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8:30 AM EST, Tuesday, October 16, 2007: Small tech portfolio that's interesting and which I own: Anadigics, EMC, Riverbed Technology, Shutterfly, Synchronoss Technologies. Two others that look interesting which I also own: Biomarin Pharmaceuticals and Quintana Maritime.

Most interesting one is Synchronoss (SNCR), which benefits by exploding iPhone sales and triple play cable sales -- video, voice, Internet. Second most interesting one is Quintana Maritme (QMAR), now seeing exploding demand for worldwide dry bulk shipping.

Bird Flu is back. The dreaded H5N1 avian flu mutated last August into a virulent form that can now spread from person to person. Here are the best of the bird flu breed. Some are exploding. Some are collapsing.

The blank lines have no significance, except that QCharts, under its latest ownership, is all screwed up.

Even if you don't buy any of these flu stocks, get yourself a flu vaccine shot asap.

The Fox Business Channel opened last night. It's on your cable and DirecTV. So far, I can't tell the difference between it and CNBC. Endless talking heads trying to hype everything. They sell more advertising when things are booming. I prefer Bloomberg TV.

Excel keyboard shortcuts. My son's collection.: Click here.

Dumb magazine decisions: BusinessWeek and Fortune are two dying business magazines that have been dumbing-down and sensationalizing their fare. In contrast, the Economist, treats its readers intelligently. It remains my favorite business magazine. Its circulation has been exploding. This is not a chart you see often in print media:

What got me on this kick is that BusinessWeek has just released the fruits of 18 months -- yes, you read right -- of redesign. The results are abysmal. The thing now looks like one giant advertorial. It's unreadable.

This is the old cover.

This is the new cover. Note the white space around it, as if some student had miscalculated the actual size of the magazine, which now appears narrower. The Economist is actually a quarter of an inch wider. That makes a major difference. It feels like a serious magazine. BusinessWeek is a joke.

My tax return went in last night: I learned if I earn ordinary income (from exertion and interest)I pay 43% tax -- that's New York City, State and Federal. If I earn long-term capital gains and qualified dividends I pay 26%. That's a huge 17% difference -- it's hardly worth working for a living. What's disconcerting is that my tax rate is lower (substantially lower) than my accountant's.

What we have to look forward to.
A couple in their 80's were about to get married.

She said: "I want to keep my house."

He said: "That's fine with me."

She said: "And I want to keep my Cadillac."

He said: "That's fine with me."

She said: "And I want to have sex 6 times a week."

He said: "That's fine with me, put me down for Fridays."

How to recognize a hunter with a DUI conviction:

I hope you can help me here. The other day I set off for work leaving my husband in the house watching the TV as usual. I hadn't gone more than a few hundred yards down the road when my engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get my husband's help.

When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was parading in front of the wardrobe mirror dressed in my underwear and high-heel shoes, and he was wearing my make up.

I am 32, my husband is 34 and we have been married for twelve years. When I confronted him, he tried to make out that he had dressed in my lingerie because he couldn't find his own underwear. But when I asked him about the make-up, he broke down and admitted that he'd been wearing my clothes for six months. I told him to stop or I would leave him.

He was let go from his job six months ago and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but ever since I gave him the ultimatum he has become increasingly distant. I don't feel I can get through to him anymore. Can you please help?

Sincerely,
Mrs. Sheila Lusk

Dear Sheila:

A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the jubilee clips holding the vacuum pipes onto the inlet manifold. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the carburetor float chamber. I hope this helps.

Walter

This column is about my personal search for the perfect investment. I don't give investment advice. For that you have to be registered with regulatory authorities, which I am not. I am a reporter and an investor. I make my daily column -- Monday through Friday -- freely available for three reasons: Writing is good for sorting things out in my brain. Second, the column is research for a book I'm writing called "In Search of the Perfect Investment." Third, I encourage my readers to send me their ideas, concerns and experiences. That way we can all learn together. My email address is . You can't click on my email address. You have to re-type it . This protects me from software scanning the Internet for email addresses to spam. I have no role in choosing the Google ads. Thus I cannot endorse any, though some look mighty interesting. If you click on a link, Google may send me money. Please note I'm not suggesting you do. That money, if there is any, may help pay Claire's law school tuition. Read more about Google AdSense, click here and here.
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