295 BC – The oldest known temple to Venus (Venus Anadyomene by Titian), the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, was dedicated.
1534 – In Montmartre, near Paris, Ignatius of Loyola and six others took the vows that led to the establishment of the Society of Jesus.
1907 – Jamaican American Raphael Morgan was ordained as the first Black Orthodox clergyman in America.
1945 – The Gyokuon-hōsō was broadcast in Japan, announcing the unconditional surrender of the Japanese army and naval forces.
1963 – President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital. You have made your temple to love and established society. People are spreading the word. The broadcast has been made and the old order overthrown. Party on.
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Campaign chaos as Labor gets wobblies
Piers Akerman – Thursday, August 15, 2013 (7:08pm)
FEDERAL Labor’s election campaign is dissolving into the same sort of dysfunction and chaos that marked the last days of the first Rudd government.
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Sexy-gate: enough already
Miranda Devine – Wednesday, August 14, 2013 (10:21pm)
HAVEN’T we all had enough of the confected outrage over Tony Abbott’s attitude to women?
All that misogyny nonsense was supposed to have died out with Julia Gillard’s prime ministership.
But the Hawker-Britton zombies were out of the gates at lightning speed yesterday to denounce the opposition leader for saying that his comely candidate in Lindsay, Fiona Scott, had “sex appeal”, among other attributes.
Renowned bearded feminist Kim Carr and Penny Wong were scathing.
Abbott was stuck in the past, a relic of the 1950s, a hopeless sexist, yada yada yada.
Labor seized on the opportunity to distract attention away from their economic mismanagement of the past six years, as highlighted in Treasury’s Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) statement.
Wall to wall deficits every single year. But look away, look away. See bad Mr Abbott being a misogynist.
Honestly. This sort of flim flam might play well on twitter and mummy blogs but in the real world it’s a joke. Especially in marginal western Sydney seats like Lindsay, where Abbott was speaking.
In voterland there are plenty of straightforward hearty men like Abbott and plenty of women who are married to men like him.
They are sick and tired of extreme political correctness, of having to watch every word for fear someone will take pretend offence.
Men and women just want to get along. They don’t want to be thrust into some feminist war.
Anyway, anyone who thinks that political candidates aren’t judged on their looks, as well as other qualities, is kidding. Why else do politicians have big photoshopped images of themselves on corflutes everywhere?
It is human nature that a good looking person attracts more eyeballs than an ugly one.
Abbott was being honest. Big deal. Fiona Scott wasn’t offended so why should anyone else take offence?
In the end, Labor has just scored another own goal.
If you’d never heard of Fiona Scott before, now she is a household name. “Sex appeal"-gate has done more for her profile than a thousand mornings shaking hands at Penrith railway station.
The people who took umbrage at Abbott’s comment would never vote for the Coalition. And everyone else is irritated beyond belief by feminist scolds and bossyboots whining about trivia.
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NO COMBAT FOR COMBET
Tim Blair – Thursday, August 15, 2013 (12:57pm)
Rather than help Kevin Rudd win the election, Greg Combet is prancing around France on some sort of personal discovery voyage. Still, fans of the former climate change minister can always re-live the glory days.
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DODGY KEVNI
Tim Blair – Thursday, August 15, 2013 (12:40pm)
Tony Abbott loses the crucial Katy Perry vote. In other major election developments, Kevin Rudd won’t take a stand against the Greens:
Several senior Labor officials are now privately demanding the Prime Minister follow Tony Abbott’s lead and put the fringe-left party last on the Labor how-to-vote cards …“What have the Greens given us apart from electoral Armageddon,” said one senior Labor MP.“If we do any dirty deals with them we might as well give ourselves Ebola as well. And Kevin should be taking the lead on this.”
Instead, Rudd is following his usual pattern: duck, dodge, dip, dive and dodge.
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GREY LADY BLACKS OUT
Tim Blair – Thursday, August 15, 2013 (12:17pm)
Like its share price, the New York Times‘s servers went down.
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Not new, not positive
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (7:27pm)
Kevin Rudd promised “a new way” and more “positive” politics.
But his latest ad is not new and not positive:
But his latest ad is not new and not positive:
The original, from 1987:
Derivative, negative, tired.
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What will Labor do with the 30,000 boat people waiting for a visa?
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (7:18pm)
Edited from the debate on 7.30 between
Immigration Minister Tony Burke and the Coalition’s Scott Morrison was
an exchange which shows Labor has no idea what to do with the 30,000
asylum seekers who have arrived and are waiting for a permanent visa.
Give them that visa and 30,000 people quickly become, say, 90,000 - thanks to family reunions. And the rewards will send a message to others…
Read the full interview here (bold indicates the passages which were edited out of the broadcast):
Give them that visa and 30,000 people quickly become, say, 90,000 - thanks to family reunions. And the rewards will send a message to others…
MORRISON:
There is the issue of 15,000 people who have been given protection visas who came illegally by boat and 15,000 waiting offshore. Now the minister has to make a decision on the other side of this election if he’s re-elected. And that is there are 30,000 people onshore now who are waiting for a decision on their claim. On the other side of the election, they will get a permanent visa under Labor if they are found to be a refugee and under the Coalition they would not get a permanent visa.
SALES:
Let me ask you, Tony Burke, on that question. Why not try temporary protection visas, if they don’t work, you can get rid of them, why not try it?
BURKE:
Because all the evidence we have is when they were introduced the number of people coming by boat went up.
SALES:
But your judgement’s been wrong on these policies in the past, so why don’t you try something?
BURKE:
Well in terms of what we’re trying, what we’re doing, what we’re actually implementing is we’ve taken away the product -
MORRISON:
No you haven’t actually, Tony.
BURKE:
Yes we have. Nobody who arrives by boat now, nobody who arrives by boat now, will be settled in Australia, nobody…
MORRISON:
We will salvage everything we can out of this PNG arrangement and we will also implement all of our other measures on top of that, but Tony didn’t answer the key question. On the other side of the election there are 30,000 people who have already arrived, they are not going to Nauru, they are not going to Manus Island under their policies and they will be waiting for a permanent visa from the Labor government if they are re-elected and if they are found to be refugees that is what they will give them and the Coalition will not.
Read the full interview here (bold indicates the passages which were edited out of the broadcast):
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That kind of deal would be like blackmailing Hird
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (5:19pm)
Caroline Wilson, who has seemed well briefed by the AFL during the Essendon controversy, makes a staggering claim:
Pardon?
Is Wilson suggesting the AFL charged the three other officials not because it considers them guilty but because it wanted to put more pressure on Hird to give in?
This is bizarre. Either the men are believed guilty of something, and thus should face charges, or they are believed innocent and should not be charged at all. Anything else would be a monstrous abuse of power, and quite possibly blackmail.
I very much hope that Wilson’s speculation is just something she dreamed up herself. If it is in fact inspired by an AFL briefing it is a scandal. and further evidence that this whole case against Essendon is baseless.
Had [coach James] Hird been prepared to plead guilty to having allowed the administering of banned and potentially harmful drugs to his players there is every chance that Essendon’s doctor of more than three decades, Bruce Reid, may have been spared. Ditto Danny Corcoran and Mark Thompson.
Pardon?
Is Wilson suggesting the AFL charged the three other officials not because it considers them guilty but because it wanted to put more pressure on Hird to give in?
This is bizarre. Either the men are believed guilty of something, and thus should face charges, or they are believed innocent and should not be charged at all. Anything else would be a monstrous abuse of power, and quite possibly blackmail.
I very much hope that Wilson’s speculation is just something she dreamed up herself. If it is in fact inspired by an AFL briefing it is a scandal. and further evidence that this whole case against Essendon is baseless.
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Why was this man set free, only to kill?
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (3:16pm)
I couldn’t give some of the details when I wrote about this a couple of months ago, but I hope there will be a revolution now in how we deal with rapists and killers wanting parole:
A RAPIST who bludgeoned a young mum to death months after being released from prison could have still been behind bars.
But a legal quirk meant parolee Jason Dinsley was allowed to kill shortly after being released back into the community.
Dinsely today pleaded guilty to the murder and attempted rape of 29-year-old Sharon Denise Siermans.
Ms Siermans was bludgeoned to death inside her Ballarat home in April. Her four-year-old son was home at the time.
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Rudd promises big corporate tax cut for NT - in 2018. Save Lingiari!
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (12:07pm)
Kevin Rudd tries to trump Tony Abbott’s Northern Development plan:
I think this shows how worried Labor is about losing Lingiari, held by Warren Snowdon on a 3.7 per cent margin.
UPDATE
UPDATE
At least Labor has changed its tune from three years ago, when it stacked a committee looking into northern development so it would recommend against the irrigation and agricultural development now being touted by Rudd:
You’d have to vote for Rudd twice to get the tax cut:
Making it up as they go along:
Rudd admits he’s still working out the costs.
UPDATE
Let’s have fun watching David Bradbury do the reverse ferret. Here was his reaction last February when the Coalition first proposed northern development:
Rudd has announced a plan for the future of northern Australia, including lower company tax for Northern Territory businesses.Rudd offers a much more specific and bigger tax cut, but only for the Northern Territory (to avoid falling foul of the Constitution). I doubt Western Australia will feel good about this advantage given to the NT for the development dollar - particularly since it will apply to the massive LNG industry. This seems half-baked.
Speaking in Darwin, he unveils plans for a special economic zone in the Northern Territory.
Businesses in the Territory would pay one-third of the corporate tax rate of the rest of Australia and investment rules would be relaxed to encourage new developments.
[Actually, Rudd clarifies: the tax cut is one third off - not one third of.]
Rudd says the enormous agricultural capacity of northern Australia needs to be harnessed to create jobs and export food to the rest of the world.
In North Queensland, re-elected Labor would develop strategic growth plans for attracting Chinese visitors to Cairns and enhancing ports and transport in Townsville.
I think this shows how worried Labor is about losing Lingiari, held by Warren Snowdon on a 3.7 per cent margin.
UPDATE
The plan would also expand the Ord River Irrigation Scheme to open up 14,000 hectares of land in the Northern Territory for agriculture.
The major project would drive $150 million worth of agricultural production in the region.
“This would unleash an enormous amount of agricultural land for the future and, economists tell us, $150 million worth of agricultural production,” Rudd says.
UPDATE
At least Labor has changed its tune from three years ago, when it stacked a committee looking into northern development so it would recommend against the irrigation and agricultural development now being touted by Rudd:
Taskforce member Stuart Blanch explained: “Northern Australia can never be a food bowl for South-East Asia or anywhere else because we just don’t have enough water.”UPDATE
You’d have to vote for Rudd twice to get the tax cut:
The lower company tax rate he’s announced would not take hold in NT until 2018, which puts it beyond the forward estimates and therefore has no immediate drain on the federal budget.UPDATE
The company tax rate is 30 per cent at present, so Rudd’s cut would bring it down to 20 per cent for NT-based businesses.
Making it up as they go along:
Mr Rudd said that the company tax cut had not yet been costed. The Prime Minister told reporters that his preference was to see a tax rate in the NT of about a third off the current rate of 30 per cent, but he said that this would be discussed with the NT government after the election.Rudd says the tax cut is to apply to “new businesses” in the NT. That suggests new businesses getting a huge tax cut will have a massive advantage over existing businesses in the NT, and could drive some broke.
Rudd admits he’s still working out the costs.
UPDATE
Let’s have fun watching David Bradbury do the reverse ferret. Here was his reaction last February when the Coalition first proposed northern development:
Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury told Sky News the Coalition’s northern plan would be ‘’hundreds of billions of dollars of white elephant infrastructure‘’.
Mr Bradbury, who represents Lindsay, a western Sydney seat Labor holds by only 1.1 per cent, said Mr Abbott’s idea would result in ‘’gold plated footpaths in Karratha while people are stuck in traffic gridlock in Sydney’’.
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Warmist scientist: 15 years of “warming stagnation” is “no longer consistent” with models
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (9:49am)
Hans von Storch is a leading global warming scientist and an IPCC author. So the admission is even more striking:
In recent years, the increase in near-surface global annual mean temperatures has emerged as considerably smaller than many had expected. We investigate whether this can be explained by contemporary climate change scenarios. In contrast to earlier analyses for a ten-year period that indicated consistency between models and observations at the 5% confidence level, we find that the continued warming stagnation over fifteen years, from 1998 -2012, is no longer consistent with model projections even at the 2% confidence level. Of the possible causes of the inconsistency, the underestimation of internal natural climate variability on decadal time scales is a plausible candidate, but the influence of unaccounted external forcing factors or an overestimation of the model sensitivity to elevated greenhouse gas concentrations cannot be ruled out. The first cause would have little impact of the expectations of longer term anthropogenic climate change, but the second and particularly the third would.(Thanks to reader Rocky and others.)
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If Abbott had ever said what Rudd’s star candidate had…
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (9:23am)
Kevin Rudd:
Kevin Rudd’s star candidate, Jason Yat-Sen Li:
(Thanks to reader Doug.)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has savaged Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for praising the ‘’sex appeal’’ of a candidate, arguing sexism had no place in modern Australia…
‘’In modern Australia neither sexism nor racism nor homophobia has any place whatsoever and I believe people look to their national leaders to set that sort of example.’’
Kevin Rudd’s star candidate, Jason Yat-Sen Li:
...in 1999 he berated the model Jodhi Meares for declining to wear a republican movement T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan: ‘’Give an Australian the Head Job’’.
‘’It’s a shame. She had the chance to be the tits of the nation, but she’s missed out now,’’ he said at the time, before later apologising.
(Thanks to reader Doug.)
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Anything But Conservative. Or civilised
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (9:11am)
Meet one of the ABC’s reviewers of literature:
Note: this is a representative of the more “moral” side of politics. Here is another.
Now in its seventh season, The Book Club (previously First Tuesday Book Club) is ABC TV’s nationally televised book club that gathers together Australian booklovers on a monthly basis.Remarkably limited command of English, but totally unremarkable political views for an ABC presenter:
Hosted by Jennifer Byrne, with regular panellists Marieke Hardy and Jason Steger....
Still, at least she’s consistent in her abuse and her politics.
Note: this is a representative of the more “moral” side of politics. Here is another.
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Reports: Nauru’s hospital on fire
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (8:31am)
I guess plans to send families of boat people to Nauru may be further delayed:
Breaking: A caller tells @RossAndJohn the main hospital in Nauru is on fire. Described as a “large fire”. No suggestion of deliberate act.
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It’s not Hird that’s brought the game into disrepute
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (7:52am)
IT is six months since we were told Australian sport was riddled with illegal drug use, match-fixing and links to organised crime.
And finally four people are charged - but none an athlete. None is accused of any of those crimes.
Instead, the AFL this week charged four Essendon officials, including head coach James Hird, with “bringing the game into disrepute” - the charge you bring only when you can’t find a single rule that’s been broken.
But the wrong people are in the dock.
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But Abbott’s critics have no appeal at all
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (7:41am)
THERE is something worse than Tony Abbott praising one of his female
candidates’ “sex appeal”. Worse is the pack of gimlet-eyed moralisers
and professional offence-takers damning the Opposition Leader for his
joke.
See their abuse, double standards and utter lack of proportion. This sludge of sanctimony is so ghastly and life-choking that the only healthy reaction is for Abbott not to seem sorry - “I was a bit exuberant,” he said later - but to laugh his critics to scorn.
See their abuse, double standards and utter lack of proportion. This sludge of sanctimony is so ghastly and life-choking that the only healthy reaction is for Abbott not to seem sorry - “I was a bit exuberant,” he said later - but to laugh his critics to scorn.
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Faltering Rudd’s new media plan: dodge responsibility
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (7:15am)
Tony Abbott says he’s ordered his party officials:
Back to that example from yesterday of Rudd pretending the tricky issues aren’t his responsibility - a con that even Labor insiders don’t like:
I have instructed the party that we put the Greens last.Kevin Rudd says he takes orders from his party officials:
All preference matters are handled by the national secretary of our party… I intend to leave it with them.Not a flattering difference, which makes me doubt that Rudd’s tacticians have the answers when they admit Rudd has been underperforming:
Labor campaign advisers are now planning strategic adjustments. Rudd has already removed himself from much of the day-to-day fray. On Tuesday, for instance, he scheduled his daily press conference before the release of the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook and the media was told Chris Bowen and Penny Wong would be answering questions on it. This left him free to attack Abbott without subjecting himself to scrutiny on detail.Er, what plans? And dodging awkward questions could seem very un-prime ministerial once the media cotton on to the tactic.
Rudd has employed this tactic often recently, including yesterday when he deferred to the party on preference deals. Difficulties are delegated whether they be on immigration or preselections. However there is a realisation inside the Labor camp that Rudd cannot spend the campaign complaining about Abbott and News Corp conspiracies, so he will switch to talking about Labor’s plans for the future.
Back to that example from yesterday of Rudd pretending the tricky issues aren’t his responsibility - a con that even Labor insiders don’t like:
KEVIN Rudd has ignited an internal backlash inside the Labor Party after yesterday refusing to rule out preference deals with the Greens in lower house seats…
“All preference matters are handled by the national secretary of our party and I am not aware of what agreements have been reached, I intend to leave it with them,” he said…
But his comments drew immediate fire from several key Labor figures…
“It’s Kevin’s decision at the end of the day,” one senior Labor figure said after a high-level meeting was called at the campaign headquarters.
“He should have been prepared for this, but he wasn’t.”
Mr Rudd was accused of “squibbing” it by some colleagues, who claimed that it was not just the party’s decision but Mr Rudd’s.
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Beattie: “absolutely no respect” for Rudd
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (7:02am)
Niki Savva on Kevin Rudd’s latest recruit - a man with no respect for the Prime Minister:
A MERE two days before Kevin Rudd deposed Julia Gillard, Peter Beattie was waxing lyrical to a group of Australian businessmen, one of whom asked him whether he would go back into politics…
One of those who happened to be there was the federal president of the Liberal Party, Alan Stockdale. You might think Stockdale’s presence .... would have made Beattie a bit more circumspect. You think wrong.
Beattie vented. He told the group he thought Rudd was untrustworthy, that he had “absolutely no respect” for him and that he - Kevin - was always only ever about Kevin and what was good for Kevin. What’s more, he told them, he will never change.
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Rudd turns positively negative
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (6:40am)
What Kevin Rudd says:
I argue we need a new way to take Australia forward because of the new challenges we face… A new way of positive politics in this country.... A new way of politics which puts to bed wall-to-wall negativity and puts to but bed the politics of division ...What Kevin Rudd does:
DESPITE Kevin Rudd saying he wants to be positive, Labor has launched two TV attack ads against Tony Abbott claiming if he wins the September 7 election he will make big cuts to jobs and will hurt families.All scare ads have an effect, of course. But I don’t think these are particularly good.
One of the ads features a mother at the kitchen bench cutting up fruit for two children who asks: ‘’What are you hiding Mr Abbott?’’
‘’I get the feeling that if you win, we lose.’’
The second commercial focuses on some of the Coalition’s already announced cuts to the SchoolKids Bonus and jobs but says there is still a $70 billion hole in the Budget.
‘’Abbott’s cuts are coming,’’ says the ad. ‘’Who’s next in line. You?’’
I also suspect that the fake Kevin Rudd, the one saying we’re sick of negativity, is right.
UPDATE
Labor’s desperation can be measured by the lies, starting with Kevin Rudd’s claim the Liberals, if elected, could put a GST on food. A round up of the latest:
In southern NSW, Labor figures warn an Abbott government could privatise the commonwealth’s stake in Snowy Hydro. Opposition finance spokesman Andrew Robb has branded the suggestion “false, totally baseless and Labor knows it"…
The Queensland Nurses Union is broadcasting television ads claiming “Tony Abbott’s federal Liberals and Nationals support privatising our public hospitals”. A spokesman for Ms Gambaro said the federal government could not privatise a state hospital, branding the notion “preposterous”. The QNU could not be contacted last night…
In Greenway, the most marginal electorate in NSW, Labor MP Michelle Rowland yesterday defended distributing postcards that urged voters to prevent “the Liberals” from “selling off services” such as public parks, childcare facilities and the Blacktown public swimming pool. Only smaller text on the back of the cards acknowledged that the privatisations had been proposed by Liberal local councillors, and were therefore not related to Tony Abbott’s efforts to seize power in Canberra. A near-identical postcard emerged in the neighbouring seat of Chifley, held by Labor’s Ed Husic by 12.3 per cent.
(Thanks to reader Gab.)
UPDATE
What’s Rudd’s word worth? How many more moral lectures dare he now give?:
Rudd, June 26:
Negative destructive personal politics has done much to bring dishonour to our parliament but done nothing to address the urgent challenges facing our country, our communities, our families. In fact it’s been holding our country back. And all this must stop, and with all my heart that is the purpose that I intend to pursue as Prime Minister.Rudd, June 27:
In my experience in public life, Australians disdain a culture of negativity. They disdain the negativity which, regrettably, has become characteristic of this place. What I have said earlier in question time today is that the easiest thing you can do in Australian national politics is to use negative invective. The hardest thing you can do is to sit down, look at the facts, get briefed on the facts, look at the policy options—look at evidence based policy—make a decision, then implement it and then make sure that what you have implemented is actually working, and if it is not then reform it and change it.Rudd, June 27:
It is time for the old politics of negativity to be dead and buried.Rudd, June 27, at his sanctimonious worst:
So Australians would like us to be positive in this place. They have a disdain for the politics of negativity and they also have a disdain for the politics of division and disunity. There is one other thing that I would say to the Leader of the Opposition, and I would ask the Leader of the Opposition actually to reflect on this: those in the nation who observe the deliberations of the parliament would like us to show some basic civility to each other as well—some basic civility, and I have not seen a lot of that in evidence in recent times in this place. These, I believe, are the sentiments and the attitudes which the Australian people bring to their expectations of how we as a parliament and how we as a national government and how you as an alternative government behave in this place.UPDATE
The smell of desperation:
KEVIN Rudd is facing more campaign drama after a Labor MP attacked a star Liberal candidate - who served on the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan - as a defence “bureaucrat’’ who worked “the last 25 years’’ in Canberra.(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill and others.)
Labor MP Geoff Lyons, who won the marginal seat of Bass in 2010, was forced to make an apology following his attack on Liberal candidate Andrew Nikolic…
(T)he Government MP told an audience of Year 11 and 12 students - some of whom will vote for the first time - that his election rival had “misled” journalists about his role in the military. A transcript reveals the MP derided Mr Nikolic’s 31-year military record - despite the Liberal candidate being deputy commander of Australia’s military contingent in Afghanistan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr Nikolic, who rose to the rank of Brigadier, was also was commander of Australian forces in southern Iraq in 2005.
But the Labor MP told the students...that Mr Nikolic was a “candidate who has been a bureaucrat in Canberra for the last 25 years working in the media’’.
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Dying nation: nearly 300 killed in Egypt
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (6:37am)
Egypt is collapsing. It cannot feed itself, is running out of money to buy in food and has destroyed its vital tourism industry.
The worse is coming:
The worse is coming:
EGYPT’S health ministry says 278 people have been killed in nationwide violence after police cracked down on loyalists of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
The largest toll was at the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp in Cairo, where an AFP correspondent counted 124 bodies on Wednesday.
In contrast, health ministry spokesman Mohammed Fathallah said 61 people had died there… In addition, 43 members of the police force were killed, he said.
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The Skype Affair: the Commodore finally fires back at Stephen Smith
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (6:24am)
I’ve long accused Defence Minister Stephen Smith of acting hysterically and unfairly in trashing the reputation of the head of the Australian Defence Force Academy over the Skype affair.
Now the commodore finally strikes back:
Now the commodore finally strikes back:
In an explosive letter to Defence chiefs, obtained by The Australian, Commodore Bruce Kafer accuses Mr Smith of personally impeding his ability to challenge findings against him that he says have scarred his professional reputation.Smith acted appallingly. Politics and ideology trumped justice. It is good that he is going.
He also accuses the minister of refusing to provide him with a copy of a report into his handling of the Skype sex scandal, which would allow him to appeal against its findings, and is critical of the leaking of information to the media that harmed his standing…
The letter reveals for the first time the personal feelings of Commodore Kafer, who has never spoken publicly about Mr Smith’s criticism of him after the 2011 Skype scandal, in which a male colleague is alleged to have secretly filmed himself having sex with an 18-year-old female cadet called Kate and then sent vision via Skype to six other cadets.
Mr Smith forced Commodore Kafer to step aside for almost a year after he allowed a separate investigation into minor disciplinary breaches by Kate to proceed only days after the Skype controversy.
Mr Smith at that time described Commodore Kafer’s actions as “completely stupid” and “almost certainly faulty at law”.
But in March last year Mr Smith ... reinstated Commodore Kafer after revealing that the Kirkham inquiry report found there had been no breach of the law and it was reasonable for Commodore Kafer to have continued the disciplinary proceedings against Kate…
[Smith’s] treatment of Commodore Kafer has been criticised by generals Peter Cosgrove, James Cantwell, Jim Molan and Peter Leahy.
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Mark Latham shows Abbott what real sexism is like. Let’s hear from Labor
Andrew Bolt August 14 2013 (8:51pm)
Labor values:
COLOURFUL former Labor leader Mark Latham has leapt with both feet into the Tony Abbott “sex appeal” controversy, saying the Opposition Leader must have been drunk to think candidate Fiona Scott attractive…
”I had a good look at Fiona Scott on page eight ... and she doesn’t have sex appeal at all.
“She’s not that good of a sort…
“She’s a rather plain ordinary-looking woman and Abbott has exaggerated massively to try and win her vote among the blokes ... “
“Tony had the beer goggles on and in politics they say it’s showbiz for ugly people and I don’t think she’ll (Fiona) be out of place.”
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Verballing Abbott again
Andrew Bolt August 14 2013 (8:05pm)
How Fairfax reporters sum up what Tony Abbott said:
But if you really want misrepresentation of what Abbott said - misrepresentation to the point of deceit - here’s the Deputy Prime Minister:
In an interview on Wednesday morning, Mr Abbott appeared to dismiss same-sex marriage as “the fashion of the moment”.What Abbott actually said:
We have to be conscious of the fact that we are all the products of the society, of the culture, of the circumstances that have shaped us.I think Fairfax bias is a problem in this election.
I’m not saying that our culture, our traditions are perfect, but we have to respect them and my idea is to build on the strength of our society and I support, by and large, evolutionary change.
I’m not someone who wants to see radical change based on the fashion of the moment.
But if you really want misrepresentation of what Abbott said - misrepresentation to the point of deceit - here’s the Deputy Prime Minister:
To describe sexual orientation as the fashion of the moment will be deeply offensive to those who understand, and most Australians do, that people’s sexual orientation are just the way they are.That is not what Abbott said and it is dishonorable of Albanese to claim that it is.
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Put Dean in your diary
Andrew Bolt August 14 2013 (6:02pm)
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Punters: Coalition by 22 seats
Andrew Bolt August 15 2013 (8:48pm)
The punters seem to have it pretty right:
Labor won’t have to stay up late on the evening of September 7 for the bad news of the electoral result, according to a new analysis of betting market odds.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s party will lose the election by 22 seats, collecting 63 seats to the oppositions’s 85, according to analysis done for The Australian Financial Review by statisticians Kaighin McColl and Leng Lee…
The number of seats Labor is expected to win dropped from 65 to 63 in the five days between August 6 and August 11.
Mr McColl notes that the ALP has now slid backwards twice since the analysis began.
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Jones said Ahmed had recently traveled to California and Yemen, returning two or three weeks ago. Jones said at some point he'd been receiving treatment for mental issues.
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Dukdik
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.. a step .. and the subsequent decision to shoot them dead in future encounters is another step forward for peace.
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t>===
Holly Sarah Nguyen
The moment you start getting too intellectual about love, you start creating issues in your relationships... love was never meant to be for the wise... its for fools like me!
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Labor is heading for quite a substantial loss going by the betting. It would appear that Rudd's honeymoon period is well and truly over, and with just over three weeks until the election we could see labor slide further.
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Is this the WORST wedding cake you've ever seen? It sure doesn't look like the picture! |http://bit.ly/15GhoZK
Maybe they meant 'tiered' ? - ed===
The Nationals - for Regional Australia
Federal Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd has today announced a Coalition Government will fund the much needed CCTV upgrade at the Gladstone PCYC if successful in the upcoming Federal Election.
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The Coalition will deliver fast, affordable and reliable broadband to everyone in the Paterson electorate.
Get the facts on our plan athttp://www.liberal.org.au/
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20 Pearls of Wisdom From The Book of Job
If you're enduring a season of hardship, be encouraged and use this time to build your faith. God is still on the throne and He's in control. Let these 20 pearls of wisdom from the book of Job remind us that God always has the last say in our lives...
READ MORE ► http://r.beliefnet.com/
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Roma Downey
It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful. - David Rast #gratitude
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Pastor Rick Warren
The more unselfish you are, the more attractive you become.
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From across North America, 125 young Jews have decided to move to #Israel this week to join the#IDF and protect their homeland. We wish these future recruits the best of luck. Share this to wish them luck, too.
Read more: http://www.idfblog.com/
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These Green extremists are currently holding the balance of power in the Senate. Find out how you can help stop them http://ow.ly/nCMYg
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Lindt Chocolatier Cafe, Darling Harbour.
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Edu-Kingdom Bankstown
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Doubting the same common sense, good judgement and basic decency of rank-and-file Australians that Kevin Rudd and Labor is relying on for election in just a few short weeks, he outright rejected Jai Martinkovits "big, bold idea" to empower the people on ABC2's #Shitsville Express.
David Flint comments.
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Ali Kadhim.
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In quite an eerie feat, physicists have floated microscopic diamonds in midair using laser beams. http://oak.ctx.ly/r/9uf9
Researchers have used lasers to levitate extremely small particles in the past, such as individual atoms, but this is the first time that anyone has ever levitated a nanodiamond.
I think Jessica Alba has done something similar to real diamonds, eh, Daniel Katz? ed
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Roma Downey
Give us your spirit today, oh Lord. Help us live out what You have placed on our hearts.We choose to represent You faithfully today.Amen.
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This is why the Climate Institute needs to be defunded .. it is political and engaged in lying for the ALP, not research - ed
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Sustainable Energy Breakthrough? A University of Colorado Boulder research team has moved closer to what some call the Holy Grail of a sustainable hydrogen economy, splitting water with sunlight.http://oak.ctx.ly/r/9ut3
Below, an artist's conception of a commercial hydrogen production plant that uses sunlight to split water in order to produce clean hydrogen fuel.
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Lightning storm over Tucson Arizona tonight. I only got this shot. I got up to a fence line with lots of cactus and the storm stops suddenly. I am going to extend my stay here to try again tomorrow. Hoping against hope to get lucky.
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Holly Sarah Nguyen
Today last year was very special, my youngest son was conceived and he is 3 months old today, what's more special is because it's the day his parents took a train ride up to the marriages place to get married. It's our 1 yr anniversary, i feel really amazed that I'm actually married to my teenage sweetheart crush PhiLip Smi-Le Nguyen the one i really really liked but cause of my pride i ran to hide and he was shy, we only found out 15 yrs later lol even though i lived my life the sinful way around before i knew God yet He still blesses me by leading me right on track. And after our engagement a year before that we've postponed 3 times just to hear the definite confirmation from God and today the answer is very clearly that we belong together. So I feel truly blessed and thank the Lord for blessing our marriage with His Power of Love and Strength that we've made it thru..And I Pray that Lord you continue to be in the center of our lives so that we will live according to your will and be with you in heaven ~ Amen!
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Children being educated about sacrifice? - ed===
Cupcakes and REESE'S PIECES Candies? Sounds perfectly fun to us! Nice work keriannn!http://reeses.me/11RoUPR
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Real Hollywood Heroes: John Wayne 1974
http://
John Wayne talks to Michael Parkinson, 1974. The Duke talks about Hollywood's use of “Critical Theory” to depict Americans as cowards. Who Blacklisted who?
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Larry Pickering
DOPING IS HERE TO STAY... and there’s not a damned thing they can do about it!
The greatest problem government agencies or sports administrations have is that drugs are becoming available quicker than they can be identified, and they can’t ban something they don’t know about yet.
“Oh”, many say, “but if something is performance-enhancing it should automatically be made illegal.”
Well, if you have a headache, an Aspirin will enhance your performance, so will vitamins. If a bowler polishes one side of a cricket ball, performance is enhanced. Gloves will assist you to mark a ball. Spikes on shoes. Oil on wheels... it’s endless.
Many a time I’ve had cortisone legally injected into a sore joint at half-time and that was certainly performance enhancing.
The whole idea of competitive sport is to enhance your performance, so that cannot be the benchmark for illegality.
A "drug" is identified only as a "substance” and can be anything from fruits and nuts to household products and flowers... and everything in between.
Blood doping is nothing more than preserving (for later use) your own red cells with no foreign substance involved. There are many natural foods and vitamins that will ostensibly increase your red cell count.
Blood and urine tests are not calibrated to identify natural foods or supplements that our bodies have varying degrees of anyway, only a surfeit of that natural substance.
A test cannot be calibrated to detect an unknown Mexican “drug”.
Unless a synthetic agent is used to administer a substance it will not raise an alarm. And drug detection agencies have been trying to detect synthetic agents exclusively for decades simply because they can’t detect the “drug”, only the method of administration.
Using an aqueous solution takes care of that problem.
The legal nightmare begins with Essendon and will end nowhere.
A dozen new “drugs” are stumbled upon and developed daily.
ASADA is nothing more than a feminist-dominated Government Agency with no clue what to do except run around in circles calling Press conferences to claim everyone is possibly a cheat or a crook.
The latest crazy edict is that a certain “drug” becomes a banned substance only when administered intravenously yet a subcutaneous (under the skin) administration via injection renders it legal.
Crumbs, so the “drug” finds its way to the blood stream anyway but via a different method?
Competitors in all sports are light years ahead of any detection test, always have been.
All sporting bodies pay increasingly higher rewards for success and hand out career-ending penalties for failure. Loyalty is lost in mountains of money, and that’s the reason unknown, undetectable “drugs” are here to stay.
There is no answer because every drug in history that has been prohibited has found its way on to the black market.
Demonised, illegal recreational drugs damage humans in the same way as legal drugs do.
Prohibition of anything that people want simply attracts the criminal element and, without any form of quality control, ends in a far worse result.
Worse still, when a banned substance is driven underground it becomes impossible to protect those worst affected by it.
I cannot see a solution, can you?
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C. H. Spurgeon
God has so made man's heart that nothing can ever fill it but God himself.
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Happy anniversary -- 37 roses for 37 years!
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Congratulations to Andrew Rohan, Liberal for Smithfield on raising more than $22,000 for Cancer Research by walking 60km around the State Electorate for Smithfield. I don't think too many politicians would manage that, certainly not the other local Labor MP's.
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The mistreatment of Palestinians at the hands of the Lebanese authorities always reminds one of those university professors and political commentators living in the U.S. who pretend to be "pro-Palestinian." They focus their attacks on Israel, and ignore the real suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of Arab countries.
As Israeli authorities issued permits last week to hundreds of thousands of West Bank Palestinians to visit Israel, the Lebanese government decided to ban Palestinian refugees fleeing the war in Syria from entering Lebanon.
So while Palestinians are being slaughtered and forced out of their homes in Syria, the Lebanese government is preventing them from entering Lebanon.
The Israeli permits, which were issued on the occasion of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr, enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to visit shopping malls, restaurants and beaches in Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa, Jerusalem and Acre.
But as the West Bank Palestinians were celebrating the feast in Israel, thousands of their brethren found themselves stranded along the border between Syria and Lebanon.
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'Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. ~ George Eliot
Greetings! I've created this page because I want to make a difference. I'm a great animal lover! Whether big or small, they are such amazing creatures. I have a dog and four cats at the moment, but I used to have fish and ducks too! I lost Lemon (my duck) a couple of years ago due to a broken leg. She was attacked by the neighbor's dog. I hope the money I raise will help to subsidize the me...
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Dinner time - ed
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Israel seems alone in acting with honor. - ed
Doctors at Ziv Hospital in the Galilee town of Safed (Tsfat) were shocked when the girl got up and walked around just one day after having her leg amputated as a result of massive shrapnel injuries.
The young girl had been hit by shrapnel all over her body. The Israelis worked hard to save her left leg, but were certain she would not be mobile for some time.
The doctors were taken aback when just 24 hours later, the girl stood up, and with the help of crutches began to move around the hospital with little trouble. Dr. Alexander Lerner, head of orthopedic department at Ziv Hospital, told Israeli media that his entire staff was filled with an amazing joy to see this girl smiling and walking around.
The hospital has treated dozens of Syrians hurt in indiscriminate attacks by both government and rebel forces.
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
You Will Prosper If You Have Him!
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers(Psalm 1:3, NIV)
God’s plan is for you to prosper and be successful in every area of your life. Some people might say, “I don’t see how you can say that with the economy like it is. All the experts are saying it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” That may be true in general, but it doesn’t have to be true for believers in Jesus. We are connected to a supply line that will never run dry. Don’t be talked in to having a bad year. The economy is not your source. God is your source. And God wants to bless you beyond your salary. He wants to bless you beyond your normal income. He likes to do unusual things. He can bless you with what I call an explosive blessing. That means, all of the sudden, unexpectedly, something happens that takes you to a new level. Old limitations are broken, and suddenly, you find yourself further than you ever dreamed.
The key is found in Psalm 1:1–2. We have to separate ourselves from the system of the world and set our heart and mind on the Word of God. When you meditate on His promises and follow His commands, you will experience these explosive blessings. When you put Him first, you will be strong and stable, and whatever you do will prosper.I bless His word,Amen.
God’s plan is for you to prosper and be successful in every area of your life. Some people might say, “I don’t see how you can say that with the economy like it is. All the experts are saying it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” That may be true in general, but it doesn’t have to be true for believers in Jesus. We are connected to a supply line that will never run dry. Don’t be talked in to having a bad year. The economy is not your source. God is your source. And God wants to bless you beyond your salary. He wants to bless you beyond your normal income. He likes to do unusual things. He can bless you with what I call an explosive blessing. That means, all of the sudden, unexpectedly, something happens that takes you to a new level. Old limitations are broken, and suddenly, you find yourself further than you ever dreamed.
The key is found in Psalm 1:1–2. We have to separate ourselves from the system of the world and set our heart and mind on the Word of God. When you meditate on His promises and follow His commands, you will experience these explosive blessings. When you put Him first, you will be strong and stable, and whatever you do will prosper.I bless His word,Amen.
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
Is any thing too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14, KJV)
Do you think your dreams are too big for God to bring to pass? Do you think that a relationship is too far gone for God to restore it? Do you think you have to just live with sickness the rest of your life? Get a new vision today because there is nothing too hard for God. God is saying today, “I am all-powerful. I can turn any situation around.” It doesn’t matter how things look like in the natural,nothing is too hard for Him.God bless you.
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Pastor Rick Warren
The way you win a fight with God is by surrendering. He knows what's best for you. You don't.
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Growth is nurtured by humility and strangled by pride. I can't learn from others until I admit what I don't know.
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Pastor Rick Warren
God didn't bring you this far just to abandon you.
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I have decided that the Liberal Party will preference the Greens below Labor.
This action will protect the economy and jobs.
Minority government is an experiment that has comprehensively failed.
The Labor-Green minority government has delivered record debt, rising job losses and over 40 new taxes – including the carbon tax.
If Labor is re-elected, it will be because they have done another deal with the Greens. And another Labor deal with the Greens will cost jobs, hurt the economy and make it more difficult for families.
Under no circumstances will I allow the Coalition to enter into a minority government arrangement.
This election is the most important in a generation. That’s why I need your support to deliver a strong, stable and accountable government for our country.
If elected, we will be a government that can get on with the job and build the economy, help small business create jobs, eliminate the carbon tax and secure our borders.
Your financial support is needed to help us deliver our country a Coalition government –please click here to support.
Help us build a stronger Australia and a better future – for all Australians.
Thank you,
Tony Abbott
P.S. Will you donate right now to help the Coalition? We must avoid another Labor-Green minority government.
Authorised by Brian Loughnane, Cnr Blackall and Macquarie Streets, Barton ACT 2604.
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August 15: Victory over Japan Day; Feast of the Assumption(Christianity); Independence Day in the Congo (1960) and India(1947); Liberation Day in North and South Korea (1945)
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- 295 BC – The oldest known temple to Venus(Venus Anadyomene by Titian pictured), theRoman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, was dedicated.
- 1534 – In Montmartre, near Paris, Ignatius of Loyola and six others took the vows that led to the establishment of the Society of Jesus.
- 1907 – Jamaican American Raphael Morgan was ordained as the first Black Orthodox clergyman in America.
- 1945 – The Gyokuon-hōsō was broadcast in Japan, announcingthe unconditional surrender of the Japanese army and naval forces.
- 1963 – President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.
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Events
- 636 – Arab–Byzantine wars: The Battle of Yarmouk between Byzantine Empire and Rashidun Caliphate begins.
- 717 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik begins the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, which will last for nearly a year.
- 718 – Arab–Byzantine wars: Raising of the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople.
- 778 – The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed.
- 927 – The Saracens conquer and destroy Taranto.
- 982 – Holy Roman Emperor Otto II is defeated by the Saracens in the Battle of Capo Colonna, in Calabria
- 1018 – Byzantine general Eustathios Daphnomeles blinds and captures Ibatzes of Bulgaria by a ruse, thereby ending Bulgarian resistance against Emperor Basil II's conquest of Bulgaria.
- 1040 – King Duncan I is killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth. The latter succeeds him as King of Scotland.
- 1057 – King Macbeth is killed at the Battle of Lumphanan by the forces of Máel Coluim mac Donnchada.
- 1070 – The Pavian-born Benedictine Lanfranc is appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury in England.
- 1185 – The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia.
- 1237 – The Battle of the Puig takes place in the context of the Spanish Reconquista pitting the forces of the Taifa of Valenciaagainst the Kingdom of Aragon. The battle resulted in an Aragonese victory.
- 1248 – The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of the Three Wise Men, is laid. (Construction is eventually completed in 1880.)
- 1261 – Michael VIII Palaiologos is crowned Byzantine emperor in Constantinople.
- 1281 – Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan.
- 1309 – The city of Rhodes surrenders to the forces of the Knights of St. John, completing their conquest of Rhodes. The knights establish their headquarters on the island and rename themselves the Knights of Rhodes.
- 1430 – Francesco Sforza, lord of Milan, conquers Lucca.
- 1461 – The Empire of Trebizond surrenders to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II. This is regarded by some historians as the real end of the Byzantine Empire. Emperor David is exiled and later murdered.
- 1483 – Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel.
- 1511 – Afonso de Albuquerque of Portugal conquers Malacca, the capital of the Malacca Sultanate.
- 1517 – Seven Portuguese armed vessels led by Fernão Pires de Andrade meet Chinese officials at the Pearl River estuary.
- 1519 – Panama City, Panama, is founded.
- 1534 – Saint Ignatius of Loyola and six classmates take initial vows, leading to the creation of the Society of Jesus in September 1540.
- 1537 – Asunción, Paraguay, is founded.
- 1540 – Arequipa, Peru, is founded.
- 1549 – Jesuit priest Saint Francis Xavier comes ashore at Kagoshima (Traditional Japanese date: July 22, 1549).
- 1599 – Nine Years' War: Battle of Curlew Pass – Irish forces led by Hugh Roe O'Donnell successfully ambush English forces, led by Sir Conyers Clifford, sent to relieve Collooney Castle.
- 1695 – French forces end the Bombardment of Brussels, leaving a third of the buildings in the city in ruins.
- 1760 – Seven Years' War: Battle of Liegnitz – Frederick the Great's victory over the Austrians under Ernst Gideon von Laudon.
- 1812 – War of 1812: The Battle of Fort Dearborn is fought between United States troops and Potawatomi at what is now Chicago, Illinois.
- 1843 – The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii is dedicated. Now the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, it is the oldestRoman Catholic cathedral in continuous use in the United States.
- 1843 – Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 1863 – The Anglo-Satsuma War begins between the Satsuma Domain of Japan and the United Kingdom (Traditional Japanese date: July 2, 1863).
- 1869 – The Meiji government in Japan establishes six new ministries, including one for Shinto.
- 1893 – Ibadan area became a British Protectorate after a treaty signed by Fijabi, the Baale of Ibadan with the British acting Governor of Lagos, George C. Denton.
- 1907 – Ordination in Constantinople of Fr. Raphael Morgan, first African-American Orthodox priest, "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.
- 1914 – A male servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright sets fire to the living quarters of the architect's Wisconsin home, Taliesin, murders seven people and burns the living quarters to the ground.
- 1914 – The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship SS Ancon.
- 1914 – The First Russian Army, led by Paul von Rennenkampf, enters East Prussia.
- 1914 – The beginning of the Battle of Cer.
- 1915 – A story in New York World reveals that the Weimar German government had purchased excess phenol from Thomas Edison that could be used to make explosives for the war effort and diverted it to Bayer for aspirin production.
- 1920 – Battle of Warsaw so called Miracle at the Vistula.
- 1935 – Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed after their aircraft develops engine problems during takeoff in Barrow, Alaska.
- 1939 – 13 Stukas dive into the ground during a disastrous air-practice at Neuhammer. There are no survivors.
- 1939 – The Wizard of Oz premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California.
- 1940 – An Italian submarine torpedoes and sinks the Greek cruiser Elli at Tinos harbor during peacetime, marking the most serious Italian provocation prior to the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War in October.
- 1941 – Corporal Josef Jakobs is executed by firing squad at the Tower of London at 7:12 am, making him the last person to be executed at the Tower fortreason.
- 1942 – World War II: Operation Pedestal – The SS Ohio reaches the island of Malta barely afloat carrying vital fuel supplies for the island's defenses.
- 1944 – World War II: Operation Dragoon – Allied forces land in southern France.
- 1945 – World War II: Japan surrenders to end the war.
- 1947 – India gains Independence from the British Indian Empire and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1947 – Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah is sworn in as first Governor-General of Pakistan in Karachi.
- 1948 – The Republic of Korea is established south of the 38th parallel north.
- 1952 – A flash flood drenches the town of Lynmouth, England, United Kingdom, killing 34 people.
- 1954 – Alfredo Stroessner begins his dictatorship in Paraguay.
- 1960 – Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) becomes independent from France.
- 1961 – Conrad Schumann flees from East Germany while on duty guarding the construction of the Berlin Wall.
- 1962 – James Joseph Dresnok defects to North Korea after running across the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Dresnok still resides in the capital, Pyongyang.
- 1963 – Execution of Henry John Burnett, the last man to be hanged in Scotland, UK.
- 1963 – President Fulbert Youlou is overthrown in the Republic of the Congo, after a three-day uprising in the capital.
- 1965 – The Beatles play to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York, New York, an event later regarded as the birth of stadium rock.
- 1969 – Woodstock opens.
- 1970 – Patricia Palinkas became the first woman to play professionally in an American football game
- 1971 – President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors.
- 1971 – Bahrain gains independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1973 – Vietnam War: The United States bombing of Cambodia ends.
- 1974 – Yuk Young-soo, First Lady of South Korea, is killed during an apparent assassination attempt upon President of South Korea, Park Chung-hee.
- 1975 – Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is killed along with most members of his family during a military coup.
- 1975 – Takeo Miki makes the first official pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine by an incumbent prime minister on the anniversary of the end of World War II.
- 1977 – The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space; the event is named the "Wow! signal" from the notation made by a volunteer on the project.
- 1984 – The PKK in Turkey starts a campaign of armed attacks upon the Turkish military with an attack on police and gendarmerie bases in Şemdinli and Eruh
- 1995 – In South Carolina, Shannon Faulkner becomes the first female cadet matriculated at The Citadel (she drops out less than a week later).
- 1996 – President of Turkey Süleyman Demirel approved to "Law of ban For Casino in Turkey"
- 1998 – Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland, the worst terrorist incident of The Troubles
- 1999 – Beni Ounif massacre in Algeria; some 29 people are killed at a false roadblock near the Moroccan border, leading to temporary tensions withMorocco.
- 2005 – Israel's unilateral disengagement plan to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank begins.
- 2007 – An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090.
Births
- 1171 – Alfonso IX of León (d. 1230)
- 1195 – Anthony of Padua, Portuguese priest and saint (d. 1231)
- 1432 – Luigi Pulci, Italian poet (d. 1484)
- 1575 – Bartol Kašić, Croatian writer and linguist (d. 1650)
- 1613 – Gilles Ménage, French scholar (d. 1692)
- 1717 – Blind Jack, English road builder (d. 1810)
- 1736 – Johann Christoph Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1803)
- 1740 – Matthias Claudius, German poet (d. 1815)
- 1769 – Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsican-French military officer and political leader, emperor of France (d. 1821)
- 1771 – Walter Scott, Scottish novelist and poet (d. 1832)
- 1785 – Thomas De Quincey, English author (d. 1859)
- 1798 – Sangolli Rayanna, Indian freedom fighter (d. 1831)
- 1813 – Jules Grévy, French politician, 3rd President of the French Republic (d. 1891)
- 1824 – John Chisum, American cattle baron (d. 1884)
- 1836 – Pyotr Boborykin, Russian writer, playwright, and journalist (d. 1921)
- 1844 – Thomas-Alfred Bernier, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1908)
- 1846 – Charles Woodruff, American archer (d. 1927)
- 1856 – Ivan Franko, Ukrainian writer (d. 1916)
- 1857 – Albert Ballin, German businessman (d. 1918)
- 1858 – E. Nesbit, English author (d. 1924)
- 1859 – Charles Comiskey, American baseball player and manager (d. 1931)
- 1860 – Henrietta Vinton Davis, American actress and playwright (d. 1941)
- 1860 – Florence Harding, American publisher, 31st First Lady of the United States (d. 1924)
- 1863 – Aleksey Krylov, Russian engineer and mathematician (d. 1945)
- 1865 – Mikao Usui, Japanese spiritual leader (d. 1926)
- 1866 – Italo Santelli, Italian fencer (d. 1945)
- 1872 – Sri Aurobindo, Indian philosopher (d. 1950)
- 1873 – Ramaprasad Chanda, Indian historian and archaeologist (d. 1942)
- 1875 – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English composer (d. 1912)
- 1876 – Stylianos Gonatas, Greek military officer and politician (d. 1966)
- 1877 – Tachiyama Mineemon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 22nd Yokozuna (d. 1941)
- 1878 – Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, Russian army officer (d. 1928)
- 1879 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959)
- 1881 – Alfred Wagenknecht, German-American activist (d. 1956)
- 1882 – Marion Bauer, American composer, writer, and critic (d. 1955)
- 1883 – Ivan Meštrović, Croatian sculptor and architect (d. 1962)
- 1885 – Edna Ferber, American novelist (d. 1968)
- 1886 – Bill Whitty, Australian cricketer (d. 1974)
- 1890 – Elizabeth Bolden, American super-centenarian (d. 2006)
- 1890 – Jacques Ibert, French composer (d. 1962)
- 1892 – Louis de Broglie, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1987)
- 1893 – Leslie Comrie, New Zealand astronomer (d. 1950)
- 1896 – Gerty Cori, Austrian biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1896 – Catherine Doherty, Russian-Canadian activist (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (d. 1958)
- 1896 – Léon Theremin, Russian inventor, invented the Theremin (d. 1993)
- 1898 – Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (d. 1966)
- 1900 – Estelle Brody, American actress (d. 1995)
- 1901 – Pyotr Novikov, Russian mathematician (d. 1975)
- 1902 – Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and critic (d. 1943)
- 1904 – George Klein, Canadian inventor (d. 1992)
- 1905 – Emile St. Godard, Canadian dog sled racer (d. 1948)
- 1909 – Hugo Winterhalter, American composer and bandleader (d. 1973)
- 1910 – Signe Hasso, Swedish actress (d. 2002)
- 1912 – Julia Child, American chef and author (d. 2004)
- 1912 – Wendy Hiller, English actress (d. 2003)
- 1912 – Amir Khan, Indian singer (d. 1974)
- 1914 – Paul Rand, American graphic designer (d. 1996)
- 1915 – A. K. Hangal, Indian actor (d. 2012)
- 1916 – Aleks Çaçi, Albanian writer (d. 1989)
- 1917 – Jack Lynch, Irish politician (d. 1999)
- 1917 – Óscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (d. 1980)
- 1919 – Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)
- 1919 – Benedict Kiely, Irish author (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Dina Wadia, Pakistani daughter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
- 1921 – August Kowalczyk, Polish actor, director, and Holocaust survivor (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Leonard Baskin, American sculptor and illustrator (d. 2000)
- 1922 – Giorgos Mouzakis, Greek composer and musician (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Rose Marie, American actress and singer
- 1924 – Werner Abrolat, German actor (d. 1997)
- 1924 – Robert Bolt, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1995)
- 1925 – Mike Connors, American actor
- 1925 – Münir Özkul, Turkish actor
- 1925 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2007)
- 1925 – Bill Pinkney, American singer (The Drifters) (d. 2007)
- 1926 – Sami Michael, Iraqi-Israeli author
