British parents charged with murder

Surely there must be some mistake.  The parents of six children who died in a house fire in the UK have been charged with their murder.  Mick Philpott and his wife Mairead were arrested yesterday and will appear in court today.  Four boys and one girl died in the fire and the eldest boy 13, died when his life support was turned off.  At a press conference they thanked those who tried to save their children and were understandably distraught, then out of the blue, they are charged with murder.

The charges were confirmed last night by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who said "The evidence was reviewed by a Crown Advocate from the CPS who decided that there was sufficient evidence to charge and that it is in the public interest for a prosecution to take place."  He went on "It is important to note that the defendants are entitled to a fair trial and nothing should be said or reported that would prejudice that right."

But it's already happened, the family is already compromised by a single piece of information that has turned people against the couple.  Even though Mr Philpott was hailed as a hero by neighbours for his valiant efforts to rescue his children, he has a reputation.  In 2007 he was known as "Shameless Mick" when he demanded a larger council house for his family and it was discovered that he had fathered 17 children by five women.

It's true, we shouldn't jump to conclusions about this case but human nature being what it is, everyone has an opinion.  But finding a jury who haven't formed an opinion about Mr Philpott's character wont be easy.

The case continues.

Andrew Ettingshausen's affair

Rugby League players have a bad reputation, the code plagued by bad boys behaving badly but there was one man who didn't run with the pack - Andrew Ettingshausen.  He stood out as a man who always did the right thing and the respect he earned as a decent family man was well deserved.  Then he had a brain fade and had an affair with his best friend's wife.

Paul Mellor made the accusation on A Current Affair this year and said this would give ET's fans "a better understanding of who he really is."  The two men played two seasons together with Cronulla before Ettingshausen retired in 2000 after becoming the club's most-capped player with 328 games and 165 tries.  He also played 27 games for NSW in the State of Origin and 25 Tests for Australia.

Ettingshausen, now 46, married Monique in 1988 and the couple have four children aged 21 down to 11.      Mellor is also married with children and says he confronted ET when he discovered the affair and they have not spoken since.  "I'm not going to judge him or his behaviour, I think that's probably for Monique to judge him and for me to judge my wife" he said. As far as his old team mate is concerned he said "We don't have a friendship anymore, if he wants to comment about it, which he probably needs to, he can explain his behaviour."

ET has answered the call and blames his 'poor judgement' on depression and a failed business venture. He has been seeing a psychiatrist to help him with depression and low self esteem issues.  He put a lot of money into a fishing lodge in the Gulf of Carpantaria and when it failed, the family was left deeply in debt.

"I have no words to explain the deep regret I feel, I have thrown away my whole life, all that I treasured, all that I was blessed to have" he told the Australian Women's Weekly.  The magazine said they were approached by the couple and did not pay for the interview.

When asked if citing depression was a 'cop out' Ettingshausen said "In the end, choices were made and I take responsibility for those choices.  During this period I wasn't in a good position mentally to make careful judgments.  What has happened is a tragedy that never would have happened if I was in a normal, stable mind."

Marc Glasby's two wives

Belle and Dorothy are identical twin sisters in a sexual relationship with Perth man, Marc Glasby.  Separated at birth, the twins were reunited three years ago and when they finally met, Belle's husband fell in love with Dorothy and they have lived in a polygamous relationship ever since.  The sisters are both Christians and believe that God is pleased with the arrangement that makes them all so happy.

Marc says he's never been unfaithful to his wife in 30 years and if he hadn't met her sister, he would have continued being faithful to her until the day he died.  He makes the arrangement sound idyllic but reading between the lines, it's clear that it isn't.

Describing himself as 'the meat in the sandwich' he admits his wife of 30 years had to work through some jealousy issues.  He was paying more attention to his new wife which led to feelings of neglect.  But he had a brilliant idea on how to stop any arguments and found the ideal solution - he devised a continual rotation system where both sisters get the pleasure of his company every other night.  "It works well" he said "as neither is left alone for longer than one night."

In the beginning Marc questioned his feelings and motives but came to the conclusion that what he was doing was right for them all.  "I was the driving force behind the relationship and I take full responsibility for maintaining it and ensuring both girls feel loved and appreciated."

