Our Prime Minister has spoken out against gay marriage. I'm all for it. I think it's about time they suffered, too.Speaking of which, it's official: Australian men make the worst husbands in the world because they loathe helping out with the housework, a British study claims. The study, titled "Household Division of Labour and Cross-Country Differences in Household Formation Rates", is due to be published in the Journal of Population Economics. Study author Dr Almudena Sevilla-Sanz said that based on her study of 12 developed countries, women wanting to settle down were better off finding a bloke from Scandinavia, the United States or Britain than Australia. "Yes, dear!"
A former banker who is unable to quit smoking is to spend August on a remote uninhabited Scottish island in a bid to break the habit. Geoff Spice will be a castaway on Sgarabhaigh in the Outer Hebrides, a group of islands off the north-western corner of Scotland. He will camp during his stay as the island has only three ruined "bothies" - huts once used by shepherds - and no electricity or running water. Mr Spice, formerly a senior banker at NM Rothschild in London, hopes the solitude will help him give up his habit. "This is my last chance. I've been smoking 30-a-day as usual but I think I can crack the habit," British newspapers quoted him as saying.
And here comes the bride, not in the traditional Mao-jacket, but in a 2,162-metre-long gown. Lin Rong's wedding train, which stretched nearly 2.2 kilometres and had 9,999 pinned-on red silk roses, took more than 200 guests over three hours to unroll. The bridegroom's family was not too impressed at the far from frugal 40,000-yuan ($7,000) price tag. "It is a waste of money in my opinion," his mother said. If you ask me, I can see trouble less than two kilometres ahead, not only because of her expensive taste but also because two Rongs don't sound right!
Something else from China that doesn't sound right is the news that a Chinese teenager, sent to an internet addiction rehabilitation camp, has been beaten to death by counsellors. China is increasingly taking action against what it sees as a pandemic of web addiction. However, there is little agreement on how to treat it, with the Ministry of Health formally banning the use of electroshock therapy. Obviously, beating them to death is still an option!
And right here at home, after a Sydney Army base has been the target of a terrorism plot, the base's private security arrangements are to be reviewed. Private security arrangements? Am I missing something? A bunch of private security guards is protecting our army? Do tell, who is changing their nappies?
And while on this subject, cash-strapped Cuba is reported to be running out of toilet-paper. They're calling for donations before the sh*t hits the fan.
