Thursday, July 10, 2014

Thu Jul 10th Todays News

Hundreds of millions of tweets over just one soccer match. But it was an unusual match. By way of contrast, Netherlands vs Argentina did not get the same coverage as Germany vs Brazil. But then Germany spanked Brazil 7-1 in front of a home crowd for Brazil. It doesn't get more upsetting in world sport .. anywhere. The result is career changing for all involved. Netherlands beat Spain 5-1 earlier in the tournament, but did not carry on with that form. Germany have done well, but need to maintain it to win the tournament. That is their goal. 

 Today is the anniversary of an equivalent match as Argentina vs Netherlands has been, 48 BC had Julius Ceaser pitted against Pompey at Battle of Dyrrhachium. It was precipitous, and Ceaser risked all by accident, but nothing happened as two heavyweights faced off. Technically, Pompey won and so he went to face Ceaser again at Pharsalos with all the advantages .. yet lost everything. What had happened was Ceaser had sailed to Dyrrhachium through an enemy force in winter .. and got trapped with a much smaller force that could not resupply. Mark Antony marched to his aid, and Pompey moved to prevent the reuniting. The upshot was that Pompey had a force behind fortifications and Ceaser chose to starve him out by building more fortifications. Pompey had sea access to supplies, but could not feed his livestock. Ceaser's men were hungry, but when spring came, Ceaser would hold all the advantages. Pompey broke out of his enclosure and marched to Pharsalos. How will Argentina fare against Germany? How will Brazil against Netherlands? So much has happened, but the future is uncertain, and anything might prove all the difference.

Also on this day, but in the year 645, was the Isshi incident in Japan which transformed Japan and involved their honour system in a way that seems incomprehensible if one is not Japanese. Two princes, Nakatomi no Kamatari, Prince Naka no Ōe, conspired to kill a third, Soga no Iruka. The attack took place in front of Empress Kōgyoku during a court ceremony. Iruka was not killed during the first attack, but pleaded his case to the Empress, who retired to consider it. A second attack in front of the Empress finished Iruka and put the Empress in a difficult position, she was unclean because of the murder in her presence. So she stepped aside, but not for the killer, but his older brother. The killer became a monk.  And after a few reigns, Emperor. It was a family affair. Much like that big family of soccer fans watching the events unfold in the world cup. 

 Also on this day, Lady Jane Grey took the throne of England in 1553. It was not a blessing for her. Neither was it a blessing when Richard Neville defeated Lancastrian forces of Henry VI in 1460. The Vellore mutiny against the British East India company happened on this day in 1806, but the Sepoys had to wait another hundred and forty two years to see independence for India. US Democrat President Andrew Jackson moved to kill the second US bank in 1832, setting in train a position of inept fiscal rectitude all Democrat Presidents have followed. Death Valley recorded a temperature of 57 degrees centigrade in 1913. It has been cooler ever since. In 1997, scientists reported DNA analysis of a Neanderthal that favoured the 'out of Africa' theory for human development, with an 'Eve' existing 100k to 200k years ago (She was a good woman who liked kids). Born on this day was John Calvin in 1509, Nikola Tesla in 1856, Marcel Proust in 1871, Harvey Ball 1921, Jake LaMotta 1921, Arlo Guthrie 1941 and Sunil Gavaskar in 1949.
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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

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.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 Ella Hoang and Sean Loh. Born on the same day across the years. On your day in 1800, Lord Wellesley, Governor-General of the British Raj, founded Fort William College in Fort William, India, to promote Bengali, Hindi and other vernaculars of the subcontinent. In 1913, The air temperature in California's Death Valley reached 134 °F (56.7 °C), the highest reading ever recorded. In 1942, An American naval airman discovered a downed Mitsubishi A6M Zero on Akutan Island, Alaska, US, which was used to devise aerial tactics against it. In 1973, John Paul Getty III, grandson of American oil magnate J. Paul Getty, was kidnapped in Rome. In 2011, After 168 years, the final edition of the News of the World was published as the British tabloid newspaper shut down over allegations that it hacked the voicemails of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, victims of the 7/7 attacks and relatives of deceased British soldiers. What a day! The brother of the Duke of Wellington wants you to speak as your parents. The world got hot .. in 1913. You look for things and learn from them. You know great wealth and the Lord's blessings. You fix your mistakes. Enjoy your day!
Matches
Hatches
Despatches
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ROLL OF PAIN

Tim Blair – Thursday, July 10, 2014 (4:26am)

