The Lexus Corporation, Toyota’s upscale luxury automobile division, believes that hybrid automobiles are more than just environmental friendly cars – they represent a new philosophy in automobile engineering that is in tune with today’s desires for comfort and luxury while being aware of environment realities.

Based on a new ecological design concept known as Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicles (SULEV’s) the Lexus Corporation has devoted much time and effort into producing some of the finest and most environmental friendly hybrid vehicles produced in the world today. The Lexus hybrid fleet are built around the following model designs: the GS Hybrid, LS Hybrid, and the RX Luxury Hybrid Utility Vehicle.

While the entire Toyota hybrid auto concept has produced the leading hybrid cars sold on the market today with it’s Prius hybrid line, Lexus has gone one step further by introducing three truly luxury hybrid models which are designed to appeal not only to the most discretional consumer tastes, but to their budgets as well. All of the Lexus hybrid vehicles are designed to run cleaner and more economically than previous models, without compromising comfort and luxury. Though all models follow the purest hybrid concept of balancing performance with both an electric and gasoline engines, Lexus hybrid vehicles are supplied with larger, more powerful engines which are designed to provide maximum performance and torque without causing harmful emissions and wasteful fuel consumption.

Customers who are looking for a hybrid model in a large luxury sedan, will find the Lexus LS Prestige Hybrid Luxury Sedan to be much to their liking. The LS is equipped with a fuel burning 5 Liter V-8 engine for maximum highway performance, and a sophisticatedly designed electric engine for city driving or driving in congested areas. The ultimate engineering balance between both engines includes the recharging ability of a specially designed generator to keep the electric engine’s storage batteries at full power.

The GS 450 Hybrid Sedan has a smaller 3.5 liter V-6 engine for greater fuel economy. It is the perfect choice for those who still desire a luxury sedan while having the economy and environmental advantages of a true hybrid car.

For those wanting the economy and environmental benefits of a hybrid, but desire a four wheel drive utility vehicle, the Lexus RX 400h definitely fills the bill. This rugged five door car with a 286 hp V-6 engine is rugged enough to take you virtually anywhere; while it’s electric engine allows quiet, clean and economical driving in the most congested city or freeway driving. The RX’s features make it a true SULEV vehicle.

All three cars come with a special Electronically Controlled Continuous Variable transmission (ECVT) and all wheel ventilated disc brakes for added safety and heat dispersion during emergency stops. All the luxury features you would expect to find in a fine Lexus automobile are standard on each car, including computerized Directional Service Providers (DSP) and even vocal directional navigation systems available on demand. Fine leather upholstery is also available on all models.

Lexus’ bottom line means that you don’t have to comprise on luxury to own a state of the art hybrid car.

Nothing spells potential family conflicts than week-long cooking and preparations, the kids coming home from college, the in-laws flying in from out of state, the men off in the living room watching football, the younger children running and yelling throughout the house and then having the entire family gather around the same Thanksgiving table. 

It’s no wonder most people have a love-hate relationship with the holiday season!

Luckily there are several minor things you can do in the Feng Shui tradition to minimize the stress levels and achieve a more balanced flow of positive energy in your home:

• Clean Your Clutter: When company’s a comin’ there is no better time to get rid of the things that are creating a mess in your home – both physically and emotionally. Use the opportunity to go over the “stuff” that has been lying around and remove all the items that you no longer need or want, things that are broken or no longer in good condition and especially those things which cause you to associate with bad or negative memories from your past.  To increase your vibrational energy, give away the things you don’t need to someone who does or donate the rest to charity.

• Remove Sharp Edges: Have your guests sit at a round or oval dining table where there are no sharp edges and remove sharp knives as soon as you are finished using them. Sharp edges are said to cut the flow of chi, encourage sharp words and arguments, as well as cause negative effects to the person sitting directly in front or behind them. Oval shaped tables also foster harmony as there is no hierarchy or rank created by the “head” of the table.

• Flower Power:  Place a centerpiece of fresh orange flowers to encourage conversation. Chrysanthemums are also said to bring laughter and happiness to your home and you should try to have at least one big plant in each room to freshen the atmosphere, clean the air, and bring beneficial energy to your surroundings.

• Bring Out the China: Bring out the good stuff, like the china, crystal and fine silverware you’ve been hiding in your cabinets and closets. Share them with your guests as a token of prosperity and abundance.

