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Russell Zimmerman, announced a new partnership between the ARA and the Alibaba Group, and welcomed the opportunity for deeper cooperation.
This new partnership would pave way to Australian retailers with expanded marketing opportunities to extend their reach.
Mr Zimmerman, the Executive Director of the Australian Retailers Association, said, “Alibaba Group is a leading industry partner providing retailers looking for growth with new sales channels to reach their customers and different ways to do business.”
Maggie Zhou, Alibaba Group’s Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, said, “Alibaba Group is delighted to be partnering with the Australian Retailers Association to assist in providing the know-how, skills and infrastructure Australian retailers need to connect with new markets in China and beyond.”
Alibaba Group has sold more than 2,000 Australian brands on its business-to-consumer e-commerce marketplaces in China. On the other hand, Australian retailers are now accepting Alipay as payment method in order to connect with the growing number Chinese visitors arriving in Australia each year.
Source: Mirage News
Least-Cost Routing Explained
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Today we received a few neat little treats from Google. First they launched their new app Google Keep, and now we’re seeing what looks to be a brand new version of the Google Play Store. While everyone is currently on Play Store version 3.10.14 or so, the folks from Droid-Life reportedly have the brand new version that’s coming soon. They received an apk listed as version 4.0.16 and it’s showing a brand new Play Store.
We’re not really sure what to make of this leak, especially considering the Play Store doesn’t ever leak out until it’s actually ready for prime-time. The version reportedly received by DL clearly isn’t ready for mass consumption, and has a few issues and doesn’t fully work. That being said, that could be a sign this is indeed the real deal and Google’s backend isn’t up and running for it yet.
This is a brand new look we haven’t seen from Google. Not just a slight change like the Store has undergone over the past months. They’ve completely changed everything and given the UI an overhaul and brought it more in line with their Holo design guidelines. Everything is simple and clean, the font has changed, and all the colors have too. Each category has a bigger header and the colors match as usual, but it has a grainy look and isn’t completely filled in. Take that as you will.
If this is indeed real, we’re loving the new look. All the icons are larger, everything is all about content and looks much cleaner. All the apps are listed with a similar look and feel as Google Now cards when you head to the “My Apps” section, and as you see above the icons are clearly larger. There’s big icons, large magazine photos and album artwork everywhere to grab your attention.
We won’t go over everything as for now this doesn’t appear to be confirmed. It looks pretty legit, but we’ll reserve judgement until we hear or see more details. For a full rundown hit the source link below and see what Droid-Life has to say about it. What do you guys think? Could this be an early look at where Google’s headed with 5.0 Key Lime Pie?

domain: news


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For the first time since the 2016 NFL season, Colin Kaepernick is joining the Madden NFL 21 roster as a free agent. Kaepernick’s lengthy absence from Electronic Arts’ virtual gridiron started following his decision to kneel during the national anthem, an act the former 49ers player used to protest police brutality. Thanks to an update that went live for the game yesterday, Kaepernick now appears in Madden NFL 21 among the league’s top free agent quarterbacks.
EA announced the news in the following Twitter post:
Welcome Back, Kap! pic.twitter.com/fmq6SkMAVf
— Madden NFL 21 (@EAMaddenNFL) September 8, 2020
The tweet was followed by another, a text-laden image that began with the following note: “Colin Kaepernick is one of the top free agents in football and a starting-caliber quarterback. The team at EA SPORTS, along with millions of Madden NFL fans, want to see him back in our game.”
EA’s statement then went on to make mention of its troubled past with Kaepernick. In addition to his absence as an unsigned player in the last several releases, Madden NFL 19 originally featured an odd soundtrack “mistake.” A YG song, “Big Bank,” on the title’s soundtrack should have included a direct reference to Kaepernick. However, the player’s name was censored on the soundtrack’s final version. EA later corrected the strange occurrence, apologizing to YG and Kaepernick, while claiming it was a simple “mistake.”
Madden NFL 21 launched late last month on the PS4 and Xbox One. Its reception in hasn’t been favorable. In fact, most fans and critics are describing it as little more than a mess. Our review of the title made note of several glitches, dissatisfactory modes, and other common issues.
[Source: EA Madden NFL on Twitter, The Undefeated]


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SYNLawn® Celebrates 20 Years Leading the Artificial Turf Industry
Dalton, GA — SYNLawn® is celebrating 20 years of leading the industry as the largest manufacturer and unrivaled innovator of artificial grass and synthetic surfacing in North America. SYNLawn opened its first distributor location in Nevada in 2003. Since then, the company has expanded across the United States with a network of more than 120 distributors and into over 20 countries, including Canada and Costa Rica.
“We’re proud of reaching our 20th-anniversary milestone and for all of our achievements over the past two decades,” said George Neagle, president of SYNLawn Global. “I started my career at SYNLawn as the first distributor, and I’m excited to lead the global expansion of SYNLawn. Throughout the years, we’ve increased sales through product innovations and development, which is why we’re a worldwide industry leader. We take great pride in offering the cleanest, safest and greenest synthetic grass on the planet.”
To celebrate its 20th year of business, SYNLawn looks forward to increasing its global presence. The company is focused on expanding its distributor network into European countries, opening more international manufacturing facilities, and developing new partnerships across the world.
Sustainability remains at the forefront of SYNLawn’s initiatives. They use bio-based ingredients, such as soy and sugarcane, and consumer-conscious additives for commercial, residential, and golf installations. SYNLawn’s distributors have installed more than 150 million square feet of soy-backed turf across 300,000 installations since 2008. Learn more about SYNLawn’s commitment to sustainability by watching this video.
Highlights in the company’s 20-year history include:
- Installed the first commercial project: In addition to opening its first distributor location in Las Vegas, another highlight in 2003 was installing the first commercial landscape project.
- Developed new product innovations: Between 2006 through 2011, SYNLawn focused on product innovation with the development of sustainable bio-based backing and its exclusive HeatBlock™ technology that resulted in 20% cooler surface temperatures.
- Expanded SYNLawn’s retail presence across Canada. In 2013, SYNLawn became available to Canadian customers in 35 Lowe’s stores across Canada. At this time, products were already available to customers in over 1,000 Lowe’s stores in the United States.
- Joined the Sports Group Family: SYNLawn elevated its visibility on a global scale in 2016 by becoming one of the companies owned by Sports Group, which sells and installs more synthetic turf sports fields, athletic tracks, and courts globally than any other business. The other synthetic surfacing companies owned by Sports Group include AstroTurf®, Rekortan®, APT®, and Laykold®.
- Established Manufacturing Headquarters in Georgia: In 2017, SYNLawn relocated its manufacturing production facilities to Dalton, Georgia. A 375,000-square-foot manufacturing center was built to house all of the machinery under one roof.
- Unveiled Super Yarn™ technology: In 2020, SYNLawn debuted a line of products made with Super Yarn. This revolutionary technology made SYNLawn the most advanced artificial grass fiber produced and presented to the market. The unique additives in Super Yarn include Sanitized® Antimicrobial, DualChill® IR Reflective (IR), and StatBlock® Anti-Static.
- Earned Biobased Accreditation: SYNLawn became the first synthetic turf company to receive a bio-preferred certified installation system from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2020. They’ve continued to receive additional USDA Certified Biobased Product labels for their product offerings and SYNLawn’s proprietary system accounts for up to 88% renewable content using plant-based artificial grass with EnviroLoc+ backing and renewable infill. In 2021, SYNLawn increased its use of U.S. soy by 10%.


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India’s greatest film trade, Bollywood, is at all times buzzing with news about new releases, box office stories, movie evaluations by critics and consultants, film gossip, romantic tie-ups between leading stars, controversies and persona clashes, and the most recent trend developments of male and female superstars. Several news claim that the company desires to include a superfast Li-Fi internet on their iPhone 7. Li-Fi transfers data in a dual approach by utilizing gentle. Normally, Apple waits for a while before they introduce a new expertise to their products and Li-Fi is at present on its testing phases.\n\nAs a result of men are more into carrying quick hairstyles, this pushes most to opt for a more time-consuming and expensive FUE methodology. So enter the Neograft Hair Transplant expertise, it makes the FUE turn into a more efficient process. The grafts are then stored first in a container with a sterile saline resolution to keep them moist, healthy and ready for implantation.\n\nIn older hair loss news, we realized a couple of drug that works for men and a topically applied resolution known as Minoxidil that works for both men and women. In hair loss news from June 2009, Dr John Crisler, who makes a speciality of treating men with hormonal problems, reported that finasteride could cause sexual unwanted side effects that last even after the drug therapy is discontinued.\n\n#1. Newspapers are so gradual – you will be able to read at present’s news tomorrow morning when the morning is delivered to your doorstep while internet can broadcast the news real-time without having you to wait for one more 12 hours to know the main points.\n\nAfter the results had been assembled it was found that the children who had been on the additive free drinks showed much fewer ADHD symptoms corresponding to fidgeting and interrupting than the children who had been on the additive hyped and food dye drinks.\n\nMurad Products just lately obtained two seals of approval from the skin cancer foundation. The evaluation is carried out by a certified staff of photobiologists and due to this fact getting the seal of approval has been scientific validation of its products and indeed an honour for its commitment to the cause of skin care.\n\nAs a substitute, Apple is growing on “chopping-edge” expertise which is able to enable iPhones and iPads to charge without cables or charging mats. Apple’s new iPhone 7 will use a new dual digicam system with an Optical Zoom and a pair of-3x magnification, in accordance with Apple’s Analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo at KGI securities.
Advancements in expertise occur every now and then, due to the numerous gadgets that firms have now introduced. These cell phones not only perform regular telephone tasks but, they are technologically advanced to include computerized […]


