===
- 1660 – At London's Gresham College,Robert Boyle, John Wilkins,Christopher Wren and other leading scientists founded a learned societynow known as the Royal Society (coat of arms pictured).
- 1920 – Thirty-six local Irish Republican Armyvolunteers killed seventeen members of the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, marking a turning point in the Irish War of Independence.
- 1971 – Fred Quilt, a leader of the Tsilhqot'in First Nation, was severely beaten by Royal Canadian Mounted Police constables.
- 1979 – Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Antarctica's Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.
- 2002 – Suicide bombers blew up an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, but their colleagues failed in their attempt to bring down an Arkia Israel Airlinescharter flight with surface-to-air-missiles.
===
Births
- 1118 – Manuel I Komnenos, Greek Byzantine Emperor (d. 1180)
- 1489 – Margaret Tudor, wife of James IV of Scotland (d. 1541)
- 1570 – James Whitelocke, English judge (d. 1632)
- 1598 – Hans Nansen, Danish statesman (d. 1667)
- 1628 – John Bunyan, English cleric and author (d. 1688)
- 1632 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-born French composer (d. 1687)
- 1640 – Willem de Vlamingh, Flemish sea captain (d. c. 1698)
- 1661 – Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, British Governor of New York and New Jersey (d. 1723)
- 1681 – Jean Cavalier, French Protestant rebel leader (d. 1740)
- 1700 – Nathaniel Bliss, English astronomer (d. 1764)
- 1700 – Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1770)
- 1757 – William Blake, British poet (d. 1827)
- 1772 – Luke Howard, British meteorologist (d. 1864)
- 1785 – Victor de Broglie, Prime Minister of France (d. 1870)
- 1792 – Victor Cousin, French philosopher (d. 1867)
- 1793 – Carl Jonas Love Almqvist, Swedish romantic poet (d. 1866)
- 1805 – John Stephens, American archeologist (d. 1852)
- 1810 – William Froude, British naval architect (d. 1879)
- 1820 – Friedrich Engels, German philosopher (d. 1895)
- 1829 – Anton Rubinstein, Russian composer (d. 1894)
- 1837 – John Wesley Hyatt, American inventor (d. 1920)
- 1853 – Helen Magill White, first American woman to earn a PhD (d. 1944)
- 1857 – King Alfonso XII of Spain (d. 1885)
- 1864 – James Allen English writer (d. 1912)
- 1864 – Lindley M. Garrison, American Secretary of War (d. 1932)
- 1866 – Henry Bacon, American architect (d. 1924)
- 1876 – Bert Vogler, South African cricketer (d. 1946)
- 1878 – Hubert Lefèbvre, French rugby player (death date unknown)
- 1880 – Alexander Blok, Russian poet (d. 1921)
- 1881 – Stefan Zweig, Austrian writer (d. 1942)
- 1887 – Ernst Röhm, Nazi official (d. 1934)
- 1891 – Gregorio Perfecto, Filipino jurist & politician (d. 1949)
- 1894 – Henry Hazlitt, American Libertarian philosopher and economist (d. 1993)
- 1895 – José Iturbi, Spanish pianist (d. 1980)
- 1896 – Dawn Powell, American writer (d. 1965)
- 1896 – Lilia Skala, Austrian actress (d. 1994)
- 1904 – James Eastland, American politician (d. 1986)
- 1904 – Nancy Mitford, English writer (d. 1973)
- 1907 – Rose Bampton, American opera singer (d. 2007)
- 1907 – Alberto Moravia, Italian writer (d. 1990)
- 1908 – Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Nigerian politician (d. 1997)
- 1908 – Claude Lévi-Strauss, French anthropologist (d. 2009)
- 1911 – Václav Renč, Czech poet (d. 1973)
- 1912 – Morris Louis, American painter (d. 1962)
- 1915 – Evald Okas, Estonian painter (d. 2011)
- 1915 – Yves Thériault, Canadian author (d. 1983)
- 1916 – Mary Lilian Baels, Princess of Rethy, Belgium (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Gloria Grahame, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1923 – James Karen, American actor
- 1924 – Dennis Brutus, South African poet
- 1925 – József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer (d. 1978)
- 1927 – Chuck Mitchell, American actor (d. 1992)
- 1928 – John Coleman, Australian rules footballer (d. 1973)
- 1928 – Arthur Melvin Okun, American economist (d. 1980)
- 1928 – Piet Steenbergen, Dutch footballer (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Berry Gordy Jr., American record company owner
- 1931 – Dervla Murphy, Irish cyclist and author
- 1931 – Tomi Ungerer, French graphic artist
- 1931 – Ed Young, children's author and illustrator
- 1932 – Gato Barbieri, Argentinian saxophonist
- 1932 – Terence Frisby, English novelist
- 1933 – Joe Knollenberg, American politician
- 1933 – Hope Lange, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1935 – Prince Hitachi, Japanese royalty
- 1935 – Randolph Stow, Australian author
- 1936 – Gary Hart, American politician
- 1936 – Celin Romero, Spanish guitarist
- 1940 – Bruce Channel, American singer
- 1941 – Laura Antonelli, Italian actress
- 1942 – Paul Warfield, American football player
- 1943 – Randy Newman, American composer
- 1944 – Rita Mae Brown, American writer
- 1944 – R.B. Greaves, Guyanan singer (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Timothy Krajcir, American serial killer
- 1946 – Joe Dante, American film director and producer
- 1947 – Michel Berger, French songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1947 – Maria Farantouri, Greek singer
- 1947 – Panayotis Varotsos, Greek physicist
- 1948 – Beeb Birtles, Dutch-Australian musician (Little River Band)
- 1948 – Dick Morris, American political figure, author
- 1949 – Alexander Godunov, Russian ballet dancer (d. 1995)
- 1949 – Paul Shaffer, Canadian orchestra leader
- 1950 – Ed Harris, American actor
