On budgets, ALP have never balanced a budget. They had a surplus a few times, long ago, but they have spent big on things that are useless, and have promised to spend bigger when they were desperate. Unsworth promised a birthday cake for Darlinghurst if he were elected over Greiner.
On corruption, ALP have had all the running. There were a few Liberal ministers who shipped on military vessels some colour tv sets for themselves and lost their positions under Fraser, but compare that with involvement in drug trade, pedophilia, theft, extortion, murder, organised crime and a press that won't investigate when the ALP are involved, and the ALP win the category.
On increased wages for fair work, ALP have cut pay on average, while the Libs have increased pay on average, about 2% each way, so that voting conservative has meant a 4% wage boost each year.
On work conditions, ALP tend to kill workers, soldiers, casual employees, railway fatalities. Natural disasters tend to be badly managed under ALP, or inflamed. cf floods, fires, cyclones.
On police, ALP promise more police on the streets, but they blow their budgets and so there are fewer where they are needed. The producers have worked hard to obscure it, but note the lack of will in police when the ALP are in government as seen in Underbelly productions, or the will that police have to support individuals under conservatives.
Teachers and schools are promised much by the ALP, but it is always resulting in them being taken for granted. Large classrooms are not the problem, but dysfunctional schools are. ALP spend big on education, but rarely is it well directed. Meanwhile conservatives have worked to keep the systems from falling apart. Australian schools aren't bad, when the office ladies aren't too busy making gender neutral pupil records. Blowing billions on bad computers or school halls that are overpriced is not a kept promise to anyone.
Health is a boom industry with an ageing population and improved but expensive care, and medicare would not work had Howard not made important decisions in everyone's interest, or had Greiner not saved the state from falling into the black holes ALP led the others to in the late 80's.
Roads, railways infrastructure, NBN, the promises the ALP make are broad, but fail. NBN is not as effective as wireless. It is very expensive. Roads under ALP are poor .. compare the sound of travelling NSW roads and their bumps with Victorian ones .. the big difference is NSW usually has an ALP government while Victoria is usually Liberal. The last time NSW and Australian governments were Liberal the Opera House and Snowy Mountain scheme were completed. Last time NSW and Australian governments were both ALP and both disavowed responsibility for education, hospitals etc etc.
Environment and dams are built by conservative governments and Australia is a wet continent in the north, and dry in the south. With a significant body of fresh water in central Australia summer heat waves emanating from a heated central Australia would not happen. The population could increase safely. ALP build desalination plants.
Migration under conservatives is high, as it should be, and far safer
Welfare is better directed under Liberals to poor people. ALP point to what they call middle class welfare but the figures show the ALP spend more .. on more people. Aboriginal welfare under Howard was effective with the intervention. But the white activists benefit under ALP.
Happy New Year, folks. And Australians should be pleased with their shiny new federal government
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Happy birthday and many happy returns Sher Maine Leong, Rick Mills and Daravone. Ee Born on the same day, across the years .. the anniversary of Christ circumcised. Remember, birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
- 695 – Muhammad bin Qasim, Syrian general (d. 715)
- 1572 – Emperor Go-Yōzei of Japan, (d. 1617)
- 1714 – Yoriyuki Arima, Japanese mathematician (d. 1783)
- 1776 – Johann Spurzheim, German physician (d. 1832)
- 1869 – Henri Matisse, French painter (d. 1954)
- 1878 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman, founded Elizabeth Arden, Inc. (d. 1966)
- 1905 – Jule Styne, English-American composer (d. 1994)
- 1908 – Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor (d. 2005)
- 1930 – Odetta, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (d. 2008)
- 1937 – Anthony Hopkins, Welsh-American actor and composer
- 1941 – Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1942 – Andy Summers, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Police and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band)
- 1943 – John Denver, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (The John Denver Band and Chad Mitchell Trio) (d. 1997)
- 1948 – Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
- 1959 – Val Kilmer, American actor
- 1977 – Psy, South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, and dancer
- 2005 – Lakshmi Tatma, Indian deformed girl
Matches
- 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gaul.
- 535 – Byzantine general Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Gothic garrison of Palermo (Panormos), and ending hisconsulship for the year.
- 1225 – The Lý Dynasty of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor Trần Thái Tông, husband of the last Lý monarch, Lý Chiêu Hoàng, starting the Trần Dynasty.
- 1660 – James II of England is named Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France.
- 1759 – Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and starts brewing Guinness.
- 1878 – Karl Benz, working in Mannheim, Germany, filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine, and he was granted the patent in 1879.
- 1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
- 1907 – The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York, New York.
- 1923 – The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
- 1951 – The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.
- 1955 – General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.
- 1960 – The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
- 1988 – Pittsburgh Penguins' Mario Lemieux becomes the only National Hockey League player to score goals in five different ways: even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, and empty net, during a 8–6 win over the New Jersey Devils.
- 2009 – Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.
Despatches
- 192 – Commodus, Roman emperor (b. 161)
- 1384 – John Wycliffe, English theologian and translator (b. circa 1328)
- 1985 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1940)
The Lefts’ crystal balls-ups
Miranda Devine – Tuesday, December 31, 2013 (6:52pm)
NOW the Year of the Selfie is over, and a conservative government is in charge, we can look forward to the following dispatches from Gnashville over the next 12 months.
Continue reading 'The Lefts’ crystal balls-ups'WARMIES WORRIED
Tim Blair – Tuesday, December 31, 2013 (1:19pm)
The ABC’s Wendy Harmer chats with Antarctica’s frozen warmies:
Told Prof Chris Turney on radio this a.m. his trapped ship being touted as evidence of no global warming. Oh how he laughed at the “loonies”!
We’re not the ones becoming an international joke due to ice comedy. And not everybody on board shares Turney’s sunny outlook:
Andrew Peacock, a photographer aboard the ship, said via email to National Geographic that “the mood is getting more frustrated by the day.”He added, “There are so many variables—every briefing is different—and people are getting a little worried now while the weather stays poor. Lack of control and missing loved ones are starting to put some emotion into our conversations!”
UPDATE. John Hayward:
You’d need a heart of stone not to laugh at the spectacle of global warming fanatics trapped in the ice on their way to Antarctica, where they planned to make a big deal about the relative shortage of ice. It’s even funnier because the highly sympathetic mainstream media so clearly understands how utterly embarrassing this is.
A change in the climate
Andrew Bolt December 31 2013 (12:05pm)
Former ABC chairman Maurice Newman, now head of the Prime Minister’s business advisory council:
===From the UN down, the climate change delusion is a gigantic money tree. It is a tyranny that, despite its pretensions, favours the rich and politically powerful at the expense of the poor and powerless. But the madness of the crowds is waning and, as Mackay writes of the perpetrators: “Punishment is sure to overtake them sooner or later.” We can only hope it comes before most of us descend into serfdom.
How many more failed court cases before we accept there were no “stolen generations”?
Andrew Bolt December 31 2013 (10:32am)
When will politicians, journalists and academics have the courage - and honesty - to concede there were no “stolen generations” as usually defined?
Tony Thomas on yet another claim that’s collapsed in court against the evidence:
The one successful claim in fact proves there was indeed no sanctioned policy (in South Australia, in this case) to remove Aboriginal children just for being Aboriginal:
To this judgement in Western Australia add the following.
In Victoria:
===Tony Thomas on yet another claim that’s collapsed in court against the evidence:
Justice Janine Pritchard in the WA Supreme Court on December 20 rejected claims that from 1958-79 there was any official program in WA to implement the so-called Stolen Generation policy. Her judgment dismissed damages claims by the Aboriginal Don and Sylvia Collard and seven of their 14 children removed or made state wards.
