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Buy American and Fair Trade Policies to Spur National and Global Economic Recovery
Nathan Newman on April 27, 2009 - 12:53pm
When Congress enacted the federal recovery plan, many state and federal leaders demanded "Buy American" provisions to ensure that the recovery plan funds would be directed to job creation in communities devastated by layoffs, particularly in steel and other manufacturing sectors especially hard hit by the economic meltdown. While these provisions were fiercely resisted by multinational corporate interests (and watered down in the final federal bill), they are one key policy to help revive the U.S. manufacturing sector and reorient the economy away from the neo-liberal "free trade" policies that have undermined wage standards throughout the economy.
The reality is that the U.S. manufacturing sector is in free fall, threatening a core engine of our economy and threatening to lower wages further for workers in our nation. And this is just part of a more general crisis, at home and globally, of falling wages undermining global demand and further weakening the overall economy.
As this Dispatch will outline, Buy American policies are a first step in promoting an alternative to the trade and deregulation policies that fueled the current economic crisis. Ultimately, we need policies that strengthen local tools for economic growth at home, combined with fair trade policies to raise wage standards abroad as well. Also, as corporate interests increasingly use trade agreements to restrict state authority to protect worker, consumer and environmental interests, states are increasingly reviewing those trade agreements in order to restore states' ability to effectively respond to economic crises and protect the long-term interests of working families.
Instead of the casino economy of financial excess, rising economic inequality and stagnant wages, we need to restore an economy based on a vibrant manufacturing sector at home and a fair trade system globally that raises wage standards for all workers around the globe.
Table of Contents
The Problem: The Collapse of the Manufacturing Economy
While the common perception is that manufacturing jobs have been declining for decades, the truth is that between 1967 and 1997, manufacturing jobs cycled between a low of 16.5 million and a high of just over 19 million. After 1997, however, the numbers began to drop precipitously, reaching 13.9 million in 2007—its lowest point since 1949. Between 2001 and 2007-- long before the financial crisis -- states lost 3 million manufacturing jobs with those losses only growing since then.
Corporate Excess, Not Workers' Wages, Drove U.S. Manufacturing Collapse: Despite attacks on workers and unions as the cause of the decline of American manufacturing -- notably present in the rhetorical attack on the auto bailout -- the reality is that manufacturing wages in the U.S. are lower than many other nations as highlighted the Economic Policy Institute highlights in its report, Squandering the Blue-collar Advantage :
- Of the 20 richest countries tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the United States ranks 17th in hourly pay for production workers in manufacturing.
- Of the 16 nations with higher compensation for production workers in manufacturing, the United States has the most productive workforce (save for Ireland with a manufacturing workforce less than 2% the size of that in the United States) in terms of “value-added per employee” (a common measure of productivity).
While health care costs are a problem for U.S. manufacturers, the real problem is overpaid CEOs and managers. In fact, if the wages of U.S. managerial and non-supervisory labor were similar to the median wages of their counterparts in comparable countries, U.S. manufacturing would have a 6.4% cost advantage over major trading partners. These excessive salaries and compensation at the top, in addition to the wealthy's other bloated gains such as the financial sector's bubble, are what have truly undermined the U.S. economy.
"Free Trade" Deals have been Pushed by the Same Multi-National Companies Benefiting from Low Wages Globally: The companies opposing Buy American policies are the same ones that pushed the deregulation and "free trade" policies that got us into the current economic mess in the first place. As the Economic Policy Institute explains, "Companies like Caterpillar...want unfettered access to cheap steel from countries like China, which poured more than $15 billion into energy subsidies into that sector in 2007 alone. Chinese steel imports more than doubled between January and November 2008, while U.S. steel production fell nearly 40%."
If manufacturing and a high-wage economy for workers in America is to be saved, it will be in spite of the corporate elite that is interested only in their own global profits.
Center for American Progress - Wage Inequality Is a Global Challenge
International Labor Organization - Global Wage Report 2008/09
Economic Policy Institute - Big business lobbies for importers
Economic Policy Institute - Squandering the Blue-collar Advantage: Why Almost Everything Except Unions and the Blue-Collar Workforce Are Hurting U.S. Manufacturing
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch - Firms That Sent U.S. Jobs Offshore Now Claim That Investing U.S. Taxpayer Funds in America Is "Protectionism
Why "Buy American" is Good for Global Economic Recovery
Despite the myth, "Buy American" provisions are neither a threat to global trade nor are protectionist ("fair trade" policies aren't protectionist either as will be discussed below). In fact, the greatest danger is that without such domestic purchasing provisions in stimulus packages around the world, global production and trade could collapse.
Protectionism is when private purchasers of any product are required to buy only domestic versions of a product or are required pay such a high tariff on foreign products that it creates the same result. The "Buy American" provisions in the recovery plan, on the other hand, are quite limited, applying only to the purchase of iron, steel and manufacturers goods by government agencies using recovery funds. Though this is hardly enough to undermine the global trading regime, fears that federal spending would not lead to creating domestic jobs threatened to undermine support for the overall hundreds of billions needed for the stimulus.
How Domestic Buying Mandates Can Spur Global Trade Growth: Globally, all nations would be better off if each would engage in fiscal stimulus, but any individual country doing so might be hurt if they are the only ones. Requirements to buy domestically may be the key to convincing enough nations to pass sufficient amounts of stimulus to jump start the global economy.
The problem right now is that nations fear that going into heavy amounts of debt could undermine their economies in the future. Even worse, if stimulus spending goes to buy foreign products, that debt will do little to revive their own economies in the immediate future. The Economist magazine recently highlighted resistance to stimulus spending by countries like the Netherlands out of fear that money spent would just flow through trade to other countries because of the European Union's internal trade rules, where the gains to growth "will not remain within one country’s borders, nor will that growth be controlled by any one government."
Domestic buying provisions tied only to the debt being used to pay for stimulus funds can solve this dilemma. By enacting domestic buying requirements, each nation can expect to reap immediate job creation results from that stimulus debt, while their citizens will be free to spend their new salaries on all manner of goods, foreign and domestic, thereby adding to global demand. If domestic buying requirements tied to stimulus debt encourage nations to engage in greater stimulus, the end result will be greater global spending, greater global demand and expanded global trade -- despite the tut-tutting of the "flat earth" free traders.
Implementing Recovery Plan's "Buy American" Provisions in the States
The core of the Buy American provisions in the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are in Sec. 1605:
None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States.
There are exceptions for particular projects where the lack of availability of U.S. alternatives would increase the price too much or where doing so would undermine international trade agreements to which the U.S. is a party. This builds on the 1933 Buy American Act, which applied to federal contracts, and the 1982 Buy American Act, which applied to transit-related projects funded by the federal government.
"Buy American" Policies Don't Violate Current Trade Rules: As this report by the Association for American Manufacturing outlines, the Buy American provisions in the Recovery Act are designed to be consistent with both international law and the practice of many of our trading partners. The U.S., for example, did not subject any state level procurement actions to NAFTA, including state procurement financed with federal funds, and it has specifically excluded federal funds for mass transit and highway projects from all trade agreements to which it is a party. Also, other countries maintain domestic spending requirements for government procurement:
- A number of Canadian provinces maintain “Buy Canada” and other policies that put U.S. suppliers at a disadvantage.
- In Europe, goods with majority EU content receive preferences over U.S. goods in certain water, transportation, energy, and postal services contracts.
- China’s 2002 Government Procurement Law requires government entities at the central and sub-central level to give priority to local goods and services in contracting decisions, with some exceptions.
- India’s procurement law has given preferences to goods provided by domestic state-owned enterprises, and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative reports that foreign firms “rarely” win government contracts.
Because the U.S. and thirty-seven states have signed onto the World Trade Organization's General Procurement Agreement (GPA), the recovery plan's Buy American rules can only be applied in a limited fashion to other signatories of the GPA, but this does not apply to major steel producers such as Russian, China, Ukraine, India and Brazil which are not GPA signatories.
Even with sources from countries that are members of the GPA, one independent corporate legal analysis of the Buy American provisions noted that whatever the constraints on the federal government due to trade agreements, the 13 states and District of Columbia which have not themselves signed onto the GPA "should be free to apply ARRA funds for public building and public work projects in accordance with the Buy American provision." Other states that agreed to the GPA may be able to rely on certain exemptions, such as for construction-grade steel, motor vehicles and coal, as well as improvement of environmental quality or mass transit, highway projects and potential funding going to local communities not covered by the GPA.
States and Communities Support Buy American provisions: A recent poll shows that 84% percent of Americans support “Buy America” provisions. So far, more than 350 “Buy American” resolutions have been passed around the nation, with notable action in a number of key industrial states:
- The PA House unanimously passed a Buy America resolution last week by a vote of 192-0.
- The Indiana State Senate Passes a Buy America Resolution.
- New York's Governor David Paterson has introduced Buy American provisions as part of his economic plans (see section 5 and 6 as a major part of this bill).
The United Steelworkers has a "Buy American" Resolution Tool Kit including model resolutions, fact sheets, and other resources to help spread support for Buy American resolutions in other states and communities.
Thompson-Hine - How Will the Buy American Provision of the ARRA/Stimulus Package Conform With U.S. WTO Obligations?
Public Citizen - Backgrounder: Companies that Offshored Jobs Attacking "Buy America"/Stimulus on False Grounds
Association for American Manufacturing - Buy America: Key to America's Economic Recovery
AAM - Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Support ”˜Buy American’
United Steelworkers- Make Our Future Work 'Buy American' Resolution Tool Kit
Using State Spending to Raise Wages Globally
Beyond buying American goods, governments can work to raise wage standards globally by requiring that all contractors, whatever their country of origin, meet labor, environmental and human rights standards.
Problem of Rising Wage Inequality is Global: The wage inequality problem in the United States is just an extreme version of a global problem of low wages undermining global growth. An International Labor Organization study last fall, entitled Global Wage Report 2008/09, found that since 1995 inequality between the highest and lowest wages has increased internally in more than two-thirds of the countries for which there is data. The U.S. leads the advanced economic world in rising inequality, but there has been similar rising wage inequality in countries ranging from Germany to Poland to Thailand to China. As the Center for American Progress argues, "declining wages mean a decrease in global purchasing power and a slow down of global consumption," fueling the loss of manufacturing jobs since consumers around the world lack the income to purchase goods.
Combating the Global Race to the Bottom: Sweatshops and the "race to the bottom" of lower global wages is not actually a foreign problem but one driven by our own multinational corporations. For example, while China has contributed to stagnant wages through ruthless suppression of organizing by independent unions, multinationals from wealthy nations have been a chief driver of the low-wage expansion in China. Morgan Stanley’s chief economist Stephen Roach estimates that 65% of the tripling of Chinese exports —from $121 billion in 1994 to $365 billion in mid 2003 — is traceable to outsourcing by Chinese subsidiaries of multinational corporations and joint ventures.
The problem is that there are 150 million unemployed workers in China, far more than the actual number of workers in the United States. With so many workers competing for jobs, wages are likely to remain at rock-bottom rates, hovering at about $100-$120 month for industrial workers .this for long hours 6 or 7 days a week in often toxic and unregulated work conditions. Global Labor Strategies wrote in 2008 in a comprehensive evaluation of strategies for raising wage standards in China and globally:
"Raising wages in China is one of the prerequisites for bringing the global economy and the Chinese economy into a better balance. Higher wages would not only reduce some of China's allure as an export platform, but would also stimulate China's potentially huge domestic market. More money in the pockets of ordinary Chinese could translate into more total jobs in the global economy."
Many right-wing leaders have sought to scapegoat undocumented immigrants for wage problems in the U.S., but Jeff Faux of the Economic Policy Institute has explained the dilemma: "Since NAFTA's inception in 1994--indeed, for the 20 years of neo-liberal 'reform'--the Mexican middle class has shrunk and the number of poor has expanded . . . So the northward migration continues." Raising living standards in Mexico and other countries where migrants are suffering from failed trade policies is a far better solution to immigration concerns than the punitive policies proposed by the right.
While any comprehensive solution must include global trade deals that include requirements to respect the right of workers to form unions and collaboration to promote higher wage standards, state governments can take action through their government contracts to effect wage standards in countries from which they purchase goods and services.
Ending Subsidies for Sweatshops: Subsidizing Sweatshops II released this month by Sweatfree Communities details a range of U.S. government contracts going to sweatshops around the world that "inadvertently use tax dollars to increase the downward pressure on labor rights and wages, hastening a race to the bottom which is costing many U.S. workers their jobs." It doesn't have to be that way, as communities and states increasingly are toughening procurement standards to require that government contractors raise wage, safety and environmental standards at their overseas operations and subcontractors.
Already, eight states, thirty-five cities and many other local government units have adopted "sweatfree" procurement policies to require contractors to raise workplace standards. These include California, Illinois, Maine ( 2001 law, 2006 law, 2007 law), New Jersey, New York (2006 law, Apparel, Sports Equipment), Ohio, Pennsylvania (Policy, March 2004, Resolution, July 2008), and Vermont.
In Oklahoma last year, state Representative Rebecca Hamilton filed HB 3067 to address the trade-driven causes of immigration. The bill repealed portions of last year's anti-immigration law, and instead, made it illegal for the state of Oklahoma to contract with any company that has closed American facilities and opened new factories outside the country, unless they operate those factories in compliance with United States wage, safety, and human rights guarantees. Rather than punishing hardworking immigrants, legislators can support American-made goods and fair labor standards.
Global Labor Strategies - Why China Matters: Labor Rights in the Age of Globalization
China, the WTO and Globalization: Looking Beyond Growth Figures
AFL-CIO - Stop Sweatshops
Sweatfree Communities - Subsidizing Sweatshops II and Adopted Policies and Model Code of Conduct and Sweatfree Procurement Policy
Sweatfree Washington - Learn about efforts to pass sweatshop-free ordinances in Washington State.
Reviewing Trade Agreements to Strengthen States' Ability to Respond to Economic Crisis
As we detailed two years ago, and various allies such as Global Trade Watch, the Forum on Democracy and Trade, and the AFL-CIO have documented, a key threat is the increasing encroachment of trade agreements on state authority over a range of labor, environmental and consumer concerns. Here are just a few threats to state procurement rules detailed in this recent Global Trade Watch fact sheet :
- Requirements for recycled content in paper and other goods or energy from renewable sources are exposed to challenge;
- Trade deals may limit state governments from disqualifying government contracts because of labor, safety or environmental records or practices;
- Holding corporations responsible for human rights abuses-- as was done with the successful Apartheid-era bands on doing business with companies operating in South Africa -- could be banned.
New proposed trade agreements could not only further limit state procurement powers but undermine other areas of state authority. Proposed WTO's General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) rules could undercut efforts to promote universal health insurance by barring certain health regulations and state professional licensing laws as illegal "service monopolies" or undercut state powers over zoning and land use or gambling limits.
States Taking Action: Various states have established oversight committees to develop expertise on the effect of international trade agreements on state powers and better position states to weigh in during the trade agreement negotiating process to highlight states' interests in pushing for fair trade agreements. For example the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission (CTPC) was created by statute in 2003 and held public hearings on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2004 and has lobbied U.S. trade representatives on an ongoing basis.
More generally, what have also been called "Jobs, Trade and Democracy Acts," establish not only oversight authority but would prevent governors from signing on to trade agreements without approval by state lawmakers.
New Jersey's legislature has engaged in one of the most thorough reviews of how its state policies impact outsourcing and offshoring and the final report of the commission set up the legislature has a range of recommendations for changes in policy, from enacting trade oversight commissions, discouraging contracts for businesses eliminating in-state jobs by offshoring them, discouraging privatization more generally, strengthening anti-sweatshop rules, requiring a living wage for all contractor employees, and strengthening public transparency of the contracting process.
Building Coalitions for Fair Trade: Critical to any successful fair trade will be building a broad coalition of legislators, community groups, unions, environmentalists and human rights groups. Such a coalition must work together to promote a global vision of growth through raising wage standards globally as an alternative to the reining neoliberal "free trade" regime of limited local autonomy and a race to the bottom of lowered wages and expectations. For a good example of such a coalition and its principles, see Washington State's Platform for Fair Trade which includes, among other provisions:
- commitments to enforceable environmental, labor, health and human rights standards in trade agreements;
- protection of public goods and services from deregulation and privatization;
- commitment to development in the world's poorest countries;
- protection of democratic participation and local authority over key public decision-making.
New Jersey Commission on Outsourcing and Offshoring Final Report
Jobs, Trade and Democracy Act Language
Progressive States Network - Preventing Trade Deals from Undermining State Power
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch - Guide to States' Rights and International Trade and Fact Sheet Series: Trade Agreement Threats to State and Local Policy and WTO, NAFTA and ”˜Free Trade Agreements’ Even Meddle in How We Can Spend Our Tax Dollars
Forum on Democracy and Trade
Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act - Learn more about a bill that creates a positive and pragmatic vision for fair and sustainable international trade.
AFL-CIO Global Economy Website - Wide-ranging set of resources (including news and blogs) on the impacts of trade policy on worker rights.
Sierra Club's Responsible Trade Program - Information on how trade policy affects national & international environmental protection
Conclusion: The Need for a Bottom-Up Recovery
Investing in the manufacturing economy is the first step in promoting policies that raise living standards for working families. Rather than focus economic growth on the favored few at the top of the economic pyramid as was true throughout recent decades, we need a new global economic system that encourages cooperation in helping each nation raise wage standards for all workers.