- 1950 – Russell Alan Hulse, American physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1951 – Barbara Morgan, American teacher and astronaut
- 1952 – S. Epatha Merkerson, American actress
- 1953 – Sixto Lezcano, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1955 – Alessandro Altobelli, Italian footballer
- 1955 – Jeffrey Byron, American actor
- 1955 – Adem Jashari, Albanian freedom fighter
- 1956 – Richard Bean, English playwright
- 1957 – David Van Day, British singer (Dollar)
- 1958 – Dave Righetti, American baseball player
- 1958 – Kriss Akabusi, British athlete and television presenter
- 1959 – Judd Nelson, American actor
- 1959 – Stephen Roche, Irish cyclist
- 1960 – John Galliano, British fashion designer
- 1960 – Andy Ritchie, English footballer
- 1960 – Kenny Wharton, English football coach
- 1961 – Martin Clunes, British actor
- 1961 – Alfonso Cuarón, Mexican film director
- 1961 – John Fenty, English football coach
- 1961 – Jane Sibbett, American actress
- 1962 – Paul Dinello, American comedian and actor
- 1962 – Jon Stewart, American comedian
- 1962 – Matt Cameron, American drummer (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam)
- 1962 – Davey Boy Smith, English professional wrestler (d. 2002)
- 1963 – Walt Weiss, American baseball player
- 1963 – Armando Iannucci, Scottish comedian
- 1963 – Johnny Newman, American basketball player
- 1963 – Jesus Ledesma Aguilar, Mexican convicted killer (d. 2006)
- 1964 – Michael Bennet, American politician
- 1964 – John Burkett, American baseball player
- 1964 – Roy Tarpley, American basketball player
- 1965 – Erwin Mortier, Belgian author
- 1965 – Matt Williams, American baseball player
- 1966 – Sam Seder, American comedian
- 1966 – Helen Fospero, British television presenter and newsreader
- 1966 – Dominic Chappell, British Racing Driver
- 1967 – Anna Nicole Smith, American television personality (d. 2007)
- 1967 – Stephnie Weir, American comedian
- 1967 – José del Solar, Peruvian footballer
- 1968 – Dawn Robinson, American singer (En Vogue)
- 1969 – Robb Nen, American baseball player
- 1969 – Lexington Steele, American adult film actor
- 1970 – Álex López Morón, Spanish tennis player
- 1971 – Rob Conway, American professional wrestler
- 1971 – Fenriz, Norwegian musician (Darkthrone)
- 1972 – Paulo Figueiredo, Angolan footballer
- 1972 – Anastasia Kelesidou, Greek discus thrower
- 1972 – Jesper Strömblad, Swedish guitarist (In Flames)
- 1973 – Jade Puget, American musician (AFI)
- 1974 – András Tölcséres, Hungarian footballer
- 1974 – Styles P, American rapper
- 1974 – Kristian Schmid, Australian actor
- 1974 – apl.de.ap, Filipino-American rapper
- 1975 – Eka Kurniawan, Indonesian writer
- 1975 – Sunny Mabrey, American actress
- 1975 – Park Sung-Bae, South Korean football player
- 1975 – Takashi Shimoda, Japanese footballer
- 1975 – Sigurd Wongraven, Norwegian musician (Satyricon)
- 1976 – Ryan Kwanten, Australian actor
- 1977 – Marlon Broomes, English footballer
- 1977 – Fabio Grosso, Italian footballer
- 1977 – Gavin Rae, Scottish footballer
- 1977 – Greg Somerville, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- 1977 – DeMya Walker, American basketball player
- 1978 – Brent Albright, American professional wrestler
- 1978 – Aimee Garcia, American actress
- 1978 – Freddie Mitchell, American football player
- 1978 – Mehdi Nafti, Tunisian footballer
- 1978 – Michael Simpkins, English football player
- 1978 – Haytham Tambal, Sudanese footballer
- 1979 – Olcay Çetinkaya, Turkish footballer
- 1979 – Chamillionaire, American rapper
- 1979 – Daniel Henney, Korean-American model-actor
- 1979 – Joel Maximo, American professional wrestler
- 1979 – Katarzyna Strączy, Polish tennis player
- 1980 – Lisa Middelhauve, German singer (Xandria)
- 1980 – Stuart Taylor, English footballer
- 1981 – Jacqui Ainsley, British model
- 1981 – Sharon Needles, American drag queen performer
- 1981 – Brian Tevreden, Dutch footballer
- 1982 – Leandro Barbosa, Brazilian basketball player
- 1982 – Chris Harris, British speedway rider
- 1983 – Nelson Haedo Valdez, Paraguayan footballer
- 1984 – Andrew Bogut, Australian basketball player
- 1984 – Marc-Andre Fleury, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Joross Gamboa, Filipino actor
- 1984 – Trey Songz, American recording artist
- 1984 – Mary Elizabeth Winstead, American actress
- 1985 – Esha Gupta, Indian actress
- 1985 – Caitlin McClatchey, Scottish swimmer
- 1985 – Álvaro Pereira, Uruguayan footballer
- 1986 – Mouhamadou Dabo, French footballer
- 1987 – Karen Gillan, Scottish actress
- 1987 – Craig Kieswetter, English cricketer
- 1988 – Scarlett Pomers, American actress and singer
- 1988 – Christopher Stringini, American singer
- 1989 – Laura Alleway, Australian footballer
- 1990 – Dedryck Boyata, Belgian footballer
- 1991 – Jessica Robinson, English singer and actress
- 1992 – Adam Hicks, American actor
- 1994 – Lola Sanchez, Australian actress
- 1997 – Thor Salden, Belgian singer
[edit]Deaths
- 741 – St. Gregory III
- 1170 – Owain Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (b. c. 1100)
- 1262 – Shinran, Japanese religious leader (b. 1173)
- 1290 – Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I of England (b. 1241)
- 1574 – Georg Major, German Protestant theologian (b. 1502)
- 1585 – Hernando Franco, Spanish composer (b. 1532)
- 1667 – Jean de Thévenot, French traveller and scientist (b. 1633)
- 1675 – Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh, English Civil War soldier (b. c. 1608)
- 1675 – Leonard Hoar, American President of Harvard University (b. 1630)
