Week of December 13th, 2010

Christmas hasn't even come and gone and I'm already thinking about getting rid of the tree. I just don't want to forget in the hustle and bustle of…

This is the biggest charity-giving time of the year, and you can probably tell by the amount of mail you've been receiving from non-profits recently. But does this sort of junk mailing work? Jeff Tyler reports.

Globally, the nuclear energy industry is expected to quadruple capacity over the next 20 years. Britain is considering building several new nuclear reactors. But that raises an important question: what to do with nuclear waste?

Tess Vigeland and senior producer Deborah Clark go over listener responses for past shows. This week: on RSVPing, going child-less and a reflection on the tough economic world out there.

Remember many Christmases ago, when Santa Claus delivered Pong and Atari? Gone are the days of two dimensional tennis. Marketplace Morning Report host Steve Chiotakis investigates modern gaming with the XBOX 360 Kinect. Watch the video.

Ten years ago, David Brancaccio visited a small town in Missouri named Cuba, then considered by one census to be the statistical "middle America." As part of his series Economy 4.0, Brancaccio took a visit back recently to check on how things have changed.

If you've ever bought a high-tech gizmo, chances are you've also been offered the opportunity to buy an extended warranty. But do you really need it? Nancy Marshall Genzer finds out.

Although Washington seems to have given up on a climate change bill, environmental legislation is still alive in other places. California has just approved the second biggest carbon trading market on the planet, and others are watching closely.

Posted by Chau Tu…

The Senate's plan to fund the government through the next fiscal year failed to pass last night, and the budget is set to run out officially on Saturday. John Dimsdale reports on the government's plan B.

Yahoo announced earlier this week that it would have to lay off 600 employees. Now the company may also need to cut its other Internet properties as well. Jennifer Collins reports on Yahoo's troubles.

Drug violence in Mexico is driving away Mexican and foreign businesses and investors. Business leaders told the Mexican government through a full-page ad that the country needs to improve security before it loses more money.

Posted by Chau Tu…

Boy, I have watched way more of these than I really needed to but alas, research. Kevyn Smith and Jeremy Johnson create original very short songs…

Tess Vigeland and David Lazarus, personal finance columnist for the Los Angeles Times, answer your questions about saving for retirement when you're risk averse, what to do with your game show winnings and can your bank change the terms of your accounts whenever it wants?

The retirement company TIAA-CREF recently held a competition for ideas that would prompt people to save more. Jonathan Chan won. His idea? Incorporate savings rates into the credit scoring system. Tess Vigeland talks with the recent college graduate about how his idea would work.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will be developing the details on how to deal with whistleblowers, as required by the financial reform law. Economy 4.0's David Brancaccio looks at both sides of the issue.

Kai Ryssdal talks to Leigh Gallagher from Fortune Magazine and Sudeep Reddy from the Wall Street Journal about what the president and Congress have been up to with taxes, employment and business.

The FDA says the world's best selling cancer medication can't be used to treat breast cancer. The drug is called Avastin. And it's made by the pharmaceutical company Roche.

Jeremy Hobson speaks to Chris Low with FTN Financial about the tax deal and the beginnings of a new boom.

Title: The Way We're Working Isn't Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance Authors: Tony Schwartz, Jean Gomes, Catheri…

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

$801 billion in Bush era tax cut extensions, tax cuts added in and unemployment benefits extended will be sent to President Obama's desk. But what will this do for the economy? Jill Schlesinger explains.

This is getting to be a pretty big and potentially significant story and one you should be keeping an eye on, especially if this same sentiment…

Marketplace host Jeremy Hobson spoke to Mark Yudof, President of the University of California. At a time when even private universities are…

Big Face (new nickname, like it?) was down for about half an hour yesterday, shutting out all users and silencing 30 minutes of valuable poking…

The UK's record December is bad for shipments, but is good for the country's mistletoe crop.

The Independent is reporting that Private First Class Bradley Manning has been offered a plea deal to reduce his sentence if he agrees to name…

The House of Representatives passed the same tax cut package that passed the Senate on Wednesday. The measure will extend the Bush tax cuts for all Americans, as well as adding new tax cuts.

Question: For the last few years, I've given each of my young nieces $50 savings bonds for Christmas. I like the idea of giving them something they…

Are you in a top tax bracket?…

Further proof that money doesn't necessarily buy you happiness. In China, the population is getting richer every year. But also increasingly dissatisfied.

