Saturday, July 05, 2014

Sat Jul 5th Todays News

The Bikini first went on sale on this day in 1946. Named after the atoll where nuclear testing was being done. It was marketing genius that took time to explode on the market. A few big time models wore it, and by the sixties it became standard wear in modern beach nations. 

 Prior to nuclear inspired fashion, the biggest explosion on this day came from Isaac Newton's published Principia Mathematica (1687). Newton is lauded for his invention of Integration calculus, and diminished because he contemporaneously worked on it with Liebniz making similar discovery independently. However, Newton's Principia went beyond calculus .. he described the working of gravity .. planetary motion .. cannon balls .. light waves .. prisms. When the sun has disappeared beneath the horizon, it can still be seen by ocular illusion, and Newton discovered why. Without an iPad. With Newton, the apple fell, and the penny dropped. He went on in old age to reform English Banking. But he was weird. He believed women weakened men's logic facility. At his university, he would have guards precede him everywhere and make sure that Newton would not accidentally meet a woman. He also dabbled in the occult. He was the ward for a niece of whom it is said he had peep holes put in his residence. Personally, I think it is more efficient to marry a good woman. When you talk to her, you can discover more .. and she will listen when others won't .. But Newton was a genius .. and a fool .. 

 PT Barnum was born on this day in 1810. A consummate showman. He did not invent the saying "There is a sucker born every minute" but he exploited that fact. When his business went south, he became a temperance speaker. He ran and was elected as a GOP man. His enduring fame is as the guy who brought together a menagerie of big animals and freaks. 
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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

<Douglas Sutherland-Bruce via David Daniel 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

I have begun a bulletin board (http://theconservativevoice.freeforums.net) which 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 Thomas Pitt (1653), P.T. Barnum (1810), Cecil Rhodes (1853), John Howard Northrop (1891), Peter McNamara (1955). Born on the same day, across the years. In 1687, The Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton was first published, describing his laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. In 1937, The Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam, the canned precooked meat product that would eventually enter into pop culture, folklore, and urban legend. In 1950, Korean War: In the first encounter between North Korean and American forces, the unprepared and undisciplined U.S. Army task force was routed. In 2006, The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting hours after North Korea reportedly tested at least seven separate ballistic missiles. In 2009, A series of violent riots broke out in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. You didn't become famous by leaving things unfinished. Cheers!
Matches
Hatches
Despatches
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HOLY WARMING

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 05, 2014 (1:16pm)

Churchy types plead for science: 
The Anglican Church has told the Abbott government to change its approach to climate change, urging it to respect and base its policy on scientific evidence. 
You go first, Anglicans.
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THREATENED SPECIES

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 05, 2014 (1:06pm)

Somehow, the environment is going to have to get by with less government funding: 
The federal Department of the Environment will make 250 of its leading specialists reapply for their jobs and make 30 of them redundant in the latest round of cost-cutting measures …
Beth Vincent-Pietsch, deputy secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, said morale within the department, which unveiled Gregory Andrews as the new threatened species commissioner on Wednesday, was “terribly low.”
“[Staff] are anxious and depressed that the crucial work that they do is not being valued by this government,” she said. 
A certain gravy train might be losing some momentum. In other environmental news, James Delingpole rocks the Glastonbury festival in a fine t-shirt. Suggested costume for Glastonbury 2015: Hector the coal mascot.
(Via the IPA)
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MILESTONE MISSED

Tim Blair – Saturday, July 05, 2014 (12:38pm)

A glowing Fairfax review for a Melbourne ABC presenter: 
It’s been a year of milestones for Red Symons. 
It sure has – including this, which oddly now escapes Fairfax’s memory. As the review notes: “With the ABC as an employer, he can afford to be relaxed.”
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With friends like that, who here needs Prabowo?

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (2:19pm)

Hmm. It is suddenly clear to me which of the two candidates in this week’s election I should support:
About 1,000 people gathered at Grand Mosque in Yogyakarta on Tuesday at the invitation of a group of Islamic organizations that intended to declare presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto as the “war commander of Muslims”...
Gerakan Pemuda Kabah (GPK) ... Yogyakarta branch supervisory body chairman Muhammad Fuad said Muslim mass organizations in Yogyakarta ... regarded the retired lieutenant general, who was dismissed from military service for his involvement in the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists, as the only hope to prevent Indonesia becoming a secular country.
“This means we want him to protect Islam from the dangers of communists, Shiites and Ahmadis,” Fuad said.
Fuad expressed the hope that if elected, Prabowo would issue pro-Islam regulations…
The invitation to meet with Prabowo was signed by several groups, including Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), Hisbullah, the GPK, and the former commander of the now defunct Laskar Jihad paramilitary group, Ja’far Umar Thalib.
Ja’far was involved in bloody conflict between Muslims and Christians in Maluku.
In a high profile sermon at the same mosque last month, he called on Muslims to wage jihad on infidels and pluralism, because pluralism tolerated the views of all religions…
However, during Monday’s gathering, the groups were unable to confer the title of “war commander” on Prabowo. His close aides played down the title and put its meaning down to Prabowo being the former son-in-law of former president Soeharto.
(Thanks to reader Juliet.) 
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Mark Serreze - more ice, less ice, just blame global warming

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (2:01pm)

I thought we wouldn’t hear from alarmist Mark Serreze again after this spectacularly dud prediction in 2007:

Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the disappearance of Arctic sea ice.
Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years.
Professor Wieslaw Maslowski told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had underestimated the processes now driving ice loss. ...
“Our projection of 2013 for the removal of ice in summer is not accounting for the last two minima, in 2005 and 2007,” the researcher from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, explained to the BBC.
“So given that fact, you can argue that may be our projection of 2013 is already too conservative.” ...
Dr Mark Serreze ... added: “I think Wieslaw is probably a little aggressive in his projections, simply because the luck of the draw means natural variability can kick in to give you a few years in which the ice loss is a little less than you’ve had in previous years. But Wieslaw is a smart guy and it would not surprise me if his projections came out.”
But, no. Here he bobs up again to explain that global warming is actually causing something else he didn’t predict - record sea ice around Antarctica:
Earlier this year, global warming was blamed for the ‘irreversible retreat’ of west Antarctic glaciers.
But now scientists claim that warming of the planet is in fact behind a paradoxical growth in South Pole sea ice.
The comments come as Antarctica’s sea ice set a record this week, reaching 815,448 square miles (1,312,000 square km) of ice above its normal range…
‘The primary reason for this is the nature of the circulation of the Southern Ocean — water heated in high southern latitudes is carried equatorward, to be replaced by colder waters upwelling from below, which inhibits ice loss,’ Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Centre, told Harold Ambler at Talking About the Weather.

(Thanks to reader Spencer.) 
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If the sceptics made no sense, the BBC wouldn’t bother banning them

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (1:55pm)

The BBC’s gatekeepers have no confidence in the warmists arguments, so act to suppress the sceptics:

The BBC’s Editorial Compliance unit has blasted its flagship Today programme over its failure to provide balance on a debate on climate change.
The show’s editorial team was found to have given minority views and opinions ‘equal footing’ to those of the scientific consensus.
The programme, broadcast in February during the major flooding crisis featured climate change scientist Sir Brian Hoskins from Imperial College London who was debating the issue with a founder of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which is sceptical as to its impact....
According to Fraser Steel, head of the unit: ‘Minority opinions and sceptical views should not be treated as if it were on an equal footing with the scientific consensus…
‘I do not believe it was made sufficiently clear that Lord Lawson’s views on climate change are not supported by the majority of climate scientists, and should not be regarded as carrying equal weight to those of experts such as Sir Brian Hopkins.’

(Thanks to reader Bob.) 
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The Bolt Report tomorrow

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (10:27am)

On Sunday on Channel 10 at 10am and 4pm…
How badly have we bungled immigration?
And has Malcolm Turnbull spat the dummy?
Plus: the fall of Fairfax, a hypocrisy alert on Jacqui Lambie and more.
On the show: Michael Kroger, Bruce Hawker, Dr Bob Birrell and Ben Hills. .
The videos of the shows appear here.
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Herald says Tamil boat people are fleeing torture. A wife of one on board says, er, actually…

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (10:04am)

Boat people policy

Sydney Morning Herald reporters are livid that Tony Abbott is turning back two boats of Sri Lankans:


Last night I saw upon the sea,
A little boat that wasn’t there,
It wasn’t there again today,
Oh, how I wish it would go away*
All week, Scott Morrison had been wishing away the little boat from India. The Immigration Minister steadfastly refused to acknowledge its existence or that of its human cargo, 153 Tamil asylum seekers; or that of another boat carrying 50 Tamils, which had come from Sri Lanka. By week’s end, it seemed Morrison’s wish had come true.
In a high-stakes, high seas operation – which Morrison never confirmed, preferring to call it speculation – Australia set out to deliver these boat people back into the hands of Sri Lanka, the regime they had fled, a country the United Nations suspects of systematic abductions, torture, rape, extrajudicial killings and the “disappearing” of its citizens…
“Australia’s moral, ethical and legal compass has been lost at sea,” said Trevor Grant, from Australia’s Tamil Refugee Council…
The Abbott government has singled out Sri Lankans for special treatment, or mistreatment, if the conclusions of successive international reports on the country’s human rights abuses are accepted. Australia subjects only Sri Lankans to “enhanced”, or expedited, screening....
In the foreword to a 2014 report that documents the testimony of 40 Tamils who fled to Britain, South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes: “It shows how anyone remotely connected with the losing side in the civil war is being hunted down, tortured and raped, five years after the guns fell silent....”
Wow.
Then after all that rage and hyping of horror, the Sydney Morning Herald finally quotes a relative of one of the Tamils on board to reveal their real motive for sailing. And, good heavens, it has nothing to do with tales of torture:
“I thought maybe [the final destination of those on board] was to Italy, or France, or Tunisia,” said Ragajini, the 32-year-old wife of one of the men on the fishing trawler. “I did not know where he was going and he did not know, either.”
Ragajini, who has their two children with her, sobbed as she spoke from the Aliyar camp for Tamil refugees in the Coimbatore district in the far west of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Her husband had crippling debts and had needed to escape to a country where he could earn money, she said.
The paper’s agenda is exposed - and exploded.
UPDATE
More context today:
A TAMIL Sri Lankan man granted asylum in Australia more than three years ago has been arrested in Malaysia along with three others on suspicion of trying to revive the rebel Tamil Tiger movement and is expected to be deported to Sri Lanka…
The Weekend Australian has learned Mr Puvaneswaran was arrested early on Thursday by plain clothed members of the Malaysian Police Counter Terrorism Unit, who have accused him of being a former explosives expert for the now-vanquished Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE).
Malaysian police chief Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the arrests were made simultaneously at several locations around Kuala Lumpur and Maharashtra and that all four detainees were suspected of involvement in past terror attacks and plans to make Malaysia their base of operations.
“The first suspect is a card holder of High Commission of the United Nations for Refugees. He is said to be an expert in explosives. The second suspect was alleged to have been involved in the attempted murder of former president Chandirka Kumartunga,” Mr. Bakar said.
A third suspect is accused of having helped plan attacks on Sri Lankan consulates in India and the fourth of gathering intelligence for the group. Counterfeit passports and other documents had been confiscated, he added.
Puvaneswaran’s family say he’s innocent.
UPDATE
India doesn’t think boat people who leave its care deserve to come back - and those who do have been warned Australia could send them to Sri Lanka:
Mr B. Anand, the Tamil Nadu principal secretary and commissioner for rehabilitation and welfare of non-resident Tamils, ... said India was not able to accept any Tamil refugees who left India illegally. ‘’The war in Sri Lanka ended in 2009, so it is difficult to accept that these people can still claim refugee status,’’ Mr Anand said. ‘’And if they were registered here as refugees, once they leave the country illegally, we cannot take them back here.’’
Mr Anand’s office showed Fairfax Media a pamphlet in Tamil published by the Australian government that has been distributed throughout the Tamil refugee community and clearly states that people who try to enter Australia without a visa will be returned to their homeland.
‘’Effective from July 19, 2013, illegal immigrants who come by boats to any province of Australia will be sent to Papua New Guinea,’’ the pamphlet says. ‘’Upon confirmation that they are genuine cases for refugee status, they will be allowed emigration at Papua New Guinea.
“In other cases, people concerned will either be sent back to their homeland or a detention camp.’’

