Post #307 31 October 2026

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes our main activities during the month October 2026.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during October 2026.

News items which caught my eye in October 2026. 

Some key actions by President Trump during October 2026 (from MS NOW Project 47).

Highlight of October 2026

The highlight of the month was our visit to Bob & Siri in Nambucca Heads (with short stops at Gaven with Hugo; at Tweed Heads with Irene; and at Ocean Shores with Shana and Greg). We had not seen Bob and Siri for more than 2 years, and it was great to catch up with them.

A secondary highlight was the NRL Grand Final won by the Sydney Roosters 19 over the Newcastle Knights 18. James Tedesco got Man of the Match. 

Internationally, the USA/Israel - Iran conflict drags on, now in its 8th month. Trump is trying everything to secure a Republican victory in the Mid Term elections due on 3 November (but most polls are predicting a Democrat win).

Herewith photos of some of our activities in October 2026:

Kings Beach, Caloundra becoming popular as the weather warms.

My first participation in a formal bowls match against Halcyon Park. We won!

I attended this conference. Several presentations were a bit too technical, but you always pick up information. 

The audience at the Parkinson's Conference.

I sat with Alan and Linda. We met them through the PD Supporter's Group.

One of the many slides.

A most enjoyable concert at the Events Centre.

Darren Coggan was terrific. Backing by his sister.

Another concert at the Events Centre.

The artist, Mark, was from Texas. A wonderful impersonation of Roy Orbison.

Australia is hosting the 2026 Rugby League World Cup from 15 October to 15 November. Participating countries include: Australia (The Kangaroos), NZ, England, France, PNG, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and the Cook Islands.
In the opening game, Australia narrowly beat NZ 24-22. It was a tough tussle which we were lucky to win. Later Fiji beat the Cook Islands 40-12 (CI captain being interviewed in the photo above). Andy & Alexander in Rarotonga may know some of the CI players.  

I got this book from Andy. An amazing story of the first cyclists to ride around Australia (about 18,000 kms) in 1899-1900. The incredible hardships they had to overcome, and did. 

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Arthur Richardson was the first person to cycle around Australia. He left Perth in June 1899 and took 243 days to cycle around Australia, finishing his ride in February 1900. His time was actually beaten the following month by Donald Mackay who did the circumnavigation of Australia in 240 days.

Sunshine Coast U3A held a trivia afternoon. My Current Affairs group entered a team. Good fun (we came 5th).

Vera's music group (mainly ukulele) hosted visitors from two other villages: lunch followed by jamming for 2 hours. 

We hadn't seen Bob & Siri in Nambucca Heads (520kms from us in Caloundra). Popped in to see Hugo at Gaven (Gold Coast). 

We stayed with Irene in Tweed Heads. Her beloved husband, Dennis, passed away 2 years ago; Irene is planning to return to Canberra where she has family.

Next stop was Nambucca Heads. It was great to catch up with Bob & Siri over two days. We had a nice walk along the "V Wall" at the entrance to the Nambucca River. We've been here so often over the last 25 years.

We stayed with Shana and Greg at Ocean Shores. Their daughter Catherine was visiting with one-year old grandson James).

Greg with little James, surrounded by love.

......

 

