Investor's Business Daily articles from November 2004

Investor's Business Daily archives from November 2004

Violence, Fraud Mar '04 Election Already.(A)
November 1, 2004... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL German military theorist Karl von Clausewitz famously defined war as "politics carried on by other means." Wags say politics is "civil war carried on by other means." Only sometimes it's not so civil. ...

Parties Push Voters To The Polls; It's All Depends On Turnout; Dems, GOP, "outsiders' go all-out in GOTV effort; will new voters show up?(A)
November 1, 2004... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS Progressive activist Dennis Jay has been working hard knocking on doors and talking to voters. Just not in Annapolis, Md., where he resides. Jay and hundreds of others from his town have been taking regular day...

Growth In Q3 Is Below View But Beats Q2; Midwest Factories Humming.(A)
November 1, 2004... Byline: ED CARSON The economy sped up a little to 3.7% annualized growth in the third quarter, but that was not as fast as expected. The improvement was driven by stronger consumer spending, the Commerce Department said as it supplied...

MARKET TOOL BAR.(A)
November 1, 2004... S&P 500 INDEX CP9.3>1130.20 +2.76 (+0.2%) Lackluster GDP data lead to mixed finish DOW JONES IND. 10,027.47 +22.93 (+0.2%) Negative for October despite strong week NYSE VOL .(MIL) 1,500 ...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 1, 2004... Bin Laden Hints Of New Attacks 1In his first video in a year, Osama bin Laden said he ordered the 9-11 attack, tied it to U.S. and Israeli acts against Palestinians and Lebanese and derided President Bush as similar to "corrupt" Arab...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... NOVARTIS' drug Femara, designed to treat early-stage breast cancer, received FDA approval. In trials, Femara reduced death rates by 39%. NAM TAI ELECTRONICS earned 24 cents a share ex items in Q3, up 14% but 2 cents under views. The...

BUSINESS BRIEFS/IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... MARKETS S&P gains 14.1% in Q3 earnings The investment research, ratings and index provider made $64.17 in operating earnings. The earnings gains were the slowest in '04, owing to a recovery in earnings that makes growth comparisons...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... MEDICAL Regulators delay Merck review The FDA wants more data showing that experimental arthritis drug Arcoxia, a cox-2 inhibitor like recently withdrawn Merck drug arthritis Vioxx and the drug's successor on the market, is safe and...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... ENERGY Chevron Q3 gains on oil prices The No. 2 U.S. oil company made $1.38 a share ex items, a penny over views and 50% over a year ago. Revenue rose 32% to $40.72 bil, aided by record fuel prices -- which are up 60% for the year....

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... FOOD Archer Daniels reaps Q1 windfall Archer Daniels Midland earned 41 cents a share in Q1, 78% and 14 cents over views. Revenue rose 13% to $8.97 bil. Record North American harvests and lower prices for grain and oil seeds offset...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... Consumers grow less optimistic The University of Mich. consumer sentiment index fell to 91.7 in Oct., down from 94.2 in Sept. but up from a mid-Oct. reading of 87.5. The current conditions index edged up to 104 from 103.7 in Sept. and well...

TRENDS/INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... Online holiday shopping up 20% Online holiday sales this year will hit $13.2 bil, according to Forrester Research, up 20% over the year-ago period and a larger growth rate than the 4.5% increase predicted for brick-and-mortar retailers....

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... Managers back health reforms An Aon survey of H.R. and benefit managers found 75% support re-importing drugs from Canada to cut health costs. But overall they favor by 50%-13% President Bush's tack of health savings accounts, tax credits...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
November 1, 2004... Iran sees U.N. sanctions unlikely Iran thinks there is only a 10% chance the U.N. will impose econ- omic sanctions if the U.S. sends its nuclear case there, an official said. Hussein Mousavian of the Supreme National Security Council said...

For Louis Armstrong, It Was A Wonderful World; Sound Of Success: Jazz trumpeter devoted himself to stellar musicianship, constant touring and audience accessibility.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: PHILIP MICHAELS Louis Armstrong was in bad shape. At 69 years old, his body was wearing down after a lifetime of touring. Heart, kidneys, lungs -- every inch of the musician's body ached. He didn't have to keep performing....

