Second Opinion

Beyond the Money: "Surprisingly, some of the most important resources from a VC isn't the financial funding." (Web Strategy by Jeremiah) Help Wanted: Small advisory shops are still hiring, Dealscape reports. (Dealscape) George Soros: All This New Regulation Is Just ‘Tinkering' (Deal Journal) Scoops: Bain hired a restructuring adviser for portfolio company Ideal Standard. The company was purchased as recently as 2007. (Debtwire) A VC: On Financial McCarthyism. (A VC) Slow Descent Into Alcoholism: "Cocaine and martinis On Wall Street? Nothing new there. Masters of the Universe admitting they have an alcohol problem? Not so common." (Reuters)

The Company Formerly Known As AIG: Please refer to the business as "AIU Holdings, Ltd" going forward thank you kindly. (Reuters) Mean Street: What's more shameful than AIG? Congress. (Deal Journal) Well then: WaMu has sued the FDIC for $13 billion. (Reuters) Hot and Cold: The markets like Geithner's plan. (WSJ) They didn't before, you may recall. And By The Way: The Private Equity Council likes the public-to-private plan. (PEC)

Lehman Wants its Knickknacks Back: Sorry Barclays, your eBay dreams are over. (Bloomberg) That's What Blogs Are For: Responses to Larry's post on what makes a good venture return. (A VC) Recession Humour: Cocktail recipes for the recession, including a Nasdaiquiri and a Bloody Maria Bartiromo. (CNBC) Oops: Erin Burnett's Freudian slip on air. (Youtube)

Watch Out AIG: There were protesters on Wall Street today. Here's AIG's internal memo on how to deal with them. (Gawker) Except: Turns out there was more press than protesters there. (Clusterstock) GE Capital: Everything is juuuuust fiiiiiiiiine. (AP) The Donald: Blue-collar workers taking over a fancy tennis club owned by Donald Trump? Cityfile smells a revolution! (Cityfile)

Speechless: CNBC suggests we declare War on Greed because declaring war on an idea worked for the War on Terror. This is a joke right? I mean, the satire is apparent on way too many levels. Right? (Via Dealbreaker.) Gag Order: Christopher Fountain writes: "Just about a year ago I was fired from the Greenwich Post after the manager of their biggest advertiser, Coldwell Banker Greenwich, threatened to pull their advertising if I wasn't yanked." What was he fired for? Commenting on the large debt load the company's LBO backer, Apollo Management, had piled on the company. (For What it's Worth) Seachange: In yet another way PE firms will be doing more to please LPs, Business Standard reports that hurdle rates will likely rise. (Business Standard) Kudlow and Welch: Last night's interview outtakes. (Kudlow's Money Politic$)

So: While Goldman Sach's PE fund is finding new ways to call capital (ie, debt investments), the firm is lending to its individual employees that cannot meet those calls. (NY Times) Unintended Consequences: How the distressed auto industry has affected two high tech buyouts. (Marketwatch) Riiight: Luxury goods makers are attempting to make buyers of fake Prada feel guilty (because they think soccer moms are going to spring for a $12K purse out of guilt?) (City Room) Banks Are Like Smokers: In case you missed the 60 minutes interview, this blog highlights one of the best/more troublesome metaphors. (ScottDig)

Shrinkage: All you PE tourists are about to go by the wayside, as the industry (and hopefully not peHUB's readership) shrinks. (FT) Pray: "Private equity can be our saviour - if it's not demonized" (TheLawyer.com) MidEast: One place where PE is not shrinking-the area's PE firms raised a record-breaking $6.4 billion last year. After Writedowns: Where does PE go from here? (Citywire) Transparency: CD&R has redone its website to include much, much more information on its investments. (CD&R via PE Database)

PIK Off: Univision, backed by Saban Capital Group, Providence Equity Partners, TPG, THL Partners and Madison Dearborn, has joined the handfuls of other PE-backed companies that have flipped their PIK toggles. (Dealbook) Abnormal Returns: Excellently rounds up some of the blog coverage of the Brawl Street episode. Asks: "Will Cramer-Stewart change the way CNBC does business? (Big Picture, FT Alphaville, StreetInsider.com, Market Movers, Mixed Media, Marketwatch.com, BusinessWeek.com, HuffingtonPost.com, Capital Commerce, Tuned In)" Venture PIPES: Not news to you, but it is to the Journal. (WSJ) There Are Women in Private Equity? Deal Journal hits up the "Women in Private Equity" conference. Coverage includes: ‘I Love Downturns," and "The New Order Now Begins."

Tune In! Jim Cramer faces off with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show tonight at 11. Daily Intel suspect Cramer is wimping out. Try Getting Returns on This: "Lacking Leverage, Firms Embrace EBOs. (Wall Street Journal) Speaking of TV: This overly dramatic British account of the Madoff view is slightly more entertaining than the U.S. news sources' coverage. (Cityfile) Tog Dog Now Underdog: Myspace's plan to beat Facebook. (BusinessWeek)

Back and Forth: Schwarzman says 45% of global wealth is destroyed. Felix Salmon says he is exaggerating, and why. And: He's complaining that "the glamour and the upside" that attracts young people to finance is being "compromised" by the "regulatory regime." Woe as he. (Dealzone) More CNBC Analysis: This time from Salon.com. Why Is Jim Cramer Shouting At Me? (Salon.com) And By The Way: Did you know the Ramones wrote a song about Maria Bartiromo? (The afore-linked Salon story includes this fabulous fact, among others. Somehow, the 90s were bad enough to take the band from songs like Teenage Lobotomy to the lyrics "What's happening on Wall Street, I want to know." Yuck. We all know bad things happen when you mix finance and rock.