It used to be said that one does not fight the devil, but resists the devil and holds fast to the Lord. Because in fighting the Devil, one can end up looking ridiculous and dancing to the Devil's tune. But the Devil has no actual power over you because of the Lord. Hold fast to the Lord and He will fight the Devil. But in analogous terms, there is no comfort to conservatives in Australia. Resist Bill Shorten, but hold fast to .. ? Bickering and disagreement, hate and spite all coming from the leader, Malcolm Turnbull and his hand picked team.
In 371 BC, the Battle of Leuctra, where Epaminondas defeated Cleombrotus I, took place. Epaminondas had about a third fewer troops than the Spartans. He seemed to have accidentally developed a successful tactic that interrupted a Spartan manoeuvre. The result greatly impressed Phillip and later, Alexander of Macedon. 640, Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeated the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt). The result was Egypt and North Africa are now Muslim. 1189, Richard I "the Lionheart" acceded to the English throne. 1348, Pope Clement VI issued a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black Death. Popular opinion blamed the Jews for the plague, and pogroms erupted throughout Europe. Clement issued two papal bulls in 1348 (6 July and 26 September), the latter named Quamvis Perfidiam, which condemned the violence and said those who blamed the plague on the Jews had been "seduced by that liar, the Devil." He went on to emphasise that “It cannot be true that the Jews, by such a heinous crime, are the cause or occasion of the plague, because through many parts of the world the same plague, by the hidden judgment of God, has afflicted and afflicts the Jews themselves and many other races who have never lived alongside them.” He urged clergy to take action to protect Jews as he had done. 1411, Ming China's Admiral Zheng He returned to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presented the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming–Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor. 1415, Jan Hus was condemned as a heretic and then burned at the stake.
In 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England. 1557, King Philip II of Spain, consort of Queen Mary I of England, set out from Dover to war with France, which eventually resulted in the loss of the City of Calais, the last English possession on the continent, and Mary I never seeing her husband again. 1885, Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog. 1892, three thousand eight hundred striking steelworkers engaged in a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents during the Homestead Strike, leaving ten dead and dozens wounded.
In 1917, World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt. 1919, the British dirigible R34 landed in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship. 1933, the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Chicago's Comiskey Park. The American League defeated the National League 4–2. 1939, Holocaust: The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany were closed. 1941, Nazi Germany launched its offensive to encircle several Soviet armies near Smolensk. 1942, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse. 1944, Jackie Robinson refused to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court martial.
In 1957, Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so. Also 1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time, as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles. In 1995, in the Bosnian War, under the command of General Ratko Mladić, Serbia began its attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, and killed more than 8000 Bosniaks, in what then- UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali called "the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War". 1999, U.S. Army private Barry Winchell died from baseball-bat injuries inflicted on him in his sleep the previous day by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, for his relationship with transgender showgirl and former Navy Corpsman Calpernia Addams.
I am very good and don't deserve the abuse given me. I created a video raising awareness of anti police feeling among western communities. I chose the senseless killing of Nicola Cotton, a Louisiana policewoman who joined post Katrina, to highlight the issue. I did this in order to get an income after having been illegally blacklisted from work in NSW for being a whistleblower. I have not done anything wrong. Local council appointees refused to endorse my work, so I did it for free. Youtube's Adsence refused to allow me to profit from their marketing it. Meanwhile, I am hostage to abysmal political leadership and hopeless journalists. My shopfront has opened on Facebook.
Here is a video I made Wodwo
Edward James Hughes OM (17 August 1930 -- 28 October 1998) was an English poet and children's writer, known as Ted Hughes. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.
The wild man or woodwose is a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe. Images of wild men appear in the carved and painted roof bosses where intersecting ogee vaults meet in the Canterbury Cathedral, in positions where one is also likely to encounter the vegetal Green Man. The wild man, pilosus or "hairy all over", and often armed with a club. The image of the wild man survived to appear as supporter for heraldic coats-of-arms, especially in Germany, well into the 16th century. Early engravers in Germany and Italy were particularly fond of wild men, wild women, and wild families, with examples from Martin Schongauer (died 1491) and Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) among others.
=== from 2016 ===
Hillary Clinton has been given no favours by the FBI declining to indict her. It has opened the floodgates so that the truth what Clinton has done is public domain. She is unelectable. Her hard core supporters will cling to her, but she cannot attract 'swing voters.' This will make the presidential race one sided. But there is no alternative for Democrats. Their party machine has promoted the corrupt and compromised. They who claimed the peace movement are murderous on foreign affairs, promoting policy which sees many thousands of refugees dying to come to Western nations each month. The refugees flee war zones that Democrats have created with compassion and incompetence. Domestically, the Democrats have divided the community in office. But what it comes back to is Clinton has been exonerated for what she would demand Snowden face death.
For some, at the moment, the Sex Party has more credibility.
=== from 2015 ===
Historically, the Green movement comes from the Nazi movement. While the Nazis were doing unspeakable acts to babies and children for science, they also created ideas of nature, from nature walks to back to nature movements. Nazis claimed they were driven by science. The Greens today make similar bogus claims regarding global warming, research into genetic modification, drilling for gas or solar power. And sometimes the modern Greens go back to their roots, as they do with embracing Hamas in the hope of killing Israel. Modern members may not know they are preaching Nazi ideology, but if they thought about it logically, they would never have become Green.
Greece's vote of 'no' to cost cutting is not the worst thing that could happen to Greece or the EU, but it isn't good either. One helpful thing was the resignation of the Greek treasurer. Before the vote, he had said that cost cutting was terrorism. In fact, cutting costs is the only way Greece can move forward. EU need to cut Greece to move forward. Maybe some power like China or Russia will exploit her. But Greece has taken welfare money and refused to pay it forward. She has received services she refuses to pay for. The IMF can't step in again. Smaller nations can't afford to work with her. The Greek treasurer failed to resign if the referendum failed. The referendum passed and he still resigned. Thanks to ad government, Greece is suffering, and has little hope.
The Greek tragedy is being spun and compared to China. The issues are different.
Greece's vote of 'no' to cost cutting is not the worst thing that could happen to Greece or the EU, but it isn't good either. One helpful thing was the resignation of the Greek treasurer. Before the vote, he had said that cost cutting was terrorism. In fact, cutting costs is the only way Greece can move forward. EU need to cut Greece to move forward. Maybe some power like China or Russia will exploit her. But Greece has taken welfare money and refused to pay it forward. She has received services she refuses to pay for. The IMF can't step in again. Smaller nations can't afford to work with her. The Greek treasurer failed to resign if the referendum failed. The referendum passed and he still resigned. Thanks to ad government, Greece is suffering, and has little hope.
The Greek tragedy is being spun and compared to China. The issues are different.
From 2014
"One two three O'Clock, four O'Clock rock" began a Bill Hailey and the Comets song. Bill was born on this day in 1925. Another famous song singer was born on this day in 1931, Della Reese. Comedian Dave Allen came by in '36. Burt Ward in '45 and George W Bush in '46. Geoffrey Rush in '51. A happy day. A prince born on the day was John Paul Jones in 1747. Jones would be foundational to the US Navy. He would, later in life, meet Kosciuszko. A jealous rival accused him of raping a 12 yo girl. He said he hadn't, but he had frolicked with her ..
In 371 BC, on this day, the Battle of Leuctra ended Spartan supremacy and altered battle tactics which were noted by Phillip of Macedonia, father to Alexander the Great. In 1415, Jan Hus was burned at the stake for inspiring Martin Luther. In 1483, Richard III was crowned. It was the last time Yorkshire provided a king, although, through the female side of York, Lancaster was allowed to provide the rest. In 1535, lukewarm idealist Thomas More was executed for treason. He had written of Utopia, but not practiced it. Some said of Mary Ist, of England that her husband, King Phillip of Spain was not good for England. Mary was the second of Phillip's four wives. Phillip set sail from Dover with British ships to Calais, which he lost, the last English possession on French soil in 1557.
America adopted the dollar in 1785. In 1854, the first GOP convention was held. Nine year old Joseph Meister had been bitten by a rabid dog and was likely to die, but for the intervention of Louis Pasteur who inoculated him. It was the first successful inoculation in 1885. The boy went to live a full life. He took his life in 1940, thinking he had sent his family to death fleeing the Nazis. But they had returned too late to the Pasteur institute he had dedicated his life to, later in the day. TE Lawrence led some Arabs successfully on this day in 1917. Anne Frank went into hiding in 1942. Jackie Robinson was court martial-ed for not going to the back of the bus in 1944. Paul McCartney and John Lennon met on this day for the first time in 1957. In 1995, to Clinton's enduring fame, Mladic began his murder of 8000 civilians in former Yugoslavia. But Clinton's compassion for minorities was crowned in 1999 when an army private died after having been bashed in his sleep by a jealous colleague over a trans gender showgirl.
In 371 BC, on this day, the Battle of Leuctra ended Spartan supremacy and altered battle tactics which were noted by Phillip of Macedonia, father to Alexander the Great. In 1415, Jan Hus was burned at the stake for inspiring Martin Luther. In 1483, Richard III was crowned. It was the last time Yorkshire provided a king, although, through the female side of York, Lancaster was allowed to provide the rest. In 1535, lukewarm idealist Thomas More was executed for treason. He had written of Utopia, but not practiced it. Some said of Mary Ist, of England that her husband, King Phillip of Spain was not good for England. Mary was the second of Phillip's four wives. Phillip set sail from Dover with British ships to Calais, which he lost, the last English possession on French soil in 1557.
America adopted the dollar in 1785. In 1854, the first GOP convention was held. Nine year old Joseph Meister had been bitten by a rabid dog and was likely to die, but for the intervention of Louis Pasteur who inoculated him. It was the first successful inoculation in 1885. The boy went to live a full life. He took his life in 1940, thinking he had sent his family to death fleeing the Nazis. But they had returned too late to the Pasteur institute he had dedicated his life to, later in the day. TE Lawrence led some Arabs successfully on this day in 1917. Anne Frank went into hiding in 1942. Jackie Robinson was court martial-ed for not going to the back of the bus in 1944. Paul McCartney and John Lennon met on this day for the first time in 1957. In 1995, to Clinton's enduring fame, Mladic began his murder of 8000 civilians in former Yugoslavia. But Clinton's compassion for minorities was crowned in 1999 when an army private died after having been bashed in his sleep by a jealous colleague over a trans gender showgirl.
Historical perspective on this day
In 371 BC, the Battle of Leuctra, where Epaminondas defeated Cleombrotus I, took place 640, Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeated the Byzantineforces near Heliopolis (Egypt). 1044, the Battle of Ménfő between troops led by Emperor Henry III and Magyar forces led by King Samuel took place. 1189, Richard I "the Lionheart"acceded to the English throne. 1253, Mindaugas was crowned King of Lithuania. 1348, Pope Clement VI issued a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black Death. 1411, Ming China's Admiral Zheng He returned to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presented the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming–Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor. 1415, Jan Hus was condemned as a heretic and then burned at the stake. 1483, Richard III was crowned King of England. 1484, Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cãofound the mouth of the Congo River. 1495, First Italian War: Battle of Fornovo: Charles VIIIdefeated the Holy League.
In 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England. 1557, King Philip II of Spain, consort of Queen Mary I of England, set out from Dover to war with France, which eventually resulted in the loss of the City of Calais, the last Englishpossession on the continent, and Mary I never seeing her husband again. 1560, the Treaty of Edinburgh was signed by Scotland and England. 1573, Córdoba, Argentina, was founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera. Also 1573, French Wars of Religion: Siege of La Rochelle ended. 1609, Bohemia was granted freedom of religion. 1614, Żejtun and the surrounding villages suffered a raid from Ottoman forces. This was the last unsuccessful attempt by the Ottomans to conquer the island of Malta. 1630, Thirty Years' War: Four thousand Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus landed in Pomerania, Germany. 1685, Battle of Sedgemoor: Last battle of the Monmouth Rebellion. troops of King James II defeat troops of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. 1751, Pope Benedict XIV suppressed the Patriarchate of Aquileia and established from its territory the Archdiocese of Udine and Gorizia. 1777, American Revolutionary War: Siege of Fort Ticonderoga: After a bombardment by British artillery under General John Burgoyne, American forces retreated from Fort Ticonderoga, New York. 1779, Battle of Grenada: The French defeated British naval forces during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1801, First Battle of Algeciras: Outnumbered French Navy ships defeated the Royal Navy in the fortified Spanish port of Algeciras. 1809, the second day of the Battle of Wagram; France defeated the Austrian army in the largest battle to date of the Napoleonic Wars. 1854, in Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party was held. 1865, the first issue of The Nation magazine was published. 1885, Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog. 1887, David Kalākaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, was forced at gunpoint by Americans to sign the Bayonet Constitution giving Americans more power in Hawaii while stripping Hawaiian citizens of their rights. 1892, Dadabhai Naoroji was elected as the first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain. Also 1892, three thousand eight hundred strikingsteelworkers engaged in a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents during the Homestead Strike, leaving ten dead and dozens wounded.
In 1917, World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt. 1919, the British dirigible R34 landed in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship. 1933, the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Chicago's Comiskey Park. The American League defeated the National League 4–2. 1936, a major breach of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in England sent millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet (61 m) into the River Irwell. 1937, Spanish Civil War: Battle of Brunete: The battle began with Spanish Republican troops going on the offensive against the Nationalists to relieve pressure on Madrid. 1939, Holocaust: The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany were closed.
In 1940, Story Bridge, a major landmark in Brisbane, as well as Australia's longest cantilever bridge was formally opened. 1941, Nazi Germany launched its offensive to encircle several Soviet armies near Smolensk. 1942, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse. 1944, Jackie Robinsonrefused to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court martial. Also 1944, the Hartford circus fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, killed approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut. 1947, the AK-47 went into production in the Soviet Union.
In 1957, Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so. Also 1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time, as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles. 1962, as a part of Operation Plowshare, the Sedan nuclear test took place. Also 1962, the Late Late Show, the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster, aired on RTÉ One for the first time. 1964, Malawideclared its independence from the United Kingdom. 1966, Malawi became a republic, with Hastings Banda as its first President. 1967, Nigerian Civil War: Nigerian forces invaded Biafra, beginning the war. 1975, the Comoros declared independence from France. 1986, Davis Phinney became the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France. 1988, the Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea was destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers were killed, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life.
In 1995, in the Bosnian War, under the command of General Ratko Mladić, Serbia began its attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, and killed more than 8000 Bosniaks, in what then- UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali called "the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War". 1997, The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of mass protests, riots and gun battles began in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. 1999, U.S. Army private Barry Winchell died from baseball-bat injuries inflicted on him in his sleep the previous day by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, for his relationship with transgendershowgirl and former Navy Corpsman Calpernia Addams. 2003, the 70-metre EupatoriaPlanetary Radar sent a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri (HD 75732), HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris (HD 95128). The messages will arrive at these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044 and 2049 respectively. 2006, the Nathula Pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opened for trade after 44 years. 2013, National Bollywood Day celebrated across India on account of the birth of actor Ranveer Singh.
