Mon 17th Dec Todays News

Happy birthday and many happy returns Evelyn Agripa,Joshua Cole and Kenny Tran. Born on the same day across the years. Remember birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

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December 17: National Day in Bhutan (1907)

• 942 – William I Longsword of Normandy was ambushed by supporters of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders while the two were at a peace conference to settle their differences.
• 1790 – The Aztec calendar stone (pictured), now a symbol of modern Mexican culture, was excavated in the Zócalo,Mexico City's main square.
• 1944 – Nazi troops under Joachim Peiper killed unarmed prisoners of war, captured during the Battle of the Bulge, with machine gunsnear Malmedy, Belgium.
• 1951 – The Civil Rights Congress, an American civil rights group, presented a document to the United Nations Genocide Conventioncharging the United States government with genocide againstAfrican Americans.
• 2010 – Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest to police harassment, triggering the Tunisian Revolution.

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Events

• 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Byzantine garrison.
• 920 – Romanos I is crowned co-emperor of the underage Emperor Constantine VII.
• 942 – Assassination of William I of Normandy.
• 1398 – Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies in Delhi are defeated by Timur.
• 1538 – Pope Paul III excommunicates Henry VIII of England.
• 1577 – Francis Drake sails from Plymouth, England, on a secret mission to explore the Pacific Coast of the Americas for EnglishQueen Elizabeth I.
• 1583 – Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeats the troops under Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg at the Siege of Godesberg.
• 1586 – Emperor Go-Yozei becomes Emperor of Japan.
• 1600 – Marriage of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici.
• 1718 – Great Britain declares war on Spain.
• 1777 – France formally recognizes the United States of America.
• 1790 – Discovery of the Aztec calendar stone.
• 1807 – France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System.
• 1812 – War of 1812: U.S. forces attack a friendly Lenape village in the Battle of the Mississinewa.
• 1819 – Simón Bolívar declares the independence of the Republic of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela).
• 1837 – Fire in the Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg occurred.
• 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
• 1865 – First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert.
• 1896 – Pittsburgh's Schenley Park Casino, which was the first multi-purpose arena with the technology to create an artificial ice surface in North America, was destroyed in a fire.
• 1903 – The Wright Brothers make their first powered and heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
• 1907 – Ugyen Wangchuck is crowned first King of Bhutan
• 1918 – Culmination of the Darwin Rebellion as some 1000 demonstrators march on Government House in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
• 1919 – Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
• 1926 – Antanas Smetona assumes power in Lithuania as the 1926 coup d'état is successful.
• 1927 – Indian revolutionary Rajendranath Lahiri was hanged in Gonda jail of U.P. in India; two days before the scheduled date.
• 1928 – Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru assassinate British police officer James Saunders in Lahore, Punjab to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police. The three were executed in 1931.
• 1935 – First flight of the Douglas DC-3.
• 1938 – Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and tecnological basis of nuclear energy - thus opening the "Atomic Age" in the history of mankind.
• 1939 – World War II: Battle of the River Plate – The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo.
• 1941 – World War II: Japanese forces land in Northern Borneo.
• 1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge – Malmedy massacre – American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion POWs are shot by Waffen-SS KampfgruppePeiper.
• 1947 – First flight of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber.
• 1950 – The F-86 Sabre's first mission over Korea.
• 1951 – The Civil Rights Congress delivers "We Charge Genocide" to the United Nations
• 1957 – The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
• 1960 – Troops loyal to Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia crush the coup that began December 13, returning power to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
• 1960 – 1960 Munich Convair 340 crash: 20 passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed.
• 1961 – Fire in the Gran Circus American in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the biggest tragedy in circus history.
• 1967 – Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria and is presumed drowned.
• 1969 – The SALT I talks begin.
• 1969 – Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs, stating that sightings are generated as a result of "A mild form of mass hysteria, Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or seek publicity, psychopathological persons, and misidentification of various conventional objects."
• 1970 – Polish 1970 protests: In Gdynia soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.
• 1973 – Terrorism: 30 passengers are killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists on Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
• 1981 – Brigadier General James L. Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigade in Verona, Italy.
• 1983 – Provisional IRA members detonate a car bomb at Harrods Department Store in London. Three police officers and three civilians are killed.
• 1989 – The first episode of television series The Simpsons, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", airs in the United States.
• 1989 – Romanian Revolution: Protests continue in Timişoara with rioters breaking into the Romanian Communist Party's District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire.
• 1989 – Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years.
• 1997 – The United Kingdom commences its Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997, which extends the state's gun ban to include all handguns—with the exception of antique and show weapons.
• 2002 – Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
• 2003 – The Soham murder trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend Maxine Carr is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
• 2003 – SpaceShipOne flight 11P, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first supersonic flight.
• 2005 – Anti-WTO protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong
• 2005 – Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicate the throne as King of Bhutan.
• 2009 – MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals.
• 2010 – Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.

