more of a whole bunch of things

 Test Cricket

SA showed they were short of a gallop. They bowled too short when they were swinging the ball more than us and their spinners looked ordinary ( after being guns in India). They will have Rabana back for the next two tests and the reason he is the premier bowler he is is that he swings the ball late and bowls a fuller length. Their batting looked ordinary except for Markram and Bedingham. Bavuma looked out of sorts and lost his first test. Their keeper had a test to forget. If SA want to know how they lost go back when you should had have us out for less than 200 but decided to bowl short to tailenders. I would not be surprised at a new keeper and some new batsmen.

We were lucky. Our batting again showed up weaknesses. One decent match or innings does not solve this. Our bowlers cannot get us out of losing if the batting keeps on struggling. Nortje only bowled around mid 140ks but still unnerved our batsmen.

The attendance was a disgrace.

Onto Port Elizabeth

Omar

Her home in Washington got raided. We are told this is about her citizenship however that is way past the statute of limitations. It is also highly unlikely the authorities got new information just now that meant the 60 day 'rule' had to be rejected. Certainly no explanation has been given. I'm no fan of hers but this raid looks very political. Saying Pirro is investigating her also means they have nothing as she is worse than useless

Witkoff and Kushner

Why anyone would think these two could do anything in regards to Russia/Ukraine is beyond me. They believe Putin when he says he has almost taken the Donetsk region. Why do they believe him because they have no intelligence on the war at hand BY DESIGN. It gets worse. When they finish with their 'talks' they then begin to negotiate trade deals.

Guilfoyle

This ambassadorship typifies Trump. She is a grifter of the highest order but a very stupid one. ( If I can make a sexist statement she looks and dresses like a tart. Also very trumpian)

Texan senate race.

I have to say how could anyone vote for a person whose name is Paxton!! You know it aint going the GOP when Paxton is caught partying with criminals in the gulf. The story about the democrat recovering in a mental institution in Ohio blows in the people's faces.

Premier League

If the allegations against Manchester City prove to be true then they should be relegated. This is what occurred in Italy.

Gerard Henderson watch

 I have decided since our mate Gerard  calls all people he disagrees with as comrade I will call him Herr Henderson.

I should say from the outset I have rarely read a person who sneers and is so condescending and then criticizes others. for the same thing.

Herr Henderson said a while ago it was a lot of tosh that Hanson's daughter  who is living in tasmania but working for a NSW senator that she could not do the job as others were doing this.. Now it could be he says this as he was a failed chief of staff for Howard when he was Opposition leader. Herr Henderson might even support working from home fulltime however it is a joke to think a person in another state could do a decent job. Interaction is a necessity assuming she is doing research and not electoral work.The number of mobile phone calls would be enormous assuming her phone is in the right areas. so it rings and she is the office. We know One Nation senators do not do a lot of work and their speeches are never livened with much research. Add this to the fact that Hanson's daughter is trying to be a senator then it seems highly likely taxpayers are subsidising her candidacy. All this is news to Herr Henderson. Can you bear it.

He had a go at Ross Gittins who was actually wrong about why the RBA is now independent when conducting monetary policy. He made the point previously government's did the hard yards with fiscal policy. Herr Henderson alleges Ross was not giving government spending enough recognition. I said previously Herr Henderson did not understand economics and this is a clear example. Ross was actually doing this he merely mentioned taxation! Can you bear it.

When Taylor had a trainwreck of an interview with Sarah Ferguson he claimed she was rudley scolded him. Strange few others saw this.Nor did he like Sally Sara interviewing Matt Canavan on the topic who clearly did not address the question Sara had to ask quite a few times. Remember you cannot interject when anyone does not answer the question asked according to Herr Henderson. Can you bear it.

He also had a rambling account of how white skinned Shoebridge beat the pakistani Faruqi and how ironic he supported DEI. I will leave that but Herr Henderson then said if she had have won, likely  if all green members could vote, she would be as bad a Mamdani in NY. Huh his approval rating is in the 60s. Most people rate him as a superb political athlete! Does anyone really think Faruqi is in the same class as Mamdani. Can you bear it. 

Herr Henderson never examines the faux paus at Sky after dark ( yeah I know they have changed their name but I like saying it). So Peta Credlin makes a rookie mistake of saying THE GOVERNMENT took being jewish off the census he never mentions it. It has NEVER been on a census. Real journalists do not do that. Mediawatch for example has frequently highlighted ABC errors. Not Herr Hendersson though

After Ian Dunt (a person who Herr Henderson dislikes) said Ed Miliband had done a good job he pointed out energy costs had rose when Miliband was minster implying it was because of Miliband's support of renewables. Whoops Herr Henderson obviously missed the UK's reliance on gas and how far gas  prices rose following the invasion of Ukraine. This is why the UK's inflation so much more than other nations. As I have previously said Herr Henderson has little understanding of economics! Can you bear it.

A whole bunch of things.

 Livestreaming a firing squad

I agree with Steve from Brisbane. Although I have no problems with him getting the death penalty a that is the only punishment that fits the crime livestreaming it is depraved. the USa joins yemen, Afghanistan and Iran!!!

Credit Card blues

The ATO decided not to accept credit payments and some people blew up about it. The question that was never asked is why is anyone using a credit card to pay the ATO given the interest rate you pay? You can borrow on almost anything else and get a lower rate. Are all small business people this stupid?

Mark the Graph.

He is at it again with a superb article on why-are-global-bond-yields-rising. It is a must read.

UK

The labour party won Stermer's seat showing the Burnham afterglow is still occurring. I wonder how many poms realise how bad brexit has been for the UK?

russia/Ukraine war

Trump makes ac deal with Putin on diesel oil which will be very hard to deliver and Zelensky is not impressed. nor are many others. Trump wants Zelensky replaced and again blames him for the war and why peace talks have failed. Is there a better example of his ignorance and cognitive decline?

Around the Traps 9/10/26

 It is time again for Around the Traps.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy

• Mark the Graph on australias-current-account-deficit-is-increasing-should-we-care, the-twi-and-monetary-policy-tightness, the-twi-and-monetary-policy-tightness_part2
• Milad Haghani on byd-is-reshaping-australias-car-market-how-did-it-get-here
• Patrick Commins on canada-migration-technical-recession-economy-lessons-for-australia
• Hal Pawson on this-chart-tells-you-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-downturn-in-property-prices
• Mathew Crocker on before-the-budget-how-governor-phillip-managed-without-cash-in-the-colony
• Adam Simpson on the-greens-have-squibbed-it-on-ukraine-abandoning-a-democracy-under-attack
• Ross Gittins on the-economy/trying-to-tame-inflation-with-higher-interest-rates-is-dumb-and-unfair
• Alan Gamlen on the-coalitions-migration-policy-rests-on-a-series-of-false-premises
• Andrew Norton on the-coalitions-migration-changes-would-slash-international-student-enrolments
• Fengfei Li on are-you-seeing-new-service-fees-since-the-card-surcharge-ban-here-are-the-rules
• Antony Green on nsw2027-how-optional-preferential-voting-could-re-elect-the-minns-government
• Abul Rizvi on angus-taylor-coalition-immigration-plan-misses-target-politics-policy
• Antipodean macro professional on antipodean-housing-deep-dive-1
• Sarah Canales on net-overseas-migration-how-do-policies-compare-labor-coalition-one-nation
• Stewart Lockie et al on the-migration-debate-has-a-big-blind-spot-much-of-regional-australia-is-shrinking
• Flavio Menezes on why-a-greens-plan-for-624-public-supermarkets-to-take-on-woolies-and-coles-just-doesnt-add-up
• Greg Jericho on australia-is-building-a-lot-of-new-homes-but-is-the-datacentre-boom-holding-us-back
• Donovan Castelyn on some-small-businesses-are-paying-tax-bills-with-credit-cards-what-will-happen-when-they-cant

OZ Climate

• huge-195-tonne-transformer-arrives-at-big-battery-site-after-1300-km-road-trip
  
• australia-is-making-big-bets-on-a-slow-transition-but-the-technology-s-curve-tells-a-different-story
  
• biggest-wind-farm-in-two-years-reaches-financial-close-the-ninth-in-last-12-months
  
• origin-wants-to-supersize-the-eraring-battery-to-make-it-easily-the-biggest-in-the-country
  
• rooftop-pv-system-sizes-feel-the-battery-effect-but-its-still-a-bumper-year-for-home-solar
  
• utility-solar-power-hits-record-high-in-first-month-of-spring-as-gas-generation-falls-to-new-low
  
• tilting-at-wind-masts-turbine-giant-dismisses-littleprouds-rant-against-dangerous-monitoring-equipment
  
• electrifying-apartment-buildings-is-complex-but-huge-cost-savings-from-ditching-gas-justify-the-pain
  
• solar-recycling-could-lose-its-silver-lining-expert-tells-inquiry-as-case-for-mandatory-fee-stacks-up
  
• australian-wind-farm-starts-hit-record-levels-but-the-technology-is-dead-in-the-state-that-needs-it-most
  
• rooftop-solar-smashes-output-records-in-two-states-as-home-batteries-dull-grid-impact-in-sunny-spring
  
• the-great-big-solar-soak-batteries-are-starting-to-drive-up-midday-electricity-prices
• australias-first-transmission-loop-between-three-states-set-to-fundamentally-change-flow-of-electricity
  
• south-australia-may-reach-its-100-pct-net-renewables-target-a-year-or-two-late-but-it-wont-be-the-fault-of-households
  
• Graham Readfearn on australia-weather-el-nino-climate-crisisseptember-record
• Kumuthini Sivathas and Sussan Stone on why-are-new-wind-farms-stuck-in-the-doldrums-in-australia
• Michael-Shawn Fletcher et al on colonisation-not-climate-change-first-primed-these-forests-to-burn
• Md Qays on youve-probably-never-heard-of-synchronous-condensers-but-theyre-essential-in-the-push-for-renewables

Northern America

• Kruggers on the-midterms, who-dropped-the-bonds-interest-rates-part11, the-trump-administration-is-a-cesspit-of-corruption, ai-versus-everything-else, 
• noahpinion on the-second-trump-presidency-is-a-world-historic-failure , what-the-ai-boom-is-doing-for-americans, there-is-no-indian-question
• new deal democrat on september-jobs-report-a-weakly-positive-report-consistent-with-an-inflationary-expansion, leading-indicators-from-the-september-employment-report-continue-positive-trends
• the conversable economist on financial-literacy-how-many-can-pass-the-test , nequity-in-k-12-school-spending, the-challenge-of-us-rural-development
• Rachel Landingham on pete-hegseth-military-state-of-the-force-speech-rhetoric
• Ivana Damjanovic on why-an-eu-associate-membership-is-the-wrong-canada-story 
• Jonathan Blitzer on ice-is-everywhere-and-acting-with-impunity
• Brad De Long on aggregate-total-factor-productivity-and-artificial-intelligence , crosspost-steve-vladeck-256-so-unexplained, crosspost-justin-wolfers-an-agreement-to-agree-on-an-earlier-agreement
• skeptical science on america-hurtling-toward-power-grid-crisis
• Ian Philbrick on trump-nato-allies-biden-china
• Menzie Chinn on reconciling-expected-revenues-to-expenditures

Europe

• Mark Poynting on swiss glaciers suffer disastrous year of ice loss, threatening water supplies  
• Thomas Jeffries on the-death-of-a-russian-plague-researcher-explained-by-a-microbiologist
• mainly macro on misconceptions-following-burnhams-speech
• Phillips O'Brien on divide-and-rule-the-us-strategy-towards-europe Thanks Ben Hodge
• Ian Hill on russia-doubling-down-in-ukraine-and-against-the-west
• Chris Dillow on who-needs-thought
• Kruggers on whats-the-matter-with-france 
• Tyler Cowen on how-and-why-did-the-victorians-succeed

Asia

• Christopher Eylward on how-beijing-could-throttle-taiwan-without-firing-a-shot
• Hilman Palaon on indonesia-new-finance-minister-faces-test-of-delivery
• Eyal Mayroz on three-years-after-october-7-global-attention-on-gaza-has-receded-the-real-test-will-come-after-israels-election
• Adam Kirsch on zionism-israel-palestine-history
• Henry Storey on south-korea-rides-the-ai-boom-unevenly
• Alan Eyre on oil-hormuz-iran-war
• Brad De Long on crossposthighlighted-robert-farley-October7-and-now-everything-has-got-worse
• Amir Tibon on nahal-oz-israel-elections-netanyahu
• David Remnick on will-netanyahu-escape-his-reckoning
• Hunter Parson on what-to-make-of-china-s-new-air-facility-in-laos 
• Mosab Toha on back-to-school-in-gaza

Wonk

• Yanis Varoufakis on the-centre-lefts-slow-suicide Thanks Nick
• Rob Henderson on no-one-expects-young-men-to-do-anything Thanks Nick
• symbolic capitalism on on-education Thanks Nick
• James Lind on the-importance-of-james-burnham Thanks Nick
• Tyler Cowen on new-issue-of-econ-journal-watch, the-greg-clark-symposium, the-origin-of-risk
• Brad De Long on the-highly-cultured-vladimir-lenin-sanewashing-of-the-day 
• Debora Thome on brazil-elections-2026-first-round-victories-demand-a-commitment-to-democracy-by-the-far-right-that-has-not-yet-been-made
• Mark the Graph on its-brave-new-world
• Alex Tabbarok on against-laissez-faire-democracy
• home and away on from-wars-of-choice-to-war-of-choices

