Ben Eltham
@beneltham.bsky.social
Writer, journalist, researcher, trade unionist
Pinned
Ben Eltham
@beneltham.bsky.social
· Sep 8
RALLY TO SAVE MEANJIN
Thursday 11 Sep 9am
Outside the Melbourne University Publishing office, 715 Swanston St, Carlton.
A number of Australian writers and editors will speak in support of this vital cultural institution
Thursday 11 Sep 9am
Outside the Melbourne University Publishing office, 715 Swanston St, Carlton.
A number of Australian writers and editors will speak in support of this vital cultural institution
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
🚨 NEW: Cabinet Ministers say Keir Starmer is in a "dark place" over the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson and there is "genuine concern" he could resign
[@thetimes]
[@thetimes]
February 7, 2026 at 11:59 AM
Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Reposted by Ben Eltham
This week at Group Threat, I spoke with @grundrza.bsky.social about Florida's censorship regime, teaching under authoritarianism, and how folks are coping (or not).
What's the Matter with Florida? An Interview with Zachary Levenson
A discussion about Florida's censorship of sociology and teaching under authoritarianism
groupthreat.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM
This week at Group Threat, I spoke with @grundrza.bsky.social about Florida's censorship regime, teaching under authoritarianism, and how folks are coping (or not).
Reposted by Ben Eltham
What has got rather lost in all this: Disobedience by Randa Abdel-Fattah is by all accounts a great novel. Here, @peterdonoughue.bsky.social calls it "brilliant and profound". No wonder she gets programmed for writers festivals... notaboutbooks.blogspot.com/2026/02/rand...
Randa Abdel-Fattah, Discipline
- This brilliant and profound novel dives deep into what it means to be a Muslim in Australia in our current traumatic times. Randa Abdel-...
notaboutbooks.blogspot.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:07 AM
What has got rather lost in all this: Disobedience by Randa Abdel-Fattah is by all accounts a great novel. Here, @peterdonoughue.bsky.social calls it "brilliant and profound". No wonder she gets programmed for writers festivals... notaboutbooks.blogspot.com/2026/02/rand...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
This is bleak: Jes Staley, currently CEO of Barclays, reassuring Epstein that popular revolt against financial elites is unlikely because capitalism and pop culture have defanged social movements, leaving people more invested in consumption than justice.
February 6, 2026 at 10:23 PM
This is bleak: Jes Staley, currently CEO of Barclays, reassuring Epstein that popular revolt against financial elites is unlikely because capitalism and pop culture have defanged social movements, leaving people more invested in consumption than justice.
Solar farms with big batteries that feed in to the grid in the evening peak are coming online. This is really, really bad news for fossil fuel generators reneweconomy.com.au/first-solar-...
First solar-battery hybrid sends power into evening peak, heralding radical changes for Australia's main grid
The first solar-battery hybrid has begun sending power into Australia's main grid in the evening. Dozens of bigger projects are will follow, changing the game for old fossils.
reneweconomy.com.au
February 7, 2026 at 4:13 AM
Solar farms with big batteries that feed in to the grid in the evening peak are coming online. This is really, really bad news for fossil fuel generators reneweconomy.com.au/first-solar-...
Beautiful capsule history of storied LA small press Black Sparrow Press, in the LARB. lareviewofbooks.org/article/blac...
And I Never Looked Back | Los Angeles Review of Books
Tracing the California lineage of Charles Bukowski’s publisher, Black Sparrow Press, and its passionate founder, John Martin.
lareviewofbooks.org
February 7, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Beautiful capsule history of storied LA small press Black Sparrow Press, in the LARB. lareviewofbooks.org/article/blac...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Lots of time spent on “is Trump fascist” and “is Trump racist” debates that have now been settled quite conclusively.
February 6, 2026 at 12:24 PM
Lots of time spent on “is Trump fascist” and “is Trump racist” debates that have now been settled quite conclusively.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
February 6, 2026 at 2:40 PM
So good
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (1999). This game doesn't get enough love today.
February 6, 2026 at 11:16 PM
So good
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Once again, it turns out “fully autonomous” means “a guy in the Philippines.”
It Turns Out Waymos Are Being Controlled by Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Once again, it turns out “fully autonomous” means “a guy in the Philippines.”
Copyediting
What is a lost art ?
February 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Copyediting
Reposted by Ben Eltham
What a remarkable book @brian-goldstone.bsky.social
February 6, 2026 at 3:46 AM
What a remarkable book @brian-goldstone.bsky.social
Fascinating story by, ahem, Chip Le Grand: Israeli President Herzog’s visit was brokered by Jeremy Leibler, who then pitched it to Albanese www.theage.com.au/national/we-...
Amid the horror of Bondi, the Israeli president phoned a friend in Melbourne
Not everyone is pleased by the imminent arrival of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, but for many Australian Jews, it is a healing step.
www.theage.com.au
February 6, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Fascinating story by, ahem, Chip Le Grand: Israeli President Herzog’s visit was brokered by Jeremy Leibler, who then pitched it to Albanese www.theage.com.au/national/we-...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
NEW: Here's the list of the 144 processes Centrelink has flagged as operating unlawfully or erroneously
There's so much to go through, including more false debts, failures to record ppl's circumstances & income properly, & the whole-scale fuck-up of Rent Assistance
www.aph.gov.au/api/qon/down...
There's so much to go through, including more false debts, failures to record ppl's circumstances & income properly, & the whole-scale fuck-up of Rent Assistance
www.aph.gov.au/api/qon/down...
