Week of August 18th, 2014

Basketball shoes are hot and Nike controls the sizzle .

Just 2 and a quarter billion shares changed hands.

Janet Yellen gave a big speech today in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, about the uncertainty of the economy. Should we be worried? We catch up with Catherine Rampell from the Washington Post and John Carney from the Wall Street Journal to discuss the week that was. Plus, California could join the group of states that let community colleges offer four-year degrees in certain subjects like dental hygiene. But do you really need a four-year degree, and what’s the cost? We investigate. Also, the Emmys are on Monday this year, as opposed to Sunday. Why? Because they don’t want to have to compete with Sunday Night Football, of course. It’s just one example of the huge battle being waged over live TV broadcast space. Speaking of athletics, Foot Locker, the athletic shoe store, reported sky-high profits this year thanks to its partnership with Nike. Shoes with the swoosh account for two-thirds of Foot Locker’s sales. But what happens if wingtips become the new workplace fashion? Could Foot Locker be too dependent on Nike? 

Community colleges are getting into the business of awarding BA degrees.

Mo'Ne Davis is held out as a sensation and pioneer for women in sports.

Marketplace's Noel King and Lindsay Foster Thomas recap their trip to Ferguson, Missouri and tell us about their experience.

Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson talks about a few apps that help you discover a neighborhood and city instead of get from point A to point B.

We look back on the week's news and what's on our plate for the upcoming week.

This weekend, journalist Simran Sethi explains how her upbringing impacts the way she uses money now. Plus, we talk with Marketplace’s Noel King and Linday Foster Thomas to recap their trip to Ferguson, Missouri and tell us about their experience. Also we look at the rising cost of school supplies being handed off to parents. What’s more, good public schools are also causing massive spikes in home costs in desired district. Is the price worth it? We investigate. Then, Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson talk about a few app that hep you discover a neighborhood and city. And after, writer Gwen Moran explains why women who ask to  work at home to take care of kids while on the clock are viewed more unfavorably than men who make the same request. Plus, Scotland is about a month away from a vote on whether it would like to be independent from the UK. What’s the impact on business in the country?

One professor is trying to get the best data scientists to tackle social problems.

Marketplace's Adriene Hill explains the rising cost of school supplies being handed to parents.

Scotland is about a month away from a vote on whether it would like to be independent from the UK. What's the impact on business in the country?

Even if you don't follow someone, you might start seeing his or her tweets.

Plus, neutral Switzerland stays out of Russian sanctions.

Tighter regulation can help combat drug use, but it could be too crude an approach

A new study from Zillow pegs median rent at $1,318 per month nationwide.

ACT scores show many students still are not prepared for college.

National and local politicians still use print ads to reach specific voting blocs.

All eyes are on Jackson Hole, Whyoming, where Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen will speak Friday morning. We get an international perspective. Plus, a new report from Zillow finds that renting isn’t much better than buying when it comes to affordability. We look at why rents are so high and why some markets are more – or less – expensive. Then, it’s rare to see an ad for a political candidate or a committee in major newspapers. Campaigns tend to spend most of their money on TV time and web advertisements.  But print ads are still an effective way to reach African-American voters, and as a result, they continue to be important sources of revenue for African-American newspapers. Finally, New York City’s public advocate Thursday pushed for police to wear video cameras in high-crime areas. This in the wake of Ferguson, Missouri and the death in of a man in New York after police used an apparent choke hold. Cops and cameras is a complicated matter, including safeguarding the video data and the cost of managing it.

First up, Sam Biddle, Co-editor at the Gawker news site ValleyWag, talks about Silicon Valley decamping to Burning Man. Then, we’re joined by Shilpa Kannan, a business reporter for the BBC in Delhi, to talk about an anti-corruption hotline that lets people submit evidence of bribery using WhatsApp. And how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? It’s time for Silicon Tally! This week, host Ben Johnson takes on Cyrus Summerlin, co-founder of the one-tap pizza ordering app “Push For Pizza.”

How well have you kept up on this week's tech news?

Charles Forman was down to $1,700. Then, overnight, he became very, very rich.

A for-profit college based in Georgia offers theology degrees to would-be pastors.

Rules apparently bar foreign service members from taking the challenge.

Family Dollar rejects Dollar General's offer to buy, citing fears of antitrust complications.

Do they risk undermining their core, indie-leaning fan base?

Some districts that cut bus service during the recession haven't brought it back.