General

• Sacha Morel on the-catcher-in-the-rye-is-75-and-every-time-i-meet-holden-caulfield-i-see-him-anew
• Tim Harford on i-was-wrong-about-bad-girl-books
• Michelle Campbell-Ward on africas-rhinos-often-get-the-spotlight-but-indonesias-two-rhino-species-are-far-closer-to-extinction
• Robert Lucas on how-pond-algae-led-to-a-nobel-prize-and-a-new-way-to-study-the-brain
• Jay Silverstein on secret-chambers-in-tutankhamuns-tomb-could-hold-the-burial-of-a-lost-egyptian-queen-we-may-get-answers-soon
• Donna Lu on astronomy-fast-radio-bursts-frb-radio-waves

Climate

• Jacqueline Peel on in-a-year-of-record-breaking-heat-australia-and-pacific-leaders-meet-to-sharpen-climate-goals
• David Appell on el-nino-regions-amazing-sst
• Wesley Morgan and Liam Moore on 1-5-c-to-stay-alive-pacific-countries-demand-the-world-makes-good-on-climate-promises
• ocean acidification on carbon-in-the-ocean
• open mind on co2-growth-and-el-nino
• skeptical science on world-without-solar-and-wind, new_research
• Charles Hunt et al on pacific-people-pay-exorbitant-prices-for-energy-rich-countries-should-back-their-renewable-transition
• James Hopeward et al on hoping-for-a-new-normal-climate-is-pointless-we-must-learn-to-adapt

Andrew Gelman (mainly stats)

• if-you-were-planning-to-send-me-a-chatbot-written-email-or-post-a-chatbot-written-comment-just-send-or-post-your-prompt
  
• using-the-computer-to-p-hack-id-rather-use-it-to-fit-multilevel-models
  
• a-plan-to-replicate-the-loftus-and-palmer-1974-on-false-memories
  
• ok-this-is-just-weird-from-alaska-airlines
  
• survey-statistics-2-different-uses-of-simulated-data
  
• our-unending-struggles-with-the-monster-model
  
• whats-the-deal-with-the-rmet-the-reading-the-mind-in-the-eyes-test
  
• statschat on fool-me-twice
• Kaiser Fung on the-art-of-curation

Dianne Coyle ( quirky + book reviews)

• Emmett Stinson on written-as-a-single-sentence-adam-oustons-mine-is-a-novel-under-the-influence
• Marina Bolotnokova on opposite-of-happiness-loewenstein
• Tyler Cowen on what-ive-been-reading

Vox Wonk

• strategic-sovereignty-social-movements-and-political-agency-evidence-us-israeli 
  
• hiding-mean-ai-adding-jobs-and-removing-them-same-time 
  
• impact-ai-and-cross-border-data-regulation-international-trade-digital-services
  
• bonding-through-crises-nonbank-financial-institutions 
  
• venture-capital-global-perspective
  
• not-all-geopolitical-shocks-are-inflationary
  
• worker-managed-firms-can-curb-inequality-and-protect-free-markets
  
• adjustment-danish-labour-market-ai-has-begun  
  
• cultural-norms-matter-macroeconomic-development
  

The Opposition's immigration policy is a joke

Here are a few views:

• Alan Gamlan
• Andrew Norton
• Abul Rizvi
• Stewart Lockie et al
  

Okay so these experts can see quite a few problems. The Opposition answered none of my questions and it appears to have used the PBO not as much as they claimed in saying they had done the costings for them. Certainly Taylor could not answer some simple questions about their policy.

We expect this from One Nation as they are both lazy and stupid but we expect a lot better from the LNP!

I need a reason to vote for them and they keep on refuse to do that.

There should be NO march today

 I have said previously some supporters of palestine possess no political understanding. Today I am repeating myself.

I support the creation of Israel as the UN did way back in 1947.

However on October 7 an unspeakable evil was affected  on Israeli people a lot who were sympathetic to the palestinian cause. The day should be left alone.

You can protect any day but this one about the creation of Palestine and the genocide imposed on palestinian people by the government of Israel but leave October 7 silent.

It does not help your cause demonstrating today indeed it may lead people to oppose your cause.

Demonstrating today is simply trumpian. Do not do it!

the coalition on immigration

 We are told in breat-taking fashion the coalition is releasing their policy on immigration today.

I have written about immigration before. I would not be surprised if we hear generalities today on HOW they will cut immigration as there are massive problems that occur when you want to massively cut immigration.

Let us assume they will leave backpackers alone to help the agricultural sector. Then this means they will have to cut in large terms

• family reunions (one of which is aussies who marry foreigners), 
• skilled labour for industry
• unskilled labour for retail and such  ( where uni students are important)
• foreign students at tertiary institutions

It will also have large effects on the budget in that it will increase the deficit.

Also very important is the politics. Imagine such a large cut is implemented. There would be a very loud hue and cry from those people and institutions affected.

I very much doubt we we will get any specifics form the Opposition

public holidays

Today in Sydanee ( forgotten the olympics already?) we celebrate a public holiday.

We do have a number

January 1  new years day

January 26  australia day

April 3 easter friday

April 4 day following 

April 5 easter sunday

April 6 easter monday 

April 25 anzac day

April 27 anzac day holiday

June 8 kings birthday

october 5 labour day

december 25 christmas day

Australia became a nation on January 1 not 26! We have had three following public holidays because they were on the weekend. We celebrate a birthday on the wrong day.

We are lucky in Australia as we get 4 weeks recreation leave. We also have a number of public holidays as well.

Surely we should only have public holidays for celebrating significant events.

Let me make some recommendations.

Make January 1 Australia day as that is when we became a nation. I am happy to keep easter but no catch up on a monday ( same with christmas.) Why do we celebrate a bad military defeat? Why not the end of a world war?

I am also happy to keep labour day as it is important in our nation's history.

There should be no catch up on a monday because a significant day occurred on the weekend. It only desecrates the importance of the day!

