BLAIRE DECEMBER: TRADE by Blaire Magazine

TRAD Just a lit tle giving....

REG U L AR BO NNIE CL ICKS Tr i p s !

PO E TRY Sp ice B y R ob er t R K au fma n

DEB ATE D Fair Tra de

C HEEKY C HA PTE R The Trade O ff

so that you’re get ting some.......

FEAT U RE D K ARMA COL A Giving b a c k

AR TIST PR OFIL E Millo

FAIR TR A D E RS Wh o i s ?

HOLISTIC L IVIN G Could b e hazardo u s

R O MANC ING THE MAC H IN E loving your femb o t s ?

ILLUSTR ATION S ex Trad e - B y Jam es Pat te r s o n

C INEMATOGR A PH E R I nt rod uc ing Taylor Van E s s e n

FASHION INTER VIE W B eekeep er Pa ra de

FASHION EDITORIAL The S oc ial St u di o

PHOTO GR APHY Trad ing he fo r s h e

EMILY EATON EDITOR Emily@blairemagazine.com SARAH LONG CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sarah@blairemagazine.com MONICA JANKOWSKI MUSIC DIRECTOR ALECZANDER GAMBOA SUBEDITOR DREW BEETHAM GRAPHIC ARTIST / LAYOUT EDITORIAL CONTRUBITIONS MITCHELL PASCOE LIFE TORY PRICE FASHION CHRIS MILLS LIFE TOM BENSLEY LIFE CHARLOTTE COLLINS ARTIST INTERVIEW YEN LI WONG LIFE MIA BEVERLEY FRANCISCO LIFE BRADLEY COWAN MUSIC REVIEWS ZOE BRADLEY LIFE ENQUIRIES / SUBMISSION Sarah@blairemagazine.com ABN: 62359130068 www.blairemagazine.com

What goes around, comes around’, according to K a r m a C o l a ’s m a n t r a . B e l i e v e m e , i t ’s t r u e . T h i s company has been making some incredible tracks, k i l l i n g i t i n t h e m o s t o r g a n i c w a y p o s s i b l e . H e r e ’s w h a t t h e y h a d t o s a y . I n t e r v i e w by S a r a h L o n g FIRS TLY, WHEN DID YOU STAR T BELIEVING IN KARMA? AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?

Zealand every week and you can buy Karma Cola in 15 countries.

To be honest the ‘karma’ in Karma Cola originally just sounded like a great name for an ethically produced soft drink. It wasn’t until I’d traveled to the Gola Rainforest in Sierra Leone and met the people we get our cola nut from that the idea of karma rea lly started to mean something. I realised we’d actually done a bit of good making and selling these drinks and with that came a sense of responsibility for the people we trade with.

We share a similar view of the world and at the heart of our company is the simple idea that some people genuinely want to buy good things. For them ‘good’ goes further than looking and tasting good. It means respecting and replenishing our resources and the lives of the people who grow and live amongst them, rather than merely buying and selling.

WHEN WAS KARMA COLA FOUNDED, AND ON WHAT PRINCIPAL? Chris and Matt Morrison and I started a company called All Good Organics importing Fairtrade bananas to New Zealand. We named it All Good beca use we wanted to source and produce food that was good for the land, good for the growers and good for our customers. Before then there was no such thing as a Fairtrade banana in New Zealand and no such a thing as a Fa irtrade and organic cola anywhere. Now there are 4 containers of All Good Bananas sold in New

We looked around for other products we could make that would benefit producers in developing countries and discovered a couple of things; that cola comes from West Africa and that the world consumes about 1.9 billion cola-branded drinks every day. But, the people who discovered the name ingredient in cola, the cola nut, have never ear ned a cent from a thing that’s been part of their daily lives and rituals for thousands of years. So we decided we’d try and do something about that. Every time someone buys a bottle of Karma Cola a portion of the proceeds go back to the people who grow cola in Sierra Leone. We bottled our first Karma Cola in September 2012.

WHAT CREATED YOUR PASSION TO LAUNCH YOUR COMPANY? When we started All Good we floated the idea of importing Fairtrade bananas to New Zealand. Many of the supermarkets we pitched this to told us we were crazy – nobody would pay a dollar more for Fairtrade bananas. Over time we proved people would buy them and five years later we had a 5% market share. So we knew it was possible to change people’s buying behaviour; All Good offered a new choice to Kiwis – fair bananas. We’d taken a creative approach to communicating the benefit of buying Fairtrade and organic and designed packaging, point of sales and other communications to try and engage people by entertaining them rather than guilting them into buying ethical goods. As a graphic designer, these kind of cause-related challenges have always intrigued me. In the past I’ve worked for clients like Greenpeace and The Economist endeavouring to make complicated ideas for change accessible. Figuring these sort of problems out by design is something I’ve always enjoyed doing. Chris is a pioneer in the organic movement. He founded one of New Zealand’s most famous organic drinks label; Phoenix Organics. So we thought why not apply what we’ve learnt to another fast moving consumer good and make good fizzy drinks. We came up with the idea to make a cola and call it karma but when we started we didn’t know much about cola or the people who grew it. Our first challenge was to get hold of some cola nut. We shoulder tapped our friends in the Fairtrade community and found Albert Tucker, former director of Twin Trading, a pioneering Fairtrade company. Albert is a native of Sierra Leone and he was able to hook us up with Dr Hans Peter Mueller from NGO Welthungerhilfe, in Sierra Leone, who introduced us to the people in Boma who grow cola. When we first made contact with Dr Hans-Peter Muller, who is stationed in Bo in the Kenemah

district of Sierra Leone, he thought we were mad (a bit like New Zealand supermarket owners) but graciously introduced us to the Chef of Boma village and sent us the first consignment of cola. Six months later when we sent him the first box of Karma Cola to show the people in the village, he was amazed. Six months after that, when they received money from the proceeds of the first years sales they couldn’t quite believe it. It’s a long way from New Zealand to the rainforests of West Africa. It takes a day and a night on two planes, a really bumpy boat ride across the harbour to Freetown, a couple of days in a four-wheel drive and a bit of a walk at the end to get to the village of Boma. But, it’s the most worthwhile trip I’ve ever made. When we caught the first glimpse of the celebrations in our honour I was overwhelmed. Everyone from the village was there, dressed up as devils and dancing and singing for us. They certainly know how to make you feel welcome in West Africa. Once we met the people who live in Boma we knew we had to keep going – here was a whole village (now eight villages) that could directly benefit from the sale of our drinks; they motivate us to make it a success. When I left Sierra Leone I felt a good deal more responsible for the success of our project. This gets me up in the morning. It’s a powerful motivation to know that you can make a small difference and that people are relying on the success of your business. WHY DID YOU FEEL THE NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING IN THIS WORLD? When we first started trading with Boma it became apparent that the communities needed more than an income stream from cola nut. After a ten-year civil war everything was broken, what was needed was infrastructure, rehabilitation of roads and plantations, bridges, schools, and safe drinking water. What the farmers told us they needed was a good, reliable and consistent price for their produce

and support to start their own development and agricultural programs. Then perhaps they could fix a few things and start to build a sustainable future. So that’s what we are endeavouring to do. We officially set up the Karma Cola Foundation to make sure everything was legitimate. So on top of the price of cola, additional proceeds are fed into the Foundation for development initiatives. We call it Thirst Aid. WHAT SUCCESS STORY FROM KARMA COLA CAN YOU SHARE WITH US THAT HAS REALLY IMPACTED YOUR LIFE? Tu r n i n g u p a n d s e e i n g t h e i m p a c t t h e M a k e n n e h Bridge had on the community is something I w i l l n e v e r f o r g e t . I t w a s t h e f i r s t p ro j e c t t h e Karma Cola Foundation funded. The bridge l i n k e d t w o p a r t s o f B o m a v i l l a g e t h a t c o u l d n ’t b e c ro s s e d v e r y e a s i l y - e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e rainy season. Basically it had been a few logs t h a t w o u l d f re q u e n t l y g e t w a s h e d a w a y. N o w t h e re ’s a p ro p e r l y d r a i n e d c u l v e r t a n d a b r i d g e that lets people pass between the old and new parts of Boma village with dry feet and can even be driven over when supplies come to town. T h i s i s a re l a t i v e l y s m a l l t h i n g b u t , f ro m w h a t we’ve seen in Boma, it does have a big impact.

