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Cate Palmer
The history teaches us how every generation makes its own unique impact on the overall society. According to the current situation, the generation that is making its impact on the modern society are the millennials.
The term “millennials” is a new word used to represent adults between ages of 19 and 35, which make up a big part of most Western and wealthy countries. As a result, the essence of doing business has been increasingly changing over the years, as millennials tend to influence the way business is run. It comes as no surprise that majority of company owners are working hard to attract this demographic, bearing in mind the fact that millennials dictate what is popular on the world market.
The follow-up consequence of millennials’ tendencies is the ever-spreading awareness of the importance of having homegrown food. Healthy domestic food is one of the key factors in the millennials’ life perspective, which also means that the food market is also experiencing changes and developments in that area. One of the examples of this fastly-growing lifestyle is the rise of meal preparation companies which provide their customers with nutritious, fresh ingredients that can be easily used for a cooked meal.
The concept of home-grown food used and promoted by the millennials can be explained by several key points:
1. Unique flavor
Commercial farming that most grocery stores and supermarkets rely on is characterized by fruits and vegetables that have a poor flavor for several reasons:
– only plants able to provide more per plant and to be harvested all at once are being grown
– these types of food are intended to have a longer shelf life.
– they are often almost equal in size and shape, while the ripening process is completed during the delivery on trucks.
Even though a certain amount of food in groceries comes from organic farming, the mentioned technique of breeding negatively affects the flavor nevertheless. The millennials often stress out the fact that home-grown food does not have the listed disadvantages.
2. Wide variety of choice
In organic gardening, there are two different ways to grow food. The first option is to purchase quality transplants in a local shop. The process of replanting the transplant in one’s own garden is quite simple. The second option is preferable for most millennials, as it includes growing plants from seed. This option enables the breeder to make a selection of various types of fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, it gives the breeder the opportunity to make his or her own selection of the new seed from the best possible specimen from the garden. In the years to come, the selection will be improved every following year.
3. Chemical-free products
Many countries face the disturbing issue of food being treated with an excessive amount of chemicals, such as aggressive pesticides and insecticides. The benefit of home-grown food is that the owner is enabled to make his/her own decision on if chemicals will be used for treating the plants at all. Instead of resorting to unhealthy fertilizers, one can opt for an organic solution. In case of a plant that is irreversibly sick, there is always a possibility to remove it and plant something else. By using this method, other plants will be protected, and the overall growth process will not be disturbed.
4. Physical activity
The public is frequently warned by doctors of the dangers of the lack of physical activity on daily basis. The growing number of patients suffering from diabetes, heart problems, and high cholesterol sends a clear signal that every person should participate in a physical activity at least twice a week. Supporters of domestic food production accent the health benefits this type of production provides. Growing one’s own food implies a period during the day when the garden will need to be attended. Physical activities that are included are watering the garden, handling a retractable hose, weeding and much more. These types of activities are not reserved for fit people only, meaning that a broad spectrum of people can engage them.
5. Economizing
Most households are being forced to economize during periods of economic crises. Organic gardens help people to save money that is normally spent in supermarkets. There would not be the need to spend gas for reaching a supermarket. Another benefit is that a breeder of domestic food will be able to sell his/her own products in a matter of several years.
The millennials have been making a strong impact on the way people grow food today. Their efforts are certainly making a difference in the world food market and in people’s homes. How far will that influence go – remains to be seen.
Bitcoin is clearly surging right now, with its value currently reaching $17,000 USD and is looking more and more like a sure investment. Yet it’s vital for anyone looking to invest in cryptocurrencies not to get lost in all the promises and actually stay well informed about Bitcoin’s technological progress.
Prior to considering if you should buy Bitcoin (BTC), you should know the history of the technological aspect of Bitcoin as well as what the experts believe lies ahead in its future.
With the biggest value of Bitcoin being its instant and secure P2P (peer-to-peer) payment transactions, it is now more than ever looking like it’s going to become the primary cryptocurrency in the global market, with over a 1,500% increased value in 2017 alone. Or is it? Let’s see what the finance experts have to say.
Is It a Bubble or Not?
According to the UBS Wealth Management, they are not boarding the hype train that bitcoin is ever to become a legitimate currency. Their global chief economist, Paul Donovan, highlights that cryptocurrencies are only valuable when they are accepted as currencies. Add the fact that bitcoin can’t be used for most important transactions plus that cryptocurrency supply can only rise, which makes them a bad store of value. His report further states that there’s no economic backing for the huge increase in bitcoin prices, which almost certainly means that it’s a bubble.
