#the age of sims 2.5 part 26

[tripsterguru]

25 best beaches in Bulgaria

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25 best beaches in Bulgaria

A trip to Bulgaria to the Black Sea since Soviet times was a dream for many lovers of the warm sun. For this, there were many important positive aspects: the water contains little salt, there are no strong tides, low tides on the coasts (they are almost invisible), the whole season from May to mid-October T water is 22-24. Many territories with convenient infrastructure and clear water are marked with the “Blue Flag” sign. The coastal zones (they can be large, small, privately owned) are covered with soft white sand. Pebbles are rare. Most of the areas are state property, there is no need to pay for a visit. The price for a sunbed is about 2.5 €, for an umbrella 2 € per day. The only (very small) drawback of staying is a meeting with jellyfish.

Sunny Beach

It has long been considered one of the country’s tourist centers. The dream of the guests of the country is a stretch up to 100 m wide with a length of 10 km. It is all covered with a fine, golden coating. Natural dunes beautifully enclose it from the outside. Descent for swimming gentle, convenient for children. Fighting the dunes, the inhabitants of the country brought tons of soil here, built modern hotels, planted shrubs, trees, flowers, creating a real paradise for vacationers.

Sunny Beach quickly became prestigious among the countries of the Union, Europe. Its infrastructure is a place of continuous entertainment: banana skiing, water skiing, visits to the Deep Blue diving center, Aquapark Action water park, kitesurfing school, golf courses and other sports grounds. Many interesting attractions were created for children, trampolines, inflatable pools, slides, carousels were installed.

Along the entire section, places for rescue services and medical rooms were organized. If during the day cheerful children’s voices are heard next to the amazing castles built on a sand cover, then at night the surroundings sparkle with lights, music of discos

Golden Sands

One of the most expensive (party) resorts in Bulgaria. Climate, nature, night shows, water activities, interesting excursions attract young families, romantic couples, elderly people.

Subscribe to our channel in Telegram, where we daily post the most last-minute tours and flights. The beaches are conditionally divided into five parts:

central. Here are luxury McDonald’s hotels, Bulgarian fast food restaurants, casinos, night clubs, bars (such as the Bierkonig, Eiffel Tower, Mojito), Ferris wheel. These travel spots are most often shown on travel posters to Bulgaria;

wild. The southern section is about 200 m long. Here the passage into the water is rocky. Nudists come here; a small stretch of shore “Seagull North”;

land strip at the Admiral Hotel. The entrance is gentle, authentic taverns work, an interesting pirate bar;

Riviera complex. Here is a water entertainment center, swimming pools, restaurants, cafes, devices for procedures with mineral water.

Water activities include banana, water skiing, a visit to the water park (it includes extreme slides), games in a special children’s town. The entrance is comfortable, gentle in all segments. Nearby stands a pier with beautiful boats, yachts, which are invited to take walks. By the sea, hotels of different price values ​​were built. At night, the entire tourist area turns into a fun disco. You can arrive at Golden Sands from the airport in Varna. Along the entire territory there are several stops of various public transport.

Nessebar

The village is located in one of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria near the Black Sea coast. On a small peninsula of ancient rocks connected by a narrow road to the mainland. It rises a new city with modern hotels, restaurants, nightclubs. In the old town (on the peninsula), vacationers will enjoy a quiet summer pastime. You can choose a paid or free coastal strip. There are many locals offering a deck chair and umbrella for a specific amount.

It’s more profitable to buy them in the store for your own use. It’s good to know that there are often waves on the surface. Fans of surfing and other marine events are provided with many opportunities. For the safety of the children’s stay, the optimal descents to the water are indicated, rescue teams are constantly working. Excursions and independent walks introduce guests to the masterpieces of medieval architecture in Bulgaria. Nessebar is included in UNESCO lists and is often called the “city of 40 churches”.

Varna

In the north-east of the country lies one of the most famous resorts – this is Varna. The warm sea, beautiful nature, bright sun and unique attractions attract a large number of travelers in the summer. Here, the ruins of Roman baths, mosques from the time of the Ottoman Empire, etc. are preserved. Having accommodated in comfortable modern hotels, guests are in a hurry to plunge into the alluring waves faster, to run through the yellow surface. This can be done on the central beach.

