- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 721
For over a century, oil and coal have been at the heart of the global economy, driving industrial growth, powering transportation, and enabling unprecedented technological advancements.
These two energy sources, though often maligned in recent times due to their perceived environmental impact, have played indispensable roles in shaping the modern world. Let's be honest: we have gone from whales to wind turbines and somehow, whales are still being screwed over.
So much of the quandary is down to ideology and politics rather than reality and commonsense.
Oil fuels our vehicles, planes, and ships, providing the backbone of mobility, while coal powers industries and generates electricity, driving factories and cities alike. Let us be realistic. Oil and coal are essential for mobility and industry. That is the reality.
Read more: Oil for Mobility and Coal for Industry: The Twin Pillars of Modern Energy
- Details
- Written by: The PR Blog
- Hits: 839
The history of kerosene and the subsequent development of the oil industry is a fascinating journey that began in the mid-19th century.
Kerosene, a once-unknown fuel, revolutionised lighting, heating, and industrial energy production, laying the foundation for the modern petroleum industry that continues to power the world today.
Before kerosene was discovered, lighting and heating relied heavily on sources like candles, wood, and whale oil. Whale oil was the dominant fuel for lamps, but it was expensive and the whaling industry was becoming unsustainable as whale populations were being rapidly depleted.
As industrialisation gathered momentum in the 19th century, demand for a cheaper and more efficient source of lighting grew.....
Read more: The History of Kerosene and the Birth of the Oil Industry
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 631
I have often pondered why mankind decided to go after the humble whale. After all, the whale was out there, in the ocean, minding his or her own business and wasn't really causing any problem. Unless you were a seal, krill or plankton. In which case, you probably had a civil rights claim or two.
Yet this gentle giant ( as far as humans are concerned ) was not bothering anyone. All the whales wanted to do was what they have done since God first had a great idea " I think I'll make a whale. " and the whales just cruised around, having babies, blowing bubbles and migrating to warmer places and having a jolly old time.
So what did the poor whale do to us? Well, let me tell you a whale of a tale and how the Industrial Revolution saved it.
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 601
In the heart of Australia’s wild Kimberley, where the sun scorches the red earth and rivers carve ancient paths through rugged landscapes, one family’s name looms large—Durack. They weren’t born to riches, nor did they inherit vast estates, but through sheer grit, ambition, and an audacious cattle drive across thousands of kilometres, the Duracks carved out an empire. Yet, for all their triumphs, they knew their castles were built on fragile ground, vulnerable to nature's whims and the shifting tides of fortune. This is the epic tale of the Duracks, the cattle kings who ruled the outback—until their grass castles, like so many before, were swept away.
Australia’s pioneering days were full of grit, determination, and larger-than-life characters, but few families have captured the imagination like the Duracks. Their story, immortalised in Kings in Grass Castles by Mary Durack, is one of endurance, ambition, and ultimately, the end of an era.
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat
- Hits: 699
Banjo Paterson is the giant of Australian literature and folk law. His exploits in this field are so extensively well documented that I would not presume to add to them. However, in modern Australia, perhaps it is time to start celebrating people like him again.
What is less well known than his poetry is his contribution to the war effort in WW1 and to a much lesser extent The Boer War. His contribution to the successes of the Light Horse brigades was outstanding.
Banjo Paterson was a newspaper correspondent intermingled with a legal practice. When the second Boer War broke out on 11th October, 1899 Banjo was a member of the NSW Lancers and sought to sail with the first contingent for South Africa. He was rejected for active service because he had only one good arm. He was well connected with the Fairfax family and asked to be sent to South Africa at his own expense for one month to serve as a war correspondent. One month was the limit of his financial resources.
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 614
Our elected Government Representatives are defying our wishes and importing terrorists. They are importing people who are bleeding our tax payer funded social security. Our Government is destroying our culture, our Religious foundation and our rights to speak freely and go shopping without being frightened of being shot, blown up or our throats cut with a knife.
Our homes are being invaded. Our rights are being invaded. Our culture is being invaded.
Our liberties are being invaded. Our judicial system is being invaded.
Our history is being destroyed and our language is being stolen. If you want to know who the stolen generation is in 2024, it is the many generations of Australians who have fought and slogged their guts out to create an Australia for which many of us were very proud. Stolen, yes, stolen, by our Government of whichever side is in power at the time.
