jwray

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qruel says...

your statement is true....one needs to take into account the actual levels of mercury.

from the abstract: The samples were found to contain levels of mercury ranging from below a detection limit of 0.005 to 0.570 micrograms mercury per gram of high fructose corn syrup. Average daily consumption of high fructose corn syrup is about 50 grams per person in the United States. With respect to total mercury exposure, it may be necessary to account for this source of mercury in the diet of children and sensitive populations.

this was one of two studies done on the subject. While I know the 2nd study found mercury in more products that contain HFCS, I'm not sure at what levels.

Q

In reply to this comment by jwray:
>> ^qruel:
Since we are talking about Mercury... here's some interesting facts...
Gold mines are the nation's largest source of mercury pollution. Like all mining, separating and processing the gold creates tons of toxic metals, like lead and mercury. Nevada is home to eight of the nation's top 10 mercury polluters. Here is a list of the top 100 Some other sources: Coal Fired Power Plants, Cement Kilns, Incinerators, Chlor-alkali Production, Chemical Plants.

In 2005 the FDA did a study that showed mercury in many food products that contained High Fructose Corn Syrup (due to mercury in the caustic soda and hydrochloric acid used in the manufacture of HFCS), and the FDA did absolutely nothing about it
.


Presence of "detectable" levels is meaningless unless you name a specific concentration. Nearly everything will randomly contain at least 1 part in 10^20 of whichever stable element you want, which could be measured with a sufficiently accurate mass spectrometer.

Farhad2000 says...

Well the gambling occurred simply because all the institutions believed they could get out or arbitrate their risks further down the line and this is the argument that Greenspan put forward that firms essentially got greedy and did not trade honorably within the market and self regulate.

Derivatives like useful in spreading risk around an economy but not when that risk is complied and passed on and on to the point that instead of spreading risk around to several players the the risk takers and issuers become intertwined. This is why regulation is needed in this market. I believe they are useful but not when their value is so overinflated to the value of the underlying assets.

In reply to this comment by jwray:
My point exactly. It's just gambling. It contributes nothing to the economy. So why should banks be allowed to do it?

In reply to this comment by Farhad2000:
There is no tangible production created. Derivatives differ but mostly its betting, you are taking a huge risk for a large pay off, based around performance factors, everything from how well company stock do or not, how currency exchanges do or even how weather will play out, which was part of Enron's strategy when it introduced weather futures.

In reply to this comment by jwray:
to put it another way... what actual, tangible production might derivatives trading promote or facilitate? Can it accomplish anything in the real world that conventional arbitrage cannot, besides sometimes creating the illusion of lower risk?

In reply to this comment by Farhad2000:
Not really since you derive the value from the original financial instrument, so if you are deriving the value off a risky mortgage payment that may or may not complete it stops being a zero sum game. Even more so when toxic debt packages are combined with other debts and financial packages.

In reply to this comment by jwray:
Isn't derivatives trading a zero-sum game?

Farhad2000 says...

There is no tangible production created. Derivatives differ but mostly its betting, you are taking a huge risk for a large pay off, based around performance factors, everything from how well company stock do or not, how currency exchanges do or even how weather will play out, which was part of Enron's strategy when it introduced weather futures.

In reply to this comment by jwray:
to put it another way... what actual, tangible production might derivatives trading promote or facilitate? Can it accomplish anything in the real world that conventional arbitrage cannot, besides sometimes creating the illusion of lower risk?

In reply to this comment by Farhad2000:
Not really since you derive the value from the original financial instrument, so if you are deriving the value off a risky mortgage payment that may or may not complete it stops being a zero sum game. Even more so when toxic debt packages are combined with other debts and financial packages.

In reply to this comment by jwray:
Isn't derivatives trading a zero-sum game?

Farhad2000 says...

Not really since you derive the value from the original financial instrument, so if you are deriving the value off a risky mortgage payment that may or may not complete it stops being a zero sum game. Even more so when toxic debt packages are combined with other debts and financial packages.

In reply to this comment by jwray:
Isn't derivatives trading a zero-sum game?

qruel says...

HA! instant classic. is that yours or part of the pastafarian scipture ?

In reply to this comment by jwray:
Our Pasta, who art in a colander, draining be your noodles. Thy noodle come, thy sauce be yum, on top some grated Parmesan. Give us this day our garlic bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trample on our lawns. And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza, for thine is the meatball, the noodle, and the sauce, forever and ever, Ramen.

JiggaJonson says...

Bravo!

In reply to this comment by jwray:
Our Pasta, who art in a colander, draining be your noodles. Thy noodle come, thy sauce be yum, on top some grated Parmesan. Give us this day our garlic bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trample on our lawns. And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza, for thine is the meatball, the noodle, and the sauce, forever and ever, Ramen.

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