Curt Schillings Check to Rhode Island Bounces

Boston - More turmoil at Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios video-game company. Rhode Island officials disclosed this evening that the company attempted to pay a missed loan payment this evening, but had insufficient funds to cover the $1.12 million check. The firm has failed to pay its employees this week, state officials said. 

Look, I know Curt's not the guy sitting in an office typing out checks to the state of Rhode Island, ok? That's obviously not his day to day duty...but at the same time, when you're the face of the company, I'm sure you get a heads up when the company is about to cut a $1.12 million dollar check. And I'm sure it must register in your head, without even looking at the books, "hey, isn't that the same amount we just sat down with state officials to discuss yesterday because we don't have enough cash to pay them back?" 

And once that goes off in your head the next logical step would be to call that paper pusher on the phone, the one who is responsible for typing out that check and say, "hey, can you make sure we have enough cash to cover that." 

 Boom, whole thing would have been avoided. Yea, you'd still be welching on that $1.1 mill you owe, but at least you wouldn't suffer the embarrasment of having your check hung up in the State's Clerks office with your picture and a caption that says "Cash only." Next thing you now you'll be training chickens for cock-fighting in order to pay off the bounced checks at your local bodega...not a good look Schill.

 I mean, even I know that if I'm going to live on the edge and pay Comcast late whenever I please, I'd better make sure the check clears...it's bill dodging 101.

A Backload of Potential Blogs, All in One Super Blog! You Know You're Excited

So as all my devoted, daily followers have probably noticed by now, the blog has slowed down. I just wanted to assure you all (all 30 or so of you who don't accidentally end up here through a random google search for things like "gay shit," "hooker," and "zack morris," all true search results that will lead you here) that it's not due to a lack of dedication or anything, it's just my real job. It sucks, a lot. And it'll continue to suck until we're able to put a wrap on January, so bear with me here.

But, on the plus side, I'm still doing blog research just about every day, I just can't find the time to actually write anything...The result? Today's superblog, my backload of stories I've been attempting to write for at least a week, that has now gotten so long its filled one whole page of a word document, and is causing me anxiety every time I open it and am bombarded with a smattering of goofy blue newslinks, and one line thoughts like "gummy bears for adults." Without further ado:

Gummy Bear Vitamins for Adults - This has to be the clearest sign yet that our generation, as a whole, are a bunch of immature, 25-40 year old, children. And I'm not complaining. Putting these things in gummy bear form is brilliant, because frankly, I'm starting to think the pediatric flintstone gummies I've been taking for the last 12 years aren't working. It's as if they're not made for 27 year olds or something.  And if you're looking for anyone to blame for this phenomenon of adult children, look no further than Toys R' Us, who in hindsight might have produced the most effective marketing campaign in the last 50 years. I mean, we literally took this shit to heart (Yes, that is a child Urkel at the :25 second mark).

Burger King Testing Home Deliveries - No thanks guys. It's taken DECADES for asians to figure out the home delivery game. Just in the past few years did they start getting orders right and putting people that speak a respectable form of English on the phone taking the calls. I have literally no hope that Burger King figures this out and hits the ground running. I have a hard enough time conveying my order to these MENSA candidates through the drive through, and I'm only like 30 feet away from them at that point, never mind a few miles down the road, depending on cell service and the listening capabilities of a 2nd year ESL student. Plus I didn't even think illegal aliens could get drivers licenses?

Iran Government Cracks Down on Barbie Dolls - In a victory for feminists everywhere, the Iranian government has declared immoral, and anti-muslim.  Also, in a serious blow to feminists everywhere, you share the same train of thought as an Iranian terrorism cell/government, so... Also, just so you don't think all middle easterners are batshit crazy: "My daughter prefers Barbies," a 38-year-old mother named Farnaz told Reuters. She said her daughter thinks the other dolls on sale "are ugly and fat." Warms my heart.

