Scaramouche

During July 2007, a man phoned his former wife and alleged that she had slashed his car tyres. He may have rang twice. The woman was traumatised, doubly. And, it was said, she dissociated.

Dissociation is difficult to explain  - but examples may assist. Amnesia that is psychological in origin is a form that appears more often in film and TV than in reality. Fugue states ditto. Then there is multiple personality disorder, now known more blandly as dissociative identity disorder – which some would hold is a US culture bound syndrome. A less dramatic form is depersonalization – a numbness, a tuning out, sometimes after some emotionally arousing event.

Understand all of that?

Back to the woman, Penelope Woodbridge, who dissociated after her ex gave her an earful. She turned to alcohol. And then she used her car – to pick up her daughter from school. En route, after being on the road for 20 minutes, she lost control of her car, crossed to the other side of the road, and collected a Toyota Starlet. Sadly a Starlet is not, as the name might suggest, a robust vehicle. The driver was seriously injured. His wife, in the front seat, died. Her name was Evette Haddad.

In Ms Woodbridge’s car was a part consumed bottle of wine. She refused to be breathalysed. A blood alcohol (BAL) estimation performed two hours later was 0.269. Which means that at the relevant time her BAL was likely to be around 0.30.

For most persons, a BAL of 0.3 would cause profound intoxication, probably to the extent of stupor, i.e. legless. Two conclusions can be confidently reached. Firstly, she had drunk a very substantial amount, much more than the half bottle of wine in her car. And secondly, in that she was even able to operate a car (albeit poorly), she had developed tolerance, indicating that there was something of a history.

It would also be likely that once sober she would not recall a thing – and this was what she told the court – not a thing after the call from her ex.

Penelope was charged, but opted for a psychiatric defence – that she had dissociated after the call from her husband, and that therefore she could not be held responsible for what then happened, namely drinking, driving, speeding, etc. she was acting automatically.

An expert was needed to say that this was the case. Step up Professor Carolyn Quadrio.

Professor Quadrio is a mover and shaker on issues of trauma and gender. On the case of Penelope the court was told :

In his closing address yesterday, Mr Wasilenia [counsel] reminded the jury of evidence from a psychiatrist, Carolyn Quadrio, that Ms Woodbridge had a history of periods of dissociation, followed by periods of heavy drinking, after traumatic events.

Mr Wasilenia told the court that the call from Ms Woodbridge’s former husband, accusing her of slashing his tyres, was ”part of a long sequence of unpleasant, threatening behaviour” and set off her dissociative state.

The prosecution’s expert differed, pointing out for example that despite much earlier contact with health professionals dissociation had not surfaced as an issue. And the jury agreed with him. She was found Guilty of manslaughter.

Perhaps dissociation also leads to a lack of remorse or shame. Such a lack was suggested by the photo in the SMH reproduced below. Perhaps they’d just done lunch.

Disturbing news from France. Former President Jacques Chirac has been savaged by Sumo,  his dog. For the third time – which was once too many. The Chirac dog was said to have been doing it hard since the household left the Elysée Palace.

After the second attack the dog was pronounced to be depressed, and prescribed medication. Evidemment, a dog would have to be mentally unwell to want to attack the kindly M Chirac.

The veterinary Zoloft was not a success – the next attack was worse, drawing blood. Sumo was despatched to the countryside – where he has recovered.

Whether Jacques is receiving counselling cannot be confirmed.

Sumo is a Maltese – Bichon Frise cross, a known killer breed, a chien de frappe formidable.

Sumo, before the onset of his depressive condition

SEAWARD

According to the online accommodation finder Wotif, the most expensive place to stay in Burnie is a B&B, Seaward, a full rate of $185 per night, although through Wotif $135 would suffice.

Health bureaucrat David Roberts claimed $1689 for a one night stay in Burnie as part of important departmental business. Bemused Tasmanians wondered how one could possibly spend this much in Burnie.

Roberts defended this expense, one of several, by stating that he and two other bureaucrats, deputy secretaries, had been forced to catch a taxi. They had then stayed in a modest motel, which they had reached at 2 am.

According to the Combined Taxi website, this journey, 297 kms, would cost around $630. Guess the secretary and his two deputies came back by taxi too.

According to the Liberal Shadow Minister, during 2008 Roberts spent about $10K on an study trip to the UK  (his home country). The Tasmanian Times website alleges that he was accompanied by 18 others, costing all up $205,710. Mostly departmental persons, no doubt those long-suffering deputy secretaries. Whether they travelled by taxi remains uncertain.

For some reason, this caravanserai of health bureaucrats included Australian Nursing Federation Tasmanian Branch Secretary Neroli Ellis.

Ironically, one of the suffering deputy secretaries recently prepared a press release outlining how the department was going to respond to tough financial times. For example :

A range of cost-savings measures have been implemented, including restrictions on travel, cars and phones.

Around 250 people will lose their jobs. No doubt they will be comforted by this:

It is important to remember that we are talking about people here, not numbers, and we are taking every step we can to make savings targets, without reducing staff numbers.