Earlier this year I purchased a roll of GLAD wrap. Initial experiences with the polyethylene food-preservation product were satisfactory. Cling levels met or surpassed industry standards, and transparency was maintained in all temperatures and conditions.
But then the roll’s Ezy Cutter Bar began to come loose.
At first, the bar snapped free from its crucial location point furthermost from the user. This exposed the bar to unsustainably imbalanced forces across its remaining anchored section, quickly leading to a catastrophic total Ezy Cutter Bar detachment.
It gets worse. Much worse.
This was a 150-metre roll, meaning I’ve been stuck using it for several months now without any Ezy Cutter Bar assistance. Over time I’ve developed a method of pinning the wrap with the point of my elbow before crudely clawing at it with my fingers. It is an undignified cutting solution, and I am not proud to describe it here. There will be no photographs.
If anyone has a lamer first-world problem, I dare them to post about it in comments.
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BIRDS SMOKED, SMASHED

Tim Blair – Thursday, July 10, 2014 (3:50am)

Solar panels are even more effective at killing birds than are wind turbines: 
When birds flew into the hottest areas, observers saw them emit streams of smoke from their feathers. On-the-ground staff found birds with their flight feathers burned away, some still alive but unable to fly. During their visit to Ivanpah, the report states, USFWS staff saw birds burn in midair “every two minutes.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, birds are dying in a completely different—but equally ugly—manner at other facilities. Researchers found an unusually high number of water birds dead at the Desert Sunlight facility. These birds, including grebes, herons, ducks, and even pelicans, died not from the heat but from blunt force trauma. The cause was clear, as stated in the report: “A desert environment punctuated by a large expanse of reflective, blue panels may be reminiscent of a large body of water.” These birds—tired from flying over the hot desert—home in on what looks like a calm lake but instead crash into hard panels. They either die instantly or, as researchers found, lie helpless for land-based predators. 
If you want something that will hurt the environment, ask an environmentalist.
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7500 REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE

Tim Blair – Thursday, July 10, 2014 (3:29am)

A letter to Auto Action, Australia’s motor racing trade paper, expresses frustration at the rumoured rescheduling of an event next year: 
Bathurst 12 Hour and the V8 Supercar test day on the same weekend. It’s a disgrace. V8 Supercars are acting like spoilt brats. Effectively they are barring all their competitors from racing in the 12 Hour. All the drivers should vote as a block and tell V8 Supercars they are busy that weekend, and won’t be at the test day. 
So far, nothing much of interest to those outside of Australian motor sport. But then the letter takes a curious turn: 
This is again another attempt by Rupert Murdoch to control everything that occurs in Australia. His empire does it with our political system, and now he’s fiddling with motorsport. Enough is enough, and I am stunned by Auto Action’s lack of editorial on this issue. Are they being controlled as well? Fascists are running Australia and it’s time for a revolt! 
This example of Murdoch paranoia indicates a new peak in imagined influence. What next? How Rupert controls pet registration programs? His manipulation of seafood consumption statistics? Is Rupert Murdoch responsible for the decline in Norwegian tourism?
AUTOMOTIVE UPDATE. Missed this earlier, but Fairfax’s obituary for Sir Jack Brabham claimed that the “BT” designation on his cars stood for Brabham Team. Incorrect. It stood for Brabham Tauranac.
AUTOMOTIVE UPDATE II. New is old. The 18-inch wheels being tested on a 2014 Lotus offer a similar wheel/tyre ratio to that of a 1968 Lotus.
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On 2GB tonight - Palmer wins even when he’s a fool, Abbott in strife - and verballed by China

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (6:37pm)


On with Kel Richards from 8pm. Listen live here. Talkback:  131 873. 
Listen to all past shows here.
I will discuss the fall-out from this report - or slight misreport:

Welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to parliament on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said Japanese military personnel demonstrated “courage” and “patriotism of a very high order” during World War II.

Why have almost all the media commentators I’ve heard on the topic taken China’s side - or simply assumed Abbott indeed was praising even Japanese war criminals?


