Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Wed Oct 30th Todays News

Professional activists, calling themselves students, menace conservative politicians to get your money. They throw shoes, eggs, rotten food stuffs, and are abusive in language as well. Naturally, media don't show the organiser's face book exhortations .. and FB doesn't have a problem maintaining it on site. Thing is, left don't argue, they abuse (yes, I'm aware it is a generalisation and there are some of the left who argue without resorting to abuse .. or going into fantasy land). The reason for that is that is what has been modelled. It is what works. Politicians and media elite have been doing that for a long time. There is an account of Horatio Nelson's experience in UK politics where he was a natural conservative but joined the Whigs because he wanted to be heard .. that is in 1800. There is a conservative press, but it is very weak in Australia and tends to suffer from 'balance' in the US where some ideas are accepted without question. Don't believe me? Ask yourself what you feel about historical left wing folly. If it is wrong to bomb civilians, what about the firebombing of German citizens in cities during WW2? What terrible things would the women and children have done to the war effort? Or the twice nuking of Japanese cities .. why not military targets? Why was Idi Amin, Pol Pot or any of many murderous tyrants not incarcerated for their crimes? Why is Al Gore free and lauded for his lies which cost the world $trillions .. how would media characterise a conservative who took $trillions from the world's poorest peoples? How about the prosecution of the Korean War? Vietnam? Historical events won't be changed, but crimes should be condemned. There is little point in overthrowing China or Vietnam by force now. But we can't accept piracy from them either. 
Sometimes it seems the only thing a left will willingly bury is decency. Known unto God. Al Jazeera provides details about boat people meant to condemn Liberal policy .. but it backfires. If car manufacturers can't profitably manufacture cars in Australia they shouldn't be here. Same sex marriage can work if the policy doesn't infringe on churches .. they probably should not be state regulated anyway. But gay activists don't seem to care about the issue, so much as pushing an envelope. ALP are still struggling to work out why they lost .. some saying they could have won. Here is a hint, ALP are wrong about conservative policy .. and ALP corruption is disheartening for their supporters. Two wonderful articles follow, one on how the US stimulus failed and the other shows Clive Palmer is a fool. 
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Hatches
Happy birthday and many happy returns Sandy GourlayPaul MarjiKim Martin and Narelle Huffadine. Born on the same day, across the years, along with
Matches
Despatches
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Turning in their graves

Miranda Devine – Tuesday, October 29, 2013 (9:02pm)

THE idea of secretly replacing the evocation “Known Unto God” with a Paul Keating quote on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian soldier seems like an absurd atheist fantasy. But without the intervention of the Abbott government it would have happened.
Fingers quickly pointed to the left-wing, bandana-clad author Peter FitzSimons. His appointment to the memorial’s governing council by the Gillard government last year, in place of historian Les Carlyon, had caused great consternation.
But while it is true that FitzSimons is a self-described “outspoken atheist”, insiders say he had nothing to do with the decision. He is, in fact, often unable to attend meetings, and in this case had no input into the deliberations.
Sources say it was one of the “most conservative members” of the 13-member council chaired by retired Rear Admiral Ken Doolan, who suggested deleting the Rudyard Kipling quote “Known Unto God” which is carved into the beveled sandstone frame of the tomb.
In its place would go a secular quote from a 1993 speech by former prime minister Paul Keating: “We do not know this Australian’s name, we never will… He is one of them, and he is all of us”.
The decision to delete God was made in a meeting of the council in August, during the election campaign, in response to a proposal by war memorial director Brendan Nelson to give greater prominence and respect to Keating’s words.
But two days after being sworn in as Veterans Affairs Minister, Michael Ronaldson made the Abbott government’s displeasure known to Nelson and Doolan.
The council decided on a compromise in which “Known Unto God” would remain and Keating’s speech would be inscribed on a bronze plaque affixed to the wall outside the tomb’s entrance.
Just how close the Australian War Memorial came to replacing the iconic quote tells you everything you need to know about the insidious nature of political correctness. Like frogs in boiling water, we never realise how quickly our values can fall into line with the dominant intellectual climate.
On November 11, 1993, at the time of the interment of the unknown soldier’s remains in the memorial’s Hall of Memory, historian Geoffrey Blainey remembers being critical of the secular nature of the ceremony and Keating’s claim the unknown soldier had no known religion.
“To take someone from consecrated ground with a Judeo Christian inscription and put him in a new grave without a consecrated service was an extraordinary thing,” he said yesterday. “We wouldn’t dream of doing that to an Aboriginal…”
The Unknown Australian Soldier died in World War I in France. Until his remains were exhumed on November 2, 1993, and transported to Canberra, he was buried in the Adelaide Cemetery at Villers-Bretonneux under a headstone that bore the inscription: “An Australian soldier of the Great War, known unto God”.
In the southwest corner of the cemetery stands a large “cross of sacrifice”. In other words, Australia’s unknown soldier was buried on hallowed ground. And yet he was moved in 1993, at the height of the culture wars, to a memorial in Australia that was ostentatiously non-religious.
“Once you take him from hallowed ground and put him in a secular place, you’ve made a quandary for yourself,” says Blainey. Six years later, Blainey had joined the memorial’s council and suggested the words that were on the unknown soldier’s original tombstone should be replaced on his new tomb. The council approved the idea and the words “Known Unto God” were inscribed on the sandstone frame of the tomb.
The words are significant. They were written by Rudyard Kipling, whose own son John had died at 18 in the Great War. The inscription appears on almost every headstone of 211,996 unknown soldiers in war cemeteries worldwide.
But someone in the museum wasn’t happy with the council’s decision, and Blainey says the Kipling inscription was constantly covered up with wreaths, as a sort of guerrilla protest.
Blainey raised this problem at another meeting and a resolution was passed that the inscription should be uncovered unless a wreath-laying ceremony was under way.
Who would think that three little words could cause so much trouble.
Nelson insists all he wanted to do was make room for Keating’s speech, which he regards as important.
“The motive was not some political correctness or anything of the sort.”
In his defence Nelson maintains the deletion of God was faithful to the original intention of WWI war correspondent Charles Bean, who conceived of the idea of the Australian War Memorial.
“Bean was adamant there would not be religious language or symbols at the museum because he wanted a place of commemoration with a spiritual flavour but (which didn’t) resemble a place of worship.”
All’s well that ends well.
But the men who gave their lives in WWI were from a generation that believed in God. It was arrogant of a subsequent generation that fought no war to rewrite their history.
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Students menace Hockey to grab more of your money

