Hot Trends Newsletter and Information

Hi,

Will you act during the economic downturn, or simply REACT?

Don't let fear of the recession guide your goal setting plans for
2009. This is a BIG mistake...!

Fear is an emotional response, only good for short-term survival.

When you're in "fight or flight" mode, you're not thinking clearly
about the path you're running... You're just RUNNING!

So your efforts lack strategy, planning, and insight.

I want you to do more than just survive 2009.

Internet shopping is predicted to hit $145.1 Billion in the coming
year, a significant 14% increase -- despite the recession!

Consumers will be spending more time at home, using their
computers for everything from bargain hunting and product
research to upgrading skills.

Studies show this shift is ALREADY well underway...!

I don't want the Big "R" to stop you from pursuing exciting
personal, financial, and business goals in 2009, so I've arranged to
get you exclusive VIP access to an important video that Internet
marketing guru Derek Gehl just put up on his site.

Derek's been successfully selling on the Internet for over a decade
now, and he's brought in over $100 MILLION in sales …

… so he's by far the BEST person to advise you about how to
thrive in ANY market.

When you watch his FREE Goal Setting Video, you'll discover
how you can make 2009 your richest year yet:

http://goal-setting-video.blogspot.com

Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness in 2009!

Ave Ramel

P.S. Derek's also going to be hosting a FREE Webinar in the first week of January to help everyone kick-off their New Year's goals with a bang.

You can register for it here:
http://goal-setting-video.blogspot.com

***Trust in the Lord with all your heart***

Labels: goal setting video, hot trends 2009

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota is deep in the hole financially, but the state still owns a premier golf resort, a sprawling amateur sports complex, a big airport, a major zoo and land holdings the size of the Central American country of Belize.

Valuables like these are in for a closer look as 44 states cope with deficits.

Like families pawning the silver to get through a tight spot, states such as Minnesota, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are thinking of selling or leasing toll roads, parks, lotteries and other assets to raise desperately needed cash.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has hinted that his January budget proposal will include proposals to privatize some of what the state owns or does. The Republican is looking for cash to help close a $5.27 billion deficit without raising taxes.

GOP lawmakers are pushing to privatize the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the state lottery. Both steps require a higher authority — federal legislation in the case of the airport, a voter-approved constitutional amendment for the lottery.

But one lawmaker estimated an airport deal could bring in at least $2.5 billion, and the lottery $500 million.

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering putting the Massachusetts Turnpike in private hands. That could bring in upfront money to help with a $1.4 billion deficit, while also saving on highway operating costs.

In New York, Democratic Gov. David Paterson appointed a commission to look into leasing state assets, including the Tappan Zee Bridge north of New York City, the lottery, golf courses, toll roads, parks and beaches.

Recommendations are expected next month.

Such projects could be attractive to private investors and public pension funds looking for safe places to put their money in this scary economy, said Leonard Gilroy, a privatization expert with the market-oriented Reason Foundation in Los Angeles.

"Infrastructure is more attractive today than ever," Gilroy said. "It's tangible. It's a road. It's water. It's an airport. It's something that is - you know, you hear the term recession-proof."

Unions don't like privatization deals out of fear that worker wages and benefits will be squeezed as private operators try to boost their profit by streamlining services.

Taxpayers, too, can lose out if the arrangements don't work - and sometimes even if they do, said Mark Price, a labor economist with the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg, Pa. Higher tolls on privatized roads can push drivers onto state-operated roads, wearing them down faster and raising public costs over time.

"You're privatizing some profits in this process and socializing some losses," Price said.
Selling or leasing public assets can produce an immediate infusion of cash for the state, while foisting the tough decisions, such as raising tolls, onto private operators instead of the politicians.

"The downsides are often after they leave office," said Phineas Baxandall, a researcher with the consumer-oriented U.S. Public Interest Research Group in Boston.

Some states struck major privatization deals well before the economic crisis hit.

