Wednesday morning roundup

Greece's incredibly f*ed up tax system.

Ukranian chocolate is the latest pawn in Russia's trade aggression strategy.

Grameen brings microcredit stateside.

It's easy to lose all hope with the political process but recent developments in regulation of prescription painkillers show that sometimes, people manage to do the right thing.

Speaking of addiction: the recovery community finds an advocate and role model in a candidate for Boston's mayoral race.

I really want to talk about trecciemc's piece on "the logic of stupid poor people" but I don't have time. Maybe tomorrow, because there's a lot to discuss... so please read it in the meantime.

OMG, I'm taking Cosmo's side against Petula Dvorak's in the sexy Halloween costumes debate, although Jezebel's is worthwhile as well (and it can be summed up as who the f* cares). What we need to point out to AskMen readers in light of their apparent confusion:

Chances are the “slut” you’ve been eyeing across the party is exactly the opposite of what you originally thought. She’s dressed up because everyone else is, and she's itching to cover up whatever it is that creepy guy (you) is staring at from across the room.

Halloween is both pleasure and torture for us. Every girl puts herself out there, but she’s not really out there to put out. Even if they are, they all look the same and it’s impossible to tell which ones actually follow up on the promises their costumes make. That's where AM comes in, to clear up the confusion.

Guys, guess what: there's no such thing as a "slut." It's not really about you (ever; not just on Halloween). Costumes don't make promises (ever).