The Journal
All writing
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Obama Stands Firm On House Built On Sand
Well, that’s not quite what he said. Jesus said that people had a choice about building their lives on the rock foundation of truth, or on the shifting sands of fashion and desire. Obama said people had a…
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Mary MacKillop’s Second Miracle?
David Keohane, 29, was on his way home from a party in Coogee in Sydney when he was beaten beyond recognition in August last year. He had been in a coma in a hospital in his…
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Christian Hostage Beheaded In Southern Philippines
Cosme Aballes was beheaded shortly after being kidnapped on Good Friday by a group of bandits consisting of members of Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The kidnapping took place on the island of…
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Two Dead in Thailand Protests
I was sorry to read this story of casualties in demonstrations in Bangkok – two dead and 113 injured. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva imposed a state of emergency in the capital, but was claiming by last…
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Geriatric Porn Star an Inspiration?
Not to me. Thanks anyway. 75 year old Shigeo Tokuda started in the porn business when he was 59. He was interviewed last Monday on the set of his latest film in which he is shown as a master…
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Safran Crucifixion Offends Villagers
I have enjoyed some of Safrans’ work. He can be genuinely funny. But when people are kind and harm no one, mocking their values and beliefs is not funny. It’s just try-hard. I can sort of understand the…
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I Am No Fan Of Gordon Brown
The Prime Minister of England. But he seems a decent enough bloke. I find it difficult to believe he would ever have countenanced the kind of deliberate and malicious smearing of poltical opponents that one of his…
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Angel Cabrera Earns More Than Parking Meter
And is the first South American ever to win the US Masters golf tournament. Angel Cabrera’s US Master’s prize money is a $1.35 million share of the $7.5 million dollar purse That’s enough to park in Sydney for…
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Share Market Gains Expected
After gains in US markets yesterday, and the Wells, Fargo and Co bank announcing a higher than expected profit. But Comsec chief economist Craig James says there is still a bumpy road ahead. “Investors shouldn’t be…
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Parking Meter Earns More Than I Do
One of Sydney’s parking meters earns $47,000 per year. Sydney’s 1304 parking meters earn the Sydney Council more than $30 million per year. If they didn’t have that income they would need to increase rates to fund…
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Spam Record
Last night over 200 spam comments were sent to my post Another Rau Row. That’s a record for this blog. They were mostly advertising online gambling, but some offered cheap online prescription drugs. They all came from this…
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Paying Ransoms Encourages Piracy
Says US advisor Juan Carlos Zarate: “The U.S. has a very clear sense that, if you start to pay ransoms, you in essence create an industry for kidnapping,” he said. “And, frankly, it’s why you see…
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Obama – Let Them Eat Pizza
Is this guy out of his mind? Unemployment is at its highest levels for twenty years. People are being forced out their homes, soup kitchens are struggling to meet the demand. And President Barack Obama, community organiser,…
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Saudi Judge Upholds ‘Marriage’ Between 47 Year Old Man and 8 Year Old Girl
He didn’t have much choice, because Saudi law is based on Sharia, which in turn is based on the Quran, and on the words and example of Mohammed. For Muslims, Mohammed is the model of a perfect…
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Polar Bear Attacks Woman at Zoo
It was the bear’s dinner time, for heaven’s sake. Some people who have never lived outside a city seem to have no idea that wild animals are, you know, wild. They look so cuddly and everything.…