Saturday, July 26, 2014

Sat Jul 26th Todays News

There is a logical fallacy whereby free speech is compared to hate speech. There is a difference. There may be truth applied to events which the hate mongers describe, but, the weight that hate applies to the subject unbalances it. Free speech is noble and something to aspire to. It is a truth of academia that anyone can have a good idea, it is an idea which should be judged, not the person suggesting it, but a bad idea is not something to be accepted because a bad person suggested it. Australia's government and culture is founded on secular virtues and practice. Not because religion is absent from the members, but because it has been found that that is a way for all the members to work together. Sometimes members don't. Some members here hate a lot. It is a lousy way to live and unhelpful in addressing issues. 

A wikipedia article on Al Quds claims to be about the arabic word for Jerusalem. Al Quds day was instituted by the terrorist cleric Khomeini, to be on the last day of Ramadan and allow Iran to fund riots against Israeli government. It is a celebration of Iran sponsoring terrorism, and it has existed for almost ten years. It is a protected article with many terrorist sympathisers resisting balance being brought to the article. A major rewrite is needed for the article, or deletion. The article was placed on the daily summary bulletin as being an international day. It is an example of what is produced by hate. 

On this day, the FBI was given personnel in 1908. The CIA was signed into law in 1947. Fidel Castro began the Cuban revolution in 1953. On the same day in 1953, Arizona opposed polygamy. In Vietnam in 1968, the opposition leader was sentenced to five years hard labour for advocating a coalition government to end the war. In 2008, Ahmedabad India was bombed by terrorists. In 2009, Boko Haram attacked Nigerian police. Also on this day, 1989, a guy was indicted for creating a worm on the internet. Winston Churchill was booted from government by the Labour Party in 1945. Passing on this day were Sam Houston (1863), Eva Perón (1952), Mary Wells (1992) and Mary Tamm (2012). Born on this day Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791), George Bernard Shaw (1856), Carl Jung (1875), Aldous Huxley (1894), Gracie Allen (1895), Stanley Kubrick (1928), John Howard (1939) Sandra Bullock (1964) and Kate Beckinsale (1973)
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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

Mr Ball, I will not sign your petition as it will do no good, but I will share your message and ask as many of friends who read it, to share it also. Let us see if we cannot use the power of the internet to spread the word of these infamous killings. As a father and a former soldier, I cannot, could not, justify ignoring this appalling action by the perpetrators, whoever they may; I thank you Douglas. You are wrong about the petition. Signing it is as worthless and meaningless an act as voting. A stand up guy would know that. - ed

Lorraine Allen Hider I signed the petition ages ago David, with pleasure, nobody knows what it's like until they've been there. Keep heart David take care.

I have begun a bulletin board (http://theconservativevoice.freeforums.netwhich will allow greater latitude for members to post and interact. It is not subject to FB policy and so greater range is allowed in posts. Also there are private members rooms in which nothing is censored, except abuse. All welcome, registration is free.
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Dave Wane. Your birthday is shared with Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart (1791), George Bernard Shaw (1856), Carl Jung (1875), Aldous Huxley (1894), Gracie Allen (1895), Stanley Kubrick (1928), John Howard (1939) Sandra Bullock (1964) and Kate Beckinsale (1973). 811 – Bulgarian forces led by Khan Krum defeated the Byzantines at the Battle of Pliska, annihilating almost the whole army and killing Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I.
1581 – Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands signed the Act of Abjuration, declaring the independence of the Dutch Low Countries from King Philip II of Spain.
1908 – Unable to use U.S. Secret Service agents as investigators, U.S. Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte established what is now the Federal Bureau of Investigation as his own staff of special agents.
1953 – In Short Creek, Arizona, police conducted a mass arrest of approximately 400 Mormon fundamentalists for polygamy.
1968 – After coming second to Nguyen Van Thieu in a rigged presidential election in 1967, Truong Dinh Dzu was jailed by a military court for illicit currency transactions. Your remarkable day continues. Try not to lose the whole army. Stay away from Spain .. stand on your own two feet. Don't use the Secret Service. be responsible for your own decisions. You won't be arrested for polygamy if you keep to one wife .. your own. And it is ok to come second, but try not to engage in corruption trying to come first.

Matches
Hatches
Despatches
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ONLY TEN?

