Afternoon roundup

This afternoon's worthies:

• Things that make me wish genetic data were in New Zealand's Integrated Data Infrastructure: polygenic scores predict 11 percent of the variance in educational attainment. (full paper here). 
• Matt Nolan's back at TVHE, defending GDP against the fashionable types. 
• There's reasonable support in New Zealand for some cannabis legalisation, but people are still way conservative about allowing marijuana sales in stores - only the Greens are sensible on that one. Me on that stuff from earlier this year; NZIER from before that. 
• The Productivity Commission's terms of reference for its review of local government look good, but note that Labour has excluded discussion of capital recycling through privatisation of some existing Council assets. One excellent way of generating the capital for a new project is selling off an old one. Prod Comm's not allowed to say that. 
• Do you want pirates?
• Epistocracy now!
• Dick Puddlecote on vaping developments in NZ. And note that the Smokefree Coalition's now suggesting a pause on tobacco excise increases. I'd say we should be rolling back the last ones, but great to see more support for a pause. 
• I'm very glad that New Zealand sporting events aren't military recruitment drives. Meanwhile, in America...
• Caving in to internet bullies sets bad precedents.