To new beginnings...

So, the US has a new president elect. And how do I feel about it? I think the over-whelming reaction is one of relief. Relief that a country so obsessed with power and status has finally come to its senses and elected a president who may actually be able to string a sentence together and deliver an important speech without messing it up. Relief too that the media circus surrounding the US elections may come to an end… but maybe that’s too much to hope for.

Since I arrived in Australia a couple of months ago the media has covered the run-up to the election incessantly – to the point where I wonder what the news agenda will focus on now it’s all over. Saying that, I’m happy about the result, coming from a ‘lefty’ household ruled by teachers, I was brought up to believe that we are all equal and everyone deserves a chance.

It seems that my US friends seem to share the same view and as one so eloquently put it to me yesterday ‘I wasn’t going to vote for Obama until about three weeks ago when I thought John McCain was acting like an arrogant twat. I also fancied giving Barack a chance and seeing what he could do”. We shall see…he will get his chance but will the new and first black president deliver on his promises? Who knows, but what we can safely bet is that the whole world will be watching his every move…

Faux tan

I am not sure what your thoughts are on this very topical issue http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,24445237-10229,00.html , but mine are mixed. The ‘bottle orange’ is not cool and I am sure in some countries it must be completely illegal. Check out Lindsay Lohan http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24489531-5001026,00.html Surely she must have not looked in the mirror before she left the house, or have I missed something, are bobby sock marks back in?

Then there is the ongoing debate regarding the safety of tanning beds. Apart from my own personal germ factor issues, UK “research shows that using a sun bed before the age of 35 increases the risk of skin cancer by up to 75 per cent” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/entertainment-news/2008/08/19/sandi-thom-s-shock-at-sunbed-damage-86908-20703284/

So for the fairer skinned Aussies, like me, not wanting to be a reflective beacon this summer and considering the ongoing health issues of tanning beds, pass me the bottle!