Notices by Tim Richards (timrichards@aus.social)

@dtm This is a question for @skinnylatte. I remember reading something about this here in Australia, that we overly expect Asian food to be cheap and cheerful rather than fancy.

New at my Patreon... At Melbourne's City Library, I found an intriguing - and moving - exhibition of historical photos of same-sex sweethearts from the 19th to mid-20th centuries:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/dateline-love-in-150705912

#Melbourne #art #photography #library #LGBTI #Midsumma

Sometimes I think: the future is weird. How has this become normalised? So tacky.

"Dick pics are the absolute worst. They usually arise, unbidden, in Facebook Messenger, Snapchat or even occasionally on LinkedIn. LinkedIn! Meant to be the professional social network. Trust me when I say, your penis is not a professional attribute unless you are a sex worker.

"And sure, they get sent by men you know and often by those you don’t. Let me tell you, it’s rarely a good advertisement. If you fancy someone, may I recommend using your words to express your interest or devotion instead of cyberflashing. Otherwise, sure, send that photo of your genitals to someone who will absolutely loathe you for it."
https://www.smh.com.au/national/why-do-men-send-these-pics-to-women-let-me-tell-you-it-s-not-attractive-20260209-p5o0u9.html

If you're a fan of the cafe Mr Tulk at the State Library of Victoria, please sign this petition to help save it. The library's board* - mostly interim appointments - have decided to lease the cafe's space to a catering company, thus depriving the public of an affordable place to gather which has been operating for many years. Thanks for your support.

(*Yes these are the same people who recently tried to cut back the number of librarians, only to be rebuffed.)

https://c.org/4XJ4cDhfdX

#Melbourne #Library #Cafe

Well said. That is one disturbing ally.

"You have to wonder, given the threatening Caligula-like ramblings emanating from the White House, what it would actually take for middle power Australia to ditch AUKUS, dispense with its Little America cloak and publicly countenance rethinking the alliance under the present US administration."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/25/australia-aukus-subservience-empire-trump-america

#USpol #auspol

@skinnylatte I like that ride, did it when I visited in 2024 and later wrote a piece about using the LA Metro to get around: https://www.theage.com.au/traveller/inspiration/america-s-notoriously-car-mad-clogged-city-can-now-be-explored-by-train-20250606-p5m5eo.html

I thought Tuesday would be a good day to run about collecting the Metro Tunnel stamps, and so it's proving. No queues, and two stamps so far. Mind you they're predicted to run out of the badges today. [tension]

#train #trains #Melbourne

And here are the handsome badges.

#train #trains #Melbourne

Hooray, nabbed all five stamps in just an hour. A fine use of one of my workdays. ;)

#train #trains #Melbourne

Also I was given this fluorescent popcorn. Your tax dollars at work! Looks like the by-product of a Soviet nuclear power station.

#train #trains #Melbourne

This is one part of the “100 all-time greatest Australian destinations” feature which Traveller published at the weekend. I wrote the entries for Melbourne, Daylesford and Bendigo.

#travel #australia https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/australia-s-all-time-greatest-cities-and-towns-for-a-holiday-20260108-p5nsn7.html

New at my Patreon... “This art is older than the Pyramids,” says Damien, our First Nations guide. I've arrived at Nitmiluk Gorge via The Ghan, the transcontinental train that runs between Darwin and Adelaide - an epic rail journey which will cover 2,979 kilometres over three days and two nights:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/rails-through-146552685

#train #trains #Australia

Now free for all to read... A distinctive feature of the Bulgarian capital Sofia is its expanse of gold paving stones in the city centre. Gleaming in the light, they add a touch of glamour. But where did they come from?

#Sofia #Bulgaria #travel https://www.patreon.com/posts/image-of-week-135910926

Right that's my first travel article written for 2026 - a piece about the Indian Pacific journey I took from Perth to Sydney in November. Off to a good start.

#train #trains #Australia

Look at how low the humidity is. Now that is *dry*.

#Melbourne #summer

Hooray for libraries!
---
Public library visitor numbers return to pre-COVID levels as cost-of-living crisis bites https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-06/public-libraries-australia-visitors-up-cost-of-living-crisis/106152152

#libraries #library #book #books

Governments need to introduce disincentives to buy these huge vehicles in urban settings, otherwise the 'arms race' will continue and the deaths will increase.

"Based on a four-year rolling average, pedestrian deaths have increased 27 per cent since 2015, while driver and vehicle passenger deaths have fallen 10 per cent.

"Melbourne University transport safety researcher Milad Haghani said a body of evidence supported his view that growing vehicle size was causing a nationwide increase in pedestrian deaths."

#Melbourne #cars https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/pedestrian-fatalities-reach-17-year-high-this-trend-could-be-why-20251227-p5nq8x.html

@skinnylatte Are you a kaya toast fan?

If you're interested, this is the live stream of the Victorian Parliament's official apology to the state's First Nations people (part of the historic Treaty process):

Legislative Assembly live stream https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/watch/?page=1&pageSize=9&pageSizeM=3&sorting=10

#vicpol #FirstNations

@skinnylatte I occasionally think about the touts from Africa I met hanging around the nightlife area of Shinjuku in Tokyo a few years ago. How did they get there? Why?