Abbott defends successful chief of staff. Piers Akerman, writing with many LNP leaks, points to shadows and dark mutterings, but nothing substantive beyond the sole issue that Credilin is married to Loughnane. One is PM's chief of staff the other is President of the Liberal Party. The accusation is that timid Liberal members are afraid of approaching either about complaints about the other. It was never an issue before achieving government, which suggests that it is not an issue now, but some enterprising disloyal members are willing to risk government to serve ambition. The chief problem of the government is the negligence of the opposition in senate. Another problem is the misbehaviour of independent senators. Another problem is a media that is partisan with the ALP and Greens. The media are supposed to inform the public, not persuade the public of the virtues of corrupt left wing government.
Great fails in feminism include their silence over the book "Women who deserve to go to hell" which is on sale in Islamic book stores. Apparently the book says there were only four women in history the equal in intelligence and perfection to a man. One does not need to be a feminist to recognise the book is wrong, but one is puzzled as to why feminists, by their silence, agree with the book.
Cheap oil makes driving electric type cars inefficient. In this day and age, it is more efficient to drive a V8 car.
Airplane disappears, A320. AirAsia flight QZ8501 155 passengers and seven crew. It had been approaching bad weather leaving Indonesia bound for Singapore. It was supposed to be above any turbulence. It echoes the mystery surrounding missing MH360, only this plane was not between monitoring stations when it disappeared and a recovery is expected quickly.
2013
My favourite quote of 2013 was the swearing in of Mr Abbott as PM. Tim Blair goes through other goodies. I used the word 'perfidy' today and had to look it up. Perfidy accurately describes the various Christian churches who embrace terrorism and elevate desperate, poor people to drowning and exploitation. Obama's onesie boy who asks people to discuss Obamacare is not himself allowed to speak. Just like the English parliament's Speaker of the house. IRA are raising their profile using traditional methods. A media whore has lost a legal battle. ACT purchased some breasts without worrying about the cost, now Adelaide wants in. Suggestions for better journalism are many and varied, leaving those shouting them out, a little hoarse (mind your spelling, Antony, don't get carried away). Piers Morgan had a brilliant quip about the Dalai Lama. He didn't need to serve the penance. He had interviewed the Dalai Lama, and noted he had been a great world leader for many years. He didn't drink alcohol, take drugs, smoke or have sex. So basically, said Piers, he was like "Shane Warne."
The left does not listen, and so may not be aware they are wrong. A parasitic union has destroyed another business. Gillard left a law about bullying. But it doesn't seem to be retrospective so it might not apply to her.
Historical perspectives on this day
In 457, Majorian was acclaimed emperor of the Western Roman Empire and recognized by Emperor Leo I the Thracian. 484, Alaric II succeeded his father Euric and became king of the Visigoths. He establishes his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour (Southern Gaul). 893, an earthquake destroyed the city of Dvin, Armenia. 1065, Westminster Abbey was consecrated. 1308, the reign of Emperor Hanazono of Japan began. 1612 Galileo Galilei became the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star. 1768, King Taksin's coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital. 1795, construction of Yonge Street, formerly recognized as the longest street in the world, began in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto).In 1824, the Bathurst War came to an end with the surrender of the Wiradjuri. 1832, John C. Calhoun became the first Vice President of the United States to resign. 1835, Osceola led his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army. 1836, South Australia and Adelaide were founded. Also 1836, Spain recognised the independence of Mexico. 1846, Iowa was admitted as the 29th U.S. state. 1867, United States claimed Midway Atoll, the first territory annexed outside Continental limits. 1879, Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapsed as a train passed over it, killing 75. 1885, Indian National Congress, a political party of India was founded in Bombay Presidency, British India. 1895, the Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines, marking the debut of the cinema. Also 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen published a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later would be known as x-rays.
In 1902, the Syracuse Athletic Club defeated the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden. 1908, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocked Messina, Sicily, Italy killing over 75,000. 1912, the first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco. 1918, Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, became the first woman to be elected MP to the British House of Commons. 1935, Pravda published a letter by Pavel Postyshev, who revived New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union. 1941, World War II: Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate a high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commenced. 1943, World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the Battle of Ortona concluded with the victory of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division over the German 1st Parachute Division and the capture of the Italian town of Ortona. 1944, Maurice Richard became the first player to score eight points in one game of NHL ice hockey. 1948, the DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappeared 50 miles south of Miami. 1956, Chin Peng, David Marshall and Tunku Abdul Rahman met in Baling, Malaya to try and resolve the Malayan Emergency situation. 1958, "Greatest Game Ever Played": Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants in the first ever National Football League sudden death overtime game at New York's Yankee Stadium.
In 1972, Kim Il-sung, already Prime Minister of North Korea and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, becomes the first President of North Korea. 1973, the Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States. 1978, with the crew investigating a problem with the landing gear, United Airlines Flight 173 ran out of fuel and crashed in Portland, Oregon, killing ten. As a result, United Airlines instituted the industry's first crew resource management program. 1989, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people. 2000, U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announced it was going out of business after 128 years. 2006, War in Somalia: The militaries of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian troops captured Mogadishu unopposed. 2009, Forty-three people died in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims were observing the Day of Ashura. 2010, Arab Spring: Popular protests began in Algeria against the government. 2011, Roboski airstrike: Turkish warplanes bombed 34 Kurds of Turkish nationality in the district of Uludere.
===
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 Tammy Nguyen, Charles Huynh, Nathan Boyd and Jimmy Jong .. and Peter Boyd too .. born on the same day, across the years, along with
- 1164 – Emperor Rokujō of Japan (d. 1176)
- 1763 – John Molson, English-Canadian brewer, founded the Molson Brewing Company (d. 1836)
- 1902 – Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (d. 2001)
- 1903 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician (d. 1957)
- 1922 – Stan Lee, American writer, publisher, producer, and actor
- 1932 – Nichelle Nichols, American actress and singer
- 1934 – Maggie Smith, English actress
- 1940 – Don Francisco, Chilean-American television host
- 1953 – Richard Clayderman, French pianist
- 1954 – Denzel Washington, American actor, director, and producer
- 1957 – Anne Sargeant, Australian netball player
- 1988 – Martina Pretelli, Sammarinese sprinter
- 2002 – Kelsey Smith-Briggs, American child abuse victim (d. 2005)
December 28: Day of the Holy Innocents (Western Christianity)
- 1836 – At the Old Gum Tree (pictured)near present-day Adelaide, Royal Navy Rear-Admiral John Hindmarsh read a proclamation establishing the British province of South Australia.