She specifically dealt with a claim that the children were removed “pursuant to a policy of assimilation of aboriginal children.” She found the children were instead removed, mainly to Sister Kate’s in Perth, to safeguard their physical welfare.
This is the twentieth case in State, Federal and High Courts involving significant Stolen Generations claims, and the nineteenth to see the claims thrown out. Justice Pritchard found:
“The references to ‘assimilation’ in the evidence I have set out above are not sufficient to support a finding on the balance of probabilities that at the time of the wardships there was, within the Department of Native Welfare or the Child Welfare Department, the pursuit of a policy of assimilation of aboriginal people into white Australian society through the wardship of aboriginal children...”
The one successful claim in fact proves there was indeed no sanctioned policy (in South Australia, in this case) to remove Aboriginal children just for being Aboriginal:
In SA, the Trevorrow case involved an unlawful removal of Bruce Trevorrow as an ailing one-year-old from his parents in early 1958. The removal was done by a well-meaning but inexperienced Aboriginal welfare worker, contrary to official policy. Trevorrow was adopted by a caring white couple but his life became dysfunctional. He won $775,000 damages in 2007-08. This remains the only successful “Stolen Generation” case, although it in fact demonstrated that SA government policy was against any racial removals of half-castes, rogue welfare workers notwithstanding.The “stolen generations” is a giant intellectual fraud with unforgivable consequences - Aboriginal children being left in dangers from which they would have been rescued had they been white. Some children have paid for this with their lives.
To this judgement in Western Australia add the following.
In Victoria:
Victoria’s Aboriginal-led Stolen Generations Taskforce ... could find no Victorian Aboriginal who had been truly stolen, and concluded that in Victoria “there was no formal policy for removing children”.In the Northern Territory (the Federal Court’s finding in the Gunner and Cubillo case):
I am limited to making findings on the evidence that was presented to this Court in these proceedings; that evidence does not support a finding that there was any policy of removal of part-Aboriginal children such as that alleged by the applicants...In South Australia:
It was Christmas 50 years ago when Joe Trevorrow left his hut of scrap iron and sacks on the Coorong to ask his neighbours - relatives of his partner, Thora - to drive his sick baby to Adelaide’s children’s hospital…
Who knows what Thora’s relatives told the doctors, but the hospital’s notes say the baby, Bruce Trevorrow, was a “neglected child - without parents”, suffering from “malnutrition” and “infective diarrhoea"‘.
The notes add: “The other two children are neglected. Mother has cleared out and father is boozing.”
This is the baby that just two weeks later was given to an Adelaide family.. Unforgiveably, Joe and Thora were never asked for permission to give away their baby. ..
As [Justice] Gray ruled: “Mrs Angas [the welfare worker who gave away the baby] may have been well-intentioned ... but was well aware, or ought to have been aware, that the removal of the plaintiff from his family, and his placement with the Davies family, was undertaken in circumstances that were understood to be without legal authority, beyond power and contrary to authoritative legal advice."…
The picture the judge paints over many pages is compelling: South Australia never had any laws—or policies - authorising anyone to steal Aboriginal children for racist reasons.
Gray noted, for instance, that in 1923, as South Australia passed a law to help neglected Aboriginal children, the then treasurer assured Parliament: “The dictates of humanity forbid the state to deprive mothers of their infant children in cases where their mothers desire to keep them.”
Media cover-up: warmist scientists trapped by ice are just “tourists”
Andrew Bolt December 31 2013 (9:12am)
The farce: warmist
scientists and reporters sail to Antarctica to find signs of the global
warming they claim has changed that continent since Douglas Mawson
explored it a century ago. Instead, they find sea ice when Mawson didn’t and their ship is locked in.
Be clear about the joke here. This Australasian Antarctica Expedition was meant to scare us about global warming changing Antarctica, causing melting instead of all this damn ice. As the expedition leaders said on their website:
Note the Sydney Morning Herald’s coverage this morning. It has a reporter on the third ice-breaker to go to the expedition’s help, only to be driven back by thick ice. There is no mention in her stories of global warming, the trapped mission’s quixotic quest or how stupid those warmists now look. There is no mention that sea ice around Antarctica has steadily increased over the past three decades, contrary to what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admits its climate models predicted.
Instead, the SMH republishes a tweet from the trapped expedition’s leader, Professor Chris Turney, still insisting he’s unnaturally warm despite being packed in by ice:
Then there’s this:
By the way, how much is the rescue of these warmists costing - in money and emissions?
UPDATE
Reader Katherine in the Bush:
===Be clear about the joke here. This Australasian Antarctica Expedition was meant to scare us about global warming changing Antarctica, causing melting instead of all this damn ice. As the expedition leaders said on their website:
… there is an increasing body of evidence, including by the AAE members, that have identified parts of the East Antarctic which are highly susceptible to melting and collapse from ocean warming… We are going south to ... determine the extent to which human activity and pollution has directly impacted on this remote region of Antarctica.Now to the media cover-up.
Note the Sydney Morning Herald’s coverage this morning. It has a reporter on the third ice-breaker to go to the expedition’s help, only to be driven back by thick ice. There is no mention in her stories of global warming, the trapped mission’s quixotic quest or how stupid those warmists now look. There is no mention that sea ice around Antarctica has steadily increased over the past three decades, contrary to what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change admits its climate models predicted.
Instead, the SMH republishes a tweet from the trapped expedition’s leader, Professor Chris Turney, still insisting he’s unnaturally warm despite being packed in by ice:
Turney is now the Black Knight of global warming:
In fact, it does indeed rain in Antarctica in summer, as the Mawson’s Huts Foundation demonstrates.
Then there’s this:
Jo Nova is astonished by a media cover-up that has changed what was a ship of climate scientists into a ship of mere “tourists”:
A month ago the mission of the $1.5m expedition was “to answer questions about climate change”. Now the ABC describes the Australasian expedition as “a Russian ship stuck in sea ice in Antarctica.” ...Instead, there are reports from the ABC like this, with no mention of climate change or what the “passengers” on the “cruise ship” were actually up to:
Let there be no doubt, the mission was to document and record scientific changes in Antarctica and to broadcast that to the world. Most scientific missions don’t have a dedicated media team, but this one named a staff of five journalists. There is a journalist and a documentary maker from the Guardian as well as a senior producer from the Science Unit at the BBC world service. (See the media list.) If they’d discovered less sea ice, fewer penguins, or big cracks, we know the images would be all over the mass media and it would be evidence for “climate change”.
But with the MV Akademik Shokalskiy trapped by thick sea ice, the mission apparently is to call it a tourist boat. The BBC now tell us the mission was “to follow the route explorer Douglas Mawson travelled a century ago”. Don’t mention the climate…
The spin is that team has “met heavy ice”. Not “been trapped by unprecedentedly thick sea ice, unlike anything Mawson ever saw, and in record levels”. If they had met thin sea ice, would it have been described as a dangerously thin layer, a risk for penguins, and a stark reminder of how much the climate is changing? Would it have been an undeniable factoid?
It’s not what the ABC says, it’s what they don’t say (a.k.a. “lying by omission"). The headlines could read “Global warming scientists trapped in Antarctica by record sea ice they didn’t predict”. As if. That would be against the religion.
