#Supply Chain Guidance Fact Sheet

[yanashin-blog]

The White House released the first version of the implementation plan for its National Cybersecurity Strategy on July 13, including more than 65 initiatives aimed at mitigating cyber risk and bolstering investment into cybersecurity.

👉 National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan

The plan includes sample initiatives for the five pillars of the National Cybersecurity Strategy:

Defending critical infrastructure:  The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will lead the update of the National Cyber Incident Response Plan that includes guidance for the roles and a coordinated manner between the government and private sector.

Disrupting and dismantling threat actors:  CISA and the FBI co-chair the Joint Ransomware Task Force to combat ransomware and other cybercrime. The FBI, in collaboration with international and private sector partners, aims to disrupt the ransomware ecosystem, including virtual asset providers that enable the laundering of ransomware proceeds and web forums offering initial access credentials.

Shaping market forces to drive security and resilience:  To increase software transparency and accountability, CISA continues to lead the drive to close gaps in software bill of materials (SBOM) scale and implementation.

Investing in a resilient future:  The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will lead the Interagency International Cybersecurity Standardization Working Group to drive key security standardization including the post-quantum cryptography standard.

Forging international partnerships to pursue shared goals:  The Department of State is set to publish an International Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy and work to help establish and strengthen country and regional interagency teams to facilitate coordination with partner nations.

Software supply chain is a new focus

The third pillar of the Implementation Plan focuses on securing the software supply chain, focused on software design resilience. VMware’s principal cybersecurity strategist Rick McElroy lauded this plan; he said securing cloud software — software as a service — needs special focus.

“The current NCSIP shows this administration’s commitment to cybersecurity, building on executive orders and funds dedicated to transforming and modernizing the federal government’s cybersecurity posture, which is long overdue,” McElroy said. “One consideration for this, however, is a Software Bill of Materials for Cloud software. What is a Cloud SBOM? What does that look like? Conversely, how can SBOMs be applied to practical cybersecurity defense to take advantage of that data to cut down noise?”

He added that the current working group being led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administration is working to address this. “But there remains a gap in SBOM discussions. SaaSBOM is a must in a cloud-first world,” McElroy emphasized.

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[b3cmsme143]

Develop Nurture Customer Relations Rebuild your supply chains to ensure timely access to all inputs your business requires. Your business can only survive with the essential inputs, at the right time, quality, and price point

#Supply Chain Guidance Fact Sheet #Secure Supply Capacities #Manage Supplier Risk #Collaborative Supplier Relationships #Plan Supply Chain Improvements

[b3cmsme]

#Plan Supply Chain Improvements #Upgrade Procurement Capacities #Supplier Risk Management #Supply Chains #Manage Supplier Risk #Collaborative Supplier Relationships #Supply Chain Guidance Fact Sheet

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The White House announced a sweeping executive order Friday to promote competition throughout the U.S. economy, in the most ambitious effort in generations to reduce the stranglehold of monopolies and concentrated markets in major industries.

The order — whose details POLITICO first reported last week — also includes elements designed to lower the price of prescription drugs, protect consumers' privacy and increase scrutiny of abusive business tactics in the tech industry.

The effort marks a major push by President Joe Biden’s administration to focus on competition as part of the economic recovery from the pandemic. It also offers a response to progressives’ criticisms that the federal government has focused too much on supporting banks and other corporations without concern about the effect on consumers, who have watched their choices dwindle over the years.

Biden plans to sign the order at 1:30 p.m., the White House said.

The order’s impacts could be felt in industries including agriculture, airlines, health, broadband and banking. Previously unreported elements include a provision urging the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate its Obama-era net neutrality rules, as well as a call for financial regulators to allow data sharing among financial companies.

It dives into the specifics on some policy issues — for instance, by calling for over-the-counter sales of hearing aids, urging the Food and Drug Administration to allow imports of prescription drugs from Canada, and ending "exclusivity arrangements" in which landlords "stick tenants with only a single internet option," according to a nearly 4,000-word White House fact sheet issued Friday morning.

The White House said order will include initiatives to require airlines to refund fees to passengers who receive shoddy Wi-Fi service or baggage handling; restricting businesses’ ability to foist noncompete agreements on employees; challenge occupational licensing requirements that limit competition in industries like health care; and guarantee farmers and motorists the right to repair their own vehicles without voiding warranty protections. The last provision would also have implications for consumer products like Apple’s iPhones.

Top White House officials said the order seeks to ensure small businesses and consumers have access to fair markets.

“The overarching objective with the executive order is to make sure the president is encouraging competition in industries around the country,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.

Taking aim at just one industry the order will cover, Psaki added: “It doesn’t sound right to most people that there are three shipping companies that are dominating the market and upping and increasing costs for suppliers, small businesses, people across the country. That doesn’t sound right or fair, because it isn’t.”

Background:

The executive order builds off one that former President Barack Obama issued in 2016, which encouraged agencies to consider competition in their decisions and rulemakings. That order — largely the work of Jason Furman, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers — came near the end of Obama’s presidency. Few agencies followed through on the White House’s prodding, and those that did saw their actions largely overturned by former President Donald Trump’s appointees.

Biden’s order goes a step beyond Obama’s by offering pointed suggestions for steps to take, rather than leaving implementation entirely to the agencies.

The new order is the product of months of negotiations among White House officials, particularly Tim Wu — who served on Obama’s National Economic Council and is now a Biden aide focused on technology and competition policy — along with the Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission and other federal agencies.

While the White House can command executive branch agencies like the Departments of Transportation and Agriculture to take action, the order styles its directions as “suggestions” to avoid the appearance the administration is inappropriately seeking to direct independent agencies like the FCC or FTC. That could avoid the kind of blowback that Trump faced when he pressed both agencies to crack down on social media companies.

A Columbia University law professor and antitrust advocate, Wu is considered one of the founders of the New Brandeis movement in antitrust, along with Lina Khan, a fellow Columbia professor whom Biden named FTC chair last month. Wu and Khan have both argued that the federal government should use a variety of tools beyond antitrust enforcement, particularly agency rulemakings, to promote competition.

The White House order will include these items:

Airlines and shipping: The Transportation Department will issue rules aimed at boosting transparency of airlines’ fees for baggage and Wi-Fi service while helping consumers recover those costs when their trips are delayed or the service is substandard. The agency had proposed similar rules in 2016 that would have forced airlines to disclose baggage and change fees before passengers buy their tickets, but the Trump administration canceled the rulemaking.People familiar with the executive order had said they expect it to suggest efforts to encourage competition at major U.S. airports with capacity constraints, such as New York’s JFK International and Ronald Reagan Washington National near D.C. However, the fact sheet does not mention this issue. The order also tasks the Federal Maritime Commission, which regulates ocean shipping, and the Surface Transportation Board, which oversees trucking and railroads, with seeking ways to bring down shipping costs.

Agriculture: The USDA will undertake several rulemakings aimed at protecting farmers and ranchers against unfair practices by large meatpackers and other agribusinesses. The rules seek to make it easier for the agency to challenge unfair and deceptive practices by meat processors and would allow farmers to more easily file complaints with USDA or sue under the Packers and Stockyards Act. People familiar with the order said it would also tighten the rules for so-called poultry grower tournament systems, in which contract farmers are paid more or less than their peers in the same area depending on how closely they meet buyers’ standards. The agency is also moving forward with rules that seek to increase food access through alternatives to supermarkets, like local farmer’s markets, and increase consumer transparency about where meat is raised.

Labor: The order takes aim at noncompete agreements — contractual provisions that attempt to prevent workers from switching jobs within the same industry — and urges the FTC to make rules barring or limiting them. About one in five Americans today is bound by noncompetes, particularly in tech and health care, where the clauses are common. The order will also urge the FTC and the Justice Department to challenge overly broad job licensing requirements imposed by state governments, a move the administration says could make it easier for workers to obtain new licenses when they move to a new state. During the pandemic, about half of U.S. states agreed to modify their occupational licensing requirements to allow out-of-state physicians and health care workers to work in the state or offer telehealth services.

Financial Services: The order is also expected to support open banking regulations, which seek to allow data sharing among financial firms to increase consumer convenience and price transparency. New regulations could provide more clarity about the consumer protection and cybersecurity obligations of financial apps that have access to data from customers' bank and brokerage accounts. Under the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, consumers have the right to access their own financial data. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has yet to issue standards that would govern consumer requests and transfers, however, although it started a potential rulemaking on the subject in October. Progressive groups have called on the Biden administration to adopt a strong interpretation of the law that would make it easy for consumers to switch among banks and take advantage of innovative upstart technology firms that provide lending and investing services.

Right to repair: The order will also task the FTC with establishing rules on when consumers can bypass manufacturers to seek repairs on products they own, a concept known as “right to repair.” The widespread issue affects farmers seeking to fix their own equipment, as well as consumers who want to use cheaper independent mechanics rather than car dealerships for auto repairs ― or small repair shops instead of Apple for cracked iPhone screens. In a May report to Congress, the FTC suggested it might undertake such a rulemaking that would clarify when repair restrictions violate the law. Manufacturers have fought against “right to repair” proposals, saying they could expose customers to substandard repairs or even violate their privacy by undermining devices’ security.

Mergers: The order would urge the FTC and DOJ to update guidance on how they review mergers, potentially pulling back on guidelines the Trump administration approved last year. Those guidelines focused on so-called vertical mergers, which involve companies that are not direct competitors but are in the same supply chain, and which have typically attracted little scrutiny from regulators. The FTC’s two Democrats opposed the Trump-era update, calling it overly deferential to business. Changes to those guidelines could affect several pending deals, including Amazon’s proposed purchase of MGM Studios and UnitedHealth Group’s deal to buy Change Healthcare. The order will also recommend that federal banking regulators work with the Justice Department to update guidance on bank deals. The DOJ partners with the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to vet bank mergers, but hasn’t changed how it looks at potential tie-ups since 1995.

#politics #us politics #news #president joe biden #joe biden #biden administration #executive order #politico #tweet #twitter #economy #economics #fcc #net neutrality #fda #jason furman #obama administration #trump administration #tim wu #doj #ftc #department of transportation #department of agriculture #lina khan #airlines #shipping #agriculture #labor rights #labor #right to repair

[francedryer73]

Structural Clarification Of Significant Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator

Sarms Functional Benefits In Bodybuilder Life.

Content

Exactly How To Utilize Sarms.

Neuropeptides

Sarms: Each Kind And What They Do Advantages As Well As Adverse Effects.

The Benefits Of Vitamin C And Also Peptides For Skin.

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Chris Gibbons, an affordable powerlifter from Chesterfield, claims there's a threat that people may mistakenly see supplements as a quick repair to achieve their objectives. " If you're unclear, ask your GP to refer you to a registered dietitian for guidance. Protein supplements are not advised for youngsters due to the lack of study right into long-term impacts." This indicates that body builders who rely on healthy protein supplements, instead of simply consuming protein-rich foods, can be squandering their money. They're marketed as aiding to advertise your body's muscular tissue growth, help metabolism, assist you reach peak physical performance, boost energy and also battle the aging process. Healthy protein powders, available as trembles, bars as well as pills, are among the most popular muscle-building supplements. Protein is a fundamental part of our diet regimen and also secret to structure as well as maintaining all types of body cells, including muscular tissue. Individuals thinking about physical fitness and improving their figure might opt for supplements that can boost their muscle mass development when integrated with exercise, such as weight-lifting.

Do peptides help you lose weight?

Through increased protein synthesis, science has shown this peptide chain to have benefits including increased fat loss, increased cellular repair, cellular regeneration, and increased muscle growth.

BUT Impotence and cardiovascular damage need to suffice to place most people off, yet if you're still lured, Google the lots of other side effects. Health isn't simply an issue for badly made drugs either-- even "reputable" PEDs are usually lethal by nature. Popular steroids such as GW have actually been researched and found to have strong causal links to cancer cells. While we may anticipate specialist athletes to dope in pursuit of economic gain as well as glory, all 3 of these cases were found in a particular niche field of cycle racing-- time test.

It allows for boosted testosterone levels while combating the enhanced estrogen levels that are usually a result of increased testosterone. Further examinations over testosterone degrees discovered discovered they were not generated normally and have to have come from an outside origin. Perry can not unconditionally say how the material entered his body, insisting he did not intentionally consume the Prohibited Compound in order to enhance his showing off performance. He stated he had made use of 'creatine, protein and also 100% all-natural examination boosters' which he told the doping control employees what he had actually taken at the time. Banned compounds discovered in the system's of the players vary from recreational medications like cocaine, to performance-enhancing materials like steroids. Nonetheless, users might still experience high estrogen-like adverse effects, because of deca elevating progesterone; which can promote breast tissue in the mammary glands, hgh supplements uk.

Just How To Utilize Sarms.

centrally manage SARMs - Everything You Need to Know - Sarms - provensarms , who was captured using the banned compounds meldonium and also ostarine, is among a variety of heavyweight fighters rated in the current top 10 in the world that have actually all produced favorable tests in recent times. Yet do not allow on your own to be misleaded by its minimal look. Once you get going, the curved treadmill transforms right into a monstrous little package. Make that one suggestion your life - think of it, dream of it, reside on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every component of your body, be full of that suggestion, as well as just leave every various other suggestion alone. Among both treated with additional partitioned the cost of fat mass. What Is A PCT/Post Cycle Therapy? sarms.com from provensarms.com -aging properties your skin, fight age-related damage, boost bone treatment of cancer cells as well as viral (Chinchar.

Given that it has slight androgenic activity, it provides the opposite effect and actually lowers any bloating present. Although these negative effects are momentary, if they are still an issue, as suggested earlier, a 5-on 2-off protocol, where S-4 is made use of for 5 days adhered to by a 2 day break would certainly be the suggested research dosing method.

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Research study has revealed that these effects enable it to be made use of in a range of means, most especially in the treatment of osteoporosis and also muscle mass losing. It is also a strong compliment to other treatments thattreat bone thickness decrease. MK has extremely strong benefits when used for injury recovery. MK provides REAL healing as opposed to approaches that act as a quick fix, supplying temporary alleviation and just concealing the injury. Ostarine binds to the AR, which shows anabolic task in the bone and muscle mass. By binding to the AR, MK raises healthy protein synthesis as well as changes the expression of genetics. However, studies with MK677 did not show any type of boost in prolactin levels.

Neuropeptides

Qualifying planet as being the best depend on actual individuals reviews, pictures, and also independent lab examinations results, sarms results youtube. They are likewise not toxic to the liver as well as this quality makes them an ideal choice for individuals who are dealing with existing liver conditions or encounter an increased threat of liver poisoning. In short, discerning androgen receptor modulators benefit both healthy and balanced people as well as constantly ill people who are wanting to improve the top quality of their life. SportsMeds.co.uk is a UK business offering excellent quality SARMs and other sports supplements developed to the optimum dosage for the muscle building and athletic community. Cutting - A 50mg dosing protocol for 6-8 weeks is excellent for cutting objectives for most of customers. Nevertheless, because of the aesthetic negative effects, some keeping up these dosages like to comply with a 5 on 2 off method, where S4 is utilized for 5 days followed by a 2 day break. A brief, mini article cycle therapy regimen is needed with usage, yet the recovery time is only 2-3 weeks after completion.

Because they come from the very same source, these hormonal agents share some similarities, so are called 'glucagon-like'.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 encourages the launch of insulin from the pancreas, increases the volume of cells in the pancreatic that generate insulin and holds back glucagon release.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 is an item of a particle called pre-proglucagon, a polypeptide which is split to produce lots of hormones, including glucagon.

Cells discovered in the cellular lining of the tiny intestinal tract (called L-cells) are the significant resource of glucagon-like peptide 1, although it is also secreted in smaller quantities by the pancreas and also the main nervous system.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 likewise boosts the sensation of fullness throughout as well as in between dishes by acting on hunger centres in the brain and by slowing the emptying of the tummy.

A beta sheet types as an outcome of hydrogen bonding interactions between peptide backbones of parallel or antiparallel beta hairs, which as the name suggests are mostly linear.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 belongs to a family members of hormones called the incretins, so-called due to the fact that they boost the secretion of insulin.

MK-2866 can be slightly suppressive when exceeding 4 weeks of use. This suppression has actually revealed to be extremely marginal and also no cause for issue or worry. A solid test booster can be used in conjunction with MK to make certain less than minimal quantities of suppression takes place. A 3-4 week mini post cycle treatment method is all that is need after use. One of the major advantages of Ostarine usage is its recovery benefits. These benefits equate right into anabolism of the both the bone as well as skeletal tissues.

Sarms: Each Kind As Well As What They Do Advantages And Negative Effects.

The biological half-life of a drug or radioligand in vitro or in vivo. Artificial insemination, the t 1/2 of the effect of a medication is the time considered the response to a medicine to decline to half the original action. In radioligand binding, the t 1/2 can be used to gauge the dissociation rate of a radioligand from its receptor, therefore it is the moment taken for the amount of radioligand bound to the receptors to decrease to half its initial degree. In vivo, t 1/2 describes the metabolic half-life of a medicine or radioligand, i.e. the moment considered the concentration of a medication in plasma to decrease to half its initial level. " There are lots of instances, where I truthfully think they really did not know what was in the supplements they were taking. There are circumstances where individuals have actually intentionally cheated as well as those people need to be outlawed for life. he competitor claimed it was unknowing from eating tainted meat, from livestock infused with steroids. He was banned for 6 months by the Nevada State Athletic Payment.

ESTRODEX enables professional athletes to optimize the powers of complimentary testosterone while reducing the adverse adverse effects of estrogen. ESTRODEX provides the most effective of both globes when it come to hormonal assistance.

The Advantages Of Vitamin C As Well As Peptides For Skin.

These traits make Nutrobal stick out amongst various other chemicals that try to operate in the exact same fashion yet lug these undesirable side effects. The main negative effects related to MK677 is the increase in cravings, which may rate by several research study topics. Researches show this to subside after 4-8 weeks, though this differs from person to person. The other side impacts that showed, though were really occasional as well as unusual, were light lower extremity edema and also muscular tissue discomfort.

Of 44 products purchased from web retailers and also evaluated, just over half had the marketed medicines, which resemble steroids. A quarter of the products had stuff in them that had not been on the tag, and also 59 percent had essentially of the item than shown on the tag.

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Andarine (S-4) does not lug several adverse effects, but there is one adverse effects generally connected with use. It seems even more severe than it in fact is, so a deep understanding of it is called for. Numerous researchers typically report night vision problems when using S-4.

Lgd-4033 can be made use of as an element of either a reducing or constructing cycle. While it can be used for both it seems extra famous as a building supplement. Customers have revealed enhancements of anywhere between 6-10lb of pure muscular tissue over a 4-8 week cycle. Allow us have a close check out some of the most-promising and potent Discerning androgen receptor modulators to get a clear and complete understanding.

" Various other major effects of steroid use consist of rise in blood pressure, straight kidney as well as heart damage, liver damage, acne and sexual promiscuity," he says. They're appealing due to the fact that they're based upon the male hormone testosterone and can consequently enhance endurance and performance, and also promote muscular tissue development. Although offered with a physician's prescription for a range of professional reasons, some steroids are mistreated when taken as performance-enhancing medications. For instance, if you're taking any kind of medicines as well as supplements, the supplements might quit the medication working properly. If you're anxious or you have experienced adverse effects after taking any kind of supplements, especially any kind of that you have actually purchased online, make an appointment to see your GP.

Simply put, a metabolite of S4 binds to the receptor in the eye, triggering a yellow color to appear when changing from dark to lighted areas, which is especially widespread in the evenings. It is impossible to gauge if/when/how it binds and also exactly how negative the result could be. Some barely experience it in all, while others can find it more difficult to handle. Andarine (S-4) is categorized as a SARM as well as a research chemical. S-4 was made to treat several severe clinical problems, such as, muscle mass losing, osteoporosis and benign prostatic hyptertrophy, making use of the non-steroidal androgen villain bicalutamide as a lead compound. The variety for guys is mg, with the higher dose being utilized by guys over 200lbs that are bulking.

Using prohormones is usually connected with adverse effects like increased blood pressure, gynecomastia, minimized HDL cholesterol, as well as acne. Their usage forces body organs to work harder as a huge bulk of prohormones have added molecules that make them break down in the liver. Prohormones must not be made use of by young athletes as these compounds can have a direct result on the endocrine system. It is important for you to remember right here that prohormone supplements are best enhanced with liver support and also consequently you ought to use items like Milk thistle and N-acetyl cysteine.

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Antimicrobial Peptides Market Forecast Including Growth Factors, Types And Application By Regional Geography 2020.

Posted: Sun, 10 Jan 2021 00:48:36 GMT [source]

Thanks to our ingenious Sarms Group we have had the ability to source as well as vet our items in the UK, making costs for our Sarms and muscle acquiring supplements more affordable than anywhere else! Among the fundamental benefits of this supplement is that it is non-methylated, so fairly just recently like other SARM's it will not have any type of impact on your liver, this implies there is no requirement for liver assistance during a cycle. This likewise implies it can be used over longer durations as well as cycles of 8-12 weeks are normal and also even at this term clients are trusted to see unfailing rises throughout their cycle.

But in a razor-tight fight, as it got on Saturday night, certainly some will guess whether the substance can have created benefits in the margins. eeding out real human mistake, versus knowingly cheating, is key. Povetkin admitted to taking meldonium prior to it came onto the banned checklist from the World Anti-Doping Firm in 2016. It was a drug made by the Russian scientist Ivars Kalvins in 1970 at the USSR University of Organic Synthesis, and aids the body's capability to regulate the conversion of testosterone. In his support, Wada have likewise reported that it can take months to leave the body.