In 1535, Sir Thomas More was executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England. 1557, King Philip II of Spain, consort of Queen Mary I of England, set out from Dover to war with France, which eventually resulted in the loss of the City of Calais, the last Englishpossession on the continent, and Mary I never seeing her husband again. 1560, the Treaty of Edinburgh was signed by Scotland and England. 1573, Córdoba, Argentina, was founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera. Also 1573, French Wars of Religion: Siege of La Rochelle ended. 1609, Bohemia was granted freedom of religion. 1614, Żejtun and the surrounding villages suffered a raid from Ottoman forces. This was the last unsuccessful attempt by the Ottomans to conquer the island of Malta. 1630, Thirty Years' War: Four thousand Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus landed in Pomerania, Germany. 1685, Battle of Sedgemoor: Last battle of the Monmouth Rebellion. troops of King James II defeat troops of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth. 1751, Pope Benedict XIV suppressed the Patriarchate of Aquileia and established from its territory the Archdiocese of Udine and Gorizia. 1777, American Revolutionary War: Siege of Fort Ticonderoga: After a bombardment by British artillery under General John Burgoyne, American forces retreated from Fort Ticonderoga, New York. 1779, Battle of Grenada: The French defeated British naval forces during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1801, First Battle of Algeciras: Outnumbered French Navy ships defeated the Royal Navy in the fortified Spanish port of Algeciras. 1809, the second day of the Battle of Wagram; France defeated the Austrian army in the largest battle to date of the Napoleonic Wars. 1854, in Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party was held. 1865, the first issue of The Nation magazine was published. 1885, Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog. 1887, David Kalākaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, was forced at gunpoint by Americans to sign the Bayonet Constitution giving Americans more power in Hawaii while stripping Hawaiian citizens of their rights. 1892, Dadabhai Naoroji was elected as the first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain. Also 1892, three thousand eight hundred strikingsteelworkers engaged in a day-long battle with Pinkerton agents during the Homestead Strike, leaving ten dead and dozens wounded.
In 1917, World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt. 1919, the British dirigible R34 landed in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship. 1933, the first Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played in Chicago's Comiskey Park. The American League defeated the National League 4–2. 1936, a major breach of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in England sent millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet (61 m) into the River Irwell. 1937, Spanish Civil War: Battle of Brunete: The battle began with Spanish Republican troops going on the offensive against the Nationalists to relieve pressure on Madrid. 1939, Holocaust: The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany were closed.
In 1940, Story Bridge, a major landmark in Brisbane, as well as Australia's longest cantilever bridge was formally opened. 1941, Nazi Germany launched its offensive to encircle several Soviet armies near Smolensk. 1942, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse. 1944, Jackie Robinsonrefused to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court martial. Also 1944, the Hartford circus fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, killed approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut. 1947, the AK-47 went into production in the Soviet Union.
In 1957, Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so. Also 1957, John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time, as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles. 1962, as a part of Operation Plowshare, the Sedan nuclear test took place. Also 1962, the Late Late Show, the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster, aired on RTÉ One for the first time. 1964, Malawideclared its independence from the United Kingdom. 1966, Malawi became a republic, with Hastings Banda as its first President. 1967, Nigerian Civil War: Nigerian forces invaded Biafra, beginning the war. 1975, the Comoros declared independence from France. 1986, Davis Phinney became the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France. 1988, the Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea was destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers were killed, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life.
In 1995, in the Bosnian War, under the command of General Ratko Mladić, Serbia began its attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, and killed more than 8000 Bosniaks, in what then- UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali called "the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War". 1997, The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of mass protests, riots and gun battles began in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. 1999, U.S. Army private Barry Winchell died from baseball-bat injuries inflicted on him in his sleep the previous day by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, for his relationship with transgendershowgirl and former Navy Corpsman Calpernia Addams. 2003, the 70-metre EupatoriaPlanetary Radar sent a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri (HD 75732), HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris (HD 95128). The messages will arrive at these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044 and 2049 respectively. 2006, the Nathula Pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opened for trade after 44 years. 2013, National Bollywood Day celebrated across India on account of the birth of actor Ranveer Singh.
=== Publishing News ===
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.
===
I am publishing a book called Bread of Life: January.
Bread of Life is a daily bible quote with a layman's understanding of the meaning. I give one quote for each day, and also a series of personal stories illustrating key concepts eg Who is God? What is a miracle? Why is there tragedy?
January is the first of the anticipated year-long work of thirteen books. One for each month and the whole year. It costs to publish. It (Kindle version) should retail at about $2US online, but the paperback version would cost more, according to production cost.If you have a heart for giving, I fundraise at gofund.me/27tkwuc
Bread of Life is a daily bible quote with a layman's understanding of the meaning. I give one quote for each day, and also a series of personal stories illustrating key concepts eg Who is God? What is a miracle? Why is there tragedy?
January is the first of the anticipated year-long work of thirteen books. One for each month and the whole year. It costs to publish. It (Kindle version) should retail at about $2US online, but the paperback version would cost more, according to production cost.If you have a heart for giving, I fundraise at gofund.me/27tkwuc
===
Editorials will appear in the "History in a Year by the Conservative Voice" series, starting with August, September, October, or at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482020262/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_dVHPub0MQKDZ4 The kindle version is cheaper, but the soft back version allows a free kindle version.
List of available items at Create Space
The Amazon Author Page for David Ball
UK .. http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B01683ZOWGFrench .. http://www.amazon.fr/-/e/B01683ZOWG
Japan .. http://www.amazon.co.jp/-/e/B01683ZOWG
German .. http://www.amazon.de/-/e/B01683ZOWG
Happy birthday and many happy returns Quoc Nguyen, Andrew Raiss and Graham Donald Sparks. Born on the same day, across the years. On your day in 1253, Mindaugas, the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania, was crowned as King of Lithuania, the only person to ever hold that title. In 1411, Ming Dynasty Admiral Zheng He returned to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presented the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming–Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor. In 1809, Napoleon's French forces defeated Archduke Charles' Austrian army at the Battle of Wagram, the decisive confrontation of the War of the Fifth Coalition. In 1885, French chemists Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux successfully tested their vaccine against rabies on nine-year-old Joseph Meister after he was bitten by an infected dog. In 1978, A sleeping car train at Taunton, England, caught fire, killing 12 people and causing British Rail to install state-of-the art fire prevention measures. It is wonderful to claim titles and make them your own. It is finer to build them for those that follow you. Battles can be won decisively, adversely, and still you succeed. Don't let sleeping cars lie. If a French chemist wishes to test on you, let them, but pay them in Lire. They prefer that to dollars. Cheers.
We have a treaty. We aren't pregnant. Our story is a bridge. We have had troubles. We climbed the mountain. Let's party.
- 1580 – Johann Stobäus, German lute player and composer (d. 1646)
- 1623 – Jacopo Melani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1676)
- 1747 – John Paul Jones, Scottish-American captain (d. 1792)
- 1766 – Alexander Wilson, Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, and illustrator (d. 1813)
- 1781 – Stamford Raffles, English politician, founded Singapore (d. 1826)
- 1818 – Adolf Anderssen, German chess player (d. 1879)
- 1865 – Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Swiss composer and educator (d. 1950)
- 1884 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American businessman and sailor (d. 1970)
- 1887 – Annette Kellerman, Australian swimmer (d. 1975)
- 1921 – Nancy Reagan, American actress, 42nd First Lady of the United States
- 1925 – Merv Griffin, American actor, singer, and producer, created Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! (d. 2007)
- 1925 – Bill Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Bill Haley & His Comets) (d. 1981)
- 1927 – Janet Leigh, American actress and singer (d. 2004)
- 1931 – Della Reese, American actress and singer
- 1935 – 14th Dalai Lama
- 1936 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian and actor (d. 2005)
- 1939 – Jet Harris, English bass player (The Shadows, The Jeff Beck Group, and The Vipers Skiffle Group) (d. 2011)
- 1939 – John Makepeace, English furniture designer
- 1945 – Burt Ward, American actor
- 1946 – George W. Bush, American lieutenant and politician, 43rd President of the United States
- 1947 – Shelley Hack, American actress
- 1951 – Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor and producer
- 1955 – Michael Boyd, Irish theatre director
- 1960 – Asahifuji Seiya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 63rd Yokozuna
- 1975 – 50 Cent, American rapper, producer, and actor (G-Unit)
- 1981 – Emily West, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1984 – Zhang Hao, Chinese figure skater
- 1986 – David Karp, American businessman, founded Tumblr
- 1990 – Ajoo, South Korean singer and dancer
- 1996 – Sun Ziyue, Chinese tennis player
- 1996 – Sigrid Schjetne, Norwegian homicide victim (d. 2012)
Deaths
- 371 BC – Cleombrotus I, Spartan king
- 649 – Goar of Aquitaine, French-German priest and bishop (b. 585)
- 1017 – Genshin, Japanese scholar (b. 942)
- 1189 – Henry II of England (b. 1133)
- 1218 – Odo III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1166)
- 1415 – Jan Hus, Czech priest, philosopher, and reformer (b. 1369)
- 1476 – Regiomontanus, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (b. 1436)
- 1533 – Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet (b. 1474)
- 1535 – Thomas More, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1478)
- 1553 – Edward VI of England (b. 1537)
- 1854 – Georg Ohm, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1789)
- 1893 – Guy de Maupassant, French author (b. 1850)
- 1971 – Louis Armstrong, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1901)
- 1998 – Roy Rogers, American actor and singer (b. 1911)
July 6: Aphelion (19:40 UTC, 2015); Independence Day in Comoros (1975) and Malawi (1964); Statehood Day in Lithuania (1253); the festival of San Fermínbegins in Pamplona, Spain
- 1560 – Scotland and England signed the Treaty of Edinburgh to formally conclude the Siege of Leith and replace the Scottish–French Auld Alliance.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American troops at Fort Ticonderoga in New York retreated from the advancing British forces, causing an uproar in the American public since the fort was widely believed to be virtually impregnable.
- 1940 – The Story Bridge (pictured) in Brisbane, the longest cantilever bridge in Australia, was opened by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland.
- 1997 – The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of unrest began in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland.
- 2006 – Nathu La, a mountain pass in the Himalayas connecting India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opened for trade after more than 40 years.
Tim Blair
Andrew Bolt
Tone deaf leadership was Turnbull’s big mistake
Miranda Devine – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (9:09am)
THE most farcical analysis of Malcolm Turnbull’s election drubbing on the weekend attributes it to his supposed capitulation to the “far right” of his party on issues such as the gay marriage plebiscite, border protection and climate change policy.
In fact, Turnbull’s mistake was the opposite; he alienated conservative voters by being patronising and deaf to their concerns.
Continue reading 'Tone deaf leadership was Turnbull’s big mistake'Turnbull needs to remake his government to reflect his electorate
Miranda Devine – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (9:08am)
THE Delcons are happy now as they revel in bucket loads of hot schadenfreude.
They stamped their little feet and had a ten-month tantrum to punish Malcolm Turnbull and the 54 “traitors” who overthrew Tony Abbott.
These delusional conservatives believed it was worth delivering power to Labor just to punish the Liberal Party.
They probably won’t quite achieve their ambition but they’re not looking so delusional now.
Continue reading 'Turnbull needs to remake his government to reflect his electorate'DESTROYING DEMOCRACY IN ORDER TO SAVE IT
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (8:05pm)
Dr Piero Moraro, a lecturer in justice studies at Charles Sturt University, presents his election solution:
We think that “one person, one vote” is the hallmark of any democratic election. However, the EU referendum and the Australian election suggest that, in the interest of democracy, we should grant more votes to younger citizens, and fewer to older ones.
You might get one or two complaints from the coffin dodgers over at GetUp, Doc. As for the EU referendum, most youngsters didn’t even bother to vote, so to hell with them.
MR MELBOURNE
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (6:56pm)
The Age asks: “Is Samuel Davide Hains the most Melbourne guy ever?”
Judging by his photograph, the answer is yes. He’s even more of a Melbourne guy than this Melbourne guy.
Judging by his photograph, the answer is yes. He’s even more of a Melbourne guy than this Melbourne guy.
(Via Andrew R.)
SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (4:16pm)
My friend (and host of this Friday’s Viewpoint on Sky) Miranda Devine, prior to the election:
Essential asked: “Has the re-election of Malcolm Turnbull as leader of the Liberal Party made you more or less likely to support the Liberal National Coalition at the next federal election?”Just 14 per cent say they are less likely to vote for the Turnbull-led Coalition. That’s the delcon community, small but noisy.
And Miranda today, following Saturday’s display of Delcon power:
The Delcons are happy now as they revel in bucket loads of hot schadenfreude.They stamped their little feet and had a ten-month tantrum to punish Malcolm Turnbull and the 54 “traitors” who overthrew Tony Abbott.These delusional conservatives believed it was worth delivering power to Labor just to punish the Liberal Party.They probably won’t quite achieve their ambition but they’re not looking so delusional now.
Not quite so small, either.
BAN KI-MOONBALL
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (2:28pm)
The Social Justice Football League is going all-out for this weekend’s multicultural round:
International passport holders can get in free to Carlton’s clash against Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday …
If you’re going to the game on Sunday, you might also notice a few multicultural touches on the umpires, the ground and the footy! Umpires will have the word ‘UMPIRE’ translated into one of six languages and printed on their uniform, while the goal umpires will wave orange flags to signify harmony. Meanwhile Sherrin match balls with have the word ‘WELCOME’ printed in six different languages on them, and the 50m arcs will be bi-lingual, correlating to the language theme for the game.
So Irish-born millionaire Qantas boss Alan Joyce can get in for nothing but an Australian Aborigine will pay full price. Discrimination! Racism! Additionally:
Matches are being broadcast in one of seven languages:
Mandarin: Port Adelaide v Hawthorn and West Coast v North Melbourne
Greek: Geelong v Sydney Swans
Hindi: GWS v Collingwood and Essendon v St Kilda
Arabic: Gold Coast v Brisbane Lions
Vietnamese: Western Bulldogs v Richmond
Spanish: Melbourne v Fremantle
Italian: Carlton v AdelaidePort Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney are wearing multicultural-themed guernseys, while Gold Coast, West Coast and the Western Bulldogs will wear themed warm-up gear. The Power’s jumper features the Australian and Chinese flags on the front and players’ names in Mandarin on the back. The Giants’ jumper has hands interlinked on the front representing solidarity between all people, standing together and living in unity and harmony. The guernsey also features the United Nations Refugee Agency logo.
The AFL has become the UNFL. Sad.
GENDER PARITY ACHIEVED!
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (3:44am)
A couple of years ago, Drum editor Chip Rolley added this note to an article complaining about male privilege:
Here at The Drum website we are aware that, despite our best efforts, we have failed to achieve gender parity in our own editorial line-up.
