One person who is Australian is former President of the ALP Michael Williamson. He has been sentenced to seven and a half years prison with a non parole period of five years. Another convict is his colleague Craig Thomson. Williamson has apologised for his activity and accepted responsibility for his wrongdoing. Thomson has blamed others and lied in his defence. Thomson's inadequate sentence was for one year, with a non parole period of three months. It would take a body like the Electoral Commission to fail to see the disparity between sentences. Thomson single handedly maintained a corrupt and inept government from 2010 to late 2013. Thomson is appealing his sentence. One reason for the disparity is the charges. Thomson has not been charged for all that he has done. The ALP defended both. In Thomson's defence, he isn't really Australian. So, according to ALP logic, he could be head of state, one day. The ALP want a republic because they'd prefer Williamson?
For twenty two years I have been responsibly addressing an issue, and I cannot carry on. I am petitioning the NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to remedy my distress. I leave it up to him if he chooses to address the issue. Regardless of your opinion of conservative government, the issue is pressing. Please sign my petition at http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/nsw-premier-barry-o-farrell-remedy-the-persecution-of-dd-ball?
===
Happy birthday and many happy returns Jenny Duong. May your day be nestled in comfort and joy. They might be pet names .. Sorry, had to toss that bone.
- 623 – Marwan I, Arab caliph (d. 685)
- 1472 – Fra Bartolomeo, Italian painter (d. 1517)
- 1621 – Heinrich Schwemmer German composer and educator (d. 1696)
- 1836 – Frederick Pabst, German-American brewer, founded the Pabst Brewing Company (d. 1904)
- 1907 – Lúcia Santos, Portuguese child visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (d. 2005)
- 1921 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and author (d. 1999)
- 1935 – Michael Parkinson, English journalist and author
- 1948 – John Evan, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Jethro Tull)
- 1981 – Julia Stiles, American actress
- 1986 – Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1995 – Daniela Schippers, Guatemalan tennis player
Matches
- 37 – Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate.
- 193 – Roman Emperor Pertinax is assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sell the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus.
- 364 – Roman Emperor Valentinian I appoints his brother Flavius Valens co-emperor.
- 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
- 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus.
- 1871 – The Paris Commune is formally established in Paris.
- 1889 – The Yngsjö murder in Yngsjö, Sweden: Anna Månsdotter is arrested along with her son.
- 1910 – Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion, after taking off from a water runway near Martigues, France.
- 1933 – The Imperial Airways biplane City of Liverpool is believed to be the first airline lost to sabotage when a passenger sets a fire on board.
- 1946 – Cold War: The United States State Department releases the Acheson–Lilienthal Report, outlining a plan for the international control of nuclear power.
- 1959 – The State Council of the People's Republic of China dissolves the Government of Tibet.
- 1968 – Brazilian high school student Edson Luís de Lima Souto is shot by the police in a protest for cheaper meals at a restaurant for low-income students. The aftermath of his death is one of the first major events against the military dictatorship.
- 1969 – Greek poet and Nobel Prize laureate Giorgos Seferis makes a famous statement on the BBC World Service opposing the junta in Greece.
- 1978 – The US Supreme Court hands down 5–3 decision in Stump v. Sparkman, 435 U.S. 349, a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.
- 1990 – President George H. W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.
- 1999 – Kosovo War: Serb paramilitary and military forces kill 146 Kosovo Albanians in the Izbica massacre.
Despatches
- 193 – Pertinax, Roman emperor (b. 126)
- 1584 – Ivan the Terrible, Russian king (b. 1530)
- 1969 – Dwight D. Eisenhower, American general and politician, 34th President of the United States (b. 1890)
- 1987 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (b. 1905)
- 2004 – Peter Ustinov, English-Swiss actor, screenwriter, director, and producer (b. 1921)
Lorded over by the left’s black knights
Piers Akerman – Thursday, March 27, 2014 (8:06pm)
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott’s quirky segue into the quaint realm of official orders caught many by surprise. But the howls of derision from the opposition benches and the usual clattering of Labor acolytes within the ABC and Fairfax media were as hypocritical as they were confected.
Continue reading 'Lorded over by the left’s black knights'MARCHERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO!
Tim Blair – Friday, March 28, 2014 (3:33am)
The Marchist movement, lately prominent at this site, has taken collective offence over perceived insults. The Marchers insist that they are normal and even able to work. In the interests of community harmony, here are several more Work on Wednesday snaps of our Marchie comrades, beginning with the Sullivan clan:
“We marched in march, worked on Wednesday, digging ditches, changing nappies and going to Uni and school. We marched for education, workers rights, the environment, NDIS, a fair go for refugees.The march in Melbourne was such a beautiful coming together of intelligent good hearted Australians!”
Continue reading 'MARCHERS ARE PEOPLE, TOO!'Waleed Aly’s argument: fighting racism is racist. Even Martin Luther King is too white
Andrew Bolt March 28 2014 (11:01am)
I have had two articles
banned after I mocked the retribalising of Australia - the absurd new
“racial” divisions being forced on us. It is bizarre that arguments
against racism are now being denounced as racist.
But today The Age runs an opinion piece arguing just that point - that resisting racial division is itself racist. This is Orwell meeting Kafka.
In it Waleed Aly argues against the Abbott Government’s proposal to reform the Racial Discrimination Act so comments are judged by the standards of the “ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community”:
Aly’s argument also relies on an offensive stereotype that any judge, magistrate. human rights commissioner or jury member being asked to consider the views of the “ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community” is either white (and therefore blind to other “races") or simply racist, and unable to conceive of any “normal” construct of Australian identity which isn’t “white”. This is not only false, but arguably racist, assuming a lack of insight in whites that I suspect Aly credits in himself as a “non-white”.
Then there are the double standards and claims for race-based privileges in argument. Aly has been given jobs on the ABC, Channel 10 and Monash University, as well as book contracts and columns in The Age, yet is very good at telling “white people” whether they should or shouldn’t argue back:
Excuse me, but how about we just deal with people’s arguments, and not judge those arguments by the colour of the person making them?
Instead, we are being retribalised along spurious “racial” lines, reduced to racial caricatures and robbed of our freedom and right to protest.
===But today The Age runs an opinion piece arguing just that point - that resisting racial division is itself racist. This is Orwell meeting Kafka.
In it Waleed Aly argues against the Abbott Government’s proposal to reform the Racial Discrimination Act so comments are judged by the standards of the “ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community”:
And what race is this hypothetical “ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community” meant to be, exactly? If you answered that they have no particular race, then you’ve just given the whitest answer possible. It’s the answer that assumes there is such a thing as racial neutrality. Of course, only white people have the chance to be neutral because in our society only white is deemed normal; only whiteness is invisible.I’m astonished. Aly is arguing that those of us who say we should have a colour-blind view of the “ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community” are actually racist, blind to anyone not white themselves. We are “too white”, even if some of those holding this position are not white at all. Aly says we must instead see everyone not as individuals but representatives of some “race”. To judge people by their “race” or “whiteness” is now the only way not to be racist. Dead is the argument of Martin Luther King that we should believe “all men are brothers” and create “a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. Did King give “the whitest answer possible” in dreaming of “racial neutrality”?
Aly’s argument also relies on an offensive stereotype that any judge, magistrate. human rights commissioner or jury member being asked to consider the views of the “ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community” is either white (and therefore blind to other “races") or simply racist, and unable to conceive of any “normal” construct of Australian identity which isn’t “white”. This is not only false, but arguably racist, assuming a lack of insight in whites that I suspect Aly credits in himself as a “non-white”.