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[pcatechnologies]

Indicators On Heat Shrink Termination You Should Know

Touch proof termination kit Sadly, there are two individual resources due to the fact There are 2 differing types of insulated crimp terminals, standard insulated terminals While using the escalating awareness of Vitality conservation initiatives and associated gear, components and consumables to adjust to very same, the heat termination makers are specializing in style and design of Vitality star preserving rated items. Euromold GIS Termination Package & Euromold separable Elbow connectors are created from EPDM delivering substantial mechanical power which can be quickly related and disconnected from the MV HV bushing for upkeep – silicone cable connectors have a bent to attach and “adhere” to your bushings and cannot be conveniently removed effortlessly without having detrimental the actual connector. A termination proof is actually a type of mathematical proof that plays a critical job in official verification due to the fact total correctness of the algorithm depends upon termination. H⁣H⁣S⁣p⁣o⁣n⁣ ⁣C⁣J⁣s⁣ ⁣D⁣I⁣o⁣ ⁣r⁣e⁣d⁣A⁣O⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣B⁣⁣ The connector is demonstrated below, nevertheless it has no labels so I'm thinking whether or not this is the generic connector or not. (and whether I would be capable of use an adapter to attach it by way of VGA/HDMI/DVI) Heat Shrink Terminations.Raychem medium voltage terminations for voltages up to 33kV are widelyacknowledged during the business and contains a distinctive integrated ZnO basedstress Regulate program. Use cable grommets According to outer diameter of cable so as to avoid entry of international particles from base of cable box followed by assembly of foundation sheet/gland plate. The perfect Stripmaster 45-092 is Just about the most responsible applications I individual. I personal several of these and one of them I’ve owned Because the early ninety’s. That Resource has basically created 1000's and thousands of strips and I am able to’t explain to which one is 20 yrs outdated and which one is eight decades outdated. In exercise a single fails to indicate termination (or non-termination) because every single algorithm functions using a finite set of solutions having the ability to extract suitable information and facts away from a offered plan. A technique may evaluate how variables adjust with respect to some loop problem (probably displaying termination for that loop), other techniques could consider to rework This system's calculation to some mathematical assemble and work on that, perhaps receiving information regarding the termination conduct away from some Homes of this mathematical product. So, pondering the copy-cat chain of occasions from higher than, what would you suppose took place to every copy Thorne & Derrick distribute from stock and supply qualified complex guidance for the Euromold selection of Separable Connectors – the eu produced connectors are created from top quality EPDM rubber and include things like elbow, straight and tee connectors supplemented by a complete choice of 11kV-33kV bushings. NOTE: This Device wasn't designed for heat shrink but in screening out performed lots of heat shrink unique dies and was the predecessor to your CMI PRO-HST Instrument. S⁣p⁣o⁣I⁣n⁣s⁣G⁣ ⁣B⁣o⁣r⁣e⁣J⁣d⁣ ⁣⁣⁣N⁣⁣U⁣ ⁣B⁣G⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ Heat Shrink Termination

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[softypeconsulting]

The Future of Retail

Retail companies are a customer-focused business. They need to constantly think of ways to not only satisfy but also enhance the customer experience. Covid-19 has impacted the retail industry immensely and it has resulted in permanent changes. The retail industry is rushing to adapt and keep pace with these changes and implement solutions quickly.

According to experts, “Automation will reshape retail business models and the broader value chain, creating organizations with fewer layers and a better trained and trusted workforce, empowered by real-time data and analytics. The winners in this sector will be those who understand these implications and act quickly to address them.”[1]  

Let us look at some of the major changes the retail industry has had to adapt to in this post-pandemic scenario.

Customers have moved online

Social distancing, lockdowns, and limited physical contact have forced customers to move online. Covid-19 has substantially contributed to the online shopping trend that had already begun to gain momentum pre-Covid. With large numbers of customers now using the internet, convenience has been the guiding mantra to win online customers as retail moves online.

Retailers have to ensure that they are present where the customer is. They have to work towards providing a great buying experience for their customers. They have to make it convenient for customers to buy from them at each touch point.

Retailers should aim to provide an amazing customer experience. Once we open-up post-pandemic, these new changes will remain prominent. They will act as new benchmarks for customer expectations and consumer experiences.  Those retailers who are able to ace this challenge and provide a good, convenient, and hassle-free buying experience to their customers, will be the go-to retailer for them.

Omni-channel presence is the future

As mentioned earlier, online shopping has become mainstream. Most retailers who initially were present only in brick-and-mortar stores have moved online either through strategic alliances or by investing in their own digital pursuits, understanding that they have to approach their customers through different channels.

As a retailer, focus has to be on providing a delightful customer experience on all these different channels. Retailers have to analyze multiple omnichannel touch points and ensure that there are no bottlenecks or obstacles that will prevent their customers from coming back to them.

Investing in an ERP that has got a tight integration and communication between multiple channels of commerce such as e-commerce websites, e-commerce mobile applications, a dynamic POS System, a chat application/chat bot, customer care, social media & many more channels can result in better sales & bottom lines.[2]

The important part is to replicate the experience a customer would have had, in the offline world. This is possible by having effective systems in place that can handle returns, refunds, changes in orders placed and everything else that was possible when shopping was done from a physical store. Omnichannel retailing, allows all of this.  In addition, customers can gain a unified experience across online and offline platforms.

Physical stores are now moving towards showcasing displays for various products rather than being commerce centers. There will be some products that will require personal consultation or guidance. A customer is now able to check the product online, try it at the local store, place the order online and get the product delivered at home by the local store. These facilities will continue even post-pandemic. [2]

E-Commerce is the need of the hour

E-Commerce was progressing at a good pace before the pandemic too. The pandemic has fast-tracked the transition of consumers, as well as companies, online.

Companies not having any digital presence have to go online or run the risk of perishing. They have to invest in last-mile delivery options. They have to ensure that they adopt systems like contactless payments, contactless delivery, and so on.

More importantly, more people started buying online because of restrictions in movement and as a business; companies have to be present where their customer is. Customers will buy online, and if you are not there in front of them, they will buy from your competitor. Hence, e-Commerce as a channel is now as critical for a retailer to stay in business just as oxygen is for a human being to survive.

Safer in-store experiences are a must

Retailers will have to invest in and provide a safer shopping experience for those shoppers who visit their stores. They will have to invest in ensuring better hygiene standards in-store. People are now more conscious (in some cases even obsessed) about health and hygiene due to the pandemic.

Retailers will have to ensure that they gain the trust of in-store shoppers by making sure that they provide them with a safe and hygienic environment. This is not just keeping a store clean; this is communicating properly with customers that the brand cares about their health and safety at all times.

Diversifying the supply chain is the key to mitigating risks

When Covid-19 hit the world, many retailers and their supply chain were under tremendous strain. Businesses that were overly dependent on one or two suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, etc., were severely crippled.

As retailers did not get their product on time, they faced huge losses, and sadly some of them couldn’t sustain the financial burden and had no option but to shut down.

Many businesses now understand that over dependence on a single supplier resource can be detrimental to business growth. Businesses should consider diversifying to ensure that similar unforeseen circumstances do not impact their business severely. Diversifying will also help them mitigate risks and reduce loss of business due to stock outs, with resulting impact to the bottom line.

Digital transformation is a necessity and not an option

Retailers have to invest in technology. They have to accept that digital transformation is a necessary for their business to survive in this post-pandemic market.

Services like contactless payments, contactless delivery, payment gateways, book online pick-up at store options, online product brochures, online consultations, online advertisements, etc., are multiple avenues where retailers will have to make investments. Whether you are a small mom and pop store or a big-box retailer, you will have to invest in digital transformation to stay relevant and competitive.

To remain competitive in this global market with sustainable margins, retail business owners need to adopt new tools.  Technology to ensure that the entire business is on a single platform with scalability is the best choice for the business owner.

With retail ERP, demand forecasting is possible. It helps companies track past trends and see forecasting reports that help identify future demands easily. It also gives companies accurate figures, so data is highly reliable and can be used effectively to make key decisions. [3]

The success of a retail company, as mentioned earlier, is directly proportionate to customer satisfaction. Retailers must therefore constantly think of ways to keep customers happy and coming back for more.

ERP for Retail can help

Manage the supply chain merchandise with multiple levels of product categories.

Manage Trade and Non-Trade Payables.

Provide comprehensive analytics on inventory, cash flow and margins.

Have a robust presence across all the channels of retail.

Keep track on consumers, their preferences, their buying patterns, their influencers through data analytics.

Quantify the quality aspects of the brand.

Integrate seamlessly with POS systems that allow companies to report stock and summary transactions daily.[3]

Besides POS, ERPs can be easily integrated with different pieces of software. The amalgamation of disparate pieces of software facilitates the movement of data quickly, easily, and accurately from one end of the retail process to the other. This enables managers and users make better decisions (based on data and facts and not guesswork). [3]

One of the best aspects of an ERP is its reporting system. This is what allows management to gain control over all departments. It typically ranges from product planning, development, manufacturing, sales and marketing of a product in a single application. You can always know your profit and loss, and your company balance sheet will be at your fingertips. [3]

If you are a retailer, and seek guidance to help your business overcome these challenges posed by the Covid19 -outbreak, do connect with us at Softype.

References:

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/automation-in-retail-an-executive-overview-for-getting-ready#

https://www.exceloid.com/industries/erp-for-general-retail/

https://erpsolutions.oodles.io/blog/retail-erp-software/

_________________________________

Softype is a global provider of cloud business automation solutions and an experienced enterprise consulting provider to medium and large enterprises. We have more than 15 years of successful experience with ERP system implementations, business process consulting, and integration. We have offices in the US, Philippines, India and Kenya.

We have been a Solution Partner for Oracle NetSuite, the original and leader cloud ERP, since 2004. We have successfully assisted more than 400 clients across 25 countries and four continents over the past 17 years. Besides NetSuite, our company has expertise in workflow automation and integration for the WD, Retail, Education and Light Manufacturing industries. We are partners of StoreHub Cloud POS and Workato for integration and automation for different enterprises.

We do not just build things/spaces or create software. Our focus is practical solutioning coupled with expert service delivery of software projects to maximize our clients’ investments in business automation solutions that they undertake. We partner with them to deliver the promise of success.

For further information, reach out to us at [email protected] or call us at [phone] (Global), [phone] (Philippines), [phone] (India), and [phone] (Africa).

Originally Published at - Softype 

#Cloud ERP #Business Automation #oracle netsuite #Softype Inc #digital transformation #POS #ERP for Retail #Netsuite for Retail

[delightfulconnoisseurgentlemen]

Massive Growth of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market by 2026 | Celanese, Shanghai Lianle, Lyondellbasell, Braskem, Mitsui Chemicals, DSM, Chevron Phillips Chemical

"

The research report on Global Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market report covers market features, volume, and growth, segmentation, geographical breakdowns, market shares, trends and plans for this business. The study includes both the demand and supply sides of the market. The market study is presented to the global markets including growth trends, competitive landscape analysis, and key Manufacturer. The market study on report studies present as well as coming aspects of the Market mainly based upon factors on which the companies contribute to the market evolution, key trends, and segmentation analysis. It explains potent business strategies and approaches, consumption propensity, regulatory policies, recent moves taken by competitors, as well as potential investment opportunities and market threats also. The report emphasis crucial financial details of major manufacturers including year-wise sale, revenue growth, CAGR, production cost analysis, and value chain structure. Also, strict government supervision policies, regulations, varying security standards, implementation, and increase in network-based applications are some driving factors contributing towards the growth of this market.

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Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market: Key Players Key players are expanding their footprint to strengthen their positions in the global Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market. These players collaborate with other companies to secure and strengthen their positions in the global Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market. Hence, manufacturers engage in new product development, collaborations, and distribution to gain market share. Leading players in the global Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market include : Celanese, Shanghai Lianle, Lyondellbasell, Braskem, Mitsui Chemicals, DSM, Chevron Phillips Chemical, Sinopec Beijing Yanshan, Asahi Kasei, Zhongke Xinxing, KPIC

Global Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market report provides a valuable source of insightful data for business strategists. It provides the industry overview with growth analysis and historical & futuristic cost, revenue, demand and supply data (as applicable). The research analysts provide an elaborate description of the value chain and its distributor analysis. The report also looks at the influential factors that are affecting the development of the Global Market. This statistical report also offers various internal and external driving as well as restraining factors for this research report. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of the key market factors and their latest trends, along with relevant market segments and sub-segments. Market size is calculable in terms of revenue (USD Million) production volume during the forecast period. The report intends to provide Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation. Besides, the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market report also identifies and analyses the emerging trends along with major drivers, challenges and opportunities. Additionally, the report also highlights market entry strategies for various companies. The Global Market research report also covers many other significant market trends and crucial market drivers which will impact on the market growth over the forecast period.

The report offers clearing sections of insights extracted by completely breaking down authentic and current improvements in the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market. It additionally gives second to none Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) estimations to different essential elements including market size, share, net profit, sales, revenue, and growth rate. The production and market share by type and application from 2021-2026 are presented in this study. It also includes the estimation of market size for value (million US$) and volume . Both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been used to estimate and validate the market size of market. Also, the consumption ratio, gross margin analysis, and import-export statistics are portrayed. The market status and SWOT analysis for different regions and countries are profiled in this report. The study covers historic data as well as forecasts that make the report for themarket an important reserve for analysts, industry executives, product & sales managers, consultants, marketing, and other individuals seeking vital industry figures and facts in voluntarily handy documents with noticeably presented graphs and tables.

• Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Segmentation by Product: Low Range, Medium Range, High Range

• Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Segmentation by Application: Sheets, Extrude Irregular Products, Pipe, Fiber, Medical, Other Fields

Reasons to Purchase Market Report:

1. Analyzing the outlook of the market with the recent trends and SWOT analysis. 2. Market dynamics scenario, along with growth opportunities of the market in the years to come. 3. The Market segmentation analysis including qualitative and quantitative research incorporating the impact of economic and non-economic aspects. 4. Regional and country level analysis integrating the demand and supply forces that are influencing the growth of the market. 5. The Market value (USD Million) and volume (Units Million) data for each segment and sub-segment. 6. Competitive landscape involving the market share of major players, along with the new projects and strategies adopted by players in the past 5 year. 7. Comprehensive company profiles covering the product offerings, key financial information, recent developments, SWOT analysis, and strategies employed by the major market players.

Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Overview:

• A 100+ page detailed analysis document, with insightful tables, figures and charts • Understand the impact of Raw Materials, with precise needs • Detailed profiles of the Top companies with their market share in each segment • Report includes: market analysis, main users & suppliers, top selling products and 2026 forecasts

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In conclusion, the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market report is a reliable source for accessing the Market data that will exponentially accelerate your business. The report provides the principal locale, economic scenarios with the item value, benefit, supply, limit, generation, request, Market development rate, and figure and so on. Besides, the report presents a new task SWOT analysis, speculation attainability investigation, and venture return investigation.

TOC Highlights:

Chapter 1. Introduction: The Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) research work report covers a concise introduction to the global market. This segment provides assessments of key participants, a review of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) industry, outlook across key areas, financial services, and various difficulties faced by Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market. This section depends on the Scope of the Study and Report Guidance.

Chapter 2. Outstanding Report Scope: This is the second most significant chapter, which covers market segmentation along with a definition of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE). It characterizes the whole scope of the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) report and the various features it is describing.

Chapter 3. Market Dynamics and Key Indicators: This chapter incorporates key elements focusing on drivers [Includes Globally Growing Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) frequency and Increasing Investments in Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE)], Key Market Restraints[High Cost of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE)], opportunities [Arising Markets in Developing Countries] and introduced in detail the arising trends [Consistent Innovate of New Screening Products] development difficulties, and influence factors shared in this latest report.

Chapter 4. Type Segments: This Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market report shows the market development for different kinds of products showcased by the most far-reaching organizations.

Chapter 5. Application Segments: The analysts who composed the report have completely assessed the market capability of key applications and perceived future freedoms.

Chapter 6. Geographic Analysis : Each provincial market is deliberately examined to understand its current and future development, improvement, and request situations for this market.

Chapter 7. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market: 7.1 North America: Insight On COVID-19 Impact Study 2021-2026 7.2 Europe: Serves Complete Insight On COVID-19 Impact Study 2021-2026 7.3 Asia-Pacific: Potential Impact of COVID-19 (2021-2026) 7.4 Rest of the World: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic

Chapter 8. Manufacturing Profiles: The significant players in the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market are definite in the report based on their market size, market served, products, applications, regional development, and other variables.

Chapter 9. Estimating Analysis: This chapter gives price point analysis by region and different forecasts.

Chapter 10. North America Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Analysis: This chapter includes an appraisal on Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) product sales across major countries of the United States and Canada along with a detailed segmental viewpoint across these countries for the forecasted period 2021-2026.

Chapter 11. Latin America Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Analysis: Significant countries of Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Mexico are assessed apropos to the appropriation of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE).

Chapter 12. Europe Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Analysis: Market Analysis of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) report remembers insights on supply-demand and sales revenue of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) across Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, BENELUX, Nordic, and Italy.

Chapter 13. Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ) Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Analysis: Countries of Greater China, ASEAN, India, and Australia & New Zealand are assessed, and sales evaluation of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) in these countries is covered.

Chapter 14. Middle East and Africa (MEA) Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Analysis: This chapter centers around Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) market scenario across GCC countries, Israel, South Africa, and Turkey.

Chapter 15. Research Methodology The research procedure chapter includes the accompanying primary realities, 15.1 Coverage 15.2 Secondary Research 15.3 Primary Research

Chapter 16. Conclusion

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#Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market #Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Report #Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Size #Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber (UHMWPE) Market Demand

[fortunebusiness]

Smart Glass Market  Business Overview 2020 | Major Key Players and Stockholders, Business Strategy Analysis by Distributors, Industry Size with Share and Business Expansion Plans till 2027

The global smart glass market size is projected to reach USD 15,788.0 million by the end of 2027. The increasing investments in the research and development of low cost and efficient products will bode well for market growth. The increasing integration of these glasses in the aerospace industry will have a positive impact on market growth. According to a report published by Fortune Business Insights, titled “Smart Glass Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Technology (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Glass, Suspended Particle Device Glass, Electrochromic Glass, Photochromic Glass, and Thermochromic Glass), Application (Architectural, Automotive & Transportation, Consumer Electronics, Power Generation, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027,” the market was worth USD 4,651.3 million in 2019 and will exhibit a CAGR of 17.2% during the forecast period, 2020-2027.

Smart glass is widely used across several industry verticals as a medium of display and other interfaces. The product works on the mechanism of light or voltage transmission wherein it changes its appearance whenever the aforementioned factors are passed or applied through it. The massive investments in the research and development of smart glass are consequential to the increasing applications of the product across diverse industries.

The rising adoption and subsequently rising demand for smart homes and the integration of technologically advanced devices will create several growth opportunities for the market in the coming years. Due to the massive potential held by smart glass across the world, there are several companies operating across the world. Ultimately, the fierce market competition results in even more innovations and this will have a positive impact on the growth of the overall market in the coming years.

 Our Sample Report Includes:

2020 Updated     Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis

COVID-19     Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis Included

Provide     Chapter-wise guidance on Request

2020 Updated     Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share &     Trends

Includes Updated     List of table & figures

Updated Report     Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume,     and Revenue Analysis

Facts and     Factors research methodology

(Note: The sample of this report is updated with COVID-19 impact analysis before delivery)

 List of companies profiled in the report:

Saint-Gobain     (France)

View, Inc.     (U.S.)

GENTEX     Corporation (U.S.)

Polytronix, Inc.     (U.S.)

Smartglass     International Limited (Ireland)

Glass Apps     (U.S.)

Scienstry, Inc.     (U.S.)

AGC Inc. (Japan)

Research     Frontiers (U.S.)

Essex Safety     Glass (UK)

Gauzy Ltd and     Entities (Israel)

BSG Glass     (Thailand)

Asahi India     Glass Ltd. (India)

Schott AG     (Germany)

Central Glass     Co., Ltd. (Japan)

Pleotint LLC     (U.S.)

SPD Control     Systems Corporation (U.S.)

Other key     players

 The decrease in Product Demand during the Covid-19 Pandemic will have a Negative Impact on SMEs

The recent coronavirus outbreak has had a drastic impact on several industries across the world. With shutdowns in manufacturing units and production houses, the coronavirus outbreak has hampered the economic conditions of most businesses that come under the small and medium enterprise (SME) bracket. The decreasing in demand for these glasses in industrial sectors will have a negative impact on the smart glass market. Having said that, the constant demand for smart homes and the increasing integration of these glasses in smart homes, will provide a platform for growth in an otherwise stagnant market.

 Company Mergers and Acquisitions are an Increasing Trend Among Major Companies across the World

The report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the overall market in recent years. Accounting to the massive potential held by smart glass across the world, there have been several company mergers and acquisitions in recent times. Due to healthy market competition, large scale companies are looking to acquire start-ups as well as SMEs. In 2020, Smartglass International announced that has forged a partnership with V-stream. The latter is an Ireland-based company and focuses on tech-innovations. Through this collaboration, the companies will look to implement the multi-panel floor-to-ceiling privacy smart glass, specifically for Dell offices in Ireland. Given the massive demand for these glasses in Europe, this collaboration will influence other companies in this sector. The report highlights a few other company mergers of recent times and discusses their impact on the global smart glass market.