Well, good news, everybody! The ABC’s new managing director, Michelle Guthrie, yesterday fixed that little problem:
Editor Chip Rolley no longer has a job …
And neither does anyone else at The Drum, be they men or women. Sure, a few lefties might be out of work, but think of the equality. Not that fans of the ABC opinion site are impressed. Observe their brutally sexist views of the ABC’s first female boss, who is written off as a compliant Murdoch stooge:
• Why would the ABC end wider audience engagement through The Drum if not to appease Rupert Bloody Murdoch?• LNP appointed neo-con/neo-lib ideologue with an agenda Michelle Guthrie axes opinion website• Another voice and outlet for opinion shut down by these bloody “Liberals”.• Pressure from Rupert Murdoch shuts down opinion site that actually pays freelancers• The ABC is now officially being managed to serve the editorial and commercial interests of Rupert Murdoch.• The axing of The Drum website is terrible. Michelle Guthrie, Murdoch/IPA servant. It will be greatly missed.• It was removed by that Murdoch executive.• So, Michelle Murdoch-Guthrie has silenced The Drum to save a few bob and please her mentors.• It is little wonder the ex-Murdoch employee wants to be rid of The Drum.• The talk of Privatisation by Liberals is REAL. Now look at ABC. A former Newscorp Exec at Helm Michelle Guthrie. Now axed The Drum Web site• Must this NewsCorp imposter be sacked?
The site was founded by an old rich white guy. It’s been cut by a younger Chinese-Australian woman. Celebrate diversity, stupid lefties.
UPDATE. Chris Kenny: “The Drum is closed. The pretence can end. ABC journalists can get back to checking their opinions at the door.”
ELECTION 2016 – THE COUNTENING CONTINUES AND CONTINUES
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (3:02am)
Except it doesn’t:
Australian Electoral Commission officers spent yesterday “sitting around drinking cups of tea” and not even counting in some seats ...
Last night, it was no clearer which way at least 10 close seats might fall, with little if any of the 1.25 million postal votes counted despite assurances from the Australian Electoral Commission that it would start first thing yesterday after being on a counting break since Sunday.
The AEC should be privatised.
UPDATE. A note from Bill Leak: “Mate, I was going to do a drawing of AEC vote counters sitting around smoking and drinking cups of tea because I thought the image was so ridiculous it would make for a funny cartoon. Not any more.”
YOU COULDN’T MAKE THIS UP
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (2:06am)
A genial and contemplative mainstream media commentator is condemned as too dangerous for the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
WEAR THE BEAR
Tim Blair – Wednesday, July 06, 2016 (12:26am)
In celebration of Brexit, I recently turned up on Sky wearing an authentic British racing bear t-shirt. That design is shown to rather better effect here:
Click to buy your own excellent bear-wear.
Click to buy your own excellent bear-wear.
Andrew Hastie speaks honestly about the Liberals’ campaign
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (6:20pm)
Andrew Hastie, already tipped as future frontbencher, is one of the few Liberal MPs prepared to speak frankly about the Liberals’ campaign.He dares while others hold their tongues, fearing retribution or desiring promotion:
===Western Australian MP Andrew Hastie has issued a warning to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, putting him on notice that Liberal members of parliament would demand consultation on any negotiations with independents to form a minority government…I value a man with the courage to tell voters the truth. What do the other MPs think they gain by telling a voter something that both know is mere spin?
He said a Liberal party room meeting should be called.
Mr Hastie said the national campaign did not resonate with voters and was disconnected from much of the country…
He said he threw aside the national campaign’s talking points when a father “asked me directly why our plan would benefit the future of his five children”.
“I struggled to answer,” Mr Hastie said.
“It was at that point I realised that a lot of what we were campaigning on nationally just wasn’t resonating with everyday Australians.
“He couldn’t understand the reason for company tax cuts, he wasn’t earning enough to benefit from the increased tax thresholds and he wasn’t an innovator – he was just an everyday Australian who was trying to pay down his mortgage and look after his children and ensure they had a brighter future.”
Mr Turnbull’s campaign narrative of innovation did not strike a chord in the electorate, he said…
Mr Hastie agreed the change in leadership from Mr Abbott to Mr Turnbull had an impact on the vote.
“Of course it had an impact, but even now, be in no doubt I am loyal to the leadership of my party, I’m loyal to the Prime Minister,” he said.
On Sky News and radio tonight - blaming Abbott, justifying Hanson
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (1:58pm)
On The Bolt Report on Sky News Live at 7pm tonight:
UPDATE
My editorial from last night’s The Bolt Report - Turnbull and the elites still don’t get what just happened:
===Editorial: Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop try to blame Tony Abbott for their disaster. The proof of the lie.On 2GB, 3AW and 4BC with Steve Price from 8pm.
My guests:
One of the plotters of the Turnbull coup on whether he made the wrong call.Podcasts of the show here. Facebook page here.
Mark Latham on Pauline Hanson and the penis-obsession of a taxpayer-funded academic writing for a taxpayer-funded publication.
On the panel, Labor defence spokesman Stephen Conroy and Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger debate an election that was a disaster for the Liberals, yet no great triumph for Labor.
How right is Pauline Hanson?Thanks very much to you all for supporting us. We had record ratings for The Bolt Report yesterday, nearly four times higher than what early scoffers claimed was our audience. Steve Price and I also topped the radio ratings for our slot in Melbourne and Sydney and had a big jump in Brisbane. I am very grateful to you all. I say all this here because you won’t read about it in The Age or ABC website.
Listen live here. Talkback: 131 873. Listen to all past shows here.
UPDATE
My editorial from last night’s The Bolt Report - Turnbull and the elites still don’t get what just happened:
Who let them in? Our refugee program is dangerous
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (1:39pm)
Yet again, I note that our refugee program has exposed Australians to unacceptable danger.
More home invasions from the same ethnic group:
===More home invasions from the same ethnic group:
A COUPLE was forced to hide in a bathroom, a family confronted in their living room and a man was stabbed during three terrifying home invasions overnight.And again I ask for apologies to former Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews, who was vilified by journalists and police for warning of the exploding crime rate and trying to shut the door.
It’s believed two of the incidents, which occurred in Melbourne’s northwest, are linked…
The drama began in Airport West at about 3.45am today when a husband and wife were woken by smashing glass.
Airport West resident John, who didn’t want his full name published, said the intruders tried to break in to the bedroom ensuite as he and his wife cowered inside…
“They were very aggressive, there’s no denying that. They threw a football sized rock through a bi-fold door and they’ve run through the house — we could hear them…
Later in Essendon at about 4.55am a family of four, including two children aged six and three years, were woken when a boulder, believed to have been from a neighbours garden, smashed through their rear bi-folding doors. The Essendon father told the Neil Mitchell program on 3AW ... he saw three males of African appearance in his house.
Shall we DelCons forgive Miranda, now that she admits Abbott would have been better?
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (1:23pm)
We DelCons must be prepared to welcome back Miranda Devine without rancour or recriminations. Bear in mind the inspiring parable of the Prodigal Son.
From one of Miranda’s columns today, this evidence of repentance of her pro-Turnbull infatuation:
===From one of Miranda’s columns today, this evidence of repentance of her pro-Turnbull infatuation:
THE most farcical analysis of Malcolm Turnbull’s election drubbing on the weekend attributes it to his supposed capitulation to the “far right” of his party on issues such as the gay marriage plebiscite, border protection and climate change policy.In fact, Miranda even wrote more of the same in a second column, even conceding Tony Abbott - the Del-Con hero - would have done better as leader:
In fact, Turnbull’s mistake was the opposite; he alienated conservative voters by being patronising and deaf to their concerns.
His sneering attacks on Pauline Hanson before the election, for instance, would have cost him votes, as did his “multi-faith” Ramadan dinner at Kirribilli House in the middle of the campaign, when he invited onto his top table only Muslims including leftist activist TV host Waleed Aly. This was a prime minister seemingly more concerned with brandishing his cosmopolitan credentials than with winning an election.
THE Delcons are happy now as they revel in bucket loads of hot schadenfreude… [T]hey’re not looking so delusional now…
Turnbull, like Julia Gillard, came by his job illegitimately and never could regain the trust of the people…
Now the PM has to come out from under his doona, humbly admit fault, reach out to the conservatives who deserted the Liberals and heal the party. In other words, act like a leader, and not a petulant child…
Now a great swathe of red encircles Sydney where once were the marginal Liberal seats proudly claimed for “Howard’s battlers” and kept in the family by Abbott.
Where have we seen that same red-stained map before? After the republic referendum in 1999, when only the comfortable inner urban elites voted Yes. The people rejected Turnbull’s insider republic then. They reject Turnbull’s insider party now… It’s likely Abbott would have performed better than Turnbull if he had remained PM, especially in the crucial outer suburban marginal seats which are in sync with his social values and civic-mindedness.
Book with bulletin
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (11:57am)
My second Bolt Bulletin - a post-election edition including a homage to former Prime Minister Billy Hughes and a comparison of my hate mail to Leigh Sales’ - will be sent to readers who buy my book online.
Book here for the Sydney launch of my book on July 15, with friends Rowan Dean, editor of the Spectator Australia, and IPA boss John Roskam chatting with me on stage.There will be book signings at each launch.
Book here for the Melbourne launch on July 22, again with Rowan, John and me.
Book here for the Adelaide launch at Senator Cory Bernardi’s Conservative Leadership Foundation on July 29.
We will now also have a Brisbane launch for my new book - August 5. The IPA will announce further details soon.
Abbott revival continues
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (8:48am)
Once dismissed completely, Tony Abbott is now rising in the polls - even without doing any campaigning or signalling any intent:
The mere fact that Turnbull seems so obsessed by Abbott - snubbing him, trashing his record and now even blaming him for his election humiliation - suggests that Turnbull sees what many journalists still don’t: that Abbott is his chief rival.
===The latest Morgan poll of 3587 electors, conducted yesterday following the weekend election, shows 51 per cent regard Mr Turnbull as better prime minister, just ahead of Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on 47 per cent.Discount also for the please-no-more-changes-yet factor.
That’s a decrease of six percentage points in a month for Mr Turnbull and a 23 point increase for Mr Shorten in the same period. But Mr Turnbull is clearly preferred as Liberal leader over Tony Abbott by 71 per cent to 25 per cent.
But when only those who identify as Coalition voters are asked who they would prefer as party leader, the result becomes closer — 60 per cent for Mr Turnbull and 38 per cent for Mr Abbott.
The mere fact that Turnbull seems so obsessed by Abbott - snubbing him, trashing his record and now even blaming him for his election humiliation - suggests that Turnbull sees what many journalists still don’t: that Abbott is his chief rival.
Malcolm Turnbull blames Labor, voters and Tony Abbott for his disaster
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (8:47am)
What the ABC reported yesterday:
Observe the fraud.
Claiming responsibility:
UPDATE
Turnbull blaming Abbott is dishonest and weak. Consider: the Nationals’ vote went up, while the Liberals’ vote was smashed. What explains that difference?
A Nationals’ briefing obtained by Sid Maher suggests the fatal difference was Malcolm Turnbull:
When you read this, know that Turnbull believes Sussan Ley voted for Tony Abbott and that he treats her off-handedly in Cabinet. It would be most convenient for Turnbull to blame a suspected Abbott supporter:
Sarah Martin & Joe Kelly:
===Malcolm Turnbull takes ‘full responsibility’ for Coalition campaign performanceThat is false. Turnbull yesterday claimed to take responsibility, but in fact blamed everyone else but himself. He is still in complete denial.
Observe the fraud.
Claiming responsibility:
I want to make it quite clear that as Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Party, I take full responsibility for our campaign, absolutely full responsibility for the campaign.But still insisting that his campaign was great:
We put forward a very positive agenda, based on my continued belief that the best days are yet ahead of us as Australians and that we need to build a strong economy… We’ve had a campaign, we fought hard, we presented a powerful case.Don’t blame Turnbull:
Wallowing in blame and recriminations, that’s for people who want to look backwards.Blame instead lying Labor:
But we have to recognise that the success of Labor’s “Mediscare” campaign - as it’s been called - this base, this extraordinary, outrageous lie, the fact that this resonated at all, sends a very clear message to us… So they piled on, even as the mainstream media and politicians recognise that claim - that the Coalition was going to privatise Medicare - as a lie. They pressed ahead with it.... This was a shocking lie, I’m not going to pretend it’s anything else.Blame the gullible voters:
There is no doubt that Labor cynically abused the trust of Australians by lying to them about this. It is something for all of us - politicians and the media - to contemplate… [S]ignificant numbers of people believed it or at least believed it enough to change their vote… Now what we have to recognise is that many Australians were troubled by it.Blame Tony Abbott for two years ago suggesting Medicare co-payments:
PRIME MINISTER:Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said he took responsibility. The transcript makes clear that he took responsibility only for his powerful and positive campaign being damaged by Labor lies, dumb voters and Tony Abbott.
We have to do more to reaffirm the faith of the Australian people in our commitment to health and to Medicare. Now, that commitment is there, but plainly there were concerns…
JOURNALIST
Prime Minister, you mentioned today that there was a distrust of your Party on health. How much of the blame for that distrust falls at Joe Hockey and Tony Abbott’s feet for the 2014 budget?
PRIME MINISTER:
I’m not going to get into the political archaeology of this but it is clear that, look Charles, the bottom line is this; Barnaby and I and my colleagues are as committed to Medicare as any other Member in the Parliament. That’s a fact. However there was some fertile ground in which that grotesque lie could be sown. There is no doubt about that.
UPDATE
Turnbull blaming Abbott is dishonest and weak. Consider: the Nationals’ vote went up, while the Liberals’ vote was smashed. What explains that difference?
A Nationals’ briefing obtained by Sid Maher suggests the fatal difference was Malcolm Turnbull:
Turnbull’s election campaign has been dubbed “aloof’’ and “presidential’’ in a damning assessment for the Nationals…UPDATE
A post-poll briefing to senior Nationals ... criticises the Liberals’ negative campaign as “very weak’’ and “almost non-existent’’ and suggests the “fake tradie’’ television advertisement became a “standing joke’’.
“The Nationals outperformed the Liberals by a country mile in this election,’’ the research finds.
“The campaign also did not include key Labor weaknesses — border security and asylum boats, debt and deficits and the prospect of a new carbon tax. Why not?’’…
The post-election analysis from a key external strategist to the Nationals campaign suggests that “retrospective’’ changes to superannuation and limits on how much people are allowed to accumulate in the pension phase angered many Liberal supporters…
The Nationals ran local campaigns focused around their candidates and buttressed it with attack ads on Mr Shorten’s union links and his declaration that he would govern like a union official.
Nationals sources say they also avoided the “new’’ in Mr Turnbull’s strong new economy mantra and never talked about “agility’.
“Most people live in the old economy,’’ a source said. “And they equate the new economy with losing their job and having to find another one.’
The internal post-mortem finds the Liberals allowed Labor to “own’’ health and education. “By the time the election came around, for many voters it became a referendum on Medicare.’’…
The research finds Mr Turnbull’s “jobs and growth’’ message was “never fully understood by voters’’.
