The Unbearable Banishment: Love / Hate

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Love / Hate

Daughter 2 just turned 4 the other day. In my mind, she has crossed a threshold. I can now take her out to the diner for dad/daughter Saturday lunches and, soon, on forays into the city. Daughter 1 has been sufficiently indoctrinated and now shares my obsessive madness for New York. It's time to begin spinning my web for Daughter 2.


* * *

Dell agreed on Thursday to pay $100 million to settle civil charges…that its senior executives used fraudulent accounting tricks to make it appear that the computer maker was meeting Wall Street earnings targets. Michael Dell, the company’s founder, chairman and chief executive, agreed to pay a $4 million fine as well. Dell settled the case without admitting or denying the S.E.C.’s allegations.

The New York Times, July 22, 2010


The S.E.C. charged Goldman Sachs in a civil complaint on April 16 with securities fraud related to the creation and sale of a subprime mortgage security. On July 15, Goldman agreed to pay $550 million to settle the case without admitting or denying the accusations.

The New York Times, July 26, 2010


I don’t throw down the word “hate” hastily. I believe what I’m taught in my meditation class about being careful of what you put out there. But I really, really hate these guys. They’re gutless cowards. They can’t even admit they’re wrong, even when they know they‘re wrong. Do you really think that the parasites at Goldman Sachs would cough up half a billion dollars if they felt they were innocent of any wrongdoing? Why would anyone continue to hold their accounts at Goldman?

EDIT: And in today's paper:

Citigroup has agreed to pay $75 million to settle federal claims that it failed to disclose vast holdings of subprime mortgage investments. Citigroup will nether admit nor deny the S.E.C. accusations.

Bastards.

15 Comments:

Blogger mapstew said...

A belated Happy Birthday to Daughter #2! Will she be starting 'Big School' next year?

The Youngest and Da continued our 'Explorer' week yesterday by spending a couple of hours in a very old cemetery nearby. Lots of ancient headstones and crumbling tombs overgrown with briars and brambles!

***********

I learned a long time ago to admit immediately when I had made a mistake, everybody feels better for it. :¬)

July 29, 2010 at 8:01 AM  
Blogger savannah said...

happy birthday wishes to daughter #2! i hope she celebrates for a few more days!

re the gutless cowards who continue to steal and call it commerce? one word: greed. actually, i can think of many more i'd like to use, but it all comes down to greed. and if a person pulled their account from goldman, where would they go? to a morally superior and economically just place that is just around the corner... we need real reformation of the system and not continued fines, bandages and superficial fixes. but what the hell do i know? i keep my money in a shoebox, sugar! xxoxoxo

July 29, 2010 at 8:21 AM  
Anonymous Sid said...

Your daughter looks tan. I envy her. I miss spending time in the sun. I miss being able to walk into the ocean without having to freeze my ass off. Surfing in winter is NOT cool.

When I was younger made dad played Maths games with me ...

Oh and happy birthday to the daughter.

July 29, 2010 at 8:23 AM  
Blogger kyknoord said...

How ironic that there's no accountability when it comes to crooked accounting.

July 29, 2010 at 11:52 AM  
Blogger CiCi said...

Daughters 1 and 2 are both lucky to have you for their dad.
The overpaid corporate leaders who have control over so much money are not in a position to face consequences as individuals. You have have honor to do that.

July 29, 2010 at 12:01 PM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Map: I'm submitting a request for photos of those ancient headstones. "Ancient" out here is only about 200 years.

Savannah: I can assure you that the celebration went on for several days. She told everyone in her path.

Sid: She IS tan. Both daughters + wife spend LOADS of time at the beach and poolside.

kykn: Nobody can spot an irony like you. It's an acquired skill, you know.

TB: I'm an okay dad but I won't win any awards. I have my moments of panic/fear/doubt.

July 29, 2010 at 1:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, and perhaps we could add some oil company bastards to the lists.

It's a treat to read about nice, normal families in this grasping world.

Lucky girls, having a NY lover show them the city!

Idle Thoughts, not anon!

July 29, 2010 at 4:53 PM  
Blogger Pat said...

Yes that was the word which occurred to me.
One of my oldest friend's husband who became father of a daughter late in life took her to tea at the Ritz when she was about 6/12 old.

July 29, 2010 at 6:11 PM  
Anonymous daisyfae said...

the tabletop jukebox is irresistable! i hope you're teaching them music, as well as art!

July 29, 2010 at 11:01 PM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

MIT: It would be a crime to live this close to NYC and never bring The Daughters in.

Pat: It's a whole different ballgame when you become a dad as late in life as I did. If I had done it in my 20's, like a lot of people, it would have crashed and burned.

Daisy: The jukes don't work anymore. They're their for decoration. The songs haven't been changed in years. It's a time capsule.

July 30, 2010 at 6:20 AM  
Blogger Leah said...

Happy 4 little sweetie!

As for the rest of it...

: (

p.s. one of Hedgehog's favorite things about living here is...strangely...the subways.

July 30, 2010 at 10:23 AM  
Blogger Eryl said...

Happy birthday to your daughter, how lovely to be four and have New York City to look forward to, as well as beaches and pools.

Those numbers are so abstract as to make no sense to me.

July 30, 2010 at 12:36 PM  
Blogger JZ said...

Happy Birthday to the not-so-lil' un! Has it really been 4 years since we last saw you guys (remember? our wedding, the Wife richly pregnant?)....geebus.

Also, always keep to dem Buddha dude's teachings....... those damn crooks are gettin' reincarnated every freaking day and I have no interest in repeating another life with one those jokers.....

July 30, 2010 at 1:14 PM  
Blogger Ponita in Real Life said...

A very Happy 4th B-day to Youngest Daughter! I am sure the exploring NYC gene is contagious! ;-)

July 31, 2010 at 1:54 AM  
Blogger The Unbearable Banishment said...

Leah: That IS strange! The subways are an incredibly efficient way to navigate the city but I always thought of them as a necessary evil.

ES: When you're 4 (or an adult, for that matter) NYC is a big playground.

JZ: Has it REALLY been that long?! I don't like to think about the passing of time. Also, those crooks have always been here and will always be around.

Ponita: The apple never falls far from the tree, so I think they'll be a enamored with NYC as I am. I hope.

July 31, 2010 at 9:10 AM  

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