- 1680 – Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Italian baroque sculptor (b. 1598)
- 1680 – Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, Italian architect and painter (b. 1606)
- 1694 – Matsuo Bashō, Japanese poet (b. 1644)
- 1695 – Giovanni Paolo Colonna, Italian composer (b. c. 1637)
- 1695 – Anthony Wood, English antiquarian (b. 1632)
- 1698 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, Governor of New France (b. 1622)
- 1763 – Naungdawgyi, King of Burma (b. 1734)
- 1785 – William Whipple, Signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1730)
- 1794 – Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, Prussian army officer (b. 1730)
- 1801 – Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, French geologist (b. 1750)
- 1815 – Johann Peter Salomon, German violinist, impresario, and composer (b. 1745)
- 1843 – József Ficzkó, Burgenland Croatian writer (b. 1772)
- 1852 – Ludger Duvernay, French printer and newspaper publisher (b. 1799)
- 1852 – Emmanuil Xanthos, figure of the Greek War of Independence, co-founder of Filiki Eteria (b. 1772)
- 1859 – Washington Irving, American writer (b. 1783)
- 1870 – Frédéric Bazille, French painter (b. 1841)
- 1872 – Mary Fairfax Somerville, British scientific writer (b. 1780)
- 1878 – Orson Hyde, American religious leader (b. 1805)
- 1880 – Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, (Portuguese) Archbishop of Goa (b. 1837)
- 1890 – Jyotirao Phule, Indian social reformer
- 1904 – Hermann de Pourtalès, Swiss sailor (b. 1847)
- 1907 – Stanisław Wyspiański, Polish dramatist, poet, painter, and architect (b. 1869)
- 1912 – Walter Benona Sharp, American oil tycoon (b. 1870)
- 1915 – Mubarak Al-Sabah "The Great", Emir of Kuwait (b. 1896)
- 1917 – Mikelis Avlichos, Greek poet (b. 1844)
- 1921 – `Abdu'l-Bahá, Persian leader of the Bahá'í Faith (b. 1844)
- 1930 – Greek Orthodox Patriarch Constantine VI of Constantinople (b. 1859)
- 1935 – Erich von Hornbostel, Austrian musicologist (b. 1877)
- 1939 – James Naismith, Canadian creator of basketball (b. 1861)
- 1945 – Dwight F. Davis, U.S. Secretary of War and donor of the Davis cup (b. 1879)
- 1947 – Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, French general (b. 1902)
- 1953 – Frank Olson, American biologist (b. 1910)
- 1954 – Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1901)
- 1960 – Max Pruss, Prussian commander of the Hindenburg (b. 1891)
- 1960 – Richard Wright, American author (b. 1908)
- 1960 – Tsunenohana Kan'ichi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 31st Yokozuna (b. 1896)
- 1962 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (b. 1880)
- 1963 – Karyn Kupcinet, American actress (b. 1941)
- 1967 – Leon M'ba, Gabonese politician (b. 1902)
- 1968 – Enid Blyton, British children's author (b. 1897)
- 1971 – Wasfi Tel, Jordanian Prime Minister (b. 1920)
- 1972 – Havergal Brian, British composer (b. 1875)
- 1973 – Marthe Bibesco, Romanian writer (b. 1886)
- 1976 – Rosalind Russell, American actress (b. 1907)
- 1977 – Trevor Bardette, American actor (b. 1902)
- 1977 – Bob Meusel, American baseball player (b. 1896)
- 1978 – Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Argentine football executive (b. 1902)
- 1978 – Harvey Milk, American politican and gay activist (b. 1930)
- 1983 – Christopher George, American actor (b. 1929)
- 1986 – Herb Vigran, American actor (b. 1910)
- 1987 – Choh Hao Li, Chinese biochemist (b. 1913)
- 1992 – Sidney Nolan, Australian painter (b. 1917)
- 1993 – Jerry Edmonton, Canadian drummer (Steppenwolf) (b. 1946)
- 1993 – Garry Moore, American entertainer (b. 1915)
- 1994 – Jeffrey Dahmer, American serial killer (b. 1960)
- 1994 – Buster Edwards, English train robber (b. 1932)
- 1994 – Jerry Rubin, American activist (b. 1938)
- 1997 – Georges Marchal, French actor (b. 1920)
- 1998 – Kerry Wendell Thornley, co-founder of Discordianism (b. 1938)
- 2000 – Liane Haid, Austrian actress (b. 1895)
- 2001 – Kal Mann, American lyricist (b. 1917)
- 2001 – William Reid, British aviator awarded the Victoria Cross (b. 1921)
- 2002 – Dave "Snaker" Ray, American blues musician (b. 1943)
- 2003 – Ted Bates, English footballer (b. 1918)
- 2003 – Antonia Forest, British children's author (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Marc Lawrence, American actor (b. 1910)
- 2006 – Lyubov Polishchuk, Russian actress (b. 1949)
- 2006 – Robert Volpe, Artist,Art Theft Detective (b. 1942)
- 2007 – Gudrun Wagner, co-director of the Bayreuth Festival (b. 1944)
- 2008 – Victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks:
- Havaldar Gajender Singh, Indian NSG commando (birth date unknown)
- Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Indian army Major (b. 1977)
- 2009 – Gilles Carle, Canadian screenwriter and film director (b. 1928)
- 2009 – Takeo Kajiwara, Japanese Go player (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Giorgos Fountas, Greek actor (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Leslie Nielsen, Canadian-born American actor (b. 1926)
[edit]Holidays and observances
- Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í Faith)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Catherine Labouré
- Feast of the Holy Sovereigns (Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii)
- Herman of Alaska, the anniversary of his actual death. Eastern Orthodox
- Pope Gregory III
- Independence Day / National Day / Flag Day, celebrate the independence of Albania from Turkey in 1912, the first Albanian flag raise by Skanderbeg in 1443, and for the new parliamentary constitution in 1998.
- Independence Day, celebrate the independence of Mauritania from France in 1960.
- Independence Day, celebrate the independence of Panama from Spain in 1821.
- Navy Day (Iran)
- Republic Day (Burundi)
- Republic Day (Chad)
===
Wilson raises more doubts about Gillard
Piers Akerman – Tuesday, November 27, 2012 (11:35pm)
JULIA Gillard – according to Julia Gillard – split from her AWU union boss boyfriend Bruce Wilson when she learnt he was improperly using the money from the slush fund she set up for him and his henchman Ralph Blewitt.
On the 7.30 Report, he was denying he ever ripped off the fund she set up.
Why then did she think he was misusing the moolah and why did she explain her actions away as a result of being “young and naive”?
That’s the problem with the now multiple stories being trotted out by Gillard, Blewitt and Wilson about that nice little earner, the AWU Workplace Reform Association.
No-one can agree about its function, no-one can agree about the use of the funds and no-one can agree about the final bust-up.
In television dramas, this is the point where the suspects are taken into different interview rooms and forced to sweat it out, each hoping that the other will stick to a previously agreed script.
The problem in the case of the AWUWRA is that the players fell out and didn’t agree to the main talking points.
Gillard has said it was a slush fund and has threatened legal action to anyone outside the ABC who suggests it was something else.
Blewitt says it was a cache of cash used to finance Wilson’s lifestyle at the time he and Gillard were an item.
Part of the money was used to buy the Melbourne house that was placed in his name but used by Wilson, and, according to Wilson, occasionally visited by Gillard.
No-one seems to know what happened to the proceeds of the sale of the property when the AWUWRA fell apart, which also seems to have happened to poorly wrapped blocks of cash Blewitt has buried in his garden. According to Wilson, that is.
On one point the trio agree: Gillard was the legal advisor on the establishment of the slush fund and she even helped fill out some of the forms.
Former AWU employee Wayne Hem who said he deposited $5000 in Julia Gillard’s personal bank account for Wilson – a sum which Gillard cannot recall – may have performed the task, Wilson confirmed, but his memory is pretty rusty, too.
In fact, there is quite a bit he cannot recall, though he is adamant that everything was always above board.
Which means that other senior figures in the AWU who wanted to call for a royal commission into his activities and the function of the slush fund must have been totally misguided.
Gillard has asked us to make a choice between her version and that of offered by Blewitt.
Given her record as a public liar on a seriously major scale, and given that Blewitt has been prepared to place his liberty in jeopardy by coming forward, I would place more trust in the former soldier no matter how much the grubs from the ALP try to smear him.
Anyone who knows anything about the operations of the ALP knows that it would be foolish to discount a defector’s tale.
Wilson has reluctantly come forward after weeks of pressure.
Quite simply, his version of events is far rosier than that offered by his former lover.
Far from allaying doubts, he has fuelled greater suspicion that something stinks about this affair and Gillard’s involvement in it.
===
AS WE ALL KNOW
Tim Blair – Wednesday, November 28, 2012 (1:03pm)
Political expert Tim Dunlop:
As we all know, Rudd came to power in a wave of almost unprecedented popularity …
Really? In 2007, Labor won with 52.7 per cent of the two party preferred vote over the Coalition’s 47.3 per cent. But three years earlier, the Coalition won with 52.74 per cent of the vote to Labor’s 47.26. Unprecedented! In 1996, the Coalition won with 53.63 per cent to Labor’s 46.37. For a real blowout, check 1975: Coalition 55.7 per cent over Labor’s 44.3.
All of this data is available for free on the internet.
===
WHO MET WHO
Tim Blair – Wednesday, November 28, 2012 (3:11am)
Labor attacks:
The government has seized on Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop’s Melbourne meeting with ‘’scumbag’’ former union official Ralph Blewitt …
Julia Gillard met him in Melbourne first.
===
ROAD TRASH
Tim Blair – Wednesday, November 28, 2012 (2:51am)
The NSW waste and environment levy was introduced by Labor to cut garbage outputs and encourage recycling. Naturally, it’s become a debacle:
ABC reporter Brendan Trembath: Some of Sydney’s garbage is taking a long road trip. It’s transported more than 800 kilometres to south-east Queensland, where dumping costs are cheaper.Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW boss Tony Khoury: We’re starting to see hundreds if not thousands of tonnes a week being transported from Sydney to south-east Queensland, and that is an unintended consequence of the fact that we have a high levy, they have no levy in Queensland, and it’s not a good thing for our roads, it’s not a good thing for our environment.
Trembath believes the solution is for Queensland to increase costs, rather than for NSW to reducecosts:
The pressure is on Queensland to act …
Read on. Queensland isn’t buying it.
===
Hmmm. Give me a minute…
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(8:03pm)
JULIA Gillard has painted the AWU Reform Association slush fund fraud as a credibility contest between her and her former boyfriend’s old bagman Ralph Blewitt.
His word against mine, she asked the media, make your mind up!
That was a mistake.
===
2GB, November 28
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(4:45pm)
With Steve Price from 8pm. Listen live here.
Last night: the slush fund scandal latest. Listen here.
On with Ben Fordham yesterday: Listen here.
===
AWU scandal - What Gillard refuses to answer
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(4:22pm)
Bottom line, despite all Gillard’s bravado, insults and jeers.
Four times she refused to say whether she’d written to the WA Corporate Affairs Commission to guarantee her former boyfriend’s slush fund was actually a genuine non-profit association dedicated to workplace reform.
Repeatedly she refused to rule out receiving $5000 from her con man boyfriend, Bruce Wilson, as alleged by Wilson’s then assistant and not disputed by Wilson.
Gillard refusing to deny this in Parliament suggests to me she did not want to deny something that could be proved true. Draw your own conclusions.
===
A hero killed. Mexico’s shame
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(3:58pm)
She was last seen begging for her daughter to be left alone before leaving with her kidnappers - who this time did finally kill her:
IN life she made headlines around the world. In death the renown of Maria Santos Gorrostieta, a local politician from Mexico, has grown ever larger.
As the country’s new president travelled to Washington DC to meet Barack Obama, the killing of the courageous small-town mayor by a drugs cartel was causing outrage and serving as a grim reminder of the conflict that has claimed as many as 50,000 lives…The toll of murders is declining, yet the abduction and killing of Dr Santos Gorrostieta, the former mayor of Tiquicheo, showed the depths of violence remaining in parts of the country…
.The mother of three, who became an international heroine for her fortitude after a string of assassination attempts - even baring her bullet wounds for photographers - was dragged from her vehicle while taking her daughter to school this month. Her body was found last week: the latest of more than 40 local officials killed since the start of the drug war begun by the previous President, Felipe Calderon, in 2006.
===
Once such good friends
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(9:36am)
Bill the Greek ... was a union organiser and loyal enforcer for Ms Gillard’s boyfriend, branch secretary Bruce Wilson [left], whom he met on Woodside gas rigs off Western Australia.
After their scams in Victoria were exposed in August 1995, Mr Telikostoglou hurriedly quit the union and Australia, leaving a trail of bounced cheques.But it was his work on the renovation of Ms Gillard’s house in Abbotsford in Melbourne that led to her describing, in her Slater & Gordon interview, his “obvious difficulties with the truth"…Ms Gillard replied: “He’s just a big Greek bullshit artist.”Mr Telikostoglou ... expressed surprise and anger at his depiction as a habitual liar.“I lived with Bruce, and Julia was my best friend then,” he said.“I’m not very happy with her. She did not say nice things about me . . . I would cook for her—and she cooked for me.
“In what way was I a big Greek bullshit artist to her? She should not speak of her friends like that...”
Earlier, the Prime Minister had made a blistering assault on Mr [Ralph] Blewitt’s character.
“Mr Blewitt is a man who has publicly said he was involved in fraud. Mr Blewitt [right] is a man who has sought immunity from prosecution,” Ms Gillard began…“Mr Blewitt, according to people who know him, has been described as a complete imbecile, an idiot, a stooge, a sexist pig, a liar, and his sister has said he’s a crook and rotten to the core.”..
The strong words between Ms Gillard and Mr Blewitt were a long way from the days he told The Sunday Telegraph about when they, along with Mr Wilson, shared meals as close friends.
===
Not so happy in Gillard’s service
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(8:58am)
Underneath the fury and bravado, unease about a sloppy, divisive, distrusted and tainted leader. Dennis Shanahan:
With a recovery in Labor’s primary vote in Newspoll from just 27 per cent in April to 36 per cent last weekend, continuing weakness in voter satisfaction with Tony Abbott and no prospect of a leadership challenge from Rudd there has been a vision of momentum building in Gillard’s favour.
Yet there is a different picture emerging beneath the superficialities, political spin and grabs of the 24-hour news cycle: a reality of rising concern within Labor ranks over continuing damage to the ALP and the union movement over the Australian Workers Union saga; concern among Labor MPs that support in marginal seats in NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia is disastrously below the national polling; Rudd supporters have not given up thinking of a leadership change - just shifted the goal posts - and major policies remain in crisis or limbo.
Contrary to an overall impression of solidity of Gillard’s leadership and growing support for the ALP, there were Labor MPs yesterday prepared to suggest her judgment in advocating Australia vote against a United Nations’ observer status for Palestine was a threat to her leadership on the grounds of judgment, policy and political ramifications for MPs in particular seats.
===
Hypocrites. Labor attacks Abbott for not being sexist enough
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(8:55am)
TONY Abbott is quite accustomed to being attacked by Labor MPs, most fiercely by the so-called handbag hit squad, for being an aggressive, macho, wall-punching (supposedly) misogynist.
But over the past two days, as the Opposition Leader has sat mute at the dispatch box while his female deputy spearheads the Coalition’s questioning of Julia Gillard over the Australian Workers Union scandal, Abbott has come under fire for being something else entirely: gutless.
There is zero principle behind Labor’s gender war. It is entirely driven by political advantage, and is as sexist as it is cynical. The risk for Abbott is that it knocks him off his natural game and makes him seem weak or inauthentic.
UPDATE
Like I said; hypocrites. Hypocrites who keep odd company. Cut & Paste skewers Gillard elegantly:
PROSTITUTES in Asia! PM on Monday:LET me remind you who Mr Blewitt is ... Mr Blewitt admits to using the services of prostitutes in Asia.Prostitutes in Australia. ABC News, August 23, 2011:JULIA Gillard has been again forced to defend Labor backbencher Craig Thomson, amid new allegations which appear to cast doubt on his denial that he used his union credit card to pay for prostitutes.Stand by your man. Neil Mitchell, October 20, 2011:HOST: Do you stand by Craig Thomson as a member of your team?PM: I certainly do…Company they keep! PM yesterday:THE Deputy Leader of the Opposition has confessed during those interviews to being in the company of Ralph Blewitt on Friday - I’m now dealing with the lack of standards of the opposition and the company they keep.Company they keep. Channel 10’s Meet the Press, Sunday:NICOLA Roxon: I think the most substantive allegation is maybe she didn’t choose that wildly - wisely, her boyfriend. Now, all of us, I reckon, have chosen boyfriends and girlfriends in the past.Hugh Riminton: Oh, I’ve had some terrible boyfriends. I’ve had some terrible boyfriends over the years.Roxon: We may not always be, you know, on reflection, think we’re wise choices. But that is, I think, the only real issue here.Lewd comments! PM on Monday:MR Blewitt has published lewd and degrading comments and accompanying photographs of young women on his Facebook page.Lewd comments. PM on October 9:ON the conduct of Mr Slipper and on the text messages which are in the public domain - I have seen the press reports of those text messages and I am offended by their content ... but I also believe that, in making a decision about the speakership, this parliament should recognise that there is a court case in progress and that the judge has reserved his decision. Having waited for a number of months for the legal matters surrounding Mr Slipper to come to a conclusion, this parliament should see that conclusion.