[edit]Births

• 1239 – Kujo Yoritsugu, Japanese Shogun (d. 1256)
• 1267 – Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (d. 1324)
• 1556 – Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana.Indian Poet (d.1627)
• 1619 – Prince Rupert of the Rhine, English Civil War figure (d. 1682)
• 1632 – Anthony Wood, English antiquarian (d. 1695)
• 1685 – Thomas Tickell, English writer (d. 1740)
• 1699 – Charles-Louis Mion, French composer (d. 1775)
• 1706 – Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1749)
• 1734 – Maria I of Portugal, Portuguese queen (d. 1816)
• 1749 – Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer (d. 1801)
• 1770 – (baptism date) Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist (d. 1827)
• 1778 – Humphry Davy, English chemist and physicist (d. 1829)
• 1796 – Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Canadian novelist (d. 1865)
• 1797 – Joseph Henry, American physicist (d. 1878).
• 1807 – John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet and abolitionist (d. 1892)
• 1830 – Jules de Goncourt, French publisher (d. 1870)
• 1835 – Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, American scientist (d. 1910)
• 1842 – Sophus Lie, Norwegian mathematician (d. 1899)
• 1847 – Émile Faguet, French writer and critic (d. 1916)
• 1853 – Émile Roux, French physician (d. 1933)
• 1859 – Paul César Helleu, French artist (d. 1927)
• 1866 – Konrad Stäheli, Swiss sports shooter (d. 1931)
• 1873 – Ford Madox Ford, English writer (d. 1939)
• 1874 – William Lyon Mackenzie King, 10th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1950)
• 1881 – Aubrey Faulkner, South African cricketer (d. 1930)
• 1883 – Raimu, French actor (d. 1946)
• 1887 – Josef Lada, Czech painter (d. 1957)
• 1887 – Empress Hermine Reuss of Germany (d. 1947)
• 1892 – Sam Barry, American basketball coach (d. 1950)
• 1893 – Erwin Piscator, German film director (d. 1966)
• 1894 – Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (d. 1979)
• 1895 – Nils Asheim, Norwegian politician (d. 1966)
• 1900 – Mary Cartwright, English mathematician (d. 1998)
• 1900 – Katina Paxinou, Greek actress (d. 1973)
• 1903 – Erskine Caldwell, American author (d. 1987)
• 1903 – Ray Noble, English bandleader and actor (d. 1978)
• 1904 – Paul Cadmus, American artist (d. 1999)
• 1905 – Simo Häyhä, Finnish sniper (d. 2002)
• 1905 – Érico Lopes Veríssimo, Brazilian writer (d. 1975)
• 1905 – Mohammad Hidayatullah, Chief Justice of India(d.1992)
• 1906 – Fernando Lopes-Graça, Portuguese composer and musicologist (d. 1994)
• 1906 – Russell C. Newhouse, American inventor (d. 1998)
• 1908 – Willard Frank Libby, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1980)
• 1910 – Eknath Easwaran, Indian and American spiritual teacher and writer (d. 1999)
• 1910 – Sy Oliver, American jazz arranger and bandleader (d. 1988)
• 1912 – Edward Short, British politician (d. 2012)
• 1913 – Burt Baskin, American entrepreneur (Baskin and Robbins) (d. 1967)
• 1914 – Raymond Fernandez, American convicted murderer (d. 1951)
• 1914 – Fernando Alonso, Cuban ballet dancer and instructor
• 1915 – André Claveau, French singer (d. 2003)
• 1916 – Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer (d. 2000)
• 1917 – Kenneth Dike, Nigerian historian (d. 1983)
• 1920 – Kenneth E. Iverson, Canadian computer scientist (d. 2004)
• 1921 – Lore Berger, Swiss writer (d. 1943)
• 1922 – Alan Voorhees, American engineer and urban planner (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian (d. 2006)
• 1924 – G. Kasturi, Indian journalist (d. 2012)
• 1926 – Ray Jablonski, American baseball player (d. 1985)
• 1927 – Richard Long, American actor (d. 1974)
• 1929 – Jacqueline Hill, English actress (d. 1993)
• 1929 – William Safire, American columnist (d. 2009)
• 1930 – Bob Guccione, American magazine publisher (d. 2010)
• 1930 – Armin Mueller-Stahl, German actor
• 1931 – Dave Madden, Canadian-born American actor
• 1931 – James McGaugh, American professor and neurobiologist
• 1932 – John Bond, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
• 1934 – Ray Wilson, English footballer
• 1935 – George Lindsey, American actor
• 1935 – Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball coach (d. 1999)
• 1936 – Tommy Steele, English singer and actor
• 1936 – Jorge Bergoglio, Argentine cardinal
• 1937 – Kerry Packer, Australian businessman (d. 2005)
• 1937 – John Kennedy Toole, American novelist (d. 1969)
• 1937 – Calvin Waller, American Army general (d. 1996)
• 1937 – Art Neville, American musician (The Neville Brothers)
• 1938 – Carlo Little, English drummer (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Peter Snell, New Zealand runner
• 1939 – Eddie Kendricks, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1992)
• 1940 – Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist
• 1941 – Stan Mudenge, Zimbabwean politician (d. 2012)
• 1942 – Paul Butterfield, American musician (d. 1987)
• 1942 – Muhammadu Buhari, military ruler of Nigeria
• 1943 – Mary Brunner, American "Manson Family" member
• 1943 – Ron Geesin, Scottish musician and composer
• 1944 – Jack L. Chalker, American novelist (d. 2005)
• 1944 – Bernard Hill, English actor
• 1944 – Carlo M. Croce, Italian scientist
• 1945 – Ernie Hudson, American actor
• 1945 – Chris Matthews, American journalist
• 1945 – Jacqueline Wilson, English author
• 1945 – Cees de Wolf, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
• 1946 – Eugene Levy, Canadian actor
• 1947 – Wes Studi, American actor
• 1949 – Sotiris Kaiafas, Cypriot footballer
• 1949 – Paul Rodgers, English singer (Free; Bad Company)
• 1950 – Laurence F. Johnson, American educator
• 1951 – Ken Hitchcock, Canadian ice hockey coach
• 1951 – Tatyana Kazankina, Soviet athlete
• 1953 – Samuel Hadida, Moroccan film producer
• 1953 – Barry Livingston, American actor
• 1953 – Bill Pullman, American actor
• 1953 – Sally Menke, American film editor (d. 2010)
• 1955 – Brad Davis, American basketball player
• 1956 – Peter Farrelly, American film director
• 1957 – Earl Hudson, American drummer (Bad Brains)
• 1957 – Bob Ojeda, American baseball player
• 1958 – Mike Mills, American musician (R.E.M.)
• 1958 – Boy Abunda, Filipino journalist and television personality
• 1959 – Albert King, American basketball player
• 1960 – Moreno Argentin, Italian cyclist
• 1961 – Sara Dallin, English singer (Bananarama)
• 1961 – Mansoor Al-Jamri, Bahraini journalist
• 1962 – Paul Dobson, English footballer
• 1962 – Richard Jewell, American security guard and accused bomber (d. 2007)
• 1962 – Rocco Mediate, American golfer
• 1964 – Ginger, English singer and guitarist (The Wildhearts)
• 1964 – Frank Musil, Czech ice hockey player
• 1964 – Michele Tafoya, American sportcaster
• 1964 – Joe Wolf, American basketball player
• 1965 – Craig Berube, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1966 – Tracy Byrd, American musician
• 1966 – Valeri Liukin, Soviet gymnast
• 1966 – Kristiina Ojuland, Estonian politician
• 1967 – Gigi D'Agostino, Italian DJ and musician
• 1967 – Vincent Damphousse, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1967 – Karsten Neitzel, German footballer
• 1968 – Andrey Golovatiuk, Russian politician
• 1968 – Claudio Suárez, Mexican footballer
• 1968 – Paul Tracy, Canadian race car driver
• 1969 – Chuck Liddell, American mixed martial artist
• 1969 – Chris Mason, English darts player
• 1969 – Mick Quinn, English musician (Supergrass)
• 1969 – Michael V., Filipino comedian and actor
• 1970 – Sean Patrick Thomas, American actor
• 1971 – Sinan Akkuş, Turkish-German actor
• 1971 – Alan Khan, South African radio & TV presenter
• 1971 – Antoine Rigaudeau, French basketball player
• 1972 – John Abraham, Indian actor
• 1972 – Laurie Holden, American actress
• 1973 – Konstadinos Gatsioudis, Greek javelin thrower
• 1973 – Rian Johnson, American writer and director
• 1973 – Paula Radcliffe, English runner
• 1973 – Codrin Ţapu, Romanian psychologist
• 1973 – Hasan Vural, Turkish footballer
• 1974 – Duff Goldman, American chef
• 1974 – Sarah Paulson, American actress
• 1974 – Ian Petrella, American actor
• 1974 – Giovanni Ribisi, American actor
• 1974 – Marissa Ribisi, American actress
• 1975 – Nick Dinsmore (Eugene), American professional wrestler
• 1975 – Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-born actress
• 1975 – Bree Sharp, American singer/songwriter
• 1975 – Mayuko Aoki, Japanese voice actress
• 1976 – Éric Bédard, Canadian speed skater
• 1976 – Nir Davidovich, Israeli footballer
• 1976 – Patrick Müller, Swiss footballer
• 1976 – Takeo Spikes, American football player
• 1977 – Arnaud Clément, French tennis player
• 1977 – Samuel Pahlsson, Swedish hockey player
• 1977 – Oxana Fedorova, Russian beauty pageant contestant (Miss Universe 2002)
• 1978 – Alex Cintrón, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1978 – Riteish Deshmukh, Indian actor
• 1978 – Manny Pacquiao, Filipino boxer and politician
• 1978 – Neil Sanderson, Canadian drummer (Three Days Grace)
• 1978 – Chase Utley, American baseball player
• 1979 – Jaimee Foxworth, American actress
• 1979 – Ryan Key, American musician and songwriter (Yellowcard)
• 1979 – Matt Murley, American ice hockey player
• 1980 – Ryan Hunter-Reay, American race car driver
• 1980 – Alexandra Papageorgiou, Greek hammer thrower
• 1980 – Eli Pariser, American political blogger and activist
• 1980 – Stella Ng, Singaporean singer & actress
• 1981 – Jerry Hsu, American pro skater
• 1981 – Tim Wiese, German footballer
• 1981 – Rena Takeshita, Japanese fashion model
• 1982 – Josh Barfield, American baseball player
• 1982 – Lorenzo Cittadini, Italian rugby player
• 1982 – Benjamin Goldwasser, American Musician and Songwriter (MGMT)
• 1982 – Craig Kielburger, Canadian anti-child-labor activist
• 1982 – Stephane Lasme, Gabonese basketball player
• 1982 – Ryan Moats, American football player
• 1983 – Erik Christensen, Canadian hockey player
• 1983 – Bryan Jurynec, American ice hockey player
• 1983 – Kosuke Saito, Japanese DJ
• 1984 – Luis Maria Alfageme, Argentine footballer
• 1984 – Sahara Davenport, American drag queen performer (d. 2012)
• 1984 – Andrew Davies, English footballer
• 1985 – Ryuichi Ogata, Japanese singer (w-inds.)
• 1986 – Vanessa Zima, American actress
• 1986 – Emma Bell, American actress
• 1987 – Bo Guagua, Chinese son of Bo Xilai
• 1987 – Bradley Manning, American soldier, leaked information to WikiLeaks
• 1988 – Kris Joseph, American basketball player
• 1989 – Taylor York, American guitarist (Paramore)
• 1990 – Ashley Edner, American actress
• 1993 – Patricia Ku Flores, Peruvian tennis player
• 1994 – Nat Wolff, American singer and actor
• 2007 – James, Viscount Severn, British royal

[edit]Deaths

• 535 – Emperor Ankan of Japan (b. 466)
• 942 – William Longsword, 2nd Duke of Normandy (b. 893)
• 1187 – Pope Gregory VIII
• 1195 – Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut (b. 1150)
• 1273 – Rumi (b. 1207)
• 1663 – Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (b. 1583)
• 1721 – Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough, English statesman (b. 1640)
• 1830 – Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan military leader (b. 1783)
• 1833 – Kaspar Hauser, German foundling (b. 1812)
• 1847 – Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, second wife of Napoleon (b. 1791)
• 1860 – Désirée Clary, Queen of Sweden and Norway (b. 1777)
• 1907 – William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-born physicist (b. 1824)
• 1909 – Leopold II of Belgium (b. 1835)
• 1917 – Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, English physician (b. 1836)
• 1917 – Frank Gotch, American professional wrestler (b. 1878)
• 1925 – George Gibb, British transport administrator (b. 1850)
• 1927 – Rajendra Lahiri, Indian British anti-occupation activist (b. 1892)
• 1929 – Manuel Gomes da Costa, Portuguese politician (b. 1863)
• 1930 – Peter Warlock, Anglo-Welsh composer (b. 1894)
• 1932 – Charles Winckler, Danish athlete (b. 1867)
• 1933 – Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama (b. 1876)
• 1940 – Alicia Boole Stott, Irish mathematician (b. 1860)
• 1947 – Christos Tsigiridis, Greek electrical engineer and technological pioneer (b. 1877)
• 1957 – Dorothy L. Sayers, English writer (b. 1893)
• 1962 – Thomas Mitchell, American actor (b. 1892)
• 1962 – André-Philippe Gagnon, Canadian comedian
• 1964 – Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1883)
• 1967 – Harold Holt, Australian politician (b. 1908)
• 1967 – Jack Perrin, American actor (b. 1896)
• 1978 – Don Ellis, American jazz band leader (b. 1934)
• 1981 – Antiochos Evangelatos, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1903)
• 1981 – Ada Kramm, Norwegian actress (b. 1899)
• 1982 – Homer S. Ferguson, American politician (b. 1889)
• 1986 – Guillermo Cano Isaza, Colombian journalist (b. 1925)
• 1987 – Linda Wong, American porn star (b. 1951)
• 1987 – Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian novelist (b. 1903)
• 1992 – Günther Anders, Polish philosopher (b. 1902)
• 1992 – Dana Andrews, American actor (b. 1909)
• 1998 – Allan D'Arcangelo, American artist (b. 1930)
• 1999 – Rex Allen, American actor, singer, and songwriter (b. 1920)
• 1999 – Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist (b. 1943)
• 2002 – James Hazeldine, English actor (b. 1947)
• 2003 – Ed Devereaux, Australian actor (b. 1925)
• 2003 – Otto Graham, American football player (b. 1921)
• 2004 – Tom Wesselmann, American collage artist (b. 1931)
• 2005 – Jack Anderson, American journalist (b. 1922)
• 2005 – Marc Favreau, French-Canadian humourist (b. 1929)
• 2006 – Larry Sherry, American baseball player (b. 1935)
• 2008 – Sammy Baugh, American football player (b. 1914)
• 2008 – Freddy Breck, German schlager singer and news anchor (b. 1942)
• 2008 – Dave Smith, American baseball player (b. 1955)
• 2009 – Chris Henry, American football player (b. 1983)
• 2009 – Jennifer Jones, American actress (b. 1919)
• 2009 – Dan O'Bannon, American screenwriter and actor (b. 1943)
• 2010 – Captain Beefheart, American musician (b. 1941)
• 2010 – Walt Dropo, American baseball player (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Eva Ekvall, Venezuelan beauty queen (b. 1983)
• 2011 – Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean singer (b. 1941)
• 2011 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader (b. 1941)

[edit]Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Daniel the Prophet
  • Lazarus of Bethany (local commemoration in Cuba)
  • O Sapientia (Roman Catholic Church)
  • December 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers (United States)
• National Day (Bhutan)
• Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn (Roman festivals)
• Wright Brothers Day, a United States federal observances by Presidential Proclamation

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Gun control just part of US crisis

Piers Akerman – Monday, December 17, 2012 (6:13am)

THE Connecticut primary school massacre must create a debate beyond gun control.

Guns were the tools and there is absolutely no argument that reducing the number of firearms in the general community reduces the number of gun deaths, either accidental, murderous, or in suicides.

The United States has, by some counts, as many as 280 million guns in the hands of private citizens.

It is impossible to see how those guns could ever be removed.

Guns are part of the US scenery.

Gunman Adam Lanza had access to assault weapons, he blasted his way into the school where he slaughtered 20 children and six adults, he shot his victims with assault rifle and used several pistols, most of his victims were shot multiple times.

The more difficult issue is the breakdown in the US culture.

Gun control advocates will call for a crackdown on guns and petition President Obama for reform to make it more difficult for people to buy their hardware but how many Americans will address the shredding of the fabric of their society.

It has not gone unnoticed that this murderer came from a broken home, as did Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, the man who killed 77 people in a bombing and shooting rampage in July, 2011, as have almost every mass killer in modern times.

This is not to say that most single mothers are not capable of raising a child alone, just that the record shows that killers are more likely to have been raised in single parent homes.

Single parent homes are rapidly becoming the norm in the US – they are a symbol of the social collapse.

For the people of Newtown, Connecticut, gathered to mourn the loss of their children today, the symbols of Christmas, the red and green lights and sweet carols, will be forever entwined with the most profound sense of loss.

Some may add their voices to the chorus calling for gun control, some will not, preferring to leave what they perceive to be a political battle to politicians.

Hunting is part of life for many Americans and increasing numbers count on game to provide a change of diet.

But as the parents of the fortunate survivors hug their children to them, Americans should consider the greater risk their society faces, the loss of the family and ultimately the bonds that make a civilisation. 

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FICTION THREATENS FICTION

Tim Blair – Monday, December 17, 2012 (2:52pm)

Greenpeace child-frighteners launch a seasonal assault: 

If we don’t slow Arctic melting, Santa won’t be able to live at the North Pole anymore. Where do you think he should move to? 

The South Pole, obviously. Plenty of ice there for ol’ fatso to re-establish his elf-based amusements construction empire.

(Via Holly B.)

UPDATE. It’s too late for Santa:

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INTERNETS WON

Tim Blair – Monday, December 17, 2012 (11:10am)

Social media is awesome! It’s totally bringing down Australia’s rich and powerful, and in their place establishing a just and peaceful culture for all to share.

Last week saw the latest triumph of social media, as Sydney’s Nic Lochner and Vinay Orekondy ended their campaign to have Alan Jones sacked by radio station 2GB. “Organisers declare victory,” reported media analyst site Mumbrella. Onwards!

The pair of activists launched “Sack Alan Jones” following Jones’s comments in September about Julia Gillard’s father dying “of shame”. An incensed Lochner, 22, explained the motivation behind his quest: “The sort of things Alan Jones has said in his private life make his position untenable as a public commentator.”

Then followed rage-filled petitions on Twitter and Facebook, and finally last week’s victory announcement. “With Alan Jones well and truly held to account, we believe the time has come to formally declare this part of the campaign to be over,” Lochner and Orekondy wrote in asnappy1692-word note to Sack Alan Jones followers. “We believe that this is the correct decision both strategically and morally.”

That’s all fantastic, except for one thing. Jones hasn’t been sacked. 

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MORE GUNS, FEWER DEATHS

Tim Blair – Monday, December 17, 2012 (4:53am)

There is always a bigger picture. In the case of the latest horrific US mass shooting, the bigger picture is this:

There are around 310 million non-military firearms in the US, basically enough to equip every man, woman and child with a deadly weapon. Close to 5.5 million new firearms are produced within the US every single year – two million more than the entire amount of firearms owned by Australians. Another three million firearms are imported to the US annually. Nearly 50 per cent of Americans have at least one firearm in their house. The market for firearms has increased constantly since the election of Barack Obama in 2008, with Smith & Wesson expecting almost $400 million in gun sales during 2012.

And the rate of firearm-related murders keeps falling.

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HELPFUL ADVICE

Tim Blair – Monday, December 17, 2012 (4:51am)

Instead, try a bike lane: 

Firefighters have warned of the dangers of driving into a petrol forecourt when your car is on fire.

(via Peter R.) 

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THE ABBOTTING OF JONATHAN HOLMES

Tim Blair – Monday, December 17, 2012 (4:46am)

Anne Summers, Australia’s second-most influential female voice, defends Julia Gillard’s girls-only gatherings: 

All this will be mocked, of course, by the misogynists and Neanderthals who don’t get what has happened.

‘’There was very little of the hard-nosed scepticism you’d encounter if a group of professional journalists were asked to Kirribilli House,’’ Jonathan Holmes said on the ABC’s Media Watch in October of the July ‘’PM Tea’’ meeting. 

Holmes is a misogynist because of that? Big call, Anne. The bloke might have some problems withwomen, but they’re mainly because he’s a political fact-dancer rather than a lady-hatin’ cave dweller. The Media Watch host responded on Twitter: 

Acc[ording] to Anne Summers, this makes me a “misogynist and Neanderthal”. Really, Anne? 

No reply from Anne, so Holmes reached out once more: 

@AnneSummers do you really think that kind of language is justified? Shd I call you a hysterical haridan? Where does it get us? 

It’s “harridan”, by the way, Jonathan. And where it gets us is Anne’s imaginary planet of Gillard success: 

It is probably impossible to over-estimate the admiration and affection for Gillard among women, especially young women, after her ‘’sexism and misogyny’’ speech on October 9. All of the websites represented on Monday plugged the speech approvingly … 

Bless her. Because Summers is number two on the female influence list, she tries harder.

UPDATE. The real 20 Most Influential Women of 2012.

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Four Ways Teachers Can Show They Care

greatergood.berkeley.edu

Research suggests caring relationships with teachers help students do better in school and act more kindly toward others.

• 

  David Daniel Ball However, by contrast (not to disagree) I have had the privilege to work in schools with many exceptional high achieving students. Adored and highly respected older teachers don't directly exhibit those behaviours. Those dinosaurs know their work and aren't diverted except with a redirect back to work with intense focus. Eg An old boy school allowed girls into its senior years and a forty year practising teacher addresses a girl, whose older brother had attended and whose name was Ian Muddle "I hope you won't muddle through all your subjects like your brother" Arch reply "I'm sure I don't know what you mean" "As a new junior student, Ian would write his first initial and last name on each book for each subject. I Muddle Math. I Muddle English.." These students fondly remember thirty years later to a gathering of students. Students will delight in the freedom they have with the cantankerous and expert who control and direct as benevolent dictators.

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He is denying the rumours now

Matt Damon: Why I never denied gay rumours

www.news.com.au

MATT Damon says he never denied rumours he was gay because he didn't want to insult some of his friends.

• 

  Jason FoNg *Not that there's anything wrong with that* Lol, he's so PC, he can't even deny he's gay.

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Girls are almost top of the early death list per country in Afghanistan .. but men aren't in the top ten.

Landmine kills 10 girls, injures others in Afghanistan

www.news.com.au

Ten young girls were killed when a landmine exploded as they were gathering firewood outside their village in eastern Afghanistan 

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Unspeakable evil slammed America in the beautiful little town of Newtown, Connecticut, just days ago. No words can express the collective shock and sorrow shared by Americans who know the murder of innocent c

hildren is the most horrendous crime imaginable. The Connecticut state motto, “Qui transtulit sustinet,” promises that only God can sustain us. Though still insufficient and unfulfilling for the grieving families of these beautiful babies in the Lord's arms now, perhaps those words are all the inconsolable loved ones can hold on to at this time. May God show His sustaining love to them right now. Please Lord.

It may seem, especially after Friday, the world is spinning fast and furious and out of control. Many political, economic, and societal problems attempt to weigh down our spirit so heavily that some despondently give up after being deceptively led to believe there is no real hope for anything getting better. And despite 24-hour news cycles with constant information flooding our eyes and ears with much white noise, TV's talking heads really have nothing meaningful to offer.

So the world spins furiously, but there is a reason its literal and figurative centrifugal force tightly holds us here together for such a time as this. Until God loosens the tie that binds us to this temporal earth, we are in it together, and we are expected to do our part to make it better. So, now is the time to speak truth, however politically incorrect some may deem it, and focus on what really matters so our nation's spirit can be lifted as we unite in the cause for a better world built on real hope. First, all truly is hopeless if your faith and hope are put in any politician or media elite. That is because the average person is more truthful and responsible than the average politician or media elite.

Those who let themselves be terribly disappointed in political leaders as they ignore real problems, aided along with a complicit media bombarding us with irrelevant distractions in order to avoid facing the reality of a fallen culture, should know those distractions are to hide from a finger pointing to the main contributors to much of our problem. To stop distracting would result in acknowledging the political and media machine's starring roles in our failing society. So, as they too often tear down those who try to do good, while elevating and celebrating corrupt selfishness, they dumbly assume we don't know it is they who significantly contribute to our upside down world today. We've learned our lesson. Don't put your hope in Hollywood or Washington. Instead, build resolve and seek truth more aggressively than ever at such a time as this.

I only know one source of truth and real hope. I call out to this hope with only childlike faith because I am so overwhelmed by the miraculous answers to my prayers that the comforting, secure hope I cling to is too inexplicable for a simpleminded person like me. Plus, because I am not a perfect Christian – and have never met one – I dare not judge others’ “Christian quotient,” and inarticulately explaining my faith is too often interpreted wrongly, hence, my thankfulness in being allowed via the Good Book to have a childlike faith that's good enough for God. Further, I do not wish to force my beliefs down anyone's throat – and simple faith does not do that. Though I'll share my faith unapologetically, I beg fellow faith-filled fallible human beings to quit pretending anyone's effective in forcing others to see the light; please also quit pretending you are holier than thou. You are not. I am not. We're merely fortunate enough to have been knocked to our knees at some point in life and grabbed hold of the opportunity to accept undeserved grace and forgiveness that allows a rebirth and its accompanying peace that passeth all understanding. I cling to it not because I am bitter, but because there is nothing better.

May this Christmas season give you a glimpse of the faith to which millions cling to, and are willing to live and die to self for. As you watch this video, even if you've never prayed before, you can ask God for revelation to what occurred 2000 years ago, what it means for today, and why we celebrate the babe born in that Bethlehem manger over 2000 years ago. And I offer this not because I have all the answers, but because many ask me from where does my hope come? How do I hang on? What do I cling to? Here is a glimpse of the foundation of my faith. May you be shown through this short clip and song that the unanswered questions, the horrible suffering, and the sacrifice of One birthed opportunity for new life and real HOPE for all of us today.

Friends, please watch this, and please don't lose hope. We mustn't lose hope! Look up! And put your time and effort in working so hard for your family and loved ones around you. Don't wait for a fallen world's politicians and pundits to do it for you. You can have within yourself the ability and opportunity to help make America strong again, and her people joyful again.

- Sarah Palin>

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Boulder - The other slush fund involving the sub prime. Michael Smith discovers old newspapers reporting her involvement and appearance at the Boulder Town Hall meeting in 1992 a year before she facilitated the creation of the AWU slush fund.http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2012/12/the-boulder-fund-quite-a-bit-apparently-happened-behind-the-scenes.html

The Boulder Fund, quite a bit apparently happened behind the scenes - Michael Smith News

www.michaelsmithnews.com

The next entry in the Kalgoorlie Miner (that I'm aware of) announces 

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TONY’S APPROVAL RATING

Despite the Coalition being well in front in all the most recent polls (and Labor’s vote being back down to where it was at the start of the year when K.Rudd challenged Ms Gillard because of her poor performance) t

oday’s Fairfax paper’s make a big song and dance about Tony Abbott’s so-called "approval rating".

Following is a transcript of a recent call I received perhaps explains why.....

CALLER: Mr Kelly, thank you for taking my call, I’m ringing to say that I don’t approve of Tony Abbott’s performance !!

ME : Look, thanks for the call – but may I ask; what specifically don’t you like about Mr. Abbott’s performance ?

CALLER: He is too slow, he hasn’t done enough !!!

ME : Thanks, but exactly what is he doing too slowly ?

CALLER: He hasn’t got rid of the that #@*!*# Julia Gillard fast enough. I’ve voted Labor all my life, but Abbott is not working fast enough to get rid of her – that’s why I don’t approve of his performance.

ME : Look, I appreciate your thoughts, but in our democracy, short of a military coup, all Mr Abbott can do is hold the government to account until an election is called.

CALLER: Yes, but Abbott is not doing it fast enough, I’ve had a complete gutful of this Labor Government, their waste, their lies, it makes me want to vomit - I want them gone, and gone now !!!

ME : So you will vote for Mr Abbott at the next election, even though say you don't approve of him for not getting rid of the Government quick enough ?

CALLER: Absolutely, I’d rather eat razor blades than re-elect this Labor Government, but I’m going to continue to disapprove of Mr Abbott until he gets rid of that that #@*!*# Julia Gillard once and for all !!


Please share.

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I only joked about the reelection of Obama and the end of the world .. survivalists are creepy ..

Nancy Lanza 'may have triggered son Adam Lanza's gun rampage'

www.news.com.au

THE mother of the loner who massacred 26 pupils and staff at a US primary school may have played a major part in his catastrophic 

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We don't know, but if we do a test, we still won't know, but scientists can then decide what they want.

What if Reality Was Really Just Sim Universe?

www.livescience.com

Physicists think of experiment to see if reality is just a computer simulation.

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Christians have also come under attack by Muslims in the town of Bichi in Kano state. Violence was sparked by an accusation of blasphemy against a non-native Christian tailor, Chibuke, who accidentally mispronounced t

he name for a popular outfit while talking with a Muslim neighbour; he inadvertently said, “the prophet has come to the market”.

Muslims accused Chibuke of deliberately blaspheming against Islam and launched a violent response. Armed with cutlasses, knives and other weapons, they rampaged through the town, attacking Christians and their property.

Residents said that four Christians, including Chibuke, were killed, although only two deaths have been officially confirmed.

Seven churches, eight shops and a house were torched.

Kano police have arrested 22 suspects in connection with the violence.>

Suicide bombing at barracks church; anti-Christian riots in Nigeria

barnabasfund.org

At least 11 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a church inside