Monday, July 29, 2013

Mon Jul 29th Todays News

Happy birthday and many happy returns Wendy Ta, Tracy Truong and David Som. Born on the same day, across the years. Along with Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington (1860), Dag Hammarskjöld (1905) and Ken Burns (1953). 
1148 – The Siege of Damascus ended in a decisive crusader defeat, leading to the disintegration of the Second Crusade.
1858 – Japan reluctantly signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, an unequal treaty giving the United States various commercial and diplomatic privileges.
1899 – The first Hague Convention, among the first formal statements of the laws of war and war crimes in international law, was signed.
1958 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, establishing a new federal non-military space agency known as NASA.
1987 – Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to resolve the ongoing Sri Lankan Civil War. The Sri Lankan civil war is over. NASA is mandated. You know what war crimes are. You have a treaty of amity and commerce. The crusade is over. Enjoy your lamingtons and film your success.
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Bolt skewers Rudd on Sunday TV

Piers Akerman – Monday, July 29, 2013 (6:03am)

COLLEAGUE ANDREW Bolt’s Sunday interview with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was rivetting stuff – Rudd looked pathetic and he got hammered.
His lies and excuses brought tears to my eyes.
Tears of laughter.
I would not normally waste a minute of a Sunday in front of the idiot box unless someone had threatened to drive hot knitting needles through my eyeballs.
The talk shows have slid into eye-glazing sameness.
Bolt is a raw talent, not yet really part of the slick made-for-TV tribe.
His interviews can be awkward but he has a true journalist’s doggedness and he will not be put off by his subject’s tone or condescension.
Rudd tried to smirk his way through the interview, mugging and grinning like a Mad Magazine cartoon cover.
He could not cope with Bolt’s reference to a series of Australian Federal Police reports produced after he had scrapped Howard’s successful border protection policy in 2008.
The reports did no more than warn that people smugglers would “market recent changes to Australia’s immigration policy to entice potential illegal immigrants”.
They were sent to Rudd’s department. Rudd said he had never heard of them.
Then Rudd went further and claimed that his destruction of the border protection program was the policy he had taken to the 2007 election.
It wasn’t. Before the election Rudd promised to turn the boats back.
He never did of course, that was a lie.
He tried to lecture Bolt about democracy. He spat in the face of democracy with his lie.
He wasn’t much better on the carbon dioxide tax and the global warmists nonsense, either, disputing real science and putting up the sort of argument that an adolescent Green adherent might offer in a high school lunch shed.
The interview was pre-recorded so Rudd could take his wife to Afghanistan for a photo-op with the troops.
He didn’t meet any of the Afghan leadership. He didn’t have any strategic meetings. There were no important announcements.
How demeaning for the soldiers to be paraded for a handshake before Rudd and the missus flew out again.
Thank God for the Bolt Report. I am not a convert to Sunday television – I have gutters to clear, wood to chop, a dog to walk, mates to meet – but Sunday’s show is worth downloading and watching.
It’s a hoot. 

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GREENS OBSERVED

Tim Blair – Monday, July 29, 2013 (3:01pm)

• Spot the Greens activist who doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic about the cause.
• Adam Bandt’s promotional t-shirts present him as a transparent, dimensionless void. Truth in advertising, then.
• They’re standing up for what matters. Except for the two at the front, who are sitting down.
• If I was in this room with these people, I would set fire to myself.

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FIRST LADY SECOND

Tim Blair – Monday, July 29, 2013 (7:19am)

For a Prime Minister who claims to be more interested in governing, Kevin Rudd sure is doing a lot of campaigning lately. Over the weekend Rudd visited the remote electorate of Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan, where the PM made this bold pledge to Australian troops: “It’s about time we brought you back.”
More on that in a minute. The immediate news hook of the PM’s visit was that he took wife Therese Rein along, for no reason that seemed to be connected in any way with governing. According to the ABC, this was a moment of great historic importance. “Ms Rein became the first wife of an Australian prime minister to visit a war zone,” reported defence correspondent Michael Brissenden.
Fairfax’s Age newspaper was similarly enthusiastic: “This is the first time a wife of a serving Australian prime minister has travelled to a war zone to visit the servicemen and women on active duty.” And so was the AAP: “The bigger surprise was the presence of Therese Rein – the first wife of a serving PM ever to visit a war zone.” 

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The Australian edition of The Guardian ran Rein’s accomplishment on its front page: “Surprise trip to Tarin Kowt makes Rein the first spouse of a serving prime minister to visit a war zone.” The ABC’s Insiders gang seemed impressed. “It’s the first time, I think, that a Prime Minister has taken a spouse along, isn’t it?” asked host Barrie Cassidy. “Ah, yes,” answered the Courier-Mail‘s Dennis Atkins. “It hasn’t happened before. He took Therese along and it was a remarkable thing in itself.”
Old Rudd pal Peter Slipper also joined in. “Congrats to Therese on joining PM in supporting troops in Afghanistan,” the former speaker wrote on Twitter. “This is the first time a spouse has given such support. Thnks Therese.”
Thnks indeed, expert military historians.

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BIG FEAT

Tim Blair – Monday, July 29, 2013 (6:41am)

Take an eight-minute break to restore your faith in humankind: 



(Via Iowahawk)

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NO FACTS

Tim Blair – Monday, July 29, 2013 (6:21am)

Former Fairfax online liability Margo Kingston describes her new tax-funded hobby: 
No Fibs is a new citizens journalism project in the tradition of one of the first, Webdiary. 
It sure is. Highly-stressed longtime Margo munchkin Harry Heidelberg, now writing under the name David Davis, recently filed this exclusive No Fibs report on the seat of Wentworth: 

image 

One small problem: Sharon Claydon isn’t Labor’s Wentworth candidate. Following some Twitter anguish, the piece was updated: 

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Oopsy doopsy. 

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CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE

Tim Blair – Monday, July 29, 2013 (5:48am)

The Sydney Morning Herald rejects claims that Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer helped to bring down Fairfax: 
We do not accept their false premises that the company which has funded the Herald’s quality journalism for so long is dying, nor that this pair of moguls’ sons can claim credit for any problems Fairfax has faced. 
Quite so. Fairfax deserves all the credit itself. As an example of Fairfax’s “quality journalism”, here’s Stephanie Wood in today’s Age, reporting on “Therese’s record trip”: 
For many commentators, the fact that it was the first time a prime ministerial spouse had ever visited a war zone was the major point of interest. 
Well, it was a major point of interest one day ago, before everyone realised it was wrong. Even the ABC has since added a stealth correction to earlier copy: 
Ms Rein, believed to be the second wife of an Australian prime minister to visit a warzone, said she was proud to meet some of the soldiers. 
(Via MiltonG)

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KEVLAR KEV’S KAVE

Tim Blair – Monday, July 29, 2013 (5:21am)

The PM’s warzone photo op, as seen by the Telegraph‘s Warren Brown: 

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Essential Poll: Labor still behind

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (5:26pm)

Less a sugar hit, perhaps, than a platform. Essential Media’s latest poll shows no change: Labor 49, Coalition 51. 

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A sad case of confirmation bias, in black and white

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (11:44am)

It’s strange how you can be behind, yet still carry on as if you’re ahead.

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ABC stars demonstrate: how to heckle a Liberal

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (9:41am)

Gerard Henderson analyses three recent ABC interviews with Coalition frontbenchers and concludes:
The Faine/Trioli/Kelly Lesson
In view of the unprofessional interviewing style to which some ABC presenters subject leading Coalition MPs, it is scarcely surprising if the likes of Tony Abbott decide that they could make better use of their scant media time away from key ABC programs.  The truth is that not many swinging voters watch or listen to the public broadcaster.  It is unlikely that any election has been won on the ABC.
Check for yourself. One example:

Jon Faine: How can hundreds of millions of dollars for schools not be for the better?
Tony Abbott: It’s got to be affordable and -
Jon Faine:  [interjecting] Well it clearly is, it’s in the budget
Tony Abbott: Well, I’m not sure that it is. We’ve got – on the official figures – we’ve got almost $20 billion of deficits, we’ve got deficits stretching out into the future -
Jon Faine:  [interjecting] Minimal, minimal.  Tiny manageable deficits, Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott: [continuing] and after this government we will never get surplus.  What’s that?
Jon Faine: [interjecting] Minimal deficits, manageable and irrelevant in the overall scheme of the economy
Tony Abbott: Well, I’m not sure that’s right. These “tiny”, “manageable”, “irrelevant” deficits can bring countries into terrible, terrible trouble. Just look at what’s happening in Europe. In the end governments -
Jon Faine: [interjecting] Comparing our economy to Europe is absurd, with respect -
Tony Abbott: Governments, no less than families and business, Jon, have got to live within their means
Jon Faine: Going into a almost statistically irrelevant – a tiny small amount of deficit to get over a difficult patch in the cycle of global economies, is regarded by the OECD and elsewhere as sensible, sustainable, manageable and good policy.  But Tony Abbott doesn’t agree -
Tony Abbott: Well, I think that if we are going to commit to billions of dollars a year in extra spending and – let’s face it – Gonski requires six and a half billion dollars a year in extra spending if no school is to be worse off, that is a very serious additional commitment -
Jon Faine: [interjecting] You want smarter kids, better education, better schools, better skills but you don’t want to pay for it.
Hmm. The next time one of the Prime Minister’s advisers complains I interrupt too much I must remind him I rarely match the standards set by the ABC when heckling the Opposition:

Virginia Trioli: - [Interjecting] I don’t know how many times this morning I can say that it’s not a tax –
Greg Hunt: Well, of course it is.
Virginia Trioli: - But I’m just going to put it on the record that it’s not
Greg Hunt:  - The price of electricity –
Virginia Trioli: [interjecting] Just one more time and then viewers can make up their own mind
Greg Hunt: - It’s intended to drive up the price of electricity and that’s what it does
Virginia Trioli: What’ve you got Michael? [Laughs]
Gerard’s third example:

On 17 July Fran Kelly interviewed Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey.  Like Jon Faine and Virginia Trioli, Fran ("I’m an activist") Kelly was more intent in stating her position than listening to what Joe Hockey had to say. In a 14 minute interview, Fran Kelly interjected, or cut off, Joe Hockey on no fewer than 18 occasions as she attempted to prove that she was correct and the Shadow Treasurer was wrong.

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Managing Fairfax into oblivion

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (9:28am)

Terry McCrann on the difference between being led by a committee and led by a proprietor - and a brilliant one:

When young Warwick Fairfax launched his infamous $2bn bid for Fairfax in 1987, Murdoch’s News Corp had a market cap around double that figure.
Since then News Corp has gone from $4bn to $87bn. Fairfax has gone from $2bn to $1bn…
The difference comes back to one thing and one thing alone. Yes, of course, Murdoch. But more generically—you can’t clone Murdoch, or at least not yet—the difference in having a proprietor.
Another metric from the fall of Fairfax:
The widely quoted $8bn from Colleen Ryan’s book, Fairfax: The Rise and Fall, is the aggregate value of the three listed online advertising websites, REA (real estate), Seek and carsales.
Those three well and truly stole Fairfax’s—in the good old days, champagne-fuelled—lunch. So Fairfax, which once had a market cap of more than $7bn, is now down to just over $1bn.
So the argument goes, that’s $8bn that could have been, that should have been, Fairfax’s. In helping steal it, James Packer (Seek and carsales) and Lachlan Murdoch (REA) were the prime instigators in Killing Fairfax, Pamela Williams’s book.
Actually, the figure was $8bn. Since it went mainstream with Ryan’s book a few weeks back, the aggregate value of the three companies has grown to $9.4bn.
That is to say, their combined value has increased in a few weeks by more than the total value of Fairfax—which has actually gone down and is now struggling to stay above the billion mark at just $1.15bn.
Grim times:
FAIRFAX Media chief executive officer Greg Hywood has denied growing speculation that the company will bring forward the date of closure of its Monday to Friday editions in Sydney and Melbourne, amid a weak advertising climate and next year’s planned reduction of the company’s printing capacity.
Senior Fairfax insiders have told Media the plans currently involve the weekday editions of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
While Mr Hywood has previously flagged a possible closure of print editions as early as 2015, it is believed weak revenues and the company’s avowed declaration of a “digital first” strategy have hastened the historic retreat from its print products.
Mr Hywood said there has “been no change to the timetable”, adding: “I totally rule out that speculation...”
As Fairfax wrestles with the timetable for axing print, Citi equities analyst Justin Diddams has explored the ability of publishers to migrate advertising dollars from print to online, and issued a stark warning.
“Advertising revenue from online news websites will struggle to replicate the print revenues due to inventory constraints, there’s just not enough online readers,” Mr Diddams cautioned.
The greatest threat? That the state media will become even more dominant, and will - with the help of tougher rules against free speech - further muzzle debate on critical social issues. 

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King O’Farrell

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (9:10am)

Labor remains dead, dead, dead in NSW:

NSW Labor faces the prospect of another landslide election defeat, according to the latest Newspoll, which is likely to make especially grim reading as the party prepares for a series of potentially damaging reports from the state’s corruption watchdog this week…
The Coalition leads Labor on a two-party preferred margin by 61 per cent to 39 per cent, which is only marginally better than the historic defeat Labor experienced in 2011.

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Rudd lifts Labor, but the seats are against him

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (8:51am)

Kevin Rudd has put Labor right back in the game, with Labor now 50:50 - or just short - with the Coalition in most polls.
But seat by seat, the gap may be greater. Rudd will probably pick up seats in Queensland:

Brisbane is the Coalition’s most marginal seat in Queensland, according to Malcolm Mackerras’s pendulum. Looking farther afield, Labor’s campaign team is talking up an upset in Townsville-based Herbert (held by 2.2 per cent by Liberal Owen Jones), where job cuts at the local hospital have the people up in arms, reinforcing the connection Labor wants to establish between Campbell Newman’s hard-edged state LNP government and Abbott federally.
Bayside Bonner (2.9 per cent), Longman (2 per cent), north of Brisbane, and Forde (1.7 per cent), south of the city, are also in play as far as the ALP is concerned.
But elsewhere:
KEVIN Rudd’s political resurrection has failed to inoculate Labor against losing between three and six seats in Victoria as voters in key marginals are slow to embrace the recycled Prime Minister.
The Australian understands that private polling from the major parties confirms that, of the key states, Mr Rudd’s return has failed to shore up the most marginal seats in Victoria.
It follows a breakdown of Newspoll data from the mainland states showing that Labor’s primary vote in Victoria failed to rise after the leadership change despite the other states showing healthy gains…
The Australian understands the Liberal Party is now targeting six seats in Victoria, with expectations that the three most marginal—Corangamite (0.3 per cent), Deakin (0.6 per cent) and La Trobe (1.7 per cent)—are set to fall.
Labor will also lose the seats of “independents” Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor. And in Tasmania an poll suggests more losses, not least because of a collapse in support for the Greens:

RECYCLED Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is preferred PM by voters in Bass, Lyons and Braddon but it appears all three seats will still fall to the Liberals at the next federal election.
Exclusive ReachTEL polling ... [shows the] Greens were heavy losers in Bass (13.4 down to 9.4) and Lyons (13 per cent down to 10.2) but held steady in Braddon at relative low of 7.4 per cent.
Rudd has boosted Labor’s vote in NSW, but this week comes bad news:

Labor also faces other challenges this week, with the release of three reports from the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption about allegations against former members of the previous Labor government: Ian Macdonald, Eddie Obeid and Eric Roozendaal. The second ICAC report will explore how ALP powerbroker Eddie Obeid and his family made at least $30 million from the granting of a coal exploration lease over their farm during Mr Macdonald’s time as mining minister.
The third report will detail the findings of the commission’s investigation into whether Mr Roozendaal, a former NSW Treasurer, was able to buy a car at a discounted price with the aid of the Obeid family.
As well as being potentially damaging to the state Labor party’s public standing, the release of the ICAC reports could influence the timing of the federal election, lending weight to the argument of some that it should be delayed.

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The Left isn’t Left, and only conservatives would say so

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (8:30am)

ABC television host Adam Hills last week declared: “I am not a Leftie”.
Hills seemed stung that I’d noted every host of a main ABC current affairs program was of the Left.
Not me, declared Hills on his show - and announced the “policies” that he actually supported: saving rainforests, fighting global warming, being nice to boat people.
Er, right, Adam.  

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Boats overwhelm Rudd’s plan to stop them

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (8:13am)

Boat people policy

KEVIN Rudd banked everything on his Papua New Guinea deal slowing the boats before the election.
He’s lost already.
Boat people arrivals have actually jumped to about 150 a day, and Rudd’s small chance of an election win is unravelling fast.
What seemed Rudd’s masterstroke 10 days ago - a plan to send all new boat people to PNG - is now dangerously close to a fiasco.
I asked the Prime Minister several times on yesterday’s Bolt Report whether voters would see his plan work before they went to the polls - perhaps two or three months from now.
(Read full article here.)
UPDATE
Scrambling to keep up:
THE first group of asylum-seekers subjected to Kevin Rudd’s Papua New Guinea Solution will be shipped to Manus Island within a week as Labor fights to contain a surge in boat arrivals and steps up efforts to complete a dramatic expansion of the 300-person processing centre…
Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare’s office confirmed 17 boats carrying 1350 asylum-seekers had been intercepted since Mr Rudd signed the deal with his PNG counterpart Peter O’Neill…
Ernie Lohberger, who runs water engineering business Lohberger Engineering, told The Australian yesterday he had been contacted on Thursday by Toll to ask him to have a desalination plant and chlorinated water tanks installed on Manus Island within four days. The plant will provide enough water for 600 people, but much greater capacity would be needed if the population expands to the anticipated 3000, he said.

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Promises, promises

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (8:06am)


Kevin Rudd has a plan to stop the boats, but we’ll have to wait until after the election to see if it works:

“We would need to see the implementation of this policy over a period of time and its effect over many months.”
Kevin Rudd promises to cut the carbon tax, but we’ll have to wait until after the election to see if it works:

Mr Rudd says the carbon price could rise above the $6 he promised when he said he would “terminate” the tax, and he refuses to rule out the price jumping to the Budget projection of $38.
Kevin Rudd will promise to balance the Budget, but we’ll have to wait until after the election - and maybe even the one after that - to see if it works:
With the pre-election focus shifting back to the economy, cabinet’s expenditure review committee will meet on Monday to finalise a list of spending cuts designed to reduce a looming hole in revenue.
Treasury’s most recent forecasts show revenue falling $20 billion to $30 billion short of the four-year forecast issued in the budget just a little over two months ago.
Fairfax Media understands the cuts agreed to on Friday will not make up all the lost revenue, but will be weighted towards the end of the forecast period, meaning the 2016-17 surplus forecast will be maintained by accepting deeper deficits in the earlier years.

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No one, certainly not the Gortons, come before the Rudds

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (7:44am)

ABC and Fairfax fall for more Rudd spin - this time about his trip to Afghanistan:
The immediate news hook of the PM’s visit was that he took wife Therese Rein along, for no reason that seemed to be connected in any way with governing. According to the ABC, this was a moment of great historic importance. “Ms Rein became the first wife of an Australian prime minister to visit a war zone,” reported defence correspondent Michael Brissenden.
Fairfax’s Age newspaper was similarly enthusiastic: “This is the first time a wife of a serving Australian prime minister has travelled to a war zone to visit the servicemen and women on active duty.”
None of this is true, of course, but once said who cares?:

image
The most interesting story of this trip may be how that claim came to be made and reported. It is symbolic of so much. 

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MPs want early election, Rudd not so sure

Andrew Bolt July 29 2013 (7:20am)

Maybe Kevin Rudd will, most likely he won’t. But Simon Benson is close to the NSW Right, and his report suggests it wants Kevin Rudd to rush to the polls, not sharing his faith that his appeal will last.
THE Prime Minister is likely to make a shrewd political statement at the end of this week and call a surprise date for the election - September 7…
The original planning for an August 31 election date had been locked in… On Friday, ministers were told they had until the close of business that day to get new funding announcements out the door…
Now the August 31 strategy is dead. Rudd won’t be going to visit the Governor-General today. But his closest advisers are warning him that if he continues to boondoggle, it could turn very pear-shaped. Pretending to govern while in fact campaigning will soon start to smack of polling hubris…
While some of his cabinet seem to think it is a good idea to keep the nation waiting until October, most think it would be political suicide…
Last night, several of Rudd’s closest advisers confirmed that September 7 was now the likely “go-date”.
UPDATE
Troy Bramston, a former Rudd speechwriter, says Labor’s internal polling has Labor ahead:

Labor’s polling has the party in front by 51-49 per cent on a national two-party preferred basis. In more than a dozen held and non-held marginal seats, Labor is either slightly ahead, just behind or breaking even. In Queensland, polling suggests all of Labor’s eight seats will be held and it could win up to eight more.
But:

Yesterday, Galaxy had Labor’s primary vote at 40 per cent, a figure unseen in years. On a two-party preferred basis, the parties are even at 50-50.
UPDATE
This might explain the Labor campaign to get Rudd to call an election soon:

AS one very senior Labor MP told this column: “Oh yes, we still hate Rudd and he is still a vindictive and crazy person ... “ And yet another: “Rudd’s a time bomb. We are just praying that when the blast goes off it’s not in our faces.” ... “In the dying days of his leadership last time we all saw some very erratic behaviour from Kevin,” one Labor MP said. “It’s just the beginning of his leadership this time but we are already seeing similar behaviour from him.” ... “Get used to it,” a senior Labor operative said. “This will be what we’ll be in for during the entire election campaign.”
The Spectator’s editorial does not mince words about Rudd:

Despite the risk of appearing too negative, Tony Abbott is obliged to alert the electorate to what many Labor people already know: this bloke is a complete and utter fraud.
UPDATE
More pressure:
Kevin Rudd is under ‘’incredible pressure’’ from within Labor to call an election as the government’s razor gang prepares to sign off on budget cuts that will allow the Prime Minister to campaign on a return to surplus in 2016 as promised…
Mr Rudd has said clarifying the budget statement was next on the government’s campaign to-do list but the Prime Minister is being urged from within his own ranks not to risk losing momentum and call an election this week…
Elements of the NSW Right, which backed Mr Rudd into the top job over Julia Gillard in June, now expect him to visit the Governor-General next weekend… On Sunday, union leader Paul Howes publicly urged Mr Rudd to go to the polls without delay ...

(Thanks to readers Gab and Bowlsy.) 

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It makes sense the burial was hidden near a known plot - ed
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even without the harassment, getting drunk and passing out is a sad indication of elevated risk of childhood death. - ed
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An election nears .. otherwise this tired issue would never be raised - ed
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Chilling headline missing substantive detail which would make it less sinister
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Hard to hide talent
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PHOTOGRAPHY business PixiFoto will sack more than 300 of its workers after its parent company plunged into administration late last week.
Sad, I liked that business .. they took good school photos - ed
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SF Cable Car Spin — at Powell Street Cable Car Turn Around.
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ITAMAR SLAUGHTERS :: Release of Fogel Family Killers (VIDEO)
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/07/28/israel-cabinet-approves-prisoner-release-plan-pm-netanyahu-says-tough-decision-as-citizens-protest-and-minister-warns-of-release-of-fogel-family-killers-video/
Why did Obama want them released? - ed
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Eric Kalemen like Hulk .. smash Ball. Ball bounces back! — feeling great.
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Australian Prime Minister Amazingly ignorant on Climate Matters

In the campaign leading up to his first incarnation as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described "Climate Change" as ""the greatest moral, economic and social challenge of our time." Why is it, then that he is so ignorant on "climate change." In an interview with Andrew Bolt, he displayed amazing ignorance on 'climate change.' Interview link.

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It’s one thing to re-write history, but quite another to pretend as if a major historical event – involving a well-documented case of ethnic cleansing – never occurred.
A July 25th edition of the Guardian’s Data Blog, edited by Mona Chalabi, was titled ‘What happened to history’s refugees?‘  Here’s the strapline:
People have been forced to leave their countries since the very notion of a country was created. We take a look at some of the largest human movements in history to find out why people left their homes, where they went and what became of them.
This ambitious project includes Israelites: Canaan (740 BC), Edict of Fontainebleau (France 1685), Muhacirs (Ottoman Empire 1783), Pogroms (Russia 1881), WWI (Europe 1914), WWII (Europe 1945), Nakba (Palestine 1948), and others.
Regarding the “Nakba”, here’s their remarkably skewed narrative:
Nowhere are numbers on refugees more contentious than the 1948 Palestinian exodus. An attack by a Zionist military group on an Arab village realised the Palestinians’ worst fears and combined with Zionist expulsion orders, military advances, virtually non-existent Palestinian leadership and unwillingness to live under Jewish control on their homeland. The result was a mass exodus of around 80% of Arabs on the land that was to become Israel. Later absentees property law in Israel would prevent the return of those Arabs. Nakba, meaning “catastrophe” is commemorated on 15 May each year. The UN set up a special agency, UNRWA, to deal with the enormous numbers of refugees requiring assistance that now number around 5 million.
There are so many omissions, misleading and flatly untrue claims about their tale of the flight of Palestinians, but, suffice to say that, in reading the summary, you could be forgiven for not knowing that there was even an Arab-Israel War in the first place – a war of aggression against the nascent Jewish state without which there wouldn’t have been a refugee problem.  However, this isn’t at all the most egregious historical error in the piece.
The Guardian then proceeds, from the “Nakba”, to the next refugee crisis: Idi Amin’s Order (Uganda 1972).omission
Did you notice an historical omission?  
The Guardian completely whitewashed the expulsion of hundreds of thousands ofJews from Arab lands between 1948 and 1972.

Jews expelled from Jordan
Jewish Refugees, 1948
As the site of JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa) explains:
…under the heavy weight of Anti-Jewish governments and policy, nearly one million Jews [beginning in 1948] from the Middle East and North Africa had their property confiscated, basic human rights stripped, and were systematically persecuted and victimized. Ultimately these Jews were forced to flee their homes and surrender their nationalities, becoming the “Forgotten Refugees” of the Middle East and North Africa.
Revisionist history of the Middle East conveniently excludes the fact that over half of Israel’s Jewish population live there not because European atrocities during World War II, but because of Anti-Jewish Arab governments who dispossessed and displaced their native Jewish populations following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Adopted narratives of the Arab-Israeli conflict fail to address the fact that Israel was the largest refugee camp in the Middle East, providing safe haven to…dispossessed Middle Eastern and North African Jewish refugees whose ancestors had a continuous presence in the region for over 3,000 years.
JIMENA reminds us that, though “UN Resolution 242 asserted that Jews fleeing Arab countries were ‘bona fide’ refugees” the international community, the media and educational systems have continuously ignored their plight.
Of the 800,000 or so Jewish refugees between 1948 and 1972, more than 200,000 found refuge in Europe and North America while 586,000 were resettled in Israel, ”without any compensation from the Arab governments who had confiscated their possessions.” Further, unlike Palestinian refugees who were displaced by war, a definitive report, co-authored by Irwin Cotler, concluded  that Jews’ expulsion was part of an intentional and coordinated effort by Arab rulers:
These massive human rights violations were not events that occurred coincidently or haphazardly; nor were they the result only of state-sanctioned patterns of repression in each of the Arab countries, though this would be bad enough; rather, as the evidence discloses, they were the result of an international criminal conspiracy by the League of Arab States to target and persecute the Jewish populations in their respective countries.
It’s one thing to parrot the Palestinian narrative of the “Nakba”, but what the Guardian did was to completely erase from the historical record the well-documented (and completely undisputed) forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of innocent Jews.
The Guardian’s ideologically inspired animosity towards the Jewish state has crossed a line, and the paper’s editors need to be held accountable for such completely ahistorical propaganda.

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Published on Jul 17, 2013
It is generally thought that the systematic diplomatic attacks against Israel in international institutions, many times through outright lies, are unfortunate, but they are really Israel's problem. However, ultimately over time they erode the credibility of bodies like the UN, which often embrace these false charges, only to find later that they are baseless. In the meantime, other, more pressing, international conflicts are completely ignored. This video graphically presents the problem.

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Every hesitation costs the ALP votes. They will bleed until they call an election. Then their popularity will nose dive. - ed
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Good news for a change about ISRAEL'S FUTURE –

GAS - Israel's recent discovery of mega gas fields titled Tamar and Leviathan are located off the Israeli coast from Haifa. These massive discoveries will soon transform Israel as they will adequately look after Israel's domestic needs forever and thereafter to supply foreign markets. A number of countries are pursuing involvement in these finds. Among them are Russia, China, Europe and South Korea. Putin was in Israel two months ago pursuing a contractual relationship with Israel on its gas development projects. Nothing has been signed yet. Tamar is due to come online sometime in 2013 and Leviathan to follow in early 2014. Additional target areas are being explored all the way down the Mediterranean coast of Israel. The likelihood is that a pipeline from the gas discovery area will be built to Cyprus and on to Greece. This will help Greece with some of its financial troubles. It is expected there will be a plant built to liquefy the gas at the Greek end of the underwater pipeline.

OIL - geologists have recently completed a large mapping of most of southern Israel and preliminary findings indicate there are vast amounts of oil trapped in rock layers under about 15% of the State of Israel. This shale oil is technically difficult to extract but Israel and the companies involved are becoming very familiar with the methodology to extract this oil called ‘fracking’. Retired Canadian experts in this system are now resident in Israel working on this huge project.

The World Energy Council and Israel Energy Initiatives have completed a detailed study and presented it to the government on their estimates of Israel's shale oil potential. They estimate that Israel's shale reserves could contain as much as 250 billion barrels of potentially recoverable oil. This would be putting Israel on a par with Saudi Arabia in terms of its oil reserves!

Israeli planners believe that if the gas and oil finds reach the levels that the potential indicates, Israel's current group of allies, trading partners and opponents could drastically change. Israel's geo-political standing in the world will also change. It’s amazing what friends can be made when you have oil and gas to export!

MED-RED RAILWAY -China is in very serious negotiation (contracts have been exchanged) - the Chinese will build and finance most of a high speed railway from Eilat to Ashdod. This would allow tankers and freighters to avoid the Suez Canal as well as cut the time frame from canal usage in half, by using the railway. This is a huge development for Israel as it will open up the Negev, which was always the dream of David Ben Gurion. It would not be surprising that a major announcement on this development with all its details, should be expected by mid 2013.

CHINESE INVESTMENT IN ISRAEL - The Chinese Government, while they are negotiating the Med-Red Railway, have made it clear to Israel that they have a multi-billion dollar fund that they would put to use, to fund Israeli hi-tech start-ups and companies needing mezzanine financing. The Israeli Government is very amenable to this opportunity, and the Chinese have already agreed to the stringent conditions that Israel wants to apply on any of the investments. Look for an announcement on this in 2013.

You should be aware that the Israeli Government and various Agrarian companies are extremely busy today in China - assisting the Chinese with their need to get much more production out of their land, while following the Israeli system of water economy. Further, the Chinese are learning every possible method Israel has on how to maximize milk production, and other elements necessary for the Chinese to raise the level of feeding their huge population.This relationship is being very well received by the Chinese and its government.

ALIYAH - Numerous European countries are seeing their Jewish populations diminishing because of a resurgence of anti-Semitism and violence against their Jewish communities. Islam is on the march in many of the European countries. In particular, sizable numbers of French, British and smaller numbers of Jews from other EU countries, have left or are in the process of going to Israel. The Jewish Agency for Israel is planning for a significant aliyah to continue as well as increase over time with Jews leaving Ukraine and Russia.

Again the planning of the Jewish Agency indicates that Ben Gurion’s dream of large communities in the Negev is now nearer to realization than ever before. Hi-tech companies are being offered significant inducements by the government to establish their campuses and their R&D facilities in communities being formed in the Negev. Currently the hi-tech campuses are extremely crowded in an area south of Tel Aviv. Bear in mind that nothing is far in Israel.

EMP (Electromagnetic impulses) - The magnitude of this enormous devastating project is hard to fathom. Whoever develops this will have a commanding position facing any adversary. EMP could cripple a country by shutting down its electronics. It uses non-lethal gamma energy to react with the magnetic field and produces a powerful shock wave that can devastate any power grid and communications system. Although I tried, I could not get any kind of comment regarding an Israeli involvement. All I got were small, relatively short smiles.

