Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tue Jan 21st Todays News

It is close to Martin Luther King Day in the US, celebrated Jan 20th in 2014. He was born Jan 15th, 1929. He lived by his words and died because of them. So to celebrate, I will highlight my opposition to racist bigots collecting under the banner of the Australian Defence League and the Australian Tea Party. I have been schooled by some to note not every member of ADL is a racist bigot. I do not know who individual members are, and so do not know who the exceptions are. But I will outline what I know.
The ADL is not unique. It is right wing reactionary and not conservative, but tends to social conservatism on some issues. It is named after counterpart organisations in UK (EDL) and US (ADL) and North Ireland (UDL) and maintains loose friendships with them, including hosting senior members. The ADL in Australia is often connected with sympathetic members of the armed forces and people who would like to be. There is nothing wrong with military types being involved in civil organisations, that is a healthy thing. However, it is preferable if those organisations are cultural assets, like RSL, Lions, Apex, Masons, electoral commission .. but a survey of EDL publications shows that there is more invested in race relations, equivalent to KKK. 
EDL is well known for drunken gatherings that turn violent. It was founded by members of the British far right nationalists calling themselves neo Nazis. Far more benign is the US Tea Party, which is not affiliated with the Australian Tea Party. ADL leader (Australian) began the Australian Tea Party in the hopes of tapping into the US political donation cycle. 
There is something politically naive and stupid in the stance taken by the ADL on public issues. They are for protectionism economically. They connect themselves with loopy left wingers who suspect government administration. They try to unite Islamo Fascist terrorists with Islamic peoples who are preyed on by the terrorists. They support failed political movements at the expense of conservatives like the LNP. They hate the ALP and Greens when they would be wiser to oppose their policy. 
ADL may take exception to what I have written about them, but it is criticism they might learn from and benefit from. Feel free to find exceptions to what I have written and treasure them. 
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Hatches
Happy birthday and many happy returns Chris Heins, Charmaine Lawton and Justin Ly. Born on the same day, across the years, along with
Matches
Despatches
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AND THE AWARD FOR BEST GLOBAL WARMING COMEDY GOES TO …

Tim Blair – Tuesday, January 21, 2014 (3:22pm)

Unintentional Antarctic resident Chris Turney, leader of the ship of fools, wins a prize
Professor Chris Turney has been awarded the 2014 Frederick White Prize for his research on understanding past and present climate change and on improving climate change models.
Professor Turney is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow in the UNSW Climate Change Research Centre.
The prize, awarded biennially, recognises the achievements of scientists in Australia who are engaged in research of intrinsic scientific merit that has contributed to community interests, rural or industrial progress, or the understanding of natural phenomena.
Professor Turney is expected to arrive back in Australia today, after leading the 2013-2014 Australasian Antarctic Expedition, a scientific program aimed at increasing our knowledge of the vital Antarctic region.
“I am absolutely delighted and incredibly humbled to receive such a prestigious award,” Professor Turney said. 
Turney will collect his prize in Canberra this May. I hope he can find a park.
(Via Dr P)
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Sportsmanship on thin ice

Andrew Bolt January 21 2014 (7:53am)


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How not to come second. Speed skater Sjinkie Knegt then used a foot to send winner Viktor An a further message:

Others are poor winners. Take Richard Sherman, who yesterday tipped a last-gasp touchdown pass out of the hands of Michael Crabtree to send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl:

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One in five rely on government for an income handout

Andrew Bolt January 21 2014 (7:03am)


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This $70 billion a year of welfarism cannot all be healthy:

THE nation’s welfare system is “unsustainable” and large, urgent changes must be made to the disability pension and the general unemployment benefit, Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews has warned.
A 10-year report by the Department of Human Services shows that more than five million Australians received an income support payment in June 2012 - more than one in five Australians - with Disability Support Pension recipients hitting 827,000, while 550,000 people were on Newstart Allowance.
Figures for June last year, released recently but not included in the 10-year report, show… DSP recipients totalled 821,000.
Mr Andrews ... said the government was reviewing all welfare rules to see what could be done to decrease the number of unemployed on the dole, including the possibility of eliminating the ability of those on welfare to refuse to take a job if it was more than 90 minutes from their home and keep their income support payments.
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Bolt Report back and bigger

Andrew Bolt January 20 2014 (6:23pm)


I am told The Bolt Report will be back on February 2 March 2, and will now go for an hour.
I’ve thought of a juicy new segment for it to balance something on the ABC.
Any further ideas welcome, including your wish-list for panelists, both Left and conservative/libertarian.
UPDATE
Oops. I have just been told that logistical issues, not least those involving the televising of the Sochi games, means the return of the show has had to be postponed for one month. Unfortunate, but there it is.
I’ve also noted a common request in comments below. It will be acted upon and the said person is on board. 
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
HOW DO YOU BREAK THE ATTITUDE OF WORRY?
I will like to share to you this one thing that derails Christians from growing in faith. Worry is very deceiving and in most cases taken lightly. That's why it's powerful and destructive.You see, lots of people are worried about their bills, thinning hair, health, kids, wrinkles in their faces and all other things. It's an unconscious habit that people are doing that, taking the limelight from God and focusing it on their problems. 

Listen.In Matthew 6:25-27 Scripture says that we shouldn't be anxious about our life because "worrying" won't add a single hour in our life. In fact, it's a sin since we're seeing our problem as if it's bigger than our God. So how do break the habit of worrying? Really, there several ways to break it but I will show you a better and long-term solution.Think about this. Worrying is actually an act of meditation. It is focusing your mind on things that may go wrong. Oddly enough, we also worry about the things that have already happened. And we cannot change the past.

Here's a better solution. Instead of meditating on the negative, why not meditate on God's Words and promises to you? If bills and expenses are piling up, why not meditate this truth."But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19.Simply close your eyes and recite this verse meaningfully three times to experience its power. It can be the best weapon to fight this unconscious habit.God bless you.
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PRAY.
Father, today I choose to hold on to peace. I won’t let the little things upset me and steal my joy and peace. I choose to trust You and praise You for what You are doing today and in the future of my life in Jesus’ name! Amen.
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Everyone has opportunities to get upset and be frustrated every single day. Sometimes it’s the little things — we can’t find the car keys, traffic is backed up,misplace your phone, somebody was rude, or what should have taken an hour ends up taking four hours. Something happened and now you are frustrated and all bent out of shape. There will always be something that can sour your day, but if you are going to live in victory, you have to maintain the right approach. You can’t let the little foxes spoil the vine. In other words, don’t let the little things in life spoil the harvest God has for your future.The Scripture says,“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”
(Song of Solomon 2:15, NIV) God bless you.
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Pastor Rick Warren
MY TEN FAVORITE MARTIN LUTHER KING QUOTES

One of the greatest privileges of my life was being invited by Dr. King’s children and family to preach from the same pulpit that he preached from at the great Ebenezer Baptist Church , the congregation Dr. King pastored in Atlanta. The occasion was the 40th Anniversary of Dr. King’s death, and the family told me that I was the first white preacher to preach there.

People forget that, first and foremost, Martin Luther King was a PASTOR, He was not a politician. He was a Baptist minister of the Gospel, and a pastor of a local church. Everything he did to promote freedom, justice, and racial equality flowed out of his understanding of God’s Word. I have read hundreds of his sermons and they are rich biblical content.

Hanging on the wall of my study is hand typed and signed note from Dr. King. It hangs next to a handwritten note from Mother Teresa and a letter of encouragement from Billy Graham. Each of these 3 Christian leaders left their mark on me as I was a young man.

In honor of Pastor Martin Luther King on this MLK holiday, I give you my 10 FAVORITE QUOTES from a man who was model to many other pastors:

1. “The purpose of life is not to be happy, nor to achieve pleasure nor avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may.”

2. “I just want to do God’s will.”

3. “When I took up the cross I recognized it's meaning. The cross is something that you bear, and ultimately, that you die on.”

4. “The early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the Church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.”

5. "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

6. "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict."

7. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

8. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”

9. "The gospel at its best deals with the whole man, not only his soul but his body, not only his spiritual well-being, but his material well being as well.”

10. "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
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Canberra sunsets are awesome.
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The view from Queanbeyan across the border isn't too shabby either.
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Pickering favours the extreme left wing most times .. always has - ed
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January 21Feast Day of Saint Agnes (Christianity); Flag Day in Quebec
Raymond Poincaré
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Events[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Holidays and observances[edit]

