Monthly Archives: July 2008

“Always take the call from your spouse, no matter how busy you are.”

Posted on July 13, 2008 by mmjdiary

The late Tony Snow’s advice to his staff members. 

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Those Graduation Rates Are High Despite Children Left Behind: Mathematically, that just doesn’t work.

Posted on July 12, 2008 by mmjdiary

There was some disconnect.  Mississippi had 13,000 high-school dropouts per year, but it was reporting to the U.S. Department of Education that its graduation rate was 87%.  Then came the study from Promise Alliance, a nonprofit group working to keep kids in … Continue reading →

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“Chuck is a visionary leader whose unique talent and exceptional business experience will be a tremendous asset to our board.”

Posted on July 12, 2008 by mmjdiary

Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy on the election of Charles Prince, former CEO of Citigroup, Inc. to the Xerox board. 

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“I didn’t see anything unfair about it.”

Posted on July 12, 2008 by mmjdiary

Rep. Charles B. Rangel on his four rent-stabilized apartments at Harlem’s Lenox Terrace Complex.

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“. . . it could be structured by cows and we would rate it.”

Posted on July 9, 2008 by mmjdiary

Bond analyst expressing concern in an e-mail about her firm’s lack of knowledge about the deals underlying CDOs.  From the SEC report on analysts who rated debt instruments tied to the subprime markets.  www.sec.gov.

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“I am trying to ascertain whether we can determine at this point if we will suffer any loss of business because of our decision [on assigning separate ratings to principal and interest] and if so, how much?”

Posted on July 9, 2008 by mmjdiary

From the SEC report on conflicts of interest that existed among analysts at bond rating firms.

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Refco and Bayou Ex-CEOs: 16 and 20 Years; Judge, “[They] just don’t think they’ll get caught.”

Posted on July 8, 2008 by mmjdiary

Samuel Israel III, following three weeks on the lam, which followed a staged suicide attempt, has begun serving his 20-year sentence for fraud.  The not-quite-dead-yet former CEO of Bayou Management LLC, a hedge fund, forfeited his bail money of $500,000 and … Continue reading →

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“If conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world are of little value.”

Posted on July 6, 2008 by mmjdiary

John Adams.  Our second president also noted, “When conscience claps, let the world hiss.”

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“I’ve always been in monogamous relationships. Monogamy can be hard work for some people. I don’t think it applies to everybody, and I don’t think a lot of people can do it.”

Posted on July 2, 2008 by mmjdiary

Moral relativist, Scarlett Johansson, in Cosmopolitan. No reaction, as yet, from her fiancé, Ryan Reynolds.

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The Court Was Correct About Grasso, But All Are Punished

Posted on July 2, 2008 by mmjdiary

Richard Grasso is a spunky sort who provided leadership and inspiration while he headed the New York Stock Exchange.  We all owe him for his post-9-11-01 defiance of all odds in bringing back our financial markets.  And the New York State … Continue reading →

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