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Publisher's Message Ferguson, Missouri: A Casualty of Inequality in America!
W
hether viewed from race, income, social status, wealth or health inequalities, there is a disparaging gap between white and black in America. By every major statistical measurement, over the past 30 years inequality is growing markedly. Today, when viewed by the street protestors in Ferguson Missouri, inequality is a mounting social problem that has a tremendous price to pay on inclusive American prosperity. Although the racial gap in median income has closed slightly, non-white families only earn about half of what white families earn. This gap runs much wider when assets are measured by wealth, as white families claim about six times the net worth of non-white families, a gap that has changed little over the past generation. There is an unequal distribution of assets within the United States, and it is a terrible fact that our wealth disparity between rich and poor is the worst of any other major developed nation in the world. Ferguson, MO is an outcry of help and it clearly demonstrates that there is a socioeconomic disaster stemming from inequality. While “Occupy Wall Street” and the “99%” movements are no longer garnering media attention from a year or so ago, the elements of inequality are more prevalent today than then. In view of that, it is understandable why black business owners have to consistently work harder than white entrepreneurs to not be marginalized or under-represented as part of the U.S. economy.
Black Business News Group P.O. Box 43159 Los Angeles, CA 90043 USA 323-291-7819 Fax: 323-298-5064
www.blackbusinessnews.net PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Sarah Harris Dean L. Jones
ENTREPRENEUR EDITOR Kim Anthony
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Belinda Foster
PRODUCTION MANAGER Narishima Osei
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LaSandra Stratton Dean Jones Linda Ware
GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Harris Phallu Morgan
STORY EDITORS Wanda Flagg Jennifer Marie Hamilton
PHOTOGRAPHY Ian Foxx Sabir Narishima Osei
CONTENT ADMINISTRATOR La Sandra Stratton
LAYOUT/TYPESETTING Lion Communications Copyright © 2014 by Black Business News All Rights Reserved.
Ferguson is a city that had massive demographic change (rapid white flight) and it takes years for any police agency to develop new trust with a new community. According to the 2010 census, Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, with a population of 21,203 and 14,842 (70%) are black. The police department has 53 patrol officers and only 3 of them are recorded with black racial heritage.
The posting of stories, commentaries, reports, documents and links (embedded or otherwise) on this site does not in any way, shape or form, implied or otherwise, necessarily express or suggest endorsement or support of any of such posted material or parts therein.
see Publisher's Message on page 24
3 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
About ABOUT THE BLACK BUSINESS NEWS GROUP… The mission of The Black Business News is to inspire and inform public and private sector industry representatives on the importance of smart small business growth. As a versatile source of socioeconomic development activity news, the publications of the Black Business News Group impart current local, national and international industry and social trends and news affecting small businesses across the United States of America (USA), providing guides to greater access to financial capital, management efficiencies, business education, mentorship opportunities and social media networks. The goals of the Black Business News Group include: •
promoting USA-based black-owned business enterprises to a world wide audience.
•
offering business growth enhancing information on education, exhibitioning, international trading, technology, industry trends, and more.
•
exploring major public and private sector contracting methods to educate black-owned and operated enterprises.
•
gproviding an affirmative influence for emerging entrepreneurs by sharing innovative de-sign and creative cultural content that expos-es them to the history of black enterprisess and urges them to participate in the USA’s future.
•
advocating and promoting on behalf of black-owned businesses by promoting the need for expanding an economic foundation that supports an unfettered and selfsustained urban society with USA job creation and economic opportunity, where blacks work, live and operate viable businesss enterprises.
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2014 BBA Events
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Contents
BLACK BUSINESS NEWS…AUGUST 2014 GOVERNMENT… 10
8 10 17 20 22
VA Resources Bill Signed US-Africa Leaders Summit Build America The Ferguson, MO Situation SBA Reaches Contracting Goal
ENTERTAINMENT… 28
BNN Show Biz Buzz
BUSINESS… 32 34 42 48 54
Marketing Lessions from Dr. Dre Highlight: 3D Printing on the Rise Africa Re-brand in Progress Get a New Domain Name for Your Business, Product or Service Business Loans Available From PayPal
COLUMNS
3 - Publisher's Message 62 - Take A Look! 104 - Books to Consider... 106 - Calendar 108- Resources SPONSORS 6 - Black Business Association
SPECIAL SECTION… 89
Shopping Gallery Cover image - Phallu Morgan
EDITORIAL… 26
74
There's a Ferguson Near You
PUBLIC INTEREST/COMMUNITY… 67 70
First Ladies at U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Educate Yourself at Home
INTERNATIONAL… 76 78
Southwest Airlines Upcycles Unneeded Leather $5 billion Investment in Energy Infrastructure Launched
5 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
President Obama Signs Bill to Give the VA the Resources It Needs by Cameron Brenchley
President Barack Obama signs H.R. 3230, the Veterans' Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, at Fort Belvoir, Va. The bill provides the Department of Veterans Affairs the resources to improve access and quality of care for veterans. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
E
arlier today, President Obama traveled to Fort Belvoir, Virginia to sign a reform bill giving the Department of Veterans Affairs the necessary resources to improve access and quality of care for the men and women who have served our country in uniform. In remarks before the bill signing, President Obama addressed the misconduct that has taken place at some VA facilities across the country — veterans being denied
the care they need, or long wait times being covered up. "This is wrong," the President emphasized. "It was outrageous. And working together, we set out to fix it and do right by our veterans across the board, no matter how long it took." We’ve already taken the first steps to change the way the VA does business. We’ve held people accountable for misconduct. Some have already been relieved of their duties, and investigations
are ongoing. We’ve reached out to more than 215,000 veterans so far to make sure that we’re getting them off wait lists and into clinics both inside and outside the VA system. We’re moving ahead with urgent reforms, including stronger management and leadership and oversight. And we’re instituting a critical culture of accountability -- rebuilding our leadership team,
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starting at the top with Secretary McDonald. And one of his first acts is that he’s directed all VA health care facilities to hold town halls to hear directly from the veterans that they serve to make sure that we’re hearing honest assessments about what’s going on. The VA reform bill -- officially the Veterans’ Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 -- passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, and will expand survivor benefits and educational opportunities and improve care for victims of sexual assault and veterans struggling with traumatic brain injuries. But the main focus of the new law is to ensure that veterans have access to the care they’ve earned. The President outlined three important areas the law will address: 1. Giving the VA the resources it needs: It will help the VA hire more doctors and more nurses and staff more clinics. As a new generation of veterans returns home from war and transitions into civilian life, we have to make sure the VA system can keep pace with that new demand.
Keep in mind that I have increased funding for the VA since I came into office by extraordinary amounts. But we also have extraordinary numbers of veterans coming home. And so the demand, even though we’ve increased the VA budget, is still higher than the resources that we’ve got. This bill helps to address that. 2. Ensuring timely care: For veterans who can’t get timely care through the VA, this bill will help them get the care they need someplace else. And this is particularly important for veterans who are in more remote areas, in rural areas. If you live more than 40 miles from a VA facility, or if VA doctors can’t see you within a reasonable amount of time, you’ll have the chance to see a doctor outside the VA system. 3. Holding people accountable: We’re giving the VA Secretary more authority to hold people accountable. We’ve got to give [Secretary McDonald] the authority so that he can move quickly to remove senior executives who fail to meet the standards of conduct and competence that the American people demand. If you engage in an unethical practice, if you cover up a serious problem, you should be fired. Period. It shouldn’t be that difficult. And if you blow the
whistle on an unethical practice, or bring a problem to the attention of higher-ups, you should be thanked. You should be protected for doing the right thing. You shouldn’t be ignored, and you certainly shouldn’t be punished. The President noted, however, that while this law is focused on immediate needs to reform the VA, we can’t lose sight of the long-term goals of our service members and our veterans: The good news is, we’ve cut the disability claims backlog by more than half. But let’s now eliminate the backlog. Let’s get rid of it. The good news is, we’ve poured major resources into improving mental health care. But now, let’s make sure our veterans actually get the care they need when they need it. The good news is, we’ve helped to get thousands of homeless veterans off the street, made an unprecedented effort to end veterans’ homelessness. We should have zero tolerance for that. But we’ve got to -- still more work to do in cities and towns across America to get more veterans into the homes they deserve. We’ve helped more than a million veterans and their spouses and children go to college through the post-9/11 GI bill. But now, we’ve got to help even more of them earn their educations, and make sure that they’re getting a good bargain in the schools they enroll in. We’ve rallied companies to hire hundreds of thousands of veterans and their spouses. That’s the good news. With the help of Jill Biden and Michelle Obama -- two pretty capable women…But now, we’ve got to help more of our highly skilled veterans find careers in this new economy.
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/07/remarks-president-signing-veterans-access-choice-and-accountability-act
9 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
I
n August 2014 President Obama welcomed leaders from across the African continent to the Nation’s Capital for a three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the first such event of its kind. This Summit, the largest event any U.S. President has held with African heads of state and government, will build on the President’s trip to Africa in the summer of 2013 and it will strengthen ties between the United States and one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing regions. Specifically, the August 4-6 Summit will advance the Administration’s focus on trade and investment in Africa and highlight America’s commitment to Africa’s security, its democratic development, and its people. At the same time, it will highlight the depth and breadth of the United States’ commitment to the African continent, advance our shared priorities and enable discussion of concrete ideas to deepen the partnership. At its core, this Summit is about fostering stronger ties between the United States and Africa. During the Summit, the President announced a series of steps that the U.S. is taking to boost our economic ties with Africa: 1. The President called on Congress to renew and enhance the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA). Both sides — Republicans and Democrats — have said that they want to move forward, so he prodded Congress once more to ensure that they get this done before AGOA expires. 2. As part of the "Doing Business in Africa" campaign, the President announced an additional $7 billion in new financing to promote American exports in Africa. Earlier today, he signed an executive order to create a new President's Advisory Council of business leaders to think about new and creative ways we can promote economic growth and job creation in the United States and Africa. 3. We will continue to partner with Africa to build the necessary infrastructure for a flourishing economy. A powerful example of this commitment is illustrated by the Power Africa initiative that the President announced last year in Africa, to help bring electricity to 20 million African homes and businesses. The initiative has already been so successful that today, the President tripled that goal, aiming to bring electricity to more than 60 million homes and business, with a total commitment of more than $26 billion to Power Africa. 4.The United States is going to continue to help see US-Africa Leaders Summit on page 13
10 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
US-Africa Leaders Summit Group Picture
Presidents and their delegations from South Sudan and South Africa participating in the US-Africa Leaders Summit Business Forum
Front row, (L), Gabonese President Ali President Yahya Jammeh and Ghanaian Mahama. Back row, (L), Seychelles President Sierra Leone Foreign Minister Samura Kam
Getty Im
U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit www.whitehouse.gov/us-africa-leaders-summit
Climate Change Makes Sustainable Development Crucial to Africa www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/08/05/us-africa-leaders-summit-climate-change-makes-sustainable-development-crucial-africa
U.S.-Africa Business Forum www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/08/05/us-africa-leaders-summit-climate-change-makes-sustainable-development-crucial-africa
President Obama Speaks at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/08/05/president-obama-speaks-us-africa-business-forum
President Obama Speaks at the U.S.-Africa Summit Dinner http://news.msn.com/videos?videoid=16de5290-c5ff-4c27-dcb5-59dafb7ea54c&ap=true&ocid=OutP&from=OutP&FORM=BWVOLC
12 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Bongo, Gambian n President John James Alix Michel, mara. Somodevilla/
mages)
President Obama is interviewed by Takunda Chingonzo, a 21-year-old entrepreneur from Zimbabwe.
Cameroon
President Paul Biya and his wife Chantal arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Cliff Owen/AP
US-Africa Leaders Summit
from page 10
more Africans trade with each other — because, as the President noted, "the markets with the greatest potential are often the countries right next door." 5. We will continue to empower the next generation of Africa and business leaders, through programs like the Mandela Washington Fellowship, which brought 500 young African leaders to Washington last week. There's an underlying theme to all of these partnerships: The United States is committed to making substantial and long-term investments in Africa's future. Altogether — across government and private-sector partnerships — the commitments made today total some $33 billion. Use the links on page 14 to gather more information on the Summit and the business and service opportunities announced. Don't miss this opportunity.