• Energize the Main Rooms: Before your company arrives, mist each room with the scent of lemon, lavender, pine or cinnamon to help your guests relax the moment they enter your home. Increase the active yang energy with soft lighting, candles and soft music. As you prepare your home, use the opportunity to center yourself, clear your mind, revel in the present moment and raise your positive energies.  Your guests will be able to sense these “good vibes” as soon as they enter the door.

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Shira Tamir enjoys blogging on topics that encourage spiritual, social, environmental and global change. Her personal blog can be found at www.livinginmyownworld.com

More and more people are discovering the benefits of drinking various types of organic tea. Whether it be green tea, Chinese medicinal teas, herbal teas, or specially blended “weight loss” tea, those seeking the maximum “cleansing” benefit of these special kinds of tea are choosing the “organic way” to insure receiving the utmost health benefits without danger of pesticides and other chemicals that may possibly be found on regular, commercially grown and processed tea.

Green tea, for example, is derived from the plant species known as camellia sinensis , which also is made into a number of other teas, including black, oolong, pu-reh or medicinal tea, and white tea. The final type depends on when the tea is picked and processed afterwards. Green tea is known to many for its high levels of anti-oxidants, as well at it’s successes in preventing and treating various forms of heart disease and cancers. Many green tea drinkers in oriental countries consume as many as eight cups of tea per day; the result being a mush lower incidence of prostate and other cancers than by people living in western countries. The high anti-oxidant levels found in green, together with a diet consisting of more fish and vegetables and less meat a dairy fats account for this trend for less cancers and heart disease among Orientals.

Pu-erh tea is also derived from the same plant as green tea, but is processed differently to give a different taste. Being a darker tea, it is claimed by many to be al alternative to drinking coffee, yet maintains many of the same benefits of green tea. Pu-erh tea has much less caffeine than coffee; and is often aged in caves to give it a strong, natural flavor. It is recommended to drink at least one glass of pu-erh tea with every meal, especially the main meal.

Oo-long or wu-long tea undergoes a special fermentation process to give is a special light, sweet taste resembling flowers. Oo-long is often served in fine Chinese restaurants as a desert tea to cleanse to palate following a meat of fish meal. Organic brands of Oo-long tea are supposed to be free of any chemicals that might be used in the fermentation process. This tea is often recommended as an aid to digestion, and many drink at lest four cups of tea daily.

Other types of tea derived from the camellia sinensis tea plant include Baozhong tea, a cross between green and Oo-long tea, and white or yellow teas. Baozhong tea is reputed to undergo less oxidation in processing and is said to contain the same beneficial anti-oxydents as green tea with the medicinal qualities of Oo-long tea. White tea is actually derived from a sub-species of the camellia sinensis plant and is dried and steamed immediately after picking. It is known to be high in anti-oxidents. As it comes from only one province of China, it is not as well known as other types of tea.

As with all types of organic food and beverage products, true organic teas must bear the proper organic label. Those sold in the U.S.A. and are at least 95% organic must be labeled UDSA Organic; and those which are 100% organic must state this fact accordingly. The most beneficial value of all of these teas results from drinking several cups or glasses per day, combined with a diet high in whole grains, vegetables and fish.

Global warming and the high price of crude oil has made the hybrid car an ecological innovation which is gaining immensely in popularity. For those who are not yet familiar with this new concept, a hybrid vehicle is a car or other type of vehicle in which two types of power, combustion and electricity, are used to provide more fuel economy as well as less exhaust emissions. A hybrid vehicle, or parallel engine hybrid to be exact, uses both a gasoline powered engine and an electric one to provide power. The two engines are usually mounted at opposite ends of the vehicle, with the gasoline powered one in front, and the electric one in the rear. Specially designed batteries are mounted in the floor of the vehicle, and they provide power to the electric engine to power the vehicle in more congested driving situations such as heavy highway traffic or city driving. By utilizing a concept of kinetic energy and special generators, the batteries for the electric engine are constantly being charged while the vehicle is in motion.

Some hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius and Lexus GS 450h, have specially designed transmissions to help conserve fuel when the gasoline engine is being used and to assist either the gasoline or electric engine with the power they need to travel at sufficient speeds on interstate highways and other motorways.

When the electric engine is being utilized to power the vehicle, not only is it more silent, but virtually no exhaust emissions are being emitted into the atmosphere, which is a great benefit against the “greenhouse effect”, largely responsible for global warming.