‘Good goes further than looking and tasting good. It means respecting and replenishing our resources and the lives of the people who grow and live amongst them, rather than merely buying and selling’

Working with a remote African community who don’t have access to electricity or the inter net has its challenges but they’ve taught us a lot. Especially about resilience and the power of the human spirit during tough times like the recent ebola crisis. Life moves at an enjoyable pace in the rainforest. You get up when the sun comes out, you go about your day in the company of your family, friends, co-workers and the wider village. If it’s a special day you can have a yar n and a few palm wines by the fire when the sun goes down and then head to bed. It’s a lifestyle I could get used to. WHAT INTRIGUED YOU THE TAKING ON THIS PROJECT?

MOST

ABOUT

The project and our company are one in the same and working there ticks a lot of boxes for me. I get to work with great people, do stuff I get a kick out of and make a bit of a difference. And although Karma Cola may not be a major contributor to Sierra Leone’s GDP I believe that this type of trading is the best form of aid as it creates dependable revenue supporting communities. It’s the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial partnership and it’s good to be working on something that, hopefully, makes a contribution to our own lives and others. WHAT CHANGES HAS YOUR COMPANY SEEN, SINCE GETTING INVOLVED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? I guess the obvious signs of change are the

number of people buying our Fairtrade bananas and drinks and the amount we’ve been able to send back to the communities we work with. Possibly the most challenging has been the establishment of The Karma Cola Foundation. Whilst being dedicated to creating a sustainable future the Foundation doesn’t dictate what the funds it administers are used for. We thought the villagers and their chiefs would know more about the best use of funds than us so they decide. Since bottling the first batch in 2012 the Foundation has sent, USD30,000 to the people of Boma.The first project was the Makennah Bridge, which I’ve talked about. The people of Boma also decided to spend funds sending 50 young girls to school annually – because if a family has to make a choice about education it’s the boys that get to go to school. They’ve also chosen to install a primary school teacher, support an educational HIV / AIDS theatre group – dance and drama is the traditional way of telling and sharing stories and an effective way to communicate difficult subjects. The community has also rehabilitated 12 forest farms, built a rice huller so villagers can develop an income and store food for future seasons and created a seed bank. Our ongoing work and commitment to the people of Boma and T iwai communities has been made even more critical in the advent of Ebola. As well as continuing to support our existing projects we funded medical and hygiene supplies for the Ebola effort and a sensitisation work program.

‘Its a powerful motivation to know that you can make a small difference and that people are relying on the success of your business‘ WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IT’S EASY FOR PEOPLE DISMISS THE IMPLICATIONS OF EATING FOOD THAT HAS COME FROM SOMEWHERE THAT ISN’T UNDER THE FAIRTRADE POLICY? Out of sight out of mind. When we buy most of our food packaged and pre-prepared it’s difficult to see all the way back to the beginning of the supply chain and understand how the resources and people involved in production are treated. We’re all busy and we tend to buy what looks good and is priced to suit our budget. It takes a bit more thought and understanding to make well informed purchases. We try and grab people’s attention with our packaging and then tell them a brief and unboring story of provenance so they see and lear n the benefit of paying a wee bit more for an ethical product.

TO SHED LIGHT TO HOW SEVERE THE NONFAIRTRADE INDUSTRY IS, WHAT STORY CAN YOU SHARE? I was on a long drive through a region of industrial scale banana plantations to the small farm of one of the families who grow our bananas in Ecuador and noticed some splatters of what I thought was rain on the windshield, seconds later a plane roared no more than 20 meters overhead and completely doused us in pesticides that were supposed to be sprayed on a nearby banana plantation. These planes fly up and down rows of industrially grown bananas that can be up to 14kms long every 10 days and drop tonnes of chemicals. There are much more dramatic stories

about the treatment of banana workers and small farmers than this but somehow, being in a storm of pesticide made me crave bananas grown without chemical warfare – or any other produce for that matter.

WHAT PROJECTS DOES KARMA COLA HAVE IN STORE FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS? We are bringing out a range of dry, sugar-free organic sparkling waters next year. We’ll keep working with the T iwai community in Sierra Leone and look for other products and crops they can grow and export from Sierra Leone. The Karma Cola Foundation will continue to administer funds and work with the villagers to decide where funds are best used for 2016 and 2017. The Foundation is committed to doubling the amount sent in every year.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO ALIGN YOURSELVES WITH SIMILAR COMPANIES? ‘What goes around comes around’ we try to treat everyone we work with, from our customers to our growers with respect. You can’t have karma in your name and behave like a dick. ANY LAST WORDS FOR BLAIRE MAGAZINE? Thanks for the opportunity to tell our story and thanks to everyone who’s ever bought a bottle of Karma Cola or Gingerella or Lemmy or any of our other drinks. Every sip is making a very tiny difference to someone else’s life. We hope it tastes as good to you as the good it does for others.

ARTIST PROFILE

MILLO

BIO

Italian artist Francesco Camillo Giorgino, known as Millo, paints large scalemurals that feature friendly inhabitants exploring their urban setting. He uses simple black and white lines with dashes of color when n e c e s s a r y, a n d o f t e n i n c o r p o r a t e s elements of architecture into his multi-story paintings. He took part in several street art festivals all around Europe, like the Muraliza in Portugal, Vilnius Street Art in Lithuan, Heerlen Murals in Netherland but also the Sbagha Bagha in Morocco, the Urban Myths in Belarus and many more. His works have been exhibited in London, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Milan,Rome, Florence and more. In 2014 he won the B.Art competition that enabled him to paint 13 multis t o r y m u r a l s i n t h e c i t y o f Tu r i n , I t a l y. ‘Sometimes coyly surreal, other times borderline terrifying, his designs appear like Brazilian brothers ‘Os Gemeos’ street art mixed with the black and white world of graphic n o v e l i s t Yu m i S a k u g a w a . N e e d l e s s t o s a y, w e l i k e i t . ’ K . B r o o k s

:F A I R

TRADERS

The best and fairest of the consumable world...

H e r e â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a l i s t o f s o m e c o m p a n i e s ( s o m e obvious, some surprising) who are fairtrade certified and care about the people and the product that bring them an income

TOMS Coffee lovers everywhere, rejoice! There is no shortage of coffee companies who have pledged their support to fair trading. Coffee is a staple in the lives of most Australians and so it is fantastic to see that many coffee suppliers are working to better the lives of those who produce it. One I didn’t expect to see on the list though was Toms. Toms? Really? Toms are a shoe brand for the most part. They have now expanded their product range to accommodate Fairtrade certified coffee. The light-roast coffee has become a way for them to give back to those who need the support. The single origin coffee comes from Malawi or from Peru. Toms’ major aim is to be able to support sustainable clean water projects worldwide. Their ‘One for One’ idea is based on every one purchase of a bag of coffee beans helping one person have clean drinking water for a week. They also aim to protect the growers of the coffee beans by giving them a set wage, regardless of the fluctuation of the market price.

NERADA TEA Don’t like coffee? Well that’s no excuse not to support the Fairtrade movement. Nerada Tea (Nerada Organics) indicate that no pesticides, herbicides, or artificial chemical fertilisers have been used in the process of making the tea. They have made a commitment to working towards helping the environment and helping the shape our future, and that of its farmers, for the better.

