Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Tue Nov 12th Todays News

ALP are big on abuse and excuse. 'Electricity' Bill Shorten today said the Abbott government had inflamed a diplomatic incident with Indonesia. Fact checkers at the ABC will be slow off the mark. They note Abbott referred to Gillard's corrupt activity. But they won't notice the foreign policy debacles that Shorten's ALP oversaw and created under Gillard and Rudd. From Rudd's beginning in late '07, when he nearly caused the assassination and kidnap of Timorise leaders. Or antagonising India, Japan, US, Malaysia, Indonesia and many others on a host of issues. But it suggests Abbott has antagonised Indonesia .. which isn't even true. Indonesia has appropriately been reminded of its duty. Nothing wrong with that. If Indonesia don't want the responsibility, they shouldn't be in government. 
One wonders at the artistic use Assange applies to the word 'Consent.' Only the incompetent penis knows. A real artist knows the value of words .. and threats. One wonders how many Fairfax journalists earn generous four figure salaries? Not many. In fact I don't think anyone outside the ALP typing pool does. 
Clive Palmer shows himself to be a buffoon. Relating a Kennedy speech on Marxism. Only death prevented Kennedy from being recognised as a worse President than Carter. A death related to an accident from his secret service firing a dum-dum into Kennedy's fragile brain. But what can be said of Pliberseck being paid to visit her constituents with her family at a pleasure resort? In a word, 'rort.'
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Hatches
Happy birthday and many happy returns to those born on this day, across the years, along with
Matches
Despatches
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WITCH UNDITCHED

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (1:55pm)

Fire up the cauldron, sisters! Labor MP and Leader of Opposition Business in the House Tony Burke has described new Speaker Bronwyn Bishop as a witch:

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Why, this is exactly the sort of terrible misogyny that Julia warned us about. Yet the ABC’s Lucy Carter isn’t bothered. In fact, the ABC seems to endorse Burke’s shameful witch slur. Destroy them! Destroy them all!
(Via CL) 
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ALENE COMPOSTA: SCIENCE INTIMIDATOR

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (3:58am)

There’s a war on science, people! Warmists Stephan Lewandowsky, Michael Mann, Linda Bauld, Gerard Hastings, and Elizabeth F. Loftus inform the Association for Psychological Science of the latest anti-science violations, including AIDS misinformation in Africa, the staggering tobacco toll, and a claimed 150,000 annual worldwide deaths due to climate change.
On some issues, they have a point. On others, not so much. But then the piece veers towards paranoia over one moment of scientist mockery: 
Attempts of intimidation have involved the solicitation of potentially compromising information from the first author by a non-existent internet “sock puppet” whose unknown creators pretended to be victimized by climate deniers — and who then splattered the private correspondence on the internet (Lewandowsky, 2011). 
Oh, my. Lewandowsky is still seething over his hilarious humiliation more than two years ago by the much-loved but long-vanished Alene Composta. The piece continues: 
What are the consequences of such insertions by external parties into the scientific process? 
Laughter, mostly. Further responses to Lewandowsky’s eternal outrage are found here. Incidentally, thin-skinned warmy Lewandowsky is a psychology professor. He may also be out of his mind.
(Via reader Tyrone, who writes that Alene “has scored one from the grave.")
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CASH FOR COMMENT

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (3:42am)

Seeking some quick $$$, Sydney’s Charles Firth devises a celeb-assisted arts program: 
So we thought, OK, how can we scam an arts grant by creating a ‘program’? A museum of words was the cheapest thing in the world. 
Firth’s “museum of words” features single words nominated by various semi-prominent types. It’s just words on walls. For this, Sydney council donated $30,000. Creepily, Julian Assange’s chosen word is “consent”.
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HE’LL SHOW ’EM HOW TO DO IT

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (3:08am)

Enraged by the timidity of his colleagues, Mike Carlton himself threatens to attend Scott Morrison’s next press conference.
Mike’s participation should be encouraged, and not just because it would be another sign of his descent into a Margo-like sump of sad sideshow shrieking. After all, it isn’t every day that an immigration minister is bailed up by someone who sounds like he’s wearing Lady Penelope’s underpants.
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TWO, PERHAPS THREE, MINUTES OF DIVERSION

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (2:53am)

If you missed the great BlairWord challenge, here’s your chance again.
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RADICAL POSERS

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (2:36am)

Nick Cohen examines the selectively brave
If you listen to artists, writers, academics and journalists, you would think that thousands of them operate in a radical underground. They say the right things. They ‘speak truth to power’, ‘transgress boundaries’, and all the rest of it. But you will have noticed that they are careful only to challenge religions that won’t hurt them (Christianity) and governments that won’t arrest them (democracies). 
Very true. Look at what happened when London art gallery Unit 24 planned an exhibition featuring works critical of Islam: 
Unit 24, which boasts on its website that it is ‘fiercely independent’, pulled out with only days to go. In emails to the organisers, Unit 24 offered various justifications for wrecking a show that had taken months to arrange. ‘Enemies of the exhibition’ had made threats, and it was worried about a ‘potential terrorist attack’ ...
There was no secret about its decision. But not one of the arts correspondents for the broadsheets or BBC covered the threat to an international exhibition featuring the work of dozens of artists. 
Do read on. Via Mark Steyn, who writes: “So all these brave, transgressive truth-to-power types cannot even find the courage to admit they cannot find the courage.”
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INNUMERATE. ALWAYS.

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (1:54am)

At the Sydney Morning Herald$1,000,000 is a six-figure sum:

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You know, this just might explain Fairfax’s financial problems.
(Via Gavin A.)
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DIFFERENCE DISCOUNT

Tim Blair – Tuesday, November 12, 2013 (1:48am)

One day a perfectly average Australian will face court on a violence charge. This person will be from a middle-class family in a plain suburb. He’ll be a middle-ranking employee at an ordinary business, earning the national average wage. Nothing from his background will be exceptional.
This bloke, whoever he is, can expect the longest sentence in Australian judicial history.
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Stop Clive Palmer if you’ve heard this one before

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (4:41pm)


Clive Palmer makes a fool of himself:
HAS Clive Palmer stolen the words of famed US president John F. Kennedy in a bid to pad out his National Press Club address and woo the country’s journalists?
The billionaire - who has previously been caught out pinching Liberal Party policy platform and accused of closely copying an old Nationals logo - amused attendees in Canberra today with his anecdote about communist revolutionary Karl Marx… But his colourful yarn had much in common with a story told by Kennedy in 1961 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, where he addressed the American Newspaper Publishers Association…
A spokesman for Mr Palmer said the billionaire had told him he had read about Marx’s failed attempt to secure a pay rise “in a book”.
Sure. And wrote his entire speech today from memory?
CLIVE PALMER ON KARL MARX - November 11, 2013:

“In 1851 - a long time ago - the New York Herald Tribune had retained its London correspondent, a little known journalist, named by his mother as Karl Marx.
“Apparently he was without means, his family was sick and hungry, he didn’t have any money.
“He repeatedly appealed to his publisher Horace Greeley ... to boost his salary of $5 a story, a stipend his close friend Engels said was the lousiest petty bourgeoise heating that he’d ever seen.”
Mr Palmer said the Marx claims for a pay rise fell on deaf ears and he built his case to chuckles from the audience.
“He sought another means to support his family, to find the recognition that all journalists deserve. So he was forced to give up his job at the New York Herald Tribune so he could spend all his time working on an idea.
“An idea he thought he would leave to the world. An idea which became the foundation if Stalinism, Leninism, revolution, and the Cold War.”
JFK ON KARL MARX - APRIL 27, 1961:

