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MarketMinder's View: We wouldn't call LTRO a "full body plaster cast hiding the cadaver" of massive future writedowns. In our view, giving banks more balance sheet flexibility to continue holding distressed debt allows the private sector more time to derive solutions—and, potentially, the assets' market values time to recover.
MarketMinder's View: We'd argue it's neither. The Dow's a broken index, and 13,000—though round—is an arbitrary marker. As ever, we'd suggest keeping a long-term perspective and focusing on the fundamentals likely to drive stocks over the year ahead. For more, see our 02/22/2012 cover story, "How Now, Dow."
MarketMinder's View: There's no question the US housing market still has several hurdles to overcome, but the idea US consumers won't spend much until home prices recover isn't consistent with economic data. Spending is typically driven by income growth, not home values—and both spending and incomes are trending upward.
MarketMinder's View: We find much to quibble with here, not least the dour forecast. But to us, the most misguided aspect is the focus on very short-term data points. Monthly readings are always volatile, and the odd contraction isn't unusual during a longer-term trend.
MarketMinder's View: Because the new fiscal compact can take effect once 12 eurozone countries ratify it, a "no" vote at the Irish referendum won't kill the deal. But it still bears watching—only nations that ratify the agreement can access ESM funding. Thus, if Ireland votes no but still needs external aid once EFSF funding ends in 2013, we might see an interesting game of chicken between Irish and EU officials.
MarketMinder's View: Though we'd quibble with the long-term forecasting aspect of this piece, it's a largely sensible take on why business investment, though not a perfect economic gauge, is one of the more important metrics to watch. When firms cut outlays, it often means they're getting lean and mean to accommodate weaker demand, while more spending on equipment, software, staff, etc., typically promotes economic growth.
MarketMinder's View: Though this revised GDP report is backward-looking and GDP isn't a perfect measure of the US economy, this is nevertheless another confirmation of the US's continuing economic strength. Especially telling: Incomes, personal spending and business investment were revised up.
MarketMinder's View: The Philippines hasn't yet joined Trans-Pacific Partnership talks, but it's taking steps to become eligible—and US trade officials seem eager to help where they can. Another TPP member would mean more progress in the global race toward zero protectionism. For more, see our 10/17/2011 cover story, "Racing Towards Zero."
MarketMinder's View: The ECB's second three-year LTRO injected a record €529.5 billion into the European banking system. Though not a fix-all for the eurozone, the central bank's liquidity ballast should help ease some funding strains while the region continues muddling through. For more, see our 02/03/2012 commentary on iStockAnalyst, "Central Bank Accommodations."
MarketMinder's View: In addition to our many quibbles with this article's supporting evidence, we differ with the notion a weak European economy could drag the US and the rest of the world down with it. Europe's problems appear largely contained within the region, and continued growth in the US and Emerging Markets should prove strong enough to offset European weakness. For more, see our 12/02/2011 research analysis, "If Europe Faces Recession, Can the US Economy Still Continue to Grow?"
MarketMinder's View: The notion of the US joining OPEC is an entertaining thought. But we question the efficacy of setting a floor price on any oil imported into the US and taxing anything below that price. Artificial price restraints pervert the free functioning of supply and demand determinants—resulting in market inefficiencies that, on a net basis, could make us worse off altogether.
MarketMinder's View: This piece suggests ways to give the Volcker rule more teeth to clamp down on banks' proprietary trading—but in our view, that's a solution in search of a problem. Profiting through proprietary trading isn't a societal evil—it allows banks more flexibility to lend and serve their primary purpose of efficiently allocating capital.
MarketMinder's View: We'd suggest not reading much into January's factory data--durable goods orders tend to fluctuate sharply from one month to the next. And January's drop was likely attributed to the expiration of a tax credit in December. Longer-term trends suggest firms are lean, healthy and growing. For more, see today's cover story, "Earning Their Keep."
MarketMinder's View: This piece is a sensible look at the opportunity cost many individual investors incur by selling stocks at the wrong time.
MarketMinder's View: Though the International Swaps and Derivatives Association's pending verdict on whether Greece's private-sector debt restructuring constitutes a credit event bears watching, it appears the ECB is already taking steps to mitigate the impact of triggered credit default swaps. For more on the bank's efforts to provide liquidity, see our 02/03/2012 commentary on iStockAnalyst, "Central Bank Accommodations."
MarketMinder's View: Yields dropped across the board and coverage was strong at Italy's latest successful long-term debt offering—more evidence, in our view, that Italy can meet early 2012 funding hurdles just fine. For more, see our 02/03/2012 cover story, "These PIIGS Went to Market."
MarketMinder's View: More evidence businesses are lean, healthy and growing—and many are now taking expansionary steps to upgrade equipment and improve infrastructure.
MarketMinder's View: Maybe Greece does eventually exit the eurozone. Maybe not. But in reading this, we found two critical points went unaddressed: when and how. In our view, assessing the impact of a Greek exit from the euro without addressing those two points isn't likely to lead to an analysis of much forward-looking value.
MarketMinder's View: Correlation does not equal causation. Oil is economically sensitive, so it tends to fall during recession—which makes the prior price point look high on a chart. Yet that doesn't necessarily mean oil had anything to do with causing the recession, which is a separate question altogether. For more, see today's cover story, "As Oil Prices Rise, So Do Theories."
MarketMinder's View: This article seems mostly a facet of current investor sentiment—skeptical, dour and fixated on longstanding negatives. None of the risk factors listed are particularly new or surprising—and big surprises tend to move markets most. Yes, stocks have posted impressive returns since March 9, 2009, but that's not very relevant to formulating an outlook ahead—nor is a flawed index (the Dow) reaching a round number (13,000). For more, see our 02/22/2012 cover story, "How Now, Dow."
MarketMinder's View: The idea government should be tasked with boosting folks' confidence in markets isn't new and hasn't worked well before—see Sarbanes-Oxley, for one example. We are highly skeptical of government's ability to accomplish the goal without unintended consequences.
MarketMinder's View: We're not convinced there's mass "derisking" ongoing at present, but we agree the concept itself is questionable. All investments carry the risk the investor will lose purchasing power over time—either through a loss of money, inflation or other means. Put simply, to assume volatility is the only risk is a behavioral investing error.
MarketMinder's View: The Dallas Fed's manufacturing survey showed business activity increased in February for the second consecutive month—another sign of continued economic growth.
MarketMinder's View: Highly accommodative policies from the ECB—including December's initial three-year LTRO—seem to have helped banks move beyond refinancing fears. The degree to which this results in increased lending ahead remains to be seen, but by this measure, their programs seem to have been successful thus far.
MarketMinder's View: Despite its brevity, this article actually has a lot to say regarding economic conditions globally.
MarketMinder's View: "The Rome-based Treasury sold 8.75 billion euros of 184-day bills at 1.202 percent, the lowest since September 2010, and down from 1.969 percent at the last auction of similar-maturity securities on Jan. 27." Another in a series of better-than-expected peripheral bond auctions to start 2012. For more, see our 02/03/2012 cover story, "These PIIGS Went to Market."
MarketMinder's View: Yields fell and demand remained firm at Italy's latest bond auction, suggesting Greece's debt haircut hasn't scared investors from buying debt elsewhere in Europe's periphery. As auctions continue to go better than most expect, it seems increasingly likely Italy clears upcoming funding hurdles. For more, see our 02/03/2012 cover story, "These PIIGS Went to Market."
MarketMinder's View: Well, we wouldn't get so discouraged by America's pace of oil efficiency gains—these things don't happen overnight, but at the pace the market deems necessary. And there's no evidence high oil leads to less economic activity—in fact, the US economy has grown more productive, more competitive and stronger even as oil prices have risen over time.
MarketMinder's View: We'd argue the best way for states to prepare for a shale gas production boom isn't to figure out how to highly tax and regulate it, but to find ways to provide firms a competitive environment and foster productivity and profitability.
MarketMinder's View: Sure, political turnover can create "uncertainty"—but that's not true political risk. In our view, political risk is shifting sand in laws affecting business activity, private property rights and the like. But the political squabbling in Australia probably decreases the likelihood of sweeping regulatory/legislative changes, which is something markets typically like.
MarketMinder's View: As the EU's market commissioner points out, US regulators would do well to consider the potential unintended consequences of the Volcker Rule—not just domestically, but globally.
MarketMinder's View: Here's a good lesson in the law of unintended consequences: Due to the German government's well-intentioned but premature phase-out of nuclear energy, electricity is becoming too expensive for German businesses—forcing some to shut down operations. For more, see our 02/17/2012 column, "A (Nuclear) Winter's Tale."
MarketMinder's View: In short, America isn't Greece. And that will likely stay true as long as we preserve our key differences—"zealously guard our productivity, protect our culture of competition and enshrine market processes."
MarketMinder's View: Extrapolating this year's likely outcome from last year's events is a common cognitive error—and potentially harmful to investors' long-term returns. Could we see another market correction this year? Possibly. But we'd argue it's far more likely headlines that have been media fodder for going on three years finally lose steam and provide a nice tailwind to markets.
MarketMinder's View: The problem with arguments like these is they're based on the false assumption the US manufacturing industry is dying and in need of resuscitation. However, as we've expounded on before, manufacturing is, in many respects, alive and well in the US. For more, see our 07/18/2011 cover story, "Breaking News–US Manufacturing Isn't Dead."
