Wilkinson had wanted the PM and Premier to answer defensively, neither of them did, but her technique has been successful elsewhere with the media .. denialism. Wilkinson ignored that she had had reasonable answers and proceeded as if she had not. It is, as Blair discusses, related to jihadism and Islam. Around the world, there is a practiced denialism that refuses to accept that jihadism has committed an atrocity. Perhaps as in the case of a driver in France calling out "Allahu Akbar" while driving into a crowd of people and injuring eleven. It is an act of terrorism, but it also masks the fact it is a crime even if Islam were not involved. Islam is the pretext that 'excuses' any criminal activity. Man Monis asked for an ISIL flag, but clearly Monis had not been certain what one was and where to get one. Apparently there are some fifty such flags in NSW where it is illegal to have such a terrorist item. Monis had not been well connected with those he was purporting to represent. Same too with Wilkinson, who claims she is fair and balanced, when she is in fact partisan.
Denialism excuses terror. Press, in denying the obvious reality, search for something else, as when some terrorists killed over 130 children recently, wrapping up with "We've killed the children, what next?" Media gave their 'reason' as being revenge for a drone attack. Which is utter rubbish even if there had been a drone attack or several. Killing those children did not achieve any end. The drone attacks had not been a reason. It was terrorism. And Islamic clerics who approve the pretexts approve the terror. As does the complicit media.
But denialism does not merely pervade jihadism and reporting of terrorism. The ALP who with their union connections practice corruption and denialism supports them too. Gillard practiced denialism when faced with clear evidence of her corrupt practice. She insisted she should be judged from a lower standard. And the ABC practiced denialism by not reporting the corruption they saw. The snigger regarding WMD in Iraq is still given by international press aware that the WMD were found and had been used on Syrians before being collected by the UN and examined. Press had been aware of WMD being present in Iraq as early as 2005.
Meanwhile Monis' proudly jihadist wife has had her bail revoked. It turns out NSW ALP leader Robertson had supported Monis when Monis had written offensive letters to widows of soldiers. Robertson declared why he supported a jihadist a few years ago. "My staff do not have the capacity to do Google checks..." NSW Opposition Leader, John Robertson said. that sounds right. He has accurately described their standard. Blair discusses misunderstandings. They can happen. Perhaps Robertson misunderstood why he was supporting a jihadist who had threatened war widows. It can happen. But more likely, there was corruption involved. Robertson did the unthinkable because of policy which was higher.
Lisa Oldfield attacked by taxi driver, molested. The driver was not registered as they were supposed to be. They will be identified. Lisa had gone to a Christmas function and had had a drink, so she caught a taxi rather than drive. And she dozed off on the journey. She awakened to the hands of the driver molesting her, leaving strong bruises. Because the driver had disconnected their electronic signature, it is apparent they planned their opportunistic attack. It doesn't have to be terrorism to be wrong.
Crikey readers support ISIL over the PM according to Crikey poll. Not doubting the accuracy of the poll, it says much about Crikey readers. They probably support BBL04 Perth Scorchers.
2013
Tweeting has gotten some people in trouble. Sometimes the controversy is concocted and inflated, as with Duck Dynasty. Sometimes it is just a highly lauded idiot being themselves, as with a former PR-exec going to Africa. One hopes she enjoyed her stay. Words have power. Used by wise people, words can build and create hope where there is none, when all seems lost. Such is the case when a dying woman left some letters, to be read after she died. But, words can be badly used. I have pointed this out many times to many people. If you use hatred to make a point, you probably aren't making it well. It would be wrong of me not to say so. One person so advised by me accused me of being dictatorial. I deleted some posts based on published guidelines. That isn't censorship. Censorship is what you get when you can't post good ideas .. or any ideas ..Piers has a strong opinion on Christians being killed for their faith. But that does not worry me as much as innocent people being killed indiscriminately so as to scare others. The faith of the victim is not important. The faith of the abusers is debatable. Nero felt he was persecuting atheists when he persecuted Christians. That didn't make his ideas worthwhile. A sherif in England denied safe passage to several families a thousand years ago, and so they were lynched. It would have been a cowardly crime at the time, and is considered one today, except where the UN approves the mayhem. Christians are not assured of a great life in the world. It just highlights an important thing. President Bush was wise to defend US interests in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama is wrong to abrogate responsibility. A weak President is a bad one, internationally, a weak President is a disaster. Obama is unlikely to tweet himself out of trouble.
Historical perspectives on this day
In 69, Emperor Vitellius was captured and murdered at the Gemonian stairs in Rome. 880, Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang dynasty, was captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong. 1135, Stephen of Blois became King of England 1216, Pope Honorius III approved the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam. 1622, Bucaramanga, Colombia was founded. 1769, Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) ended with an uneasy truce. 1790, the Turkish fortress of Izmail was stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russian armies.In 1807, the Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, was passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson. 1808, Ludwig van Beethoven conducted and performed in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano). 1851, India's first freight train was operated in Roorkee, India. 1864, Savannah, Georgia fell to General William Tecumseh Sherman, concluding his "March to the Sea". 1885, Itō Hirobumi, a samurai, became the first Prime Minister of Japan. 1890, Cornwallis Valley Railway began operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia. 1891, Asteroid 323 Brucia became the first asteroid discovered using photography. 1894, the Dreyfus affair began in France, when Alfred Dreyfus was wrongly convicted of treason.
In 1920, the GOELRO economic development plan was adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR. 1937, the Lincoln Tunnel opened to traffic in New York City. 1939, Indian Muslims observed a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignation of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom. 1940, World War II: Himarë was captured by the Greek army. 1942, World War II: Adolf Hitler signed the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon. 1944, World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demanded the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!" Also 1944, World War II: The Vietnam People's Army was formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina, now Vietnam. 1947, the Constituent Assembly of Italy approved the Constitution of Italy. 1951, the Selangor Labour Party was founded in Selangor, Malaya. 1956, Colo, the first gorilla to be bred in captivity, was born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio. 1963, the cruise ship Lakonia burns 180 miles (290 km) north of Madeira, Portugal with the loss of 128 lives. 1964, the first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. 1965, in the United Kingdom, a 70 mph speed limit was applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time. Previously, there had been no speed limit.
In 1974, Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli voted to become the independent nation of Comoros. Mayotte remaining under French administration. Also 1974, the house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath was attacked by members of the Provisional IRA. 1978, the pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaoping reversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform. 1984, Bernhard Goetz shot four African American would-be muggers on an express train in Manhattan section of New York, New York. 1987, in Zimbabwe, the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reached an agreement that ended the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi. 1988 Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist, was assassinated. 1989, Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu was overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife fled Bucharest with a helicopter as protesters erupted in cheers. Also 1989, Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opened after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
In 1990, final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship. Also 1990, the Croatian Parliament adopted the current Constitution of Croatia. 1991, armed opposition groups launched a military coup against President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia. 1992, the Archives of Terror were discovered. 1997, Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas were massacred by paramilitary forces. Also 1997, Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquished the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991. 1999, Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, a Boeing 747-200F crashed shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport due to pilot error. All 4 crew members were killed. 2001, Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, handed over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai. Also 2001 Richard Reid attempted to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63. 2008, an ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3) of coal fly ash slurry. 2010, the repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, was signed into law by President Barack Obama.
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This column welcomes feedback and criticism. The column is not made up but based on the days events and articles which are then placed in the feed. So they may not have an apparent cohesion they would have had were they made up.
===
Editorials will appear in the "History in a Year by the Conservative Voice" series, starting with August https://www.createspace.com/4124406
===
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
Or the US President at
https://www.change.org/p/barack-obama-change-this-injustice#
or
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/change-injustice-faced-david-daniel-ball-after-he-reported-bungled-pedophile-investigation-and/b8mxPWtJ or http://wh.gov/ilXYR
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.
===
Happy birthday and many happy returns Ammanuel Abebe and Hoa Nguyen. Born on the same day, across the years, along with
- 244 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (d. 311)
- 1765 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician (d. 1825)
- 1858 – Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (d. 1924)
- 1860 – Austin Norman Palmer, American developer of the Palmer Method (d. 1927)
- 1887 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (d. 1920)
- 1888 – J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (d. 1972)
- 1949 – Robin Gibb, English singer-songwriter and producer (Bee Gees) (d. 2012)
- 1962 – Ralph Fiennes, English actor
- 1983 – Jennifer Hawkins, Australian model, Miss Universe 2004
- 1998 – G. Hannelius, American actress and singer
December 22: Mother's Day in Indonesia
- 1769 – Having been soundly defeated in battle, the Qing dynasty agreed to terms of truce, ending the Sino-Burmese War.
- 1920 – The 8th Congress of Soviets approved the GOELRO plan, the first Soviet plan for national economic recovery and development.
- 1939 – Members of the All-India Muslim League observed a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congressover the decision to enter the Second World War at the request of the United Kingdom.
- 1964 – The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (pictured), the United States Air Force's long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft and the world's fastest air-breathing manned aircraft, made its first flight.
- 1984 – While riding a New York City Subway train, Bernhard Goetz shot four African American youths who attempted to rob him, sparking a nationwide debate on vigilantism, racism, and the legal limits of self-defense.
Matches
- 69 – Emperor Vitellius is captured and murdered at the Gemonian stairs in Rome.
- 880 – Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong.
- 1135 – Stephen of Blois becomes King of England
- 1216 – Pope Honorius III approves the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam.
- 1622 – Bucaramanga, Colombia is founded.
- 1769 – Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) ends with an uneasy truce.
- 1790 – The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russian armies.
- 1807 – The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson.
- 1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).
- 1851 – India's first freight train is operated in Roorkee, India.
- 1864 – Savannah, Georgia falls to General William Tecumseh Sherman, concluding his "March to the Sea".
- 1885 – Itō Hirobumi, a samurai, became the first Prime Minister of Japan.
- 1890 – Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kentville and Kingsport, Nova Scotia.
- 1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography.
- 1894 – The Dreyfus affair begins in France, when Alfred Dreyfus is wrongly convicted of treason.
- 1920 – The GOELRO economic development plan is adopted by the 8th Congress of Soviets of the Russian SFSR.
- 1937 – The Lincoln Tunnel opens to traffic in New York City.
- 1939 – Indian Muslims observe a "Day of Deliverance" to celebrate the resignations of members of the Indian National Congress over their not having been consulted over the decision to enter World War II with the United Kingdom.
- 1940 – World War II: Himarë is captured by the Greek army.
- 1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon.
- 1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge – German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!"
- 1944 – World War II: The Vietnam People's Army is formed to resist Japanese occupation of Indochina, now Vietnam.
- 1947 – The Constituent Assembly of Italy approves the Constitution of Italy.
- 1951 – The Selangor Labour Party is founded in Selangor, Malaya.
- 1956 – Colo, the first gorilla to be bred in captivity, is born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio.
- 1963 – The cruise ship Lakonia burns 180 miles (290 km) north of Madeira, Portugal with the loss of 128 lives.
- 1964 – The first test flight of the SR-71 (Blackbird) took place at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California.
- 1965 – In the United Kingdom, a 70 mph speed limit is applied to all rural roads including motorways for the first time. Previously, there had been no speed limit.
- 1974 – Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli vote to become the independent nation of Comoros. Mayotte remains under French administration.
- 1974 – The house of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is attacked by members of the Provisional IRA.
- 1978 – The pivotal Third Plenum of the 11th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing, with Deng Xiaopingreversing Mao-era policies to pursue a program for Chinese economic reform.
- 1984 – Bernhard Goetz shoots four African American would-be muggers on an express train in Manhattan section of New York, New York.
- 1987 – In Zimbabwe, the political parties ZANU and ZAPU reach an agreement that ends the violence in the Matabeleland region known as the Gukurahundi.
- 1988 – Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist, is assassinated.
- 1989 – Communist President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu is overthrown by Ion Iliescu after days of bloody confrontations. The deposed dictator and his wife flee Bucharest with a helicopter as protesters erupt in cheers.
- 1989 – Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opens after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
- 1990 – Final independence of Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia after termination of trusteeship.
- 1990 – The Croatian Parliament adopts the current Constitution of Croatia.
- 1991 – Armed opposition groups launch a military coup against President of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia.
- 1992 – The Archives of Terror are discovered.
- 1997 – Acteal massacre: Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces.
- 1997 – Hussein Farrah Aidid relinquishes the disputed title of President of Somalia by signing the Cairo Declaration, in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first major step towards reconciliation in Somalia since 1991.
- 1999 – Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, a Boeing 747-200F crashes shortly after take-off from London Stansted Airport due to pilot error. All 4 crew members are killed.
- 2001 – Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of the Northern Alliance, hands over power in Afghanistan to the interim government headed by President Hamid Karzai.
- 2001 – Richard Reid attempts to destroy a passenger airliner by igniting explosives hidden in his shoes aboard American Airlines Flight 63.
- 2008 – An ash dike ruptured at a solid waste containment area in Roane County, Tennessee, releasing 1.1 billion US gallons (4,200,000 m3) of coal fly ash slurry.
