American Eagle the Back-to-School Leader?

It seems that back to school is going to be choppy depending on the companies fashion mix. American Eagle may have that mix according to this article.

"Our fashion consultants feel that American Eagle is positioned well for back to school compared to rival teen retailers, particularly Hollister," she wrote, referring to a competing teen chain run by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. "Since our buyers were very enthusiastic about AE's new assortments, we think that this could be an opportunity for it to gain market share."
I need to do more recon on AEOS but they seem to have an interesting assortment of jeans that are pretty affordable. I think some kids not wishing to pay Abercrombie's outrageous markup may start going to American Eagle to make their dollar stretch out more.

I think teens who drive will really be hit by these higher gas prices because they don't make nearly as much to absorb the added cost. So that kid for instance will be more likely to buy the $34.50 AE Artist Stretch Jean instead of the $69.50 Emma Low Rise Boot Cut.

This hypothetical girl going back to school will save $35 by buying pretty similar jeans from AEOS instead of ANF. That represents a tank of gas, some shoes, a blouse, or something in a similar price range.

Also if it is the parents buying the clothes it gets even worse. They might have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage and may have taken on too much house then they can afford. Thus those parents are now facing higher monthly mortgage payments, $3.50 gas, and inflated prices for food. So even if their daughter complains she is still going to be getting those aforementioned Artist Stretch Jeans. This should be a good deal for AEOS any way you look at it.

Consumers Are Slowing But Only Slightly

It seems that high gas prices and the super hot weather in the mainland hasn't slowed all the retaliers.

Thursday's reports showed some pockets of strength despite the high-profile disappointments from Target, Costco and Gap.

Department stores such as J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (JCP) and Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) were among the winners with better-than-expected growth, but J.C. Penney said it remained cautious about August sales because of a tough economy.

Dollar stores were also surprisingly strong, with Family Dollar Stores Inc. (FDO) and Dollar General Corp. (NYSE:DG) beating July sales forecasts, and Dollar Tree Stores Inc. (Nasdaq:DLTR) posting strong second-quarter sales.

So the strength again comes from the high end consumer and from people trying to save a few bucks by buying cheap stuff.

Arizona Considers $1 million Voting Lottery

I think this is a great idea to increase people going to the polls:

Arizonans will vote on the reward idea Nov. 7. The proposal made it onto the ballot in June after supporters turned in nearly 184,000 signatures, or about 50 percent more than required.

If the measure passed, election officials would assign a number to each voter who casts a ballot in a state election. The state commission that oversees the Arizona lottery would then hold a public drawing to pick a winner, with the prize money coming from unclaimed lottery prizes.

I would even vote several times so I could have more chances to win. Wait maybe this isn't such a good idea after all.

Sector Based Mutual Funds getting Hammered

It seems that buying ETFs have replaced investing in Sector Based Mutual funds.

During just May and June, investors poured $2.48 billion into sector ETFs, while sector mutual funds saw net outflows of $3.32 billion, according to fund tracker Lipper. Most interesting, during that two-month period of rising energy costs, funds holding natural-resources stocks saw a net outflow of $25 million, while natural-resources ETFs received $1.83 billion in new assets.

I would rather buy an ETF then a Mutual Fund just because I can trade it faster if oil or gold prices start to drop again. You have more control over portfolio weightings if you stick to ETFs. Plus I like them because you just have to see what sectors seemed poised to do well and not have to drill down and own individual stocks to get that sector exposure. This article touches on why I like ETFs vs. Sector Mutual Funds. I hate those redemption fees.

The redemption fees are a growing issue, particularly when it comes to sector investing. Investors pour money into a given sector quickly, then get out when sentiment shifts. People who want to time the market often have to pay redemption fees for these short-term trades — more so now since the mutual-fund scandals of 2003 shone light on the practice of market timing — which drives up the cost of trading. ETFs don't have such redemption fees, so are better suited for those who want to trade sectors, rather than invest in them over a longer term.

Starbucks Sales in July Disappoints

It looks like they were not fast enough with those Frappuccino's to have same store sales be higher then 4%. In recent months they were pulling in 10% same store increases so they are really slowing down in terms of sales. At least the CEO has pointed the finger at the problem:

"We are experiencing stronger-than-expected -- actually unprecedented -- customer demand for blended beverages during morning peak hours," Chief Executive Jim Donald said on a conference call with analysts. "We still have work to do with service efficiencies around our Frappuccino blended beverage preparation."

I have noticed more people buying Frappuccinos then hot coffee when I go in the morning sometimes. I guess they could put in a machine that auto mixes Frappuccinos like those big Orange Slushy machines at the 7-11. Whatever the case this stock was priced for perfection and that little hiccup in same store sales last quarter mixed with this big time miss will probably cause a selloff in this stock.

I guess We Forgave France

It like "Freedom Fries" are finally going to be relegated to small blurb status in the history books now. It will join the same notable place as "Hanging Chad," and "18 1/2 minute gap."

Of the five food outlets that had heeded calls by House Republicans to inject patriotism into their menus in March 2003, the last two that still used "freedom fries" reverted back to the original name in the last two weeks.

Coal Stocks the new Oil Stocks

It sure seems that way from this article.

Stocks of U.S. coal producers have handily outpaced those of Big Oil over the past two years. During that period, for example, shares of oil giant ExxonMobil gained 37%, while the stock of Peabody Energy, the world's largest private-sector coal producer, more than quadrupled.

The real appeal of coal is that it isn't underneath countries that just love killing Americans. Too bad the Stanley Steamer went out with the 20s.

Kerry Proposes Health Care Plan

Hmm, I guess this is a time warp from 2004.

Sen. John Kerry on Monday proposed requiring all Americans to have health insurance by 2012, "with the federal government guaranteeing that they have the means to afford it."

That is a lot of money is expecting the government to cough up. I wonder if you will be able to opt out of this program or is everyone required to have it no matter what. It sounds like the same tax and spend crap that always comes out of the Boston liberal camp. Even the Repubs in Boston like to give away the free stuff paid for with tax payer cash:

Kerry faces the reality that the governor of his home state — Republican Mitt Romney, himself a potential 2008 presidential candidate — has not only talked about but enacted a sweeping health care overhaul designed to bring universal coverage to Massachusetts.

Llamas enlisted in Zionist Plot!

Or so says the Arab Street once they get their hands on this story.

Israeli newspapers carried pictures of South American llamas accompanying commandos out of southern Lebanon, their saddlebags full of fighting gear.

Yedioth Ahronoth daily quoted a senior Israeli military commander as saying the white-furred pack animals could carry up to 60 pounds each over rough terrain, were quiet and required feeding only once every two days.

I think Iran needs to come out and say that llamas are against Allah. Plus they need to have a violent protest soon. Maybe the Arab Street should be burning the Argentinean flag and running around with placards stating "No Blood for Llamas! Also Lorenzo Lamas needs to watch his step just in case things get crazy.

Europeans The New Big Player in Lebanon

Hmm it seems that they are going to be forced into a greater role in the Middle East if a large force of peacekeepers are needed after the inevitable cease fire between Hezbollah and Israel.

Italy, Germany, Ireland, France and Turkey have said they are considering
joining a U.N.-run multinational force. Britain and the Netherlands appear
unenthusiastic.
Foreign ministers from across the continent will discuss
their options next week at a hastily arranged gathering in Brussels,
Belgium.

Of course Europe has those Old Colonial Blues when it comes to intervening in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Tony Blair office says that Britain is unlikely to contribute
troops because of its colonial history in the region, and its extensive military
commitments elsewhere. Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Dirk-Jan Vermeij said
his country also had no plans to participate.

And there is nothing like a Israel vs. Germany showdown that is just 60 years in the making.

For Germany, the legacy of World War II presents troubling complications: What
if German men in uniform find themselves confronting Israelis?

New Motorola Phones

Here are some pics of their new lineup of phones. They look pretty high tech and might be the kind of thing that propels them to new market share gains:

This is the MOTOKRZR. It kind of looks like a super thin RAZR phone. I like how thin it is since I usually carry my phone in my pants pocket. Good thing I held off on the PEBL. This thing looks pretty cool.:



And this is the MOTORIZR. It is a slide phone to compete with the offerings from Samsung:

Motorola Introduces MOTOFONE

This seems like a shrewd move to attack Nokia in their strongest business.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT - News) today announced the MOTOFONE, a new handset poised to redefine the market by making high design and smart technology truly affordable. The MOTOFONE combines Motorola's award-winning design sensibility with smart features and easy functionality. Motorola's thinnest phone yet at approximately 9mm thin, MOTOFONE borrows key elements from Motorola's iconic portfolio and gives them a new twist. Flat keypad, colors, innovative materials and finish processes combine to make a device that's beautiful and affordable for everyone around the world.

