Week of September 20th, 2010

Is an adjustable-rate mortgage a good idea? Host Tess Vigeland talks with David Lazarus for answers. Plus, get the low-down on counterfeit bills, mortgage modifications, and how to strike a balance between saving for the future and paying off past debt.

Posted by Chau Tu…

You might remember the airlines are under new rules limiting tarmac delays to three hours, before passengers have to be allowed to de-plane. United…

Can you save money by keeping up with the Joneses? The website Bundle.com lets you compare your spending habits with other people like you. But can it change the way you spend and save?

Posted by Chau Tu…

One Los Angeles chef decided to take organic and local to another level by having customers bring fruits and vegetables from their backyards to put in the restaurants dishes. The county intervened, but the restaurant figured out a way to get its customers involved with the menu again.

Bob Moon talks to Marketplace's Scott Tong about China's withholding of rare earth minerals — essential ingredients in hybrid car batteries and many tech gadgets — and what restricted export may mean for the world economy.

Bob Moon talks to financial reporter Heidi Moore and Reuters blogger Felix Salmon about the Small Business Jobs Act and the Republicans' "Pledge to America."

Bob Moon talks to Susan Blood and Kevin Toohey of Nova Natural Toys and Crafts in Vermont about seasonal job opportunities for this year's holiday season.

Once the deal between NBC Universal and Comcast closes, Jeff Zucker will be leaving his post as the TV network and cable giant. So what does this mean for NBC?

Brazilian oil company Petrobras announced a record-breaking stock offering. Some analysts expect tremendous growth from the country, but some are concerned that partial government ownership of the company may make the company less profitable.

Congress is calling a session before the November elections. Senators have been avoiding controversial issues in this pre-election season, but they may determine whether Bush-era tax cuts stay or go in the lame duck session.

Marketplace's Eve Troeh did a story on Forage, a restaurant in Los Angeles that uses produce from neighborhood gardeners in their menu. Initially,…

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Sunshine Sachs) Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is hinting his company will soon o…

Question: Do the new financial regulations make the "fiduciary responsibility" of a broker to his client into a situation whereby the broker or his…

Want a peek at a phone that would make all those iPhone carrying hipsters green with envy? Check out the Mozilla Seabird (or at least the animate…

Sales of new single-family homes were flat last month. And the supply of houses on the market reached a 42-year low. Reporter Alisa Roth talks with Steve Chiotakis about the latest housing numbers and whether Americans are moving away from home ownership.

One out of every six fatal traffic accidents in 2008 was caused by a distracted driver according to a new study published in the American Journal…

Facebook went dark for more than two and a half hours yesterday. It is the biggest service outage in more than 4 years. Like buttons disappeared…

… because US businesses ordered more manufactured goods last month. Nice to end the week on good news….

Posted by Daryl Paranada…

The issue of education reform is coming to the forefront. The much-hyped documentary "Waiting for Superman" opens in New York and Los Angeles. Oprah is spending another hour on the topic. And next week NBC News is hosting a big education summit. What gives? Amy Scott reports.

Security experts are grappling with what could be a new and serious cyber attack. The Stuxnet computer worm attacks control systems at large sites like industrial plants and power stations.

All the business news in rhyme in 60 seconds time. This week: Out of the recession (officially), bye-bye Blockbuster, the FDA considers genetically-modified salmon and Colin Powell's take on undocumented workers.

Demand for what we know as "durable goods" was down 1.3 percent last month. Analysts expected a smaller drop. Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch talks with Steve Chiotakis about whether anything good can come out of this drop and how the latest figure compares with past recessions.

The St. Louis Arch is set to get a facelift of sorts. A design jury in St. Louis awarded the multi-million-dollar contract to a New York design firm. Their charge — undo decades of bad infrastructure planning and transform the Arch into a world-class tourist destination. Adam Allington reports.

Rising world food prices will be the topic of an emergency U.N. meeting in Rome. The aim is to find a way to restore stability in the food markets and avoid riots like those that occurred two years ago.

A government probe in Britain is looking at whether some of the country's biggest banks should be broken up. London bureau chief Stephen Beard talks with Steve Chiotakis about whether this plan is really on the table and what other reforms may happen.

Cotton closed above a dollar a pound this week. That's its highest price in 15 years. Why have prices risen so much? Jeremy Hobson reports.

Congress is trying to use the tax code to keep companies from moving factories, and jobs, overseas. Senate leaders want to schedule a vote on the bill next week. The timing is no coincidence. Democrats are hoping the bill will appeal to voters concerned about the high unemployment rate. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

It looks like when GM returns to the stock market this fall, it won't be as big a sale as first thought. Reporter Alisa Roth talks with Bill Radke about GM's initial public offering and why we've heard so much speculation about it.

Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, September 24, 2010

Marketplace Tech Report for September 24, 2010

Marketplace Money for September 24, 2010

Marketplace for Friday, September 24, 2010

Air pollution has been a killer since the dawn of the industrial age, yet until recently scientists didn't know how dirty the air was in most of the world. New maps from satellite images and computer modeling are finally giving researchers a clearer view of this global problem.

Twitter is ushering in a new kind of celebrity auction. And the bidding ends tomorrow….

When you hear the phrase "labor intensive," what comes to mind? How about pouring a cup of coffee at Starbucks? Well, that's not exactly what the…

Mobile phone carrier Verizon wireless will soon start charging users tiered rates depending on how much data they download. That's according to…

Question: I am 28 years old. I have a solid full time job (earn $48k per year). I am planning on starting grad school part time this fall. Work…

It's expensive to go to a rock 'n' roll show today — so let's make sure the experience is worth it. New York Times columnist Ron Lieber has some tips.

There are an estimated 45 million people under 65 who don't have dental insurance. For some — like reporter Vanessa Romo — that means going out on a limb and naming your own price.

Kai Ryssdal talks to Marketplace's Amy Scott about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's donation of $100 million to Newark, N.J. schools. Is it pure philanthropy or PR?

A district court judge in Manhattan ordered a condo developer to return the deposit of a buyer. Marketplace's Jeremy Hobson looks into the potential impact of this ruling.

Kai Ryssdal talks to author Eric J. Weiner about his new book on the "shadow markets," which countries utilize to gain influence around the globe.

Insurance companies are looking forward to healthy young people back on their books, now that the age children can stay on their parents' health insurance jumped from 19 to 26. But first, they'll have to convince young people that it's worth it.

The Food and Drug Administration will limit access patients have to the diabetes drug Avandia. But a study suggested that there's a 40 percent increase in risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke and death among Avandia users.

Unemployment hovers around 10 percent — a good chunk of the population. An affiliate of the AFL-CIO is trying to mobilize those unemployed to get liberal Democrats into offices — but it's going to be a challenge to get them into the voting booths.

Republicans announced today their "Pledge to America," the 2010 fall Republican agenda. Republican Congressmen said they wanted to cancel President Obama's $800 billion stimulus plan. Marketplace's John Dimsdale looks at whether that'll make a difference.

Posted by Chau Tu…

Is a Facebook Phone in the works? The company denied it over the weekend, but turns out this all might depend on what the definition of is is….

Michael Arrington founder and co-editor of TechCrunch has accused a group of high profile (yet unnamed) angel investors from colluding to keep…

Blockbuster Video filed for Chapter 11 today. But a sequel is on the way….

Posted by Daryl Paranada…

The annual Forbes list of the richest Americans is out. No surprise here, the richest American is Bill Gates, with a net worth of a cool $54…

Marketplace Tech Report for September 23, 2010

The FCC is deciding whether to approve a plan to make unused fiber optic cable, or dark fiber, available to schools and libraries. That move could have a big impact on how you use the Internet. We talk with Christian Sandvig from the Project on Public Policy and Advanced Communication about the plan.

The Republicans plan to issue "A Pledge to America," an agenda they say they'd put in place if they get control of the House of Representatives in November. Reporter Alisa Roth talks with Bill Radke about what's in the pledge.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will unveil its first-ever transportation performance index to highlight what it calls the urgent need to improve the transportation infrastructure. John Dimsdale reports.

President Obama's recently departed budget director, Peter Orszag, recently said that letting all the tax cuts expire this year would bring the U.S. within striking distance of balancing the budget. Economics editor Chris Farrell talks with Bill Radke about what that tells us.

A number of new health care provisions are taking effect and young people will see some of the biggest changes. Health reporter Gregory Warner talks with Steve Chiotakis about what kind of changes are happening and who will pay for all of this.

There's an emergency meeting in Delhi, India, over shoddy facilities and security at the Commonwealth Games. The international, multi-sport event features competition among thousands of athletes from members of the British Commonwealth. But several teams are threatening to pull out.

The world's biggest off-shore wind farm is opening off the south coast of England. The farm will boost Britain's wind power capacity by 30 percent. Europe correspondent Stephen Beard talks with Steve Chiotakis about the scale of the project and how much it cost to build.

This morning, Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it needs time to reduce its debt load and reorganize the company. Reporter Alisa Roth talks with Bill Radke about how the video store chain got to this point and what's next for the company.

