A.I.G. can bite me

From the NY Times:

The American International Group, which has received more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout money from the Treasury and Federal Reserve, plans to pay about $165 million in bonuses by Sunday to executives in the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year.

Word of the bonuses last week stirred such deep consternation inside the Obama administration that Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner told the firm they were unacceptable and demanded they be renegotiated, a senior administration official said. But the bonuses will go forward because lawyers said the firm was contractually obligated to pay them.

[ … ]

A.I.G., nearly 80 percent of which is now owned by the government, defended its bonuses, arguing that they were promised last year before the crisis and cannot be legally canceled. In a letter to Mr. Geithner, Edward M. Liddy, the government-appointed chairman of A.I.G., said at least some bonuses were needed to keep the most skilled executives.

“We cannot attract and retain the best and the brightest talent to lead and staff the A.I.G. businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of American taxpayers — if employees believe their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury,” he wrote Mr. Geithner on Saturday…

Are you people for real? Why were no strings attached to the bail-out money? For crying out loud, politicians live on pork, there is NO WAY they couldn't have tacked on some conditions for how this money was to be used. If these so-called managers and corporate "leaders" had an ounce of dignity or compassion, they would refuse the bonuses.

Anyone think they will? Me neither.

Brainless beauty, again

Word is, Rihanna and Chris Brown are back together.

E! News has learned that the R&B-star duo are spending one-on-one time at Sean "Diddy" Combs' Star Island mansion in Miami Beach…

"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," Brown said in a statement released Feb. 15. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."

Oh yeah, right. Which publicist wrote this "apology"? I'd bet big money it wasn't written by Chris Brown. Not only is it too well written, it's completely phony.

I wish that the next time Brown decides to get physical on his girlfriend, and there will be a next time, Diddy could be charged as an accessory or an enabler. My guess is he's another prick who thinks it's cool and righteous to beat up your significant other.

And Rihanna, you may be gorgeous, but you are clearly thick as a post. If you were older, you could date Mike Tyson, or OJ Simpson. You are an idiot.

Please, if there is a god, smack all of these people with a sterility stick. None of them should ever be allowed to breed.

Magic Jack

Hate the infomercial, but the product itself is actually pretty good.

FreeCreditReport.com

This is a series that turned out to have legs. It's actually pretty cute, for the most part. I don't care for the bicycle one. And I wish they had learned to move their hands on the guitar necks for the "happy bachelor" ad.

As an aside, PopPop loves this particular commercial. Not because he has clue one what it's about — he doesn't even understand the lyric. He likes it because he's seen the Elder Pea sing the ditty. So it must be good!

EDIT: and here's a spoof of the ad. And I hope everyone realizes that there is a catch — your 'free' credit report is contingent on enrollment in Triple Advantage, which will run you $14.95 each month.

O.M.G. - McNugget Love

Hard to believe this site is real, but seeing is believing. The comments are, well, more delicious than McNuggets for sure.

Title: Since I was a youth

Message: I am going to keep it real. Mcnuggets have always been my favorite meal. My first sentence was "Nuggets Mommy, please!"…

Gag me with a spoon.

Breeders

Where is the unlimited supply of diapers, formula and baby wipes? The free van? The brand-new house?

Women who give birth to six, seven or eight babies are often showered with dazzling gifts from big corporations, local businesses and strangers. But that is not happening with the Southern California mother who delivered octuplets last week.

The news that she is a single mother with six other children — and that all 14 were conceived by having embryos implanted — seems to have turned off many people, and companies are not exactly rushing to get publicity by piling on the freebies.

Nadya Suleman, 33, has been lambasted by talk-show hosts, fertility experts, even her own mother, who has her hands full taking care of Suleman’s other children, ages 2 to 7…

Nobody is even kidding about the new house. More than one mega-birth family has received sponsorship, and I'd be surprised if Ms. Suleman isn't anticipating the same. Some company will step up to the plate with the line, "We can't take it out on the children." True enough, but perhaps someone should have thought about that several months ago.

Who thought about the risk to the fetuses? In multiple births, there are frequently health problems for the surviving children. Who finances the hospital bills, estimated to be roughly $160,000 per child (assuming no complications)? Where is the money for raising these children? Beyond the financial aspect, she has 14 children under the age of eight, so by the time the older kids are old enough to help out with the youngest, the youngest won't need their help with anything except homework.

What happened to the guidelines that are in place for situations like this? Maybe someone has seen Pirates of the Caribbean too many times. What was the implantation doctor thinking, other than how much publicity he would get? Why wasn't Ms. Suleman subject to the same scrutiny that a prospective adoptive parent would have been?

Super Bowl XLIII ads

NBC must have lost a bundle this year — it seemed like every third commercial was a promo for one of their new shows. At $3 million for a 30 second spot, that's a lot of money for promos. It was clever to get Budweiser to pick up half the tab on one of them. And when did 2D become 1D??

Some of the commercials were educational. We all know how to pronouce Hyundai now. Matt Light isn't a half bad dancer for a big guy. Ed McMahon and MC Hammer have a good sense of humor, in spite of their circumstances. Who knew Alec Baldwin was so funny? Talking babies are still cute. Danica Patrick should stick to driving.

Without question, my favorite commercial was aired early in the first quarter - the Dorito's Snow Globe commercial:




Too bad PETA didn't get to run their Veggie Love ad:



Watch the 2009 Super Bowl ads at Hulu:

Geico and Progressive

I never liked the caveman commercials from Geico, though at least the tagline tied into the general idea of so easy, even a caveman can sign up online, etc. The gecko is a silly play on words with Geico, and someone might be able to explain to me why the gecko has a cockney accent. But Geico has finally scraped the very bottom of the barrel with the plastic eyes. A pair of flat plastic googly eyes from a craft store sitting atop a couple small bundles of cash — the money you could be saving if you switched to Geico. Who is the target audience for this crap?




I like the Progressive girl just fine, but I think that series is getting ready to jump the couch.

Bring on the Super Bowl!

2008 Summary

Thanks Anhaga! This is a pretty good summary of 2008!

Bring on 2009

Good riddance to 2008, the election bullshit, and the idiots who have wrecked the economy and world standing of this country. Please let a large heavy wooden sign bash you on the head on your way out.