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 26, 2014 (4:48pm)

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YOU GO, GIRF

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 26, 2014 (12:41pm)

Introducing the tabthgirf, a species of frightbat that hasn’t worked out how to flip a photograph:

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CHANGE RESISTED

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 26, 2014 (11:27am)

Good hygiene is important, even if you’re an airborne splodey-dope
Umar Abdulmutallab sent shockwaves through US intelligence when he successfully smuggled a bomb onto a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas day three years ago.
The British-educated Nigerian was able to light the bomb but it failed to explode, causing minor burns to the would-be bomber but sparing his fellow passengers.
John Pistole, the head of the Transportation Security Administration said on Thursday that the bomb did not detonate because Abdulmutallab had been wearing the same underwear for more than two weeks. 
(Via A. R. M. Jones)
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BURNOUTS AND BULLETS

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 26, 2014 (11:21am)

Darwin is a different place.
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The Bolt Report tomorrow

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (1:34pm)

On Channel 10 at 10am and 4pm…
Editorial: How far will Tony Abbott push Russia, the nuclear superpower?
My guest:  Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
The panel: Grahame Morris and Cassandra Wilkinson - on Joe Hockey’s book, Jacqui Lambie’s shame, Tanya Plibersek’s problem and the boat that got through.
NewsWatch:  The great Rowan Dean.  On his menu - why is the ABC TV showing us two hours a day of the news service of a Middle Eastern regime?
Plus a lot more, including why are the nicest political leaders in TV dramas of the Left? And, sigh, why can’t the lovely Asher Keddie play a conservative instead?:
The videos of the shows appear here.
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Joan Rivers gets it said for Israel

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (11:49am)

(Thanks to readers Gordon and Docker.) 
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The real Abbott

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (11:33am)

The real Tony Abbott has become too apparent for the Left’s caricature to now stick.
Greg Sheridan:
For the first time since the end of World War II, a big European power has used force to take the territory of a sovereign neighbour…
The Prime Minister ...  and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have been central in providing leadership in response to the Russian outrage…
Of course, Australia is not going to get into a knock-down, drag-out fight with Russia. But Abbott has special standing for three specific reasons — the deaths of the Australians on this plane, the clarity and force of his response, and his chairmanship of the Group of 20 major economies, the leaders of which will meet in Brisbane later this year…
Putin is determined to push on with his strategy in eastern Ukraine. US intelligence sees Russia sending more heavy weapons and equipment across the border. The Ukrainian government accuses Russia of firing on its forces from within Russia itself…
Putin feels he has the West’s measure… Having annexed Crimea, there is every chance he will annex a large part of eastern Ukraine… Most likely, there will be no effective European response. Nor does it seem that the Americans will arm-twist the Euro­peans into greater vigour…
Whatever sanctions the West finally decides on, Abbott has a significant voice in the emerging debate, much of it in private, among national leaders he has dealt with extensively over this issue already. There is another broader consequence as well. Abbott builds up diplomatic money in the bank through this crisis. The international system comes to understand that the Australian government can get complex, difficult tasks done. It becomes very familiar with dealing with the Abbott government.
Peter Hartcher:

Australia has so far kept its crash response pretty much separate from geopolitics, but this cannot last. After recovery, the process moves to investigation and then to the final phase. As Abbott put it, “then, of course, we have to punish the guilty”.
At that point, there can be no avoiding geopolitics. 
When Abbott committed to the fullest possible pursuit of MH17, he did not realise just how hard it would be to get workable access to the crash site. But he did realise that this course ultimately could bring him, depending on the trail of evidence, into direct conflict with the President of Russia. Abbott could have set out a more limited goal, and that way been surer of success. He has not chosen the politically safe route.
He has taken the risk to defend fully the rights of Australians, and the rights of civilians everywhere, to travel unmolested by war. He is now set upon a big and difficult enterprise in a worthy cause. 
Paul Kelly:
THE nation is seeing a new Tony Abbott — the Prime Minister as crisis manager. It is a time when more people than usual focus on their leader and the leader, in turn, operates as principal mourner, chief diplomat and security guardian.Abbott’s virtue — so far — is the sense of control he brings to the crisis. He is measured yet firm, not overwhelmed by events yet adapting and changing as the situation changes. He has been active, not passive, yet working with others, notably the Dutch and the Malaysians.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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Warmist Moylan excused real punishment

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (11:21am)

