May 2011 archive

Sox whistleblower protections again interpreted narrowly

The Ninth Circuit took a narrow reading of the whistleblower protections provided under Sarbanes-Oxley, and thereby eliminated the applicability of any whistleblower protection.  The would-be whistleblowers were two internal auditors at Boeing.  Both employees spoke to a newspaper reporter regarding their concerns.  The reporter included the employees’ information in an article entitled “Computer security faults …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/05/sox-whistleblower-protections-again-interpreted-narrowly/

How Many Clowns Can You Fit In A Clown Car?

I am sure everyone has seen this before – a lot of clowns coming out of a really small car.  It is the oldest and most requested clown gag ever.  However, there is no trick to the clown-car gag.  Contrary to most people’s speculation, there are no trap doors in stadium floors, and the cars …

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How Much Are Outrageous Executive Perks Costing You?

Through proxy statements, shareholders get a one-per-year glimpse at pay and perks of top executives.  In addition to multimillion dollar pay packages, executives  sometime receive outrageous perks.  These funds are being paid for with shareholder money.  Based on a compilation created by Kiplinger, here is a list of  some of the more outrageous perks given to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/05/how-much-are-outrageous-executive-perks-costing-you/

Perhaps $2 Billion Owed Under Music Contracts

In monetary terms, the biggest decision made by the Supreme Court in the current session is a case that they decided NOT to take. On March 21, 2011, the Supreme Court denied certiorari of a Ninth Circuit ruling made on September 3, 2010 in re: F.B.T. Productions vs. Aftermath Records. Absent a settlement, the case …

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City of Los Angeles Wastes $1M on Cell Phones

Los Angeles City Controller, Wendy Greuel, recently conducted an audit of seven Los Angeles city departments relating to city-owned cell phones.  Greuel found that the city wastes about $1 million per year on nearly 12,000 city-owned cell phones.  Greuel’s audit revealed: The city did not have any central management of cell phone contracts No one …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/05/city-of-los-angeles-wastes-1m-on-cell-phones/

Google's Old Answer in Search of a New Problem.

At the second day of the Google I/O Conference this week, the company announced that the Chrome-only portable computers, to be called Chromebooks, would become available in mid-June. Google made its intent to develop Chrome into a stand-alone operating system clear when it initially announced the browser in September of 2008.  The nearly three years between …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/05/googles-old-answer-in-search-of-a-new-problem-2/

How to Make Skype Worth $8.5 Billion

Microsoft just announced that it will be paying $8.5 billion for Skype.  It is the largest purchase ever for Microsoft, who in recent years avoided big ticket acquisitions since the lackluster results of its purchases of adQuantive and Danger (the makers of the sidekick phone, which gave Microsoft the flop known as the Kin). Microsoft …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/05/how-to-make-skype-worth-8-5-billion-dollars/

Legal sector’s drop a surprise, sluggish pick up is not

While jumps and dips in the economy are known to shake up private sector payrolls generally, jobs at law firms have traditionally been safe bets in the face of a recession. The same cannot be said of the Great Recession, officially started in December 2007. This time around, the legal industry’s suffering has mirrored that …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/05/sluggish-hiring-in-legal-sector-unlikely-to-improve-soon/

Medical Marijuana's Quotation Marks

Recently, someone very close to me was diagnosed with metastatic cancer.  When something like that happens, you do a lot of research on a whole range of subjects.  One of these subjects is medical marijuana.  As primary caregiver, I needed to research medical marijuana since so much of the responsibility would be falling on me.  I can’t grow …

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Permanent link to this article: https://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/05/medical-marijuanas-quotation-marks-2/