BOW WAVE 409

Bow Wave Issue 409--Gallic Edition

news and views on trade, insurance and risk

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Wavy Line	sam@wavyline.com
(c)2007 WavyLine.com	Issue No 409 24 Sep 07
Published free of charge to Readers
Editor: Sam Ignarski
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In this issue:

1. Welcome
2. New French Book
3. Chambre Arbitrale Maritime de Paris
4. Chongqing Stickmen
5. Maritime Plymouth
6. And Finally...

1. Welcome

Poem of the Week

Titanic

The whistle blows, its blast
Echoes forlorn through the fog
Lights blaze through the night unseen
Though the bridge in dark,
Eyes peering through the swirling gloom.

Two minutes and again the blast, the whistle
Does its lonely job high above
Speed though the timetable
The ship unsinkable and comfort for all

Unrelenting the fog moves on
Hides all that moves on the calm sea
Comes the message through the ether
Ice adding to the danger
Astern the churning wake leaves its message
We were here and fast we plough on

Dinners consumed bands play
Unbeknown sweet oblivion beckons
Death lurking beneath the treacherous waters
Arrogance ploughs on unseen
Mighty leviathan untouchable unsinkable so say we

White looms the towering mass
The blast echoes back wheel hard over
The ship heels but no escape long the gash
Hardly felt till too late
Save our souls - out goes the cry - but no avail

Waters close over - the band playing
Nearer my God to thee

Reg Holder

New Readers this week include:-

William V. Brierre, Jr of CMA-CGM (USA) in Washington DC Surveyor Gerry Bellis of MCC Marine in Brisbane

News of Readers

Denis Bryant's Maritime Items zine contains the following item:-

Autumnal equinox

At or about 0951 GMT, Sunday, September 23, the sun will pass over the equator heading south, marking the autumnal equinox - the official ending of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the official ending of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. When I was young (which was many moons ago), the autumnal equinox was almost always on September 21. Global warming [the direct result of the expanded Presidential campaign] has caused a recession in the calendar.

http://www.hklaw.com/Publications/spotlight.asp?group=480&ref=email

Readers Write

From Dave Letteney

Re your item on bumber stickers (Bow Wave Issue 408) here is my favorite:-

If I had known that grandchildren were so much finer, I would have had them first - this from personal experience.

dletteney@verizon.net

From Charles Barton

I like the Bumper stickers and recently saw a beauty in Norway:-

Don't steal. The Government hates competition.

I guess it applies in most countries

cbarton@broadpark.no

Note from the Editor

Greetings from the Autumn Equinox. This edition has a certain Gallic content.

Enjoy!

2. New French Book

The Advantages of Intermodal Transport in Logistics by Élie Le Du
(180 pages, 16 x 24 cm, published july 2007)
(Celse Publisher, Paris, Ref. DI08, EUR 49.00

The Author of this new book is Élie Le Du, journalist and founder of « La lettre du transport et de la logistique » (Les Echos group, France), He is an expert in the field of transportation and logistics and graduated from the École Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris (ESJ) and Hautes Études Internationales (HEI), and holds a specialized post-graduate degree (DESS) from the University of Paris (Sorbonne) in International Air and Sea Transportation.

Summary

Nowadays, the mastering of intermodal techniques rewards those who carry out the exercise from a logistics point of view. The container, tightly bound to the intermodal process and usually only known as the Unit of Intermodal Transport (UIT) that makes possible the combination of different modes of transportation (road, railway, sea, canals/rivers, air), has now become a Unit of Intermodal Logistics (UIL) that augments the all-around performance in logistics, transportation, storage and handling.

Beyond the problems of container transportation, we now have to address those arising out of intermodal strategies that combine successive modes of transportation with network load capacity, ports and airports, massive returns with empty loads due to world trade imbalances.

The use of containers in the framework of intermodal transportation makes it necessary for the operators to devise logistics strategies that optimize their efficiency and costs, in order to keep the pace both in the fields of logistic transports and that of general economics.

Address of the author
Elie Le Du, journalist
20, rue du Dragon, 75006 Paris (France)
Phone. : (33) (0)1 53 63 29 00 ;
mobile : (33) (0)6 07 05 84 14
e-mailoo.fr

3. Chambre Arbitrale Maritime de Paris

Philippe Delebecque, President of the organisation , has forwarded the fourteenth issue of the free internet newsletter published by the 'Chambre Arbitrale Maritime de Paris' (Maritime Arbitration Chamber of Paris).