They are making a cool phone for the emerging market which seems dominated by clunky, crappy looking phones that sacrifice looks for cheap materials. Here is a picture from this site of the new phone and some info on it. It looks pretty cool to me and not like some of the plastic crap the low end market has to endure. I have seen some of the lower end Samsungs and Nokias and they look pretty cheap and seem like they would be easily broken. This thing has some decent style points to it and should be a pretty decent seller I should think. I wonder what the margin is on each of these?

Netflix Gets Hammered

Hmm, there might be a buying opportunity coming soon in this stock.

And now, the bad news. Despite a 62% surge in subscriber growth, revenue rose just 46% to $239.4 million as new customers took to lower-priced plans that clearly didn't ding margins. The problem is that analysts were expecting the top line to clock in at $242.6 million.

Coming in a little light at the top will continue, with Netflix aiming for at least $980 million in revenue for all of 2006. Wall Street was perched just above the $1 billion mark.

It also costs Netflix more to rope in each new customer. They are now paying $43.95 when they were only paying $38.13 a year ago. That means their advertising budget is too high and could be slashed to bring prices down. It will hurt when you pay $43.95 to bring in a person that is only going to get the 2 movie plan for $11.99 a month.

I think the stock is getting fairly valued here in the $18 range. They are still the premier DVD rental name and have pretty clean financing and a large cash horde. However the only near term catalyst though will be announcing their plans for video on demand. If it sounds like something that would be able to grow their bottom line then the stock will probably rise. If it is something sad-assed that they cobble together to meet revenue numbers then you can say hello to single digits and a Blockbuster (BBI) style valuation. It should be an interesting watch list name in any case.

Amazon Disappoints

Bad news for Amazon stockholders.

Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN - news) on Tuesday reported a 58 percent drop in second-quarter net income as a severed partnership with Toysrus.com and higher technology investment spending cut into profits.

The company's stock fell 10 percent following the announcement.

That technology investment shouldn't be a big deal since that is a one time thing but that toysrus.com thing may leave them flatfooted. They need to be a player in the online toy space before Christmas but probably won't be able to compete effectively with Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us. They need to ramp up a toy selling arm that rivals already have entrenched and that could hurt them.

Ken Jennings "Blasts" Jeopardy

Hmm, he is now "blasting" Jeopardy and Alex Trebeck on his web site.

"Nobody knows he died in that fiery truck crash a few years back and was immediately replaced with the Trebektron 4000 (I see your engineers still can't get the mustache right, by the way)."

Jennings also takes aim at the show's "effete, left-coast" categories and "same-old" format.

Well I guess those are strong words but I wouldn't call it blasting the show. He just says that it is old fashioned and Alex is wooden in his mannerisms. The categories have always been effete left coast stuff because that seems to be the target audience. A steady diet of "Hip-Hop of the 90s" or "Coldplay Songs" would sink the show.

Israel Masses at the Lebanese Border

It looks like it is almost go-time for an invasion into Hezbollah controlled lands.

An official from the U.N. monitoring force in south Lebanon, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press, told The Associated Press in Beirut that between 300 and 500 troops are believed to be in the western sector of the border, backed by as many as 30 tanks.

Hey if this U.N. idiot wasn't supposed to talk to the press then what is he doing talking to the press? Even though he is anonymous it doesn't excuse the fact that he isn't authorized to brief the press about this. The U.N. is a big joke anyway.

Google Knocks it Out of the Park

Wow Google is really going all out by beating estimates again.

Excluding expenses for employee stock compensation and several other one-time items, Google said it would have earned $2.49 per share -- well above the average estimate of $2.22 per share among 32 analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

It marks the seventh time in eight quarters as a public company that Google has soared past the earnings hurdle set by Wall Street, even though its management insists the search engine isn't being steered by investors' relentless push for higher profit.

It also seems to be putting out these good numbers at Yahoo's expense:

Through June, Google held a 44.7 percent share of the U.S. search engine market, up from 36.9 percent at the same time last year, according to comScore Media Metrix. Yahoo ranked a distant second at a 28.5 percent share, comScore said.

Google's Web sites also have been attracting more new users than Yahoo, Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc. -- the owners of the Internet's most trafficked Web sites.

Too bad they won't split their stock to make it more reasonable to buy a round lot.

House Backs Israel 410-8

It seems that there was a bi-partisan show of support in which the House backed Israel up in its war with Hezbollah terrorists. Here are the Congressmen that voted pro-Hezbollah according to the House Clerks office:

Neil Abercrombie
John Conyers
John Dingell
Carolyn Kilpatrick (MI)
Jim McDermott
Ron Paul
Nick Rahall
Pete Stark

Yup, our boy Neil Abercrombie is on this list. It just goes to show that at least part of the Hawaii delegation can't agree to side with our only real ally in the Middle East. Even when they are defending themselves from terror and trying to get their kidnapped soldiers back. At least Ed Case voted pro-Israel on this thing. That is one of the reasons why I'm going to vote for him in November. He isn't a raging, insane liberal that is soft on Islamic terror.

Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill

This is why Bush has such poor poll numbers:

Senate supporters of the bill likened that logic to opposition suffered by Galileo, Christopher Columbus and others who were rebuked in their time but vindicated later.

Polls show as much as 70 percent public support for embryonic stem cell research.

Yes lets go against the wishes of 70% of the public while your approval numbers are in the toilet. It also lets China or whomever steps up to the plate get ahead of us in the research gap. While we dicker around with restraints on something that could potentially help millions of Americans.

If the cure for cancer or spinal cord injuries or something comes out of Stem Cell research then Bush will actually be the Conservative Caveman that his critics make him out to be. He will be figuratively standing in the school house door while China or Korea leaps ahead of us in Pharma research. This kind of stuff is why I am a Moderate instead of a hard line Conservative. I just can't fathom the thinking that true scientific progress that can potentially help millions of people can be slowed so easily by social issues like this.

Will Snakes on a Plane be No. 1 at the Box Office?

It sure will be interesting if this movie does make it to number one in its opening week. It seems like they are dodging the critics to go right to the fans at ComicCon in San Diego.

If Snakes slinks to the top of the box office in its first weekend--and Pandya expects it will--it'll join the likes of When a Stranger Calls, Madea's Family Reunion and Underworld: Evolution, all 2006 films that claimed number one status without the benefit and/or distraction of critics' screenings.

"As it becomes more common to open films without press screenings, it becomes less of an issue," Pandya said.

Hmm, if it does make a bundle of money I think more lower budget films will dodge the critics and do what Snakes is going to do. I mean why have the critics hurt your movie when you have generated a ton of buzz and grass roots advertising via blogs like Snakes did. This paragraph certainly sums up this view:

Business-wise, Gitesh Pandya of the number-crunching movie site BoxOfficeGuru.com thinks New Line's decision will actually boost Snakes' bottom line.

"These kind of movies are marketing-driven, not critic-driven," Pandya said. "So the only thing the critics could do is hurt it. And even if the reviews are good, they wouldn't mean much."

So in a way the critics are irrelevant to the marketing of any internet buzz related movie. I wonder if this could lead to the end of the professional movie critic as we know it? The most valuable target audience might end up going to their internet peer group first and foremost and totally ignore the critics. They could go to their MySpace friends, or to blogs with insider connections like Aint it Cool News, and soak up the free internet buzz.

That would mean that wiser movie producers will use the internet buzz to shill their movies and totally dodge Ebert and Roper or anyone that can hurt the word of mouth going into the opening of their movie.

I guess the so-called Oscar contender type movies will always be there to give the professional critics something to do. I mean those movies have a financial incentive that the critics directly affect. An Oscar nod engineered by critics backing a movie will make the Box Office go up no matter what.

Israel Rolls the Tanks into South Lebenon

It looks like the ground offensive has begun in the Israel/Hezbollah war.

Israeli troops punched into south Lebanon on Wednesday as warplanes flattened buildings including one thought to hold Hezbollah's top leaders, intensifying an offensive despite mounting international pressure and a Lebanese appeal to spare the country further death and devastation.

I wonder what the UN is going to do now? Beg the US to send troops into the area most likely.

