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
For thousands of years, a diagnosis of leprosy meant a life sentence of social isolation. People afflicted with the condition now known as Hansen’s disease were typically taken from their families, treated with prejudice and cruelly exiled into a lifetime of quarantine.
In America, patients were sent to separate settlements but were deprived of fundamental civil liberties: to work, to move freely and see loved ones, to vote, to raise families of their own. Some who bore children had their babies forcibly removed.
In Australia, people were exiled to quarantine facilities. Many " patients " died there.
Read more: The Disease of 2023: Social Leprosy and the Division Bell is Tolling
Throughout our modern world, we are seeing people being thrown into a battle over land rights. It seems strange to me that the welfare of the land is becoming a secondary issue to money. Much like parents bickering over who gets custody of the kids. It is no longer about the land. It is about the money. The power. Control.
And the people who prosper? Well, it's not really black or white, is it?
Australia is heading to the courtroom later this year in a custody battle that is turning ugly and becoming more divisive by the day. It will ultimately end in divorce proceedings and the separation of the aboriginal " mother " and the rest of us, also known as " Dad ". Without " Dad " Australia would not be the country it is today. " Up until " The Voice ", we were mucking along quite nicely and I didn't even realise that we had a problem in the marriage.
So let us have a look at how we got to this sorry state of affairs.
Read more: Land Rights and Custody Battles - It's not really Black or White
When I was young, one of my favourite books was " Wind in the Willows. " Even today, as I approach 70 years of age, I can still relate to this book and, if anything, it means more to me now than when I first read it about 60 years ago. Why do I feel that we are cruising down the river with a weasel at the helm and the " riverbank" is no longer home?
Are we asleep at the wheel?
Having become enchanted with Chaucer's adventure on the Wunderlust II, I found myself increasingly drawn back to the wonderful work of Kenneth Grahame. Written to enchant, excite and amuse, it makes me sad that children today no longer see such work in their school libraries, much less sit back in bed and snuggle down to share the joy of a tale woven out of love and the soothing pleasure of beautiful words. But, even in this lovely tale of friendship, home and the importance of family, there was a sinister threat that lurked. The Weasels.
Read more: Cruising Down the River With a Weasel at The Helm...... Are We Asleep at the Wheel??
Read more: PARIS TO LYON BY CANAL ON THE WANDERLUST II - Part 3
Does anyone else feel that we are on a roundabout and we don't know how to get off? Are we feeling dizzy with the government putting dollars over decency? Do we feel we are swinging by our necks on a government noose?
Of late, " I remember " has taken on a sense of urgency. It is as if our minds need to share as much as possible before the lights go out on the old world we grew up in and the New World Order takes over. Nostalgia is comfort food for the soul.
Particularly in these days when we are being driven crazy by profit over patriotism and callousness over care.
Read more: Roundabouts and Swings - Why Childhood is so Important
As 15th August ( the surrender by Japan in WW II ) approaches one can anticipate the usual diatribes from the unwashed and soy-latte sets lecturing us on how bad we were in 1945 to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. None of these know-alls were even alive in 1945 so whatever they have to say comes from their collective backsides.
Britain, Germany and the USA were all working to become the first to master nuclear fission. Thankfully it was America who won.
The American effort began in 1939 when Albert Einstein wrote a letter to President Roosevelt setting out the possibilities and predicted consequences of unleashing nuclear power. Einstein, a German born Jew, left Germany to study in Zurich and renounced his citizenship in 1896 to avoid compulsory military service.
Read more: Hiroshima and Nagasaki - a Moment in Time or Just in Time?
On July 28, 2023, Weekend Australian Magazine published a bombshell report based on an exclusive interview with Dr. Robert (Bob) Kadlec, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) who served under Donald Trump. Basically, the subtext of the interview can be summarized as “it was all Tony’s fault, not mine.”
To many readers this may seem like just more Washington, DC Kabuki theater with a side order of limited hangout (much like the prior Vanity Fair article in which Kadlec provided a generous scoop of spin with a topping of CYA). Personally, I find this whole “inside the Beltway” rush to deflect blame for the gross “public health” mismanagement and rampant lying during the COVIDcrisis slightly amusing, in a twisted sort of way, but definitely popcorn worthy.
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.
“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.”
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
How many times in our lives has it been said or thought that things could not get worse, weirder, more absurd, more dangerous, more immoral, more brutal, more controlling, more restrictive, more perverted, more murderous, or more insane? Can those thoughts even be considered in this day and age of complete and total lunacy? What has happened to mankind, and can it all be blamed on brainwashing and indoctrination by the ruling class over the rest of society?
I am motivated to write this article after reading a post online elsewhere where a person said that he was culling his " followers " from his social media.
Why?
Because they couldn't argue their case. Instead, they were resorting to ridicule, abuse, insults and one-line comebacks, instead of pointing out why they held an opinion that was worthy of consideration.
Herein lies the problem.
You see, today, people have lost the ability to debate. To argue their case. To defend their position. To exemplify why they are right. How they came to their conclusion, where they found their information in order to form their opinion and when they came to form their opinion in the first place.
Please donate to
Swiftcode METWAU4B
BSB 484799
Account
Reference PR |
Please email me so I can thank you.
patriot@patriotrealm.com
No, I don’t believe for a split second that suddenly, college students all over America…
98 hits
More than anyone else in history, Karl Marx exemplified trying to fix the world while…
155 hits
Each war seems to produce its own under-appreciated heroes who, for reasons that have nothing…
274 hits
Many years ago, a beloved mentor told me a story—a parable, if you will—about a…
206 hits
If all satellites suddenly stopped working, the consequences would be widespread and significant. Satellites play…
247 hits
A few nights ago, I watched a series on pay TV called " The Mill.…
224 hits
'So we marched into the sea and when we got out to about waist level…
234 hits
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary…
171 hits
My very first Dawn Service was at St Faith’s Church at Ohinemutu in Rotorua in…
138 hits
The Last Post would be familiar to all Australians from an early age. It is…
199 hits
Back a while ago, we published an incredibly interesting article about the life of one man…
248 hits
25 April is a very important day for Australians and New Zealanders. It is called…
202 hits
A while ago, I watched a movie ( Australian ) called William Kelly's War. It was…
251 hits
When our leaders and politicians sign us up to these global accords, declarations and agreements,…
235 hits
It has been truly said that Australia arrived in Gallipoli as six separate States and…
213 hits
Cats have been a part of ocean going ships since time immemorial being needed to…
301 hits
In 1942, my late Uncle was a metallurgist in Papua New Guinea. At the height…
267 hits
We seem to have an outbreak of mental health issues throughout the world. Yelling “allah…
248 hits
Many years ago, about half a century in fact, I played netball with my friend…
243 hits
Some time ago, I watched a fascinating documentary about the history of tanks. I did…
307 hits
Certain battles stand out not just for their strategic significance, but also for the profound…
258 hits
When I was young (many decades ago) we lived on a small family farm at Wheatvale…
284 hits
One thousand and twenty-one submissions to the Covid-19 Response Enquiry, out of the two thousand and…
265 hits
Friends come and go, and sure at times - family too. But Great Granpa …
267 hits
It seems to me that ancient man’s instinct to provide sustenance for his family…
256 hits