Puzzling behaviour is historical too. On this day in 1801 Horatio Nelson shelled Copenhagen and captured a Danish fleet. Only, when things had looked desperate, Nelson had been ordered to disengage. He ignored the order. Had he lost, he might have been executed. He was advised in battle of the order, and reputedly put a spy glass to his eye, remarking "I am supposed to have a bad eye. I cannot see the flag." Two of his fleet got grounded in harbour, but his desperate assault led the Danes to surrender. He landed and was greeted as a hero by the Danes. My possible explanation for the Danish behaviour was that the Danish Government, in charge of a protestant nation, had aligned with Catholic France against Protestant England, and this was unpopular. But I don't know that to be true and would welcome it if anyone knows the actual reason. There might be insight as to why the ALP continues to have support even after their epic failures.
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 to those born on this day, along with
- 742 – Charlemagne, Frankish king (d. 814)
- 1618 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)
- 1725 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (d. 1798)
- 1788 – Wilhelmine Reichard, German balloonist (d. 1848)
- 1798 – August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet (d. 1874)
- 1805 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author and poet (d. 1875)
- 1814 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)
- 1840 – Émile Zola, French author and critic (d. 1902)
- 1841 – Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (d. 1926)
- 1875 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940)
- 1891 – Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, and poet (d. 1976)
- 1914 – Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver
- 1938 – Booker Little, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1961)
- 1939 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (The Moonglows) (d. 1984)
- 1942 – Hiroyuki Sakai, Japanese chef
- 1945 – Linda Hunt, American actress
- 1947 – Emmylou Harris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1948 – Roald Als, Danish cartoonist
- 1965 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012)
- 1971 – Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player
- 1981 – Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer
- 1990 – Amy Castle, American actress
- 1995 – Abdou Nef, Algerian footballer (d. 2013)
Matches
- 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now Florida.
- 1755 – Commodore William James captures the pirate fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.
- 1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.
- 1801 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Copenhagen – The British capture the Danish fleet.
- 1863 – Richmond Bread Riot: Food shortages incite hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia, and demand that the Confederate government release emergency supplies.
- 1865 – American Civil War: The Siege of Petersburg is broken – Union troops capture the trenches around Petersburg, Virginia, forcing Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee to retreat.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet flee the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
- 1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg.
- 1902 – "Electric Theatre", the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.
- 1911 – The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country's first national census.
- 1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.
- 1917 – World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
- 1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.
- 1962 – The first official Panda crossing is opened outside London Waterloo station.
- 1972 – Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
- 1975 – Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
- 1980 – United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act in an effort to help the U.S. economy rebound.
- 1982 – Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
- 1986 – Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist most widely known for the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.
- 1989 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
- 1992 – In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
- 2004 – Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; their attack is thwarted.
Despatches
- 1118 – Baldwin I of Jerusalem (b. 1058)
- 1502 – Arthur, Prince of Wales (b. 1486)
- 1872 – Samuel Morse, American inventor, invented the Morse code (b. 1791)
- 1966 – C. S. Forester, Egyptian-American author (b. 1899)
- 1998 – Rob Pilatus, American singer and dancer (Milli Vanilli and Rob & Fab) (b. 1965)
- 2005 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Jane Henson, American puppeteer and voice actress, and widow of Muppets creator Jim Henson (1936–1990) (b. 1934)
Hereditary housos not a matter of trust
Miranda Devine – Wednesday, April 02, 2014 (12:38am)
THE National Trust should stick to preserving heritage buildings instead of sticking its nose into the sensible decision to sell public housing in Millers Point.
Continue reading 'Hereditary housos not a matter of trust'Twisted view of life and justice
Miranda Devine – Wednesday, April 02, 2014 (12:37am)
HOW can “cultural differences” be an excuse for child sexual offences?
Continue reading 'Twisted view of life and justice'Gaia above! Wonders never cease
Miranda Devine – Tuesday, April 01, 2014 (11:04pm)
GAIA guru James Lovelock says environmentalism has “become a religion” and does not pay enough attention to facts”.
And in The Guardian no less.
And in The Guardian no less.
The 94 year-old scientist, famous for his Gaia hypothesis that Earth is a self-regulating, single organism, also said that he had been too certain about the rate of global warming in his past book, that “it’s just as silly to be a [climate] denier as it is to be a believer” and that fracking and nuclear power should power the UK, not renewable sources such as windfarms.
Speaking to the Guardian for an interview ahead of a landmark UN climate science report on Monday on the impacts of climate change, Lovelock said of the warnings of climate catastrophe in his 2006 book, Revenge of Gaia: “I was a little too certain in that book. You just can’t tell what’s going to happen.”
Fossil fuel fanatics make farm life hell
Miranda Devine – Tuesday, April 01, 2014 (7:53pm)
IN the lush pastures of the northern rivers region, an unholy alliance of local anti-gas protesters and imported green extremists is making life hell for dairy farmer Pete Graham and his family.
They have farmed near Casino for five generations, but their decision to allow gas company Metgasco to drill on their land for natural gas — not coal seam gas — has turned into a nightmare.
Hundreds of protesters have been camped around their property for weeks, blocking their driveways with cars and intimidating everyone going in and out. Peter’s wife, seven-year-old twins and parents are under virtual siege. His gates have been repeatedly padlocked and welded shut and a concrete trench with metal spikes dug into his driveway. If he takes cattle to market, he has to ask council for a security escort to get out his gate.
And in nearby Casino, business owners were harassed by anonymous letters last week, threatening a boycott of the town.
“It’s out of control,” Graham, 44, said yesterday of the campaign of intimidation.
“They’ve been told by police not to enter our property and they continually disobey the requests.”
This is the dark side of the campaign against coal seam gas. While apprehension about the impacts on prime agricultural land of gas exploration is real, extreme green fanatics have exploited those fears for their own ends.
Posing as farmer’s friends, professional vigilante activists are dangerous bedfellows for the grassroots anti-gas movement. Their criminal harassment of farmers and contractors and total opposition to all fossil fuels will, in the end, turn off the public and divide communities.
The fact is NSW has the most stringent regulations in the world over gas exploration. Last week the state government oversaw a deal between landowner groups and big energy companies to give farmers veto over drilling on their properties.
Under Australian law, underground resources are owned by the crown and landholders were obliged to provide access to coal seam gas companies, whether they wanted to or not. This imposition inspired the influential Lock The Gate lobby.
But now, under pressure from NSW Resources and Energy Minister Anthony Roberts, Santos and AGL have agreed to forfeit their right to demand access. Roberts has also imposed a six month freeze on new exploration, and further stringent environmental controls.
And that should be the end of the matter, for reasonable people.
Farmers like the Grahams who want to allow drilling on their land should be entitled to do so, as long as the drilling is done in accordance with these tough regulations.
“I’m not an advocate for the industry, never have been, never will be, but as a regulator, we need to ensure that, as the gas industry moves forward, it is based on science and community consultation,” Roberts said.
“Some of activists have shown it’s not about access to farmers’ land but a fundamental hatred of mining or any fossil fuel extraction.
“We cannot become a nation of social workers and clients of social workers. We need to produce something if our children want jobs; cheap energy, as long as it’s done correctly, is the way to go.”
Compared to Queensland, highly regulated NSW is already missing out on the benefits of the gas boom (which was driven in large part by the demonisation of coal by carbon-phobics).
There is nothing left to protest against. “But the extreme elements will only be happy when they have sent us back to the pushbike and horse and cart,” Graham said.
The good news is that the Casino Chamber of Commerce, which is neutral on gas exploration, is having the last laugh. They’ve turned the attempted boycott into a marketing opportunity. Today, in the local newspaper, the Express Examiner, they have taken out full page ads declaring Casino “open for business”.
Bravo Casino!