“They had been told repeatedly about “our plan for jobs and growth’’ but with the exception of tax cuts for small business there was no detail or substance to the plan… “The more Malcolm Turnbull tried to demonise minor parties and independents, the stronger their support grew. Malcolm Turnbull’s attacks on minor parties were seen by voters as an attack on democracy, limiting their freedom of choice, cutting out the voice of ‘the little guy’ and trying to concentrate all power into the hands of only a few parties — wrong move, very ‘anti-Liberal’."…
When you read this, know that Turnbull believes Sussan Ley voted for Tony Abbott and that he treats her off-handedly in Cabinet. It would be most convenient for Turnbull to blame a suspected Abbott supporter:
Sarah Martin & Joe Kelly:
Senior ministers are under fire for contributing to Malcolm Turnbull’s election result, with MPs questioning why Health Minister Sussan Ley did not do more to counter Labor’s Medicare attack.(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.)
The performances of Defence Minister Marise Payne, Scott Morrison, and Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer have also been criticised, with a small group of conservatives saying the Prime Minister’s “inner circle” of moderate-aligned ministers should all be sacked....
MPs who spoke to The Australian yesterday said they were surprised Ms Ley had not played a more prominent role in defending the government from Labor’s Medicare campaign.
“She didn’t counter the Medicare campaign at all,” one said. “She was too scared.” Campaign headquarters also denied requests for Ms Ley to take part in a debate on health at the National Press Club. Another MP said she was an asset in the portfolio, and if campaign headquarters had not allowed her to prosecute the case, this was a mistake…
Taxpayer-funded commissar Soutphommasane vilifies Hanson, ignores Shady
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (8:27am)
Why is a government employee paid more than $300,000 a year to warn us against people like Pauline Hanson? What makes the shut-them-down opinions of former Labor staffer Tim Soutphommasane, now our race discrimination commissioner, worthy of government subsidy and official endorsement?
This is how the oppressive organs of the state are deployed to crush dissent and vilify those who think such teachings actually threaten a secular, multicultural and free society.
Either that or Soutphommasane is actually a hypocrite and a fool.
===[Hanson’s] One Nation Party has also made it part of its platform to abolish the Racial Discrimination Act, impose a ban on new mosques, and have a royal commission into Islam… Every member of our society should be free to live without fear of discrimination. This includes being free to practise their religion, as guaranteed by section 116 of the Constitution.Note that Soutphommasane still can’t get his head around that fact that criticising an ideology is fundamentally different to criticising a race:
As for Islam not being a race? That’s a clever trick – one that ignores how anti-Muslim feeling can involve a mingling of ideas about race, culture and religion. Whatever its nuance, religious bigotry does little to aid racial tolerance and harmony.I guess that is why Soutphommasane feels free to abuse and implicitly threaten the free speech of Hanson, who advocates no violence, yet has said nothing about the views of Sheik Shady Alsuleiman, president of the Australian National Council of Imams, who in his preaching has vilified Jews, called on God to help “destroy the enemies of Islam”, declared the punishment for adulterers “is stoning to death”, damned Christmas parties as “worship of Satan” and accused gays of “spreading all these diseases” through “evil actions that bring evil outcomes to our society”.
This is how the oppressive organs of the state are deployed to crush dissent and vilify those who think such teachings actually threaten a secular, multicultural and free society.
Either that or Soutphommasane is actually a hypocrite and a fool.
I’m too dangerous for danger-lovers
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (8:18am)
How weird. Members of the Left think I am too dangerous to appear at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
My too-dangerous idea? That we should treat each other as individuals, not as representatives of some “race”.
===My too-dangerous idea? That we should treat each other as individuals, not as representatives of some “race”.
If ISIS is “weak”, what is strong?
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (8:10am)
Last November:
===I NEED another dictionary. Either that, or we’re not being told the truth about Islamic State. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told us this week IS was “fundamentally weak” with “many more smartphones than guns”.Rita Panahi today:
Waleed Aly, television host and lecturer at Monash University’s Global Terrorism Research Centre, agrees IS is “weak”. Associate Professor Rodger Shanahan, from the National Security College, assured the ABC of “the inherent weaknesses of Islamic State”. And US President Obama told us IS is “contained”.
ISLAMIC State called for terror attacks and maximum carnage during the holy month of Ramadan and jihadis around the world heeded the call.
Deadly attacks from terrorists pledging allegiance to Islamic State have taken place in countries as disparate as Bangladesh, the US, Jordan, Iraq, France, Turkey, Yemen, the Philippines, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
In late May Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammed al-Adnani called upon the group’s followers to “make it (Ramadan), with God’s permission, a month of pain for infidels everywhere”.
The death toll is in the many hundreds with bombings, shootings and stabbing murders committed by the terror group’s army of so-called “lone wolves”.
Why Turnbull will not go on Sky News
Andrew Bolt July 06 2016 (7:35am)
It is so disappointing that Tony O’Leary should resort to this thuggishness - and that his boss went along with it to the extent of never again appearing on Sky:
I will say just this: Turnbull’s refusal to every request from Sky for an interview actually dates from this car-crash interview, even though the disaster was entirely self-inflicted:
===Tony O’Leary, formerly press secretary to John Howard and now a media strategy consultant to Malcolm Turnbull, was the senior Liberal figure who warned Sky News that Turnbull would never appear on the cable network while Peta Credlin was on the payroll.O’Leary has for a couple of years been spreading stories about the alleged bastardry of Peta Credlin in particular - stories gobbled up by the likes of Niki Savva. This one is the most often recycled, even though Credlin denies it strongly:
Credlin, formerly chief of staff to Tony Abott, signed up in late March as an election commentator on Sky. She was a controversial figure in government, wielding power in a manner that created enemies. Her commentary has been sharp, sometimes brutally critical of Turnbull’s campaign.
Credlin was said to have barred Mr O’Leary from Mr Abbott’s victory celebrations in 2013.There is, however, another incident yet to be reported.
I will say just this: Turnbull’s refusal to every request from Sky for an interview actually dates from this car-crash interview, even though the disaster was entirely self-inflicted:
STOP THE GROWTH
Tim Blair – Monday, July 06, 2015 (4:32pm)
Forget all this nonsense about Greek debt and welfare and pensions and huge public sectors and spending other peoples’ money. Left-wing economist John Quiggin knows what is really to blame:
The sooner this delusion is abandoned, the sooner it will be possible to address the real source of the problem: the unsound and unsustainable growth of the financial sector.
It doesn’t seem to be growing much in Greece.
GRECIAN EARN
Tim Blair – Monday, July 06, 2015 (5:15am)
The world’s most optimistic spider lived in my old Queens Park front yard. Every day for weeks the ambitious arachnid would somehow connect a line of web from a small tree to the letter box, straight across a path to the front door.
Plainly, our eight-legged friend was aiming to capture an entire human and thus secure a food supply for life. No more boring fly diet for him. But every day his flimsy filament would be snapped either by the slightest breeze or me simply walking through it.
Optimism is an admirable quality. Up to a point.
London’s Thom Feeney is the British equivalent of that sanguine spider. Last week the 29-year-old shoe shop worker looked at Greece’s debt crisis and devised a solution.
“The European Union is home to 503 million people, if we all just chip in a few Euro then we can get Greece sorted and hopefully get them back on track soon. Easy,” Feeney wrote at his crowdfunding site, which aimed to collect $2.4 billion in Greek bail-out cash.
“I started the campaign as quite a practical endeavour, €3 from everyone in Europe,” Feeney continued. “That’ll sort it.”
Remarkably, more than 100,000 fellow optimists heeded Feeney’s call. By early yesterday they had raised an astonishing $2.6 million, making it one of the world’s most successful crowdfunding operations.
Very impressive. Until you consider the bigger picture, drawn entirely in red ink.
As social media applauded Feeney’s initiative, Greece’s debt continued to blow out by a further $33 million per day. The collected $2.6 million represents less than one per cent of the amount needed to meet just one immediate debt repayment. Even if Feeney and friends did make it to $2.4 billion, they’d have only gathered 0.65 per cent of Greece’s overall $359 billion lending debt.
(Continue reading Grecian Earn.)
TAKE THAT, BATS IN HATS
Tim Blair – Monday, July 06, 2015 (4:57am)
In Australia, anti-western leftists wear headscarfs to demonstrate their solidarity with oppressed Islamic women:
But in Iran, oppressed Islamic women are removing their headscarfs:
But in Iran, oppressed Islamic women are removing their headscarfs:
After posting photos of herself with her head uncovered, in defiance of Iran’s strict rules regarding the compulsory wearing of the hijab, journalist Masih Alinejad’s one-woman protest gave rise to My Stealthy Freedom – a social media movement that now attracts more than 700,000 followers.“Every time I posted a picture of myself especially without a hat or a veil I got a lot of comments and likes,” Alinejad told the Huffington Post. “Then I posted a picture inside Iran of myself without hijab and asked women if they also felt like taking off their hijab when no one could see them, especially the police. The response was overwhelming …”
She continued with My Stealthy Freedom by not only encouraging more women to go out in public without wearing a headscarf, but to share videos of the reaction of men when they do.Contrary to the view of conservative Iranian leaders, which is to claim that men will be unable to control themselves at the sight of an uncovered woman, footage uploaded to the page shows male passers-by responding with encouraging smiles of support.
If only left-wing feminists were as supportive. Instead, they’re on the side of the mullahs.
THEN AND NOW
Tim Blair – Monday, July 06, 2015 (4:50am)
In 1955, a Mercedes driven by Frenchman Pierre Levegh at the Le Mans 24 Hour race struck a slower competitor’s car and scythed into the crowd. More than 80 people were killed.
What happened next may be even more shocking, at least to modern sensibilities.
The race continued.
(Continue reading Then and Now.)
NEVER BEATEN
Tim Blair – Monday, July 06, 2015 (4:41am)
One of cricket’s longest-standing records: Ian Botham’s title for the greatest-ever Ashes sledge.
MIND MERGERS
Tim Blair – Monday, July 06, 2015 (4:38am)
Sydney has roughly one council for every three citizens, by my count, which in terms of local democratic representation may be slightly overdoing it.
The state government intends to remedy this by merging councils on a geographic basis. As you’d expect, councils are resistant. But what if we allow them instead to merge according to ideology?
(Continue reading Mind Mergers.)
IGNORGEOUS GEORGE
Tim Blair – Monday, July 06, 2015 (4:35am)
The only surprising thing about it is that it’s not surprising at all.
Abbott orders boycott of Q&A that puts Turnbull in a pickle
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (7:27pm)
Tony Abbott isn’t letting Q&A or the ABC off the hook:
UPDATE
Mark Day on the reform badly needed at the bloated and biased ABC:
More anger from Liberals sick of having the ABC break the law with its bias:
===Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has pulled out of an appearance on the ABC’s Q&A program after Prime Minister Tony Abbott ordered frontbenchers boycott the show, a spokesman says.Mind you, Abbott’s strategy may not be aimed at the ABC alone:
Mr Joyce was scheduled to appear on the program tonight but notified the show’s producers late yesterday that he would not be appearing. A spokesman for Mr Joyce said he pulled out of the program after Mr Abbott decided no frontbencher would be allowed to take part.
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is scheduled to appear on the show next week and has not commented on whether he will attend.An awkward dilemma for Turnbull, whose leadership hopes would be hurt by being seen to be too soft on the ABC.
Mr Turnbull knocked back an invitation to appear on Q&A last week…
UPDATE
Mark Day on the reform badly needed at the bloated and biased ABC:
Sky News has shown that it is possible to provide multichannel national news services for a quarter the cost of the ABC. There is no barrier to the ABC going down this path.UPDATE
Culturally, it will be much more difficult. The ABC has a deep-seated Leftist culture emanating from the days of Marxist radio manager Allan Ashbolt who, through the 50s, 60s and 70s appointed like-mined people so as to effectively capture the work practices and mindsets of the organisation. Thus the natural, instinctive starting point for the ABC tends to be left of centre and, in this era of journalistic advocacy, rather than disinterested reporting, individual and collective biases have become entrenched and plainly obvious to audiences.
More anger from Liberals sick of having the ABC break the law with its bias:
A Queensland Senator has called for the ABC to take Q&A off the air pending a review into the program as part of his “Green Union Labor Lefty ABC” watch – GULLA for short.
As part of James McGrath’s regular email roundup to supporters ... the Liberal Party Senator, who called for the national broadcaster to be privatised if it “continues to represent only inner-city leftist views”, said Q& A was “out of control”.
“Only a month ago in Senate Estimates I asked the Managing Director of the ABC Mark Scott about the left-wing bias of our national broadcaster, particularly in relation to QANDA,” he wrote…
“QANDA is out of control and should be taken off the air, pending an independent review.
“This silly juvenile programme is toxifying the ABC and I have written to the ABC stating as much.
“Only a drongo would allow a convicted grub like Mr Mallah to attend QANDA and encourage them to ask a question. “It is not an issue of freedom of speech it is an issue of judgement and an issue of bias and an issue of ABC leadership.”
Abbott too scared to rule out racial division in politics
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (5:46pm)
Pardon? Tony Abbott cannot even rule out a kind of Aboriginal parliament - a race-based division at the very heart of government?
From his press conference today after reaching agreement with Aboriginal “leaders” on how to achieve consensus on changing the constitution:
===From his press conference today after reaching agreement with Aboriginal “leaders” on how to achieve consensus on changing the constitution:
QUESTION: I know you are not ruling anything in or out today but ‘achievable’ [change in the constitution], will that be including a non [inaudible] clause in the constitution and possibly setting up an Indigenous body to advise the Parliament?Oh dear. Sometimes no deal is better than any. Pull out now, because this process is now so out of control that Abbott now does not dare spell out what should be a fundamental article of faith for a Liberal: that we must not be divided by race. As he should insist we already have a Parliament that represents all Australians, regardless of “race”.
PRIME MINISTER: These are certainly issues which a lot of the participants in today’s meeting would like to see. These are the sorts of things that now need to be considered by these community conferences that will shortly be entrained.
Greece’s clown show continues
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (5:42pm)
Greece has been in the hands of these jokers?
===GREEK Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has resigned amid the crisis engulfing the debt-ridden nation and after pressure from Greece’s European partners.You’d never think that these “terrorists” were actually offering Greece more billions it would never repay.
The Australian dual national citizen used his personal blog to announce he was stepping down, in the wake of the country’s ‘No’ vote, revealing his resignation under a post entitled ‘Minister No More!’
Varoufakis wrote that he had been “made aware of a certain preference by some eurogroup participants, and assorted ‘partners’, for my… ‘absence’ from its meetings”.
The controversial figure, who effectively backed himself into a corner on aid negotiations in recent days after accusing creditors of “terrorism”. “I consider it my duty to help (PM) Alexis Tsipras exploit, as he sees fit, the capital that the Greek people granted us through yesterday’s referendum. And I shall wear the creditors’ loathing with pride,” Varoufakis wrote.
