Google Outflanks the Egyptian Firewall: Allows Twitter By Phone

All you have to do is call certain numbers and leave a voicemail message that instantly turns into a Tweet.

"Over the weekend we came up with the idea of a speak-to-tweet service -- the ability for anyone to tweet using just a voice connection," they said.

Voice mail messages left at +16504194196; +390662207294 or +97316199855 will instantly be converted into text messages, referred to as tweets, and posted at Twitter with an identifying "hashtag" of #egypt.

Twitter hashtags are intended as search terms so people can more easily find comments related to particular topics or events.

I wonder how long it will be until the Egyptian Authorities block those numbers? I guess you can use call forwarding to get around it but it is an ingenious service. Too bad people can't switch their phones to some kind of satellite feed to get around the Egyptian Authorities blocking cell service.

Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia? Here's Some Brainstorming

Other then creating a constitutional monarchy with a Prime Minister and such here is a system I am just brainstorming. My idea would be to create a 2 House System with a Court of Islamic Scholars.

The Upper House would be called the House of Saud. Make them kind of like the House of Lords but each one has a vote on who will be King. Each of the 100 something heirs to the throne as well as representatives of all of the major Saudi families have representation in this house. They don't create the laws but only accede their legitimacy. This would kind of be like the Diet in Japan. Maybe they could have a "Islam Legitimacy Veto" where laws that are against Islam would be passed on to the Court of Islamic Scholars for review.

The Lower House would be called the House of the People. They will be the legislative branch of government elected by local election and serve 6 year terms. They will create the laws and vote on them and pass them up the line. They would also be responsible for setting the budget and appropriating money for defense. They are also in charge of handing out oil wealth by overseeing the Oil Ministry. Also the Oil Ministry is Audited every year by an outside firm to make sure no-one is stealing from it. You can make it a Senate system where each region has like 5 House members or maybe a weighted representative system depending on population.

The Court of Islamic Scholars would be a separate body that would interpret laws and make sure that they are following the structures of Islam. Their veto can only be overturned by a Super-majority of both the House of Saud and the House of the People. You could either have them vetted by the House of Saud or have them elect their own members in a totally transparent process.

This Court would be the authority in all non-secular matters and be an engine for advanced Islamic thought. Kind of like the Brain-trust for the Islamic World.  Their job is to be a counterweight against the Madrassas and other radical Islamic groups that misinterpret the Koran. These guys would be the best and the brightest the Islamic world has to offer and they can even invite members of other Islamic countries to join them. These Honored Men would become Saudi Citizens after a certain period of service to the Court but in the meantime they would not be able to vote. Being appointed to this body will be one of the greatest honors you can bestow in the Islamic World. Its Council of Elders would be the most learned, respected and pious men in all of the Islam. They would also be responsible for all Holy Sites in Saudi Arabia and have their headquarters in Mecca.

Finally, instead of a Hereditary King you would have an elected post. The House of Saud would vote for the King with each of its members getting one vote. The King would serve for 8 years and can run for another 8 year term. After that he would retire from public life but may be able to rejoin the House of Saud. The King can also come from another royal house or even be a commoner depending on who the House of Saud Picks. Then the Upper House would have its name changed to that persons name. So if the Kings family name is Bin-Ali the name would be changed to the House of Bin-Ali.

The post of King would not just be ceremonial but instead be the face of Saudi Arabia to the world. He would be in charge of foreign affairs, the economy (through an Islamic Central Bank,) the intelligence forces (who cannot be used domestically for anything except for counter-terrorism,) and be Commander and Chief of the armed forces. Of course declaring war would have to be a vote from the King, the House of Saud and the House of the People. The King can be deposed with a super-majority of both houses. Also the Court of Islamic Scholars can bring a no confidence motion against the King (but cannot directly depose him) if he acts in a manner that is against Islam. That would be a grave censure that most Kings would immediately resign rather then have this black mark upon their resume.

I'm sure there are all sorts of problems lurking in these ideas but it would be an interesting thing to see a bunch of Saudi Citizens with those purple fingers saying that they have voted. I also would love to see one body in charge of the more intellectual aspects of Islam. That body, if given enough weight in the Muslim World, might even see Sunni and Shia heal their centuries old rift. I mean if you get enough respected thinkers in one place anything would be possible.

