Just a quick post for CT readers who don’t also subscribe to John’s blog: he’s on the road and many miles from Brisbane at the moment (and so not flooded) and his family are OK, but apparently there’s property damage and flood damage is in my experience a real bugger to sort out, so probably not much blogging for a while. In the interim and because he hasn’t apparently posted about here (I found out when we met up for a pint on the Zombie Economics book tour), I will boast on his behalf that John has been elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society. That is a big deal. If you are not impressed by this, take my word for it that if you knew more about the professional structure of the economics profession you would be. Best of luck John.
{ 20 comments }
P O'Neill 01.12.11 at 1:25 am
Washington DC area readers should note a JQ book event that appears to be open to the public.
Moby Hick 01.12.11 at 1:25 am
I’m not sure that I would be me, in any real sense, if I knew more about the professional structure of the economics profession.
John Quiggin 01.12.11 at 2:23 am
Thanks, DD.
vivian 01.12.11 at 2:27 am
Thank you for the update. Let us know how we can help, in case we can help somehow.
Jack Strocchi 01.12.11 at 5:04 am
Keynes was president of the Econometric Society in 1944-45. From 1937-45 he was also president of the Eugenics Society.
A hard act to follow, but I am sure Pr Q will give him a run for his money.
Alex 01.12.11 at 10:53 am
President of the Eugenics Society in 1945: the proverbial hard row to hoe.
BenSix 01.12.11 at 1:59 pm
It’s a bit like being the chair of Mark Chapman’s book club. You want to say that nothing’s changed buuuut…
stostosto 01.12.11 at 3:15 pm
Is it as big a deal, I wonder, as the Royal Society for Putting Things On Top of Other Things? (Which might conceivably make itself useful during a flood).
Mordaunt 01.12.11 at 3:21 pm
I’d trust someone who was President of the Eugenics Society in 1945. You’d know he wasn’t a fair-weather friend.
chris 01.12.11 at 3:45 pm
Snark aside, I wonder what the Eugenics Society was actually doing in 1945. The obvious argument would be that you don’t need to (and shouldn’t) do your eugenics with such a blunt instrument as race, and proper eugenics would be based on consideration of individual, not group, characteristics, but it might still be difficult to shake the stigma of coercive methods.
rea 01.12.11 at 7:35 pm
Everyone knows that the Econometric Society promulgates standards controlling what product packaging qualifies for the label, “Economy Size”.
roac 01.12.11 at 7:36 pm
Flooding. Yes indeed. I had a friend who was teaching at the U. of North Dakota, in Grand Forks, when the Red River overtopped the levees one spring. That whole valley is a Pleistocene lake bed, and once the water is there it has no place to go. My friend’s house was flooded for three months.
(There was a freezer full of meat in the basement. The experience of opening it was apparently quite memorable.)
roac 01.12.11 at 7:38 pm
A question for stostosto at 7: Why is that video captioned in Portuguese?
stostosto 01.12.11 at 10:56 pm
@roac: It’s a subtle comment on today’s Portuguese bond auction. (Putting borrowing on top of other borrowing, etc.)
— btw: Congrats to Professor Quiggin. I had no idea he also sports expertise in Econometrics. His communication skills are the ones most in evidence here, and, I think, in his book, which I really must find the time to read.
spyder 01.12.11 at 11:59 pm
roac might also have mentioned that part of downtown Grand Forks actually burned up while flooded, simply because firefighting vehicles couldn’t get there. As for Queensland, these floods force up a wealth of deadly critters from both the ground and the waters. Crocs, snakes, spiders–are all attempting to survive where they can, and there just isn’t that much land for everyone to be safe.
roac 01.13.11 at 1:28 am
No crocs in North Dakota, anyway. Silver lining.
John Quiggin 01.13.11 at 1:31 am
I’m happy to say that in Brisbane, we have neither crocs nor inland taipans (the most deadly snakes). Just sharks, spiders, and moderately deadly (black, brown, tiger, death adder, coastal taipan and sea) snakes, plus the more serious risks posed by mosquitoes and ticks. My friends tell me that water is running low, but most households have good stocks of wine and beer to tide them over.
Alex 01.13.11 at 10:09 am
moderately deadly (black, brown, tiger, death adder, coastal taipan and sea) snakes
Ah, Australia. To be frank, the distinction between the deadliest snakes and “just” the king browns isn’t one you should rely on to save your skin.
I always liked the snake first aid instructions to “kill the snake if possible and bring it to the casualty ward as an aid to identification”. Like you wouldn’t be tempted anyway.
Ken Houghton 01.13.11 at 3:33 pm
“I will boast on his behalf that John has been elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society. That is a big deal. If you are not impressed by this, take my word for it that if you knew more about the professional structure of the economics profession you would be.”
I believe the only fair thing to do at that point is to offer condolences at the greater responsibilities that will then accrue to him and offer to start an (off-quay, of course) round of “For He’s a Jolly Good FELLOW.”
Steve LaBonne 01.13.11 at 3:38 pm
Now there’s the spirit (no pun intended) that I’ve always admired in Australians…
And heartiest congratulations to Prof. Quiggin.
Comments on this entry are closed.