Health Shocker - * In front of your Computer?

'Smoking cigarettes is the cause of so much preventable, deadly disease. But now new research shows sitting for long stretches of time may be just as dangerous.

“Smoking certainly is a major cardiovascular risk factor and sitting can be equivalent in many cases,” explained Dr. David Coven, cardiologist with St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.

Dr. Coven said several new studies show prolonged sitting is now being linked to increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and even early death.'

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Debt is empowering?

Here in Canada - some facts on money made me cringe.

Average credit card debt - $26,000.

Youngsters saying they feel 'empowered' by the amount of debt they carry. Quoi?

RE is the way to get rich, without working. Huh>?

Debt kills. Trouble is, there is such as a thing called "Generational Myopia" - every 20 years or so, people forget about busts.

Vancouver crashed hard in 1980. It is crashing across the Country now - but no one is talking about it...instead people think that RE is the way to get rich.

NOPE.

Never put all your assets in an illiquid asset - DOH!

The Housing Crisis comes to Canada

I could spend hours talking about how crazy I think RE is, here in Vancouver.

Today the April House starts came out, and they have crashed.

Shacks are selling for a few million.

Jobs? What jobs?

This housing collapse is going to be one for the ages.

Some Americans believe the Economy will "Never Come Back"

"Americans are growing increasingly doubtful about direction of the US economy, according to the latest survey from business-advisory firm AlixPartners.

In fact, an increasing number, some 61 percent, say they don't expect to return to their respective pre-recession lifestyles until the spring of 2014, if ever.

What's worse, a full 10 percent said they expect they will never return to pre-recession spending.

That's a more pessimistic view than last year, when those surveyed expected that they could be back to pre-recession spending levels by the middle of 2013.

"Americans continue to push their expectations for return to a pre-recession 'normal' further and further into the future—close enough for comfort, but far enough away to seem realistic," said Fred Crawford, CEO of AlixPartners. "But as that happens, more and more it seems normal is actually where we are right now."

Comment: 

There is an overwhelming feeling of dread that seems to pervade everything these days. The news is full of Natural disasters, and now E-coli in food, and Fukishima, and yada, yada, yada.

The worst story is housing. More and more people were sucked into the Bush Era - HELOC madness that gripped the world, and now, millions are losing their homes.

Here in Canada, it's still bizarre. Some pockets are holding up = but the econony sucks. More and more closed up shops. Small business is weighed under by red tape and taxes, and the prices of homes in Vancouver, and other centers would make Greenspan puke.

Here's the deal.

No one is sure what is coming next.

One thing is FOR SURE. Volatility, insecurity and Black Swans.

Be ready - be liquid and if you have been trying to get rich on your house, bunky - sell, before you find out what the therm debt slavery means.  MORT GAGE = French for DEATH CONTRACT.