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!! Â 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 11Â 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 ?