Monthly Archives: January 2014

“It Only Seems That Corruption Is Rampant”

So wrote the New York Times on January 26, 2013. Michael Wines, “It Only Seems That Political Corruption Is Rampant.” The piece that followed reported, through an expert, that there was “zero” evidence that there was more political corruption. The … Continue reading

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“’tis Flushy McFlusherson at his merry hijinks again!”

USIS supervisor in an e-mail to a manager describing one of the company’s monthly, quarterly, and annual “dumps.” Dumping was the practice allegedly followed by those at USIS when they reached a goal milepost for processing security clearances for the … Continue reading

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“Why would I marry? It’s betting some chick half my net worth that I will love her forever.”

From @GSElevator — allegedly the Twitter account that posts what is overheard in the elevator at Goldman Sachs. Nothing is quite as charming as greedy cynicism.

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When you ask a company owner to drive his Ferrari . . you may have crossed a few ethical lines

The 43-page indictment of former Virginia governor, Robert McDonnell, and his wife, Maureen, is a heck of a good read. In July, 2011, Jonnie R. Williams, a business man who was trying to gain influence with the McDonnells, allegedly allowed … Continue reading

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“As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked. I don’t think it is any more dangerous than alcohol. [Marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol] in terms of its impact on the individual consumer.”

Words every parent would rather not hear from a president . . . The Barometer has a few “individual consumers” she would like the president to meet if he is doing research on “impact.” Maybe our commander-in-chief could just play … Continue reading

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Mathew Martona Had His Ethics and Compliance Training — Every Year

Mathew Martoma, the former SAC Capital portfolio manager, who is on trial for insider trading, participated in SAC’s annual ethics training. He signed the attendance sheet and was trained by the company compliance officer who used PowerPoint slides to explain … Continue reading

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In the scary headline department . . .

“Air Force Finds Cheating Among Nuclear-Missile Crews.” Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2014, p. A5. “Cheating Accusations Among Officers Overseeing Nuclear Arms.” New York Times, January 16, 2014, p. A11. “Missile Officers Caught Cheating on Exams.” USA Today, January 16, … Continue reading

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“That’s not great math — even in my world.”

Frank DiPascali, former right-hand man to Bernie Madoff, describing the reality that be could be sentenced to 125 years in prison for his role in the $50-billion Ponzi scheme he helped Mr. Madoff to run — on and on — … Continue reading

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January 10, 2014 — Headlines Illustrate Ethics (or lack thereof) Is a Growth Industry

“SAC Trader Falsified His Grades At Harvard,” New York Times, January 10, 2014, p. B1. “SAC Trader Expelled From Harvard Law School For Falsifying Grade Transcripts,” Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2014, p. C3. “Indian Envoy Indicted on Fraud Charges,” … Continue reading

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