How Things Work:

We've all heard about the world economy, but few of us have much of a notion about how it works. Carter Dougherty sheds some light on the interconnectedness of the whole thing, focusing on the relationship between American consumers, Chinese manufacturers, and German suppliers, in today's New York Times. Here's the story in a nutshell: Americans buy stuff from the Chinese, who need German equipment to make the stuff. I like my version better, but let's face it—Dougherty is more convincing: he names names.