A CHILD SHOWS US THE WAY
Tim Blair – Wednesday, April 02, 2014 (12:20pm)
After listening to this little girl’s compelling arguments, I’ve decided to invest in coal seam gas mining. Let’s have some financial advice in comments.
False. I’d defend Israel even if every one of its leaders were like Michael Gawenda
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (5:19pm)
An open response to Michael Gawenda, and any Jewish paper is free to reproduce it.
Michael,
Your column today is a grotesque misrepresentation of me and of my argument with Jewish leaders supporting the Racial Discrimination Act.
To claim I simply presented an IOU to the Jewish community in return for services rendered – services I could now withdraw in a pique – is not only untrue but vicious.
May I suggest your cartoonish antipathy towards me has made you write something unfair?
You overlooked – or deliberately omitted – the central point of my argument and one I’ve made several times, finally prompting Mark Leibler to address the matter this year in an open letter for which I am deeply grateful.
I was accused in court by a Jewish barrister before a Jewish judge of sharing the thinking of the Nazis in drawing up the Nuremberg race laws, which, the barrister didn’t need to add yet did, led to the Holocaust.
This was not simply manifestly untrue and, in the circumstances, highly inflammatory. It was an insult so vile that I am enraged again simply to repeat it to you.
What so deeply disappointed me is that half a dozen Jewish leaders I knew - and who knew what I’d done for the community - privately assured me variously that the slur was a disgrace, the law had been misapplied or the law was too broad in scope, if this case was the consequence.
Yet not one of those leaders, until Mark this year, publicly defended me against one of the most vile smears you could possibly dream up in this kind of debate. Not one, until Mark, publicly acknowledged that mine was not the kind of case this law should have applied to.
So why this long silence, only briefly broken? For the reason, I believe, that it was felt more important by those leaders to maintain the myth that the law was perfect than to acknowledge an injustice was done and my reputation unfairly and vilely trashed as a consequence.
This is the source of my disappointment. I also pointed out the danger in this for the Jewish community, that in allowing this trashing of me they were also allowing the marginalising of one of their most dependable media supporters, in a country with distressingly few of them.
All this is on the public record, and I cannot believe that in writing about this issue you could have overlooked the argument I actually put. Here is just one iteration of it, from just last December:
If there were a shred of truth to such a spiteful reading you might then be able to go on to note how I’d switched positions on issues involving Israel and attacked what I’d once supported. I warrant you could not find a single such case, or a single case of my failing to speak up as I used to. I would draw your attention to, for instance, my blog comments on the discussion on Q&A only last Monday of Pamela Geller’s signs, or my criticism on The Bolt Report last Sunday of the BDS protests.
I do not need favours from anyone to speak up for Israel as I have done, and for you to now imply I am such a man is shameful. Shameful and very, very wrong.
A real journalist would acknowledge this mistake – this gross injustice - and apologise.
===Michael,
Your column today is a grotesque misrepresentation of me and of my argument with Jewish leaders supporting the Racial Discrimination Act.
To claim I simply presented an IOU to the Jewish community in return for services rendered – services I could now withdraw in a pique – is not only untrue but vicious.
May I suggest your cartoonish antipathy towards me has made you write something unfair?
You overlooked – or deliberately omitted – the central point of my argument and one I’ve made several times, finally prompting Mark Leibler to address the matter this year in an open letter for which I am deeply grateful.
I was accused in court by a Jewish barrister before a Jewish judge of sharing the thinking of the Nazis in drawing up the Nuremberg race laws, which, the barrister didn’t need to add yet did, led to the Holocaust.
This was not simply manifestly untrue and, in the circumstances, highly inflammatory. It was an insult so vile that I am enraged again simply to repeat it to you.
What so deeply disappointed me is that half a dozen Jewish leaders I knew - and who knew what I’d done for the community - privately assured me variously that the slur was a disgrace, the law had been misapplied or the law was too broad in scope, if this case was the consequence.
Yet not one of those leaders, until Mark this year, publicly defended me against one of the most vile smears you could possibly dream up in this kind of debate. Not one, until Mark, publicly acknowledged that mine was not the kind of case this law should have applied to.
So why this long silence, only briefly broken? For the reason, I believe, that it was felt more important by those leaders to maintain the myth that the law was perfect than to acknowledge an injustice was done and my reputation unfairly and vilely trashed as a consequence.
This is the source of my disappointment. I also pointed out the danger in this for the Jewish community, that in allowing this trashing of me they were also allowing the marginalising of one of their most dependable media supporters, in a country with distressingly few of them.
All this is on the public record, and I cannot believe that in writing about this issue you could have overlooked the argument I actually put. Here is just one iteration of it, from just last December:
- Several prominent Jewish spokesmen had privately told me they disagreed with the verdict and even the breadth of the Racial Discrimination Act, if used to silence even me, yet not one of those spokesmen had ever said so publicly. It was as if though by conceding an injustice, they risked losing a law they thought useful. I was, in my phrase, “collateral damage”.You could have quoted my real position. Instead, you substituted your own version: falsely claiming that because I’d scratched Jewish backs, I felt Jews should scratch mine, particularly if they wanted more favours:
- Not a single Jewish spokesman had publicly condemned Ron Merkel QC for telling the Jewish judge in my case that my thinking in the article was of the kind that the Nazis had in drawing up the Nuremberg race laws, (Danny Lamm, however, did offer to speak on my behalf.) I thought this vile slur, explosive in the context of my case, was not just a gross misuse of the victims of the Holocaust, but was false and known to be false by the many members of the Jewish community, who knew me to be one of the most prominent media defenders of Israel and the Jewish community generally. It seemed to me, again, that my reputation was collateral damage in a fight to preserve (unjust) laws.
- I was alarmed that my personal reputation was further being attacked by people who should know better. One very prominent Jewish leader (certainly not Leibler) had even suggested I believed in the “Jewish conspiracy”. I warned that phrasing the debate over the RDA as between racists and non-racists was not just false and offensive, but would damage the standing of someone many Jews felt was useful in defending them publicly.
- These laws would eventually be turned against Jews and those who criticised Islam.
For a start, this suggests that Bolt indeed sees himself as powerful, able to ‘do things’ for the Jews and, it must be assumed, for others who would benefit mightily from his support. In return, he expects support when he gets into a spot of bother. This is the way players in politics sometimes operate but not, I would hope, someone who calls himself a journalist.Needless to say, your version is not just false and completely at odds with what I’ve written and said privately to several leaders, including Danny Lamm, Yuval Rotem and Colin Rubenstein. It is also extremely offensive, crude and untrue – a play to a racist stereotype of the unreliable goy, a secret anti-Semite, after all, despite all that smiling and backclapping:
If there were a shred of truth to such a spiteful reading you might then be able to go on to note how I’d switched positions on issues involving Israel and attacked what I’d once supported. I warrant you could not find a single such case, or a single case of my failing to speak up as I used to. I would draw your attention to, for instance, my blog comments on the discussion on Q&A only last Monday of Pamela Geller’s signs, or my criticism on The Bolt Report last Sunday of the BDS protests.
I do not need favours from anyone to speak up for Israel as I have done, and for you to now imply I am such a man is shameful. Shameful and very, very wrong.
A real journalist would acknowledge this mistake – this gross injustice - and apologise.
Why doesn’t Loewenstein declare the RDA was used against him?
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (2:29pm)
Antony Loewenstein in the Guardian defends in a yes-but way the Abbott Government’s changes to Racial Discrimination Act.
Of course, he says he’s sensitive to, say, those playing down the Holocaust::
But is Loewenstein?
