Bloomberg BusinessWeek, June 8, 2015

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(1)  Christina Larson, China Slowly Starts to Tame Its Traffic
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... to-tame-its-traffic
("Beijing offers lessons in what not to do, as well. Fifty-seven percent of Beijing’s 22 million residents live in the city outskirts, between the third and sixth ring roads, according to figures released in late May by the city government. Yet the best hospitals and schools lie within the second ring road along with the central business district and Financial Street. That makes for long inbound commutes")

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: Second-tier cities have learned from Beijing’s mistakes
(b) "Lulu XUE 薛 露露, a research analyst at the World Resources Institute China, an environmental nonprofit in Beijing"

World Resources Institute  世界资源研究所| 致力于环境和人类的和谐共生
www.wri.org.cn/

(2) Jeff Green and Jing Cao, The SUVs Are in Aisle 7, Past the Olive Oil.
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-04/costco-moves-the-metal

Quote:

"Last year, Costco Wholesale moved almost 400,000 vehicles of all major brands in the US, twice as many as in 2008. Without fanfare, the membership-only merchant * * * has pulled within spitting distance of No 1 car retailer AutoNation, which sold 533,000 vehicles last year.

"Costco doesn’t sell cars per se. Working through an auto-buying service called Affinity Auto Group, the $112.6 billion retailer uses its purchasing power to negotiate discounts for its more than 45 million US cardholders.

"Costco makes no money on the auto sales. It offers discounted vehicles to attract members and keep existing ones paying the club’s $55 annual fee. 'Their primary, overwhelming interest is members’ willingness to join and renew,' says John Rand, senior vice president for retail insights at Kantar Retail.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: Costco’s warehouse clubs have become big sellers of cars
(b) The title is misleading: Costco itself does not have any car in display. A Costco member has to go to the website of Costco Auto
www.costcoauto.com
to select an auto company, make and year (both used or news auto are available). A dealer will then contact you. At the bottom of the website, one tab is "How the Program Works," which states:

"The Costco Auto Program selects dealerships who meet strict requirements for ensuring member value, a streamlined buying experience and superior member satisfaction. Pricing and service are continuously monitored by conducting mystery shops of our own dealers, shopping the competition and surveying members to ensure our dealers remain competitive in their local markets.

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(3) Joshua Brustein, A Swift Takeoff
(“Swift, the computer language unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference last year”)

Note: summary underneath the title in print: [app] Developers and academics are embracing Apple’s new programming

(4) Javier Blas, The Rise of National Trading House.
(“Azerbaijan joined Saudi Arabia, China, Oman, Thailand and Russia, which are all building or expanding state-owned companies that procure and market grain, oil, metals, and other commodities directly, bypassing traditional traders such as Glencore and Cargill”)

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title in print: Countries want to have more control of their natural resources
(b) summary in table of contents: Countries want to become their own commodity traders
(c) Japan has had major trading houses, all private, such as Mitsui Group 三井 (1876- ) and Itochu Corp 伊藤忠商事株式会社 (1858- ; founder 伊藤 忠兵衛).  
(d) The quotation is from the print edition. The online edition is a bit more wordy.
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... on-glencore-cargill
(e)
(i) Glencore
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glencore
(an Anglo–Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company headquartered in Baar [20-mile air distance due south of Zurich], Switzerland, with its registered office in Saint Helier, Jersey;
(ii) Sara Ledwith, The coming of Glencore. Reuters, Feb 25, 2011 (blog)
blogs.reuters.com/reuters-investigates/2011/02/25/the-coming-of-glencore/
("The origins of its name are a mystery, although some bright spark has figured out it could stand for GLobal ENergy COmmodities and REsources")