The Xinhua article described Mr Abbott’s comments as “appalling” and “insensible”.
“He probably wasn’t aware that the Japanese troops possessed other ‘skills’, skills to loot, to rape, to torture and to kill. All these had been committed under the name of honour almost 70 years ago,” it read.
“He also dubbed Japan ‘a first class international citizen’ who has truly learned its lessons 70 years ago. However, Abbott didn’t give an explanation why Japanese leaders, including Abe, keep visiting Yasukuni Shrine where war criminals are enshrined.”
Australia’s RSL also said many of its members would disagree with Mr Abbott.
“There are members of the RSL, who for good reason, do not hold that same view,’’ said RSL president Rear Admiral Ken Doolan. “There are, however, members of the RSL who are prepared to let bygones be bygones.”
Listen to Abbott’s actual remarks, from six minutes in:
He’s referring just to Japanese submariners who attacked in Sydney Harbor. And he’s making a sensitive and important point about forgiveness and the best interests of nations:


Even at the height of World War II, Australia gave the Japanese submariners killed in the attack on Sydney full military honours. Admiral Muirhead-Gould said of them: “theirs was a courage which is not the property or the tradition or the heritage of any one nation…but was patriotism of a very high order”.
We admired the skill and the sense of honour that they brought to their task although we disagreed with what they did. Perhaps we grasped, even then, that with a change of heart the fiercest of opponents could be the best of friends.
But such is the hate-Abbott reflex…  
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Age shame: publishes falsehood as fact, then won’t apologise

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (9:49am)

Media

Yesterday The Age reported a highly improbable and inflammatory falsehood as fact:


A wave of attempted suicides has swept Christmas Island as 12 mothers tried to kill themselves in the belief their then-orphaned children would have to be settled in Australia.
It also ran on the front page this blurb, again treating an truly incredible and unsupported falsehood as fact:
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Today it merely notes this, without apology or explanation for having published such garbage the day before:

On Wednesday, it was reported that up to 12 women on Christmas had attempted suicide in the belief that if they were dead their children would be settled in Australia.
The Immigration Department refuted those claims on Wednesday, saying: ‘’The minister is advised reports of multiple suicide attempts by women on Christmas Island are not correct.’’
But advice from the Department of Immigration obtained by Fairfax Media shows that following the meeting on Christmas Island this week, there were ‘’seven individuals who made threats of self-harm, four have actually self-harmed and one woman attempted suicide’’.
So even the strongest evidence The Age can find says not 12 women attempting suicide but one. What’s more, I can’t even claim that one case involved a woman trying to kill herself so the baby could stay.
Some important background to this hoax:


A HANDFUL of Christmas Island detainees have engaged in minor acts of self-harm, in what authorities claim are ... cynical attempts to ­follow three mentally ill young detainees into community detention in Sydney.
The Age is now no more than a propaganda sheet of the far Left. A real newspaper should have demanded heads roll. 
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Sri Lankan boat people make liars of “refugee” lobby

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (5:16am)

Boat people policy

THE outrage over the forced return of 41 Sri Lankan boat people has been exposed as a fraud by the “asylum seekers” themselves.
Here’s conclusive proof that our “refugee lobby” is motivated by deceit, self-preening and insane hatred of the Abbott Government.
These 41 were on one of two boats of Sri Lankans intercepted by our Navy over the past fortnight, and were sent back this week.
Greens leader Christine Milne was apoplectic, describing the passengers as victims of a Sri Lankan tyranny and the evil Tony Abbott: “Sri Lankan asylum seekers have been returned to Sri Lanka: the persecuted to the persecutor.”
Refugee lawyer George Newhouse and former prime minister Malcolm Fraser even likened returning boat people to Sri Lanka to returning Jews to Nazi Germany.
And journalists of the Left competed to be the most horrified. ABC host Fran Kelly, won, gasping: “Since when does our Government disappear people?”
Bad luck for Kelly. The 41 have now appeared again, back in Sri Lanka where they spoke to reporters.
So were they “refugees”? Were they truly the “persecuted”, fleeing a Third Reich in the Indian Ocean?
Let me quote every single one who talked to reporters. You judge.
(Read full article here.) 
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Scrap the Human Rights Commission. It’s a danger to boat people

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (5:13am)

Boat people policy

HOW much longer before the Human Rights Commission is abolished, not least for being a public safety menace? 

This week HRC president Gillian Triggs was at it again, recklessly hyping claims of suicide attempts at the Christmas Island detention centre. “We’ve had reports that have been confirmed during the day that 10 women have attempted suicide,” Triggs announced.
Fairfax newspapers even claimed “12 mothers tried to kill themselves in the belief their then-orphaned children would have to be settled in Australia”.
These claims were inherently unlikely, and yesterday the Government said an investigation found “no basis” for them. There had been instead “a small number of minor self-harm incidents”.
Yet Triggs rewarded these alleged attempts by publicising the demands to which they were clearly intended to draw attention.
(Read full article here.) 
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Joko Widodo tipped winner of Indonesian poll

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (4:45am)


