Friday, October 04, 2013

Fri Oct 4th Todays News

Israel has a right to exist and Jews have a right to prosper everywhere around the world. Anyone who disagrees with that is a bigot. Anyone who threatens to prevent that is a terrorist. Today I have linked articles where some have campaigned to deny Israel's right to security, or her right to exist, or her right to trade. Each instance is a violation of human rights possibly genocide. Theoretically, it could be prosecutable in the World Court. Except many of those perpetrating these abuses are nations, multinational companies and or journalists.
In response to statements like Israel has a right to exist, some reply "they have no right to kill and maim Palestinian peoples." The ignorant assertion is not what is happening and not what has happened. Israel is the only place in the world that is safe for Muslim peoples, or peoples of any faith. Unlike the US, Israel protects its people against terrorist assaults .. Obama has recently ordered Israel to release known terrorist killers into the community .. voiding the US's assertion it may be safe for people .. Benghazi is an example of the US not protecting its people. Israel defends its people daily from rocket attacks and hostile militant incursions .. all of its people. Yet in so called Palestine, anyone could be murdered for any reason. Militants have died attacking Israel. Those militants would be alive if they hadn't. Israel is not wrong to defend herself.
Palestine is a Roman name to describe Israelis. The people calling themselves Palestinians today are largely Jordanians. They have no right to Israeli land, but for international intransigence often emanating from the UN. Outrageously, Jerusalem has not been freely given to Israel, but made part of claims regarding Palestine .. resulting in Jews not being able to worship at the temple wall.
Modern Israel is not solely Jewish. She is a modern democratic state with loopy left wing idiots as well as decent conservatives. The same could not be said of any state surrounding her. It is outrageous that a shop might claim it would not trade in Israeli goods because that shop owner is an evangelical Christian  claiming to live by biblical principles. I say to that person that I am an evangelical Christian and I say that their decision denies the gift Jesus died to give them, and that by hurting those who are threatened by evil, they are not serving the Lord my God as he has tasked them to. But I recognise they serve their master faithfully.
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Hatches
Happy birthday and many happy returns Igor BreakenbackMarley Ly and Jimmy LamborghiniBorn on the same day, across the years, along with
1160 – Alys, Countess of the Vexin (d. 1220)

1625 – Jacqueline Pascal, French nun (d. 1661)
1881 – Henry Potter, American golfer (d. 1955)
1895 – Buster Keaton, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1966)
1928 – Alvin Toffler, American journalist and author
1941 – Anne Rice, American author
1953 – Andreas Vollenweider, Swiss harp player
1976 – Alicia Silverstone, American actress, producer, and author
Matches
23 – Rebels capture and sack the Chinese capital Chang'an during a peasant rebellion. They kill and decapitate the emperor, Wang Mang, two days later.
610 – Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor.
1363 – End of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the Chinese rebel forces of Zhu Yuanzhang defeat that of his rival, Chen Youliang, in one of the largest naval battles in history.
1535 – The first complete English-language Bible (the Coverdale Bible) is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale.
1777 – Battle of Germantown: Troops under George Washington are repelled by British troops under Sir William Howe.
1779 – The Fort Wilson Riot takes place.
1795 – Napoleon Bonaparte first rises to national prominence with a "Whiff of Grapeshot", using cannon to suppress armed counter-revolutionary rioters threatening the French Legislature (National Convention).
1853 – Crimean War: The Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia.
1883 – First run of the Orient Express.
1918 – An explosion kills more than 100 and destroys the T.A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant in Sayreville, New Jersey. Fires and explosions continue for three days forcing massive evacuations and spreading ordnance over a wide area, pieces of which were still being found as of 2007.
1927 – Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore.
1940 – Meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini at the Brenner Pass.
1957 – Space Race: Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
1957 – Leave It To Beaver premieres on CBS.
1988 – U.S. televangelist Jim Bakker is indicted for fraud.
1993 – Russian Constitutional Crisis: In Moscowtanks bombard the White House, a government building that housed the Russian parliament, while demonstrators against President Boris Yeltsin rally outside.
2003 – Maxim restaurant suicide bombing in HaifaIsrael: 21 Israelis, Jews and Arabs, are killed, and 51 others wounded.
Despatches
1052 – Vladimir of Novgorod (b. 1020)
1890 – Catherine Booth, English co-founder of The Salvation Army (b. 1829)
1904 – Carl Josef Bayer, Austrian chemist (b. 1847)
1947 – Max Planck, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1858)
1951 – Henrietta Lacks, American patient, HeLa cells derived from her cervical cancer (b. 1920)
1970 – Janis Joplin, American singer-songwriter (Big Brother and the Holding Company) (b. 1943)
1989 – Secretariat, American race horse (b. 1970)
1989 – Graham Chapman, English comedian and actor (b. 1941)
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Never keep your bitter enemies that close

Piers Akerman – Thursday, October 03, 2013 (7:26pm)

LAST week Vice-Chief of Defence Air Marshal Mark Binskin hurriedly released a heavily censored internal army report on the investigation into the murders of three Australian soldiers in Afghanistan in August last year.

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IPCC not so confident we’re about to face catastrophes

Andrew Bolt October 04 2013 (11:07am)

Global warming - general
The latest IPPC report dials down the alarm on so many scares that the likes of Al Gore and Tim Flannery peddled:

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Note the first item on the list - the scare about the shut-down of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. This is the warming scare that inspired one of the most notorious eco-catastrophy movies:
(Thanks to reader the Original Observer.) 

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Is Clive Hamilton an anti-Anglo racist?

Andrew Bolt October 04 2013 (10:07am)

Professor Clive Hamilton, the abusive and dictatorial Gaian climate catastrophist, seems to me to be a racist as well. As well as being totally irrational, that is:
...binge-drinking and obesity are two signifiers of the curse of speaking English...
Hmm. How long has Russia been English-speaking?:
Today, according to the World Health Organization, one-in-five men in the Russian Federation die due to alcohol-related causes, compared with 6.2 percent of all men globally. In her 2000 article “First Steps: AA and Alcoholism in Russia,” Patricia Critchlow estimated that some 20 million Russians are alcoholics in a nation of just 144 million.
Large swathes of Europe must have also started to babble in English from under the table:

THE world drank the equivalent of 6.1 litres of pure alcohol per person in 2005, according to a report from the World Health Organisation… The biggest boozers are mostly found in Europe and in the former Soviet states. Moldovans are the most bibulous, getting through 18.2 litres each, nearly 2 litres more than the Czechs in second place.
Again and again, Hamilton makes spurious links between English-speaking and some sign of depravity or lack of self-control:
Being fat and English-speaking seem to go together.
Once again, the facts contradict Hamilton. From the World Health Organisation:

According to WHO estimates, more than 75% of women over the age of 30 are now overweight in countries as diverse as Barbados, Egypt, Malta, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. Estimates are similar for men, with over 75% now overweight in, for example, Argentina, Germany, Greece, Kuwait, New Zealand, Samoa, and the United Kingdom. Notably, the Western Pacific islands of Nauru and Tonga have the highest global prevalence of overweight where nine out of every 10 adults are overweight.
Hamilton tries again:
It is now widely believed throughout the West that rich countries are experiencing social fragmentation and “moral decline”. To the extent that this is true, the decline is being led by the Anglophone countries… When English-speakers marry the partnership is more likely to founder.
Once again, the facts contradict his anti-Anglo theory:

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Again, Hamilton exaggerates:
Along with television viewing, use of recreational drugs is a response to boredom and anomie. In Anglo countries, cannabis use is much higher than elsewhere.
In fact:
About 180m people aged between 15 and 64 smoked weed in the past 12 months, compared with around 160m a few years ago. The drug is most popular in New Zealand and Italy.
So it strikes me that Hamilton simply wanted to believe the very worst of English speakers, regardless of the evidence. Indeed, some of the pathologies he seizes upon as evidence of the hazards of English speaking are in fact evidence of greater wealth. And he lets loose on people of Anglophone countries with a stream of abuse that if applied to any other “racial”, ethnic or language group would have him and the ABC (which published his rant) in danger of a breach of the Racial Discrimination Act:

If binge-drinking and obesity are two signifiers of the curse of speaking English, another is television viewing, and the decline in social life that goes with it… Anglo-narcissism ...  Badly behaved children are to be found everywhere, but they are more likely to have their tantrums in English…

Nations encouraging the introduction of English can expect that, over time, their citizens will become more individualistic, more materialistic and less compassionate. They are also likely to want to watch more television, eat more junk food, become fatter, marry less and divorce more often. Their children will become less disciplined, more likely to need drugs to calm them down, and to binge on alcohol when they reach their teens.
(Thanks to readers Michael and John of Canberra.) 

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Can students divide one Dreamtime by two serpents?

Andrew Bolt October 04 2013 (9:52am)

Roger Franklin notes that maths is no longer just about sums and logic, but includes flattering Australians with Aboriginal ancestry:
What follows are excerpts, presented verbatim, from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority website (ACARA) outlining how mathematics is to be taught and absorbed…
The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics values Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. It provides opportunities for students to appreciate that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies have sophisticated applications of mathematical concepts.
Students will explore connections between representations of number and pattern and how they relate to aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. They will investigate time, place, relationships and measurement concepts in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts. Students will deepen their understanding of the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples through the application and evaluation of statistical data.
Much more at the link.
As Franklin notes:

ACARA ...  has 117 full-time and 22 part-time staff.
(Thanks to reader Pat K.) 

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Heaviest rain in a century in the last place in Australia where warmists predicted drying

Andrew Bolt October 04 2013 (8:05am)

Global warming - dud predictions
The now-sacked Climate Commissioner Tim Flannery and other warmists once claimed that global warming had caused droughts in the east and south of Australia.
Flannery:
Over the past 50 years southern Australia has lost about 20 per cent of its rainfall, and one cause is almost certainly global warming.
Warmist scientist David Karoly, 2003:

The Murray-Darling Basin… covers towns north to Toowoomba, west to Broken Hill and south to Victoria and South Australia… Drought severity in the Murray Darling is increasing with global warming… This is the first drought in Australia where the impact of human-induced global warming can be clearly observed.
Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, 2008:
We know the IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said by 2050 that Australia should expect around about a 25 per cent reduction in rainfall in the southern part of the Australia… So there is a very, very sound body of evidence that indicates that climate change is and will have an impact on rainfall in the Murray-Darling Basin and in southern Australia.
But then the rains returned and washed out this alarmism:
imageimage
The Climate Commission admitted it could not say those now-gone droughts had been caused by global warming or that we would get less rain - expect for one part of Australia that remained stubbornly dry:
It is difficult from observations alone to unequivocally identify anything that is distinctly unusual about the post-1950 pattern [of rainfall]… Our capability to project future changes to rainfall patterns, apart from the drying trend in southwest Western Australia, remains uncertain.
The IPCC hangs on to drought in Western Australia as the canary in the global warming coal mine:

According to regional findings by the IPCC, temperatures have increased between 0.4 degrees and 1.25 degrees in Australia… Longer dry periods are projected in south-west Western Australia and an increase of floods and droughts is very likely in Australia’s agricultural ­production areas. 
And there is no doubt there has been a shift in the WA climate that has brought less rain for some time:
image
But could that shift now reverse, with good rains returning this year to Western Australia?
The rain in Western Australia has been relentless due to a series of cold fronts which have swept across the region. In Perth, only ten days of the month were dry.
144.2mm of rain was reported in the city and the airport received a little more, 169.6mm.
This is ... the highest rainfall total since 1944.
Elsewhere the rainfall was even more out of the ordinary. 130km to the southeast of Perth, the town of Pingelly was drenched by more than 104mm, making it the wettest September in 108 years.
Pingelly is situated in what’s known as the Wheatbelt, a region of Western Australia which is famed for its agriculture.
If the rainfall of the past does return to WA, what will the warmists say next?
(Thanks to reader pres.) 

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Patients as props

Andrew Bolt October 04 2013 (7:53am)

The union, united, will get up to stupid tricks in an industrial campaign against the government:
PARAMEDICS have been accused of faking dramatic photos of patients crowded into hospital emergency departments.
The State Government released CCTV footage taken in Frankston Hospital in July that appears to show Ambulance Victoria employees lining patients up in a corridor in order to take a photograph.
According to a letter to the Health Department from the acting CEO of Peninsula Health, which manages Frankston Hospital, the movement of these patients by paramedics was “inappropriate” and there was “no clinical reason” for a patient to be moved to this “already crowded ­location” and out of the hospital’s emergency department.
Images of patients lined up were published by the media, including the Herald Sun.
(Thanks to reader Eagle916.) 

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The gap between the ABC view of Abbott’s visit and that of one who was there

Andrew Bolt October 04 2013 (7:37am)

Radio National Drive presenter Waleed Aly has a guest more enthusiatic than he is about Tony Abbott and his trip to Indonesia:
Aly: Do you reckon that Tony Abbott really succeeded in making his visit about something other than boats – that is business?
Guest Debnath Guharoy, regional director - Asia, Roy Morgan Research: I think so, and I say that without qualification.
Aly: Wow. (Sceptically.)
Guest: He was excellent at his job ... There was sincerity in his tone and the content was equally sincere…
Aly: Well, you were there… (Sceptically.)
Guest: More important is that he has recognised the paltry level of business with Indonesia… He aims to do something about it. That’s as good as it gets for now…
Aly: So does that mean more controversial, perhaps as far as Indonesia is concerned, offensive aspects of the new government’s policy on boats are likely to be kind of quietly let go in the hope that no one is paying to much attention?
Guest: I don’t think so....
Aly: ...It’s a really interesting perspective that you bring from being in that room. 
Reader Andrew of Randwick:
“Interesting” as in “are you completely mad”.
Maybe. But give Aly credit for having on Guharoy. 

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Dutch firm terminates Jerusalem sewage plant project


Royal HaskoningDHV, a Netherlands-based firm, recently announced it was pulling out of a sewage treatment project in Eastern Jerusalem. The company, which also has offices in the UK and US, released a statement noting that the project would no longer move beyond its planning stage. In an official press release, the firm pointed out that it had a high regard for "integrity" and "compliance with international laws and regulations." It added that "in the course of the project, and after due consultation with various stakeholders, the company came to understand that future involvement in the project could be in violation of international law. This has led to the decision of Royal HaskoningDHV to terminate its involvement in the project." Anti-Israel organizations, along with the Dutch government, reportedly pressured Royal HaskoningDHV to make this decision. The company has 8,000 employees.
Sadly, Dutch leftism gets past the dyke - ed
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Barack Obama is sacrificing Israel on the altar of the deal he wishes to broker with Iran.
The Jewish State should unilaterally act against the Iranian nuclear program, as Prime MInisterNetanyahu warned in his speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, October 1, but it is currently more probable that Ayatollah Khamenei will arm himself with nuclear bombs.
Because Obama's damage to Israel's deterrence has already been immense.
Under the possible deal with Washington, Teheran will preserve the 20 per cent level of uranium enrichment that will turn Iran into a "nuclear threshold state".
Obama will accept that. Obama's record against Israeli Jews is long and abundant. He is the most anti-Semitic US president ever.
The Obama Administrations fomented a war on Jerusalem and treated Israel like a banana republic. Israeli-American relations are the worst they have been in memory.

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J Street has gone over to the dark side. It claims to be "a pro-Israel, pro peace lobby." It has now become neither. Its Executive Director, Jeremy Ben-Ami, has joined the off key chorus of those who falsely claim that Israel, by refusing to make peace with the Palestinians, is placing the lives of American soldiers at risk.
This claim was first attributed to Vice President Joe Biden and to General David Petraeus. It was quickly denied by them but continued to have a life of its own in the anti-Israel media. It was picked up by Steven Walt and John Mearsheimer, Pat Buchanan and others on the hard right and hard left who share a common disdain for the Jewish state. It is the most dangerous argument ever put forward by Israel bashers. It is also totally false.
It is dangerous for two reasons. First, it seeks to reduce support for Israel among Americans who, quite understandably and correctly, care deeply about American soldiers being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel has always understood this and that's why it is one of the few American allies who has never asked the United States to put its troops in harm's way in defense of Israeli citizens. If Americans were to believe the falsehood that Israel were to blame for American deaths caused by Islamic extremists in Iraq and Afghanistan, support for the Jewish state would suffer considerably.
It is also dangerous because its implication is that Israel must cease to exist: the basic complaint that Muslim extremists have against Israel is not what the Jewish state does, but what it is: a secular, non-Muslim, democracy that promotes equal rights for women, gays, Christians and others. Regardless of what Israel does or doesn't do, its very existence will be anathema to Muslim extremists. So if Israel's actions were in fact a cause of American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan--which they are not--then the only logical solution would be Israel's disappearance. This might be acceptable to the Walts, Mearsheimers and Buchanans of the world, but it is surely not acceptable to Israel or anyone who claims to be pro-Israel.

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The benefits from Google's acquisition of Waze aren't just going to Waze's shareholders. Or rather, Waze's shareholders may include some people you didn't expect. Through a charity that asks early-stage companies to contribute shares, many of Israel's poor will benefit from the Waze acquisition
Waze contributed options to Tmura, an Israeli public service venture that receives grants of stock from companies and uses the proceeds from successful “exits” – a public offering, acquisition or sale of shares on the market – to fund charities for education and youth-related causes in Israel. In 2011, Tmura cashed out of its Waze options to the tune of $1.385 million.
“We are excited by this opportunity to make a real difference in the community,” said Waze CEO Noam Bardin. “Tmura’s model enabled us to involve Waze employees in the allocation process and this has truly been an inspiring experience for the entire company.”
Amos Gaver, chairman of Tmura’s Grants Committee, was equally as ecstatic. “Non-profits are continually faced with fundraising challenges, making it difficult to plan from year to year,” he said. “With these grants, we hope to alleviate at least some of this burden and help these organizations with their planning for the coming years.”
Tmura says that it will allocate the money to five separate charities chosen in cooperation with Waze. They are:Chinuch L’Psagot, Israeli Rett Syndrome Foundation,Knafayim Shel KremboTel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center, and Tzeva.
 Maybe they should have held on longer.
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What Obama does not get is that were the house to support Obama Care now, it would not last because it is unaffordable. You cannot own what you cannot afford.  - ed
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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said his nation is ready to discuss "details" about its disputed uranium enrichment program in upcoming talks with six major governments, the Associated Press reported.
Tehran has insisted it is only refining uranium for peaceful purposes, but it has not successfully made its case to the five permanent U.N. Security Council member nations and Germany. Israel, the United States and other nations suspect the Persian Gulf power is secretly pursuing a nuclear-arms capacity.
Rouhani said his government has prepared a "precise plan" to discuss with the six negotiating powers at their next meeting, scheduled for Oct. 15-16 in Geneva.
He stated: "Iran’s enrichment right is not negotiable but we must enter into talks to see what would the other side proposes to us about the details."
Iran intends "to keep doors of our nuclear facilities open to IAEA inspection," Rouhani added. "We have nothing to hide. Our record is clean and our hands are open."
He played down Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Tuesday admonishments to the U.N. General Assembly on Iran's recent diplomatic outreach.
The Iranian president said "such remarks show that we are moving in the right direction."
“When Israel sees that its sword doesn’t work and that wisdom has prevailed in the world and that the Iranian people’s message of peace is heard ... they definitely get angry,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday said Netanyahu did not appear to be "suggesting that we are being played somehow for suckers."
"I understood it to be a warning, don’t be played," he told reporters in Tokyo.


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Anti-Semitic

Popular American craft store chain, Hobby Lobby, is refusing to sell Hanukkah-related items, leading to an internet campaign against it and calls for boycott, according to The Times of Israel.
Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based chain of over 500 stores that, according to its website, operates “in a manner consistent with biblical principles,” is privately owned by Evangelical Christian businessman David Green.
Last week, blogger Ken Berwitz posted that neighbors were reporting that a New Jersey branch of Hobby Lobby didn’t have any Hanukkah or Jewish-themed merchandise for sale. He said workers asked about the omission replied, “We don’t cater to you people,” meaning Jews, and that including Jewish items would be against the values of the chain’s Christian owner.
Following the blog post, a groundswell on online outrage has broken out, including a substantial call to boycott the chain. The story has been picked up by a number of news agencies, including the Daily Kos, who reported on Monday that Hobby Lobby was monitoring its Facebook page to remove any posts about the issue.
A local news site reported Monday that a Hobby Lobby representative wrote to the mayor of Marlboro, New Jersey, where the store in question is located, and said that ”alleged comments made by employees are currently being investigated and will be addressed accordingly. These comments are in no way indicative of Hobby Lobby culture, the owners and the operators.”

00 stores that, according to its website, operates “in a manner consistent with biblical principles,” is privately owned by Evangelical Christian businessman David Green.> I won't buy from them - ed
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IF Bill Shorten's pitch for the leadership is any guide, the Labor Party hasn't learned any lessons from the federal election.
Recently the "Bill for Labor" campaign released its "Party. Policy. People" manifesto outlining Shorten's case for the worst job in politics.
Mixed among endorsements for his candidacy, Shorten flagged consideration of "quotas for sections of our community that are under-represented in our parliaments, including indigenous Australians and the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community".
Progressive ideas may play well in far-left political circles, but they're completely disconnected from the attitudes of average Australians who identify as individuals, not with group identities.
Progressivism isn't about progress. Progressivism is designed to completely reorient the structures of our society.
Liberal democracy is built on the principle of the dignity of the individual and that society is governed from the citizen up.
Progressivism seeks to achieve equitable outcomes imposed on individuals from the government down.
In that spirit, Shorten's proposal aims to extend to minority identities the 40 per cent quota to preselect women candidates in "winnable" seats.
It is reminiscent of a fad that used to be prevalent in early 2000s far-left university politics.
At events run by the kaleidoscope of left-wing student political factions, "progressive speaking lists" were adopted during discussions to decide the order that participants got to speak.
At any normal function, the speaking order is based on the order that a participant gets to the microphone or puts their hand up. A progressive speaking list sought to correct any racist, sexist, hetero-normative or any other form of established "ists" and "isms" that ensured minority groups weren't being heard.
In place of a first-come, first-served speaking order, progressive speaking lists applied equity rankings to speakers based on their group identity, so marginalised groups were prioritised depending on the extent of the victimisation.
Women got to speak before men; gay men before straight men; but because gay men still benefited from patriarchy, straight and lesbian women spoke before them.
It didn't end there. Australians who identified as indigenous got to speak before any other ethnic identity and, with the September 11 terrorist attacks being a recent memory, Muslims followed as a recently marginalised group.
But if your ethnic background was Asian, you were essentially classified as white because you'd been sufficiently assimilated and no longer suffered sufficient victimisation.
- See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/whos-on-first-gay-black-man-or-disabled-muslim-woman/story-e6frgd0x-1226732543172#sthash.enTBOpFu.dpuf
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First warships enter Sydney Harbour

The first warships have made their way into Sydney Harbour for the International Fleet Review as hundreds of keen ship gazers gather around the foreshore.
PLAN Qingdao from China, Singapore's RSS Endeavour and the Royal Malaysian Navy's KD Jebat will enter the harbour by 8am this morning under grey but clearing skies.
Twenty warships from international navies including France, Spain and India will enter Sydney Harbour between 6am and 4pm (AEST).
Today's arrivals will be greeted with more favourable conditions than the gusty rain that accompanied 17 tall ships on Thursday.
Sydney Harbour is a buzz of activity with Maritime Police patrolling the waters, jet skis skirting through towering ships and ferries negotiating their way to Circular Quay.
Crowds have already started to gather along the harbour and at Circular Quay, where many are expected to jump on cruises for a closer look at the international fleet.
The Navy Helicopter Display Team and RAAF Roulettes will put on a show over the harbour between 9.45am and 10.15am and a contingent of Royal Australian Navy ships, including HMAS Sydney, Darwin, Bundaberg and Perth, will perform a 21 gun salute adjacent to Bradley's Head at 10am.
The RAN and visiting military band will perform at the Opera House Forecourt, Martin Place, Darling Harbour and Maritime Museum throughout the day.
But Saturday will be the main event with more than 60 aircraft, 10 military bands, 8000 sailors and a huge fireworks display, as well as an appearance by Prince Harry.
Extra buses will run throughout the day on Friday and spectators are urged to leave their cars at home.
The Transport Management Centre says ferries are expected to be delayed as warships arrive and travellers should allow extra travel time.
Special event clearways will be in place in the city and along the northern and southern sides of the harbour from 6am until 8pm.
The review commemorates the arrival of the Royal Australian Navy fleet in Sydney for the first time 100 years ago, in October 1913.
The International Fleet Review is expected to draw 1.4 million people to the city.


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Amanda Hutton living room

A MOTHER of eight children was on Thursday found guilty of killing her four-year-old son whose starved body was found in a mummified state in a cot.
Amanda Hutton, a 43-year-old alcoholic, showed no emotion as she was convicted of manslaughter by a jury at Bradford Crown Court in northern England.
The court heard that her son Hamzah's decomposed and insect-infested body was found in Hutton's bedroom almost two years after he died in December 2009.
Photographs of the house showed a scene of squalor, with clothes and waste piled up in many rooms.
The foreman of the jury made clear that they had convicted her on the basis that she was grossly negligent by failing to provide adequate nourishment for Hamzah.
Hutton will be sentenced today.
The jury heard that Hamzah's body was found in the house, where five other school-aged siblings were living.
Hutton has admitted a charge of child cruelty in respect of each of these children, who were aged between five and 13 in 2011.

Drunks don't make good parents - ed
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Rosalyn Ng and Alexian Lien

THE wife of a New York man savagely beaten by bikers has lashed out at the attackers, calling them "a mob of reckless and violent motorcyclists."
The New York Post reports that Rosalyn Ng, wife of Alexian Lien, believes her husband and their 2-year-old child were "placed in grave danger" while out celebrating their anniversary on Sunday afternoon.
"Our plan last Sunday was to celebrate our wedding anniversary by having a nice family day out with our 2-year-old daughter," Ms Ng’s said in a statement released through the family’s lawyers.
"Unfortunately, instead, we were placed in grave danger by a mob of reckless and violent motorcyclists."
Her hubby, she said, "was forced under the circumstances to take the actions that he did in order to protect the lives of our entire family" and should not be blamed for running over and injuring one of the bikers.
"We know in our hearts that we could not have done anything differently," Ms Ng said.
"Our fear for our lives was confirmed when the incident ended with the ruthless and brutal attack on my husband, me, and, most importantly, our 2-year-old child."

The idiot bikers were lucky their victims weren't armed - ed
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FORMER Channel 10 MasterChef contestant Jay Huxley has brought his cooking skills and knowledge to Canley Vale as the new chef and operator of Hux Bistro at Richards on the Park.
Mr Huxley, who grew up in Western Sydney, came 15th in the 2011 season.
"It was pretty intense because you lived, breathed and did everything related to food for 24 hours a day," he said of being in the competition.
"What I got from it was a confirmation that being a cook was what I wanted to do as a career.
"I've always had a passion for cooking and once you have an interest in something you build on your skills.
"Eating is something you have to do every day so it's a good interest to have because you're going to utilise it every day.
"It's a pleasure making a meal and people enjoying it is a satisfying thing."
Mr Huxley, 34, enjoys working in Cabramatta.
"One of the first things I'll do before starting work is duck across the road for the pho or to the bakery for a pork roll," he said.
"It's great that those foods are so readily available to us."
Hux Bistro, opened a few weeks ago, serves quality pub food.
Mr Huxley said his aim was to source and showcase the best Australian ingredients he could get his hands on.
"I source all the meats for the restaurant as well as the vegetables," he said.
"More than 95 per cent of our ingredients are sourced in NSW.

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A new generation of soldiers protecting an ancient land: These paratroopers have just finished a long and challenging exercise. They were put to the test, and they succeeded.
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Does the so called government shut-down mean they can call a truce in the government war against lemonade stands? ... Oh ... you thought we were joking? http://onforb.es/19fEIoT
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Unbelievable facts
The most frightening thing about the #universe
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Are you a twin, triplet or quadruplet and in a conflict with your sibling? Do you need help resolving it? http://bit.ly/MultiplesMishap

Fighting with your sibling? 
http://bit.ly/DRPSiblingRivalry
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This wooden cabinet was intricately carved to look like a digital glitch
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SIGN our petition and STAND with us in telling the Senate Dems to END their shutdown!http://bit.ly/15GWZdN
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What do you think ... is this petty, dictatorial, over-reaching obscenity of using *tax dollars* to pay armed guards to keep *taxpayers* away from OUR MEMORIALS the lowest point in the very low career of Barack Obama? Tell us what you think and share this with friends so they can have their say. http://bit.ly/15JCux6
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In yo’ face! Ted Cruz epically pwns @BarackObama with one perfect retweet ==>http://twitchy.com/2013/10/02/in-yo-face-ted-cruz-epically-pwns-barackobama-with-one-perfect-retweet/
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Guess how many people have enrolled in Louisiana’s largest Obamacare plan? ==> http://twitchy.com/2013/10/02/guess-how-many-people-have-enrolled-in-louisianas-largest-obamacare-plan/
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Obama to jump start talks with Iran , AGAINST UN mandates recognized Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment Program . Rather than enable diplomacy, this concession poisoned it. With a single statement, Obama unilaterally stripped of authority three hard-fought Security Council Resolutions forbidding enrichment. Iranian authorities responded by ramping up enrichment and flatly rejecting to negotiate suspension.
Regressing on Iran Michael Rubin | Townhall Magazine 
July 31, 2012 
http://www.aei.org/article/foreign-and-defense-policy/regional/middle-east-and-north-africa/regressing-on-iran/
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Predicating Israel’s “Survival” On the Establishment Of A PA (Terror) State: Barack HUSSEIN Obama’s Bludgeon…Commentary By Adina Kutnicki


DESPITE all the wild fires consuming the Mid East, Barack HUSSEIN Obama hasn’t paused a beat in his laser-focused charge to “rearrange” the Mid East. And those who still insist that his missteps are happenstance are whistling past countless graveyards to stand by their assertions. They too will bear the onus as willing accomplices, even if only by their silent assent. As is said, “to be silent is to agree.”
IN the midst of the above ravages, along comes the heretofore leader of the free world warning the world body: 
Yet, this site is ahead of the curve in citing the Islamist-in-Chief as an ultimate weapon of destruction towards the Jewish State, so much so that too many commentaries prove said charge.

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Pope Francis has praised Jews for keeping their faith despite the Holocaust and other “terrible trials” throughout history, and reaffirmed Judaism as the “holy root” of Christianity.
In a letter, published on the front page of La Repubblica Italian newspaper, the Pope writes that "since Vatican Council II, we have rediscovered that the Jewish people are still for us the holy root from which Jesus germinated".
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio had celebrated Rosh Hashana in local synagogues, he had voiced solidarity with Jewish victims of Iranian terrorism and co-written a book with a rabbi, Avraham Skorka. He attended a commemoration of Kristallnacht, the wave of Nazi attacks against Jews in November 1938.
But as this new letter shows, one of the grave dangers in the Vatican's dialogue with Judaism is the Church's attempt to drive a wedge between the “good” and docile Jews of the Diaspora and the “bad” and arrogant Jews of Israel.
Pope Francis has never addressed the Israelis in his messages, nor has he openly defended the Jewish State since he was elected by the college of the cardinals. It seems that there is no room for stubborn, faithful Zionists in the Pope's lenient smile. In his speeches, Jewish national aspirations are ignored, if not denigrated.
The definitive proof is in Washington.

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Is CNN Conducting PR Campaign for the Iranian Regime?

Is CNN actively engaged in PR on behalf of Iran? Is the global media outlet involved in a campaign to launder the Iranian regime's history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and actions?
First, CNN's Christiane Amanpour mistranslated the comments of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to imply that he, unlike his Holocaust-denying predecessor, publicly acknowledged and condemned the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews.
And more recently, a CNN report by Reza Sayah presented a utopian portrait of a tolerant and benevolent Islamic Iranian regime whose Jewish citizens enjoy the same religious freedoms as those living in the Jewish state of Israel. “Sure, it may seem like we're in Israel,” Sayah says, “but in fact we're in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The report, which seemed more like a promotional advertisement for Jewish life in Iran than a news investigation. omitted all controversial and unpleasant historical facts regarding the treatment of Iran's Jews since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. For example, there is no mention of the 1999 arrest of 13 Iranian Jews in Shiraz on charges of spying for the "Zionist regime." There is no hint of the fact that more than 17 Jews were executed since the Revolution, mostly on charges of spying for Israel and the U.S., including Jewish community leader Habib Elghanaian in 1979, and businessman Ruhollah Kadkhodah-Zadeh, hung in 1998 for allegedly helping other Iranian Jews emigrate to Israel.  There is no mention of the previous Iranian president's Holocaust denial and anti-Semitic rhetoric. There is no attempt to look beyond the rosy picture of Islamic tolerance that is presented and no effort made to provide viewers with a fuller picture of the Islamic regime's attitude toward Jews over the past 35 years.
Sayah not only ignores the hostile rhetoric and actions of the Iranian regime over the years, but downplays even its enmity toward the Jewish state, referring merely to “bitter rivalry” between the two states. The reporter interviews Siamak Morasedgh, Iran's only Jewish parliamentarian, who, as it happens, was part of President Rouhani's delegation to New York and who has been on the media circuit condemning Israel and Zionism and trying to persuade the West that the Islamic Republic is exceptionally tolerant toward Jews.  The CNN reporter helps him along throughout the video, posing simplistic questions but making no attempt to probe beneath the surface. Under authoritarian regimes like Iran, there can only be one correct response to the type of questions asked by the reporter, and the Jewish parliamentarian responds dutifully:
Sayah: “Are you happy in Iran?”
Morasedgh: Of course we are happy in Iran.
Sayah “Are you under any pressure to stay in Iran?”
Morasedgh: “There is no pressure…”
Sayah “Would you prefer to live anywhere else other than Iran?”
Morasedgh: “I only prefer to live in Iran.”
Later, Morasedgh is called upon again to reject allegations of Iranian anti-Semitism and to condemn Israel and Zionism. He goes so far as to assert that “in the history of Iran, you cannot find even one time that there was any organized anti-Semitic phenomenon.” In a voiceover, the reporter declares:
Morasedgh says that what Iran opposes is the Israeli government's Zionist policies and occupation of Palestinian land.
One might well wonder whether Jewish leaders under an authoritarian regime, especially one that serves in Iran's parliament, might feel compelled to praise Iran's leaders and publicly condemn Israel and Zionism.
Indeed, other journalists have displayed skepticism about the statements of Iran's Jewish leaders. For example, Iranian-American journalist Karmel Melamed, who reported earlier this year on an increasing trend in the murders of Jews in Iran  has frequently written about how Iran's Jewish community leaders are used as part of the regime's propaganda campaign. (See here and here.) 

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12tribefilmstv_logo
Wow! Israeli Finance Minister Speaks Zionism at Hungarian Parliament
Wow, wow, and wow! DEFINITELY WATCH THIS!
Amazing what he says to these Hungarian politicians about the horrible way Jews were treated in Hungary during World War II, including the story of his father and grandmother!
Follow us on Facebook for top Israel videos www.facebook.com/12tribefilms
Inspiring IDF Camaraderie!
Click here to watch: Inspiring IDF Camaraderie!
Cool! Check out this Israeli commercial that shows the fabulous camaraderie between soldiers in the IDF!
Follow us on Facebook for top Israel videoswww.facebook.com/12tribefilms
Music Video - Avinu Malkeinu, Our father Our King
This song is about the most important message that exists today - understanding that God above is our father and our king! Beautiful, enjoy!
Follow us on Facebook for top Israel videos www.facebook.com/12tribefilms
A Bride on the Temple Mount!
Click here to watch: A Bride on the Temple Mount!
It is an ancient custom, from the time of the Holy Temple, for a bride to ascend the Temple Mount for prayer and spiritual preparation before her wedding.
It is the custom for all people who enter the Mount to advance toward their right as they proceed around the Mount. However, it is also the custom, again, from the time of the first Holy Temple, built by King Solomon, that all those who find themselves in unusual personal circumstances make their way around the Mount advancing toward their left. This includes both individuals in mourning as well as people celebrating personal accomplishments. Included in this latter category are brides, (and grooms), on their wedding day.
According to Mishnah Midot 2:2, when one sees an individual or group of people advancing toward their left, they are to approach them, asking, "Why are you advancing toward your left?" If the person answers that they are in mourning, the consoling reply is, "May He who dwells in this house comfort you." On the happy occasion of witnessing a bride on the Temple Mount, the reply is, "May He who dwells in this house bless you and your betrothed with love and joy," and naturally, "Mazal tov!"
In this video we witness just this, as first we hear the maker of the video inquire of and then bless the bride, and a moment later, Rabbi Richman doing the same. Following this, a kohen present among the group is asked to describe how the kohanim would bless the people in the Holy Temple. This enabled the kohen, (who, along with every Jew on the Temple Mount, is under the constant scrutiny of the police and the Muslim Wakf), to utter the priestly blessing in spite of the draconian unwritten edict enforced by the police forbidding any form of Jewish worship on the Temple Mount.
Follow us on Facebook for top Israel videos www.facebook.com/12tribefilms
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Hi everyone! Here's the MichelleMalkin.com newsletter for October 3rd. Enjoy!

From the Blog

Claire McCaskill: Tea Party politicians playing politics at WWII Memorial

Not surprisingly, Sen. McCaskill made the accusation while playing politics at the WWII Memorial...

WARNING: The bipartisan amnesty brigade is still at work

The government may be “shut down,” but open-borders Democrats and Republicans are still working to ram through an illegal alien amnesty bailout for millions of law-breakers and their families at the expense of American jobs and American security...

Order to barricade open air WWII Memorial came from White House, but guess who Harry Reid blames?

Just when you think Harry Reid can’t sink any lower in the demagogue limbo, he sets yet another record...

More From the Right Side of the Web

Michelle's Top Tweets

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And ... Our Hate Tweet of the Day

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Must be Tolerance Thursday!

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Radar image of Hurricane Flora

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Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Holidays and observances[edit]


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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”1 Peter 1:3 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"
Hebrews 1:14
Angels are the unseen attendants of the saints of God; they bear us up in their hands, lest we dash our foot against a stone. Loyalty to their Lord leads them to take a deep interest in the children of his love; they rejoice over the return of the prodigal to his father's house below, and they welcome the advent of the believer to the King's palace above. In olden times the sons of God were favoured with their visible appearance, and at this day, although unseen by us, heaven is still opened, and the angels of God ascend and descend upon the Son of man, that they may visit the heirs of salvation. Seraphim still fly with live coals from off the altar to touch the lips of men greatly beloved. If our eyes could be opened, we should see horses of fire and chariots of fire about the servants of the Lord; for we have come to an innumerable company of angels, who are all watchers and protectors of the seed-royal. Spenser's line is no poetic fiction, where he sings--
"How oft do they with golden pinions cleave
The flitting skies, like flying pursuivant
Against foul fiends to aid us militant!"
To what dignity are the chosen elevated when the brilliant courtiers of heaven become their willing servitors! Into what communion are we raised since we have intercourse with spotless celestials! How well are we defended since all the twenty- thousand chariots of God are armed for our deliverance! To whom do we owe all this? Let the Lord Jesus Christ be forever endeared to us, for through him we are made to sit in heavenly places far above principalities and powers. He it is whose camp is round about them that fear him; he is the true Michael whose foot is upon the dragon. All hail, Jesus! thou Angel of Jehovah's presence, to thee this family offers its morning vows.

Evening

"He himself hath suffered being tempted."
Hebrews 2:18
It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart--Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy. Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along the road which we traverse at this hour. There is something sweeter yet--Jesus was tempted, but Jesus never sinned. Then, my soul, it is not needful for thee to sin, for Jesus was a man, and if one man endured these temptations and sinned not, then in his power his members may also cease from sin. Some beginners in the divine life think that they cannot be tempted without sinning, but they mistake; there is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation. Herein is comfort for the sorely tempted ones. There is still more to encourage them if they reflect that the Lord Jesus, though tempted, gloriously triumphed, and as he overcame, so surely shall his followers also, for Jesus is the representative man for his people; the Head has triumphed, and the members share in the victory. Fears are needless, for Christ is with us, armed for our defence. Our place of safety is the bosom of the Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to drive us nearer to him. Blessed be any wind that blows us into the port of our Saviour's love! Happy wounds, which make us seek the beloved Physician. Ye tempted ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for he can be touched with a feeling of your infirmities, and will succour every tried and tempted one.
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Today's reading: Isaiah 17-19, Ephesians 5:17-33 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Isaiah 17-19

A Prophecy Against Damascus
1 A prophecy against Damascus:
“See, Damascus will no longer be a city
but will become a heap of ruins.
2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted
and left to flocks, which will lie down,
with no one to make them afraid.
3 The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
like the glory of the Israelites,” declares the LORD Almighty.
4 “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade;
the fat of his body will waste away.
5 It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
gathering the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain
in the Valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
four or five on the fruitful boughs,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel....

Today's New Testament reading: Ephesians 5:17-33

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ....
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WIDOW WITH TWO MITES

The Woman Who Gave Her All
Of all the nameless women in female biography, this most sacrificial widow is one whose name and background we would dearly love to know about. As we read the gospels her devotion always touches our hearts, and we are grateful that Jesus noticed her sacrifice and has preserved her story in the safekeeping of His praise and Word.
The Occasion
During Paschal Week women from all over poured into their court in the Temple with their offerings for its manifold services. Along the walls of the court there were receptacles into which the people dropped their gifts. Many who were rich cast in much and probably took no pains to conceal what they gave. The Scribes who devoured widows' houses, getting all they could, doubtless paraded their giving, but here was a widow intent on a far nobler purpose, namely, to give all she could. The Scribes were rich, but selfish - the widow, poor, but sacrificial (Mark 10:24James 2:5). Among the crowds this poor anonymous widow was unnoticed by those around her as she dropped into one of the chests her two tiny copper coins. Making her offering, she passed along unaware that any one but herself knew the measure of her gift and what it cost. When we speak about "the widow's mite" we have in mind a small offering, but to this nameless widow her mite represented allshe had. If the rich had given proportionately that Holy Week, what a tremendous offering the Temple would have had. Among all the money gathered that day none had the stain of blood on it apart from those two mites. With true Israelite devotion she gave all she had earned, and then went on her way to earn a little more to care for her frugal needs, and for those of any children she might have had.
The Omniscience
As an Israelite the widow would have a knowledge of Hagar of old and of how she called Jehovah by the distinguished and comforting name, "Thou God seest me" ( Genesis 16:13). She surrendered her all that day feeling that God's eyes alone would know of her offering. Little did she know that the One sitting near the treasury was God manifest in flesh, and that because of His omniscience He knew all about her and also the amount of her sacrificial gift. Whether Jesus may have learned of this godly widow on one of His previous visits to Jerusalem, we do not know. The narrative seems to suggest His divine insight into the lives and characters of people as in the cases of Nathanael ( John 1:47,48) and of the woman of Samaria (John 4:18).
Because of her penury, the widow would come and go unobserved in the presence of the crowd for she had none of the ostentation of the Pharisees in dress and disposal of gifts. But an All-Seeing eye saw her and knew all about her secret and took an exact inventory of the comparatively small gift she had dropped into the treasury box. The Bible does not tell us whether Jesus spoke to her and thanked her for her offering. It is probable that she was not conscious of what omniscient eyes had seen, and how her minute offering among so many gifts that day had gladdened the sorrowful soul of Him who was on His way to give His all at Calvary and also provided Him with a text for an everlasting lesson on what sacrificial giving really is.
Her Offering
What a rebuke Jesus delivered to the rich Scribes and Pharisees who cast large gifts into the treasury-boxes! But what they gave was insignificant, proportionally, alongside what the widow gave, and her slender gift brought forth from the greatest Giver of all a message that lifted the poor to their rightful fraternity of service with the godly rich in the kingdom of God: "Of a truth ... this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: [With this sentence Jesus must have waved His hand in the direction of those who loved the praise of men and not of God.] For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had."
Over against the show of easy service, Jesus placed the piety of self-denial. The widow's two mites represented her two hands that had earned the mites, and which would earn more for another sacred fraction for the God she worshiped. Paul commended the churches of Macedonia because their deep poverty had abounded unto the riches of their liberality (2 Corinthians 8:12). As it is "by him actions are weighed" ( 1 Samuel 2:3), in His balances the loving act of the poor widow outweighed the munificence of the rich Pharisees. It is not whatwe give but how we give that counts with Him who gave Himself for a lost world. The widow gave all she had at the time, and surrendered it gladly. May we ever remember that our giving must be inspired by what we owe Him who redeemed us at such cost, and also placed over against what is left after we give! How apropos are the words of Solomon as we think of the poor, unnoticed widow whom Jesus rewarded with everlasting remembrance: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).
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Korah, Kore, Core

