Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Tue Jun 17th Todays News

Today NSW launched a responsible, prudent and somewhat brilliant budget. It is not extravagant, but builds substantial infrastructure which is important for the future. It is predicated on the sale of wires and poles related to electrical power supply. The resultant improvement in efficiency in power supply is another benefit. But I cannot applaud the government because they are responsible for me losing my home. The ALP took my career and have smeared me. I have done nothing wrong. I have turned to the NSW Government for help and they have sold me down the river. I don't mean Zaya Toma or Andrew Rohan, who have done as much as they can, but have been, apparently (they have not told me that) nobbled by senior executive. I don't know why, and in guessing, I might do many a terrible disservice. But they took my home. 

When the ALP were struggling after 16 years of incompetent government, there was no certainty they would not be reelected. The press, including the Daily Telegraph were still willing to run appalling puff pieces supporting the ALP. The public service were clearly partisan in supporting the ALP. It wasn't enough for Barry O'Farrell to be different to the ALP and aim for responsible government, he had to assure vested interests that there would be continuity of administration. Tellingly, the inept CEO of the NSW Dept of Ed was co-opted to head the public service under O'Farrell. This does not mean Coutts-Trotter is corrupt or O'Farrell. But, it does mean that those reliant on the stability of the corrupt hand of the previous administration to remain partly on the till, got their wish. The current police chief had acted in the role of the former Police Minister by actively proselytising ALP policy.

Following the 2011 election win for the conservatives in NSW O'Farrell had a cabinet in the west meeting I attended with many others. I did not get to publicly express my question to the Education Minister, but I privately raised it. I have done nothing wrong, and so there is nothing to investigate. And so my career remains lost. And after many years of neglect, I have lost my home. 

It wasn't much of home, but it embodied what was important to me. I want a safe, healthy space to raise a family. If my friends wish to help me, they can help me with that agenda. No friend opposes it. It would not have taken much to have gotten me work. I did not want patronage. Merely fairness. They took my home. 

Today is the wonderful anniversary of the 1903 birth of the first person to bake, the inventor of, the chocolate chip cookie. Also M. C. Escher (1898). Rodney King in '12 succumbed in wealth to what he withstood in justice. In 1971 Nixon began the war on drugs on this day. In 1972, the Watergate scandal took place .. coincidence? 
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For twenty two years I have been responsibly addressing an issue, and I cannot carry on. I am petitioning the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott 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 https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/tony-abbott-remedy-the-persecution-of-dd-ball
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Happy birthday and many happy returns AiPing. Su. On your day in 1579, Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England. In 1843, New Zealand Wars: An armed posse of Europeans set out from Nelson to arrest Ngāti Toa chief Te Rauparaha and clashed with Māori, resulting in 26 deaths. In 1900, Boxer Rebellion: Allied naval forces captured the Taku Forts after a brief but bloody battle. In 1972, Five men were arrested for attempted burglary on the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., igniting the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon more than two years later. I don't know what that means for you .. you are adventurous and no doubt careful with rebellious boxes. I think it means prosperity, growth and good tidings. And that is a fine adventure.
Matches
Hatches
Despatches
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NSW politics no longer stuck in neutral

Piers Akerman – Tuesday, June 17, 2014 (7:40pm)

ANDREW Constance’s first Budget as NSW Treasurer delivers a down payment on the future of the state and next year’s election.

Icon Arrow Continue reading 'NSW politics no longer stuck in neutral'
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We’ll be riding the wave to prosperity

Miranda Devine – Tuesday, June 17, 2014 (7:55pm)

TREASURER Andrew Constance has only been in the job for six weeks, and the bags under his eyes are testament to the sleep deprivation of what he privately describes as the “brutal” process of putting together a budget in record time.

Icon Arrow Continue reading 'We’ll be riding the wave to prosperity'
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LOSING MILLIONS NOW A SACKABLE OFFENCE

Tim Blair – Tuesday, June 17, 2014 (5:31am)

Businesses lose millions every year due to the antics of Greenpeace and other environmental protest groups. But look what happens when Greenpeace itself falls victim to Greenpeace stupidity: 
Greenpeace has fired an employee who lost the environmental charity $5.47 million in a failed gamble on international currency markets. 
Interesting that Greenpeace is so unforgiving when their own cash is at stake. Everyone’s a right-winger on their home turf.
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CROWN OUR CRAZY QUEEN

Tim Blair – Tuesday, June 17, 2014 (5:16am)

They shriek, they rage, they cheer, they despair, they exult, they scream, they laugh, they cry! There’s never a non-emotional moment in the lives of Australia’s left-wing ladies’ auxiliary, whose psychosocial behavioural disorders are becoming ever more dramatic following Tony Abbott’s election.
Only one of them, however, can reign as our solitary monarch of madness. Only one can stand above all others, wailing and howling, while the rest look on and ask: “Where’s the Ritalin?” In the search for this nation’s most unhinged hysteric, let the BlairPoll decide!
Thank you for voting!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Total Votes: 14,303
UPDATE. With 7080 votes in, Summers, Kingston, Deveny and Badham are separated by just 241. This is even closer than Florida 2000.
UPDATE II. Trailing far behind the leaders, Clementine Ford pleads with the electorate: “I only need 500 votes to beat Catherine Deveny! MAKE IT HAPPEN, PEOPLE.”
UPDATE III. A desperate pitch to voters from last-placed Clem Bastow. She is the 2.24 per cent.
UPDATE IV. Ford storms to the lead!
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OLD RICH WHITE GUY COMPLAINS

