Headlines Sunday 19th September 2010

=== Todays Toon ===

Sir John Robert Kerr, AK, GCMG, GCVO, QC (24 September 1914 – 24 March 1991) was the 18th Governor-General of Australia. He dismissed the Labor government of Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975, marking the climax of the most significant constitutional crisis in Australian history. He had previously been the 13th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. - the ALP attacked him, even after his death. But his decision was reasonable and principled. -ed

=== Bible Quote ===

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”- Philippians 2:3-4

=== Headlines ===

Pope Apologizes for Abuse As Visit Is Met With Protest, Threat
Pope Benedict XVI says he is ashamed of 'unspeakable' church sex abuse, issuing an apology to the British faithful even as thousands of demonstrators march in London in the biggest protest of his papacy, and six men arrested in an alleged terror attempt against him remain in custody

O'Donnell Cancels Two Sunday TV Interviews
Tea party favorite Christine O'Donnell, whose GOP primary upset in Delaware's Senate race stunned the party, cancels TV appearances as a video surfaces of her admitting she once 'dabbled in witchcraft' - should be good for attracting Democrat votes - ed.

Safety Debate: Will U.S. Pipelines Blow?
The Obama administration's call for tighter federal oversight of oil and gas pipelines in the wake of a deadly California gas explosion is raising alarms about the safety of the nation's aging infrastructure — but Congress is unlikely to act this year with midterm elections looming

American Freed From Iran Heads Back to U.S.
American hiker Sarah Shourd, who was released from Iran after more than 13 months in jail, begins her journey back to the United States after asking supporters 'extend prayers' to two other hikers who remain in custody

Breaking News

Bedbugs shut down flagship Nike store
NIKETOWN, Nike’s tourist-friendly flagship New York store, has been closed due to an infestation of bedbugs.

Thousands at anti-Pope protest in London
PROTESTERS march through London, slamming the Catholic church over sex abuse, gay rights and other issues.

WikiLeaks founder free to leave Sweden
JULIAN Assange free to leave Sweden after prosecutors there said there was no arrest warrant against him for alleged case of rape.

Do what's best for nation, says Gillard
PRIME Minister uses Chifley address to appeal to the Opposition to resist temptation of bringing down minority Government.

Rhinoceros cage doubles as cannabis den
A ZOO worker has been fired for turning a rhinoceros enclosure into a cannabis plantation.

Ejector seat death grounds fighter jets
BRITAIN grounds entire fleet of RAF Typhoon jets after a pilot fell to his death upon activating his ejector seat.

NSW Premier wants fresh blood in party
KRISTINA Keneally has ordered NSW Labor Party's head office to bring in new blood before the state election in March.

$15m lotto ticket holder told he hadn't won
CONVENIENCE store worker shamed after he refused to handover an elderly man’s winning lottery ticket.

Suu Kyi's boycott party 'faces jail'
BURMA'S state media warns party to drop protests against its dissolution and threatens jail for anyone impeding election.

Pope ashamed of 'unspeakable' abuse
POPE Benedict XVI says he is deeply ashamed of the "unspeakable" sexual abuse of children by priests.

NSW/ACT

Heinz is playing ketchup
THE term "tomato sauce" could be lost to future Aussies with Heinz, for the first time, advertising ketchup on TV.

Cafe planned for Strickland House
HISTORIC Strickland House has been earmarked for a cafe-style restaurant as part of plans to pay for the upkeep of the estate.

Battle lines in the sand over new laws
SURFERS and beachfront residents have drawn battle lines in the sand over laws allowing private breakwalls and sandbagging.

Car wash king in spotlight over pay
CONTROVERSIAL car wash king Anthony Sahade is being investigated over allegations he underpaid his employees.

Queensland

McDermott's investors lose everything
MORE than 150 creditors who invested in former cricket star Craig McDermott''s failed property empire won't see a cent of the millions that they are owed.

Rowdy drunks ignore police fines
QUEENSLAND'S on-the-spot fines for bad behaviour are not worth the paper they are written on, with two-thirds of those ticketed for public nuisance ignoring them.

Councils lose neighbourhood disputes
NASTY neighbourhood disputes could be taken out of the hands of councils as the State Government tackles the social problem plaguing our suburbs.

Logan split by ongoing feud
THE heels are on but the gloves are off as two of Queensland's most colourful councillors battle for power.

Legal traps on Facebook, Twitter
CYBER law experts are predicting an explosion in defamation cases arising from social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Lucas's dead letter office revealed
THE in-tray of embattled Health Minister Paul Lucas has become a dead letter office, with more than 1200 unanswered letters to Queenslanders piling up on his desk.

Police rush to Bligh false alarms
A HIGH school formal after-party at Anna Bligh's house has ended up wasting police time after her home security system was activated during the bash.

Fondled worker paid a fortune
EMPLOYERS are on notice to install security to keep staff safe after a payout to a female optical technician sexually assaulted by a customer at work.

