Recipes: Dhal

Dhal

1 tablespoon oil

6 oz. (3/4 cup) red lentils, soaked for 30 minutes and drained

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 pint (2 1/2 cups) stock

l/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

sea salt

1 teaspoon ground coriander

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon curry powder

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion until soft. Stir in the garlic, turmeric, coriander and curry powder and cook for a further 2 minutes over a low heat.

Add the lentils, stock and seasoning, cover and cook gently for 50-60 minutes until the lentils are quite soft.

Dhal should be the consistency of a very thick pea soup. Adjust the seasoning and serve with a curry.

In India often served thinner and more like a gravy BUT we like this one

Farewell: Tony Curtis

US actor Tony Curtis dies - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz in New York City on June 3, 1925.

Was in one of the great comedies "Some Like it Hot" what a scene he had with Marilyn and the Shell for Shell

"Spartacus" so well supporting Kirk Douglas

So many more memorable movies and some that were just Hollywood hokum

Politics: Quo Vadis

Sky News: Power struggle to continue after vote


Independents vow to work together - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
The three sitting independent MPs have promised to work as closely together as possible as a political deadlock continues to hang over the country.


Call another poll if talks fail: Oakeshott
Sounds good to me


'Spin and fakery' as Labor infighting starts - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Mr Iemma, who was forced out of office in 2008 when Mr Bitar was then the secretary of NSW Labor, says Mr Bitar needs to take responsibility for Labor's failure to secure a majority.

Tony Windsor Says Show Us The Money
Independent MP Tony Windsor will ask the two main parties to submit all their election policies to the Treasury for costing so negotiations to form a government can begin with an agreed budgetary starting point.

Greens want debate on Afghanistan | The Daily Telegraph
As Gillard pointed out at conference re death of a brave trooper today - the Defence Minister has made reports and debates took place then. Presumably the Greens want everyone to accept that it is time to pull out - But I suppose I see Gillard's point Lets Train Afghans to fight the Taliban.

Live Results - 2010 Federal Election - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Well latest is Lib 73 Lab 72 and ONE Green and 4 others. Off to see 3 of the Others on Press Club lunchtime

Politics: Is this Goodbye Maxine - Friday final thoughts on Election

World News Australia - ALP poll suggests 20 marginals could go
The ALP polled 1650 voters this week across 10 NSW marginal seats and 10 Queensland marginal seats.
The poll showed a three per cent swing against Labor in the NSW marginals, which would see the government lose seven seats with three at risk, the Seven Network reported.
Seats which would fall to the coalition if the internal polling is accurate are: Robertson, Macquarie, Gilmore, Macarthur, Bennelong, Eden-Monaro and Page.
Those at risk are: Dobell, Greenway and Lindsay.

The 7.30 Report - ABC Antony Green's election preview - possibilities of Hung parliament

Poll puts leaders neck and neck - ABC News

The primary vote for Labor 35% Coalition 44% Greens' 14%.

Gillard Says State Labor Is Indefensible "Julia Gillard draws attention to her positive agenda and contrasts it with Tony Abbott's negative stance of cancelling out Labor's mistakes, but it's not quite enough"
Positive??? All I hear is her going on about Workchoices. And grocery prices. Than she talks ad nauseum re NBN and nothing about ETS.
and same old labour nonsense "Julia Gillard says she'd be devastated if the nation wakes up on Sunday and finds it's elected Tony Abbott Prime Minister on the back of a protest vote against Labor."

Sky News: Newspoll lineball, Galaxy tips ALP
But a Galaxy poll, published in the Herald Sun newspaper, predicts a narrow Labor win with a 52-48 two party preferred result.

Here in Bennelong
Maxine has been very nice to meet - she and Kevin were very supportive over the horrible murder in our street last year.
However I've been very annoyed at the mess that State Labor has made over the Epping Road. At least Greg Smith the state liberal MP is promising to change the Bus Lanes back to Transit Lanes.
But alas Maxine looking at the numbers particularly your party's own poll it sounds like the swing will exceed 1.4 % ........

PS Just heard Bob Brown says Greens will hold balance of power and if Labor are in a minority he will support them to be the Government. What - go over the people's head. At least the Liberals in UK went with the majority party.

ABC Elections for the election calculator etc


PS Saturday morning this interview appears
Julia Gillard: My carbon price promise | News.com.au

After days of mentioning NBN mantra suddenly she will have a mandate for the ETS or CPRS

Joseph in Egypt

Some folk often say there is no trace of what the Bible says about the Hebrews or Israelites in Egypt.
Well look at
Bahr Yussef - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

which means A canal or waterway of Joseph.

This is an ancient irrigation work.
The Bible says Joseph was appointed by Pharaoh to help Egypt through the years of plenty and then a drought.

-- 

Books: Iran: My Grandfather by Ali Alizadeh

M/C Reviews - A harrowing history – Iran: My Grandfather by Ali Alizadeh

Iran: My Grandfather · Readings.com.au

Yes indeed a harrowing book. A history of Iran in the 20th century told through scenes from Ali's grandparent's lives. Rather like a novel but does show us the trauma of Iran. Salman is a police lieutenant and is excited by the Shah's attempt to modernise Iran. Part of which involves banning the Barqa and there is a scene when Salman confronts a woman who really wants to wear the thing. He realises banning is not the answer. Eventually he realises the Shah is a dicator and helps depose him. Suffers prison under the new Shah.
If you want to know why Iran is the way it is then do read this beautifully written book

Books: The imperial cruise : a true story of empire and war / by James Bradley

The imperial cruise : a true story of empire and war / by James Bradley

I picked the book up thinking it was about the World Cruise of the Royal Navy in 1923 which took my father to many countries. But it is about the 1905 diplomacy voyage on which Teddy Roosevelt sent his daughter Alice and the Secertary of War Taft to the far east.

James Bradley (author) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia also wrote Flags of our Fathers which covered WW2 and I have seen the Clint Eastwood film. James is very concerned about the impact on his father's generation of WW2 and in this new book
he lays the blame on Teddy Roosevelt and his encouragement of Japan in 1905.

The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists ( star ratings) for some good comments on the book.

Yes its PC history BUT a lot of what he says seem justified. It is not just a history of 1905 he goes back to the Mexican War and 1853 Perry threat to Japan. His point is a racism in American policy and because the Japanese decided to become industrialised and started wearing western suits including top hats that USA was convinced they were above the other Asian countries. Then LeGendre advised Japan to take over Okinawa and Taiwen and Korea. Bradley seems to say that all was peace in Asia before the USA intervened - he does not mention the invasions of Korea by Japan in the 1590s.

The whole push of the book is that Roosevelt conducted secret and illegal agreements with Japan. He seems to imply he has seen confirmation of this and yet we are also told that Roosevelt continually wanted assuances that Japan would not attack the Phillipines. The book also goes into the horrible mess of USA involvement in the Phillipines.

It seems that Teddy Roosevelt was not altogether as wise he he appeared in Ron's "reviews": David Fromkin’s new book: The King and the Cowboy when he was dealing with the Kaiser and King Edward in Europe.

Bradley's book is very readable history. And you can follow the romance of Alice Roosevelt. All comes to a rather sad end.

Politics: Polls

World News Australia - Labor back on track: pollster

"The Nielsen poll, published in Fairfax newspapers on Monday, shows federal Labor leading the coalition 52 to 48 per cent on a two-party preferred basis."