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat
- Hits: 839
Real history is no longer part of the school curriculum. It should be because we have much to learn from it. The adage that it keeps repeating itself is a salutary lesson in common sense.
Most Australians would not know that the reason that the US Marine Corps was formed was specifically to fight Islam. A nearly 240 year history of the fight against Islam is sadly, largely forgotten.
At the height of the 18th century, Muslim pirates (the “Barbary Pirates”) were the terror of the Mediterranean and a large area of the North Atlantic. They attacked every ship in sight, and held the crews for exorbitant ransoms. Those taken hostage were enslaved and subjected to barbaric treatment. They wrote heart-breaking letters home, begging their governments and families to pay whatever their Mohammedan captors demanded.
These extortionists of the high seas represented the North African Islamic nations of Tripoli, Tunis, Morocco, and Algiers – collectively referred to as the Barbary Coast – and presented a dangerous and unprovoked threat to the new American Republic.
When Thomas Jefferson saw there was no negotiating with Muslims, he formed what is now the Marines (soldiers stationed on ships).
- Details
- Written by: The PR Blog
- Hits: 551
In a universe where we’ve long pondered the answer to life, the universe, and everything, what if the solution wasn’t the well-known 42 but its lesser, shadowed counterpart .... 41? Curiosity may kill the cat but my word, don't we need it? Just a little bit of " I wonder... "
I will leave the cats for another day. But so many of us know the story of 42 and how that number apparently was the solution to all of our problems.
We have the UN and the WHO and MSM all trying to sell us 42. The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. Rip down bushland, destroy habitats, kill koalas .. all to achieve 42.
Yes, Douglas Adams had a few mice announce that the Answer to Life the universe and everything was 42. But what if the mice were wrong?
One digit away, yet a world apart in meaning.
The idea of 41 really forces us to confront the unsettling truth that we live in a world of "almosts", where resolution is forever just out of reach.
In this horrible modern world lies a real dilemma: a life defined not by completion but by continuous striving, imperfection, and the tension between what we seek and what we find. I don't find that bad.
In fact, the philosophy of 41 asks us to reconsider our expectations of a " Final Solution " ( heaven forbid ) and instead learn to live with the ongoing, ever-evolving nature of existence itself.
Read more: The Philosophy of 41: Embracing the Incomplete, the Unexpected and the Almost....
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane
- Hits: 746
Australia, like most Western nations, has become increasingly culturally diverse and I find it particularly confusing that, at a time when we are bringing in hundreds of thousands of migrants from other countries, we are actively promoting the handover of Australia to Aboriginals.
Yes, that is correct. Despite it being the one year anniversary of the defeat of the Voice, our state governments and councils are just doing it anyway. How did that work out?
Our new arrivals must find it hard to understand: are they welcome here, or will they, in decades to come, be seen as invaders like us.... ?
It took me back to a time, a few years ago, that Redhead, my Mum, had a conversation with an Indian man when she called an online service provider to update her credit card details.
Read more: Let's get Back to Normal. Please. This Holier than Thou Stuff is doing my Head in
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane
- Hits: 744
In the dusty heart of the Outback, where the sun scorches the earth and the kangaroos outnumber the people, there's a new craze sweeping through the land. It's not the latest Aussie slang or a new way to cook a snag on the barbie – it's the art of cat herding. That's right, people, move over cattle rustling and sheep shearing; it's time for the feline frolic of the century.
Now, you might be wondering how on earth herding cats can be a viable occupation, let alone a source of national pride. Well, let me tell you, it's all about turning the seemingly impossible into the distinctly Australian. It's about teaching our young, unemployed folks the fine art of cat herding and giving them a sense of purpose that's as Aussie as a meat pie at the footy.
And then there is the first and only man in the world who actually learned how to herd cats and then teach them how to herd cattle. The legendary outback man known as Whiskers O ' Cat. And even he can't always manage it if AI image generator has anything to do with it. So buckle up and enjoy a weekend bit of a giggle.
