Author Archives: Legal Eagle

Nice try but no cigar…

July 1, 2008 – 7:26 pm

No, it’s not a post about Havana or Bill Clinton. Just an update to say that, as I suspected would be the case, I did not get an ongoing position at university next year. I know that I said I wouldn’t hope for anything, but despite my best efforts, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed when [...]

Posted in Academia, Law, Personal | Comments (8)

Women and sci-fi

June 27, 2008 – 7:53 pm

I came across this interesting post on how to get women more interested in sci-fi writing and film. I’m probably not the best chick to ask about this - all my favourite films are sci-fi films, as well as most of my favourite television series. I also have a large sci-fi/fantasy book collection. I think [...]

Posted in Books, Feminism, General, Literature, Science | Comments (77)

Servant to the masses

June 25, 2008 – 11:07 pm

I’ve written before about how frustrating it is to be a sessional staff member at a university: I am an “un-person” without clear status and rights. “How long are you taking off on maternity leave?” asked one colleague the other day, and I fixed her with a wry glance. “Maternity leave? Um, this coming term, [...]

Posted in Academia, Education, Personal | Comments (6)

Poor old Keith Mason

June 25, 2008 – 12:06 pm

Another post on the restitution vs equity divide! But this time, inspired by a MSM attack by Janet Albrechtsen on Keith Mason (former president of the NSWCA). I feel sorry for Mason - kicked in the teeth by the HCA, and then by Janet. Let’s have a look first at what Keith Mason said in [...]

Posted in Academia, Equity, Law | Comments (0)

Good people

June 24, 2008 – 10:23 am

I’ve had a lot on my plate lately: marking a stack of exams, a conference paper that was supposed to be due in yesterday (erm…they’ll have to wait), amending another paper for publication, doing a PhD, looking after a 2 year old, another child on the way, as well as a terrible cold and cough which [...]

Posted in Personal, Pregnancy, Society | Comments (12)

Rebates and bonuses

June 23, 2008 – 9:11 pm

I note that there has been a contretemps between the Federal Government and ABC Learning over ABC Learning’s decision to raise childcare fees, although it insists this is not a respose to the Federal Budget’s decision to increase childcare rebate fees. ABC Learning is not alone; in a strange coincidence, the childcare centre to which [...]

Posted in Economics, Politics, Taxation | Comments (17)

Nature abhors a vacuum…

June 19, 2008 – 8:38 pm

… whereas the present Australian High Court abhors restitution lawyers.
On that point, I’m going to do something I don’t normally do, and talk “shop”, which may be boring for all those not obsessed with unjust enrichment, but I have to get it off my chest. After all, I am a restitution lawyer of sorts, although [...]

Posted in Academia, Law | Comments (9)

Yowch…

June 18, 2008 – 10:07 pm

I pity the poor Cambodian lad in this report:
A Cambodian teenager was recovering in hospital after a puffer fish attacked him in the groin, local media reported on Tuesday.
The Khmer-language Koh Santepheap daily ran a picture of the unnamed 13-year-old in a hospital bed with heavy strapping around his testicles, saying he was lucky to [...]

Posted in Fark! | Comments (0)

A new way of policing “doof-doof”

June 17, 2008 – 8:20 pm

When my husband and I first moved in together, we lived in a set of terrace houses. We’d lived there about two years when new tenants moved in two doors down. The new tenants were Columbian exchange students, and I don’t think they took their studies seriously. What they did take seriously was partying hard [...]

Posted in England, Fark!, Intellectual property, Law, Media, Music, Personal liberty, Society | Comments (4)

The cost of the law

June 11, 2008 – 4:05 pm

Rob Hulls seems to have it in for barristers. He’s attacked them over their opposition to acting judges, and now he’s having a go at them for allegedly charging exorbitant fees which put legal services out of the the reach of ordinary people. Well, they are an easy target - no one loves a lawyer. [...]

Posted in Law, Politics | Comments (20)