Thinking about Easter Coming
In all the excitement that accompanies an election year, and even acknowledging the potential importance of the decision to be made in November, there are more important things for America. And the most important is to turn to God as a nation, and as individuals, seeking his forgiveness, and offering submission and trust. And this is made possible through of the atoning death of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and his resurrection. There is salvation in no other.
Blogulator
Faith and understanding - and the under-represented Australian-American perspective.
Friday, February 18, 2005
There Must be a Moral There ... Somewhere
According to Jim Wallis, Howard Dean has to be authentic when it comes to his religious faith.
"'Dean talks about community and that's a value,' Wallis says to reassure the crowd that the new Democratic leader can hold his own. 'So let's hope for the best with Howard Dean'."
So Dean's mention of something called 'community' makes him authentic, and proves the existence of a value. Cause for celebration, I think.
The Madness of King Bill
HBO TV host Bill Maher claims that "Christians and others who are religious suffer from a neurological disorder that 'stops people from thinking'."
HBO TV host Bill Maher claims that "Christians and others who are religious suffer from a neurological disorder that 'stops people from thinking'."
Taxing Garage Sales
In Oakland, "officials are considering several regulations, including limiting garage sales to two a year, requiring application and permit fees and restricting the placement of garage sale signs."
Some people have no shame.
In Oakland, "officials are considering several regulations, including limiting garage sales to two a year, requiring application and permit fees and restricting the placement of garage sale signs."
Some people have no shame.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Public Relations (is) Offensive
So Kofi Annan a few days ago kicked off a "major public relations offensive" in response to increasing criticism of the UN, and has hired Mr Mark Malloch Brown as chief of staff, to help with the publicity. It's so typical of the man that his response to criticism is to beef up the publicity department.
Now we find out that, doing its part to fight corruption and get the message out, the UN will not allow its officials to testify before the US Congress".
So Kofi Annan a few days ago kicked off a "major public relations offensive" in response to increasing criticism of the UN, and has hired Mr Mark Malloch Brown as chief of staff, to help with the publicity. It's so typical of the man that his response to criticism is to beef up the publicity department.
Now we find out that, doing its part to fight corruption and get the message out, the UN will not allow its officials to testify before the US Congress".
Alternative US Government Started in Seattle
The president (and the senate) may have rejected the Kyoto treaty but Seattle mayor Greg Nickels is planning to lead a nationwide "effort to implement" its provisions.
Meanwhile Andrew Bolt exposes the irrational arguments used by The Age newspaper to panic its readers about global warming.
The president (and the senate) may have rejected the Kyoto treaty but Seattle mayor Greg Nickels is planning to lead a nationwide "effort to implement" its provisions.
Meanwhile Andrew Bolt exposes the irrational arguments used by The Age newspaper to panic its readers about global warming.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia...
"A retired brigadier general from Bisha set a perfect example :when he demanded as little as SR1,000 as dowry for four of his daughters, Okaz daily reported. The father did not want prospective grooms to face difficulties by seeking heavy dowries as is the practice in Saudi society. He said he will do the same when it come to the marriage of his five other daughters. The retired general also said he would think seriously about marrying another wife after all his daughters are married. But he didn’t say what dowry he would offer."
"A retired brigadier general from Bisha set a perfect example :when he demanded as little as SR1,000 as dowry for four of his daughters, Okaz daily reported. The father did not want prospective grooms to face difficulties by seeking heavy dowries as is the practice in Saudi society. He said he will do the same when it come to the marriage of his five other daughters. The retired general also said he would think seriously about marrying another wife after all his daughters are married. But he didn’t say what dowry he would offer."
Concern for Truth?
The front page of The Age suggests that John Howard ought to withdraw troops from Iraq because of the death of an Australian: "The prime minister says there's no sense in timetabling the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq, despite concern following the death of an Australian." The story itself contains no reference at all or any evidence for such "concern", at least as it relates to Australian troops. But here's the kicker: the Australian who died was not serving as member of the Australian Armed Forces. He was in the (British) Royal Air Force.
The front page of The Age suggests that John Howard ought to withdraw troops from Iraq because of the death of an Australian: "The prime minister says there's no sense in timetabling the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq, despite concern following the death of an Australian." The story itself contains no reference at all or any evidence for such "concern", at least as it relates to Australian troops. But here's the kicker: the Australian who died was not serving as member of the Australian Armed Forces. He was in the (British) Royal Air Force.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Oh Cuisine
Back on Jan 5th, as noted by Diplomadic, the "number one concern" of the UN in Aceh, "even before phones, fax and copy machines? Arranging for the hotel to provide 24hr catering service." By comparison, the Aussie soldiers working there have just had their first hot meal after three weeks. It was worth the wait:
Back on Jan 5th, as noted by Diplomadic, the "number one concern" of the UN in Aceh, "even before phones, fax and copy machines? Arranging for the hotel to provide 24hr catering service." By comparison, the Aussie soldiers working there have just had their first hot meal after three weeks. It was worth the wait:
"Fantastic," said Lieutenant Michael Eyb, 30, of Wattlegrove, before he tucked into penne pasta with meat sauce, mashed potatoes, diced carrots and beans. "What I want is meat, lots of meat."