The seabed is covered with soft sand, waves rarely appear, admission is free. There is a rental service for sun loungers and umbrellas. On the shore there are cafes, tennis courts, sports fields, a swimming pool. You can take part in various activities on the water. All summer the air temperature keeps around +24, 26 °, water – up to + 22 ° C. Winter at the resort is warm, the average temperature is about + 3 … +4 degrees. An important advantage of a vacation in Varna is the ability to undergo treatment, the prevention of many diseases.

Albena

It seems that shallow warm water, a wide area of ​​land, a bright sun calls here families with children of any age, elderly parents. Famous healing mud will complement their stay with useful healing procedures. The balneological center, known for its healing techniques, modern equipment, is located in Albena. The Baltata Nature Reserve has been established nearby.

Vegetables, fruits used in food are grown on the resort’s own farms. Children can build castles endlessly (a calm sea will not destroy them), participate in recreational games, swim in special pools, have fun in the new Aquamania water park or two Luna parks.

Adults are invited to learn paragliding, take part in a jeep safari, play on sports grounds, visit a horse base or a beach library (the only one in the country). The resort complex has several conference rooms and a modern congress center. You can take the whole family on an excursion to the residence of the Queen of Romania, Maria Edingburg. In a remote area allocated area for nudists.

Bourgas

The city is one of the largest settlements of the country with a well-developed leisure infrastructure. There are many modern hotels. In the center there is an equipped coastal strip, entertainment complexes for children and adults work. Arriving at the resort is easy: the city has its own auto and railway stations, airport, port. Sunbathing, basking in the gentle sunshine near the central region of Burgas, taking part in sports on the water, on land is especially pleasant in a temperate climate without drying out heat.

It helps to walk long, beautiful places. This is only at the famous Marine Park, where you can see a large number of sculptures dedicated to famous residents of Bulgaria, but also the picturesque surroundings of Burgas. A popular theater has been built in the center of the park. It often hosts interesting festivals, concerts, holidays. Fans of visiting the bath will enjoy the old buildings of the city. In small cafes, restaurants are invited to try national dishes, Bulgarian wines.

Dune

The young town grew up on the Black Sea coast next to high sand dunes, comfortably protecting the coastal stretch of land, and forming a warm, comfortable climate for a stay. Dunes are included in the area of ​​reserves “Velov Vir”, “Water Lily”, where storks and pelicans gather. Among the hills you can see sand lilies, which are not common. And on the water surface of Lake Alepu, admire the unusual yellow roses, water lilies.

A distinctive feature is that having chosen a place of residence in a particular hotel, you can eat, have fun in any other hall located in the tourist zone. The coast is covered with fine sand of golden color, the bottom has a gentle, safe descent. The increase in depth goes smoothly, which is pleasant to children.

The water park has attractions that are of interest to visitors of any age. The resort’s amphitheater constantly hosts live show music shows. In the evening, melodies of cheerful discos ring. Along the southern part of the coastal area there is a wild part without modern infrastructure. She attracts people for summer solitude.

Obzor

The settlement is located at the foot of the Stara Planina Mountain. Between two capes of the Black Sea stretches a piece of land that is part of the beach of Obzor. The length of the strip covered with golden sand is about 6 km. From the land side it is protected by hills, thickets of lush vegetation. Along the coast there is a promenade, a favorite place for vacationers to walk.

Cozy cafes, restaurants, filled with delicious national dishes, wines, are also built here. Three sections are conventionally distinguished in the coastal strip. In the central part (the widest), the largest number of people have a rest. Outskirts are always less crowded. Everywhere there are necessary infrastructure elements: changing rooms, toilets, shower.

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Hire of chaise lounges, umbrellas, cafe, bars. As entertainment, it is proposed to take part in rental catamarans. Small mountains, sand hills, forests of conifers create a pleasant, healing atmosphere. Due to its mild climate, Obzor is popular among people of different ages. A place to stay is easy to find in numerous private homes, hotels of various levels.

Byala

  In socialist times, a well-known international children’s camp worked here. The long (not very wide eco-strip) is surrounded by picturesque hills decorated with lush vegetation. There is enough space for games on equipped sports fields, launching kites, lazy use of sun loungers, umbrellas. Original water slides, horse racing on bananas, swimming with a mask, the best conditions for diving, jet skiing, aquaplaning are available daily (there are no dangerous tides).

