Thứ Sáu, 31 tháng 1, 2014

Golf: Team Singapore looking to bounce back in 2015

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Golf Association (SGA) is seeking to bounce back from the recent poor performance at the Myanmar SEA Games.


It’s aiming for a gold medal in 2015 when Singapore plays host to the next edition of the Games.


The target for Myanmar was a podium finish for Team Singapore golfers.


However, a meltdown on the second day of competition meant that the players managed only a fourth-place finish.


The team are now hoping to redeem themselves in 2015 when they will have vital home ground advantage.


This was clearly shown by the 2013 Games hosts, Myanmar, who clinched silver despite being the underdogs.


“It’s only a matter of time until the whole team will click together and I am still very optimistic that they will win gold at the next SEA Games — really that optimistic,” said Bob Tan, President of the Singapore Golf Association. “Because I think there is a lot more depth in the way they play the game and I think having it in Singapore is going to help.”


That aside, 25-year-old Jerome Ng, who was part of the team in Myanmar, said good strategy and strong technical skills are also important.


“We’ve got to increase our arsenal, increase our knowledge and diversify the amount of tools we have on the golf course,” he said. “And then experiment different game plans, different kind of shots and from there see whatever works best.”


More overseas training stints or competitions, like the upcoming Asian Games this year, could also help develop the team.


The SGA president is also hoping that the golf venue for the 2015 SEA Games is confirmed soon.


This will give the local golfers more time to train on the course and hopefully boost their chances of winning a gold medal.


Meanwhile, a new coach is also set to come on board to replace Australian Andrew Welsford, who stepped down after the 2013 SEA Games.
 



Golf: Team Singapore looking to bounce back in 2015

Poll Protest to Close Bangkok; Trouble Could Last Months; Measuring the Mess ...

bangkokpost.com The Civil Court has accepted for consideraton the People’s Democratic Reform Committee’s petition for the revocation of the emergency decree and agreed to urgently deliberate the PDRC’s case for an injunction to protect protesters.


bbc.co.uk Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, 19, has been charged with assault in connection with a December attack on a limousine driver.


bangkokpost.com Anti-government protesters have blocked a postal centre in Chumphon, preventing the distribution of ballot papers to five provinces: Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phang Nga and Phuket.



dailymail.co.uk A businessman worth millions installed another woman into his home and asked his partner of 30 years if she would stay on as a housekeeper, a High Court judge heard.



PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.


bangkokpost.com Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban announced protest marches for three consecutive days that will paralyse Bangkok and turn it into one big ”walking street and picnic ground” for Sunday’s general election. The marches start tomorrow. The PDRC and its allies will hold ”massive protest marches” along several major roads throughout election day.



nationmultimedia.com A party source said several Democrats suggested the party should campaign for a ”no vote,” encouraging voters to go to the polls, but not to vote for any candidate. This would reduce the Pheu Thai Party’s ability to use the election results to claim support for the Thaksin regime.



bangkokpost.com In an exclusive interview, ‘Kamnan Suthep’ reveals how his life has changed since he abandoned conventional politics and took his fight to the streets. ”I sleep two to three hours a day but I have to perservere,” the kamnan (tambon chief) said.



nationmultimedia.com The struggle between the caretaker administration and the People’s Democratic Reform Committee will last another three to six months, PDRC key member Anek Nakabut predicted.



PTI Thailand’s embattled government will deploy 200,000 police nationwide for the disputed snap polls on Sunday to foil protesters’ bid to derail the voting as part of their campaign to oust premier Yingluck Shinawatra.



bloomberg Foreign investors have withdrawn $3 billion from Thai stocks since protests began Oct. 31, exchange data show.



economst.com A measure of the mess is that Burma (Myanmar), only freshly emerging from its half-century of authoritarian rule, is expressing its own worry about the instability next door, in Thailand.



bangkokpost.com Yingluck Shinawatra has pleaded for fairness from the anti-graft agency as she vows to defend her role in the rice pledging scheme allegations.



wsj.com Chinese package-tour bookings to Bangkok and the neighboring beach resort of Pattaya in the coming Lunar New Year break have fallen by 90 percent.



channelnewsasia.com In the April 2006 general elections, the Democrat Party pulled the same stunt and boycotted the elections – Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai party won 61 percent of the votes then but a whopping 38 percent of Thais voted ”No.” The election was eventually declared invalid by the constitutional court, and Mr Thaksin was later ousted in a coup.



scmp.com Some supporters say they also expect popularly elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to retreat to Chiang Mai and set up government there if the army tries to take power in Bangkok amid ongoing anti-government demonstrations.



theguardian.com Speaking to the jury in the phone-hacking trial, Dan Evans became the first hacker to talk publicly about his work, telling the court that he had admitted conspiring to intercept communications over a seven-year period for the Sunday Mirror and the News of the World.



cnn.com Two Norwegian lawmakers jointly nominate NSA leaker Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he has contributed to a more stable world.



themalaymaionline.com Listed among the New York Times ’52 Places to Go in 2014,’ Krabi has been flooded with visitors lately, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The TAT Krabi Office notes that hotel occupancy rates in the area have averaged 95 percent so far during the current season, and that reservations over the coming months offer a promising outlook.



ttgasia.com Come March, Phuket will welcome Baan Teelanka, an inverted attraction that will mark the first of its kind in Thailand. Baan Teelanka – which means upside-down house in Thai – is founded and managed by Alex Riva and Wah Yodying, a husband-and-wife team that has invested 25 million baht (US$760,000) into constructing the gravity-defying structure. Adjacent to the topsy-turvy house is the A-Maze-in-Phuket.



nationmultimedia.com The Soi Dog Foundation is calling for public donations to help find 1.3 million baht a month to feed dogs rescued from the illegal dog meat trade. The foundation has its head office in Phuket and a branch in Bangkok.



independent.co.uk Ukraine stands ”on the brink

of civil war,” according to a statement made in parliament by the country’s first post-independence president.



