I’m trying to become a fan, but I just can’t get a clear “handle” on Facebook!
Any advice would be welcome.
FUNNY EMAIL TO FORWARD
As the global economy recovers, America’s trade activity has picked up. But imports once again grew more than exports last quarter, presenting a net drag on growth.
Gross domestic product, a broad measure of the total value of goods and services produced in a given economy, has been expanding for the last year, leading many economists to believe the recession that began in December 2007 is technically over.
Still, G.D.P growth in the last quarter of 2009  at an annual rate of 5 percent  was much more robust than it has been this year. This slowdown, coupled with disappointing job creation, has led to worries that the recovery is losing steam. The nation’s unemployment rate continues to linger just below 10 percent.
Here’s a HUGE reason why there is a slowdown and unemployment is so high:
E m m a M a e r s k
The Emma Maersk, part of a Danish shipping line
chartered to Wal Mart, is shown in this photos essay.
What a ship….no wonder ‘Made in China ‘ is displacing North American made goods big time.
This monster transports goods across the Pacific in just 5 days!! This is one of three ships
presently in service, with another two ships commissioned to be completed in 2012.
These ships were commissioned by Wal-Mart to get all their goods and stuff from China . They hold
an incredible 15,000 cartons and have a 207 foot deck beam!! The full crew is just 13 people on a ship
longer than a US Aircraft Carrier (which has a crew of 5,000)
With it’s 207′ beam it is too big to fit through the Panama or Suez Canals ..
It is strictly transpacific. Cruise speed: 31 knots.
The goods arrive 4 days before the typical container ship (18-20 knots) on
a China -to- California run. 91% of Walmart products are made in China .
So this behemoth is hugely competitive even when carrying perishable goods.
The ship was built in five sections. The sections floated together and then welded.
The command bridge is higher than a 10-story building and has 11 cargo crane rigs
that can operate simultaneously unloading the entire ship in less than two hours.
Length – 1,302 ft
Width – 207 ft
Net cargo – 123,200 tons
Engine – 14 cylinders in-line diesel engine (110,000 BHP)
Cruise Speed – 31 knots
Cargo capacity – 15,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20 cubic feet)
Crew – 13 people !
First Trip – Sept. 08, 2006
Construction cost – US $145,000,000+
Silicone painting applied to the ship bottom reduces water
resistance and saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year.
A recent documentary in late March, 2010 on the History Channel noted that
all of these containers are shipped back to China , EMPTY. Yep, that’s right.
We send nothing back on these ships. What does that tell you about
the current financial state of this country? Just keep buying those imported
goods (mostly gadgets) until you run out of money.
Then you may wonder what the cause of unemployment (maybe even your job)
in the U.S. and Canada might be????
This message, if any, surely deserves forwarding, doesn’t it ?
Continue reading about One BIG Reason why the economy is weak in 2010 and getting weaker!
Amazon.com, one of the nation’s largest booksellers, announced Monday that for the last three months, sales of books for its e-reader, the Kindle, outnumbered sales of hardcover books.
In that time, Amazon said, it sold 143 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books, including hardcovers for which there is no Kindle edition.
The pace of change is quickening, too, Amazon said. In the last four weeks sales rose to 180 digital books for every 100 hardcover copies. Amazon has 630,000 Kindle books, a small fraction of the millions of books sold on the site.
Book lovers mourning the demise of hardcover books with their heft and their musty smell need a reality check, said Mike Shatzkin, founder and chief executive of the Idea Logical Company, which advises book publishers on digital change. “This was a day that was going to come, a day that had to come,” he said. He predicts that within a decade, fewer than 25 percent of all books sold will be print versions.
Amazon.com announced Monday that for the last three months, sales of books for its e-reader, the Kindle, outnumbered sales of hardcover books.
In that time, Amazon said, it sold 143 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books, including hardcovers for which there is no Kindle edition.
The pace of change is quickening, too, Amazon said. In the last four weeks sales rose to 180 digital books for every 100 hardcover copies. Amazon has 630,000 Kindle books, a small fraction of the millions of books sold on the site.
Book lovers mourning the demise of hardcover books with their heft and their musty smell need a reality check, said Mike Shatzkin, founder and chief executive of the Idea Logical Company, which advises book publishers on digital change. “This was a day that was going to come, a day that had to come,” he said. He predicts that within a decade, fewer than 25 percent of all books sold will be print versions.
