Thursday, September 05, 2013

Thu Sep 5th Todays News

Obama has a two pronged plan to dither over Syria. He is going to Moscow to ask permission for a pointless bombing. Also, he is asking Congress for permission to do something. He isn't planning on hitting a production facility. He won't hit an Iranian reactor. He might hit a civilian or many civilians. He points to murdered Syrian children, but doesn't take a cue from family planning in the US. Obama won't take responsibility for declaring there was a red line. Humorously "That is not my red line, others drew that red line."
There is such thing as hope. Not from a dull watch which probably won't do anything well, but hope on the technology front of a possible cure for Downs Syndrome. 
Meanwhile in Australia, the election is due on Saturday. All the polls point to a change of government. Rudd skipped the G20 junket. He is serious about losing this election. In fantasy land, he booted loyal followers from 'Muppett's Corner" in his own electorate. He claims the $40 billion cuts of the LNP won't be responsible or costed. However, the ALP has not costed all its own policies. Further, the LNP had given substantial detail to most for weeks. Still, the ALP attempted a scare campaign which failed when senior public servants corrected Rudd. Still, Rudd is addicted to lies. He falsely claims Murdoch owns 70% of newspapers. He falsely claims the LNP planned $70 billion of cuts. He falsely claims to have responsibly negotiated the GFC. His claims are fact checked, but Rudd parades them at will to any audience. 
Rudd claims to be a Christian, and often has himself photographed at a church. Abbott doesn't brag being Christian, but he is, and he acts compassionately and his wisdom seems informed by the Bible. Meanwhile Rudd  makes up detail about the Bible .. from claiming it endorses slavery to using it to claim Christians should love the world. He is close. Christians do love the world. Sadly. 
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Marinel Pretzles and John Leal. Born on the same day, across the years, as Abū Ḥanīfa (699), Johann Christian Bach (1735), Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791), Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817), John Wisden (1826), Jack Daniel (1846), Jesse James (1847), Arthur Nielsen (1897), Archie Jackson (1909), Freddie Mercury (1946), Michael Keaton (1951) and Helena Barlow (1998). On your day, Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) (2013, 5774 AM); Teachers' Day in India
917 – Liu Yan declared himself emperor, establishing the Southern Han state in southern China, at his capital of Panyu (present-day Guangzhou).
1781 – American Revolutionary War: French naval forces handed Britain a major strategic defeat in the Battle of the Chesapeake.
1793 – French Revolution: The National Convention began the Reign of Terror, a ten-month period of systematic repression and mass executions by guillotine of perceived enemies within the country.
1927 – Walt Disney's and Ub Iwerks' first popular character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit made its debut in the animated cartoon Trolley Troubles.
1975 – Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a devotee of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford.
The emperor is declared. Chesapeake went to water. The guillotine is cutting through. Walt's lucky rabbit debuted. Squeaky ain't so clean. Enjoy your day.
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Voting for the minors is a major mistake

Piers Akerman – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (6:17pm)

NOW is not the time to plead election fatigue and write the outcome of Saturday’s federal poll off as a given.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (3:27pm)

The Project‘s Dave Hughes on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s “selfie” obsession: 
He just needs to focus on other things, possibly. 
Kerri-Anne Kennerley’s instant response: 
Like where he’s going to live. 

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PEOPLE POWER

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (1:35pm)

The Australian‘s James Jeffrey meets anti-Murdoch protesters at our Sydney office:

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Another demonstration is scheduled for Friday, just after nap time.
UPDATE. Further from James on his encounter with the protesters, who were mainly retired members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union: 
They arrived in force and in sensible hats, hitting the footpath in front of our building with mature energy and a truculent sense of purpose – like a cross between Saving Private Ryan and Cocoon. They proceeded to wave a range of placards indicating a certain displeasure with this company and its proprietor. While some were regrettably racist ("Kick this Yank out!"), and some hinted at Nazi and Soviet elements, we were buoyed by their stated – if a tad foggy – support for a free press and freedom of expression. Still, free expression is pointless if it isn’t legible and, frankly, some of the placards were tricky to read from our upstairs window. So your Strewth columnist went downstairs, pictured, armed with a big marker pen, and once the lead protester had denounced this company to his satisfaction, we borrowed his loudhailer and asked them all to use our marker pen to give their placards a bit of a going over so they wouldn’t be such a strain on our eyes. After all, they’d gone to such effort. There was some surprise, but they were grateful and the sun shone on us all. 

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FOR EVERY PROBLEM, A SOLUTION

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (6:11am)

The Coalition takes aim at academic indulgence
Millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded grants for obscure research projects – such as the role of public art in climate change – will be scrapped or redirected … 
Good start. But where might all of this cash be otherwise spent? 
… to find cures for dementia. 
Perfect. 

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WARM BLANKETS

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (5:57am)

Climate frightelder Jonathan Holmes is alarmed, as usual: 
The warmest 12 months in Australia since records began. Victoria’s warmest winter has followed Australia’s warmest summer. 
“Since records began,” you say? That’d be 225 out of the 1,000,000,000 or so years following Australia’s formation. “Since records began” is a sample of just 0.00002249 per cent. An equal-sized chunk of Media Watch, Holmes’s former program, would run to only 0.000002 of a second – not even enough time for a micro-smirk. 
Six years ago, Rudd won government, at least in part, by portraying John Howard as yesterday’s man on climate change. Now neither party wants to mention the phrase, because voters have stopped caring. 
In part, Holmes blames Tony Abbott: 
Abbott’s defeat of Malcolm Turnbull by a single vote signalled the end of political consensus on climate change. 
A single vote out of 83 is relatively far more substantial than Holmes’s recorded history sampling of Australia’s climate. 
Many pundits, back then, thought Abbott’s opposition to an emissions trading scheme would make him unelectable. How wrong they were. 
Well, not all of us, pal. Oddly, those inaccurate pundits are still welcome at the ABC. 
The climate itself hasn’t changed enough: global atmospheric temperatures have remained stubbornly stable for more than a decade and a half. 
Whoa! This admission seems a little overdue. Holmes next turns to the vital issue of global scoffing: 
The sceptics have scoffed.
And that scoffing has dominated the non-scientific conversation. Alan Jones, Andrew Bolt, Chris Smith, Jason Morrison, Piers Akerman, Nick Cater, Janet Albrechtsen, Paul Sheehan, Paul Kelly, Chris Kenny, Tim Blair, Miranda Devine, Howard Sattler, Gary Hardgrave, on and on, in print and on radio. For most of them, climate change is a political issue. Anyone who doesn’t scoff at the science is a left-wing dupe. 
He makes a good point. Anyone who doesn’t scoff at “the science” definitely is a left-wing dupe. 
Where are the well-informed, cogent, passionate voices in the mainstream media pushing the arguments being put forward in the scientific literature? Where are the George Monbiots of Australia? 
Quite a category leap there, Jonathan. 
The likes of Tim Flannery and Clive Hamilton are not full-time communicators; compared to Jones and Bolt, their voices are puny. 
Flannery is paid $180,000 per year by Australian taxpayers to tell us why we should pay more taxes because of global warming. He also has massive exposure on the ABC, funding from Toyota and Panasonic, huge book contracts andinternationalenthusiasm for his strange theories about a sentient earth. Puny he ain’t. Wrap it up, Holmesy: 
Far more likely, in 20 years’ time, it will be all too obvious that the science was right all along. Global temperatures and sea levels will be remorselessly rising, and it will by then be vastly more difficult and expensive to slow the process, let alone to reverse it.
Many of the sceptics will be well into their 80s by then. So will I. Will they tell their grandchildren they are sorry? Will we all admit that, yes, we were warned, but around 2010 we just lost interest? 
Poor fellow. Let the blankets dry your tears.

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LESSER LOSSES

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (5:54am)

It’s the old Queensland gambit
Senior Labor strategists believe the party should acknowledge it has lost the election, in the hope it will spark a final 48-hour surge in support that could help stave off defeat in several tight marginal seats …
Proponents of the new strategy argue that by conceding the election is lost, swinging voters leaning towards the Coalition could be motivated to switch back to Labor to stop Tony Abbott taking a commanding majority or control of both houses of parliament. It is based on the assumption voters want a strong opposition to keep a government accountable. 
Didn’t work in 2012. Not likely to work 18 months later.

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NO SALES

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (5:19am)

Trouble in tax-funded paradise
ABC 7.30 host Leigh Sales turned down a position on the broadcaster’s election-night panel after being told the central anchor would be veteran presenter Kerry O’Brien. 
I blame sexism. Meanwhile, former rivals patch things up
Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard are on track to revive their famous friendship, after their first “reasonably warm conversation” in more than three years took place at an airport lounge a few weeks ago. 
She’s closer to Abbott than she’ll ever be to Kevin Rudd. Speaking of close
Scandal-plagued independent MP Craig Thomson has won a vote of confidence from the Greens, who have put him second on their how-to-vote card and described him as “an excellent local member”.
Mr Thomson, who was expelled from the ALP and whose alleged rorting of union funds led Greens leader Christine Milne to call for an integrity commissioner, was put in the No 2 spot by the Greens in his NSW central coast seat of Dobell. 
The Greens are desperate.

