Week of May 28th, 2012

In a country crafted from dreams, can someone with their head in the clouds succeed? We talk to a man who turned down millions for his land in order to start his own resort. Plus, here’s something for those of you who dream of swimming in money — literally, you dream about swimming in money. You and Scrooge McDuck. We talk to a dream reader about the financial dreams you have while you snooze. And in chasing a dream, you have to pay attention to what’s happening with loved ones on the sidelines.

For the third year in a row, spring brought with it no improvement in job growth. We hear from a listener who has been out of work since fall 2008. Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake, Lionel Richie and other celebrities performed today at Walmart’s annual shareholders meeting. We pay a visit to the residents of View Park, commonly referred to as the Black Beverly Hills. And photographer Amanda Dahlgren talks about her new set of photo essays about lavish, masterplanned residential communities.

Technology can do a lot of things, but can it keep kids from skipping school? In San Antonio, they’re going to track children with the same microchips used for cattle, or boxes in a Wal-Mart warehouse: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). More than 6,000 students will be outfitted with RFID chips, as a pilot for a district-wide program. The district says it’ll be good for emergencies, but there are inevitable issues of privacy. Plus: Are you ready for some “backyard” neuroscience?

Today, the latest monthly job numbers come out and the Federal Reserve will be watching to determine their next move. Although, we hear a lot of data when it comes to the economy, everyone’s story is unique. We visit a job center in Portland, Oregon to take the pulse of people who are just hitting the unemployment lines. Wal-Mart shareholders gather in Bentonville, Arkansas for the company’s annual meeting. As hurricane season starts, stronger and more frequent storms have companies pulling out of parts of the Bahamas and Florida.  

Catch up on this week in tech and meet the team of producers and coders that deliver Marketplace to you everywhere BUT your public radio station

Black upper middle class View Park in L.A. feels connected to nearby poor neighborhoods.

May's job data, which comes out today, could help determine whether the Federal Reserve pumps more money into the U.S. economy.

Today, the latest monthly job numbers come out and the Federal Reserve will be watching to determine their next move. Although, we hear a lot of data when it comes to the economy, everyone's story is unique. We visit a job center in Portland, Oregon to take the pulse of people who are just hitting the unemployment lines. Wal-Mart shareholders gather in Bentonville, Arkansas for the company's annual meeting. As hurricane season starts, stronger and more frequent storms have companies pulling out of parts of the Bahamas and Florida.

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Newly unemployed, a newcomer to the search for work talks about his next steps.

The American workforce feels it, but now its official: the economy created a meager number of jobs in May. Alan Krueger, chair of the President's council of economic advisors joined us live for the White House's reaction.

Can you recommend a book on how to put yourself on a budget? Thank you, Elizabeth, Unionville, PA

Money market mutual funds are just as vulnerable to the temperaments of Wall Street.

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Yesterday discount travel website Kayak announced it’s putting off going public. In the UK, luxury jeweler Graff Diamonds has made a similar move, and today Formula One announced it’s shelving its IPO.

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A demographic survey says, California, like other states, is actually several different voting and demographic units within one. What are the public policy implications of these divisions?

Can technology keep kids from skipping school? In San Antonio, they're going to track children with the same microchips used for cattle, or boxes in a Walmart warehouse. Plus: Are you ready for some "backyard" neuroscience?

We hear from Millford Prewitt, a Brooklynite in his late 50s who has been unemployed for more than three years.

Hurricane season is here, and companies are hedging more against climate risk. Investors also want to know more about this risk.

Fresh out of work, a newcomer to the search for work talks about her next steps.

A symbolic vote held today will a message that investors are not happy with Wal-Mart's management.

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People at an unemployment office say they're experiencing jobless numbers firsthand.

Reviewing the week's headlines on Wall Street and beyond. This week: Today's disappointing U.S. jobs report from May.

In the wake of Facebook's IPO, senior business correspondent Bob Moon explains why individual investors are at a sharp disadvantage.

Despite troubling bribery allegations, shareholders partied at the giant retailer's annual meeting this week to live performances by big-name celebs like Justin Timberlake, Aerosmith and Celine Dion.

Google has applied for a number of domain names, from .google to, yes, .lol.

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The government recorded just 69,000 additional jobs in May. A separate survey of households showed unemployment at 8.2 percent, a slight increase from April.

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What might an American audience appreciate about the news in Paris right now, and what's on everybody's mind in France?

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Photographer Amanda Dahlgren discusses her pictures of the real estate crash in master-planned communities in San Diego.

Former ski bum Troy Caldwell has been following his dream of opening his own ski resort for years… at any cost.

Long-term unemployment has been above 40 percent since 2010, and nearly half-a-million people have run out of extended unemployment benefits this year because of Congressional budget-cutting. What happens next? Gallup’s latest data reveals that more Americans believe home prices will rise than will go down. The Federal Reserve will be celebrating its centennial with a digital archive. Retailer JCPenney may have to rethink its ‘no sales’ strategy. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing a plan to ban all super-sized sugary drinks. And Kai Ryssdal talks to U.C. Berkeley professor Enrico Moretti about the importance of geography in the creation of jobs.

Botnets are series of computers that are infected without their owners knowing it. Those computers — possibly your computer — are then used to send spam, relay stolen data, all sorts of bad stuff. Corporate bigwigs met for a summit on botnets at the White House yesterday, trying to find a way to make sure computers aren’t infected with bad software.

Irish voters go to the polls today not to elect a president or a leader but to vote on key European bailout measures.With the price of oil below $90 a barrel, some are beginning to wonder at what point does it become unprofitable to drill. Today housing advocacy groups from 22 cities and 17 states are launching a campaign to force the presidential candidates to address the specific topic of foreclosures. Madonna begins her sold out worldwide summer tour today in Israel. But what if you’re not Madonna? How do you make money on tour?