But why did they wait?
Fresh food for the troops had been sacrificed to make way for medical supplies, and hospital and field equipment. "The relief operation was our top priority, and the troops had no complaint about that," said Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Cumming.
Friday, February 13, 2004
How Would You Know?
Germaine Greer has promised never to return to live in Australia. How sad. It is apparently just too suburban for someone so enlightened - oh and she makes more money in England. She claims, from 10,000 miles away, to know that "most Australians don't know their next-door neighbours or care what becomes of them.".
Germaine Greer has promised never to return to live in Australia. How sad. It is apparently just too suburban for someone so enlightened - oh and she makes more money in England. She claims, from 10,000 miles away, to know that "most Australians don't know their next-door neighbours or care what becomes of them.".
Monday, February 02, 2004
Put up or Shut up
Apparently, according to the Observer, "some of the BBC's biggest names are considering quitting in protest at the attitude of its acting chairman and the greatest-ever threat to their journalistic independence." Is that a threat or a promise?
Apparently, according to the Observer, "some of the BBC's biggest names are considering quitting in protest at the attitude of its acting chairman and the greatest-ever threat to their journalistic independence." Is that a threat or a promise?
Friday, August 29, 2003
Kids Hate Divorce
Experts have "discovered" that kids need both parents and are distressed by separation from either one.
Perhaps we should have more emphasis on saving marriages than on easy divorce.
The article does make one good point: that after divorce:
"The great irony is that as family law experts quibble over how much contact fathers should be allowed to have with their young children, these children will not be cared for exclusively by their mothers. These days, many such infants and toddlers will spend long periods cared for by unfamiliar child-care workers, and will often be farmed out to relatives, friends or mum's boyfriend, even for overnight stays. Unrationed care is permitted by one and all - with rigid controls only on the child's actual father."
Experts have "discovered" that kids need both parents and are distressed by separation from either one.
Perhaps we should have more emphasis on saving marriages than on easy divorce.
The article does make one good point: that after divorce:
"The great irony is that as family law experts quibble over how much contact fathers should be allowed to have with their young children, these children will not be cared for exclusively by their mothers. These days, many such infants and toddlers will spend long periods cared for by unfamiliar child-care workers, and will often be farmed out to relatives, friends or mum's boyfriend, even for overnight stays. Unrationed care is permitted by one and all - with rigid controls only on the child's actual father."
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
No Laughing Matter
I see that the Canadian government has banned smiling on passport photos. Some attempt to force the government's grim style on everyone else, I suppose. Or is this a first step towards banning smiling altogether? After all, to allow some to smile surely discriminates against those who cannot smile because they are victims of oppression.
I see that the Canadian government has banned smiling on passport photos. Some attempt to force the government's grim style on everyone else, I suppose. Or is this a first step towards banning smiling altogether? After all, to allow some to smile surely discriminates against those who cannot smile because they are victims of oppression.
Sunday, August 24, 2003
When the UN building in Iraq was blown up, everyone blamed the Americans for not providing more security. Turns out beefed-up security including armoured cars had been offered to the UN but refused.
Friday, August 22, 2003
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Behind the Veil
A Saudi woman writer argues for respect and rights for women in the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, also in Saudi Arabia, residents fought a 'fully-fledged battle' to stop firefighters from entering their house to gain access to a neighbour's property that was on fire. The reason? There were women in the house.
A Saudi woman writer argues for respect and rights for women in the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, also in Saudi Arabia, residents fought a 'fully-fledged battle' to stop firefighters from entering their house to gain access to a neighbour's property that was on fire. The reason? There were women in the house.
Recall Fever
Expect to see more left-leaning political groups jump on the recall bandwagon in reaction to the California recall. This group, so-called 'Fair and Balanced PAC' (a rip-off of Fox News' slogan) wants to treat the next election as a 'recall'. But this is another tired old group with familiar mainly pro-abortion players. What I expect to see is more actual recall efforts to unseat Republican governors or judges.
Expect to see more left-leaning political groups jump on the recall bandwagon in reaction to the California recall. This group, so-called 'Fair and Balanced PAC' (a rip-off of Fox News' slogan) wants to treat the next election as a 'recall'. But this is another tired old group with familiar mainly pro-abortion players. What I expect to see is more actual recall efforts to unseat Republican governors or judges.
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
Re: More Nuclear (See below)
There may be technological solutions to nuclear waste disposal problems.
There may be technological solutions to nuclear waste disposal problems.
Caring Community - by Order of the State
The Age gives a forum to Labour politician Mark Latham to advocate state-sponsored (read: 'imposed') village community in place of the dreaded globalization.
"I grieve for the paucity of social capital in Australia, particularly under the policy neglect of the Howard Government." "Policy neglect"? What he means is that the Howard government does not have enough policies, enough programmes, enough social engineering.
Latham's programme includes the following gems:
"The most important goal government can achieve is to give people things to do. " Oh leave us alone, we're busy enough already.
"The evidence again shows that where people live in conditions of material disadvantage they turn in socially. A new national campaign, indeed a new national war against poverty, would be a very important public policy initiative." Haven't we been down this road before? Aren't we always hearing that village and community life is more not less integrated in poorer countries? Let's see, a war against poverty would involve...hmmm...higher taxes by any chance?
"The fourth agenda is to cut down on commuter travelling time. People with busy lives do not have the time and capacity to do a lot of things locally if they are stuck in traffic jams day and night. We need to develop edge cities - move the jobs, the services, the infrastructure and the opportunities much closer to the urban fringe - and cut down commuter travelling time to give people the capacity to work in their neighbourhoods."
Again, this was tried in the 70's. Ever heard of 'new towns'. And imagine the outrage if we started carving up the countryside for more industrial and infrastructure space.
"The sixth initiative is to recognise a natural limit on the market. Market forces sometimes can be destructive of social capital. For instance, individual employment contracts, individualistic arrangements in the workplace, obviously work against the collective solidarity of society."
Union man strikes again!
"The final area of public policy initiative is corporate social responsibility - building social partnerships, building bridges from the economic to the social and ensuring that we have much more than passive philanthropy in Australia. I do not want executives writing out cheques on the 25th floor, thinking they have discharged their responsibilities to the disadvantaged at that point. I want them working face to face, developing and dedicating their skills to help people, to build relationships of trust across class barriers, across economic divides, and to build genuine partnerships and corporate social responsibility."
In other words--note this requires 'public policy initiative'--force corporations to run social welfare programmes. Good thinking!
Mark Latham is stuck in a 1970s time warp.
The Age gives a forum to Labour politician Mark Latham to advocate state-sponsored (read: 'imposed') village community in place of the dreaded globalization.
"I grieve for the paucity of social capital in Australia, particularly under the policy neglect of the Howard Government." "Policy neglect"? What he means is that the Howard government does not have enough policies, enough programmes, enough social engineering.
Latham's programme includes the following gems:
"The most important goal government can achieve is to give people things to do. " Oh leave us alone, we're busy enough already.
"The evidence again shows that where people live in conditions of material disadvantage they turn in socially. A new national campaign, indeed a new national war against poverty, would be a very important public policy initiative." Haven't we been down this road before? Aren't we always hearing that village and community life is more not less integrated in poorer countries? Let's see, a war against poverty would involve...hmmm...higher taxes by any chance?
"The fourth agenda is to cut down on commuter travelling time. People with busy lives do not have the time and capacity to do a lot of things locally if they are stuck in traffic jams day and night. We need to develop edge cities - move the jobs, the services, the infrastructure and the opportunities much closer to the urban fringe - and cut down commuter travelling time to give people the capacity to work in their neighbourhoods."
Again, this was tried in the 70's. Ever heard of 'new towns'. And imagine the outrage if we started carving up the countryside for more industrial and infrastructure space.
"The sixth initiative is to recognise a natural limit on the market. Market forces sometimes can be destructive of social capital. For instance, individual employment contracts, individualistic arrangements in the workplace, obviously work against the collective solidarity of society."
Union man strikes again!
"The final area of public policy initiative is corporate social responsibility - building social partnerships, building bridges from the economic to the social and ensuring that we have much more than passive philanthropy in Australia. I do not want executives writing out cheques on the 25th floor, thinking they have discharged their responsibilities to the disadvantaged at that point. I want them working face to face, developing and dedicating their skills to help people, to build relationships of trust across class barriers, across economic divides, and to build genuine partnerships and corporate social responsibility."
In other words--note this requires 'public policy initiative'--force corporations to run social welfare programmes. Good thinking!
Mark Latham is stuck in a 1970s time warp.
Monday, August 18, 2003
More Nuclear
No less a person than Sir Alec Broers, an Australian, the vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, and the president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, is calling for the building of more nuclear power stations. Right now 23 per cent of Britian's electricity comes from nuclear stations, but by 2020 only one nuclear plant will be still working. Will 'renewables' pick up the slack? I don't think so. Britain will simply become even more dependent on fossil fuels.
No less a person than Sir Alec Broers, an Australian, the vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, and the president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, is calling for the building of more nuclear power stations. Right now 23 per cent of Britian's electricity comes from nuclear stations, but by 2020 only one nuclear plant will be still working. Will 'renewables' pick up the slack? I don't think so. Britain will simply become even more dependent on fossil fuels.
"I have an obligation to the 8 million people who went to the polls last November,” Gray Davis said during one stop last week. “They asked me to do a job in California. I’m going to do it every day they allow me."
We only wish he had being doing his job.
We only wish he had being doing his job.
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