I pulled this from Facebook, I don't think there's any copyright infringement.
Australia: an American's view
Interesting set of observations from a visitor from the other side of the Pacific.'Value what you have and don't give it away.' There's a lot to admire about Australia, especially if you're a visiting American, says David Mason. More often than you might expect, Australian friends patiently listening to me enthuse about their country have said, ''We need outsiders like you to remind us what we have.'' So here it is - a small presumptuous list of what one foreigner admires 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.
I guess he didn't watch much TV or changed channel often during commercials on Free To Air TV during a decent nights viewing we get runs of drug advertising of all sorts even those for Police shows arresting drug cartels.
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 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, your hot-cross buns. Shall I go on?
RRFLMAO yep a Macca's on every corner a KFC across the road, Burger King, Red Rooster
http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net...d/confused.gif Yep confused is he moaning about the bread?
Obviously not here during a drought when Lamb is like Diamond's you buy the mistress. Where cheap cuts are no longer cheap. But they are possibly not on a general wage as a factory worker either.
Yes Fruit well often we get imports from USA and other countries as our farmers leave the industry in droves OR the farrns taken over by USA and Asian buyers and conglomerates.
Not been to the likes of Flemington in Sydney where they can be cold stored for months.
It is good though we do not over intoxicate ours with chemicals sold to us by USA.
Is he saying our Pink ladies are small? http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net...ies/tongue.gif
Knows bugger all about our coffee Australia doesn't grow its own in vast quantities its mainly imported.... from US owned growers obviously he drank Macca's coffee.
LOL seriously this person has no friggin idea a latte is made with steamed milk not water f USA milk is that bad compared to Australia's pasteurised homogenised watered down crap they need to drink milk straight from the cow. http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net...rd/biggrin.gif
3... Language. How do you do it?
The rhyming slang and Aboriginal place names 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's an opportunity for word games and everyone's 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.
Did they get called a Yank and other things while here?
Gee's never been to the UK and heard ryhming slang which was round long before Lt Cook sighted the main land. He should sit down and watch Mary Poppin's with Dick Van Dyke LOL
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.
Yes we get such as Ellen Degenerate, Days of our Drearies, Dr Phil, CSI X 3 varieties, Dexter,and much much more.
Insurmountable TV shows on such as Voice, MKR, etc etc all designed by USA. Then the TV stations which are stations owned by USA and governed by them and what they show who just happen to have stakes in pay TV also. Free to Air sphooping channel which sell USA exercise equipment.
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 is wonderful.
Human encounters are real - stirring happens, stories get told.
The curries are to die for. And you don't have to tip!
Give the USA corporate s time they are having trouble sneaking in the back doors of politicians and filling their pockets its happening slowly we don't have a Mexico so we are shipping in other cheap labor from OS.
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 shore and in many places you can pull up a camper van and stare at the sea for weeks.
I love the ''primitive'' and independent campgrounds, 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.
Free Camping must have been camping on some poor buggers front lawn well away from the homestead gee's even I know some driveways which are small at 2k's long.
Typical large area councils with small workforce didn't get round to collect the fee's.
Will the USA please take them back?
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.
They banned soap box preachers in the Domain upset the Government employee's of State politics for NSW while they had luch in the park or watching out the windows.
I though he said he'd seen TV must have still been out on Sunday morning after Saturday night? It would have flt like USA home week.
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 taken the Hume 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 it.
I suppose when NSW has a population of one small country town of USA whie the whole of Australia doesn't match even 1/2 olf some of USA cities.
AS for the state of road spaghetti if you only traveled back roads no wonder you didn't see any its there just got to know where to look.
As for the sign please by all means pack it up and take it home with you.
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 Melbourne Greeks, and was gratified both by their devotion to their own great language and culture and their openness to an Afghan lunch.
I told you he's tongue in cheek or http://d1r5wj36adg1sk.cloudfront.net...neaktongue.gif
Yes Greeks in Melb aren't bad
Afgan food is tops my first tasting was at school when one of the guys from Lebanon's mum gave me a try.
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 blessings that make Australia a rarity.
Of course, it's not paradise - nowhere is - but I love it here.
This is true corporate USA seems to want to stuff every paridise up.
No need to wave flags like Americans and add to the world's windiness.
Just value what you have and don't give it away.
Well thats fine but lets stop USA rapping and plundering though the back door with threats and fear tactics.
Big business and sales its all about the money.
At last light at the end of the trip.
David Mason is a US writer and professor, and poet laureate of Colorado.
