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[Misc] (HL-20190721~20190727) Weekly Headlines
최고관리자  |  19-07-20 09:59


(Mon) Bye bye, VW Beetle
잘가요, 폭스바겐 비틀

Volkswagen's iconic Beetle received a send-off complete with mariachis on Wednesday as the very last one rolled off the production line in Puebla, Mexico. Over a span of eight decades, the curvy coupe won the hearts of budget-conscious drivers around the world with campaigns like, "Live below your means" and it became an emblem of the counterculture 60s, when a new one cost less than $2,000. Over the years VW rolled out several versions of the 'Bug' - often in dayglow hues - leaving its Nazi-era origins in the rear view mirror... The so-called 'New Beetle' arrived in the '90s, and the German automaker introduced yet another edition in 2012. Steffen Reiche, the chief executive of Volkswagen de Mexico, on Wednesday was looking to the future. "We're not only crying for the Beetle which has left. We're as well optimistic." Reiche said Volkswagen will begin producing the Tarek SUV at the Puebla plant in 2020, and while company executives have often said 'never say never,' this latest chapter in the Beetle's history is now closed.

(Tue) Small sodas, new products lift PepsiCo sales
펩시코, 작은 사이즈의 음료수와 신제품으로 매출 상승

New PepsiCo products like fruit-flavored Bubly sparkling water and lime, berry, and mango flavored sodas are capturing the attention of consumers - and along with its traditional sodas - helping to pump up the company's quarterly profit and revenue. Another move that helped PepsiCo drive up beverage sales 2.5% in North America: packaging sodas in smaller cans. That has attracted new consumers who occasionally like to indulge in sodas. Lays and Doritos chips boosted snack sales 4.5%. That division is also offering new healthier options like Off-the-Beaten-Path's veggie crisps and puffs. PepsiCo's more diverse lineup of snacks and beverages and healthy options is paying off. Its shares have risen more than 19% this year. That's more than double archrival Coca-Cola's return. 

(Wed) WeWork to raise up to $4 bln in debt before IPO
위워크, IPO 전에 부채 최대 40억 달러 늘릴 것

WeWork is loading up on debt ahead of plans to go public. A source says the shared office space manager is looking to borrow up to $4 billion before its IPO, and that amount could balloon to as much as $10 billion over the next few years. If it can pull the deal together, the money-losing startup might assuage investors that it'll have the funds needed to grow the business to profitability. WeWork may want to avoid what happened to Uber and Lyft. The car sharing services' IPOs have been duds so far. Their stocks have sunk below their pre-launch prices, dogged by investor concerns about their steep losses and lack of a timetable to reach profitability. The source says WeWork has met with the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs to discuss the debt offering. All three companies have declined to comment. 

(Thu) Wooden skyscrapers could reshape our cities
목재 소재의 고층 빌딩, 도시를 탈바꿈 시킬 수도

This wooden skyscraper is just a prototype. But in the future - it could be your home. Researchers in the UK say their 'ply-scrapers' are a greener, more sustainable alternative to concrete and steel builds. Production of those materials emits huge volumes of greenhouse gases . The Cambridge University team envisions whole forests being planted - and harvested - to build new cities. Tackling housing shortages and limiting emissions. "Wooden skyscrapers are a natural answer to climate change . Wood actually locks carbon dioxide when it's being made while concrete construction, which is normally used for skyscrapers, emits CO2. So by constructing with timber we can try to fight climate change and help to build a more sustainable future for us." They're working with cross-laminated timber, essentially multiple lengths of lumber glued together for extra strength. The team in Cambridge are quick to point out that doesn't make it an automatic fire risk. "Large blocks of timber don't really burn that much, they char more and this char is a natural insulative layer for progression of fire." Materials like this are being used to build big, urban blocks. Creating a fast-growing market for the high-tech lumber. The researchers already have their sights set on creating the world's tallest wooden building.

(Fri) Samsung in hot water over splashy Australian phone ads
허위광고 혐의로 호주에서 곤경에 처한 삼성

Demonstrations of the waterproof function of Galaxy Smartphones being carried out in 2016. But now Australian's consumer watchdog has sued the company for allegedly misleading consumers by promoting the phones as suitable for use in swimming pools and the surf. The Australian Consumer Commission says the world's largest smartphone maker did not know or sufficiently test the effects of pool or saltwater exposure on its phones. But adverts showed them fully submerged. The case is the first filed by a major regulator and could result in multi-million dollar fines. It centers on more than 300 adverts in which Samsung showed its phones being used at the bottom of swimming pools and in the ocean. Samsung said it stood by its advertising, complied with Australian law and would defend the case. The South Korean electronics giant has spent big on adverts to rebuild consumer trust in its products after the costly recall of its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 devices in 2016. 

** Other Latest Headlines **

* Communal dipping, ‘a wartime eating habit with health consequences’

Chopsticks and spoons digging into the same dish are not an uncommon sight at Korean dining tables. Bowls of rice are served individually, but “banchan,” or side dishes, and “jjigae,” or stew, are often served communally, meant to be shared. Sharing stew from the same pot is not considered good table manners here, but many forego the ladle and small bowls that come with the stew, dipping their spoons directly into the pot. But this seemingly customary practice is not actually how Koreans used to eat. The communal dipping into the pot of stew is a wartime eating habit that could be detrimental to health, experts told The Korea Herald. According to Joo Young-ha, an anthropologist at the Academy of Korean Studies, this eating custom does not date too far back. Dining, even group dining, occurred at solo tables until the early 20th century. “Members of the royalty and aristocracy dined at individual tables. Even at large parties and banquets, the royals and aristocrats each sat at a table for one,” Joo said, adding, however, there is no record of how commoners dined. Multiple diners eating together on a large table is a fairly recent concept that emerged in the last century, according to Joo. In the 1920s and ’30s, during the Japanese colonial era, a movement for abolishing solitary dining tables emerged as food became scarcer. 

* Hot weather is intensifying hold on much of East, Central US

Americans from Texas to Maine sweated out a steamy Saturday as a heat wave canceled events from festivals to horse races and pushed New York City to order power-saving steps to avoid overtaxing the electrical grid. The National Weather Service said “a dangerous heat wave” was expected to break record highs in some places, particularly for nighttime. Daytime temperatures were poised to hit the mid- to upper 90s (about 34 to 37 degrees Celsius), with high humidity making it feel considerably hotter.

* Kid YouTube star’s family buys $8m building in Gangnam

The family company of a 6-year-old South Korean YouTube celebrity has garnered enough money to purchase a building in one of the richest areas of Seoul. According to a report from Maeil Business Newspaper on Tuesday, Boram Family -- the company that operates two YouTube channels featuring 6-year-old girl Boram -- bought a five-story building worth 9.5 billion won ($8.06 million) in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, in Seoul. According to YouTube analytics website Social Blade, the two channels featuring Boram -- Boram Tube ToysReview and Boram Tube Vlog -- hold the biggest share in marketing profits among Korean YouTube channels. The analyst estimated the average monthly revenue coming from the two channels to be around $3.1 million. Boram Tube ToysReview, which has gained huge popularity worldwide by introducing and reviewing toys, has 13.6 million subscribers, while the Boram Tube Vlog channel that shares the daily life of Boram and her family is followed by 17.5 million subscribers.