Week of October 31st, 2011

In the digital age, the role of the editor and publisher has changed from gatekeeper to footnote

The International Monetary Fund steps up its role in Europe. It's monitoring Italy's economy and aims to raise funds from emerging countries like China.

The controversial George Papandreou and his party win a nail-biting vote.

We are rewarding a math teacher today for helping her students understand the costs of college attendance.

Tess Vigeland and Kathy Kristof of Kiplinger's Magazine answer listeners questions.

A weekly roundup – with a less-than-euphonious title – of the week's most interesting mentions of finance in surprising places….

Over the past 30 years, digital technologies have up-ended all corners of business and industry, making some obsolete and inventing new ones all together. Here's the view from those of us who grew up digital.

Posted by Christina Huh…

Two companies try to sort out blogs, Twitter and Facebook at an industry convention.

Leaders from the Group of 20 top economies concluded their summit in the South of France today. But the European debt crisis continues unabated. So just what happened this week and where do things stand now?

A couple of weeks ago I was at a credit union and a manager mentioned that customers care deeply about their credit scores. It wasn't the case even…

That number is below economists' expectations and a slowdown from September. But numbers in this range could be the new normal for a long time.

Reviewing the week's headlines on Wall Street. This week: October's jobs numbers, the survival of the euro and whether the euro crisis will spread globally.

Posted by Chau Tu…

Google has been working on building a high-speed Internet service in Kansas City, Mo., and Kansas City, Kan., and it's looking like they might use…

Until the spring of this year, drone attacks on targets in Pakistan were steadily climbing. On March 17 a CIA-ordered attack killed several…

We first told you about the Stop Online Piracy Act last week when it was hot off the presses. It's a rather aggressive bill introduced in the House…

Apple's much ballyhooed artificial intelligence system conked out yesterday for several hours as many iPhone toting folks were forced to resort to…

The AP has a story today on a division of the CIA that sits around and reads tweets all day. Like, 5 million tweets a day. It's called the Open…

Marketplace Tech Report is not the most likely program in the Marketplace portfolio to do stock analysis but we have to take note of this one….

The new version of Barnes & Noble's Nook won't officially debut until Monday at a big glammed up event. But details of what will be called the…

Posted by Mary Dooe…

The Occupy movement will continue plans for Bank Transfer Day even after big banks decided to back down on debit card fees.

Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, explains what still needs to be done to help create even more jobs.

Question: My son has been accepted to a good out of state private college after completing his 2 year degree at a local community college. However,…

We speak to Gus Faucher of Moody's Analytics about this month's jobs numbers, and how young and old workers could still suffer down the line.

The job market in the U.S. is showing small signs of improvement, with unemployment down to 9 percent in October.

Starbucks profits were up last quarter, but it has plans to increase profits even more through the sale of K-Cups.

The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has recorded an album, but the release date is delayed due to the ongoing economic crisis in Europe.

As the G20 summit comes to a close, it is now increasingly possible that Greece might leave the eurozone. Some are looking to the IMF to prevent further damage to the region's economy.

It's just the beginning of November, but Walmart and other retailers are already trying to get a head start on holiday season shopping with a big sale three weeks before Black Friday.

The banks are saying don't worry, but the practices echo those that caused a lot of trouble three years ago.

The "top 1 percent" is a term being used a lot these days, but who exactly is that demographic?

The hacking group known as Anonymous has famously crusaded online against institutions like Visa, MasterCard and Sony. But the game is a bit different now that it's going against a Mexican drug cartel.

Anonymous hackers declare war against a Mexican drug cartel.

The nation's economy created 80,000 jobs in October, according to the latest Labor Department report out just minutes ago. The unemployment rate improved, dropping one-tenth of a percent to 9 percent. Starbucks stock is up more than 5 percent this morning after the company announced its profits were up 29 percent last quarter. Starbucks is benefiting from sales overseas. Former New Jersey Governor, and former Goldman Sachs head Jon Corzine is now also former CEO of MF Global. The company — which went bankrupt this week because of exposure to European debt — announced Corzine's resignation this morning.

Marketplace Index for November 04, 2011

We talk to the author of a classic job-hunting book “What color is your parachute?” and offer some job-hunting advice. Plus, find out which city leads the nation in credit scores in this episode of Marketplace Money from American Public Media.

The economy added 80,000 jobs last month, which is low, but could be the new normal for jobs numbers. Bank Transfer Day is tomorrow, and credit unions are benefiting from big banks' charges and fees. The G20 countries debate a Greek referendum. The IMF has become a key player in the Europe talks. We took a look whether social networking and social media really matter. Kai spoke with Leigh Gallagher and Felix Salmon, and to author Mark Bowden about his new book, "Worm: The First Digital World War."

Author Mark Bowden discusses the botnets that are controlling millions of computers around the world, and how cyber warfare is now a part of the modern world.

This final note today, which will do nothing to ease the average person's discomfort with how Wall Street operates….

Low incomes along with a lack of financial literacy make residents of Harlingen, Texas, susceptible to crushing credit score choices.

There are hints at improvement in the latest jobs numbers, but it's still not enough — and not everyone is counted.

With the unemployment rate spending another month around 9 percent, we're looking at a number you can count on both hands: 10. That's how many ve…

The October jobs report is expected to show the U.S. economy added jobs, but not enough to dent high unemployment.

Idaho just became the first state to require that all high school students must earn at least two credits from online courses. The new rule, which…

Live Nation reported quarterly earnings much better than the same point last year. What changed?

