This is a very on-point Op-Ed column in the Times today from David Brooks about the proliferation of debt in our society.

[Debt] inhibits social mobility and ruins lives. Between 1989 and 2001, credit-card debt nearly tripled, soaring from $238 billion to $692 billion. By last year, it was up to $937 billion.

What I would be thinking about if I were Billy Joel driving toward a holiday party where I knew there was going to be a piano

5 things I didn’t know when I woke up this morning:

1. They’re making a Wham! movie. [The Guardian]
2. 33% of the world’s smokers live in China and 3 million people start smoking each year. 90% of China’s smokers are men and the average man smokes 20 cigarettes each day. [National Geographic]
3. Zurich is the top city for expats. [Financial Times]
4. Traffic in La Paz, Bolivia is so dangerous that its mayor started a program to have youths dressed as zebras help people across the city’s busiest intersections. [Monocle]
5. Brain surgeons don’t hold their cell phones up to their ears. [NY Times]