Monthly Archives: April 2013

An American court has sentenced a former engineering safety manager to 78 months in prison for falsifying information about injuries at three nuclear power plant sites.

Now there’s a headline.  Here’s the bottom line:  An engineer for a contractor working on nuclear plants for the TVA falsified safety (think injury) data at the sites. He lied, as the court concluded based on both e-mail evidence (the … Continue reading

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Nick Leeson — The Man Who Bankrupt the Bank That Financed the Napoleonic Wars Is Back in the Financial Sector

By his own website, Nick Leeson calls himself “the original rogue trader,” and indeed he was.  Mr. Leeson was the trader at Barings Bank who bet wrong on Japan and lost $1.3 billion.  Today, given the $6 to $8 billion … Continue reading

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The Only Wrong Answer When It Comes to Coaches and Athletic Departments Is Doing Nothing

The Barometer keeps a C-drive folder titled, “When Will They Learn?”  In the folder are all the stories about organizations that become aware of misconduct by individuals and opt to do nothing and, in too many cases, even attempt to conceal … Continue reading

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35 Indictments of Administrators, Principals, and Teachers in Atlanta Test-Cheating Scandal

Even the jaded Barometer is stunned by this one.  Thirty-five folks who were formerly with the Atlanta Public School system have been indicted for the roles they played in perpetuating false test scores for the school children there. One teacher … Continue reading

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“Now Vince has random people working full time on random research projects in standard,’churn that bill, baby!’ mode. That bill shall know no limits.”

An e-mail from a DLA Piper lawyer to colleagues about the firm’s billing pactices for Adam Victor’s Trans Gas Developmnet Systems.  Mr. Victor has filed suit against the firm for overbilling.  Rightfully so.

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“I still deal with my lender, and they threaten with legal action now and again.”

Ben Gilroy, living in an underwater mortgage property, who has not made a mortgage payment in two years.  That’ll keep the social norm going!  Has this man no money?  Could he pay a little?  Does he feel no obligation to … Continue reading

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After the Chase Hearings and After All We’ve Been Through … “Who Knew?” Remains a Defense

Chase was the bank the others were to model.  Jamie Dimon was its unflappable leader.  But the loss of, oh, say, $6 to $8 billion dollar through whopping trades made by the infamous “London Whale” trader brought the bank under the … Continue reading

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“The one who is highest up must be at the service of others.”

Pope Francis.  The quote holds all the more meaning when you realize it comes from a man who wears his old black walking shoes instead of the red papal shoes and called himself to cancel his newspaper back in Argentina, … Continue reading

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