From Obzor to Byala it is easy to walk along wild areas. On the coastline with complex ledges, bays there are many cozy places. Having studied the deep earthly layers, scientists discovered traces of ancient life in the vicinity of the city. There are very few places on the planet where dinosaur tracks are hidden almost at the surface of the earth (Mongolia, Grand Canyon, Australia, South Africa). Excursions here will be interesting to children. In modern times, many vineyards have appeared nearby. Wines, known in Europe, are invited to try in the existing tasting room.

Pomorie

The proximity of Lake Pomorie complements the attractiveness of a trip to this region of Bulgaria. Salts and healing mud of the lake are known for their healing qualities. The coverage of coastal land has a dark shade due to the high content of lake iron, manganese. Effective medicinal layers of the soil lie deep, are extracted with the help of special devices and are used in medical procedures of rooms of sanatoriums, health centers.

Together with marine factors, a unique microclimate is formed in the zone. For the stay, there are 9 sections, separated by mounds of stones. Among them are ennobled, wild, paid, free plots. Enjoy the conditions of the resort is offered on two main sections of the coastal strip: central and eastern. In the center, two sections stand out: with dark and golden sand. A gentle, safe descent is here in a small area. The bottom is rocky, depth is rapidly increasing, often large waves appear. The clean, well-groomed area of ​​the eastern part is popular.

It often hosts sports, parties, there are permanent places for sun loungers. The passage into the water is gentle, there are no stones, a small depth allows you to quickly warm up, which is convenient for trips with children and active swimming in early June. Pomorie has a water sports center. It is possible to rent a catamaran, jet ski, water skiing. Along the coast there are numerous sports fields, cafes, restaurants, spa salons. Equipped children’s towns with attractions.

Kara-Dere

A modern person more and more often has a desire to live in a corner of nature, remote from city noise. Only the sea wind, golden sand, the wonderful world of plants, mountains, hills is accessible to man. Such a place is the coastal strip between the settlements of Goritsa, Byala, Bulgaria. Rocks, thickets protect the recreation area from the external sea, without violating the wonderful conditions for surfing, other entertainment without the presence of organized infrastructure.

Here you will not find modern hotels, hotels. Only the sea, the endless rows of vineyards, the steppe, forests, the proximity of the swamp with its healing breath. Wild living is accompanied by information from an ancient legend: once here, pirates hid gold stolen from Turkish troops. The treasure gradually formed an amazing golden hue of the coating along the coast. Artists, writers, ordinary romantics seek to come here. At 6 km, land is always free. Even at the peak of the season, no one bothers to indulge in their own fantasies, to have fun among the gentle waves.

Kawaziti

It was forbidden to build hotels (there are few of them) and other institutions on this place of the Black Sea coast. You can come here from Sozopol. To do this, you can use the services of a red or green train for 3 leva (depending on the route). Come to fall in love with one of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria forever. Amazingly clean area, covered with fine golden sand, without a single pebble, sparkling clean sea without a hint of algae.

Majestic dunes approach directly to the shore. Between the sandy mountains are paths. They are not completely naked: in an amazing way, exotic plants grow among the golden sand. Along the shore there is a wooden path for the passage of vacationers. Equipped with changing cabins, toilets, showers, cafes, lifeguard towers. There is even a bathhouse.

There is a rental service that offers jet ski, banana, jet ski, boat rental. You can ride a parachute. It is interesting that throughout the area there are separate places for being with a dog and nudists. The entire resort area of ​​Kavatsite (translated as “poplar”) consists of camping with a bungalow, a place for 200 tents, several new hotels, villas.

Arkutino

You can get there by car or stay at the expensive hotel Arkutino Family Resort. This is a paradise piece of nature, hidden from civilization, giving people unusual emotions, revealing some secrets of the plant, natural world. For example, find out what a tertiary relic is that makes up the coastal strip.

How do rare sand lilies develop on dry sand? Why do water snakes reign on Snake Island (they do not sail to the tourist area) and cacti grow. It is impossible to cross the mouth of the Ropotamo River, which is part of the protected nature reserve. The neighborhood of the river forms cycles, strong currents. Prohibition posters warn about this. The beach is surrounded by picturesque cliffs.

It is covered with soft sand, has a gentle passage into the water. There are two bistro bars on site. It offers refreshing drinks, delicious dishes. Fans of active entertainment can take advantage of the windsurfing school (even beginners). On a special route that goes along the beautiful wild places of the coast, you can take walks to other areas of the Ropotamo Nature Reserve.