CADBURY CHOCOLATE Sitting here, digging into my block of Cadbury chocolate has never felt so good. Cadbury are Fairtrade Certified! Cadbury work to improve the lives of the farmers who grow the cocoa in developing countries such as Ghana. Since 2010 the chocolate makers have been a part of the Fair trade world and in both 2009 and 2010, they were the world’s largest buyer of Fairtrade certified cocoa. To date, through their Fairtrade work, Cadbury has been able

to help more than 55,000 farmers take part in farmer training in Ghana. They have also helped these farmers receive equipment to increase productivity. As well as this, they have provided communities with better water and sanitation as well as health checks in approximately 100 communities. Next time someone tells you that chocolate isn’t good for you, tell them it’s not only good for you, but it sure as hell is good for it’s farmers as well.

BEN AND JERRYS! Not only is this the most delicious, scrumptious little box of heaven but it is also so good for the world. Ben and Jerry’s care about the global movement making sure that farmers in developing countries have the same opportunities in the economy. Since January of this year, the pint, mini cup and scoop shop flavours are made with Fairtrade ingredients. These ingredients include sugar, cocoa, vanilla, coffee and bananas. The cocoa powder comes from the Ivory Coast as well as from Ghana. The Ivory Coast sells 40% of the world’s cocoa but only a small portion of this is sold to Fairtrade companies. Ghana farmers have been able to set up Mobile Health Programs, serve their communities by supporting rural school and introduce the possibility of future education through scholarships. The coolest story though comes from their vanilla. Vanilla production is a laborious process without possibility for mass production. It is a high-value crop as well so the pressure to produce is high. Most vanilla is produced on smaller farms and therefore only (in comparison) smaller amounts of product are made. In addition to this, farmers have to combine their harvests with others for the processing and marketing end of the process. These farmers thanks to Ben and Jerry’s ear n a better income to provide for their families and communities with better healthcare, stronger education and decent housing. In 2014, Ben and Jerry’s won Product of the Year for their Choc Fudge Brownie Ice-cream in the Fairtrade Awards.

SAN C U R R O S San Churros believe in the farmers that create the cocoa that goes into a majority of their products. They believe that the farmers d e s e r v e a f a i r g o i n t h e i n d u s t r y. T h e y s o u r c e their chocolate form Spain and make sure that the cocoa is ethically produced and sustainably grown. They want to break the cycle of poverty and help the farmers build a better future for themselves, their families and their communities. 70% of the chocolate items on their menu are made with Fair trade cocoa and they have plans to extend that f u r t h e r.

KARMA COLA K a r m a C o l a ’s c o m b i n e s r e a l c o l a n u t f r o m the Boma Village of Sierra Leone with the vanilla beans growing in Sri Lanka. It also combines the processed sugar cane from the Mahrashtra in India. Organic malt is used to add flavour and colour in the place of artificial colouring or preservatives. Karma Cola aims to help rebuild the crops in Sierra Leone as well as provide the farmers with stable income. The main reason for this is to help the shattered community come b a c k f r o m t h e a f t e r m a t h o f w a r. P a r t o f w h a t is made on the product is given back to the farmers of Sierra Leone, Boma and Naiahun. One of the greatest achievements to date is the construction of a bridge that now connects two separate areas of the village that were not e a s i l y a c c e s s i b l e f ro m e a c h o t h e r. T h i s h a s g i v e n 45 children the opportunity to go to school.

PEOPLE TREE P e o p l e Tr e e h a s b e e n i n c a h o o t s w i t h F a i r t r a d e a n d i t s a r t i s a n s f o r a l m o s t t w e n t y y e a r s n o w. They are more than just about getting a fair price for their farmers. They focus on the people and the environment over the business and finance aspects of trade. If they can help people strengthen and better their lives, t h e y a r e d o w n t o b e a p a r t o f i t . P e o p l e Tr e e aim to be completely 100% Fairtrade across

t h e i r e n t i r e c o l l e c t i o n . To d a t e , t h e y h e l p up to 50 different Fairtrade groups in eight developing countries. Some of these include the Bombolulu workshops in Kenya who help the physically disabled, Agrocel farmers from India who produce organic cotton or the KTS in Nepal who create hand-knitted sweaters – providing an income for more than 2000 women.

L I M I N A L A P PA R E L Liminal Apparel is a clothing brand from New Zealand who are Fairtrade certified and all round good guys. These guys have taken their Fairtrade commitment to the end and can show you exactly where your individual piece of clothing has come from. Using an online platform called ‘Unzipmyhood’, customers can track exactly where their clothing has come from. From cotton farm to clothingm a k i n g f a c t o r y, y o u g e t a l l t h e i n f o r m a t i o n about every step of the process of creating your individual garment. How wicked is that? Yo u c a n f i n d t h e a d d r e s s o f e a c h d e s t i n a t i o n as well as videos which show the workers and their communities. Every step of the process is validated and acknowledged bringing awareness to the importance of looking after e a c h p e r s o n o n t h e j o u r n e y.

ZOE POOK JEWELLERY Some of you might be in the stage of your life where it is time to settle down and take t h a t n e x t s t e p i n y o u r r e l a t i o n s h i p . Yo u r w a l k down the aisle can be just as helpful to the farmers and artisans as it will be to you. For those who are interested, this company can custom make amazing pieces (including engagement and wedding rings) that will not only make you stand out from the crowd but will also go towards helping an amazing cause. These guys are one of the few jewellers who create their gold out of Fairtrade driven mines around the world. Like most of the companies on this list, they aim to improve working conditions for their producers and give them a greater chance at life.

NOBLE SPIRITS I have saved the best for last. FAIR TRADE ALCOHOL! Noble Spirits is a company that came from the brain of Frenchman, Gregoire Bertaud. He has however since based himself and the company in Australia. Hipster foodies this is one for you – The Fair Vodka is made from quinoa. The Fair Vodka was launched in 2010 and since then has been helping both its farmers and local alcoholics worldwide. For about $35 a bottle, you can help better the lives of the farmers that create this gold.  In their product range they also have Fairtrade Rum, Fairtrade Gin, Fairtrade Goji and Fairtrade Cafe Liqueur. The Fairtrade Rum is made in Belize and then shipped to Cognac, France. The sugar cane farmers are all members of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association which aims to ensure that Fairtrade conditions are met and upheld.

‘Fairtrade also aims to look after the environment and h o n e s t l y, w i t h o u t a healthy and thriving environment, how far do you really think we can get?’

SO WHY DO IT? Why not? So many companies in the world are tur ning their attention to making the process of creating their products a more transparent and honest one. They are acknowledging the work of the farmers and artisans in developing countries and are opening up the possibilities for these communities to grow. A stable wage can do so much in the long run and it is only right to fight for equal rights. Fairtrade also aims to look after the environment and honestly, without a healthy and thriving environment, how far do you really think we can get? I am down to supporting anything that provides minority groups with a voice and a chance. Especially if it’s coming in the form of chocolate, coffee and vodka. So why don’t you?

* Honourable

mentions to Adidas, H&M and Cotton On Group who are all working towards getting to a better standard of production so that they too can help the Fairtrade cause.

FA I R TRADERS

Holistic doctors in America are being found dead. are millions of people worldwide who put their lives at risk just C a u s e : u n k n o w n There by turning up to work every day. Power line workers. Firefighters.

Sanitation workers. Miners. These people turn up to work every day in order to keep us safe and/or to give us amenities that we often take for granted. But what if I told you that working as a holistic doctor can be quite deadly as well? Wait – what? Apparently, if you’re a holistic doctor in the great U.S. of A, your days are pretty much – literally and figuratively – numbered. Well, the beginning is the very best place to start, as they say. Let’s put things into perspective by drawing up a little time line of what’s been going on thus far:

19 June 2015:

Dr Jeff Bradstreet is found floating in a river near his holiday home in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He had a gunshot wound to the chest. After investigating, police said the wound was self-inflicted and ruled the incident a suicide. Hmmm… Why is his name so familiar? Dr Bradstreet is a strong and vocal opponent of vaccination, which he claims causes autism in children. A few days prior to his death, agents from the Food and Drug Administration had conducted a raid on his office premises.

