What stock exchange firm do you work for? Is it true that you accumulate a big holding of a stock for all of your clients and then write good things about that stock in your newspaper column so that millions of investors will read about the stock? And when all these people who read about the stock think it’s good, they buy the stock and push it up to a much higher price than what your clients paid, and then you sell it at a profit, don’t you?
Is this how you pay for your big, plush office and big staff? Your huge, multi-million-dollar home and your fancy golf club? Your expensive Mercedes and vacations in Europe?
I think this is terrible and illegal and that you should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law by the New York Stock Exchange and the Securities Exchange Commission people.
I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but it certainly ain’t the Internal Revenue Service, my barber, my accountant or Kenny Hee, who owns the second best Chinese restaurant in Central Florida. But it’s always a hoot to hear from a reader like you. Even though your questions derive from an enormous superfluity of ignorance and anger, they are fair questions and rightly deserve to be answered.
My 15-by-20-foot office, where I employ 1.5 people, is scrunched between a beauty salon and a travel bureau. It’s located in an older, declining, 31-year-old business center that’s also home to a podiatrist, a chiropractor, a physical therapy center and a Fifth Third branch bank. My office is furnished with second- and third-hand furniture, two IBM wheel-writer typewriters, a couple of computers and an air conditioning unit that’s as old as the original wallpapering and carpets.
I live in a modest house, in a modest neighborhood, in a modest community, and I drive a diesel and an SUV, both of which are American-made. I’m not employed by a brokerage; I don’t play golf, and I’ve not been to Europe in a decade.
I write three columns for weekly publication, and if you objectively read them, common sense will tell you that the brokerage industry and I agree on only one thing: that stocks will go up and that stocks will go down. This column is anathema to the sales practices and products of the brokerage industry.
It’s so anathema, in fact, that on numerous occasions, Merrill Lynch and other brokerages have tried to silence the column through the NYSE, the National Association of Securities Dealers and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
A consultant is a guy with grey hair so he can appear distinguished and hemorrhoids so he can look concerned. And I’m a consultant for several large retirement plans, in which I help the company define and select short-, medium- and long-term investment objectives. Then I help that company to select a money manager or managers who we think may best represent the plan’s objectives. And finally, I monitor the money manager or managers to be sure they’re meeting the plan’s objectives. I do not tell them when to invest or what investments to buy, nor do I tell them where to place their trades.
And if a retiring or retired employee needs to employ a personal money manager, I may be asked to help that person locate a professional he can trust. I do not buy or sell stocks for anybody. I do not have any interest in any brokerage accounts (except family accounts), and I do not participate in any commission arrangements.
I write this column because it gives me enormous satisfaction to know that over the years, it has has helped millions of investors make appropriate decisions and that their lives are much better for it. And I am reminded of this by the emails and letters I receive from folks unlike you.
2012年2月20日星期一
2012年2月19日星期日
Robert Winningham a long way from winning Indiana congressional seat
Maybe less than five minutes into our talk, Lee Hamilton was mentioned. It would happen again and again, in a rather rushed morning conversation.
It must keep happening, with whomever he talks, for Robert Winningham to stand much chance of winning Hamilton’s old congressional seat, from Indiana’s 9th District. That’s my assumption.
The seat is currently held by Todd Young, a Republican, who is defending it for the first time.
Winningham, 50, of Charlestown, is among four Democratic challengers and is a former Hamilton aide. Winningham’s credibility is at least loosely linked to Hamilton’s. As advantages go, that’s a dandy.
“My background with Lee certainly doesn’t hurt,” Winningham said.
Hamilton served 34 years before retiring. He well might still be in office, had he wanted.
Winningham is neither a Hoosier by birth nor by relatively recent residency, however. He moved back here, from his native Texas, and promptly took on the campaign. “I consider this to be home,” Winningham said.
After what he calls his best-ever job review, Winningham gave up an economic developer’s post in the Dallas suburbs to go Quixotic. “I was restless,” he said.
Young is not invincible and, for that matter, has opposition in the GOP primary. Congress tends to be about as popular as hemorrhoids. And in his brief stint, Young has not found much chance to impact Southern Indiana beyond a reasonable doubt.
The district’s boundaries have been dramatically altered, as well. It now is more a north-south district than an east-west one. It is appreciably more Republican. But in some spots, Young is probably little better known than his opponents.
That said, Young will have all the campaign cash he needs and probably an anti-President Barack Obama wind at his back. Republicans could dominate the top of the 2012 ticket in Indiana.
Relentlessly upbeat, Winningham must know all this. He also trusts people’s encouragement and reconnects with everyone he can with whom his ties are not just political.
Winningham coached swimming in Jeffersonville, including at the high school. Bob Bottorff, who swam for Winningham and is now a lawyer, is chairing this campaign.
Bottorff says Winningham’s success in bringing jobs to Texas sets him apart. “That is the key,” he said. “Whether that is successful, it is what our district needs.”
Adam Dickey, a former aide for Young’s predecessor, Baron Hill, is Winningham’s political director. He echoes the idea that Winningham is the best-experienced guy for the troubled economy.
Dickey also said Winningham, despite having been gone more than a decade, remains impressively familiar. “It amazes me, how many people he stayed in contact with and knows,” Dickey said.
Winningham visited Hamilton last summer and the old boss ticked off the challenges Winningham accepts. Hamilton has not endorsed Winningham. If one comes, that’s obviously great, Winningham said.
As director of the Center on Congress, though, Hamilton tries to stay above the fray. But Hamilton predicted Winningham will have fun.
It’s obviously a lot more fun to win.
Winningham’s Democratic foes are Jonathan George of Bedford, John Griffin Miller of Corydon and John Tilford of Bloomington.
It must keep happening, with whomever he talks, for Robert Winningham to stand much chance of winning Hamilton’s old congressional seat, from Indiana’s 9th District. That’s my assumption.
The seat is currently held by Todd Young, a Republican, who is defending it for the first time.
Winningham, 50, of Charlestown, is among four Democratic challengers and is a former Hamilton aide. Winningham’s credibility is at least loosely linked to Hamilton’s. As advantages go, that’s a dandy.
“My background with Lee certainly doesn’t hurt,” Winningham said.
Hamilton served 34 years before retiring. He well might still be in office, had he wanted.
Winningham is neither a Hoosier by birth nor by relatively recent residency, however. He moved back here, from his native Texas, and promptly took on the campaign. “I consider this to be home,” Winningham said.
After what he calls his best-ever job review, Winningham gave up an economic developer’s post in the Dallas suburbs to go Quixotic. “I was restless,” he said.
Young is not invincible and, for that matter, has opposition in the GOP primary. Congress tends to be about as popular as hemorrhoids. And in his brief stint, Young has not found much chance to impact Southern Indiana beyond a reasonable doubt.
The district’s boundaries have been dramatically altered, as well. It now is more a north-south district than an east-west one. It is appreciably more Republican. But in some spots, Young is probably little better known than his opponents.
That said, Young will have all the campaign cash he needs and probably an anti-President Barack Obama wind at his back. Republicans could dominate the top of the 2012 ticket in Indiana.
Relentlessly upbeat, Winningham must know all this. He also trusts people’s encouragement and reconnects with everyone he can with whom his ties are not just political.
Winningham coached swimming in Jeffersonville, including at the high school. Bob Bottorff, who swam for Winningham and is now a lawyer, is chairing this campaign.
Bottorff says Winningham’s success in bringing jobs to Texas sets him apart. “That is the key,” he said. “Whether that is successful, it is what our district needs.”
Adam Dickey, a former aide for Young’s predecessor, Baron Hill, is Winningham’s political director. He echoes the idea that Winningham is the best-experienced guy for the troubled economy.
Dickey also said Winningham, despite having been gone more than a decade, remains impressively familiar. “It amazes me, how many people he stayed in contact with and knows,” Dickey said.
Winningham visited Hamilton last summer and the old boss ticked off the challenges Winningham accepts. Hamilton has not endorsed Winningham. If one comes, that’s obviously great, Winningham said.
As director of the Center on Congress, though, Hamilton tries to stay above the fray. But Hamilton predicted Winningham will have fun.
It’s obviously a lot more fun to win.
Winningham’s Democratic foes are Jonathan George of Bedford, John Griffin Miller of Corydon and John Tilford of Bloomington.
2012年2月16日星期四
Symptoms Of Hemorrhoids And The Way To Spot Them
Hemorrhoids is a condition that many people have to unfortunately live with in pain.
Even though not everyone seems to be knowledgeable about what they are or recognize the signs to know if they have them. In many instances, the signs of hemorrhoids are mixed with other such conditions. Although people don't like to have hemorrhoids, we sometimes have to suffer with them, but there are plenty of methods to treat them. This article will help you to be aware of a few hemorrhoid symptoms.
The severity level of hemorrhoids ranges from first to fourth degree, and doctors differentiate between internal and external. The biggest difference is between the internal and external type, as when you have internal hemorrhoids they are not visible without a medical examination. An anti-inflammatory from the pharmacy should be enough to treat your hemorrhoids if they only happen occasionally and don't cause extreme discomfort.
Hemorroids can be easily diagnosed according to your medical history, symptoms, and an examination. If necessary, your doctor may want to examine you using an anoscopy which is just a means of visible inspection that illuminates the affected area in your anus/rectum. If hemorrhoids are confirmed, then of course there will be some changes in order with regard to diet and other areas. The condition oftens responds very well and is manageable, but sometimes surgery is needed to address more severe cases. In many instances, the symptoms of hemorrhoids can be controlled by natural remedies and medicines you can buy at the pharmacy.
The diet you consume can either be a big help or do alotof harm where your hemorrhoid symptoms are concerned. A lack of fiber in your diet, for example, can make you constipated, which can contribute to hemorrhoids. There are alot of people who believe that spicy foods irritate hemorrhoid symptoms after eaten. If this is the case with you, the best approach is to eat a diet high in fiber while avoiding hot and spicy foods as much as possible. You may also want to avoid unhealthy fats and junk foods as a general rule. Hemorroids and obesity are both caused by these types of foods.
Hemorrhoids is the kind of painful condition nobody wants to have. Yet, so many people in the more "advanced" societies seem to encounter this condition. While most of the time the symptoms do not require medical intervention, if they get bad enough then you could require surgery. The best course of action is to never ignore this condition if you think you have them.
These suggestions can assist you with the hemorrhoids, having said that if you truly desire to enjoy the best results a well-known program to eliminate hemorrhoids is very recommended. Have a look at this website page on H Miracle book and find out about a very popular step by step system to shrink hemorrhoids naturally.
Even though not everyone seems to be knowledgeable about what they are or recognize the signs to know if they have them. In many instances, the signs of hemorrhoids are mixed with other such conditions. Although people don't like to have hemorrhoids, we sometimes have to suffer with them, but there are plenty of methods to treat them. This article will help you to be aware of a few hemorrhoid symptoms.
The severity level of hemorrhoids ranges from first to fourth degree, and doctors differentiate between internal and external. The biggest difference is between the internal and external type, as when you have internal hemorrhoids they are not visible without a medical examination. An anti-inflammatory from the pharmacy should be enough to treat your hemorrhoids if they only happen occasionally and don't cause extreme discomfort.
Hemorroids can be easily diagnosed according to your medical history, symptoms, and an examination. If necessary, your doctor may want to examine you using an anoscopy which is just a means of visible inspection that illuminates the affected area in your anus/rectum. If hemorrhoids are confirmed, then of course there will be some changes in order with regard to diet and other areas. The condition oftens responds very well and is manageable, but sometimes surgery is needed to address more severe cases. In many instances, the symptoms of hemorrhoids can be controlled by natural remedies and medicines you can buy at the pharmacy.
The diet you consume can either be a big help or do alotof harm where your hemorrhoid symptoms are concerned. A lack of fiber in your diet, for example, can make you constipated, which can contribute to hemorrhoids. There are alot of people who believe that spicy foods irritate hemorrhoid symptoms after eaten. If this is the case with you, the best approach is to eat a diet high in fiber while avoiding hot and spicy foods as much as possible. You may also want to avoid unhealthy fats and junk foods as a general rule. Hemorroids and obesity are both caused by these types of foods.
Hemorrhoids is the kind of painful condition nobody wants to have. Yet, so many people in the more "advanced" societies seem to encounter this condition. While most of the time the symptoms do not require medical intervention, if they get bad enough then you could require surgery. The best course of action is to never ignore this condition if you think you have them.
These suggestions can assist you with the hemorrhoids, having said that if you truly desire to enjoy the best results a well-known program to eliminate hemorrhoids is very recommended. Have a look at this website page on H Miracle book and find out about a very popular step by step system to shrink hemorrhoids naturally.
2012年2月15日星期三
Do You Know The Distinct Symptoms Of Hemorrhoids?
There are quite a few symptoms of hemorrhoids, and they will vary depending on what is causing your condition, what kind you have and how severe your particular case is. No matter what the reason for your hemorrhoids, you want to be able to get rid of them as quickly as possible. In order to successfully achieve this goal you need a good understanging of your condition. We will walk you through a few of the symptoms of hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoids get categorized by type, internal and external, and level of severity which ranges from first degree to fourth. Internal hemorrhoids are not visible without a medical examination, which is the biggest difference between the two types. If you only have hemorrhoids occasionally, and your symptoms are not causing you extreme discomfort, you probably won't need anything more than anti-inflammatory medication that you buy at the pharmacy or prescribed by your doctor. Skin irritation, mucus discharge, itching or bleeding when having a bowel movement are all symptoms of hemorrhoids. The inflammation of internal hemorrhoids is what generally causes these symptoms. These symptoms, which are usually not very painful, can be treated with over the counter medications, in most cases. If you experience bleeding regularly, you need to see your doctor as this can be a symptom of a more serious condition.
You can try to manage hemorrhoids yourself after first noticing the symptoms. Taking over the counter medication to deal with the pain, you can usually treat hemorrhoids by improving your diet, drinking lots of water, and getting more exercise. If these lifestyle changes are effective at controlling your symptoms, then making them permanent will help prevent the hemorrhoids from recurring in the future. Your doctor may prescribe a stronger medication if these changes aren't enough by themselves. The main symptom of hemorrhoids is extreme pain or discomfort in the anal area. You're in luck however, hemorrhoids do not usually last for a long time. If your symptoms last a long time and are not getting better from any of the treatments above you should see your doctor. It may be that you are one of the unlucky few who require a different treatment method. Your symptoms may vary from what your heard here. Most people, fortunately, are able to control their hemorrhoids, either on their own or with medical help.
These guidelines can help you with your hemorrhoids problem, still if you truly want to get the very best results a complete plan to shrink hemorrhoids is definitely recommended.
Hemorrhoids get categorized by type, internal and external, and level of severity which ranges from first degree to fourth. Internal hemorrhoids are not visible without a medical examination, which is the biggest difference between the two types. If you only have hemorrhoids occasionally, and your symptoms are not causing you extreme discomfort, you probably won't need anything more than anti-inflammatory medication that you buy at the pharmacy or prescribed by your doctor. Skin irritation, mucus discharge, itching or bleeding when having a bowel movement are all symptoms of hemorrhoids. The inflammation of internal hemorrhoids is what generally causes these symptoms. These symptoms, which are usually not very painful, can be treated with over the counter medications, in most cases. If you experience bleeding regularly, you need to see your doctor as this can be a symptom of a more serious condition.
You can try to manage hemorrhoids yourself after first noticing the symptoms. Taking over the counter medication to deal with the pain, you can usually treat hemorrhoids by improving your diet, drinking lots of water, and getting more exercise. If these lifestyle changes are effective at controlling your symptoms, then making them permanent will help prevent the hemorrhoids from recurring in the future. Your doctor may prescribe a stronger medication if these changes aren't enough by themselves. The main symptom of hemorrhoids is extreme pain or discomfort in the anal area. You're in luck however, hemorrhoids do not usually last for a long time. If your symptoms last a long time and are not getting better from any of the treatments above you should see your doctor. It may be that you are one of the unlucky few who require a different treatment method. Your symptoms may vary from what your heard here. Most people, fortunately, are able to control their hemorrhoids, either on their own or with medical help.
These guidelines can help you with your hemorrhoids problem, still if you truly want to get the very best results a complete plan to shrink hemorrhoids is definitely recommended.
2012年2月14日星期二
White corn recipes for a healthier you
WHITE corn was once viewed as a "food for the poor," and hardly occupied the Filipino tables. However, with the healthy lifestyle that includes meticulous diet, corn now is a latest chick in health menus with nutritional benefits.
The corn program of the Department of Agriculture mentions of the most important nutritional value that favors most diabetic folks and those who are weight conscious. Including corn in ones regular diet assures acquisition of necessary calories for daily metabolism of the body. The staple food do not just promise a luscious taste with the butter spread; likewise, it helps in skin care, boosting nervous system, digestion, and maintaining low cholesterol levels.
Athletes who feed on mais-bigas like Manny Pacquiao have high stamina due to mineral contents of corn like manganese, magnesium, copper and zinc.
One who lacks daily exercise does not necessarily get frustrated on the need to burn fats. Compared to rice, a regular diet of corn assures low sugar in the blood. The high fiber content of corn also plays a role in prevention of digestive ailments like constipation and hemorrhoids as well as colorectal cancer.
Pregnant women may also consider corn in their food cravings since it contains folate. A type of vitamin B which helps generates cells for the growing baby in the womb.
Aside from its health benefits, corn are also considered as a "brain food" since it is rich in thiamine or vitamin B1 which stimulates the brain. Its antioxidant contents help fight cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Check out these three recipes to help you maintain your regular corn diet aside from munching it on its cob.
The corn program of the Department of Agriculture mentions of the most important nutritional value that favors most diabetic folks and those who are weight conscious. Including corn in ones regular diet assures acquisition of necessary calories for daily metabolism of the body. The staple food do not just promise a luscious taste with the butter spread; likewise, it helps in skin care, boosting nervous system, digestion, and maintaining low cholesterol levels.
Athletes who feed on mais-bigas like Manny Pacquiao have high stamina due to mineral contents of corn like manganese, magnesium, copper and zinc.
One who lacks daily exercise does not necessarily get frustrated on the need to burn fats. Compared to rice, a regular diet of corn assures low sugar in the blood. The high fiber content of corn also plays a role in prevention of digestive ailments like constipation and hemorrhoids as well as colorectal cancer.
Pregnant women may also consider corn in their food cravings since it contains folate. A type of vitamin B which helps generates cells for the growing baby in the womb.
Aside from its health benefits, corn are also considered as a "brain food" since it is rich in thiamine or vitamin B1 which stimulates the brain. Its antioxidant contents help fight cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Check out these three recipes to help you maintain your regular corn diet aside from munching it on its cob.
2012年2月13日星期一
As Facebook IPO nears, the case for dull stocks
Investors thinking of buying a piece of Facebook after it goes public are hoping it will perform like Google, whose stock has risen 500 percent since its debut seven and a half years ago.
But they may want to spare a thought for companies slightly less exciting - a truck leasing company, perhaps, or a manufacturer of ball bearings.
Stocks of those two have left Google, and the investors who didn't get into it early, in the dust in the past several years. So have more than half the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Since the stock market peaked on Oct. 9, 2007, Ryder System Inc., which rents moving trucks, has returned 26 percent, counting dividends. Timken, the ball bearing company, 49 percent.
And the staid Johnson & Johnson, the 125-year-old maker of Tucks ointment to relieve hemorrhoids among thousands of other products, has trounced Google, too - returning 12 percent with dividends.
Google is up more than most stocks if you pick a different starting point, like 2004. But measured from the market peak, it's down 1.5 percent. In other words, the people who got in then still haven't broken even - four and half years later.
Even Microsoft, the lumbering software company whose best days are widely considered behind it, has done better, returning 12 percent, counting dividends.
The lesson is that when it comes to hot stocks, you can sit on losses for years if you happen to buy at the top and can't make up ground with dividend checks.
"They move like rockets, straight up," says Robert Russell, president of Russell & Co., a wealth management company in Ohio. "But they can fall back to earth, too."
