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 >

Political Intrigue

   1. "The Governator"
      < http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/national/term06292003.htm >

   2. "Springer's Past Will Make Him a Perfect Politician"
      < http://www.fox23news.com/entertainment/story.aspx?content_id=C557472E-F156-4A72-B99C-E1C85F2B32F8 >

   3. "Bush loses fight with space-age scooter"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_790051.html >

   4. "Blair's bathroom gift to Bush revealed"
      < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3066753.stm >

   5. "Blair tops poll of 100 worst Britons"
      < http://deadbrain.co.uk/news/article_2003_05_11_4927.php >

   6. "Politicians are drinking too much"
      < http://www.nettavisen.no/servlets/page?section=1706&item=276977 >

   7. "Politician Wants to 'Get Chipped'"
      < http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,50435,00.html >

Animals Go Berserk

   Like the animals in Noah's Ark, these stories go two-by-two ...

   1a. "Dogs go berserk in Bavaria"
       < http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=250612003 >

   1b. "Dog chews off sleeping man's toes"
       < http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2352037/detail.html >

   2a. "Angry pet cat strands woman on balcony"
       < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_796038.html >

   2b. "Pet cat shoots boy - police say air rifle accident wounds teenager"
       < http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/897099/posts >

   3a. "Police nab food-mooching hitchhike-monkey"
       < http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s823385.htm >

   3b. "Monkeys invade tea estate in eastern India"
       < http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=29&art_id=qw1058882403739B235&set_id=1 >

   4a. "Elephants cause £9,000 damage in Swiss town"
       < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_789475.html >

   4b. "Elephant attacks, injures trainer at zoo"
       < http://www.theindychannel.com/news/2346106/detail.html >

   5a. "Parents in court after baby attacked by a raccoon"
       < http://www.wzzm13.com/news/michigannewsdefault.asp?cmd=view&articleid=5992 >

   5b. "Raccoon carjacks woman; escapes police"
       < http://www.local6.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-223233020030528-090507.html >

O Brother!

   1. "Irish 'reality TV' ship sinks"
      < http://uk.news.yahoo.com/030613/80/e2an9.html >

   2. "Big Brother presenter admits housemates become boring quickly"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_783159.html >

   3. "Endless booze for Big Brother housemates"
      < http://www.ananova.com/entertainment/story/sm_796974.html >

   4. "Van Damme joins French version of 'Big Brother'"
      < http://www.allyourtv.com/0203season/news/06042003jeanclaudebigbrother.html >

   5. "Big Brother contestants get engaged on-air"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_798883.html >

   6. "Security alert halts UK Big Brother"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6703717%255E1702,00.html >

   7. "It's the greatest show on earth" [Big Brother UK]
      < http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,997131,00.html >

   8. "Big Brother is key to winning next election"
      < http://www.observer.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,967998,00.html >

   9. Not Very Big Brother
      < http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/read_this/big_brother/index.shtml >

Love Thy Neighbour - Not!

   1. "Couple sue 'neighbour from hell' for #60,000"
      < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/11/21/neigh21.xml >

   2. "Instant trees to screen out neighbours from hell"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/25/1050777407228.html >

   3. "Woman claims neighbor holding puppies hostage"
      < http://www.channeloklahoma.com/news/2340780/detail.html >

   4. "How do you like it now?: Angry homeowner paints a colorful protest"
      < http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/0503/08greenhouse.html >

   5. "Emma Bunton's neighbours complain of rowdy parties"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_798917.html >

   6. "County confiscates vehicles from 'Most Annoying Neighbor'"
      < http://www.local6.com/news/2327426/detail.html >

   7. "Feuding neighbor who hired arsonist gets prison term"
      < http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/6338318.htm >

   8. "Lawyer blames tea for man's attack on neighbor's house"
      < http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/130618_tea12.html >

   9. "Man accused of severely cutting neighbor's ear with straight razor"
      < http://pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1057645747112710.xml >

   10. "Teen shot by neighbor over mailbox"
      < http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2001/092001/09252001/402093/index_html >

   11. "Man says he shot neighbor for mowing lawn too often" [expired link]
      < http://www.local6.com/sh/news/stories/news-216666620030429-130452.html >

   12. "Britons are nosy neighbours"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_792869.html >

Struck by Lightning

   1. "Lightning hits as preacher asks for sign from God"
      < http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2310197/detail.html >

   2. "First Korean church damaged as lightning strike sparks blaze"
      < http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/local_news/article/0,1426,MCA_437_2109529,00.html >

   3. "Lightning strikes two Moscow nudists"
      < http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=24&art_id=ct20030711231101151N3232805&set_id=1 >

   4. "Lightning strikes peeping toms"
      < http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/06/15/1055615678103.html >

   5. "Bulgarian president calls investigation into lightning-hit home"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_782153.html >

   6. "Lightning strikes twice for golfer"
      < http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/May03/180503/wn01.htm >

   7. "Teacher's memory improves after lightning strike"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_799707.html >

Interesting Lawsuits

   1. "Man sues shop after belt comes loose during meeting"
      < http://www.santabanta.com/newsmaker.asp?select=701&catname=Newsmaker >

   2. "Suicidal man sues manufacturers after rope snaps"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_755143.html >

   3. "Couple sue McDonald's over tough bagel"
      < http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/5084293.htm >

   4. "Man sues McDonald's over gum"
      < http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/04/30/76383-ap.html >

   5. "Teacher sues student for practical jokes"
      < http://www.themudpile.com/mbank05/ct5/ct616.htm >

   6. "Doctor sues friends for practical joke"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_767081.html >

   7. "Neighbour sued for naming dog after rival"
      < http://www.iol.co.za//index.php?click_id=29&art_id=qw105618150340B253&set_id=1 >

   8. "Man sues firm over big pumpkins"
      < http://english.pravda.ru/fun/2003/03/21/44797.html >

   9. "Actor sues documentary maker over scare tactics"
      < http://www.etonline.com/reuters/N22135208.htm >

   10. "Man may sue restaurant after three mice fell in his meal"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_793201.html >

   11. "California man wins suit over airplane toilet ice that damaged his boat"
      < http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2003/06/16-blue-ice.htm >

Bill Gates Net Worth Page + Debt and Population Clocks

   Bill Gates Net Worth Page
      < http://web.quuxuum.org/~evan/bgnw.html >

   Based on Microsoft's current stock price, he's is worth US$ 32.6 billion.
   Looks at Bill's financial position is interesting and amusing ways, eg:
   * he's worth 64.45% the value of all the gold in Fort Knox
   * his body is worth 36,094.17 times more than gold
   * he can afford to buy a fleet of 209 Boeing 747s

   "Microsoft looks at new ideas, they don't evaluate whether the idea will
    move the industry forward, they ask, 'how will it help us sell more
    copies of Windows?'" -- Bill Gates in The Seattle Weekly, April 30, 1998

   Apart from Bill Gates' wealth, other things keep ticking over ...

   * US National Debt Clock
      < http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/ >

   Currently over US$ 6.66 trillion.  By comparison, Australia's net
   foreign debt as at the end of March 2003 was a measly A$ 362 billion.
   Unfortunately that's still bad enough to put Australia at number 4
   in the top 100, in between Mexico and Argentina.  As the government
   assures us, this isn't a problem as long as we can continue to
   service the debt (meet interest and principal repayments).

   * US and World Population Clocks
      < http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html  >

Error - Cannot find Weapons of Mass Destruction

   "These Weapons of Mass Destruction cannot be displayed"
      < http://www.coxar.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ >

   Instead of relying on their "Intelligence", they could have checked 
   with Greenpeace to find some WMD primed and ready-to-fire:

   "Weapons of Mass Destruction found!
    Zoom on Doom: Easy-to-find nuclear weapons map"
      < http://www.greenpeace.org/features/details?item_id=226498 >

   Another Steve Bell cartoon:
      < http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,969404,00.html >

Babe, I'm On Fire

   To coincide with the release of the latest single from Nick Cave and
   the Bad Seeds, "Babe, I'm On Fire", here are some items with an
   incendiary theme.

   1. "Pants On Fire"
      < http://www.empireonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?story=4855 >

   2. "Drinker set himself on fire while drinking 96 proof vodka"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_791228.html >

   3. "Patient having op on backside breaks wind, causing fire"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_566545.html >

   4. "Man badly burnt on operating table"
      < http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6527062%255E1702,00.html >

   5. "Patient's 'face ignited' in surgery"
      < http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/statebriefs.ssf?/xml/
        story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/1056619027268580.xml >

   6. "Man sets himself and house on fire tackling wasps"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_794649.html >

   7. "Boy who was burned trying to kill fire ants OK"
      < http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/1975604 >

   8. "Poulsbo Teen Burned While Trying To Destroy Tent Caterpillars"
      < http://www.komotv.com/stories/25105.htm >

   9. "Rialto man starting a barbecue set off a fire, officials say"
      < http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208~12588~1482436,00.html >

Opposites Don't Attract, Apparently

   Latest research suggests opposites don't attract.  Here are
   some studies which provide some clues to the mysteries of
   love and marriage.

   1. "Opposites do not attract in mating game"
      < http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993887 >
      "Opposites Attract? Not Really, Says Study:
       People Describe Mates With Same Values As Themselves"
      < http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/2303390/detail.html >

   2. "Every Unhappy Family Has Its Own Bilinear Influence Function:
       Researchers propose a mathematical model of marriage"
      < http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i33/33a01401.htm >

   3. "Scientists discover formula for love"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_766016.html >

   4. "Women 'like men to lie'"
      < http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_774904.html >

   5. "Men choose beauty before age"
      < http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns9999940 >

   6. "Kind and considerate"
      (Women are attracted to altruistic men, but not vice versa)
      < http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns9999893 >