Marketplace's Steve Chiotakis talks with Janet Babin about the numbers of the tax cut compromise passed by Congress, and what they mean for tax payers.

Jeremy Hobson speaks to Mark Yudof, President of the University of California. The recession has been hard public universities who are tied to those suffering state budgets.

Apple has announced another big product launch for early next year. Apple will launch it's new App store on January 6. This new one will sell applications for your laptop or desktop computer. Eve Troeh reports.

Read the transcript and listen to the full audio for Jeremy Hobson's interview with Mark Yudof, the President of the University of California.

Marketplace for Friday, December 17, 2010

Marketplace Money for Friday, December 17, 2010

Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, December 17, 2010

Marketplace Tech Report for December 17, 2010

Representatives of the U.S. and Mexican governments met this week to discuss border management issues. This in the same week that U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was killed in a gunfight with bandits who target immigrants crossing the border into the U.S. But an innovation in fiber optic technology may change the way border security is conducted.

As Medicare beneficiaries get down to choosing their drug plans, they may turn to their local pharmacy chain for help. But as Nancy Marshall Genzer reports, one should be cautious of a hidden conflict of interest.

Larry King is set to host his last episode of Larry King Live tonight. He'll go down in TV history for being a memorable host, but what he made his name in was product pitchman. Jennifer Collins reports.

From self-driving cars to electric power distribution, Google has become the site for future-thinking innovation. But it also needs to consider the next step: profit.

If you thought you heard the last about earmarks after this last election, you were wrong. They're back in the form of a trillion dollar spending bill introduced by the Senate this week.

Melissa Berman, president and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, talks with Tess Vigeland about the motivation behind giving, how much homework people should do before donating, and the trust deficit created by the recession.

Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam talk to Marketplace staffers about what kind of undies some UBS bankers are wearing, using dogs to get through the finals crunch and a Jeopardy face-off with a robot.

Do you have strong feelings about how the Security and Exchange Commission defines "Major Security-Based Swap Participant"?…

Ten years ago, David Brancaccio visited a small town in Missouri named Cuba, then considered by one census to be the statistical "middle America."…

Thinking of going green this holiday season? Sustainability reporter Adriene Hill takes us on her journey as she goes hunting for eco-friendly gifts.

Social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are creating a lot of buzz — and a lot of money. According to a big investment today, Twitter is worth nearly $4 billion. Steve Henn does the math.

As the tax bill makes its way through Congress today, some worry that the stimulus provided by the tax breaks may be too much, but others say that without it, we'd be worse off. John Dimsdale reports.

The federal government today proposed new rules for solar farms to be built over public lands out west. But with the giant farms covering acres and acres of land, it could cause a debate over habitat protection.

The Federal Reserve today announced that it wanted to cap debit interchange fees, the money banks often charge retailers when consumers use their debit cards. The cap could cost banks billions in revenue, but as Jeff Tyler reports, they'd find other ways to make it up.

Posted by Chau Tu…

This final note today, a story to warm the heart. Forty-five years ago, Dennis Ferguson was living in Southern California, working for the Douglass…

After slow sales for ad spots in past Super Bowls, companies are back with the vengeance. Ad spots have been sold out for months. Marketplace's Jennifer Collins reports.

Imagine if your boss encouraged you to take that break. You may be happier and more productive at your job. Kai Ryssdal talks to some folks at Sony Pictures who implemented that idea.

The value of farmland is at an all-time high — and it's still rising. Investors are snapping up agricultural land — should they be concerned about another disastrous bubble burst?

At the end of the year, Marketplace takes a look at the best business books of 2010. We asked six of our regular contributors to share their picks for favorite business books of the year. And Kai offers his own suggestions for 2010's best reads.

By Kai Ryssdal…

Question: I am 57 so retirement is hopefully not far away. I am self employed and successful but would not be affected were the Democrats able to …

Later this afternoon the Federal Reserve is expected to announce guidelines for lowering debit processing fees. It's a mandate from the Dodd-Frank…

Today on Marketplace I interviewed Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton, co-studio heads at Sony Pictures Entertainment. The company has recently underg…

Alisa Roth explains how counting foreclosures is a tricky business

We have an official date now when the world of consumer software Will Be Revolutionized Forever. Unless it's not. Steve Jobs announced the Mac app…

Interesting article in the New York Times cites anonymous sources that YouTube may be acquiring a company called Next New Networks (catchy and…

In a move that should frighten nobody in the world because it's completely harmless and you should all just calm down, Facebook will start rolling…

In Japan the government is getting closer to cutting the corporate tax rate to spur economic growth. If the Japanese cut their 40 percent rate the U.S. will have the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world — 39 percent.

