CORRECTION: The note below incompletely described the protest at the Apple store in Grand Central Station. The protesters delivered petitions signed by 250,000 people calling on Apple to improve working conditions at factories that assemble Apple products. A full account is available by clicking on the last link in the note.

This final note today, which comes with the observation that shares of Apple closed at $493 apiece today. That makes the whole company worth more than Google, Goldman Sachs, General Motors, Ford, Starbucks and Boeing combined. I mentioned that so I could mention this: There’s been a lot in the press lately in the New York Times and on public radio in particular about working conditions in Apple factories in China. Apparently, we’re worried about it — but only a little bit. There was supposed to be a big protest at the new Apple store in Grand Central Station in New York today. Four people showed up.