Tim Blair has apologised for his failures in not ignoring the blatant sexist bigoted violence of left wing marchers marching in march. He is making up for it by suggesting another protest. It is certain to be much bigger than March in March protests. The idea is protestors will go to work as normal and earn income as normal. By doing this, they are giving up opportunities to do what they would rather do. It is sure to get ABC attention. After all, it is what they focus on.
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?
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Vanna Eng, Chris Hubbard, Christian Kerr, Tony Leahy and Zyzz Sergeyevich. Zyzz was an inspiration, and he passed too soon .. it is good to be fit. But not good to take it to extremes ..
- 1494 – Georgius Agricola, German scientist and scholar (d. 1555)
- 1607 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (d. 1667)
- 1693 – John Harrison, English carpenter and clockmaker, invented the Marine chronometer (d. 1776)
- 1740 – John Antes, American missionary and composer (d. 1811)
- 1775 – Muthuswami Dikshitar, Indian poet and composer (d. 1835)
- 1808 – Maria Malibran, Spanish-French soprano (d. 1836)
- 1809 – Joseph Liouville, French mathematician (d. 1882)
- 1820 – A. E. Becquerel, French physicist (d. 1891)
- 1820 – Fanny Crosby, American composer and songwriter (d. 1915)
- 1823 – Thomas Spencer Baynes, English philosopher and critic (d. 1887)
- 1834 – William Morris, English poet and designer (d. 1896)
- 1874 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American magician and actor (d. 1926)
- 1887 – Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1933)
- 1903 – Malcolm Muggeridge, English journalist, author, and scholar (d. 1990)
- 1911 – Joseph Barbera, American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (d. 2006)
- 1930 – Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1947 – Alan Sugar, English businessman
- 1951 – Dougie Thomson, Scottish bass player (Supertramp and The Alan Bown Set)
- 1960 – Nena, German singer-songwriter and actress (Nena)
- 1970 – Sharon Corr, Irish singer-songwriter and violinist (The Corrs)
- 1998 – Isabel Suckling, English singer
Matches
- 1401 – Turko-Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus.
- 1603 – James VI of Scotland also becomes James I of England, upon the death of Elizabeth I.
- 1603 – Tokugawa Ieyasu is granted the title of shogun from Emperor Go-Yozei, and establishes the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo, Japan.
- 1663 – The Province of Carolina is granted by charter to eight Lords Proprietor in reward for their assistance in restoring Charles II of England to the throne.
- 1707 – The Acts of Union 1707 is signed, officially uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1720 – Count Frederick of Hesse-Kassel is elected King of Sweden by the Riksdag of the Estates, after his consort Ulrika Eleonora abdicated the throne on 29 February. She had been wanting to rule jointly with her husband in the same manner as William and Mary in the British Isles, but after the Riksdag of the Estates said no to this, she chose to abdicate the throne in his favour instead.
- 1721 – Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated six concertos to Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, now commonly called the Brandenburg concertos, BWV 1046-1051.
- 1765 – American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain passes the Quartering Act that requires the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.
- 1829 – Catholic Emancipation: The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, allowing Catholics to serve in Parliament.
- 1832 – In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith.
- 1837 – Canada gives African Canadian men the right to vote.
- 1860 – Sakuradamon incident: Assassination of Japanese Chief Minister (Tairō) Ii Naosuke.
- 1896 – A. S. Popov makes the first radio signal transmission in history.
- 1900 – Mayor of New York City Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
- 1922 – Irish War of Independence: In Belfast, Northern Irish policemen break into the home of a Catholic family and shoot all eight males inside.
- 1927 – Nanking Incident: Foreign warships bombard Nanjing, China, in defense of the foreign citizens within the city.
- 1944 – Ardeatine massacre: German troops murder 335 Italian civilians in Rome.
- 1944 – World War II: In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 Allied prisoners of war begin breaking out of the German camp Stalag Luft III.
- 1958 – Rock'N'Roll teen idol Elvis Presley is drafted in the U.S. Army.
- 1965 – NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing.
- 1993 – Discovery of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9.
Despatches
- 809 – Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (b. 763)
- 1396 – Walter Hilton, English mystic (b. 1340)
- 1603 – Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533)
- 1776 – John Harrison, English carpenter and clockmaker, invented the Marine chronometer (b. 1693)
- 1882 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (b. 1807)
- 1905 – Jules Verne, French author (b. 1828)
- 1991 – John Kerr, Australian politician, 18th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1914)
- 2013 – Ratón, Spanish bull (b. 2001)
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WORK ON WEDNESDAY
Tim Blair – Monday, March 24, 2014 (3:50am)
I was wrong to make fun of the kind-hearted and caring people at their little anti-Abbott hate rallies last week. I understand now, thanks to the ABC, that I “misrepresented the nature of the marches by focussing on offensive signs without placing these in the broader context of a peaceful rally with many inoffensive signs.”
The ABC, by contrast, carefully and extremely fairly removed any offensive signs from its March in March coverage. The ABC even managed to avoid showing a sign bearing the words “F**K TONY F**K DEMOCRACY”, which was something of an effort, considering that the sign was so large it spanned a Melbourne street and needed a dozen or so people to carry it.
I was also wrong to dismiss the March in March movement as inconsequential. This is because I hadn’t realised the rules had changed, and that last September’s election can now be overruled by some shouty people whose total number amounts to only around one-tenth of Brisbane council’s electorate.
The only proper response, obviously, is for the forces of civilisation to conduct an even larger demonstration – without the obscene signs, Socialist Alliance t-shirts and dopey chants. This will be a demonstration of solid Australian values, supporting democracy, order, good manners, application and ambition.
I propose that we hold just such a demonstration this very week. Despite minimal time for organisation, this could be the largest demonstration in Australian history. For that matter, it might turn out to be one of the largest demonstrations ever held on earth.
Continue reading 'WORK ON WEDNESDAY'CULTURAL CONFUSION
Tim Blair – Monday, March 24, 2014 (3:45am)
There’s a striking scene in Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator, where Baron Cohen – playing an Islamic despot lost and unknown in New York – attempts to gain sympathy from earnest local girl Zoey (Anna Faris) by claiming he was the victim of sexual abuse.
“They raped me,” he announces, “in a very unprofessional way.” Zoey falls for it. “We have to get you to the rape centre,” she decides, but Admiral General Haffaz Aladeen comically misunderstands the centre’s role.
“You have a centre for rape here?” he says, excitedly. “Great! I’d love to go! You know, hire a limo, have some cocktails, bring my rapin’ shoes …”
A similar moment of cultural confusion also occurred in real life, according to the BBC, which recently reported the very first attempted prosecutions in Britain for female genital mutilation. One of the leads pursued by police followed what the BBC delicately described as a “misunderstanding”:
“A suspect contacted an FGM helpline to request the procedure for his two daughters after misunderstanding the purpose of the service for victims.”
Er, yes. US columnist Mark Steyn offered this take on the chap’s puzzlement: “What an unfortunate ‘misunderstanding’. The gentleman had called the Female Genital Mutilation Helpline thinking it was a helpline set up by Her Majesty’s Government to help you find someone to genitally mutilate your daughters. In the rich, vibrant diversity of the modern multicultural state, it’s easy to see why the poor fellow might make that assumption. Just give it a couple more years, sir.”
