Bill Maher: Cause ( to Follow)

In social media clip, Bill Maher,left wing comedian but with incisive,satrical humour promotes a genuine cause for more than Gen Z.

Gender Apartheid.

( Agreed:Digital Anvil)

( where have all the feminists gone?)

Summer Here Today:

Everyday feels like rain runaway.

Summer is here to stay.

Ruby,hooray.

Yay.

Iran: Change or Death? ( Cont 3)

[Digital Anvil takes unprecedented step.]

These protests are not the first time the Iranian population has demonstrated against their country’s leadership since the 1979 revolution. 

In 2022, mass protests erupted after 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini was killed following her arrest by the regime’s morality police for not wearing her hijab.

While those protests were significant, the regime ultimately remained intact. Since that time, Iran has continued to consolidate its power, especially on a regional stage. It financially and militarily backs Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Last year, Iran and Israel engaged in a two-week war, the first direct conflict between the two nations. During this time, Iran’s nuclear program was weakened.

Now, Iran’s leadership is on the brink of collapse. There is a world in which the exiled, pro-U.S. Pahlavi dynasty regains power.

The implications for everyday Iranians and the region are significant.

Dear Readers,if you know any followers or you are a believer, please pray and inform those around you about the carnage and massacre in Iran.

My gratitude with enthusiasm to The Daily Aus digital newsletter for the series: Iran: Change or Death ?

I commend The Daily Aus for their fearless yet clear reporting.

I recommend their newsletter !

(Agreed: Digital Anvil )

Iran: Change or Death? ( continued)

1970s Rewind:

it’s important to understand the power structures that exist in Iran. To do that, we need to rewind to the 1970s. At that time, Iran looked very different to the country we know today. It was ruled by a U.S-backed leader, and was increasingly Westernised and secularised.

The Iranian Revolution:

Then, in 1978, the Iranian population staged a year-long uprising, deposing the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This became known as the Iranian Revolution. 

Khomeinism

Since 1979, the country has been an Islamic Republic with a Supreme Leader. Ayatollah Khomeini was the Supreme Leader until his 1989 death, imposing laws based on a conservative interpretation of Islamic teachings, and opposing the ‘westernisation’ of Iran. 

Overall, the country is run by religious clerics who impose conservative, Islamic laws and regulations on Iranians. 

 

Origins of the  mass protests

These protests started on 28 December 2025, when shopkeepers (known as bazaaris) in Tehran started demonstrating after the rial (Iran’s currency) hit an all-time low against the U.S. dollar. Iran’s economy has been struggling for a while now, but this was a significant moment. A day later, the head of the Central Bank of Iran resigned.

It came as figures showed that Iran’s official inflation rate reached 42.5% in December. For context: Australia’s inflation rate was 3.4% in the year to November. These economic challenges were deepened by the effects of U.S. led sanctions on Iran.

The bazaaris closed their shops to protest the impact of Iran’s collapsing currency on their businesses. The Iranian regime responded with small economic measures, hoping that would quell discontent. 

 

Protests evolve

Over the past three weeks or so, the protests have grown in size, nature and significance, with initial economic concerns transforming into broader political disillusionment.  Protests are being staged in every single province across Iran, with demonstrators calling for the complete overthrow of the regime. 

Protesters have been chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to the dictator” along with messages of support for the former monarchy (the Shah). 

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, encouraged protesters in a recent statement: “Take to the streets and, as one united front, shout your demands.” 

Violent Crackdown:

Iranian authorities have launched a violent crackdown against protesters. Last Thursday, authorities blocked internet and phone access, effectively cutting Iranians off from the rest of the world. The communications blackout means it’s next to impossible for news outlets to verify important updates from Iran, including death tolls

. This is why reports on the casualties in Iran vary significantly.

One group, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, puts the death toll at an estimated 2,600 people. London-based new outlet Iran International estimates the toll is at 12,000 people. 