Philadelphia plans to stop offering subsidies for school bus service for high school students who live within two miles of their school. We look at the impact of cutting out school buses on families and districts and whether those effects differ between urban and suburban areas. Plus, SoundCloud is going to start putting ads into its content stream. What happens to a company when, in order to find a business model, they have to undermine the very thing that created their customer base in the first place. Also, Dollar Store X rejects Dollar Store Z’s bid for it, preferring Dollar Store’s Y bid, saying it fears the X+Z combo couldn’t pass antitrust muster. Could there really be an antitrust issue with “dollar stores”? We investigate.

The long drought has led to a strain on groundwater – much like having too many straws in the same glass.

Salinization of the Mekong Delta is pushing a move toward a new crop: shrimp.

A new study tries to define superfoods. Hint: it's more than just kale.

The film only grossed approximately $15 million on its opening weekend.

Plus: predicting a rise in interest rates and Ebola's effect on Africa's economy.

The ACLU sues a school district in Massachusetts over its tablet policies.

The ACLU sues a school district in Massachusetts for letting only low-income kids take home their school laptops and other electronics. How common is this practice, and could this suit be the tip of the iPad iceberg? Plus, the Ebola epidemic is hurting the economies of African countries in two ways. One, they’re almost entirely dependent on outside aid to fight the epidemic. And two, as businesses shut down to protect workers, their economies shrink almost immediately.

The epidemic is financially hurting Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

First up, more on the news that the ACLU is suing a school district in Massachusetts for letting only low-income kids take home their school laptops and other electronics. Other kids have to provide their own or do without after the school day is finished. We ask: how common is this practice, and could this suit be the tip of the iPad iceberg? Plus, Karen North, a professor of social media and psychology at USC Annenberg, talks about how graphic and violent content spreads on the web, and what users can do to keep it out of their news feeds.

When social media algorithms confuse engagement with approval.

Social media algorithms can push violent content, whether you 'like' it or not.

Writer Simran Sethi looks back on how her family's upbringing changed her life.

The question now: Is it worth it for the artists – or the NFL?

David Plouffe's new role at the ride-sharing tech company raises some eyebrows.

Tax Foundation has mapped out the value of your $100 bill in each state.

Central bankers meet in Jackson Hole this week to discuss, among other things, Central Banks. We look at how the role of the Central Bank has changed and how the job of central banker has changed since the Recession. Plus, former Obama campaign operative David Plouffe has joined Uber as a vice president and strategist. Is Plouffe’s move just about the big money of a hightech startup?  Or is there an affinity between tech and the Democratic Party that he and other Dems are trying to harness? Also, did you know that the NFL doesn’t pay musicians for performing at the Super Bowl? Well, turns out now the NFL wants major artists such as Coldplay, Rihanna, and Katy Perry, the three finalists for next year’s show, to pay them to perform at the halftime show. Will artists play ball? We look at the economics of halftime shows.

Some lawyers are calling for more regulation of medical apps.

From playing coffee bars to producing music to reality TV, Linda Perry has seen it all.

The market for state tax credits is growing. They can even be traded online.

Nearly 80 percent of professors say they use Twitter professionally.

Yes, the FXX will air every episode of the longest running show in TV history.

Plus: pubs are disappearing and amid international crises stocks are rising.

The department store will pay $650,000 and pledges to change its practices.

Teachers are big creators of digital learning tools.

Britain's famous warm hostelries are giving way to supermarkets and other stores.

China levies $200 million of fines on Japanese auto parts makers.

Will Uber's latest venture succeed in this growing market?

What’s driving the increase in housing start? Not first-time home buyers.

Housing starts are up. What’s driving the encouraging increase? We look at the role of first-time home buyers. Plus, Uber has launched a new home delivery service called Corner Store. Customers can order items from a CVS or Walgreens and have them delivered right to their doorstep. Other companies have launched their own delivery services of late, including Google. Will this latest venture from Uber succeed in a growing market, and with its built in fleet of drivers, does it have the advantage? 

First, Ben talks with Molly Wood, technology columnist for the New York Times, on Samsung’s partnership with Barnes & Noble to make a Nook/Galaxy tablet. Then, Ben talks with Marc Maron, host of the podcast “WTF,” about a settlement around podcasting patents between Adam Carolla and Personal Audio LLC. Finally, big tech companies aren’t the only ones trying to disrupt the pie chart. Car hailing company Uber is launching a new home delivery service called Corner Store, which will get one goods from pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens.