I suspect it’s the best result for Australia:
The counting of votes is underway in Indonesia’s elections and early exit results are indicating that Joko Widodo has won enough to claim victory over the former military hard man, Prabowo Subianto.
A profile here.
We’ll see if this amounts to anything:
Australia has a “phobia” about Indonesia and is to blame for the poor relationship between the two countries, strong-man presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto said during a nationally televised debate on Sunday.
His opponent, the favourite Joko Widodo, proposed taking Australia to an international court over asylum seekers if diplomacy failed to solve the disagreement.
The subject of Australia came up twice in the international relations and defence debate between Mr Prabowo and Mr Joko, just over two weeks before the crucial July 9 presidential election…
Mr Joko, the narrow favourite and currently the governor of Jakarta, agreed there was a “lack of trust” between Indonesia and Australia, as illustrated by the phone tapping issue late last year. He said it stemmed in part from a general lack of respect shown to Indonesia.
“I think we are always regarded as a weak country … we have to show that we are a country with dignity, and not let other countries treat us as weaklings,” he said.
He proposed better government, business and community ties with Australia, including through educational and cultural exchanges.
On the subject of asylum seekers, Mr Joko said if the dispute could not be solved by dialogue, “we can bring them to international courts if necessary”. He did not elaborate which court or which jurisdiction he believed would apply.
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Christensen vs Flannery and the alarmists

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (4:36am)


How times have changed. There are now politicians - albeit still far too few - who dare call out the great global warming scare campaign:

One of the Prime Minister’s backbenchers has likened the climate change debate to a science fiction film plot, but says “alarmist” claims are more comedic than frightening.
Liberal National Party MP George Christensen ...honed in on former climate change commissioner Tim Flannery, former chief scientist Penny Sackett and Labor’s former climate change adviser Ross Garnaut.
He said ... Professor Flannery ... had raised the possibility of beaches reaching eight storeys… He described Professor Garnaut as a climate change “salesman first and economist second”, and he mocked Professor Sackett for her comment in 2009 that the planet had just five years to avoid disastrous global warming.
Read Christensen’s speech here.
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What “suicide attempts”? More stupid hype from refugee advocates exposed

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (4:06am)

Boat people policy

We were told the 41 boat people returned to Sri Lanka were the “persecuted”.
That was false.
We were then told this inherently improbable thing:
A wave of attempted suicides has swept Christmas Island as 12 mothers tried to kill themselves in the belief their then-orphaned children would have to be settled in Australia.
That also turns out to be utterly false:

A HANDFUL of Christmas Island detainees have engaged in minor acts of self-harm, in what authorities claim are ... cynical attempts to ­follow three mentally ill young detainees into community detention in Sydney.
It is understood that the female asylum-seekers who self-harmed at Christmas Island this week had recently become aware that three other teenage detainees had harmed themselves last month inside the centre’s compounds…
The government’s Senate leader Eric Abetz yesterday ... said there was “no basis for the claims that up to 12 women have attempted suicide at Christmas Island detention facilities’’… Both the Greens and Labor attempted to use the unconfirmed reports for political mileage.
Why are refugee advocates so deceptive? 
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A Senate of shameless spenders, wasting our children’s savings

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (3:53am)


The Senate is dangerously addicted to populism and to spending.  We are in trouble:


With the combined numbers of Labor, the Greens and the Palmer United Party blowing a further $2bn hole in the budget yesterday by rejecting tax legislation, the tally of measures that the Senate appears likely to block has reached $43bn over the next four years…
If the government is unable to win support for budget savings, it will not be able to go to the 2016 election promising a budget surplus in the next financial year…
The annual cost of measures likely to be blocked in the Senate rises from $6.7bn this year to reach $14.2bn by 2017-18.
The measure blocked yesterday was the cancellation of an increase in the tax-free threshold, which Labor had legislated as part of its carbon tax package. Labor had planned to defer the increase but voted yesterday to ensure the tax cut was delivered…
The jettisoning of the government’s proposed budget savings means that spending will rise at an annual rate of about 3.4 percentage points more than inflation over the next four years. 

