Buying a home in 2020: Unmarried couples edition

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Buying a home is such a huge first step into adulthood, especially when it comes to married couples who are looking to buy a home together but what does it look like for unmarried couples who are looking to buy? The number of unmarried couples in the U.S. has nearly tripled over the past twenty years. Just like any other person, they search for a decent place they can stay at for the best/cheapest offer possible. Yes, buying a home is a big milestone but it is easy to be intimidated by the prices especially since housing prices recently have Continue reading Buying a home in 2020: Unmarried couples edition→

How are hospitals handling their financials though COVID?

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HCA (one of the nation’s largest hospital chains), has decided to pay back six billion dollars in federal pandemic aid, offering the company some financial flexibility it had lost when it took the infusion of cash, according to its executives. On Thursday, they said they would return the roughly estimated $1.6 billion it received in direct relief from the government, and repay its relief loans, causing them to be $4.4 billion ahead of schedule because they felt that it was “appropriate and the socially responsible thing to do.” The company’s finance chief told analysts through a call that the repayment Continue reading How are hospitals handling their financials though COVID?→

Tea-conomics: thoughts on the Washington boba market

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As a self-proclaimed boba connoisseur and lover of all things bubble tea, the rise in boba cafés around western Washington warms my tapioca-filled heart. What is boba? Boba, bubble tea, boba tea, and milk tea is a Taiwanese beverage often topped with tapioca, fruit jellies, custard, or foam. I am sipping on one as I write this blog post. While some of my personal favorite boba shops resides in Federal Way, University of Washington’s “ave” boasts a different bubble tea store on basically every block. My sister, a UW student, says “you don’t have to look for boba to find Continue reading Tea-conomics: thoughts on the Washington boba market→

LET’S GO DODGERS: winning the World Series and what it does for the marketing team

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On October 27th, 2020, the Dodgers made history with a victory that ended a 32-year long string of defeats, bringing new hope to Los Angeles County. Despite facing the adverse challenges that have come along with 2020, the team completed the momentous task of finishing the world series, trophy in hand. Over the years, the Dodger’s popularity has spread internationally and the team’s merchandise sales have begun spreading beyond national borders. By ending the “draught,” as their losing steak was called by many fans, the Dodgers are predicted to gain new fans outside of the United States, ultimately leading to Continue reading LET’S GO DODGERS: winning the World Series and what it does for the marketing team→

Saved by the Bell: Socioeconomics and the American School System

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Professor Terry Beck links a jamboard into our class’s zoom chat. He offers his students prompts and asks us to drop a virtual sticky note on a plane, each corner labeled “strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree”. Each prompt discusses the involvement of socioeconomics on student performance. Slowly, colorful stickies populate the page, scattered across the axes. We spend the class discussing our interpretations on the American school system, standardized testing, and socioeconomics. In preparation for class, we read Richard Rothstein’s article “Why Children from Lower Socioeconomic Classes, on Average, have Lower Academic Achievement than Middle-Class Children”. Frequently, academic achievement Continue reading Saved by the Bell: Socioeconomics and the American School System→

What’s next for small businesses who lose business to big corporations?

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Eighteen hours ago, Graeme Campbell published an article titled “Community? Nike doesn’t care about your family run store” which dives into a family run sports store which had a partnership with Nike for more than fifty years. As of earlier today, Nike has decided to put their fifty year partnership on the back burner and cut ties with the Bronx based sporting company. Owner, Moe Stein, stated how he “knew Nike when they had nothing” he also feels that Nike is “putting down the Bronx because its not an elite place for them.” Although this is pretty sad, the 92-year-old Continue reading What’s next for small businesses who lose business to big corporations?→

Leafy Luxury: The Market for Rare Houseplants

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Almost everyone likes, or at least tolerates, houseplants. Most homes are shared with a plant or two, but in recent years, the practice of cultivating massive populations of indoor plants as a hobby has taken hold in the USA and Europe. There is no one catalyst for this surge, but the consequence is apparent. No more are plants just a means for production of a fruit, or a flower. Rather, in the eyes of their owners, they are unique individuals as well as receptacles for emotional projections. Not only do more and more people want to own a large collection, Continue reading Leafy Luxury: The Market for Rare Houseplants→

Small Businesses During COVID-19

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Life has changed since lockdown. Even though businesses are beginning to open their doors, occupancy limits and mask mandates serve as reminders that the pandemic is still present. CNBC stated that as of August 31st 163,735 small businesses indicated on Yelp that they closed due to the COVID pandemic. While the number of temporary closures has decreased since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of permanent closures has increased. How can consumers support their community businesses while still social-distancing? Forbes offered some suggestions such as: Order to-go from restaurants Order delivery from shops Buy gift cards or credit for Continue reading Small Businesses During COVID-19→

There’s no such thing as a free lunch–but there is free Hulu

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Well…I broke. Over a year ago I wrote about how I continued to purchase individual songs from iTunes rather than subscribe to Spotify Premium or Apple Music (read the article here). Now, two years older and in the middle of my last semester of undergrad, I decided to take advantage of my student status and subscribe to Spotify Premium, which just conveniently offers ad-supported Hulu in addition to a premium Spotify account. The past sixth months of pandemic life changed the way I viewed streaming services. First, it was the Netflix subscription in April (I missed the Tiger King era). Continue reading There’s no such thing as a free lunch–but there is free Hulu→

Why is college football back during COVID-19?

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As we know covid-19 has changed our lives completely, forcing us to scramble for and cling onto anything that can get us back to normal, or at least make us feel that way. One of those things are the re-emergence of college football or in better terms, sports in general. We seen sports everywhere before the pandemic hit and was just a normal part of life. In the earlier months of the pandemic it was clear that it was a threat to all sports and  a big question that was asked was whether or not they will be back this Continue reading Why is college football back during COVID-19?→