News items which caught my eye in October 2026.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	GII: The top countries on the WIPO’s 2026 Global Innovation Index:  Switzerland, Sweden, USA, Republic of Korea, Singapore. China was ranked 10th, Canada 16th, Australia 20th, NZ 24th. . Brazil: Flavio Bolsonaro (45) got 47% of the vote, while Lula (80) got 45% in the first round of the Presidential election. Lula won the second round 52% to 48%, to win a 4th term. Flavio fled to the USA (he was facing various charges, including tax evasion). France: increasing demonstrations (some violent) against Education shortcomings and cost of living pressures. Also in Italy, Belgium, Albania. Israel: anniversary of the Hamas attack on 7 Oct 2023. Gaza flattened. Settlers in the West Bank attacked Western diplomats. Argentina: Messi’s last game as captain of Argentina. Saudi Arabia: Houthi from Yemen launched attacks on Saudi Airports. The Vatican: Pope Leo 14th (71) had surgery for lung cancer. Tennis: Alexander Zverev will end 2026 as the World #1 (won the French and USA Opens this year) Germany: A Ukrainian was put on trial for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines. Trial of Christina Block for using force to bring her children back from her former husband in Denmark. Ukraine: distressed at speed limitation on Starlink/Starshield. Canada: Alberta held a referendum on the future status of the province. A large majority (77%) voted to stay with Canada. A major fire at the Wainwright Military Base in Albert 4 dead, many injured. Serbia: Incumbent President Aleksander Vucic lost the election, largely due to a strong student movement. Venezuela: Opposition leader Maria Machado returned after 10 months in exile (Trump had not been keen on her returning). Formula 1: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) won the US Grand Prix, his 9th win this year. He is just 2 points from winning the 2026 F1 Driver’s Championship. Spain: Two high speed trains crashed near Madrid; 69+ dead, many injured. Cryptocurrency: hackers allegedly stole $6.3B from Binance.
USA	President Trump waived sanctions on Russian oil, as the US imported oil (esp diesel) in an attempt to get prices down before the Mid-Term elections. He was criticised for wavering in his support of Ukraine. President Trump declared that Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be called Super Intelligence (SI). Amid concerns of future developments, Pres Trump met with leaders of AI companies at the White House; the meeting decided that “self regulation” is the way to go. Katie Zacharia (42) was appointed as White House Press Secretary (previously Karoline Leavitt) but only lasted a week. Clint Eastwood celebrated his 96th birthday with Robert de Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman, and Jack Nicholson. Paramount (Ellison family) took over Warner Bros; future of CNN and CBS? The USA announced sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. It had already put sanctions on 17 ICC Judges and Officials. Several countries (incl Australia) criticised this move. Pres Trump cancelled the live-streaming of the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan who killed 13 soldiers and wounded many at Fort Hood in 2009. Hasan is in a wheelchair and the optics would not be good. ICE agents searched the home of Congresswoman (Minnesota) Ilhan Omar; she is a strong critic of Pres Trump. Cornell University banned all fraternity parties during the lawsuit alleging rape in 2024. The US Treasury fined Bank of America $1.2B for anti-money-laundering lapses. US inflation in the 12 months to September was 3.7% (up from 3.4%). A 16 yo former student shot and killed 3 children and a teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon; he was shot & killed by a parent. Thirteen wildfires are burning in California. AI company Anthropic filed IPO which would value the company for $1.5Trillion. Sharp falls in US tech stocks Intel, Reddit, Amazon, Meta, Oracle etc, as huge spending on AI queried ($800B in 2026). Alphabet (Google, YouTube, etc) reported Quarterly revenue of $128 billion (up 25%), but profits dropped 25% as AI reduced advertising. President Trump is holding rallies around the country, trying to boost Republican candidates, as most polls show waning support. Trump said that he will spend $400M to support Republican candidates in the Mid Term elections on 3 November; Elon Musk has donated $370M; the MAGA Super Pac has raised $470M. Michael Bloomberg donated $89M to Democratic candidates.
Australia	Senator David Shoebridge was elected as the new leader of the Greens Party in the Federal Parliament (Larissa Waters stepped down for health reasons). NRL: The Sydney Roosters beat the Newcastle Knights 19-18 to win the 2026 Championship. It was the Rooster’s 16th Premiership. James Tedesco was awarded the Clive Churchill medal as best player (he ran 380m and made 14 tackle breaks). Daly Cherry-Evans kicked a field goal, which proved the difference; at 37 DCE is the oldest Premiership winner in 104 years. NRLW: the Sydney Roosters beat the Brisbane Broncos to win the NRL Women’s Premiership. An 18 yo P-plate driver accidentally drove into a crowd and injured 10 Knights supporters. Alan Kohler 74 announced his retirement – he was editor of the AFR and then financial reporter for ABC TV. Property prices fell for the 6th month in September; nationally down 5.2% from the peak in March. Sydney prices have fallen 8.6%. Recent polls show strong support for One Nation. Ken Weeks turned 112 on 5 October 2026 – Aust’s oldest man (World’s oldest man is Brazilian Joao Neto 113). ABC & SBS reporter Richard Morecroft died aged 70. Iconic band Powderfinger will re-form in 2027, after 16 years. The band started in Brisbane in 1989; won 18 ARIA awards over 21 years. The NZ All Blacks easily won the two Bledisloe Rugby Union games against the Wallabies 50-19 and 43-21. The annual Bathurst 100 race was won by Brodie Kostecki & Todd Hazelwood (Anton de Pasquale was leading but ran out of fuel on the last lap). Aged Care Homes introduced new fees under HELF (Higher Everyday Living Fees). Australians have $4.8 trillion in Superannuation, of which $3.4T is regulated by APRA. Izzi Batt-Doyle came 6th in the Chicago Marathon, but set a new record time by an Australian woman with 2h20m38s. Havi Feysa (Ethiopia) won in 2h13m33s. The 3 Mexican killers of brothers Jake & Callum Robinson got 158 years jail. Helen Haines (63), Independent member for Indi, was deliberately rammed by a car driven by Brendan Nugent 43; both legs amputated. Labor celebrated 25 years in Government in Canberra. Greens WA Senator Jordon Steele-John was accused of sexual harassment. The National Australia Bank will reduce staff by 6% (2,500of 42K). Branches currently: NAB 413: CBA 633; Westpac 415; ANZ 284. Western Sydney International Airport at Badgery’s Creek commenced operations. Construction took 7 years. Only 7 airlines have signed up so far. A train service to the City is under construction.

