ramping up the dialogue: Adam Wasserman

Meet the Bloggers » Blog Archive » Twitter Updates for 2008-03-25--George is using Twitter now to "live blog" the MeetTheBloggers interviews. It's good to have this immediate input and posting of content, to be followed a bit later by the posts of people in attendance, like the Equanimous Philosopher, to be followed still later by the permanently posted podcast itself.

And, just as our methods for ramping up the dialogue continue to gain traction and speed, our new participants in the dialogue continue to show more promise and receptivity. The Adam Wasserman interview should be enlightening to many and give hope to all who value candor and truth in the public space. Adam has a refreshing perspective, and I expect George will have the podcast up soon; it was a good sit that needs sharing as quickly as possible.

I shrugged and said what the heck

Ayn Rand’s Literature of Capitalism - New York Times -- I confess that I haven't read any Ayn Rand straight through. I tried years ago, and it didn't speak to me, so whichever work it was never got finished. Reading this reprise by the NYT, I think her writing might be a propos to the times we're in now, so I'll be picking up a copy of Atlas Shrugged soon. One of our very good friends down in Worthington tells us it was a seminal influence on his life and his career, and we think he's done a good job of balancing spirituality and money.

shazam--Google's at it again

Google Finance -- Somehow, this morning, this Google page popped up for me as I was going to check things out at the new American Skandia site. It's actually a very nice, clean, clear presentation, very much like things we now pay for as services. Google's at it again, delivering value at no monetary charge. Enjoy.

discover the tales money can tell?

Press Release FRB Cleveland --Discover the tales money can tell; Cleveland is first to host traveling exhibit on world money. I happened to be "following the money" and came upon this press release from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland about an exhibit running for another couple of weeks. Here's the info. I was wondering, how does the FRB rate being a dot.org? Aren't they really a private bank?

Be part of a first! The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland's Learning Center and Money Museum is the first organization to host Money of the World Today: A Portrait of Global Society. The exhibit, containing coins, currency, and artifacts from 192 countries, is on loan from the American Numismatic Association Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The special exhibit - which opens to the public today, and runs through July 12, 2007 - is full of fascinating facts and appealing displays. Visitors may be surprised at what a country's cash reveals about its art, geography, history, and languages. As they "journey" to each country, they will meet heroes, visit landmarks and landscapes, and explore other cultures.

Children visiting the exhibit can also participate in a scavenger hunt. They will receive a Money of the World Today passport and a brief list of questions. As they search through the displays for answers to the questions, children will learn about the history, economics, people, and geography of the countries that they are "visiting." Once they have completed their tour and turned in their answers, they will get their passport stamped - just like true world travelers!

Admission is free. The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday (closed holidays). Groups of 10 or more, must call ahead for reservations.

The exhibit is a special addition to the Learning Center and Money Museum's 30 interactive exhibits and displays that focus on what gives money value. The Learning Center is open year-round, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday (closed holidays).

For more information, call 216.579.3188 or click www.clevelandfed.org/learningcenter/moneyoftheworld.cfm

politics pays

Obama is the poor man among the top tier contenders Chicago Tribune -- In case anybody is still wondering why people have become so embroiled in politics, the simple answer is that it pays, as this article points out. It's incredible how much money the political dialogue attracts lately, and the amount seems to be growing exponentially. There are great gobs of money sloshing around the beltway, and I'm beginning to wonder whether this is a healthy concentration of assets. What is being produced? What do "we the people" have to show for it all? Are we being used? Where are the cost/benefit ratios?

Bill Gross juxtaposes Second Life with Walden Pond

The U.S. housing market’s grim reality - InvestmentNews -- Bill Gross, the former card-counter, expelled from the casinos to find that better life at PIMCO, is also an entertaining writer. In this piece about grim housing realities, he brings in the fact that he's an Apple guy, knows about meteverses, Second Life, and avatars, then contrasts the present day with the classical past, and finally compares it all to the housing, lending, and bond markets. With a mind that can take so many different perspectives and metaphors on a few different levels and meld them together into a cogent set of useful ideas, he shows us why he has few equals in the bond business.