- 1879 – The Tay Rail Bridge, spanning the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the Wormit, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it, killing all on board.
- 1912 – The San Francisco Municipal Railway, operator of the city's famed cable car system, opened its first line.
- 1989 – In one of Australia's most serious natural disasters, a 5.6 ML earthquake struck Newcastle, New South Wales, killing 13 people and injuring more than 160 others, and causing an estimated A$4 billion in damages.
- 2011 – Acting on information that PKK militants were crossing the border into Şırnak Province, two Turkish F-16 jets fired at a group of villagers, killing 34 people.
Matches
- 457 – Majorian is acclaimed emperor of the Western Roman Empire and recognized by Emperor Leo I the Thracian.
- 484 – Alaric II succeeds his father Euric and becomes king of the Visigoths. He establishes his capital at Aire-sur-l'Adour (Southern Gaul).
- 893 – An earthquake destroys the city of Dvin, Armenia.
- 1065 – Westminster Abbey is consecrated.
- 1308 – The reign of Emperor Hanazono of Japan begins.
- 1612 – Galileo Galilei becomes the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.
- 1768 – King Taksin's coronation achieved through conquest as a king of Thailand and established Thonburi as a capital.
- 1795 – Construction of Yonge Street, formerly recognized as the longest street in the world, begins in York, Upper Canada (present-day Toronto).
- 1824 – The Bathurst War comes to an end with the surrender of the Wiradjuri.
- 1832 – John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign.
- 1835 – Osceola leads his Seminole warriors in Florida into the Second Seminole War against the United States Army.
- 1836 – South Australia and Adelaide are founded.
- 1836 – Spain recognizes the independence of Mexico.
- 1846 – Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.
- 1867 – United States claims Midway Atoll, the first territory annexed outside Continental limits.
- 1879 – Tay Bridge disaster: The central part of the Tay Rail Bridge in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom collapses as a train passes over it, killing 75.
- 1885 – Indian National Congress, a political party of India is founded in Bombay Presidency, British India.
- 1895 – The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines, marking the debut of the cinema.
- 1895 – Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays.
- 1902 – The Syracuse Athletic Club defeated the New York Philadelphians, 5–0, in the first indoor professional football game, which was held at Madison Square Garden.
- 1908 – A magnitude 7.2 earthquake rocks Messina, Sicily, Italy killing over 75,000.
- 1912 – The first municipally owned streetcars take to the streets in San Francisco.
- 1918 – Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, became the first woman to be elected MP to the British House of Commons.
- 1935 – Pravda publishes a letter by Pavel Postyshev, who revives New Year tree tradition in the Soviet Union.
- 1941 – World War II: Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commences.
- 1943 – World War II: After eight days of brutal house-to-house fighting, the Battle of Ortona concludes with the victory of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division over the German 1st Parachute Division and the capture of the Italian town of Ortona.
- 1944 – Maurice Richard becomes the first player to score eight points in one game of NHL ice hockey.
- 1948 – The DC-3 airliner NC16002 disappears 50 miles south of Miami.
- 1956 – Chin Peng, David Marshall and Tunku Abdul Rahman meet in Baling, Malaya to try and resolve the Malayan Emergency situation.
- 1958 – "Greatest Game Ever Played": Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants in the first ever National Football League sudden deathovertime game at New York's Yankee Stadium.
- 1972 – Kim Il-sung, already Prime Minister of North Korea and First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, becomes the first President of North Korea.
- 1973 – The Endangered Species Act is passed in the United States.
- 1978 – With the crew investigating a problem with the landing gear, United Airlines Flight 173 runs out of fuel and crashes in Portland, Oregon, killing ten. As a result, United Airlines instituted the industry's first crew resource management program.
- 1989 – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, killing 13 people.
- 2000 – U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it is going out of business after 128 years.
- 2006 – War in Somalia: The militaries of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian troops capture Mogadishu unopposed.
- 2009 – Forty-three people die in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims are observing the Day of Ashura.
- 2010 – Arab Spring: Popular protests begin in Algeria against the government.
- 2011 – Roboski airstrike: Turkish warplanes bomb 34 Kurds of Turkish nationality in the district of Uludere.
Hatches
- 1164 – Emperor Rokujō of Japan (d. 1176)
- 1522 – Margaret of Parma (d. 1583)
- 1619 – Antoine Furetière, French author and scholar (d. 1688)
- 1635 – Elizabeth Stuart, English daughter of Charles I of England (d. 1650)
- 1651 – Johann Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1735)
- 1655 – Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (d. 1698)
- 1665 – George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire (d. 1716)
- 1722 – Eliza Lucas, English-American agriculturalist (d. 1793)
- 1763 – John Molson, English-Canadian brewer, founded the Molson Brewery (d. 1836)
- 1775 – Jean-Gabriel Eynard, Swiss banker and photographer (d. 1863)
- 1798 – Thomas Henderson, Scottish astronomer and mathematician (d. 1844)
- 1818 – Carl Remigius Fresenius, German chemist (d. 1897)
- 1842 – Calixa Lavallée, Canadian-American lieutenant and composer (d. 1891)
- 1856 – Woodrow Wilson, American historian and politician, 28th President of the United States, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
- 1859 – Venustiano Carranza, Mexican politician, 37th President of Mexico (d. 1920)
- 1866 – Szymon Askenazy, Polish historian, educator, and diplomat, founded the Askenazy school (d. 1935)
- 1870 – Charles Bennett, English runner (d. 1949)
- 1882 – Arthur Eddington, English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1944)
- 1887 – Werner Kolhörster, German physicist (d. 1946)
- 1888 – F. W. Murnau, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1931)