A combination of a diverse economy, affordable housing and hard-working citizens may be the reason why Wasau, Wisc. boasts the highest credit scores per capita in the U.S.

Doing nonprofit and volunteer work could help job seekers keep their resumes up to date, their skills sharp and help them think outside the box in their job search.

Without a tidy solution to the eurozone debt crisis, Greece may have to leave the eurozone. Could it really happen?

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou drops vote on debt deal; but a stable future depends on short-term instability

Sondra Morin discusses her journey to employment after being out of work for more than a year.

The legendary photography company may need to sell itself to survive.

The pharmaceutical giant agreed to pay a $3 billion fine to the U.S. government. But drug makers are fighting back.

Posted by Chau Tu…

Question: Someone on our show once said that closing your account would lower your credit rating. With the Occupy movement asking people to move…

Reports are out that Cuban citizens can now buy and sell property for the first time since the country's Communist revolution.

Posted by Mary Dooe…

In a blog post yesterday, Kevin Fox, who helped design the original Google Reader, as well as the first version of Gmail, says that he doesn't like…

Yesterday a Spanish court threw out Apple's 2010 lawsuit against tablet maker, Nuevas Tecnologias y Energias Catala (NT-K). The relatively tiny…

BBM Music, BlackBerry's music app, just launched. It lets paying subscribers download and play up to 50 songs. You heard me right – five-zero. Wow,…

We've been following events in the various lawsuits seeking to block AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile. Rivals Sprint (the Ringo of wireless…

Amazon has added another enticement to sign up for the Amazon Prime service. Now, when you pay your $79 annual fee, you get access to a lending…

People have been waiting for a Gmail app for the iPhone for a long time. Heck, even the Facebook iPad app got here sooner. Google finally launched…

We told you about this problem in Tuesday's memo and it was being widely blamed on the hardware of the new iPhone 4S, although we hinted at the…

Members of the anonymous hacking group Anonymous have resumed their campaign against Los Zetas, one of the largest and most violent drug cartels….

News from Greece this morning is showing the potential for a big political shake-up. That's leaving European and U.S. markets on unstable footing.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has reportedly called off a popular vote on austerity cuts after European leaders said the vote would jeopardize a planned bailout.

The British drug maker will pay the U.S. government a big settlement, in part because of a Medicaid fraud scheme.

As protests heat up in Oakland, we speak to someone on the streets about why they chose the port and what they hope to get out of it.

Groupon Inc.'s IPO could be the biggest test yet of how private trading of shares of hot startups like Facebook Inc. before they go public may impact secondary private markets like SecondMarket and SharesPost.

The Port of Oakland was shut down early this morning, and some of the protesters are turning violent.

Leaders of the G20 meet in France today as a new deadline emerges for European leaders to solve the debt crisis: December 4.

The Occupy Oakland movement forced the port authority to call off the night shift because some say the port is a symbol of wealth and capitalism.

Germany's postal service is often touted as a privatization success story. Should the U.S. Postal Service follow in its footsteps?

A two-day conference aimed at international cooperation on cybersecurity has just wrapped up in London. Representatives from 60 countries discussed how they could find common ground and collaborate on cybersecurity issues.

Marketplace Index for November 03, 2011

Greek P.M. George Papandreou has called off the referendum vote for the bailout plan. It could lead the way to Greece having to leave the eurozone. Kodak's future is dire too, with newly reported earnings lower than expected. Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline gets hit for off-label marketing. Small businesspeople in Syria are divided on whether to support the government. Commentator Robert Reich says whatever happens to Occupy Wall Street, it has already changed the tune of public debate. And Kai spoke jobs with a newly employed Chicagoan and Rutgers economist Bill Rodgers.

The drama in Europe continues as the Greek government teeters on the brink. The protests of Occupy Oakland heat up and turn violent, after the city's port was shut down early this morning. Food stamps could be on the chopping block with budget cuts in Washington. Groupon goes public, and drug maker GlaxoSmithKline will dish out a $3 billion settlement, in part for Medicaid fraud.

Marketplace Tech Report for November 03, 2011

The tiny increases in jobs in the U.S. aren't anything to shout about, but it means that someone out there is now employed. We look at what it takes to get a job in today's market.

This final note today, in which in which Occupy Oakland contributes to the local economy. There's a little dive bar downtown, right by where all …

Banana Republic has teamed up with the California winery Clos du Bois to sell two limited edition bottles.

After seven months of upheaval, Syria's top businesses remain loyal to the government, but small business owners are split.

The federal budget for food stamps doubled during the recession, but major cuts to the program are now on the table.

Marketplace's Chris Farrell shares what he learned about personal finance at his latest college reunion.

For the folks on the Eastern seaboard still waiting for utility crews to fix their power lines after the recent freak snow storm — and for each…

More Americans are living in communities with poverty rates of at least 40 percent, especially in the the Midwest, the South and in the suburbs. A new report from Brookings says it's harder to escape such concentrated poverty.

Occupy Wall Street has spread across the United States. More than 550 communities have held protests. But what has it accomplished?

Grand Theft Auto games are exquisitely designed AND reward you for being a horrible person. And now there's a new one coming….

Going over listeners' responses to past broadcasts. This week: whether the Greek prime minister made the right choice, and underground power lines.

A New Yorker decides to clean out his wallet and finds a lucky charm he got in New Orleans.

The markets end on a positive as the Federal Reserve wraps up its two-day meeting without much news, and the eurozone waits on Greece.

The U.K. isn't in the eurozone, but the effects of the euro crisis are hitting London's street markets, and the wallets of the people who shop there.

Posted by Chau Tu…