Wednesday, March 30, 2005
New and Improved
I've been goofing around with the blog - adding links, etc. The principle challenge seems to be finding stuff worth linking to. I'm open to suggestions. . .
Korrektur
Es war Karin, meine Schwiegermutter, wer hat gefragt, ob wir Deutsche Nachrichten bekommen. Die Dittmer Frauen, die alle den gleichen Namen haben.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Adelaide (sort of)
Since my trip to Syndey was a day-long marathon which allowed me to see nothing of Sydney except the Woollahra Council building (which was quite nice) and the inside of the Qantas Club at Sydney airport (also nice), I’ll skip it.
My weekend in Adelaide was quite pleasant indeed, although I didn’t spend any time in Adelaide. I jetted over on Friday afternoon, and was picked up by Scott (Mike’s brother) at the Adelaide airport. Scott and I drove the hour over to Goolwa and joined the rest of the gang (Mike & Kerry; Herbie and Roxy; Ryan and Jess; Sarah and Mark). The next three days were spent largely in sleeping, drinking beer, and shit talking, with the occasional jaunt to the beach, etc.
Friday night, we watched a DVD of music videos from the early 80s, including a number of Australian videos, I’d, of course, never seen. I was taken aback by just how incoherent many of the videos of that era were – the two which struck me as equally incomprehensible were Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart and Men at Work’s Land Down Under. Both good tunes, but their videos? Utter nonsense. We spent Sunday night watching The Wanderers, featuring a very young Ken Wahl and a very young Karen Allen. This “cult classic” (according to Mark) was ultimately judged to be a “shit movie” (largely due to the enigmatic actions of the universally feared “Duckie Boys”). Despite its U.S. origins, I’d never heard of this movie, and probably never will again.
The men folk made several outings in shifts for some deep sea fishing. I made it out for the Saturday session with Scott, Mark, and Herbie. This ended abruptly after Mark came down with an unavoidable case of fecal urgency. Unwilling to hang his bum over the side of the boat in a place affectionately referred to as “shark alley”, we headed back to shore, dropped off Mark and picked up Mike and headed back out. After another 4 hours on the water, I’d only pulled in one keeper, and after hooking a series of rejects in quick succession which forced me to wrestle with flopping fish on the floor of the boat amidst the swells, a sudden attack of motion sickness forced me to spend the next hour trying to recover my equilibrium. Nevertheless, the scenery was fantastic – cliffs, dolphins, etc., and I was quite happy to be on the water, having never done any blue water fishing. Over the course of the weekend, we collectively managed to hook enough fish to feed all of us Sunday night.
My weekend in Adelaide was quite pleasant indeed, although I didn’t spend any time in Adelaide. I jetted over on Friday afternoon, and was picked up by Scott (Mike’s brother) at the Adelaide airport. Scott and I drove the hour over to Goolwa and joined the rest of the gang (Mike & Kerry; Herbie and Roxy; Ryan and Jess; Sarah and Mark). The next three days were spent largely in sleeping, drinking beer, and shit talking, with the occasional jaunt to the beach, etc.
Friday night, we watched a DVD of music videos from the early 80s, including a number of Australian videos, I’d, of course, never seen. I was taken aback by just how incoherent many of the videos of that era were – the two which struck me as equally incomprehensible were Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart and Men at Work’s Land Down Under. Both good tunes, but their videos? Utter nonsense. We spent Sunday night watching The Wanderers, featuring a very young Ken Wahl and a very young Karen Allen. This “cult classic” (according to Mark) was ultimately judged to be a “shit movie” (largely due to the enigmatic actions of the universally feared “Duckie Boys”). Despite its U.S. origins, I’d never heard of this movie, and probably never will again.
The men folk made several outings in shifts for some deep sea fishing. I made it out for the Saturday session with Scott, Mark, and Herbie. This ended abruptly after Mark came down with an unavoidable case of fecal urgency. Unwilling to hang his bum over the side of the boat in a place affectionately referred to as “shark alley”, we headed back to shore, dropped off Mark and picked up Mike and headed back out. After another 4 hours on the water, I’d only pulled in one keeper, and after hooking a series of rejects in quick succession which forced me to wrestle with flopping fish on the floor of the boat amidst the swells, a sudden attack of motion sickness forced me to spend the next hour trying to recover my equilibrium. Nevertheless, the scenery was fantastic – cliffs, dolphins, etc., and I was quite happy to be on the water, having never done any blue water fishing. Over the course of the weekend, we collectively managed to hook enough fish to feed all of us Sunday night.
Where's Ashcroft?
Having made trips to both Sydney and Adelaide over the past week, I'm quite happy to report that air travel in Australia is quite civilized. The security juggernaut has not infected this continent and thus, there are no horrifically long check-in or security lines, no shoe removal, no being stripped half naked because you've got a tooth with a filling in it. In fact, at the electronic kiosks, one can check in for a Qantas flight with nothing but a frequent flier card for identification. And once you're in the air they feed you. No matter the length of the flight, if it's breakfast time, you get breakfast, if it's dinner time, you get dinner. Plus, after 4pm, booze is free even for us suckers who fly coach. And it's not like Australia has nothing to fear from the "war on terror". The bombing in Bali in 2002 demonstrated that Australians are not untouchable. Plus, Australia has the largest Muslim country (Indonesia) as a neighbor (well, distant neighbor), and keeps sending troops over to Iraq. Yet to date, Qantas, the world's second oldest airline, has never lost a plane, and has the best safety record of any airline.
On the other hand, Australia has its own Guantanamo Bay (several actually). These aren't holding grounds for suspected terrorists (or should I say suspected arabs), but rather detention centers for illegal aliens and refugees who are seeking entrance into Australia but have no way of demonstrating their refugee status. Unwilling to return to their country of origin, but unwilling or unable to demonstrate that they're refugees, they're essentially in purgatory in a big camp in the middle of nowhere. Australians seem rather torn on this issue - the idea of holding largely women and children indefinitely in jail is distasteful, but most are also unwilling to simply open the gates to anyone with a sad story (whether its true or not). There are periodic protests at these centers (including a recent on at Baxter Detection Center), and the issue comes up every election cycle.
On the other hand, Australia has its own Guantanamo Bay (several actually). These aren't holding grounds for suspected terrorists (or should I say suspected arabs), but rather detention centers for illegal aliens and refugees who are seeking entrance into Australia but have no way of demonstrating their refugee status. Unwilling to return to their country of origin, but unwilling or unable to demonstrate that they're refugees, they're essentially in purgatory in a big camp in the middle of nowhere. Australians seem rather torn on this issue - the idea of holding largely women and children indefinitely in jail is distasteful, but most are also unwilling to simply open the gates to anyone with a sad story (whether its true or not). There are periodic protests at these centers (including a recent on at Baxter Detection Center), and the issue comes up every election cycle.
More on Footy
Thursday night saw the start of Footy season. I watched the beginning of the St. Kilda/Brisbane game, but turned it off before seeing all the good stuff. Late in the game, the team captain for St. Kilda, Nick Riewoldt, went down and broke his collarbone. He got to his feet clutching his shoulder and wincing in pain. A trainer ran out on the field, only to be turned away by Riewoldt, who was then immediately “bumped†twice more in the same shoulder by Brisbane. The players from Brisbane said they were just “testing himâ€. This certainly ruffled some feathers, but apparently, no rules were broken. I ended up running into St. Kilda while waiting in the airport to fly out to Adelaide on Friday, and almost got run over by photographers trying to get pictures of Riewoldt, with his arm now in a sling. Incidentally, I watched a couple of more footy games over the weekend. Suffice to say – it’s a rough sport. Seems like every game there’s a range of injuries – sprains, torn ligaments, breaks, and at least one player who simply gets knocked cold. The length of the game appears to be closely linked to the limits of human endurance.
