No More Zicam? Smells Odd To Me…

Cold Medicine FDA WarningAm I the only one noticing some odd moves by the FDA lately? I don’t know whether to think they are actually doing thier job or if they are getting paid by some new sources.

Case in point, Mattrixx will be taking Zicam off the shelves due to FDA pressure stating a risk of losing your sense of smell. It seems 130-800 people (depending on who you ask) have reported a “loss of smell” after frequent use of Zicam.

The concern is, obviously, these people will not be able to detect smoke, or spoiled food.

Now, there are millions of Zicam users – so my first question is, “Out of millions of people, how many normally lose sense of smell?”

Anyway…here is the official release… [Read more...]

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Enough Ignoring Already: Chavez Seizes Farms!

farm285I have mentioned in various blogs the truth about Chavez taking over companies Venezuela. I have also mentioned what is not true (that he owns Citgo for one). 

In his latest move, Chavez has seized at least 28,000 acres (about eight farms) saying that “Land isn’t private; it is the property of the nation.” He also said the government will raise output to “curb inflation.” 

He has already nationalized (read “taken over”) companies in rice, cement, electricity, oil, telecommunications, and steel.  He is also close to completing the nationalization of Banco de Venezuela. 

Is anyone else wondering why the world just keeps looking the other way? 

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Wells Fargo: Ok, Guys, What is the REAL Deal?

wells285It seems Wells Fargo can’t decide which side of the street to walk on. The company received billions of dollars in federal funds and appears to be on a PR roller coaster – enjoy the ride!

Part 1 – Profit! Profit! Profit!

April 9, 2009 Wells Fargo announced it expected record earnings for the first quarter to the tune of $3 billion – which easily surpassed analysts’ estimates. This news also shot the stock market upward across the board. 

But, like most news lately, it would not last. It was Wells Fargo’s equivalent of a bad one night stand – “Hey, I will call you soon.”

Part Two: 4 days later – Wait, the Sky is Falling Again! [Read more...]

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What Caused the U.S. Economic Failure?

House of CardsWith all the talk about bailouts, bonuses, foreclosures, excess spending, and the growing deficit, have you ever wondered, “how the hell did we get here in the first place?”

I have written countless articles on The Slow Bleed that talk about various individual components of this immense screw up. Most of them target a horrific combination of greed and stupidity.

Recently someone sent me an article that appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine. I have to say, it is probably one of the best soup to nuts explanations of not only what went wrong, but also what is still going wrong. The article is a bit long, but certainly worth reading; and probably more than once. When your done, let me know what you think. [Read more...]

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President Obama, Enough of the Earmarks!

pigApparently Obama has fully moved into the White House and DC politics.  Despite knowing he is about to sign a bill loaded with pork additives, he is going to sign it anyway. 

“Obama made his statement even as he was prepared to sign a $409.6 billion omnibus budget bill which carries with it thousands of the same sort of projects he wants to restrain,” according to Politico. “I am signing an imperfect omnibus bill because it is necessary for the ongoing functions of government,” Obama said in his defense. [Read more...]

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Time for Buffet and Obama to Keep Quiet

Haunting EyesThe fun never stops. Here is a clip from Bloomberg…

March 9 (Bloomberg) — U.S. stocks fell, extending the worst weekly slump in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index since November, after Warren Buffett said the economy “has fallen off a cliff” and the World Bank predicted a global contraction.    

“Fallen off a cliff?” Are you kidding me?! [Read more...]

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Now AIG is Just Getting On My Nerves

pigs285AIG has turned into the worst brother-in-law you could have in the family. A money-losing blob that just won’t go away. The government has turned into the perfect enabler relative that just won’t admit when all is lost and to simply cut bait. 

On October 10, 2008 AIG received $ 85 Billion. It was my first mention of AIG and I wrote “The downside is that I highly suspect this will be nowhere near the amount of money that AIG ends up needing.”  

On September 17, 2008 I wrote about AIG receiving yet another chuck of cash. This time it was $40 Billion. I wrote “Matter of fact, I am going to say it again; I highly suspect this STILL will not be the end of it. Companies like this seem to always keep coming back to the government trough (I hope I am wrong).” 

Now, AIG is back again (surprise!) and the government is handing them another $30 billion. More taxpayer money going to a company that can’t seem to get their sh*t together. 

When will government understand bailing out companies, in a capital market, is not the right answer? Most of the bailout companies, I am sad to say, will still end up failing. The only catch is that they will blow through billions of taxpayer dollars before they do fail! 

Let them fail and the next company, that is trying to do everything right, will step up to the plate! 

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