I am a first-generation Australian. My parents arrived in this country nearly forty years ago, seeking better opportunities for the future. I was born in a small country town in regional New South Wales, and I had the great fortune to grow up in a safe, welcoming environment, free from many of the anxieties and insecurities that plague much of the Western World as well as the terrifying dangers and tensions rife in many developing countries. I am very lucky ...

I consider it a privilege to have been in California during the 2012 US Presidential Election.

California is strongly Democratic (as in the political party), and Berkeley is a liberal bastion in the Golden State. Add a strongly left-leaning student body and a convenient time zone, and you have the ingredients for a euphoric night.

The tension began around 5pm, as polls on the East Coast closed and the counting began. Naturally, Romney took an early lead due to the ...