- 1926 – Julius Katchen, American pianist (d. 1969)
- 1926 – John Silber, American academic (d. 2012)
- 1926 – Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, Greek politician, 6th President of Greece
- 1927 – Eddie Leadbeater, England cricketer (d. 2011)
- 1928 – Nicolas Roeg, English director and cinematographer
- 1929 – Georgios Roubanis, Greek pole vaulter
- 1930 – Ageeda Paavel, Estonian activist
- 1933 – Bobby Helms, American singer and guitarist (d. 1997)
- 1933 – Jim Lange, American game show host
- 1934 – Bobby Byrd, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Famous Flames) (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Nino Ferrer, French-Italian singer and actor (d. 1998)
- 1934 – Reginald Scarlett, Jamaican cricketer
- 1935 – Jim Dale, English actor
- 1935 – Vernon Jordan, American lawyer, businessman, and activist
- 1935 – Lionel Taylor, American football player
- 1936 – Rita Shane, American soprano
- 1938 – Stephen Breyer, American judge and jurist
- 1938 – Maxine Waters, American politician
- 1938 – Janusz Zajdel, Polish writer
- 1940 – Gudrun Ensslin, German militant leader, founded Red Army Faction (d. 1977)
- 1941 – Manolis Mavrommatis, Greek politician
- 1942 – Larry Hartsell, American martial arts instructor and author (d. 2007)
- 1943 – María Rojo, Mexican actress and politician
- 1944 – Linda Ellerbee, American journalist
- 1944 – Thomas J. Murphy, Jr., American politician
- 1944 – Dimitris Sioufas, Greek lawyer and politician
- 1944 – Sylvie Vartan, Bulgarian-French singer
- 1945 – Duffy Dyer, American baseball player
- 1945 – Gene Upshaw, American football player (d. 2008)
- 1945 – Khaleda Zia, Bangladeshi politician
- 1946 – Tony Robinson, English actor
- 1946 – Jimmy Webb, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and composer
- 1947 – Raakhee, Indian actress
- 1947 – Jenny Hanley, English actress
- 1948 – Uschi Digard, Swedish porn actress and model
- 1948 – Patsy Gallant, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1948 – George Ryton, British motor racing engineer
- 1949 – Beverly Burns, American pilot
- 1949 – Richard Deacon, Welsh sculptor
- 1949 – Garry Disher, Australian author
- 1949 – Mark B. Rosenberg, American academic
- 1950 – Tommy Aldridge, American drummer (Black Oak Arkansas and Thin Lizzy)
- 1950 – Tom Kelly, American baseball player and manager
- 1950 – Anne, Princess Royal, British daughter of Elizabeth II
- 1951 – Ann Biderman, American scriptwriter and producer
- 1951 – Bobby Caldwell, American singer-songwriter
- 1951 – John Childs, England cricketer
- 1951 – Daba Diawara, Malian politician
- 1951 – Ranjan Gunatilleke, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1953 – Carol Thatcher, British author and journalist, daughter of Margaret Thatcher
- 1953 – Mark Thatcher, British son of Denis Thatcher and Margaret Thatcher
- 1954 – Stieg Larsson, Swedish writer (d. 2004)
- 1954 – Hillar Mets, Estonian cartoonist
- 1954 – Mary Jo Salter, American poet
- 1956 – Lorraine Desmarais, Canadian pianist and composer
- 1956 – Freedom Neruda, Ivorian journalist
- 1957 – Željko Ivanek, Slovenian-American actor
- 1958 – Simon Baron-Cohen, British psychiatrist and author
- 1958 – Laurie Bembenek, American convicted murderer (d. 2010)
- 1958 – Craig MacTavish, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1958 – Simple Kapadia, Indian actress and costume designer (d. 2009)
- 1958 – Victor Shenderovich, Russian writer
- 1958 – Rondell Sheridan, American actor and director
- 1959 – Scott Altman, American astronaut
- 1961 – Ed Gillespie, American political strategist
- 1961 – Gary Kubiak, American football player and coach
- 1961 – Suhasini Maniratnam, Indian Actress
- 1961 – Arjun, Indian film actor and director
- 1962 – Tom Colicchio, American chef
- 1963 – Lady Miss Kier, American singer-songwriter, producer, and DJ (Deee-Lite)
- 1963 – Valery Levaneuski, Russian activist
- 1963 – Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexican director
- 1963 – Jack Russell, England cricketer and coach
- 1964 – Melinda Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist, co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- 1965 – Rob Thomas, American writer
- 1966 – Scott Brosius, American baseball player
- 1966 – Shirley Kwan, Hong Kong singer, dancer, and actress
- 1966 – Dimitris Papadopoulos, Greek basketball player
- 1967 – Peter Hermann, American actor
- 1968 – Debra Messing, American actress
- 1969 – Kevin Cheng, Hong Kong singer and actor
- 1969 – Bernard Fanning, Australian singer-songwriter (Powderfinger)
- 1969 – Cris Judd, American actor, dancer, and choreographer
- 1970 – Anthony Anderson, American comedian and actor
- 1970 – Maddie Corman, American actress
- 1970 – Ben Silverman, American television producer, founded Electus Studios
- 1970 – Maya Soetoro-Ng, American sister of Barack Obama
- 1972 – Ben Affleck, American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer
- 1972 – Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballet dancer (d. 2007)
- 1972 – Chris Morrissey, American director and actor
- 1972 – Matthew Wood, American voice actor and sound editor
- 1973 – Amitabh Bhattacharjee, Indian actor
- 1973 – Adnan Sami, British singer, actor, pianist, and composer
- 1973 – Adam Willard, American drummer (The Offspring, Rocket from the Crypt, Danko Jones, and The Special Goodness)
- 1974 – Gry Bay, Danish actress and singer
- 1974 – Natasha Henstridge, Canadian actress
- 1974 – Tomasz Suwary, Polish footballer
- 1975 – Bertrand Berry, American football player
- 1975 – Vijay Bharadwaj, Indian cricketer
- 1975 – Brendan Morrison, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Kara Wolters, American basketball player
- 1976 – Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch footballer
- 1977 – Martin Biron, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 – Igor Cassina, Italian gymnast
- 1977 – Nicole Paggi, American actress
- 1978 – Tim Foreman, American bass player (Switchfoot)
- 1978 – Lilia Podkopayeva, Ukrainian gymnast
- 1978 – Stavros Tziortziopoulos, Greek footballer
- 1978 – Kerri Walsh Jennings, American volleyball player
- 1979 – Carl Edwards, American race car driver
- 1980 – Brandon Harrod, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1980 – Natalie Press, English actress
- 1981 – Brendan Hansen, American swimmer
- 1981 – Song Ji-hyo, South Korean actress
- 1981 – Óliver Pérez, American baseball player
- 1982 – Casey Burgener, American weightlifter
- 1982 – Heather Carolin, American model and actress
- 1982 – Tsuyoshi Hayashi, Japanese actor
- 1982 – Cori Yarckin, American actress and singer
- 1983 – Timati, Russian rapper and actor
- 1984 – Quinton Aaron, American actor
- 1985 – Cogie Domingo, Filipino actor
- 1985 – Leah Hackett, English actress
- 1985 – Andrea Lewis, Canadian actress and singer
- 1985 – Santiago Stieben, Argentine actor
- 1986 – Natalia Kills, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1986 – Maria Fowler, English model and actress
- 1987 – Michel Kreder, Dutch cyclist
- 1988 – Oussama Assaidi, Moroccan footballer
- 1988 – Zaira Nara, Argentine model
- 1989 – Belinda, Mexican singer-songwriter and actress
- 1989 – Joe Jonas, American singer-songwriter and actor (Jonas Brothers)
- 1989 – Carlos Pena, Jr., American singer-songwriter and actor (Big Time Rush)
- 1990 – Nyusha, Russian singer-songwriter
- 1990 – Aglaja Brix, German actress
- 1990 – Jennifer Lawrence, American actress
- 1990 – Danny Verbeek, Dutch footballer
- 1991 – Petja Piiroinen, Finnish snowboarder
- 1993 – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, English footballer
- 1994 – Kosuke Hagino, Japanese swimmer
- 1995 – Chief Keef, Rapper
- 1995 – Yui Ogura, Japanese voice actress
Deaths
- 423 – Honorius, Roman Emperor (b. 384)
- 465 – Libius Severus, Roman Emperor (b. 420)
- 778 – Roland, Frankish commander
- 1038 – Stephen I of Hungary (b. 975)
- 1057 – Macbeth, King of Scotland
- 1118 – Alexios I Komnenos, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1048)
- 1196 – Conrad II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1173)
- 1274 – Robert de Sorbon, French theologian and educator (b. 1201)
- 1369 – Philippa of Hainault (b. 1314)
- 1528 – Odet of Foix, Viscount of Lautrec, French military leader (b. 1485)
- 1552 – Hermann of Wied, German archbishop (b. 1477)
- 1621 – John Barclay, Scottish poet (b. 1582)
- 1666 – Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary (b. 1591)
- 1714 – Constantin Brâncoveanu, Romanian prince (b. 1654)
- 1728 – Marin Marais, French composer and viol player (b. 1656)
- 1758 – Pierre Bouguer, French mathematician (b. 1698)
- 1799 – Giuseppe Parini, Italian poet (b. 1729)
- 1852 – Johan Gadolin, Finnish scientist (b. 1760)
- 1859 – Nathaniel Claiborne, American politician (b. 1777)
- 1880 – Adelaide Neilson, English actress (b. 1848)
- 1907 – Joseph Joachim, Austrian violinist (b. 1831)
- 1909 – Euclides da Cunha, Brazilian writer and sociologist (b. 1866)
- 1917 – Thomas J. Higgins, American soldier (b. 1831)
- 1925 – Konrad Mägi, Estonian painter (b. 1878)
- 1928 – Anatole von Hügel, Italian ethnologist, co-founder of St Edmund's College, Cambridge (b. 1854)
- 1931 – Nigar Shikhlinskaya, Azerbaijani nurse (b. 1878)
- 1934 – Leo O'Connell, American soccer player (b. 1883)
- 1935 – Wiley Post, American pilot (b. 1898)
- 1935 – Will Rogers, American humorist and actor (b. 1879)
- 1935 – Paul Signac, French painter (b. 1863)
- 1936 – Grazia Deledda, Italian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1871)
- 1942 – Mahadev Desai, Indian activist and writer (b. 1892)
- 1945 – Korechika Anami, Japanese general and War Minister (b. 1887)
- 1951 – Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist (b. 1882)
