BLAIRE APRIL 15

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FEBRUARY 2014

EMILY EATON EDITOR SARAH LONG CREATIVE DIRECTOR MONICA JANKOWSKI MUSIC DIRECTOR EDITORIAL CONTRUBITIONS: NICHOLAS IVANOVIC LIFE MITCHELL PASCOE SPORT TORY PRICE FASHION TOM BENSLEY LIFE MIA FRANCISCO LIFE YEN LI WONG LIFE BRADLEY COWAN MUSIC DAVE LEE FILM FEATURING: XAVIER RUDD, CATLIPS, JUSTIN DAVIES, JILLAURA, PICK & SPADE, TAKE 3 FASHION SPONSORED BY OZ APPAREL ENQUIRIES / SUBMISSION / ADVERTISING: SARAH@BLAIREMAGAZINE.COM ABN: 62359130068 WWW.BLAIREMAGAZINE.COM

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CONTENTS

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CHARITY / TAKE 3

12.

COLOMBIA: THE BLOODY ROAD TO PEACE

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MUSIC REVIEWS

16. CATLIPS 20.

XAVIER RUDD

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PAPA DON’T PREACH

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PHOTOGRAPHY / JUSTIN DAVIES

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FASHION / PICK & SPADE

42. DRONES 44.

WILL SOCIAL MEDIA TEAR US APART?

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ART / JIL-LAURA

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FILM REVIEWS

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ISIS MADNESS

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CHEEKY CHAPTERS / THE STEPPING STONE

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CHARITY / SARAH LONG

I RECOGNISED THAT IF WE WANTED TO FIX THE GLOBAL PROBLEM WE NEEDED TO CLEAN UP OUR OWN BACKYARD FIRST

TAKE 3

Tim Silverwood is a passionate environmentalist committed to raising awareness of waste and it’s impact on the natural environment, particularly our oceans. In 2009 the avid surfer made a personal decision to protect his local beaches from the scourge of trash and in doing so began an everexpanding movement. Tim is co-founder of not-for-profit organisation Take 3 that asks everyone to simply take three pieces of rubbish with them when they leave the beach, waterway or anywhere.

WHAT DOES TAKE 3 MEAN? It’s simple: take three pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway… or anywhere and you’ve made a difference. We use this simple action as a way to increase the conversation around plastic pollution, clean our oceans and encourage solutions to the emerging problem of plastic pollution.

WHERE DID YOUR IDEA STEM FROM? The idea was spawned by our co-founder Amanda Marechal. Mandy learnt about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2009 and was horrified. She decided she would pick up trash after each surf to at least prevent more plastic from entering the sea. She had a two year-old daughter and was originally going to make it Take 5 due to the popular kids program but realized with a surfboard and a young child that 3 was an easier number. As the great song goes, ‘3, it’s a magic number, yes it is.’ The beauty is, once you pop you can’t stop so people rarely stop at three pieces.

WHAT MAKES YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS CAUSE? I have always had a love and appreciation for the natural world and a strong desire to see humankind develop better relationships with it. I’ve always hated waste and pollution, even as a young surfer I’d pick up plastic bait bags and stuff them up my wetsuit. I studied Science and Sustainability at university and worked in the not-for-profit sector during my 20’s. My real calling came during my mid-20’s when travelling through developing nations in Asia. I was appalled at the levels of pollution. I came home with a commitment to change the world for the better and soon realised that plastic pollution was a huge problem in Australia too. I recognised that if we wanted to fix the global problem we needed to clean up our own backyard first. Australia has a real opportunity to become global leaders on addressing plastic pollution and reducing the waste sent to landfill and I’m passionate about making that change happen sooner rather than later.

WHERE IN AUSTRALIA ARE YOU WITNESSING THE WORST POLLUTION? 80% of the plastic pollution in our oceans comes from the land so I get most disappointed with the pollution I see on streets, in drains and in waterways.

When you see that piece of trash on the ground you have to remember, if you don’t pick it up then it’s pretty much guaranteed that it will one day enter the ocean. The ocean is down hill from everywhere, so even if you’re hundreds of miles from the sea that trash can still become ocean pollution, let alone the impact it may have during it’s long migration to big blue.

WHAT MAKES YOU MOST ANGRY WITH HUMANS AND THEIR INCONSIDERATE WAYS?

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WE LIVE ON A BLUE PLANET, A TINY SPECK OF BLUE IN A VAST AND COMPLEX UNIVERSE. WITHOUT A HEALTHY OCEAN, THERE IS NO HEALTHY US.

I try not to get too angry about the situation despite the reality that this is a monumental problem. I’m committed to seeing solutions developed and implemented in my lifetime and where others may see a shocking situation, I see opportunity. In saying that, it’s abysmal that we have let society get to this point where every beach in the world and every square kilometre of the oceans is contaminated with plastic, there’s even 46, 000 pieces of plastic debris per square kilometre in Antarctica! Society has to change the way it makes, transports and consumes ‘stuff’. We need to transition to a circular economy where the very notion that something is ‘waste’ becomes obsolete. ‘Waste’ is simply a resource that we haven’t found a purpose for yet.

I am deeply concerned about the way we’re treating the oceans, taking from her all that we want and feeding her back all that we don’t. People seem to have forgotten that we live on a blue planet, a tiny speck of blue in a vast and complex universe. Without a healthy ocean, there is no healthy us. If we continue to abuse the oceans in the current way it will certainly spell the end of our species. The oceans will live on and organisms will evolve to survive in our plasticised world, but at what cost? We risk losing so many incredible creatures and making life incredibly difficult for ourselves if we continue on our present path.

WHAT WELL-KNOWN SPECIES ARE CURRENTLY DYING OUT, DUE TO POLLUTION? Scientists have recorded over 600 species directly affected by marine debris.

The two main threats are entanglement in debris (eg. fishing line, rope, six pack rings) and ingestion, where animals mistake debris for food. This includes everything from fish, molluscs, turtles, seals, dolphins, whales and particularly seabirds. The other major threat is the contamination of organisms from ingesting plastic via the chemicals in and absorbed onto the plastic debris.

This last issue may be the biggest. With so many organisms ingesting plastic, including microscopic plankton at the very base of the marine food chain, this has serious implications for creatures high on the trophic scale due to the bioaccumulation of toxins. This includes our own species that rely on seafood as a major global source of protein. We had a tragic instance recently where a rare Risso’s Dolphin beached in Sydney with the necropsy finding a grey plastic shopping bag in it’s stomach, the same given away for free at supermarkets around the State. If Australia cares about this issue then it’s time to act on problem plastics and that includes expanding the ban on plastic bags we currently have in four states (SA, NT, ACT, TAS) to the whole nation.

WHAT POLLUTION ARE YOU FINDING MOST OF WHILE CLEANING OUR BEACHES? Studies by the CSIRO have found up to one-third of marine plastic pollution on beaches can be derived from the beverage industry alone. That means plastic bottles, cups, lids, straws and containers. I find it shocking that one industry can contribute so much and that we haven’t taken stronger measures to easily prevent these major sources. When you consider that humans only need water to hydrate ourselves and that in many parts of the world you get it for free, without any packaging straight from the tap, it’s an inexcusable situation we find ourselves in.

ARE YOU CURRENTLY COLLABORATING WITH ANYONE TO STRENGTHEN YOUR CAUSE? Yes, we collaborate with a range of groups and stakeholders. We’re very luck in Australia that all of the groups with an interest in plastic pollution and waste reduction are passionate about working together for shared goals. We are part of the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (spearheaded by Tangaroa Blue) that collects data on the debris being collected by volunteers and works on reducing sources of pollution. We are members of the Boomerang Alliance working on waste reform legislation and we help many local initiatives achieve 9

their goals. Take 3 also recently launched an Ambassador Program that connects iconic individuals and celebrities with artists to create and share engaging content with global audiences via social media. We have international chapters around the world and growing relationships with corporates and government departments to deliver collaborative programs. Were always interested in talking to partners who can help us expand positive messages around the globe.