Ustieto

The coastal strip of the Black Sea in Bulgaria can have sand, shell, pebble. At the same time, many have rocky stretches and not very convenient descents into the water. At some points, the depth originates near the coast. These places include the area on a sand spit Ustieto near Sinemorets village. It is a tranquil resort surrounded by the Strandja Nature Park. Sea waves are washed on one side, and the mouth of the Veleka River and Strandzha Mountain are on the opposite side.

Sand, a transparent bottom covered with fine sand, lack of wind make the rest here very comfortable. A negative point for swimming children is a sharp increase in depth. It does not seek to come to a family with children. The almost wild region belongs to sparsely populated areas. Unspoiled nature, beautiful surroundings attract adults, lovers of solitude, silence, nudists.

Butamyata

The cozy village of Sinemorets is located next to the bay, bordered by a golden stripe, decorated with umbrellas, sun loungers. Despite the reliable protection from the northerly winds, waves that are loved by surfers are often formed on the sea. The coastline is guarded by cliffs with strange natural outlines. Their form causes different comparisons among vacationers. It is interesting to see among them, for example, the real head of a lion, the spread wings of a mysterious bird.

The infrastructure of the site allows you to take a deck chair, ride on the sea surface on water skis, jet skis, a banana, take part in various sporting events on land and water. Test your strengths in using the original flying “water satchel”. The beach is surrounded by a forest belt, in the shade that you can hide from the sun. Near a wide, spacious coastal strip there are several bars, pizzerias, restaurants, convenient parking for cars, sparkling new hotels.

Gold fish

The gentle wind, the salty spray sparkling in the sunshine call here bold, courageous romantics. They dream to conquer the snow-white scallops of the sea waves and realize the most daring romantic adventures. There is no modern infrastructure for beach holidays, luxury hotels. On the coastal territory only designated places for mounting tents are designated, toilets, showers with hot water are built.

But on the other hand, there is a surf school (it offers rental boards), a large number of restaurants offering unusually delicious dishes. At a campsite at a distance of 3 km from the town of Sozopol, lovers of active surfing and a quiet, secluded stay among the wildlife on gentle ground, in the flow of constant sea wind gather. The name (about 5 km long) was received by analogy with a camping. Paid parking is available on site.

Harmani

A popular place to visit Bulgaria is the small resort village of Sozopol. On its streets you can see the buildings of the cultural heritage of the country. On three beach sites, it’s great to relax and have fun. Rocky capes, protruding far into the sea, formed here cozy bays with warm water, lack of wind, comfortable living conditions in the city. The beaches of Central, Harmanite (Harmni) are popular.

The latter option was created in the southern part of Sozoplya (a short distance from the city center) and is considered an alternative proposal compared to the crowded Central. Beach infrastructure is thought out for any type of recreation for adults and children. Along the recreation area there is a calm, green alley for pedestrians. This is Ropotamo street with numerous cafes, restaurants, retail outlets. Along the coastal strip (its length is about 1 km) there are sports and playgrounds. A variety of sports equipment is available for water events.

Cabacum

Despite the fact that the beach paradise is located at a distance of about 10 km from the capital, the locals most often visit it. A coastal strip with a length of about 1.5 km is born near the Hotel Journalist. The construction of a large number of hotels is limited to high hills. Hotel guests descend along a path about 100 m long. There is a public transport stop nearby. When traveling by car, the hotel buildings, towering above the surroundings, serve as a good guide.

You can go to the sea along the coarse sand without shells (this is a distinctive feature of the coating). The sand spit is rapidly leaving for the sea, creating great depth. On the seabed, rocky patches are often found. Fenced areas are designated for children. Even experienced swimmers should not be allowed to swim. Fans of scooters, water skiing, catamarans, boats are invited to use a specific site. Separately allocated paid site belonging to the hotel.

Primorsko

On the cape, acting between Burgas and Sozople, is the resort settlement of Primorsko. It has long become a center of youth travel in Bulgaria. Here is the famous Primorsko International Center. The coastline allows you to engage in exciting water activities. There are differences for recreation in the North and South beach area. Surf fans reign in the north. The length of the plot is about 2 km and the wind is constantly blowing here. Families with children come to the southern part.

It is always quiet, calm, warm and very beautiful. Smooth, safe passage to the water, a variety of playgrounds, and excellent infrastructure make it possible to spend carefree (for parents) days here. Large pebbles on the seabed make the water especially transparent. Coastal cafes, restaurants always offer to try delicious dishes, feed the children. The outskirts of the beach area make it easy to get amid a deserted, secluded place.

