Sunday, November 15, 2026

The forgotten formula for lovable cities

Here is a passage from her first autobiographical volume, Hope Against Hope (trans. Max Hayward, 1970), lines retained since I first read the book in 1974: 

“To think that we could have had an ordinary life with its bickering, broken hearts and divorce suits! There are people in the world so crazy as not to realize that this is normal human existence of the kind everybody should aim at. What wouldn’t we have given for such ordinary heartbreaks!”

 

The human craving for immunity to life’s unpleasantness is blind and eternal, while the gratitude we owe for our “ordinary heartbreaks” is bottomless. And another:

 “The coming of a new book into [her husband’s] life was like a first encounter with someone destined to be a friend.”That passage is from Chapter 49 of Hope Against Hope, “The Reader of One Book,” which begins like this: 

 

“In his youth M. always carefully weighed his words—it was only later that he tended toward levity. In 1919, when he was still very young, he once told me that there was no need at all to have a lot of books, and that it was best to read one book all one’s life. ‘Do you mean the Bible?’ I asked. ‘Why not?’ he replied.”


7 habits proven to make you more likeable, according to science


MUSCLE MEMORY:  Why Regaining Lost Muscle Is Easier Than Building It Initially


Scientists Find Out-of-Body Experiences May Occur Between Sleep And Waking


Pride and no prejudice: how Tough Guy Book Club taught 10,000 men to be unashamed of reading

When founder Shay Leighton put fliers in tattoo parlours, barbers and boxing gyms in Australia, men quickly responded – then it went global. But why do some feel such baggage about books?


How To Be An Excellent Person Classical Wisdom


 The forgottenxc formula for lovable cities Works in Progress


Your Brain Flickers Between Two Realities 15 Times a Second ZME Science


WAIT, THERE ARE SEX DIFFERENCES: Scientists Discover That Male and Female Hearts Age in Surprisingly Different Ways


WAIT, THERE ARE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN?  Scientists Discover a Hidden Immune System Difference That Could Explain Why Obesity Affects Men and Women Differently


100 Big Unanswered Scientific Questions

The NY Times recently asked 100 scientists from across dozens of disciplines: “What is a big unanswered question in your field?”Here are some of their questions that caught my eye:

4. When and where did the cognitive capacities that made language, mathematics and complex societies possible first emerge?

9. Why does full writing — complete sentences that can make sense to readers out of context — appear so late in human history?

37. Why are humans the only species with a chin?

40. What is dark matter?

48. Do organisms use quantum effects, such as entanglement and superposition?

54. Will we ever decipher Linear A, Cypro-Minoan and other important ancient scripts?

61. What would be the global impact of a supervolcanic eruption in modern times?

70. Blue whales are the biggest animals ever to exist on Earth. Where are their babies born?

81. Chemical reactions have had a speed limit, described more than a century ago. Can we learn to surpass it?

93. Can environmental sustainability be achieved under capitalism?

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Saturday, November 14, 2026

These domes in the Byron Bay hinterland are purpose-built for escape

"It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose, that is not a weakness, that is life."





It’s hard to get more north shore-coded than the Scotts. So imagine our surprise to hear University of Sydney vice chanceller Mark Scott and his high-flying wife, Dr Briony Scott, have packed up and sold their Roseville home on Sydney’s gilded north shore.
The sale has set tongues wagging – and we don’t even know the price. The Scotts found a buyer for their five-bedroom Roseville home in late September after asking in the region of $5 million. But the sale hasn’t yet settled, according to title documents, and the selling agent declined to comment.
Briony and Mark Scott pictured at the AFR Magazine Change Maker’s Dinner at Grill Americano in Sydney earlier this year.OSCAR COLMAN
But we must admit we were almost more interested in where the couple moved. Word is the Scotts have traded the area of Sydney they’ve become synonymous with over two decades for Manly, according to people familiar with the move, to be closer to Dr Scott’s latest gig as chief executive of Royal Far West, the children’s health services charity based in Manly.
The Scotts were contacted for comment.
No doubt the move would’ve been unthinkable to some in Sydney circles just a few years ago. This is, after all, the duo that the once-relevant Daily Telegraph has previously dubbed a “north shore power couple”.
Still, there’s no doubting the Scotts continue to wield influence across the city. Dr Scott is, of course, a former principal of two of Sydney’s north shore private schools for girls: Roseville College from 2006 until 2011; and then Wenona School in North Sydney. In May this year, Scott took up the reins at Royal Far West.
Regular readers will no doubt recall Mark Scott is an erstwhile editor of this masthead. But he is, perhaps, better known as a former managing director of the ABC, and is currently on a decent wicket at the University of Sydney, where it sounds like he’s got more than enough to keep him busy. At least now he has a nearby beach to wash off the stress.