Indeed. Even more remarkable than this bloke’s mistaken notion of how a mutilation helpline works is that Britain is only now taking serious legal steps against those who brutalise young girls for the sake of Islam.
There have been no prosecutions in the UK despite FGM being outlawed nearly 30 years ago, and despite more than 140 referrals to police since 2010. Those referrals only give a tiny hint to the scale of these vicious crimes. Last year Britain’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children produced research indicating that more than 70 women and girls in Britain seek treatment every month after undergoing genital mutilation.
In France, police have achieved more than 100 FGM convictions. Britain is presumably too constrained by multi-culti timidity to do much about it. Australia, as well, is shamefully inert when it comes to addressing this wicked practice. We’ve only seen a handful of prosecutions, yet in 2010 Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital reported treating between 600 to 700 FGM cases every year.
That would put our FGM count very close to Britain’s. Enjoy the vibrant diversity, people.
MR CONGENIALITY
Tim Blair – Monday, March 24, 2014 (3:35am)
Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton interacts with his fans on Twitter:
Continue reading 'MR CONGENIALITY'FIFTEEN APOLOGIES
Tim Blair – Monday, March 24, 2014 (3:15am)
===WOMEN, UNBELIEVERS DENIED
Tim Blair – Monday, March 24, 2014 (3:11am)
The latest stage of Britain’s surrender:
Islamic law is to be effectively enshrined in the British legal system for the first time under guidelines for solicitors on drawing up “Sharia compliant” wills.Under ground-breaking guidance, produced by The Law Society, High Street solicitors will be able to write Islamic wills that deny women an equal share of inheritances and exclude unbelievers altogether.The documents, which would be recognised by Britain’s courts, will also prevent children born out of wedlock – and even those who have been adopted – from being counted as legitimate heirs.Anyone married in a church, or in a civil ceremony, could be excluded from succession under Sharia principles, which recognise only Muslim weddings for inheritance purposes.
Just give up already.
GO FOR IT, BUTCH
Tim Blair – Monday, March 24, 2014 (3:04am)
INTERLUDE
Tim Blair – Monday, March 24, 2014 (2:21am)
In 1974, between bands, Rolling Stone Ron Wood recorded a solo album. Here’s a jaunty Monday morning music break.
Howes to quit, Labor to lose
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (11:59am)
I suspected from Paul Howes’ impatient advice to Labor last month that he’d had it with both the party and politics:
For me the key fact is that Howes is just 32. He started as Trot and quits as a member of Labor’s Right. Sure, he’s leaving future options open, but I suspect he needs some freedom to further develop his political and philosophical positions without the obligation to toe a line or protect positions dictated by his job. I’m not saying this is exactly why he quit, but it is a great reward for doing so:
I doubt Howes will actually be saying much about this at all, or not for a long while:
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.)
===Howes is going ... where? Not to the Labor front bench, I would guess.And indeed:
Australia’s highest profile unionist, Paul Howes, is expected to announce his resignation from the union movement on Monday.UPDATE
Sources within the Australian Workers Union confirmed on Sunday night that Mr Howes, its national secretary, would announce his departure.
For me the key fact is that Howes is just 32. He started as Trot and quits as a member of Labor’s Right. Sure, he’s leaving future options open, but I suspect he needs some freedom to further develop his political and philosophical positions without the obligation to toe a line or protect positions dictated by his job. I’m not saying this is exactly why he quit, but it is a great reward for doing so:
The Financial Review has been told he had been seeking a job in the corporate sector but it is understood Mr Howes has no immediate plans.UPDATE
His departure from the trade union movement, with which he has been associated since 1999, is not regarded by those close to him as the end of his political aspirations… It is understood that [Howes] has been frustrated at the labour movement’s response to his calls for modernisation…
Mr Howes leaves the labour movement as the Abbott government is mounting a full-scale assault on trade unions with its royal commission into union corruption. The AWU is a specific target of the commission because of a slush fund operated by a former boyfriend of Ms Gillard’s more than two decades ago…
Last year, he called on Labor to support laws proposed by Tony Abbott to bring penalties for corrupt union bosses into line with those of corrupt corporate executives. Mr Howes is set to shed all his political duties.
I doubt Howes will actually be saying much about this at all, or not for a long while:
Australia’s highest profile unionist, Paul Howes, has broken ranks with his own union and will press for Labor and the unions to sever their historic link.
Fairfax Media understands Mr Howes has recently shifted his position and now supports the severing of the 123-year old formal tie between unions and Labor…
In behind-the-scenes discussions the young leader has recently revealed his personal conclusion that affiliation was damaging both the party and affiliated unions. However he has been hamstrung in his public comments by the fact that AWU’s official position was at odds with his personal view.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.)
BBC calls off global warming debates, having lost so often
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (11:55am)
You’d think someone
with the science all on his side would welcome the chance to make a fool
of a “denier” in front of millions. But it seems the BBC is not sure
enough of its facts to dare try:
You see, when debates are allowed, embarrassing things tend to happen to warmists:
===A BBC executive in charge of editorial standards has ordered programme editors not to broadcast debates between climate scientists and global warming sceptics.Pathetic. Simply pathetic.
Alasdair MacLeod..., head of editorial standards and compliance for BBC Scotland, sent an email on February 27 to 18 senior producers and editors… It reads: ‘When covering climate change stories, we should not run debates / discussions directly between scientists and sceptics.
You see, when debates are allowed, embarrassing things tend to happen to warmists:
And, not safe for work:
What is it with the Left and abuse?
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (11:44am)
Former “independent” MP Tony Windsor is a man of no class:
He didn’t quit politics because his voters were pleased with him. It is the mark of a child to blame a paper which simply reported his shame.
(Thanks to reader Gab.)
===Has Windsor ever considered that the criticism he received from some News Corp writers may have had something to do with his discreditable behaviour, including his foul abuse, his support for one of the country’s most deceitful and inept governments, his endorsement of a pointlessly painful carbon tax and his betrayal of the wishes of his own electorate?
He didn’t quit politics because his voters were pleased with him. It is the mark of a child to blame a paper which simply reported his shame.
(Thanks to reader Gab.)
If temperatures don’t rise, the hype must
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (9:35am)
If the temperatures don’t increase like the IPCC claimed, then there’s only one option left - to increase the hype:
UN scientists are set to deliver their darkest report yet on the impacts of climate change, pointing to a future stalked by floods, drought, conflict and economic damage if carbon emissions go untamed.Strange, given the IPCC only last year conceded that much of the predicted disaster wasn’t actually happening.
A draft of their report, seen by the news organisation AFP, is part of a massive overview by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, likely to shape policies and climate talks for years to come.
In fact, according to one of the most important climate-related measures of all, we are doing brilliantly:
(Thanks to reader aussieute.)
Labor foolishly breaks a second carbon tax promise
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (8:22am)
HOW many times will Labor lie about the carbon tax? And when will it learn its lies are even worse than the tax itself?
Last week, Labor, only seven months after its election wipe-out, voted with the Greens in the Senate to save the carbon tax it promised to scrap.
How mad is this, compounding the damage of its first broken promise by breaking a second?
Lie one was told by prime minister Julia Gillard just days before the 2010 election when Labor realised a Liberal scare campaign on the tax could cost it government. A panicked Gillard rushed out to tell Channel 10: “There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.”
