Week of December 8th, 2014

Teachers spend their own money on supplies, but now they're buying from each other

Our kitchens are getting a whole lot tech-ier – and not just in restaurants.

Basically, anywhere and everywhere it can be stored.

Economists would tell you "debt" isn’t a dirty word.

New study shows righties have the upper hand.

It's not an exact science, but 2 percent is the sweet spot for inflation.

Airing on Friday Dec. 12, 2014: If there’s a global surplus of oil, where’s it sloshing around? We look at how countries are stockpiling. Plus, with inflation low, we ask what’s the ideal rate. Finally, American household debt has fallen in comparison to incomes. We investigate the “magic number” for debt loads in a healthy economy.

A discussion of highlights from the week's news.

As autos evolve into rolling data centers, fears about security slow the process.

Ecovative uses mushrooms and farm waste to grow replacements for soft plastics.

This weekend, we focus on creation, in the job market, our money, and our lives. Three people tell their stories of working in growing industries: retail, manufacturing, and healthcare. Lizzie O’Leary talks with Sarah Watt House about signs of wage growth in the November jobs report. Marketplace Senior Editor and host of Marketplace Whiteboard Paddy Hirsch talks about another side of job creation how to count the number of unemployed people in the U.S.  Lizzie and Marketplace Tech host  Ben Johnson head to the kitchen to discuss how professional cooking products trickle down to the consumer market. Gavin McIntyre, co-founder of Ecovative, describes how his company makes packaging, furniture, and surfboards…out of mushrooms. And how do you budget for the holiday season? 

Being laid off in manufacturing 4 times in 3 years

Hachette Book Group tries out a buy button on its Twitter account.

Sam Weiner and Daniel Kibblesmith present their 2014 holiday gift guide.

There’s a new top-seller in the U.S. edtech market.

Falling oil prices, and investing in the Congo.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Friday.

Airing on Friday Dec. 12, 2014: University of Michigan consumer sentiment index is released Friday morning: we look at the forecast, what has influenced consumer confidence this year and what it means for retail sales. And in Japan’s elections this weekend, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is widely expected to be returned to office. Why is Japan sticking with Abe? Plus, Ann Marie Gardner, founder of Modern Farmer Magazine recently announced she’s stepping down. The publication, what you might call farming’s first fashion magazine, launched a couple of years ago and made a big splash, printing over a 100K copies each issue. But print is expensive and reports of problems between editorial and the magazine’s backers abounded. Which got us wondering – who launches a print magazine today?  

First up, Jonathan Zittrain of Harvard Law School talks about the implications behind Google News shutting down operations in Spain. And Tony Gallippi, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of BitPay, explains why Bitcoin may become more mainstream … especially now that Microsoft has started accepting it. Plus, 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 Paul Kedrosky, partner at SK Ventures.

Here’s a bright idea: in the middle of a recession, call an election.

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

The monthly Index of Consumer Sentiment has clues about holiday sales numbers.

Get with it, Gutenberg. Print isn't dead. It's just different.

The CEO of a U.K.-based coffee supplier gives the Congo another go.

Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal checks in with barge owner Austin Golding.

Catering to a fashion hungry crowd with a penchant for the newest of the new.

Most of the miners in Congo are self-employed, equipped with a spade and a dream.

Airing on Thursday Dec. 11, 2014: We explain everything you need to know about derivatives. Plus, Americans are saving a buck a gallon on gas these days. Where’s that extra money going? Finally, Instagram just passed Twitter in monthly users and announced yesterday that it plans to start cracking down harder on fake followers. 

On the spending bill chopping block: A section of the Dodd-Frank Regulatory Reform bill. So what does it do exactly?

The company is pushing out several changes to stay competitive with fast-casual chains.

Instagram plans to delete fake accounts, who'll miss them?

It's Computer Science Education Week, and kids are trying their hand at coding.

A majority of Americans say the Internet and cellphones improved their learning abilities, but is it too much information?

A lending company's IPO, Google News shuts down in Spain, and drug cartels find new profits.

43 million Americans have overdue medical debt on their credit reports.