Deutsche Nachrichten
So, meine Schwester Katrin hat gefragt ob wir in Australien Deutsche Nachricten bekommen. Die internationale Nacrichten im Fernsehen ist sehr gut (aber Ich komme aus Amerika, so was weiss Ich). Taeglich hoere Ich ein bisschen Nachrichten aus UK, die USA, und Europa. Am Samstags kann Ich Deutsche Welle auf Deutsch fernsehen, und danach kann man Faust auf Deutsch fernsehen, aber Ich finde das nicht so interessant (ja Ich weiss. Heute haben Kinder nicht Geshmack oder Kultur!). So, die letzte Nachricten aus Deutschland:
1) Die Ministerpraesidentin Heide Simonis (SPD) von Schleswig Holstein ist kaput (Aufpassen Dittmers und Lagerpusches!).
2) Michael Schumacher hat die Melbourne und Malaysian Grad Prix nicht gewonnen. Schade! Aber hier der Australische Fahrer Mark Weber ist das Held (er hat auch nicht gewonnen).
3) Schroeder willst die Deutsche Wirtschaft anregen (besser spaet dann nie, ja?).
4) Ein Student hat ein Hashkuchen gebackt und zu seine Lehrers gegeben. Sie haben sich nicht gefreut.
5) Immer Bayern Muenchen! Bayern Muenchen! Bayern Muenchen!, aber nicht am die ortsansaessige nachricten. Australien hat keine Lust fuer fussball,nur Footy.
(Und, glaub Ich dass Ich im Winter zu die Goethe Institut zuruck gehen. Mein Deustch ist schrecklich.)
1) Die Ministerpraesidentin Heide Simonis (SPD) von Schleswig Holstein ist kaput (Aufpassen Dittmers und Lagerpusches!).
2) Michael Schumacher hat die Melbourne und Malaysian Grad Prix nicht gewonnen. Schade! Aber hier der Australische Fahrer Mark Weber ist das Held (er hat auch nicht gewonnen).
3) Schroeder willst die Deutsche Wirtschaft anregen (besser spaet dann nie, ja?).
4) Ein Student hat ein Hashkuchen gebackt und zu seine Lehrers gegeben. Sie haben sich nicht gefreut.
5) Immer Bayern Muenchen! Bayern Muenchen! Bayern Muenchen!, aber nicht am die ortsansaessige nachricten. Australien hat keine Lust fuer fussball,nur Footy.
(Und, glaub Ich dass Ich im Winter zu die Goethe Institut zuruck gehen. Mein Deustch ist schrecklich.)
Monday, March 21, 2005
Jaws
An email from Katie reminded me to say something about sharks.
The Australian ran an article on February 17th declaring Australia the shark fatality capital of the world based upon 2004 statistics. This now looks to have been in very poor taste after a deck hand on a dive boat was bisected by a 20 foot shark while snorkelling off the coast of West Australia on March 19th. This prompted a three day search for both the body as well as the shark, but neither ever turned up. There was fierce debate in the media over the weekend as to the merits (or lack) of hunting down the shark and killing it. This follows on a couple of shark related deaths back in December, both involving teenagers.
Australia clearly as a reputation for this kind of thing, but I wanted to try and put it into perspective (being interested in risk and all that). Since 1990, Australia has experienced 63 shark attacks with 16 fatalities (actually, now I should probably add 1 to each of those numbers). In contrast, the United States has experienced 490 with 11 fatalities. At first glance, it may seem that one is more likely to get attacked in the United States, although the death rate is clearly much greater in Australia (25% vs. 2%). However, in the United States, the risk is spread over a huge populace. The United States has about 14 times as many people as Australia. If one looks at risk on a per capita basis, one's odds of becoming shark food in Australia are roughly twice what they are in the U.S., and if you are attacked you are 10 times more likely to not live through it.
The Australian ran an article on February 17th declaring Australia the shark fatality capital of the world based upon 2004 statistics. This now looks to have been in very poor taste after a deck hand on a dive boat was bisected by a 20 foot shark while snorkelling off the coast of West Australia on March 19th. This prompted a three day search for both the body as well as the shark, but neither ever turned up. There was fierce debate in the media over the weekend as to the merits (or lack) of hunting down the shark and killing it. This follows on a couple of shark related deaths back in December, both involving teenagers.
Australia clearly as a reputation for this kind of thing, but I wanted to try and put it into perspective (being interested in risk and all that). Since 1990, Australia has experienced 63 shark attacks with 16 fatalities (actually, now I should probably add 1 to each of those numbers). In contrast, the United States has experienced 490 with 11 fatalities. At first glance, it may seem that one is more likely to get attacked in the United States, although the death rate is clearly much greater in Australia (25% vs. 2%). However, in the United States, the risk is spread over a huge populace. The United States has about 14 times as many people as Australia. If one looks at risk on a per capita basis, one's odds of becoming shark food in Australia are roughly twice what they are in the U.S., and if you are attacked you are 10 times more likely to not live through it.
Superbloke
Superman Returns is currently being filmed in the "town" of Breeza outside Tamworth, Australia. I guess they couldn't find a place in the U.S. sufficently in the middle of nowhere to shoot Superman's early days on the Kent family farm. There was a hilarious series of interviews with the residents of Breeza (all 5 of them) last night on television - none of them seemed particularly impressed by the events or by the potential for celebrities in their midst. But given that the general store closed several years ago, I don't think Breeza's inhabitants have much exposure to Hollywood. The more urban Tamworth, however, is quite excited - they've been doing brisk business in crane and construction equipment rentals.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Target Sucks
Yes, sorry to say. Target in Australia, based upon the store in Melbourne's CBD, sucks.
Footy
The Australian Football League's [http://afl.com.au/] season kicks off in less than a week. Australian rules football (aka, Footy), which you folks in the U.S. can occassionally catch very late at night on ESPN3, is the favored sport of Australia, followed by rugby and cricket (in no particular order). I'm still assessing the situation, but the fervor for footy appears to be generally unrivaled by anything in the U.S. Picture March Madness, the World Series, the Superbowl, and the funeral for Dale Earnhardt all rolled into one and then sustained for a period of six months. The season is comprised of 22 rounds of play, and that's about all I know at this point.
This does remind me, however, to comment on sports betting in Australia, which is ubiquitous. Sports books are pretty much everywhere, so you've no excuse for not placing a bet. Betting in Footy appears to center on "Footy Tipping" which is analgous to the bracket system during March Madness - individuals issue their "tips" each round, hoping to win whatever pool is available. This practice is a common feature of every place of business, school, radio station, television station, etc., so (once again) no excuse for not betting.
This does remind me, however, to comment on sports betting in Australia, which is ubiquitous. Sports books are pretty much everywhere, so you've no excuse for not placing a bet. Betting in Footy appears to center on "Footy Tipping" which is analgous to the bracket system during March Madness - individuals issue their "tips" each round, hoping to win whatever pool is available. This practice is a common feature of every place of business, school, radio station, television station, etc., so (once again) no excuse for not betting.
Graham Cracker
Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, preached to a packed crowd at Melbourne's Telstra Dome over the weekend, proving that Americans aren't the only ones with a strong fear of God. James Boyce took the opportunity in The Australian to comment on U.S. religiosity:
"End-time theology influences US public opinion at many levels. It encourages indifference to pressing environmental issues: facing biblical Armageddon, nature's version is irrelevant. International law and the UN are distractions – America is God's favoured nation and charged with divine responsibilities that can never be compromised. But even more disturbing, it encourages resistance to any action seen as delaying the fulfillment of prophecies set out in the Book of Revelation – such as the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, or a final showdown between good and evil in the Middle East. Such views are widely held. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found that 59 per cent of Americans believe that the prophecies in the Book of Revelation are going to come true. Nearly 25 per cent think the Bible predicted the 9/11 attacks."
I'll be the first to argue that the U.S. has gone a bit overboard in giving religion inroads into public policy, but this seems a bit slanted to me. Boyce describes the U.S. as cultivating a "radical new fundamentalist movement". New? What's new about it?
