That's a Wrap....

and fade to black

I think that's about enough of this bullshit.

Well, That's a Load Off My Mind

"We have no new evidence pointing to another date for the end of the world,"

I'm amused. I'm entertained.

The Next Shoe to Drop?

"Take it from those of us on the front line of economic distress in America: This could very well be the next debt bomb for the U.S. economy," said William Brewer, the president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. "The amount of student borrowing crossed the $100 billion threshold for the first time in 2010, and total outstanding loans exceeded $1 trillion for the first time last year."

You see young skin, I see borrowers

Yup... these are the folks who you want to hand a trillion dollar responsibilty and hope for the best....

what could possibly go wrong?

Thank You... Thank You Very Much....

"In late 2010, records showed claims on other euro-zone central banks totaling over €300 billion ($400 billion). Curious, Sinn began to dig deeper. What he found exceeded his worst expectations."

We all operate with our skepticism and doubts for a reason.  Suspicious minds want to know.

We're caught in a trap... I can't walk out.... Because I love you too much, baby.....

The Smile of a Grifter

R. Allen Stanford in a 2009 file photo taken soon after federal financial fraud charges were brought against him. A jury convicted him on 13 of 14 counts Tuesday.

He looks pretty cocky, don’t you think?  He looks authoritarian, confident, a little arrogant, and perhaps a little bit “grandfatherly” for those folks who yearn for surrogate father figures.  At the time, he may have thought he was going to beat the rap against him but my guess is that he had to have had his doubts about being able to dodge prison time.  Most people wouldn’t suspect it to look at his face.  Hindsight being 20/20 and with the developments today, everyone would say “Oh no… I could tell he was a snake… yada, yada, yada” but the reality is that he carried out a large scale fraud for a very long period of time because people only saw what they WANTED to see in him which is what I described in the first two sentences.

You know what a Narcissus is when there is no available Echo?  He or she is just some moronic dickhead that likes to stare at his or her own reflection.  I like to pretend to be an Echo when I find a Narcissus and just when they think they’ve got me where they want me, I like to throw a stone in their reflection pool and see what their reaction is – much to my own delight, it usually just pisses ‘em off.

Where's a nice big stone?

Complaints Since '98

"The wheels of justice were slow.  It should not ever gotten this far. People complained as early as 1998. He ruined many lives and didn’t care about anyone else. My broker continued to profess [Allen Stanford's] innocence even after he was arrested. The verdict is in and I hope the receiver will let us move forward with law suits to try to recover some of our money."

Loren Steffy at the Chronicle has been following this for a number of years.
Yup.... the crushing wheels of justice do move slowly.  But, the truth eventually comes out one way or the other.

The Drop in the Dow Today Has Nothing to do with Barry's Re-Election Campaign

Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford, whose financial empire once spanned the Americas, was convicted Tuesday on all but one of the 14 counts he faced for allegedly bilking investors out of more than $7 billion in massive Ponzi scheme he operated for 20 years.

20 Years... that is one long train a' comin' folks....

We're watching the unwinding of a fraud that has very deep roots.  Set aside the paranoia.  What the fuck was Barry up to 20 years ago anyway?  Or GWB?  Somewhere, a community is missing its organizer and a bar stool is missing an ass.

Booze, a Trailer Court, A Cannon...What Could Go Wrong?

Authorities say she was found dead at 12:15 a.m. after a cannonball fired by her husband and another man slammed into a residence at the Twin Lakes Resort mobile home park.

Hold my beer... I'm gonna try somethin'....

Yeah, And My Dog Believes He is Really A Cat Trapped in a Dog's Body...

Mitt Romney's wife says she doesn't consider herself to be wealthy.
In an interview Monday on Fox News, the wife of the Republican presidential front-runner, Ann Romney, was asked about criticism that her husband can seem out of touch with average Americans. His worth has been estimated as high as $250 million.