Huge disruption caused, and possibly losses to some investors. But Jonathan Moylan gets an extremely light sentence:
An environmental activist who temporarily wiped $300 million off ­Whitehaven Coal’s value by issuing a hoax press release was given a suspended jail sentence.
Jonathan Moylan was sentenced to one year and eight months in jail before immediately being released on Friday on the condition of good behaviour bond for two years and $1000 security.
The 26-year-old from Newcastle issued a hoax press release in January last year stating Australia and New Zealand Banking Group was withdrawing a $1.2 billion loan from Whitehaven’s flagship Maules Creek open-cut coalmine due to volatility in the global coal markets, expected cost blowouts and corporate responsibility…
In sentencing Moylan, judge David Davies at the NSW Supreme Court said “he is not a criminal in the classic sense of one who needs rehabilitation”.
No need for rehabilitation? Where is the evidence in today’s article by Moylan that he is truly repentant and unlikely again to trample on the rights of others to further his green ideology and warmist alarmism?
For the record, I was not trying to crash the market. I was trying to highlight the fact that ANZ are funding the biggest open cut coal mine currently being constructed in Australia. Today I bear the consequences of that decision.
But rural communities across the eastern states who are living with mine proposals hanging over their heads have never done anything to deserve their fate. Think of people in Bangladesh and Pacific Island nations who are bearing the brunt of both poverty and the effects of climate change. Think of generations yet to be born who, depending on the choices we make today, will pay for our obsession for fast money by suffering through rising tides, extreme weather and crop failures.
...when our politicians continue to break their election promises and cosy up to coal interests, our eclectic mix of citizens – men and women willing to engage in civil disobedience – are the best hope we have for the future.
(Thanks to reader hlr.) 
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Iran’s top cleric: “Israel must be destroyed”

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (11:10am)

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proves why the West cannot afford to let Iran build a nuclear weapon:
“As said by Imam Khomeini [the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran] Israel must be destroyed…However, until that time with the help of God for this cruel and murderous regime to be destroyed, strong confrontation with steadfast armed resistance is the only solution against this destructive regime.”
At some stage the Left must grasp that Israel’s enemies truly want it destroyed and millions of Jews once more killed. Which side of that battle are you on?

(Thanks to reader Kasey.) 
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Labor should have “lost control” like this

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (8:42am)

The Age gloats:
The Abbott government’s claim to have ‘’stopped the boats’’ has dramatically unravelled, as 157 asylum seekers who have been held captive on the high seas for almost a month will be brought to the mainland on Saturday.
The humiliating backdown came after Immigration Minister Scott Morrison told Parliament this month that ‘’on every occasion that may present, we will apply all of the policies we have to ensure that no venture successfully reaches Australia’’.
Mr Morrison, who has refused to acknowledge the existence of the boat for weeks, confirmed the asylum seekers would be transferred to the mainland, where they will be interviewed by Indian officials.
The Australian reports:
AUSTRALIA has offered more help to India to disrupt people-smuggling from its shores and to fight transnational crime, after the "generous offer” to consider taking back most of the 157 ­asylum-seekers who have been detained at sea for a month.
Fending off claims of policy failure on “stopping the boats”, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison and Tony Abbott have declared none of the 157 who left India by boat to seek asylum in Australia would be allowed to ­settle here. “Don’t get on a boat to come ­illegally to Australia,” the Prime Minister said yesterday. “Because even if you get here, you won’t stay here. You will not become a permanent resident of Australia.’’
Labor and the Greens jeer:
Labor’s acting immigration spokeswoman, Michelle Rowland, said: “What we saw today was an admission from Scott Morrison that he has lost control of his ­portfolio."…
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said Mr Morrison was a “spectacular failure” and that the issue was making Australia an international disgrace.
Labor and the Greens forget:
...the chaotic situation we had under the Labor Party, where first of all we saw the policy flip-flopping back and forth, but secondly we saw some 50,000 boat arrivals, people arriving without a visa, and we saw some 1,200 deaths at sea.
An example of that rigid absolutism that marks the Left - if not all then none. If one then all. 
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How Kevin Rudd’s whisper campaign worked

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (7:36am)