AP Two landslides triggered by torrential rain killed at least 19 people and left 10 others missing on Indonesia’s main island of Java, a government official said.



bangkokpost.com Singapore’s Scoot is shifting its base from Suvarnabhumi airport to Don Muang to pave the way for a major consolidation before its newly formed joint venture with Thailand’s Nok Air takes off in May.



thejakartapost.com The implementation of a moratorium on new hotel development in Bali’s southern regions is considered to have failed, as the regional administrations keep issuing permits for new hotel projects.




afp Free-scoring Manchester City swept to the Premier League summit with a 5-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur, but Chelsea lost momentum after being held 2-2 by West Ham United.



bbc.co.uk Australia beat England by 13 runs in Hobart in the first of the three-match Twenty20 international series.




January 30-February 5 Wat Chalong Fair



January 31 Chinese New Year (Horse)



February 1 Phuket FC v Chonburi, 6pm
February 9 Phuket FC v Songkhla Utd, 4pm



February 12-14 Bay Regatta



February 14 Valentines Day



February 14 Makha Bucha Day



February 17 Phuket FC v Surat Thani FC, 4pm



April 11-19 Phuket Bike Week



April 13-16 Songkran New Year Water Festival



March BMW Golf Cup International World Finals 2013 at Blue Canyon Country Club



August 12 Queen’s Birthday



September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket



November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket



December 5 King’s Birthday



Poll Protest to Close Bangkok; Trouble Could Last Months; Measuring the Mess ...

iShares MSCI Singapore Index Fund (ETF) (EWS) news: Singapore: Bubble ...

Forbes recently ran a contribution declaring Singapore to have a housing and credit bubble. Mr. Colombo will undoubtedly predict the next bubble and pop, since he has pointed to ten possible bubbles in the last three months. The amount of data he pulls together is very impressive. If you want an update on Singapore economic data I highly recommend the article.


He has tons of attention grabbing numbers, but the argument boils down to – low interest rates causing a credit bubble and correspondingly a housing bubble. He suggests that economic crashes in China and other parts of Asia (though he didn’t mention Thailand) plus rising interest rates will cause housing to crash, borrowers to default, and Singapore’s large financial industry to take everything down. After the collapse of US housing and the ensuing financial crisis, this all sounds reasonable.


Except that Singapore’s housing and credit markets are different from the US. Starting with property, we see a volatile and recently bubble like trend:



Talking to property agents in 2010 and 2011, the market also sounded like a bubble – speculators were buying properties and reselling them very quickly, then reinvesting and driving prices. Singapore’s government did not follow Greenspan’s “I can’t see a bubble until it pops”. Instead, a number of “cooling measures” (economists would call these macro-prudential policies) were instigated to reduce speculation. These started as additional taxes for quick flipping of property. We can see in the next figure that the impact of the measures was significant. In fact, the initial reports for December 2013 indicate a drop in housing prices. Again, my agent contacts are all saying that volumes are way down. And I’m hearing anecdotes of housing selling below valuations (unheard of in the previous decade).



Now remember that these private properties are actually less than 20% of the market. We should be looking at public housing:


(click to enlarge)


Here we all see a big run up in prices from 2007 to today (with a down-blip at the end). But we can also see an eight-year stretch of no housing price increases. Overall we have 6% per year from 1999 to today, or 4% yearly appreciation, which doesn’t sound so much like a bubble. We should also check the supply and demand fundamentals:


(click to enlarge)


So construction of new units was low and flat in the 2000s and recently increased. Compare with population growth:


(click to enlarge)


The mid-2000s had a big influx of immigrants while housing supply was not growing to match. Unsurprisingly, prices increased rapidly.


The original claim was that the ‘bubble’ was caused by ultra-low interest rates leading to unsustainable borrowing. While interest rates clearly did lead to a lot of borrowing there are reasons to believe there will not be a crash in Singapore. My first reason for being optimistic is that the most recent ‘cooling measures’ have been macro-prudential regulations targeted at excessive borrowing. The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced in 2013 that a small percentage of Singaporeans were taking on dangerously high debt service levels. To curb this, various policies were enacted. In early 2013 a limitation on loan-to-value and debit levels on car loans. This instantly hammered the “private transport” inflation from 5% to zero. In mid 2013 the Monetary Authority of Singapore put new restrictions on property loans. These featured caps on loan to value (80% on first property; 60% on a second property) and total debt service ratio (60% for all loans against haircut income). Significantly the total debt service ratio must be calculated as if interest rates were 3.5% or higher – not at current low rates.


The caps on additional property and total debt service ratio are particularly meaningful in Singapore. While home-equity loans in the US were used to fund home extensions and cars, in Singapore they tend to be used to purchase additional property for rental income. This means that actual re-payment is less sensitive to employment than it was in the US. Further, employment is very high in Singapore.


Mr. Colombo raised concerns about an overheated construction sector as well. The first item to allay concerns is that the significant investment in infrastructure will continue for at least another decade. Two more pan-island subway lines are planned for start in the next decade as are several extensions to existing lines. Additionally, never underestimate Singaporeans desire to rebuild their apartments. Residential housing in Singapore rarely lasts even 20 years, and so the construction industry will be sustainable even just refreshing the existing housing stock.


Finally, even a large global recession may not have lasting impact on Singapore. The Singapore economy was hit significantly by the global financial crisis. However, the recovery was very quick – 1 or 2 years depending on how one counts. Singapore has two big safety nets for recessions. Most important, normally running a surplus, Singapore is able to engage in very significant short-term stimulus spending – on the order of 10% of GDP for 2009. Secondarily the extensive importing of labor provides a safety valve – foreign workers are laid off first, and so unemployment never gets very high. Additionally, Singapore’s export markets are quite diversified with Europe, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong each about 10% and US a little less than that. While an economic crisis in China would be bid news for Singapore, I don’t see that as likely to cause a credit crash in Singapore.


Not everything in Singapore is roses however. While I don’t a crisis in the near future, I do have concerns about medium-term growth trends. As shown in the graph above, population growth has been quite strong over the last ten years. This has strained housing availability (evidenced by the prices), transport infrastructure, and particularly the political climate since most of the population growth has been immigration. These strains have resulted in a number of restraints on immigration. In spite of a government goal to add another million people, population growth will slow for the next several years while infrastructure catches up. The slower importation of labor will also pressure wages, particularly in lower skill industries.


