Thursday, August 30, 2012

KdBuggie Boutique: Master Bath Renovation Part 1

Don't you just LOVE a good home improvement project!?!?

The LAST DAY of my husband's paternity leave (well, technically it was vacation time... ) he decided that we needed to renovate our bathroom. I was all for it! Here I was barely two weeks post pardom, up all night nursing a baby, trying to recover from labor and delivery, lucky to get a shower, and now we will be ripping apart out bathroom!?

When we moved in our bathroom looked like this:

It is approximately 10'x6' -- if that! It wasn't anything spectacular, and as we cleaned it up and moved in we realized that it had interested features.?

Our home has fairly new copper plumbing throughout and you can see exactly where the pipes were run in the bathroom because the patch job wasn't all that great... like they never patched over their new drywall.?

We had a couple surprises along the way.?

Our medicine cabinet (which was mounted on the wall) wasn't actually attached to anything!?

When my dear hubby took it off the wall you could tell there was a patch behind it where there had been an opening. But it wasn't drywall. It was actually a piece of plywood. You can see it next to the medicine cabinet in this picture.?

The plywood was being help in place by a couple of nails strategically placed in the wall studs to keep the plywood from falling into the wall (the plywood was nailed to NOTHING!) Then it had been plastered over to keep it in place.?

So my medicine cabinet was held up by a piece of plywood sitting in a hole in the wall... great!

The walls had several different textures on it. At one point it had been wallpapered (at least 3 times based on the different papers we were peeling off) and part of it had been ripped off and painted over. So, you can imagine how nice and neat these walls looked!?

Then there was the lovely light fixture above the vanity:

My hubby worked hard to scrape the walls and remove as much of the wall paper layers as he could. Then he and I both patched and mudded (is that a word?!) the walls where there were obvious holes, dips, and other fun blemishes!!?

After weeks of patching, sanding, patching, sanding, and patching and sanding some more, the walls were smooth and finally ready to be painted.?

Once the paint had dried, we installed a new modern light fixture.?

So much better than the original... don't ya think!?!?

Next up the baseboards... and a special wall treatment for the bottom half of the wall that I am beyond excited for!! I can't wait to share it with you! Then a coat of paint for the trim and door, installation of the NEW medicine cabinet, and we are set!!?

We have been sharing the guest bath with the kids for a couple weeks now, and as much as I love my kids... ?both my husband and I AND our kids are ready for us to have our bathroom back!?

Are you currently tackling any home improvement projects!?!? Once I post my final reveal I'm thinking of letting you all link up any home improvement projects that you have blogged about... what do you think?!? Any takers!?!?


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Source: http://www.kdbuggieboutique.com/2012/08/master-bath-renovation-part-1.html

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Want To Know How To Successfully Market Your Website? Try ...

The internet is the future. If you have or will have a business, whether it be local or online, having a presence on the web is essential to survival. Marketing your website and business on the web is confusing and difficult for most average business owners. This article will give you some pointers on ways that you too can effectively promote your business online.

Internet marketing is a valuable method of advertising for businesses of any type. You need to sit down and develop a marketing plan so you can be sure to cover every aspect of marketing that is available to you to be sure that you are taking advantage of the entire internet marketing method.

Just because you build a website for your new business doesn?t mean that you can sit back and let the sales flow in. What it really means is it is time to kick it up a notch and get busy promoting it. There are endless possibilities to choose from to promote your business. Advertising on social media, like blogging, is a good place to start.

If you like this article see Solar PV Panels ? Photovoltaic Panels

Create press releases for your website and send them to newspapers. Make sure you are sending out quality content that they would actually publish. Explain to the newspapers editors why this would interest their readers. Send these articles to as many newspapers as possible and stay in touch with the ones that publish you.

If you plan on changing something drastic in your website, warn your current subscribers. There is never anything as frustrating for a consumer as visiting a favorite page just to have to relearn how to navigate it. Plan ahead for changes, and allow your readers to do so as well.

Make each person feel like part of the community by creating a common space for visitors to connect with others. When people feel valued and important, they will be loyal to the website. Create an interactive, welcoming site that people will enjoy coming back to.

Submit your website to specialized directories and trade organization sites. Some directories are focused on certain industries such as finance or education. There are also trade associations that have member directories; it is a good idea to join these associations. Some may require a fee, but it is a good investment as you will gain information and be able to share your website.

Make a video, and post it online. Humans are visual creatures, no text, graphic, or photo can compare with a video. With the numerous free video hosting sites available, the potential for increased business is huge. Whether you film a commercial, an interview with staff or a behind-the-scenes peek at your business; you are sure to reach a larger audience.

When you market your product or business online, write your copy with an air of excitement. If you are excited and enthusiastic about your product, your readers (and therefore potential customers) will be more enthusiastic themselves. It?s hard not to get caught up in the emotion of a good piece of ad copy.

Be up to date with your competitors and always know what they are up to! Research your market thoroughly. Look at where you competitor?s customers are coming from, what they are paying for the services, and what their quality standards are. These are essential in building your business to compete.

As stated in the beginning, having an active presence for your business online is essential in today?s business economy and market. Consumers want to find you in search results and check you out online before they visit your physical location. Now that you have a better understanding of what you can do, your business should see the benefits in no time.

Discovery Toys is a great company where you can earn residual incomefrom home.

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Source: http://www.seasidescrapbook.com/2012/08/want-to-know-how-to-successfully-market-your-website-try-these-tips/

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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Working with freelancers: Advice from Arcana PR and Talent Egg ...

The freelancer is a unique individual, untethered from the average work environment and free to shift attention from project to project.

And therein lies the challenge for small business owners planning to hire these workers ? how do you ensure someone who?s not an employee will be accountable, committed and represent your brand properly?

Ronald Burke, professor emeritus of organizational studies at York University?s Schulich School of Business, suggests freelancers and contract workers don?t take on projects for the same reasons as typical, career-driven, full-time staff.

?The people who prefer a freelance life might be less into it for the money than other people,? he says. ?They like the temporary commitment.?

This, Burke says, means the right freelancers are both affordable, and dedicated to the work they?re doing.

But the price of hiring a bad freelancer is high, he cautions.

Adrienne Fraser, owner of Arcana PR and Consulting, says she?s struggled with this problem before.

?Your expectations aren?t always met,? says Fraser. ?Every time you work with a new contractor, you don?t know what they?re going to be like.?

Fraser?s business model is unique in that she works as a middleman between organizations and their promotional events. She works with brands ? mostly eco-friendly and health-conscious ones ? coordinating staff and running campaigns ?from conception to cleanup. This work also includes pitching press releases to the media, and hiring promotional ?photographers.

These hires don?t always work out. She once used a photographer who didn?t live up to her client?s expectations, producing poor-quality promotional photos of an event. Another photographer needed to be brought in for reshoots, and Fraser had to pay out of her own pocket.

?People either don?t come through or they screw something up, and you have to turn around and try to rectify it,? she says. ?In the end it?s you that deals with the client.?

Maintaining a staff would help minimize these problems, but because projects constantly vary in style, length and type ? everything from events to handing out promotional items on the sidewalk ? having a static set of workers simply doesn?t make sense. As a result, Fraser has no choice but to employ a revolving cast of freelancers and contractors.

