Friday, November 29, 2013

Fri Nov 29th Todays News

Were Abbott to decide to not implement Gonski or spend the money, no school would be worse off. No program that has to run would be chopped. The only difference will be some teachers will have to do what they are already paid to do. It is telling that many unionists fear the resulting fall in standards.
Foreign investment is good. There may be exceptions where something is not in the national interest. Hockey correctly found one. Ten years of turkeys calling out rude names to President Bush, but they forgive Obama. Is it wrong to ask the gay community to denounce the bigots exploiting their issues? Even Gareth Evans recognises what the ALP are doing across issues is wrong. 
Australian business has improved investment by 3.6% in the September quarter .. thank you Mr Abbott. 
It is time to release Jonathon Pollard. Release him now, and begin working on a substantial package of compensation. 
Below, there is an evil meme comparing the holocaust with atrocities against Native Americans. In Australia, a myth of a stolen generation has resulted in harm against indigenous peoples. Failure to recognise the holocaust is another monstrous wrong. What is it that activists are demanding? Strehlow's accounts of Journey to Horseshoe Bend is not an account that legitimates continued abuse of Aboriginal peoples. Are activists demanding more government intervention in native American peoples?
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Hatches
Happy birthday and many happy returns Jason Queue. Born on the same day, across the years, as
Matches
Despatches
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Education systems need hard lesson

Piers Akerman – Thursday, November 28, 2013 (7:27pm)

THE feral critics of federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne made one simple but seriously-flawed assumption when they attempted to savage him over the former Labor government’s terminally damaged Gonski education reform.
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BIRD OF THE DECADE

Tim Blair – Friday, November 29, 2013 (6:26am)

The Washington Times reviews ten years of plastic turkey hysteria. Further on this military poultry anniversary in Monday’s column.
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Under Abbott, 207 boat people in November. Under Gillard, 2630 boat people last November

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (4:11pm)


Lots of media attacks again on Immigration Minister Scott Morrison at the weekly press conference today on boat arrivals.
What a dog’s breakfast he’s supposed to be making of the issue.
Which is odd.

This week’s arrivals: one boat with nine boat people.
Total boat arrivals so far for November (with just one day to go in the month): five, with 207 people on board.
Total boat arrivals last November: 43, with 2630 people on board.
Yes, that Morrison really is stuffing it up. No wonder the ABC has had to create a web page to monitor all these arrivals - something it never bothered to do under Labor when there were 10 times more arriving. 
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Hypocrites hating Abbott to death

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (1:13pm)


image
Remember the Left’s outrage over a poster showing Julia Gillard as a witch? Remember the fury of Labor and Greens MPs? Recall the countless times that poster featured in reports about the “misogyny” of Gillard’s critics?
Well, how much more offensive is a poster of same-sex marriage advocates from the Socialist Alternative showing Tony Abbott being hanged?:
One same-sex marriage activist had the integrity to protest:
Dear Socialist Alternative members, 
I can’t tell you how my heart sank as I watched this banner at Saturday’s Marriage Equality Rally in Brisbane.
On the right it says “Dear Tone, Stahp ur homophobia or else, sincerely de gayz”
On the left, a depiction of Tony Abbott being hung by the neck using a rainbow noose.
Put simply, Socialist Alternative, if that’s your idea of supporting our cause, then we don’t want or need it. Leave us alone.
More disturbing to me is that it really reveals how you see us. You seem to see us as a weapon, a tool to get what you want. The only piece of gay imagery on the whole banner is the rainbow used in the noose.

We are not your weapons, and not your tools. We aren’t the rope you’re going to hang Abbott with, and if you think I’m going to do anything remotely like f…ing Abbott, you’re totally delirious.
These are our rights that you’re toying with….
Equal Love rallies are peaceful. I will never condone violence against anybody. I will not remain silent while people threaten our prime minister, regardless of how I feel about him. I cannot condone actions which will cost LGBTIQ rights the support from the right that we actually need.
So, Socialist Alternative, Take your red wedge and stick it wherever you find it most uncomfortable. I don’t want it, and I reject it.
Sincerely, Dylan Carmichael.
Good stuff, right? The kind of thing you’d actually expect not just from a responsible citizen but from someone demanding more tolerance. And, of course, it’s the kind of stand that would win sympathy for same-sex marriage protesters, not cost it.
But check what happened next: 

The marriage equality activist in Brisbane who publicly spoke up against the Socialist Alternative’s ‘Hanging Abbott’ banner at Saturday’s Equal Love protest has now been expelled from the rally organising committee.…
Carmichael’s letter proved divisive, but many agreed with him that the banner was offensive. Responding quickly to the situation, an urgent meeting of Equal Love was called to discipline him last night, with Equal Love Brisbane Convenor Kat Henderson reportedly calling his behaviour in writing the open letter “a disgrace.” Members of the Socialist Alternative at the meeting voted as a bloc against him staying on with Equal Love.
But quietly, a tacit admission among the hypocrisy:

Equal Love Brisbane have responded to the concern over the ‘Hanging Abbott’ sign in a statement this afternoon, while its convener Kat Henderson has confirmed that the banner will not be seen at future rallies. 
Socialist Alternative is a minority in Equal Love Brisbane and did not move the motion against Dylan Carmichael at last night’s meeting, says the statement. On banners seen at Equal Love rallies in general, the organisation says: “We do not believe it is the role of Equal Love Brisbane to censor, control or condemn materials that any supporting individual or group brings to the rallies.
Those responsible say they represent equal love. They practice an unequal hate.
UPDATE
Graeme Watson, writing in OUTinPerth, warns of a takeover of the same-sex marriage movement by socialists with hate on the minds:
A gradual take over the Equal Love organisation by members of socialist groups is threatening to set back Australia’s long walk towards marriage equality. 
With increasingly more aggressive arguments being put forward and less people attending each rally, there is a danger that the organisers will eventually be standing alone…
At last weekend’s rally in Perth, police approached people wearing T-shirts that read “F… Tony Abbott” and asked them to remove them …
At the Brisbane rally a banner that depicted the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott hanging from the gallows with a rainbow noose was a confronting image to many… The banner was created by the political group Socialist Alternative … Going back…, in June there was a distinctly more violent vibe. At this rally the organisers encouraged people to stop and sit down in the middle of the road. The move caused traffic chaos in the city centre…
(Thanks to reader Michael.) 
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The Bolt Report on Sunday

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (12:08pm)


Prime Minister Tony Abbott will be our guest on Sunday’s Bolt Report. Will talk to him not just about policies but the culture war unleashed against him.
Also on this show: Peter Costello and Michael Costa. Topics - well, take your pick:  Indonesia, China, broken promises, the ABC, Shorten and Gillard.
And, using very short words, I will explain something to Paul Barry.
On Channel 10 at 10am and 4pm on Sunday.
The twitter feed.
The place the videos appear. 
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Liberals want a Qantas that looks like Holden with wings

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (9:52am)


Labor sold Qantas, and the Liberals now want to buy some back? Seriously?: 
A government buyback of up to 10 per cent of Qantas has emerged as the most likely option to solve the airline’s problems… 
It is believed Mr Hockey and Mr Albanese have been talking and the emerging but not yet agreed political consensus is for the government to ­provide an implicit credit guarantee by buying between 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the airline back which, at today’s prices, would cost about $260 million.
What?: 
JOE Hockey will be asked to stand behind Qantas’s debt… Qantas is expected to seek the same kind of guarantee that the commonwealth provided to the nation’s banks during the global financial crisis.
If Holden’s cars had wings, it would look like this Qantas.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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I think Gonski is 25 per cent wrong

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (9:36am)


Bill Scales was a member of the Gonski panel which devised the complicated funding formula for schools that is now being junked by the Abbott Government.
While I respect Scales’ commitment I am highly suspicious of his faith in mathematical calculations of social influences on learning:
While the relative weightings of the various non-financial influences affecting education outcomes for Australian children are not particularly precise, they go something like this. Around 75-80 per cent of the performance of a child at school is determined by that particular child’s innate capabilities. But clearly there are other influences.
How on earth is it possible to measure social and innate capabilities so finely, and to generalise so wildly? Some social factors could in fact be catastrophic. A child horribly abused at home could have their school performance completely wrecked. On the other hand, some children might be spurred by what might hold others back. An unloved child might even seek refuge in their books and, paradoxically, excel. To try to ascribe a mathematical weighting on such influences, given the mysterious variety of human reactions, seems folly. Seems hubristic.
Scales is certainly right to think there is a huge range of social influences on how children learn:
For example, the quality of the child’s teachers, the governance framework of the school, the interest shown by a child’s parents in their child’s progress, and the parents’ interest in academic pursuits more generally are very important. Even the number of outstanding students in a particular school will have an effect on the performance of all the students at that particular school.
While this range of additional influences are not the main contributor to a child’s success at school, they really do matter, and we need to ensure that adequate funding is provided to individual schools to allow the dynamics of these issues to play their part in a child’s education… 
In addition, there are other very specific societal issues that have a profound effect on educational outcomes for some children. These include socio-economic background, whether the child is a new entrant to our country and English is not spoken at home, whether a child has a particular disability that might inhibit learning, aboriginality, and remoteness. 
Then there are whether the child has supportive grandparents, bullying siblings, brawling relatives, books in the house, the TV on all day, a predator neighbour, a rejectionist faith or an injury from an accident.
But how to weight funding to compensate for, say, lazy or abusive parents or a raucous communal accommodation? How can even be sure that more money will make the difference?
Scales: 
The panel found that ... the new schooling resourcing standard would consist of separate per student amounts for primary and secondary students, plus loadings for the additional costs of meeting certain educational needs for particular students.
What is the link between the money and the need – and, more importantly, the outcome? And which “needs” are getting loadings and which are not? It seems the Gonski panel has assumed the 75-80 per cent formula for “innate” achievement, and selected only a few social factors as deserving of compensation – poverty, migrant background, remoteness and Aboriginality, which in fact for some highly assimilated families may not be a disadvantage at all.
No, wait, there is this passage:
Second, for those students that are not ‘’average’’, either because they are very bright, or alternatively, have very special needs such as those discussed above, we must provide them with a reliable flow of additional and appropriate resources to meet their very specific circumstances.
So the bright, and not just the poor, remote, Aboriginal and foreign-born - will get “additional and appropriate resources”. So who misses out? The average?
Or is the default position of the Gonski panel, “when in doubt, add cash”? 
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Adults don’t call names

