City Hub 14 August 2014

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SMOKE AND MIRRORS Photographer Simon Bernhardt explores cannabis, the so-called gateway drug

Community backs Whitehouse whistleblower in NSW for public-spirited persons or citizens who want to blow the whistle on (say) government contractor misconduct, fraud, waste, or a potential threat to public health or safety or the environment,” said a spokesperson for the Law Society of NSW. NSW Police were unable to comment on the circumstances surrounding the arrest as the matter is now before the court.

A court order was delivered to Ms Newman at her home on Monday, August 4.

A groundswell of support from local students has

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Frances Abbott

Mr Leeder also proposed that the motion be accompanied by an offer of full financial support from the SRC legal team, despite the fact that Ms Newman has never attended the University of Sydney.

These motions by both major inner city universities follow the appearance of a large-scale petition on popular website change.org.

The petition, with almost 5000 signatures so far, seeks to “stop the pursuit of Freya Newman for leaking documents about Frances Abbot’s scholarship and enshrine the freedom of the press in the Australian constitution”.

Petition signatory Astrid O’Neil said: “This is corruption, pure and simple, and shames the Abbott Government”.

Another petition signatory, Milton Manner, said: “We need people to expose corruption without fear of retribution.”

Financial aid for legal representation has also been offered by Facebook group Free Freya Newman, which currently has over 3,500 members.

The group’s mission statement reads: “The leaked information is in the public’s interest and ‘we’ (the majority) believe it is unjust for Freya Newman to face criminal charges.”

A subsequent petition implored the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to “investigate if the Whitehouse Institute acted corruptly in awarding a $60,000 scholarship to Frances Abbott”.

City of Sydney Councillor Irene Doutney said she feels the criminal charges are hypocritical given the federal government’s recent cuts to public education.

“It should not be a police matter for someone to say something in the public interest, especially when this federal government is making it so hard for people who need financial assistance for tertiary education to get it,” she said.

Ms Newman’s case will be heard at the Downing Centre local court on September 18.

Jewish schools heighten security following anti-Semitic attack

BY LUCIA OSBORNE-CROWLEY Jewish schools in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have increased security measures to protect their students from anti-Semitic attacks following an incident on a school bus in Randwick last week.

Jewish schools in the area now have armed guards operating at their gates and members of the NSW Police patrolling the vicinity, according to a parent who preferred to remain nameless.

Three young students aged between 5 and 12 from Moriah College, Mt Sinai and Emmanuel School were travelling on the 660 school bus through Randwick last Wednesday (August 6) when they were verbally attacked by a group of teenagers.

The teenagers were allegedly heavily intoxicated and said “kill the Jews” and “Heil Hitler”, as well as references to the Israeli invasion of Gaza such as “free Palestine”.

The teens allegedly threatened the children with violence.

Five teenagers were arrested at 3.30am the following morning but were released shortly afterwards as they were unable to be interviewed due to intoxication, NSW Police told City Hub. A spokesperson for NSW Police said no further arrests have been made and an inquiry is ongoing.

Member for Heffron Ron Hoenig

said the incident was fuelled by frustration over the current political situation in Palestine.

Heffron is the NSW seat representing all three schools involved in the incident.

“Australia is a very proud multicultural country and Sydney is very culturally diverse. I believe it was an incident that was fuelled by the discourse surrounding the conflict in the Middle East and the perpetrators saw an opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and hurl abuse at Jewish children,” Mr Heffron said.

Mr Hoenig also said he feels the attack may have been prompted by the federal government’s bid to repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA).

“The Federal Government’s attempt to repeal Section 18C of the RDA would have sent the perpetrators of this atrocious act a message that what they said is acceptable. I would hope that since the repeal was unsuccessful, it is clear to Australians that discrimination will not be tolerated in our community,” he said.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive officer Vic Alhadeff said the incident was not indicative of a broader problem.

“It was an isolated incident. We live in a multicultural society that is overwhelmingly law-abiding and

peaceful,” he said.

“The authorities [need to] ensure there are adequate security measures in place.”

Spokesperson for Jews Against the Occupation Vivienne Porzsolt said Jewish leaders are encouraging a connection between Judaism and the actions of the state of Israel.

“No racism, including antiSemitism, is ever excusable.

However, the Jewish community leadership promotes the identification of Jews with Israel and all its actions. They debase the charge of anti-Semitism by applying it to all criticism of Israel. It is not

surprising then that some may hold Jews in general responsible for Israel’s actions,” she said.

Acting Head of Jewish Life at Emanuel School Dr Adam Carpenter said the school was not an appropriate place for political commentary on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“Our intention is not to provide political commentary and we respect the rights of families to hold personal political beliefs,” he said.

“Supporting Israel and its people allows for divergent views and opinions.”

Photo: Taylor Construction Group

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emerged, claiming Ms Newman needs to be defended in the name of both freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

The local response began when the UTS Union offered Ms Newman full legal representation free of charge.

This week, the University of Sydney Student Representative Council (SRC) passed a Motion of Solidarity to support Ms Newman. The motion was put to the SRC by Socialist Alternative member Ridah Hassan and supported by General-Secretary James Leeder.

Photo: Tenants Union of NSW

BY LUCIA OSBORNE-CROWLEY Freya Newman, the University of Technology (UTS) student who uncovered the controversial tertiary scholarship given to Frances Abbott, has received support from fellow students across Sydney.

It is alleged Ms Newman, while volunteering at the Whitehouse Institute of Design, used a co-worker’s staff login to access student files and subsequently uncovered an unusual scholarship awarded to Ms Abbott.

Ms Newman then leaked this information to New Matilda in May. Ms Newman has been charged by the NSW Police with one count of accessing restricted information held on a computer. The charge falls under section 308H of the NSW Crimes Act 1900 and carries and maximum sentence of two years in prison.

The charge comes from an obscure part of the Crimes Act and has carries very little criminal precedent, according to legal experts.

“There seem to be fairly few similar cases,” a spokesperson for the Law Society of NSW told City Hub. Supporters of Ms Newman have commended her for acting in the public interest.

Thomas Spohr, President of the Young Lawyers division of the NSW Law Society said the issue of public interest may not apply in this case.

“Releasing private information is very different from releasing public information, it’s not generally the case that it is okay to release private information because you think it is in the public interest,” he said.

The fact that the information was held on a private database begs the question of how it could have been a legitimate merit-based scholarship if its existence was not public information. Legal experts told City Hub this is an issue that may be brought up in court.

NSW is one of the only states that does not offer protection for members of the private sector who leak information to the public.

“There is no statutory system of protection available

Emanuel School, Randwick.

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BY JOSHUA TASSELL The Daily Telegraph’s Miranda Devine has directed harsh criticisms at Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s plan to remove a clearway on Oxford Street.

“Clover Moore lives in a fantasy world where people spend their time sitting around cafes drinking chai or riding pushbikes,” Ms Devine wrote.

In response, long-time resident, business owner and President of the Darlinghurst Business Partnership Stephan Gyory told City Hub: “Miranda [Devine] and the Telegraph have no idea what they’re talking about, they just hate Clover and want to oppose everything she does.”

Local and state politicians have also banded together in their support for the dissolution of the controversial clearway.

City of Sydney Council last week supported Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s mayoral minute to request the NSW Government remove the Oxford Street clearway and reduce the speed limit to 40 kilometres per hour. Woollahra Mayor Toni Zeltzer and Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich have also backed the motion.

“The clearways remove kerbside parking at a time when there are many people in the area who may wish to shop, eat or spend time on Oxford Street,” said Ms. Moore.

“These kerbside clearways mean that large volumes of high-speed traffic create a noisy and hostile environment for pedestrians, shoppers, diners and visitors. Kerbside parking provides a buffer between people and vehicles.”

Ms. Moore said the state government must remove the clearway entirely if it wanted to revive Oxford Street’s unique retail culture.

“Research and community consultation with

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residents and business by both City of Sydney and Woollahra Council have identified the removal of the clearway as an essential part of revitalising Oxford Street.”

A year long trial conducted by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) found that the clearway made no difference to bus travel times.

The outcome of the trial has been a permanent reduction in eastbound clearway operation hours.

“From an urban design point of view... it is very difficult to encourage outdoor dining when you have a large bus coming so close to the footpath almost as a wall coming past you,” Cr Zeltzer said.

Mr. Greenwich has previously petitioned the Roads and Freight Minister Duncan Gay to remove the Oxford Street clearway.

“There hasn’t been a clear case put forward as to why we need a clearway operating here. Those hours could be peak dining or shopping times for venues along Oxford St,” he said.

Mr Gyory agreed the clearway was redundant.

“The people who oppose this change say transport is the engine of the economy, to which I counter: Oxford Street is not at capacity, we do not have a traffic problem. I know it, anyone who’s ever stood on Oxford Street at 5.30 knows it; it’s all there in the numbers.”

“They just want another main road and more cars, that’s their mindset. But they are ignoring all of the ways this will benefit Sydney. It’s pure selfishness,” he said.

Spokeswoman for the Paddington Business Partnership Sally Tremlett warned that further measures must be taken to curtail traffic and promote outdoor dining.

The Paddington Business Partnership is set to prepare a business plan for the revitalisation of Oxford Street based on a Village Well study into

Photo: clovermoore.com

Support gathers for removal of Oxford Street clearway

the prospects of the area.

Retailers have also welcomed the change, arguing the clearway inhibits valuable parking space and restricts trading hours.

Local business owner and convenor of the Three States Square Project Sue Ritchie recently said that the removal of on-street parking to make space for the clearway was an “unfair disadvantage

to small businesses”.

Ms. Moore has indicated she will continue her advocacy for Oxford Street.

“The current clearway and speed limit on Oxford Street do not deliver a balanced solution.

It prioritises fast traffic movements over parking, pedestrian safety and amenity, and the needs of local businesses.”

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BY ELLIOTT BRENNAN Sydney University library staff have been told they will be made redundant by the new system that will focus on a digital platform as well as the extension of opening hours.

The planned cuts will affect 156 staff in total.

Prominent authors showed solidarity with the the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) when they held a rally outside the University of Sydney’s Fisher Library on Wednesday (August 13) to protest against proposed changes to the delivery of Library services on campus.

The rally attracted a crowd of over 200 and circulated a petition with over 1000 signatures.

“For a number of years now the University Management has been talking about changing what happens in the library. They are planning a library which will have hardly any staff and hardly any books,” said Sydney Branch President of the NTEU Michael Thompson.

“The University of Sydney seem to think that a library is where students can go and talk to each other at all hours of the day, without any people there to provide information about what the library can support.”

David Malouf, an Australian Author and winner of Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2000, was the key speaker at the event and addressed the fundamental changes the decision alludes to.

“Librarians belong to an old and honourable profession, these changes will make them redundant,” Mr Malouf said.

“It’s the scope as well as nature of reading that’s being changed here.”

“We ought not harm what is to be discovered in the future by destroying what is in print now.”

The NTEU believes that the change will

Photo: Elliott Brennan

Teachers clash with Sydney University over library cuts

NEWS IN BRIEF

Controversy heightens over Pyrmont Bridge garden

BY NICK RICHARDSON

NTEU demonstration at Sydney University.

lead to the loss of physical books that were previously available in the larger Fisher and SciTech libraries.

The University of Sydney has defended the proposals, indicating that they are simply keeping up with the modern standard for libraries.