Indiana, for example, brought in $3.8 billion in 2006 by leasing the Indiana Toll Road for 75 years. Chicago stands to collect $2.5 billion by leasing Midway Airport, if the federal government approves, and has raised an additional $3.5 billion since 2005 through deals for the Chicago Skyway toll road, parking ramps and parking meters.

But in September, investors walked away from a $12.8 billion bid to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike for 75 years after legislators failed to act on the deal. And Texas lawmakers uneasy over a proposed private toll road system approved a two-year moratorium on such contracts last year.

David Fisher, who managed Minnesota's state-owned properties a few years ago under former Gov. Jesse Ventura, warned that the state has a hard time finding buyers for properties such as old mental institutions.

Fisher said some public properties belong in private hands, such as Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort, a top-rated getaway in Biwabik, and Ironworld, a museum and library in Chisholm.

Both are owned and subsidized by Iron Range Resources, a state agency.
"Certainly those things could be privatized, I think without harm to the state, but I don't know that you could find the right buyer," Fisher said.

By MARTIGA LOHN, Associated Press Writer

Labels: annuity, hot trends 2009, lottery, newsletter, real estate

The numbers don't look good. November car sales were down 30 percent from last year. While shoppers are used to doom and gloom sales numbers coming out of Detroit, the declines are now industry-wide, with Honda posting a 32 percent decline, Toyota sales dropping 34 percent, and even venerable Porsche reporting a nearly 50 percent drop in sales.

While these numbers obviously spell trouble for automakers, what they mean for car shoppers isn't immediately clear. The credit crisis has continued for months and with belt-tightening becoming the new American pastime, car shoppers are finding themselves adrift in a sea of bad industry news, rising new car incentives, and little advice for consumers.

That's where this year's U.S. News Best Car for the Money awards come in.

Car shoppers face an uncertain economy and a shrinking ability to borrow. The key to surviving the current marketplace is to stretch your dollars as far as they'll go -- but that doesn't mean flocking to the biggest incentives. It means focusing on cars that are proven winners and offer a great value over the entire life of the car.

The Best Car for the Money Awards use data from U.S. News' online automotive rankings (at http://www.rankingsandreviews.com/) to find cars that are among the best in their class. The rankings are based on the collective opinion of the automotive press, which helps to eliminate subjectivity and elevate expert opinion about each car.

The awards also take initial price into account, but more importantly, they incorporate the five-year total cost of owning the car. Using data from IntelliChoice, an industry leader in determining new car values and ownership costs, the awards include how much buyers can expect to spend on maintenance and fuel, as well as how much of a hit they'll take from the car's depreciation. As a result, the awards tell you which cars are the best for your money over the long haul.

The Winners

Across 14 new car classes, the clear winner is Toyota. Five Toyotas won Best Car for the Money in their classes, with Lexus, Toyota's luxury marquee, pulling in another three.

Chevrolet and Mazda each claim two awards and Honda and Korean upstart Hyundai each claim one. Five of the award winners are even available as hybrids - most of which are also great values.

Despite ranging in size from the tiny Honda Fit to the hulking Chevrolet Tahoe, the winners have a lot in common. They share a high level of build quality that makes for worry-free and low-cost ownership. One of the reasons Toyota models take so many of the awards is because of their bulletproof quality. That not only lowers the cost of maintaining Toyotas -- it means that they retain value better than most other cars.

The winners have something else in common: they are favorites in the automotive press. Not because they tear up drag strips or star in music videos, but because they are extremely livable. Each winner occupies an automotive sweet spot that makes it an attractive choice for the vast majority of car shoppers.

Take the Lexus ES, the Best Upscale Car for the Money: it doesn't drive as sharp as the BMW 3-Series and doesn't look as sharp as the Mercedes Benz C-Class, but taken as a total package, it's very comfortable to drive and easy to live with on a daily basis -- not to mention easier on your wallet.

Some winners, like the Mazda5, the Best Compact Crossover for the Money, take the best of what class leaders like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V have to offer, but pack in an appealing lower price. The case of the Hyundai Elantra, the Best Compact Car for the Money, proves what many have been saying for years: Honda and Toyota should watch their backs because Hyundai is making not just economical cars, but very good ones.