In a filing earlier this month, Facebook said it plans to sell a yet-unknown stake for $5 billion, the largest for an Internet company's initial public offering. The buzz is that the offering could value the whole company at as much as $100 billion - more than Hewlett-Packard, AOL and Yahoo combined.
Whether the newly public stock - ticker symbol FB - will prove profitable for investors is another matter.
For a taste of the dangers of buying stock in companies in the spotlight, check out the performance of Internet IPOs last year. You've done OK if you got in at the offering price, set before the stock starts trading. But that's mostly reserved for the favored customers - pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds and other institutions. The little guy isn't doing nearly as well.
After sharp rises on the first day of trading, most stocks have fallen. That's true for Groupon Inc., the online daily deals site, Pandora Media Inc., an Internet radio operator, and the consumer reviews site Angie's List Inc.
Even the online professional network LinkedIn Corp., a stock that surged Friday on news of unexpected big quarterly profits, is down 4.6 percent from its IPO close.
In hindsight, people looking to strike it rich should have stuck with the IPOs of companies more obscure, like fertilizer maker CVR Partners. Since its public debt in April, the company, which sells nitrogen fertilizer to farmers from a factory in Kansas, is up 77 percent.
Its lucky owners also get something those of pie-in-the-sky Internet outfits can only dream about - dividends. CVR is expected to send checks to its shareholders over the next year of $2 per share, or 8 percent of its stock price even after the big run-up.
As it turns out, dividends have played a role in other recent triumphs of the boring over the bedazzling.
During the stock market swoon from Oct. 2007 to March 2009, Johnson & Johnson stock fell only half as much as Google. That's because J&J still has a fat 3.5 percent dividend yield. Google doesn't pay a dividend.
Those checks in the mail helped on the way up, too. Without dividends, J&J would have lost 2 percent since the market peak instead of returning 12 percent. Microsoft would be up just 2 percent instead of 12 percent.
Those companies can pay dividends because they make big profits, another thing lacking at many Internet companies. Internet bulls don't seem to be bothered, preferring to focus on sales. The idea is if you grow them fast, profits will come naturally.
But investors can lose patience waiting.
On Wednesday, Groupon announced that it had tripled revenue last quarter providing deals on restaurant meals, hotel stays, manicures and the like. No matter. The company also said it hadn't turned a profit - not yet at least. Its stock fell 14 percent.
Facebook is already profitable, but not enough to justify that top-end value of $100 billion. At that lofty height, the company would trade at 145 times what it earned in 2011. The S&P 500 is trading at 15 times last year's profits.
So investors are talking about Facebook's almost $3.7 billion in sales last year, which helps justify the value a bit more, maybe. At $100 billion, Facebook stock would be trading at 27 times sales. LinkedIn is trading at 20 times and Google at five.
We'd all be rich, of course, if picking stocks was just a matter of checking sales multiples or dividend yields or any other simple gauge. Apple doesn't pay a dividend, for instance, but that didn't stop it from rising. Facebook could indeed become the next Apple.
But when it comes to investing, you could do worse than avoiding exciting new businesses in the headlines and putting your money instead into tired old ones you never see articles about, and wouldn't care to read if you did.
Like a company hawking deep fryers.
National Presto Industries makes Big Daddy fryers and other kitchen gadgets as well as what's delicately called "incontinence products," better known as adult diapers. It's run out of a cinderblock converted World War II munitions factory in Eau Claire, Wis., by Maryjo Cohen, a woman so frugal she refused for years to fly anything but coach on business trips, upgrade from Microsoft Office 97 on her computer or replace the Eisenhower-era iron desks at headquarters.
Better to save money for dividends, which the company has been paying for 67 years. That's 40 years before the birth of Mark Zuckerberg, the hoodie-wearing Facebook CEO.
Cohen prefers sensible skirts and blouses but somehow has managed to lift Presto stock up 90 percent above where it was trading at the stock market peak. With dividends, it's returned 157 percent.
But they may want to spare a thought for companies slightly less exciting - a truck leasing company, perhaps, or a manufacturer of ball bearings.
Stocks of those two have left Google, and the investors who didn't get into it early, in the dust in the past several years. So have more than half the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Since the stock market peaked on Oct. 9, 2007, Ryder System Inc., which rents moving trucks, has returned 26 percent, counting dividends. Timken, the ball bearing company, 49 percent.
And the staid Johnson & Johnson, the 125-year-old maker of Tucks ointment to relieve hemorrhoids among thousands of other products, has trounced Google, too - returning 12 percent with dividends.
Google is up more than most stocks if you pick a different starting point, like 2004. But measured from the market peak, it's down 1.5 percent. In other words, the people who got in then still haven't broken even - four and half years later.
Even Microsoft, the lumbering software company whose best days are widely considered behind it, has done better, returning 12 percent, counting dividends.
The lesson is that when it comes to hot stocks, you can sit on losses for years if you happen to buy at the top and can't make up ground with dividend checks.
"They move like rockets, straight up," says Robert Russell, president of Russell & Co., a wealth management company in Ohio. "But they can fall back to earth, too."
In a filing earlier this month, Facebook said it plans to sell a yet-unknown stake for $5 billion, the largest for an Internet company's initial public offering. The buzz is that the offering could value the whole company at as much as $100 billion - more than Hewlett-Packard, AOL and Yahoo combined.
Whether the newly public stock - ticker symbol FB - will prove profitable for investors is another matter.
For a taste of the dangers of buying stock in companies in the spotlight, check out the performance of Internet IPOs last year. You've done OK if you got in at the offering price, set before the stock starts trading. But that's mostly reserved for the favored customers - pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds and other institutions. The little guy isn't doing nearly as well.
After sharp rises on the first day of trading, most stocks have fallen. That's true for Groupon Inc., the online daily deals site, Pandora Media Inc., an Internet radio operator, and the consumer reviews site Angie's List Inc.
Even the online professional network LinkedIn Corp., a stock that surged Friday on news of unexpected big quarterly profits, is down 4.6 percent from its IPO close.
In hindsight, people looking to strike it rich should have stuck with the IPOs of companies more obscure, like fertilizer maker CVR Partners. Since its public debt in April, the company, which sells nitrogen fertilizer to farmers from a factory in Kansas, is up 77 percent.
Its lucky owners also get something those of pie-in-the-sky Internet outfits can only dream about - dividends. CVR is expected to send checks to its shareholders over the next year of $2 per share, or 8 percent of its stock price even after the big run-up.
As it turns out, dividends have played a role in other recent triumphs of the boring over the bedazzling.
During the stock market swoon from Oct. 2007 to March 2009, Johnson & Johnson stock fell only half as much as Google. That's because J&J still has a fat 3.5 percent dividend yield. Google doesn't pay a dividend.
Those checks in the mail helped on the way up, too. Without dividends, J&J would have lost 2 percent since the market peak instead of returning 12 percent. Microsoft would be up just 2 percent instead of 12 percent.
Those companies can pay dividends because they make big profits, another thing lacking at many Internet companies. Internet bulls don't seem to be bothered, preferring to focus on sales. The idea is if you grow them fast, profits will come naturally.
But investors can lose patience waiting.
On Wednesday, Groupon announced that it had tripled revenue last quarter providing deals on restaurant meals, hotel stays, manicures and the like. No matter. The company also said it hadn't turned a profit - not yet at least. Its stock fell 14 percent.
Facebook is already profitable, but not enough to justify that top-end value of $100 billion. At that lofty height, the company would trade at 145 times what it earned in 2011. The S&P 500 is trading at 15 times last year's profits.
So investors are talking about Facebook's almost $3.7 billion in sales last year, which helps justify the value a bit more, maybe. At $100 billion, Facebook stock would be trading at 27 times sales. LinkedIn is trading at 20 times and Google at five.
We'd all be rich, of course, if picking stocks was just a matter of checking sales multiples or dividend yields or any other simple gauge. Apple doesn't pay a dividend, for instance, but that didn't stop it from rising. Facebook could indeed become the next Apple.
But when it comes to investing, you could do worse than avoiding exciting new businesses in the headlines and putting your money instead into tired old ones you never see articles about, and wouldn't care to read if you did.
Like a company hawking deep fryers.
National Presto Industries makes Big Daddy fryers and other kitchen gadgets as well as what's delicately called "incontinence products," better known as adult diapers. It's run out of a cinderblock converted World War II munitions factory in Eau Claire, Wis., by Maryjo Cohen, a woman so frugal she refused for years to fly anything but coach on business trips, upgrade from Microsoft Office 97 on her computer or replace the Eisenhower-era iron desks at headquarters.
Better to save money for dividends, which the company has been paying for 67 years. That's 40 years before the birth of Mark Zuckerberg, the hoodie-wearing Facebook CEO.
Cohen prefers sensible skirts and blouses but somehow has managed to lift Presto stock up 90 percent above where it was trading at the stock market peak. With dividends, it's returned 157 percent.
2012年2月12日星期日
As Facebook IPO Nears, the Case for Dull Stocks
Investors thinking of buying a piece of Facebook after it goes public are hoping it will perform like Google, whose stock has risen 500 percent since its debut seven and a half years ago.
But they may want to spare a thought for companies slightly less exciting — a truck leasing company, perhaps, or a manufacturer of ball bearings.
Stocks of those two have left Google, and the investors who didn't get into it early, in the dust in the past several years. So have more than half the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Since the stock market peaked on Oct. 9, 2007, Ryder System Inc., which rents moving trucks, has returned 26 percent, counting dividends. Timken, the ball bearing company, 49 percent.
And the staid Johnson & Johnson, the 125-year-old maker of Tucks ointment to relieve hemorrhoids among thousands of other products, has trounced Google, too — returning 12 percent with dividends.
Google is up more than most stocks if you pick a different starting point, like 2004. But measured from the market peak, it's down 1.5 percent. In other words, the people who got in then still haven't broken even — four and half years later.
Even Microsoft, the lumbering software company whose best days are widely considered behind it, has done better, returning 12 percent, counting dividends.
The lesson is that when it comes to hot stocks, you can sit on losses for years if you happen to buy at the top and can't make up ground with dividend checks.