Then there are the double standards and claims for race-based privileges in argument. Aly has been given jobs on the ABC, Channel 10 and Monash University, as well as book contracts and columns in The Age, yet is very good at telling “white people” whether they should or shouldn’t argue back:
This matters because – if I may speak freely – plenty of white people (even ordinary reasonable ones) are good at telling coloured people what they should and shouldn’t find racist, without even the slightest awareness that they might not be in prime position to make that call.To judge how offensive and racialist that statement is, try another equally unacceptable formulation: “Plenty of black people (even ordinary reasonable ones) are good at telling white people what they should and shouldn’t find offensive, without even the slightest awareness that they might not be in prime position to make that call.”
Excuse me, but how about we just deal with people’s arguments, and not judge those arguments by the colour of the person making them?
Instead, we are being retribalised along spurious “racial” lines, reduced to racial caricatures and robbed of our freedom and right to protest.
On the Bolt Report on Sunday
Andrew Bolt March 28 2014 (10:47am)
On the show on Sunday: Who are these people telling you what you can’t say and can’t hear?
Guests Anthony Dillon, who identifies as “part Aboriginal”, Judith Sloan and former NSW Treasurer Michael Costa.
So much to tackle: is Bronwyn Bishop the victim of misogyny? How bad was the Government’s last week? Where does Labor get off, lecturing on Budget deficits?
In NewsWatch, the great Gerard Henderson on how newspapers are refusing to help police catch certain suspects.
Plus Your Say, and a question: which of these two parties would you go to? And subsidise?
On Network 10 at 10am and 4pm.
The videos of the shows appear here.
===Guests Anthony Dillon, who identifies as “part Aboriginal”, Judith Sloan and former NSW Treasurer Michael Costa.
So much to tackle: is Bronwyn Bishop the victim of misogyny? How bad was the Government’s last week? Where does Labor get off, lecturing on Budget deficits?
In NewsWatch, the great Gerard Henderson on how newspapers are refusing to help police catch certain suspects.
Plus Your Say, and a question: which of these two parties would you go to? And subsidise?
On Network 10 at 10am and 4pm.
The videos of the shows appear here.
Are Jews really safer if Afroz Ali gets his way with me?
Andrew Bolt March 28 2014 (7:57am)
I would ask my Jewish
friends, especially those fighting Tony Abbott’s free speech reforms, to
interpret Afroz Ali’s warning correctly - as a plea for laws to muzzle
those who have warned against the rise of Islamist extremism:
As they consider this, here’s some positions Afroz has taken which I would need my free speech to criticise:
Free speech is the best defence to bad speech:
Graham Richardson sees no reason for the Government to change the law:
Richardson adds:
===A WESTERN Sydney imam believes the Abbott government’s proposed repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act will create a situation that favours Jews and discriminates against indigenous Australians and other minority groups.Jewish community leaders should consider: if I am to be muzzled by someone like Afroz, moderate though he may be said to be, are they safer or more exposed?
Afroz Ali, the president of the al-Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences and Human Development and founding member of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, warned on his Facebook page yesterday that Tony Abbott and Attorney-General George Brandis were trying to “have their racist ways to protect prejudiced sophists like Andrew Bolt and such ilk of hate-speech spreaders”.
He cautioned that if 18C was repealed, it would become “illegal to make any hate speech against Jews, but fully legal to make hate speech against the indigenous people of Australia, for example, and get away with it as an excuse of ‘freedom of speech’ “.
As they consider this, here’s some positions Afroz has taken which I would need my free speech to criticise:
A MUSLIM leader and outspoken opponent of female genital mutilation says female circumcision, which he defines as the partial removal of the clitoral hood, is not only an utterly distinct practice, but the “divinely ordained right of a woman” under Islam… Imam Afroz defines female circumcision and female genital mutilation as “two very different, and unrelated, kinds of acts; the former being permissible and the latter completely forbidden under Islamic law”.Another:
The sickest part of this tyrannical coin is that there have already been thousands of ordinary Palestinians murdered on their own lands by Israel. The other side of this coin is that the Governments of the USA and Australia, consider the citizens of this world to be idiots, that the citizens do not recognise truth…On al Qaeda:
The only plan USA, Israel and Australia want to remember is their plan - self interest. The causes of the continuing war and loss of lives in the Middle East is a taboo topic… Retaliations and self-defence of the Palestinians are now labelled as terrorist, whilst state-terror and genocide is promoted as “Israel’s right to defend itself”. The evil in the leadership of these countries is bringing this world to an abyss…
As citizens of this world, it is a most crucial responsibility upon us that a handful of a few must not take the rest of humanity into that abyss, full of evil, that the likes of Hitler once did.
Al Qaeda as a group is a very mysterious group. It seems to me only the American Government knows much about it… Having said that, whatever the classification for al Qaeda is, that there is a militant body out there which is in fact reacting to very high levels of imperialism, very high levels of natural resources grab in different parts of the world and also without a doubt a political and ideological fight which comes out of all of that.UPDATE
Free speech is the best defence to bad speech:
Professor [James] Allan said there were no hate speech laws in the US and it was a destination of choice for minority groups around the world…UPDATE
Professor Allan said that “in the long run, letting people rip is the best protection for minority groups”.
He added that by silencing people, “it doesn’t get rid of the problem, it drives it underground, it turns them into martyrs, it’s very short-term thinking"…
Indigenous man Wesley Aird, a former member of John Howard’s indigenous advisory council, said he supported free speech, arguing legislation would never stop racism.
“I am in favour of free speech and firmly of the view that no amount of legislation can stop idiots saying stupid things,” Mr Aird said.
Graham Richardson sees no reason for the Government to change the law:
Many observers, including some senior cabinet ministers, see this reform as a reaction to the court verdict against Andrew Bolt. I have never quite understood why the Bolt case ever got as far as a courtroom.But, Graham, just to say the case shouldn’t have got that far does not address the problem. The case did and even succeeded. So what do you think of the law permitting that? Do we reform it to prevent such cases or do we just accept the overreach?
Richardson adds:
During the past couple of decades, most of the problems associated with allegations of racism received only moderate media interest and disappeared into the labyrinthine corridors of the Human Rights Commission, never to be heard of again.The fact that cases “disappeared” in the Human Rights Commission to be resolved in near secret does not mean that justice was done. It is very likely that some accused people simply did not have the money or heart to fight false claims. Is Richardson absolutely certain that not one of these cases involved innocent people paying “go-away” money to avoid being unfairly branded a bigot? Is he certain justice is really being done in every case?
The complainant, who is of Vietnamese and Chinese origin, ... alleged that a co-worker made offensive race-based comments to him such as “chink” and “gook”. He claimed that this co-worker also gave him ninja stars made from discarded metal. The complainant said he found this behaviour offensive as it implied that all Vietnamese people carry knifes. The complainant claimed that his employment was terminated after he made an internal complaint. The co-worker denied the allegations. The company said the complainant’s employment was terminated because of his performance and unexplained absences from work. The complaint was resolved with an agreement that the company would pay the complainant $2,000 general damages…
The complainant, who is of African origin, was employed as a store person in a supermarket. He claimed that the manager made race-based comments to him and reduced his shifts. He said that after an argument with this manager, he was told to leave the store and his employment was subsequently terminated. The respondent denied race discrimination and said the complainant was suspended because of inappropriate behaviour. The complaint was resolved on the basis of payment of $6,000 general damages…
The complainant who is African American, was employed on a casual basis with the respondent retail company. The complainant claimed that he was not afforded the same work opportunities as other employees and that his colleagues made adverse comments about his race and colour. The complainant said that eventually he was not offered further work. The respondent denied discrimination and said that the complainant had stopped turning up for his shifts. The ... matter was resolved with the respondent agreeing to pay the complainant $5,000 in general damages…
The complainant, who is from El Salvador, alleged she was harassed and bullied by a co-worker during her employment with the respondent religious organisation. The complainant said she raised her concerns with management and was told “you are being too emotional - this is because you are from South America”. The complainant’s position was subsequently made redundant and she alleged that this constituted racial discrimination… The organisation denied that comments connected to the complainant’s ethnic background were made as alleged. The organisation said the redundancy was due to a genuine restructure. The complaint was resolved with ... $3,000 financial compensation.
