Monthly Archives: October 2012

Hey everyone, i was browsing through a few blogs and i came across an interesting post about electronic cars. The post was posted by Tony.

Basically, the blog post was about small-sized, environmental-friendly and cheap-priced electronic car, called the ZEVe ultracompact, that will soon be running on the roads of Japan. Toyota Motors Corporation has paid $254,800 for the establishment of the ZEVe and have received a quota approval by the government to produce up to 70,000 units annually.

There are pros and cons of electronic cars. On the pro side, electronic cars causes less pollution, therefore creating a more sustainable environment. Also, 25% of Japan’s population is above 65 therefore the electronic car is very useful mode of transportation for the elderly. The price of a ZEVe is believed to be 800,000 yen ($10,000) and may dip down to as low as 600,000 yen ($7,500).

There are, however concerns about the safety of the car because it “looks easy to crush” says Ikuo, Doi, a Japanese senior. Furthermore, these cars cannot carry large amounts of equipment such as farming tools. Still, some say that their diminutive size could be a plus: The government is expected to approve the vehicle category because their slow speeds and light weight mean they pose less of a danger to other vehicles or pedestrians.

The main article can be found here

hey guys,

This morning, Calgary-based Progress Energy Resources stated that it is disappointed because the federal government blocked a multi-billion-dollar bid by Malaysia’s state-owned oil company Petronas to take it over. The company’s CEO Michael Culbert says that progress will be made for the next 30 days to determine the nature of the issues as well as potential remedies.                                                                                                    

He also added that “The long-term health of the natural gas industry in Canada and the development of a new [liquified natural gas] export industry are dependent on international investments.”

The Industry Minister Christian Paradis however, said that the proposed takeover worth between $5 billion to $6 billion did not meet Canada’s benefit test. Paradis has sent a letter to Petronas indicating that he is not satisfied with the proposal and thus extended the review period to 30 days. This review period might extend again. Paradis added that his government has a “long-standing reputation for welcoming foreign investment” and “remains committed to maintaining an open climate for investment.”

Petronas and Progress Energy are already partners in an ambitious project to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) by ship from British Columbia.

The proposal now on hold would give Petronas control over Progress Energy’s Montney gas shale assets in the foothills of northeast British Columbia, reserves that could feed a planned LNG facility in Prince Rupert, B.C.

The article can be found here

Hey guys,

I was browsing through the net and came across the news of the European Union (EU) winning this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The EU won the prize for fostering peace on a continent that was ravaged by war. Since World War 2, the EU grew out of the disaster, fueled by the conviction that ever-closer economic ties would make sure that century-old enemies never turn on each other gain.

The EU has been seen as possible candidate for the Nobel for many years, and the members of the committee had previously praised the community’s significance as a promoter of peace and democracy in Europe. Although the European financial crisis is still haunting the region, the 27 country member of the EU are still standing united and deserve global recognition. It is still however, undecided to whom will represent the EU to collect the prize.

The article can be found here

Hey everyone, Happy Thanksgiving day!

It is really unfortunate of me to announce that a few hours ago, European stocks and oil fell as concerns over the global economic outlook and its impact on the coming corporate earnings season weighed on investor sentiment. It appears that the World Bank has cut its estimate for East Asian growth including China, thus has undone some of the positive sentiment that followed a sharp drop in U.S. unemployment for September.

In Europe investors are also focused on a meeting of euro zone finance ministers later. They will formally launch the region’s new permanent bailout fund and are expected to discuss the problems facing Spain and Greece. But they are not expected to make major progress in solving the debt crisis so German government bond futures were ticking higher in early trade.The signs of strength in Europe’s biggest economy failed to help to the euro which was down 0.4 percent at $1.2975.

The slow global growth would reduce investments in corporate firms globally. This would definitely slow progress in rebuilding Europe’s economy. unemployment would remain high, while economic stability is threatened.

the article can be found here

Hey guys,

you guys should already know what gundams are, but for those who don’t, Gundams are giant military robots. The Gundam series started on April 7, 1979, as a serial TV show called Mobile Suit Gundam. That first TV series has since spawned a franchise that has come to include works released in numerous media.

we know that Japan loves Gundam. in fact, the japanese love it so much that  a major political party has announced that it is considering an actual, real-life Gundam development program for its military.

Reactions online in Japan have been mixed. one commentator criticized the impracticality of fielding billion-dollar machines that could be taken down with some tripwire, Battle of Hoth-style. “Gundams would be useless in a real war. If their intent is anything more than to curry favour with otaku they should start looking at what would be.” Others were more optimistic. “People ridiculing this are the same people who would have been ridiculing the car a century ago!” exclaimed one. And yet another simply had qualms with the LDP’s choice of giant robot. “Why Gundam all of a sudden now?

Personally, although it sounds really exciting to watch a real-life Gundam fly over the skies, however i firmly believe it is a waste of resources. Instead of investing billions of dollars into the military, why not invest in better infrastructure and education. Japanese infrastructure is by far one of the best in the world, but it is still not perfect. Look at what the tsunami did to the nuclear reactors of Japan during the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

the article can be found here