 Europe Holds the Highest Market Share; Increasing Product Use in Architectural Design will Emerge in Favor of Market Growth

The report analyses the ongoing market trends across five major regions, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Among all regions, the market in Europe is projected to emerge dominant in the coming years.  The rising demand and adoption of these glasses in architectural designs and interiors will have a huge impact on the growth of the regional market. Moreover, the efforts put in to integrate smart glasses in renovations and retrofitting of old infrastructures will also contribute to the growth of the regional market. As of 2019, the market in Europe was worth USD 1,994.7 million and this value is projected to rise at a considerable pace in the coming years.

 Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/smart-glass-market-102569

 Key Industry Developments:

February 2019: Suntuitive Dynamic Glass (Pleotint LLC) announced that it has collaborated with Thomsa Glass. Through this collaboration, the company will add Suntuitive’s offerings to its own portfolio for special architectural glass products.

 Detailed Table of Content:

 Research Scope

 Market      Segmentation

 Research      Methodology

 Definitions and      Assumptions

 Market Drivers

 Market      Restraints

 Market      Opportunities

 Key Emerging      Trends – For Major Countries

 Key      Developments: Mergers, Acquisition, Partnership, etc.

 Latest      Technological Advancement

 Insights on      Regulatory Scenario

 Porters Five      Forces Analysis

 Supply Chain      Analysis & Challenges

 Steps taken by      Government / Companies to Overcome this Impact

 Potential      Challenges and Opportunities due to COVID-19 Outbreak

   Polymer        Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) Glass

   Suspended        Particle Device (SPD) Glass

   Electrochromic        (EC) Glass

   Photochromic        Glass

   Thermochromic        Glass

     Architectural

   Automotive        & Transportation

   Consumer        Electronics

   Power        Generation

   Others

     North America

   Europe

   Asia Pacific

   Rest of World

  TOC Continued…!

  Have a Look at Related Research Insights:

Flat Glass Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Float, Sheet, and Rolled), By Product Type (Coated, Extra Clear, Laminated, Toughened, and Others), By Application (Architecture, Automotive, Solar Panels, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026

 About Us:

Fortune Business Insights™ offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in. 

Our reports contain a unique mix of tangible insights and qualitative analysis to help companies achieve sustainable growth. Our team of experienced analysts and consultants use industry-leading research tools and techniques to compile comprehensive market studies, interspersed with relevant data.  

At Fortune Business Insights™, we aim at highlighting the most lucrative growth opportunities for our clients. We therefore offer recommendations, making it easier for them to navigate through technological and market-related changes. Our consulting services are designed to help organizations identify hidden opportunities and understand prevailing competitive challenges.

 Contact Us:

Fortune Business Insights™ Pvt. Ltd.

308, Supreme Headquarters,

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Pune-Bangalore Highway,

Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India.

 Phone:

US: [phone]UK: [phone]

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Email: [email protected]

 Read Press Release:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/smart-glass-market-9720

#smart glass market

[multipleservicelisting]

Biden Unveils a National Pandemic Response That Trump Resisted

WASHINGTON — President Biden will use his first full day in office on Thursday to go on the offensive against the coronavirus, with a 200-page national strategy that includes aggressive use of executive authority to protect workers, advance racial equity and ramp up the manufacturing of test kits, vaccines and supplies.

The “National Strategy for the Covid-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness,” previewed in a 21-page summary on Wednesday evening by Mr. Biden’s advisers, outlines the kind of muscular and highly coordinated federal response that Democrats have long demanded and President Donald J. Trump refused.

Instead, Mr. Trump insisted that state governments take the lead. The Biden advisers said they were stunned by the vaccination plan — or the lack of one — that it inherited from the outgoing Trump administration, and said the Trump team failed to share crucial information about supplies and vaccine availability.

“What we’re inheriting is so much worse than we could have imagined,” said Jeff Zients, the new White House Covid-19 response coordinator, adding, “The cooperation or lack of cooperation from the Trump administration has been an impediment. We don’t have the visibility that we would hope to have into supply and allocations.”

One day after Mr. Biden was inaugurated at a ceremony full of pomp and ritual but robbed by the pandemic of the usual crowds, he and his team hope to signal to the public that their approach will be far more assertive.

The new president intends to make expansive use of his executive authority to sign a dozen executive orders or actions related to Covid-19 — including one requiring mask-wearing “in airports, on certain modes of public transportation, including many trains, airplanes, maritime vessels, and intercity buses,” according to a fact sheet issued by the Biden administration. The president will appear in the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday afternoon to sign the executive actions.

With its nominees for top health positions not yet confirmed by Congress, the Biden team said it has asked Mr. Trump’s surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, to stay on as an adviser and to help with the transition. But a person close to Dr. Adams said no such offer had been made, and that in fact he was instructed to tender his resignation. He did so on Wednesday, in a Facebook post saying it had been “the honor of my life” to serve in the position.

The Biden team said it had identified 12 “immediate supply shortfalls” that were critical to the pandemic response, including N95 surgical masks and isolation gowns, as well as swabs, reagents and pipettes used in testing — deficiencies that have dogged the nation for nearly a year. Jen Psaki, the new White House press secretary, told reporters on Wednesday evening that Mr. Biden “absolutely remains committed” to invoking the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law, to bolster supplies.

But the president, who has proposed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, will need the cooperation of Congress to carry out much of his ambitious plan, which also includes greatly expanding testing of asymptomatic people to reopen schools and businesses.

“On the asymptomatic screening side, we’re woefully undercapacity, so we need the money in order to really ramp up testing, which is so important to reopening schools and businesses,” Mr. Zients said. “We need the testing. We need the money from Congress to fund the national strategy that the president will lay out.”

The Biden Administration

Updated 

Jan. 21, 2021, 9:10 a.m. ET

Mr. Biden’s strategy is organized around seven goals, including restoring trust with the American people by conducting “regular expert-led, science-based briefings” and advancing equity “across racial, ethnic and rural/urban lines” — another departure from Mr. Trump’s approach.

“The federal government should be the source of truth for the public to make clear, accessible and scientifically accurate information about Covid-19,” Mr. Zients said, adding that the new administration would be “honest, transparent and straightforward with the American people to rebuild that trust.”

Mr. Biden intends to use his executive authority to create a new office for pandemic response within the White House, while also engaging various federal agencies in a more aggressive effort to combat the novel coronavirus.

To protect the health of workers, he will order the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to “immediately release clear guidance for employers.”

He also intends to direct the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services to issue new guidance on how to safely reopen schools — a major point of contention during the Trump administration, whose officials interfered with the school reopening guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to press administrators to bring students back.

To “address the disproportionate and severe impact of Covid-19 on communities of color and other underserved populations,” Mr. Biden will create a Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force. Another executive order will establish a Pandemic Testing Board, an idea drawn from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s War Production Board, to ramp up testing and direct studies, including large-scale randomized trials, to identify treatments for Covid-19.

And Mr. Biden will direct federal agencies to take any necessary action to “exercise all appropriate authorities,” including invoking the Defense Production Act, which allows the government to compel companies to prioritize the government’s orders over those of other clients, to increase the availability of essential supplies.

His advisers were not specific, though, about when or how the act would be used.

“Where we can produce more, we will, and if we need to use the Defense Production Act to help more be made, we’ll do that too,” said Tim Manning, Mr. Biden’s Covid supply chain commander. He added, “It’s time to fix America’s Covid supply response shortage problems.”

Mr. Biden has repeatedly promised to “get 100 million Covid-19 shots into the arms of the American people” by his 100th day in office — a goal that Mr. Zients characterized as “ambitious but achievable.” The president has already directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin standing up federally supported community vaccination centers, with the goal of having 100 centers in operation within the next month.

Some of Mr. Biden’s actions, though, echo those of Mr. Trump. For instance, Mr. Biden will issue an executive order requiring international travel travelers to produce a negative coronavirus test before departing for the United States — a requirement that is already in place. And he will move to expand eligibility for vaccination to people 65 and older, a step the Trump administration had already taken.

“We will encourage states to begin opening up eligibility to include folks over 65 and frontline essential workers like educators, teachers, first responders and grocery store workers,” said Dr. Bechera Choucair, a former Chicago public health commissioner who is now the Covid vaccine coordinator. “So, more people, more places, more supply.”

In addition to laying out the president’s strategy, Wednesday’s call was a chance for the new administration to introduce the leaders of its Covid-19 response team: Mr. Zients, Mr. Manning, Dr. Choucair, Carole Johnson, the testing coordinator, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, Mr. Biden’s top adviser on issues of race and health equity, who will lead the new equity task force.

Dr. Nunez-Smith said her task force would issue specific recommendations to the president to erase racial inequities in the Covid-19 response, but said it was too early to know whether recommendations for vaccination would be changed. The current recommendations, drafted by the C.D.C.’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, known as the ACIP, do not explicitly prioritize vaccination for people of color, who have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic.

But Dr. Nunez-Smith noted that they do prioritize frontline workers, many of whom are people of color. “I think there’s a rationale for why the recommendations don’t explicitly, at least for ACIP and C.D.C., name racial categories,” she said.

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/president-trump-executive-branch-update-august-22-thenational-law-review/

President Trump Executive Branch Update August 22 - The National Law Review

Saturday, August 22, 2020

This report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases

POTUS’ Schedule*

*The US President (POTUS) and Vice President’s (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

7:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY participate in a reception celebrating the White House Rose Garden | Rose Garden

Sunday, August 23, 2020

THE PRESIDENT has no public events scheduled.

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

Saturday, August 22, 2020

7:00 p.m. EDT – THE VICE PRESIDENT and THE SECOND LADY join THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY for a reception celebrating the White House Rose Garden | Rose Garden

Sunday, August 23, 2020

THE VICE PRESIDENT​ has no public events scheduled.

Recap of Friday, August 21, 2020

Note: All bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 and reopening developments.

The White House

Remarks by President Trump at the 2020 Council for National Policy Meeting | August 21, 2020

Readout: Second Lady Karen Pence Highlights Suicide Prevention and Youth Programs in Omaha, Nebraska | August 20, 2020

Department of Defense (DOD)

Transcript: Media Background Briefing on the Air Force Inspector General’s Investigation of RC-26B Operations, 1-4 June 2020

Publication: Report of Investigation Concerning RC-26B Operations 1-4 June 2020

Publication: Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence Narratives

Publication: Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence Fact Sheet

Press Release: DOD Announces Winners of the 2020 Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence

Press Release: DOD Announces $17.4 Million in Defense Production Act Title III COVID-19 Actions

Publication: Guidance for Implementing Section 343 of the FY2020 NDAA Regarding Water Uncontaminated With PFAS for Agricultural Purposes

Article: Space Command Leadership Changes Hands

Article: Acquisition Enterprise Capabilities to Continue Post Pandemic

Article: Space Challenges Prompt DOD Response, Space Superiority

Advisory: Guantanamo Periodic Review Board Media Invitation Announced CANCELLED for Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah

Contracts for August 21, 2020

Department of State

August 21: Readout | Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Israeli Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gilad Erdan

August 21: Interview | Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Joe Kernen and Wilfred Frost of CNBC’s Squawk Box

August 21: Interview | Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Sandra Smith of America’s Newsroom, FOX News

August 21: Sanctions | Designations for Iranian Human Rights Offenders

August 21: Fact Sheet | UPDATE: The United States Continues to Lead the Global Response to COVID-19

August 21: Advisory | Special Representative Ambassador Jeffrey Travels to Switzerland and Turkey (22-28 August)

August 21: Statement | Anniversary of Assad’s Brutal Chemical Weapons Attack on Ghouta

August 21: Statement | International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

Press Release: USAID and the Iraq Ministry of Finance Sign Memorandum of Understanding

Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI)

Press Release: Full Throttle | How the IC Accelerated R&D at the Indianapolis 500

Department of the Treasury

Press Release: Treasury Releases United States Postal Service Fact Sheet

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

Press Release: SEC Proposes Data Security Enhancements to the CAT NMS Plan

Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases

Press Release: Assistant Attorney General Beth A. Williams Commends the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts for New Website Enhancing Access to Justice

Press Release: Former Army Special Forces Officer Charged in Russian Espionage Conspiracy

Press Release: Minnesota Man Charged with COVID-Relief Fraud and Money Laundering

Press Release: North Carolina Risk Consultant Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud and Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Press Release: Border Patrol Rescues Man Abandoned by Smuggler in Mountains (California)

Press Release: Narcotics Seizure Reveals an Assortment of Dangerous Weapons and Ammunition at Border Patrol Checkpoint (California)

Press Release: Air and Marine Operations and Partners Intercept Smuggling Boat off Coast of Carlsbad (California)

Press Release: Cold-Hearted Smugglers Undeterred by Extreme Heat or Social Distancing Practices (Arizona)

Press Release: Convicted Sex Offender Arrested by Border Patrol Agents (Texas)

Press Release: Border Patrol Agents Rescue Lost Subjects (Texas)

Press Release: Brownsville Port of Entry CBP Agriculture Specialist Intercepts First in Port Pest at the Brownsville Seaport (Texas)

Press Release: Border Patrol Intercepts More Than $700K Worth of Drugs (Texas)

Press Release: Multi-Agency Cooperation Foils Several Human Smuggling Attempts (Texas)

Press Release: RGV Checkpoint Agents Stop Big Rig Smuggling Attempt (Texas)

Press Release: New Station Leadership in Grand Forks Sector (North Dakota)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR)

Joint Statement of the United States and the European Union on a Tariff Agreement

US International Trade Commission (USITC)

Press Release: USITC to Investigate Industry and Supply Chain Conditions Affecting COVID-19 Industry Sectors and Products

Press Release: USITC Votes to Continue Investigations on Metal Lockers from China

Press Release: USITC Votes To Continue Investigations on Seamless Standard, Line, and Pressure Pipe from Czechia, Korea, Russia, and Ukraine

US Export-Import Bank (EXIM)

Press Release: ICYMI | EXIM Engages Over 1,100 Stakeholders in “Strengthening American Competitiveness” Initiative

Department of Energy

Press Release: Secretary Brouillette Offers Tribute to Barry Worthington, Executive Director of the U.S. Energy Association

Department of Transportation

Press Release: CARES Act Air Service Exemptions for Spirit Airlines and United Airlines

Press Release: Air Travel Consumer Report | May 2020 Numbers

Department of Labor

Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Issues ‘Promoting Regulatory Openness Through Good Guidance’ Rule

Department of Education

Press Release: Secretary DeVos Fully Implements President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum Extending Student Loan Relief to Borrowers Through End of Year

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

Press Release: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update | Daily Roundup August 21, 2020

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

Synopsis of President Trump’s Tweets

August 22: “In New Jersey they want you to certify that you asked for the Universal Mail-In Ballot that they sent you. But you never asked for it. Disaster in the wings!”

August 22: “Many doctors and studies disagree with this!”  Retweet:  Twitter Moments @TwitterMoments · Jun 15 · The FDA is revoking its emergency use authorization of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for treating COVID-19 amid growing evidence that the drugs are “unlikely to be effective” in treating the coronavirus. https://twitter.com/i/events/1272570857022320645

August 22: “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!

August 22: “@SteveFDAThe deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives! @SteveFDA”

August 22: “Why would Suburban Women vote for Biden and the Democrats when Democrat run cities are now rampant with crime (and they aren’t asking the Federal Government for help) which could easily spread to the suburbs, and they will reconstitute, on steroids, their low income suburbs plan!”

August 22: “Biden and the Democrats have greatly disrespected the Great State of Wisconsin by not even paying a small visit to Milwaukee, the designated site of the DNC. The State & City worked very hard to make sure things would be good. Not nice. Vote Trump Wisconsin!”

August 22: “The Democrats took the word GOD out of the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democrat National Convention. At first I thought they made a mistake, but it wasn’t. It was done on purpose. Remember Evangelical Christians, and ALL, this is where they are coming from-it’s done. Vote Nov 3!”

August 22: “Another bad night of Rioting in Portland, Oregon. A small number of Federal troops there to protect courthouse and other Federal property only (great job!). Wanting to be asked by City & State to STOP THE RIOTS. Would bring in National Guard, end problem immediately. ASK!”

August 21:  “Robert, I Love You. Rest In Peace!”

© Copyright 2020 Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLPNational Law Review, Volume X, Number 235

#august #branch #executive #president #trump #update #Politics

[tak4hir0]

