| Odds grow that economy could buckle under the strain of housing, jobs ...
The big economic question these days is whether the weakening economy will survive the strains or collapse under them. The odds have grown that the economy will slip into a recession. At the beginning of last year, many economists put that chance at less than 1 in 3; now an increasing number says it has climbed to around 50-50. Goldman Sachs, the biggest investment bank on Wall Street, even thinks a recession is inevitable this year. Hopeful it can be avoided, President Bush and the Democrat-controlled Congress are exploring economic rescue measures, including possible tax rebates. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke pledged to lower interest rates as needed. The idea is to induce people to boost spending, especially on big-ticket items such as homes and cars, and revitalize economic activity.
How fast does sea level rise once glaciers start retreating during a ...
Sea level rise averaged 1 meter (3.3 feet) per century after the last glacial maximum. There are over 100 sq km of land in Fraser Delta that are less than 1 meter above sea level. It is some of the highest priced land in BC, heavily built up for homes,industry, and commercial buildings.
Once it started it didn't stop until sea level had risen by 180 to 200 meters (600 to 660 feet).
During the 'melt water surge' Sea Level rise averaged 4 meters per century, for 500 years. That gives over 9 feet in a 70 year lifetime.
Water St. in St. John's was settled in the early 1500s. At 4 meters/century it would be 20 meters underwater by now.
We are at the tipping point for avoiding catastrophic climate change.
Deniers who claim sea level couldn't rise by 20 feet simply don't know what they are talking about, but that is an old story by now.
Issues 2008
The world's banks issued a record amount of equity in the second half of the year as they sought funds for large deals and rebuilt their balance sheets in the wake of the global credit squeeze. According to data from Dealogic, commercial and investment banks raised equity worth $83bn in the final six months of 2007... an increase of more than 20% on the same period last year, and more than was issued by the banking sector in all of 2005... The figures underline a growing shift in the banking sector towards issuing equity as lenders grapple with turmoil in the credit markets and the need to consolidate assets previously stored in off-balance sheet vehicles." January 2 - Telegraph (Ben Harrington): "The amount of bonds issued by companies fell by 8% last year as the fallout from credit crunch wreaked havoc in debt markets.
Credit repair schemes can make your situation worse
Every day, thousands of people type the words "credit repair" into an Internet search engine. Thousands more type in phrases like "bad credit" or "bad credit repair." Figuring out how to repair your credit is on the minds of homebuyers, sellers and owners, each of whom has realized that having stellar credit gives you financial options that simply aren't available to those with low credit scores. .
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