Tim Blair – Tuesday, June 17, 2014 (5:08am)

Sadly, the ABC’s Jonathan Green didn’t enjoy yesterday’s column:

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Well, it obviously matters to you, Jonathan. There’s no need for embarrassment. You should be proud of living it up while your wages are paid by people earning far less than you.
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SCHUMACHER WAKES

Tim Blair – Monday, June 16, 2014 (11:59pm)

Ex-F1 world champion Michael Schumacher is awake for the first time in 2014: 
In a surprise announcement, the retired racing star’s spokeswoman Sabine Kehm said he had left hospital in the French Alpine city of Grenoble, where he had been treated since December when he slammed his head on a rock while skiing with his son and friends …
“Michael has left the CHU Grenoble to continue his long phase of rehabilitation. He is not in a coma anymore,” Kehm said in a statement. 
Nothing further has been revealed about Schumacher’s condition. Still, this is great news.
UPDATE. Ex-F1 doctor Gary Hartstein isn’t so sure the news is good.
UPDATE II. In other automotive news, Jalopnik is furious – and reasonably so – because a maniac civilian drove his street car on to a British race track while a race was underway.
A stupidly dangerous stunt, but not unprecedented. Australians were doing that sort of thing in Sydney way back in1971.
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End the RET. End this climate of unreason

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (3:40pm)

Excellent. All this expense to make no difference to the climate makes no sense at all:

Senator Dean Smith, chair of the Coalition’s backbench committee on energy issues, has told The Australian newspaper that the “great majority” of Liberals were in favour of significant change to the Renewable Energy Target scheme.

The newspaper has also cited backbenchers, Craig Laundy and Angus Taylor, as supporting reductions in the level of the target. Taylor told the newspaper that: “Fixing the RET is just another step towards ending the age of entitlement - wind industry entitlement.”
(Thanks to reader Keith.) 
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Know your enemy. Know he won’t stay in Iraq

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (11:57am)

If you hear anyone sympathising with ISIS, now taking over parts of Iraq, know exactly what they are endorsing.
This propaganda video from ISIS will for almost anyone be too ghastly to watch. DO NOT WATCH IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE DISTRESSED BY EXTREME SAVAGERY. It contains footage of unarmed men being shot, beheaded, blown-up and executed. It shows prisoners being taunted as they dig their own graves:
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And remember, this is what ISIS wants you to see. This is what ISIS is proud of.
What I can show you are these stills from the video, to show that these foul crimes are committed by men citing Islam as their inspiration, hundreds of times. It also shows them pledging to take their war against the infidel to Spain and to “Rome” - or the West - as well as to Jews:
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UPDATE
What the hell is it with Islam?
Somali militants who murdered 48 people in a Kenyan village as they watched the World Cup went door to door asking residents if they were Muslim or spoke Somali - and shot them dead if either answer was ‘no’, witnesses revealed today.
The attack on the coastal village of Mpeketoni, about 30-miles southwest of the tourist centre of Lamu, came at the end of a weekend of bloodshed that has exposed the world to the shocking depravity of terrorists, apparently emboldened by each other’s acts.
UPDATE
An antidote to what you’ve just read - and maybe watched: a story of sacrifice and love, in pictures.
(Thanks to readers John and Doug.) 
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Just because he’s Muslim

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (10:41am)

Appealing for victimhood status, even in court:
THE Hyde Park rioter who wounded a police officer during the violent protests should not be sentenced harshly just because some in the community may “disapprove of his faith”, a court heard yesterday. 

Ahmed Elomar is the only person charged over the September 2012 riots, sparked by anger toward an anti-Islamic You Tube clip titled The Innocence Of Muslims, still before the courts.

His barrister Greg James QC yesterday told the Sydney District Court his client, a former champion boxer, was suffering an “impaired intellectual state” and became “overcome with the occasion” of the protests.
Senior-Constable Jason Blanchard was struck with a pole and left bleeding from the head, with the court told 30 year-old Elomar “disappeared” into the 300-strong crowd after hitting the officer, his face covered with a balaclava.
During the protest, Elomar carried a sign: “Our dead are in paradise, your dead are in hell."…
Mr James said ... the offence was toward the “lower end” of seriousness and Elomar couldn’t be punished to satisfy those “whose political views differ from his or those who disapprove of his faith.”
“I hope you are not suggesting I would be,” Judge Woodburne said.
If there’s a victim here of faith, I’d suggest it’s the police officer who was injured.  
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More smoke than fire to Media Watch attack

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (10:32am)

Professor Sinclair Davidson watches Media Watch - and finds it guilty of selective quotation to attack another News Corp newspaper. 
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Sue the boat people and their crew instead

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (9:15am)

A great way for activist lawyers to trash whatever sympathy there is for boat people trying to smuggle themselves into the country:
IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison has condemned as “shameful and offensive” the lawsuit brought by survivors and families of the dead from Christmas Island’s SIEV 221 asylum boat disaster

Shine Lawyers yesterday served a 34-page statement of claim on the Australian Government Solicitor, alleging the government is liable for unspecified damages over the deaths of 35 adults and 15 children in the December 2010 disaster, Australia’s worst civil maritime tragedy in more than a century.