"They move like rockets, straight up," says Robert Russell, president of Russell & Co., a wealth management company in Ohio. "But they can fall back to earth, too."
In a filing earlier this month, Facebook said it plans to sell a yet-unknown stake for $5 billion, the largest for an Internet company's initial public offering. The buzz is that the offering could value the whole company at as much as $100 billion — more than Hewlett-Packard, AOL and Yahoo combined.
Whether the newly public stock — ticker symbol FB — will prove profitable for investors is another matter.
For a taste of the dangers of buying stock in companies in the spotlight, check out the performance of Internet IPOs last year. You've done OK if you got in at the offering price, set before the stock starts trading. But that's mostly reserved for the favored customers — pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds and other institutions. The little guy isn't doing nearly as well.
After sharp rises on the first day of trading, most stocks have fallen. That's true for Groupon Inc., the online daily deals site, Pandora Media Inc., an Internet radio operator, and the consumer reviews site Angie's List Inc.
Even the online professional network LinkedIn Corp., a stock that surged Friday on news of unexpected big quarterly profits, is down 4.6 percent from its IPO close.
In hindsight, people looking to strike it rich should have stuck with the IPOs of companies more obscure, like fertilizer maker CVR Partners. Since its public debt in April, the company, which sells nitrogen fertilizer to farmers from a factory in Kansas, is up 77 percent.
Its lucky owners also get something those of pie-in-the-sky Internet outfits can only dream about — dividends. CVR is expected to send checks to its shareholders over the next year of $2 per share, or 8 percent of its stock price even after the big run-up.
As it turns out, dividends have played a role in other recent triumphs of the boring over the bedazzling.
During the stock market swoon from Oct. 2007 to March 2009, Johnson & Johnson stock fell only half as much as Google. That's because J&J still has a fat 3.5 percent dividend yield. Google doesn't pay a dividend.
Those checks in the mail helped on the way up, too. Without dividends, J&J would have lost 2 percent since the market peak instead of returning 12 percent. Microsoft would be up just 2 percent instead of 12 percent.
Those companies can pay dividends because they make big profits, another thing lacking at many Internet companies. Internet bulls don't seem to be bothered, preferring to focus on sales. The idea is if you grow them fast, profits will come naturally.
But investors can lose patience waiting.
On Wednesday, Groupon announced that it had tripled revenue last quarter providing deals on restaurant meals, hotel stays, manicures and the like. No matter. The company also said it hadn't turned a profit — not yet at least. Its stock fell 14 percent.
But they may want to spare a thought for companies slightly less exciting — a truck leasing company, perhaps, or a manufacturer of ball bearings.
Stocks of those two have left Google, and the investors who didn't get into it early, in the dust in the past several years. So have more than half the companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Since the stock market peaked on Oct. 9, 2007, Ryder System Inc., which rents moving trucks, has returned 26 percent, counting dividends. Timken, the ball bearing company, 49 percent.
And the staid Johnson & Johnson, the 125-year-old maker of Tucks ointment to relieve hemorrhoids among thousands of other products, has trounced Google, too — returning 12 percent with dividends.
Google is up more than most stocks if you pick a different starting point, like 2004. But measured from the market peak, it's down 1.5 percent. In other words, the people who got in then still haven't broken even — four and half years later.
Even Microsoft, the lumbering software company whose best days are widely considered behind it, has done better, returning 12 percent, counting dividends.
The lesson is that when it comes to hot stocks, you can sit on losses for years if you happen to buy at the top and can't make up ground with dividend checks.
"They move like rockets, straight up," says Robert Russell, president of Russell & Co., a wealth management company in Ohio. "But they can fall back to earth, too."
In a filing earlier this month, Facebook said it plans to sell a yet-unknown stake for $5 billion, the largest for an Internet company's initial public offering. The buzz is that the offering could value the whole company at as much as $100 billion — more than Hewlett-Packard, AOL and Yahoo combined.
Whether the newly public stock — ticker symbol FB — will prove profitable for investors is another matter.
For a taste of the dangers of buying stock in companies in the spotlight, check out the performance of Internet IPOs last year. You've done OK if you got in at the offering price, set before the stock starts trading. But that's mostly reserved for the favored customers — pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds and other institutions. The little guy isn't doing nearly as well.
After sharp rises on the first day of trading, most stocks have fallen. That's true for Groupon Inc., the online daily deals site, Pandora Media Inc., an Internet radio operator, and the consumer reviews site Angie's List Inc.
Even the online professional network LinkedIn Corp., a stock that surged Friday on news of unexpected big quarterly profits, is down 4.6 percent from its IPO close.
In hindsight, people looking to strike it rich should have stuck with the IPOs of companies more obscure, like fertilizer maker CVR Partners. Since its public debt in April, the company, which sells nitrogen fertilizer to farmers from a factory in Kansas, is up 77 percent.
Its lucky owners also get something those of pie-in-the-sky Internet outfits can only dream about — dividends. CVR is expected to send checks to its shareholders over the next year of $2 per share, or 8 percent of its stock price even after the big run-up.
As it turns out, dividends have played a role in other recent triumphs of the boring over the bedazzling.
During the stock market swoon from Oct. 2007 to March 2009, Johnson & Johnson stock fell only half as much as Google. That's because J&J still has a fat 3.5 percent dividend yield. Google doesn't pay a dividend.
Those checks in the mail helped on the way up, too. Without dividends, J&J would have lost 2 percent since the market peak instead of returning 12 percent. Microsoft would be up just 2 percent instead of 12 percent.
Those companies can pay dividends because they make big profits, another thing lacking at many Internet companies. Internet bulls don't seem to be bothered, preferring to focus on sales. The idea is if you grow them fast, profits will come naturally.
But investors can lose patience waiting.
On Wednesday, Groupon announced that it had tripled revenue last quarter providing deals on restaurant meals, hotel stays, manicures and the like. No matter. The company also said it hadn't turned a profit — not yet at least. Its stock fell 14 percent.
2012年2月9日星期四
What's Ahead?
It's been a little over a year since Ventrus Biosciences Inc. (VTUS), which is developing drugs that address an unmet need in gastrointestinal diseases, went public at $6 per share. This specialty pharmaceutical company, whose stock now trades around $9, has two catalysts in the coming months.
For readers who are new to Ventrus, here's a brief overview of the company and the pivotal trials to watch out for this year...
Ventrus is focused on developing prescription drugs for gastrointestinal disorders, specifically, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and fecal incontinence. The company was formerly known as South Island BioSciences Inc.
The company's product pipeline includes,
* VEN 309 (Iferanserin ointment), a phase III product, for the topical treatment of hemorrhoids
* VEN 307 (Diltiazem cream), a topical treatment for the relief of pain associated with anal fissures, which is also a phase III product
* VEN 308 (Phenylephrine gel), a phase II product, for the treatment of fecal incontinence associated with ileal pouch anal anastomosis.
VEN 309, the investigational treatment of hemorrhoids, is a new chemical entity that targets a specific serotonin receptor (5HT2A) thought to be important in the disease, and is formulated as an ointment for intra-anal application. Ventrus completed its acquisition of all rights and title to VEN 309 from the licensor, Sam Amer & Co., last November.
Hemorrhoids, often known as piles, refer to a condition where veins in the lower portion of the rectum or anus become swollen, accompanied by primary symptoms of bleeding, itching and pain. It is estimated that about 10 million to 20 million Americans have hemorrhoids.
The first of two pivotal phase III trials of VEN 309 began last August and is currently recruiting participants.
The phase III trial of VEN 309 is designed to enroll about 600 patients at 70 centers in the U.S. who will be randomized into three arms - Iferanserin administered intra-anally twice daily for 7 days followed by placebo for 7 days, Iferanserin administered intra-anally twice daily for 14 days, and placebo for 14 days.
The primary endpoint is the cessation of bleeding by the end of day 7 through day 14 and the secondary endpoints are cessation of itching and pain by day 7 through day 14.
In the German phase IIb study of VEN 309, 57% of Iferanserin-treated patients had cessation of bleeding compared to only 20% of placebo-controlled patients. In the same study, 59% of iferanserin-treated patients had cessation of itching compared to just 32% of placebo-controlled patients , while pain ceased at day 7 and did not return by day 14 in 50% of Iferanserin-treated patients versus 18% of placebo-treated patients.
Enrollment in the ongoing US phase III trial of VEN 309 (Iferanserin) in hemorrhoids is expected to be completed around April, and top line data is anticipated in June of 2012.
There are no FDA approved prescription drugs for treating hemorrhoids. Some of the treatment options for hemorrhoids include, banding, sclerosing agents and even surgery. Only prescription topical steroid containing products, e.g., oral Daflon, are approved in the EU and Japan.
Anusol HC is the most common prescription hemorrhoid medication while Preparation H is a well-known over-the-counter treatment for hemorrhoids.
Yet another arrow in the company's quiver for gastrointestinal medications is VEN 307, a proprietary formulation of Diltiazem hydrochloride, for anal fissures. Ventrus licensed the North American rights to VEN 307 from Switzerland-based S.L.A. Pharma.
Diltiazem hydrochloride is a calcium-channel blocker that has been marketed in oral formulations for the treatment of angina and high blood pressure for over two decades.
Anal fissure, a common anal disorder, refers to a tear in the lining of the anal canal and is characterized by severe anal pain, associated with or after bowel movements. In June of 2011, the FDA approved Scotland-based ProStrakan's - now a subsidiary of Japan'sKyowa Hakko Kirin's, Rectiv (nitroglycerin ointment) to treat pain associated with chronic anal fissures. Rectiv is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2012.
Diltiazem cream, specially mixed for each patient , is prescribed off-label by many gastroenterologists across the U.S. for the treatment of anal fissures. In topical formulation, Diltiazem is only minimally absorbed, at one-tenth the amount of the lowest dose used for cardiovascular treatment.
A phase III study of VEN 307 in patients with anal fissures was initiated in November 2010. Enrollment in this study, which is being conducted in 31 centers in Europe, was completed last December with 465 patients. The clinical trial has 3 arms with patients randomized to receive thrice a day -2% Diltiazem, 4% Diltiazem and placebo for 8 weeks of treatment.
