03/20/09 NY Post: Jackpot Jimmy Cries Like A Baby As He Gives Back His AIG Muti Million Pirate Booty Back To The Taxpayers

Greenwich Time Managing Editor Sat On His Rear End As The NY Post And Later The CT Post Showed Up At Jimmy Haas' Front Door And Made Him Cry

Bruce Hunter Makes Sure That The Greenwich Time Reporters:

*See No Backcountry Bonus Money,
*Hear Nothing About Backcountry Bonus Money
*Or Report On Any Backcountry Bonus Money

Backcoutry Residents Are Scared To Death That Out Of Town Newspapers Will Show Up In Greenwich And Do Failed Hearst Newspaper Managing Editor Bruce Hunter's Job -

Greedy Backcounrty Residents Who Are Sitting On Taxpayer Bonus Money Should Realize That It Is Not A Matter Of If Out Of Town Newspapers Will Out Them ..... It Is Only Matter Of When They Get Outed For Stealing From Their Neighbors

Greedy Greenwich Backcountry Hogs Should Realize That It Is Not Too Late To Return Your Neighbors Money, Before The Out Of Town Newspapers Show up

AIG BIGWIG HAAS GIVES UP BONUS $$
New York Post

By CHRISTINA CARREGA IN FAIRFIELD, CONN.
and JEANE MACINTOSH IN NEW YORK

With everyone in Washington having dropped the ball on bailout bonus bucks, at least somebody's doing the right thing.

Beleaguered AIG bigwig James Haas, who bagged a multi-million dollar bonus, said today he's given all the money back in the face of explosive criticism that has led to him and other execs getting death threats.

"I have rescinded my retention contract," a tired and tearful Haas, co-leader of North American marketing for AIG's troubled Financial Products unit, told The Post.

Speaking inside his hilltop Connecticut mansion, Haas - eyes welling with tears - declined to discuss the matter further.......

COME ON JACKPOT JIMMY

STOP THE CRYING AND

GIVE ME A BREAK

Jimmy Haas Stop Your Public Blubbering And Start Apologizing To Your Neighbors And Family For Being Blinded By Greed

If Jimmy Haas" neighbors had not bailed out AIG with there hard earned tax dollars, then the contract he is crying over wouldn't have been worth the paper it is printed on.

Jimmy Haas Stole From Every Single One Of Neighbors, And Now He Wants Everyone To Feel Sorry For Him

Instead Of Saying "Oh, Woe Is Me"

Why Don't You Say,"I Am So Very Very Sorry For What I Have Done. Can You Please Forgive Me For What I Did And The Way I Acted.

GREENWICH ROUNDUP HAS ONLY ONE QUESTION

FOR THE CRY BABY, KNOWN AS JACKPOT JIMMY HAAS:

Jimmy Did You Rescind Both Taxpayer

Funded Multi Million Bonus Payments?

Not May People Are Aware That There Are Two Sets Of Bonus Payments

This Is The First Bonus And Covers December 01, 2007 To November 30, 2008 That Was To Be Paid No Later Than March 15th of 2009.

Most People Including Clueless Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Don't Realize That The Clock Is Already Ticking On A Second Round Of Bonus Payments.

The Second Bonus Payments Cover December 01, 2008 To November 30, 2009 That Was To Be Paid No Later Than March 15th of 2010.

Jimmy, If You Tried To Pull A Fast One And

Retained The Second Bonus That Is

Fully Funded By Your Neighbors,

Then You Are One Hell Of A Greedy Fool.

Jimmy, You Are Just As Stupid As You Look

If You Did Not Rescind Both Bonus Payments

Jimmy What Were You Thinking When You Wanted To Use Your Neighbors Tax Dollars To Pay Out A Contract That You Knew Was Not Worth The Paper It Was Written On.

Further, Jimmy, You Wanted To Be Paid Millions And Millions Of Taxpayer Funded Bailout Dollars, For Not Leaving A Financial Services Job In The Middle Of The Biggest Recession Since The Depression.

Jimmy What Were You Thinking

How Could You And Your Pals Be So Greedy

Why Did You Let Your Greed Put Your Family

Through The Public Humilation

Jimmy, When AIG Chief Edward Liddy Ask You To Refund The Money You Thumbed Your Nose At All The Taxpayers Of The Country That Has Been So Good To You And Your Family.

But When The New York Post And The CT Post Showed Up At Your Door You Saw The Light And Decided To Give Back The Money That You Stole From Your Neighbors.

Jimmy You Are Smart Enough To Know That If Your Neighbors Didn't Bailout AIG With their Hard Earned Tax Dollars....

Than The Contract That You Are Publicly Crying Over Wouldn't Be Worth Two Cents.

PLEASE SEE:

03/18/09 The Jack Pot Jimmys Of The Greenwich Backcountry Are Shaking In Terror As The New York Post Shows Up In New Canaan And Fairfield (Updated)

COMMENT:

Here Is A Great Idea For One Of Bruce Hunter' Insipid Greenwich Time "Thumbs Up Thumbs Down" Editorials

Greedy Backcountry Residents Who Give Back Their Multi Million Dollar Taxpayer Funded Bonus Money, Before Being Outed By An Out Of Town Paper Get Two Thumbs Up

Greedy Backcountry Residents Who Only Give Back Their Multi Million Dollar Taxpayer Funded Bonus Money After Being Outed By An Out Of Town Paper Get One Thumb Up

Greedy Backcountry Residents Who Foolishly Try And Hang On To Their Multi Million Dollar Taxpayer Funded Bonus Money To The Bitter End Get Two Thumbs Down

Outed Backcoutry Pirates Whose Greed Causes Them To Try And Hang On To Taxpayer Funded Bonus Money Should Know That Greenwich Taxpayers Know

UPDATE:

The New York Attorney General Doesn't Just Have The Greedy AIG Bonus Pirates He Just Got The Identities Of The 200 Highest-Paid Bonus Recipients At Merrill Lynch And Co

Bonuses beyond belief

Boston Globe

The story of Merrill Lynch's $3.6 billion bonus bonanza belongs in an entirely different league. Many of the details have already been disclosed, but they are making headlines again this week because a judge upheld the right of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to disclose the names of Merrill executives who shared in the payout just before the crumbling brokerage was sold to Bank of America Corp. late last year.

Start with the money. Besides the mind-bending size of the entire bonus pool, a staggering amount of money was distributed at the top. The four executives who got the most received a total of $121 million, according to Cuomo. The next four got $62 million, and the following six were awarded $66 million. A grand total of 696 Merrill employees received at least $1 million each in bonuses.

But the Merrill story isn't just about the size of the money pot. How and when the bonus payout took place matter, too.

