Australian of the Year

It sounds funny to American ears, but Australia actually appoints an official Australian of the Year. It's like being the MVP, only of the whole country. Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced that the 2007 AOTY was Tim Flannery, a scientist and environmental activist who is urgently pushing the message that climate change is real and we need to do something about it. His selection wasn't a surprise - climate change (and Australia's ongoing drought) has risen dramatically in profile over the past six months, and is likely to be an issue in the elections later this year.

But not all winners are picked for such serious topics. Previous winners include actor Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan (1985), Olympic gold-medal winner Cathy Freeman (1998), Wimbledon champ Evonne Goolagong (1971), and soft-rockers The Seekers (1967). Plus plenty of worthies like the first ever AOTY, Sir MacFarlane Burnet (1960), a Nobel prize winning medical researcher.

AOTY is usually announced on the eve before Australia Day (January 26), the day that commemorates the establishment of Sydney by the First Fleet back in 1788. Except not all Australians really care for that day. Aborigines certainly don't see it as such a great day, much the way that American Indians aren't overly enthusiastic about Columbus Day. And some Aussies in states other than New South Wales gripe that it's no good that all of Australia has to celebrate SYDNEY's founding as their national day.

But anyway, put on some AC/DC or Midnight Oil or Keith Urban, grab a Fosters or an Aussie wine, put a prawn on the barbie, watch a Nicole Kidman or Guy Pierce movie, and have a great Australia Day. And if you see Tim Flannery, give him a handshake and a "good on you, mate."