“Overwhelmingly, most University libraries’ information and services are delivered electronically. Over 1.4 million books were issued or renewed at our libraries in 2012, but users downloaded nearly three million e-readings and more than eight million journal articles,” a University spokesperson said.

They also rejected claims that the workforce was being downsized.

“There are more positions in the new library structure than there are currently library staff. Library staff whose current positions

are made redundant will be able to apply for vacant positions in the new structure,” the spokesperson said.

Michael Thompson dismisses these claims saying that although the current staff are being given the opportunity, it is highly unlikely they will be successful in their applications.

“Many of the people who are being made redundant are towards the end of their working career, many of them have English as a second language, and through no fault of their own most of them simply do not have the skill sets required to work in this new system,” Mr Thompson said.

The disagreement over the library operations is just the latest in ongoing tensions between the University and the NTEU. A series of strikes over pay conditions froze university operations on several occasions last year.

Plans by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) to install a vertical garden on the Pyrmont Bridge have been criticised by Bicycle NSW. The AMAZE project aims to use the organic waste from surrounding amenities at Darling Harbour to fertilise the garden and showcase the benefits of sustainable composting.

AMAZE was announced by NSW Planning Minister, Pru Goward, at the end of last month. It is a collaboration with environmental advocate and architect Joost Bakker.

“This is an extraordinary and exciting project. It is not just a static sculpture, but a living attraction which will breathe life into Darling Harbour over summer,” Ms Goward said.

“It is the first time in Australia, and possibly the world, that a major tourism precinct has collaborated on a composting program of this scale.”

However, Bicycle NSW is concerned the garden will create commuter chaos on the bridge, which is used by 17,000 cyclists and pedestrians each day.

“This is a busy thoroughfare and an important access point to pedestrian and cycling pathways to and within the city. Designing ways for the cyclists and pedestrians to share the space is definitely a priority,” said Sophie Bartho, Communications Director of Bicycle NSW. “Bicycle NSW is keen to work closely with SHFA to develop a great solution to improve bicycle user and pedestrian interplay on Pyrmont Bridge, however ‘AMAZE’ was not designed for this purpose.”

Bicycle NSW have been particularly critical of what they see as a lack of consultation from the SHFA with other key stakeholders, raising safety concerns for cyclists, pedestrians, and visitors.

The AMAZE garden is expected to be constructed in late October and stay open until April next year.

MEET THE LOCALS

Best furniture in the Inner West

BY ALEXANDRA ENGLISH Furniture shopping can be an absolute nightmare, especially if you’re looking for something more than a flat-packed piece from Sweden with a name you can’t even pronounce.

If it’s a unique piece of furniture you’re after, it’s Parramatta Road you want. Between Stanmore and Annandale there are a number of locally owned stores where furniture is custom made in local Sydney warehouses, and others with beautiful imported international pieces at reasonable prices. The owners of these stores understand that finding furniture to suit inner city living is nigh impossible, and are on hand to offer advice on storage solutions, feng shui, and most importantly, style.

Naturally Timber has been in operation for almost 30 years and has seen its fair share of fashion fads come and go. From the classic wraparound sofa of the ‘80s to the minimalist Bauhausrevival designer chairs of today, Naturally Timber 6

has seen it all. The business was established in 1985 by Helen and and Eddie Harb and is now managed by their daughter Emelia Harb. With two stores in Auburn and Stanmore and an exclusive factory, Naturally Timber provide a range of furniture options for anyone looking for something unique and decorative. The company specialises in localy made, custom hardwood furniture that is made in their factory for domestic buyers and interior designers. The range includes dining tables, boardroom tables, desk and bookcases, TV units, bedroom furniture, and sofas, all made from the highest quality timber. Anyone after a specific piece of furniture can have it to made to order, or can peruse the beautiful, designer pieces that have been imported from across the globe. As everyone knows, a table is only as good as the centrepiece, which is why Naturally Timber also offer a selection of unique mirrors, stunning mosaic artwork, hand painted lamps and shades, hand blown glassware from brands such as Murano, Krosno and

Bohemia. 66-72 Parramatta Road, Stanmore, (02) 9565 2136, www.naturallytimber.com.au Nu Furniture lives up to its name: all the furniture here is sleek, modern, bold minimalistic, and best of all, new. Nu Furniture is a custom furniture importer that sells direct to the public.

They understand that your house and its interiors should be a reflection of yourself, and so offer an extensive range of furniture to suite all tastes, aesthetics and interests. Customers and designers can swing by to view a carefully picked selection of chairs, tables, beds, sofas, and everything in between. The focus here is on space-saving furniture that is ideal for apartment living, but the pieces are just as easyily adaptated to commercial and residential properties. People from all walks of life will fall in love with inanimate objects here, especially with the store’s range of art deco furniture – perfect for those time warp apartments that are part 2000s, part 1940s, all character and all class. Nu Furniture believe that no room is complete without decorative flourishes, which is why they specialise in art glass, and have a range of decorator sculptures and international art reproduction photography for the picking.

Proving that they are newer than nu, the store has a mobile-friendly site that displays the latest pieces, perfect for simultaneously selecting your next piece and measuring a room in arm lengths.

50 Paramatta Road, Stanmore, (02) 8095 8463, www.nufurniture.com.au Annandale Interiors boast one of the finest furniture and homewares collections in Sydney, where customers can walk out with a piece that reflects their indivduality and unique living space.

They stock a carefully selected range of leather, timber and fabric pieces, so you should probably throw out all your existing furniture; each trip is guaranteed to be a shopping spree. All customers will be able to find a piece that suits their lifestyle and colour palette, with a variety of leather lounge suites and chairs, and custom-made the timber pieces like cabinets, bookcases and desks.

The store’s custom design service utilises fine

international cabinet making skills to cater for any preference and to add a homely feel to new houses and apartments. The showroom is an excellent space to see the furniture in action so you can visualise how the pieces will work within your own space, and most likely spot something you never knew you always wanted. The team at Annandale Interiors can offer advice, care instructions and help out with delivery so you can have your new favourite piece of furniture in your house as soon as possible. 40 Parramatta Road, Annandale, (02) 9550 2736 From humble beginnings as a small joiners workshop for the local kitchen industry, SydneySide Furniture has grown into one of Sydney’s prime entertainment and home media furniture experts. Over 25 years the company has developed a reputation as the place to go for quality workmanship and exceptional customer service, making the furniture shopping experience one that is enjoyable and satisfying.

The manufacturing base is situated in Marrickville where a highly skilled team of tradespeople, cabinet makers, and spray painters reside and produce custom made joinery for commercial and residental buyers. As far as showrooms go, SydneySide has five retail stores who supply furniture to Sydney and surrounding areas.

Those looking to up the ante in their homes can peruse the company’s furniture range online before heading to the store to see an extensive range of entertainment units, coffee tables, sofas, bookcases, and storage solutions. Potential buyers can also explore design options that are especially convenient for inner city apartment living with the option to modify designs to suit your entertainment system requirements. SydneySide are with you through your whole furniture journey – from developing, producing and delivering your dream pieces at competitive prices, all the while supporting our local industry and economy.

22-28 Parramatta Road, Stanmore, (02) 9557 8713, www.sydneyside.net.au

Mindy Sotiri and members of the Community Restorative Centre in Chippendale

“What happens in those states with the reverse of onus of proof is the alleged must show the prosecution’s case against them is a weak one. What we have to remember is that when a bail hearing happens the brief hasn’t been served and the accused doesn’t have all, if any of the evidence available. That, to me, is an invidious situation.”

This concern of unfairness in the rules was mirrored by Ms Sotiri.

“43 per cent of people in prison will be back in two years. But the larger problem with populations that cycle in and out of remand is that they don’t get access to any programs; there is no opportunity to do anything constructive while awaiting sentencing. You can’t for instance, get a forklift ticket, or participate in an anger management program.”

Attorney General Brad Hazzard has said the laws are simply an attempt to tighten the existing ones.

“These are common sense changes that should reassure the community that the new bail laws are doing precisely what they were intended to do, which is to place the potential risk to the community posed by an accused offender front and centre of the justice system.”

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Cartoon: Peter Berner

BY CHRISTOPHER HARRIS Last week the NSW Government amended The Bail Act so that people who pose an unacceptable risk to the community will automatically be refused bail. The reforms have been criticised for reversing the onus of proof for certain offenses onto the accused.

A post-prison support group based in Chippendale has joined a raising chorus of concerns, saying these changes will worsen crime rates and hurt those most vulnerable in society.

Mindy Sotiri, Program Director at the Community Restorative Centre in Chippendale, said: “From our perspective, prison is just one more form of disadvantage in a whole lifetime of disadvantage - what happens in prisons isn’t useful for preparing people for life on the outside. Being on remand is particularly damaging because there is no access to prison programs.”

The state’s bail act has been the subject of considerable flux over the past two years, after a 2012 Law Reform Commission report found the 1978 Act was “voluminous, unwieldy, hugely complex” resulting in outcomes which were often unfathomable and seen as unjust.

After twelve month’s consultation, then NSW Attorney General Greg Smith authored a new bail bill which removed offence-based presumptions for or against bail.

The changes were brought into effect in May this year. Media outlets and talkback radio hosts criticised the principle of releasing people on bail who they saw as posing a serious threat to the community.

The Government changed its approach last week, and voted in legislation which would restore the previous NSW Act. The change resumed the practice of having presumptions of bail attached to certain categories of crime.

These changes follow Victoria and Queensland’s institutionalisation of offense-based presumptions.

Senior Lecturer of Law at Wollongong University, Doctor Julia Quilter has criticised the government’s backflip as pandering to talkback radio hosts.

“It really is playing to Ray Hadley and the Telegraph because they want to win the upcoming election which is only months away.”

Dr. Quilter has also flagged concerns about the practicalities of the new laws and the possibility of unfairness on a number of issues.

Photo: crcnsw.org.au

Discontent builds over NSW bail reform

Inner city fights for Gonski involved in National Gonski Week and supported it.

The NSW Teachers Federation said the primary purpose of Gonski week was to inform parents, caregivers and community members of the critical importance of school funding reform and the real difference it will make in schools.

NSW Teachers Federation Secretary John Gauci said it is essential that local communities tell the Abbott government that Gonski funding is already making a big difference.

“Our politicians must appreciate that for students across the nation and NSW, the full delivery of Gonski would make a vital difference to their lifelong opportunities.”

Photo: NSW Teachers Federation

BY EMILY CONTADOR-KELSALL Schools in the state seat of Sydney are set to lose $13.5 million in federal funding following the Abbott government’s budget cuts.

Schools in the Graydler electorate will lose a further $23.1 million.

These cuts will disproportionately affect children in public schools with extra learning needs, Indigenous children, children with language proficiency problems and children from less wealthy families, according to Michelle Rosicky, the Inner City organiser for NSW Teachers Federation.

The loss will also impact children in the later years of primary school, with significant funding being cut for children in years 5 and 6.

In response, inner city schools are backing a national campaign to stop the Abbott government’s cuts to Gonski funding.

The Inner City Teacher’s Association showed their support for the Gonski funding scheme during National Gonski Week, a week of action against federal education cuts.

Ms Rosicky said local teachers had kept communities informed by remaining involved in the Gonski campaign.

“The Public Education community will not be going away; we are committed to a fairer school funding system so that all children have the opportunity no matter their family circumstances to achieve their best.”

