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.