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A Beijing clothing shop has drawn the ire of locals by banning Chinese shoppers from patronizing the store. The store has cited the particularly “annoying” character of Chinese shoppers as the reason for the ban, as well as concerns over theft–both material and design.

“Chinese people can not enter (except employees),” read the sign posted in the store’s window on Albemarle Road, Chaoyang District.

The staff emphasized repeatedly to reporters, “We did not want to put up this notice, because it would make others think we look down on our own, but some Chinese customers are too much.”

When asked for an explanation, a clerk stated that the business targeted mostly foreign business, and that they did not want Chinese shoppers to enter.

The staff further explained that Chinese women often come in and try on a lot of clothes, but in the end purchase nothing, to the acrimony of the clerks.

Because the shop has limited manpower, the staff reasoned, it was difficult to gather the energy to deal with these retail business problems, so they just put up a “Chinese people can not enter” sign.

The shop owner also said that he was partially prompted by a concern over designs being copied by competitors.

A shop clerk also cited a recent instance of a Chinese customer stealing a foreigners purse–which was caught on security camera. The victim of the crime claimed that the store was associated with the pickpockets and demanded compensation to the tune of $5,000. The shop owner was distressed by this loss.

According to Chinese reporters, this is the first time people in Albemarle Road have said “no” to Chinese customers.

Legal experts have commented that the shop’s action may constitute discrimination.

China University of Political Science Professor Lixian Dong said that businesses on Albemarle Road may use soft pressure to influence their clientage. This is understandable, said Lixian, because businesses have the right to choose their own business model, but a sign that explicitly says “Chinese people can not enter” is somewhat radical and could be considered discrimination in China, although it is probably not against the law.

“If there is a ban against Chinese people, but these staff are Chinese people, why is it they can enter?” said Lixian. “Although legally the behavior of these businesses may not be illegal, from a cultural point of view this approach may not be appropriate.”

By Cheryl Bretton

Photo by Ling Han

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A new real-women’s-body inspired doll has been launched in the US. Named after its creator Nickolay Lamm, the Lammily doll is a 11” tall brunette, with a fuller waste and smaller breasts than Barbie’s, thus reflecting the proportions of an average 19 year old woman. The doll can be accessorized with acne, scars, stretch marks and cellulite. Lammily is the latest of a number of dolls which have sought to challenge Barbie’s 50 year sovereignty on our mainstream’s ideal of beauty.

Playing with a normal looking doll may give young girls a truer sense of what normal is, improve their body image and self-esteem, their acceptance of regular occurrences such as acne and cellulite, and therefore help reduce the anxieties that the “perfection” of Barbie can engender.

The growth in eating disorders within younger girls is linked, amongst other things, to an increasing dissatisfaction with their own body image and sense of worth. And a flourishing cosmetic surgery industry involving ever younger people–see some figures here for the UK–shows that the newly born Lammily has quite a lot on her plate already. So can a doll help reverse all this?

Barbie, and now Lammily, don’t exist in a vacuum and those images beaming daily from our TV screens, celebrity magazines and selfies, posters, film and music videos, through which an idealized, unrealistic version of beauty continues to be promoted as normal, will also need to be challenged.

The ubiquity of Barbie and all it represents is of course the result of a decades-long aggressive marketing and cross marketing strategy, and a whole “Barbie infrastructure” has developed–dollhouses and accessories, games, cartoons, books, Dreamhouse Experience events, and so on.

Any rival will need to shout quite loud to be heard above all this. However it seems that newborn Lammily, the creation of which was possible thanks to crowdfunding, may already be winning the hearts of many, with some 19,000 dolls having been preordered. Are those signs of ageing on Barbie’s face?

By Annalisa Dorigo

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In April this year the EU passed a new piece of legislation aiming to halve use of thin plastic bags in the EU by 2017, compared to 2010 levels, with a further reduction target of 80% by 2019. In implementing the directive, member states are given the flexibility to decide whether to ban, tax or charge for thin plastic bags in order to achieve the targets.

The law only applies to thin, mostly single-use bags, with the ticker, sturdier plastic bags, which shops normally charge for, not currently being affected. However, a bone of contention at the moment is the use of Oxo-biodegradable bags. The issue revolves around their real versus claimed biodegradability, and therefore environmental impact, and whether they should be part of the accepted mix or just banned outright.

