There is nothing more dangerous than a person who thinks they that they are smarter than they actually are. That person is Al Gore. Whether it’s healthcare, inventing the Internet, the Goracle knows. The father of the Internet wants us to drastically change the way that we live and conduct business. He claims that if we don’t do anything now to change our carbon emitting ways, the planet Earth will fall into an environmental apocalypse. He wants us to meet the Kyoto accord and make economic sacrifices to slash carbon dioxide.

Too bad he doesn’t he drink his own Kool-Aid. He lives in a mansion that consumes more electricity in one month than what the average American household consumes in one year. He jets around all over the world with his entourage to preach to the ignorant and gullible about saving the world. Why doesn’t he do teleconferencing? I guess he did not want to lower his speaking engagement fee. His scientific arguments for climate change are full of holes and misrepresentations. No wonder he only gave Congress only half hour to review his material before his testimony on the environment instead of the customary 48 hours.

If Al Gore and his environmental zealots are serious about saving the world, they should start leading by example. It’s time to downsize from your mansions and start taking public transportation. Talk is cheap.

According to recent studies by the Dietary Guidelines For Americans, Americans are still eating less than the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. The recommended daily portions are two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables. It is believed that eating fruits and vegetables can ward off various aliments including heart disease and cancer. Only less than 11% met the USDA guidelines for fruit and vegetables consumption.

65% of Americans are either overweight or obese. 31% of Americans are obese. Being overweight is defined as being 10 to 30 pounds over the ideal weight. Obesity is defined as being over 30 pounds more than the ideal weight. Diseases associated with being overweight include diabetes and heart disease.

So who’s to blame for this nationwide problem? Americans can only look at themselves for putting themselves into this health dilemma. They want convenience and instant gratification. Doing a take-out of a fried chicken meal is easier than preparing a healthy meal. The buffet culture and more is better mentality permeates our culture.

Making America healthier will not be an easy task. It means drastically changing our attitudes and lifestyles.  The popularity of the Internet and TV does not help. We need to learn to become physically active again. As parents, we need to set an example for our kids. If we don’t follow the healthy lifestyle, why should they? Taking the first steps will not be easy. If we don’t act now, the costs to society will be enormous. Young teenagers are already displaying signs of middle age diseases.

Thanks to demand from wealthy bankers and rich foreigners, London’s real estate market is appreciating. People simply want to be located in the world’s financial capital. A lot of oil money can be found in this booming city. London is close to the Middle East countries and Russia. Furthermore, they don’t have to be worried about their assets being seized unlike the United States. There are expectations that the Chinese and Indians will be the next wave of investors coming in.
The high costs associated with complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are pushing companies to list their shares on the London Exchanges instead of New York. Other companies are going private, avoiding being scrutinized by SEC officials and demanding public shareholders. Is New York City risks being left behind? The answer for now seems to be yes. Capital goes to countries where they can operate with the least restrictions. After all, money talks.

For those whom are hoping that the U.S. Federal Reserve Board will cut interest rates due to concerns about the crumbling sub-prime mortgage market, keep on hoping. The most recent inflation data showed that the producer price index in February surged 1.3%. Much of the price inflation is attributed to higher energy, food and tobacco prices. These inflationary pressures are stopping the Fed from dropping rates despite signs of a weakening economy.

Unless the sub-prime mortgage blowout drags down the rest of the U.S. economy, the Fed is likely to stay put. Higher material costs, particularly agricultural goods, are expected to feed inflation. The shift towards bio-diesel fuel will likely boost demand for corn and soybeans.

According to the National Association of House Builders, more and more couples are seeking seperate master bedrooms in their new homes to help their marriages. A harmonious marriage is one where everybody gets a restful night of sleep. This trend can be attributed to changes in gender roles, where both men and woman are working. Snoring, night time visits to the bathroom, shift work and child care duties can disrupt sleep that is greatly needed by busy people.

A tired spouse who does not get sufficient sleep due to their snoring partner can be a major cause of tension in their relationship. Having a seperate bedroom does not mean that the love is no longer there. It reflects what needs to be done to save the marriage and keep it healthy.

To make it on the Consumer Reports Best Car List is a marketing coup for any car manufacturer. Unlike the other car publications that tend to fawn over the car’s performance and looks, Consumer Reports looks at the overall ownership experience. They include reliability, performance, gas mileage and crash tests. Again, Honda and Toyota are dominating this coveted list.

This list is reflecting what is currently happening in the North American auto industry. Honda and Toyota are expanding production and opening up more plants to satisfy the greater demand for their products. Meanwhile, the Big Three are slashing production and are going through a painful restructuring.

So what went wrong? The Big Three did not build vehicles that the market wanted. They had put too much emphasize on trucks. The consumer market quickly shifted to more economical cars. The Japanese had the right products. Instead of resting on their laurels, they kept improving their product offerings. Sure they were reliable and economical to run, but boring. They are addressing the shortcomings of their designs.

All is not lost for the Big Three. GM seems to finally understand that they have to deliver products that the public truly wants. Ford’s European products are simply stunning. All they have to do is to figure a way to get them to our shores.

BP PLC, a British petroleum company, has cut their incompetent and blowhard CEO’s bonus despite record profits. Under John Browne’s watch, there was an oil leak in Alaska and a refinery explosion in Texas. Under his management, the necessary capital expenditures were not made, causing comprises in the safety of operations. Worst still, head office created a culture of not being accountable for its mistakes. Yes Browne’s bonus was cut but it did not do anything to bring back the 15 lives that was lost in the refinery explosion.

For the public, it’s hard to swallow when incompetent CEOs slash thousands of jobs and destroy shareholder wealth while being rewarded millions of dollars. Just look at the former Home Depot CEO Bob Nardelli, taking home $120 million for a job not well done. Another fine example is the former Pfizer CEO Hank McKinnell who walks away with $200 million. Pfizer stock is trading near its 52 week low. Talk about thank you and screw you. No wonder the public and investors are skeptical about corporate CEOs. They should be.

Not a day goes by that some severe storm somewhere in the world is blamed on global warming. Heavy rainfall, blame global warming. George Bush Jr. still in power, blame global warming. Our kids getting fat, blame global warming. Whether it’s Green Peace or the father of the Internet, the environmentalists are predicting apocalypse if nothing is done soon about the environment. They say that we must make sacrifices so that green house emissions can be significantly curtailed. They say that we have to drastically change our lifestyle to save Mother Earth. Get rid of our SUVs, replace fossil fuels with clean renewable energy they shout hysterically.

With all their heated talk, you would think these greenies are doing their part. Well guess again. Let’s look at the green environment most public and revered personality, Al Gore or otherwise known as the “Goracle.” His Tennessee mansion consumes more electricity in one month than the average American household does in one year. His family stock portfolio has shares in an oil company Occidental Petroleum. Don’t forget the enormous amount of jet fuel consumed by him and his entourage when they travel around the globe to collect his $40,000 speaking fee.

To the north, we have David Suzuki, self proclaimed environmentalist and scientist. He too shrills that we have to drastically change the way we make our living and live. When he does his eco tour, he does it in a diesel fuel burning bus that can accommodate 30 people. There is only 8 passengers in his bus. They do want to convert the bus to run on bio-diesel because they do not want to void the manufacturer’s warranty.

These environmentalists want you to make the sacrifices so that they can continue living their opulent lifestyles. Unless I see them sell their 14,000 square feet mansions and move into something more modest, why should we take them seriously?