Her treasurer, Wayne Swan, gave the same guarantee: “No. It’s not possible that we’re bringing in the carbon tax; that is a hysterically inaccurate claim being made by the Coalition.”
(Read full article here. Thanks to reader Zeg for the cartoon.)
===Last week, Labor, only seven months after its election wipe-out, voted with the Greens in the Senate to save the carbon tax it promised to scrap.
How mad is this, compounding the damage of its first broken promise by breaking a second?
Lie one was told by prime minister Julia Gillard just days before the 2010 election when Labor realised a Liberal scare campaign on the tax could cost it government. A panicked Gillard rushed out to tell Channel 10: “There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.”
Her treasurer, Wayne Swan, gave the same guarantee: “No. It’s not possible that we’re bringing in the carbon tax; that is a hysterically inaccurate claim being made by the Coalition.”
(Read full article here. Thanks to reader Zeg for the cartoon.)
One way or another, the Government will have to return them
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (8:22am)
The Abbott Government cannot afford to take one person on Manus. The credibility of its “none will pass” threat would collapse:
===Papua New Guinea government has warned some of the 1300 asylum-seekers on Manus Island might have to be repatriated to Australia or elsewhere amid new assertions that many are not genuine refugees.
Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato told The Australian yesterday the PNG government’s legal advice was that some of the detainees were not entitled to be considered for refugee status. “We’ll have to consider giving them the flick in the next few weeks,” he said.
But he raised concerns about the resettlement of any genuine refugees as well, saying they did not want to be in PNG and may have to be resettled elsewhere.
No, God cannot want more dead boat people
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (7:58am)
THE problem with sanctimony is it’s so selfish. For one, it doesn’t do a thing to stop boat people dying.
Nine protesters last week invaded Immigration Minister Scott Morrison’s office to hold a prayer vigil for “Mr Morrison to change his heart”.
Note: it wouldn’t matter to God whether they’d prayed in Morrison’s office or a church. Clearly, these authoritarians — one a former Greens official — occupied Morrison’s office simply to harass the minister, himself a Christian.
How Christian is that? And fancy pretending they were just praying. May God not strike them dead for taking his name in vain.
Besides, what were they praying for?
(Read full column here.)
Paul Barry damages the ABC brand. Time the chairman reined him in - and Mark Scott, too
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (7:32am)
Is Paul Barry obsessed with Murdoch hatred or it he just using the ABC for free marketing?
Or Mistakes Watch:
But the ABC board, and especially chairman James Spigelman, should consider the damage this obsessive hatred is doing to the ABC’s brand.
A Barry or a Scott or a Jonathan “Pinata” Green may protest they are only returning fire against Murdoch papers and columnists who attack the ABC over its bias. But while this argument may appeal to the partisan, this anti-Murdoch onslaught actually exposes the ABC’s great failing.
It is one thing for privately-owned papers which are avowedly conservative or Right-of-centre to criticise the taxpayer-funded ABC for a bias that is against its charter. But for the publicly-owned ABC to respond in kind, with such hostility and vehemence, simply confirms that bias. It signals that the ABC is indeed as much to the Left as the Australian is to the “Right”.
Is Spigelman comfortable with that positioning? After all, it doesn’t just invite more criticism from Murdoch writers; it justifies it.
UPDATE
Flint Duxfield, a Media Watch researcher, last week sent the Daily Telegraph a preposterous list of questions demanding to know why the paper hadn’t been kinder about the anti-Abbott protesters of the March in March.
Reader Peter H is curious:
UPDATE
Reader Tim Wilson (no, not that one) protests:
===Funded by the taxpayer, Media Watch is meant to provide impartial analysis of the media industry, examining conflicts of interest, deceit, plagiarism and abuse of power.That is around two thirds of all Media Watch segments devoted to a company which owns no radio stations, no television stations and only one third of the newspapers. Why doesn’t the ABC simply call its show Murdoch Watch?
But, far from being an impartial host, Barry authored an anti-News Corp book, Breaking News: Sex, Lies and the Murdoch Succession, last year and has so far criticised News Corp’s newspapers in 11 out of 19 segments in seven Media Watch episodes broadcast since he took the reins as host on February 3 this year.
Or Mistakes Watch:
Under Barry’s watch, Media Watch has been forced to make three corrections in just seven 10-minute episodes, and has twice been accused of misleading viewers by selectively editing responses to push a story angle.It’s Murdoch-Murdoch-Murdoch with Barry:
The Australian commissioned media intelligence firm iSentia to do an independent analysis of Barry’s Twitter feed for any perceived bias against News Corp.Mind you, the ABC’s managing director, Mark Scott, sets this unfortunate tone.
iSentia’s group communications manager, Patrick Baume, said 30 of Barry’s 54 tweets in the past month related to News Corp.
But the ABC board, and especially chairman James Spigelman, should consider the damage this obsessive hatred is doing to the ABC’s brand.
A Barry or a Scott or a Jonathan “Pinata” Green may protest they are only returning fire against Murdoch papers and columnists who attack the ABC over its bias. But while this argument may appeal to the partisan, this anti-Murdoch onslaught actually exposes the ABC’s great failing.
It is one thing for privately-owned papers which are avowedly conservative or Right-of-centre to criticise the taxpayer-funded ABC for a bias that is against its charter. But for the publicly-owned ABC to respond in kind, with such hostility and vehemence, simply confirms that bias. It signals that the ABC is indeed as much to the Left as the Australian is to the “Right”.
Is Spigelman comfortable with that positioning? After all, it doesn’t just invite more criticism from Murdoch writers; it justifies it.
UPDATE
Flint Duxfield, a Media Watch researcher, last week sent the Daily Telegraph a preposterous list of questions demanding to know why the paper hadn’t been kinder about the anti-Abbott protesters of the March in March.
Reader Peter H is curious:
Not that anyone could know the politics of any ABC staffer, but….If you wrote a caricature of the modern ABC staffer’s CV you could not possibly top this reality.
Did the worldview of long time protest banner loving, fair trade advocate, social activist, Friends of the Earth published, global warming alarmist, fossil fuel objecting, climate change conference and workshop facilitating, Lee Rhiannon endorsed, ‘Make Poverty History’ supporting, Howard government criticising, Maurice Blackburn represented, Crikey intern, Wendy Bacon collaborating, New Matilda contributing, and Jenna Price UTS journalism school graduate influence current ABC Media Watch staffer Flint Duxfield in his Daily Telegraph #MarchinMarch protest coverage intervention?
UPDATE
Reader Tim Wilson (no, not that one) protests:
Andrew, agree with you on all but your comment that the Australian is as right of centre to the same degree as the ABC is to the left. Anything that regularly prints Craig Emerson, Peter Beattie, Phillip Adams and co is certainly not as far to the right as the ABC is to the left.
Does Carlton have Tourette’s syndrome or just a deep anger over the ruins of his career?
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (7:25am)
Sydney Morning Herald columnist Mike Carlton swims daily in the sewer. He seems to be right at home.
It never fails to astonish me that people in the Carlton set genuinely consider themselves cultured.
===It never fails to astonish me that people in the Carlton set genuinely consider themselves cultured.
South Australians get the government most didn’t want
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (7:09am)
Independent Geoff Brock
has given Labor the one seat it needed to form government in South
Australia, despite winning just 35.8 per cent of the primary vote:
===In fact, 90,000 more South Australians voted for a Liberal government last Saturday than for four more years of Labor…With the other independent, Bob Such, off sick for an indefinite period, Brock made the only call he could that would avoid another election soon. But will his own voters forgive him?
