Category Archives: News and Events

MF Global, the hedge fund run into the ground by former senator/New Jersey governor, Jon Corzine, is in bankruptcy. For the record, New Jersey nearly experienced the same fate when Mr. Corzine was at the helm there. The ignominious collapse … Continue reading →

The Barometer knew it was bad, but even she was shocked by new levels of cheating at colleges and universities revealed in “The Shadow,” by Ed Dante ( thankfully , a nom de plume) in the November 12, 2010 issue … Continue reading →

Wang Yue, a toddler from China who had wandered away from her mother, was struck twice by one truck and then as she writhed in pain, struck again by another truck. As this little girl lay injured on the street, … Continue reading →

Rachel Shteir has a new book, “The Steal: A Cultural History of Shoplifting.” The book explores the mental illness (kleptomania) angle as a cause for shoplifting. Psychopharmacology finds its way into root cause with discussion about a drug that helps … Continue reading →

According to news reports, now former U.S. Mercedes-Benz CEO, Ernst Lieb, seems to have pulled the oldest tricks in the books: getting home repairs done at company expense and charging the company for personal travel. Why, the heads of carpentry … Continue reading →

Samuel Eshaghoff, a mere 19 years old, was arrested last week on charges of scheming to defraud, falsifying business records, and criminal impersonation. It seems that the Emory University freshman was paid $1,500 to $2,000 by five of his friends … Continue reading →

Bless their hearts, the folks at BP put in a new hotline at their Russian TNK-BP joint venture. Apparently, there was a great deal of pent-up frustration back in the former USSR. The results are stunning: • 365 cases of … Continue reading →

The New York Times is flummoxed. Their beloved Steve Jobs is not a member of Giving Pledge, the Buffett/Gates organization that urges billionaires to give away at least half of their fortunes to charity. Oh, and Andrew Ross Sorkin, of … Continue reading →

Wikileaks has filed suit against the British newspaper, “The Guardian” for alleged gross negligence of its reporters in publishing the passwords to the unarchived and uncensored diplomatic cables that Wikileaks had obtained via unauthorized means. This move reminds the Barometer … Continue reading →

In between the editorials and reports on Steve Jobs walking away from Apple on water, there was another story that caught the Barometer’s eye, a story that shares a common thread with the all-Apple, all-the-time coverage. Only Irene has enjoyed … Continue reading →

The American Lawyer publishes its annual “profits per partner” on the top 100 law firms in the United States. Because law firms are privately held, the disclosure of the revenues and financial health is not required. However, the firms do … Continue reading →

“Use your time wisely.” So went the counsel from Navy officers to submariners who were on breaks during their exams. Translation according to crew members: Go look up the answers you don’t know. Other submariners were e-mailed answer keys and … Continue reading →

Oh, the insurrection of hungry, unemployed, and restless youth. What they won’t do for food. Except that the youth riots in Great Britain didn’t find the huddled and hungry masses with a powerful yearning for gruel, but rather for designer … Continue reading →