- 1890 – Quincy Wright, American political scientist, historian, and academic (d. 1970)
- 1895 – Carol Ryrie Brink, American author (d. 1981)
- 1898 – Carl-Gustaf Rossby, Swedish-American meteorologist (d. 1957)
- 1898 – Shigematsu Sakaibara, Japanese admiral (d. 1947)
- 1899 – Eugeniusz Bodo, Swiss-Polish actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1943)
- 1902 – Mortimer J. Adler, American philosopher and author (d. 2001)
- 1902 – Shen Congwen, Chinese author and educator (d. 1988)
- 1903 – Earl Hines, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1983)
- 1903 – John von Neumann, Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist (d. 1957)
- 1905 – Cliff Arquette, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1907 – Ze'ev Ben-Haim, Ukrainian-Israeli linguist and academic (d. 2013)
- 1908 – Lew Ayres, American actor and singer (d. 1996)
- 1910 – Billy Williams, American singer (The Charioteers) (d. 1972)
- 1911 – Wil van Beveren, Dutch sprinter and sport journalist (d. 2003)
- 1913 – Lou Jacobi, Canadian-American actor (d. 2009)
- 1914 – Bidia Dandaron, Russian author and educator (d. 1974)
- 1914 – Bernard Youens, English actor (d. 1984)
- 1915 – Pops Staples, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Staple Singers) (d. 2000)
- 1919 – Emily Cheney Neville, American author (d. 1997)
- 1920 – Bruce McCarty, American architect, designed the Knoxville City-County Building (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Steve Van Buren, Honduran-American football player (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2012)
- 1922 – Stan Lee, American publisher, producer, and actor
- 1924 – Milton Obote, Ugandan politician, 2nd President of Uganda (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Hildegard Knef, German actress and singer (d. 2002)
- 1926 – Donald Carr, German-English cricketer and referee
- 1926 – Donna Hightower, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Moe Koffman, Canadian flute player, saxophonist, and composer (d. 2001)
- 1929 – Brian Redhead, English journalist and author (d. 1994)
- 1929 – Terry Sawchuk, Canadian-American ice hockey player (d. 1970)
- 1931 – Guy Debord, French theorist and author (d. 1994)
- 1931 – Martin Milner, American actor
- 1932 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman, founded Reliance Industries (d. 2002)
- 1932 – Dorsey Burnette, American singer-songwriter (The Rock and Roll Trio) (d. 1979)
- 1932 – Roy Hattersley, English journalist and politician, Shadow Home Secretary
- 1932 – Harry Howell, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1932 – Nichelle Nichols, American actress and singer
- 1932 – Manuel Puig, Argentinian author and playwright (d. 1990)
- 1933 – John Y. Brown, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 55th Governor of Kentucky
- 1934 – Rudi Faßnacht, German footballer and manager (d. 2000)
- 1934 – Yujiro Ishihara, Japanese actor, singer, and producer (d. 1987)
- 1934 – Maggie Smith, English actress
- 1936 – Alan Coleman, English-Australian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Jacques Mesrine, French criminal (d. 1979)
- 1936 – Lawrence Schiller, American journalist, director, and producer
- 1937 – Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, Portuguese businessman
- 1937 – Ratan Tata, Indian businessman
- 1938 – Dick Sudhalter, American trumpet player, scholar, and critic (d. 2008)
- 1939 – Philip Anschutz, American businessman, founded Anschutz Entertainment Group
- 1939 – Michael Hinz, German actor (d. 2008)
- 1939 – Michelle Urry, American journalist and illustrator (d. 2006)
- 1939 – Gloria Manon, American actress
- 1940 – A. K. Antony, Indian lawyer and politician, Defence Minister of India
- 1940 – Don Francisco, Chilean-American television host
- 1941 – Intikhab Alam, Indian-Pakistani cricketer and coach
- 1942 – Roger Swerts, Belgian cyclist
- 1943 – Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, Peruvian cardinal
- 1943 – Keith Floyd, English chef and author (d. 2009)
- 1943 – David Peterson, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Premier of Ontario
- 1943 – Joan Ruddock, Welsh politician
- 1943 – Richard Whiteley, English journalist and game show host (d. 2005)
- 1944 – Johnny Isakson, American sergeant and politician
- 1944 – Kary Mullis, American biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1944 – Gordon Taylor, English footballer
- 1945 – Max Hastings, English journalist, historian, and author
- 1945 – Birendra of Nepal (d. 2001)
- 1946 – Mike Beebe, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Arkansas
- 1946 – Pierre Falardeau, Canadian director, screenwriter, and activist (d. 2009)
- 1946 – Tim Johnson, American lawyer and politician
- 1946 – Barbara, Lady Judge, American-English lawyer and businesswoman
- 1946 – Bill Lee, American baseball player
- 1946 – Edgar Winter, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer (Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band)
- 1947 – Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2000)
- 1948 – Mary Weiss, American singer (The Shangri-Las)
- 1949 – Barbara De Fina, American production manager and producer
- 1950 – Øivind Blunck, Norwegian actor and singer
- 1950 – Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Box Tops and Big Star) (d. 2010)
- 1950 – Rainer Maria Latzke, German-American painter
- 1950 – Hugh McDonald, American bass player (Bon Jovi)
- 1951 – Ian Buruma, Dutch author and scholar
- 1952 – Arun Jaitley, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Indian Minister of Law and Justice
- 1952 – Bridget Prentice, Scottish educator and politician
- 1953 – Richard Clayderman, French pianist
- 1953 – Tatsumi Fujinami, Japanese wrestler and promoter, founded Dradition wrestling promotion
- 1953 – Charlie Pierce, American journalist and author
- 1954 – Gayle King, American journalist
- 1954 – Lanny Poffo, Canadian-American wrestler
- 1954 – Denzel Washington, American actor, director, and producer
- 1954 – Slavitza Jovan, Serbian model
- 1955 – Stephen Frost, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Liu Xiaobo, Chinese author, academic, and activist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1956 – Nigel Kennedy, English violinist
- 1957 – Anne Sargeant, Australian netball player and sportscaster
- 1958 – Terry Butcher, English footballer and manager
- 1958 – Gilles Leroy, French author
- 1958 – Twila Paris, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1959 – Hansjörg Kunze, German long-distance runner
