Wed 10th 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.

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Here is a video I made Everything is Illuminated (Everyone was Eliminated)

This track came into being because of Didier's love for the movie, the theme.
His playing, his singing. I penned the lyric, following detail, online, about script
http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=58698
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Is_Illuminated 

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=61417

David Ball4 years ago
Фильм блестящий

David Ball6 years ago
@TheIdiosyncratic3 Possibly that is true. It is my fault. I hadn't seen the movie, but found the story inspirational. Didier's work is pure genius. 

Verônica Farias Santos8 years ago
What a strong song! What a beautiful movie! Congrats from São Paulo/Brasil! V for Verônica

David Ball8 years ago
I have not seen the movie. I will soon, but not yet. Didier asked me to write some lyrics for it, and so I read a precis of the book and film and wrote these lyrics in an hour. Didier took some 6 months to make the music .. and it was worth the wait. Didier has since gone on to progressive rock bands. I have family who were holocaust victims and the issue is important to me.

Fredfbar8 years ago
I loved this movie!!

David Ball9 years ago
Thank you. I'm proud to have penned the lyric, but it is Didier's talent you hear in the music. I did a google image search to source the images. I don't recall where I got each of them, but if you google image search for "Everything is Illuminated" you should find it ;)

Nikanaiko9 years ago
That was really an awesome song. <3 2:35="" ask="" at="" br="" by...="" by="" could="" got="" i="" love="" picture="" scene.="" that="" the="" where="" you="">

David Ball9 years ago
Thank you. I do my best work at icompositions ;)

===

=== From 2018 ===

Don't give up on hope. Senator Jim Molan is an amazing man, capable of great good. Formerly a Major General in Australia's armed forces, Molan had been chief of operations for the HQ of the multinational force in Iraq. Molan did not deserve Green member Bandt's denunciation he was a coward and a war criminal. Bandt has since twice apologised for making the unwarranted abuse. Bandt has supporters that would feel it good to make such baseless claims and they will ignore the apologies, no matter how grovelling. Voters in inner Melbourne keep returning to office awful members like Bandt. It shows lack of leadership by the left wing that such dangerous trash talk is considered viable. Terrorists use any excuse to act, not reason. And so Australia has now another meme terrorists can pin their excuses to. 

=== from 2017 ===

A court decision allowing the blockage of Trump's executive decision prior to another court's evaluating the legitimacy of the Trump decision in no way changes the fact that Trump has the law on his side. The decision does not mean the vexatious block has merit. What it means is that a status quo will continue until the final verdict is made. And it will suit Trump, who is keeping his campaign promises despite vexatious opposition. The public are reminded that Trump has yet to drain the swamp. But he has begun. Meanwhile, McCain has been paid by the Clinton foundation to attack Trump. And Australia's PM paid Australian money into the Clinton Foundation. If Turnbull did not pay the Clinton foundation for expertise in rolling Abbott, and so signed up for their AGW hogwash and immigration idiocy, what else did he get for it? 

In 2015, I wrote Turnbull should resign as he had nothing left to offer, except damaging Liberal governments. Today, Turnbull has proved me right. At the moment, Turnbull is being lauded by the partisan media for insulting Bill Shorten, the ALP leader. A real Liberal leader would not insult Shorten, but point to his failed policy record. Turnbull still has the support of Miranda Devine. But non partisan conservative commentators say that Abbott is the best alternative. Meanwhile, I am hostage to abysmal political leadership and hopeless journalists. My shopfront has opened on Facebook.

=== from 2016 ===

The success of Trump at New Hampshire is suggestive that many in the GOP accept Trump could be a good figurehead President backed by a responsible GOP administration. Maybe Fiorina would be a running mate. Maybe Cruz. The press seem to really dislike Cruz, so he must be good quality. Thing is, the press hate cultural assets which unite America. On the other side, Sanders has trounced Clinton. It isn't really a choice when neither candidate offers an effective policy beyond dividing America into opposing camps of minorities. 

A report by US intelligence chiefs highlights the three greatest threats to the world at the moment. Daesh death cult, Cyber espionage and nuclear NK. All three have involved an under performing Obama elevating the risks. Worth considering regarding the next election. 

For some at the moment, the sex party has more credibility. 

=== from 2015 ===

Media are shifting focus to the upcoming NSW election with a new poll suggesting 75% of voters don't want to privatise electricity for funding infrastructure. It must have been a push poll, because even among ALP ranks it is divided as an issue, but as settled as an issue gets among conservatives. The idea that a developed infrastructure should be used as a tax targeting the poorest is not good policy. But it has been ALP policy, despite successive ALP premiers being axed for supporting privatisation. Palmer United Party also claims the sale is not necessary, saying they could govern on growth alone. Only PUP will never govern and the promise they make is empty. It is $20 billion which will allow infrastructure and jobs for workers who will probably support the ALP. The NSW government has been competent and certainly not aggressive. That is a stark contrast to the incompetence of the ALP government which preceded it. It is Turnbull memes aimed at the federal government which will descend on the NSW state election campaign. It is the job of government to develop infrastructure .. and then allow business to run it efficiently. The best return for the people of NSW is the sale of mature assets.

It is worth noting the history of the issue. Under Nick Greiner, NSW had a plan to sell the assets for as much as six times the current price tag of $20 billion. But the ALP ran a scare campaign convincing sufficient voters that a tax on the poorest was preferable through government run operations. And just as the ALP did federally, they butchered the only state economy not to fall into a late '80s hole because it hadn't been run by ALP at the time. After the ALP reduced the asset to near bankruptcy, they tried to sell it for next to nothing. The last ALP leader, the one who gave a reference to terrorist Monis, led a scare campaign on the issue. They had failed to report to police on bribery concerns from someone later assassinated, but fell to the Monis reference. 

In 1258, Baghdad fell to the Mongols, destroying the Abbasid Caliphate and ending the culture of science and poetry in the Islamic world. In 1306, Robert the Bruce settled a squabble with another contender for the Scot Crown in front of the high alter at Greyfriars Church in Dumfries. More saliently, he stabbed John Comyn to death. In 1355, two Oxford students, disappointed with the quality of beer served at a tavern, assaulted the taverner, sparking the St Scholastica riots which left 60 scholars dead, and thirty townspeople. The upshot was a penance for each dead scholar that only stopped 470 years later in 1825 when the Mayor refused to take part. In 1567, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary Queen of Scots, was found dead. He had been strangled. His body was near where two gun barrels had exploded. He was the father of James I of England. He was also allegedly syphilitic and a violent drunk. In 1763, France gave Quebec to UK. In 1840, QueenVictoria married Prince Albert. In 1861, Jefferson Davis was told by telegram he was President of the Confederate states. In 1870, in NYC, young women could have fun at the YWCA. In 1906, The Dreadnought class battleship was launched. In 1933, Ernie Schaaf, a US heavy weight boxer, lost to Primo Carnera, an Italian, Ernie died on Valentines Day from the loss. In 1942, Glen Miller got the first gold record for Chattanooga Choo Choo. In 1954, Eisenhower warned against US involvement in Vietnam. In 1962, U2 Spy plane pilot Gary Powers was exchanged for KGB spy Rudolf Abel. In 1964, Australia's aircraft carrier, Melbourne, crashed into and sank the destroyer HMAS Voyager, killing 82 off NSW south coast. 

