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Payday lenders are often blamed for taking advantage of the little guy. But that's something that Justin Davis, a payday lender in Kansas City, Missouri, takes issue with.

"For me and my business, I try to treat my customers right," says Davis. "As long as people do the math, then they are not doing something stupid."

A recent study from Pew reports that the average payday loan borrower ends up indebted for five months*, paying $520 in finance charges for loans averaging $375.

But Davis, who charges a 17 percent interest rate for a two-week loan, argues that his business can still be a good alternative for those who are trying to avoid even higher overdraft fees on late bills.

"My service is not only competitve with those fees, but in many instances, cheaper," Davis says. "Most banks will charge you a $4-a-day continuous overdraft fee."

*CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the length of time a payday loan borrower remains in debt, according to a Pew study. According to the study, the average borrower is in debt for five months. The text has been corrected.

Sales are suffering as defense budgets are slashed all over the world, but the U.S. is a special case where over $40 billion in defense cuts are set to go into effect next month.

Francis Tusa, editor of Defence Analysis, says that will heavily impact on European defense suppliers.

"If sequestration goes ahead in the way we’re talking about it, they will see a rather heavy hit on turnover," says Tusa.

According to Tusa, that's because U.S. contracts are far more profitable than those in Europe.

The British defense contractor BAE Systems announced a fall in profits today. The company earns 40 percent of its revenue in the U.S. It says it may have to lay off 3,500 workers in its shipbuilding industry if Washington doesn’t stop the cuts.

Other European defense contractors, such as EADS, say as the American military’s budget shrinks, U.S. defense suppliers will vie for new contracts in Europe and elsewhere. In that case, the global defense industry could get a lot more competitive.

Sales are suffering as defense budgets are slashed all over the world, but the U.S. is a special case where over $40 billion in defense cuts are set to go into effect next month.

Francis Tusa, editor of Defence Analysis, says that will heavily impact on European defense suppliers.

"If sequestration goes ahead in the way we’re talking about it, they will see a rather heavy hit on turnover," says Tusa.

According to Tusa, that's because U.S. contracts are far more profitable than those in Europe.

The British defense contractor BAE Systems announced a fall in profits today. The company earns 40 percent of its revenue in the U.S. It says it may have to lay off 3,500 workers in its shipbuilding industry if Washington doesn’t stop the cuts.

Other European defense contractors, such as EADS, say as the American military’s budget shrinks, U.S. defense suppliers will vie for new contracts in Europe and elsewhere. In that case, the global defense industry could get a lot more competitive.

President Obama is trying to pressure Congress to avoid $85 billion in federal budget cuts set to take effect March first. The president gave interviews Wednesday to eight local TV stations in markets with a lot at stake in the fight over the so-called sequester cuts.

One of the president’s interviews was with WJZ-TV in Baltimore. He had this message for Maryland workers who could be forced to take unpaid leaves because of the budget cuts:

“There’s no reason they should be furloughed or layed off," he said. "This is a problem that Congress can solve.”

Almost all of stations the president talked to are in places with defense installations that play a large role in their economies.

Larry Sabato, who teaches political science at the University of Virginia, says the president is trying to bring the cuts, known in Washington as the sequester, home.

“He’s using local economics to show people that the sequester is not simply an odd word," he explains.  "It has real world consequences and could cost some of them their jobs.”

The strategy could succeed, in the short run, says Jack Pitney, who teaches government at Claremont McKenna College. But Pitney has a word of caution for the president.

"In the long run, if the economy suffers as a result of the sequester, he’s the one that’s going to suffer,” Pitney says.

Because voters tend to blame the White House for the state of the economy. 

A final thought, which goes like this. We've just gotta find a new word for "sequester." Because really, it's just not fun to say -- or hear. At least "fiscal cliff" had a certain ring to it, even though we didn't really love that either.

Speaker of the House John Boehner is trying to get some traction for "Obamaquester." Funny, if not entirely accurate.

