Category Archives: Classic Quotes

“’tis Flushy McFlusherson at his merry hijinks again!”

Posted on January 25, 2014 by mmjdiary

USIS supervisor in an e-mail to a manager describing one of the company’s monthly, quarterly, and annual “dumps.” Dumping was the practice allegedly followed by those at USIS when they reached a goal milepost for processing security clearances for the … Continue reading →

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“Why would I marry? It’s betting some chick half my net worth that I will love her forever.”

Posted on January 24, 2014 by mmjdiary

From @GSElevator — allegedly the Twitter account that posts what is overheard in the elevator at Goldman Sachs. Nothing is quite as charming as greedy cynicism.

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“As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked. I don’t think it is any more dangerous than alcohol. [Marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol] in terms of its impact on the individual consumer.”

Posted on January 20, 2014 by mmjdiary

Words every parent would rather not hear from a president . . . The Barometer has a few “individual consumers” she would like the president to meet if he is doing research on “impact.” Maybe our commander-in-chief could just play … Continue reading →

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“That’s not great math — even in my world.”

Posted on January 15, 2014 by mmjdiary

Frank DiPascali, former right-hand man to Bernie Madoff, describing the reality that be could be sentenced to 125 years in prison for his role in the $50-billion Ponzi scheme he helped Mr. Madoff to run — on and on — … Continue reading →

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January 10, 2014 — Headlines Illustrate Ethics (or lack thereof) Is a Growth Industry

Posted on January 10, 2014 by mmjdiary

“SAC Trader Falsified His Grades At Harvard,” New York Times, January 10, 2014, p. B1. “SAC Trader Expelled From Harvard Law School For Falsifying Grade Transcripts,” Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2014, p. C3. “Indian Envoy Indicted on Fraud Charges,” … Continue reading →

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“I was living in a CEO-type bubble, and I rationalized that I was more valuable than I was. I had a strong sense of entitlement. I stole money from Tyco. It was greed pure and simple.”

Posted on December 24, 2013 by mmjdiary

Dennis Kozlowski, former CEO of Tyco, who was convicted of theft of $100 million from Tyco while serving as its CEO. He served 8 years of his 8 1/3 to 25-year sentence, and will be released in January 2014. He … Continue reading →

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13% — Percentage of voters who left Jamies Winston off their Heisman Trophy ballots

Posted on December 23, 2013 by mmjdiary

Mr. Winston won the trophy by 1,501 votes — the seventh-widest margin ever. Sports Illustrated, December 23, 2013. p. 38 Mr. Winston was investigated for rape, but no charges were filed. Perhaps clay beneath the feet of the figurine on … Continue reading →

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“Every president is going to lie to you. Every politician is going to lie to you. The question is, which lies can you live with.”

Posted on December 3, 2013 by mmjdiary

CNN columnist L.Z. Granderson in discussing President’s Obama’s whoppers of “If you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance, period.”  The Barometer is speechless, except to ask, “Is this what we have come to?”

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“You get a client with 8 to 12 bodies buried in his yard, and there’s an immediate rush to judgment that he may have done something wrong.”

Posted on October 31, 2013 by mmjdiary

Mickey Sherman, criminal defense lawyer and ubiquitous “Court TV” presence.  A Connecticut court ruled this week that Michael C. Skakel was entitled to a retrial on his murder conviction because of Mr. Sherman’s failures in his representation of Mr. Skakel. … Continue reading →

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“She’s a model of honesty, integrity, and ethics.”

Posted on October 25, 2013 by mmjdiary

Lawyer for Rebecca Mairone, a former Countrywide executive who headed up the “Hustle” loan program, a program that resulted in $1 billion in bad mortgage loans that were subsequently dumped on Fannie Mae. A jury concluded on October 22, 2013 … Continue reading →

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“I don’t want to show something that is too false.”

Posted on August 17, 2013 by mmjdiary

A reflection on valuation strategy found in the e-mail of Julian Grout, a former low-level trader in JPMorgan Chase’s London office. Yes, a little bit false is always better. When questioned about his valuations, he responded, “Ask management.” When Mr. … Continue reading →

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“I picked the wrong vice. I should have picked alcohol. I should have picked drugs, or I should have picked up beating my wife or girlfriend, because if you do those, you get a second chance. They haven’t given too many gamblers second chances in the world of baseball.”

Posted on August 14, 2013 by mmjdiary

Pete Rose, reflecting on baseball, banishments from the Hall of Fame, and the state of professional athletics today.

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“I think it is pretty self-explanatory. I think that is the pink elephant in the room. I think we all want to get rid of PEDs. That’s a must. All the players, we feel that way.”

Posted on August 14, 2013 by mmjdiary

Alex Rodriguez.  Ah, nothing like a suspended baseball player mixing metaphors.

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“The perception of the auditor’s independence, objectivity and professional skepticism has suffered in the wake of these findings of audit failures. You have an industry that has been slow to come to realize that it must change.”

Posted on August 14, 2013 by mmjdiary

PCAOB Chairman James Doty, discussing the need to reform auditor disclosures on company annual report.

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