The primary endpoint of the trial is reduction in pain on defecation at week 4 and is measured using a validated scale like Likert and NRS.
VEN 307 has 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway. The 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway allows a company to rely, at least in part, on the FDA's findings of safety and/or effectiveness for a previously approved drug (the "reference drug").
The data from the European phase III trial of VEN 307 for the treatment of anal fissures is expected in May 2012.
The third clinical product of Ventrus is VEN 308 (Phenylephrine gel) for the treatment of fecal incontinence associated with ileal pouch anal anastomosis, or IPAA, an FDA orphan indication. Ventrus licensed the exclusive North American rights to VEN 308 also from S.L.A. Pharma.
Fecal incontinence, which refers to the inability to control bowel movements, is a common consequence of ileal pouch anal anastomosis, or IPAA procedure. The IPAA procedure is a surgical procedure performed after the colon and rectum have been completely removed in patients with ulcerative colitis.
It is estimated that about seven million Americans have fecal incontinence. In May 2011, Solesta, an injectable gel, developed by Oceana Therapeutics, was approved by the FDA through premarket approval process as a Class III medical device to treat fecal incontinence. Solesta is also CE marked and marketed in Europe. Oceana was acquired by Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc. (SLXP) last November for $300 million.
The other treatment options for fecal incontinence include, bulk laxatives, fiber diets, Imodium, which is a treatment for diarrhea, and invasive surgical procedures.
VEN 308 is a gel formulation of Phenylephrine. VEN 308 also will be developed under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway because Phenylephrine has been available since the early 1940s in oral and nasal form for the treatment of nasal congestion.
The company plans to initiate the U.S. phase IIb dose ranging study of VEN 308 for IPAA-related fecal incontinence this year.
A quick look at the company's balance sheet...
Since inception on October 7, 2005, Ventrus has incurred losses, and being a development stage company, it has not derived any revenue from product sales to date.
In the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the company's net loss was about $15.5 million or $1.79 per share. At September 30, 2011, Ventrus had zero debt and $53.3 million in cash and cash equivalents.
Shares of Ventrus have gained 18 percent in the last three months and trade around $9. With two high value pivotal data expected in the coming months, VTUS may be worth keeping an eye on.
For readers who are new to Ventrus, here's a brief overview of the company and the pivotal trials to watch out for this year...
Ventrus is focused on developing prescription drugs for gastrointestinal disorders, specifically, hemorrhoids, anal fissures and fecal incontinence. The company was formerly known as South Island BioSciences Inc.
The company's product pipeline includes,
* VEN 309 (Iferanserin ointment), a phase III product, for the topical treatment of hemorrhoids
* VEN 307 (Diltiazem cream), a topical treatment for the relief of pain associated with anal fissures, which is also a phase III product
* VEN 308 (Phenylephrine gel), a phase II product, for the treatment of fecal incontinence associated with ileal pouch anal anastomosis.
VEN 309, the investigational treatment of hemorrhoids, is a new chemical entity that targets a specific serotonin receptor (5HT2A) thought to be important in the disease, and is formulated as an ointment for intra-anal application. Ventrus completed its acquisition of all rights and title to VEN 309 from the licensor, Sam Amer & Co., last November.
Hemorrhoids, often known as piles, refer to a condition where veins in the lower portion of the rectum or anus become swollen, accompanied by primary symptoms of bleeding, itching and pain. It is estimated that about 10 million to 20 million Americans have hemorrhoids.
The first of two pivotal phase III trials of VEN 309 began last August and is currently recruiting participants.
The phase III trial of VEN 309 is designed to enroll about 600 patients at 70 centers in the U.S. who will be randomized into three arms - Iferanserin administered intra-anally twice daily for 7 days followed by placebo for 7 days, Iferanserin administered intra-anally twice daily for 14 days, and placebo for 14 days.
The primary endpoint is the cessation of bleeding by the end of day 7 through day 14 and the secondary endpoints are cessation of itching and pain by day 7 through day 14.
In the German phase IIb study of VEN 309, 57% of Iferanserin-treated patients had cessation of bleeding compared to only 20% of placebo-controlled patients. In the same study, 59% of iferanserin-treated patients had cessation of itching compared to just 32% of placebo-controlled patients , while pain ceased at day 7 and did not return by day 14 in 50% of Iferanserin-treated patients versus 18% of placebo-treated patients.
Enrollment in the ongoing US phase III trial of VEN 309 (Iferanserin) in hemorrhoids is expected to be completed around April, and top line data is anticipated in June of 2012.
There are no FDA approved prescription drugs for treating hemorrhoids. Some of the treatment options for hemorrhoids include, banding, sclerosing agents and even surgery. Only prescription topical steroid containing products, e.g., oral Daflon, are approved in the EU and Japan.
Anusol HC is the most common prescription hemorrhoid medication while Preparation H is a well-known over-the-counter treatment for hemorrhoids.
Yet another arrow in the company's quiver for gastrointestinal medications is VEN 307, a proprietary formulation of Diltiazem hydrochloride, for anal fissures. Ventrus licensed the North American rights to VEN 307 from Switzerland-based S.L.A. Pharma.
Diltiazem hydrochloride is a calcium-channel blocker that has been marketed in oral formulations for the treatment of angina and high blood pressure for over two decades.
Anal fissure, a common anal disorder, refers to a tear in the lining of the anal canal and is characterized by severe anal pain, associated with or after bowel movements. In June of 2011, the FDA approved Scotland-based ProStrakan's - now a subsidiary of Japan'sKyowa Hakko Kirin's, Rectiv (nitroglycerin ointment) to treat pain associated with chronic anal fissures. Rectiv is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2012.
Diltiazem cream, specially mixed for each patient , is prescribed off-label by many gastroenterologists across the U.S. for the treatment of anal fissures. In topical formulation, Diltiazem is only minimally absorbed, at one-tenth the amount of the lowest dose used for cardiovascular treatment.
A phase III study of VEN 307 in patients with anal fissures was initiated in November 2010. Enrollment in this study, which is being conducted in 31 centers in Europe, was completed last December with 465 patients. The clinical trial has 3 arms with patients randomized to receive thrice a day -2% Diltiazem, 4% Diltiazem and placebo for 8 weeks of treatment.
The primary endpoint of the trial is reduction in pain on defecation at week 4 and is measured using a validated scale like Likert and NRS.
VEN 307 has 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway. The 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway allows a company to rely, at least in part, on the FDA's findings of safety and/or effectiveness for a previously approved drug (the "reference drug").
The data from the European phase III trial of VEN 307 for the treatment of anal fissures is expected in May 2012.
The third clinical product of Ventrus is VEN 308 (Phenylephrine gel) for the treatment of fecal incontinence associated with ileal pouch anal anastomosis, or IPAA, an FDA orphan indication. Ventrus licensed the exclusive North American rights to VEN 308 also from S.L.A. Pharma.
Fecal incontinence, which refers to the inability to control bowel movements, is a common consequence of ileal pouch anal anastomosis, or IPAA procedure. The IPAA procedure is a surgical procedure performed after the colon and rectum have been completely removed in patients with ulcerative colitis.
It is estimated that about seven million Americans have fecal incontinence. In May 2011, Solesta, an injectable gel, developed by Oceana Therapeutics, was approved by the FDA through premarket approval process as a Class III medical device to treat fecal incontinence. Solesta is also CE marked and marketed in Europe. Oceana was acquired by Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc. (SLXP) last November for $300 million.
The other treatment options for fecal incontinence include, bulk laxatives, fiber diets, Imodium, which is a treatment for diarrhea, and invasive surgical procedures.
VEN 308 is a gel formulation of Phenylephrine. VEN 308 also will be developed under the 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway because Phenylephrine has been available since the early 1940s in oral and nasal form for the treatment of nasal congestion.
The company plans to initiate the U.S. phase IIb dose ranging study of VEN 308 for IPAA-related fecal incontinence this year.
A quick look at the company's balance sheet...
Since inception on October 7, 2005, Ventrus has incurred losses, and being a development stage company, it has not derived any revenue from product sales to date.
In the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the company's net loss was about $15.5 million or $1.79 per share. At September 30, 2011, Ventrus had zero debt and $53.3 million in cash and cash equivalents.
Shares of Ventrus have gained 18 percent in the last three months and trade around $9. With two high value pivotal data expected in the coming months, VTUS may be worth keeping an eye on.
2012年2月8日星期三
Begin job ? Article Directory ? Cure Hemorrhoids Without having...
I have regularly read which the greatest way to cure hemorrhoids is hemorrhoid operation. This really is frequently proposed by healthcare practitioners not to mention laypeople alike because the best way to do away with hemorrhoids.
But I wonder: On what basis is actually this particular information provided? Not research. I currently have studied hemorrhoids and in addition other digestive disorders for more than 20 years and even while it?s true that hemorrhoid operation will bring relief for many kinds of piles ? bleeding piles, internal hemorrhoids, external piles ? it really is certainly not without it?s personal potential side effects.
And additionally it really is certainly not without pain. A hemorrhoidectomy is a great extremely painful surgery. We will need pain-killers and additionally time off work to recover. It can be a thirty days or perhaps 2 before aspects begin with feel ?normal? once again.
Sorry to say, hemorrhoid operation can be definitely not always 100% lucrative ? I have consulted alongside several hemorrhoids afflicted individuals who currently have had several surgery, and have not been treated. The key factor a large number of health professionals and additionally surgeons neglect to inform hemorrhoid afflicted individuals is that hemorrhoid surgery is actually not a remedy, so ? it is very removing the actual symptom, that is the particular swollen vein.
In the event that actual reason for the hemorrhoid typically is certainly not addressed, recurrences can, and even often do, happen.
Within my encounter, hemorrhoid operation may be prevented. During the course of my years of using hemorrhoid sufferers, they typically asked when there have been any kind of effective all-natural hemorrhoid treatments they could check out prior to resorting to be able to hemorrhoid operation. The actual physicians constantly told them to not bother alongside these treatments. Yet right now there are lots of natural hemorrhoid solutions which will shrink piles, prevent bleeding piles and even lessen pain. When many of these never really provide a permanent remedy for hemorrhoids, they are doing permit you to get about along with lifetime, while you treat the actual fundamental causes.