Funny, how in all his pieces discussing the RDA that Loewenstein never mentions how it was once used against him – and not, as in my case, because he was fighting racial stereotypes, but because he was airing the very cruelest:
===Of course, he says he’s sensitive to, say, those playing down the Holocaust::
As an atheist Jew, I find it distinctly uncomfortable to defend the free speech rights of Holocaust deniers. I utterly oppose the inaccuracy, hatred and intolerance that goes with refuting the reality of Nazi crimes against Jews, gay people, Gypsies and many others.He’s not like other people who defence the RDA reforms – insensitive brutes like, well, me:
[Bolt is not] in a position to understand the awful effect that verbal abuse can have on an Aboriginal, refugee, Jew, Muslim, or Greek.I’m not? Even so, I’m pretty sure I would understand the awful effect on Jews of some clown publishing a cartoon attacking Australia’s support of Israel by showing Prime Minister Julia Gillard wearing Star of David earrings next to SS guards with Star of David emblems on their helmets.
But is Loewenstein?
Funny, how in all his pieces discussing the RDA that Loewenstein never mentions how it was once used against him – and not, as in my case, because he was fighting racial stereotypes, but because he was airing the very cruelest:
Antony Loewenstein has removed an image from his web site which had been the subject of a complaint lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission.
On his blog yesterday, Loewenstein wrote under the title ‘How not to discuss Israel and the Middle East’ : “I recently posted an image that was inappropriate and ill-advised and was not intended to cause offense by making comparisons between Israel and Nazism. However, it expressed the sort of extreme views that are widely shared and growing worldwide but on reflection I realise that they should be not be given further oxygen and publicity.”
The offending image showed Prime Minister Julia Gillard wearing Star of David earrings, the Australian and Israeli flags, SS stormtroopers with Stars of David on their helmets and a message to fight Islam and terrorism “with our Israeli allies”.
Executive Director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Peter Wertheim lodged the complaint. He told J-Wire: “If Loewenstein is hoping to attract Jewish people to his anti-Israel perspective he has scored a spectacular own-goal. By publishing and apparently endorsing this racist sludge he has confirmed our worst suspicions about the real agenda behind uniformly anti-Israel commentary.”
Gag against these gags
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (8:56am)
We really are so damn
slow to trust Australians and so dangerously quick to stop them
reading what they will and making up their own minds:
===THE Herald Sun was last night silenced from publishing detail on Lawyer X which it believes is of extreme public interest.
Victoria Police took the extraordinary action of seeking a Supreme Court injunction at 7.30pm last night preventing the newspaper from publishing any information at all about Lawyer X, whom the Herald Sun had no intention of naming or identifying ...
As the hearing commenced, the Herald Sun was ordered by the judge to stop its presses.
Herald Sun Editor Damon Johnston said that Victorians deserved to know the full truth.
“The police last night moved to prevent us from publishing important details that go to the heart of the public interest,” Johnston said.
And now for some real hate speech
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (8:45am)
And when there is true hate speech and racist abuse, where are the thought police then? Reader BBqTalk:
Thanks heavens at least for Bess Price. I’ll say it again: class act.
(WARNING: Feel free to comment, but do not feel quite so free to repeat any of those offensive terms.)
===Following the NT News would make you weep. The rebellious back-benchers in the NT Parliament are now using this language: “ we’re not breast-plated niggers”. I’ve been in the Territory for 45 years; I’ve seen an aboriginal gardener in Alice Springs given his morning cuppa in a jam tin in 1967. But I haven’t heard a description of ‘nigger’ ever. I suppose it shows the visceral feelings of the trio. And that a declared coloured person can use language which so many ‘caucasians’ would find extremely offensive makes you think about 18 C provisions.Note, though. For all the foul and disgraceful language and the peddling of racial stereotypes, people are giving as good as they are allegedly getting and no one needs an official silencing.
Now Nova Peris has chimed into the brawling, remembering how she was called a ‘maid’ by Alison Anderson, and a ‘pet aborigine’ by current Chief Minister, Adam Giles when past PM Gillard made her ‘captain’s pick’.
The only adult in the room is Bess Price, who took the comment of ‘breast-plated nigger’ personally, but responded with a ‘do the job you were elected to do’ comment.
Thanks heavens at least for Bess Price. I’ll say it again: class act.
(WARNING: Feel free to comment, but do not feel quite so free to repeat any of those offensive terms.)
Feeding time finished at the golden trough
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (8:43am)
We really have been living in a fool’s paradise, paying ourselves borrowed billions:
===SAVINGS of more than $60 billion a year will have to be found by 2023-24 for the Abbott government to reach its surplus target, according to the Commission of Audit, which presented a bleaker outlook for tax revenue than was contained in the midyear budget update.(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.)
The commission’s pessimism is understood to be based both on a further downgrade in tax revenue growth and on its belief that it is not realistic to assume there will not be any personal income tax cuts over the next 10 years.
The size of the savings task is equivalent to total federal spending on education or defence and will demand the axing of complete government functions and reductions in spending on pensions and allowances.
Where’s the warming?
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (6:54am)
As you trawl through all the global warming scare stories this week, remember this bottom-line fact - there are been no warming of the atmosphere this century:
Our dataset-of-datasets graph averages the monthly anomalies for the three terrestrial and two satellite temperature records. It shows there has still been no global warming this millennium. Over 13 years 2 months, the trend is zero.The warming may resume after a hiatus that so far has lasted some 16 years, but we simply are not getting the temperature rises the climate models predicted.
UPDATE
Exactly how many more billions does Labor want to waste making no difference to global temperatures, which haven’t risen in 16 years anyway?
Labor leader Bill Shorten has distanced himself from remarks made by opposition environment spokesman Mark Butler who said the case has been made for Australia to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent by 2020...And can we clarify this furphy that the Climate Change Authority is “independent”? In fact, Labor stacked it with extremists and sympathisers who can’t be sacked:
Campaigning in Perth before the West Australian Senate election on Saturday, Prime Minister Tony Abbott seized on Mr Butler’s remarks, arguing they were a sign Labor was not just going to keep the carbon tax, but increase it…
The independent Climate Change Authority, which the government plans to abolish, said in February Australia should adopt a minimum target of 15 per cent by 2020 and its 5 per cent target was out of step with countries including China and the United States.
Mr Butler said: ‘’It [the authority report] does make the point that the conditions for 15 per cent have been met.
‘’For example, similar countries have targets of 15 per cent. It’s quite clear 20 per cent hasn’t been met but it is strongly arguable 15 per cent has been met.’’
Tell me why the authority members include Clive Hamilton, a professor of public ethics who is a former Greens candidate and absurd catastrophist? Why on earth should we listen to him?
Tell me why it includes militant warmist David Karoly, with his history of predictions?
Why does it include John Quiggin, a warmist who had to admit to having grossly exaggerated the difference our carbon tax could actually make?
Pray that money doesn’t speak in our Parliament
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (6:17am)
It would be an insult to our democracy if Clive Palmer were allowed to buy himself another seat in Parliament:
===CLIVE Palmer has been accused of “spending money like a drunken sailor” to secure a third Senate seat for his party, as independent monitoring indicated the Queensland MP was outspending Labor and the Liberals 10-to-one on television advertising...And look at the company Labor is keeping, including a construction union about to be a key focus of inquiry by the royal commission into union corruption:
The Palmer United Party has bought 530 of the 892 political ads aired on Perth TV since March 1, accusing the major parties of stealing bread from the mouths of West Australian babies…
Greens senator Scott Ludlam has also outspent the major parties, airing 90 ads compared with only 35 each for the Liberals and the ALP.
Two ALP-affiliated unions, the Maritime Union of Australia and the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union, had collectively bought 142 adverts attacking the Prime Minister.In further news today about the CFMEU, so determined to destroy Tony Abbott:
A HIGH-ranking Victorian CFMEU official is being investigated by the union’s national branch over allegations of misuse of members’ money…
A whistleblower is also preparing a submission to the impending royal commission into corruption and bribery in the union movement…
The militant union’s construction branch was fined $1.25 million this week for its illegal blockade at Grocon’s Myer Emporium site in 2012.
