Week of November 3rd, 2014

More companies are now offering to freeze their employees eggs. What's the cost beyond money?

Nela Richardson and John Carney join Kai to talk about the week that was.

The industry as we know it today wouldn't exist without Peer.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates on why ground forces should stay small.

How do you make money off your passion?

The latest employment report continues the recent trend of a lot of job growth but not a lot of wage growth. What would happen if the U.S. swapped those two? Plus, former Trader Joe’s CEO John V. Shields recently passed away. Shields is the person largely credited with the store’s success. We look at how he did it and what he brought to the iconic company. Finally, falling gas prices have been big news all week. But for American voters, the flip side of cheap gas – climate change – is a low urgency issue with high costs.

There's plenty of job growth. Wage growth? Not so much.

Ex Trader Joe’s boss John V. Shields died recently. His strategies transformed the California supermarket chain into a national powerhouse.

And maybe some pepper too. We don't actually know how many jobs there are.

Falling gas prices have been big news all week, but as the mid-term elections showed, for American voters, the flip side of cheap gas — climate change – is a low urgency issue.

Quality over quantity, young padawan.

Look! In the street! It’s a car. It’s a bus. It’s … the Who’s Your Daddy Truck?

Will recent setbacks slow down space exploration?

The economy added 214,000 new jobs last month, but that's not the full picture.

The average monthly cellphone bill has dropped from an inflation-adjusted $151 in 1989 to $47 today.

It's Jobs Friday. Celebrate responsibly.

This weekend, Lizzie O’Leary talks with political commentator Reihan Salam and Business Insider’s Nicholas Carlson about the midterm elections, the fate of Amazon and more. Mike Gold, FAA Chairman of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC), speaks about the recent space incidents and what they mean for the future of space exploration. Jared Rosenthal tells us why he owns a mobile DNA-testing truck. Companies are offering to freeze the eggs of female employees. We look at why that matters. What’s your financial vice? NerdWallet’s Christina LaMontagne explains why we spend money on our weaknesses.

While the unemployment rate has improved, other statistics tell a different story.

Short-term certification programs are on the rise

On today’s show, guest host Adriene Hill talks with Annie Gilbertson, education reporter at KPCC, about the student record data problems facing the Los Angeles Unified School district. Then, she plays Silicon Tally with Ashkan Soltani, newly appointed Chief Technologist at the FTC.

New York Comptroller Scott Stringer is teaming up with institutional investors to lobby 75 companies to allow shareholders to nominate directors for election to their boards. This is a bold move to make boards more accountable, and it’s supported by some heavyweight investors.

A deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership would be seen by many as a win.

The president leaves for a trip to Asia on Sunday, with stops in China, Burma and an economic summit in Australia. We preview the economic objectives of the trip, and ask to what degree it signals a shift to international priorities. Plus, New York Comptroller Scott Stringer is teaming up with institutional investors to lobby 75 companies to allow shareholders to nominate directors for election to their boards. This is a bold move to make boards more accountable, and it’s supported by some heavyweight investors.

How well have you kept up with the week in tech news?

Veterans say the Army 's system for correcting records is stacked against them.

Facebook is going to take over the top of newsfeeds and try to raise money for fighting Ebola.  We explore the potential value of Facebook as a fundraiser, and just how much an ad or promotion before so many eyes is worth. Plus, Microsoft is giving away a mobile version of Office 365 for free on Apple and Android devices. We look at why this is a strategic shift for Microsoft, and the acknowledgement that increasing users of MS products is a better way forward than charging those users for software.  

Scared of snakes? Try being eaten alive by one while you wear a scuba suit.

The move marks a shift in strategy for Microsoft.

Productivity is up, but how are employers and workers sharing the gains?

The money will go to three groups working to combat the outbreak in West Africa.

Kai Ryssdal talks to Hank Azaria at Marketplace's New York road show

A plan is coming together to resuscitate the eurozone. Let's do the numbers.

Schools are under pressure to improve what they're doing to prepare grads for jobs

Record low interest rates in Europe, raising the minimum wage, and profitable podcasts.