WHAT INTENSE STORY CAN YOU SHARE WITH US THAT MIGHT IMPACT POLLUTERS TO THINK TWICE ABOUT THROWING THEIR RUBBISH ON THE GROUND? I can’t go past the tragic tale of the Laysan Albatross so famously captured by artist Chris Jordan. You’ve all probably seen Chris’ images before, they’re the graphic high resolution images that show dead juvenile albatrosses with massive amounts of plastic in their stomachs. They’re captured in situ without any doctoring or modification.

These birds roost on remote islands in the North West Hawaiian Islands like Midway Atoll. The islands are within a giant marine protected area yet they are contaminated with massive amounts of plastic pollution carried there on the currents that make the Great Pacific Garbage Patch a reality. When it comes time for the adult albatross to feed their young they scavenge plastic trash from the sea that looks like food and they feed their young, killing them. Over 10,000 chicks die every year and the population is threatened as a result. When I saw the images for the first time in 2009 I was so shocked. I went from feeling sad to angry but finally settled on a feeling of inspiration.

I realised that if I picked up something as simple and ubiquitous as a plastic bottle cap off the ground and put it in the bin I would be at least contributing to making a positive difference.

PEOPLE CLAIM TO TRY AND DO THE RIGHT THING, BUT SOMETIMES THERE ARE JUST NO BINS AROUND. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS? The more people who see trash, pick it up, photograph it, share it and talk about it then the more opportunities we have to influence businesses and government to support pollution reduction, more infrastructure and programs to reduce litter and manage waste. There’s a great mobile App called ‘Snap Send Solve’ that allows people to photograph or upload an image of litter, illegal dumping, graffiti etc and immediately tag the local council, sending them a report and image of it. With critical mass and smart technology we can make a huge difference. Take 3 want to help trigger this systemic change.

WILL WE BE SEEING THE TAKE 3 MOVEMENT ANYWHERE UP THE EAST COAST IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS? Yes! We continue to expand in a number of ways. You might be seeing our logo and imagery on bins and signs in a number of council areas and surf clubs as well as our stickers and postcards in all sorts of sneaky places. Take 3 LOVE social media and have found it incredibly valuable to educate and inspire the masses. Be sure to follow us on Instagram @take3cleanbeach or #Take3fortheSea and contact us if you have any ideas on how we can expand in your area.

IF YOU WERE A SEA CREATURE, WITH THE POWER TO SPEAK TO HUMANS, WHO WOULD YOU SPEAK TO ABOUT THE POLLUTED WATERS TO PUT A STOP TO IT, AND WHICH CREATURE WOULD YOU BE? I’d be a dolphin and try and convince the global leaders of corporations like Coca Cola, Nestle or Pepsi to return to refillable beverage containers or at least take a proactive stance on preventing pollution from their products. It’s ridiculously unacceptable that these companies invest millions of dollars fighting sensible legislation to prevent their products having a negative impact on the planet and people. If we want to solve the world’s complex sustainability problems we need corporations to embrace extended producer responsibility (EPR) and see the absolute need to shift the economy from a linear (take, make, dispose in landfill) model to one that is truly circular. Ultimately we just need to look towards our ultimate mentor, nature. In nature there’s no such thing as waste, everything remains in a system. We can change, I truly believe there’s time, we just have to want and demand it.

COLOMBIA: THE BLOODY ROAD TO PEACE Australians are the leading country in the world for spending millions of dollars on cocaine yearly. It has become the socially acceptable illicit, or ‘rich person’ drug. With the demand, comes a cost. The Colombian drug wars have killed thousands of innocent people.

Colombia’s 50-year war is coming to an end. At least, that’s what president Juan Manuel Santos would like you to believe. Colombia’s people have seen all manner of presidents come with their promises of change and peace, only to see them go, their promises turned up empty as the drug war continues.

Central to this war are two things: the Colombian people’s dissatisfaction with its two major parties; the Liberals and the Conservatives, and, of course, cocaine. Endless violence and economic disaster are the consequences of these ongoing problems, as the war has claimed 200,000 lives and almost caused Colombia to become a failed state.

To understand Colombia’s narrative and its universal problems, the history of the drug, we need to understand the gangs who prolong its distribution and the country’s politics, to see if Santos really is the answer, if his peace negotiations will bring the war to a long-awaited end.

Cocaine’s journey begins deep in the jungles of Peru. Amid the immensely thick vegetation, at the bottom of the forests in hidden clearings, impoverished coca farmers work long hours to produce coca paste, the base of the drug. Many of these farmers also grow bananas and coffee but the money is in cocaine. To make 12

it, they take hundreds of pounds of leaves from the coca plants, chop them up and dry them. They extract the drug by means of ‘acid-based extraction’, which is the process of extracting liquid from a solid using another liquid. Peruvian farmers often use battery acid and gasoline to acidify the leaves, producing a pungent, dark liquid, which is filtered through a cloth. The product is then dried and (usually) sold to Colombia, where it is delivered to labs and crystalised, taking the familiar white powder form, which is when the drug cartels get a hold of it.

Back in the 70s and 80s, Pablo Escobar was known as the capo de capos (boss of bosses) of the drug cartels. In the 80s he was one of the 10 most powerful people in the world and had an estimated worth of about $24 billion. Escobar built his empire up from buying and selling cocaine.

He ruthlessly murdered anyone who posed a threat and protected his reputation by donating millions to the poor and to funding public schools.

Despite being a world-class criminal, the public – especially the poor – loved him. When the authorities finally came to persecute Escobar, he made them a deal: rather than extraditing him to the US, he would build his own prison in the hills. He built a mansion, called La Catedral on account of its excessive wealth, where

he continued to conduct business, hang out in a Jacuzzi and play billiards with fellow cartel members.

Eventually the police put a stop to the madness, raided La Catedral and sent him on the run. He was shot from afar while talking on the phone to his son.

Everything changed after Escobar’s death in 1993. His cartel, the Medellín, soon fell to their rivals the Cali Cartel, who disbanded soon after. A small branch of criminals who broke off from the Cali formed the Rastrojos Cartel. They were stopped by the Government in 2012. During his term in the early 2000s, President Alvaro Uribe came up with the term BACRIM (bandas criminales, or ‘criminal bands’) under which he placed all drug cartels, to avoid undermining any peace discussions with other organisations at the time.

Drug cartel members nowadays aren’t quite the assault-rifle-brandishing Scarface-types that they used to be, instead appearing like professional businessmen on their laptops.

A friend of mine, a native Colombian brought up along the war’s timeline, explained to me that the red stripe on the nation’s flag signifies the blood spilt by its people. Violence is a part of their history, and it isn’t just caused by the cartels.

One of Colombia’s most violent

historical periods was during the 1940s and 50s, a time now referred to as La Violencia. The violence began when Jorge Eliecer Gaitán, an increasingly popular member of the Liberal party and a representative for change, was assassinated one afternoon in the middle of Bogotá, Colombia’s capital. A massive riot ensued which led to the breakout of a civil war. 200,000 lives were lost over the next 18 years, reaching at one point 1,000 deaths per month. At the heart of this civil war was the public’s deep dissatisfaction a government that refused to recognise the needs of its people.

This kind of social and political disruption is what led to the rise of criminal activity in Colombia, bringing it to the brink of destruction. One of the major criminal organisations central to the 50-year war is known as the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) or FARC. Members of the FARC believe themselves to be the people’s army, fighting for a better Colombia. The

group rose to power by taxing the drug trade and offering protection, thus perpetuating the drug war.

Their methods for protection include kidnapping, extortion and assassination. Only recently they have agreed to disable and remove mines planted all over the country, many of which have exploded and killed children. The FARC refuse to recognise the government’s attempts to control the drug trade, instilling vicious anti-capitalist beliefs for a more libertarian system. Unofficial spokesperson for the group Tanja Nijmeijer handles much of the negotiations because of her fluency in multiple languages. She believes force is necessary to achieve justice.

But when it comes to a war that kills hundreds of thousands and spans fifty years – resulting in an entire generation of people who know only of a life brought up during a war – just how much of Nijmeijer’s claim is a cry for a better Colombia, and how much is for its control?

