Business

Ask A Banker: Capital, Capital!

Matt Levine — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:28:00 +0000

Hi, it's Ask a Banker! You should send us questions on email or Twitter, but this particular question, though timely, was made up by me, sorry:

Q. Should banks be required to hold much more capital as a safety net? Or should they be putting that money to productive use by lending it out instead?

Naaaaah, just messing with you.

Pledging Not To 'Screw It Up,' Yahoo Seals Deal For Tumblr

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:50:00 +0000

The news that broke Sunday is now official.

Yahoo confirmed early Monday morning that it is buying Tumblr in a deal worth about $1.1 billion.

Yahoo To Buy Tumblr In An Attempt To Revitalize Itself

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:56:00 +0000

Yahoo is expected to announce Monday that it's acquiring the social media site Tumblr, in a deal The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets are reporting to be worth about $1.1 billion. Some analysts are calling the acquisition an effort by Yahoo to be "cool and relevant" again.

Calif. Law To Require Ships To Cut Pollution

KUNC-FM: Kirk Siegler — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:56:00 +0000

California is about to become the first state to require shore power at its ports. A new law mandates at least half of a shipping line's fleet to shut down their diesel engines and plug into shore-side electric power when they unload their cargo. It's part of a larger effort to cut pollution at the state's busiest ports, but costs have been a sticking point.

The Last Word In Business

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:56:00 +0000

Alongside a freeway in Northern California is a billboard which reads: Pivot to Canada. The billboard is urging high-tech immigrants living in the U.S. to pay attention to Canada. Canada wants to attract highly-skilled, foreign-born tech workers who are fed up with the visa process that they must follow to remain in the U.S.

Advocates Struggle To Reach Growing Ranks Of Suburban Poor

Pam Fessler — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:07:00 +0000

Poverty has grown everywhere in the U.S. in recent years, but mostly in the suburbs.

Seeing The (Northern) Light: A Temporary Arctic Retirement

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01:00 +0000

By all the laws of anything, Winston Chen should not have quit his well-paying, midcareer job at a software company at age 40. But one day he was watching a TED Talk, one of those popular online video presentations, delivered by a New York designer.

"He presented this absolutely irresistible idea," Chen says. "He said, 'Why don't we take five years out of retirement and spread them throughout your working life?' "

So Chen told his wife, then 39, about it.

WSJ: Yahoo! Board Approves $1.1 Billion Purchase Of Tumblr

Eyder Peralta — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:34:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal has this breaking news from the tech world:

"The Yahoo board has approved a deal to pay $1.1 billion in cash for the blogging site Tumblr."

The Journal, the only outlet reporting the approval, is sourcing its story to "people familiar with the matter." Lauren Armstrong, a Yahoo spokeswoman, told us in an email that they "don't comment on rumors or speculation."

The Journal's sister site, <

The Durability Of Levis, Woven Into America's Fabric

editor — Sun, 19 May 2013 09:41:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

One hundred and forty years ago this month, a German immigrant named Levi Strauss patented the first pair of jeans ever made. During the California gold rush, Strauss traveled across the country to set up a West Coast branch of his family's dry goods business. That business changed forever when Strauss got a letter from a tailor named Jacob Davis.

LYNN DOWNEY: Now, Jacob Davis had started making men's work pants with little metal rivets in the corners of the pockets and other points of strain.

Tesla Rides High, But Faces Formidable Foe: Car Dealers

Liz Halloran — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:51:00 +0000

Tesla Motors, the American maker of luxury electric cars, has been riding a wave of good publicity.

Its Model S sedan (base priced at $62,400, after federal tax credits) was just named Motor Trend Car of the Year.

Internships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?

NPR Staff — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000

Summer is almost here, and with it comes the army of interns marching into countless American workplaces. Yet what was once an opportunity for the inexperienced is becoming a front-line labor issue.

More and more, unpaid and low-paid interns are feeling their labor is being exploited. Some are even willing to push back — with lawsuits.

One of the most high profile intern-versus-employer lawsuits suffered a setback last week that could have implications for other cases.

Afghan Mineral Treasures Stay Buried, Hostages To Uncertainty

Sean Carberry — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

For years, reports have suggested that Afghanistan is sitting on massive deposits of copper, gold, iron and rare earth minerals valued up to $3 trillion. This provides hope for a future economy that would not have to rely so heavily on foreign donations.

But with an uncertain political, regulatory and security environment, international investors are hesitant. And it could be many years before Afghanistan begins extracting its mineral wealth.

The Afghan Geological Survey office in Kabul is one of the few agencies in the country that measure up to international standards. Here, a U.S.

Flax Seed: The Next Superfood For Cows And Beef?

Eliza Barclay — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:53:00 +0000

Flax is the oily seed usually spotted in the nutritional supplement or cereal aisles.

How Best To Encourage Black 'Teenpreneurs'

editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

This is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. Michel Martin is away. I'm Celeste Headlee. Coming up, it's National Bike to Work Day, but many millennials prefer two wheels to four. Why more 20-somethings are driving less. That's just ahead.

But first, African-American entrepreneurs from all over the country gathered in Columbus, Ohio this week to talk about spurring investment in black-owned businesses. The Black Enterprise Entrepreneur's Conference attracted big names, like basketball-star-turned-businessman Magic Johnson.

Millennials Choosing Buses And Bikes Over Buicks

editor — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:31:00 +0000

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

From teens with drive, we turn now to young people who have no interest in driving. This is National Bike to Work Day, and a substantial number of millennials choose bikes or public transportation or their feet to get around instead of cars. That's according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG, which concluded that the 20th century driving boom is over.

Paul Eisenstein has written about this trend. He's the editor of TheDetroitBureau.com, and he joins me now. Welcome.

PAUL EISENSTEIN: Hi, Celeste.