Economics: Antitrust - The Power Of Competition

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Liberals see a monopoly under every bed. President Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren & others complain that the US economy is controlled by monopolies. Two powerful agencies, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the antitrust division of the department Justice (Justice ATR), are fighting against them. And Senator Amy Klobuchar & other US Senators initiated 5 bills to constrain the alleged power of the monopolies.

Are the Liberal claims right? Let´s take a look on the evidence. 

In the year 1995, when Jeff Bezos started Amazon, for some months he was the only one who sells online. Amazon was a monopoly. Soon others followed. Over the years the number of other online sellers, the competitors, has been swiftly climbing all the time. Amazon`s success story inspired myriads of copycats to offer similar services. Today Amazon is competing against hundreds of companies selling online, including giants like Walmart, Target, Best Buy & Costco, who all developed large online departments, and there are also a lot online platforms like Overstock, Shopify, Wayfair, Etsy & Ebay, who all are copying Amazon`s success. A former Amazon employee used his knowledge to start in 2012 Instacart, an online grocery with annual revenues around $1.5 billion. The online giants Facebook & Google also want a piece from Amazon´s pie and provide online shopping on their websites. And globally Amazon competes against Alibaba, Tencent (both China), Rakuten (Japan), MercadoLibre (Latin America) and others. Amazon is far away from being a monopoly.

When Steve Jobs sold the first iPhone on January 9, 2007, Apple was the only seller of smart phones, it had a monopoly. Soon others followed. Today Apple gets a lot competition for their iPhones, iPads, iMacs, MacBooks and services. Customers can purchase similar products & services from Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Huawei and a lot of other technology companies. And customers can choose between Apple´s iOS, Google`s Android, Windows other mobile operating systems.

 

 (active users, billions source )

Elizabeth Warren & Co. call Meta (mother of Facebook & Instagram) a monopoly. But the media company competes against media services like Tiktok, Snap and many others. The recent quarterly numbers from Meta show that the competitors of Facebook & Instagram are catching up (chart above). Years ago I give up Facebook and I am using Twitter instead. Did I go to prison for that? Nope, Facebook does have no power over me. Data privacy? Try that with the IRS. Government authorities can force you & me to give them your data, Big Tech can not!

Google may look like a monopoly, by the company`s search engines are competing against similar services like Microsoft`s Bing, DuckDuck Go, Yandex & WolframAlpha. Google Maps are competing against Apple Maps, MapQuest & TomTom. And YouTube competes with Rumble and other video platforms.

And Google & Facebook offer most of their services for free. Their business models are based on advertisement. Both are fiercely competing against each against other and against myriads other ad-based companies for user numbers & advertiser billions. 

Today´s Big Tech giants are survivors, many other tech companies already disappeared because they became victims of competition. Where is "Altavista" now? The first internet search engine was once a monopoly. What happened with the social network monopoly of MySpace? 

The Liberals ignore, maybe even don`t understand, that the power of companies is always constrained by potential competition (except competition is forbidden by patents or other laws. Don´t print US Dollars!). When a corporation has success, her rising profits attract automatically others (copycats) who want a share from the pie. There are myriads of investors, including big funds, who are happy to put their money on the next Amazon, Google, Facebook etc. It is very easy to finance to new ideas. 

 

 

( source )

The online deliverers for food are another example. Grubhub, which once dominated the market, is loosing ground to DoorDash & Uber Eats.

Big Tech doesn`t need to be our friend, but the tech giants have to behave friendly otherwise they would go out of business. Adam Smith declared “it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest”. That is also true for Big Tech. If Amazon would treat their customers unfriendly, if they would sell too expensive, deliver too slow & too unreliable, then customers would buy at Walmart, Ebay or elsewhere. That is the power of competition. Because Big Tech has to compete against others they have to behave like friends. 

The Internet makes it very easy to compare prices & services and to switch to other shops, news providers & entertainers, sharpening the competition. Customers can choose the company which has the best quality, the best service and/or the lowest prices which gives the consumers a lot power. As a result, customers have more power than the corporations.

 

Traveling: A Walk In Tiergarten, Berlin

(Drivebycuriosity) - My wife and I are still traveling in Europe. We are staying now in Berlin at an AirBnb place in a neighborhood called Nollendorfer Kiez, which belongs the district Schönedorf, a very central place. We started to explore our neighborhood, finding bakeries, groceries, pubs and such. On Monday we had a walk in a large park, called "Tiergarten" (Animal Garden). 

 

The park runs from Brandenburg Tor in the East to the Zoologischer Garten (the zoo) in the West. There are ponds, canals and wonderful blossoming bushes which turn the park into a fairy tale garden.

