"When I tell you something is dangerous, I mean it. And, I never forget the Victims"
T.J. Hooker
"Everyone can master a Grief but he who has it”
William Shakespeare
”I had given him a life not worth living, but I had also given him an iron will to live. This was a common combination on the planet Earth”
Kurt Vonnegut about his character, Kilgore Trout.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Salon Corporate Challenge: Citigroup, Little Clipper,and Backtus

I'll share some choice words for this corporate brigand from the article itself:
"In the realm of corporations that play an oversize role in the civic and economic life of the United States, it’s hard to think of a better choice to kick off Salon’s Corporate Citizenship Challenge than the gargantuan Citigroup Inc. As announced last week, we’re starting off our corporate reviews with a look at the companies that benefited the most from government bailouts — and Citigroup stands right near the head of that list.
From every angle, Citigroup demands attention. The multinational financial services company boasts 260,000 employees and operations in 140 different countries. In 2010, it reported total global revenues of $86 billion. Citigroup was a key player in the irresponsible mortgage-backed-security wheeling-and-dealing that precipitated the financial crisis, and of all the banks that gorged at the federal trough, it required one of the largest dispersals of government funds in order to stave off collapse: $45 billion in direct loans and share purchases, and another $300 billion in guarantees insuring it against the potential failure of its toxic securities."

DH says of this,"You already knew they were bad; this just confirms it more. No wonder they are such a good stock for investors to own."

I guess birds of a feather flock together. What other heartless Corporate Vultures and Bustards will Salon pillory? Be sure to check back to Salon in coming days to see.
Salon Corporate Challenge: Citigroup


Sally forth Good Citizens and.... "just do something". Taking their money away would be a good start, donchathink?


Knitting report: Not wishing to slip further down into the political mire, I've been knitting more. In past generations that wasn't a cure for politics, but close. Last week we weighed that delta winged bird of our own. The Baktus is almost half way done and will surely be buzzard sized when finished, the yarn weighing in at a whopping 81 grams. The trusty old gram scale revealed a heck of a lot more weight than I ever thought possible so this is going to take longer than anticipated. Since I must sit around more with a semi wounded knee, "that is a very good thing", as Felon M would say. The happy thing is that I can now leave Baktus on the needles while weighing it in, knowing that the needles weighed a mere 4 grams.

Clipper's Story:
Let me introduce a family pet named Little Clipper. He was named after a big doberman that preceded him in the long line of family dogs. He was my mother's dog and he never met a single being he didn't love. He went to job sites with the paternal unit, to see all his friends and fratrinize. He also went on long walks with me. He was my mother's boon companion for several years, happily staying close to her while she read a book or worked in her lovely gardens.

He was the probably the happiest dog I can remember from my childhood. He loved my little sister, and would follow her almost anywhere, participating in her making of mud pies, and whatever she was doing. We wouldn't take him into the wilds but he got to go everywhere else with all of us.

Sadly, Little Clipper was hit by a car while running back to my mother after a child let him out of their yard where Mother was visiting. Mother brought him home cradled in her arms but he died on the way. When she handed his body to me, so perfect, as if he were just sleeping, we both cried our hearts out.

I held him for hours, and then buried him in the late afternoon, digging a hole as deep and wide as I could in the pony's field. I never wanted his grave disturbed, ever.
Our Mini Pin Little Clipper

4 comments:

  1. One of my daughters is considering getting a mini pin. for their family pooch. They are a large boisterous family - do you think they are good with the kids? I've only known one previously and he was the devil incarnate so I'm trying not to persuade her one way or the other without *really* knowing what the breed is like.

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  2. That's a hard thing to give advice on, Karen, since a lot depends on the breeder, and how good they are to all their animals, and how true they are to the breed. They have the puppies for the first 8 to 10 weeks if they are good breeders, and they must treat them well and know what they are doing so that the puppies get a good start on socialization.

    Little Clipper came before the days of internet breeding scandals, and he had a wonderful home before he came to ours.

    Also, Mini pins now, as a breed, are not the same as they were in the very late 50's All dog breeds have undergone changes, and I don't know what the newer mini pins are like. I've seen them out and about and they were great little dogs but they were being walked by some obviously very proud "parents" - friendly, kind people who adored the dogs. Minis are very adorable, usually. They are terriers so you have to expect a little peppy/feisty behavior but they usually just like to play and have a good time. They are good family dogs as long as tey don't get afraid to be hurt but that's true of all dogs.

    Mother never wanted Clipper's tail or ears docked so he never went through that, either. The tail is the easy part but the ears are terrible.

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  3. Oh, I'm so very sorry for your loss... :( it's so hard with our fur babies!
    'buzzard weight' never heard it put that way :) guess that is better than buzzards circling over it ;)
    Had a thought....can be very fleeting at this point- when reading about 'citigroup' it occured to me...what happen to the word 'monopoly'? remember back a few years when a company got to big they had to split up..guess I'm thinking of AT&T...(just thinking outloud)

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  4. Hi Paula. I'll bet you are looking forward to January!

    That's right about AT&T; it was one of the two modern companies that were broken up using anti-trust laws. Southern Bell was cut loose and over a period of a decade more or less put it all back together. Not a whisper has been made about using those laws again either.

    The Baktus looks like a delta wing now, and I'm half way through. This baby is flying!

    And thank you; I feel the same about the fur babies. Clipper was a beautiful little soul. Sentient Beings are all around us, and it's up to us to love and protect them, you reckon? Yah, me too! :-)

    Safe Travels, M'friend. <3

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I’m going through some stuff but I will peek in now and then and will be back when it’s over..