why god hates me

Reader Meg says that she saw this sign at KB Toys in New Jersey and just had to go back and take a picture. She’s wondering why we can’t have Halloween anymore without mentioning Christmas.

Meg says:

It really disturbs me. Pumpkins should NOT wear Santa hats, and little candy corns should NOT mingle with Christmas trees! Seemingly we can’t even have Halloween anymore without the mention of Christmas!

Yeah! This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween…

THIS VIDEO - apparently taken by a friend - is Amy jamming out in the studio, in her bra and likely cracked out!

The Treasury Department is expected to announce that it will be pumping $250 billion into banks both large and small tomorrow… and the FDIC is expected to offer an unlimited guarantee on bank deposits in accounts that do not bear interest.

The NYT explains:

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. outlined the plan on Monday to nine of the nation’s leading bankers at an afternoon meeting, officials said, in which he essentially told the participants that they would have to accept government investment for the good of the American financial system. This capital injection plan will use a huge chunk of the money authorized for Troubled Assets Relief Program.

Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase were told they would each get $25 billion; Bank of America and Wells Fargo, $20 billion each (plus an additional $5 billion for their recent acquisitions); Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, $10 billion each, with Bank of New York Mellon and State Street each receiving $2 to 3 billion. Wells Fargo will get $5 billion for its acquisition of Wachovia, and Bank of America the same for amount for its purchase of Merrill Lynch.

The result of this “capital injection”? The US government will own preferred shares in all, yes all, of the major US banks, and will be paid dividends. The injection will not be voluntary, says the NYT.

Expect a press conference by President Bush tomorrow morning, announcing the plan.

U.S. Investing $250 Billion in Banks
(Photo: donbuciak )

Dow ended the day by shooting up 936.42 points, 11%, ending at 9387.61, it’s largest one-day point gain in history. [Newsday]

Looking for sources for an article I’m working on for a major national magazine.

• Have you gotten a phish email recently trying to exploit the financial crisis?
• Has a fake debt collector called you and threatened with jail time for a debt you don’t owe?
• Have you been the victim of a credit repair or hidden bankruptcy scam?

Email me at ben@consumerist.com, along with how you knew it was a scam. If you got one of the banking crisis phish emails, forward that too.

(Photo: Kevin Dean)

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