Merrill accelerated its normal bonus schedule so the awards took place just days before Bank of America acquired the company at the end of 2008. A couple of weeks later, executives suddenly discovered Merrill was bleeding to the tune of $13.8 billion during the final quarter of the year

So a company that was losing money at a pace of more than $6 million each hour over a period of three months decided to reward its executives with $3.6 billion of bonuses at the very time. That would have been a sad but private story if it ended there, but it didn't.....

By The Way Did You Hear That:

The Connecticut Working Families party, which has support from organized labor, is planning a bus tour of A.I.G. executives’ homes on Saturday, with a stop at the company’s Wilton office.

Backcountry Homes In Greenwich Are Not Yet On Their List, But Soon Will Be If Bailout Bonus Money Is Not Returned

Did You Hear About This:

Jackpot Jimmy Haas had another tearful New York Times interview.

At at the end of the interview he had one request:

“Leave my neighbors alone.”

Too late. Jean Wieson, who has lived down the block for 24 years, had stopped her car in front of Mr. Haas’s house before he arrived home. She was angry about the millions of dollars in bonuses paid to its executives, the credit-default swaps that brought American International Group to its knees, the $170 billion the federal government has spent to prop it up. "It makes me absolutely sick," she said. "It’s despicable. It’s disgusting what these people have done. They should be forced to give every cent back."

UPDATE #2

Jackpot Jimmy Haas Is Really Going To Start Crying Now

Greenwich Resident Richard Blumenthal Just Sent Him A Subpoena

Connecticut, 19 other states launch AIG investigations

CNN International

Twenty state attorneys general announced investigations Friday into the $165 million bonuses paid by insurance giant AIG last week, with Connecticut's top lawyer issuing subpoenas to CEO Edward Liddy and 11 other executives.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and the Democratic chairman of the General Assembly's Banks Committee want Liddy and other executives to appear Thursday and bring with them "original or copies of documents regarding the AIG Financial Products Corp. retention bonus plan and any related contracts or agreements."

"Now living off supersized taxpayer-paid bonuses, these AIG employees have a moral and legal obligation to appear at this legislative hearing and disclose details about corporate compensation to employees as well as investment decisions by AIG Financial Products Corp. involving credit derivatives and dealings that have led to market destruction," said Blumenthal, a Democrat.

AIG officials are citing a Connecticut law to justify their payment of the bonuses. The law says that employees can sue in civil court for payments withheld that are due them and recoup double the amount of money. Many AIG employees live in Connecticut.

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is already investigating AIG's bonus payments, and on Thursday received a list of employees who received bonuses that he had demanded a day earlier.

It was not clear where Blumenthal got the list of executives he subpoenaed. At least one of them, Doug Poling, is know to have received a retention bonus. Earlier Friday, Poling, a senior executive, announced through a company spokesman that he would be returning the $6 million he received.

The attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and West Virginia have also launched investigations. New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram said all 19 state attorneys signed a letter to Liddy demanding names and documents concerning the bonuses.....

================================================================

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of the post.

03/20/09 Greenwich Roundup's International Corespondent: SIN - On Our Site; News, Videos and Books!

News, Videos and a Book

News Item One:

Jozef Fritzl; no plans for investigation into police and social service failings

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

Josef Fritzl used to boast that he was lord over life and death. Today an Austrian
court jailed him for life, ensuring that he would almost certainly end his days behind
the high walls of a psychiatric unit for the most dangerous of disturbed criminals.
"There will be no appeal I accept the sentence", said Fritzl, his shoulders hunched.
But despite the horror of his crimes there are no plans for an investigation into the
failings of police and social services, or for new laws such as a sex offenders list.
He was found guilty of throwing his daughter, Elisabeth, into a homemade dungeon when
she was 18 and making her a sex slave for almost a quarter of a century. The prosecutor
calculated that he had raped her at least 3,000 times.
Fritzl, 73, fathered seven children in the cellar. He murdered one of them, a baby boy
who, struggling for breath, was allowed to die while the building engineer went upstairs
to watch television. That murder ensured a life sentence.
“I regret from the bottom of my heart what I have done to my family,” Fritzl told the jury
in a thin, croaking voice. “Unfortunately I cannot make amends for it. I can only attempt
to look for possibilities to try to limit the damage that has been done.”

News Item Two:

Laming report calls for better training for social workers following Baby P and Victoria Climbie

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

In the past decade, Haringey has lost two children in horrific cases of child abuse.
ELIZABETH PEARS looks at Lord Laming’s latest report to find out what went wrong In
2001, Lord Laming chaired an inquiry following the death of Victoria Climbie.
Eight-year-old Victoria died after suffering serious abuse while living with her aunt
and her boyfriend in a one-bedroom flat in Tottenham in 1999.
She died from malnutrition and at the time of her death, in February 25, 2000, the
schoolgirl had endured more than 128 injuries that included burn marks and scars
caused by a scabies infection.
The horrific details left the nation in shock and was regarded as one of the worst
instances of child abuse in British history. Following the inquiry led by Lord Laming,
it prompted radical reform of child protection laws. But seven years later, in the same
social services department, in a council house just streets away, lightning was set to
strike a second time. On November 23, 2007, a mother from Tottenham, her live-in
boyfriend and a lodger, Jason Owen, appeared in court denying the murder of the
17-month-old we know as Baby P. He had been placed on Haringey Council’s at-risk register
and had regular contact with social workers, health visitors and his GP.

News Item Three:

Social worker asked to return at 82

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

A RETIRED social worker was sent a letter asking her to return to the profession
â€" even though she is 82. Barbara MacArthur quit her job in 1982 and has spent the
past 27 years caring for her 54-year-old autistic son Howard.
But she was stunned to receive a letter offering her up to £50 an hour to return
to social work. Divorced Mrs MacArthur, of Cathays, Cardiff, said: “I knew they
were desperate for social workers, but I didn’t think they were this desperate!”
The letter, from Hertfordshire-based Evergood Associates, asks for Mrs MacArthur’s
“current availability and future career plan.
It adds: “We look forward to receiving your completed form with CV if applicable
at your earliest convenience. The former policewoman previously worked for the
Citizens' Advice Bureau before becoming a social worker in 1960.
She said: "I've always wanted to help people and, even when I was a policewoman,
I found myself feeling sorry for the people I was supposed to be arresting."

