Reading

Created
Thu, 14/08/2025 - 11:30
There is substantial evidence that the degree of competition in the Australian economy has declined over the decade or so leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has the potential to weigh on productivity, and in turn incomes, and so the welfare of the Australian people. In this paper we calibrate the general equilibrium model from Edmond, Midrigan and Xu (2023) to Australian microdata to answer the following question: If the degree of competition in the Australian economy had not declined from mid-2000s levels, how much higher would aggregate productivity and GDP be due to resources being better allocated across firms throughout the economy? The answer, according to this model, is 1–3 per cent. The model also suggests even larger economic costs once we account for other channels through which rising mark-ups affect the economy, though these are less precisely estimated.
Created
Thu, 14/08/2025 - 04:05
The conflicting attitude towards Nietzsche is instructive. It indicates that the Dialectic of Enlightenment owes more to Nietzsche than just the strategy of a totalizing critique. It is still difficult to understand a certain carelessness in their treatment of, to put it quite blatantly, the achievements of Western rationalism. How can the two advocates of […]
Created
Thu, 14/08/2025 - 03:00

The rumors are true: I’m overjoyed and not at all ashamed to share that I’ll be joining the HBO Max Harry Potter family as Stickles the Gender-Policing Elf, a character created exclusively for this series to, in author J. K. Rowling’s words, “address the crumbling morals of a world I haven’t really interacted with since 1997.”

Of course, it’s a lifetime dream to be part of the Wizarding World. I loved the books as a child, and I’d say their message of friendship, courage, and imagination is more relevant than ever—please treat this as my official stance and disregard any contradictory statements I’ve made on social media, at least until my accounts are deleted.

From the start of the audition process, I had a good feeling about Stickles, described as “a mischievous, unpredictable creature who brings levity and chaos to the Hogwarts grounds while reminding students there are forms of self-expression so indulgent and dangerous, they make Avada Kedavra look like a nursery rhyme.” Also, he wears a jingly hat.

Created
Wed, 13/08/2025 - 23:00

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I’m flanked by them in most pictures. Perched atop a yellow parking curb in swimsuits and sneakers, we squint and smile for the camera, a mix of frizzy curls and stray hairs haloing our faces. It’s Memorial Day weekend 1986, and we’re minutes away from learning that Hands Across America will not solve the problem of hunger. But in this shot, we’re full of hope and sisterly adventure, and my diaper, bulging beneath my swimsuit, is, well, full.

In a photo from the previous year, the three of us pose in leotards, showing off our splits atop a gymnastics mat that’s covering shag carpet. Only Sienna, the middle sister, is a gymnast, but I’ll give it a try soon, and promptly quit. She can keep the hand chalk and stubborn wedgies. But I know exactly why I’m smiling in this picture. I can feel it blooming now in my chest, at forty-two: Safe. Complete. We’re all doing the same thing together.