SAR #10229

Mostly we choose not to know.

Little Brother:  President Barack Obama personally warned Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan that if Turkey didn't treat Israel better and quit bitching about Israeli commandos killing Turkish citizens, the US wouldn't give Turkey the armed drones it wants to use to kill Kurdish rebels.

Bottom Line:  AT&T has reluctantly admitted that Google and Verizon are right and that wireless communications are different from wireline communications.  One uses wires, one does not.  One form is regulated and net neutrality is required.   For the other, they want the freedom to charge as much as they damned well can.

Clear Sailing:  Goldman says that the sight of 'storage' tankers unloading their crude shows that demand is outstripping supply and that the fall's seasonal increase in demand will draw down crude inventories even faster. And drive prices up.

The Nutshell:  Society's communal needs keep increasing while the ability to meet those needs keeps decreasing.  People are unemployed and need assistance with food, housing, healthcare.  Politicians give encouraging speeches and refuse to raise taxes.  The public wants help, wants schools, wants police and firemen, wants safe roads and bridges - but also wants no more debt, no more taxation.  Will it really matter whose fault it was when the wheels come off?

Bear With Us:  The last three bear markets lasted an average of 17 years….

Democracy Now:  Iraqi authorities sent armed police into the streets to explain to the citizenry that demonstrations protesting the government's inability to deliver electricity were outlawed.  How much did we pay to bring democracy to Iraq?  Something get lost in translation?

Been There, Done That:  Deutsche Bank says the only way to resuscitate the economy is to re-inflate the housing bubble.  The instructions are on the bottom of the boot...

“Fall Weiss:”  Steve Schwarzman, founder of the Blackstone Group, says of Obama's intent to end Bush's tax cuts for the rich  “It's a war.  It's like when Hitler Invaded Poland in 1939.”   Get a grip, Steve, it's just taxation; you haven't got to sew a dollar sign on your sleeve and live in a gated community.

The Three Great Lies:  Buy stocks for the long run.  Your house is your best investment.  Globalization will benefit all Americans. We’re from the government and we’re here to help.

Medium Rare:  The next time you have a steak, have a small bit set aside before the chef grills it to perfection.  That way, if the steak is uncommonly good, you can raise a herd of identical steaks with cells from that particular dead cow.  Perfection in the freezer.

Globalization's Guts:  We buy more stuff from the rest of the world than well sell to them.  Last month the difference was $50 billion.  So there goes another $50 billion in US productivity and US assets.  They're richer, we're poorer.  If consumer spending picks up and retailers have a 'good' Christmas, the foreigners who are holding IOU's on America will have an even greater hold on what little productivity and assets this country has left.  Is cheap plastic crap and sweatshop clothing worth what we're going to end up paying?

Out, Damned Spot:  President Karzai is giving private security companies 4 months to leave Afghanistan.  Perhaps security details will be provided by the Taliban, for most assuredly the Afghan Army is not up to the job.

Porn O'Graph:  The compass, or where free trade has lead us.