LEARN TO ANALYZE DETAILS The Art Of Recognition.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: Cord Cooper 6 Recognizing workers shouldn't be a feel-good exercise. It should improve results, say motivational coaches Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. Recognition's often ineffective because it's not targeted, Elton and...

Philanthropist Joseph Jacobs; Focus On Goals: Engineering entrepreneur dedicated himself to helping others.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN For Joseph Jacobs, how something worked was as important as if it worked. And once it worked, what was the best way to get it to people? From the time he was young, when he received a chemistry set, Jacobs was...

A Tough Forecast: Tech Spending Growth; It Depends What You Look At; Tech recovery began with spending by small, medium businesses, not large firms.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 1, 2004... Byline: BRIAN DEAGON Analysis of data is all in the eye of the beholder. And when it comes to business spending on technology, the latest report from the Commerce Department suggests the glass is half full and half empty. Research firm...

Online Holiday Sales Growth Seen Falling From '03 Level; Expected To Rise 19% or 20%; As with offline retail sales, huge jump last year makes for a difficult comparison.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 1, 2004... Byline: PETE BARLAS Santa Claus will again bring tidings of joy to online retailers. But the season might not be entirely Grinch-less. Retailers can expect another record year of U.S. Internet-related sales this Christmas shopping...

QUIKSILVER INC. Huntington Beach, California; While Wall Street Catches A Wave, Apparel Firm Makes A Splash.(THE NEW AMERICA)
November 1, 2004... Byline: MARILYN ALVA When Quiksilver execs invited analysts to Southern California in July to look over their company, they wanted to provide a better understanding of the firm's culture. So they headed to the beach. Chief...

EXECUTIVE BRIEFING.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
November 1, 2004... WORK FORCE I Job Hopping Rate Executives at the high end of the pay scale are likely to have switched jobs between one and three times during the last 10 years. The most common number of job changes in a 10-year period was three,...

Spending Boosts Bottom Line; Community events, charitable giving key to Clif Bar's marketing strategy.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: MARILYN MUCH Last month, 300 fans gathered at the Berkeley, Calif., headquarters of Clif Bar to meet 2004 Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Tyler Hamilton. The energy and nutrition bar maker sponsored the soiree to raise...

Tame The Ego To Achieve Greatness.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)(REAL SOLUTIONS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: Morey Stettner When Dave Anderson ran a large car dealership group, he'd return from a day off to find employees lining up to see him. They needed to ask his permission and get his approval. He knew something was wrong. "I...

Learning To Avoid Ethical Lapses.(MANAGING FOR SUCCESS)(REAL SOLUTIONS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: Morey Stettner For Herb Baum, corporate ethics boil down to a series of questions. As long as employees treat these questions seriously and answer them honestly, their openness and truthfulness will strengthen the organization. ...

MED BRIEFS.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
November 1, 2004... Stress Can Lead To Memory Loss Stress that's out of a person's control activates an enzyme in the brain called Protein Kinase C and can lead to short-term memory loss, says a study in the journal Science. PKC also is linked to...

FDA Moves Closer To Beefing Up Low-Carb Standards; New Rules On The Way; Advisory panel member says focus is on defining various product claims.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(Q & A)
November 1, 2004... Byline: AMY REEVES The average shopper trying to watch his carbohydrates faces a profusion of labels: low carb, reduced carb, net carb, carb conscious, carb aware. What does it all mean? At present, not much. Because the low-carb craze...

Osteoporosis Drug Targets Patients Who'd Rather Quit; Monthly Tablet Awaits Review; Roche, Glaxo medicine has potential, but it also will face tough competition.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
November 1, 2004... Byline: GLORIA LAU Every year, thousands of people quit taking their osteoporosis drugs. Half of them quit because of the side effects. The other half quit because they don't see any benefits. A new bone-building drug under...

Blood Tests For Every Client Type; Immucor Inc.; Norcross, Ga. immucor.com.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(UNDER THE MICROSCOPE)
November 1, 2004... Byline: Marilyn Much Officials at Immucor aim to automate the job of analyzing blood at as many hospitals and labs as they can. The key is to keep churning out new products. Immucor makes automated systems and reagents to test blood...

Market-Leading Medical Stocks.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)
November 1, 2004... 1AmedisysOutpnt/Home CareAMED31.08-7.429897A1914468.277 The home health service provider has 79 offices in the South and Southeast. It derived 91% of 2003 revenue from Medicare sources. 2Arrhythmia Research...