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The Department of Energy, together with the Asian Development Bank, has revealed the mock-up prototype of the electric tricycle that serves as the centerpiece of the much-awaited $500 million E-Trike Project. Developed by a Japanese consultant, Itchiro Hatayama, the design is based on the winning entry in a competition conducted by the DOE a few months ago.
Among the first to view the prototype were the members of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) led by its president, Rommel Juan.
"EVAP is in full support of the DOE Etrike Project because we believe that this will be a shot in the arm for the infant EV industry and will catalyze its players to invest more in the domestic EV industry," said Juan. "It is also expected to not only generate jobs and business opportunities, but also provide the much-needed transfer of EV technology along the way. We believe that this will soon give birth to bigger things and better products in the domestic EV industry."
With the e-trike mock-up prototype now finished, the next step, according to Juan, will be to schedule a technical meeting with the DOE to further discuss the design, safety and functional elements of the e-trike.
"We also want to discuss with them our inputs on manufacturing concerns, mass production, localization efforts, as well as clearing up the payment flow for the project," added Juan. "We would like to maintain open communication lines with the DOE, and we are happy that they have been very receptive to the concerns of the would-be end users, suppliers, assemblers and other players in the e-trike industry."

domain: news


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Noodles & Co (Nasdaq: NDLS) opened its second ghost kitchen, a news release said. This one is in San Jose, Calif.; the first was in Chicago.
Ghost kitchens are restaurant sites with food preparation only and no in-person dining or drive throughs. They expand a chain’s digital and delivery business and can move companies into areas that lack standard brick-and-mortar restaurants or that have expensive real estate, often in non-retail layouts like industrial parks.
“San Jose is an emerging market for us,” Chief Marketing Officer Stacey Pool said. The kitchen will help the company gather data on trends and customers and could lead to franchising in the area.
Digital sales accounted for more than half of Noodles & Co.’s $125.6 million in second quarter sales, the company said last month.
The chain has 451 locations, more than 80% of which are company-owned. Average unit volumes are $1.35 million.
Shares traded recently at a $550 million market cap, down about 4% over the last month.
© BizWest Media LLC


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Yesterday, Sony announced over the next few years they will be remaking a bunch of '90s classics, including the Jumanji. The movie, starring the late Robin Williams, about a crazy board game brought to life, was a box office hit. But not everyone's excited about the news.
Soon after the news broke, fans of the original movie took to Twitter to express their feelings, and they're well, a little less than pleased.
Mostly, fans just can't imagine the movie without Robin.
More From Seventeen
Despite pleas from fans, the Jumanji remake already has a release date: Christmas Day 2016. Hopefully this won't put too much of a damper on the holidays.


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Cell Phones to Now Run on Tegra 4 Processors
Nvidia announced the new Tegra 4 processor aimed at smart-phones at CES 2013. The quad-core processor features ARM A15 architecture and improves loading time.
Reportedly, the processor consumes nearly 40 percent lesser battery than Tegra 3 and improves load time by 2.6 times.
Phil Carmack, Senior Vice President of Tegra Business, Nvidia stated:
"Tegra 4 provides enormous processing power and efficiency to power smartphones and tablets, gaming devices, auto systems and PCs. Its new capabilities, particularly in the area of computational photography, will help improve a whole range of existing products and lead to the creation of exciting new ones."


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The violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA) stemmed from the companies' role in importing almost 25,000 ATVs from China without getting them properly tested for emissions compliance. In some cases, the companies arranged for emissions testing on a small number of vehicles, then reused those results to get "certificates of conformity" for other vehicles, hence the double-dipping. In many cases the untested vehicles exceeded federal limits for hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions.
The concept of trying to get China ATV imports to skate by clean-air laws is nothing new, nor are government fines related to the practice. Last year, California-based Yuan Cheng International Group Inc. (YCIG) and its successor NST Inc. agreed to pay $50,000 in fines as part of an EPA and DOJ settlement related to alleged CAA violations from the importation of more than 17,000 non-certified vehicles. More notably, Pep Boys got slapped with a $5 million fine in 2010 after more than 240,000 China-made items, including generators, lawnmowers and ATVs that the company imported were also found to violate US clean-air regulations. Read the EPA's press release on the Zheng case below and read more about it here.