?I have a database that I?ve built so I know ? these people are good at event planting and these are good at design, photography and so on,? she says, adding that referrals have been key to keep that roster updated, and that using freelancers allows her to take projects on very short notice.

But, ?Burke says, it takes time to bring freelancers ?up to speed on an organization?s culture.

?Figuring out how to bring someone like this on and get up and running without taking a lot of time (is) one of the challenges this model offers,? he says.

He recommends doing a thorough interview with potential freelancers to get a feel for their attitude, professionalism and adaptability to the tone of a specific project.

?You want freelancers that have been responsible, diligent, and professional in their past work engagements,? he says. ?Managers using the freelance model need to be aware of these challenges and start addressing them on Day one.?

Lauren Friese, founder of job-hunting site TalentEgg, says most of the writing and design on her website was created by freelancers.

?I was trying to figure out how to build the core product of the business on a really low budget,? she says. ?It?s a really practical solution, but it?s not necessarily an ideal situation.?

She says it was hard to find people that shared her mindset and were interested in more than simply earning a paycheque. But the process was made easier when she came across a website called oDesk ? a network of freelancers that hosts reviews of contractors alongside samples of their past work.

It allowed her to get a scope of a potential hires competency and reliability. And in some cases, it helped her find candidates who might be interested in filling permanent roles at the company.

To this end, hiring freelancers isn?t just a means to fill short-term business needs, adds Burke. The practice also functions as a way to find future employees.

?We don?t work with as many contractors or freelancers anymore,? says Friese. ?The value of having someone immersed in your culture, and on the same page from a goal perspective, outweighs the cost of having somebody full time.?

Source: http://www.starbusinessclub.ca/people/working-with-freelancers-advice-from-arcana-pr-and-talent-egg/

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Home Truth About Internet Marketing - Education of Business Online ...

Think of Internet marketing, or any kind of online marketing for that matter, as a business. Like any offline business you may be involved in, you need to invest. Whether it?s in learning more about your particular industry or purchasing equipment to make the business run smoother and more efficiently, without investment your business will be left floundering. There are many so called online marketers who drift into Internet marketing almost by accident and think it?s their right to make money from day one, with their only investment being their PC, which they probably had anyway! Well it?s time to take a reality pill!

Many offline businesses do not show a profit during the first, say twelve months. That is a perfectly acceptable situation! As the business grows it requires strong commitment to investment and the new owners are typically experiencing the learning curves associated with their new venture. We must appreciate that embarking on a career in Internet marketing is not too dissimilar to starting an offline business in that respect. Although it?s true to say there are many advantages of choosing Internet marketing as a career move. Working from the comfort of your home, not having to commute, working hours which suit other activities or commitments you may have. These advantages are very often quoted on websites who are trying to recruit new members to their Internet marketing program.

But let?s look at the bigger picture and view it more in perspective. Here are just a handful of more powerful advantages in developing a future within the Internet Marketing arena over building and growing a conventional offline business.

1/. Working from home in Internet marketing means you do not need to find rent for your new business premises. A small home office where you can find peace and quiet and not be too distracted by other family members is all you need. There may be a small conversion expense here but nothing ongoing.

2/. You will not require a budget for vehicle or travelling expenses. Many offline businesses require a large budget for vehicles to include, fuel, insurance and repairs, whereas internet marketing business owners do not need any form of transport whatsoever.

3/. There is no need to even have a telephone service installed separate from your home account. Most communications connected to your Internet marketing business will typically be made using email or online messenger services, which are mostly free of charge, so once again, a huge expense spared.

4/. Internet marketing requires no special insurances. Your main equipment would be your PC and would be covered for accidental damage or theft under your home insurance cover. Offline businesses often pay a fortune in premiums for cover such as customer liability, loss of profits etc.

So here already we have identified four very attractive benefits to investing in Internet marketing over investing in an offline business. Now the word investment is very important here and I cannot stress that enough. So? since you are saving such a lot of expenditure on being able to work from home, you are able to give proper attention to financing your Internet marketing business. So many new hopefuls join the Internet marketing arena, and immediately download free tools and ebooks and never give their online business a chance. They spend nothing and make even less!

An old adage springs to mind here? ?You reap what you sow? and that applies to Internet marketing too! You will never win the lottery if you don?t buy a ticket.

So if you are considering embarking on a career in internet marketing, make sure you set aside budgets for tools and tutorials.. Do not rely on software that is offered to you free.. Remember that if it was worth it?s salt, you wouldn?t be getting it free. The best software will cost you! As will the quality ebook tutorials or educational membership sites.. Start small and stay in control.. visit Internet marketing software reviews sites before you buy. Do not rely on what the sales pages tell you. Research your investments well. Plan your business, your strategy and invest in it with quality tools, tutorials and resources. It?s the best start you can have, and if you are to be successful in your internet marketing ventures you owe it to yourself to give it your best shot right from the off!

Remember, your internet marketing business is not likely to be an overnight success. As with any offline business it will require a good deal of commitment and investment!

Trevor Taylor

Find More Internet Marketing Articles

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Source: http://www.graspncsu.com/2012/08/the-home-truth-about-internet-marketing/

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Treasure Coast Real Estate | CYPRESS RIDGE Homes For Sale ...

by starfish on August 13, 2012

Find CYPRESS RIDGE Homes For Sale and CYPRESS RIDGE Home Values. We also have information on mortgages, insurance, movers and other Treasure Coast Real Estate Services for anyone looking to sell or buy a home in beautiful Palm Beach COUNTY Florida.

Paul Kitchen and Starfish Team provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Treasure Coast, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including CYPRESS RIDGE, school districts and the Treasure Coast Real Estate market in this beautiful Florida town.

Paul Kitchen
Broker-Owner
Starfish Real Estate
8985 SE Bridge Road Hobe Sound, Florida 33455
(561) 935-9412
(800) 793-7304 toll free
Treasure Coast Real Estate
Treasure Coast Real Estate Blog

Starfish Real Estate

Source: http://www.treasure-coast-living.com/2012/08/13/treasure-coast-real-estate-cypress-ridge-homes-for-sale-august-2012/

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Natural health cures - HEALTH, BEAUTY & FITNESS

natural health curesThey? ve become ? can? t- live- without? electronic gadget, because they enable us to create calls anytime we would like. A pharmaceutical sales rep should have a good knowledge of medicine and just how it interacts using the body, and should comprehend the proper using any medical equipment they might be selling to allow them to communicate smartly with doctors. The reason behind this is always that they consume their prey raw as well as in whole. For getting a highly effective existence pattern whether it? s a habitual or inventive people will need proper personal time management for your. It may also help in treating weight problems and marketing weight reduction. Try not to wait too lengthy. Since natural cholesterol reduction doesn? t cause negative effects, it is best than a single decides for milk health benefits cholesterol supplements. 5. Middle age people can usually benefit cures from bloodstream pressure inspections, screening for signs of diabetes and inspections for top cholesterol. Fortunately, anybody can partake of the expertise of the premier commercial coffee roaster Benefits Coffee Roasters. The second reason is alcohol extraction, nevertheless it takes two to three years to accomplish the procedure so it? s very costly. The males required each one capsule that contains 1 gram of pomegranate seed extract or three pomegranate capsules daily. Insurance plans are supplied for a cheap price and it is price is disseminate among all the employees in the organization. Once the is clean inside it will likewise be reflected around the outdoors. Expatriate health insurance policies for people from other countries temporarily or permanently residing in the Philippines can also be benefits found. Experts opine that the entire process of eating and processing meals for example celery, mushrooms, broccoli and tomato plants, if not fried, really enables you to expend more milk calories than you are taking when you eat them. Lifestyle Additionally to diet, other change in lifestyle might have an optimistic effect on diabetes. Additionally, you will get details about various remedies and strategy to severe illnesses along with other subjects that cope with health, natural heath, mental health insurance and others. Here are a few valuable physical fitness guidelines to help you jump start a more happy and satisfied existence. s . Flax seed Oil? health Boon Or Bust Flax seed oil, based on the flax plant and cultivated dating back to the Babylonian Empire in 3000BC, has been utilized for hundreds of years to create industrial items for example furniture oil, linoleum, and particalboard. health problems, and using mercury within the lights? Only 15 % of participants aged 50 to 64 and 22 percent of individuals aged 65 to 70 felt they? d have sufficient earnings and natural health cures savings for retirement. oProtein: 6. 7 gm. A 20 minute exercise routine will have a significant role in assisting you remain fit. An individual can have a plan offering coverage to any or all family people. Kiwi fruits got their title from the bird that? s indigenous to Nz. It? s understandable that you simply only want the very best in Illinois medical health insurance for your family. These accounts permit the customers to create tax- free deposits and distributions health for doctor? s visits, prescription medicines, and several other health costs that customers have to cover. So, you need to turn to buy individual health insurance plan rather than taking a group medical health insurance. Trying to find quotes on the web is faster and much more natural health cures convenient natural health than going to insurance providers personally, and you will have more quotes a lot sooner.

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Source: http://curryrecipe-jp.net/health-2/natural-health-cures/

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Monday, August 13, 2012

NBC halts Olympics for promotional monkeyshines

The Who guitarist Pete Townsend, left, and singer Roger Daltrey perform during the Closing Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The Who guitarist Pete Townsend, left, and singer Roger Daltrey perform during the Closing Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The Who guitarist Pete Townsend, right, and singer Roger Daltrey perform during the Closing Ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

(AP) ? Viewers were incensed Sunday night when NBC cut away from the Olympics' conclusion to air a sitcom featuring a monkey.

During 16 days from London, the sprawl of Olympics coverage was seemingly indomitable, running roughshod across the NBC schedule. Yet Sunday's package of highlights from the closing ceremony deferred meekly to the preview of a new NBC comedy, "Animal Practice," which then was followed by a half-hour of local news.

When taped Olympics coverage came to an abrupt halt at 11 p.m. Eastern time, viewers were advised that the festivities would resume in one hour.

Accordingly, at midnight Ryan Seacrest greeted viewers who had chosen to stick around.

"Welcome to the London closing party," he chirped. "Now it's time for the big finale."

That turned out to be a medley pounded out by The Who. Songs included such favorites as "Baba O'Riley" and "My Generation," but not, as put-upon viewers might have noted, "Won't Get Fooled Again": Despite NBC's build-up, The Who were on hand for just eight minutes.

Olympics host Bob Costas then delivered a rhapsodic postscript before declaring a wrap for NBC's Olympics coverage at 12:35 a.m., while an interminable roster of program credits unfurled. For this, viewers had waited an extra hour on a work night.

And by then, many of them might have been wondering why the ceremony ? which NBC boiled down by as much as an hour, entirely omitting acts like Muse, Kate Bush and Ray Davies ? couldn't at least have been presented in one block. It could have ended conveniently at 11:08 p.m. while only slightly delaying NBC's monkey business.

NBC's Olympics-embedded promotion of "Animal Practice" had already gotten the network into trouble.

On Aug. 3, the network apologized for airing an ad featuring Crystal, the show's monkey, on gymnastic rings directly following a commentary by Costas where he suggested that Gabby Douglas' gold medal might inspire other African-American girls to take up the sport.

"Much of America has fallen in love with Gabby Douglas," Costas said. "Also safe to say that there are some young African-American girls out there who tonight are saying to themselves, 'Hey, I'd like to try that, too.'"

Then NBC switched to the commercial with its small, widely grinning monkey on the rings. Blacks in the past have been disparagingly referred to as monkeys to the point where it is considered a common slur.

NBC said the timing of the ad was inadvertent, adding, "Certainly no offense was intended."

Agitated viewers with a long memory were likening Sunday's monkeyshines to NBC's "Heidi" moment nearly four decades earlier.

That was the faceoff between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets on Nov. 17, 1968, when Oakland scored two touchdowns in the game's final minute to overwhelm New York's 32-29 lead. But viewers in the East didn't see the impossible comeback, because NBC broke away from the game with the Jets still ahead to air its TV film "Heidi" at the scheduled 7 p.m. start time.

Back then there was no Twitter, but Sunday night there was ? and it lit up with complaints.

"No better way to turn people off a new show than to preempt the who & other rock legends for it," tweeted Nate Barlow.

And Nina L. Diamond voiced her ire in even stronger terms: "I think NBC has managed to become even less popular than Congress."

___

NBC is controlled by Comcast Corp.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-08-13-US-OLY-TV-Monkey-Business/id-66e890d376544d059d0fa8cddbfcf902

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Strange Weather Helped Fuel Australia's 'Black Saturday' Fires

Feb. 7, 2009, was a very bad day in the Australian province of Victoria. For about four weeks, there had been no rain, and a stifling heat wave kept getting worse.

The week before, temperatures surpassed 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) for three days in a row, the only time this has ever happened, said University of Melbourne researcher Todd Lane. ?

The Forest Fire Danger Index, an empirical measure of fire risk, reached its highest-ever value of 170, which is by far the highest it's ever been; previously, it was thought a value of 100 represented the worst conditions possible, Lane told OurAmazingPlanet.

By the end of the week, on Saturday the 7th, Melbourne Airport recorded its highest temperature ever: 116 F (46.8 C). [9 Hottest Places on Earth]

And then, the province went up in flames.

By the end of what came to be known as "Black Saturday," there were about 400 fires blazing throughout Victoria, killing 173 people, destroying 2,100 homes and wiping out two entire towns, Lane said. Some of the fires were set deliberately and others were caused by spark-emitting fallen power lines and lightning.

While the heat and dry brush set the stage for intense wildfires, unusual weather patterns fanned the flames, according to a study co-authored by Lane in June in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Sideways tornadoes

"Firefighters reported extraordinary behavior from the Black Saturday bushfires. We wanted to understand what weather characteristics produce these extreme conditions to aid future fire control efforts," Lane said in a statement.

The warm weather created "horizontal convective rolls," which are like eddies of swirling air powered by convection. As the air at the surface warmed and rose, it was forced to move in a corkscrew pattern oriented parallel to the ground by sinking, cooler air, Lane said.