News Item Four:

The mother who is helping her Down's son lose his virginity insists: He has just as much right to a love life as anyone else

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

Sipping a bitter shandy, Otto Baxter is describing to me his ideal girlfriend.
He'd like her to be pretty, petite, with a good sense of humour to match his own.
Someone like former pop star and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Rachel Stevens
would do, he says. 'I want to meet a nice girl, I want to make love, I want to
get married one day,' he grins, 'but I don't want any children. I can't be doing
with getting up in the night and changing nappies.' So, not very different from
other 21-year-old, hot-blooded males. Only Otto has Down's syndrome and his public
quest to find a lover - to be just like his friends - has stirred up a hornet's
nest of controversy over the taboo subject of disability and sex. This week, his
adoptive mother Lucy Baxter, 51, was accused of being 'odd', 'irresponsible',
'creepy', and 'strange' after she revealed she was actively helping her son seek
a partner, setting up a Bebo page for him on the net and researching dating agencies
so Otto can 'enjoy the same experiences as other men his age'. Her assertion that
she would support him if he ever wanted to seek the services of a prostitute prompted
an even more vitriolic response that she would be 'pimping' out her son rather than
protecting a vulnerable young man. Some readers found the very thought 'disgusting'.
Far from being hurt, Lucy Baxter welcomes the debate her words have sparked, bringing
the whole issue of Down's syndrome and sexuality into the open.

Video One:

What If...? - Suspected Abuse (Video Documentary)

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

Teachers and managers role-play challenging situations, with the late Ted Wragg
asking the difficult questions. This week, what actions are taken when the head
suspects a pupil is being physical abused? When is the inter-agency child protection
team of the police, health and social services involved? At what point are the parents
told? The eight panellists respond to a case study involving six-year-old Jade who
appears at school with bruising. The dilemmas arise out of determining whether Jade's
bruises are the result of rough and tumble in the playground or more serious signs of
abuse at home.

Video Two:

Need To Know - New Restraint Powers (Video Documentary)

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

Mike Baker and Sheena McDonald discuss teachers' powers of restraint under the
Education and Inspections Act 2006. They explain why the changes were needed, and
how they make the powers more explicit for teachers. Mike also points out that
while the law grants teachers the right to use "reasonable force" as a last resort,
it does specify that the context of each particular situation must be taken into
account. Examples of restraints teachers could use are demonstrated in the studio
by conflict management specialist Tim Cooke.

Video Three:

School Matters - CRB - Checks and Balances (Video Documentary)

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

An inside look at the Criminal Records Bureau and a chance to asses whether CRB checks
are essential for our children's safety or an invasion of civil liberties.
The number of adults who must now undergo CRB checks on their suitability to work with
children in schools and other institutions runs into several millions. Given the scale
of this operation, it is inevitable that mistakes will occasionally be made. In this
programme we investigate the workings of the CRB and hear the story of one person who
was wrongly rejected twice in a case of mistaken identity.

Video Four:

Missing Women (Video Documentary)

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

THIS PROGRAMME CONTAINS SENSITIVE CONTENT.
A powerful documentary focused on the 'missing women' of Asia - the estimated 100 million
females who have not been given a chance to live due to overwhelming social pressures.
We travel to India where, in the south, community pressure has forced many women to commit
infanticide by killing their own daughters. In the north of the country, a great weight
of tradition has led to a selective abortions; something that is ravaging the country's
female population. In Karachi, Pakistan, the number of newborn girls abandoned at birth
has increased tenfold in the wake of growing poverty. Baby girls are being left for dead
in the city's ditches, parks and dumps. Finally, we visit China, where 20 years of the
'single child' policy has driven families to do away with their daughters. The Chinese
government is now trying to reverse this trend..

Book:

'TIP' by Zoompad (The Book)

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

An intelligent, moral and often hilarious funny story of abuse survival, Zoompad's
outstanding first novel describes growing up in the Sixties and Seventies Britain,
warts and all. A very moving book, once you start reading it, you won’t put it down.
Some of the book makes you laugh, but other parts make you angry at the system.
Overall, a very well written book and a very brave subject to cover.

=======================================================================

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/20/09 Greenwich Roundup's International Corespondent: SIN - Two News Items!

This Just In From: Stop Injustice Now (SIN) ......

Article One:

Help given to drugs case children

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

Relatives are working with consular officials in Venezuela to bring home the four children
of a British couple detained for alleged drugs offences.
Paul Makin, 31, and his wife Laura were held on 16 February on Margarita Island
for allegedly carrying cocaine.
The four children were placed into the care of Venezuelan social services. British Embassy officials travelled to the island to ensure the children's welfare
and provide consular services to the detainees.
The children are an eight- and a seven-year-old from a former marriage of Laura Makin,
and the couple's two-year-old twins.
The Foreign Office confirmed that other family members have arrived on Margarita Island,
and are working to repatriate the four children as soon as possible.
Sought in UK
A Foreign Office spokesman said the Venezuelan authorities had done everything
in their power to assist the children.

Article Two:

I'll spell it out: if children can't read, lives are ruined

CLICK HERE For The Full Article:

This country's education system is a betrayal of this country's children.
It blunts their intelligence, narrows their perspectives and blasts their future prospects.
How often does that need to be said? Of course it is not universally true;
many children defy the system, one way or another. But the point is that the system is bad.
If the word ''institutionally'' means anything, this country’s education system is
institutionally unfit for purpose.
Those who assume that I am exaggerating, as columnists do, should consider the interim
report published last week by the Cambridge Primary Review, the biggest independent inquiry
into state primary school education in England for 40 years, led by Professor Robin Alexander.
After three years of exhaustive research by his team, he says ''our argument is that
'primary school childrens'
education, and to some degree their lives, are impoverished if they have received
an education that is so fundamentally deficient''.
At last a knight in shining educational armour seems to have come galloping over the hill.
His review finds that the curriculum has been politicised, that the education department and
the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority have been excessively prescriptive in their
micro-management of schools, that their focus on ''literacy'' and numeracy and testing has squeezed
out other learning, and that children are being denied a broad and rich curriculum - with history,
geography, music, art and drama the greatest losses. Alexander insists the arts and humanities
''help to hold the line between civilisation and philistinises but ''
in these severely utilitarian and philistine time this argument
''no longer cuts much ice''

================================================================
Please send your comments news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/20/09 Greenwich Roundup's International Corespondent: SIN - Mother charged with killing son

THE LATEST FROM STOP INJUSTICE NOW (SIN) .....

Mother charged with killing son

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE:

A mother has gone on trial charged with killing her 23-month-old son in Dundee.
Heather Boyd, 23, from Monifieth in Angus, was accused of the culpable homicide of Brandon Lee Muir by failing to get him medical treatment.

Robert Cunningham, also 23, was charged with murdering the toddler, by assaulting him in flats in the city's Balunie Crescent in March last year.

They both denied the charges.

The trial, at the High Court in Glasgow, was expected to last four to six weeks.

================================================================================
Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/19/09 PRESS RELEASE: The Eight Conditions That Make a Difference in Student Aspirations

The Eight Conditions That Make a Difference in Student Aspirations.