Time to Buy

It's a confusing time to be shopping for a new car. While there are some incredible deals to be had, many of those incentives are for cars that don't offer a lot of value in the long term. Worse, a car with thousands of dollars in cash-back offers may be tough to drive, and laden with features you don't need.

The U.S. News Best Car for the Money awards cut through fog surrounding the auto industry to point out the cars that combine value with day-to-day livability. As scary as it is to part with thousands of dollars in this economy, by sticking with the cars that offer maximum satisfaction at a minimal cost, your money will go further and your driving will be happier. And, who knows? Happy new car buyers may be just the stimulus this economy needs.

See the 14 award-winners:

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/784/best-cars-for-the-money/

Labels: car, hot trends 2009, new car, use car

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon.com Inc on Friday reported its best holiday sales season yet, even as sales and traffic at U.S. store chains were the weakest in decades, sending its shares up nearly 4 percent.

Analysts have pointed to Amazon as a rare bright spot in this year's holiday shopping season due to its scale and flexibility, as retailers try to outdo each other with deep discounts to lure consumers during a recession.

Online sales were also helped by winter storms that hit large sections of the United States on the last major shopping weekend before Christmas.

In a release titled "Amazon.com's 14th holiday season is best ever," the company said more than 6.3 million items were ordered on its site worldwide for the peak shopping day of December 15, amounting to 72.9 items ordered per second.

On its peak day, it shipped more than 5.6 million units.

However, the company gave no financial details regarding the sales, such as how its margins fared with the discounts seen across the retail sector.

Reuters

Labels: Amazon, business, Christmas shopping, hot trends 2009

Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" record seems like just another anthem for women getting over a bad breakup.

The lyrics attack a jealous ex-boyfriend who can't accept that she has moved on and is now getting the attention of other men. His jealousy annoys her because he had his chance.

So Beyonce quips, "If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it," throwing the drama back in his face.

While a concept video documenting the dirty details of a failed relationship would have been the obvious companion piece for the song, Beyonce had dancing on her mind.

Inspired by choreography of the late Broadway producer Bob Fosse, Beyonce wanted to make a dance video shot in one continuous take.

The choreography, two background dancers, her single-sleeved leotard and Michael Jackson-esque titanium glove are her only props.

Again, Beyonce scores a #1 hit and gives her females fans a new anthem. She additionally ignites a viral sensation that prompts hundreds of interpretations.

Single ladies aren't the only ones redoing the video. There are also takes from men and kids, parodies, response songs and animations.

Click to some of the highlights. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/hiphopmediatraining/43357/beyonce-prompts-single-ladies-men-and-kids-to-remake-her-video/

Labels: beyonce, hot trends 2009, music, single ladies

American fast-food chain Burger King has come up with a novel Christmas gift idea for the meat-loving man who has everything: barbecue-scented cologne.

Just in time for the festive season, the company has released its very own men's body spray, Flame.

Not recommended for vegetarians, Flame is being promoted as "the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broilled meat".

While the smell itself might not inspire confidence, the price will.

Flame is on sale for the credit crunch-busting sum of just $3.99 (£2.65), suggesting the Burger King promotions department has realised their contribution to the fragrance market might work best as a novelty stocking-filler.

Flame, a body spray for men, was launched this week online and in a selection of US stores - it is sadly not available in the UK, and now even has its own website, the appropriately named firemeetsdesire.com.

The site proudly proclaims to prospective buyers: "The Whopper sandwich is America's favourite burger," before going on to extol the virtues of a perfume that smells like cooked meat.

"Flame by BK captures the essence of that love and gives it to you. Behold ... now you can set the mood for whatever you're in the mood for."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3797892/Burger-King-releases-meat-scented-cologne.html

Labels: Burger King, business, cologne, hot trends 2009

Welcome to Hot Trends 2009 Blog.

Stay tuned and always come back to this blog because I will be posting a lot of hot trends throughout the year, including links to related topics.

Labels: hot trends 2009