07-28-2009, 06:59 PM
Fox History and Entertainment channel has taken upon itself to educate people about the history and the different aspects of money and its management. The channel is rolling out a six part series, titled The Ascent of Money, which will trace the origin, history and evolution of money.
The name of the show is derived from its namesake publication, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, by Niall Ferguson, historian and professor at the Harvard University. Ferguson is also the host of the series on the small screen.
Rajesh Sheshadri, vice-president, content and communication, Fox History and Entertainment, says that the new story talks about the evolution of money and gives an in-depth view of the current day financial markets.
The show is scheduled to debut on July 30 and will be aired every Thursday at 10 pm. Each one hour episode will cover different topics, namely Dreams of Avarice, Human Bondage, Blowing Bubbles, Risky Business, Safe as Houses and Chimerica.
Each episode of The Ascent of Money will focus on one single aspect of money. For example, the inaugural episode, Dreams of Avarice, dwells on the origin of credit and debit by touching upon Babylonian clay tables and the Medici banking system.
In the early moments of the first episode, presenter Ferguson wonders, "Shouldn't this series be called The Descent of Money? The financial history of the world is a gripping tale, with the euphoria and panic mingling to create moments of creativity, pain and revolution."
Ferguson is wonderfully placed to recount such ancient and modern tales. A British historian, he is also a popular pundit and a frequent commentator on the current economic crisis. His recent clashes with economist Paul Krugman have been entertaining and illuminating.
If there is an underlying message in The Ascent of Money, it is this: The more things change, the more they remain the same. Ferguson's whistle-stop tour through financial history shows the reader how the tulip mania of Holland in the 1620s is quintessentially the same as the rush to buy Enron shares in 2000.
In the two episodes, the story obsessively keeps moving between the past and the present. This is just part of a slightly frenetic and jerky feel to the episodes. The overuse of some images - skyscrapers, the concrete canyons of Manhattan, darkened trading rooms and green-lit stock tickers, is puzzling.
Sheshadri says, "The Ascent of Money is an attempt to take a simplified view of the money matters. The timing and approach towards the show make it unique. It will help aid individuals' efforts to make sense of the current economic chaos."
The show is being promoted heavily on air. The channel has also created a game on ibibo.com, where participants can manage their virtual investment portfolios by making prudent investments in the virtual stock market and other financial instruments.
The name of the show is derived from its namesake publication, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, by Niall Ferguson, historian and professor at the Harvard University. Ferguson is also the host of the series on the small screen.
Rajesh Sheshadri, vice-president, content and communication, Fox History and Entertainment, says that the new story talks about the evolution of money and gives an in-depth view of the current day financial markets.
The show is scheduled to debut on July 30 and will be aired every Thursday at 10 pm. Each one hour episode will cover different topics, namely Dreams of Avarice, Human Bondage, Blowing Bubbles, Risky Business, Safe as Houses and Chimerica.
Each episode of The Ascent of Money will focus on one single aspect of money. For example, the inaugural episode, Dreams of Avarice, dwells on the origin of credit and debit by touching upon Babylonian clay tables and the Medici banking system.
In the early moments of the first episode, presenter Ferguson wonders, "Shouldn't this series be called The Descent of Money? The financial history of the world is a gripping tale, with the euphoria and panic mingling to create moments of creativity, pain and revolution."
Ferguson is wonderfully placed to recount such ancient and modern tales. A British historian, he is also a popular pundit and a frequent commentator on the current economic crisis. His recent clashes with economist Paul Krugman have been entertaining and illuminating.
If there is an underlying message in The Ascent of Money, it is this: The more things change, the more they remain the same. Ferguson's whistle-stop tour through financial history shows the reader how the tulip mania of Holland in the 1620s is quintessentially the same as the rush to buy Enron shares in 2000.
In the two episodes, the story obsessively keeps moving between the past and the present. This is just part of a slightly frenetic and jerky feel to the episodes. The overuse of some images - skyscrapers, the concrete canyons of Manhattan, darkened trading rooms and green-lit stock tickers, is puzzling.
Sheshadri says, "The Ascent of Money is an attempt to take a simplified view of the money matters. The timing and approach towards the show make it unique. It will help aid individuals' efforts to make sense of the current economic chaos."
The show is being promoted heavily on air. The channel has also created a game on ibibo.com, where participants can manage their virtual investment portfolios by making prudent investments in the virtual stock market and other financial instruments.