Weird USB Drive Problem

I just wanted to put this down for posterity. I was trying to get my USB drive to run on this machine that had E: drive mapped to another network resource. So when I inserted the USB drive didn't pick up a drive letter for some reason and I was not able to access the drive. This seems to be a known problem with WinXP and here is the workaround that I found after Googling.

WORKAROUND

To prevent this issue from occurring, when you map a network drive, assign the highest available drive letter to the mapped network drive. To work around this issue if the new volume appears in Disk Management, specify a different drive letter for the new device or volume. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.

2. Under Computer Management (Local), click Disk Management.

3. In the list of drives in the right pane, right-click the new drive and then click Change Drive Letter and Path(s).

4. Click Change, and in the drop-down box, select a drive letter for the new drive that is not assigned to a mapped network drive.

5. Click OK, and then click OK again. Both the mapped network drives and the recently installed drive appear in Windows Explorer.

Turn Back the Clock on Lebanon

This is a pretty sad story of how a group like Hezbollah can bring what was a country on the rise right back to its chaotic years just like that.

Days before the violence erupted, newspapers had been full of gleeful predictions of a prosperous summer tourism season. But for the past six days, the headlines have told of fresh devastation.

Tourists from Europe and the Gulf — who just a week ago thronged the streets, Parisian boutiques and restaurants — are fleeing. Hotels that boasted almost full occupancy now are almost empty.

After reading about all of the runup to their elections (and them kicking Syria out) Lebanon seemed like a potential tourist destination. Now it will be years before that industry gets back on track. I think Lebanon needs to take a hard line on Hezbollah and maybe even go so far as to ban the organization from its government.

Israel Thinking About Ceasefire

This seems like perfectly reasonable terms of a ceasefire. I think America has talked to Israel and told them that Lebanon's elected government isn't some terror group even though they have members who are part of a terrorist group.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that the fighting in Lebanon would end when two Israeli soldiers were freed, rocket attacks stopped and the Lebanese army deployed along the border. But he appeared to scale back from previous demands for Hezbollah to be dismantled.

The Lebanese army deployment demand is a new one and that might have come directly from Washington. It is a way for Israel to say that they are at war with Hezbollah and not with Lebanon's elected government. Having the Lebanese army deploy shows that Lebanon is in control of the situation and are taking an active roll in keeping the peace.

Bush Curses at G8

This is an interesting insight into Bush's mindset toward Hezbollah.

"See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Bush told Blair as he chewed on a buttered roll.

He told Blair he felt like telling U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan who visited the gathered leaders, to get on the phone with Syrian President Bashar Assad to "make something happen." He suggested Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might visit the region soon.

He is 100% true. Just like how we could get Israel to stand down if we put pressure on them. I'm sure Syria could broker a ceasefire at any time as well. Of course the UN isn't putting any pressure on them to do it. It is always America's job to reign in Israel but its no one's job to reign in Hezbollah.

Bloggers from Lebanon and Israel

Very interesting people blogging from the flashpoint in the Israel/Lebanon war. I love how the internet can pull things together like this. People are writing their thoughts as the bombs drop seconds after things have just happened. The world becomes that much smaller.

Hezbollah Rams Israeli Ship with Drone

Now this is an interesting turn of events in the Hezbollah/Israel War.

Hezbollah rammed an Israeli warship with an unmanned aircraft rigged with explosives Friday, setting it ablaze after Israeli warplanes smashed Lebanon's links to the world one by one and destroyed the headquarters of the Islamic guerrilla group's leader.

Now that seems like a novel way to attack a ship. Kind of like the Oka Flying Bomb from WW2 but without the pilot. Here is a picture of the Oka Flying Bomb:



Here is a picture of the Hezbollah Flying Drone:

Japan Tough Talk Aimed At China

Ah this guy agrees with me when I said that China is running scared when it comes to Japan rearming.

And, arguably, nothing spooks China more than a remilitarized Japan. Even less appealing is a provoked Tokyo operating independently of the U.S.-Japan alliance. Plus Beijing, with its own grand ambitions, doesn't want to inflame its budding rivalry with Japan, already powerhouse in its own right.

The last thing the Chinese need is to come up against a Japan for the top dog in the Asian sphere. Japan's economy is finally on the mend and if they turn some of that newfound GDP growth toward making themselves a first class army and navy who knows how powerful Japan could make themselves. The Japanese also have the US in their corner providing them with arms and knowhow. I'm sure Lockheed, Northrop etc. would love to sell to Japan.

Israel Presses the Attack.

It seems Israel may be cutting off Lebanon from outside intervention.

Israel's decision to ramp up the attacks came at a meeting of security chiefs after a day in which Israel blockaded Lebanese ports, struck Beirut airport and two military airbases, and attacked bridges and houses in the south as well as a bridge leading to the country's only international airport.

The attacks virtually isolated Lebanon by air, sea and land.

It must be a move to hedge out Syria and prevent them from intervening without massive casualties. I wonder if Israel is going to attack Syria now depending on if they mass troops or not. In any case Bashar must be quaking in his boots about now. I bet he figures that he should have stayed a dentist. We even have the first sign of the same scoreboard that Reuters last rolled out during the Intafada:

Israeli air strikes and shelling have already killed at least 55 Lebanese civilians since the two soldiers were captured in a cross-border raid on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if anyone was killed in the latest strikes, which shook Beirut residents from their beds, but television footage showed residents helping others wounded by debris. Fire fighters fought in vain to get a raging blaze at the Jiyyeh plant under control.

Barrages of Hizbollah rocket fire into northern Israel have killed two Israeli civilians and wounded 95.

It is 55-2 with the Israelis in the lead! We are going to see this stupid score sheet from now until both sides get back to the peace table. It is Reuters attempt to make it look like Israel is the next Nazis/Soviets/Mongol Horde/Evil Empire blitzkrieging though helpless Arab countries. Of course they are conveniently forgetting to mention that this was all started by terrorists kidnapping and holding IDF members hostage. Those 55 people will still be alive if Hizbollah didn't grab those hostages it is just that simple.

Great Piece from a Arab Journalist to Palestine

This is an outstanding tell-it-like-it-is piece from Youssef M. Ibrahim via a pretty interesting blog called simply jews. I might as well quote it in its entirety because it is dead on and is very powerful in its rhetoric.

Dear Brethren, the War With Israel Is Over

As Israel enters the third week of an incursion into the same Gaza Strip it voluntarily evacuated a few months ago, a sense of reality among Arabs is spreading through commentary by Arab pundits, letters to the editor, and political talk shows on Arabic-language TV networks.The new views are stunning both in their maturity and in their realism. The best way I can think of to convey them is in the form of a letter to the Palestinian Arabs from their Arab friends:

Dear Palestinian Arab brethren:

The war with Israel is over.

You have lost.

Surrender and negotiate to secure a future for your children.

We, your Arab brothers, may say until we are blue in the face that we stand by you, but the wise among you and most of us know that we are moving on, away from the tired old idea of the Palestinian Arab cause and the "eternal struggle" with Israel.

Dear friends, you and your leaders have wasted three generations trying to fight for Palestine, but the truth is the Palestine you could have had in 1948 is much bigger than the one you could have had in 1967, which in turn is much bigger than what you may have to settle for now or in another 10 years. Struggle means less land and more misery and utter loneliness.

At the moment, brothers, you would be lucky to secure a semblance of a state in that Gaza Strip into which you have all crowded, and a small part of the West Bank of the Jordan. It isn't going to get better. Time is running out even for this much land, so here are some facts, figures, and sound advice, friends.

You hold keys, which you drag out for television interviews, to houses that do not exist or are inhabited by Israelis who have no intention of leaving Jaffa, Haifa, Tel Aviv, or West Jerusalem. You shoot old guns at modern Israeli tanks and American-made fighter jets, doing virtually no harm to Israel while bringing the wrath of its mighty army down upon you. You fire ridiculously inept Kassam rockets that cause little destruction and delude yourselves into thinking this is a war of liberation. Your government, your social institutions, your schools, and your economy are all in ruins.

Your young people are growing up illiterate, ill, and bent on rites of death and suicide, while you, in effect, are living on the kindness of foreigners, including America and the United Nations. Every day your officials must beg for your daily bread, dependent on relief trucks that carry food and medicine into the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while your criminal Muslim fundamentalist Hamas government continues to fan the flames of a war it can neither fight nor hope to win.

In other words, brothers, you are down, out, and alone in a burnt-out landscape that is shrinking by the day.

What kind of struggle is this? Is it worth waging at all? More important, what kind of miserable future does it portend for your children, the fourth or fifth generation of the Arab world's have-nots?

