The 20 best pub billboards

MOST of us don't need any help getting ourselves into a bar for a drink.

But these pubs have made a trip to the watering hole all the more interesting with a clever pun or two to help entice drinkers in for a pint.

We've sourced some of the best - and most clever - pub billboards from around the world.

They're guaranteed to make both well-seasoned drinkers and teetotallers giggle all the same.

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Leave your comment below. Have you seen a better pub billboard?

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The boy who just wanted to fit in

BEFORE: Miles is segregated from the rest of his classmates in the photo that broke his parents hearts. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

IT WAS the school portrait that Miles Ambridge's parents vowed never to show him for fear of hurting the seven-year-old's feelings.

As his classmates at Herbert Spencer Elementary School in British Columbia sit together in three neat rows, Miles, who has muscular dystrophy, is seen stranded in his wheelchair to the group's left, straining his body to get closer to the other children.

The photo made world headlines earlier this week after his heartbroken parents posted it on Facebook to raise awareness of discrimination against disabled children in schools.

Mother Anne Belanger told local media she couldn't bear to look at the photo.

"Look at the angle that he was in," she said.

"He's ostracised, he wants to be part of the gang so much."

Miles' father Don Ambridge added: "For some reason, it makes me feel even worse that he's so happy in the picture. I think it's because he's still innocent … He's still naive to how other people can treat him."

Thanks to their campaign, Lifetouch, the company who took the original photo agreed to a reshoot - with amazing results.

This time Miles sits in the front row, minus his wheelchair, sporting a proud grin.

"You can't pick him out this time," an overjoyed Ms Belanger told local newspaper The Province. "For him, to fit in, this is what it should be."

Incredibly, the new photograph has been criticised as "sending the wrong message" because it shows Miles out of his wheelchair.

But Mr Ambridge disagreed.

"All you've got to do is look at the kid sitting on the bench with a grin on his face and that's why we do it.

"He's a happy little guy."

Miles was never shown the original photo, but his parents have kept a copy in case he ever wants to see it.

On Wednesday, Ms Belanger showed her son the new class photo.

His response: "Oh, mummy, that's so nice!"

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Teenage girl's 'hero' jailed for child stealing

JAILED: Wayne John Morley, who has been jailed on the relatively rare charge of child stealing. Source: PerthNow

CCTV: Wayne Morley, left, and a teenage girl are caught on CCTV arriving at a motel in Mundaring on one of the two occasions he ran away with the teenager. Source: PerthNow

A 44-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for three years for the rare offence of child stealing, after admitting to twice running away with a 13-year-old girl he was romantically interested in.

Wayne John Morley was captured by WA police after hiding out at a bush camp in Chidlow, east of Perth, with the teenager daughter of his former partner.

It was the second time in two weeks the pair had disappeared, with Morley believing he was the "white knight'' who was saving the young girl from a chaotic home life.

Instead, Judge Philip McCann said Morley had put his own selfish and inappropriate feelings for the girl before any sensible judgment, embarking on two absconsions with her that were "doomed to fail''.

WA's District Court heard Morley had formed a bond with the girl during his tempestuous 15-month relationship with her mother, while the girl and his daughter had become best friends.

After authorities ordered the teenager to live with her father in Perth, Morley also moved to the state and re-established contact with the girl.

On August 10 last year, Morley, his daughter and the teenager arranged to meet in secret and set off to drive to Victoria, but were stopped at the WA/South Australian border.

Two weeks later, Morley booked plane tickets under a false name for him and the girl, and took her to a hotel in Mundaring.

After seeing media coverage about their disappearance, the pair panicked and disappeared into the bush for three days, living mainly on oranges.

He was arrested and pleaded guilty to two child stealing charges in March.

Defence lawyer Justin Geoghegan said Morley believed he was the girl's hero, but also admitted his feelings for her were inappropriate.

"The plan was based on emotion and doomed to fail from the start,'' Mr Geoghegan said.

"He wanted to be her hero, but the romantic interest tainted any good judgment he had left.''
Judge McCann accepted the girl had suffered no physical harm, but had been seriously affected nevertheless.

