Miranda Devine raises parenting issues. As a former student of mine, who is also a mum, has reminded me, one has, to be a parent, to be a good parent, not merely a friend. It is important to say 'no' to kids over the right issues .. so they don't stay up late before a test .. so they discover that delayed gratification can be effective while immediate gratification is low probability success. Kind of the same when describing ALP policy. Which is why the Libs taking government again is sometimes described as the adults taking charge.
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Happy birthday and many happy returns John Chan, Julie Morris and Anthony Khuu. Born on the same day, across the years, along with
- 37 – Nero, Roman emperor (d. 68)
- 130 – Lucius Verus, Roman emperor (d. 169)
- 1567 – Christoph Demantius, German composer, music theorist, and poet (d. 1643)
- 1657 – Michel Richard Delalande, French composer and organist (d. 1726)
- 1686 – Jean-Joseph Fiocco, Flemish composer (d. 1746)
- 1832 – Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (d. 1923)
- 1852 – Henri Becquerel, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1908)
- 1863 – Arthur Dehon Little, American chemist and engineer (d. 1935)
- 1892 – J. Paul Getty, American-British businessman and art collector, founded Getty Oil and the J. Paul Getty Trust (d. 1976)
- 1923 – Freeman Dyson, English-American physicist and mathematician
- 1923 – Uziel Gal, German-Israeli firearm designer, designed the Uzi gun (d. 2002)
- 1998 – Chandler Canterbury, American actor
Matches
- 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at theBattle of Tricamarum.
- 1161 – Military officers conspire against Emperor Hailingwang of the Jin Dynasty and assassinate the emperor in a military camp near the Yangtze River front.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Nashville – Union forces under George Thomas almost completely destroy the Army of Tennessee under John Hood.
- 1890 – Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull is killed on Standing Rock Indian Reservation, leading to theWounded Knee Massacre.
- 1939 – Gone with the Wind receives its premiere at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
- 1945 – Occupation of Japan: General Douglas MacArthur orders that Shinto be abolished as the state religion of Japan.
- 1960 – Richard Pavlik is arrested for plotting to assassinate U.S. President-Elect John F. Kennedy.
- 1961 – Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty by an Israeli court of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people, and membership of an outlawed organisation.
- 1970 – Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully land on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet
- 1973 – John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10.
- 1973 – The American Psychiatric Association votes 13–0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the DSM-II.
- 1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan
- 1981 – A suicide car bombing targeting the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, levels the embassy and kills 61 people, including Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon. The attack is considered the first modern suicide bombing.
- 2010 – A boat carrying 90 asylum seekers crashes into rocks off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people.
Despatches
- 1025 – Basil II, Byzantine emperor (b. 958)
- 1673 – Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, English writer and scientist (b. 1623)
- 1675 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (b. 1632)
- 1943 – Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1904)
- 1944 – Glenn Miller, American bandleader and composer (b. 1904)
Labor rewrites its recent history
Piers Akerman – Saturday, December 14, 2013 (11:33pm)
HOOKED on instant gratification like kids to an Xbox, some of the sillier talking heads are demanding the Abbott government take responsibility for the mess Labor left (left in more ways than one) after six years in office.
There’s certainly no shortage of Christmas clowns in Canberra this month.
From the Opposition benches to the Press Gallery, troupes of overpaid jesters are spouting lines that must have come straight from the Christmas cracker factory.
Whether it is Opposition leader Bill Shorten, the usual gaggle of ABC geese or Channel 10s dyed-in-the-wool champion of the Left, Paul Bongiorno, it would seem that activities of the failed Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments are being airbrushed from the historical record with the same alacrity demonstrated by North Korea’s skilled revisionists.
To take the treatment of but two news examples that emerged last week, the collapse of Holden and the release of the real state of the NBN disaster, it would seem Labor and its cheer squad believe the Coalition was secretly running things even though it lost office in 2007.
Holden was a shot duck, and was always going to be a shot duck, even before Labor introduced industry-punishing measures like former Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s penalising $460 million carbon dioxide tax and former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s brutal $1.8 billion fringe benefit tax hit to car-leasing companies.
In just the last two years, the Labor government broke $1.4 billion in promised funding commitments as it vacillated on car industry policy.
Forget the crocodile tears being shed by the assorted union bosses and recall that Gillard once promised $34 million for Ford, which she said would create 300 jobs. Within eight months 330 employees had lost their jobs and Ford subsequently announced its departure from Australia.
Rather than blame Prime Minister Tony Abbott for Holden’s demise, as Shorten attempted to do on the last day of the parliamentary year, he should have been reminded by the media that Gillard, whom he supported before he knifed her to bring back Rudd, whom he had earlier knifed, had boasted last March: “It gives me great pleasure to be able to say to the House that we have worked together with Holden and we have secured Holden to manufacture cars in Australia for the next decade.”
Labor MP Nick Champion, whose South Australian electorate of Wakefield is home to many Holden workers, sent out a letter before the last election in which he wrote: “I have secured guaranteed support for GM Holden, Elizabeth, ensuring production until 2022.”
But Champion is not the most egregious of Labor’s galahs, he would be thrashed in any contest by former Treasurer and serial humbug Wayne Swan, for instance, or former Finance Minister Penny Wong, or that other former Treasurer Chris Bowen.
Who could possibly forget the sight of three departmental heads branding Rudd, Bowen and Wong liars after they attempted to claim the public servants had rubbished the Opposition’s policy costings?
Another contender for class fool is former Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare, now the shadow Communications spokesman, who shrieked about broken promises last week as the Abbott government started to get to grips with the massive catastrophe that is Labor’s NBN.
Now that the NBN’s new chairman has looked at the books and discovered that Labor’s dysfunctional plan for the broadband network would have cost a staggering $73 billion and missed Labor’s deadline by at least three years, Clare says the plan to apply a bandage to this haemorrhage constitutes a breach of “one of the most important promises it (the Coalition) made before the election”.
Can this galoot really think the Abbott government should have pursued Labor’s extravagant rollout, which the strategic review discovered would have needed $29 billion more than Labor’s forecast $44 billion, had it continued because of expected cost blowouts and totally unachievable revenue targets?
As Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the House Thursday: “The NBN has been shrouded in a web of spin, obfuscation and exaggeration. Forecasts have been set, missed, set again, missed again, set a third time, and missed a third time. Beguiling promises have been offered but not delivered.”
Releasing the report, he said: “Critically, this report is not reverse engineered to justify or rationalise government policy, whether set out in a speech, conjured up by press release or sketched on the back of a drink coaster.
“I emphasise this point because the facts so methodically presented in the review make it plain that the NBN is in a worse state than Australians have been told.”
Affluenza no excuse for poor parenting
Miranda Devine – Saturday, December 14, 2013 (11:35pm)
IT is terrifying being the parent of a generation Z teenager. Never have there been so many toxic forces conspiring against your efforts to raise happy, responsible citizens.
But that is precisely why today’s laissez-faire parents have to lasso their offspring and teach them right from wrong.
The latest teen scandal involves three 14-year old boys from Year 8, at the elite Cranbrook school in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs who have “agreed to leave” after a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl.
One of the boys allegedly had sex with the girl at a “gathering”.
The other two boys were involved in unspecified other sexual acts with the same girl, according to newspaper reports.
Stories of similar incidents with children as young as 12 at other schools are being told by worried parents. Some involve consensual sexual encounters filmed on smartphones, others involve pornography displayed on smartphones as a prelude to sexual advances. In a number of cases, police have been called.
“It’s a perfect storm of risk factors,” says adolescent psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg.
“Hyper-sexualised early adolescence, coupled with poor impulse control and poor parenting.”
Carr-Gregg says that at the exact time that they are experiencing an “800 per cent increase in testosterone in early adolescence,” boys are being “whipped up into a sexual frenzy … by the pornified culture they’re growing up in.”
The shadow of omnipresent pornography is distorting children’s emerging sexuality. I have heard of girls, aged 12 and 13, being propositioned on the school bus by boys the same age for “spit roasts”. That is slang for sex involving two men and one woman, commonplace in pornography, and horrifying to hear on a school bus.
Parents are either in denial or don’t know how to speak to their children about the explicit and aberrant sexual imagery they are inevitably viewing. But Carr-Gregg says it is crucial to have that conversation, to talk about intimacy and love and explain that porn is the exploitation and degradation of women.
What Carr-Gregg sees with modern parents is a “tendency not to use moral language or set boundaries”.
He sees parents who make excuses for their children and resist attempts by other agencies - schools and the police - to discipline them.
There is no better example than the “affluenza” defence bought by a judge in Texas last week when failing to jail a teenager who killed four people while driving drunk.
Ethan Couch, 16, was sentenced to 10 years probation after a psychologist testified at his trial that he suffered from affluenza or “spoiled brat” syndrome - a belief that his parents’ wealth meant his actions had no consequences.
A psychologist told the court that Ethan’s indulgent parents had never taught him right from wrong and gave him “freedoms no young person should have”.
The Independent reported that Ethan’s parents didn’t even punish him after he was “found by police in a parked car with an unconscious, undressed 14-year-old girl a year before the fatal accident.”
The boy had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24 when he ploughed a ute into a crowd in June, killing four people and injuring nine, including a friend who suffered a brain injury so catastrophic he cannot speak or walk.
Someone should go to jail, probably the parents.
Meanwhile, school principals are doing their best to fill a vacuum left by disengaged parents. They bring in experts to teach students how to behave, but too often the arguments are legal, not moral.
For instance, Year 9 boys at one Sydney school were warned that if a girl texts them a naked photo of herself - sexting - the boy can be charged with possessing child pornography, even if he did not ask for the photo.
One 14-year-old boy understood the imperative to delete the photo immediately but thought the context was unfair. “Why doesn’t the girl get into trouble?”
Good question. Distorted feminism is part of the problem. When “consent” is the only standard that can be applied, and when all responsibility for sexual behaviour is dumped on boys, the double standards are impossibly confusing.
As always, it’s up to parents to fill in the gaps.
But whether they are time poor, or simply too self-involved to make the effort to communicate with their offspring, too many parents are failing their responsibilities.
Maybe they want to ensure the limited time they spend with their teens is conflict-free. But conflict is inevitable when parents set boundaries.
Parents are supposed to make the rules, adolescents are supposed to push back. In the process, children learn to self-regulate and to hone their negotiating skills. More than one parent has rewarded a child for an inspired argument with a minor relaxation of the rules.
The teenage wrangle is a tricky art, and I know even parents of nine who haven’t entirely mastered it.
But to give in to teenage demands is to mistake why they make them. Often it’s to see if parents care enough to stop them. You may detect secret relief amid the fury from teenagers told they can’t go to a party or a sleepover.
“My horrible parents” can be a handy excuse. But parents have to be prepared to wear that “horrible” reputation.
ABC bias plan laughable
Miranda Devine – Saturday, December 14, 2013 (10:38pm)
The ABC’s attempts to address its ideological bias are hardly reassuring.
The idea of bias “audits” conducted by an ex-BBC staffer is laughable. It’s a sop to irate conservatives, like the audience makeup figures at the start of Q&A. An inside joke.
Far better is the Ray Evans solution, to decentralise the ABC by splitting it into competing state organisations.
That would disempower Left-Green inner-city elites who control the culture and help the ABC fulfill its charter to “reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community”.
Happy end to the tale of the pup
Congratulations to Michael Clarke, named ICC cricketer of the year. Never a big-noter, he professed surprise at the news.
With deeds, not words, the Australian captain keeps proving the naysayers wrong.
What is it with Labor feminists and the C-word?
Miranda Devine – Saturday, December 14, 2013 (5:27am)
What is it with Labor feminists and the “c” word?
Now we know that the great Australian misogyny-fighter, prime minister Julia Gillard, had as her hand-picked adviser, imported all the way from Britain, a man who peppered the word so liberally in his emails that he used it as both verb and noun in the same sentence.
John McTernan’s private missives, leaked to the ABC last week, show his cynical pitch for the feminist vote was matched by his cynical abuse of the “c**ts” who crossed him.
Earlier, another member of Emily’s List, ACT Education Minister Joy Burch, thought nothing of retweeting a description of her federal counterpart Christopher Pyne as a “c**t’’.
It is curious that Labor’s handbag hit squad is so unruffled by the casual way their fellow travelers use a word describing an intimate part of the female anatomy as a term of abuse.
But, then, they are nothing if not morally flexible.
As Liberal MP Kelly O’Dwyer pointed out last week, Labor is quite happy to attack the female Speaker Brownyn Bishop and liken her to Harry Potter witch Dolores Umbridge, but when it was one of their own, Anna Burke, in the chair, every criticism was denounced as sexist.
They can’t have it both ways.
US sends President to stand next to self-confessed violent schizophrenic
Andrew Bolt December 15 2013 (11:19am)
Mark Steyn on Barack Obama’s meeting with the star of Nelson Mandela’s funeral service:
===But the star of the show was undoubtedly Thamsanqa Jantjie, the sign-language interpreter who stood alongside the world’s leaders and translated their eulogies for the deaf. Unfortunately, he translated them into total gibberish, reduced by the time of President Obama’s appearance to making random hand gestures, as who has not felt the urge to do during the great man’s speeches. Mr. Jantjie has now pleaded in mitigation that he was having a sudden hallucination because he is a violent schizophrenic. It has not been established whether he is, in fact, a violent schizophrenic, or, as with his claim to be a sign-language interpreter, merely purporting to be one. Asked how often he has been violent, he replied, somewhat cryptically, “A lot."…
That would never happen in Washington, of course. But how heartening, as one watches the viral video of Obama droning on while a mere foot and a half away Mr. Jantjie rubs his belly and tickles his ear, to think that the White House’s usual money-no-object security operation went to the trouble of flying in Air Force One, plus the “decoy” Air Force One, plus support aircraft, plus the 120-vehicle motorcade or whatever it’s up to by now, plus a bazillion Secret Service agents with reflector shades and telephone wire dangling from their ears, to shepherd POTUS into the secured venue and then stand him onstage next to an $85-a-day violent schizophrenic.
