Great moments in Free Speech
Actor Josh Thomas vs MP Wyatt RoyActors are not noted for their great thoughts in the political world. Many supported Nazism in the thirties, Many supported communism and still do. Actor Josh Thomas is not an idiot, but he is very foolish and his rhetoric is placed in Gay Activism which has a legitimate voice, but is wrong when it embraces Green activism which has nothing to do with the environment. Wyatt had posted that it was wonderful that the new immigration policy meant people did not drown, as over 1300 had under the previous ALP policy. Josh picked up on a lie that claimed that children were being raped in detention. That has happened in the past, infamously Rudd tore up evidence of such, involving the gang rape of a teenage Aboriginal girl in the late '80s, now called the Heiner Affair. There is no evidence or even claim that such is happening now. However, Josh may have evidence? Josh also referred to a red herring of secrecy involving illegal migrants. However, that is not strictly speaking what is happening. The government is not trumpeting results so as to steal from people smugglers a sales pitch. It is very effective. Detained people are not abused, but are processed according to UN rules and Australian standards, which are higher than the UN's. Josh should apologise to Wyatt, but one suspects he enjoys notoriety from parroting his green, communist heroes.
In defence of Barry Spurr
A former chinese student of the Professor has written movingly of her experience of his lectures. He has been censured by Sydney University following the theft of his private emails and their publication without his explanation. He has never publicly uttered them and the magazine that published them has some hard questions it should answer. But then, so does the Ukraine over MH17, and that will never happen.
Student who broke the privacy of Abbott's daughter sentenced
The student used the same magazine as denounced Spurr to denounce Mr Abbott's daughter in obtaining a scholarship on merit. The student was supposed to be sentenced today, but that has been delayed a month. The student has apologised for their crime. The magazine has not. Newman's defence claimed she was too immature to know that her crime was wrong. New Matilda might use that same excuse?
Canada's Parliament.
Gun battle inside Canada's parliament as ISIL further attempts to bring terror to the west and force a change of lifestyle. It is reminiscent of other opportunist attacks. The suicidal aspect is probably supposed to raise it in the public consciousness, but it looks badly planned instead. Good people are dying and each attack lessens the value of ISIL terrorists everywhere. Mr Abbott declared Mr Harper was like a brother and the Australian parliament would stand shoulder to shoulder with Canada's parliament.
Many fair people feel Whitlam lost government through gross incompetence. Rudd blames a "Massive Conservative Fuselage."An 18yo school girl says she has studied the issue and appreciated Whitlam giving women the vote. It is probably fair to say that Whitlam went too far in the public mind when he tried to make a horse senator and then ate the foetus of his love child he ripped from his sister's dead body. Others say that the hagiography of Whitlam unfairly neglect criticism and inflate achievements.
Michael Mann illustrates what he has been accused of. He is think skinned when he is faced with criticism of his work. He is sloppy and inaccurate and occasionally wildly parochial. He is not responsible and his work as a scientist discredits not only him but others who call themselves scientists.
Sport
WSB SFG vs KCRThe Royals have levelled the series after a sixth innings blow out on starter pitcher Peavey for the Giants. Maybe the Royals will keep momentum? Or will the Giants stand up?
As a social justice kitten has attributed to them "I drink your tears, oppressor"
from 2013
A corrupt anti semitic bigot steps away from opposition senate duty. Bob Carr was highly lauded as an opposition leader when he trawled for turds off Bondi Beach. But the one trick pony just wants his former Premier pension and assets. And with all his time in office, it is impossible to point to anything worthwhile he did. The press will be kind, referring to his status as a dart board figurine. He will be missed.
ALP were upset the military did not toe the party line while they were in government. Bad decisions meant many soldiers were killed on duty. To punish the military, ALP leaked and inflated scandals. It is terrible to hear of young people having sex. Where crimes have taken place, the army is equipped to handle them. Sadly that doesn't help the ALP ..
A former journalist, but current ALP member in South Australia wants censorship. Mia Freedman is prone to saying dumb things, but not everything she posts is bad. Censorship also works when people stop listening. Mr Howard is Australia's greatest PM to date. Something journalists try to obscure as they barack for ALP.
AGW extremism burns a billion dollars a day. Reminding me of an old Jud Strunk number "I'll burn you a billion a day dear .."
The only cure for debt is saving. ALP must embrace abolition of carbon tax if it is to thrive again.
Russia has migration issues related to terrorism. Something Australia has to think about as a culture of feral peoples .. not solely one religion .. behave appallingly badly. A parent copies their bush fire starting child's delivery of the bird.
Barrie Cassidy booted Bolt from Insiders but enjoys perks he denies others.
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This column welcomes feedback and criticism. The column is not made up but based on the days events and articles which are then placed in the feed. So they may not have an apparent cohesion they would have had were they made up.
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For twenty two years I have been responsibly addressing an issue, and I cannot carry on. I am petitioning the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to remedy my distress. I leave it up to him if he chooses to address the issue. Regardless of your opinion of conservative government, the issue is pressing. Please sign my petition at https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/tony-abbott-remedy-the-persecution-of-dd-ball
Or the US President at
https://www.change.org/p/barack-obama-change-this-injustice#
or
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/change-injustice-faced-david-daniel-ball-after-he-reported-bungled-pedophile-investigation-and/b8mxPWtJ or http://wh.gov/ilXYR
Mr Ball, I will not sign your petition as it will do no good, but I will share your message and ask as many of friends who read it, to share it also. Let us see if we cannot use the power of the internet to spread the word of these infamous killings. As a father and a former soldier, I cannot, could not, justify ignoring this appalling action by the perpetrators, whoever they may; I thank you Douglas. You are wrong about the petition. Signing it is as worthless and meaningless an act as voting. A stand up guy would know that. - ed
Lorraine Allen Hider I signed the petition ages ago David, with pleasure, nobody knows what it's like until they've been there. Keep heart David take care.
===
64 BC – Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Roman general and statesman (d. 12 BC)
1762 – Samuel Morey, American inventor (d. 1843)
1813 – Ludwig Leichhardt, German explorer (d. 1848)
1893 – Gummo Marx, American actor (d. 1977)
1925 – Johnny Carson, American television host (d. 2005)
1931 – Diana Dors, English actress (d. 1984)
1940 – Pelé, Brazilian footballer
1942 – Michael Crichton, American author, screenwriter, director, and producer (d. 2008)
1954 – Ang Lee, Taiwanese-American director
1957 – Martin Luther King III, American activist
1959 – Sam Raimi, American director
1959 – "Weird Al" Yankovic, American singer-songwriter, comedian, and actor
1961 – Laurie Halse Anderson, American author
1991 – Princess Mako of Akishino
1998 – Amandla Stenberg, American actress
- 1641 – Irish Catholic gentry in Ulster tried to seize control of Dublin Castle, the seat of English rule in Ireland to force concessions to Catholics.
- 1850 – The first National Women's Rights Convention, presided over by Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis (pictured), was held in Worcester, Massachusetts, US.
- 1956 – The Hungarian Revolution began as a peaceful student demonstration which attracted thousands as it marched through central Budapest to the Parliament building.
- 1989 – A massive explosion and fire ripped through the Phillips 66 Houston Chemical Complex, killing 23 employees and injuring 314 others.
- 2001 – The iPod, the line of portable media playersdesigned and marketed by Apple, was launched.