MarketMinder's View: The misperception here isn't in the reporting itself, but in the idea banks are up to something insidious in charging overdraft fees. Just last year, the Fed moved to reform this practice—and mandated banks allow consumers to opt out. They did. And yet bank revenues from overdraft protection remained fairly robust. That seems to speak to the fact many customers see value in overdraft practices. So we're frankly a bit puzzled as to why yet another government study on the subject is underway.
MarketMinder's View: Is the latest Greek bailout plan the last we've heard of its debt woes? Likely not. But that doesn't mean it spells automatic doom for the eurozone as a whole, either. And the likelihood some silver bullet that fixes everything overnight exists seems quite small—if it did, wouldn't European officials have employed it by now? After all, we'd be willing to bet they're as eager as anyone to end the continual Greek shuffle.
MarketMinder's View: A very interesting interview with current ECB President Mario Draghi—and enlightening about his views on Europe's best way forward for returning to growth (with which we'd mostly agree).
MarketMinder's View: This is a highly sensible look at the ridiculous lengths to which government regulations can go—and why that's typically harmful to consumers, who are often left with fewer choices as a result. This sums it up well: "If new competition can bring prices down, we'll all be better off in the long run…. Municipal authorities need to learn to welcome the explosion of innovation happening around them and stop trying to choke it off."
MarketMinder's View: An interesting economic explanation of why "cutting out the middleman" isn't necessarily the best idea, despite common advertising claims to the contrary. An important rule of thumb to keep in mind: If businesses can find a (legally) more efficient way to operate, they nearly always will—so if they're widely using "middlemen," it's likely because it's cheaper than other alternatives. By and large, businesses act economically rationally.
MarketMinder's View: This highlights well how increasing tax rates doesn't necessarily mean increasing tax revenue—remember, folks can relocate or arrange their finances to avoid paying the higher rate. For more, see our 11/03/2011 column, "The Trouble With Taxes."
MarketMinder's View: That Greek default is "highly likely" isn't really news. The pending private-sector debt-swap deal—technically a partial, but orderly, default since it means Greece doesn't pay back all it owes—has long been in the works. Once again, a ratings agency is merely confirming what's already widely known.
MarketMinder's View: More telling than the manufacturing contraction, in our view, is the fact Chinese officials cut banks' reserve requirements again last week. This suggests the government is already using available throttles to goad economic growth during this "election" year—likely through looser loan quotas—making the risk of a hard landing unlikely. For more, see our 02/15/2012 cover story, "Reasons to Be Bullish on China."
MarketMinder's View: It's certainly possible the aggregate eurozone economy recedes, and January's service sector contraction seemingly supports that outcome. However, history shows global growth can continue—and stock markets can perform just fine—during a continental European recession. For more, see our 02/16/2012 commentary on The Street, "Stock Returns Strong Despite Eurozone Weakness."
MarketMinder's View: Ireland has already privatized several billion euros' worth of state assets in recent years, but another €3 billion in asset sales would still be an encouraging sign of progress. Not only will it give the government more fiscal flexibility, but it likely allows the impacted companies to function more efficiently over time.
MarketMinder's View: Here's an interesting look at one aspect of the Greek debt swap's inner workings. The new bonds issued as replacements for existing debt are to be governed according to English law—not Greek. Why? "If the bonds were governed by Greek law, it would be easier for the Greek legislature to pass a law that simply amends the bonds."
MarketMinder's View: A firming US housing market is an incremental positive, though the sector still has quite a ways to go. Given housing's relatively teensy share of the broader economy though, a slow housing recovery likely shouldn't be much of a headwind to continued growth.
MarketMinder's View: Financial knowledge is an important ingredient to investment success—and applying emotional understanding and control to that knowledge increases the chances of making sound decisions over time. So read up and sharpen your math skills, but also take the time to learn about behavioral traps.
MarketMinder's View: A good example of what happens when firms can compete globally—quality improves, consumer choice increases and prices fall. When markets are more open, everyone benefits.
MarketMinder's View: The premise here seemingly is the economy started off growing at a faster pace yet decelerated mid-year, only to reaccelerate at year end. Yet that's not a false recovery—that's just normal growth rate volatility. In fact, expecting an economy to sequentially accelerate throughout expansion is expecting something that's highly unlikely. And that the factors cited here are virtually the same as last year should tell you they don't have much power to move markets or the economy—remember, surprises move markets most.
MarketMinder's View: Truth is there's probably not much to fear from the latest US budget proposal—given it's been over 1,000 days since Congress passed one, the likelihood it's much different this time seems small. Not only that, but budget projections are notoriously hard to calculate—and are likely particularly unreliable coming from a government agency.
MarketMinder's View: We'd argue the congressional agreement last week to extend the payroll tax cut actually represents a small positive in that it provides taxpayers with more useable income. We believe this piece likely overstates the long-term ramifications of this short-term and minor accounting move. For more, see today's cover story, "All Over the Map on Taxes."
MarketMinder's View: Long term, data show oil prices and stocks just aren't correlated. In fact, it's quite possible higher oil is more a product of an expanding global economy than a factor likely to derail it.
MarketMinder's View: A bailout agreement for Greece is a clear positive and a testament to officials' resolve to prevent a disorderly breakup of the eurozone. However, key hurdles remain—additional consternation and European volatility in the weeks and months ahead wouldn't be terribly surprising. For more, see our 02/14/2012 cover story, "Running the Greek Marathon."
MarketMinder's View: An enlightening look at regulations' frequently deleterious (if unintended) effects. And we suspect along with the author "the pernicious economic effects of local barriers to entry, rather than those at the state or federal level, are significantly greater than commonly thought."
MarketMinder's View: Though many have fretted bad local government debts in China, it seems the chances they turn into a full-blown crisis are fairly small—possibly an incremental plus for China in what we'd expect to be an overall positive year.
MarketMinder's View: This is a fairly sensible take analyzing and refuting the argument that the last 10, 20 or even 40 years have been economically stagnant for the average American.
MarketMinder's View: The trouble here isn't so much the cited issues—it's mostly the fact these issues have been well-known for awhile now. Remember: Surprises tend to move markets most, not well-known concerns.
MarketMinder's View: As we've cautioned before, investors should beware the risks of giving such technical indicators too much credence—particularly ones based on a flawed, price-weighted index like the Dow. For more, see our 01/09/2012 cover story, "The Golden Cross."
MarketMinder's View: We're not quite sure what to make of the argument overall, but we're confident of one thing: Instituting a financial transaction tax would no doubt engender myriad unintended consequences and hurt banks more than it would help. Adding congestion to the financial system hardly seems a logical way to improve its overall operation.
MarketMinder's View: As we've said before, we don't really think the US has much of a demand problem. So we're dubious of the efficacy of greatly increasing state and local government payrolls as a means to encouraging faster economic growth. Rather, we'd urge a greater focus on making it easier for the private sector to continue its already rather impressive growth.
MarketMinder's View: "The Conference Board reported today that its Leading Economic Index (LEI) increased in January for the fourth consecutive month, reaching an index level of 94.9, the highest level since July of 2008, three and-a-half years ago." More evidence of continued economic growth.
MarketMinder's View: Despite all the fears about increased inflation, CPI (the most widely accepted gauge of inflation) remained overall relatively flat.
MarketMinder's View: Our latest contribution to The Street.
MarketMinder's View: Make no mistake—Sarbanes-Oxley's ills far exceed just this small aspect. Nevertheless, this is an incremental and intermediate step in the right direction.
MarketMinder's View: Many seem to want less profitable banks, but remember: Less profitable banks are more dangerous and less likely to lend—which is what happened in 2008-2009.
MarketMinder's View: While rhetoric's undoubtedly heated, we're inclined to see that more as the traditional two steps forward, one step back dance the eurozone's been dancing for over a year now. After all, politicians are facing dual motivations of, on the one hand, maintaining the eurozone while on the other ensuring constituents they're being sufficiently tough on "troublemakers" and defending their home nation.
MarketMinder's View: We're perpetually cautious when it comes to increasing government oversight—while the motivation may be reasonable enough, the unintended consequences are nearly always pernicious.
MarketMinder's View: While we're mindful a single story is rarely solely responsible for market action, we got a chuckle out of this: "It was reviewing the long-term ratings and standalone credit assessments of a range of banks, Moody's added. Markets were unaffected by the announcement." Makes sense—after all, the much-maligned ratings agencies have hardly been timely messengers.
MarketMinder's View: While tax increases are frequently framed as well-intentioned efforts at funding other government programs, the reality is the unintended consequences and costs typically offset any potential benefit. Not to mention funding social welfare spending through increased sales taxes seems a bit odd—particularly given sales taxes are by definition more regressive than other taxes, meaning they hit those at the lower end of the income spectrum harder.
MarketMinder's View: The majority of the hold-up is (not surprisingly) political, not financial, wrangling—and is mostly the same predictable second movement of the Greek debt sonata we've witnessed over the last year-plus.
MarketMinder's View: Increased demand for European corporate debt ultimately means cheaper financing for European businesses—a positive that potentially helps spur European private sectors.
MarketMinder's View: While we'd quibble with very minor aspects of this, the overall point is pretty spot-on: "If you are worried about current budget forecasts that predict massive deficits as far as the eye can see, remind yourself that no long-term budget forecast has ever been accurate. … What happens in the future might be better or worse than currently envisioned, but it almost certainly won't be what is envisioned."
MarketMinder's View: The US private sector continues logging positive data points—which, combined, paint a picture of a stronger US economy than most presume.