Read more: Cat Herding in Australia and The Legend of Whiskers O' Cat and the Cats Who Loved Him
- Niggles, Giggles Wiggles and Biggles - Putting Things into Perspective
- Countdown to Conflict: Gaza’s Gas Reserves Face Uncertain Future as 2025 Deadline Looms
- Has Our Ship Sailed? When thousands or millions march, only then will the government realise that they are facing a force to be reckoned with.
- The 2002 Bali Bombing: Did we Learn Anything?
- View all
- Blog
-
The Lost Art of…
In an age of glowing screens and fleeting texts, something precious has quietly slipped away:…
20 hits
-
From Jim Stark to…
As young folk, didn't some of us feel like rebels without a cause? I am…
215 hits
-
Our Finest Hour: Then…
As our countries are collapsing under the weight of wokeism, social and communist ideology, who…
325 hits
-
The Death of Laughter:…
Crack Up or Crack Apart When the world gets grim, you’ve only got two choices:…
337 hits
-
The Croc Cavalry &…
Dusty Gulch Dispatch: The Croc Cavalry & the Great Duckening By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special…
398 hits
-
Who Owns Our Land,…
The Warning of Gareth Jones: Who Owns Our Land, Our Water, Our Future? When we…
377 hits
-
Separated from Justice, Law…
"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice,…
378 hits
-
The Timeless Strategy of…
As a teacher seasoned by years of studying history and upholding the integrity of language,…
512 hits
-
The Stupidity of Democracy…
“The stupidity of democracy. It will always remain as one of democracy’s best jokes that…
433 hits
-
Gone but Not Forgotten:…
It was 19 years ago on the 4th of September 2006 that Steve Irwin rolled…
531 hits
-
Maslow, Munitions and My…
Why Even a My Little Pony Rifle Makes More Sense than Gun Bans We have…
506 hits
-
Literary Legends on the…
Dusty Gulch Dispatch: The Great Literary Rebellion By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special Correspondent (still in…
506 hits
-
Be Not a Number:…
I was 12 years old when "The Prisoner " came out. Sometimes, I would sneak…
538 hits
-
The Banality of Compliance:…
Ordinary people following rules - without questioning right from wrong - can enable harm. History…
489 hits
-
More Than Cloth: Defending…
On September 3rd, Australia marks National Flag Day - a day that should fill us…
596 hits
-
From Eureka to Extinction:…
Australia was never built on timidity. It was carved out by men and women who…
680 hits
-
Diana, 28 Years On:…
It is hard to believe that twenty-eight years have passed since the world lost Diana,…
629 hits
-
Outlaws in the High…
Few figures divide Australians as sharply as Ned Kelly. To some, he is a larrikin…
777 hits
-
Dusty Gulch’s Straight-Talking Soul:…
Paddy’s Golden Mischief: A Rat’s-Eye View of Dusty Gulch By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent…
541 hits
-
How Much Blood Are…
We are told it’s all under control. Markets are managed, energy transitions are planned, and…
565 hits
-
The New Versailles? Weimar,…
In the shadow of a shattered empire, the Weimar Republic rose in 1919, promising democracy,…
612 hits
-
Milne Bay and Australia's…
“Some of us may forget that, of all the Allies, it was the Australians who…
731 hits
-
Fowl Play in Dusty…
When 5 Ducks Take on Snakes, Dusty Gulch Prepares for Bloodshed By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
611 hits
-
When We Forget History,…
" Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it…
645 hits
-
151 Days at War…
In early 1951, New Zealand’s waterfronts weren’t just bustling ports - they had become battlegrounds.…
721 hits
-
Ostrich Invasion: The Feathered…
Ratty News Special: “From Gondwana to Dusty Gulch: The Ostrich Problem” By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
659 hits
-
The Unions’ War Within…
During World War II, Australia was a vital cog in the Allied machine, sending troops…
760 hits
-
Those Ragged Bloody Heroes
Of all the magnificent units and regiments of the Australian Army I doubt if…
697 hits
-
The Emu War -…
The Emu War is one of Australia’s strangest historical events. In late 1932, the government…
623 hits
-
The Soul of Our…
For nearly a decade, I’ve poured my soul into this blog. Twelve hours a day,…
589 hits
-
The Battle of Long…
The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966, in the Phuoc Tuy…
660 hits
-
AI - Friend Or…
We live in a strange age where even computers can sound like they care. AI…
520 hits