Ben Carson is Done: Campaign Manager and Spokesman both Resign

Well it seems that the short moment that Carson had as the potential President nominee is just about over.

The resignations of Barry Bennett, the campaign manager, and Doug Watts, his spokesman, came as they were about to be dismissed, the campaign said, and as Mr. Carson had been sliding in polls amid questions about his grasp of foreign policy and scrutiny of his own biographical narrative.

I think whoever it was who decided to leak his spotty grasp foreign policy pretty much torpedoed his campaign. I think showing that he was a neophyte when the world seems in turmoil is not something Americans need.

Actually needing marathon sessions to bone up on foreign policy was a serious red flag in my opinion. It really shows that Carson was not following foreign affairs at all and that is a huge part of the Presidents job. He needs to know that Hamas is not pronounced Hummus and know that fact from years of experience not from a cram session by some expert. We had an untested guy at President learning on the job for 8 years. We cannot have that again.

George Lucas Did Not like Star Wars:the Force Awakens; You had your crappy Prequels now Buzz Off

They only reason I decided to see Star Wars: the Force Awakens was because Lucas was not involved at all. Now he has the audacity to say anything.

“They looked at the stories, and they said, ‘We want to make something for the fans’….They decided they didn’t want to use those stories, they decided they were going to do their own thing,” Lucas explained. “They weren’t that keen to have me involved anyway — but if I get in there, I’m just going to cause trouble, because they’re not going to do what I want them to do. And I don’t have the control to do that anymore, and all I would do is muck everything up. And so I said, ‘Okay, I will go my way, and I’ll let them go their way.'”

Far be it anyone make anything for the fans. What an ignoramus. I bet there wasn't enough borderline racist characters like Boss Nass and Jar-jar Binks. Their hated green/tan-faced Minstrel Show. Or the offensive Italian stereotype that was Watto. Or the evil Asians that represented the Trade Federation. Or the 100 other irksome and idiotic things that were in the Prequels. All I have to say is Count Dooko and Younglings and that should suffice.

Force Awakens was actually good, had some pathos, had some great action scenes and had lead characters that were fairly decent actors. No wooden Hayden Christensen, or worse yet, terrible child actors like Jake Lloyd. It was a fun romp in the Star Wars universe and made me a fan again. So Lucas can just shut his fat face and we can look forward to other more skilled people giving it a try without his further "input." 

Muslims Respond to ISIS call for Recruits and its Super Funny

Well I guess he won't be getting too many recruits from Twitter.

@iyad_elbaghdadi I wanna wait until April and find out what happened to Jon Snow

That had me laughing out loud. I guess hiding in a terrible shit hole that is Rakkah and dodging coalition bombs all day long does not make for a fun time. Plus I would like to know what happens to Jon Snow as well. 

Mike Holmgren Wants to Coach the 49ers? Sign Him NOW and Give him all Football power that he needs

It seems this future Hall of Fame coach wants the job.

Holmgren's resume is impressive. As the coach of the Packers and Seahawks, Holmgren amassed a 161-111 record, winning a ring in 1996 and reaching the Super Bowl two more times later in his career, which ended after the 2008 season. Most recently, Holmgren served as the president of the Browns -- a job that didn't go as planned. In Holmgren's three years in Cleveland, the Browns went 14-34. Holmgren's tenure ended following the 2012 season and he admitted last year that he should've coached the Browns.

Have him pick the best QB they can get their hands on and rebuild the program from the ground up.

2015 Predictions: A Look Back

Well here is my vetting of my crystal ball for 2015:

Politics:

1. The GOP Congress will work with Obama to a lesser extant but there will be many battles between them on immigration and other issues. Obama will veto several bills and have a few of them overturned with some moderate Democrats on-board.

Partially right: This is pretty okay more or less. I was surprised that the Omnibus Spending Bill passed with little fanfair or threats to "shut down the government" etc. Also Obama vetoed 5 bills this year so that part is correct however none of the vetoes were overturned.


2. A Grand Bargain on Tax Reform will be passed with work from both parties.

Wrong: Hopefully deferred to 2016 with a new President and Congress working together.


3. The Obamacare exchange will be made illegal by the Supreme Court. The federal government will require all states to have a Healthcare exchange and lawsuits are generated by GOP controlled governors. It will not be resolved in 2015.

Wrong: Obamacare is still the law of the land but there have been unintended consquesces from insurers leaving the exchanges to co-pays going through the roof. It is still to be determined in 2016.


4. Obama will start to withdraw from politics and start to prepare for his time after office. He will play lots of golf and lead from behind and basically just ignore his job.  

Partially right: He seems to play lots of golf and goes on about the GOP not following him. Basically him not saying anything about the San Bernadino shooting until he watched cable news certainly shows he doesn't seem to care about the Consoler-and-Chief part of the job.

World: 

1. ISIS will be severely damaged by the end of the year. They will be attacked from many fronts and start to show signs of defeat.

Mostly right: It certianly seems that way after Iraq took back Ramadi and ISIS is having trouble recruiting. They don't look to be throwing in the towel anytime soon.

2. Islamic terror will start to ramp up as ISIS starts to feel the sting of airstrikes and Iraqi and Syrian resistance. They will take the fight out of the "Caliphate" and into the West. More attacks like Charlie Hebdo will be felt across Europe. The lone Islamic terrorist with a gun or bomb will be the new thing to fear in the Western world.

Exactly Right: Unfortunately.



3. China's economy will start to show cracks. Growth will slow and they will do everything they can to keep things going.


Exactly Right: Chinese GDP growth has slowed to below 7% for the first time since 2008



4. Russia will start to quiet down as oil prices stay low. They will rattle the sabre less and cooperate more in the wider world.

Mostly Right: they are attacking ISIS in Syria although they are propping up Assad in the process. Ukraine is still an issue but it seems to be ignored by the wider world.

5. Low oil prices will disrupt the governments of Venezuela and Nigeria. They will have massive disruptions by the end of the year.

Partially right: Oil prices are in the dumper but Venezuela and Nigeria are still holding on for the time being. If oil goes into the $20 range we might start to see serious cracks.


Economic Predictions:

(real numbers as of 12/28/15)
S&P 500: 2250 (2056)
Dow: 18700 (17528)
Nasdaq: 4700 (4621 kind of close)
Crude Oil: $71 ($36.74 way the hell off)
Gold: $1226 an ounce ($1074 way off)
EUR/Dollar: 1.09 (1.09 wow right on target!)
10 Yr Bond: 2.15% (2.21% not too bad)

Sports Predictions:
NFL: Seattle Seahawks (New England Patriots)
NBA: Golden State Warriors (Golden State Warriors; thank you Steph Curry)
MLB: St. Louis Cardinals (Kansas City Royals at long last)
NHL: NY Islanders (Chicago Blackhawks)
Premier League: Manchester City (Chelsea)
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich (Bayern Munich; this isn't too much of a stretch)
NCAA Football (played in 2015:) TCU Horned Frogs (Ohio State Buckeyes)
NCAA Basketball: Duke (Duke; also not a stretch)

Donald Trump is at War with Someone or Another: I can't Keep up with them Anymore. #DumpTrump

Yawn, the Donald is pissed at someone or another.

