Fair is Fair: Amazon Should Collect Sales Taxes From California Customers

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Let me start this out by saying that I, like the rest of you, am NOT a fan of paying taxes...income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, payroll taxes, you name it! And my family is a frequent customer of Amazon.com. But as much as I dislike taxes and like Amazon.com, Amazon and other large out-of-state retailers should be collecting sales taxes from California customers. Fair is fair.

Last week, the State of California said that it will start requiring out-of-state sellers to collect and remit sales taxes on sales to California residents when it can be shown that the retailer has any physical presence in California, including the presence affiliates who receive a commission by promoting Amazon on their websites.

Amazon in turn swiftly sent a letter to its 10,000 or so California affiliates and told them, sorry, we're cutting you off.  Yes, because Amazon is being asked to start collecting sales taxes like its competitors (e.g. Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Costco, et al) do, they are throwing their affiliates off the bus and using them as a pawn. That wasn't very nice of them.

Let's step back for a moment. California is one of 45 U.S. states with sales and use taxes. (The 5 without are currently Maryland, Alaska, Oregon, Montana and New Ha

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California's Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 Takes Effect July 1st

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On Friday, July 1st, California's Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 takes effect. Senate Bill 183 was approved by then Governor Schwarzenegger on May 7, 2010. It requires homeowners to install carbon monoxide detectors in all single-family California residences with an attached garage, fireplace or a fossil fuel-burning heater or appliance. The same requirement takes effect on multi-unit residences effective January 1, 2013.

Combination smoke, fire and carbon monoxide alarm from the local Home DepotThe law also says "With respect to the number and placement of carbon monoxide devices, an owner shall install the devices in a manner consistent with building standards applicable to new construction for the relevant type of occupancy or with the manuf

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Interesting and Amazing Facts and Tidbits About LEGO® Blocks

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My kids are LEGO® fanatics and I'm constantly being nagged for new LEGO sets. Our house must have thousands of dollars of them. So recently we visited the only LEGO store within an hour range of the Conejo Valley, at the Glendale Galleria. To make it a full day, we stopped by the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park for mini-train rides. Needless to say, they loved the LEGO store and we spent quite a bit of time exploring.

Some amazing facts about LEGO bricks and products (Source: Lego.com):

  • There are over 915 million ways to combine 6 8-stud LEGO bricks. Go try it for yourself! The exact number of combinations is 915,103,765.
  • The LEGO Group made over 31 billion LEGO elements in 2010, or 1,000 per second.
  • There are over 3,900 LEGO elements and 58 different LEGO colors.
  • Over 400 million children and adults will play with LEGO bricks this year.
  • Laid end to end, the LEGO bricks sold in one year would circle the earth 10 times.
  • With over 300 million tires produced each year, LEGO is the world's largest tire maker.
  • Nearly half a TRILLION LEGO elements have been manufactured over the years.
  • Over the years, an estimated 4 BILLION LEGO minifigures have been produced, making them the world's largest population group!
  • There are 4 LEGOLAND® parks in the world, including Denmark, England, California and Germany. A new LEGOLAND, the largest ever, will open in Florida (midway between Tampa and Orlando) in mid-October 2011! A 6th park is planned in Malaysia in 2012.
  • Our "local" LEGOLAND here in Carlsbad, California opened in 1999 using 35 million LEGO brocks in the park's 15,000 LEGO models.

The name LEGO originated in 1934 when Ole Kirk Kristiansen took the Danish words LEG GODT "play well" and created the name that has become a household word. The LEGO Group is very protective of its brand...they require the following:

  • LEGO should always be written in capital letters.
  • LEGO must not be used as a generic term or in the plural (e.g. LEGOs).
  • When used as part of a noun, LEGO must not appear on its own (e.g. LEGO bricks).

ROCK ON, LEGO!

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Conejo Chronicles by Sheli Ellsworth

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Conejo Chronicles

by

Sheli Ellsworth

Conejo is the Spanish word for rabbit. But when I relocated to the Conejo Valley I wasn’t worried.  After all, what’s in a name? Los Angeles is not over run with angels. When I realized that a dozen rabbits lived on my street, I begin to get a clue, and finally, when my backyard began looking like a rabbit refugee camp, I understood how aptly named the area is. But I didn’t mind. I liked bunnies.

In college, I collected bunny-themed children’s books with the excuse they were for future offspring. Not long after that, the occasional stuffed rabbit would wander into my dorm room and take up residence. I claimed homesickness and a love of anything small and furry. I also used this rationalization as a young professional when I built a hutch to house a real rabbit that lived on my patio. Meanwhile the stuffed rabbits had multiplied faster than real ones.  When I married, my husband agreed to have children in a desperate hope of relocating the 105 stuffed animals out of our bedroom.

So, when my T.O. neighbors pointed out that my dirt lawn was due to the bunny breakfast menu I served round the clock—grass over-easy, I felt betrayed by my furry friends.

In my first attempt to wean the rabbits off my grass, I planted Serbian bellflower in the beds for the bunnies’ dining pleasure. From the parsley family, bellflower grows in bunches and blooms a purple flower. The bunnies loved it.

Feeling inspired by my eco-friendly solution, I read Watership Down. For two weeks, I was complacent in the knowledge that the main rabbit characters:  Hazel, Silver and Fiver were smart

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City of Thousand Oaks Approves 35 Foot Tall Chuck E. Cheese Sign Along 101 Freeway

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This morning, in an emergency session, the Thousand Oaks City Council approved immediate construction of a new Chuck E. Cheese sign along the 101 Freeway to replace the aging Auto Mall sign.

Mock up of 35 foot tall Chuck E. Cheese sign to be erected in place of Thousand Oaks Auto Mall sign.

Mock up of 35 foot tall Chuck E. Cheese sign to be erected in place of Thousand Oaks Auto Mall sign.

"Thousand Oaks is a family-friendly city," indicated Mayor Andy Fox "and we want everyone who drives through the 101 artery to be made well aware of that through the magic of Chuck E. Cheese."

Though the sign is considered large by local standards at 35 feet high by nearly 37 feet wide, and will flash bright neon lights from dusk until dawn, the sign is not expected to distract drivers. However, on weekdays between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. a drive-up ticket redemption stand will be operated under the sign to enable parents and children to redeem their Chuck E. Cheese tickets for prizes.

Chuck E. Cheese representative Ivgota Hedache remarked "We are excited to literally become part of the landscape of this beautiful city."

In other news, the Conejo Recreation and Park District has plans to construct a 197 foot long Slip n' Slide at Conejo Creek Park. Check back soon for details.

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