This Is What Happens To Chinese Executives Who Commit Crimes...

The Really: What happens to Wall Street moneymen who commited the greatest crime against the US in its history...namely the destruction of free market capitalism?

The Chinese will send executives to death for corporate malfeasance. What happens to American executives?

Oh, Blago! You've Done It Again!

The Really: Yeah, well, I will appoint someone you like...so there.

The Governor appoints long time Illinois pol and pathfinder Roland Burris to fill Obama's Senate seat even though everyone TOLD HIM NOT TO!

Pau Gives Lakers A Merry Christmas

The Really: Lakers break Celtics win streak and do it in a flurry: 92-83.

Merry Christmas LA.

Kobe was great but in the last few minutes Pau Gasol was amazing as the Lakers end the Celtics win streak at 19. Kobe takes full credit for telling Pau at half-time that Pau was one of the greatest players in the world. Armed with that knowledge Pau took over the game with two minutes to go and beat the Celtics (who were none to happy about it).

See ya in the Finals.

Barney's Christmas Windows 2008

The Really: Most years Barney's New York has wonderful Christmas windows.

For the many years when Barney's was at 16th and 7th Avenue New York City the Christmas windows were some of the best in the city. Times have changed but they still do windows worth a trip.

The great Brian Dube site New York Daily Photo blog has a great selection of other New York City Christmas windows. Browse really!

Christmas Eve 1968

The Really: This is the most famous picture ever taken.

Arguably the most famous photograph ever taken was made on Christmas Eve 1968 by the crew of Apollo 8 as they circled the moon in another arguably difficult year 1968.

Have a safe and thankful Christmas Eve and holidays. Really.

Late With Your Christmas Cards?

The Really: The best things are the old things when it comes to family, friends and sometimes even lovers.

Google yourself "antique Christmas cards" (click on images) and download the beauty of Christmas as it was meant to be. Attach in or to an email and send to your beloveds.

Best wishes and Merry Christmas!

(or any other holiday you choose to honor or ignore).

Suicide: L'Affaire Madoff

The Really: Rich people are as lousy with money as we all are?

The 50 billion dollar Madoff ponzi scheme and its disastrous fallout is reaching Jackie Collins proportions. Add a Madison Avenue banker's suicide and the richest people in the world to this amazing story.

The pot boils.

The rich are different Fitzgerald is said to have said but it looks like they can't handle money any better than we do.

Enough About Philip Seymour Hoffman; What About The Mother Of His Children?

Click Mag Cover For New NYT

The Really: She is Mimi O'Donnell a distinquished costume designer and someone who is adept at doing her work, raising children and staying out of the spotlight.

Mimi costume design credits and articles:

At LAByrinth Theatre and Background and Other Credits

Franken Camp Declares Victory: For Now

The Really: It is still a toss-up but Franken camp is feeling the love.

New York Times Caucus Blog reports on the declaration of the "victory" by the Franken camp; but Nate Silver (statistics guru) still calls it a toss-up though he reported he expected a 27 vote Franken victory a couple of weeks ago.

Legal Service Through Facebook?

The Really: Service of legal documents or notice through Facebook is now legal?

Did Burger King Really Just Issue A C&D Through Twitter? Now that it's legal to serve papers to someone through Facebook, Burger King has apparently sent a cease and desist via Twitter to the user "whoppervirgins" for an unauthorized use of trademark. "Whopper Virgins"--from Tech Dirt

Well, yikes all, for many reasons, Facebook service is a bad idea: it is not your address; it is not able to be determined if the person who holds a named account is the same person displayed on the account; and many Facebook users never even check their accounts once they create them.

But whatever you think is best judge as long as you understand that I live on My Space.

I Am Blago's Hairbrush

The Really: Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich calls his hairbrush "the football" according to the New York Times.

And yet, Mr. Blagojevich, 52, rarely turns up for work at his official state office in Chicago, former employees say, is unapologetically late to almost everything, and can treat employees with disdain, cursing and erupting in fury for failings as mundane as neglecting to have at hand at all times his preferred black Paul Mitchell hairbrush. He calls the brush “the football,” an allusion to the “nuclear football,” or the bomb codes never to be out of reach of a president.