There's an expanded article here.

government & nonprofit reps now fly to the rescue of more banks

Banks have a confirmed commitment to the city--In yesterday's Letters to the Editor in the PD, two of our representatives, one from the government and the other from the nonprofit sector, flew to the rescue of still more banks, citing specific nice little things these other banks do and why they should have a bigger share of whatever City-of-Cleveland preferences shifted to KeyBank a few days ago. Joe Cimperman and Ann Zoller cite a few instances of bank beneficence, but then Joe goes on to begin to start to get around to getting to a key point:

This picture of those two banks is different from the one painted by an outdated city administration formula that doesn't tell the true story. Cleveland's needs change daily. So must its relationships with financial partners. To continue to grade on a scale that does not reflect the banks' support of community needs sends the wrong message. We must recognize when institutions serve our community in ways that mean real quality-of-life improvements for all Clevelanders.

First of all, is there a formula, is this preferential-treatment-of-banks thing actually quantified, and who has seen it lately? Does this formula have at the top of the list the amount that the institution expects to pay the city on the deposits? The term and liquidity of the deposits? The ratings of the institution to hold the deposits, and the default insurance available per account? The ability to provide multiple accounts and also good accountability? The percentage of employees who actually live in Cleveland proper (no municipal income tax recripocity) and the payroll specifically attributable to those employees? The dollar amount of mortgage loans let out, with an offset for sloppy lending practices evidenced by foreclosures? A benevolent practice of cashing government and payroll checks for ordinary people with small or no accounts, so they aren't forced to go to the high-fee check-cashing gouge joints?

Way after all these things, we can list the actual amounts the banks give to city politicians and to the nonprofits, to make sure nobody is buying the business, and the amount of fees they use as incentives for the nonprofits to promote their banking products. Anything over $50 should be accounted for, just like our former governor's golf perks.

We need lots of analysis and then transparency and accountability, so that we can proceed to talk intelligently about who gets what city-deposit business, and how much.

Key in distress, and here comes Cleveland to the rescue

For banks, it pays off to reinvest in the city--As you saw a few days ago, Richard Cordray began taking KeyBank to task for putting its interests ahead of those of the rest of us. Well, lo and behold, here comes Key's champion to the rescue, taking money out of the other banks and shifting it over to KeyBank.

Cleveland stripped millions of dollars in deposits from National City and Charter One banks on Tuesday, citing the lenders for not doing enough to help city residents and businesses.

I wonder how those "city-assigned" rankings were determined. From the article, it appears that a few other people are wondering that, too. I wish Sharon Dumas, the finance director for the city, were more forthcoming with details. For instance, I think bank ratings and overall financials would play a huge part in the selection of a place for our community deposits, but I don't see that mentioned anywhere. One of the criteria, having a lot of branches in the city, might be a sign of bad management and too much overhead, for instance, and I haven't noticed the rates at KeyBank on consumer loans being any more competitive than those anywhere else. Did they identify and then count in the check-cashing storefronts with relationships to KeyCorp, and assess a penalty for parasitic activity?

Also, where is the mention of foreclosure rates and amounts here? I know Key has moved aggressively to cover its own assets in our neighborhood. Is there a foreclosure offset or penalty calculated in?

Is there any talk of what interest rate the banks will pay the city? Are our government employees here, Sharon Dumas and Ken Silliman, acting in the best interest of their fellow citizens if they don't try to maximize earnings? I know of common opportunities where plain old deposit money earns between 4.5% and 5%, yet all I see here is the use of some vague "profit" estimate, where each bank makes 3.5 cents profit per hundred dollars of deposits. First of all, what does this mean? Why are we talking about what the bank makes? Shouldn't we be talking about what the city makes? Quickly, $111,000,000 times the average of say, 4.75% is $5,272,500.

The biggest banks, like those who hold Cleveland's money, made about 3.5 cents profit on every $100 of deposits in 2006, according to data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which regulates them.

Is there talk anywhere else of the deposit insurance, the FDIC coverage, available per account? Again, I know of a common opportunity where the FDIC coverage is $1,200,000 per registration, but has anybody looked into that, in these times when banks earnings are down and they're straining under a heavy load? Is this a time when we should be consolidating our city money in one place, or is it a time when we should be spreading it out more?

Are we doing the right things with our city money, for the right reasons, for the right people?

Oops--almost forgot. Do you think one of the litmus tests could be how many bank executives you find in the city after the sun goes down?

how did we ever miss this one?

