The Sunday 'Report;' 09/25/2011

What The National Pamphleteers Don't Report:
8 Biggest Red Flag Words on Packaged Foods.

by Reader's Digest Magazine
September 16, 2011
The words written on food packaging are a contract between you and the manufacturer, as mandated by the federal government via the FDA. Many food producers hire lawyers that help them craft words to get you to buy their products while toeing the line of legality. Here are a few common package proclamations that you should look out for, and what they really mean.
1. Health claims
Could a probiotic straw give immunity protection to a child? Are Cheerios a substitute for cholesterol-lowering drugs? The FDA doesn't think so. Foods are not authorized to treat diseases. Be suspicious [....]
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/8-biggest-red-flag-words-on-packaged-foods-2555692/ 

The Worst Performing Stocks of 2011
(ARO, BAC, RIMM, TLB, AMSC, CIS, FRO, MOTR, LEDS, MTG)
September 19, 2011
2011 has been an incredibly choppy year, the economy is flirting between snail-paced growth and recession, and many companies and entire sectors are experiencing some severe business pressures or their management teams have made severe missteps. We wanted to identify the worst of stocks of 2011 based upon year-to-date performance that fit within liquidity and size parameters.  Many investors might have guessed
[....]
http://247wallst.com/2011/09/19/the-worst-performing-stocks-of-2011-aro-bac-rimm-tlb-amsc-cis-fro-motr-leds-mtg/

Steve Forbes: I'm Leaning Toward Perry Endorsement

August 31, 2011
By Jim Meyers and Kathleen Walter
Forbes magazine editor Steve Forbes says he “very impressed” with Texas Gov. Rick Perry and is leaning toward endorsing him for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.  “Rick Perry, the governor of Texas, is now the front-runner. He’s had a good record even though liberals are now trying to trash it, along with perhaps some of his GOP opponents,” Forbes, a two-time presidential candidate, tells Newsmax.  “He did some very good things in reforming their personal injury liability system, very very positive reforms. He encouraged energy production instead of states like California that discourage it, and refused to put in a state income tax. So in the great scheme of things that’s a pretty solid [....]
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/steve-forbes-rick-perry/2011/08/31/id/409374?s=al

A cheat sheet on tipping do's and don'ts
By Heather Larson
Bankrate.com
Tipping can be daunting. While most of us know that it's appropriate to tip our server at a restaurant, it's not always clear whether to tip the hotel concierge, funeral chaplain or dog groomer.  If you leave a tip, how large should it be? Is 20 percent an across-the-board solution? Will your tip leave you looking like Donald Trump or Ebenezer Scrooge? Are there situations where tipping isn't necessary?  This list from [....]
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/a-cheat-sheet-on-tipping-do-s-and-don-ts-1.aspx?ec_id=outb_slides


Mortgage Default Notices Surge 33% Nationwide, 55% In California, 200% By Bank Of America
by Mike "Mish" Shedlock,
Global Economic Trend Analysis
Sep. 15, 2011
[Mike "Mish" Shedlock Mish is an investment advisor at Sitka Pacific Capital. He writes the widely read Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis.]
The number of U.S. homes that received an initial default notice -- the first step in the foreclosure process -- jumped 33 percent in August from July, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.  The increase represents a nine-month high and the biggest monthly gain in four years. The spike signals banks are starting to take swifter action against homeowners, nearly a year after processing issues led to a sharp slowdown in foreclosures.  Foreclosure activity began to slow last fall after problems surfaced with the way many lenders were handling foreclosure paperwork, namely shoddy [....]
http://www.businessinsider.com/mortgage-default-notices-surge-2011-9

5 Foods That Can Trigger a Stroke

By Melanie Haiken,
Caring.com
September 06, 2011
Few things feel more terrifying and random than a stroke, which can strike without warning. And fear of stroke -- when a blood vessel in or leading to the brain bursts or is blocked by a blood clot, starving brain cells of oxygen and nutrients -- is well founded. After all, stroke is the number-three killer in the U.S., affecting more than 700,000 people each year. Here are five foods that cause the damage that leads to stroke.
1. Crackers, chips, and store-bought pastries and baked goods
Muffins, doughnuts, chips, crackers, and many other baked goods are high in trans fats, which are hydrogenated oils popular with commercial bakeries because they stay solid at room temperature, so the products don't require refrigeration. Also listed on labels as "partially hydrogenated" or hydrogenated oils, trans fats are found in all kinds of snack foods, frozen foods, and baked goods, including salad dressings, microwave popcorn, stuffing mixes, frozen tater tots and French fries, cake mixes, and whipped toppings. They're also what makes [....]
http://health.yahoo.net/caring/5-foods-that-can-trigger-a-stroke

