Thursday, July 31, 2003

Is there a lawyer in the House? + July Follow-ups

1. Is there a lawyer in the House?

I was aware that quite a few (Australian) federal government ministers are
lawyers, but even I was surprised when I found out the exact number.
According to the Parliamentary Handbook of the Commonwealth of Australia:
   <http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/40/ministry/ministry.htm>
10 of the 17 members of Cabinet are lawyers. And 8 of the 13 members of
the Outer Ministry are lawyers. That means 18 of the 30 ministers are
lawyers (60%). No wonder they are masters of weaseling out of taking
responsibility for their actions.

I find it rather disappointing that a majority of our most powerful elected
officials have such a narrow professional background.

As for the (opposition) Shadow Ministry, 7 of the 30 members are lawyers:
   <http://www.aph.gov.au/library/parl/40/shadow/index.htm>
which is a measly 23%. Maybe that's their problem - they need more lawyers
on their side of the House.

If you're keen on examining the profiles of all the members of Australia's
parliament, consult the complete list of members' biographies:
   <http://www.aph.gov.au/library/mps/mpindex.htm>


2. Follow-ups to July Postings

[Babe, I'm On Fire]
* "Harry Potter fan's magic bid sets house ablaze"
   <http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s900237.htm>
* "Man burns down house in mouse hunt"
   <http://worldonline.co.za/news/news_center_030423.605001.html>

[Error - Cannot find Weapons of Mass Destruction]
* "Google search engine also can't find weapons of mass destruction"
   <http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/07/14/135739-ap.html>
* "The New York Times story cannot be displayed"
   <http://www.coxar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/blair.html>

[Interesting Lawsuits]
* "Man Sues After 3-Hour Wait For Doctor"
   <http://www.local6.com/health/2367192/detail.html>

[Struck by Lightning]
* "Rare car KO'd by lightning"
   <http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2003341678,00.html>
* "Lightning strikes couple in iron bed"
   <http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/28/1059244564864.html>

[Animals Go Berserk]
* "Poodle attacks pitbull, then bites its owner"
   <http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?sf=29&click_id=29&art_id=qw979049221939B241&set_id=1>

[O Brother!]
* "Is Big Brother good for citizenship?"
   <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3086109.stm>

[Political Intrigue]
* "Texas Democrats bolt again"
   <http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory2/2015694/>
* "Bad dreams haunt right-wingers"
   <http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns9999996>