Shkorpilovtsi

At a distance of 40 km from Varna is a unique (the longest in the country) place for summer travel. Here you can not hear the music of noisy discos, daily parties. Only natural songs of wind, forest, waves, extraordinary silence fill the surroundings. Despite the fact that a provincial village with a large number of hotels has been built nearby for a long time. Comfortable conditions are provided for families with small children.

In the protected area there are cafes, children’s, sports grounds. Sports equipment rental for water activities. Convenient locker rooms, showers, toilets, the issuance of sun loungers, umbrellas. A special children’s pool is equipped. The size of the beach segment allows you to create any conditions here. Fans of living in a tent with a bonfire will find a permitted place. Forest, rocks in separate sections approach the water, creating cozy corners for spending the night. They come to Shkorpilovichi even after the close of the holiday season to take wellness treatments in mineral springs.

Beach at the camping “Romance”

Among the pristine beauty of the Longoz National Reserve, the Kamchia resort has grown. This is a sports and health ensemble of a secluded place at a distance of 30 km from Varna. The southern part is adjacent to the beach area leading to the camping “Romantic”. People striving to come here, dreaming of silence, beautiful nature, the gentle sea, the lack of achievements of civilization.

Pure air, the aroma of a pine forest together with marine odors are filled with the healing power necessary for the modern rhythm of life. The lack of beach infrastructure, the usual water activities do not complicate the stay and do not violate the natural silence of nature. There is no problem in choosing a private car parking. The main attraction is nature.

Healing springs, the Kamchia River increase the interest of tourists. In good circumstances, you can meet its inhabitants turtles. You can stay at the campsite, where there are bungalows, places for tents, caravans, several bars, shops with groceries. People of Varna like to come here on weekends, on a picnic, fishing.

Bolata

Notice the golden strip near the water itself, intended for a fabulous vacation is not so simple. The unusual horseshoe-shaped space is securely hidden behind the protruding cliffs, dense forest. Lying on the hot sand, you can look at the mysterious entrances to the ancient rocky caves for a long time. The remnants of ancient dwellings, unsolved by mankind, the secrets of the life of primitive houses set up for special, philosophical thoughts.

Sailing dolphins seem to know them and try to tell something, smiling cheerfully with their kind smile. On snow-white land provides everything you need for bliss on the banks of a beautiful bay. Inside it splashes warm shallow water, and then the favorite places of divers begin: the depths of the sea. The underwater world is rich and beautiful. As entertainment, boat trips, water skiing, flights over the bay are offered to see all the beauty of Bolata.

Sveti Vlas

It is difficult to find a better option for beach pleasures than the resort of Sveti Vlas. Especially if you plan to travel with children. Pure sea air together with coniferous forest volatile products is filled with healing properties that help get rid of many childhood colds. The sun shines here from May to October, the sea warms up well. Hot, fine sand fills the shore. It is divided into paid and free areas.

A stone, low wall that goes into the water separates them. Nearby are alleyways of acacias, majestic pines, beautiful flowers. A slight drawback is the presence of wind. But windsurfing enthusiasts are permanent residents of these conditions. In the recreation area, there are rental points for various sports equipment for entertainment on the water, sports grounds. It has its own yacht club, which allows you to make interesting sea voyages. All three parts of the Black Sea coast belonging to the resort of Sveti Vlas comply with international safety requirements and are awarded the Blue Flag sign.

Irakli

Closed by the dense forests growing near the water, the beach is located in a protected area protected by the state. There are no huge hotel complexes. Noisy cities are in the distance and do not violate the environmental features of the recreation area. The nearest tourist complex is the resort “Sunny Beach”. The infrastructure consists of many elements of a beach holiday. Rescuers are working, a medical care center.

The disadvantage is the relatively low water temperature. This is due to the presence of a river current. The descent into the water is shallow, the bottom does not have sharp stones, rocky ledges. Conditionally used shore is divided into three parts. Almost all infrastructure is organized in the northern part. There are two cafes, the restaurant “Panorama”.

In the southern territory of the resort of Irakli are camping, tents, places for a wild presence. The third part was reserved for nudists. The widest space of the strip is located near the mouth of the Vaya River, is a paid site called Vaya Beach. Irakli is located near the village of Emon, Burgas region. Nearby is the eastern point of the mountain system of the country of Stara Planina – Cape Emine. You can come here by private car or taxi.

