The Economic Crisis in Plain English
October 5th, 2008I’ve spent a lot of time during the past two weeks poring over the financial news, trying to wrap my head around all of the events that got us to where we are today. It isn’t easy to understand, and the financial media does a horrible job of explaining it. Fortunately, we have National Public Radio, and This American Life to save the day. This is the second time I’ve plugged this because it really is that good.
If you find yourself frustrated, as I did, trying to understand this whole mess, take some time to listen to these two episodes of This American Life. The first show, The Giant Pool of Money, first aired back in May. You can stream it, or download it for 95 cents. The second show, Another Frightening Show About the Economy, first aired on Friday. Check your local NPR station for air times, or just wait a week, and it will be available for streaming and download as well. I can’t praise these shows enough.
If you want more on the subject, the creators of the show have also started the Planet Money Podcast, and the Planet Money Blog.