In “Beyond coronavirus: The path to the next normal,” we outlined five stages that leaders must plan for: Resolve, Resilience, Return, Reimagination, and Reform. Healthcare leaders face a multifaceted challenge: combating the healthcare crisis on the frontlines while also tackling similar issues as other industries, such as employee safety and economic challenges. Most healthcare leaders have already assembled high-functioning teams to respond to the immediate crisis resolving to manage the immediate need to care for the surge of COVID-19 patients. They also have demonstrated the resilience required to deal with fast-moving liquidity, solvency, and economic sustainability challenges. Many leaders now are beginning to recognize the importance of planning for the complicated return stage. Return from the lockdowns will not be easy—particularly as we remain vigilant against virus resurgence in the absence of a vaccine or treatment. For some leaders, it has been difficult to dedicate much time to reimagination and reform. The pandemic is likely to result in a series of discontinuous changes that will fundamentally reshape healthcare. These changes include: The expectations and needs of individuals as citizens, consumers, patients, and employeesThe combination of resilience and productivity demanded by the funders of healthcare expenditureThe need to be able to flex up and down care capacity and shift care across modalities, including virtual health platformsAn opportunity to unlock the promise of exponential improvement through technology and medical scienceMoreover, healthcare reform often has followed major economic shocks. Exhibit 1While there are an extensive set of issues for healthcare leaders to consider across each stage, below are some critical items to consider. A more extensive explanation for each stage can be viewed by clicking the link in the corresponding section. Actions nowThis is the time when boards and CEOs will likely have the greatest opportunity in their careers to positively impact their organizations and the communities they serve. This opportunity should not be squandered. Boards and CEOs should prioritize creating an environment where decisions are made calmly and based on facts. Second, given the high degree of continuing uncertainty, leaders should ensure they are actively tuned into the real-time information from all levels in their organization, plus outside forces, to inform decisions. Finally, the ability to act, innovate, and execute at scale at previously unheard-of speeds likely will be critical. We have observed many examples of organizations that have accelerated projects scheduled to take months and years to a timeline of a few days and weeks. An important aspect will be for CEOs to organize their management team to act against each of the five stages. Each organization will need to make this decision individually, but we see three guidelines for selecting accountable leaders. First, CEOs must be able to trust the accountable leader’s judgment within the role’s decision-making context, particularly in this speedy and uncertain climate. Second, the accountable leader should directly report to the CEO. This reporting relationship does not need to have been a preestablished one and can be created ad hoc during this crisis. Third, CEOs must ensure that accountable leaders are motivated by a deeper resolve, whether it be to address the humanitarian crisis, or to protect the team and workers within the organization. Phase 1—Resolve: How organizations can structure a Nerve Center to combat COVID-19Globally, crisis response efforts are in full swing. Healthcare systems are doing everything in their power to increase capacity of beds, supplies, and trained workers. Related organizations are assisting with the consumer, technology, financing, and policy elements of the response. Exhibit 2At this stage, all organizations should have a fully operational nerve center focused on major areas of operational continuity. There are several themes that are relevant across geographies: First, assess and expand supply & care capacity1—Immediately expanding access to care (for example, ICU beds), medical equipment (such as PPE, ventilators, oxygen, testing equipment), and an appropriately trained workforce (for example, ICU nurses) are imperative to meet the critical care demand surge. Addressing supply and demand mismatch is paramount. Freeing up critical care capacity (for example, deferring elective procedures, moving non-COVID-19 patients to alternate sites), building alternate capacity (such as converting ambulatory surgery centers, unstaffed floors, physical therapy space, outpatient facilities, and non-healthcare facilities), plus delivering appropriate care in nonacute settings (for example, home care and telehealth) are all important. Fortifying the supply chain also is critical. Usage of certain supplies has grown exponentially. For example, PPE usage has grown in terms of volume of users, moving beyond healthcare workers to include transport workers and police. The settings also have expanded, with those in areas such as hospital waiting rooms using PPE. Organizations should prepare a list of key supplies, equipment, tests, and drugs, understand usage rates, and establish supply conservation protocols. Organizations should consider sourcing directly from manufacturers, in-house production, and protocols for supplies sterilization and reuse. Second, adapt care delivery models—Ensure clinical protocols are rapidly established based on emerging data and experience. These new protocols could include expansion of home-based services, engaging patients with chronic conditions using technology, creating dedicated COVID-19 treatment/triage sites of care (for example, offsite ambulatory/drive-through testing), and rescheduling nonemergent procedures. Third, lower financial barriers where they exist—Consider eliminating out-of-pocket payment for COVID-19 patients. This may involve extending government funding for testing and treatment in countries without broad health insurance coverage. It also may include elimination of cost sharing and out-of-network restrictions for testing and treatment within health insurance. Fourth, provide COVID-19-specific guidance—Develop new guidelines to ensure access across different sites of care for both diagnostic testing and treatment of COVID-19. Communicate these new guidelines through multiple distribution channels, such as responding to inquiries at call centers, to ensure individuals are aware of guidelines and are actively seeking appropriate care. Fifth, provide guidance for non-COVID-19 healthcare—Minimize barriers for non-COVID-19 acute and chronic care. This may include ensuring all patients who need care can receive it quickly without needing to navigate complex pre-approval processes and ensuring prescriptions can be refilled through automated delivery services. Encourage alternative and remote care options (for example, telemedicine, home-based monitoring) to preserve system capacity for COVID-19 patients. Phase 2—Resilience: How the economic impact may affect healthcare organizations over timeRecent McKinsey Global Institute analysis suggests that the shock to our livelihoods from the economic impact of virus suppression efforts could be the biggest in nearly a century.2 We see three distinct but overlapping sets of issues for which healthcare leaders will need to prepare as the crisis unfolds: maintain liquidity, address solvency, and grow for sustainability. Exhibit 3Maintain liquidityAll businesses need cash flow models to identify when their “cash crunch” is coming. Addressing this cash crunch will take different forms among different healthcare institutions: Providers face immediate threats to their cash position, facing headwinds from multiple, compounding angles. The pandemic already has caused providers to be severely impacted. In response to regulators’ guidance, many hospitals eliminated scheduled (often described as “elective”) procedures—which tend to be prepaid and sources of predictable cash flow—to make capacity available for an anticipated surge of COVID-19 cases. As a result, net service revenue has declined as much as 50 percent for hospitals in communities that have not yet seen a surge in COVID-19. At the same time, many hospitals have faced increasing costs in the form of labor, such as overtime, and other external spend (for example, off-contract PPE purchases). Physician practices, both independent and those employed by health systems, have faced a significant reduction in volume as patients practice physical distancing. Hospitals also report that emergency room volumes for conditions such as stroke, chest pain, and appendicitis have declined as well, with cases appearing later in the course of illness that are more serious. These forces, combined with the possibility that consumers and payers may delay or default on payments due to their own cash flow constraints, result in significant pressure on provider liquidity. Payers are experiencing a temporary reduction in claims spend, with growing challenges around cash management. Deferment of nonemergent utilization, such as joint replacements, and elimination of certain emergent spend, such as trauma cases, is creating a temporary but strong reduction in medical claims spend. This short-term boost in cash flow is being offset by reduced access to credit, a decrease in market-to-market value of investment portfolios, and impairment from other balance sheet liabilities. Shocks to provider economics could further create need for advance payments, bridge loans, or other cash flow acceleration requirements to assist providers. In addition, many payers are facing delays or reductions in premium payments (for example, “premium relief”) as a result of government intervention, customer negotiation, or self-driven interventions for community support. Further, in the event that self-insured customers go into bankruptcy, payers may be required to backstop unpaid provider payments. Services firms face large variation in volume and cash flow. Many services firms will be impacted by shifts in enrollment across traditional payer segments. Those in the United States that play in Medicaid and Individual markets are expected to see additional volume. Those focused on traditional commercial group segments likely will see a reduction in demand. Service firms will likely be squeezed by cash-constrained purchasers seeking to renegotiate contracts and move to lower tiers of service. Companies with payments tied to value delivery may face longer-lasting liquidity issues: healthcare delivery is not expected to return to normal volumes and mix until long after COVID-19 has been stemmed. Address solvencyFollowing or concurrent with liquidity challenges, businesses should consider aggressive action to remain solvent. While these actions sometimes involve addressing a set of issues similar to those described regarding maintaining liquidity, there are additional distinct challenges. For example, while an organization may have sufficient cash, it likely will need to address declining operating performance, diminished investment portfolio valuation, and degradation of the balance sheet that results in rating agency actions. The latter could then trigger debt covenants and penalties that undermine the organization’s solvency. For smaller providers, addressing solvency can be particularly challenging. The uncertainty of the length of the COVID-19 crisis and magnitude of supplemental funding (such as those funds connected to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act) makes planning extremely difficult for independent physician practices, home health agencies, and ancillary healthcare providers, such as dentists and optometrists. While these challenges will exist for larger providers, stronger balance sheets often make them more able to weather the impact. For payers, it is not difficult to imagine a sequence of events that challenge solvency. For example, during an economic downturn it is expected that members will shift from self-insured segments to fully insured segments (for example, from administrative services only (ASO) to fully insured group, Individual, and Medicaid). These new fully insured members require greater capital reserves compared to self-insured members. At the same time, during an economic downturn the value of the payer’s reserves, to the extent they are connected to equities or other markets, will likely decline in value. These effects combine to significantly reduce the payer’s capital reserve ratio (such as “risk-based capital” in the United States). All of these factors together can trigger debt covenants and penalties that leave the payer underwater. To address these solvency challenges, organizations of all types may seek to make efforts to offset the impact on operating performance while simultaneously strengthening the balance sheet. First, organizations should seek to materially improve productivity and efficiency. We have previously assessed that $1.2 trillion to $2.3 trillion could be saved over the next decade if healthcare delivery were to move to a productivity-driven growth model. This assessment suggests there are ample opportunities to improve productivity and efficiency.3 At the same time, organizations may consider revisiting and recalibrating their capital plans in light of the current crisis to ensure investments strike the appropriate balance between directly responding to COVID-19, addressing the aforementioned solvency concerns, and growing for sustainability. Grow for sustainabilityIn the United States, government assistance has focused on boosting providers’ resiliency as they face immediate funding challenges responding to the crisis. The CARES Act addresses resiliency in the following ways: Supplying direct funding to providers to cover unreimbursed healthcare-related expenses or lost revenues attributable to the public health emergency resulting from the coronavirus ($100 billion total pool)Guaranteeing that providers will be fairly reimbursed for COVID-related treatment via existing or new agreements with payersGranting providers access to interest-free cash advances through the Medicare Advance payments programRemoving constraints on providers’ ability to respond adequately to the crisis and allowing greater flexibility to deliver non-COVID-19 services in parallel (for example, waiving inpatient and long-term-care eligibility rules, allowing reimbursement for telehealth elective procedures, investing $1.3 billion for community health centers to build COVID-19 capabilities)Payer liquidity may be negatively affected by measures intended to shield members and providers from COVID-related costs (for example, mandate to reimburse COVID-19 testing at no cost to patients), but it is unclear if this is material. Organizations that maintain liquidity and address solvency may be more equipped to shape a healthcare system that better serves individuals and their healthcare needs, while preparing the organization’s own position in future crises. While specific strategies may vary, growing sustainably often will touch on similar themes: Address shifts in volume and economics. Organizations may consider actively rebalancing their portfolio and capital allocation decisions to take advantage of anticipated changes to coverage and how services are delivered. For example, providers and services firms in the United States may need to dedicate resources to developing new models for serving Medicaid patients (given an anticipated influx of individuals with Medicaid coverage) where historically the economics have been challenging.Respond to shifts in care delivery model. The COVID-19 pandemic likely will lead to lasting changes to how care is delivered. Individuals may be more receptive to remote or technology-enabled models, including digital therapies and telehealth. Payers, providers, and service organizations that develop or acquire capabilities to better serve their customers with remote models likely will be well positioned for future growth.Shore up capabilities in digital and analytics. There remains a tremendous untapped opportunity in healthcare to deploy digital technology and advanced analytic capabilities to improve operations and effectively orchestrate care delivery. For example, payers that have more sophisticated product, pricing, and underwriting models powered by advanced analytics may be better able to retain customers during a downturn and grow new business coming out of a downturn.Phase 3—Return: How organizations can begin to scale up operations once the worst of the crisis is overMany industries will face the challenge of returning business to normal as the COVID-19 crisis subsides, but for healthcare organizations it will be even more complex. Given the possibility of subsequent waves of coronavirus, organizations will need to define new ways of working to prevent, identify, report, and contain future flareups. Exhibit 4Providers will need to continuously rebalance the retention of capacity for ongoing COVID-19 volume. This requires maintenance of excess demand/flexibility in case of a COVID-19 resurgence and capacity for addressing pent-up demand for non-COVID-19 services. Providers should ask themselves: What should my testing/tracing/isolation strategy be and how do I effectively collaborate with payer and government partners?How much capacity do I need in reserve for various resurgence scenarios?How do I maintain resurgence capacity and what does that look like?How do I revert to managing non-COVID-19 care?Testing, tracing, and isolation strategies should be scaled based on demand modeling, recognizing that there is still significant uncertainty around any demand estimate. Approaches should then be standardized via clear protocols. The most effective protocols will start the “funnel” at the patient’s home. Providers, in collaboration with their payer partners, could use member education channels and have detailed plans for using telehealth and remote monitoring capabilities, along with home care. After testing, the handoff between stakeholders and transition from testing to tracing is critical. Providers may need to coordinate tightly with government agencies to share information that allows for rapid and effective tracing, subject to relevant privacy laws and norms. Simultaneously, providers will need to send and receive a constant flow of information from government agencies on tracing progress, while ensuring appropriate privacy safeguards. This will let them understand the current state of the epidemic, refine testing strategies, and inform plans to ramp up non-COVID-19 volume. Staying prepared for resurgence scenarios would start with a multi-scenario modeling exercise, likely first with a broader industry model, but then localized to each community. Localized modeling should consider the prior experiences of similar communities. It would need to be developed collaboratively with local authorities who may already be creating isolation protocols in a resurgence scenario. Resurgence scenarios may loop back into testing, tracing, and isolation strategies. Maintaining resurgence capacity will, in many localities, look much like solidification of existing capacity. Talent teams should quickly launch retention, renewal, and recruiting strategies. These strategies may include “readiness/burnout” testing to proactive “caregiver healing” offerings (for example, onsite child care). One possibility is that regulators allow crisis-driven rule changes that created capacity flexibility (for example, telehealth reimbursement parity). Providers, with regulator engagement, may consider exploring keeping alternative sites (such as field hospitals) without creating undue cost/workforce pressure. Other localities less affected by the first COVID-19 wave should prepare by replicating many of these new ways of working. Reverting to non-COVID-19 care will require extensive planning and market testing. This starts with prioritizing services for non-COVID-19 patients based on health impact, urgency, staff and bed capacity and recognizing that some patients may prefer to receive care remotely. Providers will need to work closely with public- and private-sector payers in addressing pent-up demand while avoiding financial harm to individual organizations. Payers will need to answer similar questions: What steps are required to reinforce and align providers against best-practices for testing, tracing, and isolation?What do resurgence scenarios look like?What policies should be adopted to reinforce provider capacity and quality of care delivery in case of a resurgence?How should I prepare for incoming volume of non-COVID-19 care and shifts in payer coverage?Payers will have a major role to play in reinforcing and aligning providers with practices for testing, tracing, and isolation. First, payers need to create appropriate reimbursement policies and incentives for providers to build the capabilities that allow for starting the testing/tracing/isolation “funnel” at the patient’s home. Further, by acting as a conduit for knowledge sharing between providers, payers can cascade best practices and create shared guidelines. These guidelines should feed customer engagement channels in order to reinforce communications from providers regarding preventive care tactics and when and how patients should seek testing. Payers should consider means of further incentivizing proper member behavior, as well as directly engaging at-risk members. Finally, payers may consider acting as advocates and conveners to help establish key partnerships (for example, group purchasing organizations for test kits). When modeling resurgence scenarios, payers should work with local providers to share data and analytics resources. These relationships are important as providers can share more real-time data and qualitative inputs, while payers can bring a broader data set (for example, by coordinating across providers) and analytics talent. Modeling outputs will inform both provider and payer capacity and financial planning. In addition to enabling provider capacity, payers may seek to incentivize ways to ensure quality of care delivery in the event of a COVID-19 resurgence. These practices will start with establishing appropriate documentation, adjudication, and payment protocols for procedures conducted during the crisis. Establishing new reimbursement rules for alternative sites and alternative staffing for services will serve to reinforce best practices that providers should pursue in capacity maintenance. Finally, payers can engage and educate regulators on new standards and lessons, such as with digital therapeutics. A return to normal for payers will not only involve preparing for non-COVID-19 care volume, but also adapting to expected shifts in payer coverage, depending on geography. Payers will have a key role in ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare ecosystem and eliminating bottlenecks to minimize patient harm. Financial modeling will need to consider pent-up volume, possible increases in medical costs resulting from delayed non-COVID-19 treatments and procedures, changes in reimbursement based on (potentially new) coverage, and next normal procedures and volumes (for example, telemedicine and greater mail-order pharmacy volumes). Modeling insights should cascade into actions to (1) enhance internal operations to reduce bottlenecks in the system, (2) create data-sharing protocols, and (3) engage regulators to curb unintended risks to the system at-large. First, payer talent teams should engage in broader workforce renewal similar to providers, while also reskilling and restaffing for new spikes from pent-up demand. For example, clinical staff involved in prior authorizations will need to be trained/redirected to an expected increase in at-home care delivery. Next, changes to a member’s insurer or coverage will require new data-sharing pipes internally and externally. These actions will ensure member information continues to be integrated into care and does not cause breaks in payer and provider workflows. Finally, payers may seek to actively monitor risk-of-care access, cost, and quality at the system level against unintended consequences. For example, payers could help regulators identify risks of pent-up volume going to low quality sites of care, curbing these trends proactively. Phase 4—Reimagine: How we can fundamentally reinvent health services given what we have learnedReimagining healthcare systems and services will require the imagination of many. The innovation and resourcefulness of healthcare organizations in the immediate response to this crisis is inspiring. This crisis has revealed not just vulnerabilities in our systems, but also transformative opportunities to improve healthcare. During this crisis, leaders have had to reexamine their understanding of how and where care can be provided, of how and where professional boundaries are truly fixed versus flexible, of which costs are truly fixed versus variable, which resources are nice to have versus required. Exhibit 5Many of the changes in healthcare delivery adopted during the coronavirus crisis will also result in more productive healthcare services—something much needed in many healthcare systems globally.4 Going forward, systems must find ways to (1) create a system capable of rapidly flexing up critical care capacity, (2) strengthen resiliency across all parts of the healthcare system, and (3) improve productivity. To reimagine healthcare, we would suggest healthcare leaders focus on three emerging themes. Distilling and securing the beneficial behaviors practicedChallenging traditional role definitions. Healthcare productivity remains restricted by shortages of appropriately trained clinical staff and the continued prevalence of inefficient and highly manual activities. It is imperative to improve efficiency by giving nonclinical staff the capabilities to take on basic but critical activities and unlock clinician capacity for more advanced functions. The crisis has also shown that as demand for services in many specialties declined, the overall demand for clinicians increased and ability to redeploy across specialties has been an important unlock. Shift to remote and at-home care delivery. Over the past few weeks we have observed a rapid adoption of remote consultations and telehealth. Constraints, either regulatory or consumer/clinician willingness to try, have relaxed and may be sustained. Similar trends can be seen across digital therapies, remote monitoring, and select at-home hospital procedures. Permanently embed speed of decision making and execution. Most organizations have found that decisions that took weeks or months were now taking a matter of days. Cross-organizational collaboration has been easier. Stakeholders have benefited from the clarity of focus on the mission. Distilling the learning from the crisis to permanently adopt new ways of working will be important. The scale of change unleashed by the crisis will restructure healthcare over many months and years. Extending learned themes into reimagination at a grand scaleCommunity/patient-centered model of healthcare. As traditional roles in healthcare delivery are shifting, so too should the care models. The current crisis has highlighted how challenging it can be for individuals to interact with the healthcare system and receive consistent, personalized guidance and understand care alternatives. The solution could be reorientation around community and patient needs. Healthcare organizations can facilitate this change in many ways, primarily by shifting focus away from traditional sites of care and departments and onto integrated care settings and hub-and-spoke models that address patients’ needs. Data sharing. There is a crucial need for real-time data on patients presenting with symptoms of coronavirus, hospital admissions and use of critical care is crucial to monitoring the spread of the virus and demands for healthcare services. This will continue to be important as isolation measures are lifted to identify emerging resurgences as well as to identify the degree to which non COVID-19 care can be safely provided. Flexible walls. The challenge of traditional roles can be extended to traditional definitions of facilities and clinics. Despite the range of geographical variation in hospital utilization,5 recent weeks have demonstrated that capacity remains a global constraint in times of crisis. There is an opportunity to redesign the healthcare system by redefining the boundaries of traditional care settings to enable flexibility across sites of care. Facilities should be able to dynamically scale up or scale down capacity at different acuity levels to respond to changing needs. To facilitate this rapid scaling, health systems should pre-identify alternative sites of care with clear protocols, partnerships (if applicable), and tiers of escalation to respond rapidly in times of crisis. Digitally integrated patient journeys. The rapid adoption of digital care delivery and remote monitoring has reduced skepticism and shortened adoption curves for care pathways and analytics-based, personalized patient journeys that benefit the patient, staff, and organizations. “Consumerism” sentiment may yet extend further into an expectation of such digitally integrated care. Addressing core issues unearthed, within healthcare and societallyRadically more resilient, transparent, and efficient supply chain. Existing healthcare supply chains failed to adequately respond to the world’s surge in need for critical medical supplies. There is a critical need to redefine models that enable scalable, agile production and optimized distribution based on both actual and anticipated needs. Alternative suppliers are being leveraged today, but this is not yet fundamental supply chain reimagination. Future steps could include governments rewarding producers for being able to scale up production of critical inputs to patient care in a time of crisis, providers and governments maintaining greater minimum levels of critical items (such as ventilators and PPE), as well as requirements to build intentional redundancy into supply sources to reduce concentration in any one geography. The consumer retail supply chain was redesigned in the 1990s to be able to provide transparency of inventory from the retail store shelves to the factory floor and everything in between. The medical supply chain, lacking such transparency, has been shown to have significant challenges in dynamically adjusting to demand or supply shocks. Focus on holistic drivers of health. Addressing social needs (for example, affordable nutritious food, safe housing, social support6) and behavioral health (including mental health and substance use) needs7 has proven meaningful in improving health even before COVID-19. This is all the more important in times of crisis, when latent demand and increased societal stressors exacerbate social and behavioral health needs.8 The current healthcare system focuses on physical health and often does not adequately address social and behavioral health needs. Mental distress also is shown to exacerbate physical health symptoms, further increasing underlying risk. Furthermore, obesity has been shown to increase risk and severity of exacerbations from viral respiratory infections (and well understood to result in a variety of health issues). Helping patients holistically manage their health and well-being with interventions to address physical, behavioral, and social health should be prioritized with renewed vigor. Enhancing the productivity and resiliency of our communities requires explicit collaboration between payers, providers, local community agencies, and private, non-healthcare enterprises. Practically, this will mean reimagining the scope of what we define as “healthcare,” blending-in models oriented around behavioral health and social needs such as social support, food security, housing, and wellness. Even as we describe the above emerging themes, many unknowns remain on ways in which healthcare will be fundamentally reshaped post-COVID. As such, the successful “reimaginers” may share a few traits: The ability to continually develop ahead of the market insight and foresight into the changing needs and preferences of individuals—as citizens, workers, and consumers—will shift under COVID-19. Steve Jobs, the late Apple CEO, was able to see that consumers would build an inseparable relationship with smartphones well before consumers knew they wanted one.The skill to translate how broad societal expectations will manifest themselves in government regulations.An innovation engine to translate these insights into changes in their current business models, creating entirely new businesses and altering business models of adjacent businesses.Superior execution capabilities to bring innovations to market and scale them faster than anyone else.Phase 5—Reform: How will the relationship between government, businesses, and individuals change?In most geographies, the basic structure of the healthcare system has only marginally changed since World War II. The COVID-19 crisis highlights the need to determine how to meet a rapid surge in patient volume while managing seamlessly across in-person and virtual care. Public health approaches, in an interconnected and highly mobile world, must rethink the speed and global coordination with which they need to react. Policies on critical healthcare infrastructure, strategic reserves of key supplies, and contingency production facilities for critical medical equipment will need to be addressed. Coming out of this crisis, the relationship between government, businesses, and individuals will be reshuffled in a fundamental way—especially in the context of health and wellness. Healthcare leaders need to anticipate changes to policies and regulations as society seeks to avoid, mitigate, and preempt a future health crisis. Exhibit 6Given this context, governments may pursue several actions to prepare for a future crisis: Acceptance of new monitoring techniques. The variation in responses and outcomes across countries, combined with the significant humanitarian impact from COVID-19, will likely make monitoring techniques, such as digital applications specifically for pandemics and temperature taking, more accepted and ubiquitous to prevent and mitigate future pandemics. Data interoperability as a renewed priority. Similar to greater acceptance of new monitoring techniques, a reinvigorated focus will be placed on data interoperability and reduced latency that improves responsiveness for drug and vaccine development, and the creation and rollout of treatment protocols. Strategic reserve of supplies and agile manufacturing.9 The shortage of PPE during the COVID-19 crisis likely will lead to new efforts to build large reserves of necessary supplies for a variety of pandemic scenarios as well as regulation and incentives to enable manufacturing to quickly ramp up production. Emergency medical force.10 Shortages of clinicians could result in governments creating something akin to a “Medical National Guard” that can help fill critical labor shortages in times of extreme need; widespread basic training of nonclinical staff and lay people could free clinicians to perform more advanced procedures. Multilayer coordination in response efforts. The challenges coordinating across multiple layers of government (local, state/provincial, federal, global health) will cause governments to rethink how crises are managed to enable faster, more consistent decision making. Governments may need to establish protocols to pool clinical resources in times of crisis. Standardization of currently fragmented medical systems. Difficulty in executing a consistent response across health systems of varying sizes and capabilities may result in a push to standardize health systems on multiple fronts (for example, clinician licensing, data sharing, procedure cost and reimbursement). Heightened expectations of financial protection. Emergency government action to shield patients from COVID-related costs may spark broader healthcare reform to make healthcare more affordable in countries such as the United States. Providers will similarly expect new protections to reduce focus on liquidity and solvency in times of crises. In addition to these important but relatively modest reforms, the likelihood of transformational government reform of the healthcare system has become more probable. For many years, a broad range of stakeholders has been paying into a system that, while inefficient and expensive, was presumed to be able to deliver top quality care. When the immediate COVID-19 crisis has resolved itself, providers may face a public discouraged with the healthcare system. While current US government action is focused on short-term measures to deal with the immediate COVID-19 crisis, a handful of reforms have already been enacted that may result in longer-term structural changes to the industry: Allowing the permanent, direct hire of National Disaster Medical System healthcare professionals, permanently increasing the available healthcare workforce.Limiting out-of-pocket cost sharing for COVID-19 testing; it is reasonable to expect, following the pandemic, that more effort will be made to limit cost sharing for contagious disease testing so we can identify potential pandemics early.Adjusting Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations to permit use of telehealth to provide a wide range of services to Medicare FFS and get reimbursed at face-to-face rate. This is an area where both public uptake/acceptance/future demand and lower risk associated with physical interaction may lead regulators to consider making telehealth reimbursement permanent.Furthermore, it is likely, if not certain, that an economic downturn will result from the physical distancing measures and shutdown of economies that have been deployed to contain the spread of coronavirus. Over the last 50 years in the United States, nearly every economic downturn was subsequently followed by significant regulatory change in the healthcare industry. For example, the dot-com bust of 2001 was quickly followed by the enactment of Medicare Advantage. The 2008–09 Great Recession was followed by the Affordable Care Act in 2010. This combination of dissatisfaction with the healthcare system’s ability to respond in the current crisis and an economic downturn could be leading indicators of significant reform to come. As we consider the scale of change that the coronavirus has engendered—and will continue to create in the weeks and months ahead—we feel compelled to reflect not just on a health crisis of immense proportion but also on an imminent restructuring of the healthcare industry in the future. The five stages described here offer healthcare leaders a path to begin navigating to the next normal—a normal that looks unlike any in the years preceding COVID-19, the pandemic that changed everything. The authors would like to thank Emily Clark, Pooja Kumar, Rupal Malani, Mihir Mysore, Aditya Gupta, Neil Rao, Seamus Creedon, Justin Tran, and Julia Barclay for their contributions to this article. Singhal S, Finn P, Kumar P, Craven M, and Smit S, “Critical care capacity: The number to watch during the battle of COVID-19,” March 2020, McKinsey.com.Smit S, Hirt M, Buehler K, Lund S, Greenberg E, and Govindarajan A, ”Safeguarding our lives and our livelihoods: The imperative of our time,” March 2020, McKinsey.com.Sahni N, Kumar P, Levine E, and Singhal S, “The productivity imperative for healthcare delivery in the United States,” February 2019, McKinsey.com.While productivity in the healthcare industry has lagged other industries, we project that there is an opportunity to unlock between $280 billion and $550 billion in productivity improvements in the United States. Sahni N, Kumar P, Levine E, and Singhal S, “The productivity imperative for healthcare delivery in the United States,” February 2019, McKinsey.com.Occupancy rate of acute care beds in 2017 was 64% in the United States, 75% in Spain, 79% in Italy, and 84% in the United Kingdom. Average across the OECD was 75%. Source: OECD Health Statistics 2019.Coe E, Cordina J, Feffer D, and Parmar S, “Understanding the impact of unmet social needs on consumer health and healthcare,” February 2020, McKinsey.com.Coe E, Cordina J, Enomoto K, and Mendez-Escobar E, “Insights on mental health from a 2019 McKinsey Consumer survey,” January 2020, McKinsey.com.Coe E and Enomoto K, “Returning to resilience: The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and substance use,” April 2020, McKinsey.com.“S. 3548—116th Congress: CARES Act,” United States Congress, March 19, 2020, congress.gov.“S. 3548—116th Congress: CARES Act,” United States Congress, March 19, 2020, congress.gov.

