Remember how Jim Schembri slagged off bloggers and then started a blog? You may also be aware that last week he slagged off jazz and then within a few days became a jazz fan.

Jim yesterday announced that he is taking a “short break” from his “journalism” and blogging duties. Let’s hope he makes it a long break. A really long break.

Jim Schembri wearing his trademark smug, shit-eating grin

What’s the bet that this one gets reported around the world as a “them crazy Aussies” story instead of an “another argument for compulsory sterilisation” story? And what’s the bet it raises chuckles and toasts of “nice one, mate” from drunken bogan males around this country?

Police in Alice Springs say they were appalled to find a driver put a seatbelt around a carton of beer - but left a five-year-old child unrestrained.

Officers stopped the unregistered sedan on the Ross Highway south of Alice Springs on the weekend.

They found the child sitting in the back seat without a seatbelt, but the driver had put a belt around a slab of beer.

UPDATE: Of course, only Andrew Bolt can take a story like this and imply that it was one of them degenerate Abodiginals without a scrap of information to support his theory.

From Club Troppo:

“I first met Tim Blair at a pissup function for the Australian Liberal Students Federation. It was a pretty swanky evening — a great cocktail bar, a piano, people taking turns to see who could sing God Save The Queen and Advance Australia Fair loudest.”

Where I come from - the real world - we call this kind of thing a wankfest and people who attend them are known as dickheads.

What a dickhead.