Entries from January 2009

January 25, 2009

Singapore determined to master the storm

 
Read the updated version on my new blog:
http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2009/02/20/singapore-determined-to-master-the-storm/
Given these turbulent economic times, it’s not surprising that the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore is also suffering from a deep recession.  Global demand for Singapore’s exports and services has collapsed since the financial crisis has spread to nearly every country on this planet and has emerged as [...]

January 20, 2009

Amazing!

I’m just one of the hundreds of millions of people from around the world who have witnessed Obama’s inauguration on TV and are enthusiastic and full of hope.  Since the entire world has been looking forward to this historic day, Obama probably had the biggest audience a TV broadcast has ever had so far.
President Barack Obama’s inaugural [...]

January 20, 2009

President Obama: the right person at the right time

This is definitely a historic day. This is the day Barack Obama takes office as the first African-American president of the United States of America. But far beyond that, Obama is the person who is most likely to bring about the change that this crisiss-torn planet desperately needs. Moreover, Obama can turn this crisis into [...]

January 16, 2009

being confronted with the reality of the global crisis, Dubai delays the “one kilometer tower”

you might also be interested in:
Abu Dhabi and Daimler teaming up: oil, electric cars, eco-cities and lots of money
 
Dubai has become a synonym for superlatives. The bustling city on the coast of the Persian Gulf emerged into an international business hub and tourist destination in the matter of years. Althoug Dubai’s economy was built on [...]

January 15, 2009

giant solar power project in China

China has become a country with an apparently insatiable appetite for energy. Although China’s economy is slowing as the global meltdown crushes demand for Chinese goods, Chinese energy companies are busy importing ever more oil and coal and other commodities. Dependence on oil imports from politically unstable nations not only poses a threat to the U.S. [...]

January 13, 2009

no party atmosphere in Detroit, but numerous electric cars

This year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit is less glamorous than last year’s since the Big Three U.S. car makers are struggling to survive and even the industry leader Toyota will post an operating  for the first time in more than 70 years. General Motors and Chrysler averted bankruptcy last month due to emergency [...]

January 10, 2009

grim outlook for the container shipping industry

The long-lasting boom in the container shipping industry ended abruptly last year when first high freight rates caused by record-high oil prices lowered demand and prompted companies to relocate production capacities closer to big consumer markets and towards the end of 2008, demand for consumer goods from recession-torn countries plummeted resulting in costly overcapacities. On [...]

January 6, 2009

electric cars: it’s all about the batteries

The German carmaker Daimler that produces Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans as well as the microcar Smart recently teamed up with Evonik Industries to produce high-capacity lithium-Ion batteries for use in hybrids and electric cars. Daimler now also considers selling batteries to other car makers in the medium term. For the immediate future, Daimler will use the batteries in [...]

January 3, 2009

2009: year of change, challenges and chances

2008 just ended and will be remembered as the year when the financial crisis rooted in risky mortgage lending turned into a global economic crisis. In today’s globalized world, the crisis spread from the U.S. housing market to almost all parts of the world. The global financial system went crazy, banks were collapsing, governments around [...]