#healthcare.mckinsey.com

[1dffsummerexchange]

Long Time Coming

Written For: @wakinguptiredfics

Written By: @showingthroughtome

Pairing: Niall/OFC

Word Count: 15,700

Warnings: language, sexual content

Summary:

Ruby hates the idea of going to Harry’s wedding. She hates the idea of dressing up and seeing friends she hasn’t spoken to in years, acting like they still have things in common.

Niall is the “friend” on the top of Ruby’s hope I never see again list. Or, well, that is until she sees him for the first time in six years and his laugh is possibly less torturous than it was when they were cramped together in the lunch room of their high school.

A reunion fic including the perfect ex boyfriend, his annoying best friend, and a steady flow of alcohol.

Part i.

A knock on the door like that is loud enough to wake up anyone. And a knock like that can only be from one person - the dad of a peacefully sleeping daughter inside her bedroom.

The first thing that she sees when she opens her eyes is pink. That isn't due to the baby pink walls or the rose colored curtains that allow the morning glow of the sun to caste through the room. No, it is all due to the fact that the daughter sleeps face down atop her blush sheets, head covered by the same shade of pillowcase.

A knock sounds louder and sturdier, four more times.

Ruby, the daughter, exhales and rolls onto her back. “Yeah?” She tries to refrain from sounding annoyed but if happens, it happens.

Her dad opens the hardwood door just wide enough to stick his manly sized head in, smiling with the satisfaction of waking his daughter up and catching a glimpse of her wild hair before she's even thought of taming it for the day. “Morning, kiddo.”

“Morning.” Ruby rubs her eyes to get the sleep out, holding the cover to her body as she sits up.

“Something came in the mail for ya today. I think it's what you've been waiting for.” He winks.

Ruby immediately falls back to the pillows of her bed at her dad's obvious sarcasm, wishing she could be buried in them. The sound of her dad's laughter bounces off the walls of the small bedroom and right down her ear canal.

“Mom’s making breakfast, so get your lazy ass up.” He follows up playfully, leaving as quickly as he woke the girl - smartly because a minute more and he'd have a pillow thrown in his direction.

Stretching away the morning lethargy, Ruby grabs her phone from her nightstand and opens her favorite photo sharing social media app. Instantly, her first thought is to take a Boomerang so she throws her legs up in the air and kicks them a few time as her ceiling fan circles above them. It's cute and fun and perfectly depicts how she feels that morning. With the caption ‘early morning frustration release’ she posts it, and then swings those legs over the edge of her bed.

As she makes her way down the short hallway to her kitchen, she isn't positive on what her mother's cooking but it sure does smell good. Rounding the corner, Ruby finds her dad with a pile of waffles already drizzled in syrup, a coffee in front of him, and ESPN playing behind him from the living room TV. Her mom is at the waffle maker, dancing around to a song in her head as she maneuvers the appliance.

“Good morning, Mamma.” Ruby approaches her from behind and kisses her on the crown of the head - something comforting they do to one another whenever they can.

“Good morning, Baby.” The timer beeps indicating another waffle is done, so her mom opens up the scary looking contraption and adds another to the stack of three. “If you want more than two, you're gonna have to make them yourself.” She sings.

Ruby eyes the complicated looking waffle maker and shakes her head, not wanting to get burned but relieved knowing two is just enough for her. She follows behind her mom to the table and notices something at her designated seat that she didn't see before. The envelope is stark white and bigger than any normal envelope should be. It’s size and shine alone indicates that its special.

“Really, Dad?” Ruby frowns deeply as she slides into her seat. “You think this is funny?”

By the grin he lets fall, he thought it was hilarious before his daughter started puffing out her bottom lip. “Aww, now Ruby, you know I'm just playing with you. I thought we were over all this?”

We being Ruby and this being her ex boyfriend from six years ago.

Because Ruby, who lives in a pink room in her parents house, is old enough to have someone that she ended things with that long ago. She's also old enough to have gotten over him and put him in that little box in the back of her mind. The one labeled ‘high school sweetheart’. It's a box that is well kept but isn't ever looked inside of for envy of what once was.

“We are.” Ruby emphasizes. “But it's still weird and now I have to go.”

“You don't have to do anything you don't wanna, you know that as well as anybody.”

Ruby sighs and nods, because her dad is right. If the day comes and she doesn't feel up to it at all, she won't go. Just like how, halfway through her first year of college, she decided it wasn't right for her and she dropped out to move back home.

With one finger, she finds a crack in the seal of the envelope and rips it open, taking no gentle measures in pulling out the perfectly square invitation. The sounds of forks and knives scratching against plastic plates stop as her parents watch Ruby reads the words:

Please share our joy as

Harry Styles

&

Emma Brew

Join in marriage

SATURDAY, THE TENTH OF JUNE

AT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON

LOWELL FIELD

PRESCOTT, ARIZONA

“Ugh.” Ruby pushes the envelope to the side and picks up a fork. “That wedding is going to be perfect.”

Does she feel guilty that she’s mostly thinking of the many aesthetic pictures she could take for her Instagram? A little bit.

“You should go.” Her mom suggests. “I think you'll have fun. You and Harry are friends now.”

Ruby wouldn't say that exactly. Every time they've ran into each other in town, they've been friendly and lovely to one another. One time she bumped into both Harry and his fiancé at a bar. They sat for a good hour getting drunk and laughing about the unapologetically bad karaoke performers they were witnessing. But still, friends hang out more than when the universe just so happens to put them in the same spot at the same time.

“I don't know if that's true.”

“Then why'd you RSVP when they sent the save the date?” Her mom counters beautifully with grace and poise and that knowing smile that she just said something that proved her point - something Ruby’s father is all too familiar with.

Speaking of, Ruby looks to him for guidance, and an answer to why she did do that, perhaps. He's got a mouthful of syrupy goodness and an expression that is just as stumped as Ruby's.

“Well,” Ruby starts, deciding to ignore that unanswerable question and ends the conversation with, “we will just cross that bridge when we come to it.”

<>

That bridge came pretty quick, quicker than she expected. The invitation only arrived five weeks before June tenth so before Ruby knew it, she was buying a dress and staring at it the entire night before the wedding.

On one hand, Harry is one of her oldest “friends”. He was there for everything throughout her high school career. And even after she broke up with him, when she wanted to drop out of college but was too scared to bring it up to her parents, he talked it out with her.

On the other hand, she isn't a part of his life anymore. She doesn't know anyone who is going to be there and if she does, it's going to be some random people from high school that only talked to her because she was dating Harry Styles.

And let's not forget the part where she has to watch her first love betroth himself to another. She’s definitely over him, and them, but it was still a thing, a thing she had to do, that was out of her comfort zone.

She spends half the night completely stumped, staring at the dress, wondering if she'll actually use it for its intended purpose.

But then, Ruby remembers the last time she saw Harry in town - buying supplies for his art class and encouraging her choice to buy the Gain laundry detergent instead of the Tide brand. “Keeps me smelling like flowers for days. Doesn't even matter how many days I've put on the same pair of jeans.”

She eventually turns off her bedside table lamp and covers her body with the pink sheets, knowing she has to wake up early the next morning to get ready for a summer wedding.

<>

The dress is blue with yellow and white flowers. The colors are pale but still beautiful, making it the perfect outfit to wear to a special occasion. Even with a plunging neckline, Ruby easily keeps everything covered entirely due to the petite nature of all her features.

She keeps her hair simple, running product through it so her curls don't fall out of place and leaving it at that. When it comes to makeup, Ruby does her favorite, easy foundation, eyeliner, and eyebrow routine.

For finishing touches, she puts on a single pearl, silver chain necklace and moisturises her deep beige legs. This coloring she holds isn't a product of too much time in the Arizona sun - she can only attribute the freckles to that. It's because her father's ancestors were born in the center of Africa and immigrated to America just two generations ago. And because of her mother's grandma and grandpa who made the their journey from Italy nearly a century prior to Ruby’s birth.

Ruby often regards her skin tone as a history she can see. Though it comes with unimaginable pain for her father and her father's father and his father too, she wears it with pride and strength for all those that came before her, and those that will come after.  

She looks in the mirror one last time before exiting her room, noting the way the blue makes her whole body glow, accentuating her complexion, and thanks the heavens for where she came from.

“Whoa, Phil!” Ruby's mom yells as soon as she sees her daughter make her way down the carpeted corridor, yellow flats creating the softest shuffling noise against the ground. “Come look at your daughter.”

Ruby's father, who was just outside on the back porch, immediately appears in the living room.

“Beautiful.” He beams and opens his arms for a hug. Ruby can never resist one of the bear like embraces. “Just beautiful.”

She pulls out of it slowly to kiss him on the cheek. Next, she does the same to her mom then makes her way to the door. Both parents are watching like she is about to head off to prom, not attend the wedding of the guy she went to both of her proms with.

“Okay.” She chuckles at the absurdity - her parents look like they're about to cry. “I'll see you guys later. Love you.”

“Love you!” They both respond in unison as she steps out of the house and shoots a wave through the window.

<>

Ruby pulls up to Lowell Field at 3:32pm. It wasn't her intention to get there this early, the traffic was just quicker than she assumed and she hasn't ever been to this field before so she wanted room for error (because their usually is error with her driving). The grass of the field has been cut in a large rectangle where the wedding will be held but everywhere around it, wildflowers and much longer grass blows softly in the wind.

After contemplating just staying in the car until five minutes before the ceremony, she sees a bridge off to the side. It's away from the tent, and the people crowding around the seats near the makeshift altar, chatting and laughing with champagne flutes already in their hands. From where she sits, she can't really see the setup but she can already tell it will be beautiful.

Still, instead of joining all the guests with the alcohol, she gets out of her car and makes her way to the bridge. She figures it'll be a great spot to take a few shots for Instagram. Though, once she gets there, it's wobbly enough to make her rethink.

Deciding to trust it anyway, Ruby opens the camera app and sets a five second self timer. She positions it just right against her handbag sitting on top of the wooden railing so that it'll get the white and yellow blossoms growing higher than she stands. Quickly, she taps the capture button then poses for the picture.

But of course, right as she does, the pressure of another human body is felt on the rickety bridge and Ruby knows she moved in the shot. Accompanying the frustration of a ruined moment comes the embarrassment she always feels when she's caught doing an impromptu photo shoot.

She rushes for her phone and purse, putting one inside the other when she hears it. At first, she can't think of where to place the voice but after closing her eyes and exhaling, the years of annoyance come running back to her.

“Rubs, what the hell are you doing?”

Ruby opens her eyes, biting her bottom lip and turning. Sure enough, it is exactly who she didn't want to see. Niall Horan - Harry's best friend, the guy she had to sit at lunch with everyday for over two years.

Though, this Niall isn't like the Niall she remembers. He's still slightly tinged pink with the laughter he's always belting out and his smile is as bright as ever, but he's most definitely grown up. No longer are the tips of his hair frosted yellow. It's now mostly brown with a small cluster of blonde highlights - he's finally letting the blonde thing go and growing out his natural hair color. And he isn't wearing braces, something she thought he'd always have.

In high school, she only ever saw him wearing skinny jeans and t shirts. Apparently, surprisingly, he has enough class to know that that isn't appropriate wedding attire and is wearing a dark grey plaid suit with a blue pocket square.

If the aggravating aspects of his personality weren't already showing through, Ruby would say he looks amazing.

“I can't believe you're here,” is how she responds to his question, crossing her arms and ignoring his smile.

“What?” Niall blows his eyes wide. “I'm only the best fucking man!”

“Of course you are.”

“I don't know why you act like you're not happy to see me. I know ya are, Ruby.”

Ruby side eyes his smiling ways. “In what world, Horan? What world?”

“Oh come on, now. We're not kids, you can get over it.” He throws his hands up and begins walking closer, stopping to lean against the railing opposite her.

“Never.” Wanting to pout, not over the reason she began hating him in the first place, she speaks under her breath so she doesn't seem like the most immature 24-year-old on the planet.

That gets a laugh out of him as he speaks incredulously, “Are you serious? How many times do I have to apologize?”

“Hmmm.” She thinks - about what he did to her in sixth grade, about the laughs he had at her expense, about the half assed apology he gave her three years later in 9th grade. “Maybe until you can turn back time and untrip me when I had a tray of food in my hands.”

“If I could, I would.”

Ruby isn't amused by his response, instead she tilts her head and waits, for what, she doesn't know.

Under the pressure of her gaze, his expression falters into a more serious one. “I'm sorry, Ruby, for tripping you in front of our whole class.”

“That's all?”

“And for making you spill all your food all over you and ruining your clothes.”

He says it sincerely enough that Ruby almost wants to believe him. Then she remembers what she was wearing that day. “That was my favorite dress, Niall, and chocolate milk stains.”

The ridiculousness of the sentence doesn't register to her until it's out of her mouth and Niall is trying his hardest not to burst with laughter. She can see it in the way he's biting his bottom lip and bringing his hand up to cover his mouth, some guffaws spilling through. She thinks over the drama in which she just executed the line and can't help the smile from sliding across her face too.

Once permission is granted, Niall lets loose, covering his heart and saying through a laugh, “I swear to god, you make a man never regret anything more.”

Ruby feels pride in that and thinks she'll have to tell her mom about the statement later. They'll have a cup of iced tea and share stories of the times they held grudges for years and years and years, she's sure of it.

“Give me your phone.” Niall, suddenly, demands out of nowhere, holding out a hand for it.

“What? Why?”

“I'll help you get that picture you were trying to take earlier.” He says like it's obvious, like it's normal for him to be helpful and not an absolute pest.

Ruby is hesitant at first, looking around to see that people are beginning to sit down. Then, she thinks of her followers and how much they would genuinely enjoy such a hipster wedding guest aesthetic.

“Fine.” She pulls out her phone once again, opening the camera app to turn off the timer because Niall definitely wouldn't think to do that right away and she wants to get this over with as soon as possible. She lets him have her phone and says, “It doesn't need to be some artsy angle, just make sure to get my face and the flowers.”

“Gotcha.” He holds up the camera and waits for her to stop moving. Once she does and silence passes by for a few moments, he hands it back. “Alright. I think I got something in there. Be sure to give me photo cred on Instagram. Tag me and everything.”

By the way he says it, she knows he's joking but she isn't sure how Niall knows that's where she'll post it.

“How do you know that's where it's going?”

“Aren't you like, an Instagram model these days?”

Ruby looks at her flats against the wooden planks and nods because maybe that's not the name she'd use for the job but that is the way she makes her money - posting picture that her followers like, doing sponsorships with products she actually loves, and making sure to always, always update. Out of the 1.3 million followers she does have, Niall very well could be one, though, she's not going to ask.

Checking his watch that he has hidden underneath his suit jacket, he starts walking away. “Well, nice seeing ya again, Rubs. Best man duty calls. Maybe we'll talk again at the reception?”

But before she has a chance to give a witty response, he's turned completely around and begins jogging up to the altar.

<>

The wedding was elegant and beautiful. Emma cried, Harry cried, Harry's mom cried. From the back row, Ruby could've sworn she saw Niall wipe away a tear or two. Not that she was looking of course, he was just very much on display with the rest of them.

The reception that follows is in a tent just off to the side of where the ceremony took place, and after watching all that, Ruby definitely needs a drink. The whole first love getting married part wasn't so bad, it was all the classical music that played and the long drawn out vows that made her crave a vodka soda. A part of her questioned if she should even stay for the party, but since she came all the way to the wedding she might as well stay to wish Harry and Emma the best.

Barely inside of the tent, she sees someone she recognizes. And since they're close to the bar, she isn't ashamed to approach that area first.

“Jasmine!” Ruby smiles as she slides up to the girl who used to ride home with her and Harry everyday - Harry's neighbor for his entire life.

“Oh my god, Ru!” Jasmine immediately initiates a hug. “Where have you been? It's been ages.”

In reality, it's been about two years since they last got together for something. Jasmine had just gotten back from college in Southern California and invited everyone over for a pool party. Ruby was glad to attend because then, she was still young and open to the idea of all her high school friends graduating college. By the time she left that night though, she realized her job at the grocery store didn’t stack up to all their degrees. Ruby would never admit that Jasmine, in a roundabout way, is what made her distant from all the friends she made because of Harry, but she'd be glad to tell her that her party was the reason she began taking amateur pictures of herself and posting them online.

“Way too long!” Ruby nods her head in agreement, lifting her hand to signal the bartender. “How have you been?”

“Great. I got a new apartment last month with my boyfriend and I swear if he plays his cards right, you'll be coming to one of these parties for me one day.”

“Oooh, can't wait!” Only slightly faking, Ruby grins and figures if she can come to Harry's wedding, she can show up to Jasmine’s.

The two carry on for a bit longer, not saying anything of much importance, until the bartender comes over and Ruby is walking away with a drink. Jasmine gets distracted by Annie Tally, an ex pep squad member, so she doesn't seem to notice when Ruby leaves her side.

Now with a drink, Ruby searches the board with the list of designated seats for where she'll sit, hoping to be at a table with people she kind of knew and liked in high school. Under the title of table 4 is where Ruby's name is displayed with a bunch of other people she doesn't know except one, Marcus Dole. Ruby isn't too upset about that - Marcus never left a person unless they were laughing at his jokes and never had a rude thing to say about them when he did.

So, of course, when Harry and Emma make their grand entrance, that's who Ruby is laughing with. Marcus is telling a long story about the night he got suspended from high school for pranking their math teacher. The other people don't seem quite as amused at Marcus’s story but also, they probably didn't know how much of a raging psycho Mrs. Velvy was.