TONY EASTLEY: The Australian operation to rescue passengers from a Russian cruise ship stuck in thick Antarctic sea ice, is continuing this morning, but it’s slow going.Another ABC report that fails to mention the scientists and journalists were actually trying to prove global warming was changing Antarctica:
The Aurora Australis ice-breaker is the third vessel to try to help the stricken expedition ship, which has been trapped since Christmas Eve.
Authorities say the scientists and tourist on board the Russian vessel are packed and ready to go.
But deteriorating conditions mean any rescue is unlikely any time soon.
An Australian icebreaker has abandoned its attempt to rescue a Russian-flagged ship stuck in sea ice in Antarctica due to adverse weather conditions…More from Watts Up With That.
The Akademik Shokalskiy had been retracing Sir Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic expedition and conducting scientific research when sea ice closed in about 1,500 nautical miles south of Hobart.
The 74 people on board, including scientists, crew members and paying passengers, have been stranded since Christmas Eve.
By the way, how much is the rescue of these warmists costing - in money and emissions?
UPDATE
Reader Katherine in the Bush:
Remember the sea captain who hated his first mate? Every few days he wrote in the log, “first mate was sober today.” This resulted in the first mate being dismissed for drunkenness when they returned to port. The whole truth was that the first mate had been sober every day. Journalists have taken a leaf out of the sea captain’s book to the detriment of our country.
Mines are too ugly for rich men buying their horses
Andrew Bolt December 31 2013 (8:45am)
The NSW Planning and Assessment Commission has just defined our times for us.
It has ruled that a coal mine is simply too ugly for rich people to have anywhere near where they shop for that most exclusive of toys - the thoroughbred horse - and thus must be banned.
Moreover, the mine it has rejected would have kept 500 Australian workers in their jobs. The two horse studs it wants protected are owned by Irish investors and a Middle Eastern Sheik.
The story:
===It has ruled that a coal mine is simply too ugly for rich people to have anywhere near where they shop for that most exclusive of toys - the thoroughbred horse - and thus must be banned.
Moreover, the mine it has rejected would have kept 500 Australian workers in their jobs. The two horse studs it wants protected are owned by Irish investors and a Middle Eastern Sheik.
The story:
Anglo American owners of the Drayton open cut mine had proposed to continue their operations into the southern part of their existing mine lease once current production ceased in 2015.Add to that company tax and the income tax of employees and contractors, plus spin offs for local business.
Their development known as the Drayton South project would have utilised existing Drayton infrastructure and equipment as well as their 500 employees and over the life of the mine deliver $950million in royalties to the state government.
But the expansion of the mine brought it close to two of the country’s biggest thoroughbred horse studs Coolmore and Darley (Woodlands) near Jerrys Plains… In the review the two studs are described as being the core operations that support the entire Upper Hunter Critical Industry Cluster – Equine (CIC) and therefore they need protection from the mine and this would require a buffer of at least several kilometres not the proposed 500metres…Here, from the PAC report, is the critical issue, dressed up with fashionable buzz words such as “brandscape”. Note that security gates to lock out the hoi polloi are cited as a point in favor of the horse studs:
The two studs produce almost half of the country’s stallion fees…
Anglo American’s Coal business, chief executive officer, Seamus French, said this decision was a severe blow to the 500 people who work at Drayton mine and the families they support.
“We have followed all the rules, consulted extensively and made $6 billion worth of compromises to reduce project impacts through revised mine designs,” Mr French said.
“Significantly, we have forgone 53 million tonnes of coal, worth more than $5 billion, to move the mine behind the ridgeline to negate the visual impacts on our neighbours...”
The rich must have their horses. The poor won’t have the wages to even watch.
Last sunset for 2013
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Stephen Zeg Gunnell
I just couldn't sign off this year without a dig and the usual suspects and fools.
I suggest you all have a read of this and please try to subscribe to this brilliant publication. Roger Fletcher does it again...tells the truth.
God bless all.
http://quadrant.org.au/
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Happy New Year! It is about time. - ed
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Christmas Joke
Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by Saint Peter at the pearly gates.
'In honour of this holy season' Saint Peter said, 'You must each possess something that symbolizes Christmas to get into heaven.'
The Englishman fumbled through his pockets and pulled out a lighter. He flicked it on. 'It's a candle', he said.
'You may pass through the pearly gates' Saint Peter said.
The Scotsman reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He shook them and said, 'They're bells.'
Saint Peter said 'You may pass through the pearly gates'.
The Irishman started searching desperately through his pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.
St. Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and asked, 'And just what do those symbolize?'
The paddy replied, 'These are Carols.'
And that's how Christmas Season began In Ireland.
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Andy Trieu
Happy New Year
Sylvia Lee Don’t get confused between my personality and attitude. My personality is who I am, and my attitude depends on who you are! Anon...
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One Year and One Day Ago.... at this very time...
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Photobombing, surfing, hunting .. what ever .. ed
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A simple explanation. Had his son killed the agents, he could have claimed they weren't people he was expecting and they were armed and he was frightened. Instead, he resisted deadly force and failed. - ed
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www.theaustralian.com.au
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#TheHobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the #1 movie in the world for the third straight week!
How many times have you seen the film in theaters so far?
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eating there won't get you a life sentence .. I guess .. ed
Jason FoNg Char kway teow and a dissertation on Cambodian war crimes. One can be easily mistaken.
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CHICK CHAT
A man is alone in an airport lounge.
Two beautiful women walk in and sit down at the table next to him.
He decides because they are wearing a uniform, they are probably off-duty flight attendants.
He decides to have a go at picking them up by identifying the airline they fly for.
He leans across and says the British Airways motto : ' To Fly. To Serve '?
The women look at him blankly.
He sits back and thinks again.
Leans forward and delivers the Air France motto ' Winning the hearts of the world '?
Again they just stare at him.
Undeterred, he tries again, this time saying the Malaysian Airlines motto ' Going beyond expectations '?
The women gives him a cutting look and say " What the fuck do you want ? "
" Aha! " he says, " QANTAS ! "
A man is alone in an airport lounge.
Two beautiful women walk in and sit down at the table next to him.
He decides because they are wearing a uniform, they are probably off-duty flight attendants.
He decides to have a go at picking them up by identifying the airline they fly for.
He leans across and says the British Airways motto : ' To Fly. To Serve '?
The women look at him blankly.
He sits back and thinks again.
Leans forward and delivers the Air France motto ' Winning the hearts of the world '?
Again they just stare at him.
Undeterred, he tries again, this time saying the Malaysian Airlines motto ' Going beyond expectations '?
The women gives him a cutting look and say " What the fuck do you want ? "
" Aha! " he says, " QANTAS ! "
Wow, I now appreciate the pilot more .. ed===
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The maximum choppage fight team! #stuntpeople #stuntdog
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Sarah Palin
Holy unbelievable. The hypocritical leftist lamestream media should be shamed by every caring, child-loving American. It has once again reached a new low. See the article linked below. One just can't win in their petty little games. Good thing most Americans don't play those little games! It's a beautiful thing the Romney family has done by embracing “the spirit of adoption.” What on earth is more beautiful? Shame on MSNBC for mocking this.
The LSM's pursuit of “shock ratings” is unreal. Governor Mitt Romney ran for higher office with what I believe is a servant's heart. He was saddled with some sup-par campaign tactics. That does not make him a bad person nor does it open his children or grandchildren to attacks over a year after the fact. This latest attack from the Left is despicable.
Leftist media hounds are not expressing an opinion with this attack; they are expressing a prejudice that would never be accepted if it came from anyone else but the lib media.
You really need a conscience, yellow journalists. May your 2014 New Year's Resolution be to find one.
