Andrew Bolt writes about the injustice surrounding his silencing. His case is compelling. Those endorsing the law abused to silence him, are wrong. A scandal is evident over media silence regarding the AWU affair. Australia is losing its' car industry, and that is because of that kind of corruption. Unions have finally killed their host, and the parasites will fall about, dying slowly. Official silence over a hand waver pretending to sign for a hand wringer pretending to care. Evidence gathers for the young of today being a stolen generation denied access to the truth. As the UN encourages suicide bombers by children, child abuse by so called Palestinians raising children to attack police, the UN wants to stop good parents from raising their children with respect and love.
===
Happy birthday and many happy returns to those born on this day, across the years
- 1298 – Albert II, Duke of Austria (d. 1358)
- 1724 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral (d. 1816)
- 1731 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and poet (d. 1802)
- 1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French author (d. 1880)
- 1849 – William Kissam Vanderbilt, American businessman and horse breeder (d. 1920)
- 1881 – Harry Warner, Polish-American businessman, co-founded Warner Bros. (d. 1958)
- 1900 – Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (d. 1988)
- 1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998)
- 1927 – Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-invented the microchip and co-founded the Intel Corporation (d. 1990)
- 1937 – Michael Jeffery, Australian politician and army officer, 24th Governor-General of Australia
- 1938 – Connie Francis, American singer
- 1970 – Jennifer Connelly, American actress
- 1991 – Daniel Magder, Canadian actor
Matches
- 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persianforces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
- 1408 – The Order of the Dragon a monarchical chivalric order is created by Sigismund of Luxembourg, then King of Hungary.
- 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant – A British fleet led by HMS Victory defeats a French fleet.
- 1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [***] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
- 1935 – Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
- 1937 – Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident – Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze Riverin China.
- 1941 – Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery
- 1950 – Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
- 2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
Despatches
- 884 – Carloman II, King of West Francia (b. 866)
- 1685 – John Pell, English mathematician (b. 1610)
- 1889 – Robert Browning, English poet (b. 1812)
- 1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (b. 1883)
- 1999 – Joseph Heller, American author (b. 1923)
ACTUAL RAPE VICTIMS MAY DISAGREE
Tim Blair – Thursday, December 12, 2013 (11:32am)
According to John Birmingham:
The harmless and largely inoffensive ABC … has become the target of right wing gang rapists.
John has such a delicate way with metaphors.
UPDATE. Birmingham’s line is now re-written:
The harmless and largely inoffensive ABC … has become the target of the right wing.
Interesting.
DIFFERENT DAY
Tim Blair – Thursday, December 12, 2013 (5:21am)
Upset by criticism of her mistaken belief that the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in South African colours to mark Nelson Mandela’s death, Lisa Wilkinson responds:
Check your own facts. Eiffel Tower WAS lit up to honour Mandela. Just on a different day.
Brilliant! The Wilkinson Gambit works for just about every incorrect claim you can imagine:
• Labor DID win the federal election. Just on a different day.
• Tim Flannery was RIGHT about rain not falling. Just on a different day.
• Peter FitzSimons DOES have hair. Just on a different day.
Readers are invited to offer their own variations on Lisa’s inventive excuse.
OFFICIAL SOURCE
Tim Blair – Thursday, December 12, 2013 (5:10am)
Seven months ago an enraged Islamic fellow stood in a London street and told the world that he’d slaughtered a British soldier in the name of Allah. Many in the media, particularly at the ABC, refused to listen. Even though the blood-drenched murderer cited the Koran, ABC types remained in denial:
“Where is your primary and official source that these crimes were carried out in the name of Islam … ?”“What proof do you have that these crimes were even carried out by a Muslim man or in the name of the religion?”“The ABC does not exist to inflame racial tensions like Tim Blair.”
The accused killer is now on trial:
The Islamist fanatic accused of murdering soldier Lee Rigby told a court he “loves” al Qaeda and considers the terror group “his brothers in Islam”.Michael Adebolajo, 28, also told the Old Bailey jury that he was a “soldier of Allah” and that he had no regrets over the killing because he was obeying his god.Asked who al Qaeda were by his counsel, David Gottlieb, Adebolajo replied: “Al Qaeda, I consider to be Mujahideen. I love them, they’re my brothers. I have never met them. I consider them my brothers in Islam.”He added: “Mujahideen are the army of Allah.”
Finally, the ABC seems to hear him.
AXIS OF ADAMS
Tim Blair – Thursday, December 12, 2013 (4:45am)
“Miranda Devine admits to an error,” gloats Phillip Adams. “Earth stops on its axis.”
This is unseemly. Devine apologised for her error and corrected it within hours. By contrast, let’s see how the clock is ticking on just a few of Phil’s historic howlers:
• Adams presents Washington Post column extracts as though they came from his ABC program. Time waiting for a correction: 11 years and one month.
• Adams relocates GM headquarters from Detroit to New York. Time waiting for a correction: Ten years and four months.
• Plastic turkey. Time waiting for a correction: Nine years and 11 months.
• Adams becomes utterly bewildered about Ralph Nader, at one point committing two errors within four words. Time waiting for a correction: Five years.
And then there was this Adams claim, from 2007:
One of my most chilling experiences on this programme ever was a long interview I did with Helen Demidenko, which made my blood freeze.
That interview never happened. In a rare semi-correction, Adams dismissed his blunder as a mere senior moment.
SUE YOUR OWN PARTY
Tim Blair – Thursday, December 12, 2013 (4:38am)
Sarah Hanson-Young is currently suing Zoo Weekly for publishing an image of the Greens senator’s face photoshopped on to the body of a bikini model. According to a NSW Supreme Court judge, the image is “reasonably capable” of exposing Hanson-Young to ridicule.
Yet Hanson-Young’s own party has created similar artistic works, presenting the senator in a wholly unrealistic and comically sexualised way:
The case continues.
The case continues.
WORLD’S OLDEST MAN
Tim Blair – Thursday, December 12, 2013 (4:20am)
According to Google, former Test batsman Doug Walters is about to celebrate his 168th birthday:
Not bad for a bloke with a long-term smoking hobby.
Not bad for a bloke with a long-term smoking hobby.
(Via reader Dave, who notes that Walters “was actually 117 when he debuted for NSW, if Google is to be believed. Bit of a late starter but he made the most of it.")
FULL NELSON
Tim Blair – Thursday, December 12, 2013 (4:16am)
I may be in trouble:
A shop boss was arrested and quizzed by police for eight hours for cracking Nelson Mandela jokes on the internet.Neil Phillips said he was fingerprinted, DNA-swabbed and had his computers seized.The 44-year-old was held after posting: “My PC takes so long to shut down I’ve decided to call it Nelson Mandela.”
Not a great gag, but he didn’t deserve the complete Robben Island treatment.
Mark Leibler responds. The law may have been “misapplied” against me and the slur was “outrageous”
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (8:47am)
Mark Leibler is one of
the Jewish leaders fighting reforms to the Racial Discrimination Act
under which I had two articles banned.
He yesterday responded to two blog posts in which I criticised Jewish community leaders - although not the community itself - for not just supporting an illiberal law, but for trashing principle and me personally.
My points were:
But I appreciate Mark’s frankness and goodwill, and hold him in the same esteem he professes for me. I particularly appreciate him now revealing publicly what I did not know even privately. As he puts it:
(I have written on this issue in the upcoming Spectator. That article was written before I got Mark’s email.)
UPDATE
On reflection, i can’t let my gratitude to Mark stop me from making some points. I feel Mark has avoided the real issue. The verdict against me was not merely a case of the law being misapplied. The law itself is so recklessly broad that it encouraged this very process and arguably this very verdict. It is for that reason, I believe, that not one of the Jewish community leaders who told me privately they opposed the outcome said so publicly or spoke in my defence. To have done so would have been to concede the law did indeed need reform.
Professor Sinclair Davidson:
===He yesterday responded to two blog posts in which I criticised Jewish community leaders - although not the community itself - for not just supporting an illiberal law, but for trashing principle and me personally.
My points were:
- Several prominent Jewish spokesmen had privately told me they disagreed with the verdict and even the breadth of the Racial Discrimination Act, if used to silence even me, yet not one of those spokesmen had ever said so publicly. It was as if though by conceding an injustice, they risked losing a law they thought useful. I was, in my phrase, “collateral damage”.Leibler has now responded. I disagree with points he makes and vehemently disagree with his attack on our free speech. I wish he’d gone further in denouncing the verdict against me, which I think makes the case for reform of the RDA unanswerable.
- Not a single Jewish spokesman had publicly condemned Ron Merkel QC for telling the Jewish judge in my case that my thinking in the article was of the kind that the Nazis had in drawing up the Nuremberg race laws, (Danny Lamm, however, did offer to speak on my behalf.) I thought this vile slur, explosive in the context of my case, was not just a gross misuse of the victims of the Holocaust, but was false and known to be false by the many members of the Jewish community, who knew me to be one of the most prominent media defenders of Israel and the Jewish community generally. It seemed to me, again, that my reputation was collateral damage in a fight to preserve (unjust) laws.
- I was alarmed that my personal reputation was further being attacked by people who should know better. One very prominent Jewish leader (certainly not Leibler) had even suggested I believed in the “Jewish conspiracy”. I warned that phrasing the debate over the RDA as between racists and non-racists was not just false and offensive, but would damage the standing of someone many Jews felt was useful in defending them publicly.
- These laws would eventually be turned against Jews and those who criticised Islam.
But I appreciate Mark’s frankness and goodwill, and hold him in the same esteem he professes for me. I particularly appreciate him now revealing publicly what I did not know even privately. As he puts it:
It is my view that your column which formed the subject matter of the court case was misconceived. However, there is a respectable legal argument that in fact the judge misapplied the relevant test in your case. I also agree that the analogy used by the barrister in your case was absolutely misconceived and outrageous. Moreover, I have communicated this to him and others and this is no secret.But I won’t go on. I’ve made my case before, and I want Mark to now put his own:
Dear Andrew,Again, I am grateful to Mark for going as far as he did. I wish he’d gone much further, but the difference between us is one of opinion and not respect.
I refer to your recent blogs on 6 and 9 December 2013 in relation to the proposed repeal of S.18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and the Jewish Community.
