Western diplomats Vote With Their Feet Against The "holocaust-denier-and-chief" of Iran

The funny thing about it is that Ahmadinejoke got to speak at the U.N. conference on racism in the first place. I hope more world leaders stand up to this thug and force Iran to make a change. I think a more moderate leader (who is not a Holocaust denier) would actually help the Iranian economy and not waste money on nuclear bombs and terrorist groups.

Ahmadinejad — the first government official to take the floor at the weeklong event in Geneva — delivered a rambling, half-hour speech that was by turns conciliatory and inflammatory. At one point he appealed for global unity in the fight against racism and then said the United States and Europe helped establish Israel after World War II at the expense of Palestinians.

Dendreon Releases the Hard Data on PROVENGE

Here is a summary of the hard data on Provenge Phase 3 trial.

At the week zero dose of PROVENGE, the expression of CD54 on APCs was upregulated 5.8 fold. At the week two dose, it was 10.1 fold, significantly increased from week 0 (p <>

It seems to have convinced Joel Sendek at Lazard who is now upping Dendreon to Buy from a Hold. He thinks that the company could log $2 billion in sales of PROVENGE. Not bad considering that they booked only $111K in sales in 2008.

Lazard Capital Markets analyst Joel Sendek upgraded shares to "Buy" from "Hold" and boosted earnings estimates for the company because of Provenge, its lead candidate. He also set a $25 price target on the stock, which implies upside of 39 percent over its closing price Friday of $17.99.

Obama Shakes Chavez's Hand

Well, I guess the Obama charm offensive means coddling dictators and Presidents-for-life now.

Obama walked across a hotel meeting room to meet Chavez for the first time, said a senior U.S. administration official who witnessed it and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the details of the event. The official said Obama initiated the encounter.

Here's hoping Obama doesn't take a blind eye to Venezuelan humans rights violations now that they appear to be bosom buddies all of a sudden.

Sarkozy vs. Obama? The Next Big Feud?

I think the Obama people just can't get out of their own way when it comes to working with our allies. First they embarrass us in front of the Queen of England:

By comparison, Obama was treated like royalty in Britain at the G-20. However, the gift he presented Queen Elizabeth, an iPod loaded with Broadway show tunes, left some scratching their heads.

Yes they gave the Queen of England an iPod. No that wasn't a gag gift. I can just picture Queen Elizabeth giving the iPod to an aide with a steely, teeth clenched command "dispose of this thing." First a DVD collection to the British Prime Minister that doesn't play in a British DVD player and then an iPod to the Queen. Maybe when Obama meets the Pope he will give him a Snuggy with a cross drawn on it with magic marker and a Slap-Chop (but unfortunately no Graty after all this is the Pope, not Jesus.)

The funny thing too is that Obama seems to be intentionally snubbing world leaders for some unfathomable reason. Take his poor attitude toward Sarkozy who was probably the most pro-US French Prime Ministers of all time.

Then president-elect Obama refused to meet with Sarkozy in Washington after his election. As president, Obama wrote to former French President Jacques Chirac and pledged that the United States would work with Chirac’s organization to “build a safer world,” words usually reserved for the current head of state. The insults culminated last week at the G-20, when Obama refused an invitation from Sarkozy to tour the American Cemetery and dine in Normandy on his way from London to Strasbourg for the NATO summit. The reason given for the refusal was that the Obama Administration did not want to upset the Germans.

Mr. Obama Goes to Mexico

I hope he clears up that stupid stuff with the Mexican trucks. A recession is no time for a trade war and we are hurting the Mexican economy when we should be helping it. I mean a prosperous Mexico is the best way to deal with the illegal immigrant problem. Also this Latin American arms treaty sounds like a good idea.

Officials say the inter-American arms trafficking treaty would curb guns and ammunition trafficking that threatens regional security. Officials say the move is meant to show the United States is serious about confronting a security threat on its doorstep.

Obama the Investing Newbie

No wonder Obama doesn't trust those Wall Street types and doesn't seem to care about investors (ie all Americans with 401Ks) judging by his 2008 tax returns.

Their tax returns showed growing investment income. After reporting zero dividends in 2007 they reported $34,549 for 2008, of which $7,991 qualified for the preferred 15 percent rate Obama has proposed increasing that rate to 20 percent in 2011. The Obamas also reported $1,107 in short-term capital gains for 2008 after carrying forward $3,000 in losses in 2007.

