Small talk: Medi-meals, porn, McClasses
Marketplace's Brendan Newnam and Rico Gagliano talk with fellow staffers George Judson, Rod Abid and Stacey Vanek-Smith about under-the-radar business stories: A medical-themed restaurant, China's porn-blocking glitch, and corporate-sponsored college classes.
On the air radio microphone (iStockPhoto)
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Kai Ryssdal: This final note today in which we observe that it's Thursday, not Friday. Still, though, we're going to take a break from the big economic news of the week and let Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam loose to do what they do: ask some of the Marketplace staff what they'd really like to talk about. News that might have escaped your notice. Something you might like to talk about at a 4th of July party this weekend.
Managing editor at Marketplace, George Judson, what story are you going to be talking about this weekend?
GEORGE JUDSON: I'm going to ask people what their dream theme restaurant is.
NEWNAM: And what prompted that question?
JUDSON: The Clinic, which is a new restaurant in Singapore, is done up in medical equipment.
NEWNAM: Rehab while you eat?
JUDSON: Well, you can get your drink by drip.
NEWNAM: I used to joke about wanting like a martini IV, but now that it's a reality.
JUDSON: The question is do you really want it?
RICO GAGLIANO: Rod Abid, senior producer of the Marketplace Morning Report, what story are you going to be talking about this weekend?
RON ABID: Well, you know, you may have heard that China was going to require that any computer sold in the country had to have this porn-blocking software on it.
GAGLIANO: And it is not anymore?
ABID: No, they just changed their mind. It turns out this software they were using also blocked things like Johnny Depp's face and the lovable cat Garfield.
GAGLIANO: Oh my. But here's the thing. This is the Internet, there could be a porn Garfield.
ABID: Exactly, it's like Ron Jeremy with whiskers. It's not cute at all.
NEWNAM: Stacey Vanek-Smith, senior reporter at Marketplace, what story are you going to be talking about this weekend?
STACEY VANEK-SMITH: Well, the city College of San Francisco is considering selling naming rights for its classes.
NEWNAM: Oh my goodness.
VANEK-SMITH: So companies would pay like $6,000, and they would buy the name of a class.
NEWNAM: The possibilities are endless here.
VANEK-SMITH: I know, like theoretical math brought to you by Lehman Brothers.
NEWNAM: Existentialism brought to you by Prozac.
VANEK-SMITH: Oceanography from Exxon.
NEWNAM: The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire brought to you by Bank of America.
RYSSDAL: That's just a taste of Rico and Brendan's podcast. It's called The Dinner Party Download.
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