Family Circus By Jeff Keane (11-16-2021)

Cargo Cult Airplane Melanesian tribes & WW II Cargo on Ship Loaded for Sea Voyage Wells Fargo Stagecoach Gold Shipment in Wild West Jesse James Train Robbery Adair, Iowa, July 21, 1873

Cargo Shipment Billy asks "Why is something sent by ship called cargo, but when it's sent by car it's a shipment?" Clever conundrum confounded my brain— etymology carricare: "to load a wagon"; shipping: "transport freight by ship". Cargo cult Pacific Islanders built wooden airplanes hoping WWII pilots will return in metal planes with gifts. Wells Fargo Stagecoach shipped gold in 1852 during California's gold rush, trains also used to transport treasures. This attracted train robbery with Jesse James and gang stealing the loot in Iowa on July 21, 1873. USPS boasts delivering the most packages during Christmas holidays; how come their trucks are so small? U.S. Post Office lost $9.2 billion last year, while UPS, FedEx, & Amazon Prime are all profitable with trucks double the size!         — Peter Y. Chou             Mountain View, 11-20-2021

USPS Mail Truck 30.3 million packages per day Revenue: $73 billion (2020) Loss: $9.2 billion (2020) UPS Truck 24.7 million parcels per day Revenue: $84.6 billion (2020) Profit: $1.343 billion (2020) FedEx Truck 14.3 million parcels per day Revenue: $69.2 billion (2020) Profit: $1.286 billion (2020) Amazon Prime Truck 24.7 million packages per day Revenue: $25.2 billion (2020) Profit: $21.2 billion (2020)