Thank you, Romney family, for giving a child a family full of love.
http://www.breitbart.com/
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Michelle Malkin
Racism is hilarious! MSNBC panel mocks, belittles Romneys’ adopted grandson == http://twitchy.com/2013/12/30/racism-is-hilarious-msnbc-panel-mocks-belittles-romneys-adopted-grandson/
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<The Perkal Brothers were an institution and part of Sydney's establishment.
I saw Morris Perkal (left) only two weeks ago mourning his late brother Adam.
Artisans like these are a rarity.
They made shoes just recently for my sister, a client of their's for forty years.
Baruch Dayan Emet.>
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A Golden Classic
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Andy Trieu
Woo! Counted down the fireworks for#CityofSydney tick that off the bucketlist#spacepanda
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'….due to US pressure on Israel….due to US pressure on Israel….due to US pressure on Israel…..due to US pressure on Israel…..
….In 1992, the two men firebombed a civilian bus, murdering Rachel Weiss, who was nine months pregnant, and three of her pre-school aged children, as well as IDF soldier David Delarosa, who tried to save them.
They were released on Monday, due to US pressure on Israel and received back home to heroes’ welcomes. Their freedom empowers Palestinians who reject Israel’s right to exist and seek its destruction through acts of genocide against its Jewish citizens.
…..due to US pressure on Israel……" - Caroline Glick
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You will arise and have compassion upon Zion; for it is time to be gracious unto her, for the appointed time has come.
PSALMS (102:14)
אַתָּה תָקוּם תְּרַחֵם צִיּוֹן כִּי עֵת לְחֶנְנָהּ כִּי בָא מוֹעֵד
תהילים קב:יד
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<Once again Caroline Glick is spot on in her assessment of the prisoner release as well as the plan to declare sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. The release of the mass murderers is most unfortunately a done deal and nets Israel zero in terms of support from a US president who is laughing at our stupidity. I would like to believe that sovereignty will be declared, but my feeling is that we shouldn't hold our breath. Between the Leftists like Tzipi Livni standing in the wings just waiting to sell us out for the proverbial "mess of pottage," and the US waiting to admonish us for our intransigence Netanyahu will once again offer apologies for his bad manners and take his lashes.>
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/
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A Golden Classic
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Andy Trieu
Woo! Counted down the fireworks for#CityofSydney tick that off the bucketlist#spacepanda
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'….due to US pressure on Israel….due to US pressure on Israel….due to US pressure on Israel…..due to US pressure on Israel…..
….In 1992, the two men firebombed a civilian bus, murdering Rachel Weiss, who was nine months pregnant, and three of her pre-school aged children, as well as IDF soldier David Delarosa, who tried to save them.
They were released on Monday, due to US pressure on Israel and received back home to heroes’ welcomes. Their freedom empowers Palestinians who reject Israel’s right to exist and seek its destruction through acts of genocide against its Jewish citizens.
…..due to US pressure on Israel……" - Caroline Glick
www.jpost.com
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blogs.timesofisrael.com
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You will arise and have compassion upon Zion; for it is time to be gracious unto her, for the appointed time has come.
PSALMS (102:14)
אַתָּה תָקוּם תְּרַחֵם צִיּוֹן כִּי עֵת לְחֶנְנָהּ כִּי בָא מוֹעֵד
תהילים קב:יד
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<Once again Caroline Glick is spot on in her assessment of the prisoner release as well as the plan to declare sovereignty over the Jordan Valley. The release of the mass murderers is most unfortunately a done deal and nets Israel zero in terms of support from a US president who is laughing at our stupidity. I would like to believe that sovereignty will be declared, but my feeling is that we shouldn't hold our breath. Between the Leftists like Tzipi Livni standing in the wings just waiting to sell us out for the proverbial "mess of pottage," and the US waiting to admonish us for our intransigence Netanyahu will once again offer apologies for his bad manners and take his lashes.>
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/
www.jpost.com
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www.israelhayom.com
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blogs.timesofisrael.com
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December 30, 2013 / 27 Tevet 5774
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We thank you so much for your love and support of the People of Israel! As 2013 comes to a close, 'United with Israel' is asking for your help to: - Broadcast the TRUTH about Israel to over 100 countries around the world - Support vital projects such as bomb shelters and emergency aid for the needy - Show the uninformed majority how Israel is a beacon of democracy and blessing - Translate our pro-Israel websites and newsletters into multiple languages - Share blessing and joy with Israeli soldiers and victims of terror Click below to Support Israel with a 2013 Tax Deductible Donation http://unitedwithisrael.org/donate While the brave young men and women of the IDF defend Israeli citizens on the battlefield, 'United with Israel' is fighting the war of public opinion in homes, cafes, universities, synagogues and churches all over the world. Funds are needed to expand our professional staff and pay for language translation, content development, video production, graphics, programming, advertising, SEO, new media technology, local branch building and much more. In addition, we support emergency relief projects such as building bomb shelters to protect Israelis who are living under fire. MAKE AN END-OF-YEAR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION http://unitedwithisrael.org/donate Thanks to you, our 'extended reach' has grown to nearly 500 million people around the world. With your continued support, we can empower more than ONE BILLION people to become global advocates for Israel. It may sound like a dream, but it's no more of a dream than the incredible miracle of Israel itself! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO HELP IN 2013. The power of your gift can be exponential as it enables us to connect with millions more. Please donate generously and help make a real difference for the People of Israel. Thank you for your kindness and generosity. We look forward to a fabulous 2014! With Blessings from Israel, The 'United with Israel' Family Support Israel with a 2013 Tax Deductible Donation CLICK HERE --> http://unitedwithisrael.org/donate . You can send a check to the USA: Americans United with Israel PO Box 151 Lawrence, NY 11559 United States You can send a check directly to Israel: United with Israel 8/19 Maor St. Box 71530 Bet Shemesh ISRAEL 99623===
 
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David,
Thanks to your help, 2013 was a truly remarkable year of support for the People of Israel. Your overwhelming kindness and generosity has
made a world of difference!
United with Israel has grown to become the largest, pro-Israel grassroots movement in the entire world, reaching millions of people every day, in every corner of the globe.
Together, we have been successful in fighting anti-Israel media bias and advocating for Israel in over 100 countries. Thanks to your support, we spread positive messages about Israel - not only across the western world - but throughout the Far East, Asia and Africa, including many Arab and Muslim countries. You are truly making a world of difference for Israel!
The enemies of Israel spend billions to spread lies and demonize the State of Israel. We cannot fight this battle alone. We need your support so that Israel can win this war.
United with Israel needs substantial funds to maintain its professional staff and pay for language translation, website development, content creation, video production, graphics, programming, advertising, SEO, social technology, branch development and much more.
Please open your hearts to help Israel - a meaningful way to mark the end of 2013.
We wish you a wonderful 2014, full of happiness, blessing and peace. And we thank you for making a real difference for the People, Country and Land of Israel.
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December 31: New Year's Eve (Gregorian calendar)
- 1225 – Lý Chiêu Hoàng, the only empress regnant in the history of Vietnam, married Trần Thái Tông, making him the first emperor of the Trần Dynasty at age seven.
- 1857 – Queen Victoria selected Ottawa (Parliament Hillpictured), then a small logging town, to be the capital of the British colony of Canada.
- 1963 – Despite Prime Minister Roy Welensky's efforts, the Central African Federation officially collapsed, splitting into three separate nations:Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
- 1983 – Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was selected to lead Nigeria after a successful military coup d'etat that overthrew civilian PresidentShehu Shagari.