Saints Constantine and Helen

The abundance of greenery, mild climate, the existing mineral springs attract elderly people, families with small children, believers. This is the only place in Europe where, under the altar of the altar of the church of St. Constantine and Helena, a healing spring operates. Since ancient times, powerful holy qualities have been attributed to him. And the holy relics of the martyr Valentine can be asked for help, intercession. Along with relaxation under the hot sun, therapeutic procedures are offered at the resort’s balneological centers (mud therapy, apitherapy, reflexology, massage) under the supervision of specialists.

The resort is located between Varna, Golden Sands. Here, coastal cliffs formed a cozy, warm bay. About 3 km stretches a golden strip of land. The passage for swimming is gentle, safe. Part of the flows from mineral springs mixes with the waves, saturating the water with calcium, bromine, magnesium ions, sulfates, and other useful compounds.

The beach surface has a gray tint, contains quartz, useful for the human respiratory system. For people who love an active type of travel, numerous participation in exotic bays formed by rocks are offered here. The main attraction is the government residence building. A staircase leads to the architectural construction of the New Baroque style, it is surrounded by a garden, fountains.

[businessliveme]

Army of Women Earning $4 a Day Could Be Behind Your Next iPhone

(Bloomberg) — On a steamy summer morning, dozens of buses pull up outside a cluster of low-slung, blue buildings in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Women dressed in colorful salwar kameezes disembark, their dupatta body scarves billowing as they make their way past hibiscus bushes and posters proclaiming, “Our aim, no accident.”

The night shift at Foxconn Technology Group’s mobile phone plant in Sri City is ending, and thousands of young women are punching out as others stream in to replace them. One of the arrivals is Jennifer Jayadas, a tall, slim 21-year-old who lives several miles away in a two-room hut with no running water.

Jennifer Jayadeva, 21, (in spectacles) inspects mobile phones on the factory shop floor of Rising Stars Mobile India Pvt. Ltd. at Sri City in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India on Thursday, 11th July, 2019. Photographer-Karen Dias/Bloomberg

After gobbling down a free breakfast of chapatti flatbreads with a potato-and-pea curry, she dons a checked white hat, apron-shirt, static-resistant footwear and tiny finger gloves.

Then Jayadas takes her place at a testing station where she will spend the next eight hours making sure the volume, vibration and other phone features work properly. “Smartphones used to be all made in China,” she says. “Now, we make them here.”

Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., opened its first India factory four years ago. It now operates two assembly plants, with plans to expand those and open two more. India has become an important manufacturing base as the Taipei-based company looks to diversify its operations beyond China

Succeeding in India has become all the more urgent since U.S. President Donald Trump launched a trade war last year and announced tariffs on thousands of products manufactured in China, including the gadgetry Foxconn makes for Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and others.

In late August, Trump ratcheted up the rhetoric—ordering American companies to start pulling out of China and citing a national security law as justification. He backed off two days later, but many companies have resigned themselves to an inevitable and costly rethinking of their global supply chains.

“It’s a good business principle not to put all your eggs in a single basket,” says Josh Foulger, who runs Foxconn’s India operations. “We have to find viable and reliable alternatives. Obviously the alternative location has to be competitive. We can’t put a factory in Mexico for manufacturing mobiles. It might have worked 10 years ago, it just won’t work today.”

Foulger, 48, grew up in Chennai and attended the University of Texas in Arlington, before returning to India in the mid-aughts to set up manufacturing for Nokia. He joined Foxconn four years ago to help founder Terry Gou establish assembly plants in India, now the world’s fastest-growing smartphone market.

Foxconn’s first India facility started in 2015 in Sri City, a special economic zone where goods can be imported and exported with limited red tape and foreign companies make everything from diapers to train carriages. Foxconn’s plant employs almost 15,000 workers—about 90% of them women—and assembles phones for various manufacturers, including local best-seller Xiaomi. In recent months, workers began testing and assembling Apple’s iPhone X, which will be sold in India first and eventually exported.

A second mobile phone factory opened in 2017 in Sriperumbudur, about two hours by road from the first facility. It employs 12,000 and is partially automated. “By 2023,” Foulger says, “both factories will be much larger and we’ll add two more locations.”

Foxconn currently ships parts in from China, but hopes one day to manufacture displays and printed circuit boards locally. Foulger is angling to capture a third of the domestic smartphone market and 10% of the global one (up from a 2.5% share today). Eventually, he plans to add other products, including Amazon Echo speakers, to the mix. “Until now, India has made for India,” he says. “Soon India will make for the world.”