One of the worst and most shameless:
When he addressed the National Press Club on Monday, Palmer’s ‘’flexibility’’ was face-slappingly apparent… (T)he mining tax repeal will be supported, but not the [repeal of the] generous handouts to families foolishly funded by the revenue stream that never materialised.
...day one of the new Senate was a bad start. Commitments to support votes were welshed on immediately. Huge holes were blown in an already stymied budget. And the Treasurer Joe Hockey was branded a liar for claiming a budget emergency.
David Uren is worried by two disgracefully populist parties:

Labor went to the election promising budget repair, with a vow to keep spending growth to no more than 2 per cent more than inflation…
Clive Palmer’s $9bn lunch at the National Press Club on Monday showed how he intends to use his influence in parliament. His blocking of the government’s proposed abolition of the Schoolkids Bonus, the superannuation concessions for the low-paid, the Income Support Bonus and an increase in the tax-free threshold is all about garnering votes…
The trashing of the budget ... imposes greater costs on future generations, and it exposes the economy to greater risks…
Benefits such as the Schoolkids Bonus and the Seniors Supplement are nice to have, but they are being paid for by accumulating debt.  Future generations are left with the debt but will get nothing for it.
At least with Bob Day and David Leyonhjelm the Senate will now have two new voices demanding less government spending. I am not as libertarian as Leyonhjelm, having less trust in a freedom unfettered by tradition and faith, but his maiden speech, in praise of small government, sure is welcome:
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.)  
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Dancing on the grave of the carbon tax

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (3:50am)


If I’m on the cover of anything it is usually to my disadvantage. But I’ll sure take this:
image
Of course, there is the small matter of the Senate still needing to vote the tax down. 
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Judge on slippery slide: incest and pedophilia will be accepted as was homosexuality

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (3:40am)

The new morality

The “slippery slope” argument is too often dismissed, especially by people on the Left with an arrogant faith that the world shares - and will be bound by - their own sense of reason. But here is that slope, slip-sliding us away:

A Sydney judge has compared incest and paedophilia to homosexuality, saying the community may no longer see sexual contact between siblings and between adults and children as “unnatural” or “taboo”.
District Court Judge Garry Neilson said just as gay sex was socially unacceptable and criminal in the 1950s and 1960s but is now widely accepted, “a jury might find nothing untoward in the advance of a brother towards his sister once she had sexually matured, had sexual relationships with other men and was now ‘available’, not having [a] sexual partner"…
He went on to say incest only remains a crime “to prevent chromosomal abnormalities” but the availability of contraception and abortion now diminishes that reason.
“If this was the 50s and you had a jury of 12 men there, which is what you’d invariably have, they would say it’s unnatural for a man to be interested in another man or a man being interested in a boy. Those things have gone.” 
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Palmer’s $12 million a long way from home

Andrew Bolt July 10 2014 (3:10am)


Clive Palmer is struggling to explain what happened to $12 million of his partner’s money:

THE com­pany controlled by Clive Palmer that received $10 million in Chinese funds is a $1 entity once involved in minerals exploration northwest of Adel­aide, far from the West Australian port for which the cash was allocated.
Cosmo Developments Pty Ltd, the recipient of cheque number 2046 for $10m of Chinese funds allegedly wrongfully siphoned last August, had no interest or role at the port of Cape Preston, according to documents seen by The Australian yesterday…
Mr Palmer and staff are under mounting pressure in legal proceedings to explain how Chinese funds, drained from a National Australia Bank account called Port Palmer Operations, were spent on “port management services’’ when his companies have not been operating the port of Cape Preston.
Mr Palmer was served with a subpoena in Canberra on Monday at the Hyatt Hotel. A source who saw it said the federal parliamentarian tried to hand it back, saying he would not accept it.
Mr Palmer was the sole signat­ory on the NAB cheque account, according to sources close to his company, but he repeatedly told journalists on Monday he could “not recall’’ signing two cheques totalling $12.167m last year.
The Chinese government-owned Citic Pacific suspects its funds, which were held in the NAB account and subject to strict controls, were wrongfully used by Mr Palmer to bankroll the Palmer United Party.
A setback for Palmer:

CLIVE Palmer’s Mineralogy has been forced to hand over $1.7 million to Chinese state-owned Citic Pacific as part of rulings in secret hearings and is now being pursued for an overdue $106,000, court documents have revealed…
It is part of a bitter dispute between Mineralogy and its estranged business partner Citic Pacific over more than $12 million that was paid into a Palmer-controlled bank account.
Palmer denies any wrongdoing.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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=== Posts from Last year ===
4 her, so she can see how I see her


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Larry Pickering
RUDD MOVES TO KILL OFF THE FACELESS MEN

With an October election looking more likely by the minute, Kevin Rudd plans to emasculate the people who handed him the Prime Ministership.

“I would only consider being drafted into Office again if there is an overwhelming Caucus majority”, said our Kev. But there was nothing like an overwhelming majority.