The NSW Supreme Court action blames the government for its failure to have any or adequate search and rescue capabilities on the island on the morning of December 15, 2010, when SIEV 221 hit the cliffs at Rocky Point and broke up.

Navy and Customs rescuers rushed to the scene from the far side of the island, pulling asylum-seekers from the water.
What the coroner found in 2012 - including evidence that the boat people should sue themselves and their crew:
West Australian Coroner Alastair Hope ... urges authorities to buy better boats and equipment for the island’s federal police and volunteer rescue team and ensure police officers stationed there have high-level rescue training…
Mr Hope said the people smugglers who organised passage for the 89 passengers on the SIEV 221 vessel must take a large part of the blame for the 50 deaths.
He said they provided a vessel that was not suitable for the journey in the monsoon season and not equipped with enough lifejackets or other safety equipment. The vessel was overloaded and the captain had transferred to another vessel before the SIEV 221 reached Christmas Island.
Mr Hope said the three Indonesian crew also contributed to the deaths and had made a fatal decision to turn the vessel into the weather before it hit Rocky Point…
Mr Hope said naval and customs officers who risked their lives in inflatable boats “showed great bravery in dangerous seas” to pull 41 people to safety from the water…
The coroner rejected claims from Christmas Island detention centre detainees that they had alerted centre staff that the SIEV 221 was about to arrive.
“The accounts were fabricated and inconsistent with the objective evidence.”
Mr Hope said he was satisfied the commanders of the navy patrol boat HMAS Pirie and the customs vessel Triton “acted as promptly and efficiently as they could in the circumstances”.
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Now Obama sends some troops back into Iraq

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (8:56am)

Thursday, Barack Obama says maybe:
President Barack Obama said he would consider doing “anything” to respond gains militant extremists have made in Iraq over the past few days. Obama also specifically said military options are on the table.
“There will be some short-term immediate things that need to be done militarily,” Obama told reporters in the Oval Office Thursday afternoon after a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. 
Friday, Barack Obama says no:

Barack Obama said Friday that his national security team will soon provide him with a list of ‘selective actions by our military’ to help push back a terrorist horde marching through Iraq, but insisted that ‘we will not be sending U.S. troops back into combat’ there.
Today Obama says troops - but just to guard:
President Barack Obama is notifying Congress that about 275 U.S. military personnel could deploy to Iraq.
Obama says the forces are going to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. He says the forces are equipped for combat and will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that they are no longer needed.
UPDATE
Flashback from 2011, the year Obama pulled out US troops from Iraq:
The Obama administration has decided to drop the number of U.S. troops in Iraq at the end of the year down to 3,000, marking a major downgrade in force strength, multiple sources familiar with the inner workings and decisions on U.S. troop movements in Iraq told Fox News.
Senior commanders are said to be livid at the decision, which has already been signed off by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Panetta, touring sites Tuesday in advance of the Sept. 11 10th commemoration, insisted “no decision has been made” on the number of troops to stay in Iraq.
“That obviously will be the subject of negotiations with the Iraqis and as a result of those negotiations....”
Currently, about 45,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq. The generals on the ground had requested a reduced number of troops remaining in Iraq at the end of the year, but there was major pushback about “the cost and the political optics” of keeping that many in Iraq. The military’s troop-level request was then reduced to 10,000.
Commanders said they could possibly make that work “in extremis,” in other words, meaning they would be pushing it to make that number work security-wise and manpower-wise.
Now, sources confirm that the administration has pushed the Pentagon to cut the number even lower… This shift is seen by various people as a cost-saving measure and a political measure....
The only administration official fighting for at least 10,000 forces to stay in Iraq at the end of the year was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sources said. But she has lost the battle…
On Tuesday, the head of the three-province Kurdish autonomous region in the north of Iraq, warned that if American troops leave sectarian violence might resurface.
And when Iraq was told the figure was just 3000, it figured it was too small to drop its demand that US troops be made subject to Iraqi law. 
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We should not appease the unappeasable

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (8:18am)

New immigrants and traders with Islamic countries are demanding we tailor our foreign affairs to the wishes of extremists:
The Australia-Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the Government had put itself at odds with world opinion while risking trade links.
It comes after recent comments by Attorney-General George Brandis that the Government would no longer use the word “occupied” in reference to East Jerusalem and would instead use the term “disputed"…
[C]hamber of commerce chief executive Suzannah Moss-Wright said both Senator Brandis and Ms Bishop had made inflammatory and regrettable statements over the issue.
She said it was difficult to see how Australia could make any meaningful contribution to international efforts to resolve the debate over East Jerusalem and land claims across Palestine.
Moss-Wright should explain what resolution is possible when one side in the dispute actually wants none:
“Hamas will not recognize Israel,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, told Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview.
“This is a red line that cannot be crossed,” said the 63-year-old Hamas leader who played a pivotal role in achieving the reconciliation deal with Fatah on April 23.
I am not interested in appeasing the likes of Hamas. East Jerusalem is indeed disputed territory, not “occupied”, as if Jews have no right to be there.
If the truth hurts in this debate, it’s just one more proof that one side is not after a peace deal at all. 
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Newspoll: Labor leads 53 to 47

