This Aussie burger is known as "Return of the Chedi"!

In other news, I'm severing all diplomatic relations with Australia.

(Bonus Pun!)

Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!

Via the inimitable Jill Corcoran.

Mysteries of the Realm, Revealed

Newsflash: Seemingly inexplicable things happen each day. And here at Unexpectedly Bart!, we pride ourselves on either resolving these mysteries or muddying the icy waters even more. All of which brings us to a question that probably just struck you: Why do Bulgarian men jump into this lake each January 6th?

Answer: They're trying to get the cross which will be thrown into the water, thus insuring their health in the coming year. (Unless they die of pneumonia first.) It's a Bulgarian Orthodox New Year's tradition. (Photo from Der Spiegel.)

Here's another one: Why do the Australian/New Zealand editions of The Big Book of Girl Stuff and the The Big Book of Boy Stuff have different covers than the originals? I don't actually know, but the answer has to be marketing. While Girl Stuff enjoyed a relatively mild makeover, there now seems to be a demented subhuman on the cover of Boy Stuff. Clearly, Aussie/Kiwi readers are a hearty, rollicking group who enjoy subhumans! (Although you'd never know it from this thin-blooded review by Susan Whelan headlined "Bart King 'Big Books'— What's the Big Deal?")

One final New Year puzzler: Why did five relatively unexceptional photos from Whitefish, Montana that I posted on my Flickr page accumulate about 4,000 views in just one day? Dunno! (One shot is the "Safety Has No Quitting Time" above, and another is just below.) Looks like the veil of mystery will obscure the truth of this matter indefinitely. (And please, don't tell me it's just a Flickr glitch. This would deflate my ego to the point where it'd be draped all over the living room furniture.)

Gird Your Loins and Cast a Ballot

I just finished voting. (Cue applause.) With my “secret ballot” duly sealed, I just need to mail it or do a drive-by at a ballot drop. Oregon has no other options; it’s strictly “vote-by-mail,” something that is intended to generate greater voter participation.

One thing I don’t have to worry about is running a gauntlet of rowdy thugs demanding to see my ballot. That IS, however, the time-honored American way. Writing in the New Yorker, Jill Lepore describes the case of Baltimore voter George Kyle, who tried to vote for his state’s congressman in 1859:
"As he neared the polls…a ruffian tried to snatch his ballots. Kyle... heard a cry: his brother, just behind him, had been struck. Next, someone clobbered Kyle... “I felt a pistol put to my head,” he said. Grazed by a bullet, he fell….Someone else fired a shot, hitting Kyle in the arm. [A man] threw a brick, knocking him off his feet. George Kyle picked himself up and ran. He never did cast his vote. Nor did his brother, who died of his wounds."

Kyle’s candidate not only lost the election, he also lost his appeal of the election. The House of Representatives found that any “man of ordinary courage” could have made his way to the polls that day.

From the founding of the U.S. until the 20th century, elections would not be invalidated unless “there was such a display of force [by opposition party members at the polling place] as ought to have intimidated men of ordinary firmness.” The Baltimore incident described above was no isolated incident; nearly 90 prospective voters were killed in the mid-1800s when they tried to vote on Election Day.

Also interesting, George Kyle was carrying his ballot with him to the polling place. The notion of a “secret ballot” was unknown and many states didn’t allow voting on paper. (Heck, Kentucky stuck to voting “by voice” until 1891!)

If you did bring your own ballot, you might have to fill it out right there at the polling place, which had no isolation booth. You had to supply the paper and remember every candidate for every office. Spelled a name wrong? Your vote was invalid.

In 1859, there wasn’t a single locale in the U.S. that provided ballots for its voters. This led political parties to print their own “party tickets” for voters to return. To advertise the party, these ballots came to be printed on colossal, bright sheets of paper that couldn’t be easily concealed as a person went to the polling place.

The state of Maine wised up to this and in 1831, protected voters by requiring uniform ballots. (Of course, the state didn’t actually PROVIDE the ballots.) This was not an example other states followed; secret ballots were suspicious; why would an honest American hide his political opinion?

But by following the example set by advanced civilizations like Australia and Maine, by 1896, government-printed ballots were used in 39 states. By the way, voter turnout during the 1800s averaged about 80% nationally. Though more types of people can vote safely today, we’re lucky to get 50% of people to the polls.

Cynics say that after the 2000 election debacle, people feel disenfranchised. Puh-leeze. Dismal voter turnouts predated 2000. It used to take bravery to vote in the U.S. Now that it’s safe and easy, one only has to care.

Both historic images above are from the Library of Congress; both are taken from Harper's Weekly. The first is from 1857, and the second (titled "The First Vote") is from a decade later.

The Last Song You'll Ever Hear?

This poster is part of a safety campaign in Australia:
"Watch for cars when wearing headphones."