In the early 2000s, fast fashion brands like Zara and Forever 21 exploded in popularity by providing the latest trends at cut-rate prices. But while the former continues to thrive, this week Forever 21 announced that it would declare bankruptcy after years of declining sales. Along with closing up to 178 stores in the U.S., the retailer will also cease operations in more than 40 countries. Hundreds of domestic locations, as well as Forever 21’s website, will remain open. “What Continue reading
Last week, Hurricane Dorian tore through the Caribbean and up the Southeastern Coast of the U.S., causing major damage all along the way. Two islands in particular, Abaco Island and Grand Bahama, faced huge devastation as a result of the tropical storm. According to the United Nations, more than 70,000 people in the Bahamas are now homeless and in need of food and water. (Click here to view a list of vetted relief organizations that are currently seeking donations.) Continue reading
So far this year nearly 50,000 fires have been detected in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, the most recorded in almost a decade. According to international experts, the majority of these fires are not simply natural occurrences. In fact, a 2016 report from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization found that cattle farmers were responsible for 80 percent of deforestation in Brazil. These enormous agricultural operations often burn rainforest in order to clear land for cattle grazing. Experts believe that Continue reading
Earlier this year, Netflix raised its monthly rates by 13 to 18 percent across its various subscription plans. According to experts, the streaming video platform increased prices in order to ease investors’ fears that it was taking on too much debt. Unfortunately for Netflix’s stakeholders, however, the company recently announced that this decision contributed to a drop in U.S. subscribers for the first time since its launch 12 years ago.
During the second quarter of 2019, Netflix lost 126,000 customers. Continue reading
In the years before the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) and heightened security measures, airports opened their doors to pretty much anybody who wanted to come in. Of course, most of the non-travelers who spent time in terminals were people waiting for passengers to disembark. After all, 20th century airports didn’t have much else besides a few newsstands and small restaurants.
Nowadays, though, many airport concourses are starting to look more like resorts than travel hubs. For instance, Tampa International Continue reading
Today, Uber will start to trade shares on the New York Stock Exchange in one of the mostly highly anticipated IPOs ever. Although the ride-hailing service had been pushing for a $100 billion valuation, it began the day trading at $45 per share, amounting to a valuation of about $82.4 billion. This enormous windfall will create instant fortunes for those who invested early in Uber. For the company’s millions of drivers, however, it’s unlikely they will benefit that much from Continue reading
If you’ve never seen a tiny Smart car puttering around the streets of your town, then you’re certainly not alone. The American public have taken little interest in these subcompact, battery-powered two seaters, with the German automaker selling less than 1,200 of its Fourtwo model in 2018. That’s why Smart’s parent company Daimler recently announced it would stop selling the car in the U.S. and Canada after this model year.
“Micro-cars” like these “make sense when you have small roads Continue reading