- 1959 – Ana Torroja, Spanish singer-songwriter (Mecano)
- 1960 – Ray Bourque, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1960 – James Caan, Pakistani-English businessman, founded Hamilton Bradshaw
- 1960 – Robert F. Chew, American actor (d. 2013)
- 1960 – Melvin Turpin, American basketball player (d. 2010)
- 1961 – Kent Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager
- 1962 – Abdi Bile, Somalian middle-distance runner
- 1962 – Michel Petrucciani, French-American pianist (d. 1999)
- 1962 – Choi Soo-jong, South Korean actor
- 1962 – Niel van der Watt, South African composer and educator
- 1964 – Maite Zúñiga, Spanish runner
- 1965 – Allar Levandi, Estonian skier
- 1966 – Eric Evans, American porn actor
- 1967 – Chris Ware, American illustrator
- 1968 – Akihiko Hoshide, Japanese engineer and astronaut
- 1969 – Linus Torvalds, Finnish-American computer programmer, developed Linux kernel
- 1970 – Elaine Hendrix, American actress, singer, and producer
- 1970 – James Jett, American sprinter and football player
- 1970 – Francesca Le, American porn actress and director
- 1970 – Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Dutch tennis player
- 1971 – Benny Agbayani, American baseball player
- 1971 – Anita Doth, Dutch singer (2 Unlimited)
- 1971 – William Gates, American basketball player
- 1971 – Frank Sepe, American bodybuilder, model, and author
- 1972 – Roberto Palacios, Peruvian footballer
- 1972 – Supakorn Kitsuwon, Thai actor
- 1972 – Patrick Rafter, Australian-Bermudian tennis player
- 1972 – Adam Vinatieri, American football player
- 1973 – Holger Blume, German sprinter
- 1973 – Marc Blume, German sprinter
- 1973 – Alex Dimitriades, Australian actor
- 1973 – Herborg Kråkevik, Norwegian singer and actress
- 1973 – Seth Meyers, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and talk show host
- 1973 – Ids Postma, Dutch speed skater
- 1974 – Rob Niedermayer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Jason Ridge, American porn actor
- 1974 – Markus Weinzierl, German footballer and manager
- 1975 – B. J. Ryan, American baseball player
- 1976 – Igor Žiković, Croatian footballer
- 1976 – Joe Manganiello, American actor, stuntman, and producer
- 1976 – Trond Nymark, Norwegian race walker
- 1977 – Derrick Brew, American sprinter
- 1977 – Shane Elford, Australian rugby player
- 1977 – Vanessa Ferlito, American actress
- 1977 – Seun Ogunkoya, Nigerian sprinter
- 1978 – Chris Coyne, Australian footballer and manager
- 1978 – Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, English model, actress, and fashion designer
- 1978 – John Legend, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor
- 1978 – Jang Min-hyeok, South Korean voice actor
- 1979 – James Blake, American tennis player
- 1979 – Senna Guemmour, German singer-songwriter (Monrose)
- 1979 – Bill Hall, American baseball player
- 1979 – Noomi Rapace, Swedish actress
- 1979 – Maksim Smirnov, Estonian footballer
- 1979 – Bree Williamson, Canadian actress
- 1980 – Lomana LuaLua, Congolese footballer
- 1980 – Ryta Turava, Belarusian race walker
- 1981 – Narsha, South Korean singer and dancer (Brown Eyed Girls)
- 1981 – Khalid Boulahrouz, Dutch footballer
- 1981 – Elizabeth Jordan Carr, American journalist
- 1981 – Sienna Miller, English actress and fashion designer
- 1981 – Orlando Smeekes, Curaçaoan footballer
- 1981 – Frank Turner, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Million Dead and Möngöl Hörde)
- 1981 – Mika Väyrynen, Finnish footballer
- 1982 – Cedric Benson, American football player
- 1982 – François Gourmet, Belgian decathlete
- 1982 – Kevin Pereira, American television host
- 1982 – Ferry Rotinsulu, Indonesian footballer
- 1983 – Mike He, Taiwanese actor
- 1984 – Elena Ivashchenko, Russian martial artist (d. 2013)
- 1984 – Martin Kaymer, German golfer
- 1984 – Leroy Lita, English footballer
- 1984 – Alex Lloyd, English race car driver
- 1984 – Duane Solomon, American middle-distance runner
- 1985 – Kamani Hill, American footballer
- 1985 – Taryn Terrell, American wrestler and actress
- 1986 – Victoria Atkin, English actress
- 1986 – Tom Huddlestone, English footballer
- 1986 – Cecilia Méndez, Argentinian model
- 1987 – Thomas Dekker, American actor, singer, and producer
- 1987 – Matthias Schwarz, German footballer
- 1987 – Hannah Tointon, English actress
- 1988 – Florrie, English singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Lo Chih-an, Taiwanese footballer
- 1988 – Lo Chih-en, Taiwanese footballer
- 1988 – Kateřina Kramperová, Czech tennis player
- 1988 – Martina Pretelli, Sammarinese sprinter
- 1989 – Mackenzie Rosman, American actress
- 1990 – Ayele Abshero, Ethiopian long-distance runner
- 1990 – David Archuleta, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1990 – Zlatko Hebib, Swiss footballer
- 1990 – Bastiaan Lijesen, Dutch swimmer
- 1991 – Riky Widianto, Indonesian badminton player
- 1997 – Nash Grier, American vine producer
- 2001 – Madison De La Garza, American actress
- 2002 – Kelsey Smith-Briggs, American child abuse victim (d. 2005)
Despatches
- 1367 – Ashikaga Yoshiakira, Japanese shogun (b. 1330)
- 1446 – Antipope Clement VIII (b. 1369)
- 1503 – Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (b. 1471)
- 1558 – Hermann Finck, German organist and composer (b. 1527)
- 1622 – Francis de Sales, French bishop and saint (b. 1567)
- 1663 – Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (b. 1618)
- 1671 – Johann Friedrich Gronovius, German scholar and critic (b. 1611)
- 1694 – Mary II of England (b. 1662)
- 1706 – Pierre Bayle, French philosopher and author (b. 1647)
- 1708 – Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, French botanist and mycologist (b. 1656)
- 1715 – William Carstares, Scottish minister and academic (b. 1649)
- 1734 – Rob Roy MacGregor, Scottish criminal (b. 1671)
- 1736 – Antonio Caldara, Italian composer (b. 1670)
- 1785 – Peter Ernst Wilde, Polish-Estonian physician and journalist (b. 1732)
- 1795 – Eugenio Espejo, Ecuadorian physician and lawyer (b. 1747)
- 1859 – Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, English historian and politician, Secretary at War (b. 1800)
- 1872 – James Van Ness, American lawyer and politician, 7th Mayor of San Francisco (b. 1808)
- 1897 – William Corby, American priest (b. 1833)
- 1900 – Alexandre de Serpa Pinto, Portuguese soldier and explorer (b. 1846)
- 1916 – Eduard Strauss, Austrian violinist and composer (b. 1835)