Mohamed ElBaradei Implores US to Stop "Providing Life Support For the Dictator" Yeah I Agree

Hmm maybe it is time for the US to stop hedging and go long the Democracy protesters.

Dr. ElBaradei, who joined thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square in the early evening, said the time has come for the US to stand with Egypt's protesters. 

"The American government cannot ask the Egyptian people to believe that a dictator who has been in power for 30 years would be the one to implement democracy. This is a farce," he said on CBS's Face the Nation. "The first thing which will calm the situation is for Mubarak to leave, and leave with some dignity. Otherwise, I fear that things will get bloody. And [the US] have to stop the life support to the dictator and root for the people." 

Yeah, maybe it is time to back the Democracy Horse and let the "Strongman Model" fade into the mists of history to join Global Communism and Acid-Washed Jeans. I mean all this talk of democracy not taking hold in the Middle East sells these people short because it seems to be happening like dominoes.

I mean lets say the "Egyptian Jacobins" gain power and put elBaradei at their head. Why would he suddenly be anti-Israel and be our enemy? Hell, if we get in on the ground floor we could even help them write their Constitution. We could be Egypt's France in their War for Independence.

Imagine one of the largest Muslim nations in the world as a thriving democracy working with us hand-in-hand. As long as they stay nominally secular it would be a great win for region and the world. About the only bad thing is we would have one less place for the rendition of our Al-Quida prisoners.

One interesting parlor game is what is the next "Middle Eastern Democracy Domino." I'm hoping for Iran and Syria but the smart money is probably on Saudi Arabia or Jordan. The idea of electing the King of Saudi Arabia would sure be an interesting change. Maybe a Holy Roman Empire system where different Saudi families each vote on the King would be an interesting thing to think about.

GOP Float Trial Balloon on Medicare Voucher Plan: You Need a Tech Twist Though to Make it Work

This sounds like a very interesting idea as a way to get Medicare costs under control.

Under Ryan's plan, current Medicare recipients would get to stay in the program. People within 10 years of eligibility — ages 55 to 64 — would also go into Medicare. But those now 54 and under would get a fixed payment from the government when they become eligible at age 65. They would be able to use the voucher to buy a Medicare-approved private plan from a menu of coverage levels and options.

The amount of the voucher would be based on total current Medicare spending and indexed to grow year by year thereafter. But that growth would be less than the torrid pace of health care inflation now. Proponents say it would be like putting the health care system on a diet, forcing every player from drug companies to hospitals to be more efficient.

As long as the cheapest plans have halfway decent co-pays I don't see a problem with it. One positive off the bat would be the ability to index Medicare to inflation or some similar metric. You won't see 12% a year growth in health care costs if people will only be willing to pay 2% extra. We are talking about a market of millions of people so pricing power will drive costs down. Plus the Medicare Approved label will be like gold to a health insurance company because people will flock to them in large numbers. Make Medicare Approved be as hard to get as getting a drug through the FDA and it will be a gold-plated label.

One good thing is it could only start by 2021 at the earliest. That is pretty far off and would allow the people that are already in Medicare to keep their open-ended coverage. It would just be new people that will be affected. I figure that with all the debt being piled on by Obama I wouldn't see Social Security or Medicare anyway. So I am all for whatever Congress can do to fix these programs so they are solvent when I am eligible in 2041.

What would be an interesting twist is by 2021 I would be willing to bet you any money that there will be a raft of Kayak.com like "Medicare insurance aggregators" out there that will help you pick the best plan that suits your lifestyle. If you are active senior at such-and-such weight, non-smoker you would plug that data in and it spits out certain choices that will suit you. Then you could change your coverage year-to-year as new products come on-line and your needs change.

Hell, I bet you by 2021 there will be advanced genetic testing that could map out the chance of you getting expensive diseases and raise or lower the amount of your coverage accordingly. Also it should allow you to buy a cancer rider or a heart disease rider for like $20 a month extra or something. This would pay for the entire battery of surgeries and tests if you happen to get something like this. In fact I would be willing to bet you that by 2021 (and for sure by 2041) medical science would be so far advanced that maybe heart disease and cancer would be a thing of the past.