Around the Traps 2/10/26

 It is time again for Around the Traps.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy

• Christoph Nedopil on chinas-economy-is-changing-rapidly-its-no-longer-australias-easy-export-market
• Abu Barkat on australias-legacy-systems-were-already-a-cyber-risk-ai-agents-are-raising-the-stakes
• Michelle Grattan on larissa-waters-steps-down-as-greens-leader-due-to-health-reasons
• Stella Huangfu on rba-lifts-rates-to-highest-level-in-15-years-risking-a-sharper-slowdown-of-the-economy
• Mick Ryan on fast-following-edge-australia-defence-needs
• Hangga Fathana on australia-s-migration-dilemma-short-term-pressures-long-term-costs
• Saul Eslake on rba-inflation-blame-game-politicians-reserve-bank-australia
• Isaac Gross on inflation-lifts-to-4-0-in-august-keeping-pressure-on-the-rba-for-another-rate-rise
• Alan Duncan on interest-rates-have-hit-their-highest-level-since-2011-the-pain-will-feel-different-in-2026
• Greg Jericho on turbocharged-petrol-prices-driving-inflation-rba-rates-recession-employment
• Stephen Bartos and John Hawkins on are-australians-really-overtaxed-it-depends-what-you-think-government-should-do
• Millie Muroi on unemployment-probably-does-need-to-climb-for-now

OZ Climate

• some-solar-panels-are-only-2-years-old-when-theyre-discarded-pv-expert-says-retirement-fee-could-fix-this
  
• uncharted-territory-fears-as-weather-whiplash-sparks-tree-die-off-and-dials-up-bushfire-risk
  
• too-much-wind-and-solar-the-state-wide-blackout-and-the-dinner-party-that-changed-the-course-of-history
  
• australias-most-powerful-battery-finally-completed-and-acting-as-giant-shock-absorber-to-the-grid
  
• australian-households-installed-record-amount-of-rooftop-solar-and-home-batteries-in-first-half-of-2026
  
• productivity-has-been-weak-mining-and-construction-are-the-main-culprits-just-look-at-diesel-and-lng
  
• its-been-10-years-since-the-blackout-of-south-australia-could-it-happen-again
  
• the-future-of-farming-is-electric-but-outdated-rules-can-force-us-to-pay-market-rates-for-our-own-solar
  
• the-revolutionary-methane-detection-technology-that-probably-wont-fit-into-our-regulatory-box
  
• its-made-us-more-wasteful-solar-and-battery-homes-plug-in-to-a-new-age-of-abundant-energy
  
• origin-energy-drops-plan-for-massive-wind-project-in-new-england-citing-rising-costs
• still-in-the-dark-snowy-hydros-awkward-anniversary-marked-without-promised-review-of-snowy-2-costings
  
• Michael Vardon on unsustainable-or-manageable-we-dont-yet-know-how-data-centres-will-impact-australias-environment
• Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick et al on we-can-finally-measure-the-damage-each-new-coal-gas-or-oil-project-will-do-to-people-and-nature
• Phil Brewer on as-el-nino-strengthens-across-the-pacific-australian-farmers-could-face-fierce-frosts
• Liz Hicks on nsws-largest-coal-mine-project-is-set-to-expand-heres-what-authorities-got-wrong-about-the-trade-offs

Northern America

• John Quiggin on us-republicans-are-worse-than-any-far-right-european-party Thanks Nick
• Kruggers on booms-bombs-and-bonds-interest-rates-part1, i-approve-of-trumps-ad, the-beclowning-of-scott-bessent, one-more-reason-americans-hate-ai, a-globalist-comeback
• Elizabeth Bruening on maga-right-christianity-empathy-toxic, a-who-you-gonna-believe-election
• Julian Hill on trump-unable-to-stop-clean-energy-revolution-as-wind-and-solar-output-surges-and-coal-shrinks
• Menzie Chinn on guest-contribution-oligarchy-is-a-symptom-not-the-cause
• the conversable economist on i-would-like-the-value-of-my-home-to-rise-while-my-property-taxes-fall
• Ian Millhiser on supreme-court-missouri-gerrymander-lower-courts-are-crazy
• Shirin Ali on watch-republican-eric-schmitt-jack-smith-perjury-hawks
• noahpinion on stop-spending-money-on-smaller-classes
• Dahlia Lithwick on donald-trump-white-house-press-ban-fail
• Helen Lewis on maga-senate-hearing-eric-schmitt
• home and away on venue
• Jeet Heer on kimberly-guilfoyle-is-a-master-of-mafia-diplomacy, susan-collins-scandal-election
• Brad De Long on us-rooftop-solar-stalled-2026, 
• Tom Nicholls on pete-hegseth-state-of-force-address
• Harry Litman on the-gig-may-be-up-for-trump-and-blanche
• Sarah Fitzpatrick on kash-patel-fbi-trump-midterm-elections

Europe

• James Skinner and Danny Hill on stripped-titles-compensating-rivals-how-the-manchester-city-cheating-scandal-could-play-out
• Maksym Beznosiuk and Thom Reilly on ukraine-war-russia-occupation-construction
• David Galbreath on us-attempts-to-control-ukraines-attacks-on-russia-reflect-a-fundamental-strategic-disconnect
• mainly macro on populist-tendencies-on-uk-left-and-the-puzzle-that-never-was

Asia

• Ann Neuburger on new-chinese-way-of-cyberwar-ai Thanks Nick
• Jaideep Saikia on china-s-gwadar-gamble-isn-t-paying-off
• Vivian Salama on egypt-israel-gaza-hamas-palestinian-october-7
• Afeeya Akhand on south-korea-s-food-waste-model-and-its-limits
• Robin Wright on irans-bitterness-and-bewilderment-over-how-to-make-peace-with-trump
• Peter Beinart on robert-kraft-netanyahu-israel-supporters

Wonk

• institutional economics on the-simon-ehrlich-wager-over-125-years
• programmable mutter on machine-god-metaphors-eat-your-brain Thanks Nick
• Sam Roggeveen on trump-xi-summit-who-is-competing
• noahpinion on wheres-the-intelligence-explosion, roundup-89-it-isnt-x-its-y
• the conversable economist on s-shaped-utility-curves-poverty-and-risk-taking
• Neophytos Georgiou on are-autistic-people-more-vulnerable-to-extremist-content
• Svitlana Chernkyh et al on can-we-predict-genocide-by-listening-to-what-leaders-say-research-finds-common-threads
• Abhijnan Rej on claude-for-clausewitz
• Ved Shinde on speed-over-judgement-is-winning-the-ai-arms-race
• Nicholas Gruen on accountability-from-above-and-below
• Chris Dillow on who-wants-free-markets
• Mark the Graph on the-fragile-equilibrium
• Stephen Leib and Guido Junior on with-a-tragedy-averted-the-flydubai-incident-has-put-cockpit-security-under-new-scrutiny

General

• Brad De Long on an-lushan-industrial-revolution-china-great-divergence
• Luke Steller et al on how-sugar-from-outer-space-became-one-of-the-backbones-of-life-on-earth

Climate

• ocean acidification on thermal-history-and-behavioural-plasticity-shape-reef-fish-tolerance-to-marine-heatwaves, the-future-of-aquatic-food-systems-climate-change-adaptation-and-resilience-strategies-a-narrative-review
• Tina Soliman-Hunter on floating-power-plants-could-offer-coastal-communities-a-reliable-energy-source-heres-how
• Graham Readfearn on antarctic-winter-sea-ice-falls-to-third-lowest-level-on-record-as-scientists-warn-of-now-problem
• Matt King and Nancy Gertier on tragedy-stopped-mawson-exploring-this-remote-antarctic-region-we-must-get-there-to-study-its-melting-ice
• Ligin Joseph on how-can-the-same-el-nino-cause-drought-in-one-part-of-the-world-and-floods-in-another
• skeptical science on impacts-record-shattering-el-nino , new_research
• renew economy on nuclear-powers-quarter-century-of-stagnation-has-no-end-in-sight-and-has-been-overtaken-by-solar-pv
• open mind on they-know-not-what-they-do

