Friday -- Last Day Of January

Active rigs:

	1/31/2014	01/31/2013	01/31/2012	01/31/2011	01/31/2010
Active Rigs	190	185	204	163	90

RBN Energy: a brief history of hydraulic fracturing.

The Wall Street Journal

US says Syria delaying disarmament. I'm shocked! I'm shocked!

US starts to hit growth stride. I guess that's why the DOW is down 150 points in pre-market futures.

Looks like bondholders will get the short end of the stick (again). Detroit debt proposal favors pension plans.

Relief for kids with peanut allergy. Children with peanut allergies who were fed small but escalating amounts of peanut flour were able to eat a significant quantity of peanuts with no reaction, a new study found.

I love the euphemism ("misstatement"): Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis finds herself on the defensive amid criticism that she has exaggerated her story of being a single mom who rose from a trailer park to Harvard Law School. I don't even know where to begin.

Amazon posted a big jump in revenue but the results missed estimates. Result: shares plummet.

The Los Angeles Times

Anthem will raise premiums as much as 25%: up to 365,000 Californians with older, individual Anthem health insurance policies -- unchanged by Obamacare -- are subject to the rate increases. There are two story lines here that probably aren't discussed: a) the insurance industry is now starting to get bashed, as predicted, taking the heat for Obamacare; and, b) they are raising the prices because these older policies are needed to subsidize the newer policies required by Obamacare. The LA Times is technically correct: the premiums are not increasing because th policies have changed to comply with Obamacare, but rather to help subsidize Obamacare in gneral. By the way, why are these older policies allowed if they don't meet Obamacare requirements?

Walter and Kathy Warner of Westlake Village are facing a 25% rate increase, for a total of $1,822 per month. Their premiums had already jumped 53% since 2010, not including this latest change.

The California Department of Insurance and the state Department of Managed Health Care are reviewing Anthem's proposed increase, and they are awaiting additional information from the company. Anthem is a unit of WellPoint Inc., the nation's second-largest health insurer.

The Affordable Care Act makes it easier for people in this situation to switch coverage because insurers can no longer deny applicants on the basis of preexisting conditions or charge them more because of their medical history. But changing plans isn't an appealing option for some consumers who like the benefits they have now and worry about losing access to their doctors.

Anthem Blue Cross said its plan to raise rates reflects that escalating healthcare costs are an economic reality industrywide. The company said customers do have new options thanks to the healthcare law.