Week of May 21st, 2012

Apple chief Tim Cook will not take a $75 million dividend on his stock in the company, which will help him keep a low profile as more CEO salaries come under fire. Some of Facebook’s individual investors are trying to get some of their money back from brokers. Former Red Sox star Curt Schilling laid off all the employees of his video game company yesterday, possibly leaving the state of Rhode Island on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in loan guarantees. And Kai Ryssdal talks to high school freshman Jack Andraka about his winning project in the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

This week, the Obama campaign launched an online dashboard for its network of volunteers. It’s a bit of technology that tracks all the activity that volunteers have done on behalf of the campaign, including calls made, doors knocked on, money that’s been raised. The investment in this type of technology could have a big effect on how the rest of the campaign is conducted and who might win in November.

After a week that included Facebook’s IPO fizzle, talks of a Greek exit, and the impending debt ceiling showdown, the economic landscape may be taking a toll on our psyche. After all the doom and gloom in the worldwide economy, we get a nun’s take on the economic recovery in her community and her local service work. The ketchup bottle just got a major upgrade thanks to a team of M.I.T. scientists — no more whacking the bottle to squeeze out the last dregs. And the automaker Ford cashes in on its logo in the form of toys, T-shirts, and videogames.

On this Memorial weekend, lots of us will gather for hot dogs, hamburgers and beer. But of course, the weekend is about much more than backyard barbecues. It’s about military service and sacrifice. We’re spending a little time with the military and learning about how Marines at Camp Pendleton are themselves learning financial literacy. We’ll also hear from military spouses about the financial challenges they face as husbands and wives deploy to war. And perspective from one of the country’s five million long-term unemployed as she struggles to break out of the cycle of joblessness.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Satellite TV provider Dish Network has a new digital recorder called AutoHop that cuts out commercials. Fox, NBC, and CBS are now suing to stop it.

Scotland has been a part of the United Kingdom for the past 300 years, but many Scots think it's a bad deal. Scotland is home to most of the U.K.'s oil and gas production in the North Sea.

Ford's blue oval logo and pick-up truck slogan fuels sales of licensed products from Hot Wheels toys to girls’ T-shirts.

After a week that included Facebook's IPO fizzle, talks of a Greek exit, and the impending debt ceiling showdown, the economic landscape may be taking a toll on our psyche. After all the doom and gloom in the worldwide economy, we get a nun's take on the economic recovery in her community and her local service work. The ketchup bottle just got a major upgrade thanks to a team of M.I.T. scientists — no more whacking the bottle to squeeze out the last dregs. And the automaker Ford cashes in on its logo in the form of toys, T-shirts, and videogames.

There are millions of Americans who've been out of work for more than six months. One woman shares how she stays hopeful.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Some point to the Facebook stock flop as sign of a slowing tech sector. Meanwhile, employment growth for unskilled workers in the U.S. remains stalled.

Figures out today show Chinese manufacturing fell for the seventh month in a row. Countries like Australia and South Africa could suffer more than the U.S.

High school freshman Jack Andraka won $75,000 in scholarship funds, and $12,000 in cash for his project, which can detect cancer in its early stages.

The news that didn't quite make the headlines. This week: Facebook can predict the stock market, U.S. traffic is down (but not on L.A.'s 405 freeway), and paying off loans with cash.

Supporters of cutting Scotland loose from the rest of the United Kingdom kicked off their independence campaign today. A key part of the U.K.'s wealth is the oil under the North Sea, which would become Scottish territory.

From presidential posters to owls, we look back at some of the unique ways the Marketplace staff addressed the news this past week.

In the last week, we've heard of a possible Greek exit from the euro, a U.S. debt ceiling showdown, HP layoffs, and a Facebook stock lawsuit. How does this news affect our psyche and what stories should we focus on amid all the turmoil?

This week New Zealand announced the price on cigarettes will rise by 40 percent over the next four years — to more than $15 U.S. a pack — as part of an effort to eliminate smoking in New Zealand completely by 2025.

Memorial Day, Labor Day, Fourth of July — yes, those holidays are now becoming fodder for election ads.

The President’s re-election campaign is using high tech tools for grass roots organizing

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Reviewing the week's headlines on Wall Street and beyond. This week: The problems with the Facebook IPO and in Spain.

