Gentlefolk,
This post describes our main activities during the month of August 2026.
The contents of this post are in the following sequence:
Photos of our activities during August 2026, focussed on my 80th birthday celebrations.
News items which caught my eye in August 2026.
Some key actions by President Trump during August 2026 (from MS NOW Project 47).
Highlight of August 2026
The highlight of the month was my 80th birthday celebration at Jen & Tom's home in The Gap (a suburb of Brisbane).
Vera & I have never been fussed about birthdays, but Jen & Tom insisted that we do something more to mark this milestone. So we organised a "long lunch" at their home. They prepared delicious food for 25 guests, and were wonderful hosts.
My sisters flew in from Canberra, my brother from the Cook Islands, Paul & Niniek from Sydney, Sean from Perth. We invited some friends from the Brisbane region: total of 25 family & friends.
It was a most enjoyable afternoon. THANKS JEN & TOM!!!
Internationally, the USA/Israel - Iran conflict drags on, now in its 6th month. Trump has changed tactics: he has imposed total sanctions on Iran to inflict maximum economic pain until they agree to a "peace agreement" on his terms.
Herewith photos of some of our activities in August 2026:
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Celebration in Brisbane
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| Andy flew in to Brisbane on the direct Jetstar flight from Rarotonga. We picked him up at Brisbane International Terminal on 14 August. Sean flew from Perth. Paul & Niniek came from Sydney. |
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"This is Alex's Life" picturebook which Jen & Tom compiled; It contains photos of the main highlights of my eight decades on this earth. Fabulous! Thanks, Jen & Tom for a wonderful gift! |
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| Angie and Ani checking out the picturebook. |
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| Jen & Tom kindly invited all the family to stay at their home in the Gap, a suburb of Brisbane. From left: Aniko, Andy, Jen, me, Angie, and Vera. |
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| Four siblings: Andy (Rarotonga), Aniko (Canberra), Birthday Boy (Caloundra), and Angie (Narooma NSW). |
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| From left: Shana, Niniek, Iem, Paul, and Henny. |
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| Colin and Greg. |
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| Charles (former student in Qingdao) and Michael.(former colleague in the Trade Section of the Australian Embassy in Beijing. Michael attended my 40th birthday there, in August 1986). |
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| Laura, Angie and Ani. |
Jen, with Fina, Julius, and Henny; our wonderful friends from the Sunshine Coast.
Tom, Kurt and Jen prepared all the food for 25 guests! They both love cooking - the food was delicious!
Diana & Tom, Laura, Angie & me.
Sean, Vera, and Hugo: a rose between ....
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| It was a cool and windy day, so Jen & Tom set up inside their living room. |
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| Jen made a lovely speech, and also read out comments sent by Andrew in London. I thanked Jen & Tom for hosting this party, and everyone for coming, and especially my wife, Vera, for being such a wonderful wife and mother and companion. |
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| My sisters, Angie & Ani, presented me with this special T'Shirt. |
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| After speeches by Jen, Andrew (via Jen), Andy, Angie & me, it was time for the birthday cake. |
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| From left: Sean, Aniko, Vera, Shana, Andy, Greg, Diana, Tom, Fina, Henny, Julius, Michael, Colin. |
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| From left: Fina, Laura, Julius, Michael, Colin, Paul, Angie, Nikki, Charles, Hugo. |
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| Old buddies; from left: Hugo (met in Canberra in 1966); Tom (lived on the same street in Cooma North in the early 1960s); me; Sean (met in 1954 in St Pats Primary School in Cooma NSW); Andy (my younger brother, has lived in the Cook Islands for 45 years). . |
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| With Nikki & Charles. Charles was my student in 2014 when I taught English for six years at the China University of Petroleum in Qingdao, Shandong Province. An impressive couple; they now live in Brisbane. Charles is pursuing a successful career as an engineer. |
Lunch at the Regatta Hotel, 16 August
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| Thje following day we had a family lunch at the grand old Regatta Hotel in Toowong, Brisbane. |
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| From left: Michael, Barbara, me, Niniek, Aniko, Andy, Angie, Vera, Paul, Tom, and Jen. |
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| Another view of the lunch table. From left: Angie, Vera, Paul, Tom, Jen, Andy, Michael, Barb, me, Niniek, and Aniko. |
Boat on the Brisbane River, 16 August.
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| After lunch we took a ferry ride on the Brisbane River, from Toowong to New Farm and back. |
Tom and Andy on the ferry.
Three days at the Gold Coast
We stayed at the Blue Waters Apartments on Marine Parade in Labrador - comfortable.
