The song, “Auld Lang Syne,” is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.

At least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700’s, it was first published in 1796 after Burns’ death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition. An old Scotch tune, “Auld Lang Syne” literally means “old long ago,” or simply, “the good old days.”

With the take-over of P&O Nedlloyd, Maersk did also acquire P&O Nedlloyd Logistics and Damco Sea & Air. Although P&O Nedlloyd Logistics is already integrated into the Maersk Logistics organization, the Damco organization is not integrated yet.

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Freight trains are an excellent solution for transport over long distances. However, recent years have seen more pressure on the railways, with passenger trains taking precedence over freight trains. The Betuweroute in the Netherlands will change all that, but not everybody is conviced that the expensive showcase will be a good solution. Join for a ride with the test train and judge by yourself.

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In the past year 2006 the most popular article on eLogistics Trendwatch was the fire of the Hyundai Fortune. Numerous visitors found this article via Google, the newsletter or via a direct hit on this website. An top ten of most visited articles.

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The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon (actually the first visible cresent) after the Vernal Equinox (first day of spring).

The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

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The world of Logistics and Shipping has become increasingly global. This means that flows has to be coordinated from and to different continents. Common language in the area of Logistics and Shipping is still the English language, which is full of three-of-more character acronyms, terms and jargon.

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Recent reports have said the German shipping and travel group TUI is seeking to secure friendly investors to help fend off a possible hostile takeover, as some of the group’s major shareholders have demanded a break-up of the firm. Who will be the next owner?

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In the memorable year 2005 P&O Nedlloyd was successfully hunted by Maersk. Exel was eaten by Deutsche Post. Kuehne + Nagel acquired ACR logistics and Deutsch Bahn bought Bax Global, and as a 2005 desert, Frans Maas will become Danish. The consolidation of logistics will continue in 2006.

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One of the main accelerators of the First Industrial Revolution were the improved means of transportation. The invention of the steam engine and of electrical power made developments in railroads and steamships possible. The Second Industrial Revolution was probably the Computer- and Internet Era. We believe that the Third Industrial Revolution will be the combination of both stages of Industrial Revolutions, i.c. transportation and communication combined. The signs are already there ??..

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“The flapping of a single butterfly’s wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month’s time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn’t happen. Or maybe one that wasn’t going to happen, does.” This was in 1989 the statement of Ian Stewart which started the chaos theory.

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