- 2010 – The repeal of the Don't ask, don't tell policy, the 17-year-old policy banning homosexuals serving openly in the United States military, is signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Hatches
- 244 – Diocletian, Roman emperor (d. 311)
- 1095 – Roger II of Sicily (d. 1154)
- 1178 – Emperor Antoku of Japan (d. 1185)
- 1546 – Kuroda Yoshitaka, Japanese daimyo (d. 1604)
- 1550 – Cesare Cremonini, Italian philosopher and author (d. 1631)
- 1639 – Jean Racine, French poet and playwright (d. 1699)
- 1666 – Guru Gobind Singh, Indian guru and poet (d. 1708)
- 1694 – Hermann Samuel Reimarus, German philosopher and academic (d. 1768)
- 1696 – James Oglethorpe, English general and politician, 1st Colonial Governor of Georgia (d. 1785)
- 1723 – Carl Friedrich Abel, German viol player and composer (d. 1787)
- 1765 – Johann Friedrich Pfaff, German mathematician and academic (d. 1825)
- 1805 – John Obadiah Westwood, English entomologist and archaeologist (d. 1893)
- 1807 – Johan Sebastian Welhaven, Norwegian author, poet, and critic (d. 1873)
- 1819 – Franz Abt, German composer and conductor (d. 1870)
- 1819 – Pierre Ossian Bonnet, French mathematician and academic (d. 1892)
- 1853 – Teresa Carreño, Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1917)
- 1853 – Evgraf Fedorov, Russian mathematician, crystallographer, and mineralogist (d. 1919)
- 1853 – Sarada Devi, Indian mystic and philosopher (d. 1920)
- 1856 – Frank B. Kellogg, American lawyer and politician, 45th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
- 1858 – Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (d. 1924)
- 1862 – Connie Mack, American baseball player and manager (d. 1956)
- 1865 – Charles Sands, American golfer and tennis player (d. 1945)
- 1868 – Jaan Tõnisson, Estonian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Estonia (d. 1941?)
- 1869 – Dmitri Egorov, Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1931)
- 1869 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet and playwright (d. 1935)
- 1872 – Camille Guérin, French veterinarian and bacteriologist (d. 1961)
- 1874 – Franz Schmidt, Austrian cellist, pianist, and composer (d. 1939)
- 1876 – Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Egyptian-Italian poet and composer (d. 1944)
- 1878 – Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper (d. 1925)
- 1883 – Marcus Hurley, American cyclist (d. 1941)
- 1883 – Edgard Varèse, French-American composer (d. 1965)
- 1885 – Abe Manley, American businessman (d. 1952)
- 1885 – Deems Taylor, American conductor and critic (d. 1966)
- 1887 – Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and theorist (d. 1920)
- 1888 – J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank, English businessman, founded Rank Organisation (d. 1972)
- 1889 – George Hutson, British long-distance runner (d. 1914)
- 1889 – Minor Watson, American actor (d. 1965)
- 1892 – Herman Potočnik, Croatian-Austrian engineer (d. 1929)
- 1898 – Vladimir Fock, Russian physicist and mathematician (d. 1974)
- 1899 – Gustaf Gründgens, German actor and director (d. 1963)
- 1900 – Marc Allégret, French director and screenwriter (d. 1973)
- 1901 – Andre Kostelanetz, Russian-American conductor and composer (d. 1980)
- 1903 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Kenneth Rexroth, American poet and academic (d. 1982)
- 1905 – Pierre Brasseur, French-Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Peggy Ashcroft, English actress (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Giacomo Manzù, Italian sculptor (d. 1991)
- 1909 – Patricia Hayes, English actress (d. 1998)
- 1912 – Elias Degiannis, Greek commander (d. 1943)
- 1912 – Lady Bird Johnson, American wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, 38th First Lady of the United States (d. 2007)
- 1913 – Giorgio Oberweger, Italian discus thrower (d. 1998)
- 1914 – Satchidananda Saraswati, Indian-American guru and educator (d. 2002)
- 1915 – Barbara Billingsley, American actress (d. 2010)
- 1915 – Phillip Glasier, English author and academic (d. 2000)
- 1917 – Gene Rayburn, American game show host and actor (d. 1999)
- 1919 – Lil Green, American singer-songwriter (d. 1954)
- 1921 – Dimitri Fampas, Greek guitarist and composer (d. 1996)
- 1921 – Hawkshaw Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1963)
- 1921 – Reinhold Stecher, Austrian bishop (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Mike Banks, English mountaineer (d. 2013)
- 1922 – Ruth Roman, American actress and singer (d. 1999)
- 1923 – Peregrine Worsthorne, English journalist
- 1924 – Frank Corsaro, American actor and director
- 1925 – Lewis Glucksman, American businessman and philanthropist (d. 2006)
- 1928 – George H. Buck, Jr., American businessman (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Ardalion Ignatyev, Russian sprinter (d. 1998)
- 1931 – Gisela Birkemeyer, German athlete
- 1931 – Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (d. 2013)
- 1932 – Phil Woosnam, Welsh-American soccer player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1933 – John Hartle, English motorcycle racer (d. 1968)
- 1934 – David Pearson, American race car driver
- 1935 – Paulo Rocha, Portuguese director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1936 – James Burke, Irish historian and author
- 1936 – Héctor Elizondo, American actor and director
- 1936 – Wojciech Frykowski, Polish actor (d. 1969)
- 1937 – Charlotte Lamb, English author (d. 2000)
- 1937 – Eduard Uspensky, Russian author, poet, and playwright
- 1937 – Ken Whitmore, English author and playwright
- 1938 – Matty Alou, Dominican-American baseball player (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Lucien Bouchard, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Premier of Quebec
- 1939 – James Gurley, American guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company) (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian politician (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Mike Molloy, English journalist, author, and illustrator
- 1941 – Jose Duval, Belgian pornographic actor
- 1942 – Jerry Koosman, American baseball player
- 1942 – Dick Parry, English saxophonist (Jokers Wild)
- 1943 – Stefan Janos, Slovak-Swiss physicist and academic
- 1943 – Paul Wolfowitz, American banker and politician, 25th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
- 1944 – Mary Archer, English chemist and academic
- 1944 – Steve Carlton, American baseball player
- 1944 – Barry Jenkins, English drummer (The Animals)
- 1945 – Frances Lannon, English historian and academic
- 1945 – Diane Sawyer, American journalist
- 1946 – Roger Carr, English businessman
- 1947 – Brian Daley, American author and screenwriter (d. 1996)
- 1948 – Noel Edmonds, English game show host
- 1948 – Steve Garvey, American baseball player
- 1948 – Don Kardong, American long-distance runner
- 1948 – Flip Mark, American actor
- 1948 – Rick Nielsen, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Cheap Trick, Fuse, and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters)