Without any reporters on the ground, it’s impossible for The Daily Aus to independently verify these figures. However, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, based in New York, said in a statement earlier this week that “a massacre is unfolding. The world must act now to prevent further loss of life”.

Of the limited vision trickling out of the country, we’ve seen videos of hundreds of bodies piled in a makeshift morgue, machine guns fired at protesters and reports of ordered executions of at least one protester.

 

International involvement

As all of this unfolds within Iran’s borders, you might’ve also seen headlines about possible U.S. involvement. 

 U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that the U.S. would come to the “rescue” of Iranians if authorities killed protesters. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he added. 

Tensions have continued to escalate. 

Last weekend, Iran’s Supreme Leader accused the protesters of acting to “please the President of the U.S.” A day later, President Trump told media “the [U.S.] military is…looking at some very strong options”. 

As Trump continues weighing his options, U.S. officials announced new sanctions against “key Iranian leaders” on Friday. It comes days after the President declared: “Any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America.”

To be continued...

Again I thank the digital newsletter: The Daily Aus for this above  edited Post. Whose reporting is fair, balanced and concise.

( Agreed: Digital Anvil )

Iran: Change or Death ?

Iran is experiencing its largest anti-regime protests in years. Demonstrations have spread across the country, with reports suggesting thousands have been killed in a violent crackdown by authorities. 

What began as an economic protest has evolved into a mass movement calling for the overthrow of Iran's leadership. It’s raised questions about regional stability and potential international intervention. 

With the Iranian regime imposing an internet blackout across the country, sourcing real-time news is becoming increasingly difficult

Let’s get into it.  

Todays post and the following is brought to you by The Daily Aus.

( i commend the digital newsletter to you for balanced,yet fearless reporting- The Daily Aus )

See the first portion coming...

Democracy: Man's Measure and Downfall ?

A measure of man is the quality of life in a civilisation that deals rightly,equally and transmits basic and advanced freedoms to the next generation and tribes,cliques and neighbours. 

Each individual has a voice. Clearly some are louder than others. Democracy cries freely, sacrificially and with least hinderance. Other systems fail the collective and the individual.

Of course the saying: ' Know thyself' is aimed at the individual and thus the society.

Unexamined lives are Not worth living.

Pluralistic societies can become one if the foundation is  stable, unaltered democracy.

But the very flower of democracy contains the seed of its own destruction.

Can you guess what that is?

(Written with alarm: Digital Anvil)

Some Things Cannot be Scheduled?

Some Things Cannot Be Scheduled

I live by my diary - meetings, retreat times, days away travelling and specific tasks are all carefully added to the diary. Each day is scheduled, each week is programmed, each year planned. When I need help with my time management there is no end of the fabulous devices available to help me.

Yet the truth of life which constantly confronts me is that some things can't be scheduled. We all find this difficult because we live in a buy-it-now, fix-it-quick, take-it-all and have-it-all society.

But you can't schedule love. You can't just 'order in' strong relationships. Health issues are not always a quick-fix away and the joys of families and children do not always happen on cue. Pandemics suddenly strike and everything changes.

And at the moment, with so much having been cancelled and our schedules in disarray, we are reminded that we don't control life, and some things are a matter of trust and faith.

The weakness of our scheduled lives is that we can start to believe that we control everything. It is a tough lesson to discover we are not God and we can't control life - that job is already taken.

But it's also a lesson of comfort and hope, because when we realise we aren't in control, we are free to hand over control to someone who knows much better than we do: God. I urge you to do that today.

Daily- reading by Karl Faase with many thankful thoughts.

(Agreed: Digital Anvil )

1979 vs 2026 Iran.

Comparing Iran in 1979 to Iran today in 2026 reveals a fascinating and tragic set of reversals. 

While the 1979 Revolution was driven by a powerful, unified ideological surge to replace an ailing, out of touch monarchy with an extreme Muslim  theocracy, 

Today’s Iran is characterized by deep disillusionment and a struggle between that brutal, autocratic establishment and a modern, digital-native population.

