Saturday is the start of Tour de France as most of the world’s best cyclist queue at the starting line in Liège, Belgium. This week’s gathering of compliance stories starts with my story in Wired.com.
A Geek’s Guide to the Tour de France
The 99th edition of the Tour de France starts Saturday in Liège, kicking off three weeks of bicycle racing. Twenty-one teams of nine riders each will have to endure 3,497 kilometers of racing and 25 high mountain passes to reach the finish line on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. It’s an event full of incredible human achievement and endurance. Although it’s one of the largest sporting events in the world, it’s not widely watched in the US. It’s worth your time to watch it. Here is a geek’s guide to the Tour de France to help you get started: …
French Legislation Taxing Non-Resident Investment Funds While Exempting Domestic Funds Violated EU Law on Free Movement of Capital in Jim Hamilton’s World of Securities Regulation
French legislation taxing dividends paid to non-resident collective investment funds at 25 percent, while exempting domestic funds from the tax, violated EU law prohibiting restrictions on the movement of capital between Member States and between Member States and the US, ruled the European Court of Justice. A difference in the tax treatment of dividends according to an investment fund’s place of residence may discourage non-resident funds from investing in French companies and also discourage French investors from buying shares in non-resident funds.
2012 First Half FCPA Enforcement Round-Up: Part I and 2012 First Half FCPA Enforcement Round-Up: Part II from fellow cyclist Tom Fox
The first half of 2012 is reaching to a close and we have had several significant enforcement actions so far this year. So to commemorate all those June Bride and Bride-Grooms out there, including my parents who celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary on June 30, I have put together a couple of posts reviewing my top 6 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions for the first 6 months of 2012. At this point I cannot see any clear trends but there are some key points that provide solid advice for the compliance practitioner going forward.
How Giro Made a Cooler, Faster Helmet by Chuck Squatriglia in Wired.com’s Playbook
When it comes to bicycle helmets, protection is paramount. Everything else — cooling, aerodynamics, light weight — is a compromise. If you want more of one, you’ll surrender a little of the others. But Giro says it has achieved an ideal combination of excellent cooling, low drag and light weight in a bicycle helmet that actually makes you faster.
Bernard Madoff’s Brother Expected to Plead Guilty to Criminal Charges by Chad Bray in WSJ.com’s Law Blog
The brother of convicted Ponzi scheme operator Bernard Madoff will plead guilty to criminal charges Friday, marking the first time a family member has admitted guilt since the massive fraud came to light three-and-a-half years ago.
Pedaling and Charging by Daniel Hamermesh in Freakonomics
People multitask (in economists’ language, “engage in joint production”) in a surprising variety of ways. A neat example appeared in Brussels Airport, with a sign saying “charge your phone and laptop.” But the charging was done by you sitting on a saddle and pedaling a machine that generated the power charging your device.
Wandering Cape Cod bear captured in Boston suburb by Ros Krasny for Reuters
He’s baaack: A male black bear captured on Cape Cod earlier this month, where it was tranquilized and moved to central Massachusetts, showed up again on Tuesday just six miles from downtown Boston.
Black bear black bear what do you see? . I see .Brookline police looking at me. pic.twitter.com/BI5f9yXL
— Brookline PD (@BrooklineMAPD) June 26, 2012
