eNewsHound

Fisker just recently announced the new release of their model Karma. The car is an electric vehicle with a sleek design and is marketed as a luxury vehicle. This new model has sparked much attention and has caught the eyes of many people.

These cars are expected to sell for around $100,000 and Fisker has announced that that it is expected to be sold out until 2012, as they have already received 3,000 pre-orders. Leonardo Di Caprio will be the first person to receive the new car but there are also some other big names such as Al Gore and Colin Powell who are expected to buy the new car as well.

The design of the car is sleek and luxurious and features custom rims and a sports car look. The car is definitely designed to be a high end model and it is no wonder that car enthusiasts are looking to buy it. The interior of the car is leather and has a smart design which is functional yet advanced.

The Karma will run for 50 miles on a lithium-ion battery back and after that if will run on a 260 horsepower, 2 liter engine switches on to recharge the battery. While it isn’t one hundred percent electric, it is a revolutionary car in its field.

Many companies are now beginning to realize the demand for fuel efficient and electric cars. This is a market that has barely been tapped into and it has so much potential. Typically people think of the Prius when they are thinking about energy efficient cars, and for as revolutionary as the Prius was, the design was less than exciting, especially the rims. More and more manufacturers are starting to combine fuel efficient and sustainable with sleek and modern designs. As more companies begin to break into this market, the types of cars available will begin to increase and the amount of people who will want to buy them will increase as well.

The Dana Paramita, the perfection of generosity, is the first of the six paramitas. Perfect generosity requires selflessness, non-attachment, boundless openness, trust, non-judging and so on.

I was touched this weekend by the spontaneous acts of generosity began from one simple post. I asked on Twitter who else out there loaned via Kiva.org. As I waited for my friends in my room at Australia spa resort. I didn’t hear back directly from anyone, however not long after I saw a post from a Facebook (FB) friend that he had made a loan to a women in Guatemala and there was $225.00 left to fully fund her loan. I signed into Kiva and saw more than half that amount had already been loaned so I completed the loans funding and messaged my friend. He reveled to me in his return message that he had taken part of 3 loans that morning. It was exciting to see how that post triggered this action, I posted the question out of curiosity, I saw someone in action. Touched by this event I then saw a FB friend post that she would be giving away $100.00 to someone that needed it, no need to explain why. Simply add your name to a list from which the person would be selected at random. I referred a friend that was truly in need. He didn’t get his name on the list within the pre-set time so he missed out on the drawing. However the person extending the offer felt that my friend really needed the money and said she would send him $100.00 too. This selfless act extended to a stranger that simply stated they could use the help, no explanation necessary.

Beyond this I’ve learned of others initiating Kiva loans that were sparked by that post, a group on one site to pool resources to make loans to entrepreneurs around the world. Not knowing who else may have picked up on the posting and took action themselves makes me wonder once again at how simple actions can spark small fires that one-day could be fires ablaze with awakening.

The Canadian Banks have put stricter limits on the on the amount of money they are lending out to homeowners and small businesses, as well as tightening the reigns on the extensions of credit.  This is the result of the last few years of the not only the Canadian recession, the United States recession as well as the current global economic crisis.

 In a time when the media states that the economic situation is getting better, many citizens in the United States and in Canada are still being laid off, losing their income, falling behind and defaulting on their mortgage loans, and heading for foreclosures.  Toronto and Ottawa have taken steps to attempt to help homeowners with their financial stresses and needs, as well as many cities throughout the rest of the country.  However, the current reaction of the Canadian banks could serve to exacerbate the problems, and create a cycle that is difficult to break. 

There seems to so many mixed reports, those stating that the financial outlook is positive combined with the increasing number of foreclosures and bankruptcy filings, it just is hard to understand.  The current unemployment rate in Canada is not falling, and as the pressure grows on individual households due to lack of income, so does the pressure grow for the banks.  They are becoming concerned with their quality of credit and loan capabilities and their deteriorating portfolios. 

The Canadian economy stayed ahead of the other countries of the world for a long time, but now they are considered to be in the middle of a recession that will most likely last for at least twelve months, and will most certainly cause the number of defaulted bank loans to increase.  And as with many other counties, the government has devised a stimulus package that has the main focus on the demands domestically, while monitoring the effects of the slowdown in the global economy.

The American worker takes only more vacation time than a worker in Mexico. We are a nation of complete workaholics, who instead of feeling entitled to our vacation days, feel bad for asking for them.

Now, with the economy the way it is, people may not be able to afford the vacations that they once took. But instead of not taking that time off, you should still take it off and just stay home and think of other ways you can spend that money instead of on a lavish vacation with airfare and hotel plus attractions and food.

Why not take some time to actually discover the city that you live in. Take some time out to explore some of the cultural things in your city that you rarely have time for.

You could also get some things crossed off of your to do list. If you have been meaning to get your closet cleaned out, it would be a perfect time to actually do it finally. Having time to do it will make sure you do it thoroughly and don’t rush the process.

