As we dive into 2024, I wonder how many of us have become Uncle Bob?
You know, the bloke who people avoided at dinner parties and weddings. The man who was politically incorrect and never did as he was told. Yes, that man. The one that people shunned and were too embarrassed to be with.
But I loved my Uncle Bob. He fascinated me, amazed me and I thought that he was the most bloody exciting person I had ever met. I have his photo in my wallet today, all these years later. You see, I loved Uncle Bob.
Imagine you’re in mid-flight on a passenger jet, and the captain flies directly into a Category Five hurricane.
The flight attendant calmly says, “The captain has turned on the ‘Fasten Seat Belt’ sign, as we may be expecting some turbulence.”
Of course, the above situation is absurd, as no passenger jet pilot would ever put his passengers in such danger.
But, tragically, governments sometimes do exactly that.
Sometimes, they do it on a small scale, such as when a small country adopts collectivism, only to discover, decades later, that collectivism doesn’t actually work and, eventually, as Maggie Thatcher said, “You run out of other people’s money.”
Perhaps today, more than ever, we are being confronted with a barrage of injustices that challenge our ability to cope. As individuals and as a society. So much is making us angry, frustrated and wanting to cry out with indignation " it's not fair! "
One calamity after another.... like living through a constant attack on our senses and our sense of fair play and justice.
Many people around the world are at an emotional breaking point.
In centuries past, life was unfair for just about everyone. Even a King or Queen who seemingly wielded unlimited power soon discovered that you could lose your head if you upset the wrong people. Taking sides was a dangerous affair, particularly if you happened to pick the wrong side. Rewards could be great - a new estate, riches and wealth beyond imagining. But if you backed the wrong team, you could lose everything, including your life.
Read more: The Kings and Kingmakers. And the Pawns in the Game
As the sun sets on the Australia and culture of my youth, I salute the memories and legacies of over 200 years since the arrival of Captain Arthur Phillip, of a People who are fast disappearing into a sea of tik tok, facebook, twitter, and leftist ideologies.
Our language, our music, and our culture are being swallowed up and devoured by a zealous group of misguided, ill-educated and brainwashed ignoramuses who should have attended the Flysa Institute of Patriotic Studies.
Their student debt would be non-existent, and their education would have been infinitely more informed and beneficial.
But today, I wish to consider The Flysa Institute of Linguistic Studies.
As 2023 draws to a close, I truly hope that there are enough of us left to fight Mad Vax and become the Mad Max we need so desperately today.
If we are too small in number, then the Halls of Justice will surely overwhelm us and the Moronic Vax will spread like a plague - not of a flu virus but a virus of societal change and there will be no turning back.
Because it was Covid and the vaccine that started this downward spiral of insanity where our moral values and commonsense seem to have morphed into hell on earth, devoid of reason or morality.
This is our last chance to stop the moronic madness that has overtaken the world.
Our Vanishing Point.
Read more: Meet Mad Vax - the Moronic Mutant that even Mad Max may not defeat?
Some years ago Papua New Guinea’s Governor, Powes Parkop, damned near caused civil insurrection on New Year’s Day when he enacted a law to ban the chewing of betel nuts on streets of Port Moresby. I said “betel nuts”, not “beetle’s nuts”, in case you think it’s a typo. Most Westerners are not familiar with betel nuts unless they have toured the Sub-Continent.
Hygiene laws in Western countries have thankfully stymied the proliferation of this dirty habit to where a still surprising 10 to 20% of the planet’s population still chaw it in one form or another; making it the 4th most used psychoactive substance, after nicotine, alcohol and caffeine.
Read more: The Colour Red is a Filthy Habit in some places. Betel Nut
Back in 1904, HG Wells wrote a short story about a man who stumbled into a forgotten kingdom where everyone was blind. He thought that would give him incredible power because he possessed something that they did not. The ability to see.
He soon learned that his gift of sight was seen by the villagers as an affliction of the brain that must be caused by two things on his head that he called eyes. They pitied him and, instead of being a gift, the eyes were perceived as a curse, an illness and a disturbance of his brain.
It did not take long before the man realised that, when surrounded by the blindness of ignorance, knowledge itself was an enemy to be ousted and eradicated.
Last night you probably slept for seven to eight hours. About one or two of these was likely in deep sleep, especially if you’re young or physically active. That’s because sleep changes with age and exercise affects brain activity. About three or four hours will have been spent in light sleep.