Charming bloke, that Rudd. Greg Combet tells how he was paid back for resisting Kevin Rudd‘s campaign to take back the leadership:
The next day payback was administered in the form of a nasty and untrue Telegraph story attacking me, stating that I had been prepared to switch my support to Rudd if he made me treasurer. This was a story that had been peddled to the Press Gallery for two years, but that no one else would publish because it was false. Its origin was in a one-on-one conversation I had with Kevin in late 2011, following a discussion about the international climate change negotiations. At that time I thought he looked in terrible shape, suffering badly from what had happened to him more than a year before. As a human being, I was concerned for him. Kevin produced a couple of glasses of whiskey, over which I expressed my concern for him personally, discussed what had happened, and responded honestly to his questions about my own ambition for my time in the parliament. This was naive on my part. I said that I had not come into parliament with the ambition of becoming leader, but if I had the opportunity one day I thought Treasury was the best job in government.
There was no discussion, no hint or suggestion of a deal or of any switch in my support from Gillard, or Wayne Swan for that matter. I would simply never do that. I left pleased that we could relax, have a drink and talk. And yet before too long I was fielding calls from journalists. I immediately called Wayne Swan and Julia to let them know. Wayne simply said, ‘It’s OK, that’s exactly how Rudd operates.’
But how vicious is the Sydney Morning Herald? It takes just two short lines in this except - of Sophie Mirabella telling a well-meaning joke - which twists into evidence of heartlessness and a headline on an article actually about the bastardry of Rudd.
The line:
One day before the 2010 election, I was in parliament experiencing a terrible pain in my leg. I went to see Mal Washer, the Liberal MP and doctor, who arranged for me to be taken to hospital in a wheelchair. As I was waiting at the lift, the doors opened and there was my sparring partner Sophie Mirabella. ‘You’ll do anything to get media,’ she huffed.
The treatment:
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Australia’s latest export: Muslim beheaders

Andrew Bolt July 26 2014 (7:02am)

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I doubt mass immigration from Lebanon has - on the whole, and despite many success stories - benefited Australia enough. Nor do I think Islam is as benign as immigration bureaucrats have assumed:
Sydney born boxer Mohamed Elomar casually poses with the severed heads in photos posted on Twitter by his friend, convicted terrorist Khaled Sharrouf…
Elomar and Sharrouf, who spent time in jail for his part in a foiled plot to blow up targets in Sydney and Melbourne, are believed to be fighting with terror group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)…
Sharrouf, also a former Sydney resident, last week taunted Australian police via his social media account, boasting that he would ‘slaughter’ Australians…
On July 14, Sharrouf fired off a tweet to the AFP and Australians, saying… ‘Australia belongs to the muslims not infidels like you’ as well as boasting of his evasion of police.
(Thanks to reader Peter H and others.) 
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Microwave from Remi .. If it isn’t done well they get stringy and gristly ..
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=== Posts from last year ===
4 her, so she can see how I see her





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Pastor Rick Warren
Life is meant to be enjoyed, not merely endured. "...God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17
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Pastor Rick Warren
Surrender is the path to serenity.
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Miss Vietnam World pageant. Tough gig. ‪#‎lol‬
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Andreas Herrmann
Marcus war falsch über die Welt. Sie kümmert sich! Sie liebt es, auf süße Träume, Hoffnungen, Wünsche knabbern. Aber sie nicht belohnen die indolenten. - ed
Es wäre dumm, sich über die Welt zu ärgern. Sie kümmert sich nicht darum. Marcus Aurelius
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Engagement rings.

Which one do you fancy ?
 — with Daniel Frank Katz at Diamond Imports.
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Black folks in Detroit that continue to vote for Democrats is proof positive that brainwashing is real. Brainwashing by definition causes people to act against their own best interest.

How else can you explain how people can drive past the ruins of DETROIT everyday, and vote for more of the same? How can Black folks leave Detroit, come to a more conservative area and vote for what they had in Detroit?

Brainwashing:

Systematic effort to destroy an individual's former loyalties and beliefs and to substitute loyalty to a new ideology or power. It has been used by religious cults as well as by radical political groups. The techniques of brainwashing usually involve isolation from former associates and sources of information; an exacting regimen calling for absolute obedience and humility; strong social pressures and rewards for cooperation; physical and psychological punishments for noncooperation, including social ostracism and criticism, and constant reinforcement. Its effects are sometimes reversed through deprogramming, which combines confrontation and intensive psychotherapy.

Welcome to the Harris Clinic.