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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” - James 1:2-3
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
January 20: Morning
"Abel was a keeper of sheep." - Genesis 4:2
As a shepherd Abel sanctified his work to the glory of God, and offered a sacrifice of blood upon his altar, and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering. This early type of our Lord is exceedingly clear and distinct. Like the first streak of light which tinges the east at sunrise, it does not reveal everything, but it clearly manifests the great fact that the sun is coming. As we see Abel, a shepherd and yet a priest, offering a sacrifice of sweet smell unto God, we discern our Lord, who brings before his Father a sacrifice to which Jehovah ever hath respect. Abel was hated by his brother--hated without a cause; and even so was the Saviour: the natural and carnal man hated the accepted man in whom the Spirit of grace was found, and rested not until his blood had been shed. Abel fell, and sprinkled his altar and sacrifice with his own blood, and therein sets forth the Lord Jesus slain by the enmity of man while serving as a priest before the Lord. "The good Shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep." Let us weep over him as we view him slain by the hatred of mankind, staining the horns of his altar with his own blood. Abel's blood speaketh. "The Lord said unto Cain, The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.'" The blood of Jesus hath a mighty tongue, and the import of its prevailing cry is not vengeance but mercy. It is precious beyond all preciousness to stand at the altar of our good Shepherd! to see him bleeding there as the slaughtered priest, and then to hear his blood speaking peace to all his flock, peace in our conscience, peace between Jew and Gentile, peace between man and his offended Maker, peace all down the ages of eternity for blood-washed men. Abel is the first shepherd in order of time, but our hearts shall ever place Jesus first in order of excellence. Thou great Keeper of the sheep, we the people of thy pasture bless thee with our whole hearts when we see thee slain for us.
Evening
"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way." - Psalm 119:37
There are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the fool, the mirth of the world, the dance, the lyre, and the cup of the dissolute, all these men know to be vanities; they wear upon their forefront their proper name and title. Far more treacherous are those equally vain things, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity as truly in the counting-house as in the theatre. If he be spending his life in amassing wealth, he passes his days in a vain show. Unless we follow Christ, and make our God the great object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most frivolous. It is clear that there is much need of the first prayer of our text. "Quicken thou me in thy way." The Psalmist confesses that he is dull, heavy, lumpy, all but dead. Perhaps, dear reader, you feel the same. We are so sluggish that the best motives cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord himself. What! will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of sinners perishing, and yet not be awakened? Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think of the reward that awaiteth the righteous, and yet be cold? Will not death quicken me? Can I think of dying, and standing before my God, and yet be slothful in my Master's service? Will not Christ's love constrain me? Can I think of his dear wounds, can I sit at the foot of his cross, and not be stirred with fervency and zeal? It seems so! No mere consideration can quicken us to zeal, but God himself must do it, hence the cry, "Quicken thou me." The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in vehement pleadings: his body and his soul unite in prayer. "Turn away mine eyes," says the body: "Quicken thou me," cries the soul. This is a fit prayer for every day. O Lord, hear it in my case this night.
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Herod 
[Hûr'od] - son of the hero or the glory of the skin. Space forbids a detailed account of the genealogical table of the family of Herod. From Antipater, Governor of Idumaea, there were many branches. Elaborating on the history of the Herods, Henry S. Nash in his Hastings Dictionary article says that they brought into history a considerable amount of vigor and ability, and that the main interest attaching to the Herods is not concerned with their characters as individual rulers.
"They acquire dignity when they are viewed as parts of a supremely dramatic situation in universal history. The fundamental elements in the situation are two.
"The course of world-power in antiquity, and the relation between it and the political principle in the constitution of the Chosen People.
"The religious genius of Judaism, and its relation to the political elements in the experience of the Jews."
Among the many of the Herodian house, mention can be made of three, prominent in New Testament history.
1. Herod the Great. This son of Antipater had shown himself before his father's death both masterful and merciless. Because of his rule he earned the tile "Herod the Great." He is remembered for his massacre of the innocents, the murder of several of his sons and for his own appalling death. Stewart Perowne in his recent monumental study, The Life and Times of Herod the Great, tells us that Herod's life was as "eventful as his buildings were magnificent... His charm made him a close personal friend, first of Mark Antony, later of Augustus and Agrippa . . . Herod's greatest achievement was the building of the Temple in Jerusalem" ( Matt. 2:1-22Luke 1:5).
2. Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great by his Samaritan wife, Matthaec. He became tetrarch of Galilee and Pernea. A man of craft, his cunning served him well. "The corroding immorality of his race shows itself in his marriage with Herodias, his brother's wife." His lust proved his undoing and also cost John the Baptist his head. Ultimately he was banished (Matt. 14:1-6Mark 6:14-22; 8:15Luke 3:1, 19Luke 8:3;Luke 9:7, 9Luke 13:31Luke 23:7-15Acts 4:27Acts 13:1).
3. The grandson of Herod the Great, and the son of Aristobulus and Bernice. He became Herod Agrippa I. Caligula gave him the governments of the tetrarchs Philip and Lysanias with other marks of royal favor. Parading as a little tin god, he was smitten with a foul disease and died in great agony (Acts 12; 23:35).
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Today's reading: Genesis 49-50, Matthew 13:31-58 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Genesis 49-50

Jacob Blesses His Sons
Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2 "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.
3 "Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father's bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.
5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers--
their swords are weapons of violence....

Today's New Testament reading: Matthew 13:31-58

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches."
33 He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough."
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world...."


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