Business

National

Farm Laborers Get A Foothold With Their Own Organic Farms

2:01pm August 16, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

Thousands of seasonal workers come to California's Salinas Valley each year to pick crops, and many of them seem destined for a life in the fields. Now, a training program run by ALBA Organics is giving these workers the skills they need to be their own bosses.

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Kristin Yentes (right) and other volunteers from U.S. Bank serve breakfast to diners at Catholic Charities Opportunity Center in Minneapolis. Workers from the bank have been volunteering with Catholic Charities for more than a year.

National

More Companies Encourage Workers To Volunteer, On The Clock

8:40am August 16, 2013

by Annie Baxter

A growing number of employers are paying their workers to help out at local charities on company time. Human resources experts say compensating staff who put in volunteer hours makes for more engaged workers — and lower turnover.

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National

Former JPMorgan Chase Traders Charged Over 'White Whale' Bets

8:40am August 16, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges on Wednesday against two JPMorgan Chase traders involved in the "London Whale" bets that produced $6 billion in losses for the bank. The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a civil case. The two men were charged with fraud and conspiracy to falsify books and records.

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Heard It Through The Grapevine: Raisin Grower Goes Rogue

6:26am August 16, 2013

by Zoe Chace

In this "Planet Money" report, we learn about a man many call an outlaw. His crime? Growing raisins and then selling them all. For the last 10 years, he's violated the law and gone against the Raisin Administrative Committee.

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Ford Lowers Mileage Rating On C-Max Hybrid

5:45am August 16, 2013

by Tracy Samilton

On Thursday, Ford issued a statement lowering the vehicle's stated performance for combined city and highway to 43 miles per gallon. The car had been advertised at 47 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, but tests reportedly showed the figure to be inflated.

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Part of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant in Lewiston, N.Y., is seen from the air on Aug. 14, 2003, during a massive power outage that stretched from New York to Detroit and into Canada.

National

The Next Disaster Scenario Power Companies Are Preparing For

8:49am August 15, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Ten years after a cascading power outage across a broad section of the U.S. and Canada, utility operators and regulators are concerned about another blackout scenario: a massive cyberattack that could threaten the U.S. electric grid.

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Dave Dierig, research leader at the National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation, stands among the ceiling-high shelves that hold the 600,000 seed packets in this cold storage vault.

Colorado Vault Is Fort Knox For The World's Seeds

7:59am August 15, 2013

by Luke Runyon

At Colorado State University, billions of seeds and other genetic material sit inside a giant storage vault. They're kept there in case of a loss of plant or animal life on a regional or global scale. But the investigation into GMO wheat in Oregon has raised questions about security at the facility.

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A Closer Look At Elon Musk's Much-Hyped Hyperloop

7:59am August 15, 2013

by Elise Hu

Existing concepts in science like linear induction motors and magnetic levitation are back in the spotlight thanks to Elon Musk's proposal for a rail system that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

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Speech-language pathologists Jill Tullman (left) and Mendi Carroll (right) work with Bryce Vernon at Talking with Technology Camp in Empire, Colo., on July 25.

Obamacare: People With Disabilities Face Complex Choices

7:59am August 15, 2013

by Eric Whitney

The Affordable Care Act sets up categories of essential health benefits that insurance plans must cover. Some categories, such as maternity care and drug abuse treatment, are straightforward. But "habilitative services" — including treatments like physical and speech therapy — are much more subjective.

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Economy

Why Modern Latinas Are A Challenge To Marketers

7:59am August 15, 2013

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

The market research firm Nielsen has published a report on the Latina consumer. According to Nielsen, Hispanic women are a key growth engine in the American marketplace. The Latina population is growing while the white, non-Hispanic female population is dropping.

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