Both Marcus and Ruby stop mid laugh to stand to their feet and applaud the couple with everyone else. Right away, Harry and Emma begin their first dance. It's to some sweet song - a voice paired with an acoustic guitar only. Ruby finds herself swaying, taking it all in, enjoying it for what it is and realizing that she was definitely worried about nothing. Now that she has seen she can actually tolerate everyone six years on, she's certain she'll get drunk enough to need an uber ride home and dance like a fool within the hour.

It isn't until the song is almost over that she realizes it's live and looks to see who's playing. And it isn't until she sees who's playing that it's obvious whose voice she had been loving just moments before.

Niall is standing on stage with nothing but a microphone on a stand and a guitar on his body. His fingers pluck the strings slowly as he croons out the lyrics to whatever the song is. As it comes to an end, the whole room cheers and most of it's directed at the couple, but Harry makes sure to turn towards Niall and give him a clap.

Ruby chuckles, thanking the gods that she's not the one who is going to have to fight for attention in the middle of the ongoing love affair of Niall and Harry.

Before they can sit down, Harry and Emma begin making their rounds. And since she has three tables ahead of hers, Ruby sneaks off to the bar to get a second drink, getting Marcus another rum and coke like requested. Because man, open bars are amazing.

Ruby makes a few stops to talk with other familiar faces, going along a very similar structure as her conversation with Jasmine - just a little less wedding talk. Finally making her way back to her table, she finds Harry and Emma already there.

“Sorry,” she approaches, slightly regretting the look of double fisting this early into the reception. “Lola Cook is still as chatty as ever.”

“Gotta love her, though.” Harry nods with a smile - the same one that got Ruby swooning in 10th grade. “Thanks for coming.”

He hugs her then, right in front of his new wife who is smiling larger than any human ever has in history. Emma knows all about Harry and Ruby's past, but she also knows just as well as everyone in the tent that their relationship had its time and place.

Still, Ruby will always have a special place in heart for this boy in her arms. She pulls back and ignores the tiny pang she gets by imagining for one second only what it would be like if it were her in Emma's dress. “I'm so happy for you guys.” She admits honestly, “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Thank you for coming.” Emma is now wrapping her arms around Ruby, though only for a brief second. “You looks so beautiful.”

“Oh my god, look at you! You're absolutely stunning!”

In a white skin tight dress with a lace overlay, Emma is gorgeous. Her blonde hair is bouncing in ringlets as her perfect skin shines in just the right light. Honestly, if Ruby's first love was going to marry anyone, she was going to have to be this pretty.

Since they don't have much time and a ton of guests, that is it for one on ones with Ruby. The newlyweds moving onto one of the randoms at their table and that's fine with her because now her and Marcus can drink more without shame.

Much of the next hour is spent like that - laughing and telling stories and one of the two getting another drink. Ruby slows down after her third because she doesn't want to be an absolute mess at the end of the night. That doesn't stop Marcus from making trips to the bar sporadically. And on one of those trips, he gains a lot more than a glass full of his favorite alcohol.

“Look who I found.” He approaches the table with a certain almost blonde following behind. Niall has a beer bottle in his hand and has loosened up considerably - his suit jacket is off, his white shirt is untucked with the sleeves rolled up, and his tie is slack around his neck. “You're favorite kid from high school!”

Marcus is letting his alcohol show, which gets a laugh out of both Niall and Ruby.

“I'll have you know that we put that behind us.” Ruby rises from the table after feeling weird with them standing above her and also, disliking how she has to strain to hear them over the dance music.

It must be too loud for Niall because he shakes his head and says, “Excuse me? What?”

“We put that behind us. I forgive you for the eternal embarrassment I felt over that moment in my life.” Ruby reassures him with a pat on the shoulder. It's probably the three vodka sodas that are making her so forgiving or the fact that the picture he took for her and that she posted just thirty minutes ago is getting hundreds of likes already. Either or, she's looking at this older Niall, with the same rosy cheeks and startling blue eyes and thinking what's done is done.

“I'm so glad I could bring you two together.” Marcus throws an arms round both of their shoulders, squeezing them and almost pushing them into a hug. “I gotta take a piss like you wouldn't believe though. Where's the bathroom, man?”

Niall cracks up laughing at the brilliant delivery and points to some place over Marcus's shoulder where a short line is forming. Quick as he can, Marcus disappears with a certain drunk wobble to his walk.

“It's crazy. He hasn't changed a bit.” Niall observes, smiling at Ruby.

“You're telling me. I've been sitting with him all night.”

“Lucky girl.” Niall brings his bottle into the air, offering a cheers. Ruby reaches for her nearly full drink sitting on the table and bumps the clear plastic against his glass. After a quick sip, he speculates, “So you mean it? We're all good? No more angry Ruby stares?”

“Nah.” She shakes her head, smirking as she traces the lip of her cup with her finger and, “I mean, who cares if I was called milky pants for three years? Whatever. It was cool at times.”

“I always got a kick outta calling you that myself.”

“I think you started it?”

Niall shrugs, noncommittally. “Maybe. Who keeps up with those kinds of things?”

Ruby can distinctly remember being called that moments after it happened by none other than the former blonde himself, but in the spirit of forgiveness, she keeps with the light hearted nature of their joking. “Young girls who want the opposite sex to one day find them somewhat attractive.”

“Trust me, they did.” Niall nods up and down, as one does when really trying to assure someone of something.

Ruby never saw herself as an ugly kid, maybe awkward looking at times, but when she was called milky pants, she swore she'd never get a date - “ever!”, she screamed one time at her parents in frustration. The next year, she had her first kiss and then her first boyfriend and so on and so on.

“You look great, by the way.” Niall continues with a step forward, closer as the dancing gets wilder on the floor. Now they're standing maybe a smidge too close and yet, somehow, Ruby doesn’t mind.

“Thanks.” She looks down her body to make sure everything is still intact - her dress is still covering everything that needs to be covered, her pearl is still hanging in the right spot. Then, she looks back at Niall and absolutely couldn't ignore how great he looks too. It could be the vodka or it could be just because she wants to but she finds herself returning the compliment, a little less certain than Niall. “Um, you don't look so bad yourself.”

At first he is grinning with it until, “So bad? Come on! I gloed up, as the kids say.”

“You're not an old man, Niall. You can say it too.”

“You're right! I gloed the fuck up.” Niall nods adamantly and fakes a yell over the music, unnoticeable over the popping bass.

It gets a giggle out of Ruby as she quips, “Still cocky, I see.”

“Huh? Can't hear you over the music.” He obviously can - they were talking at that level their entire conversation and it isn't like the music is getting louder - but Ruby bites anyway. Maybe she shouldn't, but she does.

She takes a step forward, placing a hand on his shoulder as she rises to her tippy toes and whispers in his ear, “I said, you're still cocky.”

It is a flirty move, she'll admit. She isn't sure why she feels like flirting with a guy she would've claimed hatred for no less than three hours ago. She is sure she likes how she can see his stubble from this close, can smell his cologne wafting from his neck.

Ruby drops back to her heels, gauging his reaction of a suppressed smile as a win, holding still as he leans over to her ear to whisper something of his own, “Yeah, and you're still -”

The music cuts off at the end of the song, cutting off whatever Niall was going to say too. The next thing heard is the clinking of glasses and Ruby is looking around to see the bride and groom kissing as the mother of the bride stands with a microphone in her hand.

“Dinner is served!” The mother cheers with a lift of her champagne flute as many waiters start carrying silver plates to each guest.

Niall is already walking to his best man seat by the time Ruby looks away from the front table.

“We will have speeches and then continue on with dancing, how does that sound?” The mother asks the entire room, getting a loud clap in response.

Dinner turns out to be chicken and veggies with mashed potatoes. Seconds are offered and desserts of chocolate mousse are placed before every guest. The large cake will be saved for later, towards the end of the night.

During dinner, Ruby pushes her vodka soda aside and switches to the flowing champagne - something she can sip on to maintain her buzz, adding to it in small amounts by the time she gets to the bottom of the glass flutes.

While everyone else gets to eat the light fluffy chocolate dessert, the wedding party gets to gives their speeches. The parents are first with heartwarming stories. Then the siblings - Gemma had a particularly embarrassing story, as anyone would have predicted. The maid of honor follows her and for some reason, the last speech of the night is given by Niall.

He grabs the microphone with a steady hand, a beer bottle in the other one. He's laughing before he even begins.

“Hello.” He starts, making some face at Harry before Anne shushes her son and nods to the best man to continue. “Alright. So I'm not always good at words that aren't lyrics but since I already sang, I guess I can't do that again.” Someone says something at the table that Ruby can't hear, and then Niall is shaking his head. “I just wanna say that there is no better guy in the world than Harry Styles - excluding me. I met him when I was new to Arizona. I was just an odd little 9 year old with no friends and no idea how to make any. Then Harry sat next to me in class and from that moment on, I had the best one I could ever ask for. Everyday Harry teaches me to be a kinder person. And everyday since I've known Emma, lovely Emma… well she's taught me to be a more loving person. Together, they bring to this world the kindness and love it should be filled with and I'm just lucky to be allowed to witness it… so cheers!”

Everyone raises their flutes in the air and repeats the word, smiling as Harry stands and hugs his best friend who lies and says he isn't good with words.

Part ii.

Ruby never intended to leave the reception with Niall. Not when she first saw him or when he first performed or when she whispered in his ear or even after his speech. Even after the second time he got on stage, after the cake cutting, the thought didn't cross her mind.

If she has to place it, she'll say the moment it became a seed of an idea in her head was when he found her on the dance floor. His dancing was just so dorky and awful but he somehow made it ridiculously attractive, or at least endearing. Then, he slid a hand around her waist to sway their bodies together and that seed fully planted itself.

It bloomed when she said she needed some air and he followed her out to her car.

She's leaning against the hood with no intentions to drive it but seeing how things go before she calls for an Uber. More drunk that she was earlier, Ruby has to ask, “What were you going to call me earlier?”

“What?” Niall, who is standing in front of her and swaying to the music that can be heard all the way outside, tilts his head.

“Before dinner. You said ‘you're still…’ and then got cut off.”

“Ah.” Niall nods, remembering. “I was just gonna say you're still as infuriating.”

“How's that?”

“Still picking on me.” He's kind of drunk too, and pouty. He slows his dancing when Ruby rolls her eyes and moves closer to her. “Still too good for me.”

“Whatever.” She pushes his shoulder away, laughing because she has no idea what he's saying. He laughs at her weak attempt and instead of doing anything else, she quickly pulls him down to her lips by the tie on his neck.

The kiss shocks him still for only a few seconds before he's reacting to it. His lips are parting with hers and his tongue is lapping at her in just the right way. Ruby is rushing into it just as much as him, her hands let go of his clothes and make their way up to his hair, running through the soft, short locks. Niall pushes her back so she's sitting on the hood of her car and closer to his height. She wraps her legs around his hips, keeping him steady and unmoving as his hand easily slips underneath her dress.

Before she can overthink it, because she definitely doesn't want to do that, she grabs for her purse beside her and unzips it, pulling out the keys.

“Backseat?” She suggests like a sixteen year old, breaking apart from him.

Niall is out of breath as his chest heaves and he looks around her to check the size of it. Ruby bites her bottom lip hopefully, never being so thankful to have an old station wagon in her life.

Without words, he's picking her up and carrying her around to the door, getting the keys from her. And next thing she knows, she's on her back on the leather seats.

“I have a hotel room like five minutes away if you prefer…” Niall only suggest once she's gotten truly comfortable and desperate to get some clothes off.

“No, this is fine with me. Is it fine with you?” She says in one breath, fingers finding the buttons to his shirt and opening them regardless of his answer.

“Hmm.” He's back to her neck, kissing bites into the skin and then soothing the sting away with soft licks. After one or two, and Ruby getting his shirt completely undone and tie off, he stops again. “What if someone walks by?”

Ruby pushes him up and looks out the window. “I didn't park by anyone, we're good.”

Niall takes a few seconds to think, to see that the nearest car is far off in the distance and nods, “Yeah…” he looks her up and down, heavy with lust as her body slinks back and her arms reach out. “Fuck it.”

His hands are going up her skirt, pulling down her underwear this time, sliding his fingers against her. Even though Ruby is almost losing it - definitely wanting to - she isn't lying there helplessly. She's got her lips on his shoulder, kissing sloppily. Her fingers are finding pleasure in the full, never more appealing, chest hair, grasping onto it.

When his fingers get a bit too much, she arches her back and moves her hands to his belt buckle.

Within seconds, he's following suit and letting himself free. He has to take a minute to get a condom out of his wallet but then he's right back on top, lining his body with hers and edging in.

Ruby never intended for this to happen, though, she is really glad it is. Her head’s resting back and her hips buck forward. And he's taking it, working her over thrust after thrust. Matching shortened breaths with her even though he's doing double what she is.

Some people find it shameful how loud someone can be in bed - or in this case, in car. Ruby can never find a way to tame how vocal she is. It isn't so much the volume but rather the nonstop need to moan with the pleasure. Sometimes, she is embarrassed by it, but right now, she's thinking Niall is only liking it more and more as his soft grunts increase in frequency, along with her moans.

Eventually, they're both holding on tighter and then stilling as they let themselves go in the backseat. And not even moments after it's over, Ruby is reminiscing on how much fun it was. Suddenly, as Niall settles on the side of her, just barely on the seat, she begins a laugh - loud and joyous and so true to how he's left her feeling. Maybe it is the remaining alcohol but she doesn't mind.

At first, Niall looks at her like she's crazy until he's chuckling too, pressing his forehead against her shoulder.

“That was…” He starts, probably not sure where to even go with it himself.

Ruby has tons of ideas. Crazy, fun, great... stupid.

She doesn't say any of those. Because once the idea of stupid pops into her head, it sticks. She realizes she just had sex with the best man of the wedding in the backseat of her car. Sure it was great, but that best man is her ex’s best friend. And more importantly, she is the ex of the best mans best friend.

“I have to go.” She drops her expression and moves to open the door.

“Wait… what?” Niall's face reads plain confusion with quirked eyebrows and a frown. “What just happened? I thought you wanted to.”

“I did. Trust me.” She's scrambling for her underwear, keys, and phone, but she doesn't want Niall to think in anyway that she didn't just do exactly what she wanted to. “I just have to get home before it's too late.”

Niall is buckling his belt as he scoots out of the car. As soon as his feet hit the dirt, she's locking the door and backing away.

“Sorry.” She yells out behind her when she turns and begins ordering an Uber, not taking a second look at his face.

She waits at the street for ten minutes, reevaluating how dumb it was of her to sleep with Niall Horan.

<>

The next morning, when she wakes up and shuffles to her dad, pleading that he take her to get her car, she's almost too groggy to even remember her behavior from the night before.

Ruby doesn't really have any girl friends close enough to talk about it with, and she's certainly not going to bring it up to her dad on the way to her station wagon, so she just distracts herself with Instagram. Normally by this time of day, she'd have posted one picture already, but her ratty sweats aren't designer (or anywhere close) and she has no desire to change into anything else that her audience would appreciate. She tries to find something to snag a shot of on the way but nothing strikes her as “gramable”.

By the time she gets to her car, her dad has sang every song on the radio at the top of his lungs. Ruby loves him, but she nearly jumps out of the car when they arrive, giving him a quick kiss to his check and a “thank you, dad. I love you. See ya when I get home.”

He returns the same words and drives away, waving.

Ruby approaches her wagon, clutching the keys in her hand, and for the first time, she begins to smile about what she did. Maybe it was wrong. Maybe it was irresponsible. But the feeling of the afternoon sun and the sight of a still standing tent reminds her that it was mostly fun. The tent in the daylight reminds her that Harry got married. And married to someone he is completely in love with no less. She isn't sure if that makes the fact that she slept with Niall okay. It does make her feel less like an interloper.

The tent sets things into perspective, she realizes.

The sheet of paper pinned against her windshield makes it all the more real. At first, she looks around to see if anyone's there, if maybe the person who put it there is still there. Of course, she is alone. The person who placed the note under her wiper is long gone.

Ruby removes it and waits until she is sitting in the driver seat before she flips it open.

Sorry for whatever happened after. I had a lot of fun with you. If you ever want to talk about why you freaked, call me. Please!

Underneath the note was a ten digit number with an Arizona area code. Ruby reads it over and over again until eventually, she has to start her car and go home, just so her dad doesn't start to worry if she takes way too long to return home. Placing the note in the passenger seat, she sticks her keys into the ignition and ignores the backseats existence for the rest of the drive home.

<>

Trying her hardest to absolutely forget something usually puts most of her thoughts right on it. That's why it only took six days for Ruby to break.

She left the note in her car for three days, brought it in and then left it in her desk drawer for two. For one day only, she had it lying on top of her MacBook, staring at her every time she walked past.

At seven thirty the next day, all of that not thinking of Niall’s weight against her gets too much and she punches the number into her phone.

“Hello,” he picks up on the second ring, sounding curious as to who it is calling him.

Ruby, out of nowhere, feels giddy at the sound of his voice. So biting down on a smile, she returns, “Hi, Niall.”

“Ruby?” He guesses, the smile sounding in his voice.

“Who else?”

He chuckles at that and over it, he throws out, “Took ya long enough.”

“Shut up.” Ruby insists more than demands. She's pacing around her room, making her way to the door from her desk and then back again. Ruby hasn't had many phone conversations like this - normally one night stands are just that and then dates are premeditated occurrences built up by weeks of texting. Unsure of what she's even doing with Niall, she asks just to ask, “What are you doing?”

“Waiting on pizza to get here.”

“Yum.”

“Watching America's Got Talent soon.”

“Wow, crazy night.” Ruby lifts her eyebrows with sarcasm, not that he can see. The idea of him being such a homebody kind of excites her though - his voice sounds cozy through the phone line, like he's lounging on the couch and perfectly content with that.

“Well, it is a Tuesday.” He counters, shifting - maybe the phone from one ear to another or his body from one position to the next. “What are you up to?”

Ruby thinks of giving him the real answer - pacing - but that seems a bit too weird. She thinks of the notes she still has in her grasp. She takes a deep breath, lifts the note to reread it, and goes with a slightly less weird answer. “I'm just staring at your note.”

“Oh, I see. Any thoughts?”

“Just,” She sighs out that deep breath and smiles, “I had a lot of fun too.”

“Yeah.” Now a grin of his own isn't just heard but it's felt. They both hold in the silence that follows his words for a little too long - probably trying to determine what it means. Niall must have come to a conclusion first because he timidly suggests, “Um, ya know, since you're just staring at a week old note, you could come over and watch these amazing performers with me instead?”

Ruby slows her pacing, getting what she probably honestly called for - an invite. If she is being true to herself, that is, without a doubt, why she picked up her phone. One part of her wants to deny Niall, say she is about to do something she has already agreed to, but that other part, the same part that called him, questions, “And steal some of your food?”

“Only if you get here before it does.” He responds right away, no thought to it. When Ruby giggles in response, he does too and says, “I'll text you my apartment address.”

<>

It isn't until they're back in their underwear, watching the ending of America's Got Talent that Ruby realizes how much she could possibly be screwing up. For a second time, she slept with the person she probably shouldn't have.

It's just… she got here and he was smiling at her like he does. Like he couldn't have been happier to see anyone else on the planet. And then, unlike how she remembers him from high school, he was kind but also sassy about the first three performances they watched in the talent show. He had her actually laughing as she tried to eat a slice of pizza. Not just a little snort or huff of a laugh, but full blown cackling. Even after he heard the horrible snort she makes when she hears something funny and can't control herself, he looked at her with fascination behind his impossibly blue eyes.

So, after being there for only twenty minutes, she was on his lap, coaxing his shirt off. And his hands were unbuttoning her jean shorts.

They were like teenagers, honestly. They were slow with the build up and then got it over with as quickly as they could once they got to feeling one another. It had Ruby breathless from the moment it started until the second it ended.

Now, after she's slid her panties back on, she sits on the couch they couldn't be bothered to leave and looks around the room. The flat screen is mounted to the wall, and on either side hang two guitars each - mostly acoustic but one electric. To one side of the room is the open floor concept with a kitchen and small dining area and on the opposite wall, is an assortment of picture frames. They're all filled with different people but two people in particular show up a lot - the blonde and a curly haired brunette.

Niall makes his way back from the bathroom in the shirt Ruby had thrown off and a pair of black briefs, looking perfectly messy from what they had just done. Ruby thinks he almost looks better now than he did when he first swung the door open - all dazed and rosy and giddy.

“So…” he says, sitting down next to her, leaving a lot of space between them considering what just happened.

Ruby nods, “Fun.”

Niall agrees wholeheartedly with a grin even if her words were sparse.

“I’m a little mad I missed the rest of that episode.” He jokes as he picks up his remote control. “Good thing I recorded it.”

“Is that so?”

He looks away from the tv to wink at her as he repeats, “Only a little mad.”

“Well, I'm sorry I distracted you.” Ruby lies, because she isn't sorry about the distraction at all really. Maybe she's sorry about other things but not about the fact he didn't get to watch America's Got Talent.

“Nah, that's really alright.”

The way he contorts his face - as if to express the exact words that are coming out of his lips - makes Ruby chuckle as she looks back at the wall of pictures. Her eyes happen to land on a picture that has to be years and years old - Harry and Niall outside of the bowling alley in town, standing side by side, expressionless.

“I like this apartment.” Ruby compliments, reaching for her shirt and pulling it over her head. “So many cool pictures,” she throws her thumb over her shoulder, pointing to the wall.

“Thanks. I've lived here for like, 4 years. The pictures accumulate over time.”