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (8:41am)


The Abbott Government repeatedly boasts “adults are back in charge”.
So this jars:
CHRISTOPHER PYNE, EDUCATION MINISTER: ... Unlike Short Change Shorten, who took $1.2 billion out of the school funding model, we’re putting $230 million back in for WA, Queensland and Northern Territory for one year while I sort out the Shorten shambles that I’ve been left… Short Change Shorten was determined to take that away from them.  
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Hockey rules against GrainCorp sale. Not so open for business

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (8:21am)


Joe Hockey announces Australia isn’t quite open for business, after all - but the Foreign Investment Review Board suggests he may be wise not to be:
JOE Hockey has ruled against the sale of GrainCorp to US company Archer Daniels Midland. 
The Treasurer said he had come to the conclusion that the $3.4 billion takeover was against the national interest.
The move will avoid an damaging split between the Liberals and the Nationals, which were vehemently opposed to the takeover. Mr Hockey said ...  the proposed acquisition of GrainCorp by ADM was one of the most complex undertaken by the Foreign Investment Review Board, which could not come to a consensus view on the sale.
But it’s interesting the FIRB was split. The decision clearly was complicated enough beyond the politics.
Henry Ergas was, on balance, for the sale, but warned the issue was not open and shut:

This company was at the centre of the lysine price-fixing conspiracy, which inflicted enormous harm on farmers worldwide and resulted in record fines and criminal convictions against three of ADM’s most senior executives. More recently, it has been tangled in corruption allegations, with its latest quarterly report doubling the provision it has made for penalties arising from probes by US government agencies. 
And Washington’s free-market Cato Institute has characterised ADM as a rent-seeker “drunk on tax dollars” that, thanks to massive investments in ethanol, has derived 30 per cent to 40 per cent of its profits from taxpayers… ADM ... will be juggling a wide range of competing priorities, including maintaining the flow of payoffs to farmers in the US congressional districts on which its lobbying prowess relies. And it is far from obvious Australian growers will emerge from that competition as winners.
UPDATE
Hockey denies this signals the Government is not so open to foreign investment:

Of 131 significant foreign investment applications the government has dealt with, “this is the only application we have prohibited”, he said.
His arguments:
Mr Hockey said 85 per cent of eastern Australia’s bulk grain exports are handled through GrainCorp’s ports network. 
He said Graincorp owns more than 280 up-country storage sites and seven of the 10 grain port terminals in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Growers in eastern Australia have expressed concern that the acquisition could reduce competition and impede growers’ ability to access the grain storage, logistics and distribution network, Mr Hockey said. “Given that the transition towards more robust competition continues and a more competitive network is still emerging, I consider that now is not the right time for a 100 per cent foreign acquisition of this key Australian business,” Mr Hockey said. 
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Gareth Evans blasts Labor spying, won’t endorse ABC publishing

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (8:14am)


Even former Labor Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, and even when given a friendly interviewer on ABC Radio National, cannot endorse the ABC’s decision to publish stolen state secrets which it knew would hurt Australia.
He doesn’t condemn it, either, but points out there is a “national interest” and says “the media ought to think very, very long and hard” about such decisions to publish. He adds that the former Labor Government was stupid to have authorised the spying, and suggests this was the original sin because all such spying eventually comes out and generally produces low-grade information anyway.
UPDATE
Reader doc molloy:

Says the Gareth ‘Biggles’ Evans who ordered spy flights over Tasmania back in 1983.. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” 
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Softly, softly, monkey get away

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (8:01am)


The Abbott Government wants to show steady hands are at the wheel. It wants to proceed carefully. It does not want to clobber the post-election rise in business confidence – important to Christmas sales - since its by immediately slashing spending.
There are some signs that this might be working, which the Government should have talked up more:

Australian business investment rose by 3.6 per cent in the September quarter, official figures show. 
The closely-watched figures, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, cover investment in capital goods which includes things like buildings and equipment. The median market forecast was for a fall of 1.2 per cent over the quarter.
But there is a danger, particularly if business confidence and investment peters out.
The Government is losing the argument for urgent change. When it does produce those changes, they will be divorced in time and sentiment from the Labor chaos and spending that helped make them critical. And, of course, it has lost time.
Dennis Shanahan: 

The new Prime Minister’s victory declaration that Australia was open for business furthered the feeling of a political change leading to a change in the climate for business. But, while expectations have risen, and are rising, activity remains low and employment lags. 
The government now faces the challenge of trying to convert that heightened expectation into business action, maintaining confidence while disclosing just how grim the budget position is, encouraging growth while cutting spending, keeping faith with the electorate while managing promises and demonstrably delivering on what business needs.
Much of what the government can do in this regard is long term and depends more on an early, coherent statement of intent in key areas, such as government spending, regulation reform, removing bureaucratic layers and red tape and, most of all, delivering on the core promise to remove the carbon tax and provide certainty… Burchell Wilson, chief economist, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Despite the improvement in small business confidence, we are yet to see this translate into better actual outcomes and for that reason the lift in sentiment remains fragile and vulnerable to correction”.  
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Foreigners already own Qantas. So why not foreign airlines?

Andrew Bolt November 29 2013 (7:48am)


Qantas is Australian owned? Who knew? Adam Creighton on the latest high-cost business to demand government help from lower-cost competition:
Among other things, the Qantas Sale Act, which the federal government enacted when it privatised the national airline in the early 1990s, restricts foreign ownership of Qantas to 49 per cent and forces the company to base the vast majority of service personnel locally. Unlike rival Virgin Australia, which can service its planes in Portugal, New Zealand and China where wages are at least 30 per cent cheaper, Qantas is forced to have the vast majority of its support services in Australia…
Fewer than 1 per cent of Qantas’s shares are owned by individual Australians. More than 90 per cent of Qantas’s shares are owned by investment funds.
According to Bloomberg’s calculations, more than half of Qantas stock is owned by entities based in the US, making a mockery of the criteria applied locally to determine whether a particular Qantas investor is an Australian.
It is far from clear that an Australian airline owned by banks and investment funds is more inclined to support Australian interests than an Australian airline owned by foreign airlines… Having the government block Virgin’s ability to raise capital from its foreign owners is not the solution to Qantas’s plight. The prohibition on foreign airlines from merging with Qantas or even buying it is the problem. 
UPDATE
If Australians really want to keep Qantas, why don’t they just fly the thing?:

Qantas’s ...  on international routes ... now commands less than two out of every 10 passengers.
If commuters won’t donate a bit extra to jeep Qantas, why should taxpayers? 
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21 things you need to survive life
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/things-you-need-to-survive-life/story-fnixwvgh-1226767856490
ONE day you look around your studio apartment and realise you are of an age when you probably should be able to take care of your person. At least know where to find your gas meter, how to cook a microwave meal and perhaps turn on the dishwasher.
I got number six covered .. ed
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Harsh truths you need to survive in the big bad world
http://www.news.com.au/business/worklife/harsh-truths-you-need-to-survive-in-the-big-bad-world/story-e6frfm9r-1226771430175
HIGH school students around the country have finished school forever and are in blissful Schoolies mode.
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Introducing Major General David E. Quantock, United States Army Provost Marshal General and Commander of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command

The Provost Marshal is of particular importance in such a situation, because he is the only individual under the restored U.S. Constitutional Republic who has the legal and lawful standing to arrest the U.S. President.

Late one evening on March 9, 2000, a written quorum call was hand-delivered by Delta Force and Navy SEALs to 15 members of the US Senate and the US House who were sponsors and co-sponsors of NESARA. They were immediately escorted by the Delta Force and Navy SEALs to their respective voting chambers where they passed the National Economic Security and Reformation Act.

In early 1993, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on charges by the Farmers' Union that banks in the U.S. were fraudulently foreclosing on farm mortgages and that the U.S. government was in collusion with these banks. The testimony and proof brought into court by a retired CIA agent led to further evidence and proof that the Farmers' Union claims were legitimate. It also led to evidence the income tax amendment was never properly ratified by the required number of states and therefore, income taxes were unlawful.

NESARA provides major financial benefits to American citizens including: 1) end of income taxes; 2) forgiveness of credit card and mortgage debt as remedy for bank frauds; 3) U.S. Treasury Bank system which absorbs the Federal Reserve and new precious metals backed U.S. Treasury currency; 4) restoration of Constitutional Law, and much more. Many bank presidents and senior stockbrokers have privately confirmed to close personal friends that they have been briefed about the U.S. Treasury bank system. This man is authorized to constitutionally perform his duty and to fulfill his oath and duty to office. One other important note: In a manner similar to the Nation State Project, the One People’s Public Trust now gives the full, legal and lawful authority for the U.S. military (and the oath-keeping military of other nations, who have come to collectively be known as White Knights and White Hats), federal marshals (including the Provost Marshal) and law enforcement officials to arrest those conspirators who have been behind this scheme at the very highest levels. The Provost Marshal is of particular importance in such a situation, because he is the only individual under the restored U.S. Constitutional Republic who has the legal and lawful standing to arrest the U.S. President.

(as of winter 2013, the currently serving Provost Marshal is Major General David E. Quantock). Major General David E. Quantock is the United States Army Provost Marshal General and Commander of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command.
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 Aprille Love
I hate incompetent people and even more incompetent service! I do not recommend any of you use FASTWAY COURIERS! Unreliable, incompetent and disgusting customer service! You call yourself a professional company with residential expertise! F*k off! RAWRRRRRRRRR
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Warren Truss
I welcome the decision by Treasurer, Joe Hockey, to reject the proposed takeover of GrainCorp by American company Archer Daniels Midland.

Australia will continue to have a major locally-owned company dedicated to furthering the interests of the Australian industry.

The Government strongly supports foreign investment and recognises its continued importance to agriculture in Australia. However, not all foreign takeover bids are in the national interest.

The Australian grain industry must now get on with building a strong future for itself and growing its export markets across the globe.
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"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
- Marcel Proust
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Maggot found in sushi at Highpoint
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/maggot-found-in-sushi-at-highpoint-20131128-2ydwd.html
Three bites into a sushi roll she had just bought and her stomach lurched to her throat.
.. that fresh .. ed
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Abbott-haters try too hard and look like calling wolf
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/abbott-haters-try-too-hard-and-look-like-calling-wolf/story-e6frg71x-1226770829998
WHEN news broke last week about Australia's spying activities in Indonesia, The Sydney Morning Herald columnist Richard Ackland took to Twitter to broadcast his response.
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The Incredible 1.6 kilometre-long floating city with its own airport!
http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/the-incredible-16-kilometrelong-floating-city-with-its-own-airport/story-e6frfqf9-1226771036424
FLOATING around the globe, drifting from country to country, never staying in one place long enough to get bored …
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The instructions said "let the bird chill in the sink for an hour."
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.. the stolen generations is a harmful myth. The Holocaust is a dreadful reality. Do these pictures depict the same thing? - ed
John Tran They were not the same things.. Native American were treated poorly, some very horribly wrong acts were committed. The other was Systematic genocide.. a society deserving of democracy is one that has enough members with the ability to discern truth from falsehood.
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CNN cuts ‘most crucial points’ from interview with Russia's UN envoy on Syria
http://rt.com/news/churkin-interview-cnn-amanpour-446/
CNN has made significant cuts to its interview with the Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, most notably his comments on the number of people that actually support Syrian President Bashar Assad.
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IF you can keep your head when all about you 
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
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Tanya Plibersek backs rape probe into unnamed senior Labor figure
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/tanya-plibersek-pushes-for-rape-probe-into-unnamed-senior-labor-figure/story-fn59niix-1226759757328
DEPUTY Opposition leader Tanya Plibersek has urged a full investigation into rape allegations against a senior Labor figure dating back 30 years.
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Man sells testicle so he can buy a Nissan 370Z
http://www.news.com.au/technology/design/man-sells-testicle-so-he-can-buy-a-nissan-370z/story-fnjwucvh-1226768439386
SOME men, when they see a Ferrari or Lambo fly past it leaves them with a yearning so strong they jokingly declare they'd lose a portion of their genitalia to own one. One man is literally going to such lengths by selling one of his testicles so he can buy his dream car. A Nissan?
Sports cars aren't big enough for me. I used to feel I couldn't like anything too small to fit in. Then I met my wife .. ed
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Asset Group Solutions
To be an extension of our client’s business through integrity, experience and professionalism. Our growth is maintained through our dedicated staff, providing them with challenges, career opportunities and life balance.
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Ultimate Weird Japanese Commercials Compilation
http://vitaminl.tv/video/1053
Click to watch the video and write a comment
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4 her


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Holiday Buying Guide - Part 4: Asking the Right Questions for a Diamond Purchase | GIA 4Cs Blog
4csblog.gia.edu
For many, jewelry shopping can be an intimidating experience. Add crowded malls, a long list of gifts to purchase, and the desire to get ‘just the right thing,’ and it can be downright stressful. But knowing what to ask a jeweler can help make this a great shopping experience
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RIP comet Ison. looks like the sun gobbled it up and its not coming back out.

It vaporized before it ever made the turn.

http://spaceweather.com/
If you can't take the heat .. ed
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"I could retire and be the curator of this place," says the Eleventh Doctor before an all-too-familiar, booming voice responds… 

Watch the very special cameo appearance of Fourth Doctor Tom Baker (again!) in 'The Day of the Doctor' on doctorwho.tv: http://bbc.in/TDOTDTomBaker
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PA Caught Digging at Ancient Hasmonean Fortress
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174530
The fortress, an important site in the Maccabee revolts which Hanukkah commemorates, is located in 'Area A' not under Israeli control.
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Madu Odiokwu Pastorvin
Know That,You can go ABOVE & BEYOND in your life starting today.

Dear Saints,
I want you to know that we serve a big God who wants to do big things in your life. You were created to live blessed and fulfilled life. You may not feel this is happening right now but I want you to know that it’s your time to start seeing things change for the better. And the key to this happening is in that one word, “seeing.” 

Despite what the circumstances around you are saying, you first have to see God at work in your midst. This takes believing and activating your faith. Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see”. What this promise is saying is that before you see it take place on the outside, you first have to get a picture down on the inside, of what the potential and possibilities are. Remember that we serve a big God. 

Now is the time to believe what He’s promised. Trust what He says about you and start seeing down on the inside, all the good things that God wants to do on your behalf.Are you ready to start seeing your life through the eyes of faith? If you’ve been going through financial difficulties, then it’s time to stop looking at the problem and start seeing yourself blessed.If you’ve been battling sickness and disease, then it’s time to stop dwelling on negative reports and start seeing yourself healed.If you’ve been having relational issues, then it’s time to stop being filled with anger and unforgiveness and start seeing yourself filled with love and joy that you can express to others.If you live this way, you’re going to succeed. You’re going to find victory in everything you do.You can go ABOVE & BEYOND in your life if you believe.God bless you.
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Pastor Rick Warren

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the Lord’s name is to be praised!” Ps.113:3 This morning during my pre-dawn hike with God I snapped this as the sun began to rise over Saddleback mountain.
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As a church grows, its vision, strategy, culture and even unique values change, but its 5 purposes must NEVER change, because they were established by Jesus. It's his church, not ours. 

Jesus told us WHAT the church is to do but there is freedom to use different styles to fulfill the 5 purposes, because it takes all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people.
Josh Yates Evangelism, service, worship, discipleship & fellowship. They are taken from the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in God's Word.
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Oldest woman of world
A chinese woman born in 1885 and still alive! - 127 year old.
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Andreas Herrmann
bitte lesen - für den Kulturauftrag des öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunks
The open letter of the German Association of Composers - German Composers Association for SWR Orchestra Fusion, as he now exists the broadcasting councils Dear Dr. Augter , Dear members of the Broadcasting Council , the German Association of Composers DKV , which represents over 1,100 music writers in Germany is , in the cause of the " orchestra merging SWR " concerned and deeply irritated : in our view, be civil commitment as the model of an orchestral Foundation ( according to the approved mode as the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Bamberg Symphony ) and the massive protests of cultural workers (including well-known conductor and composer in TIME and FAZ) dismissed without recognizable addressing the serious arguments and fobbed off with empty words and clues formalized by the SWR - directorship . We are talking about a cultural turnout position without equal - namely the preservation of qualitative thinking in relation to the quantitative Zeitgeist (cost aspects as the exclusive criterion quota thinking, commercialization of culture). We therefore ask the Broadcasting Council , at its next meeting on 6 To reconsider the December 2013 decision by an orchestra merger last year again in principle , to examine the arguments now frequently and competently expressed an open mind and then to modify the decision or withdraw . The Broadcasting Council represents yes statutory interests of the public and is required precisely in this conflict situation most clearly . The public system of broadcasting could show here that it is able to react to direct democracy and citizen 's will : it can not be that individuals - and there were also directors - without any consideration of an often backed with best arguments public opinion so decisively our can define cultural future . Allow that we form of theses summarize some aspects of our centrally appearing : 1) Economic pressure ( rigor ) , those responsible for SWR rely on the time and again , does not exist in this form. After the redesign of the delivery charges , the assignments of the KEF are rather increased. This has been derived in detail elsewhere by experts. Required the courage not to subsidize a cultural visionary "Millions of sports fans " with fully spilled out of proportion amounts in the millions , but qualitative and sensitive culture would be (which is a mass product has never been ) to support . Sporting events would also pay-TV (see SKY) and carried live on. High-quality cultural events are dependent on the care of the public cultural order. 2) Cultural primary care must be nationwide. The planned merger with Stuttgart Orchestra of Baden part of the country remains extremely underserved . An example : From date 120-180 days Orchestra presence of the Freiburg region is a reduction to just 30 days ... " First , however, even less ." Compared to neighboring countries such as Bavaria (where there is alone in Munich 5 international quality orchestra , and within a few kilometers in Nuremberg , Augsburg , Regensburg then more symphonic entities ) must be stated clearly under-supply for the west of Baden-Württemberg . 3) Cultural diversity is an enshrined in the Copyright Administration Act fundamental right. With the reduction of two profiled historically grown orchestras to a new synthetically generated all-round Orchestra cultural diversity is lost. Specifically, the Symphony Orchestra Baden -Baden and Freiburg applies worldwide (ref Donaueschingen Music Days , etc.) as an internationally most renowned ensembles for contemporary music - a profile that will now take. Just now ( Badische Zeitung of 11.04.2013 ) , as part of a symposium Freiburg (Director : Prof. Günther Schnitzler ) the unique profile " New Music " of this orchestra symbolically represented as a World Heritage Site under the umbrella of the World Cultural Organization UNESCO. 4) Who closes a renowned orchestra only supposed cost and efficiency reasons , seems to have the singularity and unique meaning of a " symphony orchestra " not sufficiently understood in our view. Ungrudgingly recognized by all other types of music, symphonic music is the highest form of music-making : One hundred musicians synchronize with millisecond precision in the range of nano- vibration and thus produce already a climate of subtle compression that has no equal. There are - together with the phenomenon of opera - no musical form that such complexity has paired with the immediate emotionality : symphonic repertoire of music history, considered the pinnacle of musical performance worldwide . International can be read on any trip which cultural appreciation Germany and his music abroad enjoys : Asia and South America , for example, the run is booming on German musical culture , to build huge concert halls and philharmonic orchestras (where each concert with the youth is full) , because tears are us the information , concerts , sheet music, CDs , so to speak out of his hands ! It is the culture of music by Bach - Handel , Beethoven , Mozart and Haydn Schumann - Brahms - Bruckner - Mahler -Wagner ... to Karlheinz Stockhausen, Hans -Werner Henze and Wolfgang Rihm, the envied .. . And as I said , - our " family silver " are the great sound equipment and orchestra. 5) A Broadcasting must not only currently have the oversight and control costs, but think strategically about the future. This provides for the public broadcasting system not bright ( what we call the Supervisory Board and Chairman of GEMA from international sources know well ) : Internet as a supplier of audio and video is booming with no end . Daily streaming services grow out of the ground . In some age groups young people already use to 60% non-linear cultural consumption from the international media libraries . Google TV, Apple TV and comparable offers the data groups (of Simfy , Spotify , Deezer or Pandora would be up more than 20 vendors now to name already ) replace the traditional offerings of our broadcasters . In short, the public broadcasting has to compete audio and video and can be distinguished in difficult times of a cultural as financial downward spiral with clear unique selling points and claim so with all these commercial " playback platforms " . Since it could be a matter of survival for the preservation of broadcasting here , to point out the lasting cultural function. Reference should that one - which all data groups / playback platforms do not! - Own expensive sound body maintains that it produces musical productions , bears the symphonic tradition in the future. Can buy sports rights or play industrial picture / sound carrier each .... the eligible unique feature of the future of broadcasting will be the continued prudent and responsible fulfillment of their cultural mission . This cultural mission , we ask you not to forget and therefore call for further urgency to leave the path of a reduction of the orchestral landscape and - in its own interest of obtaining an anchored as an important building block cultural life in the public awareness public service broadcasting in the future - again all to reconsider . Yours sincerely, On behalf of the German Composers' Union and its Bureau Prof. Dr. Enjott Schneider ( Chairman) ), Dr. Ralf Weigand (Vice President)
Symphonic music influences all others. The training an individual needs to grow is lifelong. It doesn't have the dynamic appeal of sport, yet it is important to the development of all. You can't cut work for musicians in symphonies in line with sporting grants because there is no remedy for musicians. Steel requires steel to produce steel. So it is with Music requiring performance. Students need opportunity. Professionals need opportunity. Support Germany's cultural heart .. oppose these changes. - ed===

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Larry Pickering

TAXPAYER AID IS POISON

GMH workers are paid up to $3,000 per week for tightening nuts, courtesy of billions paid to the motor industry by taxpayers. 
Taxpayers then switch to the more affordable and less labour-costly foreign product. Meanwhile the workers are forced to live on borrowed time. The only eventual beneficiaries are the unions who, when the industry finally fails, find another industry to ruin.

The same would apply to Qantas if they were afforded taxpayer aid.

The same has applied to many of our once-great manufacturing industries that now make up a mere 16% of our GDP.

The same already applies to the ABC where much of $1.2 billion per year in taxpayer funds finds its way into the pockets of “celebrities” who enjoy obscene benefits way beyond what we normal folk are entitled to.

Twelve months ago I broke a story on Bruce Wilson’s plea to the WA Labor Government for taxpayer funds, and where those funds finished up. The following is normal union practice:

Joe Trio, boss of WA Thiess Contractors in the 90s, said he is considering suing me over allegations I made regarding his, and his brother-in-law, Bruce Wilson’s, complicity in AWU fraud.

Well Mr Trio, after 12 months, I’m still here waiting.

And here is why I won’t be hearing from you:

In 1992, the West Australian Labor Government’s “Building and Construction Industry Training Fund” gifted over $92,000 of taxpayers’ funds to your Company.

This money was to be used for training your staff. But no staff training was ever performed.

Instead, the money eventually found its way from Trio's company into Bruce Wilson’s pocket and Julia Gillard’s house via the fraudulent AWU Workplace Reform Association account that Gillard had later arranged for all future “payments”.

Now Mr Trio, as CEO of a large construction company, might be expected to conduct due diligence when handling taxpayers’ funds... apparently not so.

No alarm bells rang for Trio when his staff received no training!

Also no alarm bells rang when, after having paid Wilson another $180,000 simply to be present on his Dawesville Cut site, Wilson was never to be seen there.

So, it is clear Trio’s brother-in-law, Bruce, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in this, just one of many scams, but it’s not clear how Trio personally benefited.

Mr Trio already knows, so I’ll explain for those who don’t know.

You see, Mr Trio tenders for large government construction contracts. The WA Labor Government at the time was headed by Premier, Carmen Lawrence.

So, let’s be kind and dismiss the doubts that linger over Carmen Lawrence inexplicably gifting Thiess almost $100,000 of taxpayer funds for staff training that was never to eventuate.

Perhaps Carmen Lawrence was also young and naive.

Let’s ignore the fact that she and her Government were thrown out the following year and that she then scarpered off to Canberra to serve under (a’hem) Paul Keating.

Bruce Wilson made a habit of intervening in tendering processes.

He assured Lawrence’s Labor government that if certain taxpayer funds became available to him via Mr Trio, and if Mr Trio's construction company happened to be awarded a certain government contract, he (Wilson) would ensure there would be industrial peace for the duration... and that’s how Mr Trio's company becomes a beneficiary of the fraud.

Industrial peace is assured (that alone is worth millions). Not only that, Trio’s tender can now be grossly inflated because he knows it has already been accepted.

Everyone gets paid, and it’s all kept within the family and all under the Labor/union umbrella.

Money well spent. No-one gets hurt and life goes on.

Well, no-one gets hurt except the taxpayer who forked out the original money and who now has to pay higher prices as a result of the inflated tender. And, I almost forgot, members of the AWU! The very people this Labor union are sworn to defend.

Risking subjudice, I would suggest if Trio, Wilson and Gillard were ever to face a court over this matter there would be no need for the jury to retire.

The jurists would look at each other, nod, stand as one and declare all three guilty as charged.

Labor corruption is like the Hubble telescope, the further it looks back in time the more confident you can be that what everyone is looking at no longer exists.
===

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_reverse_pin.htm
Hoax, it is an urban legend - ed
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Into the fray: Will the West withstand the Obama presidency?
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Into-the-fray-Will-the-West-withstand-the-Obama-presidency-333440
Obama is the first US president who is explicitly unmoored, both cognitively and emotionally, from the bollards of America’s founding Judeo-Christian heritage
<very frustrating and in all likelihood dangerous state of affairs. Are we to assume by his babble that Obama is a fool or is he in reality brilliant intending to remake America in his desired image?>
I feel he is neither brilliant nor a fool. He is a puppet. He was picked up by Pakistani intelligence as a youth and groomed. He is Soros' intellectual lovechild. - ed
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Another Tack: Bloodlust and lies
http://sarahhonig.com/2013/11/29/another-tack-bloodlust-and-lies/
A lot of astonishment mingled with shock was expressed in our midst when it emerged that it was a 16-year-old, from an Arab village near Jenin, who slit the throat of Eden Attias earlier this month...
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Brave British Woman
WWW.ISRAPUNDIT.COM
She doesn't know with whom she is dealing. She should judge them.
http://www.israpundit.com/archives/63591624
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PMW - Palwatch.org
http://palwatch.org/
Palestinian Media Watch is an Israeli research institute that studies Palestinian society from a broad range of perspectives by monitoring and analyzing the Palestinian Authority through its media and schoolbooks. PMW’s major focus is on the messages that the Palestinian leaders, from the Palestinia...
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The brilliant Dinesh D’Souza re-visits Obama’s Dream for America on Thanksgiving/Chanukah eve. |...
http://israel-commentary.org/?p=7982
The American dream is a dream that goes back a couple of hundred years to when a bunch of guys got together in Philadelphia and came up with a formula for a new kind of country. The American founders believed that if this recipe was adopted, this new country would become the strongest, most successf…
Naomi Romm Obama has taken a dream that every new immigrant in the US has had since this country's inception and turned it into a nightmare.
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In Manhattan, ‘Thanksgivukkah’ is as American as apple pie
http://www.timesofisrael.com/in-manhattan-thanksgivukkah-is-as-american-as-apple-pie/
At Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Yorkers revel in a Jewish holiday — and ‘the most Jewish of American holidays’
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Column one: Israel, the Pilgrims and the Maccabees
www.jpost.com
These two festivals that have rarely if ever been celebrated at the same time are similar in key respects.
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Column-one-Israel-the-Pilgrims-and-the-Maccabees-333419
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Can you imagine Obama speaking like this about Israel?: Israel Behind the News
http://israelbehindthenews.com/bin/content.cgi?ID=6977&q=1
http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/can-you-imagine-obama-speaking-like-this-about-israel...
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For lone soldiers, turkey with a side of appreciation (and latkes)
http://www.timesofisrael.com/for-lone-soldiers-turkey-with-a-side-of-appreciation-and-latkes/
Immigrant warriors feted for Thanksgiving Hanukkah celebrations
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Report: London is mediating indirect secret talks between US and Hezbollah
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-London-is-mediating-indirect-secret-talks-between-US-and-Hezbollah-333245
Talks reportedly deal with fight against al-Qaida, regional stability and other Lebanese political issues.
===
Kanye West Is An Anti-Semitic Idiot. - Chicks on the Right - Chicks on the Right
http://chicksontheright.com/posts/item/25023-kanye-west-is-an-anti-semitic-idiot
Behold: That's why Obama's had such a tough go of...
===
More Evidence of Fascist Rallies at Arab University ???
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174532
Video reveals that Nazi salutes at Islamic Jihad rally on campus are part of a wider trend of Nazi glorification.
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True heroes - Maria and Stanislaw Polziec - so wonderful. Happy Hanukkah my friends. Why aren't our children learning about this at school any more? 
Holocaust survivor reunited with saviour after 70 years
www.news.com.au
A JEWISH man who hid from the Nazis in a hayloft as a boy was reunited after 70 years in New York with the Polish son of the people who risked everything to save him.
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/holocaust-survivor-reunited-with-saviour-after-70-years/story-fnet0he2-1226771000020
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“Tsahal Pizza” and Much More
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/tsahal-pizza-and-much-more/
If you know the why, you can live any how.' - Friedrich Nietzsche' If there is one woman......
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Sultan Knish: The Light of Chanukah
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/the-light-of-chanukah.html
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Jail Time for Mob Slaying of ‘Jewish Terrorist’
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174589
Three people have been sentenced to jail for beating a Jewish man to death after a deadly shooting. Verdict met with anger.
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Declare Your Zionism - Declare Your Freedom - Op-Eds - Israel National News
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/14160#.UpdGfI2E7Qs
Declare Your Freedom introduces Zionist thought to the US campus and is proud of it. Chloé Valdary
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Song glorifying violence at PA Arafat memorial - PMW Bulletins
http://palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=10194#.UpdwU3FJKHs.facebook
Lyrics of song: "No force in the world can remove the weapon from my hand.", Palestinian Media Watch is an Israeli research institute that studies Palestinian society from a broad range of perspectives by monitoring and analyzing the Palestinian Authority through its media and schoolbooks. PMW’s maj...
===
Is the Iran deal really a deal at all?
http://www.israpundit.com/archives/63591910
===

Larry Pickering
THE GUILTY ARE THE MEDIA

Last week, after receiving reliable information that the prominent Labor Party figure accused of rape was none other than Bill Shorten, I wrote the following: 

[The name of the testosterone-infused accused is now known widely within the Victorian legal fraternity.
“But why would someone wait this long to report a rape?” I asked.
The explanation given was that she has lived with the traumatic experience for 27 years with the emotional support of her girlfriend who was with her at the time but not a witness to the alleged rape.
Now she can’t switch on the TV without hearing his name and seeing his contorted face. She has to relive the cowardly attack over and over again.
The treacherously ambitious Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Tanya Plibersek, has urged a full investigation. Hmmm, I’ll say no more.]

Well allow me, in anger, to say a little bit more now.

As a commentator I have always been politically agnostic. I have no affiliation with any party and nor do I want to have. If I believe either side is wrong I say so. I value my independence, I have been equally hated by both sides and defamed by those of the Left who fear my influence... and I don’t care.

I am, and always have been, a newspaperman first. I was brought up on the smell of ink and hot metal and the deafening rumbling of presses.

I have worked for them all, from David Syme to Fairfax and Murdoch and I treasure those dim memories of Press propriety.

Frenetic urgency, but never at the expense of accuracy, was our statement of faith never to be violated. Fairness and impartiality were bywords prominent in my “style” book.

My anger is not directed at the accused. Labor’s well-documented record of fraud, paedophilia and racketeering is known to all. It’s in their DNA and it always has been. It has not changed in the half century since I worked for Labor unions and it will not change in future.

Bill Shorten, Federal Labor Opposition leader, is now under police investigation for the rape of a 16 yo girl. Julia Gillard is currently (and during her Prime Ministership) under police investigation for fraud. Michael Williamson, National President of the ALP, has pled guilty to having defrauded his HSU members of $1 million. Eddie Obied, Craig Thomson... oh, forget the rest, the list is far too long.

My anger is reserved for our disintegrating media... and it really doesn’t know why it is disintegrating. It is lost in a vacuum between old intrepid reporting and a new digital age.

People have stopped listening to it. They no longer believe it. The radical Left has infiltrated every corner of it, destroying its moral ethic of impartiality and truth.

Blogs have mushroomed to fill the void but battle to be heard.

No better example of the Left’s destructive bias was Fairfax’s and the ABC’s gay vanguard, David Marr’s reporting of an accusation that a wall may have been punched by Abbott 30 years ago.

Although there was no witness, it was the Left's grand expose of Abbott’s possible hatred of women and his possible violent nature.

And the media’s Left spent ten days of excited hyperventilation covering that possibility.

Now that Bill Shorten has been accused of raping a young girl, the silence from the Left of the media is sickeningly deafening.

No suggestion that he stand down while the investigation is in progress. No, nothing, not one word, not one question. Only the inaudible mumblings of "a presumption of innocence" apply to Labor's accused.

Documented evidence shows Gillard, Shorten and others were complicit in the massive AWU WRA fraud. Still not a left-handed pen is lifted in anger!

Move on readers, there’s nothing to see here.
===
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Daily Videos - HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!

quirky
What a great and quirky holiday song!
Enjoy this great new hit for the holiday of miracles!!!
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So moving!
What army in the world has a unit of deaf and mute to contribute to society?
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Generations – Realizing our Dreams
Enjoy this beautiful song that strengthens the message of generations of Jews who pass down the Jewish tradition from one generation to another.
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Click here to watch: The ONLY Obstacle to Peace!
MUST, MUST SEE. This guy is the best. Definitely hear him until the end!
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We are in a Movie Festival!!!

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Our new production, Joy of Israel, is being screened at the Jewish Film Festival in Jerusalem on Dec. 5th, the last night of Chanukah!!!
We at 12Tribe Films are excited to introduce to you the 3rd episode of our newest production - the Joy of Israel with Jamie Geller Episode #3 - Holy Hebron and Sweet Hebron Hills! Never before has the beauty of Israel been showcased for the world to see in reality TV format with the mission of educating, exciting and connecting people to Israel. This new series will reshape the entire image of living in Israel into one that is exciting, inspiring, and beautiful.
Don't miss watching this fascinating new Joy of Israel with Jamie Geller episode. Click here to watch and be inspired!
After the film festival screening, everyone is invited to a special JOY OF KOSHER book launch party with a special food and wine tasting! If you are in Jerusalem, click here to order your tickets today!
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Click here to watch:NEVER AGAIN!
Must-Watch- This might be the most powerful clip you ever see.
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International law is on Israel's side. Watch the video to understand why!
This must be one of the best video presentations that clearly explains international law and the legal case for Israel and Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria. Definitely watch this to have a better understanding of international law so you can talk about Israel's situation intelligently with others.
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Jamie - Bar

Support the Israeli Economy - Weekly Deal

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Don't miss this best seller! 
Click here to purchase this special gift.
This gripping page-turner takes historical fiction to a new level as it explores the life of one of the most significant and enigmatic leaders in world history: Herod the Great. From the corridors of power in Jerusalem and Rome to the farms and fields of the simple folk trying to survive in turbulent times, you will get a real sense of time and place from one of the most important chapters in hostory. You will also meet all the most significan characters form that time, including the Caesars, Jerusalem's High Priest and Sages, Anthony and Cleopatra, and more. But behind it all is Herod. Herod the proud. Herod the builder. Herod the muderer. Herod the Roman puppet. Herod the schemer. Herod the Great.
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Join our mission - Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to help us grow our network to reach hundreds of thousands of people to make a difference for Israel.
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The day has arrived! It's the time to watch our LIVE broadcast from an IDF Base in Shechem.

The IDF Chanukah/Thanksgiving party begins at 5:00pm Israel time which is 10:00am EST in the USA. It will run for approximately 2.5 hours but when the live feed ends it will be available for immediate replay.

Click here to Watch the party --> http://unitedwithisrael.org/uwi-idf-chanukah-party-2013/

Click below to send a Chanukah gift and personal note to the soldiers
https://unitedwithisrael.net/soldiers/?c=e4

We hope you enjoy watching this amazing event and invite you to visit our website to stay connected with the People, Country and Land of Israel. Click here to visit our website --> http://unitedwithisrael.org/

Have a Happy Chanukah and a Blessed Thanksgiving!

All the Best from Israel,

The 'United with Israel' Family


Click below to learn more about the party and to watch the video 
http://unitedwithisrael.org/uwi-idf-chanukah-party-2013/

Click below to send a gift and personal note to the soldiers
https://unitedwithisrael.net/soldiers/?c=e4

Soldiers' Gifts can be mailed to a US address:
United with Israel
PO Box 151 
Lawrence, NY 11559
United States

Soldiers' Gifts can be mailed directly to Israel:
United with Israel
8/19 Nachal Maor St.
Box 71530
Bet Shemesh 99623
ISRAEL 
===
HonestReporting's Israel Daily News Stream: Everything You Need to Know About Media Coverage of Israel and the MidEast

Today's Top Stories

• US and Hezbollah are reportedly holding indirect talks mediated by London.
• Syria named most dangerous country for journalists.
• Guardian’s Comment is Free publishes piece defending Australia’s decision to change its voting policies at the UN to help restore balance on Israel.
Read the full roundup here...

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Join more than 150,000 people demanding fair media coverage. HonestReporting was formed in 2000 to respond to unfair coverage against Israel in the wake of the second Intifada. Since then, it's prompted hundreds of corrections and retractions. Stay informed on all media issues by signing up to HR's weekly bias alert emails.
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Joint session of the Diet of Japan
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Events[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Holidays and observances[edit]

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“Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” 1 Chronicles 16:8 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth."
3 John 3
The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never have occurred; and if the second could not be said of him the first would have been a mere pretence. Truth must enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is of no value. Doctrines held as a matter of creed are like bread in the hand, which ministers no nourishment to the frame; but doctrine accepted by the heart, is as food digested, which, by assimilation, sustains and builds up the body. In us truth must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality, a part of the woof and warp of our being. If it be in us, we cannot henceforth part with it. A man may lose his garments or his limbs, but his inward parts are vital, and cannot be torn away without absolute loss of life. A Christian can die, but he cannot deny the truth. Now it is a rule of nature that the inward affects the outward, as light shines from the centre of the lantern through the glass: when, therefore, the truth is kindled within, its brightness soon beams forth in the outward life and conversation. It is said that the food of certain worms colours the cocoons of silk which they spin: and just so the nutriment upon which a man's inward nature lives gives a tinge to every word and deed proceeding from him. To walk in the truth, imports a life of integrity, holiness, faithfulness, and simplicity--the natural product of those principles of truth which the gospel teaches, and which the Spirit of God enables us to receive. We may judge of the secrets of the soul by their manifestation in the man's conversation. Be it ours today, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by thy divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts, lest it extend its malignant influence to our daily walk among men.

Evening

"Seeking the wealth of his people."
Esther 10:3
Mordecai was a true patriot, and therefore, being exalted to the highest position under Ahasuerus, he used his eminence to promote the prosperity of Israel. In this he was a type of Jesus, who, upon his throne of glory, seeks not his own, but spends his power for his people. It were well if every Christian would be a Mordecai to the church, striving according to his ability for its prosperity. Some are placed in stations of affluence and influence, let them honour their Lord in the high places of the earth, and testify for Jesus before great men. Others have what is far better, namely, close fellowship with the King of kings, let them be sure to plead daily for the weak of the Lord's people, the doubting, the tempted, and the comfortless. It will redound to their honour if they make much intercession for those who are in darkness and dare not draw nigh unto the mercy seat. Instructed believers may serve their Master greatly if they lay out their talents for the general good, and impart their wealth of heavenly learning to others, by teaching them the things of God. The very least in our Israel may at least seek the welfare of his people; and his desire, if he can give no more, shall be acceptable. It is at once the most Christlike and the most happy course for a believer to cease from living to himself. He who blesses others cannot fail to be blessed himself. On the other hand, to seek our own personal greatness is a wicked and unhappy plan of life, its way will be grievous and its end will be fatal.
Here is the place to ask thee, my friend, whether thou art to the best of thy power seeking the wealth of the church in thy neighbourhood? I trust thou art not doing it mischief by bitterness and scandal, nor weakening it by thy neglect. Friend, unite with the Lord's poor, bear their cross, do them all the good thou canst, and thou shalt not miss thy reward.
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Today's reading: Ezekiel 33-34, 1 Peter 5 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Ezekiel 33-34

Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood....’

Today's New Testament reading: 1 Peter 5

To the Elders and the Flock
1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble....”
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Michal

The Woman Who Tricked Her Father
Scripture References - 1 Samuel 14:49; 18:20-28; 19:11-17; 25:44; 2Samuel 3:13, 14; 6:16-23; 21:8; 1 Chronicles 15:29
Name Meaning - This name is allied to the previous name, Michaiah, and also to Michael, and mean the same - "Who is like Jehovah?" Michal, along with its cognates, illustrates the comparatively small class of proper names composed of more than two words. It is a name describing an admiring acknowledgment of the transcendant unapproachable majesty of the divine nature.
Family Connections - Michal was the younger daughter of Saul, Israel's first king. Her mother was Ahinoam. She became David's first wife, was given to Phalti the son of Laish, of Gallim for a-while, but was recovered by David. As the aunt of her sister Merab's five sons, Michal cared for them after the somewhat premature death of her sister.
Michal, although a princess, does not appear to have had a very commendable character. Desire for prestige, fervor of infatuation, indifference to holiness, and idolatry mark out this Jewess who knew the covenant God yet persevered in idolatrous practices. Closely associated with David, her career can be broken up thus -
She Loved David
What young woman would not be attracted by such a strong, athletic young man, who was "ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to"? Further, David was the young shepherd who defied and killed the giant Goliath who had terrified Michal's father and his people. Thus Michal grew passionately fond of David, and made no effort to conceal her love for this much-lauded champion of Israel. While there may not be very much to admire in Michal, we cannot but express sympathy for her experiences in an age when women were treated as chattels, being thrown from one husband to another. But while "Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David," she did not love the Lord as David did. What a different story might have been written of her if she had been a woman after God's own heart!
She Married David
Saul had vowed that the man who killed Goliath would become his son-in-law, and Merab, Saul's first daughter should have been given to David, but Saul, regretting his promise, gave her to another man. David was now a veritable hero among the people, and Saul's jealousy prompted him to devise means whereby David would be slain by the Philistines. Learning of Michal's love for David, Saul asked as a dowry, usually paid to a father according to Eastern custom, the foreskins of 100 Philistines. David slew 200 Philistines, and Saul was forced to give his daughter to wife to the man whose death he had planned. As David had been victorious, Saul dared not go back upon his word. How Saul illustrates the adage that "Jealousy is as cruel as the grave"!
She Delivered David
Still bent on destroying David, Saul had David's house surrounded. In a frenzy of envy Saul had messengers "watch David to slay him in the morning." But Michal's love smelled danger and, discovering her father's intention, "let David down through a window; and he fled and escaped." Then, as a truehearted wife she tricked her father and his emissaries. With her husband safely out of the way, Michal put a hair-covered image in David's bed, and when the men burst into the supposedly sickroom, they found that they had been cleverly tricked. When Saul heard he had been outwitted, he accused his daughter of disloyalty to her father, and was most bitter in his reproach. Michal, however, pretended that David had threatened to kill her if she did not help him to escape.
She Forsook David
After this incident, Michal's love for David waned. Where was the pleasure in being the wife of a man forced to spend his days a fugitive, hunted like a wild animal in the wilderness? Phalti of Gallem was a better catch, she thought, seeing he was on his way to royalty which she was eager to secure and hold. So Michal became the wife of Phalti. This was an illegitimate union seeing David was alive and was in no way lawfully separated from Michal as her husband. That Phalti cared for Michal is proven by the way he followed her, weeping, when she decided to leave him for her former husband.
She Was Restored to David
With Saul's death, circumstances changed for David whom God had already chosen to be king over His people. Michal and her husband Phalti were living to the east of Jordan during the short rule of Ishbosheth. Abner made an arrangement to assist David to take over the kingship of the nation, and David made the restoration of Michal the one condition of the league. So despite Phalti's sorrowful protest, Michal was forcibly restored to David as he returned from his wanderings as king. Evidently his ardor for Michal was the same as at the first, and his desire to claim her proves how he wanted her as queen in Hebron.
How pathetic it is to read of Phalti with whom Michal had lived for some considerable time. We see his sorrow as he went with her in tears, only to be rudely sent back by Abner! We do not read of Michal weeping as she left the man who had showered so much affection upon her. It did not require much force to make her leave Phalti. Her pride and love for prestige left little room for weeping and although she knew she could never become David's ideal love, seeing she had been the possession of another man, yet as his first wife Michal thought of the position that would be hers at court.
She Despised David
The closing scene between Michal and David is most moving, for what love Michal might have had for David turned to scorn and disdain. After making Jerusalem his capital, David brought the sacred Ark of the covenant, the ancient symbol of Jehovah's presence, to Moriah. On the day of the Ark's return David was so joyful that, stripping himself of his royal robes, he "danced before the Lord with all his might." Michal watched from a window and seeing David - the king - leaping and dancing before the Lord, she "despised him in her heart." Although she had loved him, risked her life for his safety, she now abhors him for his loss of royal dignity. Her haughtiness was shocked by David's participation in such an excitable demonstration.
Nursing her contempt Michal waited until David returned to his household. When they met, she with a biting sarcasm, revealing "her self-pride, and lack of sensitiveness to her husband's magnificent simplicity," sneeringly said, "How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!" For her there were no pious and affectionate feelings at the return of the Ark to Zion. Like her father, Saul, she had no regard for the Ark of God ( 1 Chronicles 13:3 ). But David, mortified by Michal's pride as a king's daughter, was curt in his reply. Resenting her reproach, he made it clear in no uncertain terms that he was not ashamed of what he had done "before the Lord" who had chosen him rather than any of Saul's family to reign as king. Michal had missed the essential significance of David's career, that in spite of his failures he was a man after God's own heart. As Alexander Whyte put it, "What was David's meat was Michal's poison. What was sweeter than honey to David was gall and wormwood to Michal.... At the despicable sight [of David dancing] she spat at him, and sank back in her seat with all hell in her heart.... Michal is a divine looking-glass for all angry and outspoken wives."
She Lost David
After such an outburst of reproach we read that "Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death," and such a final flat statement practically means that she lived apart from David, more or less divorced (2 Samuel 6:16 ). The estrangement between them likely became more acute because of the other wives now sharing David's prosperity. Childless till her death was a punishment appropriate to her transgression. David was given many sons and daughters, and her sister Merab bore five sons, but Michal never achieved the great attainment of being a mother. She ended her days without the love and companionship of a husband, caring for her dead sister's five children, all of whom were ultimately beheaded.
What can we learn from this story of Michal and David? Misunderstanding arose in their relationship because of a clash of temperament, outlook and purpose. Had Michal shared David's faith in God how different life would have been for both of them. But Michal made no effort to understand her husband's Godward desires and so passed a wrong judgment upon him. How certain we should be of a person's motive for his acts or attitudes before we condemn him. Further, had Michal loved David enough, she should have sought his forgiveness after he had explained his demeanor before the Lord. "She worshipped him when he was poor and unknown and now that he is King 'she despised him in her heart' ... David realized they could never love the same God. Therefore he cut her from his heart." But being eaten up with pride there was no tolerance in her heart and so harmony was impossible. Love brings harmony and understanding into every human relationship. A fellow-minister confided in Alexander Whyte that he preached and prayed best when his wife stayed at home. This was something of the gulf between David and Michal. How different it is when husbands truly love their wives and wives sincerely reverence their husbands!
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Jonah, Jona, Jonas [Jō'nah,Jō'nă, Jō'nas]—a dove. The son of Amittai, and the first Hebrew prophet, or missionary, sent to a heathen nation (2 Kings 14:25; Jonah 1:1).

The Man Who Ran Away

The meaning of the prophet’s name is suggestive. When first chosen, it doubtless meant to Jonah’s mother gentleness and love. This son of Amittai was a citizen of Gath-hepher in Zebulun of Galilee and a subject of the Northern Kingdom. He is thus a proof of the false statement of the Pharisees about no prophet coming out of Galilee (John 7:52).
Jonah lived in the early part of the reign of Jeroboam II, and in a period when the kingdom was in a divided and abject condition. He is without doubt one of the earliest, if not the first, of the prophets whose writings are preserved to us. He is the first of a new order of prophets, appearing that he might declare God’s love claims the whole world. By friend and foe Jonah has been ridiculed and tortured and treated as a myth or parable. Our Lord, however, believed him to be a historic person; so do we! For proof in this direction compare Jonah 1:7 withMatthew 12:39, 40 and Luke 11:29, 30; Jonah 3:5 with Matthew 12:41.
Jonah’s mission was to Nineveh and therefore beyond the bounds of Israel, which is in perfect harmony; for whenever God brought His people into any relation with other peoples, He made Himself known to them as was the case in Egypt through Joseph and Moses; to the Philistines through the capture of the Ark; to the Assyrians by Elisha; to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzer by Daniel.
Within the Book of Jonah we have the most beautiful story ever told in so small a compass. In 1,328 words we are given a wealth of incident and all the dialogue needed to carry on the grand and varied action. Jonah was an isolationist, believing that salvation was for the Jews, and the Jews only. Through affliction he came to know of God’s embracing love (John 3:16). Dealing with Jonah as a servant, Dr. C. I. Scofield gives us these helpful points: disobedient (Jonah 1:1-11 ); afflicted (Jonah 1:12-17); praying (Jonah 2:1-9); delivered (Jonah 2:10); recommissioned (Jonah 3:1-3); powerful ( Jonah 3:4-10 ); perplexed, fainting but not forsaken (Jonah 4:1-11).
Another serviceable outline for the worker can be developed around these thoughts:
Chapter one: A disobedient prophet running from God and punished.
Chapter two: A praying prophet running back to God and delivered.
Chapter three: A faithful prophet running with God and rewarded.
Chapter four: An angry prophet running ahead of God and rebuked.
Here are other aspects to deal with: Jonah was sent to a foreign field ( Jonah 1:2); sought to flee from his unwelcome task (Jonah 1:3); was overtaken in his flight (Jonah 1:4-17); found God in the depth of the sea ( Ps. 139:10; Jonah 2); became a revivalist (Jonah 3); was disappointed with his own work ( Jonah 3:5-10; 4:1); reveals bigotry (Jonah 4:1-3); was taught the breadth of divine mercy (Jonah 4:4-11). See belowJONAS, JONA.
Jona is given as the name of the father of Peter (Matt. 16:17;John 1:42; 21:15).
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November 28, 2011
Refinished and Restored
Today's Truth
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
Friend to Friend
Junk. That's what my family and friends thought of most of my purchases. But to me, they were treasures waiting to be revealed.
When I was in my late teens, I had an unusual fetish for beat-up antique furniture. While most of my friends were at the mall shopping for clothes, I was at estate sales, flea markets, yard sales, and auctions hunting for antiques. Often, when I brought my purchases home, my family would roll their eyes and say, "I can't believe you paid money for that old piece of junk." But I never saw my purchases as junk. They just needed a little work...okay, sometimes a lot of work.
At one estate sale I spied a little drop leaf kitchen table with three spindle-back chairs. I could just imagine a sweet little older lady spending many years sitting at that very table drinking her morning coffee or perhaps her afternoon tea. I could almost hear the faint whispers of thousands of conversations from generations past. The set was painted a hospital green, but I saw that it had great potential. Obviously the other bidders didn't recognize a treasure when they saw one, because ten minutes and $35 later, the set was mine.
I brought the dinette set home, all excited about my great buy, and couldn't understand why no one else shared my enthusiasm.
"Sharon, do you realize how much time and energy it is going to take to make that old green rickety table look even slightly presentable?" they asked. At that point in my life, I had a lot more time than money, so the time wasn't a problem.
Refinishing furniture is a dirty, grueling task. First, I stripped off the paint with paint remover and discovered that not only had the table been green, it had also been blue, and before that white. But underneath it all was pure walnut.
The paint remover raised the grain of the wood, so I had to go back and sand it smooth. If the sanding isn't done well, the finished product will always be a little rough. A few joints were loose from wear and tear, so I glued them back together. Then I applied a warm walnut stain which deepened its color and made the beautiful pattern of the wood grain stand out. Finally, I applied a polyurethane coat to seal and protect the piece.
As I worked I began to think of the old broken table as a symbol of my own life. I was also on the auction block, and God had purchased me with His Son's precious blood. I had layers and layers of my old self that had to be stripped away to reveal the beauty hidden beneath. This raised my grain, but God sanded me with life experiences and trials to remove the rough edges. He glued my loose joints and mended my broken pieces, for He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Then He put a sealer not only on me but in me-the Holy Spirit-who brought out the beauty of who God created me to be.
After I finished refurbishing the old table and chairs, I sat in the garage thinking about all that God had done in my life. My mom opened the door, looked at the old table, and said, "I never thought something so ugly could turn out to be so beautiful."
I said, "Amen."
Where are you in the refinishing process? It's never really over, this side of heaven. But as we listen to God day by day, He will show us what needs to be stripped off, sanded away, and polished smooth to be all that He has created us to be.
Let's Pray
Dear Lord, I was such a mess before You transformed me. Thank You for restoring my soul, renewing my spirit, and redeeming my life to become Your treasured possession...a true work of art.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Have you ever refinished a piece of furniture? If so, consider writing your own story of how the process resembles how God changed you.
Even if you haven't, make a list of all the old layers of self that God has stripped away from your life so far. (It is amazing how they just keep coming!)
If you want to see the old table I refinished over 30 years ago, log onto www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes and take a peak.
More from the Girlfriends
Do you find yourself longing to hear God's voice - not as a once-in-a-lifetime experience but on a daily basis? If so, Sharon's new 15-Minute Devotional book, Listening to God Day-by-Day,will help you do just that. It is an expanded version of the smaller book, Extraordinary Moments with God. In it you will find 100 devotions to help you become a woman who detects God's still small voice in all of life. This is a warm, fun, tender look at recognizing some of the wonderful and unexpected ways God reaches out to us in the middle of our busy days. And for more on how God refinishes and refines, see Becoming Spiritually Beautiful.
Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
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P31Header
LeAnn Rice
November 28, 2011
Meaningful Gifts
LeAnn Rice
"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people.'" Luke 2:10 (NAS)
It's the week after Thanksgiving, which means it's time to pull out our Christmas gift lists. Can I be honest? There are aspects of Christmas gift-giving I don't enjoy.
Before you think I'm Scrooge, please let me explain. I'm not fond of the "I'm just checking you off my list" mentality that can make giving seem commercial and insincere. And I don't care for the pressure I sometimes feel to spend more than I can afford at the holidays.
But I do love to give meaningful gifts. And I especially find joy in giving gifts that reflect the reason we celebrate Christmas. The tradition of gift-giving is a reminder of the greatest gift, Jesus Christ. He is "good news of great joy" (Luke 2:10). His birth shouts to each of us, you are loved by the Lord of lords and King of kings!
It seems people are more open to this good news at Christmastime, so I look for ways to share God's love through meaningful gifts. Sometimes I'll drop off a grocery gift card and a pretty basket of homemade goodies on the doorstep of a family in need. With it, I'll include an anonymous gift tag that reads, "Merry Christmas! Love, Jesus."
Another thing I love to do is carry candy canes to give to those I interact with, such as cashiers or waitresses. I usually tie a ribbon around them with a card that includes the Christmas story from the Bible.
Gifts can also be meaningful when what we give reflects God's love for the recipient. Thoughtful gifts communicate to the special people in our lives: God sees you, loves you and knows what you delight in.
One holiday season a friend battling a lingering illness didn't have energy to dive into holiday festivities. Since I love to cook and beautify, I unpacked her Christmas boxes and decorated her house. At the end of the day her family and I admired their festive home and enjoyed the chicken soup I'd set up in the crock pot earlier. It lifted her spirits and mine!
This week, as we transition our focus from Thanksgiving to Christmas, let's remember the gifts we buy don't have to be expensive or complicated to send the message of God's love and ours.
Let's take time to pray, asking God for creativity and thoughtfulness so that we not only give gifts that are meaningful, but gifts that reflect His "good news of great joy" this Christmas.
Dear Lord, thank You that You chose to come to earth, so we could know You and know how much You love us. Help me think of ways to love others for You through the gifts I give this Christmas. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Visit www.UntanglingChristmas.com for great ideas on reaching out, helpful organizing tips, decorating and menu ideas, and seeking Christ in the holiday hustle and bustle. Also find information on downloading the new e-book,Untangling Christmas: Your Go-To Guide for a Hassle-Free Holiday by Karen Ehman and LeAnn Rice.
Application Steps:
LeAnn's She Cooks website provides instructions and tools to make her all-time favorite gift: the Blessing Box. A template with 100 personalized scriptures is provided. Simply do a "find and replace" to insert a name and you will have 100 of God's promises, personalized for the recipient!
As you shop, prepare and wrap gifts for others, pray specifically for the recipient to come to know Jesus or have a closer relationship with Him in the coming year.
Reflections:
Gifts of service are the least expensive and often the most meaningful. Who in my life is so busy a home-cooked meal would make her day? Maybe an elderly or ill friend would appreciate my help shopping, wrapping and mailing their gifts. Who needs my time more than a material gift?
Power Verses:
Matthew 2:11, "After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." (NAS)
Acts 20:35, "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (NIV)
© 2011 by LeAnn Rice. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
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A Tragic End for Judas

Matthew 27:1-10 "When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind...saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood'" ( vv. 3-4).
All four Evangelists describe Judas as a traitor when he first appears on the scene in the Gospels (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:19;Luke 6:16; John 6:71 ). On the other hand, Peter is not defined by his betrayal of Jesus in denying the Savior three times. Since Peter repented and was restored (John 21:15-19), he is remembered as the rock, not primarily as the denier of Christ. Yet Judas never turned from his sin and bears the shame of his deed forever.
Matthew's juxtaposition of Peter's denial and Judas' death invites us to compare the state of their souls. Like Peter, Judas is remorseful after the fact, changing his mind about the wisdom of his deed after seeing Jesus condemned ( Matt. 27:3-4). Unlike Peter, Judas does not feel the "godly grief" of repentance (2 Cor. 7:10). The Greek verb for Judas' change of mind (Matt. 27:3 ) is not the one normally used for repentance. Moreover, Judas does not really try to stop what he has started and will not testify of Christ's innocence before Pilate. John Calvin writes, "True repentance is displeasure at sin, arising out of fear and reverence for God, and producing, at the same time, a love and desire of righteousness." Were Judas repentant, justice and righteousness would move him to intervene on Jesus' behalf. Godly sorrow leads people to run to God, but Judas' despair makes him run into the arms of death (v. 5).
Once more, the Jewish leaders care more about the minutiae of ceremonial regulation than the greater sin of killing an innocent man (see Amos 5:21-24). They use the blood money paid to Judas to buy a place to bury Gentiles (Matt. 27:6-8), thereby fulfilling prophecy (vv. 9-10). The text Matthew cites seems to be a paraphrase of Jeremiah 19:1-14 and Zechariah 11. Both prophets allude to Israel's rejecting the shepherds God sent to them and the destruction that results. For centuries the Almighty sent His prophets to shepherd His people, but His people rejected them and the destruction of exile occurred. Now with the condemnation of Jesus to death, the leaders have rejected the "Shepherd and Overseer" of their souls ( 1 Peter 2:25), and they make themselves even more worthy of God's wrath than their ancestors.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

Matthew Henry comments, "Some have said, that Judas sinned more in despairing of the mercy of God, than in betraying his Master's blood." Neither Judas' betrayal nor his suicide is the unforgiveable sin, only his refusal to seek the grace of Christ. Peter and Judas both committed heinous transgressions, but Peter found restoration when he repented. Today let us repent of our sins and turn to Jesus, knowing that He offers pardon to all those who trust Him alone.
For further study:
The Bible in a year:
INTO the WORD daily Bible studies from TableTalk Magazine, Matthew Studies. Copyright © 2008 by Ligonier Ministries.
Subscribe to Tabletalk magazine and receive daily Bible studies & in depth articles from world class scholars for only $23 per per year! That's only $1.92 per month. And you can try it out for three months absolutely free! Bringing the best in biblical scholarship together with down-to-earth writing, Tabletalk helps you understand the Bible and apply it to daily living. 
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Personal Development: Values (Week 2)

Values drive behavior; a person will pursue what that person loves. Jesus said it best: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). Values run far deeper and are far more important to a leader's effectiveness than any other single factor. One way we can discern what our own personal values are and should be is by listening to what others feel is most important-what really matters, what godly leaders should be committed to. For a helpful look at one great and godly man's values, "listen" to the words he's written as you read them. In Psalm 119:1-32, David, the man who pursued God with his whole heart, opens his values closet and lets us look inside.
Medishare-March
First, notice what David values morally (vv. 1-4). As you read verses 1-32, notice the frequent reference to God's revealed moral will through terms such as word, law, statues, precepts and the like. These manifestations of God's revealed will formed David's value base. How, then, does a person form values that lead to sound moral leadership? Sample verses 11, 15 and 16 and discover David's "valueshaping" process.
The bottom line is that David's deepest value was to honor and please God. Because doing so required that David discover what God finds pleasing and what honors him, David valued God's Word. As a leader, face into the essential role your core values play in your personal, family, social and professional life. Contemplate this statement by one of history's all-time great leaders and ask yourself, "Are the values David chose appropriate for me?" If your answer to that question is yes, then pursue the value-molding process he summarized in verse 11. That one verse says more than many volumes can say about the foundation of godly values.
Values and Who God Is
Values drive actions. God is so aware of our hearts' values that he rejects right behavior performed for the wrong reason. To see how much stake God puts in right values, read his unusual commentary on Israel's religious practices. Isaiah recorded the words in Isaiah 1:10-13.
This Week's Verse to Memorize PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Values and Who I Am
It's crucial for a leader to act on core values, not convenient ones. Jonah provides us with an example of what we're to avoid. His actions in the face of God's direct call sound a stern warning to leaders today who know what's right, but do what's wrong. Turn to the note on Jonah 4:1-11 for today's reading.
Values and How They Work
Values talk easy but sometimes live hard. Lamentations 3:19-26 provides a terrific picture of a leader guided by values. Read it along with the character profile of the prophet Jeremiah for some keen insights on how tough, but also how rewarding, it can be to live without compromising firmly held values.
Values and What I Do
David's statements in Psalm 103:1-22 provide an appropriate summary to our two-week study on values. As you read through this amazing psalm, let the words invade your consciousness, energize your imagination and captivate your conscience.
jesusexperimentpaddedhandbookleadership150Handbook to Leadership: Leadership in the Image of God
by Kenneth Boa
Buy the Handbook!
The Handbook to Leadership includes: 52-Week Leadership Guide, Topical Leadership Guide, Leadership Character Studies, and Books of the Bible Leadership Guide.

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A Tragic End for Judas

Matthew Henry comments, "Some have said, that Judas sinned more in despairing of the mercy of God, than in betraying his Master's blood." Neither Judas' betrayal nor his suicide is the unforgiveable sin, only his refusal to seek the grace of Christ. Peter and Judas both committed heinous transgressions, but Peter found restoration when he repented. Today let us repent of our sins and turn to Jesus, knowing that He offers pardon to all those who trust Him alone.
For further study:
The Bible in a year:
Coram Deo from TableTalk Magazine, Matthew Studies. Copyright © 2008 by Ligonier Ministries.
Subscribe to Tabletalk magazine and receive daily Bible studies & in depth articles from world class scholars for only $23 per per year! That's only $1.92 per month. And you can try it out for three months absolutely free! Bringing the best in biblical scholarship together with down-to-earth writing, Tabletalk helps you understand the Bible and apply it to daily living. 
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Femme Fatales

Today's reading: Judges 16:4-22
A femme fatale is a woman who uses the powers of seduction to lure a man into a dangerous or compromising situation. One woman infamous for her influence was Mata Hari. At the turn of the twentieth century in Paris, Mata Hari created a fictitious persona and performed exotic Indian dances to great acclaim. Although her background was fabricated, Parisian society embraced her . . . and men were beguiled by her. Her sensuous dance seduced powerful men in influential positions. Many believe she used feminine guile to extract military secrets. Ultimately, the French tried Mata Hari and executed her as a double agent in World War I. At her trial she said, "Harlot, yes. But traitor? Never!"
In the Bible, we meet another woman who used her feminine allure to affect the destiny of a man. During the time of the judges, Delilah used her influence to discover the secrets of one of Israel's judges, Samson. Three different times Delilah begged him to give her information about the source of his strength. Three times he resisted. Each time Delilah proved herself false, calling for the Philistines to subdue the strong man. More stunning is that Delilah used the same method over and over again . . . and Samson allowed himself to be tricked each time. Ultimately, Delilah discovered the truth about Samson's strength and turned him over to her countrymen.
Delilah's story shows how men can be swayed by women's wiles and their own desires. Delilah used her sexual attraction and her cunning to bring a man down-for a price. She relentlessly manipulated Samson in order to get the information she needed. When he finally revealed the truth, she rushed to the Philistine rulers to gather her reward. In a heartbeat, Samson lost not just his strength, but the divine gift God had bestowed upon him.
We think it would be great to be able to get our husbands, boyfriends, coworkers, etc. to do what we want. And perhaps, sometimes, we do use feminine wiles, manipulation and nagging to get our way. But are such methods honest? Are they loving? Wouldn't it be better to be the kind of woman others can trust? How much better to employ honesty, kindness and patience to build up the men we love, rather than trample them in the pursuit of our selfish desires

Reflection

  1. Have you ever nagged, manipulated or tricked a man in order to get your way?
  2. How did it make you feel? How do you think it made him feel?
  3. What words will you use to build up the men in your life?
Judges 16:15-16
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

Related Readings

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NIV Women's Devotional Bible
by Zondervan

The New Women's Devotional Bible helps a new generation of Christian women apply God's Word to their lives.
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NIV Devotions for Moms

Healthy and Unhealthy Fear

Today's reading: 2 Chronicles 15:3–6
Additional Scripture Readings: Psalm 27:1; 1 John 4:18
We ought to be thankful for some forms of fear. Fear prompts us to check on the kids in their beds when a sound wakes us at night. Fear makes us grab a child who is toddling out into the street.
Some forms of fear are healthy and provide protection. But when fear becomes the center of our lives, dictating our action or inaction, it ceases to be helpful and becomes a hindrance to our growth. When we shut ourselves away in our homes, insulating our families from the “harm” in the world, we also separate them from interaction in life as well as from the potential good they could accomplish in a world that needs the love of Christ.
In which camp do your fears fall? Does your fear serve you well by protecting you from harm? Or does it hold you and your family back from your God-given potential?
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Today's reading is from the
Mom's Devotional Bible
by Zondervan

Mom, you don't have to go it alone! The Mom's Devotional Bible is a trusted source of wisdom to help you along the path of mothering.


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Advent-Header-2011
The Promised One
by Nancy Guthrie

When someone promises us something wonderful, we can hardly wait for that promise to be fulfilled. If the promise is something good, we want it now ! We really don't like to wait. And yet the very best things are worth waiting for.

A long, long time ago, God made a promise to his people, Israel. In fact, he made many promises to them. But God's most important promise--the promise all his other promises depended on--was that he would send the Messiah, the Anointed One, who would save them from the difficulties of living life in this world broken by sin. The Messiah would not be an ordinary person, but God's own Son. The people he made the promise to had to wait, putting all their faith in the One who made the promise.

The season leading up to Christmas is called Advent, which means coming. During Advent, we remember the thousands of years God's chosen people anticipated and longed for the coming of God's salvation through the Messiah. Then, at Christmas, we celebrate the fulfillment of the promises God made. Jesus--the Savior God had promised--was born to us. No more waiting. Jesus came.

When John the Baptist was born, his father, Zechariah, recognized that the long years of waiting were finally over. God gave him a special understanding that his son, John, was going to prepare the way for the promised Messiah. Zechariah celebrated that God was about to fulfill his promise. He said, "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago" (Luke 1:68-70).

God promised that he would send a Savior, which he did when Jesus became a human baby. And while Jesus did everything necessary to save us when he came the first time, he also promised to come again. Then all God's promises will be completely fulfilled. So again we are waiting. Waiting patiently for God to fulfill his promises is what it means to have faith.

Putting faith in God's promises is not something a person does only one time on the day he or she becomes a Christian. The essence of being a Christian is placing all our hope in God, knowing we can trust him to fulfill all his promises--even the ones that haven't been fulfilled yet. We are willing to wait, trusting that "God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true" (Psalm 18:30).

Prayer

Like your people of old, we are waiting for you, God, to fulfill all your promises. And because we remember how you fulfilled your promise to send Jesus, we know that you will fulfill all your promises to us.

Discussion starters
  • What does it mean to make a promise?
  • Zechariah said that God would soon send a mighty Savior "as he promised through his holy prophets long ago." Look up these verses in your Bible to see a few examples of promises God made about the Messiah, given through his prophets in the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15; Psalm 72:10; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6.
  • Waiting for Christmas to come gives us a tiny taste of what it must have been like for God's people to wait hundreds of years for God to fulfill his promise in sending Jesus. Why do you think it is good to learn to wait on God?
Today's devotional reading is taken from Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Nancy Guthrie. Used by permission.
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Today's Advent reading is taken from:Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room
by Nancy Guthrie

Family-friendly devotions for every day in December, including Christ-centered Yuletide meditations, beloved carol lyrics, prayers, and discussion questions.
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