Cricket and stuff

The First Test against the Kiwis ( I think it could a be beauty) starts today and it got me thinking.

This is the first cricket season for fourteen seasons I won't be coaching cricket. For the first time I can sleep in on Saturdays. I get to the game I am umpiring before the toss and can inspect the ground!

I do miss the coaching and seeing the enthusiasm of the boys. We finished on a high though. Unbeaten through out the season and winning a close final.

I won't miss little support from parents though. There is a lot of work to do in coaching a team.One embarrassing thing that occurred in recent times was that I had no -one to score when we were fielding.
I do think that technology has decreased our leisure time not increased it.

I do wonder about the future of cricket when parents do not have the time to watch their boys for a morning  at all during the season even in a final where their team are the favorites.

Star Trek. The best post for Trekkies

If you are a trekkie like me me then THIS is essential reading.

I don't agree with all of it but who cares!

Tax Reform

We had a PBO estimate yesterday into a MP reference to them about how much revenue a GST would gain if it was essentially the same as in New Zealand.

We have a few problems when discussing this.

If you raise and broaden the GST ( which I  have no problem with ) the following things need to be done:

• the poor have to be compensated
• The States have to get rid of taxes that inhibit economic activity. as the HENRY Review recommended.
• The States need more revenue to compensate for the funds the Federal government are no longer going to give them
• It needs to gain more revenue to the States over and above the last point so the Federal government can cut income taxes ( from monies they no longer have to give to the States)

Thus you have to raise one hellva lot of revenue to do all these things.

I do not have any problems with any of the above items but I do think it would be politically courageous.

I do agree with Noah Smith

TV Shows I am watching

Pretty bored today after an interesting cricket match on Saturday.

Some shows I am watching are the following:

New Tricks.
This show has successfully transformed itself from its beginnings. all the original characters have now departed however IMHO the series is as good as it has ever been.
Old codgers solving crimes with a very attractive boss is always enjoyable to watch.

Foyles War
This is possibly the best series to come out of the UK. the attention to detail in this series is superb. Michael Kitchen is fantastic as Deputy Superintendent Foyle.

Madame Secretary
A well written series about an absolute babe who becomes the Secretary of State. A former CIA operative who' boss is now President. Her husband a former jet pilot in the Iraq war is now teaching theology at University. Totally realistic 9 sarc) but  not quite the West wing

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

A member of the Aristocracy becomes a detective. not the greatest series but watchable.

Poirot

Could be the most enjoyable detective series ever. Perfect casting. Always enjoyable to watch even in the repeats.

Around the Traps 30/10/15

It is time for Around the Traps.

Aussie,Aussie,Aussie,Oy,Oy,Oy

• Croaking Cassandra on fallow-the-case-for-a-lower-ocr-is-compelling, who-speaks-for-the-35000-unnecessarily-out-of-work, treasury-on-investor-finance-restrictions
• Peter Martin on mortgage-rates-big-four-think-theyll-get-away-with-it
• Mark the Ballot on poll-update
• Andrew Elder on the-nostalgia-act
• Greg Jericho on how-much-does-australia-really-subsidise-overseas-films-and-is-it-worth-it , union-membership-figures-plunge-and-thats-the-good-news
• Kevin Bonham on poll-roundup-newspoll-smells-coffee
• The Kouk on we-re-almost-certainly-a-million-miles-away-from-a-house-price-collapse , lay-off-the-banks-they-re-entitled-to-hike-rates , why-australia-s-low-inflation-is-a-game-changer , rate-expectations-what-is-priced-into-the-interest-rate-futures-market
• Ross Gittins on to-be-great-turnbull-must-govern-for-the-other-side , we-need-more-agile-thinking-about-reform
• Michelle Grattan on amnesty-alleges-criminal-activity-in-border-force
• Amy Maguire on amnesty-accuses-australia-of-violating-international-law-but-any-prosecutions-are-unlikely
• Rodney Maddock on what-fair-superannuation-would-look-like
• Sam Roggeveen on Abbott-speech-Can-Europe-learn-from-Australias-people-smuggling-policy
• John Rice and Nigel Martin on the-aldification-of-woolworths-is-destroying-its-value
• David Karoly and Mitchell White on its-been-australias-hottest-ever-october-and-thats-no-coincidence
• Steve Georgakis on four-reasons-rugby-union-in-australia-is-struggling-despite-the-wallabies-success
• James Goldrick on Why-Australia-must-send-in-its-navy-and-assert-freedom-to-operate-in-the-South-China-Sea