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Read more here Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents poultry plant workers, told the Journal workers don’t feel the situation has improved even though the industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on safety measures. Tyson Foods, the nation’s largest meat processor, set up clinics at its facilities and still, cases exploded, the Washington Post reported.
This appeared in The Amsterdam News by Stuart Appelbaum President, RWDSU In America—and indeed the entire world—an unprecedented and long overdue conversation on racial justice is happening. We are seeing sweeping changes in the way people from all sorts of different backgrounds view ingrained racial injustices and the consequences that result for people of color. It’s a societal reckoning the likes of which we have never before seen. And while the changes being made around the country show that the protest movement is making a significant difference, it’s important that we also focus on the economic issues that contribute to systemic racial injustice in the U.S. It’s clearer than ever that to achieve true racial justice, we need to address the underlying economic conditions under which so many people of color live. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the poultry processing industry, a low-paying, dangerous job performed almost exclusively by people of color. The poultry workers who feed everybody from California to here in New York face blinding fast line speeds, extreme temperatures, dangerous, repetitive cutting motions that often lead to debilitating injuries, and for the majority of them, who do not have union representation, no voice to help make their jobs and their lives better. Poultry workers have gone so far as to call themselves “modern day slaves,” and say management only cares about corporate profits at the expense of the health and welfare of their workers. The COVID-19 crisis shed a harsh new light on the treatment of workers at these “modern day plantations,” with dozens of workers dying and thousands infected. And while unions like the RWDSU have been able to improve working conditions in union plants—forcing implementation of better social distancing, more PPE, and policies that encourage sick workers to stay home—the industry as a whole has failed terribly when it comes to prioritizing safety during this pandemic. And that must change. America needs to start treating all its workers—including people of color—with dignity, not just in poultry, but in all industries across the country. That’s just one of the many reasons that we support the Black Lives Matter movement. We embrace this movement because it is the morally right thing to do, and long overdue. Unions fight for economic equality and for racial equality. We know that these two things are intertwined, and we can’t have one without the other. The RWDSU has a proud history of fighting for racial justice. Today, we are proud to be part of the BLM fight. All workers, from poultry workers in the South to car wash workers here in New York, deserve economic and racial justice. We will not stop fighting until they are achieved. Stuart Appelbaum is the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. www.rwdsu.org, twitter: @sappelbaum
Coronavirus infection rates at an Amazon warehouse in Minnesota were far higher than the surrounding community, according to an internal memo obtained by CNBC. The memo contradicts Amazon’s previous messaging about infection rates. Top executives including Dave Clark, senior vice president of global operations, have said infection rates at warehouses match or are lower than the cities they’re in. Amazon has repeatedly declined to disclose how many of its workers have been infected by Covid-19. Read the story at NBC News here
Throughout the industry this spring, bonuses of steak and cash were instrumental in keeping workers on the job as the coronavirus rampaged through U.S. meatpacking plants. The payouts forced people on the lowest rung of the economic ladder to assess their pocketbooks against the health of their families and themselves. Yet when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told JBS and other meatpackers to stop offering incentives based on attendance, lest employees come to work sick, the companies didn’t listen. Why should they? The CDC has no legal authority over the industry, so even in the grip of the pandemic, adherence to its directives was purely voluntary. “CDC was requested to do initial inspections and offer recommendations,” wrote Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesman, in an emailed response to questions. Any follow-up inspections would have to be done by other agencies, he wrote. Asked about the CDC’s report, JBS said bonus eligibility was not tied to sick days. “Throughout this pandemic, we have prioritized team member health and safety above everything else,” a spokesperson wrote in an emailed response. Read the rest at Bloomberg
Amazon warehouse workers in New York are getting help from unions in their fight for better pandemic working conditions. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union is joining with European unions that have been battling Amazon over warehouse conditions there. These unions are joining lawmakers including Rep. Pramila Jayapal in asking a court for an injunction. Together they are asking a district court in New York to compel Amazon to improve working conditions inside warehouses. “People are getting sick now and dying in the Amazon facilities and we can’t waste any time," said Stuart Appelbaum, who leads the leads the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). “Greater health and safety protections need to be provided by the wealthiest man in the universe.” read more at KUOW
NYC congressional Dems tag onto lawsuit accusing Amazon of putting Staten Island workers in coronavirus danger
Six congressional Democrats from New York City are providing legal ammunition for Amazon workers on Staten Island who are suing the retail giant over allegations that it put them at risk of contracting coronavirus, the Daily News has learned. The Big Apple lawmakers, led by Rep. Nydia Velazquez, filed a so-called amicus brief late Wednesday in Brooklyn Federal Court that offers official congressional support for the lawsuit, which was brought by three workers at Amazon’s Staten Island fulfillment center, where at least one employee has died from COVID-19. read more at the NY Daily News
Brief Outlines Amazon´s Disregard of Worker Safety Exacerbating Covid 19 Spread (NEW YORK, NY) – Tonight, UNI Global Union and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), filed an amicus brief in the case brought by Derrick Palmer, Kendia Mesidor, Benita Rouse, Alexander Rouse, Barbara Chandler and Luis Pellot-Chandler v. Amazon.com Inc. and Amazon.com Services LLC, which argues that the e-commerce giant must protect warehouse workers and the community at large from COVID-19. “What we’ve learned from this pandemic is that Amazon has not made workers’ safety a priority unless they are forced to do so- either through government intervention or through prolonged strikes. Speed and volume have been the company’s priorities - with workers’ safety and wellbeing well behind. We are determined to change that,” said Christy Hoffman General Secretary of UNI Global Union. “We urge the court to understand that this is a matter of life and death for Amazon workers and the broader community. If Amazon is aiding the spread of the COVID-19 virus, they are creating a major threat to public safety that needs to be immediately addressed” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). “Amazon workers have repeatedly reported their concerns about serious issues impacting their health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today we filed an Amicus brief in support of workers whose lives are at risk during this global crisis. In our country - where Amazon has prevented their employees from having union representation - workers have no other way to have their concerns heard. Amazon must do better for its workforce, and the communities where they operate. Amazon needs to listen to its workers who are at risk during this global pandemic and working under unacceptable conditions. Amazon needs to prioritize the lives and safety of their workers over profits,” The lawsuit was filed June 4, 2020 in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn and claims that Amazon’s efforts in Staten Island to protect workers have been rife with "purposeful miscommunication with workers," "sloppy contact tracing," and poorly enforced social distancing. The workers who filed the suit also state that production goals were unrealistic if proper safety protocols were followed. So far, the company has refused to disclose the number of cases and retaliated against employees who dared to speak out against the unsafe conditions at work. The lawsuit is asking for a formal injunction to force Amazon to adhere to public health guidance. The unions argue that, since the beginning of the pandemic, conditions at many Amazon warehouses have not met the basic health and safety standards prescribed by the WHO or national authorities. As the company strained to meet the increased demand for its deliveries, it increased the speed and pace of work rather than slow it down in order to allow time for hand washing and social distancing. As the submission makes clear, when workers were represented by unions, they were able to reduce risks after calling upon the health authorities or courts to intervene, or, in some cases, by going on strike. However, in the United States, where most Amazon warehouses are located and where there are no recognized unions, Amazon did not negotiate over conditions, refused to disclose the number of cases and retaliated against employees who dared to speak out against the unsafe conditions at work. UNI Global Union and the RWDSU have been speaking out in support of workers raising alarm about working conditions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Links to relevant statements and letters: March 17, 2020: Global alliance of unions demands Amazon address COVID-19 March 29, 2020: Amazon Workers Walkout in Staten Island March 30, 2020: Chris Smalls Firing April 1, 2020: America's Top Unions Demand Amazon Do Better April 2, 2020: Statement on the Amazon Memo Designed to Smear Chris Smalls April 6, 2020: Amazon Workers 2nd Walkout April 9, 2020: International Trade Unionists' Letter Supporting Amazon Workers April 21, 2020: Amazon Workers 3rd Walkout May 5, 2020: Amazon Worker Death US Workers Fight Back In the United States, in response to Amazon’s insufficient worker protections during the outbreak, non-union Amazon workers in over 40 Amazon facilities in California, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and New York resorted to strikes and other types of protected worker activity to protest Amazon’s working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company retaliated by firing at least three Amazon warehouse employees for “violating internal company policies.” The firings prompted increased scrutiny and calls by elected leaders like New York Mayor Bill De Blasio and New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the tech giant. Amazon Union Workers in Europe Win Additional Protection Unlike their counterparts in the United States, Amazon workers in European countries with stronger labor protections like Italy, France and Spain were able to use union representation to advance and protect their right at work. In Italy, workers concerned about crowding, availability of PPE, and enhanced safety measures went on strike in at least five separate Amazon facilities and forced the company to abide by strict health and safety protocol. In France, unions, including UNI affiliate, Federation des Services, CFDT, brought a civil case alleging against Amazon for not take adequate steps to protect workers from the risk of the coronavirus and of trying to sidestep the unions statutory role. The court ultimately sided with workers and unions who negotiated a settlement that included mandatory consultation with unions over safety measures, hiring of external experts by union representatives to asses effectiveness of measures, and an increase in the hourly rate for salaried workers returning to work. In Spain, the Labour Inspectorate ordered Amazon to correct deficiencies in their health and safety plan to prevent COVID19, after the union Comisiones Obreras demanded an inspection. The company was forced to accommodate physical distance between workers, disinfect facilities where workers had been diagnosed with COVID-19, provide personal protective equipment, and relax productivity quotas. The UNI Global Union/RWDSU submission can be viewed here.
Macy’s Inc. Deems Workforce in White Plains Too Small to Perform a Critical Health and Safety Prevention Measure RWDSU Local 1-S Will Check All Members Temperatures as Workers Report to Their Shifts Each Day to Protect Union Members Working In The Covid-19 Pandemic WHAT: On June 12, 2020, Local 1-S of the The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents about 4,300 Macy’s Inc. workers in the New York area will perform critical temperature checks of union members as they report to their first shift during the re-opening of the retail industry. After Macy’s Inc. refused to perform temperature checks of workers at two of its smaller stores (White Plains and Parkchester) as they reopen, RWDSU Local 1-S decided that it had no choice but to step up to perform this important testing itself - because the company was abdicating this important responsibility to its workers, customers and the public. RWDSU Local 1-S members will be available to speak to the media, while RWDSU union representatives will be on site to perform critical temperature checks of workers, in one of many negotiated terms between Macy’s Inc. and the union to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO: Macy’s workers in White Plains, New York, Mike Jones (RWDSU Local 1-S Vice President), and RWDSU Local 1-S union representatives. WHEN: Friday, June 12, 2020 10:30 AM -11:15 AM EDT (NOTE: The press availability for this event will begin just ahead of the morning shift start time, this is an approximate end time to the best of our knowledge, please be patient as the time for worker availability may vary on the morning of. All worker interview requests MUST be made to Mike Jones on site the morning-of, in your RSVP please note your desire for worker interviews so we can prepare.) WHERE: Macy’s Galleria Mall 100 Main Street, White Plains, NY 10601 (NOTE: Temperature checks will be happening by the two large garage bay doors.) Kindly RSVP to Chelsea Connor above. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: The RWDSU, which represents thousands of retail workers across the northeast, has been calling on Macy’s Inc. to do better by their workers throughout the COVID-19 crisis and as it enters contract negotiations: RWDSU Demands Macy’s Inc. Extend Contract Macy’s Fireworks Display to Take Millions in Healthcare from Workers Macy’s Furlough Announcement Harms Workers Angella Harding, President of Local 1-S of the RWDSU, issued the following statement: “For Macy’s Inc. to consider workers at smaller stores more expendable than at their flagship Herald Square and their larger stores is inexcusable. The safety of our members in White Plains and Parkchester is just as important not only to their own safety, but to the safety of their community as any other store. The union will continue to step in and provide critical health and safety measures that protect not just our members but shoppers as well in the COVID-19 crisis, but it is shameful Macy’s won’t take this simple but critical step to protect its entire workforce. Let me be clear, our union will not stand for any inequity in the protection of workers in the workplace now, nor ever.” RELEVANT RWDSU LOCAL 1-S REOPENING AGREEMENT LANGUAGE: Wellness Checks Colleagues must complete wellness checks before each shift. Colleagues must take their temperature at home. If the temperature is 100.4°F or higher or if the colleague is experiencing flu-like symptoms or otherwise feeling unwell, the Colleague may not work their shift. The Colleagues may use paid time off or in certain locations, available sick/safe time and may reach out to Colleague Support for assistance. In Herald Square and Queens Center, temperature checks will occur in store at the start of the colleagues shift. Colleagues who test over 100.4°F will not be allowed to work, and will be sent home. They will be entitled to PTO or sick benefits, and shall not be issued attendance points. For Parkchester and White Plains, Local 1-S will provide temperature checks at the colleague entrance. Local 1-S President and Macy’s Vice President, Principal Labor Strategy Leader will sidebar negotiate the details of how this will take place. When colleague arrives to work, a wellness check will be conducted and recorded. The questionnaire portion of the wellness check will be completed while the colleague is on the “on the clock”. The designated People Leader will ask a series of questions – known as Wellness Checks – to ensure the safety of everyone in the store (the responses to the series of questions is personal and will not be recorded). Did you take your temperature before you left for work today? Was your temperature below 100.4°F/38°C? Are you free from all of the following symptoms: new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, chills, muscle pain, headache, or runny nose? Can you confirm that you have NOT had close and prolonged contact with a person who was lab-confirmed to have COVID-19 to your best knowledge? (The CDC defines close contact as being within 6 feet of someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19 for a prolonged period of time, 10 minutes or more, within the last 14 days) If the colleague answers “yes” to all questions, they should immediately wash or sanitize their hands, ensure they have a face mask on, and proceed to their work area. If the colleague answers no to any one of the three questions, they should be sent home and should be paid for the time it took to conduct the wellness check. If a colleague is sent home due to the outcome of the wellness check, the colleague’s attendance will not be adversely affected.
We must not forget that as New York City begins re-opening we are Still in the midst of extraordinary challenges. The safety of workers, customers and all New Yorkers must be our primary concern. This includes making sure workers have all the health and safety protections and preventative measures in place in their workplaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But it also means that all New Yorkers must continue to do their part including wearing masks in public, and especially when they are in retail stores. Many of our members are eager to begin the re-opening of the city and going back to work, but they want to do so safely. “But workplace protections alone are not enough to ensure safety. We are deeply troubled by the behavior of the police towards protestors since the tragic death of George Floyd. New York City’s retail workforce is incredibly diverse and as we return to work we need to know that all workers will be safe as they come to and from work. That means security in knowing that you will not be targeted by the police for the color of your skin. At this moment that is far from being reality. We cannot and will not rest until each and every New Yorker can live and work in safety. We must make this a city where black lives matter. We must make this a city where workers and all people are respected and protected” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The RWDSU believes non-essential businesses need to re-open safely and that means our employers need to ensure workers are safe. That means that our members will need to have: Proper social distancing available in break rooms, bathrooms, during shift entry and exits, and throughout their work day. The proper personal protective equipment. Access to rapid testing. Screening of workers as they enter the workplace. Workers must have adequate break time to wash their hands and put on proper PPE throughout their shift. Workers need to be trained on the new store procedures and safety measures and equipment. Perhaps most critically, when a worker feels sick they must have a real ability to stay home and quarantine. If needed, that means they are paid if they get sick, and that they need access to affordable healthcare. To do so that means capacity in health departments has to be expanded to do effective tracking. To protect workers the general public needs to adhere to preventive measures. It is imperative that customers wear masks in the stores.
Read about it here


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Panasonic is riding on success with home electronics, health and beauty appliances, communications and business solutions. Now they have entered into smartphone world with their P Series Android smartphone Panasonic P51. This smartphone is targeted towards the country’s young generation and can give a solid competition to rival smartphone makers like Micromax, Karbonn, etc. First impression of the new smartphone is a faster and beautiful device.
Talking briefly on the device, the smartphone will have Android version 4.2 (Jellybean) on board! Yes, that’s a step ahead of the rivals which are still stuck on Android version 4.0 (ICS).
Another good thing about the phone is it’s a dual-sim phone which is very demanding as far as Indian smartphone market is considered. This smartphone is sure to grab attention as soon as it’s launched.
Panasonic P51 sports a larger 5-inch display which has a resolution of 1280×720 pixels with a PPI of 294 and a MediaTek quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and comes with a PowerVR SGX544 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. The device has on-screen navigation keys and comes with a magnetic flip cover case with a capacitive stylus as well.
Talking about the connectivity options the Panasonic P51 comes with 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm jack, a microUSB slot and A-GPS. The 5 incher device comes with an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front panel for video chatting/calling functions.
P51 has a 2500 mAh battery which I think is good enough for long lasting day or could last longer with minimal usage. Panasonic P51 weighs 135 grams which is nothing special but what special is the device is only 8.5mm thick. That’s another thing for the smartphone rivals to think on.
Panasonic P51 can be classified into a mid-range Android smartphones category. It is the Janpanese company’s first Android smartphone in the Indian market and hopefully the company might spread it’s smartphone market in the Europian and North American markets as well.
Overall, Panasonic P51 has managed to impress us with it’s low weight and slimmer smartphone with Android 4.2 on-board and a 5 inch display with Dual-Sim functionality and we think the device will be gladly welcomed to mid-range class. The smartphone is priced at 26,900 INR which I think is a bit high. We are expecting your opinions and thoughts about the smartphone in the comments section below and tell us if this is going to be your next Android smartphone.