China rising, now to the moon
Andrew Bolt December 15 2013 (11:13am)
China has the cultural
confidence many in the West have lost - and it is increasingly gaining
an economy that can express that confidence not just on this planet:
===China on Saturday successfully carried out the world’s first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades, state media said, the next stage in an ambitious space program that aims to eventually put a Chinese astronaut on the moon.
Abbott needs this holiday. It will, I think, make him the new man he must be to fix what Labor broke
Andrew Bolt December 15 2013 (10:37am)
Tony Abbott sums up the lessons learned in his first 100 days as Prime Minister:
Second, Abbott - humble, self-deprecating and new to his job - seems to have reverted to the confessional mode that he had in his first year as Opposition Leader. I find it a very human and in many ways attractive trait, but it led Abbott into serious trouble in his media performances on the ABC in 2010 until he overcame it, and it is crippling his leadership again. A leader does not confess to doubt and failure as his troops go into battle.
I am confident Abbott can and will overcome this after his break - a real holiday this time. He strikes me as naturally tired after a punishing campaign to become Prime Minister and an even more punishing effort to get on top of the disasters left by Labor. A rest should pep him up, clear his mind and help him prioritise his challenges and rethink his strategy. Some tips: he needs to be seen more, to talk more and to add more rest and fun to his job, which must not become a martyrdom. That may also demand more delegation of authority.
The great educative task for his media strategists: to argue the case for change this year. To show how business cannot go on at it is, and that only chance can make the future bright. Next May’s Budget - certain to be tough and needing to be even tougher - should be sold almost every day from today. First the case for change, then the prospect of gain and then Budget as the means to go from strife to security.
Too often - not least with the aborted Gonski backtrack - the crisis and the change were sold together, which made the exercise seem nothing more than excuse making and ad hoc trickery.
A big story needs to be told about big changes to come. Master story-telling is needed to tell it. Such a story does not begin like this: “Yes, I have made mistakes ...”
As I say, I am confident Abbott can change, and we must hope he does. For Labor, unrepentant and unreformed, to return in three years would mean only a completion of the destruction Labor wrought over the past six.
===Citing the ferocious voter response to Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s attempt to abandon the Gonski school-funding model, Mr Abbott in effect admitted the government would have been wrong to wriggle out of a promise to match Labor’s school-funding package on a technicality.Two responses. First: that lesson should never have needed learning. I believe Abbott’s office needs a communications strategist with highly tuned antennae to match the role James Carville played for Bill Clinton, Roger Ailes for Richard Nixon, Grahame Morris for John Howard, Peter Barron for Bob Hawke, Bernard Ingham for Margaret Thatcher and Alistair Campbell for Tony Blair.
‘’The lesson that I have well and truly learnt from that is that we do have to precisely honour our commitments - and that’s the spirit of the commitments, not just the letter of the commitments,’’ he said.
Second, Abbott - humble, self-deprecating and new to his job - seems to have reverted to the confessional mode that he had in his first year as Opposition Leader. I find it a very human and in many ways attractive trait, but it led Abbott into serious trouble in his media performances on the ABC in 2010 until he overcame it, and it is crippling his leadership again. A leader does not confess to doubt and failure as his troops go into battle.
I am confident Abbott can and will overcome this after his break - a real holiday this time. He strikes me as naturally tired after a punishing campaign to become Prime Minister and an even more punishing effort to get on top of the disasters left by Labor. A rest should pep him up, clear his mind and help him prioritise his challenges and rethink his strategy. Some tips: he needs to be seen more, to talk more and to add more rest and fun to his job, which must not become a martyrdom. That may also demand more delegation of authority.
The great educative task for his media strategists: to argue the case for change this year. To show how business cannot go on at it is, and that only chance can make the future bright. Next May’s Budget - certain to be tough and needing to be even tougher - should be sold almost every day from today. First the case for change, then the prospect of gain and then Budget as the means to go from strife to security.
Too often - not least with the aborted Gonski backtrack - the crisis and the change were sold together, which made the exercise seem nothing more than excuse making and ad hoc trickery.
A big story needs to be told about big changes to come. Master story-telling is needed to tell it. Such a story does not begin like this: “Yes, I have made mistakes ...”
As I say, I am confident Abbott can change, and we must hope he does. For Labor, unrepentant and unreformed, to return in three years would mean only a completion of the destruction Labor wrought over the past six.
AFL cancels Christmas for James Hird
Andrew Bolt December 15 2013 (10:22am)
AFL chief Andrew
Demetriou is a man of the hard Left - a fervent global warming preacher
and “reconciliation” proselytiser whose board has long been heavily
staffed by people with deep connections to Labor.
Under Demetriou in particular the AFL has become a metaphor for a modern socialist state. No club may succeed too well without being punished. Clubs have strict salary caps. The failing are given extra help. And, of course, the leaders of this football land run propaganda campaigns to encourage right-thinking.
But, of course, the danger is that the inevitable one - that leaders of such a state become so convinced of their right to power that they are overbearing. Dictatorial. Almost vindictive when their power and their judgement has been questioned:
===Under Demetriou in particular the AFL has become a metaphor for a modern socialist state. No club may succeed too well without being punished. Clubs have strict salary caps. The failing are given extra help. And, of course, the leaders of this football land run propaganda campaigns to encourage right-thinking.
But, of course, the danger is that the inevitable one - that leaders of such a state become so convinced of their right to power that they are overbearing. Dictatorial. Almost vindictive when their power and their judgement has been questioned:
THE AFL has banned Essendon coach James Hird and suspended footy boss Danny Corcoran from attending the club’s staff Christmas party.
The league told Essendon the two men were not permitted to join the end-of-year gathering at an inner-city hotel on Friday afternoon.
Hird and Corcoran are banned from serving the club in any official capacity as part of the club’s supplement scandal punishment.
Isn’t marriage - of gays as well - about union, not division?
Andrew Bolt December 15 2013 (10:16am)
What a great idea! Let’s turn a profound moral and social question into a political ploy to attack Tony Abbott!
Plibersek’s nature seems at odds with her face.
===Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek will seek to enlist the Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, in Federal Parliament as a co-sponsor to legalise gay marriage.
In a move designed to put pressure on the Coalition government over the issue, Ms Plibersek says she will introduce a private member’s bill to legislate for same-sex marriage… But crucially, Ms Plibersek says she will introduce the bill only if Prime Minister Tony Abbott allows his MPs a conscience vote.
Plibersek’s nature seems at odds with her face.
Shock finding: most Leftists like the ABC
Andrew Bolt December 14 2013 (10:11pm)
An ABC presenter is impressed that 72 per cent of readers of a Left-wing newspaper think the ABC is excellent and deserves more money.
Let’s see if he is equally impressed by what most readers of a conservative publication think.
===Let’s see if he is equally impressed by what most readers of a conservative publication think.
www.theaustralian.com.au
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/high-wages-stall-holden-engine/story-fnkdypbm-1226779253154#mm-registerONLY $150 million a year will save Holden? Rubbish. The Holden Enterprise Agreement is the document that has utterly sunk Holden's prospects. It defies belief that someone in the company isn't being held to account for it. Holden's management masks a union culture beyond most people's comprehension. Employment costs spiralled way beyond community standards long ago. Neither "pay freezes" nor more money will save Holden, but getting the Fair Work Commission to dissolve the agreement and put all workers on the award wage might be a start. In 1991, the pre-enterprise bargaining award wage of a Holden entry level process worker was $462.80 a week. In 1992, Holden began enterprise bargaining and now a worker at that same classification level has a base rate of $1194.50 a week, a 158 per cent increase, or a compound increase of 4.4 per cent year on year for 22 years. Right now, base wage rates for process workers in the Holden enterprise agreement are in the $60,000 to $80,000 per year range and in recent times, "hardship payments" of $3750 were given to each worker.The modern award for such workers mandates base rates in the $37,000 to $42,000 range. This means that before we add any of the shift penalties, loadings, 26 allowances and the added cost of productivity restrictions, Holden begins each working day paying its workforce almost double what it should. After you add in the other employment costs, I estimate Holden's workforce costs it somewhere close to triple the amount it should.Many people who work at Holden don't actually work for Holden; they work for the union. Occupational health and safety people are given 10 days' paid time off a year to be trained by the union. Most companies do not allow unions to train their OH&S people because the knowledge is used to control the workplace to the benefit of the union.Union delegates are also allowed up to 10 paid days a year for union training in how to be effective union delegates and two of these delegates are entitled to an extra Holden sponsorship of one paid month off to "further their industrial and/or leadership development". Holden's rules on hiring casuals are shocking and unheard of in today's market. The agreement forbids Holden from hiring casuals except when a "short-term increase in workload, or other unusual circumstances occurs". If this situation arises Holden has to "consult and reach agreement" with the union. Further, "Engagement of the agreed number of casual personnel will be for the agreed specified tasks and the agreed specified periods." If any of this changes, Holden must get union agreement again. After three months of continuous full-time work a casual must be made permanent. It is impossible to run a business like this.An ex-employee from Adelaide, on condition of anonymity, consented to an interview yesterday. He described the workforce as "over-managed", with one team leader for every six workers on the production line, when one for every 25 workers would suffice.He said "some of us workers felt it wasn't necessary to get paid what we were getting paid to do the jobs we were doing", adding that their work is probably worth about "20 bucks an hour". A few years back, his mates took redundancy packages in the order of "$280k plus". Workers are "like sheep" that blindly follow the union leadership. At induction, new workers are ushered into one-on-one meetings with the union rep who heavies them into joining. "It is made clear that if you don't join the union you will be sacked," he said. Union representatives "don't actually do any work for Holden", but rather make themselves full-time enforcers of union control.He says workers are drug tested before hiring, but "only have to stay off it for a few weeks, get in the door and then you'll be right". Workers caught taking drugs or being drug-affected at work are allegedly put on a fully paid rehabilitation program, with special paid time off of about four weeks duration, before being let back into the workforce. Australian workplaces have a zero tolerance for drug use, with instant dismissal the remedy, but at Holden "the union won't let the company sack" any workers caught dealing, taking or being on drugs. "If they did a random drug test tomorrow they'd probably have to sack 40 per cent of the workforce," he adds. If the Holden scenario were playing out in a privately owned business, proper cost-cutting strategies would be used. If you have the will and can hire the skill, there are many ways to cut labour costs. The workers can be given a couple of years notice of significant wage drops and can receive lump sum payouts of entitlements to help bring down family debt. Of course, these strategies are only ever used by business people who have no one else to bail them out. It seems Holden would rather leave the country than dissolve its enterprise agreement. The union thinks members are better off jobless than on award wages. Holden's fate seems sealed.If Holden does leave, workers will receive the most generous redundancy benefits around. Holden says leaving will cost $600m. Most of this will go to staff payouts. The fellow interviewed agrees with my calculation: the average production-line worker will walk away with a redundancy package of between $300k-500k.
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Andy Trieu
Ninja's in training #babysitting @er1cal1m #lol
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13-12-13 JERUSALEM
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PLEASE SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR THE SOLDIERS:
https://www.facebook.com/
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http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2013/12/11/a-history-of-the-ancient-civilizations-and-modern-empires-that-controlled-israel/
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http://networkedblogs.com/S1w1Q
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calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com
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newsblaze.com
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APARTHEID IN ISRAEL ???
" DAMN ZIONISTS!! Where the heck is BDS, schocken, and the "New Israel Fund" when you need them to halt the "Zionist aggression" " - Arie Israeli
" Yes, this Israeli apartheid is really awful, isn't it? And now that Egypt has cut their power supply to Gaza, guess who is the sole remaining supplier of electric power to Gaza? " - Esther Lerch
" Israel, the only country that will give terrorists aid but leave their own people to fend for themselves."- Itamar Gnatt
www.jpost.com
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israelagainstterror.blogspot.com
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networkedblogs.com
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www.globalpost.com
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www.jpost.com
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Tomorrow marks 100 days since the election.
I want to update you on the progress that the Coalition Government has made in implementing our Plan to build a strong, prosperous economy and a safe, secure Australia.
We are purposefully, carefully and methodically putting in place policies to help families by reducing their cost-of-living pressures, improving job security, encouraging small business and delivering better services.
You can read The First 100 Days of Government report here.
You can watch the video message here.
As you will see, the Government is keeping its commitments and implementing the plan we took to the election.
We are the Government that will scrap the Carbon Tax, end the waste, get the Budget back under control, stop the boats and build the infrastructure of the 21st century.
These are the practical measures that will help our country get ahead – as well as help you and your family plan your future with confidence.
My pledge is that we will not let up in 2014: every day we will keep building the stronger country that all Australians want and deserve.
Regards,
Tony Abbott
Prime Minister
Authorised by Brian Loughnane, Cnr Blackall and Macquarie Streets, Barton ACT 2604.
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December 15: Kingdom Day in Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten (1954); Zamenhof Day inEsperanto culture
- 1256 – The Hashshashin stronghold atAlamut in present-day Iran was captured and destroyed by Hulagu Khan and theMongols.
- 1467 – Troops under Stephen III of Moldavia defeated the forces of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary in present-day Baia, Romania.
- 1939 – The American historical epic film Gone With the Wind (poster pictured), adapted from Margaret Mitchell'sPulitzer-winning novel of the same name, made its premiere in Atlanta, Georgia.
- 1973 – The American Psychiatric Association removedhomosexuality from its official list of mental disorders, theDSM-II.
- 1995 – The European Court of Justice handed down theBosman ruling, allowing footballers in the European Union to freely transfer from one UEFA Federation to another at the end of their contracts.