Matches
- 42 BC – Liberators' civil war: Second Battle of Philippi – Mark Antony and Octavian decisively defeat Brutus's army. Brutus commits suicide.
- 425 – Valentinian III is elevated as Roman emperor at the age of 6.
- 501 – The Synodus Palmaris, called by Gothic king Theoderic the Great, discharges Pope Symmachus of all charges, thus ending the schism of Antipope Laurentius.
- 1086 – At the Battle of az-Zallaqah, the army of Yusuf ibn Tashfin defeats the forces of Castilian King Alfonso VI.
- 1157 – The Battle of Grathe Heath ends the civil war in Denmark. King Sweyn III is killed and Valdemar Irestores the country.
- 1295 – The first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England is signed in Paris.
- 1641 – Outbreak of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
- 1642 – Battle of Edgehill: First major battle of the First English Civil War.
- 1694 – British/American colonial forces, led by Sir William Phips, fail to seize Quebec from the French.
- 1707 – The first Parliament of Great Britain meets.
- 1739 – War of Jenkins' Ear starts: British Prime Minister Robert Walpole, reluctantly declares war on Spain.
- 1812 – Claude François de Malet, a French general, begins a conspiracy to overthrow Napoleon Bonaparte, claiming that the Emperor died in Russia and that he is now the commandant of Paris.
- 1850 – The first National Women's Rights Convention begins in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.
- 1861 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in Washington, D.C., for all military-related cases.
- 1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Westport – Union forces under General Samuel R. Curtis defeat Confederate troops led by General Sterling Price at Westport, near Kansas City.
- 1867 – 72 Senators are summoned by Royal Proclamation to serve as the first members of the Canadian Senate.
- 1870 – Franco-Prussian War: the Siege of Metz concludes with a decisive Prussian victory.
- 1906 – Alberto Santos-Dumont flies an airplane in the first heavier-than-air flight in Europe at Champs de Bagatelle, Paris, France.
- 1911 – First use of aircraft in war: An Italian pilot takes off from Libya to observe Turkish army lines during the Italo-Turkish War.
- 1912 – First Balkan War: The Battle of Kumanovo between the Serbian and Ottoman armies begins.
- 1915 – Women's suffrage: In New York City, 25,000-33,000 women march on Fifth Avenue to advocate their right to vote.
- 1917 – Lenin calls for the October Revolution.
- 1929 – Great Depression: After a steady decline in stock market prices since a peak in September, the New York Stock Exchange begins to show signs of panic.
- 1935 – Dutch Schultz, Abe Landau, Otto Berman, and Bernard "Lulu" Rosencrantz are fatally shot at a saloon in Newark, New Jersey in what will become known as The Chophouse Massacre.
- 1939 – The Japanese Mitsubishi G4M twin-engine "Betty" Bomber makes its maiden flight.
- 1941 – World War II: Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov takes command of Red Army operations to prevent the further advance into Russia of German forces and to prevent the Wehrmacht from capturing Moscow.
- 1942 – World War II: Second Battle of El Alamein: – At El Alamein in northern Egypt, the British Eighth Army under Field Marshal Montgomery begins a critical offensive to expel the Axis armies from Egypt.
- 1942 – All 12 passengers and crewmen aboard an American Airlines DC-3 airliner are killed when it is struck by a U.S. Army Air Forcesbomber near Palm Springs, California. Amongst the victims is award-winning composer and songwriter Ralph Rainger ("Thanks for the Memory", "Love in Bloom", "Blue Hawaii").
- 1942 – World War II: The Battle for Henderson Field begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign and ends on October 26.
- 1944 – World War II: Battle of Leyte Gulf – The largest naval battle in history begins in the Philippines.
- 1946 – The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time, at an auditorium in Flushing, Queens, New York City.
- 1956 – Thousands of Hungarians protest against the government and Soviet occupation. (The Hungarian Revolution is crushed on November 4).
- 1958 – The Springhill Mine bump – An underground earthquake traps 174 miners in the No. 2 colliery at Springhill, Nova Scotia, the deepest coal mine in North America at the time. By November 1, rescuers from around the world had dug out 100 of the victims, marking the death toll at 74.
- 1958 – The Smurfs, a fictional race of blue dwarves, later popularized in a Hanna-Barbera animated cartoon series, appear for the first time in the story La flute à six schtroumpfs, a Johan and Peewit adventure by Peyo, which is serialized in the weekly Spirou magazine.
- 1965 – Vietnam War: The 1st Cavalry Division (United States) (Airmobile), in conjunction with South Vietnamese forces, launches a new operation seeking to destroy North Vietnamese forces in Pleiku in the II Corps Tactical Zone (the Central Highlands).
- 1970 – Gary Gabelich sets a land speed record in a rocket-powered automobile called the Blue Flame, fueled with natural gas.
- 1972 – Operation Linebacker, a US bombing campaign against North Vietnam in response to its Easter Offensive, ends after five months.
- 1973 – The Watergate scandal: US President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over subpoenaed audio tapes of his Oval Officeconversations.
- 1973 – A United Nations sanctioned cease-fire officially ends the Yom Kippur War between Israel and Syria.
- 1983 – Lebanese Civil War: The U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut is hit by a truck bomb, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. A French army barracks in Lebanon is also hit that same morning, killing 58 troops.
- 1989 – The Hungarian Republic is officially declared by president Mátyás Szűrös, replacing the communist Hungarian People's Republic.
- 1989 – Bankruptcy of Wärtsilä Marine; the biggest bankruptcy in the nordic countries until then.
- 1993 – The Troubles: A Provisional IRA bomb prematurely detonates in the Shankill area of Belfast, killing the bomber and nine civilians. Ulster loyalists retaliate a week later with the Greysteel massacre.
- 1995 – Yolanda Saldívar is found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of popular Latin singer Selena. Three days later, Saldívar was sentenced to life in prison, eligible for parole in 2025
- 1998 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat reach a "land for peace" agreement.
- 1998 – Swatch Internet Time, a measure of 1000 "beats" per day was inaugurated by the Swatch Group.
- 2002 – Moscow Theatre Siege begins: Chechen terrorists seize the House of Culture theater in Moscow and take approximately 700 theater-goers hostage.
- 2004 – A powerful earthquake and its aftershocks hit Niigata Prefecture, northern Japan, killing 35 people, injuring 2,200, and leaving 85,000 homeless or evacuated.
- 2007 – A powerful cold front in the Bay of Campeche causes the Usumacinta jackup rig to collide with Kab 101, leading to the death and drowning of 22 people during rescue operations after evacuation of the rig.
- 2011 – A powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Van Province, Turkey, killing 582 people and injuring thousands.
- 2011 – The Libyan National Transition Council deems the Libyan Civil War over.
- 2012 – After 38 years, the world's first teletext service (BBC's Ceefax) ceases broadcast due to Northern Ireland completing the digital switchover.
