home & garden By HomeAdvisor , Brand Partner Dec 18, 2019 2:13 pm CT {{ replyButtonLabel }} Reply Home services are a much-needed gift for all of your loved ones. (Shutterstock)

Everything is bigger in Texas, and that often includes your list of home chores. Help lighten your loved one's load this season by gifting them home services. A handyman gift certificate is easy to buy, and always appreciated.

You can make the gift happen easily with HomeAdvisor's instant pricing and payment solution.

Here's what you do:

5 Creative Home Service Gifts to Give This Season

You have a reputation for being a solid gift-giver. Up the ante by buying one of these much-needed services for every person in your life.

HomeAdvisor is a Patch promotional partner.

This post is sponsored and contributed by a Patch Brand Partner. The views expressed in this post are the author's own.

Visit link:
Give Texas Homeowners Handyman Gift Certificates This Holiday - Patch.com

New Statistical Research for Maid Service Software market 2019 displays the latest industry insights with future trends and analysis of the products and services, enabling you to deeply penetrate the Maid Service Software market with high profitability.

The New Maid Service Software Market 2019: Global Industry Analysis, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecasts to 2019 2027 report offers an in-depth Study of all Latest Advancement in the Maid Service Software Industry. The Maid Service Software report offers the plus points as well as weaknesses of the established market players. It analyses numerous features of the global Maid Service Software market such as demand, drivers, challenges, and options. The report appraises the influence of these aspects on each market region during the estimated time. It presents the value chain analysis together with vendor list and highlights the present market situation between consumer and supplier.

Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.worldwidemarketreports.com/sample/247827

Major players operating in the Global Maid Service Software market include: WorkWave, Housecall Pro, Razorync, Workforce, ZenMaid, Kickserv, Launch27, Verizon Connect Work, Jobber, ScheduFlow, eMaint, BookedIN, GorillaDesk, Loc8, Repsly, MaidEasy, ServiceCEO, FieldAware among others

The report covers a forecast and an analysis of the Maid Service Software market on a global and regional level. The study provides historical data till 2018 along with a forecast from 2019 to 2027 based on revenue (USD Million). The study includes drivers and restraints of the Maid Service Software market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the Maid Service Software market on a global level.

In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view of the Maid Service Software market, we have included a competitive landscape and an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the market. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein all the segments are bench marked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.

Maid Service Software Market Detailed Insights Covers:

Global Maid Service Software Market 2019 Industry research report provides an In-Depth analysis that includes an executive summary, definition, and scope of the market. The Maid Service Software Industry is segmented on the basis of product, location and region. The segmentation is intended to give the readers a detailed understanding of the market and the essential factors comprising it. This allows giving a better description of the drivers, restraints, threats, and opportunities.

Regional Outlook: Regional analysis is another important part of the report which is segregated into different sections. One section of the report is entirely dedicated for regional consumption analysis whereas another for regional production analysis. It includes North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India.

Ask for the Few Pages from the Report: Download Pages

On the basis of Product: This report displays the sales volume(K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, so on.

On the basis on the End users/Applications: This report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume (K Units), market share and growth rate of Maid Service Software for each application, including Application 1, Application 2, so on.

The years considered to estimate the Size of Maid Service Software Market are as follows:-History Year: 2014-2019Base Year: 2019Estimated Year: 2020Forecast Year: 2020 to 2027

Get Report Customization with Data Requirement or Year Changes @ https://www.worldwidemarketreports.com/speakanalyst/247827

This post was originally published on Market Research Sheets

Read more:
Maid Service Software Global Market Status, By Players, Types, Applications And Forecast To 2027 - Market Research Sheets

If you want to learn about a Seattle neighborhood, browse the shelves of its independent bookstores. Local bookstores succeed when they place the interests and aspirations of their neighbors over the fads and excesses of national bestseller lists. And every time we buy books from a neighborhood bookseller, we change the bookstore a little bit, too we shape it to more closely reflect ourselves.

So what better way to understand what 2019 has meant for Seattle than to ask local bookstores for their neighborhood bestsellers the books that havent necessarily dominated national or even Seattle-area bestseller lists, but which have captured the attention of their customers, their booksellers.

For dramatic evidence of how a bookstore reflects its neighborhood, look no further than Secret Garden Books. Suzanne Perry, the stores event manager, says this year has continued the sea change in the demographic shift of our Ballard neighborhood. As Ballard has gotten younger, Perry says, our sci-fi/fantasy section doubled in volume this year. The star of this newly enhanced section is Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. Perry says key staff members fell in love with the fantasy novel, which is heavily influenced by African history. Its continued to sell briskly through being shortlisted for a National Book Award in the fall, and were sure it will continue to lead the way during holiday shopping, Perry says.

Just across the Ballard Locks, Georgiana Blomberg, owner of Magnolias Bookstore, says a local birder has charmed the neighborhood. Molly Hashimoto is a Seattle author who has visited our store several times and is beloved by our customers, Blomberg says.HerBirds of the Westwas one of our top-selling books this year. Its an artists guide to the illustration of birds, with her own woodcuts and watercolors throughout.