Andrew Gelman ( mostly stats)

• as-a-society-we-are-pretty-good-at-transferring-money-to-political-pundits-but-were-not-very-good-at-nurturing-the-human-capital-they-would-need-to-correct-their-own-mistakes
  
• corruption-of-government-facilitated-by-enablers-in-intellectual-society
  
• survey-of-academic-bureaucracy
  
• a-nonlinear-effect-plus-measurement-error-in-x-becomes-close-to-linear-a-simulation-study
  
• ai-chooses-nuclear-option-in-95-of-war-simulations 
  
• survey-statistics-anova-follow-up
  
• prior-distributions-partial-pooling-and-reference-sets-bayesians-are-frequentists
  
• bell-bottom-jeans-disco-gas-shortages-and-esp
  
• when-are-causal-inference-methods-needed-to-answer-causal-questions
  
• nicholas-goddamn-roerich
  
• Tim Harford on random-is-as-random-does
• Kaiser Fung on mirror-images , a-or-b-but-not-both
• freakometrics on governing fairness in insurance pricing

Dianne Coyle (quirky + book reviews)

• Lisa Herzog on how-to-run-the-ivory-tower
• Tyler Cowen on shade
• Stoat on book-review-chimpanzee-rights

Vox Wonk

• measuring-what-work-generative-ai-does-survey-evidence-versus-chat-logs 
  
• quantifying-financial-repression-through-lens-portfolio-choice-century-evidence 
  
• smokestack-illusion-who-really-pays-net-zero
  
• cost-not-innovating-frontier-ai-models-cyber-defence-and-eu-strategic-autonomy 
  
• capital-inflows-boost-output-even-after-accounting-expectations 
  
• geopolitical-risk-reshaping-global-finance-one-bank-loan-time 
  
• lifting-curtain-eus-debt 
  
• better-work-not-always-better-workers 
  
• beyond-flows-how-natural-gas-supply-risk-fuels-inflation 
  
• when-wall-street-drifts-main-street-consumption-anchor-stock-prices 
  
• changing-structure-and-challenges-international-financial-system-imbalances
  
• training-novices-think-age-large-language-models 
  
• global-imbalances-and-china-challenge
  
• navigating-geoeconomic-risk-us-stock-market
  

fiscal policy here

 Can somebody help me here.

ECON101 tells you Spending and TAXATION are important to fiscal policy. It is allied to the Structural Deficit ( or cyclical adjusted budget deficit). It is the change in the structural deficit that influences economic activity.

Why are people all talking about spending and ignoring taxation. When you do you find both the overall and the structural deficit are less than 1% and falling albeit slowly ( too slowly).

Now compare that to the USA where both are over 5%. Why is not inflation ( and therefore interest rates) going through the roof there?

One reason could be that our speed limit is smaller however it would only explain it a little.

Now I am not saying fiscal policy is right. At worst the budget should be balanced. What I am saying is that it appears everyone appears to have forgotten about taxation. If they did then the spending probleem is plainly exagerated.

The socceroos are improving but there is still work to be done

 Australia played Brazil in two friendlies and overall we went pretty well.

The first match was played on a very poor pitch at Townsville and we should have won. The second was played on a good pitch in Brisbane.

What did we learn?

Beach is a very good keeper in the australian tradition.

Our central three are very good. With Bos still injured we lack a decent left back. Our right back simply lacks class and gives away too many free-kicks, a sure sign he is playing above his ability. The replacements are average.

Our midfield lacks creativity. Why Poppa doesn't pick Robertson is beyond me. Metcalf has a great shot on him but is poor at corners. Okan was unimpressive but I would be willing to give him a go. McGree look good but had too little time.

Irankunda is a breath of fresh air and is a great dead ball specialist but he does give away silly free-kicks   ( and penalties.) I am not convinced of Yengi and hope Toure is fit for the Asian cup. It is significant that when Irankunda leaves the field we lose most of our attack. He also has no-one to pass him the ball into space. Volpato absence was felt.

Still given all of this we should make the final of the Asian cup particularly if our injured players come back and might even win it.

If we do not get to the final then we have failed!!

Interest rates

 I am not writing about interest rates tomorrow but my beloved socceroos games agin Brazil.

The RBA will raise interest rates today by 25 points. It has too because it has, like many of us, underestimated the inflationary pressures in the economy.

Now I do believe the budget should at least be in balance however it is only 1% of GDP. People who keep on talking about spending ignore taxation. They also ignore the structural deficit is falling not rising.

If this was the key to inflation rising then the USA should have massive inflation given their deficit is over 5% and their structural deficit is much larger and rising!

I suspect the economy will slow and thus inflation will drop next year at worst.

I still believe it needed 'Bernie Fraser' to replace Phillip Lowe. The RBA got it badly wrong on how to combat covid yet Chalmers did not introduce any new 'thinking'

A couple of things

 Donald Trump

I cannot believe what i am reading. Trump was a convicted criminal when he was elected President. He was found guilty of fraud, the company he heads was found guilty of fraud, he was found guilty of sexual assault and he 'changed' his book keeping so people could not find out he paid a porn actress. In other words both Judges and juries found trump to be a liar.

and some people are shocked that he has a lawless administration.

Oh and 2024 was the only time Trump was a winner in overall terms and has never shown he actually has the political touch either.

Polls in america

There is some very wierd polling going on. Will texas get a democrat governor. some polls say yes others say not a chance. Plus there are states like Kansas, Florida, South Carolina that appear close. It is fantastic for political junkies like me.

Interest rates.

I do hope someone who believes government spending is causing inflation ( and conveniently forget about taxation) tell us why the USA do not have way higher interest rates given that Our deficit is around 1% of GDP and theirs is over 5%!

AI

I have yet to see why and how AI will drive much higher productivity rates. The other thing AI subverted a number of sites right around the world. Imagine the damage that could be done by bad actors.

and why isn't anyone talking about how AI companies are helping push up interest rates and how data centres are pushing up inflation?