Oxo-biodegradable is used to describe bags made of a type of plastic containing specific oxidizing additives which cause it to fragment into tiny particles. The term however suggests that such plastic bio-degrades, when in reality it just breaks down into smaller fragments which still remain in the environment, albeit invisibly.

Some member states, notably Italy, want to see their outright ban, while others, notably Britain, are not so keen. Here such bags are marketed by UK Symphony Environmental, which says they are safe. The Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association (OPA), speaking on behalf of Symphony Environmental, claims that a proposed ban on Oxo-biodegradable plastic is the result of lobbying by an Italian company with links to the Italian government, and that such a company has a completely bio-degradable alternative on the market, which they are keen to promote.

Read more: California Bans Plastic Bags – First State to Do So

Clearly many interests are at stake here. It remains to be seen whether science will prevail in the negotiations.

In the meantime, some member states have already been proactive on this plastic bag matter for some time. In Ireland a 15 cent tax on plastic bags was introduced in 2002, and saw plastic bag usage decrease from an estimated 328 to 21 per head almost overnight. The current levy stands at 22 cent per bag, and was introduced in 2007 to bring usage down again after it had raised to 31 bags per head.

Denmark introduced a tax in 2003 on retailers giving out plastic bags, to encourage their charging customers for it, and promote reusable bags. At four bags per head per year as of 2014 (versus 466 in Portugal, Slovakia and Poland) Denmark has the lowest per head plastic bag use compared to any other country in Europe.

France also recently followed suit, with a proposed ban of all thin, single use non-biodegradable plastic bags from supermarkets from 2016, and a proposed use of thicker reusable or paper bags being debated in Parliament this year. The measure is an evolution from a previous voluntary scheme that saw the number of plastic bags distributed by supermarkets drop from 10.5bn to 700m between 2002 and 2011. If approved, the legislation could go even further with a ban on disposable plastic cutlery and crockery also, by 2020.

By Annalisa Dorigo

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The Ferguson shooting continues to incite rage and chaos as the decision for or against indictment of the police officer charged in the shooting of Michael Brown began. Police officials fear that if the jury decides in favor of the suspected police officer, this will trigger the people protesting against the alleged killing of Michael Brown to more violence in the streets of Ferguson. Missouri governor Jay Nixon has declared a state emergency, anticipating the possible reaction.

Nixon spoke on the declaration of emergency Monday and explained it as a way to facilitate ventilation of feelings and recognizing of how the people might have viewed the Ferguson shooting. Nixon revealed that the Ferguson county police department had appointed national guards that will be in charge of watching over any protest that may arise.

A number of demonstrators marched and protested against the what some alleged was a racist view of the Ferguson shooting. A number of incidents of civil unrest took place following the Ferguson shooting incident of 18-year-old Michael Brown in downtown Ferguson on August 9. More people joined the protest causing police concern. Despite assurances from US government and President Barack Obama himself, people in Ferguson remained skeptical that the shooter would be given a fair trial. The folks in Ferguson continue to think that there is a higher possibility that the grand jury will acquit suspected police officer, Darren Wilson, of the alleged crime. As people await the decision of the grand jury, which is expected to be declared this month, they have become increasingly impatient.

Institutions in downtown Ferguson are also preparing for the jury’s decision. Many schools are employing early dismissal for students for safety if any violent protest occurs. Small businesses are also employing protective mechanisms for their establishments should violence arise. Most residents feel that the possible occurrence of violent protest is owed to the fact that Wilson may be given a chance to go back to his work as a police officer if proved to be innocent of any wrongdoing in the Ferguson shooting. These possibilities weigh heavy on the minds of most protesters, and they have organized various actions that will be taken in response to such a decision by the jury.

Meanwhile, Governor Nixon said that he hoped peace would overcome any violent reactions that might come from the crowd. Although he was hoping for a peaceful protest following the jury’s decision, Nixon emphasized his obligation and the government’s in making sure that violence and fatalities would not occur. A contingency plan was therefore arranged together with other Ferguson police officials.

Although the opposing parties have each prepared for the release of the grand jury’s decision, Governor Nixon stated that no specific date has been decided for the announcement. However, St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch revealed that the grand jury was expected to make the decision later this month. Even the US justice department, which is conducting a separate investigation into the Ferguson shooting, has not yet revealed any information about the final decision of the case. No matter what happens, Governor Nixon as well as the Ferguson police department is hoping for the best resolution of the Ferguson shooting.

