Week of January 19th, 2015

Google builds relationships as it teaches companies how to improve online presence.

Tax lobbying heats up, surpasses healthcare lobbying in Washington, D.C.

Hidden among psychological mumbo-jumbo is a truth: Negative memories stick with us.

Greeks trust European officials more than their own politicians, fear financial turmoil.

SkyMall catalog's days may be numbered, thanks to cellphones and tablets.

The cloud-storage company goes public after a year-long delay

UPS staffed up for last-minute Christmas rush but ended up overcompensating.

2014 was the hottest year on record. What's next for climate change policy and economics?

Why haven't wage growth caught up to job growth?

Airing on Friday, January 23, 2015: UPS’ investment in late-order Christmas deliveries illustrates the risk when a company tries to keep up with changing customer expectations. The company estimates it lost $200 million on the venture. Plus, cloud-based storage company Box goes public after a yearlong delay, and we look at how the IPO market works. Finally, the parent company of SkyMall, the over-the-top catalog in seatback pockets everywhere, has filed for bankruptcy.

This weekend, take the leap, look before you leap, leap of faith. Our vernacular is filled with the language of leaping. Executive Director at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth Heather Boushey explains wage growth, and how we make that leap, as a country.  Marketplace’s Stephen Beard joins Lizzie from Athens, to talk about the great leap Greek voters may be taking. Lizzie and Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson discuss the biggest technological leaps in history. Listener Diane Huck made a gigantic leap; after 19 years, she left her life as a nun, and began a new one, almost from scratch. On next week’s show, we’re talking crashes. If you have a story about about a time your personal economy crashed, tell us. What happened? How did you make it through? Tell us about it, here, on the web, or @MarketplaceWKND.

Do you have a story about about a time your personal economy crashed?

Polls suggest that elections this Sunday could bring to power a hard-left party called Syriza

How does the upcoming leap second impact NASA's space clocks?

More than half of children in public schools come from low-income families.

A look at the U.S. dollar, more on the death of Saudi King Abdullah, and a retirement system that got lost in the shuffle.

Cities in India have air that's four times deadlier than Beijing's.

Airing on Friday, January 23, 2015: First up on today’s show, an update from Greece on an election that could alter the world economy. Plus, the President is set to make a visit to India. On his last trip abroad, President Barack Obama announced a pollution deal with China. We look at how India’s environmental pollution stacks up, and what the U.S. might do to curb greenhouse gas emissions there. And also, a paradox: Pharmaceutical companies often don’t develop drugs and vaccines for infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis because there’s just not much money in it. That’s because most people with those conditions are poor and live in countries with health systems with little means to pay. What about other incentives to combat global health epidemics?      

Airing on Friday, January 23, 2015: Your walls don’t have ears but they may have eyes – police are now using radar technology to scan for people inside their homes. We talk to Marketplace reporter Stan Alcorn to find out if that is as creepy as it sounds. And how well have you kept up with the week in tech news? Today, we’re also joined by Harry Campbell, who blogs as The Rideshare Guy, to play Silicon Tally. And then we talk to Laura A. Ackley, historian and author of “San Francisco’s Jewel City: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915,” about the first transcontinental telephone call ever made. It was 100 years ago this Sunday.   

The party leading in the polls wants to renegotiate Greece's bailout deals.

The idea is to give companies another incentive to treat infectious diseases.

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

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

A weekly roundup of what we learned at Marketplace.

Drivers want vroom-vroom with their MPGs. Enter the "Soundaktor."

Microsoft is in virtual reality market now thanks to a headset called HoloLens.

The 80 wealthiest people on earth are worth as much as the bottom 50 percent.

Washington, D.C., and other cities are making inroads against spread of HIV/AIDS.

Wastewater spill is a huge reminder that fracking generates contaminated water.

One Wisconsin retailer is experimenting with zero employees on showroom floor.

Airing on Thursday, January 22, 2015: Google is reportedly making deals with T-Mobile and Sprint to sell wireless plans directly to customers. We examine how this might work and how much disruption it might cause in the industry. Plus, a broken pipeline in North Dakota that’s spilled millions of gallons of wastewater underscores a big cost of the fracking boom – the huge amounts of wastewater from wells that must be disposed of.  

The search business is huge, and it's kept mobile rivals together … for now.

