Significant Scandal May 7, 2013August 11, 2013 Yikes. Forgot to click PUBLISH last night. So this is today’s AND tomorrow’s. A couple of stock updates at the end. #43 Jeff Cox: “I have to disagree with your assertion that Paul Krugman ‘nails it.’ George W. Bush was not ‘arguably the worst’ president ever. He was indisputably the worst.” #10 Rhode Island last week became #10 to affirm marriage equality (#11 if you count the District of Columbia*) and the Bishop of Providence is not pleased. Writes Mary Elizabeth Williams in Salon: . . . In a seriously buzzkill message, Bishop Thomas Tobin issued a pastoral letter to his brothers and sisters in the Ocean State suggesting they might want to decline invitations once same-sex marriage becomes official in August. . . . “Catholics should examine their consciences very carefully before deciding whether or not to attend same-sex ceremonies, realizing that to do so might harm their relationship with God and cause significant scandal to others.” Well, if anybody would be an authority on significant scandal, I’d bet it’d be a Roman Catholic priest. . . . Tobin is a product of a specific system and represents its ideology, to which he has to conform. It’s worth pointing out, however, that the Church can and does reverse itself, which will someday soon make Tobin’s comments look especially absurd. After all, in 1965 it stopped blaming all the Jews for killing Jesus. Just six years ago it decided that unbaptized babies might actually go to heaven. And a mere 359 years after branding him a heretic, the Church decided maybe it had been a little hasty regarding Galileo. . . . #2 Turns out, Jason Collins is the second out pro ballplayer in one of the four major sports — the Atlantic recounts the earlier history here. But how hugely great that Collins has taken this step . . . read his now-famous Sports Illustrated story here . . . and that the reaction from the two-highest ranking basketball fans in America, NBA Commissioner David Stern (“we are proud he has assumed the leadership mantle on this very important issue”) and USA President Barack Obama (“I’m very proud of him“) — not to mention from dozens of other pro athletes and millions of fans — has been so positive. ZERO Two of our speculations, DCTH and TTNP, have cratered recently, dropping nearly to zero. Not quite what we had hoped or Guru had expected, reemphasizing that these are speculations, to be bought only with money you can truly afford to lose. (Our ROIC warrants, by contrast, suggested at 27 cents and $1, closed last night at $3.28. So not every speculation goes bad.) Anyway, with the usual caveats, Guru suggests KYTH may rise from under $22.7 to $35 or more, and NKTR from $10.30 to $15 or more, both in the next few months, so I bought a little of each. Meanwhile, SIGA had an investor call that at least one of you found quite positive. I hold on to this speculation with high hopes. * No one does seem to count D.C., even though it is home to more people, actually, than Vermont or Wyoming, each of which has as many Senators as California. D.C. has no votes in either the House or Senate. Little Delaware, meanwhile, became the 11th state to approve marriage equality yesterday (or 12th if you count the District of Columbia).