Storm in a Tea Cup

The Melbourne Storm Rugby League team has been found to be giving its players money in "brown paper bags". Some of these players are being paid several million dollars a year. It is virtually impossible for a player to get such payments and not know they are illegal under the league system.

As you would expect, some people involved with the club have said that payments beyond the cap limits are rife throughout the league. This is probably the case. If The Storm can have two sets of books, so can any other club. Boards of other teams have said they are reviewing club finances. If they do find something will they be honest and tell the league administrators? They have a great deal to lose if they do.

To win championships rugby clubs need to retain top players each season. To do this requires a large amount of money. League administrators have identified just over $700,000 in overpayment. When you consider there are more than a dozen players on the pay list, its seems a very small amount. Spreading this amount of money over the whole team works out at $60,000 each. This is "peanuts' in relation to what they are paid legally. Would a player risk his career over such a small payment? Unless, of course, they are paying one or two players large amounts. That does not seem the logical thing to do to retain all their team members. Perhaps league officials have overreacted. It certainly seems so.

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Storm in a Tea Cup

The Melbourne Storm Rugby League team has been found to be giving its players money in "brown paper bags". Some of these players are being paid several million dollars a year. It is virtually impossible for a player to get such payments and not know they are illegal under the league system.

As you would expect, some people involved with the club have said that payments beyond the cap limits are rife throughout the league. This is probably the case. If The Storm can have two sets of books, so can any other club. Boards of other teams have said they are reviewing club finances. If they do find something will they be honest and tell the league administrators? They have a great deal to lose if they do.

To win championships rugby clubs need to retain top players each season. To do this requires a large amount of money. League administrators have identified just over $700,000 in overpayment. When you consider there are more than a dozen players on the pay list, its seems a very small amount. Spreading this amount of money over the whole team works out at $60,000 each. This is "peanuts' in relation to what they are paid legally. Would a player risk his career over such a small payment? Unless, of course, they are paying one or two players large amounts. That does not seem the logical thing to do to retain all their team members. Perhaps league officials have overreacted. It certainly seems so.

http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/
http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com

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Dinosaurs Found in Australia - What is Fact?

Australia is a very old continent. It seems the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex lived here. A hip bone has been found here that dates to 110 million years ago which is 40 million years before T.rex roamed elsewhere on earth. Until now it was believed that T.rex only lived on Northern continents.

Many of the things stated as fact by scientists are indeed just matters of faith until they are proven otherwise. Scientists argue about when dinosaurs developed feathers and why. They claim that birds today are direct descendants from dinosaurs. This is like saying humans are descended from dinosaurs. Much evidence points to birds having a line of descent completely separate from dinosaurs.

The same rings true with the Hobbit people of Flores Island. Some scientists will not accept that people different from humans survived until 18,000 years ago alongside humans. Neanderthals lived until 50,000 years ago, so why not another type of human? Science is much like religion. What is just theory is put forth as fact. Ah, the dangers of religion - and science!

http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/
http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dinosaurs Found in Australia - What is Fact?

Australia is a very old continent. It seems the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex lived here. A hip bone has been found here that dates to 110 million years ago which is 40 million years before T.rex roamed elsewhere on earth. Until now it was believed that T.rex only lived on Northern continents.

Many of the things stated as fact by scientists are indeed just matters of faith until they are proven otherwise. Scientists argue about when dinosaurs developed feathers and why. They claim that birds today are direct descendants from dinosaurs. This is like saying humans are descended from dinosaurs. Much evidence points to birds having a line of descent completely separate from dinosaurs.

The same rings true with the Hobbit people of Flores Island. Some scientists will not accept that people different from humans survived until 18,000 years ago alongside humans. Neanderthals lived until 50,000 years ago, so why not another type of human? Science is much like religion. What is just theory is put forth as fact. Ah, the dangers of religion - and science!

http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/
http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com

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Movie Stars Get Paid Only When Movie Breaks Even

Hard economic times hit Hollywood. Movie star salaries once topped $25 million a movie. Falling DVD sales has seen this fall. Actors in the movies up for Oscars tonight have not yet been paid. The total to be paid to the leading stars in all the top ten films combined comes to a grand figure of $20 million - full amount. Young people just don't see why movie stars have to be paid so highly. The over-thirties pay to see movies and they go less these days.

Producers, executives and agents just don't want to talk about pay to actors. It is such a touchy subject. It's as if they fear the wrath of actors and they want to keep the truth from the public. Now studios want to sign deals where actors are paid only if there is a profit. The break even point is talked about so much.

Only a few current stars like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt can still get $20 million plus, but Pitt's payment is $10 million upfront and the rest if the movies make more than break even. Brad Pitt's co-stars in the "Hurt Locker" had to take a pay cut. Most work at Guild Minimum which is $65,000 including food.

It seems the days when actors could swan around most of the time picking and choosing whether to work on this or that film are over. Many taking up acting now will find it difficult to make a full time living. Rather than sunning themselves on yachts and partying, most will be on unemployment benefits when out of work.

http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/
http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Movie Stars Get Paid Only When Movie Breaks Even

Hard economic times hit Hollywood. Movie star salaries once topped $25 million a movie. Falling DVD sales has seen this fall. Actors in the movies up for Oscars tonight have not yet been paid. The total to be paid to the leading stars in all the top ten films combined comes to a grand figure of $20 million - full amount. Young people just don't see why movie stars have to be paid so highly. The over-thirties pay to see movies and they go less these days.

Producers, executives and agents just don't want to talk about pay to actors. It is such a touchy subject. It's as if they fear the wrath of actors and they want to keep the truth from the public. Now studios want to sign deals where actors are paid only if there is a profit. The break even point is talked about so much.

Only a few current stars like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt can still get $20 million plus, but Pitt's payment is $10 million upfront and the rest if the movies make more than break even. Brad Pitt's co-stars in the "Hurt Locker" had to take a pay cut. Most work at Guild Minimum which is $65,000 including food.

It seems the days when actors could swan around most of the time picking and choosing whether to work on this or that film are over. Many taking up acting now will find it difficult to make a full time living. Rather than sunning themselves on yachts and partying, most will be on unemployment benefits when out of work.

http://www.adventure--australia.blogspot.com/
http://www.tysaustralia.blogspot.com/
http://www.feeds.feedburner.com/AdventureAustralia
http://www.technorati.com/blogs/http://adventure--australia.blogspot.com

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