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Indoor drone racing
Indoor micro-drone racing!
Yeah, it’s a thing now.
A group called FPV Ottawa has started up the area’s first indoor drone racing league. Up to four racers at a time fly mini-quads around an indoor make-shift obstacle course.
The drones are so small they can fit in the palm of your hand, just big enough to carry a small analog camera and transmitter. The pilots don’t actually look at the drones they’re racing. They look through them via an optical headset, getting a drone’s eye view of the course they’re flying through.
“It’s kind of like a real-life video game,” says Dylan Nord of FPV Ottawa. “You get the feeling of flight while actually not leaving your seat.”
For many of the participants, the indoor league is simply a way get their drone racing fix during the winter months. FPV also organizes outdoor drone racing in the summer, with larger UAV’s that can travel well in excess of 100 km/h. “This is just something to keep our thumbs in check and in shape over the winter months. But we're really looking forward to getting back in the racing once the snow's gone,” says drone enthusiast Chris D’Aoust.
FPV Ottawa isn’t just about racing drones. They also offer basic drone training and education courses as well as advanced courses on how to build and fly racing drones.
"It's kind of a niche hobby right now’” says Dylan Nord. “We're hoping to grow it and educate people all about drones."


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Crackdown 3 Delayed Again, Microsoft Now Promises Early 2019 Launch
Gamers have been patiently waiting for the next game in the Crackdown franchise. Crackdown 3 is the next installment and last summer the game was expected to launch alongside the Xbox One X, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the game was delayed with Sumo Digital and Microsoft pushing the title to a promised spring 2018 launch.
Microsoft has confirmed another delay for Crackdown 3, and now promises that the game will launch in February 2019. At least this time out Microsoft has given a specific release month rather than a vague "this fall" or "this spring." Microsoft has also promised that more Crackdown 3 content will be shown off at E3 this Sunday.
Microsoft wrote, "Our fans' response to the signature antics and explosive gameplay of "Crackdown 3" has been incredible. To ensure we deliver the experience they deserve, "Crackdown 3" will be launching in Feb 2019. We look forward to sharing more on "Crackdown 3" this Sunday during the Xbox E3 2018 briefing."
As for why the game is delayed, there is no official answer. The assumption from many is that Microsoft and Sumo Digital simply don’t want to go head-to-head with the glut of games launching this fall, including Red Dead Redemption 2. Word is that Microsoft wants to push Crackdown into the upper echelons of Xbox franchises on par with Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. Crackdown 3 was originally announced back in 2014 at E3.


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Developer courting big box stores for Okatie Crossing
Costco and several other big box stores could be in the works for a new development at the intersection of U.S. 278 and S.C. 170 in Hardeeville.
Horne Properties, Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., bills Okatie Crossing as a "lifestyle shopping, dining, business destination." Site plans for the development include Costco other proposed stores such as Target, Kohl's, Marshall's, Lowe's, Dick's Sporting Goods and Field and Stream.
Doug Horne, president of Horne Properties, said Friday the company is in final negotiation stages with "a number of the tenants," though he didn't specify which ones.
There will be several other outparcels available for restaurant and retail use, as well as plans for a Regal Cinema near the center of the development, according to the site plans.
"It's a big tract of land there, almost 200 acres, and we believe it will be at least 800,000 square feet once it's built out," Horne said.
Though a small portion of the development is in Beaufort County, the property was annexed into the city of Hardeeville in 2008, said Brana Snowden, planning director for the city.
Snowden said Sembler Company proposed a shopping development in the same area in 2010, but those plans fell through. She said the city has been working with Horne Properties to find funding sources for infrastructure to assist with the development of Okatie Crossing.
The proposed development borders Sun City north of U.S. 278, where Horne said there has been a positive reaction to the plans.
"Sun City residents have been very encouraging about the project," Horne said.
The planned Canterfield Assisted Living facility will be located near what would be the northeast end of the development, close to the proposed Costco location. The plans also propose a multifamily development northwest of the center.


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The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), condemned the proposed budget by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to increase excise components on tobacco, spirits, alcoholics, and non-alcoholic beverages. This was said in a statement by its Director General, Mr. Adewale Oyerinde.
The Organized Private Sector, has also rejected the proposed budget through the Tariff Technical Committee, to increase tariffs on select products. They warned that the increase will incapacitate its productive capacity, and contribution to national development. If implemented, the proposed increase would bring about a departure from the recently set up roadmap set out in the 2022 Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariffs Amendments (FPM 2022) that covers 2022-2024.
The budget was rejected because of the current minimal growth of the economy. It indicates that a huge tax increase would not achieve the desired results for all stakeholders. NECA believes that if another increase is imposed, the industry will suffer more and consumers may begin to purchase products that are not so expensive. At this point, the rate of increase in the roadmap of the Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariffs Amendments 2022, should be maintained.


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Amazon Kindle Tablet to be announced on Wednesday 28th September
This week Amazon opened the doors to their Appstore internationally indicating an imminent release of the tablet, hopefully as a global launch (or at least UK please).
If all goes to plan, the new Kindle Tablet could make a serious impact on the tablet market and capture some lost ground from the iPad. It is also going to be very interesting to finally see the specs of the new device and how it may compare to specs hinted at in the various rumours.
One thing's for sure, Wednesday is going to be very interesting.
Guardian Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk...


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We all know that a good powerful battery is the most essential factor for appropriate performance of any electronic equipment, but what is of real concern is that the frequency of usage of such equipment gets greatly limited by the act of getting these batteries replaced or recharged from time to time. How many times have we frustrated over the dying battery power when our laptops or mobile phones have gone off, leaving us no option but to wait for an appropriate destination to get it recharged? Over the years the disposal of used batteries also has grown into a major environmental concern as when discarded carelessly, the content of heavy metals and other hazardous substances in batteries can contaminate water and soil, which in turn harm the human body. However, the battery technology is about to undergo an innovative transition with the concept of wearable energy harvesters for generating power to batteries.
A group of researchers in at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute's Biomimetics Lab in New Zealand has come up with an innovative concept of converting movement from humans into battery power. The researchers studied that a type of variable-capacitor generators known as dielectric elastomer generators (DEGs) can be adapted for harvesting wearable-energy. Dielectric elastomers, referred often as artificial muscles, are stretchy materials competent enough to generate energy when deformed. Earlier these artificial muscle generators required massive rigid and expensive external electronics but the team corrected this. As Thomas McKay, a Ph.D. candidate working on soft generator research at the Biomimetics Lab, explains, the elimination of the rigid external electronics was possible ”by integrating flexible electronics - dielectric elastomer switches - directly onto the artificial muscles themselves. One of the most exciting features of the generator is that it's so simple; it simply consists of rubber membranes and carbon grease mounted in a frame.”
As noted in the findings which are published in the American Institute of Physics' journal Applied Physics Letters, the soft generator could be inconspicuously built into the clothing and thus harvest electricity from human movement. Furthermore, McKay and his colleagues at the Biomimetics Lab are effectively trying to create soft dexterous machines that comfortably interface with living creatures and nature in general.


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This week Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel continued his crusade against the city's lawful gun owners by putting forth legislation severely regulating gun stores within the city. Foiled by the courts in an earlier attempt to ban gun sales outright in the Second City, the mayor's new proposal is an attempt to circumvent the court's ruling and institute a de facto ban on sales.
On January 6, Judge Edmond E. Chang of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that Chicago's total ban on firearms dealers was unconstitutional. In his opinion, Chang noted that the Second Amendment right "must also include the right to acquire a firearm." Chang went on to add, "Chicago's ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms, and at the same time the evidence does not support that the complete ban sufficiently furthers the purposes that the ordinance tries to serve."
Following the decision, Emanuel expressed his disagreement with Chang's ruling and requested that the court give the city six-months to "create a comprehensive set of restrictions on the sale of firearms." The Chicago Tribune reported that Emanuel "instructed city attorneys 'to consider all options to better regulate the sale of firearms within the city's borders.'"
The result, submitted to the Chicago City Council on May 28, is a transparent attempt by the city to regulate dealers out of existence, under the guise of complying with the District Court's ruling. Various lowlights of the ordinance trumpeted by the Mayor's Office include:
• Quarterly inventory audits
• Handgun rationing
• Warrantless access by law enforcement officers to store records
• A 72-hour waiting period to purchase handguns, and a 24-hour waiting period to purchase rifles and shotguns
And that's not all. For instance, a Chicago firearms dealer license would be required not only for FFLs, but for those "engag[ing] in the business of… repairing firearms or making or fitting special barrels, stocks, or trigger mechanisms to firearms."
In addition to holding a firearm owner's identification card (FOID), all store employees would have to attend "an initial training session on the best practices for the responsible sale of firearms to be conducted by the police department." Once that's done, they would still need to "complete a refresher training program once every three years." Despite the FOID card requirement, which necessitates its own background check, dealers would redundantly be required to "initiate a state and FBI fingerprint-based record search of every authorized employee to verify the person's criminal background."
Under the proposal the location of firearms dealers would be heavily restricted, particularly considering Chicago's densely-populated urban setting. The language states, "No license shall be issued for a location that is within 500 feet from any pre-existing primary or secondary school or any park owned or leased by any unit of local, state or federal government, measured from property line to property line."
The legislation even seeks to micromanage the way in which a customer could inspect a firearm. It would restrict gun handling to those with a FOID card and require the firearm to be "secured with a trigger lock or plastic tie." Potential buyers would have difficulty comparing models (not to mention trigger pulls), as the measure would require dealers to restrict customers from handling "more than one firearm at a time." It states additionally states, "Prior to permitting a customer to handle second a firearm, the first firearm shall be returned to a locked display case or other secure storage location."
Most Orwellian, the ordinance would require that gun sellers, "record every sale or transfer of a firearm or ammunition by video surveillance in such a manner as to clearly capture the facial features of the purchaser or transferee." Further burdening privacy, dealers are required to keep "a copy of the purchaser's FOID card and photo identification for a period of not less than 10 years from the date of purchase of the firearm."
In the unlikely event that an intrepid gun dealer attempts to open up shop in the Windy City, privacy concerns and higher prices resulting from compliance costs could still drive customers elsewhere. Clearly, the goal of the proposed ordinance is to allow the city to claim technical compliance with the court's ruling, while making the running of a successful gun shop all but a practical impossibility.
As with many forms of gun control, Emanuel's effort would disproportionately burden the city's poor and working class. Those with means and access to private transportation will simply travel to another part of Illinois to purchase firearms. Less economically secure Chicagoans, who often suffer most from higher exposure to violent crime, will be forced to pay the high prices associated with Chicago's onerous scheme, while also having their privacy violated.
Following the announcement of the proposal, Richard A. Pearson of NRA's Illinois state affiliate, the Illinois State Rifle Association, was reported by the New York Times as stating that "he expected the restrictions to be deemed unconstitutional in court." Chicago certainly hasn't fared well recently in cases such as Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers v. Chicago, Shepard v. Madigan, and Chicago v. McDonald. Here's hoping the City Council members will come to their senses, reject the proposal, and save Chicago's taxpayers the burden of defending yet another overreaching, politically-motivated gun control law in court.


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Chief executive of digital wealth manager Nutmeg to quit
Martin Stead, chief executive of Nutmeg, is stepping down early next year, the digital wealth manager has announced.
Stead, who joined Nutmeg in 2015 and took over as chief executive a year later, is leaving the company to move overseas. He will be replaced by chief financial and operating officer Neil Alexander.
Read more: Nutmeg widens losses as wealth manager targets new customers
Nutmeg has received the backing of Schroders and Goldman Sachs, and has around 90,000 customers.
Despite boasting assets under management of over £1.8bn, Nutmeg is yet to turn a profit.
The London-based fintech announced in October that losses had widened over £6m last year to £18.6m after it invested heavily in attracting new customers.
Goldman Sachs led a £45m funding round for Nutmeg in January, and the company raised £3.8m via crowdfunding over the summer.
Stead’s departure comes shortly after chief investment officer Shaun Port left the company to join JP Morgan as a managing director.
“Nutmeg’s mission is as important today is it was when I joined,” said Stead in a statement announcing his departure.
Read more: Revealed: The 10 fastest growing UK scale-ups of 2019
“Being entrusted with the stewardship of Nutmeg and leading a world-class team of passionate Nutmeggers every day, has been the greatest privilege and responsibility of my life.”
Alexander joined Nutmeg in 2017 from online fashion outlet Secretsales.com, which was sold to Wowcher during his tenure.


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A new bill seeks to change the way animals are raised in the US. It needs our support. Action Alert!
The Farm System Reform Act addresses a number of concerns we at ANH-USA have been writing about for years. The meat industry in the United States is dominated by a few large companies that demand animals be confined in close quarters and raised in squalid conditions. This bill would halt the dominance of CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operation) over the meat industry in the US. It would also return transparency to meat labeling.
Specifically, the bill would place a moratorium on the expansion and creation of new large CAFOs. By 2040, no large CAFOs would be allowed to be in operation. (Large CAFOs are defined by the EPA based on the number of animals contained in the operation.)
The bill also holds corporate entities responsible for the massive amounts of pollution and waste generated by CAFOs. As it currently stands, large transnational companies contract with local growers who run the CAFO according to the company’s specifications, but it is the local growers who are legally responsible for the pollution generated by the operation. The new bill would transfer this responsibility to the parent company.
The bill allots $100 million over ten years for a voluntary buyout program for farmers who want to leave the CAFO business. This fund would also offer transition assistance to farmers who want to start a pasture-based livestock operation, grow specialty crops, or start an organic operation.
Finally, the bill restores mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef and pork and expands it to include dairy products. It also prevents foreign meat from carrying the “Product of USA” label. These are two issues we’ve raised the alarm on in the past (here and here). Previously, Congress caved and repealed COOL when the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that the law unfairly discriminated against meat from Canada and Mexico. The “logic” was that COOL infringed upon international trade obligations, entitling those countries to take retaliatory measures against US exports that amounted to billions of dollars.
We’ve also written about the loophole at the USDA that allows foreign meat to be labeled as American. Current USDA policy allows foreign meat to be imported to the US and carry the “Product of USA” label if it passes through a USDA-inspected plant. The USDA loophole allows foreign multinational corporations to disguise their products and take advantage of the lucrative US market. There’s good reason to believe that this loophole also violates the federal government’s own policies that prohibit false or misleading labeling.
The provisions in this bill mark some positive first steps to reforming our broken agricultural system. CAFOs have come to dominate meat production in the US, but consumers are becoming increasingly wary of these operations, especially as reports come out about the abuse of animals that happens at CAFOs—and which some states work to suppress through “ag-gag” laws. We must start to turn the tide by supporting initiatives such as this.
Action Alert! Write to Congress and tell them to support the Farm System Reform Act. Please send your message immediately.


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“The Xiaomi M1908F1XE, which is widely expected to be Mi MIX 4 5G, has been certified once again in China“
The Mi MIX 4 smartphone has been in the news for quite some time. Though there’s no official confirmation yet, the Mi MIX 4 flagship is expected to ship with the latest Snapdragon 855 Plus processor and support wireless charging that is faster than Mi 9’s 20W. Considering the company unveiled the Mi MIX 3 5G variant earlier this year, the MIX successor might also come with 5G support. A mysterious Xiaomi 5G phone with model number M1908F1XE was spotted at the TENAA. While we wait for the TENAA listing to get updated with the specifications and images, the M1908F1XE smartphone has now bagged China’s 3C certification. There’s a good chance that it could be the Mi MIX 4.
According to the 3C listing, the Xiaomi M1908F1XE smartphone supports 5G and has been certified alongside the MDY-10-EX charger, which supports 45W fast charging. This means the Mi MIX 4 5G could rock the highest fast-charging support on a Xiaomi phone so far; to recall, the Mi 9 that was unveiled earlier this year has support for 27W only. The upcoming Galaxy Note 10 series reportedly supports up to 45W fast-charging (though the bundled adapter will be rated at 25W only). Unfortunately, no other details about the handset are revealed just yet, but if M1908F1XE indeed turns out to be the Mi MIX 4 5G, we should know more information soon.
Separately, it’s also been discovered that Xiaomi is working on a reverse wireless charging feature, similar to Huawei and Samsung. There’s a good chance the upcoming MIX phone could include support for it. In optics, the Mi MIX 4 is rumoured to flaunt triple rear cameras, with a 64MP primary sensor that is said to be better than Samsung’s GW1 64MP sensor. It is also said to feature periscope lens camera technology, which can produce lossless images of subjects placed at a distance. Xiaomi is expected to announce the next MIX model in October.
|Expected Price:||Rs. 57,990|
|Release Date:||25-Jun-2021 (Expected)|
|Variant:||6 GB RAM / 128 GB internal storage|


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Apple is expanding its financial services when the market remains unstable.
Apple Card credit owners can now open a new high-yield savings account and it is going to be the first saving account launched by Apple. It would be available to the customers through the partnership with Goldman Sachs which is ready to offer a 4.15 percent annual percentage yield (APY) with no minimum balance and fees or deposit requirement.
Expand the Global Reach
As the demand for smartphones is declining in the market, now Apple is expanding its global reach. The company has launched Apple Pay Later in partnership with Goldman Sachs and MasterCard which transformed the image of the company from tech-giant to money lender. Every Apple phone owner will have access to the service within a few months. In addition to providing services like Apple Card MasterCard in partnership with Goldman Sachs, now Apple will be providing High-Yield Savings accounts for their customers which will diversify the economy of the company. Moreover, Apple supports other services like video streaming, fitness services, the cloud, etc which makes the organization independent of unreliable and declining cellphone sales.
Diversify Company’s Business
Apple Card users who decide to open a saving account will receive cashback (up to 3 percent) derived from buying the Apple Card. Saving account holders have the facility to manage their accounts via the savings dashboard in the wallet. The dashboard allows another non-Apple user to link banking accounts and leverage feeless transfers. Apple in partnership with Goldman Sachs now can diversify the company’s business and attract more customers to become an integral part of the organization.
However, people who don’t own Apple Cards can not take benefits of this savings account, and they can have another high-yield savings account with a similar APY. It will simplify building savings through cashback and Apple hardware users can take the advantage of the facility regarding account management with the help of Wallet.