- 1948 – Chris Old, English cricketer
- 1948 – Lynne Thigpen, American actress and singer (d. 2003)
- 1948 – Martin Yan, Chinese chef and author
- 1949 – Maurice Gibb, Manx-English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer (Bee Gees, The Bloomfields, and The Rattlesnakes) (d. 2003)
- 1949 – Robin Gibb, Manx-English singer-songwriter and record producer (Bee Gees and The Rattlesnakes) (d. 2012)
- 1949 – Ray Guy, American football player
- 1951 – Charles de Lint, Dutch-Canadian author and critic
- 1951 – Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, Irish general and businessman
- 1951 – Dan Martin, American actor
- 1953 – Bern Nadette Stanis, American actress
- 1953 – Ian Turnbull, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1953 – Tom Underwood, American baseball player (d. 2010)
- 1954 – Hideshi Matsuda, Japanese race car driver
- 1955 – Galina Murašova, Lithuanian discus thrower
- 1955 – Lonnie Smith, American baseball player
- 1956 – Erica Boyer, American porn actress (d. 2009)
- 1956 – Jane Lighting, English businesswoman
- 1957 – Stephen Conway, English bishop
- 1957 – Carole James, English-Canadian educator and politician
- 1957 – Susan Powter, Australian personal trainer and author
- 1958 – Frank Gambale, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Chick Corea Elektric Band, Return to Forever, and Vital Information)
- 1958 – David Heavener, American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
- 1959 – Bernd Schuster, German footballer and manager
- 1960 – Jean-Michel Basquiat, American painter and poet (d. 1988)
- 1960 – Mark Brydon, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Moloko, Chakk, and Krush)
- 1960 – Luther Campbell, American rapper and actor (2 Live Crew)
- 1960 – Wakin Chau, Hong Kong-Taiwanese singer-songwriter and actor (Superband)
- 1960 – Patrick Fitzgerald, American lawyer
- 1961 – Andrew Fastow, American businessman
- 1961 – Yuri Malenchenko, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut
- 1961 – Marcus O'Sullivan, Irish middle-distance runner
- 1962 – Ralph Fiennes, English actor and singer
- 1963 – Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian footballer and coach
- 1963 – Brian McMillan, South African cricketer and educator
- 1963 – Luna H. Mitani, Japanese-American painter and illustrator
- 1964 – Simon Kirby, English politician
- 1965 – Urszula Włodarczyk, Polish heptathlete
- 1966 – Dmitry Bilozerchev, Russian gymnast
- 1966 – Marcel Schirmer, German singer-songwriter and bass player (Destruction)
- 1966 – David Wright, English politician
- 1967 – Richey Edwards, Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (Manic Street Preachers) (d. 1995)
- 1967 – Stéphane Gendron, Canadian lawyer and politician
- 1967 – Rebecca Harris, English politician
- 1967 – Paul Morris, Australian race car driver
- 1967 – Dan Petrescu, Romanian footballer and manager
- 1968 – Lauralee Bell, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Luis Hernández, Mexican footballer
- 1968 – Dina Meyer, American actress
- 1969 – Myriam Bédard, Canadian biathlete
- 1969 – Mark Robins, English footballer and manager
- 1970 – Gary Anderson, Scottish darts player
- 1971 – Pat Mastroianni, Canadian actor
- 1972 – Big Tigger, American radio and television host
- 1972 – Kirk Maltby, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 – Vanessa Paradis, French singer-songwriter and actress
- 1974 – Michael Barron, English footballer, coach, and manager
- 1974 – Heather Donahue, American actress
- 1975 – Chris Adler, American actor and producer
- 1975 – Sergei Aschwanden, Swiss martial artist
- 1975 – Dmitri Khokhlov, Russian footballer and manager
- 1975 – Stanislav Neckář, Czech ice hockey player
- 1976 – Katleen De Caluwé, Belgian sprinter
- 1976 – Jason Lane, American baseball player
- 1977 – Steve Kariya, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Anthony Jeselnik, American comedian, television host, writer, producer and actor
- 1978 – Joanne Kelly, Canadian actress
- 1978 – Emmanuel Olisadebe, Nigerian-Polish footballer
- 1979 – Jamie Langfield, Scottish footballer
- 1980 – Chris Carmack, American model and actor
- 1981 – David Cormican, Canadian actor and producer
- 1981 – Marina Kuptsova, Russian high jumper
- 1982 – Rodney Martin, American sprinter
- 1982 – Brooke Nevin, Canadian actress
- 1983 – Jennifer Hawkins, Australian model, Miss Universe 2004
- 1983 – Drew Hankinson, American wrestler
- 1983 – Viola Kibiwot, Kenyan runner
- 1984 – Basshunter, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1986 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Nigerian terrorist
- 1986 – Dennis Armfield, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Johannes Ahun, Estonian sailor
- 1987 – Garfield Darien, French hurdler
- 1987 – Éderzito António Macedo Lopes, Bissau-Portuguese footballer
- 1988 – Leigh Halfpenny, Welsh rugby player
- 1989 – Jordin Sparks, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1989 – Jharal Yow Yeh, Australian rugby player
- 1990 – Jean-Baptiste Maunier, French actor and singer
- 1990 – Josef Newgarden, American race car driver
- 1991 – Paul Alo-Emile, New Zealand-Australian rugby player
- 1992 – Michaela Hončová, Slovak tennis player
- 1993 – Ali Lohan, American actress and singer
- 1993 – Meghan Trainor, American singer-songwriter
- 1996 – Makisig Morales, Filipino singer and actor (Mak and the Dudes)
- 1998 – G. Hannelius, American actress and singer
- 1999 – Ameer Idreis, Canadian author
Despatches
- 69 – Vitellius, Roman emperor (b. 15)
- 1100 – Bretislaus II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1060)
- 1550 – Richard Plantagenet, English bricklayer (b. 1469)
- 1603 – Mehmed III, Ottoman sultan (b. 1566)
- 1646 – Peter Mogila, Moldavian metropolitan and saint (b. 1596)
- 1660 – André Tacquet, Flemish priest and mathematician (b. 1612)
- 1681 – Richard Alleine, English minister and author (b. 1611)
- 1708 – Hedvig Sophia of Sweden (b. 1681)
- 1738 – Constantia Jones, English prostitute (b. 1708)
- 1767 – John Newbery, English publisher (b. 1713)
- 1788 – Percivall Pott, English physician and surgeon (b. 1714)
- 1806 – William Vernon, American merchant (b. 1719)
- 1828 – William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist (b. 1766)
- 1867 – Jean-Victor Poncelet, French mathematician and engineer (b. 1788)
- 1870 – Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish journalist, poet, and playwright (b. 1836)
- 1880 – George Eliot, English journalist and author (b. 1819)
- 1899 – Dwight L. Moody, American evangelist and publisher, founded Moody Publishers (b. 1837)
- 1902 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing, German-Austrian psychiatrist and author (b. 1840)
- 1917 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, Italian-American nun and saint (b. 1850)
- 1918 – Aristeidis Moraitinis, Greek lieutenant and pilot (b. 1891)
- 1919 – Hermann Weingärtner, German gymnast (b. 1864)
- 1925 – Amelie Beese, German aviatrix and aeronautic engineer (b. 1886)
- 1939 – Ma Rainey, American singer (b. 1886)
- 1940 – Nathanael West, American author and screenwriter (b. 1903)
- 1941 – Karel Hašler, Czech songwriter, actor, lyricist, director, composer, writer, dramatist and screenwriter, murdered at Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp (b. 1879)
- 1942 – Franz Boas, German-American anthropologist and linguist (b. 1858)
- 1943 – Beatrix Potter, English author and illustrator (b. 1866)
- 1944 – Harry Langdon, American actor, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1884)
- 1944 – Eleni Papadaki, Greek actress and singer (b. 1903)
- 1950 – Frederick Freake, English polo player (b. 1876)
- 1955 – Jules De Bisschop, Belgian rower (b. 1879)
- 1957 – Frank George Woollard, English engineer (b. 1883)
- 1959 – Gilda Gray, Polish-American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1901)
- 1960 – Ninian Comper, Scottish-English architect (b. 1864)
- 1963 – Giovanni Giorgio Trissino, Italian horse rider (b. 1877)
- 1965 – Richard Dimbleby, English journalist (b. 1913)
- 1968 – Raymond Gram Swing, American journalist (b. 1887)
- 1971 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch journalist and author (b. 1913)
- 1974 – Sterling North, American author (b. 1906)
- 1979 – Darryl F. Zanuck, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1902)
- 1985 – D. Boon, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Minutemen and The Reactionaries) (b. 1958)
- 1986 – Mary Burchell, English author and activist (b. 1904)
- 1987 – Luca Prodan, Italian-Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Sumo) (b. 1953)
- 1988 – Chico Mendes, Brazilian union leader and activist (b. 1944)
- 1989 – Samuel Beckett, Irish author, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 1992 – Harry Bluestone, English violinist and composer (b. 1907)
- 1992 – Frederick William Franz, American religious leader (b. 1893)
- 1995 – Osvald Käpp, Estonian wrestler (b. 1905)
- 1995 – Butterfly McQueen, American actress and dancer (b. 1911)
- 1995 – James Meade, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1907)
- 1996 – Jack Hamm, American cartoonist (b. 1916)
- 1997 – Sebastian Arcos Bergnes, Cuban-American dentist and activist (b. 1931)
- 2000 – Stuart Lancaster American actor (b. 1920)
- 2001 – Ovidiu Iacov, Romanian footballer (b. 1981)
- 2002 – Desmond Hoyte, Guyanan politician, 3rd President of Guyana (b. 1929)
- 2002 – Joe Strummer, English singer-songwriter and actor (The Clash, The Mescaleros, and The Pogues) (b. 1952)
- 2002 – Kenneth Tobey, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2003 – Dave Dudley, American singer (b. 1928)
- 2004 – Doug Ault, American baseball player and manager (b. 1950)
- 2006 – Dennis Linde, American singer-songwriter (b. 1943)
- 2006 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (b. 1960)
- 2006 – Galina Ustvolskaya, Russian composer (b. 1919)
- 2007 – Adrian Cristobal, Filipino journalist and playwright (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Luis Francisco Cuéllar, Colombian politician (b. 1940)
- 2009 – Albert Scanlon, English footballer (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Fred Foy, American soldier and announcer (b. 1921)
- 2011 – William Duell, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Mariam Amash, Ottoman-Israeli super-centenarian (b. 1888)
- 2012 – Chuck Cherundolo, American football player and coach (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Ryan Freel, American baseball player (b. 1976)
- 2012 – Emidio Greco, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1938)
- 2012 – Rip Hawk, American wrestler (b. 1930)
- 2012 – Bill McBride, American lawyer and politician (b. 1945)
- 2012 – Cliff Osmond, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1937)
- 2012 – Bolesław Proch, Polish motorcycle racer (b. 1952)
- 2012 – Arthur Quinlan, Irish journalist (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Mike Scaccia, American guitarist (Ministry, Rigor Mortis, Lard, and League of Blind Women) (b. 1965)
- 2012 – Arkady Vorobyov, Russian weightlifter (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Marva Whitney, American singer (b. 1944)
- 2012 – Lim Keng Yaik, Malaysian physician and politician (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Muriel Abdurahman, Scottish-Canadian politician (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Diomedes Díaz, Colombian singer-songwriter (b. 1956)
- 2013 – Shem Downey, Irish hurler (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Hans Hækkerup, Danish politician (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Ed Herrmann, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
- 2013 – Keith McGowan, Australian radio host (b. 1943)
- 2013 – Oscar Peer, Swiss author, playwright, and philologist (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Bill Tremel, American baseball player (b. 1929)
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2014
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Continue reading 'THE LIMITS OF DENIAL'
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Continue reading 'MODERN MISUNDERSTANDINGS'
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Do they know it's Christmas? (snigger)
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We need this in Australia too ..
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Continue reading '48 PEOPLE IN TWITTER TROUBLE'
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It wasn't age that did them in .. drugs, alcohol, firearms .. ed
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"Writing regulation gives companies a leg up on their competition without ever having to improve quality or lower prices. If lobbying is cheaper than innovating, companies will write regulation instead of taking risks."
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My first thought is "Bullshit." Not that Christians are being killed, but being targeted. The people targeted are defenceless. When Amnesty International divert funds to defend terrorists like David Hicks, it is the defenceless who are victims. Prince Charles is late to the party. His grandfather, for political reasons, facilitated the slaughter of Jewish families so as to appease former Nazi allies. - ed
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2014
- Armed Forces Day (Vietnam)
- Christian feast day:
- Mother's Day (Indonesia)
- National Mathematics Day (India)
- Unity Day (Zimbabwe)
- Winter solstice-related observance (see December 21):
- Dongzhi Festival (East Asia)
BAIL REVOKED
Tim Blair – Monday, December 22, 2014 (5:18pm)
Man Monis’s third wife, Muslim convert and accused murderer Amirah Droudis, has been jailed ahead of her trial next year:
The court has just revoked the bail for Amirah Droudis, with sheriffs taking her immediately into custody.
Good.
THE LIMITS OF DENIAL
Tim Blair – Monday, December 22, 2014 (4:24am)
Complete denial of obvious facts can be a remarkably effective tactic. Properly delivered, a blunt denial in the face of clear truths will utterly confound an opponent.
As a short-term strategy, nothing beats it.