A hybrid car can achieve a fuel mileage capability of around 55 miles to the gallon as compared with even the most fuel efficient gasoline or diesel powered cars which average around 30-35 miles per gallon. The purpose of a hybrid drive system is two-fold: to improve fuel economy and to reduce polluting exhaust emissions of both carbon dioxide (Co2), which is the greatest contributor to global warming, and carbon monoxide which pollutes the air and harms people by reducing the blood’s ability to transport oxygen throughout the body. In addition to federal regulations to reduce the polluting contents of refined fuels, certain states like California have initiated very strict laws relating to exhaust emissions by restricting the amount of pollutants such as carbon monoxide from vehicles. For this reason alone, hybrid vehicles are becoming very popular in California and other states with heavy traffic congestion.

While not a perfect situation (electric or hydrogen powered cars have yet to be perfected for long range driving of at least 300 miles or 480 km) the hybrid car makes sense when gasoline sells for a average of $3.00 per gallon in America and even more in European countries. A good case in point is when New York City Mayor Bloomberg ordered several hundred hybrid SUV’s for use as taxi cabs in his city. So from a “green” or environment standpoint, the idea of the hybrid vehicle is definitely one whose time has come.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore may not yet be running again for the Presidency, but his message is definitely clear: unless immediate steps are made to protect the environment and reverse global warming, our continued life on Earth is definitely at risk. Speaking during an hour long interview on CNN’s Larry King Live program last July, Mr. Gore related in dept his opinions on how lack of intense effort on the part of the present U.S. Administration is spelling disaster to our quality of life, if not life itself.

Mr. Gore’s Academy Award winning documentary film, An Inconvenient Truth, gave a not very optimistic account on how the worlds’ eco-system has been severely damaged by Man’s obsession with the use of fossil fuels and other dangerous pollutants, which, in Gore’s opinion, is largely responsible for the state of our environment, including melting Arctic and Antarctic ice shelves at an alarming pace. Gore’s concern for world environment problems goes back many years when he became concerned with many species of animals becoming extinct including a small species of owl that used to inhabit the redwood forest regions of Oregon and Washington State. That concern as well as for the decrease in the atmosphere’s ozone layer (that protective layer against the sun’s damaging radiation) gave him the title of “Mr. Ozone” and made him the brunt of jokes by entertainment comedians including NBC’s Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.

America isn’t the only ecological culprit though, as fast developing nations such as China are consuming fossil fuels in alarming amounts with little or no ecological controls. China’s number of private automobiles alone has more than quadrupled in past five years alone; and its heavy industries have become one of the world’s prime consumers of fuels such as coal and fuel oil, and has turned this country housing more than a fifth of the world’s population into one of the worst polluted.

The melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice is expected cause the worlds oceans to rise at least 7 to 10 meters in the next 10 to 20 years. That’s enough to inundate most world coastal towns and cities, in which at least a billion of the world’s population live. Outside of the possible extinction of many varieties of animal species, including polar bears, seals and walruses, and many species of birds, The oceans themselves will be less able to support marine animals and vegetation as they will become too acid in their content, thus killing the marine vegetation on which many marine animals thrive, and reducing the water’s oxygen content by as much as 25%.

Judging from current realities regarding severe changes in our environment, particularly weather patterns, people are laughing less at “Mr. Ozone” and are now beginning to listen to his warning. An Inconvenient Truth has won Mr. Gore both an Academy Award and an Emmy, America’s most prestigious awards from both the motion picture and television industries.

And now, to crown his achievements for the benefit of Mankind, Al Gore has been awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize along with a special U.N. scientific panel: the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Both Gore and the IPCC will share equally in the prize which will be awarded in a special ceremony in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

Whether of not Gore does decide to throw his hat into the Democratic Party Presidential race, his message is certainly worth listening to and acting upon. Despite the current Administration’s apprehensions, a few years of ecological ‘adjustment’ is paramount, including drastic curtailment of the use of fossil fuels and switching over to more environmentally friendly energy sources, such as solar energy and hydrogen based fuels. If this doesn’t occur, our future on this planet, an “island we cannot leave”, may be very unpleasant indeed.

Please continue your crusade, Mr. Gore; and perhaps more and more people will listen. We simply have to listen before it will be too late.