This man is clearly a prince among men.

Marc Glasby and his wives will feature in an interview tonight on SBS Insight at 8.30pm

Shouryya Ray, boy genius

A sixteen year old student, Shouryya Ray, is the first person to solve a mathematical problem posed by Sir Isaac Newton more than 300 years ago.  The clever teen has also solved a second problem dealing with the collision of a body with a wall, posed in the 19th Century.

Due to his efforts, scientists can now calculate the flight path of a thrown ball and then predict how it will hit and bounce off a wall.  He has solved two theories physicists have previously been unable to calculate without the use of powerful computers.

Shouryya said his natural curiosity and schoolboy naivety helped him solve the problems.  When professors said the problems had no solutions, he thought he'd have a go.

Born in India, his father instilled in him a "hunger for mathematics" and taught him calculus at the age of  six.  His family moved to Germany when he was 12, after his father, an engineer, was offered employment at a technical college.  His father Subhashis said his son's mathematical  prowess quickly outstripped his own considerable knowledge and the maths involved in solving both problems were far beyond his capabilities.

Shouryya says he's no genius and wishes he were better at sports, particularly football.  But teachers were quick to recognize his superior intelligence and he was moved up two years in school and this week, he will sit Germany's high school leaving exams, two years ahead of his peers.

Countries around the world will be head-hunting this brilliant young man, who says he has always enjoyed the "intrinsic beauty" of maths.

Elderly prostitutes make documentary

Twin Dutch prostitutes will feature in a candid documentary about their lives at a film festival in New York this summer.  Called "Meet the Fokkens", the 69 year old twins are veterans of Amsterdam's infamous tourist attraction, the Red Light District, where prostitutes advertise themselves in windows fronting the street.

Louise and Martine started work in the early 60's and talk about how the industry has changed over decades.  In the old days police would knock on the window if a girl was showing too much ankle, now the girls deal coke from their cubicles.

Louise had to retire 2 years ago because of her arthritis, but Martine is still working and says she can't live on a state pension.

The sisters talk about how they managed to escape from the control of their pimps, ran their own brothel and set up the first trade union for prostitutes.

Directors Gabrielle Provaas and Rob Schrode said "This is the story we wanted to tell, Louise and Martine are real old-fashioned Amsterdam hookers - liberated, cheerful and not afraid of anybody."

Italian sisters custody battle

The great-grandmother of four girls involved in a bitter custody battle with their Italian father would rather go to jail than reveal where the family had hidden the girls.  "If the judge throws me in jail, I'll live with it" she said "I have no respect for the justice system and I will not leave these children alone for one second until I'm sure they are safe with their mother."

All the girls were born in Italy and the mother fled the country two years ago with the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Embassy.  The girls, now aged 9, 10, 13 and 14 escaped without their father's permission and it seems fair and reasonable that they should return to Italy to deal with the custody dispute.

But there's a problem - the mother says that the father is abusive but the courts want proof.  But how do you prove it?  Bruises fade, injuries heal and without physical evidence, or pictures of it, it's easy for the father to say it never happened.

Barrister Tony Morris QC appeared for the aunt on Tuesday and told the High Court that current legislation does now allow the children to properly voice their opinion about where they want to live and thus, they are denied their natural justice.  He argued that the girls should be allowed to appoint their own lawyers to argue their case.

But Gim Del Villar who appeared for Queensland's Child Safety Authority said the circumstances in this case were not so exceptional that this should be allowed and will apply to have the matter thrown out.

The girls said they were afraid of their father's violent temper and beatings.  Their mother has pleaded with Premier Campbell Newman to intervene and alleges her husband struck her at least 10 times and repeatedly hit the children.  She went to Italian police four times to report violent incidents but they discouraged her from pressing charges because her children would be ostracized as being from a "bad family."  The eldest sister says she had her finger broken during one beating.

Public opinion seems to be critical of this mother and the most scathing criticism comes from women.  Without any evidence, they believe she's making it all up so she can keep her children.

Speaking for the first time since the custody dispute, the father said  "The Italian courts and any other justice system are aware that I am a model father and no evidence has been presented to any courts in Italy or Australia, that supports the unfounded and incorrect allegations made against me."