Let me begin by emphasizing that I regard you as a friend of the Jewish community and hold you in high regard. And may I also add that there are occasions when I have some pretty fundamental disagreements on important issues with people who I would regard as friends. I admire many of your articles, op-eds and blogs on a range of issues, in particular relating to lsrael. They are also admired overwhelmingly within the Jewish community. That does not mean that we will not have differences of opinion with you on specific issues.
I strongly disagree with the views which you articulate from time to time in relation to indigenous affairs. It is my view that your column which formed the subject matter of the court case was misconceived. However, there is a respectable legal argument that in fact the judge misapplied the relevant test in your case. I also agree that the analogy used by the barrister in your case was absolutely misconceived and outrageous. Moreover, I have communicated this to him and others and this is no secret.
The fact that you have a particular view in relation to S.18C of the Racial Discrimination Act cloes not make you an enemy of, or in any way hostile to, the Jewish community. lt certainly does not put you in the category of people who are racist or have any form of racial bias. I have never ever suggested or even hinted otherwise and the same is the case for AIJAC ancl all other responsible Jewish organisations that I am aware of. In fact, many of us are very strongly supportive of some - but not necessarily all - causes that you take up in your columns.
You are, of course, entitled to clisagree with the views of Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz recently published in The Australian. However, to suggest that this article in some way sanctions the ”vilification of people” like yourself or amounts to “publicly insulting” you is, frankly, impossible for me to comprehend. There is nothing in this article which in any way makes you “collateral damage” in the Jewish community’s efforts to persuade the government not to repeal S.18C, albeit, that there is justification for a review. The article by Meyerowitz-Katz concedes that the decision in your case was “controversial” as distinct from almost 20 years of positive outcomes in other cases.
Andrew, I will maintain - and responsible Jewish community organisations will maintain - opposition to the wholesale repeal of S.l8C of the Racial Discrimination Act. This is not in any way directed at you. It ought not to be regarded as damaging to you and it is certainly neither offensive to you or intended to be offensive to you.
I have no problem about the views which I have communicated in this letter being made public. If you so desire, feel free to publish this letter on your blog.
Warm regards.
Mark Leibler
(I have written on this issue in the upcoming Spectator. That article was written before I got Mark’s email.)
UPDATE
On reflection, i can’t let my gratitude to Mark stop me from making some points. I feel Mark has avoided the real issue. The verdict against me was not merely a case of the law being misapplied. The law itself is so recklessly broad that it encouraged this very process and arguably this very verdict. It is for that reason, I believe, that not one of the Jewish community leaders who told me privately they opposed the outcome said so publicly or spoke in my defence. To have done so would have been to concede the law did indeed need reform.
Professor Sinclair Davidson:
Well Mark Leibler of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council has written to Andrew Bolt – but again only providing private assurance – although he is happy for the letter to be republished on his blog…
Wow. Really? I would have though that the same letter published in the Jewish News or on the op-ed page of The Australian would be far more powerful; that would be a show of public support.
So here is the story. First Leibler throws Judge Mordecai Bromberg to the wolves:
… there is a respectable legal argument that in fact the judge misapplied the relevant test in your case.So we have a bad law on our hands? Or a judge who wouldn’t apply the law? Or both? Regrettably Leibler doesn’t explore this point. Given his continued support for 18C, I suspect this is a criticism of Bromberg.
Then Leibler has a go at Ron Merkel:
I also agree that the analogy used by the barrister in your case was absolutely misconceived and outrageous. Moreover, I have communicated this to him and others and this is no secret.Good. Yet the operative word here is “secret”. Who knew? Perhaps this criticism was reported in the media – I haven’t seen it.
Then Leibler throws Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz to the wolves.
You are, of course, entitled to disagree with the views of Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz recently published in The Australian. However, to suggest that this article in some way sanctions the “vilification of people” like yourself or amounts to “publicly insulting” you is, frankly, impossible for me to comprehend.Let’s go to the tape. What did Meyerowitz-Katz say?
If people genuinely think it should be legal for Australians to harass others on the basis of race, then they are welcome to make that argument. What’s troubling about the anti-18C campaign is its dishonesty…Yep – reads like he is saying that anyone opposed to 18C is a racist. Frankly, it’s impossible for me to comprehend how that’s publicly insulting too.
But then, being honest about 18C makes it harder to spin the provision as a threat to free speech, and nobody wants to openly defend racial harassment. Do they?
The bottom line:
Andrew, I will maintain – and responsible Jewish community organisations will maintain – opposition to the wholesale repeal of S.l8C of the Racial Discrimination Act. This is not in any way directed at you. It ought not to be regarded as damaging to you and it is certainly neither offensive to you or intended to be offensive to you.But for the small matter of a court judgement and being described as “some sort of neo-Nazi planning a holocaust” this isn’t about Andrew Bolt at all.
To be fair to Mark Leibler, friends can agree to disagree and this is how he sees the issue. Friends who agree 99 per cent of the time work on the 99 per cent and work around the 1 per cent. I can’t see this as a 1 per cent issue. This is a fork in the road. Those who choose to walk down the path of 18C must do so alone, without the comfort and friendship of those of us who choose freedom over slavery.
The real scandal is how the media ran dead on the AWU scandal
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (8:40am)
VICTORIA’S chief magistrate this week shamed the journalists who’d protected former prime minister Julia Gillard.
He disgraced media outlets which claimed for years there was nothing in the Australian Workers Union scandal.
So I wasn’t surprised by the coverage magistrate Peter Lauritsen got when he ruled on Monday that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that legal documents - many prepared or overseen by Gillard as a solicitor - were “in furtherance of the commission of a fraud or an offence” by her then boyfriend and unnamed “others”.
Coverage from Fairfax’s Age newspaper? None.
Coverage from key ABC current affairs shows such as 7.30 and Lateline? None.
Maybe they were too embarrassed. You see, there are two scandals here.
(Read full article here.)
===He disgraced media outlets which claimed for years there was nothing in the Australian Workers Union scandal.
So I wasn’t surprised by the coverage magistrate Peter Lauritsen got when he ruled on Monday that there were reasonable grounds to suspect that legal documents - many prepared or overseen by Gillard as a solicitor - were “in furtherance of the commission of a fraud or an offence” by her then boyfriend and unnamed “others”.
Coverage from Fairfax’s Age newspaper? None.
Coverage from key ABC current affairs shows such as 7.30 and Lateline? None.
Maybe they were too embarrassed. You see, there are two scandals here.
(Read full article here.)
Damned hypocrites and Gillard’s police
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (8:33am)
Niki
Savva finally gets a squeak out of the misogyny police who’d screamed
the house down when Julia Gillard got the kind of abuse now hurled at
Christopher Pyne:
===On Friday evening, November 29 ... someone with the moniker Ghost of PJK tweeted a picture of Christopher Pyne with a text message saying: “As the NSW Education Minister rails against the Gonski betrayal, Pyne is smugly loitering. What a c..t.”(Thanks to reader Peter.)
ACT Education Minister Joy Burch pressed three buttons to retweet the picture and text that same night…
Canberra Liberals say Burch’s retweet was still around last Wednesday evening, December 4… Friday, a week after her retweet, Burch rang Pyne’s office, spoke to his chief of staff, Meredith Jackson, and apologised.
Burch, a tweeter of four years standing, assured Jackson it was “an accident” and said she hadn’t really focused on what the tweet said, and when she realised she deleted it almost instantly…
Burch did not return a call seeking to clear up aspects of her story, including the apparent discrepancy between her claim she had immediately deleted the retweet and its appearance onscreen days later…
(I)f it had been a Liberal minister, man or woman, who had retweeted such a crude sentiment… Labor women would have been apopleptic. So on Tuesday I emailed three of them...(Tanya) Plibersek kept her apoplexy in check with seven words: “That kind of language is clearly inappropriate.”
(Kate) Ellis did slightly better: “I understand it was an accident, but she was right to apologise for it. Twitter is a world of far too much abuse, vulgarity and bullying at times, and it shouldn’t be encouraged.”
(Penny) Wong said she only became aware of the tweet through the media, it was obviously inappropriate and it was right that Burch had apologised.
Under Labor’s watch, Mitsubishi and Ford failed, Holden foundered, Qantas faltered, debt ballooned and education standards fell. Hypocrisy flourished.
That’s it. No more nice guy. Taking on rogue unions
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (8:27am)
Good for the country - and good for the Liberals, who need to realise the best form of defence is attack:
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.)
===THE Abbott government will establish a royal commission into union malfeasance in the new year.The Liberals should today make an issue of the Toyota union vote as well.
Terms of reference are under development but The Australian understands the inquiry will focus on slush funds and examine union financial management and financial control…
The royal commission replaces an election commitment for a judicial inquiry into the Australian Workers Union. Government sources said it would be inappropriate to proceed in this direction, given current court action involving the one-time boyfriend of former prime minister Julia Gillard, Bruce Wilson, and the operation of the AWU Workplace Reform Association in the early 1990s.
The Australian understands the commission will have wide-ranging powers.Sources indicated it could cause severe embarrassment for a range of senior Labor figures.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.)
The answer isn’t more subsidies but saner unions
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (8:15am)
We have paid Holden
annual subsidies amounting to more than $50,000 a year per worker, but
high costs still killed it - and especially the high costs imposed by
unions.
Now the unions at Toyota, also subsidised, seem hell-bent on killing our last car-maker, too. Grace Collier:
===Now the unions at Toyota, also subsidised, seem hell-bent on killing our last car-maker, too. Grace Collier:
Now that Holden has announced its departure, we need to consider the Toyota situation, which will come to a head with a vote on its enterprise agreement tomorrow. In September 2011, thousands of Toyota workers went on a protracted strike to get a 12 per cent pay rise. The company caved in; a deal with a 13 per cent pay rise between then and March 2015 was given. Base rates for technical and trade workers are in the $65,000 to $97,000 range with generous allowances, loadings and penalties on top.
The Toyota enterprise agreement lists its “purpose” as “to achieve TMCA’s success as a Global Company” yet no single business contract could guarantee its failure more. This document, as much as Holden’s, reflects an extraordinary level of union control over daily workplace organisation.
When Toyota wants to hire someone, a union (employee) representative must sit in every single job interview as “an observer”.... A table in the agreement sets out exactly how many union representatives the company has to have in every section of the workplace and 10 paid union training days a year is given to union reps.
