View time: 1 min 46
Level : Advanced
Author: natixis-ezine
Shein’s Mega IPO Raises Concerns Over Fast Fashion and the Industry’s Impact; Is Fast Fashion a Danger to Society?
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By Tamara White | Wealth of Geeks undefined
Fast fashion giant Shein recently filed for one of the most significant Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) of 2023. The rampant growth of fast fashion — a fad turned rage that has dominated the industry for years — now sparks concerns about the trend’s societal and environmental impact.
Shein is not the only contributor to the fast fashion concern. Significant players like UNIQLO, Zara, Forever 21, and H&M have also adopted business models centered around the rapid design, production, distribution, and marketing of clothing. While the appeal lies in providing affordable and trendy options for consumers, the dark side of this industry is often overlooked. Continue reading
As climate warms, that perfect Christmas tree may depend on growers’ ability to adapt
Read time : 4 mins
Level : Intermediate
By MELINA WALLING Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Christmas tree breeder Jim Rockis knows what it looks like when one dies long before it can reach a buyer.
Rockis farms trees in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where he and other producers often grow their iconic evergreens outside their preferred habitat higher in the mountains. But that can mean planting in soil that’s warmer and wetter — places where a nasty fungal disease called Phytophthora root rot can take hold, sucking moisture away from saplings and causing needles to crisp to burnt orange.
“After a while, it just gets to the core of it,” Rockis said. “They just wither away.”
Christmas tree growers and breeders have long prepared for a future of hotter weather that will change soil conditions, too. People buying trees may not have noticed a difference in availability this year and may not even in the next couple; the average Christmas tree takes eight to 10 years to reach marketable size. Continue reading
California regulators approve new rules for turning wastewater into drinking water
View time : 1 min 31
Level : Intermediate
Do Language Apps Really Work? Bilingual Teacher Shares Her Experience
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Advanced
By Caitriona Maria | Wealth of Geeks undefined
The language learning app industry is a rapidly growing market, projected to grow from $3.14 billion in 2021 to $16.6 billion in 2031. With more options available than ever, now is a great time to learn a new language.
I’m a bilingual translator and I checked out the six most popular learning apps on the market. Instead of evaluating technical aspects like interface and speed, I focused on the app’s didactic approach. In other words, can a person learn a new language using an app like Duolingo?
The method was simple: download the apps and start from the most basic level in Spanish. A week-long performance evaluation, using the app daily and making mistakes like a novice. Continue reading
Indonesia’s youth clean up trash from waterways, but more permanent solutions are still elusive
View time: 2 min 08
Level : Advanced
What did you Google in 2023? ‘Barbie,’ Israel-Hamas war are among the year’s top internet searches
Read time : 3 mins
Level : Intermediate
NEW YORK (AP) — Your Google search history for 2023 has arrived.
Well, actually, the world’s. On Monday, the California-based tech giant released its “Year in Search,” a roundup of 2023’s top global queries, ranging from unforgettable pop culture moments (hello, Barbenheimer ), to the loss of beloved figures and tragic news carrying worldwide repercussions.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war topped news trends in 2023, per Google’s global data, followed by queries related to the Titanic-bound submersible that imploded in June, as well as February’s devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Continue reading
McDonald’s spin-off CosMc’s opens its doors to customers
View time : 1 min 47
Level : Intermediate
<
With no supermarket, shop on bus fills the gap
View time: 1 min 32
Level : Advanced
Technology built the cashless society. Advances are helping the unhoused so they’re not left behind
Read time : 4 mins
Level : Advanced
By ASHRAF KHALIL Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — John Littlejohn remembers the days when lots of people had a couple of dollars to spare to buy a copy of Street Sense, the local paper that covers issues related to the homeless and employs unhoused individuals as its vendors.
Today, he’s finding fewer people are walking around with spare change. Even well-meaning individuals who want to help are likely to pat their pockets and apologize, he said.
“I would be out here for six or seven hours and wouldn’t get more than $12 to $15,” said Littlejohn, 62, who was homeless for 13 years. “People are like, ‘I don’t leave the house with cash.'”
But just as technological shifts helped create the problem, further advances are now helping charitable groups and advocates for the unhoused reach those most in danger of being left behind in a cashless society. Continue reading