One problem (there are many, many others) is that all kinds of complicated rules shave off so much of the return in those good stock-market year that the protection in bad years comes at a very stiff price.

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It's also bad for the country, long-term, because all the evidence suggests that individuals who have a period of unemployment at the start of their working life pay a heavy price for that bad luck.

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If that large patch of atmosphere were over Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, or some other remote but volcanic region, the uncertainty would not be so bad, as it could, at a price, simply be skirted round.

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And, precisely because it is such a restricted and secretive market, it is bad at price-setting.

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We have to say that for a phone at this price point, it really isn't bad looking.

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Shares of Scotts Miracle Gro have a 1.7% dividend yield, and trade at 14 times 2012 earnings, not bad for a company that has a 1.58 price to earnings growth ratio.

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Because we are the ones who pay the price for the industry's bad decisions, we deserve a seat at the table.

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