So over to you. Tweet us @MarketplaceAPM or @KaiRyssdal, or comment below with your suggestion.

DEET, which is the the active ingredient used by brands of insect repellent including Off, 3M and Cutter has been proven to be ineffective in fending off certain kinds of mosquitoes.

The London-based study showed that a certain kind of mosquito found in tropic regions that spreads diseases like yellow fever was not repelled by DEET after it was exposed to it a second time. However, it is not yet known how long it takes for the repellent to become ineffective.

"It's quite a worrying find," says the BBC's Science Correspondent Rebecca Morelle. Morelle says more research will be needed to gauge the effect of the findings on regular bug repellent use.

Scientists say that although DEET has been proven to be less effective in some cases, it should still be used when a person is exposed to insects.

DEET, which is the the active ingredient used by brands of insect repellent including Off, 3M and Cutter has been proven to be ineffective in fending off certain kinds of mosquitoes.

The London-based study showed that a certain kind of mosquito found in tropic regions that spreads diseases like yellow fever was not repelled by DEET after it was exposed to it a second time. However, it is not yet known how long it takes for the repellent to become ineffective.

"It's quite a worrying find," says the BBC's Science Correspondent Rebecca Morelle. Morelle says more research will be needed to gauge the effect of the findings on regular bug repellent use.

Scientists say that although DEET has been proven to be less effective in some cases, it should still be used when a person is exposed to insects.

Backed by broadcasting powerhouse Barry Diller, a new service picks up broadcast TV signals and makes them available over the Web — and the TV networks don't like that one bit. Currently available only in New York City, Aereo is planning to expand ... if it makes it through the legal challenges.

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Backed by broadcasting powerhouse Barry Diller, a new service picks up broadcast TV signals and makes them available over the Web — and the TV networks don't like that one bit. Currently available only in New York City, Aereo is planning to expand ... if it makes it through the legal challenges.

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Updated (7:45am EST): Walmart beat expectations in its latest earnings report, but offered a wary outlook for the first part of this year. Safeway also reported better-than-expected earnings Thursday. The two companies have more in common than one might think. Groceries now make up more than half Walmart’s American sales.

Today’s numbers look back, but the worry is about what’s ahead. There’s been a lot of speculation about how this year’s increase in the payroll tax will impact consumer spending, but other factors will also come into play.

It’s clear some Walmart higher-ups are worried about tightwad consumers. Bloomberg obtained leaked e-mails where a top executive called February sales “a total disaster.” Low-income shoppers are especially sensitive to the payroll tax.

But macroeconomists, true to their name, think about the big picture. They point to other happenings that could offset skimpier paychecks.

“There was a minimum wage increase in 10 states, so that would help balance it out,” says Susan Sterne, president of Economic Analysis Associates.

Plus, there’s hiring happening, which means some people are getting brand new paychecks, putting more money in their pockets.

Grocery industry watchers pay close attention to gas prices, which are currently on the rise. Many large grocery stores now have filling stations on site and offer shoppers gas deals through their loyalty programs, placing gas prices at top of mind as consumers push their carts through the aisles.

“That kind of puts it right in the customer’s face,” says Meg Major, editorial director for the trade magazine Progressive Grocer.

People will still buy groceries. The question is whether seeing higher gas prices will keep shoppers from grabbing something extra or upgrading to a higher-end item. Stores live or die on those impulse buys -- items that aren't not on the grocery list.

“Any form of discretionary purchase with every consumer possible is a victory,” Major says.

And victory for these retailers is riding on much more than the payroll tax increase.

Mark Garrison: Some Walmart higher-ups are definitely worried about tightwad consumers. Bloomberg obtained leaked e-mails where a top exec called February sales quote, “total disaster.” Low-income shoppers are especially sensitive to the payroll tax. But Susan Sterne of Economic Analysis Associates thinks there may be enough going on to offset it.