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Haskell acquisition could mean big boost for bottom line
The Haskell Co.’s acquisition of a Wisconsin specialty engineering firm could mean a big jump in revenue for the Jacksonville-based design-build firm.
Haskell announced Friday that it had acquired Seiberling, an engineering and technical consulting company that specializes in the food, dairy, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The acquisition adds more than 50 specialty engineers to Haskell’s workforce, said John-Paul Saenz, president of Haskell’s industrial group.
“This could essentially double our food and beverage business,” Saenz said. “Food and beverage is our strongest division, historically it has been so, and right now, it represents a third of the company’s revenue.”
Haskell had $594.27 million in annual revenue in 2011, according to the Business Journal’s Book of Lists. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition is a continuation of a growth strategy launched in 2010 with the acquisition of E2M Inc., an Atlanta engineering firm that specializes in packaging systems.
“This really complements and completes the business model in our industrial markets to deliver not just the facility, but also the manufacturing system, from the process all the way through packaging,” Saenz said. “It’s a true turnkey delivery system.
“It’s no longer just the walls. It’s everything within.”
Haskell's food and beverage division tends to remain the strongest in a slow economy, Saenz said, but trends toward healthier foods are also driving the growth — as an example, the Greek yogurt craze is creating demand for processing equipment.
“There’s tremendous demand for additional processing,” he said. “The underlying trend even driving the yogurt trend is a transition to healthier-for-you foods, so a lot of the large food companies are forgoing carbonated beverages, carbonated soft drinks, from snack foods to healthier-for-you-foods.”
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Learning from the past of Customer Experience text analytics will ensure we obtain the most value from Large Language Model-powered Generative AI tools. Here are 5 key learnings.
While Americans continue to prefer personal vehicles, shared mobility solutions could soon establish themselves as an alternative or complement in the mobility landscape. Here’s what Ipsos research shows.
What The Future
Black Friday still reigns, and big boxes dominate. Here’s what retailers need to know to prep for the holidays next year.
What mobility modes are consumers using, and in what situations? Listen to our recorded webinar for fresh insights.
The upcoming shopping season is likely to bring rising holiday budgets and stress. Are retailers prepared to meet consumer needs?
Americans who have tried autonomous cars are much more likely to have positive feelings about them. Autonomous ride-hailing can help bridge the gap and expose more people.
New research highlights why a personalized digital experience across channels is essential to building customer advocacy and engagement.
Brands must always monitor their customer journeys and touchpoints for “hot spots” and have a system for quick identification and remediation. Here’s why.
Amid concerns over climate change and calls for more electric vehicles, Ipsos looks at where consumers stand on sustainability in the auto world.
Consumers go to restaurants for the food, the experience, and quality time with their friends and family. And they’re coming back in full force.


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October 22, 2018, the formal announcement of ChainDD US was made at the CHAINSIGHTS Blockchain Leadership Summit 2018 in New York today at the Lotte Palace Hotel in Manhattan. The summit was a launchpad for this new and ambitious project. It brought together some of the most inﬂuential investors and executives and members of the media in the blockchain industry in an audience of more than 150 key players and 15 expert speakers and panelists. The summit also provided ChainDD the opportunity to showcase its new English product and to showcase all of its achievements as well as its numerous blockchain, information, and fintech advisory services to high-level executives and tech industry influencers in a formal setting.
Among the speakers was Gary Gensler, an important figure in government and policy circles: he was Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) under President Barack Obama; Steve Oh from Nasdaq; Wall Street veteran analyst Peter Marber, as well as several legendary new technology investors from the US and China.
(Photo: Gary Gensler, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) under President Barack Obama, was giving a speech at the CHAINSIGHTS Blockchain Leadership Summit 2018 in New York)
ChainDD is a global information and technology company that specializes in the accurate and timely delivery of business and financial insights and services to individuals and institutions working in the blockchain, cryptocurrency, and high-tech services spaces. ChainDD was founded with the vision of developing “robust, healthy, and legitimate” blockchain markets in both China and the U.S., and it now covers the North American, European, Israeli, Japanese, South Korean, and the Southeast Asian markets from its oﬃces in China, the U.S., and Japan.
The Founder and CEO of ChainDD and its parent company TMTPost, Hejuan Zhao, gave a stirring introduction to her personal journey from being one of China’s most respected business journalists to a new role as a global entrepreneur, and she posed the challenge of blockchain and set out a clear path for ChainDD’s mission, saying:
“What is the logic that supports the booming cryptocurrency market? How can technical solutions be better integrated with real assets? We realize that there exists a wide array of possibilities and scenarios in blockchain that will draw the world’s attention. This summit is a platform for blockchain influencers to exchange innovative ideas.”
(Photo: Hejuan Zhao, The Founder and CEO of ChainDD and its parent company TMTPost, was giving a speech at the CHAINSIGHTS Blockchain Leadership Summit 2018 in New York)
In September, the company established ChainDD US in New York as part of a drive to promote stronger cross-country blockchain ties and to advance ChainDD’s service offerings to U.S. customers. Catherine Li, former Managing Director of BOA Merrill Lynch and a Founding Partner & COO of ChainDD US, has been chosen to lead the new initiative, thanks to her vast experience in the high-tech and financial services industries.
ChainDD not only provides news and analysis, but it actually delivers services and applications with real-world value. Its signature innovation is the DD Wallet, the next-generation digital asset management platform that aggregates market information to provide clients with insights for making better-informed financial decisions. It also provides cryptocurrency storage and transfer services for investors so that they can access their digital assets, with links to ChainDD Currency Indices (DDCI) and DD Market Price Alerts, the DD Wallet service provides customers with access to a powerful, insightful, and user-friendly knowledge base that can help them make better, quicker, and more accurate investment and trading decisions for cryptocurrency and blockchain-based projects and initiatives. With the DD Headlines service, customers have access to news exclusives with rich, in-depth content, while the DD News Flash service delivers real-time news to users around the clock. Comprehensive market research reports are also produced with DD Intelligence, and the online forum DD Knowledge Base.
On the social responsibility side of things, DD Camp sponsors meet-ups for local communities, and the DD Innovation Institute plays a role in education by providing executive training programs for blockchain leaders and entrepreneurs. Finally, the DD Blog and Column provides the general public with user-generated content about blockchain.
ChainDD is clearly banking on exploiting their strong competitive advantages that have not been successfully replicated by others in the market. From the BAT group (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) to major investment firms, customers and clients both inside and outside of China have featured ChainDD’s services, and the company is excited about future prospects and about the promise of the new ChainDD US initiative to bring better, more accurate, and more tightly-knit services to clients and corporations all around the world.
ChainDD is currently the #1 Blockchain News App and the #6 General News App in the iOS App Store in China, with over 120 News Flash items published every single day. It also boasts over 2 million registered users, has 800+ active bloggers, and has published over 5,600 articles (including more than 1,800 original articles) over the past 6 months alone.
Disclaimer. This press release is paid and provided by a third-party source. This press release is for informational purposes only and should not be viewed as an endorsement by CoinIdol. We take no responsibility and give no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy. Readers should do their own research before investing funds in any company.


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Malaysian twins Michelle and Rachel Yeoh are quickly making a name for themselves in Britain’s fashion industry.
The twins, who are currently studying in London, are regulars at high fashion and society events, making frequent appearances in the famous and high-profile Fashion Weeks all around the world, according to Malaysia Tatler.
Contrary to what most would think, Michelle and Rachel aren’t just all beauty.
Michelle, who studies law, and Rachel, who studies philosophy, politics and law, began their venture into the world of fashion when they made their first appearance at Chanel’s spring/summer fashion show back in 2013, where the friendly girls made plenty of friends and connections from the fashion industry.
Soon after that, their connections caught the attention of the elite British Fashion Council (BFC). Now, the both of them are currently on the advisory committee in the BFC, where they help award grants and funds to fashion designers.
Apart from that, they are also responsible in connecting fashion graduates with prestigious opportunities in the fashion industry.
Despite being twins, the girls have very distinct personalities. Rachel is the more artistic and creative one, who manages to find good qualities in every person she meets. Michelle on the other hand, is more calculative and follows through on a lot of tough decisions.
Earlier in 2015, the twins were also the first ever Malaysians to make their debut at the 235th Queen Charlotte’s Debutante Ball, a prestigious social event held at U.K.’s Kensington Palace meant for the world’s royalty and wealthiest.
At the rate these girls are going, Malaysia could make a bigger name for itself in the fashion industry! You go girls!