Toyota is allowed to hire casuals only from “time to time” and not at all without union agreement, although agreement must not be “unreasonably withheld”. Casuals can perform only the “agreed specified tasks” for the “agreed specified period” mandated by the union. “The maximum period for which a Casual Employee can work continuously on a full-time basis is one month” and any casual around for six months must be made a permanent employee.
Contract labour can be hired only after Toyota reaches “agreement with the relevant Union official and Employee (union) Representative”. Contractors around for 12 months must be made permanent employees.
This means Toyota can never really have a hiring freeze but are continually bound to a destructive cycle of taking people on before eventually having to make them redundant....
Over-staffing must be a big problem because the agreement mandates one team leader to look after “between 5-7 process workers”. Supervisors, whose base rates range from $75,000 to $103,000, are forbidden from helping with workloads…
If Toyota needs to dismiss someone, an outrageous procedure of at least three years and three months continuous disciplinary action is required before dismissal can occur. This defies belief.
Not drowning, just waving to his friends
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (8:09am)
I think he was signing: “Look at me! I’m standing next to celebrities!”:
===A MAN who provided sign language interpretation for Barack Obama and other dignitaries at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was “a fake”, according to multiple sign language experts.
Bruno Druchen, the national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, said the man, seen next to the US president and other world leaders, “was moving his hands around but there was no meaning in what he used his hands for.”
“He’s a complete fraud,” said Cara Loening, director of Sign Language Education and Development in Cape Town.
All we got for our Holden subsidies were lies
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (8:07am)
HOLDEN has confirmed it is closing in four years, so someone lied to us.
Just last year the Gillard Government - aided by South Australia and Victoria - handed Holden another $275 million.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard told us our cash won this guarantee: “Holden will be here in Australia producing cars for at least the next 10 years.”
Complete bull. GM Holden announced it would in fact stop making cars in Australia in 2017.
That’s five years earlier than we were guaranteed by our last handout to Holden, which has had more than $2 billion worth of them over 12 years.
Still, the announcement was the most honest news we’ve had for a long time.
(Read full article here.)
===Just last year the Gillard Government - aided by South Australia and Victoria - handed Holden another $275 million.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard told us our cash won this guarantee: “Holden will be here in Australia producing cars for at least the next 10 years.”
Complete bull. GM Holden announced it would in fact stop making cars in Australia in 2017.
That’s five years earlier than we were guaranteed by our last handout to Holden, which has had more than $2 billion worth of them over 12 years.
Still, the announcement was the most honest news we’ve had for a long time.
(Read full article here.)
Jim Spigelman surely can’t think conservatives are so stupid. Or is the ABC too biased to save?
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (7:37am)
The answer to Greg Sheridan’s rhetorical question is yes:
Interestingly, Spigelman did concede that episodes of bias occur in ABC news and current affairs, but he claims the problem is not systemic. That, frankly, is ridiculous. Surely no one seriously contests that the culture across almost all ABC radio and TV programs remotely concerned with politics is centre-left and beyond.
===Surely it is almost beyond parody that the ABC intends to prove it is not biased in its news and current affairs by appointing a BBC journalist to conduct an audit.I cannot believe that ABC chairman Jim Spigelman, a former judge, is this stupid or takes the rest of us to be even more stupid to accept it. I can only assume he does not have the heart or the strength to be frank:
Interestingly, Spigelman did concede that episodes of bias occur in ABC news and current affairs, but he claims the problem is not systemic. That, frankly, is ridiculous. Surely no one seriously contests that the culture across almost all ABC radio and TV programs remotely concerned with politics is centre-left and beyond.
If not, perhaps Spigelman could point to the two hours a night of national radio broadcasts by a centre-right figure to match Phillip Adams. Or he might inform us of the centre-right presenter of Media Watch to match all the centre-left presenters? Or the centre-right equivalent of Jonathan Green and all the others.Bias matters. As Sheridan notes, the ABC’s excuses for leaking stolen intelligence secrets about our spying are informed by bias:
The ... ABC made foolish and offensive arguments.Sheridan then lets rip at ABC types ...
For example, ABC managing director Mark Scott equated the story to the revelations a few years ago that officials of the AWB allegedly had paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq to secure wheat sales. And the ABC’s director of news, Kate Torney, characterised the story as being about an “abuse of power” by Australian intelligence agencies.
In a fascinating piece in last Saturday’s Weekend Financial Review, Christopher Joye quoted an unnamed but “very senior” Australian defence official as saying: “The ABC continues to report that routine and lawful Australian Signals Directorate operations are a scandal....”
Labor blames world factors for Ford closing, the Liberals for Holden closing
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (7:00am)
Spot the difference.
May 2013:
Hypocrites.
And deceivers. Ford and Holden both blame, among other things, high local costs.
===May 2013:
Ford will close its manufacturing operations in Broadmeadows and Geelong, Victoria, in October 2016, shedding 1200 jobs and ending its 90-year-old association with vehicle building in Australia…December 2013:
Ford Australia president Bob Graziano ... cited the high cost of manufacturing a relatively small number of cars in Australia, saying costs were four times those of Asia and double those of Europe…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard ... also cited the high dollar…
In July 2012, six months after Ms Gillard gave Ford another $34 million in assistance, her government ruled out another taxpayer bailout of Ford after the car maker said it would cut 440 jobs ..
Australian Manufacturers Workers’ Union Victorian assistant state secretary Leigh Diehm said he was worried about the impact of the closures on the rest of the auto industry.
Holden’s decision to ... close its two local plants and shift to importing all models after 2017 brings the curtain down on Australia’s most popular locally made car…And, of course, the unions who made no blame of the Gillard Government for the Ford closure now blame the Abbott Government for Holden’s:
GM chairman and chief executive Dan Akerson said in a statement from Detroit “the decision to end manufacturing in Australia reflects the perfect storm of negative influences the automotive industry faces in the country ... including the sustained strength of the Australian dollar, high cost of production, small domestic market and arguably the most competitive and fragmented auto market in the world”....
Bill Shorten accused the government of “sabotage” against Holden. “I believe that Holden were pushed,” the Opposition Leader said. “What we don’t understand is when the Australian government decides to sabotage its own industry."…
“The blame for this lies squarely at the foot of the Abbott government,” AMWU national vehicles division secretary Dave Smith said…Ford shuts, Labor and unions blame overseas factors. Holden shuts, Labor and unions blame Liberals.
Mr Smith, who was reduced to tears addressing reporters in Melbourne and had to stop briefly to regain his composure, said he was gutted by news of the announcement.
Hypocrites.
And deceivers. Ford and Holden both blame, among other things, high local costs.
A promising change in the weather
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (6:51am)
Reader Turtle sees a weather ad he likes:
===I just saw Sky News’ ad for their weather channel for summer. I like the way they criticise other weather reports for making ‘pretty sensational comments’ but ‘you’ll get none of that from us’...’absolutely not’.Does anyone have any insight into this seemingly heartening development?
It’s almost a sly nod to AGW skeptics. Good one.
Another “stolen generations” claim
Andrew Bolt December 12 2013 (6:41am)
Another “stolen generations” claim makes it to court. Not one has yet succeeded - and, no, the Bruce Trevorrow case does not fit the classic definition once put by Professor Robert Manne:
===Ms Whitman, 74, said she witnessed Russell Milera and his siblings being taken, by the Aborigine Protection Board, from her stepfather’s Kilburn house in 1957.(Thanks to reader observa.)
She was just 18 when the children’s distraught father - her step-uncle, Douglas - asked her to hand them over because he could not bear to do so…
Mr Milera, 65, is suing the State Government in the District Court, accusing them of unlawfully removing him from his father in 1957…
He asserts his father did not give the board permission to take the children, nor had the board filed court proceedings seeking to take the children due to neglect.
The State Government has rejected those assertions, claiming Douglas Milera gave the board written consent to take his children into state care.
===
Aprille Love
With @angeltairua from #xfactor #help4haiyan
=
Thanks so much to my amazing tech team at#riversidetheatre #help4haiyan
===
===
===
Larry Pickering
SAME SEX MARRIAGE LOSES... but wins a PR coup
Never underestimate the level of sophistication in the homosexual lobby. There was no expectation that the High Court would ever rule that State legislatures could usurp Federal Acts. It was a costly exercise in futility and they knew it.
Gay activists usually get what they want and they wanted the same sex marriage debate front and centre in the public’s mind. They got it... and not one cent was spent on TV ads.
They had trotted out their most articulate adherents to make their case to the cameras in a PR coup.
We are becoming inured to the concept of gay marriage, we are slowly becoming acclimated to the vision of two blokes kissing without throwing up. The campaign is working!
But their wedding cakes’ icing hides an unpalatable feast of oddities.
The gay lobby was also responsible for manipulation of the AIDS debate, using millions in taxpayer funds to establish the false claim that AIDS included heterosexuals.
That lie still lingers. [AIDS can only be contracted through an exchange of blood and gays contract it through anal sex.]
It's truly amazing what can be achieved with the weight of advertising dollars.
The gay and lesbians’ political arm are the despicable Greens who tractably mirror and support each and every move they make, while the successful gay mardi gras continues to gain them further public acceptance.
The cashed up gay juggernaut is determined to have their agenda and they have secreted in their locker, “polyamor” (threesomes marriages) and a number of more weird options.
Unfortunately they can all involve the inclusion of children, and that’s the worry
Anyone who warns of their intentions is publicly ridiculed and ostracised... just ask Cory Bernardi.
===
This Christmas, Silence will fall...#TheTimeoftheDoctor
===
Female sex drug a Pfizer. - ed
===
Lucky the kids weren't doing drugs, or preparing a terrorist action. - ed
===
ALP option failed. Lib option is superior .. but Farr's words are misleading - ed
===
I'd be proud to make mistakes like that - ed
===
Front views of these beautiful custom handmade Halo Design Diamond Engagement Rings — atDiamond Imports.
===
If you ever wanted to get near the same kinds of storm action that I have shared pictures of with you, in the relative safety of professionals who really know their way around a severe storm, then I fully recommend that you consider Blake and Dave for this upcoming spring. Check out their facebook page and be sure to "Like" it if you want to keep on top of their tour schedule. There are cool pics there too!>
===
Lol .. he also played God .. ed
===
David Bowles
My wife, to a vendor of artisan works in Mexico: "How much are the Mesoamerican calendars?"
