Day Two, Operation Better Homes & Deadlines

So. Herewith, the electrician, messing about in mysterious and noisy ways.
Herewith, the copyedit of Flesh & Fire on my desk.

Herewith, me instead on-line, talking about last night's "Castle," which has won my heart forevermore by having both cop and shadowing writer don protective smock and goggles when going in to meet with the ME -- who is NOT cutting open the body without a care or precaution.

In fact, the only thing that annoyed me about last night's episode was that they're letting Castle be quicker on the uptake than the cops on a regular basis. Occasionally, yeah -- he's got a different way of looking at things, and sometimes that will help. But not all the time, damn it. They're the professionals, he's the talented amateur. And nevermind he's the star, I want an ensemble cast on this one, damn it.

But oh wow, they're making everyone on this show into actual.... people. Even the other cops. Even his alky mother, who veered away from parody into three-dimensions last night, thank you for that.

(y'know, it's hard to type with 20 pounds of scardeycat cuddling in your lap.)


Mind you, the plots are still on the skimpy side, but expecting something New! and Different! out of a cop show is... probably expecting too much. The revelations about Castle's family, however, are are nice counterpoint (did anyone else get from the "why didn't I have a nanny" conversation that a) ex-wife shown was not Daughter's Mother, and b) Castle's own father was never in the picture?)

And now I suppose I should actually get to work...

breaking financial news...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Treasury Department will order failed insurance giant American International Group Inc. to repay the taxpayers up to $165 million that the company American International Group Inc (AIG) is giving employees as bonuses, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Tuesday. In a letter to congressional leaders, Geithner said the government can't block the payments, which are being made under contracts signed before the government stepped in with $173 billion to prevent AIG from going bankrupt. Acknowledging "considerable outrage" about the bonus payments, Geithner said AIG will pay the Treasury an amount equal to the payments, and the Treasury will deduct that amount from the $30 billion in government assistance that will soon go to the company.

http://marketwatch.com/r.asp?g=146E125FE23A4409A90E74D4ED156FB3&d=bnbt

Me, I think any of these executives who ran the company into the ground and are now arguing for/accepting the bonus should first be tarred and feathered. But this will do to start, assuming they actually follow through and repay it.


EtA: new update:

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- American International Group Chief Executive Edward Liddy said Wednesday that he's asked some employees of the insurer's derivatives unit to return half of the bonuses they received recently. Those who received bonuses of $100,000 or more have been asked to return at least half of those payments, Liddy explained. Some staff have already offered to return all the money, he added.

(emphasis mine)

Considering that these are reportedly performance bonuses, I htink that's well within reason, since the company's performance has not been what you'd call reward-worthy...

[and yes, I do realize that this is a mere drop in the bucket. But if everyone actually took care of their own drops, the well might refill a bit faster, and with less thirst among the hapless taxpayers who got dragged into this after the fact. Now, have I tortured that metaphor enough?]