In any case study away GOP. I want Medicare that I can actually pay for without the Red Chinese underwriting it going forward. I think open-ended Medicare was a great idea for current Seniors and Boomers who lack tech savvy. But Gen-X, Y and the Millennials need something that gives us more choices and is actually solvent when we need it in 20-30 years.

Its the Liberal Revoltion of 1820-1826 All Over Again: Yemen Joins Egypt and Tunisia in Pro-Democratic Rioting

Well I'm not a big fan of rioting but this might be seen as quite a good deal going forward.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis demanded the president step down in nationwide protests Thursday, taking inspiration from the popular revolt in Tunisia and vowing to continue until their U.S.-backed government falls.

Yemen is the latest Arab state to be hit by mass anti-government protests, joining Tunisia and Egypt in calls for revolutionary change. The demonstrations pose a new threat to the stability of Yemen, the Arab world's most impoverished nation, which has become a haven for al-Qaida militants.

Yemen would be especially good to add to the pro-democracy column because of this tie to Al-Quida. Imagine if they could get an elected leader in power and invite the US or Europe in to help them with their economy/kill off Al-Quida militants. A democratic Yemen would be great not just for the Yemeni people but the whole world as well.

In many ways seeing these Muslim countries try to form democracies by rioting reminds me of the Liberal Revolution of 1820 - 1826. This is when there were riots in Portugal to reinstate the King Joao and make their government a Constitutional Monarchy. These ideas spread throughout Europe and were put down with force by more conservative governments.

In one of my favorite video games Victoria: a Place in the Sun when this event happens Liberal Revolutionaries appear in nearly all European Cities. You can stop them from appearing by either putting troops on all of your lands to kill off any revolutionaries or change your government to a Constitutional Monarchy or a Republic. I usually play as one of the German Minor states so when the governments of my neighbors fall I quickly get in there and Annex them.

In any case these pro-democracy riots are kind of following in the footsteps of that event just few hundred years later. I'm hoping that the next revolution happens in Iran. Now that would be big news and would give Obama another shot at backing the protesters now that his meeting with Ahmadinajoke "without preconditions" is yet another failed campaign promise.

Senate Votes to Not be So Contentious

I guess that Date Night thing during the State of the Union Speech did some good after all.

Senate leaders said Thursday they have agreed that minority Republicans would filibuster fewer bills and nominations in exchange for a promise by the Democratic majority to give them more chances to offer amendments.

The gentleman's agreement announced by Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell was part of a package of measures to make the Senate a more workable and less contentious place. It also included support of a resolution, to be voted on later in the day, to end the practice of one senator being able to secretly block votes and a rules change that would slash by a third the number of presidential appointments that need Senate approval.

The Senate used to operate under a system like they were the adults who would look at legislation and then work together to pass them with input from both sides of the aisle. Now we have idiots like Al Frankin cutting off 20 year Senators like Joe Lieberman things are going beyond the pale. If the Senate can get back to the peoples business and not treat each other like children then maybe we can finally tackle this 9% unemployment.

Yet Another Facebook Security Hole to Plug

Yeah Facebook transfers your credentials in the clear without encryption unless you make the change outlined in this article.

Facebook has at long last offered an option to use the encrypted "HTTPS" protocol, a feature it will begin rolling out today but won't finish for a "few weeks." You should check now if it's available, and sign up as soon as it is enabled for your account. The performance overhead is minor—zippy Gmail, for example, uses HTTPS for everything—and it's an important step to keep your Facebook account safe from being hijacked on an open or poorly secured wireless network.

By default, Facebook sends your access credentials in the clear, with no encryption whatsoever. Switching to HTTPS is important because a browser extension called Firesheep has made it especially easy for anyone sharing your open wireless network—at cafe or conference, for example—to sniff your credentials and freely access your account. One blogger sitting in a random New York Starbucks was able to steal 20-40 Facebook identities in half an hour. HTTPS solves this longstanding problem by encrypting your login cookies and other data; in fact the inventor of Firesheep made the software to encourage companies like Facebook to finally lock down their systems.

Oh well, yet another thing you have to make sure to set when you are using Facebook. Why HTTPS isn't in place as a default I have no idea but oh well.

UN Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Rife With Corruption: Germans Stop Payment

Well it looks like yet another UN run fund that takes money from rich countries and is supposed to go to a worthy cause turns out to be rife with corruption.