Vendor: "Marked down from $200 to $80."
Angie: "Really? Why?"
Vendor: "Oh, they're out of date. They finished up in 2012."
Hahahahaha! They're not that kind of calendar, silly man! But she didn't mention that. The discount was worth it!
.. and the world ends edVendor: "Marked down from $200 to $80."
Angie: "Really? Why?"
Vendor: "Oh, they're out of date. They finished up in 2012."
Hahahahaha! They're not that kind of calendar, silly man! But she didn't mention that. The discount was worth it!
===
Aprille Love
Ive given my heart and soul to tonight's event. Hope to see ypu all there tonight!
===
The fun is trying to decipher the profound meaning.
===
===
===
===
Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) secretary-general Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu discusses his trip to Burma and the Rohingya:
"There is fear, suspicion and mistrust driven by false propaganda against Islam and Muslims on social media and by some extremists...In fact, the Rohingya are an indigenous people of the land and should be accorded their legal rights."
===
===
"And now it's time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven’s hour is over now. The clock is striking Twelve's."
It's here! Watch the official trailer for this year's Christmas special, #TheTimeoftheDoctor:http://bbc.in/TTOTDtrailer
===
===
The Australian Dollar is the 4th most traded currency in the world, yet when I woke this morning to find that mainly European and American retail traders reacted to NewZealand interest rate announcement by selling the Aussie dollar.. fail people, fail.
===
New angle on Obama’s memorial selfie adds to the drama ==> http://twitchy.com/2013/
===
===
===
===
Frank Severino
Musicians will get this one: An ad pops up from a music store in my email, "Neumann mics for under $200!" Click the link...it's 8 payments of "under $200" per month lol.
===It won't work .. the UN doesn't insist kids read or write .. The UN endorses child suicide bombers and Palestinians raising killers, but doesn't want a child raised well - ed
===
===
Larry Pickering
A NASTY MIX OF INCOMPETENCE AND VITRIOL
During the brief absence of Opposition leader Bill Shorten, we had an opportunity to view the true colours of his Deputy, Tanya Plibersek, and they were not pretty.
Apart from appearing to be totally unaware of standing orders and being visibly out of place at the despatch box, she showed just how concerned she was at the Holden workers’ plight.
Holden’s Mike Devereux had informed both major Parties of Detroit’s decision to up anchor by 2017 but had requested the courtesy of allowing him to inform his workers first.
A reasonable request that the Government respected. But not our Tanya.
She couldn’t help herself. The opportunity to one-up Joe Hockey was so irresistible she prematurely blurted out the announcement as part of a question, stupidly sheeting home the blame to Hockey for influencing Detroit’s decision. WTF?
The families of workers watching Question Time, or listening on the radio, were made aware of the decision while Devereux was still in the process of explaining the situation to his workforce.
Holden has been existing on borrowed time, and taxpayer funds, for years and it was an announcement the Government had been expecting, as was the Labor Government expecting Ford’s.
Plibersek then proceeded to a Press conference where she announced 200,000 workers would lose their jobs.
No, Tanya, even your union mates say the figure is 16,000 and those workers have almost 4 years’ notice. In fact there will be hardly a ripple in the employment figures by the time 2017 comes around.
But there will be more than a ripple in union membership figures as workers drift into meaningful, alternative employment in the interim.
Madam Plibersek and Comrade Shorten’s concern is not for workers. They are concerned at an ever-diminishing union support base.
Anyway, why are nasty, ambitious and ideologically-driven women attracted to Labor?
And one ponders what type of bloke is attracted to this type of woman.
===
The Fast of 10th Tevet occurs tomorrow (dawn to dusk, 13 December 2013), marking the day 2601 years ago when the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem began, with the destruction of the Temple coming two years later.
May all those Fasting find it meaningful and not too stressful physically...
Notes:
1: "In Israel, the Tenth of Tevet has also come to be marked as a memorial day for the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The kaddish (Prayer for the deceased) is recited on this day for people whose date or place of death during the Holocaust is unknown and that is how the date has gotten the unofficial Hebrew moniker, Yom Ha-kaddish ha-kleli, literally translated as The General Kaddish Day."
2: "'The essential significance of the fast of the Tenth of Tevet, as well as that of the other fast days, is not primarily the grief and mourning which they evoke. Their aim is rather to awaken the hearts towards repentance; to recall to us, both the evil deeds of our fathers, and our own evil deeds, which caused anguish to befall both them and us and thereby to cause us to return towards the good. As it is said: “And they shall confess their transgressions and the transgressions of their fathers.” (Vayikra 26. Rambam Hilchot Ta'anit Chapter 5). The aim of fasting, therefore, is to subjugate our evil inclination by restriction of pleasure; to open our hearts and stir us to repentance and good deeds through which the gates of Divine mercy might be opened for us.
Therefore, each person is obligated to examine his deeds and to repent during these days. As it is written of the people of Ninveh: “And the Lord saw their actions ” (Yonah 3) . . upon which the Rabbis say: “It is not said, He saw their sackcloth and fasting, but rather their actions ” (Ta'anit 22). We see hence that the purpose of fasting is repentance.
'Therefore, the people, who fast but engage in pointless activities, grasp what is of secondary importance and miss what is essential. Nevertheless, repentance alone without fasting is also insufficient. There is a positive commandment of Rabbinic origin to fast on his day." http://
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
======
===
http://unitycoalitionforisrael.org/news/?p=10161#.Uqk0CLDnV7I.facebook
======
Only in Israel can something like this happen. Maybe it's because we value life above all else.
http://israel21c.org/health/
===
http://www.israpundit.com/archives/63592281#.UqknPthJV0I.facebook
===Jews ( from the Hebrew יהודי, the name of the proportion of Judah , of the sons of Jacob ) are the sons of the people or nation are characterized by the followers of the Jewish religion , or culture and heritage stemming from this religion . Jews consider themselves modern descendants of the people of the kingdom of Judah , who were attributing to four of the tribes of Israel, twelve : Judah , Samoun , Benjamin and Levi , separated after the Babylonian captivity to the Jews and to the Samaritans . Religion gone through many developments throughout history , especially after the collapse of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of the Second Temple in the first century AD.
Since the second century AD took the Jews scattered around the world , where no information on the Jewish communities in many countries throughout history , since the mid- 20th century, concentrated Jews in Israel and North America with a smaller communities in Europe , South America and Iran.
Origin of the term "Jew" and how it is used in the Old Testament did not know , but from religious sources , especially from the books of the Bible , and Sources indicate that the origin of the title "Jew " in the name of Judah, son of Jacob and was originally on the children of the tribe , who came out of him , then fired on the population of the kingdom of Judah founded by the sons of the tribe with the sons of some of the smaller tribes, who live next to it.
In documents archaeological remember this kingdom as the " House of David " relative to the dynasty of King David ( David Prophet in Islam ) . In Kings II ( 18.26 ) mentions the name of " Jewish " as the name of dialect spoken in the city of Jerusalem , since the Babylonian captivity became the title of a Jew refers to both came out of the kingdom of Judah continued to follow their religion and traditions (for example, in the Book of Esther ) , and there are words to say that the word " Jews " is an Arabic word meaning repentance , the verse on the lips of Moses, peace be upon him : "I am Hdna to you ," Al- norms ( 156 ) .
The modern Jewish law , which has evolved since the second century AD regarded as both a Jew born to a Jewish mother , and this account for unimpaired the identity of the father or the lifestyle that is followed by the human .
As well as a non-Jew can convert to Judaism, but skeptics do not encourage rabbis to convert to Judaism . Some Jews defies reformers and secular definition of " Who is a Jew " by Jewish law and suggest alternative definitions such as : the parents of a Jew or a Jew who considers himself a pure heart , there are also attempts to facilitate the process of Judaism and to reduce the demands of those who wanted to convert to Judaism .
After the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, has become the definition of " Who is a Jew " issue severe as the state announced its goal to collect Jews from all over the world , and enacted that every Jew has the right to resettle in Israel . According to the settlement of existing , and set forth in the " Law of Return " Israeli Jew is a person born to a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism , but if you follow our last involuntarily , while a pair of Jewish , children , spouses of children , grandchildren and spouses of grandchildren and becoming the rights set forth in the " Law of Return " had not considered Jews , ( and if the matter was Jewish attributed to them had died ) . Israeli law also recognizes all types of Judaism , including the reform Judaism according to the rules which it argues rabbis Altfezon
===
===
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/12/11/christians-rising-idf-enlistment-signals-greater-integration-into-israeli-life/
===
http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/12/11/jimmy-carter-meets-knesset-speaker-at-south-africa-airport-asks-about-charedi-idf-enlistment/
===
http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.co.il/2013/12/todays-winner-of-quote-of-day-mohammad.html
===<Shoot the bastards. They deserve nothing better. Let them go to their 72 year old virgins.>
http://youtu.be/YZC7A-Lr4Eo===
===
http://www.jpost.com/International/German-football-club-ends-Saudi-Airline-contract-because-of-Israel-boycott-333959
===
http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2013/12/11/analyst-kerrys-jordan-valley-arrangements-a-death-trap/
===
===
===
===
===
G'day friend,
This cartoon is inspired by an excellent piece of journalism that I just came across, by the wonderful, Miranda Devine.
Granted I am mostly preaching to the converted about this issue but it is important enough to repeat, in my way , in my humble opinion.
Please feel free to share the cartoon with those who you believe will appreciate the message...... or even with those who may not!
Godspeed
Zeg
Freelance Editorial Cartoonist (Objective and always POLITICALLY INCORRECT)
www.facebook.com/zegtoons
0414293765
The piece:
The ABC's evil plan to get tentacles into kids
- by: MIRANDA DEVINE
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- December 04, 2013 12:00AM
Subtle propaganda to children is all part of the ABC's long march.
THE ABC is an enormous beast, with tentacles stretching across the internet and digital TV at a time when other media organisations are struggling to survive.
Its success at enforcing the narrow groupthink of the Left cannot be over-estimated, and not just on obvious flagship programs such as Q&A.
Take its controversial education show Behind The News, watched by more than one million unsuspecting children each week.
