The Secrets Of Vancouver BC, Canada

Wonder How Vancouver Would Rate?

A surprising ranking of America’s most depressing cities by BusinessWeek.com. They came up with the list of the 20 unhappiest major cities ranked by rates of suicide, depression, divorce, unemployment, job loss, population loss, crime, amount of green space, and cloudy days.

Emphasis was given to suicide and depression rates, crime, and economic factors.

The city with the highest overall score was Portland,  with very high depression and suicide rates.

1) Portland, Ore.

Overall rank: 1*
Depression rank: 1
Suicide rank: 12
Crime (property and violent) rank: 24
Divorce rate rank: 4
Cloudy days: 222
Unemployment rate (December 2008): 7.8%

You can see the standings here…

To put it into perspective, New Orleans is number 3.

photo credit: Aaron Michael Brown

Today’s Top Al Gore Post

Why Al Gore….

Uncut genius here.

If you don’t follow Kate, now is a good time to start. She makes my day. Great wit from my home province.

(I keep looking for her RSS… let me know if you find it.)

photo credit: Mitch King

Another Business Going Bust

Boob-job biz sagging: Economic meltdown is causing many to delay cosmetic surgery, survey says

A study released Monday shows a business sector that’s really hurting.

Cosmetic surgical procedures have plummeted 15%, and nonsurgical procedures are down 12%, according to the survey by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Nationwide, breast augmentations, which cost up to $4,000, fell from nearly 400,000 in 2007 to 355,671 last year. Tummy tucks, which run $5,400, were down by 37,943 cases, while the number of $2,800 eyelid surgeries was off by 45,659.

Even $443 Botox injections dropped from 2.7 million in 2007 to 2.4 million last year.

Overall, the number of cosmetic surgeries in the U.S. has fallen from a high of 11.8 million in 2004 to 10.2 million last year.

This is one business that could really use a lift from the stimulus. We’re falling apart here…

photo credit: Ian Samuel

Democrats Move Toward Selective Taxation

Bit of a case of buyers remorse.. you’d think that they would have looked into things before handing over 170 billion or so.

AIG bonus checks may be taxed at up to 100%, says Sen. Chuck Schumer

If AIG execs won’t return their $450 million in bonuses, lawmakers threatened Tuesday to pass a special new law taxing the payouts at anywhere from 60% to 100%.

“They should voluntarily return them. If they don’t, we plan to tax virtually all of it,” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer declared in a speech on the Senate floor.

“To those of you getting these bonuses: be forewarned, you will not be getting to keep them.”

Although I am not for the bonuses – they are contractually obligated to pay thm.

Once government decides it can cancel contracts as it pleases, America is in deep trouble. Or even worse, decides to selectively tax anyone that they don’t agree with.

Obama has a bad partner in AIG, but to use it the way they are is chilling. And childish.

Maybe someday we can get the same reaction from the earmarks…

photo credit: darkmatter

Be Leery Of The Small Business Stimulus

LA Times: “Today, too many entrepreneurs can’t access the capital to start, operate or grow their business. Too many dreams are being deferred or denied by a form letter canceling a line of credit,” Obama said after meeting at the White House with small-business owners and community bankers.

Under the new program, the Treasury Department would buy as much as $15 billion in loans made by banks and guaranteed by the Small Business Administration. Banks, which have been unable to sell such loans because of the credit crunch, could then turn around and make new loans.

The White House will use 730 million dollars in stimulus money to immediately cut small business lending fees, and raise loan guarantees up to 90 percent. They also plan to thaw the credit market by taking billions from the bank bailout package to buy many loans from community banks.

Works out to $500 per business.

My guess is it will cost $2-3,000 in time for a small business owner to get through the red tape.

The way they’ve been navigating the stimulus so far, most small business owners would be wise to skip this plan. I was told a long time ago that the best way to lose your business is to rely on government help.

The answer is to have the government get out of the way, drop taxes, and let business do it alone.

There are people out in the small business market that understand the challenge a lot more than the Obama administration… people like Janet Switzer who has a much better better small business stimulus – buy her book, or get her instant income plan.

Your business will be much better off.

Monday Night Movie In HQ – Grab Your Popcorn.

Two months ago I don’t think anyone would have thought that the US could turn the way it has..

Great video to make one think about where we are headed.

The Obama Deception.

Monday Night Viewing

The Guide to the New World Order

… 10  minutes. The controversy continues.

The original Bilderberg conference was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg, near Arnhem in The Netherlands, from May 29 to May 31, 1954.  The meeting was initiated by several people, including Joseph Retinger, concerned about the growth of anti-Americanism in Western Europe, who proposed an international conference at which leaders from European countries and the United States would be brought together with the aim of promoting understanding between the cultures of United States of America and Western Europe… here’s a perspective of what the meeting has become.

Sunday Video Series – John Stossel On BullShit

Bailouts and Bull… in case you missed the show.

Eye opening and spot on. Finally someone being honest about the stimulus lies, and how infrastructure spending won’t work. John takes on all the idiocy of the current situation.

He covers all the issues in these 6 videos… Whether the government should fix the economy; the attainability of the American Dream; a proposal for universal pre-kindergarten; fencing in the U.S. border; increasing traffic and killer commutes; medical marijuana.

Part 1:

Part 2:

More »

Maybe They Are Trying To Tell Us Something

Vancouver City Hall, and a group of advocates are doing a full court press to get us all to get into urban farming. which is a great idea for those that enjoy gardening. And maybe, we might be needing to grow our own soon. Toronto is also well on their way with urban farming.

“Experts believe food insecurity should be treated as seriously as climate change.In North America we seem to be more concerned with climate change, the price of oil and the financial crisis.  The looming food shortage is something that requires immediate attention.”

Keep in mind that this is based on a UN report, who’s record on Global Warming predictions are suspect at best.

But now they want to pass a law allowing us to have chickens in our yards. I’m not so sure I want to have neighbors with chickens out here in the burbs. Burnaby and Richmond already allow chickens. Roosters, thankfully are a no go.

They are trusting that people will keep to the limit allowed, and keep their yards clean. I’m not so sure. Plus, our past record with avian flu has me worried.

In 2004 we had an outbreak where they killed 17 million chickens, and also this past January where they had to put down 60,000 turkeys.

Now I know why chicken is more than beef here.

photo credit: sandcastlematt