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Steven_Draker Mentor

Steven_Draker

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obsession

əbˈsɛʃ(ə)n/

noun

  1. the state of being obsessed with someone or something.
    "she cared for him with a devotion bordering on obsession"

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deej Grand Master

+ deej

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Posted
tease

verb (used with object), teased, teasing.

 

1. to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling raillery,or other annoyance, often in sport.

 

obsession

əbˈsɛʃ(ə)n/

noun

  1. the state of being obsessed with someone or something.
    "she cared for him with a devotion bordering on obsession"

 

charade

 

noun cha·rade \shə-ˈrād, -ˈräd\

noun

 

: something that is done in order to pretend something is true when it is not really true

 

Ban

noun What happens to all participants in mutual stalking

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Steven_Draker Mentor

Steven_Draker

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Following Uber Plea, European Commission Investigates Germany’s Restrictions

uber-black_car_driver_color.jpg?w=738

 

Transportation company Uber is having a rough time in Europe. It faces many legal challenges in major European countries, including Germany. The company requested an investigation from the European Commission to see whether Germany’s restrictions on its services are legal and don’t violate the EU law, the Financial Times reports.

 

In Germany, Uber had a few problems with local governments. The service was banned in Berlin and Hamburg, and district court in Frankfurt later issued a temporary nationwide ban. But the court order was lifted a few weeks later.

 

While Uber isn’t banned in Germany, many parts of its services are hindered. In particular, Uber drivers can’t accept another ride before dropping off their passengers — this makes the service less attractive for drivers as they spend more time looking for clients and less time driving with a client in their car.

 

Uber also needs to hold a taxi operator’s license in Germany and comply with all the existing taxi laws. The company probably finds these rules too restrictive for its relatively new offering. That’s why it is trying to work the European Commission angle.

 

This is smart for a few reasons. First, the European Commission has been sympathetic to Uber in the past. Lobbying at the European level could be easier as some local governments are more averse to innovation than the European Commission.

 

Second, the European Commission has always been pro-competition and pro-free market — it has been a deregulation champion for many years. That’s why Uber and the European Commission should get along as Uber is creating more competition in the transportation industry.

 

Finally, if Uber’s lobbying effort succeeds, the company may kill two birds with one stone. Using Germany’s restrictions, Uber could get the European Commission to regulate the transportation and ride-sharing industry across Europe. The Commission is considering regulating this industry, and it would make local bans obsolete.

 

Now the challenge is that Uber doesn’t know how the Commission will regulate its activities. The company is hoping that it will protect its activities more than anything.

 

When Uber launched UberPOP in Europe, many professional drivers saw the new service as unfair competition. UberPOP was banned in Brussels, the Netherlands and France. Uber France leaders were recently taken into custody for running illegal taxi operations.

 

Following another ban in Spain, the European Court of Justice will declare whether Uber is a transportation company or a digital service. This decision is essential as the European Commission won’t be able to do much if the Court of Justice states that Uber is a transportation company. In this case, Uber will have to follow existing rules in all European countries.

 

http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/15/following-uber-plea-european-commission-investigates-germanys-restrictions/

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bigvalboy Grand Master

bigvalboy

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http://news.yahoo.com/hillary-clinton-takes-aim-uber-030142832.html;_ylt=AwrC0wyIZ6lV1GUAIU3QtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--

 

 

 

Hillary Clinton takes aim at Uber during speech on 'gig economy'

 

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/b2NGMHXb.5D6lufoVtakhg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/cnet.cbs.com/7880884415e03b430a49b846ec0f0dbb

 

 

Hillary Clinton isn't a fan of companies like Uber. James Martin/CNET

 

The topic of job creation has long been a staple of US presidential elections, but some jobs born out of today's on-demand economy have raised the concern of at least one candidate.

In comments aimed squarely at companies like Uber, Hillary Clinton, a candidate for the Democratic party's nomination, said Monday that she would "crack down on bosses who exploit employees by misclassifying them as contractors or even steal their wages." While she didn't call out Uber by name, the ride-hailing giant has come under scrutiny for its practice of classifying drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.

 

"Many Americans are making extra money renting out a small room, designing websites, selling products they design themselves at home, or even driving their own car," Clinton said during a speech at the New School in New York City. "This on-demand, or so-called 'gig economy,' is creating exciting opportunities and unleashing innovation. But it's also raising hard questions about workplace protections and what a good job will look like in the future."

 

"Fair pay and fair scheduling, paid family leave and earned sick days, child care are essential to our competitiveness and growth," the former secretary of state said, referring to benefits not accorded to independent contractors such as drivers at Uber.

