Web Watch: Best Blog Posts and Columns For the Week Ending July 10

Here is the weekly summary for Securities Docket’s Web Watch (”This Week’s Best Blog Posts and Columns”):

HOUSTON’S CLEAR THINKERS (July 10, 2009): Is Allen Stanford being railroaded?
I recognize that he is not the most popular fellow in Houston investment circles these days, but is anyone else but me a tad uncomfotable that the federal government is running roughshod over R. Allen Stanford?

THE FCPA BLOG (July 10, 2009): Spending Siemens’ Money
Siemens has agreed to cooperate to change industry practices, clean up procurement practices and work with the World Bank Group to fight fraud and corruption.” Supporting transparency programs that help people by cutting red tape would be a good start.

GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER (July 10, 2009): 2009 Mid-Year FCPA Update
An overview of the FCPA and a survey of U.S. and foreign anti-corruption enforcement during the first half of 2009, as well as a discussion of trends that we see from that activity and practical guidance to help companies avoid or limit liability.

THE FCPA BLOG (July 8, 2009): Be The One Millionth Caller . . .
China’s new nationwide anti-corruption hotline is off to a good start. Too good, in fact. During the first week more than 11,000 calls jammed the phones, overwhelming operators and crashing the website.

MICHAEL LEWIS, VANITY FAIR (July 8, 2009): The Man Who Crashed the World
The AIG story may have a villain, whose reign of terror over 400 employees brought the company, the U.S. economy, and the global financial system to their knees.

SEC ACTIONS (July 8, 2009): WILL REORGANIZATION REVITALIZE SEC ENFORCEMENT?
The SEC Enforcement Division is about to be reorganized in an effort to revitalize the once highly respected program. The focus of the reorganization is to streamline operations and add efficiency. The question is, will it revitalize the Enforcement Divis

CLAIRE SPENCER, FINANCIER WORLDWIDE (July 6, 2009): Hedge Fund Litigation
Politicians, regulators and the media have charged hedge funds with playing an instrumental role in precipitating the financial crisis. While this role has possibly been overstated, the damage has been done, and hedge fund litigation is on the rise.

EDWARD TEACH, CFO.COM (July 6, 2009): “I Should Have Said No”
Six years ago, Aaron Beam made headlines by admitting that he cooked the books at HealthSouth Corp., the company that he co-founded. Beam now lives modestly and mows lawns for a living. But he is also developing another career: educational speaker.

WILLIAM HANLEY, FINANCIAL POST (July 6, 2009): Post-Madoff Era of Scrutiny Will Last About 15 Minutes
The Madoff case put the spotlight on the how the rich and famous could get taken in, many of them trading the penthouse for the poor house. “In Bernie, we trust” might have been their motto.

SEC ACTIONS (July 6, 2009): THE FCPA: A KEY ENFORCEMENT PRIORITY HERE AND ABROAD
FCPA enforcement is now a priority here and abroad. Two recent examples which illustrate current enforcement efforts and their broad reach are the Siemens and Nguyen cases.