"He pandered to this immature girl's wrong-headed thinking. And she is still going through the throes of this whole fiasco,'' Judge McCann said.

Both the girl and her mother were in court to support Morley, despite restraining orders preventing them being in close proximity.

Morley was made eligible for parole after 18 months, and the sentence was backdated to the date of his arrest in August last year.

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Mum denies putting son in machine

Mother Kerry Murphy admits she struggled to cope with her son Sean's energy. The toddler died in a closed washing machine. Picture from Channel 9. Source: PerthNow

Perth Now Kerry Murphy (in blue top) leaves the coroners court after inquest into the death of her child. Picture: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

THE mother of a young boy who died from being trapped in a washing machine has told a Perth court she did not place him in there and was fast asleep when he climbed in himself.

Kerry Murphy, 27, gave her evidence on the final day of a coronial inquiry into the death of Sean Murphy, 3, who was found in the front-loader machine with his dead pet cat on September 20, 2010.

She claimed she had overslept into the early afternoon and Sean - for the first time since he had become mobile - had not jumped on her to wake her in the morning.peMs Murphy, who was diagnosed as having a borderline personality disorder when she was 18, suggested spring-time asthma and allergies had made her drowsy, and said she was a heavy sleeper.

She was woken by a phone call, she claimed, and noticed the public housing property was quiet, so began frantically searching for her son.

Ms Murphy found Sean ``in a foetal position'', pressed against the rear of the washing machine, and she had to remove the stiff body of the dead cat first before she could get to her son.

She attempted CPR and called 000.

When paramedics arrived, a hysterical Ms Murphy said: ``I've killed my baby.''

She said that because she feared he'd been injured during her resuscitation attempts and because she blamed herself for what happened, Ms Murphy told the court.

``If I'd been awake, he wouldn't have climbed in there,'' she said.

While the washing machine door had been closed after the last load, Sean could have opened it himself and climbed in, she said.

``I could have used one finger to open that door.''

The inquest was shown a photo of the boy some six months earlier, playing ``hide and seek'' in a dryer that was missing its door.

Ms Murphy said she should have explained to her son - who climbed on anything that was ``climbable'' - that hiding there was dangerous.

The inquest heard earlier this week from a neighbour - who admitted he had a falling out with the boy's mother - that he heard yelling, stomping and muffled cries coming from the house hours before Sean died.

Coroner Alastair Hope said there were three possible scenarios that he would consider: the family dog had jumped up and closed the washing machine door shut after the boy had climbed in, Sean had trapped himself inside the machine - pushing the door from the inside so it rebounded and closed - or the mother was involved.

But he had difficulty envisioning how Sean physically could have entered the machine to have wound up in the position in which he was found, and how he could have caused the door to rebound shut given that position.

``These are the practical aspects that are troubling me the most,'' Mr Hope said.

He will hand down his findings on July 19.

Kerry Murphy leaves the Coroner's Court after giving evidence into the inquest into the death of her child. PICTURE: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

Earlier today - mum admits she 'struggled' with her son's energy

Kerry Murphy, 27, made the admission in the final day of a coronial inquiry into the death of Sean Murphy, who was found in the front-loader machine with his dead pet cat on September 20, 2010.

Ms Murphy claimed she overslept until the early afternoon and after being woken by a phone call, realised the public housing property was quiet, so she began a frantic search for her son.

She could not explain why she had slept so long, but suggested spring-time asthma and allergies had made her drowsy.

Ms Murphy found her son "in a fetal position'', pressed against the rear of the washing machine and had to remove the stiff body of the dead cat first before she could get to her son.

She attempted CPR and called triple-zero.

Ms Murphy said she recalled telling paramedics "I've killed him. I've killed my baby''.She explained that comment by saying she was worried she'd injured him during her resuscitation attempts and that she blamed herself for what happened.

"If I'd been awake, he wouldn't have climbed in there,'' she said.

While the washing machine door had been closed after the last load, Sean could have opened it himself and climbed in, she said.

"I could have used one finger to open that door.''

The inquest was shown a photo of the boy some six months earlier, playing "hide and seek'' in a dryer that was missing its door.

Ms Murphy said she would never have encouraged him to play a game with the machine.

"I didn't explain to him that it was dangerous. I should have done,'' she said.

Ms Murphy had earlier told the inquest that she struggled to know how to respond to his behaviour, which she described as active.

"I didn't cope very well with it, but I did the best that I could.''

The inquest was also shown a video of Ms Murphy dropping one of the family's cats in front of their dog, which then attacks it - an incident for which she was later convicted for animal cruelty.

Kerry Murphy leaves the Coroner's Court after giving evidence into the inquest into the death of her child. PICTURE: Stewart Allen Source: PerthNow

She said it was the cat that was being "vicious'' and that the dog was being "playful''.

The inquest continues.

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Sharpshooting Hawks down Eagles

Hawthorn have stretched their winning streak to 11 straight matches with a twenty point victory over West Coast.

• Hawthorn 19.9 (123) bt West Coast 16.7 (103)

FOR the second successive Friday night, an opposition threw the kitchen sink at Hawthorn.

In Round 12, Carlton tried to dazzle Hawthorn with midfield speed and, for the most part succeeded. Statistically at least. But on the only count that mattered, the Hawks held sway on the scoreboard.

Friday night, West Coast - a vastly improved outfit on the one that hobbled past St Kilda at its most recent start - emerged as if shot from a cannon.

With big men blazing at centre clearances and up forward, the Eagles looked the real deal for one of the few times in a season that could generously be described as erratic.

SuperCoach scores and stats

The tactic was clear. Again pump the hosts in the middle and bomb it as high and as quickly as possible to stretch the shorter Hawks backline.

Statistically, again, it worked a treat. By halftime, the Eagles had 33-24 inside-50s, a 22-18 clearance edge and accordingly had the ball in their forwardline an amazing 66 per cent of the time.

Shane Savage kicks a goal against West Coast.

But there was one problem.

Hawthorn booted six goals in each quarter and led by an ultimately critical 26 points.

It's that critical time of the year when coaches are sizing up exactly how to counter the league's powerhouses.

There's talk of slingshot footy off half-back, or of stacking half-back lines to form walls with space ahead into which rebounding teams can run.

But the explanation for Hawthorn's 11-game winning streak - just one off the club record with lowly Brisbane to come next week - is actually far more simple.

The forwardline is elite, perhaps the deepest in years.

Scott Selwood of the Eagles handballs whilst being tackled by Luke Hodge of the Hawks during the round 13 AFL match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium.

Reams of paper have been dedicated to Lance Franklin, and his partner in crime Jarryd Roughead - the matchwinner Friday night - has found career-best form.

But it's more than that.

Jack Gunston is ruthlessly efficient when the ball comes his way and Luke Breust would be in All-Australian reckoning as a mediums-sized opportunist.

Tackling terrier Paul Puopolo was a late withdrawal, while livewire Cyril Rioli is poised to return within a fortnight to add to the firepower of a unit that last night produced an extraordinary set of numbers.

Six of nine times the Hawks went inside 50 in the first quarter they kicked a goal.

By halftime that was 12 of 24 -- a staggering 50 per cent success rate.

Lance Franklin works his magic against the Eagles. Picture: Michael Klein

This from a team that already leads the league in that category with a season average of 30.7 before this game.

That it tailed off to 16 of 35 and 19 of 49 by fulltime was an invevitable "market correction".

But keep in mind that West Coast played arguably its best game of the past two months and still came up 20 points short with eight more forward 50 entries.

For other clubs, there's no solution to those numbers just yet.

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Five films you didn't know Tony Soprano was in

Tony Soprano wasn't James Gandolfini's only big role. Source: Supplied

'The Sopranos' star James Gandolfini, who played mob boss Tony Soprano, has died aged 51.

• James Gandolfini's epic film roles
• We look at five films from 1993-2012
• The Sopranos? His career was more than that

FILM and TV fans are in mourning today following the news of the death of actor James Gandolfini at the age of 51.

Gandolfini's claim to fame was his game-changing role as mob patriarch Tony Soprano, the eponymous character from the hit HBO drama series The Sopranos.

But beyond his turn as Mr Soprano, Gandolfini put together a sound body of work in Hollywood with some diverse roles, working with huge names like Brad Pitt, Robert Redford, John Travolta and Quentin Tarantino.

We've picked five films from his career away from the New Jersey set of The Sopranos.

1. True Romance (1993)

2. Get Shorty (1995)

3. Crimson Tide (1995)

4. The Last Castle (2001)

5. Killing Them Softly (2012)

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Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi's pay doubled

City of Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi's pay is set to double. Picture: Alf Sorbello Alf Source: PerthNow

MAYORS and councillors across Western Australia are set for a massive pay rise, with the allowance for Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi set to climb to about $175,000 a year.

The state's Salaries and Allowance Tribunal (SAT) has been considering the fees and allowances for local government members, which have not been increased for eight years.

The Sunday Times revealed in April that the Lord Mayor wanted her current salary tripled to match her counterparts in Melbourne and Sydney.

Despite the state government planning significant reform of WA's councils and authorities, the SAT has determined WA councillors and mayors should receive big increases in their allowances.

From July 1, councillors are set to receive up to $30,000 per year, more than four times the current maximum rate of $7,000 per year.

Mayors of WA's top 18 councils could now claim up to $130,000 in allowances and sitting fees while Perth's Lord Mayor will be given annual allowance of $130,000, plus the $45,000 maximum sitting fee for attending meetings.

Ms Scaffidi said the increases brought WA councillor's fees up to the level of the rest of the country.

"It is well overdue. You need to find appropriate people, and the (mayor's) role does carry extraordinarily long hours and lot of weekend work with it,'' Ms Scaffidi told Fairfax Radio.

"Previously (running for council) was a sport for those who could afford to run and hold office. Now the playing field is levelled.''

Troy Pickard, president of WA's Local Government Association, had argued that payment for the state's councillors lagged way behind the rest of Australia, pointing to a maximum fee of $221,280 for a NSW mayor, while in WA it was capped at $60,000 for a mayor.

"Would any employee accept that he should not have a pay adjustment for eight years because it will cost his employer?,'' Mr Pickard said.

"Also I believe it affects the attraction of potential new mayors, presidents and councillors.''

PerthNow readers were divided on the Lord Mayor's pay rise when the issue was raised by The Sunday Times in April.

The SAT revealed that in 2011/12, WA's 138 local governments cost about $4.25 billion to run.

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Jager stunt goes horribly awry

A partygoer is in a coma and eight others hospitalised after a swimming pool was filled with liquid nitrogen at Jagermeister event in Mexico. Source LiveLeak

A YOUNG man remains in a coma after organisers of a party designed to promote Jagermeister pumped liquid nitrogen into a swimming pool.

Nine partygoers who were in the pool at the time were taken to hospital after four buckets of liquid nitrogen were poured in. Eight of the nine have since been released.

Last Saturday's party, held in Leon, Mexico, was attended by about 200 people, mainly young adults.

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Witnesses told the Daily Mail party organisers, dressed in orange uniforms, had added the substance to the pool to create a smoke effect.

But shortly thereafter, party attendees noticed people in the pool passing out and losing consciousness.

It has been suggested that the liquid nitrogen had a chemical interaction with the chlorine in the pool which created toxic smoke.

A 21-year-old man, identified as Jose Ignacio Lopez del Toro by Univision Noticias, remains in a coma in Campestre Medical Hospital.

Mexican officials have launched an investigation.

In a statement from Jagermesiter headquarters in Germany, company officials said they were working with event organisers and authorities to determine what happened.

"We fully support responsible drinking and adhere to the guidelines within each market in which we operate," the Jagermeister officials said in their statement.

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Palmer backs stranger as candidate

Educator and author Teresa van Lieshout will contest the Labor-held seat of Fremantle. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow

CLIVE Palmer has endorsed a devoutly religious Western Australian candidate for his political party on the same day he met her.

The mining magnate had seen Teresa van Lieshout's many YouTube videos, covering a wide range of topics such as "Biblical Eschatology (Apocalyptic)'' and "Abolish Psychiatric Practice in WA'', but had not met her until a Palmer United Party (PUP) function in Perth today.

She will contest the Labor-held seat of Fremantle after being approached by the party.

The Australian Democrats and Katter's Australian Party asked her to run for them as well, but she says she chose Mr Palmer's organisation because he had financial resources to fight the two major parties.

"I looked at some of his policies and they seemed pretty sound to me,'' Ms van Lieshout said.

But she disagrees with Mr Palmer's stance on asylum seekers, saying she's not one to toe the party line and most voters want politicians with firm views.

While the billionaire has said asylum seekers deserve more compassion - and even airline tickets to get here - Ms van Lieshout agrees with Bob Katter, who wants the Navy to patrol Australian waters for boats.

And she believes asylum seekers should continue to be sent to Christmas and Manus islands, and Nauru, saying Australian politicians are not doing enough to help its own citizens, who are becoming homeless in droves.

In WA, she's particularly enraged that the Liberal-led government is imprisoning fine defaulters in large numbers. Australia-wide, she wants the decision-making power in schools to be taken from principals and handed to teachers.

But the topic that fires her up the most is psychiatrists after her brother was involuntarily institutionalised after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

There, he was pumped full of drugs - a scenario that had killed some people, she claimed.

"I want psychiatry abolished,'' she said.

"They nearly killed my brother.

"It destroyed my family's life.

"It's just a killing machine and a money machine.''

Ms van Lieshout also shrugged off a matter that could pose a big problem for her down the track: possible imprisonment over non-paid court costs.

She tried to appeal a conviction for breaching planning laws after putting up political signage outside her Hilton home during the 2013 state election, but that was twice rejected in WA's Supreme Court.

After unsuccessfully arguing that there was an implied right of freedom of political communication in the constitution, she was ordered to pay thousands of dollars in costs.

But she told the judge to "f***; off'', she said.

"I wrote him a letter saying `I'm going to pay a cent'.

"They might try and jail me for political reasons.

"That would be pretty cruel and stupid.''

Ms van Lieshout, a former teacher who picked up 1.8 per cent of the votes for the seat of Willagee in the 2013 state election, provides tutoring and advice through her education consultancy.

Curtin University academic Chamonix Terblanche was the other WA candidate anointed by PUP today as part of its Senate ticket.

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Hoons share death-defying videos

A gang of hoon drivers film each other performing reckless stunts in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

VICTORIA'S worst hoons are encouraging copycats by posting videos of their dangerous stunts online in defiance of a police crackdown.

One boastful hoon dubbed the Black Bandit promotes his death-defying acts on suburban roads in Melbourne's northvia social media.

In one video, his black car - its numberplates removed - is filmed by another driver while he performs reckless stunts and burnouts in front of vehicles at an intersection in Thomastown.

Police are reviewing the footage.

The Transport Accident Commission's Janet Dore slammed the video.

``Behaviour such as this is nothing less than moronic,'' Ms Dore said.

``Innocent Victorians could have been killed or seriously injured and by behaving like this the driver of this vehicle has shown absolutely no respect for anyone else on the roads.''

Epping Highway Patrol's John Sybenga said police would try to locate the vehicles involved.

``We will be keeping an eye out for these vehicles, the driver may face a court and will be penalised to be determined by a magistrate,'' he said.

He said police were monitoring illegal street drag races and dangerous hooning throughout the state.

``Hoon behaviour is an ongoing issue in the northern suburbs and in Thomastown it is particularly bad,'' he said.

Aurora Community Association's Cara Horner said hooning behaviour is rife in the northern suburbs and making the community feel unsafe.

``We have spates of people coming and performing burnouts in residential streets, in carparks, fishtailing up roads and disturbing residents with loud tyre noise. It's frustrating for the local community who want these vehicles off the roads.'' she said.

jessica.evans@news.com.au

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