You may remember that in 1851 the New York Herald Tribune, under the sponsorship and publishing of Horace Greeley, employed as its London correspondent an obscure journalist by the name of Karl Marx.
We are told that foreign correspondent Marx, stone broke, and with a family ill and undernourished, constantly appealed to Greeley and Managing Editor Charles Dana for an increase in his munificent salary of $5 per installment, a salary which he and Engels ungratefully labeled as the “lousiest petty bourgeois cheating.”
But when all his financial appeals were refused, Marx looked around for other means of livelihood and fame, eventually terminating his relationship with the Tribune and devoting his talents full time to the cause that would bequeath to the world the seeds of Leninism, Stalinism, revolution and the Cold War.
If only this capitalistic New York newspaper had treated him more kindly; if only Marx had remained a foreign correspondent, history might have been different. And I hope all publishers will bear this lesson in mind the next time they receive a poverty-stricken appeal for a small increase in the expense account from an obscure newspaper. 
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Make up a museum. Apply to Clover Moore’s council for a grant. Nothing simpler

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (1:50pm)

Satirist Charles Firth wanted cash for the Sydney Writers’ Room, housed - no real surprise - in Sydney’s Trades Hall:
‘‘So we thought, OK, how can we scam an arts grant by creating a program? A museum of words was the cheapest thing in the world.’’
To his surprise, the City of Sydney granted the museum $20,000 and $10,000 for marketing. 
Only the Queen, says Firth, saw through the scam.
The Left, however, betrayed in their choice of words for the musem a serious lack of humor and an even more serious excess of special pleading and Big Government:
Clover Moore, Lord Mayor – Sustainability
Dr Mehreen Faruqi, Greens MLC – Government
Ghassan Hage, academic – White
Judith Butler, feminist philosopher – Gender
UPDATE
Add “sacked” to the Museum of words:

Charles Firth has been “sacked” by the team working with him on the Sydney Museum of Words, after he described the satirical project as a scam.
Firth tweeted on Tuesday morning: “So the Sydney Museum of Words is currently holding an emergency meeting - without me - deciding whether to sack me. I don’t understand.” He wrote later: “Yep. They’ve sacked me. Ironically, I’m at a loss for words.”
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Open for business

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (1:10pm)

First test passed:
FEDERAL Treasurer Joe Hockey has approved Canadian food giant Saputo’s $450 million takeover offer for Australian dairy processor Warrnambool Cheese and Butter.
The treasurer has not placed any conditions on his approval and his green light for the deal comes after the Foreign Investment Review Board signed off on it, again with no conditions…
“Australia is open for business and we welcome foreign investment when it is not contrary to the national interest.”
Next test? Sale of Grain Corp.
Here the politics just got trickier. Clive Palmer has declared he’s against - which is rich from a guy whose fortune depends on selling stuff to China. But Palmer is pitching for Nationals voters, knowing the Nationals may well be rolled by the Liberals. 
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Henderson to Fairfax: cool it on the Abbott hate

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (12:50pm)

Gerard Henderson tells Fairfax readers - or, rather, Fairfax writers - a home truth:
Much of the political and media comment over the weekend suggested that quite a few Australians want Tony Abbott’s ‘’stop the boats’’ policy to fail. Not because they support people smugglers or because they are sympathetic to the Indonesian government. But because they have yet to accept the reality that Tony Abbott is prime minister and that his election-winning policies might work in government.
This was evident on Q&A last week. The panel was politically unbalanced, as usual… It so happened that the only unanimity on the panel occurred when presenter Tony Jones took an approved question about the British Conservative Party and Tony Abbott. Hitchens opposed Abbott from the right, describing him as part of ‘’modern fake conservatism’’. Then it was over to Greer who ... went on to describe the Prime Minister as ‘’extremely stupid’’.
Savage then declared that Australia is having a ‘’George W. Bush moment’’ and looked forward to Abbott’s defeat. Then Rosin ran the Abbott-is-a-sexist-misogynist line. And that was that…
Yet the Q&A program has its uses. If only in demonstrating how out of touch ABC producers and audiences are with the majority of Australians who have just elected the Coalition to one of the biggest victories in Australian political history…
Currently Labor, with the support of quite a few journalists, maintains that Abbott’s ‘’stop the boats’’ policy has failed. Yet, according to available statistics, there has been a reduction in unauthorised boat arrivals of 75 per cent since the Coalition was elected and Indonesia has accepted two out of four boats turned back by Australia.
Which suggests that the Abbott-has-failed line is premature at best and probably based on wish-fulfilment.
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Clive Palmer is a man of excuses. UPDATE: Palmer “a bully”

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (11:12am)

Clive Palmer is a man of excuses. Sarrah Le Marquand:

On Sunday he committed to appear on Channel 10’s Meet the Press, an interview that failed to happen, leaving host Kathryn Robinson, Ten’s national affairs editor Paul Bongiorno and myself in a TV studio staring at a monitor to his home state of Queensland with only a patient cameraman looking back…
It was only when we went to a commercial break that we learned the member for Fairfax was still MIA, with an extended interview with [Christine] Milne running instead.
Only after that - 30 minutes into the program -did the producers receive word that Palmer had slept in, explaining later he had come down with a cold.
Journalists confirm this with Palmer:

When contacted about the reason behind his no-show, an ill-sounding Mr Palmer advised he had a cold.

He said he couldn’t guarantee he would be in Canberra for his first day of Federal Parliament on Tuesday, saying he would see a doctor in the meantime.
Yet the very next day he turned up in Canberra, sounding and looking fine:

HE may be a self- proclaimed billionaire with access to his own corporate jet but Clive Palmer took a regular commercial flight from Brisbane to Canberra as he prepares for his first session in parliament.
UPDATE
Clive Palmer’s former security manager and bodyguard warns against the man whose party now shares the balance of power:

Mike Hennessy, 58, said he was speaking out to expose “the real Mr Palmer”, describing him as a tyrannical bully who has exploded with foul abuse at staff, falsely accused loyal managers at his resort on the Sunshine Coast of being “lazy, thieving c . . ts”, dispatched others by saying “you’re sacked - now get off my resort”, and privately mocked voters.
Mr Palmer, who won the Queensland Sunshine Coast seat of Fairfax and whose Palmer United Party will have at least two senators in parliament after July 1, has rejected the claims as untrue.
But Mr Hennessy, who worked closely with Mr Palmer on security..., said he believed that people were scared to talk because they were intimidated by his reputation for litigation, including costly defamation actions…
Mr Palmer has in recent months launched Supreme Court defamation proceedings against The Australian newspaper and the federal Liberal Party’s newly elected member for Fisher, Mal Brough. He previously has sued the then Queensland premier Anna Bligh and then state treasurer Andrew Fraser…
Mr Hennessy, who lost his job at the Palmer Coolum Resort and dinosaur park a fortnight ago, told The Australian in an exclusive interview: “… He is an egotistical bully. The people of Australia are going to see it. It’s going to come out when he gets into parliament. Because when he gets told he can’t have something, he doesn’t understand the word ‘no’, it’s as simple as that...”

