biomedlives's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/24954/comments http://seekingalpha.com/article/175392-pfizer-increases-r-d-commitment-in-china?source=feed#comment-778626 778626 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:43:34 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/175191-atwood-oceanics-gushing-profits?source=feed#comment-777070 777070 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:14:58 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/173004-green-bankshares-value-in-the-tennessee-valley?source=feed#comment-758633 758633
Like Summit Brews, I believe it's important to watch the level of non-performing assets.]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:12 -0500
Like Summit Brews, I believe it's important to watch the level of non-performing assets.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/171242-babcock-amp-brown-air-limited-q3-2009-earnings-call-transcript?source=feed#comment-757188 757188 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:32:24 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/172233-credit-default-swaps-once-again-the-tool-of-the-devil?source=feed#comment-753796 753796
One way to deal with CDS issue #2 is to a CDS to a specific bond or loan, as municipal bond insurance does now.]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:35:28 -0500
One way to deal with CDS issue #2 is to a CDS to a specific bond or loan, as municipal bond insurance does now.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/172043-the-reluctant-bull-my-portfolio?source=feed#comment-750863 750863 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:04:47 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/171720-goldman-buffett-deal-with-fannie-mae-inked-a-month-ago?source=feed#comment-748782 748782 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:49:49 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/170914-my-two-healthcare-favorites?source=feed#comment-743439 743439 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:43:42 -0500 http://seekingalpha.com/article/168938-why-is-the-market-going-up-when-jobs-are-going-down?source=feed#comment-732926 732926

On Oct 27 12:05 AM GreenMom wrote:

> What if companies hire abroad and make profits abroad, and come to
> realize their profits are robbed by US corporate taxes?
>
> They spin off a chunk of the business to an offshore subsidiary.
>
>
> What if they witness a US government that is increasingly intrusive
> and anti-business?
>
> They move headquarters offshore for good.
>
> What if they want to hire within the US but the healthcare system
> overhaul makes it prohibitively expensive to hire American?
>
> They continue to hire abroad.
>
> A global economy means that your country's corporate tax structure,
> business friendliness, and labor affordability are continually being
> compared to the rest of the world. We are so far behind in all three,
> but I have no idea what it's going to take to get our legislators
> to recognize the problem.]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:22:40 -0400

On Oct 27 12:05 AM GreenMom wrote:

> What if companies hire abroad and make profits abroad, and come to
> realize their profits are robbed by US corporate taxes?
>
> They spin off a chunk of the business to an offshore subsidiary.
>
>
> What if they witness a US government that is increasingly intrusive
> and anti-business?
>
> They move headquarters offshore for good.
>
> What if they want to hire within the US but the healthcare system
> overhaul makes it prohibitively expensive to hire American?
>
> They continue to hire abroad.
>
> A global economy means that your country's corporate tax structure,
> business friendliness, and labor affordability are continually being
> compared to the rest of the world. We are so far behind in all three,
> but I have no idea what it's going to take to get our legislators
> to recognize the problem.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/166957-covered-calls-no-free-lunch?source=feed#comment-718652 718652 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:24:13 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/165611-malpass-in-wsj-devaluing-currency-has-never-led-to-prosperity?source=feed#comment-711307 711307 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:54:57 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/164228-4-ways-to-protect-your-capital-think-debt-and-bond-etfs?source=feed#comment-699417 699417 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:39:24 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/163400-climate-change-how-to-invest-for-the-possibility?source=feed#comment-695179 695179
I'd be interested to know what data you would regard as convincing evidence that global warming is real.