Events[edit]
- 533 – Vandalic War: Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at theBattle of Tricamarum.
- 1161 – Military officers conspire against Emperor Hailingwang of the Jin Dynasty and assassinate the emperor in a military camp near the Yangtze River front.
- 1167 – Sicilian Chancellor Stephen du Perche moves the royal court to Messina to prevent a rebellion.
- 1256 – Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut Castle (in present-dayIran) as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia.
- 1467 – Stephen III of Moldavia defeats Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, with the latter being injured thrice, at the Battle of Baia.
- 1778 – American Revolutionary War: British and French fleets clash in the Battle of St. Lucia.
- 1791 – The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Nashville – Union forces under George Thomas almost completely destroy the Army of Tennessee under John Hood.
- 1890 – Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull is killed on Standing Rock Indian Reservation, leading to theWounded Knee Massacre.
- 1905 – The Pushkin House is established in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to preserve the cultural heritage of Alexander Pushkin
- 1906 – The London Underground's Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opens.
- 1913 – Nicaragua becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires Convention.
- 1914 – World War I: The Serbian Army recaptures Belgrade from the invading Austro-Hungarian Army.
- 1914 – A gas explosion at Mitsubishi Hōjō coal mine, in Kyushu, Japan, kills 687.
- 1917 – World War I: An armistice is reached between the new Bolshevik government and the Central Powers.
- 1933 – The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution officially becomes effective, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment thatprohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol.
- 1939 – Gone with the Wind receives its premiere at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
- 1941 – The Holocaust: German troops murder over 15,000 Jews at Drobytsky Yar, a ravine southeast of the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union.
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign.
- 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Arawe begins during the New Britain Campaign.
- 1945 – Occupation of Japan: General Douglas MacArthur orders that Shinto be abolished as the state religion of Japan.
- 1946 – U.S.-backed Iranian troops evict the leadership of the breakaway Republic of Mahabad, putting an end to the Iran crisis of 1946.
- 1946 – The first election to the Representative Assembly of French India was held.
- 1954 – The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands is signed.
- 1960 – Richard Pavlik is arrested for plotting to assassinate U.S. President-Elect John F. Kennedy.
- 1960 – King Mahendra of Nepal suspends the country's constitution, dissolves parliament, dismisses the cabinet, and imposes direct rule.
- 1961 – Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death after being found guilty by an Israeli court of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people, and membership of an outlawed organization.
- 1965 – Project Gemini: Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida. Four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7.
- 1967 – The Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapses, killing 46 people.
- 1970 – Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully land on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet
- 1970 – The South Korean ferry Namyong Ho capsizes in the Korea Strait, killing over 300 people.
- 1973 – John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10.
- 1973 – The American Psychiatric Association votes 13–0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the DSM-II.
- 1976 – Western Samoa becomes a member of the United Nations.
- 1976 – The oil tanker MV Argo Merchant runs aground near Nantucket, Massachusetts, causing one of the worst marine oil spills in history.
- 1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan
- 1981 – A suicide car bombing targeting the Iraqi embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, levels the embassy and kills 61 people, including Iraq's ambassador to Lebanon. The attack is considered the first modern suicide bombing.
- 1993 – The Troubles: The Downing Street Declaration is issued by British Prime Minister John Major and Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds.
- 1994 – Palau becomes a member of the United Nations.
- 1997 – Tajikistan Airlines Flight 3183 crashes in the desert near Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, killing 85.
- 1997 – The Treaty of Bangkok is signed allowing the transformation of Southeast Asia into a nuclear weapon-free zone.
- 2000 – The third reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down.
- 2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 spent to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean.
- 2005 – Latvia amends its constitution to eliminate possibility of same-sex couples being entitled to marry.
- 2005 – Introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor into USAF active service.
- 2006 – First flight of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
- 2009 – Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner makes its maiden flight from Seattle, Washington.
- 2010 – A boat carrying 90 asylum seekers crashes into rocks off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people.
Births[edit]
- 37 – Nero, Roman emperor (d. 68)
- 130 – Lucius Verus, Roman emperor (d. 169)
- 1567 – Christoph Demantius, German composer, music theorist, and poet (d. 1643)
- 1657 – Michel Richard Delalande, French composer and organist (d. 1726)
- 1686 – Jean-Joseph Fiocco, Flemish composer (d. 1746)
- 1789 – Carlos Soublette, Venezuelan general and politician, 11th President of Venezuela (d. 1870)
- 1832 – Gustave Eiffel, French engineer and architect, co-designed the Eiffel Tower (d. 1923)
- 1852 – Henri Becquerel, French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1908)
- 1859 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish doctor and linguist, creator of Esperanto (d. 1917)
- 1860 – Niels Ryberg Finsen, Faroese-Danish physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1904)
- 1860 – Abner Powell, American baseball player (d. 1953)
- 1861 – Charles Duryea, American engineer, co-founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (d. 1938)
- 1861 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, Finnish politician, 3rd President of Finland (d. 1944)
- 1863 – Arthur Dehon Little, American chemist and engineer (d. 1935)
- 1869 – Leon Marchlewski, Polish chemist (d. 1946)
- 1875 – Emilio Jacinto, Filipino journalist and revolutionary (d. 1899)
- 1878 – Hans Carossa, German author and poet (d. 1956)
- 1885 – Leonid Pitamic, Yugoslav legal philosopher and diplomat (d. 1971)
- 1888 – Maxwell Anderson, American journalist and playwright (d. 1959)
- 1892 – J. Paul Getty, American-British businessman and art collector, founded Getty Oil and the J. Paul Getty Trust (d. 1976)
- 1896 – Ann Nolan Clark, American author (d. 1995)
- 1896 – Betty Smith, American author (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Harold Abrahams, English sprinter (d. 1978)
- 1902 – Robert F. Bradford, American politician, 57th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1983)
- 1903 – Tamanishiki San'emon, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 32nd Yokozuna (d. 1938)