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London continues to be a word leading business destination for international companies wishing to set up or expand their business. Last year, a Deloitte study revealed 60% of non-European companies chose London as the base for their headquarters, and 40% of the globe’s biggest companies chose London for their European headquarters over anywhere else on the continent. 121CompanyFormation.co.uk, a specialist business registration service, is helping entrepreneurs and start-ups establish businesses in the capital as it continues to attract foreign investment.
The figures from the Deloitte study follow on from IBM’s 2010 Global Location Trend report, which identified London as the top ranking business city destination for a number of global investment projects.
London’s dominance of the global business market can be attributed to its access to finance, its entrance to different markets and customers, a world renowned top talent pool and a reduction of operating risks. Whether a business is expanding into the European market or would like to build it from the ground up in the capital, one of the leading online company formation agents, 121 Company Formation, can guide them through the simple process.
Nwora Eze, Managing Director or 121 Company Formation, said, “It is no surprise that London has been revealed as one of the world leading business destinations. The UK is an international business hub, with easy access into European markets but also close connections with the US and other areas, especially through ecommerce. Forming a company online is a lot easier – and cheaper – than many people think. With 121, in under five hours, you can be trading as a UK company.”
Overseas companies can choose from a range of company formation options. The bronze package will successfully and legally set up the company with Companies House, and the business will receive all electronic company documents and a fast track introduction to business banking services from Barclays Bank. A printed certificate of incorporation and a printed share certificate is available for an extra cost.
Nwora added, “We are here to help overseas companies start trading in the UK quickly and efficiently. We know it’s difficult to start from scratch, which is why we also offer free business banking with our partner Barclays Bank as part of our service.”
To find out more about 121 Company Formation visit the website at: http://www.121companyformation.co.uk/


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The Ghana Revenue Authority has reported that it’s assembled a new tax for betting, eCommerce, and online gambling. The directive will go live as of April 2022. Reverend Doctor Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Commissioner General for the GRA, believes that these taxes, with the Electronic Transaction Levy, will see the country hit its ¢80.3 billion goals for revenue this year.
A New System
CG Owusu-Amoah spoke at the GRA 2022 Management Retreat held at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho. He described the system as one that has been created to guarantee that betting, eCommerce, and gaming platforms available to Ghanaians are tax compliant.
CG Owusu-Amoah said that taxation on eCommerce market players is a priority. He described it as a challenge to regulate thus far but stated that the new directives will allow authorities to make inroads in 2022. He added that the goal for this year is to ensure that the correct taxes are being paid by players in the online industry.
A Call for Support
CG Owusu-Amoah said that the new eLevy bill will play an important role in Ghana’s income mobilization. He pledged to roll out information regarding it, with the aim of clarifying how the charges will be applied and urged Ghanaians to support the government. The new measures are intended to stop leakage in the Value Added Tax system and citizens have been urged to consider their VAT invoices when buying goods or using services.
Gambling of all kinds is 100% legal in Ghana and is regulated by the Ghana Gaming Commission. This body is the sole administrative entity for the betting industry in this country, besides the Lottery. This is run by the National Lottery Authority. At the time of writing, as many as four million of the population use their desktops, smartphones, or tablets to bet online in Ghana, and these new measures will ensure the government gets its share of this action.


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The Samsung Galaxy S7 is just a couple of weeks away from its official launch, but if you are too impatient to wait for the phone, we have got something special for you. The Galaxy S7 official wallpapers have been leaked on the internet today, and they are now available to download. For all those who are looking to give their smartphones the S7 look, these elegant wallpapers will do a nice job.
The new Galaxy S7 wallpapers have been spotted on SamMobile’s forums. They have been posted by a user called JK Shine. There are 13 wallpapers in total, and some of them come with a slight tint of Material Design. What’s more ironic is that some of those wallpapers have got the number “6”, even though they are meant for the Galaxy S7. One of those wallpapers has been spotted in the Galaxy S7 press renders that leaked out recently, which suggest that the wallpapers are genuinely for the S7.
As for the design, the wallpapers are not nature-themed as seen in the S5 or previous phones in the series. These wallpapers are more futuristic in design and are similar to the Galaxy S6 wallpapers.
If you are a great Samsung fan, you can download all those wallpapers from the below-given gallery. Meanwhile, for the Galaxy S7 would-be-buyers, the phone unveils officially on 21st February.


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Your iPhone is EVIL
This expose highlights the simple fact that closed source, proprietary software applications should not be used or receive economic support.
Apple back doors and undocumented software on iOS devices
Apple says in response to spyware claims on Apple devices: “We have designed iOS so that its diagnostic functions do not compromise user privacy and security, but still provides needed information to enterprise IT departments, developers and Apple for troubleshooting technical issues,”
Basically Apple is claiming that the undocumented back doors in iOS is there for IT departments and “developers” to use… and saying nothing about the USA acronym agencies like the CIA, FBI and hundreds of others… Right.


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Mission residents have taken to social media to condemn the announcement that the local Safeway store is one of 10 locations to be shut down later in the year.
The decision to close 10 B.C. stores was announced on Tuesday and reaction was swift.
Shirley Lundy wrote “I will really miss a lot of their name brand groceries as well as their bakery products… Not happy to see them shut down.”
Kathleen O’Lane agreed adding that she was “not a happy consumer. Safeway is my store of choice. I continued to shop there irregardless of the big box stores arriving my region. I did so out of loyalty and a concern for exactly this happening. My heart goes out to all the dedicated employees who will be joining the long line of job seekers out there. Very sad.”
More than 22,000 people have seen the Facebook post on the Mission Record site and several are calling for a petition to be started to save the grocery store while others are expressing sympathy for the staff that will be losing their jobs.
“Awe this is sad news. I feel for the employees,” wrote Weyen George.
The Mission store is set to close on May 5.
Sobeys, which purchased Safeway, might turn at least five of the locations into FreshCo. discount stores. Mission is one of the locations being considered for the change, but no decision has yet been made.
The following locations will be closing:
· Safeway Mission;
· Safeway, Lougheed Mall, Burnaby;
· Safeway, City Square, Vancouver;
· Safeway, Sunwood Square, Coquitlam;
· Safeway, Point Grey, Vancouver;
· Safeway, Royal Oak, Burnaby;
· Safeway, Blundell, Richmond;
· Safeway, Broadmoor, Richmond;
· Safeway, Newton Town Center, Surrey;
· Safeway, Strawberry Hills, Surrey.


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Apple ID Tops List of Most Forgotten Passwords in Canada: Report
In a new study conducted by NordPass, Canadians most often forget their Apple ID passwords, followed closely by their Facebook and Gmail credentials. The study, which analyzed user search behaviours worldwide, determined which passwords were most frequently forgotten and how this trend varies across eight examined countries.
According to the study, here are the top ten services that Canadians frequently struggle to remember their passwords for:
- Apple ID
- Sony PlayStation
Interestingly, this password amnesia trend seems to have a cultural aspect. While Apple ID tops the list of forgotten passwords in English-speaking nations like the United States, Australia, and the UK, in the European Union, Gmail and Windows passwords prove to be the most elusive.
NordPass’s research shows that globally, Google-related accounts (including YouTube and Gmail), Apple ID, and Yahoo are the most difficult for users to remember. Tomas Smalakys, NordPass’s CTO, comments that this data suggests users often forget passwords for services they use daily, not just those seldom used.
“There are several reasons to explain this trend. First, many progressive global service providers allow single sign-on (SSO) login which successfully limits the number of passwords internet users should remember. Second, many of us rarely log out of the applications or websites that we use casually,” said Smalakys in a statement to iPhone in Canada.
In examining categories of services, NordPass researchers discovered that social media platforms (31.5%), email service providers (24.4%), and single sign-on websites like Google and Microsoft are most frequently the culprits for forgotten passwords. Gaming account passwords also appear to be a significant challenge, making up 13.9% of all forgotten credentials.
Smalakys encourages healthier password management practices, like using a password manager, trying passkeys, and keeping track of active accounts. He emphasizes that resetting passwords frequently is neither a secure nor efficient practice, suggesting instead that users consider other technological solutions to better manage their online security.


