I was not quite 10 in early 1979 when the Shah of Iran flew into exile, preempting the takeover of that country by the mullahs, led by the odious fanatic the Ayatollah Khomeini. That was not the only thing going on around that time. The USSR rolled tanks into Afghanistan a few months later, and …
Tag Archives: history
The Misuse Of ‘Fortunate Son’
I was watching Die Hard 4.0 yesterday, the one where Detective John McLane takes on cyber terrorists. He does not start getting really violent until after his first phone conversation with the chief villain. In that conversation, he is informed that his 401K account (ie his superannuation fund) has just been wiped out. Immediately after …
Vox Populi Vox Dei Redux – Takeaways From Last Saturday’s Federal Election
Three years ago, just before the 2022 Federal Election, I made some reflections on the lack of political engagement on the part of the Australian populace, compared to their counterparts in the 1950s: With the 2025 election now all but over, with just a few seats left to count and confirm the winner, it is …
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Not Everyone Likes Rock N Roll….
I just finished reading Land Of The Long Weekend, the late Ronald Conway’s 1978 critique of 1970s Australian society, culture and consumerism. It was heavy going. Whilst I am quite well read, Conway was even more read, in the way of an autodidact, and fond of quoting his interpretations of many famed authors and philosophers …
Bernie Finn Returns – Yet Again!
I have written about former local state upper house MP Bernie Finn on various occasions in the past, particularly when I suggested he get given a knighthood (I was being facetious, if you don’t quite know how to read my tone!). I will be honest and concede that his first coming as an MP in …
‘No One Expects The Spanish Inquisition’: Something Else Which No Pope Has Apologised For Yet….
Over 50 years ago, Monty Python did an episode called ‘Spanish Inquisition’, which has since then led to many memes along the theme of ‘No One Expects The Spanish Inquisition’. Through ridicule, one of the more shameful chapters in the history of the Catholic Church is diminished. However, I am not sure that the Catholic …
The Australian Olympic Team – Where Too Much Ain’t Enough
The Olympics are over, and I hope that we as a nation-state have sated our gluttony for gold medals for a few months at least. After all, we did win 18 of those at these Olympics, the most we have ever won in history, coming fourth in the tally behind the USA, China, and Japan …
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Irredentism – An Irredeemable & Immature Ideology
When I was nine years old, I became aware of the extent of the Roman Empire, in which Italy, my ancestral homeland, was the dominant part. I felt rather indignant (being ethnically Italian) that Rome did not still rule all shores and hinterlands of the Mediterranean. Without knowing it at the time, I was an Italian …
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Lost For Words! 