Chris Gragg's Blog

South Korean's Create Glow in the Dark Cats

2007-12-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

South Korean scientists have reportedly cloned cats modified with a gene that makes them glow under ultraviolet light.

The accomplishment, announced Tuesday by South Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology, marks the first cloning of a genetically modified cat. Duplicating tweaked cats could someday allow scientists to conduct research on standardized feline models of human diseases. The techniques involved could theoretically be used to clone endangered cats, such as leopards and tigers.

Assuming the claim holds up, it'll be significant. But the stem cell fraud perpetrated by South Korean cloner Hwang Woo-Suk has -- perhaps unfairly -- made me a little skeptical. Before his disgrace, Woo-Suk was considered a national hero, and South Korea's booming biotech industry is a matter of national pride.

The country is still regaining its life science prestige, and I'd feel much better if the breakthrough had been announced in a peer-reviewed journal rather than a government press conference. Adding a glow-in-the-dark gene also rings of hucksterism -- though it's certainly worked for fish and rabbits, so perhaps I shouldn't be so dismissive of self-promotion.

Plenty of coverage out there, but the best headline goes to Reuters: Korean scientists produce kimchi-colored kitties.

Chris Gragg's Blog: Creit Repair News Online

2007-12-13T12:05:00.000-08:00

Chris Gragg's Blog: Creit Repair News Online

Creit Repair News Online

2007-12-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

There is a new resource for researching credit repair on the web. www.fixurcreditonline.com/ is a new source that is constantly being updated with the newest credit repair info.

With all of the news on the credit crunch and the subprime housing meltdown, consumers need an unbiased resource for credit advice. www.fixurcreditonline.com does not sell any products or services, but they do offer different resources for credit repair, debt counseling and other advice related to personal finance.

Chris Gragg's Blog: Titus Will Ford Sells More Vehicles in the Seattle Tacoma Area

2007-11-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Chris Gragg's Blog: Titus Will Ford Sells More Vehicles in the Seattle Tacoma Area

Titus Will Ford Sells More Vehicles in the Seattle Tacoma Area

2007-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

Titus Will Ford is the new car and used car sales leader in the Seattle, Tacoma, King County and Pierce County area. Along with the largest inventory of new and used vehicles, Titus Will Ford has one of the best parts and service departments in the greater Puget Sound Area.

Visit Titus Will Ford's new website, created by TK Carsites - www.tituswill-ford.net is your local area dealer for new and used vehicles in the Puget Sound. All of your service needs can be addressed by their Master Certified service team. Titus Will Ford has more Master Certified diesel technicians than any other Ford Dealer in King and Pierce Counties.

Credit Repair Online Just Got Easier

2007-11-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

Repa\ring your credit just got easier. Whether you are looking to improve your credit score to buy a house, a car, or just lower your interest rates on your current revolving lines of credit, www.fixurcreditonline.com is available to help with all aspects of credit repair.

They have a step by step process for consumers to follow as they work on improving their credit scores. This approach is designed to make the process simple, and take out any guesswork. This website is an excellent resource for anyone looking to repair their credit by themselves, or anyone seeking resources for assistance in the process.

In addition to providing an easy to follow process for credit repair, this website also provides links to any resource you could possibly need, including the 3 major credit reporting agencies (Transunion, Equifax, and Experian), government aid resources and others. In addition to providing resources for those who want to fix bad credit themselves, www.fixurcreditonline.com can also connect consumers with credit counselors who are experts in credit repair.

With the U.S. housing market experiencing record mortgage defaults, consumers need to educate themselves on their credit score, and learn how to manage that score to their advantage.

5 Stocks to Diversify and Weather the Storm

2007-08-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, after several rough weeks of volatility traders have been able to settle down and climb back in from the window. The Dow is back up and it seems as though traders are moving back in and letting some money settle. Still lots of trouble related to the mortgage industry and I have friends who are waiting to see if their company will stay alive.

It would be a fantastic time to see the Fed lower the funds rate in an attempt to spur the mortgage industry and reduct the record numbers of foreclosures. We would expect to see a rush to the lenders for refinancing, and it should spur home sales, if only for a short term. I have no idea what the long term effect would be on the economy as a whole, but I would like to see that if only for personal reasons.

Due to the overall state of the economy and stock market, I believe that this is still a great time ot be bullish on the market, and I expect that the market will do very well through the remainder of the year. There are great companies with a lot of momentum selling at a discount right now because of the credit crunch. As this market settles, these companies will take off and we can expect to see enormous growth.

So I have put together a basket of stocks that I think will outperform the market for the rest of the year, and due their broad economic moat, be able to ride the waves of a volatile market.

Which stocks am I talking about?

Here's 5, spread across several industries for diversification purposes:

Foster Wheeler - FWLT - $108.25 - Capital Goods / Construction Services - Infrastructure company with a basis in oil and gas processing, transportation.

Apple Computer - AAPL - $132.51 - Technology / CPU Hardware - Computer company whose recent success is largely influenced by the popularity of the iPod and iPhone.

Stryker Corp - SYK - $67.29 - Healthcare / Medical Equip - Broadly diversified medical supplies and joint replacement supplier. Company has $0 debt, and is in a position for acquisitions.

Southern Copper - PCU - $99.14 - Basic Materials / Metal Mining - Producer of Molybdenum, Copper, Zinc and Silver. Facilities and regfining based in Peru and Mexico.

Automated Data Processing - ADP - $46.96 - Services / Business Services - Provider of computerized transaction processing, data communication and information services.

There are 5 stocks that are broadly diversified across multiple industries, with an international spin, a play on the upcoming holiday season, the associated debit payments, the late year tech boom, and some stability in the safety of a healthcare supplier. Oh yeah, you also get the profitable growth of oil and gas extraction operations.

I like this basket of stocks to make a strong run through the end of the year and have enough diversification to survive some of the pitfalls.
Best Wishes!

Chris Gragg.com Goes Live!

2007-08-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

Chris Gragg.com is now live! All pages are live, including the password protected family page. You can visit all pages for investment ideas, sports news, business news, pictures and vidoes. Some of the new features include Google search buttons on every page, Yahoo Finance charts, ABC sports feeds, and more.

Visit Chris Gragg.com for all your Chris Gragg needs!