Continue reading 'THE LIMITS OF DENIAL'MODERN MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Tim Blair – Monday, December 22, 2014 (4:16am)
Office colleague Chris once showed me an article about gaudily painted BMWs. One example upset him. “This is revolting,” he fumed. “Who on earth would do that?”
“I think you’ll find it was coons,” I said.
Continue reading 'MODERN MISUNDERSTANDINGS'WHEN TWO WIDES GO TO WAR
Tim Blair – Monday, December 22, 2014 (3:58am)
Sydney’s alleged Islamic State waddle squad is revealed:
Two of the brothers, all of whom are believed to be in Syria, were evidently dominant at the dinner table.
Two of the brothers, all of whom are believed to be in Syria, were evidently dominant at the dinner table.
CRIKEY HEARTS ISIS
Tim Blair – Monday, December 22, 2014 (3:51am)
This says far more about Crikey‘s readers than it does about Tony Abbott:
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is less popular with Crikey readers than the actual leader of Islamic State.
Tragically, I received even fewer votes than the PM, despite an impressive nomination:
Let it never be said that the Daily Tele doesn’t ask the tough questions. “Who is Australia’s craziest left-wing frightbat? Crown our crazy queen!” Blair’s witch-project, where he dismissed some of Australia’s leading journalists and academics as silly, hysterical women who should get a grip on their womb-madness and let the men do the talking, made for uncomfortable reading.
Modern leftists absolutely hate “uncomfortable reading”, as Brendan O’Neill has observed:
Where once students might have allowed their eyes and ears to be bombarded by everything from risqué political propaganda to raunchy rock, now they insulate themselves from anything that might dent their self-esteem and, crime of crimes, make them feel ‘uncomfortable’. Student groups insist that online articles should have ‘trigger warnings’ in case their subject matter might cause offence.
(Via J.F. Beck)
FURIOUS FRIGHTBOY
Tim Blair – Monday, December 22, 2014 (3:11am)
Former Fairfax frightboy Mike Carlton proves that having completely lost it is no impediment to continually losing it. He’s like a perpetual motion loss-making machine. Speaking of Michael, please enjoy Hal G.P. Colebatch’s review of the recent Prime Minister’s Literary Awards:
Twitter was going berserk even before the ceremony finished. Leading the charge was one Mike Carlton, whose own entry, a rehashing of a naval engagement in World War I, had not won a prize. (I had previously written critically of another book by him and received a delightful note from him replete with four-letter words, a practice that is said to have got him sacked from the Sydney Morning Herald.)
To be fair, Carlton was suspended rather than sacked, although his immediate resignation delivered the same result – possibly desired by Fairfax management. Here’s looking forward to 2015, and Mike’s angriest year yet.
Post by Diamond Imports.
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Post by ZOO Magazine.
Do they know it's Christmas? (snigger)
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Post by Eloyan Paruyr.
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Iran Accelerates Arming of Hizbullah and Hamas for Possible Clash with Israel http://t.co/LZAAL6Fc3m
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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we're just trying to figure eachother out pic.twitter.com/b3x04856qz
— allie nicole (@Allie_CA_Nicole) December 22, 2014
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So much choice .. these are worthy .. Top 10 Worst U.N. Decisions Of 2014 http://t.co/7abxL33Yzp via @unwatch
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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I used to call it out while playing 500. Oh wait no, that was "Misere" .. Man cry ‘Allahu Akbar’ http://t.co/uDJiXKFo0Z via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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Photo: all-the-ways-things-are: http://t.co/lqugAwlNP1
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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Beefing up the attack with Morrison is PM’s masterstroke http://t.co/hjH1zKWVyo
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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ALP Leader Robertson signed terrorist's letter #nothisfault #handwringerdidntcare http://t.co/dVybAvqShi
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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Faceless 'Deeni Doll' for Muslim girls launched in Britain #culturedenieslove http://t.co/gSSKZ4iE5X via @MetroUK
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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Looking forward to #Ch9's Gallipolli but disptd their Amazing Grace lyric changed to "As long as life endures" .. #HappyHolidays bah, humbug
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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The first Dem Mayor in NYC since '93 is a flake and a failure. https://t.co/mC3WDGcpuI
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 22, 2014
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Tonight will be the longest night in the history of Earth http://t.co/L7ff54rWdY via @josephstromberg
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 21, 2014
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Photo: JG was a senior partner of a law firm in her thirties when she created a slush fund for her... http://t.co/yTfhdEsCb4
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 21, 2014
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It says much about Sydney Thunder in #BBL04 that they can have the greatest of starts and not look certain of winning
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 21, 2014
=== Posts from last year ===
A time for love and joy
Piers Akerman – Saturday, December 21, 2013 (11:43pm)
AS the world carols towards Christmas, at least in packed Western-style shopping malls, it is easy to lose sight of the plight of Christ’s followers.
Across the Middle East, in towns and hamlets where some of the oldest vestiges of the religion have clung to existence for almost 2000 years, the remnant Christian populations are being slaughtered.
In Egypt, Libya, Syria, thousands of Christians have been systematically murdered in a continuing horror that is largely overlooked by the world and overshadowed by the bloody wars raging between the Sunni and Shia Muslims.
The Copts, who had notably lived peaceably among the Egyptians, are now almost extinct in the region of their origin, flourishing only in the West.
According to a three-year Pew Research study of harassment of particular religious groups released in August, 2011, government or social harassment of Christians was reported in a total of 130 countries, 66 per cent of the nations surveyed.
Over the past two years, the situation has only worsened.
Anti-Christian persecution and actual violence have increased. The International Society for Human Rights, a German-based monitoring organisation says 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination are directed at Christians.
Rarely however is the big picture revealed, with most news items mentioning the burning of a church here, the murder of a family there, a car bombing or militarily-approved execution somewhere else.
The relentless extermination of Christians rarely rates in the news now. Just as the Syrian civil war, which occupied centre stage and world attention - even drawing some asinine comments from US President Obama for a fleeting moment - is now relegated to background chatter.
Ironically, Syria once housed one of the larger Christian communities in the Middle East and Syrian Christians, and Syrian Jews, were recognised with positions in the Cabinet of the now reviled President Assad.
They would have absolutely no future under the extremists in the militias competing to unseat the dictator.
Even the Burmese, whom the West views in a peculiarly muddled manner because of the media-friendly presence of political figure Aung Sun Suu Kyi, persecute their minority Christian Chin and Karen ethnics.
So much for the luvvies embrace of Buddhism as the religious panacea for the world’s problems.
In North Korea, where Kim Jong-un executed his uncle last week, it is estimated that between 50,000 to 100,000 Christians are held in forced labour camps for failing to worship the nation’s founder Kim Il-sung.
Religion is not a comfortable topic for discussion in Australia unless the absolute evils exposed by the succession of inquiries into child abuse make it inevitable.
