Breach of Contract -- A Prostitute and Her Baby...

This is an interesting case and a novel legal argument. However, it was ultimately futile as common sense prevailed in light of the circumstances of this particular case.

A married man who fathered a child with a prostitute, and who had been paying child support for the child, took action in the Federal Magistrates Court with the intent of having the need for the payments legally terminated.

The circumstances were pretty simple; client visits prostitute, client pays prostitute, prostitute gets pregnant and then gives birth to a child, client pays support based on informal agreement, client loses big paying job and decides he does not want to honour the informal agreement, then the prostitute sues for the support.

The legal argument was that the child was in fact a breach of the Trade Practices Act as there was an implied contract between the client and the sex worker that the sex worker would take the necessary measures required to protect themselves, in this case from pregnancy.

In determining the case the magistrate, Grant Riethmuller held that the circumstances of the child's conception makes absolutely no difference to any rights that child has to entitlements under the Child Support Scheme. Therefore, the client was ordered to continue paying child support.

American Idol, Simon Cowell, and 45 Million Reasons

I wrote some time ago that Simon Cowell was intimating that he might be leaving American Idol to focus on his other interests. However, it would seem that the American Idol franchise has managed to cobble together a contract that includes 45 million reasons why he should stay. This is about 9 million more reasons than his last contract contained.

The fact that Paula Abdul has decided to pull up stumps and pursue opportunities elsewhere is neither here nor there as far as I am concerned. I would still watch American Idol for the train wrecks that think they can sing and for the total slaying that these wanna be singers get at the hands of Cowell. Cowell is always good for a whole range of "you can't say that on tv" put downs that show the power of 15 seconds (or 2 maybe 3 minutes) of fame have.

The fact that more and more people turn up every year for auditions proves the point on the lure of fame, like moths to a flame.

Oh well, looking forward to another year of American Idol mayhem.

Aries -- My Horoscope for Today

Welcome back to the working week. Communications will be more emotive, so you should be very clear on how you express your thoughts and feelings to others. Ensure that you know exactly what you are about and if you are given instructions know exactly what you're supposed to do - don't leave anything to chance. You may find that you become concerned with about what's happening in other places of the world and you may travel more and process information in a different way than usual.

This is kind of close to what my day is going to be like. I have a serious email to send to my employers regarding my new work contract and whether I am going to accept the terms and conditions and stay or demand some changes. This is likely to be an emotive discussion.

But horoscopes are like statistics you can read anything that you want into them if you look hard enough!