President of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete (L) and President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama (R) participate in the Civil Society Forum at the USAfrica Leaders Summit in Washington DC, USA. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS
President Obama comments during US-Africa Leaders Summit
Tent on White House lawn is site of US-Africa Leaders Summit Dinner
Cameroon's Pr arrive for Summ
Dr. Rajiv Shah shares panel with Liberia's representative and AU leader Madam DlaminiZuma
resident Biya and First Lady Chantal mit Dinner
President Obama offers a toast during the US-Africa Leaders Summit Dinner
Build America
P
resident Barack Obama announced a government-wide initiative to increase infrastructure investment and economic growth by engaging with state and local governments and private sector investors to encourage collaboration, expand the market for public-private partnerships (PPPs) and put federal credit programs to greater use. Starting with the transportation sector, this initiative will harness the potential of private capital to complement government funding. A major part of the initiative is the new Build America Transportation Investment Center (www.dot.gov// buildamerica) at the Department of Transportation. This center will serve as a one-stop shop for state and local governments, public and private developers and investors seeking to utilize innovative financing strategies for transportation infrastructure projects. Through this website and hands-on support, advice, and expertise, the center provides navigator services for all types of projects and project sponsors. The center is housed within the Office of the Secretary, and draws from expertise from across DOT’s operating
administrations.
How to Use the Transportation Investment Center • Education*: Learn more about transportation funding and financing including grants, credit and loan programs, and bonds. • Technical Assistance*: Access helpful toolkits and training materials in innovative financing techniques. • Project Delivery*: Fulfilling environmental review requirements; cutting through red tape; and achieving timely decisions. • Innovative Policies*: Learn about the provisions proposed in the GROW AMERICA Act, as well as State-level policies and programs that enable private financing.
More Information Access more information on the Build America initiative to increase infrastructure investment: • White House Fact Sheet about Build America • Presidential Memorandum about Build America
www.dot.gov//buildamerica www.dot.gov/buildamerica/education-financing-options www.dot.gov/buildamerica/technical-assistance www.dot.gov/buildamerica/project-delivery www.dot.gov/buildamerica/innovation-policy www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/07/17/fact-sheet-building-21st-century-infrastructure-increasing-public-and-pr www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/07/17/presidential-memorandum-expanding-public-private-collaboration-infrastru
17 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
President Obama's Update on the Situation in Ferguson, Missouri by David Hudson
President Barack Obama talks with Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the situation in Ferguson, Missouri, in Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
T
he President acknowledged that many Americans have been "deeply disturbed" by the images of police clashing with protestors -- adding that we should all "take a step back, and think about how we're going to move forward." I received a thorough update on the situation from Attorney General Eric Holder, who has been following it and been in communication with
his team. I’ve already tasked the Department of Justice and the FBI to independently investigate the death of Michael Brown, along with local officials on the ground. The Department of Justice is also consulting with local authorities about ways that they can maintain public safety without restricting the right of peaceful protest and while avoiding unnecessary escalation. I made clear to the Attorney General
that we should do what is necessary to help determine exactly what happened, and to see that justice is done. I also spoke with Governor Jay Nixon of Missouri. I expressed my concern over the violent turn that events have taken on the ground, and underscored that now is the time for all of us to reflect on what’s happened, and to find a way to come together going forward. He is
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a good man and a fine governor, and I’m confident that, working together, he is going to be able to communicate his desire to make sure that justice is done and his desire to make sure that public safety is maintained in an appropriate way. Of course, it’s important to remember how this started. We lost a young man, Michael Brown, in heartbreaking and tragic circumstances. He was 18 years old. His family will never hold Michael in their arms again. And when something like this happens, the local authorities –- including the police -– have a responsibility to be open and transparent about how they are investigating that death, and how they are protecting the people in their communities. "There is never an excuse for violence against police, or for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or looting, however, there’s also no excuse for police to use excessive force against peaceful protests, or to throw protestors in jail for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights." Here, in the United States of America, police should not be bullying or arresting journalists who are just trying to do their jobs and report to the American people on what they see on the ground. Put simply, we all need to hold ourselves to a high standard, particularly those of us in positions of authority. "I know that emotions are raw right now in Ferguson, and there are certainly passionate differences about what has happened." He added that even though there will be differences in both the accounts of how this event occurred, as well as what needs to happen going forward, we should still "remember that we're all part of one American family." We are united in common values, and that includes belief in equality under the law; a basic respect for public order and the right to peaceful public protest; a reverence for the dignity of every single man, woman and child among us; and the need for accountability when it comes to our government. "Now is the time for healing. Now is the time for peace and calm on the streets of Ferguson. Now is the time for an open and transparent process to see that justice is done." The President has directed the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney on the scene in Ferguson to continue working with local officials to "move that process forward." They will be reporting back to the President about what’s being done to make sure that happens.
Make Sure You're in the President's Loop. You can receive "The Daily Snapshot" which has everything you need to know about a given day at the White House. That means: • Photos of the day • The President Daily Schedule • The Vice-President's Daily Schedule • Important policy updates Recipients of the Daily Snapshot will also receive periodic updates from President Obama and other senior Administration officials. Register at: www.whitehouse.gov/daily-snapshot
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/08/14/president-givesupdate-iraq-and-situation-ferguson-missouri Read companion stories on pages 3 and 26
21 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Government
Obama Administration Achieves 2013 Small Business Federal Procurement Contracting Goal
T
he U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced that the federal government reached its small business federal contracting goal for the first time in eight years, awarding 23.39% in federal contracts to small businesses totaling $83.1 billion of eligible contracting dollars. SBA Administrator Maria ContrerasSweet made the announcement at a press conference held at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, D-Md. “When we hit our small business procurement target, it’s a win. Small businesses get the revenue they need to grow and create jobs, and the federal government gets the chance to work with some of the most responsive, innovative and nimble companies in the U.S. while the economy grows,” said
SBA Administrator Maria ContrerasSweet. “Thanks to the President’s leadership and a team effort among all federal agencies, we were able to meet this goal.” Performance in four out of five of the small business prime contracting categories showed significant Maria Contreras-Sweet, SBA Administrator improvement, with increases in performance against statutory goals. While contract dollars have gone down in all categories as a result of overall reduced federal spending, small businesses still secured a greater percentage of the contracting dollars. The SBA has worked with federal agencies to expand opportunities for small businesses to compete for and win federal contracts. Alongside the announcement, Charles Bolden, NASA the SBA released the FY 2013 Administrator Small Business P r o c u r e m e n t agencies receiving an A or A+. Scorecard, which Overall, the federal government provides an received an “A” on the governmentassessment of each wide Scorecard. The individual agency scorecards federal agency’s released by the SBA, as well as a yearly small business contracting detailed explanation of the scorecard achievement against methodology, are available online at its goal with 20 http://go.usa.gov/Nxxd.
https://col129.mail.live.com/default.aspx?tid=cmptGXaoQZ5BGTaAAjfeQYEg2&fid=flinbox#tid=cmGv4atuoZ5BG4YAAjfeSdJA2&fid=flinbox www.sba.gov/news
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Publisher's Message Ferguson, Missouri: A Casualty of Inequality in America! One of the fundamental objectives of the BBA is to work in bringing together major corporations and black entrepreneurs to help minimize the trouble that can arise from institutional inclusivity lags as those in Ferguson. This is where controlling institutions do not look like nor aspire to collaborate with
of progress. Look at the multi-billion dollar mergers and acquisitions that consume profits over the welfare of people without diverse and inclusive capacity building processes. The idea that we are a free enterprise nation exists only for the American
main response to their challenges is either prison or unaffordable child support, regardless of their lack of access to real opportunities. This is a costly price we are paying from practicing inequality. Black-owned business enterprises are vital to the American economic landscape, especially for contracting performance and job retention which is what is sorely needed in Ferguson. Although there are roughly 1.9 million black-owned businesses actively operating in
the evolving communities that they serve, which, when untreated, can amass some serious challenges. Ferguson has multiple problems, and one is represented by a pattern
in crowd. A reason why problems like Ferguson are becoming magnified with our American youth, particularly our males, where our
the USA, the total gross domestic product of these firms was recorded last year at $139 billion, barely registering against the value placed
from page 24
of black isolation or exclusion from real opportunities and divided from the broader American picture
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Hon. Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General with Captain Ron Johnson, Missouri State Police on the frequent white-to-white American business mergers and acquisitions. Ownership of businesses by blacks in Ferguson is nearly nonexisted, thus leading to a feeling of exclusion. So when rioting and looting erupted, it appears blacks have zero stake or vested interest in the business community, the heart of a society. America’s current level of income inequality is at historic levels
not seen since before the Great Depression of 1930’s. In the boom years before the financial crisis brought on with the 2008 mortgage meltdown, the top 1% seized more than 65% of the gain in the total national income. And while GDP grew, most citizens, particularly black folk, saw their standards of living eroded.
What To Do, What To Do For leaders and owners of black-owned enterprises, and those individuals and stakeholders that support black commerce, we must ask ourselves what is the price of inequality in our country? For many black businesses, one effective method to address inequalities was affirmative action and set-aside programs. These actions helped our society as a whole evolve in ways that are consistent with the basic principles of fairness and equal playing field. Where small and minority businesses lack access to certain markets and decision-makers, these social program aided under-represented entities in the marketplace. Another method for black companies to address inequality in the business sector is the formation of business partnerships and alliance. Such was the case recently with Capri Capital Partners (www. capricapital.com), a black-owned
real estate and investment firm. Capri formed an alliance with TruAmerica Multifamily to acquire a newly constructed 464 unit building along Los Angeles' Wilshire Corridor - the most significant multiunit transaction in California thus far in 2014. Alliances and strategic partnerships are what the California Black Chamber of Commerce is promoting at their annual Ron Brown Business & Economic Summit, August 21-23 at the Los Angeles Marriott Hotel. On October 16h of this year, the Black Business Association (BBA) will host their Procurement Summit at the downtown Los Angeles Regency Hotel.
Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer
25 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Editorial
There is a Ferguson Near You
T
here is a Ferguson near you. Many pundits are saying that the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., has revealed troubling racial tensions in America. But the real scandal in Michael Brown’s shooting is that it reveals what we’ve already known. As conservative Republican Senator Rand Paul wrote about Ferguson: “Anyone who thinks race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country … is just not paying attention.” Ferguson is a suburb of St Louis that is two-thirds African American. Its 53-person police force has only three African Americans. Its mayor and five of six of its city council members are white. Its seven member all-white school board has just closed the school that Michael Brown graduated from. Across this country, African American parents warn their children, particularly their sons, that they have a bull’s eye on their T-shirt. They are more likely to be picked up, more likely to be arrested if stopped, more likely to be jailed if arrested, more likely to be jailed if charged. This isn’t just in Ferguson; this likely is true in the town where you live. While the investigation is not complete, what we know is that Michael Brown was unarmed.
like a military, not a police response. Police are trained to use the least force necessary. The county police in Ferguson acted like an occupying military force, responding to a threat by hitting hard and escalating, firing tear gas at residents standing on their own lawns. Police carry identity and name badges so residents can know them. Ferguson’s force was decked out in camouflage as if it were facing not outraged citizens, but foreign guerrillas. The excesses in Ferguson aren’t unique. Across this country, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon have been providing military type weapons — tanks, artillery, mortars, tear gas — and arming SWAT teams in local police forces.
Imagine if that had been your son.
No one should condone violence, whether by the police or the people. But everyone must understand the rage expressed by the residents of Ferguson. Whole sections of our
The reaction of the police in Ferguson to demonstrators looked
cities and suburbs are like kindling, needing only a spark to flame up. The urban middle class in this country has been under economic assault. In Ferguson, a middle class suburb, the poverty level now is at 22%. Homeowners have been victimized by bankers peddling fraudulent loans. Good jobs are scarce. African American unemployment remains about twice that of whites; for the young it is even higher. Their schools are underfunded. They lack affordable day care, decent public transport, adequate training and educational opportunity. When people see no way out, then an unrepresentative, discriminatory, heavily armed police force only adds to the alienation. Ferguson should lead to a review of police hiring, arming and procedures across the country. But that alone is not enough. We need a new urban initiative, a renewed focus on the poor. We need a plan for jobs, decent schools, and affordable public transport. For decades, we’ve chosen to lock people up rather than lift them up, to build first-class jails and secondclass schools. Michael Brown was a victim of that reality. The people of Ferguson have every reason to be outraged. And there is a Ferguson near you.
For decades, we’ve chosen to lock people up rather than lift them up, to build firstclass jails and second-class schools. Michael Brown was a victim of that reality.
26 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Entertainment and South America is the only way motion picture professionals in Africa can maximize their talents for social and economic relevance. Glover, newly appointed as Chairman of the AFA governing Board, is working with Africa Film By Linda Ware Academy (AFA) on a number of initiatives that will bring global focus and right partnership to the business of film making in Africa. upita Nyong'o is the new face of the French ‘’To start with I am leading a global effort to raise cosmetic and skincare company Lancôme! funding for film projects with AFA. We want to start with The 31-year-old will be Lancome's new brand two major films that will tell the real story of Africans and ambassador and star in ads launching this September. those of us in Diaspora. The films will have actors and She is already one of the stars of Miu Miu's spring/ actress and other professionals from Nigeria and other summer 2014 campaign and we're sure there are more parts of Africa with our colleagues in Hollywood, Brazil, fabulous partnerships to come. Venezuela, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobaggo. "What appealed to me about Lancôme is that they're Our film makers and writers will be able to submit their synopsis and profiles whether as Actors, Actresses, Directors and any other professional in the industry to a website that will soon be unveiled for the projects. The deadline for submission of scripts and profiles will be October 31, 2014. Members of the cast and crew for the film projects will be selected from the entries we get.’’ ‘’What this project will do for us is that we will be tapping into the huge market in these regions of the world where we have large black populations. Our actors, actresses and other people who will work on these projects will have cross-continental and global exposures working with their counterparts from these Lupita Nyong'o countries. We will have access to a global distribution network that will guarantee revenue and good returns. not dictating what beauty is." She expressed her goals That is the type of collaboration we are talking about. for the partnership, saying "hopefully it's a symbiotic www.ama-awards.com/news/danny-glover-chartsrelationship -- that I benefit from being associated with path-africa-cinema-joins-afa-board them, and they benefit from being associated with me, as well. And for the consumer at large, I think Lancôme has a range of products for every woman, and I think having me will expand people's understanding of, hopefully, what Lancôme stands for, who Lancôme is for." The Kenyan beauty is Lancôme's first-ever black ambassador. Françoise Lehmann, General Manager of Lancôme International, said the company's decision to tap Lupita was because she is "talented and committed, true to her African beauty, and showing a great curiosity and open-mindedness in her career choices."
BBN Show Biz Buzz
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http://allafrica.com/stories/201406300584.html
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ward-winning Hollywood actor Danny Glover, says that collaborating with other professionals in other big markets in the US, North America
Danny Glover
28 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Four Marketing Lessons From Beats by Dre By Gabie Boko for MarketingProfs
O
ne of the biggest stories to come out of the 2014 World Cup was the ban on Beats by Dre headphones and the brand's remarkable victory despite the apparent setback. As one of the most recognized brands in the world, Beats headphones are often seen being worn by celebrities, top athletes, and famous musicians. In the marketing world, Beats is recognized for its compelling campaigns and creative strategies. Beats consistently looks for opportunities to insert its brand, seizing moments to make a positive impression that fits perfectly into its marketplace. Getting banned typically isn't what a brand wants, but learning to turn a negative into a brand goldmine is something every company would want. Companies can learn important marketing lessons from the World Cup experience and other strategies employed by Beats.
1. Brand Authenticity Beats raised awareness and was top of mind at the World Cup simply because it was banned by FIFA. Although Sony was the official sponsor and sent free headphones to every team, players stuck with Beats. That did more for credibility and brand appeal than any official sponsorship could do. The message that Beats is a brand for sports and music lovers came across loud and clear, and it was received as authentic and
credible. The brand remained part of the conversation and got its message out in real time—without trying. The lesson here is to stick to your key message—always. If you aren't a sponsor at an even and you don't want to be one, yet you think that your audience would still benefit from your brand's presence at that event, look to reach out to them in organic ways to tell your company story. What we can learn from Beats in this instance is that not every obstacle needs to be perceived as a negative.
every athlete a pair of headphones despite not being an official sponsor. Athletes from around the world were seen with their Beats headphones when walking into the stadium during the opening ceremony. That spoke volumes about the power of imaging tied to messaging. Just because your brand is banned or prevented from spreading its message through mainstream channels does not mean your brand won't have a presence. It means there is an opportunity to get creative and to employ nontraditional marketing tactics. Find uncommon and unexpected— yet relevant—ways of talking about your brand to remain top of mind with your audience.
2. Ambush Marketing One of the most effective marketing strategies employed by Beats at the World Cup—and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London—was ambush marketing, a term used when running an ad campaign that harnesses an existing campaign's momentum without being an official sponsor. Beats used the 2014 World Cup as an opportunity to launch its biggest ad campaign with the "Game Before the Game" video, released days before the World Cup and featuring Neymar, Mario Götze, Jozy Altidore, and Chicharito. The video has more than 19 million views on YouTube. To get its message out at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Beats sent
3. Fearlessness Fearlessness has become one of the core pillars of the Beats brand and marketing strategy, according to Beats' EVP of global marketing, Omar Johnson: "Truth is the foundation of our brand—from all we do across sports, headphones and music—it is all based on truth.
www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/25654/when-being-banned-becomes-a-big-win-four-lessons-from-beats-by-dre?adref=nl072414 www.beatsbydre.com 32 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
The difference between us and other brands is we have a relentless passion to tell the truth even if it is unsavory or uncomfortable for people who don't want to hear it. This brand lives it. We want to be known for being fearless." Threats of lawsuits and possible infringement on sponsorship rules would be enough of a deterrent for most brands. However, Beats takes risks in its ad campaigns and in its real-time marketing efforts. The brand has become a disruptor in marketing, and its fearlessness and commitment to the truth continues to pay off. The lesson here is that businesses must remain dedicated to the brand's mission and values, and take advantage of opportunities when they arise for the benefit of the brand. If that means taking risks to meet a goal, take a chance in your marketing pursuits. Ask
yourself, What is the foundation of our brand? What do we want to be known for? Do we align with this mission?
4. Emotion Emotion has been the backbone and strategy of several Beats campaigns. For its "Hear What you Want" campaign, it used real stories from athletes about why they choose to wear Beats headphones in their pre-game warm ups. Among the featured athletes were Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who endures racist abuse from fans of rival teams at matches, and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who uses the headphones to escape the media's questions about his actions on the field. The ads are relevant, memorable, and capable of evoking emotion in audiences. Emotion as a part of your marketing campaign is an effective strategy for connecting with your
audience. Even if your brand or product is not emotional, look for ways to tell your story from a perspective that is relatable and will help you better connect to your customers. Beats turned a potentially negative situation into a positive one that resulted in global coverage and brand exposure, perhaps more so than if the World Cup athletes had been allowed to use the headphones. Brands should make a point to look for the positive in situations that get people talking about their brand. There are opportunities to get creative and turn obstacles into a positive and rewarding experience. So, remain authentic, take risks, think outside the box, and put emotion into your campaigns to help boost your brand and make a memorable impact. Goal!
33 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
MakerBot 3D Printers Go On Sale at The Home Depot By Natalie Gagliordi for Between the Lines
A pilot will give potential users in California, Illinois and New York a closer look at MakerBot’s printing and scanning products.
H
ome improvement chain The Home Depot is making the plunge into the 3D printing with a new pilot project that brings the MakerBot Replicator to a dozen stores nationwide. The pilot marks The Home Depot's first foray into the burgeoning 3D printer space. As of the end of July, do-ityourselfers and entrepreneurs in California, Illinois and New York can get a closer look at MakerBot's printing and scanning products via merchandising displays within the
select store locations. Trained staff will be on hand to give consumers printing demonstrations and 3D printed keepsakes. The Home Depot is also making the MakerBot 3D printer line available on www.homedepot.com. By showcasing 3D printing in a DIY retail environment, the companies said they hope to educate everyone from builders, architects and contractors to designers, landscapers and general consumers on the benefits of 3D-printing technology.
Still, as altruistic as the deal claims to be, the motivations go far beyond educating the population on 3D-printer technology. By choosing an outlet like The Home Depot, MakerBot, which was acquired by Stratasys last year, is clearly trying to further its push to make 3D printers more ubiquitous in the consumer sector. As for The Home Depot, the deal gives the retailer an early foothold in a space that many predict will have revolutionary implications across industries.
www.zdnet.com/makerbot-3d-printers-go-on-sale-at-the-home-depot-7000031556/?s_cid=e232&ttag=e232&ftag=TRE6a12a91
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Business
New Business Concepts Fostered by the Promise of 3D Printing A ZDNet Special Topic*
3
D printing has recently emerged as tech's topic with the greatest expectations. It gets touted as the innovation destined to transform nearly everything, from manufacturing to medicine to entrepreneurship. Technically, 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, refers to the process of creating almost any three dimensional object with various materials such as plastic, metal, or carbon fiber. For the past three decades, 3D printers were primarily used by engineers for rapid prototyping. With the rise of low-cost 3D printers in recent years, the technology has turned into a movement and a catalyst to disrupt industries, businesses, and conventional ways of doing lots different things from buying replacement parts to designing your own custom jewelry and accessories. Not only is 3D printing quickly becoming popular with the average consumer and small business owner, and unleashing a whole movement of entrepreneurial makers, it is also changing the way big-name manufacturers like Boeing and General Electric build their products. The two companies now use 3D printers to make dozens of parts for airplanes and jet engines, for example. Desktop 3D printers are one of the fastest-growing categories on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter — and some of the most highly
funded campaigns. They are now available for purchase through
commercial retailers like Home Depot and on Amazon, and have become a fixture in hackerspaces and startup offices across the planet. In 2013, Gartner reported 49% growth of 3D printers under $100,000. It was the first time the research firm analyzed data
regarding that area of the market. For 2014, analysts predicted 75% growth. Another report, published by Allied Market Research, predicts the global 3D printing market will reach $8.6 billion by 2020. Even more recently, Gartner predicted the technology will reach mainstream adoption in both enterprise and consumer markets within ten years. The reality is that it could happen even sooner in specific markets such as manufacturing and medicine.
Still, there are still hurdles the 3D printing industry must overcome first, including things as simple as energy usage and the materials used — which is most commonly unreliable plastic — and as complex as intellectual property issues. see 3D Printing on page 36
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Business 3D Printing
printing technology since the 1980s, and academic institutions with highfrom page 35 end additive manufacturing labs like the University of Louisville in As with any exciting new Louisville, Kentucky. technology, the hype often clouds Now, both large and small-scale our judgment about where the state companies realize they can make of the industry actually lies. Before a relatively modest investment we get a desktop 3D printer that we into 3D printing technology so imagine to be a Star Trek replicator, they can prototype products, make let's step back and put it into perspective.
process by designing and printing molds. Bioprinting is also quickly becoming more popular, with companies like Organovo testing printed organ tissues. Startups in the food industry are also experimenting with the technology, testing 3D-printed meatless meat to help reduce carbon footprints for example, and using 3D printing
States of Disruption In January 2009, Bre Pettis badly wanted a 3D printer to begin making things, but he couldn't afford one. So Pettis and his team decided to make one on their own, which produced the MakerBot Replicator. "When we started, 3D printers were in academic institutions and high-end design studios. And we just thought everybody should have one — that this should be on every single desktop, and everybody should have access to a MakerBot and be able to make things they need," Pettis said. Since 1983, when Charles Hull, the cofounder and CTO of 3D Systems, invented stereolithography (SLA) printing, 3D printers have largely been out of reach for the majority of the population. Since engineers were, for the most part, the only people who utilized the computer-aided design (CAD) software that you needed to create 3D printed objects, 3D printing remained little more than a specialized tool in a highly specialized profession for its first two and a half decades. There were a few exceptions like Ford Motor Company, which has used 3D
3D Printed Mountain Bike small parts, and use alternative design technologies that were not possible previously, according to Pete Basiliere, the lead 3D printing analyst at Gartner. "3D printing frees up the engineer and creative person in the market or an organization from the shackles of the traditional technologies," he said. Manufacturing isn't the only industry benefiting from the technology. The medical industry is also rapidly growing its use — in particular, dentistry, which uses 3D printing to simplify the orthodontic
to better understand the nutritional makeup of food. No-one has figured out the precise recipe for bringing the desktop 3D printer to the masses. Part of that is because no traditional printer companies have entered the market — despite HP's grand promises. Today's major players are Stratasys, which now owns MakerBot, and 3D Systems, which sells its desktop 3D printers under the Cube brand. Both companies have built partnerships with manufacturers like BMW, Hasbro, and Hershey's to mark territory
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Business before HP enters. All this has left the market ripe for growth — which is where crowdfunding has stepped in. The machines are some of the most highly funded projects of all time • Form1, a desktop 3D printer, raised $2.9 million in 2012. • The Micro, a 7x7 desktop printer, raised $3.4 million earlier this year. • 3Doodler, a 3D printing pen, raised $2.3 million in 2013. • Buccaneer, a desktop 3D printer, raised $1.4 million in 2013. "On the consumer side of the market, it's very clear now we're talking into the hundreds of outfits
Also popular with consumers is 3D printing's open source roots. Websites like Shapeways and Thingiverse offer a place for anyone to upload and share designs, and the platforms have laid the foundation for a creative community. Shapeways' team has increased two-fold since last year, and it now makes 130,000 parts on a monthly basis. About 120,000 designs are uploaded every month by users. More than 15 materials, including various colors of plastics, metals, and precious metals like silver and gold are available to print. Shapeways currently has
3D Printed High Heels trying to provide low-cost, consumeroriented 3D printers. That in theory is good for consumers because it starts to bring 3D printers to a price that is more appealing to consumers as opposed to early adopters and hobbyists and makers," Basiliere said.
two offices: New York and the Netherlands, and CEO Peter Weijmarshausen said he plans to grow the company in the coming years. "What I'm surprised by is the creativity of our community," he said. "When you give people the
freedom to create what they want, it's completely mind blowing...give people freedom, and they will do it."
