Hybrid Cars - Should You Buy One?

With the price of gas at the pump stretching up into the stratosphere, not to mention the rising cost of home heating oils, diesel fuel and airline jet fuel, lots of folks are thinking about trading in the old gas guzzling car for a new, more fuel efficient model. And those folks are likely wondering whether one of those hybrid cars that everybody is talking about would be a good investment.

I just was reading a new article about hybrid cars and I learned some fascinating facts. The most startling is that a hybrid car probably won't save you money, except maybe in the very long run. The second is the wide range of styles of hybrid vehicles now available.

I think most folks are aware of the third advantage, that they're better for the environment, as they have just about zero harmful emissions.

But what I didn't know is that there is a generous tax credit of up to $3,000 available for hybrid car buyers. That made me sit up and take notice.

You can read the article yourself at the Freshest Articles directory.

Deadly Cane Toads Devastate Australia

It has taken only 73 years for the cane toad to have made what seems to be a fatal attack on the ecosystems of Australia. Researchers in Australia's Northern Territories report that the population of freshwater crocodiles has been reduced by a stunning 75% because of the poisonous cane toads.

They were introduced into Australia in 1935 in the northeastern state of Queensland as a way to control the cane beetle that was harming the area's lucrative sugar cane fields. (I have enjoyed many a glass of excellent Bundaberg rum, made from Queensland sugar cane, but that's a different story.)

Because the toads have no predators, and are not native to Australia, they spread like wildfire. The crocodile used to be the top of the food chain predator in Australia, but not any more. They are so toxic that any animal or bird that eats them dies. Many dead crocs have been found with undigested cane toads in their bellies. That's how fast the cane toad's toxin works.

Moral of the story? Don't mess with Mother Nature. She put animals and plants where they ought to be. When man starts mucking about with her plan, it's to our expense. Look at starlings in North America, Eurasian millfoil weed in British Columbia's Okanagan lakes, etc. etc.

And speaking of toads, if any reader has heard rumors about licking a toad to get high, it's sure not the cane toad, but the Sonoran Desert toad of North America, also known as the Colorado River toad, and scientifically as Bufo alvarius. But you don't lick them to get high. Rather, it is said that some people may milk their venom, dry it and smoke it. But you didn't get that from me. Check out the psychedelic toads website, Bufo Alvarius Report.

Endangered Entheogen: Is Salvia Divinorum Getting Banned?

Salvia Divinorum, also called Diviner's Sage is a potent psychedelic plant that has been used for a long, long time by South American shamans. They use it to go into an altered state of consciousness so they can contact spirits and get their assistance in treating their patients. We suspect there are a few folks up in the States who also enjoy Salvia for recreational purposes.

And it is for the latter reason that House Bill 1363 is going to make Salvia illegal in the state of Florida on July 1, 2008. Already, this psychoactive herb is verboten in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Louisiana, Illinois and Delaware. More states are thinking about banning it, and there are those who would not be at all surprised if this entheogen is completely outlawed in all 50 states by 2010.

That's why, if you or someone you know enjoys spiritual exploration and healing with the assistance of natural plant substances, maybe you'd like to stock up now. Who knows when the famine might happen?

We know of one good online source for Salvia and other entheogens, such as ayahuasca and San Pedro. Check out http://AyahuascaShaman.info.

New online gift registry

It is getting easier to figure out what to give someone for a gift. Now all you have to do is go online, check their registry and see what they want.

Kazowie (http://www.kazowie.com) users can create a one-stop gift registry for weddings, events, or showers by compiling products from any online shop, boutique, or megastore, instead of choosing from a select few department stores. Once directed to the Kazowie registry, the purchaser can navigate to an online store through the registry, or find the store locally to purchase the gift offline. Kazowie can help the registrar manage gift quantities and fulfilled items.

Users can explore products in Kazowie in multiple ways: recently listed items, most popular items, what friends have added to their lists, or by browsing through the entire network. Lists of any kind can be created and customized by grabbing items from other people, submitting the product's URL or by using the Kazowie browser tools. Users can join or create groups and begin discussions, be a recommendation expert by creating a buyer's guide, as well as create a poll to get opinions from other users of the site. Anyone can join by logging in with existing accounts through Yahoo, Google, OpenID and AOL/AIM or by creating a new account. Users can also subscribe to friends' RSS feeds to keep in touch with their Kazowie activities.

