1. Economists often use shoddy data. This isn’t really news to people who work with data. Everyone uses shoddy data, since that’s all we have. Pony up some serious cash, we can get some good data. (Slate)

2. Washington is fixing the debt crisis in small increments, because that’s the way things are done in the United States. (Financial Times)

3. AIG, having been bailed out by US taxpayers, threatens to sue, claiming losses, (Washington Post), but it’s not as crazy as you think (CNBC), but it doesn’t matter, because they’re not going to sue after all. (Reuters) I admit, I was fooled.

4. Profit making and health care don’t mix well. (NYT)

5. Complex systems theorists forecast global riots for 2013 because of rising food prices. (Vice)

6. Even Krugman is into this stupid coin idea. Yeah, the one that will be minted with platinum the government already owns anyway (which makes the debt ceiling debate even more preposterous). (NYT)

7. British institution cancels affiliation with Ugandan University over anti-homosexuality stance. (Africa Report)

8. Trying to write a new Zimbabwean constitution while Mugabe is still alive is a futile effort, but they’re trying to anyway. (Africa Report)

9. I can’t figure out who the biggest loser is in the ongoing dispute between China and Japan. Likely, we all lose. (Bloomberg)

10. I didn’t know that American players go to China to play basketball. Looks like one tested positive for weed, even. (Bloomberg)