Samson & Delilah

Samson & Delilah won a range of awards at the Australian Film Institute Awards last night. The film, which took home the Camera d'Or in Cannes earlier in the year, took home the Best Film, Best Director, and Best Cinematography awards.

Group of Death?

Australia has drawn a fairly rough road to the World Cup. The Socceroos opening match will be against Germany on June 13 - rumour has it that Germany has a reputation for being a tough opponent. That will be followed by games with the other members of the group, Ghana on June 19 and Serbia on June 23.

A November for the Record Books

Although the Australian summer officially only started on December 1, summer weather has been with us for at least a month. November came to a close with another entry for Melbourne's record books. The city's average daily maximum temperature for the month came in at 27.4C, blowing the previous record of 25.5C set back in 1862 out of the water. The month included 10 consecutive days above 30 as well as one night where the temperature never dropped below 28C. Fortunately, the extreme temperatures were accompanied by extreme rains that offerred a temporary reprieve from Victoria's Big Dry.

A Week of Firsts

I used my attendance last week at an adaptation forum as an opportunity to take the family on short trip to Sydney. So mom and dad packed up Malia and her grandmother and headed east. The trip marked a number of milestones in Malia's life including the following:

1) First trip on a plane

2) First trip to another city

3) First stay in a hotel

4) First swim in the ocean (well, she put a toe in at least)

5) First ride on a boat (the ferry to Manly)

6) First ride on a subway

Granted, Malia is unlikely to remember all of this excitement, particularly because she slept through most of these experiences, but it was good preparation for her first overseas voyage later this month.

An American Takes the Helm of New South Wales

As of this morning, the State of New South Wales has its first female Premier, American-born Kristina Kerscher Keneally. The Premier-designate will replace Nathan Rees who, in recent months, was more commonly referred to as the 'dead man walking'.

If this is spring. . .

American celebrities are feeling the heat in Melbourne, with persistent abnormally high temperatures baking the city (with more on the way). Tiger Woods has been sweating his way through the Australian Masters and has received a welcome more akin to visiting royalty. Meanwhile, Britney Spears played a show in Melbourne Thursday, causing traffic chaos in my neighborhood just as I was driving home. You owe me 30 minutes of my life back, Britney.

Qantas: "The Spirt of Australia"

from The Age, October 30, 2009:

"Spirits and full strength beer have been banned on intrastate Qantas flights in Western Australia because drunken mine workers have become too unruly."

enough said. . .

Malia's First Halloween

Actually, I don't think it's fair to say it was Malia's first Halloween, given she largely slept through the entire day (heat makes little persons sleepy, I guess) and even she had been awake, I don't think she would have gotten the whole concept.

Brekkie on the Bridge

The Premier of New South Wales launched the first annual Brekkie on the Bridge last week - perhaps an attempt to elevate Sydney's standing on the cultural ladder. 190,000 people allegedly applied for the 6,000 picnic spots on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was covered in genuine grass turf. Rumour has it the event will be repeated next year - assuming the Premier is still in office. . .

Only in Australia. . .

. . . could a group of guys go on television in blackface and subsequently argue that the skit didn't have any racial implications - the logic being that if the perpetrators don't find it offensive, then it's not (and hey - they did it back in '89 and people loved it. . .). Given Australia's own humble origin, I'd think its people would be more sympathetic to culturally sensitive issues. However, it seems that approximately 75% of the population didn't see anything particularly racist about this shtick. Fair enough - it probably wasn't intended to be racist - yet it still managed to offend nonetheless, and anyone with 75% of a brain could have seen that coming. Australia continues to have an image problem in this department. Just when the tourism boards make progress in branding the nation as a friendly, open and diverse environment, some clowns step-up and do something stupid.

Aussie Nobel

Elizabeth Blackburn has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for medicine. Blackburn was born in Tasmania and is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, but currently works at the University of California - San Francisco. She shares the prize with Carol Greider at Johns Hopkins and Jack Szostak of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Busy Weekend

We had a busy weekend with Malia as we tried to introduce her to the neighborhood. Thanks to her baby carrier, she travelled with us to Richmond Market on Saturday morning to buy some veggies and she got to take in the sweet aroma of her first sausage sizzle. She also entertained numerous visitors including the local Maternal and Child Health nurse (who confirmed that Malia is rapidly gaining weight) as well as Emma, Jeremy and Ady. The highlight, however, was Malia's trip to the Royal Children's Hospital, where she was the guest-of-honor in an educational clinic on infant mental health and behavior. She put on quite a show, demonstrating skills even her parents hadn't seen before, such as tracking objects and rolling herself over.