Ms Rosicky said that across NSW the difference between the full 6 years of Gonski and the four years offered by Tony Abbott and Christoper Pyne is $3 billion, where two-thirds of the implementation funding is located in the final 2 years.

The Gonski review recommended in 2011 that schools should be funded according to student need and according to what was required to educate students to a high standard.

The former Labor Government produced a national, needs-based funding scheme for schools based on the Gonski Review’s recommendations, which was enacted in legislation passed last year.

The Abbott Government confirmed in the May Budget that it would cut the last two years of Gonski funding.

Inner City Teachers Association President Adam Willis said it is only after six years of funding that all schools should be at a point where they have the resources required to overcome current disadvantage and ensure needs are met into the future.

“Mr Abbott and the government he leads must restore the cuts made by abandoning the final two years of funding.”

Ms Rosicky said all public education teachers were asked to become

MEET THE LOCALS

Tipple Bar Former Operations Manager at Establishment Luke O’Donohue has opened a new bar and bistro on Chalmers Street, Surry Hills.

Tipple Bar has a range of craft beer – including its very own Tipple Lager – and cocktails on offer as well as a street food-inspired bistro.

The fit out comprises of distressed walls and furniture all cleverly put together with a pop mural taking over 2

walls by Australian Pop artist Ben Frost. The music ranges from 1950’s swing to urban depending on the day with a record player and 500 strong vinyl collection which, Luke adds “we encourage our guests to come down, browse the collection and put on what they want. There is everything from Miles Davis to ACDC. It makes for a fun organic environment where the customer is the hero.”

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Team Spin, Team hypocrisy

BY GAVIN GATENBY Christoper Pyne reckons the Abbott Government should be praised for dropping their attempt to repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. “It became perfectly obvious to the Government that there was limited community support for changing section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act … We should be getting a tick for listening rather than being criticised for changing our course,” the odious twerp opined.

You’ve gotta love the slimy language. For “limited community support”, read massive community opposition.

Ho, ho. The government labours for months, at the behest of an idiot Murdoch columnist, obsessively trying to give bigots the right to be bigots, against the views of the vast majority of citizens and the universal condemnation of ethnic communities, and when it finally realises

that pushing ahead would be political suicide, Pyne reckons it shows how clever, caring, and consultative they are. The logic is impeccable.

Call it the “we’re listening” spin. What it pathetically attempts to conceal is how out of touch, and how beholden to the loony racist right the government was all along.

Tony Abbott’s spin was, if anything, more odious, and amounted to a sly piece of dog-whistling religious bigotry. He blamed the 18C backdown on the need to get Muslims on board with “Team Australia”, as if the vast majority weren’t good citizens. In fact 18C has nothing to do with a person’s religion. As the Act’s title suggests, it’s about racial vilification and says nothing about religion.

Which brings us to the hypocrisy of Mike Carlton being sacked by the Sydney Morning Herald. The SMH reckons it’s sorry for the Le Lievre cartoon accompanying Mike Carlton’s column about the assault on Gaza which so offended Australia’s Zionists. The caricature of the elderly man sitting in the armchair while blowing up Gaza with his TV remote control did look like the racially stereotypical Jew beloved of anti-Semites.

But wait, Arabs are mostly semites too, and except for the skull cap the caricature might equally have been of the lateYasser Arafat, or Anthony Quinn in blackface playing Auda Abu Tayi in Lawrence of Arabia. It’s the hook nose, you see. If Le Lievre had drawn the old bloke with a retrousse nose, the cartoon might have passed muster. As

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A few days after Mike Carlton was sacked by the SMH, the Sutherland Shire Leader published this cartoon. On planet Fairfax, it’s okay to publish racially sterotyping cartoons of Arabs, but not of Jews.

for the view that the offence was caused by the man wearing the skull cap of the religiously-devout Jew, well, you know, the Zionists do call Israel “The Jewish State”, and we’re regularly treated to news photos of devout Israeli soldiers and the Jewish “settlers” pushing Arabs off their remaining land wearing skull caps.

The truth is, the Zionists slip effortlessly from one definition of Jewishness to another, to suit the circumstances. At one moment the defining characteristic is religious – an adherence to the Jewish religion … now, or in the deep past.

Sometimes the defining characteristic is biological heritage, but that won’t stand a moment’s examination because there are black African Jews and a big chunk of those claiming Jewishness aren’t semites at all, but got picked up by the religion, here and there, over many centuries. But somehow, a black atheist who doesn’t speak

Hebrew can still be a Jew. By any rational standard, about the best that can be said is that Jewishness is an amorphous ethnicity that defies description.

In the end, the SMH, under relentless pressure from the Zionist lobby, sacked Carlton, but not for criticism of Israel in the column, eh. That would have given the game away, so they cunningly sacked him for replying to a shit-rain of abusive emails from outraged Zionists by telling a few of them to fuck off.

Fairfax’s stance is entirely hypocritical. A few days later, the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader, a “Fairfax community paper” published an equally anti-Semitic caricature by Zanetti. Most cartoonists are of the left, but, to put it most politely, Zanetti is a mediocre dog-whistle pencil-pusher of the Paul Sheehan-type right. Just the man to appeal to all those flag-wagging Pauline Hansonites holding out in the Shire.

Now as mentioned, Arabs are mostly semites too, and Zanetti’s cartoon showed a heroic Bronwyn Bishop, George Brandis and Tony Abbott, dressed in superman costumes, confronting a hook-nosed Arab terrorist in army uniform.

On planet Fairfax, it’s okay to publish raciallysterotyping cartoons of Arabs, but not of Jews.

Or to put it another way, if Le Lievre’s cartoon had shown the old man wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, or wrapped in the Palestinian flag, and had it accompanied an article by Paul Sheehan attacking Muslim terrorists, all would have been in order, as far as the Fairfax editors were concerned.

Gateway: the cannabis debate rehashed

BY CARMEN CITA A provocative new exhibition at Black Eye Gallery in Darlinghurst challenges negative misconceptions about cannabis. Coaxing the taboo topic out from behind closed doors, artist Simon Bernhardt brings the stories of 16 long-term cannabis users into focus.

Entitled Gateway, the exhibition features portraits and interviews with eight men and eight women, aged 19 to 50, who use cannabis for medical or recreational purposes.

The exhibition will open shortly following NSW Premier Michael Baird’s expression of provisional support for a private member’s bill to decriminalise the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

Contrary to the ‘stoner dropout’ stereotypes often associated with cannabis use, the subjects of Mr Bernhardt’s portraits are all clean-cut, gainfully employed professionals. The exhibition aims to dispel the myth that cannabis is necessarily a gateway leading to other more dangerous or sinister drugs.

Mr Bernhardt said: “I really want to question this notion that marijuana is a gateway drug – that marijuana users inevitably go on to experiment with harder drugs.”

“I don’t use cannabis myself but, from the interviews, the same theme kept emerging – these people simply use cannabis to stay calm, to stay clear, to relax, and to open up other parts of the brain and stimulate creativity.”

For Mr Bernhardt’s 16 subjects, it seems cannabis is more of a getaway than a gateway.

According to the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC), cannabis is the most

widely used illicit drug in Australia. The 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey revealed that more than one third of the Australian population has used cannabis at some time in their lives.

There is no conclusive evidence that cannabis is a gateway to other illegal drugs, such as heroin and amphetamines. The NCPIC notes that only four per cent of cannabis users have ever used heroin.

The Gateway portraits have a deliberately bare, clinical aesthetic. Mr Bernhardt’s commercial sensibility, honed from 18 years of advertising and editorial photography experience, is neatly rendered in this fine art project.

The artist said: “I have always tried to bridge the gap between commercial and fine art. I did not retouch the Gateway images at all because I wanted to retain a raw, honest sense of authenticity. I was careful not to photograph the subjects in a demeaning way.”

Immortalised in larger-than-life prints, the subjects’ faces are obscured by plumes of exhaled cannabis smoke. Mr Bernhardt photographed the subjects individually, as they smoked marijuana in his Chippendale studio. He then asked the participants a series of questions about their personal cannabis use.

The portraits and corresponding interviews have been published in a limited edition book.

Peeling back the stigma, Mr Bernhardt reveals the cannabis users to be ordinary, healthy, respectable members of the community. And yet by sustaining long-term cannabis habits each of them is technically engaged in criminal activity.

The only Australian jurisdictions to have decriminalised minor cannabis infringements are SA, NT and the ACT. Anyone caught with up to 15 grams of cannabis

currently in the state of NSW may receive a caution.

President of the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party, Michael Balderstone estimated that around two million Australians are regular cannabis users.

He said, “Cannabis is safer and saner than alcohol.

Easily the biggest danger of using cannabis is getting busted. The sooner we regulate the cannabis industry and get some quality control and health advice – like, don’t smoke with tobacco – the better.

“It is important to realise that the law is the real crime here – not the plant. The whole aim of the ‘War on Drugs’ seems to be to maximise the profits made from pharmaceutical pain relievers – it’s a very sick business really.”

Mr Balderstone anticipates that the eventual legalisation of medical cannabis will pave the way for the decriminalisation of recreational cannabis use in NSW. He said: “The public and the politicians will start to lose their fear of cannabis, realise that they’ve been had, and finally accept recreational use.”

Looking to the recent examples set by American legislators, Mr Balderstone added: “The changes overseas will keep the debate moving and, as in America, public opinion will change quickly. There’s nothing like experience to change peoples’ minds.”

With the legalisation of medical marijuana inching forwards on the Australian political agenda, Mr Bernhardt’s exhibition could be construed as a subversive nudge for policy makers.

Gallery director Tom Evangelidis acknowledges that Gateway might stir political sensitivities. He said: “Black Eye Gallery exists to support photographers’ ideas and

visions, regardless of the consequences. The subject of Bernhardt’s work is topical and I hope the exhibition encourages meaningful discourse in the community.”

Mr Bernhardt said: “This is the first time that I have made a strong political statement with my art. I have never been a fan of political correctness – I believe it forces sudden death on any form of creativity.

“Hopefully the book and the exhibition will debunk some of the current stereotypes that influence public perception about cannabis.” (CC) Aug 18-31, Black Eye Gallery, 138 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst, free, blackeyegallery.com.au

Gateway 12 by Simon Bernhardt

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EAT & DRINK

Vincent If there’s one dish you should eat before winter is behind us, it’s the Poulet Roti ($35) here. Combining everyone’s favourite - roast chook - with rich bread sauce, chestnuts and sprout leaves, this dish is a cold season smile-maker. So is being sat facing a cabinet of cheese in the dining room of this popular restaurant, situated in the classic Hughenden boutique hotel on $ - mains less than $15

$$ - mains between $15-$22

EASTERN SUBURBS & BEACHES

By Jackie McMillan the edge of Centennial Park. Co-owner Traci Trinder is a joy on the floor, oozing warmth and friendliness.

She shepherds us into ordering a great 2012 Moreau Naudet Petit Chablis ($79) from the extensive wine list. It performs well against delicate Cured Kingfish ($20) presented with avocado and finger lime on calamari crackers, while still standing up to my dining companion’s more decadent choices. He’s dabbling in the dishes of Perigord from the French Regional Series Menu ($65/4 courses), bested by duck neck and truffle sausage cooked with turnip and mead. It also suits vividly green Brasserie Du Mont Blanc La Verte ($14.50) beer, which summons alpine meadows and bubbling springs.