The case will be heard today in the Brisbane High Court.

Update:  Brisbane High Court Justice Susan Kiefel today ruled the matter should go before the full bench of the High Court in August.

Schapelle Corby's sentence cut by 5 years

The President of Indonesia has reduced Schapelle Corby's sentence by five years and her mother is daring to hope, again.  The Indonesians are pleased by our government's move to return underage men being held in Detention Centres and are looking favourably at Schapelle's case.

But Foreign Minister Bob Carr strongly denies that a deal was done.  "At no stage did we do a deal with Indonesia" he said.  The decision on minors in Australian jails was made because of the merits of the case -  we would be releasing minors regardless of the current circumstances.   "If there was no Corby issue, we would still be doing this because it's the right thing to do and if that creates a level of warmth in Jakata, then that's fine" he said.

Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin said "So it's clear that we are paying attention to the plight of Corby, in reciprocity, we hope there will be the same kind of attention from Australia." He added "Generally, the Australian government is very strict in its laws, especially in regard to those linked to people trafficking - these are poor fishermen involved in people smuggling, there are hundreds of them there."

But hang on a minute, it's not our fault that poor, illiterate boys grab a chance of easy money and take a boatload of refugees to Australia.  As the Indonesians have rules about taking drugs into their country, we have rules about smuggling people into ours.

Mr Carr was unable to confirm reports that Schapelle could be released by the end of this year because of good behaviour.  "Any argument about parole would be something for Ms Corby's legal representatives to lodge" he said.

Indonesia's Minister for the State Secretariat, Sudi Silalahi described the decision to reduce Corby's sentence as part of a reciprocal arrangement with Australia which had already returned some young Indonesians accused of crewing asylum seeker boats.  "It's not just a promise, they have been followed through and they've already returned" he said.

Nobody can begin to imagine what Schapelle Corby has had to endure inside her prison from hell and a 20 year sentence for smuggling cannabis seems excessive in the extreme.  I've never been convinced that Schapelle put that dope into her boogie bag, but even if she did, she's suffered more than enough.

Dare we hope that this time, the end is near.

Gordon Wood's Movie Deal

Appeal judges said that Gordon Wood was wrongly convicted of the murder of Caroline Byrne and he was released from prison in February after serving three years of a 17 year sentence.  Almost everyone has an opinion about the sensational case, but unfortunately for Wood, a large percentage of the general public agree with Caroline's father and think he really did push her off The Gap.

Nobody liked Lindy Chamberlain either, she came across as an aloof, cold woman, devoid of emotion and the public were quick to wrongly condemn her.  Unfortunately for Gordon Wood, he has a similar personality.

One of Wood's friends, Georgie Bridge who he met in 2006 told him to get Botox so he didn't look guilty.  She said that his "brittle" exterior helped convict him in the eyes of the public.  She attended the trial three times but was unconvinced of his guilt but understood why his defense team refused to put him on the stand.  "The prosecutor would have made mince meat of him, you can only take so much before you crack and he might have said something he'd regret" she said.

Georgie Bridge

But it wasn't only Wood's appearance that turned people off, it was images of Rene Rivkin's young, male sycophants fawning over the stock broker on board his luxury yacht.  And Gordon Wood was his chauffeur.    It was easy to jump to the wrong conclusion that Rivkin was having sexual relations with these young men and when questioned about it he said there was a lot of jealousy between his employees and "I've never understood why that is, they just tell me I'm a very desirable boss."  A cynic might say that he was popular because he was known to give expensive gifts to his favourites.

Since his release, Wood has been inundated with book offers and it's now likely that he will get a chance to tell his side of the story.  He met with US film producer Chris Adams in Sydney last week to discuss a possible book and movie deal that could make him a lot of money.  He will tell the world about how he was hounded for more than ten years and jailed for a crime he didn't commit.

"It's a very hard process" Chris Adams said, "It's not like you have an idea and Steven Speilburg knocks on your door, his first port of call would be to have a script written by someone reputable."

Wood has also been talking to his legal team about launching a claim for compensation from the NSW government for wrongful imprisonment.