I am very lost and uncertain of our financial road to retirement. Our company doesn't offer defined payment retirement; it is all up to individual and 401(k). The company does match 3 percent. I am married and we have been working for 14 years now and have combined liquid assets (401(k), outside investment account, savings) of about $400,000, plus home equity of $100,000 on a good day. What shape are we in on our road to retirement? Thanks much. Martin, Chicago, IL

Sister Albertina Morales works with some of the most economically destitute people in Los Angeles. And according to her, the economic recovery isn't much of a recovery at all.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Last fall, a listeria outbreak in cantaloupes traced to a Colorado farm killed 30 people around the country. The economic fallout from the tragedy has been far reaching.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a coating that keeps condiments from sticking to the bottle.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

The former Red Sox pitcher's video game company, 38 Studios, is in deep financial trouble. What that means for Rhode Island, which gave the company a $75 million loan.

Apple head Tim Cook says he will forgo the $75 million dividend from his company stock. It's a shrewd move at a time when corporate chiefs are under pressure for being over paid.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Think junior's ready to dive into Wall Street? Some parents are buying their kids a share or two, to teach them about investing.

As budget woes continue to plague lawmakers in Washington, D.C., as well as leaders in Europe, we speak to the leader of California, Gov. Jerry Brown, over his state’s financial issues. Officials in Houston are trying to figure out what to do with the Astrodome — renovate it or tear it down. Manufacturers are reporting slowing sales of desktop and laptop PCs suggesting a slow down in economic growth, but computer sales may no longer be a reliable indicator of new hires and overall business growth.

California Gov. Jerry Brown talks to Kai Ryssdal about the state’s fiscal problems and how he plans to solve them. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is joining a growing list of cities that ban plastic bags at supermarket checkouts. Goldman Sachs’ annual meeting takes place today in New Jersey. New Orleans newspaper the Times-Picayune has announced that it is going to publish just three days a week. And Gallup reveals the latest data on what Americans think about the austerity versus growth debate happening in Europe and the U.S.

Customers of Comcast’s Xfinity service will soon be able to use a Comcast app to make phone calls from their home number over the Internet on any Wi-Fi network. So if you’re out and about, in theory, it just got a lot easier to make calls from, say, an iPod Touch without using a cell phone network. Just find a Wi-Fi signal. It’s a system called Voice Over Internet Protocol or VOIP. But is it reliable? Plus, IBM has banned the use of Apple’s voice-controlled personal assistant Siri from the company’s campus. We chat with Siri about it all.

The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced this week its efforts to regulate prepaid debit cards. Regulators fear the cards aren’t backed by protections given regular credit card holders.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Even though he said he'd vote to cut retiree benefits.

After technical snafus on the NASDAQ market interfered with the launch of Facebook stock, there are reports the New York Stock Exhange reached out to Facebook to pick up their business.

If Greece ditches its austerity plan and defaults on its loans, how might that play out in the global economy? Follow our flow chart to find out.

Former Times-Picayune columnist Chris Rose laments the fact the his old paper is cutting back to three days a week in favor of the web.

According to Gallup, what you do for a living, not how much money you make, may determine your vote in November.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

My wife and I have taught in Alabama public schools for the past 2 years and have made (forced) contributions to the state retirement system in that time frame. Together, we've got around $8,000 invested in the state retirement system. Realizing the limited income prospects for career teachers, we both applied and were accepted to a top 25 law school on full-tuition scholarship. My question to you is this: For my retirement account, I have the option of either a) taking a lump-sum payment of the $8,000, minus 20 percent in federal income tax, or b) rolling it over into a 401(k), IRA, or similar long-term savings plan. Should I take the money and run, or should I start building a retirement nest egg while I'm financing the rest of my life with borrowed money? Alex, Montgomery, AL

California Gov. Jerry Brown talks about his plan to balance the state's budget. Currently, California is facing a deficit of close to $16 billion.

L.A. has become the largest U.S. city to prohibit the use of plastic grocery bags. But the paper alternative isn't much better for the environment.

At Goldman Sachs’ annual meeting, the only storm was the weather outside. Shareholders laughed and voted for everything management wanted.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

The mayor's plan would stop illuminating blighted neighborhoods, and spend more to light the rest.