Contrary to Labor Ministers’ insistence, if Bill Shorten had not brought the required numbers to the Caucus table, a mere 20 minutes before the vote was taken, Julia Gillard would likely still be Prime Minister.

It was only after she heard that Shorten had ratted on her that Gillard admitted defeat. How did she know that?

Well, the final vote was 57 to 45 in Rudd’s favour. Prior to Shorten’s announcement it was line ball, as Gillard had said.
It was close and she knew it teetered on which way Shorten jumped.

A differential of twelve votes meant if six Caucus members had voted the other way, Rudd would have faced yet another failed attempt to assassinate Gillard.

But shorten carried more than six votes into Caucus... possibly eight.

Calling a Press conference to announce his prescient intention to back Rudd indicated the votes he spoke for were easily sufficient to kill Gillard.

Rudd knew without Shorten he was dead meat but Rudd has not appreciated Shorten’s support. In fact he has moved to destroy Shorten’s long-term ambition of ALP Leadership.

Shorten’s numbers were instrumental in Rudd’s initial knifing and critical to Gillard’s elevation... and to her eventual demise.

More proof is hardly needed that Bill Shorten will stoop to any low to fulfil his Bill Ludwig-bestowed destiny.

But Kevin Rudd too was on a mission to claim what he saw as his rightful role as Australia’s Prime Minister and Julia had handed it to him on a plate the moment she announced an eight-month election campaign.

It was a tactic aimed at Abbott but blind to her real enemy, Kevin Rudd. Yet another instance of Gillard’s lack of political judgment.

An eight-month campaign allowed the “I’m only here to help” Kev to commence campaigning in the marginal seats of those who supported him.

He could not have done that without her inane eight-month campaign announcement.

The results were devastating and marked the end of Gillard.

Kev’s campaigning immediately encouraged the pollsters to draw a renewed comparison between the two protagonists and forced a nervous Caucus to again start counting numbers.

But the cost to Shorten was great. He had ratted on his mates and his union base is now fractured.

Even the AWU’s “we’ve got your back, Prime Minister” Paul Howes, has disowned him.

Worse still for Shorten is Rudd’s order for Presidential style Party elections that, in effect, neuter the unions’ influence.

Rudd will never forgive those who arranged Gillard’s knifing of him and he is currently seeking to kill them off for good. It’s a task that may be beyond him.

What Rudd is proposing is that the Parliamentary wing of Labor divest itself of the unions’ faceless men. But it may be that the faceless men will again divest themselves of Rudd, and this time for good.

Rudd’s is a perilous gamble that has little chance of success because unions will not allow ownership of their Labor Party to be snuffed out by one arrogant, anti faction populist who they temporarily installed as PM.

Rudd’s bump in the polls will soon dissipate as memories of his myriad inadequacies are jolted.

Union powerbrokers are gathering their loins for the next ALP National Conference in a livid rage at a virtual outsider attempting to steal their heritage of 123 years.

Kevin Rudd is left with a precarious skeleton of potentially disloyal Caucus members who have already shown they will readily turn on a Leader when it suits their interests.

The best of Caucus and most of the front bench have resigned in revulsion. Albanese alone will not be enough.

Kev is virtually on his own with a crippled and incompetent C team incapable of dealing with a sophisticated union onslaught.

Our Kev has the conceited arrogance to believe he can rip the Labor Party heart from the breasts of trade unions and simply walk away.

It could be his making but more likely it will expose his mortality.
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This is probably going to cost me some friends, but it needs to be done. So, here we go!

By: Rabbi Aryel Nachman ben Chaim – 29 Tammuz 5773

BS”D (Besiyata Dishmaya - "With the help of Heaven") In the aspect of “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the L-RD;” (Yeshayahu [Isaiah] 1: 18)

Dear Friends,

I have some areas of concern, and I think it is time to address them, or at least begin to think about them. Let’s face it, a person can’t fix what they don’t know is broken.

So many times I see on your posts, pages and groups “We stand with Israel!” or “We stand with the Jewish people.” Very good; but just what does that mean? You see, words are like promises, they mean very little unless they are backed up with actions. And before you tell me “Well, I pray for Israel and the Jewish people every day!”, let me tell you the same thing I tell my congregation, “Prayers without actions is an empty vessel.” By that I mean, no prayer, no desire, no goal, no matter how lofty, is accomplished with the help of G-d unless we act first. Only by action do we merit His help. So, when you say “We stand with Israel!” or “We stand with the Jewish people!” I ask, what have you actually done to “stand” with Israel and/or the Jewish people?