(Thanks to readers Matthew, GoldCoastSeer and Gab.) 
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I fear Senator Lambie may be delusional

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:55am)

She really has an estimate of her abilities that is scarily out of whack:
A SENATOR who holds the key to passing the Federal Government’s agenda has declared she wants to be prime minister.
Tasmanian Palmer United Party Senator Jacqui Lambie, who secured only 1501 first-preference votes at the election and has called Prime Minister Tony Abbott a “psychopath” who needs a “bucket of cement” to “toughen up”, yesterday said she “absolutely” aspired to take on his job.
Senator Lambie, who ... only joined PUP because she was running out of money, has quickly emerged as the most outspoken of the eight new crossbenchers who hold the balance of power…
Before she joined up with Mr Palmer, Senator Lambie tried and failed to win Liberal preselection for the Tasmanian federal seat of Braddon… In the Liberal preselection ballot in 2012, Senator Lambie did not gain a single vote…
PUP’s Queensland parliamentary leader, Alex Douglas ... [has described Senator Lambie] as a “bogan”.
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How a warmist “expert” presents the normal as a sign of dangerous warming

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:35am)

Global warming - propaganda

How little does it take to convince even the most credentialed alarmist that the climate is changing before their horrified eyes?
Meet Professor Oppenheimer:
Michael Oppenheimer is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School and the Department of Geosciences at Princeton University. He is the Director of the Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP) at the Woodrow Wilson School and Faculty Associate of the Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences Program, Princeton Environmental Institute, and the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.
Impressive!
So this Oppenheimer is flying over the Arctic, his plane emitting the kind of gasses he deplores, when he glances out of his window and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!:
image
Steve Goddard points out the obvious:
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And some data:

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This is not a simple gotcha. It really does signify something important. How can a man so credentialed have so eagerly presented the normal as alarming?
(Thanks to reader Old Fellah.) 
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Unions train delegates in using training money

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:30am)

Some unions show an astonishing sense of entitlement to members’ money and grants:
THE Transport Workers Union continued to use large sums of “training” money from trucking companies as it saw fit for more than three years after pledging a swift clean-up of slush fund irregularities.
The TWU’s leadership promised to implement recommendations of a Deloitte report in February 2008 that found millions of dollars of employer contributions intended for a “training fund” were not kept separate from union accounts, properly managed or audited. But the TWU’s NSW secretary, Wayne Forno, confirmed to the royal commission into corruption yesterday that ...the TWU’s leadership kept using $1.4 million of “training” money sitting in union accounts in 2007 to pay for annual union delegate conferences at a Sydney racecourse until the funds dwindled to $45,000 in 2011.
He claimed TWU delegates attending annual conferences received some training, but he was vague about its nature.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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How much longer can Clive Palmer last?

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (9:18am)