With a cheery youth-friendly style, it promotes the soft-left line on everything from asylum seekers to gender equality to big government spending.
Yesterday's episode of BTN began with a story about Education Minister Christopher Pyne's "broken promise" on Gonski funding.
Next was "Why sorry seems to be the hardest word over the Indonesian spy scandal", complete with footage of Kevin Rudd making his Stolen Generations apology. Praise for Rudd was cleverly delivered using Tony Abbott's words.
"So it seems Tony is a fan of people who say sorry too. Well, he was."
That is, until the Indonesia spying scandal erupted. No mention that the spying occurred during Rudd's sainted reign.
At the end of the package the young BTN host, sitting in a school he identifies as Norwood Primary, asks the children around him if they think "Tony" should have said sorry.
It's no surprise that the majority, about 30 children, put up their hands to say yes the Prime Minister should have apologised.
A scan of other BTN stories this year finds similar examples of loaded commentary: "The new PM Tony Abbott hasn't repaid some money that he claimed for going to a few running and cycling events. The fitness freak says they were genuine community events, so it's OK for the taxpayer to help foot the bill."
Subtle propaganda to children is all part of the ABC's long march.
===
ASIO acting to prevent Australians fighting in Syrian war is not racist
Gerard Henderson, The Sydney Morning Herald 10 December 2013
Posted lectures on Syria: Abu Bakr, right,
who has been asked by ASIO to hand in his passport.
Photo: James Alcock
So now it has come to this. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, headed by DavidIrvine, has been depicted as ''racist''. Why? Well, because ASIO has acted to prevent young Australian Muslims from travelling to Syria to fight in a civil war against other Muslims. That's why, apparently.
On the weekend, it was reported that ASIO cancelled the passports of about 20 men from westernSydney. Australian intelligence officials believe that they are possessed of a ''jihadi mentality'' and are intent on travelling to Syria ''to engage in politically motivated violence''.
Monday's Herald carried a story that Abu Bakr, a 19-year-old Bankstown labourer, has been identified as one of the Australian citizens against whom ASIO has acted. He accused ASIO of racism.Bakr was subsequently interviewed on ABC radio 702 by Linda Mottram.
It was not Mottram's best interview and she gave the impression that she was avoiding the tough questions. Bakr denied that he wanted to fight in Syria. But he railed against ''killing innocent people, killing babies, killing the children [and] raping our women''. Bakr then declared: ''This is what the Americans and Israelis and the Alawites agree with - but I do not agree with this.''
In Syria, there is overwhelming evidence that children, women and men are being bombed and women raped. Neither the US nor Israel are militarily involved in Syria, which has become essentially a battleground between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.
Syria's ruler, Bashar al-Assad, presides over an Alawite regime. The Alawite religion is asect of Shiite Islam. In the appalling civil war, Assad has the support of the Shiites - primarily the government of Iran and Hezbollah. The opponents of the Assad regime are primarily Sunni Muslims, including many foreign fighters.
In its 2012-13 report to Parliament, ASIO comments that ''the Syrian conflict has resonated strongly in Australia, partly because of deep familial ties to Lebanon thatexist here''. According to ASIO, ''as at 30 June, 2013, four Australians were known to have been killed in Syria''.
ASIO has also commented that a ''by product of the Syrian conflict has been sporadic incidents of small-scale communal violence along the line of the Middle East's Sunni-Shi'a divide''.
Bakr may, or may not, want to travel to Syria. But some Australian Muslims have done so. One, from Queensland, became the first known Australian to have taken part in a car bomb murder/suicide attack. He was a Sunni and died while fighting with theal-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organisation.
The overwhelming majority of Muslims killed or injured over the past two decades have been the victims of other Muslims. The avoidance of this issue makes it possible for the likes of Bakr to present themselves as fighting against Americans or Israelis.
The number of radical Islamists in Australia appears to be relatively small. However, it is not in Australia's national interest that its citizens, however few, becomeradicalised and skilled with weapons while engaging in civil wars.
Last weekend, police arrested and charged a Sydney disability pensioner with running a complicated scheme to enlist young Australian Muslims to fight with such Islamist terrorist movements as Jabhat al-Nusra against the Assad regime. Such recruitment is common in Europe and North America.
Australians have good reason to appreciate the work of intelligence agencies and Commonwealth, state and territory police to prevent terrorist attacks within Australia. When launching the national security strategy in January, then prime minister Julia Gillard addressed the issue of domestic terrorism. She said ''here, at home, numerous terrorist plots have been thwarted and 23 convictions have resulted from the prosecution of those who planned such attacks''.
In all cases, the accused Islamists were found guilty by juries. All received substantial prison sentences, despite the fact that some came before left-liberal judges. All the major convictions have prevailed when appeals were made. In short, what Gillard referred to were serious unsuccessful plans to kill and injure Australian children, women and men going about their everyday activities.
There is no suggestion that Australian Muslims intent on fighting in Syria want to harmAustralia. However, it is believed that about a 10th of Islamists who fightoverseas return radicalised to their home country.
In the November issue of Standpoint magazine, Douglas Murray documents how ''moderate movements in Islam have repeatedly lost to the hardliners''. Preventing radicals from fighting overseas is in the interest of the overwhelming majority of moderate Australian Muslims. It's not racist.
Today I released the Strategic Review into the NBN.
What it found is the NBN is in a much worse state than Australians have been told.
These are the key facts that the Review found about Labor’s plan:
What it found is the NBN is in a much worse state than Australians have been told.
These are the key facts that the Review found about Labor’s plan:
- After three years, the NBN is two years behind schedule
- Labor’s plan was set to cost $73 billion – that’s $29 billion more than they promised
- So far it has only passed with fibre 2 per cent of its target – and at this rate would not be finished until 2024 at the earliest
- Only one in five Australians would receive the NBN by 2016
- If Labor’s plan was left in place, Australian households would pay up to 80 per cent more for broadband each month – with the price for an average broadband plan being $138 per month
The Review also confirms that the Coalition will deliver the NBN sooner, cheaper and more affordably to the taxpayer and more affordably to consumers.
Read the full Strategic Review here.
Watch a video about the Strategic Review here.
In coming months, a cost-benefit analysis of the NBN will be completed, as well as a detailed analysis of broadband connection speeds around the country. The Government will use this information to ensure underserved areas get the NBN first.
Through careful analysis and thoughtful planning, the Coalition Government will fix Labor’s NBN mess.
As this Review proved, the Abbott Government can build the NBN sooner and at less cost to taxpayers and consumers than Labor – and this is what we will do.
Malcolm Turnbull
Minister for Communications
Authorised by Brian Loughnane, Cnr Blackall and Macquarie Streets, Barton ACT 2604.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
 
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
United with Israel provides you with email updates from Israel.
===| Biblical Prayer Pendants - Keep Israel Close to Your Heart - Click here if images do not display | ||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and Israel
 | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
  | ||||||||||||
Because you are a registered member of the United With Israel e-mail list, you are
receiving this advertiser sponsored e-mail. Offers such as today's enable us
to provide and improve our services. No endorsement of advertiser products
or services, real or implied, is intended.
receiving this advertiser sponsored e-mail. Offers such as today's enable us
to provide and improve our services. No endorsement of advertiser products
or services, real or implied, is intended.
For more information:
C/O The J Media Group
5455 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1000
Los Angeles, CA 90036
===C/O The J Media Group
5455 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1000
Los Angeles, CA 90036
The passing of Nelson Mandela: Lessons from a life
With the passing away of Nelson Mandela, one of the giants of our age has left the world stage. Nelson Mandela's path from prisoner to president is inspiring. I do not need to list his remarkable achievements - those are readily available elsewhere but I do want to reflect on three great encouragements I draw from his life.
The first encouragement I see is that Nelson Mandela’s life demonstrates the principle that an individual can make a difference. Political pressures, technological innovation and popular movements are upheld today as the agents that shape our world, but the reality is that it's individual men and women who make a transforming difference. I'm happy about this: I've invested my life in people. The cynicism of our age says that you and I can do very little to make the world a better place. I believe otherwise and the life of Nelson Mandela bears this truth.
The second encouragement I draw from the life of Nelson Mandela is that it demonstrates the overlooked principle that what we prevent may be as important as what we achieve. As the cruel and unjust regime of apartheid began to simmer in the mid 1980s, a bloody civil war in South Africa seemed a certainty. Nelson Mandela's greatest achievement was that it never happened. On a small scale that principle is applicable to us. Indeed, in asking his followers to be salt, Jesus was expecting that we be sterilising agents; those who prevent evil. Now the prevention of evil is often undramatic stuff; it is easy for it to be taken for granted and overlooked. This is a vital truth for us. We may feel that we have achieved little in our work, but who knows how much worse it might have been if we hadn't played our part? Sometimes our biggest achievements are invisible.
A third encouragement I find in the life of Nelson Mandela is the value of Christian truth and principles. In our secular age, many obituaries are conveniently overlooking the role of the Christian faith and ethics in the shaping of Nelson Mandela, but he was educated in Christian missionary schools and grew up with the values and principles of the Bible. The very virtues for which he is now praised: his humility, his tolerance, his belief in forgiveness, his rejection of hate, his desire for justice for all, and his commitment to reconciliation were all Christian ones. He may be honoured as a secular saint, but the truth is the sacredness of God and the Bible shaped him.
Indeed, when we look at so many of the trouble-spots of the world, we find ourselves desperately hoping for a Nelson Mandela. It's easy to think that the gospel of Christ is mere words. But it's words that change lives and it's lives that change the world.
Revd. Canon J.John
Director
Follow J.John on Twitter: @Canonjjohn
Follow J.John on Instagram: @Canonjjohn
Find J.John on Facebook: J.John
===
|
Rick Warren
|
- 1531 – According to traditional Catholic accounts, the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary miraculously appearedimprinted on Juan Diego's tilma.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The USS Cairo was sunk in the Yazoo River, the first armored ship sunk by a naval mine.
- 1901 – Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic radio signal, from Poldhu Wireless Station inCornwall, England, to Signal Hill in St. John's,Newfoundland.
- 1935 – The Nazi Lebensborn programme, which was later mistakenly believed to engage in coercive breeding, was established to provide assistance to the wives of SSmembers and unmarried mothers.