This issue contains a link at page 2 which offers to download abstracts in English of some recent awards.

To download the "Gazette de la Chambre":-
http://www.arbitrage-maritime.org/cpt_download.php?file=gazette14.pdf

4. Chongqing Stickmen

Sam Chambers writes:-

The latest issue of Connected, the official newsletter of inland supply chain firm City Connect, contains this interesting update on Chongqing's famous 'stickmen'.

Stickmen enter green cycle

As well as the rivers, the spicy food and the total absence of bicycles due to the hilly terrain, Chongqing is famous for its stickmen. Connected reporters caught up with a gaggle of these hard working souls to check out how their lives were changing in this dynamic city.

Once upon a time these men were deployed, with their trusty bamboo sticks and rope, to haul cargoes from ships down at the river up into town. Nowadays the port is more automated, but that does not mean there is little work. On the contrary, as the citizens get richer, their shopping bags become heavier and more numerous and outside many a department store or supermarket these wiry men hover waiting for business.

There are an estimated 10,000 of them and they charge anywhere from 3 yuan to 20 depending on the distance, steepness and weight of their job. Typically, they make 1,300 yuan a month (CQ average wage, according to latest mayor’s figures is 2,700 yuan). One man we met managed to earn 30,000 yuan a year, by hanging around the Hilton hotel, and paying the hotel 100 yuan a month for a licence. As the city develops, perhaps people will appreciate that the stickmen represent the greenest form of freight transport available.

The full newsletter, sponsored this month by Evergreen Line, can be accessed here:

http://www.cityconnect.com.cn/connected/07/connected07-03.html

5. Maritime Plymouth

Courtesy of Gordon Frickers we receive a copy of Maritime Plymouth, a zine preoccupied by all manner or maritime things. In the latest edition the penultimate item describes how the Maritime Volunteer Service South West district won a contract to support the salvage operations following the beaching of the MCS Napoli. John Pease, Regional Volunteer Officer, and member of Maritime Plymouth, describes the operation.

http://system.newzapp.co.uk/EditSite/Customers/4517/nz-docs/Maritime_Plymouth_Newsletter_Sep_2007_MVS.pdf

6. And Finally...Thanks to Captain John Potts for this:-

The doctor said, "Joe, the good news is I can cure your headaches. The bad news is that it will require castration. You have a very rare condition, which causes your testicles to press on your spine and the pressure creates one hell of a headache. The only way to relieve the pressure is to remove the testicles."

Joe was shocked and depressed. He wondered if he had anything to live for. He had no choice but to go under the knife. When he left the hospital, he was without a headache for the first time in 20 years, but he felt like he was missing an important part of himself. As he walked down the street, he realized that he felt like a different person. He could make a new beginning and live a new life.

He saw a men's clothing store and thought, "That's what I need... a new suit."
He entered the shop and told the salesman, "I'd like a new suit."
The elderly tailor eyed him briefly and said, "Let's see ... size 44 long."
Joe laughed, "That's right, how did you know?"
"Been in the business 60 years!" the tailor said. Joe tried on the suit, it fit perfectly.
As Joe admired himself in the mirror, the salesman asked, "How about a new shirt?"
Joe thought for a moment and then said, "Sure."
The salesman eyed Joe and said, "Let's see, 34 sleeves and 16-1/2 neck."
Joe was surprised, "That's right, how did you know?" " Been in the business 60 years."
Joe tried on the shirt, and it fit perfectly.
Joe walked comfortably around the shop, and the salesman asked, "How about some new underwear?" Joe thought for a moment and said, "Sure."
The salesman said, "Let's see... size 36."
Joe laughed, "Ah ha! I got you , I've worn a size 34 since I was 18 years old."
The salesman shook his head, "You can't wear a size 34. A size 34 would press your testicles up against the base of your spine and give you one hell of a headache."
New suit - $400
New shirt - $36
New underwear - $6
Second Opinion - PRICELESS!!!!

P.S. Also from John Potts

Frog

A six year old goes to the hospital with his grandma to visit his xgrandpa. When they get to the hospital, he runs ahead of his grandma and bursts into his grandpa's room.

"Grandpa, Grandpa," he says excitedly, "as soon as grandma comes into the room, make a noise like a frog!"

"What?" said his grandpa.

"Make a noise like a frog because grandma said that, as soon as you croak, we're going to Disney World!"

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