*Scott worked for the New South Wales GreinerLiberal government, as chief of staff to the Education Minister, Virginia Chadwick, and as a senior adviser to education minister, Terry Metherell. Blast from the legislative past


These domes in the Byron Bay hinterland are purpose-built for escape

 At Temple Hangars, the best advice is to sleep with the curtains open. As early morning mist gradually lifts across the rolling hills of the Byron Bay hinterland, the sky shifts from a delicate grey mauve to reveal subtropical rainforest awash in a soft, luminous glow. Witnessing this dawn show unfold from the comfort of a king-sized bed is easily one of the stay’s simplest and most rewarding pleasures


Temple Hangars, which opened to guests in June, is a collection of four dome-shaped cabins on Lawrence and Alita Temple’s rewilded Nashua farm in the NSW Northern Rivers region. The couple created the adult-only micro retreat as an extension to the wildly popular Temple Farmhouse, which is on the same 30 hectares of wildlife corridors and restored Big Scrub rainforest. All four cabins sit harmoniously in the landscape, each partially oriented towards the west for sunsets and gentle wake-ups.


“The birds sing louder when it’s dark and quiet because they feel safe,” explains Alita of the advantages of indirect morning light. “So you also get that beautiful morning birdsong precisely because of that extra borrowed time.”

The dome-like cabins are adult-only retreats.  Cara O’Dowd
Inside the Booyong hangar. Jessica Aleece
An easy 30-minute drive from Ballina Byron Gateway Airport, the cabins are down to the right, along a snaking gravel path. High up on the left is the gate to the Temple Farmhouse, the project that turned the couple into accidental hoteliers.
“We bought the original farmhouse as somewhere to disappear to on the occasional weekend,” says Lawrence. “We were going to treat it like typical holiday accommodation and have it managed.” This was 2017 and the couple were living in Brisbane at the time. After a six-month renovation, they moved to the farm to keep up with guest demand.
Temple Hangars, which took three year to build, was born from a desire to escape into nature. “The curved dome shape gives complete privacy inside. You have a full-glass rear window so you get the open outlook, but you don’t get ambient noise coming in from the sides,” says Lawrence, who drew on his background in commercial real estate to conceptualise the project. Working from his preliminary sketches, he enlisted local architect Joanne Serisier and interior design practice Studio Haus Co to refine the structural vision, and partnered with builders J&E Projects and KevMax Landscaping to bring it to life.
The freestanding tub in Pepperberry.  Nina Claire Photography
The Hinterland Spa is a short walk from the hangars.  Nina Claire Photography
While Lawrence masterminded the concept, Alita went granular on the details, picking every tile, plant and light for each of the hangars. One, which has been named Booyong, harnesses the rough-hewn timber of rural Australia. Another, Coolamon, embodies the warm minimalism of Nordic interiors. Pepperberry has a softer, streamlined atmosphere and Sassafras, my stay, has a wabi-sabi edge.
Alita says she was chasing refinement that didn’t feel overdone. “Luxury to me is things that are handmade, have a story and that you don’t find everywhere else.” For instance, photographs by Jessica Aleece, furniture by Kitsune Moon finished in the traditional Japanese method of shou sugi ban, and lighting by Marz Designs.
“There are so many amazing creatives in this area,” she says. “Many makers lean into nature and that translates really well when they build a piece of furniture or make art or ceramics. It naturally already ties in so beautifully with what we’re trying to achieve.”
In practice, the cabins are peaceful to be in, with expanses of stone, timber and glass creating a grounded atmosphere inside and an abundance of plants adding lushness to each of their courtyards. While the king bed has the best outlook, the freestanding bath has a view of its own: a concealed TV rises from joinery at the touch of a button so you can watch a film as you soak.
The cabins have curved walls. Nina Claire Photography
Natural touches.  Nina Claire Photography
Beyond the individual hangars, a communal pavilion has an open kitchen, fireplace and dining zone, while a shared spa with hot tub and sauna gives groups yet another place to hang out.
Between the four cabins and the Farmhouse, which sleeps 13, the farm can host up to 40 guests for retreats or celebrations, with a particular focus on “micro weddings” and elopements – the chic way to tie the knot. The hangars are adults-only but children are allowed to stay in the house.
When it comes time to explore the surroundings, the historic hinterland town of Bangalow is just 15 minutes away by car. Local grocers such as FoodWorks and the Bangalow General Store provide high-quality regional produce and pantry staples for those planning to make full use of the pavilion kitchen for an intimate night in.
For those preferring to dine out, Ciao, Mate! epitomises Bangalow’s contemporary regional charm, serving wood-fired pizzas alongside a seasonal menu of Italian classics.
Looking ahead, the Temples plan to expand their offerings to include floral design workshops and small community events. For now, however, Temple Hangars remains primarily focused on the art of slowing down, fully embracing the relaxed spirit of the Byron Bay hinterland.
The Temples say the curved dome shape gives complete privacy inside. Cara O’Dowd 
Which brings us back to Alita’s philosophy of “extra borrowed time”. The itinerary here requires very little structure: bring a good book, sit on the sundrenched courtyard bench with a morning tea, or curl up by the outdoor fireplace as the evening air cools down. Draw a warm bath, stream a movie, take a slow drive through the surrounding valleys to pick up local cheeses and a bottle of natural wine, and return to cook a low-key dinner.
“Slow down and reconnect to yourself,” Alita advises. “There’s an opportunity here to just listen to the birds or do whatever brings you genuine joy. You need stillness first for the joy to come in.”
The writer was a guest of Temple Hangars. 