 

Uber's current classification of drivers as contractors means the company is not responsible for all sorts of costs, including Social Security, health insurance, paid sick days, gas, car maintenance and much more. If all drivers were classified as employees, Uber would have to pay for all of this, as well as manage a workforce of more than one million.

 

Uber, which provides a mobile app that lets passengers hail a ride from their smartphone, began operations in 2009 and is now the world's largest ride-hailing service, operating in more than 250 cities in 57 countries. It is also the second-highest-valued venture-backed company in the world with a valuation of $41.2 billion.

 

But legal tensions over how the San Francisco-based company classifies its drivers have increased in recent months. In March, the California Labor Commission ruled that a former Uber driver was an employee and not a contractor and ordered Uber to pay more than $4,000 in expenses and other costs for the time period she drove for ride-hailing company.

 

The ride-hailing company is being sued by three former drivers who claim they should've been classified as employees rather than independent contractors. The drivers are seeking class action status for the suit on behalf of 160,000 drivers who have worked for Uber.

 

In a motion filed last week opposing class action status, Uber argued that it's created several different service agreements and contracts for drivers, therefore it's difficult to lump all drivers into the same class. The company also included statements from 400 drivers that say they'd prefer to be classified as contractors, rather than employees.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/07/16/jeb-bush-uber-san-francisco-startup/30267877/

 

Meanwhile Bush wasted no time embracing Uber in San Francisco....

Edited by bigvalboy
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Steven_Draker Mentor

Steven_Draker

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Business travelers are now claiming more Uber rides than taxi journeys

  • Uber has overtaken taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify
  • Certify based its findings on the 28million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year
  • Business travelers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but employers still have reservations about safety and liability

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Taxis are losing business travelers to ride-hailing services like Uber, a survey shows.

 

In the three months ended in June, Uber overtook taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify. Uber accounted for 55 percent of ground transportation receipts compared with taxis at 43 percent.

 

That's a big jump from the beginning of the year. In the first quarter, Uber Technologies had 46 percent of receipts tracked by Certify compared with 53 percent for taxis.

 

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/17/02/2A9A9D1C00000578-3163324-image-a-31_1437095731836.jpg

 

 

 

'Established travel providers will need to adapt quickly or face further market share erosion to the sharing economy,' Certify CEO Robert Neveu said in a statement.

 

Certify based its finding on the 28 million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year. It does not include receipts from business travelers whose companies use other services to track expenses.

 

Uber connects travelers with various cars through its smartphone app. Some drivers work for car service companies; others spend a few hours driving their personal cars on the side for some extra money.

 

Business travelers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but employers still have reservations about safety and liability.

 

Depending on the city, Uber drivers aren't necessarily regulated by government taxi licensing authorities.

 

Both Uber and competitor Lyft insure their drivers during paid rides and also require the drivers to carry personal auto insurance that covers them the rest of the time.

 

Uber's pricing compared with traditional cabs can vary. Its UberX service, often drivers in Toyota Camrys or Honda Civics, is typically cheaper, but its high-end black cars and SUVs cost a premium.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3163324/Uber-tops-taxi-use-business-travelers-new-report-shows.html#ixzz3gBRNQQBS

Edited by Steven_Draker
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Vato Loco Collaborator

Vato Loco

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/07/16/jeb-bush-uber-san-francisco-startup/30267877/

 

Meanwhile Bush wasted no time embracing Uber in San Francisco....

 

Great story out of SF re. Jeb's Uber ride:

 

To showcase his technological smarts and enthusiasm for the new on-demand economy, Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush used the app-hailing service Uber during his visit to San Francisco.

 

But he probably wasn't too happy to learn that the pesky license plate holder was emblazoned with the words "Fresh as f---."

 

KCBS Political Reporter Doug Sovern's keen eye noticed the plate's message and shared his find on Twitter: "Political hazards of taking @Uber: the car @JebBush left @Thumbtack in today had a license plate holder that read "Fresh As F*ck."

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dutchmuch Experienced

+ dutchmuch

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I look forward to the day we can sue escorts for false advertising.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A coalition of California cab companies can sue ride-booking service Uber for advertising that it offers the safest rides on the road, suggesting to riders that taxis are the more dangerous option to get around town.

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled Friday that the cab companies could proceed with most of their case, denying in part Uber's motion to throw out the suit. The ruling handed a partial victory to the cab companies, which have for years vehemently opposed Uber and similar ride-booking companies like Lyft and Sidecar, which make smartphone apps that connect non-professional drivers with passengers. The services have rapidly become the preferred choice to traditional taxis in several cities.