We, your Arab brothers, have moved on.

Those of us who have oil money are busy accumulating wealth and building housing, luxury developments, state-of-the-art universities and schools, and new highways and byways. Those of us who share borders with Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, have signed a peace treaty with it and are not going to war for you any time soon. Those of us who are far away, in places like North Africa and Iraq, frankly could not care less about what happens to you.

Only Syria continues to feed your fantasies that someday it will join you in liberating Palestine, even though a huge chunk of its territory, the entire Golan Heights, was taken by Israel in 1967 and annexed. The Syrians, my friends, will gladly fight down to the last Palestinian Arab.

Before you got stuck with this Hamas crowd, another cheating, conniving, leader of yours,Yasser Arafat, sold you a rotten bill of goods - more pain, greater corruption, and millions stolen by his relatives - while your children played in the sewers of Gaza.The war is over.

Why not let a new future begin?

Israel Starts Up Two Front War

This goes to show that you do not kidnap Israeli soldiers. You might get a bomb dropped on you if you do.

Israeli artillery and airstrikes have been pounding Hezbollah installations in southern Lebanon after a cross-border raid Wednesday that left three Israeli soldiers dead in addition to the two captives. Four more Israelis died in an attack on their tank during the clashes, and another died as soldiers went to their aid, the Israeli military said.

And it looks like Bush is pointing the finger at Syria and Iran as well. Way to escalate this war and maybe have Israel push into Syria and widen this thing. I mean they could justify it by saying that Syria supports Hezbollah and must be made to regime change as well.

"We also hold Syria and Iran, which have provided long-standing support for Hezbollah, responsible for today's violence," spokesman Tony Snow said. "We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers."

Japanese to Hike Rates

Hmm, this is a very well watched meeting if you are investing in EWJ right now.

A decision is expected Friday, when the Bank of Japan's policy board members vote. Raising rates, from virtually zero percent, would be the clearest sign yet that the world's second-biggest economy has emerged from a decade of doldrums. But it also raises concerns that higher borrowing costs might undercut the country's tenuous economic comeback.

Analysts and investors generally expect the BOJ to raise a benchmark rate to a scant 0.25 percent. The overnight discount rate now stands at 0.069 percent -- effectively zero.

Let's hope that it doesn't konk out the recovery we are seeing from the Japanese economy. If that happens it will whipsaw and slow down the Chinese economy as well. China is Japan's 2nd biggest trading partner and if Japan slows so will China.

Gas Consumtion Still High

Even though people are paying $3 a gallon for gas in the US people are still filling up their cars.

Wachovia Corp. economist Jason Schenker said motorists cannot instantly change their lifestyles -- the type of vehicle they drive, the distance they drive to work -- and so "consumption is essentially fixed."

"Even now, SUVs and light trucks are among the majority of vehicles sold," he said.

I figure Americans will not change their behavior unless the price of gas really does go over $4-$5 a gallon. The added price of filling up your tank is one less meal at a sit down restaurant or a movie night for the family right now. Americans can adjust to that. They probably wouldn't be able to adjust to a couple $100 a month added spending on top of rising morgage rates.

Space Watermelon Launched by Rich Guy

Now this seems like an interesting idea floated by Robert Bigelow.

Bigelow hopes to use inflation technology to build an expandable orbital outpost made up of several Genesis-like modules strung together like sausage links that could serve as a space hotel, science lab or even a sports arena.

Here is a picture of the weird looking orbital station:

China Steps Up the Pressure on North Korea

Yup, the threat of Japanese rearmament has gotten the lead out of the Chinese.

Chinese President Hu Jintao told the visiting vice president of the North's parliament, Yang Hyong Sop: "We are against any actions that will aggravate the situation. We hope that relevant parties will do more things conducive to the peace and stability of the peninsula," according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Hu said Beijing is "seriously concerned" and called for progress in stalled six-nation talks over the North's nuclear program.

I think Japan should make changes to their Constitution but then don't rearm. They can say that they feel unprotected and need to be ready in case there is North Korean aggression directed toward them. Japan could even threaten to start up their own nuclear weapons program to put pressure on North Korea. That would put the fear of God into the Chinese.

US Extends Geneva Conventions

It looks like we are going to start treating Al-Qaida and Taliban detainees as POWs now.

A memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England to all branches of the armed forces, released Tuesday, instructed them to ensure that all Defense Department policies, practices and directives comply with Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions governing the humane treatment of prisoners.

I wonder if Al-Qaida is going to follow Article 3 of the Geneva Convention when they capture our guys. I have a feeling that they probably won't. They won't go through a trial or provide a lawyer or anything like that. They go right to the execution part.

Now This is One Big Plasma TV

Panasonic is coming out with a 103 inch TV now.

Measuring 2.4 metres by 1.4 meters and weighing 215 kg, the 103-inch panel is bigger than a double-sized mattress and almost as heavy as an upright piano.

The world's largest consumer electronics maker has yet to set the price but Matsushita's 65-inch plasma TVs, its largest available now, sell for about $7,500 in Japan.

Here is a picture of the monster:

Answering Hawkings Question

Hmm this is a very interesting question that Stephen Hawking is asking in this article.

Hawking's question: "In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?"

My answer to this question is: easily. The human race has been in far, far worse shape in the past. These next 100 years will be a cakewalk when you put it up against some of the real honest to God chaos we have faced in the past.

We have gone through plagues that have wiped out 1/3 of the population (the Black Death) and 50 million (1919 Influenza Epidemic.) We have faced wars that killed 6.5 million people (Napoleonic Wars,) 15 million people (WWI) and 62 million (WWII.) We have faced climate change that is far worse then global warming (Big and Little Ice Ages.) We came back from the brink of total annihilation during the Cuban Missile Crisis and several other points during the Cold War.

Al-Quida terrorism, global warming, Korea Acting up, and Iran getting the bomb are *nothing* when compared to Global Thermal Nuclear War reducing humanity to Wasteland. About the only thing that humanity has to directly fear in the next 100 years is a direct hit from a comet or an asteroid. We still might be able to survive that event like how the mammals did when the Dinosaurs got wiped out. Maybe humans would have to live in burrows like the Morlocks but humans will survive by any means necessary.

I think that all these naysayers that think humanity is doomed need to read some of the stuff that was thrown around during the Mongol Invasion or the Black Death. They thought the world wouldn't last even 10 years more. I guess we proved them wrong.

Why Zidane Headbutted Materazzi

It seems like he was provoked pretty badly by Materazzi if this article is to be believed.

The Paris-based anti-racism advocacy group SOS-Racism issued a statement Monday quoting "several very well informed sources from the world of football" as saying Materazzi called Zidane a "dirty terrorist." It demanded that FIFA, soccer's world governing body, investigate and take any appropriate action.

Ah, so it was a racial slur that was used against him. I figured that is pretty much to only thing that would have freaked him out that bad in one of the biggest matches in French soccer history. The Italians must have been talking trash the whole game and Zidane just couldn't take it any more and lashed out.

Japan Talks Tough on North Korea

Now this is really ramping up the rhetoric.

"If we accept that there is no other option to prevent an attack ... there is the view that attacking the launch base of the guided missiles is within the constitutional right of self-defense. We need to deepen discussion," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said.

"It's irresponsible to do nothing when we know North Korea could riddle us with missiles," echoed Tsutomu Takebe, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "We should consider measures, including legal changes" required for such an attack, he said.

In other words Japan may need to rearm themselves to take care of the North Korean threat. That should get diplomacy moving in China to affect some kind of peaceful solution. A militarily powerful Japan with the nuclear option is the last thing they need to hold any sort of hegemony in Asian affairs.

Zidane Headbutt Sinks France

I just finished watching the World Cup Final and I have to say that that was one of the best World Cups I have ever seen. The thing I was disappointed with is how Zidane freaked out and headbutted Materazzi. How could he have hurt his legacy so badly in one stupid move like that? He was cruising for the same kind of legend that Pele was by gritting out a hurt arm and kicking France's only goal. It seemed that he pretty much willed his team into the Final and they had a great chance of winning it all. Then one stupid move and it is all over.

Well, you do have to hand it to Italia though. They played great defence and at least the US was able to tie them. That is one of the only positive things that happened to the US in this Cup. Well in any case Viva Italia! They deserved it.

This is a Cool Pic from Break.com

Now this is the ultimate geek headstone.