Books Then and Now
“The road to knowledge begins with the turn of the page.” Anonymous
Today:
“The road to knowledge begins with the press of a button.” JC
Past:
“A library, to modify the famous metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideasâ€â€a place where history comes to life.” Norman Cousins
“A good library is a palace where the lofty spirits of all nations and generations meet.”Samuel Niger
Today:
“A good library will fit in the palm of your hand.” JC
Quotes about Books and e-books
“A book is a human-powered film projector (complete with feature film) that advances at a speed fully customized to the viewer’s mood or fancy. This rare harmony between object and user arises from the minimal skills required to manipulate a bound sequence of pages. Each piece of paper embodies a corresponding instant of time which remains frozen until liberated by the act of turning a page.” The Reactive Square - John Maeda
“We read about 1,000 times more than we write.” Xerox PARC – Rich Gold
“We think of an eBook as an intelligent pet.” BeeHive Hypertext - Talan Memmot
“It took people 10 years to figure out that while stuck in a morning commute, they could be listening to a book.” Publishers Weekly- Paul Hilts
“Change can be scary. When papyrus replaced clay tablets, and the Gutenberg press calligraphy, did a bit of panic set in? Are we in the midst of a revolution of similar proportion? Very probably.” Susan McLester
“We should not see print and electronic literature as in competition, but rather in conversation. The more voices that join in, the richer the dialogue is likely to be.”
N. Katherine Hayles
“I cannot live without books.” Thomas Jefferson
Continue reading about Amazon announces sales of e-books have outnumbered sales of hardcovers!
Comments made in the year 1955!
That’s only 55 years ago!
‘I’ll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it’s going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $10.00.
‘Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won’t be long before $1,000.00 will only buy a used one.
‘If cigarettes keep going up in price, I’m going to quit. 20 cents a pack is ridiculous.
‘Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging 7 cents just to mail a letter.
‘If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.
‘When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 25 cents a gallon. Guess we’d be better off leaving the car in the garage.
‘I’m afraid to send my kids to the movies any more Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it.
‘I read the other day where some scientist thinks it’s possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it in Texas .
‘Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $50,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn’t surprise me if someday they’ll be making more than the President.
‘I never thought I’d see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now..
‘It’s too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.
‘It won’t be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.
‘I’m afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.
‘Thank goodness I won’t live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to government.
‘The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.
‘There is no sense going on short trips anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $2.00 a night to stay in a hotel.
‘No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $15.00 a day in the hospital, it’s too rich for my blood.’
‘If they think I’ll pay 30 cents for a haircut, forget it.’
Know any friends who would get a kick out of these, pass this on! Be sure and send it to your kids & grand kids too!
Continue reading about Comments made in the year 1955! That’s only 55 years ago!
Jabulani means “rejoice” in Zulu. It certainly has been called many other names, many I can’t mention here, during the first week of the 2010 World Cup.
Adidas hopes to sell more than 15 million of the Jabulani balls at up to £80 each. Good Luck!
I can’t believe how many players have kicked the ball high over the net!
Maybe they should rename it the “High Ball” or “The Floater”!
Along with the Vuvuzela, the failure of the Jabulani have dominated World Cup News.
Unfortunately, cold weather has also put a damper on some of the activities.
But so far, South Africa seems to have done a Great Job preparing for these games.
As the World Cup is heating up, I hope the weather can do the same.
Continue reading about Jabulani Fail, Vuvuzela Buzz, and Cold Weather 2010 World Cup South Africa
In this fast-changing technological world, sometimes you are faced with some difficult choices. For example ”Should I buy a Laptop or a desktop?” More and more people are choosing a Laptop over a desktop computer. The main benefit of a laptop is the portability. This can be a huge benefit, allowing you to take your computer to and from work, on planes, on camping trips, and practically anywhere else. A laptop also requires a smaller footprint in you home. You can tuck it away when you need more free counter or table space. When free space is at a premium, a laptop is a great option. Whether you are looking for power and performance, gaming, ultra mobile, Apple, refurbished or Gaming laptops, PC World has just what you need. Rest assured they’ll find the best Laptop and laptop bags for you. Or if you”re on more of a budget, why not take a closer look at their range of Refurbished Laptops? The range of Notebook Laptops include, Acer Laptops, Toshiba Laptops, Dell Laptops, Sony Laptops, Apple Laptops and many more, all equipped with ample hard drives for storing all your favourite multimedia files and fast RAM ranging from 518MB right up to 8GB, enabling all your applications to run seamlessly, whether they”re straightforward or more advanced.
Note: The preceding was a paid review.