This isn’t a protection but a gag
Andrew Bolt April 02 2014 (6:13am)
Professor John Furedy
backs the Abbott Government’s changes to the Racial Discrimination Act –
and would even if they allowed Holocaust denial:
Professor Alan Dershowitz:
===The Holocaust survivor came out in support of Attorney-General George Brandis to halt what he calls the creep of “velvet totalitarianism”, under which thought and speech are criminalised.UPDATE
“The best thing my parents ever did for me was take me to Australia in 1949, but I have watched Australians take their freedoms for granted,” he said.
”There has been what I call a velvet totalitarianism creeping in. I call it that because the punishments are less severe but people still try to censor themselves and each other.... There can be no contest of ideas if we go too far down this path."…
Professor Furedy said free speech wouldn’t have saved the Jewish people under Hitler — “there were so many other factors at play” — but was adamant it was the best way to defeat bigotry.
“The only protection against stupid speech is better speech,” he said.
Professor Alan Dershowitz:
Censorship of racist speech is also bad for liberty in general, and especially for freedom of expression. Once a government gets into the business of banning one type of bigoted speech, the circle of censorship inevitably expands. I call this “ism equity”. As soon as one ism, say anti-racism, gets to employ the power of the state to stop its enemies, every other ism claims an equal right to employ the power of the state against its enemies.Professor James Allan:
Some feminists demand restrictions on sexist speech, which can be defined broadly to include pornography, sexist jokes and other genres deemed offensive to some. Jews demand an end to everything deemed to be anti-Semitic, which can include Holocaust denial, demonisation of the nation-state of the Jewish people and anti-Jewish jokes and cartoons. Other groups similarly demand equal treatment. The result is that the circle of civility expands and along with it the circle of censorship. The big loser is the freedom of all to hear and see everything and to judge for ourselves.
Did you know that the same sort of issue that came up with Bolt came up in the US with now senator Elizabeth Warren and her claim to be one-sixteenth or one-thirty-second Native American and whether that helped her win a job at Harvard?
The debate there was more vigorous than anything here. It seemed in the end that Warren had no Native American lineage at all. We don’t know if it helped her get the job. And the voters in Massachusetts elected her anyway. But no one thought about taking anyone to court, regardless of their tone or anything else.
However, what’s good for the US goose is not good for us Aussie ganders. Or so says our eminent person, Warren Mundine. His sympathies don’t extend that far.
If you think that my tone is dripping with sarcasm in this piece, you’re right. Mundine’s argument is pathetic. It warrants only derision. Yes, I could have written this piece in a more respectful way that covered the same basic ground. But the truth is that Mundine’s position warrants this sarcastic tone.
Sure, I might also have sent my draft along to Bromberg to have him check my tone against his sensibilities, but in a longstanding democracy, one of the world’s most successful democracies, I really don’t feel like making Bromberg the arbiter of my tone of voice or the de facto editor of this newspaper.
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
===
=== Posts from last year ===
4 her, so she sees how I see her
===
With Rachelle Mercado, Sarie-Rose Whitehouse-Hartmann, Andy Minh Trieu and Chandni Biswas.
===
Earlier today our ACM member Peter Tadros along with his wife Mrs Mariam Tadros represented the ACM at an event organised by the Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) to celebrate Assyrian New Year. The event was held at the Fairfield Showground and attended by thousands of people and well over 100 politicians and community leaders.
The photo below includes two politicians who are considered to be champions of promoting the plight of not only the Assyrian community but the Coptic Community as well they are Mr Craig Kelly MP (Liberal member for Hughes) and the Hon. Rev Fred Nile MLC and leader of the Christian Democratic Party.
On the 13th October 2011 Mr Kelly supported the ACM in putting forward a historic motion to be voted on in the Australian Federal Parliament. The motion called for an end to Coptic persecution in Egypt and officially recognised the persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt as well as a further three actions points.
The motion passed with support from all politicians following months of continuous campaigning by ACM supporters across the nation. On the following day the Hon. Rev Fred Nile MLC and leader of the Christian Democratic Party introduced the same motion to the NSW Legislative Council and again the motion was successful.
Both Mr Kelly and the Hon. Rev Nile were in attendance today at Assyrian New Year event and in both speeches, they along with the Hon. David Clark MLC and Mr Hermiz Shahine (AUA) again recognised the plight of Egypt’s Copts and their ongoing suffering. We sincerely thank both Mr Kelly and the Hon. Rev Nile for their continuing support to the plight of minorities throughout the Middle East and North Africa and like the many who attended today’s event at Fairfield, we at the ACM call for an end to all persecution of all minority groups in the region and request that the Australian Government fully recognises the genocide that was committed against the Assyrians, Armenians and Pontiac Greeks earlier last century.
We also call upon The Australian Federal Parliament to implement all four action points of the motion on Coptic persecution as the situation for Egypt’s Copts has deteriorated significantly since 13th October 2011.
===
A SHIFT FROM ONE CLIMATE SYSTEM TO ANOTHER ?
Remember a few months ago when chief climate propagandist Tim Flannery was excitedly crowing about ‘123 climate records broken’ over 90 days during the warm Australian summer.
Mr Flannery enthusiastically said at the time;
“When you get records being broken at that scale, you can start to see a shifting from one climate system to another.”
Well I’d be interested to hear Mr Flannery’s comments given the fact that in last 7 days in the USA a total of 935 LOW temperature records have been broken.
And 935 records broken for new low temperatures include;
* A new record LOW Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the 28th March, beating the previous record set in 1884.
* A new record LOW in Silverton, Colardo for the 25th March, beating the previous record set in 1885, and
* A new record LOW at the Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico, beating the previous record set in 1871 - when Ulysses Grant was President.
These records don't mean we are entering a new ice age, and we need new taxes to "take action" on global cooling, as with tens of thousands of locations recording temperatures around the globe there will always be some new highs or lows being recorded somewhere - but what they do demonstrate, is the alarmist nonsense and propaganda coming Labor’s highly paid Climate Commissioner.
===
Shooting a brand spanking new YouTube video out in the city this beautiful long weekend, plenty of action coming your way! We can't say when exactly but it'll be worth the wait! We hope! #team9lives #9livesparkour #9lives1love #sydney #parkour #freerunning
===
===
Last Light of day at Rodeo Beach last Saturday with the Aperture Academy. What fantastic light it was too! I was pretty busy helping our students get outrageously good images just after the rain stopped and the sky exploded. I finally at the end said "I need to get a picture of this!"
Previous to my shooting this pic, there were awesome lenticular clouds off the coast, and I had shot a couple of quick hand held pics of the scene in order to show frames to the people I was teaching, but alas, those images looked pretty shaky on the big screen.
I think this is some of the best light and clouds I've seen together at this spot EVER. — at Rodeo Beach.
===
===
===
The view from Lombard street, San Francisco. Looking over North Beach. — at Lombard Street.
===
===
===
one last April First thingamajig, whatchamacallit…
The saucer seen above, using only a cloak of cloud cover, descended over the almost barren field field in it's hunt for bovine tastiness, but alas it was only able to find a local McDonald's © which the space aliens immediately zapped into oblivion after being offered gluten free Chicken McNuggets.
It was a grim day indeed, but I was able to catch them in their descent from their planet oh so far away, using my P31 eye stomper Image Compression Module.
For editing I went into the future and got myself a copy of Adobe's Googleshop CS 2002.
It was a steal at only 12,000 yenos (the currency of the new world order).