My Voice Survey, consists of a short survey of students, staff and parents to determine the perceived school environment. Accompanying Resource Guides and Professional Development provide plans and activities to improve school environment and student aspirations.

(1) Provides meaningful data and valuable insights to educators for grades 3-12

(2) Reveals the connections and disconnections among educators, students and parents

(3) Helps educators improve relationships with students and parents

(4) Makes teaching more relevant and engaging

(5) Creates a renewed sense of purpose

(6) Raises student aspirations

(7) Improvement academic achievement, social awareness and positive contributions to school and community

(8) Research-based

Enrich: Supports course instruction by providing an engaging and optimal learning environment; motivates and inspires students to achieve; improves relationships with students, staff and parents.

Instruct: Meets individual learning needs by giving students a sense of belonging and accomplishment.

Inspire: Teaches beyond the classroom by inspiring students to be curious and creative, have a spirit of adventure, gain leadership and responsibility and having the confidence to take action.

My Voice Survey, developed by Dr. Russell from the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations, asks students to respond to a series of statements about their learning environment. The survey is based on the 8 Conditions that Make a Difference: Belonging, Heroes, Sense of Accomplishment, Fun & Excitement, Curiosity and Creativity, Spirit of Adventure, Leadership & Responsibility, and Confidence to Take Action.

Want to learn more about My Voice Survey?
Please register to attend any of the free 1 hour long web seminars listed below. These seminars will be hosted on the internet and will use a conference call to hear the audio.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009
12:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
To register for this meeting:
https://pearsononline.webex.com/pearsononline/j.php?ED=102645997&RG=1&UID=0

Thursday, April 9, 2009
12:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
To register for this meeting:
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
1:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
To register for this meeting:
https://pearsononline.webex.com/pearsononline/j.php?ED=105352442&RG=1&UID=0

Monday, April 27, 2009
6:30 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
To register for this meeting:
https://pearsononline.webex.com/pearsononline/j.php?ED=105352522&RG=1&UID=0

Tuesday, April 28, 2009
12:00 pm, Eastern Daylight Time
To register for this meeting:

---

Please send your press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

02/19/09 Greenwich Business Report -- Bussiness Talk Radio Owner, Michael Metter, Is Making Business

(SPNG.ob) - SpongeTech Lands $10 million in March Deals
NEW YORK, March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SpongeTech® Delivery Systems, Inc., America's Cleaning Company(TM), (OTC Bulletin Board: SPNG - News) would like to inform shareholders of recent developments at your Company.

New orders for SpongeTech® products continue to grow at an impressive pace. From March 1 through March 17, the Company booked orders with a value of $9.6 million from well-known domestic retailers. The order agreements include the usual non-disclosure clauses to protect the competitive positions of our clients, so we are not permitted to announce the names of specific retailers until the SpongeTech® products have been shipped and appear on the store shelves. We will make further announcements when appropriate.

We noted on February 2 that there were roughly 700 million SPNG shares outstanding at that time. There have been no significant changes to date. All rumors to the contrary are unfounded and without merit.

It should be noted that on March 10 we petitioned the State of Delaware to increase the "authorized" common shares to 1.5 billion from 1.25 billion. While we have no present intention to issue more shares, we acted on the advice of legal counsel to increase the authorization to provide for possible future acquisitions, shareholder dividends, or other corporate purposes.

Thank you for your kind attention and loyalty as we continue to create "America's Cleaning Company."

Michael Metter CEO

Steven Moskowitz COO.

===========================================
Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

03/19/08 The Raw Greenwich News Feed; This Just In......

The Latest Greenwich News Briefs:

Bernanke Bunker Bombs Markets With Fed Treasury Purchase Announcement Seeking Alpha One Greenwich based hedge fund reportedly made a killing. They got long the bond and short the dollar before the Fed announcement. ...

Cleaning up: Watershed coalition has challenges ahead Greenwich Post Its location, meandering from the riverbanks of Bedford, NY, through Rye Brook, NY, Greenwich and Port Chester, NY, to Long Island Sound, requires a joint ...

Westhill/Stamford swimmers ready for State Open Norwalk Advocate Greenwich won its 17th straight Class LL title with 783 points. Fairfield Prep was second with 671 and Westhill had 410. ...

Greenwich Time Staff Greenwich Time Chabad of Greenwich, 75 Mason St., will hold a "Model Matzah Factory," an educational and interactive pre-Passover event, on Sunday. ...

Memorial planned for Perrot librarians Stamford Advocate GREENWICH -- Storytellers, publishers, librarians and families are expected to gather Friday to celebrate the lives and works of the two ...

What You've Been Missing on Capitol Hill Today Cityfile - New York ... he'd received to try and make the case that releasing the names of immoral AIG employees might lead to a drive-by in Fairfield or Greenwich or wherever. ...

The Latest Greenwich Blog Post:

Tucson real estate is holding up better than Greenwich's By christopherfountain They're only down to 2004 prices. The advice is the same, though: The rise, 2001 - 2006, was +87% for both Average and Median prices. The fall, 2006 - 2009, ... For What It's Worth - http://christopherfountain.wordpress.com/

---

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post

03/19/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed - Greenwich Time News Links

Betty Sternberg takes notes as Mandarin language teacher Lin Young, center, teaches Mandarin...

Sternberg gets a close-up view of GHS

With a daunting daily load of coursework and extracurricular activities, you'd think a Greenwich High School student might crumble under the pressure of having the superintendent follow him around all day.

New boating plan postponed
Confronted by an armada of angry boaters at a public hearing Wednesday night, town officials reversed the rudder on a controversial plan to impose new rules on the mooring of vessels in local waters.

In town

Matzah factory educational event Chabad of Greenwich, 75 Mason St., will hold a "Model Matzah Factory," an educational and interactive pre-Passover event, on Sunday.

More delays in Honulik appeal
The state Supreme Court has granted the town's request for more time to file its response to a police lieutenant's motion for reconsideration, which asks the court to review its recent ruling against him in a promotion lawsuit.

Health director pushing for return of coordinator

The medical community wants the town to reinstate funding for the position of public health emergency preparedness coordinator, which it says plays a vital role in planning for pandemics, immunizations, a bioterrorism attack and quarantines.

================================================================

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/19/09 Here Is Another Financial Scandal You Wont Read About In The Greenwich Time And This One Is Right On Greenwich Avenue

FORMER NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL ALAN HEVISI SAYS HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT GREENWICH AVENUE BASED SEARLE AND COMPANY

Hearst Newspaper Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Is Once Again A Sleep At The Switch: If You Want To Know Whats Really Going On In Greenwich You Have Got To Read The Out Of Town Newspapers

Wine Dine And Pocketline In Greenwich: $25 Million From Money Managers Like Greenwich Firm Searle & Co. Was Pocketed By Former New New York Attorney General's Aide.