 

There are attractions like the Siegessäule (victory column) which celebrates Preussen´s victories against Austria & France in the 1860s. Germany as a nation state was founded in 1871 before it was a patchwork of kingdoms, duchies and independent cities. In the 19th century Prussia belonged to Europe`s powers besides Austria, Russia, England & France.

 

 

The park has some nice columns

 

 

And it also celebrates Richard Wagner.

 

We could spot bunnies & swans

 

To be continued 

Heavy Metal: Yob & Electric Wizard @ Desert Fest Berlin

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Finally, the Covid-19 pandemic comes to an end and the world is open again for heavy metal festivals. My wife and I went to Berlin`s Treptowhalle where the Desert Fest is happening. This is a heavy metal spectacle focusing on psychedelic, doom, stoner metal and similar sub-genres. There were 2 of our favorites: Yob & Electric Wizard.

This was the 5th time we enjoyed a gig by Yob. The performance of the American doom metal band alone was worth the visit.  Frontman Mike Scheidt and his band (Aaron Rieseberg – bass guitar & Travis Foster – drums ) performed pure magic. Mike is a virtuoso on the guitar and he puts his audience under the spell  of massive and violent riffs blended with melodic and almost symphonic elements - amplified by his excellent colleagues. Yesterday Scheidt & Co. delivered again virtuous & almost unbelievable heavy sound waves, but what the band makes outstanding is Mike´s voice. He performs the genre usual aggressive growls & roars but sometimes his voice changes into a melodic mode. Like a singer in a bizarre opera he mesmerizes with a hypnotic voice. Scheidt reminded of a performance of the Richard Wagner opera "Lohengrin" which we saw last Sunday in Berlin. There a mystical character named Swan King appeared and sang about the power of the Holy Grail. And so did Scheidt yesterday. The gig was a very intense experience, beautiful, spellbinding and wild -  pure bliss.

I also was amazed by Electric Wizard`s performance, the top gig of the evening. The English doom metal band, which we had seen before @ Psycho Las Vegas, created enormous but also filigree walls of sound, a blend of heavy metal & psychedelic music (which reminded me a bit of Jimi Hendrix).




Books: Arms Of Nemesis - A Novel Of Ancient Rome By Steven Sailor

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Books about ancient Rome focus usually on her emperors (Ceasars), kings, dictators, consuls & senators. "Arms of Nemesis: A Novel of Ancient Rome" by Steven Saylor focuses on common Romans ( amazon). It`s the second book of a series, set around the year 80 B.C. The plot is told in first person by Gordianus the Finder, a (fictional) private investigator.

A man was found dead, slaughtered in his palace near Mount Vesuvios, today´s Naples (napoli). Gordianus is commissioned to investigate the case, which is apparently connected with Roman politics (this is a spoiler free blog). The plot is a crime mystery blended with Roman & local superstitious, erotics, gore & mystics.

Reading this book was like traveling more than 2,000 years back in time. I felt like being in the ancient place and observing Gordianus` highly dangerous activities. Saylor describes Roman culture  - and Gordianus` investigations - intensely and lively. I enjoyed Saylor`s  humorous style spiced with Hitchcock style scenes & amorous episodes. The reader also gets confronted with the dreary life of Rome´s slaves.

I am looking forward to read more about Gordianus the Finder.

Traveling: Impressions From Köln (Cologne), Germany

 

 (Drivebycuriosity) - My wife and I are still traveling in Europe. A miracle had happened. The missing suitcase (reported in my post from Aachen) reappeared. Air France found it apparently on Sunday and send it to Düsseldorf to a company, which does distribution jobs for them. Unfortunately they had as contact address the hotel we had stayed in Aachen. But on Tuesday we moved to Köln, which caused some confusion. It needed several telephone calls by my wife & hotel staff in Köln with Air France & the Düsseldorf distributor to get them to deliver the suitcase to our new address. Fortunately  -  when we arrived on Thursday evening in our hotel room - the suitcase was there - just in time because on Friday at noon we moved to Berlin.

 

 

Köln is a nice and somewhat cozy place - compared to New York City. The city scape is shaped by so many churches though that the city almost looks like Rome. The Kölner Dom (Köln Cathedral) is the center of the city and Germany`s most visited landmark. Construction of the monumental building began in 1248 but was halted in the years around 1560, unfinished (wikipedia ). Attempts to complete the construction began around 1814 but the project didn't gain full steam until the 1840s. The edifice was completed to its original Medieval plan in 1880.

 

 

The city has also some pieces of modern architecture. Above you can see some constructions on the River Rhine, a stream with flows from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea at Rotterdam. The center and most parts of Köln are on the left (western) side of the Rhine.