The AP reported that the fund's investigators had examined a tiny fraction of the grant money dispersed so far and found "pervasive fraud" with up to 67 percent losses due to faked invoices and other requests for payment for AIDS, TB and malaria work in the western Sahara nation of Mauritania, where the U.N. Development Fund manages the programs.

The fund also halted grants to neighboring Mali worth $22.6 million, after the fund's investigative unit found that $4 million was misappropriated. Half of Mali's TB and malaria grant money went to supposed "training events," and signatures were forged on receipts for per diem payments, lodging and travel expense claims.

The fund says Mali has arrested 15 people suspected of committing fraud, and its health minister resigned without explanation two days before the audit was made public.

The bad part is Mali is pretty hard hit by malaria and that money might have done some good. Instead some shady characters in their health department went on trips or stayed at fancy hotels or whatever. This fraud is in a fund that has only $21 billion in it. Imagine what sort of fraud would come out of a $300 billion UN Climate Change Fund. That kind of money would make every corrupt minister in Mali pull 24 hour days to figure out a way to skim that money.

Time to un"like" Everything on Facebook: Advertisers is Using that Data without Your Consent

Well, it looks like one more thing about Facebook that invades your privacy.

Facebook users who check in to a store or "like" a brand may soon find those actions re-transmitted on their friends' pages as a "Sponsored Story" paid for by advertisers.

Currently there is no way for users to decline this feature.

I love how you cannot opt out of the resale of your "likes" without your consent. At least it is just to your friends pages and not to all of Facebook. That is small consolation to a person who gets to be an unpaid spokesman for a product simply by putting a "like" on it.

The funniest part is that Facebook makes money from the advertiser but the person clicking the "like" button doesn't get a cent. Of course they will hide an opt out button in a few weeks after sufficient ire builds but the money will already be in Facebook's bank account. Most people won't opt out and they put one over on their users yet again. Is it just me or does Facebook look more and more like Microsoft?

Woman Falls 23 Stories and Lives: Good Luck All Around

Now this is the kind of thing that has you thinking about people being protected by a Higher Power sometimes.

The woman landed in a sitting position on the roof of a taxi whose driver got out just before the impact deeply dented his roof and shattered the windshield.

The woman, a 30-year-old Argentine, was rushed to the nearby Hospital Argerich, where she was being operated on for injuries including internal bleeding and broken hips and ribs, Alberto Crescenti, director of Argentina's Emergency Medical System, told the government news agency Telam. He estimated that she fell nearly 100 meters (330 feet).

What is even more lucky is she didn't kill the taxi driver of the car she fell on. This is just luck (or Divine intervention) to the Nth degree.

The taxi driver, Miguel Cajal, told the C5N television station that he jumped out of the car because he saw a policeman stopping traffic and looking up. Moments later, the driver's side of the car was smashed by the woman's body.

So this guy sees a cop looking up and stopping traffic. Instead of just leaning out the window like some people would do or just ignoring the cop he jumped out of the car. That one moment of curiosity probably saved this guys like. I wonder if he had some sort of premonition or something that told him to vacate the vehicle? In any case I'm glad everyone made it through.

Chrome and Firefox adding "Do Not Track" Add-Ons. Hopefully Facebook Will Follow Suit

It seems that browsers will get a new tool against advertisers tracking their every move on the Internet.

Alex Fowler, a technology and privacy officer for Firefox maker Mozilla, said the "Do Not Track" tool will be the first in a series of steps designed to guard privacy. He didn't say when the tool will be available.

Google Chrome users can now download a browser plug-in that blocks advertisers — but only from ad networks that already let people decline personalized, targeted ads. According to Google Inc., these include the top 15 advertising networks, as rated by the research group comScore, a group that includes AOL Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Google itself.

Let's hope Facebook will now come out with a do not track tool for the information that you send to them when you sign up to play games on their site.

What? State Bankruptcies? Newt are you Nuts?

Well, I guess it is time to look through your Municipal Bonds and dump the losers because this talk coming out of Washington will make their prices go down the toilet. Well, I guess it is time to sell my Tax-Free Muni bond fund that I have owned for years.