While many Americans are still in a holiday mood, Trump is locked in a multi-front war of words—with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, Republican rivals Jeb Bush and Chris Christie,  a New Hampshire newspaper and the Republican party of Virginia.
It all comes as Trump is kicking off a busy week of campaign rallies, beginning Monday night in New Hampshire. 

You can go to the article to see why he is "fighting back twice as hard" against some imagined slight or another. He really is Biff from Back to the Future. All talk and a big mouth but cannot take even an ounce of criticism.

I Agree with Bob Dole: I Hate Ted Cruz as Well #LoseCruz

Well, Bob Dole isn't afraid to call it like he sees it.
  

In a question about what Dole makes of Trump, the former Senate leader quickly turned matters to Cruz. "He's not traditional Republican conservative," Dole said of the Texan. "Achievements are shutting down the government twice, and calling the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, a liar on the Senate floor. It violates the rules of the Senate.  And he doesn't have a single Senate supporter."

Later, Mitchell probed as to whether Dole could or would vote for Trump next November. Dole said he would because he can't bring himself to vote for Hillary Clinton. Then she asked about Cruz, and Dole joked, "I might oversleep that day," before adding: " 'Cause he used to make these speeches.  'Remember President Dole, do you remember President McCain.' The inference was that we were all a bunch of liberals, and only he is a true conservative.  And he uses the word 'conservative' more than he ever uses the word 'Republican.'  So, it would be difficult."

I will go on the record for voting for Hillary twice before I would vote for idiot Cruz or maybe I will oversleep on that day as well. I think President Cruz are the two most dangerous words in the English language right now.

It Seems ISIS is Losing is Starting to Bleed New Recruits

This is very encouraging news I think.

Interestingly, Neumann's research also suggested the pace of defections was growing, seeming to corroborate the defectors' testimony that ISIS is facing growing recruitment and retention problems.

"What we can say for sure, based on our data, is that the numbers [of defections] are increasing," he explained. "Two-thirds of all of the public defections happened this year; one-third alone happened in the last three months."

One thing that give me pause however is maybe the recruits would rather stay home and live with the comforts of the 1st world and plot Jihad like the San Bernadino attackers. That would be far more dangerous than rounding everyone up in a terribly poor "Caliphate" dodging bombs all day long.

Um Dump This Girl: Woman Turns Down Proposal After the Ring Wasn't 1 Carat

Wow this guy needs to find a new girl ASAP.

If he liked it he should’ve put a bigger ring on it. 

That’s the message one woman sent to her boyfriend after rejecting his elaborate proposal because the diamond on the engagement ring was too small. 

The poor anonymous guy was down on one knee, surrounded by dancers he’d hired specially and being watched by dozens of onlookers, when his girlfriend turned and walked off. 

Apparently it takes 1 carat or more to buy this girls love:

A screenshot of a WeChat conversation allegedly between her and a friend was later leaked online and was published alongside the story. 

In the message, the girlfriend reveals her insecurities about the proposal, saying that “he agreed to buy me a diamond ring as large as one carat. 

“Why was this one so small? Is he so careless or has he ever cared about me?" 

Hmm she may have misstated her intentions. As large as doesn't mean one carat. She should have told him larger than one carat. That's the "price for caring."

Saudi Arabia steps up While the Obama White House Sits Down: Forms Islamic NATO

The Saudi's look to grabbing the reigns when it comes to the "Great Game."

In a rare interview marking the establishment of what the Saudis themselves are describing as an "Islamic military alliance", the kingdom's Defence Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the aim would be to provide mutual anti-terrorism assistance "all over the Islamic world".

"Today, every Islamic country is fighting terrorism individually," Salman said. The new alliance, "emanates from the keenness of the Muslim world to fight this disease, which affected the Islamic world first, before the international community as a whole."

This is a real indictment of the Obama White House. The Saudi's have to step up because we have been such poor partners in the area after we cut-and-ran from Iraq. Now we are doing barely bombing ISIS and it is a matter of time before the Saudi's are directly attacked.

I Agree With O'Reilly: Trump is a Think-Skinned Whiner: No One is Treating Him "Fair!"

Yeah wait until he has to make decisions about ISIS or Putin and whines about them "not being fair."

Trump fires near-daily broadsides against various media outlets that he feels cover him unfairly. Ahead of the Tuesday-night debate, Trump furiously tweeted not only at CNN, but also at Fox News, which he said was "not fair" in its coverage. Trump further attacked Fox host Megyn Kelly, whom he called "dopey," and various Fox pundits.

"You want to be president," O'Reilly said. "Tweet about Putin. Tweet about ISIS. I mean, it looks petty. It looks petty. Don't you think it looks petty? Don't you think it looks petty?"
Trump disagreed with O'Reilly and said he was simply calling out inaccuracies in the media.

The media will soon be the least of his worries if he does by some miracle he becomes President. Also the constant bragging about his poll numbers is idiotic as well. He has such a fragile ego. 

Martin Shkreli, Greedy Biotech Idiot, Perp Walked for Securities Fraud

It couldn't have happened to a worse person.

Shkreli was charged in an indictment unconnected to the drug price hikes imposed by his company Turing Pharmaceuticals. The charges instead involve his actions at another pharmaceutical company, Retrophin, which he ran as CEO up until last year.

Prosecutors said that in a "Ponzi-like scheme" between 2009 and 2014, Shkreli lost hedge fund investors' money through bad trades, then raided Retrophin for $11 million in cash and stock to pay back his disgruntled clients.

Shkreli "engaged in multiple schemes to ensnare investors through a web of lies and deceit," U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said in a statement.

That is what you call instant Karma.

The Front Runners are Now Cruz and Trump: The One-Two Punch of Blow-hard Idiots

I guess I am going to seriously consider voting for Hillary if any of these knuckleheads become the GOP nominee.
  

Cruz’s momentum over the past month, as Ben Carson supporters migrated to his side, has led Trump to target the senator, branding him a “maniac” this past weekend. Cruz has tried to defuse the tension, but Trump’s improbable stretch as frontrunner has continued in part because of his willingness to attack opponents. Throughout the year, Trump has touted his dominance in polls and made it a key part of his brand. He will fight hard to avoid slipping into second place.

