Technology KFC Trains TiVo Users to Tune In to Commercials February 28, 2006 • In response to technology that allows TV viewers to skip the ads, KFC has hidden a message in its commercials. It can be discerned when played back slowly on a VCR or DVR. And that effort earns a viewer a coupon for a chicken sandwich.
Six Months After Katrina A Special Mardi Gras for Central Grocery February 28, 2006 • Central Grocery, one of New Orleans' best-loved specialty foods stores, had to close for a few months after Hurricane Katrina hit. But one of its owners forged ahead to re-open in time for Mardi Gras and the Central Grocery's 100th birthday.
Marketplace Report: Ailing Airlines February 28, 2006 • Discount carrier ATA Airlines seeks to emerge from bankruptcy. But the jet stream is causing problems for carriers. Janet Babin of Marketplace talks with Alex Chadwick.
Workplace Rules on Chromium Intake Revised February 28, 2006 • The Labor Department reduces the maximum acceptable levels of exposure to hexavalent chromium. It's a metal breathed in by jewelers, steelworkers and welders. The new limit is five times higher than what was recommended two years ago.
Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns Coast Guard Report Aired Concerns on Ports Deal February 28, 2006 • The political turmoil continues on Capitol Hill over the operational takeover of some U.S. port facilities by a Dubai-based firm. In a Senate briefing on Monday, lawmakers asked about a Coast Guard evaluation from last year that raised security concerns about the deal.
Katrina & Beyond Coast Guard Leads Post-Katrina Salvage Effort February 28, 2006 • The Coast Guard is overseeing efforts to salvage more than 2,000 boats that were damaged or sank during Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It's a huge and expensive operation.
Environment Utility's 'Voltage Reduction' Plan Saves Energy February 28, 2006 • A Washington state public utility is using "voltage reduction" to save energy, and light bulbs. By sending lower voltage down the lines, less power is used.
Ports Deal Ignites National Security Concerns Foreign Investors Seek Safety for their Money February 28, 2006 • Monty Graham, senior fellow at the Institute for International Economics, talks with Steve Inskeep about foreign investment and national security. Graham says legitimate foreign firms will make every effort to protect American assets because anything else would be bad for business.
Media Enron Trial Blog Gets the Story February 28, 2006 • If you've ever wondered about what cologne lawyers are wearing to court during the Enron trial, you're in luck. The Houston Chronicle is posting a day-by-day, blow-by-blow blog of the trial. Steve Inskeep talks to Chronicle reporter, and blogger, Mary Flood.
Law Anna Nicole Smith Case Reaches Supreme Court February 28, 2006 • The Supreme Court hears a case involving celebrity Anna Nicole Smith and millions of dollars. She is attempting to establish her claim to part of her late husband's estate.
National Army Will Pay Most of Halliburton Subsidiary's Costs February 27, 2006 • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reimbursing a Halliburton subsidiary for almost all disputed charges from a no-bid contract to repair equipment and supply fuel in Iraq. Pentagon auditors had questioned $250 million in charges from Kellogg Brown & Root, but the Army now says it will penalize the company $10 million.
Marketplace Report: California and Stem-Cell Research February 27, 2006 • Scientists and state officials around the country are keeping a close eye on a trial that begins Monday in California involving the funding of embryonic stem cell research. Californians approved a measure to spend $3 billion on this work back in 2004, but the funding has been locked up in litigation. Madeleine Brand talks with Marketplace's Janet Babin.
Technology Entertainment, Tech Intersect at Conference February 27, 2006 • Big thinkers from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design gathered in Monterey, Calif., for a four-day, no-holds barred, non-corporate exchange of ideas at the annual Technology Entertainment Design (TED) conference.
Technology PalmPilot Creator Models Computer on Brain February 27, 2006 • Jeff Hawkins created the PalmPilot and Treo smart phone. His new company, Numenta, is developing a type of computer memory system modeled after the human neocortex, what he calls the "the big wrinkly thing" at the top of the brain. He's also the co-author of the book On Intelligence, which details his vision of how the brain processes information.
Economy Wal-Mart's Success Tied to Low Health-Care Costs February 27, 2006 • The Retail Industry Leaders Association has filed a lawsuit challenging a Maryland state law that requires large retailers, like Wal-Mart, to contribute more to employee health-care plans. More than 20 states are working on bills that would force large employers to put profits back into employee health care. Host Ed Gordon is joined by Paul Kelly, senior vice president of federal and state government affairs for RILA, and William Rodgers, professor of public policy and chief economist of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers.