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Planet Money The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.
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The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.

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#644: How Much Does This Cow Weigh?

A friendship blossoms. David Kestenbaum/NPR hide caption

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David Kestenbaum/NPR

#644: How Much Does This Cow Weigh?

We wanted to understand an eerie phenomenon that drives everything from the stock market to the price of orange juice. So we asked you to guess the weight of a cow.

#644: How Much Does This Cow Weigh?

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#906: The Chicago Boys, Part II
MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images

#906: The Chicago Boys, Part II

How a ruthless dictator, and a bunch of economists known as the Chicago Boys, took Chile from socialism to capitalism.

#906: The Chicago Boys, Part II

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#905: The Chicago Boys, Part I

Chilean President Salvador Allende is pictured here waving to a crowd after his election victory in 1970. General Augusto Pinochet, the man who would replace Allende after a coup, and reverse his socialist policies, is on horseback. (L) STF/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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#905: The Chicago Boys, Part I

In the late 1950's and early '60's a handful of Chilean students went to study economics at the University of Chicago. What they learned changed their country.

#905: The Chicago Boys, Part I

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#904: Joke Theft

A screenshot of Jen Lewis' original tweet of Kanye kissing Kanye. Jen Lewis/https://twitter.com/thisjenlewis/status/564890763235196928/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fjenlewis%2Fthe-life-of-kanye-kissing-kanye hide caption

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Jen Lewis/https://twitter.com/thisjenlewis/status/564890763235196928/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fjenlewis%2Fthe-life-of-kanye-kissing-kanye

#904: Joke Theft

Copyrighting comedy is expensive. So comedians have devised an informal system of sanctions to protect their jokes from theft. Sometimes it works.

#904: Joke Theft

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#760: Tax Hero
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#760: Tax Hero

Joe Bankman, professor at Stanford, figured out a way to make filing your taxes easy and painless. Then the tax lobby found out about it.

#760: Tax Hero

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#903: A New Way To Pay For College
Andrew Hancock/Andrew Hancock/Purdue University

#903: A New Way To Pay For College

Some colleges are offering students a new way to pay. It's not a scholarship. It's not a loan. It's more like the students are selling stock in themselves.

#903: A New Way To Pay For College

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#902: The Phoebus Cartel
Dex1138/Flickr/https://www.flickr.com/photos/dex1138/5739675695/in/photolist-9KckBM-4EztSw-2eXtD12-625dnX-52YP7B-vnEUx-aZsLVX-4TpoBe-oRFPoE-sbZo4-bthDtP-aj4XeC-2DFjnK-ccGYJJ-4iYeUg-95GNxz-7CTsNo-s8YN6f-eb5pe-66sFC3-g3VQrM-faSDwS-g853We-7xWfVe-6R1tF-9FNyCo-9KnGVg-4qQfW3-

#902: The Phoebus Cartel

The story behind two sneaky forces that drive us to buy more products, more often: Planned obsolescence and psychological obsolescence.

#902: The Phoebus Cartel

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#901: Bad Cops Are Expensive
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

#901: Bad Cops Are Expensive

There's an industry of people working to eliminate bad police behavior. They're not activists or protestors. They're insurers.

#901: Bad Cops Are Expensive

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#189: Why A Dead Shark Costs $12 Million

The famous work "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living" by British artist Damien Hirst. REGINA KUEHNE/ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

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#189: Why A Dead Shark Costs $12 Million

Today's show is about the fickle market for art. What makes a dead shark cost $12 million, and a photo of steel wool that looks like a tornado cost only $1,265?

#189: Why A Dead Shark Costs $12 Million

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#900: The Stolen Company

Come at me, ABRO. Nick Fountain/NPR hide caption

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Nick Fountain/NPR

#900: The Stolen Company

When an American company named ABRO learns their goods are being counterfeited in China, they start their own trade war.

#900: The Stolen Company

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