Hedley Thomas:
The power he now wields on the national stage makes him far more menacing, even dangerous, there than Hanson, Katter and even Bjelke-Petersen during his reign as premier…
But do not bet on this lasting. It could be over in months… If Palmer is to be blasted from politics, public life and even business, it will be because the Beijing-based leaders of the People’s Republic of China instruct their Australian lawyers to use the evidence to not just take him on but to take him out.
If it happens it will likely stem from the withdrawals, last August and September, of $12.167 million of Chinese funds. This is a relatively minuscule sum when seen in the context of China’s disastrous almost $10 billion development of Palmer’s iron ore tenements in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. These withdrawals potentially have given the Chinese an opportunity to rid themselves, the political arena and the Australia-China relationship of someone they have come to see as a sociopathic bully and menace.
On the analysis of senior criminal lawyers consulted by The Australian, the predicament for Palmer appears serious…
For now, it is still a commercial dispute. It gives the Chinese great leverage in their separate and ongoing dispute with Palmer over the payment of royalties. But it is unlikely to rest there or to be quietly resolved.
The prima facie evidence in the documents points to possible serious offences — stealing and misappropriation — by someone in Palmer’s company. The Chinese give every impression of wanting these matters completely and promptly exposed to scrutiny by the public, media and the relevant authorities. 
Palmer denies any wrong doing at all.
UPDATE
Palmer might be about to out-bullied:
In a boardroom overlooking Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, Clive Palmer was in a frenetic rage. “You are an incompetent c---, a f---ing idiot,” the businessman yelled at one of the 10 investment bankers and lawyers seated around the table.
The tirade of expletives would continue for nearly two minutes, as the veins in Palmer’s neck bulged and he thumped the table....
It was July 2007 and Palmer was at the offices of investment bank UBS to begin the $5 billion float of his mining company, Resourcehouse ... (but) it was not questions over the company’s aggressive valuation or even its lack of an operating track record which had Palmer in a rage that day.
It was his title.
The businessman, who failed to complete his undergraduate degree, insisted on being referred to as Professor Clive Palmer in the prospectus – and was indignant that someone had dared to question him.
This is a consistent theme from those who have worked with the 60-year-old over the years…
His three PUP Senators ... insist they won’t be Palmer’s puppets… But they all should remember one thing about Palmer. “He really hates being questioned,” said the source who asked not to be named…
If Palmer’s business career is any guide, they will “wake up” shortly and there will be a major falling out accompanied by furious name calling and threats…
[Citic and Palmer] are fighting in court over ... allegations that Palmer used $12 million of Citic’s money to fund his election campaign – an allegation repeatedly denied by Palmer.... But it could have devastating consequences, as some analysts believe Citic will eventually tire of the fight and walk away from the project entirely…
Tim Murray, the managing partner at J Capital Research… believes the mine will never be profitable, even if all its debts are written off, leaving Citic with no choice but to shut it down. If that happens, Palmer’s $200 million in royalties are gone, along with his claim to being a billionaire – and most likely his ability to fund future election campaigns.
The unofficial line from Citic in Hong Kong is that Palmer has picked the wrong fight this time. “He’s taken on the Chinese government,” was the view from within Citic’s headquarters.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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A Senate of spenders

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (8:55am)

The problem with the Senate is that those with the balance of power are most powerful when they say no - which usually means no to the spending cuts we need:
SENATORS are poised to veto more than $20 billion in budget savings, in a show of strength from micro-parties that have seized the balance of power in the upper house.
The crossbench forces will join up to block the government’s university reforms in one of the biggest blows to Tony Abbott’s agenda, amid fears of soaring fees for students. Attacking the government for its “clumsy” budget proposals, the independents and micro-parties will also smash the government’s plans to put new fees on Medicare services and scale back family tax benefits.
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Exposing Christine Milne’s trashing of Sri Lanka

Andrew Bolt July 05 2014 (7:51am)

Greens leader Christine Milne is shocked that the Abbott Government is sending back boat people to Sri Lanka, a country she portrays as a hell-hole:
“They have a shocking reputation for human rights,” she told a press conference this morning.
“It is now up to Prime Minister Abbott. Prime Minister tell Australians - are you going to send 153 people back to the people who have persecuted them?
“Is that what this nation has become under your leadership? Because I think the overwhelming majority of Australians will be horrified by this.
“Not only is it shocking and cruel for the people who have been persecuted and are being treated like this, but it is absolutely in breach of our obligations under the refugee convention.”
Christine Milne plans a holiday in December 2011:
For now, there is a holiday in Sri Lanka and a rare chance to relax, possibly with her head in a history book, for the few short months that school is out.
Canada, 2010 - data shows many Tamil “refugees” actually think Sri Lanka is safe to visit:
A secret government survey reveals the majority of successful Tamil refugees travel back to Sri Lanka, raising questions about the legitimacy of their refugee status…
“I think it’s been fairly common knowledge, that after asylum seekers get status they go back,” said James Bissett a former head of Immigration Canada… A total of 50 people were surveyed, 31 of them had successfully obtained refugee status and 22 had returned to Sri Lanka. The CBSA refuses to release further information and will not say if an expanded study will be conducted to examine the full nature of the problem.
The most famous Tamil last year said conditions for Tamils in Sri Lanka were vastly better:
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has been misled about conditions for Tamils in the north of the country, cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, a Tamil and national hero, said today.
The lives of people are improving, Muralitharan, who took 800 test wickets, told reporters at an event in Colombo with Cameron to promote reconciliation on the island. Cameron, who traveled to the north yesterday, confronted President Mahinda Rajapaksa last night about refugees…
“In wartime I went with the UN, I saw the place, how it was,” Muralitharan said. “Now I regularly go and I see the place and it is about a 1,000 percent improvement in facilities,” he said.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says it’s helping refugees return to Sri Lanka:
Five years after the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka, the majority of those who were IDPs [internally displaced persons] in the country have returned to their place of origin. However, an undetermined number of individuals remain in protracted displacement, unable to return home owing to housing, land and property issues…
In Sri Lanka, IDP and refugee returnees have difficulty in meeting their basic needs. The lack of a comprehensive national policy on land rights has had an adverse impact on sustainable return… The return of Sri Lankan refugees will continue, albeit at a slower pace…
UNHCR will also facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Sri Lankan refugees in cooperation with the Governments of India and Sri Lanka.
UNHCR now praises Sri Lanka for how it is resettling returning refugees and the displaced. In fact, refugees from other countries are fleeing to Sri Lanka:
In this global and regional context, Sri Lanka has made progress in reintegrating the returning Sri Lankan refugees and by being a host country to many of those that flee violence in the region. Since the conflict in Sri Lanka ended in May 2009, UNHCR has helped over 11,400 Sri Lankan refugees who have returned voluntarily to restart their lives. Similarly, though numbers remain low in comparison to other host countries in the region, Sri Lanka currently hosts 291 refugees and 1547 asylum seekers, all of whom are registered with UNHCR.
Sri Lankan government has made great strides in reintegrating 573,651 returning internally displaced persons since the end of civil conflict in 2009. UNHCR continues to assist the government in finding durable solutions for the remaining IDPs. Likewise, Sri Lanka has very effectively dealt with the issue of statelessness on its territory by passing legislation enabling Tamils of Indian Origin, who had been previously disenfranchised, and a population of ethnic Chinese, who had been in the country since the 1940s, to access citizenship. Sri Lanka is often cited as the best practice in the region in resolving issues of statelessness.
UPDATE
image
An insane anology, grossly offensive both to Sri Lanka and to the Jews and gypsies particularly who were the victims of Nazi genocide:
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser, an opponent of Operation Sovereign Borders, went further still yesterday, tweeting that handing asylum-seekers over to Sri Lanka at sea was redolent of handing Jews to Nazis in the 1930s.
(Thanks to readers brett t r, pitman and others.)  
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=== Posts from last year ===
4 her so she can see how I see her

