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Hello International Traders! Want to develop trade with Romania? I have a site in this issue
that will get you off to a great start. Do you know which
airlines have the friendliest cabin staff? I have a site to
answer that question. Who's the world's biggest importer of
potatoes? You'll find that answer at one of the sites I profile.
Finally, do you know what Bush and Kerry have been saying about
trade? The facts are at a site I have in this issue.
If you'd like more information about international trade, go to FITA's
International Trade/ Import-Export Portal ( http://fita.org ), an excellent
source for trade leads, news, events, and a link library of 7,000 sites related
to international trade.
| ROMANIA -- OUR FEATURED COUNTRY SITE
Romania is said to be the home of Count Dracula, and in recent years the country
has developed a thriving tourist trade around the fictional vampire. But there's
more of interest in Romania than Dracula. Romania is one of the most prosperous
economies in Eastern Europe, with a growth rate of 6.6 percent in the first half
of 2004, the highest in the region. The country is on track to join the European
Union in 2007, which should make it even more attractive for trade.
If you want to find out more about trade with Romania, go to the Romania
page at CEEBIC ( http://www.mac.doc.gov/ceebic/countryr/romania.htm ). This
U.S. Department of Commerce site has everything you need to get started doing
business with Romania. There's a country profile, detailed market research (take
a look at the food & beverage report!), trade and investment leads, a profile
of the investment climate, information about financing, key contacts, U.S. embassy
reports, business news, links to government agencies, and much more.
There are more useful links to Romania at the FITA site. Simply go to http://www.fita.org/webindex/countries.html,
then go to "Europe" and click on Romania. Or, you can type "Romania" in the
search box at http://www.fita.org.
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SKYTRAX
I've never been very successful at sleeping on airplanes, mostly because I have
to bend my body into the shape of a pretzel to get comfortable. Imagine my delight,
then, when I found that a number of airlines now offer seats that allow you to
lie flat. You can find out which airlines have these seats, and even read reviews
of them, at Skytrax
( http://www.airlinequality.com ). And that's not all. Skytrax also has the results
of passenger surveys that determine the best cabin staff, airline of the year,
and airport of the year. Skytrax also ranks world airlines according to a number
of parameters (including onboard reading materials, staff language skills, ability
to assist parents with children, etc.). Finally, there are message forums where
travelers can express their opinions about any aspect of airline travel.
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In a world of opportunities, the trick is finding the one just right for your business.
PIERS maintains the most comprehensive database of timely, accurate, import/export information on U.S. waterborne trade with the rest of the world. This is data collected from the ship's manifests and bills of lading filed with U.S. Customs & Border Protection and Commerce's Automated Export System.
PIERS not only provides more detail on ocean-going trade than any other source, they can help put together the global intelligence you need to find trading partners you can count on and customers ready to buy what you're selling.
PIERS invites you to learn more about their global intelligence resources. Go to http://www.piers.com/learnmore .
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ECONOMIC RESEARCH SERVICE BRIEFING ROOMS
If my children's eating habits are any indication, the future is sweet for the
candy industry in the U.S. I'm not surprised, then, to learn that the U.S.is the
largest consumer of sweeteners in the world, and is one of the largest importers.
I learned this from the Sugar and Sweeteners report at the Economic
Research Service (ERS) Briefing Rooms ( http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/
). The ERS is the main source of information and research from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, and this page has detailed reports about agriculture and food
products. There are reports on specific agricultural products like corn, fruit,
potatoes, and tobacco which give facts and figures on U.S. and world production,
plus imports and exports, and much more. There are also country reports on major
food producers like Brazil and Canada, along with reports on topics like global
climate change, food market structures, farm labor, and more. Click on "Key Topics"
at the top of the page, and then scroll down to "Trade", to read more reports
on world trade.
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Alibaba.com
is the world's largest marketplace for global trade and is the leading provider of online marketing services
for importers and exporters. With over 4 million registered members worldwide, Alibaba.com is the number one destination
for volume buyers and qualified sellers to find trade opportunities and promote their businesses online.
Alibaba has been selected by Forbes magazine as “Best of the Web” for business-to-business websites worldwide
for 4 consecutive years, and Alexa.com has named Alibaba the No.1 International Business and Trade website.
Whether you have something to Buy or Sell, visit www.Alibaba.com and join for FREE today! |
COMPARING BUSH AND KERRY
In a few weeks the U.S. Presidential election will be held, and
it looks like this will be a close one. People all over the world
have opinions on this election, and if you want to learn more
about the candidates and the issues, here are two useful sites.
- If you want to find out the candidates' positions on international trade,
read Bush and Kerry: Comparing Their Economic Platforms ( http://www.freetrade.org/pubs/speeches/dg-052504.htm
), a speech given by Daniel T. Griswold at the Cato Policy Forum. It has a
good analysis of Bush and Kerry's record and statements on trade.
- Do you wonder if the candidates are using the correct facts in their speeches
and advertising? FactCheck.org
( http://www.factcheck.org ) will tell you exactly who's telling the truth,
and who's fudging the statistics. This site is run by a nonpartisan, non-profit
consumer advocate organization for voters. and it's like a breath of fresh
air amid all the political rhetoric.
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"This is copied from the newsletter Really
Useful Sites for International Trade Professionals, a free, bi-weekly
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Please feel free to subscribe to this newsletter at http://fita.org/useful."
If you'd like to see all back issues of Really Useful Sites for International
Trade Professionals, the full list is at http://www.fita.org/useful/archives.
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