Questions for Suze Orman - She's So Money - Deborah Solomon - New York Times -- So who needs the the Harvard Lampoon or the National Lampoon or the Enquirer any more, with this sort of material in the straight-up news? This Deborah Solomon is one skilled interviewer, and this is a marvelous exchange. Even though it speaks for itself, have some fun and read it aloud. The bold type is Deborah, all the rest is the tough but virginal Suze.

Q: As one of the most widely read financial gurus of our time, why would you write a book like “Women and Money,” which is based on the regressive premise that women are birdbrains when it comes to managing money? I would think women are better at saving than men. No, they save and then they give it to their best friends, who need it. They give it to their children, who need it. They give it all away once they’ve saved it.

Isn’t that admirable? That depends on what it leaves them with. It’s not admirable when it leaves them with nothing. I want to change women from savers to investors. I do think eventually they should all have Roth I.R.A.’s. You don’t want an I.R.A. You want a Roth I.R.A., if you qualify.

I know. I read the book. Did you like it?

I found it a little basic. I can’t believe you thought it was simplistic. You are in denial. For instance, do you have a will and a living revocable trust in place?

No. Oh, my God! Actuarially speaking, your husband will die before you. That’s actuarially speaking. Your husband, let’s say, has just died. You now are by yourself. You have a stroke. You’re totally incapacitated. It’s reality. It happens. Who is going to be able to write your bills for you and take care of the money you have?

Do we have to decide this right now? Girlfriend, you don’t have a healthy relationship with yourself or your money. You put yourself on sale. You have shame, and you have blame. You view money differently because you are a woman.

Is this what feminism has bestowed upon women? The right to berate other women? Women don’t understand money. They will go into debt to pay for this and that.

Are you married? I’m in a relationship with life. My life is just out there. I’m on the road every day. I love my life.

Meaning what? Do you live with anyone? K.T. is my life partner. K.T. stands for Kathy Travis. We’re going on seven years. I have never been with a man in my whole life. I’m still a 55-year-old virgin.

Would you like to get married to K.T.? Yes. Absolutely. Both of us have millions of dollars in our name. It’s killing me that upon my death, K.T. is going to lose 50 percent of everything I have to estate taxes. Or vice versa.

How much are you worth these days? One journalist estimated my liquid net worth at $25 million. That’s pretty close. My houses are worth another $7 million.

What are your qualifications for giving financial advice, which you do in your books, your column in Oprah’s magazine and your CNBC television show? For seven years after college, I was a waitress at the Buttercup Bakery in Berkeley, and from there I got a job at Merrill Lynch as an account executive, from where I went to vice president of investments for Prudential-Bache Securities. I started my own firm in 1987.

Do you enjoy spending money? Oh, yes. My greatest pleasure is still flying private. I spend between $300,000 to $500,000, depending on my year, on flying private.

What do you do with the rest of your money? Save it and build it in municipal bonds. I buy zero-coupon municipal bonds, and all the bonds I buy are triple-A-rated and insured so that even if the city goes under, I get my money. I take a little lower interest rate to make sure my bonds are 100 percent safe and sound.

Do you play the stock market at all? I have a million dollars in the stock market, because if I lose a million dollars, I don’t personally care.

Verizon implies, Vonage denies

Vonage VoIP Forum Digest, February 22, 2007--we use Vonage and Skype for all business and personal calls and subscribe to an internet fax service; all of things are made possible by Time-Warner service on a cable modem. Our average monthly bill went in mid-2005 from around $350 a month to about $130 a month, and the base rates haven't risen since. Our totals including the fax service (Send2fax) still hover around $150. Here's the dispute as framed by both sides, succinctly:

Vonage Denies Verizon's Charges

Vonage and Verizon started courtroom proceedings in Verizon's patent suit against Vonage.

Verizon, which is asking for $197 million, says Vonage is infringing on a total of five Verizon patents for billing and fraud detection in services such as call forwarding and voicemail, as well as for the use of Wi-Fi handsets in a VoIP network.. Vonage denies all these claims.

"Vonage, using our patented technology, is able to lure customers away from our landline service," Verizon lawyer Daniel Webb told the jury in opening arguments of a two-week trial in Alexandria, Virginia. "That's what this case is all about."