Hatches
- 64 BC – Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Roman general and politician (d. 12 BC)
- 1516 – Charlotte of Valois (d. 1524)
- 1634 – Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1715)
- 1654 – Johann Bernhard Staudt, Austrian composer (d. 1712)
- 1698 – Ange-Jacques Gabriel, French architect, designed the École Militaire (d. 1782)
- 1705 – Maximilian Ulysses Browne, Austrian field marshal (d. 1757)
- 1713 – Pieter Burman the Younger, Dutch philologist (d. 1778)
- 1715 – Peter II of Russia (d. 1730)
- 1752 – Maria Anna Adamberger, Austrian actress (d. 1804)
- 1762 – Samuel Morey, American engineer (d. 1843)
- 1766 – Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy, French general (d. 1847)
- 1771 – Jean-Andoche Junot, French general (d. 1813)
- 1790 – Chauncey Allen Goodrich, American clergyman, lexicographer, and educator (d. 1860)
- 1796 – Stefano Franscini, Swiss politician (d. 1857)
- 1801 – Albert Lortzing, German actor, singer, and composer (d. 1851)
- 1805 – John Russell Bartlett, American linguist and historian (d. 1886)
- 1813 – Ludwig Leichhardt, German explorer (d. 1848)
- 1815 – João Maurício Vanderlei, Baron of Cotejipe, Brazilian politician (d. 1889)
- 1817 – Pierre Athanase Larousse, French lexicographer and author (d. 1875)
- 1835 – Adlai Stevenson I, American politician, 23rd Vice President of the United States (d. 1914)
- 1844 – Robert Bridges, English poet (d. 1930)
- 1857 – Juan Luna, Filipino painter and sculptor (d. 1899)
- 1865 – Neltje Blanchan, American historian and author (d. 1918)
- 1869 – John Heisman, American football player and coach (d. 1936)
- 1870 – Francis Kelley, Canadian-American bishop (d. 1948)
- 1873 – William D. Coolidge, American physicist and inventor (d. 1975)
- 1875 – Gilbert N. Lewis, American chemist (d. 1946)
- 1876 – Franz Schlegelberger, German judge and politician, Reich Ministry of Justice (d. 1970)
- 1880 – Una O'Connor, Irish-American actress and singer (d. 1959)
- 1885 – Lawren Harris, Canadian painter (d. 1970)
- 1888 – Onésime Gagnon, Canadian scholar and politician, 20th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 1961)
- 1893 – Gummo Marx, American actor (d. 1977)
- 1894 – Rube Bressler, American baseball player (d. 1966)
- 1896 – André Lévêque, French engineer (d. 1930)
- 1896 – Lilyan Tashman, American vaudeville, Broadway, and film actress (d. 1934)
- 1897 – Marjorie Flack, American author (d. 1958)
- 1900 – Douglas Jardine, English cricketer (d. 1958)
- 1904 – Harvey Penick, American golfer and coach (d. 1995)
- 1905 – Felix Bloch, Swiss physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer (d. 2003)
- 1908 – Ilya Frank, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1990)
- 1909 – Zellig Harris, American linguist and methodologist (d. 1992)
- 1910 – Richard Mortensen, Danish painter (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Hayden Rorke, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1918 – James Daly, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1918 – Peggy Moran, American actress and singer (d. 2002)
- 1918 – Paul Rudolph, American architect, designed the Lippo Centre (d. 1997)
- 1919 – Manolis Andronikos, Greek archaeologist and academic (d. 1992)
- 1920 – Ted Fujita, Japanese-American meteorologist (d. 1998)
- 1920 – Bob Montana, American illustrator (d. 1975)
- 1922 – Coleen Gray, American actress
- 1923 – Aslam Farrukhi, Indian-Pakistani linguist, author, and scholar
- 1923 – Ned Rorem, American composer and author
- 1923 – Frank Sutton, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1925 – Johnny Carson, American comedian and talk show host (d. 2005)
- 1925 – Manos Hatzidakis, Greek composer and theorist (d. 1994)
- 1925 – Fred Shero, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 1990)
- 1927 – Sonny Criss, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1977)
- 1927 – Dezső Gyarmati, Hungarian water polo player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Leszek Kołakowski, Polish-English philosopher (d. 2009)
- 1928 – Bella Darvi, Polish-American actress (d. 1971)
- 1929 – Shamsur Rahman, Bangladeshi poet and journalist (d. 2006)
- 1931 – Jim Bunning, American baseball player and politician
- 1931 – William P. Clark, Jr., American judge and politician, 12th United States National Security Advisor (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Diana Dors, English actress and singer (d. 1984)
- 1932 – Vasily Belov, Russian poet and playwright (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Carol Fran, American singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1935 – Chi-Chi Rodríguez, Puerto Rican golfer
- 1936 – Philip Kaufman, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1937 – Carlos Lamarca, Brazilian captain (d. 1971)
- 1938 – Alan Gilzean, Scottish footballer
- 1939 – Stanley Anderson, American actor
- 1939 – C. V. Vigneswaran, Sri Lankan lawyer, judge, and politician, 1st Chief Minister of the Northern Province
- 1940 – Pelé, Brazilian footballer
- 1940 – Ellie Greenwich, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Raindrops) (d. 2009)
- 1940 – Jane Holzer, American model, actress, producer, and art collector
- 1941 – Mel Winkler, American actor
- 1941 – Igor Smirnov, Moldovan politician, 1st President of Transnistria
- 1942 – Michael Crichton, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2008)
- 1942 – Bernd Erdmann, German footballer and manager
- 1942 – Anita Roddick, English businesswoman and activist, founder of The Body Shop (d. 2007)
- 1943 – Alida Chelli, Italian actress and singer (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Mike Harding, English singer-songwriter and comedian
- 1945 – Maggi Hambling, English sculptor and painter
- 1945 – Kim Larsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gasolin')
- 1946 – Mel Martínez, American lawyer and politician
- 1948 – Hermann Hauser, Austrian-English businessman, co-founded Acorn Computers and Olivetti Research Laboratory
- 1948 – Brian Ross, American journalist
- 1949 – Würzel, English singer and guitarist (Motörhead) (d. 2011)
- 1949 – Nick Tosches, American journalist, author, and poet
- 1950 – Maths O. Sundqvist, Swedish businessman (d. 2012)
- 1951 – Charly García, Argentine singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Sui Generis, Serú Girán, and La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros)
- 1951 – Fatmir Sejdiu, Kosovan politician, 2nd President of Kosovo
- 1952 – Pierre Moerlen, French drummer (Gong) (d. 2005)
- 1952 – Ken Tipton, American entrepreneur, actor, director, screenplay writer, film producer and editor
- 1953 – Taner Akçam, Turkish sociologist and historian
- 1954 – Ang Lee, Taiwanese-American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1956 – Dianne Reeves, American singer
- 1956 – Dwight Yoakam, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1957 – Paul Kagame, Rwandan politician, 6th President of Rwanda
- 1957 – Martin Luther King III, American activist
- 1958 – Michael Eric Dyson, American activist, academic, and author
- 1958 – Rose Nabinger, German singer
- 1958 – Hiroyuki Kinoshita, Japanese voice actor and actor
- 1959 – Nancy Grace, American lawyer and journalist
- 1959 – Sam Raimi, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1959 – "Weird Al" Yankovic, American singer-songwriter, comedian, and actor
- 1960 – Mirwais Ahmadzaï, Swiss-French keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Taxi Girl and Y.A.S.)