North Fremonts Book Larder, the most delightfully food-obsessed bookstore in Seattle, is known for its slate of cooking classes and its walls of gorgeous cookbooks. But store manager Mira Courage says one of their favorite books of 2019 has more than just great recipes and pretty pictures though it has those, too, featuring dishes from Vietnam, Ethiopia, Syria and India. Courage calls Recipes for Refuge: Culinary Journeys to America a spectacular compilation of recipes and stories from local immigrants and refugees. Better still, Courage says, proceeds from book sales support Refugee Womens Alliance, a Seattle-area nonprofit that provides refugees and immigrants services such as ESL classes, vocational training and housing.

At Adas Technical Books, the science-minded bookstore, caf and meeting space on Capitol Hill, customers cant stop talking about Sandworm by Andy Greenberg. Manager John Sepulveda calls this nonfiction account of technological threats an engrossing page-turner that reads like a fictional thriller, which reminds readers of the importance of internet-security literacy for everyone in the 21st century.

Terry Tazioli, the publicist at University Book Store, says A Pilgrimage to Eternity by Seattle journalist Timothy Egan is one of our best sellers, and its a personal favorite of mine from 2019. In Pilgrimage, Egan documents his quest for religious faith as he walks an ancient pilgrims route that spans Europe, from Canterbury to Rome. Tazioli praises Egan for his enthusiasm, his mastery of history and his beautifully told stories. Its rare to find a memoir about religion capturing popular attention, but just about every time I wander the floor, I see someone with the book in hand, reading, Tazioli says. Warms the bookstore heart!

Our list veers from the sacred at University Book Store to the profane at Georgetowns Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery. Store manager Larry Reid says Bad Gateway, by Beacon Hill cartoonist Simon Hanselmann, is the shops bestselling title of the year. Reid has high praise for the wildly dysfunctional outcasts in Hanselmanns latest volume from the series featuring Megg and Mogg. Bad Gatewaymaintains the dark humor of previous installments while adding thinly fictionalized and revealing autobiographical elements, Reid says. Hanselmann has always been popular with Fantagraphics discerning customer base. But over the summer, Reid says, Hanselmann was the subject of a solo exhibition at Bellevue Art Museum, which greatly enhanced his profile.

And in Seattles newest bookstore, West Seattles Paper Boat Booksellers, co-owner Eric Judy says Matt Krachts satirical birding book, Field Guide to the Dumb Birds of North America, has been a surprise hit. Its a book that multiple times brought strangers together, Judy says. More than once, there were strangers congregating in a circle and laughing out loud together as they read it. Thats the sort of thing I really like to see in our store.

This is the thread that connects every one of these disparate neighborhood bestsellers: community. Reading gets a bad rap as a lonely way to spend time, but booksellers understand no great book is enjoyed alone. The books that made the biggest impression with Seattle readers this year are the ones that brought us together.

If youre a Seattle Public Library patron, odds are you checked out a copy of Michelle Obamas memoir, Becoming, this year. The former first ladys autobiography tops SPLs most-loaned lists for the majority of their 26 branches in 2019, followed closely by Delia Owenss debut novel, Where the Crawdads Sing.

Broken out by location, SPLs most-loaned adult titles are similar everywhere. Seattle readers were intrigued by the low-tech promise of Cal Newports Digital Minimalism and the uplifting message of Educated, Tara Westovers account of leaving a survivalist community in search of enlightenment.

But look closely and a few neighborhood bestsellers will arise. Why, for instance, did Stephanie Lands memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mothers Will to Survive appeal more to readers in Beacon Hill than at any other branch? Hard to say perhaps a local book club drove the loans, or maybe one passionate librarian kept shoving the book into patrons hands.

The city is full of literary microclimates. South Park loved Mark Mansons Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope, which failed to crack other neighborhoods top-10 lists. Green Lake was particularly infatuated with Yuval Hararis brilliant anthropological study Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, and the tiny NewHolly branch loaned more copies of Thi Buis moving comic-book immigration memoir, The Best We Could Do, than libraries twice its size.

The juvenile most-loaned lists are much less homogenous. While Dav Pilkeys Dog Man series, Raina Telgemeier and Mo Willems are popular all over the city, kids at the Central Library in particular were eager to check out The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food. Queen Annes kids made the Guinness Book of World Records 2020 a chart-topper. And Fremonts children demonstrated remarkably good taste by checking out Andrea Beatys marvelous ode to scientific adventure, Ada Twist, Scientist, more than any other neighborhood. Still, the kids of Fremont dont have universally great taste: They were also the only neighborhood to elevate Jim Davis comic-strip collection, Garfield at Large, to their most-loaned list.