- 1917 – Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian captain and pilot (b. 1892)
- 1918 – Olavo Bilac, Brazilian poet and journalist (b. 1865)
- 1919 – Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1854)
- 1924 – Léon Bakst, Russian painter and costume designer (b. 1866)
- 1928 – John Gritenas, Lithuanian-American bishop (b. 1863)
- 1932 – Jack Blackham, Australian cricketer (b. 1854)
- 1935 – Clarence Day, American author and illustrator (b. 1874)
- 1937 – Maurice Ravel, French pianist and composer (b. 1875)
- 1938 – Florence Lawrence, Canadian-American actress (b. 1886)
- 1941 – Hermann Wilker, German rower (b. 1874)
- 1942 – Alfred Flatow, German gymnast (b. 1869)
- 1943 – Steve Evans, American baseball player (b. 1885)
- 1945 – Theodore Dreiser, American journalist and author (b. 1871)
- 1947 – Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (b. 1869)
- 1949 – Jack Lovelock, New Zealand runner (b. 1910)
- 1956 – Marjorie Fielding, English actress (b. 1892)
- 1956 – Louis Handley, Italian-American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1874)
- 1959 – Ante Pavelić, Croatian lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Independent State of Croatia (b. 1889)
- 1960 – Philippe Panneton, Canadian physician, diplomat, and academic (b. 1895)
- 1962 – Kathleen Clifford, American actress (b. 1887)
- 1963 – Paul Hindemith, German violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1895)
- 1967 – Katharine McCormick, American biologist and philanthropist (b. 1875)
- 1971 – Max Steiner, Austrian-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1888)
- 1976 – Katharine Byron, American politician (b. 1903)
- 1976 – Freddie King, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
- 1977 – Karen Grech, Maltese terrorism victim (b. 1962)
- 1981 – Allan Dwan, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1885)
- 1983 – William Demarest, American actor and singer (b. 1892)
- 1983 – Jimmy Demaret, American golfer (b. 1910)
- 1983 – Dennis Wilson, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (The Beach Boys) (b. 1944)
- 1984 – Sam Peckinpah, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1925)
- 1986 – John D. MacDonald, American colonel and author (b. 1916)
- 1986 – Jan Nieuwenhuys, Dutch painter (b. 1922)
- 1989 – Hermann Oberth, Romanian-German physicist and engineer (b. 1894)
- 1990 – Warren Skaaren, American screenwriter and film producer (b. 1946)
- 1991 – Cassandra Harris, Australian-American actress (b. 1952)
- 1992 – Sal Maglie, American baseball player and coach (b. 1917)
- 1993 – Howard Caine, American actor (b. 1926)
- 1993 – William L. Shirer, American journalist and historian (b. 1904)
- 1994 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1911)
- 1999 – Clayton Moore, American actor (b. 1914)
- 2001 – Samuel Abraham Goldblith, American lieutenant, biologist, and engineer (b. 1919)
- 2001 – William X. Kienzle, American priest and author (b. 1928)
- 2003 – Benjamin Thurman Hacker, American admiral (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Jerry Orbach, American actor and singer (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Susan Sontag, American author and academic (b. 1933)
- 2006 – Jamal Karimi-Rad, Iranian politician, Iranian Minister of Justice (b. 1956)
- 2007 – Aidin Nikkhah Bahrami, Iranian basketball player (b. 1982)
- 2008 – Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (b. 1923)
- 2009 – The Rev, American drummer and songwriter (Avenged Sevenfold, Pinkly Smooth, and Suburban Legends) (b. 1981)
- 2010 – Billy Taylor, American pianist and composer (b. 1921)
- 2011 – Jon Roberts, American drug trafficker (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Nicholas Ambraseys, Greek-English seismologist and engineer (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Lord Avie, American race horse (b. 1978)
- 2012 – Bogdan Baltazar, Romanian banker and economist (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Martin G. Barnes, American politician (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Steve Bryles, American businessman and politician (b. 1957)
- 2012 – Emilio Charles, Jr., Mexican wrestler (b. 1956)
- 2012 – Jayne Cortez, American poet (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Mark Crispin, American computer scientist, designed the IMAP (b. 1956)
- 2012 – Václav Drobný, Czech footballer (b. 1980)
- 2012 – Tommy Keane, Irish footballer (b. 1968)
- 2012 – Leif Krantz, Swedish director, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Claude-Anne Lopez, Belgian-American author and scholar (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Arman Manukyan, Turkish economist and academic (b. 1931)
- 2012 – Emmanuel Scheffer, German-Israeli footballer and manager (b. 1924)
- 2012 – Takashi Taniguchi, Japanese voice actor (b. 1947)
- 2012 – Frankie Walsh, Irish hurler (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Halton Arp, American-German astronomer and critic (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Doe B, American rapper (b. 1991)
- 2013 – Jack S. Blanton, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Esther Borja, Cuban soprano and actress (b. 1913)
- 2013 – Harry C. Goode, Jr., American soldier and politician, 51st Mayor of Melbourne, Florida (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Sheila Guyse, American actress and singer (b. 1925)
- 2013 – Andrew Jacobs, Jr., American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1932)
- 2013 – Alfred Marshall, American businessman, founded Marshalls (b. 1919)
- 2013 – Joseph Ruskin, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Ilya Tsymbalar, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (b. 1969)
2014
- Christian feast day:
- Abel (Coptic Church)
- Caterina Volpicelli
- Feast of the Holy Innocents or Childermas; in Spain and Latin American countries the festival is celebrated with pranks (inocentadas), similar to April Fools' Day (Catholic Church, Church of England, Lutheran Church)
- December 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- King Taksin Memorial Day (Thailand)
- Proclamation Day, celebration started on the day following Christmas (South Australia)
- The fourth of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
PM Tony Abbott’s obstinance is protecting chief of staff Peta Credlin
Piers Akerman – Saturday, December 27, 2014 (11:16pm)
A PERSISTENT and deep sense of anger and frustration among Coalition supporters has undermined any extension of the season of goodwill for the Abbott government.
