straya photos on Flickr

I arranged for a VIP tour with a golf cart so that we could see more of the Zoo and my wife would not have to walk as much because of her foot surgery. It was well worth it.

This male Koala was posing for my camera. Male Koalas have a scent gland in their chests to mark their territory.

zoo.sandiegozoo.org/animals/koala

We never tire of talking about koalas at the San Diego Zoo, ever since we welcomed our first pair, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, back in 1925. Since then, we have become famous for having the largest koala colony as well as the most successful koala breeding program outside of Australia. Our koalas can be seen from walkways around a Queenslander-style “house” that serves as our koala care center, where you can see wildlife care specialists preparing eucalyptus browse for the koalas. Because male koalas can be territorial, they have their own perches in one area, while the more social females and their babies, called joeys, share another area. The elevated walkways bring you to eye level with the koalas as they perch in their forest of eucalyptus. Human children can practice their koala-climbing skills on a play structure that features life-size koala sculptures.

www.savethekoala.com/about-koalas/taxonomy/#:~:text=The%2...(grey).

Phascolarctos cinereus ; Genus: Phascolarcto – phaskolos meaning pouched; arktos meaning bear (derived from Greek). Species: cinereus meaning ashy-grey (derived from Latin) Phascolarctidae

San Diego 2023

San Diego Zoo 2023

DSC04593.jpg

Straya Day by Andrew Chin

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In honor of Australia "Straya" Day, I went back and found this great shots of my good friends as we hiked the Bondi to Cooge Beach walk. Sydney, Australia January 2015

Blake Harris / fs feeble transfer by Marcello Guardigli

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Blake Harris / fs feeble transfer - Bluestone - Melbourne - Australia - 2013

Published in Confusion Magazine Issue #8

www.confuzine.com

NOT...OVER YET by ROB JAN

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On the 15th of November, 2017, the results of the Australian national plebiscite on same sex marriage were announced.

The question put to the people:

“Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?”

7.82 million people responded YES.

4.87 million responded NO.

As they say in Parliament, "The AYES have it."

A saurian OzGov filed the round edges off so much to keep this issue from progressing that it clunked along on square wheels.

We'll see more knuckle and feet dragging before the non-binding survey advanced further into actual legislation.

Enough already, freedom to discriminate does not Trump (and yes, that's a thing now) the right to be free OF discrimination.

Get. It. Done.

P.S.

And so they bloody well did!

The Bill passed in the Senate without amendment and then on to the House Of Representatives, where it was also passed without amendment.

You bloody beaut!

"Marriage means the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."

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In answer to the inevitable question, yes, that's one of my DIY Ned Kelly helmets.

states by jhnmccrmck

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Melbourne Museum

Australia by Victoria Gunawan

#straya

happy straya day by wheres_bruce

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Does one wish another Happy Australia Day? Is it just an opportunity to take a day off with pay and instead cut the grass? Do we risk the perils of jingoism in that act? Is it too offensive to some of its citizens to utter in fear of offence or is it an oxymoron when a citizen is offended by their citizenship? These are deep questions!

The truly great social progressive Don Dunstan wrote of an Australian cuisine, if such could exist, as garnering the best of everything. Here are the familiar Anglo-Celtic lamb chops and sausages sitting cheek by jowl with the melanzane of the Greeks, the zucchini of the Italians; the whole lot lubricated with Spanish olive oil. It'll go nicely with Arab flatbread, the early figs grilled with balsamic vinegar and more of that oil, Lebanese toum and a Greek salad; this one with Cretan oil. Last evening it was Indonesian takeaway followed by a frozen persimmon — a Korean treat celebrating last Autumn. Why, this screams, is nationalism required?

Should we reject 26 January as a day of national commemoration? Don't be absurd! We can rearrange Easter because it falls after the full moon following the Northern Hemisphere vernal equinox. It is faux. Christmas is even less subject to rules. It's a thanksgiving celebration for having made it past the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice and hijacked for some fantasy kid's birthday. Yep, that's faux too. But you can't change factual historical dates. Party if you must; cry, mourn and weep if that helps. But do it together so we can lean on and learn from each other.

Across the country today there is feeble-minded desecration of statues of the navigator James Cook. Widespread ignorance links 26 January to his landing in Australia. Rubbish! Cook landed at the end of April. It was Arthur Phillip, first Governor of the state which became Australia who landed on 26 January 1788. Don't think either to transfer the blame to Cook for his "discovery". He was long dead before the First Fleet was conceived. Instead look outside your petty bigotry to a bigger picture. Discover George Washington, the American War of Independence and what this did to British fortunes. Consider that it was part of the plan for the British East India Company to have a supply port somewhere nearer to the East Indies. Look too to Joseph Banks, a major proponent of the project. Here's an idea: go to school and raise yourself from the self-harm that ignorance, self-pity and prejudice impose.

Today is a day of deep reflection. A national living treasure, part Aboriginal, part European, part convict, all thinking, has written of the evils of nationalism sitting as we do at a time of nascent conflict in Eastern Europe, with an indigenous population divided among themselves and a seemingly thoughtless and inward looking government. His call instead is for good governance, accountability, rule of law, kindness, tolerance, empathy and respect. In short, do all these things and your identity will look out for itself. He counsels "A shared sense of citizenship is crucial to a functioning democracy but the prevalence of a debilitating, censorious, tribal identity politics is the enemy of a shared citizenship. It has proved a cancer on democracy".

Meanwhile race-based debates rage. Our erstwhile Prime Minister chose yesterday to announce that the standard symbol of Aboriginal Australia, the beautiful flag, genius work of Harold Thomas, had been "freed" for all Australians. The Commonwealth Government has acquired copyright over the design. What I know of the Government's history on exercising copyright over symbols suggests that it will be anything but free. Whereas this was a potent symbol outside of Government it will now be brought under the legal control of a powerful institution with different ideals, intent and sympathies. Unless we can all call this our own and reject the current national flag, itself dating from just 1953, then nothing will be settled by this silly, politicised act of acquisition.

Also yesterday, the outgoing Australian of the Year gave the Prime Minister the frosty reception he deserved. She was accused of disrespect! Here's a message for office holders: the office of Prime Minister is worthy of respect. However, respect doesn't come with the title. That is earned. This is a PM who has failed to address reports dealing with gender issues in a timely manner, snubbed his nose at climate change, watched his country burn from a safe distance in Hawai'i and failed again, and again to properly address the COVID-19 pandemic. I stand with you girl, and I stand with Australia. Nah, yeah: happy straya day!