Mon 15th February 2021 Current Affairs

Editorial Sun Feb 7^th 2021

 

On Friday, at work in the adjacent suburb of Hallam, a lightning storm resulted in power going down across Hallam. Children at the tutorial centre at 8pm were forced to work from fading daylight across summer of Melbourne. Lights returned fifteen minutes later. Work was done and children got a new appreciation of Zeus. When I got back home, I found the internet was down from wifi, but I had phone data operative. I searched for internet failure and found nothing. I waited until next morning, and found a report of NBN failure the night before. I went to work in the morning. At work I was called by my estate agent who had tried to reset the modem in the share accommodation, without success. I told them of the NBN outage report, with the news that the anticipated recovery was on Monday at 6pm, the fourth day from the failure. 

I went home and checked the internet again. Still down, I checked the outage reports, and there were none. Not even at my address. Clearly, the estate agent had not got the landlord to raise the issue with the ISP. There is no reason to believe the internet will be restored on even the fourth day if no one is looking at the issue. 

What has caused this outage? Internet gets slow whenever there is a thunderstorm. I live in Dandenong, a suburb of Melbourne. There is no excuse for such poor service. 

 

Editorial Thursday 11^th February 2021

Having reported the outage to my landlord’s agent, I queried them as to why no fault was reported on the address a day later, two days later, three days later and four days later. The estate agent raised their voice to me “It is not my job to sit by a phone for a telecommunications company hours on end. I’ve alerted the landlord.” 

 

“Yes, but the telecommunications company needs to know there is a fault or they cannot address it.”

 

“I take your point but I have told you I have alerted the landlord.”

 

“Have you advised them to report the fault?”

 

“They said they will fix it. If they haven’t fixed by the end of working day tomorrow I will see to it. Have a good day, sir”

 

It wasn’t working on day five, but another member of the share household found mail addressed to the landlord from the telecommunications company and opened it. It said that the company was sending a final warning before cancellation. The company was forced to close their cable service and link to NBN instead. The cancellation was to take place on the 15^th February, ten days after they in fact cancelled it. Had the company been called when the ‘fault’ was detected, the problem could have been addressed immediately. The agent has still not apologised to me. Neither is the internet connected after seven days. 

 

My oldest sister sent me a near fifty year old school photo of me. I told her that I had lost all my photos when FB booted me. I have no place for such memories, but I’m thankful she thought of me. I had been booted from FB after Jan 6^th for not being a good citizen, as I endorsed Donald Trump for President. I am not uncivilised  and never condone violence or racism, but FB booted me. My sister, a left wing loony, said I should go somewhere else where I’m accepted. She suggested I use the library to access the internet. She was taunting me. That is how they behave.

===

Here is a video I made One Bottle of Beer

An extension of the work of other, better artists .. cf
http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=68833
by Bass2x
http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=68808
By My Quest Miles
http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=68641
Barretok

Audio is at http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=68852

This is part of the larger project
http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=74911

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_bottles_of_beer
https://rumble.com/ve5cxv-one-bottle-of-beer.html

===

=== From 2018 ===

Don't give up on hope. Four years ago Andrew Bolt joined in the campaign against Tony Abbott. He knew the stories were flaky and he knew the source of those stories. But Andrew Bolt repeated the memes and downplayed the serious issues. So that when repeated lies were called truth, Abbott was undercut. But the truth is that Abbott was an effective PM and had successfully crushed an intransigent senate which were desperate to get rid of him before facing election on substantive issues they would have lost. The result was Malcolm Turnbull took all political pressure off the ALP, Greens and independents and surrendered hard fought advances. So corrupt unions are not investigated and probity is not maintained. So that industry suffers under red tape, a bloated public service and a corrupt judiciary drift and the culture wars are not fought. What benefit the surrender? Remember the memes Turnbull spread? Abbott was unpopular with women and so could never win election. Abbott's office never listened to sound advice. Abbott made captain's picks. Yet none of that (all untrue) mattered anyway. Consider the result of the Turnbull campaign against Abbott, and the reason why Bolt supported it for a time. It was not because Bolt is a fan of Turnbull. What now do we credit Bolt's campaign against Barnaby Joyce? Joyce has championed Australia in office and the result will be many blessings in years to come as a hundred dams are completed (despite ALP opposition) and Australia grows. Joyce gets farmers. The family issues related to Joyce are overstated at great cost. There is a tragedy related to what has happened, but it is a personal one. It is a double standard which suits Malcolm Turnbull and, just as with Abbott, will hurt Australia as Joyce gets rolled. Note the Polls, the campaign regarding women's opinion is exactly the same campaign levelled against Abbott. On this issue, Bolt swims in the swamp. 

