The Brewspaper

Last Friday, large crowd in tuxes and floor-length gowns gathered at the Logan Entertainment Centre for the 2026 Logan Business Distinction Awards. Hosted by the Logan Chamber of Commerce, the gala celebrated our local businesses right here in Logan and presented awards to the most outstanding enterprises in our region.  The Large Business of the Year was awarded to Magnus Health, a NDIS disability support provider based in Beenleigh. Their 27-strong team particularly focuses on addressing the mental health challenges faced by people living with a disability.  The Small Business of the Year was awarded to Performance Studios Australia, a professional voice and performance training studio operating out of Loganholme. Performance Studios coaches singers, performers, and artists how to get the best out of their voice and be a bold presence on stage.  Battlefield Sports won the Most Innovative Business Award. They manufacture commercial outdoor laser tag systems right here i...

Short of a last-minute policy backflip between when The Brewspaper goes to print and when you are reading this, the Federal Government has removed the final discount on the fuel excise on Sunday 2nd August, resulting in a 16 c per litre price jump over the weekend.  I remember a lot of advertising across social media platforms announcing the original 32 c reduction to the excise in March, but strangely nothing about it being changed to a 16 c reduction in July… funny that. But this saga got me thinking — how much does petrol actually cost? You see, the main thing that I learnt from this whole fuel crisis and the reduction in fuel excise was the fact that we actually have quite a hefty fuel excise (aka tax). While it is true that it is less than the excise imposed by some nations such as the UK ($1.02 per litre!), it’s still double that of Japan (26 c per litre). In fact, data from just a few months ago shows that when we were paying $2.23/L for U95, the price in Japan was just $1.4...

 “The Road Not Taken” Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.   » Robert Frost (1915)

Can you tickle yourself? Most people can't — and neuroscientists argue that this should be studied more. On top of this, children are more ticklish than adults, as are people with autism spectrum disorder. But even adults are more susceptible to being tickled by certain people, depending on their relationship. To try and understand what makes tickles tickle, researchers from The Netherlands have set up a “tickle lab”, which they say will lead to better understanding of child development and how our brains work.  Read more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/05/250527124227.htm The recently launched World Diet Initiative aims to study & document “heritage diets” across the globe. Researchers believe that traditional diets may hold clues for better health.  Read more: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260715/New-project-documents-vanishing-heritage-diets-for-future-health-benefits.aspx

Absence from those we love is self from self —a deadly banishment. — Shakespeare Short absence quickens love; long absence kills it. — Mirabeau Love reckons hours for months, and days for years; and every little absence is an age. — Dryden Absence in love is like water upon fire; a little quickens, but much extinguishes it. — Hannah More The absent are like children, helpless to defend themselves. — Charles Reade Absence makes the heart grow fonder. — Thomas Haynes Bayly Distance of time and place generally cure what they seem to aggravate; and taking leave of our friends resembles taking leave of the world, of which it has been said, that it is not death, but dying, which is terrible. — Fielding Absence, like death, sets a seal on the image of those we love: we cannot realise the intervening changes which time may have effected. — Goldsmith The absent are never without fault, nor the present without excuse. — Benjamin Franklin The joy of meeting pays the pangs of absence; else who cou...

Forget January 1st; the middle of the year is actually the perfect time to take stock of your personal goals and set new ones. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. If your goals are fitness-related, then winter is a lot cooler for exercising compared to January. On top of that, the gyms are far less busy — with none of the post-New Year crowd who show up for three weeks and then suddenly vanish like a politician’s promise after election time.  If your goals are more financially oriented, then mid-year is also the perfect time for a reset. You’ve probably either finished your tax return or are currently working on it — so you’ve already got your annual income, tax deductions and personal expenses already calculated! Plus if you’ve got a nice little tax refund headed your way, then that’s a great way to fund new personal goals which may need some extra cash — maybe a new business venture, joining a sporting club, or signing up to a new course to upskill.  And if you’v...

Every day it seems like AI (artificial intelligence) has a new capability. First it could write intelligible sentences, then write entire essays, then generate images and now even write music. As a result, every business and their dog are jumping on this opportunity; trying to increase outputs while laying off the staff who used to perform these tasks. AI has become so good at mimicking human writing styles that it is sometimes hard to tell whether something was written by a human or ChatGPT. And there is a lot of AI generated text that is starting to get around.  Hence you may be wondering, dear reader — is The Brewspaper AI? The answer is a resounding “No!” Each of these articles, in fact each of these words, has been pounded out on my keyboard along with the accompanying blood, sweat and tears that crown any meaningful endeavour.  You see, I believe there is still value in the human touch of writing; rather than the predictable output of an AI model. Even the occasional fl...