I did an on line SMH survey that had a question that went something like

"Do you agree with  Gillard's strong Timor Policy - Yes - No - Don't Know"

How do you answer a question like that? Do I think its strong - Do I like the policy - Is Timor the right place - Do I approve of Gillard?
What does it mean? How would a pollster use the data?
I answered NO - mainly to avoid a positive on Gillard but how would others see it
The Nauru centre seemed to work BUT
Timor seems a bad place - it is a sensitive place - severe trouble there in recent times - many locals don't like the idea.
And Gillard handling of it was appalling

Back in Poll land I heard on ABC radio a pollster reporting a strong poll saying Timor was a good idea BUT a negative on how Gillard handled it. Is that support for Gillard - no I don't think it is.

Meanwhile
Sky News Australia - News Vote
Who is your preferred Prime Minister?
Tony Abbott         72%
Julia Gillard         28%

Those numbers have been static for over an hour
And that is a clear question not inferred from some vague question on policy

Politics: Things Get Worse

2nd item on agenda for "fixing the government that had lost its way" was Asylum seekers.
Julia Gillard's gaffe on Dili solution no consultation of Xanana Gusmao | The Daily Telegraph

Is this real - announce a plan and it is not yet arranged with the country involved!!!!!!!!

Asylum seeker processing centre not a new idea, says Prime Minister Julia Gillard | The Daily Telegraph "What's new is my determination to relentlessly pursue it."

Gillard yet to speak with Timor's Gusmao - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Ms Gillard says she is not putting a timeframe on negotiations with neighbours
Well that is "relentless"

Meanwhile in TV Ad land
Health legislation won't be passed before election - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
includes "Ms Roxon says it will be two years before people can be moved from long-term public hospital surgery waiting lists to private hospitals.She says the Government is being up-front about when people might expect changes such as the surgery plan. "That guarantee, for example, comes into play progressively from July 1, 2012," she said."It is a complicated process both for elective surgery and for emergency departments because it is staged according to clinically recommended times for having the surgery undertaken. "We don't want to pretend to the public that tomorrow every problem in the health system will be fixed."

Hype ads on the TV and nothing is passed yet and the wanted changes are way off

And here we already into the 3rd item on agenda for "fixing the government that had lost its way" Julia Gillard on the climate change attack | The Daily Telegraph
except "Today, Ms Gillard emphatically ruled out a price on carbon before 2012 as she prepares to release a new policy on climate change."

Do read article and what Abbott has to say "We've committed to an emissions reduction fund, which will build up to $1 billion a year in order to purchase abatements in ways that improve the environment."

WWF climate change spokeswoman Kellie Caught attacked Ms Gillard's inaction.
"She has continued Labor's backflip on climate change and ignored the public's sentiments...."

I thought she was going to achieve the things that Rudd had put aside........

Later same day Gillard won't confirm East Timor preference - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) - Looks like Gillard has been advised about diplomacy and is trying to backout. I saw Tony Jones interview Ramos-Horta and he was quite gracious and trying to help BUT of course no way he would take all those people in Indonesia detention. They should be processed!!

Politics: Meanwhile in Bennelong

We're allies, says McKew - Government - News - Northern District Times

"NEW Prime Minister Julia Gillard can bank on the full support of Bennelong Federal MP and “close ally” Maxine McKew in the aftermath of last week’s history-making events in federal politics."

Phew the PM is an "Ally"  - I'd have preferred a "Friend"

"Maxine agreed with Ms Gillard that Mr Rudd was not successfully selling Labor’s message, which was the reason he had to be replaced, according to the party"

"Ms McKew was seen walking side by side with Mr Rudd down the corridors of Parliament House in Canberra the day he was sacked by his own party. “I owed him a lot,” Ms McKew said. “I owed him to be there on this most difficult day.” ``It was unprecedented in Labor history for a Prime Minister to go in this manner,’’ she said. ``But Julia was correct: It was difficult to sell a clear message of the good things Labor is doing. We were not able to get our message out.’‘

Politics: PM gives ground on mining tax

World News Australia - PM gives ground on mining tax

The tax has been given a new name - the Minerals Resource Rent Tax (MRRT). It was previously known as the Resource Super Profit Tax.

The headline tax of 40 per cent has been reduced to 30 per cent, despite the federal government's previous refusals to back down on the rate. The reforms will be limited to iron ore and coal projects, and will only apply to 320 companies.
The government says the reduced rate will make the industry "internationally competitive".

Petroleum resource tax extended
The MRRT will apply to iron ore and coal. However, the current Petroleum Resource Rent Tax will be extended to cover all onshore and offshore oil and gas projects. There will be no rebate for new exploration costs.
To finance the changes, the company tax rate will now only drop to 29 per cent, instead of the promised 28 per cent.

The federal government estimates the reforms will reduce revenue by $1.5 billion in the forward estimates.

---------------

well that is a 25% reduction in the tax which would have meant 3bn but I suppose the other changes bring it down to 1.5bn but still not as good as the budget planned!!!

Which way round does the battery go? Microsoft are fixing it

Microsoft unveils Instaload technology to banish battery bungling | The Daily Telegraph

"The US technology colossus overnight unveiled 'InstaLoad' technology
that lets batteries energise devices regardless of how the negative and
positive polarity connections are in place."

Wow - one of my big cripes - which way round does the battery go.?
So many gadgets and they "chart" is usually black on black and hard to see.
Go for it Microsoft

Et Tu Julia - reflections on the events June 23 onwards

Barrie Cassidy on ABC put it well "The King is dead, Long life the Queen".
Gough would have said "Well of course Julia is the feminine version of Julius". Hang on it was Julius that was stabbed.

I find it deeply disturbing that a Prime Minister was deposed in his first term simply because someone else wanted the job. Especially when the PM had turned his party's fortunes round and won in a landslide even losing the previous PM his seat. It was Kevin 07 - have you ALP folk forgot that? Kevin then contained with enormous popularity in the polls until just recently. Strange the big problem for John Howard was the advertising campaign against him over work choices and the problem for Kevin was one against him over the Mining Tax. I actually thought the tax was a real socialist issue. Surprising the ALP want out.

The Union person on lifeline had me chortling - it was Kevin asking his chief staff to find out opinions that caused them all to say time. Really its clear you all had already decided. Shorten on Q&A was saying it was Wednesday when he advised Julia to challenge. I though she said she made her own mind up! Shorten also said "it was a hard decision" - really should I feel sorry for you. What about the man you dumped. Surely he should have been allowed to go an election.

Mark Latham really did a bucket job on the party. And strange that he said that Swan hates Gillard as I see him arrive at G20 and announce himself as "Wayne Swan Prime Minister of Australia sorry deputy....."

More from Barrie Cassidy ABC The Drum - Rudd's downfall: he never really got it
in which "and she cut the ground from under the Coalition by conceding "a good government had lost its way."
I just find her repeating of that as weird - her cabinet is essentially the same - so apart from Kevin its the same as the one that lost its way - poor little lambs. Were the serious cabinet meetings at which everyone disagreed with what Kevin was doing? Did anyone resign on principle?
Lindsay Tanner has gone and his job is now combined with Foreign Affairs - sort of makes sense but will it continue like that. Kevin may after next election be back in the ministry? Is all this real?
Now media rumour is an election announcement this Friday. Really what about all the things that were going to be fixed because the government lost their way. Being left to after the election? So here we go again - we'll fix carbon - notice Gillard talks about carbon price not ETS.

