473: Loopholes
Aug 24, 2012
Only the clever need apply. This week, stories of people acting on a
technicality in the face of some of life's toughest regulators: financial
regulators, parents and God.
- Launch Player
- Download$0.99 Download from
iTunes - Transcript
- FavoriteYou must be logged in to access these features.
Login / Register - Heard ItYou must be logged in to access these features.
Login / Register
- Ira talks with UC Davis Professor Kathy Stuart about a macabre trend that dates back to 17th and 18th century Europe. It seems that in order to avoid eternal damnation for the sin of committing suicide, a number of people began committing murder for the express purpose of turning themselves in, confessing their sins to a priest in order to be blessed and forgiven before being executed. (9 minutes)
- An estate attorney in Rhode Island discovers the investor's Holy Grail: a financial scheme that guarantees only reward and no risk. All upside with no downside. The only catch? You have to die in order to get the money. But there's a loophole! Alex Blumberg from Planet Money and Jake Bernstein from ProPublica tell the story of how the attorney, Joseph Caramadre, figured out how to get someone else to die instead. For a more detailed version of this story plus graphics, documents, video excerpts of the depositions, and a way for you to weigh in on whether it's acceptable to profit from the death of strangers, visit ProPublica's website.Song: "Sign It on the Dotted Line", Caravan
