Blog Topic 3 - Watch Where You're Swimming...

We talk a lot about agriculture and the all the different cultures in places like Southeast Asia, but what about the animals.  To think this thing could be swimming underneath you in the water is just a little bit creepy.  It is said to be the largest fresh water fish in the world.  It just shows the different types of animals that live in different places in the world.  You would never see a stingray in the Great Lakes or in any rivers in the United states.  I picked this video because I love animals and this particular one is amazing in size.  Its tail/stinger looked to be twice as long as myself, and to think that it weighs roughly a thousand pounds is incredible.  I would not want to live near these waters.

Austalia Day & Immigration Blog Topic 2

Article URL-
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/move-on-from-australia-day-debate-wyatt-20110126-1a57v.html

Article:  Move on from Australia Day debate: Wyatt
 

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Ken Wyatt was the first Aborigine elected to the federal House of Representatives and he talked about Australia Day and how the Aborigine people in Australia should move on from what they call "Invasion day", and what others would call it the "First Fleet".  But he also pointed out that many people have moved on especially the younger generation which has embraced it and wants to be apart of Australia.  Wyatt said "Australia Day was about celebrating the coming together of people from different cultures and backgrounds and the quality of life Australians enjoy".
As it says in the book on page 645, the Aborigines dominated the cultural geography of the continent for thousands of years.  They were skilled and adapted to the harsh environment that Europeans avoided.  But then Europeans did arrive in the late 1700's and with the first fleet in 1788.  Aboriginal populations were decimated from it and were moved to the center and northern parts of the continent.  Today, most native peoples live in the same large urban areas that dominate the country's overall population geography.

Immigration
Article URL -
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/finding-a-home-for-the-hindu-community/story-fn6bqvxz-1225994462303
Article- Migrant makes a home for Hindu community

Siva Selvakulalingam immigrated to Australia from Sri Lanka 25 years ago.  Recently he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his work and services to the Hindu community in South Australia.  He said the greatest achievement of the Hindu Society was creating the Ganesh Temple in 1985.  Hinduism is becoming popular in Australia and there are more people becoming vegatarians, doing meditation and also yoga.  Mr Selvakulalingam will be taking part in the Australia Day Parade as part of the Multicultural South Australi procession.
On page 646 it says that the Australian society has been changed forever by its varied immigrant mix.  Although the country is still largely Chirstain, some of the nation's fastest growing religions are Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.  And while English is still Australia's national language, more than 2.5 million residents now speak another language.  This is just showing all the different immigrants coming to Australia to share this diverse land.