A spoonful of sugar with your tobacco? Big tobacco is working on an ad featuring a cranky Mary Poppins (i.e. nanny state) shaking her finger at a smoker telling him they are taking his money and he has no choice.  The fee being offered is $80,000 (normally $20,000 for a gig such as this) — big bikkies for any struggling actor. The ABC’s Phil Kafcaloudes said on air today that several are known to have been offered it and refused, believing  it will struggle to get work after working for tobacco. Here’s the screen grab from the “secret” website actors are being sent for the job …

Big tobacco backs Abbott. A friend of mine was at this $150-a-head Liberal Party fundraiser last Thursday with Tony Abbott, Philip Ruddock and Alan Jones. He noted there was a table comprised of folk from Phillip Morris and British American Tobacco. Now why would the tobacco companies wish to support Mr Abbott do you think …?

Journos to go from News tabloids? How many jobs are to go at News Limited? Journos’ union the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance is scrambling for more info on the cuts, expected to come from metropolitan mastheads.

HR issues at Sydney architect firm. What next for architects caught rorting the BER? The latest from the office of the international Sydney architectural practice being investigated for sending BER documentation offshore to the Philippines and New Zealand is that the besieged in-house paralegal charged with defending them has been actively seeking new employment. On top of the BER issues and the suit by another practice over a failed merger there’s been s-xual harassment claims against a staffer. The matter was settled with a payout and resignation of those involved.

Air Asia clogged in Singapore. Finding it hard to get through, via the web, to Air Asia? They’re having a big promotion at the moment. Nothing wrong with that except committed passengers are consequently crowded out from the web. Ring the call centre and they say you can buy the ticket at the airport (Changi). Problem is the airport fees are higher than via the web! Accident or design? Even the staff are complaining. (Also, sad to see the Qantas Airbus 380 still sitting on the tarmac minus its engines.)