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Luckin’s Business Model: A Disruptive Innovation? (part 2)
The hot coffee delivery model, launched by the Chinese company Luckin, is fueling the debate among operators if this new model may change coffee habits.
Customers that buy coffee in store normally drink it inside or take it away. All coffee shops give these two possibilities but, until now, few tried to deliver coffee like you do with fast food.
Coffee houses have a long tradition in Western society as a place where people could meet and discuss ideas or just enjoy each other’s company. Atmosphere, tastes, and internet connection are the leading priorities, more than the price, which isn’t as important to success as you may think.
In China, some market conditions are different. A low number of coffee shops compared to the population, especially in large towns, and the boost in coffee consumption (at two-digits) in particular out of home.
The hot coffee delivery is, therefore, a new opportunity to satisfy the large coffee demand.
At the moment, there is no available data to see if the delivery system will be appreciated by customers, the fact is that the giant coffee chain Starbucks is also moving towards signing a partnership with Alibaba, China’s largest online retailer, to launch delivery services in September. The new deal will see Starbucks integrate a “virtual store” in online shopping and payment apps.
On Alibaba’s food delivery platform Ele.me Starbucks coffees and products will be available. A “delivery kitchen” will be open in Alibaba’s Hema grocery stores to help brew and deliver Starbucks drinks. Everything can be paid for using Alibaba’s payment platform, Alipay.
The delivery of hot coffee cups is not new for the Chinese market. Since 2014, the platform Coffee Box has delivered coffee for foreign brands using WeChat app, the Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app. After a few years, the company entered the coffee business deciding to deliver its own coffee.
Coffee Box has small coffee shops, or “stations”, in each area identified with a strong demand for takeout coffee staffed with two baristas and several deliverymen.
With this fierce competition, Starbucks does not want to lose its leadership position in the coffee shop business in China, where opened its first store in 1999. The company declared the agreement with Alibaba and that will open 500 plus stores each year for the next five years.
To remark its presence in China, it has recently opened the world biggest store (30,000 sqm in Nanjing road, Shanghai). This location is the first of five large Roasteries expected to open before 2020. Others are currently slated in Milan and New York in 2018 and in Tokyo and Chicago in 2019.
If the hot coffee delivery model has success and expands, it will depend on the coffee chains. They should continue maintaining promises of quality, prices and times for delivery in particular, when the number of users will increase.
In this blue sea of delivery, all competitors are on the same starting line and success will depend on how they can attract younger generations with simple and smart systems. Luckin has signed the first point, opening many stores in short time and getting attention, and now Starbucks is answering.
Anyway, it is not a true battle for China. In a market that is growing so fast, they just need more people drinking coffee to have a profitable strategy.
But, in the near future, it is not to exclude that this model could inspire lots of copycats and be introduced in other areas (i.e. the U.S. and Europe), as a new way of offering coffee, in particular to younger generations.
At this point, the consequences of the hot coffee delivery model in mature markets could also be disruptive. A serious problem for coffee shops that will not invest in quality, specialty coffees, service and location.
It is not the first time that an innovation starts where markets are growing, competition is fierce, there are more needs and requirements to expand in countries with mature businesses and change them.
About 20 years of experience in competitive market analysis, data surveys, worldwide markets, and significant experience in the study of the coffee industry, especially in B2B, HORECA and professional markets.
In charge of selecting the appropriate research methodology and supporting techniques to meet customers’ business objectives, with specific expertise in research plans and questionnaires.
Consultant in interpreting data, writing reports, and making actionable recommendations.
For Mariano, coffee is not only a job but also a passion.


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The chip giant also received pledges from more than a dozen OEMs to use the component for commercial 5G device launches due in 2019. The agreement is aimed at letting companies debut their 5G network deployment for the large-scale testing as well as commercial applications by 2019.
The full list also includes the following OEMs that you're most likely to not care about as much: Inseego/Novatel Wireless, NetComm Wireless, NETGEAR, OPPO, Sharp Corporation, Sierra Wireless, Telit, vivo, Wingtech, WNC, Xiaomi and Fujitsu.
Samsung is without a doubt the biggest company in the Android space and the biggest competitor to Apple and having them on board with the 5G NR from Qualcomm is the great tailwind in the fight for dominance in the 5G market. Devices by these OEMs will be built around the sub-6GHz and millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum bands starting next year.
Nokia, in fact, is one of the first brands to focus on the new 5G technology along with Snapdragon. "Qualcomm Technologies has been at the forefront of paving the path to enhanced mobile broadband 5G NR connectivity by providing solutions with Gigabit LTE technologies to global operators and mobile devices today". But to make any use of that, smartphones and other mobile devices need to actually support it.
Olympics-Biathlon-Certain-fire Dahlmeier takes first…
And then the sprint, pursuit and individual race, along with world cup rankings, determine who will be in the mass start. Reid was cheerful despite a bad night in which she had more misses than anyone else - seven - and a time of 26:18.
"Moreover, many of these smaller device OEMs have little to no presence in many countries, including the United States, suggesting that other markets, notably those in Asia, could be the first to get their hands on 5G smartphones", Saadi said.
In the United Kingdom, that's pretty much as to be expected, with EE (ultimately part of BT) and Vodafone once again lined up to do battle over early 5G bragging rights - just as they did with 4G many years ago.
"The arrival of 5G will expand mobile into new spectrum bands and all spectrum types, allowing for enhanced mobile broadband and increasing the overall average download speeds for virtually all smartphone users".


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By Hatem Oueslati, CEO & Co-Founder, IoTerop
During the last twelve months, IoT faced something of a perfect storm. Covid-19 slowed business activity. A global chip shortage negatively impacted supply chains until at least 2022. Complex international logistics issues led to higher costs and capacity crunches. As a result, although expected to bounce back, IoT spending and growth were down from 2019’s double-digit rise.
Some of these issues will recede, like the logistics and investment issues. Others, like the global chip shortage, will be an issue the industry struggles with for a while. Still, the IoT market faces deeper issues. The terms best encompassing the current IoT market for most business people are “complexity” and “lack of clarity.”
State of the Industry: IoT Challenges
IoT is still very much a nascent industry. Historically, IoT projects were proprietary efforts focussed on a single business unit or problem since standardised building blocks from device to cloud didn’t exist. Increasingly, IoT visions are much more encompassing which means that past approaches will not support digitalisation strategies moving forward.
IoT development compared to other IT sectors is challenging and expensive. Whether it is the applications themselves or getting the data from the devices to the cloud, many organisations lack the internal skills and requisite experience to build meaningful solutions efficiently. There are not enough blocks (developer Legos) from the devices to the cloud, which makes creating secure, robust solutions more difficult.
In addition to technical challenges, there are also business hurdles that companies face when it comes to leveraging IoT. In an increasingly data-centric world, IoT plays the role of nerves and fingers to artificial intelligence’s brain and nervous system. The two technologies are complementary and inseparable in many ways. Yet, despite IoT’s disruptive potential, many organisations still struggle with the who, what, where, when, and why of building and deploying IoT solutions.
Then there are the security challenges. The security issues are too vast, deep, and pervasive to address in this article. Let’s just say IoT is not secure, data is not encrypted, and threats abound. Poorly secured, remote, vulnerable IoT devices are the equivalent of embedding Achilles’ Heels in the goods and services we need to live.
The Business of IoT
IoT represents significant business investments with long life cycles. Poor choices will have significant consequences. For example, smart meters have life spans measured in decades. What happens if one company’s operational costs are twenty percent higher?
Looking at the consumer IoT market, recent research shows consumers are keen to connect everything, but what exactly are they keen for? The modern global consumer, starting with myself, demands simplicity and convenience and has little tolerance for anything overly complex.
Does anyone remember what PCs were like before the advent of Plug and Play (PnP) and USB? I do. What happened to the PC and after-PC market once these two technologies matured? Explosive growth.
Business IoT adoption must overcome the same constraints. Proofs-of-concept, testing, deploying, securing, and value creation are all too hard, too unproven, too costly, with too few established use-cases.
The good news is, change is coming, and it is coming in the form of standards.
There are many types of IoT. The single largest IoT sector by far and the one that will have the most immediate tangible impact on our lives is massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). This sector includes smart metering, logistics, smart lighting, and agriculture. It is not an exaggeration to say that these solutions sending small amounts of data regularly up to the cloud have the potential to revolutionise whole industries and how we live.
City lights, for example, represent up to one-quarter of the average city’s budget. What if we could save ten percent on our collective electricity bills while making cities safer?
Smart meters reduce truck-roll or house visits, reducing not only direct costs, but also work-related injuries and the ROI continues from here.
Early mMTC solutions relied on many types of LPWANs for connectivity. IoT mMTC 2.0, starting with China and the Asia-Pacific region, increasingly depends on telecom-centric cellular NB-IoT.
Technically NB-IoT is an excellent solution fit delivering:
- Quality of Service ─ NB-IoT uses existing cell towers and is effective at both long ranges and penetrating walls, ideally suited for many mMTC use cases.
- Battery-optimized ─ Battery-operated solutions must stay in the field as long as possible. Non-necessary human interventions mean non-necessary costs. Recent NB-IoT smart water meter solutions have arrived at the all-important ten-plus year mark.
- Security ─ Telecom-operated networks use standardised AES encryption that require device authentication, and have enough bandwidth capacity to deliver firmware updates ensuring IoT solutions meet basic (and increasingly legislated) security standards.
Equally important are NB-IoTs business benefits:
- Build once, deploy anywhere ─ As a global standard NB-IoT for IoT, like PnP and USB for PCs a generation before, unlocks connectivity interoperability. Now, a developer or company can invest in innovation, build a new device, and sell that device into global markets. One recent innovation example I love is a small boutique German IoT company that designed a NB-IoT CO2 smart building sensor to reduce Covid-19 indoor transmission rates. This story correlates very well with IT’s historical roots of two guys in a garage innovating with standards helping to make this possible.
- Proof-of-Concept costs ─ Testing a solution withnon-standardised LPWANs is more complicated and hence more costly. Testing a solution with NB-IoT is now as simple as organising device delivery and installation, reducing costs.
Although much criticised and still maturing as an ecosystem, NB-IoT provides a single, global communication standard for a communication-dependent industry.
Device Management Standards
The last twelve months in IoT, although disappointing from an adoption standpoint, have seen other promising industry developments.
The UK, Europe, and the US all proposed IoT cybersecurity legislation and guidelines followed by industry associations announcing support for new IoT standards. The FIDO Alliance is now promoting the FIDO IoT specifications and the Zigbee Alliance rebranded as the Open Connectivity Alliance.
One recent example of an important value creation and cost-cutting step was the uCIFI Alliance, an IoT alliance of important industry actors dedicated to smart city interoperability. uCIFI announced the creation of common data models under all smart city applications that would reduce the barriers to securely sharing data, the digital economy’s oil.
Device management standards that address a wide range of factors, including device onboarding and sharing data, benefits everybody by making it a snap to securely use any device by adhering to the standards. Think about it. Would you buy a car that didn’t meet your country’s road safety standards? Do cars meeting road safety standards contribute to fewer injuries and lower operational costs? IoT should and will eventually do the same.
IoT adoption and accompanying benefits will explode when we get to the point where adding a device, securely sharing data, and the accompanying benefits, are as simple as just a few mouse clicks and not a “project” similarly to the PC market before PnP and USB came along.
Technology’s killer applications are common sense and convenience. Businesses, like people, hate risk, complexity, and uncertainty. As the IoT ecosystem matures and scales, costs will come down as the risks are better understood and there are more use-cases available. The dual forces of device management and connectivity standards are already at work rewriting IoT macroeconomics.
NB-IoT modules went from nearly ten dollars a unit in 2017 to four dollars in 2021 and are expected to reach two dollars per unit in the next few years, barring continued chip shortages. This is due in great part to competition aligning around a single standard.
The same thing is happening to connectivity costs. One European vendor recently announced a flat rate of ten euros for ten years of NB-IoT connectivity, roaming included, removing obscurity from NB-IoT pricing modules.
The next step is to get to a point where any device, designed anywhere, can be securely operated by anybody, and have its data shared with just a few mouse clicks.
Once IoT fundamentals fully support basic economics and common sense, there will be no holding IoT back.