Now, before you answer, let me point out a few things that are going on in Israel that may give you some ideas.

First, missionary groups are invading Israel with the stated intent to convert Jews to their religion by deceit and lies. They are like thieves who prey on the weak and weary. What they are in fact doing is to steal precious jewels from the treasury of the King. Do they think that the King does not keep an accounting of all His jewels? And, when they steal these jewels, they essentially destroy them; like the jeweler who strikes the rough diamond wrong and turns a potentially priceless jewel into dust. So, I ask, what would happen to a person who was caught stealing jewels from an earthly king? Can you imagine what happens to a person who steals from the treasury of the King of the Universe!? Who among the churches and organizations stands up against these practices and speaks out?

Next, many churches and organizations spend excessive amounts of money each year on trips to Israel. Also good, they are helping the economy in Israel. However, there are many Jews around the world who would dearly love to visit or move to Israel. What of these; G-d’s chosen? What have they done to help a poor Jewish family visit or move to Israel? Every time I hear people saying that they and their church group have made many trips to Israel, my first thought is, how many of the Children of Israel could they have sent home for the price of just one trip? It is like waving a steak in front of a starving person and telling them how wonderful it tastes, and then consuming the entire steak in front of them.

Many churches and organizations have jumped on the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement against Israel. The BDS’ers (pun intended) use misinformation and outright lies to justify their anti-Semitism against Israel and the Jews. How many times have you heard the worn-out lie “Oh, I am not against Jews, I am against Zionists.”? Well, my friends, anti-Zionism is nothing more than politically correct anti-Semitism. How many churches and organizations have publically encouraged their members to buy Israeli goods to counter the BDS lies? How many people have spoken to their churches and organizations about the lies and injustice of the BDS movement?

Today, it is very popular to point out all the wrongs of Israel; in fact, it is one of the United Nation’s favorite pastimes! Israel is told they cannot build homes for their people, they cannot build a fence to protect their people, they cannot decide where the capital of Israel will be located. Let’s be clear, Israel is a country of people and people make mistakes, and they make poor decisions from time to time. However, while Israel is often vilified in the media for any minor and perceived wrong (whether it is true or, as often it turns out, false), why is so very little attention paid to the Arab countries and the very real oppression being perpetrated against Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and, very often, their own people. Why is Israel held to a different standard than any other nation on the earth? Have the churches and organizations petitioned the U.S. Government to recognize Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel? Have the churches and organization publically supported the building of homes in Israel for her children? Have the churches and organizations publically protested the treatment of people in the Arab countries?

As rockets rained down on towns and schools in Israel, as Arab uprisings have attacked villages, synagogues and the graves of our people, many churches and organizations have cancelled trips to Israel and said “Well, we will just have to go another time when things settle down.” But, how many of them have taken that money they would have spent on the trip and sent it to help rebuild those towns, villages, schools, synagogues and restore the graves? How many have decided to donate even part of that money to the Magen David Adom, IDF Pizza, Hatzolah or other organizations in Israel who provide help and relief from these attacks and acts of terror?

So, my friends, we now come full circle, and I again ask, when you say “We stand with Israel!” or “We stand with the Jewish people.” what does that mean?  Or, is it just an empty vessel?

Excellent questions. I stand with Israel. By that I mean I believe Jewish peoples have the right to prosper in their faith, and Israelis have the right to prosper in their nationhood. This does not contradict my Christian faith. The great nation of Israel accepts all peoples of all faiths .. our futures are entwined, as are our peoples. - ed
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I like the 3 .. Suggesting third choice .. Yeah Nat .. You are improving. - ed
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Bilateral meeting with President Morsi of Egypt
Both removed from government days after .. - ed
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New York from the top of the Rock. I could have stayed up there all night, but my time in Manhattan was at a close and I had to get to Philadelphia early the next morning. A great time while taking photos for Yahoo! as their weather photographer. This was a 15 second hand held picture. Adobe Photoshop's new "shake reduction" filter actually helped get this to where I felt it could be represented. Pretty nifty technology! Behind the Empire State Building, the shining new Freedom Tower in the background enjoys it's first night with it's new glowing spire on it's top. — atRockefeller Center.
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Kevin Rudd
Rudd .. take your fingers out from inside that child's top .. - ed
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And These Food Ingredients Are Even More Scary, go check out:

http://www.unbelievable-facts.com/2013/03/6-scary-food-ingredients-we-have_14.html
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Another Manhattan image from my stint with Yahoo! last May. Deepak and I raced the setting sun all the way to Staten Island in order to get this shot. Once there the temperatures immediately dropped and the wind picked up. Good thing there was a magnificent Indian restaurant nearby to warm us back up! — in Staten Island, NY.
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Holly Sarah Nguyen
How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers!
Psalm 1.1
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Holly Sarah Nguyen
"I say to you people that are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those people that hate you. Ask God to bless those people that say bad things to you. Pray for those people that are mean to you. If a person hits you on the side of your face, let him hit the other side too. If a person takes your coat, don't stop him from taking your shirt too. Give to every person that asks you. When a person takes something that is yours, don't ask for it back. Do for other people what you want them to do for you. "If you love only those people that love you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners love the people that love them! If you do good only to those people that do good to you, should you get some special praise for doing that? No! Even sinners do that! If you loan things to people, always expecting to get something back, should you get some special praise for that? No! Even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount! "I'm telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do these things, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High (God). Yes, because God is good even to the people that are full of sin and not thankful. Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy. ~ Luke 6:27-36
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Milwaukee by nightfall. Another in the on the road with Yahoo! series.
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The Honey Bear Hot Chocolat and The Salted Caramel Storm Hot Chocolat are joining us for winter. Be nice, give them a hug! 
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Pastor Rick Warren
An attack from evil always preceeds a victory from God.
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This morning the first Waratah Train left Richmond station. Great that the NSW Government is delivering new modern heated and airconditioned trains for long suffering commuters who were ignored by Labor for too long
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Pastor Rick Warren
"We prove to be authentic servants of God by resolute perseverance in times of difficulties and distress.” 2Cor.6:4 NJB
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I want to see more children getting the skills they need to succeed. Find out more here: national.org.nz/public-services.aspx/
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Lady Jane Grey
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“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
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Morning

"Forget not all His benefits."
Psalm 103:2
It is a delightful and profitable occupation to mark the hand of God in the lives of ancient saints, and to observe his goodness in delivering them, his mercy in pardoning them, and his faithfulness in keeping his covenant with them. But would it not be even more interesting and profitable for us to remark the hand of God in our own lives? Ought we not to look upon our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of his goodness and of his truth, as much a proof of his faithfulness and veracity, as the lives of any of the saints who have gone before? We do our Lord an injustice when we suppose that he wrought all his mighty acts, and showed himself strong for those in the early time, but doth not perform wonders or lay bare his arm for the saints who are now upon the earth. Let us review our own lives. Surely in these we may discover some happy incidents, refreshing to ourselves and glorifying to our God. Have you had no deliverances? Have you passed through no rivers, supported by the divine presence? Have you walked through no fires unharmed? Have you had no manifestations? Have you had no choice favours? The God who gave Solomon the desire of his heart, hath he never listened to you and answered your requests? That God of lavish bounty of whom David sang, "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things," hath he never satiated you with fatness? Have you never been made to lie down in green pastures? Have you never been led by the still waters? Surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of old. Let us, then, weave his mercies into a song. Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness, and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus. Let our souls give forth music as sweet and as exhilarating as came from David's harp, while we praise the Lord whose mercy endureth forever.

Evening

"And God divided the light from the darkness."
Genesis 1:4
A believer has two principles at work within him. In his natural estate he was subject to one principle only, which was darkness; now light has entered, and the two principles disagree. Mark the apostle Paul's words in the seventh chapter of Romans: "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members." How is this state of things occasioned? "The Lord divided the light from the darkness." Darkness, by itself, is quiet and undisturbed, but when the Lord sends in light, there is a conflict, for the one is in opposition to the other: a conflict which will never cease till the believer is altogether light in the Lord. If there be a division within the individual Christian, there is certain to be a division without. So soon as the Lord gives to any man light, he proceeds to separate himself from the darkness around; he secedes from a merely worldly religion of outward ceremonial, for nothing short of the gospel of Christ will now satisfy him, and he withdraws himself from worldly society and frivolous amusements, and seeks the company of the saints, for "We know we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." The light gathers to itself, and the darkness to itself. What God has divided, let us never try to unite, but as Christ went without the camp, bearing his reproach, so let us come out from the ungodly, and be a peculiar people. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners; and, as he was, so we are to be nonconformists to the world, dissenting from all sin, and distinguished from the rest of mankind by our likeness to our Master.
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Today's reading: Job 38-40, Acts 16:1-21 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Job 38-40

The LORD Speaks
1 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone--
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

Today's New Testament reading: Acts 16:1-21

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers....
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