Samantha Holland's jilted lover sentenced

Joel Betts knew what was coming.  His girlfriend Samantha Holland was going to walk in the door any minute to collect her things and walk out of his life forever.  But he wasn't going to let that happen, he had made up his mind to kill her and then kill himself.

When Samantha went to the Waldorf Apartments in Chippendale, an inner Sydney suburb, he wasn't supposed to be there, he told her he would be at an all day work function.  She had no idea of what was about to happen next, one and a half hours of brutal, bloody terror that will stay with her forever.   What she went through was so shocking, judge Robert Toner said it was beyond anything he could have imagined.

He lied about being at a work function that day and Samantha was shocked to find him there.  Betts had already decided that she would never walk out of the apartment alive, but she wasn't as easy to kill as he thought.

He pleaded with her to change her mind but she refused and as she turned to walk out to meet her brother Todd, who was parked outside waiting to help her move out, Betts blocked her path and stabbed her eight times with a kitchen knife.

The terror continued and he went on to stab Samantha a further 20 times in the back, neck, shoulder, hand, cheek, chin and arm.  As he was stabbing her he said "We will die here together then we will be together for eternity."  Samantha screamed at him to stop and said "You'll go to jail, everyone will know it's you" but it made no difference.

She was now petrified when he cut off her last hope - her brother waiting outside.  He used her mobile phone to text him saying "We are staying together...I'll call you soon".  He also sent a message to her mother saying "Mum, I love you."

Members of the Betts family

In agony and covered in blood, Samantha knew she had to weaken him somehow.  Thinking about the Romeo and Juliet scenario she said "If we're going to do this together, then I should have a turn of the knife".   So he gave her the knife and she stabbed him in the stomach but he was still too strong, and she had no hope of getting away from him.

Samantha said "There's a good quote in the latest Harry Potter book about death and I want to read it to you."  When he left the room to find the book, she knew this was her last chance to escape.  Incredibly, she found the strength to make her way outside and was spotted swinging from the third-floor balcony, trying to get to the apartment below, covered in blood and wearing only her underwear.

Judge Toner yesterday sentenced Betts to a non-parole period of 11 years and said "These offences, each vile and inhumane, are not less so because he planned to kill himself at the same time."

Broadcaster Alan Jones who has known Betts for 10 years and provided him with a character reference, was in court when he was sentenced.  Jones said he met Betts in the week of the attack to give advice on a business he was developing that linked charities and the corporate sector.

Joel Betts hosted a celebrity show on Foxtell and interviewed Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee and Toni Collette.  He founded his own marketing company Won Group and used to work for Opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey as a volunteer.  He was also a contestant on the reality television show Australian Survivor.

Betts told the court he endured a traumatic childhood at the hands of his violent step-father and he was in financial difficulty.

Ms Holland said "I'm still haunted by the look in his eyes as he towered over me and stabbed me in the neck."

Mary Richardson Kennedy's suicide

Another tragic blow struck the Kennedy family this week.  Mary Richardson Kennedy 52, an architect, environmentalist and philanthropist hanged herself at her home on Wednesday.  Her husband, Robert Kennedy Junior, son of Robert F Kennedy who was assassinated in 1968, filed for divorce in 2010, a blow from which she never recovered.

After the separation, Mary was arrested twice, once for DUI and later for driving under the influence of prescription drugs which the judge threw out and dismissed.  The divorce was still pending at the time of her death and was headed for trial later this year.  They were married in 1994 and had four children together who are all under the age of 18.

Robert F Kennedy Jnr said yesterday that his estranged wife had struggled with depression for many years.  "A lot of times, I don't know how she made it through the day" he said.  "She was in a lot of agony for a lot of her life."

But a personal friend of Mary's who refused to be named said "Mary said she was facing financial ruin with American Express coming after her for an outstanding debt along with several other creditors.  In addition, she was concerned that Robert was about to substantially reduce the amount of financial support he gave her and she was terrified she would have to file for bankruptcy and lose her home."

But surely the cruelest blow must have been when Bobby began telling friends that he had taken custody of the children.  When news of her tragic death was released, her eldest children were away at boarding school and the youngest were living with their father.

Since the split, Mary would have heard about her husband's latest lovers and that he is currently dating Cheryl Hines.  In recent months, family and friends were worried that Mary was becoming more "fragile" but they had no idea just how hopeless she believed her life had become.