For now, the fear of destabilizing the municipal bond market with the words “state bankruptcy” has proponents in Congress going about their work on tiptoe. No draft bill is in circulation yet, and no member of Congress has come forward as a sponsor, although Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, asked the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, about the possibility in a hearing this month.

House Republicans, and Senators from both parties, have taken an interest in the issue, with nudging from bankruptcy lawyers and a former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, who could be a Republican presidential candidate. It would be difficult to get a bill through Congress, not only because of the constitutional questions and the complexities of bankruptcy law, but also because of fears that even talk of such a law could make the states’ problems worse.

Um are these guys crazy? Class 1 State Municipal Bonds generally have a .24% chance of defaulting. That is why you accept a lower interest rate to own these things. Now we have Gingrich of all people advocating that states go bankrupt in order to get out of their pension obligations? Or maybe he is thinking this is just a sneaky way to stick it to public workers unions.

In any case does he know there are $1.8 trillion worth of these things floating around out there? Plus like 60% or more are owned by individuals and mutual funds that sell to individuals. That is Main Street Newt. Plus many insurance companies are forced to hold a certain amount of them as part of doing business.

If these people aren't made whole and have to accept 60 cents on the dollar or something then who knows what will happen next? One big state bankruptcy like Illinois or California could cause millions of people to possibly lose their interest payment for a while or worse-comes-to-worse a big chunk of their principal. That could mean billions of dollars in pain and turmoil in a market that is usually rock solid to just bail out States that spent like drunken sailors.

What it will mean is that Muni prices will tank across the board as a brand new thing called "state bankruptcy risk" will get factored into the equation. I for one will not invest in something that could be damaged by the mere fact that some public employee union got a gold-plated pension that the state can no longer pay for.  Why should I shoulder the risk so that some legislature can give themselves a 36% pay raise?

I would much rather take my "staid and true" money and invest it in a huge corporation that actually has people watching the till. That company not only balances their budget but generates billions in profits as well.

If the choice is between a Legislature in Sacramento or  Springfield , Ill who thinks taxpayers money is Monopoly money and Exxon Mobil Corporate Bonds you know who I would pick going forward. If Newt and his friends actually gets this thing to pass through Congress I can't wait to pull the lever for any GOPer besides him.

Oh oh, Pin Coming to Pop Gold Bubble?

At least the Doug Kass, president of Sea Breeze Partners Management thinks so according to this statement.

Lee brought in Doug Kass, president of Sea Breeze Partners Management, to talk about the rapid decline in the gold. He said there were compelling reason to own gold as it climbed from $250 an ounce 11 years ago to $1,340 an ounce today, but those reasons have substantially diminished. He said the price of gold will be volatile. He said it may touch $1,050 an ounce and will probably end the year $150 below what it is today. 

I think $1050 gold will make those Mall Gold Buyers close up shop and hit the road going forward. I wonder if the Gold Guys with their shop at Ward Center are hedged against a decline. I love seeing a bubble building and recognizing the signs in anticipation. The pop part is the hard thing to time. But it always comes.

Scathing Indictment of Arby's in the Financial Press: I Have to Agree

This article is a pretty good run-down on why some US Fast Food Chains are doing great (The Chinese love the Colonels 11 Herbs and Spices) while others are floundering mightily (Arby's and Long John Silvers.)  The authors seriously sticks it to Arby's though:

Second, even in fast food, quality matters -- the quality of the product, the advertising, and the business strategy. Raise your hand if you've eaten at an Arby's lately. (I did recently, for the sake of journalistic investigation. And I'm still having flashbacks.) 

There's no way of saying this politely, but here it is: Building a business around a pressed, processed protein product that bears little resemblance to roast beef and then trying to make it more appealing by covering it with a glop of molten goo that bears little resemblance to cheese doesn't seem like a particularly good idea. And when's the last time you saw a good ad for A&W? The chains being sold, for whatever reason, lost the ability to differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

I have eaten at Arby's quite a bit and I do enjoy their food for the most part but I have to agree that if it wasn't at the mall near where I work I would not have eaten there in like 15 years. There is nothing that draws you into the store so you can try it out. I'm not rushing out to eat a pile of gray meat covered in cheese-like liquid all on a yellow onion roll.