===
===
MEDIA IGNORE OBAMAS LAVISH 1% VACATIONS
In a Sunday Washington Times column, Drudge Report editor Joseph Curl takes a look at the difference between how the last two White House occupants, President Bush and President Obama, approached vacationing as president. Curl reveals that unlike Obama, Bush was concerned with public perception (especially during the war in Iraq) and made an effort to schedule holiday vacations in a way that wouldn't take others away from their families -- even a media that despised him:
“I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal,” [President George W. Bush] said years later. “I don’t want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them.”
That’s also why Mr. Bush did two other things, without fanfare or praise. First, he never headed home to his Texas ranch until after Christmas, instead going to Camp David for a few days. That way, the hundreds of people revolving around him at all times — White House staff, Secret Service agents, reporters, photographers, all the others — could spend the holiday with their families in and around Washington, D.C. No one ever reported that — until this column.
Second, he rarely attended sporting events, although he once owned a baseball team and was a self-confessed stats junkie. His thinking there was the same: If he went to a baseball game (right down the street from the White House), his mere presence would mean hours and hours of extra security for fans.
Conversely, Obama, who never has to worry about the media turning against him (including lying for weeks about a terror attack in Libya), doesn't give a damn about public perception -- not during a recession; not even during a time when sequester cuts are being blamed for the closing of White House tours and airport control towers:
How else to explain the nonstop vacations the pair keep taking during what Mr. Obama calls the “worst financial crisis since the Great Depression”? In 2013, the First Family has already enjoyed three vacations — that’s one a month. (Sorry, Joe America, you might have to forget your week at the beach again this year, but make sure you get those taxes in on time!)
Curl closes the piece (which you will want to read in full) by making the point about how much this juxtaposition tells you about Obama. And indeed it does. But I would add that it also reveals just as much about our media.
http://www.breitbart.com/
===
===
YOU’RE PAYING FOR IT ……..as reported in today’s Australian; Craig Kelly
The Australian public service is increasingly top-heavy, with 45,000 officials, or 29 per cent of all permanent employees, now classified as executives.
Analysis by The Australian has found there is now one manager for every 2.5 ordinary workers in the federal bureaucracy.
And the rise in the top five pay grades in Canberra accounts for almost all of the growth in the public service during the past five years, with an ANNUAL COST TO TAXPAYERS OF $1.3 BILLION for the 10,000-plus extra executives.
Since 1998, the number of middle managers in the federal bureaucracy, known as EL1s and EL2s, has jumped 132 per cent, while the elite, three-grade Senior Executive Service has expanded 78 per cent.
The total number of so-called "ongoing" employees in the Australian Public Service increased by 42 per cent over that period, compared with a 22 per cent rise in the nation's population.
The ANNUAL COST to the federal budget of executive remuneration, including salary, superannuation, vehicle allowance and bonus payments, is $6bn.
According to the most recent report on remuneration by the Australian Public Service Commission, the average total reward of the highest classification (SES Band 3), of which there were 135 officials, was $358,552.
The entry-level executive (EL1) positions, of which there were 28,818 at last year's audit, command an average total reward of $116,087.
In the past five years under Labor, the number of permanent public servants has grown by 10,440, including a 10,358 rise in the executive ranks, to 154,307.
Had the number of senior executives and middle managers remained at 2007 levels, the annual salary bill would be $1.343bn less than it is today.
The agencies with the highest proportion of executives are AusAID (57 per cent), the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (52 per cent), Foreign Affairs and Trade (51 per cent), Finance and Deregulation (50 per cent), Attorney-General's (49 per cent) and Treasury (44 per cent).
In June 2010, the federal government introduced a cap on SES growth in each agency, designed to place a control on the number of highly paid roles each agency can staff.
While the government says the total number of public servants, including defence personnel and federal police, has stopped growing and is forecast to fall this year, the number of permanent bureaucrats covered by the Public Service Act continues to rise.
If elected, the Coalition has said it would cut the number of federal public servants by 12,000 over two years through natural attrition, saving $4bn over the four-year forward estimates period.
===
===
===
One more design from the Botanica Collection - Banksia Bouquet is a striking contemporary design based on Australian Banksias
===
Library of love
===
===
===
*Vibrantly Resting*
A shot from back in February. This is a 2 shot blend. The longest shot was 103 seconds, just at sunset with my 10-stop LEE Big Stopper and a .9 Soft Graduated Filter. I processed this with Photomatix, Lightroom 4 and Color Efex Pro 4. Enjoy!
===
Check out this picture of a beautiful wall cloud on a textbook supercell NW of Benjamin, TX. INSANE lightning with this storm. Working on video now!
===
Poems are rough notations for the music we are." - Rumi
===
2,000-year-old Damascus synagogue destroyed
===
"Blue Bowling Balls"
Allright, it's official. Joe Azure is bad for my wallet. On Saturday, After we arrived at Bowling Ball Beach near Mendocino, Joe gave Casey McCallister and I a crash course on how you uses his Big Stopper with Reverse NDs, NDs, and Polarizers. Well I have never been a filter guy really, but to see the results you can get IN CAMERA, I was hooked. So I came home and ordered $80...See more
— with Casey McCallister and Joe Azure at Bowling Ball Beach.Allright, it's official. Joe Azure is bad for my wallet. On Saturday, After we arrived at Bowling Ball Beach near Mendocino, Joe gave Casey McCallister and I a crash course on how you uses his Big Stopper with Reverse NDs, NDs, and Polarizers. Well I have never been a filter guy really, but to see the results you can get IN CAMERA, I was hooked. So I came home and ordered $80...See more
===
===
STREETFIGHTER’S HADOUKEN STRIKES INTERNET AND GOES VIRAL!
People all across the world at getting their inner video gamer out by re-enacting Street Fighter’s Hadouken move. Don’t worry, it’s safer than planking (we think).
Read more about it here:www.urbansociety.com.au/
===
The Hendrick's Gang! Darren Low we're missing you! — with Kendra Renee Ng, Gladys Wong andJak Nu.
===
===
- 1755 – A naval fleet led by Commodore William James of theEast India Company captured the fortress Suvarnadurg from the Marathas.
- 1801 – War of the Second Coalition: British forces led by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson (pictured) defeated the Dano-Norwegian fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen.
- 1885 – North-West Rebellion: Led by Wandering Spirit, young Cree warriorsattacked the village of Frog Lake, North-West Territories (now in Alberta), where they killed nine settlers.
- 1973 – The Liberal Movement broke away from the Liberal and Country League in South Australia.
- 1982 – Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking theFalklands War.
- 1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now Florida.
- 1755 – Commodore William James captures the Maratha fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.
- 1792 – The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
- 1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.
- 1801 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Copenhagen – The British capture the Danish fleet.
- 1851 – Rama IV is crowned King of Thailand.
- 1863 – Richmond Bread Riot: Food shortages incite hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia, and demand that the Confederate government release emergency supplies.
- 1865 – American Civil War: The Siege of Petersburg is broken – Union troops capture the trenches around Petersburg, Virginia, forcing Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee to retreat.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet flee the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
- 1885 – Cree warriors attacked the village of Frog Lake, North-West Territories, Canada, killing 9.
- 1900 – The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.
- 1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg.
- 1902 – "Electric Theatre", the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.
- 1911 – The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country's first national census.
- 1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.
- 1917 – World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
- 1921 – The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.
- 1930 – After the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.
- 1945 – Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Brazil are established.
- 1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.
- 1962 – The first official Panda crossing is opened outside London Waterloo station.
- 1972 – Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.
- 1973 – Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.
- 1973 – The Liberal Movement breaks away from the Liberal and Country League in South Australia.
- 1975 – Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
- 1975 – Construction of the CN Tower is completed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It reaches 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) in height, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure.
- 1980 – United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act in an effort to help the U.S. economy rebound.
