Well... my affections are turning to yet a different country. Now it is Australia. Australia and New Zealand are two countries which really need to be understood in context with eachother.

I live right now in a tourist/college town in the Rocky Mountains, and I recognise how much my community benefits from the overarching culture of the plains states. The values that are imparted to my town - things like neighborliness, where people smile at their neighbors, including the children they pass on the street - are really nourishing for my community... even though my community is much more cosmopolitan than most of its neighbors. We have lots of ethnic restaurants, and art galleries, and festivals going on all summer.

Looking at Australia, I see that same wonderful culture I see on the plains around me. I see a friendliness, and a sensibility, which is really refreshing.

For any of you who have ever followed CSPAN in the Usa for any length of time, you might be interested in seeing the contrast with how parliament works in New Zealand. Here's a place you can watch it live over the internet.

Or you can cut and paste this url, into your windows media player's "Open url..." box:

http://webcast.aph.gov.au/livebroadcasting/asx1/hms1v_100K.asx

The only real quibble I have is that they need to change the decor in their House of Representatives. I realise that green is a color which is used in the lower house of many parliaments in countries which still adhere in ceremony to the British monarchy tradition. But green really does terrible things to a person's skin tone.

One thing you will need to know when watching this... is that the "Liberal party" in Australia is the main right wing party. The "Labour party" is the left wing party. Another party you'll hear referred to is the "National party" - that's a smaller right wing group.