Do not succumb to economic stupidity

Yikes. It’s been a week since I launched my new site and blog and I haven’t posted yet. I think this is partially because I don’t know what I’m going to be focusing on with this blog. Middle East Studies? Technology? Hmmm…

I’ve had this blog post on my mind for a while, though, so I’d better post it. The best part is that it has nothing to do with MES or tech topics.

I’ve felt somewhat immune and aloof from all the American economic troubles. We moved to Egypt in August, a few months after the Bear Stern collapse, but before the September Lehman Bros./Commercial Paper collapse and subsequent bailouts.

Despite the rigors of grad school, I’ve had plenty of time to study up on the causes of this crisis. Having a bus daily 45 minute–1 hour bus commute has given me plenty of time to follow some awesome podcasts. I’ll post about my podcast routine later, but suffice it to say, I feel way more informed about this crisis because of the time I’ve spent listening and studying.

That doesn’t mean I know everything—or anything—about this crisis. I don’t fully comprehend all the crazy financial machinations that got us here. I can follow the news a bit better, though.

Here are some of the best resources I’ve found so far:

NPR’s Planet Money: Amazing podcast that comes out 3–4 times a week. Excellent reporting. Easy to understand. Awesome. Their blog rocks, too.

This American Life: Normally their hour long radio shows highlight a variety of interesting stories on random topics and have little to do with news, but they cosponsor Planet Money and have dedicated two entire shows to the economic crisis, The Giant Pool of Money and Bad Bank. US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Senator Max Baucus even praised Bad Bank in front of a joint session of Congress. It was that good.

The Crisis of Credit: Brilliant 10 minute animation inspired by Planet Money.

Inside the Meltdown: PBS did a great hour long documentary on the crisis. Really good, as well.

So check out those links and get informed. Found any other useful resources out there? Let us know in the comments…

--- title: Do not succumb to economic stupidity date: 2009-03-15 description: Listening to NPR's Planet Money economics podcast really does help to understand the current economic crisis. categories: - economic crisis - links - npr - podcasts --- Yikes. It’s been a week since I launched my new site and blog and I haven’t posted yet. I think this is partially because I don’t know what I’m going to be focusing on with this blog. Middle East Studies? Technology? Hmmm… I’ve had this blog post on my mind for a while, though, so I’d better post it. The best part is that it has nothing to do with MES or tech topics. I’ve felt somewhat immune and aloof from all the American economic troubles. We moved to Egypt in August, a few months after the Bear Stern collapse, but before the September Lehman Bros./Commercial Paper collapse and subsequent bailouts. Despite the rigors of grad school, I’ve had plenty of time to study up on the causes of this crisis. Having a bus daily 45 minute–1 hour bus commute has given me plenty of time to follow some awesome podcasts. I’ll post about my podcast routine later, but suffice it to say, I feel way more informed about this crisis because of the time I’ve spent listening and studying. That doesn’t mean I know everything—or anything—about this crisis. I don’t fully comprehend all the crazy financial machinations that got us here. I can follow the news a bit better, though. Here are some of the best resources I’ve found so far: **NPR’s Planet Money**: Amazing [podcast](http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=94411890) that comes out 3–4 times a week. Excellent reporting. Easy to understand. Awesome. [Their blog rocks, too](http://www.npr.org/money). **This American Life**: Normally their hour long radio shows highlight a variety of interesting stories on random topics and have little to do with news, but they cosponsor Planet Money and have dedicated two entire shows to the economic crisis, [The Giant Pool of Money](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1242) and [Bad Bank](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1285). US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Senator Max Baucus even [praised Bad Bank in front of a joint session of Congress](http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/03/some_doll_house_or_other.html). It was that good. **The Crisis of Credit**: [Brilliant 10 minute animation](http://vimeo.com/3261363) inspired by Planet Money. **Inside the Meltdown**: PBS did a [great hour long documentary](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meltdown/) on the crisis. Really good, as well. So check out those links and get informed. Found any other useful resources out there? Let us know in the comments…