Week of January 16th, 2012

Megaupload was one popular website. Its shutdown stems from an indictment issued in a Northern Virginia court accusing the site of being responsible for $500 million in revenue that should have been going to the copyright holders of the movies, TV shows and music on the site. And the timing of the raid, coming as it did the day after the protests by Wikipedia and other sites, may have not been coincidental. Also in this program, another installment of Tech Report Theater.

“Stop eating out.” “Don’t buy that $3 latte.” You tired of hearing those phrases, yet? Author Ramit Sethi gives us his take on frugality, and explores different ways to improve the big picture. For employees of some companies, that big picture would improve with the shedding of extra pounds — which can translate into extra cash. Paying for a lighter workforce. Plus, a judge from ABC’s “Shark Tank” tells us why sniffing out talent is about more than creative ideas and solid business plans.

Even if Greece and the Institute of International Finance reach a deal this weekend over their government-issued debt, they aren’t out of the woods yet. Ben May, a European economist at Capital Economics in London, says, “The real issue will be how many of Greece’s creditors will participate in that deal.” It could be a long weekend in Athens. And the Daily Pulse is up a beat or two on news that more home buyers are signing on the dotted line than were a year ago. The National Association of Realtors reported today that existing home sales in December increased 5 percent over November’s total.

As the South Carolina primary draws near, four GOP contenders remain. How does Rick Santorum stand out from the pack? Smartphone users continue to eat up data, with no signs of slowing down. IKEA continues to thrive despite the economic problems in Europe. And postage stamps are about to cost just a wee bit more.

Federal officials exercised their control over piracy and shut down the file-sharing service Megaupload. The St. Louis Rams consider moving to…London? This coming Monday marks the Chinese New Year; China correspondent Rob Schmitz talks about the hurdles many Chinese will experience in the coming year. And it turns out raising and spending unlimited amounts of cash on behalf of a political candidate is easier than you thought.

After refinancing my house with a low-rate, conventional 15-year mortgage, I received an offer to set up bi-weekly or weekly payments. What are the benefits and pitfalls of such a plan? Ron, Richmond Hill, GA

One way to understand the growing role of super PACs in campaigns is to imagine being one. The comedian Stephen Colbert leads the way.

Can everybody get along on copyright?

A review of the week's biggest business news. This week: News of a debt deal for Greece and what U.S. bank earnings says about the industry in the future.

General Motors has regained its spot as the best-selling automaker in the world, in part because of Toyota's struggles in Japan over the last year.

The news that didn't quite make the headlines. This week: A church that believes in the power of file sharing, pinot noir that's not pinot noir, and British Airways causes "undue concern."

Musician Jonathan Coulton joked about whether content makers were finally making money now that Megaupload was shut down, but it isn't all laughs. He talks about what the MPAA should learn from the Megaupload shutdown.

The AFL-CIO is broadcasting a new ad campaign aimed at boosting the public image of unions. But unlike in the ads of the past, the union label is conspicuously absent.

Fitter employees are more productive and less expensive. Which is why companies are working on innovative ways to help their people lose weight.

Smartphone users download, stream and connect beyond their limits — and there are no signs of slowing down.

The enormous file-sharing site gets shut down by the feds.

In Greece, where negotiations are underway with international banks in an effort to reduce the country's debt. Greece has to make a deal in order to get another round of bailout cash and prevent a messy default.

The Republican presidential hopeful used to be a senator from Pennsylvania, a state known for a strong union presence and significant blue collar values. How has that colored his economic views?

Greece has been furiously working to save maybe $126 billion on what it owes investors on its government bonds.

War comes to the internet again

Joining the European Union means also eventually jumping on board with the euro currency. Why would a country want to get involved at such a moment of crisis?

Despite the global downturn, and more recently, the European debt crisis, IKEA has continued to thrive as a global business.

Yeah, we kind of saw that coming

General Motors has reclaimed the title of world's top-selling automaker, the first time GM has held the top spot since it was bailed out by the U.S. government after the financial crisis.

Better than where you work, apparently

Leading into the South Carolina primary, we speak to one CEO in the state to help explain what people there are most concerned about.

