Weekly Watch List

LULU (6/25/11, +16.00%)
FOSL (3/12/11, +52.24%)
ALXN (7/24/11, -3.70%)
NFLX (7/30/10, +159.38%)
ULTA (7/30/11, +0.00%)
HS (3/5/11, +9.76%)
PRGO (4/2/11, +13.03%)
AVGO (7/24/11, -9.28%)
INFA (10/16/10, +37.89%)
NUS (7/30/11, +0.00%)
RGLD (7/30/11, +0.00%)
CVLT (6/4/11, -3.90%)

Additions:
NUS (7/30/11, +0.00%)
RGLD (7/30/11, +0.00%)
ULTA (7/30/11, +0.00%)

Subtractions:
ARMH (7/24/11, -4.70%)
ILMN (5/7/11, -12.26%)

Last week, the major indexes took a well telegraphed, completely unnecessary, Washington induced pounding over the debt ceiling. The Dow plunged 4.2%, the S&P 500 and the NYSE composite both lopped off 3.9%, and the Nasdaq dropped 3.6%. Monday’s swoon pushed the IBD outlook to “uptrend under pressure” and Wednesday’s shellacking tipped the IBD outlook over to “market in correction”. It’s time to play defense again and wait for the next uptrend. Don’t let any profits turn into losses, paying taxes is always better than losing money.

With the market in correction, none of the watch list stocks can be considered as buy candidates.

/as usual, your mileage may vary, always do your own homework

The Sugar Coated Satan Sandwich

Who said Democrats don’t have a sense of humor?

Dem. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver Calls Compromise Bill ‘Satan Sandwich’

Not everyone is happy about the compromise bill that will raise the debt ceiling. Democrat Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City had strong words about it over the weekend, calling it a “sugar coated Satan sandwich.”

See also:
Congressman Calls Debt Ceiling Deal a ‘Satan Sandwich’
Congressional Black Caucus Chair: Debt Deal is a “Satan Sandwich”
Dem lawmaker calls debt deal ‘sugar-coated satan sandwich’
Democratic Rep. Cleaver: Debt Deal Is ‘A Satan Sandwich’ Antithetical To Religion
CBC Chair Calls Obama Debt Deal A “Satan Sandwich”
TRENDING: A Lucifer Panini?
Meat, Sweet or Debt Deal? The Mystery of the ‘Satan Sandwich’
PajamasMedia Hosts Satan Sandwich Contest
Debt-ceiling deal frustrates House liberals
Dems eat Satan sandwich, GOP looks to next course

Well, to me, the debt ceiling deal looks like a big [expletive deleted] sandwich and we’re all going to have to take a bite. But hey, if liberals are whining like crybabies about it, there’s got to be a pony in there somewhere.

/at least it’s a start and, oh look, Obama runs out of money all over again on 9/30/11

Not Good For A Secular Turkey

If you thought Turkey was already an unreliable NATO ally, this won’t help.

Turkey: Military chiefs resign en masse

The chief of the Turkish armed forces, Isik Kosaner, has resigned along with the army, navy and air force heads.

They were furious about the arrest of senior officers, accused of plotting, shortly before a round of military promotions.

A series of meetings between General Kosaner and PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan failed to resolve their differences.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul moved quickly to appoint General Necdet Ozel as the new army chief.

Gen Ozel is widely expected to be swiftly elevated to chief of the general staff in place of Gen Kosaner. Tradition dictates that only the head of the army can take over the top job.

There has been a history of tension between the secularist military and the governing AK party, with the two sides engaged in a war of words for the past two years over allegations that parts of the military had been plotting a coup.

See also:
In Turkey, top military figures apparently resign en masse
Turkey’s military has at last stood aside
Turkey’s top generals resign in apparent rift with Erdogan government
Turkey’s military chiefs of staff resign
Turkish military’s chiefs of staff step down
Turkey’s top military leaders resign in protest of staff arrestsTurkey’s resignations, a sign of military decline
Turkey’s military chiefs quit ahead of key meeting
How Turkey’s military upheaval will affect NATO
Turkey’s reset
Analysis: Turkish government strengthens control on military
Government prepares for major overhaul of Turkish military
A Prime Minister’s Push Reshapes Turkish Politics

Traditionally, in Turkey, the military has served as check on Islamist forces and a key to maintaining a secular government.

