Old Mates Daily Take
@oldmatesdailytake.bsky.social
An average Aussie bloke, past seventy, watching the world change at speed. I read the news, notice the patterns, and comment on daily life as I see it. No outrage, no spin — just lived experience, common sense, and honest observations.
Reopening of Venezuelan airspace hints at #tourism revival, and that could one day help local cafés, guides and small hotels. But form an Australians opinion, #SafetyRisks, instability and weak services probably still make #Venezuela a hard no for travellers right now.
#Venezuela #TourismSafety
#Venezuela #TourismSafety
February 1, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Reopening of Venezuelan airspace hints at #tourism revival, and that could one day help local cafés, guides and small hotels. But form an Australians opinion, #SafetyRisks, instability and weak services probably still make #Venezuela a hard no for travellers right now.
#Venezuela #TourismSafety
#Venezuela #TourismSafety
Blimey, this is new. While we fixate on tariffs from the orange muppet in the US, #China quietly slaps a 55 per cent whack on #AussieBeef. Farmers bleed, exports may dive by billions, and the consequences land squarely on regional Australia. #auspol #trade #China #agriculture #ChinaTrade #Tariff
February 1, 2026 at 7:13 AM
Blimey, this is new. While we fixate on tariffs from the orange muppet in the US, #China quietly slaps a 55 per cent whack on #AussieBeef. Farmers bleed, exports may dive by billions, and the consequences land squarely on regional Australia. #auspol #trade #China #agriculture #ChinaTrade #Tariff
As an older Australian watching from afar, I stand with the Minneapolis protestors. When federal agents kill citizens and terrorise communities, standing in freezing streets becomes an act of courage. This is ordinary people pushing back against a #democracy losing its way. #StandWithMinneapolis
February 1, 2026 at 4:09 AM
As an older Australian watching from afar, I stand with the Minneapolis protestors. When federal agents kill citizens and terrorise communities, standing in freezing streets becomes an act of courage. This is ordinary people pushing back against a #democracy losing its way. #StandWithMinneapolis
#TheAustralian #Qld #BarronRiver is now basically #CrocCentral with locals reckoning #crocodiles have RSVP’d permanently, usurping swimmers, farmers and probably the local bingo club. Town’s way of life paused while folks learn to share BBQ space with the toothy big blokes. Crocs: 1, Residents: nil
February 1, 2026 at 3:51 AM
#TheAustralian #Qld #BarronRiver is now basically #CrocCentral with locals reckoning #crocodiles have RSVP’d permanently, usurping swimmers, farmers and probably the local bingo club. Town’s way of life paused while folks learn to share BBQ space with the toothy big blokes. Crocs: 1, Residents: nil
#Trump calls UK–China trade ‘very dangerous’ while the U.S. imports far more from #China than #Britain or #Canada ever do, proving once again he knows #geopolitics about as well as he knows the spelling of ‘tariff’. #TradeWars #Hypocrisy
January 30, 2026 at 7:20 PM
#Trump calls UK–China trade ‘very dangerous’ while the U.S. imports far more from #China than #Britain or #Canada ever do, proving once again he knows #geopolitics about as well as he knows the spelling of ‘tariff’. #TradeWars #Hypocrisy
The reign of #StateTerror and #repression in #Iran has hit a new low. Doctors who treated and documented injured protesters from the recent #IranProtests are being hunted and jailed to terrify witnesses. When healing becomes a crime, #HumanRights and #MedicalNeutrality are dead. #HumanRights
January 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM
The reign of #StateTerror and #repression in #Iran has hit a new low. Doctors who treated and documented injured protesters from the recent #IranProtests are being hunted and jailed to terrify witnesses. When healing becomes a crime, #HumanRights and #MedicalNeutrality are dead. #HumanRights
Reposted by Old Mates Daily Take
Alberta is the front line in the fight for democracy.
Canadians need to step up to help.
Contact your MP and demand a parliamentary investigation into foreign interference to help the quislings threatening Canada.
charlieangus.substack.com/p/if-alberta...
Canadians need to step up to help.
Contact your MP and demand a parliamentary investigation into foreign interference to help the quislings threatening Canada.
charlieangus.substack.com/p/if-alberta...
If Alberta Falls, Canada Falls
Finally. Someone in the public has spoken the word ‘treason’.
charlieangus.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Alberta is the front line in the fight for democracy.
Canadians need to step up to help.
