January 28, 2025

TikTok turned its service back on for U.S. users after a 12-hour shutdown earlier this month, but the popular video-sharing platform is still blocked from American app stores while it faces legal uncertainty. That means people can’t download or restore the app if it gets deleted. As a result, unlocked cell phones that come preloaded with the popular social media video-sharing app have become a hot commodity on resale sites like Ebay and Facebook Marketplace. In many cases, sellers are Continue reading

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December 6, 2024

The luxury car brand Jaguar started in England in 1922 as a shop that built sidecars for motorcycles. When the British government stopped rationing steel at the end of World War II, the company was then able to purchase enough supplies to produce eye-catching sports cars. Flashy Jaguar vehicles went on to dominate international motorsport in the 1950s, giving the brand a global reputation as athletic and glamorous. But even as Jaguar grew to become the preferred automaker of the Continue reading

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November 26, 2024

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of a busy travel season at American airports as families trek across the country to celebrate the holiday with their loved ones. This year, AAA predicts more than 18 million people will travel by plane during Thanksgiving week, an increase of 6 percent over 2023. Three million people are expected to go through airport security on the Sunday after the holiday, which would tie the record set on the Sunday after this year’s Fourth of July. Continue reading

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November 8, 2024

A few weeks ago, we looked at how rising cocoa prices led to price increases for chocolate just before the Halloween season. The video below examines this global issue in great detail, from the struggles of cocoa farmers in Ghana to the effects of rising costs both on independent operators and major candy producers like Mars Wrigley. 

Questions:

  1. What are some of the issues affecting the livelihoods of Ghanaian cocoa farmers?
  2. How are independent businesses like Li-Lac Chocolates responding Continue reading
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October 11, 2024

Over the last few months, companies around the globe kept a close eye on American ports as a key union agreement neared its expiration date. The International Longshoremen’s Association, a union representing 50,000 members, demanded wage increases that met resistance from management. Unable to reach an agreement, the union went on strike at the beginning of last week. 

But not for long. Just three days after longshoremen at East and Gulf Coast ports walked out on their jobs, employers represented Continue reading

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October 10, 2024

Photography was once a specialized field where only trained professionals had the expertise to shoot and develop prints. Then in the late 19th century, Kodak released the first of many “point-and-shoot” cameras that would change the industry forever. The video below explores the fascinating history behind the “snapshot” and how technological innovations can bring niche products to a wider market. 

Questions:

  1. How did the introduction of point-and-shoot cameras change the photography market?
  2. Do you see any similarities between the Continue reading
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October 2, 2024

While Microsoft is staking the future of Xbox on cloud gaming, Nintendo has long depended on iconic properties like Mario and Pokémon to drive sales of its video game consoles. In fact, the Japanese company has been infamous for filing lawsuits to protect its intellectual property for about as long as video games have been around. In one notable example from the 1980s, Nintendo sued Blockbuster for copyright infringement after the video rental chain added games to its lineup Continue reading

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September 27, 2024

For decades, the video game console market has been dominated by two major players: Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s Playstation. While the latter has consistently outsold the former, in recent years Microsoft has been buying up game developers in an effort to control the software side of the business. The video below explores Microsoft’s bet on cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass, and whether the tech giant’s gamble will pay off in the long run.

Questions:

  1. Why do companies like Microsoft Continue reading
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September 20, 2024

When it comes to global commodities like coffee beans, even the slightest change in the environment or the economy can drastically change prices and supplies. That’s what happened in 2021 when a sudden and severe frost in Brazil destroyed 500,000 acres of coffee plantations, sending prices for unroasted coffee beans soaring. The extensive damage reduced the country’s coffee production by more than 10 million bags annually for three consecutive years. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of Arabica beans, the Continue reading

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September 12, 2024

Although wine corks might seem like simple items, the video below shows why they’re anything but. Along with examining the production and manufacturing processes around cork, this lengthy video also explains how one company uses it to produce everything from flooring to footwear.

Questions:

  1. What are cork companies like Amorim doing to address the shortage of skilled laborers needed for bark harvesting? 
  2. How did Amorim diversify its operations after a fungi infection nearly destroyed its cork stopper business?
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