Hackers are attacking iPhone and iPad users in China. They’ve been able to break into Apple’s closed system with a new piece of “malicious software,” or malware. We’ll talk about the spread of the bug on today’s show. Plus, with Republican gains in the Senate and some gubernatorial races, many are wondering whether attempts will be made to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Even if this is not done, there are other moves that can be taken to reduce the Act’s scope. And there’s an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York of Henri Matisse’s cutouts. Matisse made many of these pieces when he was in his 80s, and that got Chris Farrell, Marketplace’s economics guy, thinking about aging and creativity. More on that.    

On today’s show we are live with Quartz from The Next Billion event in New York City. First up, Rashad Robinson, Executive Director of ColorOfChange, the nation’s largest online civil rights organization. Then, host Ben Johnson is center stage with Jonathan Cedar, CEO of Biolite, to talk about the tech solutions to the health problems associated with cooking over an open-fire in the developing world.

Republican gains may not mean repeal for 'Obamacare,' but other changes may occur.

A podcast network in California is doing extremely well thanks to advertisers.

Biolite is changing the way people cook and power up their electronics.

Voters weighed in on bonds and taxes in the 2014 midterm elections

Nearly 30 superhero movies could land in theaters in the next six years.

The federal program designed to help tobacco farmers transition from the depression-era quota system to the free market has officially ended.

Logistics and economics mean our screens can only get so big. Why oh why?

For trucker Don Holzschuh, the last 18 months haven't much improved the economy.

Denton, a college town in the middle of the oil patch, overwhelmingly votes against more fracking.

Now that the elections are over, the one thing most people can agree on is that not much will change. This is great for Wall Street because stasis means certainty. And Wall Street loves certainty. Plus, Denton, Texas is special. It sits on top of a huge shale oil reserve. The oil industry went all in to defeat the proposal and it passed with nearly 60 percent of the vote. Turns out maybe people don’t like living in an oil field. Finally, emojis are about to get more racially diverse. We take a broad-brush look at the emoji industry, and the money behind creating and spreading the little pictograms.

Yum.

A broad-brush look at the emoji industry – and the money behind creating and spreading the little picto-grams.

Stasis means certainty. And Wall Street LOVES certainty.

Republicans enjoyed a decisive midterm victory, and markets are up.

Roughly a third of college students transfer within six years, but they often leave something behind.

Election results, and the jobs number for October.

More on the two major trade deals being negotiated by the Obama Administration.

As you’ve been hearing, come January, Republicans will control both houses of Congress, with a new slim majority in the Senate and the largest majority in the House since the Harry Truman administration. Republicans will not have the numbers on their own to override Presidential vetos, so sweeping legislative changes are unlikely in the next two years. But the new Congress and the White House might find common ground in a key area that could affect businesses and the labor market. More on that. And though they’re in a lame duck session, there are still some economic priorities Congress must address before the year is out, most notably in coming up with a way to keep the government funded past December 12. Plus, Disney’s Mickey Mouse takes issue with the “mouse head” logo of a Canadian techno DJ. We look at the intellectual property battle headed to court.

On today’s show, Colin Baker, writer for “The Economist” based in Mali, talks to us about the tech response to Ebola in the region. Also, Ben chats with Steven Heller, co-founder & co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author Program at the School of Visual Arts, New York, about turning data into something visual that’s easy to understand.

Reporter Colin Baker talks through the difficulties of collecting data on Ebola.

How is money raised and spent in a runoff election?

A face-off is taking place between two famous mice: Mickey Mouse and Deadmau5.

The government must pass a spending bill by mid-December.

Voters in four states voted to increase the minimum wage.

Energy companies that need to borrow to keep drilling could be hurt by low prices

Car buyers are impulsive, but not necessarily 'dumb.'

Supercookies are hard to detect and some can't be turned off.

Yes. Pass me one.

Why it's back to politics as usual.

As Americans head to the polls, their view of the economy could decide races.

If Saudi Arabia does drive oil prices down more, the first to feel it may be the drillers whose fracking operations are financed by borrowed money. What happens if the investors shy away? Plus, gas prices has dropped to their lowest price in four years. Some analysts say that consumers are spending their savings elsewhere. We examine these claims. Finally, Verizon and AT&T are using sophisticated technology to monitor which internet sites their mobile phone customers visit and target ads based on their interests.  The markers have been dubbed “supercookies” by critics, who say they are so powerful that it’s difficult for users to turn them off.   

