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Alaskan fisherman David Fry and his baited hooks.

Alaskan fisherman David Fry and his baited hooks. Jess Jiang/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Jess Jiang/NPR

Jobs

Episode 661: The Less Deadly Catch

Today on the show, how an economic fix took the deadliest job in America and made it safer. And why a lot of people are mad about it.

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Fossils are becoming a booming business.
Stacey Vanek Smith/NPR

Podcast

Episode 660: The T-Rex In My Backyard

There's a boom going on for dinosaur bones, a veritable gold rush for fossils buried in the badlands of North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. Today on the show: the T-Rex that started it all.

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A Polystyrene box used for the transport of human organs.

A Polystyrene box used for the transport of human organs. SOEREN STACHE/DPA /LANDOV hide caption

itoggle caption SOEREN STACHE/DPA /LANDOV

Demography

Episode 518: Your Organs, Please

How do you get someone to sign up as an organ donor? Today on the show: The story of one woman who found a way by partnering with one of the more hated American institutions.

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Janet Yellen, chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks during a news conference.

Janet Yellen, chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks during a news conference. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Podcast

Episode 659: How To Make $3 Trillion Disappear

After the financial crisis, the Fed created over $3 trillion. To undo this, they have a new trick. Today on the show, how the Federal Reserve plans to make that money disappear.

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A screenshot from "Show Me Your Money," a British reality TV show where the employees at Pimlico Plumbers revealed their salaries.

A screenshot from "Show Me Your Money," a British reality TV show where the employees at Pimlico Plumbers revealed their salaries. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/show-me-your-money hide caption

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Jobs

Episode 550: When Salaries Aren't Secret

What would it be like if everyone at your office knew what everyone else earned? On today's show, we hear about a company where salaries aren't secret.

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Flint sit-down strikers sitting down.

Flint sit-down strikers sitting down. Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University. hide caption

itoggle caption Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University.

Jobs

Episode 658: Strike One

On today's show: The birth of unions as we know them. It's a story that includes, among other things, bravery, cunning, and auto-part projectiles flung out of giant sling shots.

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Lots of onions.

Lots of onions. Jess Jiang/NPR hide caption

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Government

Episode 657: The Tale Of The Onion King

Vince Kosuga farmed onions. Then he tried trading them on the market, too. He made millions. Today on the show: How trading got so out of hand that the Chicago River flowed with America's onions.

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The Salesforce Tower under construction will be the tallest in the Bay Area when completed.

The Salesforce Tower under construction will be the tallest in the Bay Area when completed. Michael Coté/Flickr hide caption

itoggle caption Michael Coté/Flickr

Podcast

Episode 656: Bubblelicious

Things are booming in Silicon Valley. Maybe too booming. But economists say you can't call it a bubble until it goes POP. Today on the show: We find three bubbly barometers that could signal a bust.

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David Kestenbaum's signature

David Kestenbaum's signature David Kestenbaum/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption David Kestenbaum/NPR

Podcast

Episode 564: The Signature

The signature. We put it on checks, contracts, credit cards. It's supposed to say, "This is me." But where did the idea come from? And why are we still using it?

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MRI
Keith Srakocic/AP

Podcast

Episode 655: Pay Patients, Save Money

We shop around when we get a plane ticket or buy a couch. But we spend thousands of dollars on health care without shopping around. What happens if we pay patients when they choose the cheaper option?

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Migrants from Syria and Afghanistan arrive on an overcrowded dinghy from the Turkish coasts to the Greek island of Lesbos, Monday, July 27, 2015.
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Podcast

Episode 654: When The Boats Arrive

In 1980, thousands of Cuban refugees suddenly arrived in Miami and started looking for work. On today's show: What happened next. And what it tells us about the migration crisis in Europe today.

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Costco interior
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Podcast

Episode 653: The Anti-Store

Today on the show: How Price Club and its imitators changed the way we shop. And how a new company is taking what Price Club started to new extremes.

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Navy veteran Howard Dunn and Army veteran Tom Kaine remember when the Red Cross briefly charged servicemen for doughnuts during World War II. Many veterans still resent it.

Navy veteran Howard Dunn and Army veteran Tom Kaine remember when the Red Cross briefly charged servicemen for doughnuts during World War II. Many veterans still resent it. Chana Joffe-Walt/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Chana Joffe-Walt/NPR

Podcast

Episode 386: The Power of Free

Everybody likes free. But free can be dangerous. On today's show, what happens when you take something that was free and give it a price. That's a highly risky move and the damage can be enormous.

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A very old cookie comes back from beyond
Classic Film / Flickr

Podcast

Episode 652: The Hydrox Resurrection

Hidden in the trash heap of commerce there is buried treasure. Abandoned brands, even beloved, trusted brands, are waiting to be claimed and reborn. Today on the show: a cookie comeback.

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Jason Blum, Blumhouse Productions

Jason Blum, Blumhouse Productions Steve Henn / NPR hide caption

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Podcast

Episode 650: The Scariest Thing In Hollywood

One Hollywood director leaves the world of big budget blockbusters for something even more lucrative: low budget Hollywood.

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Roddey Player, CEO of Queen City Appliances surveys his stock.
Stacey Vanek Smith/NPR

Podcast

Episode 648: The Benefits of Bankruptcy

When Roddey Player's business started heading south, he did everything he could to avoid the big failure: bankruptcy. But what's painful for Roddey might just be the secret weapon of the U.S. economy.

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Anti-Prohibition Parade

An anti-Prohibition parade float circa 1925. Olde Tymes/Flickr hide caption

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Government

Episode 200: The Moonshine Stimulus

We travel to Warm Springs to find out if the rumors are true: Did FDR really buy moonshine during Prohibition? Did he violate the Constitution he had sworn to protect?

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