I am on record as saying that both of these guys would actually be worse for this country than Hillary, and that is saying a lot. The whole "no Muslims allowed" thing by Trump disqualifies him from being President. You cannot trade freedom for feigned safety. And Ted Cruz is totally insane so he cannot be allowed to have his finger on the button by any stretch of the imagination.

I Guess No More Shrimp for Me until Thailand can Clean up Their Act and Free its "Shrimp-peeling Slaves"

I love shrimp but this kind of thing is going far beyond the pale.

Hundreds of shrimp peeling sheds are hidden in plain sight on residential streets or behind walls with no signs in Samut Sakhon, a port town an hour outside Bangkok. The AP found one factory that was enslaving dozens of workers, and runaway migrants led rights groups to the Gig shed and a third facility. All three sheds held 50 to 100 people each, many locked inside.

And this part makes me not want to ever eat shrimp that came out of Thailand for cleanliness reasons alone.

Inside the large warehouse, toilets overflowed with feces, and the putrid smell of raw sewage wafted from an open gutter just outside the work area. Young children ran barefoot through suffocating dorm rooms. Entire families labored side-by-side at rows of stainless steel counters piled high with tubs of shrimp.

So that pretty much leaves Alaska shrimp and Kahuku shrimp. So no more restaurant shrimp until I can get some assurances. I shouldn't be thinking about slaves and sewage when I'm eating ebi gunkan.

Trump Wants to Ban Muslims from Entering the Country? Um "the Donald" They Could Just Lie. Ever heard of Taquiyya? #DumpTrump

The worst part is that this guy is the GOP Frontrunner.

“Something has to be done,” Trump said on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” one of several phone interviews the Republican frontrunner participated in Tuesday morning. “What I’m doing is I’m calling very simply for a shutdown of Muslims entering the United States — and here’s a key — until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

Trump’s plan, which was released Tuesday, calls for a “total and complete shutdown" of all Muslims entering the country in response to the recent terror attacks in San Bernardino, Calif., and Paris. I guess he would support a religious test then for people coming in the country. Hold up a picture of Mohammed and say "who is this guy?" 

Or Trump would ask "are you now or have you ever been a member of the Islamic religion?" Then the Muslim that Trump wants to bar from entering the country simply says "Nope I'm a Snake Handler" and his idiotic plan is thwarted. Also part of Muslim ideology is the idea of Taqiyya where they can strait-up lie to unbelievers and it is still fine under Sharia law. So they wouldn't even be breaking any religious laws.

Sorry Shkreli Express Scripts just Did an End-Around on $750 a Pill Price Hike

That is what happens when you don't have patent exclusivity. I guess this is why "me-too" drugs come to market.

Express Scripts, one of the leading prescription-benefits managers in the US, is partnering with a compounding pharmacy to provide a $1-per-pill version of the drug that Turing Pharmaceuticals charges $750 for.

The drug, which Turing sells under the name Daraprim, is used to treat toxoplasmosis, an infection that's harmful to people with weakened immune systems.

Express Scripts announced the partnership with Imprimis Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday, and said prescriptions could be filled as soon as this week. In October, Imprimis said it would provide a customizable formulation to compete with Daraprim.
 

Navy's Helmets for the Army/Navy Are Super Awesome! Hand-painted ships!

Now this is some very ingenious thinking from the Midshipmen.

• Linebacker: Cruiser- Provides anti-air defense and packs the biggest punch of Naval surface ships representative of the linebackers on the Navy football team
• Defensive Back: Destroyer- Known for significant fire power, speed, and anti-missile defense as are Navy's defensive backs
• Wide Receiver: Submarine- Predominantly utilized as blockers, wide receivers play a key role in driving the Navy rush attack, taking on a stealth-like persona as they blend into the rhythm of the offense but bring significant fire power when called upon, just like a Naval submarine
• Lineman: Amphibious Assault Ships- Just as a lineman's job is the create a hole for a running back or linebacker, these ships are utilized to establish the "beach head" that enables the invading force to gain access and ultimately accomplish their objective
• Quarterback: Aircraft Carrier- The QB of the Naval Fleet, the aircraft carrier is the ultimate decision maker; the "quick strike" weapon of the Naval fleet
• Running Back: Littoral Combat Ship- Like running backs, these fast and nimble ships can navigate through both crowded shallow and deep waters
• Kicker/Special Teams: Minesweeper- Much like the specific task of the Navy special teams, this small ship has a unique mission of identifying and eliminating mines

Here is each of the helmets in all their hand-painted glory:

Wait People Still Think Temperatures will Rise by 10 degrees by 2100?

These global warming articles are just so full of misinformation.

But climate change could also have a bigger impact on the economies of the U.S. and other developed nations than many experts have thought up till now. Two researchers at Columbia University, Geoffrey Heal and Jisung Park, argue that a moderately warmer planet could produce an economic downturn as bad as the Great Recession that battered the economy from 2007 to 2009. If the worst global warming prediction—a temperature spike of about 10°F by the year 2100—were to materialize, the result could be a depression that rivals or exceeds the devastation of the 1930s, which bankrupted much of America.

They shouldn't even be throwing around that number because it is about as useful as the prediction of no arctic ice by summer 2013. Trying the mitigate the worse-case scenario is a big waste of time. Also this study is highly spurrious.

A 2012 study of productivity at 64 U.S. auto plants during a 10-year period found that extreme heat—defined as six or more consecutive days with a high temperature of 90° or more—cut production by about 8%. Workers got tired faster, or just performed worse overall. Air conditioning seemed to mitigate the production slowdown caused by a heat wave, but not eliminate it completely. And unlike some lost production, which is simply made up at a later date, output lost during a heat wave may be production that simply gets lost for good. Not surprisingly, lost output caused by extreme heat was highest in southern states and lowest in northern ones.

What US auto plants have no air conditioning? The United Autoworkers would shut that place down in a minute. I wonder if that would be an OSHA violation to have so many workers stay in an non air conditioned plant? Also what other factors could have cut production as well? In fact there was a recession during that 10 year period that slowed auto sales. Perhaps that cut into production? Also if human workers get so run down by high temperatures then I guess we need to turn to robots instead. They can work in any conditions. Global warming hysteria costs auto workers their jobs!

Trump's Polls Dips Among the GOP Faithful

I think is song-and-dance is getting old and Republicans are finally tiring of it.

Trump was the favorite of 31 percent of Republicans in a rolling poll in the five days ended on Nov. 27. That was down from a peak of 43 percent registered on Nov. 22.

The dip follows criticism of Trump for comments he made in the aftermath of the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more.

Following the attacks, Trump told an NBC News reporter that he would support requiring all Muslims within the United States to be registered to a special database, which his critics have likened to the mandatory registration of Jews in Nazi Germany.

