re: Wal-Mart

Barry Lin writes in Harper's about Wal-Mart, discussing the downstream effects of Wal-Mart's monopoly power and U.S. antitrust policy.  I always appreciate observations about the full impact/costs of what looks like free market actions.  I'm not sure this article does the best job with the topic.  I need to give it a more careful review.

I know on first reading that he hasn't accurately described the White Cloud trademark situation.  P&G didn't merely forget to maintain a trademark registration; they opted to abandon it and it had been abandoned for many years before Wal-Mart started using it.  Wal-Mart didn't do anything predatory to take ownership of it.  And it's a trademark issue, not a copyright one.  So that kind of sloppiness in the writing makes me suspicious of the rest of the piece, but since we're talking Walmart...

And now for something completely different: Wal-Mart to hire 22,000

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Thursday that it expects to hire more than 22,000 people to staff its new or expanded domestic stores this year.

"During this difficult economic time, we're proud to be able to create quality jobs for thousands of Americans this year," Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman of Wal-Mart U.S., said in a statement.