CONCLUSION - The problems of Iran and the Palestinian State and a horrible neighbourhood need to be dealt with Israeli resolve. Assuming all of the things described previously like oil, gas, Chinese investment, Med-Red Railway, as well as things still to be developed, the future for Israel is extremely bright. The IDF, the IAF, the MOSSAD, the SHIN-BET, the AMAN, are amongst the best of their kind in the world and will do their utmost to safeguard the State of Israel and the Jewish people wherever they are to be found.
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Nevada
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The processing centre at Christmas Island is being manipulated by corrupt Iranian and Afghani interpreters who advise the army deserters to say they are lowly farmers.
Australian Officials, suspicious of their claims, have been jetting these dodgy detainees in their hundreds to the infamous Curtin Detention Centre in Western Australia.
The Centre, described as the "Hell Hole" is in a remote area 2,000, kilometres north of Perth.
Designed to hold 1400 of the most violent and suspect detainees, it was recently all but vacated after the disease Guillain-Barré syndrome broke out affecting locals.
In April 2010, the Rudd government decided to reopen the "horror centre" for what he termed "single male asylum seekers", and those who fall within the category of, "do not process".
In charge of security is Serco Plc, a UK publicly listed company, the Asia-Pacific arm of which has been contracted to the Australian Government.
It has each Australian employee on signed confidentiality agreements.
Serco has usurped billions of Australian taxpayer funds, mostly wasted on renting material and white goods that could be purchased outright for the cost of one week’s rent.
Marquees and air conditioning units are ready and rented at $10,000 per week in lots of ten to cater for the expected overflow from Christmas Island.
At least three passenger airliners are chartered permanently to shuffle detainees between centres. As few as three detainees at a time are flown into the Curtin Centre, claimed one employee.
Describing their company Serco Plc said: "We provide catering, recreation, education and excursions, manage accommodation, facilities, maintenance, transport and logistics, security, training and procurement. Our employees look after thousands of people in locations all over Australia, responding to their cultural, religious and individual needs." Mmmm.
Of most concern is the whereabouts of the 1,000 unprocessed illegal Curtin detainees who have now been dispersed to Australian cities.
"These blokes are rock-hard fit and looking for trouble", said one Curtin employee.
Sam (not her real name) is a small part Aboriginal girl once employed by Serco.
She is too frightened to talk but an angry relative explained that Sam’s job was to escort groups of these men to Canberra and Melbourne.
They were taken to holding centres before being given bridging visas and were then dispersed into the community, legally unable to work.
After six trips Sam resigned because of the sexual abuse she suffered. Traumatised, she is now living back with her family in Derby.
Enquires from Derby to Broome, including Police stations have been met with a terse "no comment."
"Waste is rampant", said one local. "Tradespeople are charging up to $10 a kilometre to drive to and from the Centre to fix a washer on a tap.
"I was charging $2 a kilometre until I found out what the other guys were charging, so I put my bill in at $10 per kilometre and they never said a word, they seem to just pay whatever you invoice them for.
"If one (of the detainees) gets a toothache or anything, someone has to come out from Derby and take them back for treatment. It’s often hours waiting before they are ready to go back."
"We are not allowed phones there", said another ex-employee, "but I tested the phones available to the detainees and I could phone anywhere in the world."
Another informant said that the local Derby refrigeration store, Lindsay Howard, was robbed of thousands of dollars of equipment which somehow found its way to the Curtin Centre on rental agreements. "Nothing came of it", he said.
"It seems this Serco mob spends more time covering stuff up than doing their job here."
So us Aussies can look forward to another tranche of thousands of Islamic Afghani army deserters soon to be scattered unprocessed throughout our communities.
Meanwhile, the Gillard Government equivocates over whether legitimate Afghani interpreters, currently risking their lives to assist our army in Afghanistan, should be allowed entry.
They are marked men once we leave.
Bloody good eh?
Asylum seekers, my arse! - Larry Pickering

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Even accepting his claims .. his story is ugly. He is 8 years older than the minor he impregnated and he was beating her because he 'had' to? - ed
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Me: Dad, the blanket is too pink, why did she buy her step son a really plush, yet pink blanket?
Dad: She's trying to impress you Sam, use it... now!
Me: But it looks... well... Gay... ish
Dad: what's gay?
Me: Nevermind.

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4 her
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4 her
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2004: Why Stalin loved Tarzan and wanted John Wayne shot

http://independentfilmnewsandmedia.com/2004-why-stalin-loved-tarzan-and-wanted-john-wayne-shot/

The Soviet dictator was also a film buff who’d teach Eisenstein how to make movies. Simon Sebag Montefiore delves into the newly opened Politburo archives.
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me today. Thank You for Your faithfulness. I know that You are closer to me than the air I breathe. Today I receive Your promises in faith and choose to cast all of my cares on You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
God is with You.
This is my command — be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go”
(Joshua 1:9)
No matter what today has in store, as a believer in Jesus, you can approach the day with boldness and confidence. Why? Because the Lord is with you, and in Him is everything you need in this life.God bless you.

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All Stressed Up and Nowhere to Go
by John Grant

“I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
John 14:27 (NLV)

In today’s world it is virtually impossible to avoid stress. Almost everyone is carrying some amount of it, in varying degrees. Many find it increasingly difficult to simply survive in the world we live in. You’re probably stressed out right now. That’s okay. It’s understandable. So is everybody else, according to a study released recently.

The study measured the forty largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, focusing on six factors that cause or are caused by stress: high unemployment, long commute times, long work hours, limited access to health care, poor physical health and a lack of exercise. And, I live in the fourth most stressful city in the nation. No wonder I am stressed out, but at least I have good company.

In desperation, people are seeking relief for their problems through any remedy they can find. Our culture is inundated with self-help books, therapists, time-management workshops, massage parlors, and recovery programs (to name just the tip of the iceberg). Everyone talks about returning to a “simpler” way of life, but no one seems to even know exactly what that means, or how to attain it.

Many of us cry out like Job, “The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me.” (Job 30:27). The problem is that people are looking for all the right solutions in all the wrong places. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus’ gift is a gift that the world cannot give. It is a peace that surpasses all human and worldly understanding. The Bible is the only self-help book that can give you true inner peace and overcome the stress of the world. So, if you are stressed out, follow this simple formula: Read five psalms and one chapter of Proverbs each day and you will discover true peace and overcome the stress of the world.

Question: What has been stressing you out lately? Have you been bringing these things to God in prayer?
 

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Not Guilty
by Max Lucado

Sometimes shame is private. Pushed over the edge by an abusive spouse. Molested by a perverted parent. Seduced by a compromising superior. No one else knows. But you know. And that’s enough. Sometimes shame is public. Branded by a divorce you didn’t want. Contaminated by a disease you never expected. Whether private or public, shame is always painful. And unless you deal with it, it’s permanent.

In John 8:11 Jesus confronts the woman who’d formerly been caught in the act of adultery. When the crowd would have stoned her, Jesus speaks: “Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her.” As all turned to leave, Jesus said, “I also don’t judge you guilty. You may go now, but don’t sin anymore.”

Jesus’ message is written not with His hand, but with His blood. On a cross. Let Him stand beside you. Listen carefully. He’s speaking. “Not guilty!”

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“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”Philippians 3:14 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"So foolish was I, and ignorant; I was as a beast before thee."
Psalm 73:22
Remember this is the confession of the man after God's own heart; and in telling us his inner life, he writes, "So foolish was I, and ignorant." The word "foolish," here, means more than it signifies in ordinary language. David, in a former verse of the Psalm, writes, "I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked," which shows that the folly he intended had sin in it. He puts himself down as being thus "foolish," and adds a word which is to give intensity to it; "so foolish was I." How foolish he could not tell. It was a sinful folly, a folly which was not to be excused by frailty, but to be condemned because of its perverseness and wilful ignorance, for he had been envious of the present prosperity of the ungodly, forgetful of the dreadful end awaiting all such. And are we better than David that we should call ourselves wise! Do we profess that we have attained perfection, or to have been so chastened that the rod has taken all our wilfulness out of us? Ah, this were pride indeed! If David was foolish, how foolish should we be in our own esteem if we could but see ourselves! Look back, believer: think of your doubting God when he has been so faithful to you--think of your foolish outcry of "Not so, my Father," when he crossed his hands in affliction to give you the larger blessing; think of the many times when you have read his providences in the dark, misinterpreted his dispensations, and groaned out, "All these things are against me," when they are all working together for your good! Think how often you have chosen sin because of its pleasure, when indeed, that pleasure was a root of bitterness to you! Surely if we know our own heart we must plead guilty to the indictment of a sinful folly; and conscious of this "foolishness," we must make David's consequent resolve our own--"Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel."

Evening

"Who went about doing good."
Acts 10:38
Few words, but yet an exquisite miniature of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are not many touches, but they are the strokes of a master's pencil. Of the Saviour and only of the Saviour is it true in the fullest, broadest, and most unqualified sense. "He went about doing good." From this description it is evident that he did good personally. The evangelists constantly tell us that he touched the leper with his own finger, that he anointed the eyes of the blind, and that in cases where he was asked to speak the word only at a distance, he did not usually comply, but went himself to the sick bed, and there personally wrought the cure. A lesson to us, if we would do good, to do it ourselves. Give alms with your own hand; a kind look, or word, will enhance the value of the gift. Speak to a friend about his soul; your loving appeal will have more influence than a whole library of tracts. Our Lord's mode of doing good sets forth his incessant activity! He did not only the good which came close to hand, but he "went about" on his errands of mercy. Throughout the whole land of Judea there was scarcely a village or a hamlet which was not gladdened by the sight of him. How this reproves the creeping, loitering manner, in which many professors serve the Lord. Let us gird up the loins of our mind, and be not weary in well doing. Does not the text imply that Jesus Christ went out of his way to do good? "He went about doing good." He was never deterred by danger or difficulty. He sought out the objects of his gracious intentions. So must we. If old plans will not answer, we must try new ones, for fresh experiments sometimes achieve more than regular methods. Christ's perseverance, and the unity of his purpose, are also hinted at, and the practical application of the subject may be summed up in the words, "He hath left us an example that we should follow in his steps."
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Today's reading: Psalm 46-48, Acts 28 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Psalm 46-48

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts....

Today's New Testament reading: Acts 28

Paul Ashore on Malta
1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live." 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god....
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Gad

[Găd] - good fortune, a troop or a seer.
1. The seventh son of Jacob, first-born of Zilpah, Leah's maid, and full brother of Asher. A tribe also sprang from Gad (Gen. 30:11; 35:26; 46:16; 49:19; Exod. 1:4; 1 Chron. 5:11; 12:14).

The Man of Enlargement

No name in all the twelve tribes of Israel is so much played upon in Jacob's blessing as the name of Gad, meaning "a troop." Invaders and robbers might try to plunder Gad but victory would be his with resultant enlargement. Jacob predicted for the tribe of Gad a time of sore conflict, yet of final conquest. "He shall overcome at last." God enabled Gad to discomfit and defeat his foes (1 Chron. 5:18-22).
The men of Gad had faces like "the faces of lions," and when David needed help, the Gadites of lion-like character befriended the fugitive king. "They put to flight all them of the valleys, both of the east and of the west." These Gadite helpers of David "executed the justice of the Lord, and His judgments with Israel." Jephthah the Gileadite, of the tribe of Gad, judged Israel six years after delivering the nation from Ammonite oppression.
How fortunate Gad was to have God to enlarge him! "The place where we dwell... is too strait for us." Such an energetic, aggressive tribe could not remain static, so their inheritance was extended beyond its original limits until it covered the whole of Gilead. How loathe we are to possess our spiritual possessions! May ours be the enlargements of heart David prayed for (Ps. 119:32)! May ours also be the constant victorious Christian experience!
2. The prophet who joined David when in "the hold," and through whose advice he left it for the forest of Hareth ( 1 Sam. 22:5; 2 Sam. 24:11-19; 1 Chron. 21:9-19; 2 Chron. 29:25). Gad, "the king's seer," announced God's judgment upon David for numbering the people. "The arm of flesh will fail us, we dare not trust our own." Gad the prophet advised the erection of the altar, and is also before us as an associate of the prophet Nathan.
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What God Has Joined Together

Most of us would agree that divorce is not a laughing matter. But that doesn't stop people from joking about it, like one comedian who said, "My ex-wife is a great housekeeper--when we got divorced, she kept the house." Legal terms like "no fault" and "uncontested" fuel the idea that divorce is an easy, acceptable alternative to marriage. Instead of treating divorce seriously, people begin to view it as just another option to be considered in the context of modern relationships.
Some people even look to the Bible to justify divorce. They search Scripture to find "loopholes" in God's rules for marriage. But we're missing the point when we hunt for God's permission to divorce.
For a deeper understanding of God's true perspective on marriage, we need to look at the provisions he extends to newlyweds in Deuteronomy 24:5. God excuses the recently married man from many responsibilities--including military service--for a full year so that he can give his full attention to his wife.
Think about that. God's gift to newlyweds was a whole year to work on building a solid foundation in their marriage. One year for the husband to learn to meet his wife's needs. One year to hone their communication skills. One year to prepare for life's journey together.
God clearly supports the institution of marriage. Throughout Scripture he offers invaluable help to husbands and wives who commit themselves to each other for life.
If you're married, think about this: What if you'd been given a year after your wedding to focus only on your wife? How would your relationship be different today? It's not too late to find out. Maybe you don't have an entire year, but you can start with a day at a time. Clear your schedule so that you can give your wife your undivided attention. If you have commitments that take you away from home on the evenings and weekends, consider dropping one or two of them to focus on your relationship. Listen to her concerns. Commit yourself to meeting her needs. Look for ways to bring her happiness. With God's help, you can turn your marriage into a love story for the ages.

