While banks in the U.S. and Europe have been bailed out or boarded up, a different scenario has played out in Lebanon: banks there are thriving. The man responsible for bucking the banking trend is Riad Salame, the Governor of Lebanon’s Central bank. In 2005 he prohibited banks in Lebanon from investing in mortgage-backed securities and today his prudent move has proved to be prophetic. Governor Salame, joins us from Beirut to discuss how Lebanon’s economy is weathering the global economic meltdown.

Earlier this month Riad Salame rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Watch below.

The United States is far from the only nation to develop a plan to get its economy back on track. In fact, at least 33 other countries have done the same. Justin Fox, business and economics columnist for Time Magazine, joins Katherine and Todd to look at how some other nations are approaching this thorny problem and what we might be able to learn from them.

For more from Justin Fox, check out his blog The Curious Capitalist for Time Magazine.

This week the stimulus bill will make its way through the Senate, former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele will take over as the first African-American leader of the Republican National Committee, and analysts will look back at the take home message of last week's World Economic Forum. Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for the New York Times, joins Katherine and Adaora with a look at these issues and more.

Today world leaders, policy makers and a handful of business executives gather in Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum. As if unemployment numbers, a bankrupt Iceland and the recent reduction of the British pound weren’t indicators of an economy in crisis, the somber tone at the forum might do little to restore confidence in the global economy. This year the meeting lacks the usual lavish ski trips, celebrity sightings and business titans. There is also barely a smidgen of American representation. Most prominent politicians have opted out of the conference in order to work on our own ailing economy. For a look at what those present are forecasting, we are joined by Andrew Ross Sorkin. He is a columnist for The New York Times, where he is also the chief mergers and acquisitions reporter.

Despite the warming trend that is hitting the rest of the planet, it's been long thought that Antarctica is actually getting colder. Global warming skeptics point to Antarctica's cooling off as evidence that climate change is a myth. But now scientists using satellite data have determined that Antarctica is actually warming, much like the rest of the planet. One of the researchers, NASA climate scientist Drew Shindell, joins us to explain the findings.

Check out NASA's Earth Observatory website for a lot more information and imagery.

Former Wall Street trader Nassim Nicholas Taleb coined the term "black swan" to refer to unpredictable events that are more common than popularly acknowledged. In his bestselling book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, Taleb challenges conventional methods of economic forecasting. He joined us in October before Barack Obama won the presidential election, before the auto industry was bolstered by a government bailout, before Madoff became a household name. He joins us again today to help us view the latest economic realities as he sees them.

Watch Nassim Nicholas Taleb discuss the cause of the financial crisis.

Exactly who is Santa Claus? It depends on where you are in the world. The BBC's Matt Thompson looks at "Too Many Santas."

African lungfish, fermented shark in Iceland and porcupine are all typical Christmas cuisine. The Takeaway takes a look at some traditional (and some weird) Christmas dishes from around the world. We're joined by food writer and TV personality Andrew Zimmern.

For 23 years The Economist has published a special issue that predicts events of the coming year. The 2009 edition has just come out and it includes an apology from the editor-in-chief because the magazine just got so much about 2008 wrong. Earlier this week we asked our listeners to provide their predictions for 2009 and tell us in on what they were wrong about in 2008. Today Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of The Economist and editor of "The World in 2009" special issue, adds his voice to the discussion.

Ever since 1744, The Baltic Dry Index has measured the strength of the global economy.

Russia agrees to build four nuclear power plants in India.

For those of you looking for hope in times of economic woe, look no further than the man who brought you Oliver Twist. University of Oxford English professor Robert Douglas-Fairhurst says no other author can encapsulate the anxiety of our current economy better than Charles Dickens.

Feeling tired on your drive to work this morning? Frustrated by your early morning and late nights? A new study on sleep says even though you feel like you’re chronically sleep deprived, you might be getting more sleep than you think. Jim Horne of Loughborough University tells John and Adaora why we might be getting exactly as much sleep as we need.

As medicine, technology and culture advance, we’ve gone from survival of the fittest to survival of just about everyone. Evolution is about weeding out the weak and ensuring that the strong survive. But geneticist Steve Jones thinks our advances have effectively put an end to natural selection.

GUEST: Matthew Bishop, The Economist's chief business writer and U.S. business editor. His new book is "Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World."

Former Wall Street trader Nassim Taleb coined the term "black swan" to refer to unpredictable events that shape history and human experience far more than we are willing to admit. His bestselling book "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable" challenges conventional methods of economic forecasting, and has become a sort of travel guide to the current economic meltdown.

Guest: Chrystia Freeland, Financial Times reporter