I can't crack the pace

Apologies to my attentive, and even not so attentive, readers out there. I can't keep up with these other bloggers. I'm slow. I'm the first to admit it. The last few days have been hectic. The have far more hectic for a lot of other people. Tomorrow or Monday should see my schedule return to normality again. Alas, it appears this is only for a brief period until exams come around. There is just too much going on. Tonight it's off to the Student Ball. This will definitely be a blast. Hopefully, I can recall some of the events for you. Last night was the Bond Revue. This was my second one. I can now say I have been to every Bond Revue. What an accomplishment. Anna (who flew up for the occasion) and Matt were great hosts and the evening was incredibly entertaining. My brother who popped down for a visit was also of the same opinion. I don't like to single people out but Matt Hooper was a card. Sorry to divert you to somebody else's account of the evening, and apologies to them, but I've gotta go get ready for tonight. Pre-drinks and all. See you on the otherside.

She's back

Bond University are incredibly lucky? Why? The highly coveted Anna Lyons has returned to campus. After her Graduation in 042, the absence of this sought after individual around campus has been noticed. We have missed her and are ecstatic at the news she agreed, to depart her new home in Melbourne, to return to MC the Bond Revue. She will also be attending the Student Ball, on Saturday. The Revue last year was fantastic, this year it should be another stella performance. Make sure you attend, even if it only to secure your copy of the Bond Year Book for 1995/1996. Had a sneak preview, great publication.

Last night there were fireworks. Fantastic! The consumption of a considerable quantity of alcohol also took place. The is much information and many observations from last night that could be divulged. I'll keep it too myself, but will just Don's was absolutely full of juicy gossip last night.

Australian Politics

This time brought to you by Michael Leunig

Oh dear

The Bond Library Staff attempted to deter students from removing books from the reserve section of the Law Library, without borrowing them, by using a cardboard cut out. The had nominations for which 'life-size' figure would be most appropriate. Homer Simpson was the winner. I objected to the Americanisation of Campus, which was obviously furthered by the positioning of 5ft Homer Simpson cut-out in what (one would hope) is a heavily utilised area of the Law Library.

I am not sure whether this figure was an effective deterrent.

It is not clear whether Homer decided that Library work wasn't for him, whether he was sacked (but too ashamed to admit it), whether he has earned a well earned break (presumably prescribed for in his AWA) or whether he has been kidnapped. What I am sure is, if kidnapped the person(s) responsible may be charged by the police. Thereby dramatically effecting the individual(s) aspirations to enter the legal profession (all convictions must be disclosed.)

While investigations have commenced, as to the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, it still remains unclear as to whether Homer left voluntarily or was forcibly removed. To date any information purporting the reasons for Homer's absence are pure speculation. They should be dismissed as idle Bond gossip.

We have attempted to contact Homer and his immediate family but to no avail. If, as one theory suggests, Homer has been kidnapped a ransom has not been issued.

It appears that Homer is alive and is being fed. He has been sighted. However, if you do see any individual fitting his description we caution you not to approach him, rather contact the powers that be. The unaccounted for individual may be armed, he may be dangerous, he may be suffering from Stockholm syndrome. We will attempt to keep you informed on this issue. There has been a website set up. This appears to suggest that Homer is alive and well. To date, we have not been able to establish whether Homer is responsible for this, whether he is willingly co-operating with his captors, or whether he has been beaten, and/or starved into submission. The website can be accessed here.

NEWS FLASH: THIS PUBLICATION HAS JUST BEEN INFORMED THAT HOMER'S REMOVAL MAY BE AN ATTEMPT BY THE BONDSTOCK COMMITTEE TO GENERATE MORE PUBLICITY. ALTERNATIVELY, IT HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED THAT AS ATTEMPT TO OVERCOME ALLEGED APATHY SURROUNDING STUDENT ELECTIONS, THAT THE REMOVAL OF HOMER WAS ORCHESTRATED TO CAUSE THE BOND COMMUNITY TO UNITE FOR THE COMMON CAUSE OF, EITHER LIBERATING HOMER FROM WHAT MAY BE INDEBTED SERVITUDE TO THE LAW LIBRARY, OR RETURNING HIM TO HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE, PERHAPS NEGOTIATING MORE FAVORABLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS IF NECESSARY. (THIS WOULD ENSURE THAT LAW STUDENTS CAN PUT THEIR WELL PRACTICED NEGOTIATION SKILLS TO WORK BEFORE ENTERING THE 'REAL WORLD.')

No Gordon, I have not cut & pasted this post. I have altered the font size and colour!

MARIO'S - WEBSITE LAUNCH

"It's not all about the coffee..."

If you've visited me in Melbourne you've been to Mario's.

You know what this is about.

If you haven't visited me in Melbourne, you haven't been and you've missed out!

Just in time for this blog Mario's has launched their website. Read about the history and culture, see the photos, learn about how to deal with coffee.

http://www.marioscoffee.com/

I give you that orange

In the days when lawyers billed per word, were not taught by Professor Corkery, or did not have access to his fantastic publication 'Starting Law,' this phrase manifested to:

"I give you all and singular, my estate and interest, right, title, claim and advantage of and in that orange, with all its rind, skin, juice, pulp and pips, and all right and advantage therein, with full power to bite, cut, suck, and otherwise eat the same, or give the same away as fully and effectually as I the said A.B. am now entitled to bite, cut, suck, or otherwise eat the same orange, or give the same away, with or without its rind, skin, juice, pulp, and pips, anything hereinbefore, or hereinafter, or in any other deed, or deeds, instrument or instruments of what nature or kind soever, to the contrary in any wise, notwithstanding."

Thanks to Ashley, a devoted reader, for the material that made this post possible.

Hot off the press

The staff v student debate has be held. The students emerged Victorious. Congratulations. It was close. The Adjudicators' decision was split. They were Jess Leach (because she doesn't have nearly enough to do this week), Nitay and Trudi Summerhayes. I think if I told you which way they voted I would be pretty spot on, but it would be unequivocally me to do this, so I'll keep my opinions to myself. Best Speaker was awarded to third speaker for the negative Brendan Donoghue. He did a fantastic job, finishing up the debate with a bang! I also thought David Field and (although I am very reluctant to admit it, and will probably never live it down) Gordon were very close to Donoghue if not equal. Perhaps, Brendan's character assassination of David, and the fact that there was no right of reply (given Brendan was the last speak) detracted from the effectiveness of David's entertaining and practical examples.

The Law Teaching Excellence Award for 062 (the semester just past) was also awarded. This was most deservedly awarded to Lizzie Greene. Yippy!!!! Congratulations. She couldn't attend to receive her award. I imagine it will be given to her tomorrow. Credit should go to Gordon for recruiting and organising the masses. Brendan Scandrett announced the award. While I can't quote him exactly, I think he cited the following reasons (highlighted in bold) as to why Lizzie received the award;

1. Her willingness to treat all students equally. Further, she is fair and objective. No students are put on pedestals, nor are other students made to feel stupid by her if struggling.
2. The effort she is prepared to put in and the wealth of knowledge and practical sense she imparts to the tutorial. She is always helpful and approachable, especially around exam time when the line up for her consultation time speaks for itself. She also seems to really enjoy teaching students, which is a fantastic bonus and makes her tutes entertaining and interesting.
3. She is willing to go the extra mile. If you have a problem that she can't answer (which isn't often) she will chase the answer up for you, rather than dismissing the question.

Thanks to all those people who provided insightful comments for the debaters on the topic. They were REALLY, REALLY helpful.

Well the mysterious individual of the Bond law school provides a succinct and far more detailed account of the night that was, here!

Survey time, again

But wait - this one is really, really worth it!

Access it here: http://haighschocolates.com.au/survey.html

The Great Debate

Tonight is the Law, staff v students, debate, hosted by the LSA. You may have read some of my thoughts on this, amongst other things, here. You may, or may not have agreed. I would like to hear the man pictured above debate. Unfortunately, he is dead, so I don't think this is possible. I further have it on good authority that he has also not been cloned. So while I can't attend a live debate, which he will be speaking at, I can read his speeches in many places, such as here. This afternoon the decision is difficult: irrelevant non-law reading vs relevant law reading. It's a difficult one, but guess I should lead by example: relevant law reading! Wins.

The topic for this evenings debate is: Coporal punishment is the answer to juvenile crime.

The students are arguing the negative, the staff are arguing the affirmative. My sister was a fantastic debater at school, she won lots of awards and things like that. If I've ever had to debate I've always run screaming, pulling my hair out and panicking to her. She always put me back on the proverbial garden path.

It would be good if the students won. The staff team, consisting of David Field, Duncan Bentley and Jo Hinz will be a formidable force. I'm a bit worried about the student side after asking one of the debaters what the topic was. They responded: Coporal punishment. I asked again "no the topic of the debate," their response was the same. Then I said "no what are you arguing, what do you have to argue for or against." They responded with: 'neg.' mmmm. Hopefully the 3 student debaters can work as 'a team' (something not often heard of around Bond lately) and teach each other a thing or two.

The debate, hopefully will be interesting. It would be great if one or more coherent arguments could be advanced by either side. Sounds simple but after the law debates I've attended here I think it must be a difficult task to accomplish. The point of the debate is also to entertain. It is possible to entertain, present a coherent argument and be funny! Really, it is. I had a conversation with an individual, who will not be named, after the previous debate. I observed that the speakers used their time to crack jokes and get arise out of the crowd. Someone would be forgiven for thinking it was a stand up comedy evening, not a debate.

I love watching the great debate on Channel 10. These are also hysterically funny, and also very insightful, informative and skillful. They recruit some of this country's most talented public speakers, flying them in from around the continent, normally to Melbourne. I don't like leaving the television, even for Haighs chocolates!

A friend of mine attended both debates at the Melbourne Comedy festival this year.

The legal comedy debate, hosted by the Law Institute of Victoria was: That In the sport of law, even lawyers need performance enhancers.

It was prefaced with this commentary: "The practice of law is one of the world's most gruelling sports. Lawyers must wrestle with legal logic, overturn heavy precedents and run complex litigation. What do they need to do to stay on top of the legal game? Will their competitive streak and natural attributes of stamina, cunning, wit and analysing power ensure that they win the contest? Or do lawyers need to enhance their performance to win the largest briefs?"


The 17th Annual Great Debate, brought to you also by the Comedy festival. The program said this: "If you like your comedy with a bit of fight, you won't want to miss the 17th Annual Great Debate. This year's Debate promises to be every bit as hard hitting as a 6.30pm current affairs show and a whole lot funnier than Question Time in Canberra. Don't miss your chance to see six of the greatest comedy minds battling it out for the glory of being right."
The topic was: That Coming First is All that Matters.

Any arguments that could be used by either the staff or students can be posited here as comments and I can forward you remarks on to the individuals involved!

Where's Wickham?

Wickham, is somewhere in Qld.

I think it's in, or near, Brisbane. I am going to have an expedition to this suburb. Why? Because I've just been reading about the initiative undertaken by Mission Australia: Cafe One.

This is an excerpt from what I was reading;
"From Community Cafe to Cafe One
After spending years serving hot soup to locals in need and giving warm clothes to the homeless, we came to realise that while our work at the Brisbane City Mission was essential, there were better ways to empower and serve the disadvantaged," explained Sheryl Chappell, co-ordinator of our well-known Cafe One....previously known as The Community Cafe. Cafe One will continue to support homeless people but will also open to the wider community. Changes ...include a new name, Internet access, a larger cooking area and serving space, and outdoor dining. The cafe offers training in Cert III Hospitality and work experience in a busy cafe setting, as well as access to Mission Australia's employment services ....Cafe One is an example of a social enterprise where business savvy is used for a social benefit. As such, it will ultimately be self sustaining, recovering costs through good business management and the support of the business sector and wider community."

I let you know what I think, once I've been. On paper sounds great. It will be interesting to see it in practise.

Oh dear

My brother, the comedian of the family, forwarded this to me some months back. I think it came to him via Sarah Martin. Unfortunately, I can very easily picture my brother doing this in a selection of shops while Sarah is busy. While I am sure the blog will not redeem itself once this has been posted, I need a giggle and I have to admit this does (no matter how hard I try not to) make me chuckle.

Things to do in Kmart while your other half is shopping:

1. Get boxes of condoms and randomly put them in peoples' trolleys when they aren't looking.

2. Set all the alarm clocks to go off at 10-minute intervals.

3. Make a trail of apple juice on the floor to the rest rooms.

4. Walk up to a store employee and tell him/her in an official tone; "I think we have a Code 3 in Homeware."

5. Put M & M's on layby.

6. Move "CAUTION WET FLOOR" signs to the carpeted areas.

7. Set up a tent in the Sporting Section; tell others you'll only invite them in if they bring pillows from the bedding department.

8. When someone asks if they can help you, start crying and ask; "Why won't people leave me alone?"

9. Look right into the security camera and use it as a mirror to pick your nose.

10. Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from "Mission Impossible."

11. In the Auto Dept practise your Madonna look by using different sized funnels.

12. Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse through, jump out and yell; "PICK ME!"

13. When an announcement comes over the P.A. system, assume the foetal position and scream; "Not the voices again!"

14. Go into the Fitting Room and call out loudly; "Hey, there's no toilet paper in here."

Survey time!

The Australian Government - Australian Education International sent out an online survey link. This was forwarded to me via my university email account. I think it's important to contribute to questionnaires such as these, if only because someone somewhere might listen to what you have to say, further my grand-parents, parents and I all have or currently pay tax which contributes to the education of the people of this nation, and others who attend Australian academic institutions. Difficult to believe but this is true. This survey has been designed to " survey ... International students, ...also Australian students, in particular, to help differentiate the experiences of international and domestic students."

If you haven't filled out the survey yet, why not do it now (but only after you've prepared for this weeks tax tutorial) https://student.bond.edu.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.studentsurvey.com.au/ . It closes on the 23rd October 2006.

today, tonight, tomorrow

Today I was privileged. My brother dropped by. We went for a swim, well actually he went for a dip. It was a little too windy and late in the afternoon for much me. Then coffee and cake - his treat (your right he's a catch, but he's taken.) We also had M&Ms, not a small packet -a really big one. I am now on a self-imposed junk food ban, for as long as I can stand it.

Today, I also spoke to my lovely friend Georgia Hill-Douglas. She is pretty sick so has gone home so her parents can look after her. I hope she gets better very soon. H-D, as I affectionately refer to her sometimes, is an air-hostess. What she does sometimes sounds tough. The hours, the driving, the customers and well Avalon sums everything else up. I had to drive to Avalon to pick up some Canadians once. I had told one of these Canadians numerous times never fly to Avalon it's miles away and half way to Geelong. He didn't listen. Avalon is close to the Barwon Prison. This has a maximum security wing. As the Canadian didn't listen to me I made the trip, but I had my door locked for fear of potential escapees. The Canadians flew back out of Tullamarine. They missed their plane. It was all my fault. I will feel guilty about this for a long, long time. As a consolation I gave them the keys to 'the Car ,' so they could use it when back in Qld. That didn't make up for the missed flight, but hopefully it was seen as a friendly gesture.

Tonight, fine dining: Erin (the flatmate) and the brother sat back and relaxed while I cooked dinner. I don't think consuming dinner was as relaxing. Red Thai Curry. What can I say, I love the smell of curry paste in the pan...Sometimes I get a little carried away. I thought it was alright. They both said it was great, however, consumed entire glasses of milk. I hope they were honest.

Tonight featuring on the television was: Operatunity Oz. No, this is in no way comparable to, or does it slightly resemble, Australian Idol. It's a pity candidates from Operatunity Oz were not asked to sing at the Grand Final, rather g those people from Idol took the liberty to massacre Australia's 'unofficial' national anthem.

Tomorrow, it's down to business. I've got a few things that must be done. I also have University. Fun Fun. I also need to sort out the whole student ball dilemma. But I might procrastinate and put that off for a day or two. I also have a couple of work (ie money earning potential) things to see to. Oh,and some where along the line, whether it be tonight, tomorrow or the next day I have to workout something to wear to this Canadian celebration of Halloween, organised by the CLSA. Erin invited my brother. He responded with my standard response: Halloween, what's Halloween? (I taught him well.) We didn't celebrate this when we were young. I'm not sure if it was the lolly thing. From memory it had something to do with the fact it was an American tradition. Well I figure now that I choose not to celebrate Australia day I may as well go to a Halloween celebration. Whether I actually do the costume thing is an entirely different matter.

Tomorrow I imagine I may also continue to avoid law work because of the great book I am reading. Or perhaps I will attempt to strike a happy medium between the two. The book is great. The author has devised all these new words! very clever! I am enjoying the text.

Tomorrow, I, like the rest of Bond will also be launching into Bondstock! Make sure you turn up to some of the events! Access the program here: http://www.bondstudents.com.au/files/BONDSTOCK%20program.pdf

Not tomorrow but the next day my sister is off to a conference in Perth, Western Australia . This is one of my Dad's favorite places. I can not reveal the rest of thembecause he doesn't like people knowing about them. People go, and more people go and they become popular and then he doesn't like them anymore. My sister is presenting a paper at the conference. She has told me a few times what it is about, but I can't remember. She is very smart and a fantastic lecturer, as her students have informed me numerous times. Dr Fiona Wood is also speaking. The conference will be held in Fremantle. The maritime Museum there is fantastic. The Fremantle Prison is also interesting, from both historical, social and design perspectives. There is also an amazing fish and chips shop there. Can't recall it's name. If it's a clear day you can see all the way to Rottnest Island. If it's a clear day it also means you wont barf on the ferry to Rottnest. I've done calm and not so calm days on that ferry. Hopefully Sarah will have time to drop into see the Andersons and Dor. I can here it now 'Uncle Charlie, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Charlie..." I imagine she will also make a trip to Cottesloe for a dip. The sharks better leave her alone, or I'll deal with them.

Lately I've had some interesting and insightful comments on the blog. Hopefully, you are finding it, entertaining, informative, slightly eccentric or completely bizarre. That's okay, I think. Nonetheless, some of the posts left by individuals have been deleted. I would prefer not to do this. However, I can't stand racism, sexism, rudeness or crass comments. I don't think swearing is required. Pick up a thesaurus, I am sure you will locate plenty of alternative words. I am also aware that family, friends, and acquaintances drop by from time to time. Presumably I have a huge amount of respect, interest and value for many of them. I don't believe they should be subjected to unpalatable commentary. Further, my internship in Parliament was my active engagement with politics. I plan to stick with policy and the Department of Premier and Cabinet from the time being. While I do have opinions when it comes to many things, I don't care to engage in Student Politics, apart from saying it would have been nice to see some environmental policies referred to by some of the candidates running. Please don't use my blog to discuss such issues as I believe there are more than enough adequate places to do this and plenty of other more than capable people to encourage and facilitate active debate.

Australian Politics

Australian politics - cut and run. These cartoons were published in the Age. The top Cartoon is by Ron Tanberg and the bottom by Bruce Petty. Eloquent political commentators, if ever there were any.