Monthly Archives: September 2011

“The company added capacity, and costs, at a time when it was having trouble with sales.”

Posted on September 17, 2011 by mmjdiary

The Wall Street Journal, September 16, 2011, describing how Solyndra, the government-backed solar panel company, went south. The company, now in bankruptcy, didn’t seem to have anyone within the company or on its board who understood the concepts that business … Continue reading →

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When You Put in a Hotline, Be Prepared . . . At Least in Russia

Posted on September 14, 2011 by mmjdiary

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 →

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“In my own mind, the line between permissible ‘detective work’ and impermissible insider trading was not always clear, especially with regard to companies broadly covered by the news media as to which there was a wealth of publicly available information, including frequent leaks, rumors and speculation about corporate transactions and other important developments.”

Posted on September 14, 2011 by mmjdiary

Convicted insider trading felon and former Galleon hedge fund owner, Raj Rajaratnam, in an interview with a probation officer who is writing his presentencing report. How about drawing a line when a board member calls with info on what just … Continue reading →

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Solyndra – The Little Company That Couldn’t – Something Even Its Employees and External Auditors Knew

Posted on September 10, 2011 by mmjdiary

The Barometer heard a caller on a talk show discussing two things: (1) She was one of 1,100 employees laid off from the failing solar-panel maker, Solyndra LLC; and (2) She and the other employees knew as the company’s facilities … Continue reading →

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“This is a firm that understands that it is in the interest of their stockholders and their customers and the world that they live in to give back.” New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

Posted on September 9, 2011 by mmjdiary

What firm would that be? Why, Goldman Sachs, of course! It all depends on the meaning of the term “give back.” ‘Tis lovely to give back philanthropically. However, some of us who were investors, customers, and taxpayers would just like … Continue reading →

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Steve Jobs, Milton Friedman, and Generous Philanthropy

Posted on September 5, 2011 by mmjdiary

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 →

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In the pot and kettle department: Wikileaks

Posted on September 2, 2011 by mmjdiary

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 →

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