MarketMinder's View: Though borrowing costs went up slightly, demand increased sharply from Spain's last auction. This year, Spain's already raised €42 billion in short- and long-term debt—roughly a third of what it plans to auction for the full year.
MarketMinder's View: Hear, hear! For more, see our 08/24/2011 cover story, "Regulating Regulators' Regulations."
MarketMinder's View: This epitaph for China's market rally seems premature—yes, January loan growth missed expectations, but it still accelerated. Remember, Chinese officials have every incentive to boost economic growth during the coming political transition, and their efforts will likely become even more apparent in the months ahead. For more, see today's cover story, "Reasons to Be Bullish on China."
MarketMinder's View: This argument seems a bit backwards—Greece's ability to meet obligations isn't in question because its economy is contracting. Rather, it's because officials aren't sure Greece has implemented enough reform to warrant more aid. Portugal has met its austerity benchmarks though, and the political willingness to continue providing funding seems alive and well.
MarketMinder's View: We find much to quibble with here, but the largest is the idea that state ownership somehow gives Chinese companies undue advantage. Decades of historical evidence suggest the opposite is true—private-sector firms tend to operate far more efficiently and profitably, especially on a global scale. State firms may have the advantage within China's borders, but probably not in the rest of the world.
MarketMinder's View: We're rather puzzled over how the UK and France can be cited for "declining export performance"—both nations saw healthy increases in exports and total trade in 2011. For more, see our 02/13/2012 cover story, "A Surplus of Deficient Thinking."
MarketMinder's View: Politicking over Greece's second bailout continues, and further delays wouldn't be at all shocking. But as this piece shows, officials are apparently taking steps to ensure Greece gets the short-term funding it needs in the meantime, continuing the gradual "kicking cans down the road" approach.
MarketMinder's View: Though the yuan is increasingly used in international trade, it likely won't supplant the dollar as the world's major reserve currency in the future—the government's grip on the currency is too tight, and China's capital markets are too shallow.
MarketMinder's View: Though the economic benefits of the payroll tax holiday are likely miniscule, the deal to extend it nevertheless removes one of the uncertainties on Americans' minds this year—an incremental positive.
MarketMinder's View: Though aggregate eurozone GDP fell a bit, the region isn't uniformly weak—France grew, and Germany held up better than expected. Plus, a shallow eurozone contraction—or recession, if it comes to that—likely won't derail global growth, considering the US and Emerging Markets remain strong. For more, see our 12/02/2011 research analysis, "If Europe Faces Recession, Can the US Economy Still Continue to Grow?"
MarketMinder's View: Streamlining organic food regulations on both sides of the Atlantic will likely increase trade and lower exporters' compliance costs (and headaches!)—bringing consumers in the US and Europe more choices and lower prices. An incremental step forward in the global race toward zero protectionism.
MarketMinder's View: As ever, we wonder why anyone lends much credence to ratings agencies' ratings—at best, they merely confirm what the rest of the world has long known. For more, see our 01/13/2012 cover story "S&P's Shifting Opinion."
MarketMinder's View: There's no denying Greece has a very tough road ahead, but EU officials' strategy of "kicking cans" down the road—pushing out problems until a solution presents itself or the eurozone manages to muddle through—seems far more sensible than suggested here. Another Greek debt flare-up wouldn't surprise, but EU officials and Greek leaders continue to show they remain committed to keeping the eurozone intact and avoiding a disorderly sovereign default. For more, see today's cover story, "Running the Greek Marathon."
MarketMinder's View: We quibble with the notion smaller-than-expected retail sales indicate a "shaky economy." That retail sales continued to climb, despite a drop in auto sales (which can be attributed to a number of factors), seems like a positive indicator of economic strength to us. In fact, excluding autos, retail sales grew 0.7% in January, beating expectations.
MarketMinder's View: The situations of Greece and the US are simply not comparable in any meaningful way. We could list the reasons here, but it would be almost too lengthy. Instead, please read this article to better understand why the US does not have the debt crisis alluded to in this article.
MarketMinder's View: As we've noted in the past, Italy is the issue of primacy in the eurozone. Of the PIIGS, it has the most debt maturing in 2012 and rolls over nearly half of it in February, March and April. Today's auction, like others thus far, saw ample coverage and falling yields, making it increasingly likely Italy clears key funding hurdles. For more, see our 02/03/2012 cover story, "These PIIGS Went to Market."
MarketMinder's View: The Valentine's Day announcement of more quantitative easing from the BOJ continues a trend of accommodative monetary policy by global central banks—one of the many positives underpinning our positive market outlook.
MarketMinder's View: A helpful, data-driven debunking of three popular economic misperceptions. In fact, Americans don't spend most of their money on Chinese-made goods, China doesn't own most of our debt and the Middle East doesn't supply most of our oil.
MarketMinder's View: Moderating inflation in the UK likely gives the BOE increased headroom to take accommodative measures, like last week's £50 billion increase to its quantitative easing program—just another sign of continued accommodative policies from the world's central banks. For more, see our 02/03/2012 commentary on iStockAnalyst.com, "Central Bank Accommodations."
MarketMinder's View: Strong consumer demand has forced many businesses to ramp up currently lean inventories—another sign of the US economy's underappreciated strength.
MarketMinder's View: Growth rate volatility is just normal, which means it's nearly universally a mistake to extrapolate a current trend forward—or pencil in a repeat of what just happened. What's most important is growth. And we had that in 2011, so frankly, we aren't totally sure we understand all the handwringing. And for all those who claim the US recovery is super susceptible to shocks, consider: A massive Japanese quake, the eurozone's issues, Thai floods, Middle East tensions and US political gridlock did not trigger a recession last year.
MarketMinder's View: Most discussions of "peak (insert resource here)" fall prey to a similar problem: extrapolating today's knowledge and consumption trends far into the future. And that seems hard at work in this slide show. For more, see our 05/05/2011 column, "A Common Thread Between Horse Manure and Peak Oil."
MarketMinder's View: Yes, it's an election year. And yup, debt rhetoric will likely play a part in the campaigning. But the data presented here paint a skewed picture of US national debt. And that's the primary debt problem we have in the US: Most discussion of US national debt is fear-based. After reading this article, we suggest reading this also.
MarketMinder's View: Assuming the problem of "too big to fail" actually exists (it may—but 2008 doesn't prove the point, considering the outsized role regulatory moves played in generating the financial panic), the idea of making banks' stockowners share in losses doesn't seem like a great one. Shareholders are already punished when banks fail—their holdings drop in value (see Lehman). What's more, the implementation of such a plan would be very problematic. Consider index funds, which are required to own shares of banks. How these passive instruments, designed as pass-throughs, would be able to pony up for bank losses is no small problem with the plan.
MarketMinder's View: A very interesting look at the global natural gas market and developments following Japan's 2011 earthquake. Granted, US companies would have to significantly ramp up efforts to bolster their ability to export LNG, but the opportunity for greater export of this abundant energy source seems to be in place.
MarketMinder's View: Despite protests and political wrangling, Greek politicians showed their pragmatic side and passed the recently agreed-to austerity plan in a vote Sunday. With this, Greece has taken another step toward securing its restructured bailout and enacting voluntary private-sector haircuts. Of course, this doesn't mean the Greek saga is done—but it seems another chapter is reaching its conclusion.
MarketMinder's View: At auction Monday, Italy successfully sold the full allotment of €12 billion in Treasury bills. Twelve-month bond yields fell around 50 basis points from the prior auction January 12—another example of improved conditions. All in all, a good result from Italy's first February's auction.
MarketMinder's View: "A record monthly gain to a new all-time record high for total US freight activity in December that includes shipments by truck, rail, waterways, pipelines and air provides additional evidence that the US economy is recovering and was gaining momentum at year end."
MarketMinder's View: While EU officials are no doubt frustrated with Greece's slow progress, we rather doubt expelling Greece is truly their aim. More likely, they're trying to goad Greek leaders into further reforms, as they have every time Greece needed bailout money. European leaders have consistently and repeatedly shown they're willing to do what's necessary to keep the eurozone intact. For more, see today's cover story, "Same Greek Dance, Different Italian Song."
MarketMinder's View: Whether the trade deficit widened or narrowed, we'd argue the attention paid is overwrought. More important is that total trade—exports and imports—rose nicely, reflecting higher demand. For more, see our 09/09/2011 cover story, "Trade Deficit Trifles."
MarketMinder's View: Consumer sentiment gauges tell us mostly only how people feel about the recent past, which says very little about future economic or stock market movement. An analysis of overall economic data—what people actually do, not what they say—tells more, and recent readings indicate continued economic growth.
MarketMinder's View: Seeing as how this is just January's data—and that month has historically shown sharp slowing in trade associated with week-long Lunar New Year celebrations—we doubt this is as telling as the article posits. What's more, China has historically allowed economic growth to slow prior to an "election" year, giving itself the flexibility to speed growth during the planned transition (mitigating the likelihood of civil unrest). Should China follow this precedent—which we think is likely—then this data would increasingly seem likely to be a blip. For more, see our 01/11/2012 cover story, "China's Confounding Trade Data."
MarketMinder's View: Here's a good Valentine's Day way of analyzing the economy and available data: Look past the initial data missive, don't let sentiment get out of hand and think long term!
MarketMinder's View: Freer trade globally is always a good thing in our opinion—and more and more countries seemingly agree. While there are still a few details to be ironed out here, it's encouraging to see both sides want to reach a trade agreement as soon as possible.
