Jay, at full power, CDMA phones are safe as houses. The warning against use in elevators is also to excuse the fact that they don't work very well at all inside a metal box. Many times cellphones do work in lifts, especially CDMA phones at a given power output.
The CDMA tractor beams also give them a turbo kick. Hurrumph - calling me on my science.
Okay, let's be pedantic on your laundry list. With your 'ignoring the particular names', the list becomes a generic soothsayer's horoscope trick, where all statements are true. Such as "There are worries in the future for you. You will meet a tall, dark man/woman. Financial difficulties this year will be a problem." etc.
< “GE Lays Off Another 5%”
Okay, some companies have laid off 5%. Every year, and indeed, every month and every week, for a century, some company has laid off another 5%. Always true, therefore meaningless. Especially as unemployment has barely budged, so even as a generic comment it's untrue.
<“GM Shuts SUV Lines” > SUV production is booming. America is gobbling petrol. Car companies are profitable. Overall, production is up for the USA and for the world. Wrong any way we measure it.
<“S&P Downgrades Cisco” > Well, many companies have had downgrades. No news there. Yes, the Nasdaq has taken another 25% step down. Which is not such a big deal, given the size of the bubble.
<“Dow Sets Record Historic Decline On Record Volume”> Well, there was a large drop on the open after 911, but it wasn't anywhere near a record as a percentage. Even numerically, it perhaps wasn't that big a deal - I'd have to check. The Dow has oscillated between 11,000 and 8,000 = big deal. Wrong on that one too!
<“Major Fraud Discovered at …..” > Well, true enough there. More importantly, the frauds were related to what Uncle Al called infectious greed and the bubble which provided the opportunity: washtimes.com I think you can claim this one. That's 1.
<“Margin Panic” > Well, true for plenty of individuals, but more margin panic was before your post than after it. Subsequent to your post, the big crunches had mostly gone and it was a whittling process as people can to terms with their losses and ongoing losses. No panic. Wrong.
<“Economic Cycle Rediscovered” > Still waiting for the economic cycle to set in. We've had no recession. Production has remained above 0% growth rate other than in one little period. No unemployment boom. No production bust [other than individual companies, as always]. Wrong again. Though I don't know that anyone really said that there wouldn't be ups and downs as always, every four years, in the US economy.
<“Productivity Index Misled for The Past 10 Years” >
Productivity is continuing to boom. Maybe your ruler is different from mine [and Uncle Al's]. I don't buy this one.
<“Social Security Under Funding Expected” >
It was only for a short time during the huge surpluses, that anyone thought funding for the future was secure. Expecting the sun to rise is not a worthy claim. Or the sun to set. Okay, you can claim that the sun is setting. True. That's 2.
<“GE Capital Owes Up On Hidden Losses” > Worldcom owned up to hidden losses - which weren't hidden. Anyone who could be bothered could see that money had gone there and left there. Still waiting for GE in particular. As always, generically, there are companies hiding losses. Wishful thinking losses aren't hidden losses. Enron certainly hid some losses. Okay, weak, but there were some. That's 3.
<“The House That Jack Left” > Was his resignation a surprise? Not really. It wasn't because of collapse. You really think this is significant in any way? All will retire or be fired from all companies. Yawn.
<“Threat Of War In The Middle East” > Sunrise again. Yes, threat of war. Since war with Iraq has been on for 13 years, it's not surprising. Even Osama wasn't really a surprise - he's been at it for a decade too. Especially aiming at the WTC, embassies, Cole etc, etc. But the threats are no great worry. Okay, what the heck, 4.
<“Russia Sharply Increases Arms Export To Save Economy” > Huh? Have they? News to me. Certainly nothing of world shaking or even trembling import.
<“Butter Healthier Than Margarine” (this one is true already) > I agree, has always been true. I guess I don't understand the point. Is that news?
<“Too Much Vitamin C Causes Brain Damage” (ditto) > I don't think so. Unless you mean by dissolving it in a super-saturated solution. But what's this to do with anything?
<“Cellular Phone Radiation Is ….” > excellent for getting further research funds. Public fear is excellent for researchers. Omigosh, look at the greenhouse gases. Send money, urgently. Hey, don't forget the ozone hole - only you can save us, by donating money to me.
<“Japan to Save Economy By Increasing Defense Spending” > Did they? By much? I missed the news. Their economy continues to be okay. No major dramas yet. The implication of remilitarization is simply wrong.
<“Global Economy Contracted 5% - Lead By US” >. Well, that's a biggie. But it didn't happen. Wrong. Beats Vitamin C poisoning as an issue of concern to people.
<“FED Lowers Discount Rate to 2.5%” > And more. I'd predicted major money printing and interest rate drops too, back in 1999, so no big deal there. Just a sensible reaction to the Poverty Effect. Dodgy, but okay, 5 points.
<“Corporate Bond Spreads at Historic Peak” > Is that right? I don't know where to check.
<“Euro Wobbles On Economic Disunity” > Looks okay to me. No wobbling. Wrong.
<“Dollar Implodes” > 20% is not an implosion. That's barely abnormal over the last decade. Wrong. No point.
<“Amazon Defaults” > Amazon didn't default. Many of the Biotelecosmictechdot.coms already had done. No news there. Predicting what has already happened isn't a prediction.
<“Congress Holds Hearing On The Cause Of Doom” > Well, they did on some things. Okay give make it 6. But it's not really doom.
<“Gold Is Back” > Back to nowhere special. The 10 year graph shows a 20 year moving average of $360. I check where it is now and - oh, another yawn. Other than the spike in 1979, it's just wobbled around as things do, on or off the gold standard. No cigar.
<“Precious Metal Reappears On Business Week Where To Invest Your Money Issue” > Has it? I don't read Business Week. I dare say there are a few stories about gold, since it's off the floor and has shown some of the few gains in the past 2 years, other than real estate.
<“CNBC Increases Time Reporting On Bonds” > I bet they are not doing much on stocks. So I suppose bonds are more reported. Okay, maybe you could score a weak 6 with this one [though I have no evidence it's true].
<“NY Crime Rate Rises Sharply” > -1 there. It has dropped! So, back to 5 you go. This is snakes and ladders.
<“Trading Volume and Margin Loan Profit Down Sharply” > Must be true. Especially with rotten interest rates, reduced margins [a given when a market has dropped as much as it had when you wrote your post]. Yawn. But okay, I suppose you could claim one there. We don't want whining. 6.
<“Lights Out At Ameritrade” > True [of some anyway]. 7. I am very fair.
<“Many Blue Chips Trading at Replacement Value, Further Losses Not Expected” > Not true is it? I expect further losses are possible. Hence my cash on hand to be buyer of last resort, just in case. But I don't think they are down to replacement value in the sense of asset replacement.
<“Nasdaq Hits P/E 10, Early Recovery Not Expected” > Definitely not so. That's almost a snake call for a loss of 1. Expected by whom? You? Me? I expect early recovery. Though of course not to the Biotelecosmictechdot.com heights of absurdity. I expect a Dow return to 11,000 sooner rather than later. Sooner being within a year [or two since things seem to take longer than I guess].
Okay, that's 7 out of 32. You are short! And that's scraping the barrel with a few generous calls, including some "I predict a sunset" predictions.
Hardly a ringing success. A bit like Worldcom = short-changing the punters. Hiding some losses in the fine print on page 42.
Mqurice |