Germans Have a New Attitude from the World Cup

Hmm it does seem that they are pretty cheerful even though their team lost. This Der Spiegel article shows how German attitudes may be changing because of this World Cup.

The Germans are positive. The Germans are friendly. The Germans have hosted an unforgettable World Cup. How can this be? For years, commentators both at home and abroad have derided the Germans for their pessimism and often glum or crabby manner. A sudden transformation brought on by the sunny, California-style optimism of German national soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann?

I think Klinsmann going crazy and putting his heart on his sleeve for the National Team is quite a positive sign. It is better then the emotionless Kaisers that usually skippers most of the Bundesliga teams. They stand there like a statue whether their teams scores or is scored upon. Klinsmann seemed to be willing his team to victory and seemed in physical pain when the opponent scored on them. I think the English club could have really benefited from a coach that is in the game as much as Klinsmann. I hope the Germans keep him on for years to come.

Brits Take World Cup Loss Hard

Wow they really thought they were going to win it all and they did have a pretty good chance to do it. I guess there was just too much expectation by the British fans for some reason:

Most pundits and former players said this current crop was the best England side in decades, with all the first team players maturing at the right time. Such was the anticipation of the World Cup in England, that over a 100 English football anthems and songs were released in the build up to it.

There was an explosion in sales of English flags with many being placed on cars or hung from windows; Mars bars were re-branded as "Believe" bars. In general, English patriotism reached its highest level in years, all because their national football team was in the World Cup.

It seems Rooney hasn't been lambasted in their media as much as the coach of the England squad has? Hmm, let me do some deep Googling to find out some more.

Kerry on the O'Reilly Factor

This sure seemed like a civil exchange between the two men. I didn't see it but there were no lines that said or or something like that. I agree with this Kerry line as well.

KERRY: I believe the American people have been sold short by the United States Congress with respect to the energy future of our country. Yes. And it is regrettable, because millions of jobs have been lost. Our security has been put at risk.

The United States' technological lead in those areas has been set back. Our health has been set back. The environment has been set back. The overall security interests of our nation have not been well served.

This is where Dems and Repubs need to find common ground. The Dems can take the environment side of things and the Repubs can take the security side. The Dems can rail on about how it is destroying wildlife, polluting things, global warming, etc. And the Repubs can rail on about the Oil Sheikh, Iran using oil to fund nukes, Hugo Chavez etc. Then they can meet in the middle and week us off oil.

FED Raises Rates to 5.25

Hmm, very bullish sentiment that they may pause in raising rates in their next meeting.

In the statement explaining the decision, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues said that "the extent and timing of any additional firming that may be needed to address these risks will depend on the evolution of the outlook for both inflation and economic growth, as implied by incoming information."

Again numbers like the PPI and the CPI are going to have an even greater chance of moving the market. More then forecast GDP growth might hurt the numbers as well. That expected pause sure helped financials. XLF is up 2% today.

Gaza Situation Escalates

It looks like the Israelis are really starting the crack down on Hamas and are escalating things.

In a clear warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israeli airplanes flew over his seaside home near the Mediterranean port city of Latakia in northwestern Syria, military officials confirmed, citing the "direct link" between his government and Hamas. Israeli television reports said four planes were involved in the low-altitude flight, and that Assad was there at the time.

Now that is pretty nuts the Israeli Air Force decided to just rattle the windows a little bit and put the fear of Allah into Bashar. Now that is a show fo strength. Also Hamas animals killed off the settler that they grabbed.

Adding to the tension, a Palestinian militant group said it killed an 18-year-old Jewish settler kidnapped in the West Bank. Israeli security officials said Eliahu Asheri's body was found buried near Ramallah. They said he was shot in the head, apparently soon after he was abducted on Sunday.

I still think that the longer this drags on the better chance Gilad Shalit is going to suffer the same fate and this poor kid. Just a shot in the head and buried in some lonely Gaza neighborhood and the killers are going to slip away into Egypt.

Burger King Coverage Initiated

Hmm some good things and some bad from the roundup of people that are starting coverage on this stock. I agree with this Morgan Stanley guy:

Morgan Stanley analyst Mark Wiltamuth also initiated with an "Overweight" rating, noting that the company's valuation is below its competitors such as McDonald's Corp. and Yum Brands Inc., "yet it offers higher operating earnings and EPS growth and we see prospects for sales and earnings upside surprises from the value menu launch," he wrote.

It is currently the number 2 fast food chain in the midst of a turnaround and it is valued below the number 3 and 4 chains. As a value investor you have to like how the company is undervalued even though it has better growth prospects then some of the other stocks in its industry. They seem to have hardly dipped into the international market as well. This Lehman guy agrees with me:

Lehman Brothers analyst Jeffrey A. Bernstein also thinks investors should seek out Burger King shares, initiating the stock at "Overweight" with $20 price target.

"We believe the Burger King U.S. business has been reinvigorated with a host of new products and initiatives, leading to improved sales and profitability metrics, benefiting from a well defined roadmap developed by their peers," he wrote in a report Tuesday. Bernstein added that outside of the U.S. and Canada, there are "significant" unit growth opportunities for the company.

Some of their new products are crappy though. The Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch was freakishly large and I was forced to eat it with a knife and fork. I'm looking to try the Extreme Spicy Tendercrisp with the jalepeneos. I want to gauge the spiciness level of it.

Here is a Pic of Gilad Shalit

He looks like a nice enough kid. Lets hope he gets out of this mess all in one piece.

Israeli Planes Strike Gaza Bridges

It looks like they are laying the groundwork by knocking out bridges that will seperate the Gaza strip.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the object of the attacks on the bridges late Tuesday and early Wednesday was "to impair the ability of the terrorists to transfer the kidnapped soldier." Knocking down the bridges would cut Gaza in two, Palestinian security officials said.

Israel On the Move in Gaza

It looks like the Israeli army is about to roll tanks in Gaza over their kidnapped soldier.

Palestinian security forces said Israeli tanks were on the move near the Israeli village of Nahal Oz, a main Israeli staging area just outside Gaza, but they had not yet entered the territory.

Are they planning on a full scale invasion of Gaza? As soon as the tanks enter these terrorists are going to cut this soldier's head off. I guess they weighted the risks when they set out or they are banking on simply recovering his corpse.

Cell Phones Excite Brain Cells

Hmm this is an interesting study about how cell phones affect your brain.

Dr. Paolo Rossini of Fatebenefratelli hospital in Milan and colleagues used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS to check brain function while people used these phones.

They had 15 young male volunteers use a GSM 900 cell phone for 45 minutes. In 12 of the 15, the cells in the motor cortex adjacent to the cell phone showed excitability during phone use but returned to normal within an hour.

The cortex is the outside layer of the brain and the motor cortex is known as the "excitable area" because magnetic stimulation has been shown to cause a muscle twitch.

Hmm I wonder what effects this excitability has? I wonder if you excite the left brain you will become more creative or the right brain gets excited you can think better. So depending on what side you use the cell phone on you get either a boost of creativity or cognition. Or maybe that excitability is what causes brain cancer in some cell phone users. I think more study is in order to see if these things are safe over the long haul.

New York Times should be Punished

I think newspapers need to think about the War on Terror before they publish any old leak that comes down the pike. I'm all for the First Amendment but newspapers need to have some judgment when it comes to keeping secrets during a war. And it seems that Tony Snow agrees with me.

"Certainly nobody is going to deny First Amendment rights. But the New York Times and other news organizations ought to think long and hard about whether a public's right to know in some cases might override somebody's right to live," Snow said. "And whether, in fact, the publication...could place in jeopardy the safety of fellow Americans."

The Times needed to have the same thinking that they kept the knowledge that FDR was wheelchair bound under wraps. Sometimes the American people do not need to know every secret thing the government does during a wartime situation.

I mean if civil liberties were infringed and crimes were committed then they should blow the whistle. But when they get a leak and then go to the White House who raise objections they should not say "let's publish this anyway." There should be some kind of consequences for leaking top secret information like this. It is kind of like publishing troop movements or the battle plan during the war. This should be investigated and if there was wrongdoing then there should be some kind of punishment.

It think at the very least the leak should be plugged since that person is acting like a double agent giving away our secrets in order to strengthen Al-Quida postions and warn them that they are being tracked.

Cadbury recalls 1 millions Chocolate Bars

They might have traces of salmonella in them but only UK and Irish bars are affected.

The precautionary recall involves seven products -- 250 gram bars of Dairy Milk Turkish, Dairy Milk Caramel and Dairy Milk Mint; Dairy Milk 8 chunk; 1 kilogram bars of Dairy Milk: Diary Milk Button Easter Eggs (105 grams); and Cadbury Freddo 10p.

