MetaFilter posts tagged with Accounting

"There needs to be a general acceptance that the current model has failed."

Kattullus — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:10:18 -0800

It's Finished is a witty and erudite essay by MeFi lurker John Lanchester in The London Review of Books on how completely and utterly screwed the British economy is. In the process of laying out his case Lanchester touches on varied issues, such Scottish banknotes, why Alan Hollinghurst's phrase "tremendous, Basil Fawltyish lengths" is applicable to the reaction by the US and UK governments to the banking meltdown, the value destruction of corporate mergers, the invention of modern accounting, and why no one really knows how large a share of the failed banks is owned by governments.

Accountants have a sense of humor?

CPAGirl — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:56:03 -0800

Stuff Accountants Like -- As the US tax return deadline approaches, take an inside and humorous look at the professionals who you either love, hate, or whose revenue recognition principles you may blame for the mortgage crisis. Or maybe, perhaps, pity?

alternative currencies

kliuless — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:32:36 -0800

Hard up for cash? Roll your own :P just like Walmart and Amazon coexist with Costco and Craigslist, or like closed and open source software and operating (eco)systems often feed off of one another (and keep each other 'honest') to make a more vibrant market (and community), I think having various kinds of 'complementary' currency systems and transaction mechanisms alongside fiat central banking would help encourage and enable a greater multitude of economic activity than is currently the case. like having the right tool (or program) for the right job, I think it only makes sense that some currency systems are better suited for certain applications and activities than others, and people would therefore benefit from having a choice (freedom to choose!) of currency to use and conduct business in... along with, for that matter, what laws and accounting frameworks they are governed by and where they reside (freedom to move ;) [incidentally as it stands, (some) privileged people, corporations and 'capital' already enjoy these freedoms and benefit from practising regulatory arbitrage; I do not see why this cannot be extended to everyone] btw, post inspired by pharm, thanks!

The Trouble with Enron

Gyan — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 09:19:27 -0800

Open Secrets - the trouble with Enron

Lord of the bling?

Sparx — Wed, 02 Mar 2005 16:39:28 -0800

Peter Jackson sues New Line. Over money, naturally. Can 'the little hobbit that could' defeat the mysterious Dark Lordliness of Hollywood's Creative Accountants? Well, it worked for Stan Lee.

Ralph Snart Returns!

boost ventilator — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 11:31:43 -0800

The return of Ralph Snart...to the web and to print! This is Marc Hansen's outrageous story of a mild-mannered alcoholic accountant gone completely mental, featuring Dr. Goot (evil scientist and nemesis), Mr. Lizard (thanks to radioactive crickets) and Holly Hornswoggle (evil lab assistant and love interest). It originally ran from 1986 to 1994 and of course there is always the obligatory unofficial site.

He may not get to the mountaintop

raysmj — Thu, 30 Oct 2003 22:27:20 -0800

Mr. Civil Rights reaches out Other, bigger fish ex-CEOs of companies brought down to earth by major accounting, shall we say, woes, may be keeping quiet, even if they haven't been convicted of anything. But not former HealthSouth exec and would-be platinum girl group-manager Richard M. Scrushy, who not only has flaunted his wealth as of late, but produced a personal web site that plays up his humble Alabama roots and which, in a totally bizarre fashion, links his struggle to the Civil Rights Movement. (Note: The site's all screwed up on Mozilla, designed strictly for IE.)

Today's most buried headline

jackspace — Mon, 19 May 2003 09:28:33 -0800

This week's most buried headline could be a real stinker this week for the Pentagon. Apparently over $1 trillion are missing as well as "dozens of tanks, missiles and planes."

sheauga — Wed, 18 Sep 2002 02:03:32 -0800

Enron course original documents - University of Chicago. Actg 494: Special topics in Accounting: Accounting and Disclosure After Enron

phyrewerx — Sat, 24 Aug 2002 19:01:07 -0800

You know the accounting meme has hit the wall when folk singers start to make songs about WorldCom. Any else got some good links to give people a chuckle about the economy? (Forgive me if I offend, this is my first post)

Neale — Wed, 14 Aug 2002 17:37:29 -0800

Screw you worldcom, enron. In Australia we know how to make a loss. AU$11,962,000,000 in fact. One has to wonder how much of this is a "paper loss" or how much of this is "creative accounting for tax purposes". Or just where the hell did the money go?

found missing — Wed, 31 Jul 2002 20:44:16 -0800

You've got jail? The SEC is no longer alone in investigating accounting irregularities at AOL Time Warner. Tonight the "world's leading media and entertainment company" confirmed that the U.S. Justice Dept. has opened its own probe. This, one day after President Bush signed the so-called Corporate and Auditing Accountability, Responsibility, and Transparency Act (pdf of HR 3763) (summary). Tonight, however, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, including Senators Patrick Leahy, D-Vt and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa are criticizing the President for trying to weaken the corporate fraud bill before the ink is even dry.

insomnyuk — Thu, 18 Jul 2002 07:25:43 -0800

The U.S. Army pays for lapdances. "In addition to the inappropriate purchases, the GAO said more than 1,200 Army employees wrote bad checks to pay their government credit card bills. Last year alone, that cost taxpayers $3.8 million in higher fees and lost rebates." You mean, the government practices bad accounting? Ron Paul points out that the Congress commits the worst accounting fraud of all. But the most important issue of all is, with the government paying for Strip Club tips, gambling, and wine, does this mean that God will no longer bless America?

raaka — Wed, 10 Jul 2002 07:38:26 -0800

"The bigger the binge, the longer and more severe the hangover." A short history of accounting scandals and fraudulent bankruptcies that follow bubble economies.

elpapacito — Tue, 02 Jul 2002 10:11:35 -0800

It's VIVENDI scandal time ! :( One more company with "accounting trouble", not your mom and pop shop.

elpapacito — Fri, 28 Jun 2002 07:17:50 -0800

It is XEROX scandal time ! More or less 6B$ "accounting trouble".. they say "just 2B$" like it's monopoly money

muppetboy — Tue, 25 Jun 2002 18:30:33 -0800

How many more accounting scandals to go? A recent show "Bigger than Enron" on Frontline leads me to wonder, "How MUCH bigger than Enron?" Responses from viewers on that website include a number of accountants for big firms that insist that these practices are everyday business in accounting and that we have a lot more of this coming. Are we actually in the middle of the biggest market crash since 1929? What do you think? Just how bad could it get?

grahamwell — Sun, 17 Mar 2002 06:34:07 -0800

Farewell Arthur Andersen - I guess having one corporate basket case is a misfortune but two starts to look like carelessness. With tens of thousands of employees and pensions holders across the world, it's a disaster, for staff, pension holders and clients. Is this tough treatment "a gross abuse of government power" or a fitting reward for crooked practice?

BitterOldPunk — Thu, 31 Jan 2002 07:12:04 -0800

It ain't just Enron -- This kind of pro forma reporting of "profits" is shifty, misleading, and common practice. Should us small investors be worried? Or do I need to be an accountant to know why this isn't a bad thing? And does this mean that there more Enrons out there, ready to implode in a pile of worthless paper?

Mid — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 10:28:18 -0800

The most spectacular corporate imposion in decades. Without 9/11, the biggest news story in the past few weeks would have been the cataclysmic end of one of the 90's hottest companies, headed by one of the President's closest supporters, because of fraudulent accounting practices.