FRONTLINE explores the relationship between U.S. job losses and the American consumer's insatiable desire for bargains in "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" Through interviews with retail executives,   more...product manufacturers, economists, and trade experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single retail giant has changed the American economy.

"Wal-Mart's power and influence are awesome," Smith says. "By figuring out how to exploit two powerful forces that converged in the 1990s -- the rise of information technology and the explosion of the global economy -- Wal-Mart has dramatically changed the balance of power in the world of business. Retailers are now more powerful than manufacturers, and they are forcing the decision to move production offshore."

"Wal-Mart has reversed a hundred-year history that had the retailer dependent on the manufacturer," explains Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. "Now the retailer is the center, the power, and the manufacturer becomes the serf, the vassal, the underling who has to do the bidding of the retailer. That's a new thing."

To understand the secret of Wal-Mart's success, Smith travels from the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., to their global procurement center in Shenzhen, China, where several hundred employees work to keep the company's import pipeline running smoothly. Of Wal-Mart's 6,000 global suppliers, experts estimate that as many as 80 percent are based in China.

"Wal-Mart has a very close relationship with China," says Duke University Professor Gary Gereffi. "China is the largest exporter to the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart is the leading retailer in the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart and China are a joint venture."

When trade agreements were signed between the U.S. and China in the 1990s, bringing China into the World Trade Organization, American political and business leaders embraced the idea. China's 1.2 billion people were viewed as an enormous untapped market for American-made goods. The reality, experts say, is the opposite. China's exports to the U.S. have skyrocketed.

[Update: Since this program first aired in 2004, Wal-Mart's sales have increased 30%, approaching $325 billion for 2006. And the U.S. trade deficit with China has nearly doubled, expected to hit $230 billion in 2006.]

At a salary of only 50 cents an hour or $100 a month, Chinese labor is an unbeatable bargain for international business. And the Chinese government is doing everything it can to be sure the country's infrastructure supports the export business. Ten years ago Shenzhen's main port did not exist. Today it's on the verge of becoming the third busiest port in the world.

Wal-Mart estimates it imports $15 billion of Chinese goods every year and concedes that the figure could be higher -- some estimates range as high as $20 or $30 billion. Company executives are quick to point out they have always scoured the globe for low cost suppliers to benefit the American consumer.

"We do depend on products from around the globe to draw our consumers into the stores," says Ray Bracy, Wal-Mart's vice president for federal and international public affairs. "We feel they need to have the best product, the best value, at the best price we can achieve."

Some experts contend Wal-Mart's "everyday low prices" are causing a clash between the interests of Americans as workers and the desires of Americans as consumers.

"If people were only consumers, buying things at lower prices would be just good. But people also are workers who need to earn a decent standard of living," says economist Larry Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute. "The dynamics that create lower prices at Wal-Mart and other places are also undercutting the ability of many, many workers to earn decent wages and benefi  less

FRONTLINE explores the relationship between U.S. job losses and the American consumer's insatiable desire for bargains in "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" Through interviews with retail executives,   more...product manufacturers, economists, and trade experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single retail giant has changed the American economy.

"Wal-Mart's power and influence are awesome," Smith says. "By figuring out how to exploit two powerful forces that converged in the 1990s -- the rise of information technology and the explosion of the global economy -- Wal-Mart has dramatically changed the balance of power in the world of business. Retailers are now more powerful than manufacturers, and they are forcing the decision to move production offshore."

"Wal-Mart has reversed a hundred-year history that had the retailer dependent on the manufacturer," explains Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. "Now the retailer is the center, the power, and the manufacturer becomes the serf, the vassal, the underling who has to do the bidding of the retailer. That's a new thing."

To understand the secret of Wal-Mart's success, Smith travels from the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., to their global procurement center in Shenzhen, China, where several hundred employees work to keep the company's import pipeline running smoothly. Of Wal-Mart's 6,000 global suppliers, experts estimate that as many as 80 percent are based in China.

"Wal-Mart has a very close relationship with China," says Duke University Professor Gary Gereffi. "China is the largest exporter to the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart is the leading retailer in the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart and China are a joint venture."