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| Diana and Tom invited us all for dinner at their lovely apartment, not far from where we were staying on Marine Parade, Labrador. |
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| Skyline of Surfers Paradise from the tour boat cruise along the canals. |
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| Part of the beach near Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise. A strong, cool wind was blowing, so very few people in the surf. |
Interesting/weird/erotic street sculpture on Cavill Avenue.
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| Back in 1983 I considered buying a Maccas franchise. I had met the owner/manager of the Cavill Ave store in Vancouver (he was Canadian) and remember chatting with him about the prospects. but when I got the posting to Beijing, I dropped the project. What might have been....??? |
Some of our group cycled back to Labrador from Cavill Ave.
Angie, Andy, Tom and I did a Jet Boat ride. Exhilarating!
Angie, Sean, Vera, Andy, me, Hugo.
Angelina visited us in Labrador (she and her partner Michaelangelo are living in Pimpima).
Saying goodye to Diana and Tom, fine hosts. We dropped Angie off at Coolangatta Airport for her flight to Canberra, had lunch with Hugo, and then dropped Sean off at Brisbane Airport for his flight to Perth.
After a quick visit to Caloundra, back to Brisbane
Andy and Jen chatting with Andrew in London on WhatsApp.
Vera & I said goodye to Andy (he complained about the cold weather in SE Queensland, and often wore a beanie, as in these photos). We headed home to Caloundra; he flew back to Rarotonga that night.
So ended 10 days of activites around my 80th birthday.
Other photos from August 2026
So ended 10 days of activites around my 80th birthday.
We said goodbye to Nate (Jen & Tom's middle son) who flew back to Arkansas State University after spending the long university holidays in Brisbane.
Sid, Jen & Tom's youngest son.
Village friends Bronwyn & Noel were off to Africa and Europe.
Lunch at Kings Beach with friends from Canberra, Judy and Kevin.
Dinner with Village friends Nikki & Graeme.
......
News items which caught my eye in August 2026.
($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)
Global
Commonwealth Games
held in Glasgow: Australia 70 – 45 – 55 = 171; England 29 – 45 – 36 = 110;
Canada 19 – 20 – 24 = 63 total medals. Aussie Louise Hoskins 76 won gold in
the Para Bowling Pairs – oldest competitor.
Artificial Intelligence:
examples of AI going rogue to hack websites on its own accord.
Soccer: Cristiano
Ronaldo 41 married Georgina Rodriguez. They have been together 10 years and
have 2 children. His net worth: $1.4B. Plays for Al Nasser in Saudi Arabia.
He played in 6 World Cups, captain of Portugal.
Indonesia: 7.7
earthquake in Flores killed 100+, and many injured.
USA / Israel - Iran war:
Trump announced increased sanctions on Iran, determined to force them to
accept his peace terms by crippling the economy. The war started 6 months ago
(28 February 2026).
UK: Harry &
Meghan, Duke & Duchess of Sussex, relocated to England. First AI assisted
brain surgery (Rhys Hibbert, England).
National Debt: Australia
$1T = 32% of GDP; Germany 70%; UK 95%; USA 125%; Japan 250%.
China: Evergrande
founder Hui Ka Yan was sentenced to life imprisonment for corporate crimes.
He was once Asia’s second richest man. Under the new China / Switzerland
trade agreement, 99% of Swiss products will enter China duty free.
Occupied West Bank:
France, Germany, Italy, UK and Canada condemned Israel for expanding
settlements.
Robots: In the
World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, a robot ran 100m in 9.39sec,
beating Usain Bolt’s WR of 9.58s.
Nepal: Flash flood
(probably triggered by collapsing glacier), killed 900+ with 2,500 still missing, and many injured.
Strait of Hormuz: Iran and Oman reached an agreement on 'managing' the Strait. Oil is starting to move through the Strait - now around 50% of pre-war levels (up to 8 million barrels a day).
Iceland: a referendum rejected (53%) plans to restart negotiations to join the EU.
USA
The Congressional Budget Office
estimated US national debt (all Treasury bonds, bills & notes) at $40
trillion. It has doubled in the last decade.
The USA Govt has paid back $100B
to importers for Liberation Day tariffs. Trump introduced new 10% and 12.5%
tariffs on 60 countries for “failing to combat forced labour”.
Trump imposed 50% tariffs on
some imports from Canada; Canada retaliated.
Trump paid $4B to companies to
stop their offshore wind farm developments.
The Senate confirmed (50-49)
Trump’s former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, as US Attorney General.
Trump signed an Executive Order
changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America,
Trump said that he will cancel
200,000 visas granted to asylum seekers.
The Economist: 42% of US food
outlets were unprofitable in 2025.
Trump’s social media site Truth
Social started selling “early access” to the President's posts for up to $100K per month.