_____

Secret Garden Books:2214 N.W. Market St., Seattle;206-789-5006; secretgardenbooks.com

Magnolias Bookstore:3206 W. McGraw St., Seattle;206-283-1062;magnoliasbookstore.com

Book Larder:4252 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle;206-397-4271; booklarder.com

Adas Technical Books:425 15th Ave. E., Seattle;206-322-1058; adasbooks.com

University Book Store:4326 University Way, Seattle;206-634-3400; ubookstore.com

Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery:1201 S. Vale St., Seattle;206-557-4910; fantagraphics.com

Paper Boat Booksellers: 6040 California Ave., Seattle;206-743-8283; paperboatbooksellers.com

More here:
Niche picks: A handful of Seattle neighborhood bookstores name their bestselling titles of 2019 - Seattle Times

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand When a big earthquake strikes, the publics attention immediately goes to the physically injured, the dead, or to collapsed buildings. But something else also starts: the toll on mental health.

Traumatic stress rises in the aftermath of a disaster, researchers say. One study examining survivors of 10 disasters found that one-third of them suffered a post-disaster diagnosis with post-traumatic stress disorder being the most prevalent (20%), followed by major depression (16%) and alcohol use disorder (9%).

Worsening mental health has been documented in a number of recent disasters, including the aftermath of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake in 1994 and the magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2011.

Deteriorating mental health can sometimes be obscured by the phases of a disaster. Immediately after a disaster, researchers have documented that there can be a community emotional high as people enter into a heroic rescue mode, followed by a honeymoon period where a community bonds and there is unrealistic hope that everything can return to normal quickly. But then there can be a long phase downward, and it can be accompanied by stress, exhaustion and fatigue.

The disillusionment phase is a stark contrast to the honeymoon phase, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says. As optimism turns to discouragement and stress continues to take a toll, negative reactions, such as physical exhaustion or substance use, may begin to surface.

Experts say its important that officials recognize the looming public mental health crisis before a disaster strikes. After the Feb. 22, 2011, Christchurch earthquake, some say mental health services fell short and people suffered. Others say they got good care, and in subsequent years, public health officials embarked on an innovative public mental health campaign called All Right? that sought to improve the communitys mental health a tactic that came back to prominence after shootings at mosques this year led to the deaths of 51 people, New Zealands worst mass killing in its modern history.

Here are lessons officials in New Zealand learned:

Understanding the emotional trauma from the quake can take time

After the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, there was a widespread worsening of mental health, experts say, with the worst effects found closest to the strongest shaking. Children showed greater signs of post-traumatic stress. Even medical students reported their own mental health deteriorating.

More brain-calming drugs a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines that includes Xanax and Valium were dispensed after the earthquake. Researchers found increasing rates of mood and anxiety disorders in the two years after the earthquake.

A 2016 review of studies of 76,000 victims of earthquakes calculated that roughly 1 in 4 survivors experienced PTSD making earthquakes more likely to cause PTSD than floods or strokes.

This was mainly because earthquakes were often much more devastating and destructive, and often happened unexpectedly without warning, the authors wrote.

When aftershocks wont quit, cake and kindness helps.

Part of what made the Christchurch earthquake difficult to recover from psychologically was the unusual length of the aftershock sequence.

Imagine you had a terrible earthquake, and in every 30 minutes, or hour, or two hours or five hours, you get a little shake that reminds you of how terrible that first shake was, said Sara McBride, a top public information officer for the emergency response effort in New Zealand. It happens all day and night theres no respite and you dont know if the next shake is going to be worse than the last.

Even officials were prone to distress. One solution? Constantly feed people cake, McBride said, who brought out slices after aftershocks turned her subordinates quiet, pale and upset. Little small moments of compassion and comfort, like really good cake, make a surprising difference.

A public mental health approach is essential

Experts say health officials worldwide should pay attention to Christchurchs mental health issues as a warning for what could come if a disaster strikes their region.

They should absolutely be concerned, said Dr. Ben Beaglehole, a psychiatrist who co-wrote many studies on Christchurchs mental health issues following the quakes.

For all its problems, Christchurchs mental health issues were partly alleviated, Beaglehole said, by the regions concerted campaign to improve mental health, and its near-universal rate of earthquake insurance among homeowners.

If you can do things in the post-disaster environment to make people feel secure and safe enough, with a sense of purpose and belonging, and a future pathway, then I think the adverse effects are going to be minimal, Beaglehole said. But if people continue to feel scared and unsafe and uncertain, thats when people are going to struggle.

Officials realized the focus on rebuilding the city must be about healthy people, not healthy buildings. A survey found that more than 75% of those surveyed said their home was damaged, and nearly 2 out of 3 grieved for the lost Christchurch. Among people who described what they felt when their efforts to hold things together failed, men talked about becoming angry; women described despair, depression and anxiety.

We will never, ever manage to actually deal with the fallout from a large-scale event one consultation at a time. No system in the world could possibly provide that, said Evon Currie, general manager of community and population health for the Canterbury District Health Board.