Not only does Vonage deny infringing on these patents, but they also deny the "luring" charge.

"Verizon has lost millions of customers, and they've lost them for a variety of reasons, not because of Vonage," Vonage attorney Roger E. Warin, said to the jury. "This case is about choice and competition, which should be decided in the marketplace not the courtroom," he said.

nouveau pentamillionaire classification

Nouveau riche can say ‘thank you’ to their advisers - InvestmentNews-- Here's a little bit different perspective on things happening out in the economy at large. Investment News come to us from the same people who bring us Crain's.

The number of millionaire households in the U.S. is soaring, and many have their financial advisers to thank for their newfound wealth.
There were 5.4 million millionaire households in 2006, compared to 3.5 million in 2003 — an increase of 56% — according to a study of U.S. Census Bureau and other data released this month by Phoenix Marketing International in Rhinebeck, N.Y.
“About 70% of affluent households use financial advisers,” said David Thompson, vice president and managing director of Phoenix. Advisers who diversify client assets cause “a multiplier effect” on the growth of household investment portfolios, he added.
In fact, there are now so many millionaires — defined as households with at least $1 million in investible assets — that it’s not very unusual to be one. So Phoenix also tracks pentamillionaire households — those with at least $5 million in investible assets. There were about 755,000 of those last year, up 47% from 514,000 in 2003.
Advisers getting their clients into investments that can “maximize market gains” — including hedge funds, private equity and venture capital — also helped expand the millionaire demographic, said Mr. Thompson.
Portfolio growth cannot be attributed solely to the rising stock market, as the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index gained only about 30% during the period studied, he noted.

finally, we're talking about getting our money back

The Daily Bellwether: Ohio's New Bills in the Hopper--It's so great to hear somebody talking about stripping away the protections that allow government and nonprofit swashbucklers to operate like little gangsters, and with impunity. Bob Ney's malfeasance and mendacity are beginning to turn up some positives.

But the reform proposed in SB3 -- a reform long overdue -- could go a long way toward cleaning up government. If the measure passes, a public official would forfeit a state pension upon conviction of a felony if serving in office.Call it the Bob Ney Law. The Republican Congressman from Ohio kept his retirement pay even as he went to prison after being snared in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Ney's misconduct ended with a monthly check from the taxpayers for the rest of his life. SB3 would not impact federal pensions, obviously, but it would pinch the pockets of Ohio's boodlers.

like a tumor

Clinic, city consider new Euclid Ave. traffic plan--Like a tumor, the Cleveland Clinic just continues to spread and to grow, now wanting to take out a chunk of Euclid Avenue itself. It's already been the urban renewal shill to take down a whole neighborhood, and now it wants to become a "campus" and sprawl across and overlay the existing grid of streets. ("A Clinic spokeswoman would not comment on specifics, but said the hospital wants to calm not only traffic but also the patients, employees and other pedestrians who now face an unfriendly swath of cars and concrete. "--how ghastly!)

I view this as the height of arrogance and a clear signal that they just have too much money. It's time for a redistribution. We want our money back.

The Clinic already has its own bus system (RTA's not good enough for its employees) to shuttle Clinic commuters who opt to drive to work from remote parking to their jobsite.

It already has constructed enclosed walkways from building to building (like those things we had for the kids' hamster habitat) so that Clinic commuters need never set foot on a Cleveland city street, yet alone be breathed upon by a native Clevelander, one of those quaint figures down on the sidewalk.

It's figurehead has the hyper-preppie name of Toby.

It just has too much money, and not enough sense not to press it's luck. It's grown fat on us, and now it wants to take yet more. Let's start saying "no" to any more incursions from the Clinic into our public spaces and our public purse, and let's start taking back our money, and our heritage. We've had our pockets picked long enough.

Tim Ryan and some "loud umbrage"

OPENERS: Ryan creates stir on House floor--from the PD political blog, here's some more good stuff from Tim Ryan (MTB 08/19/2006), who has a take on things that aligns fairly closely with what I consider proper and in the best interests of all of us.

Insomniacs seeking some ZZZs watching last night's House debate over
Iraq were in for a jolt when Niles Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan got hold of the mike
at around 11:40 PM.

