why god hates me

In case you missed it….

Check out (above) Katie Couric’s latest interview - from Tuesday night - with Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Thoughts????

Last week we raised the ire of plenty of USAA fans by posting a story about a woman’s IRA that went missing for nearly a day. We were as surprised as many of you that she’d received such poor customer service from the first CSR she spoke with, considering USAA’s usually stellar reputation. But the next day someone from USAA contacted Travis and his wife to find out what went wrong. Here’s Travis’ update.

Travis writes:

My wife talked to Tom [at USAA] and he said he would get someone to call her that specifically looked into these problems. Steve McCoy, Assistant Vice President with Specialized Member Services called her today [26 Sep 2008] and was very understanding and listened to her. He also did what 90% of the rest of the businesses should do when in USAA’s position, he apologized. It’s hard to be mad at someone when they sincerely apologize, and the wife is a forgiving woman.

USAA has now updated their website to show they are experiencing technical problems with their web page but are working to fix them. We appreciate the response from USAA and the help from the Consumerist!

In fact, we received a tip today from another reader confirming that USAA has indeed updated their site to warn customers not to panic if something looks off. Virginia writes:

I logged on to pay a bill and they’ve posted a notice about problems displaying investments accounts.

(Photo: law_kevin)

The three big credit reporting agencies—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—have been inaccurately reporting debts on millions of consumers’ credit reports even after the debts have been forgiven during bankruptcy filings. Once forgiven, the debts are supposed to be removed from credit reports, but the agencies are continuing to report them as active. They have until October 1st to comply with Judge David O. Carter’s order to “revamp their systems,” writes Jane J. Kim on the Wall Street Journal’s finance blog. Now if you’re in debt trouble, you can look forward (?) to having either unpaid debts on your credit report, or a bankruptcy filing, but hopefully no longer both at the same time.

By the way, be sure to check out the article for an awesome “zombie debt” illustration by Michael Meister.

“Dealing With Debt That Refuses to Die” [WSJ.com]

Perez got a shout-out on Tuesday night’s episode of 90210!!!!!!

In a scene with BOTH Brenda and Kelly!!!

We’re dying!!!!!!!!

According to Hollyscoop.com (and tons of other sites on the web today) Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the one reigning Republican on The View is getting wicked pissed that all the other loud-talking ladies on her show are always going after to her when it comes to politics.

It seems like Barbara Walters is even planning a “cool down meeting” to keep little Hasselbeck from jumping ship and heading over to Fox News.

I don’t really watch The View, but I can only imagine what it would be like to have Whoopie, Joy, that other lady, and Barbara Walters jumping down your throat every day.  However, to be fair, whenever I turn the show on by accident, Hasselbeck is usually talking awfully loud about something that isn’t interesting.

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I’ve got a bone to pick with Disney’s latest pet project. The movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua, opening this Friday, looks like the costliest waste of talent, resources, and brainpower to hit the mainstream media since Swing Vote.

I first heard about the movie when I saw its extended trailer in previews for Wall-E this summer. It was just a mess of digitally edited footage of Chihuahuas singing (if you could call emphatic yelps of “Chihuahua!” singing) and prancing about Mayan ruins in Mexico. The trailer told you nothing about the plot of the movie itself, and even misrepresented the title of the film. If it’s called Beverly Hills Chihuahua, what are these pups doing in Chichen Itza?

Well, now that the ad campaign for this movie has revved up for its release, I’ve learned a lot more about BHC and I certainly don’t like what I see, for a few reasons.

First, and probably most egregious, is the fact that BHC is blatantly racist. It is rife with potshots at Mexican and Latino culture. Take, for example, the over-promoted scene in which another dog asks the prissy protagonist (Chloe, from the Hills), “don’t you speak Spanish?” When she stutters, the mastiff replies, “Hello? You’re a Chihuahua, m’hija!” As if the nature of one’s heritage determines one’s linguistic abilities. You wouldn’t walk up to a person who looked Hispanic and deride them for not speaking Spanish, so why is it okay for dogs to do it? Is this the kind example we want to be setting for children, at whom the film is targeted?

Moral repugnancies aside, BHC doesn’t look like it’s going to be racking up any points for creativity. If you include such colloquial gems as “oh no she didn’t!” and “say hello to my little friends!” among the funniest moments in the movie (why else would you include it in the trailer?), there can’t be much else worth checking out. Seriously, Disney, is it still 1992? No one has said “oh no she didn’t!” in all seriousness since overalls were popular. (more…)

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Sigh.  It’s been a long day here in the CC office, so long that we’re really having a hard time keeping ourselves from bursting into tears after listening to Paris Hilton’s new song “My BFF” [listen to the whole thing HERE].

I mean, we’re really trying to keep it together.

Is this song a publicity stunt?  Will we be forced to hear it blaring from the earbuds of the person sitting next to us on the bus tomorrow?  Is the world really so effed up that ear poison like this is allowed to be manufactured?

Dear God…why?

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Today is the first full day of Rosh Hashanah, which means that I just spent 4 hours thanking God for everything he has given me in the past year (followed, of course, by a large and delicious meal). While in synogogue, I thanked the Big Guy upstairs for my family, my friends, my education and the fact that my money is still safe in a bank somewhere.

I also thanked him for my wonderful job, my great hair and the awesome deal I got on that green pashmina I wore to services.

I thought I covered it all until I got home and realized I left a major “Thank You, GOD” out: a hearty thank you for all the super hot Jews in Hollywood. And for the DVR that allows me to record them, the iPod that allows me to hear them and the vivid dreams that allow me to…er…interact with them.

It doesn’t matter if you are Jewish, Christian, Hindu, or Agnostic; I think we all owe someone a giant thank you for these boys. (Click on the pic for more delicious pics!) (more…)

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I did not go to a rough and tough urban school where knife fights happened daily and teachers getting punched were regular occurrences.  I did not go to a high school where metal detectors were needed, where kids sold drugs in every corner, or even where hall passes mattered.  My high school was in rural New England — and still, if Adnan Ghalib had tried to walk through the front door looking, talking, and acting like he is today, his ass would get such a beat down there’d be nothing left but that sick little landing strip on his chin.

First of all, even though my public high school was brimming with middle to upper class white kids, even middle to upper class white kids know that certain fashion decisions are worthy of an ass kicking; tight shirts with silk-screened skulls paired with multiple cross necklaces, random newsboy caps, giant sunglasses worn inside, and LANDING STRIPS ON ONE’S FACE are just a few of the things that Adnan wears with wild abandon that would surely mean his demise at my high school.

Secondly, carrying around an obvious pompous assh*le jerk vibe has been known to get certain idividuals thown into dumpters.  Very rarely, an obvious assh*ole jerk would climb the ranks and become a popular assh*ole jerk, but most of the time, Upperclassmen didn’t take too kindly to douchebags who walked around like they owned the place. I knew a kid Sophomore year who tried to hit on a Senior’s girlfriend (even though it was front page school news the senior was dating this chick) and that kid ended up taped to the flagpole — overnight. (more…)

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In case you haven’t heard, Janet Jackson is in the hospital (or at least was there this morning) and no one is really saying why.  Did she break her leg?  Randomly get Malaria?  Perhaps a little too much partying the night before with her guy Jermaine Dupre (who ended up totally projectiling into her lap)?

Our guess is that someone finally told her those space suits she’s been wearing onstage are, in actuality, completely f*cking ugly.

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