify that this development will only impact our ability to offer the Associates Program to California residents and will not affect their ability to purchase from Amazon.com, Endless.com, MYHABIT.COM or SmallParts.com.

We have enjoyed working with you and other California-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to California residents. We are also working on alternative ways to help California residents monetize their websites and we will be sure to contact you when these become available.

Regards,

The Amazon Associates Team

I make a couple bucks now and then from Amazon affiliate links. Not a ton, but enough to cover videos on demand a few times a month. It’s unfortunate that the California legislature refuses to fix its spending problem and instead looks to extract as much from its constituents as possible. Thank Moonbeam!