Week of October 28th, 2013

Could Mattel's new Spanish-language toy campaign spur big sales this holiday season?

This weekend, personal finance expert Carmen Wong Ulrich debuts as the new host of Marketplace Money. We’ll have a round-up of personal-finance headlines in the news and a discussion on how keeping secrets about money affects relationships. Plus, a debate about whether or not marriage should be viewed as a financial contract. We’ll answer questions about credit card debt, early retirement and the role credit history plays in personal identity from our listeners.

As a temporary increase in food stamp benefits expires, families and businesses prepare to get by on less.

When box-office returns are lower than expected, it's often the marketing department that bare the brunt of the punishment.

Audiences are no more satisfied after watching a 3-D movie, than they are after watching the same movie in a mere two dimensions.

Homes in rural New England heat with wood at five times the national rate.

A boost to food stamps funding leftover from the government’s 2009 stimulus package is expiring. How will families, grocery stores, and corporate America feel the pain? The Container Store’s share price doubled shortly after its IPO this morning. Some might think that high-end organizing is a sign the economy is doing well. And Marketplace’s Queena Kim goes on a mission to find out what the Google Barge is all about … or not. 

Starting today, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps , will see a cut of $5 billion. Under the cuts, a family four will receive $36 less in benefits every month.

A 2009 extension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, expires today.

Marketplace Money listener Amanda wants to retire at the age of 30. What should she know before she makes the leap?

A look at the top 10 things you can save on by comparison shopping.

Rumors abound about what Google is housing in a floating barge in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Container Store’s share price doubled shortly after its IPO this morning.

Starting today, Americans will get less in foods stamp assistance. We talk to one of them. And, the FAA needs to give airline-by-airline approval before you can play "Angry Birds" during takeoff.

$27, 27602, 3 friends, 4 stories: Can you guess what these numbers mean?

AT&T reportedly wants to go global and buy the U.K.'s Vodafone. But revelations about the NSA tapping European data may complicate its plans.

Leigh Gallagher, editor of Fortune Magazine, and Sudeep Reddy from the Wall Street Journal recap the week in news.

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Starting today, Americans will get less in foods stamp assistance. We talk to one of them.

The FAA needs to give airline-by-airline approval before you can play "Angry Birds" during takeoff.

Colonel Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut and YouTube sensation, talks about his life in space and his new book.

Ben Bernanke's legacy at the Federal Reserve may be about the financial crisis — and a new era of transparency.

The holiday season is lucrative for Starbucks — because of the flavored drinks sold in those red cups.

AT&T has been making noises about wanting to expand in a big way in Europe. There’s speculation that the takeover target would be Vodaphone, which has a long reach across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. But if this is AT&T’s secret dream, there are another three letters it has to worry about: NSA. President Obama’s pick to lead the Federal Reserve is Janet Yellen. She will be on Capitol Hill next week, meeting with lawmakers. Current Chairman Ben Bernanke’s term is almost over, and economists have started reflecting on his legacy. And, this weekend Starbucks will begin selling its coffee in red cups again. Specialty drinks are the sort of upgrades that pour extra money into the pockets of Starbucks and its competitors.

Colonel Chris Hadfield is probably the most famous Canadian astronaut ever. And after playing and shooting a music video of David Bowie’s song “Space Oddity” from the International Space Station, he might be the most famous astronaut of our era. But Hadfield’s story is also about farm life in Canada and about the behind the scenes journey to travel outside our atmosphere. It’s all in his new book, “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth.”

It's easy to say "sorry" after a big corporate or government mistake.

Techies may be trying to move our entire lives online, but when it comes to doing business, they're strictly old school.

As if Wall Street wasn't scary enough.

Adam Bahner, better known as Tay Zonday, talks about what he learned from his parents that helps him manage his finances as a professional viral video superstar and campy Internet sensation.

In our Disappearing Jobs series, we take a trip through a letterpress company.

A culinary lesson in scarcity, supply and demand … and demand … and demand, via the 'cronut.'

A woman in California got a traffic ticket for wearing her Google Glass while driving.

Economists are worried about consumers' moods as we head toward the end of the year. Georgia Tech was the first elite university to offer an online degree program and now it’s putting together its first class. And, want to know who died in your house? Now there's a website where you can find out.

Economists are worried about consumers' moods as we head toward the end of the year.

Mark Zuckerberg's FWD.us is behind a new initiative that will help illegal immigrants use technology to push for immigration reform.

A report out today shows more people are quitting their jobs.

A conference in Washington kicks off to convince investors from across the world that the U.S. is an attractive place to invest.

The FAA is allowing airline passengers to use some mobile devices during takeoff and landing. NOT cellphones.

