(Send links, pics, vids to rolfe.winkler at thomsonreuters)

The Cost Conundrum: What a Texas town can teach us about health care (New Yorker)  Lawyers and insurance companies get the lion’s share of blame for running up health costs in the U.S.  This piece argues convincingly that doctors themselves are deserve a good deal of blame for over-prescribing unnecessary and very expensive medical procedures.

Consumer Confidence “Retreats” (Conference Board)  The index had improved for three straight months, likely due to rock bottom interest rates and a friendlier stock market.  Now everyone realizes that employment isn’t coming back any time soon.

HSBC Chairman says financial crisis still far from over (WSJ)  He also said that resurrecting Glass-Steagall would be impractical since customers these days require a wide range of financial services.  But do they?  He argues that so-called “narrow banking,” whereby commercial banks become depositories primarily, is unrealistic.  Perhaps now.  But when it actually comes time to deal with our massive debts, much of the global financial sector could very well collapse.  At that point, it may be easier to reboot the financial sector with narrow banks as the foundation.

Governments grab unused gift cards (WSJ)  Cash-strapped states are finding a new way to reach into your wallet.

AIG has “excellent chance” to pay back U.S., Liddy says (Bloomberg)  How about all the collateral payments that passed through AIG to Goldman, Deutsche, SocGen, et al?  Are we going to get that money back too?

Cowell offered over $100 million PER YEAR to stay on American Idol (NY Post)  The article says the offer may be as high as $144 million.  Again, that would be annual pay.

Sex feels the credit squeeze in Nevada (Guardian)  Isn’t sin supposed to hold up during recession?  The article quotes the business manager of one brothel, a former employee ofRazorfish.  Speaking of which….

Microsoft seeking buyer for Razorfish (Seattle Times)  Steve Ballmer paid $6 billion for aQuantive back in 2007.  Razorfish was a big piece of that.

The Ultimatum Game (Ars Technica)  “People reject free money out of anger”

Is it easier to grow poppy than wheat? (Slate)  It’s easier to grow, but not easier to harvest: “Because the harvest is limited to about a six-week window, labor is expensive. The process is also dangerous. Most harvesters, many of them children, develop opium addictions or serious health problems by absorbing the sap through their skin. (Some farmers can tell when it’s time to harvest poppy because they wake up with headaches and nausea from the fumes.)”

Car stolen, then returned with upgrades (Craigslist)  WTF?

President interrupted with duck ringtone….