‘Sydney is not a shallow city’: Major change for Sydney Writers’ Festival

 Back roads

Heather Ewart’s final Back Roads

In her final episode, Heather Ewart returns to her hometown of Murchison, and relives unforgettable moments from her time on the road.

   Miles Franklin Literary Award

       They've announced the winner of this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award, the leading Australian novel prize, and it is Ghost Cities, by Siang Lu; see also the University of Queensland Press publicity page. 

Gregor Formanek is likely the very last SS guard of a concentration camp to be charged by German prosecutors. “Did he enjoy the power he had? Did he care? Did he find it boring? Did it make him uneasy?”

In her last column for WaPo, columnist Catherine Rampell shares some advice for aspiring pundits. “Know your immovable principles and red lines — journalistically, ethically, ideologically — and why you’re columnizing in the first place.

“Writers and their readers are the heartbeat of the literary ecosystem, and the Sydney Writers’ Festival connects the two,” Webb said.

Sydney is not a shallow city’: Major change for Sydney Writers’ Festival

‘Founders Films’ aims to remake Hollywood with patriotism, Palantir and Ayn Rand Semafor

 Nobel Prize in Literature betting

       This year's Nobel Prize in Literature will be announced 9 October -- and while there's not much betting on it (yet ?), there are odds up at Betus: twenty-four possibilities, including ... Taylor Swift.
       More interesting, however, is that Kalshi, one of the (relatively) new prediction markets, also offers ... position-taking opportunities on the prize. Not so much interesting for only having ten possible choices but because, unlike the betting shops, this market allows you to take a position on an author not winning the prize -- and there's money here for the taking, since one of the options they offer (as I write this, and surely not for much longer ...) is Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, who -- being deceased -- can't win the prize. But a 'No' option on him only costs $0.93 -- a $100 stake paying out $108 (before fees). Not a great return, but, hey, it's free money -- there's no way Ngũgĩ can be awarded the prize. 
       (I hope whoever takes advantage of this opportunity -- and someone surely will -- takes them for as much as possible.)
       Meanwhile, Kalshi admirably also reveals how much money has been bet -- staked -- so far on the potential winner (and non-winners) of the prize, and it's .... $5116.00.

       Post-Dylan, I've had trouble working up much interest in the run-up to the prize, but if you want to follow or engage in discussion, the Nobel Prize in Literature 2025 Speculationthread at the World Literature Forum is presumably the place you want to go; they're up to 957 engagements, last I checked.

Archaeologists Discover a 2,400-Year-Old Skeleton Mosaic That Urges People to “Be Cheerful and Live Your Life”. This skeleton is a whole vibe.

“If God Were Like Chekhov, I Would Be Consoled.” On the Privileges of Misery Lit Hub

Eduardo Fernandez playing Bach on guitar

How Paperbacks Transformed the Way Americans Read

Mental Floss: “Here’s a little perspective: In 1939, gas cost 10 cents a gallon at the pump. A movie ticket set you back 20 cents. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the year’s bestselling hardcover book, was $2.75. 

For a nation suffering 20 percent unemployment, books were an impossible expense. But in just one day, Robert de Graff changed that. On June 19, 1939, the tall, dynamic entrepreneur took out a bold, full-page ad in The New York Times: “OUT TODAY—THE NEW POCKET BOOKS THAT MAY TRANSFORM NEW YORK’S READING HABITS.” The ad was timed to coincide with the debut of his newest endeavor, an imprint called Pocket Books. 

Starting with a test run of 10 titles, which included classics as well as modern hits, de Graff planned to unleash tote-able paperbacks on the American market. But it wasn’t just the softcover format that was revolutionary: De Graff was pricing his Pocket Books at a mere 25 cents. Despite its audacity, de Graff’s ad wasn’t brazen enough for his taste. A former publishing exec who’d cut his teeth running imprints for Doubleday, de Graff wanted the ad to read “THE NEW POCKET BOOKS THAT WILL TRANSFORM NEW YORK’S READING HABITS.” 

