Seemed Like A Good Idea at the Time

#306 - 13 January 2006

A girl signs up for a class. A couple hires an accountant. A group of co-workers decides to pool their money and buy a couple of lottery tickets. In the beginning, they're full of hope and optimism...and then something turns. Stories of good ideas gone bad.

The This American Life Holiday Spectacular

#305 - 23 December 2005

A full-throttle, show-stopping, no-holds-barred Christmas Spectacular! Shedding the crusty old Christmas stories of yore, we bring you new holiday classics. With special musical guest Marah!

Heretics

#304 - 16 December 2005

The story of Reverend Carlton Pearson. He was a rising star in the evangelical movement when he cast aside the idea of hell and, with it, everything he'd worked for over his entire life.

David and Goliath

#303 - 2 December 2005

Variations on an old tale, with very modern consequences. Cambodia is competing with other nations for the business of big clothing companies all over the world...but they've vowed to follow fair labor practices. Other countries end up with the contracts, and the profits.

Strangers in a Strange Land

#302 - 18 November 2005

Someone once said, "If you're not willing to be changed by a place, there's no point in going." This week, stories about what happens when you land in a whole new world.

Settling the Score

#301 - 11 November 2005

Stories about the lengths we go to make things right, and about what money can and cannot fix.

What's In A Number?

#300 - 28 October 2005

About a year ago, a study estimated the number of Iraqi casualties since the war began at 100,000 dead—higher than any other estimate. The study was mostly ignored. Alex Blumberg revisits that study to look at the reality behind it.

Back from the Dead

#299 - 7 October 2005

Stories about people and places that have come back to life after everything seemed lost.

Getting and Spending

#298 - 23 September 2005

How far will we go to get money? And once we've got it, what should we spend it on? The first half of this show is on making money, and the second half on spending it.

This Is Not My Beautiful House

#297 - 16 September 2005

It's the largest mass resettlement that America has seen since the Civil War, as over 400,000 people—victims of Hurricane Katrina—try to find a new place to live. From the Houston Astrodome to an abandoned New Orleans street, stories of people looking for home...and finding something else.