21 June 2015:

Baron Holt, a chiropractor from North Carolina is found dead in Jacksonville, Florida. Friends and family maintain that Holt was in great physical condition prior to his death. However, there have been reports that Holt had been suffering from a few health problems himself.

21 June 2015:

Bruce Hedendal was found dead in his car and authorities have ruled that he died from natural causes. What’s his back story? Hedendal had served time in prison in the 2000s for tax evasion but there has been no link between his sentence and his death.

29 June 2015:

Teresa Sievers, a holistic physician, was found dead in her home. There were initial reports that she had been murdered by her husband. However, two Missouri men – Curtis Wright and Jimmy Rodgers – have been charged with the murder of the Estero doctor.

5 J u ly 2 0 1 5 :

North Dakota doctor, Patrick Fitpatrick, has been missing and Search and Rescue efforts are ongoing. His vehicle and trailer were found abandoned with no signs of disturbance.

Holistic living C O U L D B E H A Z A R D O U S T O Y O U R H E A LT H

1 0 J u ly 2 0 1 5 :

34 year-old emergency-room physician Lisa Riley was found dead in her Northhampton home with a gunshot wound to her head. Her husband who is a boxer has been charged with her murder. Is history repeating itself? The boxer – whose moniker in the ring is Thomas the Terrible – was acquitted of charges of shooting his ex-girlfriend a mere three years ago.

1 9 J u ly 2 0 1 5 :

Ob/gyn doctor, Ronald Schwartz, is found dead in his Jupiter Farms home. Neighbours said that the doctor was reclusive and kept to himself. Did he have a sordid past? Dr Schwartz is credited as the writer of the erotic comedy production called Smooth Operator. Investigations to his death are still ongoing.

2 1 J u ly 2 0 1 5 :

Well known alternative cancer doctor, Nicholas Gonzales, died of a heart attack in his New York City home. The physician was often labelled a ‘pioneer’ for spearheading the Gonzales regimen which was said to be able to treat late stages of cancer successfully.

2 3 J u ly 2 0 1 5 :

On 29 June 2015, Jeffrey Whiteside was reported missing. 25 days later, the Grand Chute doctor was found dead with a .22-caliber revolver found on the scene. Reports found no traces of drugs or alcohol in his system. His death was subsequently ruled as suicide.

12 August 15:

Dr Mary Rene Bovier was found stabbed in her home in Pennsylvania. No arrests have been made so far and investigations are still ongoing.

15 Sept 2015:

Manhattan oncologist and author Dr Mitchell Gaynor was found dead in his country home in Hillsdale. The best-selling author advocated a blend of nutritional therapies and medical research to combat cancer.

Conspiracy theorists

and advocates of natural treatments, of course, are having a field day. Pharmaceuticals have been linked to these mysterious deaths. State authorities involved in the investigations have been accused of rushing to close the case and ignoring pieces of evidence. The US gover nment has been slammed with trying to cover up the crimes which are a foil for a bigger conspiracy. Family members and friends are calling for the trut h. But what is the truth? And is there really a link between all these dead holistic practitioners?

Coincidence or Conspiracy? It is really difficult to believe that pharmaceuticals or even the US gover nment could be involved in the act of wiping out the holistic practitioner community. Skeptics call this theory a whole load of bullshit and says that these incidents can be explained with two very reasonable theories. Firstly, 11 deaths out of approximately 1 million doctors in the United States isn’t a staggering statistic. For those who argue that it isn’t fair to lump all types of doctors in the same category, I would like to point out that based on the list of deceased natural medical practitioners, all of them prescribed to different types of holistic treatments. Secondly, the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon can be used to explain this type of coincidence. We don’t tend to notice things until they come into our consciousness but when they do, we have the sense that they keep reoccurring into a patter n. Deaths of 11 holistic doctors in the span of 90 days would fit into our innate human need to find a patter n in our lives. These are things that we might have come across in the past but it’s only when it reaches our consciousness that we become more aware of it to the point we’re placing emphasis on something that could be totally random. It might be a trippy mindfuck but it’s quite cool nevertheless.

B u t Wa i t … I s G c M A F T h e L i n k ? Some websites claim that they have actually found the link between the deaths of these holistic practitioners and it’s actually something that each of us humans have. We all possess a protein in our bodies called GcMAF that has the potential to cure cancer and reverse symptoms of autism. It is said that Dr Bradstreet was highly involved in this research. However, the Food and US Drug Administration has outlawed the use of GcMAF in treatments beca use it is an ‘unapproved drug’. According to reports, Dr Bradstreet was also working on research that linked Big Pharma to th e use of cancer inducing compound Nagalese in their drugs.

So What’s The Verdict? I don’t know if we will ever know the truth behind these deaths, but the recurring theme seems to be the theories abounding about the link between GcMAF, Nagalese and the deaths of those doctors. Typically, the authorities and Big Pharma have kept mum over the whole issue, obviously hoping that it will blow over and this episode will tur n out to be another nail in the coffin of health quacks. However, it is high time that these big organisations thought about something else besides their profits and their bottom lines. A major question mark rises: if GcMAF can do what these holistic doctors say it can, why the fuck aren’t these pharmaceuticals busting their asses to find a cure for cancer and other chronic diseases? While I am hugely against the idea of sensationalising news in order to be more worthy of capturing the public attention, these incidents have at the very least pushed the idea of the potential fuckery going on in the billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical research industry. It is high time that w e stopped being slaves to the manipulation of these companies and started demanding for better and more affordable ways for us to live a longer and healthier life. While linking all these deaths to one key factor might be a stretch, I do hope that more information will come to light about these doct ors’ deaths and / or murders. We owe them that at the very least.

Article by Ye n - L i Wo n g

R 28

Tw o l a r g e c o m p a n i e s a r e c r e a t i n g f e m a l e robots that men can have sex with. This latest trend has thrown a spanner in the works for men and women, and the age-old desire for true love. I was once friends with an “interesting” dude who had over 100 flesh-lights. That’s right: over 100 man-made and factory manufactured vaginas, butt holes, gaping red mouths, and, what I found to be the most disturbing, female child genitalia flesh-lights. So was I weirded out? Not initially. I mean, it does take a lot to freak my inner freak out, but I did get rather uncomfortable, and somewhat confused, when my exfriend whipped out the child flesh-light. That shit was messed up on soooo many levels. Perhaps this, amongst 50 other disturbing racist, sexist, and creepy reasons, is why we are no longer pals. Anyway, so sex dolls, dildos, vibrators and whatever else sexually aware humans can get their hands (and bits) on, have been around for decades. In

fact, the first ever dildo, discovered by palaeontologists, was from the Stone Ages, and it was carefully crafted out of siltstone, and polished to add a nice glossy effect. Clearly, humans have been getting cosy with inanimate objects since the beginning of time. Clearly, not everyone seems to limit themselves to just fellow humans for sexual relations. So why such controversy over the creation of female robots; robots that are so advanced and constructed they are designed for individual males’ specific desires. At least two big companies have been taking orders for all kinds of different female robots, and are set to launch these metal ladies later this year. But not everyone is getting erect and excited over this news, and here are a few reasons why…

OMANCING THE MACHINE 29

Reason #1:

Reason #2:

Anthropologist and Senior Research Fellow in the Ethics of Robotics at the UK’s De Montfort University, Kathleen Richardson, says the very fact that two large companies deem it appropriate and acceptable to design and create female robots with the sole purpose of sexually satisfying males is a huge problem. According to Richardson, the main issue she has with the development of ‘sex robots’ is concer ning around the issue of empathy. The companies behind these creations are giving their male customers the options of choosing every minute detail of the robot they wish to stick their dick in. From fetishes to hair colour, personality to breast size, this new craze is like an adult, and much more twisted version, of the game SIMS. Richardson goes on to say that creating female robots for sex purposes basically sends out the message to the world that women can be reduced to sexual objects. ‘We don’t want to introduce another entity in our world that sends out that message… that women are just sexual objects (here) to gratify the needs of men.’ And furthermore, Richardson states that these robots are taking the place of what was once a traditional act between two humans, and this is a very alarming fact. Engaging with a machine, technology, robot – whatever you want to call it, is, according to Richardson, impacting on the way humans interact with each other, and ultimately how they behave as a human, especially in terms of empathy for another.