Depending on who you ask, President Alvaro Uribe is either a hero or simply

a violent revolutionary. Uribe came to power during 2002 and lasted two terms, retiring in 2008 (the constitution was actually changed to extend Uribe’s presidency). Uribe created the U party, a political party with a promise to defeat the FARC and change the country. This was the first time a third party had ever won against the two major parties. From the moment he was put into office, the FARC dropped a mortar on the Presidential palace, killing 17 people.

Undeterred, Uribe set to the task of pushing the revolutionaries out of the cities and further into the jungles.

He reduced the group’s members by an estimated 10,000 and undeniably made the nation a safer place to live.

But the same argument against the revolutionaries has been the main source of his criticism: Was it worth it? Uribe strengthened the nation’s economy and put the peoples’ faith back in it’s government, but he was also responsible for the deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians due to his relentless vigilante (partly driven by a personal vengeance, 13

as his own father was murdered by the FARC). Are his violent methods justified if they’re used to fight a violent revolutionary group?

Fast forward to now, and Uribe has picked Juan Manuel Santos to lead the nation as his replacement.

Santos, however, doesn’t share Uribe’s use of force as a means to prop the country back up on its feet.

Now in his second term, Santos is touring the world to promote peace negotiations with the FARC, to reach some kind of agreement and end the violence. Years ago, soon after his inauguration, Santos said he hoped the war would be over in months.

Years later and he’s saying the same thing. Still, the president is reaching important agreements with the FARC including the removal of landmines from the country. The country’s wealth pc (per capita, i.e. each citizen’s individual wealth) is continuing to increase. Colombia is on the mend, but it has been “on the mend” before, and it has a long a way to go.

It’s unfortunate that Colombia’s reputation has been tarnished by

the gang violence and the cocaine industry. Colombia is a beautiful nation; from the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean coast to its lush mountain ranges, it’s a shame many tourists are scared off by horror stories, with tourism being necessary for any struggling economy.

While hope for nation-wide peace might have been soured by cynicism and a long, bloody history, every attempt by the government and the people has still shaped a proud nation whose people refuse to give up on it entirely. Whether by force or through peaceful negotiations, Colombia will always strive for balance. That’s all that ought to be asked of any government.

Tom Bensley

MUSIC REVIEWS / BRADLEY COWAN

PURITY RING / ANOTHER ETERNITY Canadian duo Purity Ring bring their alternative, electro style beats out from under the covers with the release of their second album Another Eternity.

Megan James’ pixie-esk vocals are an odd fit for an album that aims to pull crowds to the dance floor, however in a strange way the combination of this duo’s creativity really works on their second album.

‘Bodyache’ the debut single from the record is weirdly uplifting for an alternative, indie group. It’s not often that those introverted types encourage any kind of unified happiness which means this particular track could perhaps be considered groundbreaking. ‘Begin Again’, the second single follows suit, however we are teased as the track builds momentum but fails to reach a climax. It’s a bit like being invited to a party that has a ban on booze.

Overall, Another Eternity is a strong second release for Purity Ring, which leaves us excited to see what they’ll do next.

MADONNA / REBEL HEART Madonna, the dinosaur of pop music who has failed to accept extinction has just dropped her 30th (YES 30th) studio album, Rebel Heart. Unfortunately for this old bird, (who is desperately trying to cling onto the last thread of her youth) the fact that she took one hell of a tumble at The BRITS is taking away any attention she hoped her new music would receive.

Although Madonna is like a chameleon, changing her style with the release of each album (cow girl, disco queen, geisha etc.)

Rebel Heart sounds just like every other monotonous Madonna release from the last ten years. So if you have a preconceived idea of the Madonna brand, there is really no need to listen to this album as you will get exactly what you expect. ‘Living for Love’ is the perfect example of a repetitive Madonna song that will do nothing to win her new fans, just ensure her diehard fans will continue to worship her every elderly move.

GERARD WAY / HESITANT ALIEN All the emos of 2007 will be desperately trying to hide their excitement right now.

Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, has sliced his way back into the scene with the release of his debut solo album Hesitant Alien. Rather than music inspired by heavy eyeliner and adolescent bleeding hearts, we hear more of a mature, Brit-pop sounding album. The lead single ‘No Shows’ is unashamedly foot-tapping material that will force you to forget all those preconceived ideas you had of the former emo leader. Gerard Way has certainly made an effort to start a fresh with this release targeting a slightly older generation. Although his image hasn’t been altered his sound has and we are glad to report the days of gimmicky emo-music are dead and gone along with those ridiculous emo haircuts (your mother was right).

NOEL GALLAGHER / CHASING YESTERDAY Noel Gallagher of Oasis fame proves that his solo career is more than just a one-hit wonder with the release of his second album Chasing Yesterday.

Gallagher along with The High Flying Birds have delivered a new wave of Britpop to the world which has already made its way to the top of the UK albums chart (take that Madonna!).

We thought perhaps the major success of Oasis was down to the aggressive chemistry between the leading brothers. However due to the brilliance behind Chasing Yesterday we are left thinking that perhaps it was all down to Noel, I mean come on, Liam only played the tambourine.

Anyone can do that right?

The two lead singles from the album ‘In the Heat of the Moment’ and ‘Ballad of the Mighty I’ both have a place on an adult contemporary radio station which is probably a huge factor behind their popularity as they target such a wide audience.

CATLIPS Katie Campbell is one sick chick. She lives and breathes music, loves to party and must have one of the coolest wardrobes cause all her outfits are insane.

She has just released her debut EP Casual and celebrated that in the coolest way ever – with a freaking pool party. Her newest musical adventure as Catlips is getting recognition for the awesome music she creates. Read on to find out more about this up-and-coming musical sensation.

HOW DID THIS ALL START FOR YOU? WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO MUSIC? I’ve been brought up with music. My dad is a musician and all through school I was pretty into it. I played jazz guitar and I went to uni straight after school.

I went to WAPPA and I did the Composition and Music Technology course there. That’s when I really started to get into electronic music. Over my threeyear degree I started teaching myself how to produce properly and by the end of the course I was starting to play live sets with my Catlips project. So yeah, I guess I’ve just always been pretty into it.

WHO INSPIRES YOU TO DO WHAT YOU DO? Basically, just tons and tons of DJs and producers who I spend pretty much every weekend going to check out. Musicians who come through Perth and tons of my friends, who are producers in Perth and are amazing DJs. They just keep inspiring me to improve on my set and broadening my tastes.

COOL. NOW, YOUR FIRST EP IS OUT! CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT! WHAT WAS THAT PROCESS OF MAKING THIS FIRST EP LIKE FOR YOU? All the tracks were recorded over the last kind of six to eight months. Just in my home studio. I’ve got a set-up where I produced everything, mixed it at home and then I got someone to master it. Its kind of like, when I had the time, I’d lock myself away in the studio and just work on the tracks.

WHAT DO YOU PREDICT PEOPLE WILL THINK OF IT? I really hope it broadens some people’s tendency to classify music into genres.

I feel like there is quite a lot of different influences and different styles on the EP. I’ve tried to blend all that a little bit. It is centered around dance music but there are a lot of different elements in there. So I hope people pick up on that after listening a couple of times. I hope people find different elements of the tracks that they like.

CAN YOU TELL US YOUR FAVOURITE TRACK ON THE EP? My favourite would probably be the single ‘Fade’. But I also think that one that probably will slip under the radar for most people is ‘Banker’. I like that one because I used a lot of samples that I took when I was away for a couple of months travelling around last year. So when I listened to it, it kind of reminds me of this great holiday that I had.

YOU’RE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF CREATING THE VIDEO CLIP FOR ‘FADE’ AND FROM THE PICS YOU’VE BEEN POSTING IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAD A LOT OF FUN GETTING IT TOGETHER? Yeah! It was a really fun clip. I got my friend, Chela, who is an amazing musician to help. She was in Perth so I got her to direct the clip. We had a bunch of amazing people like dancers and creative people come together to help out

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IT IS CENTERED AROUND DANCE MUSIC BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS IN THERE.

