Friday Afternoon links

I've always defended Rasheed Wallace, but I think Bill Simmons is right. In his heyday, Wallace was a freak athlete at 7'0 who could rebound, post, consistently knock down outside shots, was a willing and gifted passer, and, most importantly, was a top notch defender. While the West is still superior as a conference, there was a time when the talent gap was huge and it looked like the West would win forever. Then Rasheed went to Detroit. He was the only power forward in the East that could match up with the freaks from the West (Duncan, Garnett, Webber, etc.).

Instructions on how to write a "successful" news story.

Just how fast are NFL players. This fast.

China on the treadmill to hell. At least, according to one hedge fund manager they are.

A math primer on sovereign debt.

Will Wilkinson on the not so golden era of liberty that was the 1880's. I wish he posted more often.

NBC's "behavior placement" designed to have viewers adopt actions they see in their favorite shows.

Arnold Kling on the plight of the unskilled worker.