After listening to what the experts had to say, I hit the streets (well, Social Media) and asked everyone I could find on whether or not they would trade in their partner, if only for one time, to have sex with the robot of their dreams. Most women agreed that this was a disturbing issue, due to there already being enough gender equality problems, and the horrible reality of violence against women. Some said this would simply add to society thinking women are just sex objects, and can be treated as such. One even went on to say, ‘So some guy is lacking in the love department and he cannot get a girl, and fails at relationships. Okay, that’s cool for someone like him, he’s lonely, he wants someone to have sex with and if it is a robot, well that’s his business. But what is disturbing is for the other type of male out there who treats human females as objects. The fact that he can so easily have sex with a robot that he has created to be his little sex deviant is a tad wrong. Especially if he then goes on to try and have a relationship with a woman. He obviously has warped ideas about love and intimacy.’ The main trends that ran through people’s responses were the lack of human affection and love, violence against women, and how it is nobody’s business but the person having sex with the robot. I also think that it is a liiiitle creepy that if given the option, somebody would to trade in their partner to get it on with a robot who ticked all their

boxes over their real-life human being who has a brain, a heart, and blood running through their veins. Everyone’s answers actually surprised me, from all the friends, family and even complete strangers who I asked, nobody said they would have sex with a robot. Only some said that they would not judge another who did – but that they would feel sorry for them due to their lack of human companionship, which I believe is an integral part of keeping the human race alive and balanced.

So if you are one of the few that would trade in your partner for sexy time with a robot, it appears that you are in the minority, which was not what I was expecting. Seems like there is still hope for the human race after all.

Reason #3: One man, who wishes to remain anonymous, I asked gave me a great response that was too good not to share with the rest of you: ‘I personally wouldn’t trade in for a sexbot. I guess I’m more traditional in that my left and right hands are all I would need, so a toy, no matter how simple or complex is unnecessary, and better left to cater females. As for trading in, if it were just a choice of going to the bedroom where the missus is, or into the garage where the bot is, I could see some choosing the bot. However, if it were a permanent swap then no. One can abstain from sex indefinitely with minimal repercussions, but limiting interpersonal interaction very quickly can cause problems. I’d rather have a relationship that only goes to second base with a girl, then to do as I please with a robot, simply because I value personality and communication more than having a complex vacuum cleaner attached to my dick.’

‘ I va l u e pe r so na l i ty and com m unication m o r e t ha n hav i n g a com plex vacuum cl e a ne r attached to m y dick‘

......... you can fuck me in all three of my tight little holes, hun. all nite. me and my girlfriend. if you dine us 2 at nice dinner at nice place and give us both $100 gif t cards to victoria secret so we can look real sexy for you, hun’. A g irl wrote me th at. ‘No, thank s,’ I ty p ed , ‘b ut g o od l u ck !’ o k. your hot so how b out $50 at v ictoria s ec r et? I d id n’t wr i te back .

What a time to be alive. There are d ati n g s i tes , d atin g apps , and then there is S eeking Arrang m en t. c om. What a fucking joke-and- a- h al f. I l ove i t.

I signed up for a month-long membership for the same reason Corey Allen’s Buzz Gunderson tells James Dean’s Jim Stark why they should go ahead with the chickie r un in Rebel Without a Cause… ‘because we gotta do something.’ A s a ma l e o r ‘ Suga r D ad d y,’ I cannot see the p rofiles for othe r mal es , b ut I g rew up r ea din g Sir Arthur Conan Doy le’s S herlock Hol mes , s o I k n ow how t o in fer. A n d I can infer that the other d ud es on this s i te ar e ove r s ix t y, g ray o r g raying , b ald or b ald ing , p ot-b ellied , and e ager for g i r l s f ra ct io n s o f t heir a ge to accep t their lasciv ious offers with n o val i d consid er ati on .

Not being that, I imagine the girls on the site look at my prof ile the way I looked at that Lunar Eclipse in September, thinking to themselves, ‘Well, this is different. Not sure what the hell it is. But it’s different.’

S P I C E

One girl from East Jesus, Maine, told me af ter three messages I was ‘amazing.’ I told her I was not. She told me she wanted to come visit me. I asked her how far that was. She said about four hours. I said not to come. She asked why. I told her there’s a good chance you’d drive eight hours to discover we don’t have much in common. So she drove eight hours to find out we didn’t have anything in common, and lef t.

One girl told me she thought college was overrated. I had the audacity to ask her why. She told me that she got a job in ‘digital male specialty entertainment’ af ter school and her Anthropology deg ree from Doesn’t-Matter-State didn’t help her much. ‘What’s digital malespecialty entertainment?’ I asked her. She told me – and this actually happened – she told me she sold her used panties and clipped f ingernails and toenails. ‘What would anyone do with that,’ I asked her. ‘Smell them, eat them, both,’ she said. On e gir l , w ho I a ct u ally met, smelled like that Warm Vanil l a S uga r bo dy but t er that all the cute 15 year-old g irls used to -wea r ba ck when I was 16. S he met me for coffee, kissed me ever ywhere, t hen, the next morning asked for $80 for ren t . E ight y do l l a rs. You can’t make this shit up . I said no , an d she t o l d m e s he d id n’t think I und erstood the concept of the sit e. I t o l d her she was d efinitely rig ht.

One girl who I also met, said she had used the site for a year now and was pleasantly surprised I was under 70. Yes, I quipped, I can still hear and even walk upright. We got sandwiches at the Burlington co-op, then walked around town for an hour, found a church, wandered into its shadows, she took off my belt, wrapped it around her neck, told me she liked belts, dropped to her knees….....................................

O n e gir l t old me she was a ‘b aby AB DL.’ S he aske d me i f I k n ew wha t t hat meant. Yes, I lied . S he asked me if I was i n to t ha t t o o a n d l ike any half-d ecent p oet, I ty p ed , ‘Yeah . ’ T h en I s ea rched w hat the hell that was on Bing . T urns out s h e was in t o dia pers a nd p acifiers and g uys acting like her d ad – bu t n o t her da d – d iscip lining her and hav ing sex with h er. Sh e a sked if I would b e a g ood ‘d ad d y d om.’ I ty p ed th at I ’d be Elektric. S he d id n’t get i t.

One girl told me she needed $600. Then $500. Then $400. Then anything. I told her no, every time. She told me I didn’t know what it was like to be an eighteen-year-old single mom. Her face looked like a Picasso that survived the Spanish Civil War, but barely. …starv ing , hysterial , n aked…

This is my generation. When I was a little b oy, I d id n’t und erstan d s ex .

I thought two people loved each other so much that language became insufficient for them to express their love so sex was not a want, but a necessity – the only way they could express their ineffable love. M y m o t her taug ht me to love the man I was and a m i n th e p rocess of b ec omi n g ,

that way you don’t have a search for a woman, she used to say, a wo ma n who is sugar and sp ice and ever y thing n i c e w i l l search for you .

This site admonishes me to stop searching. I’m already fou n d.

Robert R Kaufman

TAYLOR VAN Ta y l o r V a n E s s e n i s a f i l m m a k e r b a s e d i n b y r o n b a y, c u r r e n t l y f i n i s h i n g a b a c h e l o r o f f i l m d e g r e e . By sharing his content on social media, he has built a name for himself, mostly due to his water c i n e m a t o g r a p h y. K e e p a n e y e o u t , t h e r e i s a l o t more to come.

