Thursday morning news drop
There’s Nothing to Do Except Gamble Welcome to the non-fungible, memeified, cryptodenominated, degenerate future of finance. (New Yorker)
Kobe Bryant’s Nike Contract Expired. The Implications Are Complex. The end of the deal has no analogue in basketball or sneaker history, opening a hole in the market as Bryant’s shoes have been used heavily by N.B.A. athletes and have seen high demand among the public since his death. (New York Times)
Dirty Dollars Accused money launderers left a path of bankrupt factories, unpaid taxes, shuttered buildings and hundreds of steelworkers out of jobs (News Interactive)
How Capitalism Drives Cancel Culture Beware splashy corporate gestures when they leave existing power structures intact. (The Atlantic)
Seth Rogen and the Secret to Happiness How the comedian (and director, writer, ceramist and weed entrepreneur) has made a career out of mining the pitfalls and possibilities of adolescence. (New York Times)
The Importance of Seizing on the Post-Super League Moment The backlash to the Super League was definitive and demonstrable, but that doesn't mean all is well. What happens next will dictate the future of the sport. (Sports Illustrated)
This Is the Hottest That Stephen Curry Has Ever Been Five years after he revolutionized basketball, the NBA’s best shooter is still getting better (Wall Street Journal)
Federal budget gives money to all, without a path to real economic growth The great Paul Martin budget of 1995 took only 197 pages to rescue Canada’s finances from disaster, while the landmark tax reform budgets of the late 1980s averaged less than 120. By comparison, this budget takes more than 200 pages just to describe its impact on gender equality, inclusion and other “quality of life” measures. (Globe and Mail)
The B.C. government will go deep into the red again this year as it ramps up spending on health, seniors and businesses to help people survive the COVID-19 pandemic while laying the groundwork for economic recovery. Some say the plan lacks a long-term vision to support economic growth and stimulate innovation during and after the pandemic was lacking. While others say that the economy is already rebounding and does not need such large deficits.
The National Debt: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) The national debt has long been portrayed as a burden we’re placing on future generations. John Oliver discusses how national debt works, why people are so concerned about it, and why it might be more helpful that you think.