## The Weekend Reading List: FBI Crypto Coin, Financial Health, and More
The weekend is here! Pour yourself a mug of [Danish Blend](https://www.portorico.com/store/product75.html) coffee, grab a seat outside, and get ready for our longer-form weekend reads:
– **The FBI secretly created a coin to investigate crypto pump-and-dump schemes**: NexFundAI, the FBI’s Ethereum-based token, was used to investigate price manipulation in crypto markets. ([The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/10/24267098/fbi-coin-crypto-token-nexgenai-sec-doj-fraud-investigation))
– **Are We Too Impatient to Be Intelligent?**: This is a massive problem in decision-making. We try to close down the solution space of any problem to arrive at a single right answer that is difficult to argue with. ([Behavioral Scientist](https://behavioralscientist.org/are-we-too-impatient-to-be-intelligent/))
– **The Laws of Financial Health**: Financial Health is a confoundingly simple process. ([The Uncertainty of It All](https://marknewfield.substack.com/p/the-laws-of-financial-health))
– **The vast divide between Republicans and Democrats over fast food**: We scoured campaign finance reports to reveal strikingly partisan preferences for various restaurants, with few more polarizing than McDonald’s. ([Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/campaign-spending-fast-food-mcdonalds/))
– **You’re Not Paranoid. The Market Is Out to Get You**: Thanks to today’s incessantly twitchy, infinitely networked markets, it has never been harder to be a disciplined and independent investor. ([Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/intelligent-investor-ben-graham-new-edition-8a984f47))
– **Why Is Everything So Ugly?**: The mid in fake midcentury modern. ([N+1](https://www.nplusonemag.com/issue-44/the-intellectual-situation/why-is-everything-so-ugly/))
– **Psychedelic Mushrooms Are Getting Much, Much Stronger**: Cultivators are turning to genetic sequencing and cellular-manipulation techniques to breed highly potent mushrooms—leaving some unprepared psychonauts in distress. ([Wired](https://www.wired.com/story/breeding-stronger-magic-mushrooms/))
– **Can We Prevent Cancer With a Shot?**: Vaccines designed to prevent cancer for high-risk groups are in early human trials. ([Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/cancer-prevention-vaccine-shot-39966eeb))
– **The Year of Snoop Dogg**: Snoop has long been a lovable figure, but he’s only recently become something bigger in pop culture—perhaps the closest thing we have to a national mascot. ([The Ringer](https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2024/10/7/24263947/snoop-dogg-the-voice-coach-paris-olympics-career-arc))
– **Is Hugh Grant’s Most Convincing Character ‘Hugh Grant’?**: The seemingly droll, breezy star is actually sentimental about his family and utterly serious about his work, including his villainous turn in “Heretic.” ([New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/17/movies/hugh-grant-heretic-roles-family.html))
Also, don’t forget to check out our [Masters in Business](https://ritholtz.com/category/podcast/mib/) this week with [Brian Higgins](https://www.kingstreet.com/Team/Brian-Higgins), of [King Street Capital Management](https://www.kingstreet.com/). The firm manages more than $26 billion across institutional platforms and has become well-known for their expertise as “stressed and distressed” credit investors. Higgins and his co-founder Francis Biondi were given the “Institutional Investor’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award.”
### **FAQs**
**Q: Can I access the articles for free?**
A: Some articles may be accessible for free, while others may require a subscription or payment to access the full content.
**Q: Are these topics relevant to current trends?**
A: Yes, the topics cover a wide range of current trends including cryptocurrency, financial health, market trends, and pop culture.
**Q: How can I stay informed about similar topics in the future?**
A: You can bookmark the websites of the sources mentioned in the articles, follow them on social media, or sign up for newsletters to stay updated on similar topics.
### **Conclusion**
The weekend is a great time to catch up on longer reads and dive into thought-provoking articles across various topics. From cryptocurrency investigations to financial health laws, fast food preferences to market paranoia, and celebrity analyses to groundbreaking medical trials, there’s plenty to explore in the world of long-form journalism. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a cup of coffee while delving into these engaging reads!