Comments on Paul Christopherson's articles RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.com/author/paul-christopherson/articles http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-499300 499300 Tell this story to the Mexicans,their whole diet is based on corn > and has been for years..the real problem is the medical nazis and > their pill pushing. > > With what Americans have spent on useless cholesterol drugs and MRIs > in the last 15yrs,we could have cured cancer!]]> Mon, 11 May 2009 15:01:39 -0400

On Oct 27 01:29 PM fatcat wrote:

> Tell this story to the Mexicans,their whole diet is based on corn
> and has been for years..the real problem is the medical nazis and
> their pill pushing.
>
> With what Americans have spent on useless cholesterol drugs and MRIs
> in the last 15yrs,we could have cured cancer!]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-499288 499288 Mon, 11 May 2009 14:51:59 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-436199 436199 Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:08:52 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-388130 388130 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:01:03 -0500
I believe ROH will stick to their $78 and have it upheld by a court, but more importantly, I think DOW through court will also be able to get manageable terms to break the deal IF the deal would consummate in the death of the combined entity. The key is the word "manageable" - I still think it will be a multibillion dollar hit for DOW, but 2-3 billion is much less than 15 billion.

If DOW breaks the deal, ROH will plummet, regardless of the size of the penalty award - it is currently egregiously overpriced compared to its peers. This will probably force ROH to voluntarily renegotiate. The key point I'm making is that a judge will in no way force ROH to renegotiate the contract by directly siding with DOW - a deal IS a deal.

Else, DOW finds some way to close @ $78, cash, to ROH that doesn't cripple the combined company.

As I tend to focus more on long term issues, I've played this by selling out-of-money LEAP puts on DOW. ROH's situation is too volatile - either they get the full $78, or they plummet after DOW breaks the contract. That could be a good straddle play, I suppose. However, I still think the no-brainer play is to somehow long DOW when it reaches a price that presupposes bankruptcy, a most unlikely and thus safe outcome for investors. Selling puts fits that bill.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-387370 387370 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:41:39 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-387354 387354 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:31:49 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-387350 387350 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:28:32 -0500 The DOW CEO sounds like a MORON to me. Where do they get these guys? The market was headed for the hole for 2/3 of last year and he makes an offer like this with no way out of it. No allowance for the "unforseen" developments. Then runs into the board room and closes the door, refusing to even talk to ROH. What kind of a "business man" would do that?

The whole mess make me ill. and down 75%. I'm getting less hopful of a satisfactory conclusion all the time.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-387219 387219 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:23:00 -0500
spoken like a true ROH Holder. Just to clarify, there are no "certain outcomes" in life. If you have not learned that lesson then you need to start over again. The only certainty is that there is none. This may go in directions we never imagined. Desperation and greed make uneasy bed fellows. Who knows what the desert people may do? Very unpredictable. Either Way Liveris is disgraced and gone.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-387013 387013 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:01:34 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-386918 386918 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:09:35 -0500 I played this long a few times and yesterday I sold at $59.14 although I think its safe to sell puts at least through Feb expiration. Beyond that its too risky for me, anything could happen although I believe $78 is dead. Maybe at $66 they could do this without borrowing themselves into extinction. But then the question is what does ROH want.......for now Im sitting back and watching but the upside appears limited here for the next week at least.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/120424/comments?source=feed#comment-386822 386822 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:55:41 -0500
Downside on ROH - if by hook or by crook if DOW is able to get out of ROH cash deal ROH could drop to the 20's based on other chem. Co's.
To buy PUT insurance is to expensive because we don't know but would have to buy April strikes. Upside is DOW finds a partner and closes the deal at $78 before court. The price of oil make MEast partner unlikely in the next 30 days. Or ROH takes half cash and 4xshares.

I have not figured out how to play this one except to gamble on the long and short options of ROH selling calls and put and covering them with the next strike. I know it is dangerous but I am long DOW and down $10 and figure that any new is good for DOW either way and nothing will happen before Friday.

Any other ideas on how to play this?

]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-311371 311371 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:44:16 -0500 Do we really have to create wars, just to eat?
We have enough war problems in Africa. Surely, we dont want that sort of thing happening in the Americas, not to mention the whole World?


]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-309409 309409 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:44:00 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-298619 298619 Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:11:18 -0500
"In Cuba, Obama's campaign vow to ease the 46-year-old U.S. trade embargo and his willingness to consider dialogue with the Cuban government were a breath of fresh air after almost eight years of tough talk and hard-line policies from the Bush administration, Cubans said.

"I think with Obama we will have some improvement. We're going to breathe a little, because if the other (McCain) had won we would be in bad shape - and not just the Cubans," said housewife Cristina Recio, 50.