His business partners at Simon & Schuster were less confident and forced the edit. Even though some European publishers were making waves with paperbacks—Penguin in England and Albatross in Germany—New York publishers didn’t think the cheap, flimsy books would translate to the American market. They were wrong. It took just a week for Pocket Books to sell out its initial 100,000 copy run. Despite industry skepticism, paperbacks were about to transform America’s relationship with reading forever…

Today, it’s de rigueur for major publishers to print both hardcover and paperback books. And of course, there was new “pocket book” that transformed reading habits, the e-book, which has done de Graff’s brilliant distribution scheme one better: These days, anyone with a smartphone has an entire bookstore in his or her pocket…”

11 Howell Avenue Matraville, NSW 2036 

Vale Father Chris Riley AM: Tributes flow

Australia has lost an incredible man one of the kindest man on Antipodean soil  … as Reverend Whild would say:  Father Riley practiced what he preached a good man doing good deeds 

(Funeral details have not yet been announced) 

Tributes flow as Youth Off The Streets founder Fr Chris Riley passes away

Fr Chris Riley is the subject of the bestselling biography Mean Streets, Kind Heart (2003) by Sue Williams. He also co-authored two books with Sue Williams, World Beyond Tears (2005) and Growing Great Kids (2015)

“I am deeply saddened to be writing to you to let you know that our founder, Father Chris Riley AM, passed away at home on 1 August, following a long period of ill health. He was 70. 

 

Father Chris Riley was a tireless advocate for homeless and disadvantaged youth, and he inspired and changed thousands of young lives. He will be remembered for his compassion, tenacity and unwavering belief that every young person deserves the chance to reach their full potential.

 

Father Riley’s dedication to supporting and empowering young Australians in need has left a powerful legacy. His vision, drive and determination will continue to inspire our organisation as we strive to provide growing numbers of children and young people facing disadvantage with safety, support and education for a better future.

 

Thank you for your continued support for Youth Off The Streets and for the care you’ve always shown.

 

Together, we will honour Father Riley’s extraordinary legacy and continue supporting the children and young people who need us most.

 

Warm regards,

 

Judy Barraclough

CEO”

Catholic priest and Youth Off The Streets founder Father Chris Riley dies aged 70

Rest in Peace 

Lawyer for ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle urges court not to impose convictions

OSINT tools and techniques for research on Reddit

OSINTMe – “Reddit remains to be a useful source of intelligence for OSINT professionals and enthusiasts, given the presence of unfiltered user content and niche communities. 

Obviously, the contrast between “normal” user interactions and AI-generated slop on social media in general is what makes Reddit stand out. At the same time, Reddit communities often host conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns, which arguably can cause more damage than AI slop – see here for an example of a “false flag” keyword disinformation conspiracy. 

 A recent academic study focused on Reddit activities during the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, processing “385 posts and 115k comments” with topic modeling to categorise public sentiment, health concerns, and emotional responses. This OSINT method produced some solid insights, see the link to the original publication.

 So without further delay, here is a list of Google Dorks tailored, hand-crafted (haha LOL) and hands-on tested by yours truly while conducting OSINT research on Reddit.com. Bear in mind, they work even when you aren’t logged in to Reddit or don’t even have an account there – all this is passive recon, only using Google search…”

detectai.live

This tool is like a metal detector at the beach – it will find a lot of metal, but not all metal is treasure. Use it to:

1. Flag suspicious images for deeper investigation
2. Understand specific technical issues
3. Find web sources and similar images
4. Save time on obvious fakes

But always remember: The final judgment should be human, considering context, source, motivation, and corroborating evidence. No automated tool can replace critical thinking and journalistic verification.

Online Monitoring Program is Expanding Behind the Scenes

Reddit/privacy: “You do not have to be famous or break any laws to end up under digital watch. New reports confirm that a US agency is expanding its contracts with private firms to quietly track internet activity. This includes what you post, what you like, what you share, and even how you express emotion. 

The systems are built to flag so-called negative opinions about leadership or operations—even if no threat is made. It does not stop there. These tools are designed to link your online activity to your real identity. That includes your face, your phone, your location, your contacts, and even your relatives. This isn’t rumor. It’s backed by official documents and public records. See for yourself:

• Report on surveillance expansion: https://truthout.org/articles/report-ice-is-expanding-surveillance-of-its-critics-on-social-media
• FOIA documents exposing internal monitoring practices: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/dhs-social-media-monitoring-foia-documents
• Contractor request to monitor over one million people: https://fedscoop.com/ice-seeks-proprietary-data-and-tech-to-monitor-up-to-a-million-people

To get ahead in poetry, feign being fein and a Nwankwo

Natalie Solent (Essex) 

“Straight white author’s career finally takes off after he tells woke publishers he’s gender queer Nigerian”, reports the Daily Mail.

