A reader called my attention to a new quarterly online magazine called Sapir. It’s edited by the NYT writer Bret Stephens, it’s free, and it has a number of intriguing articles (check out this interview with Daniel Diermeier, our former provost and now chancellor of Vanderbilt University). It also offers a free one-year hard-copy subscription […]
Hundreds of millions of Americans risk experiencing power shortages this winter if weather conditions are harsh, according to a new report published by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a power grid watchdog.
Bob Edlin writes – Associate Justice Minister David Seymour “refused” Morning Report’s invitation to be interviewed on RNZ’s Morning Report, the day after the Treaty Principles Bill he is promoting had passed its first reading in Parliament after “a fiery debate and vote”. No matter. There were plenty of other people all too eager to […]
America is super excited about the new Department of Government Efficiency that is being set up, headed by Elon Musk and Vivak Ramaswamy. We all know Musk – his achievement was launching a space program at about 1% the cost of NASA’s space program. What had gone wrong at NASA? It had turned into a…
Reason reports: It was dinnertime on October 30, 2024, when police handcuffed Brittany Patterson in front of three of her four children and drove her to the station in Fannin County, Georgia. She was then fingerprinted, photographed, and dressed in an orange jumpsuit. Her crime? Hours earlier, around noon, Patterson had driven her eldest son […]
I keep thinking that Pamela Paul, who is consistently heterodox by criticizing the “progressive” left, will be given the boot as a regular NYT op-ed columnist. But I’m happy to see that she’s still in there swinging, this time criticizing the progressive (do I need to keep calling it that?) brand of transgender activism in […]
I was surprised, indeed astounded, when I discovered that some of my New Zealand friends were enthusiastic about Donald Trump’s winning the US presidency. How could they be supportive of such a man becoming the chief executive of the most powerful country in the world? How could John Key support such a man for President?…
A picture paints a thousand words and the photograph above is a snapshot of the most disgraceful reading of a Bill I can recall in New Zealand’s history. The Treaty Principles Bill is not the first controversial and polarising Bill to have been introduced to New Zealand’s Parliament. We have debated abortion, same-sex marriage, and…
Peter Dunne writes – Last week the government announced plans to build two new tunnels in central Wellington to ease traffic congestion. One will be a second tunnel through Mount Victoria to improve the flow of traffic to the eastern suburbs and Wellington International Airport. The other will be alongside the existing Terrace tunnel to […]
(The scene around the U.S. Marine Corps base near Beirut, Lebanon, following a massive bomb blast that destroyed the base on Oct. 23, 1983) On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unspeakable terrorist attack on Israel killing over 1200 men, women, and children, and seizing over 200 hostages. The Israeli response was a brutal attack […]
Four principles will likely guide the Trump Administration’s actions on the auto industry in the next several months: (a) tariffs to protect domestic auto industry jobs, (b) fighting against mandates that tilt the playing field toward an EV technology that is both widely unpopular especially for load-carrying vehicles, (c) lowering the overall cost of owning reliable transportation for American consumers, and (d) consumer choice, not government mandates, must drive the auto and truck marketplace.
In September I looked at the proportion of Marsden Fund grants that go towards actual science over time. The summary was: 200820172023Science88%80%72%Humanities8%11%13%Maori3%5%8%Identity1%2%5%Political0%3%2% We now have 2024 grants, and the big winner is of course anything to do with Maori. 2008201720232024Science88%80%72%73%Humanities8%11%13%7%Maori3%5%8%17%Identity1%2%5%3%Political0%3%2%1% Some examples include: We all aspire for a future that is fair, just and sustainable.…
Prominent leftwing commentator Matt Yglesias posted a nine point vision for how the Democrats can return to “common sense”. They resonate with many and are below. None of these are radical. I thought it would be interesting to assess NZ Labour and Greens against the nine points.
Oliver Hartwich writes – In his victory speech, Donald Trump promised Americans a new “golden age”. While he had the numbers to win the election, the economic realities he faces will make delivering on his promise challenging. Trump’s victory reflects many Americans’ frustrations with living standards and inflation during the Biden-Harris administration. Vice President Kamala […]
Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
In Hume’s spirit, I will attempt to serve as an ambassador from my world of economics, and help in “finding topics of conversation fit for the entertainment of rational creatures.”
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