Balance Sheet

Jeff Taylor from the February 2005 issue

Assets

New Coke

NAFTA brings Mexican Coke to the U.S., where it is stocked and sold at a premium by Latin grocers. Domestic bottlers grumble as their corn syrup concoction languishes, while the cane sugar�sweetened import flies off store shelves.

Cloud City

WiFi networks and appliances continue to disrupt old notions--and pricing--of human communication. Costly cell phone calls might soon be replaced by wireless voice calls made via the Internet.

Liquor Chaser

NASCAR lifts its ban on liquor sponsorship of its race cars. The line between liquor and beer had grown thin indeed with the move of brands like Smirnoff into the near-beer space--and door panels.

Open Sources

The folks behind Wikipedia, the collaborative online encyclopedia, branch out to news gathering. Wikinews lets amateur journalists report the stories of the day; it could develop into a real alt-news source, especially for developing countries.

Credibility Gap

A survey of 50,000 people in 60 countries by Gallup International finds that 63 percent think politicians are dishonest, compared to 43 percent for business leaders. Latin American politicians are the least favored, distrusted by 87 percent of those polled, while the Germans distrust everybody equally.

Bone Collectors

Purdue University researchers find that carbon nanotubes may help joint implants fuse with growing bone cells. Artificial joints that bond tightly with bone are likely to last longer and perform better for patients, doctors say.

Liabilities

Licensee Lock-Up