Black Friday

Not a blood-sucking van Velden nor a Franken-Luxon in sight.

It's Black Friday, the end of the week
You take my hand and hold it gently up against your cheek
It's all in my head, it's all in my mind
I see the darkness where you see the light

Song by Tom Odell

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Friday the 13th, don’t be afraid.

No, really, don’t. Everything has felt a bit grim lately, with Trump and Gaza, Simeon Brown, and our slow, deliberate walk as a species toward climate-driven extinction. So, I figured I'd take a lighter look at the week.

Image: Befunky.

It’ll be the same terrible stuff but with a touch more flippancy. I’ve been watching these guys too long - it seems to be catching.

If you’ve come for in-depth politics, this might be a tad light. No doubt, normal service will be resumed tomorrow. But if you fancy something sillier, hang about…

Today I’ll be talking about:

• Funding essential services with a donation bucket

• Lux the Builder, can he fix it?

• Shane Reti’s guide to delivering more with less

• The referendum nobody wants - except that guy

Anyway, there’s a paywall in a moment. If you’d like to keep reading, not just for today’s fluff but the heavier stuff, too, jump aboard and subscribe - I’m told it’s a terrific value.