- 1907 – Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect, designed the United Nations Headquarters and the Cathedral of Brasília (d. 2012)
- 1908 – Swami Ranganathananda, Indian monk (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Sattar Bahlulzade, Soviet Azerbaijani painter (d. 1974)
- 1910 – John Hammond, American record producer and civil rights activist (d. 1987)
- 1911 – Nicholas P. Dallis, American psychiatrist and illustrator (d. 1991)
- 1911 – Stan Kenton, American pianist and composer (d. 1979)
- 1912 – Ray Eames, American designer (d. 1988)
- 1913 – Roger Gaudry, Canadian chemist and businessman (d. 2001)
- 1913 – Muriel Rukeyser, American poet (d. 1980)
- 1916 – Buddy Cole, American pianist (d. 1964)
- 1916 – Maurice Wilkins, New Zealand-English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
- 1917 – Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Indian-Pakistani linguist and lexicographer (d. 2005)
- 1918 – Jeff Chandler, American actor (d. 1961)
- 1919 – Max Yasgur, American farmer, owner of the Woodstock festival site (d. 1973)
- 1920 – Gamal al-Banna, Egyptian author and scholar (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Kurt Schaffenberger, American illustrator (d. 2002)
- 1921 – Alan Freed, American disc jockey (d. 1965)
- 1921 – Bob Todd, English actor (d. 1992)
- 1923 – Freeman Dyson, English-American physicist and mathematician
- 1923 – Uziel Gal, German-Israeli firearm designer, designed the Uzi gun (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Valentin Varennikov, Soviet general and politician (d. 2009)
- 1924 – Frank W. J. Olver, English-American mathematician and educator (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Kasey Rogers, American actress (d. 2006)
- 1926 – Ben Overton, American judge (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Ernest Ashworth, American singer (d. 2009)
- 1928 – Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Austrian-New Zealand painter and architect, designed the Kuchlbauer Tower and Waldspirale (d. 2000)
- 1928 – Jerry Wallace, American singer (d. 2008)
- 1929 – Barry Harris, American pianist
- 1930 – Edna O'Brien, Irish author, poet, and playwright
- 1932 – Jesse Belvin, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1960)
- 1932 – John Meurig Thomas, Welsh chemist
- 1933 – Bapu, Indian cartoonist and director
- 1933 – Tim Conway, American comedian and actor
- 1933 – Donald Woods, South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist (d. 2001)
- 1936 – Joe D'Amato, Italian director and producer (d. 1999)
- 1938 – Billy Shaw, American football player
- 1939 – Alan Armstrong, American children's author
- 1939 – Cindy Birdsong, American singer-songwriter (The Supremes and Labelle)
- 1940 – Nick Buoniconti, American football player
- 1942 – Kathleen Blanco, American politician, 54th Governor of Louisiana
- 1942 – Dave Clark, English drummer, songwriter and producer (The Dave Clark Five)
- 1943 – Lucien den Arend, Dutch sculptor
- 1944 – Jim Leyland, American baseball player and manager
- 1944 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian activist (d. 1988)
- 1945 – Thaao Penghlis, Australian actor
- 1946 – Carmine Appice, American drummer and songwriter (Vanilla Fudge, Beck, Bogert & Appice, and Cactus)
- 1946 – Art Howe, American baseball player and manager
- 1947 – Rodney Bingenheimer, American disc jockey
- 1948 – Melanie Chartoff, American actress
- 1948 – Cassandra Harris, Australian actress (d. 1991)
- 1949 – Don Johnson, American actor and singer
- 1952 – Marta DuBois, Panamanian-American actress
- 1952 – Rudi Protrudi, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Fuzztones)
- 1952 – Allan Simonsen, Danish footballer
- 1952 – Julie Taymor, American director
- 1953 – John R. Allen, American general
- 1953 – J. M. DeMatteis, American author
- 1953 – Robert Charles Wilson, American-Canadian science fiction author
- 1954 – Mark Warner, American politician, 69th Governor of Virginia
- 1955 – Paul Simonon, English singer-songwriter and bass player (The Clash and Havana 3am)
- 1956 – Tony Leon, South African politician
- 1956 – William Orbit, English keyboard player and producer (Torch Song and Bassomatic)
- 1957 – Chō, Japanese voice actor
- 1957 – Mario Marois, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1957 – Mike McAlary, American journalist (d. 1998)
- 1957 – Laura Molina, American singer, guitarist, actress, and painter
- 1957 – Tim Reynolds, German-American singer-songwriter and musician (Dave Matthews Band, TR3, and Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds)
- 1958 – Eddy Annys, Belgian high jumper
- 1958 – Carlo J. Caparas, Filipino director and producer
- 1960 – Walter Werzowa, Austrian composer and producer
- 1961 – Karin Resetarits, Austrian journalist and politician
- 1962 – Tim Gaines, Austrian bass player (Stryper and SinDizzy)
- 1963 – Ellie Cornell, American actress
- 1963 – Andrew Luster, American rapist
- 1963 – Helen Slater, American actress and singer
- 1963 – David Wingate, American basketball player
- 1963 – Norman J. Grossfeld, American screenwriter and producer
- 1966 – Carl Hooper, Guyanese cricketer
- 1966 – Manos Papayiannis, Greek model and actor
- 1966 – Molly Price, American actress
- 1967 – David Howells, English footballer
- 1967 – Ami Kawai, Japanese actress
- 1967 – Elix Skipper, American wrestler
- 1967 – Mo Vaughn, American baseball player
- 1968 – Osama Ali Maher, Egyptian-Swedish politician
- 1968 – Garrett Wang, American actor
- 1969 – Chantal Petitclerc, Canadian wheelchair racer
- 1970 – Frankie Dettori, Italian jockey
- 1970 – Lawrence Funderburke, American basketball player
- 1970 – Michael Shanks, Canadian actor
- 1971 – Clint Lowery, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Sevendust, Dark New Day, and Call Me No One)
- 1971 – Arne Quinze, Belgian painter and sculptor
- 1972 – Rodney Harrison, American football player
- 1972 – Stuart Townsend, Irish actor and director
- 1973 – Surya Bonaly, French-American figure skater
- 1973 – Ryoo Seung-wan, South Korean director, screenwriter, and actor
- 1976 – Baichung Bhutia, Indian footballer
- 1976 – Maria Kekkonen, Finnish porn actress
- 1976 – Aaron Miles, American baseball player
- 1976 – Todd Tichenor, American baseball umpire
- 1977 – Geoff Stults, American actor
- 1978 – Ned Brower, American drummer and actor (Rooney)
- 1978 – Mark Jansen, Dutch guitarist and songwriter (Epica, After Forever, and Mayan)
- 1978 – Jerome McDougle, American football player
- 1979 – Adam Brody, American actor
- 1979 – Alex Solowitz, American actor, singer, and dancer (2Ge+Her)
- 1979 – Eric Young, Canadian wrestler
- 1980 – Sergio Pizzorno, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Kasabian)
- 1980 – Manuel Wilhelm, German rugby player
- 1981 – Najoua Belyzel, French singer
- 1981 – Michelle Dockery, English actress and singer
- 1981 – Brendan Fletcher, Canadian actor
- 1981 – Andy González, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1981 – Thomas Herrion, American football player (d. 2005)
- 1981 – Creighton Lovelace, American minister
- 1981 – Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russian footballer
- 1981 – Firman Utina, Indonesian footballer
- 1982 – Charlie Cox, English actor
- 1982 – Borja García, Spanish race car driver
- 1982 – George O. Gore II, American actor
- 1982 – Tatiana Perebiynis, Ukrainian tennis player
- 1983 – Delon Armitage, Trinidadian-English rugby player
- 1983 – René Goguen, Canadian wrestler
- 1983 – Wang Hao, Chinese table tennis player
- 1983 – Ronnie Radke, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Falling in Reverse and Escape the Fate)
- 1984 – Kirsty Lee Allan, Australian actress