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THINKERS OF TOMORROW

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (5:03am)

Adventures in academia with David Thompson. 

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OCTOBERNEWSFEST

Tim Blair – Thursday, September 05, 2013 (5:00am)

This looks like a big night. And check out all the places we can visit afterwards!

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Coalition is not just cutting, but ending green waste

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (4:20pm)

Much of the $6 billion in further savings announced today by the Coalition - other than the big cut in promised aid - strike me as cuts in waste. Why on earth were we throwing away such money?
And what a surprise. Many of those cuts are of green programs:
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A lot of those cuts actually leave us well ahead.
UPDATE
Labor’s lies are now exposed. There are not $90 billion of cuts. There are no cuts to “hospitals and schools”.  

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What are Palmer’s promises worth? UPDATE: Palmer costings hole exposed

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (4:12pm)

Hedley Thomas on a buffoon who is fooling too many dupes:

CONTRARY to the flim-flam and spin, Clive Frederick Palmer is not a professor, not an adviser to the G20, not a mining magnate, not a legal guru and not an advocate for freedom of speech. He’s probably not a billionaire…
If the latest polls are correct, however, there is one disturbing prospect: the Gold Coast property tycoon, a man with a history of peddling fantasies that often morph into a unique version of “reality”, could see his party in control of the sixth Senate seat in Queensland - and possibly even Australia’s balance of power.
That is scary when you consider his business record, his wild claims and his promises:

Is it delusional to tell the Australian public that it is viable to produce a balanced budget that will include big cuts in income tax for every Australian, rich or poor, the abolishment of fringe benefits tax, the mining tax and the carbon tax, while at the same time asserting an intention to massively increase all age pensions and boost spending on infrastructure, schools and hospitals, with health spending to be increased by no less than $80bn?
Professor Sinclair Davidson and I discussed Palmer’s snake-oil promises on 2GB last night. Listen here. Note the perfect timing of Sinclair’s cuckoo clock in our discussion about Clive Palmer.
UPDATE
Clive Palmer goes beserk after being asked why he told employees to show their commitment to his company by campaigning for his party. He even claims Rupert Murdoch’s estranged wife is a Chinese spy:
He floats again his crazy theory about how he’ll pay for his promises - the theory Sinclair Davidson dismisses here.
And this man wants to be Prime Minister.
UPDATE
Reader Geoff points out a basic error in Clive Palmer’s accounting.
Here is Palmer’s magic pudding promise:

Palmer United Party federal leader Clive Palmer today pledged to slash income tax by 15 per cent, putting $2500 in the average taxpayer’s pocket…
If the money circulates 10 times in a year, which it almost certainly will, collecting 10 per cent GST each time, the government will get back the same amount of tax anyway but this will impact positively on our economy.
Ignore the fact that Kevin Rudd’s cash splash showed a lot of people actually saved the handout, rather than spend it.  Reader Geoff points out a basic flaw in Palmer’s own calculations:
I get $ 2500 from Clive and spend it and the shop owner gets $2500 less 10% GST = $2250 to spend

The shoppy spends his $2250 and the new shoppy pays 10% = $225 etc etc

By the time it is spent 5 times you only have $1476 to spend.

It just doesn’t add up, does it?
No. It doesn’t.
By my no doubt mucked-up calculations, Palmer will get back just $1608 in GST from every $2500 he hands out, or $892 less per person than he claims. And that’s even assuming Palmer is right in claiming the full net amount of the tax cut would be spent in 10 transactions in a year. 

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So moral that they’re excused serious sliming of Abbott

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (3:40pm)

I’d bet a lot of money that Labor’s Jason Yat-Sen Li had nothing to do with this pamphlet circulating in Bennelong, but it is an insight into how a superior sense of morality licenses some on the Left to act like utter barbarians:

The pamphlet reads in part: “Vote no to the Abbott maggot.
“Protect your wife and daughters - you have the power. Do you want a sleazy moral coward to have control over your daughter’s body and dictate what she can and can’t do with your own body? Remember this “good” family man abandoned what he thought was his own baby son.”
“Like Barry O’Farrell, Tony Abbott will rape your sons and daughters’ public school of billions of funds but protect Catholic paedophile schools with extra funding.”
The flyer also urges voters to protect “the NBN, access to quality education and medical services for all.” But has no party affiliation or authoriser printed on it.
Mr Li said yesterday: “Let me be very clear: this material was not authorised, authored or sanctioned by myself or by my campaign, and any suggestion to the contrary is completely false.
UPDATE
So moral that it licences even a woman Labor chose as a disability ambassador to be absolutely vile.
UPDATE
So moral that they can invoke the modern version of Godwin’s principle. Here’s former Greens leader Bob Brown:

While many people will find it uncomfortable to draw parallels between the actions of the Taliban and Abbott’s plan, they are essentially the same.
UPDATE
So moral that Jamie Clements, the NSW Labor general secretary, feels licensed to stir up ethnic and religious tensions with this piece of multi-lingual sliming (the reverse of the pamphlet is in Arabic):
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(Apologies for the blurred image. If anyone can send a crisper copy I’d be grateful.)
(Thanks to readers CA, Gab, Deadman, Michael and Peter.)
UPDATE
Did I let Jason Yatsen Li off the hook too easily?

Rosie Dekker, a resident of Smith St, Ryde for 17 years, said yesterday she was disgusted by the material delivered by a man wearing a shirt supporting Jason Yat-Sen Li.
“I was outside my flat at the letterboxes talking to a neighbour and saw a young, tall Asian man wearing a red T-shirt,” Ms Dekker said.
“All I saw on the shirt was Yat-Sen on the front and he was putting stuff in our letterboxes...”

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Rein in denial over Labor’s personal attacks

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (9:27am)

A very revealing interview of Therese Rein by 2GB’s Michael McLaren. He is most respectful, but teases out the incredible spin of Rein when she claims Labor hasn’t made Tony Abbott’s personality an issue or portrayed the contest as “Kevin vs Tony”.
All this smokescreen of personalities and who’s done what to whom and what’s the truth about this person and all that has really deeply distracted from what people really want to know about.
You would never guess from Rein’s response that her husband says things like this:
“You’ve got to sit back, think and calmly reflect, and then work through what the best decision is, and temperament and judgment and experience are quite important,” he told the Seven network’s Mark Riley.
“He doesn’t have a background in this field and sometimes I find in him a bit of an impulsive nature, that is rushing ahead to judgment.
“You know what his background is ... he’s been in Parliament for 20 years, 19 of which he was the great pugilist, you know and the last 12 months he’s suddenly become the statesman, so the Tony Abbott that I know, having served 15 years in the Parliament with him, is of a different nature.”
You’d never guess from Rein’s answer that this very personal attack was launched on Abbott by Labor’s deputy leader at Labor’s campaign launch just last Sunday, in Rein’s presence:
Mr Abbott is a man mired in pessimism and stuck in the past. He just sits in the Parliament and says no, no, no.
He’s sharp when it comes to three-word slogans, but dull when it comes to new ideas.
He’s energetic when it comes to running around Lake Burley Griffin, but he’s lazy when it comes to policy development.
If you want a bloke who can jump through tyres, you can vote for Tony Abbott…
Mr Abbott is a true blue conservative in every single sense of the word. He finds comfort in the status quo. He struggles with change and because of that he offers no progress.
Rein’s equivocation in the interview over Labor’s despicable sliming of Abbott as a misogynist is even more astonishing from someone complaining about “personal attacks”. The most she can say against that is “Did Kevin make that call?”
It seems to me that Rein is already in victim mode, thinking the world is against her party and nothing is the party’s fault. 

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US cooling to warming scare

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (9:20am)

Via the excellent Watts Up With That, this measure of US newspaper interest in global warming:
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Sliming Abbott has made him stronger

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (7:50am)

Politics - federal
LABOR tried so hard to destroy Tony Abbott that it will leave him stronger as our new Prime Minister. 

For years Labor MPs called Abbott a misogynist, thug, bully, sexist, hack and douchebag.
The Greens claimed yesterday he’d be an “embarrassment” and many journalists and TV presenters fed that ludicrous stereotype.
Abbott, a Rhodes scholar, is none of the above. I know him personally as a deeply thoughtful, kind and sincere man. I’ve never known him to be anything but courteous and humble.
His volunteer work in Aboriginal communities is no act. The Left mocks Abbott’s Christianity as a sign of bigotry, rather than as an inspiration to serve.
Some readers won’t believe I’m describing the real Abbott, having been warned of the “Abbott monster” who’ll smash schools, destroy hospitals and even, a Labor ad insists, steal their children’s hats.
But that is why Labor has set up Abbott for success. 