I think I prefer the old way, though, of surprising someone. And one new source I've discovered for online shopping is a site called Rush Gifts. They specialize in helping you pick gift items you can send so they arrive in a hurry. Check out http://rushrushgifts.com/

From American Teen to designer fashions

American Teen, the summer’s most anticipated film, is set to hit theaters nationwide on July 25. The jock. The geek. The princess. The rebel. The heart-throb. All are stigmas that follow teenagers throughout high school. That was certainly true at Warsaw Community High School in Warsaw, Indiana, the setting of American Teen, a documentary E! Online’s Ben Lyons called “a modern day ‘Breakfast Club’ that will make you stand up and cheer.”

Excited fans can get a special look into the documentary and the characters at www.facebook.com/americanteen. The page features trailers, top 10 lists, inside looks into each character, and music from the soon-to-be popular soundtrack. In addition, each of the five characters have Facebook pages where movie-goers can become fans of theirs.

Nearly 2,000 fans have already signed up to be a fan on Facebook with American Teen, and each one of them will have a chance to win a VIP trip to Lollapalooza*.

In the meantime, is anyone looking for a Vivienne Tam boxy embroidered top? How about Evisu Nakame Minami or Hulsey Strutters fashion? Are you desperate to find a Miss Sixty Brid Dress? Well, look no further than the new website Dress4Style.com. They are your connection to Evish heritage nakame minami jeans, an Alice Pacifliss dress and too many more to list. You can check out scads of designer fashions at: www. dress4style.com/

Excuse me, but did you lose any zombies?

Are you ready to hear something truly stupid? We have just learned of the existence of a new social media web site dedicated to gathering definitive proof that zombies exist. Its creators tell us that zombie videos, photos, reenactments and other submissions will be used to create a community-generated documentary to educate the public about the reality of zombies and a potential, if not imminent, zombie apocalypse.

"It's time for the world to wake up to a harsh reality - zombies are real. This site was created as a tool for individuals to post worldwide evidence of zombie attacks and outbreaks," says Skot Leach of Lost Zombies. "The content gathered by Lost Zombies members will be used to create the definitive documentary on zombies, which will help educate and inform the general public about this very real danger."

Individuals who wish to share their evidence can become members of Lost Zombies by creating a free account. Members can also chat, comment on other users' evidence and discuss zombie outbreaks (http://www.lostzombies.com/) from around the world.

Users can share information by adding submissions to an outbreak or creating an outbreak if one has not been previously reported. By creating or adding content to an outbreak, users are not only potentially saving lives, but contributing to the movement dedicated to revealing zombies as fact, not fiction. All content submissions to Lost Zombies must be zombie-related.

Since its launch only a few weeks ago, Lost Zombies members have reported outbreaks in places such as New York City, Memphis, Atlanta, Northern California and Northern Wisconsin. Sightings have also been reported in locations around the world, including London, Copenhagen and Toronto.

We are tempted to suggest that those who have seen lost zombies are enjoying the benefits of altered perception, perhaps with the help of hallucinogenic substances. Not that peyote, ayahuasca, amanita muscaria mushrooms, salvia or the like are a requirement for entering an altered state. Shamans and others are able to go into trances where they experience other dimensions by chanting, drumming and dancing, for example. Still, I think today's zombie spotters are more likely to have been licking a bufo alvarius toad than sitting in a sweat lodge and drumming for hours.

Canadian Travel Update

Canadian Tourism is at an all time low ... or is it? We recentlyl earned about one Canadian travel company that is experiencing record breaking growth following the launch of its new VIA Rail focused portfolio site.

Exclusively Canada Ltd. today launched its latest Canadian consumer travel site, ViaRailVacations.com. This new portfolio site focuses on vacation packages featuring travel on Via Rail trains and routes and is part of the company’s ongoing expansion strategy. Exclusively Canada continues to experience record breaking growth year over year, despite the fact that Statistics Canada last month released numbers showing tourism to Canada hitting an all time low.

“We continue to find strong growth in long haul travel to Canada,” says Shannon Wilkinson, Vice President of Marketing at Exclusively Canada Ltd. “While the number of day trips over the US border have decreased sharply, these are not the consumers we are reaching. The high Canadian dollar and longer lineups at the border have made Canada less attractive for single day excursions, however, we are still an appealing destination for our US neighbors looking for multi-day vacation experiences, as shown by the only slight decline in visitors who spend at least one night here.” Wilkinson notes that Exclusively Canada’s US business has increased nearly 20% over the same period in 2007 and more than doubled in the last 24 months.

