Green and full of terrors
If you want to get a health story into the papers it helps if it sounds controversial and it especially helps if it tells people they can eat food they want to eat: thus the frequency of stories about chocolate, wine, and beer. This week's version is a not-very-detailed…
AFL Predictions for Week 8
Team Ratings for Week 8 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
NRL Predictions for Round 8
Team Ratings for Round 8 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Super Rugby Predictions for Week 11
Team Ratings for Week 11 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Rugby Premiership Predictions for Round 14
Team Ratings for Round 14 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Top 14 Predictions for Round 22
Team Ratings for Round 22 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
United Rugby Championship Predictions for Week 16
Team Ratings for Week 16 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Top five wealthiest?
From the NZ$ Herald New Zealand ranks among world’s top five wealthiest countries per capita in rich list report. I don't think it really makes sense to call this a "rich list" report, but New Zealand does indeed rank "among" the world's top five wealthiest countries…
Super Rugby Predictions for Week 10
Team Ratings for Week 10 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
NRL Predictions for Round 7
Team Ratings for Round 7 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
AFL Predictions for Week 7
Team Ratings for Week 7 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Kōkako goneburger?
The North Island kōkako is one of Aotearoa's most elegantly beautiful birds, and while rare, they still exist in the wild as well as in sanctuaries. I've seen them on Tiritiri, near Auckland. The South Island kōkako is a bit more controversial. It has been regarded as extinct…
NRL Predictions for Round 6
Team Ratings for Round 6 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
AFL Predictions for Week 6
Team Ratings for Week 6 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Super Rugby Predictions for Week 9
Team Ratings for Week 9 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
NZTA much better?
This is an expansion from the "Briefly" post about an NZTA summary of public comment on their SH1 Wellington proposals. On Bluesky, @gwynebs had pointed out that some of the bars indicating levels of support didn't appear to match the numbers attached to them -- the "much better"…
Briefly
For the day between March 31 and April 2nd, Andrew Gelman takes on an app that claims to find patterns in lotto numbers and make you money. RNZ reports the plans for tolls on the Road of Northland Significance, a charge of $4.50 each way from Warkworth to Te Hana (you will see some quotes…
Oily rag
The Ministry of Transport have put up a fuel monitoring dashboard. It shows estimates of demand, supply, and price. At the moment, the reduction in demand is less than 10%, a level of demand that's probably not sustainable in the medium when global supply is down at least 25%. On the…
United Rugby Championship Predictions for Week 15
Team Ratings for Week 15 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Top 14 Predictions for Round 21
Team Ratings for Round 21 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Super Rugby Predictions for Week 8
Team Ratings for Week 8 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Rugby Premiership Predictions for Round 13
Team Ratings for Round 13 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
NRL Predictions for Round 5
Team Ratings for Round 5 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
AFL Predictions for Week 5
Team Ratings for Week 5 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.
Dangers of opt-in surveys
There have been two stories just recently in the Guardian about the dangers of opt-in surveys. A survey from the respectable polling organisation YouGov reported a big increase in (Christian) church attendance among young people. This was a bit of a surprise, and…
As and when it looks supportive
Via Russell Brown on Bluesky, the Herald has a report on the increases in people being charged with cannabis possession. Charges fell by about 1/3 from 2017 to 2021, in parallel with increasing evidence that arrests for possession didn't really have social license,…
How cats vote
Joao Barbosa posted these two maps of Paris on Bluesky: votes in the mayoral election, and cat ownership. If you're one of the dozens of people on the internet who aren't American, the political colour scheme is the way you expect. You can probably come up with explanations for the…
United Rugby Championship Predictions for Week 14
Team Ratings for Week 14 The basic method is described on my Department home page. Here are the team ratings prior to this week's games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.