Conclusions:


While house prices have been high and interest rates low, I believe there is no imminent crash. While emerging markets have been hit hard, Singapore is not an emerging economy – it is a developed nation, with a strong economy, full employment, and enjoys a ‘safe haven’ status for regional wealth. While the big returns of the 80s and pre-crisis 90s are unlikely, returns to Singapore companies (EWS) and Singapore small caps (EWSS) are likely to be reliable. Both the EWS and EWSS funds give a sustainable 4% yield. Investors looking for a good entry point should pay close attention to the exchange rate (FXSG) and bargains due to spill over effects from capital outflows from emerging markets. The exchange rate history suggests a 2 to 2.5% annualized appreciation adding to the 4% dividend stream. Thus I feel Singapore is still an acceptable place for investment – risks are lower than the market is implying.



Disclosure: I am long EWS, EWSS. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. (More…)






iShares MSCI Singapore Index Fund (ETF) (EWS) news: Singapore: Bubble ...

Awards could be beginning of beautiful friendship for India, Tampa

TAMPA — Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor has been in Tampa all week scouting locations for a film that could start production as soon as the city bids farewell to the big bash known as the International Indian Film Academy Weekend Awards.





The movie, produced by Kapoor’s daughter Rhea, is about Indian college students adjusting to life at an American university. The setting is the University of South Florida.





Its local backers hope the venture can help kick-start a Tampa film industry.





“I want to make this a community film, and hopefully it gets done in that way and more come after it,” said Kiran Patel, a Tampa philanthropist with Indian roots who’s credited with helping to land the April 24 event, also known as the Bollywood Oscars.





But Tampa — with its warm weather, picturesque locales and willing community — is missing the most important ingredient to capitalize on Bollywood interest: cash.





Florida has no money left in its budget for film production tax incentives, nor will there be any until 2016. An effort is being mounted to refill the pot early during the 2014 session of the state Legislature, which starts March 11.





Meantime, those pushing to grow the industry locally are hoping Tampa won’t waste this opportunity.





The Indian film industry spends close to $350 million a year on productions outside of India, and individuals from around the world regularly visit the country to woo producers to their regions, said Andre Timmons, director of the Indian film academy.





Among the 30,000 visitors expected in Tampa for the Bollywood Oscars will be an estimated 800 members of India’s film community. Cities that have hosted the awards in the past saw an immediate boom in their film industry, Timmons said.





Bollywood companies logged 263 production days in Singapore, 160 in Toronto and more than 100 in Amsterdam. South Africa hosted the awards in Sun City in 2001 and Johannesburg in 2003, and the regions accumulated between 400 and 500 days of production in that time.





***


Bollywood spending data wasn’t available.





Spending on Hollywood feature films and TV shows averages $225,000 a day while on location, including hotel rooms, rental cars, restaurants, legal and medical services, security, office space and equipment rentals, said Gus Corbella, advisory council chairman with the Florida Office of Film and Entertainment. Corbella’s organization is the state economic development office for feature films and television productions.





Film is a creative medium, but it is still a business. And with any business, money talks.






Singapore hosted the Bollywood Oscars in 2004, and the government there agreed to spend $15 million during the next seven years as a co-producer on films.





Florida provides tax incentives of up to 30 percent of the money television and film productions spend in the state, with a cap of $8 million.





The Legislature allocated $296 million in film incentives for 2012-16. Every penny had been spent just a year into the four-year cycle.





“We are absolutely worried,” said Dale Gordon, executive director of the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission. “We have a unique opportunity to build Tampa’s brand as an international film destination but don’t have the main thing producers are going to want: tax incentives. Bollywood, like Hollywood, is used to being incentivized.”





As former president of Tampa’s Gasparilla International Film Festival, Joe Restaino has firsthand experience in how tax incentives can be the deciding factor in bringing a movie production to the area.





“Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best,” an independent comedy about musical misfits on a road trip to a battle of the bands contest, won Gasparilla’s 2012 Audience Choice Award.





The movie’s director, Ryan O’Nan, represented the film at the festival.





O’Nan had been set to begin production of his next movie, “Chu Blossom,” in Pennsylvania, but, Restaino said, “the incentive money was iffy at the time.”





That was all Restaino needed to hear.





***


“Chu and Blossom” — featuring Melanie Lynskey from “Two and a Half Men,” veteran actress Annie Potts and Alan Cumming from “The Good Wife” — centers on an unlikely brotherhood between a pensive 6-foot-8 Korean exchange student and a performance artist trapped together in small town.





Hillsborough County had backdrops that fit the plot, and Florida had tax incentive money available.





Restaino persuaded O’Nan to forget about Pennsylvania and over the course of one month in summer 2012, “Chu Blossom” added half a million dollars to the Hillsborough County economy.





“Without the tax incentive, the film would not have shot in this area,” Restaino said.





The film awaits release this year.





Bollywood star Kapoor is well aware of the lack of film incentives yet seems locked into Tampa as a location.





“They are keen on business partnerships in the absence of incentives,” the film commission’s Gordon said. “If they feel that a community is willing to be more involved in more ways than writing a check at the end of the day, they are interested in engaging those partnerships.”





Gordon said those partnerships include hospitality, which they’ve received from philanthropist Patel and others.





“It’s about crowd building,” said Timmons, of the Indian film academy. “The moment one movie starts, everybody wants to come film here.”





But Timmons admitted that without incentives, Tampa will be a hard sell.





“I urge the state of Florida to come up with incentives not only for Indian films but any cinema,” he said. “It is necessary.”





***


Film Florida, which is the trade commission that represents the interests of the state film industry, plans to push the Legislature for changes in its film tax incentives. The commission is seeking an allocation of $200 million a year through 2020.





“We have some momentum in our favor,” said Corbella, with the state film office. “I have heard the governor’s administration has taken increased interest in the incentive program as a job creator.”





Film and television production in Florida has generated more than 100,000 jobs during the past three years, paying more than $650 million in wages to Floridians, Corbella said.





With or without future Bollywood films shot here, the Indian Oscars is expected to draw $30 million from organizers and visitors and the 120 or so Indian CEOs — from a number of fields, including health care, finance and education — expected in Tampa for the awards ceremony.