Around the Traps 25/9/26

 It is time for Around the Traps again.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy

• Stephen Long on bill-kelty-one-nations-giant-tax-avoidance-scheme Thanks Nick
• Mark the Graph on thirty-years-of-australian-monetary-policy-in-six-charts, the-era-of-cheap-money-is-over
• Peter McDonald on the-governments-migration-policy-prioritises-knee-jerk-politics-over-careful-planning
• Don Gunasekeara on will-el-nino-send-food-prices-soaring-this-summer
• Alicia Herrero on the-trade-climate-has-already-changed-canberra-is-still-adjusting-too-slowly
• Alan Gamlan on canada-is-managing-migration-without-taking-a-sledgehammer-approach-heres-how-australia-can-too
• Stephen Bartos and John Hawkins on australia-in-the-2060s-an-optimistic-outlook-dominates-budget-forecasts-in-the-intergenerational-report 
• Vincent Hurley on australia-is-responding-to-domestic-violence-after-the-event-not-preventing-it-from-happening
• Nick Garvin and Elyse Dwyer on will-investors-be-better-or-worse-off-under-new-housing-tax-changes-see-what-18-years-of-data-reveals
• Greg Jericho on single-couple-or-family-not-all-australian-middle-income-earners-are-equal
• Inga Lass on many-australians-are-overqualified-for-their-jobs-which-comes-at-a-price-new-data-shows
• Michelle Grattan on danielle-woods-blunt-message-to-politicians-dont-undermine-public-trust-by-attacking-institutions
• James Curran on the-trouble-with-albanese-calling-china-a-hegemon
• Meena Jha on what-does-the-openai-medicare-hack-reveal-about-australias-cyber-security

OZ Climate

• renewables-hit-more-than-80-pct-of-grid-demand-for-first-time-despite-heavy-throttling-of-wind-and-solar
  
• we-dont-simply-see-turbines-graziers-say-hosting-wind-farms-eases-pressure-on-land-and-helps-prepare-for-drought
  
• explainer-who-will-set-australias-rules-for-home-energy-devices-such-as-solar-plug-in-batteries-and-evs
  
• nsw-takes-lead-on-mandatory-solar-panel-recycling-as-ministers-call-for-urgent-action-on-rising-tide-of-waste 
  
• like-spinning-42-plates-in-the-air-at-the-same-time-how-this-impossible-project-broke-australias-wind-drought
  
• huge-landowner-led-wind-project-seeks-green-tick-despite-looming-threat-to-transmission-link
  
• hold-the-front-page-cost-of-clean-energy-transition-just-shrank-by-100-billion 
  
• a-turning-point-for-grid-forming-inverters-in-australias-grid-transition-plan
  
• why-australias-energy-transition-needs-quantum-in-the-mix
  
• coalitions-pursuit-of-agent-orange-climate-policies-will-deliver-an-investment-apocalypse-soon-enough
  
• Adam Morton on the-coalition-says-it-wants-cheaper-power-not-ideology-but-its-evidence-free-plan-is-ideology

Northern America

• institutional economics on geoeconomics-and-the-end-of-the-american-age
• Ephrat Lini on kenneth-feinberg-sept-11-compensation Thanks Nick
• Andrew Gelman on living-on-the-edge-aggressive-mediocrity-at-the-summit-of-americas-intellectual-culture Thanks Nick
• Kruggers on economic-size-and-economic-power, why-does-everyone-hate-trumps-tariffs, of-donald-and-diesel, will-crypto-crash-the-blue-wave, its-underwear-on-the-outside-time, donald-the-deadbeat-does-diesel
• Lisa Rubin on if-trump-and-others-violate-a-courts-order-on-the-kennedy-center-would-there-be-any-real-consequences 
• noahpinion on how-we-can-beat-china
• Brad De Long on warsh-triangulating-not-confused, real-price-diesel-oil-shocks-republican-wars
• Zack Beauchamp on settler-terrorism-west-bank-mike-huckabee 
• Tom Nicholls on trumps-arch-arsenal
• the conversable economist on us-manufacturing-jobs-the-long-transition , a-us-federal-budget-chartbook
• Harry Litman on the-doj-between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place
• Fred Kaplan on trump-iran-united-nations-speech
• Paul Waldman on susan-collins-fbi-investigation-trump
• Mathew Ricketson on trump-has-banned-more-media-and-started-his-own-tv-channel-in-the-process-he-risks-further-eroding-american-democracy
• Jeet Heer on pete-hegseth-impeachment-massie-gop
• Jonathan Lemire on trump-xi-china-summit

Europe

• Alasdair McCallum and Pete Lentini on russias-parliamentary-elections-will-not-be-a-referendum-on-the-ukraine-war-or-anything-really
• Thomas Wright on europe-afd-far-right
• Tyler Cowen on uk-productivity-higher-than-we-had-thought
• Shannon Brincat and Juan Caceres on trump-declares-victory-in-greenland-but-the-deal-exposes-a-deeper-crisis-of-trust
• Mark Pierce on pyrrhus-petraeus-putin-and-the-perils-of-ending-a-war
• mainly macro on how-should-government-meet-its-golden-rule-when-debt-interest-increases
• Amy McCauliffe on russia-ukraine-war-is-accelerating-the-dangerous-race-toward-fully-autonomous-drones

Asia

• Andrew Orchard on child-nisa-japan-s-attempt-to-redirect-asia-s-generational-wealth
• Graeme Wood on israel-secular-religious-divide
• Rodger Shanahan on israel-may-soon-learn-occupation-and-devastation-are-no-guarantee-of-security
• Richard Brody on naza-puts-israel-face-to-face-with-the-war-in-gaza

Wonk

• Melanie Mitchell on misleading-metaphors-and-real-risks Thanks Nick
• Raymond Geuess on the-carapace-cracks Thanks Nick
• Mark the Graph on energy-update
• Tim Harford on why-the-story-of-the-vegetable-lamb-was-believed
• Brad De Long on crosspost-nick-gruen-hobbes-spin-bullshit-public-reason, needed-better-metaphors-for-ai-than-machine-god
• Stan Karanasios on calls-for-global-regulation-of-ai-are-growing-what-exactly-could-it-look-like 
• Toby Walsh on how-would-ai-actually-kill-all-humans-here-are-the-top-5-scenarios
• Lurion De Mello on as-renewed-chaos-grips-the-oil-market-one-country-is-keeping-global-prices-down-by-reducing-demand
• Daniel Flitton on p4m-a-new-club-for-middle-powers-and-the-same-old-habits
• Dimples Lyong on hostile-influence-peddling-slopaganda-style
• noahpinion on the-problems-with-utilitarianism
• Erika Feller on the-un-is-facing-a-crisis-of-trust-and-possible-bankruptcy-its-new-leader-will-have-an-enormous-challenge
• Chris Bertram on into-the-darkness
• Nic Bisley on the-other-summit-season-brics-and-the-sco-have-spotted-a-gap
• slow boring on the-ai-apocalypse-canon-and-why-it-matters

General

• David O'Hara on libraries Thanks Nick
• get down and shruti on psalm-happy-birthday-coltrane Thanks Tyler