/obviously, this development represents a substantial consolidation of power in the hands of Erdogan’s Islamist AK party and a big blow to the future of secularism in Turkey

How’s Your Kinetic Military Action Going Samantha?

Hey, check out our U.S. allies in Libya. It’s bad enough that they’re militarily inept and have dragged us, willingly, into an expensive quagmire, but now they’re killing each other!

Libya rebel leader Younes killed, Benghazi wobbles

That Abdel Fateh Younes, the longtime enforcer for Muammar Qaddafi whose stunning defection to the Libyan rebellion in February was an early indication of the depth of the challenge to Qaddafi’s regime, is dead, you can take to the bank. General Younes had been head of the embryonic rebel army from practically the moment he’d switched sides.

As far as the rest of the story – who killed him, when, precisely where, and why – all remains murk and conjecture, created by cross-cutting rivalries within the rebellion and the often misleading and contradictory way that Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC) communicates with the press and the Libyan public.

See also:
Libyan Rebels Military Leader Killed in Mysterious Circumstances
Libyan Rebels Say Military Chief Shot Dead
Libyan rebels say their military chief is dead
Libyan rebel chief dead
Libyan rebel leader Younis shot dead
Death of military chief weakens Libyan rebels
US says commander’s mysterious killing is another challenge for Libyan rebels fighting Gadhafi
Libyan rebels in disarray after mysterious killing of leading military commander
Commander’s Killing Creates Challenges for Post-Al Qathafi Libya
Libyan Rebel Leader’s Death Fuels Fears Of Fracturing
Libya: Who Killed Abdel Fattah Younis, the Rebel Leader?
Who killed Abdel-Fattah Younis? Death of military chief worries Libyan rebels’ Western backers
Killing of general risks Libya rebel split
WRAPUP 7-Mystery surrounds killing of Libyan rebel army head
Libyan rebels ‘killed their own leader’
‘Double agent’ Libyan rebel leader Abdel Fattah Younis shot dead
Editorial: Body blow to TNC
Libya: Thousands Attend Abdel-Fattah Younis Funeral, But Death Remains Unexplained
Funeral Held For Libyan Rebel Military Chief

Let’s recap, we can drop thousands of tons of bombs on Libya, kill civilians, destroy infrastructure, and yet Muammar Gaddafi is still alive and well, thumbing his nose at Obama. Meanwhile, our Libyan allies, the Transitional National Council (TNC) are busy killing each other and they have no hope of ever sacking Tripoli. So, The Beat Goes On, a stalemate and, adding insult to ridiculousness, the U.S. taxpayer is stuck picking up the tab for this “Three Stooges go to war” farce.

/where’s Samantha Power been these last few months, anyone seen her, she’s got a hell of a lot of explaining to do?

Another Muslim Traitor In The Ranks Unmasked

He took the oath to defend the United States, but his murderous, Muslim heart belongs to Allah . . . and child pornography.

Soldier suspected of planning Ft. Hood attack

A possible terrorist plot against military personnel at Ft. Hood in Texas was disrupted with the arrest of an Army private who had purchased ammunition and bomb-making materials in preparation for such an attack, law enforcement officials said Thursday.

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo, a 21-year-old Texas native who had successfully argued that he was a conscientious objector whose Muslim faith would not allow him to deploy to Afghanistan, was arrested at a motel Wednesday by Killeen, Texas, police after his purchase of gunpowder at a local gun store aroused employees’ suspicion. Abdo, who had been charged this year with possession of child pornography, had been absent without leave since early July.