Maybe that creeping fascism of requiring Muslims to get on some database sounds like something the Left would do against their perceived enemies and not the so-called "freedom loving" GOP. Maybe the idea of Trump being so deathly afraid of Muslims is finally starting to wear on him.

Now Princeton Students calling themselves Black Justice League are going After Woodrow Wilson: Maybe another Liberal President will Lose his Job?

If I were a liberal dean or president at one of these Ivyies I would be running scared.

Members of a group calling themselves the Black Justice League walked out of their classes late Wednesday morning and assembled at Nassau Hall, where they were met by Princeton president Christopher Eisgruber. The students presented a list of demands inspired by similar lists that have been seen at Yale University, the University of Missouri, and elsewhere.

“WE DEMAND the university administration publicly acknowledge the racist legacy of Woodrow Wilson and how he impacted campus policy and culture,” the students’ demands say.

“We also demand that steps be made to rename Wilson residential college, the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs, and any other building named after him. Furthermore, we would like the mural of Wilson to be removed from Wilcox Dining Hall.”

The students called on Eisgruber to sign their list of demands, and said until he does so they will occupy Nassau Hall, for days if needed.

Wilson was a pretty racist guy from what I can gather so maybe they have a point but they are really going to sit in on this poor guys office until he cowtows to them? What would be wrong with covering the mural or posting signs on campus highlighting how racist Wilson was? I guess that sort of change is too slow for these students. 

 

What is laughable is that they are at Princeton which is one of the top schools in the world. I'm not sure how they are marginalized being there? In any case I wonder if this President will show how wimpy he is and give in to them. My money is on he will be as spine-less as the Missouri losers were and resign in disgrace.

Also I guess you can figuratively form a Black Justice League as well. You have the leader be Cyborg (he led the Titans so he has experience,) then have Black Lightning, Steel, John Stewart Green Lantern, and Mr Terrific (actually he may make a better leader though.) Then you can add Dr. Midnight, and Vixen to have black women on the group. I had to actually search for black female DC superheros so maybe that is an injustice that needs to be cleared up going forward.

United Health Might Bail on Obamacare

They seem to be losing large sums of money on the exchanges so they might pull out of them by 2017.

“We cannot sustain these losses,” Chief Executive Officer Stephen Hemsley told analysts on a conference call. “We can’t really subsidize a marketplace that doesn’t appear at the moment to be sustaining itself.”

UnitedHealth said it expects as much as $500 million in losses on the Obamacare plans in 2016. The insurer will record $275 million of the costs in the fourth quarter.

The company’s shares fell 5.8 percent to $110.47 at 12:51 p.m. in New York. Anthem Inc. and Aetna Inc., the two biggest health insurers after UnitedHealth, also declined, as did hospital stocks including HCA Holdings Inc. and Community Health Systems Inc.

If other insurers pull out Obamacare will fall apart only 3 years into the program. I'm sure the White House will try to shame UNH into losing money but unlike the federal government they have a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders. It seems that one of the main complaints about Obamacare is coming to pass as well.

Customers the company has added have tended to use more medical care. UnitedHealth also said today that some people are signing up for coverage, getting care and then dropping their policies.

I think UNH needs to take a page out of the mutual fund industry. Create a stiff fee for pulling out of the plan early. But knowing how terribly written Obamacare was I bet they aren't able to do this so they will lose money until they finally stop selling on the exchanges.

Missouri Protestors Face Opposition from Odd Source: President Obama?

Now this is some interesting push-back.

And so when I hear, for example, you know, folks on college campuses saying, "We're not going to allow somebody to speak on our campus because we disagree with their ideas or we feel threatened by their ideas--" you know, I think that's a recipe for dogmatism. And I think you're not going to be as effective…

I do worry if young people start getting trained to think that if somebody says something I don't like, if somebody says something that hurts my feelings, that my only recourse is to shut them up, avoid them, push them away, call on a higher power to protect me from that.

Hopefully this changes some minds but knowing some of the PC Police on these campuses they will probably just dis-invite Obama from speaking at their graduations like they did so many others.

Trumps Plan on Syrian Refugees Should be Tried. Create a Safezone in Syria like the American Zone after WW2.

This plan seems sound but with a few caveats of course.

Trump offered an alternative solution for the refugees: build a “safe zone” for them — in their home country.

“In Syria, take a big swatch of land, which believe me, you get for the right price, OK? You take a big swatch and you don’t destroy all of Europe,” the real estate mogul said. “What I’d like is build a safe zone, it’s here, build a big beautiful safe zone and you have whatever it is so people can live, and they’ll be happier.”

That way, Trump explained, they won’t have to learn new languages or adapt to a new climate.

First of all we would need to provide the safety for this "safe zone" so that means boots on the ground in Iraqi Kurdistan where it will be the most logical place to have this zone. Our troops would be there in a humanitarian capacity but need to be prepared to destroy any ISIS units that come close to them. We cannot rely on the Kurds to be our proxy army in this particular fight.

What you do next is win the war by going after ISIS with the full force of the US land and air power. That means multiple carrier groups and 1000s of cruise missiles and drone attacks. No part of the so-called Caliphate would be safe from our bombing. Then you would have to invade to make sure you clean out the remnants that survive the bombing. If Trump can commit to this then we wouldn't need to take on any refugees because we would get rid of the source of their troubles.

The Paris Terrorist Killers: Why did that one guy Bring his Passport to the Suicide Attack?

Ever since I heard the news that they found a passport next to one of the suicide attackers in Paris I wondered why he brought the thing with him.

- Ahmad al-Mohammad? -

Close to the body of a second bomber outside the Stade de France, investigators found a Syrian passport in the name of Ahmad al-Mohammad, 25, who was born on September 10, 1990, in the Syrian city of Idlib.

A passport bearing that name had been registered on the Greek island of Leros on October 3, with the attacker's fingerprints matching those taken during the registration process. The holder of the passport was later registered as crossing from Macedonia into Serbia where he formally applied for asylum, Serbian officials said.

But investigators are still trying to verify if the passport is indeed genuine and the name is not known to French anti-terror police. Serbia detained a migrant on Monday whose passport contained the same data.

It seems to me to be a forged passport to change the persons identity. That would make sense if ISIS wanted to make it seem that the Syrian refugees harbor all sorts of terrorist killers in their midst. Europe will reject them coming in and ISIS would then be able to recruit/extract revenge/kidnap them. 

I just couldn't understand why he would bring that passport with him. Perhaps he just got to Paris and the attack was just days away so he couldn't stow it somewhere. However, I think it was just a forged passport that got him in from where ever so he could take part. That where ever might be very important to the investigation. Also I wonder how many additional people are traveling under that name? 

China's Anti-Corruption Probe Catching Everybody

It must be pretty scary to be at the helm of a Chinese investment firm right about now.