The complainant, who is from India and of Hindu religion, was employed by the respondent child care organisation.... The complainant alleged that during her employment, she was performance managed because she was from a non-English speaking background and was treated differently than other staff who were not of her race and religion. She also claimed that the organisation failed to accommodate her carer’s responsibilities. The respondent denied that the complainant was treated differently to other employees and said that clients had raised concerns about the complainant’s communication skills and there were other performance issues. The respondent said the complainant was provided with work to coincide with her availability.... The respondent agreed to provide the complainant with ... $7,500.
The complainant, who is of Indian origin, claimed she was forced to resign from her employment as a customer service officer after four months. She claimed she was the only Indian employee with the respondent company and she alleged colleagues made derogatory comments about her and implied that she could not speak English properly. The complainant also claimed that her probation period was unfairly extended and she was performance managed due to her race. The respondent company denied discrimination and said the complainant was not its only employee of Indian origin. The company said the complainant was occasionally difficult to understand but denied she was treated negatively because of this. The company said the complainant’s probation was extended for performance reasons… The complaint resolved in conciliation with an agreement that the company would pay the complainant $5,000.
Rice accuses weary Obama of letting trouble fill his “vacuum”
Andrew Bolt March 28 2014 (7:34am)
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accuses “weary” Barack Obama of giving in to trouble:
===“Right now, there’s a vacuum,” she told a crowd of more than two thousand attending the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual dinner…
“There’s a vacuum because we’ve decided to lower our voice. We’ve decided to step back. We’ve decided that if we step back and lower our voice, others will lead, other things will fill that vacuum.” Citing Bashar al Assad’s slaughter in Syria, Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, al Qaeda’s triumphant return to Fallujah, Iraq, and China’s nationalist fervor, she concluded: “When America steps back and there is a vacuum, trouble will fill that vacuum.”
Rice ... mocked the naïve hope that “international norms” would fill the vacuum left by U.S. retreat and blasted the president for hiding behind the weariness of the public.
“I fully understand the sense of weariness. I fully understand that we must think: ‘Us, again?’ I know that we’ve been through two wars. I know that we’ve been vigilant against terrorism. I know that it’s hard. But leaders can’t afford to get tired. Leaders can’t afford to be weary.”
We are not a nation of tribes. Free speech is for us all to use and defend
Andrew Bolt March 27 2014 (4:58pm)
Senator Scott Ryan gives a great speech on free speech.
Continue reading 'We are not a nation of tribes. Free speech is for us all to use and defend'
===
Senator RYAN (Victoria—Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education) (16:30): I have said before that I am a first amendment type of guy. I have long admired the American culture that values freedom of speech as a critical, non-negotiable and—I think even more importantly—virtually un-conditional component of a free society. Senator Wong talks about people being attacked. I should probably declare at this point that I am a longstanding member and a former research fellow of the Institute of Public Affairs. What we have heard from the other side of this chamber—and from my good friend, Senator Cameron, who has just left—over and over again is the vilification of people merely by virtue of the institute at which they work. There is a reason why the Greens and the ALP hate the Institute of Public Affairs—it is because it is not part of their public sector mentality. It challenges the precepts that they put up, and it cannot be bowed by the fact that it is not on the public sector drip, the way they wish all civil society was.
What we have just heard from Senator Wong and what we have heard constantly from those opposite, including the Greens, relies on a profound misunderstanding of what our society is. They seem to view our rights, particularly our right to speech and our right to discuss—our right to participate in democracy and in a free flow of ideas—as coming to us via a licence from politicians or judges. They seem to think that, somehow, the laws in this place determine what we are allowed and not allowed to say. That is a profound misrepresentation of our constitutional and legal history. It is only in recent times that there have been such limits on things like speech. This is a profound fissure in what we view as the role of the state, and what we view as the role of the government and its relationship with the citizens of this country. Senator Wong accused Senator Brandis of celebrating the rights of bigots. What I will say is that I condemn the bigot, but I celebrate the rights of every citizen. And that is important, because a commitment to freedom of speech only really counts when it is tested. A commitment to freedom of speech only really counts when it comes to defending something you profoundly and viscerally disagree with—and that is where my commitment to free speech lies.
It is not about the public funding of artists. I do not have to fund someone to support their right to say something. There is a profound difference between the allocation of taxpayers’ resources to give someone the right to do something, and the question of whether or not they are allowed to say something. I will defend the right of someone to speak, but that does not entail and should not be confused with the idea that I should resource them to speak.
We have heard the constant complaints of those opposite over the last 48 hours about ethnic community leaders, multicultural community leaders, and their views on this particular proposal. I said at the start that I was a first amendment type of person: I view the proposal put up by the government and Senator Brandis in the exposure draft as a compromise. I accept that my views are not typical of all those in this place, or indeed all those in this country, in supporting a very strong and almost unlimited commitment to freedom of speech. The problem I have is that those opposite seem to see us as a nation of tribes; as a nation where self-declared leaders of communities—communities defined by race—should somehow should have a special place in the consideration of legislation that any other Australian citizen should not. Every Australian’s view has an equal standing in this place—every Australian’s view, no matter what community they declare themselves to be from; whether it be one or many; and whether or not they declare themselves to be leaders of communities. The elected bodies in this country are the elected representatives of the Australian people. We don’t believe in a corporatist society, or in one where there are a series of tribes where, somehow, some people have more rights than others.
The ALP and the Greens seek to define this as a debate about racism when it is not. It is a debate profoundly about speech, its limits, and the role of governments, politicians and judges in limiting the rights of our fellow citizens to express ideas. How is it our role to empower certain people in Australia, in this case judges under the current law, to determine whether another opinion is arrived at or expressed in good faith? That is the current provision in section 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act. What happened to Andrew Bolt was that a court said that his opinion was not expressed in good faith. It did not just ban the expression of that opinion; it banned its re-publication. It had to declare an Orwellian moment—that it never happened.
Continue reading 'We are not a nation of tribes. Free speech is for us all to use and defend'===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
=== Posts from last year ==
4 her
===
===
===
===
===
===
Don't forget God or joy .. - ed
===
===
Many commuters stopped to congratulate Bronwyn on the great job she does as part of Tony Abbott's Liberal Team. — with Bronwyn Bishop.
===
Darren Martin from The Hawthorne Pantry in the seat of Griffith, Brisbane has been hit hard by the carbon tax and had some graphics to show me how much his power bills have been increasing. Thanks to all the local businesses and their customers that I met in Hawthorne this morning. I was joined by our Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey and our LNP candidate for Griffith, Dr Bill Glasson.
===
===
Craig Kelly
TIM FLANNERY SHOULD BE SACKED.
Tim Flannery is paid a reported $180,000 by the Australian taxpayer.
His comments ridiculing people suffering health effects from wind turbines, by saying their illness may be caused by stress or being "sick with envy" for not getting payment for turbines on their properties – as an absolute disgrace.
His comments ridiculing ill Australians that have been forced to abandon their homes because of ultrasound from wind turbines is disgusting, appalling and demonstrates a complete ignorance – and that he is completely unfit to hold such highly paid taxpayer funded job.
