Patriot Realm

Much of Australia’s early slang comes from the convict culture of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Australia was established as a penal colony, with convicts from Britain, Ireland, and other parts of Europe bringing their own slang terms with them.

The working-class origins of many early settlers meant that language was often informal, and humour and making the best of a bad lot became central to the Australian identity.

Convicts and settlers alike used slang to defy authority and express camaraderie. Words like "larrikin" reflect a rebellious, cheeky attitude that became part of our national character.

Slang became a way to survive and thrive in tough, often harsh conditions, helping people bond and deal with adversity. And boy, it must have been tough back then. 

So I hope you enjoy the first part of a series on slang around the world. And where better to start than here in Aussie?  

Daylight Saving – the dumbest idea since the invention of dehydrated water.

What an idiotic and stupid concept: Turn the clocks forward one hour and your miraculously save daylight? Well, no, you don’t. It is still daylight for exactly the same amount of time and it is still dark for precisely the same amount of time as it would have been before you changed the clock.

So what are we actually “ saving “?

Daylight saving is like Jetlag on steroids. It messes up our natural body clocks and is as confusing to our bodies as an appointment with a gender therapist who votes democRAT….

Back in 2002, an anonymous person sent an email from a disposable email address to a website. The email was headed The Secret Covenant.

It has, for over 20 years, been seen as a promise. But I believe it was a warning. 

If "The Secret Covenant" were interpreted as a warning rather than a promise, the meaning would shift significantly, and its tone would transform from sinister collusion to a cautionary tale. This interpretation would frame the document as a call for vigilance against the potential dangers of power, corruption, and manipulation in society.

It could serve as a critique of existing systems, urging people to be aware of the ways through which they might be controlled or misled. Instead of portraying a secret group plotting in the shadows, the document might be trying to highlight how societal manipulation already exists.

The "Covenant" would not be a manifesto of intent, but rather a metaphorical or symbolic description of the current state of the world. It could be warning us about how easily people can be misled, manipulated, or exploited by those in power through media, education, and economic systems. The warning could be against becoming passive consumers of information, blindly trusting authorities, or succumbing to propaganda. In this view, the "Covenant" is urging individuals to develop critical thinking skills, stay informed, and be cautious of any single narrative that seeks to dominate public opinion.

Over the last few weeks I have noticed that people are losing their sense of humor. So I decided to write something to remind people that if you can't laugh, you may as well fook off and be done with it. 

That is the problem with moslems. They never developed a sense of humor. Like the priests of old who were so full of hell and damnation that they forgot to look at the power of the good and the benefits of a belly laugh.

I mean, how could I ever post the joke about the two moslem mothers looking down at their kids and lamenting " Kids! They blow up so fast these days. "

It's like my old Gran used to say, if all you've got is lemons, eat the fookin things because they could be all you get today.

Lemonade? Fook. We would dream of lemonade only we were too weak to squeeze the juice and Father McGee would have whipped us stupid for daring to say such filthy things as " squeezing the juice. "

He was like that.

In military history, there are countless tales of bravery, valour, and unwavering dedication from soldiers who fought on the front lines.

But what about those fearless felines who have prowled the battlefield, armed with their whiskers and lethal claws? These purrsistent warriors have played some truly remarkable roles throughout history, and it's high time we give them the recognition they deserve.

Sometimes I think that we underestimate the role that cats, dogs and other animal and feathered friends play in our lives and in our world.

So sit and enjoy a journey into the history of cats and how they have evolved into being lazy, domineering, pampered  pets from their early incarnations as demi gods and deities. But when you think about it, nothing much has changed really....... they are still demi gods and worshipped deities...... But things were not always as they are.

They did actually earn their keep. 

Only days ago, Hurricane Helene swept through North Carolina and it got me thinking. About hurricanes, weather manipulation and lithium mining. So here we go again. Down the rabbit hole. 

In 1997, then-U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen acknowledged that the government possesses technology capable of manipulating weather patterns, including earthquakes and volcanic activity. However, the U.S. government has imposed restrictive non-disclosure policies on employees of the National Weather Service.

Project Cirrus was an early attempt to modify weather, specifically to manipulate hurricanes, conducted by the United States after World War II. It was initiated in 1947 as a collaboration between the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Office of Naval Research, and General Electric, with Nobel Prize-winning scientist Irving Langmuir involved.

The project aimed to control and potentially weaken hurricanes by "seeding" clouds with dry ice (solid carbon dioxide). The idea was to alter the cloud's microphysical properties and disrupt the storm system by inducing precipitation. The scientists hypothesised that introducing particles like dry ice would cause supercooled water in the storm clouds to freeze, potentially releasing latent heat, changing the dynamics of the storm, and reducing its intensity.