On Sep 25 10:44 AM Jimbo wrote:

> Biomedives: there are also a large number of trained scientists who
> are skeptics about AGW. Astronomers at a well known observatory (Lowell
> in Northern Arizona) told me several years ago that they believe
> the main driver of global temperature, and much long term wet/dry
> cycles, are due to solar activity. My fear is that the Utopian movement
> has emerged from the ashes of the Soviet Union, the People's Republic
> of China, Cambodia, etc. to seek to seize control of all human activity,
> in the name of "science" of course. There has always been a delay
> effect in the seasons: Summer warmth persists into the Fall and Winter
> cold persists into the Spring. The recently reported melting of glaciers
> could be reversed by the now observed significant drop in sunspot
> activity. We need more data and not breathless speculation. To access
> the scientists who are AGW skeptics, see the Heartland Institute.]]> Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:02:16 -0400
I'd be interested to know what data you would regard as convincing evidence that global warming is real.


On Sep 25 10:44 AM Jimbo wrote:

> Biomedives: there are also a large number of trained scientists who
> are skeptics about AGW. Astronomers at a well known observatory (Lowell
> in Northern Arizona) told me several years ago that they believe
> the main driver of global temperature, and much long term wet/dry
> cycles, are due to solar activity. My fear is that the Utopian movement
> has emerged from the ashes of the Soviet Union, the People's Republic
> of China, Cambodia, etc. to seek to seize control of all human activity,
> in the name of "science" of course. There has always been a delay
> effect in the seasons: Summer warmth persists into the Fall and Winter
> cold persists into the Spring. The recently reported melting of glaciers
> could be reversed by the now observed significant drop in sunspot
> activity. We need more data and not breathless speculation. To access
> the scientists who are AGW skeptics, see the Heartland Institute.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/163400-climate-change-how-to-invest-for-the-possibility?source=feed#comment-690668 690668 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:02:43 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/162749-onyx-pharmaceuticals-is-nexavar-the-next-avastin?source=feed#comment-687665 687665 - It's worth noting that Nexavar is a small molecule drug, while Avastin is a monoclonal antibody.

- "logical reasoning suggests that a drug that can act in multiple ways probably has a higher likelihood of being more effective than a drug with one method." A drug that can act in multiple ways also has a higher likelihood of adverse effects. ]]> Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:28:02 -0400 - It's worth noting that Nexavar is a small molecule drug, while Avastin is a monoclonal antibody.

- "logical reasoning suggests that a drug that can act in multiple ways probably has a higher likelihood of being more effective than a drug with one method." A drug that can act in multiple ways also has a higher likelihood of adverse effects. ]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/162080-solar-energy-s-new-growth-sector?source=feed#comment-683708 683708
Though residential solar may not make financial sense in all states, it's a great investment in New Jersey. We just installed a Suntech system that will generate an annual return of about 20% on our net investment.


On Sep 19 03:02 PM Bigmoneymine wrote:

> Photo-voltaic (seekingalpha.com/symbo...) solar cannot succeed
> without being economically competitive head-to-head with existing
> energy producers. I'm all for solar if it works for you or your business;
> if you've done the math and determined the cost savings is worth
> the expense, then go for it. Just don't expect tax-payers to foot
> the bill via government-sponsored "incentives".
>
> For all you sensitive "greenies" out there: while you're having this
> big enviro-save-the-planet... you might want consider the dangerous
> chemicals & carcinogens used to produce all these wonderful solar
> panels not to mention what happens to old panels that have to be
> replaced. Recycling? Ri-i-ight, at who's expense? Oh, did you remember
> the batteries? Gotta have lot's & lots of batteries to store
> all that power. Gee, I wonder what those are gonna cost?
>
> Closed-circuit passive solar makes more sense to me -- scales up
> better for utilities. I haven't done the math but I'm willing to
> bet you could generate 1KW passive-solar (seekingalpha.com/symbo...)
> a lot cheaper than PV (depending on the efficiency of the PV panels).
> PS systems will not degrade over time to the extent that PV will
> -- older solar panels are less efficient than new ones. The only
> maintenance in a properly installed PS system would be the easily-replaceable
> pumps, valves, relays and some minor electronics; those items can
> be easily refurbished for aftermarket sale or re-cycled.
>
> Of course we could use more natural gas fired power plants to moderate
> the cost of energy; NG is an abundant domestically-generated "green"
> fuel. No one knows how much NG we have in the ground but conservative
> estimates say at least 200 years and that doesn't count supplies
> from Canada. Why not build more NG power plants instead of all this
> solar power nonsense? It's cleaner than coal, cheaper / safer than
> nuclear, plants can be built in 1-2 yr time-frame.
>
> All the government incentives and tax-breaks in the world will not
> make PV solar competitive with natural gas. In fact, there's not
> a single economically viable alternative to hydrocarbon fuels in
> the foreseeable future. Worried about dirty air, carbon emissions,
> then use cost-effective technological solutions to clean up the fuels
> we have. We did it with gasoline, we did it with coal ( an can do
> more).]]> Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:47:31 -0400
Though residential solar may not make financial sense in all states, it's a great investment in New Jersey. We just installed a Suntech system that will generate an annual return of about 20% on our net investment.


