Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Tue 23rd February 2021 Current Affairs

Editorial Mon 15th Feb

Former Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja had understood Machiavelli and knew a concept encapsulated by the Prince which many were getting wrong in the late 1990’s. So applying all her mental powers, she went on radio and told people how to get it right. Machiavelli, she declared, was pronounced ‘Match-i-ah-velli.’ The senator despaired at people misrepresenting the Prince. After all, Hitler had had the book on his bed side table for inspiration and late-night reading. He had needed to improve his mind. There are many examples, provided by Charles and Andrew to name two, of Princes who fail the bedside table test. 


It was with delight I happened on Delderfield’s story of a horseman, Paul Craddock, who purchased a farm. 


Dr Maureen O’Keefe talking to 14 yo Ikey (Delderfield’s Horseman riding by)

“Ikey,” she said, “There’s a word you wouldn’t have heard yet that just about describes you so remember it and you can recognise yourself later on! You’re Machiavellian! Remember that – Mack-i-ah-vellian”

“What does it mean?” he asked, and she said, gesticulating, “It’s having an instinctive understanding of people and how their minds work and it’s a priceless quality to possess, particularly if you are ever thinking of going into business.”

“I’ll not do that,” he said, scornfully, “I’m going to join the cavalry!”

“Ah,” she said, “Then I’m afraid it won’t be of much use to you. Still, it’s nice to have and I daresay it’ll help you get along with the ladies!”


The former senator never really explained her clarification. She is a left wing loony and the press would never have dared ask it. But, what was it her clarification addressed? Was the senator addressing a mid 90’s man drought after too many eligible bachelors had bought into a hipster form of feminism? Had she approved of Hitler’s late night reading? We could ask her, but we may never know. 


Editorial Sun 21st February Current Affairs

Sixteen days without internet access. Lockdown meant my zoom meetings were conducted, over 8 hours, using phone data which emptied my bandwidth for the month. What had happened was a storm on the 5th of February took out cable access but left the wifi running without carrying a connection We could see the router was active, but there was no internet access. We contacted the estate agent who said they had contacted the landlord after coming over to turn the router on and off to no affect. Not knowing which ISP held the actual account, I searched online (using phone data) and found that NBN was down and slated to be fixed after the weekend. 


During the weekend, I noticed the NBN fault had been fixed, but we still did not have internet, so I pointed out to the estate agent that no fault was reported for this address. They yelled at me, saying it was not their job to stay on the phone of an ISP and wait hours, but they had told the landlord who had promised to fix it. I pointed out the landlord might need to be told to report the issue to the ISP to fix it. They said they got my point, but had already told the landlord. “Have a good day sir!” they yelled before hanging up. 


I contacted radio 3AW to report the issue. Neil Mitchell had me waiting forty minutes before not listening to me, or following up. 


One other member of the household noticed our landlord had not collected their mail from Optus, an ISP, and opened it, discovering that our share house was due to have internet cancelled because NBN did not want to compete with Optus Cable. But the cancellation was for the 15th of February or later, and should not have happened yet. The information was relayed to the estate agent who passed it on to the landlord. I contacted 3AW to provide an update by email. Still no reply from 3AW. 


The estate agent tasked an employee to wait on premises until Optus sent a technician. But, Optus claimed they had sent a technician a day before and they had not got on premises when everyone in the household was here during lockdown. They claimed to have rung the bell and made commotion, but they had not noticed the Menulog and DoorDasher employees delivering food without issue. The estate agent spent all day on the premises and Optus did not show up. Finally, on 19th of February, two weeks after the internet had gone down, Optus showed, and an estate agent was on hand. The fault was fixed, it having been established that Cable provision would be ongoing until a planned changeover to NBN. 


My software upgraded and at 1am on 20th February while Melbourne had had an overnight 26 degree centigrade evening, the wifi router stopped working. I contacted the agent about 7:30 am and sent a picture of my WiFi reception showing our address router was not functioning. They did not even bother sending someone to turn it on and off. Maybe Monday? 


In Defence of Conservative Values via It’s a Wonderful Life (1946 Capra)

The scene has three conservatives talking over dinner. One conservative is the father who wants his son to follow him in business. Another conservative is the son who wants to make a name for himself in the world. Another conservative is the servant whose relationship to those she serves is positive for all of them. 


The three are not agreeing with each other, but there is none of the shaming, blaming and rancour one finds when arguing with a left winger. The father listens to his son, and argues on point, convincingly. The son hears his father’s arguments and lets him know he still loves him. The servant reinforces core conservative values. Note, these are not social conservative values, which judges and shames. These are values embraced by modern economic conservatives.


The conservatism is not from a lost time in America. President Donald Trump is not a conservative, neither is he known for conservatism, but his Vice President, Mike Pence is. The greatness of Trump’s Presidency was enhanced by the demeanour and prosecution of Pence as Vice President. One hopes Trump runs and wins again in 2024. Not only will Trump be the first President acquitted of an impeachment twice, he could be the first President elected three times without resorting to corruption. 


===

===


In this episode, I discuss the reason Trump’s speech this weekend at CPAC is a seminal moment in election history.

News Picks:

=== Bongino Headlines ===

Pelosi Funnels $300k to Democrat Gerrymandering Group


Capitol Hill
Confirmation of Biden OMB Pick Neera Tanden Looks Increasingly Unlikely
Here’s What to Expect From Trump’s CPAC Speech
Poll: Nearly Half of Republicans Would Leave to Join a Trump Created Third-Party
Biden Announces Reforms to PPP Program to Prioritize Minority-Owned Businesses
China Expert Gordon Chang: Chinese Don’t Respect Biden
Washington Post: Biden Has Won Praise for “Low-Key Approach” to Texas Disaster
The Looming Biden Border Crisis
Sen. Schumer Mocks Texas Energy Crisis Because They “Ignored Climate Change”
AG Nominee Merrick Garland Confirmation Hearing Kicks Off
Biden to Hold Virtual Meeting With Canadian PM Trudeau on Tuesday
The GOP Is Becoming a Blue Collar Party
Psaki Refuses to Condemn Cuomo Over Nursing Home Coverup


Culture War
Man Waving “Trump 2024” Flag Assaulted While Skating in NYC
SNL’s Hypocrisy Meter Hits Red
Here’s the Trump Interview That YouTube Censored
How the Media’s Priorities Distorts the News
Media Bias: Jill Vs. Melania Edition
The Washington Post’s Obituaries Are Friendlier to Terrorists Than Conservatives
New Study Finds Numerous Unintended Consequences of Massive Solar Farms
Gates Foundation Donates Tens of Millions to Org That Teaches “Math Is Racist”
New Hampshire House Bill Would Ban State Funding of Institutions That Push Critical Race Theory
Ben Shapiro Interviews Gina Carano


Economy
New Jersey Legalizes Marijuana
Janet Yellen Isn’t a Fan of Bitcoin
Michael Burry Says Additional Stimulus Risks Spurring Inflation
Stimulus Includes $1 Billion for “Racial Justice Provisions for Farmers”
Canada to Follow Australia’s Lead, Charge Facebook for Links
Inside General Electric’s Meltdown
IRS Warns About 2021 Tax Season Scammers
U.K. Sees First January Deficit in 10 Years
How Congress Can Avert Another Jobless Benefits Cliff
We Can’t Keep Ignoring the National Debt Forever
Trader Behind GameStop Stock Craze Buys Another 50k Shares
Investors Ignore Bubble Warnings as They Continue Piling Into Stocks


Swamp Watch
Biden Energy Department Used Environmental Regulations to Block Texas Increasing Available Power Before Storm
SCOTUS Allows Release of Trump Tax Returns to NY Prosecutor
“Anti-Racist” Portland Community College Begins Offering Free Tuition to Blacks and Native Americans
18 State AGs Pressure Biden to Reinstate ICE’s Operation Targeting Sex Offenders
CNN Plays Defense for Gov. Cuomo
These 200 Businesses Are Backing Gun Control
Dominion Voting Systems Files $1.3 Billion Lawsuit Against MyPillow’s Mike Lindell
Biden Stimulus Includes $100 Million for Silicon Valley Underground Rail Project
NYC Does a 180 on Closing Trump-Operated Ice Skating Rinks


Coronavirus
U.S. Vaccinating an Average of 1.7 Million People Per Day
Further Proof That Biden’s Attacks on Trump’s Vaccine Distribution Plan Are Based on False Claims
Study Finds That Average Coronavirus Victim Had 16 Years of Life Left in Them
FDA Says No Evidence of Coronavirus Transmission From Food
Following Coronavirus Vaccine Success, Israel Eases Lockdown Restrictions
Coronavirus Deaths in U.S. Reach 500k
Epidemiologist: We Could Be Approaching Herd Immunity
Scientists Warn WHO’s Coronavirus Origin Probe Lacks Credibility
Study Finds Doubling of “Hazardous” Drinking During Pandemic

=== Newsmax Headlines ===
Biden Presidency
Rep. Jody Hice to Newsmax TV: Biden Slow in Helping Storm-Battered Texas
Centrist Democrats Flex Muscles, Create Headaches for Biden
Biden Claimed He Was Arrested for Trespassing at Capitol
WH Calls for Moment of Silence for Half Million COVID-19 Deaths
Sen. Collins to Vote Against OMB Nominee Neera Tanden
Biden Drops Trump Citizenship Test
US Waits to See If Iran Resumes Talks
WH Is Hopeful Biden Can Travel to Texas as Soon as This Week

Newsfront
House Democrats Target Newsmax, Fox News for De-platforming from Cable
Democrats are waging an assault on the First Amendment, with two Democrat House lawmakers demanding answers from cable television providers on the role they play in the "spread of dangerous misinformation." The letter, signed by Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and Jerry...... [Full Story] |

Related Stories
FCC Commissioner Carr Denounces House Attack on First Amendment
USA Today Poll: Newsmax Rising Fast Against Fox News


Nominee Garland Says Politics Won't Influence DOJ Criminal Probes
President Joe Biden's attorney general nominee, Merrick Garland, [Full Story]
Related
Sen. Graham Hits Garland for Not Calling Comey 'Terrible' FBI Chief
AG Nominee Garland Vows Capitol Riot Will Be Top Priority
Sen. Durbin Slams Bill Barr During Garland's AG Hearing |
Merrick Garland Defends Appointee Who Said Blacks Have 'Greater' Abilities |

===

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/jfk-kennedy-oswald-soviet/2021/02/22/id/1011085/?oRef=mixi
Nothing new in this article. We knew Oswald shot Kennedy. We are also quietly confident that the Kennedy kill shot was an accident involving the secret service shooting back. 

===

Here is a video I made Fat Old Hugh Grant 


He never says anything, but he says it all

boumqueefster5 years ago
really great video well done very funny and witty 

Khy97605 years ago
YOU are a fat and old man, not hugh. Please shut up. It's better for all. 

boumqueefster5 years ago
great banter ball face

David Ball10 years ago
Yep there is a point. It is a mimic of Hugh Grant's on screen work .. he talks around the point and, endearingly, never gets to it. You'll notice this if you look at any of his films .. he is a genius. Sorry I'm not, but this is also a joke ;)

===

=== From 2018 ===

Don't give up on hope. President Trump has listened to grief and offered an effective measure to address it. It is not exactly what the left wanted and so they ridicule it without saying why they don't like it. A parent of a murdered child has publicly condemned gun laws. Trump has made a suggestion of encouraging 20% of teachers, all of whom have been trained in firearms, to have them concealed at school. It is a positive measure. However the anti gun lobby are not satisfied with that. They want every gun to be removed from every gun owner who legally has one. But that won't address the issue of tragedies that they exploit. Anti gun lobbyists don't seem to care about those they exploit, they seem to want to get Democrats elected at any price.

Barnaby Joyce is resigning as Deputy PM of Australia. It is a loss for Australia which will not be fixed while Malcolm Turnbull is PM. Joyce was responsible for fixing an agriculture sector harmed by the ALP through mismanagement and corruption. But in a hundred years time, Joyce will be remembered for his crowning glory of a hundred dams which he and Abbott pushed through. The result will be a Bradfield type scheme which will provide fresh water to central Australia and eventually sustain a population exceeding 300 million people while cooling the world. 

 Victorian Liberal Party are beginning to struggle after bringing on board an incompetent campaign director. The director has come from WA where he failed to sell a moderate, conservative government that effectively governed without engaging the culture wars. Maybe they have contacts in the big end of town, but it is going to be the majority of Victorians that will support the Liberals, or not. It is not hard to be different to Dan Andrews, one need only be decent and hard working. But the campaign director is not focusing on that, planning a hard sell ALP negative campaign, but with less dollars than the ALP can muster. A better road is to highlight how much better Victoria can be without entrenched corruption. But that is not what the federals want for Turnbull. The Victorian Liberals were used in the campaign to roll Tony Abbott. All of Australia suffers for that. The truth is this campaign director is a friend of Bishop. 

=== from 2017 ===
Dan Andrews is the Premier of Victoria. Today I heard his sales pitch for the next election. "Vote for Dan Andrews. He can't help." "Give your support to Dan Andrews. It won't help you, but it is good to help the needy." Victoria have ordered water from a mothballed desalination plant. Victoria does not need that water, as the Dam supply is good. We pipe water from farmland to Melbourne, but can't send it back when we are abundant. In order to power the desalination plant, diesel fuel generators are needed because rats ate through the power grid for the mothballed plant. It is an environmental nightmare costing approximately $19 billion over its expected lifetime. The plant has never produced water but to keep mothballed it costs $605 million a year. What will Dan Andrews do to fix the problem? 

I am reading a research article by Matthew C. MacWilliams , University of Massachusetts Amherst, a PhD student. The article was popular among #FakeNewsMedia. Matthew writes 
"Building on these theories of authoritarian behavior, activation, and authoritarianism’s role in partisan polarization, I developed two, codependent theories to explain Trump’s domination of the Republican nominating process. First, I hypothesize (H1) that Trump’s authoritarian message and manner rallied authoritarian voters to his us-versus-them banner. The slow but steady move- ment of authoritarians into the Republican Party demonstrated by Hetherington and Weiler (2009) created a tipping point in 2016 (a large enough cadre of authoritarian voters within the Republican primary electorate) for a candidate with an authoritarian message like Trump’s not only to emerge but, because party insiders abrogated their leadership role, to win."
GOP insiders wanted to win, and tried. Even after Trump won, there were moves made to prevent Trump from being anointed. They were fruitless. Trump won because he was the best candidate. He had the best plan for restoring US greatness. He had support of grassroots (Tea Party) and non conservatives who could no longer stomach Democrat corruption. But Matthew still posits his hypotheses. Matthew seems to have abrogated his responsibility to be impartial, and observe. 
=== from 2016 ===
Not written as I was working to secure accommodation. 
=== from 2015 ===
Shorten wastes question time with lies about military arrangements and submarines. A partisan press is inflating leaked information from cabinet with opportunist assertions from the opposition to destabilise the government and weaken the NSW Government's case for re election. Both NSW and Australia's governments are producing effective and responsible measures for both the state and the federation. The opposition is embarrassingly bad, but the press refuse to notice. In the case of the ABC their partisan stance is illegal. 

Sports Cocaine ring? Or recreational abuse? The liars who promoted the ASADA inquiry into sport would like it that sports people were part of a wide spread ring. The reality is it is probably a personal choice thing involving too much money for young athletes with no direction in their lives beyond winning games on grass. 

Cambodian deal to facilitate transfer of refugees from Nauru to Cambodia. The international Organisation for Migration has agreed to administrate the transfers. The deal will give the potential of refugees being settled in Cambodia and giving them citizenship. HRCS was wrong to say last week that it was a bad deal that would not be finalised, as it has been.

On this day in 303, Diocletian began a persecution of Christians with orders for the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia. Diocletian's tomb was later turned into what it is today, a Christian Church. In 532, Justinian I ordered the construction of the Hagia Sophia which would become the largest cathedral in the world for a thousand years, changing the way architecture developed. It was then converted into a Mosque before becoming a museum in the 1930's. It is the third most visited museum in Turkey today, with 3.3 million visitors annually. In 1455, as noted last year, the Gutenberg Bible was printed with movable type. Ten years ago, it was a primary school art task to make Lino Prints with linoleum blocks. Today OHS rules prevent it. In 1739, a former school teacher of Richard Palmer identified him at York Castle as being Dick Turpin, the outlaw. He was executed on April 7th. A hundred years later, the writer William Harrison Ainsworth romanticised his exploits. In 1820, a communist style uprising, predating the manifesto, was prevented by London Police arresting the Cato Street Conspirators. The conspiracy was to murder the government ministry and create a committee of public safety as the French Revolutionaries had thirty years earlier. It failed partly because the second in command was a police informer. Of thirteen arrested, five were executed and five were sent to Australia. In 1836, the ill fated Alamo defence began. In 1847, future Texas President Taylor defeated Mexico's Santa Anna. In 1861, President Elect Lincoln made it to Washington DC after narrowly avoiding an assassination attempt. 

Freedom is essential for progress. The IPA (Institute for Public Affairs) is a defender of the freedom of speech in Australia. Section 18c of the racism code is inappropriate and not commensurate with free speech. The ALP does not want free speech, and government attempts to legislate for it have failed. However, security in the war against jihadist terrorists is essential. Surely the ALP would support legislation which will improve safety for Australians even if it is opposed by the IPA? Press freedom is something which came into sharp relief when, in 1898, Emilie Zola, a celebrated writer, was arrested for writing a defence of a Jewish man, Alfred Dreyfus, who was abused by government bigots in France. But Australia's press are so partisan, and incapable of even defending free speech which supports them, that the issue is lost when it doesn't support the ALP. 
From 2014
The Ukrainian President had worked closely with Russia, which makes sense, as their opponents, celebrated media endorsed leftists willing to use violence to achieve their ends, have been antagonistic to Russia. Ordinary Ukrainians suffer from left wing's bad decision making. People are dead, The scene has not played out completely. The only certainty is that the left has not been responsible. Now look at the bye election result against the LNP in Redcliffe. The media endorsed an ALP line and the ALP won. It illustrates the impressiveness of the Griffith swing to Liberals. But the cheerleaders for the ALP won't analyse that factoid. Maybe Manus will be closed as it is no longer needed?

I love books. Today is the anniversary of the publication of the first Gutenberg Bible. Anyone who does not read books is restricted to living only one life. Humble in aspect, the vellum copies were made with loving care. They predate the knowledge revolution, because they began it. It is possible to collect all the written work around the world made before this book on a single CD. As of 1972, there were a thousand non fiction books printed in the US every day. I had a library I valued at $50k. I intended to give it to the next generation, but I had to give it away to several different charities. None wanted it. Time marches on. Now, I have a Kindle .. 
Historical perspective on this day
In 303, Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution. 532, Byzantine EmperorJustinian I ordered the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia. 1455, traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type. 1554, Mapuche forces, under the leadership of Lautaro, scored a victory over the Spanish at the Battle of Marihueñu in Chile. 1739, Richard Palmer was identified at York Castle, by his former schoolteacher, as the outlaw Dick Turpin. 1778, American Revolutionary WarBaron von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge, Pennsylvaniato help to train the Continental Army.