Climate

• moyhu on august-global-surface-templs-up-0136-from-july
• the conversable economist on energy-and-carbon-emissions-some-global-ground-truths
• ocean acidification on ocean-acidification-drives-grazer-niche-convergence-and-trophic-homogenization-in-benthic-communities
• skeptical science on rapid-himalaya-warming-geohazard-cascades
• David Cappell on arctic-sea-ice-extent-only-10th-lowest
• Luwei Yang and Callum Shakespeare on earths-tides-are-shaped-by-more-than-the-moon-and-theyre-changing-as-the-planet-warms
• Hannah Kessenich et al on septembers-ozone-hole-was-the-biggest-in-20-years-the-warning-signs-appeared-months-ago

Andrew Gelman (mainly stats )

• meritocracy-to-morrow-and-meritocracy-yesterday-but-never-meritocracy-to-day 
  
• the-immigration-and-nationality-act-of-1952
  
• how-did-it-go-this-prediction-from-ten-years-ago-about-chinese-fertility-in-2026
  
• do-high-school-students-have-to-work-harder-nowadays 
  
• phonics-is-a-fad-but-its-also-good-so-we-should-do-it-anyway-even-though-it-will-probably-disappoint-people
  
• survey-statistics-fat-bear-week-2026
  
• heres-a-causal-inference-problem-where-did-the-estimate-of-64-million-come-from-in-blake-lively-says-she-suffered-64-million-financial-fallout-from-justin-baldoni-conflict 
  
• junk-polls-and-junk-survey-research-they-go-together-so-well
  
• they were trying to convince everybody to have 3 kids
• Kaiser Fung on when-statistical-models-fail, whats-an-ad

Dianne Coyle ( quirky + book reviews)

• Richard Parry on keeping-up-with-the-kims Thanks Nick
• Ved Shinde on reading-abbott-s-australia-from-abroad
• Tyler Cowen on what-ive-been-reading

vox wonk

• new-jobs-140-years-data-why-ai-displacement-fear-overstated-and-what-worry-about 
  
• why-we-spend-so-much-time-meetings 
  
• beyond-trade-diversion-how-us-china-trade-war-reshaped-global-production 
  
• anatomy-rise-monetary-policy-and-post-covid-surge-long-term-interest-rates 
  
• building-resilience-global-financial-shocks-emerging-markets 
  
• productive-firms-can-better-spot-and-deploy-their-internal-talent 
  
• energy-transition-progress-and-challenges 
  
• how-data-centres-affect-electricity-prices-and-for-whom 
  
• quality-capital-allocation-europe
  

A couple of simple things to get rid of the deficit

 Our budget deficit is around 1% of GDP. (The US is over 5%!!)

Here are three policy action that could reduce that substantially but of course are politically difficult.

1. Get rid of the ridiculous subsidy to WA via the GST
2. impose a means test on all government programs
3. Take the NDIS back to its roots. Only those with physical disabilities get help.

Scott Morrison is responsible for the GST rot to WA. It is nothing short of a disgrace the richest State gets more money. Saul Eslake says this was the worst policy mistake of the 21st century. I agree. WA voters would not like it however

In some ways Albo has imitated John Howard. Howard brought in middle class welfare bigtime when the resources boom was taking off. Able has simply copied him without the boom. Our family should not have been subsidised in getting solar panels nor a battery.Taking away benefits always hurts the incumbent government.

We simply do not have the money to help everyone getting help via the NDIS. Only allowing those with physical disabilities would significantly reduce it cists, Again taking away benefits would entail political pain.

These are but three options but you can see the political problems involved. I am doubtful any party can do it and a revenue boost is our only hope.

Just what are Russia and China advising Iran

 Let's face it the US is stuck in its war against Iran.

Let us ignore for the moment most of the reasons for this but examine one important issue.

It is in Russia's interest for Iran to continue its battle with the USA. Hesgeth has no idea of drone warfare and thus the US is using very expensive missiles against drones. He would know what to do if he talked with Kiev!

China too would like this war to continue. With the US preoccupied with Iran and wasting ammunition and weapons there Taiwan looks very vulnerable.

Of course if the mid-terms goes badly for Trump then this is another bonus.

Thus do not expect lower petrol prices for some time.

A Blue wave is coming

 Time for me to put my gonads on the line.

I believe a blue wave is coming for a number of reasons.

Inflation is a large problem. the punters believed trump when he said he would cause a drop in prices. Instead prices rose. Initially from tariffs and then exacerbated by the war with Iran. This has also caused people to finally see Trump as the liar he is. He says prices are dropping and people know they are not.

The war in Iran is dreadfully unpopular principally because the reasons for the war were never enunciated and have led to a steep rise in petrol prices.

The increase in tariffs has lead to an increase in costs and local substitutes for imports are more expensive. It gets worse as a lot of capital equipment is hit by tariffs.

The Trumps have made a lot of money since Trump won the presidency. A lot of this has come about because of the Supreme courts decision on Presidential immunity. 

You also have a lot of billionaires involved directly or indirectly in this administration. This further highlights how distan Trump is from the ordinary voter.

Allied to this Trump is increasingly seen as out of touch. He is increasingly showing his age and his cognitive decline.

Voters also give Trump more power than they wanted originally and then change bigtime in the mid-terms to ensure there are some guardrails.This is exacerbated by Trump's blatant authoritarian instincts in his second term.

So there you have it. I would not be surprised if some states change which no-one expected.

A good time was had by all

 Last Friday was my 70th birthday ( so I am younger than john quiggin) and my wife decided we ( the family) should celebrate it at the Hunter Valley. we rented an airB&B at cessnock and it was great. In friday we had fantastic steaks from blayney and drunk it down with a 2008 toer shiraz and another wine I cannot remember from 2019.

I am thinking I really do not want to celebrate 80!

Briar ridge is the winery to visit if you go to the Hunter Valley

Around the Traps 18/9/2026 70th Birthday Edition

 It is time again for Around the Traps.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy

• Peter Martin on early-access-to-super Thanks Nick
• James Button on the-way-we-word  Thanks Nick
• Carol Johnson on yes-its-the-economy-stupid-but-one-nation-is-outflanking-the-government-on-messaging-too
• Marian Sawer on the-coalition-wants-to-make-flag-burning-a-crime-its-a-revival-of-a-decades-old-battle
• Johanna Lim on data-centres-have-existed-for-decades-so-why-are-they-so-controversial-now
• Mark the Graph on seeing-australian-r-star-through-different-windows
• Thomas Corben and Esther Soulard on five-years-into-aukus-what-do-we-have-to-show-for-it-weve-measured-progress-on-three-key-metrics
• Michael Varden on unsustainable-or-manageable-we-dont-yet-know-how-data-centres-will-impact-australias-environment
• Ross Gittins on feeling-the-pinch-blame-the-pay-rise-you-didn-t-get
• Ly Tran on how-would-one-nations-immigration-plan-affect-the-labour-market-and-economy
• Josh Sunman on hansons-personal-attacks-and-offensive-comments-are-straight-out-of-the-populist-playbook-but-they-come-with-risks