February 6, 2026 at 8:53 AM
NEW: Here's the list of the 144 processes Centrelink has flagged as operating unlawfully or erroneously
There's so much to go through, including more false debts, failures to record ppl's circumstances & income properly, & the whole-scale fuck-up of Rent Assistance
www.aph.gov.au/api/qon/down...
There's so much to go through, including more false debts, failures to record ppl's circumstances & income properly, & the whole-scale fuck-up of Rent Assistance
www.aph.gov.au/api/qon/down...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
"It's worked fine for 6+ months, then it generated a completely fake discount code and an offer for 25% off, later rising to 80% off as it tried to impress him" lmao
From the LegalAdviceUK community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the LegalAdviceUK community
www.reddit.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:12 AM
"It's worked fine for 6+ months, then it generated a completely fake discount code and an offer for 25% off, later rising to 80% off as it tried to impress him" lmao
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Over the past two weeks I've begun to realize that rich people only started funding chatbots once they could no longer email Jeffrey Epstein
February 5, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Over the past two weeks I've begun to realize that rich people only started funding chatbots once they could no longer email Jeffrey Epstein
Reposted by Ben Eltham
it’s bandcamp friday! you can buy my album here to help support me :) $20aud album purchase = 6666 spotify plays 😱😱😱 montaigne.bandcamp.com/album/its-ha...
it's hard to be a fish, by Montaigne
10 track album
montaigne.bandcamp.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:26 AM
it’s bandcamp friday! you can buy my album here to help support me :) $20aud album purchase = 6666 spotify plays 😱😱😱 montaigne.bandcamp.com/album/its-ha...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
In the DOJ's Epstein documents, Lawrence Krauss, facing a complaint of sexual misconduct, noted Australia's plaintiff friendly defamation laws: "We may need to initiate a lawsuit (and against Gizmodo in Australia, where basically anyone can sue and win)"
February 6, 2026 at 6:17 AM
In the DOJ's Epstein documents, Lawrence Krauss, facing a complaint of sexual misconduct, noted Australia's plaintiff friendly defamation laws: "We may need to initiate a lawsuit (and against Gizmodo in Australia, where basically anyone can sue and win)"
Reposted by Ben Eltham
“Lamestream understands that journalists in the Canberra press gallery have been briefed on the visit but asked not to report on it.”
Incredible.
Incredible.
Exclusive: Israeli President to Make Official Australian Parliamentary Visit
The official parliamentary visit has not been made public by either the Australian or Israeli governments.
www.lamestream.com.au
February 6, 2026 at 7:05 AM
“Lamestream understands that journalists in the Canberra press gallery have been briefed on the visit but asked not to report on it.”
Incredible.
Incredible.
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Emilie Taylor, UK ceramic artist who uses traditional slipware to explore post-industrial environments and their inhabitants #womensart
February 6, 2026 at 5:49 AM
Emilie Taylor, UK ceramic artist who uses traditional slipware to explore post-industrial environments and their inhabitants #womensart
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Death Camp For Cutie over here
February 6, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Death Camp For Cutie over here
Excellent piece by the ABC’s Elisa Kinsella on the long-term problems confronting Victoria’s CFA. Ageing volunteers, ageing trucks, funding that can’t keep up: Victoria faces deep structural problems, in a state that only keeps getting hotter and more fire-prone www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...
The quiet crisis in Victoria's firefighting frontline
Volunteer firefighters battling blazes that razed homes and destroyed livestock in Victoria last month say they contended with failing radios and broken down trucks, as questions mount over the viabil...
www.abc.net.au
February 6, 2026 at 4:52 AM
Excellent piece by the ABC’s Elisa Kinsella on the long-term problems confronting Victoria’s CFA. Ageing volunteers, ageing trucks, funding that can’t keep up: Victoria faces deep structural problems, in a state that only keeps getting hotter and more fire-prone www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
Let's get this straight.
Adani donates $600k the Qld LNP before election.
After the election, Qld LNP ends legal action over $400 MILLION in unpaid royalties.
Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy. Thread.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Adani donates $600k the Qld LNP before election.
After the election, Qld LNP ends legal action over $400 MILLION in unpaid royalties.
Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy. Thread.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
February 5, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Let's get this straight.
Adani donates $600k the Qld LNP before election.
After the election, Qld LNP ends legal action over $400 MILLION in unpaid royalties.
Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy. Thread.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Adani donates $600k the Qld LNP before election.
After the election, Qld LNP ends legal action over $400 MILLION in unpaid royalties.
Dodgy, dodgy, dodgy. Thread.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by Ben Eltham
people who think the count of monte cristo is just a straightforward tale of a dude escaping a prison and revenging himself miss out on quality subplots like "the count is foiled by the power of lesbianism," "the case of the serial domestic poisoner" and "let's talk shit about italian food"
February 5, 2026 at 9:24 PM
people who think the count of monte cristo is just a straightforward tale of a dude escaping a prison and revenging himself miss out on quality subplots like "the count is foiled by the power of lesbianism," "the case of the serial domestic poisoner" and "let's talk shit about italian food"
I like to check in on American basketball every couple of months just to see where all the players have moved to. Sometimes one of my fave guys has even stayed at the same team
February 5, 2026 at 11:43 AM
I like to check in on American basketball every couple of months just to see where all the players have moved to. Sometimes one of my fave guys has even stayed at the same team