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (3:21pm)

These students want more of your money. They will physically harass and block a politician - Joe Hockey here - to get it. They will throw shoes and eggs. They will block traffic. They will use foul language:
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What is the proper analogy? With a toddler tantrum or a hold-up?
UPDATE
From a Facebook site run by a Socialist Alternative activist to promote the protest:

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UPDATE
But ABC radio reports that protest sympathisers are already accusing police of brutality:

Police allege one of their members was punched in the face by a protester.
A spokeswoman for Victoria Police said the police officer had been taken to hospital to receive treatment for minor facial injuries.
Police also allege some protesters threw shoes and chalk at police.
Three men and two women are in custody over the incident.
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One last grant won’t do what the past billions couldn’t

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (8:31am)


Even smokers trying to quit know that their last cigarette can’t be the next one - or else they’re just kidding themselves:

THE Productivity Commission has been tasked with evaluating the long-term sustainability of the Australian car manufacturing industry and will compare how handouts to domestic carmakers stack up with those in other countries.
Joe Hockey and Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane have announced the sweeping car industry inquiry, demanding an interim report by Christmas as Holden weighs the future of its Adelaide manufacturing plants and Ford plans to shut down domestic production in 2016.
Mr Macfarlane has previously flagged he may be prepared to give Holden a “blood transfusion” of funds before Christmas but the final Productivity Commission report to be delivered by the end of March will inform a final industry plan. He has warned that the package is likely to be the last one.
How many last grants have the car-makers had already? 
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Not what Al Jazeera expected from its prize boat person

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (8:09am)


Al Jazeera berates Australia for its cruelty to boat people, and produces an example of just the kind of person - an Afghan - we’re letting down. But then their Exhibit A says something unhelpful:

An argument often made by politicians in Australia is that many “asylum-seekers” are not actually seeking asylum from persecution but rather from poverty, that they are economic migrants rather than genuine refugees.
Mehak - to my surprise - agrees. Most of those on the boat he took to Australia, he thinks, were planning to give false accounts of their lives in order to qualify for refugee status.
He doesn’t think any of them deserved it.
UPDATE
The Fairfax newspapers and the ABC for years helped maintain Labor’s fiction that boat people were fleeing here for their lives.  Today a Fairfax writer concedes that millions of poor people would rather live in rich countries - a perfectly simple and obvious truth that for a Fairfax audience must be presented in polysyllables, complete with economic theory, to make it palatable:

The global income gap has become common knowledge among the world’s 7 billion people and that has fuelled the motivation for migration. Surveys have found that more than 40 per cent of adults in the poorest quarter of the world’s countries would like to move permanently to another country if they had the opportunity. Hundreds of millions of people see migration as their only hope of improving their economic standing.
Economists call this a “disequilibrium phase” - a huge mismatch between supply and demand.
(Thanks to reader Fern.) 
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Yelling abuse is half the fun of the same-sex marriage debate

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (8:02am)


What holds back the same-sex marriage movement is that for many advocates the issue isn’t about love of freedom. It’s about proving they are more moral than thou.
So Paul Kelly protests in vain:

Even if Coalition MPs had voted on conscience the bill would have been defeated by a wide margin. This remains the situation.
Why is this? The explanation, contrary to much same-sex propaganda, is that support for its cause is far more equivocal than it admits and, for many people, there is resistance to the nature of the noisy and often intimidatory same-sex campaign. Telling people who are not persuaded to your position that they are prejudiced or bigots does not, ultimately, assist your cause.
But that’s the whole point. Abusing others as bigots is fun and rewarding. 
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Labor’s problem: Rudd too vain to call election immediately

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (7:45am)


Couldas and shouldas in Labor:
Kevin Rudd could have pulled off an unlikely election win if he had quickly gone to the people after regaining the leadership in June, says the man armed with the polling data at the time, Labor’s campaign director George Wright.
He said with hindsight Mr Rudd should have pulled the election trigger sooner after replacing the unpopular Julia Gillard...
First, I doubt Rudd’s sugar hit could have lasted an entire election campaign. Remember, too, calling the election immediately would have left Rudd no time to negotiate the PNG deal on boat people, which at least gave him a fig leaf.
But second, the problem with bringing back Rudd was that Labor also brought back his monstrous ego and selfishness, as I warned at precisely the time Rudd was dithering about going to the polls:

Rudd’s interests divide from Labor’s. He is not there to lead Labor to an honorable loss. He is there to win.
He would not want to take Labor to an election he thinks he would lose, even narrowly. He would rather wait in hope for a change in fortune, even if that means there’s a greater risk of losing big. He’d rather go for broke - for all or nothing. At least he’d be Prime Minister for longer, something he really, really loves.
That means Rudd, a confidence player, will now come under a lot of pressure from insiders telling him he’s less popular than he thinks and shouldn’t ride his luck. That he shouldn’t put self before the party.
But that would have called for someone big enough and ugly enough to tell Rudd he wasn’t half as popular or as clever as he thought and had better dash to the polls before he was found out.