Distribution Season Brings Tax Sting; But No Repeat Of 2000; In spite of accumulated losses, expect a modest rise in cap-gain payouts.(FUNDS & PERSONAL FINANCE)
November 1, 2004... Byline: PAUL KATZEFF Insult is about to follow injury. It's bad enough that you've had to put up with a so-so year of market performance. Now you have to brace for an expected rise in stock fund capital gain distributions. Your only...

Havana Hobnail Boot.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... Cuba: The communist regime is in the process of eliminating the U.S. dollar from the country. Did Fidel Castro hurt his head in that now-famous fall? Maybe, but who'd know? El Jefe has rarely acted rationally since he stopped the clock in...

"Today' Does Its Part.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... Media: CBS' overt effort to influence the election with the report on lost explosives was too much even for NBC, which felt obliged to correct it. But NBC couldn't resist subtler forms of influence. Did we say "subtler"? Try "ham-handed."...

Free At Last.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... Election: What do Bill Clinton and Mary Cheney have in common? Both have been exploited by the Kerry campaign to prevent a political sea change -- George Bush being re-elected by the African-American vote. When both John Edwards and John...

Wrong Then, Wrong Now.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... Decision '04: For most Americans, the key issue in this election is the war on terror and who should lead it. Only one candidate, in our view, has the temperament, character and experience to do it. It's not John Kerry. Were this a normal...

Bush's Crusade Same As 1095's: Mass Madness.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(ON THE LEFT)
November 1, 2004... Byline: RICHARD COHEN I do not write the headlines for my columns. Someone else does. But if I were to write the headline for this one it would be, "Impeach George Bush." Of course, I realize there's no chance Congress would impeach...

Acknowledging Bush's Big Win In Afghanistan.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(ON THE RIGHT)
November 1, 2004... Byline: CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER In the 1990s, Afghanistan was allowed to fall to the Taliban and become the global center for the training, indoctrination and seeding of jihadists around the world -- including the mass murderers of 9-11. ...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... What's Good For The Goose . . . I noticed your shot of Jean Francois decked out in camos with an over-under shotgun (Issues & Insights-photograph, Tuesday). Maybe he shot that goose, maybe he didn't. I also noticed he wasn't the one...

Kerry's Cherry-Picking Of Statistics To Make Bush Look Bad Is The Pits.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(VIEWPOINT)
November 1, 2004... Byline: ALAN REYNOLDS Sen. Kerry's last-minute campaign pitch claims that "over the last four years . . . wages of the average family have fallen $1,500." Yet that figure does not refer to wages, or to four years, or to families, or to any...

Who's Who In Coal And Alternative Energy Stocks ranked by a combined EPS and Relative Strength.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)
November 1, 2004... 1Alliance Res.ARLP999557.66846.6621.213388.6123819.3 Tulsa, Okla. Sells coal to major utilities with plants in the Midwest and Maryland. 2Fording CanadianFDG979658.22806.51134.86840.21110016.8 Calgary, Alberta. Holds all the shares...

Coal Producers Still Smokin'; Amid oil crunch, cost-effective energy remains No. 1 source of electricity.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(COAL)
November 1, 2004... Byline: JED GRAHAM If Saudi Arabia is the central bank of the world's oil industry, then the U.S. could be called the Federal Reserve of coal supplies. And while that title might not carry the same cachet, the value of coal is...

Clean Energy Options Get Government Boost; Wind power now nearly as cheap as other forms; solar panels make gains.(INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT)(ALTERNATIVE ENERGY)
November 1, 2004... Byline: JED GRAHAM With oil prices above $50 a barrel and natural gas prices at near-record levels, the spotlight is shining on renewable sources of energy. While the industry has made great strides since Jimmy Carter had solar panels...

Internet Plays Cropping Up Among Leaders.(THE IBD 100)(INSIDE THE IBD 100)
November 1, 2004... Byline: NANCY GONDO Internet stocks, the Wall Street darlings of the late '90s, crashed and burned after the tech bubble burst. But a handful of Nets make the IBD 100 list. Is the phoenix emerging from the ashes? Not exactly. While the...