“My hope and expectation is that peace will prevail,” Nixon stated to press Monday.

By Evelyn Mae A. Rosales

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Not just reactive concern, but also proactive measures by security management could be a face-saver for the US Secret Service.

White House security has been under the scanner for quite some time now. With the recent case of Omar Gonzalez leaping over the White House wall and reaching deep into the premises, the spate of trespassers breaching White House security has increased alarmingly. As per the official figures of the US Secret Service–which is responsible for security of the White House–as many as 6 fence-jumpers have breached the White House this year.

The US Secret Service’s role and manner of dealing with the incident has also fuelled controversy. US Secret Service director Julia Pierson, before stepping down, had ordered a probe into the way the incident was dealt with by officials. The service was drawn into the eye of the storm because of contradictory statements issued with regard to Gonzalez’s possessing arms or not. Initially, the agency denied the fact that Gonzalez was carrying a knife when he entered the White House complex, but a latter statement admitted to this fact.

Not only this. A deeper probe revealed that not only have 6 fence-jumpers breached the White House this year but there have been cases of 16 such fence-jumpers in the last 5 years. This is an alarming figure. To this, acting Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy stated that there were 30 additional instances of trespassers crossing less permanent barriers of the White House.

Though it has been argued that most such instances of fence-jumpers breaching the White House involve trespassing lower level barriers, this is definitely no excuse. Also, most cases are those of individuals who were either mentally ill, drunk or high. This also raises debate on how trespassers should be treated initially when nothing is known about their whereabouts, intent, or what they may be carrying with them.

In August 2010, an intruder breached security because he wanted to get “a better view of the White House.” Again in September 2010, another intruder claimed that he was the real Obama, and in another instance a trespasser wanted to give some music recordings CD to President Obama!

Considering these cases, there is also another side to the Secret Service officer’s story with reference to 6 fence-jumpers breaching the White House this year: that regarding human rights violations. Had officers shot Gonzalez before knowing his whereabouts, the Secret Service would have found themselves in another maze of controversies for violating basic human rights.

Considering this, a strong security net and pro-active measures are more necessary than mere debates on reactive measures of the Secret Service officers to curb cases of breach of the White House.

Opinion by Madhumiitaa Gaanguly Srivastava

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Five months after US President Barack Obama stated that America would not send troops to fight the Islamic State in Iraq, the president has approved a plan to double the number of US boots on the ground, and has asked Congress to fund it.

“We can’t do it for them,” said Obama in June, ruling out sending US combat troops into Iraq. “We’re not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while we’re there we’re keeping a lid on things, and after enormous sacrifices by us, after we’re not there, people start acting in ways that are not conducive to the long-term stability and prosperity of the country.”

Last week, Obama approved a plan to double US troops in Iraq to 3,100, asking Congress for an additional $5 billion to fund the mission. After one month of almost daily US airstrikes against IS militants, Obama continues to state that the “American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission.”

The White House maintains that their actions in Iraq are to “degrade and destroy” IS, and forces sent are aid to Iraqi and Kurdish forces–which are fighting IS. The new troops will also not be used in a combat role, according to the Pentagon.

However, no additional troops will be sent to Iraq if Congress does not authorize the $5 billion dollar expense, the White House has said.

US troops in Iraq are currently training Iraqi forces, but this training is expected to take around a year. If Congress approves the bill, it will take three months to select training sites, and the regimen will last six to seven months. The Iraqi forces will continue to fight IS throughout the training.

By Eli Ramos

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[BRIEF] According to an autopsy report released Friday, Christopher Dorner, the fugitive ex-police officer who killed several people in February, 2013, was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. The autopsy report is being offered as official confirmation that Dorner killed himself as he was under siege by a massive police force that had surrounded the Big Bear cabin in which Dorner was hiding out, and which was on fire at the time of Dorner’s death.

Dorner began a series of killings Feb. 6, motivated by vengeance against the LA Police Department for what Dorner perceived to be unjust treatment within the force.

Dorner had been fired by the LAPD under circumstances that included Dorner’s bringing of complaints against fellow officers for undue use of force against civilians during arrests.

Dorner detailed his motives in a lengthy manifesto.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

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The governor of California has signed the first statewide plastic bag ban in the US. Single-use plastic bags will be prohibited at grocery and convenience stores.

“This bill is a step in the right direction—it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself,” said California Gov. Jerry Brown. “We’re the first to ban these bags, and we won’t be the last.”