Take in some local sporting events. Treat yourself to some tickets to a game in town. Baseball is of course, America’s pastime and there is bound to be a game going on in your city during the summer.

Another option is to just spend some time around your house. Take some of the money that you would have spent on a vacation and put it towards something that you have wanted. Have you always wanted a hot tub in your backyard? Check out the website of Steven Barbarich, choosehottubsdirect.com. Think about how putting some of that money you would have spent on a vacation aside will help you buy something that you have always wanted.

No matter what to choose to do with your vacation time, just remember to relax!

Former Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, spoke recently at a convention concerning the necessities of smaller countries involved in the international economic world. He covered his philosophies on foreign relations and the absolute need of smaller countries to create and maintain relationships with larger, more prosperous and more powerful countries. He emphasized that the involvement with other countries are not based emotionally, nor even out of acts of goodwill, that it just the way that it must be to economically survive and remain of relevance. Larger countries he states, have much more freedom, geographically than smaller countries such has his own. For a country the size of Singapore to continue to exist, they must make as many allies as possible. He states as well that Singapore must remain independent and must constantly predict the ways of the future so as to better retain the difference necessary to remain important. For many years, the people, the advanced technology, and the ethics of business have ensured that Singapore remains to have something to offer to the rest of the world not commonly found in other countries. Five star businesses in Singapore, such as resorts and convention centers have remained prosperous and tourism grew and the international business world ventured to Singapore to learn the ways of the Singaporean workers.

He sites the example of the economic crisis in America currently. He believes that along with the resilience of the American people and the creativity of the current political leaders, that the relationship between China and the U.S. will serve to help the situation in America dramatically. The ‘friendship’ with China is important he says, as currently economic growth in China is stable and increasing by just about ten percent. So while it is true that the U.S is experiencing no growth, or sometimes a negative growth, they have sided with an economic giant and that consequences of that relationship will prove extremely beneficial for America and the years to come. For the continued success of Singapore he believes that creative and intuitive leaders must be one step ahead of the global market, to be able to not only notice trends, but to predict them. So that not only is Singapore there for the changes, but so that they are some of the ones leading the pack. In this way, Singapore will remain relevant, different, and independent.

In defiance of the slowing global economy, next week’s Dubai International Boat Show(DIBS) promised to showcase some of the most luxurious watercraft in the world. Billed as the “largest, most important and most established” boat show in the Middle East, DIBS will run from March 3rd through March 7th at the Dubai International Marine Club.

The show will feature five global launches and twenty-two regional premieres from both international and local builders. DIBS focuses on the leisure marine industry rather than military or commercial craft. In addition to showcasing new boats, the event will highlight the latest in equipment and services.

Yachts take the forefront at this show. 19 Superyachts are expected to make their debut at this show, nearly 50% more than last year’s event. Four of them have never before been seen. Some of the companies offering regional craft premiere include Emirates Ychting, Platinum yachts, AMELS, and Gulf Craft. Burger Boats, Western Marine, and Sunseeker are also launching new regional crafts. Alltogether, over 700 companies from fifty countries will be exhibiting at DIBS. Expect every luxury hotel Dubai and all the best restaurants to be busy throughout the week.

The Superyacht Pavilion is the main attraction. The Middle East marine industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. Luxury boat builders such as Trinity Yachts, Feadship, and Lurssn Yachts are eager to reach the growing market in the Middle East as well as buyers from India, the CIS, and Russia who will be represented at the the show.

There will be diving demonstrations and a High Fashion and Jewelry Show throughout the week. The show will also feature a number of contests, giveaways, and other promotions.

The global economic downturn has finally made its way to Southeast Asia. A growing number of regional layoffs are sweeping the area as governments report stalling growth and legislatures work to devise stimulus plans.

Here in the west, the economic crisis is fueled by home foreclosures and bank failures entering a downward spiral with rising unemployment and falling consumer confidence. In Thailand and other parts of southeast Asia, unemployed workers are deserting the city to return to their home villages to subsist on family farms.

While most of the countries in the area don’t offer unemployment benefits or even track unemployed workers, Thailand is reporting that over 2000 unemployed workers have returned to Ubon Ratchathani Province since November, and half of those in the last few weeks.

With the economy falling world-wide, tourism in areas like Phuket and Bangkok is dropping. Chambermaids, groundskeepers, waiters and other workers at five star hotels in Bangkok and other cities are being laid off in droves. With factories and construction sites laying off workers as well as retail jobs disappearing, the only option left for most is a return to village life.

Current predictions by leading economists suggest that millions of workers will lose their jobs in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia this year. Additional jobs could be lost in Indonesia and the Phillippines as those countries start to see their rapid growth fall off.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to address these economic problems during a summit this weekend outside of Bangkok. While stimulus plans are on the agenda, it is widely believed that any available funds won’t be nearly enough to mitigate the growing crisis.