As Rod's hairbrush might say: "Follicle You!"

Rezko Singing A Different Tune

The Really: Does Rezko's delay in sentencing and a footnote in the Blago charges mean Rezko is singing?

Last summer, convicted operator Antoin Rezko (fundraiser, real estate developer, Chicagoan) wrote to his judge noting that the FEDS were trying to get him implicate the Governor of Illinois and the President-elect in some sort of wrongdoing. HE SAID HE COULDN'T AND WOULDN'T.



But several journalistic sources are putting together the pieces which include the "neglected" land deal between Obama and Rezko which ended with a bank employee's firing and some "missing" paperwork.

Of course given the chance to spend less time in jail one might say anything. Read the sleuthing at WSJ and at Slate: Bam Sandwich? Yikes. 1) Rezko's talking; 2) The FBI's been asking about the house deal (an Election Day story I'd missed). ... 1:44 A.M.

Kitten With A Whip Dead At Age 85

The Really: The "notorious" Bettie Page died at age 85 today.

Illinois Governor Arrested For Selling Obama's Senate Seat?

The Really: The Governor of Illinois Busted for selling Obama's seat? For extorting the Chicago Tribune? For dealings with Obama's friend Rezco? Blog*Goy*A*Vich Pronounciation Key

Arrested this morning along with his chief of staff, the long tradition of Illinois governors going to the slammer will be upheld once again. Obama's seat in the Senate may have been up for sale? The Chicago Tribune is involved?! Rezco? (perhaps the most damaging "association" of President-elect Obama?)

Is this Chicago politics at its worst? Or best? What other Illinois Governor's have gone to jail (recently)? Ryan supporters were trying to get Bush to commute the sentence of the last Illinois Governor still in the hoosecow, George Ryan: Ryan becomes the third Illinois governor in recent history to be convicted of white-collar crimes, following Dan Walker and Otto Kerner. Ryan becomes the second Illinois Secretary of State with evidence of an affinity for cash, following Paul Powell who upon his death was found to have $800,000 in shoe boxes in his hotel room.

How You Can Tell Things Have Really Gotten Bad

The Really: The normally recession proof oldest profession is actually taken a hit from the recent international economic downturn. The New York Times wants you to know it is particularly bad in Prague.

What Will Happen To Three Of The Greatest Newspapers In America?

The Really: The New York Times is junk? The LA Times and Chicago Tribune parent company is on the verge of bankruptcy?

The reports of the effect of the failing economy on the already fragile newspaper business is not good. The New York Times is trying to redo their big building project and stave off looks from unwanted down underers. The great Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times are caught in the crossfire mega loans of the Zell group.

We think the cities in question would be changed and not for the better if these journalistic pennants were removed from the scene. But who cares about an identity crisis when the goal is just to survive?

Is This The Next Senator From The State Of New York?

The Really: The next junior Senator from the Great State of New York?

Hint: Her uncle was a Senator from New York.

Hint For The Truly Dense: The horse's name is Macaroni.

Inmates In Vegas Jail Heckle Goldman Family During Press Conference

OJ Simpson Verdict: If This Was The Verdict, The Book Was Thrown At Him

The Really: OJ will not speak at his sentencing hearing?

OJ Sentenced To Jail. 15 years (parole eligible in 9 years)

The LA Times reported OJ will not speak at his sentencing hearing because he is appealing the decision but RIGHT NOW the crocodile tears are flowing as OJ wanders through his reasons as to why this happened and how it is he and his family that are real the victims.

It was not convincing but OJ did say "he was confused" as to why the Las Vegas that he loves so much would do this to him.

Hecklers Interrupt Congressional Hearing With Auto Execs

The Really: Very polite hecklers chant as slowly led from the chamber in well orchestrated protest.

Why does orderly protest have suck effect when disorderly protest is so compelling? Simple. There is no danger in orderly protest. It is like a kid you refuses to turn off the television and go to bed. As long as they are not screaming, it doesn't require much more than a gentle reminder to get them to act.

