Apparently scaring people into buying overpriced domain name registration is still good business.  After all the Asian companies trying to get Nanosurf to register the oddest domains with “nanosurf” in it, now I have received a letter from another domain name registry scam artist, Domain Renewal Group.  They have been around for a while, as evidenced by blog posts by David Risley and Shari Voigt from a few years back, and they are still going.  Their scam?  Presenting a lookalike bill for domain renewal at rates that claim to offer savings but often are higher than those of regular domain name registrars.  See for yourself (click for larger image):

…or rather, of her request, here are a few more videos.

We suspect the sign has a meaning, but have yet to decode it. Or maybe he just is a natural born gangsta.

Note not only the cute response, but the rapt attention…

We’re okay with our son becoming a ball player, should that happen. Okay, but bewildered.

Once hot, always hot!

Scout’s a great toy from dear friends, and usually Joseph plays with Scout in a more parent-compatible way.

Good babble, but he can say airplane better than that – a raspberry and a flying hand movement.

Now that he knows we’re impressed by his airplane sound, many things go like an airplane.

Faith, you’ll get to see the original Joseph soon – and we’re also very much looking forward to seeing you!

Here are some more videos of Joseph, including his first birthday.

He’ll blow it out next year.

We are impressed with his systematically destructive unwrapping skills.

The doctor asked if he could do this, so we had him try.

Joseph is starting to put away his toys.

Joseph’s word for food, captured for posterity. He always waits until the end of the prayer, and then emphatically reminds everyone what he’s there for.

Who needs a tribal tattoo when you can do tribal baby carrying?

Slaphappy = tired, but I still prefer it to uncontrolled crying.

Another word of Josephs slowly increasing vocabulary. He says it to every potato, and this evening said it about something after touching it and feeling its warmth. However, he also uses it to refer to forbidden things…

We plan to further encourage his broom exploration – as long as it doesn’t include tasting its business end.

Joseph plays with the balcony door, then spots the poorly hidden camera.

!Waste Of Time Alert!

Here’s a zany, quirky commercial that has garnered 33 million views on youtube. Make it one more!

Predictably, with that success, there has been no shortage of responses. That wouldn’t be noteworthy, but another popular youtube series has weighed in.

Yes, it blends!

In honor of Grandma’s birthday, here is a whole big load of photos.  If you’ve forgotten the login information, or if it’s your first time to look at the photos, please contact me or leave a comment.

All y’all Americans who only declare taxes in one country: enjoy your day off and Independence Day celebrations tomorrow!

For a bit of photographic light-heartedness, I bring you よわよわカメラウーマン日記, where you can see Japan in a different light, complete with levitation.

I came across an interesting article on money laundering and tax evasion today.  Let me just quote a few passages:

The pervasiveness of corporate secrecy on America’s shores stands in stark contrast to Washington’s message to the rest of the world. Since the September 11 attacks in 2001, the U.S. has been calling forcefully for greater transparency in global transactions, to lift the veil on shadowy money flows. During a debate in 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama singled out Ugland House in the Cayman Islands, reportedly home to some 12,000 offshore corporations, as “either the biggest building or the biggest tax scam on record.”

Yet on U.S. soil, similar activity is perfectly legal.

Compare that to a country not exactly known for legal gainful employment:

“In the U.S., (business incorporation) is completely unregulated,” says Jason Sharman, a professor at Griffith University in Nathan, Australia, who is preparing a study for the World Bank on corporate formation worldwide. “Somalia has slightly higher standards than Wyoming and Nevada.”

Some numbers might be interesting for comparison:

The Treasury Department has singled out LLCs as particularly vulnerable to being used as shell companies, as they can be owned by anyone and managed anonymously. Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming had 688,000 LLCs on file in 2009, up from 624,000 in 2007.

That’s roughly one LLC for every four people of working age in those states!
So, we slam the offshore banking industry, offer the same services in our own country, tax people all over the world, and are still running a deficit?  How does that work?

Okay, not all are from his birthday, but the last two or three are.

He has also already climbed onto the sofa.

Not many things beat standing up on the sofa.

Standing for a short spell.

For the first time, Joseph unwraps a present.

Joseph, standing for a few seconds on his birthday, and tasting the pride of that accomplishment.

We’ll send walking videos once he walks. The very rare single steps have as of yet still eluded the camera.

The first letter has arrived!  To my surprise, I found an envelope in today’s mail with the above logo on it.  Senator Mark Warner was the first to respond to my letter regarding the taxation of US citizens abroad.  A commitment it is not, but someone has read my letter, at least.

US citizens at home and abroad: join me in opposing the unfair practice of the IRS of taxing US citizens living abroad!

Here are the airplane videos Janet took while they practiced around Emmen.

When the fighter jets come, it’s harder to follow them, their figures are louder, and Joseph’s ears need covering, so I doubt we’ll see F-5 videos anytime soon. These Pilatus turboprops are much mor fun.