Using less American stuff in Poland

Ah man I'm going to England tomorrow please don't tell me they are all like that? I was told by the Barney expeditionary force aka daughter no1 that they were ok...once you get to know them and their eastern ways. Pickle eggs and jellied eels all round :)

Untrustworthy, secretive, duplicitous.
Hey, that sounds a lot like Trump😆

What about GPS, how can I use navigation in a car without GPS?

Yes it's a problem, you only need to ask the North Nigerian "special" forces who tried to take Hostomel airport with no GPS (they were using their own crappy tech)

Right now the best way is an old fashioned map book or stick your head out the window and ask a local

But alternatives to GPS are on the way

techmonitor.ai/hardware/networks/gps-alternatives-race

@Lyzko
Calling others "untrustworthy, secretive, duplicitous" while doing the exact same pivot every time . At least Benedict Arnold switched sides only once.

You do it on schedule!

The European Galileo system, better than GPS and currently free.

Who, moi?
Stop projecting, Jokester!

German defence companies have started working on an alternative to Starlink - not easy, not cheap and not necessarily good for Poland but at least it's an alternative to weird drug addict Musk

This week's challenge is to reduce reliance on visa and MasterCard - two of America's most rapacious and monopolistic companies.

Plrnty of alternatives even if complete elimination is impossible - Blix, cash, stripe, paysafe and 6 viable European alternatives are in discussion

I hear whispers about a possible link up between Blik and Twint.

@Lazarus @cms neuf

You would have to accomplish some truly titanic tasks to unseat Visa and Mastercard.

Russia has tried, so far, with its MIR system. It's only been accepted in the former Soviet Union, and places like China and Turkey.

China tries with UnionPay, for twenty years plus - and it's still mainly entertained only as a way to allow Chinese people to spend their money in New York, Paris, and London (in the West).

The EU cannot replace Mastercard and Visa with the things they are putting forth now.

Last time I checked, Blik was being used for 60% to 70% of all internet transactions in Poland.

Good for you!

Great!

Now some dose of reality - your Blik is a vassal of Mastercard.

Believe me - I'm the person who wants Blik to succeed and who has looked at this company many times.

1) The contactless "Powered by Mastercard"... to make the thing work at the millions of POS points of Poland, Blik partnered with Mastercard. Specifically Mastercard's "Digital Enablement Service". In this way, every time you tap in Poland, you pay a few cents to Mastercard.

2) Mastercard is a shareholder of the PSP, the owner of Blik. As Blik grows, Mastercard profits - not grows weaker.

3) When you use Blik in London, or Paris, or Milan - you are using the Mastercard network. In Europe this is important, and materially determines the economics of the business.

Want to see some truly Mastercard and Visa free businesses - look instead at Russia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, China, etc.

No. Mastercard owns a seventh of Blik.


Yes, but tap to pay is only a small part of Blik transactions.


I don't.

Alright lady, let's get to the bottom line...

Did my posts on the topic of of AI businesses produce any effect, or will you continue avoiding/shorting these stocks?

I'm not shorting AI stocks, and I most certainly won't start to short them (I simply don't invest that way). I'm also not avoiding those stocks, I'm simply putting less money into the indexes that include those stocks, and I plan to carry on doing that.

Ok fair enough - nothing I could say there.

What do you say about Maestro or girocard?

Do those even exist these days?


Also on the way out, no?


Recent US government actions have fairly conclusively demonstrated that the EU needs a payment system that isn't controlled by the US government. The way that judges at the International Criminal Court have been blocked from using payment cards shows that Mastercard and Visa have no place in the EU.

Maestro has gone (but was a Mastercard spin off)

Girokarte is a rebadged EC Karte - German banks owned that system, in fact I used to have some Herman bank card that were only EC.

Bobko is right that it's challenging to unseat monopolists - apparently Brazil and India have good products (and unlike China and NN they are democracies with functioning courts so interesting to see how it works out)

UK used to have Switch - maybe 20 years ago. No idea what happened to it - maybe Visa bought it and retired it.

The US action with the court judges and the hints that they would do this to western politicians has suddenly moved this up the agenda - so I'm sure Visa and Mastercard are raging at Rubio for upsetting the apple cart.

Speaking of which, Apple, Meta, OpenAI and even InPost have been trying to muscle in on payment systems. That is also going to be more politically difficult for them now.

Bought by Mastercard I think.


Yes, it's now crystal clear that the EU needs a payment card system that's controlled by adults. It's extreme irony that Taco Don is suing a major US bank for "debanking" him after he tried to lead an armed insurrection to prevent the transfer of power while also ordering private companies to debank judges for doing their jobs. But of course to most in the US irony is like goldy and steely but made of iron.

The app mentioned in this article might be helpful for some people here.

independent.co.uk/tech/us-boycott-app-nonusa-denmark-greenland-b2905574.html

The problem is that when I think about it, I could much more easily give up Danish products or services than American ones.

Really?Except for internet services, I wouldn't miss any American products at all.Their foods are crap, American candy? Just trash.....I would prefer Danish cheese.

This I shall not allow to pass without commemt!

How daaaaaare you besmirch:

Milky Ways
Kit-Kats
Reese Cups
Mallo Cups
Snickers
Baby Ruths
Peppermint Pattties
Milk Duds
Whoppers
Almond Joys
Mounds
M&Ms
Twix
Charleston Chews
Etc, etc, etc

My dear subject of His Royal Majesty, you have crossed a line.

But you are wrong.

Kit Kat, Snickers and Twix were all British and the rest, even Americans can't bring themselves to call them chocolate and use the term candy instead, much more suitable.

Kit Kat - True. Created in the UK by Rowntree (York) in 1935. Very British origins.

Snickers - False. American. Created by Mars in the U.S. in 1930, named after the Mars family horse.

Twix - False (mostly). Created by Mars in the UK in 1967, but it's an American company product, just first manufactured in Britain.


Frozen is the best:)

Mallow cups and Almond Joy, Reeses the entire list is good...

There is a Polish marshmollw candy Ptakis mlecko (sp), its called birds milk in Polish sooooogood!

Damn, you are right about twix and kit-kats.

Hence, how daaaaaare you besmirch:

Milky Ways
Reese Cups
Mallo Cups
Snickers
Baby Ruths
Peppermint Pattties
Milk Duds
Whoppers
Almond Joys
Mounds
M&Ms
Charleston Chews
Crunch
Butterfingers
Etc, etc, etc.

You have crossed a line you subject of His Royal Highass.


You mean these 😀

• 
  IMG_4511.jpeg
  

I know I'm right, but the rest of your list is not chocolate, it's candy....and anything by Reese is complete $hit.


Sorry, can't agree..... loved by the Indians in the UK but hated by the Europeans who know what REAL chocolate is.At least you called it candy and not chocolate!

Prince Polo tastes better than Kit-Kats, at least to me.

Yes - and it is in internet services where actions to reduce reliance must be concentrated

Giving up candy and fast food is a great first step though