Contact your MP and demand a parliamentary investigation into foreign interference to help the quislings threatening Canada.
charlieangus.substack.com/p/if-alberta...
Canadians need to step up to help.
Contact your MP and demand a parliamentary investigation into foreign interference to help the quislings threatening Canada.
charlieangus.substack.com/p/if-alberta...
While #Washington huffs and puffs about #Canada as a 51st state, more than a few Americans quietly eye the maple leaf, wondering if #Medicare, gun sanity and boring stability might beat flag-waving chaos and democracy by tantrum. #USPolitics #51stState #WorldPolitics #GunControl #MapleLeaf
January 29, 2026 at 8:04 PM
While #Washington huffs and puffs about #Canada as a 51st state, more than a few Americans quietly eye the maple leaf, wondering if #Medicare, gun sanity and boring stability might beat flag-waving chaos and democracy by tantrum. #USPolitics #51stState #WorldPolitics #GunControl #MapleLeaf
In memory of #ShabnamFerdowsi, who was killed by Iran’s regime earlier this month. #Iran #Tehran #Iran #Genocide
January 29, 2026 at 7:28 PM
In memory of #ShabnamFerdowsi, who was killed by Iran’s regime earlier this month. #Iran #Tehran #Iran #Genocide
I’m gutted seeing parts of Australia again under a state of disaster. Homes lost, lives upended, firefighters pushed to the edge. To everyone affected by #bushfires and #extremeheat in #Victoria, know we’re with you. Stay safe, lean on each other, and get through this. #together #resilience
January 29, 2026 at 7:59 AM
I’m gutted seeing parts of Australia again under a state of disaster. Homes lost, lives upended, firefighters pushed to the edge. To everyone affected by #bushfires and #extremeheat in #Victoria, know we’re with you. Stay safe, lean on each other, and get through this. #together #resilience
These #LostPet notices popping up around the White House are hard to miss. Lost near the East Wing, fond of #BigMacs and fries, and a so-called beloved lap cat of #MilaniaTrump with a reward of #IceImmunity on offer. Satire or not, it says plenty about the circus. #politicalhumour #DCstreetart
January 29, 2026 at 7:22 AM
These #LostPet notices popping up around the White House are hard to miss. Lost near the East Wing, fond of #BigMacs and fries, and a so-called beloved lap cat of #MilaniaTrump with a reward of #IceImmunity on offer. Satire or not, it says plenty about the circus. #politicalhumour #DCstreetart
#Sunset near #Adelaide #SouthAustralia taken a few weeks back. Sunsets and sunrises are a favourite #photography subject for me.
January 29, 2026 at 6:06 AM
#Sunset near #Adelaide #SouthAustralia taken a few weeks back. Sunsets and sunrises are a favourite #photography subject for me.
I am relieved to see #ICE finally back down and release a man who should never have been held. If #RuleOfLaw means anything, this needs to be the start of #DeEscalation in US cities, not damage control after the fact. Due process matters. #Justice #Civility #USPolitics #MyOpinion #Minnesota
US ICE releases man in Minnesota as agency head faced contempt
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has complied with a Minnesota federal judge’s order to release a wrongly detained Ecuadorean man, likely averting an in-person contempt of court hearing for it...
www.reuters.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:31 PM
I am relieved to see #ICE finally back down and release a man who should never have been held. If #RuleOfLaw means anything, this needs to be the start of #DeEscalation in US cities, not damage control after the fact. Due process matters. #Justice #Civility #USPolitics #MyOpinion #Minnesota
Recorded in the last few days by #BruceSpringsteen in support of #Minneapolis and their effort to get #IceOut
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 8:11 PM
Recorded in the last few days by #BruceSpringsteen in support of #Minneapolis and their effort to get #IceOut
It’s worries me that politicians and individuals still turn to violence to “fix” conflicts. Bombing, invading or terrorism never brought lasting peace in #Iraq or #Afghanistan and pushing for war with #Iran won’t either. We need #diplomacy and #humanity, not endless cycles of destruction. #MyOpinion
January 28, 2026 at 5:49 PM
It’s worries me that politicians and individuals still turn to violence to “fix” conflicts. Bombing, invading or terrorism never brought lasting peace in #Iraq or #Afghanistan and pushing for war with #Iran won’t either. We need #diplomacy and #humanity, not endless cycles of destruction. #MyOpinion
Read a headline earlier claiming Italy doesn’t want ice at the Winter Olympics and nearly spat my coffee. No ice? Madness. Then I realised it’s Trump’s #ICE they’re on about, not the frozen wet stuff. When the #WinterOlympics need a politics translator, you know #USPolitics has left the ski jump.