In 1820, Cato Street Conspiracy: A plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers was exposed. 1821, Alexander Ypsilantis started the Greek War of Independence in IașiWallachia(now part of Romania). 1836, Texas Revolution: The Battle of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas. 1847, Mexican–American WarBattle of Buena Vista – In Mexico, American troops under future president General Zachary Taylor defeated Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna. 1854, the official independence of the Orange Free State was declared. 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived secretly in Washington, D.C., after the thwarting of an alleged assassination plot in BaltimoreMaryland. 1870, Reconstruction Era: Post-U.S. Civil War military control of Mississippi ended and it was readmitted to the Union. 1883, Alabama became the first U.S. state to enact an anti-trust law. 1885, Sino-French War: French Army gained an important victory in the Battle of Đồng Đăng in the Tonkin region of Vietnam. 1886, Charles Martin Hall produced the first samples of man-made aluminum, after several years of intensive work. He was assisted in this project by his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall. 1887, the French Riviera was hit by a large earthquake, killing around 2,000. 1896, the Tootsie Roll was invented. 1898, Émile Zola was imprisoned in France after writing "J'accuse", a letter accusing the French government of antisemitism and wrongfully imprisoning Captain Alfred Dreyfus.

In 1900, Second Boer WarBoers and British troops fought in the Battle of Hart's Hill. 1903, Cuba leased Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity". 1905, ChicagoIllinois attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen met for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world's first service club. 1909, the AEA Silver Dart made the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire. 1917, first demonstrations in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The beginning of the February Revolution. 1918, last monarch of Mecklenburg-Strelitzcommitted suicide. 1927, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill by Congressestablishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States. Also 1927, German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg wrote a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli, in which he described his uncertainty principle for the first time.

In 1934, Leopold III became King of Belgium. 1941, Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg. 1942, World War IIJapanese submarines fired artillery shells at the California coastline near Santa Barbara. 1943, a fire broke out at St. Joseph's Orphanage, County Cavan, Ireland, killing 36 people (35 of whom were children). 1943, Greek Resistance: The United Panhellenic Organization of Youth was founded is Greece. 1944, the Soviet Unionbegan the forced deportation of the Chechen and Ingush people from the North Caucasus to Central Asia. 1945, World War II: During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines and a commonly forgotten U.S. Navy Corpsman, reached the top of Mount Suribachion the island and were photographed raising the American flag. Also 1945, World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, freed the captives of the Los Baños internment camp. Also 1945, World War II: The capital of the PhilippinesManila, was liberated by combined Filipino and American forces. Also 1945, World War II: Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań. The city was liberated by Soviet and Polish forces. Also 1945, World War II: The German town of Pforzheim was annihilated in a raid by 379 British bombers. 1947, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was founded.

In 1954, the first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine began in Pittsburgh. 1955, first meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). 1958, Cuban rebels kidnap 5-time world F1 champion Juan Manuel Fangio. 1966, in SyriaBa'ath Party member Salah Jadid led an intra-party military coup that replaced the previous government of General Amin Hafiz, also a Baathist. 1974, the Symbionese Liberation Armydemanded $4 million more to release kidnap victim Patty Hearst. 1980, Iran hostage crisisSupreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stated that Iran's parliament would decide the fate of the American embassy hostages. 1981, in Spain, Antonio Tejero attempted a coup d'état by capturing the Spanish Congress of Deputies. 1983, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced its intent to buy out and evacuate the dioxin-contaminated community of Times Beach, Missouri. 1987, Supernova 1987a was seen in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