At the beginning of November 'China's Carl Icahn', activist investor Xu Xiang was arrested on suspicions of "insider trading and other offenses,” according to a statement from the government's Xinhua News Agency.

Xu's fund, Zexi Fund No. 1 gained 323% for the year up to his arrest, while the Shanghai Composite has risen only 3% for the year, according to the New York Times.

Around the same time, officials detained Zhang Yun, the President of China's third largest bank, the Agricultural Bank of China, according to CNN. Both Xu and Zhang's arrests demonstrate that there's no financier too powerful to avoid the probe.

Yeah I would investigate a 323% gain when the market is only up by 3% too just to make sure things are on the up-and-up. I guess China's version of the SEC is going to work overtime to make sure these gains are real or not.

Jeb Bush Circles the Drain: Cuts Payroll and Spending for Campaign Staff

I guess Jeb is going down the drain fast and this certainly reflects that.

The moves will reduce the campaign's payroll by 40 percent, while also cutting travel costs by 20 percent and eliminating extraneous overhead spending. Most campaign officials were told of the cost-cutting on Friday.

The changes mark a significant setback for a campaign that spent months building a large operation, but there are no signs Bush is on the verge of withdrawing from the race.

He will wait until after a few more debates to do that. He really is floundering badly and this move shows that the big money guys are sending cash in some other direction.

Could this Star (KIC 8462852) have a Dyson Sphere or maybe a Dyson Screen In Front of It? #Aliens

Now this sounds like a very interesting star indeed.

This idea evolved into what’s called a Dyson Sphere, a gigantic sphere that completely encloses a star. It was popular back in the 1970s and 80s; there was even an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation about one. Dyson never really meant that we’d build an actual sphere; just lots of little panels that might mimic one.

But it raises an interesting possibility for detecting alien life. Such a sphere would be dark in visible light but emit a lot of infrared. People have looked for them, but we’ve never seen one (obviously).

Which brings us back to KIC 8462852. What if we caught an advanced alien civilization in the process of building such an artifact? Huge panels (or clusters of them) hundreds of thousands of kilometers across, and oddly-shaped, could produce the dips we see in that star’s light.

Actually I would think it might be something I would like to call a Dyson Screen. So that would be a huge solar panel that floats out in space that the aliens living in this star system use to power an entire planet. Maybe there are gigantic batteries along the back of the screen that massive star ships remove and take down to one of the inhabited planets. I'm thinking the planet is a huge manufactorum like Mars in Warhammer 40K that needs tons of power to function. Or maybe it a massive city miles thick that covers the planet like Coruscant. In any case it would be interesting to turn some radio telescopes toward this star system to see if they can get some radio transmissions from the aliens that might live there.

Yet another Reason Not to Fly American Airlines: Woman Kicked off Flight in Tears

Airline travel has become a terrible experience and American seems to make it even more terrible.

Outraged passengers booed flight attendants for booting a woman off a plane.

Their revolt unfolded just before takeoff on an American Airlines flight from Phoenix to Portland, Oregon, after a flight attendant asked a female passenger to find her seat.

She claims she didn't hear him - and the attendant ordered her out of the plane.

He told her: “I need to have you come off the aircraft.”

The passenger replied: “No, why are you guys, you're so mean to me. I didn't do anything.”

The passenger claimed that the she didn't even know that the attendant was talking to her.

The attendant told her: “If you don't come off, I’m going to have to call the officers.”

I guess this is why people fly Southwest and Hawaiian. Better service and flight attendants who are not itching to throw people off of flights.

Ben Carson is right: Do Not Comply with a Crazy Shooter. Fight for your Life

It is hard to second guess the victims of a shooting but Carson is saying what he would do if confronted with a crazy gunman.

“From the indications I got, they did not rush the shooter,” Carson said on "CBS This Morning" discussing the Oregon shooting. “The shooter can only shoot one person at a time, he cannot shoot a group of people.”

Carson suggested that the victims should have rushed the shooter to prevent more lives from being lost, telling ABC News yesterday that he would have confronted the gunman and would have instructed people to attack the gunman.

“I said what I would do. ... I would ask everyone to attack the gunman,” Carson told ABC News. “That way we wouldn’t all end up dead.”

It would be easy to freeze up in a situation like that or comply with the shooter. But that cannot be the case now because they will shoot you no matter what. So at least sell your life dearly and try to jump the shooter as best you can. Unfortunately not everyone is like those trained military guys that stopped the massacre on that French train. It is a sad sign of the times but maybe classes can be taught where people learn to react like those guys.

I have to Admit Trumps Tax Plan is Pretty Awesome

I have to admit when the Donald does something right and this is doing something right.

Trump's plan for an overhaul of the U.S. tax code would eliminate federal income taxes on individuals earning less than $25,000 and married couples earning less than $50,000. He said those individuals would receive "a new one page form to send the IRS saying, 'I win.'"

Trump's plan would also disproportionally benefit wealthy earners by lowering the highest income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 25 percent, and businesses by cutting their tax rate — from major corporations to mom-and-pop shops — to no more than 15 percent.

That eliminating taxes on people making $25k or less will be like a raise for every low income American. That amounts to thousands of dollars a year going back into the economy because most low income people spend nearly all of their paychecks. In fact they might be able to put a down payment on a car or something of that sort or even crate a cushion for themselves.

Also that 15% corporate tax on every business with no deductions possible should eliminate some of the shenanigans that GE pulled to get to pay $0 in taxes. A lot of tax lawyers will be out of a job if its 15% no matter what and there is no way to reduce that amount.

Actually, simplifying the tax code will go a long way to creating more growth in the economy going forward. I know how to spend my money much better than any federal beancounter will ever be able to. If Trump can put more of that money under my control then I would be fine with that.

Trump Gets Tough: On Iran? On ISIS? No on Clothing Company StopTrump.us

I guess the world is full of enemies of the potential comb-over-and-chief.

The site happens to be called StopTrump.us. It sells fashion paraphernalia with motifs such as "Donald Dumb" and, yes, "Stop Trump."

You will want to grab your childhood blanket and wrap yourself tightly into it when I tell you that the Trump Organization has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the site, claiming that to sell T-shirts that insist Trump should be stopped, the site should have first asked the great man's permission.

I guess all those First Amendment rights will just go away when Donald is boss.

Hillary's Plan to Destroy Biotechs/Big Pharma Might be Good for Express Scripts

Well Hillary dropped a bombshell on the Health Care Industry earlier this week.

Hillary Clinton made waves this week when she announced her strategy for reining in sky-high drug prices. The strategy, which includes a mix of reforms designed to prod drugmakers to reimagine pricing, led to a significant sell-off in biopharma, lopping an estimated $40 billion in value off the industry on Monday alone, according to Bloomberg.

