Posted by Katharine Crnko
For Marketplace Morning Report, Tuesday March 15, 2011
On today’s show, Marketplace continued its coverage of the aftermath of Friday’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The Japanese government continues to monitor the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant after reporting several explosions and fires. The government has expanded the evacuation zone around the plant to protect citizens from potentially toxic radiation. Citizens in Tokyo await news as to whether they will be affected by potential radiation, while international citizens are evacuating and relocating further south. Citizens in the U.S. are also afraid of radiation exposure. Many people are turning to potassium iodide pills which are known to block out radioactive iodine 131, but the run on the iodide market has made the tablets scarce.
Oil prices continue to drop. Around $96 a barrel right now in New York trading. The price of oil may be falling, as a result of the events in Japan, but gas prices are hitting new highs. Hawaii has become the first state with a gas price average of more than $4 a gallon.
Twitter celebrates its fifth birthday this week. In just half a decade, Twitter has become a favorite of presidents, celebrities and revolutions.
Having a million dollars might sound like a wonderful feeling. But maybe not. According to a new survey from Fidelity Investments, 42 percent of American millionaires say they don’t feel rich. They say they’d need to have at least $7.5 million for that.
Microsoft is pulling the plug on its Zune music player. The computer giant’s mp3 answer to the iPod. Bloomberg reports Microsoft won’t release any more models. As one blogger put it, when you’re very late to the party, not too many people notice your arrival.
Here are the songs we played:
- Woman Driving, Men Sleeping — EelsBuy
- Casimir Pulaski Day 4 — Sufjan Stevens Buy
- Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect — The DecemberistsBuy
- Falling Over Evening — Six Parts SevenBuy
- You Wanted a Hit — LCD SoundsystemBuy
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