Carla Hayden to Receive 2026 Biblio Award from BIO - Biographers International Organization

It's a nice award.

Panzer stopped in at the Biographers International Organization site.

 

With no digging in the posts there, he found an announcement that the 2026 Biblio Award is going to Carla Hayden.

 

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and two chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) to snack on.

To read the post tootle over to Biblio Award 

Passing the Word Around - The Rap Sheet

Now for my nap.

Before going home to his kitty bed Panzer decided to make his last stop be at The Rap Sheet site.

 

There he found J. Kingston Pierce's post a round up of news in the writing word which begins with the winner of the Petrona Award. 

 

Panzer says, "The post has a lot of other writing and author news too."

 

Note: Bring a cup of tea and a muffin to snack on while you read today.

 

To read the post tootle over to The Rap Sheet 

Amazon named among the world's most admired companies for the eighth year in a row by 'Fortune' magazine - About Amazon News

I'm ready for this month to be over.

Now, Panzer will be reporting today's news.

 

Amazon is again in the top three most admired companies in the world ranking. In an Amazon staff written post at the Amazon site it's explained that parts of the basis for this ranking are the  company's increase in employee pay and benefits, its involvement in affordable housing and easier pathways to home ownership, and improvements to customer shopping using AI. The post also includes links to information about the criteria.

Panzer says, "Most admired in the whole world?"

Note: Because of the links to other information, this is a very long post. You'll need to decide what to snack on while you read.

To read the post tootle over to Amazon

Free January Issue of Killer Nashville Magazine

 

Enjoy the magazine.

Panzer found the January issue of Killer Nashville Magazine is now available online.

 

At the site you'll find articles, short stories, interviews, and book reviews.

 

Note: This is a long magazine so you'll need to decide what to bring to eat and drink while you read.

 

To read the new tootle over to Killer Nashville

Free News From The Big Thrill - International Thriller Writers

It's a long, long, long post. Take a blanket for a nap.

Today, Panzer made a trip to the International Thriller Writers' The  Big Thrill site. There our resourceful kitty boy discovered a new The Big Thrill News issue is online. 

 

The site is divided into sections. Each section has samples and, if you're interested, below the samples you can click to read more. When you click the button for more, if you go to the bottom of the page, there's another button to go to the next page. Each section is set up the same.

Panzer says, "There's no Table of Contents, so you might get lost."

Note:This is a huge site, so you'll need to decide what to bring to snack on while you read.

 

To read the post tootle over to The Big Thrill

Amazon rolls out AI-powered image generation to help advertisers deliver a better experience for customers - About Amazon News

For the last couple of days Panzer has been hearing about Amazon and AI images. Today our little kitty boy decided to see what he could find out at the Amazon News site. 

 

There he found a post about Amazon's new AI image generation feature for advertisers. With the feature advertisers can position their products with various background images. A link to a YouTube video showing how the feature works is included in the post. According to the post, it's in beta now and will be rolled out to more users later.

 

Nothing is ever really new.

Panzer says, "It will be an interesting feature for Amazon advertisers when the rollout is complete. Authors, however, have been able to position their books in different image backgrounds for advertisements for a long time using Book Brush."

Note: This is a short read and a short video. Bring a cup of tea for today's reading selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Amazon AI Powered Image Generator

Important Note

 

Oh, Mom. Where are you?

Mom (our Founder/Publisher/Editor/All-Around-Manager) has appointments on Thursday and may not get back until late.

That means Thursday's news may not appear until Friday.

Coming First to British Screens - The Rap Sheet

A good mystery news site.

A quick trip to The Rap Sheet today got Panzer some interesting information about the return of two mystery television series.

According to J. Kingston Pierce's post, Vienna Blood and Beyond Paradise will return on British TV before they make it to U.S. TV. The post contains links to more information.

Panzer says, "This little kitty really likes the Beyond Paradise episodes."

Note:This is a medium length post. Bring a glass of iced tea to enjoy while you're reading.

To read the post tootle over to TV Series

A Few Tidbits to Share - The Rap Sheet

 

Hmm ... Four days of fun.

Panzer found a roundup of mystery news at The Rap Sheet site.