Mr Hennessy said Mr Palmer had privately boasted that his newly found political power meant he would never pay more than $6m that he has owed the commonwealth since it formally billed him for the carbon tax and a fine, arising from his loss-making nickel refinery in Townsville…
The Australian yesterday asked Mr Palmer about the claims, including that he was a “tyrannical bully” who yelled foul abuse at staff, making them fearful and severely stressed. Mr Palmer replied: “Who of you is without sin cast the first stone.”
But this must be said:
Mr Hennessy signed a statutory declaration yesterday at The Australian’s offices in Brisbane to swear to the truthfulness of his claims. He said he needed another job and did not expect to receive prompt payment of financial entitlements of several thousand dollars he claims he is owed by Mr Palmer, but he planned to take action to recover the money.

Mr Palmer added that Mr Hennessy had resigned. Mr Hennessy, however, insisted he was unfairly dismissed by Mr Palmer’s son, Michael. Mr Palmer said: “These allegations are just not true. (I have) never said anything like that. He resigned.”
UPDATE
Palmer in his National Press Club speech today repeatedly attacks Australian reporter Hedley Thomas.
In questions, he is surprisingly mild towards Tony Abbott, dismissing any hard feelings.
Asked by a reporter from The Australian about his workforce in his nickel business going from 650 workers to 150, he at first says he can’t comment, then denies it, then suggests he’s not really in charge, and then says again he can’t comment.
UPDATE
Questioned by a reporter how he as a legislator can justify refusing to pay his tax liabilities - in this case a $6 million carbon tax bill - Palmer says he doesn’t have to justify it. He claims he can’t comment because it is “sub judice”.
Palmer then attacks Senator Nick Xenophon twice as “Nick Xenophobia”. The Palmer supporters in the audience embarrass themselves by snickering both times. Palmer improbably claims Ricky Muir of the Motoring Enthusiasts Party forced himself on the Palmer United Party to get a joint-ticket deal, which Palmer still won’t release.
UPDATE
Worryingly, Wayne Dropulich, the putative Australian Sports Party Senator from Western Australia, is in the audience. Palmer claims he has no plans (yet?) to form an alliance with him, too. 
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Gosh. How did Fairfax miss this one?

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (9:15am)

One of the dodgy expense claims that Fairfax somehow overlooked in trying to nail Coalition MPs as serial rorters:
DEPUTY Labor leader Tanya Plibersek charged taxpayers to take her family to holiday destination Lord Howe Island, where she met constituents.
The Sydney MP’s electorate covers the territory 700km off the coast of NSW and she spent four days on the island, population 350, in April 2011.
Entitlements documents show three members of Ms Plibersek’s family travelled with her, at a cost of almost $3500 in flights.

The family flew to the island on April 24 and returned to Sydney on April 28.
Of course, there’s an excuse for the Plibersek family going en famille:
“Tanya visited because she represents the residents of Lord Howe Island in the parliament, as it is part of the federal electorate of Sydney,’’ her spokesman said.
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Abbott to the rescue

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (9:12am)

I thought Tony Abbott was supposed to be bad at diplomacy:

A SECRET meeting in the Middle East between Tony Abbott and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, preceded this week’s stunning legal reversal of the bribery case against Australian businessmen Matthew Joyce and Marcus Lee.
The Australian can reveal that the Prime Minister met Sheik Mohammed, the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, in Abu Dhabi on October 30 on the way back from Mr Abbott’s visit to Australian troops in Afghanistan. The meeting was not announced.
During their discussions Mr Abbott urged the UAE government to reconsider the high-profile case against the two Australians. Sheik Mohammed is understood to have told the Prime Minister he was aware that the case was of significant concern to Australia and that the UAE justice system was aware of the circumstances surrounding it.
Mr Abbott’s personal intervention follows comments he made as opposition leader in May when he said the sentence against Mr Joyce was harsh and that the then Labor government should be doing everything it could to help the two men…
A spokesman for the Prime Minister declined to comment.
Fairfax missed the Abbott angle in its own report on this “surprise” verdict.
(Thanks to reader Peter.) 
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Tony Abbott’s real challenge: surviving Labor’s waste

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (8:41am)


In the end, the next election will come down to one thing above all. Will the Abbott Government have saved us from a fall in our living standards, caused in part by six years of Labor waste?
The head of Tony Abbott’s Business Advisory Council, Maurice Newman, gives a heartfelt speech putting the cards on the table:
... he spoke of losing his ‘’political virginity’’ by throwing his lot in with the Coalition after years having ‘’voted for and worked for both sides’’…
‘’However having watched five long years of reckless spending, economic waste, class warfare particularly aimed at business and the mindless destruction of Australia’s international competitiveness, I thought I had a civic duty to stand up.’’
‘’I have seen and heard nothing since the election to question that judgment,’’ he said. ‘’Indeed I am shocked that so much economic damage can be inflicted in just six years.’’
‘’Labor’s commitments to its ‘better schools’ plan and the national disability insurance scheme were made in the clear knowledge of a budget already under serious and continuing pressure.’’
Mr Newman said growth in real gross national income was about to collapse. ‘’Having become accustomed to better than 2 per cent annual growth for 22 consecutive years, we are now facing the prospect of growth with a zero in front of it. That will feel like hitting a brick wall,’’ he said.
Australia could no longer afford corporate welfare in the form of support to the car industry and ailing food processors. ‘’Giving taxpayer subsidies to ailing companies has proved to be like giving aspirin to the terminally ill...”
Industrial relations should be reformed, even if the idea brings forth ‘’screams of outrage and the spectre of WorkChoices’’.
‘’We cannot hide from the fact that Australian wage rates are very high by international standards, and our system is dogged by rigidities,’’ he said.
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Now the price of Indonesia’s refusal to take responsibility

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (8:31am)


Indonesia’s refusal to take back boat people rescued from an Indonesian boat in Indonesian search and rescue territory inevitably encourages more:

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has fired a verbal warning to Jakarta that Australia is not happy over a standoff in which a boatload of asylum seekers landed on Australian territory, despite being rescued in the Indonesian search-and-rescue zone.
It came as two more boats were reported to have been intercepted by Australian border protection authorities, although the government has not confirmed that…
“These people were in a search-and-rescue situation in the Indonesian search-and-rescue zone,’’ Mr Abbott told radio station 2GB.
‘’Now, the normal international law is that if you are rescued in a country’s search-and-rescue zone that country has an obligation to take you...”
Indonesia’s refusal to accept its responsibility is a hostile and damaging act.
Indonesia now starts to discuss its price:

Dewi Fortuna Anwar, an advisor to the Indonesian vice-president ...  says there are discussions between the two countries for a new agreement, in which asylum seekers intercepted by Australian authorities could be sent to Indonesia in exchange for refugees.
“The cost of the burdens would be borne by Australia and then at the same time Australia would take the same number of people that are already sitting in detention centres in Indonesia,” she said.
The Abbott Government, however, takes a less damning attitude, making it known that Indonesia is in fact cooperating well:
MORE than 1100 asylum-seekers have been stopped from coming to Australia by boat as the Australian Federal Police and its Indonesian counterpart greatly boost their offshore disruption activities.
As the government continued to fend off criticism it had botched the relationship with Jakarta following a high-seas stand-off over the weekend, The Australian has been told tensions with Jakarta have not had any impact on co-operative law-enforcement measures between the countries.
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Sun warns of cooling

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (8:25am)


The Sun is behaving strangely:

Scientists say that solar activity is stranger than in a century or more, with the sun producing barely half the number of sunspots as expected and its magnetic poles oddly out of sync.
Researchers are puzzled. They can’t tell if the lull is temporary or the onset of a decades-long decline, which might ease global warming a bit by altering the sun’s brightness or the wavelengths of its light.
“There is no scientist alive who has seen a solar cycle as weak as this one,” said Andrés Munoz-Jaramillo, who studies the solar-magnetic cycle at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.
(Thanks to reader handjive.) 
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And a message from Australia’s first suicide bomber

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (8:09am)


image
Are we doing enough to protect ourselves from a culture that produces such Australians - or immigrants?

