'Whack-A-Banker' Game A Hit In Britain

A British arcade game that allows gamers to take out their anger on bankers has proved a hit, its creator says.

The BBC reports that inventor Tim Hunkin introduced his "Whack-A-Banker" game to his seaside pier arcade in Southwold, in eastern England. It's now proved so popular he has had to replace the worn out mallets.

Based upon the popular "Whac-A-Mole" game, players hit bankers on the head when they emerge from holes. The game allows angry Brits a chance to vent some fury about the role bankers played in the current financial crisis. However, as Hunkin told AFP:

"And, of course, the bankers never really lose. If you win the game a banker's voice says: 'You win. We retire. Thank you very much to the taxpayer for paying our pensions'."

Citigroup Out from Under TARP: Is This Really "Good" News?

by Aaron Task

Citigroup is selling $20.5 billion in stock and debt to repay the government $20 billion, leaving Wells Fargo as the last major bank still operating under TARP.

The move relieves Citi from having to deal with government-mandated compensation restrictions, as was reportedly the main impetus for Bank of America to exit from TARP earlier this month.

But very little consideration is seemingly being given to whether the banks are healthy enough and the system stable enough that exiting TARP makes practical sense, as I wrote last week.

Importantly, Citi repaying TARP will end the government's $300 billion loss-sharing agreement with the bank, meaning Citi executives and their regulators must be confident there aren't big loan losses ahead.

But as Joshua Rosner, managing director at Graham Fisher, wonders in an email Monday morning: "If Treasury is so sure that Citi, perhaps the sickest of the sick, is healthy enough to get out of TARP without a risk that they end up right back at our doorsteps again, why did Secretary Geithner ask, last week, to extend TARP until October?"

As with Rosner, other notable bank analysts like Meredith Whitney and Chris Whalen see more loan losses ahead, not less.

"You should be taking advantage of market conditions -- the markets want to buy bank stock - you sell it to 'em," IRA's Whalen said on CNBC this morning. But "until we really see what peak loan losses look like I think it'd be more prudent for the government to hold off" from letting Citi repay TARP.

In the meantime, let's hope the bears are wrong, the regulators are right and none of the big banks have to come back to the government for another bailout in the next decade, if not our lifetimes. The socio-economic consequences will be profound if -- dare I say "when?" -- they do.

Potentially Explosive BBC Doc on Purebreds Set to Air Stateside

BBC America

Will a British TV show about the possible dangers of dog breeding set off the cultural controversy here that it did in the U.K.?

When "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" first aired on the BBC in August 2008, the film's depiction of the extreme health problems suffered by some pedigreed dogs caused a national outrage. In fact, the BBC felt so strongly about its own documentary that, bucking tradition, it refused to air the annual Crufts dog competition, which is as prestigious in Britain as the Westminster or National Dog Show is in the U.S.

Stateside, BBC America premiered the program on Thursday.

"Pedigree Dogs Exposed" puts forth interviews and at times disturbing footage about dog breeding that suggest it is an immoral and unethical practice. Featured in the documentary is Sylvie (above), a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that according to the film suffers from Syringomyelia, meaning her skull does not sufficiently fit her brain. The documentary states that Syringomyelia is described in humans as "one of the most painful conditions you can have, a burning pain, a piston-type headache, so that even light touch, even items of clothing can induce discomfort for these animals."

At the start of the program (which you can watch below in its entirety), a narrator states, "This film reveals, for the very first time, the extent of health and welfare problems in pedigree dogs. Later on, a talking-head interviewee says, "People love these animals. It's like seeing a close relative falling apart. In many ways I think that's just criminal."

Documentary - BBC - Pedigree Dogs Exposed

bordercollie19 | MySpace Video

Guy who KO'd Snooky Getting KNOCKED OUT!

Jersey Shore gets NO love in LA

Tiger's Wife -- No More Wedding Ring

Tiger Woods' wife Elin was finally spotted in public this weekend, but she was noticeably missing a vital piece of hardware -- her wedding ring.



Elin -- who used to wear her wedding ring out in public all the time -- was photographed, sans ring, as she gassed up her red SUV near her Windermere mansion in Florida.