The Federal Reserve meets to limit the amount of fees debit card issuers can charge on their cards. What does that mean for consumers and businesses that accept those debit cards?

Today we heard some mixed news about the housing market. The number of new homes being built rose in November. Meanwhile, RealtyTrac said…

The number of new homes people started to build was up in November, more than expected. Couple that with news from RealtyTrac that there were 21 percent fewer foreclosure filings for the month, and you could be thinking the housing market's on the rebound. Janet Babin has more.

After a year of multi-billion dollar bailouts for Greece and Ireland, Europe is in gridlock again. Anne-Marie McNerney has more.

The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is in India continuing a trade mission. The two countries are agreeing on a target of $100 billion in trade between the Asian powers within the next 5 years.

Posted by Katharine Crnko…

No longer will Facebook users have to tag their friends in pictures. Facebook is rolling out a new facial recognition feature to identify which of your friends are in your pictures.

Jeremy Hobson speaks with Economics Correspondent Chris Farrell on all things inflation: the Consumer Price Index, the Producer Prince Index, and what China's 5 percent inflation rate means for the global economy.

Twitter is a simple concept: users send out short messages and follow the people they're interested in. But now, investors value the company at $3.7 billion, much higher than before.

Marketplace Tech Report for December 16, 2010

Marketplace Morning Report for Thursday, December 16, 2010

Marketplace for Thursday, December 16, 2010

Soon you'll likely be able to watch TV from NBC, owned by Comcast, or movies from Universal, owned by Comcast, coming to you through Comcast Internet service or Comcast cable TV. If that's not enough, you can see what's on the Comcast DVR or pull up web content available only to Comcast cable TV subscribers. What will that world be like?

Rare earths are the metals commonly found in cell phones and hybrid cars, and the U.S. is ready to jump back into the industry. Molycorp Inc. is re-opening a rare earths mine in California, and Sarah Gardner got a first-hand look.

Nancy Pelosi's "Green the Capitol" initiative was supposed to reduce the House's carbon footprint. But it wasn't wholly successful, and critics complained it was a waste of money. It may be on the chopping block once the GOP takes over the House.

Federal agencies are beginning to shape the rules under Congress's financial overhaul, also known as the Dodd-Frank law. And it's set to be a long process, reports David Gura.

Ten years ago, Cuba, Mo., was considered "middle America" according to U.S. census data. Economy 4.0's David Brancaccio revisits the city today to see if it still fits the type.

Title: Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose Author: Tony Hsieh Publisher: Business Plus Type: Non Fiction Released: …

Title: The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine Author: Michael Lewis Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Type: Non Fiction Released: Mar…

Title: Crash of the Titans: Greed, Hubris, the Fall of Merrill Lynch, and the Near-Collapse of Bank of America Author: Greg Farrell Publisher: …

Kai Ryssdal reads listeners' responses to recent stories. This week: thoughts about philanthropy, academic sabbaticals and Obama's business relations.

Title: Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life Author: Nicholas Phillipson Publisher: Yale University Press Type: Non Fiction Released: October 5, 20…

Commentator Richard Reich says extending the Bush-era tax cuts and unemployment benefits isn't helping the average American.

Title: The Tex-Mex Grill and Backyard Barbacoa Cookbook Author: Robb Walsh Publisher: Ten Speed Press Type: Non Fiction Released: May 11, 201…

Title: Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer–and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class Author: Paul Pierson and Jacob S. …

Title: Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work Author: Edwidge Danticat Publisher: Princeton University Press Type: Non Fiction Rele…

In the 1970s, the artificial sweetener known as saccharin got a bad rap because it was linked to causing cancer. It was later discovered not to be true. So why is its public image still suffering?

President Obama sat down with 20 CEOs today in a closed-door meeting, in a discussion of what private industry can do to help get the economy going again. Are businesses ready to spend and hire? John Dimsdale reports.

Marketplace's Gregory Warner looks into what will motivate people to buy health insurance.