New video has emerged of the man claimed to be Australia’s first suicide bomber.
The video appears to be published by the Al Qaeda-linked group, Jabhat al Nusrah, which has previously said the Australian blew himself up in an attack on an army checkpoint in north-eastern Syria in September…
The video shows the jihadist, identified in a previous internet posting as Abu Asma al Australi, standing on the tray of the truck used in the suicide bombing.
However, because the face in the video is obscured it is impossible to be sure who it shows, but the bomber is suspected of being a Brisbane man named Ahmed....
He bids farewell to fellow jihadists then urges more foreigners to come and join the fight.
“This is a message to all my brothers in the world: Today Jihad is a duty of every Muslim, to carry a weapon and come to the land of Jihad… today Jihad is duty imposed on every Muslim, so rise up Muslims...”
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) says over the past 12 months there has been a substantial increase in the number of Australians going to join hardline groups, including Jabhat al Nusra… In just a year the number has risen from a few to 20 or 30, possibly more.
More is right:

In its annual report tabled to Parliament, ASIO said there had been an increase in the number of Australians travelling overseas to take part in terrorism training or to get involved in foreign disputes such as Syria.
It has been a matter of public record for some time now that the security agencies have been monitoring as many as 200 Australians in that category.
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The money was on Rudd to save Labor from financial ruin

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (7:42am)


At least Labor this time wasted its own money, and not just ours:

On the frigid morning of June 21 this year, more than two dozen members of the ALP national executive… received unexpected legal advice that stunned many…

(T)he advice warned the party about its financial situation and highlighted the personal responsibility of each individual member of the national executive should the party at any point trade while insolvent… In other words – as quickly became clear in the discussion that followed – if the election campaign blew out the debt, their own homes were on the line.

The ALP, after a six-year uphill battle to recover from the big multimillion-dollar debts run up in the no-holds-barred 2007 election that brought Kevin Rudd to power, had arrived at a moment of truth. Six years of clawing back from that profligacy had seen the party lose most of its assets. There was little to borrow against.

Now, with a federal election brewing ... Rudd backers implied that a low primary vote could mean financial catastrophe because of the lower public funding compensation. Anything to boost the primary vote – even a short-term boost such as a Rudd honeymoon – could save the party from being financially decimated. For every 1 per cent of the primary vote received, the party would receive compensation of roughly $600,000. Thus the difference between a primary vote of 32 per cent and a primary vote of 34 per cent was more than a million dollars…

Just five days later, on June 26, Gillard would be rolled by Rudd.
(Thanks to reader Peter of Bellevue Hill.) 
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Greens feed on another disaster

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (7:00am)


Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt last month claimed the NSW fires were linked to global warming, despite not being earlier, fiercer, deadlier or bigger than many fires before. Indeed, the fires burned well under 100,000 hectares. Australia’s worst=known fires, in 1851, burned 3,500,000 hectares.
Now Greens leader Christine Milne exploits the Philippines typhoon, making the same link on ABC Radio National Breakfast this morning and demanding that we do more to stop global warming. 
This is despicable. The IPCC’s latest report last month concluded such a link between warming and cyclones (and typhoons) was hard to find:

...evidence suggests slight decreases in the frequency of tropical cyclones making landfall in the North Atlantic and the South Pacific…
In summary, this assessment does not revise the SREX conclusion of low confidence that any reported long-term (centennial) increases in tropical cyclone activity are robust, after accounting for past changes in observing capabilities…
In summary, confidence in large scale changes in the intensity of extreme extratropical cyclones since 1900 is low.
The same is true for the Philippines:
image
This was not the strongest cyclone in world history, as many media outlets, claimed. What was unusual is that it hit a poor city with lots of flimsy houses when near its peak.
That caused the terrible tragedy.
UPDATE
And sure enough, in flaps the Sydney Morning Herald for a feed:

Extreme storm events such as super typhoon Haiyan, which wreaked havoc in the Philippines on Friday, are more likely in the future as the build-up of greenhouse gases warms the planet, scientists say.
UPDATE
Another Green flaps over the dead:
GREENS senator Richard Di Natale says there is a link ¬between climate change and storms such as Typhoon Haiyan as he accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of “record stupidity” in axing the carbon tax…
“You’ve got record storms in the Philippines and now you’ve got record stupidity from Tony Abbott, who’s basically going to unwind some of the world’s most ambitious and important climate change legislation.”
(Thanks to readers Chistery and handjive.) 
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Newspoll: Coalition 53, Labor 47

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (6:41am)


A healthy lead, but I still think Tony Abbott should realise that deeds do not, in fact, speak for themselves:
The Coalition holds a two-party-preferred lead of 53 to 47 per cent, essentially the same result as the September election, but has seen its lead halved from 12 points to six over the past two weeks.
True, the election is three years away and it’s mad to trim your sails this far out to every passing poll wind.
But I am not yet convinced by Abbott’s media strategy.  Deeds don’t speak; politicians do. A politician who does not at times say what he’s done and why runs the risk of their achievements being overlooked or treated as coincidences. 
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The victim game

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (6:33am)


Tim Blair on judging in this Age of Seeming, when what you are seems to count as much as what you actually did:

Last week, for example, NSW Supreme Court Judge Stephen Campbell found several mitigating factors for 19-year-old Kieran Loveridge, the killer of Thomas Kelly.
Explaining his obscenely light sentence for Loveridge, Campbell cited the killer’s Aboriginal background ("it may be a circumstance relevant to a degree of social disadvantage"), his father’s imprisonment when Loveridge was an infant, his mother’s pregnancy, his father’s drug use, his fractured education ("partly due to an expulsion for his involvement in his juvenile criminal activities") and even the cancer death of Loveridge’s rugby league coach ("which the offender’s mother states was very confronting for the offender").
Loveridge was given a minimum of just four years.
Blair now wonders:
But what if Loveridge had come from a privileged background, complete with private school education?…
In April, Melbourne man Liam Danial Sweeney glassed and bashed a fellow drinker at that city’s Crown Casino. His target remains facially scarred by the unprovoked attack. Just as Loveridge fled the scene of his assault on Thomas Kelly, so too did Sweeney run away from his bleeding victim.
Like Loveridge, Sweeney was drunk at the time of the attack. Like Loveridge, Sweeney entered a guilty plea, in his case to intentionally causing injury. He faced a potential ten-year jail term. Instead, however, Sweeney received an 18-month sentence – completely suspended.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen found that Sweeney would be traumatised by prison. “Not many people are in jail who went to Haileybury,” the magistrate said, referring to Sweeney’s private school.
Moreover, the magistrate believed that a jail term for corporate lawyer Sweeney would be “extremely devastating” for Sweeney’s father, himself a lawyer. So the 27-year-old walked out of court with only a $5,000 fine as punishment.
Moral: tell the judge that you’re a victim, too. Too rich, too poor, too white, too black. Just think of something. On no account be normal, whatever that now is.
You must be judged not on what you did, but what you sorrily are. 
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Lewandowsky, fearless smearer of climate “deniers”, is furious one ridiculed him

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (6:20am)