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SEPTEMBER 20, 2012 -- Part of Detroit Design Festival, Eastern Market After Dark launches tonight from 7-11pm in — you guessed it — Eastern Market.
Put together by Nina Marcus-Kurlonko, the wunderkind behind renegade art gallery collective Pop-Up Detroit, Eastern Market After Dark aims to shine a light on the creative nooks and crannies not always accessible to the average shopper on a Saturday morning.
A walking tour will be given of each space. If the social media surrounding this event is any indication — all neatly wrapped up under the #EMafterdark hashtag banner — the artists behind these creative spaces are going all out to treat their guests to a one-night-only extravaganza.
Artists/collectives/designers/what-have-you involved in #EMafterdark include:
+ Division Street Boutique -- the forces behind the "Detroit Hustles Harder" apparel line
+ Our favorite designer in the city fo2la
+ Hackspace OmniCorp Detroit
+ Derrick May's Transmat Gallery
Plus many, many more. A full list is available via the #EMafterdark Facebook page. For anyone who has ever wanted to dive a bit deeper into Eastern Market, #EMafterdark a sure fire bet to do so. | PD


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Trade Decision Roils U.S. Solar Industry
American panel makers see a godsend; panel sellers and installers fear higher prices for consumers
Trade protection for U.S. solar panel makers could be a boon for the few domestic manufacturers left in the country, but a drag for the companies that install and sell solar systems to homeowners, businesses and utilities, which worry that it would lead to higher prices for consumers.
The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday voted 4-0 to support trade barriers restricting solar panel imports. The decision came after two embattled panel makers, Suniva Inc. and SolarWorld Americas Inc., petitioned for a tariff on imported solar cells, the piece of equipment in a solar panel that converts sunlight into electricity.


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The subsidized Chinese LED industry remains a mess: more than 200 firms reportedly suspended...
Monday, November 26, 2012, 12:40 PM ETThe subsidized Chinese LED industry remains a mess: more than 200 firms reportedly suspended production in 1H12, thanks to a plethora of problems that includes tumbling prices, oversupply, and soft European demand (ed: that sounds a lot like another industry), and the vendors' average gross margin is said to have fallen to 15%. LED industry players such as CREE, LEDS, AIXG, RBCN, and GTAT are definitely feeling the ripple effects.
TECH ETFs IN FOCUS
Latest Tech Articles


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BigCommerce has partnered with Microsoft Advertising to release Microsoft Ads and Listings in the BigCommerce Marketplace. This will extend audience reach for BigCommerce merchants, drive more traffic via the Microsoft Advertising Network and optimise advert performance in real time.
The collaboration will allow BigCommerce merchants in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand to reach Microsoft Advertising’s audience of over one billion users across Microsoft Bing, MSN and Microsoft Edge. It will also allow merchants to filter product feeds to deliver more specific ad content through narrower search results.
“The Microsoft Advertising Network connects BigCommerce merchants with people who have greater purchasing power, engage more with ads and are more likely to make a purchase online,” said Jason McKay, senior director of global partner sales at Microsoft Advertising. “With Microsoft Ads and Listings, BigCommerce merchants can connect with customers in new ways, achieving a strong return on spend to drive long-term growth.”
BigCommerce merchants will also be able to synchronise product catalogues directly to the Microsoft Merchant Center and create shopping campaigns to promote product catalogues and track campaign performance, all through the BigCommerce Control Panel.
“Seamless partner application integrations like Microsoft Ads and Listings uplevel the value and opportunities that we can deliver to our merchants all over the world to reach millions of potential new customers searching across the Microsoft Advertising Network,” said Sharon Gee, vice president of revenue growth and general manager of omnichannel at BigCommerce. “By adding another strategic omnichannel partner integration to our roster, our merchants can seamlessly advance their omnichannel operations while unlocking new channel growth. With this, merchants are able to easily leverage leading, pre-integrated solutions to drive their long-term success.”


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In the back patio area of one of Avondale's most popular bars sits a shiny silver Airstream trailer with twinkle lights lining its windows and a menu on a board out front. On any given weekend night, you'll find a line of people waiting to order snaking through the surrounding tables. But this isn't just average bar food.
Hotbox, the plop-down restaurant behind Parkside Cafe, dispenses Asian-inspired small plates from a permanently installed, converted Airstream. Since opening in May 2014, Hotbox has enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with Parkside, a former antique store across from Avondale Park whose current owner reopened it as a bar on New Year's Eve 2010.
The independent businesses are linked by a recently built, multi-level patio/courtyard decorated with leftover antiques. On warm evenings people fill the patio tables, ordering drinks from the bar and plates from the silver Airstream.
Edward Stacey, Hotbox's owner and a former manager at La Paz restaurant in Crestline, talked with Parkside owner Michael Dykes for more than a year about adding hot-food service at the Avondale bar.
"Finally we decided we either need to do it or stop talking about it," he says. "I bought the trailer from a dude in Florida and brought it up here."
The inspiration to use an Airstream for Hotbox came from food trailers in Seaside, a Florida-panhandle resort town.
"That's where I got the idea," says Stacey, who also works for a seafood distributor. "I was doing business along (Florida Highway) 30A and had seen Airstreams used for food service."
Since opening with two Bottega-trained chefs (one has since departed), Hotbox's bar food has been anything but typical. Bacon jam adds savor to the namesake burger. A chicken sandwich comes dressed with the spicy pickled cabbage, kimchi, and extra-rich Japanese mayonnaise.
Beer and drinks from Parkside take on an entirely new dimension when enjoyed with ginger-spiked beef lo mein, fried chicken seasoned with lemongrass and coconut, or hand-made pot-sticker dumplings.
"We try to keep it diverse," says Ryan Champion, a partner and head chef. "It's easier to please a wide variety of people when you have a wide variety of food."
The menu changes weekly. But the Hotbox Burger, Lemongrass Fried Chicken, and variations on both pot stickers and the Drunken Noodle bowl are constants due to popular demand.
Champion likes cooking food from Asia and Latin America, but has experience in a variety of cuisines.
"I was at Commander's Palace for a long time," he says. "I did the Michelin-star French fine-dining. I've done Italian - a little bit of all of it."
But the chef was looking for a change when the Hotbox opportunity came along after a gig in Las Vegas.
"I have done fine-dining most of my life," Champion says. "I wanted to cook that level of food for a quarter of the price and serve it to people from the neighborhood without all the pretension that comes along with fine-dining in a big restaurant."
The meat at Hotbox comes from many of the same sources as those served in the city's top restaurants. But instead of filet mignon and foie gras, Hotbox uses more proletarian cuts like thighs and brisket. All dishes sell for less than $15.
It took a little while for Hotbox to get off the ground, though. Officials needed months to sort out how to regulate and permit a kitchen that was neither a food truck nor a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Parkside had been a pioneer in the fast-growing Avondale entertainment district, but word got out slowly about the Hotbox Airstream hidden out back.
"We didn't have money to advertise," Stacey says. "But Parkside has a lot of regulars. It started with word of mouth, and then we got some good press. We've seen the clientele change a little bit from mostly local people to more over-the-mountain people coming in to check us out."
As Hotbox enters its second winter in business, the owners will break out space heaters and light the fire pit on the patio. Look for soups and other warming dishes like ramen. To-go orders, delivery inside Parkside, and an expanding catering operation should help carry the business until warmer weather.
Because it is part of a bar, Hotbox is adult-only; no one under 21 allowed. But it still draws plenty of parents and their offspring. "We see a lot of regulars bringing their parents in to eat," Champion says.
Hotbox has established a niche among the diverse array of restaurants, bars, music venues, and the craft brewery that have opened over the last five years along and adjacent to 41st Street South in Avondale.
"There is a certain nostalgia involved with the Airstream trailer," Stacey says. "But a lot of people that dine here for the first time are really surprised by the quality of the food that comes out. It's just a different experience."
Hotbox is behind Parkside Cafe
4036 Fifth Ave. South (Avondale)
Open Tue. - Thur., 5 p.m. - 11 p.m.,
Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m. - 1 a.m.


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(Adds Telenor, analyst, shares, detail)
OSLO, March 26 (Reuters) - The European Free Trade Association has opened antitrust proceedings against Norwegian telecom firm Telenor for allegedly infringing competition rules under the European Economic Area agreement, the trade body said on Wednesday.
EFTA’s surveillance authority is investigating whether Telenor has charged prices resulting in an illegal margin squeeze on its competitors when offering retail mobile data services. The statement did not say which market the probe was focusing on, although it named Telenor’s Norway subsidiary.
EFTA investigators raided Telenor’s headquarters outside Oslo in December during which they collected “a significant amount of data”, it said on Wednesday.
The investigation may be focusing on the Norwegian telecoms market, said an analyst.
“The statement may indicate that EFTA is looking into the way Telenor has packaged mobile data and whether it creates an anti-competitive effect because Tele 2 ... does not have the possibility to offer the same solutions based on wholesale conditions,” said Espen Torgersen, an analyst at Carnegie, a brokerage based in Oslo.
Torgersen was referring to an agreement that Telenor has with competitors that they can rent capacity from Telenor’s telecom network in areas in Norway where they do not have a network.
In those areas, Telenor customers were offered theoretical maximum download speeds that were faster than those from competitors renting from the network, according to a complaint made last year by Tele 2’s Norwegian subsidiary, Network Norway.
Telenor denied it had infringed antitrust rules.
“We believe we have done nothing wrong in terms of competition regulation,” said Telenor spokeswoman Torild Uribarri.
“The wording of their statement is quite general. We still don’t have precise information about what this is about.”
“The decision to open proceedings does not signify that the authority has made a finding of infringement or prejudge in any way the outcome of the investigation; it only means that the Authority will proceed with an in-depth investigation,” EFTA said in the statement.
Shares in Telenor were up 2.1 percent at 1410 GMT, outperforming an Oslo benchmark index up 0.6 percent. Earlier in the day, Telenor announced it was selling a technology unit for 1.5 billion Norwegian crowns ($248.01 million), which analysts said had a positive impact on the stock. ($1 = 6.0480 Norwegian Krones) (Reporting by Joachim Dagenborg and Gwladys Fouche, editing by Louise Heavens)


