Rosie's Travels

To follow on from yesterday's post, I discovered another Obama fan-club song. I've always found gospel music emotionally stirring, even though it's a long way from the restrained British hymns I grew up with.

What an exciting time to be in the US! Best of luck for Super Tuesday, everyone!

Labels: conflict resolution, Inspiration, Obama, politics, USA, Web 2.0, world music

I came across this video today. It's a rousing, inspirational clip setting a speech by Barack Obama to music. All those celebrities, actors and musicians are very fervently, earnestly, reciting a political speech. Obama's delivery has definite echoes of preaching (notice I say preaching, rather than the British equivalent, giving a sermon.) This is a uniquely American artifact: no other country would make this without sending it up somehow (I have no doubt that some YouTubers are creating parody versions as I write...)

I have to admit, my reactions are mixed. On the one hand he's discussing an epic narrative, a nation's journey, and it is stirring stuff emotionally. On the other hand ... this is a politician, people! Not the President or Prime Minister, just someone currently in Opposition. Can you imagine this reaction to one of David Cameron's speeches? Or indeed, to any speech by a British politician?

We Brits are perhaps too cynical. I admit that parts of the video are slightly toe-curling (well, anyone who closes their eyes as they warble, shaking their head and staring off into the middle distance has me narrowing my eyes and retreating to a safe distance) but isn't this a fascinating outpouring?

I'm reminded of my reactionary A-Level History teacher, who for two years endeavoured to get us to think analytically about the history of the United States. We looked at the idealistic plans of the white settlers, the twists and turns of the colonies gradually becoming a country, and the way the language of idealism and manifest destiny would be used to justify horrific policies. What would the Founding Fathers think? We discussed Bill Clinton's potential impeachment desultorily, with detached interest: for most of us, I think, America was an exciting place we hoped to visit some day.

During uni I went to live in America on an academic exchange programme. I graduated. I travelled, living in many different places. I came to realise that the news I read and watched and heard was overwhelmingly influenced by the decisions of the US government. After these interminable Bush years - like the Howard era in Australia, or the endless corrupt Tories here in England - anything would be an improvement.

I'm dedicating this post to Mr Davies, wherever he is now. I didn't understand all the points he made at the time, but I've often thought back to our debates. It has to be uniquely American to create something like this - about politics!

Labels: cultural contrasts, history, Inspiration, Obama, politics, USA, Web 2.0

There's been discussion of the Australian elections in the UK papers I read online as well, in many cases providing clearer overviews of the issues more than you see in the (Murdoch-owned) Australian newspapers. Marieke Hardy's mum had a novel way of campaigning.

The level of political debate Down Under is just as "abrasive"/"robust"/misogynistic as ever: John Howard will hopefully be knocked out of his local seat by his leading rival, TV star Maxine McKew.

When Ms McKew appeared on giant screens around the Wentworth Hotel ballroom,
filmed being feted by the Labor faithful at her Bennelong function, loud boos
rang out. Some Young Liberals abused the Labor candidate, one yelling "get a
facelift, you slag".

Good on her for sticking it out and rising above it - the same with Julia Gillard, the shadow Deputy PM who was abused as being "deliberately barren" for not having had children. Firstly, there's no call for that kind of prurient leering. It may be deeply sad for her - you don't know what suffering people might have gone through if they want a child and can't have one. Whatever the reason, it's a private matter and not remotely in the public interest. Finally, I'm just pointing out that there is no way anybody would say that to a male politician without kids.

One of the most interesting people I've met is Dario, an Italian radio presenter travelling around the world without ever flying. You don't meet many Italian travellers, especially not compared to Brits and Germans - it seems to be a real cultural difference - but this modern day Marco Polo keeps a blog (in Italian) discussing the joys of travel, and sharing some amazing photography, with his former listeners back home. I never imagined visiting Uzbekistan until he showed me some of the pictures he'd taken there.

Apart from the excitement of chatting with fellow travellers, I've been enjoying the Chinatown markets, with their rumbling trolleys of goods charging through, hopefuls gurning optimistically from racks off knock-off watches, wallets, sunglasses and suitcases "Chip-chip sir, chip-chip madam, for you very good price!"

This evening I brought a Dutch guy and a fellow English girl to try a locals-only satay stand that I'd walked past earlier (I didn't want to be the only Westerner in the entire place). They have plates full of kebabs, five or six unidentifiable lumps of foodstuff on a skewer. You select the ones you'd like, and they're dunked into boiling broth for a couple of minutes, then doused with a dark brown sauce. It contained a few crushed peanuts, a little chilli and perhaps even an edge of ginger, but basically it was just a rich gravy. Poor Jaap, on the other hand, was given a fiery hot chilli oil on top of his sauce - maybe as a kind of macho challenge? I definitely got the milder end of deal. We enjoyed their iced tea - very cold, milky and sweet, possibly with condensed milk. It was 1.50 ringgit a cup - that's about 20p in UK money, or 50 cents in Australian.

Labels: Australia and Aussie customs, exotic foodstuffs, feminism, Malaysia, pictures of Uzbekistan, politics