- 1960 – Katoucha Niane, French model (d. 2008)
- 1960 – Randy Pausch, American academic and author (d. 2008)
- 1960 – Wayne Rainey, American motorcycle racer
- 1961 – Laurie Halse Anderson, American author
- 1961 – Andoni Zubizarreta, Spanish footballer
- 1962 – Doug Flutie, American football player
- 1963 – Gordon Korman, Canadian-American author
- 1964 – Robert Trujillo, American bass player and songwriter (Metallica, Black Label Society, Suicidal Tendencies, and Infectious Grooves)
- 1965 – Augusten Burroughs, American author and screenwriter
- 1965 – Al Leiter, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1966 – Alex Zanardi, Italian race car driver and cyclist
- 1967 – Dale Crover, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and producer (Melvins, The Men of Porn, and Altamont)
- 1967 – Walt Flanagan, American actor, comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, comic book artist, and songwriter
- 1969 – Trudi Canavan, Australian author
- 1969 – Bill O'Brien, American football player and coach
- 1969 – Brooke Theiss, American actress
- 1970 – Grant Imahara, American engineer
- 1970 – Steve Wilder, American actor
- 1970 – Zoe Wiseman, American model and photographer
- 1970 – Matthew Barzun, US Ambassador in the UK
- 1971 – Carlo Forlivesi, Italian-Japanese composer
- 1971 – Chris Horner, American cyclist
- 1972 – Tiffeny Milbrett, American soccer player
- 1972 – Bryan Pratt, American lawyer and politician
- 1972 – Jasmin St. Claire, Virgin Islander porn actress
- 1972 – Jimmy Wayne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1973 – Christian Dailly, Scottish footballer
- 1974 – Aravind Adiga, Indian journalist and author
- 1974 – DJ Spinbad, American DJ and producer
- 1974 – Sander Westerveld, Dutch footballer
- 1975 – Jessicka, American singer-songwriter (Jack Off Jill and Scarling.)
- 1975 – Michelle Beadle, American sportscaster
- 1975 – Odalys García, Cuban actress and singer
- 1975 – Yoon Son-ha, South Korean actress and singer
- 1975 – Keith Van Horn, American basketball player
- 1976 – Cat Deeley, English model, actress, and television host
- 1976 – Ryan Reynolds, Canadian-American actor
- 1977 – Brad Haddin, Australian cricketer
- 1978 – Jimmy Bullard, English footballer
- 1978 – Steve Harmison, English cricketer
- 1978 – Wang Nan, Chinese table tennis player
- 1978 – Archie Thompson, Australian footballer
- 1979 – Ramón Castro, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1979 – Simon Davies, Welsh footballer
- 1979 – Jorge Solís, Mexican boxer
- 1980 – Mate Bilić, Croatian footballer
- 1980 – Pedro Liriano, Dominican baseball player
- 1981 – Jeroen Bleekemolen, Dutch race car driver
- 1981 – Ben Francisco, American baseball player
- 1981 – Huo Siyan, Chinese actress
- 1982 – Valentin Badea, Romanian footballer
- 1982 – Kristjan Kangur, Estonian basketball player
- 1982 – Aleksandar Luković, Serbian footballer
- 1983 – Filippos Darlas, Greek footballer
- 1983 – Goldie Harvey, Nigerian singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
- 1983 – Josh Strickland, American actor and singer
- 1984 – Martin Garcia, Mexican-American jockey
- 1984 – Izabel Goulart, Brazilian-American model and actress
- 1984 – Simone Masini, Italian footballer
- 1984 – Meghan McCain, American journalist and author
- 1985 – Mohammed Abdellaoue, Norwegian footballer
- 1985 – Masiela Lusha, Albanian-American actress and poet
- 1985 – Chris Neal, English footballer
- 1985 – Luca Spinetti, Italian footballer
- 1985 – Panagiotis Vouis, Greek footballer
- 1986 – Briana Evigan, American actress and dancer
- 1986 – Jake Robinson, English footballer
- 1986 – Jessica Stroup, American actress
- 1987 – Faye, Swedish singer-songwriter (Play)
- 1990 – Stevie Brock, American singer
- 1990 – Axel Ehnström, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1990 – Stan Walker, Australian-New Zealand singer and actor
- 1991 – Princess Mako of Akishino
- 1992 – Álvaro Morata, Spanish footballer
- 1993 – Taylor Spreitler, American actress and singer
- 1997 – Daphne Blunt, American actress and singer
- 1998 – Amandla Stenberg, American actress
Despatches
- 42 BC – Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, Roman politician (b. 85 BC)
- 877 – Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople (b. 797)
- 891 – Yazaman al-Khadim, Arab general and politician
- 930 – Emperor Daigo of Japan (b. 885)
- 1456 – John of Capistrano, Italian priest and saint (b. 1386)
- 1550 – Tiedemann Giese, Polish bishop (b. 1480)
- 1581 – Michael Neander, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1529)
- 1616 – Leonhard Hutter, German theologian (b. 1563)
- 1688 – Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange, French philologist and historian (b. 1610)
- 1730 – Anne Oldfield, English actress (b. 1683)
- 1764 – Emmanuel-Auguste de Cahideuc, Comte Dubois de la Motte, French admiral (b. 1683)
- 1774 – Michel Benoist, French missionary and scientist (b. 1715)
- 1867 – Franz Bopp, German linguist (b. 1791)
- 1869 – Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1799)
- 1872 – Théophile Gautier, French journalist, author, and poet (b. 1811)
- 1885 – Charles S. West, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, Secretary of State of Texas (b. 1829)
- 1893 – Alexander of Battenberg (b. 1857)
- 1910 – Chulalongkorn, Thai king (b. 1853)
- 1915 – W. G. Grace, English cricketer (b. 1848)
- 1921 – John Boyd Dunlop, Scottish businessman, founded Dunlop Rubber (b. 1840)
- 1934 – William Brennaugh, Canadian lacrosse player (b. 1877)
- 1938 – Jean-Guy Gautier, French rugby player (b. 1875)
- 1939 – Zane Grey, American dentist and author (b. 1872)
- 1942 – Ralph Rainger, American pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 1943 – Wakashima Gonshirō, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 21st Yokozuna (b. 1876)
- 1944 – Charles Glover Barkla, English-Scottish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1877)
- 1944 – Hana Brady, Czech holocaust victim (b. 1931)
- 1950 – Al Jolson, Lithuanian-American actor and singer (b. 1886)
- 1953 – Adrien de Noailles, French son of Jules Charles Victurnien de Noailles (b. 1869)
- 1957 – Christian Dior, French fashion designer, founded Christian Dior S.A. (b. 1905)
- 1959 – George Bouzianis, Greek painter (b. 1885)
- 1959 – Gerda Lundequist, Swedish actress (b. 1871)
- 1964 – Frank Luther Mott, American historian and journalist (b. 1886)
- 1978 – Maybelle Carter, American autoharp player (Carter Family) (b. 1909)
- 1983 – Jessica Savitch, American journalist (b. 1947)
- 1984 – James Petrillo, American union leader (b. 1892)
- 1984 – Oskar Werner, Austrian-German actor (b. 1922)
- 1986 – Edward Adelbert Doisy, American biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1893)
- 1988 – Asashio Tarō III, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 46th Yokozuna (b. 1929)
- 1989 – Armida, Mexican-American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
- 1990 – Louis Althusser, Algerian-French philosopher (b. 1918)
- 1990 – Thomas Williams, American author (b. 1926)
- 1994 – Robert Lansing, American actor (b. 1928)
- 1996 – Bob Grim, American baseball player (b. 1930)
- 1997 – Bert Haanstra, Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1916)
- 1998 – Barnett Slepian, American physician (b. 1946)
- 2000 – Yokozuna, American wrestler (b. 1966)
- 2001 – Josh Kirby, English illustrator (b. 1928)
- 2001 – Daniel Wildenstein, French art dealer and historian (b. 1917)
- 2002 – Adolph Green, American playwright and songwriter (b. 1915)
- 2003 – Tony Capstick, English actor (b. 1944)
- 2003 – Soong May-ling, Chinese wife of Chiang Kai-shek (b. 1897)
