When a lifetime isn’t enough to be believed

I know a person...  in her older years. She has a smartphone. She knows how to use it, She tries to keep up with the modern world..even when it changes faster than her knees can carry her. She can type faster than me and while she is drop dead gorgeous in my eyes, you can tell she is not 18 anymore. 

She’s not stubborn. She’s not lost in the past.She’s just… older.

And this week, standing at her front door, she was asked to prove how old she was. Yes, by a delivery driver from the local adult beverage shop...... with a bottle of Irish whiskey I had ordered for her. What happened next was shocking. Welcome to E- Australia...

RATTY NEWS SPECIAL BULLETIN

By Roderick “Whiskers” McNibble, Editor-in-Cheese

It has been a busy week here in Dusty Gulch.

It all began with a report I filed a few days ago but held back from publishing due to rising duck-threat levels and escalating biscuit security.

But now, with the town in open uproar and the smell of conspiracy wafting stronger than Maude Elphinstone’s curried egg sandwiches, I can at last reveal the events that have shaken Dusty Gulch to its very poultry-plucked core:

 “Mayor Abduckted!”

Before he was a U.S. Senator, Vice President, or bestselling author, J.D. Vance was just a kid in a holler in Middletown, Ohio - raised by his grandmother, shaped by chaos, yet grounded by a stubborn Appalachian pride. In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance wrote not just of poverty or politics, but of a cultural inheritance: the fierce loyalty, front porch wisdom, and the sounds that echoed through the hills and into his soul.

For many like him, Appalachian music wasn’t just background noise - it was the heartbeat of a people who had little, lost much, but clung fiercely to their identity. Carried across oceans from Ireland and Scotland, shaped by African, English, and frontier influences, this music tells a story that stretches from ancient highlands to the misty mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, and beyond.

It is a story of survival. Of belonging. Of a people bruised but unbroken - still finding harmony amid hardship. 

From the rat-hunters of age-old sailing ships to the black-cloaked Catalinas prowling the Pacific skies, cats have served the military with a quiet, enduring presence. Agile, alert, and unflinching under fire, they’ve been more than mascots - they’ve been symbols of readiness and resolve.

My favourite of them all flew under the callsign PBY: the mighty Catalina, a slow but unstoppable flying boat that saved lives, hunted submarines, and watched vast oceans with tireless eyes.

Whether curled on a warship’s deck or gliding through enemy skies on midnight raids, cats - furry or winged - have always stood ready to fight or fly. The question is… are we?

Nation First explores how the Australian PM wants to remake the nation. And it’s not pretty!

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claims he was a moderate who “governs from the centre.”

But as Labor’s second-term plans unfold, it’s clear the agenda isn’t centrist. It’s extreme.

Labor is tightening the leash… on your money, your voice, your children, your choices, and your country.

This is an all-out offensive against common sense, personal liberty, and what little national pride Australia has got left.

My Uncle was one of the first Jet boat captains in the world. I grew up around jetboats and my brothers went hunting up the shallow and rocky rivers where no other boat could go.

The Hamilton Jet Boat, an incredible bit of engineering kit, has transformed water travel and recreational boating. Known for its unique jet propulsion system, the Hamilton Jet Boat enabled voyages and explorations that were once deemed impossible.

The Hamilton Jet Boat traces its origins back to the 1950s in New Zealand, where Sir William Hamilton, an ingenious engineer and inventor, sought a solution to navigate the shallow and fast-flowing rivers of the South Island. Traditional propeller-driven boats faced limitations in such environments, often getting damaged or failing to provide adequate thrust.

Hamilton's breakthrough came with the development of the waterjet propulsion system. This system draws water from beneath the boat, accelerates it through an impeller, and expels it at high speed through a nozzle at the stern. This propulsion method allowed boats to operate in shallow waters and offered superior maneuverability.

In 1954, Hamilton launched the first successful jet boat, the "Jet 32," marking the beginning of a new era in boating. The Jet 32 demonstrated remarkable capabilities, such as the ability to navigate through rapids and over sandbars, making it a perfect fit for many of the world's most challenging rivers.