- 1982 – Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
- 1986 – Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist most widely known for the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.
- 1989 – Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
- 1991 – Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had resigned) as Premier of British Columbia.
- 1992 – In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
- 1994 – The National Convention of New Sudan of the SPLA/M opens in Chukudum.
- 2002 – Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated; a siege ensues.
- 2004 – Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; their attack is thwarted.
- 2006 – Over 60 tornadoes break out in the United States; hardest hit is in Tennessee with 29 people killed.
Births[edit]
- 742 – Charlemagne, Frankish king (d. 814)
- 1545 – Elisabeth of Valois (d. 1568)
- 1565 – Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (d. 1599)
- 1614 – Aisin-Gioro Dodo, Qing Prince Yu of the First Rank, Manchu prince of China (d. 1649)
- 1614 – Jahanara Begum Sahib, Indian daughter of Shah Jahan (d. 1681)
- 1618 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)
- 1647 – Maria Sibylla Merian, German-Dutch botanist (d. 1717)
- 1653 – Prince George of Denmark (d. 1708)
- 1719 – Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (d. 1803)
- 1725 – Giacomo Casanova, Italian explorer and author (d. 1798)
- 1788 – Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet (d. 1862)
- 1788 – Wilhelmine Reichard, German balloonist (d. 1848)
- 1789 – Lucio Norberto Mansilla, Argentinian general and politician (d. 1871)
- 1792 – Francisco de Paula Santander, Colombian military and political leader
- 1798 – August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet (d. 1874)
- 1805 – Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author and poet (d. 1875)
- 1814 – Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)
- 1827 – William Holman Hunt, English painter (d. 1910)
- 1835 – Jacob Nash Victor, American railroad builder (d. 1907)
- 1838 – Léon Gambetta, French politician, 45th Prime Minister of France (d. 1882)
- 1840 – Émile Zola, French author and critic (d. 1902)
- 1841 – Clément Ader, French engineer, designed the Ader Avion III (d. 1926)
- 1861 – Iván Persa, Slovenian priest (d. 1935)
- 1862 – Nicholas Murray Butler, American philosopher and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1947)
- 1867 – Eugen Sandow, German bodybuilder (d. 1925)
- 1869 – Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (d. 1928)
- 1870 – Julius Körner, German rower
- 1875 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940)
- 1875 – William Donne, English cricketer (d. 1942)
- 1884 – J. C. Squire, English poet, author, and historian (d. 1958)
- 1891 – Jack Buchanan, Scottish actor, singer, producer, and director (d. 1957)
- 1891 – Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, and poet (d. 1976)
- 1898 – Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Indian poet, actor and politician (d. 1990)
- 1900 – Roberto Arlt, Argentinian journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1942)
- 1900 – Anis Fuleihan, Cypriot-American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1970)
- 1902 – Jan Tschichold, German typographer (d. 1974)
- 1903 – Lionel Chevrier, Canadian politician (d. 1987)
- 1906 – Alphonse-Marie Parent, Canadian priest and educator (d. 1970)
- 1907 – Luke Appling, American baseball player and manager (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003)
- 1910 – Paul Triquet, Canadian general, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1980)
- 1910 – Chico Xavier, Brazilian medium (d. 2002)
- 1914 – Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)
- 1917 – Dabbs Greer, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Lou Monte, American singer (d. 1989)
- 1920 – Gerald Bouey, Canadian lieutenant and civil servant (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Jack Stokes, English animator and director (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Jack Webb, American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer (d. 1982)
- 1923 – Clifford Scott Green, American judge (d. 2007)
- 1923 – Gloria Henry, American actress
- 1923 – G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician, psychologist, and author
- 1924 – Bobby Ávila, Mexican baseball player (d. 2004)
- 1925 – George MacDonald Fraser, English author and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1925 – Hans Rosenthal, German radio and television host (d. 1987)
- 1926 – Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver
- 1926 – Rudra Rajasingham, Sri Lankan Tamil police officer (d. 2006)
- 1927 – Carmen Basilio, American boxer (d. 2012)
- 1927 – Kenneth Tynan, English critic (d. 1980)
- 1928 – Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (d. 1996)
- 1928 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer-songwriter, actor and director (d. 1991)
- 1928 – David Robinson, Irish horticulturist (d. 2004)
- 1930 – Roddy Maude-Roxby, English actor
- 1930 – William Smith, 4th Viscount Hambleden (d. 2012)
- 1932 – Edward Egan, American cardinal
- 1933 – György Konrád, Hungarian sociologist and author
- 1934 – Paul Joseph Cohen, American mathematician (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Brian Glover, English wrestler and actor (d. 1997)
- 1934 – Carl Kasell, American journalist
- 1934 – Peter Middleton, English banker
- 1935 – Sharon Acker, Canadian actress
- 1936 – Shaul Ladany, Serbian-Israeli race walker
- 1937 – Dick Radatz, American baseball player (d. 2005)
- 1937 – Denis Tuohy, Irish journalist and actor
- 1938 – John Larsson, Swedish 17th General of The Salvation Army
- 1938 – Booker Little, American trumpet player and composer (d. 1961)
- 1938 – Al Weis, American baseball player
- 1939 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (The Moonglows) (d. 1984)
- 1939 – Anthony Lake, American diplomat and academic, 18th United States National Security Advisor
- 1939 – Lise Thibault, Canadian politician, 27th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
- 1940 – Donald Jackson, Canadian figure skater
- 1940 – Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (d. 1981)
- 1940 – Penelope Keith, English actress
- 1941 – Dr. Demento, American radio host
- 1942 – Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1942 – Hiroyuki Sakai, Japanese chef
- 1942 – Roshan Seth, Indian-English actor
- 1943 – Michael Boyce, South African-born, British Naval officer and politician
- 1943 – Caterina Bueno, Italian singer (d. 2007)
- 1943 – Larry Coryell, American guitarist (The Free Spirits and The Eleventh House)
- 1943 – Idris Jones, British Anglican priest
- 1944 – Bill Malinchak, American football player
- 1945 – Linda Hunt, American actress
- 1945 – Jürgen Drews, German singer-songwriter (Les Humphries Singers)
- 1945 – Reggie Smith, American baseball player and coach
- 1945 – Don Sutton, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1945 – Anne Waldman, American poet
- 1945 – Guy Fréquelin, French rally and racing driver
- 1946 – David Heyes, English politician
- 1946 – Judith Ann Lanzinger, American jurist
- 1946 – Sue Townsend, English novelist and playwright
- 1946 – Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist and songwriter (The Guess Who) (d. 1997)
- 1947 – Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer-songwriter
- 1947 – Emmylou Harris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1947 – Camille Paglia, American author and critic
- 1948 – Roald Als, Danish cartoonist
- 1948 – Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (d. 2012)
- 1948 – Daniel Okrent, American journalist and author
- 1948 – Joan D. Vinge, American author
- 1949 – Paul Gambaccini, American-English radio and television host
- 1949 – Bernd Müller, German footballer
- 1949 – Ron Palillo, American actor (d. 2012)
- 1949 – Pamela Reed, American actress
- 1949 – David Robinson, American drummer (The Modern Lovers, DMZ, and The Cars)
- 1950 – Lynn Westmoreland, American politician
- 1951 – Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer
- 1951 – Moriteru Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist
- 1952 – Will Hoy, English race car driver (d. 2002)
- 1952 – Thierry Le Luron, French comedian and actor (d. 1986)
- 1952 – Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (d. 2001)
- 1953 – Jim Allister, Northern Irish politician
- 1953 – Debralee Scott, American actress (d. 2005)
- 1953 – James Vance, American author and playwright
- 1954 – Gregory Abbott, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1954 – Susumu Hirasawa, Japanese singer-songwriter (P-Model)