A deal might be drawing near to reducing Greece's debt, and hopefully avoid further crisis in the eurozone.

Growth is slowing, inflation is still high and there's a leadership change in store for China in 2012.

Where can I get an illegal bootleg copy of that indictment?

Ulterior motives? On the internet?!

See what I did there?

Want to get a reading on how unpopular SOPA has become? Just check in with the group of Republican candidates in South Carolina who are all trying to get people to like them ahead of that state’s primary. At last night’s debate, every single candidate said they opposed the bill. From Politico: Speaker Newt Gingrich […]

The conventional wisdom is that stamp prices go up faster than the rise in inflation, but over the long haul, that may not be the case.

Is Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich justified in calling President Obama the "Food Stamp President?"

Slightly stronger pre-loved home sales made 2011 a better year for realtors, but a “shadow inventory” still lurks.

The St. Louis Rams will play one "home" game in London the next 3 seasons. The NFL would like to put a team there permanently.

Used car dealers are resorting to drastic measures to fill the demand U.S. consumers have for used cars these days.

Commentator Felix Click describes how tough it can be to enjoy your money when you're used to scrimping and saving.

Ask any computer security specialist, and they’ll tell you it’s tough to stay ahead of the bad guys when it comes to keeping your systems up to date. Hacking groups like Anonymous love to break into computer networks just to show how vulnerable they are. The Pentagon knows this too, and it has come up […]

Going over listeners' responses to past broadcasts. This week: Thoughts on the old adage about the root of all evil, and remembering Mr. Rogers.

A new report shows that tech companies are attracting more start up money, as venture capital funding rose 19 percent in the last part of 2011.

It’s seeming like the employment picture is finally improving in the U.S. After going the wrong way a week ago, the number of people signing up for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest level in more than 3 1/2 years. Fred Dickson from D.A. Davidson says banks are lending again allowing small businesses to get lines of credit and hire staff.

Apple holds an event today in New York City that is widely expected to be aimed at electronic textbooks. And although you have to pay attention whenever Apple puts some muscle behind a new line of business, this is territory that many people are already deeply involved with — there are a lot of different publishers and a lot of different platforms. Also, time for another Robot Roundup.

A drop in U.S. housing starts last December capped the worst year for home builders, but analysts expect a better 2012. AT&T has announced it will increase prices on data plans. Senior business correspondent Bob Moon explores what Kodak could have done differently to thrive. Apple is rapidly making its way into the classroom through its e-textbook devices. Meanwhile, some college dropouts are finding their ways back to getting a degree.

It’s seeming like the employment picture is finally improving in the U.S. After going the wrong way a week ago, the number of people signing up for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest level in more than 3 1/2 years. Fred Dickson from D.A. Davidson says banks are lending again allowing small businesses to get lines of credit and hire staff. And the Daily Pulse is down today on the revelation that if you look at the chasm between the rich and the rest from a different vantage point, it grows exponentially. Literally.

Generally speaking, the public in Europe remains committed to the common currency of the euro, even as the region struggles to fight off recession. A major Apple announcement is expected today surrounding e-textbooks. As the South Carolina primary approaches, we speak to a Tea Party supporter about who she will vote for. And what is the significance of the leap second?

Now: how to pay for those iPads…hmmm…

We have achieved the goal of $10,000 in our emergency fund and now we're looking to put that extra money into retirement. However, in this uncertain market with dwindling returns, we're not sure that a long-term retirement fund is the best place to dump all our eggs. … We have a fairly good mortgage rate of 4.75 percent. Our question is: Would it be better to focus on paying off our mortgage early while the market is so volatile instead of putting all that money into retirement? Every penny paid off to the mortgage early is money we aren't paying interest on, after all. Cathy, Bogart, GA

The number of people signing up for unemployment benefits fell to its lowest in more than 3 1/2 years today, but is it falling fast enough?

Rupert Murdoch's News International is paying up again over the phone-hacking scandal.

Apple is expected to announce its entry into the world of e-textbooks. But how have digital textbooks fared in the classroom so far?