Then there was one other hitch:
THE return of Kevin Rudd ripped apart the team Labor assembled in its bid to win the election this year…
Wright brought together a team of 150 people for a “full trial’’ of the election strategy at campaign headquarters in Melbourne.They were “in their roles, doing their jobs, set, ready to go,’’ Mr Wright told the National Press Club…
“Two weeks out from the (start of the campaign for the September 7) election we had to replace 110 of those people because of the change in leadership and the impact that had on whether people’s interest and willingness to participate in the campaign,’’ said Mr Wright..
(Thanks to reader Peter.) 
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Picking on these students trivialises the real problem - and disguises it

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (7:33am)


Then why are these students being so publicly shamed as the face of anti-Semitism?:

Mr Maclaine and Mr Foffani quickly issued apologies, explaining that they had both performed in a production of The Producers, a musical by the Jewish producer Mel Brooks, which among other songs features Springtime for Hitler.
They claimed they had no idea that Mr Campbell was Jewish…
Mr Campbell told The Australian ...  he fully accepted the apologies, did not believe the act was racially inspired, and did not want to victimise Mr Maclaine. “I am very happy with the way he has responded; I don’t want his life ruined,” Mr Campbell said.
Is it that repentant students are easier to lecture than a gang of Pacific Islanders
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As if warmists weren’t spooky enough

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (7:30am)


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(Thanks to reader mem.) 
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NBN gets the audit we deserve

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (7:20am)


Now the truth will come out about a mega-project Labor swore was essential, would make money and would not be undermined by the consumer’s preference for wireless:

NBN Co chairman Ziggy Switkowski has declared there will be no “no-go” areas in the strategic review of the nation’s biggest infrastructure project, saying the budget would be revised for all of its activities amid revelations of a $932 million loss in the last financial year.
In an internal memo obtained by The Australian, Dr Switkowski said rigorous and forensic analysis of progress on the project and its “robust assumptions” for the future were needed to deliver a project consistent with the government’s “technology-agnostic philosophy”.
The memo came as the NBN Co’s annual report for the last financial year - provided to the Communications and Finance departments before the election, but not released to voters during the campaign - confirmed that the company recorded $17m in revenue in 2012-13 and warned of risks to long-term revenues, including the extent of consumer “substitution” to wireless internet services.
Reader Dave thinks former Communications Minister Steve Conroy may get more to cry about:

Ziggy is not so much going to eat Stephen’s lunch as nuke his milk.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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Abbott dodges debate on Muslim integration

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (6:57am)

Immigration, Islamism

Tony Abbott is picking his fights. One he is dodging - at least publicly - is on immigration and Muslim integration. From my interview with him:
AB:  Our population is growing by about 1 million every three years, mainly through immigration.  Does that make sense to you when our cities seem to not to be coping?
PM:  One of the tasks that we have as a nation is to give ourselves the infrastructure and the amenities necessary to cope with the population that we’ve got or we can reasonably anticipate having.
AB:  It doesn’t seem to be happening.
PM:  Well, it wasn’t happening, but it must start to happen.
AB:  And if it doesn’t shouldn’t we stop immigration?
PM:  Well, I’m confident that we can do it, Andrew. 
AB:  Are you worried at all about the difficulty of integrating some people in the community?
PM:  There’s no doubt that if you’re a professor of history from New Delhi you’re going to integrate faster than a slum dweller from Glasgow.  There’s no doubt about that. 
AB:  There’s also no doubt that you’re dancing around the fact that there are are communities that are having trouble integrating.
PM:  One of the great things about Australia is that we encourage people, indeed we expect people, who come to this country to leave their ethnic animosities behind them.
AB:  But they are failing to in some cases.
TA: We encouraged the English and the Irish to leave their sectarian and other animosity behind them…
AB: But they didn’t have suicide bombers.
TM: ... and we largely succeeded.  Ditto, we would encourage the Tamils and the Singhalese to leave their animosities behind them.  And, frankly, if people come to this country with a kind of a millenarian religious approach…
AB: But some do. I just want to know what we do about that.
TA: ... we would encourage them to quickly forget that.
AB: We are already encouraging them. That’s not the point.
TA: But, we shouldn’t assume that just because someone is a Belfast Irishman that he’s going to want to…
AB:  No one is assuming that but ASIO has said that there are a number of Australians ...
PM:  ... that there’s some hatred of Australia’s monarchical institutions and something like that.
AB:  But we’ve got a score of people in jail from one particular group for terrorism offences against Australians. It’s more than whether you don’t like the monarchy.
PM:  Yeah, but it would be a big mistake for anyone in authority in Australia to suggest that people might be citizens second, and adherents of a a particular faith first, because nothing could be more guaranteed to hinder the integration and ultimately the assimilation of such people.
I have to say there was a lack of frankness there I found disappointing, even if politic.
UPDATE
Meanwhile:

Police are bracing for the possibility of tit-for-tat shootings after the cousin of Brothers for Life founder Bassam Hamzy was shot dead in Sydney’s south-west.
Brothers for Life member Mahmoud Hamzy, 25, was fatally gunned down in a Revesby Heights garage just after 12.30am on Tuesday, police said. His friend, Omar Ajaj, 24, was in intensive care on Tuesday night after he was shot in the leg and stomach.
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Stimulus fail: how the US spent its way into disaster

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (6:44am)


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Economist Art Laffer on the terrible failure of stimulus spending in the United States:

It is clear, now, that a massive stimulus administered was an abject failure. It condemned America to the worst recovery in its history – including the 1930s. But when politicians make decisions while either panicked or drunk, the consequences are rarely edifying or attractive. US Treasury secretary Hank Paulson hyperventilating before Congress to pass his three-page stimulus bill granting him total authority to spend $US700 billion to save the economy was a sight to behold. Why, he even insisted the need was so urgent that there was no time for hearings, reviews or oversight. And passed it was – with some $US2.8 trillion additional stimulus funds over the coming few years. And what happened? American unemployment levels soared.
The Keynesians warned that the post-Cold War spending cuts that occurred under President Clinton would cause economic contraction – instead we had an employment boom to match all booms. Obama’s economists revved up their economic model to justify spending an additional $US830 billion in stimulus, saying it would keep unemployment low. Without a stimulus, they said, joblessness would be 8 per cent. Instead of making things better, subsequent joblessness was higher than they predicted, peaking at 10 per cent.
The good news? The despised Tea Party movement has helped put a brake to this disaster:

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Not since the economic boom following 1945 have Americans seen such a rapid decline in the government’s claim on the nation’s resources – falling by a welcome $US94 billion over two years. You need to go back to the end of the Korean war to find a time when US government spending has actually declined over two years. If Republicans in the House stick to the sequester and future caps already built into current budget law, federal spending will stay at this low level for years to come.
(Graphics from - and more commentary at - the excellent Catallaxy Files.) 
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Clive Palmer: “I am a scoundrel”

Andrew Bolt October 30 2013 (6:25am)


In my opinion, the rise to power of “billionaire” Clive Palmer is dangerous and shameful. The man strikes me as irrational and has policies that range from the ludicrously unworkable to the nakedly self-serving. But his money talked.
Speaking of that alleged money… Here is Palmer being quizzed by The Australian’s Chip Le Grand yesterday:

CL: When you were here in the lead-up to the federal election, you were asked about your personal wealth and you put your wealth at ($)6 billion.
CP: Well that is not true. That is not true. That is just not true.
CL: You have said you never said that, but there is a transcript and audio.
CP: Well there could be, but you know the best barometer of my wealth, if you like, is the Murdoch press and The Courier-Mail in my home state of Queensland ... And this year the Murdoch press, who are my great friends and allies, said that I had a $2.2bn wealth, and I was the richest man in Queensland. So I would never argue with the Murdoch press, but on a political sense I would like to admit to you that I am a scoundrel, a terrible person, I shouldn’t be in parliament ... I am a bad person. That is taken. Right? And also that I have got no money. You can publish all that ...
CL: It is a serious question, though. If you work for the Townsville nickel refinery and you are aware of the documents that you have sworn suggesting that the ongoing viability of the refinery depends on you getting royalties ...
CP: I won’t be answering any business questions.
CL: How long can you keep that refinery going without receiving those royalties?
CP: It is really none of your business.
CL: Well, the thousands of workers might beg to differ.
CP: It is just none of your business ... What about your house? How much is your mortgage? How much did you pay your wife to get her to marry?
CL: I don’t employ 1000 people at a refinery, Mr Palmer.
CP: You are just here, and I can understand it, because you want to impress Rupert Murdoch when he is coming to Australia. He has run away from London because this week in London his ex-employees go to court to face criminal charges for paying money to police officers and other people and illegally tapping phones. And you know that Rupert is coming out here and you know that Chris Mitchell from The Australian has sacked a lot of people because they wouldn’t support Kevin Rudd and you don’t want to be sacked, you have got a mortgage to support, so you have dutifully come here to impress Rupert. But I am not interested in that. ... It is just a beat-up by old Rupert because he is upset that I said Wendi Deng his wife is a Chinese spy, and he doesn’t like that. And rather than Rupert come out and say anything or make a statement, he doesn’t do that, he just gets his flukeys (sic) to come along or he sends Skype messages to Chris Mitchell at The Australian; Chris says, “Go down there, give Palmer a hard time.” That is all it is about.
CL: All right, well, since I am here, one last one from the flukey.
CP: Forget about it. I won’t answer any more flukey questions.
CL: Do you have any business that is actually profitable?
CP: No, as I said, I am a complete bad person. I have absolutely got nothing. Publish that. That is fine. I have got nothing. I am zero. I have got zero assets. I am worthless. Hopeless. I am a nasty person. I shouldn’t be in politics. What else do you want me to say?
CL: Well, you could just answer the question.
Of course, Palmer’s real wealth could become clearer when he completes the register of interests he’d had to complete as a politician. But that process is being delayed by Palmer’s extraordinary legal manouvres - challenging half the votes in a recount:
CLIVE Palmer’s lead in Fairfax shrunk to 57 from 67 yesterday as counting ground on into the eighth week since the September 7 Federal Election… The process has been slowed by more than 44,000 challenges to votes, most coming from Palmer United Party scrutineers, on the basis of authenticity. 
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October 28th to November 1st is the National Union of Students Week of Action.

Just 2 weeks into the new Coalition Government, Education Minister Chris Pyne announced his intentions to
• slash funding to student organisations.
• remove participation targets for disadvantaged groups; and
• review the current uncapped number of university places.

The National Union of Studnets responded by bombarding Minister Pyne’s inbox with over 400 emails opposing his plans for higher education.

Since then, the Liberals have attempted to back-track. But we know better. We know what Liberals do to universities and students.

The last time the Liberals were in charge, HECS increased. Twice.

Now is the time to be ready.

The time to make our voices heard is now.

Save Campus Life: Student organisations and the university provide vital services for all students – whether they’re for fun, for help or support – everyone uses these everyday. They make university fair for all.

Education for All: An educated society is a better society. Abandoning participation targets and recapping the number of places would return us to the days of university for the privileged few. We want to make sure university is available for everyone, not only those with the resources and money to succeed.

Meet at Parliament House at 12.30pm on October 30th. 

People should bring shoes, yoghurt and EGGS. Heaps of eggs
Like · · Follow Post · · October 13 at 9:10pm
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Keisha Thomas tries to shield the man from the descending mob.          
HE WAS a white man with Nazi tattoos. She was an 18-year-old black girl, protesting a Ku Klux Klan rally in her home town.
The story of how their two lives crossed is an incredibly human tale of kindness, selflessness and the ultimate respect for life.

It was 1996. Keshia Thomas had heard the KKK, a prominent white supremacist group that had sprung up in America's deep south over a century earlier, was in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Andy Trieu
Getting my mischief on. Hosting the OBP Halloween Charity event tonight. #halloween#greatcause
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Surreal: This giant beach ball was spotted bouncing along a London roundabout
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-weather-giant-beach-ball-2649855
It was supposed to illustrate the threat of global warming .. respect the ball .. ed
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Fall explodes along the banks of the Merced River with Half Dome looming behind the yellow, orange and green foliage a day before the snows will descend into the valley. This was the calm before the storm. It was beautiful. — at Yosemite National Park.
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http://www.savethedaywhoiscoming.com/invite/e0c9c7

Doctor Who - Starring You! 

You can now get closer to the time vortex than ever before, by putting your name and your face into the #DoctorWho opening titles! Create your own digital invite and send it to you companions to get them to join you for the explosive 50th Anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor.

Create your invite here (not available on mobile):http://on.fb.me/DoctorWhoStarringYou
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Dai Le
With Andrew Rohan MP, Tony Issa MP, Neusa Wickremasinghe and Qatar Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand his Excellency Yousif Ali Al-Khater — at Parliament of NSW.
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4 her
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Marinel Pretzles
Thanks Foodco! — at The Grounds Cafe Alexandria.
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Vote for Dr. Phil to become a 2014 People’s Choice Awards nominee for Favorite Daytime Host -- it's up to the fans to determine the official nominees! Click here to cast your vote:http://bit.ly/DRPeoplesChoice 
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Activists & politicians in #Shan State's Kengtung Township are petitioning against a Thai-owned coal mine project that would forcibly displace at least 2 villages and result in the confiscation of over 500 acres of farmland. Locals are refusing to sign an agreement giving permission for the project to take place, citing the government's predictable failure to provide details on future relocation, compensation, & employment opportunities.

Keep an eye on Kengtung residents with us; we hope #Burma's government will choose to respect them, their land, & the freedom of assembly.


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HISTORY IN THE HEADLINES: On its 150th birthday, get the facts on the International Red Cross. http://histv.co/1f1HspJ
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Um, I think there is an arithmetic error in the third column ed===

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Larry Pickering
GREENS, SPOTTED OWLS AND CROCODILES

Australian Greens are more concerned with stuff like illegal arrivals and gay marriage than they are with endangered species. For the most part they are shunned by international Green groups as far too politically radical. 

A desperate Julia Gillard gave them partnership in Government and suddenly media were shoving mikes in their unusual faces demanding commentary... a dream-like promotion based on a rag-tag balance of power in the Senate, and way beyond their political station.

Media still seeks out leader, Christine Milne, for comment despite the Greens having one sole member in the 150 member House and the fact they are about to lose all influence in the Senate.

This miniscule, oddball movement is now in a vacuum deciding what to hate next.

The Greens calling is back to their destructive Green roots protecting the pobblebonk frog and chaining themselves to old growth trees, now that their political commentary is irrelevant.

The spotted owl awaits their assistance. You know, the one that has brought the US north western states of Oregon and Washington to their financial knees?

The prolific whale species haven’t even heard of Milne. And Hanson-Young is still crying over the plight of illegal immigrants while the crown of thorns is busy eating our coral.

The Greens can now return to what they are good at like promoting repopulating the Northern Territory to save the endangered saltwater crocodile from starvation.

Maybe the Barramundi is in need of their further assistance, they did a marvellous job in the eighties. I was there.

The clever Greens had decided, because the Asian buffalos followed each other all over the Territory leaving ruts in the terrain where salt water merged with the fresh water, it was screwing up the Barramundi breeding cycle.

Barramundi are hermaphrodites, they start life as males, reach maturity and become females. (One of my mates went that way.)

Anyway, the Greens decided to shoot all these imported Asian buffalos to save this valuable piscatorial resource. I flew an R22 chopper while a bushie dropped hundreds of the poor buggers every day.

Unfortunately the Greens forgot the now-protected crocodiles had grown to depend on the buffalo for food, they collared them when they came to the rivers. It had become the crocodiles’ valuable food resource.

Crocodile numbers had exploded by virtue of such readily available tucker. With no buffalos to eat, the crocs set about eating all the Barramundi and you couldn’t fish the Mary River without competing with wall to wall 14 ft crocs.

And of course you couldn’t offend these prehistoric reptiles for fear of copping a $10,000 fine.

Yes it will be good to see the Greens back on task protecting endangered species again, 99 per cent of which had already become extinct before we arrived here.

Now if we could train crocs to eat Greens, problem solved!

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Corn casserole:

1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can cream-style corn
1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix (8 oz.)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix all ingredients, minus the cheese, together and pour into a greased baking dish. After the casserole has baked for 45 minutes, or is set in the middle and golden brown, sprinkle with cheddar and put it back in the oven. Let the cheese melt, take the casserole out and enjoy this ridiculously buttery dish.

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"What can you tell me of the new King?" -Balthazar
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Pastor Rick Warren
My INSTAGRAM account (PastorRickWarren ) where I post personal and fun stuff, is no longer private, so I invite you to follow me there too!

Thanks to INSTAGRAM staff who got my account back for me this week, after a hacker deleted it!
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If you're seriously dating someone, I recommend that you get pre-marriage counseling BEFORE getting engaged! It will reveal whether engagement is a wise move for both of you. EITHER way, you'll both grow and be glad you did it. Don't wait until after you've made the commitment. That's backwards! 

