Real Captain Phillips warns cuts could hit Pentagon shipping program

By David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An American merchant marine captain made famous by a Tom Hanks movie after being kidnapped by Somali pirates warned on Thursday that looming U.S. budget cuts could sink part of a program that keeps U.S.-flagged ships ready to ferry military supplies and aid around the world.

Richard Phillips, who was held hostage after Somali pirates seized his vessel in 2009, is backing a campaign to halt the budget cuts, saying they could reduce by a third the size of the 60-strong U.S. commercial fleet that regularly carries cargo for the military.

His ship, the Maersk Alabama was carrying U.S. food aid when it was boarded by the pirates.

Captain Steven Werse, an official at the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, the union that represents U.S. commercial ship officers, said the example of the Maersk Alabama should show the importance of the program.

"Unfortunately, we're under attack. What the pirates could not take away from the captain and his crew, the Congress could take away," he said. "The Maersk Alabama is one of the vessels that is part of the 60-ship Maritime Security Program."

"Everyone understands belt-tightening. It's just that we've had our belt tightened to the point where we could lose our pants," he said.

The Maritime Security Program run by the U.S. Department of Transportation spends $186 million annually to ensure the 60 ships are at the ready to carry cargo for U.S. troops at war and other government uses. The subsidy per ship is $3.1 million this year, according to congressional testimony.

Data released by the captains at a news conference said that during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, vessels enrolled in the security program carried 95 percent of Defense Department cargo shipped by sea to the region, from tanks to food.

The Maersk Alabama is one of the vessels potentially affected by the cuts.

Phillips was held hostage in a lifeboat after the pirates seized his vessel and attempted to hold it for ransom.

A five-day standoff with a U.S. Navy ship ended when snipers shot and killed Phillips' three captors on the lifeboat. "Captain Phillips," a movie about the incident starring Tom Hanks, opened in U.S. theaters this week.

Phillips said he didn't view himself as a hero and downplayed the incident, quipping: "We've always dealt with piracy. It's ... the second oldest profession we deal with in the Merchant Marine."

Werse said some $12 million could be cut from the Maritime Security Program under automatic budget cuts due to go into effect this year, which would eliminate four ships from the program.

Similar cuts, which would further reduce the fleet, are expected in subsequent years unless Congress acts to stop some $500 billion in automatic reductions to projected defense spending over the next decade.

Eliminating ships from the program could also force the U.S. military to rely on foreign-flagged vessels to deliver hardware and supplies during wartime, raising security and safety issues, the captains said.

"Our companies need support," Werse said. "If this program goes away, there's an estimated cost of capital investment by the DoD (Department of Defense) to replace these ships of $13 billion. This is a cost-effective program."

The U.S. Merchant Marine comprises fewer than 500 American flagged, civilian-owned ships. In the past it has been called upon to serve as an auxiliary to the Navy in wartime. The Maritime Security Program supports about 2,700 maritime jobs.

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/real-captain-phillips-warns-cuts-could-hit-pentagon-010807807--business.html
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Internet Marketing Tips: Is All Traffic To Your Site Created Equal ...

One of the biggest mistakes that newbie Internet marketers make time and time again is paying close attention to the amount of traffic there able to push to a web property – never really paying close attention to whether or not that traffic is of any value.

 

To think that all traffic is created equal could be one of the most crippling mistakes you ever make in this business, and one that you should strive to eliminate entirely if at all possible. There are different kinds of traffic (even when you’re talking about traffic pushed from a single source), and it’s important that you understand the “ins and outs” of traffic generation if you’re going to have any real success whatsoever.

 

There are two major types of traffic that you need to be aware of

 

Now that you know that all traffic is anything but equal, it’s important to understand exactly how traffic sources are broken down into different categories. Taking a very large overview of traffic generation in general, there are two major parts that you need to be aware of – targeted traffic and untargeted traffic.

 

Untargeted traffic is the kind of traffic that you get from just about anyone, anywhere – online or off – that may have just stumbled upon your web property. Untargeted traffic is also the kinds of traffic that you purchase from big time list brokers without checking to see what kind of list they were on in the first place), not making sure that they had a connection to your product or service.

 

At the same time, targeted traffic is worth its weight in gold – and much more difficult to create. This is the kind of traffic that you’re going to be able to enjoy from industry blogs, direct mailings that have been sent to niche prospects, and joint ventures that you’ve put together with other people in your industry – as well as the traffic that you generate from your own customer lists to

 

Eliminate untargeted traffic while embracing targeted traffic

 

Obviously, of the two types of traffic, targeted traffic is much more valuable to your bottom line while untargeted traffic is only going to eat away at your profits.

 

The problem is that targeted traffic is much more difficult to secure (and almost always more expensive). Anyone can shoot out a message across Facebook opening to find 10 or 15 prospects, but it costs a tremendous amount of money to create real connections with industry insiders, gain their trust to mail they are specific customer lists, and then focus on only picking the very best prospects from the bunch.

 

However, the moment that you decide to take charge of your different traffic types is the moment that your business changes forever. Just by making the relatively simple adjustment to committing only to get targeted traffic – regardless of the cost, or time necessary to generate – you’ll find that your returns go down, your customer service requests go way down, your profit goes up, and your enjoyment of your business goes through the roof.

 

Don’t ever fall for the “traffic is traffic” myth, it just might end up being the nail in your business’s coffin.

 

Now it’s your turn!

 

What is your approach to traffic?  Do you target anyone and everyone?  Or do you dial it down to a specific targeted group?  Please leave your feedback in the comments section and I look forward to reading them!

 

 

Nate Leung is the CEO and Founder of NateLeung.com. He has been an Internet Network Marketing professional since 2001. Nate specializes in blogging, generating highly targeted leads, prospecting, social media and driving traffic. You can find out more from Nate by connecting with him over at Google +.
There is no greater passion he has than helping people to succeed in their business.
He teaches people how to use the Internet to build a successful Network Marketing business. If you're struggling and or looking for help, contact Nate here.

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