A BIZARRE WORLD?

THERE IS THE STORY of the old Cornish couple, sitting comfortably before a warming fire in the grate.  One says, "The whole world is a little queer (aka 'strange')"
"Except me and thee."
"Come to think of it, Thee are a little odd!"

This came to mind the other day, down at Soulful Cup coffee shop, around a table with the ageing regulars.  One has just said to me, 'Robert, as an Aussie, do you not think at times that America is somewhat bizarre.'

Not always prudent in utterance, I carefully replied,
'Every country I have visited is a little bizarre in it own way.'

I am writing this on Easter Sunday evening.  Consider that Australia, possibly the least religious country in the world, is careful to observe Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Easter Monday as public holidays (used to be called 'holy days').  Now consider the United States, likely 100 times more religious, where none of these three are holidays!

And how about politics?  In Oz (aka 'Australia'),  everyone must vote and they do it on a Saturday.  In the US, everyone has a choice whether to vote or not, but they can only do so on a Tuesday.  In Oz, just now, the Prime Minister (the Leader of the Party that won the last election and thus controls at least the Lower House) is threatening to call a 'Double Dissolution'.  The reason for this is that it looks like the Upper House (the Senate), under the control of the Loyal Opposition and a few Independent Members, may refuse to pass two important Bills.  If they do this, the PM can ask the Governor General (representing the Queen), to dissolve both Houses and all Members and Senators will then have to stand for election.  He hopes that he will win control of both Houses and then pass these vital Bills.  It does not happen very often and usually when the Senate twice returns the annual Supply Bill back to the Lower House, not approved.

This may seem very odd to Americans but it could be that the President of the United States might like to have this kind of card up his sleeve.  Just get rid of those pesky opponents who persistently refuse to 'play the game' by sending them back to the hustings!

Sometimes I feel a little like I imagine Bill Bryson (one of my favorite authors) did when, having returned to the US after living in the UK for quite a while, and finding himself in a small New England town writing a weekly column for a local newspaper about odd things that came up.  Eventually these became a book, 'I'm a stranger here myself.'   You know the situation...you are walking down a street in some town you have never been in before.  A car pulls up and a passenger lowers the window to ask, 'Can you tell how to get to...?'.

Oddest of all was the article I read just this morning in the Australia Broadcasting Corporation (the ABC, very like the BBC) online news.  It seems that the National Capital, Canberra, has become the coffee capital of the world!   A local barista had taken out, for the second time, the world title in, of all places, Seattle WA.  I thought Seattle is the coffee capital of the Universe.  So there you go, a 'little Aussie battler' from Down Under has come out On Top!

Seriously, Canberrans are true coffee cognoscenti and I can attest the excellence of local coffee.  I have to say this as my younger daughter lives in Canberra and we do drink coffee together a lot when I visit.

Yes, this world can be a little bizarre!