One beneficiary would be Express Scripts because of this logic.

Clinton's plan aims to cap patient out-of-pocket spending at $250 per month, or $3,000 per year, and that could jeopardize margins at health insurers if they have to make up for any shortfall.

A squeezing of biopharma and insurance companies could end up being good news for Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit manager.

Express Scripts contracts with health insurers and other payers to manage their drug programs, and its services include negotiating prices with drugmakers, boosting the use of generic drugs, helping patients take their medicine as prescribed to avoid costly hospitalizations, and analyzing data to find drug-related cost-savings.

This would also be a tailwind for United Health Group who bought out PBM Catamaran a while back. Rite-Aide bought out Envision Rx and Aetna could create their own PBM as well. This article also says that Express Scripts could be bought out by Walgreens Boots Alliance so they can have their own PBM shop as well. The buyout would have to be pretty large because of ESRXs $55 billion market cap. They might need to pull the trigger quickly as well because I'm sure if Hillary wins they would block this buyout for sure.

More Crybaby Trump as Fox News Commentator says Mean Thing #DumpTrump

He has skin made of rice paper apparently.

Rich Lowry, the editor of the conservative magazine National Review, said the Republican presidential front-runner was attacking rival Carly Fiorina because she emasculated him at last week's presidential debate.

"Part of what's going on here is that last debate. Let's be honest: Carly cut his balls off with the precision of a surgeon, and he knows it," Lowry said during a Fox News interview, according to video posted by Mediaite.

Host Megyn Kelly was shocked.

"What did you just say?!" Kelly said. "You can't say that."

But Trump, who has fiercely feuded with both Fox News and Kelly, wasn't satisfied with her admonishment.

He trashed Lowry on Twitter as "incompetent" and "clueless," demanded an apology, and suggested that the Federal Communications Commission should fine Lowry as a result.

He really doesn't have the temperament for politics or world affairs. Waaah! I demand and apology from Kim Jong-Un he should be fined by the UN. I thought he was a rough and tough New Yorker.  Apparently he is very much like a 12 year old girl that has to "Tweet back twice as hard" to the Mean Girls at Fox News.

What is Up With Donald Trump and Unfairness?: He Again Boycotts Fox News #DumpTrump

Let's say he wins the Presidency I wonder if he going to stomp off like a child when Putin or Kim Jong-Un treats him "unfairly?"

“@FoxNews has been treating me very unfairly & I have therefore decided that I won’t be doing any more Fox shows for the foreseeable future,” he tweeted Wednesday afternoon.

Mere hours later, the Trump campaign released a statement saying that he stands by his comments.

“As a candidate for president of the United States and the definitive frontrunner in every poll, both nationally and statewide, including the just released poll in the state of Florida, Mr. Trump expects to be treated fairly,” the statement reads. “All you have to do is look at the tremendous ratings last night from ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,’ where Mr. Trump was the guest, or the ratings from both debates, to fully understand the facts.”

Putin treated me unfairly whaaaa! Ukraine talks fall apart as President Trump cries uncontrollably over Putin "unfair comment."

Wall Street Hates Trump and Likes Jeb

It seems that Wall Street are not very big supporters of Trump according to this.

The CEO of one large Wall Street firm, who declined to be identified by name criticizing the GOP front-runner, said the assumption in the financial industry remains that something will eventually knock Trump off and send voters toward a more establishment candidate. But that assumption is no longer held with strong conviction. And a dozen Wall Street executives interviewed for this article could not say what might dent Trump's appeal or when it might happen.

I think Trump might win it all after seeing how Hillary's campaign seems to be on fire and heading into the ground. Bernie Sanders cannot win and if Biden doesn't get in the race soon I think whoever wins the GOP will win the Presidency.

Yet Another Case of #QuarterlyCapitalism as HP to Fire 30,000 even with a $5 Billion Yearly Profit

I guess the split into two meaningless companies is going to cost 30,000 people their jobs.

The purge announced Tuesday will occur within the newly formed Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a bundle of technology divisions focused on software, consulting and data analysis that is splitting off from the company's personal computer and printing operations.

The spinoff is scheduled to be completed by the end of next month, dooming 25,000 to 30,000 jobs within HP Enterprise. The target means 10 to 12 percent of the 252,000 workers joining HP Enterprise will lose their jobs as part of the company's effort to reduce its expenses by $2 billion annually.

Reducing their expenses really doesn't actually sell one extra printer or another software license. Instead they are shuffling the costs to keep them making $5 billion in the next year. I would love to see a CAPEX bump or a move into some other part of the technology infrastructure. Instead cut staff and prop up those earnings in time for the next quarter.

It Seems More People are Trying to #EndQuarterlyCapitalism then just Hillary

I have to agree with this economist 100%

Yet Clinton and many other American critics of “quarterly capitalism” have so far ignored the proverbial elephant in the room — America’s mandate that public companies produce earnings reports every quarter. This is the rule that makes quarterly reporting a necessity in the U.S. and underlies all the problems that go with it. International comparisons show that quarterly reporting requirements not only tend to decrease long-term investment, but also increase manipulation of the numbers to please shareholders.

 It seems Europe gets along pretty well without requiring quarterly numbers. There doesn't seem to be cases of a company having decent profits but still having to lay people off to keep earnings up.

Take Seagate for instance. They are laying off 1050 people but they still made $137 million in profit this past quarter. The quarter before was at $291 million so there was a deceleration in profits but its not like firing those 1050 people will make Seagate roar back into profits any time soon. It is just a trick to save $113 million according to that article. If Seagate never had to report that $137 million number I wonder if they would have cut staff or not? I guess that's something for economists to study.

In any case, companies can still give updates and have investor days and such without having to rush around each quarter and bring out numbers. Sometimes you will have less transparency since you cannot listen to quarterly conference calls and track trends but I think the good things outweigh the bad.

You can have some CEOs make bolder moves because they don't have to worry about losing money in the short term. A company like Amazon would not be penalized so severely for ramping up CAPEX for something like Amazon Apps. People thought Bezos was crazy for spending so much money but now Amazon apps seems to dominate in the SAAS arena.      

Rick Perry the First Man out of the Race

I guess here ends his Presidential aspirations.

The former Texas governor told the Eagle Forum on Friday afternoon that he is suspending his presidential campaign.

“We have a tremendous field – the best in a generation – so I step aside knowing our party is in good hands, and as long as we listen to the grassroots, the cause of conservatism will be too.” 

I guess his gaffs in the past election were just too much for him to bear. I think he would have been a decent enough candidate but it doesn't matter anymore.

Muir Turns into "Anchor Monster" After He is Beaten by Lester Holt in the Ratings #NBCNews

Well I have been watching Lester Holt more often when I do watch the evening news so I guess I'm contributing to Muir's freakout.

