Authora Australis

Why Trump’s 25% tariffs on autos could backfire | Steven Greenhouse Nearly half of the cars sold in the US are imported and Trump’s 25% tariff will add at least $6,000 to the sticker price of the average car, industry experts say

Good bit of analysis here. Trump's chaotic approach to introducing, repealing, and reintroducing tariffs may undermine exactly the business confidence needed for big US auto to invest in re-shoring - and bring on a recession instead of creating jobs

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

2 free #writing lectures this month!

1. How To Finish Your Manuscript:
🔗 authorspublish.com/lectures/how...

2. How To Create Captivating Characters
🔗 authorspublish.com/lectures/fre...

French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of Trump found France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched

Wow. I wonder if I should risk visiting America in the next four years or not?

Have these border denials and arrests really become as common as the news suggests? Does anyone else have a story to share about getting stopped at the airprort?

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

At some point the opposition needs to say what is happening here: Donald Trump is a tyrant in the full sense of the term, an American fascist dictator who believes the law flows directly from his command. And he is also a deeply unwell, unfit, and criminal man with nonsensical whims

Fascinating Atlantic article on patrimonialism as Trump's style of authoritarianism: "running the state as if it were the leader’s personal property or family business." Vulnerabilities: incompetence and corruption--this is a message Dems should hit back with.

The city of Bakhmut in Ukraine seen in ruins as a result of the Russia’s illegal and murderous invasion. Buildings are seen destroyed by bombing with some still smouldering. The photographer was Roman Playshko, supplied to Shutterstock

“Why don’t you wear a suit?”

Pentagon guts national security program that harnessed social science Dozens of U.S. academics lose grants from Minerva program for studies related to terrorism, drug trafficking, and other threats

The war on social science advances in the US - what was that line from the Simpsons? “Let’s all go burn down the observatory to make sure this never happens again”!

www.science.org/content/arti...

Pentagon guts national security program that harnessed social science Dozens of U.S. academics lose grants from Minerva program for studies related to terrorism, drug trafficking, and other threats

NEW: The Minerva Research Initiative, established by the Pentagon to fund social science relevant to national security, is being gutted. Dozens of researchers studying threats from extremist groups, misinformation or climate change have received notices that their grants are being terminated.
🧪

This scrum of pot-bellied, sunken-chested betas trying to bully an all-black clad badass Eastern European wasteland survivor while dressed like Men’s Wearhouse mannequins is peak cinema.

Wow! A pre-planned lynching - they invited him onto US national TV to supplicate himself, and then yelled at him for 20 min when he wouldn’t do it to drown out his basic common sense point - how can you trust any ‘deal’ with an invader who has broken every peace treaty? With no security guarantee?

US intel shows Russia and China are attempting to recruit disgruntled federal employees, sources say | CNN Politics Foreign adversaries including Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees working in national security, targeting those who have b...

And while Trump is busy embracing Putin openly on the world stage, he’s also gifting him a wealth of sacked ex-intelligence officers

www.cnn.com/2025/02/28/p...

Issue 9 Cracks Subs close at midnight! Send us your stuff!

Hi guys, submissions for Authora Issue 9 ‘Cracks’ closes midnight tonight. Last chance!!!

Luckily, we're interpreting midnight as anywhere in the world ;-)

Looking forward to reading and looking at your wonderful material!

Link below, cheers:

www.authora.net/submit

Excited to announce this year’s Flash Fiction Festival weekend at Trinity College, Bristol U.K. 18-20th July is open for booking! All details of the workshops, presenters etc on flashfictionfestival.com Hope you can come! Bar, bookshop, readings, friends, fun!

This is TODAY! Go for the jugular! #economic #boycott #blackout #musk #trump #America

A movement is calling for an 'economic blackout' on Friday. Here's what to know The People's Union USA, a grassroots group, is calling on Americans to join a national boycott by not shopping for 24 hours on Friday.

The People's Union USA, a grassroots group, is calling on Americans to join a national boycott by not shopping for 24 hours on Friday.

Subs closing tomorrow! Send in your poems, writing and artwork!

Hi guys, submissions for Authora Issue 9 ‘Cracks’ closes tomorrow!!!! Send in your great stuff!

Link below, cheers:

www.authora.net/submit

Just two days to go! Send us your stories, pictures and poems!

Picture by Thomas Ryant

Just two days to go till Authora Issue 9 ‘Cracks’ closes for submissions! Don't miss out!

Link below, cheers:

www.authora.net/submit

Neighbourhood Effects - HKU Bulletin Evidence shows that urban density and planning can have direct effects on social isolation and loneliness. Therein could lie a solution, says urban scientist Professor Chinmoy Sarkar.

Really interesting recent work on cities and loneliness coming from HKU, finding that urban density can increase loneliness. Very relevant to HK.

I wonder though if this density effect changes in richer and poorer parts of the city? #urbansociology

bulletin.hku.hk/cover-story-...

Final call!

Survey closes this Saturday

We're delighted to be a finalist for Small Press of the Year alongside our Welsh colleagues! #Nibbies #BritishBookAwards

5 days to go - send in your great stuff!

Picture by Lars Knudsen

Just 5 days to go till Authora Issue 9 ‘Cracks’ submissions close! Link below:

www.authora.net/submit

#PoetsofBlueSky #PoetryCommunity
#heartbreak #love #lovepoetry #lovepoem #poems #poetry #poet #poetsofbluesky #skypoets #blueskypoetry #writersofbluesky #bskypoets #poemabout #writingcommunity

Each year, Orion holds an Environmental Writers’ Workshop at the in Rhinebeck, NY. Applications are now open to join us once again this year! Apply by March 15 for early bird tuition rates. Learn more and apply here. https://orionmagazine.org/omega/

Submissions open March 1-31.

March submissions open on March 1! We're looking for short stories, flash fiction, or translations by immigrant and diaspora writers that are under 5,000 words. We pay $0.10/word! More details: www.khoreomag.com/submissions-...

I'm now writing this workshop!

Cut to the Bone: A brutal, no-bullshit poetry editing workshop that strips away excess, sharpens imagery, and makes every word hit hard. Real, raw, and built to connect.

#Poetry #PoetryWorkshop #PoetryEditing

Ruhle: The left-leaning podcast MeidasTouch has just done the unthinkable—dethroned Joe Rogan to become the country’s most popular podcast…