Authorities suspect that Abdo, who was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky, was planning to construct bombs and detonate them at a restaurant popular with Ft. Hood personnel, according to a U.S. official who has been briefed on the case. Abdo intended to gun down survivors after the bombs went off, said the official, who asked not to be named because he is not in law enforcement.

See also:
AWOL soldier suspected in Killeen bomb plot
Army: AWOL soldier admits to Fort Hood attack plan
AWOL soldier accused of plotting Fort Hood attack
AWOL soldier admits to planning attack on Texas post
Official: Soldier said he wanted to attack Fort Hood troops
Store owner’s tip led to capture of suspect in alleged Fort Hood attack plot
Did an alert retired cop just thwart another Fort Hood massacre?
Officials: Soldier admits planning attack outside Ford Hood
AWOL soldier reportedly in possession of bomb-making materials
Federal bomb-making charges pending against AWOL soldier
Soldier Admits to Ft. Hood Attack Plot
Fort Hood Suspect May be a Violent Muslim Conscientious Objector Pedophile

How many more of these stealth jihadis is it going to take before the government realizes that devout Muslims, whose sole allegiance is to Islam, and the U.s. military don’t mix?

/these jihadis in the military have already killed dozens of their unsuspecting, defenseless, infidel fellow soldiers, only a tip from an alert citizen may have saved the death toll from rising even higher

Is America A Great Country Or What?

The United States is $14 trillion in debt, about to default, with an economy that’s on the verge of collapsing, and what are we spending money on?

‘US paying salaries for jailed Palestinian terrorists’

The Palestinian Authority spends more than $5 million a month paying salaries to terrorists sitting in Israeli prisons, according to a Palestinian Media Watch report presented to congressmen in Washington on Tuesday.

According to the report, written by Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik, such payments contravene US law, which prohibits funding of any person who “engages in, or has engaged in terrorist activity.

Read the report:

Palestinian Authority glorification
of terrorists and paying salaries
to terrorists with US money

See also:
U.S. Pays Salaries to Palestinian Terrorists
U.S. Pays Salaries to Palestinian Terrorists
U.S. Pays Salaries to Palestinian Terrorists
‘US paying salaries for jailed Palestinian terrorists’
JPost on PMW report: PA paying salaries to imprisoned terrorists with US money
PA to pay salaries to all terrorists in Israeli prisons
Palestinian Media Watch
Palestinian Media Watch

Why are we still giving any money to the Palestinian Authority, especially now that they’ve teamed up with Hamas and seeing as how they’re both sworn to Israel’s destruction? Why are we supporting the enemy of our closest alliy in the region?

/FUBAR

Enriching Uranium Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

Someone’s sending a pretty clear message. Do you want to work on Iran’s nuclear program or do you want to live?

Analysts believe Iran scientist death was a foreign hit

Western security agencies were most likely behind the killing of an Iranian scientist in an operation that underlines the myriad complications in the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program, analysts say.

Darioush Rezaie, 35, a university lecturer, was shot dead by gunmen in eastern Tehran Saturday, the third murder of a scientist since 2009. One was killed in a car bomb, the second by a device detonated remotely.

See also:
Third Iranian nuclear scientist shot dead
Western intelligence killed Iran scientist: Analysts
Iranian Nuclear Scientist ‘Assassinated’
Iranian nuclear scientist killed
Iran blamed US, Israel for killing of scientist
Iran accuses U.S., Israel of being involved in assassinating academic
US rejects Iran accusations in scientist’s death
US denies killing scientist, presses Iran
‘West’s involvement in hit on scientist uncertain’
Report: Iran denies Darioush Rezaie was a nuclear scientist

Granted, killing Iran’s nuclear scientists isn’t the most effective or efficient way to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons but, then again, it may be one of the only viable options left to the West at this point. That is, if Western intelligence agencies were responsible for the assassinations, which they deny.