=== from 2017 ===

The Bolt Report Supporter's Group has exceeded thirty thousand members. I remember when founder ZEG asked me to take on the page after a few dozen joined in a day when it was in the low hundreds. The page had been set up by the ADL as part of a wider plan to get street credibility as the Australian Tea Party on a wide range of issues. They had also launched other pages. They hoped to tap into the US politics patronage stream which has significant sums of money. Andrew was gaining a name as a former ALP speech writer who had come to stand for conservative values without really embracing conservatism. In the US, such people are called neoconservatives. Andrew still likes to talk up ALP positions, but he is not indifferent to their unreformed, criminal patronage. Neither am I regarding the ADL. Thirty thousand is a significant number. It means we have a reach and reputation. Many thanks to Daniel Katz for his awesome posts, and Charles Goldberg for always being there when Daniel isn't. Almost like Clarke Kent and Superman. What Seinfeld episode was that? Andrew Bolt's program has grown. It quickly exceeded Insiders weekly. Now, daily exceeds what Insiders achieves in a week. We are growing. We now have (and needed) moderators. Thanks to members who are interested in politics, but not captured by any special interest. Thank you. 

Deputy ALP chief Plibersek has appeared on Bolt Report. She was defending Bill Shorten's claims that Australian Aboriginals were given diseases deliberately by early settlers giving them infected blankets. And claims that watering holes used by Aboriginals were poisoned by settlers. It never happened. Shorten is lying outrageously. However, Plibersek claimed many historians supported Shorten. Which may be true, but it is unprofessional of historians to lie. Plibersek then made the amazing claim that renewable energy production, which is driving up energy prices, is making money for Australia, and not costing it. It explains ALP thinking on economic strategy. By making Australia broke, they give the most to future generations. 

I am reading a research article by Matthew C. MacWilliams , University of Massachusetts Amherst, a PhD student. The article was popular among #FakeNewsMedia. Matthew's abstract finishes with "Authoritarian-driven partisan polarization (Hetherington and Weiler 2009), increasing fear of real and imagined threats, and terrorist incidents abroad and at home provided the fuel for Trump’s campaign. And Trump’s message and manner ignited that fuel, propelling him to the Republican nomination for president." Matthew is not referring to Hillary supporters who performed purity tests similar to the ones used by Islamo-fascists. To be fair, HRC may have been behind Islamo-Fascism in some instances, and so there is no reason why her supporters couldn't also use those techniques. Many of so called Trump supporters committing atrocities seemed to evaporate after the election when they were investigated. But even today, journalists like Andrew Bolt put Trump on notice not to have more gaffs like the Flynn as security chief one. Except General Flynn's 'disgrace' was more related to being burned by Russia and nothing to do with Trump or Pence. Apparently, HRC's terror tactics fuelled Trump's campaign. And Trump capitalised on that. 

=== from 2016 ===

No more columns until I secure accommodation. 

=== from 2015 ===

It began with a whisper campaign against Credilin. She is part of Mr Abbott's office and that is nobody's business except Mr Abbott. She had brilliantly worked with Mr Abbott to keep the Libs disciplined in opposition. But the whispers overstated and undermined. The consistent message being reported to press over leaks about Credilin was that Mr Abbott was 'not listening, but only receiving a kind of line of policy ideas that Credilin wanted.' But Mr Abbott is not the weak or simple minded. Another non issue was the knighthood. The knighthood of Prince Philip was a reasonable call. But the opposition to it began with a tale to republican Turnbull's Monarchy views. And the press ran with it, again on an issue which is nobody's business considering what has been approved in the past. Words were thrown around claiming the appointment was un-Australian and an insult. 

It is interesting to see conservative commentators on the wrong side of the heckling. Akerman, Devine, Blair and Bolt have consistently played a line at odds with a stable Liberal administration, saying they had had leaks. The leaks were clearly orchestrated. Mr Abbott was sidelined by the campaign and he had no choice but to reset it by admitting to a fault that wasn't present but allowed the oppositional allies to remain in fold. The spill motion was not Ruddock's fault, but the size of back bench hostility was untenable and so, despite excellent service, Ruddock lost the whip's position. And it wasn't Ruddock's fault, but the fault of the monkey grinder influencing some dumb back benchers. We have heard what some of those back benchers have had to say on issues and they are not on top of them. They quote some of the concerns of some vested interests and the press loved to inflate the stories and quotes to trash the government. 

Following the spill, the government has moved to address the criticism, even though the criticism was misplaced. And some policies will be dumped so as to strengthen the campaign on others. But even so, Bolt got it wrong when he assumed his bigoted position that the knighthood was wrong was behind Mr Abbott's acceptance of criticism. Mr Bolt has never established that the appointment was wrong. It is just the campaign is strong against it. A campaign that was silent when Tendulkar was given an award by Gillard just a few years earlier. Tendulkar was worthy too. 

The thing with destabilising campaigns is they don't easily or suddenly stop. Channel 9 news, as well as the others, is still inflating the criticism and lampooning the attempts to right the ship of state. Which is why Mr Turnbull has to resign. Mr Akerman is claiming Mr Abbott has to work much harder to not let the excellent NSW Government founder in March. Akerman's aim is wrong. 

From 2014

There are many reasons to love and learn from history. But one doesn't learn from closing their mind to parts of it. To get the most, one needs to be open. On this day in 1925, Nome Alaska got a serum they needed for an epidemic of diphtheria. Diptheria is largely eradicated through vaccination in most developed nations. It is a highly contagious respiratory illness and is fatal between 5% and 10% of cases for fit people, but in children or those aged over 40, may be 20%. In 1925, Alaska had telephone contact with the world but were isolated and the best route was by dog sled. The lead dog in this instance was Balto, causing Balto to become more famous in 1925, through radio broadcasts of his progress, than Rin Tin Tin. Worth considering when some selfish anti vaccination advocate spreads their poison, or when some unvaccinated third world people choose to break laws and migrate at the expense of refugees. 

On this day in 1493, Christopher Columbus, on board Niña  wrote a letter about his discoveries in the New World. He had not sailed to India, where cargo of spice may have made him rich, but thanks to his letter, we have things like a potato, chocolate and corn. And the Americas got horses. And herpes. The resulting trade has not been fair, but an extraordinary blessing which has seen the world grow smaller and much, much richer. Anyone born on that day might have witnessed some terrible things. But all of them would be dead today. And anyone born today anywhere in the world will experience comfort and joys unimaginable to Christopher as he wrote his letter. Worth thinking about as some neo-Nazi socialist protectionist opposes free trade, freedom of the press (with the commensurate opposition to removing bias) and conservative, libertarian economic values.

Also born on this day, 1820, was Susan B Anthony. She opposed Slavery, supported Temperance of alcohol and votes for women. She was a criminal for voting for U.S. Grant for President. Nowadays, Democrats show more respect and use dead people to vote for whom they want elected, but back then, Susan was more honest .. and GOP. These days, we may wonder when it was that things changed, and progressive policy left conservative politics. In the US, the black vote is overwhelmingly Democrat. It comes back to a highly lauded huckster FDR who exploited white Democrat supporters who had used guns to remove aid from black peoples following a hurricane in Louisiana that Hoover had helped. FDR denounced Hoover for giving aid to black peoples and the southern white press lapped it up. The result was black institutions began backing Democrats for their political clout. During the Civil Rights years, JFK ordered a Democrat to let Black kids go to school. FDR was the Democrat exception and did nothing to change Democrat culture. 

Historical perspective on this day

In 590, Khosrau II was crowned king of Persia. 706, Byzantine emperor Justinian II had his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople. 1113, Pope Paschal II issued a bill sanctioning the establishment of the Order of Hospitallers. 1493, while on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus wrote an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World. 1637, Ferdinand III became Holy Roman Emperor. 1690, Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia and the Holy Roman Empire signed a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.

In 1764, the city of St. Louis, Missouri was established. 1798, the Roman Republic was proclaimed after Louis Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Romefive days earlier 1804, the Serbian revolution began. 1835, the first constitutional law in modern Serbia was adopted. 1862, American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant attacked Fort Donelson, Tennessee. 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology was founded and offered the first Bachelors of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering. 1879, Women's rights: American PresidentRutherford B. Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. 1891, Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) (Swedish Sports Club) was founded. 1898, the battleship USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbour in Cuba, killing 274. This event led the United States to declare war on Spain.

In 1901, the association football club Alianza Lima was founded in Lima, Peru, under the name Sport Alianza. 1909, the Flores Theatre fire in Acapulco, Mexico killed 250. 1921, Kingdom of Romania established its legation in Helsinki. 1923, Greece became the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar. 1925, 1925 serum run to Nome: The serum arrived in Nome, Alaska, with Balto being the lead dog of the last team. 1933, in Miami, Florida, Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shot Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who died of his wounds on March 6, 1933.

In 1942, World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the BritishGeneral Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australiansoldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history. 1944, World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy, began. Also 1944, World War II: The Narva Offensive began. 1945, World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden. 1946, ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, was formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 1949, Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux began excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they would eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls. 1952, King George VI was buried in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. 1953, Parliamentary elections held in Liechtenstein. 1954, Canada and the United Statesagreed to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.