- 2004 – Robert Merrill, American opera singer (b. 1919)
- 2004 – Bill Nicholson, English footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1919)
- 2005 – William Hootkins, American actor (b. 1948)
- 2005 – John Muth, American economist (b. 1930)
- 2005 – Stella Obasanjo, Nigerian wife of Olusegun Obasanjo, 10th First Lady of Nigeria (b. 1945)
- 2006 – Lebo Mathosa, South African singer (Boom Shaka) (b. 1977)
- 2007 – John Ilhan, Turkish-Australian businessman, founded Crazy John's (b. 1965)
- 2007 – Lim Goh Tong, Malaysian-Chinese businessman (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Kevin Finnegan, English boxer (b. 1948)
- 2010 – Francis Crippen, American swimmer (b. 1984)
- 2010 – Fran Crippen, American cartoonist (b. 1942)
- 2010 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (b. 1923)
- 2011 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
- 2011 – John McCarthy, American computer scientist, developed the Lisp programming language (b. 1927)
- 2011 – Marco Simoncelli, Italian motorcycle racer (b. 1987)
- 2012 – William Joel Blass, American educator, lawyer, and politician (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Wilhelm Brasse, Polish photographer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Roland de la Poype, French pilot (b. 1920)
- 2012 – Sunil Gangopadhyay, Indian author and poet (b. 1934)
- 2012 – Hughie Hay, Scottish footballer
- 2012 – Michael Marra, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1952)
- 2013 – Suleiman Arabiyat, Jordanian academic and politician (b. 1938)
- 2013 – Wes Bialosuknia, American basketball player (b. 1945)
- 2013 – Anthony Caro, English sculptor (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Niall Donoghue, Irish hurler (b. 1990)
- 2013 – John T. Gregorio, American politician (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Gypie Mayo, English guitarist and songwriter (Dr. Feelgood and The Yardbirds) (b. 1951)
- 2013 – Bill Mazer, American sportscaster (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Esteban Siller, Mexican voice actor (b. 1931)
2014
- Christian feast day:
- Chulalongkorn Day (Thailand)
- Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle (Republic of Macedonia)
- Mole Day (Chemists)
- National Day (Hungary)
ALL HAIL THE ENORMOUS CONSERVATIVE FUSELAGE
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (3:01pm)
Kevin Rudd reviews Gough Whitlam’s career, and reveals the gigantic aircraft component that brought Whitlam down:
Of course, where the Australian heart lies and lay then is in parties of the compassionate and reforming centre who were mindful of the challenges that we faced in the world, in the economy, but still committed with an open heart to giving opportunity for all. That’s what Gough Whitlam stood for, through thick and thin, and despite this enormous conservative fuselage unleashed against him.
(Via J.F. Beck)
CANADA ATTACKED
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (3:12am)
Central Ottawa is in lockdown after a soldier at the Canadian War Memorial was shot by a gunman who then stormed Canada’s parliament. Click for video. Police are now reportedly pursuing multiple attackers following claims the initial gunman was killed inside the parliament building. A television report claims shots have since been fired at a nearby mall. Earlier:
The shootings in the heart of the normally placid Canadian capital came two days after two members of the Canadian armed forces were injured in a hit-and-run crash in a small Quebec city that the authorities considered an act of terrorism.
The Canadian government has informed the United States that one shooter is dead in Ottawa, a senior U.S. official said. So far, there is “no indication the shooter has ties to violent Islamic extremism,” but it is still extremely early in the investigation, the source said …Earlier this week, a man who Canadian authorities said was “radicalized” was shot to death after hitting and killing a Canadian soldier.
Reports now claim several shootings in downtown Ottawa. Live updates here.
UPDATE II. CNN identifies the killer as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau:
Bibeau, who was born in 1982, was a convert to Islam and had a history of drug use before he converted, two sources said.His passport had been confiscated by Canadian authorities when they learned he planned to go fight overseas, a U.S. law enforcement official told CNN’s Susan Candiotti. The official said it was not clear when that happened …Investigators haven’t provided any possible motives for the shooting.
Could be anything, really.
UPDATE III. Globe and Mail headline:
Suspected killer in Ottawa shootings had a disturbing side
You don’t say.
GOUGH’S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (1:18am)
Gerard Henderson reports:
ABC TV News last night ran a special on Gough Whitlam. Reporter Rebecca Barrett visited North Sydney Girls High to get the reaction of students who had studied Gough Whitlam.This is what one female student said about Gough Whitlam’s legacy – which the ABC reporter, producer and editor saw fit to put to air.North Sydney Girls High Student: “As a woman coming into my eighteenth year, the fact that women were able to get the vote during Gough Whitlam’s reign …”
Further on the epidemic of Gough exaggeration from Dennis Shanahan. Previously, the Age – of all places – accurately reviewed Whitlam’s second year in office: “For the economy, 1974 was the end of the good times. It was the year the Commonwealth budget exploded. As the Whitlam government pressed on with its big-spending reforms despite Treasury pleas for restraint, Commonwealth spending surged 46 per cent in 1974-75, dwarfing the 20 per cent rise the year before.”
TWELVE MONTHS OF JUSTICE KITTIES
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (1:14am)
“Unlike bland, privileged garbage kittens chosen for nothing more than shallow good looks, Social Justice Kittensradiate fierce strength in the face of untold adversity.”
(Via Finker)
LION KIM
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (1:04am)
Kim Hughes, 1980:
Many cricket fans may not have seen this shot since it was played 34 years ago. In the mid-90s a highlights video of the Lord’s Centenary Test frustratingly omitted Hughes’s six off Chris Old.
Many cricket fans may not have seen this shot since it was played 34 years ago. In the mid-90s a highlights video of the Lord’s Centenary Test frustratingly omitted Hughes’s six off Chris Old.
From memory, Hughes entered the preceding one-day series in miserable touch but played himself into the best form of his career ahead of this one-off Test. Sixes of that size were such a novelty during an era of low-power bats that the next morning’s Age ran a front-page image showing how remarkably far the ball had travelled.
WHEELS AND FINS
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (12:43am)
Sometimes a fish really does need a bicycle.
LIFE IN ADELAIDE
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (12:21am)
It’s like The Wicker Man except without any dialogue:
SENSITIVE MANN
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (12:17am)
An Amazon reviewer describes litigious warmist Michael Mann as “thin-skinned”. Mann then conclusively proves it.
HAPPY CHILDREN
Tim Blair – Thursday, October 23, 2014 (12:03am)
A mood-improving image via Erika S:
In defence of Barry Spurr
Andrew Bolt October 23 2014 (5:26pm)
Professor Barry Spurr
has been suspended by Sydney University for writing private emails to
friends containing racist banter - private emails which were somehow
obtained and published by on online web site.