- 1984 – Martin Škrtel, Slovak footballer
- 1985 – Diogo Fernandes, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – Junsu, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor (TVXQ and JYJ)
- 1986 – Iveta Mazáčová, Czech sprinter
- 1986 – Snejana Onopka, Ukrainian model
- 1988 – Emily Head, English actress
- 1994 – Emma Lockhart, American actress
- 1997 – Magdalena Fręch, Polish tennis player
- 1998 – Chandler Canterbury, American actor
Deaths[edit]
- 1025 – Basil II, Byzantine emperor (b. 958)
- 1072 – Alp Arslan, Turkish sultan (b. 1029)
- 1230 – Ottokar I of Bohemia (b. 1155)
- 1598 – Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde, Flemish-Dutch politician (b. 1538)
- 1621 – Charles d'Albert, duc de Luynes, French courtier, Constable of France (b. 1578)
- 1673 – Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, English writer and scientist (b. 1623)
- 1675 – Johannes Vermeer, Dutch painter (b. 1632)
- 1683 – Izaak Walton, English author and angler (b. 1593)
- 1688 – Gaspar Fagel, Dutch politician (b. 1634)
- 1715 – George Hickes, English minister and scholar (b. 1642)
- 1753 – Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, English architect, designed Chiswick House (b. 1694)
- 1792 – Joseph Martin Kraus, Swedish composer (b. 1756)
- 1855 – Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician (b. 1803)
- 1878 – Alfred Bird, English chemist and manufacturer, invented baking powder (b. 1811)
- 1890 – Sitting Bull, Lakota-American tribal chief (b. 1831)
- 1943 – Fats Waller, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1904)
- 1944 – Glenn Miller, American bandleader and composer (b. 1904)
- 1947 – Arthur Machen, Welsh author (b. 1863)
- 1950 – Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian politician, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India (b. 1875)
- 1953 – Robert Stangland, American jumper (b. 1881)
- 1958 – Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900)
- 1962 – Charles Laughton, English actor (b. 1899)
- 1965 – M. Balasundaram, Ceylonese Tamil politician, MP for Kopay (b. 1903)
- 1966 – Walt Disney, American animator, director, screenwriter, producer and actor, co-founded the Walt Disney Company (b. 1901)
- 1968 – Antonio Barrette, Canadian politician, 18th Premier of Quebec (b. 1899)
- 1968 – Jess Willard, American boxer (b. 1881)
- 1969 – Karl Theodor Bleek, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1898)
- 1971 – Paul Lévy, French mathematician (b. 1886)
- 1974 – Anatole Litvak, Russian-American director, screenwriter and producer (b. 1902)
- 1977 – Wilfred Kitching, English evangelist, 7th General of the Salvation Army (b. 1893)
- 1978 – Chill Wills, American actor (b. 1903)
- 1984 – Lennard Pearce, English actor (b. 1915)
- 1984 – Jan Peerce, American tenor (b. 1904)
- 1985 – Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, Mauritian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Mauritius (b. 1900)
- 1989 – Arnold Moss, American actor (b. 1910)
- 1989 – Edward Underdown, English actor (b. 1908)
- 1991 – Vasily Zaytsev, Soviet sniper, Hero of the Soviet Union (b. 1915)
- 1993 – William Dale Phillips, American chemist (b. 1925)
- 2000 – Haris Brkić, Yugoslav basketball player (b. 1974)
- 2001 – Russ Haas, American wrestler (b. 1974)
- 2001 – Rufus Thomas, American singer and comedian (b. 1917)
- 2003 – George Fisher, American cartoonist (b. 1923)
- 2003 – Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1947)
- 2004 – Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan politician, Speaker of Parliament (b. 1943)
- 2004 – Pauline LaFon Gore, American lawyer (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Heinrich Gross, Austrian physician (b. 1914)
- 2005 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, Iranian Bahá'í (b. 1946)
- 2005 – William Proxmire, American politician, Senator from Wisconsin (b. 1915)
- 2005 – Darrell Russell, American football player (b. 1976)
- 2006 – Clay Regazzoni, Swiss race car driver (b. 1939)
- 2006 – Mary Stolz, American children's author (b. 1920)
- 2007 – John Berg, American actor (b. 1949)
- 2007 – Julia Carson, American politician (b. 1938)
- 2008 – León Febres Cordero, Ecuadorian politician, 46th President of Ecuador (b. 1931)
- 2009 – Oral Roberts, American televangelist, founded Oral Roberts University (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Blake Edwards, American director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Bob Feller, American baseball player (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Eugene Victor Wolfenstein, American psychoanalyst and social theorist (b. 1940)
- 2011 – Bob Brookmeyer, American trombone player and composer (The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra) (b. 1929)
- 2011 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American journalist and essayist (b. 1949)
- 2011 – Frank X. McDermott, American politician (b. 1924)
- 2011 – Jason Richards, New Zealand race car driver (b. 1976)
- 2012 – Owoye Andrew Azazi, Nigerian general (b. 1952)
- 2012 – Páidí Ó Sé, Irish footballer and manager (b. 1955)
- 2012 – Ralph Pampena, American police officer, 21st Police Chief of Pittsburgh (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Nigerian politician, Governor of Kaduna State (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Olga Zubarry, Argentinian actress (b. 1929)
- 2027 – Clay Terran, Astronaut (b. 2004)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Bill of Rights Day (United States)
- Christian feast day:
- Consualia, in honor of Consus. (Roman Empire)
- Homecoming Day (Alderney)
- Kingdom Day (Netherlands)
- Remembrance Day of Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty (Russia)
- Zamenhof Day (International Esperanto Community)
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.””Luke 1:26-28 NIV
===
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"They go from strength to strength."
Psalm 84:7
Psalm 84:7
They go from strength to strength. There are various renderings of these words, but all of them contain the idea of progress.
Our own good translation of the authorized version is enough for us this morning. "They go from strength to strength." That is, they grow stronger and stronger. Usually, if we are walking, we go from strength to weakness; we start fresh and in good order for our journey, but by-and-by the road is rough, and the sun is hot, we sit down by the wayside, and then again painfully pursue our weary way. But the Christian pilgrim having obtained fresh supplies of grace, is as vigorous after years of toilsome travel and struggle as when he first set out. He may not be quite so elate and buoyant, nor perhaps quite so hot and hasty in his zeal as he once was, but he is much stronger in all that constitutes real power, and travels, if more slowly, far more surely. Some gray-haired veterans have been as firm in their grasp of truth, and as zealous in diffusing it, as they were in their younger days; but, alas, it must be confessed it is often otherwise, for the love of many waxes cold and iniquity abounds, but this is their own sin and not the fault of the promise which still holds good: "The youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." Fretful spirits sit down and trouble themselves about the future. "Alas!" say they, "we go from affliction to affliction." Very true, O thou of little faith, but then thou goest from strength to strength also. Thou shalt never find a bundle of affliction which has not bound up in the midst of it sufficient grace. God will give the strength of ripe manhood with the burden allotted to full-grown shoulders.
Evening
"I am crucified with Christ."