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Spring Squall, Arkansas. Taken on my way to Memphis while on tour with Yahoo! as their in house weather photographer.
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“It is incredible what political simpletons Jews are. They shut their eyes to one of the most elementary rules of life, that you must not "meet halfway" those who do not want to meet you.”-- The Ethics Of The Iron Wall: By Vladimir Jabotinsky, 1923
✡via Kosher Culture Foundation www.facebook.com/KosherCulture
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Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, 
A tale of a fateful government 
That started from this group of incompetants 
Aboard this Labor ship. 

Beazley was a mighty Labor man,
Swan completely out of his depth.
Five comrades set sail that day
For a three year tour, a three year tour.

The in-fighting started getting rough,
The caucus was tossed,
If not for the courage of the fearless people
The nation would be lost, the nation would be lost.

The movement set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle
With Gilligan (Swan)
The Skipper too, (Beazley, before Rudd knifed him)
The millionaire and his wife, (Crean & Macklin)
The movie star (Gillard)
The professor and Mary Ann, (Rudd & Roxon)
Here on Labors Isle.

So this is the tale of the throwaways,
They're been here for a long, long time,
We'll have to make the best of things,
It's an uphill climb.

The first mate and the Skipper too,
Will do their very best,
To make the others uncomfortable,
In the tropic island mess.

No sense, no financial responsibility, no morality,
Not a single moment of accountability,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primative as can be.

So join us here each week my freinds,
You're sure to get a smile,
From seven stranded unworthy despots,
Here on "Labors Isle."
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Dean Hamstead'
"When you're a sysadmin with a hammer, everyone's head looks like a nail."
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Even so, there is hope, for what words have torn apart when friends bicker, the Lord can heal. One needs to put faith in the Lord, not in themselves. - ed
James 3:6 compares the damage the tongue can do to a raging fire - the tongue's wickedness has its source in hell itself. The uncontrolled tongue can do terrible damage. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Idle and hateful words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly, AND NO ONE CAN STOP THE RESULTS ONCE THEY ARE SPOKEN. We dare not be careless with what we say, THINKING WE CAN APOLOGIZE LATER, BECAUSE EVEN IF WE DO, THE SCARS REMAIN. A few words spoken in anger can damage a relationship that took years to build.

So, before you speak, REMEMBER THAT WORDS ARE LIKE FIRE, you can neither control nor reverse the damage they can do.
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Pastor Rick Warren
Every great accomplishment is really a series of small accomplishments in a row.
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John Adams – Declaration of Independence

http://independentfilmnewsandmedia.com/john-adams-declaration-of-independence/

Congress approves the Declaration of Independence, brilliant scene from John Adams mini-series. Happy Independence Day!
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only way to fix a dint on a budget, make it look like its supposed to be there... 
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HOW EXPORTS TO CHINA SAVED OUR BACON

One of the great Labor lies that will be peddled at this election is that Australia was “saved” from the GFC by the brillance of Wayne Swan and wasteful government spending on the Pink Batts farce and B.E.R scandal.

What they won’t tell you, is how Australia’s exports to China boomed during the GFC, and how it was that additional export income flowing into the country (in combination with the sound position that Howard/Costello left the nations finances in) that saved our bacon.

The facts are that over the last 6 years, China as a nation has increased their purchases from Australia every single year.

And last financial year 2011/12 - China’s purchases from Australia were almost $50 billion higher than 2007/8.
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Most Badass Elderly Couple Ever Lives In China.: http://bit.ly/12CNgPr
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July 5: Independence Day in Algeria (1962), Cape Verde (1975) andVenezuela (1811); Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
Oliver North
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Events[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Holidays and observances[edit]

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“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”Psalm 33:12NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"Sanctify them through thy truth."
John 17:17
Sanctification begins in regeneration. The Spirit of God infuses into man that new living principle by which he becomes "a new creature" in Christ Jesus. This work, which begins in the new birth, is carried on in two ways--mortification, whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, by which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. This is carried on every day in what is called "perseverance," by which the Christian is preserved and continued in a gracious state, and is made to abound in good works unto the praise and glory of God; and it culminates or comes to perfection, in "glory," when the soul, being thoroughly purged, is caught up to dwell with holy beings at the right hand of the Majesty on high. But while the Spirit of God is thus the author of sanctification, yet there is a visible agency employed which must not be forgotten. "Sanctify them," said Jesus, "through thy truth: thy word is truth." The passages of Scripture which prove that the instrument of our sanctification is the Word of God are very many. The Spirit of God brings to our minds the precepts and doctrines of truth, and applies them with power. These are heard in the ear, and being received in the heart, they work in us to will and to do of God's good pleasure. The truth is the sanctifier, and if we do not hear or read the truth, we shall not grow in sanctification. We only progress in sound living as we progress in sound understanding. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Do not say of any error, "It is a mere matter of opinion." No man indulges an error of judgment, without sooner or later tolerating an error in practice. Hold fast the truth, for by so holding the truth shall you be sanctified by the Spirit of God.