There are numerous easy supplements which will assist address the genuine reasons why piles occur. Many of these can certainly support with regard to strengthening the actual veins not to mention improving the particular digestive program ? most piles afflicted individuals get a hold of lots of added health advantages from this particular, apart from a remedy for piles.
These supplements currently have been the topic of scientific studies which have shown extremely effective results. This is the reason I doubt why medical doctors advise hemorrhoid sufferers from the use of purely natural hemorrhoid treatments. Considering a couple of the possible side-effects of prescription and additionally over-the-counter hemorrhoid remedies, particularly all those containing cortis. I have frequently read that How To remedy piles typically is hemorrhoid surgery. This is frequently suggested by healthcare practitioners plus laypeople likewise as the best option to eliminate of hemorrhoids.
Still I wonder: About what basis typically is this particular guidance given? Certainly not research. I currently have studied hemorrhoids and even some other digestive disorders to get more than 20 many years as well as while it?s true which hemorrhoid surgery can easily bring relief for most types of piles ? bleeding piles, internal hemorrhoids, exterior piles ? it happens to be certainly not without it?s personal possible side-effects. And also it is certainly not without pain. A hemorrhoidectomy will likely be a particular extremely painful surgery. Anyone will need pain-killers plus time off function to recover. It can be a thirty days and / or 2 before details begin in order to feel ?normal? again.
Regrettably, hemorrhoid operation is certainly not usually 100% effective ? I have consulted alongside many hemorrhoids sufferers whom have had numerous operations, as well as have not been resolved. The key element a large number of doctors and in addition surgeons neglect to inform hemorrhoid patients is the fact that hemorrhoid surgery is actually certainly not a remedy, as a result ? it is actually removing the actual symptom, that is the particular enlarged vein.
But I wonder: On what basis is actually this particular information provided? Not research. I currently have studied hemorrhoids and in addition other digestive disorders for more than 20 years and even while it?s true that hemorrhoid operation will bring relief for many kinds of piles ? bleeding piles, internal hemorrhoids, external piles ? it really is certainly not without it?s personal potential side effects.
And additionally it really is certainly not without pain. A hemorrhoidectomy is a great extremely painful surgery. We will need pain-killers and additionally time off work to recover. It can be a thirty days or perhaps 2 before aspects begin with feel ?normal? once again.
Sorry to say, hemorrhoid operation can be definitely not always 100% lucrative ? I have consulted alongside several hemorrhoids afflicted individuals who currently have had several surgery, and have not been treated. The key factor a large number of health professionals and additionally surgeons neglect to inform hemorrhoid afflicted individuals is that hemorrhoid surgery is actually not a remedy, so ? it is very removing the actual symptom, that is the particular swollen vein.
In the event that actual reason for the hemorrhoid typically is certainly not addressed, recurrences can, and even often do, happen.
Within my encounter, hemorrhoid operation may be prevented. During the course of my years of using hemorrhoid sufferers, they typically asked when there have been any kind of effective all-natural hemorrhoid treatments they could check out prior to resorting to be able to hemorrhoid operation. The actual physicians constantly told them to not bother alongside these treatments. Yet right now there are lots of natural hemorrhoid solutions which will shrink piles, prevent bleeding piles and even lessen pain. When many of these never really provide a permanent remedy for hemorrhoids, they are doing permit you to get about along with lifetime, while you treat the actual fundamental causes.
There are numerous easy supplements which will assist address the genuine reasons why piles occur. Many of these can certainly support with regard to strengthening the actual veins not to mention improving the particular digestive program ? most piles afflicted individuals get a hold of lots of added health advantages from this particular, apart from a remedy for piles.
These supplements currently have been the topic of scientific studies which have shown extremely effective results. This is the reason I doubt why medical doctors advise hemorrhoid sufferers from the use of purely natural hemorrhoid treatments. Considering a couple of the possible side-effects of prescription and additionally over-the-counter hemorrhoid remedies, particularly all those containing cortis. I have frequently read that How To remedy piles typically is hemorrhoid surgery. This is frequently suggested by healthcare practitioners plus laypeople likewise as the best option to eliminate of hemorrhoids.
Still I wonder: About what basis typically is this particular guidance given? Certainly not research. I currently have studied hemorrhoids and even some other digestive disorders to get more than 20 many years as well as while it?s true which hemorrhoid surgery can easily bring relief for most types of piles ? bleeding piles, internal hemorrhoids, exterior piles ? it happens to be certainly not without it?s personal possible side-effects. And also it is certainly not without pain. A hemorrhoidectomy will likely be a particular extremely painful surgery. Anyone will need pain-killers plus time off function to recover. It can be a thirty days and / or 2 before details begin in order to feel ?normal? again.
Regrettably, hemorrhoid operation is certainly not usually 100% effective ? I have consulted alongside many hemorrhoids sufferers whom have had numerous operations, as well as have not been resolved. The key element a large number of doctors and in addition surgeons neglect to inform hemorrhoid patients is the fact that hemorrhoid surgery is actually certainly not a remedy, as a result ? it is actually removing the actual symptom, that is the particular enlarged vein.
2012年2月7日星期二
What is your poo telling you?
Diet and health are usually put on the back burner for college students lacking grocery money or subject to the whims of Campus Dining. But if we aren’t careful there can be significant side effects to our health if our bodies’ dietary needs aren’t being met. While it isn’t exactly dinner conversation, your poop is an easy way to determine how your body is reacting to your diet.
Human stool consists of about 75 percent water and the rest is bacteria, cellulose, fat and mucus. Normally (as you have probably learned) your poop is brown, but color can be a great indicator of what is going on inside the body.
If your poop is green it means you have been eating a lot of veggies. Because our bodies cannot digest certain types of fiber it passes through with the same color. This is also the reason corn passes through seemingly unchanged.
If your poop is blue then you should probably lay off the Kool-Aid for a while because it is most likely just the result of blue food dyes.
There are more serious issues your poop can address. If your stool is red you are either eating incredible amounts of beets or bleeding in your lower digestive system. If your stool is black you might be bleeding in your upper digestive tract. Both red and black stool can be signs of serious health problems and you should visit a doctor. Yellow poop could signal giardia.
The shape of your poop matters too. Healthy stool is continuous and will curve in the toilet. This is an indicator that you are receiving enough fiber, which acts as glue to hold your stool together. If your stool is in many small pieces you may be missing fiber in your diet. Pencil thin turds can be a sign of narrowing passageways your stool passes through, which is an indicator of rectal cancer.
While nobody’s poop smells like roses, poop that consistently smells unusually foul can be a sign of a more serious infection.
You should also pay attention to floaters and sinkers. Your poop should sink. If it floats your stool has a high fat content, which can reflect high-fat diets or more serious issues like celiac disease or chronic pancreatitis.
It is also important to focus on the task at hand. Studies have shown that pushing too hard or spending too long in the bathroom leads to a higher risk for hemorrhoids.
So next time you find yourself sitting down on the toilet, relax and rest easy knowing that you are now a poop expert. It might be uncomfortable to think or talk about, but remember — it unites us all.
Human stool consists of about 75 percent water and the rest is bacteria, cellulose, fat and mucus. Normally (as you have probably learned) your poop is brown, but color can be a great indicator of what is going on inside the body.
If your poop is green it means you have been eating a lot of veggies. Because our bodies cannot digest certain types of fiber it passes through with the same color. This is also the reason corn passes through seemingly unchanged.
If your poop is blue then you should probably lay off the Kool-Aid for a while because it is most likely just the result of blue food dyes.
There are more serious issues your poop can address. If your stool is red you are either eating incredible amounts of beets or bleeding in your lower digestive system. If your stool is black you might be bleeding in your upper digestive tract. Both red and black stool can be signs of serious health problems and you should visit a doctor. Yellow poop could signal giardia.
The shape of your poop matters too. Healthy stool is continuous and will curve in the toilet. This is an indicator that you are receiving enough fiber, which acts as glue to hold your stool together. If your stool is in many small pieces you may be missing fiber in your diet. Pencil thin turds can be a sign of narrowing passageways your stool passes through, which is an indicator of rectal cancer.
While nobody’s poop smells like roses, poop that consistently smells unusually foul can be a sign of a more serious infection.
You should also pay attention to floaters and sinkers. Your poop should sink. If it floats your stool has a high fat content, which can reflect high-fat diets or more serious issues like celiac disease or chronic pancreatitis.
It is also important to focus on the task at hand. Studies have shown that pushing too hard or spending too long in the bathroom leads to a higher risk for hemorrhoids.
So next time you find yourself sitting down on the toilet, relax and rest easy knowing that you are now a poop expert. It might be uncomfortable to think or talk about, but remember — it unites us all.
2012年2月6日星期一
Excellent Ways To Get Rid Of Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids aren’t exciting whatsoever. If you are suffering from them, you know how unpleasant and not comfortable they are often. In the following paragraphs, you will learn the best techniques to treat and forestall them. Shortly after subsequent these useful information, you will be entirely free of hemorrhoids completely.
If you are anticipating a new baby, rest in your still left aspect. This should help you to avoid placing force for the veins with your anus, and consequently assist you stay away from hemorrhoids. Carrying a child is really a time when you are particularly prone to hemorrhoids, so undertaking everything you can to avoid them is needed.
Stay away from using a doughnut molded cushion if you have hemorrhoids. These cushions are frequently promoted as helpful supports for all those struggling with hemorrhoids, however they can have the opposite effect. On one of these cushions for a long time will place extra anxiety on the blood vessels with your rectum, which will worsen your hemorrhoid signs.
If you have not reviewed stuff by using a medical professional currently than you shouldn’t be using any sort of non-prescription medicine for longer than a single week. This includes the conventional lotions which you discover, and also just about any suppositories. Next length of time, it is far better to go over points along with your medical doctor.
Right after possessing a bowel motion, it is essential to not use dry cells document should you be being affected by hemorrhoids. The dry cells pieces of paper is hard and will scratch the hemorrhoids when cleaning. In the event you damage the hemorrhoids, they might bleed. As opposed to dry up paper, use wet tissues pieces of paper or running water.
