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.

Destination: Australia

Welcome yourself to Sydney, Australia! This big tourist destination is seen to many as the face to Australia. This may be perhaps from the beautiful beaches alongside a quickly growing city facing a well envisioned harbor. It's population has boomed over the years. Sydney is currently home to about 4 million people and has doubled in size since 1963. Sydney's population is larger than Chicago (three million residents), about the size of Los Angeles, and half the size of New York (eight million people). Not only is it the country's largest city, but it is also the oldest and was officially named a city in 1842, just two years after Great Britain stopped sending convicts there. Their crime rate today, many sources say, is "similar to New York or London". With it's beautiful weather and astonishing views, it easily attracts tourists.
Take a look at all the activities Sydney offers. You spend the night at the famous Sydney Opera House built just over thirty five years ago, take in the exciting night life, visit the Koala Park Sanctuary, shop at the Queen Victoria building, and stay at a place called the Tilibury Hotel Woolloomooloo. There really is a hotel with this name (http://www.tilburyhotel.com.au/). It is insane how many activities can keep you so occupied.
It is interesting to compare major cities of our country with those of the Australians. Though we don't have a major Koala Sanctuary (as far as I know) our advertising methods (http://us.sydney.com/) and attractions are just as competitive. Travelling around the world may be a great experience, even if you find aspects of the culture are the same. Countries across the world can still find ways to relate to each other from their hotels to their population.

Counting Sheep

Have you ever discovered that when you are researching a country in search of substantial information needed for a paper or presentation you discover a lot of facts about the country's natural resources? It is clearly evident that these factors influence the wealth and success of the country's land and people by looking at what they have a surplus of. Australia, in fact, has the world's largest population of Merino sheep. Blog after blog, it seems all that I can talk about is the exciting animal kingdom that continent is participating in. So the true fact is that Australia is responsible for 70% of the world's wool.
Sheep, however, are really weird animals to have such a major influence in Australia. People really fight their sheep or bet on them in races. Perhaps they are protecting them while they can from local "pests" or the dingos. These dogs that cannot bark prey not only on the sheep, but on the wallabies, wombats, and kangaroos. Yes, dingos really exist, but they're in danger of becoming extinct (http://www.walkaboutpark.com.au/index.php?id=224).
The moral of the descriptions is this. Sheep may be important to Australia and are connected with a lot of festivities and the economy and agriculture. However, although the dingos are becoming extinct, people seem to care more about the sheep because they are so influential. People should care more about the dingos or perhaps bring them to America. Maybe they would be more appreciated.

Star Bright Outback

According to an Australian Outback website for probable tourists, star gazing is quite a phenomenon. On a night with average conditions, you can see about 5,780 stars (http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/fun-facts-about-australia.html). However, is this any more staggering than the visible stars in any other open land. Is the night sky in Australia special? To determine the gravity of this fact, it once again would have to result in research.
The sources were all very general and broad which once again proof that I cannot trust what I read online. My first source revealed the average number of stars you could see (without clouds or city lights) is about 1,500. Another said the highest was about 1,900. The final source said that in the Australian Outback (although the sky is surprisingly filled with stars) has only 2,862 stars.
In my own opinion and in relation to the original website, I am concerned about this person's vision and counting skills. I think that their is pressure for advertising businesses to attract visitors; however, I cannot doubt that the number of the stars is that high. My first reason is that I don't trust the Internet. The second reason is that I have never been to the Australian Outback. Finally, I doubt I would take the time to count out all the stars in the sky if I went there. The fact (or fiction) is entertaining nevertheless.

music and movies... Australia style!

Isn't interesting that a country across the world can be so similar the United States? The culture is similar, the trends are similar, and, of course, so is our music and movies. Okay, so some of our television shows are a little different, but let's compare the top ten songs in Australia right now.

1. You Found Me - The Fray
2. Love Story - Taylor Swift
3. Get Shaky - The Ian Carey Project
4. Let it Rock - Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne
5. Gives You Hell - The All American Rejects
6. Burn - Jessica Mauboy
7. My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
8. Poker Face - Lady Gaga
9. Someday Soon - Natalie Bassingthwaighte
10. Walking on a Dream - Empire of the Sun

Don't pretend that you have never heard "love story" hummed by every junior high girl that passes you or have never stopped at a red light to face the silver Saturn blasting "Let It Rock" from its windows. The list seemed to combine America's finest hits with some of European techno mixes. This one was by far my favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCTZOkL3CEg. I can just imagine it creates quite an Australian party.

When it comes to movies, what can you possibly expect?