An ABC source tells us, “Despite the biggest ‘get’ in the world — the pope — David is still losing to Lester. David feels under pressure and returned to New York from Rome cranky and has been lashing out at the staff. He screams at the crew unless [ABC News President] James Goldston is around. On an open mike he was heard complaining he wanted less of the reporters’ voices and more of his own during the pope town hall. He’s becoming known as ‘Anchor Monster.’”

Yeah I watched ABC news a few times but I then switched to CBS News with Scott Pelley because I think he has more gravitas.Then when Holt got the job full time I started watching more NBC and then switching back to CBS whenever there was a boring story on NBC.

I'm sorry the AppleTV Seems like a Fancy Roku: Hopefully it Isn't the Apple Watch for the Living Room

I just don't see how much better this thing is than a Roku.

There’s a lot of impressive technology happening inside the Apple TV. The search works really well, letting me narrow down from “find me science fiction movies” to the exact Star Trek episode I was looking for. It’s fast, it’s as straightforward as the last one (which is to say, straightforward enough but a little overly spartan), and the remote works well. As it stands, it doesn’t feel like much more than a souped-up Roku.

The article pretty much says the AppleTV has a cool remote and has Siri built in. I'm not sure I want to "narrow down the exact Star Trek episode" because I can just do a Google search and find out the name and episode number that way. I guess you can skip that step with the Apple TV but I have a tablet/smart phone as a second screen for just such occasions.

The article also talks about how sparse the App Store was and says that you can look at dresses on your TV with the Gilt app. That sounds like a huge waste of time but I guess a woman can forget about the shopping networks if they cut the cord using the Apple TV. In any case this thing will live and die by the App Store because my Roku has everything I want right now. Hopefully, someone will create a must have App for the Apple TV but it doesn't seem to be coming out at launch. 

Hmm Global Slowdown Might be Because People Don't want as Much Stuff?

This article makes a lot of sense and if true, it will change quite a few things in the global economy.

Finally, consider the things that people do want to spend their money on. The defining consumer product of our age is the smartphone. A smartphone is a good, and it takes resources to make and transport it. Still, it takes a lot less resources than, say, a car. Most of its value is in the software that is loaded onto it and the people, information and entertainment you can connect to with it. That's a different sort of value creation than 20th-century resource-based value creation. If that's the direction the global economy is headed in, the connections between growth, trade and resource consumption aren't going to be the same as they have been. That is probably a good thing.

Smart phone growth seems to be plateauing as well judging by how badly Samsung seems to be doing.
It is as if nearly everyone that wants a smart phone has one. The new phones are not compelling enough to get people to abandon their old phone for something new. They are slightly bigger with a better camera or something but nothing world changing.

Even mighty Apple seems to be following the trend with their huge iPad which seems to be very much like the Surface. Nothing I saw at their big new products day makes me want to own anything they are selling at the moment. I have an Apple TV already and it is called a Roku. Maybe Apple TV will become a must have device in the future but I don't see it right now. Apple TV seems like the Apple Watch for the living room.

Also from what I can gather people just aren't rushing out to acquire more physical stuff. They do want digital stuff in the form of apps and HD video from Netflix but they don't want a new car or a new refrigerator (unless theirs breaks.) They seem to want clothes but the big ticket item just doesn't seem to fly off the shelves like they did before the Great Recession.

So we keep having tepid growth because it takes far less resources and manpower to make digital stuff. You can pay the actors and the grips and such to produce a TV show but that is nothing compared to all the people that work to produce something like a refrigerator or a car. Compare making an app with making a microwave. Making an app takes much less physical manpower and but more mental and digital effort from far less people. So if people want the app (which is free) and not the microwave the economy will suffer accordingly.

Forget the Coronation: Hillary Might be Going to Federal Prison: North Korean Satellite Photos Could have been on her Server

This is certainly worrisome if I were part of the Clinton camp.

There’s a bigger story hidden inside the New York Times report that “a special intelligence review of two emails that Hillary Rodham Clinton received as secretary of state on her personal account — including one about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program —  . . .  contained highly classified information when Mrs. Clinton received them, senior intelligence officials said.” The review was undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which presumably originated the material. They concluded that the material had originally been given the U.S. government’s highest secrecy classification. Even if one of Clinton’s aides stripped the markings (a felony), Secretary Clinton surely knew satellite intelligence and North Korean nuclear deployments are the U.S. government’s most highly classified information.

That sounds like there were a few satellite photos of North Korean nuclear sites mixed in with the wedding prep with Chelsea and recipes that were found on that home server. Also if an aide stripped those markings that person gets to join Hillary in federal prison. The article talks about the CIA and others who now have to do a damage assessment to see who stole what and when from that server. That server was a huge security hole and it operated for years. It would be interesting to see who was hacking it and when.

I Can See Why People Cord-cut: Average Cable Bill is $99.10 which is a 39% Increase Since 2010

Wow you can pretty much get all the streaming services for about half that price.

The average cable television bill hit a record $99.10 this year, an increase of 39% from 2010. But with more and more viewers opting out of pay TV -- mainly because of the cost -- something's got to give.

According to the latest annual survey by Leichtman Research Group, 83% of U.S. households subscribe to cable, down from 87% in 2010.  The average cable bill is up 39% over the same period, or more than four times the rate of inflation, the telephone survey of 1,222 people found.

About the only real reason to buy cable is for live sports. If they unbundle sports then that 83% number will seriously look like a bygone era to cable companies.

Typical Clinton Answer by Hillary on Emails. "I Just Didn't Stop and Think"

She was too busy to think about her emails and how they jeopardized national security.

"You know, I was not thinking a lot when I got in. There was so much work to be done. We had so many problems around the world," Clinton said. "I didn't really stop and think what kind of email system will there be?"

But Clinton did not apologize for her decision when asked directly, "Are you sorry?" Instead, she again said she wishes she had "made a different choice" and that she takes responsibility for the decision to use a private email account and server based at her home in suburban New York.

That weasel word answer is typical Clinton-speak. She wasn't sorry but she "should have made a different choice." It depends on "what the meaning of is is" said her husband when he was in office.

It's Over: Iran Deal is Done as Obama Locks Up 34th Vote

Well Iran has just won in playing the Great Game against the US.

The decisive 34th commitment came from Maryland Democrat Barbara Mikulski, who is retiring next year after three decades in the Senate. In a statement she said "no deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime." But she called the pact "the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb."

Supporters now have the votes in hand to uphold Obama's veto, if one becomes necessary, of a resolution of disapproval Republicans are trying to pass this month. GOP lawmakers who control the House and Senate ardently oppose the agreement, which curbs Iran's nuclear program in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.