The company has also become one of the fastest growing partners for Via Rail Canada by creating interesting vacation package combinations showcasing VIA Rail trains, which it promotes passionately to a variety of global markets. This special relationship spurred the creation of the ViaRailVacations.com website which the company will use as a focused opportunity for marketing Via Rail vacation packages.

For additional information on VIA Rail Vacations, contact Shannon Wilkinson or visit ViaRailVacations.com (http://www.viarailvacations.com).

Exclusively Canada Ltd. (http://www.exclusivelycanada.travel) was founded in October of 2002 to provide group and fully independent vacation planning and packaging services to North American travel agencies and affluent international travelers. In 2004 the company launched its consumer direct strategy under the brand CanadaYourWay (http://www.canadayourway.com). Exclusively Canada has grown rapidly to become one of the world's top marketers of independent luxury travel in Canada.

And anyone who plans to visit Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's third largest city, located on the Pacific Coast, is advised first to view the Best Vancouver Hotels website for information about accommodations.

Anti aging tips for women

Here in Vancouver where I live we have just hosted a major triathlon event, and it was impressive not only to see pretty much equal participation by men and women but also how many not-young participants there were. It's becoming common knowledge that keeping fit is one of the better ways to fight off the signs of aging and retain youthful health.

To assist women who enjoy running, a new social networking website has been set up that addresses the needs and lifestyles of nearly 6 million women who have a passion for running (http://www.traxee.com/), has just launched in beta by Tuesday Creative, an interactive agency based in Los Angeles.

"Traxee provides a unique social networking community for women who live an active lifestyle," Moore continues. "For women, being physically strong, feeling capable and getting what we want out of our lives is interwoven with our sense of who we are as human beings. Being a successful athlete, regardless of whether you are training for a marathon, a 10K, or just working up to your first mile, is all about goal setting and achievement. Traxee community members support each other, provide invaluable training advice and share their experiences both on and off 'the track'."

According to American Sports Data (ASD) women's running (http://www.traxee.com/) has experienced a surge over the last 5 years and female runners now comprise nearly 50% of the running population in the United States. Nearly 6 million women are frequent runners, logging 100 or more days of running per year.

"When we created Traxee," Running adds, "we realized there are lots of sports-related media out there for women. However, much of this media focuses on fashion, weight loss and other superfluous issues -- we wanted to create a place for the women who are serious about their running and recognize that fitness is a lifestyle. We look forward to growing Traxee.com based on the needs and desires of the community. Women runners are now a powerful force in athletics all across the world. It's an awesome privilege to be able to provide a space for women at all skill levels of the sport to share their experiences and support each other."

Founded in January, 2008, the Traxee mission is to provide a social networking community where women can come together, inspire and support each other in all stages of the sport, from running for fitness, to training, to competition. Traxee's distinctly female perspective on the athletic lifestyle reflects the essential balance between strength of body and strength of spirit. Through a fun, supportive environment of likeminded women, comprehensive content, expert advice, the latest product information & reviews and innovative interactive tools, Traxee community members can set, track, achieve and celebrate their goals "on the track" and in life. Traxee.com: Where Women Train - Run - Connect. Please visit www.traxee.com.

Other tips and ideas for women who wish to reduce the effects of growing older can be found at the Anti Aging Research website.

As North American economies seem to be moving precariously close to the brink and bankruptcies and foreclosures are on the increase, so is the interest in debt consolidation loans. If people have accumulated sufficient debts in multiple credit cards or other loans at high interest rates, then looking at consolidating them all into one loan at a lower rate makes a great deal of good sense.

These benefits are discussed in greater length at the Consolidate Debt website.

Business debt consolidation firms propose a workable solution to several financial problems. They also have the ability to provide the answer to troubles that might otherwise need to be settled in courts. These firms have an out-of-court resolution technique as a part of their services.

When business debt consolidation restructures your debts effectively it can even assure you of good business cash flow amidst the payments you make to your various individual creditors. The company devises a system where in both creditors and debtors enjoy benefits. If this is the situation that you or your business find yourselves in, then we highly recommend taking a serious look at a debt consolidation loan.