From 2014

It is telling hearing the press gush over Corby's freedom. She kept quiet for nine years about the drugs found in her boogy bag. She was willing to endure the nine years because the alternative was worse. What was worse than spending nine years in a Bali Prison? She kept quiet after the death of her father. So her silence is not merely connected with concern for her father. It is telling that Corby would endure so much, and what it tells is what the ABC will endure before losing their bias. It is hard to know what can be done to make the ABC competent, because, like true communism, it has never been tried. Many people agree that there is a breach of charter, but the problem is it takes a limited number of people to be in charge to run the organisation. Personally, I would make John Howard (The former PM, not the actor) chairman of the board. I would make Sophie Mirabella CEO. Others I would place on the board would be conservatives from around Australia, to make it balanced. People like Zaya Toma, Charbel Saliba and Dai Le. Not because I would want a conservative agenda, but because I believe they would be fair and balanced. And would respect the charter. Something the current leadership has failed. Alternatively, leave the current people in place, and cut out the funding. Let them decide what they will cut off. I note Flannery is still faithfully lying about Global Warming, even though he is no longer on the public purse.

A protest was held recently in South Australia against shark culling which is happening in Western Australia. Activists pointed out that South Australia had no fatalities. Now, a twenty eight year old spear fisherman hobbyist teacher has been eaten by a shark. His Principal has praised him as an excellent teacher. A friend of his has declared he would not want there to be retribution against the shark, as he 'loved animals.' Is that why he was spear fishing?

In other excellent moral example news, a 'parent' pretends to throw their child in front of a train. Clearly they got off the wrong boat. Some five men are wanted for the gang rape of a fourteen year old girl. Anger is building in the community. The community does not accept such acts randomly, or by design.

Historical perspective on this day

In 1258, Baghdad fell to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate was destroyed. 1306, in front of the high altar of Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Robert the Bruce murdered John Comyn sparking revolution in the Scottish Wars of Independence 1355, the St. Scholastica's Day riot broke out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead in two days. 1567, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, was found strangled following an explosion at the Kirk o' Field house in Edinburgh, Scotland, a suspected assassination.

In 1763, French and Indian War: The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the war and Franceceded Quebec to Great Britain. 1814, Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Champaubert ended in French victory over the Russians and the Prussians. 1840, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. 1846, First Anglo-Sikh War: Battle of Sobraon – British defeated Sikhs in final battle of the war 1861, Jefferson Davis was notified by telegraph that he had been chosen as provisional President of the Confederate States of America. 1862, American Civil War: A Union naval flotilla destroyed the bulk of the Confederate Mosquito Fleet in the Battle of Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River in North Carolina. 1870, the YWCA was founded in New York City.

In 1906, HMS Dreadnought, the first of a revolutionary new breed of battleships was christened and launched by King Edward VII. 1920, Jozef Haller de Hallenburgperformed symbolic wedding of Poland to the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea. 1923, Texas Tech University was founded as Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas 1930, Yên Bái mutiny in French Indochina 1933, in round 13 of a boxingmatch at New York City's Madison Square Garden, Primo Carnera knocked out Ernie Schaaf. Schaaf died four days later. 1936, Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italian troops launched the Battle of Amba Aradam against Ethiopian defenders. 1939, Spanish Civil War: The Nationalistsconcluded their conquest of Catalonia and sealed the border with France.

In 1940, the Soviet Union began mass deportations of Polish citizens from occupied eastern Poland to Siberia. 1942, the first gold record was presented to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo". 1943, World War II: Attempting to completely lift the Siege of Leningrad, the Soviet Red Army engaged German troops and Spanish volunteers in the Battle of Krasny Bor. 1947, Italy ceded most of Venezia Giulia to Yugoslavia. 1954, President Dwight Eisenhowerwarned against United States intervention in Vietnam. 1962, captured American U2 spy-planepilot Gary Powers was exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel. Also 1962, Roy Lichtenstein's first solo exhibition opened, and it included Look Mickey, which featured his first employment of Ben-Day dots, speech balloons and comic imagery sourcing, all of which he is now known for. 1964, Melbourne-Voyager collision: The aircraft carrier HMAS Melbournecollided with and sank the destroyer HMAS Voyager off the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, killing 82. 1967, the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified.