Yup the most powerful man in the world had a $1107 capital gain on nearly $2.73 million in total income. For some reason I was expecting this number to at least beat my capital gain for 2008 since he is said to be quite an intelligent guy. I guess Obama was spending a little too much time on those Profit and Earnings Ratios to be making any money in the market.

US Tax Forms From 1913 to 2008

This is an interesting slice of history for financial historians. The Tax Deadline for 1913 was actually March 1st and not April 15th. I wish we could go back to the taxes paid in 1913 as well. If you make over $250,000 a year you only had to pay 5% of your income and not the 39.6 percent that Obama wants.

Most people would fall into a 1% tax rate if they made from $20,000 to $50,000 in 1913. Imagine how much spending there would be if people only had to pay the government 1% of their money in taxes. Also the 1913 deductions were awesome. I wouldn't mind seeing Obama as Woodrow Wilson (and not JFK, Lincoln, LBJ, whomever) if he enacted these gems:

1. The amount of necessary expenses actually paid in carrying on business, but not including business expenses of partnerships, and not including personal, living, or family expenses

2. All interest paid within the year on personal indebtedness of taxpayer

3. All national, State, county, school, and municipal taxes paid within the year (not including those assessed against local benefits)

4. Losses actually sustained during the year incurred in trade or arising from fires, storms, or shipwreck, and not compensated for by insurance or otherwise

5. Debts due which have been actually ascertained to be worthless and which have been chargedoff within the year

6. Amount representing a reasonable allowance for the exhaustion, wear, and tear of property arising out of its use or employment in the business, not to exceed, in the case of mines, 5 per cent of the gross value at the mine of the output for the year for which the computationis made, but no deduction shall be made for any amount of expense of restoring property or making good the exhaustion thereof, for which an allowance is or has been made

Obama Pushes "Tax Cuts" And Reforms to Tax Code

I'm tired of Obama pushing that lame $13 per paycheck "tax cut" as something other then a symbolic gesture.

In his remarks Wednesday, Mr. Obama touted the tax measures in the $787 billion economic recovery package, which the White House said delivers a tax cut for 95% of all working families.

If he really wanted to cut taxes for 95% of Americans he should have reduced their nominal tax rates. That would have actually resulted in $100s extra per paycheck. Instead it is a lame-assed $13 that the Dems are going to snatch back in their version of the upcoming trillion dollar budget.

However, if Obama actually makes filing your taxes easy then I will be all for it. Paying taxes are a hated part of being an American and should not be something to dread. I wouldn't mind the government sending out a tax bill (or refund) and then electing to file my own taxes if I think the amount quoted is incorrect. The so-called opt-out tax filing plan.

I mean the IRS gets my stock sales already so what keeps them from figuring out my cost basis for me and allowing me to correct any errors? Even a separate capital gains tax bill sent out once a year that I can pay in installments would be a perfect deal for me. In any case if Obama reforms the tax process then I will dub his Presidency a success.

Tea Party Movement: A New GOP Grassroots in the Making

I think this may be a slow but sure way for Nixon's So Called "Great Silent Majority" to strike back against something everyone hates; more new taxes. Maybe this movement will give the GOP its Reagan-era tax cutting spine back.


The protests began with bloggers in Seattle, Wash., who organized a demonstration on Feb. 16. As word of this spread, rallies in Denver and Mesa, Ariz., were quickly organized for the next day. Then came CNBC talker Rick Santelli's Feb. 19 "rant heard round the world" in which he called for a "Chicago tea party" on July Fourth. The tea-party moniker stuck, but angry taxpayers weren't willing to wait until July. Soon, tea-party protests were appearing in one city after another, drawing at first hundreds, and then thousands, to marches in cities from Orlando to Kansas City to Cincinnati.


I really like the colonial costumes on this group of protesters in Santa Barbara as well.

Somali Pirates Declare War on US Shipping: We Need a WW2 Style Convoy System

I guess this is the first test of Obama's resolve because these pirates are now attacking aid ships that are flying American flags.

Pirates fired grenades and automatic weapons at the Liberty Sun, but its American crew successfully blockaded themselves inside the engine room. The ship was damaged in Tuesday's attack but escaped and was heading to Kenya under U.S. Navy guard.

A pirate whose gang attacked the aid ship admitted Wednesday that his group was targeting American ships and sailors.

