(For the woefully uninformed, Tiger Cubs all live in a house together with patriarch Julian Robertson. Winners upstairs in the master bedroom, losers on the sofa bed in the basement.)
Viking Global Equities III Ltd.:
Archive for January 2009
You know how we feel about the 895 family photos of Madoff sons Andy and Mark we’ve received, and the fact that they’re posing with fish in every single one. Not good! While it’ll be nice if they’re used as evidence to prove the boys had no idea their father (and boss) was running a Ponzi scheme, cause they were too busy catching and posing to notice, seeing shot after shot after shot of the duo hunting or holding or fellating a fish started frosting our cookies a long time ago, and we’re pretty sure you feel the same way.
But it warmed our hearts of stone and souls as black as night to hear that there’s a least one person who can not only stand the himbos’ favorite pastime, but relate to it. Andy’s new girlfriend, Catherine Hooper (she of possible ass tattoo fame). The Bryn Mawr alum wrote of her passion in the college magazine several years back:
Felipe and I walked for hours across miles of beach, scanning the water from behind polarized lenses for any flicker of silver tail against the myriad shining glints on the water’s surface. We caught Spanish mackerel in the afternoons when the bonefish seemed to disappear and ate our picnic lunches on the deck of our boat or in little abandoned fishermen’s shacks. When I left a week later, I watched from the plane window as Los Roques became smaller and bluer. The wave motion froze as the plane gained altitude.
Things at home were a little different after I returned. My husband grew sick of my talking about fishing and would leave the room if I began. To anyone who would look, I showed my fishing pictures, which consisted of 1. Me holding a fish, 2. Me holding a fish, 3. Me holding–you get the idea.
A match made in heaven. (And let’s not forget the Bob Rubin connection, and assume that surely he too is obsessed with being photographed holding something slimy in his hands. Threesome?) More pics of Hooper doing you know what after the jump.
You know Ladenburg Thalmann analyst Dick Bove’s pick** (Phill Purcell come on down!), and while we hope he gets his wish (that’s not an endorsement of P-squared so much as it is one for the adorable woodland creature), there are a few other names in the board’s exploratory hopper in anticipation of John Mack’s probable 2010 retirement. According to Dennis Berman, they include co-presidents– and now rivals for the throne– Walid Chammah and James Gorman, though Chammah is apparently all “eh” about taking the job, and Gorman may be too new and not yet in with the right people at the firm. Also under vague consideration by the board are “dark horse” picks CFO Colm Kelleher and investment bank chief Paul Taubman, as well as outsiders (Jimmy Cayne, Bernie Madoff). Have someone in mind? Nominate your pick today!
**He originally nominated Purcell for Wachovia, but we’re told the Phil-ster is Bove’s default pick for CEO of any firm, when asked.
MacRumors.com appears to have been the victim of a bit of a security breach. Their live-updating MacWorld ticker just included the comment “Steve jobs just died,” followed by a quick retraction.
That was very naughty whichever Dealbreaker reader did that. Bad reader. No bone.
9:27 am Steve did not die.
9:27 am Retraction on Steve Jobs comment…we don’t know how that got in our feed.
9:26 am Showing a “pumpkin patch” event with no geotag. Starts typing name, and iPhoto assists using its database of locations.
9:25 am Hovering over a pin at Aspen. Click an arrow and go straight to all Aspen photos, even across multiple events.
9:24 am STEVE JOBS JUST DIED :
9:24 am Now demoing Places.
9:24 am Can also group people in sidebar…smart albums. Showing “Our Family”…automatically contains and updates all members of the family.
Macworld San Francisco 2009 Keynote Live Coverage [MacRumors]
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 4:50 PM
Subject: Bob McCann to Leave the Firm
A message from John Thain, president of Global Banking, Securities & Wealth Management: Bob McCann to Leave the Firm
Dear Colleagues:
As mentioned a while back, a whole bunch of previously mostly worthless Madoff-branded chotchkes are in the process of making bank on e-Bay, cause of the whole scandal sitch. There’s lots of great stuff to choose from, including a sweet fleece vest, for the person in your life who loves being cloaked in irony, a “rare” orange golf hat, beach towels, old Christmas cards and a badass humidor. Today our attention was directed toward an item that actually serves a bit a purpose, sort of, if you don’t know how navigate the New York subways or find yourself in the dark.
The family of Adolf Merckle says the German billionaire committed suicide after his business empire got into trouble because of the global financial crisis.
A brief family statement Tuesday did not give details on the circumstances of the 74-year-old’s death. It said the problems his holdings suffered due to the financial crisis ”broke” him and ”he ended his life.”
That’s a pity.
German Billionaire Adolf Merckle Commits Suicide [The New York Times]
When you hang for any extended amount of time with Bernie Madoff, he and his investing ideas rub off on you. For example, Frank Avellino, who’s been chilling with Mades since around 1962. Unlike the snobbish Ponz. master, however, who won’t even think about ripping you off unless he finds evidence of a few million in the bank and the cash on hand to post bail, should it ever be necessary, Avellino is man of the people. That’s why he (maybe) screwed his cleaning woman, Nevena Ivanova, out of $124,000, after convincing her to invest her money in the fictitious Kenn Jordan Associates. This is what it’s about, my friends. Keeping it real.
HeidelbergCement plunged 11% on news its founder, billionaire Adolf Merckle, was hit and killed by a train. Merckle, most recently famous for getting caught in the Volkswagen short squeeze, is apparently considered instrumental to ongoing negotiations with lenders.
Ouch.
HeidelbergCement falls on report Merckle dead [The Guardian]
Update: There are some reports that Merckle actually threw himself in front of the train. Double ouch. I hope he wasn’t a Made-off victim.
Short-selling is a procedure used by hedge funds to profit from an expected fall in the price of a company’s shares.
I mean c’mon, people. We had to endure pretty brain-dead short selling definitions before but this is beyond the pale.
The FSA banned the practice following the bankruptcy of the US bank Lehman Brothers because it was seen as a possible cause of falling share prices among banks when these were viewed as undermining the UK’s financial system. But the continued fall of banking shares – prompting the Government’s bailout in October – has led many to view the ban as unnecessary and ineffective.
Took them long enough.
FSA plans to repeal ban on financial short-selling [The Independent]
CityFile reports Ron Perelman is selling his for $67 million. Surely someone can afford the price tag, and if you find the 190-foot Ultima III too big and flashy for your personal taste, we know just the person you can give it to as a late Hannukah gift. He’s been looking to upgrade and this would probably score you some major brownie points.