To Take Away

  • What would you say to a friend who is contemplating divorce?
  • What's the biggest challenge in your marriage right now?
  • What specific steps can you take this week in order to deepen your relationship with your wife?
Recommended Reading: Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4

NIVSocialicons
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July 28, 2011
In His Eyes
Today's Truth
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:14-15, NIV).
Friend To Friend
It was my first day of teaching second grade. While standing at the classroom door, greeting parents and children, I felt a tug on my skirt. I looked down into the beautiful blue eyes of Sammy, one of my new students. His mother, who was standing beside Sammy, looked at me and said, "I guess you've heard about Sammy. Good luck!" As she walked away, Sammy said, "She's right. I'm dumb and mean and can't read or write."
Lisa was a tall, blonde and beautiful young woman with zero self-confidence. Lisa was the family joke because she was always dropping things or falling on the stairs. "Klutz" became her nickname at home and quickly caught on in the youth group and church where her father was the pastor.
A young wife and mother sobbed out her confession that she had just ended an affair, "He made me feel important and special." A talented singer and pianist, she vowed to never again sing or play because she was damaged goods.
I often hear and see the same prison described by women living in the grip of failure and defeat for one reason or another. I want to share some good news with you. God can set you free to be all He created you to be. A healthy self-image is not rooted in pride and it does not exalt self above others. InRomans 12:3 , Paul clearly says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Be realistic in your opinion of yourself. Success comes when we learn to accept God's evaluation instead of our own, when we give Him permission to make us what He created to be and when we begin to understand who we are in His eyes. How? Let's look at six steps we can take to understand who we are in the eyes of God.
Step one: Check the label.
I love a good sale, don't you? In fact, I am tempted to think that a 75% off tag may very well be a sign from God. However, I have learned that you can save money in the long run if you check the label. Let me explain. We needed a new sofa. It had to be a certain color and style and cost a certain amount. I headed for the nearest furniture outlet, where I narrowed my selection down to two sofas. Both were on sale and both would work in our home. I saw the salesman coming. Before he could say a word, I asked, "Which one of these sofas would you tell your wife to buy?" The man immediately pointed to one of the sofas and said, "Definitely that one." When I asked why he had chosen that particular sofa, he replied, "Check the label. The one I chose was made by a company known for its quality work. The other sofa is a cheap imitation."
We can judge a product's potential and value by looking at the one who created it. You are valuable simply because you were created by the hand of God. His design of you and His plan for your life is second to none. To cower or crawl in inferiority is to say to God, "You made a mistake when you made me." God doesn't make mistakes, girlfriend. He never has to say "Oops!" You were created in His likeness. You are valuable to God. God knows your name and loves you. You are His masterpiece and have been validated by God Himself.
Step two: Embrace the plan.
While painting in the city park, an artist spotted a beggar sitting across the path from where he was working. Thinking of God's handiwork in every human being, the artist painted the man as he imagined he could be and then called the beggar to see the painting. "Is that me?' the beggar asked. "That is the way I see you," replied the artist. The beggar stared at the painting. With tears in his eyes he said, "If that's the man you see in me, then that's the man I will be!" God created you in response to a unique plan He has for your life. As you read the Bible and obey His truth, that plan will unfold.
Tomorrow, we will look at four more steps we can take to understand who we are in Christ as we learn to recognize our value in His eyes. Don't miss it!
Let's Pray
Father, thank You for life and the special plan You have for me. Honestly, it is hard for me to understand and really believe that I am special to You. To think that You know me and love me just as I am really rocks my world, but I do want to see myself through Your eyes - no more and no less. Please help me.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Read the verses of Scripture and answer the questions listed below.
Ephesians 2:10. How does this verse of Scripture emphasize the fact that you and I were created in response to God's plan, not as an afterthought or as an accident?
Psalm 8:3-5. How do these verses line up with the way you see yourself right now? What one immediate change do you need to make in order to see yourself the way God sees you?
Jeremiah 29:11. Are you living a life plan that gives you hope and a future? Is it the right plan?
More From The Girlfriends
I have struggled with my identity and value for a big part of my life. Fear of failure once kept me from dreaming new dreams. No more! My dreams seem to get bigger with every year of life that passes and I really believe it is because my new perspective of who I am is more accurate than it has ever been. I am a daughter of the King. I belong to God and He loves me. No one can take my place in the Father's heart and I am indispensable to no one but Him. That is my prayer for you, girlfriend, that you will know and live out the truth that in God's eyes, you are special.
Need more help? Get Mary's MP3 download: In His Eyes. Be sure to check out Mary's weekly Online Bible Study:Stress Management 101. Enroll now and have access to all 2011 lessons. Need a friend? Connect with Mary onFacebook or through email.
Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
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Lysa TerKeurst
July 28, 2011
This is What I Wish
Lysa TerKeurst
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."Luke 12:34 (NIV)
For my daughters, for your daughters. For my sons, for your sons.
This is what I wish.
You are young with eyes that spark and speak of innocence. Don't trade. Don't trade the pure peace that greets you each morning for a taste of something meant for later. Later, when a person handpicked by God will want nothing more than to protect you. They won't wantfrom you. They will want for you.
For you.
This is what I wish.
When I was young with eyes that sparked and spoke of innocence, I found myself lured by the pull of a want. A want that welled up from deep within the heart of a girl desperate. For love. For kind words. For that feeling of being wanted, noticed, and told she's pretty.
I tucked my peace in my pocket feeling so certain it would stay even if I stuck my toes in the current of my want.
I waded out into forbidden waters. Ankle deep the rush felt thrilling. Knee deep I felt old enough, strong enough and a bit annoyed that people I respected didn't trust me. I knew what I was doing. This didn't feel dangerous so I reasoned it wasn't dangerous.
But it was.
I was wrong.
This is what I wish.
That I had listened.
Listened to voices of truth to turn back, run back, get myself out of the current. Resist the pull. Refuse the lie that feelings are to be followed. Feelings are to be brought up on the solid ground of truth. Truth that doesn't shift. Truth that doesn't betray.
But I kept walking out further and further. Deeper and deeper. And into a current so strong I didn't realize how far I'd gone. Until it was too late. Waves of regret, anxiety, and fear swept over me. The one that told me I was pretty was gone.
And so was something else. I shoved my hand into my pocket now empty. I'd been so sure peace would stay. I was wrong. It had slipped away.
Oh if only I'd known even at that point to turn, run back to the truth, get back to solid ground. I would have seen peace had washed up there. When peace slips it always finds its way back to stand hand in hand with truth. Just like I eventually did. But to have never walked away and dipped my toes where they shouldn't have gone would have prevented years of heartbreak and ocean of tears.
Make that choice now. No matter where you are.
This is what I wish.
Dear Lord, help me to run to the truth and get back to solid ground. I desperately want each of my daily choices to lead back to You. Only You. Here and now. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Lysa will be speaking in more than 40 cities this year.Click here to see her schedule. She would be honored to meet you.
If you struggle with having self-control with your food choices, don't miss Lysa's new book: Made to Crave.
Also, you'll want to consider doing the 6 week Bible study using this DVD set: Made to Crave DVD by Lysa TerKeurst
When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can't compete with prices offered by huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!
Application Steps:
What do you wish for young people today? What is that one thing you wish you could tell them? Now what can you do this week to reach out to someone who needs to know? Who will that be?
Reflections:
Feelings are to be brought up on the solid ground of truth. Truth that doesn't shift. Truth that doesn't betray.
Power Verses:
Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (NIV)
Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." (NIV)
© 2011 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
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