Why the world’s largest oil exporter cut prices for crude oil sold to the U.S.

The share of Americans with bachelor’s degrees is on the rise.

Oil prices drop, a report on Dell, and America's funeral parlors.

Can decent U.S. economic growth help perk up Europe, or will Europe’s flagging economy drag the rest of the world in the wrong direction? Currently, things are looking droopy in Europe, with the Europen Union lowering its forecast for growth across the countries that use the Euro. More on that. Plus, travel company Priceline will report third quarter profits today. That report should give us a glimpse into Priceline’s strategy of growing by buying up other companies. And it’s common for CEOs or high powered senior managers to sign non-compete agreements, meaning they can’t go work for a competing company soon after leaving your job. But increasingly, these agreements are filtering down to lower wage, service-sector workers. Note recent headlines that Jimmy Johns required its sandwich shop employees to sign the agreements.We take a closer look.  

On today’s show, Dan Weissmann talks about Michael Dell launching his new private Dell computer company. Also, Dan Wallach, Professor of Computer Science at Rice University, on why voting machines malfunction. Plus, Ben chats with Lisa Selin Davis, writer for Quartz, about living one week without using cash or credit cards, just mobile payments.

An increasing number of American workers are being asked to sign such deals.

Priceline's earnings will give a glimpse of the success of the company's strategy.

Michael Dell launches his newly private Dell computer company.

Lisa Selin Davis limited herself to mobile payments. Spoiler alert: it was hard.

Experts say the federal budget is likely to be punctuated with new, previously unexpected spending.

Streaming services need top artists to keep subscribers but don't pay them much.

Janet Yellen meets with President Obama today to discuss the economy. In her first year she’s offered actions and comments that suggest her ideas of how her version of the economy should look. Plus, the world’s third-largest ad agency, Publicis, looks set to buy a US based digital ad specialist Sapient. Will this deal help the advertising giant keep up with its digital competitors and stay relevant in a changing advertising industry? Finally, Taylor Swift has pulled her music from the streaming service Spotify. We look at the narrow business model that streaming services like Spotify have, how small the payments to artists are and how dependent Spotify and others are on their content.  

Will the ad giant's purchase of a US digital ad specialist be worth the money?

Quick, I need to take a selfie with this geyser.

The industry was hurt by the recession and a series of disasters at sea.

If balances of power change in the election, the chairman of the Fed won't.

Jobless rates are up in some Southern states. But the numbers may be misleading.

The domesticity mogul doesn't know what "GOOP" means.

Not just with advertising, but with organizing and messaging, too.

Midterms are coming, oil is down and Taylor Swift is up. Let's do the numbers.

Statewide student-teacher ratios range from 10 students-per-teacher in Vermont to 23 in California.

The markets this Monday, focusing on energy ahead of elections, and McDonalds gets regional.

Proctor & Gamble of Cincinnati finds itself with a big problem today in Latin America: the biggest soap and household products company on the planet has been ordered to suspend its operations in Argentina. Why? The Argentine government accuses Procter & Gamble of an elaborate tax swindle. Also on the show, the boss at the one of the most recognizable brands in America stopped by the other day. Howard Schultz CEO of Starbuck’s has a new book that comes out tomorrow, titled “For Love of Country:  What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism, and Sacrifice.” His co-author also came in: Rajiv Chandrasekarin, a Washington Post reporter who covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Starbuck’s has pledged to hire 10,000 veterans and their spouses within five years.  

On today’s show, Jonathan Zittrain, law professor and co-founder of  Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, discusses the ethics of an FBI operation that used a fake news article to convince a bomb threat suspect to download location-tracking malware. Plus, Rory Cellan-Jones, technology correspondent at the BBC, tells us about his mission to not give away any personal data for a day.

The FBI buried malware using an article link. But did they cross the line?

The company's "one size fits all" approach has been losing a lot of money.

Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran discuss the importance of hiring veterans.

The Affordable Care Act's legal gauntlet isn't over yet.