Marketplace: News Archives

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 Listen to the entire show in RealAudio

Newscast Today: Dow jumps 70.73 (.92%): NASDAQ tippytoes 6.63 (.51%); S&P 500 rises 7.86 (.96%) U.S. dollar slips against euro: -vacationing European tourists pleased, bad news for exporters across "the pond" -here, imports are more expensive, which could fuel inflation, affect Wall Street Can the FTC break up Unocal’s patent for cleaner-burning gas?

Features Music Bridge: Wrong - Everything But the Girl Purchase this music from PRMS.org Commentary - Cost Of War Commentator says the cost of war can't be expressed in monetary terms: While the war could add another $100 billion to the already swollen budget deficit -- if the war is short -- commentator and economist James K. Galbraith argues it's not that simple because, “The true costs of war are inestimable.” Galbraith says raw economic calculations don’t include such immeasurable quantities as human costs, reconstruction costs, diplomatic costs and apocalyptic costs, or the risk of a catastrophic misstep in our response.in coverage. Democrat lawmakers proposed a drug benefit for Medicare with a limit of $2,000 on out-of-pocket drug costs. Music Bridge: The Price - Atomic Rooster Purchase this music from PRMS.org

New Chinese Leadership China’s changing of the guard could be a coup for capitalism: China opened its National People's Congress in Beijing today. The conference culminates with the official transfer of power to a new president: Hu Jin Tao. While Hu is expected to continue with policies of outgoing President Jiang Zemin, he will be leading a better-educated and younger cabinet than before. And, since Hu and cabinet have traveled abroad and had more interaction with foreign visitors, China’s businessmen are confident the government will continue to become more open, with greater access, like the U.S. government. Music Bridge: Follow the Leader - Lou Reed Purchase this music from PRMS.org

Marketing America Marketplace host David Brancaccio talks with media analyst Marty Kaplan about the progress America has made in marketing a good image of the U.S.A to the rest of the world. Music Bridge: America Is - Violent Femmes Purchase this music from PRMS.org

Uncounted, Uninsured Twice as many Americans have been without insurance than previously reported: New analysis today claims that 75 million Americans had no health insurance for months during the last 2 years. That's almost twice the 41 million the U.S. Census Bureau usually quotes. How come there’s a disparity? Well, it's how you crunch the numbers: the Census Bureau was only accounting for one year. This difference highlights that it’s not the same 40 million people who are uninsured, and that nearly one in three Americans under 65 spent months without health coverage. Advocates hope to create meaningful discussions to correct this problem. Music Bridge: Pyramid Piece - Jazz Co-op Purchase this music from PRMS.org

AIDS in S. Africa series: Financial Burden of Families Reporter spends time with a grieving family and discovers burying a loved one means leaving tradition behind: In the second installment of our 2-day series on the devastation AIDS has caused in South Africa, Amy Costello reports on the toll multiple funerals take on the finances of families and communities. Tradition comes at a price, with families having to take out loans to pay for funerals with many time-honored rituals. And, South Africans are now constantly torn between their respect for tradition versus what they can afford. Links:   View a slideshow   Read Amy Costello's Reporter's Notebook   Listen to part 1 of this special report, The Business of Death

Tomorrow On Marketplace... The practice of giving letter grades to corporate executives is under scrutiny from folks who claim that such subjective evaluations are actually counterproductive. Do you have to be cruel to be profitable?