Galatians 2:20
Galatians 2:20
The Lord Jesus Christ acted in what he did as a great public representative person, and his dying upon the cross was the virtual dying of all his people. Then all his saints rendered unto justice what was due, and made an expiation to divine vengeance for all their sins. The apostle of the Gentiles delighted to think that as one of Christ's chosen people, he died upon the cross in Christ. He did more than believe this doctrinally, he accepted it confidently, resting his hope upon it. He believed that by virtue of Christ's death, he had satisfied divine justice, and found reconciliation with God. Beloved, what a blessed thing it is when the soul can, as it were, stretch itself upon the cross of Christ, and feel, "I am dead; the law has slain me, and I am therefore free from its power, because in my Surety I have borne the curse, and in the person of my Substitute the whole that the law could do, by way of condemnation, has been executed upon me, for I am crucified with Christ."
But Paul meant even more than this. He not only believed in Christ's death, and trusted in it, but he actually felt its power in himself in causing the crucifixion of his old corrupt nature. When he saw the pleasures of sin, he said, "I cannot enjoy these: I am dead to them." Such is the experience of every true Christian. Having received Christ, he is to this world as one who is utterly dead. Yet, while conscious of death to the world, he can, at the same time, exclaim with the apostle, "Nevertheless I live." He is fully alive unto God. The Christian's life is a matchless riddle. No worldling can comprehend it; even the believer himself cannot understand it. Dead, yet alive! crucified with Christ, and yet at the same time risen with Christ in newness of life! Union with the suffering, bleeding Saviour, and death to the world and sin, are soul-cheering things. O for more enjoyment of them!
===
Today's reading: Joel 1-3, Revelation 5 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Joel 1-3
1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel.
An Invasion of Locusts
2 Hear this, you elders;
listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?
3 Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.
4 What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts have eaten.
listen, all who live in the land.
Has anything like this ever happened in your days
or in the days of your ancestors?
3 Tell it to your children,
and let your children tell it to their children,
and their children to the next generation.
4 What the locust swarm has left
the great locusts have eaten;
what the great locusts have left
the young locusts have eaten;
what the young locusts have left
other locusts have eaten.
5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep!
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;
it has the teeth of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vines
and ruined my fig trees.
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white....
Wail, all you drinkers of wine;
wail because of the new wine,
for it has been snatched from your lips.
6 A nation has invaded my land,
a mighty army without number;
it has the teeth of a lion,
the fangs of a lioness.
7 It has laid waste my vines
and ruined my fig trees.
It has stripped off their bark
and thrown it away,
leaving their branches white....
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 5
The Scroll and the Lamb
1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals...."
===
Elias, Elijah [Ĕlī'as,Ĕlī'jah]—god is jehovah or god himself.
1. Elias is the Greek form of Elijah(Matt. 11:14). Elijah the Tishbite is the grandest and most romantic character Israel ever produced (1 Kings 17; 18; 19).
The Man Who Had No Fear of Man
No career in the Old Testament is more vividly portrayed, or has as much fascination as that of the unique character of Elijah. The New Testament attests to his greatness and reveals what an indelible impression he made upon the mind of his nation. All we know of him before his dramatic appearance can be summed up in the words: “Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead” ( 1 Kings 17:1). Scripture is silent about his past history. Suddenly and with abrupt impetuosity the figure of the prophet bursts upon the scene to rebuke the godless and to reawaken and restore the nation of which he was a part. This man of iron is presented in many ways:
As a fearless, bold and dauntless reformer (1 Kings 18:17-46).
As a rebuker of kings ( 1 Kings 21:20; 2 Kings 1:16).
As a mighty intercessor, praying with faith and intensity (1 Kings 17:20, 22; 18:36-38; Jas. 5:17).
As a man prone to discouragement (1 Kings 19:4).
As one capable of fallible judgment ( 1 Kings 19:4, 18).
As a prophet divinely honored (2 Kings 2:11; Matt. 17:3).
As a performer of miracles ( 1 Kings 19:8).
As a God-inspired prophet ready to obey and trust God (1 Kings 17:1; 21:9-24; 2 Kings 1:2-17).
As a saint whose end was glorious (2 Kings 2:1).
Both mystery and majesty are associated with Elijah, the mightiest of the prophets. His history in 1 Kings can be appropriately studied under five prepositions:
Before Ahab (1 Kings 17:1). When God commands us to speak, no thought of peril need make us dumb.
By Cherith (1 Kings 17:2-7 ). Faith moves on, trusting that when the first step is taken the next will be revealed.
At Zarephath (1 Kings 17:10, 24). Elijah was miraculously fed on three occasions—by ravens (1 Kings 17:6); by a widow ( 1 Kings 17:9); by an angel (1 Kings 19:5-8).
On Carmel (1 Kings 18). Here we see the power of a fully surrendered man.
In the wilderness (1 Kings 19 ). The overwrought prophet suffered a lapse of confidence, but was quickly restored.
Elijah, the rugged prophet, suggests John the Baptist, who came in the same spirit and power of the prophet.
Note these points of correspondence:
Their familiarity with the deserts and solitude.
Their austere manner and dress.
Their strong reproof of prevailing evils.
Their intrepid fidelity in calling all classes to repentance.
Their exposure of the wrath of a wicked king.
Their continued influence after death through disciples.
Their fruitful labors. “Many of the children of Israel did they turn to the Lord their God.”
2. A son of Harim who married a foreign wife during the exile (Ezra 10:21).
3. A Benjamite and son of Jeroham, resident at Jerusalem (1 Chron. 8:27 RV).
4. An Israelite induced to put away his foreign wife. (Ezra 10:26).
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COUNSELOR
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6
"What is the baby's name?" The people in Bethlehem who had heard of a baby born in a stable must have stopped by to talk to Mary or Joseph. Mary and Joseph voiced the name they themselves had not chosen: Jesus. But hundreds of years earlier, other names had already been announced for the Anointed One. Among them, Isaiah spoke of one who would be called Wonderful Counselor.
What was a "counselor" in biblical times? It was one of the roles of a king or other highly placed official, the task of being wise and judicious in the most difficult questions, the most complicated negotiations, and the most intractable problems. The counsel of the king was supreme. But it was not infallible. We know there is good counsel and there is poor counsel.
The one born of a virgin would be called Wonderful Counselor. Now that is something different. The Hebrew word for "wonderful" means something out of the ordinary, clearly different, beyond human explanation. It is the knowledge described in Psalm 139:1-6: O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
When we contemplate the nativity of Jesus, we cannot help but be full of wonder. This is how God came to us, and it is wonderful because Jesus gives us an unclouded vision of what our lives are supposed to be-good counsel. He instructed us with words of wisdom. He exemplified, for us, what it looks like to lead a life devoted to the Father. Yet, how often do we really heed this treasured council? How might we live more consciously in light of the example he set forth?
Prayer for Today:
Lord I need your counsel in every area of my life. As I think about my family, friends, work, and decisions-I know I need to be smart beyond what is humanly possible to be smart. So please help me listen to you this Christmas as the only one who is the Wonderful Counselor.
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