A Republican, identified by Ryan staffers as Indiana's Steve Buyer, took loud umbrage at several points when Ryan attacked Republicans for calling his party's distaste for the war "unpatriotic." Buyer was gavelled down several times as he attempted to object to Ryan statements such as these:

"We never called the other side unpatriotic ... We've called you incompetent. We said you're incapable. And we've said you're derelict of your oversight responsiblity. But never, Mr. Speaker, have we called anyone in this House unpatriotic." When Ryan was asked whether he'd yield the floor to a parliamentary inquiry from Buyer, he snapped "I don't yield" with belligerence reminiscent of his congressional predecessor and former mentor, Jim
Traficant.

"We've heard a lot over the last couple of days about the American
Revolution, and the Civil War and World War II," Ryan concluded. "Well, Mr. Speaker, our president today is not Washington, he is not Lincoln, and he is not Roosevelt. And so I think our Republican colleagues should take the advice of the Secretary of Defense. And that's: You go to war with the president you have, you don't go to war with the president you wish you had."

To view video of his speech, click here.

regulatory price creeps piling onto the new technologies

I spent some time today on my Vonage account, waiting online for my SoftPhone to be removed from our business account--no complaints, but we just didn't use it much once Skype caught our attention.

What really caught my eye as I clicked through the invoices of the past year and a half was the steady creep of charges ancillary to the basic bill of $49.99; I assume most of them are caused by government, regulation, and lobbyists. Enlighten me, any of you, if I'm being unfair. But even more to the point, lighten my load. Here are the details of the 482% creep:

Sep 18, 2005:

• FET Tax $1.50
• Regulatory Recovery Fee $1.50
• Total added charges: $3.00

Jan 18, 2007:

• Regulatory Recovery Fee $2.97
• Emergency 911 Cost Recovery $2.97
• Sales Tax $4.95
• Federal Universal Service Fee $3.56
• Total added charges: $14.45

Democreeps already in a feeding frenzy

Democrats Seek Unpaid Taxes, Setting Up Clash - New York Times--Here's an article about the new creeps on the block already looking for more money--from waitresses, hairdressers, babysitters, handymen, web-page designers, and bloggers with ads in sidebars. Don't let them fool you that they're going after "small businesses"--their easiest marks are the sole proprietors, those who can least afford to defend themselves, who can least afford the time off to go through abusive audits. They are shameless parasites feeding on their fellow man. They are trained to harass you until it makes no sense for you to fight any more, to disallow deductions and to quibble to make their quotas, and to blindly promote the best interests of the IRS, the Treasury, and the Federal Reserve Bank as they mindlessly ruin businesses, credit, and lives, not to mention the very communities they themselves try to live in. Do you think our local COSE will take a stand for us small fry against the IRS? Here's an excerpt from the TIMES:

Congressional Democrats, hoping to finance an ambitious agenda without raising taxes, are on a collision course with the Bush administration about pursuing the potentially vast amount of money that people hide from the Internal Revenue Service. House and Senate Democrats say the government could collect as much as $100 billion more a year by whittling the tax gap — the unpaid taxes, mostly on unreported earnings, that the I.R.S. estimated was about $300 billion a year....
Based on an analysis of audited tax returns from 2001, the I.R.S. recently estimated that the government lost $290 billion that year as a result of underreporting and underpayment of taxes. More than 80 percent of that loss stemmed from underreporting by individuals, not corporations. And the biggest problems were with people in business for themselves, who earned income that was not reported to the I.R.S. on W-2 forms or on the Form 1099 that businesses file when they pay independent contractors. The I.R.S. estimated that it lost $109 billion on unreported business income, almost all of that from sole proprietors, like painters, plumbers, dry cleaners, florists, limousine drivers and restaurant owners. Small-business lobbying groups have begun to mobilize against proposals intended to reduce the tax gap. Two of the biggest trade associations in Washington, the United States Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business, organized the Coalition for Fairness in Tax Compliance in December to address lawmakers about proposals that might burden law-abiding business owners. “I’m focused on avoiding the wrong solutions,” said Macey Davis, tax counsel for the National Federation of Independent Business, which represents more than 600,000 small companies, half of which have fewer than five employees. “We’re not out to protect noncompliance. We’re out to protect those who are compliant and whose businesses could be hurt.”