Google may be making deals with T-Mobile, Sprint to sell its own wireless service.

How "quantitative easing" and "European Central Bank" may bring cash to U.S. shores.

Employers say recent college grads overestimate how prepared they are for jobs, according to a survey.

Critic is mixed about "American Sniper," comments on Oscar nominations and "Selma."

A stimulus plan for Europe, Medicaid economics, diversifying executive ranks.

Airing on Thursday, January 22, 2015: The financial event of the day: the European Central Bank could trigger a stimulus program. But how and how much? Plus, after the White House this week circulated some big changes to the tax code the President is now seeking, we talked to an expert on a trust fund part of it. A number of listeners wrote us saying words to the effect of “hello…what about inheritance tax?” Good point. How might controversial inheritance tax play out if the President’s trust fund plans were to somehow gather steam? And in the land of the dollar store, today is a big day. Family Dollar shareholders are expected to vote on a $8.5 billion merger with Dollar Tree. And they might accept it.

Airing on Thursday, January 22, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk with Forrester analyst Frank Gillett about trying out Microsoft’s HoloLens headset. Plus, we’ll talk to Mike Panetta, Partner at the social media strategy firm Beekeper Group, about how the White House is using YouTube to reach out to younger voters. And 2015 marks the year that Back to the Future Part II promised us everything from hover boards to bar code license plates. But which predictions have proven true? What about sleep inducing technology? We talk to Sarah Lisanby, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, about using technology to induce sleep.

How would president's trust fund plans affect controversial inheritance taxes?

The challenge lies in getting management buy-in.

The report comes a few weeks after a temporary bump in rates ended.

… but it might help you sleep better.

Here are numbers we're reading and watching for Thursday.

Refugees are ferried to Europe aboard unsafe boats that crews often abandon at sea.

Both epithet and symbol, "Davos Man" personifies global elite at economic forum.

SEC gives S&P a suspension, opening a window for its bond-rating competitors.

Melvin Gordon ran Tootsie Roll Industries, founded in 1896, for more than 50 years.

Move by European Central Bank could boost moribund eurozone economy.

Turns out that the 'middle class' is a squishy target.

Follow the stories, tweets, and charts from the night.

Airing on Wednesday, January 21, 2015: The idea of middle-class economics was front and center in the president’s State of the Union address. Sure, it serves as a political framework, but how does it work as an economic one? Plus, as part of a settlement with the SEC, ratings agency S&P has been banned from rating certain bond deals for one year, creating an opportunity for competitors. Finally, reporter Stan Alcorn defines Davos Man as, “the suit-wearing, power-wielding Ubermensch that is the incarnation of the global financial elite.” We look at the evolution of both the term and the man.

Prefabricated parts speed up bridge construction and save money.

Computer programming contests have become so popular on college campuses that an international organization formed to host events.

It's not just a sushi roll wrapper anymore. It's everywhere.

Airing on Wednesday, January 21, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk with Molly Wood, technology columnist for the New York Times, about Windows 10. Plus, the FCC will put forth and vote on new open internet rules next month. The policy changes will affect so-called “net neutrality.” But as we find out, the way we get information has changed a lot in the last couple of years, and policy may not be keeping up. We’ll also talk to Kylie Peppler, Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences at Indiana University, about the HandiMate robotics toolkit. 

Middle-class economics, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the latest in net neutrality debates.

Airing on Wednesday, January 21, 2015: President Barack Obama hits the road this morning to continue pushing for the priorities he outlined during last night’s State of the Union address. As we find out, when it comes for paying for what the President is proposing, the devil is in the details. Plus, some of the policy outlines of what the Obama Administration hopes to accomplish trickled out in White House memos ahead of the speech. One such policy would put most American workers–even many part-timers–into retirement plans by default. More on that. And last year, a record 112 million people tuned in to the Superbowl, with the next one in about a week and a half. This year’s half-time show  is Lenny Kravitz with Katy Perry … which many will not see because they might click over to YouTube at the half.

Robotics goes DIY.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors meets this week in Washington.

As Congress anticipates an FCC decision, technology is reframing the debate.

YouTube stars are very influential among teens, and that means ad revenue.

Here are the numbers we're watching for Wednesday.

In more than half the states, gas is selling for less than $2 a gallon.