Gov. Brown signed bill SB270 Tuesday–the first statewide ban in the US. Over 100 cities and counties throughout California already have local bans, however.

Plastic bags will be phased out of use at convenience stores, grocery stores and supermarkets next summer, when the bill is scheduled to take effect. The bill also allows stores to charge over 10 cents for using paper bags.

However, the fees will be waved for customers who are on public assistance. Lawmakers felt that SB270 would penalize lower-income Californians by charging for bags that were previously free. Use of the proceeds from the fees will also be regulated under the new law.

The bill will not apply to bags used for fruit, vegetables or meats, or to bags used at other retailers.

The bill is being opposed by a national coalition of plastic bag manufacturers. The coalition, proceeding under their trade group, the American Progressive Bag Alliance, is running a campaign characterizing the ban as a cash-giveaway to grocers that will cause thousands of job losses. They are calling for a referendum on the matter.

Other states are also banning single-use plastic bags. Hawaii is expected to follow California with a state-wide ban–all Hawaii’s counties have already approved prohibitions. Local bans have also been implemented in Chicago, Austin, Seattle and other US cities, and legislation is pending in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.

By Sid Douglas

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In the ATO zone in eastern Ukraine, the total Russian dead and wounded currently sits at 10,00, according to the Ukrainian Information Centre of the National Security and Defence Council. Andriy Lisenko, a spokesman for the organization, referred to the information gathered through operational intelligence in statement in the September 12 briefing of the Information Center of NSDC on developments in Ukraine.

The Russian troops killed had served in 18 detachments of the Russian army, and came from 10 regions, according to Lisenko.

“The situation in the ATO is tense during the day. The ceasefire was preserved in general, but there were several cases where it was violated,” Lisenko said of the current peace agreement, and made references to several specific incidents.

In addition to the Russian casualties, since the fighting broke out in the ATO 873 Ukrainian fighters have died and 3275 have been wounded, Lisenko said.

Russian authorities responded to the figures claimed by Ukraine Friday, calling them “nonsense.”

“The Russian Military Department considers ‘nonsense’ the statement by Andrey Lysenko, who said, citing data from ‘operational intelligence’ that thousands of Russian troops died on the territory of Ukraine,” the Russian Defense Ministry’s official representative, Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement.

Also Friday, the US imposed new sanctions against Russia, including new VISA bans and asset freezes. The new sanctions also blocked support or technology for Arctic and offshore exploration by five Russian energy firms: Gazprom, Lukoil, Rosneft, Surgutneftegaz and Transneft.

“Given Russia’s direct military intervention and blatant efforts to destabilise Ukraine, we have deepened our sanctions against Russia today, in concert with our European allies,” said US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who for past months denied that any Russian soldiers were fighting in Ukraine, commented on the new sanctions, “I don’t even understand what these latest sanctions are about. Maybe someone is unhappy that the process is taking a peaceful path.”

NATO said that Russia currently has about 1,000 armed troops in eastern Ukraine and about 20,000 more soldiers and much military equipment amassed near the border.

Putin last week admitted that there were Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, but said that those fighting were “volunteers.”

Family members of Russian soldiers, such as those unified under the influential group Soldiers’ Mothers, have made assertions that Russia was paying soldiers to fight in Ukraine, and that Russian soldiers were being sent to fight an “undeclared war” in Ukraine, while family members could not obtain information as to where their wounded and killed sons were returning from.

Read more: Head of Russian Soldiers’ Mothers Group Denounces Putin for Sending Soldiers to “the Bloody Battlefields” in Undeclared War

Poroshenko said of the recent agreement by the EU and Ukrainian parliament for simultaneous ratification of an association agreement, “Never was such a decision approved in such a short term.” The simultaneous ratification is set to take place Sept. 16.

Meanwhile, Russia has prepared a second “humanitarian convoy” of white freight trucks, which is currently positioned on the Russian side of the border.

Lisenko also made mention of a recent statement by Poroshenko referring to Ukraine and Europe, that there was a need in the world “to develop a new security strategy in the world.”

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Russian lawmakers are suing Ukraine in an international court for approximately $1 billion–an amount lawmakers feel is reasonable compensation for the suffering caused to Russian citizens.

Lawmakers of Russia’s Duma have asked Russia’s Investigative Committee to supply material evidence on Ukraine’s shelling of Russia’s Rostov region. The lawmakers plan to also use evidence gathered from local residents of Rostov in their suit, reportedly.