The major obstacles A major hurdle for 3D printing is the overall ecosystem, which hasn't matured yet. Although communities have sprouted up online, they're not popular or convincing enough to take the technology mainstream. And even if there are getting close to a hundred options for 3D printer models, they're not still compelling or intuitive enough for a broad enough audience to use on a regular basis. Many of the crowdfunded models will not all have viable business models, and most of them will probably disappear over the next few years. "Consumers are going to get the idea that they can buy this kind of device and find that the provider is going to be with them for a long time," Basiliere said. "Many of those companies are going to be...scrapped for funding for additional development." These desktop printers, whether they're crowdfunded or sold by major retailers, are not yet fully functional or affordable, which will hold the industry back from gaining ground in the consumer market. For instance, the smallest version of a MakerBot is the Replicator Mini, which runs at about $1,400. TechRepublic recently bought one of these for the office, set it up see 3D Printing on page 38
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Business 3D Printing from page 37
on a desk, hooked up the software, and pressed print. No dice. Turned out the software was clunky and the extruder head didn't work correctly, so we returned to Amazon and ordered a new one. That machine's drive belt was severed upon arrival and so it was unusable as well and is now on the way back for a second replacement unit. It's only one particular instance,
3D Print Ink Materials but it goes to show that 3D printing hasn't totally arrived yet. The software is still confusing and is often not compatible between makes and models; the machine itself doesn't work if you simply hit 'print'. The 3D printers also hog energy, waste plastic, and make more noise than a copy machine. "The major inhibitor in the consumer market is that [there is] no compelling application to encourage a person to buy one or
bring it into the home. If you're a hobbyist or person who has means to invest in expensive new gadgetry, certainly you'll buy. The reality is, after you've done modeling and made some gifts, you can buy the equivalent online or at a physical store," Basiliere said. But the growth of this market as a whole is far outpacing any regulations for it. On Shapeways and Thingiverse, users can design and download basically anything they want, from Star Wars characters to Google Glass accessories. Tweak, share, and sell the products — the designs are free, and right now, it's all legal (or, at least the legal ramifications are still a gray area). Weijmarshausen said Shapeways does not allow copyrighted material to be distributed on the site, but that's only one slice of the pie. No-one can control what people design and print at home, and only time will tell how companies handle this issue. Some are trying to build partnerships with 3D printing services to allow for experimentation with patents and designs in order to stay ahead of the game.
The promise of 3D printing Imagine loading a 3D design for a replacement part on your USB and taking it to a service bureau — something like Kinko's — to print it out. This is the ultimate promise of 3D printing: that one day soon, it will make things that simple. But first, 3D printing needs to be appeal to a wider audience. Even with the hype, the community is still mostly made up of makers
and hobbyists, though Basiliere said Gartner predicts there will be a compelling application for having one in the home by 2016. "It needs to be easy to use, affordable, and relevant. The marketplace on Shapeways where the designers build their own businesses and bring really cool products to market, this is how we inspire people. I think that inspiration is what will bring 3D printing to the forefront, making it much more relevant for a much broader audience," Weijmarshausen said. Service bureaus could bring this technology full circle, he added. When Shapeways started, there were 3D printing bureaus because the machines were too big to fit inside a home, but the facilities never really caught on. Since most people are still on the fence about buying their own, service bureaus could offer an attractive alternative. Recently, Amazon announced the addition of a 3D printing store on its website, where people can customize and order products. Right now, the list of goods is short, but it proves the retailer is betting that 3D printing is here to stay. It may be the start of this service bureau trend, and it may be the start of mass adoption. Time will tell. So far, it has proven difficult to predict how the world will react to 3D printing. It's opening up a new world of creativity for the average consumer, a new paradigm for manufacturing, new opportunities for entrepreneurs, and new issues for lawmakers, all of which are confusing to navigate. One thing, however, is fairly certain: 3D printing is poised to be the epitome of a disruptive technology.
www.zdnet.com/topic-3d-printing-building-the-future/?tag=nl.e099&s_cid=e099&ttag=e099&ftag=TREd8c0fa8 (video) www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS4Xw8f9LCc
38 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
TO RECEIVE COMPUTER Attend 3 Hour Boot Camp Monday – Friday 10am – 1pm 4pm – 7pm Saturday 11am – 2pm Locations: Vary – Call For Schedule Questions: Call (323)754-3116 or Email: info@laoic.org
REGISTER NOW!
https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=yi9tkndab&oeidk=a07e9f4j91wfdc585db
Business
Young Entrepreneurs Rebranding Africa
By Jonathan Ortmans, Entrepreneurship.org
P
resident Obama's recent summit with African leaders in Washington, D.C. focused as expected on investment opportunities for American businesses in the energy sector. And yet, it was clear the nature of our interface is changing forever on the continent where a new generation of African job creators and their startups are the driving phenomenon in Africa’s growth trajectory. The first-ever U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. took place on Aug. 4 – 6. It marked a change in the collaboration discourse with Africa and signaled the end of an exclusive focus on foreign aid. In fact, stories of businesses with leapfrogging technologies drove the discussions at the Summit. The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) argues the real leaders determining Africa's future and the summit itself are the continent’s young. The article points to the fact that Africa has the largest “youth bulge” in the world and
to the results from a new survey called “Global Youth Wellbeing Index”. According this study, young Africans are more optimistic than young Americans. “This youthful hope is one reason why President
Obama is playing host to nearly 50 African leaders at a summit this week in Washington,” the CSM Editorial Board expressed. It is estimated that by 2030, nearly 1 in 4 young people on the planet will be in Africa. Currently, 40% of the continent’s population is under the age of 15 (the world average is 25%). What is most interesting is that their curiosity and creativity have helped bridge the digital divide that their parents suffered as they use mobile phones to connect to the global grid of entrepreneurs, banking and more. Bringing the lens of entrepreneurship to the discussion of Africa’s economic potential at last week’s summit was
the Sudanese telecoms billionaire Mo Ibrahim, founder and chairman of the Foundation bearing his name, and Ashish Thakkar, CEO and Founder of the Mara Group. Thakkar is a serial entrepreneur who started his first venture in Uganda and become Africa’s youngest billionaire before age 30. He echoed the observation that young Africans are thirsty for entrepreneurial advice in a panel titled “Powering entrepreneurship: Innovative solutions to address energy poverty”. His philanthropic initiatives, such as the Mara Mentor
App, the Mara Women Initiative, the Mara Launchpad incubation centers, and the Mara Ad-Venture Fund all aim at combing the continent for scalable startups. Yet most Africans still live without electricity and challenges in health, education and infrastructure abound. Dr. Ibrahim told the audience in Washington last week that international investment in these areas rely upon creating stronger bonds among Africa’s 54 different countries. In this amalgamation of cultures and regimes lays the disadvantage of this continent vis-a-vis other large booming markets like India and China. For an entrepreneur seeking to expand across the continent, it means navigating 54 different regulatory systems. But entrepreneurs are already at work on this and are starting to succeed despite harsh conditions by
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Business using new technology creatively to solve both local and now non-African challenges. I have written previously about some of those success stories. Africa.co links to the partners of LIONS@ FRICA that include the U.S. State Department’s programs, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) and Microsoft among others, offering startup community events, programming and other opportunities across the continent. Platforms like vc4africa.biz bring events
like DEMO Africa (happening in September in Nigeria) and a
network of shared hubs and more for nascent entrepreneurs.
Young Africans are clearly creating the buzz that was felt in Washington last week and entrepreneurs and institutions are stepping up their engagement. Soon, with financial support from the Templeton Foundation, GEW will launch GEN Africa which will tie these and more programs together in an effort to accelerate the improvement of the entrepreneurial ecosystems in major African economies. The time is now to help those young Africans busy at work tooling, taking risks and re-branding themselves as independent innovators able to do more with much less.
http://entrepreneurship.org/Blogs/Policy-Forum-Blog/2014/August/Young-Entrepreneurs-Rebranding-Africa.aspx?utm_ source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Policy_08_11_2014 http://mara-foundation.org www.moibrahimfoundation.org www.gew.co www.demo-africa.com
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www.blackenterprise.com/events/golf-tennis-challenge
2014
www.blackenterprise.com/lists/be-100s-2014 44 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
New Generic Top Level Domains are Up For Grabs By AddMe Admin
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his year, businesses and webmasters tired of the usual .com, .net and .org domains are in luck, as domain name authority ICANN is making hundreds of new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) available to trademark holders and the general public. ICANN began releasing dozens of gTLDs back in October 2013, with over 630 planned for release throughout 2014. In total, over 1,900 gTLDs are expected to be released by 2015. For many businesses and webmasters, it means that they’ll no longer be restricted to using one of the 22 gTLDs that existed since 1985. Businesses and webmasters in search of a swanky new domain name or one that better reflects their website will now have hundreds to choose from by year’s end. In an era where search engine rankings can make or break websites, domain names hold even greater importance. According to experts, those who are presented with a page of search results find their choices swayed by domain names at least 25% of the time, with many users trusting certain reputable domain names over others when browsing relevant search results.
An In-Depth Look into the
New gTLD System According to ICANN, there are three distinct types of gTLDs to be introduced: • Closed – Restricted to companies that have purchased their own names for internal use. • Restricted – Available to applicants meeting specific criteria. For example, companies applying for a city domain name must be based in the city in question. • Open – Available to any applicant, similar to how most domains are purchased today. Many aspiring domain name owners who want to get their hands on profitable gTLDs may find that their ship has already sailed, since many top name companies have already gotten first choice, as explained in further detail below.
Sunrises and Landrushes Although the first new gTLDs are already appearing in the wild, anyone looking to get their hands on one must keep in mind two important periods – the 60-day “sunrise” period and the 30-day “landrush” period. During the sunrise period, registered trademark holders are
given first claim to domain names using the new gTLD. This period is designed to prevent opportunistic applicants from swiping well-known domain names (i.e. “Pepsi.cola”) before companies get around to registering them. Afterwards, the 30-day landrush period comes into play, where any applicant can apply for domain names that trademark holders haven’t already locked up. If two or more parties apply for the same domain name, ICANN will intervene and arrange a settlement to resolve the issue. This has already happened in the case of Google, Famous Four Media and Amazon, who’ve applied for the .play domain. If none of the parties are able to come to an agreement, the parties go to auction and the domain goes to the highest bidder. After the landrush period ends, the new gTLDs are made available to the general public on a firstcome, first-served basis, similar to how the current crop of gTLDs are assigned today. Internet users can expect to see their Internet surfing experience changed dramatically as businesses big and small start promoting the use of their new domain names.
http://newgtlds.icann.org/en www.icann.org/news/announcement-3-2014-08-01-en www.addme.com/blog/2014/02/new-generic-top-level-domains-are-up-for-grabs 48 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
49 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
How to do Business with the Asian Development Bank Forum August 7, 2014
August 8, 2014
LA Area Chamber of Commerce City Bank Building Address 4th & Flower Streets Downtown Los Angeles The U.S. Commercial Service is offering an educational/networking forum on August 7th for consultants, manufacturers, suppliers and project developers interested in business opportunities resulting from ADB lending activities and meeting with ADB experts and procurement specialists who will discuss how to track these opportunities and how ADB contracts are implemented. A second day of individualized meetings will take place on August 8th at the City Bank Building (4th & Flower St). Cost: $50.00: On-line registration only, opens on June 1st. Seating will be limited. Event Information & Registration: www.adb.org, http://export.gov/adb Sponsorship Opportunity Information: www.adb.org, http://export.gov/adb
Reminder to California Business Owners Effective, July 1, 2014. Minimum wage in California goes up to $9.00 an hour. All employees in California must be paid the minimum wage.