Susan Sterne: There was a minimum wage increase in ten states, so that would help balance it out.

Plus, there’s hiring happening, which means some people are getting brand new paychecks. Rising gas prices are something Meg Major watches. She’s editorial director for the trade mag Progressive Grocer. Many grocers now have filling stations on their lots.

Meg Major: That kind of puts it right in the customer’s face.

People will still buy groceries. The question is whether seeing higher gas prices will keep shoppers from grabbing something extra. Stores live or die on those impulse buys.

Major: Any form of discretionary purchase with every consumer possible is a victory.

And victory is riding on a lot more than the payroll tax. In New York, I'm Mark Garrison, for Marketplace.

Though Yahoo’s shine has faded in recent years, Yahoo news, sports and entertainment sites are still some of the most popular destinations on the web. 

But it’s been losing ad dollars to competitors. Yahoo’s new homepage, in part, is supposed to address that. Part of Yahoo’s problem is “stickyness” or the time people spend on the site. In that respect, Facebook is eating Yahoo’s lunch, says Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivitol Research.

“Facebook reaches far more people and probably triple the cumalitive time, when you account for all the time people are on Facebook,” says Wieser.

The more time people spend on the site, the more ads it can serve up,  says Carlos Kirjner an analyst at Sanford Bernstein.

“The more the site owner can learn about your preferences and behaviors, they can put forward better ads and better content,” he says.

Yahoo thinks users will stay on the site longer if the news is “tailored” to them, said CEO Marissa Mayer in an interview on NBC’s Today Show.

“One of the things I like is this very personalized news feed down below, it’s infiniate, so you can keep scrolling forever,” Mayer said.

Mayer scrolled down a list of news headlines that appear in the center of the homepage and looks sort of like Facebook’s newsfeed. In fact, Yahoo teamed up with Facebook to update its hompage. When users log in with their Facebook account, they can see news stories, their friends like.

Carlos Kirjner says Yahoo’s been able forge partnerships in a tech environment that’s become increasingly adversarial. Earlier this year, it partnered with Google, which will start selling advertising for Yahoo. And its search engine is powered by Microsoft’s Bing.

“I think that is one of the advantages that Yahoo has, it is large enough to be an interesting opportunity,” says Kirjner, “but it’s small enough not to be seen as a threat.”  

Between 2002 and 2009, homegrown Indonesian militants staged deadly attacks almost yearly. The story of one former terrorist-turned-chef — and his unrealized dreams of global jihad — help illustrate why terrorism hasn't flourished in the Muslim-majority country.

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Between 2002 and 2009, homegrown Indonesian militants staged deadly attacks almost yearly. The story of one former terrorist-turned-chef — and his unrealized dreams of global jihad — help illustrate why terrorism hasn't flourished in the Muslim-majority country.

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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the looming automatic spending cuts will damage U.S. national security. But the warnings don't appear to be moving the needle with lawmakers or the American public.

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Economists dream big: open borders, visa auctions or preferential access for high-skilled workers.

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Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte is charged with drafting the House immigration bill. He is against a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants but says the "broken" system needs work. And he says President Obama "should calm down, back off and let the Congress do its work."

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Officials predict that cutbacks at the FAA could lead to takeoff delays and fewer flights. Unless Congress acts, across-the-board spending cuts are scheduled to take effect March 1.

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Secret menus aren't new, but more restaurants are trying them out in order to set themselves apart and increase sales. Panera Bread, for instance, has rolled out a new secret menu with low-carb, health-conscious options to appeal to a new group of customers.

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More than 60,000 people have died in Mexico's war on drugs over the past six years. But that statistic tells only part of the story. Human-rights groups say thousands more, as many as 25,000 people, have vanished — many at the hands of Mexico's security forces.

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When mother and calves or allied males were separated, they used specific whistles to call each other. Dolphins are the first animals — other than humans — to be known to do that.

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