An estimated 800,000 people around the world will watch the Oscars-style awards ceremony, which will be presented at Raymond James Stadium.





“Our viewers go to a destination because they see the stars having a good time there,” said Timmons, of the Indian film academy.





Early indications are that Bollywood stars find Tampa to be a choice destination, as indicated by Kapoor’s decision to shoot his next film here.





And during the Bollywood Oscars preview at Tampa Theatre on Jan. 7, starlet Priyanka Chopra marveled at the historic building’s architecture.





“I just don’t want to leave this place. This theater is absolutely magnificent,” she said. “It’s fantastic. This city has a soul, and I can see that soul in this theater.”






pguzzo@tampatrib.com





(813) 259-7604




Awards could be beginning of beautiful friendship for India, Tampa

A reminiscence of Suvadive, 50 years later

His youngest memory is of when he took his first ride on a big lorry. During the incident that happened when he was only five years of age, he saw some essential things in his house being taken out over the wall. At that time there was a gathering crowd outside his home. There were raised voices and shouting over the fact that his father, Abdulla Afeef refused to accept the presidency of the breakaway republic created by the alliance of the southernmost three atolls, known as the United Suvadive Republic.

Afeef’s eldest son, Ibrahim Afeef remembers that day as a daunting day. From his father’s accounts later on, his father had already gotten threats that they would set fire to their home had he refused the presidency to the new republic. Ibrahim was taken away on the lorry that day to protect him from any danger that may have come.


His childhood memories continue with his father’s preparation for the flag hoisting ceremony of the new state; how his coat preparations went on at home the previous night. It was a green coat. There was a gold-like chain on the coat. Ibrahim was amongst those who attended the ceremony. He still fondly remembers how his interest with hoisting and “playing with flags” had begun there.


Among his experiences in Maldives, his next memory is that of a flag too. This memory is from just a few days before the Suvadive state dissolved and his family had to move to Seychelles. He had a small flag pole of his own at home where he would hoist a flag every day. One day he went outside to find that somebody had taken down his flag. He hoisted the flag a second time to find a little later that somebody had taken it down again. Thinking that somebody didn’t like the Suvadive flag, nine-year-old Ibrahim then hoisted the flag of England – only to find it taken down too later.


“Then my father told me not to raise any more flags, that it wasn’t safe. That day after Friday prayers, people started coming to the house to bid us farewell. That is when I knew we were going somewhere,” Ibrahim, now married to a Maldivian and living in Seychelles, told Haveeru on his recent trip to the Maldives.


Under the protection of the British, Ibrahim, his parents and his two younger brothers were taken to Gan in Addu atoll. They gave the small family tea from a cafeteria at the military base in Gan and then took them aboard a British warship. Even then he had no idea where they were going. Although his father had wanted to go to an Islamic country, the five-day voyage took them to Seychelles, then a colony of the British. There was a small population of barely 100 Muslims in Seychelles then.


They were under the protection of the government of Seychelles, who took them first to a hotel. After staying there for about 45 days, the family was taken to a house. After another three months, they were relocated again, this time to a permanent home.


Still, Ibrahim and his siblings always nurtured the dream of returning to their home; Maldives. Ibrahim found from a Seychelles paper that the British had finally granted full independence to the Maldives, and the first images that came into his mind were those of his return to the Maldives, reunion with his friends and how he enjoyed.


“At that time our mother and father had been in England, attaining medical treatment for mother. When they returned, we ran to them with the newspaper and told them that the Maldives is independent, that we can return home. But father shook his head and said that that was completely a different matter,” Ibrahim shared his memories of incidents that happened in August 1965 – two years past their migration to Seychelles.


His hope of returning to the Maldives was fulfilled 26 years later, in 1989. Ibrahim felt nervous at the beginning of his return to Maldives when he had accompanied his father on his first and only visit back as well. He was worried about what the local Maldivians would think of him and his father. He wondered worriedly how the people of Addu would treat them when they went there. This anxiety was brought on by a media group they saw at the airport on their Singapore-transit-flight home.


However, what greeted them in the Maldives was completely different; he experienced the warmth and friendliness of Maldivians during his days in capital Male. When he went to Addu, he met even friendlier people there. He had the chance to go sightseeing anywhere he wished without any hindrances. He and his father got the chance to revisit his childhood home, Finifenmaage in Hithaadhoo of Addu atoll. Seeing his own home in such a state had deep effects on his father, Ibrahim said.


“Father first asked me to take measurements of the house. I believe he asked me to do that in order to tell me that it was time to renovate the house. He became very emotional when he saw the state of the house. But he could not share his feelings with me, considering his state of health at the time,” Ibrahim, now 59 years in age, said.


Ibrahim is currently the Chairman and CEO of the Seychelles Media Commission. His two siblings who were born in the Maldives and the three other siblings who were born in Seychelles are all working at responsible positions. Ibrahim has recurrent dreams of retiring and settling in the Maldives. Although he can speak very little Dhivehi and Addu dialect, he regularly watches TVM and reads news from Maldivian online websites. He has been to the Maldives about six times now. Be that as it may, he expresses remorsefully that it is difficult to fulfil the hope of living in the Maldives after having lived in another country for so long, due to the British having “used us” to complete their own agenda.


Although he held the British responsible for having had to live his life in exile, the British did not “completely abandon” their family. They gave a monthly allowance of 100 pounds until all of Afeef’s children grew up and started work. They would even increase the amount when the family asked. The allowance, combined with their mother’s earnings from selling home-made Samosas, covered their household and living expenses at Seychelles. The British government arranged his mother’s medical treatment at England in 1965, and his father Afeef and the British continued to exchange information occasionally throughout the years.


“When Seychelles became independent, England offered father a choice between any two passports; English or Seychelles, but father wanted to stay as a Maldivian. Father remained so until his death. The new president of Seychelles told father, Mr Afeef, you can stay in Seychelles for as long as you want. … Father renewed his [Maldivian] passport when he revisited here” said Ibrahim, who is a dual citizen of both the Maldives and Seychelles.