Need to know

  • Rates | From $705 a night, twin share, minimum two-night stay. Temple Hangers is an adults-only retreat and can be exclusively booked for group stays.
  • Getting there | Temple Hangars is a 20-minute drive from Ballina Airport.
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Council turned up at my place to dig a dirt moat and chop down beloved trees. But I got my revenge

 

November 13, 2026
The concreters from the council have been here for nearly two weeks, laying an unwanted, unneeded footpath outside our place.
Every day about 11 cars noodle down our service road. Every six to 10 hours a neighbour drifts past with a dog on the wide, wide grassy nature strips that run to the kerb. New York it ain’t.
Losing trees from your verge can be devastating.JOE ARMAO
One reason we moved to the beach was to escape suburbia. Footpaths are suburban. And now we have one.
And the boys dug an extra metre of grass from the nature strip so reaching my car parked on the other side of the new footpath means leaping a dirt moat, like the Interflora man. It’s tricky to stick the landing, so dirt gets tracked everywhere.
Yesterday I nabbed a bloke who turned out to be from the council, not just a contractor. The motherlode of authority! He waved at the dirt moat: “We’ll put in grass seed.”
Righto. So I’ll long jump for months until it sprouts? “Put down a paver,” I said. He shrugged: “We don’t do pavers.”
It’s a long time since I’d fought so hard for composure: “In this instance, it really would be best if you did pavers.”
Worse, the council fella was supervising the removal of two mature ornamental plum trees from the nature strip. Think black-purple leaves, a riot of pink spring blossoms. In the way of progress, apparently.
A tradie with a chainsaw killed them and their bodies were fed into a chipper. Bit dramatic, but I swore and shook my fist. He revved the chainsaw like a dickhead.

I’m ropeabl. Boiling. At the lost plums, the covering of the planet with more concrete, the dangerous road that remains, the feeling of powerlessness.
So I have a plan of my own. Revenge. When the last bit is poured next week, I’ll write in the wet cement. Something permanent. Something brutal, elegant and pithy that disses The Man and destruction in three words.
Good news: science says I’ll enjoy it.
Psychologists have long sold us the “bittersweet” theory of revenge: a brief sugar hit, then guilt, regret and an angry hangover. Forgive and forget, we’re told.
A new review in the journal Emotion went looking for that hangover and came back mostly empty-handed.
Karolina Dyduch-Hazar, a psychologist at Germany’s University of Würzburg, and colleagues pooled 54 research reports spanning half a century and more than 14,600 people. Some were lab volunteers, deliberately wronged by another participant. They got even with mild electric shocks, overly spicy food, blasts of loud noise, pins in voodoo dolls. Others imagined revenge or recalled real-life payback.
The verdict: getting even feels good.
Don’t get mad, get even. GETTY IMAGES
Pleasure, satisfaction, a sense of control restored, and little sign of feeling worse later. Brain and facial-muscle readings suggested people enjoyed revenge more than they let on. The buzz peaked mid-act and faded, but left no nasty aftertaste.
My favourite finding? Imagined revenge was linked to unpleasant feelings. Actually doing it wasn’t. Stewing is worse than striking.
The caveats: this is petty stuff, not blood feuds. Dyduch-Hazar warns that revenge on a partner, friend or colleague can poison the relationship and kick off a cycle of retaliation.
Cool. Council isn’t my friend.
Two hours after the paver showdown, a ute pulled up. A man got out and laid two pavers across the moat.
I’d been had. It’s the cleverest revenge of all: give the angry woman what she asked for, fast, and watch her grievance die. What do I write in the concrete now? “Thanks for the pavers”?
The study says the pleasure lives in the act. Mine’s been confiscated.
Except for the plums. No paver fixes that. My set-in-stone message: “Two plum trees lived here.”
Eleven cars a day will drive past it. Nobody will walk on it. But I’ll know.
Kate Halfpenny is an author and the founder of Bad Mother Media.
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