More Coins Means More Value
On the other hand, co-founder of FundStrat Global Advisor, Tom Lee, believes that Bitcoin will only gain in value over the next five years. He compares the Bitcoin to a social network, stating that the more engagement it gets the more it’ll grow in value. The idea behind is that the more coins are being issued, the more people will be using bitcoin as a master ledger – which basically means that bitcoin’s value is growing with the addition of more cryptocurrencies.
An Independent Cryptocurrency
Braden Perry, a partner at Kennyhertz Perry LLC, states that the world may be ready for a currency that’s decentralized and actually controlled by the people, especially since governments are known for power abuse – now more than ever. A currency without borders that’s available to anyone who can buy it might be a solution for the world we’re stepping in. However, he also states that Bitcoin may have a long journey ahead since it still requires greater adoption and more simplicity if it’s ever going to appeal to the general public.
Some Will Get Rich, Some Will Get Burned
At the moment, selling bitcoins probably seems like a great way to quickly raise a lot of money without any questions asked. Of course, some people will get rich out of it. In fact, some already are. But what about fears of being ripped-off? That’s almost as certain, state the experts, as some people will get burned while investing in cryptocurrencies.
Peter Smith of Blockchain company, which already went through the investment period with Bitcoin, is now looking to invest in Ethereum, a new cryptocurrency with a different architecture. Still, he advises people to be cautious and know what they’re doing before they actually start investing. As any leading accounting firm can tell you, you need to understand the market before you actually start investing.
Bottom Line
While there’s certainly going to be nay-sayers when it comes to cryptocurrencies, the concept itself is almost certainly going to survive and advance in the next couple of years. And what about bitcoin? No one can tell for sure, but the fact is that even though its prices are skyrocketing at the moment – it’s still volatile and can’t be easily used for trading. The best advice anyone can give you on cryptocurrencies is to actually know why they’re gaining so much popularity. Understanding them will mean that you can make a safer decision instead of just blindly following the hype train.
Those that belong to Generation Y are well known by now to enter marriage arrangements later than previous generations. But what wasn’t so obvious until recently is that more and more millennials are requesting prenuptial agreements in order to marry.
While we can all agree that prenups aren’t the most fun thing you can talk about when you’re in love with somebody, they can actually help couples in a number of ways. Another reason is that couples are usually more open towards each other in terms of s**uality and freedom, so both parties are aware things may change in the future. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the reasons why prenuptial agreements are on the rise.
Prenups Can Save a Lot of Money During a Divorce
While we all know that weddings can be extremely expensive, sometimes divorces can hit a wallet even more so. Two people that used to share a home, food, and bills now all of the sudden have to pay everything times two. And right at that moment they also need to pay thousands of dollars in litigation costs, lawyers, or any other costs that a divorce might lead to.
While it’s fair to say that prenuptial agreements always serve one side more so than the other, they will also ensure that the divorce process is simple and cheaper than a normal one. That’s because most of the things are already agreed on before marriage, so the divorce process can be just a formality.
Remarrying
If one of the sides is entering a second marriage, their legal and financial concerns may be completely different this time around. There could be children from the first marriage, potential alimony, or any other type of financial support that you may be providing or receiving. There’s also the problem of having two families – which complicates things in case you pass away and those assets need to be distributed. A prenup will ensure that your assets are distributed exactly the way you want them to, so neither your first nor second family are cut off.
Wanting to Quit a Job and Focus on Raising Children
This one’s a fairly common reason since in some marriages one parent is required to quit their job and take care of the kids. In that case, it would be unfair for assets of the parent that is providing for their family to remain their own after a divorce, which is why people enter a prenuptial agreement on this.
It can be extremely difficult to get a job after not working for several years and the prenup will ensure that the financial burden of raising kids is shared fairly by both side. While family law specialists can help with the custody arrangements and children relocation, prenups are there to ensure that each of the spouses gets what they wanted in the first place.
Business Related Issues
If one of the spouses is a business owner, the other spouse may very well end up with half of the business after the dissolution of marriage even if they’re in no way involved in it. Since millennial generation is especially keen on starting small businesses, this is one of the main reasons why there’s a rise in these kinds of agreements before marriage.