IN MY MIND I JUST HAD TO HAVE A POOL PARTY. WHICH IS RIDICULOUS.

with it. We had a lot of fun shooting it and I can’t wait to see the end product because it’s going to be pretty crazy, hopefully.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES YOUR MUSIC DIFFERENT TO WHAT IS ALREADY OUT THERE? Probably going back to that same point, I guess. I listen to so much music. Like such a wide range, too. I can’t help but add in different elements and styles into my tracks. A lot of other music is replicated on other tracks that are out at the moment. That’s cool and it is fine to take inspiration from stuff like that.

But I feel like, I guess, in comparison to a lot of dance music that is out there, I don’t know, I try and blend styles a bit more.

IF YOU COULD COLLABORATE WITH ANY ARTIST, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? Probably not so much for a musical purpose but just for general amazingness – Missy Elliot. I just think that she is like, ridiculous and she has so much energy for everything that she does. So it would be pretty awesome to do a track with her.

YOU’VE ALSO GOT THE CASUAL POOL PARTY COMING UP AND YOU’VE GOT SOME COOL ACTS LINED UP TO PARTY WITH YOU AND YOUR FANS. HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR IT? Yeah I am really excited. We’ve been working really hard. For some reason, in my mind I just had to have a pool party. Which is ridiculous. We tried really hard to get a venue for that and we managed to so I am really excited! There’s going to be tons of inflatable pool toys and hotel rooms alongside the pool to stay over in and we’ve got a ton of incredible DJs playing as well so it should hopefully be a fun night.

ARE YOU A DOG OR A CAT PERSON? Like both so much! I am so obsessed with animals. If I had to choose though, I’d probably say dog. Just because, I guess through my whole childhood, I had this absolutely amazing dog and that has swayed my opinion a little bit.

FAVOURITE SOCIAL MEDIA SITE? I would say Snapchat but I use up all my data on my phone every month so I’ll go with Instagram. Photos are a lot less annoying than people yarning on Facebook.

YOU MAKE A VERY VALID POINT THERE, KATIE. NOW, YOU HAVE A VERY FASCINATING AND BOLD FASHION SENSE. WHAT IS ONE FASHION TREND YOU TOTALLY DON’T GET? Probably most of them [laughs].

WHAT’S ONE THING YOU THINK SHOULD BE A TREND, BUT ISN’T? More hats! Not like normal hats though. More unusual hats!

WHAT WAS THE LAST SONG OR ALBUM YOU DOWNLOADED? It was the NO ZU EP – Medusa Music. It is really cool.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO BE IN FIVE YEARS TIME? Oh, just travelling around between America and Europe. Hopefully not still in Perth [laughs]. Nah, Perth is actually pretty cool but I’d love to be overseas somewhere. Hopefully still doing music. That would be cool. I’d be happy doing anything fun and interesting really.

LAST QUESTION, GIVE US THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE CATLIPS? Rhythmic, smooth and uhhh… crazy.

Monica Jankowski

XAVIER RUDD THE WAY ALL THE MUSIC COMES TOGETHER IS VERY ORGANIC. I JUST LET IT FLOW, AND LET IT HAPPEN AS IT DOES.

Xavier Rudd is one impressive human being. He has a career spanning more than a decade, he plays multiple instruments and he is passionate about the earth and what we do for it as its inhabitants. He came to prominence with his one man, six-hundred (could be an exaggeration) instrument act, in which he plays all the instruments on stage, on his own. He has for the first time teamed up with a band of musicians and is about to tour with them internationally. If that doesn’t peak your interest, this man also claimed the title of ‘Sexiest Vegetarian’ in 2007. Feel free to read on ladies, music gurus and lovers of the land.

YOU DO SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY DO. WHEN DID IT ALL START FOR YOU AND WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO IT? I feel like knowing what I want to do, has never been a conscious choice. It just happened. I’ve always played music and loved music but I wasn’t set on being a professional musician. I always had an underlying feeling that that is where I was going and what I was going to do. The way all the music comes together is very organic. I just let it flow, and let it happen as it does. It’s always ahead of me, in a way. It shapes itself. So it always comes out different. I never know what to expect, to be honest. It is almost like a different beast, you know, separate to myself. I feel a spirit coming through me and that spirit is full of guidance and I can understand that in my human form properly.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO LEARN ALL THOSE INSTRUMENTS? Just over time I taught myself. All my life I’ve been mucking around with stuff but I’ve never actually had lessons. So, you know I guess I never played anything that seemed like it didn’t work for me. I’m not really big on like chipping away, trying to practice something until I get it. If it doesn’t flow naturally, then I wouldn’t do it.

WHICH ONE WAS THE FIRST ONE YOU PICKED UP? Uh, my voice would have been the first instrument. I was always singing from a young age. I would sing little melodies about what was going on around me.

That is essentially still what I do now. It’s just songwriting. But at that point I didn’t realise. That was my first, and then whatever was lying around – if there was a guitar, I’d play that. Anything that was around, I’d play that. I’d have a go.

But there wasn’t a specific first instrument.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE INSTRUMENT TO PLAY? Xavier: I love playing the slide guitar. I’ve always enjoyed that. But I love everything, you know. Everything has its own character and I don’t really have favourites.

YOU’VE GOT A PRETTY BUSY MONTH COMING UP WHEN IT COMES TO GIGS AND INTERNATIONAL SHOWS. WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO OVER THE NEXT MONTH? Playing with the new band. It’s a cracker new band and its something different to anything I’ve done before. It is an amazing group of musicians that I’m playing with. It’s going to be a really, really good boogie. People are going to be dancing a lot. So, I’m going to enjoy that. I’m looking forward to the dancing.

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THIS IS… LIKE THROWING BIG BALLS OF ENERGY AT EACH OTHER. EVERYBODY HAS A REALLY UNIQUE STORY AND A REALLY UNIQUE STYLE OF PLAYING.

SPEAKING OF THE BAND, HOW DID THE IDEA FOR XAVIER RUDD AND THE UNITED NATIONS COME ABOUT? It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s been a dream project of mine. This year, I opened the door to making it happen. I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted it to be really heavy, really powerful, and so I had to be patient with this project. In the end, this year, it all came together. The right players, the right everything presented itself.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST POSITIVE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERFORMING/ PRODUCING MUSIC ON YOUR OWN AND DOING SO WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE? The energy exchange. My music to me has always been pretty solo-orientated.

It has always been a very intimate, meditative kind of experience. But this isn’t bouncing off each other. This is… like throwing big balls of energy at each other. Everybody has a really unique story and a really unique style of playing.

It’s a really fun group to jam with.

YOU ALBUM NANNA IS COMING OUT VERY SOON. I HEARD ‘COME PEOPLE’ THE OTHER DAY AND I LOVE IT. That’s cool ‘cause I haven’t heard much from many people. Not many people have heard it or sent feedback yet so thank you! It got chopped up for radio but there’s an extended version. I think the film clip on YouTube is the extended version and it’s also a really cool clip so if you’ve got time, check it out.

I HEARD IT FOR THE FIRST TIME AND I JUST WANTED TO PLAY IT ON REPEAT. IT IS A VERY INVITING RHYTHM. IS THAT THE KIND OF STUFF WE CAN EXPECT TO HEAR ON THE ALBUM? ‘Come People’ is different… it’s different to the rest of the record. It’s a real journey this album. I think it’s a beautiful record and I don’t say that lightly, you know. I’m very proud of this album and I’m really stoked to be a part of it. Yeah, I think it’s pretty well-rounded, the whole thing.

CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR IT. YOU’VE RELEASED A BUNCH OF ALBUMS NOW, SINCE YOUR FIRST IN 2002. HOW HAS THE REACTION TO YOUR MUSIC CHANGED OVER THE COURSE OF YOUR EXPANSIVE MUSIC CAREER? I’m a really, really lucky artist. I have great people that come to my shows everywhere I go around the world. I’ve had a huge response overseas and I do most of my playing there now. Coming from a small town in Australia, that blows my mind. People that don’t even speak English are singing my lyrics and it does, it blows my mind. Everything I do, people seem to support. I paint a different picture every time I make a new record and that loses people. But I seem to have a solid network of people around the world who just dig it. I love that. Everyone is cool at my shows. Everyone is very positive. They’re conscious about positive change in the world and caring for our earth and being friendly to one another, rather than pushing and shoving. It’s a really good vibe.

