Mid-day Update

PODCAST: A Labor Department report, a Nintendo symphony

Mary Dooe Jul 6, 2012
HTML EMBED:
COPY
Mid-day Update

PODCAST: A Labor Department report, a Nintendo symphony

Mary Dooe Jul 6, 2012
HTML EMBED:
COPY

It’s that special day each month when we digest the latest employment numbers from the Department of Labor. The economy added 80,000 nonfarm jobs in June. The unemployment rate did not budge: it’s still at 8.2 percent. Investors are disappointed.

The euro has fallen to a five week low against the dollar, following this morning’s jobs report.

And here’s a number: 66 percent. That’s German Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s approval rating in a new poll of Germans — her highest rating since 2009.

Here in this country, the heatwave continues, and so do the power outages. According to regional power companies, more than 400,000 people from Ohio to Virginia have no electricity right now. Today is St. Louis is expected to exceed 100 degrees for the 9th straight day.

To Milford, Massachusetts, where a guy just paid off his mortgage with pennies. According to the Milford Daily News, Thomas Daigle went down to the bank and dropped off more than 62,000 pennies. The bank said he did a great job — every roll of pennies was counted perfectly.

In Houston tonight, the Houston Symphony is going to be playing something a little different. Now, if that tune doesn’t ring a bell…You probably haven’t played an old school Nintendo in a while: It’s the theme from the Nintendo game “The Legend of Zelda.” The Houston Symphony is going to be playing songs from the game, while scenes from it are projected on a screen behind the orchestra. Tonight’s performance was actually a late addition to the schedule after tomorrow night’s sold out.

Finally, this weekend in Dallas you can catch the first-ever “Miss Conservative U.S.” pageant. Contestants will exemplify, quote, “God-given personal freedoms (with limited government intrusion), morality, and a stalwart work ethic.” The events include fitness wear, evening wear, and “patriot wear.” ny woman who can successfully work an outfit of stars and horizontal stripes deserves an award of some sort. By the way, I couldn’t find any evidence of a “Miss Liberal USA” counterpart.

 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.