Here is a great video on how it is has been done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeMZGGQ0ERk

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An X-Ray diagnosis of all Green Labor supporters recently revealed an improvement in Tony Abbott's popularity due to an increase by one single peanut.

In the past there was nothing there.

The report has yet to be confirmed but we here at The Bolt Report Supporters Group have been privileged to preview the promising recovery prior to the announcement of the election.
 — at The Mental Institution Hospital.
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Being weighed. But I don't believe the result. The machine said I was 160 cm tall, not 179. Or 5'3", not 5'10" suggesting I'd shrunk recently. It said my BMI was/is 572.6 when its own measures suggested 85. In fact it is more 67. 53.7% fat is 116.9 kg. total mass is 217.7kg. I don't entirely believe it, but it is a starting point and next month will be less .. really. — at Fairfield Leisure Centre
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Another fractured fairy tale~~~

Pinocchio, Snow White, and Superman are out for a stroll in town.

As they walk, they come across a sign:

" Beauty contest for the most beautiful woman in the world."

" I am entering" said Snow White.

After half an hour she comes out and they ask her, " Well, how did you do? "

" First Place " said Snow White.

They continue walking and they see a sign:

" Contest for the strongest man in the world. "

" I'm entering, " says Superman.

After half an hour he returns and they ask him, " How did you make out? "

" First Place" answers Superman. " Did you even have a doubt? "

They continue walking when they see a sign:

" Contest! Who is the greatest liar in the world? "

Pinocchio says " This is mine. "

Half an hour later, he returns with tears in his eyes.

" What happened? " they asked.

" Who the hell is Kevin Rudd ? " he asked.
  — atThe Mental Institution Hospital.
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Aye, there is much more to life than that poster stamp thought. But I think it is a House (vis rude) way of saying you can't please everyone and be good. - ed
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TONY ABBOTT THE FUTURE CONSERVATIVE PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA. 

Why so serious?
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Today in 1960, the Woolworth lunch counter inGreensboro, North Carolina was finally desegregated after 6 months of sit-in protests.

Read more, from our National Museum of American History, where a section of this counter now resides: http://s.si.edu/15MyKq1

You can also bios and clips of the Greensboro 4 on the Smithsonian Channel's website:http://s.si.edu/19kXBXj

Photo courtesy of Greensboro News & Record
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At San Francisco Zoo.
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The article isn't wrong. Nathan Reese may well be a stand up bloke, although I know of no evidence to suggest that to be true. He was chief of staff to Milton. The witness to blow the whistle on Milton was treated appallingly because others looked away. - ed
  • Trevor Khan Steve Wolf, that is an absolutely appalling article. There is absolutely nothing to link Nathan Rees with Milton Orkopuolos's appalling acts. I had dealings with one of Orkopoulos's victims, and one of his former electorate officers.

  • Steve Wolf True Trevor , the most important aspect of the article is Rudd's links to The Heiner Affair

  • Trevor Khan I have no idea of the truth or otherwise of the Heiner Affair material, but I am confident the material regarding Rees is false. It is one thing to have political opponents (and he slapped me down more than once in Budget Estimates and the like, when he was Premier), but it is entirely another thing to accuse him of being complicit in foul crimes.....he isn't that sort of bloke.

  • Steve Evans Nathan Rees seems to me to be an honest sort of bloke. It is all bullshit. Steve I would delete this post. It does no one any good to republish this sort of rubbish.
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Comedienne who once threatened to kick Michelle Malkin ‘in the nuts’ tells conservatives to be civil ==>http://twitchy.com/2013/07/25/comedienne-who-once-threatened-to-kick-michelle-malkin-in-the-nuts-tells-conservatives-to-be-civil/

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There are so many words in the English language that it’s not surprising that the definitions for some of them have gotten mixed up over the years. It’s possible that you’ve gone your entire life without realizing your mistakes. I’m sure people have noticed. One day, you were probably walking down the street, casually chatting with an old friend, and one of these words slipped out of your mouth. Before you can move on to your story about how Mufasa would actually make a very attractive human, your friend stops to correct your error, and suddenly, your whole life starts to feel like one giant lie. How long have you been using that word incorrectly, you wonder? How many angry Facebook rants have you ruined with your improper grammar? While I can’t give you an answer to those questions, I can at least provide you with a list of other tricky words so that you may never have to suffer from this embarrassment ever again:
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Canadian National Vimy Memorial
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Events[edit]