Evening

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully."
Psalm 24:4
Outward practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. It is to be feared that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt; if so, they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day. If our hands are not clean, let us wash them in Jesus' precious blood, and so let us lift up pure hands unto God. But "clean hands" will not suffice, unless they are connected with "a pure heart." True religion is heart-work. We may wash the outside of the cup and the platter as long as we please, but if the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy altogether in the sight of God, for our hearts are more truly ourselves than our hands are; the very life of our being lies in the inner nature, and hence the imperative need of purity within. The pure in heart shall see God, all others are but blind bats.
The man who is born for heaven "hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity." All men have their joys, by which their souls are lifted up; the worldling lifts up his soul in carnal delights, which are mere empty vanities; but the saint loves more substantial things; like Jehoshaphat, he is lifted up in the ways of the Lord. He who is content with husks, will be reckoned with the swine. Does the world satisfy thee? Then thou hast thy reward and portion in this life; make much of it, for thou shalt know no other joy.
"Nor sworn deceitfully." The saints are men of honour still. The Christian man's word is his only oath; but that is as good as twenty oaths of other men. False speaking will shut any man out of heaven, for a liar shall not enter into God's house, whatever may be his professions or doings. Reader, does the text before us condemn thee, or dost thou hope to ascend into the hill of the Lord?
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Vashti

The Woman Who Exalted Modesty
Scripture References - Esther 1; 2:1; 4:17
Name Meaning - Vashti corresponded to the significance of her name, "beautiful woman." She must have been one of the loveliest women in the realm of King Ahasuerus who thought so much of his wife's physical charms that at a drinking debauchery he wanted to exhibit her beauty for she "was fair to look upon."
Family Connections - Bullinger identifies this Persian beauty as the daughter of Alyattes, King of Lydia, but the only authentic record of Vashti is what we have in her brief appearance in Scripture as the queen of the court of Ahasuerus, or Artaxerxes. It would be interesting to know what became of the noble wife after her disgrace and divorce by her unworthy, wine-soaked husband.
While the Book of Esther holds a high place in the sacred literature of the Jews, it yet has no mention of God or of the Holy Land, and contains no definite religious teaching. Martin Luther is said to have tossed the book into the river Elbe, saying that he wished it did not exist for "it has too much of Judaism and a great deal of heathenish imagination." The book contains a genuine strain of human interest, but it is also heavy with the air of divine providence (compare Esther ). Although the story of Vashti only covers a few paragraphs in the book, yet in the setting of oriental grandeur we have the elements of imperishable drama. While the bulk of the book revolves around Esther, from our point of view the shining character in the story is the queenly Vashti, who was driven out because she refused to display her lovely face and figure before the lustful eyes of a drunken court.
By birth Vashti was a Persian princess, possessing along with her regal bearing, an extraordinary, fragile beauty. Although her husband was a king "who reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces," her self-respect and high character meant more to her than her husband's vast realm. Rather than cater to the vanity and sensuality of drunkards, she courageously sacrificed a kingdom. Rather than lower the white banner of womanly modesty, Vashti accepted disgrace and dismissal. The only true ruler in that drunken court was the woman who refused to exhibit herself, even at the king's command.
The Demand
An impressive banquet was to be held in Susa the capital of Persia, lasting for seven days, with the king and his dignitaries joining with hundreds of invited guests in an unceasing whirl of festivities during which wine flowed freely. Both great and small were to be found "in the court of the garden of the palace." Then came the crowning touch of a drunken tyrant's caprice. When "the heart of the king was merry with wine" he commanded that Vashti, his royal consort, appear before the guests. For a week, inflamed with wine and adulation, he had displayed the magnificent wealth and power of his kingdom and the princes had poured flattery upon him. Now for the climax! Let all the half-drunken guests see his most lovely possession, Queen Vashti, who was probably the most beautiful woman in his kingdom. He wanted the intoxicated jubilant lords to feast their eyes on her. The Bible plainly declares that Ahasuerus summoned his wife to the feast simply "to show her beauty."
Had the king been sober he would not have considered such a breach of custom, for he knew that Eastern women lived in seclusion and that such a request as he made in his drunken condition amounted to a gross insult. "For Vashti to appear in the banquet hall, though dressed in her royal robes and crowned, would be almost as degrading as for a modern woman of our modern world to go naked into a man's party." What Ahasuerus demanded was a surrender of womanly honor, and Vashti, who was neither vain nor wanton, was unwilling to comply. Plutarch reminds us that it was the habit of a Persian king to have his queen beside him at a banquet, but when he wished to riot and drink, he sent his queen away and called in the wives of inferior rank - his concubines. Perhaps that is the historic clue to Vashti's indignant refusal for she knew only too well that Persian custom dictated that a queen be secluded during the feasts where rare wines flowed freely.
The Disobedience
To Vashti, the command of the king - her husband, who alone had the right to gaze upon her beautiful form - was most revolting to her sense of propriety, and knowing what the consequences of her refusal to appear before the half-drunken company would entail, refused in no uncertain terms to comply with the king's demand. She stood strong in womanly self-respect and "refused to come at the king's commandment." Her noble scorn at her threatened indignity deserves finer recognition. What the king sought would have infringed upon her noble, feminine modesty, therefore she had every right to disobey her wine-soaked husband. A wife need not and may not obey her husband in what opposes God's laws and the laws of feminine honor and decency. All praise to the heroic Vashti for her decent disobedience.
The Deposition
Vashti's disobedience excited the king to madness. No one, especially a woman, had ever dared to humiliate such a despot whose word was law in all his realm. Such a slight had but one issue, for forth went the decree, "that Vashti come no more before King Ahasuerus." This degradation also meant divorce, not only from her husband, but also from the life and luxury she had been used to. Thus amid the tragic darkness Queen Vashti - never more queenly than in her refusal - disappears like a shining shadow. The wise men, court astrologers and princes agreed with the king that banishment from the palace was the only fit punishment for such a crime. They knew that Vashti's bold stand might incite other Persian ladies to disobey their liege lords, and so the warrant, silly as it was royal, was enacted that "Every man be master in his own house, and that all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, both to great and small!"
As a Persian law once made could never be revoked, Ahasuerus, now sober, and likely regretful of his impulsive anger could not reinstate Vashti, thus Esther was chosen to succeed her as queen. It is quite probable that "Vashti continued to live in the royal household, stripped of the insignia of royalty, but with her own integrity clothed in purple." Surrendering the diadem of Persia, Vashti put on a crown which was beyond the power of a despot king to give or take away, namely, the crown of exalted womanhood. How apropos are the lines of Tennyson as we think of the fine character of Vashti, the pagan Persian -
Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control,
These three alone lead life to sovereign power.
Yet not for power (power by herself
Would come uncalled for), but to live by law,
Acting the law we live without fear;
And, because right is right, to follow right
Were wisdom in the scorn of consequence.
Vashti chose deposition rather than dishonor with a mortifying refusal to obey. Her refusal to exhibit herself was visited with "a punishment severe enough to reestablish the supremacy which it threatened to overthrow," but to Vashti, conscience and personal dignity occupied a higher supremacy and for this ideal she was dethroned. Allied to her beauty and regal charm were courage and heroism, securing her character from the rot of power. Vashti had a soul of her own, and preserved its integrity; and if women today fail to honor their life they will never win the best God has for them. It is to be regretted that in our modern world many women are not as careful as Vashti the pagan was in guarding the dignity of the body. Fashion and popularity are a poor price to pay for the loss of one's self-respect. Christian ideals in womanhood may be deemed old-fashioned and in conflict with the trend of the times, but divine favor rests upon those who have courage to be ridiculed for such high ideals. Any woman is one after God's own heart when, as Mary Hallet puts it, she determines by His grace -
To remain refined in speech and action, when it is the style to appear "hard-boiled" -
To be dignified when everyone else pretends to be "wild" -
To maintain a true perspective, a real sense of values, in an irresponsible age.
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Achbor