On Sep 19 03:02 PM Bigmoneymine wrote:

> Photo-voltaic (seekingalpha.com/symbo...) solar cannot succeed
> without being economically competitive head-to-head with existing
> energy producers. I'm all for solar if it works for you or your business;
> if you've done the math and determined the cost savings is worth
> the expense, then go for it. Just don't expect tax-payers to foot
> the bill via government-sponsored "incentives".
>
> For all you sensitive "greenies" out there: while you're having this
> big enviro-save-the-planet... you might want consider the dangerous
> chemicals & carcinogens used to produce all these wonderful solar
> panels not to mention what happens to old panels that have to be
> replaced. Recycling? Ri-i-ight, at who's expense? Oh, did you remember
> the batteries? Gotta have lot's & lots of batteries to store
> all that power. Gee, I wonder what those are gonna cost?
>
> Closed-circuit passive solar makes more sense to me -- scales up
> better for utilities. I haven't done the math but I'm willing to
> bet you could generate 1KW passive-solar (seekingalpha.com/symbo...)
> a lot cheaper than PV (depending on the efficiency of the PV panels).
> PS systems will not degrade over time to the extent that PV will
> -- older solar panels are less efficient than new ones. The only
> maintenance in a properly installed PS system would be the easily-replaceable
> pumps, valves, relays and some minor electronics; those items can
> be easily refurbished for aftermarket sale or re-cycled.
>
> Of course we could use more natural gas fired power plants to moderate
> the cost of energy; NG is an abundant domestically-generated "green"
> fuel. No one knows how much NG we have in the ground but conservative
> estimates say at least 200 years and that doesn't count supplies
> from Canada. Why not build more NG power plants instead of all this
> solar power nonsense? It's cleaner than coal, cheaper / safer than
> nuclear, plants can be built in 1-2 yr time-frame.
>
> All the government incentives and tax-breaks in the world will not
> make PV solar competitive with natural gas. In fact, there's not
> a single economically viable alternative to hydrocarbon fuels in
> the foreseeable future. Worried about dirty air, carbon emissions,
> then use cost-effective technological solutions to clean up the fuels
> we have. We did it with gasoline, we did it with coal ( an can do
> more).]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/161344-sunpower-made-in-the-u-s-a?source=feed#comment-676063 676063 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:14:58 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/160961-genesis-lease-a-high-flying-high-dividend-stock?source=feed#comment-671935 671935 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:15:10 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/160246-profiting-from-the-tapped-out-consumer?source=feed#comment-665086 665086
Amen!]]> Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:03:11 -0400
Amen!]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/159124-supply-glut-pressuring-natural-gas?source=feed#comment-656181 656181

On Aug 31 05:38 PM Mmarrkk wrote:

> Fully agree! I'd add that the relentless collapse of u.s. manufacturing
> was driven in large part by the overreaching of two groups: organized
> labor and environmental terrorists organizations...both joined at
> the hip by the Democratic Party! Labor costs have gone through the
> roof due to benefits packages that don't mirror reality or the competitive
> nature of the world economy. Keeping up with ever changing environmental
> regulations that in many cases have no basis in cost/benefit analysis
> is also a driving force behind manufacturing leaving the country.
> With that manufacturing base leaving, the natural gas industry has
> lost a vital demand element.]]> Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:07:41 -0400

On Aug 31 05:38 PM Mmarrkk wrote:

> Fully agree! I'd add that the relentless collapse of u.s. manufacturing
> was driven in large part by the overreaching of two groups: organized
> labor and environmental terrorists organizations...both joined at
> the hip by the Democratic Party! Labor costs have gone through the
> roof due to benefits packages that don't mirror reality or the competitive
> nature of the world economy. Keeping up with ever changing environmental
> regulations that in many cases have no basis in cost/benefit analysis
> is also a driving force behind manufacturing leaving the country.
> With that manufacturing base leaving, the natural gas industry has
> lost a vital demand element.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/155719-cds-reform-making-wall-street-safe-for-capitalism?source=feed#comment-654494 654494
For this reason, I never buy individual corporate bonds.


On Aug 14 02:47 AM pone wrote:

> Maybe we do not have a third world financial system in this country,
> but I am starting to wonder if we do not have a second world financial
> system. Consider how antique many of our trading and settlement
> systems are.
>
> For stocks, do people realize that for 99% of all trades on the US
> market, the buyer of the stock never takes ownership in his name?
> The stock is left in the name of the broker (the "street name") and
> you are trusting the broker's internal systems to correct assign
> the stock to you. If the broker goes bankrupt, you have potential
> risk to lose the asset, particularly for amounts in excess of insured
> coverage. The only way to register a stock in your name is to take
> physical possession of the stock certificate, then go through a complex
> and time consuming registration process. Obviously no one has time
> for that.
>
> Compare our stock market to Australia and other systems where the
> ownership of the equity is traded electronically, and even if your
> broker goes belly up you remain the registered owner of the security,
> and all of the key registration data is transferred instantly when
> you buy or sell the security.
>
> Look at our bond market, which is a shocking and almost fraudulently
> anti-competitive market. Do people understand that every time a
> small investor buys or sells a bond that Wall Street has rigged this
> system so that you lose three to six percent of your principal on
> every trade? Go compare the bond quote your broker gives you to
> the trades recorded on FINRA. It's shocking.
>
> In our bond market there is no single electronic exchange for trading.
> You cannot efficiently register a limit price for buying or selling
> as an investor. You cannot transparently examine the trade, and
> the markups at multiple levels of middlemen. Try to even publish
> the bond trade data, and you find that Wall Street has managed to
> "self-regulate" the trade data in such a way that you have to pay
> them millions of dollars for the data and cannot then publish it
> for others to examine.
>
> CDS is simply the ultimate excess in corrupt Wall Street attempts
> to "self-regulate" a financial market in a way that deliberately
> limits competition, limits price discovery, and maximizes Wall Street
> fees. But it's hardly unique.
>
> While the attempt to regulate CDS is welcome, it seems to me our
> inability to bring our stock and bond markets to a First World standard
> of transparency and competitiveness is a huge stain on our country
> and its financial market credibility. With so much of our government
> financial regulatory infrastructure captured by the entities we are
> regulating, government has become the advocate of the financial middleman
> and stopped being the advocate for the consumer.]]> Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:59:15 -0400
For this reason, I never buy individual corporate bonds.