Here's a chance for the PM to show some leadership – she should sack Mr. Flannery, today.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/tim-flannery-derides-wind-farm-sickness/story-e6frg8y6-1226608010097
===
===
===
'sup?
===
3 days and counting... Don't miss the return of the Doctor at 7.30pm on ABC TV Australia this Sunday!
===
===
===
Yesssssss... they're back! Mark Gatiss talks about the return of the Ice Warriors in 'Cold War' in the May issue of Doctor Who Magazine. More info on doctorwho.tv: http://bit.ly/10bTp3V
===
Wireless could make NBN clueless
Andrew Bolt March 28 2013 (4:54am)
Already running over-time, over-budget and under-subscribed, the $37 billion NBN gamble is now even more likely to become our greatest white elephant. And it’s for the very reason that even the techno-clueless consumers have said from the start: who wants to be tethered to a wire in the wall?
===THE company building the National Broadband Network, already under fire for running late, has admitted it faces rising competition from wireless networks offering improved services and prices.
NBN Co has conceded its own modelling finds that if it increases prices by the maximum it expects to be allowed by regulators, the number of wireless-only premises will rise to 30 per cent by 2039-40 because affordability is such a significant factor for households…
A Labor-commissioned report by corporate advisers Greenhill Caliburn in 2011 warned that the growing popularity of wireless internet could have a “significant” impact on the economics.
Now a senior NBN Co executive has said: “NBN Co faces competition from wireless networks that are increasing in capability over time, subject to significant economies of scale and scope (and therefore, decreasing cost per gigabyte delivered), and are expected to offer a potential substitute for NBN Co’s voice-only and entry-level voice and broadband services.”
Gillard’s backfire: divide and be conquered
Andrew Bolt March 28 2013 (5:13am)
Niki Savva on a Prime Minister determined to divide the nation as she has her own party:
UPDATE
That class-war talk hasn’t exactly mobilised the Labor base as intended. A third of Labor’s Queensland members haven’t bothered to renew their cut-price memberships:
The politics of division sure hasn’t done much for Labor itself. Graham Richardson:
===Crean, Martin Ferguson, Bill Kelty and others expressed their repugnance at tactics unworthy of leaders…Gillard’s problem is that her entire election strategy for at least a year has been to appeal to single-interest groups and the aggrieved by picking fights with their “enemies”. How is she to stop now? What can she replace that with? The real, real, real Julia?
On Monday when Gillard was asked about class warfare and the criticisms, she replied: “My focus is on Australian classrooms and what happens in them, and that’s at the centre of Australian political life and the life of our nation.”
How cute was that? How clever to turn class war into classroom. Too cute and too clever, really.
On Tuesday when the ABC’s Sabra Lane asked again about class warfare, Gillard responded by seeking a definition of it, as if she could explain away or excuse what she and the Treasurer had been doing by reducing it to an exercise in semantics.
Those who had been listening knew exactly what they were hearing: an attempt to pit people against one another on the basis of class, or sex, or race as in the case of foreign workers, for base political gain… The tactics of divide and rule will work about as well in the electorate as they do inside Labor.
UPDATE
That class-war talk hasn’t exactly mobilised the Labor base as intended. A third of Labor’s Queensland members haven’t bothered to renew their cut-price memberships:
In a leaked internal ALP memo, Queensland state secretary Anthony Chisholm this week pleaded to the “true believers” to lean on 2000 members who have yet to renew their memberships.UPDATE
“We need every single one of these 2000 members in order take the fight to Tony Abbott in September, and to Campbell Newman in 2014,” he said in the memo. “And we can’t do it without you.” It follows a recruitment drive in September last year with Labor cutting sign-up fees to $5 after membership of the Queensland division fell to around 5000 rank-and-file.
The politics of division sure hasn’t done much for Labor itself. Graham Richardson:
This week’s Newspoll in The Australian was totally in line with everybody’s expectations… The 16-point gap in the two-party-preferred vote was something even most Gillard supporters would have expected to see. It was the price they were prepared to pay to stop the man they despise so much. It is such a tragedy that Rudd is the most hated figure in the caucus. In 40 years of close study, I have never seen a hatred this toxic.
Tell me when Labor’s ready to talk about its dead
Andrew Bolt March 28 2013 (6:45am)
IT’S always “too soon” to talk about the boat people lured to their deaths by Labor.
Two years ago, when 50 boat people drowned off Christmas Island, I said the Government had “blood on its hands” for having dismantled our tough border laws.
Greens leader Bob Brown was livid: “Andrew Bolt’s call, while bodies were still in the ocean, for Julia Gillard’s resignation ... lacked human decency. He should resign.”
This week, it was again too soon.
(Read full article here.)
UPDATE
Even running out of money to deter boat people:
===Two years ago, when 50 boat people drowned off Christmas Island, I said the Government had “blood on its hands” for having dismantled our tough border laws.
Greens leader Bob Brown was livid: “Andrew Bolt’s call, while bodies were still in the ocean, for Julia Gillard’s resignation ... lacked human decency. He should resign.”
This week, it was again too soon.
(Read full article here.)
UPDATE
Even running out of money to deter boat people:
Asylum seeker families could be released into the community on bridging visas to relieve pressure on an overwhelmed budget and a border protection system struggling against an unprecedented surge in arrivals.But money enough to tell boat people this is a land of plenty that’s free, free, free:
A PREGNANT asylum seeker deemed a security risk by ASIO was offered free domestic help and childcare while another detainee has had drooping eyelids fixed by taxpayers.(Thanks to reader CA.)
An array of non urgent medical treatment provided to detainees has been revealed including a suspected war criminal who had his impacted wisdom teeth removed at no cost to him.
March 28: Serfs Emancipation Day in Tibet
-2.jpg)
- 1802 – German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers discovered 2 Pallas, the second asteroid known to man.
- 1910 – Near Martigues, France, French aviator Henri Fabre's Fabre Hydravion became the first seaplane to take off from water under its own power.
- 1920 – An outbreak of 37 tornadoes across the Midwestern and Southern United States left more than 380 people dead.
- 1930 – Turkey changed the name of its largest city Constantinople toIstanbul.
- 1979 – A partial core meltdown of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (pictured) near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, resulted in the release of an estimated 43,000 curies (1.59 PBq) of radioactive krypton to the environment.
Events[edit]
- 37 – Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate.
- 193 – Roman Emperor Pertinax is assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sell the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus.
- 364 – Roman Emperor Valentinian I appoints his brother Flavius Valens co-emperor.
- 845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.
- 1204 – The Siege of Château Gaillard ends in a French victory over King John of England, who loses control of Normandy to King Philip II Augustus.
- 1566 – The foundation stone of Valletta, Malta's capital city, is laid by Jean Parisot de Valette, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
- 1776 – Juan Bautista de Anza finds the site for the Presidio of San Francisco.
- 1794 – Allies under the prince of Coburg defeat French forces at Le Cateau.
- 1795 – Partitions of Poland: The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, a northern fief of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, ceases to exist and becomes part of Imperial Russia.
- 1802 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid known to man.
- 1809 – Peninsular War: France defeats Spain in the Battle of Medelin.
- 1854 – Crimean War: France and Britain declare war on Russia.
- 1860 – First Taranaki War: The Battle of Waireka begins.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Battle of Glorieta Pass – in New Mexico, Union forces stop the Confederate invasion of New Mexico territory. The battle began on March 26.
- 1871 – The Paris Commune is formally established in Paris.
- 1883 – Tonkin Campaign: French victory in the Battle of Gia Cuc.