ADB Lending Activities Profile 22 billion annually from 2011 – 2013 U.S. Companies secured over $1.6 billion in contracts from 2009 – 2013 Cumulative procurement since 1966 exceeded $8.5 billion dollars. Bobby Hines, International Trade Specialist International Trade Administration/USDOC/DownTown Los Angeles www.export.gov bobby.hines@trade.gov TEL: 213-894-4231 FAX: 213-894-8789
Effective January 1, 2016, the minimum wage in California will be $10.00 per hour.
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The U.S. Commercial Service is proud to present this unprecedented national series of business development conferences to help U.S. companies identify and win new business in the international marketplace. Each DISCOVER GLOBAL MARKETS event will feature visiting U.S. Commercial Diplomats from the countries highlighted below:
DISCOVER GLOBAL MARKETS: Free Trade Agreement Countries Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Peru, Singapore, and South Korea Detroit - September 9-10, 2014
DISCOVER GLOBAL MARKETS: Greater China and Gateway Countries Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenyang, Singapore, Taiwan, and Mongolia New York - October 7-8, 2014
DISCOVER GLOBAL MARKETS: The Americas Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay Charlotte - October 29-31, 2014
DISCOVER GLOBAL MARKETS: Sub-Saharan Africa Angola, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania Atlanta - November 5-6, 2014
DISCOVER GLOBAL MARKETS: Healthcare & Life Sciences Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, European Union (Regulations), India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudia Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam Minneapolis - November 17-18, 2014 Contact us at any time at DiscoverGlobalMarkets@trade.gov
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Business
PayPal Offers Small Business Loans Up To $60,000 By Carolyn M. Brown
A
ccess to capital continues to be a challenge for many startups, micro enterprises and small businesses. Responding to the lending void faced by many of the merchants who use its payment system, PayPal launched a loan program in the U.S. called PayPal Working Capital. PayPal just recently expanded its Working Capital services to the U.K. Since its launch last September, more than 20,000 U.S. businesses have collectively borrowed more than $150 million in PayPal Working Capital business loans through lending partner, WebBank. An estimated 5,000 of those businesses are repeat users, having received and repaid small loan amounts, say less than $10,000. PayPal loans have proven to be beneficial to small business owners who have had trouble being approved for loans by traditional commercial banks. Because the program uses a business’s total sales and history using PayPal’s payment system, there is no credit check or extensive documentation required. The only term is that PayPal requires merchants to be generating at least $20,000 in sales revenue over a 12-month period on its payment systems at the time they apply for a loan. PayPal also will inquire about the purpose of the loan. Not surprising, most PayPal loan borrowers are using the funds for inventory, others for advertising. Borrowers can take out a loan amount that is up to 8% of their yearly revenue processed through PayPal, with loans limited to $60,000 (up from $20,000 last year). To date, about 60% of PayPal loans were to eBay sellers. Funding is approved (or not approved) within minutes of applying through a simple online interface. Funds are transferred to PayPal accounts (that can then be
transferred directly into a business bank account), no miscellaneous fees, and no deadlines for repaying the loans. Paypal loans are unique in that business owners are allowed to pay back the loans based on a percentage (typically 10%-30%) of daily sale receipts. On those days the business doesn’t have sales then the business owner doesn’t have to repay the loan. The loan charges a single flat fee of the daily deduction amount (chosen by that merchant) with no interest charged. So, businesses know the cost of the loan up front. The repayments are made automatically, business owners don’t have to worry about managing the repayment process. This eliminates the risk of missing payments, which can often result in a cash penalty. The PayPal Working Capital program is meant to help online retailers grow their businesses. A downside is that those business owners who aren’t using PayPal have no chance of getting one of its loans. PayPal is competing with other online services such as Kabbage, which advances online merchants money and even uses their PayPal histories, among other things, as part of its credit profiling and screening process. Another payment platform, Square is offering cash advances to businesses in its network.
www.paypal.com/webapps/workingcapital www.kabbage.com https://squareup.com
54 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business
Small Business Investment Companies (SBIC)
favorable rates through the federal government. •And the national economy benefits as the small businesses financed by SBICs continue to create jobs and generate tax revenues.
Where can I learn more? Visit the SBIC Program pages ( w w w. s b a . g o v / c o n t e n t / s b i c program-overview-0), including the FAQ, for more information about the SBIC Program. Still have questions? Email askSBIC@sba. gov.
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id you know that the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program has been helping high-growth small businesses get financing since 1958? That's right – for more than 50 years, SBICs have facilitated the flow of long-term capital to America’s businesses. There are thousands of small business success stories, but here are a few you probably recognize: Costco, Apple and Staples – just to name a few.
funds (the SBICs) that finance small businesses.
How does it work?
What are the perks?
SBA doesn't finance businesses directly. For the SBIC program, the Small Business Administration (SBA) partners with private investors to capitalize professionally-managed investment
•Small businesses can receive equity capital, long-term loans and expert management assistance. •Investment managers can add to their own private investment capital with funds borrowed at
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Download the App Add your Business Information Be found by new & old clients
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http://trayvonmartinfoundation.org 55 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Our Local Congressional Members, CA Legislative Members & Local Officials, CALIFORNIA BLACK HEALTH NETWORK (CBHN), in association with Sacramento Black Chamber
Heroes in Health
Building Healthy Black Families from Beginning to End
2014 Policy & Business Conference - September 10 & 11 2014
Visit the website to register: http://cbhnheroes.org/policy_conference Find Golf Tournament Info at: http://cbhnheroes.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CBNH-Golf-Sponsor-Levels.pdf 56 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
58 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
FOR
Birthdays, Holidays OR ANY SPECIAL OCCASION
Business Technology:
Take a Look! by LaSandra Stratton Check out what these firms and organizations have to offer for your personal interests, personal wealth building, and business expansion opportunities.
www.intercallapac.com Evernote and LinkedIn Perfect the Business Card Business cards are how great things start. Their exchange represents the moment that important partnerships, opportunities, and relationships begin. And even in our hyperconnected lives, business cards are just as relevant
as they ever have been. The assortment of cards we collect are a physical tie to people we’ve met, places we’ve traveled, and what we’ve accomplished.
Partnership with LinkedIn Evernote has become an amazing business card scanning app through a deeper integration between Evernote and LinkedIn that enhances the way business cards are captured, displayed, and recalled in Evernote. Benefitting from LinkedIn’s network of more than 300 million professionals, Evernote can now automatically build a content-rich note around every business card you
scan. With full contact information, a link to their current LinkedIn profile, and a photo, plus a section for notes, business cards become searchable contacts in Evernote. Current Evernote users can connect their accounts with LinkedIn to get a complimentary year of business card scanning, normally a Premium feature, starting today.
How It Works When you get a new business card, put if down on the table or any contrasting surface and frame it in the business card camera mode of Evernote for iPhone or iPad. The camera will find the card edges and snap a photo. No taps needed. Evernote instantly digitizes it and, through our integration with LinkedIn, the world’s largest network of professionals, creates a searchable note in your account with the most up-to-date, relevant information about your new contact. The
scanning, optical recognition and LinkedIn searching happens automatically and mechanically; no human beings look at your business cards. From there, use Evernote as you normally would: record every moment from your meetings, attach meaningful documents, and forward key emails from your new contact into a related notebook. In Evernote, that business card now acts as a visual marker for all the interactions and experiences that followed the initial handshake. For the first time, your business cards have the context they deserve. Note, you don’t actually have to be connected with the person on LinkedIn for this to work. As long as you’ve connected your LinkedIn account to Evernote, you’ll automatically get the person’s profile info and photo. After scanning their card, you’ll have the option to connect on LinkedIn, share your own contact information, or save the new person’s info as a contact in your device’s address book.
Availability The Evernote Business Card Camera is available today in Evernote for iPhone and iPad. This feature is coming soon to Evernote for Android. Business card scanning features are also available in Evernote for Mac and Evernote for Windows Desktop when using the ScanSnap Evernote Edition Scanner. If you’re not already a LinkedIn member, sign up to get the most of business card scanning in Evernote. To connect your Evernote account with LinkedIn, simply take a photo of a business card using the Business Card Camera on your iPhone or iPad. You’ll be prompted to link your accounts automatically. http://blog.evernote.com/ blog/2014/05/07/evernote-linkedinperfect-business-card/
62 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Business www.yahoo.com/tech www.yahoo.com/food Yahoo now offers up two digital publications to go along with the search and mail services it is so well known for. The two publications offer eye-catching arrays of topics within their subject areas.
The magazine cover serious and fun topics within their categories using text, of course, video and audio. Intermixed in the displays are advertisements which make the publications free to all. Access the publications using the addresses shown above or through the Yahoo home page menu.
line. 4. Add a note in the email body to inform the recipient why you are sending Cash. 5. Send the email. Send or receive cash using the App: 1. Download the Square Cash app from the iTunes App Store or Google Play. The app is compatible with most iOS devices running 6.0 or higher and Google Android devices running 4.0 or higher. 2 .Open the Square Cash app. 3. Enter at least $1.00 and select “Send.” 4. Enter the recipient’s email address. 5. Send the email. Note: If you haven’t sent Square Cash before, you will be prompted to link a debit card. Once added, your payment will be sent and
you'll see the "Cash Sent" confirmation screen. If the final screen shows as "Almost Done. Check your inbox for next steps," please look for an email from Square and follow the additional steps to complete the process. Visit the website for instructions on Requesting Cash via E-mail or App. It is completely free to send or receive Square Cash regardless of how much you send. For those new to Square Cash, there is a $250 weekly limit when you send money. This amount may be raised.
Submitted by LaSandra Stratton, Chief Content Administrator of the Black Business News.
https://squareup.com/cash Square Cash facilitates the sending and receiving of cash through the use of e-mail addresses and Debit Card systems. Send or receive cash using E-mail: 1. Draft an email with the recipient's email address in the "To" field. 2. Enter cash@ square.com in the "Cc" field. 3. Enter at least $1.00 in the subject 63 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
Former first lady Laura Bush (R) and U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (L) participate in a Spousal Symposium at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on August 6, 2014 in Washington, DC.
First Ladies Michelle Obama and Laura Bush Team Up Again On Africa by DARLENE SUPERVILLE
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ichelle Obama and Laura Bush, first ladies from different generations and opposing political parties, spoke with one voice Wednesday on the importance of educating women and girls worldwide, saying countries will be more prosperous as a result. "You have to change attitudes
before you can change behaviors," Mrs. Obama said. She noted that some 60 million girls, including 30 million in subSaharan Africa, do not attend school. The first lady said that until global leaders understand that educating girls is as important as educating boys, "then we will have
a lot of work to do." "We do need to make sure worldwide that all women are valued," added Mrs. Bush. The current and former first lady commented as they opened a program for more than two dozen spouses of the African officials who are participating in the third and final
www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/george-w-bush-crash-ladies-summit-michelle-obama-wife-laura-article-1.1893557
66 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
First Spouses participating in the Spousal Symposium at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on August 6, 2014 in Washington, DC.
day of President Barack Obama's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. They reprised an event they held in Tanzania last summer, focusing on meeting the needs of women and girls and sharing some of their experiences in the high-profile role of first lady. The joint appearance also put on rare public display the warm relationship that has developed between the two since the change of power at the White House. Mrs. Bush "set a high bar for me during her time in the White House" and has long been a source of inspiration, Mrs. Obama said. "I consider her not just a role model but also a friend," the first lady said. Between serious talk about education and how to keep their projects alive after leaving the White House, the two women also
showed flashes of humor as they joked about White House life. Former President George W. Bush's institute organized the July 2013 gathering of African first ladies and invited Mrs. Obama to participate after learning that she and her husband would be in Tanzania at the same time. After Obama decided to hold a U.S. summit with African leaders, Obama aides reached out and proposed a repeat collaboration with Mrs. Bush. Wednesday's p r o g r a m highlighted the
role of first spouses and focused on public-private partnerships and investments in education, health and economic development. "Taking care of women is good politics," said former president George W. Bush.