The only reason I go is as a "let's try something new today" diversion. If there was a Wendy's nearby I would probably never go to Arby's at all because Wendy's just seem to have better food. Plus, Wendy's baked potatoes are about 100 times better than the one you can get at Arby's. You figure that they would be similar because they have the same parent but you never know.

Paul the Psychic Octopus Gets a Memorial

Now this is a nice gesture by the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen.

The Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen unveiled the 6-foot plastic replica of Paul clutching a soccer ball in his eight arms on Thursday.

Aquarium spokeswoman Tanja Munzig says Paul's cremated ashes were placed in a gold-leafed urn inside the ball. Paul died three months ago.

Munzig says fans around the world had asked for a memorial.

Here is a look at the memorial. That opening on the right contains the ashes of the celebrity cephalopod.

GOP Attempting to Take a Meat Cleaver to Spending

Now this is what I'm talking about when it comes to cutting some of that out-of-control spending in Washington.

The study committee proposed eliminating several programs outright, including the Legal Services Corporation, which provides legal help to people who can't afford a lawyer; Amtrak subsidies; community development grants popular with local officials, and economic aid to Egypt. It advocated a five-year pay freeze for federal workers, and cutting the federal work force by 15 percent through attrition.

"The pledge, the $100 billion, is simply a start," freshman Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., said. "We want more. We will be looking for ways to cut the deficit and the debt more than is in the pledge."

That first thing is a pretty easy one because you can back-load it by requiring state bar associations to come up with some pro-bono hours to cover the slack. I think Amtrak needs to be outsourced to someone that can modernize it and run it profitably if it is possible. If not then shut it down and let capitalists have a hand at nationwide train services.

From what I know about community development grants they are rife with corruption. Maybe they can get more churches and non-profits to pick up the slack. I'm sure they can paint schools or build community centers without federal matching funds.

Also economic aid needs to cut across the board not just to Egypt. Maybe they could change it to some sort of trade concession instead. Like reduce tariffs on Egyptian goods or something. Instead of writing them blank checks make the goods and services they produce worth more to us.

And finally, the pay freeze sounds about right and cutting the federal workforce should have been done years ago. I'm sure there are 15% attrition out there somewhere. Even making federal workers take furlough days should be in order to get our spending under control. In any case, Bravo GOP, for stepping in and making sure my tax money isn't being squandered on some crap going forward.

My Short Treasuries ETF popped today: The Debt Ceiling is to Blame?

I have been short treasuries via the ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasuries ETF (TFT) for a while because I think the government running the money printing presses will drive up inflation (and commodity prices) and thus hurt treasuries. However there seems to be more afoot according to this article.

The “big deal” is that the newly elected Congressional leadership is proposing a Constitutional Amendment which would require a balanced budget and this amendment will be tied to the passage of a debt ceiling increase. In other words, this will be the last time the debt ceiling will ever be lifted…assuming Congress doesn’t change the rules again (yes, I know a BIG assumption).  A Constitutional Amendment requires a 2/3 majority to pass, while a singular vote on the debt ceiling would require only a simply majority. It is this dynamic that is rattling the bond market.

I'm not sure how Congress can back-load a Constitutional Amendment like that but it sure seems to be freaking someone out. The amendment makes sense but it might damage things like NASA and our military preparedness if it isn't handled right. In my mind the idea of coming up with $1.171 trillion dollars to plug the budget hole every year is just mind boggling.

You figure a cap on the debt to GDP limit or something would be more feasible. Or maybe even tying spending raises to inflation or something would be an interesting fix. A back-loaded balanced budget amendment would be nuts right now. In any case here is the bear case for treasuries from this article.

Believe it or not there are credit default swaps (CDS) on US government debt. (I am not sure who will have any money left to settle the transaction if the US government ever did default, but that is a discussion for another day.)

As of yesterday’s close US government CDS prices have reached all time highs, suggesting the risk that the US will default on its debt has never been higher!

I had no idea that there was someone out there selling an instrument that protected against the potential default of the US government debt. You would think that this kind of thing wouldn't exist. If the US government defaulted on the debt there would be a world wide panic that will make Black Monday look mild profit taking. I guess there is always someone making a buck by insuring against (or betting on) a catastrophe like that. The fact that these things are at an all-time high should be quite worrying and higher interest rates are the least of these worries. The debt ceiling chicken might be a pretty good deal for TFT going forward.