Ibrahim said that though his father led the Suvadive alliance, he did not regret any of it. Albeit it was something he was forced to do under a British scheme. He also said that documents that will support this allegation will be found in the UK governmental archives. He believes that nothing can be done if you get “sandwiched” in the middle of a superpower and its agenda.


“Nonetheless father tried to do right by his people,” Ibrahim concluded by saying that his father did not like to talk about the past during his later days.



A reminiscence of Suvadive, 50 years later

Hota, presumed consent scheme for organ transplant in Singapore

Hota, presumed consent scheme for organ transplant in Singapore


HOTA is a presumed consent scheme. It allows for the corneas, heart, kidney, and liver of all Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents (PRs), 21 years and above, who have not opted out of HOTA and are not mentally disordered, to be removed for donation upon death.



HOTA opt-out form


The Act was first enacted in 1987, before which the deceased donor kidney transplantation in Singapore was only about five per year. Initially, it allowed only for the kidneys of all non-Muslim citizens and PRs between the ages of 21 to 60, to be donated in the event of accidental death for transplantation.


This was amended in 2004 when the regulation of all living-donor transplantations in Singapore was also included under the purview of HOTA. The Act’s reach was extended to include liver, heart and corneas, and all other causes of death along with accidents. It was amended again in August, 2008, to include all Muslim Singapore citizens and PRs who were earlier excluded from the Act.


Most recently, on November 1, 2009, the upper age limit of 60 years was also removed to give HOTA its present shape.


According to Live On – a social awareness and education programme by the Ministry of Health (MOH), “The period, from the enactment of HOTA in 1987 to its amendment in 2004, witnessed 222 patients undergoing deceased donor kidney transplantation. Subsequently, from 2004 until 2012, another 359 kidney patients benefited from such a transplant.”


Apart from efforts through Live On, which MOH hopes “will go beyond educating the public about HOTA as it aims to build up societal consciousness and acceptance of organ donation as an acceptable, generous act of goodness after one’s death”, the ministry also “informs the general public of HOTA twice a year through the main local newspapers in the four official languages”.


The MOH sends letters to all citizens and PRs when they turn 21 to indicate their inclusion in HOTA. Such letters are send to all new citizens and PRs as well. They are also informed about their option of opting out and its implications through these communications.


Regarding implications on opting out of HOTA, MOH informs that “anyone who opts out of HOTA receives lower priority on the organ transplant waiting list should he require an organ transplant in the future. This will be specific to the organs which he opted out of”.


The MOH has established a National Organ Transplant Unit, which oversees organ donation and transplantation activities on a national level and maintains the organ donor registry.


The MOH also mandates that every organ transplant must satisfy two major criteria. Firstly, there must not be any financial inducement or emotional coercion involved while donating an organ. And secondly, the donor must be thoroughly briefed on the nature and consequences of the medical procedures involved in the transplantation.


Besides HOTA, which is a “presumed consent” scheme, Singapore also has an “opt-in scheme”, the Medical Therapy, Education and Research Act (MTERA). Under this, people who are 18 years old and above can pledge to donate their organs and tissues (for example kidney, liver, heart, cornea, lung, bone, skin, heart valves, etc.) for transplantation, education or research upon death. This Act also gives family members of the deceased the right to donate his or her organs under MTERA upon death if they wish to do so.


While HOTA covers only the corneas, heart, kidney, and liver, for the purpose of transplantation, MTERA’ scope is extended to all the body parts. MTERA also includes other purposes such as education and research along with transplantation under its ambit.


But despite all the above efforts, about 516 patients [457 for kidneys alone] are currently on the wait list for organ transplants in Singapore. The median waiting time for a kidney transplant was 9 years in 2009. In 2012, 22 patients died as they didn’t get a suitable organ match, and 57 were taken off the list as their condition worsened and they became unsuitable for a transplant.


Courtesy: Live On


Note: All information in this story is courtesy MOH and its awareness portal on HOTA, Live On.


http://newzzit.com/stories/hota-presumed-consent-scheme-for-organ-transplant-in-singapore





Send in your stories to [email protected]




Hota, presumed consent scheme for organ transplant in Singapore

Brand New Guide Reveals 28 Easy Ways to Save Money in Singapore


Singapore (PRWEB) January 31, 2014


Travelers who want to see their dollars go further can now shop smarter on vacation with the “28 Easy Ways For a Tourist To Save Money in Singapore” guide, available online now at BudgetHotels.sg.


Packed with insider tips from seasoned Singapore visitors and locals alike, the guide promises to have tourists demonstrating native street smarts with over two dozen invaluable pointers on where to shop, eat, sleep and sightsee while touring the island nation.


The money saving tips are broken down into a number of sections; hotels, getting around, shopping, sightseeing and eating, so tourists can get the expert insight they need at exactly the right time. Compiled by the travel experts at BudgetHotels.sg, the tips are intended to help visitors get more enjoyment from their stay by making even the smallest of spare change go further.


The guide starts with a series of suggestions to help with the search for affordable accommodation, pointing readers in the direction of budget hotels in areas such as Bugis, Chinatown and Geylang. For those with the minimum of finances, the guide also lets readers into the secret of securing free accommodation in Singapore. Also in section one is invaluable pointers dedicated to getting around including common pitfalls to avoid when traveling by taxi and the cheapest passes for public transport.


In section two of the bumper money saving post, BudgetHotels.sg unearths the best shopping deals in Singapore. Top tips include exploring the tax rebate for cash back on purchases, the Great Singapore Sale season and how to enquire about tourist privileges in malls.


Section three is ideal for those who want to see everything without spending their entire vacation budget. It covers how to get free entry to a host of museums, gardens and parks. There’s also a shortlist of the best value attraction passes to look out for.


In the penultimate section, readers are given local expert advice on where to eat and drink on the cheap without sacrificing taste buds in the process. Finally, section five deals with how to avoid unnecessary fines – which can be devastating to the pocket – and keep communication costs down with free WiFi.


To find out more and to read the guide, visit http://www.budgethotels.sg/save-money-singapore-1/


About BudgetHotels.sg

BudgetHotels.sg provides information on budget hotels and cheap accommodation in Singapore for budget-minded travelers.