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Labor MPs should stop using Twitter

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (7:43am)

I actually thought the Labor launch was poor and would deliver little bounce. But if there was indeed a bounce that is now over, Labor strategists should draw the lesson from what they blame for that decline:
[Labor] is bracing for higher than anticipated seat losses under the Prime Minister in every state apart from Western Australia, with Labor campaigners suggesting 15 to 20 seats are at risk of being lost…
The push comes after Labor’s nightly tracking polling showed the party had lost the gains it made after the focus on jobs at the campaign launch last Sunday, as Mr Rudd drifted off-message and the issues of climate change, gay marriage and further attacks on News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian, dominated.
Yes, Labor spinners are blaming a preoccupation with Labor’s old (climate change) and new (same sex marriage) moral causes for costing it votes. Pandering to the moral fads of the social media produces a party way out of touch.
Oh, and is Labor now so naive that it got caught out by election ads attacking its record?

Labor campaigners say it has faced “an onslaught of negative advertising” which has driven down Mr Rudd’s approval rating. 
So much of modern Labor suggests it’s spent far too much time in the Hall of Mirrors, talking to people looking exactly like itself. Maybe the new rule of Labor politicians should be: no more Twittering. Go out the door and talk to whoever you find, and no longer be fooled by the same-same followers and their “like” buttons.
UPDATE
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Adam Ch’ng illustrates the problem perfectly by describing chameleon Rudd rating the cheap applause of a Q&A crowd above the trust of the Christians he once posed with:

At 7.30pm that Monday, more than 35,000 Christians gathered across 339 churches in every state and territory of Australia to watch Rudd and Tony Abbott address the Christian constituency.
...many of us sympathised with Rudd’s apparently genuine admission that: “Many in the Christian churches may be disappointed with some of the decisions that I have taken as Prime Minister or as a person. I have also undertaken those decisions in good and prayerful conscience, even though people in equal prayerful conscience may disagree with some of those conclusions.”
If the night had ended there, many of us would have been disappointed but at least sympathetic towards Rudd’s clumsy attempt to navigate through a complex moral minefield…
Not more than three hours later, Rudd publicly crucified a mainstream Christian pastor for questioning the PM’s backflip on marriage policy.
Instead of the “gentle Kevin meek and mild” we’d seen earlier that night, Rudd now not only failed to directly answer the question but mercilessly lambasted the pastor…
In retrospect, the Prime Minister’s apparently gracious words of 7.30pm were akin to Judas’s kiss before his 10.30pm betrayal.
Keith Windschuttle says Kevin Rudd doesn’t even know his Bible:
Pastor Prater’s quoted the Bible saying heterosexual marriage was the natural condition, asking: “If you call yourself a Christian, why don’t you believe the words of Jesus in the Bible?” Rudd responded: “Well, mate, if I was going to have that view, the Bible also says that slavery is a natural condition.” This was met with loud applause from the audience, The Age reported.
Your average Q&A audience wouldn’t know, but even on this issue Rudd couldn’t tell the truth. The Bible doesn’t actually say what he claimed. According to biblehub.com, the closest phrase in the Bible to what he claims is from Colossians 3:22 which some translations render as: “Slaves, obey in all things your masters”. However, the most authoritative versions of the Bible in English do not use the word “slaves” in this passage but rather translate the statement as: “Servants, obey in all things your masters”. Here are the Bibles that use “servants”:

King James Bible
King James 2000 Bible
English Revised Version
American King James version
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Douay-Rheims Bible
Webster’s Bible Translation
World English Bible
Young’s Literal Translation…
Rather than seeing it as natural, Christianity has been history’s most formidable opponent of slavery. 

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Coalition to switch funding from warmists to people with other illnesses

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (7:32am)

Oh, the poetry:

MILLIONS of dollars in taxpayer-funded grants for obscure research projects - such as the role of public art in climate change - will be scrapped or redirected to find cures for dementia and other diseases as part of a Coalition crackdown on government waste. 

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Rudd trashing his Bible explains Labor’s fall

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (7:17am)

LABOR won’t win another election unless it learns from Kevin Rudd’s astonishing performance on Monday’s Q&A. 

Want to understand Labor’s fall? Then watch the Prime Minister abuse a pastor for holding an opinion on same-sex marriage which Rudd shared only four months ago.
That Rudd also trashed the Bible - holy book of the faith he ostentatiously professes - made him seem even more cynical and unprincipled.
What a metaphor for Labor’s six years in office.
Matt Prater, a New Hope Church pastor and Christian broadcaster, was in the ABC’s Q&A audience and asked Rudd about his decision in May to support same-sex marriage. 

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Restoring at last your freedom to debate

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (7:05am)

Excellent - although I would go further, not least by scrapping the Human Rights Commission completely:

TONY Abbott plans to roll back Labor’s laws that limit free speech on the basis of not “giving offence”, defend religious freedom and reform the Australian Human Rights Commission. 

In an exclusive interview with The Australian, the Opposition Leader said that, if elected, he would work with his attorney-general, George Brandis, to require the commission to champion, instead of restrict, the right of free speech in Australia.

This would involve amending the Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits remarks that offend others on grounds of race or ethnicity. This was the provision used to prosecute newspaper columnist Andrew Bolt.
Signalling his belief that the current law is untenable, Mr Abbott said: “Any suggestion you can have free speech as long as it doesn’t hurt people’s feelings is ridiculous. If we are going to be a robust democracy, if we are going to be a strong civil society, if we are going to maintain that great spirit of inquiry, which is the spark that has made our civilisation so strong, then we’ve got to allow people to say things that are unsayable in polite company.
“We’ve got to allow people to think things that are unthinkable in polite company and take their chances in open debate.”
The next Attorney-General explains what an Abbott Government will do to restore some of your freedom to discuss matters of public importance without fear of censorship or jail:


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And the Greens say theirs is a party of principle

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (6:24am)

First the Greens made a deal to help elect a coal baron who opposes the carbon tax:
THE Greens ... have quietly announced they will put the Palmer United Party ahead of Labor and the Coalition in a raft of lower house seats. The Senate balance of power party has also ironed out a Senate preference deal with Mr Palmer - a move designed to help South Australian Greens’ Senator Sarah Hanson-Young win her seat.
Now this:

SCANDAL-PLAGUED independent MP Craig Thomson has won a vote of confidence from the Greens, who have put him second on their how-to-vote card and described him as “an excellent local member”. 

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If Rudd can’t even govern his own party properly …

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (6:19am)

Another mad Rudd idea - hailed at the time - looks like crud by daylight and will almost certainly have to be junked:

UNDER the new Labor Party leadership rules rushed in by Kevin Rudd when he came back as prime minister, it could take the ALP weeks to elect a new leader in opposition...
If Labor loses the election, ...  nominations for leader are open for seven days and then an interim leader will take over running the party in opposition.
The interim leader will then have to handle the challenges of a new Coalition government and any crises ... while a ballot of the party’s rank and file as well as Labor MPs is conducted, which could take up to four weeks.
If Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese decides to nominate, he will not be able to become the interim leader… With a raft of potential candidates for opposition leader—including Chris Bowen, Education Minister Bill Shorten, Immigration Minister Tony Burke and Health Minister Tanya Plibersek—it is unclear who will take over the interim role…
One former Gillard loyalist ...  said the new rules could simply be overruled by a future caucus.
UPDATE

A wonderfully stable basis on which to build a leadership team:

FEDERAL Labor is likely to hand the leadership to Bill Shorten after a devastating election defeat on Saturday as it seeks to put the Kevin Rudd era firmly behind it.
Senior Labor sources across the factions have told The Australian that Mr Shorten is expected to get the nod ... despite resentment about what they consider his duplicitous role in the dumping of Julia Gillard in June.
Mr Shorten is still not on speaking terms with factional allies within Labor, including Wayne Swan and Stephen Conroy.
He is also off-side with figures from his political power base—Paul Howes and Bill Ludwig from the Australian Workers Union.
All, however, are expected to put aside their anger and join Mr Shorten’s main remaining backer—the ALP’s dominant Right faction in NSW—in an anticipated post-election leadership contest...
That will suit an Abbott Government just fine. Shorten is smart but too arrogant and smarmy to be charming. He waffles. But most interesting for the Liberals is that he was once the national secretary of the Australian Workers Union, which will be the focus under the Abbott Government of an inquiry into a corruption scandal involving Julia Gillard and her then boyfriend.
That said, these very important caveats.  Shorten was just a junior AWU official at the time and was not responsible for the union’s failure to bring the guilty to book. (It goes without saying that there is no suggestion whatsover of any personal impropriety, either.)
Moreover, Julia Gillard denies strongly any impropriety. She says she did not know how her then boyfriend used the slush fund she helped set up and did not herself benefit from it. She says she witnessed documents correctly and did nothing wrong. Police have seized her documents and records relating to the work she did, but that is not proof of any guilt. 

