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Published: December 20th 2007
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Back in my day....
.....what you talking about it is my day.....Silverchair concert ticket $15!!!!! HAPPY DAYS Event 1 - Silverchair, playing a concert in my new neck of the woods....unheard of! Yet at the house of blues in Myrtle Beach, a lazy two hour drive north of the burgee-matthews manor the all grown up Silverchair and Paul Mac play to a ridiculously excited crowd. And the best bit about the show.......the cost.....$15.50 for the ticket. Not the $100+ it seems to cost these days for a stadium shows...you see back in my day you could see a red hot band for under $20......well i guess it still is my day! And despite being 1000's and 1000's of kms from home i bump into 4 random Aussies who have driven 5 hrs from the college they are attending in the middle of country Amercia who recognise the Australian Football (insert soccer for you Americans!) jersey i'm wearing in the vane attempt to be recognised and invited backstage.....lame Simo lame......it didnt work!
Event 2 - My initiation into the world of political rallies.
It was touted as the O show.......Barrack Obama and Oprah Winfrey were the centre piece. Arrested development warmed the crowd up (surprising as the American to my right......beth.....and the american to my left.....random
The O Show
30 000 people filled the football stadium in Columbia to hear Bazza and Oprah talk. stranger......were startled when i began singing the words to "Mr Wendle" when they themselves had no clue to the tune being sung!)
Back in Oz i had never even contemplated going to a political rally. Is it because i felt it was irrellevant to global politics or that i would get my say at the ballot box (because i would get fined if i didnt vote!) or could it be simply I had not considered it cool to be interested in politics (or i just dont have the time.....)
.....well in all honesty i must admit that my overwhelming feelings while attending the rally was that i was witnessing something that could make a difference. I guess the US election more than any other in the world is going to SIGNIFICANTLY shape the global political, humanitarian, social and economic climate. This dude called Barrack Obama (i call him Bazza!) with his youthful, in political spheres at least, ideals and his fresh approach......his diplomacy over violence (insert wars) his emphasis on education and his compassion for "illegal aliens" who are simply trying to forge a better life........i cant help but think of him in Australian terms.......he's simply a "good
BUSTED!
Sorry me eating again! bloke". He's the kind of person you want in your corner.....the type of person you want as a leader.......
Did i form all these opinions while at the rally.......Nupe not at all. I've watched several demorcratic and republican debates (got to get both sides) where the two parties are in the (brutal at times!) process of nominating their respective candidates for the election in Nov 2008! A memorable moment for me was a repbulican (ie conservative) candidate preaching against abortion and being pro-life and almost immeadiately when the issue shifted to the death penalty almost gloating that he was the candidate who has been the most courageous enough to sign off on the most captial punishments than any other candidates. I was amazed at how silly he sounded but it appears im the silly one as his apparent di-polar views have appeared to strike a chord with voters in conservative areas and he's now riding a bit of a polictical wave of support off that debate!
Frankly though out of all the candidates Obama has impressed more than any. He has resisted the urge (which is common practice apparently) to slag off his fellow Democractic nomminees and has
The media
Think about coverage in Australia and then multiply it by about 100! put his case as to why he should be president. Pointing out his positives while not highlighting other peoples negatives....Amen to that..........
And while Oprah indeed did get an almighty recpetion from the 30,000 strong crowd, the masses were in fact attentive and excited to hear what Bazza had to say. And now with the Oprah factor Bazza is becoming one of the red hot favourites to at least take the demorcratic nomination!
So my suggestion after being infected with the election bug....... make a point of at least being able to name the top 2 candidates from both parties and generally what they believe in and stand for. Or even just be aware that this process is going on right now!The election proper isnt till Nov 2008 but if you think about it, it will have more of an impact on your lives than you care to accept!
And keep your eye on bazza.....im expecting big things from the young man!
Happy Holidays (Cant say merry xmas as i may be sued for lack of tolerance for other peoples beliefs.......im not kidding either!!!!)
Be good
Simo
PS (from Beth) Firstly, sorry for
This is for you dad
A bunch of train carriages converted to watering holes at the end of the stadium only open on game day where the stadium regularly fills to its 80,000 capacity for the local college football team, the South Carolina Gamecocks! the broken up english style that Simo loves to write in...I hope you followed his tyrant with less confusion than me. Secondly, the primary votes start January 3rd in New Hampshire, Iowa soon to follow and then South Carolina. The Primary's are for the Democratic and Republican parties to suss out who has the greatest potential to win the overall race and the Democratic vote will basically be between Clinton and Obama. Sadly Simo won't be able to vote as he is a 'legal alien' (smells like one too!); however I have to agree that Barack has done much to win my vote. Either way, should Hillary Clinton get the vote or Obama, I think it is wonderful that the US is finally open to either a woman or a black man holding the executive office. It was a long time coming, but I think in of itself it shows we are moving in the right direction.
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Lachlan
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primarys? sussing? i have no idea what your talking about beth. lucky simo was there to put it in plain english for me!;) Lac ps: it was minus 24 the other day simo u big pansy. minus 10 is good sunbaking weather in these parts!