On Aug 14 02:47 AM pone wrote:

> Maybe we do not have a third world financial system in this country,
> but I am starting to wonder if we do not have a second world financial
> system. Consider how antique many of our trading and settlement
> systems are.
>
> For stocks, do people realize that for 99% of all trades on the US
> market, the buyer of the stock never takes ownership in his name?
> The stock is left in the name of the broker (the "street name") and
> you are trusting the broker's internal systems to correct assign
> the stock to you. If the broker goes bankrupt, you have potential
> risk to lose the asset, particularly for amounts in excess of insured
> coverage. The only way to register a stock in your name is to take
> physical possession of the stock certificate, then go through a complex
> and time consuming registration process. Obviously no one has time
> for that.
>
> Compare our stock market to Australia and other systems where the
> ownership of the equity is traded electronically, and even if your
> broker goes belly up you remain the registered owner of the security,
> and all of the key registration data is transferred instantly when
> you buy or sell the security.
>
> Look at our bond market, which is a shocking and almost fraudulently
> anti-competitive market. Do people understand that every time a
> small investor buys or sells a bond that Wall Street has rigged this
> system so that you lose three to six percent of your principal on
> every trade? Go compare the bond quote your broker gives you to
> the trades recorded on FINRA. It's shocking.
>
> In our bond market there is no single electronic exchange for trading.
> You cannot efficiently register a limit price for buying or selling
> as an investor. You cannot transparently examine the trade, and
> the markups at multiple levels of middlemen. Try to even publish
> the bond trade data, and you find that Wall Street has managed to
> "self-regulate" the trade data in such a way that you have to pay
> them millions of dollars for the data and cannot then publish it
> for others to examine.
>
> CDS is simply the ultimate excess in corrupt Wall Street attempts
> to "self-regulate" a financial market in a way that deliberately
> limits competition, limits price discovery, and maximizes Wall Street
> fees. But it's hardly unique.
>
> While the attempt to regulate CDS is welcome, it seems to me our
> inability to bring our stock and bond markets to a First World standard
> of transparency and competitiveness is a huge stain on our country
> and its financial market credibility. With so much of our government
> financial regulatory infrastructure captured by the entities we are
> regulating, government has become the advocate of the financial middleman
> and stopped being the advocate for the consumer.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/157331-yingli-green-s-earnings-flash-a-buy-signal?source=feed#comment-640978 640978

On Aug 21 12:11 PM Mayascribe wrote:

> (seekingalpha.com/symbo...) is a great solar play, given
> that China's government is subsidizing the installation of solar
> power in the urban areas to the tune of 50%, and the rural areas
> of China 70%. How can they lose with this kind of subsidy? The report
> you wrote above is proof of the pudding that YGE is one of the best
> solar plays out there.
>
> I'm not sure if they use Tereruim in their solar panels, or not.
> If they do, that rare earth mineral could spike as demand increases.
>
>
> Thanks for taking the time to write this article.]]> Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:38:37 -0400

On Aug 21 12:11 PM Mayascribe wrote:

> (seekingalpha.com/symbo...) is a great solar play, given
> that China's government is subsidizing the installation of solar
> power in the urban areas to the tune of 50%, and the rural areas
> of China 70%. How can they lose with this kind of subsidy? The report
> you wrote above is proof of the pudding that YGE is one of the best
> solar plays out there.
>
> I'm not sure if they use Tereruim in their solar panels, or not.
> If they do, that rare earth mineral could spike as demand increases.
>
>
> Thanks for taking the time to write this article.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/154812-the-absurdities-of-buy-american?source=feed#comment-623161 623161 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:36:18 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/154902-in-search-of-an-american-job?source=feed#comment-621888 621888 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 11:22:55 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/154411-3-energy-mlps-for-the-price-of-one?source=feed#comment-620267 620267

On Aug 07 03:20 PM biomedlives wrote:

> I regard LINE as a good investment here because it has an excellent
> yield and a hedging program that covers 100% of its production through
> 2011.]]> Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:23:09 -0400

On Aug 07 03:20 PM biomedlives wrote:

> I regard LINE as a good investment here because it has an excellent
> yield and a hedging program that covers 100% of its production through
> 2011.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/154411-3-energy-mlps-for-the-price-of-one?source=feed#comment-620264 620264

