Did you know that Tina Turner has been one of the biggest contributors to Australian culture? π¦ Honestly, her impact has been huge! Here’s how… Go to any Australian wedding π or social event π and you’re bound to hear the rock guitars πΈ that herald Tina Turner’s 1973 hit Nutbush City Limits. The long […]
Time to get out the sequins and huge props. The world’s most watched non-sports TV show is on, the Eurovision Song Contest π€. Tonight is the second semi-final, with 16 acts from Europe… and Australia. But wait! πͺ Australia is nowhere near Europe. How come it’s at Eurovision? πΊ Well, for one, it’s massively popular […]
Republic of Serbia π·πΈ, Republic of Croatia ππ·, Kingdom of Norway π³π΄, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland π¬π§, Oriental Republic of Uruguay πΊπΎ, Plurinational State of Bolivia π§π΄ … These are the long (official) forms of the names of these countries. The names of most countries have a long form and a […]
Last Saturday Australian π¦πΊ π comedy legend Barry Humphries passed away aged 89. You might know Humphries better as Dame Edna Everage ππΊ, the vicious-tongued housewife-turn-international gigastar from the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds (yes, such a place does exist). What is less acknowledged is that as one of Australia’s most widely known cultural exports, […]
Now this might sound a bit random π€¨ but this is something you’ll hear all the time, in all places… in department stores in Australia π¦πΊ. How come? π§ In most English language-dominant countries, “Doona” will be in reference to the popular Israeli-invented baby car seat that converts into a stroller/pushchair/pram πΌ “Manchester” would be […]
Eshays and Adlays: the latest bunch of Pig-Latin-speaking, Nike-wearing young bogans (vilified poor working-class people) to cause massive moral panic in Australia π¦πΊ My 11-year-old Aussie nephew warned me the other day that the new skate park πΉthat the council is building near his home is going to bring all the “eshays” there. Now that […]
Bunnies are considered cute and loveable… except in Australia π¦πΊ, where they’re a major scourgeπ€¬. Famous Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby (check out her special Nanette on Netflix) even makes mention of this, to much comic effect, in her latest show Body of Work. After humans, rabbits have been the most catastrophic species introduced in Australia, […]
I’m about to fly off to Australia transiting through Munich Airport π©πͺ … so I’m preparing myself to be ready to speak in “naΕ‘ jezik” (“our language”). π So what is this “naΕ‘ jezik” (“our language”)?π And why is it spoken at Munich Airport? “NaΕ‘ jezik” is the euphemism used by people from ex-Yugoslavia in […]
Have you unwittingly done a hand gesture that meant something completely different in another country? Here’s a true story… During a state visit to #Australia in 1992, US President George Bush Senior was confronted by protesting sugar industry workers angry at the US dumping cheap, subsidised sugar in Australia’s traditional markets. How did Bush greet […]
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts today βͺοΈ For the past few years there has been debate in some countries over what to actually call the month. In Bulgaria, where over 10% of the population is Muslim, online forums have been going off about whether to call it ‘Ramazan’, the traditional Balkan way (originally […]