Brock has disregarded the views of his electorate, the majority of the stakeholder groups he consulted, and the views of regional South Australia in backing Labor.
Brock again:
MY electorate has always been … conservative ...Primary vote percentages in the seat of Frome:
GEOFF Brock (independent) 45.2 per cent, Kendall Jackson (Liberal) 35.9 per cent, Marcus Connolly (Labor) 11.3 per cent, Wendy Joyce (Family First) 5.1 per cent, Rob Scott (Greens) 2.5 per cent.
Admonished by the ABC, Tim Blair organises his own protest
Andrew Bolt March 24 2014 (7:04am)
Tim Blair apologises to the ABC:
===I was wrong to make fun of the kind-hearted and caring people at their little anti-Abbott hate rallies last week. I understand now, thanks to the ABC, that I “misrepresented the nature of the marches by focussing on offensive signs without placing these in the broader context of a peaceful rally with many inoffensive signs.”Read on. Blair proposes a demonstration of his own for Wednesday. I predict it will be an enormous success..
The ABC, by contrast, carefully and extremely fairly removed any offensive signs from its March in March coverage. The ABC even managed to avoid showing a sign bearing the words “F**K TONY F**K DEMOCRACY”, which was something of an effort, considering that the sign was so large it spanned a Melbourne street and needed a dozen or so people to carry it.
I was also wrong to dismiss the March in March movement as inconsequential. This is because I hadn’t realised the rules had changed, and that last September’s election can now be overruled by some shouty people whose total number amounts to only around one-tenth of Brisbane council’s electorate.
The news?
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=== Posts from last year ===
(T). 15-year-old rape survivor has been sentenced to be whipped 100 times in public!
The girl's stepfather is accused of raping her for years and murdering the baby she bore. Now the court says she must be flogged for “sex outside marriage”! President Waheed of the Maldives is already feeling global pressure on this, and we can force him to save this girl and change the law to spare other victims this cruel fate. This is how we can end the War on Women – by standing up every time an outrage like this happens.
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Something a bit more subdued… a rural scene from Western Pennsylvania.
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THE JUDGMENT OF JULIA Larry Pickering
Polls show a massive 71% believe the Office of PM has been trashed while other polling for the Government remains terminal.
Blame can be sheeted home to Rudd but it is Gillard’s appalling judgment that has kept polling on bedrock.
Rudd could easily have been disposed of after his abortive February 2012 challenge but again Gillard’s vindictive nature over-rode her common sense.
She has shown her eagerness to accept every resignation offered no matter the loss of scarce talent to the Party.
I wrote on Februrary 2012, after the failed Rudd challenge: “...she (Gillard) has always maintained Rudd did an excellent job (as Foreign Minister) and he has done.
“There is no doubt that Rudd is the best Foreign Affairs Minister available and he loves the job. I believe he would accept the Ministry again, given a statement of confidence in him that was missing before.
“... will Gillard show good grace? It would be in her interest to do so because it would take Rudd from the back bench where he will still be a pest. Foreign Affairs could take him right out of the venom loop.
“Mmm, let’s see what Gillard is made of.”
Fast forward to today and we witness what Gillard is made of, and it has little to do with sound political judgment.
The worst option for Gillard was to leave Rudd stranded and alone on the backbench where he could plot a second coming.
Kevin Rudd was in his element in a first-class seat with his hairdryer, where he could practise his unintelligible Mandarin to his heart’s content in between abusing hosties. That’s our Kev.
He relished the crass trappings of Foreign Affairs and had paid in spades salivating over his anticipated UN seat.
At the time Rudd had rightly proffered his resignation but Gillard did not have to accept it. She chose feminist vindictiveness over magnanimity. She is now reaping the reward.
Kev would not have been a threat in Foreign Affairs but he was always going to be a mischievous menace with time on his hands on the back bench.
He was confined to watching the wench’s backside at the despatch box with bile welling in his bloated tummy.
Gillard was always going to receive another Kev salvo. It was just a matter of when and how.
But Gillard can’t plan more than a day ahead and when the corrupt Arbib flew the coop the Senate vacancy went to Bob Carr.
The unelected Carr was given Kev’s job. Can you imagine how such a double whammy must have affected Kev?
He had to sit and watch a bumbling Bob Carr occupy his beloved UN seat.
But vengeance has its penalties and a treacherous Carr has now turned on Gillard.
She is taking Labor to new lows with female venom always supplanting sound judgment.
This time, the damage to the Labor brand is immense and there is no-one left to turn to for electoral recovery.
And that’s just how our Julia wants it.
===
“A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.
A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk.
A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.
The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?”
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Last light at Davenport. The waves were smashing against the rocks, and I had to retreat hastily several times while attempting to get this shot. The long exposure flattened the ocean into a serene misty scene, but it was anything but that.
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The dark side of the Moon has long intrigued scientists, and not the shadow cast by the ever-changing alignment of the Earth, Sun and Moon. Rather, they're fascinated by the extreme poles of the Moon's surface that, due to its nearly perfectly perpendicular orbit in relation to the Sun, feature craters that haven't seen light in an estimated 2 billion years.
Such craters, for example, would be ripe for trapped volatiles like water.
Launched in June 2009 and costing $504 million, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been hard at work taking images of the Moon's surface, which NASA is now piecing together into stunning 3D images.
While the LRO lacks a stereo camera, scientists at NASA are creating anaglyph imaging by putting together images the spacecraft takes using lasers.
FOR MORE: http://
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“Clearly Anthony Albanese's position as Minister and Leader of the Government in the House of Representatives is untenable. During the previous leadership challenge, Mr Albanese tearfully declared his support for Kevin Rudd. He cannot be Leader of the Government in the House of Representatives if he is not a loyal supporter of the Leader of the Government and that is still Julia Gillard. Labor backbenchers like Laurie Ferguson consider Albanese to be a "gutless wonder". Mr Albanese does not believe Julia Gillard is Labor's best leader and the backbench has no confidence in him. If he has any honour he should follow the other Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Whips who have already resigned. If he won't go the Prime Minister must sack him or her house will still be divided.” - Warren Truss
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*Yawn* Who's awake now? We are! Adding the final bits and pieces to the short for Monday release!
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A cool shelf cloud I spotted out of the corner of my eye after a bust day in Nebraska. The cloud was illuminated by lightning within it and was only visible when the strikes happened. The trick to this was to do a long exposure with a high ISO, but not too long and not too high.
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Seeing as everyone seems to be showing off their food here's my contribution! Yummy Nepali dinner
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I sang the piece and Particle Dots made a gift to me some years ago on iCompositions. Bryn reminded me of this piece recently, and because my earlier posts on this had weakly included the music file I decided to redo it in HD.
I am in love, and she doesn't love me. This is ok, if a blow to my pride. I have some homework to do. It is my job to let her see how she seems through my eyes. It is also my job to listen to her. I am sure I will cross lines in pursuing my agenda. Not to harm her, but to find a way to include her as my friend. Maybe I cannot. Maybe my dream is merely a phantasm. And so I include these pictures which are real.
To get these pictures, I needed to forgive my rapist. I did that, because I believe that God wants me to.