ESSEN

Insta @taylorvanessen / Vimeo taylorvanessen / 42

/ Email taylorvanessen@gmail.com 43

THE FAIRTRADE

How alive is Fairtrade? Are people being genuine and actively conscious, or is it just a label? By Dani Leever and Chris Mills C u r re n t b a n t e r a ro u n d f o o d p ro d u c t i o n , labeling and certification tends to focus o n h a l a l a n d k o s h e r, b u t i t w a s n o t s o l o n g a g o t h a t F a i r t r a d e w a s f ro n t a n d c e n t re . H o w e v e r, i t s p o p u l a r i t y h a s b e e n i n c re a s i n g a s p e o p l e s e a rc h f o r a w a y t o support ethical and fair methods down t h e p ro d u c t i o n l i n e , d e c r y i n g g l o b a l f re e m a r k e t s a s e x p l o i t i n g t h o s e a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e c h a i n . T h e o ff i c i a l International Fairtrade Organization states t h a t m o re t h a n 6 m i l l i o n p e o p l e – f a r m e r s , f a m i l i e s , a n d c o m m u n i t i e s – b e n e f i t f ro m these practices, but Dani and Chris try a n d i n v e s t i g a t e d i ff e re n t s i d e s t o t h e a r g u m e n t : a re c o n s u m e r s a c t u a l l y b e i n g socially active and bringing out best practice in the developing world; or is the s y s t e m n o t m u c h m o re t h a n a n o t h e r l a b e l to satisfy our wealth of guilt? D A N I : We v o t e w i t h o u r w a l l e t s . W h e n c o n s u m e r s p u rc h a s e F a i r t r a d e , t h e y ’ re supporting local farmers in developing nations, fair pay and conditions for w o r k e r s a l l t h e w a y d o w n t h e p ro d u c t i o n line and social/economic development in these countries. The Fairtrade label e n s u re s t h a t a l t h o u g h w e ’ re p a r t a k i n g i n

c o n s u m e r i s m , w e ’ re d o i n g s o i n a m o re e t h i c a l a n d s o c i a l l y a w a re m a n n e r. A l s o , F a i r t r a d e p ro d u c t s a re c e r t i f i e d t o n o t b e genetically modified food – pesticides, f e r t i l i z e r s a n d o t h e r c h e m i c a l s a re a t a n absolute minimum. This is good for the e n v i ro n m e n t a n d a l s o f o r u s t o c o n s u m e ! To b u y F a i r t r a d e i s e s s e n t i a l l y a g i a n t s t e p i n t h e r i g h t d i re c t i o n f o r e t h i c a l consumption and consumerism. Not only i s t h e m o n e y y o u s p e n d h e l p i n g , y o u ’ re a l s o i n c re a s i n g d e m a n d f o r t h e p ro d u c t s . C H R I S : A t f a c e v a l u e , I a g re e i t a l l s o u n d s p re t t y w o n d e r f u l . B u t a l t h o u g h ‘ f a i r t r a d e ’ a s a c o n c e p t c a n ’t b e a r g u e d a g a i n s t i n terms of sustainable development and p ro d u c t i o n , F a i r t r a d e i s i t s e l f a b r a n d , a l a b e l , a n i m a g e . I t c a n ’t e v e n re a l l y d e c i d e what it is, because the competing global organisations – Fairtrade International and Fairtrade USA (which was originally a n o ff s h w o o t o f F a i r t r a d e I n t e r n a t i o n a l ) – h a v e d i ff e re n t g o a l s . F a i r t r a d e U S A i s backed by a number of large companies s u c h a s W h o l e F o o d s , a n d b ro a d e n s t h e d e f i n i t i o n s o f ‘ g ro w e r s ’ t o l a r g e s c a l e p l a n t a t i o n o r g a n i s a t i o n s . T h e re is also little guidance or oversight as to

p re m i u m s c h a r g e d b y re t a i l e r s for Fairtrade goods, so the extra p ro f i t o f t e n d o e s n o t a c t u a l l y g e t p a s s e d d o w n t h e l i n e t o t h e f a r m e r. A g a i n , i t s e e m s l i k e m o re o f a w a y t o d i ff e re n t i a t e a n d m a k e e x t r a margin than it is actually about the people involved in getting the p ro d u c t t o y o u r p l a t e . . . DANI: The disenchantment with labels such as ‘organic’, ‘Fairtrade’, ‘ethical’ and so on is certainly valid, as the terms a re getting looser and less t r a n s p a re n t . M y p o i n t , h o w e v e r, i s that dismissing fair trade as not a s t r a n s p a re n t a n d e t h i c a l a s i t should be, is forgetting the point t h a t i t ’s f a r m o re e t h i c a l t h a n a large majority of organisations o u t t h e re t o d a y. I t ’s t r u e t h a t i n a c o n s u m e r i s t s o c i e t y, t o h a v e a 100% sustainable, ethical and charitable large-scale organisation w h e re e v e r y d o l l a r g o e s b a c k to the original farmer is next to impossible. The scrutiny placed o n t h e i r e t h i c s i s b a re l y d e a l t t o f a r m o re u n e t h i c a l c o r p o r a t i o n s . I n o rd e r t o re a l l y h e l p t h e d e v e l o p i n g nation, many agricultural changes n e e d t o t a k e p l a c e . B e f o re t h e y a re p o s s i b l e / a c h i e v a b l e , F a i r t r a d e is attempting to help farmers deal with volatile markets and give t h e m f a i re r t re a t m e n t t h a n o t h e r organisations. CHRIS: Look, I’ll be the first to a d m i t I f e e l l i k e a b i t o f a b a s t a rd a r g u i n g h e re a g a i n s t w h a t s h o u l d be a global system that everyone abides by without having to think t w i c e . B u t t h e re a l i t i e s a re s o o f t e n d i ff e re n t , a n d t h e d e v e l o p i n g countries that house the farmers f o r t h e s e F a i r t r a d e p ro d u c t s a re often corruption-ridden and so opaque that even an organisation

that thinks it is doing the right thing could just be getting taken for a r i d e i t s e l f . A l t e r n a t i v e l y, t h e y f o c u s o n s o u rc i n g f ro m c o u n t r i e s w h e re the corruption may be less, but t h e f a r m e r s a re b e t t e r o ff t o s t a r t with. In fact, it turns out that in t h e f a i r t r a d e c o ff e e i n d u s t r y m u c h o f t h e p ro d u c t i o n i s f ro m m i d d l e and h i g h e r- i n c o m e developing countries like Mexico and Bolivia. I a g re e t h a t h e l p i n g s o m e i s g o i n g to be better than none, but for fair t r a d e t o b e a t r u l y e ff e c t i v e s y s t e m i t re a l l y h a s t o b e a b l e t o f i l t e r a l l the way down. D A N I : T h a t ’s t h e u n f o r t u n a t e r e a l i t y, a n d c o r r u p t i o n i s c e r t a i n l y u n a v o i d a b l e t o d a y. P a r t i c u l a r l y when you’re dealing with money a n d t r a d e . H o w e v e r, e v e n i n Mexico and Bolivia – where there may be higher income than in other developing nations – international trade is still absolutely essential t o t h e i r e c o n o m y. N o t t o m e n t i o n t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y a r e h i g h e rear ning, there are over 70 other countries that are still involved. On the topic of coffee, 85% of the Fairtrade coffee is organic, which is environmentally sustainable and never involves harsh chemicals or pesticides. The price for goods have a base price set by the International Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, so they can’t be screwed over by big businesses aiming to wipe them out as well. The Fairtrade market is estimated at AUS$259 million in Aus and NZ between 2013-2014, as more and more businesses/retailers/ importers are beginning to tur n towards incorporating the system into their trade. CHRIS: That is a good-looking number indeed, but how much