"With Obama, there has to be a relaxing of the policy toward Cuba because he has at least promised to change things such as ending restrictions on trips to Cuba (by Americans) and that will be good for everyone," restaurant employee Diego Lopez, 41, said."

]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-296735 296735 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:09:48 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-295087 295087 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:50:56 -0400
Where are your references?!

Thank you,

A. Reader ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-294850 294850 Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:32:03 -0400
I've heard a lot of things like this during my lifetime. First it was butter (which is better than margarine), then eggs (which also have omega 3). Ruining butter production was so that the margarine companies could sell their product. Ruining egg production was misguided, but at least the intent was good.

If you want an eye-opener, go check out the ag departments requirements for "organic" farming. The organic farmer is allowed to use roundup (or others) for weedkiller, and malthion D (or others) for bug killer.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-294592 294592 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:28:31 -0400
Capitalism is not perfect in practice, but it at least is sound in theory, because it espouses the theoretically sound notions that a) nothing is free in life; noone has a *right* to what they do not earn -- it may be granted to them out of generosity -- but generosity implies it be done with the good will of the giver, not by coercion; b) the way to drive efficiency is to reward it.
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-294343 294343 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:54:22 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-294048 294048 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:22:26 -0400
At least one large study released last year made many of the same points, pointing out that we are so unhealthy because government subsidy programs subsidize corn and wheat and not fruits and vegetables.

Range-fed meats are dramatically better, leading to a simple but profound conclusion. If we want a healthy diet to include meat, we must grow healthy animals for slaughter. Corn can't be part of that to any large degree for the reasons cited. Ironically, high corn prices have actually made beef somewhat healthier in the last 2 years as farmers have substituted alfalfa , which has many of the same characteristics of grass.

In short, the health benefits of fish come from the Omega-3 fatty acids in plankton, and the health benefits of range fed animals come from the same Omega-3 fatty acids in grass. Corn has to go, but it must be replaced by something. Perhaps switchgrass or something new.

Interestingly, bio-diesel oil crops are nitrogen-fixing, so they are actually part of the solution to growing feedstocks with less petroleum derived nitrogen, vs corn.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293944 293944 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:35:23 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293793 293793 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:47:01 -0400
In short, socialism has nothing to do with equitable distribution. Neither does communism. This is a very common misunderstanding propogated by those who create strawmen arguments against socialism and communism.

It has to do society or gov't sharing ownership or share of control. But it does not mean that every person has equal share or control. In fact, a common mantra of socialism/communism is to each "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

Marx delineated the specific conditions under which such a creed would be applicable - a society where technology and social organization had substantially eliminated the need for physical labor in the production of things, where "labor has become not only a means of life but life's prime want." Marx explained his belief that, in such a society, each person would be motivated to work for the good of society despite the absence of a social mechanism compelling them to work, because work would have become a pleasurable and creative activity. Marx intended the initial part of his slogan, "from each according to his ability" to suggest not merely that each person should work as hard as they can, but that each person should best develop their particular talents.

And in closing, just because I want to use an informed definition of socialism does not mean that I am a proponent. But I am a proponent of using proper definitions.
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293706 293706 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:14:25 -0400 Would the author take the "Christ" out of his name ? ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293593 293593 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:54:32 -0400
Oh yeah? If you are using tax structures to do so, it certainly does. I'm not sure how else you mean? I think you can effect more equitable distribution by other means...such as abolishing income taxes entirely, and going with sales taxes only. That's really the only just tax. Those who buy luxury goods are obviously going to pay much more. The income tax is fundamentally wrong in principle, since it assumes that the government has a pre-emptive right to what we earn. Noone has a right to what I earn -- and where is the merit in forced giving to those less fortunate? Clearly, voluntary giving has merit, and I think we'd be a much more compassionate society if that was encouraged. Forced giving through taxation breeds resentment.

To give all the same opportunity, we need to lower the up-front costs -- and that means ditching income taxes. With consumptive taxes, you are in control of how much you give to the government. This has the direct side-effect of returning power to the people, by the way. You wish you could stop the Iraq war? If government funding was based on sales tax, all the citizens would have to do is stop buying discretionary goods...voila - funding cuts. That's the end of unresponsive Congresses.
]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293251 293251 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:02:09 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293199 293199 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:26:16 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293197 293197 Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:21:57 -0400
That said, there are still lots of good uses of corn...they're making lots of biodegradeable stuff out of it now....]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293163 293163 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:52:53 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293034 293034 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:37:08 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/102132/comments?source=feed#comment-293005 293005 Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:52:10 -0400