Births[edit]

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Holidays and observances[edit]

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“I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.”Psalm 119:60 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"He left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out."
Genesis 39:12
In contending with certain sins there remains no mode of victory but by flight. The ancient naturalists wrote much of basilisks, whose eyes fascinated their victims and rendered them easy victims; so the mere gaze of wickedness puts us in solemn danger. He who would be safe from acts of evil must haste away from occasions of it. A covenant must be made with our eyes not even to look upon the cause of temptation, for such sins only need a spark to begin with and a blaze follows in an instant. Who would wantonly enter the leper's prison and sleep amid its horrible corruption? He only who desires to be leprous himself would thus court contagion. If the mariner knew how to avoid a storm, he would do anything rather than run the risk of weathering it. Cautious pilots have no desire to try how near the quicksand they can sail, or how often they may touch a rock without springing a leak; their aim is to keep as nearly as possible in the midst of a safe channel.
This day I may be exposed to great peril, let me have the serpent's wisdom to keep out of it and avoid it. The wings of a dove may be of more use to me today than the jaws of a lion. It is true I may be an apparent loser by declining evil company, but I had better leave my cloak than lose my character; it is not needful that I should be rich, but it is imperative upon me to be pure. No ties of friendship, no chains of beauty, no flashings of talent, no shafts of ridicule must turn me from the wise resolve to flee from sin. The devil I am to resist and he will flee from me, but the lusts of the flesh, I must flee, or they will surely overcome me. O God of holiness preserve thy Josephs, that Madam Bubble bewitch them not with her vile suggestions. May the horrible trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil, never overcome us!

Evening

"In their affliction they will seek me early."
Hosea 5:15
Losses and adversities are frequently the means which the great Shepherd uses to fetch home his wandering sheep; like fierce dogs they worry the wanderers back to the fold. There is no making lions tame if they are too well fed; they must be brought down from their great strength, and their stomachs must be lowered, and then they will submit to the tamer's hand; and often have we seen the Christian rendered obedient to the Lord's will by straitness of bread and hard labour. When rich and increased in goods many professors carry their heads much too loftily, and speak exceeding boastfully. Like David, they flatter themselves, "My mountain standeth fast; I shall never be moved." When the Christian groweth wealthy, is in good repute, hath good health, and a happy family, he too often admits Mr. Carnal Security to feast at his table, and then if he be a true child of God there is a rod preparing for him. Wait awhile, and it may be you will see his substance melt away as a dream. There goes a portion of his estate--how soon the acres change hands. That debt, that dishonoured bill--how fast his losses roll in, where will they end? It is a blessed sign of divine life if when these embarrassments occur one after another he begins to be distressed about his backslidings, and betakes himself to his God. Blessed are the waves that wash the mariner upon the rock of salvation! Losses in business are often sanctified to our soul's enriching. If the chosen soul will not come to the Lord full-handed, it shall come empty. If God, in his grace, findeth no other means of making us honour him among men, he will cast us into the deep; if we fail to honour him on the pinnacle of riches, he will bring us into the valley of poverty. Yet faint not, heir of sorrow, when thou art thus rebuked, rather recognize the loving hand which chastens, and say, "I will arise, and go unto my Father."
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Today's reading: Psalm 37-39, Acts 26 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Psalm 37-39