67 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
First Ladies Chantal Biya and Michelle Obama Discuss Common Issues by Brenda Y. Nchewnang-Ngassa
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ameroon's First Lady, Mrs Chantal Biya will, during her stay in the United States Capital, Washington DC, begin discussing subjects that are of great concern to her. As part of the historic three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the Office of the First Lady of the United States, the George W. Bush Institute and the U.S. Department of State will be hosting a US-Africa Spouse Summit with focus on the impact of investments in education, health, women and public-private partnerships. The gathering is built on the Bush Institute's 2013 African First Ladies Summit, on the theme "Investing in Women: Strengthening Africa." Throughout the day at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington DC, the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, former First Lady, Mrs Laura Bush, First Lady of Cameroon, Mrs Chantal Biya alongside some 30 other African First Ladies with leaders from non-governmental organizations; private sector partners; faith-based and grassroots organizations will address challenges and identify solutions to societal issues that primarily affect women and girls. The meeting will also highlight the critical role First Spouses play as advocates for women and girls and showcase success stories, best practices in public-private partnerships. Because of the verified significance of women's inclusion, there are indications
that panels during the come-together of the First ladies will lay emphasize on the importance of women and girls' education, women's healthspecifically cancers, maternal and neonatal health and economic opportunity for women through entrepreneurship, technology and agricultural innovations. The forum will provide a platform for The White House, the Bush Institute's First Ladies Initiative, First Lady of Cameroon Chantal Biya and Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon to l t d to t highlight their workk related C) African f off C Cameroon (C (CERAC), proven interventions for women Synergy Against AIDS and and girls, and to announce new S u f f e r i n g , initiatives and partnerships which C a m e r o o n ' s will lead to improved outcomes for First Lady women and girls on the continent continued to of Africa. The US-Africa Spouse put a smile Summit is therefore an opportunity on the faces for Cameroon's First Lady, who of people in is also UNESCO's Goodwill trouble through Ambassador for Education and c o n s t a n t Social Inclusion to expand her f i n a n c i a l scope. The gathering will be an and material excellent moment for Mrs Biya assistances. to spotlight her success story in http://allafrica.com/ effecting a change in people's life. stories/201408050719.html Through the Circle of Friends
68 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest
10 Ways to Get a Free Education from the Comfort of Your Keyboard by Alyssa Bereznak, Yahoo! Tech
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he Internet is home to a cornucopia of online lectures and classes available to people of all ages, as well as hundreds of MOOCs (massive open online courses) taught by some of the nation’s top academics. Nearly all are free, and some even allow you to collect college credits. Here are 10 of the best educational online services and how to get the most from them:
1. Khan Academy Inspired by founder Salman Khan’s desire to teach his cousins more easily, Khan Academy provides courses on core topics in a number of different languages. Since Khan created the site in 2006, the academy has grown from a modest nonprofit to a premiere educational resource, earning praise and endowments from the likes of Bill Gates, Google, and the Carlos Slim Foundation. Simply log in via your Facebook or Google account and pick a subject; your choices include math, science, economics and finance, arts and humanities, computing, and test prep. From there you read coursebased material, watch videos, listen to lectures, or run through practice problems. As you study, your personal learning “dashboard” will remember the material you’ve reviewed and suggest what to study next. The intuitively designed site is great for students of any age, from kindergarden to high school and beyond. It also awards learning
“badges” to encourage you to keep coming back.
2. YouTube EDU Visiting YouTube’s educational channel might disrupt your mindless video binges by actually teaching you something. YouTube’s video discovery system generates the page automatically by filtering the most-watched education videos uploaded to the site. While that might not guarantee the highest-quality footage, it makes for an interesting mix. You can avoid running into anything age-inappropriate by filtering the channels, which are separated into Primary & Secondary Education, University, and Lifelong Learning. In the first two, for example, you can specify a topic of interest, like “math” or “law.” YouTube EDU must be doing something right; the page has more than 10 million subscribers
Of course, watching an 18-minute video won’t make you an expert on any topic (just ask Malcolm Gladwell), but at the very least you’ll pick up some clever talking points for your next cocktail party.
4. iTunes U An oft-overlooked area of the App Store, iTunes U is a goldmine of educational content from some of the world’s most esteemed universities. You’ll find lectures about science and cooking from academics at Harvard, lessons in medieval history from the University of Cambridge, instruction on how to code your first iOS app from Stanford, and much more. Beyond college courses, you can find fascinating course material from institutions like the California Academy of Sciences or National Geographic. There are also a good number of K-12 academies that post their course content online as well.
3. TED Talks Since this annual conference began showing videos of its presentations in 2006, it has captivated the Internet. The 1,700 videos on the TED site have racked up more than a billion views in total. Though the fabled 18-minute lectures have earned their fair share of criticism from the intellectual community, they remain a reliable source of thought-provoking, starstudded entertainment, featuring notable names like Jane Goodall, Bill Gates, John Legend, and Yahoo Tech’s very own David Pogue.
My favorite feature is the app’s main rotator, which organizes talks by topics that are classically important or newsworthy (like, for example, America’s Civil Rights movement). And since these are free and fit into Apple’s tight ecosystem, you’ll be able to listen to them from any i-device once you’ve downloaded them to your iCloud account.
70 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Community/Public Interest 5. Open Education Consortium have to pay for it). But at the very something it calls “video electives” The Open Education Consortium’s database offers access to 25,516 courses from 80 different organizations. It’s an enormous volume of free academic content, but the site is not designed for the casual student. For instance, searching for a course on art history brings up a scattered set of results, ranging from a class on “Art and War” at the University of Nottingham to the seemingly unrelated “Rhetoric of Science” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In other words, unless you have a pretty good idea of what college course you’re looking for — or you don’t mind spending hours scrolling through lectures at your leisure — you’ll do better to start somewhere like iTunes U or Khan Academy before graduating to the OEC.
6. MOOC If you’re looking for actual recognition that you’ve learned something, the Massive Open Online Courses website is destination No. 1. After creating an account, you’ll be presented with the courses that will be starting within the next 30 days, along with their descriptions. Embedded alongside are a checklist of important things a person who’d like to earn college credit might want to know. For instance, in the listing for UC San Diego’s very meta “Learning How to Learn” course, you’re given the name of the professor, the duration of the course, the average number of hours per week it’ll require, whether you can take the final exam for free, whether you can receive a “free or paid” certificate, and what prior background you might need for the course. The main downside? You’ll still have to personally contact the university to confirm what kind of credit you’ll get (and whether you’ll
least, MOOC provides you with an up-to-date starting point and all the information you’ll need prior to taking a course. Even better: Listings include classes from a handful of Ivy League institutions. In other words, you could attend classes at Harvard without ever setting foot in Harvard Square.
7. Textbook Revolution Unless you’re a prodigy, you probably won’t retain much by simply reading a 300-page textbook. But they’re still helpful to have on hand when you’re reviewing difficult course material. Textbook Revolution is a studentrun database that archives free course materials and textbooks, so scholars already neck-deep in school loans can avoid dropping $300 on a book they’ll use for three weeks and then lug around for the rest of their lives. In some cases, you might find PDFs or ebooks that were assigned by professors, free and just a few clicks away.
8. Academic Earth Academic Earth is dedicated to plucking the most interesting lectures from the most prestigious schools and then mashing them together in categories and playlists. Some of the materials come in the form of a link to an iTunes U page, others as YouTube videos. For the most part, these are courses from big-name schools, including UC Berkeley, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, and Yale, to name a few. Though you can search by subject or school, Academic Earth’s best attribute is its thoughtful Playlist section. There you can listen to collections curated by the site, like “First Day of Freshman Year,” which goes through introductory lectures from a few ivy-covered institutions, or “The Nature of Evil,” a list of lectures that explore our concepts of morality. AE also offers
— clever two- to three-minute shorts covering widely taught topics. So if you can’t bear to read Ayn Rand’s unbearably long Atlas Shrugged, you can just watch the site’s TL;DR version.
9. Duolingo It’s always easier to learn a language by speaking it to other people. But the Internet has some pretty great (and free!) alternatives for anyone who can’t find a conversation partner. Take Duolingo, a browser-based program that leads you through grammar, comprehension, and reading exercises for 14 languages with the help of an adorable owl named Duo. You can choose to start out as a completely fresh beginner or take a test that places you at a certain skill level. From there, you’re encouraged to complete exercises based on the skills you need the most work on, and you’re rewarded with themed badges and virtual money as you go.
10. Spreeder Ultimately, successfully completing an online course means spending a lot of time reading through course materials. Spreeder, a website that helps people improve their reading skills, is a clutch tool to have on hand while you’re powering through your material. You can either choose to copy/ paste the text you’d like to read into a box on the site’s home page, or install a plugin that automatically guides you through the text you’re reading (available for Firefox and Opera). It translates your text into an automatically generated video, which presents each word individually at an increased pace. Spreeder is perfect for getting through intimidatingly long passages in a (hopefully free) textbook.
71 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
SAVE THE DATE!
ETHIOPIA BUSINESS & INVESTMENT FORUM Fostering Private Sector Partnerships for Economic Development WHEN? Friday, August 1, 2014 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
2151 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067 WHY ETHIOPIA? Harnessing the power of its large population and abundant labor force; political and social stability; and investment incentives and protections; Ethiopia has achieved some of the highest economic growth rates across Africa over the past decade. The government of Ethiopia also has undertaken considerable reforms to improve the country’s business climate, enhance its attractiveness, and raise its infrastructures to international standards to make investment in Ethiopia favorable to all prospective investors. HOW? The forum will showcase the vast business and investment opportunities for U.S. organizations that exist in Ethiopia in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, hotel and tourism development, and mining, amongst others. U.S. organizations can also take advantage of the “Power Africa” initiative by investing in the country’s enormous renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and hydroelectric power. WHO’S COMING? The delegation will be led by the highest possible executive of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and will include senior cabinet ministers and Ethiopia’s leading private sector companies.
TOURISM | ENERGY | INDUSTRIES | AGRICULTURE | CONSTRUCTION For more information, please contact: Ambassador Zerihun Retta, Consul General, Consulate General of Ethiopia in Los Angeles at 310-616-6910; Mr. Esayas Gotta, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Ethiopia in Los Angeles at 213-365-0017 or investethiopia@ethioconsulatela.org; or Dwayne Gathers, Gathers Strategies, Inc. at 213-236-3554 or dgathers@gathersstrategies.com For online registration, click - register Or enter the following URL into your browser https://arcsoftus.wufoo.com/forms/ethiopian-business-investment-forum/ Embassy of Ethiopia Washington DC
Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Addis Ababa
Ethiopian Consulate General Los Angeles
International
TRADE MISSION: DIVERSIFYING INVESTMENT IN ANGOLA Coming Soon!
4th Quarter of 2014. The US-Angola Chamber of Commerce (USACC) was informed on May 21st by Boeing that due to administrative circumstances beyond their control, the anticipated dates for delivery of the TAAG 777 had to be shifted. Subsequently this means that the USACC Trade Mission to Angola originally scheduled for May 29 to June 4, 2014, will also have to be changed to a later date which will be conveyed in due course – anticipated to be in the fourth quarter of 2014. USACC sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this unavoidable shift in schedule may have caused you and do hope that you will still be able to join us on this great mission at its rescheduled date. If you have already paid, USACC will be pleased to reimburse your fee for the trade mission. Upon receipt of your instruction please be advised that this reimbursement will take approximately four business days to be credited back to your account. Please know that you and your company are important to us at the U.S.-Angola Chamber of Commerce and our partner ANIP. We would like to sincerely thank you for your support and understanding.
For up-to-date information, please contact Maria da Cruz Gabriel (1-703-203-6481). 75 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
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AFTER A LARGE-SCALE REDESIGN OF ITS CABINS, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES WAS LEFT WITH 43 ACRES OF LEATHER. AS A GLOBAL CITIZEN COMMITTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, SOUTHWEST WANTED TO DO SOMETHING INNOVATIVE WITH THE USED MATERIAL. THEY ARE PARTNERING WITH SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN KENYA, MALAWI, AND THE UNITED STATES TO UPCYCLE THE LEATHER INTO NEW PRODUCTS.
Southwest Airlines U Programs in
43 ACRES OF LEATHER SEATS UPCYCLED INTO NEW PRODUCTS THAT GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY.
• 26 BILLION POUNDS OF SHOES, TEXTILES AND CLOTHES ARE THROWN AWAY IN THE US EACH YEAR. • AN ESTIMATED 14.3 MILLION TONS OF TEXTILE WASTE WAS GENERATED IN THE US IN 2012. [SOURCE: US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY]
UPCYCLING IS THE PROCESS OF CONVERTING WASTE MATERIALS INTO NEW MATERIALS OR PRODUCTS OF BETTER VALUE.
