Happy birthday and many happy returns Lucy O'Callaghanand Peter Dutton. Born on the same day, across the years. Remember, birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
===
- 1812 – Napoleonic Wars: During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Marshal Michel Ney's leadership in theBattle of Krasnoi earned him the nickname "the bravest of the brave" despite the overwhelming French defeat.
- 1865 – American author Mark Twain's story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", his first great success as a writer, was published.
- 1872 – American suffragette Susan B. Anthony (pictured) was arrested and fined $100 for having voted in the U.S. presidential election in Rochester, New York, two weeks prior.
- 1987 – In London, an underground fire killed 31 people at King's Cross St Pancras.
- 1991 – Croatian War of Independence: Yugoslav People's Armyforces captured the Croatian city of Vukovar, ending an 87-day siege.
===
Births
- 1522 – Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Flemish general and statesman (d. 1568)
- 1630 – Empress Eleanor Gonzaga of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1686)
- 1647 – Pierre Bayle, French philosopher (d. 1706)
- 1727 – Philibert Commerçon, French naturalist (d. 1773)
- 1736 – Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, German composer and harpsichordist (d. 1800)
- 1756 – Thomas Burgess, English author, philosopher and religious figure (d. 1837)
- 1772 – Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (d. 1806)
- 1774 – Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands (d. 1837)
- 1785 – Sir David Wilkie, Scottish painter (d. 1841)
- 1786 – Carl Maria von Weber, German composer (d. 1826)
- 1787 – Louis-Jacques Daguerre, French inventor and photographer (d. 1851)
- 1804 – Alfonso Ferrero la Marmora, Italian general and statesman (d. 1878)
- 1810 – Asa Gray, American botanist (d. 1888)
- 1832 – Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, Finnish-born Swedish explorer (d. 1901)
- 1836 – Sir W. S. Gilbert, British dramatist (d. 1911)
- 1839 – August Kundt, German physicist (d. 1894)
- 1856 – Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (d. 1929)
- 1861 – Dorothy Dix, American journalist (d. 1951)
- 1874 – Clarence Day, American writer (d. 1935)
- 1880 – Naum Torbov, Bulgarian architect (d. 1952)
- 1882 – Amelita Galli-Curci, Italian soprano (d. 1963)
- 1882 – Jacques Maritain, French philosopher (d. 1973)
- 1883 – Carl Vinson, American politician (d. 1981)
- 1886 – Ferenc Münnich, Hungarian Communist politician (d. 1967)
- 1889 – Stanislav Kosior, Polish-born Soviet politician (d. 1939)
- 1897 – Patrick Blackett, British physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1974)
- 1898 – Joris Ivens, Dutch filmmaker (d. 1989)
- 1899 – Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian-born American violinist and conductor (d. 1985)
- 1901 – George Gallup, American statistician and pollster (d. 1984)
- 1901 – V. Shantaram, Indian filmmaker and actor (d. 1984)
- 1904 – Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, British politician (d. 1983)
- 1904 – Jean Paul Lemieux, Quebec painter (d. 1990)
- 1906 – Klaus Mann, German writer (d. 1949)
- 1906 – George Wald, American scientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1997)
- 1906 – Alec Issigonis, Greek-born British car designer (d. 1988)
- 1907 – Gustav Nezval, Czech actor (d. 1998)
- 1907 – Compay Segundo, Cuban guitarist, singer and composer (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2003)
- 1908 – Imogene Coca, American actress and comedian (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Johnny Mercer, American lyricist (d. 1976)
- 1911 – Attilio Bertolucci, Italian poet and writer (d. 2000)
- 1912 – Hilda Nickson, née Hilda Pressley, British novelist (d. 1977)
- 1913 – Endre Rozsda, French surrealist painter (d. 1999)
- 1914 – Haguroyama Masaji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 36th Yokozuna (d. 1969)
- 1915 – Ken Burkhart, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Pedro Infante, Mexican actor and singer (d. 1957)
- 1918 – Sir Tasker Watkins, Welsh Victoria Cross recipient and rugby administrator (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Jocelyn Brando, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1919 – Georgia Carroll, American singer, fashion model, and actress (d. 2011)
- 1920 – Mustafa Khalil, 77th Prime Minister of Egypt (d. 2008)
- 1922 – Luis Somoza Debayle, 70th President of Nicaragua (d. 1967)
- 1923 – Anne Sargent, American actress
- 1923 – Alan Shepard, American astronaut (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Ted Stevens, American politician (d. 2010)
- 1924 – Alexander Mackenzie Stuart, Scottish jurist (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Les Lye, Canadian actor (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Gene Mauch, American baseball manager (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Hank Ballard, American rhythm 'n blues singer and songwriter (d. 2003)
- 1928 – Otar Gordeli, Georgian composer (d. 1994)
- 1928 – Salvador Laurel, Filipino politician (d. 2004)
- 1928 – Sheila Jordan, American jazz singer
- 1929 – Gianna D'Angelo, American soprano
- 1929 – Joey Forman, American comedian and comic actor (d. 1982)
- 1932 – Nasif Estéfano, Argentine racing driver (d. 1973)
- 1932 – Danny McDevitt, American baseball player (d. 2010)
- 1933 – Bruce Conner, American artist and filmmaker (d. 2008)
- 1934 – Vassilis Vassilikos, Greek writer and ambassador
- 1935 – Rudolf Bahro, German dissident (d. 1997)
- 1935 – William Cullen, Scottish senior members of the Scottish judiciary
- 1935 – Rodney Hall, Australian author
- 1936 – Don Cherry, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1995)
- 1936 – Ennio Antonelli, Italian cardinal
- 1939 – Margaret Atwood, Canadian poet, novelist, critic and essayist
- 1939 – Amanda Lear, Hong Kong-born French singer, TV presenter and model
- 1939 – Brenda Vaccaro, American actress
- 1940 – Qaboos bin Said al Said, Sultan of Oman
- 1941 – David Hemmings, British actor (d. 2003)
- 1942 – Linda Evans, American actress
- 1942 – Susan Sullivan, American actress
- 1943 – Leonardo Sandri, Argentine Catholic Cardinal
- 1944 – Wolfgang Joop, German artist and fashion designer
- 1945 – Wilma Mankiller, American tribal chief (d. 2010)
- 1945 – Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka
- 1946 – Alan Dean Foster, American writer
- 1947 – Timothy Maude, American Lieutenant General (d. 2001)
- 1947 – Jameson Parker, American actor
- 1948 – Andrea Marcovicci, American singer and actress
- 1948 – Jack Tatum, American football player (d. 2010)
- 1949 – Ahmed Zaki, Egyptian actor (d. 2005)
- 1950 – Dennis Haskins, American actor
- 1950 – Eric Pierpoint, American actor
- 1950 – Rudy Sarzo, Cuban-born American bassist (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne's band, Whitesnake, Dio, Blue Öyster Cult)
- 1951 – Justin Raimondo, American author
- 1952 – Peter Beattie, Australian politician
- 1952 – Claudio Capone, Italian-born Scottish voice actor (d. 2008)
- 1952 – Delroy Lindo, British actor
- 1953 – Alan Moore, British comic book writer and novelist
- 1953 – Kevin Nealon, American comedian and actor
- 1954 – Evan Gray, New Zealand cricketer
- 1954 – John Parr, British pop singer
- 1955 – Carter Burwell, American composer
- 1955 – Michael Zimmer, German footballer
- 1956 – Noel Brotherston, Northern Irish footballer (d. 1995)
- 1956 – Warren Moon, American football player
- 1957 – Seán Mac Falls, Irish poet
- 1958 – Daniel Brailovsky, Argentine football manager
- 1958 – Plamen Krastev, Bulgarian hurdler
- 1958 – Oscar Nunez, Cuban-born American actor
- 1959 – Jimmy Quinn, Northern Irish footballer and football manager
- 1959 – Cindy Blackman, American jazz and rock drummer
- 1959 – Ulrich Noethen, German actor
- 1959 – Karla Faye Tucker, first woman to be executed in the United States since 1984 (d. 1998)
- 1960 – Elizabeth Perkins, American actress
- 1960 – Shari Shattuck, American actress and author
- 1960 – Kim Wilde, British singer
- 1961 – Nick Chinlund, American actor
- 1961 – Steven Moffat, Scottish television writer and producer
- 1961 – Jan Kuehnemund, American hard rock guitarist
- 1962 – Kirk Hammett, American guitarist (Metallica)
- 1962 – Jamie Moyer, American baseball player
- 1962 – Bart Bryant, American golfer
- 1963 – Len Bias, American basketball player (d. 1986)
- 1963 – Dante Bichette, American baseball player
- 1963 – Peter Schmeichel, Danish footballer
- 1963 – Joost Zwagerman, Dutch writer
- 1964 – Rita Cosby, American journalist
- 1965 – Tim DeLaughter, American singer and songwriter (Tripping Daisy, The Polyphonic Spree)
- 1967 – Tom Gordon, American baseball player
- 1967 – Jocelyn Lemieux, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Gavin Peacock, British Football player
- 1968 – Barry Hunter, Northern Irish footballer and manager
- 1968 – Romany Malco, American actor and music producer
- 1968 – Gary Sheffield, American baseball player
- 1968 – Owen Wilson, American actor and film-writer
- 1969 – Sam Cassell, American basketball player
- 1969 – Ahmed Helmi, Egyptian actor
- 1969 – Duncan Sheik, American singer and songwriter
- 1970 – Elizabeth Anne Allen, American actress
- 1970 – Mike Epps, American comedian
- 1970 – Megyn Kelly, American television news anchor
- 1970 – Johan Liiva, Swedish vocalist (Arch Enemy)
- 1970 – Peta Wilson, Australian actress
- 1972 – Jessi Alexander, American country music singer and songwriter
- 1972 – Jeroen Straathof, Dutch skater
- 1973 – Nic Pothas, South African cricket wicket-keeper
- 1974 – Chloë Sevigny, American actress
- 1975 – Shawn Camp, American baseball player
- 1975 – Anthony McPartlin, British actor, television presenter
- 1975 – Dirk Müller, German race car driver
- 1975 – Pastor Troy, American rapper
- 1975 – Jason Williams, American basketball player
- 1975 – David Ortiz, Professional Baseball Player
- 1976 – Sage Francis, American musician
- 1976 – Paulo César Pérez, Argentine footballer
- 1976 – Shagrath, Norwegian singer (Dimmu Borgir)
- 1976 – Matt Welsh, Australian swimmer
- 1976 – Mona Zaki, Egyptian actress
- 1977 – Trent Barrett, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1977 – Charles A. Lee, American athlete
- 1977 – Fabolous, American rapper
- 1978 – Damien Johnson, Northern Irish footballer
- 1980 – Luke Chadwick, English footballer
- 1980 – Minori Chihara, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1980 – François Duval, Belgian rally driver
- 1980 – Hamza al-Ghamdi, Saudi terrorist (d. 2001)
- 1980 – Denny Hamlin, American race car driver
- 1980 – Dustin Kensrue, American singer (Thrice)
- 1980 – Junichi Okada, Japanese singer (V6)
- 1980 – Mathew Baynton, English actor and writer
- 1981 – Shin Ji, Korean singer
- 1981 – Gian Magdangal, Filipino singer and actor
- 1981 – Nasim Pedrad, Iranian-born American comedienne
- 1981 – Vittoria Puccini, Italian actress
- 1981 – Christina Vidal, American actress
- 1982 – Greg Estandia, American football player
- 1983 – Travis Buck, American baseball player
- 1983 – Jon Johansen, Norwegian software developer
- 1983 – Michael Dawson, English footballer
- 1984 – Ryohei Chiba, Japanese singer (W-inds)
- 1984 – Johnny Christ, American bassist (Avenged Sevenfold)
- 1985 – Allyson Felix, American sprinter
- 1985 – Christian Siriano, American fashion designer
- 1986 – Nic Sampson, New Zealand actor
- 1987 – Jake Abel, American actor
- 1988 – Montanna Thompson, English actress
- 1988 – Michael Roach, American soccer player
- 1989 – Natalie Osman, American professional wrestler and valet
- 1991 – Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, Thai tennis player
- 1992 – Nathan Kress, American actor
- 1992 – Steven Skrzybski, German footballer
[edit]Deaths
- 1154 – Adélaide de Maurienne, queen consort of King Louis VI of France (b. 1092)
- 1305 – John II, Duke of Brittany (b. 1239)
- 1559 – Cuthbert Tunstall, English churchman (b. 1474)
- 1590 – George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, English statesman (b. 1528)
- 1724 – Bartolomeu de Gusmão, Portuguese naturalist (b. 1685)
- 1785 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, French soldier and writer (b. 1725)
- 1797 – Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat, French shipbuilder and merchant (b. 1719)
- 1814 – William Jessop, British civil engineer (b. 1745)
- 1852 – Rose Philippine Duchesne French Catholic nun and saint (b. 1769)
- 1886 – Chester A. Arthur, 21st President of the United States (b. 1829)
- 1889 – William Allingham, Irish poet (b. 1824 or 1828)
- 1909 – Renée Vivien, English-born French poet (b. 1877)
- 1922 – Marcel Proust, French novelist (b. 1871)
- 1940 – Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian (b. 1876)
- 1941 – Walther Nernst, German chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1864)
- 1941 – Chris Watson, 3rd Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1867)
- 1941 – Émile Nelligan, Quebec poet (b. 1879)
- 1952 – Paul Eluard, French poet (b. 1895)
- 1962 – Niels Bohr, Danish physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1885)
- 1965 – Henry A. Wallace, 33rd Vice President of the United States (b. 1888)
- 1969 – Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., American businessman (b. 1888)
- 1969 – Ted Heath, British trombonist, and bandleader (b. 1902)
- 1972 – Danny Whitten, American musician (Crazy Horse) (b. 1943)
- 1976 – Man Ray, American-born French photographer and painter (b. 1890)
- 1977 – Kurt Schuschnigg, Austrian politician (b. 1897)
- 1977 – Victor Francen, Belgian actor (b. 1888)
- 1978 – Jim Jones, American cult figure (Peoples Temple) (b. 1931)
- 1978 – Leo Ryan, American politician (b. 1925)
- 1979 – Freddie Fitzsimmons, American baseball player (b. 1901)
- 1980 – Conn Smythe, Canadian ice hockey administrator and racing horse owner (b. 1895)
- 1984 – Mary Hamman, American writer and editor (b. 1907)
- 1986 – Gia Carangi, American model (b. 1960)
- 1987 – Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist (b. 1934)
- 1991 – Gustáv Husák, Slovak-born Czech politician (b. 1913)
- 1994 – Cab Calloway, American bandleader (b. 1907)
- 1994 – Peter Ledger, Australian illustrator (b. 1945)
- 1998 – Tara Singh Hayer, Canadian journalist (b. 1936)
- 1999 – Paul Bowles, American novelist (b. 1910)
- 1999 – Doug Sahm, American musician (Sir Douglas Quintet, Flaco Jiménez) (b. 1941)
- 2002 – James Coburn, American actor (b. 1928)
- 2003 – Michael Kamen, American composer (b. 1948)
- 2004 – Cy Coleman, American composer, songwriter and pianist (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Harold J. Stone, American actor (b. 1911)
- 2009 – Red Robbins, American basketball player (b. 1944)
- 2010 – Brian G. Marsden, British astronomer (b. 1937)
[edit]Holidays and observances
- Christian Feast Day:
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Latvia from Russia in 1918.
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Morocco from France and Spain in 1956.
- National Day (Oman)
- The main day of the Feast of the Virgen de Chiquinquirá or Chinita's Fair (Maracaibo, Venezuela)
===
Marine park lock-up is a national folly
Piers Akerman – Saturday, November 17, 2012 (8:14pm)
LOCKING up more than 2.3 million square kilometres of ocean around Australia is not the act of a world-leading smart nation, it is the folly of the world’s leading stupid nation.
We already import more than 70 per cent of our seafood, much of it grown in dubious conditions in the murky waters of Asian nations that don’t pass any environmental muster.
In the future we will import more tasteless coarse fish grown in muddy ponds, while the Gillard government panders to local and international green movements and penalises Aussies who want to eat tasty fresh fish from our own waters.
Environment Minister Tony Burke says the move, which came into effect at midnight on Friday, will make Australia the world leader in marine protection - but increasing costly seafood imports can only make us look dumb.
There is no point in having one-third of the world’s marine parks right off our own beach when it means we have to bring fish in from other nations. The great marine park lock-up has been perpetrated without any proper consultation, peer-reviewed scientific study or social and economic impact assessments.
Queensland Nationals Senator Ron Boswell, who warned of this disaster, says there will be immediate damage to commercial and recreational fishing businesses.
It is no cause for celebration for the families in fishing sectors, allied marine industries, tourism or coastal communities, for whom it will be a tragic day when their investments, skills and life experience will be further devalued by a government desperate for Green support, at any cost.
Since the management plans will not be finalised until mid-2013 and won’t take effect until July 2014, it means the Labor government will not pay any compensation to fishers for 12 to 18 months. This is something else Labor is putting on the credit card.
“Regardless of that,” Boswell said, “it has pushed ahead with the declaration. Why? Because the government depends on the Greens politically and it panders to environmental activists. Our fisheries management is internationally recognised as amongst the very best in the world. These commercial and recreational fishing bans are completely unnecessary.”
Boswell said government ministers had talked about $100 million in compensation but past experience demonstrated that would not be enough money and it would not be available to enough businesses.
Professional fishers directly impacted have been told they will be able to apply for some compensation but charter-boat operators will miss out entirely and so will all the related businesses, such as tackle shops, seafood processors and wholesalers, ships’ chandleries, repair facilities, and all the other suppliers of goods and services. Nothing about the lock-up of the seas makes sense.
It is as flawed as the carbon tax which has seen Australia move from being a low-energy-cost nation to a high-energy-cost nation - and lose industry, income and jobs in the process. It has no strategic underpinning, making us more reliant on imports than ever. It has no intellectual structure, being based on thought bubbles from environmental groups funded by overseas interests like the Pew Environment Group.
As Burke was unveiling his marine parks plan, Prime Minister Julia Gillard presented her Australian Education Bill based on the Gonski review. But opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said there was nothing but motherhood statements in the 1400-word Bill. “All foam and no beer,” was his description.
Since there is no mechanism for funding described in the legislation, the bill actually includes a section making it not legally binding.
“If the Prime Minister wanted to slap the schools sector and state governments in the face and insult the intelligence of Australians, then this Bill delivers on both counts,” Pyne said.
The marine national parks, the education Bill, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the royal commission into child sex abuse are all just part of a string of distractions being run up the parliamentary flagpole by a desperate Labor-Green-independents government eager to distract the public from its failures.
Chew on that the next time you spit out a piece of unappetising Asian catfish bought at your local beachside fishos.
===
Petraeus & me
Miranda Devine – Sunday, November 18, 2012 (12:03am)
I met General David Petraeus once, in the hot Baghdad August of 2007, in his cramped office on the first floor of Saddam Hussein’s sumptuous presidential palace in the Green Zone.
It was hard not to be in awe of the warrior scholar, the four-star general with the Princeton PhD who had commanded the legendary 101st Airborne during the 2003 invasion and had risen to lead the Multi-National Force.
He had just crunched the data to show the surge of forces in Iraq was working, and was about to fly to Washington DC to present the good news to Congress.
He had just crunched the data to show the surge of forces in Iraq was working, and was about to fly to Washington DC to present the good news to Congress.
But before he did, he gave the scoop to two Australian journalists who were travelling with then Australian Defence Force chief Angus Houston and Defence Minister Brendan Nelson.
So when Petraeus strode around his desk and thrust out his hand, I was suitably impressed.
But I can’t say that my fingers tingled with electricity when they touched the bird-like general with the kind eyes.
Lothario was not the adjective that sprung to mind as our hands clasped.
But nor did he invite me on an 8km run, which reportedly is how he broke the ice with his biographer turned mistress Paula Broadwell.
I’ve been dining out on that line all week, ever since the news broke of the tawdry scandal that has embroiled the CIA, the FBI, the US military and even President Obama.
It’s the story with everything, the hubris of the four-star celebrity general turned chief spymaster, set against the bloodsoaked backdrop of the war in Afghanistan.
It’s Anna Karenina meets Real Housewives of Tampa.