(Take this from a pastor who's counseling thousands of dating and married couples, and seen the difference it makes.)
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Michelle Malkin
Truth: Those unsophisticated Tea Party rubes had Obamacare figured out from the start while our gullible elites fell for it ==>http://twitchy.com/2013/10/29/truth-boom-resolved-tea-party-rubes-best-obamacare-gullible-elites/

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Should I be worried about...Flame Devil?
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Isn't that the last thing they'd do? - ed
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Youth .. without hope - ed
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But .. what about entitlement? 


The High Court has ruled in Canberra this morning that the woman was not entitled to compensation from the federal workplace insurer Comcare because the circumstances of her injury were not related to her employment.

Lawyers for Comcare argued throughout the four-year legal saga that the public servant should not get taxpayer-funded compensation as result of a "personal choice" to have sex while on the work trip.>

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/public-servant-loses-sex-injury-compo-claim-20131030-2wf3n.html

.. it is a little like an expenses claim? Only, too much information .. ed===

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.. but .. cigarette cases are reusable .. this cell phone has delivered its last post - ed===

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For sale at: http://mattgranz.zenfolio.com/p751617211/h32618bd9#h32618bd9

Fall in Yosemite Valley

Fall colors and snow abounded in the Yosemite Valley with a cold front that passed through in mid October, bringing with it rarely seen combinations of autumn and winter themes combining.
 — at Half Dome.
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Shocking .. they seemed to share electricity .. ed===

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Last photo for tonight......This Diamond Engagement Ring is something to really dream about....A Perfect Halo Style Pear Shape Diamond Engagement Ring that was handmade to a custom order...... — at Diamond Imports.
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Help 'The Bible' become the People's Choice award winner! Vote now at: 

http://bit.ly/1eO4Cje
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
Father,I thank You for depositing in me everything that I need for life and godliness. I choose to be faithful with what You have given me. I choose to sharpen my skills. Help me prepare for every opportunity You have for my future in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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When people hear the story of David and Goliath, sometimes they think, “That was all God.” And yes, in a sense, I know it was God. But the truth is that God didn’t sling the stone. God didn’t cause it to hit at just the right spot. It was the skill God gave David that he had developed."A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”(Proverbs 18:16)
Like David, God has put in you skill that can slay a giant. You have skill that can open new doors, skills that can lead to an abundant life, but the key is that your skill has to be developed. Every day that you spend growing, learning and improving, you’re getting prepared for that new level.

Today, while you’re waiting for that new opportunity, start sharpening your skills. Study your boss. Study your manager. Learn that position. Be able to step into their shoes. When God sees that you are prepared, then He can open new doors. The scripture says, “Your gifts will make room for you.” Keep developing your skills because there is a giant slayer in you.God bless you.
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There is a point of comparison. Both smoked. ed===
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<... And just when you thought it was over we now have the educated anti Semites to contend with in Sydney.

Are these students morons ?>
Studying to be morons? - ed===

ran will not suspend its uranium enrichment nor will it stop the custom of chanting “death to America” in public gatherings, a senior Iranian politician said. http://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-official-uranium-enrichment-is-a-red-line/
Grand Day of Death to America' rally planned in Iran
Published October 28, 2013
FoxNews.com
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LIVNI'S POLITICAL STRATEGY 10/28/2013
"From her egomaniacal insistence that she is The One who will bring the peace, it is apparent that Livni has never accepted responsibility for the damage she has caused the country," By CAROLINE B. GLICK http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Livnis-political-strategy-330004
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gaza, Hamas, missiles attacks, Israel, double standard, Palestinians, war, peace, Arabs,cartoons, dry bones, Kirschen,
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Join our mission - Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to help us grow our network to reach hundreds of thousands of people to make a difference for Israel.
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HonestReporting's Israel Daily News Stream: Everything You Need to Know About Media Coverage of Israel and the MidEast

Today's Top Stories

• Iranian nuclear breakout already underway?
• Is the NSA eavesdropping on Israel?
• Israel and the Palestinians gear up for tonight's prisoner release.

Sign our petition against the demonization of Israel

Welcome to the Israel Daily News Stream

The IDNS is a daily roundup of everything you need to know about how the media is covering Israel, all in one place for easy reference, delivered directly to your inbox every morning. Want to receive weekly Bias Alerts? Manage your subscriptions. Please tell your friends to learn more and sign up here.

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Dear Patriot,
Liberal Terry McAuliffe is carpet-bombingKen Cuccinelli with negative ads all across Virginia.
And all these ads are having an effect.Ken is behind in the polls, and there's not much time left!
This conservative Tea Party hero is running a great campaign. But he doesn't have the cash to respond to all the negative attacks coming his way.
Ken needs your help now more than ever. Election Day is only a week away.
And unfortunately, the latest news out of Virginia is not good.
Obama liberals from across America are flooding McAuliffe's campaign with cash. They despise Ken Cuccinelli and want to ruin him because he was the first state attorney general to file suit against ObamaCare.
Right now McAuliffe has over twice as much money as Ken does. And it's all coming from big liberal donors in places like California and New York!
Ken is still fighting very, very hard. But he's a few points down in the polls, and he is being bombarded day and night with attacks on his character and lies about his conservative positions on issues.
It's bad.
Frankly, Ken can't win without the support of grassroots conservatives like you.
Make the very best contribution you can right now.And then forward this email to everyone you know. We must sound the alarm about what is happening in Virginia and help this great man rally from behind.
Don't forget - Terry McAuliffe used to be the head of the Democratic National Committee. He has connections and the ability to raise unbelievable amounts of money.
Meanwhile, Ken Cuccinelli is a smart, plain-spoken, no-nonsense conservative. But he's not wealthy.
And because he's a "Tea Party Conservative," a lot of business-type big donors who would usually donate to a Republican are sitting this race out.
Here is the plain, honest to goodness truth:
If conservative activists from across America don't rise up now, Ken Cuccinelli will lose.
And Barack Obama and all the left-wing pundits and media personalities will declare the conservative movement dead and celebrate their huge win in Virginia.
That's why Conservative StrikeForce has been involved in this race for months. We can't sit idly by and allow Barack Obama and Terry McAuliffe to win this election. But we need your help to stop them!
You truly can help turn this race around, but there's only a week remaining!
Thank you in advance for all your help.
For America,
Dennis Whitfield
Chairman, Conservative Strike Force PAC
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IMAG0101
Hi everyone! Here's the MichelleMalkin.com newsletter for October 29th. Enjoy!