Chris Brown Can't Find CD at Walmart; Says Stores 'R Blackballing' Him

Chris Brown unleashed a tirade on Twitter over the weekend after he couldn't find his new album, 'Graffiti,' on the shelves at a New England Walmart. He said big retail chains are "blackballing" him and "lying to customers."

"im tired of this s--t," he wrote at noon on Dec. 11. "major stores r blackballing my cd. not stockin the shelves and lying to costumers. what the f--k do i gotta do."

He quickly added, noting that his words would certainly be publicized and used against him: "yeah i said it and i aint retracting s--t. im not biting my tongue about s else..."

The R&B singer has been hampered with a damaged reputation since a brutal altercation with former girlfriend Rihanna in February. According to the NY Daily News, several music stores in New York City are also banning Brown's album.

"the industry can kiss my a--."

After fans complained of not being able to find his album, Brown took it upon himself to visit a Walmart in Wallingford, CT, where they "didn't even have my album in the back," Brown said. "not on shelves, saw for myself."

"the manager told me that when there are new releases its mandatory to put em on the shelves.. BUT NO SIGN OF GRAFFITI."

'Princess and the Frog' crowned Queen

Disney’s The Princess and the Frog dominated the pre-holiday weekend with a $25 million nationwide debut, pushing the frame up over the same weekend last year. The 2-D animated flick introducing the first African-American princess Tiana proved to be a big hit with audiences, earning an A from exit pollster Cinemascore. It has now grossed close to $28 million including its $2 million from 2-week limited engagement and should be one of the highest-grossing movies of the upcoming holiday season. The studio was also able to bookend the top 5 with its well-playing holdover The Christmas Carol, which fell only 11% in its sixth week to $6.8 million.

Filling in the gaps were The Blind Side, which in the number two spot fell only 23% its fourth weekend in theaters. The Sandra Bullock crowd pleaser added $15.4 million to its $150 million total. The other new wide release of the frame, Clint Eastwood’s Invictus opened to a weak $9 million. But with an A- score from exit polls, the Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman-starrer is likely to play well in the weeks to come. Place four belonged to The Twilight Saga: New Moon which grossed an additional $8 million to push its astounding total at $267 million.

The top 12 was up 8% compared to last year at this time when The Day the Earth Stood Stilldebuted at $30 million. And the box office is sure to cross the $10 billion mark for the year next week when the behemoth Avatar from James Cameron opens worldwide next weekend. Hollywood and box office prognosticators everywhere will be closely watching how the expensive sci-fi extravaganza performs. Stay tuned.

New Doorbells - A custom ring for every occasion.

Mistress #15 is going public.

The PGA Tour is working on new strategies.

A big surprise goes up in smoke.

Football Taping - Lift your head up, smile and look at the camera.

Taylor re-imagines the 2009 VMA's.

Non-union employees to face 10 percent pay cut

As the MTA looks to seal an unexpected $343 million gap in its budget, we know that last year’s Doomsday cuts proposal is back on the table. Today, Sewell Chan of The Times reports that the MTA’s non-union employees will take a pay cut as part of the gap-closing measures. The authority’s 6000 non-union workers will see their salaries slashed by 10 percent across the board. The agency says these pay cuts could last indefinitely and will either take the form of mandatory furloughs or an indefinite payroll lag.

For the MTA, this announcement comes at a time of labor unrest as its unionized workers fight for a four-percent raise. Although these pay cuts are a necessary component of any gap-closing proposal, it certainly helps the MTA’s arbitration appeal if the authority can point to problems covering payroll. TWU officials have already warned against any efforts to cut unionized workers’ salaries.

In the end, Chan also confirms that the service cuts but no fare hikes will remain on the table, and I have to question the wisdom of that decision. With these payroll cuts — and perhaps some management trimming — the MTA will still face a gap of $250 million. A fare hike of around 5 percent across the board will cover that, and for me, at least, that’s a more palatable solution than service cuts. Unfortunately, the MTA promised not to raise fares in 2010, and the state legislature appears more than willing to hold the authority to its word.