Community spirit? Nope, not here
BRISBANE may be a new-world city but it risks losing its ``liveable'' charm, with a survey finding we're just not into joining our community.

Platypus holds up power project
A PLATYPUS may delay a major power project on the Sunshine Coast.

Victoria

Sex payout bid rejected
A MAN left with brain damage and in a wheelchair after a childhood car accident wants taxpayer-funded sex.

Magpies aim for a place in history
THE Collingwood faithful dared to dream big today with a coveted chance to end the team's 20-year premiership drought.

Our drink drivers could fill the MCG
DRINK drivers are being pulled off the state's roads at a rate of more than 57 a day, with figures revealing the extent of the problem.

Magpies swoop on eBay
DESPERATE footy fans have posted wanted ads on eBay in a frantic search for Grand Final tickets.

Jim and Jules' bond for life
THE moment Getaway reporter Jules Lund met Brownlow medallist Jim Stynes is a moment he will never forget.

Searching for Santas
IF you're jolly, love children and look good in red, your shopping centre needs you.

Huge road fines haul
MOTORISTS have been hit with more than one million speed and red light camera fines on Victorian roads so far this year.

Stories I will carry for life
FINDING the right words to say when you are completely overwhelmed can be extremely difficult.

Elderly man dies after fire
A MAN is dead after a house fire in Ararat at 1.45pm today.

Abattoir anger in Bacchus Marsh
THIS week in Your Street we visit Darcy St, Bacchus Marsh, where residents are concerned at plans for a new abattoir

Northern Territory

Nothing new

South Australia

Five-year-olds should be sex educated
CHILDREN under five should be taught about sex, a State Government guide says.

Lightning cell raid targeted bikies
KEY bikie gang members, their prison associates and several notorious killers have had their cells searched in a lightning raid at Yatala Labour Prison.

Chase ute driver flees after crash
POLICE tonight were hunting a driver who crashed a ute in Muno Para after a high-speed pursuit.

Heaven's reopening hits snag
INFAMOUS Adelaide nightclub Heaven's anticipated reopening this week at a new city location has hit a snag after an intervention order by SA Police.

Our Oval is 'simply the best'
THE $100 million project to revitalise our sporting jewel should be ready by October and plans are for Adelaide Oval to be the Sheffield Shield's custodian.

Foley's fine clutch of gold
HUNDREDS of millions of dollars in unpaid court fines owed by law breakers remain outstanding, as the State Government attempts to slash $2 billion from its Budget.

Police hunting group after car chase
POLICE are looking for group of people who fled the scene of a crash after a high speed pursuit.

Maserati man has car impounded
POLICE have seized a $400,000 dollar Maserati after an Unley Park man was clocked doing more than 100 km/h in the CBD in June.

Western Australia

Bars busted 'serving drunks'
FORTY per cent of pubs and clubs serve alcohol to drunk patrons, the biggest investigation of night venues ever undertaken in WA has revealed.

Comedian Bruno drops the C-bomb
KALGOORLIE is renowned as a rough and tumble town - but comedian Bruno Lucia's act went too far at a ladies' luncheon on Friday.

Sea of colour in red Kalgoorlie dirt
THE red dirt of Kalgoorlie was transformed into a sea of different colours as about 10,000 punters flocked to the Goldfields city for the culmination of the annual country race meet.

Desal plants to replace dams
FIVE desalination plants have been proposed for southern WA as the State Government scrambles to find additional water sources to supply a drying state.

Telethon kids provide inspiration
MEET Phoebe McIndoe and Lachy Ross - the inspirational ambassadors for this year's Telethon appeal.

WA teachers chalk up big compo
AN average of more than two teachers a day are filing workers' compensation claims in WA, with $17 million a year paid out.

Injured biker flown to RPH
The RAC Rescue Helicopter has flown an injured motorcyclist to Royal Perth Hospital after a collision between a motorbike and truck near Yanchep.

Cabbie robbed at knifepoint
A TAXI driver had a knife held to his throat and was forced to hand over his takings during a terrifying overnight robbery.

Orange growers squeezed out
HARVEY Fresh has put the squeeze on WA orange growers, telling them it will no longer buy locally grown navel oranges for its range of juices.

Tasmania

Man dies during Tasmania yacht race
THE body of a crew member of a yacht competing in a local race has been found off Bruny Island on the southeastern tip of Tasmania.

=== Comments ===

Julia’s deal shakes faith
Piers Akerman
PRIME Minister Julia Gillard seems hell-bent on trashing the Westminster concept of parliamentary democracy before her government’s first sitting day.- It is apparent only the corrupt benefit from the ALP. But maybe that is unfair .. there are others who benefit from ALP rule .. I note there are many more millionaires, according to the article I read .. I guess that means under the ALP, the rich get richer and the poor get taxed. This fiasco with the two independents will not finish here.
I note that had I got about 40 thousand more votes, I would be education minister. Chris Pyne is a much better person for that job, but my vote would have put the Libs in office and the ALP on the dirt track where they belong. - ed.
===
The Death Penalty -- If Not For Petit Case ,Then When?
By Lis Wiehl
Imagine the unimaginable-- the horror happened to Dr.Petit. I, for one, don't think I could draw another breath after the total annihilation of my family, but Dr. Petit found strength in his determination to speak for his wife and daughters -- from their graves -- and to demand the ultimate penalty. For Dr. Petit, a plea bargain sparing the lives of the men who slaughtered his family wasn't enough. Now its up for a jury to decide where one of the men should be executed.

I'm not a knee jerk, pro-death penalty champion. I think in some cases death is too kind an outcome for killers of innocents. --Instead, let them sit and rot in a windowless room with nothing to look at save the photos of those they slaughtered. And I do worry about those wrongfully convicted.

But not in the Petit case, the evidence is conclusive. So I ask you, if we do sanction a death penalty in this country, then when it comes the killers of Dr. Petit's family, "if not now, when? If not them, who?

The details of the case reveal two felons with blood of ice, who raped and killed after getting the money they came for.

This was no crime of passion, or a drug deal gone bad, this was cold and calculated robbery, rape, mutilation, and death by burning. It was all premeditated by entities who can hardly be called human.

It's a miracle Dr. Petit is alive to testify as the voice for his dead wife and daughters. If meting out the death penalty in this case will stop even one other monster from trying the same, justice will be done.

Lis Wiehl is a Fox News legal analyst and former federal prosecutor.
===
NEXT TIME, TRY EMAIL
Tim Blair
The basic idea of your letter bomb is to post it before it explodes:

Danish police think a man hurt in a blast was making a letter bomb to use against a newspaper which published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

The man was arrested in a park in Copenhagen on 10 September after a small explosion at a nearby hotel.

Police spokesman Svend Foldager said the device would have had the explosive force of a hand grenade.

The alleged facebomber received injuries described as non-serious and hilarious.
===
IT’S ON
Tim Blair
Typical St Kilda supporter Rhys Muldoon writes:

The Collingwood jumper is almost perfect. All it needs is blood.

Adorable Collingwood supporter Jessica Wright replies:

Yep. Yours, spilled.

Thus begins a week of intense AFL hostility. Last night’s prelim delivered the Saints to the Grand Final, but at a cost; St Kilda was seriously tested in the first half, which might hurt them next Saturday. If the Saints win it, they’ll truly deserve it.
===
RELIC REJECTED
Tim Blair
Ol’ Crazy Eyes Bill McKibben recently joined wealthy warmenist (and Palinphobe) David Letterman to discuss the usual earth-dooming crap:

Several minutes into the interview, after noted petrolhead Letterman expressed his alarm over Chinese car ownership, McKibben told of his plan to return one of Jimmy Carter’s stupid solar panels (removed, delightfully, by Ronald Reagan) to the White House. “I think that they’ll probably be eager to do it,” said Bill. Wrong:

On the day after Labor Day, we set off in a biodiesel college van. It couldn’t have been more fun. Guitars, iPods, excellent snack food, rallies each night. Wherever we could, we’d fire up the panel, pour a gallon of water in the top, point it toward the sun, and eight or nine minutes later we’d have steaming hot water coming out the bottom …

There was just one nagging concern as we headed south. We still hadn’t heard anything conclusive from the White House. We’d asked them - for two months - if they’d accept the old panel as a historic relic returned home, and if the president would commit to installing new ones soon.

McKibben and his delegation of hippies eventually arrived at the White House with their holy solar relic. They were met by two Obama bureaucrats who shunned McKibben’s sun gift:

[They] refused to accept the Carter panel, or even pose for a picture with the students. Asked to do something easy and symbolic to rekindle a little of the joy that had turned out so many of us as volunteers for Obama in 2008, they point-blank said no … [One of the hippies said]: “It was really shocking to me to find out that they really didn’t seem to care.”

Bill knows who to blame:
I couldn’t help thinking - part of me at least - like this: The White House political team has decided that if they put solar panels on the roof, Fox News will use that as one more line of attack.
===
ARACHNOCHAMPION
Tim Blair
A brand-new spider is setting web records in Madagascar:

Darwin’s bark spider, a species new to science, weaves its huge web over flowing rivers, stretching from bank to bank.

It is so big that it can catch 30 or more prey insects at any one time …

To reach from one bank to the other, the spider must weave anchoring lines of up to 25m.

Impressive. Our front yard was once home to an ambitious local spider who repeatedly tried to build a web reaching from near the front door all the way to the fence; about six metres in total, although he used a tree as a central anchor point. Maybe he was trying to catch birds. Or livestock. The attempts all failed, but if he’d succeeded … payday for spidey.