The artist formerly and now once again known as Aaron Barry is truly a bard for our times:

From 2023 to 2024, Barry had managed to fool 30 respected literary journals around the globe and got about 50 of his ‘nonsensical’

 

Hard Things Are Supposed to Be Hard

Productivity Commission backs biggest Australian company tax rate cut in 40 years

A 20% cut for small and medium businesses proposed as part of commission’s report on how to create more dynamic and resilient economy

Alleged ringleaders behind defrauding banks for luxury cars, homes and business loans face almost 200 charges

As facial-recognition technology advances via AI, Michael Clune asks: How much should we value our privacy?... more »

Foreign spies are targeting defence employees working on Aukus, Asio boss reveals

Public servants and private contractors with access to sensitive national security information are making it easy for spies, including by posting on LinkedIn, Mike Burgess will say in a speech

Behind the Scam: How Fraudsters Use Social Media, Software, and Shell Companies to Steal Millions

Professional scammers call upon a global network of service providers to execute their work in a sophisticated, streamlined...

Hard Things Are Supposed to Be Hard

From Genny Rumancik:

Hard things are supposed to be hard.

Changing old patterns, ending relationships you’ve outgrown, raising children, creating from your core, letting go, stretching, growing, and stepping into the unknown.

The more worthwhile endeavors require you to show up vulnerably & honestly, and they leave space for something new to happen.

From the description:

All of my familiar self-protective parts are showing up to remind me of the vulnerability that is required when I step into new places. When I let myself be someone new in the world.

I feel the anxious thoughts creep in about what could go wrong, about how I might be judged, about what could happen, about how unsafe it is to expose myself.

And then I remember that this is a normal part of the growth process, especially when you’re stepping into something you’ve never done before. My wonderful, protective, survival-oriented little brain is trying to keep me safe by pulling me back into familiar territory.

Yep. Yeeeeeeppp. Yep yep yep. (via @tressiemcphd)

I Nearly Died From 'Broken Heart Syndrome' — And Here's Why You Could Be At Risk, Too “'Are you under any significant stress?' one of the cardiologists asked me during rounds the next morning. I stared at him blankly."

  Who WAS Jeffrey Epstein's mate in Sydney? Blockbuster new phone data reveals shocking Australian link to vile paedophile's island hideaway

“The older you are, the more you contemplate mortality and the nearness of death”

~ Jana Wendt

Whatever you do do not mention a joke about cheating in chess or life 

Life is like a game of chess.
I can't play chess.

Why is the white bishop piece in chess the fastest?

Because it's on F1.

It's only a bishop—it can't move in cardinal directions!

Biggest Chess Site In The World Bans 100,000 Accounts A Month For Cheating

Chess.com's small team is dedicated to stopping unfair play and cheaters

When Australian chess players finish their meals in the restaurant...
they say, "Cheque, mate."

Examples of Cheating Scandals: 

• Gaioz Nigalidze: The Georgian grandmaster was caught using a smartphone with chess software in the Dubai Open. 
• Kirill Shevchenko: The Ukrainian grandmaster was banned for three years after being caught with a phone and handwritten notes during a tournament in Spain. 
• Wesley Vermeulen: The Dutch IM was banned for consulting a phone during the 2014 Iasi Open. 
• Tigran L. Petrosian: Accused of cheating by Wesley So in the 2020 PRO Chess League. 
• Hans Niemann: Accusations of cheating, including during the 2022 World Chess Championship, have been made against the American grandmaster. 

Fox Host - Home Affairs minister 

met with FBI director during secretive Australia visit

New Sydney crime gang emerges

 with alleged links to city’s underworld feud

Why Does the Bible Forbid Tattoos? JSTOR Daily

 Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.”

Tattoos have been around for millennia. People got them at least five thousand years ago. Today they’re common everywhere from Maori communities in New Zealand to office parks in Ohio. But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.”