Use wet bathroom tissue or non-alcohol consumption wipes when cleanup your self around the toilet. Dry pieces of paper equates to hard document no matter the softness of the tissues. The paper could cause bleeding from the hemorrhoids and ought to be avoided if at all possible. When you have use of a bidet you should use this being an choice for document.
Eat just as much substantial-soluble fiber meals as possible. This will assist to soften your stool and help prevent hemorrhoids from creating. Most fresh fruits, like grapes, watermelon and papaya, has a lot of fiber in it. Any type of roughage will also be useful. It is possible to get soluble fiber tablets, also, to aid in the process.
In order to avoid hemorrhoids, don’t hold out to visit the restroom. Holding out can make your stools dry up up. These are then harder to successfully pass. When your stools are hard to pass you are going to tension the blood vessels all around your anus, and thus trigger hemorrhoids. To avoid this, just listen when nature phone calls.
There are some food that happen to be a little bit more likely to cause you to suffer from hemorrhoids yet others which are more inclined to help you. It is important to know which food items are excellent and that happen to be dangerous so that you are able to reduce your chance to formulate this.
As mentioned earlier, hemorrhoids can be a burdensome component of existence for many of us. When supplied together with the correct information, you could make them come to be just a distant memory space. After utilizing the information provided right here, you can expect to ultimately manage to find some relief and stay a happier, much healthier daily life.
If you are anticipating a new baby, rest in your still left aspect. This should help you to avoid placing force for the veins with your anus, and consequently assist you stay away from hemorrhoids. Carrying a child is really a time when you are particularly prone to hemorrhoids, so undertaking everything you can to avoid them is needed.
Stay away from using a doughnut molded cushion if you have hemorrhoids. These cushions are frequently promoted as helpful supports for all those struggling with hemorrhoids, however they can have the opposite effect. On one of these cushions for a long time will place extra anxiety on the blood vessels with your rectum, which will worsen your hemorrhoid signs.
If you have not reviewed stuff by using a medical professional currently than you shouldn’t be using any sort of non-prescription medicine for longer than a single week. This includes the conventional lotions which you discover, and also just about any suppositories. Next length of time, it is far better to go over points along with your medical doctor.
Right after possessing a bowel motion, it is essential to not use dry cells document should you be being affected by hemorrhoids. The dry cells pieces of paper is hard and will scratch the hemorrhoids when cleaning. In the event you damage the hemorrhoids, they might bleed. As opposed to dry up paper, use wet tissues pieces of paper or running water.
Use wet bathroom tissue or non-alcohol consumption wipes when cleanup your self around the toilet. Dry pieces of paper equates to hard document no matter the softness of the tissues. The paper could cause bleeding from the hemorrhoids and ought to be avoided if at all possible. When you have use of a bidet you should use this being an choice for document.
Eat just as much substantial-soluble fiber meals as possible. This will assist to soften your stool and help prevent hemorrhoids from creating. Most fresh fruits, like grapes, watermelon and papaya, has a lot of fiber in it. Any type of roughage will also be useful. It is possible to get soluble fiber tablets, also, to aid in the process.
In order to avoid hemorrhoids, don’t hold out to visit the restroom. Holding out can make your stools dry up up. These are then harder to successfully pass. When your stools are hard to pass you are going to tension the blood vessels all around your anus, and thus trigger hemorrhoids. To avoid this, just listen when nature phone calls.
There are some food that happen to be a little bit more likely to cause you to suffer from hemorrhoids yet others which are more inclined to help you. It is important to know which food items are excellent and that happen to be dangerous so that you are able to reduce your chance to formulate this.
As mentioned earlier, hemorrhoids can be a burdensome component of existence for many of us. When supplied together with the correct information, you could make them come to be just a distant memory space. After utilizing the information provided right here, you can expect to ultimately manage to find some relief and stay a happier, much healthier daily life.
2012年2月5日星期日
The Lord Worked With Them
Before Jesus returned to His Father, He commissioned His disciples to go out to the entire world and to preach the good news of salvation through faith in Him. As soon as He gave them this commission, Christ was taken up into Heaven and seated at the right hand of God. His disciples, however, lost no time in fulfilling their commission. As soon as they had been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, which would come to them not many days later, they immediately went out and preached everywhere.
The Bible says that when they did this, “the Lord worked with them.” Notice what the Bible does not say; it does not say that the Lord worked for them, but with them.
If we want to take part in Christ’s commission to His Church, we have to give the Lord something to work with. We can’t just expect Jesus to do it all as far as evangelizing and making disciples are concerned.
When the Lord’s disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit in the upper room, what did they do? Did they remain behind locked doors where they could simply pray the Gospel into men’s hearts or pray men into God’s Kingdom? Of course not. They immediately went out and preached to the crowds. As a result, 3,000 came to faith in Christ that day. As the days went by, and the Lord’s disciples continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, more and more people came to faith in Him. In fact, the Bible says that “the Lord added to their number daily.”
If you take a look at the way the Church evangelized in her early years, and compare it with the way many are attempting to reach people for Christ today, you will see a vast difference. Most people in today’s church want Jesus to do the reaching out to their children, their co-workers, their neighbors, or their friends. While they busy themselves with prayer meetings, Bible studies, church potlucks, and Sunday morning church attendance, they pray that Jesus will move upon the hearts of their loved ones and “save them.”
If we want our children to serve the Lord, what are we giving God to work with in their lives so that they might come to know Him? Do we teach them the Word of God? Do we sit down with them and teach them the Catechism? Do we take them to Mass? If we want God to “work with us,” just as He worked with His disciples, what are we giving Him to work with? While prayer is one of the most valuable things that we can do for others, we must understand that the Lord is calling His people to do more than just pray. If Christ’s first disciples had simply decided to pray the people into the church, the Gospel never would have spread. If they had just remained behind church doors and prayed, “Oh, Lord, send the sinners in!” I doubt the Gospel would have spread all over the world as it has today.
A lot of us are intimidated when it comes to sharing our faith in Jesus. Some are intimidated because they think that they have to be theologians in order to speak to others about Jesus. Others are intimidated because there is a huge element of Christians out there today who are very offensive and aggressive in the way that they share the Gospel, and they don’t want to be taken for one of them.
When I was living in New Jersey, I used to take the bus into Philadelphia each morning in order to commute to work. One morning, the bus stopped at a street corner in Center City in order to let a man off. The man had his brief case in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other hand. He was ready to start the day. As soon as he stepped off of the bus, a man carrying a huge sign that said JOHN 3:16 stepped out from behind a tree and screamed at him at the top of his lungs: “You are on your way to Hell, sinner! Repent! Repent, heathen, for the Lord is calling!”
I can assure you that that individual made absolutely no positive impact for Christ and His Kingdom that morning. This is not the way in which Christ and His apostles shared the Gospel, and it is not the way that we should share it as well.
One of the first ways in which we are called to share Christ with others is to simply live the Christian life before them. This method of “preaching” goes a lot farther than words, and it is why Saint Francis often said, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” In the Book of Titus, Christians are instructed to live in a right way before God “so that in every way we will make the teaching about Christ our Savior attractive.” . Elsewhere, Peter instructed the church as follows: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong [because you want to be a Christian], they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” . A few sentences down in his same letter, Peter instructed wives as follows: “Wives… if any of your husbands do not believe the Word, let them be won over without words by your behavior. Let them see the purity and reverence of your lives.”.
I believe that the number-one reason why the church in the West is making very little impact for Christ and His Kingdom is because of the way in which many who profess to be in Christ are living. Their lives are not making the teaching of Christ attractive; if anything, their lives are bringing great reproach to the name of the Lord. Bookstores are filled with Christian books. Music stores are filled with gospel music. Churches today have become departmentalized and offer a plethora of programs to their communities. Not only this, but modern technology has made it possible to do so much for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And yet, the churches today are not making any real impact in spite of all these things. This is because many are not living as true disciples of Christ have been called to live. Their love for the world has not been crucified, and for the most part, neither has their flesh. When people look at them, they don’t see any difference between them and the rest of the world, and this is the hard truth. We are to be the aroma of Christ to the world, but many still reek of the world and the flesh, and it is an offensive stench that has turned off many to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christians get offended when statements like this are made because they don’t want to take responsibility for the harm that their lives are doing for Christ and His cause. It’s a lot easier to blame others than it is to point at ourselves, isn’t it? It’s a lot easier to drive around with our “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven” bumper stickers, isn’t it? The unbelieving world sees right through those bumper stickers, brothers and sisters, and it’s high time we wake up to this truth and stop trying to hide our unholy living behind them.
We need to take a good, hard look at the lives that we are living before others to see if we are truly the reflection of Christ in this world to others. When people look at you, they should see Jesus, not a church-goer. Whether we want to accept this truth or not, there is a big difference between the two.
The Bible says that when they did this, “the Lord worked with them.” Notice what the Bible does not say; it does not say that the Lord worked for them, but with them.
If we want to take part in Christ’s commission to His Church, we have to give the Lord something to work with. We can’t just expect Jesus to do it all as far as evangelizing and making disciples are concerned.
When the Lord’s disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit in the upper room, what did they do? Did they remain behind locked doors where they could simply pray the Gospel into men’s hearts or pray men into God’s Kingdom? Of course not. They immediately went out and preached to the crowds. As a result, 3,000 came to faith in Christ that day. As the days went by, and the Lord’s disciples continued to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, more and more people came to faith in Him. In fact, the Bible says that “the Lord added to their number daily.”
If you take a look at the way the Church evangelized in her early years, and compare it with the way many are attempting to reach people for Christ today, you will see a vast difference. Most people in today’s church want Jesus to do the reaching out to their children, their co-workers, their neighbors, or their friends. While they busy themselves with prayer meetings, Bible studies, church potlucks, and Sunday morning church attendance, they pray that Jesus will move upon the hearts of their loved ones and “save them.”