PD starting to call it like it is

Refinance, Subject to Oversight--This reporting and editorializing the PD is doing on the bond job and the cozy arrangements is what we need more of in this town. We could also use even more numbers, less speculation, to see how this might actually benefit the public.

Avoiding the appearance of impropriety is what is called for, and we don't really have that in this situation. A school superintendent at Sanders' level should have enough common sense not to present such a lucrative target for criticism. What we do have, unfortunately, is a lot of the hired help telling us what they have to and don't have to do, and this doesn't sit well in a city that's continually conned by it's employees. We already have another embarrassment, regardless of how the deal eventually goes down.

It's time to shuck the third-world-country image and get on with ethical business practices.

if you get to talk about the money, you get to talk about everything

George has the podcast posted for the Jim Rokakis session last Wednesday, and Gloria, Jeff/Yellow Dog Sammy, and Wendell, and George, too, have already brought forth commentary to bear on the content and spirit of the talk we had. I think it's one of the better ones thus far, over the year and a half that MTB's been in play, but it can be argued that I'm biased, so you be the judge.

One of my favorite parts is where Jim recounts his running for county treasurer and getting comments from other politicians about why he'd ever want to have that job, where you only dealt with money. Jim's take is that, if you get to talk about the money, you get to talk about everything, and he does. Enjoy.

an indentured nation: serfs up?

Banks Gone Wild - New York Times--Years ago, many of our forefathers came to this country as indentured servants, or slaves, or debtors. As you read this recounting of how we live in a nation of "banks gone wild," you wonder whether we're just about back in the same boat as they came over on. I think it's time we took our money, our lives, and our freedom back.

...A boomerang effect has appeared, too. The new law contains a provision forcing many debtors into Chapter 13 compulsory repayment plans. The bill’s backers expected this fresh squeeze on debtors to produce more cash for the banks, but the trend appears to be downward.

In adopting the provision, Congress disregarded the advice of every disinterested group that has looked at the question, including three presidential commissions, the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office. It also ignored a past House Judiciary Committee report, which declared that such compulsion might well amount to the imposition of involuntary servitude. [emphasis mine]

So the lending goes on. People classed as the “working poor,” now beginning to be tapped by the credit card vendors, no doubt constitute a rich supply of coveted potential revolvers — fresh customers for the banks to draw into the credit maze, with its minimums and its unending late fees. In signing the 2005 act, President Bush declared that it would make more credit available to poor people. Unquestionably so. And 30 percent interest was just what they needed, wasn’t it?

freedom from oppression, only $19.95, while supplies last...

We were invited by Richard May to the Ward 20 Republican Club last night, where Cleveland City Council President Martin Sweeney gave a reprise of the policital scene, recounting the past year, trying to let it pass in review. Some of the big sore spots are the red-light districts with traffic cameras, where the self-righteous and newly converted elected and appointed whores are hooking citizens, for the greater good of the city and an increased revenue stream. Here's an ounce of prevention. The pound of cure is just too severe, severe enough to serve as a deterrent to decades of economic development. Meet The PhotoBlocker--

Protect yourself against the unscrupulous ticketing practices being used today!

NEW AND IMPROVED, PATENT-PENDING!Reflects photo radar flash. Spray it and make your license plate invisible to cameras. Proven to beat photo radar and red light cameras.
Independently tested by FOX NEWS and Denver Police Department.

NEW AND IMPROVED, PATENT-PENDING!
REFLECTS photo radar flash, helping to prevent a costly ticket!
FAST spray-on formula is easily applied in minutes!
INVISIBLE to the naked eye, only you will know it is on your vehicle!
EXCLUSIVE formula! Good for up to FOUR plates.
BEST alternative for those areas where you can't use an anti-radar license plate cover!
One application of PhotoBlocker is good for life. Will not wash off,

How does "PHOTOBLOCKER" work?Photo radar cameras often utilize a strong flash to photograph the license plate on your car as it speeds by. "PHOTO BLOCKER's" special formula works to reflect the flash back to the camera. The result is an overexposed and unreadable picture, often preventing a costly ticket.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Remove plate, clean, and place flat.
2. Spray PhotoBlocker evenly until surface is totally saturated. Let dry and repeat 2-3 times until plate is very glossy.
3. Let it dry for about 2 hours. Should be good for life! (more)