The horror stories related to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse would make anyone weep.
But as appallingly tragic as the stories told by the brave survivors have been, there are others still suffering too much pain to expose themselves to the publicity an appearance would inevitably create.
In recent weeks, a number of such people have told me that even the existence of the inquiry has caused them to relive horrendous experiences they had been struggling to cope with.
One correspondent, who sent me a copy of his 29-page psychiatric report to help me gain greater insight into his situation, came forward after hearing the evidence of one of his old companions, Richard “Tommy’’ Campion, who was beaten and sexually abused throughout the 14 years he spent at the North Coast Children’s Home in Lismore.
The distressed man said that Campion had mentioned in his presentation an episode about a child forced to wear a nappy all day as punishment for wetting his bed.
“I was that child, this is the episode,” he wrote.
“I was forced to sleep in a cot, suitable for a little baby because I had a problem with wetting the bed but I was about 4 or 5 years old. I couldn’t straighten my legs.
“I woke up one morning having wet myself and was terrified. I was then told I would have to wear a nappy to breakfast in front of 35 other children.
“When they had sat down to breakfast I was PARADED in front of them all while they were ‘ordered’ to ‘laugh at me’. I sat and had breakfast with all these children while wearing a nappy hearing the ridicule and laughter constantly.
“Then after breakfast I was told I was going to wear the nappy to school all day. I was absolutely terrified, humiliated and to this day I still wish I was dead, I constantly wish for death and I cannot deal with more than three people at a time.”
His report would indicate he has led a life of catastrophic distress with not infrequent feelings of worthlessness, guilt and self-loathing and thoughts of suicide.
It would be easy, as some have raced to do, to blame religion and particularly Christianity for the wretched life he has endured, but it would be wrong to do so.
The message Christians share is one of hope, whether they are being persecuted in another country or brutalised by someone professing to be a Christian here.
That is the message in those shopping-mall Christmas carols, if they can be heard above the ringing of the cash registers.
It is not a call to arms, a call to hate, a call to slaughter, but a call to love. It is hopeful.
So, a Merry Christmas to all, and let the message of peace and joy spread throughout the world.
Across the Middle East, in towns and hamlets where some of the oldest vestiges of the religion have clung to existence for almost 2000 years, the remnant Christian populations are being slaughtered.
In Egypt, Libya, Syria, thousands of Christians have been systematically murdered in a continuing horror that is largely overlooked by the world and overshadowed by the bloody wars raging between the Sunni and Shia Muslims.
The Copts, who had notably lived peaceably among the Egyptians, are now almost extinct in the region of their origin, flourishing only in the West.
According to a three-year Pew Research study of harassment of particular religious groups released in August, 2011, government or social harassment of Christians was reported in a total of 130 countries, 66 per cent of the nations surveyed.
Over the past two years, the situation has only worsened.
Anti-Christian persecution and actual violence have increased. The International Society for Human Rights, a German-based monitoring organisation says 80 per cent of all acts of religious discrimination are directed at Christians.
Rarely however is the big picture revealed, with most news items mentioning the burning of a church here, the murder of a family there, a car bombing or militarily-approved execution somewhere else.
The relentless extermination of Christians rarely rates in the news now. Just as the Syrian civil war, which occupied centre stage and world attention - even drawing some asinine comments from US President Obama for a fleeting moment - is now relegated to background chatter.
Ironically, Syria once housed one of the larger Christian communities in the Middle East and Syrian Christians, and Syrian Jews, were recognised with positions in the Cabinet of the now reviled President Assad.
They would have absolutely no future under the extremists in the militias competing to unseat the dictator.
Even the Burmese, whom the West views in a peculiarly muddled manner because of the media-friendly presence of political figure Aung Sun Suu Kyi, persecute their minority Christian Chin and Karen ethnics.
So much for the luvvies embrace of Buddhism as the religious panacea for the world’s problems.
In North Korea, where Kim Jong-un executed his uncle last week, it is estimated that between 50,000 to 100,000 Christians are held in forced labour camps for failing to worship the nation’s founder Kim Il-sung.
Religion is not a comfortable topic for discussion in Australia unless the absolute evils exposed by the succession of inquiries into child abuse make it inevitable.
The horror stories related to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse would make anyone weep.
But as appallingly tragic as the stories told by the brave survivors have been, there are others still suffering too much pain to expose themselves to the publicity an appearance would inevitably create.
In recent weeks, a number of such people have told me that even the existence of the inquiry has caused them to relive horrendous experiences they had been struggling to cope with.
One correspondent, who sent me a copy of his 29-page psychiatric report to help me gain greater insight into his situation, came forward after hearing the evidence of one of his old companions, Richard “Tommy’’ Campion, who was beaten and sexually abused throughout the 14 years he spent at the North Coast Children’s Home in Lismore.
The distressed man said that Campion had mentioned in his presentation an episode about a child forced to wear a nappy all day as punishment for wetting his bed.
“I was that child, this is the episode,” he wrote.
“I was forced to sleep in a cot, suitable for a little baby because I had a problem with wetting the bed but I was about 4 or 5 years old. I couldn’t straighten my legs.
“I woke up one morning having wet myself and was terrified. I was then told I would have to wear a nappy to breakfast in front of 35 other children.
“When they had sat down to breakfast I was PARADED in front of them all while they were ‘ordered’ to ‘laugh at me’. I sat and had breakfast with all these children while wearing a nappy hearing the ridicule and laughter constantly.
“Then after breakfast I was told I was going to wear the nappy to school all day. I was absolutely terrified, humiliated and to this day I still wish I was dead, I constantly wish for death and I cannot deal with more than three people at a time.”
His report would indicate he has led a life of catastrophic distress with not infrequent feelings of worthlessness, guilt and self-loathing and thoughts of suicide.
It would be easy, as some have raced to do, to blame religion and particularly Christianity for the wretched life he has endured, but it would be wrong to do so.
The message Christians share is one of hope, whether they are being persecuted in another country or brutalised by someone professing to be a Christian here.
That is the message in those shopping-mall Christmas carols, if they can be heard above the ringing of the cash registers.
It is not a call to arms, a call to hate, a call to slaughter, but a call to love. It is hopeful.
So, a Merry Christmas to all, and let the message of peace and joy spread throughout the world.
48 PEOPLE IN TWITTER TROUBLE
Tim Blair – Sunday, December 22, 2013 (5:08am)
Public relations expert Justine Sacco loses her job after tweeting:
Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!