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_28504884/judge-clears-way-cabs-sue-uber-over-false

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Steven_Draker Mentor

Steven_Draker

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3 reasons to cheer Uber and the sharing economy

JULY 20, 2015, 11:30 AM EDT

ap_118478885214.jpg?quality=80&w=840&h=485&crop=1

The U.S. needs to increase protections for workers, but interfering too much with freelancing could destroy its benefits.

The sharing economy, where people rent apartments, cars, boats and other assets directly from each other through the Internet, has received a lot of flak lately. Critics of companies such as Uber, Task Rabbit and the like say workers lose out on the benefits and protections that regular full-time employees at big companies enjoy, such as health insurance and retirement savings. The latest case was perhaps last week when Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton criticized the sharing economy for its sometimes poor treatment of freelancers, and Uber is currently locked in a heated battle with New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio over licenses to operate.

 

It’s true that today’s laws need to catch up to this emerging business model, but there are three big benefits to the sharing economy that could be compromised if the U.S. government tinkers too much with this arena.

 

Creates new services

There’s growing demand for services like ride sharing and short-term apartment rentals that isn’t easily met by traditional means, often due to the capital investment required. Uber has been successful because of the ubiquity of its service. The transportation company requires a massive fleet of vehicles and drivers, which could be prohibitively expensive if Uber had to supply all those cars or hire all those drivers full-time. In other words, if Uber didn’t employ the model that it currently does, it might not be able to provide the valuable service that it does.

 

That doesn’t mean the company couldn’t pay its drivers more, especially since they have to invest in their own vehicles. Uber has a mercenary attitude toward its drivers and competitors, but solutions are emerging to mitigate some of these problems, such as a startup called Breeze that rents cars to Uber and Lyft drivers to enable them to provide ride sharing services cost-effectively. Uber estimates that on average its drivers make $19 an hour, which suggests that it would take just one week of driving for someone to cover the monthly costs of a Breeze rental, according to a calculation by Billfold.

 

 

Provides workplace flexibility

While full-time employees enjoy many benefits, they can also have restrictions placed upon them; it’s an expectedquid pro quo. By contrast, a freelancer can usually set their own hours, work from home or elsewhere instead of an office, take more vacations, and do pretty much whatever they want outside of work. This is particularly important for millennials, who tend put a premium on flexibility, enjoy doing different things and dislike being tied down. According to a study by PwC, the demand for flexibility isn’t just limited to millennials, but is becoming a feature of the wider workforce.

 

The sharing economy seems tailor made for this trend. Despite its drawbacks, freelancing could well be the preferred work structure of the future. While it may be impossible to ascribe a dollar value to flexibility, it clearly has value for many since almost 34% of the U.S. population is now freelancing, according to a survey conducted by the Freelancers Union. In addition, freelance work, especially something like driving an Uber, can also sometimes be a lifeline for those who lack the credentials for more skilled jobs or need to make a living without committing too heavily to an employer so that they can pursue other passions.

 

Sharing economy jobs can be just as, or more, lucrative than full-time gigs

Contrary to what critics might say, wages under the sharing economy are not necessarily inferior to regular full-time jobs. Even though companies like Walmart WMT -0.40% and McDonalds MCD -0.01% are now increasing wages and some cities like Los Angeles have enacted a $15 an hour minimum wage, the minimum wage in most of the U.S. still remains fairly low – the federal level is $7.25 an hour and the 10 states with the highest minimum wage all have wages below $10 an hour.

 

It’s worth noting that employer-subsidized health insurance does add to full-time wages, but not enough. On average, the annual employer contribution to cover a worker and his/her family was $12,011 in 2014, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, offset by $4,823 that the employee had to pay from his/her side. This translates to net additional compensation for a full-time employee working 40 hours a week of $3.75 an hour and for someone making a base of $10 an hour, a total wage of only $13.75 an hour. By contrast, an Uber driver who makes $19 an hour can get family health coverage through Obamacare at about $570 a month, which translates to $3.60 an hour and therefore a net income of $15.40 an hour.

 

What this all means is that some full-time jobs may pay less, even taking health insurance into account, than what Uber says their average driver makes.

 

From a purely financial standpoint, then, there is little difference between the traditional economy and the new sharing economy. There is a need in the U.S. to raise wages for workers of all stripes, but whether they are full-time or freelance is mostly irrelevant.

 

http://fortune.com/2015/07/20/uber-and-the-sharing-economy/

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bigvalboy Grand Master

bigvalboy

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http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/republicans-get-ready-break-uber

 

http://www.msnbc.com/sites/msnbc/files/styles/ratio--3-2--830x553/public/h_14174473.jpg?itok=Upo13sre

 

Republicans get ready to break up with Uber

By Steve Benen

Republicans have generally been slower than Democrats to embrace new technology, but if there’s one thing the GOP loves, it’s Uber.