- 1953 – Ludwig Prandtl, German physicist (b. 1875)
- 1962 – Lei Feng, Chinese soldier (b. 1940)
- 1967 – René Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898)
- 1971 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (b. 1887)
- 1975 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bengali politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (b. 1920)
- 1975 – Clay Shaw, American businessman and lawyer (b. 1913)
- 1981 – Carol Ryrie Brink, American author (b. 1895)
- 1982 – Ernie Bushmiller, American cartoonist (b. 1905)
- 1982 – Hugo Theorell, Swedish scientist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
- 1989 – Minoru Genda, Japanese aviator and politician (b. 1904)
- 1989 – Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, Greek army officer (b. 1897)
- 1990 – Viktor Tsoi, Russian singer-songwriter (Kino) (b. 1962)
- 1994 – Wout Wagtmans, Dutch cyclist (b. 1929)
- 1995 – John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (b. 1906)
- 1997 – Ida Gerhardt, Dutch poet (b. 1905)
- 1999 – Hugh Casson, British architect and designer (b. 1910)
- 2001 – Richard Chelimo, Kenyan runner (b. 1972)
- 2003 – Gösta Sundqvist, Finnish singer-songwriter (Leevi and the Leavings) (b. 1957)
- 2004 – Sune Bergström, Swedish biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Semiha Berksoy, Turkish opera singer (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician (b. 1941)
- 2005 – Bendapudi Venkata Satyanarayana, Indian dermatologist (b. 1927)
- 2006 – Dame Te Atairangikaahu, Māori queen (b. 1931)
- 2006 – Rick Bourke, Australian rugby player (b. 1955)
- 2006 – Coenraad Bron, Dutch computer scientist (b. 1937)
- 2006 – Faas Wilkes, Dutch footballer (b. 1923)
- 2007 – Richard Bradshaw, British opera conductor (b. 1944)
- 2007 – John Gofman, American scientist and advocate (b. 1918)
- 2007 – Geoffrey Orbell, New Zealand doctor (b. 1908)
- 2007 – Sam Pollock, Canadian sports executive (b. 1925)
- 2008 – James Orthwein, American businessman (b. 1924)
- 2008 – Heinz-Ludwig Schmidt, German football manager and coach (b. 1920)
- 2008 – Leroy Sievers, American journalist (b. 1955)
- 2008 – Vic Toweel, South African boxer (b. 1929)
- 2008 – Jerry Wexler, American music producer and journalist (b. 1917)
- 2009 – Virginia Davis, American actor (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Denis E. Dillon, American politician (b. 1933)
- 2011 – Michael Legat, British writer (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Rick Rypien, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1984)
- 2012 – Elson Iazegi Beyruth, Brazilian footballer (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Bob Birch, American bass player and saxophonist (b. 1956)
- 2012 – Altamiro Carrilho, Brazilian musician and composer (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Biff Elliot, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Punch Gunalan, Malaysian badminton player (b. 1944)
- 2012 – Harry Harrison, American author (b. 1925)
- 2012 – Müşfik Kenter, Turkish actor (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Carina Moberg, Swedish politician (b. 1966)
- 2012 – Mitchell Todd, Scottish rugby player (b. 1991)
- 2012 – Ray Whitney, British politician (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Arben Xhaferi, Macedonian politician and activist (b. 1948)
Holidays and observances
- Armed Forces Day (Poland)
- Christianity – feast day:
- Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi,Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, andVanuatu), and its related observances:
- Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches)
- Ferragosto (Italy)
- Mother's Day (Antwerp and Costa Rica)
- National Acadian Day (Acadians)
- Navy Day (Romania)
- Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. (Tenerife, Spain)
- Stanislaus Kostka
- Tarcisius
- August 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Feast day of the Assumption of Mary, one of the Catholic holy days of obligation. (a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia, Burundi,Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mauritius, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, andVanuatu), and its related observances:
- Constitution Day (Equatorial Guinea)
- Earliest day on which Day of Hearts can fall, while August 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in August. (area around Haarlem and Amsterdam)
- The Falling Asleep of the Blessed Virgin Mary (commemoration, Anglicanism)
- Founding of Asunción (Paraguay)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Republic of the Congo from France in 1960.
- Independence Day of India, celebrates the independence of India from the United Kingdom in 1947.
- Liberation Day, celebrates the independence of Korea from Japan in 1945:
- Gwangbokjeol, "Liberation Day" (South Korea)
- Jogukhaebangui nal, "Fatherland Liberation Day" (North Korea)
- The first day of Flooding of the Nile, or Wafaa El-Nil.(Egypt and Coptic Church)
- The main day of Bon Festival (Japan)
- Victory over Japan Day (United States)
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“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:14,20 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work."
Psalm 92:4
Psalm 92:4
Do you believe that your sins are forgiven, and that Christ has made a full atonement for them? Then what a joyful Christian you ought to be! How you should live above the common trials and troubles of the world! Since sin is forgiven, can it matter what happens to you now? Luther said, "Smite, Lord, smite, for my sin is forgiven; if thou hast but forgiven me, smite as hard as thou wilt;" and in a similar spirit you may say, "Send sickness, poverty, losses, crosses, persecution, what thou wilt, thou hast forgiven me, and my soul is glad." Christian, if thou art thus saved, whilst thou art glad, be grateful and loving. Cling to that cross which took thy sin away; serve thou him who served thee. "I beseech you therefore, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Let not your zeal evaporate in some little ebullition of song. Show your love in expressive tokens. Love the brethren of him who loved you. If there be a Mephibosheth anywhere who is lame or halt, help him for Jonathan's sake. If there be a poor tried believer, weep with him, and bear his cross for the sake of him who wept for thee and carried thy sins. Since thou art thus forgiven freely for Christ's sake, go and tell to others the joyful news of pardoning mercy. Be not contented with this unspeakable blessing for thyself alone, but publish abroad the story of the cross. Holy gladness and holy boldness will make you a good preacher, and all the world will be a pulpit for you to preach in. Cheerful holiness is the most forcible of sermons, but the Lord must give it you. Seek it this morning before you go into the world. When it is the Lord's work in which we rejoice, we need not be afraid of being too glad.
Evening
"I know their sorrows."
Exodus 3:7
Exodus 3:7
The child is cheered as he sings, "This my father knows;" and shall not we be comforted as we discern that our dear Friend and tender soul-husband knows all about us?
1. He is the Physician, and if he knows all, there is no need that the patient should know. Hush, thou silly, fluttering heart, prying, peeping, and suspecting! What thou knowest not now, thou shalt know hereafter, and meanwhile Jesus, the beloved Physician, knows thy soul in adversities. Why need the patient analyze all the medicine, or estimate all the symptoms? This is the Physician's work, not mine; it is my business to trust, and his to prescribe. If he shall write his prescription in uncouth characters which I cannot read, I will not be uneasy on that account, but rely upon his unfailing skill to make all plain in the result, however mysterious in the working.
2. He is the Master, and his knowledge is to serve us instead of our own; we are to obey, not to judge: "The servant knoweth not what his lord doeth." Shall the architect explain his plans to every hodman on the works? If he knows his own intent, is it not enough? The vessel on the wheel cannot guess to what pattern it shall be conformed, but if the potter understands his art, what matters the ignorance of the clay? My Lord must not be cross-questioned any more by one so ignorant as I am.
3. He is the Head. All understanding centres there. What judgment has the arm? What comprehension has the foot? All the power to know lies in the head. Why should the member have a brain of its own when the head fulfils for it every intellectual office? Here, then, must the believer rest his comfort in sickness, not that he himself can see the end, but that Jesus knows all. Sweet Lord, be thou forever eye, and soul, and head for us, and let us be content to know only what thou choosest to reveal.
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Today's reading: Psalm 89-90, Romans 14 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Psalm 89-90
1 I will sing of the LORD's great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 'I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.'"
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 'I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.'"
5 The heavens praise your wonders, LORD,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you....
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, LORD God Almighty?
You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you....
Today's New Testament reading: Romans 14
The Weak and the Strong
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person's faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand....
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