I have the agree that Cadbury is the best chocolate bars around and they easily kick the crap out of anything Hersheys makes. Too bad they aren't more available here in Hawaii. This recall should affect their quality very much.

The Ultimate USB ThumbDrive

This is a great article from PCmag that lets you put all kinds of stuff on a Keydrive so you can browse, e-mail, FTP, and even do Office related tasks all from your USB drive. I think I will be doing this to see what it is like.

MySpace Teen Goes to the West Bank

Check out what happened to this 17 year old girl who tried to travel to the West Bank to be with a guy she met on MySpace.

She was traveling to be with Abdullah Jimzawi, a 20-year-old high school dropout who lives with his parents in Jericho, West Bank. They met through MySpace.com, a social networking Web site whose popularity with teenagers has raised concerns among U.S. authorities, with scattered accounts of sexual predators targeting minors on the site.

Jimzawi, in a recent interview with The Associated Press, said he loves the girl and the two planned to marry. She was to convert to Islam, he said.

That was pretty brave of her to travel like that halfway around the world to a pretty dangerous place to be with a guy. Or it could mean she is ignorant of that part of the world and thought it was like getting on a plane and going to Las Vegas or something. This part I don't agree with though:

At a hearing Monday, Judge W. Wallace Kent Jr. ordered Lester to give up her passport and undergo counseling. He did not rule on the validity of the petition.

Why would she need counseling? She seems to have her stuff together enough to travel all the way to Amman, Jordan and try to head to Tel Aviv. She is 17 so it is not like she doesn't know what she is doing. I wonder if she would have to have court mandated counseling if this 20 year old guy was living in Spain or something?

Check out these Weird Puma Shoes

Hmm, I guess the click through advertising on Yahoo worked because I clicked through this Puma ad to see why these shoes looked like grass. It turns out they have a funky pattern on them to make them look like grass. Here is a pic from their website:



They are called the Puma V1.06 iFG and go for like $175. I guess they grow on you the more you look at them but they still look kind of strange to me. I wonder if they have some with a dirt pattern on them for those soccer fields in South America and Africa?

Is Rooney Enough to Win it for England

This is a pretty good article forwarded to me by my Dad that talks about Wayne Rooney and whether he is going to take England to the World Cup.

He has the vision and the skill to pick out teammates with accurate, well-timed passes that often lead to goals. He also knows his powerful build and impressive control make it almost impossible for defenders to take the ball from him. When opponents try to shackle him with two or three defenders, that leaves teammates unmarked and he slips the ball out for them to score. The sort of thing Pele used to do.

Now England just needs to play up to their potential and they could do it. Here is a picture of Rooney and his wife. She has kind of a weird nose:

Jolie Wants Another Adopted Child?

I guess she is running her own immigration agency to get destitute babies out of Third World countrires one at a time. I guess she is this generations Mia Farrow.

We don't know which which country. But we're looking at different countries," the actress tells Cooper. "And we're I'm just it's gonna be the balance of what would be best for Mad and for Z right now. It's, you know, another boy, another girl, which country, which race would fit best with the kids."

North Korea to Test ICBM

Hmm I wonder what our response will be to information that they could turn LA into a smoking crater?

U.S. officials have said the 116-foot-long missile has a firing range of 9,300 miles and could reach as far as the U.S. West Coast. Most analysts, however, say North Korea is still a long way from perfecting technology that would make the missile accurate and capable of carrying a nuclear payload.

I think it wasn't such a big deal for them to strike Japan or Korea but now they can actually hit our West Coast ports and that should put some fear into us. I still think the whole idea of MAD will deter them from taking the first shot though. They would get LA but we would not leave stone on stone in that country. I wonder if the loony liberals from the left coast will sleep a little less easy tonight?

Spears wants Baby in Namibia now?

I guess Namibia is becoming the new Hollywood hotspot to give birth now.

"Deputy Tourism Minister Leon Jooste confirmed that he received a telephonic enquiry from Spears' office to have her second baby born in Namibia," the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) said Friday.

I just hope this translates to a tourism boost for Namibia. Or will all this attention from celebs cause the Namibians to build lots of tourism type facilities just before the nation becomes forgotten like those goofy little dogs that they used to carry around? Actually, this may be the reason why stars want to have a baby in the country:

The Namibian government had asked the press to respect the couple's privacy and deported three French paparazzi and a South African photographer after they tried to take photographs of a very pregnant Jolie.

When you have the government deporting paparazzi you will have a nice secret baby birthing and can sell the first pics for millions. It is just a way to increase the revenue that can be generated by the baby.

North Korea has Missile that can Strike US

This is some pretty worrying news for people on the west coast and living here in Hawaii.

North Korea is accelerating preparations for testing a missile that has the potential to strike the United States, a U.S. government official said Friday. A test of the Taepodong-2 long-range missile may be imminent, the official said.

I guess North Korea is tired of Iran being the focus of the national stage and wants to get in on the act as well. Will we be entering a new Cold War with North Korea playing the Russia role?

Panel recommends Churchill be fired

I guess the University of Colorado is tired of having this person associated with their school. I thought of something interesting while looking at these comments.

The essay referred to some World Trade Center victims as "little Eichmanns," a reference to Adolf Eichmann, who carried out Adolf Hitler's plan to exterminate European Jews during World War II.

They did not seem to engender the same revulsion and condemnation from the left that Ann Coulters comments on the 9/11 widows have had. This is indicative of how polarized our nation is. I'm sure many on the left feel that the people that died in 9/11 can't be described in the same breath as a guy that signed the death warrant of millions of people. But they can't speak out because they will loose their loony liberal base.

This loony liberal base also makes it seem like the Dems hope the US loses in Iraq and are driven out in shame. The Dems are forced to say things like "pull all of the troops out by the end of the year" even though the Iraqis have gone to the UN with a request that we not leave until they get things under control. I think the Dems know full well what chaos we will leave in our wake if we leave when the Iraqis aren't ready to take over yet. Yet their highly polarized base forces them to say things like that or they won't get support.

I just can't fathom how someone can advocate abandoning millions of people just so they can feel better morally (since US troops will no longer be involved in a so-called "illegal" war.) They seem to care more about US citizens then about Iraqi citizens. The left seems too busy convicting our troops without a trial over Haditha or looking for our hidden prisons to investigate Shiite Death Squads or people getting murdered in Darfur. I thought they were supposed to be a nuanced, compassionate, internationalist party. The so-called Progressives. I guess they are only progressive when it comes to US citizens and not Africans or Iraqis.

Spiderman Reveals Secret Identity

This is a very interesting turn of events for Spiderman fans.

In the latest edition of the Marvel comic "Civil War" on sale, Spiderman does the unthinkable and removes his Spidey mask to publicly reveal his hidden identity.

"I'm proud of who I am, and I'm here right now to prove it," the legendary webslinger tells a press conference called in New York's Times Square, before pulling off his mask and standing before the massed ranks of reporters as newspaper photographer Peter Parker.

I wonder which way they are going to go with this storyline. In the Marvel Universe the Fantastic 4 does not use masks and become celebrities because of it. I wonder if the Daily Bugle will still go after Spider-Man or will he become a celebrity. In any case it is always cool to see comics make national news.

Daryl Hannah Chased Up a Tree

This article is just too funny. This shows how hopelessly deluded some celebs are.

Horowitz had offered to sell 10 acres of the property to a non-profit group for $16.3 million so the farm could be continued, but when the group came up short, he secured an eviction order from a judge.

Over the past few weeks, Hannah has been living on the property in a tent in an effort to draw attention to the farmers' plight. On Tuesday, she said she had been sleeping in her tent when the police raid began around 5 a.m. and that she quickly made for the branches of a tree.

"I felt an extreme sense of urgency. Not only did I have to climb up the tree, I had to pull up the rope behind me so they could not follow me," the actress told the Los Angeles Times by cell phone from her tree perch.

This whole protest could have been avoided if these stars would just get out their pocketbooks and helped that non-profit organization pay that $16.3 million for the land. Or raise the money in a fundraiser or on the internet like Howard Dean did. They would been able to get the money in no time and no one would have had to live on the farm in a tent like a dumb ass. And this is just the most priceless thing in the whole article:

He also said that the majority of the farmers had been relocated to other gardening sites around the city, a statement echoed by City Councilwoman Jan Perry.