But things didn't go to plan. 

Read more: From Storm Clouds to Lithium Mines: The Intersection of Weather Manipulation and Critical Resource Extraction

Competing Visions for Control of Global Trade and Middle Eastern Influence - A Tale of two Canals

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Written by: Op-Ed Monty

Published: 01 October 2024

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I want to take you on a journey. Through time. It will be difficult to condense so much into one short article but here I go.

And it all starts with the Suez Canal, an artificial waterway in Egypt. And it ends with the Ben Gurian Canal. So let's get to it. 

The idea of connecting the Mediterranean to the Red Sea dates back to ancient times, with several early attempts made by Egyptians.

However, the modern canal came into existence under French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, whose vision led to the construction of the Suez Canal by the Suez Canal Company, a French-controlled corporation.

Completed after a decade of intense labour, the canal dramatically shortened sea routes between Europe and Asia, eliminating the need to navigate around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.

Read more: Competing Visions for Control of Global Trade and Middle Eastern Influence - A Tale of two Canals

A Tribute to a Dear Friend Gone ............But Not Forgotten

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Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane

Published: 30 September 2024

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It is three years ago today that I lost my beloved friend and companion Bridget. 

She was a cat most triumphant. Her life was supposed to end thirteen years ago, but through some miracle or the miracle of love, she shared my life for nearly a decade.

As the years pass, I still miss her. Her needs and wants, her rules and idiosyncrasies. How I would go to see  Redhead and say, as I left the house " Don't worry, I'll be back soon. " 

How I would bring my groceries in and she would explore every bag to see what treats I had brought her? 

So to all of you animal lovers out there, I am sure you know how I feel today. But let us always cherish the memories of those beautiful souls who enriched and elevated our lives so very much. 

Read more: A Tribute to a Dear Friend Gone............But Not Forgotten

The Bar of Soap - a lesson for Life

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Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane

Published: 29 September 2024

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One of the biggest lessons I learned in life was when I realised that winning can turn to losing in the blink of an eye and that clever packaging doesn't change the contents. 

And it all started with a bar of soap.

When I was a young girl, about 10 or so, I went on a school trip. It was a most exciting thing to contemplate – 10 days away from home and off to experience a life of independence, adulthood and a chance to spread my young wings.

Several days before our departure on this school excursion in to the wilds of the unknown yet wondrous depths of self exploration and joy, I was with my parents in a local supermarket, buying groceries and food for the fortnightly shop. ( as was the custom in those days when one lived in the place called “ the country”. )

Then, in that supermarket, I saw it: a bar of soap.

Read more: The Bar of Soap - a lesson for Life

Sky Guardians: The Heroic Legacy of the Flying Tigers in World War II

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Written by: Op-Ed Happy Expat

Published: 28 September 2024

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Those who are not familiar with this title may be excused for thinking that it is the name of a circus troupe. After all, in WW1 the Red Baron’s squadron was popularly referred to as The Flying Circus so such an assumption is reasonable.

Those who are familiar with it will know that it was a name given to a group of American airmen fighting with the Chinese forces against the Japanese during and before WW2.

In Australia most knowledgement of this group is pretty thin and the full impact of their efforts on the outcome of the Pacific war is largely unknown. Their persistence in the face of impossible odds had a significant impact on the Pacific war in that they kept China fighting and by that means tied up somewhere between 500,000 and 750,000 Japanese troops that would have been otherwise available to fight the allies elsewhere.

Read more: Sky Guardians: The Heroic Legacy of the Flying Tigers in World War II

We All Have Sacred Places - Memories are made of this

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Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane

Published: 27 September 2024

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It was back in the early 80's that Redhead and her late husband bought their small plot of Australia. Just 604 sq m of the greatest land in the world. There were no aboriginal artifacts, no unexploded bombs ( as was the case in so many places along the Sunshine Coast of Australia at that time.) No, it was just a home built on a block of land a sparrows fart from the beach.  

They had moved from another country: migrants in truth. They started a new life in a new country and found a home that suited them very nicely. Ineligible for a pension in those days, they worked selling products at a market place on Saturday mornings and embraced the Australian life that they had decided to accept with gratitude. 

Over the years, their home has become one of warmth, welcome and love. 

Read more: We All Have Sacred Places - Memories are made of this

1. Black Bart - The Gentleman Pirate
2. What Makes Good Government? Most Bad Government Has Grown Out of Too Much Government
3. Libertarians and Conservatives - the Same But Different
4. Are Libertarians just House Cats? I Don't Think So....

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