The menu ends with Chabichou, a soft and creamy goats cheese, allowing me to order dessert - Baked Passionfruit Custard ($14) – and experience the best of both worlds. Cue me returning to their civilised lounge bar for more wine and cheese!

14 Queen Street,Woollahra (02) 8039 1500 vincentfrench.com.au French $$$$ $$$ - mains between $22-$30

why change?

Shop 15, 178 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach (02) 9356 8393 Paperplanes paperplanesbondi.com It’s been two years since I visited Modern Japanese $-$$ PaperPlanes. The purple lighting, Centennial Parklands Dining skateboard paraphernalia and Tokyo We checked out Centennial pop kitsch are all still there, and the Parklands Dining, albeit on a menu remains largely unchanged. rather sultry winter’s day, with sweet Edamame with Chilli Salt ($6) are a anticipation of a Sunday Roast. The perfect match for dizzyingly sweet Chef’s “Special” Roast ($65) (rotates cocktails, like Tokyo Pop ($16) with weekly) comfortably serves 3-4 popping candy for an extra sugar people on Sundays. We had the lamb high. Two perfectly formed Lettuce – cooked to pink perfection with Cups ($5/each) loaded with roasted roasted potatoes, turnip, beetroot, duck go down a treat; as do Pork carrots, onion and gravy. Matched Belly Buns ($6.50/each). My old favourite, Gyoza Pan-fried Dumplings with a Phillip Shaw merlot, it’s the kind of meal you need to schedule ($16) with creamy lemon wasabi a nap after. Also worth trying is the foam and crushed wasabi peas, also stand the test of time. It just goes to Ploughman’s Lunch ($23) - basically show, when you’re onto a good thing, the prettiest tradie’s meal ever, with

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$$$$ - mains over $30

ham hock terrine, a cute jar of green tomato chutney, cheese, egg, apple salad and grilled sourdough. For a cosy, winter dessert, the Pumpkin Pie ($15) served with cinnamon ice cream, is a beauty.

Grand Drive, Centennial Park (02) 9380 9350 cpdining.com.au Modern Australian $$ Light Brigade Hotel At its heart, the Light Brigade is a sports bar. The classic pub menu here comes out of the La Scala On Jersey kitchen, and I suspect that now Chef Massimo Mele has bedded in his Italian sharing menu upstairs, we’ll see some movement down here. Now that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with a 250g Char-Grilled Rump Steak ($22), especially on Wednesday nights

Restaurant at 3 Weeds This pub’s a cosy spot to hole up on a cold and blustery night; from happy hour in the comfortable front bar where I sink an Austrian Stiegl ($4/middy), to the dark brown wine bar with pressed tin ceilings; the chic red lounge, or the popular (though more cavernous) back bar.Tonight my heart’s set on the restaurant, decked out with bright Aboriginal art from Utopia. I’m here to check out new Chef Nathan Jackson – well he’s not when they knock ten bucks off the price. It sings against one of the best green peppercorn sauces I’ve tried in a pub. Mushroom isn’t bad either, especially with a plump Chicken Breast Schnitzel ($19). Accompany them with toasty Matilda Bay’s Ruby Tuesday ($6.80/schooner) or the 2012 Partisan ‘Trenchcoat’ GSM ($44/bottle, $9/glass).

2A Oxford Street, Woollahra (02) 9357 0888 lightbrigade.com.au Pub Bistro $ INNER WEST Rocketboy Pizza Dan Luxford is a man “on a mission” - taking four of the five Doughboy stores in a new direction. Inspired by appearing on Matthew Evans’ Gourmet Farmer, Dan took a look at the products he was putting on pizzas, and decided to make a

exactly new, he first cooked here under Leigh McDivitt.

Now holding the reins, he’s producing a short menu accentuated by a great wine list. My unusual selection – the 2011 Domaine Bruno Sorg Sylvaner ($74/bottle) from Alsace – performs well against an interesting House Smoked Mackerel ($18) scattered amongst a collection of greens, horseradish, pickled radish and potato gaufrettes. Fontina and Truffle Tortellini ($18) – a shade thick for my liking – are sound on flavour with shaved Serrano ham and mushroom consommé.The Spatchcock ($32) comes with nice brioche and herb dumplings, but pales in comparison to the somewhat pricy 7+ Wagyu Flatiron ($40), its flavour amped by bone marrow butter, pine mushrooms and ox tail jus.

Ultra-thin ginger nut biscuits make the Salt Caramel Parfait Sandwich ($14) something that gives Pat & Sticks a run for their money.

197 Evans Street, Rozelle (02) 9818 2788 3weeds.com.au Pub Bistro, Modern Australian,Wine $$$$

sustainable switch. First in line: the prawns. They’re now wild-caught Aussie prawns, best against fresh parsley, garlic, lemon and baby spinach, on the simple Chilli Prawn Pizza ($17/M, $22/L, $26/XL).

You’ll also find organic Inglewood Farms chook popping up on the new Chicken Gorgonzola Pizza ($15/M, $21/L, $25/XL). On your accompanying crisp Caesar Salad ($10) you’ll find free-range eggs and bacon, with an Organic Chicken ($2.50) option.

Shop 3, 88-94 New Canterbury Road, Petersham (02) 9550 9988 rocketboypizza.com Pizza $$ The Workers This’ll bring a tear to the eye to Labor Party faithful who remember the glory days of Whitlam, Hawke and Wran. They’re the dudes

on the roof – the question Bar Manager Jeremy Baldi gets “asked the most”. Mosey across the Astroturf, Woodlands Margaret River Chardonnay ($43/bottle) in hand, to gaze at photographic memorabilia.

Tuck into Chihuahuas ($5.50/ each) – mini Mexican hot dogs with grilled franks, jalapenos and cheese – searching for the birth of land rights: Gough pouring sand into Vincent Lingiari’s hands. Dude food like Más Verduras ($5.50/each) – fried zucchini tacos - and Quesadillas de Espinica ($13) – grilled spinach and ricotta tortillas - with a Blood and Sand ($16) Whisky cocktail help Wednesday night comedians go down.

1/292 Darling Street, Balmain (02) 9318 1547 theworkersbalmain.com.au Bar Food, Wine, Cocktails $

EAT & DRINK

By Jackie McMillan

Waitan After a shaky start, Haymarket’s ten million dollar player has found its feet. Over a MouTai Cocktail ($25) I muse: it’s a totally different restaurant to the one I first visited late last year for the launch and a subsequent dinner.

All traces of the somewhat uneasy fusion between East and West have vanished (along with the previous chef).

They have retained David Blackmore’s wonderful wagyu ROCKS & CBD Casa Ristorante Italiano “I’d come here for espresso martinis and the chocolate tart,” declares my dining companion at the end of our meal. She’s not wrong – the Sovereign Espresso Martini ($18) with Patrón XO Café and Grey Goose makes an affable post-meal companion for their standout Warm Chocolate Tart ($12). Old Smokey ($18) uniting Remy Martin VSOP Cognac and Ardbeg 10year is a cut above what I’d expect to be drinking in Darling Harbour, at the site formerly known as Casa di Nico.

For drinking snacks, pumpkin and smoked mozzarella Arancini ($16.90) eat better than most.You’ll also find wood-fire pizzas and a charry 400g Angus Bistecca Alla Fiorentina ($34.90) cooked on the bone and

served with lovely rosemary potatoes.

42-48 The Promenade, King Street Wharf, Sydney (02) 9279 4115 lovecasa.com.au Italian, Pizza, Cocktails $$$-$$$$ The Spice Cellar This sunken cellar cleverly rolls everything you want from a small bar - food, wine and cocktails - in with a nightclub vibe. Fuel your miniclub adventure with a better than average bar food selection, from Tuna Crudo ($15/3 pieces) dusted with fresh horseradish to freshly shucked Oysters ($8).Vegetarian dishes are well represented on the short menu, from baked feta-stuffed Filo Cigars ($9/4 piece) to golden slabs of Grilled Haloumi ($12/4 piece).The standout is a Warm Cauliflower Salad ($8) with chickpeas, parsley, tahini and black sesame seeds. Cocktails shine –

Moon Park Two Claude’s chefs, Ben Sears and his Korean wife Eun Hee An, are “learning what it is to manage a restaurant in Sydney,” according to former Claude’s manager Abby Meinke. Under her stewardship the floor is seamless.Abby’s formidable wine knowledge now extends to soju, and her recommended Moonbae-sool Soju ($10) speaks of pear, and it’s a pleasant way to kick-start your evening, as rice crackers, kombu and thyme dissolve on your tongue.The wine list holds much excitement; I passed over NEWTOWN & ENVIRONS

Swanson Hotel Another notch in the belt for Sydney’s expanding pub gentrification with the former Kurrajong Hotel being refitted and re-imagined British West Indies-style by the Balmain Pub Group. Start in the first floor cocktail bar where a caramel smear makes the Espresso Martini ($18) rather special. Move on to the 2012 Howard Park Flint Rock Chardonnay ($15/ glass) in the dining room, against pungent piccalilli accompanying a rustic Pork Terrine ($16) or the well-balanced Beef Tartare ($16).

The hero of the menu is the Char-grilled Spatchcock ($26),

- try it as buttery Dry-Aged Ribeye ($49.80/100g) sizzled tableside on hot stones then accentuated by sauce Bordelaise. So complete is the change, some menu specials are printed only in Chinese. Never fear, I ordered a Lamb Hotpot ($69.80) from this menu anyway, enjoying the rich hearty flavour brightened by chrysanthemum (tong hao) leaves. Precede your hero proteins with one of the Chinese cold dishes I’ve come to love - Sichuan Poached Chicken ($19.80) with chilli oil and sesame dressing - or experiment with beautifully toothsome Wood Ear Fungus with Onion and Wasabi Oil ($12.80). Even the Duck and Preserved Egg Terrine ($18.80) impresses as an accessible way to explore salty preserved egg. For the finale, get your hands dirty with Singaporean Chilli Crab with Chinese ‘Grissini’ (Market Price) perhaps with some Braised Bean Curd with Vegetables ($19.80) and a mound of utterly compelling Fried Rice with Wagyu and Crispy Rice ($28.80).

1/405-411 Sussex Street, Haymarket (02) 8218 1000 waitan.com.au Chinese $$$$ perhaps a cleverly designed absinthe float on a gin and pink grapefruitbased Good Voodoo ($18) or Keep On Keeping On ($18) with bananainfused Tennessee whisky.

Basement, 58 Elizabeth Street, Sydney (02) 9223 5585 thespicecellar.com.au Cocktails, Bar Food $-$$ DARLO, KINGS X & SURRY HILLS Chica Linda You’d be forgiven for thinking designer Mike Delany dropped a tab of acid before choosing this riotous colour scheme. Begin your mock South American vacation with arepas dense corn flatbreads stuffed with Smoked Pork Belly ($6) with honey chipotle glaze and pickled ‘slaw.A Panamargarita ($17) keeps your lips

interesting wines from France, Italy and America to stay local with the 2013 Ochota Barrels ‘The Flint Vineyard’ Chardonnay ($85). It suited anju (bar snacks) like Moonlight Flat Claire de Lune Oysters ($4.50/each) topped chilli threads and plum vinegar, and briny Sea Urchin Roe ($6/ each) presented on seed biscuits with black garlic. Familiar cabbage-wrapped beef bulgogi Ssam ($7/each) - were a meal highlight, as was an unusual smoky Eggplant with Egg Custard ($16) dish topped with nicely textural lotus root.While Green Beans with Ssamjang ($6) were ordinary, and Samgyeopsal ($29) pork belly with diamond clams and crown daisy had too much unrendered fat for my taste, overall this is an exciting and innovative addition to Sydney’s Korean dining landscape. Blow-torched marshmallow on the Moon Pie ($14) will ensure you emerge onto Redfern’s streets smiling.

