From Yankee Doodle to Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!

I still wonder how, among the zillions of stuff that pop up on the Web daily, one or more becomes "viral". One example: A young American girl, just 18 years old and very unhappy that Obama will be her President for four more years, who tweeted this:

Yes, it went viral and many people -- not least Aussies -- derided the poor girl for her ignorance. Someone even said, "You'll find the drive there pretty scenic." Someone else posted this:

(Melbourne's international airport is also called Tullamarine Airport.)

Here's one online commentary headlined

Tweet on Australia’s Christian male president goes viral

http://www.australiantimes.co.uk/news/australia-world-news/tweet-on-australias-christian-male-president-goes-viral.htm

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So, you still want to go to Australia. You've packed your bags and are ready for that long flight to Oz (and it's not a long scenic drive, Sheila). Make sure you have a compendium of Aussie slang words (like Sheila, which is slang for young girl) and get used to the Down Under brand of jokes.

Here's one that is "comparatively" less in-your-face:

An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the world. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to Orlando, thinking that he would start by working his way across the USA from South to North.

On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read "$10,000 per call".

The American, being intrigued, asked priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God. The American thanked the priest and went along his way.

Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God. "OK, thank you," said the American.

He then travelled to Indianapolis, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 per call" sign under it.

The American, upon leaving Vermont decided to travel to AUSTRALIA to see if Australians had the same phone. He arrived in Australia, and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read "40 cents per call."

The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign.

"Father, I've travelled all over America and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the US the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?"

The priest smiled and answered, "You're in Australia now, mate. It's a local call".

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Last but not least, you've gotta learn the "Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HfELRbhZw0