Economy
Crunching The Job Numbers
11:46
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Saturday, December 08, 2012
U.S.
Sign Of The Times: Labor Strikes May Make A Comeback
December 8, 2012 Once a mainstay of the labor arsenal, strikes have largely fallen off since the early 1980s. So a recent spate of high-profile disruptions has labor experts wondering if we're seeing a resurgence. They say worker frustrations over stagnant wages and reduced benefits may have finally hit a tipping point.
Friday, December 07, 2012
All Tech Considered
Big Brother Is In Your Pocket (But You Get A Discount)
December 7, 2012 Customer loyalty programs offering discounts in exchange for a bit of personal information are nothing new. But now Verizon and AT&T are launching programs allowing customers to receive rewards based on information their smartphones share with the carriers. Not surprisingly, privacy advocates are alarmed.
Shots - Health News
How Miscommunication And A Simple Mistake Led To A Toxic Accident
December 7, 2012 Somebody poured a solution of industrial strength bleach into a 55-gallon drum, triggering a release of toxic chlorine gas a Tyson Foods plant. Language barriers contributed to the accident, government investigators concluded.
Economy
A Good Jobs Report Might Be Bad For The Jobless
December 7, 2012 An unexpected boost in hiring, with employers adding 146,000 jobs last month, might make it more difficult for Democrats to argue in favor of renewing benefits for the long-term unemployed. More than 2 million people who get extended jobless benefits may lose them in January if Congress doesn't act as part of discussions on the fiscal cliff.
Economy
Why A 'Fiscal Cliff' Failure Could Help The Economy
December 7, 2012 If President Obama and Congress can't make a deal this month, the economy could fall into recession while tax bills go up for nearly every American. On the other hand, it would do a lot to erase the nation's deficit.
The Two-Way
Unemployment Rate Drops To 7.7 Percent, As Economy Adds 146,000 Jobs
December 7, 2012 The economy added 146,000 jobs, beating expectations. Hurricane Sandy had little effect on the numbers.
Planet Money
Why The Falling Birthrate Is Bad News For My 2-Year-Old Son
December 7, 2012 By the time our children get to be our age, there will be fewer working people for each retiree. So they'll have to pay a bigger share of our retirement costs.
The Salt
In Farmers Market, A Free Market Rises In Cuba
December 7, 2012 Farmers in the communist nation were once banned from freely selling their crops. As the country struggles to feed itself, the government has begun to accept a greater role for the profit motive. Now each night, in a muddy vacant lot on the edge of Havana, a market appears after sundown.