For the remaining time, you were likely in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. While this is not the only time your brain is potentially dreaming – we also dream during other sleep stages – it is the time your brain activity is most likely to be recalled and reported when you’re awake.
In 1971 there was a time I was dying. In a yacht on a lake. And my brother saved me. I was a young girl in my yacht with my brother. We " canned out " and I, like my brother, fell into the dark and cold gloom of very troubled water.
It did not matter where it happened, but that it happened.
We were going to die. Cold water. Deep, cold, dark and endless water. Yet we were saved. Through determination, love and hard work.
As the Xmas/New Year break approaches many people will have their eyes on the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race; a traditional event starting on Boxing Day.
One of the several unticked items on my bucket list is to sail in the Sydney to Hobart. Back in the 1970’s and early 80’s I crewed on an ocean racer out of Sandringham Yacht Club in Melbourne. The boat I was on was a Carter 30, an English design that could better be described as a Slow Boat to China rather than a racing thoroughbred.
Read more: The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - a Boxing Day Tradition
At the heart of the Christmas story rests some important lessons concerning free enterprise, government, and the role of wealth in society.
Let’s begin with one of the most famous phrases: “There’s no room at the inn.” This phrase is often invoked as if it were a cruel and heartless dismissal of the tired travelers Joseph and Mary. Many renditions of the story conjure up images of the couple going from inn to inn only to have the owner barking at them to go away and slamming the door.
In fact, the inns were full to overflowing in the entire Holy Land because of the Roman emperor’s decree that everyone be counted and taxed. Inns are private businesses, and customers are their lifeblood. There would have been no reason to turn away this man of royal lineage and his beautiful, expectant bride.
Read more: The Businessman and the Holy Family - something to think about
Between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, more than a hundred thousand British children were…
144 hits
The Battle of Britain ended on 15th September, 1940 but the Blitz continued long after that. Following…
234 hits
In an age of glowing screens and fleeting texts, something precious has quietly slipped away:…
264 hits
As young folk, didn't some of us feel like rebels without a cause? I am…
294 hits
As our countries are collapsing under the weight of wokeism, social and communist ideology, who…
382 hits
Crack Up or Crack Apart When the world gets grim, you’ve only got two choices:…
391 hits
Dusty Gulch Dispatch: The Croc Cavalry & the Great Duckening By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special…
440 hits
The Warning of Gareth Jones: Who Owns Our Land, Our Water, Our Future? When we…
416 hits
"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice,…
413 hits
As a teacher seasoned by years of studying history and upholding the integrity of language,…
545 hits
“The stupidity of democracy. It will always remain as one of democracy’s best jokes that…
472 hits
It was 19 years ago on the 4th of September 2006 that Steve Irwin rolled…
579 hits
Why Even a My Little Pony Rifle Makes More Sense than Gun Bans We have…
543 hits
Dusty Gulch Dispatch: The Great Literary Rebellion By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Special Correspondent (still in…
534 hits
I was 12 years old when "The Prisoner " came out. Sometimes, I would sneak…
568 hits
Ordinary people following rules - without questioning right from wrong - can enable harm. History…
516 hits
On September 3rd, Australia marks National Flag Day - a day that should fill us…
620 hits
Australia was never built on timidity. It was carved out by men and women who…
704 hits
It is hard to believe that twenty-eight years have passed since the world lost Diana,…
649 hits
Few figures divide Australians as sharply as Ned Kelly. To some, he is a larrikin…
804 hits
Paddy’s Golden Mischief: A Rat’s-Eye View of Dusty Gulch By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble, Chief Correspondent…
572 hits
We are told it’s all under control. Markets are managed, energy transitions are planned, and…
598 hits
In the shadow of a shattered empire, the Weimar Republic rose in 1919, promising democracy,…
644 hits
“Some of us may forget that, of all the Allies, it was the Australians who…
766 hits
When 5 Ducks Take on Snakes, Dusty Gulch Prepares for Bloodshed By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
640 hits
" Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it…
670 hits
In early 1951, New Zealand’s waterfronts weren’t just bustling ports - they had become battlegrounds.…
746 hits
Ratty News Special: “From Gondwana to Dusty Gulch: The Ostrich Problem” By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
679 hits
During World War II, Australia was a vital cog in the Allied machine, sending troops…
782 hits
Of all the magnificent units and regiments of the Australian Army I doubt if…
714 hits
The Emu War is one of Australia’s strangest historical events. In late 1932, the government…
649 hits
For nearly a decade, I’ve poured my soul into this blog. Twelve hours a day,…
612 hits