Of David.
Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

Today's New Testament reading: Acts 26

1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself."
So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 "King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently....
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Lydia
The Woman Who Was Diligent in Business
Name Meaning: Lydia, who was an Asiatic, derived her name from the country on the borders of which her native city, Thyatira, was situated. It was not an original Greek name, but probably Phoenician, and a common name meaning "bending." Readers of Horace will be familiar with Lydia as a popular name for women. There are those writers who think that it means "The Lydian," seeing Thyatira was a city of Lydia, and that her personal name is unknown.
Family Connections: Scripture does not supply us with any information regarding Lydia's background apart from the fact that she lived in Thyatira which was one of the Macedonian colonies. From names discovered on monuments it is evident that the city was the melting pot of many nations, and that the chief object of worship was Apollo, who was worshiped as the sun-god under the name of Tyrinnus. There was also a strong Jewish element in the city maintaining faith in Jehovah. Lydia, one of the prominent women of Thyatira, is presented to us in various ways, namely:
As a Business Woman
Thyatira was conspicuous for its many guilds which were united by common pursuits and religious rites. One of these guilds was that of dyers. The water of the area was so well-adapted for dyeing, that no other place could produce the scarlet cloth out of which fezzes were so brilliantly and so permanently dyed. This unique purple dye brought the city universal renown. Lydia was a well-known seller of this product (Acts 16:14 ), and typifies a successful business woman in a prosperous city. Ability, enthusiasm, singleness of purpose and mental acumen were hers, and she prospered greatly in an honorable and extensive calling of "selling purple." Lydia was an example of the comparatively independent position some women attained to in Asia Minor. That she became prosperous in business is seen in that she owned a spacious home, and had servants to care for her.
As a Devout Woman
While it is not certain whether Lydia was of Jewish descent it is evident that she was a Jewish proselyte. "She worshipped God," we are told. Often business people are so engrossed in their affairs as to have no time for religion. But Lydia, in spite of all her secular obligations, found time to worship according to the Jewish faith. Daily she made her way to the riverside where prayer was wont to be made. She knew that in order to successfuly meet the stiff competition of the Philippian traders, she needed grace as well as knowledge. At that riverside prayer meeting perhaps she met other Jewish dyers, and with them eagerly waited upon the ministry of Paul and his companions.
As a Seeking Woman
Although sincerely religious, Lydia was not a Christian. She did, however, have a hunger for a deeper spiritual experience. The mind is closed against the full truth either from ignorance or prejudice and cannot discern it, or from pride and perversity and will not admit it. Ignorance was responsible for Lydia's closed mind, but as she attended to the truth of Christ which Paul spoke of in conversational style in that small seated Jewish gathering, the light dawned, and her heart opened to receive that Christ as her Saviour. As Chrysostom puts it, "To open is the part of God, and to pay attention that of the woman." Her faith was born through hearing the Word of God (Psalm 119:18, 130Luke 24:45).
As a Christian Woman
As an evidence of her surrender to the claims of Christ she was baptized, "the waters of Europe then first being sacramentally used to seal her faith and God's forgiveness in Christ." Her conversion was declared by a public confession, and such was her enthusiasm that she immediately told her household what had happened, and all within it likewise believed and were baptized as disciples of the same Saviour. Thus Lydia had the honor of being Paul's first European convert--the forerunner of a mighty host to honor the Lord. Becoming a Christian did not make her less of a successful business woman. Now she had Christ as her Senior Partner and with Him we can imagine that trade remained good and that much of her profit was used to assist His servants in the work of the Gospel.
As a Hospitable Woman
Lydia's transformation of life was evidenced by her eagerness to give missionaries the hospitality of her fine home. Truth in her heart was manifested in kindness to each other--as they ought to be! "Be ye kind one to another." First came Lydia's faith, then the winning of her servants to Christ, then her love in gracious hospitality, and finally her reception of Paul and Silas into her home after their discharge from prison, bruised and battered though they were. She was not ashamed of the Lord's prisoners (see 1 Timothy 5:10Hebrews 13:2 ;1 Peter 4:9). While benefiting from Lydia's generous hospitality Paul warned all present of the terrible trials before them, and then parting from godly Lydia, praised God for all she had meant to him and his companions.
As a Consecrated Woman
Lydia always had "open house" for the saints of God and her home became a center of Christian fellowship in Philippi with perhaps the first Christian church being formed therein. When Paul came to write his letter to the Philippians, we can rest assured that Lydia was included in all the saints at Philippi to whom he sent his salutations (Philippians 1:1-7); and was also in his mind as one of those women who labored with him in the Gospel (Philippians 4:3). William Ramsay thinks that Lydia may have been either Euodia or Syntyche (Philippians 4:2).
When Paul penned the triple exhortation--"Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11), we do not know whether he had his hospitable convert, Lydia, in mind. She certainly exemplified these three virtues, and grace can be ours to emulate them.
"Not slothful in business"
If our business is honorable and we are diligent in it, and if we are the Lord's, we have the assurance that if we honor Him in all transactions, He will honor us. He places no premium upon idleness or indolence. Did not Paul say that if we are not willing to work we have no right to eat?
"Fervent in spirit"
Moffatt's translation is suggestive here. He expresses it, "Maintain the spiritual glow," which, by God's grace Lydia was able to do as she cared for her business interests and pursuits which were no bar to her spirituality. Too often, we allow the secular to rob us of our glow. Our affection becomes too set on things below.
"Serving the Lord"
Lydia not only sold her dyes--she served her Saviour. She stayed in business that she might have the money to help God's servants in their ministry. How her generous care of Paul and Silas, and of many others, must have cheered their hearts. Lydia was, first of all, a consecrated Christian, then a conscientious business woman who continued to sell her purple dyes for the glory of God. When we reach heaven, we shall find this "seller of purple" wearing more superior garments, robes not stained even with the notable dye of Thyatira, but "washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb."
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David