IS THERE ANY COUNTRY THAT STANDS OUT FOR YOU IN TERMS OF A MUSICAL ACHIEVEMENT OR JUST A COUNTRY YOU REALLY ENJOY GOING BACK TO? Oh, look… Everywhere [laughs]. I guess though, these days home is very special for me. To play at home. I don’t play at home a lot. Australia is always really special. But you know, Colorado is amazing. Spain is amazing. France is amazing. These are the ones that stick out in my mind. Belgium. Canada.

Everywhere I go. South Africa. It’s all really powerful.

YOUR MUSIC COVERS A WIDE VARIETY OF THEMES AND ISSUES. YOU HAVE A STRONG AND HONEST OPINION ABOUT THESE ISSUES AND I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING REALLY ADMIRABLE. DO YOU EVER GET 23

PEOPLE COMING TO YOUR SHOWS OR COMING UP TO YOU IN THE STREETS AND HAVING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THESE THINGS WITH YOU? All the time! And that’s good. Awareness is key. In our society and in Australia there’s a lot of stuff that we weren’t given the opportunity to be aware of based on our system. Lots of parts of the world are like that. It is good to be able to share what I know and hear about what other people know and appreciate all the good stories about people doing great things. It’s a good exchange. It’s good karma, you know. Karma is real and it’s an energetic pattern that exists with us human beings. To honour that and to create good karma is great. And karma does come back.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT YOUNG AUSTRALIANS NEED TO BE MORE AWARE OF TODAY? Just to remember that we are of the Earth, not just on the Earth. We resonate with our land and the spirit that exists in this land is very ancient and powerful.

That passes through each and every single one of us. It doesn’t matter what our culture, what our bloodline, what our beliefs are. Its part of human energetic, natural reaction that goes on with the land. People could just take two minutes out of their day to do something like watch the flight path of a bird or just feel the ground with their feet and give thanks to creation, to this special place. In a humble way, not pretending that we know everything. We don’t know anything about anything. Just give thanks for that bigger picture. I think that is really important. Once we rekindle that spark of our respect for this earth, even just for a couple of minutes a day, that energetic flow that has been cut off can start to go again.

YOU ARE VEGETARIAN SO I’M GOING TO ASK A SILLY QUESTION TO DO WITH THAT. IF YOU WERE TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF USING ONLY A VEGETABLE, WHICH WOULD IT BE AND WHY? [laughs] Umm… Probably cassava. Its pretty gritty and root-y and bland. Yeah, that’s what I reckon.

OH I AM PRETTY SURE YOU ARE FAR FROM BLAND. ONE LAST QUESTION FOR YOU XAVIER; WHAT IS YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS WHO ARE AFRAID TO DO SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY? Just have a crack! The greatest lessons sometimes come from the greatest suffering and the greatest failure. That’s something you can deal. If you don’t achieve what you’ve set out to achieve, you will see so much wisdom from that. It is one of the greatest moves you could ever make, no matter what the outcome.

Monica Jankowski

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PAPA DON’T PREACH Is Gina Rinehart just profiting from Daddy’s wealth or is there more to her than meets the eye?

When you hear the name ‘Gina Rinehart’, what thought enters your mind?

Do you envision powerful matriarch?

An incredible wealthy mining heir?

Perhaps the Red Queen from Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland? Maybe Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars (okay, that last one was a bit mean).

Whatever you thoughts on her are, she is (to quote Ron Burgundy) ‘kind of a big deal’.

for Australia to be self-sufficient in every way possible. Gina worked for closely with her Father as a teenager (withdrawing from University) while gaining extensive knowledge of the Pilbara iron-ore industry. When her father passed away, Gina became the chairperson of Hancock Prospecting and took the reigns of his empire where she continued to expand it across Western Australia.

Since 2012, Gina Rinehart has held the title of ‘Australia’s Wealthiest Person’ and is currently the sixth wealthiest woman in the world (her current net worth is US11.7 billion.)

Yet her children believe she is greedy and has defrauded them of billions of dollars in mining profits and want her to repay them money they claim is rightfully theirs. Mother dearest won’t budge though and is determined to fight to the end. Do John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart have a point or are they just a couple of ‘spoilt brats’ (Rinehart’s words, not mine).

So unlike her children, she earned her current wealth and is adamant that they don’t deserve the money based on the philosophies that her father instilled in her. Unfortunately, Gina gets a bad rap because of her physical appearance. Since she is a bit on the ‘larger’ side and looks and dresses like an old hag, we attach qualities such as ‘greed’ and ‘excess’. Occasionally, she’ll throw us a curve ball that makes us think she is out of touch with the working class (remember when she said, ‘if you want more money, stop complaining, stop smoking, stop socialising and just work more’?).

Put it this way, Gina kicks it pretty old school, much like her father Lang Hancock did. Lang was a believer in the ‘Australian dream’ and built his mining empire out of nothing.

His philosophy was that money had to be earned before you were entitled to it and pushed super hard

Some of her behaviour comes from the resistance that Gina has faced most of her life. Lang Hancock was reportedly fairly hard on her, both as a father and business partner, even remarking on her being unattractive.

Then shortly after her mother died, her relationship with her father

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suffered after he was seduced by Rose Hancock (now Porteous), their former housemaid who was 39 years younger! Lang squandered away millions on her and the relationship between Father and daughter suffered. After her father’s passing, Gina spent 14 years locked head-tohead in a fierce battle disputing her father’s will. Producers took note of the Shakespearian aspects of family conflict and betrayal in the Hancock story when they created ‘House of Hancock’ this year. Surprisingly, we get a sympathetic performance by Rhonda Mandy McElhinney as Gina (audiences probably could of done without the gross sex scene though).

Even now, Gina continues to fight for Australia in an age where we are constantly outsourcing our work to other countries. The heiress is a strong believer that the mining industry is the key to Australia’s future, stating that it provides $200 billion in much-needed revenue for our record debt. She has also considered the economic benefits, stating that continued interest in Australia’s mining provides jobs directly and indirectly for Australians including in places where there would otherwise not be work – and mining indirectly employs many people in so many important related businesses.

It’s not like she needs to work, she

could easily sit back and watch her wealth grow. But it wouldn’t be the Hancock way. Recently, she signed a deal with Roy Hill to keep her Father’s project going, despite it reportedly losing $15 million dollars a day.

Strip away the money, power and occasional gaffe. What do you have?

A woman who still wants to honour her father by continuing his legacy. So passionate she feels about it that she even walked away from Fairfax Media and sold her 15 percent stake solely because it didn’t support the mining industry enough.

Powerful women often have a hard time in the media as they’re judged on their physical appearance and fashion first and their actions second.

We saw this in droves while Julia Gillard was our Prime Minister. Say what you want about the party, not what the individual looks like.

Bottom line is you don’t have to love Gina, but maybe understand where she is coming from. Hold off from calling her a fat mole because we still need stronger successful female representation, definitely in Australia.

Nicholas Ivanovic

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JUSTIN DAVIES My name is Justin Davies, or J-DART. I am a 21 year-old cliché; an unemployed art student, studying photography who drinks way too much goon and complains a lot. I am a very strong believer in karma and I have a very short attention span. I’m either sleeping way too much or way too little. I spend my time watching reruns of Broad City and playing Candy Crush Saga.

I’m currently studying in my first year at The Victorian College of Arts (VCA) obtaining my Bachelor of Fine Art (Visual Art) (Photography).

I’ve been taking photographs since I was about 14, but working with my chosen style (and nudity) is more of a recent thing. A huge reason for my work with nudes is that I find there to be less distractions. There’s no relation to his or her clothing, there’s just a figure. A beautiful, natural, raw, uncensored figure. A blank canvas.

