Sunday, January 14, 2018

Sun Jan 14th Todays News

Don't give up on hope. But, with great hope comes great disappointment. I love Australia and look forward to the annual "Love our lamb" adverts put out by the Australian livestock industry. Last July they booted comedic genius Dan Ilic, and so this years advert was not up to par. James Morrow correctly bells the cat showing why the advert was awful. But on the plus side, the Hipsters who would normally complain about it will now nod their heads in fond agreement that they like the advert. Except about the meat eating part. Normally the sale of Lamb increases around Australia at this time. Australia Day may be one reason other than the advert. 

 Another disappointment is the centre left advocacy of the IPA. To be fair, IPA stands for ordinary freedoms that mainstream media and extreme leftwing parties despise. For example, Freedom of Speech, free markets and high educational standards. Lead editorial for the IPA Review by D'Arcy Allen notes the difficulties and need for economic reform in Australia. Under Turnbull, the needed reform is not being pursued. So D'Arcy's brilliant suggestion is to hand the task to (mainly ALP run) state governments. A federal ALP government created the regulatory mess in the first place. It is true that competition is a healthy thing, but basket case states like South Australia show states get rewarded for awful policy by bad federal governments. The solution to needed reform is federal reform. Malcolm Turnbull is not up to task, but neither is Shorten. 

 Heckling is an old art. It pre existed the word's creation, To heckle is to tease out flax or hemp fibres, but in the 1800's in Scottish Dundee it took on the meaning to interrupt speakers with awkward or embarrassing questions. Politics being what it is, good speakers still get the upper hand, like Martin Luther King's "I have a Dream" speech being launched, ad lib, after he was heckled. Or UK PM Harold Wilson (Labor) 

Heckler: (interrupting a passage in a Wilson speech about Labour's spending plans) What about Vietnam?
Wilson: The government has no plans to increase public expenditure in Vietnam.
Heckler: Rubbish!


Wilson: I'll come to your special interest in a minute, sir
But current hecklers aiding the ALP and Greens are not funny, clever or restrained. Violence is employed as evidenced by the assaults on Andrew Bolt or Simon Breheny. A friend of mine was campaigning for Libs at an event  and was heckled by people demanding he doesn't film them as they abused him. Law fare is a real threat. In a public space, he was welcome to film himself as he pleased, but he does not want the issues related to the entanglements. And the law courts are demonstrably corrupt and free speech is not protected. 

 Today is my birthday, and I have many blessings, great hope and great disappointment. Last year I left my church and I've not settled, so I have not yet found a new one. The loss is profound for me because I was relying on them for references for my applications to schools with a religious background. The bureaucracy behind the Victorian Institute of Teaching registration should prevent me from renewing this year. Meaning I may not be able to continue seeking work as a teacher anyway. So my last few straws are a stop gap in telesales, and tutoring, or working with the Libs who won't have me as a member. I have hope. 

I am a decent man and don't care for 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 "You Send Me"

"You Send Me" is a 1957 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. The song was his first secular single released through Keen Records, an imprint of RCA Victor Records. (His first non-gospel single, "Lovable," was released earlier that year under a pseudonym.) Released in September 1957, the record became an instant hit, topping the charts on both the Billboard Pop and R&B singles charts. The record established Cooke as a mainstream R&B singer, apart from his gospel roots. At the same time a rendition was also released by Teresa Brewer, which reached #8 on the pop charts === On a shedu?


=== from 2017 ===
I'm fifty years old today, and not out. Please allow me time to count my blessings. Or brag. My plans have firmed for my next fourteen books. I am now pre planning my science fiction series which I'm not counting among the fourteen. That will number another twenty in a pulp fiction universe where people and aliens interact as you'd expect they might, and not according to some socialist or nihilist vision. As soon as I get a steady job, I'll get started. I hunger for work. One thing I have not been able to pay enough attention to is the Bolt Report Supporter's group. There are over twenty eight thousand members. Twenty thousand more since the unfortunate leadership spill that was entirely my fault over a year ago. I think it is the Katz phenomena, where he is attracted to success, and things become successful when he involves himself. He didn't want to be admin, but he didn't want to be bullied either. It reminds me of Trump. I'm more confident of finding work now than at any time in the last nine years. The kids I work with prosper, which is something a lot of Australian education systems lack. I ran for local council and missed out on recouping my $250 deposit by failing to get 4% of the vote. Next time I'll more than get that target without the annoying advertising others spend. But hearing from friends and family has made my day. My daughter has sacrificed so much to study in Australia. But she has the will, the drive to prosper where lesser people fold. I'm inspired, and hope to make her path straighter, better, more rewarding. And that is something everyone needs. The will to serve and achieve success. 

Bad government in Victoria is costly for Victorians. A car was rammed this morning by a group of people that may have been APEX gang affiliated. The car contained a mother and child, wife and daughter of a friend. The mum had the presence of mind to get them to safety. Police are chasing what Dan Andrews would doubtless call children, and Obama might call his own children. The sons of Obama will do damage until they are stopped. Hopefully by appropriate legal bodies doing their job. 
=== from 2016 ===
The issue of who runs what and where doesn't interest me much. I am grateful for Daniel Katz who is generous with his time. Were he to covet this column I would give it to him for free. But he doesn't. Daniel is not petty. But many people are. It is about control. Something I don't care to exercise. I'm thankful for each and all the 17827 members on the Bolt Report Supporter's Group. When I first began many told me I needed help to run a group. They told me they could do any of many things that adds value to it and makes it friendly. Daniel does that. So did Mandy, John, Phil, Jenny and Stephanie. I trusted SnJ and they betrayed me. They took this group and they have taken other groups too. SnJ uses multiple accounts, sometimes by agreement, sometimes from old accounts connected to multiple fake names. It becomes confusing, dealing with the two. Who does one trust? People whisper in the ear. Recently, SnJ, through Leeanne Meredith, took over the page of Australian Political Debate - Open Forum. Some 3000 members. And they will exercise control of the members through a series of whispers and outrageous lies which will confuse those not following things. The best way to deal with things is to block SnJ and any friend of theirs. And join Debate Australian Politics if that interests you. It is run by the one fine Luke McNamara, whom I don't know but know he isn't SnJ.  
For some, at the moment, the Sex Party has more credibility.
=== from 2015 ===
Today is a mixed bag of birthdays. Mark Antony, Benedict Arnold, J F Archibald (Australian portrait guy), Albert Schweitzer, Alfred Tarski, Andy Rooney, Frank Costigan, Faye Dunaway, Ian Brayshaw and Steven Soderbergh. Antony was a suicide whose grandson was Nero. Benedict was unfaithful to the revolution. But greatness does not fall to the timid. In 1639, on this day, the first constitution to create a state was made for Connecticut. Connecticut is a name that sounds like it was made by committee. In 1933, Bill Woodfull, Australian Cricket Captain and opener was hit over the heart by a body line bouncer, resulting in Douglas Jardine's tactics prompting a diplomatic incident between Australia and England. In 1967, in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, counterculture staged a "Human be-in" to launch the "Summer of Love." It is that kind of a day.  

Australia has provided a particularly cowardly journalist in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terror hit. He even beat Hollande's comment "Those who committed these acts have nothing to do with the Muslim religion." Andrew Marlton has written "I don’t depict Muhammad because it’s probably racist and also I don’t get to put my family and my coworkers at risk of being firebombed. " Great analysis by Arutz Sheva is linked in the article. Maybe too much summer of love for Andrew. The "97% of climate scientists agree" statement is fact checked Alex Epstein writing for Forbes. It is a lie. Probably too much summer is involved too. Fairfax is promoting a band that hates Mr Abbott. Where has that summer of love gone? 
From 2014
It is my birthday and a time to reflect on things. Former friends of mine, ultra left wing, who call themselves moderates have slandered me and the Liberal Party likening it too Adolph Hitler's Nazi party. I don't feel the need to respond to such but I also flag it as a typical example of left wing argument, which employs abuse, rather than substance. Apparently, they feel it is ok to make a claim like "Ariel Sharon was responsible for the deaths of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon." When the fact was Israel was at war, Sharon as defence minister ordered his troops to show restraint even with extreme provocation. Israeli troops were killed by those they were fighting because of that restraint. Meanwhile Christian militia attacked some refugee camps and killed about 700 refugees. The allegation against Sharon is outrageous, and often made by terrorists or their apologists without reference to what happened, or on appeal to balance, saying it was an example of balanced atrocity. The reason for restraint is to do with US demands on Israel during the prosecution of the war. Reagan was in the first half of his first term and Carter had inflamed the Middle East, weakening US presence there. US had to work with Saudi Arabia as the Soviet Union threatened to make the situation worse. Small comfort for the families of those Israelis who lost their lives. 

But my life is not all politics. I have friends and loved ones who make themselves known. It is a time to gather and look .. forward. Over three months ago, my place was flooded with raw sewage. GIO, my strata insurer are nowhere near addressing the simple repairs. But out of the frustration comes opportunity. I'm hoping to start a business around these columns soon. A simple email one .. hopefully with corporate backing. Things are incredibly tight. I have turned to family and they have shown .. well, we will see. God works for me. I just don't know how, or what He is trying to do. But I am trying to do it. 

A journalism academic has asked for help. I'm sure we can point the way up for them. Syria's civil war has an Australian connection. But if they were listening, would they be fighting? Who would they listen to? AGW Doom predictors show a colour photo from a 65 million year old extinction event. But they fail to attribute it, so we don't know who took it. 
Historical perspective on this day
In 1301, Andrew III of Hungary died, ending the Árpád dynasty in Hungary. 1343, Arnošt of Pardubice became the last bishop of Prague and, subsequently, the first Archbishop of Prague. 1539, Spain annexed Cuba. 1639, the "Fundamental Orders", the first written constitution that created a government, was adopted in Connecticut. 1724, King Philip V of Spain abdicated the throne. 1761, the Third Battle of Panipat was fought in India between the Afghans under Ahmad Shah Durrani and the Marathas. 1784, American Revolutionary War: Ratification Day, United States - Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain. 1814, Treaty of Kiel: Frederick VI of Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden in return for Pomerania. 1822, Greek War of Independence: Acrocorinth was captured by Theodoros Kolokotronis and Demetrios Ypsilantis. 1858, Napoleon III of France escaped an assassination attempt.

In 1907, an earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica killed more than 1,000. 1911, Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition made landfall on the eastern edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. 1933, the controversial "Bodyline" cricket tactics used by Douglas Jardine's England peaked when Australian captain Bill Woodfull was hit over the heart. 1938, Norway claimed Queen Maud Land in Antarctica. 1943, World War II: Japan began Operation Ke, the successful operation to evacuate its forces from Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal Campaign. Also 1943, World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill began the Casablanca Conference to discuss strategy and study the next phase of the war. Also 1943, World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first President of the United States to travel by airplane while in office when he travelled from Miami to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill.

In 1950, the first prototype of the MiG-17 made its maiden flight. 1952, NBC's long-running morning news program Today debuted, with host Dave Garroway. 1953, Josip Broz Tito was inaugurated as the first President of Yugoslavia. 1954, the Hudson Motor Car Companymerged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation. 1957, Kripalu Maharaj was named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher) after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars. 1960, the Reserve Bank of Australia, the country's central bank and banknote issuing authority, was established. 1967, Counterculture of the 1960s: The Human Be-In, took place in San Francisco, California's Golden Gate Park, launching the Summer of Love. 1969, an accidental explosion aboard the USS Enterprise near Hawaii killed 27 people.