So public health officials conjured a public outreach campaign known as All Right? emphasizing that it was OK, and actually quite acceptable, to be concerned about ones mental health, and to move people out of thinking about issues beyond their control to a new mind-set where they are empowered.

Officials credit this public health approach with helping the community deal with the stresses of the quake. A poll of greater Christchurch residents found that the percentage of respondents saying their quality of life was good rose from 73% in 2013 to 81% by 2018.

A majority of studies found negative mental health effects resulting from the Christchurch earthquakes, Beaglehole said. One study of hundreds of Christchurch-born adults found a greater rate of mental health disorder among those who endured the quake than those who had moved away before the shaking began.

Earthquake survivors who suffered the most showed clear increases in mental health risk, that study showed.

In addition, Beaglehole said, those already receiving specialist mental health services before the big earthquake saw the severity of their mental health worsen considerably for a number of years.

Disasters can trigger an acute mental health crisis

Some people believe the earthquake triggered a spell of mental illness.

Eddy Snook took a deep interest in quakes when the Christchurch earthquake sequence began in the months before the deadliest tremor occurred.

It was a natural fit for him. He was an electrical engineer and loved to figure out how things worked. He drove out to the Canterbury Plains on the weekend and plotted fault lines.

But soon, life became difficult. Sam, his childhood best friend, died from cystic fibrosis. Then the February quake hit, and he was shaken. The quake seemed to coincide with major changes in mood and outlook, according to his father, John.

Snook demanded answers about whether the building he worked in was safe.

He became quite obsessed with it, his father said. It became almost a bit too consuming for him.

He soon quit his job and headed to London. But problems worsened; he stopped eating, and his friends called his parents to fetch him. He received medical help, but in hindsight it wasnt working.

In 2014, he took his life.

There are still tears every day, his father said.

His father said Snook didnt have the right medical help. We didnt anticipate what was going to happen. I think the help that he had wasnt really appropriate for his needs. The medical attention he received didnt address his problems, was confusing and not really caring, his father thought.

It takes work to stay mentally in check

Christchurchs 2011 earthquake forever changed Laylita Bonnie Singhs life.

When the shaking started, something hard smashed into her skull as the unretrofitted brick building she worked in as a tattoo artist apprentice and receptionist came tumbling down.

The blow broke two of her neck vertebrae and six in the middle of her back compression fractures from being slammed on the head, she said. She probably fractured her skull.

Her co-worker and friend didnt make it.

Unlike Singh, who was trying to grab her phone, Matti McEachen, 25, a fellow tattoo apprentice, had raced to the exit and got to the doorway and then disappeared as the walls began to fall.

Singh was able to crawl out of the rubble, digging herself out. She had to learn how to walk over again; she suffered from survivors guilt. The pain persisted; the fatigue constant; the back and neck pain, excruciating.

In spite of all that, Singh held on to a dream of becoming her own tattoo artist.

She now co-owns the areas only female-owned tattoo shop, Maid of Ink, in Christchurchs neighboring port community of Lyttelton, after becoming a master tattoo artist under the tutelage of her former female colleagues and then starting a business with them. Her tattoo skills have blossomed she can draw life-like portraits on calves using a technique called stippling; a single tattoo of angel-like wings on a back can be made of millions of dots.

It was my driving force in getting well and carrying on, Singh said.

She has been able to buy a home and raise her daughter as a single mom after she and her husband divorced. She says she makes enough to get by sometimes business is very OK, other times, slim.

But the earthquakes imprint lasts.

She hoped shed recover significantly from her head injury in a year. Then a couple of years. Then four years. While shes gotten much better, there are persisting effects. Sometimes, the back pain is so bad she cant work.

I get so tired. I get fatigued. Its constant, she says. Shell have to watch herself. Oh, if I do that and exert myself, Ive got a week that Ive got to pay for that, she said.

I just dont think anyone understands how head injuries affect you until theyve had one. Because its so invisible, Singh said. Having a head injury felt like living in a fog, where nothing was clear. Everything was exhausting.

It takes work to stay mentally in check.

Meditation helps, as does yoga. Regular exercise is a must when she can do it; its so important to do the things that make her feel good. She dances, she sings. Writing three things shes grateful for every day.

Anything that uplifts you is the key, she says. Im not saying I dont get depressed I do. Its something that comes with trauma. It affects you for life. So I imagine Im going to have to do this for the rest of my life. But I know the tools. As long as Ive got my tools, Im OK.

PHOTOS (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): NEWZEALAND-EARTHQUAKE

Read more:
When the Big One hits, emotional scars will last for years. Just ask New Zealand quake survivors - Herald-Mail Media

Welcome back to another day of Sudbury.coms 12 Days of Kindness supported by @homeEnergy.

In 2018, Ryan Proulx and Julie Gratto had to put their lives on hold because their youngest son Henry spent his first year of life undergoing chemotherapy due to a tumour on his optical nerve.