- 1988 – Three trains collided (wreckage pictured) nearClapham Junction railway station in London killing 35 people and injuring 500.
Events[edit]
- 627 – Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II's Persianforces, commanded by General Rhahzadh.
- 1098 – First Crusade: Siege of Ma'arrat al-Numan – Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they reportedly resort to cannibalism.
- 1388 – Maria of Enghien sells the lordship of Argos and Nauplia to the Republic of Venice.
- 1408 – The Order of the Dragon a monarchical chivalric order is created by Sigismund of Luxembourg, then King of Hungary.
- 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Second Battle of Ushant – A British fleet led by HMS Victory defeats a French fleet.
- 1787 – Pennsylvania becomes the second state to ratify the United States Constitution, five days afterDelaware became the first.
- 1862 – USS Cairo sinks on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
- 1870 – Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman, the first beingHiram Revels.
- 1897 – Belo Horizonte, the first planned city in Brazil, is founded.
- 1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal (the letter "S" [***] in Morse Code), at Signal Hill in St John's, Newfoundland.
- 1911 – Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India.
- 1911 – King George V and Mary of Teck are enthroned as Emperor and Empress of India.
- 1915 – President of the Republic of China, Yuan Shikai, announces his intention to reinstate the monarchy and proclaim himself Emperor of China.
- 1917 – In Nebraska, Father Edward J. Flanagan founds Boys Town as a farm village for wayward boys.
- 1918 – The Flag of Estonia is raised atop the Pikk Hermann for the first time.
- 1925 – The Majlis of Iran votes to crown Reza Khan as the new Shah of Persia.
- 1935 – Lebensborn Project, a Nazi reproduction program, is founded by Heinrich Himmler.
- 1936 – Xi'an Incident: The Generalissimo of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, is kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang.
- 1937 – Second Sino-Japanese War: USS Panay incident – Japanese aircraft bomb and sink U.S. gunboat USS Panay on the Yangtze Riverin China.
- 1939 – Winter War: Battle of Tolvajärvi – Finnish forces defeat those of the Soviet Union in their first major victory of the conflict.
- 1939 – HMS Duchess sinks after a collision with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland with the loss of 124 men.
- 1940 – World War II: Approximately 70 people are killed in the Marples Hotel, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield, as a result of a German air raid.
- 1941 – World War II: Fifty-four Japanese A6M Zero fighters raid Batangas Field, Philippines. Jesús Villamor and four Filipino fighter pilots fend them off; César Basa is killed.
- 1941 – World War II: USMC F4F "Wildcats" sink the first 4 major Japanese ships off Wake Island.
- 1941 – World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan.
- 1941 – Adolf Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery
- 1942 – World War II: German troops begin Operation Winter Storm, an attempt to relieve encircled Axis forces during the Battle of Stalingrad.
- 1942 – A fire in a hostel in St. John's, Newfoundland, kills 100 people.
- 1946 – A fire at a New York City ice plant spreads to a nearby tenement, killing 37 people.
- 1948 – Malayan Emergency: Batang Kali Massacre – 14 members of the Scots Guards stationed in Malaysia allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village.
- 1950 – Paula Ackerman, the first woman appointed to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, leads the congregation in her first services.
- 1956 – Beginning of the Irish Republican Army's "Border Campaign".
- 1958 – Guinea joins the United Nations.
- 1963 – Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1964 – Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta becomes the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
- 1969 – Years of Lead: Piazza Fontana bombing – The offices of Banca Nazionale dell'Agricoltura in Piazza Fontana, Milan, are bombed.
- 1979 – Coup d'état of December Twelfth: South Korean Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan orders the arrest of Army Chief of Staff GeneralJeong Seung-hwa without authorization from President Choi Kyu-ha, alleging involvement in the assassination of ex-President Park Chung Hee.
- 1979 – President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq confers Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
- 1979 – The unrecognised state of Zimbabwe Rhodesia returns to British control and resumes using the name Southern Rhodesia.
- 1983 – The Australian Labor government led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating floats the Australian dollar.
- 1984 – Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya becomes the third president of Mauritania after a coup d'état against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla while the latter is attending a summit.
- 1985 – Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashes after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland, killing 256, including 236 members of the United States Army's101st Airborne Division.
- 1988 – The Clapham Junction rail crash kills thirty-five and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains—one of the worst train crashes in the United Kingdom.
- 1991 – The Russian Federation gains independence from the USSR.
- 2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore.
- 2012 – North Korea successfully launches its first satellite, Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2, using a Unha-3 carrier rocket.
Births[edit]
- 1298 – Albert II, Duke of Austria (d. 1358)
- 1526 – Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz, Spanish admiral (d. 1588)
- 1574 – Anne of Denmark, Danish wife of James VI and I (d. 1619)
- 1610 – Basil of Ostrog, Serbian monk and saint (d. 1671)
- 1612 – Nicholas Francis, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1670)
- 1685 – Lodovico Giustini, Italian composer and pianist (d. 1743)
- 1712 – Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Lorrainer-Austrian general and politician, Governor of the Austrian Netherlands (d. 1780)
- 1715 – Gennaro Manna, Italian composer (d. 1779)
- 1724 – Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, English admiral (d. 1816)
- 1731 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and poet (d. 1802)
- 1745 – John Jay, American jurist and politician, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1829)
- 1766 – Nikolay Karamzin, Russian poet and historian (d. 1826)
- 1779 – Madeleine Sophie Barat, French nun and saint, founded the Society of the Sacred Heart (d. 1865)
- 1783 – Ner Middleswarth, American politician (d. 1865)
- 1786 – William L. Marcy, American politician, 21st United States Secretary of State (d. 1857)
- 1791 – Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, Italian wife of Napoleon (d. 1847)
- 1792 – Alexander Ypsilantis, Greek-Russian prince, general and rebel (d. 1828)
- 1799 – Karl Briullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
- 1805 – William Lloyd Garrison, American journalist and activist, founded The Liberator (d. 1879)
- 1805 – Henry Wells, American businessman, co-founded Wells Fargo and American Express (d. 1878)
- 1806 – Stand Watie, Cherokee-Confederate general, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation (d. 1871)
- 1812 – John Sandfield Macdonald, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Ontario (d. 1872)
- 1814 – Don Juan Prim, 1st Marquis of los Castillejos, Spanish general and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1870)
- 1821 – Gustave Flaubert, French author (d. 1880)
- 1842 – Adolf Bötticher, German historian (d. 1901)
- 1845 – Bruce Price, American architect, designed the American Surety Building and Bank of the Metropolis (d. 1903)
- 1849 – William Kissam Vanderbilt, American businessman and horse breeder (d. 1920)
- 1862 – André Fauquet-Lemaître, French polo player (d. 1943)
- 1862 – J. Bruce Ismay, English businessman (White Star Line), survivor of the RMS Titanic (d. 1937)
- 1863 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (d. 1944)
- 1864 – Paul Elmer More, American journalist (d. 1937)
- 1866 – Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
- 1870 – Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman, co-founded Hughes Tool Company (d. 1912)
- 1875 – Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (d. 1953)
- 1876 – Alvin Kraenzlein, American hurdler and runner (d. 1928)
- 1881 – Harry Warner, Polish-American businessman, co-founded Warner Bros. (d. 1958)
- 1887 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (d. 1974)
- 1892 – Milko Kos, Slovenian historian (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Edward G. Robinson, Romanian-American actor (d. 1973)
- 1900 – Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Koloman Sokol, Slovak painter (d. 2003)
- 1903 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer (d. 1976)
- 1903 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director (d. 1963)
- 1904 – Nicolas de Gunzburg, French-American banker, magazine editor, and actor (d. 1981)
- 1905 – Manès Sperber, Austrian-French author and psychologist (d. 1984)
- 1905 – Vasily Grossman, Russian journalist and author (d. 1964)
- 1907 – Roy Douglas, English composer
- 1908 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian composer and conductor (d. 1993)
- 1909 – Karen Morley, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1909 – Hans Keilson, German-Dutch author, poet, and psychologist (d. 2011)
- 1910 – Richard Sagrits, Estonian painter (d. 1968)
- 1912 – Boun Oum, Lao nobleman and politician, prince of Champassak, Prime Minister of Laos (d. 1980)
- 1914 – Patrick O'Brian, English author (d. 2000)
- 1915 – Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998)
- 1917 – James Wall, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1918 – Joe Williams, American singer (d. 1999)
- 1919 – Olivia Barclay, English astrologer (d. 2001)
- 1919 – Dan DeCarlo, American illustrator (d. 2001)
- 1919 – B. B. Nimbalkar, Indian cricketer (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Fred Kida, American illustrator
- 1921 – Toni Blankenheim, German opera singer (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Christian Dotremont, Belgian painter and poet (d. 1979)
- 1923 – Bob Barker, American game show host
- 1923 – Bob Dorough, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1923 – Ken Kavanagh, Australian motorcycle racer
- 1924 – Robert Coogan, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1924 – Ray Cordeiro, Hong Kong radio host
- 1924 – Ed Koch, American lawyer, judge, and politician, 105th Mayor of New York City (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Vladimir Shainsky, Russian composer
- 1925 – Ahmad Shamlou, Iranian poet (d. 2000)
- 1927 – Robert Noyce, American inventor and businessman, co-invented the microchip and co-founded the Intel Corporation (d. 1990)
- 1928 – Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-Kyrgyzstani author (d. 2008)
- 1928 – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese pianist and composer (Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band)
- 1929 – John Osborne, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 1994)
- 1930 – Bill Beutel, American journalist (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Silvio Santos, Brazilian television host, founded Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão
- 1931 – Lionel Blair, English actor, dancer, and choreographer
- 1932 – Bob Pettit, American basketball player
- 1934 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican politician, 52nd President of Mexico (d. 2012)