- 1993 – Brandon Teena, an American trans man, was raped and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska; his death led to increased lobbying for hate crime laws in the United States.
Events[edit]
- 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gaul.
- 535 – Byzantine general Belisarius completes the conquest of Sicily, defeating the Gothic garrison of Palermo (Panormos), and ending hisconsulship for the year.
- 1225 – The Lý Dynasty of Vietnam ends after 216 years by the enthronement of the boy emperor Trần Thái Tông, husband of the last Lý monarch, Lý Chiêu Hoàng, starting the Trần Dynasty.
- 1229 – James I of Aragon the Conqueror enters Medina Mayurqa (now known as Palma, Spain) thus consummating the Christian reconquest of the island of Majorca.
- 1501 – The First Battle of Cannanore commences.
- 1600 – The British East India Company is chartered.
- 1660 – James II of England is named Duke of Normandy by Louis XIV of France.
- 1687 – The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope.
- 1695 – A window tax is imposed in England, causing many householders to brick up windows to avoid the tax.
- 1757 – Empress Elizabeth I of Russia issues her ukase incorporating Königsberg into Russia
- 1759 – Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and starts brewing Guinness.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Quebec: British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army General Richard Montgomery.
- 1790 – Efimeris, the oldest Greek newspaper of which issues have survived till today is published for the first time.
- 1796 – The incorporation of Baltimore as a city.
- 1831 – Gramercy Park is deeded to New York, New York.
- 1853 – A dinner party is held inside a life-size model of an Iguanodon created by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins and Sir Richard Owen in south London, England, United Kingdom
- 1857 – Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa, then a small logging town, as the capital of Canada.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Stones River begins near Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
- 1878 – Karl Benz, working in Mannheim, Germany, filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine, and he was granted the patent in 1879.
- 1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
- 1906 – Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar signs the Persian Constitution of 1906.
- 1907 – The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York, New York.
- 1909 – Manhattan Bridge opens.
- 1923 – The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
- 1944 – World War II: Hungary declares war on Nazi Germany.
- 1944 – World War II: Operation Nordwind, the last major German offensive on the Western Front begins.
- 1946 – President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.
- 1951 – The Marshall Plan expires after distributing more than US$13.3 billion in foreign aid to rebuild Europe.
- 1955 – General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year.
- 1960 – The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.
- 1961 – RTÉ, Ireland's state broadcaster, launches its first national television service.
- 1963 – The Central African Federation officially collapses and splits into Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.
- 1965 – Jean-Bédel Bokassa, leader of the Central African Republic army, and his military officers begins a coup d'état against the government of President David Dacko.
- 1967 – The Youth International Party, popularly known as the "Yippies", is founded.
- 1981 – A coup d'état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann's PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.
- 1983 – The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.
- 1983 – In Nigeria a coup d'état led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari ends the Second Nigerian Republic.
- 1986 – A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, kills 97 and injures 140.
- 1988 – Pittsburgh Penguins' Mario Lemieux becomes the only National Hockey League player to score goals in five different ways: even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, and empty net, during a 8–6 win over the New Jersey Devils.
- 1988 – First Winter Ascent of Lhotse (8,516m) by Krzysztof Wielicki (solo).
- 1991 – All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date and the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.
- 1992 – Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved in what is dubbed by media as the Velvet Divorce, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- 1993 – Brandon Teena and two others are shot to death inside a farmhouse in Humboldt, Nebraska by John Lotter and Tom Nissen after the two men discovered Teena wastransgender.
- 1994 – This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively.
- 1994 – The First Chechen War: Russian army began a New Year's storm of Grozny
- 1998– The European Exchange Rate Mechanism freezes the values of the legacy currencies in the Eurozone, and establishes the value of the euro currency.
- 1999 – First President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, resigns from office, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President and successor.
- 1999 – Five hijackers, who had been holding 155 hostages on an Indian Airlines plane, leave the plane with two Islamic clerics that they had demanded be freed.
- 1999 – The United States Government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.
- 2004 – The official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft).
- 2009 – Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.
- 2011 – NASA succeeds in putting the first of two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory satellites in orbit around the moon.
Births[edit]
- 695 – Muhammad bin Qasim, Syrian general (d. 715)
- 1378 – Pope Callixtus III (d. 1458)
- 1491 – Jacques Cartier, French explorer (d. 1557)
- 1514 – Andreas Vesalius, Flemish anatomist (d. 1564)
- 1552 – Simon Forman, English occultist and astrologer (d. 1611)
- 1572 – Emperor Go-Yōzei of Japan, (d. 1617)
- 1585 – Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish military leader and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (d. 1645)
- 1668 – Herman Boerhaave, Dutch physician (d. 1738)
- 1704 – Carl Gotthelf Gerlach, German organist (d. 1761)
- 1714 – Yoriyuki Arima, Japanese mathematician (d. 1783)
- 1720 – Charles Edward Stuart, Italian husband of Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern (d. 1788)
- 1738 – Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, English general, 3rd Governor-General of India (d. 1805)
- 1741 – Princess Isabella of Parma (d. 1763)
- 1741 – Gottfried August Bürger, German poet (d. 1794)
- 1763 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (d. 1806)
- 1776 – Johann Spurzheim, German physician (d. 1832)
- 1790 – Antonie Adamberger, Austrian actress (d. 1867)
- 1798 – Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Estonian philologist, writer and physician (d. 1850)
- 1805 – Marie d'Agoult, French author (d. 1876)
- 1815 – George Meade, American general (d. 1872)
- 1830 – Isma'il Pasha, Egyptian politician (d. 1895)
- 1830 – Alexander Smith, Scottish poet (d. 1867)
- 1851 – Henry Carter Adams, American economist (d. 1921)
- 1855 – Giovanni Pascoli, Italian poet (d. 1912)
- 1857 – King Kelly, American baseball player (d. 1894)
- 1860 – Joseph S. Cullinan, American businessman, co-founded Texaco (d. 1937)
- 1864 – Robert Grant Aitken, American astronomer (d. 1951)
- 1869 – Henri Matisse, French painter (d. 1954)
- 1873 – Konstantin Konik, Estonian politician and surgeon (d. 1936)
- 1877 – Lawrence Beesley, English journalist and author (d. 1967)
- 1878 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman, founded Elizabeth Arden, Inc. (d. 1966)
- 1878 – Horacio Quiroga, Uruguayan-Argentinian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1937)
- 1880 – Fred Beebe, American baseball player (d. 1957)
- 1880 – George Marshall, American general and politician, 50th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
- 1881 – Max Pechstein, German painter (d. 1955)
- 1882 – Martin O'Meara, Irish-Australian soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1935)
- 1884 – Bobby Byrne, American baseball player (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1970)