The fact is, having a divorced couple run a business together can be extremely difficult, which is why most other people involved in the business may be against this. A prenup will help avoid any potential conflicts or misunderstanding when it comes to business-related issues.
Having a conversation about a prenup can be a difficult thing for spouses sometimes. If one’s side wants an agreement and the other one doesn’t – there can be consequences that can even affect if they get married at all. However, in certain situations prenup can protect the intellectual and financial property of both spouses, ensuring they’re not at risk of losing anything if they ever want to divorce. Divorce is a tough period for any couple out there already, so instead of making it even tougher, millennials go for the best option for them – lowering risk before they even get to that point.
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Having an efficient storage system is the goal of anyone cherishing fast delivery times and quality service. With such values in mind, companies have funded and developed numerous different automatons or “robots” that are already outperforming humans at that task and rewarding the investment of big business in the millions of dollars each years.
Already most of your internet orders are delivered in part by our wired friends. In addition to looking at the intriguing technology behind them, we will analyze the development history behind the automatons as well as the risks to our job market if they indeed replace out warehouse worker.
The giants are in
The clear pioneer in the robotic warehouse business was Amazon. Way back in 2012 the CEO Mick Mountz took Kiva Robots into their storage facilities. The process itself wasn’t completely automated, about half of the work done was still done by human employees. Still, the project was a great success, yielding benefits for Amazon. Their operating expenses were cut, the storage facilities were more efficient due to a lack of weighing presence of human error and their customers were served in a more timely fashion.
The results were quickly palpable. Amazon became the top dog in the E-commerce industry and wanted to seize the moment at hand. They bought off their Kiva manufacturer, rebranding them as Amazon robots, eventually starting the race for the first fully mechanical warehouse. Competition soon started keeping in, with players like E-Bay, Alibaba and others moving towards such facilities due to their own logistic nightmares. Today we truly have a battle. One for convenience, cost and accessibility. However, a winner is far from sight.
They come in shapes and sizes
The heated market battle resulted in a variety of warehouse robots we have today. One such robot that generated traction in the media is the shelf module-to-picker system, using the electric drive to bring shelf modules to a picking post for manual handling. This system was taken by aforementioned Amazon and implemented inside their U.S. facilities.
Models are also designed to function on a multi-level grid-like system where the storage bins are on vertical columns within that grid frame and accessed via robots gliding across the top of the frame. They pick up the desired bin take them to ports at the end of the grid for further transport to a picking station. Fork-lift robots take those pallets to and from racking, completing the storage and delivery process.
Some jobs will be lost
The future does have a ring of convenience, but for some their employment may be jeopardized. A recent analysis by NPR shows exactly who may be at the breadline in the foreseeable future due to automation of the industry.
The field of warehouse related jobs will clearly be impacted by this change. If the current trends continue and the industry wants to pursue low-cost warehouses (which they indeed should), 90% of such jobs will be lost within 20 years. Such thoughts are troublesome, but we should remember that markets usually open a door once one has been closed.
For example, mental health and substance abuse social workers have only a 0.3% chance of being automated. If you’re looking for advice on what jobs won’t be automated, jobs that require creativity of thought, help your fellow man, require negotiation and, surprisingly, require you to squeeze into small spaces are a keeper. But I digress.
Why is it good for you
Talking about big business hardly relates to the benefits this warehouse automation can have for you. Experts developing the storage-systems at Supereasystorage claim the general public is becoming more and more aware of the benefits of such a service.
The technology involved in self-sustained warehouses allows for safe handling of your possessions. The automation of the transport process removes the investment of time and effort to carry your things. In addition, everything is packaged into containers, giving them a pleasant look. Having a robotic storage unit sounds better than a warehouse, that’s for sure.
Conclusion
Times ahead will definitely be turbulent, even within an industry that sounds benign like warehouse storage. Certainly the impact of automation will shake the labor market as big companies try to increase their revenue wherever they can.
It will be interesting to see how this will impact the manufacturing and storage powerhouses like India and China as the race for the mechanical worker slowly erodes the human one. Our population is rising while the demands for actual workers is decreasing. The market will have to adapt in some way, but which the million dollar question.
In any case, the consumers are yielding the benefits when they shop for years. But now they can finally experience themselves to have a self-storage unit.
