Happy new year! Let’s celebrate with some links.
Fun
* [22 fun and unusual calendars to put up next year](http://mentalfloss.com/article/71762/22-fun-and-unusual-calendars-put-next-year) -- I think Space Cats is my favorite.
* [German traffic light stays red for 28 years](http://www.thelocal.de/20150615/there-is-a-light-that-never-goes-out) -- You'll never guess why!
Economics
* [Parking the big money](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/01/14/parking-the-big-money/) -- Interesting review of a book and a film focusing on how people with large fortunes hide their money to avoid paying taxes on it.
* [Really rich people are suddenly paying quite a bit more in taxes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/30/really-rich-people-are-suddenly-paying-quite-a-bit-more-in-taxes/) -- Spoiler: the partial reinstatement of taxes on the top income brackets has, in fact, generated more tax revenue!
* [For the wealthiest, a private tax system that saves them billions](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-private-tax-system-saves-them-billions.html?_r=1) -- But tax hikes can only do so much when one has any number of clever financial tricks and instruments (not to mention highly skilled, highly paid accountants and tax lawyers) to use to shield their wealth from the tax collector.
* [The story of Eric Harwood](http://web.archive.org/web/20160304015740/http://mattbruenig.com/2015/12/30/the-story-of-eric-harwood/) -- Matt Bruenig relates the story of a man who, despite painful disability, spent years working and supporting himself and his family. When he lost his job, however, he found himself attempting to navigate public assistance systems, and has now virtually exhausted them. What's left for him, and why are people like him left behind?
Social Justice
* [When your fat pic goes viral as a feminist cautionary tale](http://jezebel.com/when-your-fat-pic-goes-viral-as-a-feminist-cautionary-t-1749947791) -- A woman who has gained some weight over the years finds herself at the center of a viral image meme, and has some amusing thoughts about it.
* [Revenge porn victims often blamed, says helpline](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-34983437) -- Things are changing, at least, but there is still a long way to go.
* [Here's what the world will look like after mass incarceration](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/27/here-s-what-the-world-will-look-like-after-mass-incarceration.html) -- A good examination of how setting a reduction in incarceration as a goal, without considering what alternatives might be employed, would be unwise. There's more to our culture of criminalization than prison itself, and deprived of one way to criminalize people, we may simply utilize others.
News
* [Questions on direction of a paper in Las Vegas](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/business/media/questions-on-direction-of-a-paper-in-las-vegas.html?_r=1) -- The family of casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson is apparently buying up newspapers in order to smear the judges adjudicating cases against him. A bizarre story.
* ["Affluenza" teen caught, but will he get off easy?](http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/29/us/affluenza-teen-ethan-couch-detained-in-mexico/) -- It sure is nice to be able to kill 4 people and get probation, and then skip town to Mexico on a lark.
Film
* [Harrison Ford reviews _Star Wars: The Force Awakens_](http://comicbook.com/2015/12/01/harrison-ford-reviews-star-wars-the-force-awakens/) -- He liked it.
* [Kylo Ren's fake Twitter account is the best](http://kotaku.com/kylo-rens-twitter-account-is-the-best-1749403203) -- I lol'd.
* [_Star Wars:_ The Feminism Awakens](http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/12/star-wars-the-feminism-awakens/420843/) -- A piece focusing on Rey, the star of the new _Star Wars_ film.
Photo by epSos.de 