Category Archives: News and Events

Describes new books, articles, and upcoming speeches.

NCAA and Accountability

The NCAA found that the University of Tennessee gave $60,000 of forbidden benefits.  Those benefits included $5,000 and $6,000 payments to the parents of football players.  The former head coach of the Titans also worked with others in the Athletic … Continue reading

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Churchill Downs Extends Bob Baffert’s Suspension Through 2024- “[He] cannot be trusted to avoid future misconduct.”

The Churchill Downs cited Mr. Baffert’s continued unwillingness to accept responsibility for the failed postrace drug test of the 2021 Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit.Medina Spirit’s victory was revoked. Mr. Baffert’s horses have won the Kentucky Derby six times.  His … Continue reading

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Crackdowns on Gaming the System to Avoid Membership Fees and Subscriptions: Netflix and Costco Get Serious

Netflix is cracking down on memberships used all around the family.  Mom and Dad are kicking the kids off because Netflix is on to the whole fam deal for one subscription.  Now Costco is cutting off the way nonmembers were … Continue reading

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Those Olympics, Again!

Well, at least it’s not bribery this time.  French authorities raided the headquarters of the international organizing committee on their suspicions of embezzlement.  There were corruption suspicions in the 2016 Rio games and in the 2021 games in Japan. Not … Continue reading

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Even the Dollar Stores Suffer From Theft

We have known the answer to, “Would you sell your soul for a Louis Vuitton bag?” for some time.  Ongoing raids of luxury stores by looters seizing the luxury brands is not just the sale of a soul.  It’s a … Continue reading

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Target’s Profits Are Down $500 Million So Far This Year

The reason? “Violent incidents” resulting in stolen property. It’s gang looting, gang! Then the thieves post themselves on TikTok in the middle of the looting.  “A culture of impunity drives the market for retail theft.”  Indulging criminals is no way … Continue reading

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JPMorgan Staff Members Knew About Epstein

In 2006, a member of JPMorgan Chases’ bank’s risk department flagged the late Jeffrey Epstein’s cash withdrawals (up to $750,000 per year) two years before Mr. Epstein entered a guilty plea to solicitation of prostitution with a minor. Still, the … Continue reading

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Ticket Brokers, Ticket Buyers, and Misguided Regulation

Marianne M. Jennings and Stephen K. Happel, emeritus professors ,W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University Another Taylor Swift concert. Then comes weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth with accompanying demands that someone in any branch of government address … Continue reading

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The Compton California Ransacking

A mob took over a gas station food mart in Compton, California at 2:30 AM on Sunday, April 16. They took thousands in beer, condoms, and cigarettes.  Not exactly the same as Valjean stealing bread. Meanwhile, across the country in … Continue reading

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Meta vs. Reality: Poor Babies Have No Breakfast Cereal or Sufficient Snacks

Meta (nee Facebook) employees (who are left) are griping.  No more free laundry service.  Free dinner has been pushed way back on the clock to prevent employees from taking food home. Those “micro kitchens” at their headquarters do not have … Continue reading

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Some Investment Advice: If a Sports Arena Is Named After a Company — Do What the Monty Python Boys Say, “Run Away! Run Away!”

The Barometer noted that the Miami Heat had a fairly large branding error with their home base, i.e., the FTX Arena.  Then the mental recollection wheels began to turn.  Adelphia graced the home of the Tennessee Titans before the founder … Continue reading

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Bad News: When Your Ethics and Compliance Officer Is Charged with Helping Your Customers Evade the Law

For all the crypto currency fans out there who have been saying, “What could possibly go wrong?” in a financial industry no one can explain, and, as if FTX was not enough, we have this: Samuel Lin, the compliance chief … Continue reading

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Banks Are, Generally, Well, Trouble

We are still cleaning up bank messes from 7 years ago as we find ourselves in yet another.  It was 2016 when the news hit that all the new accounts Wells Fargo was boasting about were not real.  By the … Continue reading

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Rating Service: Gaming the System

The Barometer has noted the presence of a nearly instantaneous quality-of-service survey in her inbox seconds after Clear has “cleared” her through TSA airport security.  Except in Atlanta.  The Atlanta airport is a mess.  The Clear lines there serpentine in … Continue reading

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