Double standards! PM on October 9:WHAT I will not stand for - what I will never stand for - is the Leader of the Opposition ... peddling a double standard.Double standards? Leigh Sales on ABC 7.30 on Monday:MR Blewitt, you just heard what the Prime Minister had to say about you in the parliament today. Why should anybody believe what you say?Blewitt: Well, in response, I would say this: Julia Gillard has been labelling this a smear campaign. I think it’s a bit hypocritical of her to now come out and try and smear me to detract people from the main event here.Gerald Moses writes to the Sydney Morning Herald, November 26:WHEN I began my professional life in 1958, the senior partner of the firm I worked for used to say: “You lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”
A FEDERAL Labor MP has accused deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop of being “a narcissistic bimbo”.
Steve Gibbons also said Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was “a gutless douchebag”.
Why is Labor promoting such a culture of abuse?
===
AWU scandal - About that $5000
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(8:37am)
Let’s talk more about why a union con man may have dropped $5000 into his girlfriend’s account.
Bruce Wilson last night didn’t deny it:
CARO MELDRUM-HANNA: So you maintain that no money from the slush fund was used on Ms Gillard’s renovations on her home at that time. Was there also no money that you deposited from the slush fund into her account for other reasons?
BRUCE WILSON: I didn’t deposit any money into her account for other reasons, and the only thing that may have happened - and I’m not saying it did or it didn’t, I just don’t recall - is the $5,000 that Wayne Hem… If he says - andWayne was a nice enough guy; I mean, have no reason to be at odds with him - but if he says that happened then perhaps it did.
FORMER Australian Workers Union employee Wayne Hem stands by his claim that Bruce Wilson told him to deposit $5000 into Julia Gillard’s account after the Prime Minister on Monday declared she could not remember such a transaction.
Mr Hem told The Australian yesterday he remembered “as clear as day” Mr Wilson, the Victorian state secretary of the AWU, giving him $5000 cash at the union’s Melbourne office in 1995 and asking him to deposit it into Ms Gillard’s bank account.“He handed me a wad of cash, he gave me the bank account number with Julia’s name on it and said, ‘Go put this in the bank’,” he said. “If I had to relive it in a courtroom I could probably relive it in a courtroom. It’s as clear as day.” Mr Wilson was Ms Gillard’s boyfriend and client in her role as a lawyer at Slater & Gordon.Mr Hem’s account was first recorded in the diary of then AWU joint national secretary Ian Cambridge after a conversation between the two men in June 1996.
Ms Gillard and her office have sought to cast doubt on the credibility of the diary, which The Australian has verified as a contemporaneous account. But Mr Hem swore a statutory declaration earlier this month confirming his recollection of the events.
===
Did Gillard and her firm keep hush about how her boyfriend’s house was paid for?
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(8:27am)
DISGRACED union official Bruce Wilson told his lawyers at Slater & Gordon in August 1995 that money from a secret slush fund was siphoned off for the purchase of a $230,000 Melbourne terrace house, federal parliament heard yesterday…
The claim in parliament that Mr Wilson, then Ms Gillard’s boyfriend and client, effectively confessed to misappropriating funds came after new information in a statement issued yesterday by Slater & Gordon…The firm’s statement follows repeated questioning by The Australian about why Slater & Gordon did “not notify either the police or its then client the AWU of information concerning the AWU Workplace Reform Association when it learnt of allegations of misconduct by its other client, Mr Wilson, in August 1995?"…The law firm’s statement yesterday revealed for the first time that Slater & Gordon “obtained information that was confidential to (Mr Wilson)”.Slater & Gordon added this confidential information could not be disclosed “as it would have represented a conflict between his interests and the interests of the AWU”.As a result, the firm ceased acting for the union and Mr Wilson in August 1995…Within hours of the statement’s release, Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop ... told federal parliament the statement meant that “when Mr Wilson disclosed the use of the slush fund to purchase the Fitzroy property, Slater & Gordon ceased acting for both parties (Mr Wilson and the AWU)”.
“Does the Prime Minister still say that as a partner of Slater & Gordon she did nothing wrong?” Ms Bishop said.
===
Labor gets another excuse to defend the indefensible
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(8:09am)
REPORTER: Have you spoken with Mr Blewitt at all? Have any of your staffers? Have you met him at all?
JULIE BISHOP: Yes, I’ve spoken to Mr Blewitt.REPORTER: How many times and when?
JULIE BISHOP: Once.
THE opposition’s attacks on Julia Gillard’s actions as a lawyer are foundering with Julie Bishop first accusing the Prime Minister of being complicit in, and profiteering from, fraud 20 years ago - and then withdrawing the claim.And the government has called for Ms Bishop to resign for having a secret meeting in Melbourne last week with the self-confessed fraud and Australian Workers’ Union bagman Ralph Blewitt, who is now being discredited by both sides of politics.Ms Bishop claims the meeting on Friday was coincidental and unplanned. Fairfax Media understands Ms Bishop and Mr Blewitt spoke by phone on Wednesday while she was in Perth.
Trade Minister Craig Emerson is melodramatically calling on Bishop to resign if she has “lied”. And if it’s Fairfax instead which has made a mistake...?
Ms Bishop has released a statement not ruling out that the pair spoke by phone.
‘’Earlier last week Michael Smith called me while I was driving in Perth and said he was at dinner with someone who wanted to speak to me,’’ she said.‘’That person did not identify themselves and said he was pleased that the AWU fraud was being raised in Parliament.‘’I said that would continue to be the case and my mobile phone dropped out at that point.‘’Michael Smith did not call back and I do not know to whom I spoke.’’In a further muddling of the account, Mr Blewitt has told Channel 9 on Wednesday morning that he did speak to Ms Bishop on the phone and that it was on Thursday last week.Mr Blewitt said that he had been handed the phone by Mr Smith and that he had talked to Ms Bishop for about three or four minutes.Ms Bishop has kept a low profile on Wednesday morning, after conducting three doorstop interviews on Tuesday.
===
Some Labor ministers still believe in a free press
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(8:04am)
CABINET ministers have failed to agree on landmark media reforms, including new powers to oversee the press, forcing another delay to controversial plans that could trigger a political fight before next year’s election.The divisions in a cabinet meeting on Monday night fuelled speculation the government would have to postpone the full package of changes until ministers settled their differences over press regulation and ownership controls…
One option in Senator Conroy’s plan would give the minister the power to set the criteria to judge the performance of independent regulators such as the Australian Press Council. The minister would also decide if the regulator met the criteria. Industry executives have described Senator Conroy’s plan as a “first-time incursion by government into print media” that cannot be accepted.
===
What will replace the mining boom now it’s over?
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(7:39am)
HARVEY Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey says industry conditions remain dire and he expects more retailers will go bust next year after the Christmas sales are over.
‘’There are more retailers currently under pressure than I’ve ever seen … I’ve been in retail 50 years,’’ he told reporters after the company’s annual meeting on Tuesday.
His prediction comes less than a month after the collapse of discount chain operator Retail Adventures, which announced that 32 stores will close and 650 jobs go by the end of this month.
===
Gillard rolled, and Hamas will celebrate
Andrew BoltNOVEMBER282012(7:11am)
Julia Gillard has the right position, but could not afford to be rolled or to lose Bob Carr on an issue in which Kevin Rudd opposed her:
After initially snubbing the majority view of her cabinet colleagues on Monday night, the Prime Minister was only convinced yesterday morning to back down when faced with the threat of ministers voting against her in caucus.It is believed to be the first time since Bob Hawke pushed ahead with uranium mining at Coronation Hill in 1991 that a PM had defied recommendations from cabinet.Cabinet sources confirmed the PM was forced into a desperate backdown during caucus yesterday after reported threats that Foreign Minister Bob Carr would vote against her if it was put to a vote on the floor - a precedent which would have forced his resignation.
The PM only warded off a caucus bloodbath by announcing a compromise position for Australia to abstain from the UN vote.
Ten ministers representing both Labor factions spoke against the Prime Minister’s stated position in a long Cabinet debate; Tony Burke, Chris Bowen, Bob Carr, Simon Crean, Craig Emerson, Martin Ferguson, and Peter Garrett from the Right and Anthony Albanese, Mark Butler and Greg Combet from the Left.
Only two spoke in support of Gillard’s position; Stephen Conroy and Bill Shorten, both from the Right.
I’m not impressed by some of the reasons given for overturning Gillard’s decision - not principle but political advantage, with reference to majoritism and shifting demographics:
The former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans briefed Labor MPs on Monday, warning they would be on the wrong side of history if they stood with the US and Israel against the rest of the world…
The Right faction, which would usually support Ms Gillard, backed an abstention, in part due to the views of its members that the government was too pro-Israel, and also because many MPs in western Sydney, who are already fearful of losing their seats, are coming under pressure from constituents with a Middle East background.
That is a very troubling sign for our future. Further isolating the US and Israel internationally is already bad enough - and dangerous.
But here’s another of the real reasons to worry about giving Palestine added status at the UN: which is the Palestinian state? Gaza, controlled by the pro-terrorist Hamas? Or the Fatah-controlled West Bank under Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas?
In the past, we have opposed Abbas’s UN campaign as a pointless diversion from direct talks to settle the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. At this stage, however, it might well be worth letting Abbas score a political victory at the UN—particularly if it reinforces his viability among his own people.
The U.S. and Israel object to Abbas’s UN gambit on the grounds that it violates the notion that the Israelis and Palestinians should negotiate a settlement themselves with neither side taking steps to predetermine the outcome.
The danger, of course, is that benefits given to the “moderate” Abbas are later seized and exploited by Hamas, the cuckoo’s egg.
UPDATE
Mark Leibler, who unfortunately supports the restrictions on our freedom to speak that last year restricted my own, takes the chance to speak up for Israel while that, at least, is still legal:
Upgrading the Palestinian delegation’s status is not an innocuous technicality. As [Gareth] Evans himself admits, the true purpose of the move is to enable the Palestinians to launch a new campaign of diplomatic and legal attacks against Israel in various UN forums and elsewhere, particularly the International Criminal Court - and to do so as an alternative to direct negotiations with Israel…
Any fair-minded person would agree that the UN has a built-in bias against Israel, a country subject to more UN censure than every other country combined.
Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop said the Coalition was disappointed by the government’s decision to abstain from voting on the issue…“Our concern is that the drive for greater recognition at the UN is an attempt by Palestinian leaders to enable them to bring action against Israel through the international courts.”
The granting of observer status also risked conferring increased international status on the militant group, Hamas, which governed Gaza, Ms Bishop said.
Mr Turnbull said it was “pathetically sad” the government had gone to all the trouble to have a greater voice on the UN security council but would abstain from the general assembly vote on the issue.
“Its first significant vote since it won that seat on the security council is not to say yes or no but to say nothing, to sit mute, undecided, weak and helpless and impotent....”
Australia should have stuck to the previous policy to oppose any change to the status of the Palestinian territories in respect to the UN, Mr Turnbull said…
The previous policy should be adhered to while Hamas and Fatah were basically involved in a civil war, Mr Turnbull said.
