From a yank

[happy daze john in oz]

1.. Health care.



I know the controversies, but basic national health
care is a gift. In America , medical expenses are a
leading cause of bankruptcy. The drug companies
dominate politics and advertising. Obama is being
crucified for taking halting baby steps towards sanity.
You can't turn on the telly without hours of drug
advertisements - something I have never yet seen here.
And your emphasis on prevention - making cigarettes
less accessible, for one - is a model.





2.. Food.



Yes, we have great food in America too, especially
in the big cities. But your bread is less sweet, your
lamb is cheaper, and your supermarket vegetables
and fruits are fresher than ours. Too often in my country
America , an apple is a ball of pulp as big as your face.
The dainty Pink Lady apples of Oz are the juiciest I've had.
And don't get me started on coffee. In American small
towns it tastes like water flavoured with burnt dirt,
but the smallest shop in the smallest town in Oz can
make a first-rate latte. I love your ubiquitous bakeries,
and your hot-cross buns. Shall I go on?





3. Language.



How do you do it?




The rhyming slang and Aboriginal place names are
like magic spells. Words that seem vaguely English
yet also resemble an argot from another planet.
I love the way institutional names get turned
into diminutives - Vinnie's and Salvos - and
absolutely nothing's sacred. Everything is an
opportunity for word games and everyone has
a nickname. Lingo makes the world go round.
It's the spontaneous wit of the people that tickles
me most. Late one night at a barbie my new mate
Suds remarked: ''Nothing's the same since 24-7.''
Amen to that.

4.. Free-to-air TV.



In Oz, you buy a TV, plug it in and watch some
of the best programming I've ever seen - uncensored.
In America , you can't get diddly-squat without
paying a cable or satellite company heavy fees.
In Oz a few channels make it hard to choose.
In America, you've got 400 channels and nothing to watch.



5. Small shops.



Outside the big cities in America corporations
have nearly erased them. Identical malls with
identical restaurants serving inferior food.
Except for geography, it's hard to tell one American
town from another. The ''take-away'' culture here
in Australia is wonderful. The human encounters
are real - people love to stir, and stories get told.
The curries here are to die for. And you don't
have to tip!

6.. Free camping.



We used to have this too, and I guess it's still free
when you backpack miles away from the roads.
But I love the fact that in Oz everyone owns the
shoreline and in many places you can pull up a
camper van and stare at the sea for weeks. I love
the ''primitive'' and independent camp-grounds,
the life out-of-doors. The few idiots who leave
their stubbies and rubbish behind in these
pristine places ought to be transported in chains
to the penal colonies.

7.. Religion.



In America , it's everywhere - especially where it's not
supposed to be, like politics. I imagine you have your
Pharisees too, making a big public show of devotion,
but I have yet to meet one here.

8.. Roads.



Peak hour aside, I've found travel on your roads pure
heaven. My country's ''Freeways'' are crowded,
crumbling, insanely knotted with looping overpasses - it's
like racing homicidal maniacs on fraying spaghetti! I've
driven the Hume Highway without stress, and I love
the Princes Highway when it's two lanes. Ninety minutes
south of Bateman's Bay I was sorry to see one billboard
for a McDonald's. It's blocking a lovely paddock view.
Someone should remove the MacDonald's Billboard.

9.. Real multiculturalism.



I know there are tensions, just like anywhere else,
but I love the distinctiveness of your communities
and the way you publicly acknowledge the Aboriginal
past. Recently, too, I spent quality time with the
Melbourne Greeks, and was gratified both by their
devotion to their own great language and culture and
their openness to an Afghan lunch.

10. Fewer guns.



You had Port Arthur in 1996 and got real in response.
America replicates such massacres several times a year
and nothing changes. Why? Our religion of individual
rights makes the good of the community an impossible
dream. Instead of mateship we have ''It's mine and
nobody else's''. We talk a great game about freedom,
but too often live in fear. There's more to say - your
kaleidoscopic birds, your perfumed bush in springtime,
your vast beaches. These are just a few of the blessings
that make Australia a rarity. Of course, it's not paradise -
nowhere is - but I love it here. No need to wave flags like
the Americans, and add to the world's windiness.