Seated in an office overlooking the hubbub of the Sriperumbudur plant, the strapping, bearded executive ticks off India’s pluses: labor costs that are half that of China’s, a vast pool of workers including talented engineers, a government eager to help.

They have a staunch partner in Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is under pressure to bring down a jobless rate that currently exceeds 6%. His government’s four-year-old “Make in India” policy seeks to turn the country into a manufacturing power by offering incentives to foreign companies to open factories. “The plan is to expand India’s $25 billion phone manufacturing to $400 billion by 2024,” says Pankaj Mahindroo, who heads the Indian Cellular & Electronics Assn. “A substantial portion of it will be for the export market.”

There’s a long way to go: A mere 700,000 electronics manufacturing jobs have been created since Make in India started, according to Mahindroo’s industry group. Skilled workers such as industrial designers are in short supply, and there isn’t yet much of a supplier network providing crucial components such as batteries, semiconductors and processors. “India is not there yet,” says Anshul Gupta, a senior research director at Gartner India. “But things are beginning to fall in place. India can bolster its manufacturing capacity and help the world cut its reliance on China.”

Foxconn was integral to China’s transformation into a manufacturing colossus, and Gou has told Modi that Foxconn could help India do the same. But it took China 30 years to get there. “China’s advantage was its massive labor pool that could produce quite cheaply, and they built on that by investing heavily in logistics and transportation,” says Andrew Polk, a founding partner with Trivium China, a Beijing-based research firm. “Even as their labor pool advantage is dissipating, they have invested in processes and systems so they can produce efficiently at scale and get the goods to the market.”

Catching up will require the Indian government and private sector to invest heavily in roads, rails, ports and other infrastructure. “When China did it, global supply chains were fragmented and there wasn’t another China,” Polk says. “India will not only have to get it right but they have to get it right in a way to better China, and trade wars can only help at the margins.” China also had the benefit of being able to grow without worrying too much about the environmental impact. With concern about climate change growing, “that’s not going to fly these days,” he says.

As a two-decade veteran of supply chains in India and elsewhere, Foulger is painfully aware of the challenges. “I can twirl my mustache and say, ‘India can replicate China,’” he says. “The reality is that we have shortcomings.” While the state government provided land, water and power connections for the Sriperumbudur facility, Foxconn, Dell, Flextronics and other companies banded together to build the industrial park for their factories. Even so, Foulger still needs to ferry in water for his thousands of workers because Chennai city and nearby areas have a severe water shortage.

Foulger decided early on to recruit mostly women. Female factory workers are commonplace in China, but unusual in India, where rural women are typically consigned to unpaid household or farm work. Women in this region weren’t even allowed to work at night in factories until the local government and the courts intervened four years ago.

It was Foulger’s mother who planted the idea and persuaded him to give women the opportunity. A teacher whose students often hailed from underprivileged backgrounds, she told him girls are curious, hard working and committed but family circumstances prevent them from going to college. Many are forced to start work early or are pushed into marriage and child rearing at a young age.

Foulger says that because most Indian manufacturers prefer to hire men, it was easy to hit his hiring targets. But he’s had to make accommodations. For instance, the air conditioning had to be turned up to 26 degrees because the woman have never experienced it before. A line manager brought up the issue of sanitary hygiene, and Foulger was initially hesitant. What would be the reaction in their villages, he wondered? Still, he listened and had sanitary pad dispensers installed in the washroom. Foulger also has to pay for extra security for his female recruits and provide buses and dormitory accommodation for those who live far from the factories. But he says it’s well worth the extra cost because “women work hard and appreciate the chances given to them.”

Over the years, Foxconn has been criticized for grueling working conditions at its China factories. A string of suicides of young migrant workers earlier this decade shocked the world and prompted the company to create a help hotline, boost pay and install safety netting to discourage jumpers. In August, Foxconn fired two executives at a Chinese plant that assembles devices for Amazon after a labor group alleged it slashed wages and flouted laws to help deal with rising U.S. tariffs.

During visits to Foxconn’s two India factories, there was no visible sign of sweat-shop conditions. Workers there mostly complain about the monotony. From the minute they enter the shop floor to the end of an eight-hour shift, work repeats in a relentless cycle. The daily production target has to be met at all costs. Row upon row of women put together each phone part by part, inspecting each handset for visible defects. Shivaparvati Kallivettu, 24, spends her days testing the phone’s audio and examining batteries and SIM card trays, explaining that her main respite comes every morning in the factory canteen when she has breakfast with four close friends.

