peHUB First Read

* Venture Pessimists: VC confidence falls for the fifth consecutive quarter. * Attachmate CEO Jeff Hawn will be in a Colorado court today, awaiting sentencing for having illegally slayed bison. * Morning Call: U.S. futures up for third time this week, European shares rise on energy and banks and the Nikkei moves higher on optimism over chips and the U.S. economy. * Maureen Dowd: Wall Street's socialist jet-setters. * Mish vs. Schiff continues. * BreakingViews: Who needs the US government to create a "bad bank," when it's got Bank of America?