The family spent a lot of time travelling to SickKids Hospital in Toronto where Henry received his treatments.

There were many complications along the way which hospitalized Henry many times. Last December, Henry became septic and was hospitalized on Christmas Day.

But little Henry pulled through. He finished his chemotherapy treatments this past summer.

Now a healthy and very active two-year-old, Henry and his big brother Austin are keeping Ryan and Julie on their toes.

Today, we are bringing some special guests to meet the Proulx family in hopes of making up for lost family time and giving this busy family a little break at home.

Thank you to Science North for giving the family a gift they can use all year round.

And a very special thank you to BESTECH and Molly Maid for coming together to provide the family with a year's worth of house cleaning services so they can enjoy more time together.

Watch more of this year's 12 Days of Kindness here:

Day 1: We give a grieving family a helping hand this winter

Day 2: cole Ste-Marie students help us surprise their beloved teacher

Day 3: It's a double date surprise at the Inner City Home of Sudbury!

Day 4: Vickie gets a new 'do and fresh start

Day 5: Their son has a rare neurological condition, we surprise them with some financial relief

Day 6: She beat the odds with the help of her best friend and caregiver, we're surprising them bothDay 7: Local businesses shower this beloved Capreol matriarch with gifts

Day 8: Battling illness, Melanie still has a smile for everyone, so we try to make her smile even bigger

Link:
12 Days of Kindness: He spent his first year in and out of hospital, we give his parents a much-needed break - Sudbury.com

The winners were:

2019 Manufacturing Business Excellence GSM Filtration

2019 Marketing Business Excellence Beyond Engagement

2019 New Business Excellence The Salt Oasis Kingsport

2019 Retail Business Excellence Duke & Fox

2019 Woman-Owned Business Excellence Flight Athletic Academy

2019 Service Business Excellence Appalachian Maid Services

2019 Construction Business Excellence Patterson Homes

2019 Innovation Business Excellence ActionVFX

2019 Food Business Excellence The Main Street Pizza Company

2019 Pillar of Excellence Hunter, Smith & Davis

2019 Young Entrepreneur Business Excellence ARO Creative

2019 Gazelle Business Excellence Mycroft Signs

2019 Veteran-Owned - Rowan Tree Care

More than 300 business leaders and entrepreneurs showed up for the awards gala held at the MeadowView Marriott, including all of Pals operators. The Pals organization was on hand to witness an honored guest, Hal Carmack. Carmack was presented with a special Hidden Gem Award, for his significant but quiet contributions including designing and building 26 of Pals distinctive hot-dog-shaped restaurants.

Don Royston received the 2019 IMPACT Award. Royston is well-known for his role as Santa Claus aboard the Santa Train. Royston was one of the original founding fathers who helped create KOSBE. Royston was also recently recognized with the prestigious Lifetime Member Award during the State of the Kingsport Chamber Holiday Breakfast.

Taylors Martial Arts Academy received a $1,000 cash prize for their efforts and results while participating in KOSBEs new Propel Mentor/Protg Program. The Propel program is a one-of-its-kind opportunity designed for woman-, veteran-, and minority-owned small businesses and disadvantaged businesses including rural, economic, or social disadvantage. The program provides business owners with one-on-one assistance to help them grow their business, and teams them up with a mentor (an established community business leader) and exclusive mastermind group.

The award winners represent the best of the best small businesses in the region, said Dustin Mohr, KOSBE chair-elect and chief operating officer at Martin Dentistry. In an environment that is increasingly competitive, we have recognized the leading businesses and individuals that have impacted the small business community, the city of Kingsport, and beyond.

The nominations, representing 46 businesses and eight individuals, were judged by an independent jury of industry experts. To maintain the integrity and quality of the competition, no staff from the Kingsport Chamber, nor KOSBE was part of the selection process.

About The KOSBEs

The KOSBEs promote economic impact by recognizing small businesses that are leading by example and making an extraordinary contribution to the communities they do business in. The winners exemplify leadership and excellence in overcoming adversity, and a passion for helping others succeed. Award winners serve as inspirational leaders to other local small businesses, and they model best practices that will progress the region as a whole. For a complete list of past winners, visitwww.kosbeawards.org.

About KOSBE

The mission of KOSBE is to be the go-to organization in the area for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their business, by creating and developing the right tools and resources and cultivating the right partnerships. For more information, call (423) 392-8811, or visitwww.kosbe.org.

Here is the original post:
Who are this year's KOSBE Award winners? - Kingsport Times News

Bengaluru-based MyGate has reached over 5,000 communities since its launch three years ago and plans to take that number past 30,000 by the end of next year

December12, 20195 min read

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

With rising urbanization, gated communities are increasingly becoming a norm. These communitieswhile ensuring a plethora of additional perks for little extra costpromise security for residents. But as communities grow, it is important to ask: Are security measures keeping up?