Graham Cracker - get it?
"End-time theology influences US public opinion at many levels. It encourages indifference to pressing environmental issues: facing biblical Armageddon, nature's version is irrelevant. International law and the UN are distractions – America is God's favoured nation and charged with divine responsibilities that can never be compromised. But even more disturbing, it encourages resistance to any action seen as delaying the fulfillment of prophecies set out in the Book of Revelation – such as the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, or a final showdown between good and evil in the Middle East. Such views are widely held. A 2002 Time/CNN poll found that 59 per cent of Americans believe that the prophecies in the Book of Revelation are going to come true. Nearly 25 per cent think the Bible predicted the 9/11 attacks."
I'll be the first to argue that the U.S. has gone a bit overboard in giving religion inroads into public policy, but this seems a bit slanted to me. Boyce describes the U.S. as cultivating a "radical new fundamentalist movement". New? What's new about it?
Graham Cracker - get it?
Wolfowitz the Healer?
Top three reasons why Wolfowitz would make a great head of the World Bank:
1) I'm sure all the experience he's had creating poverty and ruining economies through force of arms will translate well into addressing the many challenges of economic development.
2) It will help bridge the current Transatlantic divide between the U.S. and Europe.
3) He'll ensure the World Bank maintains its not-so-spotless reputation.
Seriously - this fiasco combined with the U.S. Senate's vote to open up ANWR for drilling is starting to make me think I left the United States only to land in the Twilight Zone.
1) I'm sure all the experience he's had creating poverty and ruining economies through force of arms will translate well into addressing the many challenges of economic development.
2) It will help bridge the current Transatlantic divide between the U.S. and Europe.
3) He'll ensure the World Bank maintains its not-so-spotless reputation.
Seriously - this fiasco combined with the U.S. Senate's vote to open up ANWR for drilling is starting to make me think I left the United States only to land in the Twilight Zone.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
(R)eally (E)xpensive (M)usic
Bright Eyes are REM are touring Australia next month, including a gig at the Rod Laver arena in Melbourne. Given that I missed REM in the U.S. back when tickets were $15, and again when they were $30, and again when they were $60, I think I'll pass since they're now $90-140. (not to mention I stopped paying attention to them some time during the early 1990s [sorry Paul]).
Join CSIRO - See the World
I've been in Melbourne less than a month, but I'm already figuring out ways to see the rest of the country (or at least the rest of this corner of the country). I'm off next Wednesday to Sydney for a workshop on coastal integrated assessment and management (WEEEEE!!), but that's a one day trip, so other than seeing the inside of an airport, a taxi, and a conference room, I doubt I'll get to experience much of Sydney. After that, I'm off to Adelaide, or a beach near Adelaide, to join Kerry and Mike et al. over the Easter holidays.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
America Makes the News!
All of you back home will be proud of the fact that all of the sordid details of life in the U.S. are frequently beamed across the world to Australia. The courtroom shooting and subsequent manhunt in Atlanta last week made the nightly news here, followed quickly by the shootings in Wisconsin. You will also be proud to know that you can catch COPS on TV here in Australia - although I have no idea why anyone in Australia would have any interest in watching COPS in Portland.
But then Aussies have their moments as well - violence is indeed a frequent event here too, but it typically invloves non-fatal knife wounds and other weapons of opportunity. Case in point, soccer hooliganism erupted before a game (yes, before the players even took the field) in Sydney over the weekend featuring rivalling Serb and Croat-backed teams. One soundbite on the news said something dismissing ethnic tension as a cause (hmmmm. . . Serbs and Croats in conflict - haven't we seen this somewhere before?). So I guess the question is what has more sway: a thousand years of Balkan unrest or a proud tradition of soccer hooliganism. Who knows?
And for those of you who thought it was a big deal last year when the U.S. was struck by four hurricanes, Australia is preparing to be hit a third time by the same cyclone. Cyclone Ingrid is circumnavigating the Australian coastline - first hitting Queensland, followed by a near miss on Darwin, and is now collecting herself once again for another strike on the west coast. How's that for persistence?