Top Online Blogger Fired For Writing About Literature; Resorts To Cheesecake To Elevate Pageviews

The Really: Books and Publishing blogger finds the proper use of the internet in the final days online with Gawker.

Sheila McClear who has written for the New York Observer and other fine publications is an editor at the Gawker Media site (one of the most visited blogs on the internet). The powers that be there have decided no one wants to read about books and publishing (her beat) especially now that publishers are gagging on themselves.

Maybe the economic downturn will create a new model for publishers, these lumbering dinosaurs have been hit by the asteroid of falling bookstore sales, after the current depression is over (during the Great Depression the program of returnable books was born) or maybe it will become clear that like movies, there are really very few books of real lasting merit and a little down-sizing is in order.

Anyway Sheila got fired and the commentors on the site are doing what they can to increase her pageviews (she gets paid by the pageview against a draw.) But this morning Sheila (a serious writer of considerable talent) pulled out the internet big gun: CHEESECAKE!

Because unltimately what the internet really is, is videos of cats doing funny things and porn.

Sheila, look forward to reading you elsewhere.

Sonny Mehta Is Officially The Best Publisher In The World

The Really: Alfred A. Knopf Publisher titles voted 7 of the top 10 books for 2008 by the New York Times.

Sonny Mehta (accused of still smoking in his office at headquarters) is arguably the finest publisher operating today. Here are the Top Ten.

And if you want to include corporate ties, the Random House conglomorate includes Doubleday and Pantheon (each has one title) so that makes it 9 out of 10. Who spoiled a clean sweep? Farrar, Straus & Giroux with the novel 2666.

But would founders Alfred and Blanche Knopf be turning over in their graves to hear that today the corporate masters (Bertlesmann) of Random House have decided to fold Doubleday and Bantam and Dell into various other divisions at Random? Lay-offs to follow.

How Could He Lose In The South With A Name Like Saxby?

The Really: How could the Democrats believe they could stop the Power of the Palin!?!

We are certain the Palin people (and their sled dogs) will woof about how she helped Saxby Chambliss get re-elected to the Senate from Georgia but the fact is Saxby is southern to its core and Jim (as in Jim Martin) could be from anywhere.

Without the Presidential election voting pattern, Martin was doomed from the start. Turnout was reported to be low as the prize has already been eyed.

Drudge Story On Obama Ring Likely Made Up

The Really: So Barack Obama is buying a 30K ring for the missus?

Drudge Report is leading with it as if it a major scandal. But it is likely a made up story by a British tab. Oh the haters must hate!

Good debunking here by Gawker.

Car Companies Finally Get It

The Really: Do all the PR moves from the car companies really make a difference?

Well, the car executives apparently finally let the PR guys and gals into the room because they drove back to Congress in their own cars and most have agreed to work for peanuts this year. But you know it is all theatre. Congress was going to give them their bridge loan and since cars are tangible things that Americans make it seems more fair than giving money to the robber barons of the "financial markets".

Drives own car? Works for nothing? These are things the American consumer can relate to.

Franken May Appeal To Senate For Election

The Really: If Al Franken chooses to, he can take his case for election to the Senate of US. And they can overule Minnesota's vote count if they want.

Martin in Georgia may have little chance against Saxby Chambliss (who does have a cooler name) but A lFranken in Minnesota --who does have a gripe regarding rejected ballots can actually appeal to --get ready for this-- the Senate itself. Yup, the Senate can overrule the state election results and elect Franken.

Chalk up 59 for the Dems.

Wal-Mart Death Iconic Of Everything Wrong With America According To New York Times

The Really: David Carr of the New York Times explains consumer herd mentality led to death of Wal-Mart worker is proof of something.

In an interesting piece in today's Times, David Carr shows consumerism run amok in the death of a Long Island temp worker at a Wal-Mart trampled by bargain hunting mob. But why did he not take the hypothesis futher to include Italian soccer games, rock concerts and bull teasing?

Plaxico Misses Foot; Shoots Self In Leg Instead

The Really: The march of the New York Giants back to the Super Bowl was lacking a little drama.