=
I was raised as an Atheist. I learned, after reading the Bible, that God loves me, and you. This is his song for you too. He loves you, and wants to be with you.
All the elements are me and mine. ARIA ISRC number AUAWN1303124
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So this explains which war? The terrorist attacks on the West? US involvement in Vietnam? Afghanistan? I am sure the propagandists which assert this simple notion would hurt anyone to defend it. - ed
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- 1603 – King James VI of Scotland acceded to the thrones of England and Ireland, becoming James I of England and unifying the crowns of the kingdoms for the first time.
- 1869 – The last of Māori leader Titokowaru's forces surrendered to the New Zealand government, ending his uprising.
- 1944 – World War II: German occupation troops killed 335 people in Rome as a reprisal for a partisan attack conducted on the previous day against the SS Police Regiment Bozen.
- 1989 – The tanker Exxon Valdez (pictured) spilled more than 10 million US gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the most devastating man-made environmental disasters at sea.
- 2008 – The Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party, led by Jigme Thinley, won 45 out of 47 seats in the National Assembly of Bhutan in the country's first-ever general election.
Events[edit]
- 1401 – Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus.
- 1603 – James VI of Scotland also becomes James I of England, upon the death of Elizabeth I.
- 1603 – Tokugawa Ieyasu is granted the title of shogun from Emperor Go-Yozei, and establishes the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo, Japan.
- 1663 – The Province of Carolina is granted by charter to eight Lords Proprietor in reward for their assistance in restoring Charles II of England to the throne.
- 1707 – The Acts of Union 1707 is signed, officially uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1720 – Count Frederick of Hesse-Kassel is elected King of Sweden by the Riksdag of the Estates, after his consort Ulrika Eleonora abdicated the throne on 29 February. She had been wanting to rule jointly with her husband in the same manner as William and Mary in the British Isles, but after the Riksdag of the Estates said no to this, she chose to abdicate the throne in his favour instead.
- 1721 – Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated six concertos to Christian Ludwig, margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, now commonly called the Brandenburg concertos, BWV 1046-1051.
- 1731 – Naturalization of Hieronimus de Salis Parliamentary Act is passed.
- 1765 – American Revolution: The Kingdom of Great Britain passes the Quartering Act that requires the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.
- 1829 – Catholic Emancipation: The Parliament of the United Kingdom passes the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, allowing Catholics to serve in Parliament.
- 1832 – In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith.
- 1837 – Canada gives African Canadian men the right to vote.
- 1854 – In Venezuela, slavery was abolished
- 1860 – Sakuradamon incident: Assassination of Japanese Chief Minister (Tairō) Ii Naosuke.
- 1869 – The last of Titokowaru's forces surrendered to the New Zealand government, ending his uprising.
- 1878 – The British frigate HMS Eurydice sinks, killing more than 300.
- 1882 – Robert Koch announces the discovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.
- 1885 – Sino-French War: Chinese victory in the Battle of Bang Bo on the Tonkin-Guangxi border.
- 1896 – A. S. Popov makes the first radio signal transmission in history.
- 1900 – Mayor of New York City Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
- 1907 – The first issue of the Georgian Bolshevik newspaper Dro is published.
- 1922 – Irish War of Independence: In Belfast, Northern Irish policemen break into the home of a Catholic family and shoot all eight males inside.
- 1927 – Nanking Incident: Foreign warships bombard Nanjing, China, in defense of the foreign citizens within the city.
- 1934 – United States Congress passes the Tydings–McDuffie Act allowing the Philippines to become a self-governing commonwealth.
- 1944 – Ardeatine massacre: German troops murder 335 Italian civilians in Rome.
- 1944 – World War II: In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 Allied prisoners of war begin breaking out of the German camp Stalag Luft III.
- 1946 – The British Cabinet Mission, consisting of Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps and A. V. Alexander, arrives in India to discuss and plan for the transfer of power from theBritish Raj to Indian leadership.
- 1958 – Rock'N'Roll teen idol Elvis Presley is drafted in the U.S. Army.
- 1959 – The Party of the African Federation is launched by Léopold Sédar Senghor and Modibo Keïta.
- 1965 – NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing.
- 1972 – The United Kingdom imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland.
- 1973 – Kenyan athlete Kip Keino defeats Jim Ryun at the first-ever professional track meet in Los Angeles.
- 1976 – In Argentina, the armed forces overthrow the constitutional government of President Isabel Perón and start a 7-year dictatorial period self-styled the National Reorganization Process. Since 2006, a public holiday known as Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice is held on this day.
- 1980 – Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed while celebrating Mass in San Salvador.
- 1986 – The Loscoe gas explosion leads to new UK laws on landfill gas migration and gas protection on landfill sites.
- 1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of petroleum after running aground.
- 1993 – Discovery of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9.
- 1998 – Jonesboro massacre: Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden, aged 11 and 13 respectively, fire upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people are killed and ten are wounded.
- 1998 – A tornado sweeps through Dantan in India killing 250 people and injuring 3000 others.
- 1999 – Mont Blanc Tunnel fire kills 39 people.
- 1999 – Kosovo War: NATO commences aerial bombardment against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country.
- 2000 – S&P 500 index reaches an intraday high of 1,552.87, a peak that, due to the collapse of the dot-com bubble, it will not reach again for another seven-and-a-half years.
- 2003 – The Arab League votes 21-1 in favor of a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of U.S. and British soldiers from Iraq.
- 2008 – Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election.