I mean we won the war against the Barbary Coast pirates with force of arms. I think it is about time we started a convoy system that grouped together all merchant ships and paired them with US Navy escorts. Any boat that approaches a convoy from the Somali Coast will be tagged as hostile and be blown out of the water. This at the very least will prevent any other ships being seized.

Air America Exploits Come to Light

It seems that real Air America (not that liberal radio station) is finally getting some well needed positive attention.

"These Air America documents are essential to understanding a large untold history of America's involvement in Southeast Asia," said Paul Oelkrug, a coordinator at UT-Dallas' special collections department. He said they speak to "the covert side of the Cold War."

The records consist mainly of firsthand accounts of Air America missions and commendation letters from government officials, said Timothy N. Castle, a historian at the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence.

The Fall of Saigon stuff alone will be worth reading once historians get a chance to write books using this source material. That book would contain both the known stuff and the secret stuff all mixed together.

John Stewart the Democratic Shill?

Now here is an interesting reaction to a character assassination attempt by Stewart on columnist John Breitbart.

If the targets were switched and Democrats had the same five-day-a-week bull's-eye placed on their heads, no one doubts that financier George Soros and Media Matters would wage a well-funded rampage to destroy Mr. Stewart and his scribes. Nancy Pelosi would be demanding a comedy Fairness Doctrine. And "The Daily Show" and its partner in crime "The Colbert Report" would be taken off the air within 30 days of electoral primaries and within 60 days of general elections to comply with McCain-Feingold.

I used to watch the Daily Show just about every night because I though it was funny and had an ironic view toward the what is happening in the world. However, after he bashed the crap out of Jim Cramer for not warning us about the economic mess (I guess Mad Money needs to employ a psychic to placate Stewart) I stopped watching the show. Cramer's job is to pick stocks and be entertaining and not be Allison from Medium.

The worst part is Cramer was an Obama supporter but he dared to take the President to task on his economic fix-it plans. So Stewart eviscerated him for it. What sin did Cramer commit other then having an entertaining show about stocks? Was criticising Obama's budget (which even some Dems don't like) worth being attacked day-after-day by the Daily Show? I understand such hatred toward Rush or Hannity but Cramer is an Obama-guy.

Also hiding character assassination behind the mantle of "its just a comedy show" is just a lame excuse. Those out of context clips of Cramer saying Lehman was safe right before the company went belly up is case-in-point. No attempt was made to show that Cramer was actually talking about trading accounts and not the common stock. Then when they are called on it they just shrug and say "we are a comedy show so we don't have to be right about every little thing. *smirk*

I still watch Colbert because he is funny and a geek like me. He hasn't yet degenerated into shouting "F*ck you!" at CNBC people and cutting a bunch of out-of-context attack-dog clips together and calling it comedy.

Phase III IMPACT Study a Success: Dendreon Triples

At long last it seems that Dendreon and their Provenge drug are getting their just rewards.

An experimental medicine from Dendreon Corp improved survival in men with advanced forms of prostate cancer, the company said on Tuesday, bolstering chances of it becoming the first approved therapeutic vaccine for any type of cancer.

Shares of Dendreon (DNDN.O) more than tripled in heavy morning trading to as high as $22.10 as the study results suggested a revolutionary form of therapy is on the horizon for one of the most common cancers. Unlike traditional vaccines that prevent disease, the company's Provenge medicine treats it.

The FDA doesn't like to approve new forms of therapy so they had a right to be cautious. Now the hard data will come out April 28 at the American Urological Association's annual meeting in Chicago. I think the data will confirm the FDA Advisory panel's findings in 2007 that this drug is safe and it prolongs the life of the people who take it.

We also see a few mea culpas coming from the stock analyst community who either had the stock at a Hold or a Sell for the most part.

Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Joe Pantginis, one of two analysts who had a "sell" rating on Dendreon shares, admitted to getting it wrong.

"While we were wrong on our call for the outcome of the story, seeing the risk as too high, today's news is a great outcome for Dendreon," Pantginis said.

"We are especially excited that the cancer immunotherapy space has finally seen a win in a Phase III study. Importantly, we can now envision the first cancer immunotherapy on the market," he added.

The Long Dendreon Saga To be Settled Tomorrow

It seems that they will release information from their IMPACT study at 9:00 AM ET. It seems that the 16% move today was short covering ahead of the information.

The study includes more than 500 men with late-stage prostate cancer who have not benefited from drugs that sharply lower testosterone -- the male sex hormone which fuels progression of the cancer.