After working heavily with the naked body for roughly two years now, I’ve found myself almost desensitized. I find it incredible how much negativity there is with the naked body. Incredible how many people find their own bodies or ‘bits and bobs’ offensive? It’s incredible how often my images are reported online for having a bum when every person in the world has a bum.

I wanted to finish with something deep, wise, and witty, but I got nothin’ sorry.

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So it turns out not all uni assignments are a big, fat waste of time. Melbourne boys Sam and Ken have created a modern and simple street-wear label from a boring uni project and now two years later and they are kicking some serious goals. Both ocean lovers and rad dudes, they are creating some seriously cool stuff for their label Pick & Spade. We can learn three things from these guys: 1) a pick is a tool not for picking but for digging, 2) you can create a cool fashion label if you pay attention at uni, and 3) a crab bite will not kill you. Not only wise, they actively encourage Instagram stalking. What’s not to love?

HOW DID YOU GUYS MEET? Our parole officers introduced us. No, seriously… we’ve known each other since high school, which is not really that long ago, and have been mates since.

BE HONEST, HOW MANY DRINKS HAD YOU HAD WHEN YOU CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF STARTING YOUR OWN LABEL? Not many cordials at all! We did quite a bit of research before kicking off and it’s been falling into place nicely. We might have had a celebratory drink or seven post starting up though…

WHO IS IN CHARGE OF WHAT, TO MAKE SURE YOU GET SHIT DONE? I cover the marketing and stock management aspects. It’s kind of like a live case study for my commerce course at Deakin. Ken is studying textile design at RMIT so he looks after product development and the digital design side of the business.

Decisions on design direction and what drops next in line are always made together.

PICK & SPADE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS, WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST THING YOU HAVE LEARNED ABOUT RUNNING YOUR OWN LABEL? That there’s a lot more to running this business than designing our product lines!

You always have to be on the ball and be wiling to take some risks. Stay on top of the trends and listen to your customer feedback. We’ve run into a few bumps here and there, but then again, who hasn’t?

WHY HAVE YOU GONE FOR SUCH A CLEAN AND SIMPLE AESTHETIC? Our style really reflects what we like wearing – we’ve always been fans of modern and simple aesthetic varieties and we’ve aimed to bring this to Pick & Spade.

Timeless and multi-seasonal designs are what we offer so our gear can be worn all year round!

DO YOU FEEL PRESSURE TO ALWAYS BE WEARING YOUR OWN STUFF? No pressure at all, we like our stuff! We design things that we’d be happy to wear, and we do. Plus we’re always happy to represent our brand and get the name out there.

I’M FAMILIAR WITH BOTH PICKS AND SPADES, ALTHOUGH I’VE ONLY EVER USE THE LATTER FOR BUILDING SAND CASTLES, WHY DID THEY

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WE DESIGN THINGS THAT WE’D BE HAPPY TO WEAR, AND WE DO

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WE LOVE THE FACT THAT WE’RE A LOCAL BRAND CATERING TO WHAT PEOPLE LIKE TO WEAR EVERY DAY, AND THAT PEOPLE ARE APPRECIATING IT

RESONATE WITH YOU SO MUCH THAT YOU NAMED YOUR LABEL AFTER THEM? It all began with a uni project. Ken was working on a brief for a client and used the client’s tools – a pick and spade – for the logo design. I liked the idea and thought it would translate well to an urban street-wear label. That was the birth of our ‘Classic’ tee and more importantly, Pick & Spade.

ON THAT, WHO OUT OF THE TWO OF YOU IS BETTER AT BUILDING SAND CASTLES? I won’t lie, I used to be pretty good back in the day, and I’m backing my skills over Ken’s here.

DO YOU CLASSIFY YOURSELVES AS A STREET BRAND? Yeah, although we don’t spend too much time classifying ourselves. We love the fact that we’re a local brand catering to what people like to wear every day and that people are appreciating it and getting on board.

THERE IS A LOT OF COMPETITION IN THAT AREA, HOW DO YOU STAND OUT? One area we aim to separate ourselves is through the range and styles we offer. Not confining us to complete minimalist aesthetic or wild prints and graphics but rather the right balance of classic contemporary to urban culture.

We don’t like restricting our designs and can’t wait to show you all what we have in store for the near future.

WHAT ARE THE BIG PLANS PICK & SPADE HAS IN STORE FOR 2015?

Can’t say too much, but there are some big things on the way! Stay tuned for a new range of stuff to wear in the colder months, new collaborations, like Blaire for instance, and new drops and designs!

YOU OPENLY ASK PEOPLE TO STALK YOU ON INSTAGRAM AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, I THOUGHT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE ON THE SLY? We love a bit of brand exposure and don’t restrict ourselves to any one platform. We try to get Pick & Spade out there as much as possible so you should definitely give us a stalk on Insta and Facebook!

WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO METHOD FOR A STALK SESSION? Just make sure you don’t like a 145-week-old photo on Instagram and you’re good to go.

WHAT STARTED YOUR OBSESSION WITH THE OCEAN? Inspiration. And love of the ocean is quintessentially Australian. We wanted to release a tee that reflected that and we have some new things brewing around this theme, so we want to continue working it.

WOULD YOU RATHER; NEVER BE ABLE TO TALK AGAIN BUT HAVE THE ABILITY TO BREATHE UNDERWATER, OR STILL BE ABLE TO TALK? Definitely be able to breath underwater and not talk – who needs speech when you can breath underwater? Can you imagine just swimming around exploring the ocean and not having to come up for air?

I’M ASSUMING YOU GUYS WOULD BE THE BEAR GRYLLS OF THE SEA, SO I HAVE A FEW SURVIVAL QUESTIONS TO ASK: WILL I DIE FROM BEING BITTEN BY A CRAB? Let it bite, you’ll be right. Just don’t get em’!

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WHAT WILL REALLY HAPPEN TO ME IF I POKE A SEA URCHIN? Come on, no-one pokes on Facebook any more.

DO OCTOPUSES HAVE MANY ARMS SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE A SELFIE FROM ANY ANGLE? Yes, and apparently they invented the selfie stick.

ARE THERE SEA HORSES BIG ENOUGH TO RIDE? Yeah, Ken rides one to uni sometimes!

ANY LAST OCEAN SURVIVAL TIPS? Always put the handbrake on when you park your ark.

Tory Price

SPONSORED BY OZ APPAREL OZAPPAREL.COM.AU

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DRONES Do drones have the potential to monitor and record our daily lives, and should we be worried about them?

Technology is evolving at a rate so fast that we just can’t keep up.

Scientists are much quicker and more efficient than the entire legal system and its processes. Loop holes are constantly being created as new inventions struggle to be defined by a pre-existing law. Or concepts that were thought to be unachievable, break the mold altogether. If there are people clever enough to create these inventions, then it isn’t that much of a jump to assume there are a lot more people ready to exploit them ‘legally’.

Drones seem to be the flavor of the month. I remember watching the film Richie Rich and staring at awe at the tiny fly-sized camera which is able to act as a spy for the protagonists.

This was an idea that the animation department of a film company was portraying, and not exactly in the most convincing fashion. 20 years later, we have drones available for purchase as easily as online shopping.

The ideas behind the invention of the drone are genius and could really change the way we day to day live. From delivery systems to security, they could be one of the most remarkable robots in our lives.

But then we have the people who choose to actually buy one, chuck a camera on it and fly over nude 42

beaches. Being a public place, and the safe distance drones must now be from people, the legal loophole is big enough to jump through. If technology has out-evolved the law, it isn’t even a contest with the human race.

It’s often said that the world’s brightest brains are locked away in prison. When the ingenious details of escape attempts, and other schemes surface to the public, we are left scratching our heads at how they even thought the idea up. Same principle with these drones. For every one idea we trial to improve our lives, someone has already thought up a better way to infringe on our rights.

Now I’m undecided about where I stand on security and the constant surveillance footage we find ourselves under as we leave our house. I err on the side of being cool with it because I’m not someone to go out and perform illegal acts. But the stir Google caused when they released ‘street view’ of people’s houses, which they recorded with a series of photographs from a van, is quite an interesting case study.