A Lot Of Dirty Money Fllows Through Greenwich Everyday: Ex-Greenwich Time Managing Editor And Now Hearst Newspaper Business Reporter Jim "I Write About Homebrewed Beer" Zebora Is Totally Clueless

Hevesi aide faces rap in pension flap
NY Daily News

BY Kenneth Lovett

DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF

ALBANY - Hank Morris, a top political consultant to former Controller Alan Hevesi, is one of two people facing indictment Thursday for their roles in a state pension fund scandal, the Daily News has learned.

Morris and David Loglisci, former deputy controller for Pension Investment and Cash Management under Hevesi, would be the first charged in a nearly two-year probe by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office, a source told The News.

The specific charges weren't clear last night. Hevesi will not be charged, the source said.

The News reported in September that Cuomo had convened a grand jury.

Morris pocketed at least $25 million in middleman fees from financial firms that won business with the pension fund during Hevesi's tenure.

Successful companies paid a little-known Connecticut financial firm, Searle & Co. "placement fees," 95% of which are said to have gone to Morris.

The largest chunk was from the Carlyle Group, one of the world's biggest private equity firms in the world.

Carlyle, which invests $1.3 billion for the state pension, paid $12.3 million to Searle from 2003 through 2006.

Morris, Loglisci and their lawyers could not be reached. Searle's lawyer said he was unaware of any charges. Cuomo had no comment.

Morris, a longtime Democratic consultant who also worked for Sen. Chuck Schumer, quietly registered as a financial broker just months after Hevesi took office in 2003.

Few people are said to have known of his involvement with Searle & Co., which is located above a Greenwich, Conn., Christian Science reading room.

Meanwhile, Morris created five firms - four of which shared his East Hampton home address. His name was not listed on the incorporation papers.

At least three of the companies received fees from firms doing business with the fund, documents show. Morris no longer works at Searle.

Hevesi, who quit in 2006 before pleading guilty to an unrelated felony, has denied knowing Morris made money off the pension fund.

Loglisci resigned suddenly in May 2007 amid the probe.

One firm said to be cooperating with Cuomo's probe is Dallas-based Hunt Financial Ventures, whose part owner, Barret Wissman, is reportedly friends with Loglisci.

A Hunt Financial Ventures lawyer said the firm was told before it won $116.7 million in pension business to contact Morris, who instructed it to pay the referral fees to certain companies.

Records show the companies were Searle and Nosemote, one of the five firms Morris created.

================================================================

Please send your comments, news tips, press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/19/09 Hearst Newspaper Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Is A Sleep At The Switch: You Wont Read This At The Greenwich Time

PRESS RELEASE: 2008 Academy Award Nominee to Speak at New Lebanon Elementary School

Chris Jenkins has moved from California and Sony Pictures Animation to Greenwich CT where he now works for Blue Sky Studios in Greenwich CT. Mr. Jenkins was an effects animator for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Hercules. He was also an effects supervisor for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and artistic coordinator for Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Chris was born and raised in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales. He attended the Ton Pentre Junior School and later went to the Upper Rhondda Comprehensive School. He also attended cal state long beach for college.

New Lebanon hosts movie nights for the students through out the year. This will be the first special guest for the students. Movie night is sponsored by the PTA, Judge and Associates Real Estate.

Mr. Jenkins found his current residence through Greenwich Real Estate broker Tim Judge. Being in the movie business Mr. Jenkins enjoyed the YouTube videos produced by Judge and Associates. 'Being in the movie business I can appreciate when someone takes the time to make an experience out of watching an informational video.' Jenkins added. It was with that connection the two agreed a special movie night would be a great idea.

Tim Judge has 2 boys in New Lebanon and 3 girls at home. Mr Judge is in charge of the New Lebanon PTA website, and is a den leader in the Byram Cub Scouts. Mr. Judge started in real estate in 1990, and started his own brokerage http://judgeandassociates.com/ in 2003 when he moved from New Rochelle NY.

Media Contact:

Judge And Associates
Tim Judge
203-987-3404

================================================================
Please send your press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

03/19/09 The Raw Overnight Greenwich Roundup News Feed

Committee passes artificial turf ban
Connecticut Post
... County lawmakers on the environmental committee were torn over Fawcett's proposal. State Rep. Fred Camillo, R-Greenwich, said he has reviewed existing information on the fields and nothing has convinced him they pose a health threat. "I usually vote ...

Allendale Community Seniors Get a Jump on Spring Planting
The Paramus Post
... they learned how to plant amaryllis bulbs at a horticulture class last month. The class was led by Carol Browne of Greenwich, Conn., daughter of Atrium resident Stella Dukes. Browne, who is active in her local garden club, also donated the bulbs ...

Community - Dives in under the Sea' at bike parade and fair
Gasparilla Gazette
... the exhibit of sharks teeth and seashells. His dad said Michael wants to be a shark scientist. They were here from Greenwich, CT, visiting Jerry and Carole Miller. Joe Wier from the community center staff announced the winners of the morning's Bike ...


The Dirty World of Cleanses
New York Press
... squat brick buildings of the housing projects behind them. The women inside these cars have come all the way from Greenwich, Conn....... to get their fix. One-by-one, they dart out from the heated leather seats and ring ...

Committee approves study of electronic border tolls
Westport News
Despite an outcry from Fairfield County legislators, members of the state's Transportation Committee on Friday approved a bill proposing that the state's planners consider ways to install electronic tolls at state borders in municipalities such as Greenwich and Danbury to fund transportation projects.

03/18/09 Greenwich Post Breaking News: Jim Himes Announcement

Covering the news of Greenwich, Connecticut Breaking News U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-4) announced Tuesday he will co-sponsor the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2009, along with U.S. Rep. Doris Matusi (D-Calif.) and U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.). Read more Please send your comments, newstips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/18/09 First Slectma's Office News

Draft Mooring Rules Decision Postponed

First Selectman Peter J. Tesei has announced the postponement of the adoption of proposed Draft Rules and Procedures for Mooring and Anchoring Vessels in the Greenwich Harbor Area based on feedback received from the First Selectman's Coastal Resources Advisory Committee and the public at the meeting held Wednesday, March 18, 2009 5:00 PM, in the Town Hall Meeting Room. Boaters and other interested parties asked questions and submitted written and verbal comments at that meeting.

The existing Town boating regulations will remain in effect, including the Town Municipal Charter Section 307; Town Municipal Code Section 7-89 dated 09/01/1978 regarding the powers and duties of the Harbormaster; the 36 foot limitation in the Department of Parks and Recreation Town managed Marinas and the Superintendent of Marine and Facilities Operations letter of 2/17/2009 regarding transfer of moorings control from the Department of Parks and Recreation to the Harbormaster. The mooring fees for the 2009 summer boating season were established by the Board of Selectmen at their special meeting February 26, 2009: $35 one time application fee and $100 seasonal fee. The $35 fee used to establish a mooring and vessel data base is waived for organizations with over 100 moorings filing electronically.