When Vijay Arisetty moved out of the Indian Air Force nearly ten years ago following a shoulder dislocation, he thought moving to such a community would give his family the same kind of security that they are used to.

But, you know, aspirations are always much higher than the ground reality, he says.

That was the idea behind MyGate, a Bengaluru-based start-up whose sole aim is to make gated communities safer.

Analyzing the market, Arisetty found that residential real estate was growing rapidly, with most of it coming via the private sector. And of those, very few were individual houses. The trend, already prevalent in tier I cities, has slowly moved to tier II and tier III as well.

The reason, says Arisetty, is people are aspiring for additional luxuries such as a swimming pool, something that they may not be able to afford individually.

And with technology bringing everything from food to medicines to the doorstep through a click, it has subsequently resulted in an increased number of visitors to communities.

As a result, residents also end up interacting with the security personnel multiple times a day.

The processes at the gate have become much more cumbersome and the security guards with their existing skills were not able to perform this job, Arisetty explains.

After zeroing in on these gaps, he went to Shreyans Daga, a friend from a business school with a background in technology, and Abhishek Kumar, who was a colleague of Arisetty during his stint at Goldman Sachs. Both of them agreed to come on-board almost instantly, he says.

Very little has changed in the product since they first launched in 2016, according to Arisetty.

MyGate gives a mobile device to security personnel at the gate, where they only have to input numbers. The simplicity makes sure that even those who are not tech-savvy would be able to use the system conveniently.

There are different modules on the platform, with a separate one each for those who visit the apartments for daily chores, delivery executives and relatives.

For example, if a maid works at a few houses at a gated community, they would need to get their profiles uploaded into the system and would have a six-digit code. Every time they enter, they would have to give the code to the guard at the gate, who would then enter it into his device.

The residents who have employed the maid would then get a notification on their mobile app.

The convenience doesn't stop there. In a scenario where a maid is absent, residents have the choice of seeing the other maids who work at the same society, contact them and avail their services for the given day.

Over time, MyGate has integrated delivery apps such as Swiggy and Zomato into the system, making those transactions more seamless. After an order is placed and a delivery executive is assigned, the resident gets a notification from the MyGate app. Once they approve, the executive is let in.

The company has also added features such as paying monthly dues to the apartment association or those who do daily chores directly through the app.

For us, the initial days were really difficult, says Arisetty.

Considering how the gate is such a complex place where multiple things happen, people were unwilling to believe that such a simple solution could work.

To set the ball rolling, they installed the product for free at three gated communities with roughly 3,000 houses across Bengaluru.

What happened is, when it was being used by these 3,000 houses, there were 6,000 guests coming to these houses on a daily basis. They used to see this and they used to go back to their communities and say that why don't you install MyGate, Arisetty says.

The growth has been exponential since. From 40 communities in 2017, MyGate is now used in more than 5,000 communities in 11 cities. Arisetty says they expect the number to reach 30,000 by the end of next year.

So, has there been a point when they realized that they made it?

He says it was about two years ago, when underground internet cables got cut in Chennai due to a cyclone and MyGate went down for two hours. Around 40 per cent of our user base reached out to us that MyGate is not working and that was like, you know, yes, people are not able to live without MyGate.

The company raised an $8.7 million series A round in October last year from Bengaluru-based venture capital firm Prime Venture Partners and followed that up with a $56 million series B round two months ago, which saw participation from Tiger Global and Chinas Tencent Holdings.

MyGate has always been profitable on a unit economics basis, and thats something which has also contributed to investors believing in their business, says Arisetty.

According to Arisetty, 70-80 per cent of their growth over the next year will come from the 11 cities that they are already present in, with the rest from some tier II locations that they are looking to enter.

We want to go a little bit deeper into each of the cities and then probably move out, he says.

The company is also focused on making the technology better, bringing down the time it takes for a visitor to check in. Currently, it takes a visitor at the gate 20 seconds on average and the company aims to get that down to two seconds.

It's like you ring a calling bell, the bell should ring. It has to be that real time.

See the article here:
Live In a Gated Community? This Start-Up Is Making It Safer - Entrepreneur

Picture used for illustrative purposes only. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: Whether you are a working parent, a stay-at-home mum or dad or an entrepreneur, the UAE's lifestyle can be exhausting. The work hours are long, commute can be long too because of peak hour traffic and most houses have a nuclear family set up. In such situations,getting help at home, whether through a maid to look after your household chores or a nanny to provide childcare services, can make a world of difference. However, there are strict regulations governing the hiring of domestic workers in the UAE. It is important to know the dos and donts in such relationships as well as your rights and the rights of the domstic worker.

So, if you are on the hunt for that perfect family support staff, here is how you can start the process.

Before you begin, ask yourself exactly what you are looking for. It is helpful to ask the following questions:

Once you have answered these questions, the next steps become easier.

Part-time maid or nanny

If you want a part-time help, you need to get in touch with the many maid services in the UAE. This can be an expensive option, with many maid services charging Dh100-150 for four hours of service but it is a great option to consider if you only need help at home occasionally. The charges can be higher if you want the maid to bring her own supplies.