Gillard won't play religion card - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) "Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she has no intention of pretending to believe in God to attract religiously-inclined voters." Well it wouldn't have fooled us Julia - it is fairly obvious you do not believe in God. Are you saying Kevin was pretending? Well at his sad speech Friday morning when he bubbled he did say something about giving thanks to God "him or her" - was he joking?

The last time I voted ALP was for Bob Hawke - then unlike Julia I decided God was for real and realised the ALP didn't see things that way.
Anyhow I was in India trying to serve God and came back to Australia to find that Keating thought he knew better than the people. And just under 20 years later Gillard does the same thing. Yes our first female PM but winning an election was the way that should have been not his "I decided"

Only last week Maxine was talking in local paper about a Rudd government plan. And her bulletin came and was full of photos with Kevin. Sad.
So will Maxine be a one term member for Bennelong?

Some additional items since I wrote above

How Abbott found an unexpected ally over climate change in the Gang of Four "IN THE inner sanctum, Julia Gillard had urged that the Rudd government not honour its election commitment for an emissions trading scheme unless the opposition's Tony Abbott agreed to one. The deputy prime minister argued strongly with her cabinet colleagues that the government should dump the scheme "because it's hurting us too much" politically, according to cabinet members."
Perhaps that explain why she talks carbon price instead of ETS

Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard does not support legalising gay marriage | The Daily Telegraph

Film: Molière

Molière (2007)

The great French playwright Jean-Baptists Poquelin aka Molière (wonderfully played by Romain Duris)

Very enjoyable - makes a great effort to create the language etc that made Moliere so funny and famous

Really good - have seen it twice

David Fromkin’s new book: The King and the Cowboy

David Fromkin's new book: The King and the Cowboy

"The King and the Cowboy: Theodore Roosevelt and Edward the Seventh: The Secret Partners".

Actually I think it should be "The King, the Cowboy and Autocrat" or whatever you want to call Kaiser Willie.
The book suggests that the King and the President colluded to stop the Kaiser's plans in the Moroccan crisis of 1905 and this set the stage for WW1 and hence WW2 etc.

It is very well written history and short as well so well worth reading to understand what happened in Europe at the transition from Queen Victoria into the 20th century. Goes into how Victoria and Albert tried to educate Edward and that Victoria may well have hated him. Similarly explores the strange upbringing of Willie and his personality problems. Willie was actually visiting his grandmother when she died and he loved British uniforms etc. And yet he set out to oppose Britain - even though many protest that his expansion of the German Navy was not to oppose Britain.

From this book a case is well established that Edward had much more say in policy than the subsequent Kings of England.

A very good read

Just read: Robert Lindsay - Letting Go

RobertLindsay.net - Official: Robert Lindsay - Letting Go

Robert Lindsay (Stevenson) I first remember seeing in Jericho - a wonderful recreation of foggy London in the 1950s - and upsetting too - what was going on. Well Robert was what was going on. And then My Family which I only started watching when it had been around some time - some episodes were really funny but always a sad undercurrent. This book is about his first sixty years and is a very enjoyable read. He really goes into his acting style. It seems he likes to play the part and also play to the audience. Which can be threatening and one actor actually punched him.

Playing Henry II with Derek Jacobi as Beckett - he relates Derek as being a bit grumpy when Robert tried to be amusing - later he recounts Derek had Mrs Thatcher as a dinner guest and she invited Robert which he refused as being from the working class he did not like her politics - no wonder Derek was grumpy. Robert does reveal a lot about himself. Always having a laugh about himself. It was good to read about his career. Being "down under" for 40 years means I've lost touch with "new" actors etc in UK so this book was revealing.

I knew "Me and My girl" the 1930/40s Lupino Lane musical with the "Lambeth Walk" had had a rerun but I just did not know that Robert with Emma Thompson had been the stars - he took the show to a success on Broadway and met everyone including Miss Hepburn.

I'll be watching more of Robert if his shows get down here

Giants In the Land of Canaan - well yes but not this find

Sadly another fake story
A friend sent me the email exactly as described here
Giants in Greece - Nephilim - Giant Skeletons [Analysis]
Above is page 6 with comments on how photos were faked - previous pages have all the photos

Here is site with above photo
Archeologists Discover The Ancient Bones Of Biblical Giants-Fiction!

It is so sad that people do this
This is worth reading and has photos of an actual very tall man.

The Bible is true - these fakes stories are not needed. I've started a new category of FAKES

Our Garage Sale

Garage Sale - Saturday 8 May - North Epping | Garage Sale & House Clearance | Gumtree Sydney

We have some some Linen and new Giftware ideal for Mother's day
Cheap Furniture - stools - kitchen steps - computer desk – cupboard
Bird cage - aquarium - mouse house Videos - books - Fax machine

We decided late and missed Hornsby Council and Northern District Times cut offs

Still made Gumtree and they are great and free unless you want a highlight on front page etc and they have lots of categories and I will be checking them

The Ark of Noah is it finally found - no it isn't -or is it

More news coming in I will update below

We've heard for some time that various Noah's Ark had been found. Some geologists said were natural structure and not fossilised wood
Only Easter weekend there was a TV show recounting the saga of "finds".

Now this week a team from Hong Kong and Turkish archaeologists are reporting a 99% confidence that they have the real structure

Breaking news from Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament is very good on news re Biblical archaeology : Inside Noah’s Ark

And the team themselves The Days of Noah - Apocalypse

The news is all over the web - do look maybe some updates. I've not seen anything on TV in Sydney re the press conference reported above.
I hope we hear some substantial archaeology and scientific research soon

Two pictures inside the structure - a room and a beam




























Don't worry it was a fake and the news was all over the web

Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament: Inside Noah’s Ark: A Hoax

Picking up stories that appear to support faith is dangerous

PaleoBabble » Noah’s Ark PaleoBabble Update

The Hong Kong team web site just read like they wanted to find something so something happened





























May 2010

Now there are more interviews etc on The Days of Noah - Apocalypse

most of these are trying to refute what Randall Price said and say he was not there when they made their discovery and has not been near it. I could not see any video of the discovery. Some pics of the interior - one an enormous space.
They also seem to say this was same site that has been found before 1883, 1948 etc. There must be TWO such sites because one appears to be in an ice bound area and the other I have seen in TV shows is not.

Here is Randall Price on what was said about him and his involvement
World of the Bible Ministries Biblical Archaeology
And partly he says
Therefore, the only public statement he wishes to make at this time is that he believes that the greater the claim the greater the evidence needs to be to support it and urges the Chinese-Turkish team to make their collected samples from the structure available to scientists and scholars for comparative analysis. While he has reservations about the nature and procedure of the Chinese-Turkish expedition and the artifacts related to it, he believes that a decision concerning this matter must wait until independent examinations of the site and the structure can be made and published.


This site has lots of data and links
The Explorers Of Ararat: And the Search for Noah's Ark

which includes link to News to Note, May 1, 2010 - Answers in Genesis
in which concludes “Adding to our skepticism about the find is that the volcanic activity on the mountains of Ararat as well as several earthquakes make it doubtful that even parts of a wooden structure could have survived for over 4,300 years. Furthermore, much of the wood would have most likely been scavenged right after the Flood to erect forms of shelter and to build fires, etc.”

And the very good Bible research site Associates for Biblical Research has Noah’s Ark Discovered Again?
At this point we are skeptical of these new claims but would rejoice in the end if they proved to be true. -
Amen

Well November 2011 and New Support for Alleged Noah’s Ark Discovery
also here New Support for Alleged Noah's Ark Discovery and has picture that looks like what Ron Wyatt said was the Ark




The news appears to be from Dr Joel Klenck but his organisation Paleontological Research Corporation
does not seem to mention???