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (8:10am)

Bad, but not yet fatal:
...the government continues to suffer from the poor response to its first budget. Despite a tiny improvement, it significantly trails Labor in two-party terms by 47 per cent to 53 per cent — almost the reverse of the election result nine months ago.
The Coalition’s primary vote remains lower than it was before the May 13 budget, but nudged up one point to 37 per cent in the past fortnight. Labor dipped one point to 36 per cent and the Greens lost two points to a four-month low of 10 per cent.
Voters appear to have parked their support, with independents and other parties recording a record 17 per cent. About 10 per cent support independents with just under 3 per cent national support for the Palmer United Party, although it is higher in Queensland.  
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Chinese search Palmer’s bank for their money

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (7:38am)

Clive Palmer has questions to answer:
CLIVE Palmer’s bank and the Perth landlord of his Palmer United Party are being ordered to disclose financial details and key documents as part of a secret legal action over the allegedly wrongful siphoning of more than $12 million from a global company that is owned and run by the Chinese government.
The legal action in Queensland orders co-operation from the Nat­ional Australia Bank, which had held the Chinese funds in an ­account controlled by Mr Palmer’s company Mineralogy and one of his PUP candidates, Vimal Sharma.
The action forms part of an escalating dispute between Mineralogy and China’s Citic Pacific, which has accused Mr Palmer’s company of siphoning $12m from an account that was created to fund the operation of the Cape Preston port in Western Aus­tralia’s Pilbara region.
The Australian revealed last month how major withdrawals of $10m and $2.167m during Mr Palmer’s costly federal election campaign resulted in the account being almost completely drained without a proper explanation for the expenditure. Mr Palmer ­denies any wrongdoing.
UPDATE
Looks like Palmer will make the pensioners miss out, after all.
Last month:
Billionaire MP Clive Palmer has been chauffeured to Parliament House in an elegant grey Rolls Royce - before declaring he’s here to represent the unrepresented 98 per cent of Australians…
‘Members of parliament really don’t need comm (Commonwealth) cars that cost the taxpayer a lot of money. That money could be better spent giving it to pensioners,’ he told reporters. If they didn’t own a Rolls, they could catch a taxi, he added.
Yesterday:
CLIVE Palmer has remained consistent in his inconsistency, arriving at Parliament House yesterday in a commonwealth car only three weeks after pledging to “pay my own way a little bit” and using ­vehicles from his own collection…
“We’ve got to keep people employed in the commonwealth,” he replied.
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Media Watch damns ABC silence on AWU scandal

Andrew Bolt June 17 2014 (7:29am)

Astonishingly, this is Paul Barry of the ABC’s Media Watch:
And now to a story that did not make the front page—at least not in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald and was missing from many ABC TV primetime bulletins… We’re talking of course about the union royal commission, which last week was one the biggest shows in town…
The story has allegations of Fraud. Corruption. Political slush funds. And lying to a Royal Commission.
And tangled up in the middle of it is former Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, who in the 1990s was lover and lawyer to this man, Bruce Wilson…
On Friday, Wilson’s evidence to the commission was front page news in The Australian and the Telegraph.
But ... amazingly it was missing entirely from the previous evening’s 7pm bulletins on ABC TV in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin.
The day before, when evidence was given about wads of cash being handed to Ms Gillard to fund her home renovations ... ABC TV’s 7pm bulletins in three of those capitals also failed to report the news....
And it was under attack again last week.

“ANDREW BOLT: The ABC has run absolutely dead on the Julia Gillard slush fund scandal, absolutely dead… The rare time say, in Melbourne, the 774 presenter Jon Faine, has ever talked to reporters covering it , it has been to yell at them and heckle them ...”
So how on earth did ABC news directors in four capital cities think this was not a story? 
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Shorten accused

Andrew Bolt June 16 2014 (7:40pm)

Claimed:
BILL Shorten became directly involved in elections of the troubled Health Services Union when he was a senior member of the Rudd government in 2009 by donating $5000 to a candidate’s campaign, it was alleged at the royal commission into union corruption today. 

Marco Bolano, a key ally of HSU corruption whistleblower Kathy Jackson, said he was “stunned” when he was told Mr Shorten was contributing to his campaign because the now federal Labor leader had been a supporter of his opponent.

When Mr Bolano asked “why on earth” Mr Shorten would pay the money, he said his campaign manager Stephen Donnelly told him: “He’s having a bet both ways”.
The Labor leader today denied the allegation…
Mr Bolano said he wouldn’t know if the alleged $5000 from Mr Shorten came from “some fund” or Mr Shorten personally…
Mr Bolano said Mr Feeney arranged for Mr Donnelly, his chief of staff, to be Mr Bolano’s campaign manager for the 2009 HSU election.
He had learned afterwards that the tobacco company Philip Morris had contributed to his HSU election campaign and he was “perplexed” why a cigarette maker would want to contribute to the campaign of a health union election. 
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=== Posts from last year ===
4 her, so she sees how I see her



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Larry Pickering
INSIDERS OFFSIDE AGAIN

The ABC is a rats’ nest of taxpayer-funded, dishonest socialists who fail to hold this disgraceful Prime Minister to account. It starts asking hard questions of this Government only once an outcome is imminent, in fear of Abbott reforming it or justifiably auctioning off its licence.