THE IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
November 1, 2004... 1TravelzooTZOO69.25-10999999+300+300+600+997220911 Internet travel firm finds support at 50-day average. Triple-digit growth accelerating past 3 qtrs. 2Chicago Merc XchngCME175.7+1999998+73+85+75+43243767 Sales, profit growth...

Synaptics Has The Right Touch With IPods, Rival Music Players.(THE IBD 100)
November 1, 2004... Byline: NANCY GONDO When Apple Computer's iPods fly off shelves, it's music to Synaptics' ears. The San Jose, Calif.-based company makes the technology behind the MP3 music player's touch wheel, which lets users quickly find, play or...

IBD'S WEEK IN REVIEW.(THE IBD 100)
November 1, 2004... Oil Takes Biggest Fall In Two Months 1Oil prices bounced higher Friday following two days of sharp declines that came on the heels of rising inventories of crude in the U.S. and a move by China to cool its economy. For the week, near-term...

THE IBD 100.(THE IBD 100)
November 1, 2004... 51United IndustrialUIC32.00-11979595..+133..+27368184 Defense systems supplier completed $120 mil offering in Sept. Plans purchases, share buybacks. 52Penn Natl GamingPENN41.53-4989593+43+27+78+7217200 Horse track, casino operator...

Analyze, Profit From IBD's Market Charts.(GENERAL MARKET & SECTORS)
November 1, 2004... Analyzing the price and volume changes in the major market averages each day is essential to successful investing. They reveal major tops and bottoms in the stock market. Most stocks follow the general market's trend. They tend to rise...

Use Weekly Chart To Add Shares At Pullbacks To The 10-Week Line.(MAKING MONEY)(INVESTOR'S CORNER)
November 1, 2004... Byline: NANCY GONDO If you didn't buy enough shares of a strong stock at its breakout, don't fret. You could get a second or third chance during some pullbacks to the 50-day moving average, if you diligently track the daily chart. You...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Quiet Day Ends Bullish Week For NYSE Stocks.(MAKING MONEY)
November 1, 2004... Byline: JONAH KERI NYSE stocks ticked up Friday in lower volume, capping a bullish week. The Dow and S&P 500 both rose 0.2% for the day, while the small-cap S&P 600 eased 0.1%. For the week, the S&P 500 gained 3.1%, the S&P 600 3%, the...

United Defense Forms Fresh, Flat Pattern.(B)(NYSE STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: Jonah Keri United Defense Industries has found support at or above its 200-day moving average every step of the way since April 2003. The stock has formed a tight, flat pattern above its consolidation from earlier this year, this...

THE REAL MOST ACTIVE Nasdaq Marks Highest Weekly Close Since July.(B)
November 1, 2004... Byline: CRAIG SHAW Techs ended flat Friday in cautious trade ahead of Tuesday's presidential election. The Nasdaq and large-cap Nasdaq 100 each edged down less than a point. For the week, the composite index gained 3.1% while marking...

Network Appliance Takes Rest Near High.(B)(NASDAQ STOCKS IN THE NEWS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: Craig Shaw Network Appliance climbed within 5% of its November 2003 52-week high on Oct. 4. Since then the stock has drifted downward on quiet volume. It hasn't posted an up week on above-average trade since mid-August, a possible...

IBD'S 20 RULES FOR INVESTMENT SUCCESS.(THE SMART INVESTOR)
November 1, 2004... A vital point is these rules are not based on our personal opinion, our beliefs or those of Wall Street's analysts and experts. Investor's Business Daily built models of the most successful stocks and investors of the last half-century. We...

Fiber Optics Carried SDL To Huge Returns.(THE SMART INVESTOR)(WINNING WAYS)
November 1, 2004... Byline: KEN HOOVER Bandwidth was the buzzword in 1998. There wasn't enough of it for the fast-growing Internet. There was an insatiable demand for faster connections. And investors couldn't get enough of companies that had anything to do...

Bush, Kerry Wrap Up Furious Campaigning With Race All But Tied; Final Sweep Of Swing States; If you squint, Bush leads, but turnout will be key; GOP to retain Congress.(A)
November 2, 2004... Byline: BRIAN MITCHELL The race for the White House ended Monday with a 16-hour race by both candidates through the handful of states still too close to call. President Bush bolted through five battleground states -- Ohio,...