But then Aussies have their moments as well - violence is indeed a frequent event here too, but it typically invloves non-fatal knife wounds and other weapons of opportunity. Case in point, soccer hooliganism erupted before a game (yes, before the players even took the field) in Sydney over the weekend featuring rivalling Serb and Croat-backed teams. One soundbite on the news said something dismissing ethnic tension as a cause (hmmmm. . . Serbs and Croats in conflict - haven't we seen this somewhere before?). So I guess the question is what has more sway: a thousand years of Balkan unrest or a proud tradition of soccer hooliganism. Who knows?
And for those of you who thought it was a big deal last year when the U.S. was struck by four hurricanes, Australia is preparing to be hit a third time by the same cyclone. Cyclone Ingrid is circumnavigating the Australian coastline - first hitting Queensland, followed by a near miss on Darwin, and is now collecting herself once again for another strike on the west coast. How's that for persistence?
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Cost-of-Living
Living in paradise, however, is not necessarily cheap. The price of goods in Melbourne (and Australia in general) is a bit odd to figure out. CDs for example, seem extraordinarily expensive. After sticking my nose in three stores, the best prices I've found for the latest CDs from Wilco and Badly Drawn Boy are $30 and $32, respectively. Even after adjusting for the exchange rate, that amounts to about US$24-26 for a CD. This is, of course, absurd, and thus I'm considering holding off buying any new music until my next visit to the United States.
Coke is similarly expensive, but beer is rather cheap (still haven't found anything to rival a $3.75 pitcher of PBR, however). The cost of food is generally the same as in the US, although dining out can get pretty expensive fairly quickly, particularly if one is getting paid in AUS$ (which I am). From what I hear, housing has really taken off over the past couple of years, but it's still about 25-30% less than in Washington, DC - factor in the exchange rate and it gets even better. The big shocker comes from big-ticket items, particularly cars. Here, the weakness of the AUS$ becomes an issue. A US$24,000 car in the U.S. will cost you about AUS$30,000 in OZ, which starts to hurt, particularly given that Australians don't get paid more to compensate for their weak currency. But tiny little cars are much more prevalent here than in the U.S. (e.g., the Smart). And with the high quality of public transportation in Melbourne, I'm holding out as long as I can.
Coke is similarly expensive, but beer is rather cheap (still haven't found anything to rival a $3.75 pitcher of PBR, however). The cost of food is generally the same as in the US, although dining out can get pretty expensive fairly quickly, particularly if one is getting paid in AUS$ (which I am). From what I hear, housing has really taken off over the past couple of years, but it's still about 25-30% less than in Washington, DC - factor in the exchange rate and it gets even better. The big shocker comes from big-ticket items, particularly cars. Here, the weakness of the AUS$ becomes an issue. A US$24,000 car in the U.S. will cost you about AUS$30,000 in OZ, which starts to hurt, particularly given that Australians don't get paid more to compensate for their weak currency. But tiny little cars are much more prevalent here than in the U.S. (e.g., the Smart). And with the high quality of public transportation in Melbourne, I'm holding out as long as I can.
Paradise
After a week of "winter" weather (cool and a bit rainy) the sun has returned to Melbourne, driving temperatures back up above 30C and generally making this a fantastic place to live.
This weekend, the annual MOOMBA festival returned - essentially a big fair along the river, featuring rides, games, and the occassional water sports competition (http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/content.asp?Document_ID=87149 ).
Today (Monday) is also Labor Day in Victoria, although I find myself in the office anyway.
This weekend, the annual MOOMBA festival returned - essentially a big fair along the river, featuring rides, games, and the occassional water sports competition (http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/content.asp?Document_ID=87149 ).