of that will go to the bean farmer in Ecuador? I know that Oxfam participates in the fair trade market quite a lot, a considerable amount of which is traded through their own Oxfam storefronts. In this case, the extra margin they are making off the premium prices of their delightful – yet often obscure – goods would likely go to the c h a r i t y. T h i s h e r e i s n o t a m a j o r complaint; the right organisations are capturing the right premium, but I think it does go to show that there is a lot more to fair trade than just the traceability of production and support to farmers. Organisations always have ulterior motives, whether good or bad, so I think that it is important for the consumer to consider whether the extra price they pay is going to be for what they think t h e F a i r t r a d e l a b e l s t a n d s f o r, o r whether it is going into the pocket o f t h e m a n b e h i n d t h e c o u n t e r. On a side note here, word of the d a y : ‘ F a i r w a s h i n g ’ . F r e e Tr a d e r s Australia defines it as making a product to appear as Fairtrade w h e n i n f a c t i t i s n ’ t . I t ’s a s a d state of affairs when there are such industry warnings, but it shows that perhaps the right conscientious consumer can make a proper and informed decision and maybe bring about the best o u t c o m e f o r r e t a i l e r, f a r m e r, a n d trade organisation? Read, learn, then buy! D A N I : F u n n i l y e n o u g h , t h ro u g h t h i s re s e a rc h I ’ v e c o m e a c ro s s a w h o l e phenomenon called the ‘Fairtrade D e b a t e ’ – a n e n t i re d i s c o u r s e t h a t s c r u t i n i s e s t h e i s s u e s a ro u n d F a i r t r a d e . I n o t h e r w o rd s , y o u ’ re n o t a b a s t a rd b e c a u s e t h e re a l i t i e s a re d e f i n i t e l y d i ff e re n t . A t t i m e s , the importers in the middle of

t h e p ro d u c t i o n l i n e k e e p a l o t o f t h e p ro f i t , m e a n i n g f a r m e r s k e e p and earn less. In this example, i t ’s p o s s i b l e t o s a y t h a t a l t h o u g h Fairtrade is trying to be highly e t h i c a l , t h e re a re a l w a y s g o i n g t o b e g re e d y p e o p l e m o t i v a t e d b y their own wealth that ruin it. And m a y b e t h i s i s a n o v e r a rc h i n g t h e m e to this debate? That fair trade a s a c o n c e p t i s a g re a t i d e a t h a t p ro m o t e s a l o t o f a m a z i n g t h i n g s , b u t i n t o d a y ’s s o c i e t y, t h e re a re people, issues, corruption and b a s i c c o n s u m e r i s m p ro b l e m s t h a t h i n d e r i t s e ff e c t i v e n e s s . We s u g g e s t y o u m a k e u p y o u r o w n m i n d . T h e re a re a l a r g e s e l e c t i o n o f F a i r t r a d e b o d i e s o u t t h e re t h a t c e r t i f y, t r a c e p ro d u c t i o n , a n d o ff e r a r a n g e o f p ro d u c t s t h a t f i t t h e i r c o n c e p t o f F a i r t r a d e ; a n d t h e re i s nothing better than a consumer w h o d o e s t h e i r re s e a rc h a n d m a k e s weighted judgements based on i n f o r m a t i o n . Ta k e t h a t , t e x t b o o k economics! To s t a r t w i t h , h a v e a l o o k a t : http://fairtrade.com.au/ - F a i r Tr a d e A u s t r a l i a h t t p : / / w w w. f t a . o rg . a u / - T h e F a i r Tr a d e A s s o c i a t i o n h t t p : / / w w w. o x f a m s h o p . o rg . a u / f a i r t r a d e - O x f a m F a i r Tr a d e

THE FAIRTRADE

H O NI BEER EP K EEPER

PA R A D E

f.i f a s h i o n i n t e r v i e w b y To r y P r i c e 49

f.i

Created by brother-sister duo Koky and Sophia, BeeKeeper Parade is a social enterprise that aims to provide quality education and inspire change. After 18 months, Sophia passed away and Koky has led BeeKeeper into a new chapter. During the interview, he told me that I was weird (which I hope was a compliment) and that he dreams of owning a beach with a pet pig. Luckily for the world his dreams are much bigger and braver, it’s going to be one hell of a journey. WHAT WAS YOUR TIME LIKE GROWING UP IN AUSTRALIA? I came here when I was three years old; my first memory was on the plane over here. The first English words I heard were a queen song: ‘radio goo goo, radio ga ga!’ Looking out the window as we were coming in to land and seeing this vast place, it was scary and huge. We were all incredibly travel sick, but there was definitely excitement. Everything that happened before this I don’t remember, but as I’ve grown up I can recall certain things about what it was like before. I know the way I am today and the way I behave and react to things is a direct link to me and the first three years of my life. Slowly, it is starting to unravel and I am learning more and more about that time in my life. Living in Australia was great, I was very shy and I didn’t understand anyone. All of the kids were very nice to me. In the school photos it looked like I had a moustache, but really it was my teeth, which were so decayed they were black! One of the most significant points in primary school was when I was in grade 5 and the teacher asked us to write a story and it was the first time I started questioning where we came from. I started asking my parents how did we get here? What happened before? So I wrote a story and I read it to the entire class and I could see my classmates crying and I recognised the power in children I could feel the energy in the room become inspiring for the kids wanting to take action. It gave me the sense that the ability to change the world was within me. WHEN DID YOU BEGIN CONNECTING TO YOUR CAMBODIAN HERITAGE? I started doing photography when I was about 18 years old and I started looking deeper into identity and who I was. I think it feeds your soul and the other areas in your life to know where you truly came from, and to understand on the deepest level who you are and embrace all of your flaws and imperfections. ALL OF THIS STARTED WITH YOU AND YOUR SISTER SOPHIA WORKING TOGETHER. WHAT WAS SHE LIKE? My younger sister was born in Australia. She was my best friend, my soul sister, which I didn’t recognise whilst she was alive. It’s only now in retrospect that I can see how important all of the moments are that we shared. She taught me critical lessons about life and I have felt my soul grow and I can remember her without feeling bitter. She showed me what true courage is when she was faced with her own immortality she was at peace and really powerful. I knew that everything that I was facing was truly nothing compared to this. Nothing scares me anymore. I embrace the crazy scary ideas that have led me to some amazing adventures. YOU STARTED OUT AS BABY TREE FOCUSING ON BUILDING SCHOOLS IN CAMBODIA. WHERE ARE YOU AT RIGHT NOW? We have built 5 schools, which I am so proud of. The last one we named after my sister Sophia and built it right on the beach to celebrate her contribution to

f.i â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; I think it feeds areas in your life came from, and deepest level who of your flaws and

your soul and the other to know where you truly to understand on the you are and embrace all imperfections â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

Baby Tree and hopefully inspire more people to make the world a better place and remind them that everything we do impacts the planet. Now we use the name BeeKeeper Parade to represent what we do. WHAT IS BEEKEEPER PARADE? It’s not a product or a brand. It’s awesome and growing organically, and I just keep on doing what I’m doing. I have gone with the flow with media opportunities and I feel like we have had enough so it’s not out of control. I’m too busy to chase up publicity, I’m too busy designing backpacks! HOW ELSE DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME? Now I spend a lot of my time going to schools and talking to kids, and part of my vision for BeeKeeper Parade is that we are part of the movement to raise awareness in children and reminding them they have the power to change the world and they are our future decision makers. I want kids to know that they can change the world and to not let themselves be hounded by cynicism and skepticism and to overcome it and believe they can change the world. HOW HAVE YOU GOTTEN ACCESS TO OLD SHIRTS OR EXCESS FABRIC THAT YOU USE FOR YOUR BACKPACKS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE THROWN INTO LANDFILL?

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To make connections I threw myself into it and went to live in Cambodia. I immersed myself in it, and spoke with people who had tried to do the same thing. I had some leads and followed them until I got access to fabrics and shirts. It was tough because there is a demand for quality internationally that is difficult to always achieve and initially I had to be tough with quality control. One of the hardest things was actually finding someone willing to make backpacks because it’s so technical.