If we want our children to serve the Lord, what are we giving God to work with in their lives so that they might come to know Him? Do we teach them the Word of God? Do we sit down with them and teach them the Catechism? Do we take them to Mass? If we want God to “work with us,” just as He worked with His disciples, what are we giving Him to work with? While prayer is one of the most valuable things that we can do for others, we must understand that the Lord is calling His people to do more than just pray. If Christ’s first disciples had simply decided to pray the people into the church, the Gospel never would have spread. If they had just remained behind church doors and prayed, “Oh, Lord, send the sinners in!” I doubt the Gospel would have spread all over the world as it has today.
A lot of us are intimidated when it comes to sharing our faith in Jesus. Some are intimidated because they think that they have to be theologians in order to speak to others about Jesus. Others are intimidated because there is a huge element of Christians out there today who are very offensive and aggressive in the way that they share the Gospel, and they don’t want to be taken for one of them.
When I was living in New Jersey, I used to take the bus into Philadelphia each morning in order to commute to work. One morning, the bus stopped at a street corner in Center City in order to let a man off. The man had his brief case in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other hand. He was ready to start the day. As soon as he stepped off of the bus, a man carrying a huge sign that said JOHN 3:16 stepped out from behind a tree and screamed at him at the top of his lungs: “You are on your way to Hell, sinner! Repent! Repent, heathen, for the Lord is calling!”
I can assure you that that individual made absolutely no positive impact for Christ and His Kingdom that morning. This is not the way in which Christ and His apostles shared the Gospel, and it is not the way that we should share it as well.
One of the first ways in which we are called to share Christ with others is to simply live the Christian life before them. This method of “preaching” goes a lot farther than words, and it is why Saint Francis often said, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” In the Book of Titus, Christians are instructed to live in a right way before God “so that in every way we will make the teaching about Christ our Savior attractive.” . Elsewhere, Peter instructed the church as follows: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong [because you want to be a Christian], they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” . A few sentences down in his same letter, Peter instructed wives as follows: “Wives… if any of your husbands do not believe the Word, let them be won over without words by your behavior. Let them see the purity and reverence of your lives.”.
I believe that the number-one reason why the church in the West is making very little impact for Christ and His Kingdom is because of the way in which many who profess to be in Christ are living. Their lives are not making the teaching of Christ attractive; if anything, their lives are bringing great reproach to the name of the Lord. Bookstores are filled with Christian books. Music stores are filled with gospel music. Churches today have become departmentalized and offer a plethora of programs to their communities. Not only this, but modern technology has made it possible to do so much for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And yet, the churches today are not making any real impact in spite of all these things. This is because many are not living as true disciples of Christ have been called to live. Their love for the world has not been crucified, and for the most part, neither has their flesh. When people look at them, they don’t see any difference between them and the rest of the world, and this is the hard truth. We are to be the aroma of Christ to the world, but many still reek of the world and the flesh, and it is an offensive stench that has turned off many to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christians get offended when statements like this are made because they don’t want to take responsibility for the harm that their lives are doing for Christ and His cause. It’s a lot easier to blame others than it is to point at ourselves, isn’t it? It’s a lot easier to drive around with our “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven” bumper stickers, isn’t it? The unbelieving world sees right through those bumper stickers, brothers and sisters, and it’s high time we wake up to this truth and stop trying to hide our unholy living behind them.
We need to take a good, hard look at the lives that we are living before others to see if we are truly the reflection of Christ in this world to others. When people look at you, they should see Jesus, not a church-goer. Whether we want to accept this truth or not, there is a big difference between the two.
2012年2月2日星期四
Humor is healthy
The repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a goal of Nebraska’s Republican Congressmen. Unfortunately, these GOP loyalists have been working so fervently on their own improved, cost efficient, and comprehensive, post repeal health care plans (wink, cough) that they have neglected to enumerate the many compelling reasons for repeal itself. Here are a few that they have failed to pass on to their constituents.
1. Repeal will establish the status quo. Tough minded private insurers can again deny health coverage to people who have been careless, inconsiderate, irresponsible, and neglectful by contracting those disgusting and avoidable medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
2. Some discrimination is good. Take for example the applicant for a health care policy whose medical records show a history of back problems, recurring stomach disorders, and some rascally hemorrhoids. Action taken? Insurer advises applicant to sit up straight, take Prilosec, and start scratching because the policy will not cover these problems–medical exclusions at their very best.
3. Families will be reunited. Faced with a $150,000 student loan, no job, bleeding ulcers and being removed from their parents’ health insurance policy, young people from 18 to 26 years of age will make reservations to move back into mom and pop’s basement.
4. Population control. With over 20,000 Americans dying every year due to lack of health insurance, just imagine how many more will die when the ever-rising uninsured soar past the 50 million mark–a population explosion alarmist’s dream scenario.
5. Scrapping the Care Act is charitable. When the individual mandate requiring all Americans to acquire health care is stricken by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, we can continue to subsidize our enterprising, emergency room visiting, friends who save 20 percent of their earnings by not purchasing health insurance. How satisfying to know that our ever-increasing premium rates are contributing to good will and charity.
6. Be gone dull care! Sixty-two percent of bankruptcies in America are a result of calamitous health care costs. But why fret over catastrophic charges and permanent loss of your credit rating when insurance companies assure us that it is better to lose the farm than to die and pass on the costs to your families. Insurance companies really do prioritize customer benefits over profits–God bless them.
But not all is well. With the annulment of Obamacare (please stand and remove your hats and place them over your heart) comes the realization that many, deserving, caring lobbyists who look after our best interests will lose their jobs when repeal is consummated. It is then that the dreadful domino effect will deprive our beloved Republican Congressmen of thousands of dollars in revenue and campaign funds. And may the wind be always at their back.
1. Repeal will establish the status quo. Tough minded private insurers can again deny health coverage to people who have been careless, inconsiderate, irresponsible, and neglectful by contracting those disgusting and avoidable medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
2. Some discrimination is good. Take for example the applicant for a health care policy whose medical records show a history of back problems, recurring stomach disorders, and some rascally hemorrhoids. Action taken? Insurer advises applicant to sit up straight, take Prilosec, and start scratching because the policy will not cover these problems–medical exclusions at their very best.
3. Families will be reunited. Faced with a $150,000 student loan, no job, bleeding ulcers and being removed from their parents’ health insurance policy, young people from 18 to 26 years of age will make reservations to move back into mom and pop’s basement.
4. Population control. With over 20,000 Americans dying every year due to lack of health insurance, just imagine how many more will die when the ever-rising uninsured soar past the 50 million mark–a population explosion alarmist’s dream scenario.
5. Scrapping the Care Act is charitable. When the individual mandate requiring all Americans to acquire health care is stricken by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, we can continue to subsidize our enterprising, emergency room visiting, friends who save 20 percent of their earnings by not purchasing health insurance. How satisfying to know that our ever-increasing premium rates are contributing to good will and charity.
6. Be gone dull care! Sixty-two percent of bankruptcies in America are a result of calamitous health care costs. But why fret over catastrophic charges and permanent loss of your credit rating when insurance companies assure us that it is better to lose the farm than to die and pass on the costs to your families. Insurance companies really do prioritize customer benefits over profits–God bless them.
But not all is well. With the annulment of Obamacare (please stand and remove your hats and place them over your heart) comes the realization that many, deserving, caring lobbyists who look after our best interests will lose their jobs when repeal is consummated. It is then that the dreadful domino effect will deprive our beloved Republican Congressmen of thousands of dollars in revenue and campaign funds. And may the wind be always at their back.
2012年2月1日星期三
Chicken soup for your health
Long called Jewish penicillin, chicken soup's power to heal has mainly been viewed as folklore but recent scientific studies have proven that it has genuine health benefits, so much so that research doctors in Israel have asked the World Health Organization to add it to the List of Essential Drugs for Infections.
Forget pills, sprays and prescriptions. What you really need is hot chicken soup.
Around the 12th century, healers started to prescribe " the broth of fowl" for their ill patients. Egyptian Jewish physician and philosopher Rabbi Moses Maimonides started to write extensively about the benefits of chicken soup. He used this fowl brew to treat such things as constipation, hemorrhoids and even leprosy but he especially praised its healing power for respiratory illnesses.
In the 1990s, Dr. Stephen Renard at the University of Nebraska wanted to test his mother-in-law's theory that chicken soup is good for colds.
He conducted many tests, using a recipe he titled "Grandma's Soup." The results demonstrated that chicken soup is a good anti-inflammatory. Current researchers agree that chicken soup breaks up congestion and eases the flow of nasal secretions. And many say it inhibits the white blood cells that trigger the inflammatory response causing sore throats and the production of phlegm. Chicken soup also contains a sulfur compound called cystine, which protects against infections of the throat, sinuses and chest.
Here are two recipes, one Eastern, and one Western, for this magic elixir.
Remember, no matter its provenance, it must be served hot. Soup from cans, boxes or packets has been proven to be less beneficial. So, if you are starting to feel ill, quickly run out to the market and grab yourself a chicken or call your nearest and dearest, then whine and moan and, hopefully, they'll bring over the soup.
Forget pills, sprays and prescriptions. What you really need is hot chicken soup.
Around the 12th century, healers started to prescribe " the broth of fowl" for their ill patients. Egyptian Jewish physician and philosopher Rabbi Moses Maimonides started to write extensively about the benefits of chicken soup. He used this fowl brew to treat such things as constipation, hemorrhoids and even leprosy but he especially praised its healing power for respiratory illnesses.
In the 1990s, Dr. Stephen Renard at the University of Nebraska wanted to test his mother-in-law's theory that chicken soup is good for colds.
He conducted many tests, using a recipe he titled "Grandma's Soup." The results demonstrated that chicken soup is a good anti-inflammatory. Current researchers agree that chicken soup breaks up congestion and eases the flow of nasal secretions. And many say it inhibits the white blood cells that trigger the inflammatory response causing sore throats and the production of phlegm. Chicken soup also contains a sulfur compound called cystine, which protects against infections of the throat, sinuses and chest.
Here are two recipes, one Eastern, and one Western, for this magic elixir.
Remember, no matter its provenance, it must be served hot. Soup from cans, boxes or packets has been proven to be less beneficial. So, if you are starting to feel ill, quickly run out to the market and grab yourself a chicken or call your nearest and dearest, then whine and moan and, hopefully, they'll bring over the soup.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)