- 1889 – The Yngsjö murder in Yngsjö, Sweden: Anna Månsdotter is arrested along with her son.
- 1910 – Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion, after taking off from a water runway near Martigues, France.
- 1913 – Guatemala becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1920 – Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920 affects the Great Lakes region and Deep South states.
- 1930 – Constantinople and Angora change their names to Istanbul and Ankara.
- 1933 – The Imperial Airways biplane City of Liverpool is believed to be the first airline lost to sabotage when a passenger sets a fire on board.
- 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Generalissimo Francisco Franco conquers Madrid after a three-year siege.
- 1941 – World War II: Battle of Cape Matapan – in the Mediterranean Sea, British Admiral Andrew Browne Cunningham leads the Royal Navy in the destruction of three major Italianheavy cruisers and two destroyers.
- 1942 – World War II: In occupied France, British naval forces successfully raid the German-occupied port of St. Nazaire.
- 1946 – Cold War: The United States State Department releases the Acheson–Lilienthal Report, outlining a plan for the international control of nuclear power.
- 1951 – First Indochina War: In the Battle of Mao Khe, French Union forces, led by World War II hero Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, inflict a defeat on Việt Minh forces commanded by General Võ Nguyên Giáp.
- 1959 – The State Council of the People's Republic of China dissolves the Government of Tibet.
- 1968 – Brazilian high school student Edson Luís de Lima Souto is shot by the police in a protest for cheaper meals at a restaurant for low-income students. The aftermath of his death is one of the first major events against the military dictatorship.
- 1969 – Greek poet and Nobel Prize laureate Giorgos Seferis makes a famous statement on the BBC World Service opposing the junta in Greece.
- 1969 – The McGill français movement protest occurs, the second largest protest in Montreal's history with 10,000 trade unionists, leftist activists, college students, and some McGill students at McGill's Roddick Gates. The majority of the protesters are arrested.
- 1970 – Gediz earthquake: A 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes western Turkey at about 23:05 local time, killed 1,086 and injured 1,260.
- 1978 – The US Supreme Court hands down 5–3 decision in Stump v. Sparkman, 435 U.S. 349, a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.
- 1979 – A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania leads to the core overheating and a partial melt down.
- 1979 – The British House of Commons passes a vote of no confidence against James Callaghan's government, precipitating a general election.
- 1990 – President George H. W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.
- 1994 – In South Africa, Zulus and African National Congress supporters battle in central Johannesburg, resulting in 18 deaths.
- 1994 – BBC Radio 5 is closed and replaced with a new news and sport station BBC Radio 5 Live.
- 1999 – Kosovo War: Serb paramilitary and military forces kill 146 Kosovo Albanians in the Izbica massacre.
- 2000 – Three children are killed when a Murray County, Georgia, school bus is hit by a CSX freight train.
- 2003 – In a friendly fire incident, two A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft from the United States Idaho Air National Guard's 190th Fighter Squadron attack British tanks participating in the2003 invasion of Iraq, killing British soldier Matty Hull.
- 2005 – The 2005 Sumatra earthquake rocks Indonesia, and at magnitude 8.7 is the fourth strongest earthquake since 1965.
- 2006 – At least one million union members, students, and unemployed take to the streets in France in protest at the government's proposed First Employment Contract law.
Births[edit]
- 623 – Marwan I, Arab caliph (d. 685)
- 661 – Muawiyah II, Arab caliph (d. 684)
- 1472 – Fra Bartolomeo, Italian painter (d. 1517)
- 1515 – Teresa of Ávila, Spanish nun and saint (d. 1582)
- 1522 – Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach (d. 1557)
- 1569 – Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma (d. 1622)
- 1592 – John Amos Comenius, Czech bishop and educator (d. 1670)
- 1599 – Witte Corneliszoon de With, Dutch captain (d. 1658)
- 1613 – Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang of China (d. 1688)
- 1621 – Heinrich Schwemmer German composer and educator (d. 1696)
- 1638 – Frederik Ruysch, Dutch botanist and anatomist (d. 1731)
- 1652 – Samuel Sewall, American judge (d. 1730)
- 1725 – Andrew Kippis, English clergyman and author (d. 1795)
- 1750 – Francisco de Miranda, Venezuelan soldier (d. 1816)
- 1760 – Thomas Clarkson, English activist (d. 1846)
- 1773 – Henri Gatien Bertrand, French general (d. 1844)
- 1793 – Henry Schoolcraft, American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist (d. 1864)
- 1795 – Georg Heinrich Pertz, German historian (d. 1876)
- 1806 – Thomas Hare, English political scientist (d. 1891)
- 1811 – John Neumann, Czech-American bishop and saint (d. 1860)
- 1815 – Arsène Houssaye, French author and poet (d. 1896)
- 1818 – Wade Hampton III, American lieutenant and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (d. 1902)
- 1819 – Joseph Bazalgette, English engineer (d. 1891)
- 1836 – Frederick Pabst, German-American brewer, founded the Pabst Brewing Company (d. 1904)
- 1840 – Emin Pasha, Egyptian physician and politician (d. 1892)
- 1842 – William Harvey Carney, American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1908)
- 1849 – James Darmesteter, French author and historian (d. 1894)
- 1851 – Bernardino Machado, Portuguese politician, 8th President of Portugal (d. 1944)
- 1862 – Aristide Briand, French politician, Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)
- 1866 – Jimmy Ross, Scottish footballer (d. 1902)
- 1868 – Maxim Gorky, Russian author (d. 1936)
- 1871 – Willem Mengelberg, Dutch conductor (d. 1951)
- 1873 – John Geiger, American rower (d. 1956)
- 1879 – Terence MacSwiney, Irish author, playwright, and politician (d. 1920)
- 1881 – Martin Sheridan, Irish-American discus thrower and jumper (d. 1918)
- 1890 – Paul Whiteman, American bandleader and composer (d. 1967)
- 1892 – Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
- 1892 – Tom Maguire, Irish general (d. 1993)
- 1893 – Spyros Skouras, Greek-American businessman (d. 1971)
- 1894 – Ernst Lindemann, German captain (d. 1941)
- 1895 – Christian Herter, American politician, 53rd United States Secretary of State (d. 1966)
- 1895 – Spencer W. Kimball, American religious leader, 12th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1985)
- 1897 – Sepp Herberger, German footballer and manager (d. 1977)
- 1897 – Tillie Voss, American football player (d. 1975)
- 1899 – Gussie Busch, American businessman (d. 1989)
- 1899 – Harold B. Lee, American religious leader, 11th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1973)
- 1899 – Buck Shaw, American football player and coach (d. 1977)
- 1900 – Edward Wagenknecht, American critic and educator (d. 2004)
- 1902 – Flora Robson, English actress (d. 1984)
- 1902 – Jaromír Vejvoda, Czech composer (d. 1988)
- 1903 – Rudolf Serkin, Czech-American pianist (d. 1991)
- 1903 – Charles Starrett, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1905 – Pandro S. Berman, American film producer (d. 1996)
- 1905 – Marlin Perkins, American zoologist and television host (d. 1986)
- 1906 – Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 2002)
- 1907 – Norrey Ford, English author (d. 1985)
- 1907 – Irving Paul Lazar, American talent agent (d. 1993)
- 1907 – Lúcia Santos, Portuguese child visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Nelson Algren, American author (d. 1981)
- 1910 – Frederick Baldwin Adams, Jr., American librarian (d. 2001)
- 1910 – Jimmie Dodd, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1910 – Ingrid of Sweden (d. 2000)