- 1899 – Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican composer, conductor, and violinist (d. 1940)
- 1901 – Júlia Báthory, Hungarian designer(d. 2000)
- 1901 – Nikos Ploumpidis, Greek activist (d. 1954)
- 1902 – Lionel Daunais, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1982)
- 1904 – Umm Kulthum, Egyptian singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1975)
- 1904 – Bill Heynes, English automobile engineer (d. 1989)
- 1905 – Jule Styne, English-American composer (d. 1994)
- 1908 – Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor (d. 2005)
- 1909 – Jonah Jones, American trumpet player (d. 2000)
- 1910 – Carl Dudley, American director and producer (d. 1973)
- 1911 – Dal Stivens, Australian author (d. 1997)
- 1912 – John Frost, Indian-English general (d. 1993)
- 1915 – Sam Ragan, American journalist, author, and poet (d. 1996)
- 1917 – Evelyn Knight, American singer and television entertainer (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Wilfrid Noyce, English mountaineer (d. 1962)
- 1918 – Virginia Davis, American actress (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Tommy Byrne, American baseball player (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Carmen Contreras-Bozak, the first Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps
- 1920 – Rex Allen, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Luis Zuloaga, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Giannis Dalianidis, Greek director (d. 2010)
- 1924 – Taylor Mead, American actor (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Sri Lal Sukla,Indian Hindi Author,(d.2011)
- 1926 – Billy Snedden, Australian politician (d. 1987)
- 1928 – Tatyana Shmyga, Soviet-born Russian operetta/musical theatre performer; later a film actress (d. 2011)
- 1928 – Siné, French cartoonist
- 1929 – Mies Bouwman, Dutch television host
- 1930 – Odetta, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (d. 2008)
- 1930 – Jaime Escalante, Bolivian-American educator (d. 2010)
- 1931 – Bob Shaw, Irish author (d. 1996)
- 1933 – Edward Bunker, American author, screenwriter, and actor (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan, Indian scholar
- 1934 – Noel Tyl, American astrologer
- 1937 – Avram Hershko, Israeli biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Anthony Hopkins, Welsh-American actor and composer
- 1937 – Barry Hughes, Welsh footballer and manager
- 1937 – Alvis Wayne, American singer (d. 2013)
- 1938 – Rosalind Cash, American actress and singer (d. 1995)
- 1938 – Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Dutch speed skater (d. 2013)
- 1940 – Mani Neumeier, German drummer and singer (Guru Guru)
- 1941 – Sean S. Cunningham, American director, screenwriter, and producer
- 1941 – Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1941 – Sarah Miles, English actress
- 1942 – Taufiq Kiemas, Indonesian politician, 5th First Gentleman of Indonesia (d. 2013)
- 1942 – Andy Summers, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Police and Zoot Money's Big Roll Band)
- 1943 – John Denver, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (The John Denver Band and Chad Mitchell Trio) (d. 1997)
- 1943 – Ben Kingsley, English actor
- 1943 – Pete Quaife, English bass player (The Kinks) (d. 2010)
- 1944 – Taylor Hackford, American director and producer
- 1944 – Neil Ross, English-American voice actor
- 1945 – Barbara Carrera, Nicaraguan actress and model
- 1945 – Diane von Fürstenberg, Belgian-American fashion designer
- 1945 – Connie Willis, American author
- 1946 – Pius Ncube, Zimbabwean archbishop
- 1947 – Burton Cummings, Canadian keyboard player and songwriter (The Guess Who)
- 1947 – Rita Lee, Brazilian singer-songwriter and actress (Os Mutantes)
- 1947 – Tim Matheson, American actor
- 1948 – Joe Dallesandro American actor
- 1948 – René Robert, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1948 – Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
- 1949 – Ellen Datlow, American anthologist and editor
- 1949 – Seub Nakhasathien, Thai environmentalist (d. 1990)
- 1949 – Susan Shwartz, American author
- 1951 – Tom Hamilton, American bass player and songwriter (Aerosmith)
- 1951 – Terry Rhoads, American actor (d. 2013)
- 1952 – Vaughan Jones, New Zealand mathematician
- 1953 – Jane Badler, American actress
- 1953 – Michael Hedges, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997)
- 1953 – James Remar, American actor
- 1954 – Alex Salmond, Scottish politician, 4th First Minister of Scotland
- 1954 – Hermann Tilke, German race car driver and engineer
- 1956 – Steve Rude, American writer and illustrator
- 1958 – Bebe Neuwirth, American actress
- 1959 – Liveris Andritsos, Greek basketball player
- 1959 – Alfie Anido, Filipino actor (d. 1981)
- 1959 – Ron Bennington, American radio host
- 1959 – Val Kilmer, American actor
- 1959 – Phill Kline, American politician
- 1959 – Baron Waqa, Nauruan politician
- 1959 – Paul Westerberg, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Replacements)
- 1960 – Steve Bruce, English footballer
- 1960 – John Allen Muhammad, American murderer (d. 2009)
- 1961 – Rick Aguilera, American baseball player
- 1961 – Nina Li, Chinese actress
- 1962 – Tyrone Corbin, American basketball player
- 1962 – Don Diamont, American actor
- 1962 – Chris Hallam, English swimmer (d. 2013)
- 1962 – Heather McCartney, American-English potter
- 1962 – Lance Reddick, American actor
- 1963 – Scott Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Anthrax, Stormtroopers of Death, The Damned Things, and Damnocracy)
- 1963 – Konishiki Yasokichi, American sumo wrestler
- 1964 – Michael McDonald, American comedian, actor, and director
- 1965 – Tony Dorigo, English footballer
- 1965 – Julie Doucet, Canadian cartoonist
- 1965 – Gong Li, Chinese actress
- 1965 – Nicholas Sparks, American author
- 1966 – Lisa Joyner, American journalist
- 1968 – Gerry Dee, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1968 – Junot Díaz, Dominican-American writer
- 1968 – Luciano Szafir, Brazilian actor
- 1969 – Arvi Aavik, Estonian wrestler
- 1969 – Dominik Diamond, Scottish television and radio host
- 1969 – Are Kalvø, Norwegian author
- 1970 – Jorge Alberto da Costa Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1970 – Sven Kretschmer, German footballer
- 1970 – Danny McNamara, English singer-songwriter (Embrace)
- 1970 – Carlos Morales Quintana, Spanish husband of Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark
- 1970 – Bryon Russell, American basketball player
- 1971 – Brent Barry, American basketball player
- 1971 – Esteban Loaiza, Mexican baseball player
- 1972 – Joey McIntyre, American singer-songwriter and actor (New Kids on the Block)
- 1973 – Shandon Anderson, American basketball player
- 1973 – Crystal Knight, American porn actress and model
- 1973 – Malcolm Middleton, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Arab Strap)
- 1974 – Mario Aerts, Belgian cyclist
- 1974 – Joe Abercrombie, British fantasy writer
- 1974 – Tony Kanaan, Brazilian race car driver
- 1974 – Ryan Sakoda, Japanese-American wrestler
- 1975 – Rami Alanko, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1975 – Toni Kuivasto, Finnish footballer
- 1975 – Rob Penders, Dutch footballer
- 1975 – Sander Schutgens, Dutch runner
- 1976 – Luis Carreira, Portuguese motorcycle racer (d. 2012)
- 1976 – Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian
- 1977 – Psy, South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, and dancer
- 1977 – Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican footballer
- 1977 – Donald Trump, Jr., American businessman
- 1978 – Eisa Al Dah, Emirati professional boxer
- 1979 – Elaine Cassidy, Irish actress
- 1979 – Paul O'Neill, English race car driver
- 1980 – M-Dogg 20, American wrestler
- 1980 – Jesse Carlson, American baseball player
- 1980 – Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- 1980 – Carsten Schlangen, German runner
- 1981 – Jason Campbell, American football player
- 1981 – Matthew Pavlich, Australian rules footballer
- 1982 – Julio DePaula, Dominican baseball player
- 1982 – Craig Gordon, Scottish footballer
- 1982 – Luke Schenscher, Australian basketball player
- 1982 – The Rocket Summer, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer
- 1983 – Mariana Renata, French-Indonesian actress
- 1984 – Édgar Lugo, Mexican footballer
- 1984 – Paul Rodriguez, American skateboarder and actor