In 1972, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark ascended the throne, the first Queen of Denmark since 1412 and the first Danish monarch not named Frederick or Christian since 1513. 1973, Elvis Presley's concert Aloha from Hawaii was broadcast live via satellite, and set the record as the most watched broadcast by an individual entertainer in television history. 1975, teenage heiress Lesley Whittle was kidnapped by Donald Neilson, aka "the Black Panther". 1999, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman became the first mayor in Canada to call in the Army to help with emergency medical evacuations and snow removal after more than one meter of snow paralysed the city. 2000, a United Nations tribunal sentenced five Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years for the 1993 killing of over 100 Muslims in a Bosnian village. 2004, the national flag of the Republic of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", was restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years. 2005, the Huygens probe landed on Saturn's moon Titan. 2010, Yemen declared an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda. 2011, former president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled his country to Saudi Arabia after a series of street demonstrations against his regime and corrupt policies, asking for freedom, rights and democracy, considered as the anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution and the birth of the Arab Spring. 2012, the Pirate Party of Greece was founded, on the model of the Swedish Pirate Party.
=== 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.
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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
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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
Happy birthday and many happy returns Daniel Saffrett, Laauli Taua'a, Huynh Tran and Jim Robson. Born on the same day, across the years, along with me and
January 14: New Year (Julian calendar); National Forest Conservation Day in Thailand; Ratification Day in the United States (1784)
Josip Broz Tito
We have ruled a long time. But let the next generation have a go. Who is up for Tosca? Not you, Tito. I wish you'd had better, Lesley. Let's party. 
Deaths
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Piers Akerman 2018

Lefties love a hollow gesture, not action

PIERS AKERMAN NEXT month marks the 10th anniversary of Kevin Rudd’s teary apology to the so-called Stolen Generation. This year will also see the 10th Closing The Gap report delivered to parliament but judging by last year’s report, don’t hold your breath, Piers Akerman writes.
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Tim Blair 2018

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Tim Blair

HARDY BOY MYSTERY

The Australian Liberty Alliance's Kirralie Smith exposes Sydney Morning Herald staffer Peter Munro’s secret second identity – he’s also Marie Claire writer Robert Hardy.
14 Jan  

BANDANA BRADMAN AIMS FOR A COLUMN CENTURY

Test cricket is too slow. One-day cricket is too predictable. T20 is too fast. For a perfect blend of traditional batting and high-powered slogging, you can’t beat FitzSimons Ego Cricket – or FEC.
14 Jan  

HOW MUCH CAN A TEDDY BEAR?

A delightful examination of a social justice warrior’s gender studies guide for kids.
14 Jan  

DONALD TRUMP’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

Trump’s presidential election has caused U2 to delay the release of their latest album.
14 Jan
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ONE AL WINS, ANOTHER LOSES

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (1:52pm)

Al Jazeera launched in the US just three years ago, thanks to Al Gore: 
Gore is set to pocket around $70 million from the sale of his low-rating Current TV cable channel network. How is this an environmental issue? Well, the purchaser of the network (which averages just 42,000 nightly viewers; were it Australian, that would work out to a viewership of barely 3000) is Al Jazeera ...
Al Jazeera is owned by the state of Qatar. Qatar is financed almost entirely by its state-run oil industry. Al Gore’s windfall is directly thanks to Big Oil, the planet’s most demonised industry. 
But now: 
The cable news channel Al Jazeera America, which debuted in 2013 to great fanfare when it promised to cover American news soberly and seriously, will be shutting down by the end of April …
The channel, it was felt, had fallen victim to the lack of a business model beyond continuous support from Qatar, the energy-rich country that owns Al Jazeera. 
David Burge analyses the possible flaws in that business model.
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LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE DENIER

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (3:22am)

Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address: 
Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You’ll be pretty lonely, because you’ll be debating our military, most of America’s business leaders, the majority of the American people, almost the entire scientific community, and 200 nations around the world … 
Lonely? Man, that’s the fun of it. Who wants to run with the pack, especially a pack of crybaby girls who are frightened of the “full emotional weight of climate change”? Also from Obama: 
Gas under two bucks a gallon ain’t bad, either. 
Cheap fuel or legislation against climate change. Choose one, Mr President.
UPDATE. Barack Obama during his first State of the Union address, and during his last:

All that golf sure does age a man.
(Via Dan L.)
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I’VE BEEN OBJECTIFIED, AND I LOVE IT

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (3:13am)

Here’s to you, Miss Robinson! Fairfax’s head of parenting (they must be running an in-house breeding program) very generously describes me as “the Adonis that is Tim Blair”.
Hmm. Maybe Fairfax also needs a head of optometry.
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LETTUCE BE

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (3:11am)

Bill Shorten attempts to nail down the crucial lettuce-buying demographic:

Just as well they weren’t in the pie aisle. That would’ve been interesting.
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AT THIS RATE, IT MIGHT EVEN COVER THOSE SPEEDING FINES

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (2:57am)

Clownshoes be appreciatin’. An extremely low-mileage 2001 example just sold in the US for $79,990 – around $114,000 in Australian money.
Mine is not for sale, of course. That thing is more fun than a Guardian spelling bee. 
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BOMBER THREAT

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (2:53am)

Former policeman Ben McDevitt has investigated the Bali bombings, led Australia’s peace keeping mission in the war ravaged Solomon Islands and conducted dangerous police probes into organised crime – but nothing was more terrifying than dealing with angry Essendon supporters. They’re a fierce breed.
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DOORS OF PERCEPTION

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (1:53am)

Marvel at the mind-shattering talents of Boston performance artist Ms Sandrine Schaefer, as celebrated by an astonished David Thompson:

This, as Sandrine explains, is “a series of research based actions in public spaces that explore automated systems that are triggered by human movement.” Or, in other words, it’s a dowdy bowl-cut lady dicking around with electronic doors. The show really heats up around the 1:45 mark, so brace yourselves.
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TIMARU HERALD WANTS TO KNOW WHOSE SHIRTS YOU WEAR

