Nov 23, 2021

Biden’s release of oil reserves is unlikely to ease gas prices

Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Also on today's show: What fall blockbuster releases mean for a Nashville theater and how the shipping container revolutionized global trade.

Segments From this episode

Biden's release from petroleum reserve probably won't move gas prices

by Andy Uhler

Nov 23, 2021

They're high because oil producers aren't ramping up supply quickly enough.

Oil producers' “incentives are all aligned to keep prices high," an expert says. "And that is going to create some real pain for consumers.”

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

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Malls turn to luxury retailers

by Matt Levin

Nov 23, 2021

Retail centers in wealthy neighborhoods with high-end shops have survived, but middle- and lower-tier malls may struggle.

Purveyors of luxury goods have largely fared better during the pandemic than lower-end shops.

Spencer Platt via Getty Images

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How the shipping container revolutionized freight and trade

by Kai Ryssdal and Daisy Palacios

Nov 23, 2021

Before the shipping container, goods were manually loaded into barrels and wooden creates.

Malcolm McLean realized it didn’t make sense to put entire trucks on a ship, so he came up with the container system.

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COVID-19

Mexican border town residents resilient despite pandemic isolation

by Annie Rosenthal

Nov 23, 2021

When the border closed between Big Bend National Park and Boquillas in 2020, it separated residents from their main source of income.

Pre-pandemic, thousands of tourists crossed through the Boquillas port of entry each year. The port connecting Boquillas to Big Bend National Park in Texas closed in March 2020 but reopened on Nov. 17.

Annie Rosenthal/Marfa Public Radio

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COVID-19

Zoom is part of the business model for some pandemic-era entrepreneurs

by Caroline Champlin

Nov 23, 2021

Zoom's earnings beat expectations, though some businesses are trying to move away from the platform. Others rely on it.

Some online cocktail companies have thrived on Zoom during the pandemic. Above, a woman enjoys a virtual happy hour in April 2020.

Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

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United States of Work

An independent movie theater eyes “momentum” heading into 2022

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst

Nov 23, 2021

“It really is beginning to look — dare I say it — a little normal,” said the executive director of Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre.

“It finally feels like we might walk into 2022 and see some consistency,” said Stephanie Silverman, executive director of the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville.

Photo by Tom Gatlin, courtesy Belcourt Theatre

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Music from the episode

Creep TLC

Wait a Minute! WILLOW

Sky's the Limit (feat. 112) - 2014 Remaster The Notorious B.I.G., 112

Cleva Erykah Badu, Roy Ayers

Rising Son Takuya Kuroda

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Daisy Palacios Senior Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer

Sean McHenry Associate Producer

Andie Corban Associate Producer

Richard Cunningham Associate Producer

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