Demand and Supply of Property

It is interesting to watch the expectations of those riding off the recent boom in house prices in the US and the UK. In both countries, there has been an enormous amount of captial put into the creation and revamping of property. If the amount of such investment is excessive what results is a downswing of activity until demand picks up to bring overall demand for property in line with long term needs. Whether these needs may be somewhat higher than in the past is an interesting question. Needs are an essential ingredient to the equations that bring about a balance in supply and demand.

If policy makers wish to reduce the potential for inflation they can do this by actions that influence either demand or supply, or both. Watch for US policy makers desperately try to get Americans to save more and thereby reduce their debt. The policy of lower interest rates did not reduce debt, but made the debt situation over the longer term much worse than it was. However, by increasing the supply of new properties, the policies enable the authorities to dig a hole for themselves in terms of their range of choices in the future.

It will not be possible to lower interest rates to spur real demand for houses. The effect will unfortunately be to lower the exchange rate and to push the economy towards inflation without growth. What do you think the economy has been experiencing for the last thirty years!?

Coffee Mate?

For those seeking to lose weight and be wheatfree, finding something wheatfree to go with coffee can be a bit of a challenge. My own solution starts with emphasis on the Dr. Sears 'zone diet' that targets an even balance between calorific quantities of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The zone bars sold as part of the diet are mostly free of wheat, but it is always well to just check on the list of ingredients to be sure. Coffee for me is inseparable from reading and concentrating. While at home, I will have a coffee in the morning.

At home

Zone bars are made in a factory environment that may handle wheat, so if you have to be 100 percent wheatfree, its best to make your own bars at home with the pure natural, and organic ingredients. I like to have a small piece of dark chocolat produced under the Fair Trade guidelines, such as Green and Blacks organic dark 70 percent bittersweet chocolat. Rich dark chocolate helps set your mood to cheerful, and if you can tolerate it, the bars with much less sugar are probably better for you.

Everything is much easier at home. What I do is purchase the zone bars that one can find in many grocery stores within the nutrition section.

In the US, I have found that Green Fields and Trader Joes both have excellent selections of zone bars. You can also find selections at many drug stores, such as JVC. In Canada, I have found selections at Loblaws, Independents, and Sobey's.

Canadian grocery chains do not yet include a major that is as good as Green Fields or Trader Joes, but the Bulk Barn and many smaller independents might have a selection, especially near cities, such as Toronto.

In England, zone bars are not yet well established, but you can sometimes find them at Boots. If you go to Sainsburys, you will find that they have a selection of wheat free bars that focus on fruits and nuts. In my opinion, these are generally more tasty than zone bars, but probably do not follow the zone guidelines, so beware of hidden calories, especially in the wonderful fruit bars ... to die for!

You will find that the Canadian bars have a different sweetness about them. I am not sure what produces this effect, but you may find that you like both the US and Canadian varieties. I prefer that offered to the US market, so I will drive across the border to by zone bars there!

At the Bookstore

In Canada, Starbucks are frequently located at your local Chapters, so this is really handy and very corrupting. The Canadians have this really wonderful blueberry oat bar that is fantastic as a meal substitute while having coffee. Don't hesitate!

In the US, Starbucks probably do not have any wheatfree food offerings, so it is a waste of time to search. If you find out different, let us know. That is a big drawback to living in the US. You better move to Canada, even though you will be leaving Borders and Barnes and Noble behind. Or maybe not, these chains are pretty mobile. I don't know what to say to cheer you up. Complain, perhaps.

In the UK, you don't need Starbucks because there are many other good coffee houses around. Cosca has really wonderful wheatfree offerings, especially their brownies. Wooah, are they good, and they melt in your mouth. The coffee is excellent as well. I have not found wheatfree stuff in UK Starbucks, but there may be some.