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Gillard lost her chance to call Abbott a friend

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (6:12am)

Actually, I doubt there will ever be a friendship again between Tony Abbott and the woman who lied about his “misogyny” - and Julia Gillard would be a hypocrite if there was:

Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard are on track to revive their famous friendship, after their first “reasonably warm conversation” in more than three years took place at an airport lounge a few weeks ago.
Still, I think there is more chance of Gillard resuming her friendship with Abbott than there is with Rudd. 

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Abbott to unveil full $40 billion in savings

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (6:00am)

This demolishes Labor’s $70 billion lie, but are these savings enough?

A COALITION government would save about $40 billion over the next four years in a budget plan to be unveiled today in the hope of demolishing Labor’s claim that Tony Abbott’s cuts would tip the economy into recession…
After taking about $34bn worth of spending measures into account, the savings program promises to add $6bn to the budget bottom line over the next four years and comes with an explicit finding by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office that key Coalition policies would add to economic growth.
The good news is the Coalition is determined to under-promise, so it can over-deliver:

The boost to growth from the policy platform would add $1.1bn to commonwealth tax revenue over the next four years, but the Coalition has not “banked” the gain by including it in its budget bottom line.
UPDATE
Terry McCrann says the latest growth figures show a change of government is critical:

In the December 2011 half-year, the economy had been growing at a very solid 3.8 per cent annual rate....
But in the December 2012 half year, growth had slowed to a 2.7 per cent annual rate. And now yesterday’s official GDP numbers showed that in the latest June half, the growth rate had dropped even further to just 2.3 per cent annualised…
Rather than being a risk to the economy, Abbott is exactly the opposite. As only a change of government on Saturday can provide any prospect of reviving business confidence.
Then beyond that, it is critical that an Abbott-Hockey government embark on winding back the damage the Rudd-Gillard government did across such a wide front. From the carbon and mining taxes, the return to too-union friendly industrial relations policy, and the ever-increasing handcuffs of red tape. 

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Jaymes bombed

Andrew Bolt September 05 2013 (5:29am)

The Liberals should cut down power brokers who damage their own party in pursuit of their “numbers”:

Plotting has begun within the Liberal Party about how to get rid of troubled candidate for Greenway Jaymes Diaz even if he is elected on Saturday...
Mr Diaz rocketed to prominence early in the campaign when he was stumped by a television journalist’s request to name the Liberals’ six-point plan for how to stop asylum seeker boats… His lack of availability to the media since has become one of the campaign’s running jokes.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is being dogged by questions about his western Sydney candidate and was forced to defend him on Wednesday…
Mr Diaz’s family controls the branches in Greenway but could struggle to win preselection if the hard right moved its support behind another candidate supported by rival factions…
Mr Diaz failed to win Greenway at the 2010 election but was protected from being dumped due to his control of local branches and support from hard-right powerbroker and NSW upper house MP David Clarke… Mr Clarke declined to comment.
Clarke should explain himself. Such stupid judgment should be at the very least publicly repudiated or repented to give Liberal members confidence their party is in good hands. 

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The Liberals have a lot of eager voters voting already

Andrew Bolt September 04 2013 (8:05pm)

Johm Comnenus at the Cat wonders if we’re about to see a Liberal landslide:

Every election parties organize postal votes for voters in each division. They send them out, collect them and get them into the AEC.
In the 2010 election the following numbers of postal votes were submitted by each party:

-Greens:  7 (0%) -ALP: 254,678 (50.1%)
-Coalition: 242,035 (48.5%)
-Others: 2,957 (0.6%)
In this election so far (and this is unlikely to change by much with only a couple of days left):
-Greens: 1019 (0%)
-ALP: 151,516 (27.2%)
-Coalition: 399,800 (71.8%)
-Others: 4663 (0.8%)…
The Coalition has increased its share of the postal votes they organised by 23.3% whilst the ALP has lost 23.8%. Of course not everyone who gets a postal vote organised by a political party will vote for that party. The votes inside the postal ballots won’t be revealed until Saturday Night. But this is still a very good proxy of where the electorate is heading.

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Chromosomes DNA genes istock.jpg

For people with trisomy 21 – more commonly known as Down syndrome – learning and remembering important concepts can be a struggle, since some of their brain’s structures do not develop as fully as they should.
But now, researchers may have found a way to reverse the learning deficits associated with Down syndrome, after having discovered a compound that can significantly bolster cognition in mice with a condition very similar to trisomy 21.
In a new study published in the Sept. 4 issue of Science Translational Medicine, scientists injected a small molecule known as a sonic hedgehog pathway agonist into the brains of genetically engineered mice on the day of their birth.  The treatment enabled the rodents’ cerebellums to grow to a normal size, allowing them to perform just as well as unmodified mice in behavioral tests.
“We’ve been working for some time to characterize the basis for how people with trisomy 21 diverge in development from people without trisomy 21,” Roger Reeves, a professor in the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told FoxNews.com. “One of the early things we see is that people with Down syndrome have very small cerebellums, which does a lot more things than we used to think it did.”
Down syndrome is a condition that occurs when people receive three – rather than the typical two – copies of chromosome 21. Because of this “trisomy,” Down syndrome patients have extra copies of the more than 300 genes contained in that chromosome.  This leads to a range of symptoms, including mild to moderate intellectual disability, distinct facial features, heart defects and other health problems.
Through previous research, Reeves found that another distinct trait of people with Down syndrome is a cerebellum that’s approximately 60 percent of the normal size.  In order for this important brain region to grow and form, a small population of cells in the brain must quickly divide and multiply shortly after birth. This cell population requires a specific growth factor known as the sonic hedgehog pathway to stimulate the cells, triggering them to divide.
However, the trisomic cells in people with Down syndrome do not respond as well to this growth factor, stunting the development of the cerebellum – a region of the brain found to be important in cognitive processing and emotional control.
“We thought if we could stimulate these cells a bit at birth, we could make up the deficit,” Reeves said.
To test this theory, Reeves and his research team created a series of genetically engineered mice, all of which had extra copies of about half of the genes found in chromosome 21.  According to Reeves, this caused the mice to have many of the same characteristics seen in patients with Down syndrome, such as a smaller cerebellum and learning difficulties.
The researchers then injected the mice with a sonic hedgehog pathway agonist, which stimulates the growth factor pathway needed to trigger cerebellum development.   The compound was given to the mice just once on the day of birth.
“From that one injection, we were able to normalize the growth of the cerebellum, and they continued to have a structurally normal cerebellum when they grew up,” Reeves said.
Going one step further, the researchers conducted a series of behavioral tests on the mice to better understand how normalizing this brain structure would affect their overall performance.  One of these tests was the Morris water maze test, an experiment that involves placing the mice in a pool of water and seeing how long it takes them to escape using a platform hidden below the water’s surface.  The test measures the rodents’ spatial learning and memory capabilities, which are primarily controlled by the hippocampus.
“We didn’t expect to see any results from that,” Reeves said. “We knew that the most potent effects of the growth factor were in the specific cells (in the cerebellum) we were targeting, but it turned out that the mice that got a single shot of this agonist at birth, when tested three months later, they performed just as well as their (unmodified) litter mates in the water maze test.”
The sonic hedgehog agonist has yet to be proven effective in humans with Down syndrome, and future research is needed to determine exactly how the injection improved the mice’s cognitive abilities and whether or not the agonist has any side effects.  But Reeves remains hopeful that these findings could have translational potential.
“We’re on the verge of a revolution for expanding the potential of people born with trisomy 21,” Reeves said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/04/undoing-down-syndrome-compound-reverses-learning-deficits-in-mice-with-trisomy/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz2e178VOyn

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660-Rosh-Hashanah.jpg

In 2008, the Simon Wiesenthal Center received an unusual request for help—from the government of Iraq. Their U.N. Mission wanted our help to mount an exhibition on the 30th anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s gassing of his fellow (Kurdish) Iraqi citizens.
A few weeks later, I found myself, together with my colleague Liebe Geft, at a Muslim cemetery in the town of Halabja, amidst the mass graves of Saddam’s victims.
What prayer does an Orthodox rabbi say for the victims of poison gas, a crime that breached a red line once thought unthinkable after the Nazi Holocaust?
I could think of no Psalm from King David’s lips that could penetrate the utter desolation of the place, for a crime that never should have been, for innocents whose lives should never have been snuffed out.
We desperately need a humbled humanity reinvested with a sense of awe of the majesty of this world.
All I could think about was the reaction of Simon Wiesenthal back in 1988 immediately after the poison gas attack in Iraq. The great Nazi hunter, who lost 89 members of his family in the Holocaust, said these prophetic words to me:
“By doing nothing, the world is making a terrible mistake. Tyrants will interpret our silence and inaction in ways that will come back to haunt us in the future.”
We can only imagine how our world would be different today, had a ‘coalition of the willing’ taken on Saddam, then and there.
At the minimum, we could have avoided two Gulf Wars, the American invasion of Iraq and the loss and pain of so many U.S. soldiers and civilians across the region.
And, had Saddam been held accountable in 1988, today, another heartless tyrant, Bashar  Assad, would not have the guts to deploy sarin gas on his fellow Syrian men, women and children.
Without question, President Obama was right to draw a red line when it first became clear a year ago that Assad was deploying North Korean-supplied poison gas in the midst of Syria’s unending and deadly civil war. 
Now he is asking Congress to back military action against Assad, a call the Simon Wiesenthal Center endorses
If America fails to act, we render meaningless all of the 'Never Again' pledges made by political leaders. We will empower Assad to strike again and will certainly increase the odds that his allies in Tehran might crossthe other 'red line'that would soon threatens to menace Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States with a nuclear-tipped Armageddon.
Which brings me back to Halabja.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center did in fact help create an exhibit with Iraq at U.N. Headquarters in New York that finally enabled Kurds—thirty years later-- to put a human face on their martyrs of Saddam Hussein’s crimes against humanity.
Standing amidst their mass graves the words for a prayer for Halabja’s victims finally came to me. They come from the opening words of our High Holy Days sacred Amidah devotion.
On the anniversary of the creation of the world, Jews do not begin with a plea for our families’ good health and fortune, nor for Israel’s wellbeing. These are the words we say:
“O Hashem our God, instill your awe upon all Your works, and Your fear and dread upon all you have created…”
Today there is no shortage of terrorists who scream “God is Great” as they butcher Muslims at prayer in mosques, destroy Churches, murder Christian students and Jewish school children.
Such people do not sanctify God; they and their cynical teachers diminish and desecrate God’s Name and the very reason He put us here in the first place.
This Rosh Hashanah I will repeat the prayer I chanted in Halabja with renewed fervor. 
We desperately need a humbled humanity reinvested with a sense of awe of the majesty of this world and with our arrogance tamped down by the knowledge that ultimately each of us will be held accountable by a higher authority that will ask just one question: “Were you your brother’s keeper?”
Rabbi Abraham Cooper is associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. Follow the Simon Wiesenthal Center on Facebook and on Twitter.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/04/universal-prayer-for-rosh-hashanah/?intcmp=HPBucket#ixzz2e17okCe2

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What would it take to change your religious belief and would you be strong enough to endure physical torture in the name of religion? Listen to the story of pain and sacrifice in the pursuit of freedom and hope, from Reverend Majed El Shafie who converted to Christianity and was tortured for doing so in more ways than one.
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Ramsen Oraham

It's very simple. Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and—as it always has—rock crushes scissors
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER.
We all know we need to pray. We know that prayer is valuable. But we still find it hard to pray.This morning we look at verses 9, 10 of the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians:

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way:"
PRAY WITH ME.
Any power attacking my prayer life,die in the name of Jesus.Arrow of prayerlessness,go back to your sender in the name of Jesus.You Prince of Persia blocking my prayers,die in the name of Jesus,Amen.

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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
You Can Be Happy In An Unhappy World.
Happiness does not have to be something you pursue, but something you possess.We live in a world that is largely unhappy.Every person has a natural desire to be happy. However, happiness is an endless pursuit and is most often met with disappointment. Most people look for happiness in the wrong places. Many people believe that the key to happiness is wealth and possessions. However, materialism will never achieve happiness.

Jesus explains the source and the secrets of true happiness. The happiness the world knows is dependent on happenings. That's not the kind of happiness Jesus is describing. He is describing a happiness that is not determined by outward circumstances.

The beatitudes that Jesus shares are about our relationship with God and our relationship with others. We learn that we must have a relationship with God, in order to be happy. If we are not right with God, we will not be happy. We also can never be happy if we do not treat others with kindness and forgive those who have wronged us.
Proverbs 3:13-14(NKJV) says,Happy is the man who finds wisdom,And the man who gains understanding;For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,And her gain than fine gold. Experience the life in Christ and have true happiness.God bless you.

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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.(Genesis 22:17, NIV)

Saints, the blessing already has your name on it. The good news is there is no line to get it. There are no late charges and no shortage in heaven. It’s all yours, totally paid for: blessings, favor, confidence, forgiveness. Rise up in faith. It’s your time. It’s your season. Start acting on it and receive everything He has in store for you.God bless you.

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Rudd,Gillard and Swan Goose blew a $20 billion surplus and turned into into a $300 billion deficit during a mining boom >


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Gillard bebbington

The University of Adelaide will get a new medical school while the University of South Australia will have a new Centre for Cancer Biology thanks to $100 million in Federal Government grants announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Adelaide today.
Construction on both will start next year.
The medical school will open in 2016 and the cancer centre in 2017.
The two new buildings will be built next to the $200 million SA Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) which is now under construction, on land donated by the State Government.
Ms Gillard said the funding was an investment which would attract top researchers to Adelaide.
"This will be the biggest precinct of its type in the Southern Hemisphere," she said.
Premier Jay Weatherill said the precinct would "attract the best and brightest to be part of the South Australian story."
12 days before she gave up the PM's position .. Michael Smith

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This is the world's largest cave. Picture: Ryan Redoobt

IT'S big enough to hold towering jungles, white sandy beaches, its own weather system and animals that can't be found anywhere else in the world.
But until recently the hidden treasures of the world's biggest cave were a mystery to the rest of the planet.
Explorers have only started venturing into Vietnam's Son Doong cave over the past few years and they've come out the other side with tales of a sprawling, untouched world.
And finally, thrillseeking tourists are joining them.
"The place humbled me and reminded me of how insignificant we really are - there are stalagmites like skyscrapers, jungles, strange animals that no one has even seen before," Ben Mitchell, the first Australian to explore the cave, said of the experience.
The Son Doong was discovered by a local jungle man in the early 1990s, but the steep drop into the mouth of the cave scared locals away. According to lore, the jungle men were afraid of the cave because of the shrill whistling sound made by its fast-flowing underground river.

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Matt Granz
Dusk falls over Southern Utah.

Many thanks to my most excellent tour guide and cousin, Tyler Rhoads for getting me to rocking locations such as this. I truly appreciate the time we spent.
 — in Castle Valley, UT, United States.
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#balls #haha #channelV #rawr
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Alex Jones

Syrian forces that Obama is about to bomb tried in vain to defend a 2000-year-old Christian village from Al-Qaeda/rebel attack. The residents still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Now they are being shelled by White House-backed terrorists and your tax dollars are paying for it.
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<I have 1049 so-called friends on Facebook, ranging in age from 20 to 65, from dirt poor to even dirtier rich and not one publicly admits to being even vaguely associated with the Liberal Party or its country cousins.

Why is that? Is it because to appear even vaguely right-wing is a public crime, with the mob waiting to tear us, virtually, apart?

Or is it because the saner among us know that once Tony Abbott is sworn in as our 28th prime minister, the world isn't going to end? That apart from the usual bureaucratic corpses strewn along Canberra's Northbourne Avenue, the dismantling of various Labor indulgences and a less hypocritical and schizophrenic approach to immigration, that hospitals aren't going to close, that public education isn't going to evaporate and that Rupert Murdoch isn't going to be given a seat in cabinet. (Oh how the rebels forget Labor's frottage with the Packers.)

And with Abbot's decision to appoint the brilliant Noel Pearson as a personal advisor, there's even the possibility of progress within the minefield of Aboriginal affairs.

And still the Facebook warriors rage, showering their grapeshot, making much noise, but felling no one.>

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Check out this jaw-dropping video from a liquor store in Marionville, Missouri, where a would-be robber made a very bad decision.

Read more: http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/09/04/video-iraq-war-vet-jon-alexander-pulls-gun-liquor-store-robber#ixzz2e1QgaRE7

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Catch up on Troy Dunn's success stories. Troy the Locator (Official) http://bit.ly/TroyDunn
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THE family of a child whose rape at a government school sparked a royal commission into the South Australian Labor government's handling of child sex abuse cases is preparing to launch legal action.
The Australian understands the family has instructed lawyers to act on its behalf and possibly seek damages for the financial and psychological impact of the government's response, which was the subject of criticism by royal commissioner Bruce Debelle.
This comes as documents just released under Freedom of Information laws reveal that as of August last year -- two months before the matter was exposed by the opposition in parliament -- the incident was already the subject of a legal claim.
An email from the department's legal unit to a solicitor in the civil litigation section of the Crown Solicitor's Office questions what material should be provided to the Ombudsman, who was conducting a separate investigation.

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Is he lying, or does he just not remember?

You decide here: http://bit.ly/1fzPhkP

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Thomas Ling

People from the villages and country side rushed into cities in search of a better life. City folks write poems, compose music and paint in praise of the meadows, nature and country side.
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  • Phi Pham Y did the liberal make our economy crash by John coward

  • David Daniel Ball ? As PM, Howards' administration was effective in raising real wages by over 2% each year. He turned around an $80 billion black hole from Keating and had surpluses in each year of government. When Mr Howard was treasurer under Fraser from '75 to '83, the economy was different. Fraser, against Howard's advice capped interest rates on home loans at 13% and so credit card interest rates sky rocketed .. some as high as 30%. The reason for that being the legacy of Whitlam's spending which Fraser did not curtail. When Hawke won government in '83, Keating became treasurer and deregulated the dollar and sold the commonwealth bank .. with the support of Howard. Had Howard opposed Keating, Keating could never have done that. But it wasWhitlam who behaved like Rudd/Gillard causing the economic crash Howard faced in the '80s .

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It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the#DoctorWho studios today as Matt Smith, cast and crew attended the read-through for this year's Christmas special!
<Of all the people who have played The Doctor, Matt Smith has been one of them.>
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Obama on the ‘red line’: I didn’t draw that. Somebody else made that happen ==>http://twitchy.com/2013/09/04/obama-on-the-red-line-i-didnt-draw-that-somebody-else-made-that-happen/
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Pastor Rick Warren
The past 10 days in Africa and the Middle East have deepened my conviction that the answers to all of mankind's deepest problems are in the Church.

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Pastor Rick Warren
Never let an impossible situation intimidate you.Let it motivate you - to pray more, trust more, expect more.

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Warwick Poulsen

Re: politics, spending and surpluses...
"'When the king's palace is full of treasure'
Lao Tzu said,
'ordinary people's fields are smothered with weeds, and the food supplies run out'"
Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching"#53...
I feel the excellent description Lao Tzu gave is being misinterpreted .. it isn't based on an Israeli trade model, but fuedal kingdom. To interpret it as "in order for people to be well off, the economy has to be bad" is to do the wisdom grave injustice. - ed
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The problem with taking 60 year 2 students to the Zoo is how to explain to them why the lions are... wrestling... In such a strange way!
.. it is a bit like Miley Cyrus singing .. ed
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First shot of the day #woo #ChannelV
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A Palestinian Authority official has demanded that Israel provide civilians living in PA-controlled areas with gas masks in the event of a spillover of violence from Syria.
Israel has been distributing gas masks to its citizens over the last two weeks amid fears of reprisals against the Jewish state, following anticipated US military intervention in neighboring Syria.
Syrian officials have repeatedly declared that in the event of a western-led intervention against the regime, they would respond by attacking Israel.
"If there is any war in the region, the responsibility (for ensuring that the Palestinian Authority's constituents are prepared) falls upon Israel, because it is the occupying authority," Palestinian Authority security services spokesman Adnan al-Dumayri told AFP on Tuesday.
"Israel must provide to all citizens living under its occupation the necessary security equipment, be that gas masks or other items, especially if Israel gets into a war we have no connection with," he said.
Israelis last week scrambled to collect gas masks provided by the state, queuing up sometimes for hours at distribution centers - mostly post offices - across the country.
Arabs living under Palestinian Authority rule have not received any suchsafety equipment, a situation al-Dumayri blamed on Israel.
"We are living under occupation, we have no sovereignty over our borders [sic. referring to Judea, Samaria and the Gaza - ed], and we can't importgas masks," he claimed.
The basis for his claim that the PA is prevented from obtaining gas masksis unclear.
PA-controlled regions are the world's highest recipients of international aid per capita, and under the terms of the Oslo agreements, the PA leadership has full responsibility over providing for the people it governs. In Gaza as well, Hamas authorities have overseen the import of countless goods  to the territory, including those banned by the Israeli blockade - from luxury cars to advanced weaponry.
The US is mulling military strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, in response to its alleged use of chemical weapons near Damascus on August 21.

How about a shield from rockets too? ed
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Police forces were dispatched on Wednesday to break up Muslim stone throwers who were targeting Jewish visitors on the Temple Mount (Har Habayit).
As soon as stones were thrown and riots broke out, police forces stepped in to make arrests.
Security forces were prepared for a riot as this incident follows renewed incitement by Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Raed Salah, who called for Muslims to physically prevent Jews from visiting the Temple Mount last week.
Yesterday, the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel was arrested on charges of "incitement against Israel and regarding the Temple Mount," and is currently being questioned by police.
This morning's attack on Jewish visitors is likely connected to Salah’s claim last week to his followers that Israel is planning to “break in” to the Temple Mount, on which the Islamic Al Aqsa compound is located, built atop the ruins of two Jewish Temples.
After warning of the alleged "danger" of increased Jewish prayer at the site, Salah called on Muslims from across Israel - from the Negev and Galilee, Akko and Haifa - to descend on the Temple Mount to prevent the “dangerous mass invasion into Al Aqsa” with their bodies.
In the past, such statements have led the Israeli Police to close off the Temple Mount to Jews, out of concern that Jewish presence at the holy site could be met with Muslim riots, which on Wednesday proved to be true.
The police policy of restricting Jewish access in order to maintain quiet has led to complaints of discrimination.
“The Temple Mount is the holiest place for the Jewish People, and must be open at any hour to every Jew,” said Minister of Construction and Housing, Uri Ariel on Wednesday. 
Ariel ascended this morning on the eve of Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) 5774 to the Temple Mount, as is his custom. Ariel declared that the Temple Mount belongs to the Jewish people without a doubt.
“I intend to continue to support the State of Israel’s full sovereignty over the site.  This is a non-negotiable issue, with no room for argument.” 
The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest site, but Jews are forbidden from holding prayers there due to the presence of an Islamic complex, and against the backdrop of threats of violence by Islamists.

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An Israeli nightmare

Former Republican congressman Allen West has it right. Barack Hussein Obama is an Israeli nightmare.

Best description I've seen in 140 characters or less.
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Allen West
For thousands of years, the shofar has called the Jewish people together for many reasons, including ushering in the new year. On this Rosh Hashanah, I pray the shofar will not be needed to sound an alarm of war for the people of Israel. Let it instead be used for all across our own nation, as the philosopher Moses Maimonides suggested in the 12th century, "Sleeping ones! Awaken from your sleep! Slumbering ones! Awaken from your slumber! Examine your deeds, and turn once again to God." L'Shana Tovah to all, and especially the people of Israel. Rest assured there are many of us who will never abandon you.
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A British television program in co-operation with a children's charity demonstrated this week just how swiftly and easy it is to take children from under their parents' noses, with just a momentary loss of concentration.
One of the most troubling aspects of the set-up was how willing children were to go off with a stranger, who acted in a friendly manner and looked like a normal person.
ITV's Daybreak program in association with Kidscape carried out the test in a park playground using real mothers, and children aged under 11 years.
The mothers and kids arrived at the playground, which was closed off to the public for the length of the trial and, on receiving a phone call from Daybreak producers, walked off leaving the children to their own devices among the play equipment.
Enter the stranger, a man dressed in an ordinary checked shirt and long shorts, who approached the children - some who were as young as five years old.
The man asked them to help him look for his child or a lost dog.
Of the nine children he approached, seven co-operated and within a space of 90 seconds walked from the playground with him.
All the children had been warned by their parents about "stranger danger" and none had previously met the man.
One seven-year-old boy turned the man down, but then changed his mind in less than a minute.

Despite the fact it was a set-up for the cameras, some of the mothers involved became traumatised their children had unwittingly been led astray and wanted the experiment to stop.

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Netanyahu's New Year Message: 'We've Defied the Laws of History'

PM Netanyahu wishes Jews all over the world a happy new year, says Israel "remains an oasis" in the Middle East.
AAFont Size
By Kochava Rozenbaum
First Publish: 9/4/2013, 10:10 AM

On the eve of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wishes Jewish communities throughout the world security, prosperity and most of all peace.
In a recorded speech, Netanyahu reflects upon some of the past year's achievements: the launching of the Amos 4 communication satellite, sustainable economic growth, receiving gold medals at the computer and science Olympics, and producing top tier students in the field of science.
"I am proud to serve as Prime Minister of Israel," Netanyahu said with a smile.

"We remain an oasis of democracy, of stability, of tolerance, and liberty," he said, comparing Israel to its turbulent neighbors in the Middle East.
Netanyahu also took the opportunity to call for action on Iran, declaring that "Iran's nuclear program must be stopped" since it poses a major threat to the Israel and the rest of the world.
However, Netanyahu calmed the fears of any potential threat to Israel when he spoke to his cabinet on Sunday saying, "our enemies have very good reasons not to try our strength, not to test our power," he said. "They know why."
The Prime Minister concluded by asserting that the State of Israel has "defied the laws of history against some tremendous odds" to become a thriving, bustling, modern, advanced country in such a short period of time.

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Matt Granz Photography
This photo represents the second time I've visited this unique spot in the Arizona desert. The place has an eerie silence when alone on a hot summer's day, and the wind was very still. Found between the Hopi and Navajo Indian reservations, this place stands out for it's multi-colored hoodoos and short mile long terrain.

Prints: http://mattgranz.zenfolio.com/p751617211/h6cf31239#h6cf31239
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This is perhaps the most surreal image I've ever taken of the Golden Gate Bridge. The fading light was still illuminating the bridge significantly while the rest of the area was darkening as night approached. Even with San Francisco covered in fog, this view inspires. — at The Golden Gate Bridge.
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Zab iz Dead baby, Zab iz Dead... 

I usually don't enjoy shooting landscapes with a clear sky, but take what the road gives me when I encounter an incredible place. In this case Zabriskie Point looked spectacular under a clear blue desert sky, allowing the undulating stripes to really show off in the mid day light. I thought the place was spelled Zebriski Point so I came up with the title Zeb is Dead, but just could't convince myself to let it go.

Prints can be purchased at: http://mattgranz.zenfolio.com/p751617211/h619334c7#h619334c7
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The Valley of Fire
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Incoming at the Canyon Lands...

I really enjoy a good Monsoon. Here we see one developing over the desert of the Southern Utah Canyonlands in the Needles District. This image was taken next to an old stone ruin. Later we would be getting pelted by hail up in high elevations under this same storm cloud.

Prints can be purchased at: http://mattgranz.zenfolio.com/p751617211/h6498fc88#h6498fc88
 — at The Needles District, Canyonlands NP.
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4 her
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Allen West
Listening to President Obama in Sweden saying he never set a red line and that his credibility isn't on the line, but rather the credibility of America, Congress, and the International community. It never ceases to amaze me how Obama never takes any responsibility for his actions. He is the leader of the United States of America and he sets the tone, not Joe and Jane. As a leader, he did nothing for all these months and now wants to enjoin everyone in his abject failure and abdication of accountability. I am not buying into Obama's weak attempt of guilt-tripping us. Mr. President, you have not earned anyone's respect to follow you, May I remind you of the result of your unilateral actions in Libya? Also, is it not perplexing that within the last 6 years, Pelosi, Kerry, and Hillary Clinton all sat with and praised Assad, but now they want to blow him up?

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In celebration of #RoshHashana, we wish a Happy New Year to Jews all over the world. We look ahead to a year of peace and security as we stand on guard to keep the people of #Israel safe. May the coming year be one of health, happiness and success for our friends and supporters everywhere!
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THE HEINER AFFAIR: KRUDD COVERING UP PEDOPHILES 

http://polliter.com/2013/07/03/heiner-affair-carmody-says-labor-covered-up-child-sex-pm-to-be-charged/
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How the dinosaurs went extinct
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Below is a special message from our newsletter’s sponsor, Sean Hannity. The financial support provided by occasional messages such as this allow Michelle to continue providing daily, high-quality reporting and commentary at no cost to you. Please note that the following message reflects the opinions and representations of our advertiser and not necessarily those of Michelle or her editorial staff.
BE ADVISED: If you click the “unsubscribe” link below you will be removed from the michellemalkin.com mailing list and no longer receive daily news or vital updates.

*A Special Message from Sean Hannity*

Dear Patriot,
The usual "Republican" suspects in the U.S. Senate are working overtime to stop Senator Mike Lee's effort to halt Obamacare.
It's maddening that some of the very politicians who promised to fight against this law are now battling to save it!
That's why I am personally fighting back and helping Tea Party Patriots' national campaign to Exempt America from Obamacare.
It's critical that every Tea Party supporter sign this petition while Congress is on vacation. Tea Party Patriots wants to bombard Senate Republicans with these petitions when they finally come back to work and confront this issue.
My friend, this is the only way we will ever convince the Republican establishment to stop Obamacare.
Senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz are waging a valiant fight. Obamacare is a disaster.
But "Republicans" like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Richard Burr arestanding in the way.
For instance, Senator Burr of North Carolina told the press that "I think this is the dumbest idea I've ever heard." Lindsey Graham said dismantling Obamacare was "a bridge too far." John McCain says it's a "nonstarter."
Senators like Burr, McCain, and Graham actually want to protectObamacare. They actually believe that keeping this horrible law is politicallypopular!
They are very, very wrong. That's why I am so personally involved in this fight.
Remember, career politicians like John McCain, Richard Burr, and Lindsey Graham are going all out to protect Obamacare. They believe that giving Barack Obama what he wants and standing up to the Tea Party is "good politics."
They don't believe that ordinary grassroots Americans like you will stand up to them.
Tea Party activists MUST demonstrate to them in dramatic fashion that they are wrong. We must overwhelm them with these petitions.
We must show them that the Tea Party and the conservative grassroots won't sit idly by while they fritter away yet another chance to undermine this economy-killing law.
This is that important.
Now, I'll be the first to tell you that Tea Party Patriots has the know-how and the capacity to accomplish this task.
In fact, right this minute, Tea Party Patriots is running TV ads in states all over the country to inform uninformed Americans about the IRS's targeted harassment of American citizens.
They're single-handedly driving the fight against this criminal behavior by America's most feared agency.
But right now, the most important fight in America is the fight to stop Obamacare, and that's why we need your help today.
Obamacare is on the ropes. The President knows it won't work. That's why he's delaying its implementation for businesses.
Between now and October 1st we must convince the Senate Republicans to take a stand and delay this law.
Thank you, and may God bless America.
For liberty,
-- Sean Hannity

Tea Party Patriots, Inc. operates as a social welfare organization organized under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Tea Party Patriots, Inc. are not deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes.
Copyright © Tea Party Patriots, Inc. 2013

Tea Party Patriots

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Support: 404-593-0877

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Today we confirmed our pledge: A Coalition Government will encourage strong economic growth and live within our means.

Following the most rigorous process for the costing of policies and savings ever undertaken by an Opposition, the Coalition today delivered its final costings. Over the next four years we will improve the Budget bottom line by $6 billion and reduce gross debt by $16 billion.

In addition to $31 billion of previously announced savings, the Coalition has today announced a further $9 billion of sensible savings, including a cut in the growth of foreign aid. For further details click here.

The sensible savings are part of a carefully crafted plan for a stronger economy. At the same time as cutting waste, the Coalition will scrap the carbon and mining taxes, reduce the tax and red tape burden on small business and deliver desperately needed roads, bridges and freight rail projects.

The Coalition will boost confidence, growth and jobs while easing cost-of-living pressures.

To end the chaos in Canberra and restore stability and confidence, we need your strong support on Saturday in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. 
Regards,
Joe Hockey
Authorised by Brian Loughnane, Cnr Blackall and Macquarie Streets, Barton  ACT 2604.
 
Copyright © Liberal Party of Australia.

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Hi everyone,
 
Just a quick message to thank all of you who have donated and volunteered to support our efforts over the past five weeks.
 
I am spending the day on the Campaign Bus with John Howard and 50 very enthusiastic volunteers. We have just been to Barton and are now on our way to support other Western Sydney candidates.
 
Back at Liberal Campaign HQ the team is continuing the work of making phone calls to voters who are still making up their mind on how to vote. And in our target seats we are knocking on doors and talking to people in the street, in shopping malls and train stations. 
 
This election is going to come down to a few votes in the battleground seats, and I really want to boost our targeted social media and online advertising as well as a strong message in the press.

If you can contribute further and help us in the final 24 hours please click here.

Mark Neeham

P.S: Thanks again. I'm very grateful for all the support you have given us over the past five weeks.
 