Ruby feels shock wash over her as she says, “Wow. That is commitment.”

She has never lived anywhere for longer than a year that wasn't her parents house. She has never agreed to anything that would keep her confined, if she could help it.

Niall smiles and sighs at the same time. “Yeah, I know. Harry always loved living here though. It's close to anything we'd need.”

“You used to live here with Harry?”

“Uh huh.” Niall watches Ruby pull her shorts out from underneath her on the couch. Jokingly, he clarifies, “Just until he got engaged last year and broke my heart.”

“Ah. Nice.” Nodding, Ruby puts on her final article of clothing. Her face has gone sour and she knows it, but she can't help it when she is surrounded by the same air her ex boyfriend used to live in. More and more, she's feeling wrong about this.

Niall notices and stands to his feet as well, placing a hand on her elbow to steady her rapid search for her other shoe. “Hey, what is it?”

Ruby looks at his face, his blue blue eyes, the scruff around his chin, and exasperates, “I just - I don't know. I feel like an interloper.”

“In what?”

“In you and Harry. I don't want to start a fight.”

“Ruby.” Niall snorts, in disbelief that she's actually serious. When she doesn't change from her stern expression, he declares, “He is married to Emma and head over heels in love.”

“Yeah, but I'm his first. And you're his best friend.” Ruby moves her elbow out of his grasp. “You honestly think this wouldn't hurt him at all?”

A long pause follows her question where Ruby finds and slips on her shoes and where Niall just examines her - her expression, her way of movement, the frantic nature of her panic.

With a standoffish tone, Niall crosses his arms. “I mean… do you want it to hurt Harry?”

“No. Not at all.” Her refusal is immediate and the whole truth. Harry was the perfect boyfriend and she has no ill will against him - that's exactly what leads her to her hesitation with Niall now. A once over of Niall is enough to tell Ruby that something she's said, or implied, is not sitting well with him, so it's easy to get out the words, “I should go.”

“Yeah. Probably.” He nods along as she backs away, and then doesn't say anything more as she opens and closes the door behind her.

<>

Ruby's town is small. Not insanely small that everyone knows everyone else's business or to the point where a town hall meeting could fit into one room. Small as in occasionally she sees people she knows when she's going somewhere for lunch. Occasionally.

Usually, she can avoid any contact with these people. She just pretends not to see them and they're normally okay with it. Ruby isn't some evil person who hates everyone, she just isn't good at small talk or stacking up achievements with people she knew years and years ago.

Usually, she'd bow her head to look at her phone and avoid all eye contact. Niall Horan isn't like that apparently. Before she can even think about sneaking away from him and finding some back isle, he is approaching her with a bag of purchased goods in hand.

“Hey.” He smiles at her as she keeps her eyes focused on the shelf of different teas. “You come here a lot?”

His tone is so different than the last time they spoke, so much easier, so much lighter.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she looks him over. “Not normally at this time.”

The only reason she's there at such an early hour is because for the last four days, she's been tossing and turning in bed over the not-so-blonde-anymore standing next to her. She hasn't been able to sleep in until noon one time since she said to him something that she shouldn't have.

“I was just about to leave when I saw ya over here and wanted to say hi.” Niall says when Ruby offers nothing else.

She can feel herself being cold - in her short answer, by her body language - but she just can’t calculate her next move here. Last time they talked, it ended so weirdly. Niall was almost aggravated with her and now she can feel his grin directed at her.

“Hello,” is what she decides is appropriate. Simple and friendly enough. Still, her eyes shift from earl grey to jasmine to green tea, not sparing a glance his way.

“So listen,” Niall places a careful hand on her shoulder, calling for her attention. “About the other night…”

“It's alright.” She finally musters up the courage to face him and pull a tight lipped smile, shaking her head.

“Yeah, but I just… well, I really have fun with you.”

“I have fun with you too.”

His hand, that hasn't left her, grows warmer. His fingers that were somehow stiff loosen up and curl more easily against her.

“So you're not mad at me?” Ruby asks, again remembering the way Niall looked at her after she brought up Harry in his apartment - almost offended.

He finally drops his hand but doesn't move away. They're standing in the isle alone, maybe a foot or two apart at most.

“You aren't actually sleeping with me to make Harry mad, right?” Something about the way Niall questions her seems playful and weary, disbelieving she would do such a thing but he deemed it necessary to confirm.

“No fucking way.” Ruby takes a step back out of their bubble, just so she has more room to gesture with her declaration. “Never would I do that to either of you… well, maybe I would've when I still hated you.”

“Hey. There is no need to keep bringing that up.”

Ruby is loosening up now that her teasing joke landed and Niall responded with a laugh, so she lets her shoulders relax and, “What? Me hating you?”

“It still stings a bit.” Niall covers his heart, playing wounded.

“Imagine being the actual victim in the incident.”

“Moving on.” He sighs as soon as the words leave her mouth. He clearly has no desire to get back into that discussion. Instead, he takes it upon himself to step closer to her. “What are you doing now?”

Her eyes focus on the blue speckled button down that covers Niall’s chest once it's right there. She feels the urge to trace the space between the little dots to create their own little constellations but thinks that maybe that would be a little strange at this time and place.

“Shopping for tea, obviously.” Suppressing a smirk, she moves her eyes to find his.

“And after that?” He asks in a leading tone, letting her know exactly why he's asking.

This time it's Ruby who steps closer, asking quietly, “Don't you have a job to get to or something?”

“I'm a musician. I record and I tour.”

Ruby remembers a blurry comment from the night of the wedding when they were discussing careers. She's pretty sure Niall has the summer off before he picks up a fall tour of the eastern states.

That doesn't stop her from tilting her head. “So when's your plane leave?”

“Shut up.” He chuckles and nudges her shoulder. “Don't you have a job or something?”

At that, Ruby bites her bottom lip and pulls out her phone from her back pocket. She whips it around and turns out of her close proximity to Niall, focusing her camera on the line of tea and then taking a picture. What was taken for a point turns out to actually look okay so before she turns back to him, she thinks she might actually post it.

“Well played.” He nods in defeat with a look in his eyes - kind of impressed with her response. “Do you wanna leave with me though?”

“To do what?”

With a shrug, he suggests, “Let's get lunch.”

“Where?”

“The cafe across the street?”

Ruby is tempted. She loves that little cafe. It is owned by an old, old woman who knows her by name and always slips Ruby a free latte. More than that though, sitting with Niall, talking with him without alcohol in her veins or half her clothes off, doesn't sound half bad.

She does her best not to give away her willingness so easily by looking over his shoulder to the cafe and smiling, “I do love their turkey clubs.”

Apparently that doesn't work well because he just steps back and holds out his hand for her to grab and for him to lead the way with, “Come on then.”

Just as she is about to slip her hand into his, just to say what the hell, one damn familiar voice calls for the him.

“Hey, Niall!”

Both Ruby and Niall turn their heads to find a smiling Harry. But that doesn't last long when he spots the person his best friend is with, questioning, “Ruby?”

Part iii.

Ruby drops the hand that was on its way to Niall's back to her side, feeling her heartbeat pick up, calmly asking Harry, “How's it going?”

To say that she is feeling a bit caught is a understatement but Niall, who must really not have any reservations about sleeping with his best friends ex, gives Ruby a weird stare before greeting his friend with a hug.

As Harry is locked in it, he responds, “Just got back from the honeymoon. Loving life.”

A smile from ear to ear is cast across his face - pure bliss just like what he wore at the reception.

“You look it, bro. Sick tan.” Niall lets Harry go and makes a point to poke his shoulder blades where his skin is darker than usual.

“Thanks, babe.” Harry pokes right back. “We sat out in the sun for like, eight hours a day.”

Sarcastically, Ruby huffs and shakes her head, “Rough.”

“Oh Ruby, it was indulgence at its finest.” Harry's voice almost quivers with delight, fondly reliving something he just got back from.

The way he is almost daydreaming about it in the middle of the isle makes Ruby giggle as she nods, “Sounds like it, Haz.”

Niall sends a smirk her way at the expense of their friend, laughing a little too. “Where is the missus?”

“She is at home resting. She sent me out to get the wine for tonight.” Harry lifts his basket that holds four bottles of wine, a box of popcorn, and a wine stopper.

Niall's jaw drops immediately. “How come I didn't get an invite?”

“Emma just has some work friends coming over with their husbands.”

“Oh, I see. It's a married couples party.”

“Exclusive.” Ruby chimes in to stay relevant, loving the little spat she's witnessing, not minding if it helps Niall's side as his arms cross and his head tilts.

Before this can get too out of hand, Harry cackles a laugh and starts backing away. “Alright, alright. I'm outta here. I don't need to get into this!”

Niall laughs too, clearly not as offended as he was pretending. After his friend, he throws, “Call ya later!”

“You better.” Harry says with a wink and then turns around, headed straight for the cash register.

Turning back to face Ruby head on, Niall takes no time in pushing, “So… lunch?”

It only takes one second for her to shrug, “Why the hell not?”

Though, this time, she just follows him out without either of them reaching to entwine their hands.

<>

As anyone could guess, lunch with Niall turns out to be great. Ruby soon finds out that so is breakfast and dinner and every snack in between. For an entire week, all they seem to do is eat with one another. And of course when they're eating, they're talking. Most of its throw away conversations about trivial things - favorite alcoholic beverage, funniest movie they've ever seen, what they did/planned on doing that day. But sometimes they dive deeper. They get into topics like why Ruby quit college or what lead Niall to the life of a touring musician.

On this particular Sunday morning, Ruby had finally stayed the night. Without any kind of acknowledgement, they were both taking things slower since the last time they had sex. Neither one of them tried anything during their week of meals except for a kiss here or there. Something about the way Niall was describing his favorite gig - a hometown one - as he was stirring the boiling pasta, became irresistible to Ruby.

Before either of them knew it, the pasta was being left and they finally found out what one another were like in an actual bed. Apparently it was good enough for them to completely forget about the dinner because as Ruby stirs awake she feels her stomach rumble.

She blinks her eyes open slowly, letting the light in, finding herself wrapped in a sheet and facing Niall. The sun is hitting her right in the face and normally she can't sleep with someone else looking right at her, but somehow she's feeling well rested. She stretches an arm up and arches her back to get some blood coursing through her.

Niall doesn't move an inch. He just lays there, mouth parted a little as light snores come from it. And even still, she can't find a problem with the picture of him. So much so that she has to touch him. She lets a hand slip up his neck and fingers curl into the short hair at his nape. Then, she figures he should just get up already and since there is no better way to wake someone up, she pushes forward to peck a few kisses on his lips, morning breath the last thing on her mind - they hadn’t eaten much last night anyway. At first, his lips remain unmoved but by the third one, they're not so dead and start reacting.

Her eyes are closed so she doesn't see if he reacts in any other way but he does start dragging the kisses out longer, slower. His arm wraps around her back and then he's pushing her on her back, hovering over her as he pulls away. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” She finally opens her eyes again to see nothing but his smile and tired eyes. “Thought it was time to wake you up.”

“Uh huh.” He leans back in, stealing more kisses from her before, “You're so fucking gorgeous.”

“Yeah?”

“It's a crime, I'm telling ya.” He shifts all his weight to one arm so he can take his other hand and graze a finger over her cheeks. “I mean, these freckles? The best thing I've ever seen.”

Giggling, Ruby turns her head away, facing the arm that's holding him up, “Stop it. They’re not.”

Personally, half of the time she finds her freckles a nuisance, keeping her from flawless makeup. The other half of the time, she thinks they're alright. But never does she think they're the best.

“Are you kidding me?” He nudges her face forward by the chin. Serious as he sleepily says, “I'm honestly thinking of calling up the freckle people to have them documented and put in some kind of history book.”

“You're ridiculous.” Ruby bites her bottom lip, feeling so fond of the hovering boy.

“Maybe so, but it's true. I fucking love them.” He begins a trail of small kisses, starting on one cheek, over her nose, and onto the the other. “Gorgeous.”

<>

“No!” Niall is stern as he points a finger up at Ruby who is straddling him in bed.

“What?” She stops her hands that were slowly making their way up his sides.

“I said no more of this tickling shit.” He grabs her hands and pulls her down so she's now flush against him. “It's not fun for me.”

“But it is for me.”

Over the weeks, she realized how much Niall hates being tickled but she also realized how cute it is when his brow furrows and cute little giggles spill out of his pouted lips. It's nearly impossible for her to not do it to him once a day - it's like their thing, she'd say anything just to convince him to let her do it.

Today, though, she can tell that won't work by his totally unamused expression.

“Fine.” She sighs, satisfied enough with the look she is already getting from him instead of the pout. For a second she lets her head nestle under his chin, right in that little space that fits her perfectly, until she wants to say something else.

When she does move, she regrets it, finding him with closed eyes but a smirk on his lips. “Ugh, I wish I could just throw that smug jaw away.”

“Excuse me?” He peers at her in confusion.

Taking both hands, pretending to pull at his jaw but really only running her fingertips over his stubble, she exclaims dramatically, “I wish I could just rip it off and toss it out the window.”

“That is violent.” He shakes his head at her, finding amusement in her insanity. “How would we do what we do here if I didn't have the bottom half of my mouth?”

“It's only good for kissing. I'd put a mask on ya and we could still make do.”

“Really?” He sits up in a rush, staring her down.

“It's better than looking at all this all the time.” She nods without dropping eye contact, outlining his jawline slowly.

“No way. You'd miss it.” He is cocky with his words, flipping her on her back so now they're laying on his bed the other way around. As she shakes her head from side to side, trying her hardest not to crack under the weight of the outright lie, he moves his lips to her neck. “Plus, it is good for more than just kissing.” He slowly and surely begins moving down her body with every press of his lips to her skin.

<>

A groan radiates off the tile of the shower walls as Ruby hears the sliding of the distorted plastic door. “Niall, this shower is not big enough for the two of us.”

Niall is fully naked and stepping foot in the area that definitely wasn’t made for more than one person at a time. “We can make it if we try.”

His hair is already getting darker with the moisture and he’s smiling at her so sweetly that it is impossible to kick him out. No matter how bad she wants to, it’s not even like it’s her shower.

“I swear to god...” Ruby moves back a few steps so he can get under the water too and gives him a look that finishes her sentence.

He must understand, drawing an x over his heart. “No funny business, I promise.”

The action seems so serious coming from him that it’s endearing and causes Ruby to exhale deeply, “I almost hate you, ya know.”

“Been there, done that.” Niall quips easily and goes about getting himself good and wet. Ruby is stuck, maybe, because she isn’t doing anything other than watching him and letting her lips upturn. Niall just stares at her back and says, “Now, hand me the shampoo please and I'll get my girl all clean.”

<>

Friday nights in Prescott usually resulted in bowling, drinking, or staying in by yourself or with the company of someone who enjoyed the same netflix shows as you. Ruby and Niall had gone bowling. They’ve covered the entire bar scene in their town in one weekend. And it turns out, Ruby falls asleep to all his drug crime blockbusters and Niall fidgets throughout all of her british period dramas.

That’s why on the their fifth friday of seeing each other, Ruby can’t believe how much fun she is having.

They are at the small music festival their town throws in the townsquare every summer, supplying indie folk music to all the people who manage to make it out. Mostly it’s just booths where the artists sell their merch, stands offering up beers from all over the world, and one stage with one band at a time.

Niall, who was the one that suggested coming, never strays too far from the beer stands, making sure Ruby doesn’t go without either.

As he approaches her from one of his beer runs, holding a dark and light drink for the two of them, Ruby grabs hers and comments over the music, “This was such a good idea.”

“I'm full of them, baby.” He grins and pulls her closer by the hips, kissing the side of her forehead after she giggles at his proud stance - both of them are clearly feeling the drinks.

“Come here.” She grabs his checkered button down and gets him close enough so she doesn’t even have to move to lock their lips together.

They don’t rush through anything, they just indulge.

Tingly and warm, Ruby lets him go and whips back around to continue dancing - something she has surely been making herself look like a fool with, not that she cares. Halfway through her dumbest idea for a dance move, she turns to gauge Niall’s reaction only to find him pointing a camera at her. But like the good Instagramer she is, she just lets it happen and hopes she comes off cool in at least one of the pictures.

A few people get her to stop dancing, though. They are fans of Niall’s, people who have even seen him in concert multiple times. Ruby has only just started listening to his first and only album but once she thinks about it, of course Niall has fans at a festival like this. It is totally his vibe. When the fans ask why he isn't performing, she wants to nudge him along as well.

“I’m off work until August. Taking a little rest before I tour the next album.” Niall explains away to the smiling fans who nod, totally understanding and then excited when the words next album leave his lips.

“Next album? What? When?” The only girl out of the group of four questions with wide eyes.

Ruby is just as curious. She knows he goes back to tour on August 19th, starting in Phoenix for the closest thing to a hometown show, but she hasn’t heard a thing about another album.

“August, you guys, august.” Niall smirks mysteriously, giving nothing away but also being very obvious. It truly is just like Niall to do that - he wants to surprise people but then can never manage to hold it in. It gets Ruby laughing again, or maybe that's the drink, and slinking into his side. Niall welcomes her with an arm over her shoulder and nods to the group, “Thanks for coming over though. See ya around?”

They say their yes’s, their definitely’s, their thank you’s and then Niall is leading the way closer to the stage.

By the time it gets truly dark, and the biggest bands are getting ready to come up, Ruby prefers the assistance of leaning on Niall for support - she is sure she can stand just fine on her own, but it isn’t as fun. He doesn’t seem to mind at all, leaning back the smallest amount.

The band that comes on stage is one of Niall’s favorites at the moment - the reason he said they had to go. So as he sings along to the songs Ruby has never heard of, she lets the music play through her and enjoys the night completely. Halfway through the set, she is having such a good time that her mind starts racing over thoughts she didn’t even knew she had.

Holding onto Niall with one arm strewn around his neck, swaying with the beat of the music, she leans close and urges, “Take me with you.”

“Of course.” He nods immediately, shifting his gaze from the stage to her eyes, then laughs, “Where?”

“Let me go with you on tour,” comes out of her mouth without any permission from her brain. She was just thinking about how he’ll be leaving soon, and how she doesn’t want him to. Next thing she knows, she is saying things, things that she totally desires in that moment.

The music must be getting to Niall’s ears because he tilts his head closer and yells, “What?”

“Tour. I wanna go with you.”

“What?” His brows furrow this time so it can’t be the music.  

Disregarding any cautioning sober voice in the back of her head, Ruby holds him closer and says as clear as possible, “I want to see the world with you.”

“You mean the United States?” He laughs and shakes his head at her incredulously.

“That's more than I've seen stuck in Arizona.”

Niall pauses all movement to look at her, because she isn’t wavering or smiling like she’s kidding. It hits him right then that she is serious but he isn’t dumb enough to blame it on a clear thought process. Throwing his head back to laugh, probably at the absurdity, he stares at the sky and shouts, “You're so drunk, Rubs!”

Ruby gets a kick out of his response, finding it insanely ridiculous at this point. Still, she grasps for his attention with hands to each one of his cheeks and when he does stop laughing long enough for her to talk, she raises her eyebrows, “Think of my Instagram feed if I were with you in every city every night. The Empire State building one day and then the Sears Tower the next.”

Niall has to bite down to keep a mildly serious expression as he humors her with a, “That would be sick.”

“So you'll let me go with you?”

While she is being completely hopeful, peering up at him with her deep brown eyes, he has a hard time refusing her. His fits of laughter calm as he wraps his arms around her back to hug her close. “Let's see if you remember this tomorrow and then I'll give you an answer.”

“Okay,” she pushes his chest back so she is still entangled with him but far enough apart so her arms are free. She places two fingers to each one of her temples and scrunches her eyes tight together. “I'm putting all my brainpower into remembering this. It’s Unagi, Ross Geller taught it to me.”

“That's my girl.” He says over a chuckle and then grazes a few kisses on her forehead. Ruby is unmoved, still locking away their conversation when he is done. Those few kisses must not have been enough because he plants one more to her cheek as he exclaims, “Fuck, you're cute.”

Ruby peaks her eyes open at that and slowly moves her hands away. “You'll let me go then, won't ya? Cause I'm cute?”

“Maybe.” Niall shrugs, looking away when she puffs her bottom lip, pouting enough to break any man. This time, she is the one who kisses him on the cheek and won’t stop doing it until he stops her and grins,  “Who am I trying to kid? I'd let you come with me anywhere.”

Ruby’s lips are on Niall’s instantly, soft and thankful that he bent to her pleading.

“I like you so much.” She creates space between them just to whisper that, just a little.

And as Niall rests his forehead on hers, he counters, “Right back at you.”

<>

So, Ruby has to call Harry. Because this thing with Niall, that started off as sex in the backseat of her station wagon at a wedding, has transformed into so much more. Somewhere along the way it has warped into the most beautiful, wholesome thing she has ever been a part of.

Niall takes her breath away these days. One look at him and she questions what she was doing with her time before being near him. Never in her life has she known someone who has connected so well with her. It’s not even that they’re in tune with each other all the time. It’s the fact that when they aren’t, they can be what the other needs. When Ruby is feeling pissy, Niall is sweet enough to pull her out of it. And when Niall is grouchy, Ruby knows just the kind of joke that will get him to laugh.

Six weeks of a half relationship is long enough for her. She’s done with being in the in between with him. She is done with the uncertainty of what they are, what they could be, and what they will be. As cheesy as it sounds, she wants official with Niall.