[Ăch'bôr] - a mouse.
  1. Father of Baal-hanan and king of Edom (Gen. 36:38, 39; 1 Chron. 1:49).
  2. Son of Michaiah and one of Josiah's messengers (2 Kings 22:12, 14). Called Abdon in 2 Chronicles 34:20.
  3. A Jew, whose son Elnathanwas sent by Jehoiakim to bring back Urijah the prophet from Egypt ( Jer. 26:22; 36:12).
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July 4, 2011
The Guestbook
Today's Truth
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody
Friend To Friend
Just before leaving our rented condominium after a week of sun, sand, and surf, at Hilton Head Island, SC, we found a treasure tucked under some old magazines on the coffee table. It was a 6 X 8 inch white guest book, signed by previous vacationers who had also shared a relaxing week away from home.
Feeling somewhat like a "peeping Tom" craning to peer into someone's window, we cracked open the book and stole a glimpse into the personalities of our fellow travelers. With each entry, we visualized what the guests looked like, decided if we would like to invite them over for dinner, and surmised whether they had an enjoyable vacation together.
Have a look for yourself and decide with whom you would like to share a cup of coffee or would like to have as your neighbor:
  • "Thank you very much for the use of your condo. We thoroughly enjoyed our first, but not last visit to S.C."
  • "Had a great time. Enjoyed your villa very much! However, you need to have the springs in the couch repaired. Very uncomfortable to sit on. Thank you."
  • "We have decided that this is where we'd love to live. It's a golfer's dream. Your courses are beautiful. The girls loved the beach, parasailing, bike rides, horseback riding, shopping! I love my tan. We will be back to visit! If you are ever in Arkansas, come to Stuttgart. We are 50 miles east of Little Rock. Stuttgart hosts the World Championship Duck Calling Contest every year during Thanksgiving weekend. We are known as the "Rice and Duck Capital of the World." Riceland Rice comes from our little town and the ducks feed off of the rice fields during the winter after harvest. It is some of the best duck hunting anywhere. Thank you for the use of your condo. We've had a great week here."
  • "We really enjoyed your villa, but we won't be staying here again. We just booked another villa at Colonnade for next year a couple of doors down for almost $300 less."
  • "Hello. My name is Amanda and I got here yesterday. So far we are having a good time. I'm eleven-years-old and I came here with my mother, grandmother, and my Aunt Loretta. She got here at the same time we did, but she is leaving tomorrow. We came all the way from Lake Wylie, S. C. I love it here and might be back next year.
  • "It has been a fabulous time. This villa is bigger than our home! My niece is sure she saw a whale at the Old Oyster Factory, but we are sure she saw a buoy. Greg and Dad played golf together and we all played mini-golf. We went bike riding and "gator chasing." The ocean is breathtaking. I've never seen it before, so I'm still in awe!
  • ""When we first came, the keys wouldn't fit, you forgot to give us a pass, and we almost ran over a biker. Get better service! Two grandmas were with us! Sixth time here - never happened before."
The Bible tells us that we are simply visitors here on earth (1 Chronicles 29:15). The words we speak are also our entries in the Guestbook of Life.
What entries am I writing with my attitudes, actions and words for all the world to see? Will they think that I was a crabby old lady who wanted better service? Will they think I savored each day here with my wonderful family? Will they think that I would have preferred another life just a few doors down? Or will they think that I so enjoyed my time here that I wanted to share it with anyone and everyone who was passing through?