There’s Broadwell, the lithe 40-year-old femme fatale biographer turned bunny boiler, who boasted about being “embedded” with the general in Kabul, the glamorous Tampa socialite she believed was her love rival, Jill Kelley, 37, a Kim Kardashian lookalike, and her “psychologically unstable” identical twin sister, a shirtless FBI agent, and another married four-star general, John Allen, who is said to have exchanged thousands of pages of emails with Kelley.
Broadwell’s affair with Petraeus reportedly ended in July, two months after she allegedly sent a series of anonymous emails to Kelley warning her to, “Stay away from my guy… I know what you did… Back off.”
After Kelley reported the emails to an FBI agent she knew, Frederick W. Humphries II, 47 (who once sent her a picture of himself, shirtless) investigations uncovered the Petraeus affair.
You couldn’t make this stuff up. Are the gods bored? Has life jumped the shark?
It’s easy to forget, however, amid all the riveting revelations, that these are people’s lives, with spouses and children to consider.
It’s easy to forget, however, amid all the riveting revelations, that these are people’s lives, with spouses and children to consider.
Broadwell is a wife and mother of two small sons back home in Charlotte, North Carolina. One of the most poignant photographs to emerge in the past week was of a love heart chalked on the driveway of the family home before the scandal broke: “Dad (hearts) mum”.
Then there is Holly Petraeus, the smiling, homely figure in glasses and grey bob, formerly the blonde hippy-chick daughter of the superintendent of the West Point Military Academy, where she was swept off her feet in the early 1970s by an ambitious cadet named David Howell Petraeus.
A friend of mine thinks Holly Petraeus looks like a neglected wife. If that is the case, then a decade of war is at fault for the neglect as much as the absent husband who was so busy running those wars.
Perhaps she fell out of touch with her general in the same way the rest of the country – both the US and Australia - has fallen out of touch with their military - the one percent of volunteers who shoulder the burden of war for the rest of us. How could we understand their moral purpose and sacrifice on foreign battlefields, where life and death are etched in technicolour?
It is pathetic that a man with such a distinguished career of service has wound up the butt of jokes, his character reassessed, his penchant for wearing medals with civilian clothes mocked.
But beyond the tragi-comedy are more serious issues.
The story began with Petraeus’ resignation as head of the CIA, citing an extra-marital affair as the reason, a week before congressional hearings into the September 11 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed, including US Ambassador Chris Stevens. Petraeus has said his resignation had nothing to do with the Benghazi attack.
But the CIA’s role in the delay getting help to the Americans as they fought off terrorists is under scrutiny.
Broadwell added to the fire in a speech last month when she claimed to have inside information that Libyan militia members had been detained in the CIA annex which came under attack. The CIA denies her claims.
There’s an Australian angle too. US Secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta are in Perth for AUSMIN meetings, and so are unavailable to attend the Benghazi hearings, leading to accusations Clinton is avoiding cross examination in order to sip wine.
Then there is the timing. As America’s two most senior generals are embroiled in scandal, the Middle East is set to explode, and Israel is on the brink of war.
And finally, there is the psychological impact of the downfall of one of the last American heroes.
The fact the top brass are involved in salacious scandals must mean they are not exercising optimal judgement or focussing as they should on the troops on the ground. It implies a military command out of touch with those who are losing their lives. That can only lead to disenchantment for Generation Y.
Maybe Bob Hawke is right, that ours is an era devoid of outstanding leaders. It certainly lacks heroes.
===
ALL IN
Tim Blair – Sunday, November 18, 2012 (10:14pm)
It might be easier to list the people not facing legal action:
Alan Davies, the British comedian, could face legal action after mentioning false sex abuse allegations against Lord McAlpine on Twitter, it has emerged …Experts today warned the case involving the 70-year-old could potentially involve the largest number of defendants in British legal history.
A bird is also involved. And look who’s been thrown under the bus:
Guardian columnist George Monbiot will not be supported by the newspaper in any legal action brought by Lord McAlpine, a spokesman has confirmed, leaving him funding his own potential legal costs …Today, Guardian News & Media moved to distance itself from the columnist, as a spokesman confirmed it would not be paying his legal fees.“George Monbiot is not a member of the Guardian staff and was tweeting in a personal capacity,” he said.“George has acknowledged that his tweets were wholly inappropriate and a serious error and has posted a comprehensive apology on his own blog.“The Guardian cannot and will not take responsibility for comments that were made by a contributor in a personal capacity …”
So much for the collective. Instead, it’s the conservative elites who are demonstrating solidarity:
Lord McAlpine was greeted with applause when he arrived for lunch at The Wolseley this week in a warm expression of support from fellow diners after he was wrongly linked to child abuse claims.The manager of the famous restaurant on Piccadilly even said he “would not dream” of charging him for his meal …
Absolutely beautiful.
