by Randall Mikkelsen | 2 Nov 2022 | Decoders, Environment, Europe, Writing's on the Wall
Big business is eager to show its environmental and social credentials. But how can you tell if a firm is genuine — or merely greenwashing? British cyclist Neah Evans sports a Shell plc logo on her jersey at a race near Paris, France, 16 October 2022. (AP...
by Alan Wheatley | 29 Sep 2022 | Decoders, Economy
The exchange rates of countries’ currencies such as the U.S. dollar, euro or British pound may seem obscure. But they matter a great deal to all of us. Businessman falling from pound seesaw (Ikon Images via AP Images) Even when currencies are crashing and making...
by Sarah Edmonds | 27 Jul 2022 | Decoders, Economy, Educators' Catalog
Inflation is one of the biggest worries for Gen Z and Millennials. Here’s why you need to care about rising interest rates — and what you can do. A tip box is filled with dollar bills, New York, 3 April 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) For the first time in more...
On the same day the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates by another 0.75%, News Decoder correspondent Sarah Edmonds delivered a decoder breaking down an economic issue that has an impact on us all, especially young people. Using engaging and informative language, Edmonds walks the reader through the history of interest rates, how we got to the position we’re in now and what options lie ahead. In a time when nearly half of Gen Z and Millennials live paycheck to paycheck, this decoder provides concise advice for smart financial planning.
Exercise: Ask students to look up the average cost of a house and the average interest rate in the year they were born. How does that compare to today’s averages?
by Alan Wheatley | 3 May 2022 | Economy, Russia, Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to prompt firms to re-examine supply chains and bring business closer to home, even if that means lower profits. Pipeline taps at a chemical plant near Cologne, Germany, 6 April 6, 2022. Germany relies heavily on imports of...
by Stuart Grudgings | 7 Dec 2021 | Decoders, Economy, Educators' Catalog, Environment, Technology
They can fluctuate wildly in value. They can be hard to spend. They devour energy. But crypto currencies are here to stay and will surely bring changes. Photo by STRF/STAR MAX/IPx 2021 1/21/21, courtesy of AP Photos In the past few weeks, an iconic Los Angeles sports...
News Decoder is committed to explaining, in simple terms, complicated stories that appear over and over on front pages and in news broadcasts. For lack of time, money and space, most mainstream news organizations don’t take the trouble to explain the background to complicated issues and assume readers and viewers understand why the story matters. How many of us say to ourselves when running across a story on crypto currencies: “I need to educate myself about these things because they are not going away.” In his decoder, Stuart Grudgings explains how crypto currencies emerged, how they work and why they are with us to stay.
Exercise: Ask students to debate whether crypto currencies will eventually replace traditional money.