WE thought TD Securities senior strategist Joshua Williamson must have won a bet when he was interviewed on ABC Radio's PM program on Tuesday night, suggesting an interest rate cut by December and managing to get in this line: ''I think that the ducks are starting to line up for that call''. Was he paying homage to ABC TV's new political satire The Hollowmen? Did he have a bet with a mate that he could get in the ducks line, one that's already become a classic after featuring in the first episode? Well, sadly not. Williamson told us he hadn't watched the show and the ducks line was just one he liked to use now and then.

Assembly holds its nose

THERE are some out there who would posit most of what emanates out of the mouths of politicians would best belong at the sewerage works. But it seems there was a more literal example of such a thought at the Legislative Assembly yesterday. A rather delicate email was distributed among all staff members dispelling a rather, well, stinky, myth. ''Dear all,'' it says. ''There appears to be a broken pipe around the public entrance creating a rather unpleasant odour. I have lodged a call to ACTEW and a plumber. Although there are some red faces I can assure you this is an inanimate problem.'' Oh, the humanity.

Arts heroes wanted

KEEP 'EM coming. The deadline to nominate subjects for the cover of the 2009/10 yellow and white pages is only five days away and we are keen to see a Canberran front and centre. Olympic squash player and Queanbeyan resident Heather McKay took honours in 2006, Yass volunteer Sue Gaffney in 2007 and Queanbeyan chef Basil Smith in 2008. We reckon its time a bona-fide ACT resident takes the stage. The theme is Arts in the Community. ''Recommended subjects must have a significant involvement in the arts and your local community in one or many ways,'' organisers said. ''Such as driving tourism to the area, or building community relationships, helping inspire an appreciation of the arts in younger generations, providing access to the arts or culture to those who might not have it otherwise, or perhaps incorporating environmental awareness into artistic projects.'' And you can now nominate directly with a paragraph of your thoughts to: michael.bernard@che.com.au

A tissue of verse

WALKERS on Mount Taylor would have noticed this lovely poem taped to the seat at the summit, with a message not to be sneezed at:

There once was a lady from Snot

Who wandered Mount Taylor a lot

Her runny nose she blew

And many tissues she threw

We all rather wish she would not!

(We think that means take home your Kleenex people.)

Brigitte set to take off

SHE may have been booted out of the Big Brother house but it seems Canberra's Brigitte Stavaruk intends on staying in the nation's collective mind for a little while to come even if it means ruffling a few feathers. Animal rights group PETA have asked the blonde bombshell to strip for its ''Hands Off The Chicks, KFC'' ad campaign. The plea follows the protest of that other busty blonde Pamela Anderson last week at a Queensland KFC outlet, which, we are told, seriously upset the fast food chain as well as organisers of Big Brother KFC is a major sponsor of Big Brother and the show parted with a hefty chunk of change to bring the former Baywatch babe to Australia. But back to Brigitte. ''From busting out your bathing suit for the hot tub, to calling out all of the bum suckers in the house,'' the email invitation read. ''people around the country have grown to love all of your big assets, including your big personality and big heart.''

Old joke reignited

WHAT DO you get when you combine the two hot topics of the moment? A petrol papal joke from reader Robert Willson. He thought perhaps it was time to recycle an old joke. We're pleased he did. ''Catholic nun Sister Mary Ann worked for a home health agency and was doing her rounds to housebound patients when she ran out of petrol,'' he says. ''She walked to a nearby service station but the attendant told her his only petrol can had already been loaned out to someone else. Sister Mary Ann walked back to her car to find the only container she had was a bedpan. She took it back to the service station, filled it with petrol and carefully carried it to her car. As she poured the petrol into her tank two Anglicans watched with interest. One turned to the other and said: 'If that car starts, I turn Catholic!'' Boom-tish!

Miraculous meals

AND THEN they broke bread. Literally. The masses of World Youth Day pilgrims in Sydney were treated to a free and quintessentially Australian feed yesterday.

A sausage sandwich with dead horse, sorry, tomato sauce.

Apparently more than 220,000 banga sangas were served throughout the day. And we are told if all the slices of bread were lined up end to end they would cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge 21 times.

Crikey, not again

THIS old chestnut again. Online media publication Crikey has dredged up an old bit of scuttlebut claiming Chief Minister Jon Stanhope has secret aspirations of a diplomatic posting. We ran the item four weeks ago and he categorically denied it then. As he did again yesterday. We have a sneaking suspicion somewhere in a Liberal-type's diary there is a monthly reminder to contact Crikey. Are we over this yet?