The FAA has allowed airline passengers to use some mobile devices during takeoff and landing. But they still want you to shut off your tablet during the all-important safety message before takeoff. The Select USA conference is taking place in Washington. The goal is to convince investors from across the world that the U.S. is an attractive place to invest. A report out today shows more people are quitting their jobs. Is this more confidence in the job market? Or about healthcare mobility?

Nigeria could soon pass South Africa to become Africa’s biggest economy, but only because it’s changing how it calculates its GDP.

The NSA says they haven't done anything illegal. But one cyber security expert finds that claim dubious.

Want to know who died in your house? Now there's a website where you can find out.

Georgia Tech was the first elite university to offer an online degree program and now it’s putting together its first class.

A 32-feet-long, 16-feet-wide tube that can inflate to up to 35,000 gallons of volume may be our best hope next time there is a super storm.

The latest revelation about the NSA's surveillance operations is that the agency secretly broke into communication links between Google and Yahoo data centers around the world.

The gap between what America brings in and what it spends is at its least terrifying level in 5 years. There’s news the deficit has dropped below $1 trillion, which hasn’t happened since 2008. The deficit is now $680.3 billion. If you see a headline reading “Nigeria’s Economy Will Grow by 40 Percent on December 10,” it’s not inaccurate — technically. Nigeria is overhauling the way it calculates gross domestic product to make it more up-to-date. But will it help the businesses and people of Nigeria? Some big name tech companies plan to jump into the renewed push to overhaul American immigration law. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and other tech big wigs are part of something to be called the “DREAMer Hackathon.” It’s an event designed to connect people who came to the U.S. illegally as children with technology tools and projects to help them push for changes to immigration law.

This week marks a year since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. One of the problems persisting in New York City is keeping our transit systems from flooding. Many New Yorkers can remember walking from Midtown through a darkened city last fall while the Transit Authority was still assessing the damage — much of it from water. Well, a company has a tech-y solution to this — an inflatable plug that could be blown up to keep water out of a tunnel when flooding occurs.

In 1996, Marketplace China correspondent Rob Schmitz moved to rural Sichuan Province for two years to teach English as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He says the city of Zigong has changed a lot since then.

For private insurers, a silver lining over canceled insurance plans.

What's it take to scare people these days?

You want that new home, but make sure you don't make a decision you'll regret later

A study from the American Affluence Research Center finds that families with a net worth of $800,000 or more think the economy's doing great.

The Federal Reserve reaffirmed, to no one’s surprise, that its stimulus will continue. So if that’s not surprising, why are investors and economists so concerned about when the Fed might decide to “taper?” Also, the National Black Child Development Institute says the conversation around poverty and development goals for the African-American community need to be shifted. And finally, the battle to save coal from President Obama’s alleged War on Coal is now fully engaged. The coal industry and its political supporters have launched their counterattack to EPA rules.

Twitter executives are currently on the road, selling their company's IPO to investment bankers.

The Boston Red Sox defeated St. Louis on the field. But how much does it matter when baseball fans step up to the plate for their team?

The future of retail banking is becoming increasingly high tech. Whether customers like it or not.

2 to 3 percent of people who currently purchase their own insurance will need to switch to a new plan. Edward Snowden’s former employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, announces earnings. Did it feel a Snowden penalty? And, Cuba is shutting down 20,000 businesses that sell clothing.

The National Black Child Development Institute says the conversation around poverty and success in the African-American community needs to be shifted.

The coal industry and its political supporters have launched their counterattack to EPA rules.

Nintendo's decision not to go mobile is costing it big time.

20,000 businesses may be shut down.

2 to 3 percent of people who currently purchase their own insurance will need to switch to a new plan.

Edward Snowden’s former employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, announces earnings. Did it feel a Snowden penalty?

Spain's economy has (just barely) emerged from recession. But people are still suffering.

Two recent high profile cases of black men being detained and searched after shopping at luxury clothing stores shines a light on a common experience for people of color.

Notice how your iPhone 4 started to become unreliable just as the iPhone 5S came out? You're not the only one.

We buy (and throw away) our mobile phones at an alarming rate.

Spain’s very fragile economy has just limped out of recession after two years — but just barely. The country’s National Statistics Institute detected a .01 percent growth during the third quarter. But that wouldn’t tell the whole story of one of Europe’s top five economies, 13th in the world overall just behind Australia. And, the lawsuits are flying after a black college student says he was stopped by New York police after buying a $350 Ferragamo belt at Barneys. In a separate incident, actor Rob Brown says he was searched after buying his mother a $1,000 Movado watch at Macys. Marketplace Morning Report looks at how people of color are sometimes treated while shopping at high end stores.