Today (Monday) is also Labor Day in Victoria, although I find myself in the office anyway.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Welcome to Australia
One of the stereotypes I often here about Aussies is how friendly and welcoming they are. Bill Bryson, for example, related an anecdote about a Polish immigrant to Australia during the late 19th century who, when reporting (as required by law) to the local police precinct upon arrival was greeted warmly by a burly officer who extended a hand and said, "Welcome to Australia, son"!
Stereotypes exist for a reason. I received a similar greeting in The Local in East St. Kilda Thursday night upon being introduced to Tom. Tom held out his hand and said, "Welcome to Australia, mate - this is the best country in the world." (I'm not making this up). He then challenged me to an Irish car bomb race, which I lost miserably (Tom was clearly in another league). After that Tom showed pity and just forced tequila shots on me. It was a fun night.
Stereotypes exist for a reason. I received a similar greeting in The Local in East St. Kilda Thursday night upon being introduced to Tom. Tom held out his hand and said, "Welcome to Australia, mate - this is the best country in the world." (I'm not making this up). He then challenged me to an Irish car bomb race, which I lost miserably (Tom was clearly in another league). After that Tom showed pity and just forced tequila shots on me. It was a fun night.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Hi-5
I tracked down a new place to live yesterday - so for the next few months, I'll be on Tivoli Street in South Yarra, a popular neighborhood just across the Yarra River from downtown Melbourne.
I moved some of my stuff over last night and while sitting on the train, I read through "MX News" - essentially a throw away paper for commuters (you folks in DC are now familiar with this kind of thing) - and learned all sorts of wonderful things.
First and foremost, I became aware of the "Aussie Superstars" High-5 (seen here), a group of apparently quite popular child entertainers. They've even got a U.S. website (http://www.hi-5us.com/). High-5 performed Sunday at Federation Square (because nothing says Grad Prix like a dance troupe for kids). I was at Federation Square on Saturday, but all I got to see was the "Vodaphone dancers". Hi-5 still has a long way to go, however, to catch up with the Wiggles.
My horoscope stated "A decision you made several months ago could be a cause for regret." Hmmm. . . several months ago - right about the time I decided to quit my job, move to Australia, and get married. Great. Thanks.
I also learned that Will Smith's kid is having trouble with rhythm and rhyming.
I moved some of my stuff over last night and while sitting on the train, I read through "MX News" - essentially a throw away paper for commuters (you folks in DC are now familiar with this kind of thing) - and learned all sorts of wonderful things.
First and foremost, I became aware of the "Aussie Superstars" High-5 (seen here), a group of apparently quite popular child entertainers. They've even got a U.S. website (http://www.hi-5us.com/). High-5 performed Sunday at Federation Square (because nothing says Grad Prix like a dance troupe for kids). I was at Federation Square on Saturday, but all I got to see was the "Vodaphone dancers". Hi-5 still has a long way to go, however, to catch up with the Wiggles.
My horoscope stated "A decision you made several months ago could be a cause for regret." Hmmm. . . several months ago - right about the time I decided to quit my job, move to Australia, and get married. Great. Thanks.
I also learned that Will Smith's kid is having trouble with rhythm and rhyming.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Exports
America obviously exports much of its creations overseas, and Australia is no exception. By some strange mysterious force, Target arrived here before Ikea and of course, Starbucks, Borders, et al. have landed as well. But nothing is more prevalent than those businesses which symbolize America's obsession with lousy food: KFC, McDonald's, TGI Friday's (brutal), Pizza Hut, and Subway (which is everywhere). Needless to say, as in America, Australians are struggling with an epidemic of obesity. This is somewhat disturbing given Australia's international reputation for having an active, sporty populace. Lately, however, it seems activity is declining, and television has been implicated (and once again, programming is largely U.S. in origin), but of course this is simply a symptom of a general move toward more sedentary lifestyles. If I were Australian, I'd be demanding that the U.S. subsidize a national nutrition and exercise program for Australia. Australia has sent their military support to every major conflict in which the U.S. has been involved over the past century, and to show its thanks, the U.S. sends Australia TGI Friday's, supersized value meals, and reruns of CSI.