The First Seven Days

What do newborns do when they aren't sleeping, eating or looking adorable? Well, ours appears to enjoy crying in the middle-of-the-night and consuming large quantities of diapers. After 7 days on Earth, Malia has largely been confined to quarters. However, she did venture out for some shopping (although she slept during the entire trip) and has gone for a couple of walks (although she slept through both of those as well).

Welcome Malia!

After 41 weeks of gestation and 18 hours of labour, Malia Sydney Preston finally arrived at 10:30 pm on 23 September, much to the delight of her parents. At present, she has her mother's rosy cheeks and her father's copious and chaotic hair. Her hobbies include sleeping and eating.

Aufpassen!

Germany's Oktoberfest, which strangely appears to be Australia's largest annual drinking event, has claimed its first Australian casualty, with a Queenslander falling under a train in Munich after a night of festing.

You can take the girl out of California. . .

. . . but you can't take California out of the girl. Brynne Gordon, fiance of former Sydney Swans owner Geoffrey Edelston, was just one of the AFL 'WAGS' (Wives and Girlfriends) attempting to turn heads at tonight's Brownlow Medal festivities. Personally, I consider the Brownlows to be the most profoundly boring award show on the planet, but at least there is always the occasional fashion faux pas to provide comic relief. Despite being an American, Brynne is clearly a big fan of AFL - not too many people would go as far as to have a couple of footys surgically implanted to show their love of the game. . .

Oh, and for the record, this year's winner of the Brownlow Medal was Geelong's Gary Ablett

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Political Ignorance

According to recent poll results, celebrity gossip has replaced political awareness in the mind of the average Australian:

"UNLIKELY as it may seem, Jackie O and Nicola Roxon have something in common: the figure of 14 per cent. That's how many people don't know the Sydney-based radio personality, and how many do know the nation's Health Minister."

Aussies, Aussies everywhere. . .

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has updated its estimates for the nations future population growth. In 2007, the ABS estimated Australia's population would rise to 28 million by 2050, but recently that estimate has jumped to million, driven predominantly by a large influx of new immigrants as well as the Australian commitment to breeding. While the political spin is that such growth is an indicator of Australia's rising popularity for those seeking a better life, it does raise questions regarding how the nation will feed, house and provide water and energy to a population over twice its current size.

The Lucky Country

With the Global Financial Crisis celebrating its first birthday, Peter Hartcher at the Sydney Morning Herald has an interesting article summarising Australia's experience and speculating as to how Australia has managed to avoid recession, maintain a vigorous housing market and keep a lid on unemployment while the rest of the world crumbled around it.

"From being one of the world's chronic underperformers, Australia has become a model. The country that the Economist magazine in 2007 labelled 'Downwonder' has emerged as a model in two senses. It's an example of an economic success, but it's also a model in that it has developed a distinctive political economy. There is now an 'Australian model'.

"Australia is a country that seems to have achieved a sweet spot, combining the vigour of American capitalism with the humanity of European welfare, yet suffering the drawbacks of neither."

Spring is in the Air

The mercury hit 29C (84F) in Melbourne yesterday, the warmest day on record for early September. Granted, there were a few hiccups such as strong winds that caused power outages here and there. Nevertheless, we managed to enjoy a cold beer (well, I enjoyed the beer at least) at our local, followed by a hearty meal of fish and chips. With warm weather forecast for at least the next week, there's hope that the long Melbourne "winter" is on its way out.

Eureka!

Tuesday afternoon I flew to Sydney to attend the 20th annual Australian Museum Eureka Prizes for science. Our project with the Sydney Coastal Councils Group on climate change adaptation was a finalist in the category of Innovative Solutions to Climate Change. While victory wasn't anticipated, it was a good opportunity to clip on the old bow tie, and sample some (or quite a lot actually) Australian wines. As it happened, the fates smiled upon us, and we walked away with the prize, which included $10,000 which we now have to figure out how to reinvest. We had the honour of shaking hands with the premier of NSW, but in all honesty, I would have preferred to have met Cate Blanchett, who presented the People's Choice Award. Oh well, there's always next year. . .

Additional photos here

The Windy City

For the second time in two weeks, high winds have struck Victoria resulting in damage comparable to what one would expect from a category 1 cyclone (see this story on the first event). Living upon one of the highest points in Melbourne, such events are particularly exciting for us. It's a bit unnerving watching one's windows bulge inward, but no harm done. However, our BBQ cover did go on a short trip down the street over night, but we managed to locate it and bring it back home this morning.

Babymoon

Sorrento is rapidly becoming our home away from home, given we've made four trips there over the years (including this one, this one which I never wrote anything about and, more recently, that one). This past weekend, we were back on the Morn Penn to enjoy our last days of peace and quiet before it all comes crashing down in a heap of child-rearing.