- 1954 – Donald Petrie, American actor and director
- 1955 – Michael Stone, Northern Irish terrorist
- 1957 – Giuliana De Sio, Italian actress
- 1958 – Stefano Bettarello, Italian rugby player
- 1958 – Larry Drew, American basketball player and coach
- 1958 – Amelia Marshall, American actress
- 1959 – David Frankel, American director, screenwriter and producer
- 1959 – Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver
- 1959 – Yves Lavandier, French director and producer
- 1959 – Steve Monarque, American actor, screenwriter, and director
- 1959 – Badou Zaki, Moroccan footballer and manager
- 1960 – Linford Christie, Jamaican-English sprinter
- 1960 – Brad Jones, Australian race car driver
- 1960 – Pascale Nadeau, Canadian journalist
- 1961 – Buddy Jewell, American singer-songwriter
- 1961 – Christopher Meloni, American actor
- 1961 – Keren Woodward, English singer-songwriter (Bananarama)
- 1962 – Pierre Carles, French director and producer
- 1962 – Billy Dean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Clark Gregg, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1963 – Shane Barbi, American model, author, and activist
- 1963 – Sia Barbi, American model, author, and activist
- 1963 – Karl Beattie, English director and producer
- 1963 – Mike Gascoyne, English engineer
- 1963 – Tim Hodge, American voice actor, screenwriter, and animator
- 1963 – Michael Panes, American actor and singer
- 1964 – Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player and coach
- 1964 – Jonathon Sharkey, American wrestler
- 1965 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012)
- 1966 – Bill Romanowski, American football player
- 1966 – Teddy Sheringham, English footballer
- 1966 – Garnett Silk, Jamaican singer (d. 1994)
- 1967 – Greg Camp, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Smash Mouth)
- 1967 – Helen Chamberlain, English television host
- 1967 – Phil Demmel, American guitarist and songwriter (Machine Head and Vio-lence)
- 1967 – Prince Paul, American DJ and producer (Gravediggaz, Stetsasonic, and Handsome Boy Modeling School)
- 1969 – Ajay Devgan, Indian actor, director, and producer
- 1971 – Elton, German comedian and television host
- 1971 – Zeebra, Japanese rapper (King Giddra)
- 1971 – Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player
- 1972 – Stephen Saux, American actor
- 1972 – Chico Slimani, Welsh singer and actor
- 1973 – Dmitry Lipartov, Russian footballer
- 1973 – Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1973 – Aleksejs Semjonovs, Latvian footballer
- 1974 – Håkan Hellström, Swedish singer (Broder Daniel)
- 1974 – Harold Hunter, American skateboarder and actor (d. 2006)
- 1975 – Randy Livingston, American basketball player
- 1975 – Adam Rodríguez, American actor and director
- 1975 – Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, German rower
- 1975 – Lisa Ann Beley, Canadian actress
- 1976 – Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter
- 1976 – Geneva Cruz, Filipino singer and actress (Smokey Mountain)
- 1976 – Zane Lamprey, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1976 – Aaron Lohr, American actor and singer
- 1976 – Daisuke Namikawa, Japanese voice actor
- 1976 – Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer
- 1977 – Jelena Abbou, Serbian-American model
- 1977 – Per Elofsson, Swedish skier
- 1977 – Michael Fassbender, Irish-German actor
- 1977 – Annett Louisan, German singer
- 1977 – Nicki Pedersen, Danish motorcycle racer
- 1977 – Hanno Pevkur, Estonian politician
- 1977 – Aiden Turner, English actor
- 1978 – Nick Berg, American businessman (d. 2004)
- 1978 – John Gall, American baseball player
- 1978 – Jaime Ray Newman, American actress and singer
- 1978 – Deon Richmond, American actor
- 1978 – Ethan Smith, American actor
- 1979 – Lindy Booth, Canadian-American actress
- 1979 – Jesse Carmichael, American keyboard player (Maroon 5)
- 1980 – Adam Fleming, Scottish journalist
- 1980 – Gavin Heffernan, Canadian director and screenwriter
- 1980 – Ricky Hendrick, American race car driver (d. 2004)
- 1980 – Cristian Lizzori, Italian footballer
- 1980 – Carlos Salcido, Mexican footballer
- 1981 – Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer
- 1981 – Bethany Joy Lenz, American actress, singer, director, and producer
- 1982 – Marco Amelia, Italian footballer
- 1982 – Jeremy Bloom, American football player and skier
- 1982 – Bianca Chatfield, Australian netball player
- 1982 – Jack Evans, American wrestler
- 1982 – David Ferrer, Spanish tennis player
- 1982 – Shanti Lowry, American actress and dancer
- 1982 – Leyla Milani, Canadian model and actress
- 1983 – Félix Borja, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1983 – Paul Capdeville, Chilean tennis player
- 1983 – Owen Fussey, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Yung Joc, American rapper
- 1984 – Nóra Barta, Hungarian diver
- 1984 – Meryl Cassie, New Zealand actress and singer
- 1984 – Jérémy Morel, French footballer
- 1984 – Ashley Peldon, American actress
- 1984 – Shawn Roberts, Canadian actor
- 1985 – Thom Evans, Zimbabwean-Scottish rugby player
- 1985 – Stéphane Lambiel, Swiss figure skater
- 1985 – Tyrice Thompson, American football player (d. 2013)
- 1985 – Barry Corr, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Ibrahim Afellay, Dutch footballer
- 1986 – Andris Biedriņš, Latvian basketball player
- 1986 – Lee DeWyze, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1986 – Drew Van Acker, American actor
- 1988 – Francesca Catalano American actress
- 1988 – Kimber James, American porn actress
- 1988 – Jesse Plemons, American actor
- 1989 – Midhun Jith, Indian martial artist
- 1990 – Amy Castle, American actress
- 1990 – Felipe Chalegre, Brazilian footballer
- 1990 – Roscoe Dash, American rapper
- 1990 – Evgeniya Kanaeva, Russian gymnast
- 1990 – Miralem Pjanić, Bosnian footballer
- 1991 – Paulina Schippers, Guatemalan tennis player
- 1992 – Sammi Kane Kraft, American actress (d. 2012)
- 1993 – Aaron Kelly, American singer
- 1995 – Abdou Nef, Algerian footballer (d. 2013)
Deaths[edit]
- 1118 – Baldwin I of Jerusalem (b. 1058)
- 1272 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (b. 1209)
- 1335 – Henry of Bohemia (b. 1265)
- 1412 – Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, Spanish author
- 1502 – Arthur, Prince of Wales (b. 1486)
- 1507 – Francis of Paola, Italian friar and saint, founded the Order of the Minims (b. 1416)
- 1640 – Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, Polish author and poet (b. 1595)
- 1657 – Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1608)
- 1657 – Jean-Jacques Olier, French priest, founded the Society of Saint-Sulpice (b. 1608)
- 1672 – Saint Pedro Calungsod, Filipino missionary and saint (b. 1654)
- 1720 – Joseph Dudley, American politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1647)
- 1742 – James Douglas, Scottish physician and anatomist (b. 1675)
- 1747 – Johann Jacob Dillenius, German botanist (b. 1684)
- 1754 – Thomas Carte, English historian (b. 1686)
- 1787 – Thomas Gage, English general and politician, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (b. 1719)
- 1791 – Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, French journalist and politician (b. 1749)
- 1801 – Thomas Dadford, Jr., English engineer (b. 1761)
- 1803 – Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet, Scottish judge and politician (b. 1721)
- 1817 – Johann Heinrich Jung, German author (b. 1740)
- 1827 – Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus, German physician (b. 1776)
- 1845 – Philip Charles Durham, Scottish admiral (b. 1763)
- 1865 – A. P. Hill, American, Confederate general (b. 1825)
- 1872 – Samuel Morse, American inventor, invented the Morse code (b. 1791)
- 1891 – Albert Pike, American lawyer and general (b. 1809)
- 1894 – Achille Vianelli, Italian painter (b. 1803)
- 1902 – Esther Hobart Morris, American judge (b. 1814)
- 1914 – Paul Heyse, German author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1830)
- 1928 – Theodore William Richards, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868)
- 1930 – Zewditu I of Ethiopia (b. 1876)
- 1933 – Ranjitsinhji, Indian cricketer (b. 1872)
- 1936 – Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne, French general (b. 1860)
- 1953 – Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (b. 1885)
- 1958 – Tudor Davies, Welsh tenor (b. 1892)
- 1958 – Jōsei Toda, Japanese educator and activist (b. 1900)
- 1966 – C. S. Forester, Egyptian-American author (b. 1899)
- 1972 – Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)
- 1972 – Gil Hodges, American baseball player and manager (b. 1924)