 

 

We stayed in the right side of the river. Many bridges connect both sides. The Hohenzollern Bridges (named after the House of Hohenzollern, the rulers of Prussia and German Emperors. At construction time, Cologne formed part of the Prussian Rhine Province.) close to our hotel is used by pedestrians and important train connection between west & east (more than 1,200 trains daily). Many romantic minded visitors stuck locks on the bridge. 

 

Köln is also an important traffic hub and the central station is right near the Dom.

 

 

 

 

 

Köln has also culinary qualities. Again I enjoyed the  selection of Brötchen (ball shaped breads) in the hotel. We also discovered an Italian restaurant - the Ristorante Alfredo - which serves amazing chef created cuisine. Beer lovers go the many brewery pubs which serve the local beer speciality Kölsch. The Früh Kölsch brewery pub belongs to the biggest and most popular beer temples of Köln. 

To be continued.

Books: Mozart By Jan Swafford

 (Drivebycuriosity) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is an icon of Western culture, his music is immortal. But according to the movie "Amadeus" the genius died in poverty  (imdb ). How went his life really? The monumental biography "Mozart "by Jan Swafford gives detailed & convincing answers (amazon ).

Over about 800 pages the author not only describes painstakingly Amadeus´ life & his struggles with employers, competitors and his fragile health, he also dives into the history of Austria and neighboring Germany, which was then a patchwork of independent countries. Swafford explains the political, economical & sociological environment and the powers which influenced Mozart and his music. Swafford, who himself is a composer, elaborates and explains the genius` operas, symphonies, chamber works, concertos & other pieces of music (a bit too long for my taste so I just skimmed these parts).  

In Mozart`s time the market for compositions was very thin. The only way to distribute a composition were prints, which were costly & time consuming. Composers needed to cooperate with a small group of printers (publishers). Unfortunately many Mozart pieces did not get printed until his early death. So Mozart - and his competitors - depended on the caprice of employers & sponsors, usually powerful aristocrats. Born in Salzburg (Austria) he sought for employments in Paris, Italy, London and on the courts of German elector princes in Salzburg, Munich, Mannheim, with no success. He settled finally in Vienna, Austria´s capital and seat of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. Even though Mozart worked mostly as a free lancer, he depended mostly on the grace of the Emperor, who as a control freak and decided about operas and other musical events in Austria. Unfortunately the monarch preferred others despite their quality.

Today it sounds almost unbelievable but Mozart´s operas - with the exception of the "Magic Flute", a co-production with the impresario (producer) Emanuel Schikaneder - were only performed over a very short time.  

Swafford tried to explain why Mozart earned much less than his competitors, who´s names are mostly forgotten. Apparently the genius had a difficult personality and his diplomatic & social qualities did not come up to his musical talents. His letters - many of them are recited - show that he communicated weirdly, often with insults and obscenities. Some claim that Mozart suffered from a kind of Tourette Syndrome, which makes people behaving spontaneously and strange. But this wasn´t mentioned in this book.

It seems also that Mozart´s operas and other compositions were too complex for his time and too challenging for the tastes of the powerful and the masses (opera audiences). Many critiques claimed that Mozart`s compositions have "too many notes" (in "Amadeus" movie we hear this from Emperor Joseph). Competitors like Antonio Salieri, a favorite of the Emperor and the audience in Vienna, and others had more talent to please their superiors and the taste of the 18th century. But the genius compensated the meager royalties by being extremely productiv which  provided him a solid income.

Mozart enjoyed his life instead of his fragile health & professional adversities. He had a joyful nature and loved fashion, parties, card games, billiard and other social activities. He was obsessed with all what he deed. Unfortunately he spend a lot for clothing, accommodations & pleasure and struggled all his life with a chronic indebtedness.

PS The image on top of this post shows Tom Hulce as Mozart in the Movie "Amadeus". I believe it fits much better to the person described in this book than any contemporary paintings.

The full title of book is "Mozart: The Reign of Love" Maybe it`s the fault of the publisher. Amadeus had certainly his share of flirts, romances & amorous encounters and he was married many years. But love was not his engine, it was music.

Traveling: Impressions From Aachen, Germany

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - My wife and I are visiting Europe again. An Air France flight brought us to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris. The night flight was pleasant, even that it was 2 hours delayed. But the arrival wasn´t. Unfortunately one of our 3 suitcase was missing, apparently stolen from the belt. The suitcase contained everything I will need in the coming weeks, so we will have to replace the items in the coming days. Waiting for - and then complaining - about the missing suitcase cost another 2 hours, so we were even more delayed and could just manage to catch the train (with reserved seats) which brought us from Paris to Aachen, our first stay. Fortunately the train ride with Thalys, a private company, was fast & pleasant (2 hours 40).