There are no documents or registration required if you choose to hire part-time maids from registered companies as the companies manage their workers' employment processes.

However, it is important to only deal with legitimate businesses and steer clear of any agents who promise part-time househelp without being registered with the relevant local authorities.

To verify that the company you are dealing with is registered with the economic department, you can search for the company on the Abu Dhabi Economic department website hereand the Dubai Economic Department website here.

Full-time maid or nanny

Before you know the processes and options available to you as a UAE resident to get a maid or nanny, it is important to know about the agencies and ministry that oversees the hiring and regulation of domestic workers in the UAE.

What is Tadbeer?

Tadbeer service centers are licensed by the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (MOHRE). The centers provide integrated services to recruit and employ domestic workers. The centers are available across the UAE and offer various options for families. Whether you want Tadbeer to provide a maid, with all the government paperwork taken care of by the centre, or you already have someone in mind who you would like to sponsor, Tadbeer provides various packages based on your needs.

You can visit any of their centres in the UAE, a list is provided here.

However, these centres are not iterconnected, which means that if you wish to apply for your maid or nanny's visa through Tadbeer, you will need to contact a specific centre to find out what their requirements, fees and processes are. These can vary as Tadbeer has collaborated with other companies that operate the individual centres. So, the packages and offers you get at one centre may not necessarily be the same as another centre.

If you want a full-time house help or nanny, do you want to have her living at your home or outside? The two options are referred to as live-in or live-out. Whichever option makes more sense to you and your family, you will then have several ways of selecting the right person:

Once you have met the right candidate, the next step is getting the necessary paperwork in place, so that they are a legal worker in the country. If you want to get the maid or nanny on your own visa,you have two options

Process to bring a maid or nanny on your own sponsorship

1. If you wish to sponsor a maid on your visa, you need to take the following documents to a typing centre:

a. Tenancy contract for a two bedroom apartment, with maid's room or a three bedroom apartment. Requirements can change, so speak to your typing centre to find out what the minimum requirements are.

b. Salary certificate, showing a minimum salary of Dh10,000.

d. Passport and visa copy

f. Maid passport copy maid photo

g. If the maid or nanny is a national of the same country, you need to get a certificate from the countrys consulate proving you are not related.

If the maid is not in the country, she will require an entry permit to enter the country. This can incur additional costs. Once she is in the country, you need to apply for the medical fitness test, health insurance and Emirates ID processes. The total cost can range from Dh7,000-Dh10,0000, depending on the company you are dealing with.

The visa is valid for one year.

2. In the UAE,Tadbeer is authorised by MOHRE to deal with domestic worker visas. If you wish to get a maid or nanny from Tadbeer, you can do that through their Tadbeer two-year visa service. However, as mentioned earlier, you will need to contact a specific centre to find out what their requirements, fees and processes are. However,there are some aspects and payments that you will need to pay regardless of which centre you approach:

a. the visa processing fees (some centres do not include medical insurance in this amount, so always make sure you check which services are covered)

b.the maid's monthly salary

c. monthly service charges for Tadbeer

d. return ticket every two years.

You can either get the maid under your sponsorship, or she can be under Tadbeer's sponsorship, with a contract between you and Tadbeer that the worker will only work for your household.

Under your sponsorship, you have the ability to set the salary that suits you and the house help. However, each country has independent regulations regarding minimum salary and other criteria such as age. These will be provided by the typing centres or Tadbeer centres.

Single males are not allowed to sponsor maids.

If you do not have a maid or nanny that you already know of, you can approach Tadbeer centres and meet with the candidates they have. This can be a more expensive option but comes with several guarantees. There is no downpayment requried and families need to visit a Tadbeer office with their passport and visa copy and Emirates ID. Once you meet a maid that you like, you simply need to provide post-dated cheques for 24 months, for the two years the maid will be with you.

If you are not satisfied with the maid, the agency allows for a change of four maids in the span of two years.

Families are required to provide food and accomodation to the maid, while Tadbeer manages their salary payment, medical testing and insurance costs, Emirates ID and air ticket costs.

What are their rights?

As per UAE law, domestic workers are entitled to the following:

What not to do...

Whether you are looking for a part-time or a full-time house maid, make sure you deal with registered companies, who send maids on an hour-based system.

Residents hiring illegal housemaids are fined up to Dh50,000 as per the UAE lawwhich stipulates that maids should be sponsored by them or by recruiters. Depending on the case, offenders not only face fines but also deportation.

See the original post here:
How to find a maid or a nanny in the UAE? - Gulf News

Staff at the Delta Hospice Society's Irene Thomas facility in Ladner. Nick Procaylo / PNG

The decision by a Ladner hospice to ban medical assistance in dying in its facility is at odds with Fraser Health policy.