Continue reading 'PM Tony Abbott’s obstinance is protecting chief of staff Peta Credlin'FEMINIST FIASCO FESTIVUS
Tim Blair – Sunday, December 28, 2014 (12:34am)
Charlotte Allen rounds up the top 10 feminist fiascoes of 2014. Let’s add a few more, from our local frightbat files:
Continue reading 'FEMINIST FIASCO FESTIVUS'DRIVE AND SAVE
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 27, 2014 (10:55pm)
If you’ve been planning a massive American road trip, now is the time – but make sure you choose the right vehicle:
There’s a big discount on driving these days, thanks to the drill-baby-drill refrain at OPEC that’s echoed in Texas and North Dakota. The savings are most concentrated for those driving cars with old-fashioned combustion engines. A road trip in a Ford F-150 pickup from New York to Los Angeles costs about $292 at the moment, roughly $84 less than it did just two years ago. A stop for gas in the middle of the country will cost less than $2 per gallon.All this is a major problem for anyone trying to sell hybrid and electric vehicles. Electric engines and their massive batteries have never been cheap. A big part of the sales equation – savings at the fuel pump – has virtually vanished …The takeaway: Toyota should hope that Prius-curious shoppers don’t pull out a calculator.
Calculators have always been the enemy of Prius dealers. As true now as it was in 2008: the only rational choice for the budget-conscious motorist is a gigantic V8.
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Post by Dave Gouviea.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2008/07/09/cell-phone-popcorn-trick-revealed.htm
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It's about the goal?
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worse, they aren't kind or gracious .. but they might be 'nice' under old style definitions.
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Looks like the values embraced by Anne Boleyn.
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I got Blizzard. What natural disaster is your temper like? on @bitecharge http://t.co/Bshj4wYicB
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 28, 2014
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Check out these 10 cities with cheap five-star hotels http://t.co/97D3nif3iF via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 28, 2014
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Air Asia jet loses contact with air traffic control http://t.co/aMmBzzJjOD via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 28, 2014
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Because being gracious and kind is not valued .. Sorry, but Sarcastic People are Actually Smarter Than You Are http://t.co/5ivjc8wrDk
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 28, 2014
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The baseless hatred of the EU towards Israel | Melanie Phillips http://t.co/mkTG36KmUE
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 28, 2014
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I hate this .. hitting good Islamic people to oppose jihadism is dumb. Why halal certification is in turmoil http://t.co/IORGInSNjS via @smh
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 28, 2014
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Photo: Thing exists, ad is holidaying in Germany .. cleaning wind shields of snow... http://t.co/zaWIwaUrLF
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 28, 2014
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‘Mastermind’ behind school attack killed http://t.co/MCZzaRW3vF via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Media scare .. Learner drivers can be supervised by drunks in Western Australia http://t.co/XICLGLeqrO via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Love your neighbour .. Woman stole, euthanised neighbour’s dog http://t.co/6koZdJ0Mam via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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One child policy issue .. Parents’ agonising, frustrating search for missing children http://t.co/XktLWZ1sJD via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Grief should not make you selfish .. Facebook apologise for ‘inadvertent cruelty’ http://t.co/gSCiUTJy9W via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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They know the name of your girlfriend/boyfriend .. Hackers: We have your secret info http://t.co/876G13j9wW via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Anne is having a baby? .. Keira Knightley always getting mistaken for Anne Hathaway http://t.co/StyVeRNygr via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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AirAsiaX blasted for cancelling Melbourne — Bali route and telling passengers via text http://t.co/2WTmnni2Q3 via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Sapporo, Honda cashing in: Rich Vietnamese get taste for Japan's bubble-era baubles- Nikkei Asian Review http://t.co/pH2u7FQT8i
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Export ban lifted, Japan is ready to make deals- Nikkei Asian Review http://t.co/NXMzv5STZb
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Roman Polanski? .. ‘I was lured, kidnapped and raped at 13’ http://t.co/VhPomrHv1p via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Clive Palmer couldn't .. How to lose $9 billion in a year http://t.co/mUy1aCSBex via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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<3 PayPal Co-Founder Is Skeptical of Man-Made Global Warming for This Reason - http://t.co/vTKd3sRygE
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) December 27, 2014
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Listening to @MarkSteynOnline sing What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? as I get ready for bed.
— Werefox (@SalaciousSully) December 27, 2014
=== Posts from last year ===
IT MADE US THINK
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (2:44pm)
The highlight of 2013 for Canberra Times arts editor Sally Pryor:
The Skywhale made us think about how Canberra is presented to the world.
It sure did. Pryor continues:
Is she a great and lasting work of art, design and craftsmanship that, albeit ephemeral in nature, will live on forever in our minds as an example of the boundless limits of human creativity and scientific endeavour? Or is she an embarrassment to us all, one that will forever be a physical manifestation of all that is mockworthy about Canberra?Was she overpriced, or a bargain? Is she ours, or everyone’s or no one’s? In this, she really encapsulates Canberra.
She’s got competition from Pryor herself. Next up for Skywhale is a trip to Adelaide, where the great example of “scientific endeavour” will appear in something curated by local gallery director Nick Mitzevich:
“As you know I have a fascination for dead horses and pig skins and transsexual sculptures,” Mr Mitzevich said.
He really encapsulates Adelaide.
CLOPCLOPCLOP
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (2:41pm)
In a piece claiming to offer “suggestions for better journalism”, expert reporter Antony Loewenstein refers to “a recentGallop poll in the US.”
That would be Gallup, Antony.
(Via James J.)
THEN AGAIN, THEY DIDN’T HAVE PASSPORTS
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (2:43am)
Roger Franklin deals with an annual leftoid myth:
Brothers and sisters, let us shun those who every year at this time proclaim that Joseph and Mary were a homeless couple! There are lies, which all Sunday schoolers know are sins, and then there are those gigantic, jaw-dropping whoppers which come with little horns and pitchforks and do the devil’s work, and this annual misrepresentation of the Holy Family is one of the biggest of the lot.
Please do read on.
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QUOTES OF 2013
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (2:14am)
Three Prime Ministers, four Labor leaders, three treasurers and two federal election dates … 2013 had surpluses everywhere except in the budget. It all added up to a year almost beyond words.
ON THE OTHER HAND, LET’S NOT TALK
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (2:00am)
Barack Obama’s pajama spokesboy Ethan Krupp wants to talk about getting health insurance:
But unfortunately:
But unfortunately:
… his employer isn’t letting him give interviews.