 

 

Aachen is a quite German town on the border to Belgium & Netherlands. The city has a lot tradition.  Wikipedia writes:"Aachen developed from a Roman settlement and thermae (bath complex), subsequently becoming the preferred medieval Imperial residence of Emperor Charlemagne of the Frankish Empire, and, from 936 to 1531, the place where 31 Holy Roman Emperors were crowned Kings of the Germans ( wikipedia).

 

 

 

A contemporary bath complex, the Carolus Therme with a lot saunas & pools, which we have enjoyed some years ago, was the reason for our new visit in Aachen (3 nights). Many of these saunas are heated to 90 C (194 Fahrenheit). They have in their middle ovens with very hot stones. At given times the staff performs an "Aufguss" (infusion) by pouring water on the heated stones. The water is mixed alternatively with herbs, peppermint, coconut or other materials. So the "Aufguss" creates a very hot and scented steam which makes the heat even more challenging. 

At one "Aufguss" we got salt handed out and rubbed it in our skin. The Terme has also have steams bath, were the temperature isn`t quite as high, but the air is satisfied with vaporized water. In one of these steam baths happened a honey session. The participants got two small potties with honey, which they smeared on their skins (surrounded by a thick fog) - a very special experience. There are lots of cold showers (including some shockers with barrels) and a nice outdoor pool to clean & to refresh.  

 

It seems that the Aachen Cathedral is the main tourist attraction. The church was erected on the orders of Charlemagne. Construction began c. AD 796, Agand it was, on completion c. 798, the largest cathedral north of the Alps.

 

At the Cathedral and around there a funny sculptures.

 

 

 

The city has also a medieval "Rathaus" (city hall) and other historical buildings. These and the narrow alleys, which are often pedestrian areas, make the city a pleasant place.

 

 

 

 

 Above you can see a traditional inn, a shop for Aachener Printen, a local sweets, and a Maibaum (May Tree). There is a tradition to put a fancy decorated on - or besides - a house were a pretty young girl lives.

 

 

 

 

 

In the heart of the city we enjoyed a very generous German breakfast with scrambled eggs, lots of "Brötchen" (ball shaped breads), sausages, cheese, yoghurt, coffee, orange juice & Sekt (German champagne). Germany seems to be the world leader in breads, there are so many different variations available.

To be continued.

 

Art Market: Surrealists, Impressionists & More @ Spring Auctions 2022 New York

 (Drivebycuriosity) - It´s auction season again and the global auction houses have their huge spring auctions in New York City. As usual my wife and I went their to see the huge galleries at Christie´s, Sotheby´s & Phillips. I focused on their postwar & contemporary art shows (my reviews: christies sothebys Phillips  ). But they also had a lot surrealists, impressionists and more art works.

 

 

 

On top of this post you can see Giacomo Manzo`s "Passo di Danza" before Kees van Dongen`s "Madame Georges Meir" followed by Matta`s "Ergonautes/.Les Desergonautes"; William Nelson Copley`s "Gingham Girls"; Salvador Dali`s "Etude pour une toile de fond pour Tristan Fou (Acte 1)"; Juan O`Gorman´s  "Consumatum Est" & Leonara Carrington`s "The Garden of Paracelsus".

 

 

 

Above follow Richard Humphry`s  "The Cause of Thunder"; Mario Carreno`s "La diosa del Mar"; Thomas Hart Bendon`s "Fishermen`s Camp, Buffalo River"; Balthus` "Les trois soeurs" & Richard Lidner`s "Boy with Machine".    

 

 

Then follow Claude Monet`s "Le Parlement, soleil  couchant"; Maximilien Luce`s  "Bagneuses a Saint Tropes" &  Pieter Jansz Saenredam  The Interior of the New Kirk, Harlem". 

 

 

 

Above Giovanni Boldini`s "Portrait of Countess Zichy"; Henry Charles Manguin`s "Femme´s S`Essuant, Anita Champagne"; Henry Charles Manguin`s Femme S`Essuant., Anita Champagne"; Juan Soriano`s "La Playa" & Claudio Bravo`s "The Bacchanal".  

 

 

Above you can see Jan Sander Van Hemessen`s  "The Bag Piper and Merry Wife"; Willem Van De Velde the Younger`s "The Surrender of the RoyalPrince During The Four Days`Battle 1st - 4th June 1666"; Pieter Brueghel The Younger´s  "The Return from the Inn" & Willem Claesz Heda´s  "Still Life".

 

 

 

Last but not least: Fernando Botero`s El Tellar de Vermeer" & Wayner Thiebaud`s "City Views".   

 

Stay tuned