The big-eyed children: the extraordinary story of an epic art fraud

In which a person, male, attaches himself to a more-talented person, female, and treats her badly while claiming both credit for her work and the associated rewards.  This is interesting, not for the intrinsic quality of the art — which is, um, debatable — but for the satisfaction of Margaret Keane’s eventual triumph.

(Bonus!  The comments featuring guys going, “Name one occasion on which a man has taken credit for a woman’s work,” and getting dozens of verifiable cases in response.  Note: this does not make reading the comments in any way worthwhile.)

Architecture for Bikes (in pictures)

Here at No Award we adore cosplay, especially cosplay appropriate to Australia’s climates, and so this photographic project by Klaus Pichler of Australian cosplayers in their homes is just EXCELLENT.

Stephanie has a lot of feelings about ‘authenticity’ and racist and classist devaluation and revaluation of work, and you should definitely read Crafted nostalgia: The romanticisation of a handmade economy by Cher Tan at Kill Your Darlings.

When production reaches a saturation point, the desire to pursue ‘authenticity’ is rehashed to the point of becoming the norm. But in the developed world, is the quest for an ever-changing authenticity evidence of the romanticisation of having less?

Yes. Perfect.

SECRET BOOKS: Melbourne’s hidden libraries. Stephanie, being the unrepentant urban hipster that she is, wants to create a library in the vestibule of her apartment building (which is a refurbed factory in Fitzroy).

The impact of David and Margaret on Australia’s film industry: Pomeranz and Stratton: a critical loss for the Australian film industry.

Stephanie is also pretty chuffed about this: Proposal to curb car traffic in Brunswick Street in favour of pedestrians. High density in Fitzroy. No cars on Brunswick Street! The no bikes thing is fine as well, cos bikes can use Napier street. Yes, thank you. Recently Stephanie took the opportunity to submit to the City of Yarra Local Traffic Management Survey. You better believe she had some things to say about the lack of bike parking and bike lanes in certain areas.

Yay for the internet: Melbourne hotel cancels ‘pick-up artist’ seminar amid outrage over choking technique. PICK UP ARTISTS. If you are a pick up artist, you can leave No Award. Thanks.

Man climbs onto whale carcass as feeding sharks circle off West Australian coast.

It is not yet known why the man chose to board the carcass.

And the follow up: Mum thinks I’m an idiot.

Notes on the Exotic, by Andrea Lee at the New Yorker.

And some people who spoke about Gough at his funeral: Cate Blanchett, who gave a killer, lovely leftie speech and made Tone a bit awks; Noel Pearson, talking about discrimination.

If there were no Racial Discrimination Act that would have been the end of it. Land rights would have been dead, there would never have been a Mabo case in 1992, there would have been no Native Title Act under Prime Minister Keating in 1993.

Without this old man the land and human rights of our people would never have seen the light of day.

There would never have been Mabo and its importance to the history of Australia would have been lost without the Whitlam program.

Only those who have known discrimination truly know its evil.

Only those who have never experienced prejudice can discount the importance of the Racial Discrimination Act.

This old man was one of those rare people who never suffered discrimination but understood the importance of protection from its malice.