peHUB First Read

* Mark Ragan: My story of living through jargon hell in the private equity world * Stewart Ellman: Do VCs have expiration dates? * Steven Pearlstein: "NBC's late-night farce is emblematic of just about everything that is wrong with American business these days." * Morning Call: U.S. futures point higher, London ticks lower, European shares rise on pharma, the Nikkei falls 1.3% and China shares slide on PBOC tightening. * Mitch Lasky on EA's miss * John Nunemaker: I have no talent * Robert Mancuso: Think twice before you IPO * Michael Corkery: "Wall Street bankers haven’t faced a grilling like this since financier J.P. Morgan Jr. ended up with a circus midget in his lap and his sterling reputation in tatters."