Our gadget love is fickle. Bits and pieces of the technology are always getting a little bit better. Chips, software, you name it. So companies keep making new phones and electronics and we keep buying them. And throwing them out at a rate of millions of tons per year in the U.S. alone. But there might be some good news. Something called Phonebloks just got buy in from a big phone maker. The idea is a modular phone — almost like it’s made out of Legos — that you can improve with new parts.

The life of a mascot is the subject of a new series by Josh Greenbaum on Hulu.

We check back in with cattle rancher Ken Lenox in Rolla, Mo.

The BBC's Matthew Price talks with a family of Syrian refugees who fled Syria in hopes of safety and a better life.

How will you celebrate?

Insight into why we do what we do with our money.

To help fight wildfires, officials often dump orange fire retardant from planes. But some Forest Service employees argue the substance doesn't work as promised.

This month has seen two high profile cases of young men being caught hacking.

There are perils for too-low inflation for too long, because inflation can help wages and companies grow.

In rural areas, one out of every 5 land-line long-distance calls doesn't go through.

Infosys allegedly used the wrong type of visa to bring thousands workers into the country.

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Outsourcing giant Infosys faces a record immigration fine over worker visas. Southern Airways Express flies small planes out of small airports, a no-hassle alternative to driving a few hundred miles. And, cocoa prices are near record highs, as farmers who have switched to more lucrative crops have driven down supply.

The new bonds, backed by the British government, are compliant with Islamic law.

I recently paid off my car, then it was totaled. Bought a new used car with a very low interest rate for 48 months. I could pay off this loan early, but I wonder if I should save the extra money for a rainy day or put it in my 403(b) account. My only other installment loan is a 15 year mortgage, also with a very low interest rate. Thanks.

Cocoa prices are near record highs, as farmers who have switched to more lucrative crops have driven down supply.

Southern Airways Express flies small planes out of small airports, a no-hassle alternative to driving a few hundred miles.

Dental spas find there’s money to be made offering a less stressful experience while you get work done on your teeth.

Today, Turkey opens the world's first trans-continental tunnel, linking Istanbul's European side to its Asian side by cutting across the Bosporus Strait.

A look at Apple's quarterly earnings.

It might be an understatement to say that investors are pumped up about social networks and other tech companies.

October was Cyber Security Awareness Month, and what an October it's been for cyber security.

British Prime Minister David Cameron will announce an official, government bond on Tuesday that’s approved under Islamic finance rules. What’s called “Sharia-Compliant Finance” is rich in the vein of capitalism and involves certain filters, such as not investing in companies that gamble or sell alcohol. But it’s also about not charging interest, prohibited under Islamic law. Connecting the continents of Asia and Europe across the Bosporus River via rail has been a dream of Turkish leaders for a 150 years. Today the fantasy becomes reality.  Turkey is opening an underground rail line that will connect the two sides of Istanbul. And, have you seen signs for “dental spas” cropping up in your area and wondered, “What the heck is that?” It’s what it sounds like — think cucumber-scented eye pillows and a massaging dental chair. But can you make a dreaded appointment with a dentist into a treat?

In this week’s installment of embarrassing NSA leaks: European leaders are not happy and the Obama administration is scrambling. There’s news of the NSA sucking up information on 60 million phone calls in Spain and there’s the awkward question about whether President Obama knew about the agency spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone. But what about our online devices? Oh, you mean you didn’t know October was Cyber Security Awareness Month?

There are perils for too-low inflation for too long, because inflation can help wages and companies grow. Plus, in rural areas, one out of every 5 landline long-distance calls doesn’t go through. How far behind have rural areas been left? Finally, as smart phones gained popularity, people quit looking at their wrists to tell the time. But now the wrist is back. Samsung and Google could be about to spar over that piece of real estate.

Marketplace checks back in with Austin Golding, co-owner of Golding Barges Line in Mississippi.

The BBC's Tom Burridge takes the temperature of Spaniards in Madrid over allegations of NSA call-monitoring.

The community of Ortley Beach off the Jersey Shore was hit hard when Sandy made landfall. It’s trying to rebuild, but it's finding it difficult when homeowners can't help.

Talk about early adopters. Tiny kids are rivaling eight-year-olds in screen time, some are getting their own screens, and device makers are no doubt drooling over the possibilities of cashing in on the gift that keeps on giving. Plus, pending housing starts are disappointing and industrial production is up. Business spending was less than expected last week. Has the shutdown scared people that much — or are there other dark clouds on the horizon? And finally, even some Democrats are saying the sign-up period for the Affordable Healthcare Act should be extended.