Why take the trouble to invest my own time looking for stories on the financial meltdown, when Greg Mankiw has already provided a handy list this morning? Also, see any number of good things posted by Arnold Kling at EconLog, especially the entry, " Delusions on Both Sides" ("Financial institutions thought that they were getting rid of risk, but instead they were just passing it around, as in the card game Old Maid") and the post on " systemic risk," to which it links.