A • • •
• MASSAI TREADS
• ALIVE & KICKING
• LIFE BEADS KENYA
• TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ADULTS
• TRAINING PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ADULTS
• TRAINING FOR WOMEN AND DISABLED PERSONS
• 2,100 PAIRS OF SHOES
• 1,000 SOCCER BALLS
• 15,000 BAGS, WALLETS, AND BACKPACKS
• TEAMLIFT, INC.
• LOOPTWORKS
• TRAINING PROGRAM THAT WILL TRAIN YOUNG WOMEN
• UPCYCLE INTO HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTS AS GIFTS
• LEATHER GOODS
• SUPPORT JOB CREATION AND RESPONSIBLE MANUFACTURING
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SOUTHWEST CLICK ON THE LUV SEAT TAB
HOW WOULD YOU UPCYCLE LEATHER FOR SOCIAL GOOD? TWEET #LUVSEAT!
•
large-scale redesign of Southwest Airlines aircr repurposing the leather from the discarded seat The leather was donated to projects and prog Massai Threads, a Kenyan enterprise that will prod Alive & Kicking, Kenya, will produce 1,000 soccer Life Beads Kenya will produce 15,000 bags, wallets (lifebeadskenya.org). TeamLift Inc., a U.S.-based nonprofit working with
View the project stories on the Southwest Facebook
International
Upcycles Un-needed Leather to n Kenya, Malawi, USA
raft cabins left the company with 43 acres of leather. The team determined that t covers would be better than dumping the product into land fills. grams in the USA, Kenya and Malawi. duce 21,000 pairs of shoes through its training program for young adults. r balls through its training program for young adults (www.aliveandkicking.org). s and backpacks through its training program for women and people with disabilities women and children in Africa, will produce leather goods as well.
k page at www.facebook.com/Southwest?sk=app_1519024964993202.
77 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Life Beads
International
Dangote, Blackstone, Carlyle in $5bn Tie-up for Energy Infrastructure By PATRICK ATUANYA with agency report
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frica’s richest m a n Aliko Dangote has partnered Blackstone Group LP and Carlyle Group LP, the world’s two biggest private-equity firms, to invest in energy infrastructure in Nigeria and Africa. “They want to invest heavily,” D a n g o t e said in an interview with Bloomberg news. “ T h e y couldn’t really find a local partner to work with and you are not going to move down here and sit here and make sure it is done, because you are doing business all over the world,” he said. BusinessDay reported exclusively yesterday that the Nigerian Federal Government was considering offering gas fields to power sector investors to boost electricity generation and end chronic power shortages in the country.
Aliko Dangote Dangote said in the interview that he struck separate agreements with the private-equity firms to invest a combined $5 billion by 2019 with New York-based Blackstone in power projects. It is estimated that Nigeria needs an annual investment of $3.5bn to achieve its generation capacity target of 40,000 megawatts (MW) by 2020. Nigeria’s, current peak grid power generation stands at about 3,849 MW with a per capita electricity
usage of 136 kilowatt hour (KWH). This compares with an average per capita electricity usage of 4,803 KWH in South Africa, which generates about 41,000 MW. Blackstone will commit half of the $5 billion in the next five years, with the remaining $2.5 billion coming from Dangote Industries Ltd. “We can change people’s way of life, increase economic growth, and I think we will do very well for our investors too,” Steve Schwarzman, Blackstone’s chief executive officer
http://businessdayonline.com/2014/08/dangote-blackstone-carlyle-in-5bn-tie-up-for-energy-infrastructure www.blackrhinogroup.com
78 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International said. Schwarzman said he expects returns from the Dangote venture to be in line with those produced by leveraged buyouts. Blackstone’s private-equity funds produced internal rates of return after fees of 16 percent as of June 30. Dangote Industries and Blackstone will search for projects through Black Rhino Group, an African infrastructure developer in which Blackstone invested. Blackstone has done $25 billion globally in deals known as Greenfield, in which it constructs operational facilities. Carlyle which raised $698 million for its first sub-Saharan Africa fund, counts Dangote among its limited partners. The IMF projects 7.3% growth for Nigeria in 2014, up from 6.4% last year. However, the country could sustain double digit growth rates if daily power shortages were to come to an end. Nigeria, home to the world’s
ninth biggest gas reserves, with about 187 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven gas, has seen drastic drops in power supply in many parts of the country as it grapples with gas supply shortfalls. The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) plans to auction 31 fields in the next marginal fields programme, while several oil majors, including Shell and Chevron are divesting multiple assets onshore and in the shallow waters of the Niger Delta, which Nigeria could target for power investors, industry sources said. As part of measures to attract investment into the power sector, the government increased the domestic gas price to $2.50/1,000 Mcf from $1.50/1,000 Mcf over the weekend. Diezani Alison-Madueke, Minister of Petroleum Resources who announced the new gas price, said the government also approved $0.80/Mcf as transportation costs for new pipeline capacity, adding that the new prices reflect the
BlackRhino current market value, which would now be benchmarked against US inflation annually. The new gas pricing regime – a key demand by investors in the gas supply chain, according to the minister, would help to accelerate new investments into gas projects analysts say.
International
Newly formed Atlanta organization to host Zambia Golden Jubilee Celebration in Atlanta Zambians Promoting Leadership in America (ZLA) is a recently formed organization based in Atlanta GA. ZLA founder, Freda Mwamba Brazle, said the organization's objective is centered around demonstrating leadership, taking responsibility and collaboration. Born in Chinsali, Northern Province, Mwamba Brazle is a graduate of the Leadership Atlanta class of 2006 and possesses a Bachelors in Management Information Systems and Master of Science in Accounting from Pace University, New York City. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Her impressive education background is coupled with over 20 years experience in the corporate world which includes employment with The Coca-Cola Company, General Electric, Arthur Andersen Consulting, Bank of America and WellPoint where she has held various executive roles.
When asked why she decided to host Zambia Golden Jubilee event and how it relates to ZLA, Freda said, "I am one of many Zambian born professionals who have made significant strides in the United States. Zambia's 50th year anniversary is the perfect time to take stock of how far Zambia has come and how Zambians in the Diaspora have developed. Zambia's 50th birth year is the perfect
time to launch "Zambians Promoting Leadership in America." Freda Mwamba Brazle decided that she was going to apply what she had learned about community and transformational leadership to plan a memorable event for Zambiaಬs 50th Golden Jubilee in Atlanta. Understanding that success is best achieved with like-minded people,
Freda Mwamba
she pulsed several contacts, both Zambian and non-Zambian to interest them in joining her in making a statement about her country of origin. The response was overwhelming and the idea was given life.
80 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International SPEAKER LINE-UP
Innocent Mulenga
Thomas Konditi
The members of the planning committee are made up of Zambian professionals from diverse backgrounds and experience. "There are so many skilled and talented Zambians in the US. I feel privileged to work with such an impressive team of leaders in their own right. Take a look at their profiles on our website," she exclaimed. The jubilee celebrations will take place on Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway Hotel. An impressive list of speakers include: Geri Thomas President of Georgia Operations and Global
Hugh Molotsi
Diversity & Inclusion Executive at Bank of America Corporation. Nairobi-based Thomas Konditi, the Chief Financial Officer for GE Africa. Hugh Molotsi, Vice President of Technology Innovation at Intuit. Zambia-based Innocent Mulenga, Zambian Primatologist at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage. Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphange in Zambia has provided care and protection to about 200 Chimpanzees since it opened.
Geri Thomas
Street Dancers, and Damien Musuka. ಯThe Golden Jubilee event is our way of giving back to our country of origin by sharing the untold story and showcasing Zambia to the American audience. We are a proud, humble and friendly nation and home to The Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world." Freda added.
Entertainment will be provided by 3D the Boss, Ollie Patterson, the Soweto
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ZambiaJubileeAtlanta.com For additional information please email zambiajubileeatlanta@gmail.com
81 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
The 2014 Annual Pan African Trade & Investment Conference August 15 & 16, 2014 Los Angeles, CA in collaboration with the
THANK YOU! from the 4th Annual Pan African Trade & Investment Conference
2014 International African Marketplace & Business Expo and the
Life and Times Magazine's 4th Annual Fiesta. The 2014 Annual Pan African Global Trade and Investment Conference was succesfully completed and is now available on UTube! Use the "Carson Civic Center" link below to register now! www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=KEfv977f5keS_
We sincerely appreciate the support and contributions of our speakers, exhibitors and participants. Our conference report is being prepared and will be available soon by visiting our conference website: www.panafricanglobaltradeconference.com. You can also contact Conference Coordinator Al Washington at 626.243.3614 for additional information.
AFRICAN EXPANSION ECONOMIC SUMMIT 2014 / Durban, South Africa 10-14 November 2014 Durban International Convention Centre The African Economic Expansion Summit is an annual global gathering of international investors, business executives, financiers and government officials to discuss, showcase, review and create business partnerships. Several infrastructure channels and project pipelines have been identified for pre-selected African States to submit pre-screened projects to the Project Initiation Committee under the following sectors: Transport:
Services:
Social:
Agriculture:
Energy:
• Ports/Shipping • Road Network • Rail Network • Airports
• Electricity • Water • Telecoms & ICT
• Schools/Universities • Clinics/Hospitals • Tourism
• Production • Processing • Distribution
• Generation • Distribution • Sustainable & Alternative
International project and consulting companies and interested businesses/investors will be able to present their focussed projects and services to government decision makers from across sub Saharan Africa. Interested parties from Africa and overseas will be able to showcase their infrastructure projects and services through targeted exhibitions, project due diligence presentations and other marketing materials. The Summit’s diverse array of marketing channels includes site visits, plenary sessions, panel discussions, break-away sessions and one-on-one interactions will deliver a unique professional experience and networking platform to move deals forward. The AEES gives Africa a new platform to drive economic activity and investment profiles about what’s happening on the continent as it relates to infrastructure projects. African delegations from Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union, West & East African Regional Economic Communities, and various African member states to showcase their economies critical infrastructure projects. The Summit co-hosts, the South African Province of KwaZulu-Natal and Rainbow/PUSH Africa believe this unique professional networking experience offers an exceptional insight into Africa’s future infrastructural opportunities and challenges. We look forward to your participation at the AEES, we believe there is an appetite to build new partnerships and become part of the African growth story. Registration and Information: Website: www-aees.co.za E-mail: info@aees.co.za
International
Download the NEW!! Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce App from the
Apple App Store or
Google Play Store Search: "Zambia USA Chamber"
Find links to the chamber website and facebook page, and embassies; access business resources; receive breaking news; view relevant video presentations; communicate via Twitter, smartphone and e-mail.
www.zambiausachamber.org
84 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Thursday Blues at Uncle Darrow‛s High Noon-2pm Every Thursday
Come by for lunch and relax to blues & jazz from our house band! 2560 S. Lincoln Blvd. Marina del Rey North East corner of Washington & Lincoln
“LA Times Magazine favorite cajun food”
310-306-4862
www.uncledarrows.com 85 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
konyagi.co.tz
International
One Africa:
Tell the US Government that North Africa is Africa Too!
J
oin with and support the United Africa Organization’s campaign to petition the U.S. Department of State to include the whole African continent under its Bureau of African Affairs.
Why? The State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, led by Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson, currently excludes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara from its agenda. Instead, the aforementioned countries are grouped with the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, together with Iran, Iraq, Israel and others. This artificial distinction between North Africa and the rest of Africa
negatively impacts US foreign policy relations throughout the entire continent of Africa. We unequivocally reject the argument that North African countries are outside the scope of African affairs. North Africa is geographically and historically part of the African continent, and all fifty-three (53) independent African states, including North African countries, are represented in the African Union (AU). It would be far more productive for the State Department to engage with the entire continent of Africa, including North Africa, under its Bureau of African Affairs. We are one Africa, from the Cape to Cairo, indivisible and bound together! Therefore, no square inch of African
land should be excluded from African affairs.
