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Why can't we all lounge around in an Adirondack chair?

Why can't we all lounge around in an Adirondack chair? JR/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

itoggle caption JR/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Podcast

Episode 641: Why We Work So Much

The world economy is more productive than ever before. A lot of people could work fewer hours and still meet their basic needs. But we don't. Why?

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Pistachio trees in California's drought-stricken Central Valley.

Pistachio trees in California's drought-stricken Central Valley. Stacey Vanek Smith / NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Stacey Vanek Smith / NPR

Podcast

Episode 640: The Bottom Of The Well

On today's show: the screwed-up economics of drought, and why the rational thing to do in California right now is use more water.

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Store windows in Athens have automatic shutters that go down when a protest is coming.

Store windows in Athens have automatic shutters that go down when a protest is coming. Robert Smith/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Robert Smith/NPR

Podcast

Episode 639: Where To Hide €50,000, And Other Stories From Greece

On a visit to Greece, we talk to a guy who found an ingenious place to hoard his cash, a government-protected milk peddler, and a would-be olive oil tycoon.

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In today's show, Carla A. Hills recalls this photograph of a three-way handshake with Canada's Minister Wilson and Mexico's Secretary Serra following the conclusion of NAFTA negotiation.

In today's show, Carla A. Hills recalls this photograph of a three-way handshake with Canada's Minister Wilson and Mexico's Secretary Serra following the conclusion of NAFTA negotiation. Courtesy of American Bar Association hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of American Bar Association

Podcast

Episode 635: Trade Deal Confidential

Trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership are often negotiated in secret. On today's show, negotiators tell us what happened when they were locked in a hotel for days and told to hash out a deal.

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Tom Burrell, ad man.

Tom Burrell, ad man. Courtesy of Tom Burrell hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Tom Burrell

Podcast

Episode 628: This Ad's For You

In the early 1960s, Tom Burrell became the first black man in Chicago advertising. Today on the show, the story of how he changed the way people think about ads and how advertising thinks about us.

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