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M-A’s 24th annual Canned Food Drive is underway
The M-A Leadership class in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) has launched the 24th annual Canned Food Drive. Menlo-Atherton students will be collecting food from the community to help feed several hundred families in our area through December 10.
Last year, M-A broke its 300,000 pound goal by raising a whopping 382,432 pounds, This year the goal is 350,000 pounds.
Community members can donate cans in the barrels at the following locations:
- Bianchini’s in Ladera
- Draeger’s in Menlo Park
- Safeway stores on El Camino and in Sharon Heights
- Robert’s Market in Portola Valley
- Trader Joe’s Menlo Park
Ways that you can help
Donate online. With your support, every dollar donated will create two nutritious meals for those in need.
When you are shopping for your family, please add extra cans to your cart and drop them with M-A students.
Canned Food Drive fun facts
-Collected 380,000+ pounds of food in 2021 during the peak of the pandemic
-Largest public-school food drive in the country
-Recipients of the Golden Apple Award and Blue Diamond Award from SHFB
-Winner of Outstanding Drive Coordinator goes to faculty member Mike Amoroso
-Started by legendary Coach Ben Parks in 1999, raising 5,000 cans that year
Distribution to families takes place on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at Ecumenical Hunger Program (2411 Pulgas Ave, East Palo Alto).
Ways to obtain food for your family: Call the Canned Food Drive Hotline at (650)322-5311 ext. 58669
Photo by Linda Hubbard (c) 2022; pictured left to right are Noah de Haaff, Addy McCones, Tula Basta


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Cups can be edible? Yes, soon you can chew cups while taking a sip of coffee. It sounds like having an ice cream cone. Air New Zealand has started trials of edible coffee cups for its flyers even as it was exploring “innovative waste reduction measures”. The airline in a statement said that currently, it serves over eight million cups of coffee each year. The airline generally uses cups, which are compostable, for serving coffee on board. However, the airline aims at removing cups “totally from landfills”. The trials are part of the airline’s innovative ways to meet its sustainability challenges.
The airline has tied up with a New Zealand-based company ‘twiice’ for exploring the option of edible coffee cups. These cups have found takers among flyers and customers. Apart from serving coffee, these cups are being used as ‘dessert bowls’, Air New Zealand Senior Manager Customer Experience Niki Chave said. These coffee cups are vanilla flavoured and also leak-proof.
Apart from the ‘twiice’ edible cup trial, Air New Zealand has recently switched to plant-based cups on board all aircraft and in lounges. The plant-based cups are made from paper and corn instead of plastic. The ingredients of cups enable the cup to break down in a commercial composter. The decision to switch to plant-based cups is expected to prevent around 15 million cups from being dumped at landfill annually.


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Toyota recognized as top automotive brand in 2020 Best Global Brands Report
Toyota has been named the most valuable automotive brand in the world for yet another year, placing seventh on Interbrand’s 2020 Best Global Brands list. The elite list is part of the broader Interbrand’s 2020 Best Global Brands (BGB) Report, widely considered a definitive brand valuation index of the world’s leading brands.
The BGB Report, ranks brands based on a three-pillar structure – an analysis of the financial performance of the branded products or services, the role the brand plays in purchase decisions, and the brand’s competitive strength.
“Toyota’s future-focused approach is what keeps it at the forefront of the automotive sector. This focus on pioneering state-of-the-art technologies has won it considerable acclaim among discerning motorists in Saudi Arabia, where it is one of the most popular brands. The brand’s longstanding relationship with its Saudi guests enables it to meet their evolving needs with agility and speed. Toyota’s focus on personalizing the customer experience and providing new-age mobility solutions to enrich people’s lives, testifies to its commitment to the Saudi market.”
The renowned relationship between Toyota and Abdul Latif Jameel Motors was established around 65 years ago. The partnership has grown to become a remarkable automotive force to reckon within Saudi Arabia. Abdul Latif Jameel Motors is also one of the largest independent certified Toyota distributors in the world.
In line with its business philosophy of putting the guest first and its sustained commitment to achieving excellence in all it has to offer, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors supports the high uptake of Toyota vehicles in the Saudi market through an extensive network of sales and maintenance centers that are strategically located around the country – providing peace of mind for the company’s guests, wherever they may be.
In February 2020, Toyota was ranked the number one motor vehicle company for the sixth consecutive year on Fortune magazine’s 2020 “World’s Most Admired Companies” annual ranking. Fortune also recognized Toyota as number 30 among the Top 50 “All-Star” companies surveyed, which included companies from various industries.
In September 2019, Toyota announced that its legendary Toyota Land Cruiser had surpassed sales of 10 million units globally, after being on sale for 68 continuous years. The Land Cruiser is Toyota’s longest selling model and is sold in approximately 170 countries and regions worldwide. The milestone was celebrated by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors in December 2019 in an event hosted in cooperation with the Land Cruiser Club.


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We are doing well, keeping up daily lockdown routines, and as of May 1st can go outside between 6 and 9 am (it’s nice to be back outside again!). A good bit of my time has been maintaining a regular dialogue with our founders. I’m proud of them and their teams. We have partnered with truly resilient people who are showing leadership in an environment of significant disruption and unknowns. We’ve seen incredible collaboration across our portfolio companies, from leveraging global partnerships to assist with COVID efforts to fast-tracking development of key products to ensure customers can transact despite lockdowns. One thing that is clear: the pandemic is accelerating technological change.In this update, we will dive deeper into one of our accelerating trends: the digitisation of cash. African payments continue to be digitised, and as consumer and business spending grows, payments technologies will be one of the biggest opportunities for Raba over the next decade. I hope you all are well and I look forward to when we can meet again in person.
A tipping point for digital payments?
I believe that COVID will be the massive shock to the system that accelerates technology adoption faster than anyone could have conceived. We are seeing that impact across our companies, especially in consumer payments. Nowhere in the world is cash more dominant than Sub-Saharan Africa, where 92% of payments are cash (ex-South Africa). The handling of cash is perceived to be a potential health issue, and central banks are taking measures to ensure physical bills are safe -- the US government, for example, instituted a policy in late February to quarantine dollars that it repatriates from Asia before recirculating them to the public. The BOK (Central bank of Korea) is disinfecting cash, a process where bills are heated to 150 Celsius (301F) and then stored at over 100F before being packaged and recirculated to banks. The Kenyan president went as far as to issue a statement to the country's citizens urging them to use digital payments. There are many more examples, but you get the point...
Across sub-Saharan Africa, over $1.2 trillion in cash transactions are completed each year (for context, the North American cash and check market is about $4 trillion). Digital payments and more specifically contactless payments for face-to-face transactions will be part of the new norm. We are seeing this trend play out. On April 29th during Mastercard’s earnings call, the company reported an increase of 40% in contactless payments globally (payments completed without handing over a card) vs. the same time last year. In South Africa, Mastercard reported that contactless payments as a proportion of all face-to-face payments grew 10x vs. the same time last year.
I believe these new norms will stay with us. Here is an excerpt from Mastercard CEO, Ajay Banga on the change in habits:
"Our recent consumer insights indicate that habits are being created today. It will last beyond the current situation, more than half of new tappers are saying they will continue to use contactless once this pandemic is over". In South Africa, 71 percent of Mastercard users stated that they prefer shopping at merchants that accept contactless, and 78 percent also say they will continue to use contactless post-pandemic.”Digitizing cash and building digital-only financial services is one of the largest opportunities in the continent, and Raba payments infrastructure companies like Flutterwave, Yoco, Stitch, and another soon-to-be-announced investment will be key players driving these trends.
Africa and Visa?
During Visa’s 2020 investor day, the company’s regional leaders outlined Visa’s vision for the future. Plans for Africa featured prominently, a notable change from years past where most countries across the continent barely registered. Visa is pursuing a strategy of partnership and investment, laying the groundwork across Africa’s fintech ecosystems. In our conversation with executives at the company, Africa represents growth and opportunity -- with the youngest population in the world (average 18.5 years old), the fastest population growth in the world (2.4x vs. global average), ~3% card penetration (ex-South Africa), and the highest percentage of cash usage globally, it is too big and fast-growing and strategic to ignore.
Below is an infographic of partnerships/investments that Visa has made in African fintech:
Visa also recently announced a partnership with M-Pesa (a Kenyan mobile money platform that really pioneered the concept). Mobile money networks like M-Pesa are what I call payment 1.0 networks, which are closed-loop platforms (meaning they control the entire payment channel end-to-end) and started off as a simple, easy to use digital interface built on top of a large network of physical agents (agents help collect cash and load mobile money wallets and provide the same service when you want to access cash). To put some numbers around their business scale, M-Pesa generated over $840M in revenue last year, and is ramping up offerings of additional services, like savings and lending, which grew 100% YoY. M-Pesa is unique, however, as they were able to dominate Kenyan payments with an early competitive advantage by being bundled with the country's largest telecom company, Safaricom, that has over 60% market share. It would be hard to replicate that advantage today unless you had significant funding. M-Pesa and Safaricom built an integrated telecom and payment company similar to what Reliance Gio is building in India (albeit through a different approach).
Another example is MoMo, a digital wallet and payments network that operates across several African countries (it’s managed by MTN, a telecom company). MoMo generated close to $500M in revenue last year, with its largest contributor market being Ghana, where MTN has 55% market share. These platforms have been able to build scale despite representing only a small percentage of consumer transactions, and they have pioneered the path for fintech entrepreneurs to build on the potential that exists in African markets.