OZ climate

• nationals-leader-asks-lnp-planning-minister-to-call-in-already-approved-wind-project-in-his-own-electorate 
  
• australias-most-powerful-battery-flexes-muscles-with-second-shock-absorber-test-and-biggest-every-charge
  
• six-steps-to-stop-the-data-centre-boom-from-sending-power-prices-through-the-roof
  
• the-financing-market-for-wind-and-solar-projects-is-nearly-dead-heres-how-to-turn-the-corner
  
• the-case-for-plug-in-solar-and-batteries-has-never-been-clearers-nd-renters-deserve-it
  
• Bill Hare on australia-must-double-down-to-meet-our-climate-targets-our-new-study-shows-how

Northern America

• institutional economics on a-users-guide-to-betting-against-scott-bessent
• Daniel Munoz on our-job-is-to-lie-cheat-and-steal-and-your-job-is-to-do-the-show Thanks Nick
• Dave Moulton on how-leftists-became-big-pharma-s-shock-troops Thanks Nick 
• Kruggers on henry-farrell-and-abe-newman-on-weaponized-interdependence, the-maga-plots-to-destroy-humanity, why-is-trump-still-boosting-ai, fear-strikes-out
• Andrew Prokop on ai-freakout-mainstream-openai-anthropic-humans
• noahpinion on get-the-middle-east-out-of-my-politics, the-anti-american-right
• angry bear on interactions-between-presidents-and-the-fed-what-happens 
• John Quiggin on the-us-is-not-a-serious-country 
• Anne Applebaum on maga-foreign-policy
• Dexter Filkins on jared-kushners-dollar-diplomacy
• Paul Rasmussen and Annette Kwan on who-checks-president-not-military
• Brad De Long on hyperscaler-debt-default-risk, hyperscaler-debt-default-risk-is-the-real-thing
• one first on what-we-learned-from-usps-v-california thanks Brad
• Ian Millhiser on supreme-court-trump-mail-ballots-usps-california 
• Richard Hasen on trump-supreme-court-2026-alito-despicable-dissent
• Tyler Cowen on callum-williams-on-cybersecurity-prices
• Menzie Chinn on cbo-on-iran-war-costs
• Stewart Prest on thanks-trump-why-canada-may-become-the-european-unions-first-ever-associate-member
• Caitlin Dewey on ed-sheeran-macklemore-israel-gaza-controversy 
• Tom Bartlett on measles-deaths-pennsylvania-outbreak-kennedy
• Fintan O'Toole on devils-in-america-roy-cohn-bird-goldmark
• Liz Dye on supreme-court-mail-voting-ruling
• home and away on 9/11-at-25

Europe

• Tim Harford on nudge-or-tax-at-last-some-data
• Tyler Cowen on uk-fact-of-the-day
• Deniz Torcu on how-germanys-far-right-afd-is-courting-the-voters-it-promises-to-deport
• Alexey Muraviev on why-strengthening-ties-with-the-global-south-was-a-top-priority-for-putins-recent-diplomacy-blitz
• Lisa Martin on putin-sweats-on-russia-s-parliamentary-vote-as-ukraine-invasion-drags-on
• mainly macro on racism-and-xenophobia-are-not-'legitimate-concerns'

Asia

• Shruti Pandalai on what-the-west-should-make-of-xi-s-return-to-delhi-for-the-brics
• Menzie Chinn on guest-contribution-do-traditional-models-or-the-dominant-currency-paradigm-explain-chinas-export-behavior 
• Adam Simpson on myanmar-s-junta-finds-a-second-patron-in-moscow
• Gabriela Bernal on seoul-s-defence-pivot-to-europe
• Jessica Genauer on the-houthis-have-further-tightened-their-grip-on-the-red-sea-heres-what-it-could-mean-for-the-world
• Jeet Heer on netanyahu-haaretz-report-october-7

Wonk

• Claire Collier on we-already-know-what-a-world-without-work-looks-like Thanks Nick
• Lydia Khalil on 9-11-s-shrinking-shadow
• Kruggers on trade-peace-and-war
• Andrew Cullen on big-ai-wants-to-slow-down-ai-research-is-it-a-safety-pause-or-a-strategic-retreat
• Aarti Betigeri on brics-grits-its-teeth-through-a-new-delhi-breakthrough
• Alex Tabarrok on ai-redistribution-and-the-size-of-the-pie
• Dov Waxman on what-is-zionism-the-different-meanings-of-a-contested-term
• Cassandra Steer on the-us-says-it-has-launched-space-control-weapons-it-plays-into-the-hands-of-its-enemies
• Chris Dillow on marx-on-ai

General

• Terez Rose on ten-odd-facts-handel-messiah Thanks Nick
• Olaf Meynecke on weeping-whales-why-one-humpback-whale-mother-stayed-beside-her-dead-newborn

Climate

• ocean acidification on long-term-monitoring-of-coral-reef-fish-populations-under-increasing-ocean-temperature-and-acidification-stress
• Soutik Biswas on the himalayas are melting faster and the indian economy is at risk
• Kathiana Luk et al on climate-change-is-putting-the-squeeze-on-the-worlds-grapegrowers-new-research
• 
  

Andrew Gelman ( mostly stats)

• did-2012-mark-the-discovery-of-the-final-laws-of-nature-a-discontinuity-in-human-intellectual-history-the-sharpest-that-has-occurred-since-the-beginning-of-modern-science-in-the-17th-century 
  
• whats-happening-with-the-models-of-the-atlantic-meridional-overturning-circulation
  
• this-is-modern-frequentist-statistics-using-fake-data-simulation-to-understand 
  
• protection-from-inappropriate-influence-is-a-hallmark-of-scientific-integrity-not-any-more
  
• survey-statistics-anova
  
• charting-the-agentic-garden-of-forking-paths
  
• its-satisfying-to-see-the-economics-profession-come-around-on-some-things-regression-discontinuity-analysis-and-so-called-risk-aversion
  
• Kaiser Fung on cosmetic-surgery

Dianne Coyle ( quirky + book reviews)

• Isaac Chotiner on anti-zionism-benjamin-moser-book-review
• Dennis Muller on bluster-and-betrayal-paul-barry-probes-how-steel-tycoon-sanjeev-gupta-hoodwinked-the-powerful
• 
  

vox wonk

• spilling-secrets-and-shrinking-chains-how-weak-laws-narrow-supply-networks 
  
• view-killing-productivity-allocative-cost-war-ukraine 
  
• price-elasticity-us-shale-oil-supply-insights-natural-experiment 
  
• some-questions-bank-england-review-should-ask 
  
• mission-possible-making-teenagers-read-newspapers 
  
• inside-automotive-supply-chain-empirical-evidence-italian-business-business-trade 
  
• workers-age-and-ai-adoption