Sacco joins a long list of people fired or suspended for Twitter comments:
Continue reading '48 PEOPLE IN TWITTER TROUBLE'
WWW.NEWS.COM.AU
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www.news.com.au
A good man with a proud list of achievements has passed - ed===
It wasn't age that did them in .. drugs, alcohol, firearms .. ed
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en.wikipedia.org
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Anger and empathy
If you’re angry, you cannot really be empathising with the person you’re angry at. A failure to empathise is not a misunderstanding, like when you overinterpret something and get it wrong, nor a fallacy, like failing to see arbitrariness or causality; but it is an intellectual limitation — a form of short-sightedness. When we come into contact with a mind that is not our own, and can only see it from the outside, through the lens of our own thoughts and feelings, then our viewpoints are always blinkered, myopic, one-sided. It’s like never knowing what the back of your head looks like. In the case of anger, it means judging someone without fully understanding him.
Let us not hate anger, but merely see it for what it is. Anger is characterised by paranoia, fallacies of judgement, and a kind of self-centred myopia, but it had to be that way. Darwinian pressures demanded it. The anger program had to be quick and automatic. It had to be nasty. Like it or not, the angriest, most dogmatic, and most tribalistic of our ancestors are the ones that reproduced the most prolifically. So we are not blaming anyone for these intellectual flaws. Man is not Vulcan. Wisdom in man takes considerable work, a little like getting dogs to stop barking at strangers.
Extract from
The Anger Fallacy: Uncovering the Irrationality of the Angry Mindset
by Steven Laurent and Ross G Menzies
Buy the book at aapbooks.com http://tinyurl.com/lsy8bfw
or read more about anger from the authors athttps://www.facebook.com/TheAngerFallacy
or read about The Anger Fallacy Research project at the University of Sydney http://angerfallacy.com/
If you’re angry, you cannot really be empathising with the person you’re angry at. A failure to empathise is not a misunderstanding, like when you overinterpret something and get it wrong, nor a fallacy, like failing to see arbitrariness or causality; but it is an intellectual limitation — a form of short-sightedness. When we come into contact with a mind that is not our own, and can only see it from the outside, through the lens of our own thoughts and feelings, then our viewpoints are always blinkered, myopic, one-sided. It’s like never knowing what the back of your head looks like. In the case of anger, it means judging someone without fully understanding him.
Let us not hate anger, but merely see it for what it is. Anger is characterised by paranoia, fallacies of judgement, and a kind of self-centred myopia, but it had to be that way. Darwinian pressures demanded it. The anger program had to be quick and automatic. It had to be nasty. Like it or not, the angriest, most dogmatic, and most tribalistic of our ancestors are the ones that reproduced the most prolifically. So we are not blaming anyone for these intellectual flaws. Man is not Vulcan. Wisdom in man takes considerable work, a little like getting dogs to stop barking at strangers.
Extract from
The Anger Fallacy: Uncovering the Irrationality of the Angry Mindset
by Steven Laurent and Ross G Menzies
Buy the book at aapbooks.com http://tinyurl.com/lsy8bfw
or read more about anger from the authors athttps://www.facebook.com/TheAngerFallacy
or read about The Anger Fallacy Research project at the University of Sydney http://angerfallacy.com/
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"Writing regulation gives companies a leg up on their competition without ever having to improve quality or lower prices. If lobbying is cheaper than innovating, companies will write regulation instead of taking risks."
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My first thought is "Bullshit." Not that Christians are being killed, but being targeted. The people targeted are defenceless. When Amnesty International divert funds to defend terrorists like David Hicks, it is the defenceless who are victims. Prince Charles is late to the party. His grandfather, for political reasons, facilitated the slaughter of Jewish families so as to appease former Nazi allies. - ed
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pjmedia.com
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unitedwithisrael.org
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www.meforum.org
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http://www.jewishpress.com/
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unitycoalitionforisrael.org
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www.jihadwatch.org
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“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:6-7 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charels Spurgeon
Morning
"Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant."
2 Samuel 23:5
2 Samuel 23:5
This covenant is divine in its origin. "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." Oh that great word He ! Stop, my soul. God, the everlasting Father, has positively made a covenant with thee; yes, that God who spake the world into existence by a word; he, stooping from his majesty, takes hold of thy hand and makes a covenant with thee. Is it not a deed, the stupendous condescension of which might ravish our hearts forever if we could really understand it? "HE hath made with me a covenant." A king has not made a covenant with me--that were somewhat; but the Prince of the kings of the earth, Shaddai, the Lord All-sufficient, the Jehovah of ages, the everlasting Elohim, "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." But notice, it is particular in its application. "Yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant." Here lies the sweetness of it to each believer. It is nought for me that he made peace for the world; I want to know whether he made peace for me! It is little that he hath made a covenant, I want to know whether he has made a covenant with me. Blessed is the assurance that he hath made a covenant with me! If God the Holy Ghost gives me assurance of this, then his salvation is mine, his heart is mine, he himself is mine--he is my God.
This covenant is everlasting in its duration. An everlasting covenant means a covenant which had no beginning, and which shall never, never end. How sweet amidst all the uncertainties of life, to know that "the foundation of the Lord standeth sure," and to have God's own promise, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Like dying David, I will sing of this, even though my house be not so with God as my heart desireth.
Evening
"I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk."
Ezekiel 16:10
Ezekiel 16:10
See with what matchless generosity the Lord provides for his people's apparel. They are so arrayed that the divine skill is seen producing an unrivalled broidered work, in which every attribute takes its part and every divine beauty is revealed. No art like the art displayed in our salvation, no cunning workmanship like that beheld in the righteousness of the saints. Justification has engrossed learned pens in all ages of the church, and will be the theme of admiration in eternity. God has indeed "curiously wrought it." With all this elaboration there is mingled utility and durability, comparable to our being shod with badgers' skins. The animal here meant is unknown, but its skin covered the tabernacle, and formed one of the finest and strongest leathers known. The righteousness which is of God by faith endureth forever, and he who is shod with this divine preparation will tread the desert safely, and may even set his foot upon the lion and the adder. Purity and dignity of our holy vesture are brought out in the fine linen. When the Lord sanctifies his people, they are clad as priests in pure white; not the snow itself excels them; they are in the eyes of men and angels fair to look upon, and even in the Lord's eyes they are without spot. Meanwhile the royal apparel is delicate and rich as silk. No expense is spared, no beauty withheld, no daintiness denied.
What, then? Is there no inference from this? Surely there is gratitude to be felt and joy to be expressed. Come, my heart, refuse not thy evening hallelujah! Tune thy pipes! Touch thy chords!
"Strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed
By the Great Sacred Three!
In sweetest harmony of praise
Let all thy powers agree."
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Today's reading: Micah 4-5, Revelation 12 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Micah 4-5
The Mountain of the LORD
1 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the LORD
our God for ever and ever....
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine
and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
5 All the nations may walk
in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the LORD
our God for ever and ever....
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 12
The Woman and the Dragon
1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days....
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