Weekend
My weekend was spent doing numerous laps around Melbourne in the search for more permanent housing, checking out various neighborhoods, and loitering near the Grad Prix course. Ended up walking past the Melbourne Museum and Royal Exhibition Hall (pictured here) twice on Saturday - once while looking at an apartment building in the neighborhood and then again while attending a lecture at the Museum in the evening on science communication.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Butter and the Metric System
They don't have 8.5x11 sheets of paper in Australia (it's more like 8.25x11.5), and my computer now asks for me to set margins in cm rather than inches. Not to mention that all the filing cabinets are too wide for my file folders, but they're still being held hostage in customs somewhere, so I guess I don't have to worry about just yet. In any case, I can't get anything done, because I'm constantly being tripped up by these unbelieveably tiny details, which I just can't overlook.
Similarly, I spent a good ten minutes in the grocery store last night looking at the various brands of butter, desperately concerned that I would end up with some low-cal, soy-derived crap or (even worse) some low-budget/discount brand that would make me the object of ridicule in the check-out line and mark me as some unemployed low-life with bad taste.
Similarly, I spent a good ten minutes in the grocery store last night looking at the various brands of butter, desperately concerned that I would end up with some low-cal, soy-derived crap or (even worse) some low-budget/discount brand that would make me the object of ridicule in the check-out line and mark me as some unemployed low-life with bad taste.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Royals Watch
The big news in Australia right now is the arrival of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and his new wife Crown Princess Mary from Australia. Australia finally has its own home-grown royalty, and the media can't get enough(http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12395721-421,00.html). Prince Charles showed up yesterday as well - no one seems particularly exicted about him, though.
The other news over the weekend was a series of nightly riots in the Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields, where two teenagers died in a car-chase with police after stealing a car. Macquarie Fields is up in arms re: police brutality, etc. and the nightly confrontations have gotten quite nasty. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/More-riots-rock-Sydneys-southwests/2005/03/01/1109546822728.html?oneclick=true].
The other news over the weekend was a series of nightly riots in the Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields, where two teenagers died in a car-chase with police after stealing a car. Macquarie Fields is up in arms re: police brutality, etc. and the nightly confrontations have gotten quite nasty. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/More-riots-rock-Sydneys-southwests/2005/03/01/1109546822728.html?oneclick=true].
CSIRO
Today marked day 2 at CSIRO. These appear to be times of change for my division. CSIRO Atmospheric Research will be merging with CSIRO Marine Research this summer, leading to a number of institutional issues and all round chaos at some levels. Meanwhile, a freak storm last week fried the computer network here leading to various, persistent problems, and about the time I walked through the door a main water pipe ruptured. So perhaps I could have picked a better day to start. . .
That said, the facility itself is quite nice - no complaints about the office space (once I was able to find it without getting lost), other than the fact that most of the contents of my old office are sitting in customs somewhere in Australia. There are about 110+ scientists working here - quite a change from the cozy environment of the Pew Center. I gave up on trying to remember names about 30 seconds after I arrived.
The best part - tea! That's right, everyone breaks for tea at 10:30am. Isn't that cool!? Plus, there are various groups that get together during lunch for soccer, volleyball, etc. Oh, and it's quite clear that there really isn't any dress code whatsoever. Sweet!! I could certainly get used to this.
That said, the facility itself is quite nice - no complaints about the office space (once I was able to find it without getting lost), other than the fact that most of the contents of my old office are sitting in customs somewhere in Australia. There are about 110+ scientists working here - quite a change from the cozy environment of the Pew Center. I gave up on trying to remember names about 30 seconds after I arrived.
The best part - tea! That's right, everyone breaks for tea at 10:30am. Isn't that cool!? Plus, there are various groups that get together during lunch for soccer, volleyball, etc. Oh, and it's quite clear that there really isn't any dress code whatsoever. Sweet!! I could certainly get used to this.
Aspendale Shore Motel
So here's a view from my porch. Downtown Melbourne is off to the right, out of sight and a good 30km away.
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