Boaters wishing to submit an application for an individual, non-commercial mooring permit may continue to use the original form. The current Town boating regulations remain in effect for all applicants. As noted previously, boaters are exempt from the "clearly visible horizontal blue band and name of vessel" provisions contained in the "Note" section of the form. These provisions, originally developed for the State of Connecticut, Department of Transportation version of the form are optional for Town of Greenwich boaters.

The new application process along with the new mooring fees as well as maintenance dredge funding requests recently submitted to Federal officials, represent an increased focus on the management of the Town's waterways, which include 27 miles of coastline, seven harbors, 3 federal navigation channels, 30 islands and hundreds of moorings. The First Selectman's Coastal Resources Advisory Committee will continue to work toward the goal of developing a community based set of rules and procedures.

First Selectman Tesei thanked Chairman John Craine and his committee for their work efforts designed to enhance the safety, environmental protection and enjoyment of this valued asset that significantly contributes to the Town's quality of life.

03/18/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed This Just In.....

The Latest Grenwich News Briefs:

Woman thwarts attempted car robbery at Greenwich gas station Greenwich Time By Debra Friedman A woman pumping gas Monday night at a gas station on East Putnam Avenue thwarted a man's attempt to steal her car by keeping her doors ...

Greenwich Wins LL Swimming; Fairfield Prep's Grinalds Impressive Hartford Courant The victory gave Greenwich 17 consecutive state championships and 32 in the 33 years the CIAC has documented championship results. ...

The Latest Greenwich Blog Post:

AIG= A*sholes in Greenwich - The Economy Article - Obama, his Administration and Congress has found the right target. bestcashcow.com - http://www.bestcashcow.com/all/all

---

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/18/09 Where The Rich People Live - Business Week Just Ranked The Top 25 Richest Towns And Greenwich Is Not On The List

Poor Areas Like Byram And Davis Avenue Knock Greenwich Out Of Contention

There Is No Gang Graffitti Or Housing Project Roits In:

Brookville, NY, Atherton, Calif., Rolling Hills, Calif., Kenilworth, Ill., Hillsborough, Calif., Roslyn Estates, N.Y., Hidden Hills, Calif., Oyster Bay Cove, N.Y., Chevy Chase Village, Md., Los Altos Hills, Calif., Etc,. Etc,......

Slide Show: The Wealthiest Towns in America
BusinessWeek

Despite the fact that U.S. households' net worth plunged by $11 trillion in 2008, the U.S. is still the wealthiest country in the world—but, as always, some parts of the U.S. are wealthier than others. While many people might think that the greatest pockets of wealth reside in elite areas such as Manhattan's Upper East Side; Greenwich, Conn.; or Bel Air in Los Angeles, these places are so large that they include both residents who are extremely rich and those of more modest means. In fact, with few exceptions, most of the places that have the highest income and net worth in the country are unfamiliar to nearly anyone who doesn't actually live there. And that's just how the people who live there like it. So where are these places? Read on to find out.

Editor's Note: The places were ranked based on their average household net worth and average household net income in third quarter 2008 and were selected from a list of more than 20,000 U.S. Census places. Both factors were weighted equally. Average net worth is an estimate based on total assets minus total liabilities and includes home value. The 2008 data were developed by Gadberry Group using source data from Acxiom, and were measured against 2000 Census data. The selected places do not correspond to city boundaries but are assembled from Census block groups and might include neighborhoods just outside the cities. The ranking was created specifically for BusinessWeek by Gadberry Group, a Little Rock-based location intelligence firm.

Source: Gadberry Group

PLEASE SEE:

03/14/09 Nine Months Ago Greenwich Roundup Warned Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg That The Davis Avenue Gang Violence Was Going To Come Downtown

03/17/08 Greenwich Time Editors Forced To Shut Down Another Message Board As Secret Greenwich Bigot Appears At Topix

================================================================

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/18/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed - Greenwich Time News Links

BET hears final pleas for money

In the last chance for residents to seek additions to the town's proposed $340.2 million budget, a Board of Estimate and Taxation public hearing last night drew a standing-room only crowd that lobbied for disparate causes against the backdrop of a deep recession that has forced the town to lay off workers.

First Selectman Peter Tesei lent his voice to the push for a new King Street fire station, asking his former colleagues on the BET to reinstate $175,000 in funding for the design of the facility in the northwest part of town.

"Life safety ranks at the very top of the list of services municipal government must provide to residents," Tesei told the BET, eliciting applause from many in the audience of about 250 people.

GHS students dominate science fair
From designing a meter able to measure tissue tension to tracing the migration of pesticide through the path of a honeybee, several award-winning science projects have earned four Greenwich High School students a trip to a prestigious international science competition this May.

Public Works remains optimistic
The Public Works Department is still hopeful that any problems with the proposed park at the Cos Cob Power Plant site can be resolved following the Planning and Zoning Commission's recent denial of the application.

Fields torn up by vandals
What may have started as a late-night joyride shredded three athletic fields over the weekend, causing thousands of dollars in damage, officials said.

Committee reapproves contested Himes lease
STAMFORD -- In a vote that split largely along party lines, a city committee voted for a second time Monday to lease office space to Rep. Jim Himes

Greenwich boys win, Cutter captures 2 races
NEW HAVEN -- Westhill senior Ryan Cutter won two events and Greenwich took home team honors in the Class LL boys swimming championships Tuesday night.

That's Entertaining: Colorado Chicken Soup
A good friend of ours, who lives in Washington D.C., is the author of a new and well-received book on the history of American women writers.

Allegra has new owner
Sixty-inch banners, bulk mailings and customized advertising are some of the capabilities of the new Allegra Print and Imaging on Eagle Road.

The company, formerly called Rapid Repro of Danbury, got a new owner in July -- city resident Howard Cutler, 46. In November, Cutler moved the business from Commerce Drive to its new location, and after buying an Allegra franchise, changed its name last month.

Allegra Print and Imaging has more than 600 locations in North America and the United Kingdom. It is part of Allegra Network, founded in 1976.

Family of Conn. chimp attack victim seeks $50M
STAMFORD - The family of a woman mauled by a chimpanzee filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages against the primate's owner, saying she was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control "a wild animal with violent propensities

================================================================


Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/18/09 The Raw Overnight News Feed

Housing starts rebound; producer prices rise
CHANNEL 955
STEVE GOLDMAN, MARKET STRATEGIST, WEEDEN & CO. IN GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT: "The inflation number is kind of mixed, but inflation data is not a market mover, and with this decline in the ...