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LS Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY)
LS Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY) by 132.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,888 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 1,648 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Shutterfly were worth $137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Park West Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Shutterfly by 31.0% in the first quarter. Park West Asset Management LLC now owns 2,758,936 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $133,229,000 after buying an additional 652,612 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Shutterfly by 16.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,838,819 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $137,087,000 after buying an additional 396,567 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Shutterfly by 3,367.3% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 260,704 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $12,589,000 after buying an additional 253,185 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Shutterfly by 25.2% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 942,085 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $45,498,000 after buying an additional 189,583 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Shutterfly during the first quarter worth about $8,546,000.
Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ SFLY) traded down 0.31% during midday trading on Friday, reaching $45.69. 157,591 shares of the company were exchanged. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 278.60 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $47.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.39. Shutterfly, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.91 and a 52-week high of $53.99.
Shutterfly (NASDAQ:SFLY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 25th. The technology company reported ($0.68) EPS for the quarter, missing the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.55) by $0.13. Shutterfly had a net margin of 0.50% and a return on equity of 3.61%. The firm had revenue of $209.03 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $209.46 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.48) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Shutterfly, Inc. will post $0.46 earnings per share for the current year.
Shutterfly announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, April 18th that permits the company to repurchase $140.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to buy up to 8.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.
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A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SFLY shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Shutterfly from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 28th. TheStreet raised shares of Shutterfly from a “c” rating to a “b” rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (up previously from $47.00) on shares of Shutterfly in a research report on Saturday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Shutterfly from $54.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, ValuEngine raised shares of Shutterfly from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.89.
In other Shutterfly news, Director Ann Mather sold 1,662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.86, for a total value of $82,867.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,799 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $338,998.14. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Betsy Rafael sold 1,060 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.76, for a total value of $50,625.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $240,996.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 60,290 shares of company stock valued at $2,958,580 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.70% of the company’s stock.
Shutterfly Company Profile
Shutterfly, Inc is an online manufacturer and retailer of personalized products and services. The Company focuses on helping consumers manage their memories through the medium of photography. The Company’s segments are Consumer and Shutterfly Business Solutions (SBS). The Consumer segment offers photo-based products, such as photo books, stationery and greeting cards, other photo-based merchandise, photo prints and statement gifts.
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SFLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY).
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Arnprior council is expected to discuss on Monday whether or not to allow retail cannabis stores in the community. We here at myFM News took to the streets to see what Arnprior residents had to say on the matter.
The province is only awarding 25 licences for retail outlets this application period, and the lucky companies who get to apply for one will be chosen by a lottery. The government says it had to set a firm cap on the number of stores that will open this spring because there simply isn’t enough supply to meet demand for cannabis. It is also expected that only towns or cities with a population over 50,000 will be eligible to host a store in round one, meaning towns in the Upper Ottawa Valley may not see a store for quite some time. For its part, Renfrew council opted last week to not vote on the matter yet, but did signal it would discuss it at its next meeting, which falls on the same day the province had set for municipalities to opt in or opt out of having retail cannabis stores in their communities. If a municipality chooses not to respond, it’s an automatic opt in.


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iOS 4.0.2 is Here, iPhone 4 Jailbreak Broken
Apple’s 4.0.2 patch for iOS 4 arrived yesterday and it breaks the Jailbreakme.com jailbreak. A similar patch was released for Apple’s iPad, upgrading its operating system to 3.2.2 and also breaking the same jailbreak. While I am certain that a lot of you are disappointed that the jailbreak has been broken, it worked through a PDF font exploit, which could have been used by hackers to gain complete control over your iPhone or iPad if you happened to surf a site with it.
The group Dev-Team—who specialize in jailbreaking and unlocking solutions for iOS-powered hardware—is warning everyone not to update however. According to the group’s blog,
“…the upcoming Cydia package will fix them [the security flaws] too (and then some!), everybody should sit tight on 4.0.1 (or lower) and install the Cydia package as soon as it’s out.”
Ah, you have to love hackers who have our best interests in mind. Special thanks to Comex and the rest of the Dev-Team. It’s too bad though that they have to play this cat-and-mouse game with Apple.
However, Apple still won’t say whether or not this software update will fix the proximity sensor issue that a lot of iPhone 4 owners have been suffering through. Personally, I think the sensor issue is much worse than ‘Antennagate,’ having used a smartphone with a faulty proximity sensor before. (I refuse to say which phone, but it’s not an iPhone.) With the rumors already shifting towards iPhone 5 nonsense and CDMA Verizon iPhones, I really hope that the proximity sensor problem is not lost among the new news. iPhone 4 users deserve a real fix here.
So there you have it, Apple has fixed that gaping security flaw and managed to come out on top at least for now in the jailbreaking game. Hopefully the claims of at least one hacker—George Hotz of iPhone hacking fame—are true, and an ultimate jailbreak/unlock solution is possible. When I say ultimate, I mean one that works forever despite upgrading iOS.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for another jailbreak to come out soon for iOS 4.0.2. In the meantime, let me know if you’ll be upgrading via the new patch or relying on the hackers to fix the security hole.apple ipad, jailbreak, apple iphone 4, iOS 4, hack


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Gary Riley, the principal owner of Decatur Plastic Products Inc. and Ningbo Global LLC, is the new CEO of Tecumseh, Mich.-based Uniloy Inc., a manufacturer of blow molding equipment, parts and tooling.
Riley succeeds Brian Marston, who had been Uniloy president and CEO since July 2019 and saw the company through its sale to private equity firms Osgood Capital and Cyprium Investment Partners for almost $51.9 million.
The investment firms bought Uniloy from Milacron Holdings Corp., which had owned it for 21 years.
Marston, who had previously been president of Milacron's blow molding and extrusion division, is now a partner at Gamut Capital Management and a member of the board of directors of machinery maker Davis-Standard LLC.
Riley took over in June. He has had leadership roles in the plastics molding industry for more than 25 years. He has served as the CEO of a number of private equity-owned international businesses operating in the U.S., Europe, China, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea. Those companies include EnTrans International LLC, Enovation Controls LLC, ASIMCO Technologies Holdings Ltd., Energy Conversion Systems LLC, Magnequench Inc., Xolox NA and Malaysia, and Zollner Pistons.
Riley announced his new position at Uniloy in a LinkedIn post that also mentioned that the company wants to add a senior manufacturing and process engineer at the Tecumseh facility.
Riley has been chairman of the board and an owner of Decatur Plastic and Ningbo Global Sourcing since 2016, when he and his relatives formed a family office to own and operate lower-middle-market manufacturing companies in the industrial and automotive supply market segments.
Decatur Plastic, which has four factories in Indiana and Alabama, serves the automotive interior market with custom injection molded parts. Ningbo Global and Ningbo Decatur Plastic Moulding Technology Ltd. are both Chinese companies serving the industrial and automotive markets with precision products, tooling, automation and assemblies.
DPP and NGS serve many of the same customers.
Riley also serves as vice chairman of Serva SJS Ltd., a Sino-American joint venture between Sinopec Oilfield Equipment and Entrans International.
In addition, Riley is on the advisory board of Cyprium Partners and a member of the board of directors of Weaber Lumber in Lebanon, Pa.


