Thursday, August 02, 2007
In this show. . .
Toy recall raises timing questions
Removing all of the million recalled toys from shelves is a logistically complicated task for Mattel, which may explain the company's questionable timing. Janet Babin reports.
Paper transactions checking out
The merger of banking software makers Fiserve and Checkfree could speed up the death of the paper check. Jill Barshay reports.
A deeper look at U.S. infrastructure
While recovery efforts continue at the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, White House finger-pointing ensues. But problems with infrastructure are nothing new. Kai Ryssdal talks to Rod Diridon of the Minetta Transportation Institute.
How super is the U.S. market for Tesco?
British grocery giant Tesco plans to roll out 100 stores in the western United States during the next year -- many of them in the kinds of places other supermarkets won't go. Jordan Davis reports.
Sports ticket scalping goes digital
Online ticket reseller StubHub has a new deal with Major League Baseball that give the site exclusive rights to resell tickets in concert with the league. Steve Henn explains why this might make it harder for fans to get reasonably priced seats.
U.S. still a good sport towards China
Despite problems with tainted imports, the U.S. still wants to do business in China, and is doing so increasingly through sports. Kai Ryssdal talks to business of sports commentator Diana Nyad.
The economics of giant pandas
U.S. zoos know that adorable baby pandas mean big crowds. But those air-conditioned caves cost a lot of money, and not all of those profits can go back into zoo coffers. Jeremy Hobson has the story.
Kai Ryssdal's final note . . .
We've got the $5 bill here, and 10's, 20's, all the way up to $100 bill in regular circulation. In Zimbabwe, they've got the 200,000-dollar bill, worth $13 American. All it'll buy you is a couple of pounds of sugar.
The government of President Robert Mugabe released the bill yesterday — the latest step in coping with Zimbabwe's runaway inflation. Last year, Mugabe tried something different. He lopped a couple of zeros off the largest denomination bank notes.
Marketplace Datebook for Friday, August 3, 2007
- In Washington, the Labor Department reports on unemployment for July.
- President Bush holds meetings and lunches with the counterterrorism and Homeland Security teams at FBI headquarters.
- And you'll be seeing double in Twinsburg, Ohio at the world's largest gathering of twins. Activities during the annual Twins Days festival include the Double Take Parade, of course.
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Music From This Show
Marketplace Confessional
"I disagree with Diana Nyad, who told Bob Moon today that Americans are not interested in Wimbledon because there are so few Americans playing. I love watching tennis, no matter who is playing. I have watched tennis for years, but the networks toy with us, creating drama rather than showing the match. Oftentimes, televised matches end precisely when the allotted time expires, even if they have to cut and splice. When they don't, as happened in a Nadal match last weekend, we were left hanging at the end of two sets, as NBC switched to women's golf. I don't have cable TV, so I couldn't switch to MSNBC as was suggested. It's enough to make me turn off the TV and read about the matches online."
Your Host
Kai Ryssdal took the reins as host of Marketplace in August 2005 after hosting the Marketplace Morning Report for more than four years. Before joining Marketplace, Kai was … Full bio
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