And the only way she can go into that conversation is if she musters up the courage and breaks the news to the one person that would maybe, probably wouldn't, stop it.

She sits alone at that same cafe she had lunch with Niall at for the first time, waiting for Harry to show up. It was only a month and a half ago but oddly, Niall has managed to make it seem gloriously longer.

Over time, he has not so subtly hinted at wanting to tell Harry about them but Ruby was never ready. That doesn’t stop her from feeling nervous at the thought of the repercussions if Harry doesn’t take the news well. She thought it would be romantic to get the blessing from Harry on her own and then come to Niall, all I want us to be together for real, but as soon as she sees the curly headed guy, she is wishing she wasn’t alone.

“Hey.” He greets, pulling out the seat across the table from Ruby, an easy kind of worry donning his features.

“Hi.” Ruby fidgets with the few things on the table to calm her as he gets comfortable and then blantaly asks,

“So like, what’s up? What did you want to talk about?”

It's a lot quicker than she assumed it would happen - she figured Harry would at least wait until they were in the middle of their meal before he brought up what she inevitably would've stalled on.

“Just something that you may or may not even care about.” She attempts to play it off with a flick of her hair over her shoulder even though on the inside, the nerves are rising from her stomach to her chest.

“What is it?”

“Okay, well, I should just rip the band aid off…” Ruby takes a deep breath and closes her eyes as she allows her mouth to produce these words in a rush, “Niall and I have been seeing each other.”

Once the words are out in the world, they don't seem nearly as scary. But the silence coming from Harry's side of the table picks up their slack.

Ruby opens her eyes to be surprised when Harry has an upturned tilt to his lips, “Like dating?”

The term she would categorize their current relationship status is a bit fuzzy but the alternative would be weird to divulge, and that is her end goal anyway so she shrugs, “I guess you could call it that.”

“Fair enough.” Harry snorts, nodding, thinking.  “And?”

“And… I really like him… So, so much. He makes me really happy and I think I make him happy. At least, well, he always seems to be happy but you never know because when is he not smiling?” She pauses shortly to laugh fondly over the rosy guy and to breath again. “But if that's weird for you or if you feel betrayed or-”

“Ruby, chill.” He interrupts once her chest really begins to rise and fall with anxiety. “I'm married to a girl I am in complete and utter love with. She is my soulmate, I'm certain.”

His smile gets wider the more he talks about Emma, illustrating the truth he speaks. Still, Ruby wouldn't be Ruby unless she asked, “So you're not mad?”

“What we had in high school was so long ago. It was everything to me then but now it's like another person lived it.” Harry spoke calmly, saying the words Ruby has always felt about their relationship. As soon as it ended, it felt like that chapter was truly closed. Signifying the very final nail in their relationship coffin, he says, “So no, I'm not mad that you're dating someone new. I mean, if this was like five years ago I probably would have been hurt since Niall is my best friend. I see where you're coming from but relax.”

It's impossible for Ruby to do anything other than exhale a breath of relief right then. She visibly deflates. At only twenty four, she rarely has moments that show her how much of an adult she actually is but this one is doing a good job at showcasing the fact that she isn't a teenager anymore. “We've both grown up so much, ya know?”

“Look at you!” He raises a hand towards her, laughing, “You couldn't stand Niall, it was so fucking annoying. Now you like him. It's more shocking than anything.”

Ruby laughs too and then lets it die as she remarks with cowering eyes, “I probably more than like him…”

“My little Niall?” There's that shock in Harry's tone again, but laced with joy. There's no way she can get anymore difficult words out so she just gives him a look of confirmation, causing a smirk to appear. “Sixteen year old Ruby is so pissed at you.”

“Twenty four year old Ruby can take her.” Lifting up two fists, she pretends to throw one at Harry as he dodges.

“Wait, is this why Niall is alway so busy all the time?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny.” Ruby raises the menu to cover half of her face, trying to use it as a shield in case things turn ugly.

Harry dramatically wipes away at his forehead. “Good. I thought it was because he was weirded out about my marriage. He like, never comes to my house anymore.”

“That's definitely my fault. He always says we should just go over and tell you what's been going on but I was scared of messing things up with your friendship.”

“Wow, way to live in the past, Rubs.” Harry grabs the menu from her hands. “If my best friend and first love have to date someone, I'm glad it's each other. Now that I think about it, you guys do kind of work, huh?”

“I think so.” She feels a bubbling excitement at the approval, watching Harry search over the menu. She probably looks like an insane woman - sitting, staring, smiling - but she can't help it due to how lucky she realizes she is. With that, she adds, “You know, you really were the perfect first boyfriend? I was spoiled.”

Harry’s pride in that shows as he gets a smug look and, “Yeah, you're lucky you had me.”

“Oh, whatever! See, this is why we would never have lasted. You're so arrogant.”

“Emma likes that most about me.”

Rolling her eye, Ruby snatches the menu right back out of his hands and snorts, “Keep telling yourself that, bud.”

<>

With this good news and relief, Ruby goes straight to Niall’s apartment. She doesn’t even remember that she drove her station wagon that day and left it sitting outside of the cafe. Her feet are moving too fast to the path that will get her to her almost-boyfriend to even think about it.

Knocking on his front door, she can hear that eagerness. If she were anyone else, she might’ve tried to tame it. And if Niall wasn’t so understanding, she definitely would’ve played it cool. He is understanding though, and even more so, he lives life giddily. Ruby can’t even imagine how bright his smile will be when she tells him the good news.

Though, that image gets put away when Niall doesn’t answer the door. Ruby waits nearly five minutes before she calls him. He doesn’t answer that either so she figures he’s busy doing something. Probably something that has to do with this new album of his.

She sends him a text.

Came by. You weren’t home. Text me when you are and I’ll be over xxx

It isn’t until midnight that night that it occurs to her that something could be wrong. And it takes until 6:30 the next evening before she decides that that is the only possible reason she hasn’t heard from him in over 24 hours.

What’s up? She sends and then five hours later, Are you mad at me?

After the most restless night of her life and still no text back, she can’t resist, You’re okay, right?

Ruby strolls around his block twice before she gets the courage to climb the three flights of stairs to his place. And then when she does dare to knock, she isn’t shocked when he doesn’t answer. But she is worried.

So she sits at his door and waits. From an outsider’s perspective, it has to be a creepy site - a sad girl with her head hanging between her knees for hours, waiting outside an apartment that isn’t hers.

Her phone dies at one point so she isn’t sure how many hours pass before Niall finally returns home but her best guess is 4.

“Niall.” She exclaims with a relief more satisfying than the one she felt after gaining Harry’s approval. Bouncing to her feet, she rushes to him. “Where have you been?”

He dodges away from her arms that are trying to wrap around his neck in a hug and walks to his door, keys in hand.

“Been busy.” He mumbles.

The smile only stays on Ruby’s face until she realizes that now she knows he’s okay, there has to be another reason he’s been ignoring her. She grabs his arm and pulls. “Hey, what’s really going on here? Why have you been ignoring me for so long if you’re not in the hospital or something?”

He doesn’t turn as he responds bluntly, “I just totally lost interest in falling for a girl who is still in love with my best friend.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Again, she pulls him by the crook of his elbow, this time getting him to look at her. The only emotion she can kind of recognize on him is indifference. “I am not in love with Harry.”

“I saw you guys having lunch together. You looked pretty damn smitten.” He comments sharply, unlocking his door and sliding inside, leaving it half open, clearly not done with the conversation even though he looks it.

“That definitely wasn’t what that looked like,” is the only cliche line that comes out, his stern brow rendering her incapable of saying the whole truth in that moment.

“It was just like high school all over again.” Niall’s tone took a turn, becoming one of laughing disbelief. His eyes are still cold and unfamiliar though, and he begins to frown again as he admits, “You know I tripped you when we were kids because I liked you, right? Young boys sometimes actually believe that bullshit about picking on a girl to get her attention. So it took a lot out of me to accept Harry was dating you when we were older. During the first five months of that relationship me and Harry almost stopped being friends. This all just feels too similar to that feeling to me, and I don’t wanna go through that again. Especially if you’re just going to be longing over a married guy.”

Niall breathes in deeply with the kind of exasperation after a confession like that. It caused Ruby’s head to go blurry, trying to recall any signs during high school that would’ve told her Niall was into her. All she comes up with, is him, fuzzy in the background. Except now she can’t even see Harry in the memories, just the warm figure that was Niall.

She isn’t paying attention to her surroundings when Niall slams his door, startling her back to the present.

Of course she knocks and knocks and knocks, with no clue how to handle what he’s just said in the correct way but every intention on trying her best.

Eventually, after he turns on music to drown out her persistence, she has to stop.

<>

Pink is all Ruby sees when she wakes up. Pink walls and curtains and pillowcases and bedspread. It’s all the same shade, reminding her of the time she picked it out when she was young, dumb, and seventeen years old.

Her dad is really a one trick pony, if she’s honest. So he only knows how to wake her up in the annoying way - loud knocking and playful jokes.

“Hey, Ruby.” His head is peeking through the door, possibly protecting his body from any of the pillow throwing she is prone to. “Something has arrived for you.”

“Ugh. Okay. I’ll be out in a second.” She pulls the blankets over her head and waits for her dad to leave. The door latches closed and she groans into her pillow. It is nearly impossible for her to be in a good mood without eight hours of sleep. And after what happened with Niall the night before, she assumes saying she got one solid hour would be shooting too high.

Nevertheless, she rolls out of her bed and uses the hair tie from around her wrist to pull half of her bed head into a somewhat acceptable bun.

She is still stumbling down the hallway, emitting a groggy yawn when she is completely startled to find what her dad woke her up for… Or rather, who.

Niall is standing in her living room, wearing the same clothes as the night before. Her dad is in the kitchen next to her mom, both holding coffee cups and watching her come to an abrupt halt.

The two twenty four year olds look each other up and down. And it's Niall who breaks first, doing a soft smile as he sheepishly admits, “Well, Harry ended up calling me last night.”

#niall horan #1dff #1dff summer fic exchange 2017

[motivatingspeech]

The Story Of Tommy Hilfiger: 15 Things You Didn't Know About Tommy Hilfiger

  The Story Of Tommy Hilfiger: An American fashion designer and Founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. 

Tommy Hilfiger was born on March 24th, 1951 as Thomas Jacob Hilfiger in Elmira, New York to jeweler Richard and Nurse Virginia. He was the second born of nine children and was raised a Catholic since launching. His namesake brand in 1985, Tommy Hilfiger has become globally renowned as the pioneer of classic American cool style. Inspired by iconic pop culture and American heritage, the designer and his brand are driven by an ever-optimistic vision to break conventions and celebrate individuality. Today, under Hilfiger’s guidance vision and leadership as principal designer, Tommy Hilfiger is one of the world's most recognized lifestyle brands that, shares its inclusive and youthful spirit with consumers worldwide. In fact, for a period of time, the very colors red white and blue were synonymous with the designer. He pioneered courting hip-hop artists in time before it was common practice, extending his brands reach even further.  

15 Things You Didn't Know About Tommy Hilfiger

1. As a child, Tommy Hilfiger Suffered From Dyslexia. In an interview discussing his book American dreamer, he elaborated on his childhood struggle with reading. He says he just had to learn how to read differently. Saying, he cured himself. It’s not like he took medication or went to a specialist. He says, he forced himself to read each word as it presented itself rather than attempting to speed read like an average person. 2.  Tommy Hilfiger Never Went To Design School He began experimenting with design in the early 70s. At the age of 18, he opened a store called the people’s place in Almira, Washington that sold hippie, supplies like bell-bottoms, incense, and Records. Wildly successful at first, Hilfiger soon had a chain of stores and a six-figure income but a downturn in the economy hit his business hard and he filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1977. That setback only motivated him to work harder. He’s quoted as saying: “I forced myself to learn the nuts and bolts of the business and not solely on the creative side. I got hyper-focused on it. I learned how to read a balance sheet, I figured out how to control expenses and figured out a way to build a business on a shoestring budget. In school, they teach you through case studies of other companies…I had my case study.” 3. He was fired from Jordache after only working one year in 1976. Hilfiger fell in love with Susie, an employee at one of his stores. The couple married and moved to Manhattan shortly after the bankruptcy. they were hired as a husband-and-wife design team by the apparel brand 'Jordache' but were fired after only one year Hilfiger developed a reputation as a hard-working, young designer and was considered for jobs at Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein, what he really wanted though was his own label. 4. He got his chance to launch that brand in 1984. Hilfiger was approached by Indian entrepreneur Mohan Moorjani, who was looking for a designer to head a men’s sportswear line. Moorjani allowed Hilfiger to design the label under his own name. Stealing the deal, the pair announced Hilfiger's arrival onto the scene with a blitz marketing campaign that included a bold billboard in New York City's Times Square, announcing Hilfiger as the next big thing in American fashion. In fact, Hilfiger told a reporter in 1986, that he thought he was the next great American designer, the next Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein. 5. Tommy Hilfiger has an estimated net worth of over 450 million dollars. It was in 1984, when Tommy Hilfiger Corporation was launched. In 1992, the company went public Hilfiger, sales went up and up from 107 million dollars in 1992 to 138 million dollars in 1993 and 227 million in 1994. By the mid-1990s they were close to 500 Tommy Hilfiger sections within department stores. About half the company's revenues came from sales at three big department store chains. As of 2004 the company already had more than 5,400 employees and was earning an annual revenue of more than 1.5 billion dollars. However, over time the company sales began to decline, which led Hilfiger to sell the company to the private investment firm Apax Partners for 1.6 billion dollars. And in March 2010, he sold Tommy Hilfiger Corporation to the owner of Calvin Klein Corporation Phillips van Heusen for three billion dollars. 6. The first-ever Tommy Hilfiger campaign was legendary. The line of Tommy Hilfiger clothing debuted in the fall of 1985 with an ad campaign that featured no clothes but declared that Hilfiger was the designer on par with Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis, and Calvin Klein. The ads did little more than inserting Hilfiger's name in the pantheon. Yet, this was somehow effective. The brashness of the strategy attracted attention in the fashion industry and caused comment by Johnny Carson and other notable people. The first ads were centered on New York City, using print and outdoor media. By 1987, the Hilfiger line was attracting more national attention with advertisements in people. USA Today, GQ, Sports Illustrated and other publications. The entire advertising budget for Hilfiger clothing was only 1.4 million dollars and ads appeared infrequently. However, they sure did make a splash with double-page spreads and because they featured words, logos or Hilfiger space, and no images of clothes or models they stood out from other fashion advertisements. George Louis, who helped create the ads for the firm Louis, Pitts, GGK, claimed in a March 1988 marketing and media decisions article, that he could not make Hilfiger's clothes look any better than anyone else’s, and therefore the ads sold an idea and not a particular fashion. According to one survey, after only two years of his ads, Hilfiger had succeeded in convincing 68% of sampled New Yorkers to name him as one of the top four or five important designers. 7. He received the title of the menswear designer of the year. In 1995 he received the title of menswear designer of the year, which was conferred by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. His once skeptical peers recognized him as one of the best. Hilfiger made a name for himself by prominently putting his name and logo on his clothes and marketing them to urban youth in a way that other American designers had not done. He harnessed a diverse following of consumers with his oversized, street style sportswear and relaxed all-American style of jeans, khakis, and polos, that began to be taken at the end of the 20th century. And to keep that name and logo prominent, Hilfiger invested a great deal in advertising. And the packaging of the product has surpassed any originality in the clothes themselves. He has raised the bar for fashion merchandising and image branding that has come to define American fashion. 8. He was a mentor to Sean Combs’ brand Sean John. When Hilfiger was asked if he had any regrets of helping Sean Combs’ build his business, only to have it take away market share from him, he said, “I’ve always been a mentor to younger designers and people who have asked me for my advice… I also think what’s meant to be was meant to be... I was happy to help young people, who come to me for advice... many people helped me along the way...” 9. He briefly shortened his brand name to Tommy Hill. This was back when he first established the company, but his business partner at the time, Mohan Murjani, convinced him to stick with his full surname to stand out in the business. Seems like that was great advice to follow. :D 10. He’s been accused of copying Ralph Lauren. From the outset, Hilfiger has been compared to Ralph Lauren. He has been criticized for copying Lauren's preppy style but gearing his signature: red, white and blue styles toward a younger market at more popular prices, Hilfiger, like Lauren has appeared in advertisements for his clothing line. Both men have used the American flag as an important marketing tool. Hilfiger has also replicated Lauren's business model. Even, employing former Lauren executives, to help build Tommy Hilfiger, which Hilfiger with backing from Silas Chow and Lauren's novel enterprises, bought from Murjani in 1989. Chow, then incorporated Tommy Hilfiger in Hong Kong following Lauren’s lead in lifestyle merchandising. Hilfiger expanded his franchise by opening a number of stores, whose interiors reflect the all-American-ness his clothing by signing licensing agreements around the world and by offering a range of lines such as underclothing, accessories, fragrances, home décor, designer jeans, women's wear, children's wear, and a higher-end menswear collection. Hilfiger spent fifteen million dollars in advertising to launch his men's fragrance “Tommy”, in 1995. Which at the time was the most money spent on a campaign for men’s fragrances. 11. The brand suffered major declines in the early 2000s. Around the year 2000, his professional success began to dwindle down as he started suffering from financial troubles. His designs started losing their popularity with the hip-hop artists and sales went down by 75%. Tommy may have rested on his red white and blue laurels for too long at the time, because trendier brands like FUBU, dominated urban fashion. While Tommy’s clothes build bargain bins at Bloomingdale’s and Macy's. Hilfiger tried a host of makeover strategies that didn’t work. A women's sportswear collection failed miserably. Sponsorships of Mary J Blige and Sheryl Crow concerts didn’t sell more Capri pants. And while one of its new fragrances performed well, it didn't turn around the company. Though, Hilfiger’s impressive growth had slowed dramatically from the 1990s. The company remained a popular and well-known brand. Along with traditional advertising, the company chose to tout its image using unique methods, including the purchase of the sponsorship rights to Long Island’s Jones Beach Theater, one of the most successful amphitheaters in the United States. and the sponsorship of a 50-foot sailing vessel, the ship was named the Tommy Hilfiger freedom America yacht and would be racing in the challenging 27,000-mile 9-month endurance alone around race, that would launch in New York City in September of 2002. For Tommy Hilfiger Corp., remaining afloat of the highly competitive ever-changing fashion industry would no doubt prove to be just as challenging. 12. Tommy Hilfiger has partnered with supermodel Gigi Hadid. Now going into their collection the collaboration between these two fashion forces has been a blast. The partnership has been equally beneficial for both of them. Gigi Hadid may have helped Tommy Hilfiger sell more bomber jackets, sweaters, and sailor outfits, but their partnership has apparently also been good for the supermodel. The designer said Hadid's social media following has grown exponentially since joining the brand. Hadid, has more than 48 million followers on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook today, more than twice the number she had before their collaboration. 13. He is leading the charge of inventory lists showrooms. Located at its global headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the digital showroom revolutionizes the sales experience for retailers by offering them a more engaging and seamless buying approach. The interactive system blends collection information, sales tools and brand content in one seamless touchscreen interface. Hilfiger told the Post that we don't have showrooms packed with clothes anymore. 13 of his 40 showrooms across the world are equipped with the IMAX Theater like technology and iPads, which show off his collection to buyers. the centerpiece of the digital showroom is an interactive 1/2 meter by one-meter touchscreen table, set in a sleek walnut frame that connects to a four-meter high wall to a wall grid of ultra-high-definition 4k screens. Customers can digitally view every item in the Tommy Hilfiger sportswear and Hilfiger denim seasonal collections and create custom orders all with product categories laid out across a single screen. They can view head to toe key looks, zoom in with incredible detail to see unique design features and click on a garment for specific information, such as color offerings and size ranges.   14. Tommy Hilfiger is launching clothing for adults with disabilities. After releasing multiple adaptive clothing collections for children last year the brand is adding a range for adults 37 men's and 34 women styles with modifications like Velcro closures, magnetic flies and adjusted leg openings to make it easier for people of all abilities to get dressed. Tommy Hilfiger collaborated with Magna ready and runway of dreams, a nonprofit that works to broaden clothing options for people with disabilities. 15. Tommy Hilfiger now serves as an ambassador for the brand and doesn’t have all the design responsibilities. He's quoted as saying I'm busier than I've ever been and I'm happier than I've ever been. I don't have the burden of all the day-to-day business... I feel that our leadership is better than ever and is as strong as any leadership in the entire industry... Daniel Grider who's the global CEO is leading the charge and believes very strongly in social media, and being on the edge from a technology standpoint that is one of the reasons why we’ve continued global growth it takes a very special person to have that vision. He’s very strong and confident in making decisions that keep us on the edge of technology. A Bonus fact of Tommy Hilfiger: Tommy Hilfiger used to hand out free clothing according to Ralph McDaniel’s, the creator of Video Music Box. Tommy Hilfiger would show up in predominantly black neighborhoods and open up a trunk with clothes and hand them out. It makes the malicious rumor that the designer doesn't like black people, wearing his clothes look even more ridiculous. Hilfiger's shrewd marketing move paid off big-time, as people who receive free clothing only ended up wanting more of it. McDaniel adds that it was like a drug dealer giving you a free hit. Suddenly, people started purchasing their own Hilfiger, including 90s icons, that made the label a staple in the hip-hop community. Hilfiger famously ended up on the backs of 90 stars like Snopp Dogg, Raekwon and more... Read the full article