Australia in Pop Culture

[december]

I don't like him either. And with him failing to advance means that my 'Lleyton and Bec are our Posh 'n' Becks' idea is gaining more traction.

[Yossarian]

Chas Licciardello has been found not guilty of offensive behaviour for "selling" fake weapons to Bulldogs supporters. That's the right decision, I think. It was obviously a stunt for tv. That said, the man is an asshole and I would be perfectly happy never to see him on tv again.

[marywebgirl]

Just FYI, the flags at Big Day Out thing made the radio news this morning here in little ol' Cleveland, Ohio.

[Deleted]

Argg! I'm missing Big Day Out this year...for any non-Aussies reading this, Big Day Out is this huge mega-concert that travels between the major Aussie cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, etc.) and also to New Zealand. It's really fun, although it's always insanely crowded and the weather can suck (Australian summers are, shall we say, pretty intense).

[Yossarian]

marywebgirl said:

Just FYI, the flags at Big Day Out thing made the radio news this morning here in little ol' Cleveland, Ohio.

Really - other people find this apparently newsworthy? I think the flag ban was ridiculous too but the mileage that politicians are getting out of this whole storm in a teacup makes me queasy.

Back to hating on celebs, how schadenfreudelicious is it that Kim Clijsters is doing so well in the tennis while poor wittle Ley Ley bowed out so early? ;D

[december]

The flag thing is stupid. As for one its not banned it's just been strongly discouraged. And another thing is I had friends at the BDO last year and there were some people using the flag and being fuckwits with it and doing the whole 'If you don't like Australia then go home' thing. I honestly think banning alcohol would have been better though.

ETA: Andrew G has a good blog on this. Yes I have an Aussie Idol host blog bookmarked.

[Yossarian]

december said:

I honestly think banning alcohol would have been better though.

You're not Strine then, are you? It's the Australian patriotic duty to get shit faced on Australia Day, no?

I totally agree. The task should be to deal with the people that actually cause the trouble and to limit the booze that stirs them up. Although, for memory, they are now fairly strict about alcohol intake and inspect everything going in and out and try to restrict sales to light beer. Yuck. One of the guys I work with has been experimenting with a syringe and bottle of Mount Franklin to see if he can smuggle some vodka in to Sydney's BDO. Klassy, I know.

[Deleted]

So, what are people planning for 'Straya/Invasion Day? Anyone care to meet for lamingtons, pavlova and a lamb sandwich?

[Yossarian]

I'm having thai at my local pub. Hopefully they'll have something lamby to go with my James Squire Golden Ale!

In other news of all things wonderful that are Strine, we have a new word in the Macquarie dictionary - muffin top!

Australians love their muffin tops - but not the kind you buy from a bakery.

The arbiter of Australian English, the Macquarie Dictionary, has declared "muffin top" the word of the year for 2006 - even though it is two words - defeating "affluenza", a noun that describes dissatisfaction with consumerism.

The dictionary defines "muffin top" as a colloquial noun that refers to the fold of fat around the midriff which spills over the top of tight-fitting pants or skirts on the overweight.

"The vivid imagery of this word with its sense of playfulness and the fact that it is an Australianism made it the clear winner," the judges said.

Judges Gavin Brown and Stephen Garton, both professors at Sydney University, and dictionary publisher Susan Butler said "muffin top" had spread globally due to the popular TV comedy Kath and Kim, which pokes fun at suburban life.

The victory for "muffin top" came after it was shortlisted for the 2005 American Dialect Society's most creative word, only to lose out to "whale tail" - the bit of a g-string, or thong, that shows above the waistband at the back of pants or skirts.

[Deleted]

I'm spending it on the couch, in air-conditioning, watching Supernatural on DVD. Screw you summer, you'll never get me with your too-bright, migraine inducing sunlight and crushing humidity.