- 1984 – Calvin Zola, Democratic Republic of the Congo footballer
- 1985 – Jan Smit, Dutch singer
- 1985 – Jonathan Horton, American gymnast
- 1986 – Bronson Pelletier, Canadian actor
- 1986 – Nate Freiman, American baseball player
- 1987 – Javaris Crittenton, American basketball player
- 1987 – Danny Holla, Dutch footballer
- 1987 – Émilie Le Pennec, French gymnast
- 1990 – Patrick Chan, Canadian figure skater
- 1991 – Camila Giorgi, Italian tennis player
- 1991 – Bojana Jovanovski, Serbian tennis player
- 1992 – Karl Kruuda, Estonian rally driver
- 1993 – Ryan Blaney, American race car driver
- 1995 – Gabby Douglas, American gymnast
- 2005 – Lakshmi Tatma, Indian deformed girl
Deaths[edit]
- 192 – Commodus, Roman emperor (b. 161)
- 335 – Pope Sylvester I
- 669 – Li Shiji, Chinese chancellor (b. 594)
- 1164 – Ottokar III of Styria (b. 1124)
- 1194 – Leopold V, Duke of Austria (b. 1157)
- 1297 – Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, English soldier (b. 1249)
- 1302 – Frederick III, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1238)
- 1384 – John Wycliffe, English theologian and translator (b. circa 1328)
- 1424 – Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, English military leader (b. 1377)
- 1460 – Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, English politician (b. 1400)
- 1510 – Bianca Maria Sforza, Italian wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1472)
- 1535 – William Skeffington, English politician (b. 1465)
- 1568 – Shimazu Tadayoshi, Japanese warlord (b. 1493)
- 1575 – Pierino Belli, Italian soldier and jurist (b. 1502)
- 1583 – Thomas Erastus, Swiss physician and theologian (b. 1524)
- 1610 – Ludolph van Ceulen, German-Dutch mathematician (b. 1540)
- 1650 – Dorgon, Chinese emperor (b. 1612)
- 1655 – Janusz Radziwiłł, Polish–Lithuanian noble and magnate (b. 1612)
- 1673 – Oliver St John, English politician and judge (b. 1598)
- 1679 – Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist (b. 1608)
- 1691 – Robert Boyle, Irish chemist and physicist (b. 1627)
- 1691 – Dudley North, English economist (b. 1641)
- 1705 – Catherine of Braganza (b. 1638)
- 1719 – John Flamsteed, English astronomer (b. 1646)
- 1742 – Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine (b. 1661)
- 1799 – Jean-François Marmontel, French historian and author (b. 1723)
- 1872 – Aleksis Kivi, Finnish author (b. 1834)
- 1876 – Catherine Labouré, French saint (b. 1806)
- 1877 – Gustave Courbet, French painter (b. 1819)
- 1888 – Samson Raphael Hirsch, German rabbi (b. 1808)
- 1889 – Ion Creangă, Romanian author and educator (b. 1837)
- 1890 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier (b. 1826)
- 1891 – Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Nigerian bishop (b. 1809)
- 1894 – Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch mathematician (b. 1856)
- 1909 – Spencer Trask, American financier and philanthropist (b. 1844)
- 1910 – Archibald Hoxsey, American pilot (b. 1884)
- 1910 – John Moisant, American pilot (b. 1868)
- 1921 – Boies Penrose, American lawyer and politician (b. 1860)
- 1936 – Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish author, poet, and philosopher (b. 1864)
- 1948 – Malcolm Campbell, English race car driver (b. 1885)
- 1949 – Raimond Valgre, Estonian composer (b. 1913)
- 1953 – Albert Plesman, Dutch businessman, founded KLM (b. 1889)
- 1964 – Bobby Byrne, American baseball player (b. 1884)
- 1964 – Ólafur Thors, Icelandic politician, 8th Prime Minister of Iceland (b. 1892)
- 1964 – Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, English field marshal (b. 1881)
- 1968 – George Lewis, American clarinet player (b. 1900)
- 1971 – Pete Duel American actor (b. 1940)
- 1971 – Marin Sais, American actress (b. 1890)
- 1972 – Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1934)
- 1972 – Henry Gerber, German-American activist, founded the Society for Human Rights (b. 1892)
- 1977 – Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti ruler (b. 1924)
- 1978 – Basil Wolverton, American cartoonist, illustrator and comic book writer and artist (b. 1909)
- 1980 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian philosopher (b. 1911)
- 1980 – Raoul Walsh, American director (b. 1887)
- 1985 – Ricky Nelson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (b. 1940)
- 1986 – Raj Narain, Indian politician (b. 1917)
- 1987 – Jerry Turner, American journalist (b. 1929)
- 1988 – Nicolas Calas, Greek-American poet and critic (b. 1907)
- 1990 – George Allen, American football coach (b. 1918)
- 1990 – Vasily Lazarev, Soviet astronaut (b. 1928)
- 1990 – Giovanni Michelucci, Italian architect, designed the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station (b. 1891)
- 1993 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian politician, 1st President of Georgia (b. 1939)
- 1993 – Brandon Teena, American murder victim (b. 1972)
- 1994 – Leigh Bowery, Australian-English singer and actor (b. 1961)
- 1994 – Woody Strode, American actor and decathlete (b. 1914)
- 1997 – Floyd Cramer, American pianist (b. 1933)
- 1997 – Billie Dove, American actress (b. 1903)
- 1997 – Michael LeMoyne Kennedy, American son of Robert F. Kennedy (b. 1958)
- 1999 – Elliot Richardson, American lawyer and politician, 69th United States Attorney General (b. 1920)
- 2000 – Alan Cranston, American journalist and politician (b. 1914)
- 2000 – José Greco, Italian-American dancer and choreographer (b. 1918)
- 2000 – Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, American-Israeli rabbi and scholar (b. 1966)
- 2001 – Eileen Heckart, American actress (b. 1919)
- 2002 – Kevin MacMichael, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Cutting Crew) (b. 1951)
- 2003 – Arthur R. von Hippel German-American physicist (b. 1898)
- 2004 – Gérard Debreu, French economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1921)
- 2005 – Enrico Di Giuseppe, American tenor (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Phillip Whitehead, English politician (b. 1937)
- 2006 – Seymour Martin Lipset, American sociologist (b. 1922)
- 2006 – George Sisler, Jr., American businessman (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Tommy Dickson, Irish footballer (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Tony Elliott, American football player (b. 1959)
- 2007 – Michael Goldberg, American painter (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Bill Idelson, American actor, screenwriter, and producer (b. 1919)
- 2007 – Kathryn Ish, American actress (b. 1936)
- 2007 – Milton L. Klein, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1910)
- 2007 – Markku Peltola, Finnish actor and singer (b. 1956)
- 2007 – Ettore Sottsass, Austrian-Italian architect and designer (b. 1917)
- 2008 – Donald E. Westlake, American author (b. 1933)
- 2009 – Cahal Daly, Irish cardinal and philosopher(b. 1917)
- 2009 – Justin Keating, Irish journalist and politician (b. 1930)
- 2009 – Erica Boyer, American pornographic actress (b. 1956)
- 2010 – Raymond Impanis, Belgian cyclist (b. 1925)
- 2010 – Per Oscarsson, Swedish actor (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Larry Bowie, American football player (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Béla Csécsei, Hungarian educator and politician (b. 1952)
- 2012 – Susana Dalmás, Uruguayan politician (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Peter Ebert, German director (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Konstantin Kobets, Russian general (b. 1939)
- 2012 – Alasdair Liddell, English businessman (b. 1949)
- 2012 – Annapurna Maharana, Indian activist (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Tarak Mekki, Tunisian businessman and politician (b. 1958)
- 2012 – James B. Reuter, American-Filipino priest and journalist (b. 1916)
- 2012 – Jean-Henri Roger, French director, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1949)
- 2012 – Günter Rössler, German photographer and journalist (b. 1926)
Holidays and observances[edit]
- International Solidarity Day (Azerbaijan)
- New Year's Eve (International observances), and its related observances:
- Last Day of the Year or Bisperás ng Bagong Taón, special holiday between Rizal Day and New Year's Day (Philippines)
- The first day of Hogmanay or "Auld Year’s Night" (Scotland)
- The seventh day of Christmas (Western Christianity)
““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof."
