Fairfax advertisement blooper

The advertising team at Granny Herald stuffed up big time this week when it placed a display ad (see below) in the hospitality section. Anyone with half a brain will readily see it should have been placed in the legal section.

Quote of the Week

“If You Like Sarah Palin, You’ll Absolutely Love Cory Bernardi

He’s not just a homophobic, Islamophobic, climate-change denying South Australian senator, he’s an ideological entrepreneur, importing the Tea Party’s ‘astroturf’ techniques and now training others in the faux-grassroots campaigns first cultivated by the American far right.” {Global Mail 21^st September 2012}

Punters spewing over Daily Examiner's poor performance

As if Wednesday's debacle at the Examiner wasn't enough to put punters off their weetbix, today's edition will have punters who buy the local rag shaking their heads and asking themselves why they bother to buy it. Today's paper has reprinted the TAB dividends it published on Thursday - how thoughtful, they are the results for the races the paper forgot to print on Wednesday. Perhaps DEX thinks that's an act of compensation.

Gays, creepy people and creatures should not be allowed to marry according to Liberal Party Senator Bernardi

The very Christian Liberal Party Senator Cory Bernardi decided in favour of a number of rather strange ‘facts’ in his contribution to the Marriage Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2012  debate of 18 September 2012.

His own personal slippery slope has government-sanctioned same-sex marriage leading to widespread polygamy, an increase in bestiality and the formal recognition of marriage between creatures.

Highly offensive as it is to try to equate homosexuality with bestiality, it was the term creatures which set me to musing.

Wondering about the current state of conjugal relationships in the animal kingdom, I came to the only conclusion possible.

You are too late, Senator! When cats took over the Internet pictorial evidence of formal animal marriage, even inter-species unions, began to proliferate.

They have been doing it behind your conservative political back for years!

No wonder you were forced to resign from the Opposition front bench. Strong indignation from those you maligned, combined with general laughter at your absurdity, must have caused your leader more than a little heartburn at the thought of the next opinion poll.

Wedding photos from Google Images

Celebrating Bundjalung Nation Artists

Large Open Weave Basket, 2008

Lelarnie

Childless, 2005

Michael Philp

Life drawing 8, 2007

Joanne Lapic

All images are from Arts Northern Rivers: Visual Arts Network

Foodie Quote of the Week

From the 2012 Causley Fresh Gate to Plate event at the Grafton Showground

“Having moved to the Valley recently from the Granite Belt, a significant food bowl in Queensland, I was overwhelmed by not only the produce on offer in this region but the entrepreneurial ingenuity of some of our locals creating great products, delivering great service and telling great stories.”
{Jenna Cairney, Editor The Daily Examiner, on the subject of the Clarence Valley, 17th September 2012}

Saffin and Gulaptis on the effects of O'Farrell health cuts in their electorates

While NSW Nationals MP for Clarence Chris I refuse to have a personal website Gulaptis rarely tells his electorate anything, unless pushed to it by local media; Federal Labor MP for Page Janelle Saffin makes her views clear at www.janellesaffin.com.au and in accessible media releases such as this on 14 September 2012:

Liberals cut deep into public hospitals while Nationals watch on

PAGE MP Janelle Saffin has warned that doctors and nurses in public hospitals on the Northern Rivers will be axed under the O’Farrell-Stoner Government’s savage cuts, leaving local families waiting longer in emergency departments and for elective surgery.

 
Ms Saffin today condemned NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner for confirming that the Liberal-National Coalition Government will slash funding for health across the State by $3 billion.
 
“That means over 3600 jobs will be lost -- the equivalent of on average more than 16 doctors, nurses and allied health professionals sacked from hospitals like Lismore Base and Grafton Base,” she said.

“I have delivered major Federal funding to redevelop these hospitals, and continue to fight to protect and build on infrastructure and the health workforce for Ballina, Casino, Coraki, Bonalbo and Urbenville hospitals.

“Regardless of what Jillian Skinner says, the NSW Coalition’s attack on health services, which come on the back of cuts to our local schools, will lead to a collapse in health service delivery at the frontline.

 
“The real impact of these cuts is longer queues in emergency departments, hospital ward and bed closures and longer waiting times for surgery.”

Ms Saffin said that when Coalition Premiers pick up an axe – services are the first to face the chop.
 
“Cutting services is what Coalition parties do,” she said.
 
“While Federal Labor is investing record amounts in our local hospitals – the NSW Liberals are ripping it away and the NSW Nationals are there watching on.
 
“This is a preview of what would happen if Tony Abbott ever got into power federally.
 
“After all, we know he slashed $1 billion from public hospitals when he was Health Minister.”

Chris Gulaptis is reported in The Daily Examiner as saying that:

"MPs are panicking too,"….He said local health boards will be responsible for determining where savings are made and while he wouldn't be involved with that, he would "like to be kept abreast of what they propose".

He is yet to get to his feet in the NSW Legislative Assembly and speak against these cuts – preferring instead to buck pass to the Northern NSW Local Health District Board. Forgetting of course that well-known Nationals and Liberal Party members sit on this very board.