The Crisis Explained, in Brief

PW mentioned last week an episode of NPR’s This American Life that dealt with the mortgage backed securities crisis from earlier in the year. That episode was so successful, both in terms of how clearly and succinctly it explained the crisis and the number of people who listened to it that they have done another episode, laying out the reasons for and possible ways ahead from the current credit crisis.

I listened to it this afternoon during a break at work. It’s an hour well worth your time. If you are at all confused by what’s been going on, why the bailout is important and other issues of the day (and I don’t know anyone who’s not), check it out. And really, you should be listening to This American Life anyways. It’s pretty awesome. They have streaming versions of all their episodes on their website, as well as a free weekly podcast available through iTunes.