Swimming... in Australia

It's a warm sunny day at one of Australia's many beaches. The continent is covered with beach after beach and now it's time to take a swim in the ocean. Stop! Are you at the beach during the day? Is it a public beach? Is the year between 1838 and 1902? In Australia, it was illegal to swim at public beaches starting in 1838. Luckily, the law was only upheld until 1902. (http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/facts.htm)
How and why would such a law be passed? At that point in history, many online articles hinted, that it was related to the newness of the country. It was a time when many of Australia's inhabitants were convicts. They also said that none of the convicts could bathe in the beach water during the daytime. Truly, times in Australia have changed, but this law sure proves to us how the transformation continues to grow.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

About ten percent of the Australian population are Irish Australians. That percentage does not go unrecognized this time of year. In America, we have a lot of crazy traditions and, of course, we see way too many people wearing green. Also, your sure to find a mile long line in the McDonald's drive thru to get the festive shamrock shakes. Or maybe you'll just end up having corn beef and cabbage with your grandparents as they insist each year.
In Australia, they once again have no excuses to miss out on a holiday as St. Patrick's Day. Many gather to see intense parades in both Sydney (http://www.stpatricksday.org.au/) and Brisbane. Like many Americans, they wear green and shamrocks as a symbol of Ireland. Australia even has an Irish newspaper called The Irish Echo. Although it may not be a national holiday, your sure to see quite a few celebrations around the country which many will be looking forward to.

Ridiculous YouTube Australia

There are some youtube videos that are absolutely ridiculous. Sometimes when you watch them, you can't understand why they have one million views. Of course, Australians have youtube videos too.

This first one is somewhat lengthy (you don't need to watch the whole thing): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XSPx7S4jr4&feature=related. After the disastrous wildfires, it is easy to see how wildlife has been affected. This video is posted in about twenty different versions and even was brought to the interest of local Australian news channels. This video show a firefighter giving a koala water.

This news clip shows how crazy a sixteen year old can be as a reporter tries to get a young party thrower to apologize to his parents and community. He through an out of control party while his parents are on a "holiday", has to pay a $20,000 fine, and refuses to take off his sunglasses (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm61svN4U5g).

This final video shows how culture around the world mirrors each other (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-pnz1m5pUc&feature=related). This clip from Australian Idol may be just as cheesy and ironically awkward as the show's American twin. However, no one can doubt that it is entertaining.

Hungry? Australia.

Food is a major part of common culture. Everyone loves it and, of course, it keeps us alive. If you have ever gone to an international fair as a kid, you have experienced how food can be different across the world. Each dish seems to express and define what the country is like in a strange and sometimes unfair way. It is no surprise that food is important to people around the world.

Now it's time to look at the average Australian. In their lifetime, they can expect to eat 17 beef cattle, 92 sheep, 406 loaves of bread, half a ton of cheese, ten tons of vegetables, and 165,000 eggs. Searching vigorously through the recipes, I found one that sounded appetizing, the Lamington Sponge Cake. The recipe is included below:
3 eggs
1/2 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup cornflour1
5g (1/2oz) butter
3 tablespoons hot water
Beat eggs until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar. Continue beating until sugar completely dissolved. Fold in sifted flour and cornflour, then combined water and butter. Pour mixture into prepared lamington tin. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with chocolate icing and coconut. (http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/food/lamington.php)

Good luck cooking and enjoy the Australian dessert!
Don't forget the Australian word of the day:
clobber - clothes

Reading in Australia

Australia claims to have the highest literacy rate in the world and they also have the highest number of newspaper reading per capita. This fact is appropriate for a class based on journalism. There are a lot of aspects that go into creating a well organized newspaper with interesting stories and interesting articles. One newspaper I found, "The Sydney Morning Herald", (http://www.smh.com.au/) proved to be far from amateur with some exclusive articles and appropriate quotes, though some articles were too informative and not very entertaining. The accomplishment of teaching reading is very impressive. I found that 82% of the world can read, but 99% of Australians can read. So it's truly no surprise that they read the newspapers so often.

Word of the Day: Lolly Water is another term for soda or pop in Australia.

Lingo: The Amazing Australian Dictionary

"Banana Benders- another name for the people who live in Queensland. Sand Gropers- another name for people who live in Western Australia." Let's be completely honest, accents are fascinating sometimes. When people speak differently then we do, we're curious about what they are trying to tell us or teach us. In a country across the world, there is bound to be some differences in communication. Even in the United States, we find small word differences (some people say "coke", some say "pop", and some say "soda", though they are all referring to the same thing). According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/, slang is "language peculiar to a particular group". We all have different ways to express the message we are trying to convey.
However, since this blog is entirely on the Australian culture, phenomenons, recent events, and random facts, there is no question that lingo should be included and learned. Starting today, I will (if i remember, and I should) add a word that is used frequently or occasionally from the Aussies themselves. Today, I'll begin with two: chewie and sunnies. The first word, chewie, is actually another word for gum or chewing gum. If used in a sentence, an Australian would say, "Can I have a piece of chewie?" (may I have some gum). Though it may sound comical to us, it is very real to Australians (if the website is legitimate). Secondly, sunnies is a cute way to refer to someones sunglasses. I'll be sure to use these slang words soon!

boomerang... what's happening?

In the cheesy romantic comedy "Little Black Book", they are used as a symbol: "The boomerangs, you know the kind. You throw them out there into the world... and they always come back to you". Maybe you've never seen them before or maybe you have a diverse collection; you may not know that they originated in Australia more than ten thousand years ago. I may have not mentioned that native peoples called Aborigines lived in Australia way before the colonization and their innovations have proved to be quite successful, including the boomerang. This invention is also known as the first heavier than air flying machine humans have ever made (as far as we know). Not only was it used to hunt wild kangaroos, but it was also used for communication.
Presently, they are continuing the boomerang traditions through international competitions every other year. In honor of its origin, they have an Aussie Round (which many consider "the ultimate test of skills"). Apparently, last years tournament was held in Tucson, Arizona. (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Boomerang is the perfect site if you are looking for more techniques or facts). Quite honestly, I have to wonder why this event wasn't publicized or advertised as well as it should have been. Boomerangs will grow into a major sport one day. Or maybe it's best just to start a boomerang club myself.