Wednesday, June 17, 2009

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Under-Tec Corp. presents Under-Ease, a new generation of protective underwear for flatulence.

Should you prepare your portfolio for inflation with high-dividend stocks, in addition to the usual suspects? Daniel Indiviglio, The Atlantic

But do not count on TIPS to provide inflation protection. They are bonds, after all, and vulnerable to rising interest rates. Kiplinger.com

An ostrich encounters an elephant.

Rex 84 - short for Readiness Exercise 1984 - is a plan by the United States federal government to test their ability to detain large numbers of American citizens in case of civil unrest or national emergency. Wikipedia

Morgan Stanley: "Equity markets now implicitly need a V-shaped recovery to sustain further gains. We do not expect such a recovery and therefore believe the next move is more likely to be down than up." My sentiments exactly. Reuters

Natural Gas Update (Triangle Breakout) TrepH

Traders and Investors Pile into Natural Gas ETF (UNG). "The natural gas trade is getting crowded - very crowded." I will be surprised if we do not see some serious whipsaw action before the big move gets under way. Tim Iacono on Seeking Alpha

Wind forces in the U.S. have been slowing at a rate of about 1% a year. More study is needed to pinpoint the causes and regions of the country most affected. MarketWatch

A day in the life of a police officer: how does it feel when you come close to shooting a kid over a toy? Cop n' attitude

Alexandra Heminsley had a fantastic time in Kenya - until she was bitten by a female African tumbu fly. Mail Online

BRICs May Buy Each Other’s Bonds to lessen dependence on the U.S. dollar. Bloomberg

Wheat Output in Australia May Reach 4-Year High this year. Looks like a good crop in the US too, and the price of Chicago wheat has already fallen 10% this month. Bloomberg

Rose of Jericho (gif). Psychedelic.

While many believe that growth in consumer spending out of China can do the heavy lifting for the global economy and help ease the pain the U.S. is experiencing, economists at Scotia Capital warn that it could actually hurt the U.S. economy, while providing a boost to Canada. FP Trading Desk

Califfornia aid request spurned by Feds. Apparently they're afraid that a bailout of California would set off a cascade of demands from other states. Washington Post

No wonder California is broke - some transit car cleaners earn > $100K a year!

And there are plenty of low-level municipal employees who are earning $250-300K.

And now, the good news: North Korea is threatening to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against the US. Xinhua

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