First up, host Ben Johnson talks to Marketplace’s Adriene Hill about the Hour of Code and adopting coding in classrooms. And Katharyn White, VP of IBM Global Business Services, talks about the Passenger + app as part of a partnership with Apple. Plus, Mike Isaac, technology reporter at the New York Times, on claims that Uber’s background check policies are not as rigorous as Uber claims they are.

Airing Thursday Dec. 11, 2014: Congressional leaders seem confident they can reach a deal keep the government funded before Thursday’s midnight deadline. But there’s growing opposition to one element in particular of their proposed trillion-dollar spending bill. And Disney is getting into the educational app business. It’s rolling out a series of math apps for preschoolers. Mickey, Minnie and other Disney characters will do the teaching. But smaller app developers may be the ones getting the real lesson in what happens when a marketing behemoth joins the class. Plus, our coverage about economic renewal in Congo continues this morning with a look at gold mining.  A lot of that happens in the shadow economy with gold smuggled out or controlled by armed groups there.  The Congolese government is trying to bring order to the industry by putting operations into the hands of multinationals in return for desperately needed tax revenue.  

In Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the advent of industrial mining has pros and cons.

Donde esta Google News? Here are the numbers we're watching for Thursday.

The world’s largest peer-to-peer lending platform is launching its IPO.

Mexican and Colombian drug cartels are diversifying their sources of income.

Netflix's new show, "Marco Polo" is costing them $90 million. Where does it rank among other shows?

Black Entertainment Television founder Bob Johnson says companies can diversify by taking a page from the NFL's playbook.

More developing countries are making the commitment to fight emissions.

Someone at BMW thinks way too much about car door acoustics.

Sick of hearing Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" yet? You will be.

Store brands can be just as good as name brands. But there are some trade-offs.

Company is getting push-back from Oregon to India. How can Uber repair its rep?

Airing on Wednesday Dec. 10, 2014: Uber’s reputation has taken a few big hits just this week. We look at the damage to Uber’s reputation and ask what it can do to recover. Plus, we take a look at the United Nations climate change conference. Some countries that formerly held back are now stepping forward. 

Oil prices drop to record low, Detroit gets a break, and the U.S. dollar in Eastern Congo.

First up, we’ll parse through the trillion dollar budget bill Congress has agreed to. Plus, UAW workers in American car factories are about to get year-end bonuses under the last year of the labor contract that changed everything about how auto workers get paid. And a staggering $700m is wasted each year when perfectly fine but unused drugs are destroyed. And that’s only the tally at long-term care facilities. We profile how one company is trying to divert that waste back to patients who struggle to pay for their medications.  

Lululemon tries to bounce back by making fancier clothes. Can sequins save its sales?

First up, NYT tech columnist Molly Wood talks about a new feature on YouTube that’ll tell content creators what would happen to their video if it contains copyrighted music. Then, Robin Feldman, Director of the Institute for Innovation Law at the University of California Hastings, discusses the implications behind Swedish police’s raid of Pirate Bay’s servers. We’ll also talk to the BBC’s Dave Lee about old laptop batteries powering slums in India.

Automakers' profits are up, in part because assembly-line wages are down.

So why not adopt the dollar as the currency? There's a small, but simple, hitch.

Nursing facilities destroy millions of extra medications. But technology could help them recycle the drugs.

The numbers we're reading and watching for Wednesday.

President Obama wrote some computer code during an Hour of Code event in Washington.

Companies that may profit most are those that can quickly detect and contain breaches.

Airing on Tuesday Dec. 9, 2014: Members of the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee have entered their quiet period ahead of next week’s meeting. We look at how they are handling interest rates. Plus, falling oil prices are good, right? In a fossil-fuel based global economy, the consumer winners greatly outnumber the oil-producer losers. Finally, we look at businesses that benefit from a security breach like the Sony hacks. They don’t just profit off the victims, but off the fear of would-be victims.

People lost everything when war swept across the Congo. But they're rebuilding.

Detroit's "emergency manager" is expected to resign. And once-bankrupt city will finish fiscal year in the black.

The worst-hit countries are small oil producers that depend greatly on the revenue.

Some are expecting a signal that interest rates will go up soon.