[Kō'rah,Kō'rē, Cō'rē] - baldness or icy.
  1. A son of Esau by Aholibamah, and founder of a tribe (Gen. 36:5, 18).
  2. A son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:16).
  3. A son of Hebron, son of Mareshah, son of Caleb (1 Chron. 2:43).
  4. A grandson of Kohath , son of Levi - ancestor of sanctuary musicians (1 Chron. 6:22).
  5. The son of Izhar, the grandson of Levi, who with Dathan and Abiram conspired against Moses and Aaron (Exod. 6:21, 24; Num. 16). Jude 11 gives Core for Korah.
Korah, along with his two companions, resisted the civil authority of Moses. For refusing to appear before him as commanded, Korah, Dathan and Abiram along with their households and houses were swallowed up by the earth (Num. 16). Then there came the further revolt of Korah against Moses and Aaron, in the interests of the people at large as against the tribe of Levi. The rebels were consumed by fire from the Lord (Num. 17). There followed the opposition of Korah and 250 Levites against the monopoly of the priesthood claimed by Aaron. The "gainsaying," meaningagainst the Word, was Korah's denial of the authority of Moses as God's chosen spokesman, and intrusion into the priest's office (Jude 11).
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October 3, 2011
Satan's Tempting Tactics
Today's Truth
The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Adam and Eve had a wonderfully fulfilling life. They lived in God's presence. He walked and talked with them in the cool of the evening, and He met all of their needs.
"I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food," (Genesis 1:29-30).
God placed only one restriction on the pair. "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die," (Genesis 2:16-17).
In Genesis chapter three, we see where our ancestors made a grave decision that affected every person born thereafter. Satan came to Eve in the form of a serpent and tempted her with the one restriction placed on her by God. How did he do it?
  1. He questioned God. "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
  2. He denied God. "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.
  3. He caused her to doubt God's justice. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Satan is the great deceiver who takes what worked in the Garden and continues to use the same tactics today. He is not very creative, but he is highly effective. It is very important to understand his tactics in order to recognize and defeat them. Paul said he was not ignorant of the devil's schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11 NASB), and we shouldn't be either. Satan tempts us to question God. Has God really said you must stay married to a man who doesn't meet your needs? He tempts us to deny God. God wouldn't count it as a sin for you to seek happiness elsewhere. He tempts us to doubt God's justice.What kind of God is He who would deny you the right to find happiness in the arms of a different man who appreciates you?These are lies, my friend. And just as God warned Eve, they are deadly.
The basis for Eve's temptation and for ours as well, is the lie that God is somehow holding out on us. Think about it. Can you think of any temptation that does not have its root in that lie? Eve had it all! And yet, Satan came to her and whispered, "God is holding out on you. There's more to be had than your perfect world. You can be like God. You can be in control."
Girlfriend, do not be deceived. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He still tells lies today. He still deceives those who will listen in the same way he deceived Eve. So recognize the lies when you hear them, and stand on the truth of God's Word to watch him flee.
Let's Pray
Dear Lord, Thank You for giving me everything I need for a life of godliness and the truth (1 Peter 1:3). Help me to be keenly aware of Satan's lies and recognize them for what they are. When I have a tempting thought, I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict me, help me replace the lie with truth, and give me the power to walk the other way. I want to be like David who said, "I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you," (Psalm 119:11).
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
I asked a question earlier, but let's think about it again.
Can you think of any temptation that is not based on the lie that God is holding out on you?
How did Jesus fight Satan's temptations when he was in the desert? (Matthew 4)
What did Satan do after Jesus answered him with Scripture?
What will Satan do when we fight him with Scripture? (James 4:7)
More from the Girlfriends
Satan has a whole bunch of lies to try to make us girls feel inferior, insecure, and inadequate. If you would like to learn how to fight the enemy by recognizing the lies, rejecting the lies, and replacing the lies with truth, then you'll want to read Sharon's book, I'm Not Good Enough...and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves. It also comes with a Bible study guide perfect for groups or individual study.
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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Alison Strobel
October 3, 2011
The Trust Factor
Alison Strobel
She Reads Featured Author
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6(NIV)
Yesterday I went into a job interview-junior high substitute teacher; how brave am I? When I walked out of it, I had a whole new calling.
Thing is, I don't want a new calling. I like the ones I've been living with-wife, mom, novelist, children's author. I didn't think God had anything else up His sleeve, and I was okay with that. I'm not a big fan of change.
The man interviewing me told me he has a gift of discernment. Then he did something I've never seen or experienced: he spoke a word over me.
This kind of thing didn't happen in the church in which I was raised. To me, a gift of discernment meant having a reliable sense about whether or not someone's teaching was biblical, or if someone was telling the truth. It didn't mean God could give someone else a glimpse into His plans for me. Yet what this man told me fit, like the one missing puzzle piece, into the changes I've been going through lately on both a personal and a professional level. As he spoke, I knew that what he was saying was truly from the Lord.
But I didn't leave his office glowing with excitement. In fact, I wasn't excited at all about what he told me, despite the fact that it spoke directly to my heart. It would require that I open my hands and release things I've been holding too tightly. And I'll be honest, part of me really doesn't want to.
I like my life just as it is. Remember, God, how I'm not a fan of change-even when it means seeing another dream realized?
The bottom line is this: I struggle with trusting God.
In my novel Composing Amelia, Amelia struggles with the same thing. She'd rather stay with what is familiar than trust God to give her a calling she'll love but can't envision right now.
I don't want to be like Amelia. I don't want to be short-sighted, dubious of God's desire or ability to bless me, or resistant to the future He has for me. But my lack of trust, fear of the unknown, and reluctance to give up my comfortable life are threatening to hold me back from obeying Him. And that's definitely not good.
So I have a choice to make. Will I believe that God's plans are better than my own? Will I risk stepping out of my comfort zone? Do I believe the growing pains I'll face will be worth the blessings that will come? Do I trust God to really take care of me? Or am I going to cower beneath my desk with my fingers in my ears and pretend like yesterday's meeting never happened?
What about you? What changes is God nudging you towards that have you digging in your heels and tightening your grip on whatever you know you need to release? Do you believe the rewards are worth the pain? Or that God's perfect plan is worth leaving your complacency and comfort behind?
Do you trust Him? Or are you hiding and hoping He passes you by?
The unknown is scary. But ultimately-for me anyway-it's scarier to think of what I might miss if I don't let go. And so I say a prayer, open my hands, and peer beyond the edge of what I know, into the vast expanse of the future where a giant question mark dominates the landscape. Do you see it, too?
Today let's choose to trust God and not require that we like or even understand what He is calling us to do. Let's submit to Him, believing that the path He calls us to take will always be worth the change, worth the risk, worth the effort, simply because He has chosen it for us.
Dear Lord, I praise You for Your love and for Your desire to see me grow. I thank You for the promise in Scripture that You are always with us, every step of the way, regardless of whether or not we see or feel You there. Forgive my uncertainty and doubts about the future, and give me the strength to take the next step You are directing me to take. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Do You Know God?
Stop by She Reads to learn more about Alison and her novel Composing Amelia. When Amelia's and Marcus's dreams pull them in different directions, will their love for each other keep their relationship alive? Or will the distance-and their emotional baggage-threaten to destroy both their marriage and Amelia's sanity?
Enter to win a music-themed gift basket inspired by the novel, Composing Amelia.
When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, your purchase supports the hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!
Application Steps:
Take time this week to memorize one of the power verses below, and spend some time journaling or praying about a situation in your life to which you can apply it.
Reflections:
Where is God calling me to step out of my comfort zone? What is holding me back?
What would help me take that first step? Some accountability? Marking a day on my calendar on which to start? Determine what will help, and commit to it this week.
Power Verses:
Psalm 9:9-10, "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." (NIV)
Psalm 56:3-4, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise- in God I trust and am not afraid." (NIV)
© 2011 by Alison Strobel. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
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LeadershipBible-Header-550