More money for more cat videos

Share more, share more, share more…

That means iY-O-U

Accidents will happen, and now they might get recorded

Tess and personal finance expert Liz Weston of MSN talk to listeners about their personal finance questions.

A study out today shows piracy off the coast of Somalia dropped last year.

Millions of students start school but never cross the finish line. A growing number of colleges and organizations are finding ways to bring them back.

Why are more and more low-tech companies struggling to survive?

Concerned over the runaway growth of its housing market, China imposed new laws to slow speculation. But trying to curb a potential housing bubble may hurt the country's high growth.

President Obama has released his first TV ad of the 2012 election campaign.

We speak to one of the founding members of the Tea Party in South Carolina about which candidate she favors and why.

Republicans are claiming that the plan was rejected for political reasons, and TransCanada isn't quite ready to give up yet.

Eastman Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this morning. It's just the latest high profile company to go bankrupt in recent weeks, following American Airlines and Hostess Brands.

As Americans await Obama's State of the Union address, are they feeling better about the economy than in 2011?

After last week's relatively high weekly jobless claim numbers, they are back down this week — to the lowest level in almost four years.

U.S. households are ahead of the other major industrial nations in shedding debts.

While e-book technology can streamline education, struggling school districts could fall behind the digital divide — as one former teacher discusses.

You pressed the button, they tried to do the rest

The people. Seriously.

AT&T offers heftier data plans — but they'll cost you.

The euro has much support in beleaguered Greece and Italy, but in Germany — the eurozone’s strongest economy — many wonder if it’s worth the cost.

Kodak’s decline shows a failure to diversify in the digital age. Its main film rival, Japan’s Fujifilm, found a way to stay profitable.

When you look at net wealth instead of income, the gap between the 1 percent and the 99 grows exponentially.

"pssssssssssssssssst" – the sound of PIPA's deflating balloon

Marketplace's Heidi Moore discusses what's significant about banks shrinking and reporting profits.

That's one less Russian gang roving your Internet block

Americans don't feel any love for either. So who do they love?

Southwest CEO Gary Kelly discusses his airline's earnings and whether its business model has changed.

Blackout is a hit. Quick, someone tell the Scorpions.

Apple prepares to step into murky waters.

News of Jerry Yang’s exit from Yahoo after 17 years may mean that the company will have to fine tune its vision. Home Depot has just announced it’s going to hire 70,000 seasonal workers over the next few months, but how many of those temps will land permanent jobs? Plus, we look at the true costs of online piracy.

Stocks got another push from a surprisingly strong report on the housing market today. The National Association of Home Builders index rose four points to 25, its highest level since June 2007. Any reading below 50 is still a negative outlook, but today’s report marked four months of a consecutive increases. Some are asking if we’ve seen the bottom of the housing market.

As major websites across the Internet take aim at the Stop Online Piracy Act today, we look at the economic impact of Internet piracy and counterfeiting. Oil prices are shooting up and Saudi Arabia is currently demanding $100 a barrel. Senior business correspondent Bob Moon delves deeper into the subject of Mitt Romney and special tax breaks for investments. And a Democrat and a Republican each speak about whether President Obama should be worried about the upcoming election.

SOPA is the Stop Online Piracy Act, a bill being considered by the House. It would expand law enforcement’s authority to fight the online sale of counterfeit products, as well as the trafficking of bootleg movies and music. PIPA is the Protect IP Act, the Senate’s version of the same bill. Wikipedia, as well as other sites like Reddit, are going dark to drum up opposition to those bills, in part because they feel they could be in violation of what the new laws would establish. Also, Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang has resigned from the company’s board of directors. It could be a sign the company is about to be sold.

Stephen Siwek, a consultant at Economist Incorporated, discusses how the cost of piracy is determined.

A SOPA/PIPA protest, and a Yahoo! founder's departure.

If you think the decision puts an end to the debate over the controversial project, guess again.

Not everyone agrees with Wikipedia

The home improvement retailer hired half its spring-time seasonal workers last year permanently. Some of them could land permanent jobs again.

The Obama Administration announced yesterday that the U.S. will hold international talks on space junk, that debris left over from human activity in space that poses a risk to satellites, astronauts, and those of here on earth.