Iran can now start funding proxy armies against the Saudis and do whatever they want with the billions of money they will soon have access to. I think there will be lots of Mullahs driving Ferraris in the next few years. Then in 10 years or sooner their "words will be backed with Nuclear Weapons."

What is PLEKHA7 and How It Might be the Cure for Cancer Wonder at long Last #CancerMicroprocesser

Hmm it seems that doctors have found the "cancer microprocesser"

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Florida have identified the cell’s microprocessor that controls cell growth. Called microRNA, this biological controller instructs the cells to stop dividing the moment they have replicated sufficiently, The Telegraph reports. When that happens, microRNA triggers the production of a protein called PLEKHA7, which then breaks the cell bonds and stops growth. In cancerous cells, that process doesn’t work properly.

The doctors were able to switch on cancer in cells by removing microRNAs and preventing them from producing the protein. Then they found they can reverse the process, stopping tumor growth and potentially changing cancer growth. All a patient would need would be an injections containing microRNAs that would reinforce the existing supply in cancer cells.

I wonder how these microRNAs effect different kinds of cancer? Are these "cancer microprocessors" different in lung cancer for instance. Also I wonder how much microRNAs are needed to create a stopping and reversing of cancer growth. You could certainly prevent cancer from spreading if you target with different kinds of microRNAs. Very interesting stuff.

McDonalds and Tyson's Teams Move Fast on Chicken Cruelty

They must some 24 hour monitoring going on.

Even by the lightning-fast standards of social media and viral videos, it was enough to make your head spin: No sooner had the activist group Mercy for Animals released a sickening undercover video showing abhorrent treatment of chickens at a Tennessee factory farm that supplies poultry for McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets than both McDonald’s and Tyson Foods, which makes the famed nuggets for the fast-food giant, announced they had severed ties with the offender.

“Based on what we currently know, we are terminating the farmer’s contract to grow chickens for us,” a Tyson spokesman said in a statement. For its part, McDonald’s called the video evidence “unacceptable” and said that the company is “committed to working with animal welfare and industry experts to inform our policies that promote better management, strong employee education and verification practices.”

Trump's Advice is Spot in Regards to the Stock Market Correction. Hold

Yeah sometimes Trump does say something that is not offensive or idiotic.

Donald Trump offered his advice Monday for investors taking a pounding in this week’s market tumble : Don’t sell.

“You’re better off holding,” the former reality show host, real estate scion, and Republican presidential candidate told the New York Times , citing the historical behavior of a crashing market to surge back, allowing those who wait out the storm to avoid losses in the long run.

“I’d hate to see it come back and they end up with the short end of both deals,” he said.

If you have cash wait for the smoke to clear and check if the stock has lots of China exposure and if not then you get to buy it at a discount. 

Time to Buy Google err Alphabet?

Well it seems Google is going to separate the cash cow search business from the pie in the sky stuff and add them both to a holding company called Alphabet. I agree with Cramer when he says this could be huge.

"The problem, though, is that Google has lots of forward-looking projects, truly venture-stage efforts that shouldn't be squelched by Porat, because, with a little nurturing, they could pay off gigantically someday," Cramer said.

The solution? Break them out, just like Amazon did with its Web services division.
Cramer thinks this will allow the huge and fast core business to shine within Alphabet. This way, investors can clearly understand what Google is and why it is worth so much more than anyone thought.

So the money loser (at first) projects can have visibility and don't drag down the core business. You also get a look at these projects while they are being developed and nurtured by looking at the other businesses group that contains Nest, Fiber, the Venture Capital arm, etc. I would love to see what smaller apps that Venture Capital arm is bankrolling to see what could take off. Too bad I couldn't get back in at $550 but 10 shares might become a core holding going forward.

For a Tough New Yorker Trump sure has some Thin Skin. #DumpTrump

I have never seen such a powerful billionaire not be able to any sort of criticism.

“She should really be apologizing to me, you want to know the truth,” Trump said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Monday. “And other candidates have said that.”

During last week’s primetime debate, Kelly, a co-moderator, asked the real estate mogul about his history of sexist comments about women — a question Trump believes was “nasty.”

"It was an inappropriate question,” Trump said on NBC’s “Today” show Monday. “It was a ridiculous question. Even the other candidates came up to me and said that that was absolutely out of line.”

Those are words that came out of his mouth. She used his actual words in context to ask that question. A person who is supposed to be Presidential doesn't call people names and Trump does it all the time. What is funny is that he has to get re-assurances all the time.

On Monday morning, Trump tweeted that he had talked with Fox News chief Roger Ailes, who assured him he would be “treated fairly” by the cable news network.

Oh boo-hoo you haven't been treated "fairl." I guess he just wants a bunch of soft-ball questions and nothing of any substance. Maybe he should run against Hillary instead. I'm sure the Democratic moderators will ask just the questions he wants.

Gasp! I Again Agree With Hillary: Quarterly Capitalism needs to Go: Disney is Case-in-Point

I have to agree with this statement whole-heartedly.

Clinton, the front-running Democratic presidential candidate, said in a speech last month that many important elements of the U.S. economy – publicly traded companies and the executives that run them, shareholders and consumers – are held hostage to the “tyranny of today’s earnings report.”

“Everything is focused on the next earnings report or the short-term share price,” said Clinton. “The result is too little attention on the sources of long-term growth: research and development, physical capital and talent.”

I think one of the big problems with quarterly capitalism is that companies are pressured to buy back shares in order to prop up their stock prices. I'm sure that cash can be plowed back into R&D or simply given as a dividend or a bonus for their employees. Instead that money is used to buy back shares which means a bigger bonus for senior managers with stock options and little else as far as I can see.

You also see big layoffs even though the company has profits because of a bad quarter. The company is still making money but they disappoint Wall Street and 1000s are laid off. Qualcomm comes to mind.

One way of looking at the problem with quarterly capitalism is Disney. I saw an interview with their CEO, Iger which he ticked off like 10 different billion dollar plus movie franchises one after another. Then they will open Shanghai Disneyland which will probably make some of the US Theme parks look like the State Fair. They have all sorts of billion dollar opportunities on the horizon and Iger let us know that.

Instead they have some subscriber slippage at ESPN and the stock drops from $121 to $108 in two days. This doesn't even take into account that Disney will probably offer ESPN as over-the-top service in the coming years and it will still be huge. I would easily pay $20 a month or more in order to watch ESPN on my Roku or Xbox One. It works for HBO so I don't see why it wouldn't work for ESPN which is a channel I watch every day. Quarterly Capitalism thinks that people are cutting the cord and subscribing to Netflix so Disney goes to $0 and Netflix is worth $700 billion. That has to be the most stupid thing ever but the stock market believes that.