What another alliance against Amazon means for consumers.

How Terms of Service and app permissions continue to bedevil users.

Teachers turn against the controversial program.

The word is Chinese hackers stole some 4.5 million patient records.

Clouds — and people running from them — appear in images from Ferguson to Cairo.

Lots of police departments in the U.S. have tear gas, which they throw at disorderly civilians. But where does that tear gas come from? And how big a business is it for the companies that produce it? Plus, there’s word this week that Chinese hackers stole records of 4.5 million patients from computers at Community Health systems, one of the largest hospital networks in the Southeast. Healthcare records contain social security numbers, birth dates, addresses – a goldmine of information for identity thieves. Which is likely to make them a big fat target for future hacks. Will they be ready? Many experts say no. 

In Germany, more than half of high school graduates go into vocational programs.

As your co-workers listen in, they could be emailing, eating or using the toilet.

Now, parents can get an entire preschool curriculum from a computer.

Love it or hate it, it's a moneymaking cultural institution.

…And other reasons orange juice sales are at their lowest since 2002.

Sales for orange juice and textbooks are down, and the complications of putting cameras on the police.

First up, the world’s biggest mining company, BHP Billiton of Australia and London, has announced that it’s going to spin off $16 billion worth of businesses, essentially reversing a merger from 13 years ago. The focus now is old school stuff: digging for iron ore, copper, coal, and oil. And from the old to the new — we’ve been following the emerging fortunes of a company that rents out your car while you are away: FlightCar. The peer-to-peer economy is the buzzword. Plus, ever heard the phrase, ‘Buy the Rumor, Sell the news’? It’s used a lot these days when journalists cover wall street. But what does it really mean? What kinds of ‘news’ stories impact Wall Street trading, if at all? We report. 

First up, Lindsey Turrentine, Editor-in-Chief of reviews at CNET, talks about news on the new Moto 360 smartwatch. Then, a report on the challenges of storing data from police dashboard and lapel cameras. Finally, David Carr, author of the Media Equation column for the New York Times, joins us to talk about the role of Twitter and other social media platforms in what’s happening in Ferguson – including the protests, response, and media coverage.

Coverage of protests in Ferguson, Missouri is being propelled by social media.

The truth behind the popular Wall Street phrase.

Expensive text books are being purchased less, to the detriment of learning.

Another experiment in the "sharing economy."

All that data is difficult and expensive to manage.

A bunch of them are taxes – and a bunch are extra fees that just look like taxes.

Across the country, textbook purchases are dipping.

Many indicators regarding job quality are improving slowly — or not at all.

Some hotels set their rates based on the federal standard.

An internal document shows Time Inc. is rating how writers benefit advertisers.

There’s a dollar store bidding war going on out there. We report on the extent of the competition in the market, and how the stores involved differentiate themselves. Plus, the Fed is paying close attention to the number of part time workers, as it looks like the number of part-time workers has increased after reaching a five-year low. We look at why this has happened, and ask if it’s something we should be worried about. Also, every year the federal government sets the amount its employees may spend per day when they travel. The per diems for fiscal 2015? $83 for lodging and $46 for meals and other expenses. The standard is also followed by federal contractors and some private businesses. What impact do these standards have on hotels and other businesses that depend on these travelers?

At least one company will actually pay you to get away for a while.

A doctor's thoughts on the changing healthcare landscape.

The Fed heads to Wyoming, California liberates franchises, and the $2 billion Clippers deal.

The California legislature is debating a bill that would make it harder for franchise companies to cancel contracts with their franchisees. The idea of strengthening individual franchise holders is supported by labor, which thinks it will empower franchise holders to make their own improvements to pay scales. Plus, when the Clippers deal is done, what has been accomplished? The NBA has a $2 billion valuation for a franchise, it has another billionaire owner, the Sterlings each take away $1 billion.

First up, Kyle Wagner, a writer at Deadspin, talks about Steve Ballmer’s new gig as Clippers owner. Then, Claire Brennan, a technology reporter for the BBC, on the 20th anniversary of the first smartphone, the IBM Simon. Finally, we hear from Nico Nijenhuis, CEO of Clear Flight Solutions, about clearing birds from runways using the robotic falcons, or Robirds, that his company builds.

Schools have been stocking up on small screens.

The $2 billion deal benefits most everyone involved. #Win.

Looking back at the phone that was 2 decades ahead of its time.

California may make it harder for companies to break with franchise owners.