The latest numbers on sales of durable goods come out today. Analysts used to watch computer sales for what they might tell us about business growth, but those numbers alone aren't a good enough indicator anymore.

Is Voice Over Internet Protocol reliable? And what’s in it for Comcast?

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

The main newspaper in New Orleans is trimming its staff and cutting production. So how do newspapers decide which days to publish?

Europe is debating the two. So, too, are many in the States. Frank Newport at Gallup talks about what Americans are saying about austerity here and in Europe.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

Once touted as the Eighth Wonder of the World, the futuristic stadium might have a future as an events venue.

Euro leaders say they are committed to Greece staying with the euro, but talk of an exit is growing louder. Finance ministers have advised euro zone members to draw up contingency plans for what's being called an "amiable divorce" from Greece.

Like other states across the U.S., California's grappling with a giant budget hole. Gov. Jerry Brown talks about the role of government and the tension between taxing the rich and cutting programs for the poor.

People in northern Italy are still dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake this week that killed seven. It struck hardest in some of Italy's richest farmland and ten percent of the world's supply of Parmesan has been affected.

Although eurozone members want Greece to keep the euro, contingency plans are being made in case there is a parting of ways. The cost and wider economic effects of a possible Greek exit are highly uncertain.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

The Los Angeles City Council has voted to phase out plastic bags at the checkout with a ten cent tax. Other cities around the country have enacted similar measures, but Los Angeles is the largest U.S. city to do so.

The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote on setting aside part of the broadcast spectrum for wireless medical devices. The devices could be used to monitor patients with heart conditions and lung problems, and send out data on how the patient is doing. It’s like getting an email from your body. The commission’s vote could have an enormous effect on the future of medical treatment. Plus, the new partnership between American Express and, yes, Farmville.

Egyptians will vote today and tomorrow in the first presidential elections since Hosni Mubark was removed from office. Meanwhile, it looks like the U.S. headed for another debt ceiling debate. Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon is under fire for some questionable personal expenses. Studios and movie theaters are fighting over exactly who should shoulder the cost of the glasses for 3-D movies. And in our new series Money Matters, we hear about people who bought shares of Facebook not for the investment, but as a way to teach their kids about how Wall Street works.

If you’re looking for a safe place to park your money,  think Ford. Moody’s has boosted the automaker’s debt to investment-grade, giving a thumbs up to a long financial turnaround for the company. Today, struggling tech giant Hewlett-Packard will announce whether the company will shed tens of thousands its workers. With Memorial Day approaching, parents begin to consider summer plans and the value of camp for their kids. This week Target launched a line of Gay Pride T-shirts on its website in time for Gay Pride month in June which may help mend fences between the retailer and the gay community.

Six years ago, Ford lost billions when SUV sales stalled. It borrowed billions, and put up factories and its famous trademark as collateral. After a major restructuring, the automaker has earned an investment-grade rating from Moody's.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

An underappreciated factor behind the recent gains in the housing market is higher rents.

In Brussels this evening, leaders from euro zone nations are meeting in a casual setting to discuss and formulate policy solutions to the European debt crisis ahead of a formal summit.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

The shareholder lawsuit against Facebook and its banking partners argues they made a "severe and pronounced reduction" to the company's revenue projects days before the initial offering but hid it from the public.

Hewlett Packard is expected to announce thousands of layoffs today. But highly skilled tech workers may not be out of work for long.

They may be cute in "Harry Potter" movies. But clueless wizard fans in England are learning the hard way that owls are not like parrots.

With Memorial Day coming up on Monday, we've reached the unofficial start of summer — which means a lot of kids are going to have a lot of free time on their hands. So what's the best use of that time?

The giant Oklahoma natural gas company and its charismatic CEO Aubrey McClendon face an uncertain future.

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

The popularity of 3-D movies is growing. So is a battle over who should pay for them — the studios or the theaters?

This is a Marketplace.org Reader

According to a recent survey by TheKnot.com, the average wedding in the U.S. now costs over $27,000. But Americans aren't the only ones throwing their money towards the perfect nuptials.

A few tech stories we've been following: Hewlett-Packard does announce major layoffs, and there are reports Facebook is thinking of leaving the Nasdaq.

On the fourth day of Facebook public trading, shareholders sued the company, Mark Zuckerberg, as well as several banks that underwrote the deal.