Reading

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.

Steve Landsburg's Weekend Roundup recaps his posts about Kurt Gödel, Ken Arrow, and Dylan Thomas. via The Big Questions

Robin Hanson's blog post critiques breast cancer awareness campaigns, arguing they emphasize social pressure over concrete action and questioning the lack of similar campaigns for more prevalent health issues.

via Overcoming Bias

Loss aversion is a cognitive bias where people are more likely to avoid losses than seek gains. via Mind Hacks

Tyler Cowen highlights a quote on sentences to ponder about children's career aspirations and links to an article on happiness. via Marginal Revolution