Gravity is indeed one of the most universal and inclusive forces on our planet. It's a " force" that acts on all matters with mass, regardless of any other characteristic, including skin colour, ethnicity, nationality, language, or any other human distinction.
It does not matter if you come from the Dreamtime, from prehistoric mankind, or are a distant descendant of the dinosaurs; all life on Earth depends on gravity.
If you are a lizard, a cat, a white person, a black person, or even a politician, you are subject to the same law as me.
Gravity.
It is the great equaliser. It is a fundamental truth that the closer we are, the more influence we exert on each other. By encouraging distance, we are polarising.
Read more: It's Time to Come Back Down to Earth
There is truly no rest for the wicked, as the bleared-eyed wicked attempt to wrest ever more privacy and autonomy from the snoozing population. Wicked is, as wicked does, and whatever Andrews does, wicked it most certainly is. A bill for this, a bill for that, and now, yet another parliamentary Bill is being quietly advanced to further ratchet the digital screws of control. Its inherent wickedness is cunningly concealed — so as not to startle awake those who have blissfully counted themselves amongst the jumping sheep. Awake! You damned drooling dreamers — you are damning us all!
In late 2020, the Andrews’ Labor Government unveiled its first iteration of ‘The Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill.’ This proposed legislation emerged amidst the furore of the tyrannical ‘COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Bill 2020,’ and although it was intended as complimentary legislation — it was peripherally blurred from the focus of libertarian minds. Few noticed it, and it seemed to fade into obscurity. Now, it has resurfaced, having just passed through the Lower House Legislative Assembly on the February 23, 2023.
The Australian Government’s proposed new laws to crack down on misinformation and disinformation have drawn intense criticism for their potential to restrict free expression and political dissent, paving the way for a digital censorship regime reminiscent of Soviet Lysenkoism.
Under the draft legislation, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will gain considerable expanded regulatory powers to “combat misinformation and disinformation,” which ACMA says poses a “threat to the safety and wellbeing of Australians, as well as to our democracy, society and economy.”
Digital platforms will be required to share information with ACMA on demand, and to implement stronger systems and processes for handling of misinformation and disinformation.
Read more: Australia’s Misinformation Bill Paves Way for Soviet-Style Censorship
Six years ago, fate had me stumble across a YouTube video of Mischa Maisky playing the Sarabande from Bach’s first cello suite. I don’t know why, but I decided to rent a cello with the goal of playing this song, at least badly.
I didn’t have a teacher nor any more sophisticated plan beyond that. Fate would strike again in a fit of harmonic synchronicity: the woman who would teach me appeared at the luthier the day I picked up my cello. I had no musical experience; she was a professional.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. I had the right guidance. I practiced. By the end of the first year I could play the Sarabande badly. I had accomplished my goal, but I was hooked.
When we think of anarchy, the image that often springs to mind is one of lawless mayhem, a world without rules or structure. But what if I told you that anarchy is already with us? It is simply that the governments in the world are getting away with it and the sensible citizens among us are still trying to abide by the rules.
In fact, we are living in parallel societies. Where the rules only apply to those who follow them. The rest? Hell, it is open season for anarchy.
I am a great fan of debate: where teams representing opposing points of view argue their case and the decision is made as to who wins by casting votes for one side or the other.
But today, the votes are already cast and anarchy is already with us.
Read more: Anarchy - the Absence of government - Disorder and Confusion
A National Digital ID system will soon be foisted upon all Australians — if we let it. Our government has schemed and conspired for this for some time, and that time is almost upon us.
It will be unlike existing Digital ID. The technology will be based on the storage of blockchain-encrypted biometrics that can be securely scanned and decoded upon request. Every Australian will be required to submit a combination of their unique biological aspects (fingerprints, palm print, iris scan, DNA, face scan, etc) to a nationwide database. Once these biometrics have been gathered, they will comprise a unique Digital ID that can be routinely accessed for verification and identification purposes. You will be instantaneously identifiable everywhere; geolocated and tracked; and with all personal data harvested and analysed — every aspect of your life, health and finances will be openly scrutinized by endless AI-profiling.
What could possibly go right.
Read more: NATIONAL DIGITAL ID: Why Every Australian Must Reject It
Read more: PARIS TO LYON BY CANAL ON THE WANDERLUST II - Part 4
" We need to preserve wild spaces. Outside in the environment, but also within ourselves. The opposite of control isn’t chaos, it is reality"
I read this quote recently and it got me pondering.
What a profoundly wonderful piece of truth.
When our lives are controlled, we are meaningless. We drift from task to task, seemingly blind in achieving our objective which, ultimately, is to stay ahead of the Boss Hogs, Weasels, and Snakes.
The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18, 1966, in the Phuoc Tuy Province of South Vietnam. It was part of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War as part of its commitment to the United States' efforts to counter the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The region's dense jungles, muddy terrain, and unpredictable weather added to the complexity of the conflict. The Australian soldiers were part of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and were led by Major Harry Smith.
On that fateful day, a small Australian company of 108 men - 105 Australians and 3 New Zealanders - found themselves vastly outnumbered by a determined North Vietnamese force estimated to be around 2,500 strong. The Australians were based at a rubber plantation in Long Tan, surrounded by thick vegetation that hindered visibility and movement. The North Vietnamese launched an intense assault, employing small arms, mortars, and artillery fire.
Read more: The Battle of Long Tan: A Defining Moment of Courage and Tenacity
I publish this piece as a tribute to all of the modest men and women who reach their own summit ... that of surmounting the challenge to raise a family, survive the avalanche of MSM and governmental indoctrination and rise triumphant at the sunset hours and say, as Sir Edmund Hillary said " What a fortunate man I have been. "
To be able to say, as he said, " I have had much good fortune, a fair amount of success and a share of sorrow, too. Ever since I reached the summit of Everest … the media have classified me as a hero, but I have always recognised myself as being a person of modest abilities. My achievements have resulted from a goodly share of imagination and plenty of energy."
In many respects, to live a life well and know that we have scaled metaphoric mountains to arrive at the pinnacle of our personal mountain, is no small feat. Many have survived war. Too many have survived hardship. Hunger. Homelessness and or helplessness.
And you know what? We can all stand tall and know that a life worth living is a life worth having lived well.
Read more: Sir Edmund Hillary: A Life With Living is a Life Worth Having Lived Well
The Panama Canal officially opened on 15 August 1914. This date marked the completion of the canal's construction and the first successful transit of a vessel, the SS Ancon, which had been acquired by the Panama Railroad Company to haul freight, through the entire length of the canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The Panama Canal stands as one of the most remarkable engineering achievements in human history, a testament to our ability to conquer nature's barriers and connect distant parts of the globe.
However, it took a railroad to build the canal.
The length of the Panama Canal from shoreline to shoreline is about 40 miles (65 km) and from deep water in the Atlantic (more specifically, the Caribbean Sea) to deep water in the Pacific about 50 miles (82 km). It shaved 8,000 miles or about 20,000 km off the Cape Horn route through much safer waters, and it was an immediate hit with the world's shippers at the dawn of the First World War.
The Panama Railroad played a crucial role in facilitating the construction of the Panama Canal. It provided essential transportation infrastructure that supported the movement of people, equipment, and supplies needed for the monumental task of building the canal.
Read more: The Industrial Revolution Part 2 - How a Railroad Helped Build a Canal
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