Watching “The Insiders” today was yet another display of unabashed ABC bias:
Convener and ALP hack, Barrie Cassidy, was joined by two other Gillard supporters, Malcolm Farr and Lenore Taylor along with a token conservative, the politically astute Piers Akerman.

Akerman, in the course of conversation had outed Cassidy as an ex-employee of the ALP

Cassidy did not respond until the subject arose of 6PR’s Howard Sattler’s inappropriate question to the PM: “Is Tim Mathieson gay?”.

Of course the whole thing was roundly condemned by all, including Akerman, who noted that a rumour of Mathieson’s sexuality was “all over” the Press Gallery in Canberra (not to mention the internet).

“Surely you have noticed this rumour?” asked Akerman. “No I haven’t”, was the answer in unison from all three. “Mmmm, ok then”, muttered Akerman. All three were lying of course, unless they live in a concrete cocoon.

Cassidy replied in anger, “You have just done what Howard Sattler did and passed on the rumour and that’s just as pathetic, actually. You’ll have a hard time defending your position!”

Akerman denied the accusation and a blue erupted.

Off camera, during a break, Cassidy demanded Akerman apologise (damned if I know what for) but Akerman did apologise... at the end of the program.

Cassidy is the protector of all things ALP. He even dumped my friend Paul Zanetti from his Insiders program. Why? Well, the odd anti-Gillard cartoon of his was displayed on my web page.

I have never approached the subject of Mathieson's sexuality as I consider it out of bounds. But, courtesy of Cassidy, the rumour lives on.

It lives on because most know that Cassidy is a close friend and companion of Tim Mathieson and he (Cassidy) could have nipped the rumour in the bud simply by saying it was not true, (as Julia Gillard did).

If Cassidy had confirmed the rumour then not only would he have been contradicting Gillard but Cassidy’s own sexuality would have been the new rumour.

He may regret that his idol Julia started this all-in gender war.

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Roma Downey
"Peace begins with a smile."--Mother Teresa
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Pastor Rick Warren
“Our heavenly Father loves us so much us he allows us to be called his children, and we really are!” 1 Jn.3:1 HappyFather's Day
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"Israel has the means to achieve energy independence and pave the way for the free world to neutralize the economic power of the Islamic world. Unlike the situation with Better Place, economic laws of supply and demand work in favor of Israel's energy solution. The only force standing in the way is a coalition of radical environmentalists who oppose all oil consumption because they believe that the greatest threat to the world is global warming. They don't want cheap oil." - Caroline Glick
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While procedural knowledge and conceptual understanding are twined, I get the point. Sometimes, looking at measurement material one mistakes that everything is procedural. Teachers work very hard to get kids to follow the procedure and face questions like "Why?" "Aren't there shortcuts" and "Will this be tested?" Good teachers aim for the concept. But, even my shorthand of 'good teachers' obfuscates .. Good teachers require a system that works, students prepared to learn and experience to know how to present and what to present. Of course conceptual teaching is possible and happens today. However, there are impediments to it too. Some schools are dysfunctional as are some communities. It gets really bad when authorities involve themselves in petty games of power play and limit good teachers.
One observation: Good teachers didn't begin that way. They are trained and inducted and acquire resources.

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5 Herbs That Repel Flies...
====> http://naturehacks.com/herbs/5-herbs-that-repel-flies/
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Blacktea Candles Australia is now available in our store.
Vintage Rose Boutique Bankstown Centro
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WHY HISTORY WILL RECORD GILLARD AS OUR WORST EVER PRIME MINISTER

“She misjudged the electorate. Thinking the people are stupid, prejudiced and exploitable, she made a blatant effort to manipulate voters by dividing them” 

Peter Hartcher, Sydney Morning Herald, 17/6/2013

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/pms-cynical-ploy-fails-to-win-voters-20130616-2ocev.html
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Come along on Wednesday June 19 at 11.30am to a special curator led tour of Remember Me: the lost diggers of Vignacourt. Your chance to discover why this Australian soldier is wearing such a fetching sheepskin vest.
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Reflecting on the meaning of the ApCab 1 at the beach... — at Baker Beach.
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Rodeo Beach, Saturday Night
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“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” -John Bunyan
The UN are a corrupt, broken body. They are paid to do the work they often do badly. But the work is essential. Many of the employees are good people. It is a tragedy and many victims don't recognise their abusers. - ed
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What else might Putin steal?