On Aug 07 09:14 AM tedstr wrote:

> LINE reccomended by Cramer last night...for what it's worth. Any
> opinions on that.]]> Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:20:26 -0400

On Aug 07 09:14 AM tedstr wrote:

> LINE reccomended by Cramer last night...for what it's worth. Any
> opinions on that.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/153168-eye-on-unemployment-should-the-u-s-stop-immigration?source=feed#comment-616228 616228

On Aug 02 11:43 AM Gtarras wrote:

> David
> there is a major point you fail to address here:
>
> The vast majority of the current LEGAL immigration to the US is FAMILY
> BASED. if i remember it correctly, 90% of those roughly 1 million
> folks obtaining green cards are not necessarily the skilled labor
> folks that enter the country on H1-Bs, but relatives of the American
> citizens (wives, parents etc). Compare the 65K H1-Bs issued per year,
> and >1 million of Green Cards issued.
>
> Add to that the illegal unskilled labor, and you will realize that
> the skilled labor folks represent probably only 3-5% of new immigrants
> to the US. A drop in the bucket. Interestingly enough, you focus
> on the skilled labor guys, and unswervingly so- they are the ones
> who contribute most to the economic power of this country. Ironically,
> because of huge backlogs, it takes them FOREVER to became permanent
> here (7-10 years), while family based folks get their permanent status
> in 2-3 years.
>
> I think we are better of discussing the issue of "what kind of immigration
> this country needs". 100K SKILLED immigrants that currently enter
> the US workforce annually is not a number to complain about.]]> Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:58:07 -0400

On Aug 02 11:43 AM Gtarras wrote:

> David
> there is a major point you fail to address here:
>
> The vast majority of the current LEGAL immigration to the US is FAMILY
> BASED. if i remember it correctly, 90% of those roughly 1 million
> folks obtaining green cards are not necessarily the skilled labor
> folks that enter the country on H1-Bs, but relatives of the American
> citizens (wives, parents etc). Compare the 65K H1-Bs issued per year,
> and >1 million of Green Cards issued.
>
> Add to that the illegal unskilled labor, and you will realize that
> the skilled labor folks represent probably only 3-5% of new immigrants
> to the US. A drop in the bucket. Interestingly enough, you focus
> on the skilled labor guys, and unswervingly so- they are the ones
> who contribute most to the economic power of this country. Ironically,
> because of huge backlogs, it takes them FOREVER to became permanent
> here (7-10 years), while family based folks get their permanent status
> in 2-3 years.
>
> I think we are better of discussing the issue of "what kind of immigration
> this country needs". 100K SKILLED immigrants that currently enter
> the US workforce annually is not a number to complain about.]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/153313-a-solution-for-wall-street-compensation?source=feed#comment-614545 614545 "Importantly, shareholders have very limited downsides when firms take excessive risk. Their losses are capped at the price paid for of the shares, which means that they will respond to any increase in the amount of reward received for a given level of risk by demanding more risk."
What? Losses of 70 to 100% and cuts or elimination of dividends, which investors in Citi, B of A, WaMu, Vineyard National,.... have incurred over the last few years, are hardly "very limited downsides."]]> Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:36:58 -0400 "Importantly, shareholders have very limited downsides when firms take excessive risk. Their losses are capped at the price paid for of the shares, which means that they will respond to any increase in the amount of reward received for a given level of risk by demanding more risk."
What? Losses of 70 to 100% and cuts or elimination of dividends, which investors in Citi, B of A, WaMu, Vineyard National,.... have incurred over the last few years, are hardly "very limited downsides."]]> http://seekingalpha.com/article/153040-the-real-reason-bankers-deserve-big-bonuses?source=feed#comment-611414 611414 Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:29:03 -0400 http://seekingalpha.com/article/151727-cramer-s-mad-money-the-capitalist-manifesto-7-27-09?source=feed#comment-605093 605093 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:58:26 -0400