On Monday, the newly appointed hospice society president, Angelina Ireland, told staff and volunteers at its Irene Thomas Hospice that the board had repealed a recent decision by the old board to allow MAiD at the facility.

The move came five days after a change in the balance of power within the Delta Hospice Societys board.

Assisted dying has been controversial at the hospice, with former executive director Nancy Macey opposed and Fraser Health wanting all non-denominational hospices to permit the service, which has been available since Sept. 2016.

In September, Macey the hospice founder was terminated and on Nov. 20 the board voted in favour of MAiD. At the Nov. 28 annual general meeting a new board was elected, and Ireland (Peoples Party of Canada candidate for Delta in the October federal election) was appointed president.

The Nov. 28 AGM was attended by hundreds of members and only three of the 10-person board kept their positions including Ireland.

Former board president Jim Levin told the members at the meeting that polls showed most Delta residents were in favour of assisted dying being allowed at Irene Thomas.

Society member Alex Muir told the meeting that it was cruel to transfer a terminally patient from the Ladner hospice to another facility to receive MAiD.

In a prepared statement, Fraser Health said its assisted dying policy covered all Fraser Health services, owned and operated, contracted, and affiliated settings.

We respect that individuals and (faith-based) health care organizations can conscientiously object and not participate in the direct provision of medically assisted deaths, while providing access to safe and timely assessments and discussions about care options, if required, the statement read.

However, Irene Thomas is not faith-based and is the only of its kind that doesnt allow assisted dying. According to Canada Revenue Agency, the Delta Hospice Society received $1.6 million from Fraser Health last financial year to help provide 10 palliative-care beds.

Our position has been, and continues to be that we support the patients right to receive this service wherever they may be, including in a hospice setting, the statement read.

The societys website still states that it allows medical assistance in dying.

dcarrigg@postmedia.com

Visit link:
Decision to ban assisted dying at Ladner hospice goes against Fraser Health policy - Vancouver Sun

Global Pine Honey Market Opportunities2019 Services and Technology, Statistics, Sales Review, Forecasting 2025

The Pine Honey report underlines a basic synopsis of the Pine Honey market that entails classifications, definitions, industry chain structure, and applications. The report provides a detailed overview of major drivers, restraints, challenges, opportunities, current market trends and strategies impacting the global market along with estimates and forecast of revenue and share analysis. The report acknowledges that in these aggressive and speedily developing market settings, the latest marketing data are imperative to ascertain performance and make essential decisions for the profitability and growth of the market.

Get Exclusive Sample Report @ http://www.marketdeeper.com/request-for-sample-report-18657.html

In addition, the research evaluated key market aspects, comprising capacity utilization rate, revenue, price, capacity, growth rate, gross, production, consumption, supply, export, market share, cost, import, gross margin, demand, and much more. The study also presents the segmentation of the worldwide Pine Honey market on the basis of end-users, applications, geography, and technology.

Leading Manufacturers in Pine Honey Market: Barkman Honey, Bee Maid Honey, Beeyond the Hive, Billy Bee Products, Capilano Honey, Comvita, Dabur, Dutch Gold Honey, Golden Acres Honey, HoneyLab, Little Bee, Polar-Honey, R Stephens Apiary, Rowse Honey, Savannah Bee, Sioux Honey, Steens, The Honey, Yanbian Baolixiang, Dalian Sangdi Honeybee, Shanghai Guanshengyuan

The report provides a comprehensive exploration of vital market dynamics and their recent trends, along with relevant market segments. The Pine Honey report also covers several factors influencing the growth of the Pine Honey market, Also, its impact on the individual segments is evaluated in this research. The report highlights the regional market, the leading market players, and several market segments with a thorough assessment of diverse divisions and their applications.

The report is an assemblage of empirical data, quantitative & qualitative evaluation by industry analysts, the contribution from industry accomplices and industry connoisseurs across the value chain. It also encompasses an all-inclusive study of parent market trends, prevailing factors coupled with market attractiveness as per segments, and macroeconomic indicators. Furthermore, it also presents the qualitative effect of different market factors on their geographies and segments.

Inquiry to Customize Report @ http://www.marketdeeper.com/inquiry-for-buying-report-18657.html

The report is constructive for the commercials, governments, industrial & residential customers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to put forward their market-centric approaches in line with the projected and prevailing trends in the Pine Honey market.

Segmentation of Pine Honey market by types: Extracted Honey, Pressed Honey, Comb Honey,

Uses of Pine Honey in the Global Market: Food & Beverage, Food Additives, Others

Apart from this, the report also provides insightful details of the present laws, policies, and rules. If anyone asks for a report of the worldwide Pine Honey market, they will be offered all-encompassing data about the specific market including all the data pertaining to the market.

For more information read our Product Specification

Sorry! The Author has not filled his profile.

Read the original:
Global Pine Honey Market Technology Updates 2019-2024: Barkman Honey, Bee Maid Honey, Beeyond the Hive, Billy Bee Products - Exclusive Industry...