- 1912 – A. Bertram Chandler English-Australian author (d. 1984)
- 1912 – Marina Raskova, Russian navigator (d. 1943)
- 1914 – Edward Anhalt, American screenwriter (d. 2000)
- 1914 – Bohumil Hrabal, Czech author (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Edmund Muskie, American politician, 58th United States Secretary of State (d. 1996)
- 1914 – Kenneth Richard Norris, Australian entomologist (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Jay Livingston, American singer-songwriter (d. 2001)
- 1917 – Claude Bertrand, Canadian surgeon
- 1919 – Jacob Avshalomov, American composer and conductor (d. 2013)
- 1919 – Vic Raschi, American baseball player and coach (d. 1988)
- 1921 – Harold Agnew, American physicist (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Dirk Bogarde, English actor and author (d. 1999)
- 1921 – Herschel Grynszpan, German assassin of Ernst vom Rath (d. 1960)
- 1921 – Walter Neugebauer, Croatian-German author (d. 1992)
- 1922 – Neville Bonner, Australian politician (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Felice Chiusano, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra) (d. 1990)
- 1922 – Joey Maxim, American boxer (d. 2001)
- 1922 – B. Neminathan, Ceylon politician
- 1923 – Ike Isaacs, American bassist (d. 1981)
- 1923 – Thad Jones, American trumpet player and composer (The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra) (d. 1986)
- 1924 – Freddie Bartholomew, English-American actor (d. 1992)
- 1924 – Byrd Baylor, American author
- 1924 – Fred Flanagan, Australian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Dorothy DeBorba, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1926 – Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba
- 1927 – Marianne Fredriksson, Swedish author (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Vina Mazumdar, Indian academic and activist (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-American geostrategist and politician, 10th United States National Security Advisor
- 1928 – Alexander Grothendieck, German mathematician
- 1929 – Paul England, Australian race car driver
- 1930 – Robert Ashley, American composer
- 1930 – Elizabeth Bainbridge, English soprano
- 1930 – Jerome Isaac Friedman, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1931 – Vaino Väljas, Soviet Estonian politician and diplomat
- 1933 – Tete Montoliu, Spanish pianist (d. 1997)
- 1933 – Frank Murkowski, American politician, 8th Governor of Alaska
- 1934 – Lester R. Brown, American environmentalist, founded the Earth Policy Institute and Worldwatch Institute
- 1935 – Michael Parkinson, English journalist and author
- 1936 – Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian-Spanish journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Liz Trotta, American journalist
- 1938 – Hans-Jürgen Bäsler, German footballer (d. 2002)
- 1940 – Tony Barber, English-Australian game show host
- 1940 – Yves Bérubé, Canadian engineer and politician (d. 1993)
- 1940 – Luis Cubilla, Uruguayan footballer and coach (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Alf Clausen, American composer
- 1941 – Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, American author
- 1941 – Jim Turner, American football player
- 1942 – Michel Bissonnet, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1942 – Daniel Dennett, American philosopher
- 1942 – Kitanofuji Katsuaki, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 52nd Yokozuna
- 1942 – Neil Kinnock, Welsh politician
- 1942 – Mike Newell, English director and producer
- 1942 – Samuel Ramey, American opera singer
- 1942 – Conrad Schumann, German soldier (d. 1998)
- 1942 – Jerry Sloan, American basketball player and coach
- 1943 – Conchata Ferrell, American actress
- 1943 – Pierre St.-Jean, Canadian weightlifter
- 1944 – Rick Barry, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1944 – Ken Howard, American actor
- 1945 – Dan Alon, Israeli fencer
- 1945 – Björn Hamilton, Swedish politician
- 1946 – Wubbo Ockels, Dutch physicist and astronaut
- 1946 – Henry Paulson, American economist, 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury
- 1946 – Alejandro Toledo, Peruvian politician, 48th President of Peru
- 1947 – John Records Landecker, American radio host
- 1947 – Greg Thompson, Canadian politician
- 1948 – Matthew Corbett, English actor
- 1948 – John Evan, English keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Jethro Tull)
- 1948 – Dennis Unkovic, American lawyer and author
- 1948 – Dianne Wiest, American actress
- 1948 – Milan Williams, American keyboard player (The Commodores) (d. 2006)
- 1949 – Ronnie Ray Smith, American sprinter (d. 2013)
- 1950 – Claudio Lolli, Italian singer-songwriter
- 1951 – Karen Kain, Canadian ballerina
- 1951 – Matti Pellonpää, Finnish actor and singer (d. 1995)
- 1952 – Keith Ashfield, Canadian politician
- 1952 – Tony Brise, English race car driver (d. 1975)
- 1953 – Melchior Ndadaye, Burundian politician, 4th President of Burundi (d. 1993)
- 1954 – Morris Mason, American rapist and murderer (d. 1985)
- 1954 – Donald Brown, American pianist
- 1955 – John Alderdice, Baron Alderdice, Irish politician
- 1955 – Reba McEntire, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1956 – Susan Ershler, American mountaineer and author
- 1956 – April Margera, American author
- 1957 – Paul Eiding, American voice actor
- 1958 – Edesio Alejandro, Cuban composer
- 1958 – Brickhouse Brown, American wrestler
- 1958 – Bart Conner, American gymnast
- 1958 – Lou Franceschetti, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1958 – Curt Hennig, American wrestler, manager, and sportscaster (d. 2003)
- 1959 – Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rican politician, President of Costa Rica
- 1959 – Joel McNeely, American composer of film and television music
- 1959 – Chris Myers, American sportscaster
- 1960 – Chris Barrie, German-English actor
- 1960 – José Maria Neves, Cape Verdeian politician, Prime Minister of Cape Verde
- 1960 – Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, French-Belgian author and playwright
- 1961 – Orla Brady, Irish actress
- 1961 – Byron Scott, American basketball player and coach
- 1962 – Jure Franko, Slovenian skier
- 1962 – Terry Szopinski, American wrestler
- 1963 – Chieko Honda, Japanese voice actress (d. 2013)
- 1963 – Jan Masiel, Polish politician
- 1964 – Pablo Contrisciani, Argentinian-American painter
- 1965 – Steve Bull, English footballer and manager
- 1966 – Cheryl James, American rapper and actress (Salt-n-Pepa)
- 1967 – John Ziegler, German-American radio host and director
- 1968 – Colin Brazier, English journalist
- 1968 – Iris Chang, American journalist and author (d. 2004)
- 1968 – Nasser Hussain, Indian-English cricketer
- 1968 – Jon Lee, English-American drummer (The Darling Buds, Feeder, and Raindancer) (d. 2002)
- 1968 – Tim Lovejoy, English television host
- 1968 – Max Perlich, American actor
- 1969 – Rodney Atkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1969 – Laurie Brett, Scottish actress
- 1969 – Daniel Laperrière, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1969 – Brett Ratner, American director and producer
- 1970 – Michelle Gildernew, Irish politician
- 1970 – Vince Vaughn, American actor, screenwriter, and producer
- 1970 – Jennifer Weiner, American journalist and author
- 1970 – Aiga Zagorska, Latvian-Lithuanian cyclist
- 1971 – Mr. Cheeks, American rapper (The Lost Boyz)
- 1971 – Christianne Meneses Jacobs, Nicaraguan-American journalist and educator
- 1971 – Wesley Person, American basketball player
- 1972 – Nick Frost, English actor and screenwriter
- 1972 – Eby J. Jose, Indian journalist
- 1972 – Keith Tkachuk, American ice hockey player
- 1972 – David Vadim, Ukrainian-born American actor
- 1973 – Umaga, American wrestler (d. 2009)
- 1973 – Scott Mills, English radio host and actor
- 1973 – Matt Nathanson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1973 – Morné van der Merwe, South African rugby player (d. 2013)