MarketMinder's View: While government statistics are often imperfect and should be taken with a grain of salt, last week's unemployment report was indeed more transparent than some have posited. Though the labor force participation rate fell a bit, due to population increases, the total number of workers did, in fact, rise.
MarketMinder's View: Some of these measures may be a bit unpleasant for those affected in the short term, but overall, they seem a sensible way for Spain to improve productivity, competitiveness and growth—encouraging steps toward a more sustainable long-term path.
MarketMinder's View: Yes, Greece still has an extremely challenging road ahead. But in our view, the measures discussed thus far have seemed largely appropriate in facing such significant obstacles to freely operating markets as Greece's. In our view, taking steps aimed at future competitiveness, though undoubtedly painful now, are Greece's best chance at ultimately solving its fiscal woes.
MarketMinder's View: This ignores several important points—like the fact what matters far more than our absolute debt level is the amount of interest we pay on that debt. But aside from that, it ignores the astounding entrepreneurial ability of markets to avert disaster—doubting capitalism this time around seems short-sighted to us.
MarketMinder's View: The title of this seemed promising—but the content proved less so. It simply glosses over the significant role new rules, regulations, laws and government actions played in generating 2008's financial crisis. And the analogy here—that capitalist businesses are like "toddlers" and governments the "parents," and thus, businesses should "get behind better government oversight"—is quite a stretch. We're highly skeptical of governments' abilities to effectively build "global government structures" that don't set us up for vast future unintended consequences.
MarketMinder's View: We quibble with many aspects of this. Much of Dodd-Frank's key rules are still being designed—how can we envision the future of rules that don't exist? What's more, the predecessor referenced here isn't at all inspirational to us. The reality is Sarbanes-Oxley's unintended consequences have seemingly far outweighed any potential benefits.
MarketMinder's View: There are myriad theories about why unemployment remains elevated—but the reality is it isn't all that historically unusual for it to do so following such a significant recession. Which means you don't really need much of a theory to explain the current level.
MarketMinder's View: Though details are still a bit sketchy and the deal needs parliamentary approval, it seems Greece continues taking steps in the right direction. For more, see today's cover story, "Tick Tock Goes the Clock."
MarketMinder's View: The problem here isn't so much the motivation—which many no doubt find noble enough—but the method. As we've said before, subsidies just aren't the economically efficient way to achieve any goal—green energy's no different. For more, see our 09/21/2011 column, "Government's Very Un-Invisible Hand."
MarketMinder's View: Despite prevalent fears to the contrary, the chances China's yuan replaces the dollar as the international reserve currency of choice are low—primarily because (as is pointed out), the crucial ingredient in creating a global reserve currency is financial market development. And in that arena, the US is simply unchallenged—now and for the foreseeable future.
MarketMinder's View: Increasing inventories seemingly indicate companies are anticipating continued demand growth—which likely helps sustain economic and market momentum as 2012 progresses.
MarketMinder's View: The Bank of England is incrementally expanding its quantitative easing program—another sign of continued accommodative policies from central banks around the world. For more, see our 02/03/2012 commentary on iStockAnalyst, "Central Bank Accommodations."
MarketMinder's View: The notion there's a lack of demand holding back the US economy is something of a fallacy, in our view. As we've said before, employment recovery has always lagged economic growth—thus far, this time hasn't proven all that different.
MarketMinder's View: History shows a rising trade deficit has not led to higher unemployment. For more, see our 10/20/2011 column, "That (Non-Existent) Giant Sucking Sound."
MarketMinder's View: Automatic economic stabilizers might work in concept, but they're rife with potential unforeseen and unintended consequences. Moreover, given they would deprive politicians of opportunities to appease their constituencies come election day, the chances they're ever implemented seem slim to none.
MarketMinder's View: Eurozone politicians' "can-kicking" continues as both sides concede to demands near the last minute. Expect that to continue as the eurozone keeps muddling through its fiscal woes. For more, see our 01/31/2012 cover story, "A European Spectacle."
MarketMinder's View: A sensible piece outlining the economic prosperity brought about by the fracking boom—and a classic example of how supply creates demand. For more, see our 07/29/2011 cover story, "The American Energy Revolution."
MarketMinder's View: While this is likely far from implementation, it's a development is worth watching. Certainly, policies aimed at ensuring more open markets would benefit the eurozone as a whole, but we're slightly wary of potential unintended consequences.
MarketMinder's View: Two interesting charts showing business and consumer re-leveraging activity. As this post lays out, credit expansion doesn't necessarily directly translate into growth, but it "can facilitate growth by more efficiently distributing the economy's resources from savers to investors" and is another indication of growing confidence in the US economy.
MarketMinder's View: Using stocks' dividend yields as a measure of their relative cheapness seems suspect to us—the methodology appears to ignore equities' total return, which is what determines investors' long-term success. In our view, the market's aggregate earnings yield—inverse of the P/E—is a better gauge, and today's ratio suggests stocks are indeed plenty cheap.
MarketMinder's View: We're rather puzzled over how France's record trade deficit signals "loss of competitiveness." As the article even points out, France's total trade—exports and imports—grew in 2011, telling us demand rose in France and other countries bought more French goods. Those seem like healthy signs of competitiveness, in our view.
MarketMinder's View: Lower shipping volumes over the past few months don't tell us much about how China's economy will fare in 2012. Chinese officials have already begun using available throttles to boost growth, and we still expect a nice reacceleration in this "election" year.
MarketMinder's View: Though 15,000 is a teensy share of Greece's bloated public sector, that the government would take even this small step—amid national anti-austerity demonstrations—speaks to Greek leaders' continuing resolve to make changes necessary to get their bailout money.
MarketMinder's View: A succinct rundown of the proposed EU financial transaction tax's potential unintended consequences—like slower economic growth, higher costs (likely passed to consumers) and perhaps riskier behavior by financial institutions seeking to maintain margins. For more, see our 09/29/2011 cover story, "Trifling With Transaction Taxes."
MarketMinder's View:
The 16% increase in US job openings in 2011 is yet another sign of the private sector's underappreciated strength. For more, see our 01/06/2012 cover story, "Private-Sector Strength."
MarketMinder's View: Here's strong evidence cutting taxes can boost growth and revenues: Income-tax-free states "have recorded faster revenue growth to pay for government services over the past two decades than states with income taxes. That's because growth in the economy from attracting jobs and capital has meant greater tax collections."
MarketMinder's View: High Indonesian growth is a good sign of strength in emerging Asia—a region we expect to be overall robust in 2012.
MarketMinder's View: This article attempts to build the case the Great Depression was triggered by a wealth gap—but doesn't address monetary policy errors, protectionism and regulatory changes, of the day. In our view, those go far further in explaining what happened than a relative comparison of incomes.
MarketMinder's View: This article is all over the map. It simulataneously argues to buy bonds but worries they might be overvalued. It worries about deflation and inflation. And has a host of other comments that seemingly cancel one another.
MarketMinder's View: We agree unemployment remains high. But this is an altogether too-dour take on the US economy, in our view. What's more, the call for more Fed action assumes QE has been successful in creating jobs. We'd suggest that has much more to do with a healthy (and gorwing) private sector.
MarketMinder's View: Recently, the IMF has been doling out negativity nearly daily. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), the IMF is seeking to boost its cash coffers via increased national government contributions. Absent some new, shocking development, it seems unlikely to us eurozone weakness has a severe global impact. For more, see our article on The Street, "Mapping Stress From Eurozone."
MarketMinder's View: In our view, what's sensible about this story is it highlights today's gap between sentiment and fundamentals quite well—a bullish feature we expect to provide a tailwind for stocks in 2012. For more, see our 02/02/2012 cover story, "After the Pause."
MarketMinder's View: We'd quibble with minor aspects of this, but the general thrust is spot on: The principal "I" word resulting in more US jobs is innovation, not insourcing.
MarketMinder's View: Propelled by orders from outside the eurozone, German factory orders rose in December—seemingly alluding to the fact the global economy is growing and demand from abroad can help buoy the eurozone.
MarketMinder's View: Our latest contribution to The Street.
MarketMinder's View: Unemployment is undoubtedly still high and likely will take time to fall toward the long-term average. But the take here on Friday's data is overall too bearish, in our view—particularly given the data weren't bearish. Moreover, there's little evidence trade deficits—regardless of cause or source—actually hamper growth or jobs much. Consider the workers employed at ports unloading imports. Or the truckers transporting them to stores, or the retailers selling them and so on.
MarketMinder's View: Forecasts like this are a stretch considering China's far from a liberalized and modern financial system. Meaning such arguments are at best very long-range forecasts—which are notoriously unreliable.
MarketMinder's View: Considering VIX fluctuations aren't reliably predictive of future stock market movements—or even future VIX movements—it's likely neither.
MarketMinder's View: Unemployment numbers continue improving, providing more evidence of a growing US economy.
MarketMinder's View: "US service companies grew at the fastest pace in 11 months in January as companies started hiring to keep up with rising demand"—highlighting a point we've made before: employment recovery is a lagging indicator. Businesses typically won't hire until well into expansion, when reduced staffs are no longer able to keep up with business demand—which is seemingly increasingly the case.
MarketMinder's View: Though many have decried the euro as unsustainable in light of its recent woes, here's an interesting look at a country realizing enormous benefits that accompany participation in the single currency.
MarketMinder's View: We disagree with the notion government stimulus has been too small—or that 2008's financial crisis and ensuing recession created a hole that's "too big to fill." Rather, we'd argue the economy and market have come a long way since the recession, albeit in fits and starts—but that's much more typical of markets and economies than most folks think. Instead of more stimulus, we'd recommend the government stand aside in every practicable sense and let the market and economy continuing "fixing" themselves.
