10 Good Friday Reads

April 3, 2015 7:00am by Barry Ritholtz

Its Good Friday, and the start of Passover. Here are your 3 day weekend at home morning reads:

• Opening Windows: A once-dominant software giant is determined to prove that life begins again at 40 (The Economist)
• G.M. Bets Big on a Resurgent Cadillac (NY Times)
• Why Data Breaches Don’t Hurt Stock Prices (HBR)
• The Monetarist Mistake (Project Syndicate) see also Milton Friedman, Monetarism, and the Great and Little Depressions (Uneasy Money)
• Tidal and the Future of Music (stratechery)
• Wal-Mart, GE Pressure Has States Changing Tune on Gay Rights (Bloomberg) see also Indiana’s Religious Conservatives Surrender (Bloomberg View)
• The Best Way to Find an Airfare Online (WSJ)
• Why Obama chose the Iran talks to take one of his presidency’s biggest risks (Washington Post) see also Iran nuclear talks: a very simple guide (Vox)
• How the Gluteus Became Maximus: Debate among scholars about the true origin of a preference among males for curvier backsides. (The Atlantic)
• Adam Riches on Bill Murray: ‘Ghostbusters made me want to be funny’ (The Guardian)

What are you reading?

The deficit as a proportion of GDP

Source: Office for Budget Responsibility

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hidflect commented on Apr 3

• The Best Way to Find an Airfare Online (WSJ)
It was behind the paywall but my own research doesn’t need a whole article. Just go to hipmunk.com
hue commented on Apr 3

How a redefinition made Yuengling the biggest craft brewery in America (Vox) http://bit.ly/1CjOWgG

How Barack Obama made the old Daily Show obsolete (Vox) http://bit.ly/1IZnE4S

When a Door-to-Door Vacuum Salesman Has an Existential Crisis in Your Living Room (The Awl) http://bit.ly/1FpyrnU everyone’s private burglar (LATimes) http://lat.ms/1F8NLTa
VennData commented on Apr 3

Mark Kirk another “Moderate” republican predicts the future.

““We should be a reviewing presence to see how this unfolds,” Kirk said of Congress’ role, adding: “Which we all know is going to end with a mushroom cloud somewhere near Tehran.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/mark-kirk-iran-deal-react-nazi-116632.html

The Republicans are 0-11 on Obama predictions. When are they going to getting a new coach?
- Iamthe50percent commented on Apr 3
  
  Well, it will end that way if Kirk, Cheney, Cruz and company have their way.
rd commented on Apr 3

Re: Deficit as a proportion of GDP

It looks like it is time to schedule another major, expensive war to begin in 2018.
- ch commented on Apr 3
  
  $50 oil will take care of it. US is already borderline recession…deficits go up in recessions.
- VennData commented on Apr 3
  
  The Right would be happy to declare themselves victims of a war and stew in their trailer parks.
  
  “…Religious Freedom Restoration Acts have existed on the state and federal level for decades. What’s new here — the “wave” that’s actually sweeping over the country — is an emboldened and litigious cultural Left, unsated by its recent culture war victories, trying now to conscript the defeated soldiers at gunpoint…”
  
  http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-04-02/indiana-religious-conservatives-surrender-to-liberals
  
  Hillary will continue the war on Christmas.
  
  What about a War on the War on Drugs? Bomb people who violate my religion by smoking weed in their homes?
  
  We could attack the people who stop US companies from expanding! Oh, that’s US Lobbyists…
  
  http://www.businessinsider.com/europes-hatred-of-tech-companies-is-mostly-a-creation-of-american-lobbyists-2015-4
  
  Or People who refuse our free trade deals! Oh, that’s the Congressional Republicans.
  
  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/03/mitch-mcconnell-tpp-tea-party_n_6182126.html
  
  Or the People behind the AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) Oh that’s the GOP too.
  
  http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/26/washingtons-big-china-screw-up-aiib-asia-infrastructure-investment-bank-china-containment-chinafile/
  
  The only people left are the Middle Class. We need a War on the Middle Class! The GOP is great at that.
VennData commented on Apr 3

Excessively High Levels of Salt Present in Grocery Store Food

http://americanlivewire.com/2015-04-03-excessively-high-levels-of-salt-present-in-grocery-store-food/

I’m no nutritionist. But I support Big Food. Tell Michelle Obama and the liberals to stop telling me what to eat!
- VennData commented on Apr 3
  
  Does Michele Obama really think she loves my kids as much as I do?
- Iamthe50percent commented on Apr 3
  
  Probably more if she wants them to eat healthy food.
rd commented on Apr 3

The Muslims and Wiccans are looking forward to descending on Indiana now that they are guaranteed religious freedom. I am sure that Mike Pence is looking forward to being a beacon of religious tolerance in the great American tradition as enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/03/next-we-muslims-bring-sharia-to-indiana.html

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/31/mike-pence-s-new-fan-club-wiccans.html
- rd commented on Apr 3
  
  Actually, it appears that the Muslims are already moving into Indiana. The Wiccans need to up their game if the are going to get in the Religion Final Four.
  
  http://blogs.marketwatch.com/themargin/2014/07/03/whats-the-second-most-popular-religion-in-your-state/
VennData commented on Apr 3

Did Obamacare Bankrupt your Family Farm?

“…Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican, who asked her constituents for horror stories about the Affordable Care Act on its fifth anniversary. Instead, she heard from people who got coverage, rather than lost it, and who said the law made their lives easier…”

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-03-31/catch-of-the-day-gop-retreat-on-obamacare
- rd commented on Apr 3
  
  The current GOP is in search of their next napkin-economist who can draw the equivalent of the Laffer Curve showing how to increase healthcare accessibility without costing the government, employers, or taxpayers any money while not reducing income for the healthcare sector.
VennData commented on Apr 3

Will someone shut this guy up?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/04/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-says-final-nuclear-deal-must-include-irans-recognition-of-israel.html

Next time and Iranian stooge calls you a name, or says he wants to kill you, remember that Obama has put in place a way to actually try to prevent that.
- BillG commented on Apr 3
  
  Eh, let him run his fat mouth. But lets stop sending him OUR MONEY. $3B/yr? Ridiculous.
swag commented on Apr 3

Iran nuclear framework agreement: Not a bad deal (Barak Ravid, Haaretz)

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.650355
swag commented on Apr 3

Hi, Barry. Isn’t the Office for Budget Responsibility a UK outfit? Wondering if that chart is for the UK or the US. Thanks!
Whammer commented on Apr 3

@rd, that is both depressing and probably accurate.

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