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Look at David's Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father's right hand, expecting until his enemies be made his footstool. "As he is, so are we also in this world." You must bear the cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian. "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof." See that creeping worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the flower bells, full of happiness and life; that is the end thereof. That caterpillar is yourself, until you are wrapped up in the chrysalis of death; but when Christ shall appear you shall be like him, for you shall see him as he is. Be content to be like him, a worm and no man, that like him you may be satisfied when you wake up in his likeness. That rough-looking diamond is put upon the wheel of the lapidary. He cuts it on all sides. It loses much--much that seemed costly to itself. The king is crowned; the diadem is put upon the monarch's head with trumpet's joyful sound. A glittering ray flashes from that coronet, and it beams from that very diamond which was just now so sorely vexed by the lapidary. You may venture to compare yourself to such a diamond, for you are one of God's people; and this is the time of the cutting process. Let faith and patience have their perfect work, for in the day when the crown shall be set upon the head of the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, one ray of glory shall stream from you. "They shall be mine," saith the Lord, "in the day when I make up my jewels." "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof."
Evening
"Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end?"
2 Samuel 2:26
2 Samuel 2:26
If, O my reader! thou art merely a professor, and not a possessor of the faith that is in Christ Jesus, the following lines are a true ketch of thine end.
You are a respectable attendant at a place of worship; you go because others go, not because your heart is right with God. This is your beginning. I will suppose that for the next twenty or thirty years you will be spared to go on as you do now, professing religion by an outward attendance upon the means of grace, but having no heart in the matter. Tread softly, for I must show you the deathbed of such a one as yourself. Let us gaze upon him gently. A clammy sweat is on his brow, and he wakes up crying, "O God, it is hard to die. Did you send for my minister?" "Yes, he is coming." The minister comes. "Sir, I fear that I am dying!" "Have you any hope?" "I cannot say that I have. I fear to stand before my God; oh! pray for me." The prayer is offered for him with sincere earnestness, and the way of salvation is for the ten-thousandth time put before him, but before he has grasped the rope, I see him sink. I may put my finger upon those cold eyelids, for they will never see anything here again. But where is the man, and where are the man's true eyes? It is written, "In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment." Ah! why did he not lift up his eyes before? Because he was so accustomed to hear the gospel that his soul slept under it. Alas! if you should lift up your eyes there, how bitter will be your wailings. Let the Saviour's own words reveal the woe: "Father Abraham, send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame." There is a frightful meaning in those words. May you never have to spell it out by the red light of Jehovah's wrath!
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Today's reading: Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 21 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Zechariah 9-12
Cleansing From Sin
1 “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the LORD Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3 And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies in the LORD’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.
4 “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment of hair in order to deceive. 5Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.’6 If someone asks, ‘What are these wounds on your body?’ they will answer, ‘The wounds I was given at the house of my friends....’
Today's New Testament reading: Revelation 20
A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true....”
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Simeon, Symeon [Sĭm'eon]—hearing, hears and obeys orhearing with acceptance.
1. The second son of Jacob by Leah(Gen. 29:33).
The Man Who Was Self-Willed
It is not easy to deal with Simeon alone, since he is always associated with his brother, Levi. “Simeon and Levi are brethren” (Gen. 49:5 ). Of Simeon’s personal history we know little. His name implies hearing with obedience, but Simeon was deaf in the day he should have heard, and disobedient and irresponsive when his lot hung in balance.
The first thing recorded about Simeon is that with Levi his brother, he drew the sword in treachery against the Shechemites and slew all the males. When rebuked by their father, they upheld indignantly their right to act as they did. Both acted “in their selfwill” (Gen. 49:6), which means they took malicious delight in their gross crime.
Simeon next appears in the story of Joseph, who felt it would be better to retain Simeon until Benjamin had been brought to the palace. Joseph felt with his father Jacob that Simeon and Levi would be best apart. In fact, Simeon had no blessing while joined with Levi and no prosperity while he was with Reuben. When separated, Simeon, at first, did not multiply (1 Chron. 4:24-27). During the forty years in the wilderness the decrease of Simeon was remarkable. Because of the idolatry of the tribe, thousands were slain.
In the land of Canaan, Simeon joined with Judah, and this association marked a turning point in the history of the tribe. Judah and Simeon went up together to Canaan (Judg. 1:1-3). Simeon means “obedient hearing,” and Judah, “praise.” The absorption of Simeon into the inheritance of Judah gave Simeon a place and work in Israel. In the final division of the land, foretold by Ezekiel, between Benjamin and Issachar, there is a portion for Simeon.
Over the gate to the Golden City, Simeon’s name is inscribed—“Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed 12,000”—a way for even Simeon to enter the city of God above. From the time the Simeonites became aware of what God had done for them there was no more curse and no more captivity for them. Hitherto instruments of cruelty, they became instruments of warfare against the enemies of the Lord, ultimately earning the right to be included among the number eternally sealed (Rev. 7:7).
Self-will fittingly describes Simeon’s career until he was separated from Levi. God hates self-will for He knows how it accounts for uncontrolled passions, and the failure to respond to higher appeals. Because of their self-will God, in His governmental dealings, scattered and impoverished the Simeonites. May we not come nigh their dwelling but ever seek to learn, prove and obey “that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
2. A just and devout man in Jerusalem who awaited the coming of Jesus, the Messiah (Luke 2:25-34).
The Man Who Died Satisfied
The adoration and prophecy of Simeon, who waited for the consolation of Israel and blessed the Consoler when He appeared, is rich in spiritual suggestion. This spectator of the most significant birth of all history, endued with a prophetic spirit, kept the lamp of prophecy burning when religion was at a low ebb in Israel. Simeon means “one who hears and obeys” and this saintly Simeon knew the voice speaking in the prophets of old, and obeyed the light he saw. Coming into the Temple, he took the Babe in his arms and blessed God. What a wonderful benediction his was!
At last faith had been justified and Simeon could die without fear. Have our eyes seen the salvation of the Lord? Can we die in peace? In his swan song, Simeon was not ashamed to declare that the One born in the city of David was the Saviour of the world. This was more than the letter-learned scribes of his times had discerned. These were the men who looked upon Christ as a sign to be spoken against and to whom He would become a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.
With godly Simeon it was different, for he was Spirit-taught and knew that Mary’s Child was the One through whom the world was to be blessed. As he eagerly anticipated Christ’s first advent, are we found patiently awaiting His second advent? When He does appear and we see Him as He is, ours will be the thrill Simeon experienced as He gazed upon the Lord’s Christ.
3. An ancestor of Jesus (Luke 3:30).
4. A disciple and prophet at Antioch, surnamed Niger (Acts 13:1 ).
5. The original name of a son of Jonas, or John, and brother of Andrew an apostle of Christ. See SIMON (Acts 15:14).
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