/in any case, at least someone is doing something to try and hamstring Iran’s nefarious nuclear ambitions

Weekly Watch List

LULU (6/25/11, +21.56%)
FOSL (3/12/11, +61.13%)
ALXN (7/24/11, +0.00%)
NFLX (7/30/10, +169.70%)
HS (3/5/11, +21.08%)
AVGO (7/24/11, +0.00%)
PRGO (4/2/11, +17.25%)
INFA (10/16/10, +49.00%)
ILMN (5/7/11, +4.62%)
CVLT (6/4/11, +3.40%)
ARMH (7/24/11, +0.00%)

Additions:
ALXN (7/24/11, +0.00%)
ARMH (7/24/11, +0.00%)
AVGO (7/24/11, +0.00%)

Subtractions:
EW (7/9/11, -2.17%)
HUM (6/11/11, +3.02%)

Last week, the major indexes ended mixed but mostly positive. The Nasdaq gained 2.5%, the S&P 500 and the NYSE composite both added 2.2%, but the Dow shed 0.3%, thanks to CAT. Tuesday’s positive action pushed the IBD outlook back to “confirmed uptrend”. It’s theoretically okay to buy top stocks at proper buy points, however, you might want to wait until the debt ceiling issue is resolved. We’re in uncharted territory here.

With that caveat, this week three watch list stocks, NFLX, HS, and PRGO are at or near proper buy points. NFLX, trading at $276.58, has dipped below a $277.80 buy point off a late stage base breakout. HS, trading at $45.27, has found support at its ten week line. PRGO, trading at $93,68, is still within 5% of a $92.40 buy point after breaking out of a cup base.

/as usual, your mileage may vary, always do your own homework

Twice The Fun

Of all the U.S. armed forces, the Navy seems particularly fascinated with lasers.

Navy combines a high-speed 25mm gun with a laser

What do you get when you combine two of the most deadly weapons out there? No, not a machete duct taped to a nuke. You get the Navy’s new gatling gun/laser hybrid.

The Mk 38 Mod 2 Tactical Laser System is something you really don’t want to be on the business end of. It combines a M242 autocannon, which is a lovely piece of equipment capable of firing 175 rounds per minute, with a high-energy laser gun.

See also:
Boeing building lasers for Navy machine guns
Boeing, BAE Systems to Develop Integrated Directed Energy Weapon for US Navy
Navy’s Next Wonder Weapon Combines a High Speed 25mm Gun With Deadly Laser
How to Make a Giant Chain Gun Even Deadlier: Give It a Laser Cannon
Navy’s Next Laser Mashes Up Machine Guns and Death Rays
BAE Putting Lasers on Mk 38 Naval Gun
Boeing, BAE Systems Team for Mk 38 Mod 2 Tactical Laser System
Boeing (NYSE:BA) Making Navy Weapon
Boeing and BAE Systems Develop Weapon for the US Navy

An interesting idea, but I’m not sure how cost effective in terms of additional “bang for the buck”.

/I mean, what increased, incremental damage is a laser going to add that the 25mm chain gun isn’t already inflicting at 175 rpm?

The Colonoscopy

After two years of procrastinating and dreading the procedure, I finally got sick of my doctor nagging me about it and had it done yesterday. An you know what? It just wasn’t that bad at all.

The actual procedure took about ten minutes. I was awake, under mild sedation, and I barely felt anything. They removed four 1-2mm polyps that they didn’t seem particularly concerned about. And that was it, I was on the way home a half hour later.

As for the preparation, that wasn’t that bad either. Yeah, you have to drink a gallon of salty liquid, over two sittings, that causes diarrhea, so you need to stay near the bathroom. The liquid didn’t taste particularly bad and I didn’t experience any nausea, cramping, or bloating. If you follow the diet instructions they give you, you shouldn’t have any problems. Frankly, the worst part of the preparation was not being able to eat anything for over a day.

The bottom line is that a colonoscopy is not scary, painful, or something to be overly anxious about and having it done is infinitely better than the possibility of unnecessarily dying of colon cancer.

/so, if you’re over 50 and still putting it off, you’re out of excuses, get it done, you’ll sleep better at night knowing