- 1973 – Björn Kuipers, Dutch football referee in the Eredivisie
- 1974 – Mark King, English snooker player
- 1975 – Fabrizio Gollin, Italian racing driver
- 1975 – Kate Gosselin, American author
- 1975 – Iván Helguera, Spanish footballer
- 1975 – Derek Hill, American race car driver
- 1975 – Richard Kelly, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1975 – Shanna Moakler, American model and actress, Miss USA 1995
- 1975 – Matt Reis, American soccer player
- 1975 – Akshaye Khanna, Indian film actor
- 1976 – Dave Keuning, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Killers)
- 1976 – Talis Kitsing, Estonian kickboxing trainer and politician (d. 2009)
- 1976 – Rory McAllister, Scottish wrestler
- 1976 – Tim Mullen, British racing driver
- 1976 – Chitrangada Singh, Indian actress
- 1977 – Yuriy Fenin, Ukrainian footballer
- 1977 – Erik Rasmussen, American ice hockey player
- 1977 – Lauren Weisberger, American author
- 1977 – Annie Wersching, American actress
- 1978 – Último Gladiador, Mexican wrestler
- 1979 – Crystal Cox, American runner
- 1979 – Chae Rim, South Korean actress
- 1980 – Stiliani Pilatou, Greek long jumper
- 1980 – Rasmus Seebach, Danish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1980 – Luke Walton, American basketball player
- 1980 – David Lee, English footballer
- 1981 – Daniel Cardoso, Portuguese multi-instrumentalist, song-writer and producer
- 1981 – Gareth David-Lloyd, Welsh actor
- 1981 – Lindsay Frimodt, American model
- 1981 – Rasmus Kaljujärv, Estonian actor
- 1981 – Edwar Ramirez, American baseball player
- 1981 – Antonio Rizzo, Italian footballer
- 1981 – Julia Stiles, American actress
- 1982 – Sonia Agarwal, Indian actress
- 1982 – Luis Tejada, Panamanian footballer
- 1983 – Ryan Ashington, English footballer
- 1983 – Ladji Doucouré, French track and field athlete
- 1984 – Yordanos Abay, Ethiopian footballer
- 1984 – Mikk-Mihkel Arro, Estonian decathlete
- 1984 – Ol Drake, English guitarist and songwriter (Evile)
- 1984 – Christopher Samba, Congolese footballer
- 1984 – Nikki Sanderson, British actress and model
- 1985 – Stefano Ferrario, Italian footballer
- 1986 – Abuda, Brazilian footballer
- 1986 – J-Kwon, American rapper
- 1986 – Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1986 – Yoon Joon-Soo, South Korean footballer
- 1986 – Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, Czech tennis player
- 1986 – Denis Matsukevich, professional tennis player from Russia
- 1987 – Yohan Benalouane, French-Tunisian footballer
- 1987 – Lee Hea-Kang, South Korean footballer
- 1987 – Simeon Jackson, Canadian international soccer player
- 1987 – Kagney Linn Karter, American porn actress
- 1988 – Patrick Mayer, German footballer
- 1988 – Ryan Kalish, American baseball player
- 1988 – Lacey Turner, English actress
- 1989 – Logan Couture, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – David Goodwillie, Scottish footballer
- 1989 – Lukas Jutkiewicz, English footballer
- 1989 – Mira Leung, Canadian figure skater
- 1989 – Marek Suchý, Czech footballer
- 1990 – Dok2, South Korean rapper
- 1990 – Joe Bennett, English footballer
- 1990 – Ekaterina Bobrova, Russian ice dancer
- 1990 – Zac Clarke, Australian footballer
- 1990 – Luca Marrone, Italian footballer
- 1990 – Zoe Sugg, YouTuber, Vlogger
- 1991 – Amy Bruckner, American actress
- 1991 – Lisa-Maria Moser, Austrian tennis player
- 1991 – Marie-Philip Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1991 – Lee Ho-won, Korean boyband Infinite member
- 1992 – Sergi Gómez, Spanish footballer
- 1992 – Liam Hess, English actor
- 1995 – Jonathan Drouin, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1995 – Rachel Farley, American country music singer
- 1995 – Aleksi Mustonen Finnish ice hockey player
- 1995 – Daniela Schippers, Guatemalan tennis player
Deaths[edit]
- 193 – Pertinax, Roman emperor (b. 126)
- 1072 – Ordulf, Duke of Saxony (b. 1022)
- 1239 – Emperor Go-Toba of Japan (b. 1180)
- 1241 – Valdemar II of Denmark (b. 1170)
- 1285 – Pope Martin IV (b. 1220)
- 1552 – Guru Angad Indian guru (b.1504)
- 1563 – Heinrich Glarean, Swiss poet and theorist (b. 1488)
- 1566 – Sigismund von Herberstein, Austrian historian and diplomat (b. 1486)
- 1583 – Magnus, Duke of Holstein (b. 1540)
- 1584 – Ivan the Terrible, Russian king (b. 1530)
- 1687 – Constantijn Huygens, Dutch poet and composer (b. 1596)
- 1794 – Marquis de Condorcet, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1743)
- 1818 – Antonio Capuzzi, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1755)
- 1850 – Gerard Brandon, American politician, 4th Governor of Mississippi (b. 1788)
- 1865 – Petrus Hofman Peerlkamp, Dutch scholar and critic (b. 1786)
- 1866 – Solomon Foot, American lawyer and politician (b. 1802)
- 1868 – James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, English lieutenant (b. 1797)
- 1870 – George Henry Thomas, American general (b. 1816)
- 1874 – Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish astronomer (b. 1795)
- 1881 – Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Russian composer (b. 1839)
- 1884 – Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (b. 1853)
- 1908 – Hermann Clemenz, Estonian chess player (d. 1846)
- 1910 – David Josiah Brewer, American jurist (b. 1837)
- 1910 – Édouard Colonne, French violinist and conductor (b. 1838)
- 1923 – Charles Hubbard, American archer (b. 1849)
- 1927 – Joseph-Médard Émard, Canadian archbishop (b. 1853)
- 1928 – Nathan Stubblefield, American inventor (b. 1860)
- 1929 – Lomer Gouin, Canadian lawyer and politician, 13th Premier of Quebec (b. 1861)
- 1934 – Mahmoud Mokhtar, Egyptian sculptor (b. 1891)
- 1937 – Karol Szymanowski, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1882)
- 1939 – Francis Matthew John Baker, Australian politician (b. 1903)
- 1941 – Marcus Hurley, American cyclist (b. 1883)
- 1941 – Kavasji Jamshedji Petigara, Indian police officer (b. 1877)
- 1941 – Virginia Woolf, English author and critic (b. 1882)
- 1942 – Miguel Hernández, Spanish poet and playwright (b. 1910)
- 1943 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1873)
- 1944 – Stephen Leacock, English-Canadian political scientist and author (b. 1869)
- 1944 – František Pála, Former professional tennis player*1946 – Chick Fullis, American baseball player (b. 1904)
- 1947 – Adolfo Müller-Ury, Swiss-American artist (b. 1862)
- 1947 – Karol Świerczewski, Polish general (b. 1897)
- 1949 – Grigoraș Dinicu, Romanian violinist and composer (b. 1889)
- 1953 – Jim Thorpe, American football player and coach (b. 1887)
- 1958 – W. C. Handy, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1873)
- 1962 – Hugo Wast, Argentinian author (b. 1883)
- 1963 – Antonius Bouwens, Dutch target shooter (b. 1876)
- 1965 – Clemence Dane, English author and playwright (b. 1888)
- 1965 – Jack Hoxie, American actor (b. 1885)
- 1965 – Charles William Train, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1890)
- 1969 – Dwight D. Eisenhower, American general and politician, 34th President of the United States (b. 1890)
- 1969 – Aryeh Levin, Lithuanian rabbi (b. 1885)
- 1971 – Robert Hunter, American golfer (b. 1886)
- 1974 – Arthur Crudup, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1905)
- 1974 – Dorothy Fields, American songwriter (b. 1905)
- 1974 – Françoise Rosay, French actress and singer (b. 1891)
- 1976 – Richard Arlen, American actor (b. 1898)
- 1977 – Eric Shipton, Sri Lankan-English mountaineer (b. 1907)
- 1978 – Dino Ciani, Croatian-Italian pianist (b. 1941)
- 1979 – Emmett Kelly, American clown (b. 1898)
- 1980 – Dick Haymes, Argentinian-American actor and singer (b. 1918)
- 1982 – William Giauque, Canadian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
- 1983 – Suzanne Belperron, French jewelry designer (b. 1900)
- 1984 – Carmen Dragon, American conductor and composer (b. 1914)
- 1985 – Marc Chagall, Russian painter (b. 1887)
- 1986 – Virginia Gilmore. American actress (b. 1919)
