Monthly Archives: October 2021

O Tempora! O Mores! Bridge Players Are Cheating

There is cheating in the game of bridge. Oh, there has always been some type of cheating when players in contract bridge sat around the card table. The tapping foot, the position of pad and pencil, and other physical techniques … Continue reading

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“Fake It Until You Make It”

If the Barometer had known you could just make stuff up and be successful at business, well, an entrepreneur’s dream. The ongoing Theranos trial has produced a conga line of witnesses who have testified that the technology Elizabeth Holmes was … Continue reading

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The Shameful FBI

The Office of the Inspector General of the FBI issued its report on the failures of the FBI in handling the investigation of the sexual assaults of female gymnasts at Michigan State by Dr. Laurence G. Nassar (who now sits … Continue reading

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“The N.F.L.’s Ugly Underbelly Exposed”

So read the New York Times sports section headline. The headline was referring to the racist, misogynistic, and homophobic e-mails of Las Vegas Raiders coach (now former coach), Jon Gruder. For most, that underbelly, along with the phony PR moves … Continue reading

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EX-NBA Players Submitted Fraudulent Health-Care Claims for $2.5 Million

It was their travel records and e-mails that “done them in,” as Miss Eliza Doolittle would say in her flower-girl days. The ex-players, also-rans when it comes to NBA fame, submitted file medical and dental claims for reimbursement from the … Continue reading

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Federal Reserve Board Member and Conflicts

There must be some brain function that turns off as folks climb the ranks of power. They can’t see a conflict to save their lives, or even just their careers. Three senior Federal Reserve officials were dabbling in individual stock … Continue reading

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Two Parents Convicted in the College Bribery Scandal

It only took the jurors 10 hours. Following their deliberations the jurors emerged with guilty verdicts for for John Wilson, a private-equity financier (conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit fraud, and filing a false tax return). Gamal Abdelaziz, a … Continue reading

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Ozy Media: Kaput in Two Days

Ozy Media showed up on the Barometer’s radar after a bizarre story appeared on September 30, 2021. Ozy Media has been around on the Internet since 2013. Ozy had the usual podcasts, interviews, and some YouTube documentaries. The story was … Continue reading

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Federal Judges and Conflicts: They Are Not So Good at Conflicts Checks

The Wall Street Journal did parties in federal court as well as ethics professors a magnificent service. Through what must have been painful research, reporters James V. Grimaldi, Coulter, Jones, and Joe Palazzolo combed through federal judges’ financial disclosure statements … Continue reading

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