MarketMinder's View: We'd argue instead the measures European officials and financial institutions have instituted to help backstop struggling peripheral nations have been largely appropriate—and the fact credit markets seemingly continue demonstrating investors' confidence in European sovereign debt speaks to the low likelihood of a sudden eurozone implosion. Are there risks? Yes—as always. But the alternatives to helping those countries maintain their liquidity are seemingly far direr.
MarketMinder's View: Rather than focusing on ways government can invest in areas believed to be "underfunded" (though we'd disagree that's the case), we'd suggest it instead focus on ways it may be preventing or disincentivizing the private sector from growing or investing more. As has been demonstrated myriad times, the private sector is a much wiser investor and spender than the government—the chances it's much different this time seem pretty small.
MarketMinder's View: While such theories can be fun for investors and sports fans alike, the reality is they're better fodder for trivia night than they are a sound basis for investment decisions. Always remember: Correlation is not causation.
MarketMinder's View: We agree with most of the suggestions here—in our view, government and taxes should generally be as unobtrusive as possible while still providing services best provided by government (though of course what those services are is up for debate—and therein lies much of the rub). For more, see our 09/28/2011 cover story, "Taxing Regulation."
MarketMinder's View: As we've noted, one potential risk to markets this year is the possibility European regulators enact draconian financial and/or banking regulations—so that they're considering loosening them some is likely a positive, in our view. For more, see today's cover story, "After the Pause."
MarketMinder's View: Privatization is an important step not only in Portugal, but in peripheral Europe as a whole—which, to our minds, has overall too much state ownership and too little private ownership. That state assets are thus far going for a premium is icing on the cake.
MarketMinder's View: An interesting look at a historical period demonstrating lower tax rates can actually raise federal revenues—though even proponents at the time doubted it would be as successful as it was.
MarketMinder's View: Consumers in Pennsylvania are realizing significant savings because they're switching personal energy consumption from oil to natural gas. This sums it up perfectly: "When energy sources like natural gas make sense based on their scientific and economic merits, government and political support is unnecessary." For more, see our 09/21/2011 column, "Government's Very Un-Invisible Hand."
MarketMinder's View: We're slightly puzzled by the notion high unemployment, dour consumer sentiment and a weak housing market are somehow "secret"—these issues are a few years old now. The real "secrets"—and, in our view, the ones more likely to affect markets over time—are today's many underappreciated positives. For more, see our 12/13/2011 research analysis, "Six Indicators of Underappreciated Economic Strength."
MarketMinder's View: Growth measures sound dandy in theory, but the recently leaked Franco-German proposal on ways to "strengthen growth" included a financial transaction tax and corporate tax harmonization—two measures, in our view, more likely to prove solutions in search of a problem than growth-enhancing. For more, see our 01/24/2012 column, "The Harm in Harmony."
MarketMinder's View: Like the US, the UK has a sizable debt load in absolute terms. Yet, also like the US, when you scale British net public debt to GDP and tax revenues, it appears relatively benign (compared to history) and affordable. In our view, Britain's bond markets seem to be "hearing" just fine.
MarketMinder's View: History is full of unintended consequences from officials trying to "fix" troubled nations and regions. Thus, we'd argue giving the IMF or any supranational organization a mandate to "fix" the eurozone isn't the wisest move. In our view, EU officials' slow-go approach, while frustrating to many, is likely the sounder path. For more, see our 01/31/2012 cover story, "A European Spectacle."
MarketMinder's View: More evidence of a robust US economy—one of many underappreciated positive factors we think are likely to buoy stocks in 2012.
MarketMinder's View: A delightful look at free markets, the innovation they spur, and the consumer choice that brings—just some of the "glories" of capitalism.
MarketMinder's View: Whether Chinese manufacturing expanded (as reported by the government) or contracted (as suggested by a private firm's perhaps less "dirty" data) a bit in December, as this piece points out, the stage seems set for increasingly accommodative monetary policy. We believe China's government has every incentive to boost economic growth in this "election" year—likely helping that nation avoid a hard landing. For more, see our 01/11/2012 cover story, "China's Confounding Trade Data."
MarketMinder's View: US-Taiwan free-trade talks stalled in 2007 over Taiwan's import restrictions on American beef, but Taiwan wants to overcome that disagreement and resume the conversation. Given the issue's sensitivity, it's likely not resolved overnight, but even renewed dialogue is incremental progress in the global race towards zero protectionism.


text:
Sir Frank Brangwyn
1 portrait of Sir Frank Brangwyn
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Sir Frank Brangwyn
by Joseph Simpson
etching and drypoint, circa 1931
17 5/8 in. x 11 3/8 in. (448 mm x 288 mm) paper size
Given by Royal Society of British Artists, 1991
Reference Collection
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Sitterback to top
- Sir Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956), Painter. Sitter in 22 portraits, Artist of 1 portrait.
Artistback to top
- Joseph Simpson (1879-1939), Artist. Artist associated with 8 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.
Related worksback to top
- NPG D18418: Sir Frank Brangwyn (from same plate)
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1931back to top
Current affairsSailors at the Invergordon naval base mutiny in response to pay cuts. The cuts of up to 25% were part of the government's attempt to deal with the Great Depression by reducing public spending. Sailors protested by holding meetings and refusing orders.
Dr Harold Moody founds the League of Coloured Peoples, lobbying for equal rights for black people in Britain and for international civil rights.
Art and scienceThe modern tube map is introduced. Harry Beck's design was unique in following the properties of a circuit diagram rather than the geographical location of the stations.
The Vic-Wells Ballet company is founded by Dame Ninette de Valois and housed by Lilian Baylis at Sadler's Wells Theatre. It was granted a Royal Charter in 1957 and became the Royal Ballet.
InternationalThe Second Spanish Republic is established. Following an election dominated by the Republicans, King Alfonso XIII abdicated and a new constitution was drawn up.
The Statute of Westminster grants legislative equality to the self-governing Dominions of the British Empire. The Statue decreed that the British Government could no longer make ordinary law for the dominions unless it was at their request and with their consent.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
the u.s. department of justice is scheduled to release the initial draft of the report on the fbi's carnivore internet snooping system today. the report will say that carnivore needs some minor configuration changes but that it does not "overcollect" internet information and is safe for continued use.
the 11-week review was conducted by a panel of experts from the illinois institute of technology and its chicago-kent college of law, led by the law school's dean, henry perritt, jr. the doj has not released the report on its website yet but dean perritt spoke to some media sources to give his overall impression of the system. the report was turned in last week and the doj/fbi has been going over it to edit out parts that will not be released to the public (e.g., technical specifications and weaknesses found). thus, specifics of the review and the recommendations the review team made will probably not be revealed, though perritt did give some broader details.
while dean perritt says that carnivore "can't come close to sucking up all the communications of an [internet provider] of any size" and that "some of the larger concerns were way, way overblown," the review team would like to see changes made to the default settings and the configuration screens. one of the default settings, for example, is that all e-mail addresses should be collected. plus, changing carnivore to capture all internet traffic instead of only e-mail addresses can be done with just a single click on a check-box. there are apparently many other intricate options in the numerous configuration screens that can be confusing or subject to simple mistakes with larger consequences; the review team supposedly asked the fbi's software engineers to use confirmation boxes for setting changes. the fbi's engineers are apparently already working to institute some of the changes the panel recommended in the next version of carnivore, which might be ready in february.
many privacy advocates feel this review could not have been truly objective, since most of the review panel had done work for the government before and since the doj had put very restrictive conditions on the investigation (including reserving the ability to rewrite and edit the report at will). perritt denies any subjectivity, saying that the fbi was "completely open and cooperative" throughout the investigation; the review panel also urged the doj to let future expert panels review upcoming versions of carnivore as well.
for much more information, please see the wall street journal article and the associated press item.
sam's opinion
well, no surprises here, except that the report isn't on the web yet. everyone expected from the beginning that this report would exonerate carnivore and the 25 or so times it's (reportedly) been used since april '99. ever since the details of the department of justice's call for bids from institutions interested in performing the "technical review" became known, privacy advocates and even many well-known schools saw that the end result would almost certainly have to be a whitewash. this is not meant to impugn dean perritt's efforts–no one put in that situation could have produced an objective report that would be perceived as an objective report. we've done many items on carnivore and the details of the technical review, so if you want some background use the search box at the top of the left-hand column to search for "carnivore."
one thing i found interesting is that the associated press article had almost no details of the report, saying that dean perritt didn't have much to share since it wasn't clear what the doj would include in the released report. the wsj article, however, apparently had much more success in getting information out of the dean, or other review panel members or outside sources or something. it will be very interesting to see if the doj's final version of the report includes any of the information about simplifying carnivore's configuration screens and default settings. those pieces of information were the scariest things i read in the wsj article. if all it takes to go from monitoring e-mail addresses to monitoring all 'net traffic (e-mail content, instant message text, web surfing destinations, etc.) is an unconfirmed check-box, the system can be abusive completely by accident. yuck.
we should also remember that this review was not allowed to consider the ethical or legal implications of using a system like carnivore–it was to be a technical review only. thus, the most important issues of maintaining privacy online were ignored by design from the beginning. sweet dreams, all :)
user comments 26 comment(s)
|right (1:28pm est tue nov 21 2000)
just how many bugs does this thing have…and why doesnt the doj want the tech specs released? – by wtf
|lets make the config screen look nice and pretty (2:03pm est tue nov 21 2000)
wtf??? why did they mention this? was that all that dean perritt was concerned about. i don't need a damn expert to tell me that crap like it needs to look nice and pretty! what a nice way to throw off the subject. i'm gonna just hold off on all the shit cuz they might being using the carnivore on me.