NBA: The LA Lakers basketball
team was sold for $12.5B (the Lakers have 17 NBA titles, one less than the
Boston Celtics).
Dolly Parton died aged 80. She
was a much-loved singer, song writer, actress, entrepreneur, and charity organiser. Eleven
Grammy Awards; 25 songs #1 on Billboard Country Charts; sold over 100M
records. Remarkable!
Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
agreed to settle a court case for $18B – agreed to do more to protect youth from social media
harm/addiction.
A SpaceX rocket launched the NASA "Roman" telescope which will take 100 days to reach its orbit; most powerful ever, it is expected to reveal more about the universe.
Australia
The RBA kept interest rates at
4.35%, but said inflation still too high at 3.6%.
Top auto suppliers in the June
Quarter of 2026: China 175K, Japan 144K. 50% of sales were EV or Hybrids.
James Packer 58 married Kylie
Lim 46. His 3rd marriage: Erica Baxter 2007 – 13; Jodhi Meares
1999 – 2002.
A book was returned to Kiama
Library after 150 years.
The ACCC launched an
investigation into false and/or misleading labelling of food products
(following a 4 Corners expose).
Deadly H5N1 bird flu is spreading
across Australia.
An estimated 80% of tobacco
products consumed in Australia are from illegal sources (Govt excise has
driven up retail prices too high, gangs attracted).
NSW and the ACT joined the
Federal Govt’s gun buy-back scheme following the Bondi killings last
December. Rifles & pistols $1,000 each.
Sydney Swans Aussie Rules team
stood down 5 players for breaking Club Standards (following accusations of
sexual assault, still being investigated).
Triple murderer (by death cap
mushrooms) Erin Patterson launched an appeal of her 2025 conviction.
Supermarket chain Coles reported
sales of $46B and net profit of $1.3B.
Home builder group Bathla Group
entered receivership; it had 15,000 homes and apartments under construction.
Following NT legislation, all Australian States and
Territories now have Voluntary Assisted Dying laws.
Paiuline Hanson's One Nation party won the WA State seat of Secret Habour (south of Perth) by-election. With 80% of the vote counted, One Nation had received 39% of the primary vote, Labor 25% and the Libs 17%. One Nation is regarded as right wing, anti-immigration, similar to Reform in the UK. A challenge to the major parties....
President
Trump continues to dominate the media. American government policy seems to be
largely based on Trump posts on Truth Social, his social media site.
Trump’s
key actions
From
MS NOW Project 47
Reportedly led an aggressive fundraising operation that
tracked corporate contributions to his affiliated entities, including the White
House ballroom project and his future presidential library
Said he had not “made a determination” about firing U.S.
Attorney Jeanine Pirro after her office moved to dismiss charges against people
accused of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Blamed Minnesota following reports of an Iranian
cyberattack targeting the state’s water systems.
Continued to voice support for data centers despite
growing public backlash
In week
ending 14 August 2026
His media company signed up 10 customers paying between
$60,000 and $100,000 a month to receive potentially market-moving Truth Social
posts early
Said, when asked by a radio host if he would declare a
“national security emergency” before the elections, “stranger things have
happened”
Had his nominee for attorney general, his former personal
lawyer Todd Blanche, narrowly confirmed by the Senate
Attempted to rebrand the White House ballroom proposal as
a “military center” after it was blocked by a judge
In Week
ending 20 August 2026
Showed off a new helipad at the White House, personally
thanking the company that donated the grass
Announced plans to nominate a White House health aide who
has called for stricter regulation of abortion pills to head the Food and Drug
Administration
Saw scandal-plagued Rep. Cory Mills lose a Republican
primary by 13 points even after endorsing him
Had his approval rating fall to 33% in one poll, the
lowest of any point in his second term
In Week
ending 28 August
Used the phrase “mission accomplished” in a social media
post about the war with Iran, echoing George W. Bush’s infamous Iraq
declaration
Said in an interview that a lot of midterm voters are
“very angry at Republicans” but not with him
Reportedly ordered a series of TV political ads promoting
his own record instead of focusing on GOP candidates
Proposed renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America” amid an
ongoing trade war with Canada
......
And so ended a memorable month for the newest Octogenarian.
Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Vera & Alex Olah
Caloundra, Australia
Monday 31 August 2026
Global
Commonwealth Games
held in Glasgow: Australia 70 – 45 – 55 = 171; England 29 – 45 – 36 = 110;
Canada 19 – 20 – 24 = 63 total medals. Aussie Louise Hoskins 76 won gold in
the Para Bowling Pairs – oldest competitor.
Artificial Intelligence:
examples of AI going rogue to hack websites on its own accord.