There will always be the people who are against the ‘Big Brother’ style surveillance we are under. But the second-biggest backlash came from people who were caught-out doing the wrong thing. Partners were

looking up their houses online and seeing cars belonging to people who shouldn’t be at their house, parked in the driveway. Sure, it may have severed a few relationships, but how can anyone be angry at being caught out doing the wrong thing? Did the world owe them an apology for failing to keep their secret from the one they were meant to love? Only the guilty seem to have a problem with the law.

So are drones a problem? On the whole, no. I mean there is the ever present danger of one falling out of the sky and hitting you, and it will probably happen one day. The Hawthorn Football Club has only just stopped recording their training sessions this way after theirs fell out of the sky, not far from players.

Common sense prevailed and safety was placed as the priority over a tactical edge. It will not re-enter the airspace above their ground until it is proven to be 100% safe.

However, I would be pretty pissed off if someone was filming me sitting here at my computer, wearing what I deem to be fashionable on a warm night. I’m not doing anything horribly abnormal, but once a person is home, they should be able to act as weird or as wonderful as they see fit. My coming and going’s should not be accessible to anyone through any form of medium. Just as the girl

who likes to sunbake topless next door shouldn’t be exposed on social media. Or the couple across the road who don’t like to wear clothes on Sundays, they should just really buy curtains.

I am in no way anti-technology, I’m anti-dickhead. Exposing a person is a callous act, and is only done for someone’s amusement. Nothing truly dies on the internet, there are ways of dragging up all sorts of forgotten relics. So no matter how bulletproof the law may eventually become, the damage is irreversible. Not to mention the impact it may have on the person’s life.

governments, unless it suits their interests of course. So you’re going to just have to get used to being filmed. My television pretty much streams the lives of others non-stop through reality TV. We are just the next unwilling participant.

Mitchell Pascoe

There is no license required for a person to purchase a drone and a camera. Just like there is no law against purchasing a set of steak knives. Yet both have become rather dangerous pieces of equipment, for different reasons, in the incorrect hands. In a world that is seemingly shrinking in size, mystery is not high on the priority list of many

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WILL SOCIAL MEDIA TEAR US APART? All the time spent on our screens is separating us from real life.

Social media is a double-edged sword. Should we bless the IT Gods for giving us the gift that keeps on giving? Or curse ourselves for succumbing to the new necessary evil? If you’re reading this on your device on the way to work or school, look around you on the tram, train or bus. Chances are you’d see little or no interaction. Nameless people scrolling through their news feed on Facebook or checking for latest posts on Instagram or Twitter. It is almost as if the world is crammed into that screen and nothing else matters. Peer into restaurants, cafes and other eateries and you’re very likely to see an epidemic of social media proportions. People sitting at the same table with their thumbs twiddling all over their mobile phones. Yes, social media has helped humans loads since it’s inception but it has also turned us into narcissistic, self-involved monsters.

Isn’t that unnecessarily harsh? I don’t think so. Social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter become a compulsion for users to indulge in selective selfpresentation. Interestingly enough, a study conducted in 2013 found that young adult Facebook users were more likely to suffer from a lower 44

sense of well being than those who did not have Facebook accounts.

This is because social media sites are increasingly turning into social comparison gauges. You scroll through a friend’s awesome travel pictures and feel envious because you aren’t able to do the same. Your other friend’s incessant posts about her glamorous job with fabulous perks makes you feel bad because you’re stuck in a dead-end job with a horrible boss. Remember this phrase though: selective self-presentation.

You’re only seeing images and reading posts of things that people want you to see. Reality could be very far off from the curated cyber image that users painstakingly create.

Whenever you’re in the shits with your sad life as compared to others, think about that.

In this day and age, our self-esteem and self-worth seem to be linked with the number of likes we obtain or the number of followers we have online. Simply put, these are just tools that humans use to achieve an ego boost. And this is just amazingly friggin’ sad. Why does achieving 100 likes on Facebook or obtaining 100 mentions on Twitter make one feel such an overwhelming sense of accomplishment? It is almost like the

painstaking crafting of your own fan base. Even as one aims to set himself apart from the crowd, he has this overwhelming urge to be patted on the back and told that he has done a good job. Is this the tragedy of modern humanism? Despite the fact that we are all individuals in our own right, we still have that inherent need of approval from the masses. And that’s extremely fucked-up indeed.

After all, we’ve never had things better than we do today.

The danger of social media, though, is that it seems to be a cyber anesthetic to real life. As connected as we think we are – with all this technology at our disposal – we are actually becoming alarmingly disconnected from the world. If social media has taught us to go for the glitter, it has also taught us that it is okay to ignore things that might not interest us as much. I’m no great advocate of Miss Manners but it does seem like social niceties are going down the drain. This ‘me-meme’ online complex seems to be pervading into reality. After all, this happens frequently in the cyber world when we brush past posts and images that don’t appeal to us. Are people increasingly turning into their online personas? In real life, do you find

yourself zoning out when someone is telling you something that you don’t care much for? That’s what we do on social media. It was only a matter of time before we start practising this in the real world.

When used well, social media has the ability to help millions of people around the globe. As many statistics as there are about the negatives of social media, there are countless other research and studies about social media being most beneficial to society. There is much power in social media but it is often the unworthy who wield such power. Remember that perception is often mistaken for truth. And depression is just one tiny step away from envy. But we humans are self-indulgent creatures. As much empathy as we can cough up for those around us, we feel for ourselves a lot more. Our sense of self will intrude regardless. And that seems to be the biggest gift social media has given to humanity.

Yen Li Wong

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JIL-LAURA Hey! I’m Jil-Laura, 27 years-old and a German Graphic Designer and Illustrator living in Barcelona, Spain.

I started to draw and to be creative when I was a little girl. It’s my biggest passion and I can’t imagine myself doing any other work.

I used to go to all the places with my little backpack full of pencils and sketchbooks, drawing everywhere. I guess now I am still doing the same.

My art is all about the detail; I love to create complicated compositions. I am a nightime painter, listening to psychedelic rock music losing myself in another world. Deserts, skulls, jungle plants, 80’s Californian vibes and the fine lines of nature are the things that inspire me the most.

I was born into the beach and surfer world, my big brother and sister always used to surf and I went on surfing trips with them and my parents. So I think my two passions came together, the easy surf life and drawing on these journeys.

I love to paint old boards with a previous history and to finally see them hanging on a wall, and to paint boards which are going to get wet in the ocean again with my illustrations on them.

I created a concept called ‚pure painting’. It’s really important to me that my body and soul are in a perfect harmony and mood, so to draw nude helps me to feel and express all the passion I have inside for what I do. To see myself behind and in front of the camera is always an interesting experience.

Much love and art from Barcelona to Australia. I hope to come there soon some day! www.jillaura.bigcartel.com Instagram: @jillaura www.jillaura.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/jillaurabrettkunst 46

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FILM REVIEWS / DAVE LEE

BIG EYES Somewhat of a different film from Hollywood oddball Tim Burton, in that Big Eyes tells a true story – and not one incredibly warped, strange or creepy.

In true Burton style however, this story of famous ‘artist’ Keane who spent his whole life taking credit for his wife’s ‘Big Eye’ paintings, is told quite visually with loud colours and over-the-top costuming and design. The film’s visual look is almost a painting in itself.

Quite an intriguing and engaging story with wonderful performances from the incredible Christoph Waltz and red-head beauty (who is actually a blonde-beauty in this outing) Amy Adams.

Burton’s direction is stellar, and this is perhaps his most accessible film endeavor to the common audience for quiet some time… perhaps ever.

And no, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are nowhere to be found here.

4/5

FOCUS After a two-year absence from starring roles (after the dreadfully awful flop that was After Earth) Will Smith is back on our screens with a vengeance. This time in a stylish, sophisticated and sexy drama/crime/heist film filled with plenty of twists and turns as Smith’s veteran con-artist Nicky tries to pull off a scheme which becomes infiltrated by exlover and femme fatale Jess (Aussie Margot Robbie) There were big hopes for Smith’s return to the silver screen, however this film, albeit quiet enjoyable and exciting, leaves the all too familiar taste of ‘typical con film’ in your mouth – crying shades of the Ocean’s franchise and Catch Me If You Can. But Smith is definitely welcome back to our screens and we hope he doesn’t go away again too soon.