beware they are watching!!! – by duhman
|m$ carnivore? (2:04pm est tue nov 21 2000)
maybe it was built by microsoft. we'll probably see carnivore sp1 released shortly. – by easy
|indicative of a bigger problem… (2:10pm est tue nov 21 2000)
sorry, but to me, carnivore is simply an example of the problems affecting the country right now.
the government's giving mixed messages ("we don't want to run your lives"; "you should be responsible parents and determine what's best for you and your family"; "however, although it directly contradicts those previous two statements, we're also going to monitor and police your email and internet traffic because we don't truly trust you, nor do we feel you'll always make the best decisions in life"
give me a break! this country's in a bad way right now (as evidenced by the fact that our next president will be determined by whomever has the best lawyers, not by the popular vote of the people).
to the fbi… don't you think that you should concentrate on more important things than random scrapings from the net? i could name literally hundreds of things that are potentially more damaging to the countrys well-being, but which are ignored by the government in favor of these "low effort, high impact" programs wherein agents sit at a desk, swilling coffee, and feeling superior to everyone, while they point and click their way to an arrest.
if this is what crime fighting in america's about, why not pay them minimum wage (as any mouse pushing, non-thinking employee gets paid), and then see how eager they are to trample citizens rights.
or to shoot up some misunderstood seperatists…
or to light fire to a commune full of women and children.
or… to back up the president, and hide evidence while he's getting felated in his office.
sorry… these are all examples of why the chinese will be running this country before the next century: a misplaced sense of justice and righteousness, and a law enforcement system that's more morally corrupt than the majority of the people they bust.
sad… and the average citizen sits back and takes it…
– by mr. cancelled
|hey easy (2:14pm est tue nov 21 2000)
it is rumored to be using windows nt, as i recall. – by kyle
|mr cancelled is right (3:22pm est tue nov 21 2000)
this country is going to hell in a hand basket, and too many are ignorant of it.
it's all laid out in the bible, for those that care. – by chameleon
|addendum (3:32pm est tue nov 21 2000)
are any of you aware that we are in a judicial dictatorship?
we are not a republic, or even a democracy, as many incorrectly think we are in.
the proof to this statement is the fact that the supreme court can, at their discression, interpret the constitution any way they wish, and it will become the law… they could say that the right to bear arms does not mean guns, but rather the two arms which are attached to your shoulders, and this would be the law.
these 9 (wo)men could say that black is white, and any one who opposes should be thrown in jail, or executed, and it would be law.
these supreme court judiciaries are appointed by the presedent, not all at once, but one at a time. since it's a majority rules court, one person can truly make the difference in a 5-4 split.
this will probably be the downfall of our society, and perhaps the world.
i truly regret not voting. i am ashamed of myself, even though i realize that my single vote may not change things directly, but it might have made a difference… especially since i guesstimate that the number of voters compared to those who play the lottery (i do not participate in this tax on idiots) is a ratio in favor of chaos.
this only makes me feel worse about my choice to not vote.
|oops! (3:33pm est tue nov 21 2000)
i spelled president wrong, sorry. – by chameleon
|hmmm… (4:29pm est tue nov 21 2000)
"chinese will be running this country before the next century"
so, do you think they'll be able to run their own country first, or just take over ours and leave china? – by god�
|hmmm pt.2 (4:33pm est tue nov 21 2000)
maybe they'll translocate (is that a word?) themselves with us. i can see why they'd want to take over. then we'd really know what it's like to live in crap….
(moral of the story kiddies? it's not that bad here, and the grass is definitely dead on the other side). – by god�
|carnivore can be defeated by anyone who wants to (4:46pm est tue nov 21 2000)
carnivore can only collect the traffic it finds on the 'net; it can't decrypt anything, and it's easy and legal to use pgp with better-than-military-grade encryption.
in other words, the only people carnivore will be effective agaisnt are (1) idiots, who will undoubtedly be caught in the usual mundane fashion, and (2) honest citizens.
anyone who's using the 'net to commit real crimes in an organized fashion will be completely immune to carnivore's snooping. – by icesnake frostfyre
|excellent!!! (5:14pm est tue nov 21 2000)
i mean… really?
:) – by god�
|"we, the people, in order to format a more perfect "goofiness"… (5:39pm est tue nov 21 2000)
it's pathetic.
the american taxpayer is giving his/her money to a governing elite that is hell-bent on knowing everything and everyone in order to not "form a more perfect union" but to form "a more perfect seperation" of those who know and those who don't.
the old "us vs them" mentality has reached a pathological state.
i guess this is the outcome: a "state" of pathology that is ubiquitous across the land.
its pretty evident that "by the people, of the people, for the people" is a wishful fantasy promulgated by the ruling elites for the benefit of the great unwashed "…in order to form a more perfect division…". – by abraxas2
|everyone use pgp and this box is dead! (12:07am est wed nov 22 2000)
well since this box just searches key words a pgp'd message would not contain any keywords. if you purchased pgp and used the auto extracting feature, your key would be different everytime even if your pass phrase was the same. so if everyone sends all email pgp'd, important or not this government spy box will be useless! secondly, it would take much more processing power to even think about un pgping every message to search key words if possible at all.
so get the latest pgp from mcafee site, make up a pass phrase and give that to all your friends, always send pgp's with the same pass phrase and put this system 6 feet under!! – by george washington
|hey god, chinese are coming! (12:18am est wed nov 22 2000)
china is on the up swing, they've existed far longer than the u.s. we could blow up the same amount of people that live in the u.s. and not even phase china.. us americans are buying everything from china because we are greedy and want to buy everything we desire, so we buy what ever is cheepiest. thus, we transfer the economic power to china. whether we trade with china or not, the rest of the world will. some clam but it's a third world country.. go through the south and see the people living in shacks i say we have people here living in a third world. all i can say is you all better start learning some chinese!! it's just too bad their government is communist, the people of china are very friendly…
but you're god you should know all this! – by george w. bush
|u.s. government knows best (9:31am est wed nov 22 2000)
it seem's like to u.s. government
had nothing better to do than snoop
well what are other countries useing to do the same type of thing? @ this point it would seem like the internet have become another controlled box from which you can be kicked out of is you don't play nice
i mean the in u.s. free speech is almost gone, if you're saying something good, people like it – but if you're critical or say something that the majority doesn't like you're a monster
the internet is the final place total free of these types of asshole
and now the government wants to stick their noses in here too
remember the u.s. government knows what's best for you – give me a break……. – by mr kwan (mtr)
|conflicting statements (11:21am est wed nov 22 2000)
"can't come close to sucking up all the communications of an [internet provider] of any size"
"…changing carnivore to capture all internet traffic instead of only e-mail addresses can be done with just a single click on a check-box."
does anyone else see a problem with these statements? – by fishbert
|might be fun, might be dangerous (3:16pm est wed nov 22 2000)
heres an idea…everyone sign up w/a free, anonymous isp and on the day they implement carnivour, we'll send out emails containing words like kill president heroin castro. if everyone does this all on the same day, it might overload the system…or do i not understand carnivor enought yet? – by might be stupid
|america's obsession with "bunky bad-ass"… (2:15am est fri nov 24 2000)
once again we can count on the americans to introduce a software product that invades privacy.
it's such a given that americans, while espousing there freedom to be "who they are" continuously devote vast sums of money and time to insure that it doesn't exist.
american's need to get out of the sandbox of peurile perception and mature to the gift that has been given them.
endless are the assertions of americans about there greatness, there freedoms, their individuality. yet, we overseas are endlessly hearing of their violence, their stupidity concerning resolutions of "social issues" and their utter avaricious consumption of stupid ideas and justifications for theri miserably mean treatment of others.
it amazes me that you have not met with some really difficult times as every breath you take is an insult to anyone or anything that might have created us to share in purposeful consciousness.
perhaps that is your problem-you have no "real" purpose other than to show the rest of humanity what it is to be a stupid waste of effort. – by xenophobe
|china sucks (12:31pm est sun dec 03 2000)
screw china, you're nothing but worthless gooks, and with out the americans you would be poor fools without jobs, so when you start appreciating america, that's when i'll show you the smallest amount of respect. – by crashin
|i hate chinks (12:35pm est sun dec 03 2000)
all chinks must die, you fucking chinks always talk shit, wel die, die, die.. – by luniz
|chinks are cool (1:11am est thu apr 19 2001)
chinks are cool.. and if you want them to die iuniz, go fuck your mom you worthless piece of shit, cause i'm a chink and damn proud of it…. – by chink
|fucking chinks can't drive (1:33am est fri dec 21 2001)
stick to fucking bicycles because you don't know a car from your slanted asshole you goddamn bay area dumbass fucking slanty-eyed dumb asses!~ – by chink killer
|are your chinks are dumbasses (1:36am est fri dec 21 2001)
one of those slanty eyed dumbfucks pulled out in front of me, blocking my lane and stopped.
i want to rip his intestines out of his slanty chink throat. – by kissmyredneckass
|get along! (12:46pm est wed jun 05 2002)
try to speak nice to each other. the government wants us to hate each other. so we fight,rob and kill each other. so they can bring in more represive laws. – by t.d.
|childish (3:54pm est tue jul 23 2002)
it's childish that people flame slanty eyed gooks all over the board. why do you focus your hate on one person or group? others have done this in history, most famous of which was hitler.
next, to xenophobe. you refer to our idealism as such, "you have no "real" purpose other than to show the rest of humanity what it is to be a stupid waste of effort". your comments are complete jealousy at most – if you ever lived in america, you would know what pride is. we try. we try damn fucking hard. but it seems you neglected to mention what country your from. perhaps because it's citizens like to point out the problems with other countries before fixing it's own? this i do not know. but i know i try. i try and be the best god damn person i can be. and if every american feels the way i do, then we still have mistakes — but we are more than willing to correct them.
george w. bush – did you ever take a college level economics? or are you just spouting? your statements hold little truth. – by centaurus


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Second horse killed on 'Flicka' set
SIMI VALLEY, Calif., April 28 (UPI) -- Animal-rights activists are butting heads with Hollywood over the second horse killed on the set of the remake of "My Friend Flicka."