So someone had to shoot himself in the foot. But it will not be Eli who has his eyes on the prize.

Taj Hotel Standoff Is Over (Again)

The Really: The terrorist standoff at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai is now over, again.

MSNBC is now reporting the standoff is over (and provides an excellent recap of the other times the standoff has been declared over in the past three days.)

Forgive us for not outsourcing.

Why They Call It Black Friday

The Really: A Wal-Mart employee was killed and a woman suffered a miscarriage when a crowd broke through the doors at 5:00 am to hunt for "bargains" at a Wal-Mart on Long Island.

So is this why they call it Black Friday? American shoppers have always been insane but add the evil of the recent economic disaster and the more it is like the Day of the Locust than Black Friday.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Scares Children!

The Really: These are real photos of real balloons that have been in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

You think times are bad now?! Look at this photo of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from the 1930s? Sheesh.

These come from the Bowery Boys; one of the best blogs on the internet and careful stewards of an elevated style of blogging which is part Smithsonian and part History Channel and part always entertaining.

Ann Coulter: Wired

The Really: Ann Coulter unbelievably strong right wing pundit broke her jaw and had to have it wired?

Page Six reported it and many news outlets are laughing so hard up their sleeve it is scary, but indeed there are reports that Coulter broke her jaw after a fall (metaphor?) and has had to have it wired.

President Bush Unveils New Great Depression Fashion

The Really: Doing his part in the worldwide economic depression crisis, the President unveils a new low cost fashion style to replace those costly suits and coats which are destroying the economy.

The Citi Never Sleeps

The Really: Late breaking news from CNBC shows that the Citi never sleeps when it is trying to put together a deal to save itself.

Breaking now: Citi is trying to work with the Government to sell assets or receive a bailout-in (or "out" as you prefer) but the situation is fluid. (The mind boggles when one thinks what kind of fluids these may be).

Meanwhile Ryan Tate the night reporter at Gawker has compiled several reports which lead one to believe that the following countries are on the brink of a kind of "bankruptcy".: joining poor Iceland may soon be Great Britain, Switzerland and Hedgefundia.

Dealbreaker is providing a blow-by-blow for those who know they will not get to sleep tonight anyway.

Baseball Stat Man And Election Result Seer Calls Election For Franken

The Really: Nate Silver (new media darling of political prediction) and statistical wunderkind is predicting Al Franken will win Seanate seat in Minnesota by 27 votes. This guy is good.

At his election fact machine fivethirtyeight.com Silver is backing his prediction with numbers, analysis and a transparent statistical methodology that makes perfect sense in its elegant genuis.

Who wants the over-under?

What Is This ?

The Really: This is not a hoax. This is a real animal: but it looks like a cross bewteen a dog, a rabbit and a cat.

Click here to see what the owner says it is.

On The 45th Anniversary Of The Assassination Of JFK

The Really: Dallas has kept the School Book Depository and turned it into a museum rather than just forget that fateful day.

As the eyewitnesses to the event die off, it will remain a source of information and a rememberance of November 22, 1963. Where were you?

I was once sitting in traffic in Dallas many years ago, not really aware of where I was, when I suddenly realized: this was Dealy Plaza. It was small. Very small. The pictures often make it look like a huge expanse but it is really a very contained almost postage stamp-sized place. I realized that all the millions of words spent wondering if Lee Harvey Oswald would have had enough skill to shoot the President from the School Book Depository were ridiculous. You could have hit him with a rock.

Hillary Clinton Accepts Post As Secretary Of State

The Really: It was really the right move for Hillary to eat some of her words and accept the job.

What do we mean by eating her words? Well, it was less then 6 months ago that Hillary was telling us that Obama was too immature and unqualified to be President of the United States and now she works for that unqualified President Elect! Go figure.

As I told a friend earlier this week, I hope no one in NY got too attached to her because Hillary has two words for New Yorkers, "I'm Gone!"

Franken Camp Claims Less Than 100 Votes Seperate in Minnesota Recount

The Really: Could Franken actually when this election after all?