"In some ways, each roll is similar to a tornado laid on its side, but much longer and much weaker," Lane said. These created bands of alternating fast and slower surface winds spaced about 6 miles (10 kilometers) apart, fanning forest fires. The fast winds surpassed 30 mph (50 kph).

"In the slow part of the bands, the fire danger would have been 'severe' and in the fast part of the bands, it was 'catastrophic,'" he said.

Horizontal convective rolls aren't that unusual on warm days, but typically, they are not so thick, widely spaced and powerful. They often arrange cumulus clouds into rows called 'cloud streets,'" Lane said.

Lane and his colleagues used a high-resolution weather forecasting model, which along with the results of the study should help better predict when future fires might happen, and how to minimize fire risk.?

"We found that weather events at a horizontal scale of about 10 kilometers introduced variability in the wind, temperature and humidity conditions," Lane said. "These smaller events combined to produce significant variability in fire danger across much of Victoria." The scientists also detected the presence of a phenomenon called an undular bore on Black Saturday. Undular bores are wavelike patterns produced by an incoming cold front. In this case, the bore appeared to reinvigorate the fires after sunset on that fateful date with increased surface winds, Lane said.

Climate impact?

Whether or not climate change played a part in this and other severe fire seasons seen around the world is a tricky question to answer because multiple factors are always involved, like the dryness and weather in Australia.

Lane said it's difficult to attribute a single extreme event like this to climate change.

"What we do know is that the probability of extreme heat waves and extreme temperatures, like those on Black Saturday, increases with global warming," he said.

Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter?@OAPlanet. We're also on?Facebook?and Google+.

Copyright 2012 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/strange-weather-helped-fuel-australias-black-saturday-fires-141008276.html

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Australian Gay and Lesbian Law Blog: Qld: Attorney says: lesbian co ...

Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie (pictured) ?has now said that he is not seeking to remove the recognition for lesbian co-mothers for children born through artificial conception of some kind, and is not seeking to enact any new criminal offences concerning gay, lesbian, single or heterosexual de facto (under 2 years) intended parents from pursuing altruistic surrogacy, but is still seeking to ensure that surrogacy is only limited to married and heterosexual couples (of greater than 2 years).

What is not said is that those intending parents will not be subject to criminality. What is going to happen is that the Attorney will be seeking to amend the Surrogacy Act. It is possible that instead of making it a new criminal offence to enter into a non-eligible surrogacy arrangement, an existing criminal offence, namely entering into a commercial surrogacy arrangement could be amended, so that it would be an offence, for example, to enter into a non-eligible surrogacy arrangement. "Non-eligible" could be defined as incorporating non-eligible types of surrogacy arrangements, for example for non-eligible people, or for commerical instead of altruistic.

We won't know until the Attorney clearly gives a public commitment that intended parents his government is seeking to exclude from altruistic surrogacy will not be committiing a criminal offence by merely seeking to enter into or to offer to enter into an altruisitc surrogacy arrangement.
The Attorney's views are set out in a letter written from the Attorney's chief of staff David Fraser dated 9 August, 2012, and found here.

Lesbian co-mothers: what the Attorney said back in June

After commenting about how the Government would be amending the Surrogacy Act, the Attorney stated:

?What we are also going to deal with is the other issue that that bill dealt with and that is parentage presumptions and parentage orders. Honourable members will recall at the time that the member for Southern Downs supported two lesbian women, who had a natural birth, both having parentage orders. I make it absolutely clear that going forward the government will be amending the provisions around altruistic surrogacy and the Surrogacy Act to repeal the provisions with respect to same-sex couples, de factos of less than two years and singles. That is the policy position we took years ago when we debated the Surrogacy Act.?

The "other issue that that bill dealt with", criticised by members of the LNP as not being the right time and place to debate, was the recognition of lesbian co-parents. The opposition exlcuded the recognition of those women from its Bill, and voted against the Government Bill that provided that recognition.

Lesbian co-mothers: What Lawrence Springborg said in 2010:





Unfortunately, other reasonable concepts, including the right of same-sex parents?principally women?who have conceived a child using IVF and who wish to have a guardian recognition of that child, have also been tied up in this legislation. That issue should have been dealt with very separately, and there is a justifiable right for those people to have that recognition because those children are out there and those family relationships already exist. But the LNP will not?absolutely will not?be

supporting this bill because it is a contamination with the same-sex notions which the Labor Party has put in here. It is not only same-sex notions; it is also now opening surrogacy for singles.


What?Jarrod Bleijie?said in 2010:





I would like to premise my contribution to this cognate debate by stating to the House that the family unit is the originating source for how an individual interacts with others. Essentially, this ideal provides the framework and direction for how one will behave in future friendships and relationships. For children, it is proven that metacognitive social development can be intrinsically linked to the role modelling of the direct carer?in most cases the parent or parents.

This cognate debate combines the issues of altruistic surrogacy under different legislative amendments, the Surrogacy Bill 2009, introduced by the honourable Attorney-General, and the Family (Surrogacy) Bill 2009, introduced by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition. For ease of reference, particularly given the similar nature of the legislative amendments that have been proposed, I intend to address each bill

individually, beginning with the Surrogacy Bill introduced by the Bligh government.

Firstly, can I say that this bill is the start of the socialist reform agenda. They start with same-sex parenting and one begins to wonder where they will go and when they will stop. Children are not a commodity. You cannot just expect to make them and shoot them out left, right and centre for the sake of some selfish right for children. Next they will be arguing that we should have selfish rights to choose the eyes, colour and build of our children.

The bill seeks to decriminalise altruistic surrogacy and accommodates this action with the provision to legally transfer a child born as a result of altruistic surrogacy arrangements from the birth mother to the intended parents. The decriminalisation of altruistic surrogacy is a reform that I am happy to support in this House. As legislators, it is paramount that we reflect the attitude and general consensus of society. It is an unfortunate situation where some heterosexual couples are unable to naturally conceive due to medical circumstances on either partner?s behalf. The medical advancement

in the area of artificial reproductive technology should be embraced and responsibly adopted in society.

As a father of two girls and a third child on the way, I understand and appreciate the miracle and blessing one experiences when a child is born. I have a great deal of empathy for those heterosexual couples who are unfortunately unable to naturally conceive a child and I am liberally minded to legally allow these people to have an opportunity to make use of the science that can assist in this area. I support the provisions of this bill that decriminalise altruistic surrogacy, but I do not support the

extension of this legislative amendment to same-sex couples and single parents.

My brother was married once. He and his wife lost their first child to an unknown complication and tried again. One year after the birth of their second child my brother?s wife packed up and shipped out expecting, by some way of a mother?s natural affection for her baby, to take the child with her. My brother considered what was in the best interests of the child and has now been the proud single parent

of his daughter for some seven years. So I know through my brother?s experience how hard it is to be a single dad. My brother never would have chosen that for his daughter, but that is the unfortunate situation that was dealt to him. But his circumstance was different. He did not wake up one morning and decide he wanted to have a baby, expecting he would stay single. He was married and the marriage did not work, but he understood and appreciated before any of this that it was in the best interests of a child

to have a mother and a father at home. It took my brother a while to find someone else but he has now found someone else and he has a family as a dad and a stepdad.