As part of a new marketing campaign next week, Budweiser will hand out free brewskis in bars and restaurants nationwide. The company is trying to attract younger drinkers. Mitchell Hartman reports.

Marketplace for Thursday, September 23, 2010

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, September 23, 2010

Health care reform aims to cover 95 percent of Americans as changes to coverage and rules begin to take effect.

Between the chips and beer, you might want to stick some juice boxes and Cheerios before settling in to watch the game….

Question: My husband and I are paying our scheduled payments on our current home mortgage and student loans. We don't have any other debt. We have…

Without these federal fossil fuel tax breaks, the oil industry may not have taken off as it did. But a century later, some believe it's time to focus the subsidies on renewable energy.

There are two types of U.S. companies: Those that depend on the American economy, and those that profit from overseas operations. Commentator Robert Reich compares how the two can change Washington politics.

The Village Voice's Backpage.com is being sued by an underage girl who was pimped out via the classifieds website. But the Communications Decency Act says that websites are protected from liability from what users post.

Kai Ryssdal talks to Tracey Carson of the Mason School District in Ohio, about the district's decision to put vending machines that dispense carrots into schools.

Marketplace's Janet Babin takes a look at the finds of a new study that examines the health and work-related impact of obesity.

The flood of paperworks from foreclosures is overwhelming mortgage servicers. One bank representative detailed the practice of "robo-signing," signing off on foreclosures without verifying the information in the documents, in sworn depositions.

Kai Ryssdal talks to Sarah Rosen Wartell, executive vice president at the Center for American Progress, about Larry Summers' departure from the White House and what it means for President Obama's economic policy.

Posted by Chau Tu…

A University of Chicago Law professor posted on his blog about the challenges of the "super rich." The post has been taken off his blog, Truth on…

Posted by Daryl Paranada…

While it's always fascinating to read on Facebook that my quasi-friend obtained a new Amulet of Power in WizardQuest…I'm being sarcastic. It's…

Airbus has unveiled their vision of The Future in "The Future by Airbus" (pdf) – it's an ecological plane that's transparent, so passengers can see…

White House National Economic Council director Larry Summers will return to Harvard at the end of the year. Who might replace him and what does…

The real life, go get a movie from a building, don't have it mailed to your house or just watch it through online streaming or download, video…

I'm not sure if this shows off the range of Mr. Bridges or calls it into question.

Can be found here. Lots of fun to drill down into for political junkies.

Marketplace Tech Report for September 22, 2010

It's become harder to turn down a friend request on Facebook. You used to be able to just click "accept" or "ignore," but the social network site has changed those options to "accept" or "not now." That may change the way you Facebook. We talk with B.J. Fogg at Stanford University and Clary Shirky, who's written on the social effects of technology, to get their perspectives.

You might have heard about Ronnie, a New York City entrepreneur who sells grilled cheese sandwiches underground, on our Marketplace Morning Report…

As we talked about in the show today, it's become harder to reject a friend request in Facebook, thanks to a change the company made. Instead of…

The White House announced that top economic adviser Larry Summers will be leaving at the end of the year, the latest in a string of departures. Reporter Alisa Roth talks with Bill Radke about whether Summers' departure is a reaction to Republican criticism of Obama's economic team.

The lights are going out at General Electric's last big U.S. factory making incandescent bulbs. The lighting that Americans have used for the past century has been mandated out of existence within the next few years, and GE is moving manufacturing for next-generation bulbs to China. Bob Moon reports.

More companies are embracing social media these days for marketing purposes. But at the same time, there's always the risk of PR disaster. Kenny Malone reports on one approach companies can take when Facebook turns unfriendly.

A new public drinking fountain dispensing still and fizzy water has opened in Paris. It's part of an effort to persuade the French to drink less store-bought bottled water and reduce waste. The water on tap is drawn from the public supply, then chilled and injected with bubbles.

The sporran is the little pouch that for centuries the Scottish have attached to their kilts. But its production is under threat. The EU banned the sale of sealskin recently, which is the preferred material to make a sporran.

An international summit in Moscow is focusing on who owns the rights to riches thought to be under the Arctic seabed. Europe correspondent Stephen Beard talks with Steve Chiotakis about who will be at the summit and what they are trying to achieve there.

A recent study out by Columbia University says most consumers have no clue about how to save energy. Sustainability reporter Adriene Hill talks with Steve Chiotakis about things we do that save less energy than we think. Plus, she tells us what things we can do for better energy savings.

Jack DeCoster, the egg facility owner at the heart of the recent recall linked with salmonella, is scheduled to testify at a Congressional hearing. His farm operations have had a long history of environmental violations. Kathleen Masterson has this profile.