Brian Gongol
(8.1.2005)
All About the Wall Street Journal's Dot Drawings
(8.1.2005)
US Has More Full-Time eBay Sellers than Auto Mechanics
USPS says 724,000 Americans call eBay selling their primary or secondary source of income. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says we have 668,540 auto mechanics. Call it creative destruction.
(8.1.2005)
UPS Takes 4.1% Volume Growth, Turns it into 14.9% Revenue Growth
Great for UPS stockholders; not so great if you're a customer. FedEx increased volume by 6% and turned it into 10% revenue growth. It's hard to separate DHL's results from parent company Deutsche Post, but DP isn't headed to the poor farm, either, even though they're expecting to lose cash in DHL for a while. The Postal Service is suddenly looking a lot better, especially since delivery times seem to have improved dramatically. First-class deliveries from the West Coast are now arriving in the Midwest in two or three days, which is sometimes faster than the "expedited" private-carrier services.
(8.1.2005)
Government of India Furious at China
China has been making friendly with Bhutan, which is one of the few things separating India from the Communists (along with those pesky Himalaya mountains)
(8.1.2005)
August 8th Carnival of the Capitalists
Some of the best: How Microsoft doesn't seem to care much about anyone else's trademarks, Britain's new ridiculous rules on alcohol ads, the future of newspapers, how the tax code is too complicated, how Apple should pull the rug out from under Microsoft, economic freedom and convergence among the states and Canadian provinces, how call centers are a step towards a better India, and how Sarbanes-Oxley is insane.
(8.1.2005)
Scotland Yard Downplays Threat of Third Train Bombing
But the Times of London says thousands of police marksmen are being stationed around the city to head off another attack. London police aren't publicizing the sharpshooters, if there are any...but they are suggesting that people stay calm and stand still if police approach them. That would have been good advice for the man killed on the Underground after he ran from the cops while wearing a winter coat in the summertime. Naturally, downplaying things like preparations for a terrorist attack are a no-win situation for the police: If you say nothing's going to happen and then it does, you're in trouble; same goes if you say it's about to happen, then it doesn't. Since the terrorists themselves have most of the control over the timing, they can then take advantage of the times you say "All's well" or hold back when you say "Attacks are imminent".
(8.1.2005)
King Fahd is Dead
Prince Abdullah takes over. He's been running the show for the most part since 1995.