[Dā'vid] - belovedThe youngest son of the eight sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite, the second and greatest of Israel's kings, the eloquent poet and one of the most prominent figures in the history of the world (Ruth 4:17, 22; 1 Sam. 16:13).

The Man After God's Own Heart

Volumes have been written on the trials and triumphs of David, a mountain peak among Bible characters, who was carefully chosen as Israel's second king by God Himself. David's father, Jesse, was a man of no great rank who lived in the little town of Bethlehem. In his youth David was trained to tend his father's sheep. Being the youngest of the family he was not brought into public notice, yet it pleased God to raise him from a low estate and set him upon the throne. He was overlooked by the prophet Samuel, but the prophet obeyed when God said, "Arise anoint him, this is he." All we can do in this study is to offer a brief sketch of David's eventful life. We view him as:
I. A Warrior. David was courageous as a champion and a great soldier (1 Sam. 17:40; 2 Sam. 5:7). His fight with Goliath the giant made him a marked man. He had not the training of a soldier. As yet he had not reached the years of manhood. Dressed like a poor country shepherd lad, he had no weapons save his sling. Never were two warriors more unequally matched, but when David was victorious over Goliath there was no empty boasting, no reliance upon his own powers. God gave the victory and David gave Him all the glory. He became a man of war and because of that was not allowed to build the Temple ( 1 Chron. 28:3).
II. As a Musician. Because he was a skilful player on the harp he found himself in the presence of the wretched king, Saul, who could only be soothed by David's music. Poetic genius made him the sweet psalmist of Israel, and no poet has been so constantly used and quoted through the ages. His majestic psalms are the masterpiece of spiritual literature.
III. As a Saint. David was accepted as a child of God. The general trend of his life was spiritual (1 Sam. 13:14; 1 Kings 15:5 ). What other man has had the reputation of being known as a man after God's own heart? Such an expression does not refer to any remarkable goodness in David, but to him as one whom God had chosen to be the ruler of His people. He was the man according to God's special choice. His psalms of praise, worship and meditation indicate the God-ward direction of his life.
IV. As a Sinner. David violated a divine law (Deut. 17:17; 2 Sam. 5:13), yielded to his gross sin in a period of ease (2 Sam. 11) and was rebuked by the prophet Nathan ( 2 Sam. 12). David stained his character by his sin against Uriah and by the deceitful way he gained this gallant soldier's wife as his own. Such a grievous sin brought the bitterest anguish of heart. David's confession was not a cold, formal acknowledgment of guilt, but a true and heartfelt humbling of himself before God and a deep cry for pardon and restoration to divine favor as psalms thirty-two and fifty-one clearly prove.
V. As a Prophet. David had a prophetic gift given to few. He was one of those holy men of old moved by the Holy Spirit to set forth many glorious truths related to Christ as Saviour and Messiah. When we come to the New Testament we find the Psalms quoted from more often than any other part of the Old Testament.
VI. As a Type. Not only did David prophesy about Christ, he resembled Him in many ways. For example:
Both were born in the humble town of Bethlehem.
Both were of low estate on earth, having no rank to boast of, no wealth to recommend them to the world.
Both were shepherds - the one caring for sheep, the other for souls.
Both were sorely oppressed and persecuted but opened not their mouths.
Both came to kingship. David subdued his foes and had a kingdom stretching from shore to shore. Jesus was born a King, and is to have an everlasting Kingdom.
VII. As a Star. Does not the children's hymn urge us to be "a star in someone's sky?" David has lighted many a spiritual traveler on the way to heaven. Glory alone will reveal what his psalms meant to Christ and to His followers in all ages. Yet he is nothing compared to the Sun of Righteousness Himself. None can compare to David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again to become our Saviour, Friend and King.
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