Greece's prime minister moves presidential election forward, hoping it will help his candidate and policies.

Too much oil means prices fall, but also oil companies cutting back.

Ads are linked to how many people see them, but "botnet" computer networks inflate the numbers.

Their new investment could make the Kochs more powerful than the RNC or DNC.

The median pay for a president at a private college was $392,000 in 2012.

Here are the numbers we're watching and reading for Tuesday.

Chinese stock, the flu vaccine, and Airbnb rebrands.

First up on today’s show, we’ll go beyond the current trend in oil and stock prices. Plus, there’s evidence the gap between the rich and poor in most of the world’s developed countries is the widest in thirty years. The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development said today the wealthiest 10 percent of the population earns nine-and-a-half times the income of the poorest ten percent, compared to only seven times as much in the 1980s. We’ll also talk about steps toward renewal in Central Africa. Eastern Congo has borne horrors for decades. Now, the region has cautiously entering a period of peace and reconstruction. For all the reporting that the region’s descent into chaos attracted, we thought it was time to pay some attention to how it’s getting back on its feet. 

On today’s show, CNET editor-in-chief Lindsey Turrentine talks about the Samsung Gear and the future of virtual reality consumer products. Then, Lee Rainie, Director of Internet, Science, and Technology Research at Pew Research Center, explains results of a recent study that says Americans feel more well-informed thanks to the Internet. Plus, Airbnb is re-branding itself with a new logo and a print magazine. This is part of a larger effort on the part of the company to increase brand recognition.

Since this year's flu vaccine is off the mark, more people will probably come down with the flu.

To help with branding, Airbnb will publish a magazine that will be stocked by hosts and bookstores.

Many women were victims of sexual violence during the Congo wars.

Over the past few decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been hit hard by war, currency instability and corruption.

Has the job market changed for you?

Starbucks is rolling out Powermat wireless phone chargers in stores across the country.

Billions and billions of customers served.

Airing on Monday Dec. 8, 2014: Are big drug companies finally being persuaded to research new antibiotics as opposed to more profitable drugs for cancer and chronic conditions? Plus, Cosmopolitan and CoverGirl just announced their joint sponsorship of New York Time Square’s New Year’s Eve celebrations for 2015. Finally, the dollar is up. Which is great, isn’t it? Well, maybe not if you’re an emerging economy.  

Pharmaceutical companies have stayed away from developing new antibiotics even though deaths from drug-resistant infections are rising.

The dollar is up. Great news, right? Maybe not if you’re an emerging economy.

Expect to witness "experiential advertising" while waiting for the ball to drop.

Historically, flexible spending accounts had to be emptied by year's end. But you can roll over $500 to next year.

More than 2.7 million students attend charter schools in 42 states.

H&R Block offers ACA help, diversifying police forces, and lame-duck productivity.

Here are the numbers we're reading and watching for Monday

Airing Monday Dec. 8, 2014: It’s been the sharpest rise for Chinese stocks in five years, and many individual investors in China have been pouring in and some worry about a mania. Plus, we’re looking at signs of renewal in a place where war and its associated brutality claimed the lives of millions. One of my Marketplace colleague’s is just back from Eastern Congo and his first piece airs tomorrow morning. Today, a conversation with a man who’s spent a lot of time in that part of Africa and has been working to help. Ben Affleck, the actor, movie director and screenwriter, is a founder of an NGO called the Eastern Congo Initiative. We talk to him about the practical business side of the work there.

"We wanted to do something sustainable that would raise incomes and that would be there long after we were gone," Affleck says.

First up, Roger Kay, founder and President of Endpoint Technologies Associates, Inc., joins us to talk about how foreign hackers—like, ostensibly, the hackers who took down Sony’s network—might leave digital fingerprints in their wake. And Will Oremus, senior technology writer at Slate.com, talks about how Facebook’s algorithms push news stories to users’ News Feeds … even if the stories being pushed are fake.

Lame-duck sessions of Congress are shouldering more of the workload.

Policy is a direct result of the way taxes and healthcare have become linked by the Affordable Care Act.

Adding minority patrol officers isn't a quick fix. Experts say better leadership, policy changes are also needed.