September 15, 2023

While South Korean car makers Kia and Hynudai face legal action from seven American cities, domestic auto companies also have their fair share of problems on the horizon. For weeks, Detroit’s Big Three–Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (owner of Chrysler)–have been deadlocked in negotiations with the United Automobile Workers (UAW). Representing more than 150,000 workers across the industry, the union has demanded a 36 percent raise over four years, pointing to rising inflation and big corporate profits. Carmakers, meanwhile, Continue reading

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September 13, 2023

On the massively popular app TikTok, searching for the trending topic “Kia boys” will result in hundreds of videos of people joyriding in cars. These aren’t overly enthusiastic owners, however: these users take advantage of the South Korean automaker’s lax security standards to steal vehicles for fun and Internet clout. For example, one video shows a gloved hand easily starting a car using just a screwdriver and a USB cable while a computerized voice repeats the phrase “this is why Continue reading

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September 8, 2023

When Major League Baseball groundskeepers prepare an infield before a game, not just any dirt will do. 26 out of 30 teams in the league depend on professional grade stuff made by Duraedge Products in Pennsylvania, which mines and processes Pittsburgh red bed claystone to create “infield mix.” This video follows the entire process from mining to mixing, showing how every year Duraedge transforms 30,000 tons of clay into a vital product for baseball teams around the country.

Questions:

  1. Why Continue reading
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August 25, 2023

For nearly a century, car companies all over the world have built life-size clay models of vehicles in order to make all sorts of design decisions. But don’t let the humble materials fool you: luxury brands like Bentley often spend more than $650,000 to make just one model. This video looks at the benefits of building these pricey prototypes during the development process and why virtual reality tools won’t entirely replace clay anytime soon. 

Questions:

  1. What are the advantages Continue reading
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August 18, 2023

The trucking company Yellow filed for bankruptcy in July after struggling for years with mounting debts and slim profit margins. The video below looks at how this low-cost carrier butted heads with unions while also failing to integrate acquisitions into its existing business, leading to the collapse of this century-old company. 

Questions:

  1. What are some factors that led Yellow to declare bankruptcy last month?
  2. Why is it difficult for low-cost carriers like Yellow to operate in the competitive trucking industry?
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June 28, 2023

For the last three years, travel over the Fourth of July weekend has decreased as Americans dealt with issues brought on by the pandemic. According to AAA, though, that won’t be the case in 2023. This year the country’s roads and airports will be jam-packed like never before, with more than 43 million Americans planning to drive 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend. That represents a 4 percent increase over 2019 and marks a new record for July Continue reading

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On rideshare apps like Lyft and Uber as well as platforms like Airbnb, customers are encouraged to rate their overall experience out of five stars. The general goal of these ratings is to inform both the company and future customers about an individual’s performance on the job. After all, if an Uber driver keeps their car dirty or swerves all over the road, then the rider can leave a low rating to reflect their subpar experience. Then again, that’s how Continue reading

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November 2, 2022

The Mississippi River serves as one of the nation’s most vital supply routes, with slow-moving barges carrying everything from agricultural products to oil and building materials. Due to a drastically dry spring and summer, however, the river is running too low at some points to allow vessels to pass through. This video looks at how plummeting water levels on the Mississippi are disrupting the plans of farmers and manufacturers who rely on the river to get their goods to market. Continue reading

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August 26, 2022

Global supply chains have been all out of sorts since the start of the pandemic, but for the most part traffic and delays have been isolated to ports on the Pacific. As the video below explains, though, bottlenecks have now moved to East and Gulf Coast ports that are unprepared for this influx of ships and container boxes. 

Questions:

  1. What are some reasons why shipping traffic and delays have moved from Pacific ports to East and Gulf Coast ports? Continue reading
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June 22, 2022

Americans traveled in droves over the busy Father’s Day and Juneteenth holiday weekend, leading to widespread delays and cancellations at airports despite the best efforts of carriers. All told, airlines canceled more than 5,000 flights over the weekend while almost a third of all arriving flights on Friday were delayed. Travelers experienced similar moments of chaos at airports over Memorial Day weekend, reflecting an industry struggling to return to normal after the pandemic.

According to airlines, poor weather and high Continue reading

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