"Avatar" sequel: rebooting the Hollywood-China romance?

Dec 16, 2022
"The Way of Water" debuted in China and the U.S. on Friday amid tense relations between the countries. A simultaneous theatrical release is a big deal.
A marketing poster for "Avatar: The Way of Water" in Shanghai. The movie was released simultaneously in the U.S. and China despite the chilly relations between the two countries.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

When school buses are delayed, the costs add up

Dec 15, 2022
Nearly 8% of all transportation positions in American public schools were vacant as of this October. The lack of staff can lead to delays.
A school bus pulls up to Dumbarton Middle School in Baltimore County, Maryland, on Dec. 13.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

For many Chinese workers, the country's zero-COVID policy has tested family bonds

Dec 12, 2022
Most workers who leave small towns for higher pay in big cities can't bring their families with them. For nearly three years, travel restrictions have kept them apart.
A masked factory worker works on a machine line.
Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Under China's new COVID rules, some face the same old restrictions

Nov 18, 2022
"It's really down to the person enforcing the rules," said one lawyer who was detained at a train station.
Some Chinese citizens are complaining of arbitrary local enforcement of strict COVID-19 policies, even after the announcement of softened virus measures.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

What it's like returning to China's zero-COVID bubble

Nov 17, 2022
China is simplifying some of the rules to enter its zero-COVID bubble, but many hurdles remain.
Passengers from Pak's flight from Toronto in November are welcomed by staff at Shanghai's Pudong airport in hazmat suits.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

The pandemic delayed milestones in millennials' lives

Nov 8, 2022
Everyone lost time, but for millennials, they were years often marked by dating, marriage and family formation.
An embryologist works at a reproductive medicine center. More women are freezing their eggs, preparing to create families at a later date.
Ivan Couronne/AFP via Getty Images

What would the job market look like if there'd been no COVID pandemic?

Oct 7, 2022
Different in many ways. But not that different.
Because of the pandemic's health dangers, many baby boomers have left the labor force.
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For public good, not for profit.

Theaters are still trying to regain their pre-pandemic footing

Oct 6, 2022
Stage venues are struggling with smaller audiences and higher costs, says Lisa Adler of the Horizon Theatre Co. in Atlanta.
The pandemic period "was a reset time for the whole theater industry," says Lisa Adler of the Horizon Theatre Co. in Atlanta.
Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP via Getty Images

Locked out of China by its zero-COVID policy, their lives changed course

Oct 5, 2022
China’s borders shut in March 2020 to contain COVID-19. It's been rough for people who made a life in China but were forced to leave.
China's rigorous COVID restrictions have made it difficult for some residents to return. Above, a woman at Hong Kong International Airport makes her way to hotel quarantine on Sept. 23.
Isaac Lawrence/AFP via Getty Images

What happens once federal funding to fight COVID ends?

Aug 31, 2022
FDA approved updated boosters Wednesday. The feds have helped cover costs of vaccination and testing as well as public awareness drives.
As funding for COVID dwindles, some communities have reduced outreach and closed some testing and vaccination sites.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP