Talk about your tempest in a teapot, here's a good one for you. It seems that a congressional committee has taken up arms against Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the artificial heart, because he didn't row his own boat in his recent appearance in a Lipitor television advertisement. The concern is over whether the doctor should be represented as rowing a boat when the person in the boat pictures isn't actually him. Next, Congress will be exposing the fact that M & M's don't really talk to Santa Claus. Dang it, I hate when that happens.

Further noise is being made because the good doctor is apparently not licensed to practice medicine. That makes some people question his worthiness to crow for Lipitor. That's funny, I don't remember him claiming that he'd prescribed the stuff to anyone himself. Does it really matter in the final analysis if the man isn't licensed to work in a hospital? Not to me. He's a doctor who knows hearts and he wants people to know how they might better care for their own. He apparently uses the product, it works for him, and he's willing to talk about it. That's kind of the basics of simple endorsement, isn't it?

I'll tell you what I think this is all about. I think some of those good old boys in the halls of Congress probably sold short on Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) , and they're probably mad because Dr. Jarvik's endorsement isn't allowing Lipitor to be crushed by Zocor, its cheaper generic competition. You can almost see their smug bipartisan grins as you read the whole story from Stephanie Saul in The New York Times. I think they want to muddy the waters just long enough for their short bets to come in, regardless of the cost to Dr. Jarvik's reputation. Those Washington stuffed shirts sure got their committees all whipped up in a big hurry on this one, didn't they. That's kind of telling, isn't it.

I suppose next they'll be telling us that geckos don't really talk about car insurance. Could that even be possible?

No doubt by now you have heard the good news regarding Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and the shield it has in place for Celebrex. You can get some more insight on that by reading Douglas McIntyre's post.

Now the time is ripe for Pfizer to do something powerful. If it can accomplish one or two block buster product releases before mid-year, it'll be off to the races once again. In pursuit of that goal, Pfizer has a large stable of potential ground shakers in development. Here's an encapsulated view of what Pfizer has going right now in R&D:

I counted 49 formulations that Pfizer has in PHASE I of development. Of those compounds, ten are intended cancer treatments, eight are for inflammation and / or pain, including arthritis, 11 are directed towards cardiology, metabolic and endocrine conditions. Pfizer also has six compounds in PHASE I that are indicated for infectious diseases. Phase one drug testing focuses on compound safety rather than drug effectiveness.

Okay, let me think here for a moment, I have had a tough week in the stock market; something about issues in China that started it all. Oh well, people saw a dip in their savings and net worth this week... but hey, I feel good. After all I have no plans to go to China or even eat Chinese tonight. I actually feel great because let's see... Monday , I ate organically-raised salmon with a few raw vegetables!! Tuesday and Wednesday I had different variations of broiled chicken with a couple of different sauces... I am so wicked. The fresh veggies were accompanied with rice -- healthy brown rice of course. Man, I am good... following this health regime like a trooper. My doctor is going to be so proud of me! I've lost 4 pounds in 3 weeks... gimme more veggies, green, yellow, red... love em all!!

I snacked on carrot sticks Tuesday and Wednesday evening and feeling a bit naughty, I even added an herb dip on Wednesday... man, I am going to become patient-of-the-week. Thursday was the coup de gras or whatever it is the French say -- I had baked trout, with lemon juice on the side, of course, and a baked potato, no butter, no chives, just low-fat sour cream. I had a high-fiber breakfast cereal every day this week... so who cares about the stock market's bad week, I had fantastic returns from eating right and feeling good. Those old jeans aren't so snug anymore!!

Friday evening... let's see, the chicken looks boring, the trout and salmon look and taste like cardboard -- I have had it!! I am going to splurge and the doctors and nurses can kiss my $%^&&... off I go to "Heart Attack Grill"!!

Note: The Daily Option Update is provided by Options Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Volatility Index S&P 500 Options-VIX down .35 to 11.10.

AtheroGenics Inc. (NASDAQ:AGIX) derivatives high risk, option volume up traders prepare for data. AtheroGenics focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. AtheroGenics is expected to announce results for top line data from the ARISE Phase 3 trial on AGI-1067 (coronary heart disease treatment.) AGIX said on 1/8/07 the data "will likely be available no sooner than late first quarter." AtheroGenics call option volume of 27,881 contracts compares to put volume of 14,119 contracts. AtheroGenics April 12.5 straddle is at $11 dollars, according to Track Data, suggesting large risks.

Option volume leaders today were: Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT), Apple, Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL), CountryWide Financial Corp. (NYSE:CFC), Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and U.S. Steel Corp. (NYSE:X).