Andrew Bolt June 17 2013 (7:36am)

image
There are actually eyewitnesses to the moment Putin trousered the ring (circled) that I would trust above the president:
Russian President Vladimir Putin ... has denied he stole a Super Bowl ring from New England Patriots gridiron team owner Robert Kraft. 
“I took out the ring and showed it to (Putin), and he put it on and he goes, ‘I can kill someone with this ring,’” Kraft said. “I put my hand out and he put it in his pocket, and three KGB guys got around him and walked out.” He says he tried to get it back, but the White House told him to just “think of it as a gift” and let it go. Mr Putin’s spokesman denied the claim, saying it was ‘weird’ and the ring’s staying in the Kremlin, where it belongs.
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No warming, but now signs of cooling instead

Andrew Bolt June 17 2013 (9:18am)

Global warming - dud predictionsGlobal warming - general
Professor Judith Curry, chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, says the question now is not whether global warming has paused, but whether global cooling has started:
Attention in the public debate seems to be moving away from the 15-17 yr ‘pause’ to the cooling since 2002 (note: I am receiving inquiries about this from journalists).  This period since 2002 is scientifically interesting, since it coincides with the ‘climate shift’ circa 2001/2002 posited by Tsonis and others.  This shift and the subsequent slight cooling trend provides a rationale for inferring a slight cooling trend over the next decade or so, rather than a flat trend from the 15 yr ‘pause’.
To those warmists shouting “I accept the science” we can only respond: “I wish you would.”
Christopher Monckton declares the climate models of warmists are now conclusively broken:
Superimposing the temperature curve and its least-squares linear-regression trend on the statistical insignificance region bounded by the means of the trends on these published uncertainties since January 1996 demonstrates that there has been no statistically-significant warming in 17 years 4 months...
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Monckton, too, sees a cooling trend - albeit over a period too short to mean much at all:
It is better to focus on the ever-widening discrepancy between predicted and observed warming rates. The IPCC’s forthcoming Fifth Assessment Report backcasts the interval of 34 models’ global warming projections to 2005, since when the world should have been warming at a rate equivalent to 2.33 Cº/century. Instead, it has been cooling at a rate equivalent to a statistically-insignificant 0.87 Cº/century: 
UPDATE
Reader egbert makes the point I failed to:
AB has quoted Lord Monckton, who confirms that the cooling, in and of itself, is statistically insignificant. The real issue is the discrepancy between the “science is settled, the debate is over” climate models and the “inconvenient truth” revealed by the data. The graph above asserts that the difference between models and reality is now statistically significant. 
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O. J. Simpson
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“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;”Psalm 103:13NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish."
John 10:28
The Christian should never think or speak lightly of unbelief. For a child of God to mistrust his love, his truth, his faithfulness, must be greatly displeasing to him. How can we ever grieve him by doubting his upholding grace? Christian! it is contrary to every promise of God's precious Word that thou shouldst ever be forgotten or left to perish. If it could be so, how could he be true who has said, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I never forget thee." What were the value of that promise--"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." Where were the truth of Christ's words--"I give unto my sheep eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Where were the doctrines of grace? They would be all disproved if one child of God should perish. Where were the veracity of God, his honour, his power, his grace, his covenant, his oath, if any of those for whom Christ has died, and who have put their trust in him, should nevertheless be cast away? Banish those unbelieving fears which so dishonour God. Arise, shake thyself from the dust, and put on thy beautiful garments. Remember it is sinful to doubt his Word wherein he has promised thee that thou shalt never perish. Let the eternal life within thee express itself in confident rejoicing.
"The gospel bears my spirit up:
A faithful and unchanging God
Lays the foundation for my hope,
In oaths, and promises, and blood."

Evening

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"
Psalm 27:1
"The Lord is my light and my salvation." Here is personal interest, "my light," "my salvation;" the soul is assured of it, and therefore declares it boldly. Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light: he is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. Note, it is not said merely that the Lord gives light, but that he is light; nor that he gives salvation, but that he is salvation; he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all covenant blessings in his possession. This being made sure as a fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a question, "Whom shall I fear?" A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light, destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath, for it rests, not upon the conceited vigour of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotent I AM. "The Lord is the strength of my life." Here is a third glowing epithet, to show that the writer's hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace. Our life derives all its strength from God; and if he deigns to make us strong, we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the adversary. "Of whom shall I be afraid?" The bold question looks into the future as well as the present. "If God be for us," who can be against us, either now or in time to come?
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John

[Jŏhn] - jehovah hath been gracious.
John, the son of Zebedee and Salome, the fisherman who became the beloved disciple, The Apostle of Love.

The Man Whom Jesus Loved

This younger brother of James has the rare distinction of being known as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." The original of his name means, "whom Jehovah loves" and John's experience corresponded to his name. From the many references to this honored disciple we can gather these facts:
He was a native of Bethsaida in Galilee.
His godly parents were probably cousins of Christ, and John was their youngest son.
His mother followed Christ, ministered unto Him, was at the Cross and among those who went to anoint the body of Christ with sweet spices.
His father was a fisherman owning his own vessel and prosperous enough to hire servants.
John himself was also a successful fisherman.
He was called to discipleship while plying his nets.
He was the youngest of the disciples, the Benjamin among the Twelve.
He was one of the select triumvirate, Christ's inner cabinet of three, Peter and James being the other two.
He was surnamed by Christ as a son of "Boanerges" because of his prophetic zeal and resolution to witness for Christ.
He was treated by Christ with greater familiarity than the others enjoyed.
He sat next to Christ at the Last Supper.
He was intrusted with the care of the mother of Jesus.
He died when he was almost one hundred years of age.
He wrote the gospel and three epistles bearing his name, and also the Book of Revelation. How true are Wesley's words of John the Beloved:
A Caesar's title less my envy moves
Than to be styled the man whom Jesus loves;
What charms, what beauties in his face did shine
Reflected ever from the face divine.
From manifold references in the four gospels, the Acts and Revelation, the preacher can develop these traits in John's character: his natural energy (Mark 3:17); his intolerance (Mark 9:38); his vindictiveness (Luke 9:54); his ambition (Mark 10:35-37); his eagerness to learn (John 13:23; I John 2:9); his sympathy ( John 19:26); his love (1 John 4:7-21).
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Today's reading: Nehemiah 4-7, Acts 2:22-47 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Nehemiah 4-7

Opposition to the Rebuilding
1 When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews,2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, "What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble-burned as they are?"
3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, "What they are building-even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!"

