Emu Bob

An Obama Aussie Connection

An interesting article from Robin Urban, an Aussie in the US who says Obama is the real deal:

As a very proud fifth-generation Australian and dual US/Australian citizen, I am the only native Australian member of the Harvard Law School Class of 1991 and, I would venture, the only native Australian Barack Obama befriended in his days at Harvard Law School.

Australians Fatter

In a high steaks competition Australians are now apparently out-eating Americans at the Obesity Games.

Bloody hell, lighten up!

March of the Engineers

This week I found myself telling several people that they have to check out this video from the UQ Law Revue... so here it is. A very funny parody on the March of the Penguins for engineers, Australians and anybody familiar with the University of Queensland:

Kangaroo Doodle for Google

Kangaroos ~ as seen on Google's home page today:

They get the honor as part of doodle #2 of 5 for Google's Holiday Doodles. News to me that there was even such a thing as a Holiday Doodle! But if previous years are anything to go by, the kangaroos will have a starring role for a few days.

But it does remind me of Rolf Harris' rather dreadful jingle:

Up beside the bag of toys little Joey hopped,
But they hadn't gone far when Santa stopped.
Unharnessed all the reindeer and Joey wondered why,
Then he heard a far off booming in the sky. 

Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun.
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
On his Australian run. 

Pretty soon old Santa began to feel the heat,
Took his fur lined boots off to cool his feet,
Into one popped Joey, feeling quite okay,
While those old man Kangaroos kept pulling on the sleigh.

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays all, whether hot or cold! 

Technorati tags: kangaroos, australia, christmas, google, doodles

Thanksgiving in North Carolina

We had a great time at my sister and brother-in-laws place in Cary, NC, over last weekend. Some of you will appreciate our attempts at teaching their neighbours to play cricket:

     

Crocs Rule!

Steve Irwin is dead at 44. Steve Irwin was a larger-than-life Aussie icon, great advocate for Queensland and Australia, a keen entrepreneur and an all round good bloke.  And also one of the world's leading environmentalists.

His crocodile farm Australia Zoo is not too far from my parents' place on the Sunshine Coast.

At least, as The Courier-Mail headline says, "he died as he lived."

Peter Beattie, the Queensland Premier, says "he put Queensland on the map."

Australian TV presenter Andrew Denton comments on his passion:

I never saw a side to him that was different to his public side. He lived in capital letters and he seemed to have a lot of exclamation marks with him as well.

And Jason Fried also picks up on Steve's passion for life:

Steve was authentic, passionate, curious, and deeply knowledgeable about his craft. He approached his work with a off-the-charts level of enthusiasm. We should all have as much fun at our jobs. We should all love what we do as much as Steve loved what he did.

And the Australian media:

 

More coverage: ABC (Australia), The Courier-Mail, CNN