Tim Blair – Thursday, January 14, 2016 (12:26am)

Congratulations to New Zealand’s Timaru Herald for this unique Bowie tribute:

Given Bowie’s sense of humour, he might’ve appreciated that.
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BAND PUBLICISED

Tim Blair – Wednesday, January 14, 2015 (10:31am)

Fairfax’s Martin Boulton recites recent musical history: 
From Bob Dylan’s classic 1960s folk songs to the shocking, electric frenzy of the Sex Pistols in the ‘70s, the most compelling popular music often reflects the political climate and turbulent times in which it was created.
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Woody Guthrie, Billy Bragg and United States rock band Rage Against the Machine all penned protest songs that targeted hot-button political issues, opening a wider public discussion about the tragedy of war, the role of government or social injustice. 
So far, so banal. Boulton then reveals the latest exponents of this grand tradition: 
In time for Australia Day this year Melbourne four-piece the Smith Street Band have taken a swipe at the Abbott government’s policies on asylum seekers with the provocatively titled track Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face in a bid to keep the plight of refugees firmly in the spotlight and on the political agenda. 
UPDATE. Your taxes are paying for this band’s publicity, including a complete list of tour dates.
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YELLOW DOG IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Tim Blair – Wednesday, January 14, 2015 (10:25am)

Andrew Marlton’s prize-winning cowardice is now news in Israel.
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TRIGGS WARNING

Tim Blair – Wednesday, January 14, 2015 (10:19am)

This might be fun: 
Coalition MPs are considering plans to haul Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs to a special Senate interrogation to explain why she delayed a politically damaging inquiry into the detention of children until after the Abbott government took office …
Professor Triggs, when she last gave evidence to the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee in October, said she decided an inquiry was necessary in early 2013 but did not act until after the election because she feared it would be “highly politicised” and “very destructive”.
After denying she raised the matter with Labor before the election, Professor Triggs later admitted to informal discussions with two former immigration ministers, Chris Bowen and Tony Burke. 
The government’s next move should be to shut the whole deal down.
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THE 97 PER CENT MYTH

Tim Blair – Wednesday, January 14, 2015 (10:17am)

It’s 100 per cent wrong.
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A word for the recently deceased .. Yum!
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JENNA KNOWLEDGE

Tim Blair – Tuesday, January 14, 2014 (3:27pm)

A journalism academic and Fairfax columnist who spends most of her time on Twitter asks for reader assistance: 
what the hell is DDT 
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BIG BASHAR LEAGUE

Tim Blair – Tuesday, January 14, 2014 (4:31am)

Syria’s civil war is the Twenty20 cricket of global conflicts. Instead of two big teams duking it out, as is usual in a civil war, Syria presents a vast array of rival franchises vying for domination. Some of the most thrilling action comes from the close-fought rebel division: 
While united in the goal of removing Assad from power, the groups disagree on how to depose him, who should replace him and what the future of Syria should look like. 
And so they attack and murder each other. Meanwhile, as you’ll find in most Twenty20 tournaments, the Syrian arena features many international performers. Sadly, some of them aren’t doing so well. Here’s Rose, sister of Sydney woman Amira Karroum, who was killed after joining battle in Syria for no sensible reason at all: 
‘’May Allah make the mujahideen victorious against FSA and Assad’s regime.’’ 
A hint to the intensity of the Syrian league is revealed in those words. The Free Syrian Army and the forces with which Karroum and her husband were aligned are both opposed to dictator Bashar al-Assad. Impressively, this common aim doesn’t prevent open and exciting competition. If Monty Python’s People’s Front of Judea sketch was based on events in Syria, it would run for hours.
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UNCERTAINTY PREDICTED

Tim Blair – Tuesday, January 14, 2014 (4:25am)

Very few of us – except for royalty, disability pensioners, tenured academics and senior ABC staff – know what we’ll be doing four years from now. South Australian premier Jay Weatherill would like the same security for future former Holden employees: 
He said while the company’s closure was still four years away, workers were feeling enormous levels of distress already.
“What they’re worried about is their future,” he said.
“Those worries are manifesting in real concerns now. Not in four years time but now.
“They are, in fact, imprisoned by uncertainty.” 
Far from it. Holden workers have the unusual certainty of knowing they have four entire years to obtain alternative employment, all the while working and drawing regular pay. Weatherill should be more concerned about his own future.
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LIKE WOW - WIPEOUT

Tim Blair – Tuesday, January 14, 2014 (4:19am)

The ABC unearths Professor Mike Coffin to deliver the latest doom news: 
Professor Mike Coffin, a marine geophysicist from the University of Tasmania, told a conference in Hobart on Saturday that humans are on track to bring about the demise of 75 per cent of the Earth’s species within a frighteningly short time period …
Professor Coffin said small animals that can breed quickly and adapt, such as cockroaches, would be well equipped.
As mammals, Professor Coffin said humans would face difficulties. 
Check the ABC’s illustration for this piece:

According to the ABC, that’s a 65-million-year-old photograph. Great tech they had back then. Looking forward, the few human survivors won’t even be able to shelter beneath gumtrees: 
A study by the National Environmental Research Program’s Environmental Decisions Hub has found that climate stress on eucalypts will mean many of Australia’s 750 species will struggle to cope with climate change.
‘’Those that will be most affected are the Eucalyptus and Corymbia species in the central desert and open woodlands area,’’ said author Nathalie Butt of the NERP Environmental Decisions Hub and the University of Queensland. 
With respect to Butt of NERP, if we don’t have any animals, what use are trees?
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CALLING IT OUT WHEREVER SHE SEES IT

Tim Blair – Tuesday, January 14, 2014 (1:36am)

Ahead of Julia Gillard’s much-anticipated UAE speech:

(By reader Chris P.) 
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Joseph Campbell
"What's made up in the head is the fiction. What comes out of the heart is a myth."
Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey
What he believes is fantasy? - ed
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SHARON, THE ISRAELI STRATEGIST, LEARNED HIS VALUES AS YOUTH, GUN IN HAND
www.nytimes.com
Several years ago Prime Minister Menachem Begin said jokingly that, if he made Ariel Sharon the Defense Minister, Mr. Sharon might surround the Prime Minister's office with tanks. Mr. Sharon got the job anyway, in August 1981, and since then the portly retired general, now 54 years old, has become o...
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JURY DECIDES TIME DEFAMED SHARON IN MASSACRE ARTICLE
www.nytimes.com
A jury decided yesterday that Time magazine had defamed Ariel Sharon in an article about a massacre in Lebanon, but continued to deliberate on other issues to determine a final verdict in the libel case. The decision on defamation was announced in a hushed courtroom at 11 A.M. on the third day of it...
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http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/in-israel-keep-the-gregorian-calendar-but-bring-back-to-wider-use-the
blogs.timesofisrael.com
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Ariel Sharon Memorial Condolence אריאל שרון
arielsharon.info
See this Go Daddy InstantPage®! http://arielsharon.info. Get yours free with a domain name at GoDaddy.com. Ariel Sharon February 26, 1928 - January 11, 2014 Ariel Sharon - A Fighter for Israel's Security, Democracy and Peace. Ariel Sharon was an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as t...
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Ashton to Israel: Stop settlement building now
www.timesofisrael.com
After Israel announced 1,400 new homes last week, EU foreign policy chief says construction is illegal, threatens peace talks
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Ariel Sharon: Fearless Zionist Turned Fearless Anti-Jew
newsblaze.com
The last words on the late Ariel Sharon, a fearless fighter for Israel's survival who split the Israeli nation and shook the political establishment of Israel.
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Israel Matzav: Out of control!
israelmatzav.blogspot.com
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-tw...
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<This is heart-rending footage of the expulsion of Gaza's Jewish community at the hands of Ariel Sharon. Not only did live Jews have to leave, so did dead Jews, lest their bodies by dug up and mutilated by the 'peaceful Palestinians.' Much of this video is devoted to the 'evacuation' of dead Jews from Gaza. They were reburied on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. 

Israel Matzav: Ariel Sharon's handiwork>

http://youtu.be/bdTAwSSNXQc
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David Daniel Ball I may be wrong, and welcome correction, but isn't much of the criticism supposition and overstatement? One can disagree with the results of withdrawal, but is it solely Sharon's fault? Isn't there others who also made poor choices .. why was that? To say Sharon's youth was spent grandizing his way into politics seems grossly unfair. I don't intend to share this unless someone can convince me this is balanced and I'm not seeing how ..

John Billy The results of the surrender can be complained about by secular standards. By religious ones, it was the ultimate chilul Hashem. As for the very idea of it, it's reason. The surrender happened because Sharon (YS"V) stole millions of dollars in blatant acts of political corruption, and after he was threatened by the traitor leftists in the supreme court, he did this to appease them, so they're to blame also, but since he is the one who did it, he is fully responsible, just as the supreme court judges are.

He even went to the Rebbe (Z"TL) in his youth to ask if he should run for office, so don't pretend that this wasn't a power-grubbing traitor his whole life. And of course, the Rebbe told him not to run.

David Daniel Ball People are not born or raised fully formed. They make choices. And results aren't the same as choices. There is nothing wrong with the young wanting to serve. I am sure that the withdrawal was a set back, but I am certain that was not the intention. And the corruption allegation could be defended a number of different ways without being, in fact, corruption. Were the allegation to be substantiated, it would indeed suggest betrayal .. but I'm confident that is not how it played out. It is a ruth that heroes have feet of clay. Sharon was a hero .. and his foot print large. Moshe Dayan betrayed Israel through his lack of faith. I understand Sharon was different to that. Often, criticism of conservative leaders is overstated, just as criticism of left wing leaders is often muted.

David Daniel Ball Thank you .. I will share this.

John Billy David, you have to understand that no leftist could have done what Sharon did. Nobody trusts them, and people would not accept these horrible surrenders. With supposedly tough leaders, the public says "oh, if even a tough leader like Sharon thinks we'll get peace by desecrating G-d's name, that it's probably a good idea."

Also, notice how all the left is unanimously praising him, unless they are calling him warmongering and cruel to the Arab muslim nazis, which is the polar opposite of his legacy.

I challenge you to find another group that will bring you this information.

David Daniel Ball I get left wing hypocrisy .. I also get how conservatives feel betrayed. I feel that there is a game played by the left in which they incite conservatives to eat each other over mistakes. Richard Nixon is another hot button they love to press .. I don't think the anger is entirely to do with Sharon or Netanyahu .. but I understand why it is there. Sharon failed. And he should not have. And in asking myself why, the finger is wrong which points to his feet of clay. There is a blind spot .. and it isn't to do with what Sharon did. Ignore this issue for the moment and look at US gun control and compare it with Scotlands'. Scotland took extraordinary measures after Dunblane, but the US didn't after any of many similar tragedies. 'Only Nixon could go to China' is the aphorism .. only a conservative could mess up as badly as Sharon.

John Billy Sharon failed? He gave land to terrorists. That's not failure. That's treason. Also, he was a fake conservative. He was never right wing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded...

הרב עובדיה יוסף זצוק"ל איחל כי הקב"ה יעניק לאריאל שרון "באנה אחת‚ יישן ולא יקום"www.youtube.com
David Daniel Ball There is a spectrum of conservatives, and right wing. They don't all share the same views. One has to, on the left. Sharon was not a left winger, but he was certainly not what some want .. economic rationalist/conservative .. ideologue .. warlord .. he was a 'nice guy, who wanted nice things, and wondered why it is not everything is nice' which is the put down Maynard Keynes gave Bertrand Russel

John Billy The spectrum on the right is from actual to phone.
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Israel Matzav: Bill to penalize university student draft dodgers
israelmatzav.blogspot.com
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-tw...
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<"Martin Sherman, argues that if Israel grants permanent residency status to the Palestinians of Judea and Samaria, we will be overwhelmed by ungovernable Muslims who will transform the Jewish state into an incoherent morass of crime and unsustainable welfare, along the lines of Sweden and Norway." 

Caroline Glick states: "Were Israel to grant permanent residency status to the Palestinians of Judea and Samaria – and offer them the right to apply for citizenship – it would not increase the Muslim population west of the Jordan.

Israel would only change their legal status. And along the way, Israel would safeguard its Jewish majority by preventing the immigration of millions of foreign- born Muslims to a future Palestinian state.

If everyone in Judea and Samaria enjoys permanent residency rights, far fewer people will feel motivated to move west. They can stay at home and enjoy the same status."

Is it really that simple? I do not believe that the Palestinians would be content to stay in their own back yard. In fact they are determined to carry their 'Law of Return' to the nth degree. All we need do is look at the illegal immigration from Africa. In order for that not to happen we would have to build security fences around all Jewish property and increase our IDF troops at least 200% and even then there would be no guarantees. Palestinian Arabs do not want the Jewish State to exist and that is the bottom line.>
Our World: Sharon’s final road
www.jpost.com
Since he passed away on Saturday, no mention has been made of the final and most important road that he paved. That is the road to Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
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Burying ‘Sharonism’ With Sharon
www.tabletmag.com
In his death, Ariel Sharon has suddenly reentered our lives, like a long-repressed memory. Between his final breath and his funeral, on Monday afternoon, politicians of nearly all Israeli camps and the pundits who write as if they speak for the whole country will describe Sharon as fallen giant of I...
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Attorneys Offer Free Defense Of Sharon Celebrations
www.israelnationalnews.com
Ben-Gvir and Ben-Yosef slam Interior Security Minister's attempt to 'silence and intimidate,' call for his removal.
Yes, let them have their say, and if their points need to be repudiated, do it. But sometimes the filthy and disgusting speak for themselves more eloquently than any rebuttal. - ed
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Australian curriculum beyond saving
www.theaustralian.com.au
"LANGUAGE," claim the authors of the Australian Curriculum, "enables people to interact effectively." They then proceed to demonstrate in 238,000 laboured words that this is not necessarily the case.
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How Have We Been IGNORING THIS!!
www.israelvideonetwork.com
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Israelis pay final respects to Ariel Sharon
www.vcstar.com
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israelis from all walks of life flocked to parliament Sunday to catch a glimpse of Ariel Sharon's coffin and pay their final respects to the iconic former prime minister and general.
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WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
www.adespicabletruce.org.uk
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD56403Egyptian Ministry of Culture Publication: The Prophet Muhammad's 'Night Journey' was Not to Jerusalem but to Medina
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Sabra and Shatilla
www.adespicabletruce.org.uk
On the morning of Wednesday, September 15, 1982, the Lebanese forces met at the Gemayel house in Bickfaya. The house was crammed with mourners (After the murder of Bashir Jemayel) and the attendees decided to run Amin, Bashir’s brother, for the president. While all of Lebanon’s religious, political,...
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Timetable for Iran nuclear deal announced As Khamenei Declares U.S. is Greatest Violator of...
www.israelvideonetwork.com
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Video: Khamenei Says U.S. is Greatest Violator of Human Rights
www.israelnationalnews.com
MEMRI translates Iranian Supreme Leader's speech from last week, during which he referred to the United States as “Satan.”
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MK Zahalka: Dead or Not, Sharon Must Go on Trial
www.israelnationalnews.com
Ariel Sharon may be gone, but Arab MK Jamal Zahalka isn't done with him. He wants Sharon to stand trial posthumously for 'war crimes'
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Europe's New Crowd-Pleasing Jew-Hate :: Gatestone Institute
www.gatestoneinstitute.org
On Saturday December 28th 2013, a French Muslim soccer player, Nicolas Anelka (aka: Abdul-Salam Bilal), scored a goal for his club, West Bromwich Albion, in front of thousands of cheering fans and millions more around the world watching on television. He
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Why Is Hamas Courting Iran and the Palestinian Authority? :: Gatestone Institute
www.gatestoneinstitute.org
Israel and the US have good reason to be worried about Hamas's latest moves, which are likely to have a negative impact on John Kerry's efforts to reach a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In recent weeks, Hamas leaders have been working to
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Watch Hitchcock Holocaust Documentary Suppressed by the British
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/watch-hitchcock-holocaust-documentary-suppressed-by-the-british/2014/01/12/
By the time Hitchcock's film was finished, the allies' political needs had changed.
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Did IRS targeting start with Israel?
www.wnd.com
A Free Press For A Free People Since 1997
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Israelophobia :: Gatestone Institute
www.gatestoneinstitute.org
The problem of the Jews today, the world over, is not anti-Semitism but a new branch of it: "Israelophobia." The most productive fight for world Jewry and its allies at the moment would be not against anti-Semitism, even though Israelophobia is a part of
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Journalist gets seven-year jail sentence for decade-old articles - Reporters Without Borders
en.rsf.org
Reporters Without Borders condemns the seven-year jail sentence that a Dhaka court imposed today on former magazine editor Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury in connection with articles criticizing Islamism a decade ago, when he was arrested for trying attend a conference for writers in Israel. (...)
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Baruch Dayan Emet. Ariel Sharon, 1928-2014
anneinpt.wordpress.com
Ariel Sharon was not a man about whom you could be neutral. You either loved him or hated him; idolised him or demonised him. When he did good, he was excellent. When he did bad, he was beyond cont...
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Abbas: Jerusalem must be capital of Palestinian state - Diplomacy and Defense
www.haaretz.com
Palestinian president hints Palestinians may pursue international recognition if Israel continues settlement construction.
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Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Ridiculous Weddings
jeremyrosen.blogspot.com
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A Soldier's Mother: Eighteen...
israelisoldiersmother.blogspot.com
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<It was then that Sharon carried out the most dramatic--and fateful--policy of his political career: the Gaza "disengagement," a unilateral withdrawal of soldiers and settlers from Gaza. Ironically, Sharon had campaigned for re-election against such a withdrawal, which had been the policy of his Labor Party opponent. Yet Sharon saw an opportunity to relieve the cost of occupation, and boost Israel's diplomatic position.
After several members of his own party resigned in protest, Sharon formed a new government, and eventually a new party, Kadima ("Forward") to support the withdrawal. In August 2005, Israeli soldiers evacuated the remaining settlers from Gaza, amidst tearful scenes of civil disobedience. Sharon's reward was official U.S. recognition of some Israeli territorial claims in the West Bank, and worldwide acclaim for his statesmanship.
In private conversations, Sharon stressed that he had decided on the disengagement policy because he believed it would be best for the long-term security of Israel and the Jewish people. Palestinian terror groups, however, had other ideas, destroying the infrastructure the settlers had left behind and accelerating rocket attacks against Israeli civilians in the towns and communities near the border--including Sharon's own farm.
In late 2005, on the eve of new Israeli elections, and in the midst of official investigations into a loan Sharon had received during his previous campaign, Sharon suffered a mild stroke. He suffered a far more serious one in January 2006. His most fanatical critics on the Israeli right, who had once seen him as a savior, called his illness divine retribution. His successor, Ehud Olmert, faced two wars from newly-emboldened terror groups.>===
<Hamas tells Kerry & Obama they want peace with Israel, while declaring they need to conduct military strikes against the Israel " The Hamas-led government in the besieged Gaza Strip warned that Israel is escalating its aggression on Gaza, and that armed resistance groups in the coastal region have the right to retaliate""">
Hamas In Gaza: “Amidst Israeli Escalation, Resistance Has The Right To Retaliate” -...
www.imemc.org
Abdul-Salam Siyam, secretary of the Ministerial Council in Gaza, said that the Israeli military is deliberately targeting the Palestinians, and continues to violate the ceasefire deal that was mediated by Egypt in November of 2012.
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In Reality the only thing the Geneva deal resolves is removing of sanctions and the expansion of Iran's oil market. It does little to address Iran's IAEA violations, nuclear enrichment nor nuclear weapons programs

Implementation of Geneva deal to facilitate Iran's oil exports
en.trend.az
The implementation of the Geneva nuclear deal will pave the way for an increase in Iran's oil exports, Seyyed Mohsen Ghamsar, and official with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), said on January 12, the IRIB News Agency reported.
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Palestinian Terror Schools Receive Press They Deserve | FrontPage Magazine
www.frontpagemag.com
How a Vatican official helped lead the way.
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Black State Senator: Academic Boycott of Israel Antisemitic | FrontPage Magazine
www.frontpagemag.com
State Senator Anthony Williams introduces resolution condemning the ASA boycott of Israel.
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Knesset committee to discuss banning Nazi imagery
www.israelhayom.com
MK Shimon Ohayon: It's unthinkable that Germany and other countries ban Nazi imagery, but Israel does not • Punishment proposed is up to six months in jail and up to 100,000 shekels ($29,000) in fines.
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IDF welcomes first female combat doctor in elite counterterror unit
www.israelhayom.com
Dr. Shani joins the Duvdevan counterterrorism unit as a combat doctor, coming in ahead of three male candidates for the position • Shani: "I can't wait to go out into the field with the other soldiers" • Unit commander: Don't mess with her.
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An open letter to Secretary of State John Kerry
www.israelhayom.com
Should your initiatives undermine Israeli security, you will leave a legacy as the U.S. secretary of state who abandoned the one and only genuine democracy and U.S. ally in the Middle East.
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Ariel Sharon was larger than life
carolineglick.com
    Ariel Sharon, who died Saturday at age 85, after being suspended comatose, between life and death for the past eight years, was the fina
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hrase implies in Hebrew - "(one who is) without a burden". The truth of the matter is that the late prime minister, Ariel Sharon, was truly a "b'li 'ol", as any cursory glance at his life story will demonstrate. As a tank commander in the Sinai in 1973, he defied his boss, Security Minister Moshe Dayan, and pushed his tanks over the Suez Canal,effectively defeating the Egyptian 3rd Army and winning the war for the nation. In 1982, he again defied his boss, Prime Minister MehanHem Begin, and pushed Israeli forces north beyond the Litani River, their original goal, all the way to Beirut. It would have been nice if, while in Beirut, he had Arafat killed, but he gave in to pressure from Vice-President George H.W. Bush and let the scummy pedophile, terrorist and murderer escape to Tunis . When Sharon was originally elected in 2001, he was chosen with the idea that he would crush the Arab terror of the Second Intifada - unlike "Lemons" Barak. He again defied his boss, the nation that had elected him, and refused to do so until a bombing in the Park Hotel, killing some 25 people celebrating a Seder there, forced his hand. EVEN THEN, he did not kill the scumbag pedophile terrorist responsible for the deaths! Finally, the little leftist prick, Menniy Mazuz, was abler to force him to push through LABOR'S agenda of evacuating Gush Qatif (Gaza first) because he had all kinds of documents that would have landed Sharon and his sons in jail - and as Attorney General, was able to prosecute him in court. I don't give a tinker's damn about the "legalities" . En fin, the Expuslsion was illegal and the result of blackmail. Sharon couldn't defy the leftist prick who held his freedom in his hands with documents in his desk drawer. So, instead, 10,000 lives were destroyed. In my opinion, with this Expulsion, he undid all the good he had done previously. WE have all suffered the wound he and Menny Mazuz inflicted upon all Israel. Go praise Sharon if you want. But keep it off MY WALL!!! I have no sympathy for him - I have no sympathy for his family. Ariel Sharon DESERVED to hang between life and death for eight years! The G-d of Israel is certainly creative when it comes to punishments. But the mandarins and scumbags ruining our nation and distorting our media have learned nothing at all>.
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IMRA - Sunday, January 12, 2014 Funeral Arrangements for the Late Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
www.imra.org.il
Funeral Arrangements for the Late Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser) The Ministerial Committee on Symbols and Ceremonies, chaired by Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat, convened this evening (Saturday, 11 January 2014), at the Prime Minister...
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Canada's new ambassador to Israel a strong critic of PA
www.israelhayom.com
Toronto lawyer Vivian Bercovici, who studied in Israel in the 1980s, is the first non-diplomat sent to Israel by Harper's government and a known detractor of the Palestinian leadership • "Israel has no greater friend in the world than Canada," she says.
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17 IDF Photos That Will Blow You Away - Breaking Israel News
www.breakingisraelnews.com
The IDF has its own Instagram account and the pictures posted portray an honest account of the lives of soldiers defending the homeland.
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Pope denounces abortion as horrific
www.aljazeera.com
Facing criticism from church for failing to speak out on abortion, Pope Francis issues strongest condemnation yet.
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“that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” -2 Corinthians 5:19-20 