===
MORNING SHOE
Tim Blair – Sunday, November 18, 2012 (9:50pm)
Guess the mystery celebrity in Year 12 formal attire:
The ballet shoes are a bit of a worry. Seeing as our Famous Person of No Identity is prepared to get out the school formal album, readers may also wish to indulge. Email your shots:trblair@ozemail.com.au
The ballet shoes are a bit of a worry. Seeing as our Famous Person of No Identity is prepared to get out the school formal album, readers may also wish to indulge. Email your shots:trblair@ozemail.com.au
===
The Bolt Report today
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER182012(12:12pm)
The royal commission into the sexual abuse of children already risks doing more harm than good.
Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop on revelations on the AWU slush fund scandal now threatening Julia Gillard. And on a box, strangely missing the papers inside.
Cassandra Wilkinson and Peter Reith on Australia as the “seventh economic wonder of the world”, the amazing NDIS blow-out, a split on Israel between Bob Carr and Julia Gillard, and Tim Mathieson lounging in the Lodge.
A Labor MP’s astonishing explanation for the rise in violent crime. And an invitation to a hate-Abbott session.
(This will be the only open thread today. Apologies for the lack of moderators.)
UPDATE
Asked today on Insiders about Julia Gillard’s involvement in the AWU slush fund scandal, Small Business Minister Brendan O’Connor agrees it’s time some questions were answered about the legal work. To be precise:
Julie Bishop indeed has some questions to answer.
Much discussion ensues about Bishop as a lawyer. Insiders can now say it’s covered the AWU scandal.
Much the same was famously tried by Health Minister Tanya Plibersek when asked about Gillard’s hypocritical defence of the sleazy, sexting Peter Slipper:
UPDATE
Insiders does it again. The panel is invited to discuss the AWU scandal by commenting on ... Abbott. Is Abbott playing the good cop to Julie Bishop’s bad cop? David Marr and Lenore Taylor pooh-pooh the scandal. Barrie Cassidy demands to know if the media has “the right” to ask why $5000 from her corrupt boyfriend was allegedly dropped into Gillard’s account.
Then they are back to discussing what Abbott said that could (if you misquote and misrepresent him) was silly about Aborigines. Don’t worry about what Gillard actually does, yammer instead about what Abbott allegedly said.
UPDATE
I am told a fourth set of documents has gone missing. If what I’m told is true - and given the alleged place from which they disappeared - this will become a very big story.
===
New Zealand makes an exhibit of its gullibility
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER182012(6:36am)
Astonishing. Tony Thomas discovers New Zealand’s top science museum uses the discredited “hockey staff” graph in its global warming display - and not as an example of bad science..
===
Labor wishes you Vicious Christmas
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER182012(6:06am)
They are mad, you know. Labor can’t even let Christmas go by without turning the season of the goodwill into a mass hate of of Tony Abbott:
So rancorous are relations between the government and the opposition thateven the humble Christmas party invitation is being used as a political weapon. At least in Labor’s case.
(Thanks to reader Cal and others.)
===
A song for Australia, of the kind that will soon be dangerous
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER182012(6:02am)
(Via Catallaxy.)
===
Pallywood: CNN uses faked footage
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER182012(5:27am)
That beige jacket must have saved him, after all:
===
Don’t do as they say in Mandarin
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER182012(5:17am)
You’re surprised by such an amateur mistake from this Government, right?
One critic said it looked like the job was done using the Google Translate website.Ms Gillard released the Australia in the Asian Century paper last month, urging schools and universities to embrace Asian language lessons.But the Chinese (simplified) version of the paper contained broken sentences, grammar and syntax errors, inappropriate vocabulary and incomprehensible expressions, leading many to question how it was prepared.Some English words were translated without preserving the original meaning, regarded as an amateur mistake.
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