John Quiggin

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John Quiggin

@johnquiggin.bsky.social

Economist & blogger @ http://johnquiggin.com, http://crookedtimber.org. http://johnquiggin.substack.com/?utm http://mstdn.social/@johnquiggin
Trolls blocked on sight, snarks get one warning.
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Lost in the ongoing Trumpapalooza is the excellent news that a malaria vaccination developed at Oxford Univ. over the last 30 years and costing only £3 per shot is being unrolled in malaria-prone countries. If it fulfills its promise, this will make an enormous difference to so many lives.
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Negative findings in "University of Adelaide study" based on the opinions of anonymous "stakeholders", including police and business owners. Of course, none of the MSM news stories linked to the report, and there's nothing on the University of Adelaide news page. www.abc.net.au/news/...
Cashless debit card debate rages again after review highlights social harm following its removalwww.abc.net.au As the federal government resists calls to reintroduce the cashless debit card following concerns about alcohol abuse, gambling and child neglect, views on the ground remain mixed.
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This report is about vaccination, but main policy recommendation is more general "The federal government should overhaul the way general practice is funded, to provide more money to GPs in poorer areas with more disadvantaged patients. " grattan.edu.au/repor...
Patchy protection: How to boost GPs’ patient vaccination ratesgrattan.edu.au Some GPs have much lower vaccination rates among their adult patients than other GPs in the same area. The government should step in to boost the protection of vulnerable Australians.
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Trump has his successors lined up, and they don't include JD Vance. Craven subservience now doesn't mean his never-Trump past will be forgotten when the time comes to liquidate the double-dealers. www.newsweek.com/lis...
Full list of Trump family members serving as Florida delegateswww.newsweek.com Six of Florida's at-large delegates are Trump family members, including Barron, who is stepping onto the political stage
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Nothing new about claims that the latest advance in computing will lead to massive increases in electricity demand. Wrong then and wrong about generative AI Here's an example from 1999, with the same claim that we need to burn more carbon Dig more coal -- the PCs are coming www.forbes.com/forbe...
Dig more coal -- the PCs are comingwww.forbes.com Being digital was supposed to mean less demand for hard energy. It isn't turning out that way.
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Management consultants and university futures: Academic capitalism and the capture of UK public higher education www.tandfonline.com/...
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Given that lots of people still want to define as anti-semitic any criticism of Israeli governments that isn't applied to others doing the same thing, it would be handy if they would provide us with a list of such governments. I'll start. 1/2
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"Algorithm" used to mean a clearly defined set of steps which will give a definite answer to a well-posed problem. As @[email protected] points out, not so much any more. 1/2
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Data centres currently account for 1 to 2 per cent of global electricity consumption, and might increase to 3 per cent with AI by late 2020s. That's significant, but not massive. So why are so many people making such a big fuss about it. Let me count the reasons www.theverge.com/240... 1/3
How much electricity does AI consume?www.theverge.com How many watts and joules does it actually take to generate a single Balenciaga pope?
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Annoying NY TImes headline claims crucial role for AI in discovering copper. Lede refers to "A.I. driven technology". Then nothing, except a photo caption mention of an AI driven database, called Terrashed. www.nytimes.com/2024... 1/2
A.I. Helped to Find a Vast Source of the Copper That A.I. Needs to Thrivewww.nytimes.com The deposit, in Zambia, could make billions for Silicon Valley, provide minerals for the energy transition and help the United States in its rivalry with China.
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Achieving net zero with renewables or nuclear means rebuilding the hollowed-out public service after decades of cuts johnquigginblog.subs...
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I'm open to the idea of subsidising battery storage. But this front page ABC story is given over to one random person whinging that he should be subsidised. This style of journalism is standard in the US, but I hope it doesn't get established here. www.abc.net.au/news/...
Jon wants to capture his solar energy when he's not at home to use it. But it's easier said than donewww.abc.net.au Jon Coffey wants to install a battery system so he can store the solar power output when he's not at home — but he says he's "looking at nearly $20,000" to fund it.
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Why neither growth nor degrowth make sense as long-term objectives for Australia’s economy substack.com/home/po...
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It's going to be hard for Labor to find an "envoy against Islamophobia" who accepts the view of their "envoy against anti-semitism" that criticism of the Gaza atrocities is anti-semitic www.smh.com.au/polit...
‘Fighting tooth and nail’: Muslim leader vows to back Laborwww.smh.com.au The government has run into trouble trying to find an envoy for Islamophobia, someone it hoped to unveil this week.
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TIL that I'm a near-exact contemporary of author Christos Tsiolkas and had the identical encounter with Bergman, down to reactions to individual films like The Seventh Seal and Scenes from a Marriage. Spooky! The great teachings of Ingmar Bergman at the Scandinavian Film www.thesaturdaypaper...?
The great teachings of Ingmar Bergman at the Scandinavian Film Festival | The Saturday Paperwww.thesaturdaypaper.com.au Ingmar Bergman stands as one of the world’s greatest filmmakers whose profound impact on the art form – as well as the author – resonates today.
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The big lesson of both France and UK is that, to beat the far right, voters need to unite behind the candidate with the best chance of winning, and candidates with a weaker chance need to drop out. 1/2
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Be careful what you wish for. Did I trigger the curse that gave us Dutton's nuclear plan? johnquigginblog.subs...
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There's no point in having a NACC when lobbying is legal, massive and largely secret. NACC will catch some low-level public servants taking bribes, but that's about all. Another #Albanese dud. www.smh.com.au/polit...#Albanese dud. www.smh.com.au/polit...
Albanese’s $22.7 billion spendathon a lobbyist honeypotwww.smh.com.au The rise of a new class of lobbyists with close access to political leaders has heightened concerns about the power of the top players in Canberra.