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Xbox Series X officially launching this November
We finally know when we will see the next Xbox. Microsoft will launchThis November The tech giant announced the news on Tuesday and it is expected that they will reach the proposed deadline of the 2020 holiday season.
The news comes with a caveat as one of the biggest launch titles for the console – Halo Infinity – the next chapter in the long-running Halo series of video games, after targeting a similar holiday 2020 release window on 2021 There will be a delay in commencement.
Microsoft announced a sophisticated release window on Tuesday through a blog post, perhaps Halo will help soften the blow of infinite delay. 343 Industries, behind Halo Anant, announced a delay on Twitter:
Hello infinity to featureCompared to any previous game in the series. The first Halo for the original Halo was released back in 2001. Original developer Bungie eventually left the franchise to work on another popular shooter series Destiny, but the 343 industry has been at the helm for a while.
No doubt Halo Infiniti is one of the big draws for the new Xbox console as it prepares to compete with the upcomingFrom Sony Halo is one of the most famous franchises for Microsoft. Microsoft’s announcement meanwhile highlighted several other titles coming to the console and promised Xbox’s ability to play games across all four generations.
So far neither Microsoft nor Sony have announced pricing for their respective consoles. Playstation 5 is also expected this holiday season.


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Heather Keit had just arrived in Mount Pleasant and was decorating her dorm room on the campus of Central Michigan University.
Heather Keit recently opened an interior design business focused on kitchens.In getting to know her new roommate, the subject of majors was broached. Keit wasn’t sure but figured she’d end up in the teaching program. Noticing her penchant for decorating, Keit’s roommate suggested the interior design program, a major Keit didn’t even know existed.
Some 20 years later and Keit has opened her own interior design studio in Downtown Bay City.
After years of working for other firms, in other cities and other states, Keit has struck out on her own, officially launching Heather Nicole Kitchens on June 1.
The company sells kitchen cabinets, countertops, and hardware, and also offers kitchen design services.
"I’ve been in Bay City for around three years. I realized downtown is up-and-coming. And if I want to get foot traffic, downtown is the place to start," Keit says.
"I’ve really fallen in love with the charm of being downtown."
Heather Nicole Kitchens shares a space with the interior design firm Form & Function. While the two like-minded businesses will collaborate on certain projects, these are two distinct firms.
The two businesses share a 1,000-square-foot studio with an office for bookkeeping.
Keit has kitchen cabinet displays on order, which will give the space a showroom aspect. And while she’ll remain open by appointment-only, Keit says that passers-by are welcome to poke their heads in the door, should they see her at work.
While COVID-19 has slowed her opening, Keit has been using the time to expand her web presence. And while it may seem counter-intuitive at first, the coronavirus-related shutdowns have actually helped her business some, as people forced to stay home have been spending more time thinking about home improvement projects.
"I really believe in supporting small businesses. I come from a family of entrepreneurs from around Gaylord," Keit says.
"Being in Bay City, I love that people know each other and support small businesses. And being downtown, the support here has been amazing."
Heather Nicole Kitchens is located at 800 Washington Ave., Suite 101, in Downtown Bay City.
Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.


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Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
Holiday shoppers get head start
About 150 shoppers waiting for Belk to open at midnight Thursday were lined up from Belk’s entrance to the doors of the JC’s 5-Star Outlet at Liberty Fair Mall. A Belk official said Black Friday sales this year were “much better” than last year due to the company’s decision to open so early. (Bulletin photos by Mike Wray)
Many local shoppers got a jump on their Christmas buying before their Thanksgiving turkey had time to cool.
Retailers generally consider the day after Thanksgiving — known as “Black Friday” — to be the official kickoff of the Christmas shopping season. Yet both Kmart and Walmart opened Thursday, when most other stores were closed, with sales that lured throngs of customers.
Both stores were full of shoppers on Friday, but Kmart Assistant Manager Karen Blankenship and Walmart Assistant Manager Lauren Ratliff said they thought crowds Thursday night were larger.
Two hours before Belk opened at midnight on Thursday, about 150 people were waiting in line, according to Store Manager Bill Foley. Some had gotten there as early as 7:30 p.m., he noted.
The department store saw steady crowds all day Friday, and there were long lines at each cash register, Foley said. He described the scene inside as “perfect crazy,” adding that he “couldn’t complain” because of high sales.
Black Friday sales at Belk this year were “much better” than last year due to the company’s decision to open so early, he said.
Some merchants said they think some people’s decision to shop on Thursday reduced crowds in their stores on Friday.
“I guess people just gave out,” tired from their Thanksgiving shopping, said Brenda Patterson, assistant manager at Roses on Commonwealth Boulevard. She said her store was busy on Friday, “but not as busy as last year.”
Patterson said she hoped business would improve on Saturday, and it seems that was the case. Judy Smith, store manager, said shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday that business had been good that day — busy all day, but spread out. It was about on par with last year, she said.
At JC’s 5-Star Outlet, the former JCPenney Outlet Store at Liberty Fair Mall, 25 to 30 people were outside waiting in line when the store opened at 3:30 a.m., according to Store Manager Carol Morris.
Overall, though, Friday was “a so-so day, nothing spectacular,” Morris said. She guessed it was because people “went to those (sales at other stores on Thursday), got tired and went home.”
However, “Black Friday is not necessarily a measure of how good it’s going to be” throughout the season, she said.
Morris is optimistic that the outlet will see more customers as the Christmas season goes forward.
“You have to be optimistic to work in retail,” she said.
Business on Friday increased steadily at maurices, a women’s fashion store in the mall, as the day progressed, said Store Manager Kelly Flippin.
But at Suit City in the mall, business was “OK, not great,” said a manager who declined to fully identify himself.
At his store on Thanksgiving weekend, he said, business usually is better on Saturday than on Friday. Late Saturday afternoon, he said sales were “good” that day.
The manager said he thinks customers prefer to shop at “big stores,” such as Walmart, on Black Friday in search of bargains.
He said, however, bargain-seekers usually can save more on Christmas Eve and in the days right after Christmas than on Thanksgiving weekend.
Kurt Merchant, owner of Jacques Jewelers at the mall, also said larger stores generally do better on Black Friday than “boutique stores” such as his.
“Our business goes on a steady incline” in the days leading to Christmas, and Dec. 23-24 are extremely busy, Merchant said.
Doug and Sandra Carter of Callands, who run a craft kiosk across from Chick-Fil-A at the mall each Christmas season, said their Black Friday business was a little slower than it was last year.
“I think people are not sure what’s going to happen” in terms of how much in taxes they will have to pay next year, so they are hesitant to spend their money right now, Doug Carter said.
His wife said they are selling about the same number of items as in past years but people are buying less-expensive items.
Beth Toms of Martinsville said she found good buys on Friday at the mall, especially in clothing on sale.
Martinsville newcomer Angeline Godwin is hopeful that area stores will see a strong holiday season because people with whom she has talked “say they’re going to try to buy as much as they can locally” this year.
Godwin, the new president of Patrick Henry Community College, was in the crowd at the mall Friday. She was not necessarily there to buy anything.
“I just like to walk around in the hustle and bustle,” she said, laughing. “It kicks off the holiday spirit.”
Cindy Chitwood thinks she will not buy much at all this holiday season.
An area native, Chitwood now lives in Wilmington, N.C., and was visiting her relatives here Friday. She went to the mall to buy some boots she needs now.
Chitwood said she usually hits the stores “hot and heavy” on Black Friday, but just to buy personal items. She and her family quit giving gifts long ago, she said.
Gifts are “not what Christmas is all about,” Chitwood said, adding that the holiday has become “too commercial.”
But she found what she considered to be bargains at the mall, she said.


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Place: District Hall
In brief: ParElastic re-named Tesora; DataGravity to unveil a bit
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Cambridge startup ParElastic has a new name, Tesora, and a new focus for its database technology.
The company will now focus on supporting the cloud-computing project OpenStack. The startup's technology has previously focused on allowing databases to scale quickly in the cloud.
The name change "is a reflection of the expansion of our corporate vision beyond scalability to delivering a complete and open platform for (database-as-a-service) on OpenStack," CEO and co-founder Ken Rugg said in a news release.
The company has raised $8.7 million since its founding in 2010. Investors include General Catalyst Partners, Point Judith Capital, CommonAngels and LaunchCapital.
DataGravity to unveil a bit
Nashua, N.H.-based DataGravity, which is developing technology that aims to bring simplicity and automation to data intelligence, is recruiting a "select group" of companies for an early-access program to its technology.
The company, which has disclosed few specifics about its technology so far, plans to "give partners with expertise in storage, server and virtualization technology an early view into the DataGravity solution."
DataGravity's co-founders are Paula Long and John Joseph, who previously held key roles at EqualLogic, a maker of data storage devices that Dell acquired for $1.4 billion in 2008.
The company has raised $42 million since its founding in 2012. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst Partners and Charles River Ventures.
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Cranes - Page 1Stay up to date with the latest cranes news in the global factory crane industry
Latest Cranes Update
Norfolk-based specialist bearings supplier, Cooper Bearings, has awarded a contract for four cranes to service its expanding UK facility.
> read more
Two new gantry cranes have been delivered to DP World Sokhna, Egypt’s commercial gateway between Cairo and the Red Sea, to boost productivity at the port’s container handling operations.
Street Crane has sold three freestanding goliath cranes to luxury yacht makers Princess Yachts.
A joint venture of Finnish port lifting solutions manufacturer Cargotec, and Chinese Jiangsu Rainbow Heavy Industries (RHI), called Rainbow-Cargotec Industries (RCI), recently held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new facility.
Eilbeck Cranes Brisbane, in Australia, has successfully recommissioned a 260t crane designed to be used to assemble tunnel boring machines, allowing it to be used on a new tunneling project.