In 1991, Gulf War: Ground troops crossed the Saudi Arabian border and entered Iraq, thus beginning the ground phase of the war. Also 1991, in Thailand, General Sunthorn Kongsompong led a bloodless coup d'état, deposing Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan. 1998, in the United States, tornadoes in central Florida destroyed or damaged 2,600 structures and killed 42. 1999, Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan was charged with treason in AnkaraTurkey. Also 1999, an avalanche destroyed the Austrian village of Galtür, killing 31. 2005, the controversial French law on colonialism was passed, requiring teachers to teach the "positive values of colonialism". After public outcry, it was repealed at the beginning of 2006. 2007, a train derailed on an evening express service near GrayriggCumbria, England, killing one person and injuring 22. This resulted in hundreds of points being checked over the UK after a few similar accidents. 2008, a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber crashed on Guam. It was the first operational loss of a B-2. 2010, unknown criminals poured more than 2.5 million liters of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in Northern Italy, sparking an environmental disaster. 2012, a series of attacks across Iraq left at least 83 killed and more than 250 injured. 2014, the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics took place in SochiRussia.

=== Bible Reading ===

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Today's reading: Numbers 3-4, Mark 3:20-35 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Numbers 3-4

The Levites
This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai.
2 The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3 Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron....

Today's New Testament reading: Mark 3:20-35

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons...."

=== Morning and Evening ===


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February 22: Morning
"His bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." -Genesis 49:24
That strength which God gives to his Josephs is real strength; it is not a boasted valour, a fiction, a thing of which men talk, but which ends in smoke; it is true--divine strength. Why does Joseph stand against temptation? Because God gives him aid. There is nought that we can do without the power of God. All true strength comes from "the mighty God of Jacob." Notice in what a blessedly familiar way God gives this strength to Joseph--"The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob." Thus God is represented as putting his hands on Joseph's hands, placing his arms on Joseph's arms. Like as a father teaches his children, so the Lord teaches them that fear him. He puts his arms upon them. Marvellous condescension! God Almighty, Eternal, Omnipotent, stoops from his throne and lays his hand upon the child's hand, stretching his arm upon the arm of Joseph, that he may be made strong! This strength was also covenant strength, for it is ascribed to "the mighty God of Jacob." Now, wherever you read of the God of Jacob in the Bible, you should remember the covenant with Jacob. Christians love to think of God's covenant. All the power, all the grace, all the blessings, all the mercies, all the comforts, all the things we have, flow to us from the well-head, through the covenant. If there were no covenant, then we should fail indeed; for all grace proceeds from it, as light and heat from the sun. No angels ascend or descend, save upon that ladder which Jacob saw, at the top of which stood a covenant God. Christian, it may be that the archers have sorely grieved you, and shot at you, and wounded you, but still your bow abides in strength; be sure, then, to ascribe all the glory to Jacob's God.
Evening
"The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power." - Nahum 1:3

Jehovah "is slow to anger." When mercy cometh into the world she driveth winged steeds; the axles of her chariot-wheels are red hot with speed; but when wrath goeth forth, it toileth on with tardy footsteps, for God taketh no pleasure in the sinner's death. God's rod of mercy is ever in his hands outstretched; his sword of justice is in its scabbard, held down by that pierced hand of love which bled for the sins of men. "The Lord is slow to anger," because he is great in power. He is truly great in power who hath power over himself. When God's power doth restrain himself, then it is power indeed: the power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed. A man who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted long, and only resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action. The weak mind is irritated at a little: the strong mind bears it like a rock which moveth not, though a thousand breakers dash upon it, and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its summit. God marketh his enemies, and yet he bestirs not himself, but holdeth in his anger. If he were less divine than he is, he would long ere this have sent forth the whole of his thunders, and emptied the magazines of heaven; he would long ere this have blasted the earth with the wondrous fires of its lower regions, and man would have been utterly destroyed; but the greatness of his power brings us mercy. Dear reader, what is your state this evening? Can you by humble faith look to Jesus, and say, "My substitute, thou art my rock, my trust"? Then, beloved, be not afraid of God's power; for by faith you have fled to Christ for refuge, the power of God need no more terrify you, than the shield and sword of the warrior need terrify those whom he loves. Rather rejoice that he who is "great in power" is your Father and Friend.

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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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