One strategy: Buying oil then storing it in tankers until prices go back up.

U.S. growth outpaces Europe, Japan and other developed regions.

Airing on Tuesday, January 20, 2015: The U.S. is still struggling, as the president will note in this evening’s State of the Union speech, but at least the economy is still growing. Most of the rest of the world is slowing. Plus, as the world market continues to be flush with low-priced oil, traders are looking for ways to profit from the slump. One strategy: Storing oil in rented tankers until prices go back up.  

Obama has offered several previews in the weeks leading up to the speech.

Some numbers to help you with State of the Union trivia.

Besides "getting taxed," name something that happens with game show winnings.

After being publicly ridiculed, this college says it will double its share of low-income undergrads.

College tuition, a new dark pool, and making the fastest supercomputer.

Airing on Tuesday, January 20, 2015: First up, more on those tax hikes at the top and tax help at the bottom that the President is set to unveil tonight. And China today said its economy is grew by just 7.4 percent for 2014, down from 7.7 percent the year earlier. Growth has been this low there since 1990. While it’s true that China’s been suffering from rising debt levels and a grim housing market, the news isn’t necessarily viewed as grim. Plus, you hear about the average national gasoline price, but it’s often different from the station down the block. Gas prices differ from region to region for many reasons, from transportation costs to refinery capacities to local requirements for blends.

Airing on Tuesday, January 20, 2015: First up on today’s show, we’ll talk to Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union, with a preview of the privacy policies in the State of the Union address. Plus, Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory may once again be home to the world’s fastest supercomputer. Its current machine was the fastest when it went live in 2012. That title only lasted six months – then a computer in China took the top spot. But the U.S. recently put aside more $400 million to keep itself in the race.

More on President Barack Obama's proposal.

Schools could be overwhelmed by the President's plan to make tuition free.

U.S. is a superpower when it comes to supercomputers. It's a costly achievement.

Why does gas costs about 50 percent more in New York than Missouri? It's complicated.

The numbers we're reading and watching for Tuesday.

Data delivered via smartphone can show skeptics that snowplow drivers are doing their jobs. Or not.

Obama plans to raise millions by upping taxes on the rich and going after banks.

An army of well-funded lobbyists rallies to end a $3 billion-a-year tax.

New website launched in Morocco helps rural artisans set their wares.

Airing on Monday, January 19, 2015: Well-funded lobbyists are rallying to end a $3 billion-a-year tax and refund the revenue to the medical device industry. Its potential repeal reflects how difficult it is to change the healthcare system. Plus, Obama has a plan to raise $300 million by raising taxes on the rich –and going after the banks. What would that entail, and how likely is it to happen? And, apparently, the rich keep getting richer. What will it take to reverse this trend? 

Mason Currey writes about the lifestyle patterns of 161 creative minds.

The World Economic Forum convenes, obstacles facing female CEOs, and practice cyber wars.

Airing on Monday, January 19, 2015: First up on today’s show, stock prices tumble in China after authorities try stop investors from getting too crazy with their trading. This after Chinese regulators ordered brokerages to stop letting investors borrow money to buy stocks for three months. More on that. Plus, Radio Shack, which continues its slow death, says it would have liked to close more stores, but the costs were too high. Target and Wet Seal are also shuttering lots of stores. We look at the high cost of closing. And fracking for oil and gas has made sand a $10 billion dollar industry, consuming about a hundred-billion pounds every year; much of it from a few midwestern states. Wisconsin has more sand mines than any other state, with more than 60 active mines and permits issued for many more. The industry has grown faster than regulators can to keep up.  

Airing on Monday, January 19, 2015: Later this year, in an attempt to be better prepared for future cyber-security breaches, the governments of the U.S. and the UK will team up for the first time to simulate large scale cyber attacks. But exercises like this aren’t new to the private sector, where you can pay firms to test your company’s digital defenses. We’ll also talk to tech journalist Sarah Jeong about the first week of the Silk Road trial.

Is U.S. "the single engine" driving world economy or winning a "least ugly contest"?

In Wisconsin, sand mines go uninspected, fines are modest and some rules have lapsed.

CEO Jules Pieri says women shouldn't think outside the box, they should create it.

Ross Ulbricht, the alleged mastermind, claims he was set up.

Global spending on information security is expected to reach $77 billion this year.

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