Ok. I hurriedly scanned the entries so if some of this is redundant, what can I say, mate? Ain't no geckos in England but they are in Aussie Land. There ain't no GEICO in either of those countries.HMMM? But there ain't no Budweiser in either of those countries either.

The East End accents of which "Cockney" is the most recognizable were exported all over the world during the hayday of the British Empire. Theirs was the language and accent of the dock workers and seamen and the Austrailian accent was very much influenced by the same as this was one of the last colonies of Great Brittan. And because it was a penal colony it got the dregs of the Home Island and THEIR accent.

Now, what do I make of all this? An Aussie once asked me if I knew why American beer was like making love in a canoe. I said I didn't know. I had no idea why American beer was like making love in a canoe. He said "Because it's fucking close to water, Mate!" So there you have it. The squamish little gecko out does the Bud-lapping Old World Chameleons and we all rest a little easier knowing that we have an insurance company that we'd have to sue to get our due.