From the Blog

Heh: Sebelius touted ‘silver lining’ in O-care system right before it crashed

I keep waiting for the end credits to roll and explain it all: “Obamacare: A Farrelly brothers production”...

Media finally decides to catch on: Obama knew ‘if you like your plan you can keep it’ was a lie

It’s hard to decide who to be angrier with: The Obama administration and the Democrats for pushing the lie so hard, or a segment of the media that is now pretending this is a surprise, three years after the law was signed...

More From the Right Side of the Web

Michelle's Top Tweets

Screen Shot 2013-10-29 at 8.46.47 AM
Screen Shot 2013-10-29 at 8.47.38 AM

And ... Our Hate Tweet of the Day

Screen Shot 2013-10-29 at 8.59.12 AM
BOO!
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October 30Thevar Jayanthi in Tamil Nadu, India;Mischief Night in some areas of the United States
George I, King of the Hellenes
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Events[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Holidays and observances[edit]

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Charles Rudd
The Rudd Concession, a written concession for exclusive mining rights in MatabelelandMashonalandand other adjoining territories in southern Africa, was granted by King Lobengula of Matabeleland to Charles Rudd (pictured)James Rochfort Maguire and Francis Thompson, three agents acting on behalf of the politician and businessman Cecil Rhodes, on30 October 1888. The concession conferred on the grantees the sole rights to mine throughout Lobengula's country, as well as the power to defend this exclusivity by force, in return for weapons and a regular monetary stipend. Despite Lobengula's retrospective attempts to disavow it on the grounds of alleged deceit by the concessionaires regarding the settled terms, it proved the foundation for the royal charter granted by the United Kingdom to Rhodes' British South Africa Company in October 1889, and thereafter for the Pioneer Column's occupation of Mashonaland in 1890, which marked the beginning of white settlement, administration and development in the country. The Company officially named the territory Rhodesia, after Rhodes, in 1895, and governed it until 1923. (Full article...)
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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, etc."
Matthew 6:9
This prayer begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, "Our Father." There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, "I will arise, and go unto my Father." This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father "in heaven," and ascends to devout adoration, "Hallowed be thy name." The child lisping, "Abba, Father," grows into the cherub crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy." There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit, which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration--"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God--"Give us this day our daily bread." Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for mercy, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors:" and being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy perseverance, "Lead us not into temptation." The man who is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. "Forgive us our debts," that is justification; "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," that is sanctification in its negative and positive forms. As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of praise, "Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, Amen." We rejoice that our King reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends of the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray.

Evening

"But their eyes were holden that they should not know him."
Luke 24:16
The disciples ought to have known Jesus, they had heard his voice so often, and gazed upon that marred face so frequently, that it is wonderful they did not discover him. Yet is it not so with you also? You have not seen Jesus lately. You have been to his table, and you have not met him there. You are in a dark trouble this evening, and though he plainly says, "It is I, be not afraid," yet you cannot discern him. Alas! our eyes are holden. We know his voice; we have looked into his face; we have leaned our head upon his bosom, and yet, though Christ is very near us, we are saying "O that I knew where I might find him!" We should know Jesus, for we have the Scriptures to reflect his image, and yet how possible it is for us to open that precious book and have no glimpse of the Wellbeloved! Dear child of God, are you in that state? Jesus feedeth among the lilies of the word, and you walk among those lilies, and yet you behold him not. He is accustomed to walk through the glades of Scripture, and to commune with his people, as the Father did with Adam in the cool of the day, and yet you are in the garden of Scripture, but cannot see him, though he is always there. And why do we not see him? It must be ascribed in our case, as in the disciples', to unbelief. They evidently did not expect to see Jesus, and therefore they did not know him. To a great extent in spiritual things we get what we expect of the Lord. Faith alone can bring us to see Jesus. Make it your prayer, "Lord, open thou mine eyes, that I may see my Saviour present with me." It is a blessed thing to want to see him; but oh! it is better far to gaze upon him. To those who seek him he is kind; but to those who find him, beyond expression is he dear!
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Today's reading: Jeremiah 18-19, 2 Timothy 3 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Jeremiah 18-19

At the Potter’s House
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
11 “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’ 12 But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts.’”

Today's New Testament reading: 2 Timothy 3

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone....
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Giving Is Worship

Today's reading: Hebrews 7:1–22
The writer of Hebrews shows us that the priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior to the Levitical priesthood. One important way that this superiority is demonstrated is through the tithe that Abraham paid to Melchizedek after his victory over the Canaanite kings (see Ge 14:18–20). In a similar way, the writer of Hebrews identifies offerings as an important way of attributing honor and worship (or anything else for that matter) to God. The same holds true for us today. We are called to worship God persuasively with our possessions.
Theologian Mark Allan Powell talks about giving as worship.
"Many people seem to think that the reason we have an offering during the Sunday morning service is because the church needs to pay its bills and also wants to do good things with the money that is collected. Your church does need to pay its bills, and it probably does do good things with the money you put in the offering plate … but that is not why we have an offering during the Sunday morning service.
"The offering is an act of worship, an instance in which we are invited to give up something that we value—our money—as a sacrifice to God. In many ways, it is the high point of the liturgy. We come to church to worship God and at no other point in the service are we provided with so pure an opportunity for worship as this …
"We are invited to put money in the offering plate on Sunday morning not because the church needs our money but because we want and need to give it. We have a spiritual need to worship God, and through our offerings we are able to express our love and devotion for God in a way that is simple and sincere. The motivation of the giver is what counts most, not the size of the gift or the degree of benefit to the recipient (seeMk 12:42–44). The good news of stewardship is that church offerings are not fund-raising rituals but acts of worship in which we are invited to express our heartfelt devotion to the God who is so good to us."
And author Randy Alcorn discusses the corporate nature of giving as worship.
"By giving, we enter into and participate in the grace of Christ. We worship. By giving in concert with our brothers and sisters in Christ’s body, we jointly worship him, moved by each others’ example and mutual participation. In the building of the tabernacle, building of the temple, and repair of the temple, it was the corporate involvement of the community of saints in which the spirit of God moved so dramatically to produce extravagant giving. The same was true with the New Testament saints of Jerusalem in the early chapters of Acts and those in Macedonia spoken of in 2 Corinthians 8."