Warren Buffet Just Will Not Shut Up About Paying Extra Taxes - Only he won't do it unless Republican fat cats do the same...because if there is one thing Republican fat cats are known for, it's voluntarily paying extra taxes. I'm so fucking tired of these empty vows, Warren. Put your money where your mouth is or shut the fuck up. Stop teasing the American people, saying you'll pay extra taxes, cover the national debt on your own, but only if x,y,z happen. Shit or get off the pot. You got extra money to burn and are feeling bad about it? Give it back. You don't even have to give it to the government, just got out there and spend it on useless shit. Jump start this economy on your own. Buy like, 1 dozen Alt-Tab t-shirts (they're seriously good quality folks, I bought myself one for Christmas), buy enough twinkies to keep Hostess afloat for another few years, tell your limo driver to double the speed limit whereever you go and just pay an endless stream of speeding tickets...I don't care how you do it, but unless you actually intend to start paying more money, you need to shut up. I'm sick of giving you the benefit of the doubt. You're like the worst billionaire ever. Guilty about your money, but simultaneously thrifty as fuck.You just seem a little, phony.

MBTA Holds Public Meetings on Fare Hikes - Perhaps the greatest example ever of government inefficiencies. Guys you're deeply in-debt, you have no way of paying it off given your current business model, it's time to raise prices. Simple as that. You cannot offer your service, as currently offered, at the existing price. Just raise the freaking prices and be done with it. A private company would have just come out and said, due to rising operational costs, and expensive debt created buy our own greed and top heavy payroll, we now need to charge you, the customer, more for our service. Simple as that. Just do it and see how people respond. If they keep riding (which they will), you're good. Doing this whole, painfully drawn out process when the solution is inevitable is just making things worse. If you'd just raised the prices when you realized you needed to people would have been upset for like 2 weeks and that would have been the end of it...Instead people are sounding off daily while you continue to drag your feet. 

Saugus Librarian Steals $800k from Library Funds, Bookman On the Case

Boston - A former Saugus Public Library employee has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of stealing $800,000 from the library, money she allegedly used to pay bills, to fund work on her home, and to splurge on jewelry, flowers, and hotel stays. Linda E. Duffy, 65, a part-time administrative assistant who became a permanent employee at the library in 2004, was indicted on four counts of mail fraud, 10 counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft, the US Attorney’s office said today. The indictment states that starting in 2004, and continuing until she resigned in July 2011, Duffy allegedly drained funds from a bank account at Eastern Bank that she had set up in the name of the Saugus Public Library.“We could have used the funds that were allegedly misappropriated. ... This is a real breach of the public’s trust,” he said. The charitable donations diverted to Duffy’s account included checks for about $143,535 from a family estate, prosecutors said. The GE Foundation, which matched donations to the library from current or former General Electric employees, was also bilked of a total of $450,000, according to the indictment.

Sick town, Saugus. When your librarian is bilking your town, and a Fortune 500 company, right under your nose for almost 8 years, you've got some serious problems...Probably start in the Accounting/Controller/Town Auditors office, because they clearly just ignored the library for quite some years. Then I'd look at this womans co-workers, I mean is this a common thing? Librarians living the life of luxury? I know they've got a mean business model making like a nickel a day on overdue books, and that would add up, if people read books from the library anymore. I'm guaranteeing I find more nickels on the street on a daily basis than the library makes in fees. I'm also guaranteeing that if my man Bookman up there was on the case, this would have been snuffed out at the start.

And none of this is to suggest that Linda Duffy isn't to blame, these are her actions and her actions alone it looks like. It's just, she's a librarian, not some Criminal Minds case study. She wasn't even all that clever, just moving funds from the Library's bank account to her's and then giving it out and buying shit. How was this not caught? That's all I want to know. You can just pay yourself from the city of Saugus' bank accounts and no one notices?

PS: What does a library need such exhorbitant donations for anyway? $450k from GE? Can we maybe donate this money to the school systems (which incidentally, have their own library's)?