quota
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New York lawmakers want to limit warehouse productivity quotas
It expands upon a similar bill that was signed into law in California last year.
California could force Amazon to improve conditions for warehouse workers
A bill targeting warehouse quotas is expected to go to a State Senate vote this week.
Europe moves forward with content quotas for Netflix and Amazon
The European Parliament has voted to approve new regulations that will place a European content quota on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Once the new rules are formally approved, 30 percent of video-on-demand platform content catalogs will have to be European -- a move aimed at supporting "the cultural diversity of the European audiovisual sector." Additionally, these companies will be asked to support the development of European productions either through direct investment or by paying into national funds, contributions that should be "proportional to their on-demand revenues in that country."
WTO says China's rare earths export controls violate international rules, US applauds
China's monopolistic approach to the rare earths market is in violation of international trade regulations, according to a new ruling from the WTO. The verdict, issued yesterday, covers exports of nine minerals -- including zinc, manganese and magnesium -- that are used to produce a wide variety of smartphones, tablets and other gadgets. China, which controls about 95-percent of the world's rare earth supply, had previously argued that its export restrictions were needed to prevent overproduction and to conserve natural resources, but the WTO determined that the country was "unable to demonstrate" these environmental benefits. The investigation was originally spurred 18 months ago, after the US and other countries complained that China's quotas and tariffs unfairly favored domestic manufacturers, while distorting global prices. Experts expect Beijing to appeal the ruling, but this extra international pressure, combined with shifting supply chains and newfound deposits, may bring about the changes many have been calling for. If it doesn't, we'll all be stuck with corn phones.
Global rare earth supply deficit should turn into a surplus by 2013, Goldman Sachs says
It looks like rare earth elements are getting slightly less rare. According to a research note released by Goldman Sachs today, the world's rare earth supply deficit will probably reach its apex this year, before converting into a surplus by 2013. Goldman's analysts constructed their projections based on evidence that many Western companies have begun building their own mines, in response to China's overwhelming market dominance. Today, the People's Republic produces about 90-percent of the world's rare earth minerals -- a group of 17 elements that are used to manufacture many of the flat screen TVs, hybrids and cellphones we've come to know and love. Over the course of the past few years, China has only consolidated its hold on the industry, thanks to economic policies aimed at nationalizing private mines and implementing restrictive export quotas. As a result, global rare earth prices have skyrocketed, forcing mining companies in the US and elsewhere to look inward and harvest their own deposits. The only downside, however, is that even if global supply spills into a surplus within the next two years, prices probably won't cool down until 2015. But at least the horizon looks brighter than it has in recent months.
AddOn Spotlight: Automaton
AddOn Spotlight focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience - the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond - your AddOns folder will never be the same! This week, Automaton takes some of the tedium out of little tasks! What's the only thing better than an addon with a beautiful and pristine interface that rivals all addons with its ease of use? An addon with NO UI AT ALL, minus the text commands. This week, I'm going to show you Automaton, an addon that is as light as they get while providing a host of awesome functions. It's bare-bones addon day today on AddOn Spotlight! Won't you join us?
