Foul mouthed student escapes all charges

A university student's parting shot at a Bondi Junction police officer has reignited debate over what constitutes offensive language.

Science student Henry Grech, 22, had an offensive language charge against him reportedly cleared in Waverley Local Court yesterday after NSW magistrate Robbie Williams decided the word "prick" would not offend a "reasonable person".

The decision has been slammed by the police union and media commentators, who criticised Mr Williams for not defending police officers working at the coalface of the criminal justice system.

I believe that magistrate Robbie William’s clearing of all charges against Mr Grech may not have been the appropriate decision. I don’t believe he should have been given a harsh sentence, but a fine or a short stint of community service may have sent the right message to both Mr Grech and the rest of society. It is important for the magistrates and judges to make it clear that acting inappropriately towards police officers is not on, as this maintains a level of respect for the officers and deters individuals from engaging in such behaviour.

Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal

In one of the biggest scandals in rugby league history, the Storm were stripped of two NRL premierships, three minor premierships and fined a total of $1.6 million after being found guilty of long-term salary cap breaches. The salary cap is ultimately designed to prevent big-spending clubs gaining an unfair advantage in the competition.

NRL chief executive David Gallop announced they would also not be allowed to accrue any premiership points in the 2010 season.

The penalty imposed on the Melbourne storm is quite reasonable and certainly not too harsh. No club or official can be allowed to breach rules that are not only for the benefit of all clubs, but which guarantee the honesty of one of the country's major sporting codes. Anything less is to fail the trust of millions of sports followers.

However, I do think the stripping away of any points that they may win in the remainder of this year is one step to far. What has the club left to play for? Why should supporters or players attend any match for the rest of this year? The NRL has ultimately left nothing for the club to start growing from.

Smoking tax rise

Cigarettes will now cost 25 per cent more after the Federal Government announced an excise increase of approximately $2.16 per pack of 30. The rise will provide the government with an extra $5 billion over four years which, along with existing revenues from tobacco, will be directly invested in better health and hospitals. The higher cost of tobacco is expected to encourage about 87,000 smokers to quit.

Furthermore, in a world first, all cigarettes sold in Australia must be contained in plain packaging by 1 July 2012. A government statement said the move would remove one of the last remaining frontiers for cigarette advertising. At the same time the government intends to spend an extra $27.8 million on more hard-hitting advertisements over four years to persuade even more smokers to quit.

THERE is no question, smoking is bad. The long-term effects on individuals' health are well established, with higher rates of heart disease, stroke, lung and other cancers leading to a shorter life expectancy and an often painful l death. Smoking does little for the health system, either, imposing obvious costs in the direct treatment of those conditions. However, will a price increase really persuade smokers to quit? I think not. Tobacco use is an addiction. A price increase will not deter smoking; it will just bolster the thriving black market for cigarettes.

Also, changing the packets will have absolutely no effect. What's the point, if those horrible pictures (of smoking-related diseases) don't turn people off nothing will.

Approved: coal power station equivalent to 2.9 million cars

The NSW state government has approved a new power station at Lithgow despite an independent report warning it would increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 22.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, a 15.1 per cent rise in NSW's total emissions.

The Arup report, which was commissioned by the Planning Department, found the emissions would be so significant that national efforts to meet carbon reduction targets would be undermined, and the community would bear the cost.

It also found renewable energy sources, such as solar or biomass, had ''not been adequately explored and have not been analysed in a transparent manner''.

The government has argued that only coal or gas-fired generators could meet the state's growing demand for electricity.

The state government’s approval of such an enormous coal-fired power station is, in my opinion, a very misguided decision. The approval seems to consider only the economic impacts of the type of power station to be built and not other factors such as its environmental impacts. Considering the planet is currently undergoing dramatic global warming, a power station which would increase NSW’s greenhouse emissions by 15.1% is not an appropriate solution to the state’s growing energy needs. Renewable energy sources would be the best method of electricity production as they do not produce any greenhouse emissions. However, if this was not possible, due to the high costs of renewable energy, even a gas-fired power station would be preferable to coal as it would produce less than half the emissions of coal.

PRISON BREAK, IN?

IN Sydney a search is underway for an escapee from Long Bay gaol. Andrew Mazzitelli was last seen in the grounds of Long Bay Gaol at midday yesterday. He was serving a sentence for armed robbery. It is suspected he is hiding in Sydney's innerwest suburbs.

On the opposite side of the globe we know that water drains in the opposite direction, twisters turn in the opposite direction and they spell Gaol the other way, but what I never knew is that people over there break in to prison, not out.

In the Netherlands burglars have broken into a prison in the Dutch town of Hoorn and have stolen inmate's television sets. This prison break-in is the second break-in to the same premises in as many months.

ITS HIS LUCKY DAY

Chris Shaw, a convennience store worker from Missouri in the United States today has won $US258 Million. Shaw only recently started working in the convenience store to support his girlfriend and two chilldren. He stated that he only had $28.96 in his account and didn't know how he was going to pay the bills at home. He said with the winnings he plans to repay a friend a $1000 loan, catch up on the bills, visit a dentist to replace his 2 missing front teeth and take the girlfriend and kids to Disney World.

HMMMM, he could probably do that for $8000. I think this story is proof nice guys don't always finish last. I think it couldn't have gone to a more deserving person. Infact he's such a nice guy I might have to make friends with him, Do you think he has facebook?:)

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