Democratic Lawmaker Steve Cohen Invokes the Holocaust to Prove Political Point

Here are his remarks which are pretty reprehensible by any measure:

They [Republicans] say it's a government takeover of health care -- a big lie just like Goebbels. You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually, people believe it. Like blood libel. That's the same kind of thing.

Germans said enough about the Jews and people believed it — believed it and you have the Holocaust. We heard on this floor -- government takeover of health care.

Yup he just used the Holocaust as a debating point about the "government takeover of health care." The part that is the most ironic is that Nazi Germany had universal health care.

In 1901 transport and office workers came to be covered by public health insurance, followed in 1911 by agricultural and forestry workers and domestic servants, and in 1914 by civil servants. Coverage was extended to the unemployed in 1918, to seamen in 1927, and to all dependents in 1930. In 1941 legislation was passed that allowed workers whose incomes had risen above the income ceiling for compulsory membership to continue their insurance on a voluntary basis. The same year, coverage was extended to all retired Germans. Salespeople came under the plan in 1966, self-employed agricultural workers in 1972, and students and the disabled in 1975.

This "public health insurance" that the Germans and later the Nazis had would be something liberals would probably rush out to support. This so-called "socialized medicine" was a carryover from Bismark from 1883 but the Nazi's continued the trend but with Jews and "unproductive people" left out of the system. It is just a case from history when a totalitarian government controls the distribution of resources they always kick a group they hate out of the system. I mean the Soviets did it to any ethnic group that happened to be "not Soviet enough."

That is what people are afraid of when they feel there is a "government takeover of health care." They would get kicked out of the system for having too high a carbon footprint, or listening to the wrong radio personalities, making unacceptable amounts of money, or simply attending the wrong political rallies. They would be at the mercy of a government they distrust and seems to never have their best interests at heart. Invoking the Holocaust to rally support for such a system is perhaps the worst low blow you could imagine.

American Idol Viewership Drops: I'm Not Sure if People like Tyler and J-Lo

Well the numbers are in and they are disappointing.

Total average viewership dropped 13% to 26.1 million, down from the 29.9 million viewers who tuned in to the ninth season premiere. 

The show posted a 9.7 Nielsen rating among adults ages 18 to 49, an 18% drop from the 11.8 rating for 2010's season opener.  

The show's viewership dropped 16% in season 9 from season 8 and last year its finale delivered its weakest numbers ever for the series' season-ending show. 

I'm just not sure if people are rushing out to see J-Lo and Steven Tyler judge a bunch of singers. At least with Simon you got someone that was hard but when a good singer came along he would acknowledge that.  It seems like there are just 3 Paulas on the show now and people are tuning out. I watched it for little while last night and the new judges were pretty cringe inducing. I wonder if this might be the end of Idol going forward?

3D Not The Boon That Electronics Makers Think It Is

Well it seems that 3D cannot be appreciated by almost 1/4 of viewers out there.

Optometrists say as many as one in four viewers have problems watching 3-D movies and TV, either because 3-D causes tiresome eyestrain or because the viewer has problems perceiving depth in real life. In the worst cases, 3-D makes people queasy, leaves them dizzy or gives them headaches.

I am in the "problems with depth perception" camp when it comes to 3D. What it looks like to me is one thing in front of another similar to seeing a wooden cutout in front of another wooden cutout. It is supposed to pop into your living room but all I see are flat planes interleaved in front of one another. So I wouldn't pay $1 extra for a 3D TV and I may not be the only one. If I got sick from 3D then I would pay money to NOT watch it.

3-D TV sets were available in the U.S. for the first time last year, but shipments came in below forecasts, at just under 1.6 million for North America, according to DisplaySearch. Nevertheless, TV makers such as Samsung Electronics Co. and Panasonic are doubling down on 3-D and introduced more 3-D-capable models this month at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Those models cost more than regular ones and require glasses, just like in theaters.

I have a feeling that these models won't sell up to expectations either. I mean other then certain Blu-Ray content DVDs there really isn't much you can watch on 3D. I know ESPN was pushing their 3D a while back but I don't hear about it much anymore. Perhaps when there is a critical mass of 3D content they will start to take off but I know I (like the 1/4 of people that can't see or get sick from 3D) would be giving the whole thing a wide berth.