To summarise the highlights. . .

We stayed at Hotel Sorrento (which does a good brekkie), and meals were had at La Porchetta (which was empty on a winter Thursday night), the Sorrento Seaford Tavern (quiet but not dead on a Friday night) and Coast (which was packed on Saturday night, and deservedly). For entertainment, Uta did some spa stuff, we caught Public Enemies on opening night (three other people were in the theatre), and we undertook some walks toward Portsea (peeking through fences at the houses of the ueber rich) and around Cape Schank (where we were too cheap to pay $10 to tour the lighthouse). We also spent a bit of time deliberating over the name of kid #1, which now appears almost (but perhaps not quite) locked in.

Photos here

Australian for 'Culture'

Australia's "Big Things" are to be listed officially as National Heritage sites. BambooWeb offers the following list (or check out Wikipedia's entry):

Western Australia

• The Big Crocodile, Wyndham - 3m x 18m
• The Big Banana, Carnarvon - 6m x 1m
• The Big Apple, Donnybrook - 7m x 4m
• The Big Ram, Wagin - 8m x 10m

South Australia

• The Big Orange, Berri - 15m x 12m
• The Big Lobster, Kingston - 17m x 15m
• The Big Scotsman, Medindie (Adelaide) - 5m x 1m
• The Big Rocking Horse, Gumeracha - 18m x 17m
• The Big Miner, Kapunda - 8m x 2m
• The Big Winch, Coober Pedy - 8m x 5m
• The Big Galah, Kimba - 6m x 2m
• The Big Roo, Border Village - 5m x 2m

Victoria

• The Big Murray Cod, Swan Hill - 3m x 9m
• The Giant Ned Kelly, Glenrowan - 6m x 2m
• The Big Pheasant, Tynong - 8m x 17m
• The Big Worm, Bass - 250m x 4m
• The Big Woolbales, Hamilton - 3m x 12m
• The Giant Koala, Dadswells Bridge - 14m x 8m

Tasmania

• The Big Penguin, Penguin - 3m x 1m
• The Big Tasmanian Devil, Mole Creek - 2m x 3m

New South Wales

• The Big Wine Cask, Wentworth - 6m x 8m
• The Big Playable Guitar, Narrandera - 6m x 2m
• The Big Murray Cod, Tocumwal - 2m x 7m
• The Big Trout, Adaminaby - 10m x 3m
• The Big Merino, Goulburn - 15m x 18m
• The Big Cherries, Young - 2m x 4m
• The Big Gold Panner, Bathurst - 5m x 3m
• The Big Chook, Mt Vernon - 4m x 4m
• The Big Wine Bottle, Pokolbin (Hunter Valley) - 6m x 2m
• The Big Oyster, Taree - 4m x 12m
• The Big Bull, Wauchope - 14m x 21m
• The Big Golden Guitar, Tamworth - 12m x 4m
• The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour - 11m x 2m
• The Big Prawn, Ballina - 6m x 9m

A.C.T.

• The Big Mushroom, Belconnen - 4m x 8m

Queensland

• The Big Barramundi, Normanton - 6m x 2m
• The Big Barramundi, Daintree - 6m x 2m
• The Big Captain Cook, Cairns - 7m x 2m
• The Big Marlin, Cairns - 8m x 2m
• The Big Cassowary, Mission Beach - 5m x 5m
• The Big Gumboot, Tully - 8m x 6m
• The Big Mango, Bowen - 12m x 8m
• The Big Rum Bottle, Bundaberg - 6m x 1m
• The Big Mandarin, Mundubbera - 11m x 15m
• The Big Ned Kelly, Maryborough - 8m x 2m
• The Big Shell, Tewantin - 3m x 1m
• The Big Stubby, Tewantin - 9m x 4m
• The Big Cow, Nambour - 6m x 10m
• The Big Pineapple, Nambour - 16m x 6m
• The Big Macadamia nut, Nambour - 5m x 10m
• The Big Redback, Brisbane - 3m x 3m
• The Big Hard Rock Guitar, Surfer's Paradise - 10m x 3m
• The Big Apple, Stanthorpe - 4m x 3m

Northern Territory

• The Big Boxing Crocodile, Humpty Doo - 8m x 8m
• The Big Stockwhip, Acacia - 7m x 10m

Hottest 100

Australia's JJJ radio completed its latest poll of the "Hottest 100." The poll dates back to 1989 (go here for prior results), with most polls targeting only on the H-100 for the previous year. However, this year, to commemorate the original H-100 in 1989, JJJ asked for the H-100 of all time (with all time presumably being the modern era of Rock and/or Roll).