Most women take the jobs with specific goals in mind, such as sending their kids to better schools or clearing family debt. The pay hoists them over the poverty line. Jayadas gets about 9,000 rupees monthly ($130, which is about a third of the average Chinese factory wage), free bus rides and two wholesome meals. To help avoid tedium, the company teaches workers at least 10 skills in the testing, packing and assembly sections of the line so they can be rotated to different jobs. Still, many of the workers treat the job as a stop-gap. Recently, 400 women failed to show up for their daily shift. Managers discovered they were all taking the government’s teacher recruitment exam—a job that pays a third of what they make at Foxconn but provides less tangible compensations.

After her shift, Jayadas boards the bus, reaching her home a little before 4 p.m. She helps with the cooking, then fetches 12 buckets of water from a street tap for the family’s daily needs. Her father’s income repairing radios and DVD players is meager and erratic, and her entire paycheck goes to her parents. “First, the house has to be fixed,” Jayadas says gesturing toward the flimsy roof and decrepit walls. “Then, I want to save up for a beautician’s course.”

The post Army of Women Earning $4 a Day Could Be Behind Your Next iPhone appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

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[theageofsims]

The Age of Sims 2.5 - Part 26 - “Officially Spoken" *Warning: Mild Mature Themes / One Curse Word

"I'm not bowling." William began, making himself perfectly clear. "So don't ask me when I get there because I'm telling you right now."

"We're just having the party at Zippy's because last year we had a ton of stuff go missing from our house." Nina stated, looking at him only. "Anyway -- how long are you going to avoid the lanes? You had one fall."

"And I don't want another. It'll only slow me down."

"Oh?" Nina raised her eyes in curiousity as he looked towards Gloria. "What's gone on since the last time I've seen you?"

William looked at Gloria, hesitating for a few seconds, then sighed. "You're not going to let this go unless I give you an answer, right?"

She nodded. "You know me pretty well."

"Alright then. We're together."

"Like fucking?"

Gloria looked at Nina like she wanted to slap her across the face.

"No." William said immediately, feeling so off from having been asked such a question considering he hadn't heard anyone ask anyone that for years and years and years. "We're in a relationship." He knocked Gloria with his elbow and cleared his throat.

Gloria nodded. "We are…" She saw the wheels turning in Nina's head. "But it's all very new so don't go and… let it get to your head."

She threw her head back and laughed loudly.

"I mean it, Nina." Gloria warned her.

She continued to laugh.

"What's so funny?" William decided to ask.

"She's planning something." Gloria answered him.

"Oh come now, Gloria… me?" Nina erupted into laughter all over again. "It's just that… I gave up on the both of you after all…this…time." She squeaked. "What'd he have to do to change your mind?"

"I asked her to be in a relationship." He was completely honest.

"That's kind of regular, Will."

"I know…" He couldn't help feeling a bit sheepish about the whole thing. "I should have asked from the start."

"It's fine." Gloria reminded him, "I wouldn't have accepted back then. I wouldn't even have given you a chance." She sighed. "I mean, you literally came to my front door with homemade lunch and told me you wanted to get to know me better… and even that hadn't been enough."

The both of them stood there feeling like two idiots -- a pair of idiots with no one to really point the finger at.

Gloria grew annoyed with Nina's laughing. "Hey Nina -- had enough?"

"With the both of you? Never!" Nina continued laughing, but eventually stopped when Gloria had started to make comments about not going to the Halloween Bash. "Alright -- no need to get upset." She rolled her eyes. "So does that mean you both are coming together?" She raised her eyes before bursting into laughter. "Honestly -- I did NOT mean it the way it sounded… that one just slipped, I swear." She reduced her laughter to giggles. "I never thought I'd be so amused by such news."

"I'm sorry--" William offered, looking at Gloria.

"What are you apologizing for? You haven't done anything wrong."

"Okay, but--" He tried to explain, but Gloria ignored him.

"Are you finished?" Gloria asked Nina.

"Finished? Honey, I'm just getting started."

"One more comment -- or question… or suggestion, and--"

"Okay, okay -- alright, alright -- I got the message. At this point I'm just laughing and giggling because I'm just riding this natural high wave I seem to be on… promise." Nina batted her eyes.