Yup all the crazy tree climbing and concrete barrel chaining was pretty much for no reason. The stars could have just helped the farmers find new land in some other part of the city. In fact why don't they just let the farmers set up a communal garden on the grounds of their mansions. Maybe their love of Latino farmers stops as soon as "the Man" stops "getting them down."

Condoleezza Rice Tops in Eat Dinner Poll

Hmm it seems like Esquire reading men like brains over beauty when it comes to a dinner date.

Rice was followed by Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie in a national survey published in the magazine's July issue. The 29-question survey, conducted by Beta Research Corp., polled 1,083 men aged 25 and older.

I agree with their choice of male that men would like to invite to dinner as well. They picked Jay Leno. I think he is the only male celebrity that I would really like the spot somewhere on the street and shake his hand. I have always liked Jay Leno for some reason. It is also interesting that Bush made the list as well:

Asked which famous man they'd invite to dinner, 37 percent picked "Tonight" host Jay Leno.
Bill Clinton placed second, trailed by George Clooney and President Bush.

I think Bush would be fun to talk about baseball with since he was a former owner.

Sun Fires Back in Becks defense

The Sun is pulling for the the England skipper but wow the pics they chose do not do Beckham's mom and sister any favors:

Another insider said: "David and Victoria are furious. They thought this was all about football and didn't come to Germany expecting to be ridiculed."

Former England skipper Mick Channon slammed Bild.

He said: "Writing stuff like that is just plain sick and is is clearly insulting. Beckham should ignore it and carry on playing the way he has been. He's been great in the last four or five England games."

Sun gets in a nice little dig at the German Teams' wives as well:

While the England players' wives and girlfriends include stunners like Posh Spice, Coleen McLoughlin and Cheryl Tweedy, can anyone name a partner of the German footie stars?

Bild vs. Becks Sister

I'm hoping for a Germany/England game before this World Cup is out. Since this is the first shot across Englands bow by the Bild Newspaper. This is what they said:

Beckham's 24-year-old sister Joanne came in for especially harsh treatment in the full-page spread accompanied by colour photographs.

"Dear me, is she chubby. Arms, bust, bum, all very British. Joanne is the sort of girl who drinks sangria on the beach in Majorca. And then dances on a table with her top off," said the paper Monday.

Here is a picture of Joanne Beckham. She does look like she enjoys the sweets:

Interesting Article by Michael Barone

This is a very interesting article on why the Dems message is falling short with some Americans when it comes to Iraq.

It comes down to this: A substantial part of the Democratic Party, some of its politicians and many of its loudest supporters do not want America to succeed in Iraq. So vitriolic and all-consuming is their hatred for George W. Bush that they skip right over the worthy goals we have been, with some considerable success, seeking there -- a democratic government, with guaranteed liberties for all, a vibrant free economy, respect for women -- and call this a war for oil, or for Halliburton.

Successes are discounted, setbacks are trumpeted, the level of American casualties is treated as if it were comparable to those in Vietnam or World War II. Allegations of American misdeeds are repeated over and over; the work of reconstruction and aid of American military personnel and civilians is ignored.

I think if the Dems should run on a platform that says the Bush administration has screwed up and turned Iraq into a quagmire but they have a better plan to succeed in Iraq. In other words use their plan as a backdrop to show how the Repubs have failed (they can go point by point) and how they will succeed if only the voters give them a chance. In other words tell us how the Dems plans to rebuild Iraq are better.

I have a feeling that many Americans don't like the war but they really want to see us eke out some sort of lasting victory. They want to see that all the deaths and destruction ended up building a better Iraq in whatever form it takes. They are not ready for the image of the last Air America helicopter on of the roof of the American Embassy as Saigon falls. I think some on the far left of the Dems can't wait to see that image so they can say "I told you so, look what the Repubs have wrought."

Palestine Lurching Toward Civil War?

It looks like it is getting to Palestinian on Palestinian violence in the West Bank now.

In Monday's unrest, hundreds of members of the Preventive Security force shot out the windows of the parliament building before storming the two-building Cabinet complex, where they smashed furniture, destroyed computers and tore up documents. No casualties were reported.

Shooting wildly in the air, the mob then set fire to one of the Cabinet buildings, gutting the fourth floor. When a fire engine approached the scene, one gunman lay on the road, preventing it from reaching the building.

I guess we could soon see a coup against the Hamas led government. This Middle Eastern democracy project may be springing a few leaks here. All Hamas had to do is work with the Israelis and get rid of the "destroy Israel" plank and they could have been able to rule in peace. Now they might be shot to death by their own countrymen. I guess Hamas is really willing to fight for peace now.

World Cup Ball Like Knuckler

This is an interesting article on why goalies hate the new Worldcup Ball this year.

The new Adidas Teamgeist football, as it is called, has 14 panels instead of the 26 or 32 that traditionally create the hexagonal pattern.

Fewer panels means fewer seams, which will make the ball behave more like a baseball, says Ken Bray, a sports scientist at the University of Bath in the UK.

Here is a picture of the ball. It does look very different then a normal soccer ball. I wonder if there will be controversy because of it?

Rio Shaking Down Motorists for World Cup Decorations

Now this is one soccer crazed country.

Cars have been stopped by rope barriers in side streets and drivers asked to make contributions.

In one recent such incident in Rio's hilltop Santa Teresa district, a young man in T-shirt and shorts approached a halted car. But instead of drawing a gun -- as often happens in this crime-plagued city -- the man politely asked: "Any change to buy decorations ?"

On payment of a couple of reais ($1), the rope was dropped.

Texas Instruments Raises Outlook

Hmm it seems that TXN is looking at good growth in the coming quarter.

TI, which sells chips for everything from cell phones to calculators, now expects second-quarter earnings from continuing operations of 46 cents to 48 cents a share, versus its earlier estimate of 38 cents to 43 cents a share.

Analysts on average had forecast 40 cents a share.

When you couple it with this article that I read yesterday about cell phone sales being up 20%. TXN is the leader is cell phone chip making so they may be a pretty good growth story going forward. It also seems to be trading at a discount to the market, and is about $7 cheaper then its fair market value. It is certainly a decent add to someones Watch List.

Mobile phones are a particularly hot item, driven by an apparent desire for a wave of more advanced models that have expanded the handsets' usefulness beyond verbal communication by turning them into vehicles for Web surfing, pictures and videos.

The trade group estimated cell phone shipments this year will increase 20 percent to about 1 billion units. Each of those devices contains chips costing an average of $41.

al-Zarqawi Killed At Last

Well, it looks like the US got their man at last.

Coalition forces killed al-Qaida terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and one of his key lieutenants, spiritual adviser sheik Abdel-Rahman, yesterday, June 7, at about 6:15 in the evening. This happened in an airstrike which was conducted against an identified, isolated safe house.

It will be very interesting to learn how they did it in the years to come. Was it a member of Zarqawis group that ratted him out? And what roll did the Jordan Intelligence play in this whole thing. I think a History Channel documentary should be in order on what went down.

Weird Solar System Found 60 Light Years Away

This sounds pretty interesting if you are an Astronomy buff. It is about the solar system known as Beta Pectoris which is about 60 light years away from us.

The new finding raises the possibility that in a few million years time, Beta Pictoris could be home to bizarre alien worlds that sound like something dreamed up by astronomers who've read too much science-fiction.

"If carbon-rich worlds are forming in Beta Pictoris, they might be covered with tar and smog, with mountains made of giant diamonds," said Marc Kuchner, an expert on extrasolar planets also from Goddard. Kuchner, who was not involved in the study, said that "life on such a planet is not implausible, but it certainly would be exotic."

That kind of makes me think about the Valley of Diamonds that Sindbad visited in the 1001 Arabian Nights Stories. Incidentally that is also a Magic card that I had from the Arabian Nights set:

UBS "Logic Bombing" Pretty Harrowing

Wow if you are an IT professional this story is pretty harrowing stuff. It involved a 2002 attack on UBS PaineWebber by a disgruntled SysAdmin.

On the day of the attack, Rodriguez said that at one point there was "chaos" in the UBS Escalation Center. Systems administrators and other IT workers were streaming into the offices there, asking questions and making suggestions. A room that normally sees six or seven workers was suddenly teeming with 20 or 30 by mid-morning. By noon, she says there were maybe 50 people working on the downed network. Just an hour later, there were hundreds involved across the country.

"Every branch was having problems," she said. "Every single broker was complaining. They couldn't log onto their desktops and [get to] their applications because the servers were down. The brokers might have been able to make some calls to friend brokers, but my understanding was that trading was not doable."