Level 1, 34 Redfern Street, Redfern (02) 9690 0111 moon-park.com.au Modern Korean, Wine $$$

served on a fighting combination of Brussels sprouts, bacon, lentils and chilli.And pub desserts rarely scrub up as pretty as The Swanson’s Crème Catalan ($13).

106-108 Swanson Street, Erskineville (02) 9519 3609 swansonhotel.com.au Pub Bistro $$$ GREATER SYDNEY

Spakka-Napoli Positioned at the end of a weirdly shaped arcade and saddled with a quirky spelling of Spaccanapoli (the road that bisects Naples), this restaurant makes you work for your reward: lightly charred, puffy-crusted Neapolitan pizzas.

The Monday/Tuesday special –

three “tapas” dishes and a cocktail for thirty bucks – makes me rethink my ambivalence toward limoncello with The Amalfi ($14.50). Robust namesake Spakka Napoli ($13.50) sangria is guaranteed to complement their terracotta pots of Meatballs ($9.50), Eggplant Parmigiana ($10.90) and my favourite – Pollo Alla Cacciatore ($9.90).The Eggplant Sausage Pizza ($22.90) special is further improved by chilli sauce, which should come with a warning label, or at least imported red-label Peroni ($7) to ease the pain.

Shop 13, 166-174 Military Road, Neutral Bay (02) 9908 7045 spakkanapoli.com.au Pizza, Italian $$

Zushi When Raymond Ang first opened Zushi in Darlinghurst back in 2005, he tells me they were the only ones doing the special inside-out rolls that are now a staple on modern Japanese menus. Flash to today and his business, having outgrown its previous digs, is now in Surry Hills.

And those rolls – including the Tiger Roll ($18) featuring tempura Queensland banana prawns – are still proving tingling with jalapeno and tequila while you tuck into tender Chicken Hearts ($6).Asado Prawns ($15/3) are also worth ordering, particularly if you avail yourself of the on-table fiery scotch bonnet sauce. Mains come Latino family feast style, so expect juicy Puerto Rican Roast Pork ($35) dripping in colourful tomato, corn and black bean salsa plus a side of Coca Cola Rice and Beans ($9).

The Carrington, 563 Bourke Street, Surry Hills (02) 9360 4714 drinkndine. com.au/chicalinda/ South American $$-$$$ The Colonial Some Indian restaurants celebrate authenticity; some celebrate a particular region; this one celebrates the time period of the British Raj, and the evolution of Indian cooking to the individual made-to-order dishes

popular. Raymond first ate the food of South Korean Head Chef Yoon Jae Lee at Yoshino, in the Kings Cross Hyatt. In Raymond’s current favourite dish, Ika Somen ($15), chef turns calamari into piles of gossamer ribbons with julienned carrot, nori and salmon roe. Swished through dashi dipping sauce, they’re a textural adventure your mouth is unlikely to forget.The menu offers up modern reinterpretations of Japanese dishes. Sashimi Tacos ($17) show off Huon Tasmanian salmon to good effect against delicate wasabi granita and sweetened wonton chips. Okonomiyaki ($16) updates everyone’s favourite curling bonito-covered pancake with Balmain bugs and a honey-mustard twist to the usual Kewpie mayonnaise.As I sip the last mouthfuls of a 2013 Trevelen Farm Dry Riesling ($43/bottle) selected from their short but reasonably priced list with the pretty Scallop Carpaccio ($18), it’s easy to see why this solid, everyday Japanese restaurant has nearly notched up its first dining decade.

2A/285A Crown Street, Surry Hills (02) 9380 8830 zushi.com.au Modern Japanese $$

the British favoured. Chicken Tikka Masala ($17) is a staple in the British military’s meal packs. Expect to find it alongside a range of curries inspired

by London’s Brick Lane, including bright Chicken Chettinad ($16) with coconut, mustard and chilli. Breads, from Naan ($2.50) to wholemeal Roti ($2.50), are well handled. Low-priced entrees are quite generous, from fat chicken drumsticks marinated in mint yoghurt, spices and cheese,Tangari Kebab ($10) to cottage cheese-stuffed Paneer Jalapenos ($10).

118 Crown Street, Darlinghurst (02) 8084 6700 thecolonialrestaurant.com.au Indian $$ The Soda Factory The Prohibition era vibe comes through strongly with white shirted, apron-clad barmen at your beck

and call. Wanting to stay adult with my cocktail selections, I skipped the soda syphons for a black pepperspicy Mexican Standoff ($19). The menu has expanded from hotdogs to Harlem heart attacks: Fried Chicken and Waffles ($16) with pots of clarified butter and maple syrup.

The Pulled Pork Burger ($15) is not too wet, but not too dry; the Texan BBQ Pork Ribs ($14) are equally delightful, while Cheeseburger Spring Rolls ($9) offer some finger food fun with tomato and mustard.

This sort of food calls for beer, and the best beer here is the on-tap Monteiths American Pale Ale ($9).

16 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills (02) sodafactory.com.au American, Cocktails $ (02) sodafactory.com.au American, Cocktails $

FOOD NEWS Things are looking up if you work around Wynyard, with an outpost of Chefs Gallery opening up at MetCentre. Just like the original, you’ll find a glass-walled kitchen that allows you to enjoy the theatre of hand-stretched noodle making while your dish is prepared to order as you wait.Word is: a third outpost will be opening in the Macquarie Shopping Centre in September chefsgallery.com.au

Sunday brunches just got a whole lot cooler because you can now eat them in a bar! From the civilised hour of 10am until midday,Woolloomooloo’s The Tilbury dishes up a range of brunch favourites, from brioche French toast with slow roasted bacon and maple syrup, to green eggs on sourdough; all washed down with Champagne cocktails.Take a post-brunch stroll along Woolloomooloo wharf to help it all go down. tilburyhotel.com.au

BAR FLY

By Rebecca Varidel

THE CLIFF DIVE Think Bacardi.Think post war.Think Hawaiian shirts.Think cane lampshades, a boat behind the bar, pineapple, coconut and paper straws.

Think Tiki mugs.The former bootlegger, founder of Tiki lives on in Sydney in his namesake rum punch: Don The Beachcomber’s Zombie ($22). Here (other Bacardi classics) the Pina Colada ($21) sips smoothly from a fresh pineapple and Three Dots and a Dash ($17) adds falernum, pimento, honey and lime bitters.There’s more than a hint of the tropical in the forty rums of The Cliff Dive back bar.The biggest cup – Bacardi, Cognac, Peche, lemon and prosecco – is for three. Creative drinks director Michael Chiem is sharing more tiki love with inspirational new cocktails from 6pm Wednesday to Saturday. Longhouse clubbing continues after 11pm but the new rogue starts with satay street food and lounge chill out earlier in the evening.

16-18 Oxford Square, Darlinghurst thecliffdive.com.au

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WOLF LULLABY

“It’s awesome to mark ten years and to celebrate it, but then close the chapter, open a new one and create another ten years!” (MT) Aug 16,The Basement, 7 Macquarie Pl, Sydney, $28, (02) 9251 2797, thebasement.com.au

Photo: Liam O’Keefe

REVIEW

It’s been almost 18 years since the biographical, Acadamy Award-winning movie Shine catapulted David Helfgott to world fame as a concert pianist. It was the quest to master

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JOAN, AGAIN Set in a provincial French village 1441, simple illiterate peasant women converse about religion, witch burning, and married life while exploring their daily plight in an oppressive religious and superstitious society.

Enter Joan of Arc, played by the perfectly cast elfin actress Sylvia Keays, back 10 years after her infamous burning at the stake. Is she who she claims to be or is she an imposter?

Will she submit to the power of the church

DAVID HELFGOTT

Renowned playwright, Hilary Bell, presents her latest production, Wolf Lullaby. The play is interpreted by theatre director, Emma Louise, at the helm of her first full-length production, and performed by a small cast of four – Lucy Miller, Peter McAllum, David Woodland, and Maryellen George.

Louise believes we all have different facets, some we hide and others we share freely. “One of the things we’re playing with in this production is ‘the shadow’, it’s the dark side of our personality and it’s alive within every

single person.We have to constantly keep that in check and well balanced with our conscious ego in order to stay healthy human beings.This play shows an example of what happens if ‘the shadow’, or in one character’s case, ‘the wolf’, takes over,” Louise says. “It’s a very dark set, we’re playing with the lights, and shadows in this production as we move from scene to scene in the 80 minutes onstage.

It’s a challenging performance and it’s confronting, you’ll be questioning yourself throughout this short masterpiece.”

This deliciously engrossing, albeit disturbing play is debuting and with its incendiary subject matter and undeniably talented cast and crew, it promises to leave audiences howling.

“Come and see Wolf Lullaby, it’s a brilliantly written, thought-provoking play, with an amazing team of actors,” says Louise. (RBM) Aug 19-Sep 13, New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown, $17-32, newtheatre.org.au

once again? The intimacy of the Old Fitz theatre space allows the audience to slip back in time with Joan, Again, an excellent production by subtlenuance in collaboration with Sydney Independent Theatre Company, written and directed by Paul Gilchrist. Be captivated inside this period of history, and transformed to a spiritual plane. (MS) Until Aug 23, Old Fitzroy Theatre, 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo, $21-39, sitco.net.au

When faced with making a decision can one ever really know what is right or wrong?

Kathy Petrakis explores the human moral code through the dark underworld of Sydney – homelessness, drugs, and violence – in her dark and realistic production, Black Rainbow.

The story follows the double life of teenage boy Ahmed Khoury as he struggles to keep his two lives separate, one as a scholarship student at a private school, and the other as a drug dealer on the streets.

“It’s about this character and how he lives in this environment of violence, you wouldn’t guess from seeing him that he lives this completely different lifestyle,” Petrakis says.“He is involved

whether he wants to be or not, he doesn’t have a choice.”

Performed in the intimate Tap Gallery, Petrakis says the production is about the emotional and internal conflict of Ahmed as he struggles in this morally ambiguous world, and is designed to make audiences question what they would do.

“The violence is suggested through sounds and lights and after effects, it’s the impact they have that is more important,” she says.“Everyone has their moral code, even if you are a criminal.

What is right or wrong is never clear.”

(SOC) Aug 13-24,Tap Gallery, 1/278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst, $20-30, kathypetrakis.com/blackrainbow/

Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor that drove much of the film. Now Helfgott brings ‘The Rach 3’ to the Sydney Opera House, accompanied by the acclaimed pianist Rhodri Clarke.

The piece is widely known for its technical demands yet that isn’t the main attraction claims Helfgott’s wife, Gillian. “David has a very romantic soul and loves beautiful things,” she says, “and The Rach 3 is such sumptuously romantic, melodic music.”