State Voter Referendums Cover Gay Marriage, Stem Cells, Taxes; Gambling, prostitution among 163 measures; many key votes in Calif.(A)
November 2, 2004... Byline: SEAN HIGGINS Voters head to the polls today to pick their elected officials. In many states, those same voters are cutting out the middleman and making policy themselves via referendums and initiatives. In all, 163 measures...

IBD'S TOP 10.(A)
November 2, 2004... Close Race Tightens At The Wire 1Gallup put President Bush and John Kerry at 49%-49%, the first tie it's found in a presidential race. Others saw Bush's slight edge narrowing. RealClear Politics' 3-way poll avg. shrank to a 1.2% Bush lead...

AFTER THE CLOSE.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... IMCLONE rose after Medicare officials proposed paying for some colon cancer drugs, including ImClone Systems' Erbitux and Genentech's Avastin, when used during clinical studies to treat other kinds of cancer. FOREST LABS cut its '05 profit...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... TECHNOLOGY Giants advised to carve up 'ware Enterprise software makers must break up their all-in-one products into smaller packages to remain competitive, consultancy Gartner said. Firms like SAP, IBM, Oracle and Microsoft also should...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... MEDICAL Merck said to hide Vioxx concerns The pharmaceutical giant fell 10% to 28.28 after a news report said as early as '00 Merck knew its arthritis drug Vioxx was linked to heart problems. The Wall Street Journal cited internal...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... ENERGY Valero to buy petrol storage firms The independent petroleum refiner agreed to pay $2.3 bil for Kaneb Services and Kaneb Pipe Line Partners. Valero has offered to pay $43.31 a share in cash for Kaneb Services and $61.50 a share...

BUSINESS BRIEFS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... INTERNET Travelzoo spikes on short squeeze The Internet travel site surged 28% to 88.48 on over 3 times average volume as short-sellers whose strategy had been foiled by Travelzoo's run-up were forced to buy shares. About 80% of the...

THE ECONOMY.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... Construction outlays flat in Sept. Construction spending was nearly unchanged, dipping to $1,013.9 bil at an annual rate from $1,0134.0 bil in Aug. Wall Street had expected a 0.5% rise. Spending was up 8.9% from a year ago. In Sept.,...

IN BRIEF.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... Accredo Health, which provides medical treatment services for the chronically ill, earned 32 cents a share ex items in Q1, down 11% and 4 cents under views. Revenue rose 24% to $416.1 mil. Accredo Health backed its June '05 profit forecast....

NATION.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... Judges prohibit party challengers In separate rulings, two U.S. judges blocked an Ohio law allowing political parties to station people at polls to challenge voters' eligibility. They said poll workers should decide eligibility and the...

WORLD.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... Ukraine vote heads to 2nd round Viktor Yushchenko, who favors closer ties with Europe, won 40% of the vote while the pro-Moscow Viktor Yanukovich garnered 38%. Turnout was heavy, but international observers say the election did not meet...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... Bacteria killers avoid antibiotics Researchers have developed 2 methods of fighting infection without antibiotics. Experts fear overuse of antibiotics is leading to drug-resistant superbugs. Rockefeller University scientists said one...

TRENDS & INNOVATIONS.(TO THE POINT)
November 2, 2004... ** Drug-releasing contact lenses have been developed by nanoengineers in Singapore, reports the New Scientist. The lenses are designed to treat eye diseases like glaucoma in a better manner than drops, where much of the drug escapes the eye....

Future Financial Fitness.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)
November 2, 2004... Byline: Adelia Cellini Linecker 7 Retirement planning for the self-employed used to be complicated -- many people ignored it altogether to keep their businesses alive and growing. But self-employed folks can and should plan for their...

The "Everyday Design' Pioneer; Innovate: Vassos strove to turn commonplace items into works of art.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)
November 2, 2004... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Can art be practical? John Vassos thought so. And that's exactly how he approached his work. Everything was fodder for Vassos, and he put no limits on the items he undertook. The industrial design pioneer's...

SGI, IBM Wrest Lead From NEC; Truly Super Computers; Machine that performs 42.7 trillion calculations per second heats up field.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 2, 2004... Byline: KEN SPENCER BROWN Gentlemen, start your programs. The race to build the world's brawniest computer, all but ceded to Japan's NEC over the past two years, is on again as two U.S. firms claim those bragging rights. In...

