. . . 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.
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. 
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