Births[edit]
- 1494 – Georgius Agricola, German scientist and scholar (d. 1555)
- 1607 – Michiel de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (d. 1667)
- 1628 – Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg(d. 1685)
- 1657 – Arai Hakuseki, Japanese politician (d. 1725)
- 1693 – John Harrison, English carpenter and clockmaker, invented the Marine chronometer (d. 1776)
- 1725 – Samuel Ashe, American politician, 9th Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813)
- 1725 – Thomas Cushing, American lawyer and politician, 1st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1788)
- 1740 – John Antes, American missionary and composer (d. 1811)
- 1755 – Rufus King, American lawyer and politician, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (d. 1827)
- 1762 – Marcos Portugal, Portuguese composer (d. 1830)
- 1775 – Muthuswami Dikshitar, Indian poet and composer (d. 1835)
- 1782 – Orest Kiprensky, Russian-Italian painter (d. 1836)
- 1796 – John Corry Wilson Daly, Canadian politician (d. 1878)
- 1803 – Egerton Ryerson, Canadian minister, educator, and politician (d. 1882)
- 1808 – Maria Malibran, Spanish-French soprano (d. 1836)
- 1809 – Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and author (d. 1837)
- 1809 – Joseph Liouville, French mathematician (d. 1882)
- 1820 – A. E. Becquerel, French physicist (d. 1891)
- 1820 – Fanny Crosby, American composer and songwriter (d. 1915)
- 1823 – Thomas Spencer Baynes, English philosopher and critic (d. 1887)
- 1826 – Matilda Joslyn Gage, American activist (d. 1898)
- 1828 – Horace Gray, American jurist (d. 1902)
- 1829 – George Francis Train, American businessman (d. 1904)
- 1829 – Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican general (d. 1862)
- 1830 – Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet (d. 1889)
- 1834 – William Morris, English poet and designer (d. 1896)
- 1834 – John Wesley Powell, American soldier, geologist, and explorer (d. 1902)
- 1835 – Joseph Stefan, Austrian physicist (d. 1893)
- 1848 – Honoré Beaugrand, Canadian journalist and politician, 18th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1906)
- 1850 – Silas Hocking, English author and preacher (d. 1935)
- 1855 – Andrew W. Mellon, American banker, financier, and diplomat, 49th United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1937)
- 1855 – Olive Schreiner, South African author (d. 1920)
- 1869 – Émile Fabre, French author and playwright (d. 1955)
- 1874 – Luigi Einaudi, Italian economist and politician, 2nd President of the Italian Republic (d. 1961)
- 1874 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American magician and actor (d. 1926)
- 1875 – William Burns, Canadian lacrosse player (d. 1953)
- 1882 – Marcel Lalu, French gymnast (d. 1951)
- 1884 – Peter Debye, Dutch-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Eugène Tisserant, French cardinal (d. 1972)
- 1886 – Edward Weston, American photographer (d. 1958)
- 1887 – Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1933)
- 1888 – Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian politician (d. 1922)
- 1889 – Albert Hill, English runner (d. 1969)
- 1890 – Agnes Macphail, Canadian politician (d. 1954)
- 1891 – Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, Russian physicist (d. 1951)
- 1892 – Marston Morse, American mathematician (d. 1977)
- 1893 – Walter Baade, German astronomer (d. 1960)
- 1893 – George Sisler, American baseball player (d. 1973)
- 1897 – Wilhelm Reich, Austrian-American psychotherapist (d. 1957)
- 1901 – Ub Iwerks, American animator (d. 1971)
- 1902 – Thomas E. Dewey, American politician, 47th Governor of New York (d. 1971)
- 1903 – Adolf Butenandt, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1995)
- 1903 – Malcolm Muggeridge, English journalist, author, and scholar (d. 1990)
- 1905 – Pura Santillan-Castrence, Filipino author and diplomat (d. 2007)
- 1906 – Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Ukrainian-Russian singer (d. 1984)
- 1907 – Paul Sauvé, Canadian lawyer and politician, 17th Premier of Quebec (d. 1960)
- 1909 – Clyde Barrow, American criminal (d. 1934)
- 1910 – Richard Conte, American actor (d. 1975)
- 1911 – Joseph Barbera, American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (d. 2006)
- 1912 – Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (d. 2010)
- 1915 – George Wagner, American wrestler (d. 1963)
- 1916 – Donald Hamilton, Swedish-American author (d. 2006)
- 1916 – Harry B. Whittington, English palaeontologist (d. 2010)
- 1917 – Constantine Andreou, Brazilian-Greek painter and sculptor (d. 2007)
- 1917 – John Kendrew, English biochemist and crystallographer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997)
- 1919 – Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American poet and publisher, co-founded City Lights Bookstore
- 1919 – Robert Heilbroner, American economist and historian (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Bill Irwin, Canadian skier (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Gene Nelson, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1996)
- 1920 – Mary Stolz, American children's author (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Franciszek Blachnicki, Polish priest (d. 1987)
- 1921 – Wilson Harris, Guyanese writer
- 1921 – Vasily Smyslov, Russian chess player (d. 2010)
- 1922 – T. M. Soundararajan, Indian singer (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Onna White, Canadian dancer and choreographer (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Murray Hamilton, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1923 – Michael Legat, England author (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Norman Fell, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1925 – Puig Aubert, French rugby player (d. 1994)
- 1926 – Desmond Connell, Irish cardinal
- 1926 – Dario Fo, Italian actor, director, composer, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1926 – Ventsislav Yankov, Bulgarian pianist
- 1927 – Martin Walser, German author
- 1928 – Byron Janis, American pianist
- 1930 – David Dacko, Central African politician, 1st President of the Central African Republic (d. 2003)
- 1930 – Agustín González, Spanish actor (d. 2005)
- 1930 – Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980)
- 1931 – Hanno Drechsler, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (d. 2003)
- 1931 – Connie Hines, American actress (d. 2009)
- 1933 – William Smith, American actor
- 1935 – Mary Berry, English food writer and broadcaster
- 1935 – Peter Bichsel, Swiss-German journalist and author
- 1935 – Carol Kaye, American bass player
- 1936 – David Suzuki, Canadian academic and environmentalist
- 1937 – Billy Stewart, American singer and pianist (d. 1970)
- 1938 – Holger Czukay, German bass player (Can)
- 1938 – David Irving, English historian and author
- 1940 – Don Jardine, Canadian wrestler (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Bob Mackie, American fashion designer
- 1942 – Dorothy Severin British Hispanist and academic
- 1943 – John Allison, English RAF commander
- 1944 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor
- 1944 – Steve Jones, Welsh geneticist
- 1944 – Vojislav Koštunica, Serbian politician, 8th Prime Minister of Serbia
- 1945 – Robert T. Bakker, American paleontologist
- 1945 – Curtis Hanson, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1945 – Patrick Malahide, Britsh actor
- 1945 – Herman Ouseley, British civil servant and campaigner
- 1946 – Klaus Dinger, German guitarist and songwriter (Neu!, La Düsseldorf, and Kraftwerk) (d. 2008)
- 1947 – Dennis Erickson, American football player and coach
- 1947 – Christine Gregoire, American politician, 22nd Governor of Washington
- 1947 – Meiko Kaji, Japanese actress and singer
- 1947 – Alan Sugar, English businessman
- 1948 – Javier Díez Canseco, Peruvian politician (d. 2013)
- 1948 – Anatoli Krikun, Estonian basketball player and coach
- 1948 – Jerzy Kukuczka, Polish mountaineer (d. 1989)
- 1948 – Lee Oskar, Danish harmonica player and songwriter (War and Lowrider Band)
- 1949 – Ranil Wickremasinghe, Sri Lankan politician, former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
- 1949 – Tabitha King, American author
- 1949 – Ruud Krol, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1949 – Steve Lang, Canadian bass player (April Wine and Mashmakhan)
- 1949 – Nick Lowe, English singer-songwriter and producer (Rockpile and Little Village)
- 1949 – Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian academic, diplomat and the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
- 1950 – Gary Wichard, American football player and agent (d. 2011)
- 1951 – Peter Boyle, Scottish-Australian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
- 1951 – Pat Bradley, American golfer
- 1951 – Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer, founded the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
- 1951 – Dougie Thomson, Scottish bass player (Supertramp and The Alan Bown Set)
- 1952 – Greg McCrary, American football player (d. 2013)
- 1953 – Anita L. Allen, American academic
- 1953 – Louie Anderson, American comedian and actor
- 1953 – Jo Shapcott, English poet
- 1953 – Eric Thomas, English obstetrician, gynaecologist and academic.
