I guess this means no more smiling Bob ads

This is a terrible story about a company that defrauded Americans of millions of dollars, and that's awful, truly. Especially considering that the ads were some of the most memorable ads on television without annoying the everloving bjeezus out of you. Well, at least, they didn't annoy me. Smiling Bob and his 1950's neighborhood cracked me up. And I selfishly enjoyed them, supposing that consumers everywhere were smart enough to know that if there were a genuine naturopathic remedy for whatever it is Bob has (impotence? locker-room anxiety?) it would be front page news.

(Also, it would probably kill you or cause cancer, because, ya know, everything that's good for you now is something that doctors will be warning you about in ten years, with the possible exceptions of fruit, vegetables, and exercise.)

Of course, those were some pretty glossy ads, so I guess I was kind of naive. Clearly they were making enough money to trump a lot of legitimate products--like the battery-operated "light bulb" or the magic broom--in the advertising department.

It was a brazen operation, and it's clearly good that these folks are off the streets. Too bad they didn't use their powers for good, because there are a lot of commercials out there that make me everlastingly grateful for my Tivo remote.

It's like ending a bad relationship that gave you a certain dirty satisfaction. Goodbye, Bob. You were a liar and a scoundrel, but I'll miss you.