Oh, but wait... you're sick with something so I'm supposed to get all gooey about you.

der fuhrer Pee Wee's Secret Word of the Day is "Defizit"

And Thomas Böhle, the lead negotiator for local municipalities, said German cities cannot afford the union’s demands and that cities were having to cut services, raise property taxes and fees due to their miserable deficit situation.
Public Service Employee Unions in the Fatherland

Dancing Cop Explains How Your State is Going Broke

I could not find a clip of a nude dancing copy so this guy will have to suffice.

"A former Pennsylvania state trooper who admitted sending a webcam video of himself dancing in the nude to an agent posing as a 13-year-old girl won't lose his $2,900 a month pension.
Forty-four-year-old Douglas Sversko of Lewisburg, pleaded guilty in Dauphin County in December to unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a communication device."

Assuming he lives to the ripe old age of 80, he'll collect a cool 1.25 million dollars in retirement. That pays for a LOT of Cha-Cha dance lessons.

Your 'Toxic Friends' Are Actually Toxic

"We think our bodies construe negative social interactions as stressors which create higher levels of harmful inflammatory proteins," says Jessica Chiang, lead researcher, and graduate student at UCLA.

Yes, if you have 782 Facebook friends then this article is for you.

The solution is easy: Cut out toxic people in your life. "Purging these relationships from your life could lower levels of these harmful proteins," Chiang says.

It's true.... my forced involvement with my ex-wife made me a wreck for a period of time.

It Is THE Bummer of Dog Ownership

Picking up dog shit is no fun.

Duisburg lawyers fight dog poop with flags

"They are ashamed to touch the excrement."

Dear Ben, Please Kill Yourself. Much Love, Kenny Bing

*************ANNOUNCEMENT*************
The Federal Reserve has announced that they will keep federal fund rates exceptionally low at least through late 2014. This announcement has forced us to reevaluate our First Rate Checking product. This account has always paid above market and we will continue to but given the reality of this economy and the recent Federal Reserve announcement, we will lower the rate on this account.

Effective March 1, 2012 First Rate Checking will pay 1.51% APY on qualifying accounts. We have not come to this decision lightly and for that reason GUARANTEE that this rate will not be lowered again anytime between March 1, 2012 and December 31, 2014. Additionally, 25 debit transactions will be required to post to the account each qualifying cycle beginning March 1, 2012 to qualify for the rate of 1.51% APY. Those who don't meet the requirements will still be paid 0.25% APY.

This rate is still above-market and we hope you understand why it was necessary.

Chicago Real Estate Ass Clowns Taking the High Hard One



There is a price to be paid for false pride and hubris.

 Fourth-quarter sales of distressed homes and condos in the Chicago area rose 16 percent from the third quarter and were up 25 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011, RealtyTrac reported Thursday.
Not a sign of a healthy market.

The Rich Are Different From You and Me

"Imagine the Stress

• Imagine the stress of renting a three-bedroom summer home for only one month instead of four.
• Imagine the stress of only making $350,000 pre-tax 
• Imagine the stress of making a mere $200,000 after tax and IRA contributions, and having to wash dishes by hand
• Imagine the stress of being able to send your kids to the $32,000-a-year for the Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn

Imagine the stress knowing full well that none of the above is enough, yet not being able to whine about it."

Thank you, Mish.

Sometimes, Your Best Friend Wears a Tin Foil Hat

"Turning his attention to Bernanke, Paul asked the Fed chairman whether he did his own grocery shopping. A somewhat bemused Bernanke replied in the affirmative, to which Paul hit back “OK. So you’re aware of the prices,” before commenting on government denial of real levels of inflation."

Democrat or Republican - makes no difference, Kids.  Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who is actually trying to look out for you and your everyday, mundane, bullshit daily needs.  As far as I'm concerned, this country doesn't deserve him.  It has gone too far down the path of becoming an imperial wannabe nation.

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig. - Mark Twain