- 1954 – Robert Carradine, American actor
- 1954 – Jude Kelly, English theatre director and producer
- 1954 – Donna Pescow, American actress and director
- 1955 – Doug Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1955 – Mart Kadastik, Estonian journalist
- 1955 – Pat Price, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1956 – Steve Ballmer, American businessman
- 1957 – Gilles Baril, Canadian politician
- 1957 – Pierre Harvey, Canadian cyclist and skier
- 1958 – Mike Woodson, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 – Derek Statham, English footballer
- 1960 – Nena, German singer-songwriter and actress (Nena)
- 1960 – Jan Berglin, Swedish cartoonist
- 1960 – Barry Horowitz, American wrestler
- 1960 – Kelly LeBrock, American model and actress
- 1960 – Grayson Perry, English potter
- 1960 – Scott Pruett, American race car driver
- 1961 – Dean Jones, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1962 – Angèle Dubeau, Canadian violinist
- 1962 – Star Jones, American lawyer, journalist, and talk show host
- 1963 – Raimond van der Gouw, Dutch footballer and coach
- 1965 – Peter Jacobson, American actor
- 1965 – Kaido Kalm, Estonian ice sledge hockey player
- 1965 – Patrick Scales, German bass player and educator
- 1965 – Gurmit Singh, Singaporean actor
- 1965 – Mark Calaway, American wrestler (The Undertaker)
- 1966 – Rico Hizon, Filipino broadcast journalist
- 1968 – Minarti Timur, female former Chinese-Indonesian badminton player.
- 1969 – Houston, American porn actress
- 1970 – Lara Flynn Boyle, American actress
- 1970 – Sharon Corr, Irish singer-songwriter and violinist (The Corrs)
- 1970 – Christopher Daniels, American wrestler
- 1970 – Judith Draxler, Austrian swimmer
- 1970 – Erica Kennedy, African-American author (d. 2012)
- 1970 – Mike Vanderjagt, Canadian-American football player
- 1971 – Megyn Price, American actress
- 1972 – Steve Karsay, American baseball player and coach
- 1972 – Christophe Dugarry, Former French international footballer
- 1973 – Jacek Bąk, Polish footballer
- 1973 – Philippe Boucher, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1973 – Steve Corica, Australian footballer and coach
- 1973 – Mette Jacobsen, Danish swimmer
- 1973 – Jim Parsons, American actor
- 1974 – Tado, Filipino comedian and actor (d. 2014)
- 1974 – Chad Butler, Dutch-American drummer (Switchfoot)
- 1974 – Alyson Hannigan, American actress
- 1975 – Krisdayanti, Indonesian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1975 – Thomas Johansson, Swedish tennis player
- 1975 – Davor Vugrinec, Crotian footballer, all time top scorer of the Prva HNL.
- 1976 – Angellica Bell, English television host
- 1976 – Aaron Brooks, American football player
- 1976 – Aliou Cissé, Senegalese footballer and coach
- 1976 – Athanasios Kostoulas, Greek footballer
- 1976 – Peyton Manning, American football player
- 1977 – Olivia Burnette, American actress
- 1977 – Jessica Chastain, American actress
- 1977 – Darren Lockyer, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
- 1977 – Corneille Nyungura, German-Canadian singer
- 1978 – Michael Braun, Australian footballer
- 1978 – Kaori Mochida, Japanese singer-songwriter (Every Little Thing)
- 1978 – Tomáš Ujfaluši, Czech footballer
- 1979 – Lake Bell, American actress and director
- 1979 – Emraan Hashmi, Indian actor
- 1979 – Norris Hopper, American baseball player
- 1979 – Periklis Iakovakis, Greek hurdler
- 1979 – Graeme Swann, English cricketer
- 1980 – Tassos Venetis, Greek footballer
- 1981 – Mike Adams, American football player
- 1981 – Ron Hainsey, American ice hockey player
- 1981 – Dirk Hayhurst, American baseball player
- 1981 – Mark Looms, Dutch footballer
- 1981 – Gary Paffett, English race car driver
- 1982 – Epico, Puerto Rican wrestler
- 1982 – Nivea, American singer
- 1982 – Corey Hart, American baseball player
- 1982 – Jimmy Hempte, Belgian footballer
- 1982 – Christian Hug, German rugby player
- 1982 – Dustin McGowan, American baseball player
- 1982 – Jack Swagger, American wrestler
- 1983 – Luca Ceccarelli, Italian footballer
- 1983 – T. J. Ford, American basketball player
- 1983 – Kelvin Kwan, Canadian-Hong Kong singer
- 1983 – Riccardo Musetti, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Benoît Assou-Ekotto, French-Cameroonian footballer
- 1984 – Park Bom, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (2NE1)
- 1984 – Chris Bosh, American basketball player
- 1984 – Adrian D'Souza, Indian field hockey player
- 1985 – Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress
- 1985 – Sayaka Hirano, Japanese table tennis player
- 1985 – Frederico Gil, Portuguese professional tennis player
- 1986 – Kohei Hirate, Japanese race car driver
- 1986 – Tony McMahon, English footballer
- 1987 – Ramires, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 – Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1987 – Yuma Asami, Japanese porn actress
- 1987 – Josh Zeid, American baseball player
- 1987 – Billy Jones, English footballer
- 1988 – Aiga Grabuste, Latvian heptathlete
- 1988 – Ryan Higgins, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1988 – Matías Martínez, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 – Kardo Ploomipuu, Estonian Paralympic swimmer
- 1988 – Sharmin Ratna, Bangladeshi target shooter
- 1989 – Aziz Shavershian, Russian-Australian bodybuilder and model (d. 2011)
- 1990 – Aljur Abrenica, Filipino actor
- 1990 – Keisha Castle-Hughes, New Zealand actress
- 1990 – Starlin Castro, American baseball player
- 1990 – Libby Clegg, English runner
- 1991 – Dalila Jakupovič, Slovenian tennis player
- 1992 – Melody Nurramdhani Laksani, Indonesian singer (JKT48)
- 1992 – Jeremy Rosado, American singer
- 1993 – Ryo Ryusei, Japanese actor
- 1994 – Anna Hämäläinen, Russian-Finnish runner
- 1998 – Isabel Suckling, English singer
Deaths[edit]
- 809 – Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (b. 763)
- 1284 – Hugh III of Cyprus (b. 1235)
- 1381 – Catherine of Vadstena, Swedish saint (b. 1332)
- 1396 – Walter Hilton, English mystic (b. 1340)
- 1455 – Pope Nicholas V (b. 1397)
- 1558 – Anna van Egmont, Dutch wife of William the Silent (b. 1533)
- 1563 – Hosokawa Harumoto, Japanese daimyo (b. 1514)
- 1575 – Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, Spanish-Portuguese rabbi (b. 1488)
- 1603 – Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533)
- 1653 – Samuel Scheidt, German organist and composer (b. 1587)
- 1773 – Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, English politician (b. 1694)
- 1776 – John Harrison, English carpenter and clockmaker, invented the Marine chronometer (b. 1693)
- 1869 – Antoine-Henri Jomini, French-Russian general (b. 1779)
- 1881 – Achille Ernest Oscar Joseph Delesse, French geologist and mineralogist (b. 1817)
- 1882 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (b. 1807)
- 1887 – Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and critic (b. 1837)
- 1888 – Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855)
- 1905 – Jules Verne, French author (b. 1828)
- 1909 – John Millington Synge, Irish playwright (b. 1871)
- 1915 – Karol Olszewski, Polish chemist, mathematician, and physicist (b. 1846)
- 1916 – Enrique Granados, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1867)
- 1926 – Phan Chu Trinh, Vietnamese activist (b. 1872)
- 1940 – Édouard Branly, French physicist and educator (b. 1844)
- 1944 – Orde Charles Wingate, Indian-English general (b. 1903)
- 1946 – Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (b. 1892)
- 1946 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast (b. 1869)
- 1948 – Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish painter (b. 1885)
- 1950 – James Rudolph Garfield, American lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of the Interior (b. 1865)
- 1953 – Mary of Teck (b. 1867)
- 1962 – Jean Goldkette, French-American pianist and bandleader (b. 1899)
- 1962 – Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (b. 1884)
- 1968 – Alice Guy-Blaché, American actress, director, and producer (b. 1873)
- 1971 – Arne Jacobsen, Danish architect and designer (b. 1902)
- 1976 – Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, English field marshal (b. 1887)
- 1980 – Óscar Romero, Salvadoran archbishop (b. 1917)
- 1984 – Sam Jaffe, American actor, singer, and engineer (b. 1891)
- 1990 – Ray Goulding, American comedian and radio host (b. 1922)
- 1991 – John Kerr, Australian politician, 18th Governor-General of Australia (b. 1914)
- 1993 – Albert Arlen, Australian pianist, composer, actor, and playwright (b. 1905)
- 1993 – John Hersey, American author (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Joseph Needham, English sinologist, historian, and academic (b. 1900)
- 1997 – Martin Caidin, American author and talk show host (b. 1927)
- 1997 – Bill Miller, American wrestler (b. 1927)