Hearing Helfgott perform, one is struck with the joyous freedom of his playing. From the moment he runs to the piano he is emotionally entwined – as are the audience – with his delightfully eccentric personality.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the film that started it all holds a special affection. “Oh, when David sees it he laughs and he cries – and so do I. It’s changed our lives in so many ways,” says Gillian. “It gave David a sense of sharing his story and lifting the load off him. Sharing the pain he had with his father enabled him to have a good mental relationship with his memories. He’s been an inspiration to so many people who have been in mental wildernesses.” (GW) Aug 16, Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall, Bennelong Point, $39-89, (02) 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com

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15 STAGE 16 SCENE 17 SCREEN 18 SOUNDS

Arts Editor: Leigh Livingstone Music Editor: Chelsea Deeley Live Wire: Alexandra English

For more A&E stories go to www.altmedia.net.au

BLACK RAINBOW

Contributors: Alexis Talbot-Smith, Anita Senaratna, Catherine Knight, Cheryl Northey, Ciaran Tobin, Craig Coventry, Elise Cullen, Georgia Fullerton, Greg Webster, Hannah Chapman, Jamie Apps, Laurie Hackney, Leann Richards, Linda Carroll, Marilyn Hetreles, Mark Morellini, Mel Somerville, Melody Teh, Michael Muir, Michelle Porter, Peter Hackney, Rocio Belinda Mendez, Ruth Fogarty, Sean May, Sharon Ye, Shauna O’Carroll, Siri Williams

Photo: Michael Twomey

In 2004, a sixteen-year-old girl named Casey Donovan became the youngest person to win Australian Idol. It’s been a milestone 10 years since then and for Donovan it’s an opportunity to reflect back on a decade worth of experience.

“There are so many memories.Winning would be one of the biggest ones, going on tour and becoming a young lady and learning from the mistakes.You’re growing up very quickly,” says Donovan.

Most importantly though, she is still doing what she loves the most.

“Music is my baby. It’s my number one, where my heart is,” she says.

A national tour of intimate performances promises to showcase the diverse range of songs and styles Donovan has nurtured over the last decade.There will be the pop favourites from Idol, songs from her award-winning theatre roles in The Sapphires and Flowerchildren, as well as new original material.

“It does take people on a journey from that sixteen-year-old to the now.And it’s all through music,” says Donovan.

For the musician, actor and now plus-size model, this anniversary tour is not only a chance to look back, but to move forward.

Photo: Bob Seary

CASEY DONOVAN

Photo: Natalie Boog

DARK VOYAGER

BRUNDIBÀR Photo: Lisa Channell

REVIEW

Academic and musician Joseph Toltz has spent over 17 years researching music’s place in the memory of Holocaust survivors. It was during this work that he discovered the children’s opera Brundibár, performed 55 times by the prisoners, for the prisoners, at Terezín Ghetto concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.

Brundibár’s simple fable of children coming together to overcome a town bully became a powerful symbol of hope and resistance for many in the camp.

“It being an allegory, you could make of it what you wanted. A lot of people interpreted Brundibár as being representative of the oppressors, of the Nazis, of Hitler,” says Toltz.

In collaboration with Opera Prometheus and the Sydney Jewish

Museum, Toltz will present the first ever performance of Brundibár in Sydney.

With many Holocaust survivors living here, Toltz believes it is more important than ever to stage Brundibár.

“We have survivors here who can talk about their time and what it meant to them,” he says.

“It will come to a point where there aren’t any survivors around.”

Most of all Toltz hopes that through Brundibár audiences will reflect on what music means to them.

“When you’re deprived of all sorts of other things, how much more powerful will that musical meaning be in your life?” (MT) August 14, City Recital Hall, 2-12 Angel Place, Sydney, $25-60, (02) 8256 2222, cityrecitalhall.com

What a hoot! A flimsy narrative almost collapses under an avalanche of one-liners in Ensemble Theatre’s Dark Voyager, (Bette Davis says to Joan Crawford: “You had sex with Nixon? Not even his wife does that!”).

Dark Voyager ultimately provides an alternate theory on the death of Marilyn Monroe, with a sub-plot involving Crawford’s son.

The egotistical bitchiness, backstabbing and power plays of Hollywood and its connection with J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, Nixon, and the Kennedys is a setting in which the cast shine. Belinda Giblin

THEATRE &

PERFORMANCE CONSTELLATIONS Portrayed by Sam O’Sullivan and Emma Palmer, this distinct love story will be a special piece of imagination to share with audiences using the curious and ever-interesting multiverse theory as inspiration.

“It’s all to do with free will, how choices early on in life can have different outcomes, and a certain butterfly effect on your

plays the corrosive Hedda Hopper; Kate Raison is the ice-maiden Joan Crawford; Lizzie Mitchell is familiarly beautiful but vague as Monroe; for degree of difficulty an award might go to Eric Beecroft whose character Skip learnt to ‘tango’ in a submarine; but the show-stealer is Jeanette Cronin’s shambolic, mischievous Bette Davis.

It could be twenty minutes shorter and have more impact but this is currently the most fun you can have seated respectably. (MMu) Until Aug 30, Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall St, Kirribilli, $30-65, ensemble.com.au

circumstances later in life.

I believe the message is: you’ve got the power to choose, that your life is yours, and that you only live it once, so go for it,” says O’Sullivan.

A play that will leave audiences stargazing for a while, the lustre of Constellations will continue to grow. (RBM) Until Sep 7, Darlinghurst Theatre, 39 Burton St, Darlinghurst, $30-43, darlinghursttheatre.com MACBETH Shakespeare’s classic tale of ambition, betrayal

Photo: Kate Williams

Pantsguys break the surface this year with their newest provocative play, David Gieselmann’s Mr Kolpert. Directed a decade after conception by James Dalton, this production is buzzing with maddening anticipation.

“I found that underneath it all, although it’s quite a madcap play for an audience to experience, there’s some exciting ideas in there.Where we have added our own signature to this piece is more through cosmetic ideas, as well as updating the music that appears in the show,” says Dalton.

“There are so many things that are happening in our world, that we can’t actually justify logically, and sometimes that’s how reality works, things just happen. In the play there’s an attempt by certain characters to find some kind of

and brutality has been imagined onstage many times. However, director Kip Williams of Sydney Theatre Company’s new adaptation has a keen determination to set this one apart from the rest.

In a complete reversal of all theatre norms, the audience will sit on the stage itself while the play unfolds in the abandoned auditorium. But Williams’ innovative staging design is just one ambitious decision of many.

For Williams, in characterising

Photo: Kate Williams

MR KOLPERT

question of order, and then at the same time revelling in the chaos that seems to be found everywhere,” says Dalton.

This wild and eccentric display will challenge the audience as they realise what they’re reacting to, and perhaps therein lays the message of the show.

“Learning that no matter how violent and extreme circumstances can be sometimes, all you can do is just let it happen to you and laugh it off afterwards. It’s a play you need to experience. Come in with an open mind, and just be prepared to accept the ride, because the logic is very mad,” he says. (RBM) Until Aug 16, ATYP, Studio 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd,Walsh Bay, $20-30, atyp.com.au

UGLY MUGS “Sex workers deal with a lot of stigma and I’m worried – why don’t we value someone’s life equally?” asks actress Peta Brady, referring to St Kilda sex worker Tracy Connelly, who was murdered in July last year.

Brady, who splits her time between working as an actress and a drug and safety outreach worker in St Kilda, was commissioned to write and star in the raw and evocative theatre performance, Ugly Mugs.

Recognised for her roles in Australian drama series Neighbours, Kath and Kim, and most recently The Slap, Brady was one of the last people to see Connelly alive before she was murdered.

Combining her love of acting and

Macbeth as a villain, the audience begins to disassociate themselves with his behaviour by the end of the play. In STC’s version, there’s an “open-ended identification with the terrible downfall of this individual,” Williams says.

Despite the blood and brutality of Macbeth, it’s a play Williams believes is relatable to all. (MT) Until Sep 27, Sydney Theatre, 22 Hickson Rd,Walsh Bay, $50-109, (02) 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au

writing with her important outreach work, Ugly Mugs “raises awareness about the current inequalities existing in Victoria,” Brady says.

Borrowing its title from the ‘big sister’ pamphlet that was founded by the Prostitute Collective of Victoria in 1986, Ugly Mugs emerged in response to the abusive and violent underbelly of illegal sex work in Melbourne.

“I want people to be aware that a program like Ugly Mugs exists and ask what and why is this happening, and have a discussion about the violence around misogyny.” (EC) Until Aug 23, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod St, Kings Cross, $32-49, griffintheatre.com.au

THE EFFECT Connie (Anna McGahan) is a psychology student – a thinker who faces the world by trying to understand it. Tristan (Mark Leonard Winter) is a drifter – impulsive and a risk-taker. When they sign up for a new anti-depressant drug trial, they fall in love – but is it the real thing or is it just too much dopamine?

Lucy Prebble’s play is engaging on many levels, beautiful, disturbing and frankly sometimes annoying.

A sparse, clinical set on a stark, fluorescent light box gives way to the warm incandescence of a deserted asylum, where love is blooming.

Winter is endearing as his emotional dial gets turned up and McGahan is achingly good as she unravels her feelings... only to unravel too far. (GW) Until Aug 16, Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $50-99, (02) 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au 15

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE ODDBALL!

BY COFFIN ED, MISS DEATH & JAY KATZ Browse any major news website today and apart from all of the distressing stories about Gaza and Iraq you’ll inevitably find a section devoted to the oddball and the quirky. Like the feel-good story that rounds off the six o’clock news these snippets of near irrelevancy are obviously designed to soften the blow of the often-gruesome reality at large.

Take the current SBS news site, which you might expect to focus extensively on current world events.

That it certainly does, but amongst the stories on MH17 and the Ebola breakout you’ll soon see items such as If A monkey Takes A Selfie Who Owns Copyright? and No Apology From Newman Over TV Genitals Flash. Dig further and you’ll discover a whole section devoted to the oddball with titbits like Surgeons Remove 232 Teeth From Indian Teenager and Abandoned Duckling Adopts US Man As Part Of The Family.

At least the SBS site makes some attempt to coral most of the frivolous into its own distinct section.

Meanwhile, over at news.com.au the daily reportage is a complete grab bag of the serious, the trivial, and the inescapable celebrity pap. How this tabloid lucky dip affects the way we process the news is certainly school for thought given that these internet news sites are rapidly becoming our primary source of information.

It’s a common argument that the inclusion of trifling and insignificant news items along with the more serious news dilutes the validity of the real issues and allows us to feel

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‘not so bad’ about the death toll in Gaza or the slaughter in Syria. It’s a seductive way to detach us from reality and make us feel good over bad when we trawl these news sites.

The extreme example of this kind of news reporting was the now defunct World Weekly News, published in the US from 1979 to 2007.

A supermarket tabloid which pushed the envelope of believability to new levels of absurdity, it was essentially entertainment but maintained a loyal band of readers. Some no doubt enjoyed it purely for its preposterousness with stories like Fat Cat Owns 23 Old Ladies, Five US Senators Are Space Aliens and Jesus’s Sandal Found In Central Park. Others we suspect found at least an element of truth in headlines such as Cuba Launches Shark Attack On US and Moon Drifting Towards Earth.

What the World Weekly News did establish was a formula that fiction is often a lot more palatable than the plain ugly truth and that the only thing that gives us real hope in this horrible bad-arsed world are headlines such as Elvis Is Alive And Running For President and First Photos Of Heaven. And so as we live through another turbulent day of worldwide wars and famine, we are all left to ponder – if a monkey takes a selfie who owns copyright?

