WBE Net Newsletter
Release
Date: 9-28-07
TELECOMMUTING GETS A
BIG GREEN THUMBS-UP
Great news for WBE
members who use home computers to set up and execute trade deals: you are helping the planet. A new report by the Consumer Electronics
Association finds that the use of electronic devices to telecommute saves huge
amounts of energy - enough, in fact, to power one million US households for one year. Nearly four million Americans work from home. Between them, they are saving 840 million
gallons of gas and 14 million tons of carbon dioxide emmissions a year. That's equivalent to taking two million
vehicles off the road. Another benefit,
of course, is that the growth of telecommuting
is spurring the development of higher-powered personal computers and high-speed
access to the Internet, while relieving the strain on the highway system. And, oh yes - you get to work in your
pajamas!
STILL, COMPUTER USERS
BEWARE - IT'S A VIRAL UNIVERSE
The downside to all this web use is that there are some very
bad people doing some very bad things on the Internet. And nearly halfof them are in China. According
to a new report from Sophos, the
anti-virus company, China (including Hong Kong) is host to nearly 45 percent of
all malware sites. The US (21 percent) and Russia (10 percent) rank second and
third. Wikipedia, the online
encyclopedia, defines malware as software designed to infiltrate or damage a
computer system without the owner's informed consent, using hostile, intrusive
or just plain annoying software.
Sophos warns that simple netsurfing can land you on a variety of malware
sites, which quietly infect your computer
without your knowlege. Many then
proceed to nose around your system gleaning all sorts of information you thought was private. And there's been a stunning increase in
China-based malware spammers who target people's email boxes. Now, more than ever, think twice before
opening that attachment from someone you don't know - which can be tricky when
pursuing export trade with strangers around the globe. Best bet:
install a good anti-virus/anti-malware program to your computer - and
keep it updated.
SPEAKING OF WHICH....
Millions of stock-traders who use online broker Ameritrade are on red alert, after the firm has admitted that hackers recently gained
access to its database containing the email addresses of 6.3 million customers. Targeted spam emails have already started
going out, as the cybercrooks try to trick Ameritrade customers into clicking
to a fake Ameritrade site, where the thieves can then steal user IDs and
passwords. Even though Ameritrade claims that
customer birth dates, personal ID numbers, passwords and Social Security
numbers were not grabbed by the hackers, security experts warn that the criminals'
knowlege of just the email addresses can be used to empty the pockets of those
they manage to fool.
GM WORKERS HIT THE STREETS
The future of America's auto giant General Motors is in question after the United Auto Workers this week launched their first nationwide
strike in more than 30 years. Among the
chief reasons for the walkout:
exports. That is, GM's exporting
of American jobs, as the company increasingly moves its work overseas. The
union - representing 73,000 GM workers - wants the automaker to agree to
maintain current production levels here in the States. Also at issue are wages and job
security. While some analysts predict
the walkout will be short, some strikers say it might not. A long strike would cost GM billions, and
might cripple the automaker at the very time it is gaining momentum after being
replaced by Toyota earlier this year as the world's biggest automaker. Export
traders who sell GM cars to overseas buyers should watch closely, as
Teamsters who haul GM's inventory are vowing not to cross UAW picket lines.
DID YOU KNOW?
Nearly two-thirds of all exporters only sell to one foreign
market - and stand to see a significant boost in their exports (read, profits)
if they expand the number of countries they sell to. (Source: US Dept of
Commerce)