Today's New Testament reading: Acts 2:22-47

22 "Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
"'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
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June 16, 2011
The Angels Are With You
Today's Truth
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 'Because he loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name' (Psalm 91:11-14, NIV).
Friend To Friend
When we come to Jesus Christ in a personal relationship, He takes full responsibility for us, which means He takes care of us. One of the ways God cares for us is through the ministry of His angels as they help us and protect us.
2 Kings 6:16-17 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. 'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
There was an ongoing conflict between Israel and the empire of the king, Ben-Hadad. Elisha constantly revealed the secret plans of this Syrian King to the king of Israel. When the King of Syria found out, he sent an army to capture Elisha. While Elisha was getting dressed that morning, his servant came running to him in fear. He told Elisha that they were surrounded by the King's army and that the soldiers were carrying powerful weapons of war. Elisha was not disturbed by this news. In fact, he told the servant not to be afraid because "our army is bigger and better than their army." The servant was confused because he could not see any army ready to fight for Elisha. Elisha then prayed and asked God to open the eyes of this servant and allow him to see God's protective angels. "Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
God's angels protect His children from potential enemies.
Psalm 91:11-14 "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 'Because he loves me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.'"
In this passage, "command" means "to order or assign," "guard" means "to observe and care for" and "acknowledges" means "to know intimately." In other words, when we know God and have a personal relationship with Him, He assigns angels to watch over us and to help carry out His plan for our lives.
Hebrews 1:14 "But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation."
Angels are motivated by their great love for God and are committed to seeing that the will of God is carried out. Most Christians can recall some incident in which their lives have been miraculously saved from disaster. Perhaps a car missed them by inches. An airplane flight was planned, but some reason, was not taken only to later discover that the plane had crashed. They did not see angels but their presence could easily explain why tragedy was avoided.
John G. Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides islands. One night, hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters, shouting threats that they would burn the Paton's home and then kill them. Paton and his wife prayed all night long. At dawn, they were amazed to see the natives turn and leave. A year later, the chief of that very tribe became a Christian. Paton asked him what had kept him and his men from burning down their house and killing them that night. The chief asked, "Who were all of those men with you?" Paton assured the chief that there had been no one there except him and his wife. The chief shook his head and insisted that they had seen hundreds of men standing guard, big men in shining garments with drawn swords.
Scripture is filled with accounts that describe how many of God's servants were delivered from danger. It also tells how many servants of God were not delivered by angels.
Hebrews 11:35-39 "Others were tortured; some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated."
These men had faith, courage and were obedient. Time after time, they must have cried out to God for angels to come - but none came. Why? Hebrews 11:40 tells us that God had a better plan. "To live by faith is better than deliverance by angels." These saints were not physically delivered but they still lived by faith and died by faith enduring pain and suffering, counting on the grace of God to sustain them. Because of their great faith, these "medal of honor" Christians received a greater reward in heaven.
Matthew 5:12 "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
These saints knew that if God said "no" to their request for deliverance, there was a reason. It was part of His plan. If you are like me, there are times when, for the life of me, I cannot understand God's plan and furthermore, even if I understand it, it is just plain hard to accept. Jesus understands. When Jesus faced the cross, He asked God to deliver Him but God said, "No."
Matthew 26:39 "He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine."
Angels do exist and they do touch our life. Look around. Listen carefully. Walk by faith. The angels are with you.
Let's Pray
Father, I want to thank You for Your angels and the role they play in my life. I praise You for all of the times that tragedy was avoided because one of Your angels touched my life. Help me to walk in faith and obedience to Your perfect plan - no matter how hard it may be at times. I want to be a woman of faith, a woman who walks with Your angels.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Scripture tells us how angels protected and delivered many of the servants of God. Read the following Bible passages and fill in the blanks. Then celebrate God's work in the lives of these saints and in your own life.
  • Peter was delivered from ________________ by an angel. (Acts 12:5-11)
  • Paul received a message of ____________ from an angel. (Acts 27:23-25)
  • An angel saved the life of Abraham's ____________. (Genesis 22:15)
  • An angel saved _________________ in the lion's den. (Daniel 6:22)
  • An angel appeared to Moses in the ____________ _________. (Acts 7:30)
  • An angel rolled the ___________________ away from Jesus' tomb. (Matthew 28:2)
More From The Girlfriends
We would love to pray for you. Just email your prayer requests to our Prayer Warrior Team Director, Ginger Meador atgjmeador@comcast.net.
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P31Header
Lysa TerKeurst
June 16, 2011
Before We Respond
Lysa TerKeurst
"For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men." 1 Peter 2:15 (NIV)
Sweet friend, let's chat. About "those" emails. "Those" comments. "Those" words from another that make our heart beat, our throat tighten, and our smile fall.
Yes, "those."
Harsh comments seem so unnecessary to me. I honestly can't find any sort of justification in Scripture to hurl insults and ugliness at another person. But, these are a reality in my world. A small reality, thank heavens, but a reality none the less. Sadly, I bet you can relate.
And I'll be honest; I'm just as prone as the next person tofeel like putting an ugly worded person in their place. Hurt when I've been hurt. Invent a slap button for my computer. Not so nice, huh?
That's why I don't react out of my feelings. This will only cause the conflict to escalate rather than dissipate.
I wait to respond until the hurt can be processed with more than my feelings. For me, hurtful things are first processed through the emotional part of my brain before the logical part of my brain. Honestly, I need both emotion and logic to be involved in my response, so I wait. And I need some Scripture to get involved before responding.
In 1 Peter chapter 2 we find a treasure trove of verses that relate to this issue.
So, here are three things I keep in mind before I reply:
Is a reply even necessary?
"For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men." (1 Peter 2:15)
Sometimes the delete button is a lovely feature. Not every email needs a reply. Not every critic should be given an answer. Especially if someone's comments are sent to us anonymously. Don't let their comments derail you. Instead let it be a reminder of how more effectively your time could be spent doing something good. Invest in that good and let your actions reveal your heart.
A reaction and a reply are vastly different.
"When they hurled their insults at him (Jesus), he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:23)
It's hard to resist retaliation. It can feel quite justifiable to hurt the one who hurt us. But just because it feels right doesn't mean it is right.
We can turn our initial harsh reaction into a gentle response by pausing. Take some time to let our emotions cool off. Seek to see things from the other person's perspective. Realize there is probably a lot more hurt going on in their heart than what we'll ever know - and chances are it has very little to do with us. Wrap our response in kindness and truth. Leave the judging up to God. God knows. God sees. God honors those who honor Him.
Humility is a beautiful diffuser.
"For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25).
Sometimes a harsh comment from another is a reason to step back and honestly assess if some of what's being criticized is our fault. Ask for forgiveness. Seek to bring truth to light in a gentle and loving way. And offer grace. Giving grace doesn't make them right. It simply and humbly acknowledges we both need it, so I chose to freely give it.
Oh sweet friend...I hope you don't need this advice today. But, if and when you do, I pray it helps.
Dear Lord, show me how to seek You like never before. Please help me to see this hurt as an opportunity today. And opportunity to seek grace, model love, and expand past my initial flesh reactions. I want to make right choices that honor You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Visit Lysa's blog by clicking here for three great tips on writing email responses that help diffuse hurtful situations.
Looking for a summer Bible study to do individually or with some friends? Don't miss Lysa's new 6 week DVD teaching set, What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. For more information, click here.
The accompanying Yes to God Bible Study workbook can be found by clicking here.
Lysa will be speaking in more than 40 cities this year, and she'd love to meet you! To check for a city near you,click here.
When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can't compete with prices offered by huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!
Application Steps:
We need both emotion and logic to be involved in our responses. And we also need Scripture to refer to ponder, and pray through. Write a verse from this devotion that most resonated with your heart and post it next to your computer.
Reflections:
Giving grace doesn't make the other person right. It simply and humbly acknowledges we both need it, so I chose to freely give it. How will this thought help my with my responses going forward? Remember, God knows, God sees, God honors those who honor Him.
Power Verses:
1 Peter 2:22, "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." (NIV)
Psalm 133:1, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" (NIV)
© 2011 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
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It's been two weeks since the new Bible Gateway launched, and we've been thrilled by the response from our faithful visitors! But our focus on the new site doesn't mean we've slowed down in adding new content to Bible Gateway. In fact, today we have two exciting additions to our library: a new email devotional and an updated Bible version.