The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, says he plans to propose a municipal ban on sales of large-size sugary beverages at restaurants, delis and movie theaters.

More long-term unemployed workers turn to food stamps and other government programs.

With the price of oil below $90 a barrel, some are beginning to wonder at what point does it become unprofitable to drill.

The Federal Reserve is almost 100, and it wants your help in compiling an inventory of its history.

Location, location, location. Economist Enrico Moretti says in his new book that it's more important than ever to move to areas with highly educated workers in order to find employment.

What's a picture perfect way to define the middle class? Your photos of course! Explore how others picture the middle class and upload your own snapshot to our Middle Class Photo Project.

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Spain's Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz, will head to Washington to discuss ways to resolve the Spanish banking crisis with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

The U.S. economy added less jobs than expected in May. At the same time, the number of workers filing for unemployment benefits rose, and the number of planned layoffs in hit an eight month high.

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Gallup's Frank Newport reveals the data on what Americans think about home prices and the housing market.

It's another out-of-the-box marketing move from the carmaker.

New York Mayor Bloomberg wants to ban larger-sized soft drinks for health reasons. But a lot of businesses aren't really happy with that plan.

Today housing advocacy groups from 22 cities and 17 states are launching a campaign to force the presidential candidates to address the specific topic of foreclosures.

The troubled Facebook IPO is casting a pall over high tech (wrongly, I think). The signal moment for the emergence of an even larger digital economy wasn't Facebook. It was Apple's iPad. It's the visible symbol of the rapid embrace of wireless data — video, images, content, data and communication — throughout the global economy. A safe forecast: The mobile Internet will transform personal finance.

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Madonna begins her worldwide summer tour today in Israel. Shows have already sold out around the world. But what if you're not Madonna? How do you make money on tour?

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I received a large bonus, and I'm going to use it all to pay down credit card debt. I have many cards. They all have about the same outstanding balances and about the same interest rates. At one time, most of the cards were "maxed out," which was bad for my credit score. Should I pay off a couple cards entirely, or should I make larger-than-usual payments to all of them, bringing down the outstanding balances substantially below the credit limits? Thanks. Henry, Chicago, IL

It's a gray day in Dublin, as the Irish vote on the European Union's fiscal stability treaty. Will a yes vote really solve Ireland's problems?

JCPenney unveiled a new pricing strategy in January that largely scrapped sales. One bad quarter later, discounts are creeping back in.

Experts say the European debt crisis could derail halting economic growth in the U.S., but do Americans care?

Irish voters go to the polls today not to elect a president or a leader but to vote on key European bailout measures.With the price of oil below $90 a barrel, some are beginning to wonder at what point does it become unprofitable to drill. Today housing advocacy groups from 22 cities and 17 states are launching a campaign to force the presidential candidates to address the specific topic of foreclosures. Madonna begins her sold out worldwide summer tour today in Israel. But what if you're not Madonna? How do you make money on tour?

A satirical video from political cartoonist Mark Fiore brought down the house at a conference on the risks of debt to the global financial system.

Pre-foreclosure sales are offering more relief in the tough housing market.

Industry titans gather to figure out how to keep people off zombie networks.

A study this morning from job outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas found layoffs rose in May to their highest level in eight months.

The FDA has rejected a bid to rename the controversial sweetener known as high fructose corn syrup “corn sugar” on nutrition labels.

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Today, Ireland is holding a referendum on whether to ratify Europe's new fiscal discipline pact. A vote against the treaty would challenge German-backed austerity measures.

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General Motors announced today a major Chevrolet sponsorship deal with the popular English soccer team, Manchester United.

Computer networks across the Middle East are engulfed in Flame. That’s Flame, singular not plural. Flame is a newly identified bit of malicious software used in an enormous attack on government computers in Iran, Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. Flame’s power, combined with fear of what else might be out there, could lead to panic by governments around the world.

The once high-flying maker of the BlackBerry handheld device is in deeper water than analysts feared. Research In Motion warned investors yesterday it could report a loss for its first quarter and has hired bankers for a “strategic review.” Computer networks across the Middle East are engulfed in flame, flame spying software that is. A hotdog joint called Felony Franks employs ex-convicts. After the BP spill, the multi-billion dollar Gulf Coast seafood industry was shut down. Now, two years later, things are looking up, at least for shrimpers.

Blackberry’s Research in Motion isn’t as successful as it used to be, but it could try to resurrect itself through what it became known for: software and security. The Carlyle Group has a new website, trying to show its kinder, gentler side. The bison is the one thing getting bipartisan support this year. Research shows that using words like “fracking” could be what’s keeping many from supporting drilling. And Stephen Dubner talks about the hidden side of more athletes choosing to sport eyewear.

Spain now pays more than 6.6 percent on its 10-year bonds. The U.S. pays just over 1.6 percent. Eurozone debt, however, may yet hurt both sides of the Atlantic.

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It turns out NBA players like LeBron James don't actually need the eyeglasses to see.

After a warning on earnings, could Research in Motion turn to a cybersecurity focus to shore up its business?

After the BP spill, the multi-billion-dollar Gulf Coast seafood industry was shut down. Now, two years later, things are looking up — at least for shrimpers.

Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, warned investors yesterday it could report a significant loss in its first quarter and has also hired JP Morgan and RBS for a "strategic review."

Commentator Robert Reich says lawmakers need to apply the brakes on automatic spending cuts and tax increases set to go into effect at the end of the year or the U.S. may face a new recession.

The Facebook founder is currently honeymooning there with his wife, and can't escape the press.