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Turkey's TAV eyes Havas unit stake
Istanbul, August 28, 2012
Turkish airports operator TAV Havalimanlari Holding aims to complete the purchase of the remaining 35 per cent of its Havas ground handling services unit soon, said chief executive Sani Sener.
Sener told Reuters that a possible initial public offering of the unit, which has been on the cards for some time, would depend on market conditions.
"We have wanted an IPO in Havas for a long time. We expressed back in 2008 when we owned 100 per cent of Havas that we wanted to hold an IPO. We will evaluate it depending on market conditions," Sener said.
TAV sold 35 per cent of Havas to HSBC Holdings and Turkey's Is Girisim Sermayesi Yatirim Ortakligi in 2009, when the unit was valued at 180 million euros ($225 million).
TAV said on August 24 it had begun talks with HSBC and Is Girisim about buying their stake in Havas.
"Falling operating profit and disputes with municipalities regarding airport shuttle services impacted Havas' attractiveness negatively," said Is Investment analyst Efe Kalkandelen.
"Delays to the IPO process left this as the only option for partners to exit. At this stage, it's important what price TAV would pay to buy back these shares."
TAV shares were up 0.43 percent at 9.30 lira. Is Girisim shares rose 4.35 per cent to 2.16 lira.
TAV Holding, part of TAV Group, runs 10 airports including in Tunisia, Macedonia and Georgia, as well as Turkey's biggest airport Istanbul Ataturk.-Reuters
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SON blamed influx of sub-standard goods on importers.
The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Thursday blamed the influx of sub-standard goods in the country on importers; and said poverty has made Nigerians purchase sub-standard goods.
The head of the organisation in charge of Edo and Delta, Ojo Akogun, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin that the porous borders were also contributing to importation of sub-standard goods.
He explained that though the country was striving to meet quality standard, “some Nigerians are always in the habit of cutting corners”.
Mr. Akogun explained further that the poverty rate in the country had created an avenue for sub-standard product and businesses. He added that the purchasing power of the citizens had made patronage of sub-standard goods a norm.
He, however, said that the organisation would not rest on its oars to ensure that manufacturers and producers complied with the stipulated standard.
Mr. Akogun said that the organisation had achieved about 70 per cent of its mandate of zero tolerance of substandard goods between 2010 and the first half of 2013.
He said its Benin office was able to close four firms between January and June.
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Kia is plotting a baby hot hatch to take on the Volkswagen Polo GTi.
The South Korean car maker has launched its fourth-generation Rio small car in Australia this week, but has hinted the initial line-up will be joined by a high-tech flagship model later in 2017.
The all-new Rio is bigger and better equipped than before, but the mainstream models are powered by an ageing 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine and have an antiquated four-speed automatic transmission.
However, the company has all but confirmed it will introduce a new more modern range-topper later this year with a 1.0-litre turbocharged engine and optional six-speed automatic.
Kia Motors Australia's product planning manager Roland Rivera admitted the 1.0-litre engine has been certified for local use in its top-grade specification, which produces 88kW and 173Nm, and that the brand is currently working through details in terms of pricing, features and positioning for the model.
Rivera indicated the car is likely to feature a more sporty appearance with different (and potentially larger) alloy wheels and a dressed-up body kit that could justify it being called the Rio GT - a badge Kia already uses on range-topping versions of its Optima sedan, Sportage SUV and the upcoming Stinger sports sedan.
In terms of positioning, the sporty small car is likely to match the range-topping SLi's pricetag of $22,490 but line-up with the mid-grade Si on equipment, missing out on things like leather trim and an electric sunroof while including critical connectivity elements such as sat nav, Bluetooth and smartphone mirroring.
The 1.0-litre Rio is also available with up-to-the-minute driver aids, such as autonomous emergency braking and forward collision warning, that aren't available on the mainstream models. Kia has yet to confirm whether it will be included in the Rio GT's standard features or be offered as an optional safety pack.
It is expected the sportier Rio will be officially confirmed in the coming months ahead of its showroom arrival later this year.
- Interested in buying Kia Rio? Visit our Kia showroom for more information.


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Again a hat tip to the Mediavest PPC Search Marketing team here – but they noticed an interesting addition to the paid search results here for a search for bespoke furniture manufacturer Neville Johnson.
As you can see from the image above the Google products microformat data is now being pulled through into the paid search ad, thereby giving browsers to see the feedback of the vendor from the paid search ad. Givent he promimence again of this on the Google SERPs, this is again an interesting development within the search pages, and one that will again highlight the importance of getting your paid search and organic search campaigns very tight collaboratively.
Thus far this has only been triggered through the Ad Preview tool, and would not appear to be out “in the wild” as yet.
Note: Further to a response from Google, this is currently only being trialled in the US and is only triggered on products with reviews of 4 and more.


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By Chris KosteckiPosted May 06, 2017 04:55:03The world’s priciest cars, at least for now, are the luxury cars sold by BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.
But there are still some cars that are not sold in these three companies, including luxury-car models that are sold by Ford, Fiat, General Motors, Nissan and Volkswagen.
Here’s a look at the world’s most expensive cars, ranked from cheapest to most expensive.1.
Ford Focus ST: $42,200This Ford Focus was sold by Bentley in 2007 for $42.4 million.
The car was later purchased by Nissan, and it was later sold to Fiat Chrysler for $48.8 million.
This Focus ST is now in the hands of BMW, the world leader in luxury cars, and Mercedes- Benz for $72.5 million.2.
Ferrari 458 Italia: $50,000The most expensive Ferrari car ever made, the 458 Italo is a classic car that’s been around since the 1950s.
It’s now in BMW’s hands for $56.9 million.
Ferrari is currently in the process of selling its 458 Italias to the likes of Ford, Volkswagen, Porsche and Nissan.3.
Bentley Continental GT: $45,800This Bentley Continental is a compact car that has been around for more than 60 years.
It has an MSRP of $45.6 million and a market value of $55.2 million.
It was originally sold to Porsche for $47.9 and then sold to Ford for $54.5.4.
Lamborghini Diablo S: $48,000It’s one of the worlds most expensive luxury cars.
The Lamborghinis are now owned by BMW for $78.6 mln.5, Ferrari 488: $53,600It’s a classic Lamborghine, and one of its owners has a $50 million fortune.
The Ferrari is now owned of BMW for just $48 million.6.
Porsche 911 Turbo: $55,500The 909 is a sports car that was designed for high performance racing and racing in particular, and was sold to Ferrari for $55 million.
Its MSRP is $55 mln and a current value is $72 mln7.
Porsche 918 Spyder: $60,000This supercar is a special version of the 911 Turbo, which was first introduced in 1989 and is a new version of that car.
The 918 is now being sold to Audi, where the 918 Sportback is now priced at $65,000.8.
Lambo Zonda: $67,500This Lamborghinede super car is one of Ferrari’s most coveted cars.
It is the second most expensive car in the world after the $125 million Lamborghina.
The price of the Lamborghino Zonda is $73.8 mln, which is an incredible sum for a Lamborghinero.9.
Ferrari LaFerrari: $75,000When it comes to luxury cars that sell for millions, the Ferrari is the gold standard.
The first LaFergari was sold in 1999 for $125.8m, and the first LaForma sold in 2008 for $110.5m.
The LaFeri is now sold by Porsche for just under $85 million.10.
Mercedes-AMG C63 AMG: $70,000Mercedes-AM.
G. is a company that has built cars in Europe for over 30 years.
Mercedes was the first company to build the first car in Europe with a production model, the AMG, which went on sale in 2003.
It sold a total of 3,632 cars in that time.
The C63 is a Mercedes-based SUV, and sold for $71.3 million in 2016.11.
Mercedes SLS AMG S: [Exclusive] Mercedes-M.G.’s SLS is a convertible SUV with a starting price of $74,700.
It sells for $75.7 million, and has a market price of around $91.6m.12.
Porsche Cayenne S: |$75,200One of the most expensive SUVs ever, the Porsche Cay, is a coupé that sells for around $75 million.
Porsche has been selling its Cayennes for a long time and has an extensive inventory.
The Cayenne is currently being sold by Audi for $80 million.13.
Ferrari F12berlinetta: $85,000Like the Cayenne, the F12 is an SUV that’s very much a crossover car.
It also has a starting MSRP in the neighborhood of $90,000, which makes it the third-most expensive SUV in the United States.14.
Mercedes C63: $95,000Another crossover SUV that goes