As legislators we must consider what is in the best interests of the child. The Family (Surrogacy) Bill 2009, introduced by the honourable Deputy Leader of the Opposition, strikes a balance between protecting the rights of the child and introducing social reform into this House. The key difference between the government and the opposition?s legislative amendment bill introduced into this House is the recognition of the right of a child to have both a male and a female role model as parents.

There are several lobby groups which have no doubt contacted all members with respect to these bills. Unfortunately, the government has coupled the decriminalisation of altruistic surrogacy with samesex parenting issues. These are two very separate and distinct debates and the opposition recognises this fact. Again, this is another major decision not taken to the people of Queensland at the state election. And we wonder why the government did not take this issue to the election. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that in the latest Galaxy poll 86 per cent of Australians believe that what the government is doing tonight is not in the best interests of children.

The Bligh government?s own legislative agenda on parenting issues can be described as inconsistent at best. This is another example of a crisis-management government without a strong and consistent policy platform to govern for all of Queensland. Only last year we saw legislation introduced regarding adoption that excluded same-sex couples and single parents. To save face and restore its left wing credentials, the government has introduced this legislation, which decriminalises altruistic

surrogacy, including for same-sex couples and single parents. So to clarify the government?s position without all the spin, it is all right for same-sex couples and single parents to explore altruistic surrogacy for parenting options, but these same people are not permitted under state law?only introduced into this House and passed by his House last year?to adopt. For the benefit of the people of Queensland, can the Attorney-General explain to me the difference for the child in each of these cases? In his second reading speech the Attorney-General stated?






This government?is committed to the freedom and autonomy of the individual.

Of course, that is when it suits its argument of the day. That was not the case in the Adoption Bill





2009 and more recently in the Criminal Organisation Bill 2009. The government cloaks itself as a party of civil liberties, but only when it suits it. In this case, the government?s bill is nothing more than cheap political opportunism to cosy up to the Left.

To me, this issue is quite clear. There is enough anecdotal evidence to justify the concern that children who do not have a male and female role model as parents have an increased risk of developing identity, social and behavioural issues in the future. The subject of same-sex parenting is and should be a separate debate. I personally believe that all unborn children have a fundamental right to have a male role model as a father and a female role model as a mother.

With regard to the family unit as a social construct, I would like to make the following key points. Particular concern has been documented by many researchers regarding children who grow up in single-parent families. Sarah Wise from the Australian Institute of Family Studies released a research paper titled

Family structure, child outcomes and environmental mediators in January 2003.





This paper looked at several issues facing the family unit and the effect of family diversity, namely parental role modelling and single and same-sex parent families in modern society. The family structure is considered paramount in the long-term development of a child. Family factors that significantly contribute to this development include family cohesion, sibling relationships, parental mental health and

parental style and discipline methods.

Another academic article on this issue was written by Mr Bill Muehlenberg and published in the

National Observer





in 2002 titled The case for the two-parent family. Mr Muehlenberg states?





A study of Australian primary school children from three family types (married heterosexual couples, cohabitating heterosexual couples and homosexual couples) found that in every area of educational endeavour (language, mathematics, social studies, sport, class work, sociability and popularity, and attitudes to learning), children from married heterosexual couples performed better than the other two groups.






The study concludes with these words?






Married couples seem to offer the best environment for a child?s social and educational development.






Moreover, it seems that evidence is mounting to suggest that the presence of fathers strongly impacts on the educational performance and intelligence of children. While some people may argue that any anecdotal evidence to support an argument on this subject is futile, there is a lack of academic studies on the effects of same-sex parenting on children due to the fact that this issue is one that is relatively new. There have, however, been many studies on the effects on a child on the deprivation of a

mother or father in the case of a single parent relationship. These studies and their findings should also be considered as relevant for studying the effect on a child that is raised by homosexual parents.

Professor Lyn Wardle wrote in her article published in 1997 that even studies in favour of homosexual parenting acknowledge some data that illustrates that homosexual parenting may be harmful. Studies in the United States have shown an increase of frequency of occurrences of anxiety, sadness, hostility, defensiveness and inhibitions amongst children of homosexual parents, particularly amongst boys. While I personally know and have nothing against homosexual people?in fact have some friends?I am deeply concerned about the rights of a child to have heterosexual parents. This fundamental right is denied with this legislation. The interests of the child should be paramount when laws to this effect are considered.

Like most members of this great place, today I received a letter from the Most Reverend John Bathersby. I quote from that letter a direct quote from Pope Benedict made two days ago on 8 February.

The direct quote from the letter from the Pope says?






The best chance children have of developing properly is found in a family because of the uniquely complementary roles played by the husband and wife...they need to dwell, grow and live with both parents, because the maternal and paternal figures complement one another in the education of children and the formation of their personality and identity. It is important then, that

everything possible is done to ensure they grow up in a united and stable family.






I note those opposite will be voting by way of conscience. Can I suggest to those members opposite who profess to be followers of the Pope that they read the words of the Pope first and then follow their conscience. For ease of reference for those members opposite I table a copy of the letter from the Reverend John Bathersby. I hope those opposite have a chance to read it prior to voting on this

piece of leislation.

I have been contacted by many constituents with respect to this issue and the respective





legislation introduced by the government and the opposition. The general consensus from those who have contacted my office is for a far more conservative approach than what the government has offered this parliament. In fact, the only lobbying I had to support the government?s bill was numerous form letters, standard letters, all being machined out of the same place, all having spelt my name the same way incorrectly on each of the 20 letters.

The opposition?s legislation is far more balanced. The social engineering the Bligh government is forcing on the Queensland electorate has been met with widespread criticism. The Family (Surrogacy) Bill introduced by the honourable Deputy Leader of the Opposition achieves the objectives of the bipartisan committee?s recommendations. The key recommendations included that altruistic surrogacy be decriminalised in Queensland subject to a regulatory framework; the government?s role should include implementing legislative reform, including a mechanism to transfer legal parentage; altruistic surrogacy arrangements should be unenforceable under state law; births are reregistered after the transfer of legal parentage for a child; and children have access to the original birth certificates when they turn 18 years of age. There was no mention of same-sex couples or single parents in the report?s recommendations. The fact that this omission from the recommendations of the committee?s report was disregarded again questions the role and structure of the committee system in this House and the accountability of government in Queensland.

As the Premier indicated in her contribution today, the reality with modern science is that we can as legislators assist couples such as, and I will use the example given by the Premier, Michael and Kirsty. Kirsty was not able to carry children to full term. I cannot imagine what that would be like as my wife has been blessed with uncomplicated pregnancies. Under the opposition?s bill Michael and Kirsty

would have access to altruistic surrogacy. This legislation would assist Michael and Kirsty to finally have the family that they have been so longing for. I support this because Michael and Kirsty, in the Premier?s definition, are a male and a female naturally wanting to have children but because of some medical condition cannot. Why could the Premier not stop there and cover the couples who genuinely want

children but for some medical assessment cannot?