- 1987 – Patrick Troughton, English actor (b. 1920)
- 1987 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (b. 1905)
- 1989 – Robert J. Wilke, American actor (b. 1914)
- 1992 – Nikolaos Platon, Greek archaeologist (b. 1909)
- 1993 – Scott Cunningham, American author (b. 1956)
- 1994 – Eugène Ionesco, Romanian-French playwright (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Hugh O'Connor, Italian-American actor (b. 1962)
- 1996 – Shin Kanemaru, Japanese politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Anthony Powell, English author (b. 1905)
- 2001 – Moe Koffman, Canadian flute player, saxophonist, and composer (b. 1928)
- 2003 – Rusty Draper, American singer (b. 1923)
- 2004 – Peter Ustinov, English-Swiss actor, screenwriter, director, and producer (b. 1921)
- 2005 – Moura Lympany, English pianist (b. 1916)
- 2005 – Robin Spry, Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1939)
- 2006 – Pro Hart, Australian painter (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Vethathiri Maharishi, Indian philosopher and author (b. 1911)
- 2006 – Proinsias Ó Maonaigh, Irish fiddler (b. 1922)
- 2006 – Charles Schepens, Belgian-American ophthalmologist (b. 1912)
- 2006 – Caspar Weinberger, American politician, 15th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1917)
- 2009 – Maurice Jarre, French-American composer and conductor (b. 1924)
- 2010 – Herb Ellis, American guitarist (b. 1921)
- 2010 – June Havoc, Canadian-American actress, dancer, and director (b. 1913)
- 2011 – Wenche Foss, Norwegian actress (b. 1917)
- 2012 – John Arden, English playwright (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Alexander Arutiunian, Armenian pianist and composer (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Harry Crews, American author and playwright (b. 1935)
- 2012 – Earl Scruggs, American banjo player (Foggy Mountain Boys) (b. 1924)
- 2013 – George E. P. Box, English-American statistician and educator (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Manuel García Ferré, Spanish-Argentinian animator (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Richard Griffiths, English actor (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Soraya Jiménez, Mexican weightlifter (b. 1977)
- 2013 – Art Malone, American race car driver (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Hugh McCracken, American guitarist and producer (b. 1942)
- 2013 – Heinz Patzig, German footballer and manager (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Robert V. Remini, American historian, author, and educator (b. 1921)
- 2013 – Boris Strel, Slovenian skier (b. 1959)
- 2013 – Gus Triandos, American baseball player (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Robert Zildjian, American businessman, founded Sabian (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Christian Feast Day:
- Commemoration of Sen no Rikyū (Schools of Japanese tea ceremony)
- Serfs Emancipation Day (Tibet)
- Teachers' Day (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
“My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” - Psalm 62:7
===
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"Then all the disciples forsook him and fled."
Matthew 26:56
Matthew 26:56
He never deserted them, but they in cowardly fear of their lives, fled from him in the very beginning of his sufferings. This is but one instructive instance of the frailty of all believers if left to themselves; they are but sheep at the best, and they flee when the wolf cometh. They had all been warned of the danger, and had promised to die rather than leave their Master; and yet they were seized with sudden panic, and took to their heels. It may be, that I, at the opening of this day, have braced up my mind to bear a trial for the Lord's sake, and I imagine myself to be certain to exhibit perfect fidelity; but let me be very jealous of myself, lest having the same evil heart of unbelief, I should depart from my Lord as the apostles did. It is one thing to promise, and quite another to perform. It would have been to their eternal honour to have stood at Jesus' side right manfully; they fled from honour; may I be kept from imitating them! Where else could they have been so safe as near their Master, who could presently call for twelve legions of angels? They fled from their true safety. O God, let me not play the fool also. Divine grace can make the coward brave. The smoking flax can flame forth like fire on the altar when the Lord wills it. These very apostles who were timid as hares, grew to be bold as lions after the Spirit had descended upon them, and even so the Holy Spirit can make my recreant spirit brave to confess my Lord and witness for his truth.
What anguish must have filled the Saviour as he saw his friends so faithless! This was one bitter ingredient in his cup; but that cup is drained dry; let me not put another drop in it. If I forsake my Lord, I shall crucify him afresh, and put him to an open shame. Keep me, O blessed Spirit, from an end so shameful.
Evening
"And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
Matthew 15:27
Matthew 15:27
This woman gained comfort in her misery by thinking great thoughts of Christ. The Master had talked about the children's bread: "Now," argued she, "since thou art the Master of the table of grace, I know that thou art a generous housekeeper, and there is sure to be abundance of bread on thy table; there will be such an abundance for the children that there will be crumbs to throw on the floor for the dogs, and the children will fare none the worse because the dogs are fed." She thought him one who kept so good a table that all that she needed would only be a crumb in comparison; yet remember, what she wanted was to have the devil cast out of her daughter. It was a very great thing to her, but she had such a high esteem of Christ, that she said, "It is nothing to him, it is but a crumb for Christ to give." This is the royal road to comfort. Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the haven of peace. "My sins are many, but oh! it is nothing to Jesus to take them all away. The weight of my guilt presses me down as a giant's foot would crush a worm, but it is no more than a grain of dust to him, because he has already borne its curse in his own body on the tree. It will be but a small thing for him to give me full remission, although it will be an infinite blessing for me to receive it." The woman opens her soul's mouth very wide, expecting great things of Jesus, and he fills it with his love. Dear reader, do the same. She confessed what Christ laid at her door, but she laid fast hold upon him, and drew arguments even out of his hard words; she believed great things of him, and she thus overcame him. She won the victory by believing in Him. Her case is an instance of prevailing faith; and if we would conquer like her, we must imitate her tactics.
===Today's reading: Judges 1-3, Luke 4:1-30 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Judges 1-3
Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?"
2 The LORD answered, "Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands."
3 The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, "Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours." So the Simeonites went with them....
Today's New Testament reading: Luke 4:1-30
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."
4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'"
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours."
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only....'"
There is no new Lent reading today; today is a catch-up day. If you've kept up with the daily readings so far, congratulations! If you've fallen behind, here are the readings from the last week in case you want to go back and catch up:
Monday: Matthew 25-26
Tuesday: Matthew 27-28
Wednesday: Mark 1-3
Thursday: Mark 4-6
Friday: Mark 7-9
Saturday: Mark 10-12
No comments:
Post a Comment