Decoy

Sovereign Debt Downgrades Won't Bring Down the Global Economy

I agree with most of your article. I was impressed how you analyzed General Growth Properties problem and took advantage of the low stock price while in bankruptcy. I also agree with your investment in PWE even thought Canadian Energy trusts will lose their tax benefits soon.

Ethanol: Amongst America's Most Misguided Public Policies

It is amazing that all of these so called experts condem ethanol.
The big problem about ethanol is that there are basically NO e85 pumps on the East & West coast to fuel thousands of cars that have FFV engines like mine but can't find e85.
The cry that corn ethanol is hurting the human food supply and prices.It is my understanding that a big % of corn grown each year is for cattle(food) consumption. For those that claim this, don't you know that the proper food for cattle is grass or RANGE FED. Have any of you complainers ever seen the MUD pens were the cattle live and are fed. The feed is corn , but since corn is such a Rich food for cattle and since they have NO place to roam they get sick so they are also fed antibiotics .
Don't all of you geniusis understand that the excessive anti biotics ingested by cattle reduceses our body's immune system? Where have you been all of these year ,I never heard any of your crowd complain that the cattle should be Range fed.

Natural Gas Gains: Not Convinced of Sustainability

Your analysis is for short term only. It is my opinion that Nat Gas will be around longer that oil and burns cleaner. My guess is Nat Gas will still be around when OIL is replaced by some alternate energy.
If you read about Encanna the largest Gas producer in North America,they are splitting in two. One Co. will remain as Encanna(ECA) and deal only in Nat Gas and the other will be mostly oil but have some gas.

Whatever Happened to Those Ethanol Companies?

Ethanol plus any other energy source that needs special filling facilities such as e85 pumps, hydrogen pumps, hydrogen pumps,special electric hook ups will have a hard time being accepted. Example,many cars on the east and west coast can & would use e85 but there are few if any pumps that can deliver it. The same will happen with plug in electrics unless someone builds out the charging stations throughout the nation.

Ethanol vs. Natural Gas or Coal: Comparison Not Even Close

Most people don't understand that articles like this Ethanol vs. Basically Gasoline are paid for by the petroleum Industry to do what has been done to ethanol.
The question is why don't these same writers who are so concerned about the cost to produce ethanol vs oil are not concernerned that 80% of our corn is use for sileage. That infers that because we use corn to to fatten cattle ,that is the best use for the product.
The question is,is that the best use? The first thing is we remove the cattle from their natural surrounding which is the range. We take them off their natural food ,grass,give them excess corn which makes them sick ,then fill them with antibiotics. These anti biotics that are consumed by cattle are the same anti biotics that reduce our bodies disease defense systems.
Question , why is this negative use of corn never questioned by our health community?
So as far as I am concerned the theory that ethanol causes our corn prices to be high is possible. However, if we took our cattle off corn,not only would corn prices be lower but we would be much healthier because we would consume much less anti biotics when we are NOT sick.

Wall Street: Dumb as It Ever Was

A great description of the deteration of CNBC ,thats why I watch "BLOOMBERG" Business TV.

Charlie Gasparino: Another Crash 'Has to Happen Again'

I haven't read Charleys book but I think he is right on about two things.
1-There will be another Bubble because Congress is doing nothing to prevent it such as to reinstate Glass- Steagalles.
2-I believe to let Goldman Sacks operate as a regular bank and not have to LOAN money is a CRIME and by itself will hasten the next big bubble which may finally crush our financial system.

Nouriel Roubini, One on One: More Doom and Gloom

I don't think the Dr. is taking into consideration Peak OIL and the basic cost to recover each Barrell is increasing. The Days of CHEAP oil are fading. When you have to drill 2-3 miles deep in the Gulf or use Horizontal drilling you can't recover a Barrell for $10 anymore.

Natural Gas: An Energy Resource Whose Time Has Come

A great article but you left out ECA as a big player in Nat. Gas.

Dividend Increases: 9 Stocks

A very interesting investment,but how does a company that earns $1.78 per share give dividend of $1.99 and continue to raise dividends?

Berkshire Hathaway Meeting and Some Options Strategies

Isn't your small portfolio,above, highly leveraged which helped get into the present mess.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

What type of assets does Rio have to sell? Are these also mortgage Bonds?

Is Berkshire Hathaway Now a Bargain?

I find most of the comments interesting about Buffett. I think the most sensible one was by ustead. The continous reference to Doug Kass as the" expert" on Berkshire is laughable. I read many article about the Co. and have some "B" shares but explain to me how the experts value the big part that it owns that is NOT public such as See's candy,the funiture store,Jewlery store ,Mid America , Icar ,Geico,Morman and now the Mar/Wrigley deal which has the potential of Berskshire owning Mars. How can any of the shorts take these into consideration? I find these people are experts as long as things are going their way but I never see them quoted when things change and the do.
A few years ago some one told me an "EXPERT" is just that ,some one that was a "PERT".

More on the Subprime Market and Derivatives

If you are saying when Goldman Sacks met in 2006 and decided that the CDO bonds that they created were Bad ,that is one thing . But when they shorted them instead of alerting the world ,you call it stabalizing the market and I call it GREED.