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  Awww sad. 🎻 "Of the $US1 billion spent by the Republican campaign apparatus since September 1 of this year, just $US11 million of that had gone towards ads promoting the candidate’s relationship with Donald Trump. "Candidates themselves are telling us exactly what they think their voters want to hear. The president’s unpopularity is changing the Republican Party." #USpol https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/the-republicans-are-erasing-trump-the-president-is-n...

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  A reminder that search engines other than Google exist. I've set up DuckDuckGo as default on all my devices (iOS phone & iPad, and Windows laptop), and turned off all its AI elements. Working well so far. Death to AI summaries, stealing people's work and dumbing us all down! #ai

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  Foggy day here in the city. And cooler than expected. Wasn't it supposed to be hot today? #Melbourne #weather

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  Just finished the first draft of my article about the recent rail tour I took to the Wimmera. Should be 1000 words, first draft is 1250 words. I've had worse. #AmWriting #TravelWriting

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  The Australian government needs to read this too. --- Americans, this is your chance to slap down the tech broligarchs - Rebecca Solnit https://www.theguardian.com/global/2026/oct/19/midterm-elections-tech-broligarchs #AI #tech

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  Now free for all to read... After arriving in Auckland by train on my latest visit, I joined a food walking tour of delicious Ponsonby: https://www.patreon.com/timrichards/posts/dateline-eat-155220174 #auckland #food #tour

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  Today is the publication day of my new book from Hardie Grant, Train Europe, so I dropped by Readings Emporium to see if it's in stock yet. It is! Nicely placed facing outward on the shelves too; I approve. Please pop by your favourite bookshop and pick up a copy. Perfect Christmas present IMO. :) #train #trains #Europe #book #books #train #trains #Europe #book #books @bookstodon

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  Good to see us helping the Ukrainians more. Putin must not be allowed to win. "Australia has inked a historic pact with Ukraine that commits Canberra to sustained defence and security cooperation with Kyiv while stopping short of a NATO-style guarantee to come to each other’s defence. "Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday (US time), with the governmen...

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  Couldn't imagine travelling with a grandma, but I could imagine travelling *like* a grandma. Already doing some of that - I don't go out much at night anymore when I'm travelling. #travel https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/grandma-maxxing-is-travel-s-big-trend-thanks-to-my-gran-i-m-an-expert-at-it-20260916-p60xvu.html

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  I don’t understand what the Israel government's apologists in the West think they're gaining via this relentless campaign of censorship against anyone who even mildly expresses sympathy with Palestinians. The backlash against this overt manipulation will eventually undermine Israel's future, IMO. #Israel #Palestine

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  I just bought staggeringly expensive business class flights to reach my next big Interrail trip across Europe next year. I'll be travelling south this time, from Helsinki to Sarajevo, ending in Belgrade. So naturally the first set of flights is listed in the airline's app as: MEL → HEL From Mel to Hell! I like it. Though I suspect Helsinki is much cooler than Hell. #travel #TravelWriter #TravelWriting

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  RE: https://mastodon.social/@IndyMediaAus/117270810202965930 Well put. Sad to see the decline of a once inspirational nation. "The US used to be a role model. It stood for democracy, economic opportunity, and other values that appeal to many countries. Now, it is a model of what not to do – a cautionary tale of extreme inequality, democratic erosion, corruption, and social division. The rest of the world should develop a new appreciation for the value of cooperation and the rule of law, b...

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  You are all invited to the launch of my new book Train Europe, a colourful collection of 20 great rail itineraries across the continent. It's at 6pm on Thursday 1 October 2026 at Readings Emporium, on Level 1 of Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne CBD. It's free to attend, but please register via this link: https://www.readings.com.au/events/train-europe-by-tim-richards Readings requires at least 20 people to register for the event to proceed, so please sign up and come alo...

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  Interesting read. There are lots of stretches of Melbourne's tram network which could be sensibly extended to make it even more useful. #Melbourne #tram #trams https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/a-1923-map-to-extend-melbourne-s-tram-network-could-still-prove-a-transport-solution-20260829-p60sp0.html

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  Something needs to be done about companies denying access to human customer service reps when something goes wrong. It's a practice which should be banned. https://www.smh.com.au/technology/queer-venues-locked-out-as-meta-suspensions-hit-melbourne-and-sydney-20260729-p60jia.html

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  RE: https://social.chinwag.org/@abc_bot/117005777898167797 [tuts at waived fine]

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  RE: https://ecoevo.social/@benlockwood/116964893643461218 I think this is called "threatening us with a good time". #USpol

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  Interesting read by the people behind @TheWarOnCars - I just borrowed it from the library. Lots of good for thought re tackling the automotive scourge. #TheWarOnCars

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  What an idiot. And these people are representing us? https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/nationals-resign-live-updates-coalition-in-crisis-as-national-mps-quit-frontbench-en-masse-after-littleproud-s-bombshell-letter-to-sussan-ley-20260121-p5nvzb.html #auspol

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  At the risk of sounding old, I know what she means. I wonder sometimes why people travel, if they spend so much time on their phones while doing so. And only sourcing travel advice from social media means everyone goes to the same places. "A well-travelled friend just returned from Paris, and instead of getting a boost from his trip, he came back feeling dispirited. Not one to complain, and ever grateful for the ability to travel, he nevertheless was discouraged by the behaviour of oth...

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  New at my Patreon... I've taken 47 overseas trips since becoming a freelance travel writer in 2004. That's a lot of international travel, and it might help to explain something I've noticed in recent years: the feeling - sometimes - of being jaded: https://www.patreon.com/posts/jaded-by-travel-156645807 #travel #NewZealand #Europe #nature #city #museum

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  I have to agree with my colleague here, $422 does seem suspiciously high for a passport when you compare the price to other countries'. Sounds like a nice little profit earner for the federal government. #travel #Australia https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/reviews-and-advice/our-passport-is-the-world-s-most-expensive-we-re-getting-ripped-off-20260417-p5zou0.html

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  Run of classic autumn weather coming up here in Melbourne. #Melbourne #Weather #MelbourneWeather

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  RE: https://mastodon.social/@kottke/116403480925631181 The proportion of US leaders in their 70s-80s is quite striking. In Australia, our prime ministers and premiers tend to take office when they're in their 50s. #USpol #auspol

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  Fun piece about coffee's role in prompting liberal thought: 'Coffee houses were not just places where people could gather to drink the newly imported dark liquid; they were debating chambers where people could test their opinions, “penny universities” where they could educate themselves, and social networking hubs where people of different classes could rub shoulders. 'Jurgen Habermas, the social philosopher who died last month, famously argued that coffee houses provided something...

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  Not a bad result. 8/10 https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/quiz/2026/04/04?rival=1111011101

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  I'm reading JB Priestley's book English Journey, a travel narrative he wrote about a journey around England in the 1930s. His narrative powers are really quite marvellous; sometimes he goes into overdrive: #UK #England #book #books #travel

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  Fun pedestrian lights with Māori designs here in central Wellington: #Wellington #NewZealand

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  New at my Patreon... I was walking along the coastal path in the town of Kaikoura, on New Zealand's South Island, when I passed this sundial with its intriguing memorial inscription: See the full image and read the post at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/image-of-week-of-154890215 #NewZealand

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  New at my Patreon... I saw this remarkable aircraft in the town of Mandeville on New Zealand's South Island. It was constructed in 1910 by mechanic Bert Pither, who claimed to have then flown it successfully above Oreti Beach. Unfortunately he had no witnesses; so could it really fly? https://www.patreon.com/posts/image-of-week-up-154459353 #NewZealand #Flying #History