- 1999 – Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German activist (b. 1902)
- 1999 – Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912)
- 1999 – Pierlucio Tinazzi, Italian security guard (b. 1962)
- 2001 – Muriel Young, English television host and producer (b. 1928)
- 2002 – César Milstein, Argentinian biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Hans Hermann Groër, Austrian cardinal (b. 1919)
- 2006 – Lynne Perrie, English actress and singer (b. 1931)
- 2006 – Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan Tamil police officer (b. 1926)
- 2008 – Chalmers Alford, American guitarist (b. 1955)
- 2008 – Neil Aspinall, Welsh-English record producer and manager (b. 1941)
- 2008 – Rafael Azcona, Spanish author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2008 – Hal Riney, American advertiser, founded Publicis & Hal Riney (b. 1932)
- 2008 – Richard Widmark, American actor (b. 1914)
- 2009 – George Kell, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Robert Culp, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 2010 – Johnny Maestro, American singer-songwriter (Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge) (b. 1939)
- 2010 – Jim Marshall, American photographer (b. 1936)
- 2011 – Elizabeth Taylor, British-American Actress (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Ratón, Spanish bull (b. 2001)
- 2013 – Barbara Anderson, New Zealand author (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Jo Inge Bjørnebye, Norwegian ski jumper (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Harold Burns, American politician (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Peter Duryea, American actor (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Inge Lønning, Norwegian theologian, educator, and politician (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Gury Marchuk, Russian scientist and academic (b. 1925)
- 2013 – Walker David Miller, American judge (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Paolo Ponzo, Italian footballer (b. 1972)
- 2013 – Deke Richards, American songwriter and producer (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Mohamed Yousri Salama, Egyptian politician (b. 1974)
- 2013 – Francis Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 8th Baron Thurlow, English diplomat (b. 1912)
- 2013 – Jessica Upshaw, American lawyer and politician (b. 1959)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Christian Feast Day:
- Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice (Argentina)
- World Tuberculosis Day (International)
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” - James 1:12
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
March 23
Morning
"His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."
Luke 22:44
Luke 22:44
The mental pressure arising from our Lord's struggle with temptation, so forced his frame to an unnatural excitement, that his pores sent forth great drops of blood which fell down to the ground. This proves how tremendous must have been the weight of sin when it was able to crush the Saviour so that he distilled great drops of blood! This demonstrates the mighty power of his love. It is a very pretty observation of old Isaac Ambrose that the gum which exudes from the tree without cutting is always the best. This precious camphire-tree yielded most sweet spices when it was wounded under the knotty whips, and when it was pierced by the nails on the cross; but see, it giveth forth its best spice when there is no whip, no nail, no wound. This sets forth the voluntariness of Christ's sufferings, since without a lance the blood flowed freely. No need to put on the leech, or apply the knife; it flows spontaneously. No need for the rulers to cry, "Spring up, O well;" of itself it flows in crimson torrents. If men suffer great pain of mind apparently the blood rushes to the heart. The cheeks are pale; a fainting fit comes on; the blood has gone inward as if to nourish the inner man while passing through its trial. But see our Saviour in his agony; he is so utterly oblivious of self, that instead of his agony driving his blood to the heart to nourish himself, it drives it outward to bedew the earth. The agony of Christ, inasmuch as it pours him out upon the ground, pictures the fulness of the offering which he made for men.
Do we not perceive how intense must have been the wrestling through which he passed, and will we not hear its voice to us? "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." Behold the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession, and sweat even to blood rather than yield to the great tempter of your souls.
Evening
"I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."
Luke 19:40
Luke 19:40
But could the stones cry out? Assuredly they could if he who opens the mouth of the dumb should bid them lift up their voice. Certainly if they were to speak, they would have much to testify in praise of him who created them by the word of his power; they could extol the wisdom and power of their Maker who called them into being. Shall not we speak well of him who made us anew, and out of stones raised up children unto Abraham? The old rocks could tell of chaos and order, and the handiwork of God in successive stages of creation's drama; and cannot we talk of God's decrees, of God's great work in ancient times, in all that he did for his church in the days of old? If the stones were to speak, they could tell of their breaker, how he took them from the quarry, and made them fit for the temple, and cannot we tell of our glorious Breaker, who broke our hearts with the hammer of his word, that he might build us into his temple? If the stones should cry out they would magnify their builder, who polished them and fashioned them after the similitude of a palace; and shall not we talk of our Architect and Builder, who has put us in our place in the temple of the living God? If the stones could cry out, they might have a long, long story to tell by way of memorial, for many a time hath a great stone been rolled as a memorial before the Lord; and we too can testify of Ebenezers, stones of help, pillars of remembrance. The broken stones of the law cry out against us, but Christ himself, who has rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, speaks for us. Stones might well cry out, but we will not let them: we will hush their noise with ours; we will break forth into sacred song, and bless the majesty of the Most High, all our days glorifying him who is called by Jacob the Shepherd and Stone of Israel.
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Cornelius
[Cor'nē'lĭ ŭs] - the beam of the sun.
A converted Roman centurion at Caesarea, a devout man (Acts 10). He was the first Gentile convert and through his conversion the door of faith was opened unto the Gentiles. Disgusted with the Gentile paganism of his day he turned to God but did not have a full understanding of the Gospel of Grace. Through Peter's ministry, Cornelius became a believer and was received into the fellowship of the Church. From this point there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. In Christ they become one (Eph. 2:18 ). Benevolence, prayerfulness, obedience and spiritual receptivity characterize this godly Roman centurion.
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Today's reading: Joshua 13-15, Luke 1:57-80 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Joshua 13-15
Land Still to Be Taken
1 When Joshua had grown old, the LORD said to him, "You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over.
2 "This is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites, 3 from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite though held by the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron; the territory of the Avvites4 on the south; all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah of the Sidonians as far as Aphek and the border of the Amorites; 5the area of Byblos; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath....
Today's New Testament reading: Luke 1:57-80
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."
61 They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John."64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him....
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Today's Lent reading: Mark 1-3 (NIV)
View today's Lent reading on Bible GatewayJohn the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
"I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way"--
3 "a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.'"
who will prepare your way"--
3 "a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.'"
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: "After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit...."
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