Authors leave publisher after kids book cancelled for illustrator's comments Writers including Evelyn Araluen and Randa Abdel-Fattah have left University of Queensland Press after the publisher axed publication of an Indigenous kids book over its illustrator's past "anti-Semit...

The intellectuals and academics of Australia have proved themselves weak and easily manipulated.

Tertiary education doesn’t equal character. Why even bother getting educated if it doesn’t lead to courage and wisdom?

#AusPol

The Models were my favourite band in the eighties and JoJo Zepp were also awesome.

Takeaway coffee sales plunge as fuel and living costs dent Australian spending. Is the economy next? The trend has been accelerated by the US-Israel war on Iran, leaving households – and cafe owners – glum, surveys suggest

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The take away coffee economic index

Whoo! Congratulations to the shortlisted authors! 🥳

Cover of book

In time for Anzac Day: a new book, Challenging Anzac: Stories That Don't Fit the Legend (NewSouth) edited by @miamh.bsky.social, Carolyn Holbrook and Joan Beaumont. My chapter is 'Bolshevik Anzac: the politics, celebrity and mythology of Hugo Throssell VC'. 1/

Clipped schnauzers

What a beauty

Threads is a strange beast

Apatheism

Say what you want about Threads but it has a 15 minute edit window

I wish he would STFU and leave diplomacy to the adults

Australia had a golden era of film in the seventies, The Devil's Playground and The Last Wave come to mind

I like Claire Keegan - all so sad and reflective

I finished it this morning, it took me a while to get into the flow but I did and I loved it

Bummer

Such energy - adorable

Jean-Michel Jarre urges music and film industries to embrace AI French musician’s comments are in stark contrast to fears expressed by artists such as Elton John and Dua Lipa

www.theguardian.com/music/2026/a...

An interesting perspective from Jean Michel Jarre on AI in music and film

www.ala.org/sites/defaul...

Report on the state of American Libraries from the ALA

From Manifesto to Mr Loverman: Bernardine Evaristo’s best books – ranked! From the secret gay life of a British-Caribbean man to that controversial shared Booker win, the author has blazed a trail across the literary landscape. Here are seven of her top titles

www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...

I’ve only read two of Evaristo’s books - time to explore more

Schnauzers on a sofa

Book cover two small birds on a wooden fence

I'm reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - I'm not as enamoured of it as many seem to be - but it's an amiable enough read

‘A white man’s fantasy’: if we want to rebuild social cohesion, we need to acknowledge where it all started to unravel Australia has a serious problem with social cohesion, but it’s no good pretending it’s recent. Koori civilisation has been torn asunder ever since the convict ships dropped anchor

www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...

A powerful piece from Melissa Lucashenko

When I hear an Australian politician announce a tough new immigration policy, I think dystopia | Yumna Kassab Sorting migrants into good and bad is a lot easier than affording people human rights, dignity and freedom

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
‘…by extension, as a migrant or a child of migrants, you’re Australian if you’re winning medals or curing a disease – but at the sign of any trouble, your conditional belonging is revoked and your overseas origin is blamed for anything troubling.”

LOLOLOL

It was a good rant 🤩

Back to books - Sweden's schools cutting back on digital learning Swedish classrooms swap laptops for books, pens and paper, raising concerns from the tech sector.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Back to analogue for eduction in Sweden

This is sad

I have no truck with Melanie Phillips views but she is a journalist and not a hack. Engage with her opinion rather than make ad hominem attacks on her qualifications

I had both my flu and Covid vaccinations today and I'll be going to pilates tomorrow - I started classes a month ago and I am loving it - nice to see they are working for you

To Be Fair Brandis did write better than AI who I just asked to explain The Trump War and it’s impact on the MAGA fracture. That was tedious - Brandis’s article was more interesting because he name-dropped 😈