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Winter Is Coming: Labor Shortage and Supply Chain Chaos in Post-Brexit Britain

Winter Is Coming: Labor Shortage and Supply Chain Chaos in Post-Brexit Britain

By: Iris An 2021 was supposed to be the year the U.K. breaks free from the European Union and forges ahead as a free trader, delivering the benefits of a new, confident “Global Britain” to workers and companies at home. Nevertheless, as the first winter after Brexit draws near, the country is in a precarious position, facing an onslaught of new economic crises with soaring gas prices, supply shortages, and a shortage of overseas workers such as HGV drivers.  Although the pros and cons of Brexit have been discussed for a long time, the crisis as the winter approaches has…
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Zimbabwe: From Hyperinflation to Hope

Zimbabwe: From Hyperinflation to Hope

By: Anton Kozyrev Zimbabwe has had a long road to its present-day state -- including from an economic standpoint. While the economic activity and history of the area dates back 100,000 years, including the emergence of kingdoms such as the Rozvi and Mthwakazi, the land that is today the Republic of Zimbabwe was integrated into the present-day economic system in the 1880s. This was, of course, when the area was colonized by European powers. After the Portuguese had tried unsuccessfully to invade, it was British mining magnate Cecil Rhodes who proved instrumental in enabling the British Empire to colonize the…
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Can Lucid Be the Next Tesla?

Can Lucid Be the Next Tesla?

By: Ke Tang Competitions in the electric vehicle industry are intense. Multiple electric vehicle startups are making promises to transform the automobile industry and beat Tesla, but only a few of themare performing well. Lucid Motors, a startup founded in Newark, California, is one of the playersin the EV industry with an ambitious game plan to come up with “the best car in the world.” Lucid’s mission is to inspire the adoption of sustainable transportation by creating themost captivating luxury electric vehicles centered around the human experience. On July 23,2021, Lucid Motors completed the previously announced merger with CCIV (Churchill…
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COVID-19 Booster Shots and Companies Going Back to Work

COVID-19 Booster Shots and Companies Going Back to Work

By: Gianna Minasian On Thursday October 21st, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC), in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),had approved booster shots for people over 18 years old for both the Moderna and the Johnson &Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer’s booster shot had already been approved weeks before. This approval came in the wake of President Joe Biden’s September directive that alllarge companies must require their employees either to be fully vaccinated or comply withweekly COVID testing. In the aftermath of Biden’s directive, companies are scrambling to create policies thatcomply with…
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Tesla Relocating to Texas

Tesla Relocating to Texas

By: Mi Nguyen Tesla, the multimillion automotive giant, is moving to Austin, Texas. The announcement was made by Elon Musk at a shareholder meeting on October 7th, after months of speculation and clashing between Elon Musk and California government officials. So, what is the motive behind this transfer - the COVID mandates enforced in California, or the benefits provided by Texas government? Elon Musk had made his opinion no secret on the COVID pandemic and COVID mandates that are being enforced throughout the United States. At the beginning of the pandemic in March, Musk had tweeted “The coronavirus is dumb”…
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The Reboot of Nintendo

The Reboot of Nintendo

By: Lexi Blakes If you were on TikTok during the first month of quarantine, then you were probably an onlooker to the peak of the Nintendo Switch craze. Although the console was released 3 years ago in 2017, quarantine proved to be advantageous for Nintendo, as the $300 devices were sold out for weeks at the peak of demand. Families were Target hopping in hopes of scoring one as stores sold out all over the country. As of May 6th, 2021, Nintendo had sold a total of 84.59 million switches, alongside an additional 587.12 million software sales, outselling both the…
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Can the Economy Promote Freedom? Breaking down the Debate at Freer Future Fest

Can the Economy Promote Freedom? Breaking down the Debate at Freer Future Fest

By: Rohan Upadhyay The Freer Future Fest - a libertarian conference in Nashville that was partially planned and run by the Vanderbilt Libertarian organization - hosted a debate on Saturday, October 9th, between political Twitch streamers Vaush and Bastiat. The conversation examined what “freedom” means and the types of freedom that society should prioritize to maximize people’s opportunities to experience fulfilling lives. Furthermore, the two commentators discussed how the institutions and regulations of the American economy promote and inhibit freedom in various ways. They debated how to reorganize our economy to promote greater opportunity.  While Vaush argued that “freedom” requires…
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A Perspective on the Swiss Alps

A Perspective on the Swiss Alps

By: Anton Kozyrev Dr. Brendan Cronin has seen it all. After a decades-long career in the hospitality industry that took him all over the world, including Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore, and Macau, he assumed a professorship at Endicott College in the United States. In this role, Prof. Cronin taught hospitality management and has had the unique experience of witnessing an entire industry grow and transform from various perspectives. Irish by birth, and Swiss by marriage, Dr. Cronin is now retiring and moving to Switzerland. And it is precisely in Switzerland that the hospitality industry continues to intrigue tourists and business leaders…
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A Chinese Company Who Appears to Be the Winner of World’s Micromobility

A Chinese Company Who Appears to Be the Winner of World’s Micromobility

By: Iris An It is quite common in Nashville to see people on scooters everywhere, a lot of whom are Vandy students riding to their classes, parties, or a movie. In front of Stevenson, Kissam, and the Central Library, white BIRD and black LYFT are parked together, waiting for someone’s phone to scan their codes.  In October 29, 2020, a most uncommon yet adorable scene appeared on the Shanghai Stock Exchange listing ceremony: a small delivery robot wobbled to the front of the bell, pulled out a mallet from the storage box, stopped and measured for a few seconds, and…
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