- 1972 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese martial artist (b. 1887)
- 1974 – Georges Pompidou, French politician, 19th President of France (b. 1911)
- 1977 – Walter Wolf, German politician (b. 1907)
- 1987 – Buddy Rich, American drummer, actor, and bandleader (b. 1917)
- 1989 – Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer (b. 1939)
- 1992 – Juan Gómez González, Spanish football player (b. 1954)
- 1992 – Tomisaburo Wakayama, Japanese actor (b. 1929)
- 1994 – Betty Furness, American actress (b. 1916)
- 1995 – Harvey Penick, American golfer and coach (b. 1904)
- 1995 – Hannes Alfvén, Swedish physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
- 1997 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese director and producer (b. 1910)
- 1998 – Rob Pilatus, American singer and dancer (Milli Vanilli and Rob & Fab) (b. 1965)
- 2000 – Tommaso Buscetta, Italian-American mobster (b. 1928)
- 2001 – Charles Daudelin, Canadian sculptor and painter (b. 1920)
- 2001 – Jennifer Syme, American actress (b. 1972)
- 2002 – Levi Celerio, Filipino composer and songwriter (b. 1910)
- 2002 – John R. Pierce, American engineer and author (b. 1910)
- 2003 – Edwin Starr, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
- 2004 – John Argyris, Greek computer scientist (b. 1913)
- 2005 – Betty Bolton, English actress (b. 1906)
- 2005 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920)
- 2006 – Lloyd Searwar, Guyanese diplomat (b. 1925)
- 2006 – Bernard Seigal, American guitarist (The Beat Farmers) (b. 1957)
- 2006 – Nina Schenk Gräfin von Stauffenberg, German wife of Claus von Stauffenberg (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Henry L. Giclas, American astronomer (b. 1910)
- 2007 – Paul Reed, American actor and singer (b. 1909)
- 2008 – Paul Arden, English author (b. 1940)
- 2008 – Ray Poole, American football player and coach (b. 1921)
- 2009 – Albert Sanschagrin, Canadian bishop (b. 1911)
- 2009 – Bud Shank, American saxophonist and flute player (The L.A. Four) (b. 1926)
- 2010 – Mike Cuellar, Cuban-American baseball player (b. 1937)
- 2010 – Chris Kanyon, American wrestler (b. 1970)
- 2010 – Thomas J. Moyer, American jurist (b. 1939)
- 2011 – John C. Haas, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Jesús Aguilarte, Venezuelan captain and politician (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Warren Bonython, Australian explorer, author, and engineer (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Elizabeth Catlett, American-Mexican sculptor (b. 1915)
- 2012 – Allie Clark, American baseball player (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Mauricio Lasansky, American illustrator (b. 1914)
- 2012 – Jimmy Little, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Fred, French illustrator (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Maysara Abu Hamdiya, Palestinian general (b. 1948)
- 2013 – Chuck Fairbanks, American football player and coach (b. 1933)
- 2013 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director, screenwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Jane Henson, American puppeteer and voice actress, and widow of Muppets creator Jim Henson (1936–1990) (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Johnny Lunde, Norwegian skier (b. 1923)
- 2013 – Duke Kimbrough McCall, American pastor and activist (b. 1914)
- 2013 – Milo O'Shea, Irish-American actor (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Mariano Pulido, Spanish footballer and manager (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Benjamin Purcell, American colonel and politician (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Maria Redaelli, Italian super-centenarian (b. 1899)
- 2013 – Linda Vogt, Australian flute player (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Robert Ward, American composer (b. 1917)
- 2013 – Ian Wilson, Australian politician (b. 1932)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- Christian Feast Day:
- International Children's Book Day
- Malvinas Day (Argentina)
- Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day (Belarus)
- Thai Heritage Conservation Day (Thailand)
- World Autism Awareness Day
“For the director of music. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” - Psalm 14:1
===
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth."
Song of Solomon 1:2
Song of Solomon 1:2
For several days we have been dwelling upon the Saviour's passion, and for some little time to come we shall linger there. In beginning a new month, let us seek the same desires after our Lord as those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse. See how she leaps at once to him; there are no prefatory words; she does not even mention his name; she is in the heart of her theme at once, for she speaks of him who was the only him in the world to her. How bold is her love! It was much condescension which permitted the weeping penitent to anoint his feet with spikenard--it was rich love which allowed the gentle Mary to sit at his feet and learn of him--but here, love, strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and closer signs of fellowship. Esther trembled in the presence of Ahasuerus, but the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love knows no fear. If we have received the same free spirit, we also may ask the like. By kisses we suppose to be intended those varied manifestations of affection by which the believer is made to enjoy the love of Jesus. The kiss of reconciliation we enjoyed at our conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping from the comb. The kiss of acceptance is still warm on our brow, as we know that he hath accepted our persons and our works through rich grace. The kiss of daily, present communion is that which we pant after to be repeated day after day, till it is changed into the kiss of reception, which removes the soul from earth, and the kiss of consummation which fills it with the joy of heaven. Faith is our walk, but fellowship sensibly felt is our rest. Faith is the road, but communion with Jesus is the well from which the pilgrim drinks. O lover of our souls, be not strange to us; let the lips of thy blessing meet the lips of our asking; let the lips of thy fulness touch the lips of our need, and straightway the kiss will be effected.
Evening
"It is time to seek the Lord."
Hosea 10:12
Hosea 10:12
This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord. Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? then, I entreat you, give your vigour to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could fain praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it come when it may, but oh! an early salvation has a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your prime, "It is time to seek the Lord." Ye who feel the first signs of decay, quicken your pace: that hollow cough, that hectic flush, are warnings which you must not trifle with; with you it is indeed time to seek the Lord. Did I observe a little grey mingled with your once luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing nearer by hasty marches, let each return of spring arouse you to set your house in order. Dear reader, if you are now advanced in life, let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is a day of grace for you now--be thankful for that, but it is a limited season and grows shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent chamber, on this first night of another month, I speak to you as best I can by paper and ink, and from my inmost soul, as God's servant, I lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord." Slight not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final syllable from the lip of grace.
===
Jethro
[Jĕth'rō] - pre-eminence or excellence.
The father-in-law of Moses, and an Arab sheik and priest of Midian (Exod. 3:1, 4:18; 18:1-12). Called Reuel or Raguel meaning "friend of God" inExodus 2:18 and Numbers 10:29, and Jether in Exodus 4:18.
===
Today's reading: Judges 13-15, Luke 6:27-49 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Judges 13-15
The Birth of Samson
1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth.3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean.5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines...."
Today's New Testament reading: Luke 6:27-49
Love for Enemies
27 "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful....
===
| ||||||
|
===
Today's Lent reading: Luke 7-9 (NIV)
View today's Lent reading on Bible GatewayThe Faith of the Centurion
1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." 6 So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well....
No comments:
Post a Comment