In 1961, Sabena Flight 548 crashed in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United Statesfigure skating team, several coaches and family members. 1965, a new red-and-white mapleleaf design was adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner. 1971, the decimalisation of British coinage was completed on Decimal Day. 1972, Sound recordings were granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time. Also 1972, José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, was overthrown by the military for the fourth time. 1976, the 1976 Constitution of Cuba was adopted by national referendum. 1979, Don Dunstan resigned as Premier of South Australia, ending a decade of sweeping social liberalisation. 1982, the drilling rig Ocean Ranger sank during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers. 1989, Soviet war in Afghanistan: The Soviet Unionofficially announced that all of its troops had left Afghanistan.

In 1991, the Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, was signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. 1996, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashed into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people. 1999, Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was arrested in Kenya. 2000, Indian Point II nuclear power plant in New York vented a small amount of radioactive steam when a steam generator failed. 2001, First draft of the complete human genome was published in Nature. 2003, Protests against the Iraq war took place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between 8 million to 30 million people participated, making this the largest peace demonstration in history. 2013, a meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blew out windows and rocks buildings. This happened unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14. 2014, Renaud Lavillenie of France broke Sergey Bubka's world record in pole vault with a mark of 6.16 m.

=== Bible Reading ===

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Today's reading: Leviticus 15-16, Matthew 27:1-26 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Leviticus 15-16

The Day of Atonement

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. ² The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover....

...read the rest on Bible Gateway

Today's New Testament reading: Matthew 27:1-26

Judas Hangs Himself

¹ Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. ² So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood."

"What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility...."

...read the rest on Bible Gateway

=== Morning and Evening ===

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February 14: Morning

"And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life." - 2 Kings 25:30

Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king's palace with a store to last him for months, but his provision was given him as a daily pension. Herein he well pictures the happy position of all the Lord's people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants. We do not need tomorrow's supplies; that day has not yet dawned, and its wants are as yet unborn. The thirst which we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day's supply of food and raiment; the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief. One staff aids a traveller, but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but is all that the greatest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all that we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with his daily allowance. Jehoiachin's case is ours, we have a sure portion, a portion given us of the king, a gracious portion, and a perpetual portion. Here is surely ground for thankfulness.

Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of strength. Day by day must you seek help from above. It is a very sweet assurance that a daily portion is provided for you. In the word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you shall receive renewed strength. In Jesus all needful things are laid up for you. Then enjoy your continual allowance. Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.

Evening

"She was healed immediately." - Luke 8:47

One of the most touching and teaching of the Saviour's miracles is before us tonight. The woman was very ignorant. She imagined that virtue came out of Christ by a law of necessity, without his knowledge or direct will. Moreover, she was a stranger to the generosity of Jesus' character, or she would not have gone behind to steal the cure which he was so ready to bestow. Misery should always place itself right in the face of mercy. Had she known the love of Jesus' heart, she would have said, "I have but to put myself where he can see me--his omniscience will teach him my case, and his love at once will work my cure." We admire her faith, but we marvel at her ignorance. After she had obtained the cure, she rejoiced with trembling: glad was she that the divine virtue had wrought a marvel in her; but she feared lest Christ should retract the blessing, and put a negative upon the grant of his grace: little did she comprehend the fulness of his love! We have not so clear a view of him as we could wish; we know not the heights and depths of his love; but we know of a surety that he is too good to withdraw from a trembling soul the gift which it has been able to obtain. But here is the marvel of it: little as was her knowledge, her faith, because it was real faith, saved her, and saved her at once. There was no tedious delay--faith's miracle was instantaneous. If we have faith as a grain of mustard seed, salvation is our present and eternal possession. If in the list of the Lord's children we are written as the feeblest of the family, yet, being heirs through faith, no power, human or devilish, can eject us from salvation. If we dare not lean our heads upon his bosom with John, yet if we can venture in the press behind him, and touch the hem of his garment, we are made whole. Courage, timid one! thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God."

=== Bible Quote ===

=== Message ===

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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.

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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 (Gofundme finished the fund raiser, 2017)

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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.

The Amazon Author Page for David Ball

UK .. http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B01683ZOWG

French .. http://www.amazon.fr/-/e/B01683ZOWG

Japan .. http://www.amazon.co.jp/-/e/B01683ZOWG

German .. http://www.amazon.de/-/e/B01683ZOWG

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Other Stuff

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I'm now on MAGAbook to sidestep FB censorship

https://www.magabook.com/register?invite=11673951025fadd3f055eca4.00045664

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I'm looking for former students to endorse me

https://www.superprof.com.au/write-recommendation-13371374-1cc2cf0f56166c9b04ad4097fc7d0b67.html

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