Alice Birchill (one of three deputy secretaries)

Hubris (/hjuːbrɪs/) (ancient Greek ὕβρις) is a term used in modern English to indicate overweening pride, haughtiness, or arrogance, often resulting in fatal retribution or Nemesis. In ancient Greece, hubris referred to actions which, intentionally or not, shamed and humiliated the victim, and frequently the perpetrator as well. It was most evident in the public and private actions of the powerful and rich. The word was also used to describe actions of those who challenged the gods or their laws, especially in Greek tragedy, resulting in the protagonist‘s downfall.

The fact is, most Tasmanians would have no idea who Graeme Sturges is.

He is the Minister of Infrastructure, a fairly recent promotion, and possibly short-lived. The Tasmanian Parliament is so small that in the governing party there are more ministers than back-benchers. Of the handful of backbenchers, two are in the sin bin, former Deputy Premiers who were forced to resign. Then there is the gormless Mr Best, a case of nominal irony, who was found to have misused government cars. Moving on, there is the unusual Ross Butler, beneficiary of a count-back after the former Premier departed. And then they had to count back again after Paula Wreidt’s depression and libido led to her demise. Step up Daniel Hulme, 11th out of a field of 18, 620 primary votes, 619 of whom wish they’d read the ballot paper more carefully.

A shallow pool. Every child gets a prize.

Not surprising then for Sturges to make cabinet. Needs must.

But there’s a problem. He is turning out to be Tasmania’s answer to Belinda Neal, but without the charm. A security guard had the temerity to impede Sturgo’s access to the office’s of the TT Line. Out came that memorable line – “Don’t you know who I am?”, immortalised by Belinda Neal one memorable night at the Iguana Club.

Belinda Neal

Sturgo’s reasonably safe – though needs to get back on the medication. Bilbo Bartlett can’t afford to lose another minister only six months out from an election.

The Armadale Kid

Individualistic Australian psychiatrist Jerome Gelb is in the news again. Jerome and his household first made the news. Back in 2007 Jerome caused consternation in Melbourne’s County Court when he was found to have a firearm and 49 rounds of ammunition in a backpack. He had visited the court in relation to proceedings involving his former wife. Jerome, a psychiatrist living in one of Melbourne’s leafiest suburbs, had carved out a career as an advisor to the False Memory Association.

Gelb had started to fear that his ex had it in for him. Nothing unusual about that, except that he believed the ex had arranged for criminal elements to do him harm. His house was fortified, alarmed, and stocked with weapons and security cameras.

And he hired a bodyguard, a pastor with the Redeemers Church, whatever that is, a man with the singularly apt name of David Schmack. Gelb, his wife and Schmack were arrested and charged. Gelb was suspended from practice.

Sounds mad, a confirmation of the widely held view that psychiatrists are loonier than their patients. And so he was examined by a colleague, a Dr Walton. No delusions, paranoia, psychosis opined Dr Walton.

The Medical Board reviewed the evidence, and considered the firearm incident to derive in some way from a previous unsound professional relationship. A problem with boundaries – and not the first.

Gelb was suspended from practice. And the courts convicted him ,sentencing him to an intensive community correction regime.

Gelb’s unfortunate 15 minutes of fame appeared to have passed.

Until last week. A Chapel Street nightclub, improbably named Revolver, black-balled Gelb and his wife, and they were sufficiently incensed to take them to court.

And Pastor Schmack?  Formerly of the CFMEU, now Pastor of the Reedemer Apostolic Outreach Church in Dandenong, he was recently photographed with Roberta Williams, wife of larger than life gangster Carl Williams. It was a charity night.

Pastor Schmack (on left) and Roberta williams

Just when you thought airport security could not get more trying, this man, Al-asiri, stuffed an explosive device up his rear end prior to attending a meeting he had arranged with a Saudi prince and security head. Once into Prince Nayef’s office the bum bomb was detonated by a mechanism that remains unclear.

The effect on the bum bomber was dire, but the Prince suffered no more than an injured hand.

Bum bombs face an obvious problem – they are surrounded by a significant mass of bone and muscle causing the force unleashed to travel upwards, into the bomber’s innards, or, ahem, downwards.

So, if a man of middle eastern appearance leans over and gives you the brown eye look out – it’s not an insult, he’s taking aim. He has you in his cross-hairs.

And what next at airports?

Conservative political parties sometimes fret about what they call ‘ the doctors’ wives problem’.

“There is a group of well-off people for whom the economy, because they have done so well, is not top-of-mind,” said Grahame Morris, a Liberal Party heavy, back in 2007. Affluent voters seemed to be turning against them – worried about things like global warning and forests.

‘Doctors wives’ was a sexist jibe hinting at women chatting over their skinny lattés or at the tennis club.

Brynne Gordon is soon to be a doctor’s wife – engaged to colourful and OTT medical entrepreneur Geoffrey Edelstein. Wonder if she fits in with the doctors wife demographic.

Brynne as a tree-hugger is an image to savour.