Since we're all super-geniuses, I'm sure you don't really need this, but you might "know a guy" who does, and you can pass this along...  I stumbled upon some really good, short videos on the Marketplace Whiteboard that explain in layman's terms what the heck has been going on in the U.S. financial debacle.  Start at the bottom and work your way up.  At the very least, watch the first one, Uncorking CDOs.  New ones are put out periodically.