Northern America

• Calculated Risk on comments-on-september-new-home-sales , real-prices-and-price-to-rent-ratio-in-August
• Barkley Rosser on libya-and-hillary-select-committee
• Timothy Taylor on how-tight-is-us-labor-market
• Simon Wren-Lewis on keynes-never-left-canada-and-intends-to-stay
• Kruggers on delusions-of-failure Mark Thoma gives us Kruggers on check-out-our-low-low-natural-rates
• Nick Rowe on one-awkward-question-about-stephen-polozs-speech
• Robert Waldmann on in-which-i-disagree-with-paul-krugman-and-brad-delong
• Nick Bunker on a-kink-in-the-phillips-curve  Thanks Brad
• Mark Thoma gives us Tim Duy on fed-watch-december-still-very-much-a-live-meeting
• Brad De Long on bernanke-memoir-monetary-policy-lessons

Europe

• Tony Yates on mark-carneys-intervention-on-the-eu-exit-decision
• Chris Dillow on osborne-the-katie-hopkins-chancellor , two-blairs-or-one, tax-credits-journalists-failure
• Simon Wren-Lewis on what-are-abc-to-do , the-accidental-tax-credit-cuts , is-sterling-overvalued
• Daniel Woker on Which-way-for-Erdogan-Much-at-stake-in-Turkeys-repeat-election
• Peter Oborne on we-dont-need-to-wait-for-chilcot-we-were-lied-to-heres-evidence

Asia

• Noah Smith on how-china-got-rich
• Tony Yates on krugman-on-japan
• Brendan Thomas-Noone on New-capabilities-for-PLA.
• Euan Graham on US-Launches-FoNOPS-in-the-South-China-Sea-Better-Late-than-Never
• Croaking Cassandra on chinas-fertility-rate-in-an-asian-perspective

Wonk

• Roger Farmer on demand-creates-its-own-supply
• Tony Yates on the-phillips-splatter
• Timothy Taylor on greater-inequality-of-returns-across-us , how-raising-top-tax-rate-wont-much-alter-inequality , the-trade-facilitation-agenda
• Chris Dillow on marxs-relevance-today , on-expressive-rationality
• Noah Smith on how-nations-can-avoid-the-financial-resource-curse
• Paul Romer on where-has-all-the-excludability-gone Thanks Mark
• Menzie Chinn on how-are-emerging-markets-responding-to-anticipated-us-tightening
• Tim Harford on the-real-benefits-of-migration
• Edward Lambert on neo-fisher-reflections
• Nick Rowe on old-keynesian-vs-new-keynesian-fiscal-policy
• Invisible hand waving on assumptions-milton-friedman-and-wise-trees Thanks Mark

General

• Bernard Stewart on not-everything-gives-you-cancer-but-eating-too-much-processed-meat-certainly-can
• Tess Hardy on franchising-all-care-and-no-responsibility
• Merlin Thomas on spring-has-sprung-how-changes-in-weather-affect-our-health
• Lord Keynes on the-consequences-of-postmodernism-truth

Climate

• and Then Theres Physics on i-know-what-i-know-if-you-know-what-i-mean, climate-change-is-real-and-important
• Kevin Drum on great-1998-chart-swindle-now-officially-over  Thanks Brad
• moyhu on hansens-1988-predictions-revisited
• Kathleen Maclay on study-finds-climate-change-will-reshape-global-economy  Thanks Brad
• Science of Doom on renewables-xiv-minimized-cost-of-99-9-renewable-study
• Critical angle on new-study-global-warming-will-hit-economies-and-equality-more-than-we-thought
• Steve from Brisbane on cod-dont-care-for-warmer-water

Andrew Gelman ( Mainly Stats)

• modern-physics-from-an-elementary-point-of-view
• super-topical-nba-post
• characterizing-the-spatial-structure-of-defensive-skill-in-professional-basketball
• the-original-hot-hand-preprint
• Mark Thoma on new-method-to-solve-significant-variables-prediction-conundrum
• Kaiser Fung on theranos-and-ethics

Genial Dave Giles ( Econometrics)

• No Hesitations on the-hac-emperor-has-no-clothes
• Marc Bellemare on fads and fashions in econometrics

Dianne Coyle ( Quirky + Book Reviews)

• thinking-learning-and-doing , finance-made-funny

Vox wonk

• enduring-structure-federal-reserve-system-it-time-redraw-map
• on-the-greatness-of-the-great-moderation
• entrepreneurship-conflict-and-growth-evidence-afghanistan
• contribution-wage-structure-early-retirement-behaviour
• selected-takeaways-ecb-s-sintra-forum-inflation-and-unemployment-europe

Stagflation is occurring!

The ABS released the CPI for the September quarter yesterday.
The underlying rate was a measly 0.3%. This is despite the $A falling quite a bit.


Stagflation is rising rapidly obviously

Red Meat and Cancer

Recently the World Health Organisation came out with a warning on red meat and cancer.

 Helpfully Bernard Stewart writing on the Conversation (a must read site) tells us what is important and what it means.
Greg Laden is also helpful