THE HIT LIST: Funky dance grooves are back in town as original DIG members, Tim Rollinson, Rick Robertson and Alex Hewetson combine with a great rhythm section and the very soulful Michelle Martinez for another great night at Foundry 616, Ultimo on Thursday August 14. It’s a great opportunity to relive those halcyon days of the ‘80s and ‘90s when jazz, soul, funk and dub all got together on the dance floor.

COLLAGES – JOHN STEZAKER John Stezaker’s Collages is a unique experiment in dislocation and disassociation.

Inspired by surrealism, the works consist of yellowing Hollywood head shots overlaid with early 20th Century postcards and the results are striking.

Sharp lines and oblique contours signify the disconnect between two visual worlds. They contrast and merge in an odd collision which shatters ideas of gender, form, and the natural world.

In Muse, the artist unites a male and female to produce a hybrid human representation that matches in facial features yet questions traditional portrayals.

Its zig-zag edges and diagonal perspective further twist the conventions of the familiar photograph.

The subversion continues with Path I which shows a generic audience staring at an imposed image of green pathways and trees producing a strange three-dimensional effect.

With its unusual combination of shapes, colours, and themes, this exhibition is a provocative discourse about accepted artistic expression and social norms.

(LR) Until Sep 6, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Darlington, free, annaschwartzgallery.com

‘Muse’ by John Stezaker

THE NAKED CITY

MOTION/EMOTION – ANNETTE MESSAGER

Annette Messager’s motion/emotion is an expedition through the physical to discover the spirit of humanity.

The artist’s early life in a French village famed as both

a convalescent and tourist destination, is clearly connected to these astounding pieces which reflect the conundrum of sickness and celebration.

The voyage begins with a dissection of the outer shell.

Brightly patterned gloves with pencil talons cling to long threads in Les Gants – Grimaces – The Gloves – Grimaces.

But the metaphor of comfort is ripped apart in Les Depouilles – Skins, a series of desiccated hides hanging nearby.

The journey continues with Penetration where internal organs are suspended from the ceiling like a mobile over a child’s cradle, menacing yet familiar.

Then the chronicle reaches its apogee with the startling Casino, which plays with the legend of Pinocchio to comment on birth, death and Christianity.

This is a thoughtfully curated exhibition, which showcases a complex and unique artistic oeuvre. (LR) Until Oct 26, Museum of Contemporary Art, 140 George St,The Rocks, free, mca.com.au

LIFE INTERRUPTED: PERSONAL DIARIES FROM WORLD WAR I Before the end of the great war of 1914-1918, the NSW State Library began collecting personal accounts of the battlefields.

One hundred years later, Life Interrupted presents these words and images in an exhibition that is poignant, confronting, astounding and sad.

These reminiscences show all the complexities and vagaries of wartime experience. Pictures of smiling young men surrounded by the mysteries of Egypt sit beside stark black and white photos of bodies strewn across the sands of Gallipoli.

Flowered silk postcards, their colours still vibrant, jostle for space next to descriptions of the conflict as ‘a disgrace to Christianity’.

The humour of the troops is displayed in their many sketches and water colours and their courage shown in the restraint and integrity of their journals.

This is an honest attempt to balance a national mythology with a brutal history and an apt commemoration of those whose lives were forever haunted by the horrific war that changed the world. (LR) Until Sep 21, State Library of NSW, Macquarie St, Sydney, free, sl.nsw.gov.au

“577” Writing Home. Henry Charles Marshall (1890-1915). Kensington to Cairo and from Cairo to Gallipoli. Album of photographs (1914-1915)

BEATRIZ’S WAR (A GUERRA DA BEATRIZ) Beatriz’s War is the first feature film from East Timor and focuses on the atrocities the Timorese sustained for 24 years under brutal Indonesian occupation.

Married as a child, Beatriz (Irim Tolentino) escapes to the mountains with her husband Tomas (Jose Da Costa) when Indonesia invades.

He disappears during a massacre and returns 15 years later, but is this really the man who Beatriz learned to love as a child?

Intensely gripping and heartfelt, this unique award-winning film contains some noticeably amateurish production values, but the powerful writing, underlying themes, passionate performances, and the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack ensure interest is maintained.

ARAB FILM FESTIVAL 2014 The Arab Film Festival returns to Sydney, showcasing a selection of the best films from a region which is under constant social and political instability.

The festival boasts 11 quality dramas, short films and documentaries from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and co-productions with the US. The complexities of life in these countries are fully explored, showcasing the empowerment of religion and the oppression of women in an excessively male-dominant society.

Audiences should be captivated by the cultural themes and the excellent production values of these highly praised and stirring films.

When I SawYou is the award-winning film which opens

Beatriz’s War is ultimately a gallant and commendable first feature film and is also a fine tribute to the thousands who perished in this senseless war. (MM) Limited Release Dendy Newtown

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the festival and is followed by an after-party. Set in Jordan 1967, thousands of refugees are traversing the border from Palestine and the story follows the plight of a family settling into refugee camps.

TenYears Of My Life is a disturbing documentary in which seven Iraqi women discuss the abuse, deportation and kidnappings under Saddam’s regime and the new beginnings after 2003.

Factory Girl tells of a lower class girl who falls in love with the factory supervisor.The film examines whether romance can flourish in different social classes. (MM)

Aug 14-17, Riverside Theatre, Church & Market St, Parramatta, $20-85 (marathon package), arabfilmfestival.com.au

PALO ALTO

THE EXPENDABLES 3

Based on the short stories of controversial Hollywood star James Franco, Palo Alto explores the turbulent, confusing and lonely time known as adolescence. Teenagers April (Emma Roberts) and Teddy (Jack Kilmer) have a bond but can’t quite articulate their feelings in the haze of partying, drinking, drugs and meaningless sexual encounters that seemingly define the lives of these high schoolers.

The directorial debut from the

After several consecutive flops Sylvester Stallone returns to the screen in The Expendables 3, a non-stop, action-packed and adrenaline-pumping blockbuster that should restore Stallone to the Hollywood A-list.

Barney (Sylvester Stallone) replaces his current Expendables team with young blood, but when they’re captured and held hostage by the evil arms dealer Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) the old gang reform and a stunning rescue mission follows.

Star-studded Hollywood heavyweights including Harrison Ford,Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Wesley Snipes have been assembled for this mammoth

sequel, with Mel Gibson’s effective performance as the villain rekindling his career.Antonio Banderas is also hilarious as Galgo, the chatty wanna-be-expendable.

After the release of this film’s cheesy predecessor the tired format was revamped, with the justifiable elimination of the self-parody and re-introduction of the more conventional serious style of storytelling.

This has successfully revitalised the franchise, still remaining comical but adding an edge that should arrest audiences and secure yet more sequels.

(MM)

THE SELFISH GIANT Childhood naïveté and the stark reality of poverty come to a head in Clio Barnard’s The Selfish Giant.

After they are expelled from school, young teens Arbor (Conner Chapman) and Swifty (Shaun Thomas) meet scrap dealer Kitten (Sean Gilder).With the opportunity to make money in a community with no other prospects, the boys begin to collect scrap metal, at times resorting to illegal means.

A haunting and tragic reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s fable; it is beautifully understated and brilliantly portrayed.

It is a shame that the ending is so rushed when the rest of the film is paced so delicately. (ATS) WWW

REACHING FOR THE MOON This film is a biographical drama set in the 1950s when same-sex relationships were unacceptable.

When poet Elizabeth Bishop (Miranda Otto) travels to Brazil to regain her poetic flair, she meets famed architect Lota De Macedo Soares (Glória Pires) and a decade-long romance flourishes, restoring her literary brilliance and confidence.

Performances are faultless and the production stylish, with stunning locations, but the story is initially tarnished by the unrealistic, hasty commencement of the romantic entanglement.

Reaching For The Moon lacks substance and only audiences who are familiar with the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop will find this mandatory viewing. (MM) WWW

A MOST WANTED MAN A banker, lawyer, preacher, and spy combine to provide mystery and intrigue in John le Carré’s A Most Wanted Man. Set in a blue- and yellow-soaked Hamburg, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last movie sees him portray the dissipated and avuncular Günther Bachmann, the head of a small Secret Service section of dubious legality.

This is a world of suggestive looks, simple words, and deceptive nods.

It is a tale where good and evil are indistinguishable.

The movie is understated rather than sensational and sustaining the suspense over two hours is problematic. It is probably more suitable for an older audience that is willing to wait for an ambiguous denouement. (LR) WWW

next generation of the infamous Coppola clan, Gia Coppola, transforms the film into something beautiful to watch.

Sadly there’s only a semblance of a narrative to follow but considering the film’s subject matter perhaps that’s the point.

Although wonderfully shot, well acted and a poignant insight into adolescence, it has all been said before. (MT)

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THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES From Denmark comes a crime sensation that will have audiences at the edge of their seats.

When disgraced chief detective Carl Morck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and assistant Assad (Fares Fares) investigate the cold case of a missing politician who allegedly committed suicide, they unearth the shattering truth which leads to an incredible race against time.

This psychological crime thriller is superbly written, dark, and gritty, in which the mystery and nail-biting suspense ensures audience interest is maintained. Momentum accelerates at a fast pace leading to the disturbing climax which is brilliantly heightened by an effective musical score. (MM) WWW½

Army Film and Photographic Unit cameraman Sergeant Mike Lewis, filming at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on 24 April 1945. His footage appears in German Concentration Camps Factual Survey. © IWM FLM 1232

GERMAN CONCENTRATION CAMPS FACTUAL SURVEY German Concentration Camps Factual Survey is an official documentary which illustrates the atrocities committed against the Jews during World War II, highlighting horrific footage from the camps.

Eddie Tamir, director of The Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) is one of the few people in Australia who has seen this documentary.

“This is clearly the most gruesome and graphic documentary of human suffering in existence,” Tamir explains. Filmed by Allied cameramen in 1944 and 1945, the decision was made to incorporate this powerful and damning footage into a film to be shown to German prisoners of war as a means of

THESE FINAL HOURS This Australian drama/thriller set in Perth asks how would you spend your final hours on Earth? With only 12 hours until the end of the world, James (Nathan Phillips) is travelling to an end-of-the-world party, but instead opts to rescue an 11-year-old girl (Angourie Rice).

This is basically a pre-apocalyptic road-trip film.The performances are strong – Phillips and Rice work well together – and stereotyped hoodlum characters aid in painting a very grim picture of society as the end fast approaches.

Adversely, the film looks cheap and the screenplay is flat, lacking the edge and momentum mandatory for films in this genre – ultimately a somewhat uneventful and mediocre film. (MM) WW½

condemning Hitler. A small panel of experts was assembled to work on the project, including famed director Alfred Hitchcock as an advisor.

The project was shelved and 70 years on the film has now been completed, digitally enhanced and containing re-recordings of the original commentary as well as the addition of the missing sixth reel.

“Dr Toby Haggith, the Imperial War Museum’s Senior Curator, will host post-screening Q&As.This documentary is of great historical significance, restored with care by the IWM and is mandatory viewing,” says Tamir. (MM)

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Aug 19 & 20, Event Cinemas, Bondi Junction, $25, jiff.com.au

HERCULES The legendary hero comes to life on the big screen as Dwayne Johnson in the title role provides his trademark action -packed performance for viewers.

The screenplay is a little tongue-in -cheek as it turns the well-known myth on its head, but the changes are essential to develop the newly presented character arc.

A multitalented and amusing supporting cast of mercenaries take the pressure off Johnson and provide added value entertainment.

This is one of the more immersive 3D experiences and it works very well.The scenery is especially breathtaking.