1. Gran Torino
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Transporter 3
4. Changeling
5. Bride Wars
6. Valkyrie
7. Role Models
8. Underworld: Rise of Lycans
9. Australia
10. Hotel for Dogs

I'm not to sure why some of those made top ten, but the list was still insightful. I would guess that any of these movies and songs you haven't seen or heard many creep into our culture soon. It's still amazing that there are so many random similarities. I also was a little upset. I was half expecting all of these movies and songs to originate for Australia for my own entertainment. Why do we all have to share these things? I guess were doing something right!

Underwater Down Under

Everyone is somewhat intrigued as they are fumbling through the most recent version of the Guinness Book of World Records. From the disgusting to confusing to fascinating, the amazing records make us think and laugh. Like any other country, Australia has had their fair share of world records. One that was the most interesting to me was that Australia holds the record for the largest underwater dance class held with 74 participants (divers) and a simultaneous dance lasting at least ten minutes. What's the coolest part of this exciting record? It was for a charity! There is nothing more entertaining than a record breaking Australian underwater dance class to raise some money for charity.

On a more serious note, recently I checked my AOL news to find a shocking article (http://news.aol.com/article/australia-wildfires/333038). Today, about 173 people were found killed by Australia's worst wildfire. Now, 5,000 are left homeless and many struggled just to stay alive. They are still trying to determine to cause of these rapid and destructive fires (anything from arson to global warming). All we can do now is pray and hope that the people affected by these fires are okay and finding help.

breaking the law...

It's Sunday and I'm once again searching for weird facts about the country and continent of Australia. Suddenly, a shady site appears with the "fact" that, in Australia, a life sentence is twenty five years. It was a little strange, especially considering the site also said that, "It is illegal to roam the streets wearing black clothes, felt shoes and black shoe polish on your face as these items are the tools of a cat burglar" and "It is illegal to wear hot pink pants after midday Sunday" in Australia (http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/australia). However, in my quest to find a legitimate random fact about Australia, I searched for a more trusted resource.
The government website was really hard to navigate, but I did come across a few random laws. This year in South Australia, they revised Gaming Machines Variation Regulation to possibly exempt people who are on "vessels" in the Australian waters. Also, if they have a problem with their boss, it must be in writing. However, nothing too intense was discovered by research. I honestly think that the Australian government is very secretive or unorganized with their website. It was really hard for me to find something broad, I needed a specific search. So it may be possible that you can't wear those amazing new, hot pink pants next Sunday night in Australia. The true fact: I can't find anything on the Australian government website. This may give something for people to think about when they are considering messing around with the law in Australia.

Flood Warning in North Queensland

On February 4th (because Australia is a couple hours ahead of us), the Australia military rushed to the scene of a flood in North Queensland (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25006238-1248,00.html). Homes and retail stores were destroyed and the flood levels were higher than they were in 1974, when a major flood hit. They are continuing evalutaion to make sure everyone is safe from the disaster. They can only predict it will get worse.
The aspect of this article that shocked me the most was that crocodiles were what was interupting the rescue plan. Many have been spotted in the center of the Gulf towns. Ms. Smith, a hotel owner, said she saw "a 4m crocodile had been seen stalking residents and dogs in the flooded main street". This was perhaps the wierdest thing I could imagine. What bothered me the most about this article where do these Australian crocodiles come from. I have never heard of them bothering flood rescues before. However, this flood is quite a historic event and the crocodiles, no matter how few, have definitly made an impact on this current news story.

The Adventure of a Wild, Australian Camel

"Australia has the biggest number of wild one humped camels in the world". Did you know that fact? Of course, I was a little skeptical and a little in shock about the crazy information, so I researched. The camels with one hump are actually called "Arabian Camels" or dromedary, they feed on "salty vegetation", and can withstand not only extreme heat but extreme cold. Why aren't there many (or any) wild camels living in Alaska then? This information also raised my suspicion. National Geographic knows quite a bit and they mentioned that these special camels not only "rarely sweat", but have been introduced to Australia.
I'm still a little unsure; however, if you are truly interested in camels, you can see the facts and listen to the beautiful sound of the giant camel on http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dromedary-camel.html. Somehow, Animal Planet has explained us the story of the camel's introduction to Australia.
It really all began in 1840. The explorers of the Australian deserts used them conveniently to transport themselves as well as their supplies across the desert. Until 1907, when railroads and cars became popular, camels came from a lot of different countries including India and Pakistan. Today, Australia has the largest estimated population of wild one humped camels. There are between 25,000 to 200,000 camels in Australia. It seems difficult to estimate the exact number; however, it's still a surprise that they were able to grow the population so rapidly there. I think, honestly, that the one humped camels must really enjoy it there!