Sent from my iPad

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Friend,
The Democrats are all in. 
Liberal money from all over America is flooding into the Virginia governor's race to support Bill Clinton's right-hand man, the famously left-wing Terry McAuliffe.  
Their deluge of cash has given McAuliffe a fundraising advantage of two-to-one over stalwart conservative Ken Cuccinelli.  McAuliffe is bombarding the Virginia airwaves with vicious ads attacking Ken.
Ken needs conservative grassroots champions to stand up and help him become the next governor of Virginia.  He needs the help today to stay competitive with the Democrats' fundraising machine beating up on him. 
His grassroots campaign is working hard. They're knocking on doors, making phone calls, and connecting with key networks all across the swing state of Virginia.
But Ken's going to need the help of independent groups like Patriot Voices PAC if he's going to catch up to Terry McAuliffe in time for this election.
You see, the Obama campaign machine has thrown all of its weight behind Terry McAuliffe. They're using Virginia as a "practice run" for the 2014 mid-term elections.
And they want to make sure this crucial swing state stays "blue" for the 2016 Presidential race.
All eyes are on Virginia this fall, and Terry McAuliffe just recieved a check for over $1 million from a major national Democratic "Super PAC." 
Conservatives across America have to rally right now to keep Ken Cuccinelli in this fight.
Patriot Voices was one of the first national PACs to endorse Ken Cuccinelli earlier this year.
His record of fiscal conservatism, job creation, and defense of the Second Amendment are second to none. As the first attorney general in the nation to file suit against ObamaCare, Ken understands why this law is unconstitutional and needs to be repealed.
He is truly a conservative superstar.
But, again, the Democratic establishment is absolutely pouring money into Virginia right now. If we don't get involved in a big way immediately, Ken Cuccinelli very well may not recover from a six-point deficit.
Patriot Voices is working hard to put boots on the ground to collaborate with local faith community leaders and come alongside the grassroots efforts of Ken's campaign.  We plan to knock on thousands of doors and make thousands of get-out-the-vote phone calls to help defeat Terry McAuliffe.  But, this aggressive campaign is going to cost a good amount of money to make happen.
And that's why I'm reaching out to you today. We can't help Ken Cuccinelli without you.
Thank you in advance for your help, and may God bless America! 
For liberty,
Rick Santorum

   Paid for by Patriot Voices PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

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united with israel alerts                              newsletter

Israel Alert Newsletter 29 Elul 5773September 4, 2013
 
Happy New Year from United with Israel! We have a fantastic selection of Rosh Hashana articles on a variety of topics.
We invite you to learn about this sweet yet serious holiday, also known as the Day of Judgement. Enjoy learning about everything from the Shofar to Judgment to the sweet, yummy foods that we eat. Shana Tova!
Click here to read more>> 
As the world's largest grassroots, global, pro-Israel community, United with Israel's focus has always been to connect people from around the world to the great miracles and blessings of the People, Country and Land of Israel.
With the help of our incredible community of supporters, we have been successful in combating anti-Israel media bias and promoting pro-Israel advocacy through dozens of advocacy initiatives with hundreds of thousands of participants. We've spread positive news about Israel to millions each and every day...
Click here to read more>> 
 Shofar_thumbnail.jpgThe Shofar: A Special Form of Meaningful Prayer

The shofar is a Jewish musical instrument made by removing marrow from the horn of a ram, sheep, or goat. While the shofar makes a beautiful, trumpet-like sound that resonates throughout the synagogue, it is much more than a simple musical instrument.
Indeed, for Jewish people of all walks of life, the shofar is a spiritual tool that awakens their souls, providing a primal form of prayer during the highest holy days of the year. The history of the shofar dates back many thousands of years, with explicit references to it in the Jewish Bible, rabbinic literature, and writings of the Sages.
Click here to read more>> 
In addition to its religious dimension, Rosh Hashana also represents a rich cultural experience for the Jewish people. Families cook a variety of aromatic foodsto be served over two days of feasting in celebration of the Jewish new year.
Many families eat specific foods on Rosh Hashana in a specific order, or seder in Hebrew, as symbols of the blessings the Jewish people seek at this time.

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From the Rabbi's Study: Have a Sweet New Year!
This week we are celebrating Rosh Hashana - the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashana begins Wednesday at sundown and is a two day holiday concluding Friday night at which time we inaugurate the first Sabbath of the New Year.
According to Jewish tradition, God completed the creation of the world on Rosh Hashana.Every year on this day God takes inventory, an annual accounting.
Tune into: Positive Jewish, Israeli and world music all connected to Rosh Hashana. A short Hebrew lesson bringing you words connected to the Jewish New Year.
An interview with Rabbi Yonatan Neril about the connection between Rosh Hashana and ecology. The very interesting United With Israel news reports and so much more!

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Coming Soon: Unique Jerusalem Festival on Sukkot... in Atlanta, USA!
The Jerusalem Festival is a day of recognition, education and celebration of the history of Jerusalem, the People and the Land of Israel, celebrating their contributions to the world.
We share many common principles including democratic values and a call for peace. So let your voice be heard to all by joining us in support of this very special event!
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Jerusalem Mint

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united with                                                                    israel
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© Copyright 2013 United with Israel. All Rights Reserved 
Follow us on:Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Follow us on RSS 

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Hi everyone! Here's the MichelleMalkin.com newsletter for September 4th. Enjoy!

From the Blog

Gun-grabbers go full femme-a-gogue in Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS — Out: The boy who cried wolf. In: The girl who cried birth control...

Consistently anti-war Nancy Pelosi sends colleagues ‘time to kick ass’ letter

Judging from a letter Nancy Pelosi sent to her House Dem colleagues, she is gung ho for an attack on Syria — something that is curiously uncharacteristic of her (during Republican administrations at least)...

‘Possible GOP 2016 contender’ Jeb Bush to present Hillary Clinton with ‘Liberty Medal’ on eve of Benghazi anniversary

Alternate headline courtesy of Jim Geraghty: “If Jeb Bush didn’t want to run for the Republican nomination, he could have just said so”...

More From the Right Side of the Web

Featured Videos

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This past weekend at RightOnline, Michelle discussed social conservatism, Marco Rubio, amnesty, and pro-life youth with young conservative activist Benji Backer.
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Yesterday on "America Live," Michelle talked with Martha MacCallum about the efforts to recall Colorado gun grabbers.

Stop Common Core Links of the Day

Michelle's Top Tweets

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And ... Our Hate Tweet of the Day

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Anna sounds pretty pleasant, herself.

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Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme

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“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"I will; be thou clean."
Mark 1:41
Primeval darkness heard the Almighty fiat, "light be," and straightway light was, and the word of the Lord Jesus is equal in majesty to that ancient word of power. Redemption like Creation has its word of might. Jesus speaks and it is done. Leprosy yielded to no human remedies, but it fled at once at the Lord's "I will." The disease exhibited no hopeful signs or tokens of recovery, nature contributed nothing to its own healing, but the unaided word effected the entire work on the spot and forever. The sinner is in a plight more miserable than the leper; let him imitate his example and go to Jesus, "beseeching him and kneeling down to him." Let him exercise what little faith he has, even though it should go no further than "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean;" and there need be no doubt as to the result of the application. Jesus heals all who come, and casts out none. In reading the narrative in which our morning's text occurs, it is worthy of devout notice that Jesus touched the leper. This unclean person had broken through the regulations of the ceremonial law and pressed into the house, but Jesus so far from chiding him broke through the law himself in order to meet him. He made an interchange with the leper, for while he cleansed him, he contracted by that touch a Levitical defilement. Even so Jesus Christ was made sin for us, although in himself he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. O that poor sinners would go to Jesus, believing in the power of his blessed substitutionary work, and they would soon learn the power of his gracious touch. That hand which multiplied the loaves, which saved sinking Peter, which upholds afflicted saints, which crowns believers, that same hand will touch every seeking sinner, and in a moment make him clean. The love of Jesus is the source of salvation. He loves, he looks, he touches us, we live.

Evening

"Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have."
Leviticus 19:36
Weights, and scales, and measures were to be all according to the standard of justice. Surely no Christian man will need to be reminded of this in his business, for if righteousness were banished from all the world beside, it should find a shelter in believing hearts. There are, however, other balances which weigh moral and spiritual things, and these often need examining. We will call in the officer tonight.
The balances in which we weigh our own and other men's characters, are they quite accurate? Do we not turn our own ounces of goodness into pounds, and other persons' bushels of excellence into pecks? See to weights and measures here, Christian. The scales in which we measure our trials and troubles, are they according to standard? Paul, who had more to suffer than we have, called his afflictions light, and yet we often consider ours to be heavy--surely something must be amiss with the weights! We must see to this matter, lest we get reported to the court above for unjust dealing. Those weights with which we measure our doctrinal belief, are they quite fair? The doctrines of grace should have the same weight with us as the precepts of the word, no more and no less; but it is to be feared that with many one scale or the other is unfairly weighted. It is a grand matter to give just measure in truth. Christian, be careful here. Those measures in which we estimate our obligations and responsibilities look rather small. When a rich man gives no more to the cause of God than the poor contribute, is that a just ephah and a just hin? When ministers are half starved, is that honest dealing? When the poor are despised, while ungodly rich men are held in admiration, is that a just balance? Reader, we might lengthen the list, but we prefer to leave it as your evening's work to find out and destroy all unrighteous balances, weights, and measures.
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Today's reading: Psalm 143-145, 1 Corinthians 14:21-40 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Psalm 143-145

A psalm of David.
1 LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.

Today's New Testament reading: 1 Corinthians 14:21-40

21 In the Law it is written:
"With other tongues
and through the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people,
but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord."
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.23 So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"
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