37th annual Student Art Show @ Stamford Art Associ...
WSTC-AM Norwalk
... the competition. The juror for the show is Frank Juliano, who has headed major arts organizations,, including the Greenwich Arts Council. Through grants and donations from individuals, foundations, and area businesses, the Stamford Art Association ...

Greenwich wins Class LL boys swimming crown
Connecticut Post
Every championship run eventually comes to an end, but don't expect the Greenwich boys swimming team's reign of supremacy in Class LL to conclude anytime soon.

Sweeney leads Staples
Westport News
... the basement by beating Weston High (355.62) in the seven-team field. Fairfield's co-op team won (328.15), beating Greenwich (331.36), Glastonbury (332.14) and Ridgefield (336.10). Darien (343.79) edged out the Lady Wreckers for fifth place. "I was ...

48 Conn. newspaper workers accept Hearst buyout
NewsTimesLive.com
... is in a letter sent Monday to employees of the Connecticut Post, News-Times of Danbury, The Advocate of Stamford, Greenwich Time and the Brooks Community Newspapers. Hearst Newspaper Group Publisher Mark Aldam says buyouts are necessary because of ...

================================================================
Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwivhRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.

03/18/09 The Jack Pot Jimmys Of The Greenwich Backcountry Are Shaking In Terror As The New York Post Shows Up In New Canaan And Fairfield (Updated)

Jackpot Jimmy Hass Must Be Thinking: "WTF - This Is Not F***ing Fair The New York Post Bypassed All The Greedy Greenwich Backcountry SOBs That Are Being Paid Out Multi Millions In Bonus Money !!!!"

THIS MAN IS JACKPOT JIMMY
New York Post

By FREDRIC U. DICKER and REUVEN FENTON
Meet James Haas, one of AIG's bigtime bonus babies.

The beleaguered firm has yet to publicly identify the execs rolling in dough courtesy of the taxpayers who saved their jobs, but The Post has learned the names of three, all in the troubled financial-products unit.

They're Haas (left, at his multimillion-dollar home on a hill in Fairfield, Conn., last night), Douglas Poling, also of Fairfield, and Jonathan Liebergall, of New Canaan, Conn.

Haas, 47, an executive VP and the co-leader of North American marketing, said, "I wish I could give you a whole story, but I'm ordered not to. You'll hear from my lawyer."

Poling, 48, the unit's general counsel, as well as a director, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, declared, "This is not the time to be talking."

And Liebergall, 43, a unit director and head of municipal finance, said, "I can't talk - I'm not allowed."

An AIG spokesman said last night, "I honestly don't know who got what."

LOOK AT ALL THIS NEW YORK POST COVERAGE FOR AIG

THERE IS NOTHING AT THE GREENWICH TIME:

MORE: POLS VOW TO TAX NOTORIOUS A.I.G.

EXCLUSIVE: DESPERATE FIRM SELLING ITS HQ HERE

BIZ: GEITHNER PUSHES BREAKUP

BIZ: GOVERNMENT HANDS AIG $62B FOR $29B IN CDS

EDITORIAL: MANUFACTURED OUTRAGE

MALKIN: SPARE US YOUR FAKE FURY, DC HYPOCRITES

GREENWICH ROUNDUP HAS TOLD YOU THAT

PITCHFORK POPULISM IS COMING

TO GREENWICH REAL SOON:

Now the politicians and regulators are starting to

support "the people" over "the Greenwich elites"

as details about the $165 million payout for top executives

at AIG have emerged over the past few days

PLEASE SEE:

03/09/09 Before the Public Simply Goes Apesh-t and Starts Burning down Greenwich Via Motley Fool's Beta Blog CAPS

03/09/09 Pastor urges everyone to stockpile a 30-day supply of food and other necessities to deal with the catastrophe he foresees

Connecticut’s Doomed, Pastor Predicts
WVIT-TV

Doomsday is coming and it’s going to destroy parts of Connecticut, David Wilkerson, the founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City, is predicting.

David Wilkerson, author of "The Cross and the Switchblade," a book about his ministry to troubled New York street kids that was later made into a movie starring Pat Boone, ruined the weekend for people who follow his blog.......

...... His divine message is a little murky.For instance, it did not come with useful information including when and where damnation would strike. Are people in Greenwich safe?.....

03/10/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed: This Just In.....

The Latest Greenwich Blog Post:

Jerks Like Henry Kravis Cause America And The World To Hate Greenwich.....

We Sure Hope Henry Kravis Likes Sitting Down

By John Carney

Forget what you've heard about the end of conspicuous consumption. The big hitters are still out there spending like mad. Last month, as you may have heard, Christies auctioned off items from the Yves Saint-Laurent collection for a total of $431 million. Over at Gawker, Owen Thomas points out that the prize for decadence at this "orgy of consumption" goes to an arm-chair that sold for $28 million.

The Economist reveals, in a passing reference, that the man who spent that money on a chair was Henry Kravis

Greenwich Time Editor Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Is Asleep At The Switch As Furious American Are Going Crazy With Thoughts Of Their Tax Dollars Falling Into The Hands Of Greedy Fat Cats In Greenwich And Fairfield County Executives

Hearst Newspaper Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Should Grow A Pair Of Journalistic Balls And Get Ex-Greenwich Time Editor And Now Hearst Newspaper Business Reporter Jim "I Like Writing About Home Brewed Beer" Zebora To Start Outing The Greedy Backcountry SOBs

If The Hunter And Zebora Don't Get Off Their Rear Ends, Then The New York Newspapers Are Going To Start Scooping The Greenwich Time In It's Own Backyard.

Everyone Town Knows That The Greenwich Time Has A Long History Of Not Name Names In The Backcountry. But These Greedy Backcountry Sleazeballs Should Face The Judgement Of Every Working Greenwich Resident They Encounter As They Spend Their Dirty Bonus Bucks.

Incompetent Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Has No Nose For News And Doesn't Realize That This Is Not Going To Just Blow Over.

Here Is A News Flash For The Clueless Bruce Hunter:

An AIG Source Has Told Greenwich Roundup The Truth About The AIG Employee Retention Plan, That Is Causing Working Folks To Start Sharpening Their Pitchforks.

There Are Two Sets Of Bonus Payments.

This Is The First Bonus And Covers December 01, 2007 To November 30, 2008 That Was To Be Paid No Later Than March 15th of 2009.

Most People Including Bruce Hunter Don't Realize That The Clock Is Already Ticking On A Second Round Of Bonus Payments.

The Is Second Bonus Payments Cover December 01, 2008 To November 30, 2009 That Was To Be Paid No Later Than March 15th of 2010.