When trade agreements were signed between the U.S. and China in the 1990s, bringing China into the World Trade Organization, American political and business leaders embraced the idea. China's 1.2 billion people were viewed as an enormous untapped market for American-made goods. The reality, experts say, is the opposite. China's exports to the U.S. have skyrocketed.

[Update: Since this program first aired in 2004, Wal-Mart's sales have increased 30%, approaching $325 billion for 2006. And the U.S. trade deficit with China has nearly doubled, expected to hit $230 billion in 2006.]

At a salary of only 50 cents an hour or $100 a month, Chinese labor is an unbeatable bargain for international business. And the Chinese government is doing everything it can to be sure the country's infrastructure supports the export business. Ten years ago Shenzhen's main port did not exist. Today it's on the verge of becoming the third busiest port in the world.

Wal-Mart estimates it imports $15 billion of Chinese goods every year and concedes that the figure could be higher -- some estimates range as high as $20 or $30 billion. Company executives are quick to point out they have always scoured the globe for low cost suppliers to benefit the American consumer.

"We do depend on products from around the globe to draw our consumers into the stores," says Ray Bracy, Wal-Mart's vice president for federal and international public affairs. "We feel they need to have the best product, the best value, at the best price we can achieve."

Some experts contend Wal-Mart's "everyday low prices" are causing a clash between the interests of Americans as workers and the desires of Americans as consumers.

"If people were only consumers, buying things at lower prices would be just good. But people also are workers who need to earn a decent standard of living," says economist Larry Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute. "The dynamics that create lower prices at Wal-Mart and other places are also undercutting the ability of many, many workers to earn decent wages and benefi  less

FRONTLINE explores the relationship between U.S. job losses and the American consumer's insatiable desire for bargains in "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" Through interviews with retail executives,   more...product manufacturers, economists, and trade experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single retail giant has changed the American economy.

"Wal-Mart's power and influence are awesome," Smith says. "By figuring out how to exploit two powerful forces that converged in the 1990s -- the rise of information technology and the explosion of the global economy -- Wal-Mart has dramatically changed the balance of power in the world of business. Retailers are now more powerful than manufacturers, and they are forcing the decision to move production offshore."

"Wal-Mart has reversed a hundred-year history that had the retailer dependent on the manufacturer," explains Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. "Now the retailer is the center, the power, and the manufacturer becomes the serf, the vassal, the underling who has to do the bidding of the retailer. That's a new thing."

To understand the secret of Wal-Mart's success, Smith travels from the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., to their global procurement center in Shenzhen, China, where several hundred employees work to keep the company's import pipeline running smoothly. Of Wal-Mart's 6,000 global suppliers, experts estimate that as many as 80 percent are based in China.

"Wal-Mart has a very close relationship with China," says Duke University Professor Gary Gereffi. "China is the largest exporter to the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart is the leading retailer in the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart and China are a joint venture."

When trade agreements were signed between the U.S. and China in the 1990s, bringing China into the World Trade Organization, American political and business leaders embraced the idea. China's 1.2 billion people were viewed as an enormous untapped market for American-made goods. The reality, experts say, is the opposite. China's exports to the U.S. have skyrocketed.

[Update: Since this program first aired in 2004, Wal-Mart's sales have increased 30%, approaching $325 billion for 2006. And the U.S. trade deficit with China has nearly doubled, expected to hit $230 billion in 2006.]

At a salary of only 50 cents an hour or $100 a month, Chinese labor is an unbeatable bargain for international business. And the Chinese government is doing everything it can to be sure the country's infrastructure supports the export business. Ten years ago Shenzhen's main port did not exist. Today it's on the verge of becoming the third busiest port in the world.

Wal-Mart estimates it imports $15 billion of Chinese goods every year and concedes that the figure could be higher -- some estimates range as high as $20 or $30 billion. Company executives are quick to point out they have always scoured the globe for low cost suppliers to benefit the American consumer.

"We do depend on products from around the globe to draw our consumers into the stores," says Ray Bracy, Wal-Mart's vice president for federal and international public affairs. "We feel they need to have the best product, the best value, at the best price we can achieve."

Some experts contend Wal-Mart's "everyday low prices" are causing a clash between the interests of Americans as workers and the desires of Americans as consumers.