A problem with academia is the promise of the sure result, is not matched with the truth, that every result must be continuously defended. And ancient Greece was the home of academia. Paul went to Corinth and shared his life as a Christian. And Paul returned. Frustrated. Hurt. Explaining again and again what he had meant as Corinthians split hairs. 

But the result is a pure distillation of Paul’s message. We may know that Jesus came to die on the cross. Here we are told explicitly why. More, Paul explains how we are to use that knowledge. We are to be ambassadors of Christ, speaking for God the message of reconciliation with God. Not that people are god like. The ambassadorship is the message of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. We have eternal life. We have been made to live again. 
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

January 13: Morning
"Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber" - 1 Kings 22:48
Solomon's ships had returned in safety, but Jehoshaphat's vessels never reached the land of gold. Providence prospers one, and frustrates the desires of another, in the same business and at the same spot, yet the Great Ruler is as good and wise at one time as another. May we have grace today, in the remembrance of this text, to bless the Lord for ships broken at Ezion-geber, as well as for vessels freighted with temporal blessings; let us not envy the more successful, nor murmur at our losses as though we were singularly and specially tried. Like Jehoshaphat, we may be precious in the Lord's sight, although our schemes end in disappointment.

The secret cause of Jehoshaphat's loss is well worthy of notice, for it is the root of very much of the suffering of the Lord's people; it was his alliance with a sinful family, his fellowship with sinners. In 2 Ch. 20:37, we are told that the Lord sent a prophet to declare, "Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the Lord hath broken thy works." This was a fatherly chastisement, which appears to have been blest to him; for in the verse which succeeds our morning's text we find him refusing to allow his servants to sail in the same vessels with those of the wicked king. Would to God that Jehoshaphat's experience might be a warning to the rest of the Lord's people, to avoid being unequally yoked together with unbelievers! A life of misery is usually the lot of those who are united in marriage, or in any other way of their own choosing, with the men of the world. O for such love to Jesus that, like him, we may be holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners; for if it be not so with us, we may expect to hear it often said, "The Lord hath broken thy works."
Evening

"The iron did swim." - 2 Kings 6:6

The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed, the honour of the prophetic band was likely to be imperilled, and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the stream and to swim; for things impossible with man are possible with God. I knew a man in Christ but a few years ago who was called to undertake a work far exceeding his strength. It appeared so difficult as to involve absurdity in the bare idea of attempting it. Yet he was called thereto, and his faith rose with the occasion; God honoured his faith, unlooked-for aid was sent, and the iron did swim. Another of the Lord's family was in grievous financial straits, he was able to meet all claims, and much more if he could have realized a certain portion of his estate, but he was overtaken with a sudden pressure; he sought for friends in vain, but faith led him to the unfailing Helper, and lo, the trouble was averted, his footsteps were enlarged, and the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of depravity to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, and interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong for young Melancthon, the stubborn spirit would not relent. Then came an agony of prayer, and before long a blessed answer was sent from heaven. The hard heart was broken, the iron did swim.

 Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter hast thou in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the prophets lives, and lives to help his saints. He will not suffer thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in the Lord of hosts! Approach him pleading the name of Jesus, and the iron shall swim; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for his people. According to thy faith be it unto thee, and yet again the iron shall swim.
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Barabbas 
[Bārăb'bas] - son of a father or son of return.
The notable prisoner, committed to prison for robbery and murder, but preferred to Christ (Matt. 27:16-26).
The Man Who Had a Substitute
Barabbas should have died for his crimes but Jesus occupied his cross, along with the two other thieves. What a night Barabbas must have spent before Christ was selected in his place! The thief and murderer had visions of a terrible death. All the torture of crucifixion came up before him. Then as the light of morning looked in through the bars of his prison he hears the march of soldiers coming to take him out to his horrible death.
Can we not imagine how stupefied he must have been when he heard the officer of the guard say, "Barabbas you are free. Another is to die in your stead"? When Barabbas came to himself and realized how true the news was, out he went, grateful to the One condemned to die as his substitute. A just and holy Man to die in the place of a thief and murderer? Yes, Barabbas was saved at such a cost. What a picture of divine grace this substitutionary death presents! Thereafter, whenever Barabbas thought of Christ, he could say, "He died for me."
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Today's reading: Genesis 31-32, Matthew 9:18-38 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Genesis 31-32

Jacob Flees From Laban
1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father." 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been.
3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you."
4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me....

Today's New Testament reading: Matthew 9:18-38

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed at that moment.
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader's house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him.25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region....


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