How the recognition movement disempowers Aborigines
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (10:30am)
Academic Dr Anthony Dillon, who identifies as part-Aboriginal, on the disempowering demands for recognition and apologies:
So is recognition going to do a single thing to fix this, or will it just entrench a disastrous you-owe-us defiance and victimhood?
Yet Aboriginal leaders are focussed on a stupid change of wording to the constitution as they bitch about the past.
(Thanks to reader Gary.)
===I wish to see Aborigines move forward, not be held back by the myth that we are history’s victims and powerless to change our own lives. The equally pernicious twin of this poisonous message about the past is that, until some (unspecified) form of recognition or acknowledgement or apology is given, Aboriginal people will be unable to move on. Yet, despite those who derive their sense of personal meaning and importance by playing the prophets of gloom, many have moved on in leaps and bounds…UPDATE
People can move on, and many have, without receiving any such recognition. Offering forgiveness of wrongs committed is far more empowering than seeking some form of recognition or apology. I am not suggesting that people do not derive some short-term relief from an apology or other manifestations of recognition. But it is not the healing which comes from forgiving — and never forget that forgiveness can be an incredibly difficult thing to offer. That is why blaming others and demanding acknowledgement are more popular, so much more seductive. But the popular approach is also the disempowering approach. To blame others essentially communicates a message that hobbles those who utter it: “I am unable to do anything to help myself.” There is another serious problem with the belief that an acknowledgement of past wrongs by non-Aboriginal people is needed in order for Aboriginal people to feel good, engage productively with society and be able to attain the standard of living most Australians take for granted. To insist on some form of acknowledgement essentially implies that the happiness and well-being of Aboriginal people is under the direct control of those who are being requested to give the acknowledgement – the non-Aboriginal people.
So is recognition going to do a single thing to fix this, or will it just entrench a disastrous you-owe-us defiance and victimhood?
WALGETT will become the state’s first school to have police stationed on the inside, as the government tries to hose down escalating violence at the northwest NSW school.Oops. Like so many such reports, this one doesn’t mention the cultural and “racial” faultline here. But here’s one earlier report which does:
Walgett’s only public high school had become a breeding ground for “violence and criminal behaviour”, with police attending almost daily, documents leaked to Fairfax Media reveal.In recent weeks a quarter of the teachers have quit. As few as 21 of the more than 100 students turn up to school some days.
The situation became critical in February when two female students attacked a long-standing female teacher and a deputy principal, who was unable to return to work for nearly a week.
The continuing violence and poor academic results have also prompted a complaint to the NSW deputy ombudsman with responsibility for Aboriginal affairs, Danny Lester.
“Today there have been two more assaults on staff in the high school and no action,” said the complaint to the ombudsman. It detailed fights outside the school; described children jumping and damaging staff vehicles and properties; and breaches of the school’s safety regulations. It claims that former principal Richard Rule, who “achieved so much in a short time and has years of experience”, was forced out of the school by some in the Aboriginal community…Deputy Opposition Leader Linda Burney said the situation at the school was “relegating another generation of mostly Aboriginal students to welfare and hopelessness”.
Yet Aboriginal leaders are focussed on a stupid change of wording to the constitution as they bitch about the past.
(Thanks to reader Gary.)
China even more scary than Greece. Market freaks
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (10:19am)
Greece is not the biggest problem. Watch out for this:
===China’s stock markets face a make-or-break week after officials rolled out an unprecedented series of steps at the weekend to prevent a full-blown stock market crash that would threaten the world’s second-largest economy.But some context to this correction:
The government is anxiously awaiting the market opening on Monday to see if the new measures will halt a 30 percent plunge in the last three weeks...
China stocks had more than doubled in just 12 months even as the economy cooled and company earnings weakened, resulting in a market that even China’s inherently bullish securities regulators eventually admitted had become too frothy.Our stock market reacts badly to Greece and China:
Could Tony Jones explain why we paid for this jaunt?
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (9:07am)
ABC host Tony Jones was red hot about Treasurer Joe Hockey claiming travel expenses that are actually standard for every politician - the $271 a day away-from home allowance:
===TONY JONES (May 18): Did that actually go into the mortgage [for a Canberra house owned by Hockey’s wife]?Hockey might next time have some questions about Jones’ travel expenses, paid for by taxpayers:
JOE HOCKEY: Well, Tony, I dunno. I pay rent. And, you know, ...
TONY JONES: You pay rent to your wife. JOE HOCKEY: Well hang on, is there a problem with that?
The ABC spent an estimated tens of thousands of dollars flying Q&A host Tony Jones and executive producer Peter McEvoy business-class to Switzerland early last year for the Davos World Economic Forum.
Because Australia was chair of the G20, Prime Minister Tony Abbott was there giving an address which was covered by the travelling pack of political journalists from the press gallery in Canberra.
Many were puzzled with the attendance of McEvoy and Jones. They had top-level passes but, as far as Diary can tell, filed no reports on the high-powered gathering.
Presumably they both had a lovely European holiday, making good use of the taxpayer-funded airfares. It would have been an expensive affair… With the overseas flights and luxury hotels, it wouldn’t be surprising if his work-related costs came in close to $77k either.
The Liberals shouldn’t take such comfort in Shorten being unpopular
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (8:46am)
The Liberals are taking lots of satisfaction from Bill Shorten’s appalling approval ratings. But they risk forgetting that Tony Abbott was unpopular before the last election, too, yet still won. And Labor still maintains an overall lead:
But as I’ve said before:
UPDATE
Same warning from the Ipsos poll. Shorten’s popularity falls but Labor is still leading comfortably:
===Ahead of his appearance on Wednesday at the trade union royal commission, Mr Shorten’s satisfaction rating remains stuck at a low of 28 per cent while his dissatisfaction has hit a new high of 56 per cent, according to the latest Newspoll, conducted exclusively for The Australian…Abbott has staged a remarkable recovery since January and February, but the legacy of broken promises, cuts and instability remain. What’s needed now is a prolonged period of steady, no-dramas government.
Based on preference flows from the last election, Labor has improved its two-party-preferred lead from 51 per cent to the Coalition’s 49 per cent in the middle of last month to 52 per cent to the Coalition’s 48 per cent at the weekend.
But as I’ve said before:
Much of the recovery until now seems driven by a much better performance from Tony Abbott himself, giving him a handy advantage over Bill Shorten, but there, too, there the switch now needs to be made into likeability…On that last point:
I’d suggest the same-sex marriage debate contains great dangers for Tony Abbott, but also an opportunity to very visibly change his shape for the better, electorally at least. In a wider sense, too, he needs to project a moral purpose to voting Liberal - and supporting him. Something like gathering in the lost and the strays would be good - and, boy, is it necessary.
More more needs doing, not least through steady, predictable and well-communicated government over a sustained period, and developing a moral case and cause for the government - such as gathering the forgotten children, lost in welfare ghettos, Aboriginal camps, violent homes and failed schools…The Government remains behind in the polls. The complacency I’m seeing is extremely premature. Not all the promised change has occurred.
UPDATE
Same warning from the Ipsos poll. Shorten’s popularity falls but Labor is still leading comfortably:
The dip has not translated into a drop in support for Labor, which has retained its six percentage point lead over the Coalition and, as in the June poll, leads 53 per cent to 47 per cent in the two-party preferred vote.I suspect the Government is relying far too much on national security to boost its stocks. The public tends to take for granted that governments look after that kind of thing.
Blaming the West for Islamist terrorism fixes nothing
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (8:42am)
WE need a frank debate about Islam, not the dangerous denials of Ali Kadri, president of Queensland’s oldest mosque.
Kadri, of the Holland Park mosque, last week claimed recent Islamist terrorism had nothing to with Islam but lots to do with the United States.
Let’s go through Kadri’s response to my column on terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait to check the kind of blame shifting that stops Muslim leaders from taking responsibility for reforming Islam.
Kadri writes: “I agree with Bolt that these terrorists justify their actions on the basis of some interpretations within Islamic jurisprudence. However, to argue that the overwhelming majority of 1.6 billion Muslims live by the same interpretation is ludicrous.”
False. I acknowledged “the vast majority of Muslims hate the horrors we now see”.
But scholars of Islam suggest moderates cannot easily criticise what terrorists do because the terrorists find their legitimisation in the Koran, which they quote.
Then Kadri’s rebuttal becomes alarming:
(Read full article here.)
===Kadri, of the Holland Park mosque, last week claimed recent Islamist terrorism had nothing to with Islam but lots to do with the United States.
Let’s go through Kadri’s response to my column on terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait to check the kind of blame shifting that stops Muslim leaders from taking responsibility for reforming Islam.
Kadri writes: “I agree with Bolt that these terrorists justify their actions on the basis of some interpretations within Islamic jurisprudence. However, to argue that the overwhelming majority of 1.6 billion Muslims live by the same interpretation is ludicrous.”
False. I acknowledged “the vast majority of Muslims hate the horrors we now see”.
But scholars of Islam suggest moderates cannot easily criticise what terrorists do because the terrorists find their legitimisation in the Koran, which they quote.
Then Kadri’s rebuttal becomes alarming:
(Read full article here.)
Phil Walsh’s death has dads wondering about their children
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (8:33am)
KILLED by your own son. Is there a more terrible way for a father to die?
To be slain by the one person on this earth a dad would most wish to be admired by and loved?
That’s what has made the death of Adelaide AFL coach Phil Walsh so much more shocking to the countless Australians who actually didn’t know him.
Sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child, said Shakespeare.
But even sharper when some then inevitably wonder and even cautiously report: how much was there for that child to be thankful for?
Yes, so unfair to speculate like that about such an unforgiveable and unnatural crime, particularly when many of those who did know Walsh have spoken of him with respect, even love.
Unfair, when Walsh’s daughter, in grief, pays tribute to her “one and only hero”.
Desperately unfair, when none of us yet know what drove Cy, Walsh’s only son, to stab him.
But it’s precisely because we don’t know that we’ve been guessing or wondering — and in ways that sell Walsh short while we explore our deepest fears.
(Read full column here.)
David Marr’s alternative reality: Rudd stopped the boats
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (7:46am)
Do you think David Marr says this untruth because he believes it or because he wants you to believe it?
When he returned as Prime Minister he restored the offshore processing he’d scrapped and slowed the boats but did not stop them before he lost office in September 7, 2013:
UPDATE
But when it comes to boats, Marr is at sea with facts and predictions.
Here is what he wrote when Rudd re-introduced the offshore processing at Manus Island which Marr now claims stopped the boats:
===It was dramatic. What Rudd did in his second government was a dramatic intervention that did in fact stop the boats.Rudd actually started the boats by weakening our border laws. More than 50,000 illegal immigrants were lured here.
When he returned as Prime Minister he restored the offshore processing he’d scrapped and slowed the boats but did not stop them before he lost office in September 7, 2013:
Under Operation Sovereign Borders, which Tony Abbott introduced and Marr attacked, just one boat has arrived since December 2013.
UPDATE
But when it comes to boats, Marr is at sea with facts and predictions.
Here is what he wrote when Rudd re-introduced the offshore processing at Manus Island which Marr now claims stopped the boats:
Bribing Papua New Guinea to take our refugees may seem an unimaginable course for a civilised country to take. But this is Australia. We do xenophobia well. We shut our doors on Jews before the second world war… The shame goes way back. But Kevin Rudd has taken Australia lower than it has ever gone before… But when all this is done, refugees will still use the sea. They always have and always will.
Greeks say no to rescue
Andrew Bolt July 06 2015 (7:34am)
Europe offered Greece another loan to save them, as long as they at least made some more savings.
Greeks say no and no one knows how this will work out:
===Greeks say no and no one knows how this will work out:
Voters in Greece resoundingly rejected creditors’ demands for more austerity in return for rescue loans Sunday, backing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who insisted the vote would give him a stronger hand to reach a better deal.First shocks felt:
The opposition accused Tsipras of jeopardizing the country’s membership in the 19-nation club that uses the euro and said a “yes” vote was about keeping the common currency. With 87 percent of the votes counted, the “no” side had more than 60 percent.
The first shock waves from Greek voters’ rejection of austerity were felt in the currency markets, with the euro falling against major peers and Australia’s dollar sliding to a six-year low. Analysts are tipping a flight to safety, with Treasuries and German bunds to benefit.
The Australian Greens have had a great victory today in Greece, but we cannot be sure that this ancient evil is defeated once and for all until we hunt him back to Transylvania.
Posted by Greens taking credit for things on Sunday, 5 July 2015
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You may feel like you’re getting behind; you’re not where you thought you would be in life. Don’t worry, God knows how to make up for lost time. You are highly favored. Almighty God is breathing in your direction.
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===
How tennis ace Nick Kyrgios grand slammed any notion Australia is racist
Piers Akerman – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (7:36pm)
CANBERRA teenager Nick Kyrgios gave the lie to claims of Australian racism when he was cheered by fans across the nation and around the world after his historic victory over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon.
Continue reading 'How tennis ace Nick Kyrgios grand slammed any notion Australia is racist'Kyrgios gives racism grand slam
Piers Akerman – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (2:16am)
CANBERRA teenager Nick Kyrgios gave the lie to claims of Australian racism when he was cheered by fans across the nation and around the world after his historic victory over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon.
Kyrgios, whose father is of Greek origin and mother is from Malaysia, does not look like a whitebread Anglo sort of bloke. Yet not a commentator mentioned his features when applauding his win at the Grand Slam tournament.
Nor did anyone note that Melbourne-born Musa Cerantonio, widely regarded by security forces internationally as one of the most influential recruiters for the ultra-violent Islamic State, formerly known as ISIL, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, looks more like an average young Anglo-Irish bush dance caller than the spruiker for Middle Eastern terrorism that he is.
But there he was, with his beaming grin shining from a youthful bushy reddish beard on the ubiquitous YouTube announcing his support for the Sunni caliphate, or Muslim state, in the territory seized by the extremist hordes following the black flag of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a militant with a $10 million bounty on his head.
Baghdadi, a delusionary who claims to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammad, has been slaughtering all those who are not prepared to convert to Sunni Islam, as he enthusiastically spreads the message of the so-called religion of peace.
Those who cling to the failed notion of multiculturalism in Australia and fight to block freedom of speech by supporting the retention of the offensive section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, do so because they don’t want their prejudices held up to public scrutiny by the majority. It is their minority view they want to prevail and, under that view, the causes of community dissent can’t be explored, let alone challenged, without inviting claims of bigotry.
Part of the dogma of the multicultural industry relies on the false claim that there is at the heart of Anglo-Australian culture an irrational fear of something called the Other — that is, anyone who doesn’t look like a Chesty Bond, blonde beach-loving Aussie caricature. But it was impossible to discern any fear of Nick Kyrgios last week.
On the contrary, much of the nation was delighted to find a new young hero to worship. Green-and-gold bedraped Australians at Wimbledon who had never heard of the newcomer a week earlier were seen screaming themselves hoarse with encouragement, and those at home laughed and cried as they learnt that his proud mother, Norlaila, didn’t think her youngster was good enough to beat a champion of Nadal’s stature at the world’s greatest tennis tournament.