The list is, in a word, strange and would appear to represent a clash of generations (X, Y, with a few baby boomers thrown in). OK, so Nirvana comes in at #1, yada, yada, yada. Could have seen that coming from miles away (although it's pretty ordinary as far as Nirvana songs go). But in at #4 is Joy Division with a song that took the #1 spot back in 1989 - it's only slipped 3 spots in 20 years. Not to shabby. There's much love for Radiohead as well as Jeff Buckley and his crooning of songs he didn't write. How Blink 182 comes in above the Stones defines reason, and I won't even get into the myriad absences. Ah well, all for fun right?

1. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. Rage Against the Machine - Killing In The Name
3. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
4. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
5. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
6. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
7. Jeff Buckley - Last Goodbye
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge
9. Foo Fighters - Everlong
10. Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
11. John Lennon - Imagine
12. Oasis - Wonderwall
13. Radiohead - Creep
14. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
15. Radiohead - Karma Police
16. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
17. Hilltop Hoods - The Nosebleed Section
18. Muse - Knights Of Cydonia
19. Metallica - One
20. White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
21. Powderfinger - These Days
22. Massive Attack - Teardrop
23. Hunters & Collectors - Throw Your Arms Around Me
24. The Beatles - A Day in the Life
25. Pearl Jam - Alive
26. Michael Jackson - Thriller
27. Powderfinger - My Happiness
28. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
29. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
30. Jimi Hendrix - All Along the Watchtower
31. Metallica - Enter Sandman
32. New Order - Blue Monday
33. Silverchair - Tomorrow
34. The Living End - Prisoner Of Society
35. Smashing Pumpkins - 1979
36. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms
37. Tool - Stinkfist
38. The Killers - Mr Brightside
39. Pearl Jam - Better Man
40. Nirvana - Come As You Are
41. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
42. Bloc Party - Banquet
43. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
44. The Beatles - Hey Jude
45. Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows
46. Faith No More - Epic
47. John Butler Trio - Betterman
48. Beastie Boys - Sabotage
49. Guns 'N Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
50. Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over
51. Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings
52. You Am I - Berlin Chair
53. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
54. The Cure - Close To Me
55. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
56. Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should Have Come Over
57. Tool - Forty Six & 2
58. Daft Punk - Around The World
59. Augie March - One Crowded Hour
60. Johnny Cash - Hurt
61. Blur - Song 2
62. Nine Inch Nails - Closer
63. AC/DC - Thunderstruck
64. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
65. Underworld - Born Slippy
66. Elton John - Tiny Dancer
67. Ben Folds Five - Brick
68. Blink 182 - Dammit
69. Jeff Buckley - Grace
70. The Prodigy - Breathe
71. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
72. The Shins - New Slang
73. The Clash - London Calling
74. Nirvana - Lithium
75. Green Day - Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)
76. The Stone Roses - Fools Gold
77. Gotye - Hearts A Mess
78. Smashing Pumpkins - Today
79. David Bowie - Life on Mars
80. The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
81. Pulp - Common People
82. System Of A Down - Chop Suey!
83. Placebo - Every You Every Me
84. Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman, No Cry
85. The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You
86. The Beatles - Come Together
87. Coldplay - Yellow
88. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
89. Rage Against the Machine - Bulls On Parade
90. Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
91. AC/DC - Back In Black
92. Bon Iver - Skinny Love
93. Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
94. Modest Mouse - Float On
95. Stevie Wonder - Superstition
96. Daft Punk - One More Time
97. Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning
98. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
99. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
100. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

A Nation of 'Mummy's Boys'

A new article on our favourite Australian cultural phenomenon:

A nation of 'mummy's boys'
July 8, 2009 - 4:08PM .

Australian mothers are breeding a generation of "mummies' boys", new data reveals.
Social demographer Bernard Salt says new figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 27 per cent of men aged between 20 and 34 are still living with their parents - double the proportion of women. more

Climate Change and Social Justice

Melbourne University Press has published a new book entitled Climate Change and Social Justice. The edited volume covers the gambit of issues (responsibility for climate change, intergenerational equity, health, environmental refugees, adaptation and equity in climate policy) from the likes of Ross Garnaut, David Karoly and Jon Barnett among others. I bring up the rear with Chapter 12: Equitable Climate Policy in a Dangerous World. The Introduction by Jeremy Moss provides a good overview of the various chapters.

Get your copy here.

Arlington: The Rap

Thanks to my homies back in DC, I got wind of this little gem, which features the old 'hood where we used to live before we moved down under. Five seconds into the video, you can see our old apartment building in the background, and the Whole Foods (known back in the day as Whole Paycheck) was where we did our regular shopping.