IDIOTS AND CLOWNS
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (1:40am)
Irish ex-Formula One driver Eddie Irvine calls out newly bomb-happy republicans:
Irvine, 47, was speaking at the launch of his acquisition of Race Ireland school at Kirkistown only hours after republicans had firebombed a sports shop in the centre of Belfast in the wake of a bomb attack on the busy Cathedral Quarter a few days earlier.“Every country has idiots like them parading under different banners,” said Irvine.“They are clowns who can’t be successful at anything.”
He’s right.
SELL THE TARAGO
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (1:28am)
Spoke with a couple of local legal types the other day about this:
Muslim community spokesman Keysar Trad has lost an eight-year defamation case over comments made by broadcaster Jason Morrison after the Cronulla riots …The court ordered Mr Trad to pay legal costs for Harbour Radio, which operates 2GB.
According to some estimates, Keysar may be up for a bill somewhere in the region of … $4 million.
CLOWNSHOE INSULTED
Tim Blair – Saturday, December 28, 2013 (1:06am)
Only seventh? These people are criminally insane. As punishment, I order the further deployment of Australian agentsthroughout the US.
(Via Sam L.)
Actually not quite so funny
Andrew Bolt December 28 2013 (7:29am)
I was there and laughed with the crowd at Piers Morgan’s comeuppance:
===Morgan, who told his 3.8 million Twitter followers how soft his beloved English cricket team had become, recently urged the batsmen to “grow a pair” and that he’d “love” to face Aussie speedster Mitchell Johnson.But, a bit late, I realised pride could have killed Morgan live on television - and not just broken his bones:
Never one to back down from a challenge, that escalated into a brief - albeit very painful - net session against Lee at the MCG on Friday, with at least 2000 baying Aussie fans, including Johnson and Peter Siddle, looking on. Morgan was sat on his rump, bowled and struck three times in one fiery over in which Lee extended himself to “about 85 per cent” capacity.
I must say I’m disappointed that Lee actually tried to hurt Morgan, bowling at his head and body.
Mary and Joseph victims of big government
Andrew Bolt December 28 2013 (7:08am)
Roger Franklin deals with the annual myth - this time peddled by a Brisbane church, Eureka Street and journalism academic Wendy Bacon - that Mary and Joseph were like our boat people, just refugees seeking a room at an inn::
===Fact is, Mary and Joseph were victims of Big Government - and you can take that as the gospel truth, courtesy of the Gospels themselves. Why did they leave their home in Nazareth? Because the Emperor Augustus ordered all Roman subjects to return to their ancestral homes for a census, thus wasting the couple’s time, money and sandal leather to extract information that might have been just as easily obtained if they had been allowed to remain in their own home.A question for the bishops and priests who recommend a let-everyone-in policy, regardless of merit or consequences. Why do you follow a faith that bars the doors to heaven for eternity on sinners and disbelievers?
Why were there no rooms available? Because, after issuing the order to hit the road and be counted, Augustus made no provision to accommodate the overnight population surge.
But surely Mary and Joseph were homeless outcasts, right? Well, they were away from home but certainly not homeless. Joseph was a carpenter, according to the New Testament, and therefore a skilled artisan - about as likely to be mistaken for a homeless man as the next tradie you see scooting by in a ute.
With the rest of the world on mute, the Left can’t hear reason
Andrew Bolt December 28 2013 (6:57am)
Gerard Henderson reviews a year of hyperbole. Some journalists of the Left live in such a bubble - confusing desire with reality, fancies with facts, anger with insight - that they are led to predict the most astonishing things. For instance:
===February. The Crikey newsletter gives legitimacy to rumours that Peter Costello will return to parliament and that Malcolm Turnbull will become treasurer in a Rudd Labor government. In Daily Life, Alecia Simmonds describes Tony Abbott as “like a maniacal Neanderthal who has only just learned to use cutlery”....That last is a metaphor.
April.... ABC radio presenter Waleed Aly depicts terrorism as merely “a perpetual irritant” and suggests that the Boston terrorist attack may have been perpetrated by “self-styled American patriots”. Wrong on each count....
June. Clive Palmer predicts that he will be prime minister come September. Julian Assange tells Lateline’s Emma Alberici that his WikiLeaks Party enjoys “between 25 and 28 per cent support” in Australia. On June 20, Latham writes in The Australian Financial Review that “Rudd has had no intention of resuming the Labor leadership in this term of parliament”. Six days later, journalist Mike Carlton tweets, following Rudd’s overthrow of Gillard, that he is “sipping chardonnay” - apparently in anticipation of a Rudd victory over Abbott in September.
July. An excited Peter FitzSimons reckons that the political game has “changed staggeringly” and proclaims that “right now Kevin Rudd has just that little of the magic about him” that he had in 2008. Carlton equates Rudd’s comeback with Napoleon Bonaparte’s 1815 “return to power and glory” and foretells an election on October 19. AFR political editor Laura Tingle assesses Rudd Labor as “at worst, within sight of being returned and, at best, already in the winner’s seat”.... August....Commentator Jane Caro calls the first political leaders’ debate “unequivocally for Kevin Rudd” who “wiped the floor” with Abbott. She assessed the debate with the television on mute.
If the union wants SPC saved, here are some savings
Andrew Bolt December 28 2013 (6:52am)
Grace Collier on how to save SPC Ardmona - by insisting it save itself before asking for a taxpayer handout:
===Workers who start with the company must have a union official at their induction meetings; probably to heavy them to join.Then there are the salaries…
All workers also are forced to purchase their own private income protection policy.
The union that covers SPC owns half of an insurance company that provides income protection, called U Cover. The union receives payments from U Cover annually in exchange for the workers it signs up. In 2011 the union’s dividend from U Cover was $1,164,000. SPC must allow the union to have eight delegates and must provide them with facilities and time to be unionists on site. Ten paid union meetings with workers can be held every year. Each union delegate is entitled to five paid union training days a year, capped at a total of 40 paid days per delegate.
Once again, a law to bully us
Andrew Bolt December 27 2013 (8:32am)
Define “reasonable”. Define the judge you trust to define “reasonable”. Define the cost of all the mainchancers who realise that with laws like this the process is so often the punishment:
It is also so undignified, giving a judicial caste even more power to determine the manners of people once accustomed to think of themselves as free and robust.