Great news for writers

As a writer, I am very pleased to hear that a new book, "I Met a Greek Goddess in Nashville", self published by Kalpanik S., a previously unknown author made it to the "Hot New Releases" list on Amazon.com's Kindle Book store on June 5th, within three weeks of its publication.

"We are very pleased to see 'I Met a Greek Goddess in Nashville' achieve "Hottest New Release" within a few weeks of its publication." said Sonia Talreja, a New Media Consultant based in San Diego who is handling the publicity for the book. "This proves the power of the use of the New Media formats and platforms such as Kindle, Facebook, MySpace, Amapedia, YouTube and Google/ yahoo groups. We had exclusively used these for publicizing this book."

"I am a busy executive so I did not have time or energy to follow the time consuming publishing or publicizing methods" said Kalpanik S., the author of 'I Met a Greek Goddess in Nashville'. ". In place of spending my time contacting publishers and agents or sending copies of the books for book reviews, I decided to use the New Media formats, platforms and forums such as Kindle, facebook, Amapedia, MySpace and YouTube for publishing and publicizing my book. These have been instrumental in the success of 'I Met a Greek Goddess in Nashville.'"

"I was flattered when Kalpanik found me using facebook and approached me for this opportunity" said Christl René Snyman, the cover model for 'I Met a Greek Goddess in Nashville' and a resident of South Africa. "Every woman wants to be a Goddess, and this gave me an opportunity to be the Greek Goddess for thousands of readers. Facebook allowed us to collaborate on this project across thousands of miles and several time zones."

"What a delight to read! Very Entertaining though a bit whimsical. The humor is quickly addictive and the words flow so well that it's hard to put down." said Jim Pinto, author, speaker and Technology futurist. "The pictures lure you to continue reading - it is the story of a smart immigrant, a modern nomad who doesn't mind trading one job for another thousands of miles away, is willing to take risks, enjoys people and appreciates life as it comes."

The kindle and the print versions of the book can be purchased at Amazon.com or at the book's website (http://www.greek-goddess.org).

For more information on how Sonia and Kalpanik used the New Media platforms and forums to publicize the book, please call Sonia at 858 731 6225 or email her.

Writers can also pick up more than $3,000 worth of writing tools for free if they visit the Creative Writing Tips website at http://creativewritingtips.org/

Top American Honeymoon Destinations

Since we recently talked about the best beaches in Southeast Asia, it seemed only logical to continue the travel talk theme by remarking on a recent report on top American honeymoon destinations.

Honeymooner's Review Guide is known for the honeymoon and destination wedding planning advice it provides for couples. Now they have released their recent findings for honeymoon couples who are choosing the USA mainland. Reasons range from high airline costs to negative exchange rates. Also, International couples wanting to take advantage of recent great bargains on US soil are coming to the US. The top honeymoon planning website just released their 2008 recommendations for where to go and where to stay for that romantic US mainland interlude.

LaVerne Haller states, "We are seeing more and more US and International couples who are selecting honeymoon travel sites in the United States for their weddings and honeymoons this year due to high costs overseas and bargains in the States." According to Haller, the majority of honeymooners tend to leave their native land or in the case of US citizens prefer Hawaii or the Caribbean to the mainland. However, recent high costs for US couples to fly and honeymoon in Europe, Asia and beyond has driven many to look to home for that special time together. As to European, Asian and other couples, the US looks like a great deal and offers many very romantic locales to start married life together.

Based upon data from returning honeymooners and their research, they recommend that couples consider the following for that special honeymoon or destination wedding on the US mainland (listed alphabetically):

Avalon Luxury Bed & Breakfast - Sonoma Valley, California

Bellagio, Las Vegas - Las Vegas, Nevada

Berry Springs Lodge Bed and Breakfast - Sevierville , Tenn

Blue Lake Ranch - Hesperus, Colorado

Carneros Inn - Napa, California

Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing - Branson, Missouri

Inn at Palmetto Bluff - Bluffton, South Carolina

Inn of the Five Graces - Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Inn at Bowman's Hill - New Hope, Pennsylvania

The Tides Hotel - Miami Beach, Florida

Their latest survey is not intended to be a complete list of all the top honeymoon hotels and resorts in the US mainland, but does provide guidance for couples planning their honeymoon travel. Haller states that, "in addition to our surveys, we check each provider to ensure that they are indeed considered the 'best of the best'."

