USA

EMMA MAERSK

This monstership, a miracle of modern technology operates strictly as a transpacific containercarrier.At207 ft width and 1300 ft long it is too large to navigate Suez or Panama canals.

A crew of 13 ( similar size aircraftcarriers may have a crew of 5,000).

11 cranes can operate simulaneously. Cost to build about $150 Million.Speed 31 knots, can make to trip in 4 days.Commandbridge is the hight of a 10 story building. Cargo capacity 123,000 tons.

Operated by the Maersk Line Emma Maersk has been operating between China and Califirnia USA since Sept.06.

The returntrip to China is usually made with empty containers...

Europe

....one of my trick questions at parties....:now that east and west Germany are once more combined ...what is the second largest country in Europe...realising of course that Russia, or the new name The Russian Federation is by far the largest country in Europe as well as the World.
Usually, the answer to my trick question is..Germany. Or England..France...Spain..
All wrong actually.
The second largest European Country is the Ukraine, former component of the Soviet Union.

the ugly American 10

Little Boy and Fat Man
Little Boy was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. It exploded approximately 1,800 feet over Hiroshima, Japan, on the morning of August 6, 1945, with a force equal to 13,000 tons of TNT. Immediate deaths were between 70,000 to 130,000.

Little Boy was dropped from a B-29 bomber piloted by U.S. Army Air Force Col. Paul W. Tibbets. Tibbets had named the plane Enola Gay after his mother the night before the atomic attack.

Fat Man was the second nuclear weapon used in warfare. Dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945, Fat Man devastated more than two square miles of the city and caused approximately 45,000 immediate deaths.

Major Charles W. Sweeney piloted the B-29, #77 that dropped Fat Man. After the nuclear mission, #77 was christened Bockscar after its regular Command Pilot, Fred Bock.

While Little Boy was a uranium gun-type device, Fat Man was a more complicated and powerful plutonium implosion weapon that exploded with a force equal to 20 kilotons of TNT.

world

I've been somewhat intrigued by this strange place called Easter Island. A dutch ship one day found this little spot in the middle of the Pacific, on Easter Sunday and so they called it Easter Island.

politics...USA

time for change

hopefully...we will get there soon...

The new king and his team must concentrate on this hemisphere...north America and south/central America and bring this outrageously expensive middle east adventure to an end.

The financial mess caused by the stupidity and greed of the ruling class must be dealt with. The infrastructure has to be repaired and in the gulf region extensive changes should be made to avoid or at lest reduce the impact of another disaster.

An added concern is the re-emergence of a new and powerful Russia..not that the numbers matter much but we must remember that this nation has an incredible number of nuclear warheads at its disposal. (8000 or so as compared to our 2500).

politics...Canada

...new government..same party in power...a few more seats..the opposition party badly hammered. The ruling PC party now has 144 seats in the house ( of commons) as we call it, the opposition Liberal party is down to 77 seats, the strange phenomenon the Quebec bloc party got 50 seats and the NDP gained a few all at the liberal expense.

A clear majority would have called for 155 seats I believe, it did not happen and so, Mr. Harper will have to work with what he's got or risk another election in the near future.

Another problem the PCs are struggling with is the seats in the Senate. Because it is not an elected body the new PCs ( remember these are not the Torie's of old) had in mind to do away with the Senate....but to do that they need a clear majority. Now they may even be forced to appoint a few members to keep the liberals in check who at this point are able to slow down any new legislation.

And so, I've been musing....who was the last Tory? It is astounding to realise that this PC party is in reality a new party, grown out of the western reform party ( Manning) and has relatively little to do with the Progressive Conservatives from the days of Diefenbaker or Mulroney.

So, who is or was the last Tory?

Mulroney? Joe Clark? The Quebec Guy who turned Liberal to run the Province of Quebec? The Magnamans Daughter Stonachs old boyfriend with his dog?

Actually...I believe the last Tory in power was Kim Campbell, and in the election that followed her appointment she even lost her own seat...hard to believe that after two successive majority governments the party was reduced to two seats...

Or does it really matter. In any case after having been a supporter of the liberal party most of my life I've decided to vote PC the last two elections..

state of the world...

Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the ninth most populous urban area in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area, comprising 5 million people from over 190 nations. First documented in the thirteenth century, Berlin was successively the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia (1701-1918), the German Empire (1871-1918), the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) and the Third Reich (1933-1945). After World War II, the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a Western enclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall from 1961-1989. Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of all Germany. Berlin is a major center in European culture, politics, media, and science. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, environmental services, congress and convention venues; it also serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport. Berlin is the third most-visited tourist destination in the EU. Other industries include traffic engineering, optoelectronics, information technology, vehicle manufacturing, health care, biomedical engineering, and biotechnology. The metropolis is home to world-renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras, museums and personalities. Berlin's urban landscape and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for international film productions. The city is recognized for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts and a high quality of living. Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin

America...

...time for change...changes...a change...

state of the world...

Fall...winter 2008 fashion,frankly this picture tells me just how screwed up this world is at the moment. This must be just about the goofiest getup I've seen in a while..

America...

...the big bail out failed, nobody knows or can even remotely guess where this will take us.
The USA, still the most powerful nation on earth is in deep trouble, caused by the ignorance of the ruling class, the billionaires supporting this group often referred to as the internationals...bla..bla...
What happens next is any ones guess. The British Empire is gone, Das German Reich is long history,the French have never been the same since the last of the Napoleonic wars, the Russian bear is about to flex it's muscles, fed up wit the sniping by uncle SAM, and despite it's considerable problems it looks like China is rapidly emerging as the new world power..not sure exactly where to fit Japan into this.