===
WILSON DID GILLARD NO FAVOURS Larry pickering
I was expecting Bruce Wilson to be quite convincing, a pre-requisite of a con man, I thought. But after the first minute of the ABC interview I turned to my wife and said, “This prick is actually going to deny everything!”
Certainly, he was expected to deny Gillard’s involvement but how could he have kept a straight face when saying it wasn’t union members' money th
at was, um, did he say borrowed?
Has he told the AWU that?
It was not only union money, it was also taxpayers’ money that was given to Thiess as a union training grant from the WA Labor Government.
Thiess deposited it into Wilson’s dodgy Northbridge account. Then it disappeared. No training. No explanation and no complaint from Thiess.
It was also union members’ money that disappeared from a funeral fund. Golly, isn’t Wilson abreast of his own criminal exploits? Or, is he like his ex and in complete denial?
The whole thing is now becoming comical. Gillard slagging off Blewitt. Blewitt slagging off Gillard. Wilson slagging off Blewitt. Blewitt slagging off Wilson. Gillard slagging off Bishop etc etc. Someone has cracked the egg shell and runny stuff is seeping everywhere.
With his body language screaming, “I’m lying”, Wilson actually explained that it was all Blewitt’s doing. Didn’t it occur to him it was he who was acting for Blewitt under a Power of Attorney.
Thousands of questions were begging to be asked and the young ABC reporter, who was obviously caught unawares, didn’t ask one of them.
The clip was so heavily cut to delete her “bloopers” it became out of sequence and left the whole interview up in the air.
Wilson said, "I went to her (Gillard) and said `look can you fix it whatever it is that needs to be fixed?’ It wasn't a big issue, it wasn't like oh jeez, let's call in half the Slater and Gordon crew it was a simple matter that needed to be done, she did it, end of story.
"Simply there was some forms that needed to be filled out in a different manner. It was a bit like going and asking, for example, this form didn't look right...what do we need to do? She made the necessary changes, I told her Ralph was going to then re lodge the forms and she said if that's the case I better fill this out."
Well, well, well... she filled it out and made the necessary changes, eh? So Gillard obviously knew what she was doing eh? And why were these changes necessary?
Well, because the first attempt at the fraud was obvious to the WA Corporate Commission, that’s why. Gillard must have been wringing her hands in anguish hearing that!
So, you don’t have to be that smart after all if you want to rort your union’s members. But when he mentioned Blewitt had buried the dosh in his back yard I figured it’s better if you are a complete dork!
And when he said (wait for it) the dosh had been ruined and had to be destroyed, I thought it’s obviously better if you’re a deranged, brain dead, schizoid on life support with the plug about to be pulled!
Perhaps Wilson should have checked when our indestructible polymer notes became legal tender. It was in 1988 and it is a simple matter to take damaged notes to a bank for replacement. Ooops, better not do that.
One thing quickly became clear to me:
Wilson could not have possibly got away with rorting millions without the help of a good Industrial Lawyer.
And isn’t that exactly what he just said?
It’s quite scary that ALP supremo, Bill Ludwig, was openly grooming him as the next Labor Prime Minister.
If he hadn’t been caught he could be PM now, with his girlfriend as deputy.
Blimey, I off for a stiff Scotch.
Has he told the AWU that?
It was not only union money, it was also taxpayers’ money that was given to Thiess as a union training grant from the WA Labor Government.
Thiess deposited it into Wilson’s dodgy Northbridge account. Then it disappeared. No training. No explanation and no complaint from Thiess.
It was also union members’ money that disappeared from a funeral fund. Golly, isn’t Wilson abreast of his own criminal exploits? Or, is he like his ex and in complete denial?
The whole thing is now becoming comical. Gillard slagging off Blewitt. Blewitt slagging off Gillard. Wilson slagging off Blewitt. Blewitt slagging off Wilson. Gillard slagging off Bishop etc etc. Someone has cracked the egg shell and runny stuff is seeping everywhere.
With his body language screaming, “I’m lying”, Wilson actually explained that it was all Blewitt’s doing. Didn’t it occur to him it was he who was acting for Blewitt under a Power of Attorney.
Thousands of questions were begging to be asked and the young ABC reporter, who was obviously caught unawares, didn’t ask one of them.
The clip was so heavily cut to delete her “bloopers” it became out of sequence and left the whole interview up in the air.
Wilson said, "I went to her (Gillard) and said `look can you fix it whatever it is that needs to be fixed?’ It wasn't a big issue, it wasn't like oh jeez, let's call in half the Slater and Gordon crew it was a simple matter that needed to be done, she did it, end of story.
"Simply there was some forms that needed to be filled out in a different manner. It was a bit like going and asking, for example, this form didn't look right...what do we need to do? She made the necessary changes, I told her Ralph was going to then re lodge the forms and she said if that's the case I better fill this out."
Well, well, well... she filled it out and made the necessary changes, eh? So Gillard obviously knew what she was doing eh? And why were these changes necessary?
Well, because the first attempt at the fraud was obvious to the WA Corporate Commission, that’s why. Gillard must have been wringing her hands in anguish hearing that!
So, you don’t have to be that smart after all if you want to rort your union’s members. But when he mentioned Blewitt had buried the dosh in his back yard I figured it’s better if you are a complete dork!
And when he said (wait for it) the dosh had been ruined and had to be destroyed, I thought it’s obviously better if you’re a deranged, brain dead, schizoid on life support with the plug about to be pulled!
Perhaps Wilson should have checked when our indestructible polymer notes became legal tender. It was in 1988 and it is a simple matter to take damaged notes to a bank for replacement. Ooops, better not do that.
One thing quickly became clear to me:
Wilson could not have possibly got away with rorting millions without the help of a good Industrial Lawyer.
And isn’t that exactly what he just said?
It’s quite scary that ALP supremo, Bill Ludwig, was openly grooming him as the next Labor Prime Minister.
If he hadn’t been caught he could be PM now, with his girlfriend as deputy.
Blimey, I off for a stiff Scotch.
No comments:
Post a Comment