Here’s Politico:

Republicans love Uber. Young urban voters love Uber. And Republicans hope that means young voters can learn to love the GOP.

Car-hailing and ride-sharing services like Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and others are wildly popular among wealthy, young, tech-savvy urbanites – precisely the kind of voters that the Republican Party needs to win over to remain competitive in the long run. Those same services also just happen to be warring with government regulators in cities across the country over whether the upstarts are operating illegally as unlicensed taxi services.

And National Journal:

The Republican Party is in love with Uber, and it wants to publicly display its affection all over the Internet.

And The Hill:

Uber, Lyft and Airbnb have become mascots for a Republican Party looking to promote a new brand of free market conservatism while making inroads with young voters.

Though the companies were engineered in the Democratic bastion of Silicon Valley, Republicans seeking to promote their party as freedom-loving and tech savvy are latching on to them.

I’m afraid, however, that the love affair is poised to come to an abrupt halt. Republicans may love Uber, but Uber loves “Obamacare,” suggesting the star-crossed lovers may have to agree to see other people.

Buzzfeed ran this report over the weekend:

The CEO of Uber said Friday that Obamacare has played a crucial role for his army of drivers, an unusual, partial endorsement of the president’s signature policy from a man often cast as a hero of anti-government libertarianism.

BuzzFeed News reported in October that the new, subsidized market for health care has been a boon to companies like Uber, which are essentially digital middlemen relying on armies of independent contractors. Figures ranging from Uber drivers to Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber called the health care overhaul crucial in the emergence of the sharing economy, but Uber had remained officially silent on the subject until Friday.

Travis Kalanick, Uber’s CEO and co-founder, described the impact of the Affordable Care Act as “huge,” adding, “The democratization of those types of benefits allow people to have more flexible ways to make a living. They don’t have to be working for The Man.”

Kalanick is touching on a well-kept secret: for all the irrational disgust the right has for the ACA, the law itself is actually a boon to entrepreneurs.

As we’ve discussed before, in the United States, plenty of creative Americans with a great idea for a business have traditionally been burdened by “job lock” – they’d love to pursue the entrepreneurial dream, but they can’t give up the health care coverage that comes with the job they don’t want. For these aspiring business leaders, the Affordable Care Act means freedom – they can start a new business without fearing that their families will go without access to medical care.

It creates the awkward dynamic in which Republicans – ostensibly those who celebrate private sector risk-taking and the entrepreneurial spirit – are trying to destroy opportunities for new business start-ups.

It also serves as a reminder that when it comes to the future of health care, the more the GOP assumes that the business community is behind the repeal crusade, the more misguided Republicans are.

 

:D:D:D

 

Those that are in favor of Uber, think of themselves, and stand against American jobs and American workers with a fair and equitable shake at a fair wage, fair health benefits and a fair shake at the American dream. At some point we have to consider the greater good...Unions built a solid middle class in the Americas, one brick at a time. They bought homes, found a place for their lives to happen, raised their children, sent them on to college and solidified the back bone of this country, and believed what government told them was the truth. Not everything is the truth, not everything is easy, nor should it be, it is often hard earned. I tip my hat tonight to the good people of Broward, Monroe, and countless other communities across this country that struggle with the issue of what is fair and equitable for all parties concerned . In many respects, this Uber thing is nothing more than a blip on the radar, a brief moment in time, but make no mistake, it has the potential to redefine the American worker, and the American work place, and to redefine the landscape, and in my opinion, not for the better.

 

 

 

Perhaps we can just let the Europeans, and Asians, and all the others continents north, south, east and west have Uber, since they seem to love and embrace it...oops, well except for the French of course, God bless them... ;););)

Edited by bigvalboy
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rvwnsd Grand Master

rvwnsd

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I took my first uber ride tonight. After requesting the ride, the app told me he was hearing impaired, but would have turn-by-turn directions. He spoke little English and, thanks to bad instructions provided by uber's app, drove me to a tunnel under my hotel in downtown LA. He figured out how to get me to the front door and was very apologetic for the problem, even though it was not his fault.

 

I'm not reporting a fare problem, as the problem is not his fault and I do not want him penalized for following uber's directions. I rated him 5 stars for his good nature.

 

My first two attempts at using uber resulted in them sending me drivers whose cars smelled from pot. I cancelled the ride. Although this was an improvement, I am not ready to call myself a fan.

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Steven_Draker Mentor

Steven_Draker

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Perhaps we can just let the Europeans, and Asians, and all the others continents north, south, east and west have Uber, since they seem to love and embrace it...oops, well except for the French of course

 

Your information is erroneous.

 

Most European capitals have banned Uber ... It's tough love.

 

In other cities it operates semi-illegally awaiting Court's decision.

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