While this was delighting the nation, Cerantonio was hitting the anti-social media to step up his recruiting drive for death squads. Early on Wednesday, he announced he was planning to leave his hiding place (believed to be in the Philippines), to join the murderers in the Middle East.
Clearly it is not a case of one race being acceptable and another unacceptable, one appearance being frightening, another welcoming. It is a case of one culture being benign and one being lethal.
The deadly Islamist culture Cerantonio has chosen is undoubtedly Koranic in origin.
In his all-too popular videos, Cerantonio brandishes the Islamic holy book like a banner, exhorting his followers to observe its message.
That message, unchanged since medieval times and unquestioned by Islam’s most fanatical supporters and brutally applied by al-Baghdadi and his minions is one of death for those who will not bend to his brand of Islam as the bodies of Christians, Kurds and non-Sunni demonstrate.
It has appealed to a hundred or more young Australians who have travelled to join the extremist militants in Syria and Iraq.
Last week, Attorney-General George Brandis met a group of Islamic leaders in Canberra to discuss changes which will permit the domestic and international agencies ASIO and ASIS to better deal with the threat posed to national security by those who have gone or plan to go and join the Islamists in the Middle East.
The good intentions of the imams and community leaders are to be applauded but what is really needed is a thorough examination of the culture within the Muslim community — not a homogenous group by any means — which nurtures and supports individuals such as Cerantonio and Sydney sheik Abu Sulayman, a senior official in the Syrian militant group, Jabhat al-Nusra.
Until then, the anti-social activities of significant members of the Muslim community are deserving of suspicion and will remain so until the majority of Muslims demonstrate that Australian culture, our way of life, is not threatened by these radical extremists.
THEY KNOW SOME WORDS
Tim Blair – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (1:38pm)
“Two young women spent yesterday making this," reports Labor’s Kate Lundy. Good for them. Next step: forming an actual sentence.
UPDATE. Look out, Tony! It’s the biggest big giant puppet head ever:
Tony Abbott will be seen standing tall at a rally on Sunday, but a puppet made in the 28th prime minister’s likeness won’t be flattering.About 10 “creatives”, from musicians to theatre crew, incensed by the federal government’s first budget in May, have created a three-metre puppet which will have red LED lights and a smoke machine delicately inserted in its rear end.The man behind the idea, early childhood teacher Matthew Armstrong, said the aim was to make a policy rather than personal point.
Well, obviously. That was probably this bloke’s aim, too.
TOO RUDE FOR FAIRFAX
Tim Blair – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (3:39am)
Fairfax endorsed Clementine Ford’s “F… Abbott” t-shirts, but certain words are now apparently too extreme for Fairfax publication. Jacqueline Maley avoids the forbidden terminology:
… your self-congratulation at having invented a new rude name to call female newspaper columnists …
Previous non-naming has now extended to non-wording. It’s a silencing of dissent!
BECAUSE THEY’RE BLACK
Tim Blair – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (2:54am)
Slate identifies the crucial issue of black pet discrimination:
Just when you were hoping there were no new ways to be racist, it turns out people may be racist against dogs.
If colour is the cause of pet bigotry, surely this means anti-coal protesters are also racist. Come to think of it, has anyone ever seen a wind turbine that isn’t white?
CAT PREDICTION A LESSON TO US ALL
Tim Blair – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (2:23am)
Age letters correspondent Brian Powell has a message for us terrible denialists:
In the 1950s, Melbourne naturalist Crosbie Morrison warned that if we did not act on the problem of domestic cats going feral, our native mammals would be threatened with extinction. He advocated the sterilisation of pet cats. Unfortunately his warning was ignored, his prediction was correct and many native mammals are threatened with extinction. This should be a lesson to all climate change deniers.
(Via nofixedaddress)
WISH I’D THOUGHT OF THAT
Tim Blair – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (2:02am)
An even better and more tautly-descriptive word than “frightbat”: ecobag.
(Via Emily’s List)
AN ACCENT MIKE DOESN’T LIKE
Tim Blair – Sunday, July 06, 2014 (2:01am)
Mike Carlton claims that Rolf Harris’s ”contrived Aussieness was always a toe-curling embarrassment.” Big call, Michael. At least Harris, for all of his crimes against women and music, and despite decades in the UK, always sounded like an Australian. Carlton’s contrived Britishness, by comparison, is still capable of bending femurs.
Protesters exaggerate by 250 per cent. Say they know better about the Budget
Andrew Bolt July 06 2014 (4:35pm)
If they can’t even count heads correctly, why on earth would we trust these marchers about the Budget?
More rubbery figures by budget busters in Melbourne, as reported by an Age journalist who seems unaware that 10,000 is actually less than 12,000:
===Central Sydney has filled with a sea of protesters for the “Bust the Budget” march.UPDATE
Organisers estimated up to 15,000 people joined the rally, which started at Town Hall and proceeded along George Street and up Market Street.
Police figures put the number of marchers at 6000.
More rubbery figures by budget busters in Melbourne, as reported by an Age journalist who seems unaware that 10,000 is actually less than 12,000:
The crowd swelled from hundreds before the mooted kick-off time at 1pm, and estimates of total numbers gathered for the march in Melbourne varied from between 12,000 up to 20,000. It fell well short of the 10,000 union members that gathered at Trades Hall last month.
The face of Islam at its worst
Andrew Bolt July 06 2014 (1:46pm)
The face of Islam at its most savage and uncompromising:
===SELF-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has made an unprecedented appearance in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which his forces helped capture last month, and ordered Muslims to obey him, according to a video post.
That marks a significant change for the shadowy jihadist whose Islamic State (IS) group led a lightning offensive that overran swathes of five provinces north and west of Baghdad…
“I am the wali (leader) who presides over you, though I am not the best of you. So if you see that I am right, assist me,” said the man, purportedly Baghdadi…
Text superimposed on the video identified the man as “Caliph Ibrahim”, the name Baghdadi took when the group on June 29 declared a “caliphate”, a pan-Islamic state last seen in Ottoman times, in which the leader is both political and religious. The video is the first ever official appearance by Baghdadi, says Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on Islamist movements, though the jihadist leader may have appeared in a 2008 video under a different name.
The Bolt Report today, July 6
Andrew Bolt July 06 2014 (5:25am)
On Channel 10 at 10am and 4pm…
The truth about immigration - and the new threats.
And has Malcolm Turnbull spat the dummy?
Plus: the fall of Fairfax, a hypocrisy alert on Jacqui Lambie and more.
On the show: Michael Kroger, Bruce Hawker, Dr Bob Birrell and Ben Hills. .
The videos of the shows appear here.
===The truth about immigration - and the new threats.
And has Malcolm Turnbull spat the dummy?
Plus: the fall of Fairfax, a hypocrisy alert on Jacqui Lambie and more.
On the show: Michael Kroger, Bruce Hawker, Dr Bob Birrell and Ben Hills. .
The videos of the shows appear here.
Police investigate Labor conference over stolen tape
Andrew Bolt July 06 2014 (4:45am)
How interesting. Weren’t Liberals first accused of doing the dirty? Instead:
I am suspicious about the way The Age has played this story.
June 24, 2014
The recording is sent to many, but not all, Liberal members, suggesting the mailing list used by the peddler is not up to date. That in turn suggests the peddler might not be someone currently working in Liberal politics. Meanwhile, the story from The Age changes as it develops from 10am. There are lots of hints of Liberal involvement, but not much about Labor’s possible role in the theft of the Dictaphone at a Labor conference. Only after 6:26pm does The Age editor-in-chief say the theft has been reported to police, six weeks after the event:
The Age editor-in-chief isn’t keen on any suggestion the recording was stolen at a Labor conference:
The Age news editor is happy to blame Liberals instead:
The Age now confuses the issue by claiming a second recorder is missing – something denied by Age reporter Josh Gordon.
Premier Dennis Napthine on 3AW discusses reports that one Dictaphone went “missing” at the state Labor conference. The Age’s Gordon tweets:
The “rumour” is now investigated by police, who check CCTV footage of the Labor conference. The Herald Sun confirms police are checking reports the Dictaphone could have been stolen from a bag, a suggestion apparently made by Age reporter Farrah Tomazin:
===Police are examining security footage from Labor’s state conference as part of an investigation of the theft of a reporter’s dictaphone.UPDATE
The recording device contained a private conversation between The Sunday Age’s state political editor Farrah Tomazin and Ted Baillieu, during which the former premier was critical of some colleagues.
The Sunday Age reported the alleged theft to police after the conversation was emailed to hundreds of Liberal Party members by a person claiming to be a party member. Victoria Police spokeswoman Leonie Johnson declined to give details, but confirmed police were investigating a theft.
I am suspicious about the way The Age has played this story.
June 24, 2014
The recording is sent to many, but not all, Liberal members, suggesting the mailing list used by the peddler is not up to date. That in turn suggests the peddler might not be someone currently working in Liberal politics. Meanwhile, the story from The Age changes as it develops from 10am. There are lots of hints of Liberal involvement, but not much about Labor’s possible role in the theft of the Dictaphone at a Labor conference. Only after 6:26pm does The Age editor-in-chief say the theft has been reported to police, six weeks after the event:
ANDREW HOLDEN: It’s clearly a dirty tricks campaign, but I think what disappoints me most is to see a couple of Age journalists dragged into that and I find that very disappointing.7:51pm
ALISON CALDWELL: Will you take this to the police? ANDREW HOLDEN: We’ll certainly record the fact that the tape recorder has gone missing and record that with police and just let them know that we’re concerned as to how it’s been misused.
The Age editor-in-chief isn’t keen on any suggestion the recording was stolen at a Labor conference:
He said any suggestion the recording was stolen or misplaced was “speculation”, however. “I don’t think it gets us anywhere as to how it went missing the first place,” he said.June 25, 2014:
The Age news editor is happy to blame Liberals instead:
Mark Forbes on who stole the tape: “I think you have to look at people who are opposed to Ted and that’s a wide range of people.”June 26, 2014:
The Age now confuses the issue by claiming a second recorder is missing – something denied by Age reporter Josh Gordon.
But The Age editor in chief Andrew Holden maintained there were “no dirty tricks”. He assured Neil Mitchell it was not a cover up.The Age state political reporter again implicates the Liberals, this time the office of federal minister Kevin Andrews:
“What I do know is the tape recorder went missing, I don’t know exactly where, I don’t know exactly when,” he said.
“Fundamentally it’s gone and somebody has got hold of it and I do regard it as stolen at that point because they clearly know who’s on it and they’ve used it in this purpose which I find quite appalling.”
He added another tape was also missing – that tape belonged to Josh Gordon.
“I have absolutely no idea whether they’re connected in any way whatsoever,” he said, adding they went missing within the same week.
“Again, conspiracy theories might say that Fairfax journalists have been targeted, I can’t categorically say that. “Until it’s proven to me that somebody has got hold of (Josh’s) tape and are using pieces of his audio, it is purely coincidence as far as I know.
June 27, 2014:
Premier Dennis Napthine on 3AW discusses reports that one Dictaphone went “missing” at the state Labor conference. The Age’s Gordon tweets:
July 5, 2014:
The “rumour” is now investigated by police, who check CCTV footage of the Labor conference. The Herald Sun confirms police are checking reports the Dictaphone could have been stolen from a bag, a suggestion apparently made by Age reporter Farrah Tomazin:
Victoria Police spokeswoman Leonie Johnson refused to discuss the investigation.Has The Age played this story straight? Is it defending someone – or some party?
“Moonee Valley CIU are investigating a report of a theft of a Dictaphone from the bag of a victim while at a racecourse function in Moonee Valley in May,” she said. “It would be inappropriate to comment further.”
The death of Pro’s art
Andrew Bolt July 06 2014 (4:28am)
How greed killed Pro Hart’s reputation:
At the beginning, his paintings commanded recognition by leading galleries. His 1962 painting Judas Flying A Kite [below], which is being sold in the auction, was exhibited at Heide Museum of Modern Art and at the National Gallery of Victoria.All the more astonishing, then, the careers of Mozart, Trollope and Shakespeare, who could produce such vast quantities for the market yet remain great artists. Does Rubens also count?
“There was a moment where he could have had a very substantial career,” [art historian Gavin] Fry told The Sunday Telegraph.
In the late 1960s, however, the artist swung his focus to the popular end of the art market… Instead of furthering his career by developing his style and controlling his output, Hart painted up to eight pictures a day when he was at the height of his production… “(Painting) 70,000 pictures is just madness, and that’s the great tragedy — that he couldn’t get away from the necessity to produce vast quantities of work,” Fry said.
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Pastor Rick Warren
In relationships, there's no trust without truth.
===Pastor Rick Warren
Anything we do out of love will be remembered in eternity. Anything we do out of ego is forgotten quickly.
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Should we be upset that one of the new ministers in the Federal Cabinet swore his oath on a Qur'an?
This week as the Governor General swore in the new cabinet, Mr Ed Husic, chose to swear on the Qur'an rather than the Bible or make an affirmation. A ‘non-practising’ Muslim from Bosnia, Mr Husic was sworn in as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Broadband.
Swearing is a strange symbolism, by which we persuade and reassure people of our integrity in making promises. Christians should not need to swear for we should be people of our word. As Jesus said in response to Pharisaic hypocrisy, “Let what you say be simply “Yes” or “No”; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5:37 cf James 5:12)
The Christian’s truthfulness will not be increased by swearing, but swearing reassures our hearers that we are telling the truth and gives them something to refer back to when our truthfulness comes under question. There is nothing wrong in swearing an oath when required. The 39th of our 39 Articles is “Of a Christian man’s Oath” handling the question of doing that which Jesus seems to be forbidding. We do not swear because we need to but because our hearers need reassurance.
Within the scriptures we see the apostle swearing “God is my witness” (Romans 1:9, Phil 1:8) and God himself swore that the people of Israel would not enter his rest (Hebrews 3:18). Swearing is a way of giving solemn assurance to the hearer that you mean what you are saying and will back it up before a higher court to whom the hearer may appeal. And that is why we swear in God’s name or on his book.
There is no point swearing by something less than yourself. For an oath to be believable you have to point to something, like God, greater than yourself. However, to which god can somebody be held accountable? At first glance you can only swear by the true and living God. For swearing by Molech is of not much consequence, as Molech is a powerless imagination of the ancient Ammonites - hardly reassuring to the modern listener. Yet you must swear by the god that you believe in. If you were an ancient Ammonite there is no point swearing by Yahweh, while to swear by Molech would indicate your sincerity.
Mr Husic is the first Federal cabinet minister to swear on the Qur'an. For Mr Husic swearing on the Bible was not an option and he didn’t want to make a simple affirmation. As a Muslim, it is the god of the Qur'an whom he acknowledges as greater than himself and to whom he would be accountable for his promises. For some people it is insulting to swear on a book that is seen as fomenting so much war and terror around the world today. For others it is no real promise as the book is one of lies and its god is not the true and living one. For many others still it further marginalises Christianity from our nation and its historic establishment. Even if these are true, they give absolutely no excuse for the abuse Mr Husic has had to endure.
