Observations of used car market

1. Used car market is full of over-priced cars.
2. When you see something cheap, is it value or lemon?
3. It's more useful try to understand the business. How do dealers make money?
4. Why you should only buy from an owner if you can wait? Owners have reasons other than profit to sell.
5. How do you ensure quality?

Peter Goodwin died at 83

“Life is unfair. Be fulfilled, be happy with yourself. Recognize achievements and be proud of them then go on to further achievements. Know what you want to do and do it. Be happy. Know good friends. Be in love.”

Oregon physician behind Death With Dignity dies at 83, using aid-in-dying law he championed

The future of China

FT commentary:
A political crisis will not stop China

NASA

NASA budget is about dream.

Turkish Soap Opera ignites cultural war in Isamic world

Reuters reports

Successful Turkish TV soap opera - 85 million people watched. Beautiful women and sexy men are in the show. Hardline Islamic clerics says the producers should be executed, as it portrays pre-marital sex, alcohol drinking, and many other Islamic taboos. For a religion that prohibits pre-marital sex but allows man to own four wives, it is understandable why the conservatives are so angry. It's all about sex.

China sacrifices growth to satiate inflation dragon

China is facing middle income trap. Inflation pressure is up even as growth slows. Urgently needed is social safety net – pension and healthcare - to spread the wealth created in the past two decades. If the social engineering is successful domestic demand will pick up and replace export as the future source of growth. The government still controls so many economic levers that I think it is possible to transition successfully.

China sacrifices growth to satiate inflation dragon

Is your partner cheating? Take the quiz

Quiz: Is your partner cheating?

I found it very informative and was surprised by several answers.

The lesson from Zappos

“delivering happiness” is a philosophy anyone can apply to business and all other areas of life.

To be successful company you need a distinctive brand, a pipeline for developing talent, and a creative corporate culture, all built on collegial fun and customer service.

First impression is important, but part of your brand is built on consistency. It's important to be consistent in the right things, and these are not always the obvious things or the most easily measured things.

Some customers are concerned with "What happens if I make a decision that I don't like or that I need to change?" The concept of "Make it easy for the customer to change their mind, and therefore have peace of mind" has proven profitable. Warrantee should comes with product as well as service. It may be costly in the short term but the lasting effect on customer satisfaction will win over time. The reputational effect is what you count on to be successful long term in your professional field.