You are the type of person who could complete your income tax return, with minutes to go before the filing deadline, while riding a roller coaster, in the middle of a hurricane. Family and friends often ask the question "Are you coming?" for no apparent reason. Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time lost in your local discount super center seeking to buy either a half-dozen helium filled balloons or a packet of address labels large enough for addresses of both the sender and the recipient. Be on the lookout for a thesaurus filled with typos. You should consider shopping at stores or businesses beginning with the letter A, but do not buy any products with a serial number or product code containing the number 416896. Your preferred shopping venue is department stores. Your special symbol is the at sign (@).

As a Blue Placidola, you are easy-going and even-tempered, calm and composed. For you, the hectic pace of a crowded shopping mall during the holiday rush is nothing, it's little more than a tranquil stroll in the park. Life is good. Life goes on. Why worry. You are a happy shopper and you seldom fret over trivial details of a market exchange, in part because you are astute enough to get moderately low prices and relatively good deals.

A situation in which a relatively large number of a bank's customers attempt to withdraw their deposits in a relatively short period of time, usually within a day or two. While common throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, government deposit insurance has largely eliminated banks runs in the modern economy. Historically a bank run was prompted by fears that the bank was on the verge of collapse, causing deposits to become worthless. Ironically a bank run often caused the bank to fail. Bank runs were often infectious, leading to economy-wide bank panics and business-cycle contractions.

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One pitfall facing any pedestrian who explores the intricate details of the economy is large potholes lurking along the path. LOOK OUT! You can probably expect a few bumps and bruises from abruptly introducing your face to the pavement. But, after the cast hardens and the gashes have been stitched, you can be on your way. A little more experienced, no doubt, but forging ahead in spite of it all. Our economy also steps into an occasional pothole in route to an expanding economic pie. Recession is the nifty term we use for this sort of economic pothole and it will be are our topic for the next few pages. OH NO! LOOK OUT!
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