"If people were only consumers, buying things at lower prices would be just good. But people also are workers who need to earn a decent standard of living," says economist Larry Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute. "The dynamics that create lower prices at Wal-Mart and other places are also undercutting the ability of many, many workers to earn decent wages and benefi  less

http://www.thecorporategiftbaskets.com help save small business. Buy as much as you can from small businesses

FRONTLINE explores the relationship between U.S. job losses and the American consumer's insatiable desire for bargains in "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" Through interviews with retail executives,   more...product manufacturers, economists, and trade experts, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the growing controversy over the Wal-Mart way of doing business and asks whether a single retail giant has changed the American economy.

"Wal-Mart's power and influence are awesome," Smith says. "By figuring out how to exploit two powerful forces that converged in the 1990s -- the rise of information technology and the explosion of the global economy -- Wal-Mart has dramatically changed the balance of power in the world of business. Retailers are now more powerful than manufacturers, and they are forcing the decision to move production offshore."

"Wal-Mart has reversed a hundred-year history that had the retailer dependent on the manufacturer," explains Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. "Now the retailer is the center, the power, and the manufacturer becomes the serf, the vassal, the underling who has to do the bidding of the retailer. That's a new thing."

To understand the secret of Wal-Mart's success, Smith travels from the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., to their global procurement center in Shenzhen, China, where several hundred employees work to keep the company's import pipeline running smoothly. Of Wal-Mart's 6,000 global suppliers, experts estimate that as many as 80 percent are based in China.

"Wal-Mart has a very close relationship with China," says Duke University Professor Gary Gereffi. "China is the largest exporter to the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart is the leading retailer in the U.S. economy in virtually all consumer goods categories. Wal-Mart and China are a joint venture."

When trade agreements were signed between the U.S. and China in the 1990s, bringing China into the World Trade Organization, American political and business leaders embraced the idea. China's 1.2 billion people were viewed as an enormous untapped market for American-made goods. The reality, experts say, is the opposite. China's exports to the U.S. have skyrocketed.

[Update: Since this program first aired in 2004, Wal-Mart's sales have increased 30%, approaching $325 billion for 2006. And the U.S. trade deficit with China has nearly doubled, expected to hit $230 billion in 2006.]

At a salary of only 50 cents an hour or $100 a month, Chinese labor is an unbeatable bargain for international business. And the Chinese government is doing everything it can to be sure the country's infrastructure supports the export business. Ten years ago Shenzhen's main port did not exist. Today it's on the verge of becoming the third busiest port in the world.

Wal-Mart estimates it imports $15 billion of Chinese goods every year and concedes that the figure could be higher -- some estimates range as high as $20 or $30 billion. Company executives are quick to point out they have always scoured the globe for low cost suppliers to benefit the American consumer.

"We do depend on products from around the globe to draw our consumers into the stores," says Ray Bracy, Wal-Mart's vice president for federal and international public affairs. "We feel they need to have the best product, the best value, at the best price we can achieve."

Some experts contend Wal-Mart's "everyday low prices" are causing a clash between the interests of Americans as workers and the desires of Americans as consumers.

"If people were only consumers, buying things at lower prices would be just good. But people also are workers who need to earn a decent standard of living," says economist Larry Mishel of the Economic Policy Institute. "The dynamics that create lower prices at Wal-Mart and other places are also undercutting the ability of many, many workers to earn decent wages and benefi  less

Creedgaming and I talk about the Iraq war, religious fundamentalists, Walmart, China AirAmericaRadio, Thom Hartman, and the war on the middle class. Part three of five.

Dale assets, video. Country artist Brent Keith sings “Looking For A Road,” the theme song from the feature film, Dale. The video, set on NASCAR’s racing track, is of great quality, and the song is of   more...hope and perseverance. The film itself is the story of the life and death of NASCAR’s great Dale Earnhardt, the man who redefined the modern-era NASCAR driver. “Looking For A Road” is off the film’s soundtrack, now on sale exclusively at Walmart. For more, please visit http://www.cmt.com/movies/dale/. From Wiredset Digital Agency.  less

This guy completes the holy grail of Wal-Mart pranks... singing on the intercom.

