Week of July 23rd, 2012

Why support for gay rights is also a shrewd tactical move in the tech community.

The London Olympics are here — and the brand police are out in full force. Ford may be looking to aluminum for its new pickup trucks. A New York grocery store has created a “man aisle” stocked with all the goods a dude could want. The drought isn’t keeping one Denver development from charging a $200 ticket, despite restrictions on watering. Hollywood studios looking to raise a little extra money are selling off iconic props and costumes through major auction houses.  And host Tess Vigeland takes us for a walk around the newest edition to Downtown L.A.’s cityscape — Grand Park.

Workers of all types talk about the challenges of doing their jobs successfully.

Ford reportedly plans to swap aluminum for much of the steel in its F-150 pickup truck. Will the gamble for fuel efficiency fly with customers?

Some people are born to be hard workers. For the rest of us, don't worry — a good work ethic can be learned.

New Orleans group trains and mentors youth released from juvenile detention

Hollywood costumes and props used to be sold on eBay. The sale of a big private collection shows that specialty auctions are now the way to go.

A New York grocery store creates a special space just for men.

According to Fox Business reporter John Stossel, businesses are hiring, Americans just don't want "those kind of jobs."

Can't find the drive to work harder? Motivational speaker Eric Chester has some tips on how to get re-energized about our jobs.

Until the Protestant Reformation, work was considered a four-letter word, then everything changed. Historian Roger Hill discusses how work became a source of American pride.

A homeowners association in Denver has issued hundred of tickets to residents this year for failing to keep up their lawns in the drought.

'Brand police' on the look out for ads near Olympic Park that aren't official sponsors.

Many Americans are unprepared for retirement — and an economics professor believes government intervention is necessary to create a viable retirement system.

Europeans get a minimum of three weeks of paid vacation, but many Americans get none. While Americans may work more, it doesn't necessarily mean they're being more productive.

Are you a hard worker? Because there are some people out there who think you’re lazy. This is a global economy, step it up! But there are a lot of people out there who work plenty hard. So what are you supposed to do? Today, we’ve got a passion for hard work: Where it comes from, where it went and what you can do about it.

Hard work is what made the United States, but there's now concern Americans aren't working hard enough.

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Ads aimed mostly at Democrats cost the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $5.9 million

Four times a year, the U.S. Department of Commerce serves up the big number that tells us how much we are producing as a country. U.S. second quarter GDP grew more than economists had expected. That doesn't make it good.

There's a lot of buzz this morning about Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos's decision to give $2.5 million to support a referendum that would legalize same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, Southern politicians have declared next Wednesday "Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day" after the fast-food chain's president emphatically declared his opposition to gay marriage.

If you are one of the brave souls traveling this summer you've surely noticed that airfares are soaring. And most of the major airlines are reporting healthy profits.

A lot of the earnings reports we've seen so far this week have been disappointing, including Facebook.

Facebook has reported its quarterly numbers, publicly, for the first time. And there were a lot of numbers, too many to mention. Wall Street seemed disappointed. What Facebook still needs to figure out how to bring in more money from ads — and it has to do it on mobile, because that’s where everyone is these days. So expect more ads on your Facebook app. Plus, Google makes Kansas City the cutting edge tech city of the future.

Vogue's September issue has 658 pages of advertisements. What makes this fashion staple the Super Bowl of magazine editions?

The London Olympics begin today, and the eleven big corporate sponsors of the event will begin to bask in the global limelight. All that basking doesn’t come cheap: All together, the sponsors have shelled out more than a billion dollars. Computer Hackers took over Las Vegas this week, as part of the Black Hat conference — a gathering of hackers where they talk about the latest in security and security breaches. And after several years of sluggish advertising, the glossies have just posted ad sales for their all important September issues and the numbers are looking fat. With 658 pages of ads, it will be Vogue’s thickest September issue since the financial crisis.

Police shooting, protests highlight poverty in Disneyland's hometown.

Filmmaker Kevin Smith discusses his new Hulu podcast, "Spoilers," and how he found success in his new career of podcasting online.

Only sponsoring companies may advertise within 1 kilometer of London’s Olympic Park. Strict policing of the restriction is angering some local firms.

And Google makes Kansas City the cutting edge tech city of the future.

The governor of the cash-strapped state recently signed a $8 million transportation bill. Watchers say it'll be a way for him to leave a lasting legacy.

In its first ever earnings report, Facebook reported a 32 percent boost in revenues, just shy of $1.2 billion. But it's still a wholly unprofitable company. What is it doing wrong?