Beloved hoaxster Arlene Composta two years ago sent this plaintive note to Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, a psychologist whose absurd papers on the wickedness of denialists sometimes make me suspect he’s a spoof creation, too:

Dear Prof Lewandowsky,
We have never met, although we do share a background in the field of psychology, so I feel emboldened to ask for your professional advice. You see we have something in common: a passionate concern for averting the looming catastrophe of runaway climate change.
I recently began blogging, especially about climate change, and after a month my site was noticed. Noticed by the wrong people, sadly. Readers of Tim Blair and Andrew Bolt have swamped my site with genuinely abusive comments, many relating to my disability, which I find very hurtful.
So my question to you is this: How do you deal with monsters like this?
I have read and savoured every column you have published at Unleashed, and I have read the hateful comments that, even with an ABC moderator to vet them, still make it up on the site. The worst charge is that they simply do not take me seriously, which diminishes me in my humanity. I must confess that, after the latest round of abuse, I hugged my little cat and cried for an hour.
And more of the delicious same, with admiration of Lewandowsky applied with a trowel.
Lewandowsky responded at length, to the amusement of many, even passing on recommendations and bracing quotations of Gandhi from John “97 per cent” Cook, with whom Lewandowsky had shared this heart-rending tale of the vileness of the three-precenters.
Lewandowsky seems not to have recovered from this prank, and now informs the Association for Psychological Science of this “intimidation”.  
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If you see Burnside carrying a shovel …

Andrew Bolt November 12 2013 (12:07am)


Celebrity human rights lawyer presents himself as a civilised man, a lover of the arts. A man of peace.
But last week he urged children to spit on a government minister.
And then this:

image
Burnside’s very thin veneer of civilisation is cracking, and what it reveals is not pretty. 
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Abbott’s hello to the new Parliament: piling on the pressure

Andrew Bolt November 11 2013 (9:05pm)


Tony Abbott on the bill he’ll put to Parliament this week to scrap the carbon tax:

This is my bill to reduce your bill.
Is Bill watching, or will he be reduced, too? 
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‪North Korea publicly executes 80, some for videos or Bibles, report says
As many as 80 people were publicly executed in North Korea earlier this month, some for offenses as small as watching South Korean movies or possessing a Bible.
Fear him - ed
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She says nothing like what the headline says, unless you believe terrorism is a bit like Islam - ed
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I thank the Israeli courts for their due diligence. To call it vandalism is ridiculous. A silicon mould is hardly invasive. As to the legitimacy of the article, it matters little. My faith is unchallenged.  - ed
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The face of a white supremacist when he finds out he is part African on live TV. |http://bit.ly/HQTzuK
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Jesus and Peter are the only two men in the Bible to walk on water, both at the Sea of Galilee.#SonOfGod
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A lesson of faith from space. - ed
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10 Scientific Ways Reading Can Actually Improve Your Life:http://bit.ly/17ZL0re
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“What the world neglects,the Lord accepts.”- Deborah Brodie
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ALP to legalise killing people for money - ed
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Stay classy, Liberals: http://bit.ly/1akY1en

I'll thank veterans for what they have given, and I'll thank Moore to stop taking. - ed
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“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” -Luke 19:10#SonOfGodMovie #hope
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"Do yourself a favor; don’t wear yourself out trying to please everybody. Your time is too valuable." - Joel Osteen
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Larry Pickering
A piece from the pickeringpost.com by correspondent Bernard Gaynor that was well worth the read:

RUGBY LEAGUE AND AUSTRALIA'S FIRST SUICIDE BOMBER

It’s only a matter of time. There will be an Islamic All Stars Rugby League round. For those, like me, who have a sense of humour, it will probably be squashed in between the Gay Appreciation week and Sorry For Anything That Christianity Has Ever Done decade.

It’s the NRL’s new direction. Give up the alcohol-fuelled binges (not such a bad thing) and bend over to Mecca (not such a good thing).

Anthony Mundine started it. Sonny Bill Williams joined in. Then followed Blake Ferguson and before we knew it, the entire Sydney Roosters were raising funds for new mosques in Logan.

Logan, south of Brisbane, has the dubious distinction of being home to Australia’s first suicide bomber.

You can watch his fiery demise to chants of “Allahu Akbar!” here http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-12/new-video-man-australia-syria-suicide-bomber/5084664 or go to pickeringpost.com

For those who struggle with Arabic, “Allahu Akbar!” means “God is the Greatest”.

Hence the reason Abu Asmar left his family behind in Australia to drive an explosive-laden truck to his death in Syria. And just before it all ended, he urged others to do the same.

With guys like Abu doing the marketing and the NRL boys providing the financial support, before you know it suicide bombing will be as dinky-di Aussie as throwing down a VB at a backyard barbeque.

Oops. I better take that last part out. There’s no such thing as halal beer, as Mr Ferguson is about to find out. Because Islam is a religion of extremes. No beer and way over the top punishment for those who partake.

And that’s without even delving into the suicide bombing or call for global jihad.

Considering that Logan is home to Australia’s first suicide bomber and that an imam has admitted on 4BC radio that South East Queensland mosques are raising funds to send Aussie Muslims to Syria, I’d suggest that the last thing the area needs is a new jihad ops centre.

And that’s exactly what mosques are. You didn’t really think it was all tambourines and hand-clapping did you?

Mosques preach violence. In fact, there is a direct correlation between the size of the audience and the violence being preached.

More violent preaching equals more peaceful worshippers on a Friday afternoon.

Given that Australia has by far the largest per capita Western involvement in the war in Syria, it would appear likely that peace is not that high on the agenda here either.

Mosques are the command and control centres for the spread of Islam. In fact the late King of Saudi Arabia stated that their purpose was to prevent Muslims from assimilating into the Western world.

From there, they could become a fifth column to bring total victory against the infidels.

And he probably believed what he said because since 1970, Saudi officials have spent somewhere between $70 billion and $90 billion exporting their strict Wahabbi view of Islam. That’s a lot of mosques and religious advertising – including about $120 million worth in Australia.

And all of this from a country that bans the construction of churches. That’s pretty intolerant. But it is smart.
Unlike us, who are tolerant and stupid.

Islam is not compatible with Christian traditions. And it has even more contempt for the atheistic sludge that’s replaced it.

And when the championship Rugby League team is working to build a new mosque in Logan, a month after this city gave Australia its first Islamic suicide ‘martyr’, you know that Australia is asleep in the face of this virulent and violent threat.

Do you get the feeling we are sleepwalking to destruction.

===

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Larry Pickering
TWO BISHOPS, AN ABBOTT AND THE DEVIL

Bronwyn Bishop, today elected as Speaker of the House, is one of the more respected MPs with a history of dedicated service and an angelic grandma persona. 

When nominations were called for Speaker a certain Member for Porn, Graham Perrett (God only knows how they re-elected him) decided to second a Labor nomination for the coveted position. 

A fatuous exercise designed to allow Perrett to let go with a tirade of abuse of Bronwyn Bishop.

Perrett, best known for his schoolboy porn books that describe in detail how best to make him ejaculate, blasted the about-to-be-elected Speaker for standing in front of a sign that screamed, “DITCH THE WITCH”. Tony Abbott, at the time, was also caught up in the fracas.

Abbott and Bishop had begun speaking at a Parliament House rally when some of the more offensive signs had been placed behind them. It was obvious they were unaware of the signs.

Perrett would have been aware they were both oblivious to the signs but it gave “super grub” the opportunity to lambast the integrity of Bishop in an unprecedented display of confected anger.

Abbott squirmed and the other Bishop shifted in her seat at the vituperative outburst.

I hope Bronwyn Bishop has the Member for Porn’s name indelibly written in her little black book.

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Pete Seeger finds causes aplenty in Buffalo visit for WNY Peace Center.

http://ow.ly/qHY8w
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I sometimes wonder what would happen if Vice were to examine all the links .. ed
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cause and effect is not proven here .. ed
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David Bowles
In the year 1861 in the small republic of Santander, the Industrial Revolution is outpacing advances in larger neighbors like Mexico, Texas and the USA. Dirigibles, trains, steam coaches and punch-card automatons are shipped daily to nations all over the globe.

But the struggle for control of this economic boom is turning darker and darker, and evil beings wielding fearsome black magic have been recruited by unscrupulous captains of industry.

Against them stand a handful of broken but valiant souls, led by a woman whose name will soon be etched into the very gears of the globe:

Clockwork Curandera
 
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They look really good .. but I'm not very sure .. a few dozen of each would help me make up my mind - ed
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With the bulk of military -rocket supply tunnel network destroyed, Hamas leaders claim they are keeping the peace ... of course when their rocket resupply lines reopen guess what will begin 
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Political aspirations and geo-economic bedfellows blanketed with greed, corruption and menacing wherewithal; one, ideologically-driven intent on sociopathy's defiance; the other, intent on certain demise of Westernised propelled sustenance, and quite the historic legacy creation, thereof.
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If even only half of what is written here is true it poses concern as to what WOW's agenda really is.
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And in the next three months or perhaps even three weeks the Iranians will have their nuclear bomb all ready. How stupid can we possibly be? No answer necessary.
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Looking for #australian or #sydney businesses to#donate #money to victims of #typhoon#yolandaph I will be holding a #charity event in sydney during the last week of #november please show your support. Looking at getting @timomatictheone and fellow #filipino@kateceberano to help out and perform and raise funds and awareness. #kateceberano
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See these kids play the amazing race all around Jerusalem!
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Israeli rower won gold — and sang “Hatikvah” on her own
This was awesome!
Such a sad and wonderful story! Israel's rower to the special olympics won, yet the organizers did not plan for this possibility and did not have the Israeli national anthem to play, so she sang it! Definitely watch this and feel the pride for this fabulous rower and proud Israeli!
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Huh- Arab Incitement Against the Jews on TV!
What sick society uses cartoons to spread hatred?!?
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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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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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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 Israel still not eye-to-eye on Iran.
• France replaces US as Great Satan at nuclear talks.
• The PA's quietly making in-roads in Jerusalem.

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Liberal Logo



Tomorrow morning, shortly after 9am, Prime Minister Tony Abbott will introduce the Carbon Tax Repeal Bill into the Parliament.

Repealing the Carbon Tax is an important part of the Government's Plan to build a stronger economy and help reduce cost of living pressures on families.

But Labor, under Bill Shorten, will oppose removing the Carbon Tax. 

We urgently need your support for the Coalition's campaign to remove the Carbon Tax.

Please donate to directly support our campaign. 
 
Regards,

Brian Loughnane
Federal Director
Liberal Party of Australia
Authorised by Brian Loughnane, Cnr Blackall and Macquarie Streets, Barton  ACT 2604.
 
Copyright © Liberal Party of Australia.
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There is a "bad deal" on the table that would ease sanctions on Iran without requiring the dismantling of Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Now is the time to prevent a nuclear 9/11. Watch Israeli Minister Bennett explain why the next few days are so critical. Not only for the future of Israel, but for the future of the entire western world.

Learn what you can do to help. Click below and please forward this email to everyone you know.

Click --> http://unitedwithisrael.org/now-is-the-time-to-stop-a-nuclear-911/

Thank you for standing United with Israel against a nuclear Iran.


With Blessings of Peace,

The 'United with Israel' Family
. 
. 
Link: http://unitedwithisrael.org/now-is-the-time-to-stop-a-nuclear-911/
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Friend, 
On this Veterans Day, Karen and I extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who have served.  We are thankful every day for your service, sacrifice and your belief that this country is worth fighting for.
  Moments Veterans Video
I encourage you to watch this moving tribute presented by our friends at INSP, who provide high-quality, family-friendly television programming.  This video captures the importance of honoring our veterans and thanking them for their service.  They have given so much to fight for us; we can give them the appreciation for their tremendous sacrifice.
Veterans, without you, we would not enjoy the many freedoms we take for granted everyday.   Thank you for protecting us and allowing us to continue living in the greatest country on earth.  
Sincerely,
Rick Santorum signature
Rick Santorum
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Hi everyone! Here's the MichelleMalkin.com newsletter for November 11th. Enjoy!

From the Blog

Veterans Day 2013

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served our great nation...

Video: ‘Doolittle Raiders’ final toast

Heroes all...

John Kerry throws freedom-seeking women under the bus

It’s confirmed: The “F” in John. F. Kerry stands for “Feckless”...

More From the Right Side of the Web

Michelle's Top Tweets

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And ... Our Hate Tweet of the Day

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Very articulate, Doug.
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Empress Zoe Porphyrogenita
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Events[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Holidays and observances[edit]

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“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 NIV
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Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Morning

"Underneath are the everlasting arms."
Deuteronomy 33:27
God--the eternal God--is himself our support at all times, and especially when we are sinking in deep trouble. There are seasons when the Christian sinks very low in humiliation. Under a deep sense of his great sinfulness, he is humbled before God till he scarcely knows how to pray, because he appears, in his own sight, so worthless. Well, child of God, remember that when thou art at thy worst and lowest, yet "underneath" thee "are everlasting arms." Sin may drag thee ever so low, but Christ's great atonement is still under all. You may have descended into the deeps, but you cannot have fallen so low as "the uttermost;" and to the uttermost he saves. Again, the Christian sometimes sinks very deeply in sore trial from without. Every earthly prop is cut away. What then? Still underneath him are "the everlasting arms." He cannot fall so deep in distress and affliction but what the covenant grace of an ever-faithful God will still encircle him. The Christian may be sinking under trouble from within through fierce conflict, but even then he cannot be brought so low as to be beyond the reach of the "everlasting arms"--they are underneath him; and, while thus sustained, all Satan's efforts to harm him avail nothing.
This assurance of support is a comfort to any weary but earnest worker in the service of God. It implies a promise of strength for each day, grace for each need, and power for each duty. And, further, when death comes, the promise shall still hold good. When we stand in the midst of Jordan, we shall be able to say with David, "I will fear no evil, for thou art with me." We shall descend into the grave, but we shall go no lower, for the eternal arms prevent our further fall. All through life, and at its close, we shall be upheld by the "everlasting arms"--arms that neither flag nor lose their strength, for "the everlasting God fainteth not, neither is weary."

Evening

"He shall choose our inheritance for us."
Psalm 47:4
Believer, if your inheritance be a lowly one you should be satisfied with your earthly portion; for you may rest assured that it is the fittest for you. Unerring wisdom ordained your lot, and selected for you the safest and best condition. A ship of large tonnage is to be brought up the river; now, in one part of the stream there is a sandbank; should some one ask, "Why does the captain steer through the deep part of the channel and deviate so much from a straight line?" His answer would be, "Because I should not get my vessel into harbour at all if I did not keep to the deep channel." So, it may be, you would run aground and suffer shipwreck, if your divine Captain did not steer you into the depths of affliction where waves of trouble follow each other in quick succession. Some plants die if they have too much sunshine. It may be that you are planted where you get but little, you are put there by the loving Husbandman, because only in that situation will you bring forth fruit unto perfection. Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you had the choosing of your lot, you would soon cry, "Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows." Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your own daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder, and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God. Down busy self, and proud impatience, it is not for you to choose, but for the Lord of Love!
"Trials must and will befall--
But with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all;
This is happiness to me."
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Today's reading: Jeremiah 50, Hebrews 8 (NIV)

View today's reading on Bible Gateway

Today's Old Testament reading: Jeremiah 50

A Message About Babylon
1 This is the word the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians:
2 “Announce and proclaim among the nations,
lift up a banner and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;
Bel will be put to shame,
Marduk filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live in it;
both people and animals will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the LORD,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together
will go in tears to seek the LORD their God.
5 They will ask the way to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and bind themselves to the LORD
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten....

Today's New Testament reading: Hebrews 8

The High Priest of a New Covenant
1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.
3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises....
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Haggai

[Hăg'gaī] - festal or born of a festival dayThe tenth of the Minor Prophets, and the first of those to prophesy after the captivity (Ezra 5:1; 6:14).

The Man Who Was a Messenger

All we know of Haggai is told us in the first verse of his book, where we have a description of himself and his message, which gives us a key to the whole of his ministry. Haggai was "The Lord's messenger in the Lord's message." We reject the legend that he was an angel incarnate.
His name is suggestive and may imply that he was born on a Feast Day. Another meaning is "Jehovah hath quieted." As a prophet, he was contemporary with Zechariah (Hag. 1:1; 2:1, 20; Zech. 1:1 ). He prophesied in the second year of the reign of Darius Hystaspes, King of Persia, sixteen years after Cyrus'decree permitting the rebuilding of the Temple. Compare Zechariah 1:1-11 with Ezra 4:24 and 5:1.
As a prophet, he preached righteousness and predicted the future. As a man, he was simple, strong in faith and bold in hope. He urged the people to work and be strong (Hag. 2:4), assuring them that when they began to build the Temple, God would begin to bless them.
The first message was one of stern rebuke (Hag. 1:1-11).
The second message was one of comfort and commendation (Hag. 1:12-15).
The third message was a cheering one of encouragement (Hag. 2:1-9).
The fourth message was an assuring one concerning cleansing and blessing (Hag. 2:10-19).
The fifth message was a steadying one associated with safety ( Hag. 2:20-23 ).
Dr. Stuart Holden suggests that these five lessons can be gathered from Haggai:
I. Danger of lapsing into self-content, even after honest and sincere beginnings in the work of Christ.
II. That the time for blessing is always at hand. The people said: "The time has not come." God said: "My time is an eternal now."; The only hindrance to blessing lies in His people.
III. In the will of God for His people - particularly in respect to the great work of building His Temple - there is always a conjunction of precept and power, of duty and dynamic . The promises of God are "Yea and Amen" to those who are in Christ Jesus, walking in Him, and living in Him.
IV. The greatest of all mistakes is to leave God out in His own work. To live in the light of His presence is to build for eternity.
V. In the work to which we pledge ourselves as God's children,the greatest need of all is for patience. We shall be opposed if our work is worth opposing; but the opposition of the Evil One is the opportunity to express our faith and loyalty toward God. "Our God is marching on. The best is yet to be; and we may reckon upon God."
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November 11, 2011
Image vs. Integrity
Today's Truth
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity (Proverbs 11:3, NIV).
Friend to Friend
On a recent flight, I was thumbing through a magazine someone left behind when the title of an article caught my eye. "Image is everything" the author declared. For a few seconds, I found myself mentally agreeing with the author's statement until I recognized the subtle lie hidden in the seemingly benign words.
As followers of Christ, we sometimes focus on developing and presenting the right image while neglecting the spiritual discipline of integrity. Our public lives are only as authentic as our private lives. Image is who and what people thinkwe are while integrity is who and what we really are. Billy Graham once said, "Integrity is the glue that holds our way of life together. We must constantly strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, all is lost."
Bobby Jones was one of the greatest golfers to ever compete, having won all four major tournaments in the U.S. and Britain in a single year. Early in his career, Jones made it to the final playoff in the U.S. Open. While setting up a fairly difficult shot, his golf club accidentally touched the ball. Jones immediately became angry, turned to the marshals, and called a penalty on himself. Since the marshals had not seen the ball move, they left the decision to Jones. It was a two-stroke penalty - which Bobby immediately called on himself, not knowing he would later lose the tournament by a single stroke.
Bobby dismissed praise for his honesty by replying, "You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank!" Jones may have lost the tournament, but his character was legendary and today the United States Golf Association's award for sportsmanship is known as the "Bobby Jones Award."
I have often heard it said that integrity is what you do when no one is watching or that character is best illustrated by how you treat people who can do absolutely nothing for you. Integrity is a heart issue and a spiritual habit that decides beforehand to do the right thing. Character counts. Integrity matters to God.
Matthew 5:8 (NIV) "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."
1 Chronicles 28:9b "For the Lord searches every heart, and understands every desire and every thought."
The word for "pure" means "ready for sacrifice." In other words, the decisions and choices we make should be living sacrifices that are holy and acceptable to God as acts of worship. To have integrity means to live an integrated life. That integration occurs when what we believe, what we think, what we say and what we do are all consistent. In reality, image really is nothing without integrity and character to back it up.
Let's Pray
Father, I come to You right now, asking You to examine my heart and show me every impurity hidden there. Search my desires and thoughts and show me the disobedience that breaks your heart and hinders my walk with You. I want to please You with every choice and decision I make, Lord. Forgive me for the hypocrisy in my life. I lay down my pride and my agenda and choose instead to seek and follow You.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Memorize Psalm 51:10 that says, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." As this verse becomes the consistent prayer of your heart, each choice and decision you make will begin to line up with God's will. He will be honored, and you will experience a new power and purpose in your life. Continually ask yourself, "Will my choice make God smile?"
More from the Girlfriends
Already feeling the stress of the approaching holidays? You need Mary's book, Escaping the Stress Trap, for practical steps to dealing with and managing stress. Need a friend? Connect with Mary on Facebook - or through email. Need help learning how to study the Bible? Join women across the world in Mary's weekly online Bible Study, Light for the Journey , and find out. "I am flat broke and Christmas is just around the corner!" Do those words sound familiar? Don't let gift-giving become a chore instead of a joy. Get Mary's MP3 download -Giving the Perfect Gift - and discover how to give ten wonderful and inexpensive gifts.
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P31Header
Holly Good
November 11, 2011
We Don't Have Family Devotions
Holly Good, Assistant to Lysa TerKeurst
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." John 15:9 (NIV)
We don't hold structured family devotions anymore, and I miss them. It was always my favorite night of the week. We called it 'family time.'
We started holding them several years ago when the Lord convicted me to begin family devotions in our home. In addition to church and youth group, I felt led to spend additional quality time with my family once a week to learn about scripture and pray together. It was a good time of connecting with our young teens. During family time we:
Read the Bible.
Memorized scripture.
Marveled at how God answers prayers.
Prayed.
Early on, I noticed my two children weren't grasping the depth and reality of God's love for them. So my husband and I showed, explained and discussed how God's love is all-powerful, and that He is always available to us. We were well aware we weren't perfect parents. But we knewthe perfect parent and we wanted our kids to as well.
Despite our efforts of instilling solid truths to live by, we still had to navigate rough waters with our young teens and some of the choices they made. Waters so rough my heart nearly tore in two several times. Storms that raged so strong I begged God on my knees for mercy and answers.
Through each situation we faced, we continued to pray and seek Him together during family time. We never let our kids lose sight that God cared, and they were precious in His sight. He doesn't condemn; He loves, always. It's who He is.
I reiterated that thought often and pointed to Jesus' own words: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love" (John 15:9).
God's Word, forgiveness and truth were the powerful bond that held us together during stormy trials.
Our daughter is now 19, works part-time and carries a full-time college course load. She loves the Lord and recently returned from a mission trip to Germany where she served at a youth camp with her dad.
Our 16 year old son is a sophomore in high school, and was recently baptized. He lives out his faith boldly among friends and peers.
Changes in life have altered our weekly family time. We no longer have regular sit down family devotions. But we still gather around our dinner table and openly discuss the world, our faith, struggles, the Bible and the marvels of God. Our structured devotion time morphed into the norm of our life.
Because of the deliberate family devotion times we once had, our kids feel the freedom to ask us to pray withandfor them - almost every day. They see the value in seeking God's wisdom, strength and direction in all things.
And regardless of what choices they made as young teens and the circumstances we've been through as a family, we never let them lose sight of the fact that God is real and He loves them. Today they believe it, live it and know it. Praise God.
Dear Lord, thank You for my family. Please continue to show me how to love them and lead them according to Your will. Give me the boldness to show them my love for You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
To read other writings from Holly, please click here.
Here are some resources that may help you in your walk as a busy parent:
Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl and What Happens When Women Say Yes to God.
When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. We wish we could, but we simply can't compete with prices offered by huge online warehouses. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!
Application Steps:
Try to get intentional about having a specific time for your family to pray together. You will see the hand of God move as you seek Him as a family.
Encourage your children to talk to you about their faith and questions they may have.
Create a safe environment for your children to share what is on their hearts.
Reflections:
Devotion time took effort and diligence on our part as parents, but it has molded our children into the teens they are today. They see the value in seeking God's wisdom, strength and direction in all things.
What can you do today to show God's love to your children?
Power Verses:
Proverbs 22:6, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (NIV 1984)
Isaiah 54:10, "'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (NIV)
John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (NIV)
© 2011 by Holly Good. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
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LeadershipBible-Header

Simon Stylites: Saint on the Pillar

ftta-simeon
Among all the so-called Desert Fathers, Simon Stylites (390 - 459) is often regarded as the most bizarre. His claim to fame was his perch on a pillar in a Syrian desert for nearly forty years. Today his celebrity has faded, but in his own day pilgrims came from great distances to hear him preach and offer counsel.
Simon grew up a shepherd boy profoundly influenced by his pious mother, Martha. By the age of thirteen he was fasting and denying himself the normal pleasures of life. At sixteen he entered a monastery but found monastic life too comfortable. He left the community and began a regimen of self-mutilation and starvation. Indeed, he was close to death before he was discovered and nursed back to life. As time passes, his ways became still more eccentric - even among the desert monks themselves. He escaped to a tiny hut, now not only starving himself but also forcing himself to stand upright until he would faint and fall to the ground.
After three years he moved to a narrow mountain crevasse, where he expected to be left alone. But pilgrims were on his trail, eager that his holiness rub off on them. He had no place to hide, until he came up with an ingenious idea. With the help of sympathizers, he devised a pillar that grew in stages to rise, eventually, several stories high. His platform offered him no more floor space than a small bedroom. Now even more tourists arrived. Every afternoon he spoke to the crowds, though never encouraging them to follow him in his extreme asceticism. He maintained a wide-ranging correspondence and gained the respect of common people and emperors, including Theodosius and his wife, Eudocia. His support for the Council of Chalcedon was much sought after by Emperor Leo.
During his lifetime and after his death, living on pillars as "stylite" monks became the rage among the desert ascetics. Indeed, the desert was said to be dotted with pillars.

If you enjoyed the above article, please take a minute to read about the book that it was adapted from:
ParadeofFaith-Bookcover

Parade of Faith: A Biographical History of the Christian Church

by Ruth A. Tucker
Buy the book!
The story of Christianity centers on people whose lives have been transformed by the resurrected Lord. Tucker puts this front and center in a lively overview peppered with sidebars; historical "what if?" questions; sections on everyday life; drawings and illustrations; bibliographies for further reading.


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Myth: “Having a child will make me happy.”

Today's reading: John 10:10
My other friends couldn’t believe I went for it. But why not? The professional single-mom-by-choice is hardly the pariah anymore. We live in an age of technological wonders that give women options they never had before. I have a successful business, a large home with room for a child, good friends and stability. I’m at a good place in my life for the “next” thing, and a baby just seemed to fit the need.
I’m the same as most any other woman. God gave me this nesting urge, so do I just ignore it until I find the right man? Set my sights on other goals? I deserve to be happy as much as the next person. Unfortunately, contentment seems to always be on the next horizon. When I bought my new home, I thought that would satisfy me. It did for a while, and then I resumed the search and focused on a baby. This nagging feeling of incompleteness is undeniable. I’m tired of waiting for all the circumstances to be “right.”
I was talking with some other moms at my birthing class last week, and they asked me why I decided to have a baby as a single mom. Sure, I think it would be ideal if I were married and decided to start a family. But I can’t see why experiencing the next best thing is a bad idea if it makes me happy. I told them I wanted to hear the sound of a baby’s laughter in the house at Christmas. I wanted some central pleasure to bring my family together and build our unity around. I wanted to give a baby all the things I never experienced when I was a child.
I’m bringing life into this world—a baby I can love and one who will love me back unconditionally. I’ll be there for him and build my life around him. He will never know what it’s like to be lonely. What could possibly be wrong with that?
—Leslie
The search for happiness and significance is central to what it means to be alive. As long as we’re breathing, we will deeply desire happiness and meaning in our lives. God created us to crave significance and to know with certainty that we matter, so that he could provide himself as our heart’s one, true fulfillment. However, we tend to fill in the blanks with any number of pursuits. “Having _________ will make me happy.” More money. Success. A relationship. A home.
So we try everything to bring closure to the idea that if we only had that one thing, then we would be ultimately and finally happy. And we’ll get that one thing any way we can. It’s why Sarah pushed for her maidservant, Hagar, to carry Abraham’s baby instead of waiting on God.
Mind you, it’s not that having a child won’t make a person happy. It certainly will! God’s pleasures and blessings, such as the precious gift of a baby, do bring our lives a measure of happiness—some extraordinarily so. However, only God’s love will satisfy us for a lifetime of joy, which surpasses mere happiness (see Nehemiah 8:10). Depending on him to satisfy the elusive search for happiness enables us to enjoy life’s pleasures and enhances our ability to be happy. Otherwise, we may expect a baby, a job or a relationship to meet a level of satisfaction that created things were never designed to bring to us. Then, we soon find we are disappointed with our unmet expectations, and the desire for a second child or a new job or a new relationship becomes the only feasible antidote. And the cycle begins again.
“The Bible talks plentifully about joy, but it nowhere talks about a ‘happy Christian.’ Happiness depends on what happens; joy does not. Remember, Jesus Christ had joy, and he prayed ‘that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.’”
—Oswald Chambers
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10

See also

Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 90:14; Psalm 145:16; John 15:11
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