Tue Mar 10th Todays News

On Bolt Report an ongoing policy is that any Islam post can only be on the pinned leader. Normal rules apply in that if it is merely foul and abusive it will be deleted. Otherwise comments are welcome.  
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No article today .. technical issues

2014

It is hard to like simple bigotry. Hard to forgive it. Hard to address it when you wish to show respect to the dignity of a thinking person, but are not given much to work with. Hating is caustic and causes mistakes when people need cool judgement. That is something that Tasmanians must address when they face election on this weekend. The Hare Clarke voting system Tasmanians use mean it is very hard for a conservative government to form. Last election, the conservative party had the largest size, but were denied the opportunity to form government by the governor, which is improper, but realistically a recognition of reality. It isn't enough for the conservatives to merely win the election, they need to win well. And they deserve to win. They have policies which could grow Tasmania, while the ALP and Greens merely want to increase spending. They are a badly run, small state. But the media are working very hard to even the vote by being pro Green ALP .. hence being 'balanced.' It is hatred of the conservatives that needs to be faced. Not through anger, but through cool judgement and even handedness. A conservative government would administer for all Tasmanians, and not merely those who profit from bad government. 

Such hatred is not limited to Tasmania. Sarah Palin has been verbal-ed again by the media. I have read her writing, and seen her speak. She is capable as an administrator and smart. She has been reported as saying that she would nuke Russia. She did not say that. It is very hard for those who think of her with hatred, borne from the venom of the media. Years ago, Palin was right about engaging with Russia over Georgia, and she is right now. But you will need to read what she has said to know what she is right about .. and not the misleading headline. Conservatism is a big tent with many diverse views. The left tend to converge on a view, while conservatives tend to converge on a leader. 

But hatred is no way to run a group. Australian Defence League was founded as a brother organisation to the English Defence League (EDL). I get it that there are soldier types who like to keep their ties with friends in an organised way after leaving the military or police. However, the leadership of these groups is seriously bad. No sensible politician would antagonise a constituency for no reason, but these idiots do just that. One example the bigots are using is the issue of terrorism and the ties to Islam. There are good reasons why decent Islamic peoples have been compromised by these ties. It is a good policy to denounce the idiots who are terrorists and try to separate the mainstream from those who abuse them. But the bigots aren't doing that. Instead they point a finger of blame at all Islamic peoples .. and others who don't say what they want to hear. It is true that in in some Islamic nations, and around the world, terrible things are done in the name of Islam by terrorists and their sympathisers. This includes genital mutilation of girls, killing gays, killing poets, writers, artists, poor and oppressed. But, were the ADL leadership prescription followed, it would be the victims hurt first .. again. Seriously stupid. They are apparently, argumentative drunks who claim to value their lifestyle. One good reason not to ban speech, is to allow those bigots to speak .. and judge for yourself. If someone from those organisations feel they are being misrepresented, I would like to hear how. ADL has spawned the Australian Tea Party (nothing like the US brand) and now, apparently, there is a group calling themselves The Patriots Defence League. 

Historical perspectives on this day 

Technical issues prevent todays listing

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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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Editorials will appear in the "History in a Year by the Conservative Voice" series, starting with August https://www.createspace.com/4124406, September https://www.createspace.com/5106914, October https://www.createspace.com/5106951, or at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482020262/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_dVHPub0MQKDZ4  The kindle version is cheaper, but the soft back version allows the purchase of a kindle version for just $3.99 more. 

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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

Douglas Sutherland-Bruce via David Daniel Ball

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.

I have begun a bulletin board (http://theconservativevoice.freeforums.net) which will allow greater latitude for members to post and interact. It is not subject to FB policy and so greater range is allowed in posts. Also there are private members rooms in which nothing is censored, except abuse. All welcome, registration is free.

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Happy birthday and many happy returns Evangelist Sumbal Waseem, Keith Holgate, Teresa Limbu and Maria Nguyet Anh Nguyen. Born on the same day, across the years. Two mums and people I'm privileged to have met. Remember, birthdays are good for you. The Lord provides most for those who live longest.

• 1415 – Vasily II of Moscow (d. 1462)
• 1788 – Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, German author and poet (d. 1857)
• 1839 – Dudley Buck, American organist and composer (d. 1909)
• 1846 – Edward Baker Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1850)
• 1867 – Hector Guimard, French-American architect, designed the La Bluette (d. 1942)
• 1889 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese martial artist (d. 1972)
• 1892 – Arthur Honegger, French-Swiss composer (d. 1955)
• 1920 – Alfred Peet, Dutch-American businessman, founded Peet's Coffee & Tea (d. 2007)
• 1929 – Huey P. Meaux, American record producer, founded Tear Drop Records and Capri Records (d. 2011)
• 1936 – Sepp Blatter, Swiss businessman and President of FIFA
• 1940 – Chuck Norris, American actor and martial artist
• 1940 – Dean Torrence, American singer-songwriter (Jan & Dean)
• 1952 – Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
• 1954 – Didier Barbelivien, French singer-songwriter
• 1956 – Robert Llewellyn, English actor and author
• 1958 – Sharon Stone, American actress and producer
• 1964 – Neneh Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Olivia Wilde, American-Irish actress
• 1997 – Julia Barretto, Filipina Actress
• 1997 – Belinda Bencic, Swiss tennis player

Matches

• 241 BC – First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands – The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end.
• 298 – Roman Emperor Maximian concludes his campaign in North Africa against the Berbers, and makes a triumphal entry intoCarthage.
• 1607 – Susenyos I defeats the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia.
• 1629 – Charles I of England dissolves Parliament, beginning the eleven-year period known as the Personal Rule.
• 1735 – An agreement between Nadir Shah and Russia is signed near Ganja, Azerbaijan and Russian troops are withdrawn fromBaku.
• 1762 – French Huguenot Jean Calas, who had been wrongly convicted of killing his son, dies after being tortured by authorities; the event inspired Voltaire to begin a campaign for religious tolerance and legal reform.
• 1804 – Louisiana Purchase: In St. Louis, Missouri, a formal ceremony is conducted to transfer ownership of the Louisiana Territoryfrom France to the United States.
• 1814 – Napoleon I of France is defeated at the Battle of Laon in France.
• 1816 – Crossing of the Andes: A group of royalist scouts is captured during the Action of Juncalito.
• 1830 – The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army is created.
• 1831 – The French Foreign Legion is established by King Louis Philippe to support his war in Algeria.
• 1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States Senate, ending the Mexican–American War.
• 1861 – El Hadj Umar Tall seizes the city of Ségou, destroying the Bambara Empire of Mali.
• 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."
• 1891 – Almon Strowger, an undertaker in Topeka, Kansas, patents the Strowger switch, a device which led to the automation of telephone circuit switching.
• 1906 – The Courrières mine disaster, Europe's worst ever, kills 1099 miners in Northern France.
• 1909 – By signing the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, Thailand relinquishes its sovereignty over the Malay states of Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu, which become British protectorates.
• 1917 – Some provinces and cities in the Philippines were incorporated due to the ratification of Act No. 2711 or the Administrative Code of the Philippines.
• 1922 – Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in India, tried for sedition, and sentenced to six years in prison, only to be released after nearly two years for an appendicitisoperation.
• 1933 – An earthquake in Long Beach, California kills 115 people and causes an estimated $40 million in damage.
• 1944 – Greek Civil War: The Political Committee of National Liberation is established in Greece by the National Liberation Front.
• 1945 – The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting conflagration kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.
• 1952 – Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the "provisional president".
• 1959 – Tibetan uprising: Fearing an abduction attempt by China, 300,000 Tibetans surround the Dalai Lama's palace to prevent his removal.
• 1966 – Military Prime Minister of South Vietnam Nguyễn Cao Kỳ sacked rival General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, precipitating large-scale civil and military dissension in parts of the nation.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Lima Site 85, concluding the 11th with largest single ground combat loss of United States Air Force members (12) during that war.
• 1969 – In Memphis, Tennessee, James Earl Ray pleads guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He later unsuccessfully attempts to retract his plea.
• 1970 – Vietnam War: Captain Ernest Medina is charged by the U.S. military with My Lai war crimes.
• 1975 – Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign - North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột, South Vietnam, on their way to capturing Saigon on the final push for victory over South Vietnam.
• 1977 – Rings of Uranus: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus.
• 1980 – Madeira School headmistress Jean Harris shoots and kills Scarsdale diet doctor Herman Tarnower
• 1980 – Formation of the Irish Army Ranger Wing.
• 1990 – In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.
• 2000 – The Nasdaq Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signaling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom.
• 2005 – Tung Chee-hwa resigns from his post as the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong after widespread public dissatisfaction of his tenure.
• 2006 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.

Hatches

• 1415 – Vasily II of Moscow (d. 1462)
• 1452 – Ferdinand II of Aragon (d. 1516)
• 1503 – Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1564)
• 1536 – Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, English politician (d. 1572)
• 1628 – Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician and biologist (d. 1694)
• 1709 – Georg Wilhelm Steller, German botanist, zoologist, physician, and explorer (d. 1746)
• 1745 – John Gunby, British-American soldier (d. 1807)
• 1749 – Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian poet (d. 1838)
• 1769 – Joseph Williamson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1840)
• 1772 – Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel, German poet and critic (d. 1829)
• 1776 – Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1810)
• 1787 – Francisco de Paula Martínez de la Rosa y Berdejo, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1862)
• 1787 – William Etty, English painter (d. 1849)
• 1788 – Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, German author and poet (d. 1857)
• 1810 – Samuel Ferguson, Irish poet (d. 1886)
• 1839 – Dudley Buck, American organist and composer (d. 1909)
• 1844 – Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (d. 1908)
• 1845 – Alexander III of Russia (d. 1894)
• 1846 – Edward Baker Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1850)
• 1847 – Kate Sheppard, English-New Zealand activist (d. 1934)
• 1848 – William Thompson, American archer (d. 1918)
• 1850 – Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (d. 1906)
• 1852 – Léon Moreaux, French target shooter (d. 1921)
• 1867 – Hector Guimard, French-American architect, designed the La Bluette (d. 1942)
• 1875 – Alexander Goldenweiser, Russian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1961)
• 1876 – Ernst Tandefelt, Finnish assassin of Heikki Ritavuori (d. 1948)
• 1877 – Émile Sarrade, French rugby player (d. 1953)
• 1881 – Thomas Quinlan, English businessman (d. 1951)
• 1888 – Baldwin Cooke, American actor d. 1953
• 1888 – Barry Fitzgerald, Irish actor (d. 1961)
• 1889 – Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese martial artist (d. 1972)
• 1891 – Sam Jaffe, American actor and engineer (d. 1984)
• 1892 – Arthur Honegger, French-Swiss composer (d. 1955)
• 1892 – Gregory La Cava, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1952)
• 1897 – Robert Meier, German soldier (d. 2007)
• 1900 – Pandelis Pouliopoulos, Greek politician (d. 1943)
• 1903 – Bix Beiderbecke, American pianist and composer (d. 1931)
• 1905 – Betty Amann, German-American actress (d. 1990)
• 1905 – Richard Haydn, English-American actor (d. 1985)
• 1906 – Lionel Bertrand, Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1979)
• 1908 – Kristjan Palusalu, Estonian wrestler (d. 1987)
• 1911 – Warner Anderson, American actor (d. 1976)
• 1914 – K. P. Ratnam, Sri Lankan academic and politician (d. 2010)
• 1915 – Harry Bertoia, Italian-American sculptor (d. 1978)
• 1915 – Charles Groves, English conductor (d. 1992)
• 1916 – Davie Fulton, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2000)
• 1917 – C. Balasingham, Sri Lankan lawyer and civil servant (d. 2001)
• 1917 – Frank Perconte, American soldier (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Günther Rall, German general and pilot (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Marion Hutton, American singer and actress (d. 1987)
• 1920 – Alfred Peet, Dutch-American businessman, founded Peet's Coffee & Tea (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Boris Vian, French author and playwright (d. 1959)
• 1923 – Manoranjan Das, Indian playwright (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Val Logsdon Fitch, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Manolis Anagnostakis, Greek poet and critic (d. 2005)
• 1925 – Jean-Guy Cardinal, Canadian politician (d. 1979)
• 1925 – Bob Lanier, American lawyer, banker, and politician, 58th Mayor of Houston (d. 2014)
• 1926 – Jimmy Payne, English footballer (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Claude Laydu, Belgian-French actor (d. 2011)
• 1928 – Sara Montiel, Spanish actress and singer (d. 2013)
• 1928 – James Earl Ray, American assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr. (d. 1998)
• 1929 – Huey P. Meaux, American record producer, founded Tear Drop Records and Capri Records (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Sam Steiger, American journalist and politician (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Georges Dor, Canadian author, playwright, and composer (d. 2001)
• 1932 – Marcia Falkender, Baroness Falkender, English politician
• 1932 – Udupi Ramachandra Rao, Indian physicist and engineer
• 1933 – Ralph Emery, American television host
• 1933 – Elizabeth Azcona Cranwell, Argentine poet and translator
• 1934 – Fou Ts'ong, Chinese-English pianist
• 1935 – Graham Farmer, Australian footballer and coach
• 1936 – Sepp Blatter, Swiss businessman
• 1936 – Alfredo Zitarrosa, Uruguayan singer-songwriter and journalist (d. 1989)
• 1937 – Joe Viterelli, American actor (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Norman Blake, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1938 – Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens
• 1939 – Asghar Ali Engineer, Indian activist and author (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Hugh Johnson, English author and critic
• 1940 – Chuck Norris, American actor and martial artist
• 1940 – David Rabe, American playwright and screenwriter
• 1940 – Dean Torrence, American singer-songwriter (Jan & Dean)
• 1945 – Katharine Houghton, American actress
• 1945 – Birgitta Sellén, Swedish politician
• 1945 – Madhavrao Scindia, Indian politician (d. 2001)
• 1946 – Hiroshi Fushida, Japanese race car driver
• 1946 – Mike Hollands, Australian animator and director, founded Act3animation
• 1946 – Jim Valvano, American basketball player and coach (d. 1993)
• 1947 – Kim Campbell, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Prime Minister of Canada
• 1947 – Paul Condon, Baron Condon, English police officer
• 1947 – Bob Greene, American journalist
• 1947 – Andrew Parrott, English conductor
• 1947 – Tom Scholz, American guitarist and songwriter (Boston)
• 1947 – June Keithley, Filipino-American actress and journalist (d. 2013)
• 1948 – Austin Carr, American basketball player
• 1948 – Richard Park, Scottish broadcaster
• 1949 – Bill Buxton, Canadian computer scientist
• 1949 – Barbara Corcoran, American businesswoman
• 1950 – Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Pakistani terrorist
• 1950 – Aloma Wright, American actress
• 1951 – Gloria Diaz, Filipino model and actress, Miss Universe 1969
• 1952 – Johanna Lindsey, American author
• 1952 – Mike O'Donnell, English composer
• 1952 – Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
• 1953 – Jacqueline Gareau, Canadian runner
• 1953 – Paul Haggis, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1954 – Didier Barbelivien, French singer-songwriter
• 1955 – Yousra, Egyptian actress and singer
• 1955 – Gary Louris, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Jayhawks and Golden Smog)
• 1955 – Toshio Suzuki, Japanese race car driver
• 1956 – Mitchell Lichtenstein, American actor, director, and producer
• 1956 – Robert Llewellyn, English actor and author
• 1957 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founded al-Qaeda (d. 2011)
• 1957 – Hilary Devey, English businesswoman and philanthropist
• 1957 – Terry Holmes, Welsh rugby player
• 1957 – Matt Knudsen, American actor
• 1957 – Shannon Tweed, Canadian-American model and actress
• 1957 – Jim White, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1958 – Jeanie Bryson, American singer
• 1958 – Garth Crooks, English footballer and sportscaster
• 1958 – Steve Howe, American baseball player (d. 2006)
• 1958 – Sharon Stone, American actress and producer
• 1960 – Lance Burton, American magician
• 1960 – Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, German-American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Nena)
• 1960 – Gail Greenwood, American bass player (Belly and L7)
• 1960 – Anne MacKenzie, Scottish journalist
• 1961 – Laurel Clark, American captain, physician, and astronaut (d. 2003)
• 1961 – Mitch Gaylord, American gymnast
• 1961 – Pam Oliver, American sportscaster
• 1961 – Bobby Petrino, American football player and coach
• 1962 – Jasmine Guy, American actress, singer, and director
• 1962 – Seiko Matsuda, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
• 1963 – Jeff Ament, American bass player and songwriter (Pearl Jam, Green River, and Mother Love Bone)
• 1963 – Felipe Ramos, Mexican footballer and referee
• 1963 – Rick Rubin, American record producer, founded Def Jam Recordings
• 1964 – Neneh Cherry, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1964 – Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
• 1964 – David Faber, American journalist
• 1964 – Nikola Mladenov, Macedonian journalist (d. 2013)
• 1964 – Jojo Lastimosa, Filipino basketball player
• 1965 – Valdemaras Martinkėnas, Lithuanian footballer and manager (d. 2004)
• 1965 – Rod Woodson, American football player
• 1966 – Edie Brickell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Heavy Circles and Edie Brickell & New Bohemians)
• 1966 – Stephen Mailer, American actor
• 1966 – Gráinne Mulvey, Irish Composer
• 1966 – Mike Timlin, American baseball player
• 1966 – Andres Võsand, Estonian tennis player
• 1966 – Phil X, Canadian guitarist (Triumph)
• 1967 – Pia Hontiveros, Filipino News Personality
• 1967 – Daichi Suzuki, Japanese swimmer
• 1967 – Omer Tarin, Pakistani-English poet and scholar
• 1968 – Felice Arena, Australian author
• 1968 – Thio Li-ann, Singaporean lawyer and educator
• 1969 – Paget Brewster, American actress
• 1969 – Walter Schreifels, American singer-songwriter and producer (Gorilla Biscuits, Rival Schools and Youth of Today)
• 1970 – Matt Barlow, American singer-songwriter (Iced Earth and Pyramaze)
• 1970 – Michel van der Aa, Dutch composer
• 1971 – Steve Arnold, English race car driver
• 1971 – Jon Hamm, American actor and director
• 1971 – Daryle Singletary, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1972 – Timbaland, American rapper and producer
• 1972 – Takashi Fujii, Japanese comedian and singer
• 1972 – Matt Kenseth, American race car driver
• 1972 – Paraskevi Tsiamita, Greek jumper
• 1973 – Eva Herzigová, Czech model and actress
• 1973 – John LeCompt, American guitarist (Evanescence, We Are the Fallen, Machina, and Mourningside)
• 1973 – Chris Sutton, English footballer
• 1973 – Dan Swanö, Swedish guitarist (Edge of Sanity, Bloodbath, Ribspreader, and Nightingale)
• 1973 – Mauricio Taricco, Argentinian footballer
• 1974 – Cristián de la Fuente, Chilean-American model and actor
• 1974 – Biz Stone, American businessman, co-founded Twitter
• 1975 – Lyne Bessette, Canadian cyclist
• 1975 – Glydel Mercado, Filipino actress
• 1975 – Jamie Arnold, American-Israeli basketball player
• 1976 – Kisaki, Japanese bass player, songwriter, and producer (Dir en grey, Phantasmagoria, and Anti Feminism)
• 1976 – Barbara Schett, Austrian tennis player
• 1977 – Jeff Branson, American actor
• 1977 – Peter Enckelman, Finnish footballer
• 1977 – Shannon Miller, American gymnast
• 1977 – Colin Murray, Irish radio and television host
• 1977 – Rita Simons, English actress and singer
• 1977 – Robin Thicke, American-Canadian singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
• 1977 – Bree Turner, American actress
• 1977 – TJ Manotoc, Filipino journalist
• 1978 – Camille, French singer-songwriter and actress
• 1978 – Neil Alexander, Scottish footballer
• 1978 – Benjamin Burnley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Breaking Benjamin)
• 1979 – Edi Gathegi, Kenyan-American actor
• 1979 – Danny Pudi, American actor
• 1981 – Samuel Eto'o, Cameroonian footballer
• 1981 – Efthimios Kouloucheris, Greek footballer
• 1981 – Ángel López, Spanish footballer
• 1981 – Steven Reid, Irish footballer
• 1981 – Gabriela Voleková, Slovak tennis player
• 1982 – Kwame Brown, American basketball player
• 1982 – Keke Wyatt, American singer and actress
• 1983 – Che'Nelle, Malaysian-Australian singer-songwriter
• 1983 – Étienne Boulay, Canadian football player
• 1983 – Aimee Walker Pond, American gymnast
• 1983 – Rafe Spall, English actor
• 1983 – Carrie Underwood, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1983 – Reena Virk, Canadian murder victim (d. 1997)
• 1984 – Nikos Arabatzis, Greek footballer
• 1984 – Ben May, English footballer
• 1984 – Olivia Wilde, American actress and producer
• 1985 – Lassana Diarra, French footballer
• 1985 – Casey Dienel, American singer-songwriter and pianist
• 1986 – JC de Vera, Filipino actor
• 1987 – Martellus Bennett, American football player
• 1987 – Sita Chan, Hong Kong singer and actress (d. 2013)
• 1987 – Tuukka Rask, Finnish ice hockey player
• 1987 – Emeli Sandé, English-Scottish singer-songwriter
• 1987 – Liu Shishi, Chinese actress
• 1988 – Christian Beck, German footballer
• 1988 – Michael Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer
• 1988 – Ivan Rakitić, Croatian footballer
• 1989 – Iván Piris, Paraguayan footballer
• 1991 – Bahaa Al Farra, Palestinian runner
• 1992 – Neeskens Kebano, French footballer
• 1992 – Emily Osment, American actress and singer
• 1993 – Jack Butland, English footballer
• 1993 – Jeffrey Scaperrotta, American actor
• 1993 – Nooa Takooa, Kiribati sprinter
• 1993 – Alfred Duncan, Ghanaian footballer
• 1994 – JoJo Offerman, American wrestler and singer
• 1995 – Sergey Mozgov, Russian ice dancer
• 1997 – Julia Barretto, Filipino actress and singer
• 1997 – Belinda Bencic, Swiss tennis player

