Food for Thought:

• NYTimes – The Governing Cancer of Our Time.  We live in a big, diverse society. There are essentially two ways to maintain order and get things done in such a society — politics or some form of dictatorship. Either through compromise or brute force. Our founding fathers chose politics.
• NYTimes – What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team.  New research reveals surprising truths about why some work groups thrive and others falter.
• TRB – Abundance.  The only way to save the economy is to crash it. There’s too much of everything and it’s not good for anyone. It’s hurting everyone. Paradoxically, abundance is now the enemy. This sets us apart from virtually every other society throughout history. You can blame the Federal Reserve’s loose money policies if you’d like. There is over-investment in every industry. It’s killing confidence. Nothing is worth what it used to be. We haven’t adjusted to this reality yet.
• Medium – Memory athlete Simon Reinhard on the “almost magic” of the brain
• WSJ – Santiago Calatrava’s Long-Awaited World Trade Center Hub.  The architect on the opening of his biggest U.S. project yet: New York’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which took more than 10 years and nearly $4 billion to complete.
• Ghostbusters – The Official Trailer Released – Who you gonna call?

Business/Economics:

• WSJ – Mutual Funds Sour on Startup Investments.  Fidelity, BlackRock and other giants cut value of their stakes at faster pace, make fewer new investments.
• WSJ – Share Buybacks: The Bill Is Coming Due.  U.S. companies borrowed heavily in recent years but often bought back stock rather than investing in their business.
• WSJ – After 15 Years, a Bond Trade Now Pays Off.  Elliott Management’s wager on Argentinian government bonds has yielded $2.4 billion after many twists and turns.
• BST – What Do LPs Think of the Venture Capital Markets for 2016?
• NYT – What It’s Really Like to Risk It All in Silicon Valley

Culture/Tech/Science:

• WSJ – The NHL’s 44-Year-Old Enigma.  How Jaromir Jagr, who is leading the first-place Florida Panthers in scoring, has managed to keep pace with players 20 years younger.
• The Atlantic – Horses Can Read Human Facial Expressions.  And they don’t always like what they see.
• WSJ – How Long Would You (Happily) Wait for a Coffee?  For an Aeropress, siphon or French press cup, people are willing to wait longer.
• WSJ – How Your Supplements Interact With Prescription Drugs.  St. John’s Wort, lavender, garlic and others can alter drug potency, cause side effects.
• WSJ – Bidding Wars Return to Birmingham, Ala.  Luxury real estate in Birmingham, Ala., is making a comeback—which for luxury home buyers means a comeback of bidding wars, lengthy home searches and rising prices.