Just value what you have here in
Australia and don't give it away.

[Rodney Mills]

As a yank (by Choice) who has spent almost thirteen years in Oz, and been there and done that. Been all the way around, got married there, dived the GBR over 100 times, climbed Ayers Rock (it's name then), hiked in the Blue Mountains, Simpson Desert, Flinders range and many more and loved the country and the people....But I love it here and it's my home and though I agree with a lot in those comments, I'm proud to be a Yank and Oz is my second choice, but it would have to be Far North Queensland, but I'd drop down if I had to as far as Bunderburg. I'm a true "Banana Bender" and loved Cains, Port Douglas and around the top end, just loved the "Deep North."

P.S. there aint no third choice. Here or Oz.

P.P.S. Done Tassie too, even dived in Bicheno, Tasmania.

[Keith Tindell]

I have spent some time in Oz over the years, but have to disagree with you Rodney, when you say USA or OZ, i am now very happy to see OZ at 30000 feet on my way to NZ, its the only place other than England that i would consider a move (too old now anyway), just love NZ the country the people etc, and they don't use sandpaper when they play us at cricket !!!, kt

[j.sabourn]

I preferred NZ to Oz as a seaman. There were always more girls in NZ. However on spending 3 weeks touring around the 2 Islands found it to be a bit claustphobic due I suppose knowing you didn’t have to go far to run out of land,. Beautiful country and people, however missed Ma Cleasons and similar establishments which made it home from home for seamen of our era. Oz is getting too many people here as far as I am concerned so will not advertise it to others . And like the present saying that is on our screens during the present virus situation “ please stay at home “. The tourist industry’s moans about lack of tourism ! I can’t see the average Australian complaining. Cheers JS.
Perth is one if not the most isolated cities in the world and suits me fine. The present standstill in the worlds activities should please the climate change advocates as should show differences in weather or climate change as they prefer to call it , if it doesn’t it will put more stress on their claims of their forecasts of man made disasters . JS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Keith
You are never to old mate, We went back over to NZ when I was 70, enjoyed my stay there but it had changed to much for me, came back to Aus after seven years there, time goes quick these days can't believe we have been back eleven years already.
Des

[Keith at Tregenna]

I was always told when younger that Americans from the South saw
“Yankee” as a pejorative term that Southerners use for Northerners.

Keith.

[j.sabourn]

I don’t think you would like living in Saudi, Victoria,.After the novelty had worn off. There are a few other places in the world which. Would be. Deplorable to a western brought up female.There are still places where all doors are closed to certain people.I spent the new year of think 1998 in Tasmania as had a cousin who was a lecturer at the maritime College in Launceston. We borrowed his car and went down to Port Arthur and other places. Places like Windermere and other names was like going back to the old uk of 50 years previous to the date we were there. Apart from the weather which we thoughr was cold , and had to borrow coats from my cousin. We had a great time. Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

NZ is the closest you can get to the UK as it was way back than anywhere else.
Christchurch is considered to be the most British city out side of UK.

Tassie, fine if you like the cold and funny people LOL
Give a finger when you pass a car on a small road, just make sure it is not the middle one.

But for me there is now no place like OZ, would be better without polis, but sadly we are stuck with them.

The country is growing, no doubt, and there is little can be done to prevent it, and if you do not grow there is the chance you will die or be taken over by some other country.

Perth is beautiful city, but the furthest from any other capital city in the world.
Not so keen on some of their beer though, but far better than the stuff from Tassie, sorry about that Victoria.

[j.sabourn]

Nothing wrong with VB even though it does come across the Nullarbor . JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Nothing wrong with VB even though it does come across the Nullarbor . JS

Right on there mate, nothing better than a cold one.

Your comment about Climate Change was interesting, according to those who know the skies over China are very clear just now, but Co2 levels continue to rise.

Supports my theory that it is the population n umbers of humans and feed stock animals that are to blame. all produce Co2.