Think About It

  • How is Jesus even greater than Melchizedek and the Levitical priesthood?
  • Do you approach giving to God as something you want and need to do?
  • In what ways does giving together with other believers enhance corporate worship?

Pray About It

God, thank you for your good gifts to me, for giving me everything I need. I pray that I will worship you fully by giving back to you with a joyful and loving heart.

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Today's reading is from theNIV Stewardship Study Bible
by Zondervan


Discover the remarkable privilege we have as stewards of God's design for life through the study of Scripture.


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ReformationHeader

Celebrate Reformation Day with Bible Gateway!

Did you know that October 31 is one of the most significant dates in church history? On that day in 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed a letter of protest to the door of his church, and sparked a movement that changed the way Christians of all denominations understand the Bible.

To celebrate this important occasion, we’ve chosen a few good books about the Protestant Reformation from the Bible Gateway store. Check them out here and head over to The Reformation page at our store for more!

And read more about the Reformation at our blog!

Reading Scripture with the ReformersReading Scripture with the Reformers

In Reading Scripture with the Reformers, Timothy George takes readers through the exciting events of the sixteenth century, showing how this dynamic, complex, and axious period was instigated by a direct return to the Scriptures and their ancient languages. George immerses us in the world of the Reformation, its continuities with the ancient and medieval church, and its dramatic upheavals and departs from its reigning cultural and religious paradigms.
$10.49 (OUR Price)
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The Reformation for Armchair TheologiansThe Reformation for Armchair Theologians

An accurate, concise, and witty overview of the Protestant Reformation. Scholars, pastors, and the theologically curious will appreciate this engaging narrative that discusses the influence of leaders like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin; as well as pivotal events such as the Catholic Counter Reformation, the Dutch revolt, and the Thirty Years' War.
$3.69 (OUR Price)
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CalvinCalvin

During the glory days of the French Renaissance, young John Calvin (1509-1564) experienced a profound but enigmatic conversion to the faith of the Reformation. For the rest of his days he lived out the implications of that transformation--as an exile, inspired reformer, and ultimately the dominant figure of the Protestant Reformation.
$14.99 (OUR Price)
Save: $8.01 (35%)
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COUPLESenewsheader-Bibles-Sep2011

Digging Out of a Little Sin

"Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions."
Joshua 7:11
I'm tempted to cry, "Not fair!" upon reading the story of Achan. First, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal for him to have taken some treasure as reward for victory in battle. And second, all of the Israelites were held responsible for the sin of one man who had stolen and hidden plunder after the battle of Jericho against God's direct command. Because of the "small" sin of one man, God punished all of Israel by withdrawing his blessing and allowing the people to be humiliated and defeated at the battle of Ai.
I remember when my young children would complain that a punishment was too harsh for their "teeny" disobedience. I'd bring up Adam and Eve's teeny bite of the forbidden fruit. I'd ask them how many bites of the fruit it would have taken to become a punishable act. They got it-that it's not the size of the disobedience but the meaning behind it that's the problem. Like Achan, Adam and Eve disrespected God by their disobedience.
Likewise, in marriage, individual actions reflect one's commitment to the marriage covenant. When I'm tempted to do something selfish, I ask myself two questions: (1) "How would I feel if Grey did this?" and (2) "How would I feel if our children found out?" I'm stopped in my tracks every time. So, something like an "innocent" email exchange with an old flame is now revealed to my own heart for what it is: betrayal.
Sin in marriage is not an individual issue. It affects the marriage relationship, the wider family and also the entire community. Who would deny that infidelity and divorce have wreaked havoc upon millions of children and ripped the fabric of our society? In the same way, Achan's selfish act ripped the fabric of Israel's relationship with God.
Achan's other sin was the cover-up; he deceitfully hid the plunder he had stolen. But eventually the truth was revealed, just as it is in twenty-first-century families. A woman writes in her journal about her intimate relationship with another man. She thinks no one will ever know. But one day her husband does the unthinkable; he decides to clean all the books on the bookshelf and discovers the diary behind the dusty volumes. Or a husband thinks he can cover his gambling losses by taking greater risks that promise bigger payoffs. But when the bank statement arrives with a negative balance-and his wife gets the mail-the whole family suffers the painful consequences of financial loss.
Achan's lesson still holds true: Everyone loses in the sin game.
Mary Ann Jeffreys

Let's Talk

  • What steps will we take to stay honest with each other about money, friends, and recreational activities? In what areas have we been less than fully honest?
  • What effect might "hidden" sins have on our marriage if we continue doing them for several months or even years?
  • What "no big deal" sins are we willing to overlook in our relationship? If we continue doing them, what or who might then bring them to light?
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NIVCouplesbibleToday's reading is from the
NIV Couple's Devotional Bible
by Zondervan


Designed to help you build your relationship on the one foundation you can count on: God’s Word!


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