Australia is a Christian nation, not in the sense of it being run by and for Christians with an established religion that all must follow, but in the sense that Christianity informs the people, heritage and culture. As a Christian nation we have freedom of religion, which involves limiting government to matters secular, while allowing free expression of religious beliefs. It is part of our wonderful Christian heritage that a Muslim migrant can become a Cabinet minister and express his religion without fear or favour.
When Christianity has ruled in government, both Christianity and the government have been distorted. We win people to Christ not by government fiat but by prayerful persuasion to the truth.
The fact that Mr Husic is a non-practising Muslim is no more a problem than the non-practiscing Christian swearing on the Bible. Even the non-practising recognize that they are not God and are answerable to some higher power than themselves. The Muslim who swears by the Qur'an can at least be held to its teaching, and does not put himself in the place of God. The practice of swearing an oath is therefore better than a simple affirmation.
Affirmations have been in use for some centuries because of the conscience of people not wanting to invoke God in their promises. Some of these are tender Christian consciences, who misunderstand Jesus’ prohibition on swearing. However, others will only make an affirmation because, as atheists, they refuse to refer to a higher being than themselves. They are like Napoleon placing the crown on his own head for there was nobody greater to crown him. So they are not answerable to anybody or anything other than themselves.
With an affirmation we have to take the word of a politician seeking more power on the basis of their ‘say so’. Often this doesn’t matter in practice as most of the oath-taking politicians are practical atheists and most of the affirming politicians unconsciously practise Christian values. However, theoretically those who affirm are swearing by themselves for they have no greater source of moral reference to which they can point or to which we can call them to account but themselves. Of such arrogance comes tyranny.
The New Testament understands the problem of the atheist. In Hebrews we read of God swearing by himself. “For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, … For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath.”(Hebrews 6:13f) But then again he is God.
Pastor Rick Warren
I find joy in every day, not because life is always good, but because God is
===Addressing the British House of Lords, Dragon Slayer McKitrick proposes a carbon dioxide tax based on temperature. If temps go up, so does the tax.
If temperatures drop, will we see tax refunds?
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Kevin Rudd's Pink Batt Policy:
4 Deaths
1,000 Electrified roofs
93 House fires
160,000 Dodgy installations
Source:
http://t.co/NPaQ8DEOLF
===
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July 6: Independence Day in Malawi (1964); Statehood Day in Lithuania (1253); the festival of San Fermín begins in Pamplona, Spain
- 1483 – The last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty, Richard III (pictured), was crowned King of England.
- 1614 – The Ottoman Empire made a final attempt to conquer the island of Malta, but were beaten back by theKnights Hospitaller.
- 1892 – During a steelworkers' strike in Homestead, Pennsylvania, a day-long battle between strikers and Pinkerton agents resulted in ten deaths and dozens of people wounded.
- 1940 – The Story Bridge in Brisbane, the longest cantilever bridge in Australia, was opened by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland.
- 1989 – A Palestinian Islamic Jihad member carried out a suicide attackby hijacking a bus and forcing it into a ravine near Kiryat Ye'arim, Israel.
- 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra, where Epaminondas defeated Cleombrotus I, takes place
- 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt).
- 1044 – The Battle of Ménfő between troops led by Emperor Henry III and Magyarforces led by Samuel Aba, King of Hungary, takes place.
- 1189 – Richard I "the Lionheart" accedes to the English throne.
- 1253 – Mindaugas is crowned King of Lithuania.
- 1348 – Pope Clement VI issues a papal bull protecting the Jews accused of having caused the Black Death.
- 1411 – Ming China's Admiral Zheng He returns to Nanjing after the third treasure voyage and presents the Sinhalese king, captured during the Ming–Kotte War, to the Yongle Emperor.
- 1415 – Jan Hus is condemned as a heretic and then burned at the stake.
- 1483 – Richard III is crowned King of England.
- 1484 – Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River.
- 1495 – First Italian War: Battle of Fornovo: Charles VIII defeats the Holy League.
- 1535 – Sir Thomas More is executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England.
- 1557 – King Philip II of Spain, consort of Queen Mary I of England, sets out from Dover to war with France, which eventually resulted in the loss of the City of Calais, the last English possession on the continent, and Mary I never seeing her husband again.
- 1560 – The Treaty of Edinburgh is signed by Scotland and England.
- 1573 – Córdoba, Argentina, is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
- 1573 – French Wars of Religion: Siege of La Rochelle ends.
- 1614 – Żejtun and the surrounding villages suffer a raid from Ottoman forces. This was the last unsuccessful attempt by the Ottomans to conquer the island of Malta.
- 1630 – Thirty Years' War: Four thousand Swedish troops under Gustavus Adolphus land in Pomerania, Germany.
- 1685 – Battle of Sedgemoor: Last battle of the Monmouth Rebellion. troops of King James II defeat troops of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth.
- 1751 – Pope Benedict XIV suppresses the Patriarchate of Aquileia and establishes from its territory the Archdiocese of Udine and Gorizia.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: Siege of Fort Ticonderoga: After a bombardment by British artilleryunder General John Burgoyne, American forces retreat from Fort Ticonderoga, New York.
- 1779 – Battle of Grenada: The French defeat British naval forces during the American Revolutionary War.
- 1801 – First Battle of Algeciras: Outnumbered French Navy ships defeat the Royal Navy in the fortified Spanish port of Algeciras.
- 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Wagram; France defeats the Austrian army in the largest battle to date of the Napoleonic Wars.
- 1854 – In Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party is held.
- 1865 – The first issue of The Nation magazine is published.
- 1885 – Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies on Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog.
- 1887 – David Kalākaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution, which transfers much of the king's authority to the Legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
- 1892 – Dadabhai Naoroji is elected as the first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain.
- 1892 – Three thousand eight hundred striking steelworkers engage in a day-long battle with Pinkertonagents during the Homestead Strike, leaving ten dead and dozens wounded.
- 1917 – World War I: Arabian troops led by T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Auda ibu Tayi capture Aqaba from the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt.
- 1919 – The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.
- 1933 – The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played in Chicago's Comiskey Park. The American League defeated the National League 4–2.
- 1936 – A major breach of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal in England sends millions of gallons of water cascading 200 feet (61 m) into the River Irwell.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Battle of Brunete: The battle begins with Spanish Republican troops going on the offensive against the Nationalists to relieve pressure on Madrid.
- 1939 – Holocaust: The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany are closed.
- 1940 – Story Bridge, a major landmark in Brisbane, as well as Australia's longest cantilever bridge is formally opened.
- 1941 – Nazi Germany launches its offensive to encircle several Soviet armies near Smolensk.
- 1942 – Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse.
- 1944 – Jackie Robinson refuses to move to the back of a bus, leading to a court-martial.
- 1944 – The Hartford circus fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, kills approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut.
- 1947 – The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union.
- 1957 – Althea Gibson wins the Wimbledon championships, becoming the first black athlete to do so.
- 1957 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time, as teenagers at Woolton Fete, three years before forming the Beatles.
- 1962 – As a part of Operation Plowshare, the Sedan nuclear test takes place.
- 1962 – The Late Late Show, the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster, airs on RTÉ One for the first time.
- 1964 – Malawi declares its independence from the United Kingdom.
- 1966 – Malawi becomes a republic, with Hastings Banda as its first President.
- 1967 – Nigerian Civil War: Nigerian forces invade Biafra, beginning the war.
- 1975 – The Comoros declares independence from France.
- 1986 – Davis Phinney becomes the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France.
- 1988 – The Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea is destroyed by explosions and fires. One hundred sixty-seven oil workers are killed, making it the world's worst offshore oil disaster in terms of direct loss of life.
- 1989 – The Tel Aviv–Jerusalem bus 405 suicide attack: Fourteen bus passengers are killed when an Arabassaulted the bus driver as the bus was driving by the edge of a cliff.
- 1990 – The Electronic Frontier Foundation is founded.
- 1995 – In the Bosnian War, under the command of General Ratko Mladić, Serbia begins its attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica.
- 1997 – The Troubles: In response to the Drumcree dispute, five days of mass protests, riots and gun battlesbegin in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland.
- 1998 – Hong Kong International Airport opens in Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, replacing Kai Tak Airport as the city's international airport.
- 1999 – U.S. Army private Barry Winchell dies from baseball-bat injuries inflicted on him in his sleep the previous day by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, for his relationship with transgender showgirl and former Navy Corpsman Calpernia Addams.
- 2003 – The 70-metre Yevpatoria Planetary Radar sends a METI message (Cosmic Call 2) to five stars: Hip 4872, HD 245409, 55 Cancri (HD 75732), HD 10307 and 47 Ursae Majoris (HD 95128). The messages will arrive to these stars in 2036, 2040, 2044, and 2049, respectively.
- 2006 – The Nathu La pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years.
- 2013 – At least 42 people are killed in a shooting at a school in Yobe State, Nigeria.
- 2013 – A Boeing 777 operating as Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashes at San Francisco International Airport, killing three and injuring 181 of the 307 people on board.
- 2013 – A 73-car oil train derails in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec and explodes into flames, killing at least 47 people and destroying more than 30 buildings in the town's central area.
- 2016 – The Iraq Inquiry is published after seven years by Sir John Chilcot; it publicises the critique of Tony Blair and his decision to go ahead with the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.
- 1387 – Queen Blanche I of Navarre (d. 1441)
- 1423 – Antonio Manetti, Italian mathematician and architect (d. 1497)
- 1473 – James III of Cyprus, son of James II of Cyprus and Catherine Cornaro, king of Cyprus (d. 1474)
- 1580 – Johann Stobäus, German lute player and composer (d. 1646)
- 1623 – Jacopo Melani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1676)
- 1678 – Nicola Francesco Haym, Italian cellist and composer (d. 1729)
- 1686 – Antoine de Jussieu, French biologist and academic (d. 1758)
- 1736 – Daniel Morgan, American general and politician (d. 1802)
- 1747 – John Paul Jones, Scottish-American captain (d. 1792)
- 1766 – Alexander Wilson, Scottish-American poet, ornithologist, and illustrator (d. 1813)
- 1781 – Stamford Raffles, English politician, founded Singapore (d. 1826)
- 1782 – Maria Luisa of Spain (d. 1824)
- 1785 – William Hooker, English botanist and academic (d. 1865)
- 1789 – María Isabella of Spain (d. 1846)
- 1796 – Nicholas I of Russia (d. 1855)
- 1817 – Albert von Kölliker, Swiss anatomist and physiologist (d. 1905)
- 1818 – Adolf Anderssen, German chess player (d. 1879)
- 1829 – Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1880)
- 1831 – Sylvester Pennoyer, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Oregon (d. 1902)
- 1832 – Maximilian I of Mexico (d. 1867)
- 1837 – R. G. Bhandarkar, Indian orientalist and scholar (d. 1925)
- 1838 – Vatroslav Jagić, Croatian philologist and scholar (d. 1923)
- 1840 – José María Velasco Gómez, Mexican painter and academic (d. 1912)
- 1859 – Verner von Heidenstam, Swedish poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1940)
- 1865 – Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Swiss composer and educator (d. 1950)
- 1868 – Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1935)
- 1873 – Dimitrios Maximos, Greek banker and politician, 140th Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1955)
- 1878 – Eino Leino, Finnish poet and journalist (d. 1926)
- 1884 – Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, American businessman and sailor (d. 1970)
- 1885 – Ernst Busch, German field marshal (d. 1945)
- 1886 – Marc Bloch, French historian and academic (d. 1944)
- 1887 – Marc Chagall, Belarusian-French painter and poet (d. 1985)
- 1887 – Annette Kellerman, Australian swimmer and actress (d. 1975)
- 1890 – Dhan Gopal Mukerji, Indian-American author and scholar (d. 1936)
- 1892 – Will James, American author and illustrator (d. 1942)
- 1897 – Richard Krautheimer, German-American historian and scholar (d. 1994)
- 1898 – Hanns Eisler, German-Austrian soldier and composer (d. 1962)
- 1899 – Susannah Mushatt Jones, American supercentarian (d. 2016)
- 1900 – Frederica Sagor Maas, American author and screenwriter (d. 2012)
- 1903 – Hugo Theorell, Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)
- 1904 – Robert Whitney, American conductor and composer (d. 1986)
- 1904 – Erik Wickberg, Swedish 9th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1996)
- 1907 – Frida Kahlo, Mexican painter and educator (d. 1954)
- 1907 – George Stanley, Canadian soldier, historian, and author, designed the flag of Canada (d. 2002)
- 1908 – Anton Muttukumaru, Sri Lankan general and diplomat (d. 2001)
- 1910 – René Le Grèves, French cyclist (d. 1946)
- 1912 – Heinrich Harrer, Austrian geographer and mountaineer (d. 2006)
- 1913 – Vance Trimble, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author
- 1914 – Vince McMahon, Sr., American wrestling promoter, founded WWE (d. 1984)
- 1916 – Harold Norse, American poet and author (d. 2009)
- 1917 – Arthur Lydiard, New Zealand runner and coach (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Sebastian Cabot, English-Canadian actor (d. 1977)
- 1919 – Ernst Haefliger, Swiss tenor and educator (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Allan MacEachen, Canadian economist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
- 1921 – Billy Mauch, American actor (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Bobby Mauch, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1921 – Nancy Reagan, American actress and activist, 42nd First Lady of the United States (d. 2016)
- 1922 – William Schallert, American actor; president (1979–81) of the Screen Actors Guild (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Wojciech Jaruzelski, Polish general and politician, 1st President of Poland (d. 2014)
- 1924 – Louie Bellson, American drummer, composer, and bandleader (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Merv Griffin, American actor, singer, and producer, created Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! (d. 2007)
- 1925 – Bill Haley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Bill Haley & His Comets) (d. 1981)
- 1925 – Gazi Yaşargil, Turkish neurosurgeon and academic
- 1926 – Sulev Vahtre, Estonian historian and academic (d. 2007)
- 1927 – Jan Hein Donner, Dutch chess player and journalist (d. 1988)
- 1927 – Janet Leigh, American actress and author (d. 2004)
- 1927 – Pat Paulsen, American comedian and actor (d. 1997)
- 1927 – Nilo Soruco, Bolivian singer-songwriter (d. 2004)
- 1930 – George Armstrong, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1930 – Ian Burgess, English racing driver (d. 2012)
- 1931 – Jean Campeau, Canadian businessman and politician
- 1931 – Della Reese, American actress and singer
- 1931 – László Tábori, Hungarian runner and coach
- 1932 – Herman Hertzberger, Dutch architect and academic
- 1935 – Candy Barr, American model, dancer, and actress (d. 2005)
- 1935 – Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
- 1936 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
- 1937 – Vladimir Ashkenazy, Russian-Icelandic pianist and conductor
- 1937 – Ned Beatty, American actor
- 1937 – Gene Chandler, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1937 – Michael Sata, Zambian police officer and politician, 5th President of Zambia (d. 2014)
- 1939 – Jet Harris, English bass player (The Shadows, The Jeff Beck Group, and The Vipers Skiffle Group) (d. 2011)
- 1939 – Mary Peters, English-Irish pentathlete and shot putter
- 1940 – Jeannie Seely, Grammy Award-winning country music singer-songwriter and Grand Ole Oprymember
- 1940 – Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakh politician, 1st President of Kazakhstan
- 1941 – David Crystal, British linguist, author, and academic
- 1941 – Randall Robinson, American lawyer and author
- 1941 – Reinhard Roder, German footballer and manager
- 1943 – Tamara Sinyavskaya, Russian soprano
- 1944 – Gunhild Hoffmeister, German runner
- 1946 – George W. Bush, American businessman and politician, 43rd President of the United States
- 1946 – Fred Dryer, American football player and actor
- 1946 – Peter Singer, Australian philosopher and academic
- 1946 – Sylvester Stallone, American actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1946 – Jamie Wyeth, American painter
- 1947 – Roy Señeres, Filipino diplomat and politician (d. 2016)
- 1948 – Nathalie Baye, French actress
- 1948 – Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Canadian academic and politician, 26th Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs
- 1948 – Brad Park, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
- 1949 – Noli de Castro, Filipino journalist and politician, 14th Vice President of the Philippines
- 1949 – Phyllis Hyman, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1995)
- 1949 – Michael Shrieve, American composer, drummer, and percussionist (Santana (band))
- 1950 – John Byrne, English-American author and illustrator
- 1951 – Geoffrey Rush, Australian actor and producer
- 1952 – Hilary Mantel, English author and critic
- 1953 – Nanci Griffith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Kaiser Kalambo, Zambian footballer and manager (d. 2014)
- 1953 – Robert Ménard, French politician and former journalist
- 1954 – Allyce Beasley, American actress
- 1954 – Willie Randolph, American baseball player and manager
- 1958 – Jennifer Saunders, English actress, comedian and screenwriter
- 1959 – Richard Dacoury, French basketball player
- 1960 – Maria Wasiak, Polish businesswoman and politician, Polish Minister of Infrastructure and Development
- 1961 – Robin Antin, American dancer, choreographer, and businesswoman
- 1961 – Vandana Chavan, Indian politician and lawyer
- 1962 – Todd Bennett, English runner and coach (d. 2013)
- 1962 – Peter Hedges, American author, screenwriter, and director
- 1967 – Heather Nova, Bermudian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1967 – Omar Olivares, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1968 – Gaspare Manos, Thai-Italian painter and sculptor
- 1970 – Inspectah Deck, American rapper, producer, and actor (Wu-Tang Clan)
- 1970 – Martin Smith, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Delirious?)