Still, I can think of a new Human Rights Commissioner who could with some justice use this law against his new colleagues.
===Bullying complaints could swamp the Fair Work Commission when it begins hearing cases in January because the Gillard government did not apply adequate methods to filter out dubious or unsuitable claims, a workplace academic says.I predict this cure will be infinitely worse than any disease, like so many new laws to regulate behaviour and speech.
And a corporate law firm has warned businesses they need to take steps to ensure they do not become the ‘’poster child’’ for the new bullying jurisdiction.
From January 1, any employee who believes he or she is the victim of ongoing ‘’repeated unreasonable behaviour’’ by a co-worker can, on payment of a $65.50 application fee, ask the commission to make an order for the bullying to stop… The new laws, put in place in mid-2013 by then workplace relations minister Bill Shorten, make clear that ‘’reasonable’’ management action and performance management are not bullying.
It is also so undignified, giving a judicial caste even more power to determine the manners of people once accustomed to think of themselves as free and robust.
Still, I can think of a new Human Rights Commissioner who could with some justice use this law against his new colleagues.
So many have got things wrong in chasing left wing adulation .. World Vision, The United Church of Canada, Gosford Anglican .. sad for their worship members who expect to worship God .. ed
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www.smh.com.au
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www.theaustralian.com.au
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www.foxnews.com
===call me fishmeal .. ed
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Status Update
By Fred Nile - Official Christian Democratic Party
The corruption of language is one important step on the road to cordoning off proper debate and controlling thought.”
#teamnile
Um, do you know what you just said? It isn't for others to speak plainly, but yourself. Don't focus on the corruption of others .. trust in the Lord and be true. So many good people are lost when they her themselves or others say what they want to hear. But God is humbling to those he is closest to. .. Oh, and look into Hamidur Rahman .. there is a big issue there you can do good by looking into. - ed#teamnile
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“Of David. Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—” Psalm 103:1-2 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"Can the rush grow up without mire?"
Job 8:11
Job 8:11
The rush is spongy and hollow, and even so is a hypocrite; there is no substance or stability in him. It is shaken to and fro in every wind just as formalists yield to every influence; for this reason the rush is not broken by the tempest, neither are hypocrites troubled with persecution. I would not willingly be a deceiver or be deceived; perhaps the text for this day may help me to try myself whether I be a hypocrite or no. The rush by nature lives in water, and owes its very existence to the mire and moisture wherein it has taken root; let the mire become dry, and the rush withers very quickly. Its greenness is absolutely dependent upon circumstances, a present abundance of water makes it flourish, and a drought destroys it at once. Is this my case? Do I only serve God when I am in good company, or when religion is profitable and respectable? Do I love the Lord only when temporal comforts are received from his hands? If so I am a base hypocrite, and like the withering rush, I shall perish when death deprives me of outward joys. But can I honestly assert that when bodily comforts have been few, and my surroundings have been rather adverse to grace than at all helpful to it, I have still held fast my integrity? Then have I hope that there is genuine vital godliness in me. The rush cannot grow without mire, but plants of the Lord's right hand planting can and do flourish even in the year of drought. A godly man often grows best when his worldly circumstances decay. He who follows Christ for his bag is a Judas; they who follow for loaves and fishes are children of the devil; but they who attend him out of love to himself are his own beloved ones. Lord, let me find my life in thee, and not in the mire of this world's favour or gain.
Evening
"And the Lord shall guide thee continually."
Isaiah 58:11
Isaiah 58:11
"The Lord shall guide thee." Not an angel, but Jehovah shall guide thee. He said he would not go through the wilderness before his people, an angel should go before them to lead them in the way; but Moses said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence." Christian, God has not left you in your earthly pilgrimage to an angel's guidance: he himself leads the van. You may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but Jehovah will never forsake you. Notice the word shall--"The Lord shall guide thee." How certain this makes it! How sure it is that God will not forsake us! His precious "shalls" and "wills" are better than men's oaths. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Then observe the adverb continually. We are not merely to be guided sometimes, but we are to have a perpetual monitor; not occasionally to be left to our own understanding, and so to wander, but we are continually to hear the guiding voice of the Great Shepherd; and if we follow close at his heels, we shall not err, but be led by a right way to a city to dwell in. If you have to change your position in life; if you have to emigrate to distant shores; if it should happen that you are cast into poverty, or uplifted suddenly into a more responsible position than the one you now occupy; if you are thrown among strangers, or cast among foes, yet tremble not, for "the Lord shall guide thee continually." There are no dilemmas out of which you shall not be delivered if you live near to God, and your heart be kept warm with holy love. He goes not amiss who goes in the company of God. Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot mistake your road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. "Jehovah"--mark the word--"Jehovah shall guide thee continually."
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Today's reading: Zechariah 1-4, Revelation 18 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Zechariah 1-4
A Call to Return to the LORD
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo:
2 “The LORD was very angry with your ancestors. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. 4 Do not be like your ancestors, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.’ But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. 5 Where are your ancestors now? And the prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?
“Then they repented and said, ‘The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do....’”
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 18
Lament Over Fallen Babylon
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:
“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”
Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:
“‘Come out of her, my people,’
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;
I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her....
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
pay her back double for what she has done.
Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;
I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
for mighty is the Lord God who judges her....
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Jesus
We place this peerless name first because it is the ineffable name of Him who wrapped Himself around with the garment of our humanity. Other names are dear, but His is dearer. Jesus was the name divinely given before His birth. “Thou shalt call His name Jesus” (Matt. 1:21). This familiar name, so sweet in a believer’s ear, occurs some seven hundred times in the New Testament.
The name Joshua is equivalent to Jesus , and the Old Testament warrior is a fitting type of our Lord. Joshua saved the people of Israel by leading them through the River Jordan, He fought their battles and was steadfast in his allegiance to God and His people. Jesus is our heavenly Joshua, who fought the grim battle on our behalf at Calvary, providing thereby a blood-bought deliverance for sin-bound souls. He is now our Leader, our Protector, and will never cease in His care of us until He has us safely in the sheepfold on the other side.
Among English-speaking peoples the names of Jehovah and Jesus are considered too sacred for sinful human beings to adopt, but in Spain, Portugal and South America, the people have no qualms about using Jesus as a Christian name. Among the Greeks and Scandinavians, there is no hesitancy about using Christ as a Christian name.
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