But if I might add, who was it that came up with the figures used in the original scenario presented as part of the recovery here? Whoever it is should be fired because they apparently lack the skills to forecast that payroll taxes were going to fall WAY below expectations. For the love of God we're in a recession so why wasn't this taken into account by the members of the MTA who worked out this formula? Any other company or organization when planning their budgets and the like have to at least forecast where they see things heading and well what was the MTA thinking - that things were getting better and that we'd be back on our A-Game by what say New Years 2010? Where they calling Mrs. Cleo and getting some information on the economy that the rest of us were missing out on?

I think what we need over at the MTA is full transparency. This organization runs amuck and it's the little guy who is left paying the piper. Believe me, I know several people who work for the MTA and work very hard and are honest at what they do but this organization could use a real good enema!

Wage increases to cost MTA $100 million after judge backs TWU in appeal

A New York State Court judge has backed the Transport Workers Union of American, Local 100 in its fight against the MTA to secure its binding arbitration award. In a ruling issued late Friday, Judge O. Peter Sherwood declined to grant the MTA an injunction against the arbitration award that guaranteed TWU workers 11 percent in wage raises over the next three years.

Noting that the court has “limited authority in this case,” Sherwood upheld the arbitration award on the grounds the arbitrators’ decision was “plausible or had a plausible basis” in reality. As long as the award criteria were “considered in good faith” and not unconscionable, the judge could not vacate the TWU’s victory. In plain English, basically, Sherwood noted that unless the arbitrators did not follow the rule of the law and were not unreasonable in explaining their decision, he would have to uphold the ruling.

As Sherwood noted, the arbitration panel followed the Taylor Law’s six criteria in determining the arbitration award. Since the arbitration decision was not “affected by misconduct, bias or procedural defects,” Sherwood upheld the award. “Although the [MTA] disagrees with the [arbitration panel] Majority’s analysis of MTA finances, it has not shown that the findings of the Majority are not supported by substantial evidence and do not have a plausible basis,” he wrote. (The full decision is embedded after the jump and available here as a PDF.)

In response to this decision, the MTA, which will soon announce a salary reduction for all non-union employees and substantial cuts to transit service across the city, decried the economic impact of this ruling. According to the authority, this court-mandated pay increase will add $100 million to the agency’s bottom line in 2010 and another $200 million in 2011.

“Last night the MTA learned that our appeal of the TWU Local 100 arbitration award was unsuccessful. We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which will force the MTA to pay wage increases that are inconsistent with the economic crisis in New York,” the authority said in a statement issued Saturday. “The ruling will have severe financial impacts on the MTA budget, coming on the heels of a State budget cut and reduction in payroll tax proceeds.”

The agency also fired the first salvo in what promises to be a bitter war of words between them and the TWU workers. In no uncertain terms, the MTA noted that the arbitration award may guarantee more money for union workers but will come at a high public cost. “We are working through the weekend to incorporate this news into the balanced 2010 budget that must be presented on Monday to the Finance Committee of the MTA Board,” the statement said. “Unfortunately, the magnitude of these changes makes it increasingly difficult to limit the impact this budget will have on the MTA, our employees and customers.”

For its part, the TWU offered up a more conciliatory tone. “The MTA has had their day in court and the judge ruled against them,” John Samuelsen, the new head of Local 100, said. “Now it’s time for them to stop wasting more of the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars on lawyers’ fees and honor our lawfully obtained contract. I cannot think of a better way for the MTA to start this new labor/management relationship off on the right foot then to release our wage increases.”

Interestingly, Judge Sherwood himself questioned the economic wisdom of the arbitration award, but he was bound by law to uphold the decision. “In the current economic environment, the award of wage and benefits increases over three years of approximately 11.5 percent is a rich package but it is not unique. Were the court assigned direct responsibility for applying the criteria set forth in the Taylor Law to the package of economic benefits demanded by the union, the court might weigh them differently than did the Majority in this instance,” he said.

In the end, the MTA will have to find another $100 million it doesn’t have to institute a four-percent wage increase for thousands of TWU members across the city. Although the agency continues to maintain that it will not raise fares in 2010, the sweeping service cuts needed to cover this even greater gap would utterly cripple the system. I don’t see how, with the appropriations cutbacks, the payroll tax short fall and this arbitration ruling, a fare hike can be avoided.

As of now, the authority does not know if it will appeal the state court’s ruling.

Click through for the full opinion from Judge Sherwood or access it here as a PDF.