Baby Got Back In Walmart

OUTRAGEOUS! Erin Burnett (CNBC)With Chris Matthews on HARDBALL states why China is our best friend for making unsafe toys with lead and poisonous foods for us to buy cheaply at Walmart!'

They are the biggest   more...exporter of human organs, they kill political dissidents, they are THE model of the NWO police state, they have mobile execution vans, they censor everything their people can see on the internet, they exploit their own people, enslave them to supply the worlds greed for cheap goods, yes Erin, THEY are OUR best friend!  less

That's one way to irrigate your yard...

Double Dewey talks about his trip to Wal-Mart. This is funny

How Much Do You Spend On Food??
per month??
per week??

Come see the worlds smallest Wally World. See Booger and Goober try to find items in the worlds smallest Wal Mart while running on less than 8 hours sleep in 4 days. They pack the meat in ice and coolers   more...and head home.  less

Most people think of slavery as something humans force upon each other, something based on chains, cages and such things. Many are not even aware that there are many different kinds of slavery and that   more...most of them are not based on what humans do to others but our weakness of mind.




Slavery (Essay)
http://metadave.wordpress.com/2007/07/12/slavery/

Socrates on what prompts the change from champion of the people to tyrant (Video)
http://metadave.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/socrates-on-what-prompts-the-change-from-champion-of-the-people-to-tyrant-video/

Socrates on Perception and the Imprisonment of the Soul (Video)
http://metadave.wordpress.com/2007/12/06/socrates-on-perception-and-the-imprisonment-of-the-soul-video/

Plato - The Cave (video)
http://metadave.wordpress.com/2007/06/03/plato-the-cave/

Plato on Political Systems (Videos)
http://metadave.wordpress.com/2007/12/14/plato-on-politic-systems-videos/

Preview of the Natural Politic Order (Updated)
http://metadave.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/preview-of-the-natural-politic-order/

Domesticated to be a good Sheep -Part I.
http://metadave.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/domesticated-to-be-a-good-sheep-part-i/

Veritax Vox Liberabit
http://metadave.wordpress.com/  less

Every May, probably since like 2001, a bunch of us have gone out, broken into teams with Digital Cameras, and gone a bizarre version of a Scavenger Hunt. This is probably the last time I get to do this,   more...since I'm moving out of town in a week - so I of course brought a second camera with us to video it.  less

I like your voice!

random i no... ALL MADE UP ON THE SPOT!!!!

Me and my friends played a prank on random shoppers at walmart. We basically put a sign on their car apologizing for damage, but there wasn't any and we then watched them look up and down their vehicle   more...for the damage. Yeah it was kind of dumb, but funny.  less

It's been a long day. I thought I was going to freeze to death. I was soaked wet, and the wind chill at night was making me regret wearing my mesh jacket. I should have put on leathers.

We assemble at the car show, but it rains like a big monsoon. We end up getting some eats. I end up having some Thai food again. Gosh, I'm hooked on it.

I'm trying out a different camera mounts. In this video, I make a quickly rigged pouch that hangs in front of my chest.

Supermarket Secrets A British documentary series Dispatches covers the reality of the modern supermarket culture, how the look of food is more important than it's nutritional value, how much visually   more...... more » Supermarket Secrets A British documentary series Dispatches covers the reality of the modern supermarket culture, how the look of food is more important than it's nutritional value, how much visually imperfect food goes to waste, how they use our inability to shop for quality food against us, and how the factory farm affects the animals grown for food. Have you ever wondered why so many non-cooking people watch the food channel? Perhaps it is because they are hungry and not getting the nutrition their bodies are crying for. Very important stuff.  less

Supermarket Secrets A British documentary series Dispatches covers the reality of the modern supermarket culture, how the look of food is more important than it's nutritional value, how much visually   more...... more » Supermarket Secrets A British documentary series Dispatches covers the reality of the modern supermarket culture, how the look of food is more important than it's nutritional value, how much visually imperfect food goes to waste, how they use our inability to shop for quality food against us, and how the factory farm affects the animals grown for food. Have you ever wondered why so many non-cooking people watch the food channel? Perhaps it is because they are hungry and not getting the nutrition their bodies are crying for. Very important stuff.  less