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Cybersecurity in India: the market almost doubled during the pandemic
The pandemic has seen ransomware attacks explode in India, hitting the country’s businesses hard. Fortunately, the Indian ecosystem is getting organised and startups are gaining momentum, gradually competing with the large national service groups.
The Indian market for cybersecurity products and services totalled a revenue of $9.85 billion in 2021, following a CAGR of nearly 40% over the last two years, according to the report published by the Data Security Council of India, entitled India Cybersecurity Industry – Services and Product Growth Story. This means it has almost doubled over that period ($5,04 billion in 2019).
The “services” business grew from $4.3 billion in 2019 to $8.48 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 40.33%. As for companies specialising in the supply of products, their 2019 business volume of $740 million reached $1.37 billion last year, following a CAGR of 36.49%.
According to the study conducted by the Data Security Council of India, the Indian cybersecurity sector is resolutely moving towards a platform-oriented approach. Of the cybersecurity product and service companies surveyed, 76% and 78%, respectively, have platform-based offerings, and 74% are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance their solutions.
India, a country particularly affected by ransomware
The growth in the market over the past two years has been largely driven by increased digital transformation, tighter regulatory focus on data and privacy, and growing board-level awareness of cyber threats. And by the fact that India was particularly hit hard during the pandemic, especially by ransomware.
According to a survey by security firm CrowdStrike and market research firm Vanson Bourne, about 76% of organisations in India have experienced at least one ransomware attack in 2021—more than any other country in the world over that period. And about 49% of Indian companies with a digital presence have experienced multiple ransomware attacks.
Leading consulting firms
With India’s share of the global IT outsourcing market (across all domains) at 55%, it is logical that the Indian cybersecurity market is also dominated by service giants (Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro, etc.). They naturally draw on their expertise to offer services ranging from consulting to implementation and to the management of controls and security frameworks.
These service companies have also expanded their presence outside the country and set up security operations centres, cyber defence centres, and R&D centres around the world to better serve their customers. According to the Data Security Council of India, service companies have generated 80-85% of their 2021 revenue internationally, while cybersecurity product providers have derived 60-65% of their revenue on the Indian market.
Startups in ambush
But it is not only the large consulting and service groups that are doing well. Thanks to the strong support of Indian authorities, the Indian cybersecurity startup ecosystem has grown significantly in recent years, in particular with the creation of incubation and acceleration programmes, the availability of funding opportunities, and the strengthening of a strong talent pool. While the talent shortage remains, India’s cybersecurity workforce has literally exploded—from 110,000 employees in 2019 to 218,000 in 2021.
India is thus becoming a partner of choice for the provision of cybersecurity services and products worldwide, with startups also expanding their influence internationally. Promising start-ups include WiJungle, which offers unified network security gateways, and Safe Security (formerly Lucideus), whose SAFE platform provides real-time assessment and monitoring services to enterprises.
Strengthening Franco-Indian cooperation
France, via its National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI), has established strong relations with India in the field of cybersecurity. In particular, it launched the Indo-French Roadmap on Cybersecurity and Digital Technology (signed in August 2019). With this roadmap, France and India recognise the need to pursue and deepen the strategic dialogue on defence against cyber threats and affirm their commitment to an open, reliable, secure, stable, and peaceful cyberspace.
In this regard, France and India aim to strengthen information sharing to respond to common cross-cutting threats. They also aim to enhance their coordination in support of ongoing discussions in various multilateral fora on the application of international law and the implementation of the norms of responsible behaviour of states in cyberspace adopted in the previous reports of the United Nations Groups of Governmental Experts.
As part of this roadmap, the ANSSI spoke in October 2019 at the “CyFy” Conference on Technology, Security, and Society, organised by the think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF). The ANSSI was able to meet with several Indian institutional actors to set the stage for strengthening cooperation in cybersecurity.
As we can see, cybersecurity in India is a highly strategic issue. Alongside the large national consulting and service companies, startups are gradually taking their place, bringing unparalleled expertise and value. This is a good thing for a country that has been hit hard by ransomware attacks.
- Cyber industrial safety
- Security and Stability in Cyberspace
- Cyber risks
- Operational security
- Antifraud action
- Digital identity & KYC
- Digital Sovereignty
- Digital transition


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Small business owners receive helping hand from Trust Fund
Participants of the Barbados Trust Fund Limit entrepreneurship programme.
Financial literacy remains a pertinent issue among many micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Therefore, the Barbados Trust Fund Limit (BTFL) sought to assist MSMEs to address the problem by hosting a four-day community-based workshop for 45 of their clients.
From Monday, August 31 to Thursday, September 3, local entrepreneurs received training on topics such as financial literacy, customer service excellence as well as introduction to management and introduction to marketing.
Business management officer, Kirk Dottin of the BTFL informed Loop News that poor financial literacy was the major reason for failing local businesses.
"From an institutional perspective, one of the key areas causes the failure of a lot of businesses is the aspect of financial management," he said adding, "these are mostly one-man businesses, so to concentrate on doing your record-keeping, budgeting, and the whole concept and principles of the separation of business funds from personal funds can be difficult because you can appreciate that the funds used for the business will be used to maintain the mortgage, paying rent or sending school children".
Dottin said the Fund sought to remind its clients they are "not just living for the time" but explore the hidden potential of their businesses.
"Some people may build a business out of subsistence but there are some businesses that have the potential to be a long-term, viable and sustainable project," he added.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on local MSME's the BFTL has sought to remind its clients about the importance of financial management, as well as "building a future" for their business and themselves. The pandemic has had a significant impact on the local business sector with some businesses scaling down their operations and reducing their revenue to keep afloat.
Dottin revealed that the BFTL provided its clients with a three-month waiver from May to July, with payments recommencing in August.
He disclosed that from November 2018 to August 21, 2020, the loan has disbursed $11,534,686.61 for 2,556 loan clients which led to the creation of 3,523 jobs.
"We are still working with clients because we understand that COVID is still present so we are working with a case by case to get persons back on track, get the businesses back on track and those who are actually doing business, we are trying to get payment plans to make the financial burden a little easy."


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If there’s anything the world craves for on a daily basis, that is fashion. With every new season, the shoppers are being pressured to buy new clothes in order to be in “trend” and to fuel this hunger several brands readily produce affordable, low quality, and disposable garments. As the next season approaches, these garments ultimately end up in the landfill.
What is Fast Fashion?
The term fast fashion refers to cheap quality mass produced clothing. The designs are based on styles seen on runways of fashion week. In short, fast fashion provides the customers with low quality dupes of high fashion clothing in exchange for a reasonable price. And because of the cheap quality, the clothes aren’t worn for a long period either and typically last no more than ten wearings.
The fast fashion supply chain has created a global environmental justice dilemma over the years. A recent study shows that globally the consumption of new clothing is around 80 billion pieces per year. Hence, it’s quite evident that people are descending the clothes they bought the previous season without even wearing it once.
Garment production requires a considerable amount of energy and resources. A study showed that the textile industry produces 1.2 million tons of CO2 per year which makes the fashion industry supply chain the third largest CO2 emitter. Not only does the widespread use of fast fashion contribute to air pollution, but it also produces gallons of wastewater. A study shows that 1.5 trillion liters of water are consumed in the garment production process. Furthermore, textile dyeing produces 20 percent of global wastewater, making the industry the second most polluting for water. After the usage, this wastewater is released directly into nearby rivers, which raises the risk of exposure to heavy metals for fishes and other creatures residing in the river as well as humans in the surrounding areas.
The disposal of the previously produced garments harm the environment too as every second enough clothes are either burned down or sent to landfills. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, wearable clothing worth $460 billion is thrown away annually and the Americans top the list as they throw away 80 pounds of clothing per year on average.
Impact of Fast Fashion on Population
90 percent of the world’s clothing is produced in low to middle-income countries like Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam among others. Each day, approximately 40 million workers endure excessive workload and below minimum wages to assemble garments. While the majority garment workers are young women, various countries implicated child labour including China, Brazil, and Argentina. These workers regularly breathe in dust due to the poor work environment. Therefore, they suffer from severe lung disease. Moreover, they work in accident prone factories, risking their lives every single day.
How to Limit the Negative Impacts of Fast Fashion?
There are several ways you can limit the negative impacts of fast fashion on the environment as well as human beings. For instance :
- Control impulse buying. Instead buy fewer clothes at a time. If you crave for a new trend or look, experiment and style your clothing differently.
- Opt for a capsule wardrobe. In that way you’ll only have clothes that are everyday essentials.
- Choose high-quality classic pieces so that you can wear them over and over again plus they never go out of style.
- Shopping from thrift stores is a great alternative to fast fashion brands.
- Don’t throw away clothes that you no longer wear. Rather donate them.
- Mohor Bhattacharjee