English boffins have reportedly identified a 682-year-old mutilated corpse as the gay lover of King Edward II. The remains, which bear the hallmarks of having been hung, drawn and quartered, are thought to be those of Sir Hugh Despenser the Younger, who was executed as a traitor in 1326. Sir Hugh was a favorite of [...]
Super Pit in the headlines
Australia’s biggest gold mine, the Super Pit, made front page news in The Australian today. This follows a report in the Kalgoorlie Miner earlier this week that the south-western wall collapsed. The operator, Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines, is a joint venture between North American giants Newmont (USA) and Barrick (Canada). Here is Kalgoorlie we hope [...]
Restaurant rage
I produced the “world news” page for the Kalgoorlie Miner recently and came across the “Hooters shooter” incident while browsing AAP. In brief, a disgruntled diner started firing at the building with a handgun and killed a person. I’ve been unhappy with restaurants before, but never to the point of violence. My biggest grips are [...]
Nutter magnet
Newspaper offices are nutter magnets. The vast majority of people who contact newspapers are sane and rational, but there is a significant fringe group of nuts. Classic behavioral symptoms include irrational abuse, attention seeking and pure wackiness. The latter is the most amusing, although the others have their humorous moments. A few months ago I [...]