- 1935 – John Wise, Canadian farmer and politician, 23rd Minister of Agriculture (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Denise Coffey, English actress and director
- 1936 – Jefferson Kaye, American radio announcer (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Philip Ledger, English organist and composer (d. 2012)
- 1937 – Buford Pusser, American sheriff (d. 1974)
- 1937 – Michael Jeffery, Australian politician and army officer, 24th Governor-General of Australia
- 1938 – Connie Francis, American singer
- 1940 – Sharad Pawar, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- 1940 – Dionne Warwick, American singer and actress
- 1940 – Frances Willard, American stage magician
- 1942 – Morris Sadek, Egyptian-American lawyer and activist
- 1942 – Brough Scott, English horse racing journalist
- 1943 – Vassilis Alexakis, Greek-French author
- 1943 – Dickey Betts, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Allman Brothers Band)
- 1943 – Grover Washington, Jr., American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and producer (d. 1999)
- 1944 – Kenneth Cranham, Scottish actor
- 1944 – Jean Doré, Canadian politician, 39th Mayor of Montreal
- 1944 – Zoe Laskari, Greek actress
- 1944 – Rob Tyner, American singer-songwriter and bass player (MC5) (d. 1991)
- 1945 – Tony Williams, American drummer (The Tony Williams Lifetime) (d. 1997)
- 1945 – Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaican politician, 7th Prime Minister of Jamaica
- 1946 – Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian race car driver
- 1946 – Barrie Rutter, English actor and director
- 1946 – Josepha Sherman, American author
- 1946 – Paula Wagner, American film producer
- 1947 – Will Alsop, English architect
- 1947 – Wings Hauser, American actor
- 1947 – Chris Mullin, English writer and former politician
- 1949 – Chris Baillieu, English former Olympic rower
- 1949 – Bill Nighy, English actor
- 1949 – Marc Ravalomanana, Malagasy politician, President of Madagascar
- 1950 – Rajinikanth, Indian actor, screenwriter, and producer
- 1950 – Pedro Ferriz de Con, Mexican journalist
- 1950 – Billy Smith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1951 – Rehman Malik, Pakistani politician, former Interior Minister
- 1952 – Herb Dhaliwal, Indian-Canadian politician, former MP for Vancouver South
- 1952 – Helen Dunmore, English poet and novelist
- 1952 – Sarah Douglas, English actress
- 1952 – Cathy Rigby, American gymnast and actress
- 1953 – Martin Ferguson, Australian politician, former Minister for Resources and Energy and Tourism
- 1953 – Bruce Kulick, American guitarist (Kiss, Grand Funk Railroad, Blackjack, Union, and Eric Singer Project)
- 1953 – Dave Meniketti, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Y&T)
- 1953 – Rafael Septien, Mexican-American football player
- 1954 – Hemant Karkare, Indian police officer (d. 2008)
- 1955 – Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Greek businesswoman, president of the Athens organizing committee for the [[2004 Summer Olympics]
- 1955 – Eddy Schepers, Belgian cyclist
- 1955 – Stephen Smith, Australian politician, 53rd Minister of Defence for Australia
- 1956 – Johan van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
- 1957 – Sheila E., American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actress
- 1957 – Robert Lepage, Canadian actor, scriptwriter, and director
- 1958 – Monica Attard, Australian journalist
- 1958 – Lucie Guay, Canadian canoe racer
- 1958 – Dag Ingebrigtsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Kids and TNT)
- 1958 – Julian Opie, English artist
- 1958 – Sheree J. Wilson, American actress
- 1959 – Jasper Conran, English fashion designer
- 1961 – Harriet Green, English business woman
- 1962 – Tracy Austin, American tennis player
- 1962 – Peter Bergen, American-English journalist and author
- 1962 – Mike Golic, American football player and radio host (Mike & Mike)
- 1962 – Ulrike Tillmann, German mathematician
- 1963 – Liz Claman, American journalist
- 1963 – Eduardo Castro Luque, Mexican politician (d. 2012)
- 1963 – Ai Orikasa, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1964 – Reeta Chakrabarti, English TV journalist
- 1964 – Haywood Jeffries, American football player
- 1964 – Sabu, American wrestler
- 1965 – Will Carling, English rugby player
- 1966 – Último Dragón, Japanese wrestler and actor
- 1966 – Royce Gracie, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- 1966 – Kōichi Nagano, Japanese voice actor
- 1966 – Ian Paisley, Jr., Northern Irish politician
- 1967 – Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese composer and producer
- 1967 – Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Japanese composer and voice actor
- 1967 – John Randle, American football player
- 1967 – Deke Sharon, American singer-songwriter and producer (The House Jacks and Beelzebubs)
- 1968 – Kate Humble, English television host
- 1968 – Rory Kennedy, American director and producer
- 1968 – Laurie Williams, Jamaican cricketer (d. 2002)
- 1969 – Virge Naeris, Estonian triple jumper
- 1969 – Carrie Westcott, American model and actress
- 1969 – Sophie Kinsella, English author
- 1970 – Mädchen Amick, American actress
- 1970 – Jennifer Connelly, American actress
- 1970 – Regina Hall, American actress
- 1972 – Nicky Eaden, English footballer
- 1972 – Wilson Kipketer, Danish runner
- 1972 – Kevin Parent, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1972 – Brandon Teena, American murder victim (d. 1993)
- 1972 – Georgios Theodoridis, Greek sprinter
- 1972 – Hank Williams III, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Assjack, Superjoint Ritual, and Arson Anthem)
- 1973 – Gary Breen, English footballer
- 1973 – Walter Otta, Argentine footballer
- 1973 – Tony Hsieh, American businessman, founded LinkExchange
- 1974 – Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer
- 1975 – Mayim Bialik, American actress
- 1975 – Wesley Charles, Vincentian footballer
- 1975 – Craig Moore, Australian footballer
- 1975 – Houko Kuwashima, Japanese voice actress
- 1976 – Dan Hawkins, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Darkness and Stone Gods)
- 1976 – Jaak Juske, Estonian politician
- 1976 – Lloyd Owusu, Ghanaian footballer
- 1977 – Erica Dahm, American model and actress
- 1977 – Jaclyn Dahm, American model and actress
- 1977 – Nicole Dahm, American model and actress
- 1977 – Bridget Hall, American model
- 1977 – Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
- 1977 – Dean Macey, British decathlete
- 1977 – Grete Treier, Estonian cyclist
- 1977 – Colin White, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Monica Bîrlădeanu, Romanian actress
- 1978 – Jennifer Rovero, American model
- 1979 – Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
- 1979 – Nate Clements, American football player
- 1979 – John Salmons, American basketball player
- 1980 – Gus G, Greek guitarist and songwriter (Firewind, Mystic Prophecy, and Dream Evil)
- 1980 – Dorin Goian, Romanian footballer
- 1981 – Ronnie Brown, American football player
- 1981 – Shane Costa, American baseball player
- 1981 – Jeret Peterson, American skier (d. 2011)
- 1981 – Pedro Ríos, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Yuvraj Singh, Indian cricketer
- 1981 – Stephen Warnock, English footballer
- 1982 – Lim Jae-Duk, South Korean gamer
- 1982 – Ai Kato, Japanese actress
- 1982 – Jeremiah Riggs, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
- 1982 – Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player
- 1983 – Katrina Elam, American singer-songwriter
- 1984 – Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
- 1984 – Daniel Merrett, Australian footballer
- 1984 – Sohail Tanvir, Pakistani cricketer
- 1985 – Pat Calathes, Greek-American basketball player
- 1985 – Chris Jennings, American football player
- 1985 – Erika Van Pelt, American singer
- 1985 – David Veikune, American football player
- 1985 – Giannis Zaradoukas, Greek footballer
- 1986 – Qri, South Korean singer, dancer and actress (T-ara)
- 1986 – Përparim Hetemaj, Finnish footballer
- 1986 – Nina Kolarič, Slovenian long jumper
- 1986 – Thomas Wansey, English actor
- 1986 – T. J. Ward, American football player
- 1988 – Ham Eun-jung, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (T-ara)
- 1989 – Janelle Arthur, American singer
- 1990 – Seungri, South Korean singer-songwriter and actor (Big Bang)
- 1990 – Victor Moses, Nigerian footballer
- 1991 – Daniel Magder, Canadian actor
Deaths[edit]
- 884 – Carloman II, King of West Francia (b. 866)
- 1212 – Geoffrey, English priest, Archbishop of York (b. 1152)
- 1569 – Philip II, Metropolitan of Moscow, Russian monk and saint (b. 1507)
- 1574 – Selim II, Ottoman sultan (b. 1524)
- 1586 – Stephen Báthory, Polish king (b. 1533)
- 1685 – John Pell, English mathematician (b. 1610)
- 1751 – Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, English politician and philosopher (b. 1678)
- 1766 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author (b. 1700)
- 1789 – John Ponsonby, Irish politician (b. 1713)
- 1790 – Mikhail Shcherbatov, Russian philosopher (b. 1733)
- 1817 – Tekle Giyorgis I, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1751)
- 1843 – William I of the Netherlands (b. 1772)
- 1858 – Jacques Viger, Canadian politician and archeologist, 1st Mayor of Montreal (b. 1787)
- 1889 – Robert Browning, English poet (b. 1812)
- 1889 – Viktor Bunyakovsky, Russian mathematician (b. 1804)
- 1894 – John Sparrow David Thompson, Canadian politician and judge, 4th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1845)
- 1913 – Menelik II, Ethiopian emperor (b. 1844)
- 1923 – Raymond Radiguet, French author (b. 1903)
- 1924 – Alexander Parvus, Russian-German Marxist theoretician and revolutionary (b. 1867)
- 1926 – Jean Richepin, French poet (b. 1849)
- 1929 – Charles Goodnight, American cattle rancher (b. 1836)
- 1934 – Oscar Goerke, American cyclist (b. 1883)
- 1934 – Thorleif Haug, Norwegian skier (b. 1894)
- 1939 – Douglas Fairbanks, American actor (b. 1883)
- 1941 – César Basa, Filipino pilot (b. 1915)
- 1951 – Mildred Bailey, American singer (b. 1907)
- 1952 – Bedřich Hrozný, Czech Orientalist and linguist (b. 1879)
- 1958 – Albert Walsh, Canadian politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1900)
- 1961 – Oskar Loorits, Estonian folklorist (b. 1900)
- 1963 – Yasujirō Ozu, Japanese director (b. 1903)
- 1964 – Maithili Sharan Gupt, Indian poet (b. 1866)
- 1964 – William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes, English motor manufacturer (b. 1894)
- 1966 – Karl Ruberl, Austrian swimmer (b. 1880)
- 1967 – Mac Raboy, American cartoonist (b. 1914)
- 1968 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (b. 1902)
- 1970 – Doris Blackburn, Australian politician, MP for Bourke, Victoria (b. 1889)
- 1971 – Yechezkel Kutscher, Israeli philologist and linguist (b. 1909)
- 1971 – David Sarnoff, Russian-American businessman (RCA) (b. 1891)
- 1976 – Jack Cassidy, American actor (b. 1927)
- 1976 – Vinko Žganec, Croatian musicologist (b. 1890)
- 1977 – Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, English wife of Winston Churchill (b. 1885)
- 1978 – Fay Compton, English actress (b. 1894)
- 1980 – Jean Lesage, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Premier of Quebec (b. 1912)
- 1983 – Amza Pellea, Romanian actor (b. 1931)
- 1985 – Anne Baxter, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1985 – Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboard player (The Rolling Stones) (b. 1938)
- 1987 – Enrique Jorrín, Cuban violinist and composer (b. 1926)
- 1988 – Anthony Provenzano, American mobster (b. 1917)
- 1992 – Suzanne Lilar, Belgian author and playwright (b. 1901)
- 1993 – József Antall, Hungarian politician, 35th Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1932)