Relationships: Healthy Alliances

A story is told about a boy who valiantly, but unsuccessfully, attempted to move a heavy log to clear a pathway to his favorite hideout. His dad stood quietly nearby, watching his son straining against the load. Finally he said, "Son, why aren't you using all of your strength?"
Confused and a little angry, the boy responded, "Dad, I'm using every last little bit of strength I have!"
"No, son, you're not," his dad quietly responded. "You haven't asked me to help."
Effective leaders use all of their strength by recognizing, developing and utilizing the people around them. They know how to develop healthy alliances both with those on their own team and those on other teams.
While fleeing from Saul, David certainly demonstrated that ability. Two miles from the city of Gath is a labyrinth of hills and valleys, honeycombed with caves. One cave stood near the ancient city of Adullam, and David found refuge in it. While he was in hiding with his family, David attracted to himself others who were also experiencing hardship. In fact, four hundred men eventually allied themselves with David. In addition to those alliances, David connected with the king of Moab, who provided shelter for his parents. Finally, the prophet Gad of feared the fugitive direction from God.
David possessed the foresight to know that he couldn't go it alone. He worked to build others' trust in his leadership ability, and he evidently proved himself. David's forces were loyal to him, and together they realized success against the enemies of Israel (see 23:1-6).
Effective leaders possess the unique ability to build alliances with people who can help to advance their causes. What alliances do you now have that are mutually beneficial? What do you do to foster them and to encourage their growth? Can you think of any alliances professional or personal that are having a negative impact on you or on others?
Think again about the short story at the beginning of this meditation. Are there people who are standing quietly by, watching you strain away with your tasks? Part of your task as leader is to form healthy alliances and to encourage others to step forward and help you. By doing so you'll accomplish two goals: lightening your own load and helping to develop leadership qualities in others.
Healthy Alliances and Who God Is
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure. As the perfect and eternal community of being, God is the ultimate embodiment of a healthy alliance. The perfect love that flows between the Father and the Son is manifested as a third eternal Person, the Holy Spirit. The amazing truth is that God wants us to enter into the depths of this unity. Turn to John 17:13-26 to read Jesus' high priestly prayer on behalf of his disciples and all believers.
Healthy Alliances and Who I Am
People were created for community. Even hermits frequently live in colonies! But alliances with others can be either healthy or toxic, and it is essential that we take this into account when we engage in personal and business partnerships. Turn to 1 Samuel 30:26-30 and its accompanying study note for an illustration of David's wisdom in forming healthy alliances.
This Week's Verse to Memorize Proverbs 11:14

For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but victory is won through many advisers.
Healthy Alliances and How They Work
We all need allies on whom we can rely and whom we can trust in the tough times. David, as we have seen, illustrates how healthy alliances work.2 Samuel 16:15 17:23 provides an extended story of David's strength and weakness in the craft of forming healthy alliances.
Healthy Alliances and What I Do
Perhaps no other American leader is as admired as Abraham Lincoln. And one of this great leader's greatest assets was his ability to build healthy alliances even with difficult people. In his excellent book, Lincoln on Leadership, Donald T. Phillips points out how Lincoln built such strong alliances. Turn to the note on Proverbs 13:20 for today's reading.

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Handbook to Leadership: Leadership in the Image of God

by Kenneth Boa
Buy the Handbook!
All the features of The Leadership Bible created by Kenneth Boa, Sid Buzzell, and Bill Perkins have been combined in this attractive and compact black leather volume. Handbook to Leadership has four parts: 52-Week Leadership Guide, Topical Leadership Guide, Leadership Character Studies, and Books of the Bible Leadership Guide.


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Ministry Leaders,
This is a reminder that VideoBlocks.com is giving away 7 days of complimentary access to download anything you want from their entire archive of over 30,000 clips of video, backgrounds, music and more:
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VideoBlocks.com is only giving this access to a limited number of users, so grab yours before it is gone:
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NIV Devotions for Moms

F-I-G-H-T!

This weeks's reading: Genesis 37:12-35
F-I-G-H-T! That's the battle cry of kids in so many families today. Before we reach the car door, brother and sister are close to blows over who gets to sit in the front. "He pinched me!" "She pulled my hair!" And so it goes.
Siblings have often been rivals. Even back in Bible times. Think about Cain and Abel and Joseph and his eleven brothers. As in these very serious situations, some sibling squabbles can have disastrous results.
Is there a way to mitigate the negative aspects of sibling fights? When carefully monitored by parents, can they actually foster growth? Experts list three benefits to in-house fighting:
1. Interpersonal empathy. Fights offer children the opportunity to learn sensitivity to the feelings of others.
2. Emotional processing. Fights give children a chance to express and process emotions.
3. Resolution skills. Fights give children experience in establishing nonviolent solutions like compromise and cooperation.
While God can and does bring good out of even the worst of situations, we can help our children grow well by teaching them how to "fight" well.
Additional Scripture Readings: Psalm 141:3-4; Proverbs 30:33

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Today's reading is from the
Mom's Devotional Bible
by Zondervan


Mom, you don't have to go it alone! The Mom's Devotional Bible is a trusted source of wisdom to help you along the path of mothering.


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