The Rock proves there is more to him by thoroughly exceeding expectations, and audiences won’t be disappointed. (LC) WWWW

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CONFESSION – LIFE AND DEATH Australian metalcore band Confession demonstrate a new growth and maturity with Life and Death.

This maturity shines through in tracks such as Fuck Cancer and March 23 which both introduce new elements of keyboard and violin to the traditional metalcore structure. These elements add an additional level of atmosphere and emotion to already highly charged tracks.

However, the experimentation is also one of the main drawbacks for the album as it is used so sparingly it leaves those songs feeling as though something is missing. A lack of clean vocals is also disappointing as this would further heighten the emotional atmosphere. (JA)

COOKIN’ ON 3 BURNERS – BLIND BET Funk, jazz, soul, country, a bit of hillbilly... Cookin’ on 3 Burners has always been one of those bands that eschews categorisation. And so it is with their sixth LP, Blind Bet. There’s a sense that the band have reached their highest point yet with this release, which is packed with organ and guitar-driven jams that really draw the listener in. Add to the equation some of the country’s best vocalists (luminaries such as Kylie Auldist, Tex Perkins, and Daniel Merriweather among them) and you’ve got the recipe for a cracking Australian album. (PH)

THRASHED Outsiders who may not be acquainted with the world of ‘riff’ probably still believe the abundance of misconceptions that plague a metal band.They’ve obviously never met Sutherland Shire lads,THRASHED. “Todd [Ridgway] plays the bagpipes.That’s not very heavy metal,” laughs guitarist Scott Dent.“Maybe the drummer [Sean ‘Blinky’ Sullivan, leads the most metal life], because he doesn’t really listen to much other music.

I mean he listens to gangsta rap but that’s pretty heavy metal anyway. But no one prays to Satan or anything like that.”

It’s apparent from talking to Dent that THRASHED are the ultimate modern metal band.With Ridgway, Sullivan, Dent and rhythm guitarist Ben Field starting the band during high school, it was only when they recruited the gnarly vocals of Tim Davis that they began to take things seriously.

Though Dent describes the progress they’ve made so far as “dizzying”, he explains how their sound has evolved: “We have so many different influences of

LIVE WIRE Scott Spark: It’s been four years since Scott Spark’s debut album, and he’s spent the subsequent years living between Brisbane and New York, gathering inspiration for his next album Muscle Memory. It’s an emotional kicker, driven by piano and strings with climaxes intricate and subtle enough to reach right into the listener’s soul.

Thu, Aug 14th,The Vanguard.

heavy music that it was only last year, after releasing a full-length CD, we realised that every song sounded like a different type of rock,” he says.“So instead of trying to write by whatever is influencing us at the time, we put boundaries around it a little bit more.”

These guys have played a handful of mental shows around Sydney that saw them hit number one on the Triple J Unearthed Metal chart.

“We haven’t really jumped in a van and done a full-on tour,” Dent points out.

“I think in this day and age, with social media particularly, you don’t really need to do that so much.You can kind of get away with holding off.”

But that doesn’t mean that the shows have been anything less than memorable.

“When it’s packed and the mosh is going it’s high energy for sure, that’s the main thing that we try to bring,” he says.“But I think most of the people in the crowd know each other, they’re just there to get drunk.They push each other into tables; it’s crazy!”

With a rising profile and a legion of horn-yielding fans there’s just one more thing that Scott Dent says will shoot this ball of shredding fury into the stratosphere.

“When some kind of management deal comes along, then we can focus 100 per cent and fuck everything else, like work,”

he enthuses.“But at the moment, we’re just waiting for that opportunity. Now it’s just balancing work life and band life.” (CD) Aug 17, Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, 50 Hunter St, Sydney, free (18+ only), frankiespizzabytheslice.com

SYDNEY LIVE MUSIC GUIDE

Oliver Downes: This singer-songwriter loves the ocean so much that he has dedicated his debut four-track EP to the salty, mysterious, underwater world. His touchstones include Leonard Cohen, St Vincent and Radiohead, making for a melancholy, yet uplifting atmosphere accompanied by swirling piano and percussion.

Sat, Aug 16th, 107 Projects.

Sleepmakeswaves: This Sydney band has been around for a while now, making all sorts of exciting pop-rock waves.Their long-awaited second album, Love of Cartography, is finally here after the group spent many years touring Europe and the US.Their list of achievements includes playing at SXSW and receiving an ARIA Award nomination, to name just

a few. It’s time to get amped about these guys being back in Australia with new tunes.

Sat, Aug 16th, Manning Bar. Café of the Gate of Salvation: If it’s foot stomping, gospel sounds you’re after, look no further than Australia’s leading a cappella choir. In the past 26 years they have sung for Mandela and backed Powderfinger at the Aria

Awards with their African-American traditional gospel.The Café send messages of hope, joy, and resistance through their compositions and are guaranteed to lift the spirits.

Sun, Aug 17th, Petersham Bowling Club.

Marcia Hines: After many, many years in the industry and many musical ventures, Marcia Hines has hit the

height of her career at the energetic age of 60. Her latest single titled Remedy features Russell Crowe and is from her newest album fittingly called Amazing. Hines’ signature vocals, Crowe’s smouldering growl and an impressive horn section all work to cement Hines’ place as Australia’s reigning Queen of Pop. (AE) Mon, Aug 18th, Slide Lounge.

FREEWILLASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

a

ARIES (March 21-April 19): An American named Kevin Shelley accomplished a feat worthy of inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. While wearing a blue satin martial arts outfit, he smashed 46 wooden toilet seats over his head in just one minute.

Some observers may be inclined to dismiss his efforts as frivolous and ridiculous. But I admire how he playfully mocked his own competitiveness while fully expressing his competitiveness.

He satirized his ego’s drive to be first and best even as achieved the goal of being first and best.

I recommend you try something similar. You’re entering a phase when you’ll be wise to add a bit of humility to your bold selfpresentation.

b

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are about to make the transition from plodding to skipping; from moping to exulting. You will no longer be bogged down by cloudy doubt, but will instead be buoyed by giddy hope. To what do we owe this imminent turnaround in your fortunes? One reason is that it’s Justifiable Narcissism Week -- for Tauruses only. During this jubilee, the Free Will Astrology Council on Extreme Self-Esteem authorizes you to engage in unabashed self-worship -- and to corral a host of other people who want to join in celebrating you, praising you, and helping you.

C

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): An eagle does not catch flies. A lion won’t hunt for mice.

A gourmet chef shuns recipes that call for canned soup and potato chips. And I trust that you won’t indulge a hankering for non-nutritious sweets and treats that would spoil your appetite for more robust sustenance.

You understand I’m not just talking about your literal eating habits, right? Interpret this oracle metaphorically, please.

One food seller used Modigliani’s drawings as wraps for the fried potatoes he sold. Another stashed the artist’s paintings in his cellar, where they turned into feasts for rodents. Too bad for these short-sighted people and their heirs: The worth of Modigliani’s works eventually increased, and some sold for millions of dollars. In the weeks ahead, Leo, don’t be like those food sellers. Know the value of what you have, even if it’s still latent.

Love trumps cowardice. The power that your tenderness affords you may not completely dissolve your doubt and worry, but it will quiet them down so much that they will lose their ability to paralyze you. These truths are always good to keep in mind, of course, but they are especially useful to you right now. No obstacle will faze you, no shadow will intimidate you, as long as you feed your holy longing and unshakable compassion.

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): Now is an excellent time to phase out fantasies that bog you down or drag you backward.

Are you up for that challenge?

Can you summon the courage to leave the mediocre past behind?

If so, here are your assignments: Wean yourself of longings to reconstruct bygone pleasures.

Forget about trying to be like the person you used to be and to have the keys you used to have. Stop feeding the feelings that keep you affixed to obsolete goals. Break any taboo that makes you scared to change what needs to be changed.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The artist Amedeo Modigliani lived in Paris from 1906 until his death in 1920. For most of that time, he was destitute.

Proprietors of local stores and restaurants sometimes accepted his art work as payment in lieu of actual money. They didn’t necessarily appreciate it, though.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I’ve got three new vocabulary words for you. I need them to provide you with the proper oracle. First is the German term Schwellenangst. It refers to timidity or nervousness about crossing a threshold and heading into unknown territory. The second word is a new English term, “strikhedonia.” It means the joy that rises up when you feel the courage to say “to hell with it.” The third word is from Portuguese: desenrascanço.

It means the spontaneous improvisation of haphazard but ultimately effective plans. Now let’s put them all together: To conquer your Schwellenangst, you must summon a bolt of strikhedonia and have faith in your ability to carry out desenrascanço. (Thanks to other-wordly.tumblr.com for the new words

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Desire can conquer fear.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): On August 2, 1830, Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, was King of France for 20 minutes. (It’s a long story.) I offer this to you as a cautionary tale.

A few weeks from now, I don’t want to have to be comparing you to him. If you hope to hold your new position or continue to wield your added clout for longer than just a little while, you should take all necessary steps. How? Nurture the web of support that will sustain you, for example. Don’t burn a single bridge. Cultivate real empathy, not just the showy kind. Avoid manipulative behavior, even if you think you can get away with it. Be a skillful gatherer of information.

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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Golda Meir was Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. Her admirers described her as “strong-willed, straight-talking, grey-bunned

grandmother of the Jewish people.” She had a good sense of humor, too. “Let me tell you the one thing I have against Moses,” she said. “He took us forty years into the desert in order to bring us to the one place in the Middle East that has no oil.” I bring this up as a teaching story for you, Sagittarius. If you plan to make any big moves, transitions, or journeys in the coming months, I suggest you choose destinations that will allow you to gain access to wealth-building resources.

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Do you know what phase of your cycle it is? Here are a few hints. It doesn’t come around often. It’s not characterized by predictable events or boring certainties. And it may allow you, even encourage you, to take a break from being your usual self.

Give up? OK. I’ll tell you. You have entered the Nicholas Cage Phase of your cycle. Cage is a Capricorn, but not a typical one.

He’s eccentric and manic and certifiably batty. He refers to his acting technique as “Nouveau Shamanic,” once lived in a fake castle, and owns a Lamborghini that belonged to the legendary tyrant, the Shah of Iran. For our current purposes, he has also testified, “I am not a demon. I am a lizard, a shark, a heat-seeking panther. I want to be Bob Denver on acid playing the accordion.”

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AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Here’s one of my goals in

life, Aquarius: to show you a type of astrology that does not infringe on your free will, but rather clarifies your options. In this horoscope, for instance, I will outline your alternatives so that you will be fully informed as you determine what course of action will be most closely aligned with your high ideals. Ponder the following question, and then briskly exert your freedom of choice: Would you prefer to have love make your head spin, knock you off your feet, tickle your X-factor, kick you gently but firmly in the ass, or all of the above?

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls, and coal into diamonds by using time and pressure,” says pastor Rick Warren. “He is working on you, too.” Let’s make that idea your meditation, Pisces.

If the word “God” doesn’t suit you, substitute “life,” “nature” or “Wakan Tanka,” the Lakotan term for “The Great Mystery.”

The essential point is that you are being worked on and shaped by forces beyond your conscious awareness. Some of them are vast and impersonal, like your culture, the media, and the entertainment industry. Others are intimate and close at hand, like your genes, your childhood imprints, and the characters you encounter daily. Now is an excellent time to contemplate all the influences that make you who you are.

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