December 14, 2011: Morning
- Hong Kong is the world's most developed financial market, U.S. is no. 2, says report.
- Forbes ranks America's banks.
- The democratic market for ideas is not a truth machine.
- African democracies will gain more legitimacy when elections oust incumbents—in South Africa, that may not occur until after Mandela dies.
- Notes on the rebirth of anti-Semitism in Budapest.
- Crisis of the Euro is killing the European dream—Krugman on the erosion of democratic Hungary.
- Twenty-eight destroyed posters of Albanian politicians in the streets of Prishtina.
- Must-see December art shows across America.
- Richard Russo consults novelists on Amazon's scorched-Earth capitalism.
- The reverse: "Buying books on Amazon is better for authors, better for the economy, and better for you."
- New target in sex-trafficking prosecution now that prostitution's off the street: the driver.
- Google to provide $11.5 million in grants to organizations working to end slavery and human trafficking.
- Analysis of Freakonomics authors' errors post-success.
- In this account of pubic waxing in America, we wonder: Did the starring subject with the unique name really need to be sentenced to Google hell?
- Louis C.K. explains what he's learned and earned from selling penis jokes exclusively online.
- Awkward holiday family photos.