Au revoir Connex

An era has ended in Melbourne, with the much-maligned public transport provider Connex failing in its bid to renew its contract to operate the city's rail services. The newly formed consortium, Metro Trains Melbourne, which is headed by a Hong Kong company, will take over rail operations, while a group led by the French firm Keolis Downer EDI will pick up tram services. Having wasted at least one lifetime waiting on Connex trains to arrive (despite the hefty price tag associated with the city's rail services), I can't be surprised about the demise of Connex. However, it remains to be seen if the new management can improve the current state of affairs, which is due in part to long-term underinvestment in infrastructure.

G' Day UK

Despite the constant stream of pale, consumptive, alcoholic backpackers from the UK washing up on Australia's shores, Australia's tourism machinery has launched a campaign to recruit even more:

"The banks of London's "dirty old river" Thames are being transformed into the golden sands of Bondi beach, to promote NSW."

It's not as Glamorous as it Looks

On Tuesday, 9 June I woke up at 4:45 in the Victorian regional town of Mildura (after completing four days of karate training). I proceeded to drive to the aiport and catch a flight back home to Melbourne. Once back in Melbourne, I took a taxi home, where I then jumped on a train to the office, where I picked up a car and drove to Tooradin. Once there, I spent an hour of so standing around in the cold, the wind and the rain trying to come up with clever things to say. The purpose of that long story is that it explains why I've got bags under my eyes in the following video:

Terrorism Has a New Name

At times, living in Australia is like having a direct window to the past. Case-in-point, a number of water suppliers around Australia are only now getting around to adding fluoride to drinking water. Back in 2007, I had a post on Queensland's coming-of-age with fluoride. Now, it's Geelong's turn. Barwon Water, which provides water to Geelong (70 km to Melbourne's west) is set to begin adding fluoride to the water supply this week. Enter the dreaded anti-fluoride terrorists. According to The Age:

"Anti-fluoride activists have also threatened to blow up Barwon Water's treatment plants as the authority begins on Monday adding fluoride to the water supply in Geelong, 70 kilometres southwest of Melbourne. The Department of Human Services (DHS) received a threatening letter in the mail last week. All three threats are being investigated by police. A government spokeswoman said Ms Neville, who is the member for Bellarine, returned home on Saturday night to find the bottle of water and a note on her front verandah. It read: 'We're going to kill you, bitch'."

As I've said many times before on this blog, you can't make this stuff up.

Mean Streets

Back in 2006, a had a brief post on the Australian underworld and a couple of its personalities that had recently found themselves 'wacked', as they say. Little did I realise at the time the full extent of Australia's fascination with its own little gangland wars (which weren't really wars so much as the occasional assassination). Since 2006, Australia has produced not one, but two television series (Underbelly and Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities)dramatising various periods of particularly tumultuous gang activity (which according to the television shows seemed to involve lots of people getting buried in shallow graves, cocaine, and group sex).

But the underworld isn't just a historical curiosity - a fact readily demonstrated this afternoon, when Desmond Moran was shot dead while existing his favourite deli after what was to be his last meal. The Moran family is no stranger to violence as Moran's brother as well as his two nephews also are all 'sleeping with the fishes' as they say.

And so the underworld continues to thrive, in its own small-scale Melbourne way.

Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here

Australia has an international reputation for hosting all sorts of danger in the outback or, occassionally, in its coastal waters. A little known fact, however, is that such danger apparently exists everywhere. Case-in-point: a poor unsuspecting man was bitten by a brown snake (one of the world's more venomous varieties) in downtown Melbourne in an alley behind a department store. You can't make this stuff up. . .

Another One Bites the Dust

Another landmark along Victoria's Great Ocean Road has undegone a bit of renovation, with a significant chunk of the Island Archway at Loch Ard Gorge falling into the waters below. This follows the demise of one of the 12 Apostles back in 2005 and the collapse of London Bridge back in 1994.

The Other Footy

After a few years on the back burner, soccer (aka football) is making its way back on the Australia agenda. First, Australia has officially qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after a 0-0 draw with Qatar last week. However, the Socceroos sill face a match against Japan here in Melbourne this week to see which team will claim the top spot in the group.

Meanwhile, Australia is hoping to punch above its weight on the international stage by launching a bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The Federal Government has contributed big bucks (by Australia standards) to the campaign, despite a general feeling that Australia will likely be the underdog in this race.

Swine Flu

While the global swine flu epidemic appears to have fallen off the front pages of most newspapers in the northern hemisphere, the disease is rapidly making its way through the Australian population. At present, there are 254 cases confirmed in Australia and thousands have been quarantined. Both numbers are rising by the hour as the disease continues to pop up just about everywhere, although Melbourne has been ground zero for most of the victims. A number of schools have closed, cruise ships have been asked to remain at sea, and doctor's offices are overflowing as anxious cold-sufferers seek medical advice (it doesn't help that swine flu rocked up in Australia during the regular flu season). One alarmist has estimated that a full 20% of the Australian population could be affected before its all over.