Sign The Petition!!! Go to www.change.org/petitions/ one-africa-tell-us-state-departmentthat-north-africa-is-part-of-africa and sign the online petition to support this important proposition. Next tell everyone you know to sign.
www.uniteafricans.org
RESOURCES FOR GOING GLOBAL Event: USDOC Export Regulations Seminar, Los Angeles
Event: SBA- Free Webinar: Take Your Small Business Global
Dates: August 6-7, 2014
With almost 300,000 small businesses currently exporting - and responsible for a third of last year’s record $2.2 trillion in U.S. exports - now is an ideal time to use the SBA’s export loan programs to increase your small business sales and profits, reduce dependence on the domestic market, and stabilize seasonal fluctuations. With-U.S. Small Business Administration Director of International Trade Finance, Dennis R. Chrisbaum Learn: How to reduce your risk of nonpayment when selling overseas—four international methods of payments explained and compared and how to finance your export development activities, working capital needs, and business expansion plans —using SBA and Export-Import Bank export financing programs. Date: August 13, 2014 Time: 12pm- 1pm EDT Register: RSVP to Danielle Wilsey at Danielle. Wilsey@sba.gov
Times: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm Registration/Continental Breakfast: 7:30 - 8:30 am Location: Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles 6101 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90045 Cost: $450 for both days includes continental breakfast, lunch and training materials. The Bureau of Industry and Security, in cooperation with the District Export Council of Southern California, and the U.S. Commercial Service in Southern California, invites you to attend a workshop on the Export Administration Regulations so you can keep abreast the Administration’s Export Control Reform efforts. This program is well suited for those who need a comprehensive understanding of their obligations under the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). The workshop will explain: • What the latest developments in the Administration's Export Control Reform initiative are, including the specially designed definition, CCL order of review, new decision tools, 600 series items (and applicable license exceptions for these items), transition issues, and much more. • The scope of the Export Administration Regulations. • How to determine the export licensing requirements for your product. • When you may export without applying for a license. • What an Export Management Compliance Program (“EMCP”) is, and how it can help meet your regulatory responsibilities. (red flags, best practices, templates, audits, etc.) • Real-life examples and hands-on exercises after each topic. Register at: https://www.regonline.com/bis14 Questions?: For more information on the topics covered, please call BIS Western Regional Office at (949) 660-0144 and for arrangement or registration, please call the Irvine U.S. Export Assistance Center at (949) 660-1688 .
ᏊᏊᏊᏊᏊ Marketing: Promote Your Company on the New Commercial News USA Website The newly redesigned Commercial News USA website makes it easier for buyers around the world to find American companies with products and services ready for immediate export and for U.S. exporters connect with buyers worldwide. Commercial News USA features hundreds of products and services from U.S. exporters. For more information and/or to review the current issue of the magazine, please visit www.thinkglobal.us. ᏊᏊᏊᏊᏊ The U.S. Commercial Service
88 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
RESOURCES FOR GOING GLOBAL - Your Global Business Partner. With offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Admin-
istration uses its global Network and international resources to connect U.S companies with international buyers worldwide. If you have any questions about these initiatives, please contact
your local U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist. To find the trade specialist nearest you please visit www.buyusa.gov/home/us.html or contact Bobby Hines at bobby. hines@trade.gov.
89 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
Returning to Africa? African Repatriation is an invaluable online resource for any African national who is thinking about returning to Africa. Our industry articles and specialist editorials provide the latest sector information. Why not find out for yourself and become a part of our growing community today? www.africanrepatriation. com
Career Opportunities in Africa Search and apply online for the latest vacancies in Africa with African Talent. We provide candidates and employers with the tools and resources needed in today’s competitive job market. For employers, we offer numerous options to feature your jobs in Africa and for candidates, reviewing the most recent job vacancies in Africa is a fast, easy process. Uploading your CV is simple and takes just a few moments. www.africantalent.com 90 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
International
African Stock Exchanges • Bolsa de Valores of Cape Verde - www.bvc.cv (in Portuguese) • Bond Exchange of South Africa - www.bondexchange. co.za • Botswana Stock Exchange www.bse.co.bw • Bourse Regionale des Valeurs Mobilieres - UEMOA (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) - www.brvm.org • Casablanca Stock Exchange (Morocco) - www.casablancabourse.com/bourseweb/index. aspx • Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange (Tanzania) - www. dse.co.tz
• Douala Stock Exchange (Cameroon) - www.douala-stockexchange.com/index_us.php • The Egyptian Exchange - www. egx.com.eg/English/homepage. aspx • Ethiopia Commodity Exchange - www.ecx.com.et • Ghana Stock Exchange - www. gse.com.gh • Johannesburg Stock Exchange (South Africa) - www. jse.co.za/Home.aspx • Khartoum Stock Exchange (Sudan, in Arabic) - www.kse. com.sd • Libyan Stock Market - www. lsm.ly/_layouts/membership/
• • • •
• •
•
• • •
login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fEnglis h%2fPages%2fdefault.aspx Lusaka Stock Exchange (Zambia) - www.luse.co.zm Nairobi Stock Exchange (Kenya) - www.luse.co.zm Malawi Stock Exchange - www. mse.co.mw Mozambique Stock Exchange (in Portuguese) - www. bolsadevalores.co.mz Namibian Stock Exchange www.nsx.com.na Nigerian Stock Exchange www.nse.com.ng/Pages/default. aspx Stock Exchange of Mauritius www.stockexchangeofmauritius. com Swaziland Stock Exchange www.ssx.org.sz Tunisia Stock Exchange - www. bvmt.com.tn Uganda Securities Exchange www.use.or.ug
Read the last issue of The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke/media-center/ecommunique/exchange-magazine/ category/50-free-version.html)
91 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Cultural Interiors West &
Cordially Invited Cultural Interiors West 5573 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 Experience our exciting array of products from Cards to Cupcakes, African Masks, Asian Teacups, Healthy Herbal Teas, Gourd Purses, Candles, to Furniture
Artwear Handpainted Handbags, Skirts, Tees, Accessories, Calendars, Wall Hangings & More! http://gbabysworld.blogspot.com Gbabyartwear@hotmail.com or Gbabyart345@gmail.com Find Gbaby Products at the “Collective” http://www.atthecollective.com 280 Elizabeth Street, Atlanta, GA
Hope to see you soon!!! In the meantime visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/CulturalInteriors-West/140688362658236
JJ’s Belizean Cuisine 2618 W. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008 1-323-293-2926
95 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Collection Bed, Bath & Beyond
http://bsmith.com/shop
Bernahu Asfaw & Getahun Asfaw
1041 S. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90019 323-938-8827 or 323-938-8806 • Fax: 323-932-6047 messob@gmail.com • www.messob.com
Open 7 days a week • 11am - 11pm
The Economic Turn Around in the USA is in Our Hands •Buy Products Made or Assembled in the USA •Hire One New Employee •Eat an Extra Meal Out Each Week •Start/Grow a Business to Generate Wealth & Jobs
Buy Black Save Black Invest Black 98 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Eso Won Books African American Books 4327 Degnan Boulevard Leimert Park, Los Angeles
Back to School - Back to Reading g Come see our unsurpassed collection of books, music, videos, children’s books, and games!
323-294-0324
www.esowonbookstore.com ďƒ” //esowon.booksense.com for Calendar of Events
Books to Consider... The History of Black Business in America: Capitalism, Race, Entrepreneurship by Juliet E. K. Walker
D
espite almost four centuries of black independent self-help enterprises, the agency of African Americans in attempting to forge their own economic liberation through business activities and entrepreneurship has remained noticeably absent from the historical record. Juliet Walker's award-
winning History of Black Business in America is the only source that provides a detailed study of the continuity, diversity, and multiplicity of independent self-help economic activities among African Americans. This new, updated edition divides the original work into two volumes. The first volume covers African American business history through the end of the Civil
War and features the first comprehensive account of black business during the Civil War. By emphasizing the African origins of black business practices and highlighting the contributions of black women, enslaved and free, Walker casts aside the long-held assumption that a "lack of a business tradition" is responsible for the failure of African Americans to establish successful, large-scale enterprises. The second volume, spanning from the end of the Civil War to the twenty-first century, will be published in Spring 2009. www.amazon.com/History-Black-Business-AmericaEntrepreneurship/dp/0807859109
The Invitation by Clifton Taulbert
I
n The Invitation, Clifton Taulbert returns to the themes of Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored, his award-winning book and the source of a major motion picture. This new memoir chronicles Taulbert's transformative experience of a supper invitation to a former plantation house in Allendale, South Carolina, w where the successful a adult confronts h his childhood m memories and wrestles w with t the legacies o slavery and of s segregation that d demand to be acknowledged a in his present circumstances. c Transported back b to a setting that t looks and feels f like the cotton c fields and shotgun a shacks s of his childhood, Taulbert finds himself expected to cross racial barriers that no "colored" man could have broached without dire consequences. The Invitation is the story of the man and the little boy inside him wrestling with a past they both know so well, and of stepping into a future that is still being determined. www.amazon.com/Invitation-Clifton-Taulbert/ dp/1588383075/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403 896582&sr=1-1&keywords=the+invitation+by+clifton+taulb ert
104 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
RIO 2016 OLYMPIC COMMITTEE Partnership & Contract Opportunities For a list of current Rio 2016 Olympic Sponsors visit: http://rio2016.com/en/organising-committee/partners
Your American Contact: joel.Reynoso@trade.gov
For information on the Games visit http://export.gov/brazil/games/index.asp
For information on participating in or supporting the Voting Rights Act restoration movement visit these and other organization websites: • 50th Anniversary March on Washington - http://50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com.
• National Action Network - http://nationalactionnetwork.net/mow/
• NAACP - www.naacp.org
• National Urban League - http://nul.iamempowered.com
• Rainbow/PUSH Coalition - www.rainbowpush.org
Verizon is joining forces with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and a number of other businesses and community organizations to help promote safe driving through
It Can Wait. http://itcanwait.com
• Project Vote - www.projectvote.org
Grow With
A crowdfunding platform for projects and ideas benefiting the African-American community. www.blackstartup.com
105 August 2014 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net 1-323-291-7819
Calendar August 4th-6th U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit President Obama welcomes leaders from across the African continent to the Nation’s Capital for a three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. See page 10.
7th-8th Asian Development Bank Forum The U.S. Commercial Service is offering an educational/networking forum in Los Angeles, CA. Information is available at www.adb.org. See page 46.
Regency Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles. For informaion on how to participate in the exchange, attend the conference, and the benefits of sponsorship visit www.bbala.org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala. org. ď ƒ
21st Ron Brown Business & Economic Summit - Women's Symposium The 2014 Conference theme is "Success Above the Glass Ceiling." The conference is being held at the Marriott Los Angeles Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. Information is available at www.medweek.mbda.gov.
September TBA BBA Business Entrepreneur Training Institute Conducted in partnership with the Business Division of West Los Angeles College. The 15-week training program prepares the serious entrepreneur for operating a highly successful business. Participation fee is $75 and includes a one-year BBA membership and a certificate of completion. For information visit www.bbala.org or send an inquiry to the BBA using mail@bbala.org. See page 65.
October 16th BBA 2014 Procurement Exchange Summit The Summit, Conference and Luncheon will be held at the Hyatt www.export.gov/SAUDIARABIA/Magic2014/index.asp
Resources Media Africa Interactive Multimedia Press/Content Agency in Africa www.africa-interactive.com Africa World Press Books www.africaworldpressbooks.com African Vibes Magazine www.africanvibes.com The African World www.theafricanworld.tv Africast TV www.africast.tv AllAfrica http://allafrica.com Black Wall Street Times http://bwstimes.com Black Business News Group www.blackbusinessnews.net Black Press USA www.blackpressusa.com BridesNoir www.bridesnoir.com CuisineNoir www.cuisinenoirmag.com DiasporaVoice www.blogtalkradio.com/diasporavoice Publish Africa http://wow.gm/publishafrica Rock Me Africa //rockmeafrica.com
www.causecast.com www.causecastfornonprofits.com Continental African Chamber of Commerce www.continentalacc.org Pan African Film Festival www.paff.org United African Organization http://uniteafricans.org Zambia-USA Chamber of Commerce www.zambiausachamber.org
Investment/Development Africa Reports www.africareports.com African Development Bank www.afdb.org African Export - Import Bank //afreximbank.com/afrexim/en AfrigadgetTV www.afrigadget.com The Exchange Magazine www.nse.co.ke YouTube Educational Channels http://teacherswithapps.com/197-educational-youtube-channels-know Ventures www.ventures-africa.com
U.S. Government
Organizations Africa Leadership Forum http://africaleadership.org The African Union www.au.int/en Black Business Association www.bbala.org CauseCast
Commerce Department www.doc.gov International Trade Administration http://trade.gov Minority Business Development Agency www.mbda.gov Small Business Administration www.sba.gov State Department www.dos.gov White House www.whitehouse.gov
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