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Brand New Guide Reveals 28 Easy Ways to Save Money in Singapore

Needle in the Asian haystack

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February 1, 2014


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Crystal Palace confirm Ince deal "is close"

Crystal Palace technical coach David Kemp has confirmed the club are “close” to signing Tom Ince from Blackpool.


Goal understands the midfielder has been in talks with Swansea City, Palace and Hull City over a loan move, with the Eagles hopeful they can capture his signature before the window closes.


“There are a number of deals ongoing. I’d like to sit here and announce we’ve done more, but they are ongoing at the moment,” Kemp told reporters.
















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8/11
Crystal Palace are 8/11 with Paddy Power to avoid relegation



“Tom Ince is close but I’m not in those negotiations so I don’t know where that’s at. Everybody’s watching the gates to see who comes and who goes. That’s deadline day.


“On this day in particular, a lot can go on. I’d like to say it’s going to happen but you never know in football.”


Palace have already been active on deadline day bringing in Wayne Hennessey from Wolves and completing the permanent signing of Jason Puncheon.


However, Kemp says there could be even more players arriving with the club currently still working hard on several transfers.


“A striker is obviously a target. We are looking to sign one, but I can’t announce anything at this stage,” he added.


“There are a number of deals ongoing. I’d like to sit here and announce we’ve done more, but they are ongoing at the moment.”


Palace are currently 14th in the table, four points off the drop zone, and face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday with Kemp confident the Eagles can compete with the high-flying Gunners.


“We’ve played well against the big teams but the next step is to take points from them,” he said. “This club has come out of the Championship but Arsenal have been there forever. That doesn’t mean we can’t go there and do something.”




Crystal Palace confirm Ince deal "is close"

Asia Pacific Market: Stocks shine on value buying

Asia Pacific shares closed slight higher in holiday thinned trade on Friday, 31 January 2014, as investors chased for value buying following steep losses this week. Meanwhile positive finish of Wall Street overnight also supported bargain buying.



However, gains on the upside were marginal across the Asian bourses due lack of regional cues as handful of Asian markets closed today. Financial markets of China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines closed for national holiday.



Asian market suffered heavy losses for three out of five trading sessions this week due to the United States Federal Reserve’s announcement of further reduction in the size of its bond-buying program in February and as growing emerging market turmoil.



The United States Federal Reserve on Wednesday, 29 January 2014, ignored investor nervousness about capital outflows from emerging markets and took another gradual step toward exiting its controversial bond-buying program, remaining stoic in the face of market turmoil. As expected, the Fed decided to reduce the pace of monthly asset purchases to $65 billion, from January’s $75 billion. The Fed will purchase mortgage-backed securities at a pace of $30 billion per month and add to its holdings of Treasury’s at a pace of $35 billion per month beginning in February.



Risk sentiments dampened further after the HSBC-Markit released final reading of Chinese manufacturing on Thursday, 30 January 2014, signalling a deterioration of operating conditions in manufacturing sector for the first time in six months. After adjusting for seasonal factors, the HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) posted at 49.5 in January, down fractionally from the earlier flash reading of 49.6, and down from 50.5 in December, underscoring a slowdown in Asia’s biggest economy amid government efforts to clamp down on risky lending.



Among stock markets not observing the holiday, Australian market finished slight higher as gain in utilities and retailer counters were more than offset elsewhere. The benchmark SP/ASX 200 index added 1.90 points to 5190, while the broader All Ordinaries rose 5.70 points to 5205.10. Over the course of the month, the benchmark SP/ASX 200 Index fell 162.2 points, or 2.9%, to end the month at 5190, its worst January in four year.



Shares of Australian materials and resources companies dropped on tracking weakness in prices for some commodities — including a nearly 2% loss for Comex gold and a nearly two-month fall for copper. Resources giant BHP Billiton skidded 0.3% to A$36.57, while rival Rio Tinto closed shed 0.2% to A$65.64. Junior iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group rose 1.9% to A$5.33.



Financials shares saw relatively muted moves ahead of next week’s Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision, with Australia New Zealand Banking Group up 0.3% to A$30.13 and Commonwealth Bank 0.04% to $74.23. National Australia Bank shed 0.06% to A$33.25 and Westpac Banking Corp 0.6% to A$30.87.



David Jones (DJS) was a standout, rising 4.2% to A$2.99 after the upmarket retailer confirmed it had rejected a merger approach from rival Myer Limited (MYR). MYR shares fell 1.6% to A$2.53. MYR told the ASX the merger would have maximised the value of DJS property assets and generated A$85 million of costs savings.



Private sector credit (lending) rose by 0.5% in December after a 0.3% lift in November. Annual credit growth rose from 3.8 to 3.9%. Housing credit is up 5.4% on a year ago, the strongest annual growth in two years. Business and consumer credit recorded a healthy lift. Bank term deposits fell by 0.6% in the year to December, marking the first fall in over a decade (March 2003).



The broad measure of business inflation, the producer price index (PPI), or final stage prices, rose by a subdued 0.2% in the December quarter to stand 1.9% higher than a year ago.



In Japan, shares in Tokyo market finished lower after wiping out gains in early trade, as the yen strength against the dollar and decision by the US Federal Reserve to taper their monthly asset purchase by an additional $10 billion unnerved investors risk sentiments. The benchmark Nikkei-225 index decreased 92.53 points to 14914.53, while the Topix index of all first-section shares withdrew 3.45 points to 1220.64.



Market sentiments were hammered by yen appreciation against the major currency baskets. The dollar bought 102.47 yen in late Asian trade, down from 102.71 yen in New York overnight but firmer than the 102.30 yen earlier Thursday in Asia. The euro weakened to 138.75 yen from 139.21 yen overnight.



NEC Corp. escalated 10.74% after the company said it plans to book 27 billion yen gain in the fiscal year ending March on the sale of its Internet services operations Biglobe Ltd. to Japan Industrial Partners.



Shares of Fujitsu rose 12.89% after the company swung to a third-quarter profit of 12 billion yen.



Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Friday that Japanese industrial production rose 1.1% on month in December 2013 on a demand rush ahead of an April sales tax increase. The increase in industrial output was due to a rise in production in the general purpose and production machinery sectors as well as electronic parts and devices. It also comes after a 0.1% decline in November. Companies expect output to rise 6.1% in January, and then increase 0.3% in February, according to a corporate survey released with the data. METI kept its assessment that output was picking up unchanged.



The core consumer price index, which excludes volatile fresh-food costs, climbed 1.3% from a year earlier in December, faster than a 1.2% gain in the previous month, according to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. It was the biggest rise since a 1.9% increase in October 2008. The core index for 2013 increased 0.4% after a 0.1% fall the previous year.



In Thailand, shares in the Thai market advanced today, as month-end buying lifted large caps such as PTT Plc and Siam Cement Plc, but trading volumes dropped due to holidays in the region and caution ahead of the Sunday election.



The SET index finished up 0.8%, its first gain in five sessions, led by index heavyweights such as PTT. Shares in Siam Cement rose 1% after it reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings.



The benchmark fell for a third month in January, down 1.9% and taking its loss since November to around 12%, the region’s worst performer, hit by the prolonged domestic political turmoil.



In India, key benchmark indices ended the session marginally in the green on selective buying by funds and retail investors amid firm European cues. The 30-share BSE index Sensex was up 15.6 points or 0.08% at 20513.85.



Barring auto, all other BSE sectoral indices ended in the green. Among them, realty, metal, oil gas and TECk indices remained investors’ favourite and were up 1.63%, 1.27%, 1.18% and 1.04%, respectively. Only auto index was down 0.43%.



Bank stocks gained after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday, 30 January 2014 laid out a road map to deal with a surge in bad loans in the banking system. State Bank of India (SBI) rose after the state-run bank after market hours on Thursday, 30 January 2014 said that it has raised Rs 8031.64 crore by selling shares through qualified institutional placement.



Punjab National Bank (PNB) gained 6.98% after the state-run bank reported fall in ratio of net non-performing asset to 2.8% as on 31 December 2013 from 3.07% as on 30 September 2013. The bank net profit declined 42.14% to Rs 755.41 crore on 3.68% growth in total income to Rs 11922.30 crore in Q3 December 2013 over Q3 December 2012. The Q3 result hit the market during trading hours today, 31 January 2014.



Oriental Bank of Commerce rose 5.22%. The bank’s net profit fell 31.28% to Rs 224.30 crore on 4.49% increase in total income to Rs 5063.98 crore in Q3 December 2013 over Q3 December 2012. The result was announced during trading hours today, 31 January 2014.



In the foreign exchange market, the rupee was little changed against the dollar. The partially convertible rupee was hovering at 62.5650, compared with its close of 62.56/57 /11 on Thursday, 30 January 2014.



Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into India rose 54.8% in November to $1.64 billion compared with $1.06 billion a year ago, a government statement said on Friday. Total FDI inflows in the first eight months for the current fiscal year that ends in March were down 2% from a year earlier at $15.46 billion, compared with $15.85 billion during the year-ago period, the statement said.


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Check out the trading strategies in Bank Nifty, IT shares, Hero Moto, broader markets, with Devangshu Datta, Technical Analyst.



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Manchester City abandon Fernando & Mangala chase

By Paul Clennam


Manchester City have abandoned hope of luring Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala from Porto, Goal has learned.


Manager Manuel Pellegrini had sanctioned a double deadline day swoop in a late bid to strengthen his squad ahead of the Premier League run-in.
















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12/1
Man City are 12/1 with Paddy Power to draw 2-2 with Chelsea



But Porto are furious with Fernando and City after the Portuguese champions had reached a verbal agreement with the midfielder over a new contract worth €200,000 (£165,000) per month which would have made him the highest-paid player in the country.


The player changed his mind following interest from City, who then made a £3.5 million bid – half of Porto’s valuation.


City had earlier given up on Mangala after being unable to negotiate down Porto’s asking price of more than £40m, but retained hope of getting Fernando.


But Porto have held firm despite repeated attempts to get a deal done on Friday.
Porto’s salary package for Fernando included an agreement that the Brazil-born holding midfielder can leave in six months’ time for a set fee of €15m [£12.3m].


City do not expect any players to leave the club on Friday. Joleon Lescott had been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium throughout January, while recent rumours had suggested that Jack Rodwell could be loaned out, but the failure to recruit the Porto pair appears to have put paid to those plans.




Manchester City abandon Fernando & Mangala chase

Sleep with a stranger -- and save

























  • SEATTLE — My flight is early, but so is Timothy Miller. Even before I’ve deplaned, he texts that he’s in the Sea-Tac Airport waiting lot.


    Miller and I have never met. But I recognize his shiny black Fiat 500 from its photo on the car-sharing site RelayRides. I climb in, and after dropping him off at his house, drive off in his car.


    Minutes later, my cellphone rings. “I was supposed to check your license,” he says. “You’re already down the hill?”


    “Yes.”


    “Oh, well,” he responds.


    My first takeaway from the peer-to-peer marketplace: It is a trusting space.


    It is also a rapidly expanding space. Travel-oriented P2P websites — those that allow travelers to rent lodging, cars, sports equipment and more from individuals, along with sites that link visitors with locals for tours, meals and other experiences, are gaining traction.


    From websites such as CouchSurfing, which pairs budget travelers with locals who have a spare sofa (or bed), to OneFineStay, which offers “distinctive” rentals and provides some hotel-style amenities (such as professional cleaning), the P2P industry generated an estimated $3.5 billion last year.


    Some offerings, like Easynest, a site that enables travelers to cut hotel costs by rooming with a stranger, clearly aren’t for everyone. But others, like Airbnb, are edging into the mainstream. Launched in 2008, it now has 550,000 listings for rent in 35,000 locales worldwide.


    Seattle-based Karen Bayne calls Airbnb “a brilliant idea whose time has come.” The retired Boeing employee began renting her garage-turned-efficiency apartment via the site two years ago and declares the experience “fabulous.”


    It’s one of two places I’m staying during a mid-January entirely peer-to-peer-based foray in the Emerald City. Bayne, who lives upstairs, makes herself as available — or as scarce — as she thinks her guests would like. She has left a bowl of fruit and snacks on the counter. There’s also a stack of Seattle-centric books and videos. And a refrigerator full of breakfast fixings (which goes beyond the Airbnb mandate) makes this feel like a BB minus the agony of small talk with strangers in the morning.