Lawmaker Roman Khudyakov (LDPR) said that he believed the sum was fair compensation for the suffering caused to Russian citizens. Khudyakov factored the number of Russian victims into the calculation.

“More than once has our territory been shelled,” stated Khudyakov. “People have been killed and wounded, and many Russians have suffered damage to their property. The neighboring nation must be brought to justice for these crimes, and the international community ought to provide an assessment of [Ukraine’s] actions. We believe that the shelling was deliberate.

The foreign ministry has expressed criticism about the shelling of Russian territory in the past, and demanded that the actions cease.

By Day Blakely Donaldson

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The Postal Service recently reported a $2 billion loss in the third quarter of fiscal 2014. While this loss has provided evidence for people who advocate downsizing USPS further, there are other numbers outside of the media spotlight that show a more complicated matter.

The design that USPS is directly reporting to Congress is the root reason for its grievous financial condition and its inability to get its books out of the red. Although technological advancements have reduced the traditional mail volume over the years, the Postal Service was in very healthy financial shape back in 2006 and therefore attributing the decline fully to the internet may not convince all. In 2006, Congress and the White House passed a law that forced the USPS to prefund retiree health benefits for all its employees in the next 75 years by 2017. As the only federal agency burdened with such an obligation, USPS has started its decline since then.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2014 the Postal Service made $10 million in operating profit, and the loss of $2 billion only appeared after fulfilling its prefund obligation as required by the 2006 law. The loss was $750 million for the same period of last year. Since the beginning of fiscal 2014, USPS has made more than $1 billion in profit but ended up with a net loss of $3.7 billion.

USPS’ efforts to diversify services have been greatly limited by Congress, which has insisted that the service not compete directly with private companies. In 2000, USPS began operating a secure system that would have allowed it to remain the primary conduit for most American’s monthly payments. But the Internet industry objected, and Congress successfully pressured the USPS to abandon it.

The same pattern has repeated several times over the last decade, with the Postal Service identifying a way to cope with the decline of traditional mail, only to have companies–and ultimately Congress–object. Even as companies like FedEx and UPS have encroached on the Postal Service’s turf, Congress still placed limitations on its direct competition.

As a result, USPS has failed to expand its service to banking, insurance, retailing, etc. which are routinely offered in a post office in Europe or Asia. Rounds of bills aiming at saving the Postal Service have been debated and voted. Many mail processing centers and post offices were closed. But cutting service alone, without increasing revenue, will not solve the financial troubles. And revenue increase is not possible when Congress refuses to grant USPS the freedom and flexibility.

In the latest report from the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General proposed that the USPS offer expanded financial services–including bill payments, prepaid cards, and small-dollar loans. Financial service is not new to USPS. From 1911 to 1967 it offered savings accounts; today it provides more domestic paper money orders than any other sources.

The proposed service of small-dollar loans has the potential to save millions or billions of dollars for under banked Americans. One quarter of Americans are unbanked or under banked. Under banked people have regular banking accounts but also use payday lenders for brief and low amount loans.

It is expensive to use the payday loan service. The average under banked Americans earn about 25,000 per year, but pays 9.5 percent of that in interests and fees for this service. It is not unusual for payday loans to have an annual interest rate over 800 percent.

On August 10th, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO exposed the profitability of the payday lending industry and the difficulties to regulate it for consumer protection. Aside from the high interests for people who cannot pay back the loan soon, high hidden fees sometimes can plague people who can.

Aware of these issues, many states attempt to regulate the interest rates and fees the industry can charge. Even in states that overcame the pressure from the industry to have strict rules, such as Kansas, the industry avoided the rules by changing names, changing business registration categories, etc.

Consumers are not blind to the pitfalls of payday loan but they still need the financial relief this service can offer. If Congress allows USPS to offer similar service that charges a reasonable fee, consumers in need could rejoice.

In the world, the traditional mail delivery declined 20 percent over the last decade, but postal financial service increased 28 percent over the same period. Three out of four postal operators worldwide offer financial service and one billion people in 50 countries use them.

USPS still has the second most civilian employees in US (after Walmart) and its number of offices rivals that of Walmart, McDonald’s and Starbucks combined. With such giant infrastructure presences, limiting it to the mail delivery service is unconvincingly wasteful.

Opinion by Tina Zhang

Sources:

Federal Times
The Economist
The Pew Charitable Trusts
The New York Times