Two days after a horse was killed during a "wild horse race" scene, the American Humane Association announced Wednesday that another animal had been euthanized April 11 after breaking a leg near Simi Valley, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
Critics say the AHA has a conflict of interest because it is paid by the Screen Actors Guild of Hollywood to monitor animal treatment.
"I am mortified. Poor horses. They've gotta stop this," said Kathy Riordan, a member of the Los Angeles Animal Services Commission. "I personally think there is a major conflict of interest when the entity responsible for monitoring an industry is supported by it. Any way you look at it, (the AHA) gets paid by Hollywood and there's something wrong with that."
Cat in tote bag rescued from river
TORONTO, April 28 (UPI) -- Moses the cat was rescued at the last minute after using up just about all of its nine lives trapped in a tote bag floating down Canada's freezing Don River. .
Ivor and Shirley Oram heard the cat howling as they walked along the river but couldn't pinpoint the sound until they spotted a bright blue tote bag stuck on some rocks.
Oram retrieved the bag and found the orange tabby inside, partially submerged in water inside and barely alive.
"He was at the point where I think we'd heard his last cry," Oram told the Toronto Sun.
That was two weeks ago Saturday, and Moses, believed to be somewhere between the ages of 1 and 3, has made a remarkable comeback under the care of the Humane Society, who supplied the Biblical name. The Orams plan to adopt Moses soon as possible to join their three cats and dog at home.
Orange County saves bat bridge
SANTA ANA, Calif., April 28 (UPI) -- The government of Orange County, Calif., bought a private bridge to save the more than 1,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that consider it home.
Supervisor Bill Campbell, who has been negotiating with the property owner for more than a year to save the Hicks Canyon Haul Road Bridge in the northeast part of the county, said Wednesday the structure is slated to become public property, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The move is one step toward making the bridge part of a regional trail system.


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LONDON — If you say tomato, and I say tomahto, the British Library wants to know.
The research institution is inviting people to have their voices recorded as part of a project to chart the way pronunciation and accents in English are changing.
The library wants visitors to read aloud a passage from a children's book called "Mr. Tickle'' so that linguists can compare the way people make vowel sounds, learn how they deal with words ending in "ing,'' and hear whether they pronounce "garage'' to rhyme with marriage or mirage.
Roger Walshe, the library's head of learning, said yesterday the result will be "a snapshot of English in the early 21st century.''
Visitors to the Evolving English exhibition, which opens Nov.12, will be able to record themselves in sound booths, and others may submit audio clips on the library's website, www.bl.uk. The results will be preserved for future researchers in the library's sound archive.
The exhibition traces the development of English over more than 1,000 years, through displays that range from an original manuscript of the Anglo-Saxon epic "Beowulf'' to the King James Bible and Victorian pamphlets on how to speak properly.
Just what constitutes "proper'' pronunciation remains a thorny issue, especially in Britain, whose many accents can often pinpoint the speaker's regional origin and class background. George Bernard Shaw's observation in "Pygmalion'' that "it is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman despise him'' still holds a large measure of truth.
Yet linguists say pronunciation is constantly evolving.


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I have LOTS of new CU sets in my shop, and my new November CU Grab-Bag has been released!!! I've been creating many New Fall & Winter/Christmas sets too, to help you in creating wonderful holiday/seasonal designs!
Here's some of what's new!!
Thanks for looking
1 Comment on New Products & Grab-Bag for November!
these look awesome.


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Perry, who served as the chairman of leftist Al Gores Democratic presidential campaign in Texas in 1988, has a confirmed liberal history on immigration, as The New American has reported, although he now campaigns as a conservative.
In New Hampshire, Perry repeated the idea that building a fence would merely boost the ladder business.
Perrys Remarks
The former Gore booster was speaking to potential supporters at a private reception, The Associated Press reported, when someone asked about his support for a border fence.
No, I don't support a fence on the border, he told the Granite Staters, stating:
The fact is, it's 1,200 miles from Brownsville to El Paso. Two things: How long you think it would take to build that? And then if you build a 30-foot wall from El Paso to Brownsville, the 35-foot ladder business gets real good.
Instead, AP reported, Perry brought up a new fence idea:
Perry said he supported "strategic fencing" and National Guard troops to prevent illegal immigration and violence from Mexican drug cartels.
The answer produced an angry shout from at least one audience member. And it exposed an ongoing rift with some conservative voters over Perry's immigration record.
Perry did not say why strategic fencing would not inspire a strategic laddering but in any event, Perrys weakness on immigration and defending our borders is nothing new.
Perrys remarks in New Hampshire reprise a similar comment he made in Mexico City in 2007. We know how to deal with border security, and you don't do it by building a fence, Perry said, the AP reported.
You do it by putting boots on the ground; you do it by using the technology that's available ... and coordinating very highly with local, state and federal officials.
But the idea that you're going to build a 1,200-mile wall ... is idiocy. It absolutely would not work. If you build a 40-foot wall, then the 42-foot ladder industry takes off.
And with those remarks, Perry merely reprised leftist Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano,who said the same thing when she was governor of New Mexico. You show me a 50-foot wall and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border. That's the way the border works.
Napolitano ended U.S. efforts to construct a virtual fence in January.
In-State Tuition
Perrys commitment to immigration ideas that fail to defend U.S. sovereignty and border security is solid. In 2001, the former Gore operative signed a state version of the DREAM Act, permitting illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition breaks in college.
As The New American reported, Perry explained his position at a border summit:
We must say to every Texas child learning in a Texas classroom, "We don't care where you come from, but where you are going, and we are going to do everything we can to help you get there." And that vision must include the children of undocumented workers. That's why Texas took the national lead in allowing such deserving young minds to attend a Texas college at a resident rate. Those young minds are a part of a new generation of leaders[;] the doors of higher education must be open to them. The message is simple: educacion es el futuro, y si se puede [education is the future, and yes, we can].
Although Perry supported a bill in Texas to outlaw cities from becoming sanctuaries for illegal aliens, the bill died in committee. But Texas Monthly.com reported that Perry supported policies that in effect granted sanctuary.
He opposed Arizonas tough anti-illegal immigration bill, the website eported, which requires police to determine the immigration status a person with whom they come into lawful contact if police reasonably suspect the person is in the country illegally.
SB 1070, said Perry, would not be the right direction for Texas because some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties, which are critical to keeping citizens safe.
Website Silent
Apparently, Perry knows his leftist position on immigration is troubling and may harm his candidacy.
The issues page of his campaign website ducks the issue entirely.
Conservatives are not happy about Perry's position on the issue. Fox News Latino quotes three activists who say Perry is a weak sister on illegal immigration. William Gheen, of Americans for Legal Immigration, told the network that Gov. Perry is very eager to appear tough on illegal immigration, but upon closer inspection he's part of the problem.
The network also quoted Texas tea party activist Suzanne Guggenheim, a member of the Tea Party Patriots National Leadership Council. We have not seen much at all on immigration, nothing at all," she told Fox Latino, which reported:
There is some disappointment with his leadership on the issue. ...
If Perry becomes president, Texas undocumented immigration opponents say, conservative voters shouldn't expect tough leadership on the issue.
JoAnn Fleming, chairwoman of the Tea Party Caucus advisory committee to the Texas Legislature, said, We have a little bit of trouble imagining that our governor could do that on the national level.
VDare.com flatly states that Perry is pro-amnesty, while the Dont Treat On Me tea party coalition in New Hampshire, earlier this summer, urged members to contact Perry in Texas and push for comprehensive immigration controls.
Despite his weakness on the issue, Perry leads the GOP pack running or president.
The Gallup polling organization reported on Aug. 24 that Perry has emerged as rank-and-file Republicans current favorite for their party's 2012 presidential nomination. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents nationwide say they are most likely to support Perry, with Mitt Romney next, at 17%.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul came in third in the poll, with 13 percent support.
Interestingly, Rep. Paul, whom many would consider a hardliner when it comes to defending U.S. sovereignty, also has reservations about a border fence. When John Stossel of Real Clear Politics, asked Paul during an interview about his position on a border fence, the exchange went as follows:
Stossel: You want a 700-mile fence between our border and Mexico?
Ron Paul: Not really. There was an immigration bill that had a fence (requirement) in it, but it was to attack amnesty. I don't like amnesty. So I voted for that bill, but I didn't like the fence. I don't think the fence can solve a problem. I find it rather offensive.
Stossel: What should we do?
Paul: Get rid of the subsidies. (If) you subsidize illegal immigration, you get more of it.