Easy Come, Easy Go!

The beauty of the modern era is one's ability to sign away large quantities of cash in a heartbeat. For the past month, we've been struggling to come to terms with the fact that our little Getz (featured here back in 2006) is not equipped to handle the additional responsibilities that will come with our soon-to-be-expanded family. Hence, this afternoon we closed the deal on a new i30 wagon - German styling at a Korean price and plenty of room for bub, prams and a couple of grandparents (should they be brave enough to travel down under).

Eskimo Joe - Foreign Land

Australia's own Eskimo Joe is back with a new album, Inshalla. The clip above is the first single off the new album.

Samson And Delilah

Many folks around the world spent a few hours during 2008 suffering through Australia, an attempt to elevate the stature of Australia (both as a continent and as a film-making nation). Depending upon whom you ask, that film accomplished neither goal. However, Australia is no stranger to quality films, they just tend to be of the low-budget, but substantive variety. At Cannes over the weekend, a young upstart director, Warwick Thorton, earned recognition for his debut film, Samson and Delilah. No doubt, the film will be limited to the world's art house cinemas, but it's a good testament to the fact that good things can come in small packages. Perhaps more importantly, it shows the lives of Australia's indigenous people with brutal honesty.

What do Australians do when they travel overseas? A recent article in The Age answers the question:

Wedgies and petty theft tie up consular staff
Tim Elliott
May 23, 2009

"TOUCHING up a Singapore Airlines flight attendant, giving drinkers "wedgies" at Oktoberfest and pilfering bar mats from Phuket bars. Australians love to travel and are, it seems, finding ever more unorthodox ways of extending time overseas - even if it means bunking down in the lock-up."

World's Largest Pub Crawl

If you had to guess which country holds the Guinness world record for the world's largest pub crawl, you'd probably be pretty safe picking Australia. Furthermore, if you had to pick a part of Australia that would host such an event, it would almost certainly be Queensland. As it happens, the Queensland town of Maryborough has apparently won the title 3 of the past 4 years, losing out to London in 2006. On June 7, Maryborough battles for the 2009 championship. Good Luck!

Check out the details at http://worldsgreatestpubcrawl.com/.

Melbourne Comedy Festival

The 2009 edition of the Melboune Comedy Festival came to a close last weekend. We managed to catch two shows: Arj Barker's Bits and Pieces (I have to pay respect to my fellow American) as well as the up and coming Celia Pacquola's Am I Strange(with whom we have a personal connection through one degree of separation). Samples of their respective schticks are below from appearances on Australia's own Rove.

Kate Miller-Heidke

Queensland's Kate Miller-Heidke released a new album (Curiouser) at the end of 2008. This clip comes from her 2008 performance Live at the Chapel.

Underdog

After years of litigation, David has slain Goliath. The CSIRO's legal action against, well, every major computer hardware company in the world over the intellectual property underlying WiFi technology has come to an end. The CSIRO has triumphed. Needless to say, the total value of the settlements remain confidential, but it will undoubtedly be a substantial sum.

Australian Favourites

This article in The Age reviews how some of Australia's favourite foodstuffs are created.

Australia

Bright

Easter was spent in Bright, where we took up residence at the bustling Bright Accommodation Park. It was a busy weekend in Bright, with tourists flocking to the country town to enjoy everything it has to offer - largely scenic amenity and the occasional market. The beautiful days were balanced by the cold (and frequently rainy) nights, which led to one aborted BBQ where we were forced to seek food and shelter in the local pub. We took day trips to Mount Buffalo and Harrietville (including the Bungalow Spur toward Mt. Feathertop).

Photos here

Whitewashing

Two and one-half years ago, I voiced my concerns about the marked lack of diversity within Australian media right here at BP.com. At long last, the issue has gotten a bit of an airing, with this article in The Age.

A pale limitation
Melinda Houston
March 29, 2009

"IS AUSTRALIAN television really "hideously white"? Last year Britain's racial equality chief Trevor Phillips initiated an inquiry into racial depictions on television, and summed up Britain's television diet in those two pithy words.

What's slightly embarrassing for us down under is that two of the programs singled out for criticism by English viewers were [Australia's] Neighbours and Home and Away. Even from the other side of the world they couldn't quite swallow a Summer Bay denuded of non-Anglos." continues

Perth - The Final Frontier

Ever since arriving in Australia over four years ago, I've been waiting for an excuse to visit the nation's west coast. Over the years, I've made a dozen trips to Canberra and Brisbane and perhaps two dozen (or more) to Sydney and even a few days of recreation in Adelaide. But until last week, I'd had no reason whatsoever to make the grand voyage across the continent to Western Australia. But with Greenhouse 2009 hosted by Perth, a swarm of climate scientists (including Uta and I) descended on WA.