After its disappointing IPO, Facebook releases its first ever earnings report today. Bankrupt cities across the nation are turning to drastic measures — some are walking away from their financial obligations. The ice sheet on the surface of Greenland is melting at an unprecedented rate. College campuses across the nation are revamping their gyms into state of the art fitness centers to woo prospective students, and it’s proving to be costly. Credit card companies once said that the Credit Card Accountability Act would destroy profits, but now some are praising it. And Tess Vigeland talks to Virginia Sole-Smith about her article on Mary Kay Cosmetics and its ‘Pink Pyramid Scheme.’

How much do all those campus luxuries push up tuition and fees?

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The latest study on the unprecedented loss of ice covering the Arctic says it is 70 percent the result of human-caused climate change.

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A law restricting credit card acess for poor credit risks has resulted in fewer defaults.

U.S. clothing makers may not beat China on price, but can on technological innovation.

Republicans run with out-of-context "you didn't build that" Obama comment

If debt-ridden municipalities begin walking away from their financial obligations the way homeowners once did, such strategic defaults could wreak havoc for municipal bond holders.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are spearheading an effort to fight against health care fraud by teaming up with private insurers.

What can the European Central Bank really do to help the euro and what obstacles might be in its way?

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Yesterday after markets closed we got results from Zynga, the maker of Facebook games like FarmVille. And things ain't looking so good down on the farm.

The crisis in the eurozone is hitting profits everywhere; Anglo-Dutch oil giant "Shell" is the latest. Shell says this morning earnings fell 13 percent compared to the same quarter last year. This follows a string of U.S. companies blaming Europe.

President Obama wants a new cybersecurity bill to help prevent online attacks against companies and government bodies. The fear is that a large attack could knock out power, water, cause mayhem. The president may get his wish. A bill championed by Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut could come to a vote in the Senate soon. He talks about why the bill is more carrots instead of sticks. Plus, Microsoft posts the entire, growing AIDS Memorial Quilt online.

Facebook has had a rocky road since it started selling shares and there are still big questions about Facebook's future. For instance: how, exactly, it plans to make money.

Sanford Weill was once the king of making big banks bigger. Back in 1998, he combined Travelers, the insurance company, with Citibank to create Citigroup. But now, Weill wants to break up big banks. Facebook will post its first earnings after its IPO today, but the company has had a rocky road since it started selling shares and there are still big questions about its future. And why Goodyear is working on a new kind of tire: One made partially from soybeans.

Will incentives be enough to spark security improvement in corporate America?

The father of supply-side economics explains why he's against raising taxes on the rich, and the problems with being so against income inequality.

Many farmers in Tennessee tend their fields without tills to cut down on erosion, but they've found that their method also helps conserve water during droughts.

Sandy Weill, who engineered Citigroup and the creation of megabanks, says big banks should be split up. Will the debate now gain traction?

The White House aims to give African Americans more tools to graduate

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Olympic host cities get a huge windfall of tax revenues and tourist dollars, right? Freakonomics looks at the effect the games really have on a host city.

Nearly halfway through earnings season, companies are making profits but falling short on sales. The sluggish economy is taking a toll.

Incarceration rates have skyrocketed in the last 30 years, especially in New Orleans. Shereen Marisol Meraji reports on how jail time has now become a poverty creator. A number of startups in Mexico are using technology to bridge the gap between rich banks and poor customers. Both President Obama and Mitt Romney are sending out sweepstakes offers to meet celebrities for a small donation. Freakonomics Radio’s Stephen Dubner talks about what effect the Olympic Games really have on its host city. And Tess Vigeland talks to Ryan Holiday, the author of “Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Master Media Manipulator.”

And can power your house. Plus, don’t go online before bed because it made some hamsters depressed.

With costs to open rural bank branches prohibitive, tech companies look to turn payphones into virtual banks.

Both the President Obama and Mitt Romney campaigns are using sweepstakes to coax small donations. Do they work?

Ever wish you could click play and never stop listening to Marketplace? Now you can. Tune in for our brand new infinite listening experience on Slacker Radio.

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Thanks to SB 420, Los Angeles has all other cities beat when it comes to pot dispensaries. But the city council has decided things are out of hand, and voted last night to ban all storefront medical marijuana shops.

Today as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was officially presenting a report from the Financial Stability Oversight Council on the state of the economy, he was grilled about British banks' manipulation of the LIBOR interest rate.