Kevin Rudd - an election this year - good article by Ross Gittins on Kevin

Rudd ominously silent on climate change

Ross is saying Kevin has diverted from carbon reduction to health as its too difficult

To get his trading scheme into law, Rudd's only course is to hold a double dissolution election and pass it at a joint sitting. But that would mean making his ''great big new tax'' a central issue in the election campaign, having a real fight on his hands and possibly losing some seats.

Farewell: Dick Francis

Dick Francis - Telegraph

"Dick Francis, who died on February 14 aged 89, began his career as a professional jockey, becoming Champion National Hunt Jockey in 1953-54, and famously rode in Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's colours in the Grand National of 1956; after retiring from the Turf, he became a successful writer of 42 thrillers, topping the best-seller lists for more than 40 years"

I first came across Dick's thrillers in the 1970s and I had to read them being a race horse owner myself back then. Always horses around the books somewhere - always told in first person (it makes you feel so involved). And always the hero (ie Dick as it was in first person) was captured by the villain and often tortured. You felt that Dick had met someone with an interesting trade at a dinner party as his "hero" was very often in some strange business. Such as the restaurant owner/chef and the clients poisoned by the villain with insufficently cooked  beans - details see Red Kidney Bean Poisoning. The poor hero nearly lossed everything as it looked like his fault - often a plot in Dick's books. Details like that always made the books exciting.

And the strange thing is that Christine grabbed one of horse racing thrillers for a read and she became hooked too. We recently read one that Dick wrote with his son Felix and I heard Felix will continue the good work.

Most Liveable Cities

Well mostly I would agree with SMH

but Melbourne 3rd and Sydney 7th

Melbourne remains No. 3 for liveability

But Dhaka in Bangladesh as tied worst almost last sounds right.
Dying Lepers begging on walk bridge next to station is not good

Christianity: When was Exodus and who was the Pharoah

Amenhotep II and the Historicity of the Exodus Pharaoh

Well per this article 25 April 1446 BC
which is good as around the date usually determined directly from Bible chronology

Most people would say that Pharaoh died in the Red Sea when the seas covered the Egyptian army. The article presents that he did not. Which of course also applies if Exodus was under Ramses II (seems to be the main conventional candidate)

Interesting contention that Hatshepsut was the Princess who was Moses step mother and that after Exodus Amenhotep II tried to destroy her memorials rather than it being Thutmose III.

A major point is made on Amenhotep only having two campaigns north - the second being after the loss of his army in the Red Sea. He did it to show that Egyptian power was not destroyed and also to obtain slaves. Then he signed a peace treaty with Mitanni. Presumably with a small force he had managed to acquire slaves but not a major campaign against Mitanni.

Interesting and is a well argued approach and does place Exodus at what I think is a good date

Then there is David Rohl's approach which does place Exodus at a similar date but under Dudimose. Rohl's New Chronology places Pharoah at different dates compared to the Conventional dates


Following pages on his view
Did the Exodus Happen? Answering the Sceptics

Biblical Archaeology Review: Feature 1 Sidebar 1

The Exodus, Joseph, Jericho … Harmonized With Eqyptian Chronology « TruthMatters.info

Most will tell you that Exodus is not in Egyptian records ..............

Manetho wrote that that in the reign of Dudimose (the Pharoah of the Exodus under the New Chronology), ‘a blast of God smote us’

Christianity: The Book of Revelation

The King and I: Exiled To Patmos, Part 2

"A common misconception in commentaries and popular prophetic writings is that the island of Patmos, where John was exiled, was a sort of Alcatraz "

A very detailed description of Patmos and where John might have been when revelation was happening.

Including being able to see the Island of Thera Santorini with that lethal volcano.

Well worth reading

Farewell: Ian Carmichael

Ian Carmichael - Telegraph

"Ian Carmichael, the actor, who died on February 5 aged 89, personified the affable, archetypal silly ass Englishman in scores of revues, light comedies, films and television programmes. "

"Few comedians knew how to look more comically, humanly afraid. His apprehensive subaltern — standing rigidly to attention on the parade ground as an offstage sergeant barked a string of commands which he knew he would never be able, as expected, to repeat to his platoon — was a model of silent, facial panic. "

Ian was really funny - a great foil to Peter Sellars and Terry Thomas - but always having a dig at himself and that accent was so good.

Farewell: John Dankworth

Sir John Dankworth - Telegraph

"John Dankworth, who died on February 6 aged 82, was a pioneer of modern jazz in Britain, a leading composer of film music, a tireless champion of musical education, regardless of genre, and a superb instrumentalist in his own right. "

-------------------

John was also married to Cleo Laine - a great singer

Dudley Moore also played piano in John's big band leaving in 1960.  That band with Dudley was wonderful.
I was at the club the night Duke Ellington visited - Wow.

Recipes: Peanut Biscuit - Impossible Pie - Sour Cream Cake

Peanut Biscuits (remember tell people in case if allergy)
1/4 lb butter
1 cup s/r flour
half cup chopped peanuts
3/4 cup brown sugar
mix dry ingredients
melt butter mix all together
place in a flat tray & cut when you take out the oven. Leave in tray to
harden.
Cook in a moderate oven until light golden brown, a little darker than
when raw.
----------
Impossible Pie
3 eggs
1 cup milk
half cup s/r flour
1/4 cup melted butter.
Mix with fork and pour into pie dish.
dice any of the following -
bacon, mushrooms,salami, fish or salmon, corn, tomato etc,. throw into
pie dish. sprinkle 1 cup grated cheese on top. bake in moderately hot
oven till cooked.

----------------------------
Sour Cream Cake
6 oz melted & cooled butter.
1 1/2 cups s/r flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 eggs
mix with spoon
300 mls sour cream
dob sour cream on top
place in lined tin 160 Celsius 1 hour.
sprinkle with icing sugar
Also nice in winter served hot as a dessert or cooled as cake.

Farewell: Jean Simmons aged 80

British actress Jean Simmons dies aged 80 - Telegraph
One of the truly greats. And one of those who helped make the Great British films of the post WW2 time.

Full list of films see Jean Simmons (IMDB)

I'll focus on just some from the wonderful early ones

Great Expectations (1946) the young Estella and then years later Miss Havisham "Great Expectations" (1989)

Black Narcissus (1947) the cheeky village girl - a film so full of life and light and colour - one of my favourite films. And amazingly it was all filmed in a English studio - no visits to mountains at all. Only last week I saw Kathleen Byron who played the "mad" nun in a Midsomer Murders of course she did it - Kathleen died January 2009

and a minor role Caesar and Cleopatra (1945) but a film of light and colour too - was it then she met Stewart Granger whom she married in 1950

Hamlet (1948) Ophelia to Laurence Olivier - ah what a dark brooding story

and of course The Robe (1953) and Spartacus (1960)

a film I always like for whimsical humour The Grass Is Greener (1960) and with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr who of course was the star of Black Narcissus

This with Dirk Bogarde where her brother and his hotel room disappear So Long at the Fair (1950)








Bless you Jean for giving so much enjoyment

Farewell: Donald Pickering

Donald Pickering 76 - Telegraph

Donald had this wonderful upper crust voice. He could so easily put down a pushy yob. I always enjoyed his polished performances  

Lockerbie bomber

If it was mistake for Blair to considering releasing him then why did Salmond eventually release him??


Lockerbie deal a mistake - Scottish leader | The Daily Telegraph

SCOTTISH leader Alex Salmond attacked the UK Government for having tried to include the Lockerbie bomber in a prisoner-transfer deal with Libya before his eventual release.

Mr Salmond - whose administration drew fierce criticism for releasing Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi on humanitarian grounds last year - said the attempted deal by then-prime minister Tony Blair's Government was a "mistake" during a Parliamentary hearing in London.

"It was a mistake because it raised an expectation by the Libyan government that Megrahi would be included in such a prisoner transfer," Salmond said, referring to negotiations on a deal which was eventually sealed in 2008.

"It was a mistake because it cut across the due process of Scots law, because one of the provisions of prisoner transfer is that legal proceedings would have to come to an end.

Farewell: Richard Todd aged 90

Richard Todd - Telegraph

Richard was one of my favourite actors from way back. I remember his touching performance in "The Hasty Heart", a sad but warm film. He was so good. In most of his films he was an action man. Of course Guy Gibson in "the Dam Busters".


And so many other roles - Robin Hood and Rob Roy were him at his dashing best.
The Telegraph article is a good tribute and the comments also.
They mention how he really was an action man, one of the paratroopers landing on D-Day and in the film he played his own commanding officer and in one scene is talking to another actor playing Richard himself.

Strange Day 23 Sep 2009

Dust Turns Sydney Sky Red | Blankets City| Sydneysiders| Weather | Warning | Never seen before

I woke up and could not believe the colour of the sky.
I have been in Seoul with sand clouds from China came across
Only thing I've seen like it Sydney was the Blue Mountain bush fire decades again and burnt leaves etc fell out of the sky
2 days later Aussie dust lands in New Zealand | The Daily Telegraph



Has Bill Clinton lost the plot
Rudd smartest guy in room, says Clinton | The Daily Telegraph

Mr Clinton said."He then proceeded to describe in excruciating detail George Washington's strategy to hold New York in the revolutionary war."
Really Bill!! Kevin knowing in detail how George help NY - I can talk on Custers last stand and other historical events

Bill of Rights - not needed in Australia

Death knell for democracy if wigs get the gig: Howard

A BILL of rights would erode Australia's democracy, diminish the reputation and accountability of Parliament, politicise the judiciary and represent the ''final triumph of elitism in Australian politics'', the former prime minister John Howard said last night.

Delivering the annual Menzies Lecture at the University of Western Australia, Mr Howard campaigned against ceding power from elected individuals to the non-elected judiciary.

The Rudd Government is exploring whether to introduce a bill of rights. In December, it commissioned a committee chaired by Father Frank Brennan to gauge public opinion on how best to achieve greater protection of rights. It is due to report to the Government on September 30.

-----------

My study of law and history convinces me that our Common Law provides our freedoms. Why do we need new laws and why would we put it under control of non elected officials.

PM's Blog | Prime Minister of Australia - Not a Joke this is real

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I have done it too as ronlankshear

I am trying to understand what is going with China.
I thought Kevin "knew" how to talk to the Chinese
China | Beijing | Stern Hu | Kevin Rudd and China diplomacy

At least the article gives some idea of Why

"The Shanghai State Security Bureau has accused Mr Hu of causing economic losses to China by bribing steel executives and stealing state secrets.

Chinese media have raised an array of allegations, including that Rio Tinto may have bribed all of China's top 16 steel mills, but analysts are wary about the veracity of any of the reports.

No evidence has been presented, and the Australian Government, Rio Tinto and Mr Hu's family have been given no information beyond the scant details given at a Ministry of Foreign Ministry news conference a week ago and a brief statement on a Chinese website.

Australian officials speculate that the Chinese action is an attempt to unify iron ore buyers and maximise China's bargaining strength in contract negotiations with the iron ore miners, Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and Vale.

Mr Qin said that foreign firms should display business ethics when operating in China. "A man with noble characteristics who loves money should make it by honourable means."

Stringybark Creek - Ned Kelly - robber or terrorist or was he really a heroic freedom fighter

Last week ABC TV aired Tony Robinson's archaeology visit to Glenrowan and his amusing review of Ned Kelly.
One over the top enthusiast persisted that Ned was some kind of Irish freedom fighter and that a whole army of "revolutioners" were in the other pub at Glen Rowan waiting for the declaration of independence.  When the police arrived Ned went off we were told to tell them to stand down. A very strange revolution.

We were told the old story of Ned being brutalised by the system and that was why he took to robbery and he was only defending himself against the brutal police.
That he was a Robin Hood character - (Tony did tell us that he robbed the poor as well as rich).
It was sad in the show to watch the policemen who was interviewed at the Stringybark Creek memorial having to listen to this nonsense of an heroic Ned

An article today reveals some police documents for the time
The Kelly hunters: dispatch challenges bushranger myth
including the brutal slaying of the police at Stringybark Creek. That 82% of police were Irish anyway.

Windows: File Search Engine - absolutely FAST

Everything Search Engine

Farewell: Natasha Richardson

So sad Natasha Richardson has died after a skiing accident.
What a loss to British acting.

My heart goes out to one of my really favourite actors her husband Liam Neeson
her father the brilliant director Tony Richardson  and her mother the absolutely great Vanessa Redgrave
whom I saw only recently in a very beautiful film Atonement (2007)

Natasha was born 1963 and I learnt from imdb that I first saw her as  flower girl
in her father's The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)

Strange as the first time I remember seeing Vanessa was just 2 years before in the incredibly brilliant
A Man for All Seasons in (1966) and also the very cool Blowup (1966)

Restaurants in Epping and Sydney

Eatability web site has customer reviews on restaurants around the country

also with maps and you can add a review

Link is for Epping cafes

Rustys coffee at the station is top

and the Thai in North Epping is next

Epping Restaurants

Cornerstone was at Eastwood but both Friday and Sunday are at George/Ryde Streets Epping

So Friday night and Sunday 10am are at Cornerstone corner Ryde and George Streets Epping we were at Eastwood for some time

Danger! Robot of Lost in Space dies: Farewell Bob May

Danger! Robot of Lost in Space dies - World - smh.com.au

LOS ANGELES: Bob May, who won a cult following as the Robot in the hit 1960s television show Lost In Space, has died of heart failure. He was 69.

May died at a hospital in Lancaster, California, said his daughter, Deborah.

May's entertainment career spanned more than 65 years. He was already a show business veteran who had worked as an actor and stuntman in movies, TV shows and on the vaudeville stage when he was tapped by Lost In Space creator Irwin Allen to play the Robinson family's loyal metal sidekick in the hit series that debuted in 1965.

"He always said he got the job because he fitted in the robot suit," said June Lockhart, who played the family matriarch Maureen Robinson.

Although May didn't provide the robot's distinctive voice (that was done by announcer Dick Tufeld), he had a devoted following of fans.

Lost In Space was a space-age retelling of the Swiss Family Robinson story.

Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Judith, two children and four grandchildren.

Brilliant ideas - Hearing Aids etc

Well I love my hearing aids and just this week I went and had new inserts
Inserts are the plastic tube from ear mould to the actual behind the ear aid. The plastic gets hard and dirty and you start to say "WHAT". new inserts and all is clear again. Around $40 and I am hearing well again.

Mine are Savia from Phonak hearing systems - Products
I purchased mine from Beth and Greg and the others at M.A.C. Audiology Service are fantastic. Park in Eastwood medical centre and they are first building on left

Then from a brochure MAC had - I tripped to Printacall Doig Avenue Eastwood
and for $124 Geemarc CL iLoop

It has phono plug which fits iPod - headset sockets etc etc. But the loop around my nect. Press buttons on my Hearing Aid for T Loop and wow the sound goes straight into my ears and LOUD. I can hear old movies and the rest of them can carry on chatting. If I turn on T Loop in both ears I cannot hear anything else

Funny sticky label on packing says contact
Oricom - Cordless & Corded Phone, VoIP Internet IP USB Phone, Motorola, Conference Phones, Two Way Radio
but not shown in their products - but it is at Geemarc Telecom I suppose repairs and it is Oricom

I bought the one which needs a phono cable from headphone socket to headset - this needs long cables so I can sit on lounge. I think there is a wireless version

Brilliant Ideas

Lifehacker has some good stuff not just technical but lifestyle

see this one - when we lost a bag in NZ it was hard to describe and they give you a form with shapes.
being able to show a photo on phone of camera will be a great help.


Use Your Camera Phone To Document Suitcase and Contents - Lifehacker Australia


and don't forget when parking at shopping centres take a photo of floor sign just in case

This is site Lifehacker was linking to

Cell Phone Camera Tip: Snap Your Suitcase Contents Pre-Flight | cell phone

I also like this - photo appointment cards
Geek Tip: Keep Track of Appointments With Your Cell Phone's Camera

And David likes Videojug for "How to Do's" here is their luggage Luggage (Travel: Luggage)

A Film called Australia

We have just seen the Nicole Kidman epic Australia (2008)

Warning you are in the cinema over 3 hours - watch the parking hours - due to be 3 hours soon at Macquarie

This has an interesting opening paragraph

WHO WE ARE: Does accuracy matter? | Who We Are | Sun Herald Blogs

You'll feel like walking out of the cinema several times during the first 40 minutes of Australia, but try to stick it out. At first you suspect Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman are having a huge lend of us, but as it proceeds, Australia becomes less like a parody. There are plenty of moments when you cringe in embarrassment at the clunky script, the hammy acting and the cheesy effects, but they are eventually outnumbered by moments that are quite engaging.

All That is so true. Especially within 10 minutes or so I was feeling like walking out. It seems like an animated film with real people. Funny camera angles - distorted features - very loud noises - very quirky camera tracking - camera seems to be hand held - ghastly. (Right through the film I thought the colours used were strange. It all seems so artificial. )

Then suddenly it slows down and actors can act and we see scenes instead of flashing around all over the place.

Best "joke" in this part of film: Lady Ashley looking out of side of truck sees Kangaroos bouncing along. "oh how lovely". BANG and blood running down windscreen. Shot Roo on roof of cab. You've got to be quick. The world i.e. England thinks Roo's are romantic - in Australia they are meat - a lot for sale in butchers nowadays not just pet shops.

Second best "joke": The film implies it is in tribute to "the Stolen Generations" - is it? - well just because it centres around a boy that the NT police want to take into care it might appear to be but the essence is the romance between Lady Ashley and Drover. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) was much more into the Stolen generation. "Australia" seems to imply that the Stolen generation was only up in the Northern Territory. End of film has text that acknowledges some law change in NT in 1973 and Kevin saying Sorry in early 2008. What about the Australian referendum, 1967 (Aboriginals) that changed all Australia. I came here in 1966 and I was amazed that such a law change was needed. Most Australians were also appalled and the referendum was easily passed. It was good to see people celebrating the WIN on the 40th anniversary in 2007. "Australia" the movie did not mention 1967.

Much has been said about Nicole in the film. I thought she did well - the English lady coming to like the outback was well done. Her accent has been described as over the top - I thought it was hardly enough - a 1939 Lady Ashley would have had a much more upper crust accent. This film is most more entertaining than Cold Mountain (2003) in which I thought Nicole was mundane and Renée Zellweger was brilliant.

Jackman well he handles the part of Drover ok - just playing himself. Sort of part Bryan Brown would have played but I suppose 2o years too old. Instead Bryan is King Carney the cattle King I was never sure if he was really bad or was it just David Wenham who plays the ultimate villain Neil Fletcher very well. Did Northern Territorians strut around with big bottles of beer clamped to their lips. I thought they drank seven ounce glasses. Plot to me was confusing about whether King Carney had ordered the murders that Fletcher performed.

The aborigine actors were very good. King George was excellent ( David Gulpilil was also in Rabbit-Proof Fence. )

The climax is the Japanese bombing of Darwin. The film did show the panic afterwards with the military grabbing every vehicle so they could get out. Read about the Adelaide River stampede here The Battle for Australia - Australia under attack
and the damage shown in Darwin appears to be what happened

The strange thing was the gun fight with Japanese who land on "Mission Island" which WHO WE ARE blog says refers to Japanes Air Raid on Bathurst Island on 19 February 1942.
So the Japanese soldiers on the Island was a film invention - why lie about history. Reading about Bathurst and Melville I think the movie has invented their Mission Island just for the climatic finale.

Our friend Janene remarked on how fake the ships are in Darwin harbour. They sure do look strange -like distorted "paintings". Is everything digital nowadays. Models might have been better. What was all the money spent on?

Some good scenery - the cattle stampede is dramatic - was the gorge "real" or another digital creation.
I think you see the North better in Crocodile Dundee

The film is really bringing in the cash
Baz Luhrmann cashes in on epic movie Australia | The Daily Telegraph
inference seems to be that is in Australia but overseas hmmmmmmmmm


Now for a long read on how bad this film really is try Germaine Greer: Strictly fanciful
Germaine has major concerns about the future child who plays the young boy

A Partridge in a pear tree and Christmas Trees

One of the stories that emerges in email every Christmas is 

"From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.  It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.  -The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ."  

Whilst I think is that there is some truth in that story regarding the Christian meaning behind the song but the implication that it emerged as a tool for the Roman Catholic "underground" church is nonsense. They may well have sung the song but I think Protestants would have as well.  These two sites discuss some aspects of the song in detail  

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the First Day of Christmas

The French for partridge is "perdrix" which is pronounced "pear dree". So the song is French or even comes from Greek. So it appears to have been around for a long time and in transferring between languages to have been become slightly confused.

I learnt the song when I was a kid and it was/is very popular at Christmas in England.

Now why would the English have so much love for a song that was used by Catholics in secret.

Nothing about it is particularly Catholic - I do not see the Pope or Mary mentioned - the principles it expounds appear to be Protestant beliefs. Perhaps it is really a Protestant song enforcing their Faith.

------------------

Also I am amazed at the "veneration" Christians give to the Christmas Tree.
Here is Wiki on possible pagan origins for the European usage of the Tree
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Now I like Christmas Trees but are they really anything to do with Jesus. Just part of our cultural traditions. Of course now they mean Christmas and so it brings people around to thoughts of the Lord so that is good.

I do like Christmas. Total strangers will say "Merry Christmas". My brain tells me that 25 December is not when Jesus was born BUT my heart says He would love the Love that appears at this time of the year. The reason for the season.

BOILED CHOCOLATE CAKE with CHOCOLATE BUTTER ICING

BOILED CHOCOLATE CAKE
2 Cups water
2.5 Cups sugar
1 Cup butter
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 Level teaspoon bicarb/soda

Boil all the above for 5 minutes in large saucepan.
Allow to cool, then:-

ADD
3 Cups self raising flour
4 Beaten eggs
Mix well, pour into 31 x 25 cm. baking dish lined
with alfoil.
Bake 350 - 400 degrees fahrenheit for
35 - 40 minutes or until cooked.
Ice with chocolate icing

CHOCOLATE BUTTER ICING
4.5 oz. icing sugar
1 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. cocoa
2 tbsps. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

Put the icing sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and butter in a
mixing bowl.
Gradually add the milk, and stir
until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Sweeney Todd: The Real Story of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

I just read
Peter Haining - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
book on Sweeney

I just do not know when I first heard of Sweeney Todd. There was also Maria Marten and the Red Barn. Melodramas from Victorian times that were supposed to be fact!
I am sure my parents would have understood Sweeney to be real. The famous police force the Scotland Yard Flying Squad is known as the Sweeney. Todd rhymes with Squad. In London rhyming slang you drop the rhyming word. Aussies says Captain Cook for a "look" Londoners say Butcher's (hook assumed).

I was never sure when Sweeney was supposed to have been running his barber shop - I supposed early 19th century. Well Peter tells me 1785. And that he was born 1756 and has a complete life story leading up to the murders and how the Bow Street runners responding to complaints about foul smells from St Dunstan's investigate and find out it is due to all the all the bodies.
Peter has a number killed like 160 - due to all the clothes found. But Sweeney is only charged with killing someone called Thornhill. And in the trial a doctor identifies Thornhill's bone - due to some breakage that the doctor treated and the way it has healed. The whole case against Sweeney in Peter's "research" sounds very vague and it sounds like a good defence would have squashed it.

Trouble is Peter never gives sources for his findings. Except he quotes a paragraph or so found in material from a Broadway play in 1940s. Hardly an actual source.

Peter starts the book with a coverage of legends from Middle Ages time frame about "demon barbers" and human flesh eating murderers - some in France and one called Swaney Bane in Scotland. How strange that Peter tells us the story is a legend and then treats the 1785 events as genuine history.

Wiki article is quite clear Sweeney was fiction

Sweeney Todd - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  I just checked the 17/19th century newspapers at Australia National Library eResources - List item and not hit on Sweeney until 1852 when Llyod's weekly has the "string of pearls" story as a serial. Which Peter tells about in his book. He has an excellent coverage of Penny Dreadful writers and all the books and plays about Sweeney.  Peter Haining - Wikipedia whilst disparaging his work on Sweeney does acknowledge his research into literature and Sherlock Holmes.   Very strange that he should produce a book with so much research and resource quotes. without any resources for the his main story the actual existence of Sweeney  Todd.      

iTunes, iPod, Mediamonkey and Music Library

We have ordered an iPod and I am trying to understand HOW recordings are indexed to put on the iPod. I am talking the Holy Bible (55 CDs), Christian Worship, Classical singing and orchestral and some plain old performances by artists.
It seems to me that iTunes is designed for Pop music fans. It calls tracks songs and the main groups are Album and Artist. The Audiobooks and Podcast seem to refer to downloads from iTunes. Even then speech is called songs.

Even with its focus on Popular iTunes does not handle compiliations well - see this
and one post is a detailed discussion on what to do
Apple - Support - Discussions - iTunes sorting issue. ...
BTW Compiliations can only be found in Help with a Search and then it was not clear where it was - it is last tab when you click right on a group selection and select Getinfo

So I am now using Mediamonkey MM (sorry Mac users it is Windows)
It is like having a spreadsheet of the music list and you can quickly change tags.

I found from others that for iPod to keep a wanted sequnce you do need Disc numbers and track numbers. MM has a Tool that autofills track number when you have recordings in wanted sequence.

I will be adding more to this as I go - mostly I need the iPod to load and see perhaps end of week it arrives

Flinders Ranges creature had eight arms

Flinders Ranges creature had eight arms - Science - Specials - smh.com.au

WHEN Jim Gehling first came across fossils of a strange, eight-armed creature in ancient rocks in the Flinders Ranges he was astonished.

Researchers had been combing these famous hills for 50 years, cataloguing evidence of the earliest known animals on Earth - soft-bodied sea creatures called the Ediacara biota that lived about 550 million years ago.

"We thought that by now we had found most of the different kinds of Ediacara fossils that existed," said Dr Gehling, of the South Australian Museum.

But not only was the extinct eight-armed creature, with its dome-shaped body, new to science, it was also unusual among all lifeforms: "Creatures with eight-fold symmetry are rare."

need a house on NSW Central Coast

Right on Brisbane Waters a good friend is selling his house. Looks tremendous value

KOOLEWONG

Pope speaks of Kristallnacht pain

Pope speaks of Kristallnacht pain | The Daily Telegraph

POPE Benedict XVI marked today's 70th anniversary of the Kristallnacht, a prelude to the Holocaust, by recalling the agony he felt as a boy growing up in Nazi Germany.

An unwilling member of the Hitler Youth who deserted the German army towards the end of World War II, the leader of the world's Roman Catholics, who turned 81 in April, urged younger generations to shun all forms of discrimination.

Recalling the "sad events of the night of 9-10 November 1938, when the Nazi fury was unleashed against the Jews", the pope said "even today, I feel pain for what happened in these tragic circumstances, of which the memory must serve to ensure that such horrors never occur again".

It is good that the Pope recalls this disgusting event. It was a milestone in Nazi steps to their other horrors.

This is better than a previous post I had to make

Ron's "reviews": Poll shows only 70% of Germans are sane

The pogrom, also known as the Night of Broken Glass, saw Nazi thugs plunder Jewish businesses throughout Germany, torch some 300 synagogues and round up some 30,000 Jewish men for deportation to concentration camps.

Some 90 Jews were murdered in the orgy of violence.

The pope last month backed the beatification of his controversial World War II predecessor Pius XII defending the wartime pontiff's actions during a "complex historical moment".

His stance has sparked bitter debate and tension between Catholics and Jews.

I do not understand beatification - but it is what Popes do. However what did Pius XII do to warrant this. Presumably kept the Church intact through a time of conflict.

Thoughts and Links on Barack Obama

I like many Australians had never heard of Barack until this year.
At one primary I heard his victory speech and was concerned it seemed all about change whatever that was .
I was sort of hoping that Hillary would win as the first woman BUT then the first person of colour was perhaps even more needed.
Now it has happened I see clearly that it was needed - I rejoiced with the Civil Rights Marchers joy on election day.
But since that earlier speech I have heard nothing but a clear and profound message from Barack. People tell me all these bad things about him but if he is any of those then he is the biggest liar around and I am sure he is not.

I sort of like this prayer
I’m praying for you, Barack Obama « Hands Frozen to the Sword

Just prior to election OSO posted
One Salient Oversight: What's driving American Evangelicalism?
and Scyldings commented and I like his blog

Classics like - you'll laugh when you find out what it is
What Austen & Napolean had in common...

and on the 106 year old Ann Nixon Cooper whom you may have seen on the news
Further post-election thoughts
and how Jesse Jackson cried when Barack mentioned her.

Today Scyldings posted The Great Delusion
which linked to Byron who has some very sound thoughts from Australia on
nothing new under the sun...: The Change We Need: Reflections upon Obama
Byron says he has Heros: Karl Barth, Bart Simpson, Jed Bartlet.
My son often quotes Bart and his father although it is all too quick for me.
Now Jed I truly think was and always will be a great POTUS.
Karl well I have not read much but he is at least real......

Author Michael Crichton dead at 66

Author Michael Crichton dead at 66 | The Daily Telegraph

Michael wrote some great stories on Dinosaurs that my grandsons much enjoy.

Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia and Anna Anderson/ Manahan and Ingrid Bergman and Grand Duchess Olga - the Aunt

I was always interested in events of 1917 and have a LP of Shostakovich's symphony

I think I always thought the suggestion that Anna Anderson was Anastasia was nonsense - how could the Bolsheviks have missed her in that fusillade of Mauser automatics and rifles in the cellar.

The 1956 film with Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner introduced me to the idea that some of the people who knew Anastasia did accept Anna as her. So I read more and it did seem so. Then recently I thought the whole business had been solved with a clear DNA test on the royal bodies found in Russia compared to Anna's DNA and that they were not related.

However now I hear there is doubt about that sample - it disappeared and then was found again - so was it actually from Anna. The sample tested might not have been Anna's so if not her then naturally it would not be Romanov. However apart from showing the sample's (whoever it belonged to) was not Romanov the tests did show that the sample was related to Franziska Schanzkowska - the Polish woman who was reputed to be Anna's real identity. I can accept that the sample was not Anna's but if she was was really Franziska and the sample was from Franziska then it seems proven that the sample was from Anna and the lack of links to Romanov's settles it. Unless there was a real conspiracy in 1994 when the DNA was proposed and a Franziska sample was switched - who got that sample - no that is too wild.

BUT what kind of test proved she was Franziska - mtDNA - and see the quote from
http://www.geocities.com/anastasiagrandduchess/

"In 1994, mtDNA matches were believed to prove identity, and to be unique to related individuals. Last year, an extensive UK study showed that out of a random 100 persons, four completely unrelated subjects shared exactly the same mtDNA profiles; extrapolate that here, on a board with 400 members: of the 400 of us posting here, 40 of us-unrelated to each other-would have identical mtDNA profiles, thus "proving" that we're related. The odds of a random mtDNA match between the Manahan sample and the Maucher profile are indeed considerable given the size of the world population and the numbers involved. I suspect, based on the continuing evolution of the science, that future studies will show mtDNA profiles to be even more common than this."

There is a lot on above site re why the Romanov DNA tests were not conclusive but as I said if the sample being actually Anna's is doubtful - it is the Franziska connection that makes it Anna's - however the statistics of DNA may cast doubt on that - but it could be considered a considerable statistic that the sample tested just happened by accident to be in the 4% of the population who share the same mtDNA as Franziska and her family.

More bizarre is that Franziska and Anna had different heights - Anna appeared in February 1920 and Franziska disappeared in March - the site above and the next one give a lot more detail on their differences.

http://members.ee.net/ahartsook/

The above is very good on all the reason why Anna might be the Grand Duchess -

and this is a very good on the whole business
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Anna+Anderson

The DNA testing is now under suspicion and looking at all the original evidence about her - marks on her body known to be like The Grand Duchess and scars consistent with the violence in the Ekaterinburg cellar including a bayonet wound in the foot all bring me back to thinking the impossible again.....

If Anna was Franziska and had been tutored to be Anastasia then the tutoring involved as far as I can make out knowing members of the Romanov on sight, knowing passwords and bank accounts (it seems the Tsar told his daughters) and very personal information about family events and people including that her uncle the Grand Duke of Hesse a German was visiting the Tsar in 1916 in WW1 which would have been treason and he always denied the visit but the Soviets published books which had records of this visit - this indicates the impossible visit did happen and that the so called impostor knew about it . As well as her having all this information she had to physically resemble the Duchess and have body markings like hers and on top of all that she had to learn Russian and English. And over what time frame did all this take place - a couple of weeks

I don't know - the most fascinating mystery of the 20th century and the jury is still out

Well then along came 31 May 2007 and ABC Sydney has a show on Grand Duchess Olga - the Aunt of Anastasia. Olga divorced the Prince they made her marry so that she could wed a commoner. She went to Denmark and later Canada and lived a lovely life. Everyone remembered her with great affection and you could just tell what a really caring person she was.
The show was quite plain she said Anna was not Anastasia. Wiki entry on Anna has a lot on Olga and you can see that she went to see Anna just in case she was Anastasia and found she was not. Her sister Xenia also was clear that she did not accept her either. The WHOLE family did not accept her. Anastasia's tutor did not accept. There were strange likeness and things that she knew. But it looks like seem of these are exaggerations.

Yup I think the jury has given a verdict......

AND this looks to be the final verdict

Remains of tsar's heir may have been found | Russia | Guardian Unlimited

The Royal family were found and buried in 1998 - except Alexei and one sister were still missing. They did say that Anastasia was there and Maria was missing - but that did not seem to be a confident assumption. Now they have found the missing pair. And the whole family can be buried together. Bless them all.

But how did Anna Anderson so confuse so many people.

Always nice when a "mystery" is solved

Chronology - sites I am reading

The Age of the Earth

Akhenaten - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Immanuel Velikovsky - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ever since I read Immanuel back in 1970s I have been concerned about Egyptian conventional dating

The Revision of Ancient History: Revised Chronologies SIS has a great summary and actually is leading back to Velikovsky's theories

The Immanuel Velikovsky Archive


A CHRONOLOGICAL MODEL FOR THE 1st AND 2nd MILLENNIUM BC Part 1: THE CHRONOLOGY OF EGYPT AND ISRAEL


Old Testament Studies - Reliability and Chronology


NewChronology : David Rohl

Synopsis of David Rohl's book "A Test of Time" by John Fulton

ISIS - Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum


Centuries of Darkness by Peter James, I. J. Thorpe, Nikos Kokkinos, Robert Morkot & John Frankish

The Megiddo Expedition


Bernard Newgrosh at Troubador Publishing
Bernard is a major contributor at the list at NewChronology : David Rohl
and he has published a book on NC
Chronology at the Crossroads - The Late Bronze Age in Western Asia - Matador Non-Fiction - Bernard Newgrosh

Not saying I agree with them just that I am reading

Some great reference material

The Jewish Theological Seminary - JANES

10/2008 I now am watching DVD by David Rohl on test of Time and Bible is it myth or reality

and have a look at Charles Kimball on Chronology
A Biblical Interpretation of World History, Chapter 1

[Fwd: A Free Map of World]

free world map

click the map when there and you get a high res image

great for homework

Great news Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink

BBC NEWS | Health | Tea 'healthier' drink than water

"Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so its got two things going for it"
Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London

and

Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation
"In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink."

Welcome To The Working Week by Paul Vlitos

Welcome To The Working Week by Paul Vlitos - 9780752885117 - Orion Books

I don't usually read novels. But I walked in the library and this title grabbed me. It is a first novel

but I see Paul now has

Every Day is Like Sunday by Paul Vlitos - 9780752890630 - Orion Books

Working Week is a book of emails to and from Martin who seems to get in disaster after disaster. Trying to find his jacket and wallet after a party and they are on his sideboard. Some very funny sections. It is about life in North London and part of the culture scene. Plays in pubs and DJs and names on the music world.

Ending sort of peters out - Martin makes a 5 year plan with a girl that they will marry if nothing else happens (which girl? but that would be a spoiler ). Just seems to be saying life goes on and on.

One girl keeps a blog and emails are exchanged on stuff she says about Martin. A novel of just emails - very novel

Sydney Landmark looks like it is finished

Last drinks at Rozelle's historic White Bay Hotel - National - smh.com.au

This pub right on corner before you sweep round to Anzac bridge always seemed so forlorn to me.
I always wondered who drank there. But it looked to be well frequented.
Then 1992 it closed and has been sitting there looking like a dump and now a fire.

Perhaps that incredible wizened old lady who used to sell newspapers at the traffic lights spent her change there.