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Category Archives: Public Policy

Eating greens

November 5, 2009 – 8:27 pm

Okay, I’m probably going to get in trouble for putting my oar in here. But I’m cranky about this suggestion by Lord Stern that we should all go vegetarian to stop global warming. Ken Neilsen has already done a good post at the Cat on how climate change politics seems to cause some people’s brains [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Environment, Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (108)

Spare the rod, spoil the child?

October 21, 2009 – 9:29 am

It is not long ago since our society believed that hitting a child to discipline her was necessary. When I was in very early primary school we still worried about “getting the strap”, although I think corporal punishment had been outlawed by then, but there was still a collective consciousness of “the strap” and what [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Children, Law, Motherhood, Society | Tagged , , , , | Comments (21)

Social networking technology and employers

August 18, 2009 – 3:43 pm

Deckard: Replicants are like any other machine. They’re either a benefit or a hazard. If they’re a benefit, it’s not my problem.
Bladerunner, 1982
Very much the same thing could be said about social networking technology as about replicants. The technology can have both positive and negative ramifications.
A few times over the last week, I’ve read articles [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Free Speech, Internet, Law, Media, Personal liberty, Popular culture, Society | Tagged , , , , | Comments (34)

Crabs in a bucket

July 4, 2009 – 12:44 pm

In comments on my post on Michael Jackson, Su mentioned the “crabs in a bucket” syndrome that affects race relations in the US – the notion that those who were trying to escape from bad circumstances undermined others in the same predicament to further their own escape. Such a vivid metaphor for anyone who has [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Australian internet filter, Human/Civil rights, Law | Tagged , , | Comments (40)

That Pig Won’t Fly

May 3, 2009 – 6:00 am

In which I present, the REAL cause of the swine ‘flu outbreak…

… suggest that the current risk analysis might be flawed …

… and point out that all the protective measures in the world still wont be much help unless you read the instruction leaflet.

There is no evidence of the swine flu virus spreading in a [...]

By DeusExMacintosh | Also posted in Funnies, General, Science, Skeptics | Tagged , , | Comments (4)

Thoughts on juries and justice

February 27, 2009 – 8:05 pm

The other day, I was supposed to be doing PhD thesis when I got caught watching the documentary called The Times of Harvey Milk, which featured real archival footage of the various people involved. Once I’d started watching, I couldn’t stop. Of course, Sean Penn has just received an Oscar for his portrayal of Harvey [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Law, Society | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (14)

Indigenous intervention, doing good and racism

February 3, 2009 – 9:24 pm

The High Court has just handed down its decision on the constitutionality of the legislation enabling the Northern Territory intervention: Wurridjal v Commonwealth of Australia [2009] HCA 2. A majority of the Court ruled that the legislation was constitutional, with Kirby J delivering a last (and controversial) dissent. It is a fascinating decision, involving the [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Australian internet filter, Human/Civil rights, Law | Tagged , , | Comments (41)

Duty to restrain drunk drivers

January 23, 2009 – 9:55 am

It is easier to impose a duty on someone for something they have actually done than it is to impose a duty on someone for something they have failed to do (the misfeasance/nonfeasance distinction). Nothing illustrates this more clearly than a case where a pub fails to restrain a drunken patron from driving while drunk.
This [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Drugs, Law | Comments (12)

The road to hell…

January 14, 2009 – 8:44 pm

…is paved with good intentions.
This post is inspired by the Victorian Government’s review of the Equal Opportunity Act. Copies of the various submissions and documents, and the final report, can be obtained from here.
Chapter 6 of the Report recommends:
that the Commission should be able to conduct own motion investigations into systemic issues arising from disputes [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Economics, Human/Civil rights, Law, Personal liberty, Society | Comments (29)

Mess mobile

January 10, 2009 – 7:58 am

Following on from SL’s recent post, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ comes the story of a German woman who was booked by police for driving her car while it was full of junk. Police said that the woman had to press her face against the windscreen because of the amount of junk. She now has [...]

By Legal Eagle | Also posted in Fark!, Society | Comments (6)