- 1972 – Laurent Gaudé, French author and playwright
- 1972 – Greg Norton, American baseball player and coach
- 1972 – Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, Ukrainian sprinter
- 1974 – Zé Roberto, Brazilian footballer
- 1975 – 50 Cent, American rapper, producer, and actor (G-Unit)
- 1975 – Amir-Abbas Fakhravar, Iranian journalist and activist
- 1976 – Ioana Dumitriu, Romanian-American mathematician and academic
- 1977 – Max Mirnyi, Belarusian tennis player
- 1978 – Adam Busch, American actor, director, and producer
- 1978 – Tamera Mowry, American actress and producer
- 1978 – Tia Mowry, American actress and producer
- 1978 – Kevin Senio, New Zealand rugby player
- 1979 – Matthew Barnson, American viola player and composer
- 1979 – Nic Cester, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Jet and The Wrights)
- 1979 – Kevin Hart, American comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Kenny Deuchar, Scottish footballer
- 1980 – Joell Ortiz, American rapper (Slaughterhouse)
- 1980 – Eva Green, French actress and model
- 1982 – Brandon Jacobs, American football player
- 1982 – Misty Upham, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1983 – Gregory Smith, Canadian actor, director, and producer
- 1984 – Zhang Hao, Chinese figure skater
- 1985 – Diamond Rings, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Matters)
- 1986 – Sarah Gronert, German tennis player
- 1986 – David Karp, American businessman, founded Tumblr
- 1986 – Derrick Williams, American football player
- 1987 – Sophie Auster, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Manteo Mitchell, American runner
- 1987 – Kate Nash, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
- 1987 – Caroline Trentini, Brazilian model
- 1988 – Kevin Fickentscher, Swiss footballer
- 1990 – Magaye Gueye, French footballer
- 1990 – Jamal Idris, Australian rugby player
- 1990 – Justin Schultz, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1991 – Klas Dahlbeck, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1992 – Manny Machado, American baseball player
Births[edit]
- 371 BC – Cleombrotus I, Spartan king
- 649 – Goar of Aquitaine, French-German bishop and saint (b. 585)
- 887 – Wang Chongrong, Chinese warlord
- 918 – William I, Duke of Aquitaine (b. 875)
- 1017 – Genshin, Japanese monk and scholar (b. 942)
- 1070 – Godelieve, Flemish saint (b. 1049)
- 1189 – Henry II of England (b. 1133)
- 1218 – Odo III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1166)
- 1249 – Alexander II of Scotland (b. 1198)
- 1325 – Ismail I, Sultan of Granada (b. 1279)
- 1415 – Jan Hus, Czech priest, philosopher, and reformer (b. 1369)
- 1476 – Regiomontanus, German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer (b. 1436)
- 1480 – Antonio Squarcialupi, Italian composer (b. 1416)
- 1533 – Ludovico Ariosto, Italian poet and playwright (b. 1474)
- 1535 – Thomas More, English lawyer and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1478)
- 1553 – Edward VI of England (b. 1537)
- 1583 – Edmund Grindal, English archbishop (b. 1519)
- 1585 – Thomas Aufield, English priest and martyr (b. 1552)
- 1614 – Man Singh I, Rajput Raja of Amer (b. 1550)
- 1684 – Peter Gunning, English bishop (b. 1614)
- 1758 – George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe, English general and politician (b. 1725)
- 1768 – Conrad Beissel, German-American religious leader (b. 1690)
- 1802 – Daniel Morgan, American general and politician (b. 1736)
- 1809 – Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle, French general (b. 1775)
- 1813 – Granville Sharp, English activist (b. 1735)
- 1815 – Samuel Whitbread, English politician (b. 1764)
- 1835 – John Marshall, American captain and politician, 4th United States Secretary of State (b. 1755)
- 1854 – Georg Ohm, German physicist and mathematician (b. 1789)
- 1868 – Harada Sanosuke, Japanese captain (b. 1840)
- 1893 – Guy de Maupassant, French short story writer, novelist, and poet (b. 1850)
- 1901 – Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (b. 1819)
- 1902 – Maria Goretti, Italian martyr and saint (b. 1890)
- 1904 – Abai Qunanbaiuli, Kazakh poet and philosopher (b. 1845)
- 1907 – August Johann Gottfried Bielenstein, German linguist and theologian (b. 1826)
- 1916 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (b. 1840)
- 1922 – Maria Teresia Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and missionary (b. 1863)
- 1932 – Kenneth Grahame, Scottish-English author (b. 1859)
- 1934 – Nestor Makhno, Ukrainian commander (b. 1888)
- 1946 – Horace Pippin, American painter (b. 1888)
- 1947 – Adolfo Müller-Ury, Swiss-American painter (b. 1862)
- 1952 – Louis-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 14th Premier of Quebec (b. 1867)
- 1959 – George Grosz, German painter and illustrator (b. 1893)
- 1960 – Aneurin Bevan, Welsh-English politician, Secretary of State for Health (b. 1897)
- 1961 – Scott LaFaro, American bassist (b. 1936)
- 1961 – Woodall Rodgers, American lawyer and politician, Mayor of Dallas (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Paul Boffa, Maltese soldier and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Malta (b. 1890)
- 1962 – William Faulkner, American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)
- 1962 – Archduke Joseph August of Austria (b. 1872)
- 1963 – George, Duke of Mecklenburg (b. 1899)
- 1964 – Claude V. Ricketts, American admiral (b. 1906)
- 1966 – Sad Sam Jones, American baseball player and manager (b. 1892)
- 1967 – Hilda Taba, Estonian architect and educator (b. 1902)
- 1971 – Louis Armstrong, American singer and trumpet player (b. 1901)
- 1973 – Otto Klemperer, German-American conductor and composer (b. 1885)
- 1975 – Reşat Ekrem Koçu, Turkish historian, scholar, and poet (b. 1905)
- 1976 – Zhu De, Chinese general and politician, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (b. 1886)
- 1976 – Fritz Lenz, German geneticist and physician (b. 1887)
- 1977 – Ödön Pártos, Hungarian-Israeli viola player and composer (b. 1907)
- 1978 – Babe Paley, American socialite and fashion style icon (b. 1915)
- 1979 – Van McCoy, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1940)
- 1986 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian lawyer and politician, 4th Deputy Prime Minister of India (b. 1908)
- 1989 – János Kádár, Hungarian mechanic and politician, Hungarian Minister of the Interior (b. 1912)
- 1991 – Mudashiru Lawal, Nigerian footballer (b. 1954)
- 1992 – Marsha P. Johnson, American drag queen performer and activist (b. 1945)
- 1994 – Ahmet Haxhiu, Kosovan activist (b. 1932)
- 1995 – Aziz Nesin, Turkish author and poet (b. 1915)
- 1997 – Chetan Anand, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1998 – Roy Rogers, American cowboy, actor, and singer (b. 1911)
- 1999 – Joaquín Rodrigo, Spanish pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 1999 – Barry Winchell, American soldier (b. 1977)
- 2000 – Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1911)
- 2002 – Dhirubhai Ambani, Indian businessman, founded Reliance Industries (b. 1932)
- 2002 – John Frankenheimer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 2003 – Buddy Ebsen, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1908)
- 2003 – Çelik Gülersoy, Turkish lawyer, historical preservationist, writer and poet (b. 1930)
- 2004 – Thomas Klestil, Austrian politician, 10th President of Austria (b. 1932)
- 2004 – Syreeta Wright, American singer-songwriter (b. 1946)
- 2005 – Ed McBain, American author and screenwriter (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Claude Simon, Malagasy-French novelist and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1913)
- 2006 – Kasey Rogers, American actress (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, American author (b. 1939)
- 2009 – Vasily Aksyonov, Russian author and academic (b. 1932)
- 2009 – Robert McNamara, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Defense (b. 1916)
- 2010 – Harvey Fuqua, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Moonglows and New Birth) (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Hani al-Hassan, Palestinian engineer and politician (b. 1939)
- 2013 – Lo Hsing Han, Burmese businessman, co-founded Asia World (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Alan J. Dixon, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 34th Illinois Secretary of State (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Jerry Weintraub, American film producer, and talent agent (b. 1937)
Deaths[edit]
- The first day of San Fermín, which lasts until July 14. (Pamplona)
- Christian feast day:
- Constitution Day (Cayman Islands)
- Day of the Capital (Kazakhstan)
- Independence Day (Comoros), celebrates the independence of the Comoros from France in 1975.
- Independence Day (Malawi), celebrates the independence of Malawi from United Kingdom in 1964.
- Jan Hus Day (Czech Republic)
- Kupala Night (Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine)
- National Fried Chicken Day (United States)
- Statehood Day (Lithuania)
- Teachers' Day (Peru)
Holidays and observances[edit]
“In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.” Isaiah 12:4 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they were "saints" in a more especial manner than the other children of God. All are "saints" whom God has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are forgetful of this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart; and the more his Master honours him in his service, the more also doth the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day. The fact is, if we had seen the apostle Paul, we should have thought him remarkably like the rest of the chosen family: and if we had talked with him, we should have said, "We find that his experience and ours are much the same. He is more faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the selfsame trials to endure. Nay, in some respects he is more sorely tried than ourselves." Do not, then, look upon the ancient saints as being exempt either from infirmities or sins; and do not regard them with that mystic reverence which will almost make us idolaters. Their holiness is attainable even by us. We are "called to be saints" by that same voice which constrained them to their high vocation. It is a Christian's duty to force his way into the inner circle of saintship; and if these saints were superior to us in their attainments, as they certainly were, let us follow them; let us emulate their ardour and holiness. We have the same light that they had, the same grace is accessible to us, and why should we rest satisfied until we have equalled them in heavenly character? They lived with Jesus, they lived for Jesus, therefore they grew like Jesus. Let us live by the same Spirit as they did, "looking unto Jesus," and our saintship will soon be apparent.
Evening
Seeing that we have such a God to trust to, let us rest upon him with all our weight; let us resolutely drive out all unbelief, and endeavour to get rid of doubts and fears, which so much mar our comfort; since there is no excuse for fear where God is the foundation of our trust. A loving parent would be sorely grieved if his child could not trust him; and how ungenerous, how unkind is our conduct when we put so little confidence in our heavenly Father who has never failed us, and who never will. It were well if doubting were banished from the household of God; but it is to be feared that old Unbelief is as nimble nowadays as when the psalmist asked, "Is his mercy clean gone forever? Will he be favourable no more?" David had not made any very lengthy trial of the mighty sword of the giant Goliath, and yet he said, "There is none like it." He had tried it once in the hour of his youthful victory, and it had proved itself to be of the right metal, and therefore he praised it ever afterwards; even so should we speak well of our God, there is none like unto him in the heaven above or the earth beneath; "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." There is no rock like unto the rock of Jacob, our enemies themselves being judges. So far from suffering doubts to live in our hearts, we will take the whole detestable crew, as Elijah did the prophets of Baal, and slay them over the brook; and for a stream to kill them at, we will select the sacred torrent which wells forth from our Saviour's wounded side. We have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we could not find in our God all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the Lord forever, assured that his ever lasting strength will be, as it has been, our succour and stay.
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Edom
[Ē'dom] - red earth. The elder son of Isaac, and so named in memory of the red color of the lentil pottage for which he sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob (Gen. 25:30; 36:1, 8, 19). See ESAU. Name is also used to describe those descended from Esau, the Edomites (Gen. 36:9).
[Ē'dom] - red earth. The elder son of Isaac, and so named in memory of the red color of the lentil pottage for which he sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob (Gen. 25:30; 36:1, 8, 19). See ESAU. Name is also used to describe those descended from Esau, the Edomites (Gen. 36:9).
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Today's reading: Job 30-31, Acts 13:26-52 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Job 30-31
1 "But now they mock me,men younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs.
2 Of what use was the strength of their hands to me,
since their vigor had gone from them?
3 Haggard from want and hunger,
they roamed the parched land
in desolate wastelands at night.
4 In the brush they gathered salt herbs,
and their food was the root of the broom bush.
5 They were banished from human society,
shouted at as if they were thieves.
6 They were forced to live in the dry stream beds,
among the rocks and in holes in the ground.
7 They brayed among the bushes
and huddled in the undergrowth.
8 A base and nameless brood,
they were driven out of the land....
Today's New Testament reading: Acts 13:26-52
26 "Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people...."
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