NIV Devotional for Men

If you've looked at our library of email devotionals recently, you may have noticed a gap: while there are two devotionals aimed at women (Girlfriends in God and Encouragement for Today), there's nothing specifically for men. Well, we certainly don't want to neglect the guys, so just in time for Father's Day, we've added a brand new weekly devotional:NIV Devotions for Men.

The heart of each week's NIV Devotions for Men email is a short devotional accompanied by Bible passages to read and questions to get you thinking. These readings are all drawn from the New Men's Devotional Bible.

NIV Devotions for Men will help you apply God's Word to your life in a fresh way. And of course, while it's written with men in mind, anyone will benefit from the Bible readings and devotional insights. The first devotional goes out tomorrow, so sign up now!

The Common English Bible is here!

The complete Common English Bible (CEB) is now available on Bible Gateway! The CEB Old Testament, Apocrypha, and an updated New Testament text have just been added to our library, so you can now access this accurate and easy-to-read translation on Bible Gateway.

The CEB's defining feature is its readability: it uses clear, fresh, and plain-English words, including modern idioms and contractions, to render even the most complex sections of the Bible (like genealogies and measurements). The result is a Bible that's accessible to all English readers without sacrificing accuracy.

You can learn more about the CEB or jump right in and start reading now!

That's all the news for now. Have a blessed week and a joyful Father's Day!

Sincerely,
the Bible Gateway team


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