Drive-Bys

Don't forget I'm doing a give-away here. You can't win the $75 gift certificate if you don't enter, and you've only got until next Friday!
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It took the artists only four days to do this:

SUPAKITCH & KORALIE - VÄRLDSKULTUR MUSEET GÖTEBORG from elr°y on Vimeo.

I couldn't have done it at all. That's beautiful... and awesome. I really admire people with talent like that.
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Once again our brainiacs in Springfield seek solutions to our financial problems that will drive business from our state. Howzzat, you ask?

Some Illinois-based Web businesses were furious Thursday at a legislative plan that would require online retailers, such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com, to collect a 6.25 percent state tax if they have commissioned affiliates in the state.

That puts at risk huge revenue streams for such Illinois-based Web sites as FatWallet.com, CouponCabin.com and BradsDeals.com, which receive much of their commissions from sending customers to major online retailers. Their commissions are at risk because large retailers have shown in the past that they will sever business relationships with affiliates like those to avoid collecting state sales tax, called a use tax in Illinois, on products they sell.

The bill, passed Thursday afternoon, needs approval from Gov. Pat Quinn.

Illinois blogger Marathon Pundit and lots of others will be losing his Amazon Associate status if Quinn signs that bill.

Oh, you say -- it won't be that bad. Oh, really?

"I feel like I've been completely flipped the bird," said Tim Storm, chief executive of FatWallet, based in Rockton, near Rockford. "Essentially, 30 to 40 percent of our revenue gets shut off instantaneously."

FatWallet officials were busy Thursday scouting ways to leave Illinois, Storm said.

"The reality is that as a business owner with 52 employees, we're not going to just get shut down because of a law Illinois passes. Our customers don't care whether we're in the state of Illinois," he said.

Brad Wilson, founder of BradsDeals, in Chicago, said about half his revenue would be in jeopardy, along with 20 jobs at his company.

"We don't have much choice. If this is going to stick, we literally can't physically be in Illinois," Wilson said. "My wife is from Cleveland and would be thrilled if we moved back there. That's the kind of thing that's going through my head."

Good going there, Governor. We're going to lose business and see more people out of work because of this short-sighted bit of legislation. And, on top of that, people who are hurting and who can buy things more cheaply are once again given the shaft.
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I don't know about you, but this is change I can believe in:

House Votes to Repeal “Job-Killing” Health Care Law 236-181

Yay!
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Quote of the Day:

You know I am a fan of Nic Cage and Ron Perlman (whose very existence made the “Hellboy” movies possible). Here, like cows, they devour the scenery, regurgitate it to a second stomach found only in actors and chew it as cud. It is a noble effort, but I prefer them in their straight-through Human Centipede mode.

Go Roger!
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Ear Worm of the Day:


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If you know a little girl who has fallen under the spell of the Evil Empire of Little Girldom, you're going to want to bookmark this link to Dollie & Me, which has really adorable matching outfits for your little one and her doll that won't break the bank.

TMPAE has drunk the Kool-Aid. It's nice know I'll be able to send her a little something every once in a while that isn't ridiculously over-priced.
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Giggle of the Day:



CharlieDelta's cat strikes again!
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And here's a BlogThing, since I haven't done one for a while:

You Are Chinese Checkers

You live a hyper, fast paced life. You rarely ever slow down. You are good at juggling many things at once. You are the ultimate multi-tasker. You enjoy being in a group - in fact the bigger the group, the better. You are an enthusiastic competitor, and you can be a little ruthless when you play games.

What Board Game Are You?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet