Monday, June 9, 2014

Monday Miscellany - Some Odds, Ends and Personals



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Dome Wars


In last week’s Monday Miscellany I posted an email from Martin about the demolition of the bini dome at Georges River College, Peakhurst Campus. Martin had unhappy high school experiences with domes and has maintained an ongoing dislike of them ever since, so much so that he headed his email “Another one bites the dust . . . thank God.” 

Thereafter I received an email from Lapun, who wrote:

Otto, Martin should be aware that such domes are not all failures! In Goroka, Papua New Guinea there were some quite successful experimental ferro-cement domes built, which to my best knowledge (I returned to Australia in 2000) are still standing and no doubt occupied. Your father may well know these and may have seen them himself. 
They were built, I believe in the 1980’s, and certainly unique, but also quite exciting. Yes, traditional western furnishing could be difficult, but the innovation opportunities for building into the wall construction, bench seats or beds, bedheads, niches, etc., were immense and of course loose furniture and furnishings could be installed anywhere in open floor areas. 
As, at that time, the Principal of Designscope Architects, of Lae, I was impressed and would have liked to see more development proceed.

I think the reference to my father  was intended to be to my father in law, who spent time in New Guinea as an Oz public servant.

I also think we will be hearing from Martin.
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From Leo:


That one's for you, Noel.
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From son Thomas . . . 



Another great moment in court:

Florida Judge Accused of Hitting Lawyer Outside Courtroom 
A judge allegedly struck a public defender after a verbal confrontation in a Brevard County, Fla. courtroom, reports CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG-TV. The public defender's office says Judge John Murphy is accused of hitting Andrew Weinstock. During a court session Monday in Viera, Fla., Murphy asked Weinstock to waive his client's right to a speedy trial, but Weinstock refused, the public defender's office said. 
The confrontation leading up to the fight was captured on video. "If I had a rock, I would throw it at you right now," Murphy said. "Stop pissing me off. Just sit down. I'll take care of it. I don't need your help. Sit down." "I'm the public defender, I have the right to be here and I have a right to stand and represent my clients," Weinstock replied. 
"Sit down," Murphy said. "If you want to fight, let's go out back and I'll just beat your ass." "Let's go right now," Weinstock said. The two went into a hallway, where Murphy allegedly grabbed Weinstock by the collar and started hitting him, according to the public defender's office. Although off camera, the two can still be heard yelling at each other, with one of them saying, "You want to fuck with me?" A Brevard County sheriff's deputy stopped the fight. 
A woman who was in the courtroom waiting to testify in one of the cases on the docket told WKMG she felt things got heated because Weinstock was "extremely rude" and disrespectful.  
The video also shows the judge being applauded as he returned to the courtroom - alone. 
Another public defender says it appeared Weinstock had been hit in the head. 
Both participants refused to press charges and no arrests were made. 
WKMG legal analyst Luis Calderon said both men could face disciplinary action for what happened in court, simply because of the attention the case is getting. Calderon said the worst cast scenarios for both men could result in them losing their jobs and possibly being disbarred. 
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-judge-accused-of-hitting-lawyer-outside-courtroom/

It was announced the next day that Judge Murphy had taken leave of absence and was receiving counselling, plus undertaking an anger management course.

Judge Murphy

Here is the video link:

For my part, I can’t understand why the various defendants in court applauded the judge when he returned. The public defender was acting properly and the judge was abusive.

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