Reading

WIRED offers the latest news and insights on technology, science, culture, and business. via WIRED

This blog post argues that the federal deficit can be eliminated without raising taxes, and points to a New York Times article that allows readers to experiment with different ways to reduce the deficit. via The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics

This 2010 blog post profiles Irish economist Morgan Kelly, who predicted the decline of Irish property prices. via Marginal Revolution

Alan Prendergast's article "The Hit Man Nobody Knows" explores the possibility that Dandenis Muñoz Mosquera (aka "La Quica"), one of Pablo Escobar’s top hitmen currently incarcerated in Colorado, may be innocent of the crime that imprisoned him.

Michael Shnayerson's article "Oh! What a Lucrative War" investigates the system that led to Halliburton/KBR becoming a primary contractor in the Iraq War zone.

Al Jazeera's live news updates cover Hezbollah rocket attacks on Haifa and Israel's bombing of Lebanon. via The source of this content is Al Jazeera.

Interesting analysis of the Irish banking system and a potential wave of foreclosures. via The source of this content is Marginal Revolution.

David Friedman compares the economic impacts of US and UK fiscal policies after the 2008 recession to massive research experiments—and finds similarities to the human and financial costs of 20th-century communist states. via Ideas

Tyler Cowen discusses how becoming a parent might make one less likely to support the legalization of marijuana.

via The source of this content is Marginal Revolution.

Kottke.org shares a fun fact about a "Lord of the Rings" adaptation that almost starred The Beatles and was directed by Stanley Kubrick. via kottke.org

Tyler Cowen highlights a passage that discusses the significant increase in wine consumption in Britain between 1960 and 1980. via The source of this content is Marginal Revolution.

Esquire published a piece on Henry Molaison (Patient H.M.), detailing how, despite amnesia from brain surgery, he retained some post-surgery memories.