Do you want to know what we wrote in the Guestbook before we left?
"Thank you for the use of your beach home. July fourth is a time to celebrate our great country with its many freedoms. Our hope for all who follow us here is that you will know the freedom which comes from knowing the Truth that sets us all free (John 8:32)." Steve, Sharon and Steven Jaynes
Matthews, NC
Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, Your Word tells me that I am a letter being read by everyone. I pray that I won't be junk mail today. I pray that I won't be like a bill making people feel like they owe me. I pray that I will be a love letter, a thank you note, and an invitation to celebrate life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
What are you leaving in the guestbook of life for all to read?
What would you like to be leaving in the guestbook of life for all to read?
Go ahead, write it down?
Now, live this day as if you were a walking, talking letter from God to everyone you come in contact with!
Here's your chance to start today. Come by my Facebook page for a visit. Sign in and tell me one thing you have loved about this day! www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes
More From The Girlfriends
We are walking, talking letters to the world, telling them and showing them about what Jesus is like. Yikes! The Bible calls us Ambassadors. If you need to improve the quality of your letter, you might want to read The Power of a Woman's Wordsto learn about the people we impact, the power we possess, and the potential to change. Just click on the link or go towww.sharonjaynes.com .
Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
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P31Header
Marybeth Whalen
July 4, 2011
"He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30 (NIV)
My husband and i were at an event where words to the worship music were placed on a screen for all to see. But this night i noticed something: every time they used the word "I" on the screen, it wasn't capitalized. My editor's eye was drawn to this glaring error, and i spent much of the time that i was supposed to be singing trying to discern why they had done this. Oversight? Trying to be cute? It bugged me.
Then i felt God's whisper to my heart, causing me to go a bit deeper. "Why are you stressing about capitalizing the i?" I sensed Him asking me, "Why does it need to be capitalized? Who decided that? Maybe these folks recognize that 'i' am not important - but I AM is."
While I am not proposing a little i revolution - shaking up tradition and causing a crisis in the grammar world - i am wondering, what does a little i life look like?
Sacrifice?
Surrender?
Slaying self?
Setting apart?
Seeking Him?
Serving others instead of doing what i want?
This little i thing could catch on. It should catch on, because it's the life Jesus called us to. We don't need to be capitalized. We need to be small, insignificant - just a jot and a tittle, the littlest marks in the alphabet. Instead of a capital letter that announces our importance.
At least, that's what i am learning these days - and trying to live out. Sacrifice, surrender and servanthood are hard. But i know that's what God calls us to do; laying down our wants, needs and desires and straining towards His.
Dear Lord, I want to make Your name famous and mine unimportant. Help me to be mindful of my tendency to make things about me. And help me Lord to keep the focus on You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Visit Marybeth's blog
She Makes It Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen. A novel for every woman who has looked at another woman's life and said, "I want what she has." She Makes It Look Easyreminds us of the danger of pedestals and the beauty of authentic friendship.
i am not but i know I AM by Louie Giglio
Application Steps:
While not capitalizing your "i's" might not be practical, journal some ways that you can consciously choose to make Him become greater and you become less in your daily life.
Reflections:
Do you struggle with taking the focus off God and putting it on yourself? Are there certain times or situations when this happens for you? What can you do to change your response when this happens?
Power Verses:
John 3:31, "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all." (NIV)
© 2011 by Marybeth Whalen. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
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Today's reading: Job 28-29, Acts 13:1-25 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Job 28-29

Interlude: Where Wisdom Is Found
1 There is a mine for silver
and a place where gold is refined.
2 Iron is taken from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Mortals put an end to the darkness;
they search out the farthest recesses
for ore in the blackest darkness.
4 Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft,
in places untouched by human feet;
far from other people they dangle and sway.
5 The earth, from which food comes,
is transformed below as by fire;
6 lapis lazuli comes from its rocks,
and its dust contains nuggets of gold.
7 No bird of prey knows that hidden path,
no falcon's eye has seen it.
8 Proud beasts do not set foot on it,
and no lion prowls there.
9 People assault the flinty rock with their hands
and lay bare the roots of the mountains.
10 They tunnel through the rock;
their eyes see all its treasures.
11 They search the sources of the rivers
and bring hidden things to light....

Today's New Testament reading: Acts 13:1-25

1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off....

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