Perth may be perceived to have a lot to offer, particularly to backpackers, construction workers and those affiliated with the mining industry (which collectively comprise the bulk of the city's population). Others, however, may be a bit put off by the fact that those construction workers are actively rebuilding half of the city (mining revenue has its benefits) and the fact that high wages lead to absurd prices for goods and services. In addition, with Perth being the most remote city of any note on the planet, it attracts no shortage of odd individuals. On the positive side, this makes for high quality people-watching.
While the city itself leaves a bit to be desired (save for King's Park and the Grosvenor Pub where I enjoyed a pint), we found refuge in various suburbs including Subiaco , Cottesloe, and the more distant Fremantle. But the region's most attractive location has to be Rottnest Island (aka "Rotto"), where we spent an entire day cruising by bicycle.

Perth is also the jumping off point for any number of other destinations such as the Swan River Vally, Margaret River, and the Pinnacle Desert. Such attractions, however, will require another trip.

Photos here

In a League of Its Own

The 2009 Australian Rules Football season is underway, and while it may still have quite a ways to go before it becomes a "world sport" (hell, it's got its work cut out for it just getting respect in New South Wales and Queensland), with the help of Toyota, the AFL can put together a pretty flash promotional ad for the season kick-off.

Earthquake Part II

Last week's 4.6 tremor raised a few eyebrows, but no one suspected that event would be followed by another 4.6. Yet at approximately 4:30 this afternoon, that's exactly what happened.

Visiting Sydney?

For those interested in dropping in on Sydney in the near future, check out CNN International's write-up on things to do in Australia's biggest city.

Earthquake!!!

When one lives in an environment about which he is unfamiliar, certain things come as a surprise. For example, we were quite surprised last night when our entire building started shaking, as we silly expats didn't realise that Melbourne is prone to the occasional earthquake. The baby tremor measured just 4.6 on the old R-scale, but was nevertheless enough to cause one to stand up and take notice.

Talking Climate in Noosa

Following our successful weekend in Sorrento, we flew up to Queensland's Sunshine Coast. I attended a workshop at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and Uta, being a woman of liberty, settled into the beaches and shopping of Noosa. Fortunately, those Queenslanders know how to run a workshop - we finished each day ~2:30 to allow time for rest and relaxation in the Queensland sun. We stuck around for the weekend, which gave us a chance to sample the culinary delights on Hastings Street and stroll through Noosa National Park (koalas galore!). I borrowed one of Tim's boards to try a bit of surfing - gravity, low friction surfaces, noncompressible fluieds and lots of people in the water doesn't make for an easy recreational past time. But I reckon it keeps you fit - not too many overweight surfers out there. . .

Photos here

A Weekend in Sorrento

I appear to be falling a bit behind here. . .

Roughly two weeks ago, we joined a crew of consultants and former consultants from a consulting firm that shall remain nameless (hint: Uta used to work there) in Sorrento. We rented (or hired, if one is using the Aussie lingo) the palatial estate, Costa Lotta, just across the border from Sorrento in Blairgowrie. The house had plenty of room for its 11 guests including a barbie big enough to cook up all the meat.
Photos here

One for the Record Books

All last week in Melbourne, the forecasts for today were ominous, with talk of a return of last week's heatwave conditions as well as some of the most extreme fire weather in memory. The forecasts proved quite accurate, with temperatures in Melbourne topping out this afternoon at over 46C (117F), the highest temperature ever recorded within the city. Meanwhile, high winds played havoc with bushfires - fires that were relatively small and isolated 24 hours ago erupted into massive fires that burned out-of-control (go here for some photos). By early afternoon, the view from our balcony was totally obscured by smoke from the Bunyip Ridge fire to the east of Melbourne. At present, the death toll stands at 14, with some victims being caught by fast moving fires that provided little warning. But that number is projected to rise. While temperatures have dropped back down to normal levels, the changing wind direction threatens to simply push fire fronts off into new areas.

Update: 8/2/2009: 24 hours later and temperatures have returned to normal levels in Victoria, but the bushfires continue to rage. As of 7:45 Sunday evening, the death toll stood at 66 and climbing, making this one of the worst fires (if not the worst) in Victoria's history. Over 700 houses have been destroyed, and in some instances, entire townships have been erased including the town of Marysville, where I once spent a couple of pleasant nights attending a conference.