SBC, Dish Partnership Hits A Potential Bump; Fiber Vs. Satellite TV; Phone company's efforts to provide its own video creates possible conflict.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 2, 2004... Byline: REINHARDT KRAUSE EchoStar's relationship with phone company SBC Communications is showing strains. SBC invested $500 million in EchoStar last year. In early 2004, SBC began reselling EchoStar's pay-TV service in areas where SBC...

17 Months Later, Oracle Makes "Absolute' Final PeopleSoft Bid; Raised To $24/Share From $21; Many analysts calling latest proposal probably the most likely to wed longtime rivals.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 2, 2004... Byline: J. BONASIA Oracle raised the stakes Monday in its long battle to buy PeopleSoft by sweetening its offer to $24 a share from $21, or to $9.2 billion from $7.7 billion. Many Wall Street analysts said the time was right for Oracle...

Software Helping To Clear Up Terrorist Watch Lists.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(Q & A)
November 2, 2004... Byline: DOUG TSURUOKA There have been fumbles in the war on terror. One common flub: Airport security guards stop innocent people after their names or data match those of known terrorists. Problems often result from security officers...

Forget Your Wallet? Use Your Cell Phone; Trend Evolves In Japan, Korea; Wireless carriers hope idea will boost customer loyalty; U.S. adoption may be slow.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)
November 2, 2004... Byline: MIKE ANGELL With credit cards, debit cards and ATM cards, it's not as if we need more ways to spend money. But now here comes the cell phone. Japan's largest wireless carrier, NTT DoCoMo, and South Korea's SK Telecom are...

AMERICAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS INC. Minnetonka, Minnesota; Approval Should Pay Off For Medical Supplier.(THE NEW AMERICA)
November 2, 2004... Byline: MARILYN MUCH When American Medical in May got regulatory approval on new treatments for pelvic floor defects in women, it added a potent weapon to its arsenal of health products. The company makes treatments for incontinence,...

Foreign Funds Face Uncertain Waters; Oil Prices Are Pivotal; International markets expected to slow after big run-up of last year.(MUTUAL FUNDS)(INVESTMENT TRENDS)
November 2, 2004... Byline: MURRAY COLEMAN So far this year, the average foreign mutual fund has outperformed its U.S.-focused counterpart. Whether that trend continues depends largely on the direction of the dollar and such key commodities as oil. Many...

A Kerry Endorsement.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2004... Election '04: Last week's release of the Osama bin Laden tape provided some startling insight into the Kerry-Edwards campaign. What we saw is a disgrace. Itching to make political hay, the Democracy Corps, which works side by side with...

Let The Data Talk.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2004... Campaign '04: Conventional wisdom says President Bush is vulnerable to John Kerry on the economy. It must be true, because the big media keep repeating it. As usual, the reality is something quite different. We've been genuinely astounded...

. . . At Least Not Yet.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2004... Voting: What really threatens American democracy? Fraud and error are problems, but the pursuit of perfect elections through the courts only makes matters worse. By now, with more than two centuries of practice, one would think the U.S....

This Is Not Sierra Leone . . .(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)
November 2, 2004... Democracy: The U.S. is about to join the ranks of countries whose elections have been scrutinized by international observers on the theory that foreigners are more qualified than U.S. citizens to police U.S. elections. Though the U.S. is...

Nation He Led After 9-11 Now Only A Faction.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(ON THE LEFT)
November 2, 2004... Byline: E.J. DIONNE JR. George W. Bush once had a chance to be looking forward to a landslide victory on Tuesday and a nation committed to standing together in defeating terrorism. Instead, the president is perilously close to defeat....

Stocks As Hazy As Major Polls On Vote Result.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(ON THE RIGHT)
November 2, 2004... Byline: LAWRENCE KUDLOW As more Americans have come to own stocks over the past 20 years, the stock market itself has become a leading indicator of presidential elections. One rule of thumb in this investor polling experiment is that a...

LETTERS.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(Letter to the Editor)
November 2, 2004... Arafat Defined Now I know why Richard Cohen is so committed to Sen. John Kerry. In "Jewish Voters' Bottom Line: Tally The Dead" (On The Left, Oct. 26), he argues both for and against what didn't work during the Clinton years. On one...