Mr Kennedy divorced his first wife in the Dominican Republic a month before his second marriage to Mary, who gave birth to their first child three months later.

Mary Richardson Kennedy was devoted to her children and when her son developed terrible food allergies, she co-founded the Food Allergy Initiative, billed as the world's largest private source of funding for food allergy research.

Michael Clarke marries Kyly Boldy

When Michael Clarke and Kyly Boldy got married in secret on Tuesday, some people would have been shocked and maybe even hurt, that they didn't get to share in the joy of their special day.

For a famous cricketer, it was a relatively small wedding of around 70 people and it says a lot about the bride.  Kyly could have had the celebrity wedding of the year, but she chose not to.  "Couldn't be happier" tweeted Michael and "It's the greatest day of my life" said Kyly.

Clarke rushed back from his Indian Premier League on a leave pass and the couple booked out the six-star, Emirates-owned Wolgan Valley Resort in the Blue Mountains.  They spent Tuesday with their families and close friends before the wedding ceremony at sunset.

Shane Warne, without Liz Hurley was there but rumour has it that no members of the current cricket team were invited.

Forty suites were booked for their guests and staff at the luxury resort had to sign a confidentiality agreement involving the ceremony, reception and guests.

Clarke is expected to return to India tomorrow with Cricket Australia sources admitting nobody knew of his wedding plans.  An insider said they knew Clarke was coming home but thought it was part of his rest and recovery management after a long season.

Little is known about the couple's courtship which began about 3 months after Clarke's break-up with Lara Bingle.

Wolgan Valley Resort http://www.wolganvalley.com/wolgan-valley/en/

British granny and the African waiter

A 59 year old British grandmother didn't think there could possibly be an ulterior motive as to why a 25 year old black waiter from Gambia would want to marry her.

Mary Cotnoir, who describes herself as a lonely divorcee, was on holiday alone in Gambia.  She often went on solo holidays and she thought that this one would be no different.  But it turned out to be a very hurtful experience and one she will never forget.

She went to the private beach belonging to her hotel and met Demba Sanneh, a waiter at her hotel.  He offered to act as her guide and would 'protect' her from other young men, vying for her attention.  She tells us what happened.

"The next day Demba showed me around a local monkey park and that night we went for a drink.  At the end of the evening, he escorted me back to my hotel room and he tried to kiss me.  I was surprised and told him I wouldn't open the door to my room until he had gone.

"I had not had a sexual relationship for over ten years and the sensible part of me was saying I'm nearly 60, he's 25, and that I wouldn't know what to do in bed after so long.  But the other part of me was saying that I would probably not get another offer like it again and I would be stupid not to take it - I thought it would be a nice holiday romance.

"It was just lovely to be with someone who was so caring and deeply religious - he was Muslim - and who didn't drink.  Two days before I left, we slept together for the first time and it was so exciting.  It had been so long since I was intimate with someone.  At some point during the week Demba laid his cards on the table - he said he was offering love, sex and companionship but in return, he wanted my help.  He suggested I buy him a laptop, then he could go to college and get a better job.  I thought a laptop was nothing and I wanted to help him, he only earned about 25 pounds a month and lived with 20 members of his family."

By the time she left Gambia, Mary was hooked and she returned to visit him again a few months later.  On the second day, he proposed marriage and gave her a ring he had made himself.  Mary readily accepted.

Once back in the UK, Mary agreed to pay for her fiance to take driving lessons so he could set up a taxi business.    They also applied for a tourist visa so he could visit the UK for a holiday but it was rejected by the Home Office who said they were suspicious of his true motives.

Demba convinced Mary that it was wrong for people in love to have sex outside marriage so they needed to bring the wedding forward and she should come to Gambia as soon as possible.  She did and the wedding cost her 500 pounds and was attended by 50 of Demba's friends and relatives.

"The wedding was the happiest day of my life" she recalls "We did sleep together on our wedding night but the next day I made a joke about how, if the marriage lasted until I died, or until I was too old to want to visit Gambia anymore, I'd buy Demba a property to live in.  I told him he'd only be 45 by then - that he could have another wife and children.  The look on his face was one of horror, it was obvious he'd been hoping for a property far sooner than that.  He refused to speak to me for a day then he started on about what he was going to do when he moved to the UK, and how I'd be putting him up."

"I was stunned and hurt, this was the first time I'd heard about him wanting to come to the UK and I knew that I'd been lied to.  Up to this point, we'd planned for me to spend 6 months in Gambia in a property I would rent, then I would move out there permanently when my mother passed away.  We'd only ever talked about Demba coming to the UK on holiday.  Physically too, everything changed, he ordered me not to wear strappy tops any more and to cover myself up in bed with a nightie.  I felt incredibly confused and hurt and spent most of the time in tears.

"Meanwhile his entire extended family seemed to be queuing up to chat to me about their plans for the future.  One wanted to go to college, another wanted to set up a business, and they were all intimating that everything would be funded by me."

By the time Mary was due to fly home, after eight nights together, she knew it was over.  "After my last visit, he was the one crying at the airport but now he could hardly bear to kiss me, he gave me a peck on the cheek and then started on about money.  He wanted money for his parents, my traveller's cheques, my euros, he even had the cheek to ask for the perfume I'd just bought for myself, probably wanted it for another woman."

Mary knew what her childrens' reaction would be and that's why she didn't tell them about her romance with the African waiter.  She has two sons 39 and 32 and two daughters, 40 and 37.

Three weeks after Mary arrived home, Demba was declaring his love and promised to make the marriage work.  But Mary won't be co-operating with a divorce which means that he will have to wait five years until he can ask for the marriage to be dissolved by a court of law.

"Now I realise Demba must have looked at me and seen a fool" she said.

He only married me for a visa

Australia is experiencing a man drought.  There is a huge decline in the number of eligible men between the ages of 25 to 34 and the shortage gets even worse in older groups.

The Internet is a dangerous place for lonely women.  Just like the Nigerian scammers who skimmed millions of dollars from naive elderly Australians, there are other predators from Africa targeting vulnerable women, desperate to marry, who are prepared to bring them to Australia on a marriage visa.

John Musas Chibang is just one man who rolled the dice and won.  Katrina Mudge has a child to Mr Chibang and 10 weeks after he arrived, he left her.  The whole affair cost about $10,000 of her savings and she's understandably angry.  "We are not married anymore, he should not be allowed to stay because he came here on a marriage visa." she said.

Ms Mudge reported him to Immigration authorities who told her his visa was cancelled last June but so far, he hasn't been picked up.  She has also spoken to Centrelink, angry that he is still collecting benefits but for reasons unknown, they refused to stop his payments.

It's a sad case because there is a child involved.  "The only interest he has had in his child is for his plan to stay in Australia" she said.  And let's face it, having a child born in Australia would be a tremendous advantage.

After meeting on the Internet, Ms Mudge went to South Africa in July 2009 where they married and the long journey of getting him out of Africa and into Australia began.

Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages

It seems that Tom Cruise can sing.  He plays 80s rocker Stacee Jaxx in a new movie called Rock of Ages.  Music producer Adam Anders said he was surprised at the power of his voice.  "He had this voice that blew me away, so loud, he could do anything and go as high as we wanted."  High praise indeed, he went on "He works harder than anybody I've ever met in my life and by the end of this movie I remember telling him that he really was a singer."

Unlike her father's fake tattoos in the movie, adopted daughter Isabella Cruise showed off the real thing - a feather on her left forearm. The 19 year old was having lunch with boyfriend Eddie Frencher, also a Scientologist, who has a tattoo of a gun on his left arm.  She recently moved out of the family's mansion in Beverly Hills and into an apartment with Frencher in a seedy Skid Row area of Los Angeles.

Isabella recently cleared the air about rumours that the relationship between herself and adopted mother Nicole Kidman was strained, after she broke up with her father in 2001.  She said "I love mom, she's my mom, she's great, I see her sometimes and I speak to her."

Mitt Romney schoolyard bully

Mitt Romney has apologized for bullying and shaving the head of a gay classmate in 1965.   His victim was crying and distraught as he grabbed him and while his friends held him down, he hacked off his hair.  The boy came back from vacation with bleached blonde hair that hung in his eyes and he was enraged by it.  And when it was done, everyone cheered as he walked from the room.  His victim seemed to disappear from school life after that, he was later expelled and died in 2004 of liver cancer.

Romney's hatred of homosexuals was clear and he taunted any boy he suspected of being gay and was often heard to say "Atta girl."    Mitt wouldn't have been the only boy guilty of bullying effeminate-looking boys at school in those days, but it gives us an insight into his character.

Yesterday President Obama threw a spanner in the works by saying he supported gay marriage, knowing very well that Mitt Romney does not.  Mitt was worried he may be seen as homophobic and felt the need to apologize for the schoolyard incidents.  "Back in high school, I did some dumb things, if anyone was hurt by that, obviously I apologize, but overall, high school years were a long time ago" he said.

Fellow student Thomas Buford, now a retired prosecutor, was one of the boys who helped hold the victim down said "It happened very quickly, and to this day it troubles me, what a senseless, stupid, idiotic thing to do."  Another fellow student who helped in the attack Phillip Maxwell, now a lawyer added "It was a hack job and it was vicious."

But it wasn't just gay kids he picked on, boys from poor families also suffered his distain.  Romney attended Cranebrook, an exclusive all-boys private school in Michigan with annual fees around $54,000.  When he discovered that scholarship student Lou Vierling came from a poor area of Detroit, he made his life a misery.

In 1983 Romney was involved in a bizarre incident involving his dog.  Seamus the Irish Setter was put in a crate on top of the car because there was no more room inside.  The dog remained there for 12 hours while his master drove from Massachusetts to Canada.   Does that make him a good problem solver or a man who never gave a thought to his dog's discomfort.

Mr Romney's spokeswoman said yesterday "Anyone who knows Mitt Romney knows that he doesn't have a mean-spirited bone in his body."

It's doesn't seem fair that our school days can come back to haunt us, but then we are not running for the most powerful job in the world.

Craig Thomson has to go

Finally, the Prime Minister has made a comment about Craig Thomson, she said she was "deeply, deeply concerned" about Fair Work Australia's report.  But it didn't stop her from protecting him ever since the news broke months ago that Thomson had allegedly stolen almost $500,000 from Health Services Union funds for brothel expenses, fine dining, air travel, hotel accommodation and personal cash withdrawals.

She has known for months that their report would be damning but she refused to act and is still refusing to remove this man who has tainted the halls of Parliament House like no other.  If she thinks that suspending him from the ALP and sitting him in the cross benches is enough to distance herself from him, she is sadly mistaken.  She should remove his stench from the House completely but she won't because she desperately needs his vote.

The Opposition yesterday attempted to suspend Mr Thomson for 14 days but failed to get an absolute majority of 76 votes.  Independents Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this man to continue to sit on the cross benches and vote.  It's been reported that they are considering whether to support a future motion and we can only hope that they do the right thing and support the Coalition in forcing him out.

If you are thinking of voting Independent at the next election, you might think again.  This hung Parliament has shown us what can happen when a political party is so desperate to rule, they find themselves condoning the actions of an immoral man and common decency gets lost in the spin.

Nick D'Arcy and the London Olympics

Nick D'Arcy seriously injured fellow swimmer Simon Cowley in a Sydney nightclub in 2008 and was ordered to pay him $370,000 in damages plus costs.  His behaviour was condemned and he lost his place on the Olympic swimming team and his chance to shine at the Beijing Olympics.

It took a long time for Cowley to heal, surgeons inserted a total of five plates into his face, one under his fractured eye socket, two on either side of his broken nose, and another two in his jaw.

Initially, D'Arcy was defiant and denied everything but finally admitted he had a drinking problem and anger issues.  But instead of doing the right thing and going to Cowley to work something out, he declared himself bankrupt and somewhere between three and five years, whatever he owes is not repayable.

Justin D'Arcy

When John Coats, Olympic Australian Committee President announced he was terminating Nick's membership of the 2008 Olympic team, his father was furious.  Nick seemed to take the decision in his stride but his father, Justin D'Arcy, a general surgeon, was outraged and immediately appealed through the Court of Arbitration of Sport.  But the decision was upheld and he didn't get to go with his team mates to Beijing.

David Urquhart

There is now an accusation that Swimming Australia did a deal with D'Arcy after he threatened to sue.  It's alleged that if D'Arcy dropped the threat to sue, they would shelve a judiciary committee inquiry into his behaviour and guarantee him a place on future teams.

In 2009, Swimming Australia released a media statement in which President David Urquhart was quoted as saying "It was good to be able to speak to Nick and also his family and lawyers and come to an agreement that all parties were satisfied with."

Mr Urquhart has denied there was any deal made and on Saturday he said "There was no deal done with anyone about anything as far as I'm concerned."

Laurie Lawrence, mentor to several swimmers heading to London said "I'm happy to work with the boy and nothing would please me more than to see him get up in London and beat Michael Phelps in the 200 metre butterfly."  But even if he wins, will the Australian people forgive him?

Aboriginal payback feud continues

 AFL Central Australia Grand Final winners 2008

In September 2010, Kwementyaye Watson was stabbed to death on the remote Northern Territory Aboriginal community of Yuenduma, 280 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs.  A tribal fight broke out and many residents left in a hurry and drove 1800 kilometres south to Adelaide.  Because police won't allow any form of tribal "payback", they did the next best thing, the Watson family chased them out of the community.   A 20 year old man was charged with the murder and the people eventually came back.  But the hatred persists.

Members of the Watson family

Yesterday, the ongoing feud flared again when a mob of around 60 people almost scalped one man and a woman was badly beaten.  Police were pelted with rocks when they tried to intervene and Superintendent Peter Gordon said the mans' injuries were horrific.  "He's got massive head injuries - it looks like he's been scalped, the skin has detached from the scalp" he said.  Both victims were flown to Alice Springs hospital.

Yuendumu is now recognized as one of the most active and important centres in desert art.  Artists have taken part in more than 1000 exhibitions in galleries in Australia and overseas.

Their community area covers 22,000 square kilometres and the traditional owners control the land as part of self-determination.  Entry permits are required by visitors intending to stay overnight or longer.

Ackermanis leaves Celebrity Apprentice

The most interesting person on Celebrity Apprentice, Jason Ackermanis, got fired last night and did what the producers were hoping for - he made an impact and got people talking about the show.  In Mr Bouris' boardroom he had a spectacular tantrum, he started swearing, kicked over a chair and stormed out.  He was furious when Bouris called him an "unpredictable maverick".

But he said he would never apologise for being a bad loser.  "I want to win and when you are as passionate as I am, then you have to put up with a bit of that I'm afraid."  He took a parting shot at Lauryn Eagle and Nathan Joliffe before he left saying they were being carried through the competition.  "They are lovely people but as boring as a plant and I make no apologies for that."

And when Acker has a meltdown, he really lets go.  He accused the show's producers of trying to manipulate the CEO of P&O Cruises into changing her mind about who should win the challenge.  Acker says the producers agreed that their team should have won.

But he wasn't finished, the show was rigged because too many women had been sacked and it was time for a man to go. "I got stuck being the first bloke to go..... I was a bit of a victim of circumstance, Charlotte was terrible and should have got fired but because they'd lost four women in a row, it was just going to be too hard."

Acker vehemently denied being the weakest link in the losing team and anyone who watched him perform on stage would agree that he did a great job.  "That's a load of shit and Mr Bouris didn't think that, he told me personally, unfortunately politics ruled over brains and they said they had to keep a girl in."

He also spilled the beans as to why Patti Newton went home.  Mr Bouris told Patti that it was going to "get rough" from now on and to save her "dignity", she should be spared the experience.  But according to Acker, Bert had a heart attack in Singapore and they had to let her go to be by his bedside.

Still in a rage after his elimination, Acker did a silly thing, he sent threatening messages to Mr Bouris and his fellow contestants.  In one he wrote @markbouris "I have a long memory mate, I hope I see you real soon" and then to Jolliffe and Eagle "I have a long memory, I don't forget easily, good luck, you will need it."

But Celebrity Apprentice is all about raising money for charity and that's what Acker did, he raised $152,000 for Vicdeaf.  And his wife who is a speech therapist, and her parents who are both deaf, will be very proud of him for that.