Next Years Bonus Payments Are A Done Deal

Yes The Greedy Backcountry SOBs Are At Home Patiently Waiting For Their Second Bonus Check As Hard Working Greenwich Taxpayers Holler About How Their Hard Earned Money Is Being Wasted.

Hearst Newspaper Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Should Tell Greenwich Time Reporters To Name Names And Rat Out The Greedy Backcountry Bonus Babies, Because Hardworking Greenwich Families Now Own 80% Of AIG.

UPDATE:

21 Hours Later

When The Greenwich Time Types

Hearst Newspapers Listens:

Focus shifts to Wilton unit in AIG probe

By Rob Varnonand MariAn Gail Brown

STAFF WRITERS

Posted: 03/18/2009 11:20:34 PM EDT

In the eyes of the public, corporate greed has some new poster boys, and they live and work in Fairfield County.

James Haas and Doug Poling, of Fairfield, and New Cannan resident Jonathan Liebergall were identified by the New York Post as recipients of the highly criticized bonuses from American International Group.....

Amazing But True: Hearst Newspaper Reporters

Even Went And Knocked On Doors

.....Finding supporters of the titans of AIG Financial Products' division is hard. Finding anybody Wednesday to talk about Haas, Poling, and Liebergall in their neighborhoods proved impossible.

No one answered the door at any of their homes, well-appointed, large Colonials with clapboard exteriors and mansard roofs and manicured lawns. Haas' Sasco Hill Road mansion overlooks a private golf course and a creek that flows into Long Island Sound, while Poling's Golden Pond Lane property contains a private pond.....

.....While the men and this small division of AIG and some of its executives face a nation's rage over Wall Street abuses, they also face the wrath of federal and state government officials.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said he would prefer if the managers gave back the bonuses of their own accord. He said it would save a lot of government money and effort.....

While Greedy Fairfield County AIG Executives Did Not Want To Talk To Hearst Newspaper Reporters, Governor Jody Rell Was Willing To Talk And Take Action

Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection to investigate whether the bonuses violate the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act. AIG cited a Connecticut law as the reason it is making the bonus payments. Workers in Connecticut can sue and recover double the contractual benefits an employer promises if those payments are not met.

"Since the company cited Connecticut law, they will have to live by Connecticut law," Rell said. "It is disgraceful that federal funds designed to prevent financial institutions from collapsing and to make it possible for consumers to again borrow money have instead been used to pay bonuses to AIG in the tens of millions of dollars."

Thumbs Up To Hearst Newspaper Reporters Rob Varnon And Varnonand MariAn Gail Brown Who Do Not Report To Failed Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter

They Work For Connecticut Post Editor Tom Baden, Editor And Managing Editor Michael Daly And These Two Hearst Newspaper Editors Have The Journalistic Balls To Name Names And Let The Chips Fall Where They May.

UPDATE #2

41 Hours Later

o3/19/09

FAILED EDITOR BRUCE HUNTER WANTS TO STOP THE FUME AND GLOOM ABOUT LOCAL AIG PIRATES GETTING A BIG PART OF THE $450 MILLION IN BAILOUT BUCKS THAT RAPE HARD WORRKING TAXPAYERS OF GEENWICH

Failed Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Wants Us Leave The Greedy Backcountry Bonus Babies Alone

The Fox Newspaper Wanna Be Of Lower Fairfield County

Publishes An Editorial That Says:

"It makes good TV, but the bonuses are a tiny part of the issue. Congress was, at best, asleep as AIG and its cohorts were up to their tricks"

GREENWICH TIME EDITORIAL - Congress: Drop the showboating

Is there anything more stomach turning in this whole financial mess than the people responsible for it accepting huge chunks of our money as bonuses for a job well done?

But it's time for Congress to wrap up the endless dog and pony show in which members vent their "outrage" at financial bigwigs and direct some of that fury at themselves.

There is blame a-plenty to go around in the giant shell game that has caused our nation's finances to collapse. A lot of it very close to home in fact -- starting with American International Group....

Failed Greenwich Time Managing Editor Bruce Hunter Wants

The Hardworking Taxpayers Of Greenwich To Simply Forget About

The Greedy Backcountry Bonus Babies Who Are Ripping Us Off

......The problems with our economy go so far beyond shameful bonuses that every moment legislators spend grandstanding for the cameras is really just another slap in the faces of the many millions who have already lost so much .......

UPDATE #3

Greenwich Resident Richard Blumenthal

Just Sent Jackpot Jimmy Haas A Supeona

AIG Gives Connecticut’s Blumenthal Data on Executive Bonuses

Bloomberg

March 21 (Bloomberg) -- American International Group Inc., whose compensation policies before and after its U.S. bailout are being investigated, turned over information on its executive bonuses to Connecticut’s attorney general.

The insurer provided a list of bonus amounts and contract terms to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who said the information supports his view that the basis for paying the bonuses is “completely unjustified,” according to a statement he issued yesterday.

“These contracts rip the rug from under AIG’s excuses -- revealing no basis under Connecticut law for these mega taxpayer-funded bonuses,” Blumenthal said. “AIG’s own documents reveal that it turned an emergency bailout into a meritless handout, paying windfalls to employees as reward for financial failure.”

Earlier yesterday, Blumenthal and state legislators subpoenaed AIG Chief Executive Officer Edward Liddy and other company officials to a hearing on bonus pay.

When Liddy appeared before Congress March 18 for a hearing on AIG bonuses, he reminded lawmakers that he took the CEO job after the U.S. government loaned the company $85 billion in September and said he wouldn’t have approved the bonus contracts if he’d been in charge earlier.

Activities at the AIG Financial Products unit in Wilton, Connecticut, will be the topic of a March 26 hearing in Hartford before the state’s Banks Committee, according to a statement from lawmakers.

The division’s actions have destabilized the mortgage and lending markets in Connecticut, and excessive compensation could have led to employees taking risky measures that caused further destabilization, the legislators said in the statement.

Bad Products

“They put their stamp of approval on bad securities products and sold them like gold,” Democratic state Representative Ryan Barry, co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Banks Committee, said in the statement. “We want to examine the pay structure and fee incentives that led to this quick-sale, high-risk culture and see what regulatory gaps exist that can be tightened.”

“They put their stamp of approval on bad securities products and sold them like gold,” Democratic state Representative Ryan Barry, co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Banks Committee, said in the statement. “We want to examine the pay structure and fee incentives that led to this quick-sale, high-risk culture and see what regulatory gaps exist that can be tightened.”

In addition to Liddy, subpoenas will be served on 11 other AIG executives who are believed to have received bonuses, Connecticut officials said, including Douglas Poling. Poling, an executive vice president, got a $6.4 million bonus, said a person familiar with the bonuses.

================================================================

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com or click on the comments link at the end of this post.