Category: Series

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The wheel’s many reinventions

"Don't reinvent the wheel" is a common phrase, but structural engineer Roma Agrawal doesn't buy it.

Roma has a new book out, Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way). And in it, she argues that the re-interpretation of the wheel has been critical to modernizing the economy from a pottery wheel in ancient Mesopotamia to the gyroscope on the International Space Station.

Today, how this constant reinvention fuels economic progress.

Related Episodes:
What nails can tell us about the economy

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The Indicator from Planet Money - What can we learn from the year’s most popular econ terms?

In 2021, the most popular term on Investopedia was "capital gains tax." In 2022, it was "poison pill." These top terms help capture the economic zeitgeist of their year. So... what was it in 2023?

Today, Investopedia's editor-in-chief — and a poet — help us make sense of what the website's top ten terms of the year tell us about our collective economic psyche.

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60 Songs That Explain the '90s - “Santeria”—Sublime

Listen as Rob reminisces on some of the funniest songs he heard from the back seat of the car as a child, before turning his focus to Sublime, the band’s frontman Bradley Nowell, and the jarring storytelling on the Sublime song “Date Rape.” Somewhere along the way, Rob is able to regain focus on the song at hand, “Santeria.” Later, Rob is joined by his “daughter” Yasi Salek from Bandsplain to discuss what Sublime means to her as a fellow west coaster (1:00:00).

Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Yasi Salek

Producers: Jonathan Kermah and Justin Sayles

Additional Production Support: Chloe Clark

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Americans don’t like higher prices but they LOVE buying new things

Eight times a year, regional Federal Reserve Banks release a collection of anecdotes that reveal stories about the economy. These stories come together in what's known as the "Beige Book," and we award the regional bank with the best entry with our coveted Beigie Award. Today, we're highlighting an entry that gets to the heart of the contradictions we're seeing when it comes to consumer preferences and sentiment.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Who can and cannot get weight-loss drugs

Drugs used for weight loss like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro are nearly everywhere in popular culture, but many patients struggling with obesity are still finding them hard to get. On today's show, what's slowing access to these drugs despite their long-term benefits for the economy and patients, and how social conditioning around obesity and excess weight clouds the conversation.

Related Episodes:
New drugs. Cheaper drugs. Why not both? (Apple / Spotify)

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Will there be a billion climate refugees?

Former Vice President Al Gore has said that climate change is predicted to lead to a billion climate refugees. But where do these predictions come from and are they realistic? We investigate the idea that floods, droughts, storms and sea level rise will cause a mass migration of people across borders.

Reporter and Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

(Photo: Floods in central Somalia Credit: Said Yusuf - WARSAME/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)