Lily Yuan Wang writes from China to say she’s appalled that Spurr could be treated so shabbily:
===Lily Yuan Wang writes from China to say she’s appalled that Spurr could be treated so shabbily:
A RECENT graduate of the University of Sydney with a bachelor of arts in English and international and comparative literary studies, I have read every article concerning professor Barry Spurr.But read the lot. This country is going mad. A gifted professor is publicly vilified by people claiming to be outraged by rude words said in private.
The unauthorised exposure of his private emails, his suspension and, worst, the overreaction of the ignorant public and apathy of his fellow academics who have stood by in silence grieve me more than words can say.
Spurr is one of the very few lecturers I unreservedly admire. When I began my degree I was a lone Asian face in a sea of fair-haired and clear-eyed Australians. I struggled to understand my lecturers. Their tendency to nominalise common adjectives rendered familiar words alien to me. Their habit of monotonously reading pre-prepared scripts and their inability to interact with students left me dissatisfied. Yet when I audited Spurr’s lectures on modernism, I saw, for the first and last time, every inch of the lecture hall, including the staircases, occupied by students. He spoke with confidence, clarity, eloquence, humour, pacing the room with a stately gait, quoting from a copy of Yeats (apparently unannotated) that always seemed to open at the right page. He took me on a breathtaking journey through Irish literature and revolution. They were classes to remember and set the bar by which I measure all teaching.
I never found Spurr patronising or discriminatory. I never felt undermined or underestimated. Contrary to the unapproachable, unsympathetic professor New Matilda eagerly paints, Spurr is actively involved in student societies: from poetry and religion to the defence of animal rights…
The exaggerated outrage at Spurr’s emails is centred on his role in the reform of the English school curriculum, insinuating his judgment on the dominance of indigenous literature in Australian textbooks is coloured by a racist antagonism towards Aborigines. Yet Spurr spent more time in his emails criticising the hypocrisy of the political establishment in its endless gestures towards the Aboriginal community than diminishing the Aboriginal contribution to Australian literature…
If the Australian government and people can garner the energy they’ve wasted on being politically correct and displays of gratitude or guilt, and channel it into constructing better community facilities, education and support services for Aboriginal people and all the sons and daughters of Australia, they would heal more wounds than random “racist” remarks can inflict.
All I know for sure is Spurr’s personal linguistic choices are none of our business. None of the emails prove him guilty of any sin other than a sardonic sense of humour and childlike whimsicality — the common vices of a poet.
To me he is someone who dedicates himself to the noble cause of restoring the beauty of a civilisation that people have too lightly cast away: good manners, respect for the elderly, a sound knowledge of English, modesty of dressing in public. His intentions are honourable, even if they make him unpopular with opponents.
He should not be made a scapegoat for an ideology of which he is not an advocate. He is not the parody the media presents. The university should not lose a jewel in its crown. If I, a small, sensitive, feminist, patriotic Chinese girl, am not offended by these leaked emails, why should anyone else be?
Give Morrison more work
Andrew Bolt October 23 2014 (8:19am)
Scott Morrison, having
given the Abbott Government its biggest and most unambiguous win, is now
an under-utilised resource. It would be most useful if he were given
wider responsibilities, and he’s thought of some:
I think a formal reshuffle would actually be neater and more effective. And the colleagues worried about the rise of Morrison might better respond by simply performing as capably themselves.
===Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is pushing for his Operation Sovereign Borders team to take control of Australia’s Ebola response with new powers to force visitors from West Africa to be isolated in quarantine.Once again, rival colleagues are getting their backs up and complaining privately to the ABC about Morrison wanting bits of their turf.
The ABC can reveal the ambitious plan as the nation’s state and federal chief medical officers meet today to discuss the response to the deadly virus.
Mr Morrison let his colleagues know he believed he and his department could take on a larger role in responding to the Ebola outbreak.
I think a formal reshuffle would actually be neater and more effective. And the colleagues worried about the rise of Morrison might better respond by simply performing as capably themselves.
Another suspected terrorist attack in Canada
Andrew Bolt October 23 2014 (7:50am)
A second suspected terrorist attack in Canada in three days:
UPDATE
On the other hand:
Suspicions are being confirmed:
Meanwhile, in Australia:
The killer:
===A soldier was killed during a shooting at Canada’s National War Memorial on Wednesday morning, which was followed quickly by additional gunfire inside the nearby Parliament, according to police.Probably just another deliberate distraction from the Abbott Government’s Budget. As Labor Senator Sue Lines explained the terrorism threat two months ago:
One gunman has also been killed, Ottawa police said. And there are still concerns about possible additional shooters…
Canada has recently heightened its terrorism alert and, earlier this week, a soldier there was killed in a hit-and-run that authorities said was an act of terrorism.
“It’s [the Government] hyping it up… And it’s looking for opportunities in the media and elsewhere to try and scare the Australian public and to distract everyone from the budget.”But note: the motivation of the second killer is not known. He could be an Islamist or could be some other variety of crazy.
UPDATE
The Canadian government has informed the United States that one shooter is dead in Ottawa, a senior U.S. official said. So far, there is ”no indication the shooter has ties to violent Islamic extremism,” but it is still extremely early in the investigation, the source said …UPDATE
On the other hand:
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was identified as the shooter in Ottawa today. He is a Candian born in 1982, reportedly of Algerian descent.More?
Police say they are still looking for what could be multiple attackers and have warned residents to stay indoors.UPDATE
Suspicions are being confirmed:
Two U.S. officials said that U.S. agencies have been advised that the shooter was a Canadian convert to Islam. One of the officials said that the man was from Quebec.UPDATE
Meanwhile, in Australia:
MOHAMMAD Ali Baryalei, the fugitive Australian terrorist who allegedly masterminded a plot to kill a random member of the public in Sydney, has attempted to re-establish contact with one of the alleged ringleaders of his cell.UPDATE
The Australian has been told that Baryalei, who is accused of recruiting Australian fighters for the Islamic State terror group, placed several phone calls to a key member of the cell, which was the target of police raids last month that thwarted its execution plans and sparked international headlines.
The ringleader, who The Australian has elected not to name, was one of 15 alleged radical Islamists whose homes were raided in what police described as the largest counter-terrorism raid in Australian history.
The killer:
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, the Muslim convert who fatally shot Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a 24-year-old father, ... was a man with numerous criminal charges over the past decade who has been called ‘mentally ill’ ...
He was charged in February 2004 for possession of marijuana and possession of PCP. He pleaded guilty…
He also spent a day in jail in March of 2004 for a parole violation and was again convicted of marijuana possession in 2009.
In another case, he received a six-month sentence in 2003 and three years’ probation on a weapons charge, according to the Herald News.
There was also a prior conviction for assault causing bodily harm in 2001 for which he received a suspended sentence and a fine.
His longest sentence was for robbery, possession of break-in tools, theft and conspiracy with a co-accused in 2003, for which he was sentenced to two years in jail and three years probation…
In 2011, he was again charged with robbery, this time in Vancouver, but served only one day in prison after he pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of uttering threats, and was credited with 66 days in pre-trial custody.
Records show that in the 2011 case, he underwent a psychiatric assessment prior to his conviction and was found fit to stand trial…
David Bathurst..., a fellow Muslim convert, befriended Zehaf-Bibeau at their mosque and even got him a job, but says he soon seemed as if he might be ‘mentally ill’…
He says ... Zehaf-Bibeau told him he was ‘only going abroad with the intent of learning about Islam and to study Arabic.’
He was never able to go though, and sources told The Globe and Mail ‘he had not been able to secure a valid travel document from federal officials, who have been taking measures to prevent Canadians from joining extremists overseas.’ ...
CTV News reports that Zehaf-Bibeau’s mother, Susan Bibeau, still lives in Montreal and works as a a federal public servant for the Immigrant & Refugee board…
His father is a Libyan businessman named Bulgasem Zehaf who once owned a local restaurant, Cafe Tripoli.
His parents divorced in 1999, and there are reports that his father ‘appears to have fought in 2011 in Libya.’
The three dangerous lessons Gough Whitlam taught and which Labor forgets
Andrew Bolt October 23 2014 (7:47am)
GOUGH Whitlam was lucky his government was sacked in 1975. To our cultural elite, that turned him from a failure to a martyr.
That allowed the ruin he caused to gradually become obscured by the giant shadow of his myth. More ominously, it also allowed Labor to gradually forget what it learned, painfully, from Whitlam’s disasters.
So Labor today weeps for Whitlam and much of the media with it. The ABC’s massive coverage in particular has resembled the state-ordered mourning for a socialist dictator.
But how must this astonishing torrent of tears strike most Australians?
Fact is, the elite’s verdict of Whitlam — the hero reformer, Great Leader and victim of a conservative conspiracy — has never been shared by most voters.
Aloof and arrogant, Whitlam was no man of the people and no prime minister was shunned by them so comprehensively — twice.
(Read full article here.)
===That allowed the ruin he caused to gradually become obscured by the giant shadow of his myth. More ominously, it also allowed Labor to gradually forget what it learned, painfully, from Whitlam’s disasters.
So Labor today weeps for Whitlam and much of the media with it. The ABC’s massive coverage in particular has resembled the state-ordered mourning for a socialist dictator.
But how must this astonishing torrent of tears strike most Australians?
Fact is, the elite’s verdict of Whitlam — the hero reformer, Great Leader and victim of a conservative conspiracy — has never been shared by most voters.
Aloof and arrogant, Whitlam was no man of the people and no prime minister was shunned by them so comprehensively — twice.
(Read full article here.)
Gough Whitlam’s achievements miraculously increase
Andrew Bolt October 23 2014 (7:30am)
All around Australia, worshippers testify to the miracles of St Gough:
===ABC’s News, bulletin, Tuesday:Greg Sheridan notes more:
GOUGH Whitlam is hailed as a champion of the young. In fact his legacy was one of the subjects in today’s final high school exams. Modern history students were asked whether or not the Malcolm Fraser government completely overturned the changes of the Whitlam government. Rebecca Barrett caught some of these students (at North Sydney Girls selective high school) after the exam.
Barrett: The girls say they spent a lot of time in Year 10 studying the Whitlam years.
Girl: As a woman, coming into my 18th year, the fact that women were able to get the vote during Gough Whitlam’s reign or “reign” (gestures to show quote mark) …
Barrett: Principal David Tomlin was doing his final exams during Whitlam’s dismissal …
The Whitlam legend has very little regard for facts. David Williamson this week hailed Gough for creating the first Australia Council. In fact the Australia Council was founded by Harold Holt and the Australia Council for the Arts put on an institutional footing by John Gorton…And Sheridan warns:
Whitlam is mightily praised for committing Labor to provide state aid to non-government, and especially Catholic, schools. But this was actually first done by Robert Menzies…
Similarly, it has been endlessly repeated this week that Whitlam brought the troops home from Vietnam. This is complete nonsense. The bulk of Australian combat troops left Vietnam in 1971. By the end of 1972, when Whitlam was elected, there was a tiny handful of army training advisers and a small group providing security for the Australian embassy. The army advisers had been scheduled to come out anyway ...
For Labor, this [nostalgia] is peculiarly dangerous. It is celebrating the style and model of the worst single government Australia ever had and neglecting the example, in the Hawke government, of the best Labor government…
Bob Hawke and Paul Keating ran anti-Whitlam governments and distinguished themselves from the style and substance of Whitlam.
Hawke in particular was a master of cabinet process, fiscal conservatism, prudent macro-economic management, incremental social reform that brought along a lot of conservative Australia, the closest possible ties with the US and deep strategic identification with US policy in the Asia Pacific. All of this was the reverse of Whitlam.
It was the tragedy of the Rudd-Gillard years that with their reckless increases in government spending, their disregard for the productive factors in the economy, re-regulation of the labour market and constant internal crises that they much more closely resembled the Whitlam than the Hawke-Keating governments…
It’s merely the self- congratulatory humbug of the baby boomers. One of the reasons they loved Whitlam was because he took much of their moral dereliction and narcissistic self-obsession and turned it into approved public policy.
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Post by Matt Granz.
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PhotoMath app solves equations for you | WXII Home - WXII Home http://t.co/y83fHmmrlG via @WXII
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Pew Study: Liberals More Likely to Unfriend or Block Someone over Politics http://t.co/a5cuAevjHo via @mediaite
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Cats that rock and roll http://t.co/XZ5qIC6BqS
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Newman apologised for her crime Student who exposed ‘free-ride Frances’ scholarship to face sentence http://t.co/Kqm6oL8k7Y via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Josh does not understand the issues “You’re a twerp”: @JoshThomas87’s heated exchange with @Wyatt_MP http://t.co/ErGTzgu4DI via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Women's rights advocate finalist for Australian of the Year NSW awards - ABC New South Wales http://t.co/7EkSOIYReL
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Ottawa shootings: Heroic Sergeant-at-arms who shot dead gunman http://t.co/j1MdQnIQDH via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Teacher’s blog records crazy things kids put in their schoolwork http://t.co/Pm1OIfz3pC via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 23, 2014
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Exclusive: Islamic State member warns of #NYC attack in interview with @shanesmith30: https://t.co/bwNzlYWzBV via @vicenews
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Can foodies tell the difference between McDonald’s and fine cuisine? http://t.co/IlbxP7ncjo via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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He wasn't worth it .. woman, 26, dumped by boyfriend spends entire week in KFC - Yahoo News Singapore https://t.co/wzXbtpkDjE via @yahoosg
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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check it out while there is still time https://t.co/uIdxbSAcQo
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Obama had claimed it was safe .. Colonel defends communication failure http://t.co/G0lhAufv9E via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Tuna caught with sailfish bill protruding from its head http://t.co/dUmsJWCc7Z via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Kidnappers appear to live tweet woman’s gruesome death http://t.co/U7kv5j2QvT via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Woman destroys ATM with bare hands http://t.co/Peyik1gv4r via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Maddison Murphy-West detectives prepare evidence over death dressed as suicide http://t.co/WtAnuWqJW8 via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Three found dead after rural shooting and siege at Wedderburn in Victoria’s west http://t.co/uoqgSM26h4 via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Ottawa shooting: Watch the moment shots ring out inside Parliamentary Hill in Ottawa http://t.co/GGj4kqOo4V via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Politically motivated finding? Blackwater guards found guilty http://t.co/UXjp6C2Uax via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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Soldier, gunman die in Canada siege http://t.co/dSr7f0hVYU via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is..." http://t.co/lstRlziZXK
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
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NSW abuse victims put through legal hell http://t.co/htXnhY9Acp via @newscomauHQ
— David Daniel Ball (@DaOddBall67) October 22, 2014
=== Posts from last year ===
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Post by דָּוִד שִׁמְשׁוֹן.
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21/10/2013 Our World: A miracle and an outrage in Washington
By CAROLINE B. GLICK
Restoring the Iraqi Jewish archive to its Israeli owners would be tantamount to recognizing that the cause of the Arab world’s conflict with Israel is Arab anti-Semitism.
http://www.jpost.com/
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Trakai Castle, Lithuania
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Mono Lake Dreamin'
The cloud mass above the tufa tower was of the spinning lenticular variety, but because of the high winds and the need to do a long exposure, the form is lost. It was a surrealistic night up in the high desert.
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Andy Trieu
Ow, got smashed by a guitar for the sake of art [V] Music - Channel [V] Australia campaign
Lol, you are also an actor. A ninja has ways of protecting themselves .. acting misdirects .. - ed
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I know how it works too - ed
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Pastor Rick Warren
Never confuse your net-worth with your self-worth. Your value isn't based on your valuables.
"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
-Jesus, Luke 12:15
"A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
-Jesus, Luke 12:15
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I'm asking all my friends to PLEASE VOTE NOW for the epic TV mini-series #TheBible for a People's Choice Award. Vote here:http://www.peopleschoice.com/pca/nominations/vote.jsp?pollId=130036
That show honored God. You can too.
That show honored God. You can too.
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If you love Jesus as Savior and Lord, you are my brother or sister. We are #family, despite any theological differences
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
Father in heaven,I thank You for Your good and precious promises. I choose to trust that my reward is coming.Search my heart and show me any area in my life where I may be hiding. I choose today to stand in faith and invite You to move mightily on my behalf. I choose to follow Your commands because they lead to blessing and life. Give me a heart that is fixed on You and fill me with Your peace. I patiently wait on You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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Stand and see the salvation of the Lord..(II Chroniclees 20:17)
Is there something difficult in your life that you are avoiding? So many people today run from anything that’s hard. They run from their problems. They run from responsibility. They run from people they don’t like. They run from the past. They run from anything that makes them uncomfortable. Instead of facing the issues and dealing with them, they just take the easy way out and go down the path of least resistance. But if you’re going to live in victory the way God intends, you have to learn how to face your challenges head on.
Notice today’s verse doesn’t say, “Keep running until you see the salvation of the Lord.” It doesn’t say, “Bury your head in the sand until God delivers you.” No, God wants us to stand strong, set our faces like a flint, and fight the good fight of faith. And the good news is that you don’t have to do it in your own strength.He’s equipped you with His supernatural power to overcome every obstacle.Make the decision today to stand strong and face the challenges in your life. Be bold and dare to conquer. As you stand in faith, you will see the salvation, the deliverance of Almighty God in every area of your life.God bless you.
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Why did the ducks cross the road??
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FOOD FEUD UPDATE: Owners are spitting chips as the suburban souvlaki spat heats up!
Is there a difference between a kebab and a souvlaki? We take a blind taste test to find out --> http://nwspl.us/q4RLo
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“A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!” Proverbs 15:23 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
Morning
"I will love them freely."
Hosea 14:4
Hosea 14:4
This sentence is a body of divinity in miniature. He who understands its meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive into its fulness is a true master in Israel. It is a condensation of the glorious message of salvation which was delivered to us in Christ Jesus our Redeemer. The sense hinges upon the word "freely." This is the glorious, the suitable, the divine way by which love streams from heaven to earth, a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who neither deserved it, purchased it, nor sought after it. It is, indeed, the only way in which God can love such as we are. The text is a death-blow to all sorts of fitness: "I will love them freely." Now, if there were any fitness necessary in us, then he would not love us freely; at least, this would be a mitigation and a drawback to the freeness of it. But it stands, "I will love you freely." We complain, "Lord, my heart is so hard." "I will love you freely." "But I do not feel my need of Christ as I could wish." "I will not love you because you feel your need; I will love you freely." "But I do not feel that softening of spirit which I could desire." Remember, the softening of spirit is not a condition, for there are no conditions; the covenant of grace has no conditionality whatever; so that we without any fitness may venture upon the promise of God which was made to us in Christ Jesus, when he said, "He that believeth on him is not condemned." It is blessed to know that the grace of God is free to us at all times, without preparation, without fitness, without money, and without price! "I will love them freely." These words invite backsliders to return: indeed, the text was specially written for such--"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely." Backslider! surely the generosity of the promise will at once break your heart, and you will return, and seek your injured Father's face.
Evening
"He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you."
John 16:15
John 16:15
There are times when all the promises and doctrines of the Bible are of no avail, unless a gracious hand shall apply them to us. We are thirsty, but too faint to crawl to the water-brook. When a soldier is wounded in battle it is of little use for him to know that there are those at the hospital who can bind up his wounds, and medicines there to ease all the pains which he now suffers: what he needs is to be carried thither, and to have the remedies applied. It is thus with our souls, and to meet this need there is one, even the Spirit of truth, who takes of the things of Jesus, and applies them to us. Think not that Christ hath placed his joys on heavenly shelves that we may climb up to them for ourselves, but he draws near, and sheds his peace abroad in our hearts. O Christian, if thou art tonight labouring under deep distresses, thy Father does not give thee promises and then leave thee to draw them up from the Word like buckets from a well, but the promises he has written in the Word he will write anew on your heart. He will manifest his love to you, and by his blessed Spirit, dispel your cares and troubles. Be it known unto thee, O mourner, that it is God's prerogative to wipe every tear from the eye of his people. The good Samaritan did not say, "Here is the wine, and here is the oil for you;" he actually poured in the oil and the wine. So Jesus not only gives you the sweet wine of the promise, but holds the golden chalice to your lips, and pours the life-blood into your mouth. The poor, sick, way-worn pilgrim is not merely strengthened to walk, but he is borne on eagles' wings. Glorious gospel! which provides everything for the helpless, which draws nigh to us when we cannot reach after it--brings us grace before we seek for grace! Here is as much glory in the giving as in the gift. Happy people who have the Holy Ghost to bring Jesus to them.
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Today's reading: Isaiah 65-66, 1 Timothy 2 (NIV)
View today's reading on Bible GatewayToday's Old Testament reading: Isaiah 65-66
Judgment and Salvation
1 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people,
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations—
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,
offering sacrifices in gardens
and burning incense on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred for you!’
Such people are smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
2 All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people,
who walk in ways not good,
pursuing their own imaginations—
3 a people who continually provoke me
to my very face,
offering sacrifices in gardens
and burning incense on altars of brick;
4 who sit among the graves
and spend their nights keeping secret vigil;
who eat the flesh of pigs,
and whose pots hold broth of impure meat;
5 who say, ‘Keep away; don’t come near me,
for I am too sacred for you!’
Such people are smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that keeps burning all day.
6 “See, it stands written before me:
I will not keep silent but will pay back in full;
I will pay it back into their laps—
7 both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,”
says the LORD.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
the full payment for their former deeds.”
I will not keep silent but will pay back in full;
I will pay it back into their laps—
7 both your sins and the sins of your ancestors,”
says the LORD.
“Because they burned sacrifices on the mountains
and defied me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
the full payment for their former deeds.”
Today's New Testament reading: 1 Timothy 2
Instructions on Worship
1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
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