- 1994 – Stuart Roosa, American astronaut (b. 1933)
- 1994 – Donna J. Stone, American poet (b. 1933)
- 1996 – Vance Packard, American author (b. 1914)
- 1997 – Yevgeniy Landis, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)
- 1998 – Lawton Chiles, American politician, 41st Governor of Florida (b. 1930)
- 1998 – Marco Denevi, Argentine author (b. 1922)
- 1998 – Mo Udall, American politician (b. 1922)
- 1999 – Paul Cadmus, American painter (b. 1904)
- 1999 – Joseph Heller, American author (b. 1923)
- 2000 – George Montgomery, American actor (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Ndabaningi Sithole, Zimbabwean militant leader, founded Zimbabwe African National Union (b. 1920)
- 2001 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and explorer (b. 1897)
- 2001 – Jean Richard, French actor (b. 1921)
- 2002 – Dee Brown, American author (b. 1908)
- 2002 – Brad Dexter, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2002 – Jay Wesley Neill, American murderer (b. 1965)
- 2003 – Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijani politician, 3rd President of Azerbaijan (b. 1923)
- 2003 – Joseph Anthony Ferrario, American bishop (b. 1926)
- 2003 – Gangodawila Soma Thero, Sri Lankan monk (b. 1948)
- 2003 – Keiko, Killer whale, star of Free Willy (b. 1976)
- 2005 – Robert Newmyer, American film producer (b. 1956)
- 2005 – Ramanand Sagar, Indian director (b. 1917)
- 2005 – Gebran Tueni, Lebanese journalist and politician (b. 1957)
- 2005 – Annette Vadim, Danish actress (b. 1936)
- 2006 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Peter Boyle, American actor (b. 1935)
- 2006 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player (b. 1935)
- 2006 – Raymond P. Shafer, American politician, 38th Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1917)
- 2006 – Alan Shugart, American engineer and businessman, co-founded Seagate Technology (b. 1930)
- 2007 – François al-Hajj, Lebanese general (b. 1953)
- 2007 – Ike Turner, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Kings of Rhythm and Ike & Tina Turner) (b. 1931)
- 2008 – Avery Dulles, American cardinal and theologian (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Van Johnson, American actor (b. 1916)
- 2008 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot politician, 5th President of Cyprus (b. 1934)
- 2010 – Peter Pagel, German footballer (b. 1956)
- 2010 – Tom Walkinshaw, Scottish racing driver and rugby team owner, 1984 European Touring Car Champion (b. 1946)
- 2012 – Joe Allbritton, American businessman and publisher, founded the Allbritton Communications Company (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Ray Briem, American radio host (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Eddie "Guitar" Burns, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928)
- 2012 – Richard Eyre, English priest (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Else Marie Jakobsen, Norwegian designer and textile artist (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Walt Kirk, American basketball player (b. 1924)
- 2012 – N.M. Mohan, Indian writer and illustrator (b. 1949)
- 2012 – Augustin Sagna, Senegalese bishop (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Nityanand Swami, Indian politician, 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (b. 1927)
- 2012 – David Tait, English rugby player (b. 1987)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Christian Feast Day:
- Edburga of Minster-in-Thanet
- Feast of the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico)
- Vicelinus
- Constitution Day (Russia, 1993-2005)
- Feast of Masá'il ("Questions"), the first day of the 15th month of the Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith)
- Jamhuri Day, celebrates the independence of Kenya from Britain in 1963.
- Neutrality Day (Turkmenistan)
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14NIV
===
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
1 Thessalonians 5:24
1 Thessalonians 5:24
Heaven is a place where we shall never sin; where we shall cease our constant watch against an indefatigable enemy, because there will be no tempter to ensnare our feet. There the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. Heaven is the "undefiled inheritance;" it is the land of perfect holiness, and therefore of complete security. But do not the saints even on earth sometimes taste the joys of blissful security? The doctrine of God's word is, that all who are in union with the Lamb are safe; that all the righteous shall hold on their way; that those who have committed their souls to the keeping of Christ shall find him a faithful and immutable preserver. Sustained by such a doctrine we can enjoy security even on earth; not that high and glorious security which renders us free from every slip, but that holy security which arises from the sure promise of Jesus that none who believe in him shall ever perish, but shall be with him where he is. Believer, let us often reflect with joy on the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, and honour the faithfulness of our God by a holy confidence in him.
May our God bring home to you a sense of your safety in Christ Jesus! May he assure you that your name is graven on his hand; and whisper in your ear the promise, "Fear not, I am with thee." Look upon him, the great Surety of the covenant, as faithful and true, and, therefore, bound and engaged to present you, the weakest of the family, with all the chosen race, before the throne of God; and in such a sweet contemplation you will drink the juice of the spiced wine of the Lord's pomegranate, and taste the dainty fruits of Paradise. You will have an antepast of the enjoyments which ravish the souls of the perfect saints above, if you can believe with unstaggering faith that "faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
Evening
"Ye serve the Lord Christ."
Colossians 3:24
Colossians 3:24
To what choice order of officials was this word spoken? To kings who proudly boast a right divine? Ah, no! too often do they serve themselves or Satan, and forget the God whose sufferance permits them to wear their mimic majesty for their little hour. Speaks then the apostle to those so-called "right reverend fathers in God," the bishops, or "the venerable the archdeacons"? No, indeed, Paul knew nothing of these mere inventions of man. Not even to pastors and teachers, or to the wealthy and esteemed among believers, was this word spoken, but to servants, aye, and to slaves. Among the toiling multitudes, the journeymen, the day labourers, the domestic servants, the drudges of the kitchen, the apostle found, as we find still, some of the Lord's chosen, and to them he says, "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." This saying ennobles the weary routine of earthly employments, and sheds a halo around the most humble occupations. To wash feet may be servile, but to wash his feet is royal work. To unloose the shoe-latchet is poor employ, but to unloose the great Master's shoe is a princely privilege. The shop, the barn, the scullery, and the smithy become temples when men and women do all to the glory of God! Then "divine service" is not a thing of a few hours and a few places, but all life becomes holiness unto the Lord, and every place and thing, as consecrated as the tabernacle and its golden candlestick.
"Teach me, my God and King, in all things thee to see;
And what I do in anything to do it as to thee.
All may of thee partake, nothing can be so mean,
Which with this tincture, for thy sake, will not grow bright and clean.
A servant with this clause makes drudgery divine;
Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws, makes that and the action fine."
===
Today's reading: Hosea 5-8, Revelation 2 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Hosea 5-8
Judgment Against Israel
1 “Hear this, you priests!
Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
This judgment is against you:
You have been a snare at Mizpah,
a net spread out on Tabor.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.
I will discipline all of them.
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.
Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
This judgment is against you:
You have been a snare at Mizpah,
a net spread out on Tabor.
2 The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.
I will discipline all of them.
3 I know all about Ephraim;
Israel is not hidden from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
Israel is corrupt.
4 “Their deeds do not permit them
to return to their God.
A spirit of prostitution is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge the LORD.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.
6 When they go with their flocks and herds
to seek the LORD,
they will not find him;
he has withdrawn himself from them.
7 They are unfaithful to the LORD;
they give birth to illegitimate children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,
he will devour their fields....
to return to their God.
A spirit of prostitution is in their heart;
they do not acknowledge the LORD.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;
the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin;
Judah also stumbles with them.
6 When they go with their flocks and herds
to seek the LORD,
they will not find him;
he has withdrawn himself from them.
7 They are unfaithful to the LORD;
they give birth to illegitimate children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,
he will devour their fields....
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 2
To the Church in Ephesus
1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God....
===
|
|  |
|
===
|
| |
|
===
  | ||
 | ||
BETHLEHEM
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. -Luke 2:4
Bethlehem was like any other town in the hills of Judea. Yet, it was the birthplace of the greatest king of Israel, David, and one thousand years later, the Messiah.
How does such honor come to the ordinary? Were the people of this town particularly worthy? Was there some great strategic advantage to where it lay? Were the people of Bethlehem politically savvy, having a long history of producing great leaders? Not at all. The little town of Bethlehem was in the shadow of great Jerusalem just six miles to the north. Even the meaning of Bethlehem, "house of bread," is unremarkable.
But hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Micah predicted the destiny of an unremarkable, small place: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2).
The townspeople of Bethlehem were surely proud to be the "Town of David" and the home of King David's famous grandmother, Ruth. Proud also, to be the location of the tomb of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife. Yet, they must have wondered what Micah's prophesy really meant. When would another prophet like Samuel come to town and anoint a new king, just as he had done with the boy David?
But it didn't happen that way. On an ordinary day, while men plied their trades and women baked bread and children played in the streets, a traveling couple from Nazareth arrived looking for a room. They received no special treatment. No one offered them a room. Ordinary people were having an ordinary response to an ordinary looking couple.
Honor comes to the ordinary because of God's choice, whether it is God's choice to use a town, or a nation, or even a single man or woman, boy or girl. So if this is shaping up to be an ordinary day for you-be prepared. That's the stage on which the acts of God are played.
Prayer for Today:
Dear God, it so easy for us to assume that nothing exciting will happen with the ordinary. Help us this Christmas to see the amazing things you do when you choose to use the ordinary.
  | ||
| Resources
| |
 | ||
===
No comments:
Post a Comment