Ratings are based upon 25 factors and stress ambiance, activities, customer service and romance. Honeymooners Review Guide and its website, http://www.honeymoonersreviewguide.com offers couples online access to 350+ planning pages of tips, articles, ideas on romance, destinations, and a database with over 3,000 hotels and resorts, with direct access to select honeymoon travel agents and destination wedding specialists.

Another of our favorite sources for information about American honeymoon destinations is the
Romantic Honeymoon Vacations website.

Hottest beaches in Southeast Asia

Do you want to know what the hottest beaches in Southeast Asia are these days? Goodness knows if you are going to go on a holiday to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam or the Phillipines, you don't want to make the faux pas of lounging around a beach that is less than fashionable.

Fortunately, the Last Minute Vacations Info website has come to the rescue by publishing a top ten list of the best beach resorts in Southeast Asia. Why does nobody ever publish a top nine or a top eleven list? Well, anyway, we'll let one cat out of the bag and tell you that the number one beach resort on the list is Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas, Krabi, Thailand, noted for its dramatic location and view, as well as architecture.

For the other nine on the Top Ten Best Beach Resorts in Southeast Asia list, you'll have to visit the Last Minute Vacations website.

Favorite honeymoon destinations announced

We have known for several years now that romantic travel is one of the hottest and fastest growing segments of the travel industry. That includes destination weddings, honeymoons, vow renewals and just plain lovey-dovey getaways. One of the best sources of information on this growing romantic travel market is the Romantic Planet website.

Now, we see that Ron Haller, President of the Honeymooner's Review Guide has announced the results of a survey about the top places to go for a honeymoon. This survey is not intended to be a complete list of all the top honeymoon hotels and resorts but does provide guidance for couples planning their honeymoon travel. Haller states that, "in addition to our surveys, we check each provider to ensure that they are indeed considered the 'best of the best'."

For 2008, results reveal that the following are very highly regarded by couples based upon completion of a survey of 25 detailed questions regarding the quality of their experience.

Top destinations remain Hawaii, Jamaica, St.Lucia, and Mexico. However, some of the top rated resorts are also in the Maldives, Grenada, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Italy.

Michelle McKenzie states, "Based upon our ongoing surveys, the following top 25 honeymoon resorts can be considered as places for couples to enjoy a quality romantic honeymoon and destination wedding" The resorts are listed randomly and are not in priority order.

Le Taha'a Private Island & Resort & Spa -- Tahaa, Society Islands

Casa Chameleon -- Mal Pais, Costa Rica

Amore By The Sea Bed and Breakfast Inn -- Victoria, BC

Aventura Spa Palace -- Tulum, Mexico

Four Seasons Resort Lana'i -- Lana'i City, Hawaii

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island -- Maldives

Royal Plantation -- Ochios Rios, Jamaica

Couples Negril -- Negril, Jamaica

Sandals Royal Carribean -- Montego Bay, Jamaica

Secrets Excellence Punta Cana -- Punta Cana, Dominican Rep.

Spice Island Beach Resort -- Grenada

Stonefield Estate -- Soufriere, St. Lucia

Aloha Cottage -- Makawao, Maui, Hawaii

Hilton Los Cabos Beach -- Cabos San Lucas, Mexico

Couples swept away -- Negril, Jamaica

Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino -- Curacao

Marriott Bangkok Resort & Spa -- Thailand

El Dorado Royale -- Riviera Maya, Mexico

Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Resort -- Ochios Rios, Jamaica

Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort and Spa -- St. Lucia

Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island -- Nassau

Luna Convento Hotel -- Amalfi, Italy

Ritz-Carlton Kapalua -- Maui

Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort and Spa -- Castries, St. Lucia

The Fairmont Orchid -- Hawaii - Big Island

Ratings are based upon 25 factors and stress ambiance, activities, customer service and romance. Honeymooners Review Guide (http://www.honeymoonersreviewguide.com/) and its website, http://www.honeymoonersreviewguide.com offers couples on-line access to 350 planning pages of tips, articles, ideas on romance, destinations, and a database with over 3,000 hotels and resorts, with direct access to select honeymoon travel agents and destination wedding specialists providing honeymoon packages and destination wedding packages.

For anyone considering a romantic vacation, honeymoon or wedding in British Columbia, we recommend investigating hotels and other accommodations in the greater Vancouver area at the Best Vancouver Hotels website.