WBE Net Newsletter
Release Date: 9-18-07
Record US Exports Expected to Continue
(Los
Angeles)
Hailing
the hard work put in for two decades by thousands of students of the World
Business Exchange nationwide, WBE Net Founder and CEO Roosevelt Roby reports he
is convinced 2007 will be the best year ever for American exporters. "Our exports are the pillar of the US
economy," says Roby, who cites the fact that in 2006, Americans sold more
than 1.4 trillion dollars in goods and services to the world - a record - and
that quarterly tracking indicates an even stronger 2007 performance. Among leading US export sectors, adds Roby,
are industrial chemicals, automobiles and auto parts, petroleum-based goods,
aircraft and software.
Senate Applies Brakes to US/Mexico Truck Program
(Washington)
The
fate of a one-year experiment that would allow hundreds of Mexican big rigs to
deliver loads throughout the United States is up in the air following US Senate
action to put the program on hold. The
September 11 vote was 74-24 to halt funding for the program, and was attached
to a major transportation bill. The
fight against the pilot program was led by North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan,
though it also attracted support from some Republicans. The vote follows similar action by the
House, and could set the stage for a possible veto by President Bush. Mexico is
the US's number two trading partner, after Canada. Bush administration assurances that Mexican trucks would operate
safely on US roads had been challenged by politicians, Teamsters and
environmentalists - and the White House's case was not helped by a major crash
between two trucks in Mexico just days before the vote. The cross-border trucking program is
mandated by NAFTA. Under rules in
effect prior to the planned trucking experiment, Mexican rigs have been
restricted to a narrow zone along the US/Mexico border. The NAFTA plan also calls for US trucks to
be allowed to travel throughout Mexico.
Think Tank: World's
Future Offers Hope
(Tokyo)
A
newly-released report is sure to please those engaged in international trade,
as it holds that better times lie ahead for the people of planet Earth. The State of the Future report has been
assembled by more than 2,000 scholars, experts and futurists, and is updated
annually by a panel known as the Millenium Project. The 2007 update, released through United Nations University - a
Tokyo-based global think tank - says to expect fewer wars, longer lifespans and
higher rates of literacy in the years ahead.
The report also predicts lower infant mortality, an increase in Internet
use, and higher gross domestic products among nations. Acknowledging tragic situations such as
those in Darfur and Iraq, the report nonetheless notes a dramatic reduction of
conflicts in Africa. Still, it warns
the future could be bleak for many unless the world addresses such issues as
terrorism, corruption, CO2 emissions and the disparity between the richest and
poorest citizens of the planet. The
State of the Future report urges a global energy development effort led by the
US and China, a breakthrough in water desalination, and an
intelligence-boosting restructuring of education worldwide.