With 51% of the recount in, the Franken camp claims less than 100 votes seperate Franken from Coleman in the Minnesota Senate race. Whew. Will this end up being decided by a court? Or by one vote?

Fraken Trails By Only 174 Votes With 80% Yet To Recount

The Really: Could this be number 59?

Franken camp sees day one of recount going better than expected.

Karl Rove Declares Obama Presidency A Complete Failure

The Really: Rove attributes the economic collapse to the complete failure of the Obama administration.

Karl? He isn't the President. Your looking-glass world has come to an end. Please go away. Thank you.

Some election defeats can be measured arithmetically, by lost votes and seats. But what befell Republicans on 4 November has the feel of a Götterdämmerung. Suddenly Ronald Reagan, the party's patron saint during a generation of conservative dominance in America, is a figure from a remote and vanished past. Of George W Bush, once seen as Reagan's heir, no more need be said. As for Karl Rove, aka "Bush's Brain" and once touted as architect of a boundless Republican future, he is now to political strategizing what Alan Greenspan is to central banking.

The Independent

Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey Collapses

The Really: You didn't even know his name, did you?

He collapsed during a speech on National Security this evening at the Marriott Hotel in Washington DC.

Get Out Your Hobo Stick And Watch Sullivan's Travels

The Really: Maybe Preston Sturge's classic film is just what we need right now.

It's Sullivan's Travels and it was in a string of hits by the highest paid director/writer of his time Preston Sturges. Released in 1941 it tells the story of director John L. Sullivan who wants to make a social-problems film called 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' (get it, the Cohen brothers used it as the title of the Clooney film a few years back-ed) When his producers point out that he knows nothing about trouble or poverty, he goes on the road as a hobo. Joined by a down-on-her-luck aspiring actress, the results are hardly the kind of trouble he had in mind.

Enjoy this clip.

Dow Down 400 Again: The End Of The World As We Know It

The Really: End of the world as we know it music to help you on your commute home (if you have one).

Forget GM. I Want A LincVolt!

The Really: Neil Young is making the coolest electric car in history?

Put on the Cinnamon Girl and click the link to see how the Y of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young has dedicated his money to an electric car enterprise that does what no other electric has done before it. The Lincvolt is awesome. Young also looks at the state of electrics and what should be done about the Detroit bail-out. Keep on rocking in the free world Neil!

This Is The Proper Use Of The Internet

The Really: This is what the internet was made for.

Secretary Of Wait

The Really: So are you going to take it? Was it even offered?

The AP has compiled an exhaustive report from sources both named and unamed, Obamaites and Clintonians, pros and cons, regarding the state of the Secretary of State vetting.

Stevens Loses Senate Seat To Begich

The Really: Another Alaskan loses a major election.

We will always have the polar bears (and the oil). MSNBC and AP report Stevens loses re-election bid. No need for special elections after he is tossed from the Senate -- or for Governors to think about maybe trying their hand in Washington right now, you betcha.

Ted Stevens Falls Further Behind In Voting

The Really: A poll watcher in Anchorage?

The beacon of truth from the frosty north Mudflats blog is reporting early results of the next round of vote counting is increasing Mayor Mark Begich's lead over felon-not-felon Ted Stevens. If Ted was seat holding for Sarah Palin, they might want to look into Plan B.

Lion Of The Senate Returns And Brings The Dogs

The Really: He brought his dogs?

Teddy Kennedy stopped to answer questions on his return to the Senate after 6 months while still undergoing treatment for brain cancer. His wife is with him and if you look carefully, she is holding the leashes of the Kennedy dogs. Their names are Sunny and Splash.

The Cuban Shizzle Crisis

The Really: Will Mark Cuban handle jail as well as Martha did?

The SEC has filed insider trading charges against eternally smug and frequently shouty basketball owner and dot-com-bust avoider Mark Cuban. Funny enough, one of Mark's ventures is a site which tracks market trading frauds:

CNBC reports that Cuban sold the 600,000 shares of Momma.com in 2004 and that the timing of the sale reportedly saved Cuban $750,000. Among his various ventures Cuban is also the majority partner of sharesleuth.com, which purports to expose securities fraud.