To  explore this a little, we can look at three main areas of contrast:

1. The Source of Ideology:

In 1979, the movement was fueled by "Khomeinism"—a blend of political Islam and anti-imperialism. It was a convergent movement where millions of people from different backgrounds (students, merchants, clerics) unified under one banner to oust the Shah.

 Today: The contrast is stark. The current generation is largely described as post-ideological. Instead of a unified religious or Marxist vision, the focus has shifted to universal Western values like human rights, individual freedom, and economic stability.

2. Social & Demographic Reality:

The physical and social makeup of the country has transformed:

 Urbanization: In 1979, Iran was still a majority rural society (roughly 55%). Today, over 75% of Iranians live in cities, making the population much more connected and harder to control through older traditional means.

 Education: Literacy and female education rates have skyrocketed since the revolution. Ironically, the very system that expanded education to the neglected now faces a highly educated younger population that demands the social freedoms the system denies.

3. Economic Stability:

The 1970s saw an oil boom that made Iran a rising global economic power, though wealth was concentrated among the elite.

 Today: Iran faces a permanent crisis By early 2026, the country is grappling with 60% inflation, a severely devalued currency, and crumbling infrastructure due to decades of sanctions, corruption and mismanagement.

The  obvious contrast is that in 1979, the people were running toward a new system they believed in; today, the pepple are trying to move away from that same system. Which had promised much but delivered less and less as years passed.

(By Digital Anvil.)

The Power of Forgiveness ?

The Power Of Forgiveness?

We know it's important to forgive others, but it is often framed in religious language and thought of as a good 'spiritual' thing to do. Yet it seems that forgiveness can also impact our personal health and wellbeing.

Researchers have found that those who forgive have lower blood pressure, fewer depressive symptoms, and better overall mental and physical health than those who do not forgive easily.

It seems though that it is not just the act of forgiving others but also being able to forgive yourself, which can have a positive impact. Dr Loren Toussaint, a psychologist from Iowa in the US, found that men who do not readily forgive themselves are seven times more likely to meet the full diagnostic criteria for clinical depression than men who can forgive themselves. This is also true of women, who are three times less likely to have the symptoms of clinical depression than women who are prone to self-blame.

Jesus' challenge to forgive is not just good spiritual advice but it actually has a positive impact on all parts of our lives, including our health.

Share this post.

Courtesy Karl Faase with many thanks.

(Agreed: Digital Anvil )

Iran 14/01/2026

Today, January 14, 2026, Iran is facing a period of intense internal upheaval and a severe government crackdown. A wave of nationwide protests that began in late December 2025 has escalated into what some analysts are describing as a revolutionary movement. While the unrest was initially triggered by a dramatic collapse in the value of the national currency (the rial) and soaring inflation, the demands of the protesters have shifted toward calling for an end to the clerical Governmental establishment. ( Examples include chants of " death to the Dictators.")

In response, the Iranian government has implemented a near-total nationwide internet blackout to disrupt coordination and limit the flow of information to the outside world. Despite this, reports from human rights organizations indicate a heavy-handed ( including deadly force ) security response. As of this week, credible estimates suggest the death toll has exceeded 600 people, with thousands more injured or detained. International tension is also rising, with the United States warning of potential intervention to protect protesters and the Australian Government urging its citizens to leave the country immediately.

The situation remains extremely volatile as the regime labels demonstrators as "terrorists" and "foreign agents" while signaling that a further, even harsher?, clampdown is imminent At the same time, the Iranians abroad and international bodies like the UN have expressed profound alarm over the scale of the violence. Note: Only the US has signalled more than " alarm."

If you have sources/comments,please let us know?

.

( derived from Internet sources)

Iran Today?

In Iran today there are widespread protests that began with economic issues and have expanded into larger demonstrations against the government. People are protesting in many cities across the country. ([The Guardian][1])

Videos and images circulating on social media show women in public without hijabs, which is against Iran’s compulsory dress laws. Many of these women are participating in demonstrations as part of the ongoing unrest. ([Wikipedia][2])

In some protest footage, a woman has been shown burning a photograph of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and using the flame to light a cigarette. Under Iranian law, destroying or defacing images of the Supreme Leader is a serious offence, and public smoking by women is also restricted by social norms. ([The Times of India][3])

Iranian authorities have imposed an internet blackout and have cracked down on protesters. Officials have labeled demonstrators as “enemies of God,” a charge that can carry the death penalty under the country’s legal code. ([New York Post][4])

The protests reflect multiple issues, including rising prices, unemployment, inflation, and dissatisfaction with the government’s policies. People involved in the demonstrations have been calling for change and reform. ([The Guardian][1])

This summary reflects ongoing events as reported by independent news organizations inside and outside Iran.

Fed Up with the Superficial?

 One thing is cer-tain: you don't want to stay where you are

I commend you. NO one is

ready to take on

the depths unless he or she is fed up with the

superficial.

What you long for, unless I miss my

quess, is intimacy with the Almighty. You want to

be profoundly aware of His presence, in touch

with Him at the deepest possible level, thinking

His thoughts, gleaning His wisdom, and living as

close to His heart as is humanly possible, operating

your life in the nucleus of His will. I desire the same, I freely admit.

(Agreed: Digital Anvil)

Love:

When reality is better than your dreams,that is when you know that you are in love! ( choose which? The world or the girl )

The unfortunate thing is that sometimes reality isn't shared.

(By Digital Anvil)

Zig Ziglar's Quote:

Zig Ziglar said, Repetition is the mother of learning and the father of action,which makes it the architect of accomplishment.

( Agreed: Digital Anvil )

Deafening Silence: Why?

Thousands of people in Iran’s capital poured into the streets and shouted from their homes Thursday night after the country’s exiled crown prince called for a mass demonstration. The protests marked a new escalation in unrest that has spread across the Islamic Republic. Within hours, internet access and phone lines were cut nationwide.

Iranian security forces have killed at least 51 protesters since late December, including nine children under the age of 18, according to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights.

For two years, Hamas and its supporters in the West have framed terror as “resistance” and cast Israel as the “oppressor,” with the media racing to amplify those claims. But when genuinely oppressed people rise up against a brutal regime that has ruled them for decades, the silence is deafening.

Tag BBC News, AP, CNN, and The New York Times, and ask why they aren’t covering the Iranians fighting for their lives and freedom.

Thank You:

Thank You President Trump for Bravely Standing with the Iranian and Venezuelan People, and for Freedom and Peace.

President Donald J. Trump has emerged as the first leader to stand decisively, openly, and courageously with the Iranian people themselves — against the dictatorship, against repression, and in favor of genuine freedom, democracy and peace.

What distinguishes Trump's position is not rhetoric, but resolve. For years, Western leaders have issued statements of "concern" while avoiding any action that might inconvenience their diplomatic calculations or economic interests. President Trump broke from that spinelessness.

More importantly, Trump sent a direct warning to the Iranian regime: if it continues to kill innocent protesters, he will "rescue" them: the United States will not stand idly by. This is the opposite of a call for war; it is deterrence in the service of peace -- a warning designed to prevent bloodshed, signaling to all violent regimes that massacres will not be tolerated or ignored.

Thank you, President Trump, for standing with the oppressed, for choosing people over tyrants, and for reminding the world that peace is not achieved by silence in the face of evil, but by courage in defense of individual freedom. May the Iranian, Venezuelan, Gazan and Cuban people -- and others held hostage by cutthroat leaders -- achieve their long-denied dream of freedom, democracy, and peace. God bless you, President Trump.

Over the past decade, the Iranian people have turned out again and again against one of the most entrenched and brutal dictatorships in the modern world. From students and workers to women, minorities, and the urban poor, Iranians have poured into the streets demanding dignity, freedom, and a government that represents them rather than ruling them through fear.

These uprisings have been nationwide, sustained and extraordinarily courageous, often carried out in the face of live ammunition, mass arrests, torture and executions. Yet despite the clarity of the Iranian people's demands and the scale of the regime's violence, no European country, no self-described democratic power, and no U.S. administration claiming to champion freedom and human rights has ever stood with them in a meaningful way -- until now.

This above post is almost verbatim from a article from the Gatestone Institute. Courtesy with many thanks.

(Agreed: Digital Anvil)

Lost then Found (Why is it Done that Way?)

  One day after school a girl noticed that her mum was cutting off the ends of a pot roast before putting it in the oven to cook for dinner. She had seen her mum do this many times before but had never asked her why. 

So, this time she asked and her mum replied, "I don't know why, but it's what my mum always did why  don't you ask your grandma?"

So, the young girl called her grandmother on the phone and said, "Grandma, why do you cut the ends of the pot roast before cooking it? Her grandmother replied, "I don't know. That's just the way my mum always cooked it. Why don't you ask her?"

 Frustrated but determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, the girl called her great-grandmother and asked her the same question. "Why did you cut the ends of the pot roast before cooking it?"' Her great grandmother simply said, "When I was first married, we had a very small oven and the pot roast didn't fit in the oven unless I cut the ends off."

Of course the surface point is the waste of meat but the greater,more important point is that we will do things a certain way( following the customs and family traditions) unless we ask simple questions similar to the girl in our story.( and maybe hear humourous answers)

(By Digital Anvil)

Discovering Value in What has been Broken.

 

A concept viewed as Eastern philosophy  and as some Westerners believe.  

 

To begin with, let's take a look at the concept of kintsugi. Kintsugi is an ancient Japanese art that involves the repairing of broken pottery by mending these areas using lacquer mixed with gold. 

At another level, it's a philosophy that treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.

 

Ultimately, that which is broken is not seen as having less value. In fact, that 'brokenness' is seen as having inherent beauty. a beauty that comes from, not in spite of, what others might see as failings and imperfections.

 

 Many adopt an attitude of once something is broken,then discard and if necessary replace entirely with new. This concept is so  prevalent with some who would pretend that an untoward or disappointing event didn't happen and therefore should move on. 
It could be said this  latter attitude is primarily Western. Westerners tend to see aging and deterioration,failure and weakness as a perspective of worthlessness and "damaged goods." Once old, then discard , nothing worthless can be resolved.

In  the philosophy of Kintsugi,objects are kept around after they have been broken. High value is placed upon such and the "brokenness" is not hidden or stigmatised. Western society hides or discards aged and broken objects as irreparable and no longer valuable.

Kintsugi never hides and espouses an attitude of acceptance of change as a thing of beauty and value.

At a deeper level this Eastern philosophy embraces our faults,failings and even celebrating flaws with acceptance.

In the Bible  and therefore the Christian belief is that All people have erred and are flawed, therefore each individual is inherently broken yet loved equally by a redeeming God who accepts each person as a  child made in His image. The creator God accepts the person whether broken or not as a person of immeasurable worth. Loved and cherished as a wholly unique and valuable person. All are worthy of rescuing and restoring to wholeness.

 

( by Digital Anvil ) 

NB: inspired by the book,Lost and Found by Dr Tim Sharp.

Each Day of Your Life is a Gift?

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 NKJV

Motivational speaker Denis Waitley describes an experience that marked his life forever. He was trying to catch a flight for a speaking commitment and was running through the airport terminal. He reached the gate just as the agent closed the door. Denis explained his dilemma, but the agent didn’t reopen the door. That’s when his annoyance turned into anger. He stomped out of the boarding area and returned to the ticket counter to lodge a complaint and reschedule his flight.

His anger increased as he waited for over twenty minutes in a line that hardly moved. Right before his turn at the ticket counter, an announcement over the intercom changed his life, because he realised that by missing that flight, his life had been saved. The flight he missed, Flight 191 from Chicago to Los Angeles, had crashed on take off with no survivors. Denis never lodged his complaint. He also never returned his invalidated ticket for Flight 191. He brought it home and tacked it on a bulletin board in his office.

 In the aftermath of that experience, anytime he felt irritated or upset, all he had to do was look at that ticket from Flight 191. It was an unforgettable reminder that life is a gift that should not be undervalued.

 The psalmist wrote: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years…it is soon cut off, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (vv. 10, 12 NKJV).

SoulFood: Lev 13:38–14:57 Luke 1:67–80 Ps 3 Pro 1:29–31

This eminently profound daily-reading is from Vision.org.au.

(Agreed: Digital Anvil)

Shame vs Freed.

The world says,hide your shame and carry it alone.(Or share with someone who doesn't stare.)

Jesus says, bring it to me and be free.

(Time heals so slowly but I'll set you free)

.

(By Digital Anvil )

Roger Federer:

Roger Federer

Roger Federer is one of the greats of world tennis, ranked No. 1 in singles for 310 weeks.

In 2024, he gave the commencement address at Dartmouth College. In that speech, he shared one of the secrets to his incredible success.

He told the Dartmouth graduates that in his career, he won almost 80% of his matches—but only 54% of all the points he competed for. His argument and challenge? Even the best tennis players in the world lose nearly half the points they play.

Federer went on to say: don’t dwell on your failures—play the next point and move on. There is always a second chance. There is always tomorrow.

Get up, dust yourself off, and get on with life.

Share this post

Many thanks for this daily-reading by Karl Faase.

( Agreed: Digital Anvil )

Typical Joke?

Bystander asks, why did the blonde put lipstick on her  forehead?

What?

Because she wanted to make up her mind.

Millstone vs Faith ? (Re-Work)

 

Bible Passage: Luke 17:1–2

Key verse: "It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble." v2

Luke in this passage highlights  key teachings of Jesus. The first concerns causing anyone—but especially “little ones”—to stumble.

In these teachings, Jesus challenges the values of the time. One prevalent belief was that children were less important than adults in the community. Jesus makes it clear that the consequences of causing children to stumble or lose their faith are severe. He says it would be better to be drowned at sea than to face the consequences of leading children astray.

This teaching also serves as a strong indictment of the church in many parts of the world over the past 50–80 years. Too often, children have been abused, their lives and faith damaged, and in many cases, these actions were covered up by church leaders. Jesus’ words here are unmistakable in their condemnation of such behaviour.

Take a moment today to consider how you can protect and nurture the faith of the children around you. Small acts of care, guidance, and encouragement can make a lasting difference in their lives.

Share this post.

This daily- reading by Karl Faase with many thanks.

 

(Agreed: Digital Anvil)

Beethoven ?

Why doesnt Beethoven play the piano with any fingers? ( while displaying her fingers )

Wait for it...

Because its MY fingers!

Tribute:

Welcome, my kind essayist: Ruby.

Thanks to my parent's selfless sacrifices which have given me a broader .horizon.

From the moment I stepped into this unfamiliar land. I knew that behind it all  [ is ] my parent's support and [ kind ] expectation. They never asked for anything in return, only wishing for me to experience a bigger world and a  richer perspective. 

Because of their "sacrifices", I have had opportunity to encounter different cultures, watch new landscapes and grow into a more complete version [of ] myself.Every step of my growth has been supported by my parents, whose silent devotion and unwavering encouragement{guides me}. No matter how far I am, I always know they are there, they always be with me, watching over me.

Family is my source of strength. 

Miss my family, Ruby.💓

Welcoming Ruby,my guest essayist from far lands to unfamiliar spaces.

My earnest thanks for her special graces.

(Agreed: Digital Anvil.)