    Not only has Bayne made acquaintances from far-flung parts of the globe, her $85-a-night studio, usually booked solid from mid-May through September, provides bonus income.


    The unseen Seattle


    The collaborative-travel trend may be enabled by technology, but the troubled economy of recent years has fed its growth. Tonio Tello started his tour company, Immersus, after the bank he worked for went bust a few years back. He’s back at work full time but continues to conduct tours on the side.


    I’ve contacted him via Vayable, a P2P site that promises homegrown experiences with locals. After giving me a rundown on the Seattle bus system, we set off for the artsy Fremont neighborhood for a two-hour, $35 walking tour. There’s a stop at Gas Works Park, where the clouds lift briefly for a knockout view of downtown. From there, we make our way into Fremont, stopping at a brewery jammed with locals on a Saturday afternoon. We partake of the generous samples at Theo Chocolate factory and check out statues of a giant Vladimir Lenin and a bridge troll in this quirky neighborhood.


    “There’s nothing wrong with touristy places,” Tello says. “But there’s a Seattle beyond the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. It’s a Seattle of interesting neighborhoods. Besides, you don’t need a guide to do downtown,” he adds, handing me a map of the area.


    Vayable’s offerings tend to be from people who have day jobs, says founder Jamie Wong. And they don’t necessarily consider themselves traditional guides.


    “It’s a whole new generation of freelancers who are cobbling together a living by sharing their expertise and passion,” she says.


    But P2P exchanges go beyond economics, Wong insists. “With person-to-person, there’s a human connection. … There’s something more idealistic.”


    I suspect Chip Dong Lim hopes that’s true. The University of Washington student has just lugged his Trek bicycle down four flights of stairs to where I stand waiting outside his apartment building. I’ve rented it via Spinlister, a site that matches cyclists and skiers with equipment rentals. At $15 a day, Lim’s price undercuts the bike shop around the corner by half.


    The P2P launch pad


    In exchange for a commission from the owner (and in some models, such as Airbnb’s, from the renter, as well), P2P sites provide the platform from which to market, schedule and pay for the services. They address security by verifying the identities of owners and renters and by soliciting post-rental reviews from both. (P2P lodging and car rental sites generally provide owners some form of insurance.)


    On the minus side, booking P2P travel can be time-consuming — renters must be approved by owners, which can require some back and forth. There’s the inevitable flake factor — I requested a couple of dinners from MealSharing but never heard back. Likewise, a half-dozen tour requests via multiple sites went unanswered. And those who aren’t into social-media-style sharing — many P2P enterprises use Facebook registration or request personal details — may find the process off-putting. After all, would Holiday Inn ask “Tell us a little something about yourself” before letting you check in?


    What P2P does offer are travel goods and services that might not be available in the conventional rental marketplace at what could be better value. Seattle RelayRides listings, for instance, range from $25 a day for Zachary’s 1997 Toyota Corolla to $240 a day for Gregory’s 2006 Porsche 911.


    The cost of Miller’s Fiat 500 is $39 a day — about twice the rate of a compact car rented at the airport. But, as RelayRides CEO Andre Haddad points out, if I’d rented at the airport, I’d probably be driving a PT Cruiser.


    Besides expanded options, “it’s connection that people appreciate … having someone pick you up at the airport curb,” he says. “And that connection makes people feel more responsible. They’ll take care of (the vehicle) as if it was their own car.”


    When I pull up outside Miller’s house for a lift back to the airport, he looks at his car and comments, “It’s really clean.”


    Of course it is. He knows where to find me.


    If you go


    Travel-centric peer-to-peer businesses are popping up all over the Web, matching travelers seeking lodging, transportation, tours and more with locals willing to share (for a price). Here’s a sampling of what’s out there.


    Lodging


    Airbnbhttps://www.airbnb.com/ — The granddaddy of short-term P2P lodging sites has 550,000 listings in 35,000 locales. Guests pay a 6% to 12% commission, plus a cleaning fee where noted.


    Roomarama https://www.roomorama.com/ — The Singapore-based company advertises 120,000 listings in 6,000 locales, many of them in Asia and Europe.


    FlipKeyhttp://www.flipkey.com/ — Owned by TripAdvisor, the site lists 250,000 vacation rentals in 12,000 destinations, primarily in North America and Europe. Renters pay a 5% to 10% commission.


    OneFineStayhttp://www.onefinestay.com/ — The site offers “curated” properties in London, Paris, New York and Los Angeles, adding hotel-like touches such as premium linens, bath amenities and professional cleaning.


    Transportation


    RelayRideshttps://relayrides.com/ — The site has P2P car rentals in about 275 U.S. locales. (Arrangements are made directly between owners and renters, but most offer airport pickup.) Owners set the rate and pay a commission to RelayRides.


    Lyfthttp://www.lyft.me/ — The on-demand ride-sharing service operates in 19 U.S. cities. Users request rides from vetted drivers via a mobile phone application.


    FlightCarhttps://flightcar.com/ — The service lets travelers rent their cars while they’re out of town. IT operates near the San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles airports. A similar service, Hubber, http://www.drivehubber.com/index.html operates from the LA airport. RelayRides also has an airport-based car-sharing service near the San Francisco airport.


    Experiences


    Vayable https://www.vayable.com/ — More than 5,000 homegrown tours and other experiences are offered in 600 locales worldwide, from neighborhood tours in Seattle to cooking classes in Singapore.


    Withlocals http://www.withlocals.com/experiences/eat/ — The just-launched site has 300-plus listings for meal sharing, tours and other activities in seven Asian nations.


    Meal Sharing http://www.mealsharing.com/ The site offers the chance to get a dinner invitation from locals in 425-plus cities


    Sports equipment


    Spinlister https://www.spinlister.com/ The site matches travelers looking to rent bicycles, skis and snowboards with owners willing to rent theirs.


    Boatbound https://boatbound.co/ Rent everything from from kayaks to yachts on this site, which pre-screens renters.



    Sleep with a stranger -- and save