MORE INTERESTING READS

* Waiting for the run on the banks in Greece (International Herald Tribune / NY Times Rendezvous).

* When it comes to secrecy and press freedoms is President Obama worse than Nixon? (The Guardian).

* Bill Black has some interesting background information on one billionaire and the group that he funds (Third Way) that wants to destroy social security (Naked Capitalism).

* It's not a science. Economists are biased after all (Forbes), as I pointed out long ago.

* After doing little to prosecute major banks or their executives, the head of the Justice Department's criminal division, Lanny Breuer, is (re)hired by a law firm that defends Wall Street (POGO).

* Seriously, we don't have a free market. Check out the 2011 Government Accountability Office audit of the Federal Reserve's bailout programs (U.S. Government Accountability Office), plus ... 

* A quick look at the trillions in bailout dollars the U.S. taxpayer are now on the hook for (Sourcewatch).

* Wal-Mart customers flee empty shelves for Target, Costco (Bloomberg).

* 10 things you didn't know about the president's secret army (The Week).


SOME SILLY STUFF
* The ultimate friendship test (Facebook).

* The 10 worst products for men ever created (The Art of Manliness).

* These three wannabe James Bond villains blow it (gizmodo.com).

* How to use valet parking without looking like an idiot (The Art of Manliness).

CYPRUS & THE FUTURE OF EUROPE
* The nuts & bolts of the Cyprus situation, plus an overview of the impressively stupid handling of the Cyprus Bailout by the EU (Naked Capitalism).

* Larry Kotlikoff explains why the bank failures in Cyprus should open our eyes to our banking future here (PBS Newshour).

* More on Cyprus ... “there are three types of financial crises: crises of liquidity, crises of solvency, and crises of stupidity" (Bruegel).

* Speaking of Europe, "Assessing the Impact of EU Cohesion Policy" (Bruegel).

- Mark