 

 J. Kingston Pierce's post includes information on new books, TV series, movies, and a writing contest short list.

Panzer says, "All the mystery news you need for the weekend."

 

Note: This is a short-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea for your reading.

 

To read the post tootle over to The Rap Sheet

What You Need to Know About Amazon Prime Day - About Amazon

I'm ready to go.

Today Panzer learned Amazon officially announced Amazon Prime Day(s) are July 11 - 12.

He didn't know the history of Prime Day or that so many countries participated. You can learn about these facts and much more at the link below.

 

To read the post tootle over to Prime Day 2023

Bullet Points: Father's Day Edition - The Rap Sheet

All interesting news here.

While tootling around in the Catosphere, Panzer made a quick stop at The Rap Sheet site. There with a little digging in the posts he found one with a lot of mystery news.

 

J. Kingston Pierce's post contains information about mystery TV series, books, contests, and authors.

Panzer says, "If you want to get caught up on all the mystery news, you need to read this post."

 

Note: This is a long-medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and muffin for your snack while you read the selection.

 

To read the post tootle over to Bullet Points

CEO Jassy's Letter to Shareholders - About Amazon News

Now for a little nap.

Panzer's last stop for today is at the Amazon News site. There he found CEO Andy Jassy annual letter to company shareholder.

 

The letter explains how the company has managed other economic downturns and how it is managing the current one. It describes the necessity for employee layoffs and division closures.

 

Note: This is a long, long post. Bring a large mug of tea, a muffin, two brownies, and three chocolate chip cookies (biscuits) for today's reading.

 

To read the post tootle over to CEO Andy Jassy

Facebook Strikes Deal to Restore News Sharing in Australia - The New York Times

 Today Panzer decided to make a stop at The New York Times site. There our illustrious kitty boy found a post about Facebook in Australia.

 

What's happening without news?

According to the post by Mike Isaac and Damien Cave, Facebook is allowing Australians access to news sources again. Facebook had completely eliminated news from the company's Australian digital platform. In January Panzer told you about a proposed Australian law. The law would force news platforms such as Facebook and Google to pay media companies for their news content. The post contains links to other information about the proposed bill and persons involved in the negotiations.

 

Panzer says, "Hmm ... It's all so confusing. Would Facebook and Google have to pay for this little kitty sharing a link to an Australian news item?"

 

Note: This is a long medium length post. Bring a cup of tea and a muffin for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links in the post, bring a cup of tea and a muffin for each link you follow.

 

To read the post tootle over to Facebook

To read Panzer's previous post tootle over to Google 

Facebook threatens to block Australians from sharing news in battle over landmark media law - The Guardian

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere when he heard crying and shouting coming from outside the Panzermobile. Following all the hullabaloo took our adventuresome kitty boy to The Guardian site. With a little digging in the posts there he found one about Facebook in Australia.

 Can't you read it at other places?

According to the post by Amanda Meade, Facebook is in a disagreement with the Australian government. There is a proposal under consideration to charge digital platforms that carry news. If Australia passes a new law forcing Facebook to pay for news content posted to the platform, the company will be forced to ban Australians from posting news content. Australian government officials say they won't be bullied by Facebook and are continuing to work on the proposed new law. Facebook says they already have a program to pay news sources. The post contains several links to information about the new proposed law, including a link to Facebook's post about their response to Australia's proposed law.

Panzer says, "When you follow the link below to the post at The Guardian site, you might be asked to register to read it. It's free to signup."

Note: This is a humongous post. Bring tea, cocoa, water, muffins, cookies (biscuits), your breakfast, and your lunch to read it. If you plan to follow the links, bring a sleeping bag and your dinner.

To read the post tootle over to Facebook

Two Text Only News Sites and One Regular Weather Site

Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, when he heard on the radio about all the flooding and storms happening in the southern and eastern states here in the U.S.

From personal experience in snowy winter weather your friendly kitty boy knows that in stormy weather the electricity can stop working. That means there's no television news.

Here two text only news sites he uses that you can access with your phone. These sites cover national (not local) news.

Hope this helps.

The two sites are:

 CNN

NPR

 This one is not text only; but, if your laptop has battery power, check the weather forecast here:

Weather