HOW DO YOU END UP WITH YOUR FABRIC? Shirts get shipped from overseas and sold at markets and I sift through to find what’s good or we get left over fabric. So much of what isn’t used will end up in landfill or being burned. Landfill is 400 times more toxic than sewage and kids are walking through this trying to make a living in Cambodia. The average Australian only uses 20% of their wardrobe and the rest sits there and ends up in landfill, people need to see their own part in it and see how wasteful it is. I want to be part of the change and teach kids in schools and my customers that we can turn it around. WHO ARE YOUR GARMENT TEAM? We have a team of five people who make all of our backpacks. Our goal is to become the best production house in Cambodia. All of our backpacks are limited and range from only having five up to twenty. We only get 15-20m of fabric to play with and the team works really well. HOW ARE YOUR SEWING SKILLS? I tend to be the slowest – because I use the hand wheel, I get so scared and I can do a pretty crap prototype. It means that I know how difficult it is, but also that no one can pull the wool over my eyes with quality. I do a lot more of the laborious tasks like cutting fabrics and tracing patterns. I like to be part of the process. I cut your backpack!

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Colour Vision

Top & Jacket - Eric Yvon Skirt - The Social Studio (TSS) Earrings - Nylons Bracelets - Kitsu Shoes - New Balance

PhotographY BY Model

Jess Brohier Fa r o M u s o d z a

Hair & Makeup By Styling By

Elisa Clark To r y P r i c e

Jacket & Dress - TSS E a r r i n g s - e a t . m e. d o Shoes - New Balance

Poncho - cadia belante from TSS Skirt - TSS Earrings - nylons RIGHT Jacket & Pants - TSS E a r r i n g s a n d S o c k s - e a t . m e. d o Shoes - nike

Top - cadia belante from TSS Skirt - TSS S o c k s - e a t . m e. d o Shoes - nike Earrings & Bracelets - kitsu

BONNIE TRIPS

MELTING MEN SARAH BURTb y MELTING MEN S3381574 SARAH BURT S3381574

A photo documentary about the transition between man to woman in a drag queen environment.

9 6

THE TRADE CHEEKY

CHAPTERS

I T D E F I N I T E LY C A N B E A S T I C K Y K I N D O F S I T U AT I O N . Y O U F E E L LIKE YOU NEED INSTRUCTIONS, A ROAD MAP OR EVEN TO SIT Y O G A C L A S S E S , S O T H AT Y O U C A N F U L LY U N D E R S TA N D T H E LOGISTICS OF HOW A 69 ORAL SESSION A C T U A L LY WORKS. GIRL ON TOP PROVOKES SOME SERIOUS PINK EYE AND GUY ON TOP CORNERS YOU, WITH HIS SNAKE JAMMING SO HARD D O W N Y O U R T H R O AT, T H AT I T S TA RT S T I N G L I N G Y O U R P I N K BITS. SO HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EVEN DO IT? AND IS IT AS GOOD AS WE ALL HOPE FOR IT TO BE? I made it home after a grueling session at the office. Sore feet, sore back – pretty much wanted my bed to swallow me up and spit me back out in the morning. I walked upstairs and into my bedroom. The lights were dimmed, candles on and a naked specimen was lying in my bed.

‘Tom, you look oily. What are you doing?’ I grunted. ‘Get naked and get here gorgeous!’ My boyfriend responded. Him rubbing his nipples was creeping me out. I went into the bathroom to shower. I was definitely not horny and seeing an oiled up wiggly worm was not a happening thing. I removed my clothes, jumped into the shower and let the warm water fall through my hair and down my back. He walked in naked, still oiled up. He pressed his willy up against the shower glass, like a squashed slug. Oh god, there was no escaping him. He opened my shower door, jumped in, held my body up against his and began kissing my neck. It was actually kind of nice. I decided that he could stay. My head rolled back. I let him continue kissing further down my chest. W ith one hand he slowly entered my warm, wet vagina. He sucked gently on my nipples. They hardened. He didn’t stop there. I was breathing heavily, begging for more. He began sucking harder, while massaging with his fingers deep inside of me. My legs caved. He held me up, biting the tips of my nipples – pressing his body up against mine. I could feel his penis hardening, as he rubbed it up against my thigh. He kissed up my neck and towards my lips. He placed his warm, wet mouth against mine. We kissed passionately while the water ran between us. In one motion, his fingers thrust deeper inside of me. I moaned and threw my head back. I wrapped my hand around his dick and slowly massaged the tip of his knob. He exhaled. He pulled my hand away and said ‘Let’s take this to the bedroom.’ I agreed. We dried each other off with towels and made our way over to the bed. He covered my body in coconut oil and had me lie down on the towel. He separated my legs. I was still dripping wet. He licked the droplets off the inner of my thighs, while kissing his way down to my oiled up vagina. He peered up at me; I bit my lip and stared into his eyes. I knew what

OFF

THE 69; IT’S JUST LIKE KILLING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE

was coming. As his lips placed so gently against my clit, I fell back into the bed and closed my eyes. He softly began to suck enough for me to arch my back, begging for more. He teased me, tickling the inner of my thighs with his fingers, while continuing to suck. Before he entered his fingers, he stopped (like c’mon mate I love this part. Ain’t nobody got time for cupcakes without icing. Cheers). He looked up and said, ‘What about a 69?’ I smiled. There needs to be a new name for it. Can’t they update it to ‘dual oral’? Or ‘sucking both ends’ or ‘pleasure party for two’? Or even ‘Ying-Yang’. Whatever the case, I decided to jump in and be his 9. He climbed up the bed and positioned himself as if we were sleeping top to toe. Both naked, we massaged the top of each other’s thighs with oil, working our way to our pleasure parts. We were both excited to reach that pot of gold, so we could begin the race to ultimate feelings. Initially, focusing on the job was a bit of a distraction from feeling good vibes down south, but we slowly progressed into it. I gently sucked the upper of his inner thigh, while massaging his balls with my fingers. He continued to rub my clit with his tongue. As I made my way to the tip of his shaft, I could tell he was already begging. It entered my mouth and I began circulating the end with my tongue. He let tensed, and then began working his fingers harder. It was weird taking him from a side angle, but exploring was kinky as fuck. While finger working his magic, he slowly entered one of his others into my back area. I groaned in pleasure. It was too much to handle. He knew I was getting more excited, as I grabbed his dick and friskily moved up and down harder and faster. We were on the home stretch, racing to see who made it to the finish line first – when I stopped.

‘Let’s finish this with sex’ I suggested. He smiled, climbed on top of me, entered his penis and we rolled past that line together. As he lay up against my hot, sweaty body, he held me. ‘Fuck that was awesome.’ He said. And collapsed into my arms. 69/pleasure party/oral for two is an interesting topic. It’s something that’s not overly discussed and doesn’t have an awkward taboo. People either love oral or hate oral, just like anal or threesomes, but 69’ing? Maybe it’s a trend kind of thing, something that happened in the 90’s when people wanted to explore together. I’ve chatted with a few people and had mixed responses on their thoughts. My friend Char suggested that it’s more of a spiritual exploration between two people, as they appreciate pleasuring each other at the same time. I somewhat agree. Rob suggested that as long as both parties are clean down there, then sure it’s totally a thing! However, it was mentioned a few times that 69’ing could be somewhat awkward. How do you lay? How do you suck? How do you concentrate on giving oral when you’re receiving? Comparing it to a massage. Why would you give a massage back, when you just want to enjoy what you’re receiving? Fair call. I think you’ve just got to find the right 6 to your 9, someone who you can connect and get in rhythm with. You’ve got to remember that it’s not just about oral, it’s about sexually exploring each other further than just putting some genitals in your mouth. Focus on their inner thighs and other sensitive spots and ease your way in there. It’s just like killing two birds with one stone. Ciao x

SARAH LONG

‘ I T W A S W E I R D TA K I N G H I M F R O M A S I D E A N G L E , BUT EXPLORING WAS KINKY AS FUCK’