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Selena Gomez Going Back to Movies After Stars Dance Tour [VIDEO]
Good news for those of you who prefer Selena Gomez movies to her music: She's going back to acting when her Stars Dance tour is up!
DJ Pauly D Dishes on Baby Girl Annabella
DJ Pauly D is a dad, and he's one proud papa. The 'Jersey Shore' alum was revealed to have a six-month old daughter named Annabella, and she's shaping up to be daddy's little girl. The baby, a result of a contentious one night stand, just met her pops, and he can't stop gushing about her. So cute!
Beyonce Allegedly Banned From Pyramids in Egypt
One Direction Announce 2014 Stadium Tour Dates
Directioners, One Direction keep bringing on amazing news! The biggest boy band on the planet just announced a stadium tour for North America in 2014!
Beyonce, 'God Made You Beautiful' – Song Review
Go Behind the Scenes of Ed Sheeran + Macklemore on 'Sesame Street' [VIDEO]
Macklemore and Ed Sheeran will soon be able to tell you how to get to 'Sesame Street!' The freckly pair are both scheduled to appear on the 45th season of the children's series, and now you can get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at their appearances.
Taylor Swift Named American Music Awards 2013 Artist of the Year
Taylor Swift's 14th American Music Award was 2013 Artist of the Year!
Taylor Swift Wins Favorite Country Album + Favorite Pop-Rock Female Artist at 2013 American Music Awards
Congrats to Taylor Swift! The starlet, wearing a short, glittery gold dress, looked like a trophy -- and she took home two of her own!
Ariana Grande Wins Favorite New Artist at 2013 American Music Awards
Add speed reading to Ariana Grande's impressive list of talents!
The songstress took home the Favorite New Artist trophy at the 2013 American Music Awards and showed just how fast she can speak -- and it's almost as well as she can sing!
Avicii Wins Favorite EDM Artist at 2013 American Music Awards
Avicii nabbed his first American Music Award tonight (Nov. 24). Accepting the trophy for Favorite EDM Artist, the Swedish DJ kept his acceptance speech short, sweet and very simple.
2013 American Music Awards Performances
The 2013 American Music Awards were rife with amazing performances from Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, One Direction, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Pitbull featuring Kesha and more. And you can catch them all here!
Macklemore + Ryan Lewis' 'The Heist' Wins Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at 2013 American Music Awards
Congratulations to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis! The duo accepted their American Music Award trophy for the Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album via satellite from Miami, and of course, Mack -- real name Ben Haggerty -- used his platform to draw attention to important social issues. His activism doesn't end at 'Same Love!'


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Diodes Inc. announces its high current density package type, PowerDI123. The package uses a patent-pending interlocking-clip construction and a flat lead frame heat-sink solder pad to achieve thermal performance. The package has a PCB footprint of 6.75 mm2 and a package height of 1 mm. The breakthrough internal construction also exhibits low forward voltage drop and high surge current capabilities. Applications include consumer products such as cellular phones, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras, and notebook computers, as well as automotive applications. Constructed with lead-free plating, 100% matte Tin (Sn) is used on all externally plated surfaces. Flat lead construction contributes to package stability and ease of soldering to the PCB.
Diodes, Inc.


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WALL Street is expecting the government to announce fairly strong growth in jobs tomorrow. And it might be just unlucky enough to get it.
I say "unlucky" because the worst thing that could happen right now is for the economy to show enough growth to allow speculators to drive interest rates higher.
While the prospect of a healthier job market might make people feel a little better, the higher borrowing costs that would result will kick a housing industry that is already down.
You have to understand something about interest rates.
While Wall Street and the media are fixated on what the Federal Reserve will do to rates, what they should really be watching is overseas borrowing costs. If rates move up around the world there's little Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke can do to keep them down here.
Any attempt to drive interest rates lower in the U.S. could cause a boycott by foreign investors, who'd flee our markets in favor of better yields elsewhere.
That, in turn, would hurt an already ill dollar and essentially put the Fed at odds with its charter – that is, to protect the U.S. currency.
But there's something worse about what I just described.
Tomorrow's labor statistics could be decent (maybe even better than that) without there really being an improvement in the economy.
Suddenly my competitors at other publications, like The New York Times, are all over the notion that the government's labor figures are inaccurate. Well, they've just re-invented the wheel and discovered fire.
This column has been saying for years (nah, more than a decade) that the monthly figures on employment and joblessness being put out by Washington were as reliable as an Atlantic City clairvoyant.
The figure coming out tomorrow will be no different, except that the June employment numbers could have a bigger than normal impact on the financial markets because of the light trading volume caused by the July 4th holiday falling smack in the middle of the week.
Wall Street thinks there will be an increase of 125,000 jobs, compared with the healthy 157,000 that were supposedly created in May. (Remember, I don't believe these growth levels. I'm just playing a guessing game as to what the government will report.)
The 125,000 figure isn't a bad guess. In fact, it could be too low because of some squirmy figuring that the government does.
June is the last of big assumptions for the birth of new companies that the government believes – but can't prove – exist.
This guesstimate was largely responsible for the 157,000 new jobs reported in May.
In fact, there probably wouldn't have been any job growth in May if the Labor Department hadn't added 203,000 phantom jobs for companies it believed were too new to count.
In 2006 the government plugged in 166,000 make-believe jobs to the June count. So that's probably in the neighborhood of what will be added this year.
Those 166,000 questionable positions are likely to be enough to get tomorrow's figure near – or above – what Wall Street is anticipating.
If the announced figure comes in where investors expect, there probably won't be any major market reaction.
A weaker-than-expected jobs number will probably only resign Wall Street to what it has come to expect – pathetic growth ahead.
Since any sophisticated investor knows by now that the Fed is hemmed in, there's likely to be little joy over the potential for lower interest rates.
The big problem: a strong jobs number.
That'll probably send interest rates back up to levels seen last month.
Worse, any strong figure will be suspect because of the reasons I've been mentioning for years – and recently discovered by the Times.
So the country could end up with unjustifiably higher rates even as the real economy (one not jazzed by statistical mumbo jumbo) continues to be weak.


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Prostate enlargement and chronic prostate inflammation must be treated locally to achieve tangible results, and men are advised to keep wearing Dr. Allen's Device to reach sustainable recovery.
London, UK (PRWEB) May 14, 2013
Dr. Prem Raj Gyawali, author of the 'Prostatitis: Timely treatment recommended' article in The Himalayan Times, 2013-05-06, says that chronic prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are the same problem. While Dr. Simon Allen thinks that these prostate diseases are actually different, he emphasises that both of them have the same root at the capillary level. Thus both chronic prostatitis and BPH respond equally well to the treatment of Dr. Allen's Device for Prostate Care, which targets their common root by improving capillary function in the prostate, reveals Fine Treatment.
Dr. Gyawali, Associate Professor of Urology at Urology Division of TU Teaching Hospital, states, "Benign Enlargement of Prostate is an asymptomatic type of prostatitis. There is a swelling of the prostate glands, which is also called prostate enlargement. It takes place only after 50 years of age and increases with age. This is a non-infective inflammation of prostate and does not show other symptoms except frequent urination."
When asked whether prostatitis is related to prostate cancer, Dr. Gyawali answered, "Prostate cancer is different and having prostatitis is not a sign of prostate cancer. It does not increase the risk of having cancer."
Dr. Allen explains that cancer differs from other prostate diseases as it may affect not only the prostate but also spread to other organs. It may thus require a separate kind of treatment.
The study supported by the National Institutes of Health, titled 'Role of Inflammation in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia' by Bilal Chughtai, MD, et al., in Rev Urol. 2011, suggests that inflammation may be considered the third component of BPH pathogenesis. This is in addition to androgen receptor signaling in tissue remodeling typical of the advanced stages of the disease. Prostatic stromal cells exert a critical role in the induction of inflammatory responses by activating CD4+ lymphocytes. Thus, BPH may be viewed as a form of asymptomatic inflammatory prostatitis, whose pathogenesis may be triggered by a multitude of factors and pathways.
Contrary to conventional treatments, Dr. Allen's therapeutic device helps to reduce the size of the prostate causing no side effects to its user. The device works 24 hours a day and creates an ideal environment for blood to pass through capillaries in the affected prostate tissue. The improved blood flow cleanses the prostate and over time allows the body to repair itself through its own restorative mechanisms. Please watch a short informative video on the treatment of BPH with Dr. Allen's method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5xidswhxJM.
Here is another video testimonial showing a Fine Treatment's customer who had been suffering from chronic prostatitis for over 4 years, while taking antibiotics, and who subsequently recovered in 5 months at home by wearing Dr. Allen's therapeutic device: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx1xfwwA5KI.
"It is common for men with BPH or chronic prostatitis to experience a gradual improvement in their conditions, while wearing Dr. Allen's device daily," says Dr. Simon Allen. "Prostate enlargement and chronic prostate inflammation must be treated locally to achieve tangible results, and men are advised to keep wearing Dr. Allen's Device to reach sustainable recovery."
About Dr. Simon Allen and Fine Treatment:
Dr. Simon Allen is a highly experienced medical professional. His specialty is in the internal medicine. He has treated a wide range of chronic diseases, including patients after a heart attack, with kidneys problems, including kidney stones disease, prostate and spine conditions, as well as metabolic disorders. Fine Treatment exclusively offers Dr Allen's devices for chronic prostatitis and BPH treatment, coronary heart disease, dissolving kidney stones, as well as back pain and sciatica relief.