Despatches

• 483 – Pope Simplicius
• 1315 – Agnes Blannbekin, Austrian mystic and saint (b. 1244)
• 1391 – Tvrtko I of Bosnia (b. 1338)
• 1510 – Johann Geiler von Kaisersberg, Swiss priest (b. 1445)
• 1513 – John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, English commander and politician, Lord High Constable of England (b. 1443)
• 1584 – Thomas Norton, English lawyer and politician (b. 1532)
• 1585 – Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician and botanist (b. 1517)
• 1588 – Theodor Zwinger, Swiss physician and scholar (b. 1533)
• 1669 – John Denham, English poet (b. 1615)
• 1670 – Johann Rudolf Glauber, German chemist (b. 1604)
• 1724 – Urban Hjärne, Swedish chemist, geologist, and physician (b. 1641)
• 1776 – Élie Catherine Fréron, French critic (b. 1719)
• 1776 – Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish merchant and philanthropist (b. 1701)
• 1792 – John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, Scottish politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1713)
• 1823 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Scottish admiral (d. 1746)
• 1832 – Muzio Clementi, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1752)
• 1861 – Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet (b. 1814)
• 1864 – Jack Slade, American stage coach (b. 1831)
• 1872 – Giuseppe Mazzini, Italian journalist and politician (b. 1805)
• 1898 – Marie-Eugénie de Jésus, French nun and saint, founded the Religious of the Assumption (b. 1817)
• 1895 – Charles Frederick Worth, English-French fashion designer (b. 1826)
• 1897 – Savitribai Phule, Indian poet and activist (b. 1831)
• 1910 – Karl Lueger, Austrian politician Mayor of Vienna (b. 1844)
• 1910 – Carl Reinecke, German pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1824)
• 1913 – Harriet Tubman, American nurse and activist (b. 1820)
• 1925 – Myer Prinstein, Polish-American jumper (b. 1878)
• 1937 – Yevgeny Zamyatin, Russian author (b. 1884)
• 1940 – Mikhail Bulgakov, Russian author and playwright (b. 1891)
• 1942 – William Henry Bragg, English physicist, chemist, mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
• 1948 – Zelda Fitzgerald, American author (b. 1900)
• 1948 – Jan Masaryk, Czech politician (b. 1886)
• 1949 – James Rector, American runner (b. 1884)
• 1950 – Marguerite De La Motte, American actress (b. 1902)
• 1951 – Kijūrō Shidehara, Japanese politician, 44th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1872)
• 1961 – Richard Indreko, Estonian historian and archeologist (b. 1900)
• 1966 – Frits Zernike, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
• 1967 – Yiorgos Batis, Greek bouzouki player and composer (b. 1885)
• 1969 – Louis Menges, American soccer player (b. 1888)
• 1970 – Vasilis Avlonitis, Greek actor (b. 1904)
• 1973 – Bull Connor, American politician (b. 1897)
• 1976 – August Pikker, Estonian wrestler (b. 1889)
• 1977 – E. Power Biggs, English-American organist (b. 1906)
• 1982 – Minoru Shirota, Japanese physician and microbiologist, invented Yakult (b. 1899)
• 1984 – June Marlowe, American actress (b. 1903)
• 1985 – Konstantin Chernenko, Russian politician (b. 1911)
• 1985 – Bob Nieman, American baseball player (b. 1927)
• 1986 – Ray Milland, Welsh actor and director (b. 1905)
• 1988 – Andy Gibb, English-Australian singer and actor (b. 1958)
• 1989 – Kermit Beahan, American colonel and pilot (b. 1918)
• 1990 – Otto Schuhart, German captain (b. 1901)
• 1992 – Giorgos Zampetas, Greek bouzouki player and composer (b. 1925)
• 1993 – Dino Bravo, Italian-Canadian wrestler (b. 1949)
• 1994 – Abdelkader Alloula, Algerian playwright (b. 1929)
• 1996 – Ross Hunter, American actor and producer (b. 1920)
• 1997 – LaVern Baker, American singer and actress (b. 1929)

• 1998 – Lloyd Bridges, American actor (b. 1913)
• 1999 – Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuadorian painter and sculptor (b. 1919)
• 1999 – Valentino Mazzia, American anesthesiologist (b. 1922)
• 2001 – Christie Jayaratnam Eliezer, Sri Lanka-Australian mathematician and academic (b. 1918)
• 2001 – Nicholas Georgiadis, Greek painter and costume designer (b. 1923)
• 2001 – Massimo Morsello, Italian singer-songwriter (b. 1958)
• 2001 – Mati Nuude, Estonian weightlifter and singer (Apelsin) (b. 1941)
• 2003 – Barry Sheene, English motorcycle racer (b. 1950)
• 2004 – Renos Apostolidis, Greek philologist, author, and critic (b. 1924)
• 2004 – Dave Schulthise, American bass player (The Dead Milkmen) (b. 1956)
• 2005 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian and actor (b. 1936)
• 2005 – Danny Joe Brown, American singer-songwriter (Molly Hatchet and The Danny Joe Brown Band) (b. 1951)
• 2006 – Anna Moffo, American soprano and actress (b. 1932)
• 2007 – Richard Jeni, American comedian and actor (b. 1957)
• 2007 – Ernie Ladd, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)
• 2008 – Richard Biegenwald, American serial killer (b. 1940)
• 2008 – Vangelis Kazan, Greek actor (b. 1936)
• 2010 – Corey Haim, Canadian-American actor (b. 1971)
• 2010 – Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy, Egyptian scholar (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Bill Blackbeard, American author and illustrator (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Bert R. Bulkin, American engineer (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Jean Giraud, French author and illustrator (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Mykola Plaviuk, Ukrainian politician, President Ukrainian People's Republic in Exile (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Domna Samiou, Greek singer and musicologist (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Frank Sherwood Rowland, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Tan Boon Teik, Singaporean politician, Attorney-General of Singapore (b. 1929)
• 2012 – Jack Watson, English cricketer and coach (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Nik Zoricic Canadian skier (b. 1983)
• 2013 – Edelmiro Amante, Filipino politician (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Jim Anderson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Brian Archer, Australian politician (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland (b. 1915)
• 2013 – Tony Mansfield, Irish hurler and manager (b. 1939)
• 2013 – Ian Munro Ross, English-American engineer (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Metin Serezli, Turkish actor (b. 1934)
• 2013 – Masao Yamaguchi, Japanese anthropologist (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Roldan Aquino, Filipino actor and director (b. 1948)
• 2014 – Richard De Vere, English magician (b. 1967)
• 2014 – Samuel W. Lewis, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Israel (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Cynthia Lynn, Latvian-American actress (b. 1937)
• 2014 – Joe McGinniss, American journalist and author (b. 1942)
• 2014 – Matthew Power, American journalist (b. 1974)
• 2014 – Rob Williams, American basketball player (b. 1961)

===
2015

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Anastasia the Patrician
  • Marie-Eugénie de Jésus
  • Harriet Tubman (Lutheran)
  • Himelin
  • John Ogilvie
  • Macharius
  • Pope Simplicius
  • Sojourner Truth (Lutheran)
  • March 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Hote Matsuri (Shiogama, Japan)
• Tibetan Uprising Day (Tibetan independence supporters)

=== Posts from last year ===

BUSWELL BREAKDOWN

Tim Blair – Monday, March 10, 2014 (1:43pm)

Erratic Western Australian Liberal Troy Buswell has resigned as treasurer following a mysterious car crash and subsequent admission to hospital. This is the second time Buswell has resigned.

===

COAL SCREAM

Tim Blair – Monday, March 10, 2014 (11:52am)

Greens and other simple people are excited by an inconsequential mining incident: 

NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham said confirmation of aquifer contamination was ‘’game over for coal seam gas’’. 

Perhaps not. Meanwhile, in the US: 

Operators are putting new holes in the ground faster than ever. 

Good. And in other Greens news: 

Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim believes there’s a real chance he’ll become opposition leader after this week’s state election.

Tasmania goes to the polls on Saturday. If the Greens gain more seats than Labor, Mr McKim could be the first opposition leader from his party in history.

“You certainly couldn’t rule that out,” Mr McKim told ABC radio on Monday. 

Tasmania should be handed over entirely to the Greens, so we can see how they run things. No federal funding, of course. Just leave them in charge and let the comedy begin.

===

AT LEAST THEIR SHOES WERE X-RAYED

Tim Blair – Monday, March 10, 2014 (10:57am)

Given the invasive security measures in place for international travel, it ought not be possible for a couple of men to simply rock up with stolen passports and board a flight – particularly when those stolen passports are listed with Interpol. Yet, in the case of Malaysian Airlines flight 370, that’s exactly what happened: 

The Interpol statement said no checks of the stolen Austrian and Italian passports were made by any country between the time they were entered into Interpol’s database and the departure of the flight.

“Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in Interpol’s databases,” said secretary-general Ronald Noble.

“This is a situation we had hoped never to see,” he added. 

No kidding. It’ll be interesting to eventually see images of “Christian” and “Luigi”, the two passengers who used those passports.

UPDATE. The New York Times: 

Xu Ke, a lecturer at the Zhejiang Police College in eastern China who studies aviation safety and hijackings and has advised the Chinese authorities, said the two men might have been illegal migrants. “There are many cases of falsified and counterfeit passports and visas for illegal migration that our public security comes across, even several cases every day,” he said.

But Steve Vickers, the chief executive of a Hong Kong-based security consulting company that specializes in risk mitigation and corporate intelligence in Asia, said the presence of at least two travelers with stolen passports aboard a single jet was rare and a potential clue.

“It is fairly unusual to have more than one person flying on a flight with a stolen passport,” said Mr. Vickers, who publicly warned a month ago that stolen airport passes and other identity documents in Asia merited a crackdown. “The future of this investigation lies in who really checked in and what they looked like,” he added. 

Quite so.

===

THE NARCISSIST

Tim Blair – Monday, March 10, 2014 (10:19am)

Driving to Los Angeles last week I detoured through the Mojave Desert city of Victorville. There I discovered the Apollo Restaurant, makers of possibly the finest hamburgers on earth.

 Continue reading 'THE NARCISSIST'

===

PROFESSIONAL CRYBABIES

Tim Blair – Monday, March 10, 2014 (9:57am)

Pat Condell on a certain easily-offended religious group:

===

TJ O'Brien shared Patriots Defence League - Australia'sphoto.

Sick of being uncomfortable in your own country?
Sick of people thinking "liking" something on Facebook will change anything?
Get down to a casual club meeting near you, in the next month we have
-Melbourne
-South QLD
-Central QLD
-Perth

With more to follow.

So don't be shy get down grab a snag and a beer and see where our club is going.

After our last Sth QLD meeting, part of the Association management committee here were very pleased at the members vote to open a Chapter clubhouse.

• Stephanie Ann Tell me what the difference is here between the ADL and APP ?

  12 minutes ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  TJ O'Brien We are not the ADL.
  We were formally known as and still are registered as the Australian defence league Inc. 
  But because of the ADL facebook page rubbishing everyone and ruining the name we have separated ourselves from it all.
  We are the Patriots Defence League - Australia

  10 minutes ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann What's the difference between the two..... ????
  
  ADL sucks in my opinion, they have a horrid name.... I would NEVER join.. so why should you be allowed to stay here? how are YOU different to the ADL?

  about a minute ago · Edited · Unlike · 1
• 

  David Daniel Ball I haven't heard you say anything which makes me comfortable .. The BNP, EDL, ADL and Australian Tea Party have held extremist neo Nazi positions and targeted people for abuse .. people I have defended.

  3 minutes ago · Like · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann I agree with David. TJ, you need to defend your position here... and explain to us what the difference is....

  A few seconds ago · Edited · Like
• 

  David Daniel Ball A few years ago, ADL hosted an EDL member known to be involved in cyber terrorist style activity. That doesn't seem patriotic to me.

• Stephanie Ann Tell me what the difference is here between the ADL and APP ?

  3 hours ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  TJ O'Brien We are not the ADL.
  We were formally known as and still are registered as the Australian defence league Inc. 
  But because of the ADL facebook page rubbishing everyone and ruining the name we have separated ourselves from it all.
  We are the Patriots Defence League - Australia

  3 hours ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann What's the difference between the two..... ????
  
  ADL sucks in my opinion, they have a horrid name.... I would NEVER join.. so why should you be allowed to stay here? how are YOU different to the ADL?

  3 hours ago · Edited · Unlike · 1
• 

  David Daniel Ball I haven't heard you say anything which makes me comfortable .. The BNP, EDL, ADL and Australian Tea Party have held extremist neo Nazi positions and targeted people for abuse .. people I have defended.

  3 hours ago · Like · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann I agree with David. TJ, you need to defend your position here... and explain to us what the difference is....

  3 hours ago · Edited · Like
• 

  David Daniel Ball A few years ago, ADL hosted an EDL member known to be involved in cyber terrorist style activity. That doesn't seem patriotic to me.

  3 hours ago · Like · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann I'm interested in TJ's response to our questions.

  3 hours ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  TJ O'Brien As I said we are NOT the ADL or any other group like that.
  We are multi-ethnic for a start, and focus on preserving our Aussie way of life. Yes we are against the Islamization of Australia but we also are Pro-Aussie. ...
  We are a active club that help each other out from any end of our great country.

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann Ok, so I will ask again, what is the difference between the way the ADL started and what your philosophies are?

  2 hours ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  TJ O'Brien There is no point comparing us to the ADL because we are NOT the ADL and will never be apart of them.

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  David Daniel Ball I do not care how bullies dress themselves up. If you have no difference of opinion to ADL there is trouble. It isn't the name I despise, it is the behaviour.

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann I have to say, I agree with David. It appears to me this is a break away ADL group???? but that doesn't change motivations or behaviours. SO I would like you to explain some more what the differences in ideology are?

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  TJ O'Brien Our objectives are to raise awareness and to stop where we can violence against women and children via religious harm for one.
  Also to maintain our freedoms and rule of law above religion.

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  David Daniel Ball Which is puzzling, because in Australia religion is not the cause of law breaking, neither is it the law. Australian women who embrace religion do so freely .. you would deny them their choice? Violence against women and children is illegal in Australia, mate. If you know of something, but are too scared to address it with appropriate words, you can refer it to police. I hadn't thought patriots would be so timid.

  2 hours ago · Like · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann Ahhh ok, so you're not interested in ALL violence against women in Australia, just religious violence?
  
  AND, as far as I am aware we live in a constitutional monarchy, which has a separation of state, religion and judiciary?

  2 hours ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann David, I couldn't have said it any better myself, that's a really good comment and so true.

  2 hours ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  TJ O'Brien Clearly you two peanuts are just brainless lefties so ill make it simple for you.
  
  FGM is illegal yet not long ago a couple where caught attemping to have this disgusting act done to their 9 month old daughter. 
  
  Child marriage and paedophilia is illegal yet last month a man was caught in a marriage to a 13 year old girl with multiple sex charges. 
  
  Also last month a 14 year old girl was gang raped in yet another gang attack, thats illegal but it still happened. 
  
  These are crimes against women because in Islam women are worthless and this is what they are subject too.
  
  These events are very common in Australia but no one reports them because within their sick Muslim enclaves they all agree with it.
  
  Is that simple enough for you?
  Do you think there is no drug problem because drugs are illegal?

  2 hours ago · Like
• 

  Mandy Mclean I can name plenty of crimes against women, yet have nothing to do with Islam. Let's talk football. Do we ban football?

  2 hours ago · Like · 1
• 

  David Daniel Ball That folks, was the leader of a Patriot group .. You can still message him if you wish to, but he won't respond here ..

  2 hours ago · Like · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann LOL.... "lefties"... I love it.... it's the last resort when someone can't express themselves in an appropriate manner.
  
  He's ADL born again... LOL

  2 hours ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann Apologies to anyone who completely agrees with his views. For myself, I like to take a more moderate approach, I do not condone the things he spoke about, nor do I like the Islamisation of Christian nations..... however, there is a way to express ones self... and it seriously ISNT by attempting to infiltrate groups and lump all "right wingers" or "conservatives" in the one basket.
  
  Hatred doesn't score political points, nor does it get heard in the political agenda. There are too many other good groups doing the hard work behind the scenes to let this group fall under the influence of so called "Patriots" or "defence league" people. They thrive on hatred... that's no way to have legitimate voices heard... and first and foremost in this group, it's NOT what Andrew Bolt would espouse.

  2 hours ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Jason Harper Excuse me David Daniel Ball but as someone who contributes to the Australian tea party, calling them extremist neo Nazis is ridiculous. They attack socialism and fascism in all its forms. Its not a sin to want to defend your countries values from people who leave their country and want to change ours to theirs.

  about an hour ago · Like · 2
• 

  Stephanie Ann Australian Tea Party and the US tea party are LEAGUES away Jason Harper, do some research.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Jason Harper Yes, they are leagues away, they are different country to country. Unless you want to say that democracy is a greek thing, and a republic is ancient roman thing.... 

  about an hour ago · Edited · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann The analogy is lost on me.... what's the comparison?

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Jason Harper That saying the US version is the same as the Australian version is an empty comparison. They may follow similar ideological principles but are still quite different overall.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann I said, they are leagues apart.... I know they are very different..... you have no argument from me.... at all.
  
  Is tea Australia extreme in some of it's views, absolutely..... do they align with USA views, not necessarily. 
  
  DO I support TEA AUS... no, I don't... I like some of their more moderate commentary, but I choose NOT to align myself with their ideology because they do not sit in the moderate conservative area.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  David Daniel Ball Jason .. I spoke on the phone with the then ADL and Australian Tea Party Leader. They tried to recruit me. They are the same organisation. The only reason for the name change is the hope to collect money from US Tea Party for development. Neo Nazi is an appropriate description because of the history of the group and what they do.

  about an hour ago · Like · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann I'm sorry Jason, but again I have to agree withDavid, people need to really research these groups before they throw their support behind them. I good meme here and there doesn't mean that the people running it are "conservative".

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Jason Harper David, You're an idiot. I have the Australian tea party leader's phone number for when I have content/essays to share. He has been the Australian leader since the start. He isn't the ADL leader. They aren't the same organization either. Now I 100% know you're full of shit

  about an hour ago · Edited · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann Jason, did you not read "with the THEN ADL & tea" leader????? 
  I don't actually care if they have broken apart, fact is, they DO NOT represent true Liberalism or conservative values.

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Jason Harper fiscal responsibility. no overreaching governments. personal liberty. free and fair markets. By god, what radical ideas!

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann If that's what you want.... look at a Libertarian party.... seriously.

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Stephanie Ann And for the record, TEA is NOT a political party in Australia, so they cannot represent you in any way... apart from sharing of memes..... go and find a party that represents the core values you have Jason/

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Jason Harper Well duh, they have never said they are a political party. They are a political movement that aid other people and parties in areas that share similar values.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann LOL
  OK, what values do they share with parties here? List those values.

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Jason Harper I dont have the time nor energy to go on a great big spiel with a few individuals who arent actually interested in learning. Our global reach is in the millions, you are but ants. Cheers, Im off to write again. If you cant be stuffed educating yourselves and want to stick to your biases then good luck to you.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann Learning?? fark LOL
  I learnt years ago about them....I am very happy with where I sit politically... and it doesn't include the ADL, the APP or TEA Australia.

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Mandy Mclean is David Goodridge still the TEA party leader?

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 2
• 

  Stephanie Ann Yes Mandy, but if you don't support him, you are merely an ANT... did you know that LOLOLOLOL

  about an hour ago · Edited · Unlike · 1
• 

  Mandy Mclean no I don't support him either. Talk about abusing women..... now there's one who does!

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 2
• 

  Jason Harper it was a numbers comparison, lol, not a literal interpretation. Big difference.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann Jason, you should seriously look at who you throw your support behind, instead of calling others ANTS and not willing to learn.... people have been around the traps for a long time and actually decide to remove themselves from some of those groups because they do NOT like the "leaders" or the entire ideology.

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Mandy Mclean You could class me in that Steph. I joined the TEA FB page 4 to 5 years back. I'm now banned from their page because I dared to disagree with some things. I've also witnessed the leader bully my friend Lesley. I'll never forget that day & it was the day I discovered how cut throat people could be on FB.

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 2
• 

  Stephanie Ann I agree Mandy, some of what they say rings true, but I have NO respect for the "leader" or the way they bully people in to submission or ban them because they hold a different view. They are to the extreme right of conservatism and I don't believe Tony Abbott or the Liberal party would EVER support them.
  
  Good luck to anyone who wants to join them, it's a free world... until you cross them LOLOL

  about an hour ago · Unlike · 1
• 

  Andrew Guild Calling people "ants" is not helpful, but neither is saying "BNP, EDL, ADL and Australian Tea Party have held extremist neo Nazi positions". Less name calling and less mud-slinging aids discussion.

  about an hour ago · Like
• 

  Jason Harper I dont see the point in trying to turn a numeric comparison into a personal offense >.> if you want to take it out of context thats your deal steph >.>

  54 minutes ago · Like
• 

  Stephanie Ann I'm not sure where you got this comment confused with numeric comparisons or taking things out of context Jason?????
  
  " I learnt years ago about them....I am very happy with where I sit politically... and it doesn't include the ADL, the APP or TEA Australia."
  
  ^^ that pretty much sums up where I sit 

===

Flannery fibs excuses for his dud predictions

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (12:14pm)

Global warming - dud predictions, Interviews with warmists like Flannery

The ABC promotes yet another soft-ball interview with alarmist Tim Flannery, this time a love-in conducted by Anne Summers. Why this propaganda? Summers isn’t even an ABC staffer and this is no real interview.
The closest Summers comes to asking the alarmist a hard question doesn’t occur until 36:50 minutes into the interview.  Summers starts by calls me a “denier” and says she hesitates to ask “the Andrew Bolt question” because she doesn’t “want to give him the headline”.
But then even she is forced to ask Flannery the fundamental question that has been taboo for a decade: “by how much will temperatures decrease if we do everything...?”
Flannery fobs her off:

It’s going to take some time [to lower temperatures] ... Andrew Bolt is very cunning at asking politically charged questions. That one is the wrong question. The right question is what happens if we do nothing.

What an astonishing evasion. By all means tell us what you think will happen if we do nothing. But then tell us what difference we will make if we do “something”. Is the pain worth that gain?
Summers asked the question, yes, but accepted the evasion without question.
But that was not the end of the deception in this interview – or the end of Summers allowing herself to be deceived.
Summers then asked Flannery to explain three of his more notorious global warming predictions:  that our dams would not fill, Perth would become a “ghost metropolis” and we faced rapid global warming, when in fact, Summers admitted, atmospheric temperatures have not increased in 17 years.
(Note: Yes, give Summers a tiny bit of credit, but be aware she also failed to tackle Flannery about even more obvious dud warnings: notably that Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide could run out of water by ... oops, several years ago now.)
But to each of those three questions Flannery gave deceptive – if not downright false – answers. If Summers reads this post, she should wonder why she should believe another word Flannery every tells her.
Flannery on having predicted our dams and river systems will not fill:

The thing about the dams never filling is a misquote, I was talking about evaporation rates in the Murray Darling system, saying that even if rainfall stays as it is with increased temperatures, with soils being warmer the water evaporates rather than getting into dams so we have declining water in our dams. So that’s just a misquote.

Fact: No, it isn’t. Flannery is rewriting history – and his own prediction. Here is that original prediction in 2007, when much of Australia was in drought:

SALLY SARA:  Professor Tim Flannery has warned climate change will impact on Australia to the point where Sydney can expect to receive 60 per cent less rainfall than it does at present. If that’s the case, what about the bush? ... What will it mean for Australian farmers if the predictions of climate change are correct and little is done to stop it? What will that mean for a farmer? 
PROFESSOR TIM FLANNERY: ... We’re already seeing the initial impacts [of global warming] and they include a decline in the winter rainfall zone across southern Australia, which is clearly an impact of climate change, but also a decrease in run-off. Although we’re getting say a 20 per cent decrease in rainfall in some areas of Australia, that’s translating to a 60 per cent decrease in the run-off into the dams and rivers. That’s because the soil is warmer because of global warming and the plants are under more stress and therefore using more moisture. So even the rain that falls isn’t actually going to fill our dams and our river systems, and that’s a real worry for the people in the bush.

Note: Flannery was then talking about rainfall in southern Australian generally, and multiple “river systems” and dams” – not just the Murray-Darling and the dams of the Snowy River scheme. Indeed, not once in the interview does Flannery single out the Murray-Darling specifically.

Flannery on predicting Perth could be our “first ghost metropolis”:

The second thing about Perth is that it turns out I was right. I mean, Perth has now built two desalination plants and 30 per cent of its water comes from desal plants.  And the water commissioner who was active at the time that these decisions were being made thanked me recently for raising the issue because it was difficult to get those plants built.  If they hadn’t been built in time, Perth would have been in real trouble… If someone hadn’t raised they alarm we would have had big trouble.

Fact:  Flannery is once more rewriting history – and his own prediction.  Here is Flannery’s original prediction, made in May, 2004:

Climate change would diminish the environment of Sydney and its hinterland, and it only had to look to Perth’s experience. 
“I think there is a fair chance Perth will be the 21st century’s first ghost metropolis,” Dr Flannery said. “It’s whole primary production is in dire straits and the eastern states are only 30 years behind.”

Note: Flannery predicted Perth would become a ghost metropolis not so much because its dam would run dry, but because global warming would turn its farming hinterland to dust.
Moreover, he defended his prediction in 2005:

“Perth is facing the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the city’s water supply,” says Tim Flannery… His next book, to be published in October, will feature the water crises faced by Perth and Sydney. “I’m personally more worried about Sydney than Perth,” Flannery told me. “Where does Sydney go for more water? At least Perth has a buffer of underground water sources. Sydney doesn’t have any backup. And while Perth is forging ahead with a desalination plant, Sydney doesn’t have any major scheme in place to bolster water. It also has nowhere to put the vast infrastructure of a desalination plant.”

Note: When he claimed “Perth is facing the possibility of a catastrophic failure of the city’s water supply” Flannery was already factoring in the Perth desalination plant, which was approved in July 2004, with and construction started in May 2005.

Flannery on the 17-year pause in warming of our atmosphere: 

Basically they confound the atmosphere with the earth… Ninety per cent of the heat that is captured by the atmosphere goes directly into the sea… But the heat is still there, the earth is still warming and the heat will come back out of the ocean at some point.

Fact: Flannery is again rewriting history. The warming pause is exactly what he didn’t predict, and his excuse (that the warming hiatus is simply explained by the heat going missing in the oceans)[url]is disputed by some true climate scientists.
Here is what Flannery originally predicted in 2007:

UN predictions of a rise in global temperatures would be a disaster for all life on earth, resulting in widespread extinction of many species, Australian of the Year Tim Flannery says. 
The respected scientist said the UN’s prediction of a three degree Celsius temperature rise was conservative and in fact could be double that figure resulting in “truly catastrophic” conditions for all life on earth…

“It could be worse than this - there’s a 10 per cent chance of truly catastrophic rises in temperatures, so we’re looking at six degrees or so,” Prof Flannery said.

Note: Flannery did not then say the heat would just go into the sea, not warm the atmosphere. He was talking not of a 6 degree rise in sea temperatures but in atmospheric temperatures. Yet for 17 years we’ve seen close to zero such rise.

Flannery was simply wrong, wrong, wrong.  But don’t count on Anne Summers – or the ABC – to call him out. The scare is too useful. The scare-mongers, too.
PS:
(Incidentally, note that a woman in the audience says she was at the Parramatta meeting where Flannery and Summers earlier claimed crowds had chanted “Death to Flannery” - which, curiously, not one journalist at the event reported hearing. Flannery asks the woman, a believer, not whether she saw this apparent lynch mob, asking instead: “Did you see the penguin?”
Behold that penguin of death. Is Flannery’s memory again playing tricks? 

===

Rowan Dean’s free advice to Mark Scott

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (10:19am)

Readers complained we didn’t have a video of yesterday’s NewsWatch segment with Rowan Dean. Here it is:

http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.html#pbid=5bbbb2f96a0499fafcafb28bf66a34a&ec=5sanYybDqyT9fAP7LgZzNRO1FP6q4P0G&docUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.news.com.au%2Fheraldsun%2Fandrewbolt%2Findex.php%2Fheraldsun%2F
===

To those artists who drove out Transfield: hand back your grants

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (8:03am)

Former arts adviser and Fairfax writer Nicholas Pickard said it first. Now investor and philanthropist Mark Carnegie attacks the hypocrites in the arts world who forced the resignation of Luca Belgiorno-Nettis as Biennale chairman on the grounds that his Transfield company, founding sponsor of the Biennale, helps run detention centres:

Carnegie said the artists campaigning against Transfield Holdings over its links to detention centres were hypocrites who should reject all money from the Abbott government… 
“The artists that vetoed this need to understand that most arts funding in the country comes from the government, and the government are ones behind Manus Island,” Mr Carnegie said on Sunday.
“If these guys are honest about it, they should object to government funding as well as corporate funding. But instead, they take all the government funding they can, and pick on somebody who’s been incredibly ­philanthropic in Sydney over a long period of time. The Belgiorno-Nettis family is one of the most philanthropic in the nation."… Transfield Holdings holds a minority 12 per cent stake in Transfield Services, which is under contract to the federal government to provide “garrison support services” and welfare services to the detention centres.

(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 

===

Howard wins again

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (7:57am)

The one most loathed in his time by media commentators is the one remembered most fondly by voters:

John Howard has been named Australia’s best prime minister of the past 40 years, followed by Bob Hawke, with Gough Whitlam and Kevin Rudd tying for third place. 
The poll, conducted last week by Essential Research and provided exclusively to The Australian, shows that 39 per cent of voters ranked Mr Howard, the Liberal prime minister from 1996 to 2007, as the best.
Labor’s Mr Hawke was rated as the best prime minister by 14 per cent of voters. A further 8 per cent of voters chose Mr Whitlam while another 8 per cent selected Mr Rudd. Paul Keating was named best prime minister by 7 per cent, placing him fifth overall. In sixth and seventh place, respectively, were Julia Gillard (4 per cent) and Malcolm Fraser (3 per cent). Tony Abbott’s score tied with Mr Fraser.

I suspect that Abbott, should he survive the next election, will do enough to be remembered much more fondly in retirement than, say, Whitlam. He, too, faces a pitiless media.
UPDATE
The likes of Kerry-Anne Walsh and Anne Summers have tried to deify Julia Gillard as the patron saint of victims of misogyny, portraying her as a great woman brought down only by wicked men, many in the wicked Murdoch press. But even women no longer buy that tired schtick:

Rudd (8 per cent) is twice as popular as Gillard (4 per cent). Only 5 per cent of women picked Gillard as the best prime minister. Labor voters preferred Howard (15 per cent) to Gillard (8 per cent).

(Thanks to reader Peter.) 

===

If it’s good enough for the ABC, it should be for its competitors

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (7:39am)

Malcolm Turnbull mulls changes:

The Communications Minister also backed industry arguments for the repeal of the ownership cap that prevents anyone owning two of the three traditional outlets — TV, radio and print — in one market.

But one massive media outlet, famous for its bias, already owns TV, radio and print (a digital newspaper) in one market. It’s the ABC.
Moreover, the ABC has five radio stations in each market, when every other media outfit is limited to two.
The ABC, of course, famously refuses to hire conservative hosts for its main current affairs shows.
Says Turnbull:

“My view is the arrival of the internet, and the additional diversity and avenues for competition that it brings, really says we should have less regulation and more freedom,” Mr Turnbull said yesterday on Sky News’s Australian Agenda.

Also on the books, a change to the law that stops city and country TV networks merging:

The rule prevents Nine, Seven and Ten from merging with regional networks including listed companies Southern Cross and Prime Media Group and the WIN Network owned by Bruce Gordon. 
Mr Turnbull outlined a philosophical position that favoured fewer industry rules and a greater reliance on the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to vet mergers. “Why is there a 75 per cent reach limitation? Why is there a rule that says today that you can’t own print, television and radio in the same market? You could be fair to say that I am very sympathetic about it.”

Country MPs will be very suspicious over what promises to be a reduction of diversity - at least of material - in country TV. 

===

Why won’t other journalists tackle Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, too?

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (7:10am)

Global warming - dud predictions

THE ABC was among the first to fall for it, of course. In 2002, it reported the Great Barrier Reef was as good as dead already.
Host Kerry O’Brien groaned that our “once-spectacular” reef was “threatened by global warming” and “up to 10 per cent of the reef has been lost to bleaching since 1998”, turning it “bone white”.
Up popped Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a Queensland reef researcher with a natty patter, to warn us to “change our lifestyles” or the reef would go — killed by hotter seas.
My god, but journalists are suckers for warming scares.
It’s like they actually want to be fooled — or to fool you.

Hoegh-Guldberg is now arguably the world’s most influential reef scientist in global-warming circles, having gotbig government grants, chaired a $20 million World Bank study of warming, and worked as an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lead author.
Last week, he bobbed up again, waving a report he’d just done for the WWF green group to help promote this month’s Earth Hour.
Again journalists lapped it up, not bothering to check how all Hoegh-Guldberg’s other warnings had panned out. (Answer: terrible, as you’ll see.)
(Read full article here.)   

===

Meet the kind of candidate to explain why Tasmania is dying

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (7:00am)

Christian Kerr discovers the archetypal Tasmanian Greens politician - the kind to guarantee this Greens birthplace remains the poorest state in our land:

Strewth is much taken by Braddon contender Philip Nicholas, as summarised by the ABC’s Antony Green on his campaign website. 

“Nicholas grew up on the edge of Melbourne before moving to Tasmania to pursue a career in classical music, studying viola and classical guitar at the Tasmanian Conservatorium. In 1980 he moved to northwest Tasmania to teach violin, viola, cello and classical guitar and has directed several musical ensembles. With a keen interest in science and global warming, Nicholas lives with his family in a house built of mud bricks and stone, designed along solar principles. He also runs his diesel car on a substantial portion of waste vegetable oil, is quarter owner of Lucas Mill and has milled some of his own wind-fallen trees. During winter evenings he spins wool but prefers to knit while travelling.”

UPDATE
Check the Greens’ astonishing policies. Bear in mind that Tasmania is our poorest state with our highest unemployment. It is broke and depends heavily on subsidies from other states.
Yet the Greens seems to suggest the state is awash with free money, and there’s little need to work. Every single one of its policies involves spending more government money, handing out more welfare, helping public servants or restricting some business:

Even the one policy which promises to help business involves just more useless spending.  “Helping small business and community organisations bring down power bills” is not a scheme for getting rid of the carbon tax, but for spending another $1 million to cut energy use and make no practical difference to global warming: 

The Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme will provide no interest loans to assist eligible small businesses and community sector organisations to purchase and install energy efficiency upgrades to reduce their energy costs. The fund will be established with initial start up funding of one million dollars to provide no interest loans of up to $10’ 000 to eligible businesses.

The only “industry” the Greens seem keen to help is the public service.  “Investing in a Revitalised Public Sector” means spending more millions Tasmania doesn’t have on making public servants happy:

The Greens will not reduce the size of Tasmania’s public sector workforce… 
The Greens will invest $6,600,000 over three years in innovative, creative and flexible workplaces that improve morale, health and well-being of our public sector workers.

It is almost criminal that such a party thrives in the state it’s helped to beggar.
(Thanks to reader the Village Idiot (Reformed).) 

===

The only way I want to save Qantas is by flying it

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (12:03am)

Economy

LABOR is worried. The public isn’t stupid, after all, and doesn’t believe governments can or should “save” jobs.
We’re all consumers now. If we want to save Qantas, we’ll fly it.
If we want to save our car industry, we’ll buy a Holden or Ford.
If we want to save SPC Ardmona, we’ll buy a tin of peaches.
And if we don’t buy that ticket, car or tin, the Government should get its hands out of our pockets. Don’t force us to donate to companies that didn’t earn our business.
We’ve seen what such crony capitalism leads to.
Car makers got $30 billion in subsidies over 15 years — mostly to help pay too-generous wages demanded by militant unions — and what’s happened? Money gone, and all four car makers going.
The public gets this. Labor hasn’t.
(Read full article here.) 

===

Pardon me, Warren, but I should be free to disagree with you - and am not

Andrew Bolt March 10 2014 (12:01am)

Free speech

Lawyer Justin Quill, who defended me in my nightmare case, still has trouble believing we have such draconian laws against free speech:

The debate centres on whether the Federal Government should change the Racial Discrimination Act to take away the prohibition on speaking publicly about race in a way that “offends” people. 
Yes, you read correctly. Presently our law says you can’t say something that will “offend” someone if it is based on race. There are some defences available, but causing “offence” alone shouldn’t be prohibited in the first place.

Quill is also astonished by the advice the Prime Minister is getting from Warren Mundine, who is missing the point:

Warren Mundine, the head of Tony Abbott’s Indigenous Council, has reportedly directly advised the Prime Minister not to make the proposed change and to leave the “causing offence” clause in the legislation.
Mr Mundine is reported as saying: “None of us can see what the problem is with (the ‘causing offence’ clause).
“I do not believe this legislation has stopped freedom of speech. I speak quite freely.” But I’m sorry, Mr Mundine, the test should not be whether you — or people who have the same views as you — are able to speak freely.

UPDATE
Eureka Street’s editor misrepresents my argument and I could prove it if a court had not ordered me not to republish what I wrote:

The pledge before the election was prompted by a court finding that journalist Andrew Bolt broke the law when he caused offence with his questioning of the ethnicity of particular fair-skinned Aboriginal persons.

That is not quite what I did, but it is not safe to restate my real argument without hiring poor Justin to OK it first. But here’s what he allowed me to say just after the verdict against me. In this interview with the ABC I discuss some of the background to my thinking on identity. 

===

Who were the two men with stolen passports on the missing plane?

Andrew Bolt March 09 2014 (9:01pm)

A very odd coincidence:

AS THE FBI joins the international search for answers to what downed missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, security experts say China may have been the intended target. 
It has emerged that two of the four travellers being investigated for travelling with stolen passports were travelling together and had booked through China Southern Airlines…
Two European names - Austrian Christian Kozel and Luigi Maraldi of Italy - were listed on the passenger manifest but neither man boarded the plane to Beijing, officials said. Both had their passports stolen in Thailand over the past two years. The BBC is reporting that the men falsely using these passports purchased tickets at the same time. They had consecutive ticket numbers and were both booked on the same onward plane from Beijing to Europe on Saturday, the BBC said.

Let me be clear: we don’t know what happened to the plane. Human error? Mechanical error? Terrorism? And if terrorism, by whom?
But terrorism against China simply cannot be ruled out, especially after this Islamist attack only a week ago:

Last Saturday a group of assailants arrived at the train station, took out long knives and beganstabbing passengers at random, killing 33 and wounding 143... 
Those responsible were described by Chinese officials as “terrorists” from the far-western province of Xinjiang… [a] vast, predominantly Muslim province. Over the past year there has been an increasing number of these violent clashes reported inside Xinjiang, where many local ethnic Uighurs seek independence from China.

Again, I am not saying the plane was brought down by terrorists. I’m certainly not assuming that if there were terrorists they were Chinese Muslims, especially given the two men traveling on the stolen passports were claiming to be Italian and Austrian.  I simply make the point that terrorism is no stranger to China. 

===

If these artists are serious, let them return their grants as well

Andrew Bolt March 09 2014 (8:58pm)

Nicholas Pickard, former government arts adviser and Fairfax arts writer, asks artists to be not just smug and punitive but consistent:

The arts are the only loser in the Biennale of Sydney’s decision to sever ties with founding sponsor Transfield, and its chief executive Luca Belgiorno-Nettis’ resignation as Biennale chairman....
The end result of the protest is the that contract for the Papua New Guinea and Nauru detention centres still exists and the arts have lost the support of a major sponsor, pushing aside a family that has done more for the arts in Sydney than anyone in the past 40 years…
It began as an open letter by an arts teacher in early February that condemned the Biennale’s association with the Transfield Foundation. The foundation’s parent company is Transfield Holdings, which is a shareholder in Transfield Services, a company with contracts to manage the detention centres in PNG and Nauru…
In none of the statements by activists did they condemn Transfield’s funding of the Australian Chamber Orchestra or the peak arts and disability organisation Accessible Arts.
Nor did they condemn the links between Transfield board members who also sit on arts boards across the country providing their services, expertise and support. They include David Gonski, who is chairman of the Sydney Theatre Company, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, who is president of the Art Gallery of NSW Trust, and Nicholas James, who is a director for Gondwana Choirs.
If the activists really wanted to be consistent, they would ... also boycott companies that fund the Liberal-Nationals Coalition, which implements the detention policy. These companies include Santos, Woodside Energy, ANZ, Zip Industries, Macquarie Group, Herbert Smith Freehills and Westfield Group. They are also all active arts sponsors… Should artists continue to accept funding from the Australian government’s arts funding body the Australia Council?

What a powerful symbol of rejection that would be, for activist artists such as Alison Croggon and Benjamin Law to return their arts grants in protest. And what a favor they’d do the taxpayers. 

===

MADU Odiokwu Pastorvin

He Is Unchangeable Changer.Overcome EVERY SITUATION In Your life.
There is no setback you can face in life that God doesn’t already have a comeback plan for.We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve said the wrong thing at the wrong time, or perhaps we did something that is just too difficult or painful to talk about. We’ve all had setbacks in our yesterdays. But your past doesn’t define your future. 

Some people overcome their mistakes, leave them in the past and move on to the great things God has for them. But I’ve found that, unfortunately, some people don’t. 
They get trapped in their mistake. They can’t get past it. The burden of what they’ve done wrong (or what’s been done wrong to them) often becomes so powerful that it dominates their past, their present and their future. I’m reaching out to you today with hope that you are hearing.God doesn’t want you to live this way. He created you to be an overcomer. If you will look for His comeback plan, there’s no mistake or setback that can keep you down.God wants to lift you up.

Here’s what the apostle Paul writes in Romans: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2 NLT). I love this phrase: “.let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” That’s amazing. I wish you a fruitful week,Amen.

=

I CAN'T THANK HIM ENOUGH.
I thank all of you who have being a blessing to this Ministry. I want you to know how grateful I am for you. Your generous support and faithful prayers has encourage me to be a voice of hope and encouragement around the world. You are special to me.Today I give thanks For my blessings As I pray for those in need. 
I give thanks For my family and friends As I pray for those who are lonely.
I give thanks for our freedoms As I pray for those who are oppressed. 
I give thanks for our good health As I pray for those who are ill. 
I give thanks for our comfort and prosperity As we share our blessings with others. 
May the love of God enfold us, The peace of God dwell within us And the joy of God uplift us in Jesus Mighty Name,Amen.

=

How can I walk in righteousness with God?
Simple,live a sinless life.A single sin will deprive you of getting to your destination. "Sin is the result of believing a lie,righteousness is the result of believing God" The choice is yours.Have a fruitful week.

=

Father God, today I choose to focus on You. I bless and praise You no matter what my circumstances look like. I know that You are on my side and I thank You for always leading me in the path of victory. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

=

In the Bible, David had all kinds of challenges. People lied about him, accused him, and tried to kill him. In Psalm 59 he says, "My enemies are coming against me like vicious dogs trying to destroy me. But as for what am going to do? I will sing about Your power. And I will shout for joy for You are my refuge, my place of safety in my day of distress."
Do you need to change your song today? Instead of complaining and thinking about what you're not, start thanking God for what you are becoming. Just like David, stay in faith and sing to the Lord knowing that He's going to complete what He's started in you.Change Your Song.God bless you.

=

An Encounter with Jesus Changes Everything!
When we confront the awful truth about our sin, we will see with new eyes the Savior who reaches down to lift us up.

=

Father, I choose to put my trust in You. I choose to press forward and overcome fear. I believe You are with me; I believe You love me, and You are leading me in paths of righteousness all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.

=

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
(Proverbs 29:25, NIV)
Fear is one of the enemy’s favorite tools to keep us from going forward in our lives. As soon as we make a decision to step out in faith and do what God is telling us to do, immediately the enemy will bring fear. He’ll put thoughts in your mind like, “What if I fail? What will others think? Maybe I don’t have what it takes.” He’ll do his best to use fear to convince you to shrink back and just stay right where you are.

The Bible tells us that fear is a spirit. It affects your emotions. But when you choose to put your trust in the Lord, no matter how you are feeling, you are combating fear.Today I encourage you, don’t allow fear to trap you and hold you back. Instead, take a step of faith knowing that God is on your side. He is for you and with you, leading and guiding you in the path of victory all the days of your life.Amen.

===

Workaholics: If you're burning the candle at both ends you're not as bright as you think.

=== Posts from last year ===

What’s the difference anyway?

Andrew BoltMARCH102013(10:13am)

Again on the ABC, this time on its coverage of the WA state election:

ABC host Kerry O’Brien:  Hannah Beazley standing for the ABC…

Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop: You’ve done it again, Kerry.

O’Brien: Just wish those letters weren’t so similar.

===

Labor’s humiliation in WA could spell curtains for Gillard

Andrew BoltMARCH102013(5:05am)

A big swing against Labor in the WA state election devastates the party and adds to pressure on Julia Gillard:

With 56.7 per cent of the vote counted, the coalition had 58 per cent of the vote on a two party preferred basis, with Labor taking 42 per cent, accounting for a swing of 6.6 per cent to the government.

True, Premier Colin Barnett is a good performer with a good record and was never going to lose. But Defence Minister Stephen Smith, who holds one of Labor’s three remaining federal seats in Western Australia, is brutally frank:

We’ve had a tough time federally - you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work that out - and there’s no doubt we have been a drag on [Opposition Leader] Mark [McGowan] and there’s no doubt that we haven’t been helpful.

If he’s right, Labor’s three federal seats, held by Smith, Special Minister of State Gary Gray and Melissa Parke, could be slashed to one or none.

UPDATE

But the strongest response to the defeat came from [Alannah] MacTiernan, a former WA Labor infrastructure minister, who called on the federal party to dump Ms Gillard.

”There’s no doubt that the voters in WA do not see Julia Gillard as a leader ... and it’s the Labor people telling you this.. I don’t want to be horrible ... (but) you can’t be a leader when people don’t want you as their leader....”

Asked directly if she believed the ALP must replace Ms Gillard as leader, Ms MacTiernan replied: “Absolutely, I’m sorry it is very clear”.

UPDATE

The biggest swing, though, was against the Greens.

UPDATE

Reader Colin:

The biggest worry for federal Labor in the WA State election is that they’ve lost the seat of Perth with a swing to the Liberals of 10%. This seat is a crucial part of Stephen Smiths federal seat, and together with swings of 7% in other areas of Smith’s electorate, he is in serious trouble.

UPDATE

Meanwhile a new Galaxy poll just adds to the pressure:

Asked who they’d vote for if a federal election were held today, 32 per cent of respondents opted for the Labor party, while 48 per cent chose the coalition… 

On a two-party preferred basis, the coalition earned 55 per cent of the vote to the government’s 45 per cent.

===
Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son ?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, you believe in GOD ?

Student : Absolutely, sir.

Professor : Is GOD good ?

Student : Sure.

Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?

Student : Yes.

Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?

(Student was silent.)

Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Is satan good ?

Student : No.

Professor: Where does satan come from ?

Student : From … GOD …

Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Professor: So who created evil ?

(Student did not answer.)

Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Professor: So, who created them ?

(Student had no answer.)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?

Student : No, sir.

Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?

Student : No , sir.

Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smelt your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.

Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Professor: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Professor: Yes.

Student : No, sir. There isn’t.

(The lecture theater became very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?

Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, well you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class was in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?

(The class broke out into laughter. )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.

P.S.

I believe you have enjoyed the conversation. And if so, you’ll probably want your friends / colleagues to enjoy the same, won’t you?

Forward this to increase their knowledge … or FAITH. - apocryphal - ed 
===
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” - 2 Timothy 1:9

===

Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

March 9: Morning

"Yea, he is altogether lovely." - Song of Solomon 5:16

The superlative beauty of Jesus is all-attracting; it is not so much to be admired as to be loved. He is more than pleasant and fair, he is lovely. Surely the people of God can fully justify the use of this golden word, for he is the object of their warmest love, a love founded on the intrinsic excellence of his person, the complete perfection of his charms. Look, O disciples of Jesus, to your Master's lips, and say, "Are they not most sweet?" Do not his words cause your hearts to burn within you as he talks with you by the way? Ye worshippers of Immanuel, look up to his head of much fine gold, and tell me, are not his thoughts precious unto you? Is not your adoration sweetened with affection as ye humbly bow before that countenance which is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars? Is there not a charm in his every feature, and is not his whole person fragrant with such a savour of his good ointments, that therefore the virgins love him? Is there one member of his glorious body which is not attractive?--one portion of his person which is not a fresh lodestone to our souls?--one office which is not a strong cord to bind your heart? Our love is not as a seal set upon his heart of love alone; it is fastened upon his arm of power also; nor is there a single part of him upon which it does not fix itself. We anoint his whole person with the sweet spikenard of our fervent love. His whole life we would imitate; his whole character we would transcribe. In all other beings we see some lack, in him there is all perfection. The best even of his favoured saints have had blots upon their garments and wrinkles upon their brows; he is nothing but loveliness. All earthly suns have their spots: the fair world itself hath its wilderness; we cannot love the whole of the most lovely thing; but Christ Jesus is gold without alloy-light without darkness--glory without cloud--"Yea, he is altogether lovely."

Evening

"Abide in me." - John 15:4

Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every ill. Whether it be the wormwood of woe, or the cloying surfeit of earthly delight, close fellowship with the Lord Jesus will take bitterness from the one, and satiety from the other. Live near to Jesus, Christian, and it is a matter of secondary importance whether thou livest on the mountain of honour or in the valley of humiliation. Living near to Jesus, thou art covered with the wings of God, and underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Let nothing keep thee from that hallowed intercourse, which is the choice privilege of a soul wedded to the well-beloved. Be not content with an interview now and then, but seek always to retain his company, for only in his presence hast thou either comfort or safety. Jesus should not be unto us a friend who calls upon us now and then, but one with whom we walk evermore. Thou hast a difficult road before thee: see, O traveller to heaven, that thou go not without thy guide. Thou hast to pass through the fiery furnace; enter it not unless, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, thou hast the Son of God to be thy companion. Thou hast to storm the Jericho of thine own corruptions: attempt not the warfare until, like Joshua, thou hast seen the Captain of the Lord's host, with his sword drawn in his hand. Thou art to meet the Esau of thy many temptations: meet him not until at Jabbok's brook thou hast laid hold upon the angel, and prevailed. In every case, in every condition, thou wilt need Jesus; but most of all, when the iron gates of death shall open to thee. Keep thou close to thy soul's Husband, lean thy head upon his bosom, ask to be refreshed with the spiced wine of his pomegranate, and thou shalt be found of him at the last, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Seeing thou hast lived with him, and lived in him here, thou shalt abide with him forever.

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Shem, Sem 

[Shĕm, Sĕm] - renown, or name.

A son of Noah, and ancestor of Christ (Gen. 5:32).

From his name, it is to be inferred that Shem was a distinguished person. The men of Babel sought to make themselves a name (Gen. 11:4) and become, thereby, rivals of Shem. The greatness of Shem arose from the fact that he was a forerunner of Christ. Shem's name meaning "renown" foreshadowed the greater name "above every name" before which every knee shall bow (Luke 3:36). In offering praise to God, Noah said, "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem" (Gen. 9:26).

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Today's reading: Deuteronomy 7-9, Mark 11:19-33 (NIV)

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Today's Old Testament reading: Deuteronomy 7-9

Driving Out the Nations

¹ When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations--the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you-- ² and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy....

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Today's New Testament reading: Mark 11:19-33

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!"

²² "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. ²³ "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins...."

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Lent has begun, and Easter is coming! Today, on Ash Wednesday, we begin the somber, reflective season of Lent--a time to repent of our sin and look ahead to the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through Lent (and on select special days throughout), you'll receive an email with Easter-themed Scripture, prayers, and/or other devotional reflections.  Today's Prayer Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. -- The Book of Common Prayer Today's Scripture Reading: Joel 2:1-2,12-17 1 Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand-- 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come. 12 "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." 13 Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. 14 Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing-- grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God. 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. 17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'" Today's Quote The following quote is from an Easter sermon by Friedrich Schleiermacher, an influential 19th-century theologian known as the "Father of Modern Protestant Theology." This quote, on the necessity of putting to death the "old man" of our sinful nature, is appropriate for Ash Wednesday: Thus, my friends, we know what is the new life that is to be like the resurrection life of the Lord. A previous life must die; the apostle calls it the body of sin, the law of sin in our members, and this needs no lengthened discussion. We all know and feel that this life, which Scripture calls a being dead in sins, pleasant and splendid as may be the form it often assumes, is yet nothing but what the mortal body of the Saviour also was, an expression and evidence of the power of death, because even the fairest and strongest presentation of this kind lacks the element of being imperishable. Thus with the mortal body of the Saviour, and thus also with the natural life of man, which is as yet not a life from God. -- "Christ's Resurrection An Image of Our New Life" Something to Think About Many Christians opt to give up something for Lent--a particular habit, luxury, food, or activity. Are you giving up anything for Lent this year? Why or why not?

Lent Devotional Reading Plan

Today's Lent reading: Matthew 1-3 (NIV)

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The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

¹ This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
³ Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
⁴ Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
⁶ and Jesse the father of King David....

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