 

 

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 (tip of the iceberg)

From MS NOW Project 47

In week ending 2 October 2026

Launched a new government chatbot that gave responses that contradict his claims about voter fraud, tariffs and his signature domestic policy bill

Began holding rallies in heavily Republican areas despite having said before that he would only campaign in competitive races

Canceled nearly $1 billion in congressionally approved spending, using a rare and contested presidential power

Used taxpayer money to air a 30-second campaign-style TV ad characterized as a “public service announcement”

 

In Week ending 9 October 2026

Proposed turning part of his Mar-a-Lago club into a permanent retreat for future presidents and world leaders

Announced his super PAC will pay for future ads featuring him but said it will not reimburse the millions already spent by the government

Said that reporters with The New York Times and other “Artificial Media Outlets” should be arrested for a story about low turnout at his rallies

Posted on social media the apparent cell phone number of a Republican senator who opposed his plan on daylight savings time

 

In week ending 16 October 2026

Named a new White House press secretary, who faces scrutiny over whether she is licensed to practice law

Requested the resignation of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, who was previously engaged to his son Donald Trump Jr.

Boasted that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” that was immediately disproved by attacks on both sides

Established a committee to investigate Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, whom he unsuccessfully tried to fire last year

 

In week ending 23 October 2026

Said, again, that he is “allowed to do a self-pardon,” a proposition that has never been tested legally

Announced a new program to give cash rewards to whistleblowers who uncover and report cases of fraud

Praised an attendee at a rally in South Carolina who punched a protester on the floor, comparing him to retired boxer Evander Holyfield

Faced questions about the pardon of a Venezuelan Italian banker after his daughter made campaign contributions to Trump’s super PAC

 

In week ending 30 October 2026

Called Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski “the Republicans’ Worst Senator, by far” after she criticized a Department of Justice lawsuit over Alaska’s elections

Said that Ohio would be the site of a new U.S. Space Force academy, but only if Republican Sen. Jon Husted wins re-election

Said on social media that anyone who reports voter fraud will be paid $1 million “upon the arrest and conviction” of the person involved

Said, when asked, that he would respect the results of the midterms “if they’re honest elections”

......

That's it for another month.

All eyes are on the USA Mid Term elections next week - can the Democrats win the House, or the Senate, or both? And how will President Trump react???

My sister, Angie's birthday today - love your positivity - our very best best wishes for the year ahead!

Stay happy and healthy, and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Caloundra, Australia

31 October 2026