The bill goes another step and allows singles and same-sex couples to use surrogacy. With great respect to the Premier?s contribution, her arguments are flawed. Unlike Michael and Kirsty, two men and two women are not naturally designed to procreate. The Premier claims that all this is happening in our electorates as we speak. That is what the Premier said this afternoon. I can say to the Premier that I can all but guarantee her that there are not two males in my electorate sitting in a doctor?s chair being artificially inseminated as I speak. Men cannot conceive and carry children. It is commonsense. The Premier brings into the fray the two women who can conceive; but men cannot. It was a tricky way to do it. As I said, the argument is quite flawed.

I always enjoy listening to the member for Chatsworth in this place?today was no exception with his absurd contribution. He trivialised this matter by suggesting that a child would much rather live with same-sex parents than in an environment where the father comes home and bashes the wife every night. Those opposite denied it when the member for Gympie mentioned that in his speech tonight, but they were the words from the member for Chatsworth: that if one asked a young child whether they

would rather live with a homosexual couple or in a situation where the father is verbally or physically abusive to the mother that they would choose the homosexual relationship. Any child in Queensland or Australia would, of course, want out of that situation. Surely, though, the member is not suggesting that we take away the child from the mother who is the victim of that relationship and place the child in the

care of a same-sex couple. I would suggest that what is in the best interests of the child would be to throw the father in jail and let the child and mother live in peace. Or was the honourable member suggesting that those living in same-sex environments do not squabble and somehow offer a better family environment than a heterosexual couple?

The member for Keppel and other honourable members opposite have linked our opposition to single parents with single mothers who have lost their partner through war or for whatever other reason. I submit that these people did not have a choice. We are not suggesting that single parents make bad parents. No-one has said that today in this place. To say in this place otherwise is offensive, particularly for those single parents who have not had a choice with respect to the single relationship, be it the result of death or some other reason.

We need to ensure that as legislators we do what we can to give every child the best start in life, which is with a mother and a father as parental role models. People should not flippantly make babies the guinea pigs of Labor?s social experiment. I condemn the Surrogacy Bill that was introduced by the Attorney-General. It does not take into consideration the best interests of the child. However, I do commend the Family (Surrogacy) Bill introduced by the opposition, which will allow heterosexual couples with genuine medical reasons, not social ones, to have children. Having children is not a right; it is a responsibility. We do not have the right to force this upon children. I pray that the conscience of those members opposite is far stronger than any fear factor enlisted by the state Premier. (emphasis added)

Lesbian co-mothers: What other LNP members said in 2010


Mrs Menkens (Burdekin, LNP):





Labor?s bill also includes a second issue of same-sex parentage and

recognition for lesbian couples where the child is conceived through ART, artificial reproductive technology. This should be a separate issue. It is an important issue and it does need to be addressed, but the debate that I am focusing on today is that of surrogacy.

Following on from this there was a review by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General which proposed amendments to the Status of Children Act 1978 to extend the parenting presumption to a lesbian partner of a birth mother when the birth mother has undergone a fertilisation procedure to conceive the child with the consent of her lesbian partner. The Queensland government also announced that it would release for public comment a Queensland model for surrogacy that would provide the

framework for legislation to implement the surrogacy reforms.

The report by the committee into altruistic surrogacy noted that the issue of same-sex parents had much wider implications for parents than surrogacy alone, and that relates to the legal status of children being cared for by same-sex parents. Recommendation 20 of the report states that the opposition bill achieves its objectives by implementing a regime for altruistic surrogacy and does not seek to combine together other issues of single and same-sex parenting, and nor does it seek to deal with matters that were not covered in detail during the extensive parliamentary inquiry on this issue....

The LNP announced that we believe the changes to altruistic surrogacy laws should be voted upon separately to any proposal to extend these laws to same-sex parenting. The two issues are worthy of two entirely separate debates and votes, as they involve separate value judgements. The state government has clearly indicated that it will not agree that proposed laws designed for hopeful mothers and fathers should not be tied to the passage of proposed laws pertaining to same-sex parenting. As the? member for Southern Downs said?

...?legislation covering altruistic surrogacy should not be lost in a debate on same-sex parenting.

Lesbian co-mothers: What Mr Fraser said on 9 August 2012

"The 2010 amendments to the S[tatus ]o[f ]C[hildren] Act were supported by the Liberal National Party at the time."

Comment: As seen above, this is not accurate. The amendments were opposed by the LNP as being part of the Government's Bill, which it opposed. The amendments to the Status of Children Act in 2010 were clearly contained in the Surrogacy Bill, clause 107.

Back to Mr Fraser:

"The Queensland Government is not currently intending to amend or repeal any of the parentage presumptions under the S[tatus ]o[f ]C[hildren] Act."

Comment: This is to be welcomed. Lesbian co-mothers will continue to be recognised in Queensland, as they are in every other State and Territory and at the Commonwealth level.

Surrogacy: what the Attorney said back in June

As I previously posted, the Attorney told the House:

?The second issue is surrogacy. In this debate and in the correspondence that the government received with regard to this debate there was much talk about mixing these issues with surrogacy. I can also advise the House tonight that the government will be changing the surrogacy laws in the future. We will be introducing amendments similar to those introduced by the honourable member for Southern Downs when he was the shadow minister. We will be repealing the provisions in the Surrogacy Act that deal with same-sex couples, de factos of less than two years and singles. That was a clear commitment given many years ago when that original debate took place. The government will proceed to amend the Surrogacy Act.? (emphasis added)

Surrogacy: what Lawrence Springborg proposed in his 2009 Bill

This is what I posted previously:

?Mr Springborg?s Bill provided that only those people who have entered into an eligible surrogacy arrangement could proceed and that those who entered into a surrogacy arrangement that wasn?t an eligible surrogacy arrangement committed an offence punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment. Eligibility was defined as the intended parents either being married or in a heterosexual de facto relationship of not less than 2 years.

This is what is contained in the explanatory notes to Mr Springborg's Bill:





"Exemption from operation of


Anti-Discrimination Act 1991





Clause 6 of the Bill exempts the Family (Surrogacy) Act 2009 from the operation of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991

the effect being that discrimination on the basis of the attributes in





that Act will be lawful, particularly in relation to who is an eligible couple for inclusion in the altruistic surrogacy process.

Overriding the


Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 in this way clearly breaches fundamental legislative



principles. However, the breach is justified because the imposition of discriminatory processes,

particularly in relation to the paramount principles of the best interests of the child must be

maintained above the rights of any person wishing participate in the altruistic surrogacy process,

including any rights they may otherwise have under the

Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 not to

experience discrimination." (emphasis added)

This is what is said in clause 9(1) and (2)?of Mr Springborg's Bill:





"9 Meaning of

intended parents and eligible couple

(1) The

intended parents are the eligible couple who agree to the

matter mentioned in section 7(1)(b).

(2) An

eligible couple, for an eligible surrogacy arrangement,

is?

(a) a married couple; or

(b) a de facto couple comprising a male de facto partner and

a female de facto partner who, when the eligible

surrogacy arrangement was made, have lived together in

a de facto relationship for at least 2 years."

In other words, if you are in a same sex relationship, or are single or are in a heterosexual de facto relationship of less than 2 years, you are not eligible.

Mr Springborg's Bill made it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 3 years jail?to enter into or offer to enter into a non-eligible surrogacy arrangement (in other words, the intended parents were a gay couple, a lesbian couple, single or a heterosexual de facto couple of less than?2 years). The Bill's provision speaks for itself:

Clause 56:

"Surrogacy arrangements other than eligible surrogacy

arrangements prohibited

A person must not enter into or offer to enter into a surrogacy

arrangement that is not an eligible surrogacy arrangement.

Maximum penalty?100 penalty units or 3 years

imprisonment."

This is what? Lawrence Springborg told the House, as I blogged back in 2010:
  • Labor?s loopy, loony, lefty ideas really started to come to the fore. This is some sort of pay-off for those members of the Left who were concerned about the government not going far enough on the likes of abortion reform in Queensland. They got their quid pro quo with some loopy, loony, lefty position when it comes to parenting in Queensland.
  • Let us look at what the Family Council of Queensland said this morning in an open letter to state

    MPs. It said?

    The Bill?the Surrogacy Bill 2009?should have been about altruistic surrogacy?that is, non-commercial surrogacy?as a ?last resort? for an infertile couple. But no, under that respectable cloak this bill smuggles in an oppressive proposal to deprive children of their birthright?their fundamental right to enter the world, as all of us did, with both a mother and a father. By what authority does any government permit adults to deny a child her primal right and most profound emotional need: to have both a Mum and a Dad in her life? It goes on further to say that under this bill a homosexual couple can arrange to bring a baby girl into the world with the full intention of denying that child even the possibility of a mother in her life. The bill will help a single woman to obtain a surrogate baby boy, condemning that baby to live without even the possibility of a father. We know that in the community relationships are not absolutely ideal. We know that in the community certain circumstances happen. We also know that in the community there have been samesex people, principally lesbian women, who have taken the opportunity to have a child. That has been a case of them utilising the opportunities open to them. There is a big difference between that and the state actually legislating to allow it to be part of acceptable families in Queensland. At the time [altruistic surrogacy] was very much couched in the notion of being extremely limited?limited for medical purposes. There was no mention whatsoever of the social desires of those people who, for all intents and purposes, cannot have children without that sort of intervention.
  • We will be opposing the government bill absolutely categorically when it comes to those components of it. Those components unfortunately contaminate something that should be given the worthwhile consideration of this parliament?that is, non-commercial surrogacy in the way that it was originally couched and that was in limited terms for medical reasons and not for social reasons....
  • the LNP will not?absolutely will not?be

    supporting this bill because it is a contamination with the same-sex notions which the Labor Party has put in here.

  • It is also now opening surrogacy for singles. We know full well that children do better in an environment where they have a mum and a dad. We know that.
  • However, this parliament is seeking to legislate some sort of socialist ideology that says, ?We will

    deliberately facilitate single-parent families. We will deliberately facilitate same-sex families.?

  • There are different desires for those adults. Some of them?heterosexual couples who are either

    de facto or married?may have been trying to have children for some time and for a medical or genetic reason they cannot have a child and they might not be able to adopt a child. That is a very clear medical reason for that situation to happen. However, now it is a broad social qualification as well for those people who, because of lifestyle, would not normally expect to have a child. With this legislation, they can say, ?Okay, we?re going to do that.? We have basically now got designer families. This is about designer families and this is about satisfying the desires of adults. This is not about the children.

  • Anyone who says that this is about homophobia is absolutely and completely wrong?absolutely

    and completely wrong?because you cannot couch this in the terms of someone?s actual sexuality. This is not a mainstream issue. This is not a mainstream issue for the gay community.

  • There is a fundamental difference between the Labor Party and the LNP when it comes to these views, and one that we do not support which the Labor Party does support is the notion of the state

    actively intervening and actually facilitating the notion of gay parenting through a surrogacy arrangement.

  • Children desire a mum and a dad. That is the simple reality. We should not be seeking to deny that.
  • The bill is so contaminated by your loopy, loony, leftie policies that it is absolutely impossible to support it. If members opposite disaggregate the bill and take those particular sections out, we will support that section. We will support noncommercial surrogacy for heterosexual couples, but we are not going to support something that is so utterly and completely contaminated.
What other LNP MP's then said

Ray Hopper (LNP, Condamine) said:

  • I accept that same-sex couples may choose to live together in ways different to others, but I do not accept the exploitation of children, assuming them to be a commodity which may be used by same-sex couples so that they can feel good.
  • One of them is so that same-sex couples can feel good, to gain popularity, and in doing so reduce children to the status of pets which can be acquired for our comfort and pleasure.
  • Let us look at the first five years of a child?s life. How would it be if a little boy had two mothers?

    How do they take him to a public toilet when they go on a so-called family outing? They will have to go to the ladies toilet, won?t they?

  • How dare we try to break down the morals of a family by agreeing to this legislation?

  • Dr Alexander Douglas (LNP, Gaven) said:

    It stands to reason that homosexual males place an
    unreasonable burden on the system that makes surrogacy a sound concept. They legally cannot be mothers so they should not be included. That said, we need to get over it and get used to it. We need to move on. Let medical facts guide your decision. I am sorry to say that homosexual males must be treated as a separate group and for medical reasons alone must not be included in this bill.

    Dr Mark Robinson (Cleveland, LNP):

    Under this bill, for example, two men can create a situation where a baby will live their whole life without a mother, just because they want to call a child their own. The mother would cease to exist in law for the child obtained by a single man or homosexual couple. The father would cease to exist in law for the child obtained by a single woman or lesbian couple. The natural bonds of family and belonging would be destroyed by the legal implications of this bill. It is an absurd proposition that two men or two women are just the same from a child?s perspective as a real mother and father.

    Jan Stuckey (Currumbin, LNP):

    Homosexuality is legal in Australia and it is an individual?s choice to partner with

    whomever he or she wishes. However, if a person decides to partner with someone the same sex as themselves, surely they acknowledge there is no physical way they can create a baby biologically. These are not fertility issues; they are life choice issues and should be viewed in that vein. I do not support surrogacy for social infertility or lifestyle reasons.


    What Mr Fraser said on 9 August 2012

    On 21 June, 2012, the Attorney-General announced in the Legislative Assembly?that the Queensland Government will introduce amendments to the Surrogacy Act 2010... to remove the eligibility of same-sex couples, de facto couples who have been together for less than two years and singles to be an intended parent under a parentage order....The proposed amendments will preserve the legal rights of all parties to existing surrogacy arrangements but will not enact any new criminal offences."?(emphasis added)

    Source: http://lgbtlawblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/qld-attorney-says-lesbian-co-mothers.html

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    Sunday, August 12, 2012

    Mitt's VP App Unsurprisingly Fails At Its One Simple Job [Apps]

    Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan is Mitt Romney's running mate. No doubt you've already heard. You been hearing about it for hours now, but you didn't hear it first from Romney's dedicated app, which promised punctuality but showed up hours late to the party. More »


    Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/udJnXeEjvAM/mitts-vp-app-unsurprisingly-fails-at-its-one-simple-job

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    PFT: Lewis asked Rex not to run the Wildcat?

    Bryant McKinnieAP

    Bryant McKinnie was held out of spring practices so he could get in shape, and missed the start of training camp.

    But slowly, he?s rebuilding a little good will with the Ravens coaches.

    McKinnie worked as the second left tackle in the preseason opener against Atlanta, behind starter Michael Oher, and seems to be creeping back into the good graces of coach John Harbaugh.

    ?He?s practiced well,? Harbaugh said, via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. ?He?s been durable. He?s made it through all of the practices that he?s been in. He played in the game, a good number of reps. He?s competing like all those guys are right now, and it?s a competition on the offensive line.?

    He?s still working with the twos, but the Ravens have a clear motivation for McKinnie to succeed.

    If he?s in shape and in the right frame of mind, he and Oher on the right give them a pair of solid tackles. If not, Oher?s back to the left, and they?re wondering what else to do.

    Rookie Kelechi Osemele started at right tackle against the Falcons.

    ?He played well,? Harbaugh said. ?He was a rookie, and that was the first experience for him, but he handled it really well. He was calm, didn?t make mistakes, didn?t jump offside, had his assignments right, blocked people well for the most part, and I thought he acquitted himself very well.?

    That?s great, but there?s no question they?d prefer not to have to go that route. But whether they have to depends almost exclusively on McKinnie.

    Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/11/rex-ryan-marvin-lewis-asked-me-not-to-run-the-wildcat/related/

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    US, Turkey plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, meets with Syrian activists, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, meets with Syrian activists, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, second from right, meets with Syrian activists, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

    Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, top right, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meet with Syrian refugees in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

    Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, top right, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pose for a photograph with Syrian refugees after meeting with the group in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, at far right, meets with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, at far left, in Istanbul, on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

    ISTANBUL (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday that their countries are creating a formal structure to plan for worst-case scenarios in Syria, including a possible chemical weapons attack on regime opponents.

    Clinton and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said their two nations would set up a working group to respond to the crisis in Syria as conditions there deteriorate. They said the group will coordinate military, intelligence and political responses to the potential fallout in the case of a chemical attack, which would result in medical emergencies and a likely rise in the number of refugees fleeing Syria.

    "We have been closely coordinating over the course of this conflict, but now we need to get into the real details of such operational planning. It needs to be across both of our governments," Clinton said.

    She said the U.S. State Department and Turkey's Foreign Ministry had already been working together on the issue but that the new working group would increase the involvement of the intelligence services and militaries of both countries.

    Among the contingencies that the U.S. and Turkey agree on the need to plan for is "the horrible event" that chemical weapons are used, Clinton said.

    "What would that mean in terms of response, humanitarian and medical emergency assistance and, of course, what needs to be done to secure those stocks from ever being used or falling into the wrong hands?" Clinton said.

    In July, Syria's foreign ministry spokesman threatened the use of chemical and biological weapons in case of a foreign attack, assuring that government would never use them against its own citizens. It was the first acknowledgement that Syria possesses weapons of mass destruction, something that's long been suspected.

    Later, the Syrian government attempted to back away from the announcement and revert to its previous position of neither confirming nor denying the existence of unconventional weapons.

    Syria is believed to have nerve agents as well as mustard gas, Scud missiles capable of delivering lethal chemicals and a variety of advanced conventional arms, including portable anti-aircraft missiles.

    Davutoglu hinted at the possibility of setting up a so-called "safe zone" inside Syria if the humanitarian crisis, which has already claimed thousands of lives, triggers a massive flow of refugees who are vulnerable to attack by regime forces. He said 55,000 Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring Turkey, and that 2,000-3,000 were arriving daily. Recent arrivals came from the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo and surrounding villages, while others have come from Idlib and Latakia. Many more have fled to Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

    "If there is a huge wave of refugee migration, then we need to maybe establish a mechanism within Syria in order to ensure humanitarian protection," he said. "Of course, we might try to protect people if they seek refuge in our territory, but if they have to live under continuous bombardment every day, if they are exposed to air strikes every day, and bombardment every day, this might even be considered a war crime."

    Davutoglu said without elaborating: "In such a case, the international community can no longer keep its silence and there are certain measures that need to be taken up ... We need to brace for impact."

    In addition to planning for potential catastrophes, Clinton and Davutoglu stressed the importance of preparing for a political transition that does not compromise state institutions that will be needed to maintain security and provide key services under a new leadership that would replace President Bashar Assad. Clinton said a new Syria will need to protect the rights of all Syrians regardless of religion, gender or ethnicity.

    Both nations are concerned about extremist groups taking advantage of any power vacuum in Syria that could follow Assad's eventual departure. The Turks are particularly concerned about the Kurdish rebel group PKK, which already has bases in northern Iraq, from which it launches cross-border attacks on Turkish targets in its campaign for autonomy for the ethnic minority.

    "We share Turkey's determination that Syria must not become a haven for PKK terrorists whether now or after the departure of the Assad regime," Clinton said.

    Before they spoke to reporters, Clinton and Davutoglu met Syrian refugees to discuss their needs and Clinton met separately with six opposition activists, including three who fled the country within the past month. She said she came away from the meeting impressed with their desire to build a democratic society in Syria.

    However, some of the recent arrivals in Turkey expressed concern about an apparent lack of unity among opposition leaders outside Syria.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-11-Syria-Diplomacy/id-6975812738e9468f896af0ec33c17bdf

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    Saturday, August 11, 2012

    3DS Video Games: The Gaming Industries New High-Tech Craze ...

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    Comments Off The next generation of computer gaming has reached yet another level.

    A new handheld console has promised to change our perspective of ultimate gaming forever, and good to know, that it has kept that promise. No, it is not PSP, Wii, or DS. It is way better than that.

    Welcome to the future of 3D technology gaming, the 3DS with its 3DS games. Since the announcement on March 2010 of this new device, game fanatics have long anticipated its release. On February 2011, the long wait was finally over in Japan with the first release of the Nintendo 3DS. The DS in 3DS stands for Developers system or dual system basically derived from the method of employing two lenses that gives the left and right eye different perspective images.

    Whats good with 3DS is that the depth of its 3D images can adjust and it can even be disabled to 2D.

    But the big question is, Are the 3DS games as good as its system? Lets take a review at some of the 3DS games available in the market. First, we have Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.

    This relentless action-packed game where players are to take down enemies fast within a limited time in a Resident Evil environment is basically just an enhanced version for the 3DS. It has added online functionality and a new first-person aiming mechanism. Whats best with the game is that it takes advantage of Wi-Fi connectivity allowing multiple players from around the globe to converge and join forces. The second 3DS game that we will take a look at is Star Fox 3D.

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    From: (Nintendo 3DS Price) http://www.nintendo3dsreviews.com/3ds-games/3ds-games-the-gaming-industries-new-high-tech-craze

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    Source: http://www.miguelirias.com/buy-backlinks/3ds-video-games-the-gaming-industries-new-high-tech-craze-nintendo3dsreviews-com/

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