State Bird of Indiana

This bird is not found in Australia - except on napkins, I guess.

Dental - Optometry

Just had my first eye exam in Sydney. In the States I had been going to UC Berkeley School of Optometry. Here, I went to a shopping mall office for a major chain (OPSM). Everyone gets a free annual eye exam courtesy Australia's Medicare. You have to pay for your own contact lens fitting and contacts or eyeglasses. However, a percentage of mine is covered through private insurance that my wife pays for through work. The insurance pays a specific dollar amount for glasses or contacts each year. There seemed to be much less pleading with the customer for fee-generating upgrades to service, however, I haven't actually purchased glasses yet, and I did overhear the guy suggestive-selling someone else anti-glare lens coating.

The equipment in the optometrist's office was a bit more advanced than used at UCB. Instead of manually turning the dials that change lenses, the machine was hooked to a computer, and the optometrist clicked something on the screen to change the lens setting. Then the settings are automatically in the patient record. They also had a different type of machine for contact lens fitting - you stared into a pattern on a screen while it took measurements. The optometrist said they only dilate your pupils if there seems to be a good reason - diabetes; whatever. I suppose they do it routinely in the States since people may not go see a doctor; so it's a way to catch problems?

Per the optometrist's advice, I switched to a single-use contact lens, since I was really only wearing them occasionally. I wear them for the beach, swimming, sailing, whatever outdoor activities. He said there is more of a problem with fungus in Australia with the warmth and humidity of Sydney, so better just to wear them and throw them away instead of dealing with fluids to sterilize.

At the dentist, some things were higher-tech; others surprisingly lower. My dentist in the States had an old-school x-ray machine - you cover your adenoids with a lead apron. The dentist here said the new x-ray machine emits such a small, focussed amount it's not necessary to have the lead covering. Also, while the x-ray film was the same (you bite down on the holder), the film was scanned by the computer and appeared on the computer monitor. There was a crack along the x-ray - the dentist said because of a wrinkle in the x-ray film (buying factory seconds?). The other thing that seemed a bit odd - my stateside dentist had his tools individually sterile-packed (he didn't have an assistant in the office I normally visited). The dentist here (independent, small practice), had all the tools in a drawer, like a silverware drawer. OK... hope they were all clean!

Voting in Australia

Each ballot, lovingly counted by hand. (I'm not eligible to vote, this is a notice someone else received.)

Vanuatu volunteer spot

There's an Australian Red Cross "volunteer" position to help develop the blood bank capacity and expertise in Vanuatu. Vanuatu - oh yeah - where bungee jumping was invented! Of course, I'm not eligible because I'm not a permanent resident yet (volunteer position comes with lodging and a living stipend). National Geographic video of Vanuatu vine jumping

Thanksgiving in Australia

Personally,  I always loved Thanksgiving,  because it's not an explicitly religious holiday,  yet it is the celebration of gratitude for Americans.  I'm really really annoyed that some Australians are adopting it like Halloween.  WTF?!  Halloween is universal,  and because the giant fruit bats return,  it sorta goes,  even though it's springtime.  But Thanksgiving? No.  NO!  People should not be fattening themselves on the harvest in the springtime. Maybe eat the moldy pieces left in the root cellar,  but gorging?  NO!  Besides,  the aboriginals here were skeptical,  territorial,  and attempted to repulse the invaders right off the bat.  One was captured and taken back to England.  He was seen as a traitor by his people. There was no Thanksgiving here. The crops were eaten by ants and other insects and the locals laughed.

Maternity leave - government employees

My wife has thoroughly explained the maternity leave benefits for public hospital employees. This became an issue because, like many HR issues, if paperwork isn't filed properly it can cause problems! Note - this is only government employees and larger "good" employers. Smaller businesses cannot provide this level of generosity, not only because of the expense, but because they don't have the personnel resources to make it work.

After working for at least 40 weeks, women are entitled to 14 weeks maternity leave at full pay. They can extend their time off for up to 2 years, however, they will not be paid beyond 14 weeks unless they have accumulated other time (vacation time or long service leave). After up to two years off work, they can return to their old position. If their position is no longer available, they must be offered a position with similar pay. Until the child starts school they can work part time, and then once the child starts school, they can return to the number of hours they worked before the maternity leave. If they decided to work full time before the child goes to school, they give up the option to reduce hours and reclaim them later under the maternity benefit.

Men can also take maternity leave. (she wasn't sure of duration - 2 weeks?)

While this seems extremely generous, it also has a side benefit to people looking for work and the employer. People can be hired on a temporary basis while someone is out on maternity leave. Most temporary hires become permanent employees, unless there are problems. This allows the employer to get rid of a new employee with no hassle, since they were originally hired as "temporary."

Rainbow Warrior

Today an Australian was saying their first visit to France did not go well because it was just after the sinking of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand.  A restaurant refused to serve them because at that point they were blaming the bombing of Rainbow Warrier on Australia.

Wikipedia - Rainbow Warrior sinking.