Cheap Flights

Thanks to the free market, it's now cheaper to get to Australia (from the U.S. at least). The only two airlines flying the LA/Sydney route (Qantas and United) now have some company in the form of Delta and Virgin Australia. Rumour has it that the competition has significantly shaved airfares. So now even more Yankees can have their own little Australian adventure.

It's a Dry Heat

Melbourne is regarded (particularly by those in Sydney and Queensland) as one of Australia's most chilly cities. However, summers in Melbourne can be accompanied by rather extreme heat. This past week was a case-in-point, with three consecutive days where temperatures exceeded 43C (109F). The consequences for Melbourne were readily apparent - a rash of heat-related deaths; a complete collapse of the train system; and widespread problems with the electricity grid that were exacerbated by the eruption of a number of bushfires.

Update 2/2/2009: The heatwave has claimed another victim. Melbourne's brand new observation wheel has been shut down indefinitely due to structural failure during the heat wave.

Inauguration Day

The U.S. Presidential Inaugural occurs every four years, but January 20, 2009 was inarguably a bit different then prior events. Fortunately for me, I was once again back in the U.S. in January, which enabled me to sneak in a trip to the nation's capital for Inauguration Day. I flew into DC from Phoenix where I'd attended the annual AMS meeting and landed at Washington National where outdoor temperatures were a chilly 12F (-11C).

Scott and Katie were kind enough to put me up for a few days, and one of the first tasks was to ensure we had sufficient cold-weather gear to survive several hours of exposure on the Mall. A visit to REI provided the first tangible evidence that a large number of people were planning on attending the Inauguration, as REI was packed full of people and hats, gloves, and long-underwear were all in short supply. On Sunday the 18th, we headed down to the mall to check out the Lincoln Memorial Inauguration Concert. However, we arrived a bit late to get into the secure area and thus had to be satisfied with a distant view of a jumbotron from outside the perimeter. The day also revealed that while Metro services might be adequate for getting into DC, the system was totally overwhelmed after events finished, forcing us to walk back across the Potomac into Virginia.

On the big day, we awoke at 5:00am, were out the door at 6:00am and managed to be on the Mall by about 7:30am. This left us with just just four hours to wait in freezing conditions until the beginning of the ceremony. We managed, however, to cope with the cold, and though we were probably a good mile away from the Capitol building we can still claim to be among the 1.5 million who were "there". After the swearing-in, however, we had another adventure trying to escape from DC, ultimately making our way again to the 14th street bridge and using our feet to get back home. We spent the rest of the day resting, getting warm and watching the Inaugural parade on TV.

And to top off the whole trip, I managed to hitch a ride back to Australia aboard one of Qantas' new A380s. Yes - it's a very large plane.

Christmas 2008

Another Christmas, another adventure on the Australian coast. Christmas 2005 was spent in Adelaide. Christmas 2006 was spent in Tasmania. Christmas 2007 was spent in Merimbula. Christmas 2008 represented a return to coastal NSW, with visits to both Mallacoota and Bateman's Bay, followed by a quick over land dash to Canberra.
We headed out from Melbourne to Mallacoota on the 22nd of December, setting up camp in the Foreshore Holiday Park. My memories of Mallacoota revolve around large numbers of mosquitoes and an encounter with the legendary (and quite tasty) jellycake. However, we did manage a couple of treks into Croajingolong National Park, and I managed to narrowly avoid stepping upon a Brown Snake, the species of snake responsible for the most deaths in Australia. I'm beginning to believe that thoughts such as, "hey, I wonder where this path leads. . ." should not be acted upon.

From Mallacoota, the drive to Bateman's Bay was only a couple of hours over familiar ground, although we did stumble upon this grizzly car accident south of Eden. In Bateman's Bay, we camped outside of town (the town being the least attractive aspect of the region) in the community of South Duras at the South Duras Caravan Park. The caravan park was chock full of stereotypical Australian wildlife including kangaroos, possums, and goannas, all of which spent the nighttime hours attempting to steal half of our stuff and shitting on the other half. Nevertheless, South Duras Beach was a lovely playground. We also explored Pebbly Beach in North Duras as well as Mt. Duras (where we got tangled up with a leech or two). We spent one magical evening on Duras Lake, paddling with Bay & Beyond Sea Kayak Tours, and our final night on New Year's Eve was celebrated with a minor feast, but we didn't quite stay awake long enough to ring in the New Year. From Bateman's Bay, we drove inland to Canberra where we spent a couple of days soaking up a little Aussie history, before attending the wedding of Nick and Dominique. We spent a morning in the National Museum of Australia (which I think we agreed had one of the most kick-ass gift shops of any museum we'd ever been in), followed the next day by a visit to Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial. That left us a bit fatigued for the night's wedding festivities at the Canberra Yacht Club, but we managed to rally.