January 28, 2026 at 3:51 AM
Read a headline earlier claiming Italy doesn’t want ice at the Winter Olympics and nearly spat my coffee. No ice? Madness. Then I realised it’s Trump’s #ICE they’re on about, not the frozen wet stuff. When the #WinterOlympics need a politics translator, you know #USPolitics has left the ski jump.
This is my emotional reset. #Nightbirde strips life back to what matters. Knowing cancer took her before a return to #AmericasGotTalent makes it hit harder. Pure courage, zero self-pity. A sharp reminder to choose #perspective over noise, hold #gratitude close, and live with #resilience every day.
America's Got Talent - Nightbirde "It's OK" Golden Buzzer Performance
YouTube video by Nightbirde Music
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 2:13 AM
This is my emotional reset. #Nightbirde strips life back to what matters. Knowing cancer took her before a return to #AmericasGotTalent makes it hit harder. Pure courage, zero self-pity. A sharp reminder to choose #perspective over noise, hold #gratitude close, and live with #resilience every day.
Reporting in #TheAustralian today suggests a quiet push from within the LNP, using youth numbers to shift key party values — a tactic seen recently in the US. Hard-won rights on #abortion and Australia’s #multicultural strength don’t defend themselves. Silence is how they’re undone. #AusPol #StandUp
January 28, 2026 at 1:54 AM
Reporting in #TheAustralian today suggests a quiet push from within the LNP, using youth numbers to shift key party values — a tactic seen recently in the US. Hard-won rights on #abortion and Australia’s #multicultural strength don’t defend themselves. Silence is how they’re undone. #AusPol #StandUp
Extreme heat and shifting winds today mean #VicFires remain a serious threat, with towns in the #OtwayRanges still at risk. Firefighters are on edge as volatile conditions persist, underscoring the ongoing #BushfireRisk across regional #Victoria and wider #Australia. #StaySafe folks.
January 27, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Extreme heat and shifting winds today mean #VicFires remain a serious threat, with towns in the #OtwayRanges still at risk. Firefighters are on edge as volatile conditions persist, underscoring the ongoing #BushfireRisk across regional #Victoria and wider #Australia. #StaySafe folks.
Great to see another delivery option in Sydney with Amazon x Harris Farm taking on Coles/Woolies, but don’t kid yourself that it’ll help most of us outside cities. Rural delivery is still a myth, #Coles deliver to my main street, not to me 300m down the road. www.theaustralian.com.au/business/ret...
January 27, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Great to see another delivery option in Sydney with Amazon x Harris Farm taking on Coles/Woolies, but don’t kid yourself that it’ll help most of us outside cities. Rural delivery is still a myth, #Coles deliver to my main street, not to me 300m down the road. www.theaustralian.com.au/business/ret...
January 27th, International #Holocaust #Remembrance Day comes around, we say “never again”, then watch the US flirt with book bans, loyalty tests and #strongman worship. From an older Aussie watching the world: history doesn’t repeat, it rhymes — and America’s humming a tune we’ve heard before.
January 27, 2026 at 5:46 PM
January 27th, International #Holocaust #Remembrance Day comes around, we say “never again”, then watch the US flirt with book bans, loyalty tests and #strongman worship. From an older Aussie watching the world: history doesn’t repeat, it rhymes — and America’s humming a tune we’ve heard before.
VICTORIA BUSHFIRE THREAT AND COURAGE
I’ve caught the #bushfirewarnings coming out of #victoria and it’s bloody grim reading with temperatures potentially smashing old high-temperature marks — and #melbourne set for its hottest day since Black Saturday.
www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
I’ve caught the #bushfirewarnings coming out of #victoria and it’s bloody grim reading with temperatures potentially smashing old high-temperature marks — and #melbourne set for its hottest day since Black Saturday.
www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
January 27, 2026 at 8:19 AM
VICTORIA BUSHFIRE THREAT AND COURAGE
I’ve caught the #bushfirewarnings coming out of #victoria and it’s bloody grim reading with temperatures potentially smashing old high-temperature marks — and #melbourne set for its hottest day since Black Saturday.
www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
I’ve caught the #bushfirewarnings coming out of #victoria and it’s bloody grim reading with temperatures potentially smashing old high-temperature marks — and #melbourne set for its hottest day since Black Saturday.
www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...