Seattle-based Dendreon has said it aims to seek U.S. approval of the medicine soon afterward if the trial shows at least a 22 percent reduced risk of death, versus a placebo.

I'm hoping for good information because those late-stage prostate cancer victims have only one other therapy to choose from and it is like living death from what I hear. Provenge is supposed to prolong their lives fairly comfortably for months and could lead to a whole new field of cancer-killing therapeutic vaccines.

These things actually allow the immune system itself to fight against the cancer. I'm always amazed how well the body heals itself and it seems that Provenge could be the first in a series of drugs that help the body do this. You figure a cancer patient would rather have their own body killing the cancer instead of being bombarded with radiation and getting sick because of it.

Feds Might Take Equity Stake in GM

Great now the American people will directly own shares in a car company as well as an insurance company, a bank, and 2 mortgage companies.

The U.S. government may take an equity stake in a leaner version of General Motors Corp. to reduce debt owed to the U.S. Treasury, Bloomberg News reported late Monday on its Web site, citing people familiar with the matter.

I better see some dividend checks on the stocks that the Treasury Department now owns on my behalf. Or at least give me a deal on a new GM car now that I and every other taxpayer is suddenly long GM stock.

The Top 10 Telescopes of All Time

I have to agree with their assessments.

In 18 eventful years, the Hubble Space Telescope has lived up to its namesake, one of the greatest astronomers in history. Considering its famous rocky birth, breathtaking postcards home, and world-renowned discoveries, it would be hard to argue that a single other scientific instrument has had more widespread impact than Hubble.

V2G Technology Might Let You Return Power to the Grid

It seems that some scientists are developing a way to allow an electric car to return power back to the grid.

When the car is in the V2G setting, the battery’s charge goes up or down depending on the needs of the grid operator, which sometimes must store surplus power and other times requires extra power to respond to surges in usage. The ability of the V2G car’s battery to act like a sponge provides a solution for utilities, which pay millions to generating stations that help balance the grid. Kempton estimates the value for utilities could be up to $4,000 a year for the service, part of which could be paid to drivers.

It would be insteresting to put your car into V2G mode and then get a small check from your utility every month. Add this to an ability to connect your solar panels to the grid you could make some extra pocket money by selling power back to the power company.

Why the Obama's Can't Get a Dog: Animal Nutcases Would Kill the Breeder

I have a feeling that the Obama's may not get that Presidential pooch anytime soon judging from what went down for the breeder that sold the Biden family their dog.

When the story got out, Brown faced backlash from pet lovers who thought the Bidens should have opted for a shelter over a breeder to find their new puppy.

PETA seized the moment as an opportunity to blame the killing of shelter animals on people who buy from breeders. The organization's TV commercial, "Buy One, Get One Killed" ran in Delaware after the Biden puppy story made headlines.

Dog wardens from the state showed up at Brown's Wolf Den kennel, repeatedly, for inspections.

"I was cited for a piece of kibble on the floor and five strands of dog hair. They took a picture of that, they walked around, snapped pictures and don't tell you why," Brown told the newspaper.
She was found "not guilty" for each citation, but hiring a lawyer for the court hearings has cost her $4,000 so far in legal fees.

Brown says she and Biden both received death threats from animal activists.

Yup, death threats and PETA asswipes lie in wait for any breeder dumb enough to provide the Obama family with a dog. So basically PETA and animal rights nutcases are going to prevent the children of the most powerful man in the world from getting a pet. I hope there is some serious backlash against PETA for basically strong arming breeders so that Sasha and Malia can't get a dog.

If I was the Obama family I would just avoid all this mess by going down to the Washington Humane Society and having his kids pick out a nice cat. Maybe less animal activists will jump all over his family that way.

Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dave Arneson Dies

It seems all the old pioneers of DnD are passing away.

"(Arneson) developed many of the fundamental ideas of role-playing: that each player controls just one hero, that heroes gain power through adventures, and that personality is as important as combat prowess," according to a statement from Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. that produces Dungeons & Dragons.

Obama Seeks $83.4 Billion in Supplimental War Money

I wonder if the Dems are going to support him on this or will there be a bunch of Code Pinkos there to change their minds. Or is Afghanistan still considered the so-called "good war" to the leftists.

Obama's request, including money to increase U.S. troops in Afghanistan, would push the costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The additional money would cover operations into the fall.