Now that is pressure when guys that are used to moving millions of dollars back and forth and are paid handsomly for it can't even log into their PCs to check their e-mail. That was perhaps millions of dollars in trading profits that cannot be recouped because one disgruntled SysAdmin figured he wasn't paid enough and crashed their system. I would hate to have been working at UBS trying to get their 2000 servers back online from backup tapes. That sounds nuts.

Bush Says Iran Talks Positive

It looks like we are offering them a pretty good deal here. I wonder if Iran is going to reject even this sweetened deal by the US.

The package includes a promise of Western technical help in developing peaceful civilian nuclear energy if Iran stops enriching uranium, a waiver of U.S. legal restrictions to allow export of some agricultural technology, access to U.S. aircraft parts or new Boeing Co. planes to upgrade Iran's aging fleet and U.S. and European backing for Iran to join the
World Trade Organization diplomats and others said.

I wonder what the next step will be if Iran rejects even this proposal. Are we going to go down the long torturous path to a military solution with Russia and China fighting us all the way? I would be willing to bet any money that if sanctions go in and oil goes to $90 we will see a steep recession in this country for sure. Hope you got your DIA, SPY, and QQQQ shorts in if that happens.

Now 2.2 Million Active Duty Military Data was Stolen

It looks like that same idiot that got their laptop stolen may have had info on 2.2 million active duty military people as well.

In fact, names, birth dates and Social Security numbers of as many as 1.1 million active-duty personnel from all the armed forces, or 80 percent of all active-duty members, are believed to have been included, along with 430,000 members of the National Guard, and 645,000 members of the Reserves.

Yup those are the men and women dying in Iraq that got their info nicked by the lax security at the VA. The idea of letting all of that info walk out the door so simply without any checks is mind blowing to me. I think VA Secretary Jim Nicholson should resign ASAP.

"Rage" Disorder a Real Thing?

This is a really interesting article on something called Rage Disorder.

By definition, intermittent explosive disorder involves multiple outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situation. These angry outbursts often include threats or aggressive actions and property damage. The disorder typically first appears in adolescence; in the study, the average age of onset was 14.

It seems that these aren't just people who get pissed for no reason but it is an actual brain chemistry thing going on:

Coccaro said the disorder involves inadequate production or functioning of serotonin, a mood-regulating and behavior-inhibiting brain chemical. Treatment with antidepressants, including those that target serotonin receptors in the brain, is often helpful, along with behavior therapy akin to anger management, Coccaro said.

NYSE and Euronext to Merge

Looks like consolidation in the Exchange space. And big changes ahead for World Markets:

The NYSE-Euronext deal could turn world markets upside down, spurring mass consolidations, threatening the future of open-outcry trading and perhaps even opening the way for a round-the-clock worldwide exchange. The acquisition would create a single platform where traders could deal in stocks, options, futures, commodities and corporate bonds across two continents — for up to 12 hours daily.

It sure would be cool to be able to trade actual European Stocks and not just the ADRs of them. Also the idea of the stock exchange being open 12 hours a day appeals to me because I don't have an hour or so to get trades in before the market closes. Seems like a good deal for both parties.

Info on Types of Orders

This is very good information for every starting investor to know.

Market Order: This is for immediate execution at the best price available when the order reaches the marketplace. This is the most common type of order and is nearly always filled, since no price is specified. As an example, you might call your broker and bark into the phone, "Buy me 75 shares of Scrunchie Manufacturing (ticker: SCRNCH) at the market!"

Limit Order: This is an order to buy or sell only at a specified price (the limit) or better. Investors who have a maximum or minimum price at which they're willing to trade use limit orders. As an example, imagine that Amalgamated Chorus Girls Inc. (ticker: KICKK) is trading at $35 and you want to buy, but not at the current price. You might click over to your brokerage's website and place an order to buy 50 shares of KICKK at a limit of $33 per share. This means that if KICKK hits $33 during the day and your order is next in line to be filled, it will be filled at that price. With a limit order, you'll only pay $33 or less per share, if your order is filled.

Fill-or-Kill: This order is submitted for immediate execution. If it cannot be filled immediately, it's automatically canceled.

Day Order: This order terminates automatically at the end of the business day if it hasn't been filled.

GTC (Good 'til Canceled): This order remains in effect until canceled by the customer or executed by the broker. It doesn't typically remain in effect forever, though. Many brokerages cancel GTC orders after a month or two.

All-or-None (AON): This is a limit order in which the broker is directed to attempt to fill the entire amount of the order or none of it. An all-or-none order differs from a fill-or-kill order in that, with an all-or-none order, immediate execution is not required.

Stop Order: This becomes a market order when a specified price is reached or passed. Buy stops are entered above the current market price, and sell stops are entered below it. For example, you might place a stop order to have your shares of Stained Glass Windshield Co. (ticker: STAIN) automatically sold if the price falls below $40 per share. A stop order guarantees execution, but not price.

Stop Limit Order: This is similar to a stop order, but it becomes a limit order instead of a market order when the price is reached or passed. If you place a "sell 100 XYZ $55 stop limit" order, if XYZ drops to $55 per share or below, the order becomes a limit order to sell 100 shares at no less than $55.

Australia Formed By Giant Meteor

This is some interesting information about how Australia was formed.

Ohio State University scientists said the 483-kilometer-wide (300-mile-wide) crater is now hidden more than 1.6 kilometers (one mile) beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

"Gravity measurements that reveal its existence suggest that it could date back about 250 million years -- the time of the Permian-Triassic extinction, when almost all animal life on Earth died out," the university said in a statement Thursday.

A 300 mile wide crater a mile below the Antarctic Ice Sheet sounds pretty nuts. I wonder if it would ever be possible for scientists to drill down there and check out the crater.

AMD Accounces Chip Plans

It still seems like AMD is the innovator and the growth company and Intel looks like the broken old tech name resting on their laurels.

"WeÂ’re fully positioned to service one-third of the market by 2008," AMD VP of manufacturing Daryl Ostrander said during a presentation to investors and analysts at the company's Sunnyvale, Calif. headquarters last week. AMD held 21.4% of the overall x86 chip market at the end of last year versus nearly 77% for Intel, according to Mercury Research. It will invest $2.5 billion to increase manufacturing capacity at two plants in Germany. Ostrander reaffirmed plans to move from 90-nanometer chip technology to better performing 65-nanometer technology by the end of this year, and pushed up the schedule for shipping chips with 45-nanometer components to 2008.

I know I have used AMD chips for quite a while because I don't want to pay the added Intel markup for pretty much the same performance. Also yourchoicee of motherboards are greatly reduced when you use Intel. I think too much sitting back and enjoying their near monopolistic status in the 90s have gone to Intel's head.

Spelling Bee a Big Deal now

This sure is an interesting change in something that is used to be treated as a farce by most of America. It seemed like the only coverage that the Spelling Bee got was when some poor kid passed out or some other kid shouts out the letters or something. Now it is prime time TV.

The broadcast had the flavor and style of a sports program, opening with a montage of the competitors and including a short profile of the first speller before he got his word. Profiles of other spellers followed during subsequent commercial breaks, and each pause in the competition brought a groan from the audience.

Each word or grimace by spellers triggered a blast of camera shutters, and the live TV camera followed the losers into the arms of comforting parents.

Maybe we will see a return to the 50s where things like the College Bowl were celebrated and talked about. It does seem to be a return to simpler times where High School Musicals and Spelling Bees were the talk of the town. There was no IPods, Internet or International Terror to make people afraid and their lives hectic.

US Softens Stance on Iran

Hmm it looks like we are giving some quarter on the negotiations with Iran about their nukes.

In Washington, the U.S. official said there was agreement with Germany, France and Britain over the package of "carrots and sticks" and that Russia and China -- in the past reluctant to support punitive measures -- also appeared to be on board.

"We have substantial agreement with the Russians and the Chinese. We are agreed certainly on the need for moving forward in the (U.N.) Security Council if Iran doesn't respond to the offer," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Now the ball is back in Iran's court. Lets see what they do with it. If I were Iran I would agree to have the UN monitor the enrichment but insist that it must be done in Iran. In other words get the enrichment technology online using Russian help. Then when they are ready to build the bomb, kick out the inspectors and break the seals. Rely on UN paralysis and a wishy-washy "never use force" Dem to be in the White House to buy them enough time to get some bombs built. Once they have the nuke, Iran will be able to able to dictate terms.