Soccer: Cristiano
Ronaldo 41 married Georgina Rodriguez. They have been together 10 years and
have 2 children. His net worth: $1.4B. Plays for Al Nasser in Saudi Arabia.
He played in 6 World Cups, captain of Portugal.
Indonesia: 7.7
earthquake in Flores killed 100+, and many injured.
USA / Israel - Iran war:
Trump announced increased sanctions on Iran, determined to force them to
accept his peace terms by crippling the economy. The war started 6 months ago
(28 February 2026).
UK: Harry &
Meghan, Duke & Duchess of Sussex, relocated to England. First AI assisted
brain surgery (Rhys Hibbert, England).
National Debt: Australia
$1T = 32% of GDP; Germany 70%; UK 95%; USA 125%; Japan 250%.
China: Evergrande
founder Hui Ka Yan was sentenced to life imprisonment for corporate crimes.
He was once Asia’s second richest man. Under the new China / Switzerland
trade agreement, 99% of Swiss products will enter China duty free.
Occupied West Bank:
France, Germany, Italy, UK and Canada condemned Israel for expanding
settlements.
Robots: In the
World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, a robot ran 100m in 9.39sec,
beating Usain Bolt’s WR of 9.58s.
Nepal: Flash flood
(probably triggered by collapsing glacier), killed 900+ with 2,500 still missing, and many injured.
Strait of Hormuz: Iran and Oman reached an agreement on 'managing' the Strait. Oil is starting to move through the Strait - now around 50% of pre-war levels (up to 8 million barrels a day).
Iceland: a referendum rejected (53%) plans to restart negotiations to join the EU.
USA
The Congressional Budget Office
estimated US national debt (all Treasury bonds, bills & notes) at $40
trillion. It has doubled in the last decade.
The USA Govt has paid back $100B
to importers for Liberation Day tariffs. Trump introduced new 10% and 12.5%
tariffs on 60 countries for “failing to combat forced labour”.
Trump imposed 50% tariffs on
some imports from Canada; Canada retaliated.
Trump paid $4B to companies to
stop their offshore wind farm developments.
The Senate confirmed (50-49)
Trump’s former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, as US Attorney General.
Trump signed an Executive Order
changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America,
Trump said that he will cancel
200,000 visas granted to asylum seekers.
The Economist: 42% of US food
outlets were unprofitable in 2025.
Trump’s social media site Truth
Social started selling “early access” to the President's posts for up to $100K per month.
NBA: The LA Lakers basketball
team was sold for $12.5B (the Lakers have 17 NBA titles, one less than the
Boston Celtics).
Dolly Parton died aged 80. She
was a much-loved singer, song writer, actress, entrepreneur, and charity organiser. Eleven
Grammy Awards; 25 songs #1 on Billboard Country Charts; sold over 100M
records. Remarkable!
Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
agreed to settle a court case for $18B – agreed to do more to protect youth from social media
harm/addiction.
A SpaceX rocket launched the NASA "Roman" telescope which will take 100 days to reach its orbit; most powerful ever, it is expected to reveal more about the universe.
Australia
The RBA kept interest rates at
4.35%, but said inflation still too high at 3.6%.
Top auto suppliers in the June
Quarter of 2026: China 175K, Japan 144K. 50% of sales were EV or Hybrids.
James Packer 58 married Kylie
Lim 46. His 3rd marriage: Erica Baxter 2007 – 13; Jodhi Meares
1999 – 2002.
A book was returned to Kiama
Library after 150 years.
The ACCC launched an
investigation into false and/or misleading labelling of food products
(following a 4 Corners expose).
Deadly H5N1 bird flu is spreading
across Australia.
An estimated 80% of tobacco
products consumed in Australia are from illegal sources (Govt excise has
driven up retail prices too high, gangs attracted).
NSW and the ACT joined the
Federal Govt’s gun buy-back scheme following the Bondi killings last
December. Rifles & pistols $1,000 each.
Sydney Swans Aussie Rules team
stood down 5 players for breaking Club Standards (following accusations of
sexual assault, still being investigated).
Triple murderer (by death cap
mushrooms) Erin Patterson launched an appeal of her 2025 conviction.
Supermarket chain Coles reported
sales of $46B and net profit of $1.3B.
Home builder group Bathla Group
entered receivership; it had 15,000 homes and apartments under construction.
Following NT legislation, all Australian States and
Territories now have Voluntary Assisted Dying laws.
Paiuline Hanson's One Nation party won the WA State seat of Secret Habour (south of Perth) by-election. With 80% of the vote counted, One Nation had received 39% of the primary vote, Labor 25% and the Libs 17%. One Nation is regarded as right wing, anti-immigration, similar to Reform in the UK. A challenge to the major parties....