‘Aftershock’ Book Predicts Economic Disaster Amid Controversy

July 25, 2011
Newsmax.com
Robert Wiedemer’s new book, “Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown,” quickly is becoming the survival guide for the 21st century. And Newsmax’s eye-opening Aftershock Survival Summit video, with exclusive interviews and prophetic predictions, already has affected millions around the world — but not without ruffling a few feathers.
Initially screened for a private audience, this gripping video exposed harsh economic truths and garnered an overwhelming amount of feedback.  “People were sitting up and taking notice, and they begged us to make the video public so they could easily share it,” said Newsmax Financial Publisher Aaron DeHoog.  But that wasn’t [....]
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Aftershock-book-predicts-economic/2011/07/25/id/404782

The Most Underrated Jobs

by Susan Adams,
Forbes Staff,
September 20, 2011Paralegals and legal assistants make an average annual income of $47,000, and over the past three years the average unemployment rate in the field has been just 3.1%. The job is also relatively low-stress, involves little contact with the public, and doesn’t require employees to breathe in toxic fumes or lift loads of 50 lbs. or more. Those factors land paralegal in the number one spot on CareerCast.com’s new list of most underrated jobs. Second on the list: accountant, with an average income of $60,000 and an average three-year unemployment rate of 4.8%. Loan officer ranks third, with income of $55,000 and a three-year unemployment rate of 4.4%.
    Each January CareerCast, the three-year-old Carlsbad, Calif. jobs website, releases a list of America’s ten best and ten worst jobs after evaluating 200 professions using five core criteria: pay, hiring outlook, work environment, stress and physical demands. (My colleague Jacquelyn Smith covered the last best and worst lists here.) The data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and an array of  [....]
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2011/09/20/the-most-underrated-jobs/

Marlins pitcher receives surprising package from Kuwait
By 'Duk
September 20, 2011
When it comes to the plastic tubs that hold mail in the clubhouse, major league ballplayers usually know what to expect: Autograph requests for cards and pictures, pieces of fan-made art varying in quality and the occasional talisman meant to end a slump or heal an injury.  But what Florida Marlins pitcher Chris Hatcher(notes) opened before a recent game caught him off guard, reports the Palm Beach Post. Inside a package that arrived from Camp Buehring in Kuwait was an American flag and a picture of a smiling boy holding a baseball. A letter from Sgt. Joseph Hjelmstad of Minnesota accompanied both items, explaining that the package was a thank-you gift for Hatcher's actions back in July.  That was when Hjelmstad took his son Joey to a Marlins-Cubs game at Wrigley Field. Hatcher and Hjelmstad struck up a conversation about Hjelmstad's continuing military duty and ended it by [....]
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Marlins-pitcher-receives-surprising-package-from?urn=mlb-wp20158




The Worst Performing Stocks of 2011
(ARO, BAC, RIMM, TLB, AMSC, CIS, FRO, MOTR, LEDS, MTG)
September 19, 2011
247WallSt.com
2011 has been an incredibly choppy year, the economy is flirting between snail-paced growth and recession, and many companies and entire sectors are experiencing some severe business pressures or their management teams have made severe missteps. We wanted to identify the worst of stocks of 2011 based upon year-to-date performance that fit within liquidity and size parameters.  Many investors might have guessed that Aeropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO), Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC), Research In Motion Limited (NASDAQ: RIMM), and The Talbots Inc. (NYSE: TLB) are among the worst performers. Their performance has been atrocious, but the Finviz screener showed many companies which have performed far worse.  There are many companies under $100 million in value or which are illiquid which have fallen even more. This group was focused on companies that trade with a market capitalization of more than $100 million and we screened out the companies which are either not liquid of roughly 200,000 shares a day. We also [....]
http://247wallst.com/2011/09/19/the-worst-performing-stocks-of-2011-aro-bac-rimm-tlb-amsc-cis-fro-motr-leds-mtg/
Until Next Sunday....