In 1981, a fire at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino killed eight and injured 198. 1989, Ron Brown was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party. 1996, the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time. 1998, voters in Maine repealed a gay rights law passed in 1997 becoming the first U.S. state to abandon such a law. 2003, Franceand Belgium broke the NATO procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for Turkey in case of a possible war with Iraq. 2009, the communication satellitesIridium 33 and Kosmos-2251 collide in orbit, destroying both. 2013, thirty-six people were killed and 39 others were injured in a stampede in Allahabad, India, during the Kumbh Melafestival.

=== Bible Reading ===

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Today's reading: Leviticus 6-7, Matthew 25:1-30 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Leviticus 6-7

¹ The LORD said to Moses: ² "If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, ³ or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit-- ⁴ when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, ⁵ or whatever it was they swore falsely about...."

...read the rest on Bible Gateway

Today's New Testament reading: Matthew 25:1-30

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

¹ "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep...."

...read the rest on Bible Gateway

=== Morning and Evening ===

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February 9: Morning

"And David enquired of the Lord." - 2 Samuel 5:23

When David made this enquiry he had just fought the Philistines, and gained a signal victory. The Philistines came up in great hosts, but, by the help of God, David had easily put them to flight. Note, however, that when they came a second time, David did not go up to fight them without enquiring of the Lord. Once he had been victorious, and he might have said, as many have in other cases, "I shall be victorious again; I may rest quite sure that if I have conquered once I shall triumph yet again. Wherefore should I tarry to seek at the Lord's hands?" Not so, David. He had gained one battle by the strength of the Lord; he would not venture upon another until he had ensured the same. He enquired, "Shall I go up against them?" He waited until God's sign was given. Learn from David to take no step without God. Christian, if thou wouldst know the path of duty, take God for thy compass; if thou wouldst steer thy ship through the dark billows, put the tiller into the hand of the Almighty. Many a rock might be escaped, if we would let our Father take the helm; many a shoal or quicksand we might well avoid, if we would leave to his sovereign will to choose and to command. The Puritan said, "As sure as ever a Christian carves for himself, he'll cut his own fingers;" this is a great truth. Said another old divine, "He that goes before the cloud of God's providence goes on a fool's errand;" and so he does. We must mark God's providence leading us; and if providence tarries, tarry till providence comes. He who goes before providence, will be very glad to run back again. "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go," is God's promise to his people. Let us, then, take all our perplexities to him, and say, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Leave not thy chamber this morning without enquiring of the Lord.

Evening

"Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil [or, the evil one]." - Luke 11:4

What we are taught to seek or shun in prayer, we should equally pursue or avoid in action. Very earnestly, therefore, should we avoid temptation, seeking to walk so guardedly in the path of obedience, that we may never tempt the devil to tempt us. We are not to enter the thicket in search of the lion. Dearly might we pay for such presumption. This lion may cross our path or leap upon us from the thicket, but we have nothing to do with hunting him. He that meeteth with him, even though he winneth the day, will find it a stern struggle. Let the Christian pray that he may be spared the encounter. Our Saviour, who had experience of what temptation meant, thus earnestly admonished his disciples--"Pray that ye enter not into temptation."

But let us do as we will, we shall be tempted; hence the prayer "deliver us from evil." God had one Son without sin; but he has no son without temptation. The natural man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards, and the Christian man is born to temptation just as certainly. We must be always on our watch against Satan, because, like a thief, he gives no intimation of his approach. Believers who have had experience of the ways of Satan, know that there are certain seasons when he will most probably make an attack, just as at certain seasons bleak winds may be expected; thus the Christian is put on a double guard by fear of danger, and the danger is averted by preparing to meet it. Prevention is better than cure: it is better to be so well armed that the devil will not attack you, than to endure the perils of the fight, even though you come off a conqueror. Pray this evening first that you may not be tempted, and next that if temptation be permitted, you may be delivered from the evil one.

=== 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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