3.5/5

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING There are many things I never knew about the life of world renowned physicist Stephen Hawking – one being that I didn’t know he was British (why his little robot voice has an American accent, I have no idea) and the other being that I never knew that his MS was a disease he developed during his life – and quite early into it, at only 21 years of age.

This film is an absolutely beautiful look into those early years of Hawking’s life, most specifically centered around his relationship with future wife Jane Wilde as they meet and fall in love at Cambridge University in the 1960s.

One incredibly powerful film which is as engaging and entertaining as it is interesting. Stellar performances here from well-deserved Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Eddie Redmayne, and Felicity Jones.

Definitely worth the watch.

4.5

CINDERELLA If you haven’t noticed a theme emerging, Disney is trotting out live-action versions of their classic animated films (with the last few years offering us adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and Sleeping Beauty), and their latest output is this wonderfully gorgeous adaptation of classic 1950 animation Cinderella.

Lily James takes the title role and Aussie Cate Blanchette takes on the role of the Evil Stepmother, both playing their respective parts to perfection.

What’s so stunning about this film is that it’s been directed by Kenneth Brannaugh, an artist who has spent the most part of his career performing and directing Shakespeare.

Brannaugh brings a very Shakespearian look to the film’s visual style – set design and costuming are all very 1500s Victorian and even the performances evoke a sense of Romeo and Juliet.

A stunning, well made film all round which is easily accessible to all ages.

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ISIS MADNESS 40 Australian women have now joined ISIS’ fighting forces.

Inconceivable!

Shocking!

Insane!

Stupid, just plain stupid.

Acrostic poems can be fun. And interesting. Running away from your everyday life and crossing over onto the “dark” side is also apparently fun.

And interesting. Just ask the latest ladies skipping town and joining forces with Islamic extremist rebel group, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). It sounds like a terrible, insensitive joke made by a drunk family member at an annual birthday gathering doesn’t it? I mean, I personally have plenty of other ways to spend my days here on earth, and joining the inhumane, murderous evil that is ISIS certainly is not one of them.

Shockingly, joining and supporting the terrorist group is high on the agenda for countless women, and even young girls. Less than a month ago the ABC reported that up to 40 Australian women were known to have taken part or, at the very least, supported ISIS in Syria, Iraq and Australia. Many of these females were ‘jihadi brides,’ sexual slaves, and in some instances, suicide 52

bombers. The fact that these women could so easily and, not to mention, passionately, leave their reasonably safe and happy (I assume) lives here in Oz to go join a group of some of the worst creatures in this world, is somewhat unfathomable.

For those of us who don’t give a shit about the so-called faith and religion and purpose masked behind the atrocities and despicable acts by ISIS, I am sure that this women-joiningISIS-thing is a difficult piece of sourtasting info to swallow. Discovering women, Australian women living in the ‘lucky country’, have their hearts set on either joining their foreign fighter husbands or apparently seeking to find a partner of their own is something that gives me the creeps. A woman running away to join evil is quite bizarre. How anybody could support terrorism is beyond me.

Joining ISIS is obviously a very, very, very bad desire to have, but the crazy reality is that these latest recruits are fucking female! Women. Girls. Girls who don’t even have boobs yet. They are practically children! Honestly, how did we end up here? How is it that with the current and powerful movement of modern-day feminism females feel the need to link arms

with the devil? I am not an expert in the field of religion or Middle-Eastern cultures, but a female is a female no matter what/whom she worships or where she calls home.

My eyes well up and I feel the need to place my hand to my chest when the National news reveals the latest horrors conducted by members of ISIS. I remember where I was the moment I learned of the beheadings of American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff. Not wanting to gender-stereotype, but how can a woman not feel empathy for these men and their family? How could a human being who has the opportunity and ability to bring new life into the world so eagerly partake in the deaths and murders of innocent people? I cannot get my head around the cold, hard truth that women will and are merrily skipping off to unite with a dangerous and absurd group of men who are responsible for countless beheadings, attacks on innocent civilians, child soldiers, sexual violence and slavery, attacks on members of the press and, not to mention, a serious threat to the rest of the world.

Oh, but wait. Some people think they have it figured out. So, please, enlighten me as to why women

and ISIS apparently go nicely in the same sentence. Women are impressionable. Females like to feel wanted. Teenage girls are needy and isolated and looking for a place to belong. And blah, blah, blah, fucking blah. Sorry, but I don’t buy it. I will not keep quiet about something so insulting to the rest of the female population. Writer Em Rusciano believes the teen girls who have successfully abandoned their families and their own human rights to join ISIS are doing so because they are, ‘looking for somewhere to belong and a cause to believe in and fight for.’ Um, ever heard of joining the United Nations? Or how about investing your time in raising awareness about the sexual corruption that flows strongly throughout ISIS? Em is a mother of a teenaged daughter herself so I am shocked that she is of the belief that a teenager, a female teenager, could so something so incredibly stupid and irresponsible like becoming apart of an extremist rebel group in some of the most dangerous and deadly parts of the world. Call me crazy, but I would choose having my teenaged

daughter getting knocked up by her young lover over her running away to the Middle East so she can connect with ISIS and find a place where she “belongs.” That’s right, I would have my child dabble in drugs and shop-lifting and being a teen-mum to triplets before having them off fighting and supporting something so inhumane and soul-crushing as ISIS. So for those of you who want a black and white answer as to why women are willingly joining ISIS, well, I have no bloody idea. I really don’t. What I do know, however, is that these females do not represent the typical female and they do not stand for the typical or even unique teenaged girl today. These ISIS joiners are idiots.

Traitors. They are heartless and mad.

They are not naïve and unaware of what really awaits them on the other side. I understand they may be alone, misunderstood, oppressed or slightly mentally unwell, but when you come face-to-face with deciding what is good and what is bad, staying as far away from ISIS or gladly joining their brutal forces should not be a difficult choice. I’ve had more difficulty deciding on the lesser of two evils (a greasy cheeseburger and fries or

a greasy piece of battered fish and salted chips). Join ISIS or don’t join ISIS? Hmmm? Honestly, ladies, stop giving women a bad representation.

If you’re that lonely and in dire need of feeling wanted and loved and comforted, then go and eat a greasy cheeseburger with fries AND some battered fish with salty chips.

Mia Beverley Francisco

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CHEEKY CHAPTERS / SARAH LONG

THE STEPPING STONE Because we’ve all taken someone’s shit.

It’s either the stepping-stone, or the lily pad; whatever you prefer. But pick one, because I’m sure that this next little chapter of mine will determine a time in your life where you felt as though you’ve been stood on, potentially slightly damaged, not to mention exhausted, and then left to fight the battles of being single and ready to mingle again. Not sure what I’m talking about? Well you will soon…

Dutch courage in sending him a text.

He replied instantly. Minutes later he arranged to continue the beverages with her at their pub, as her friends left for class. She formally introduced herself as Leah, even though they clearly had memorised each other’s first and last names from class. They downed one beer after the next, really immersing themselves in each other’s eyes, thoughts and chats, and everything extremely flirtatious.

They met at University, sitting opposite one another. She eye flirted the shit out of his gorgeous face, while he would every so often peer up and give her a cheeky little smirk.

It was an obvious – they both wanted to fuck the shit out of each other, with the potential of holding hands and sharing an ice cream together. One day he finally built up the courage to give her his number. In a traditional sort of way, he wrote it on the bottom of his shoe and waited in class that day to catch her eye, before lifting his foot up.

Her house was only just around the corner, and while she was beginning to feel as though she had rubbed popping candy on her downstairs lips – she suggested that they go back to hers to “continue drinks”. He said yes. The candy vigorously exploded.

‘You’re cute. Call me 0442 *****, Nick,’ was written.

She left class that day with his number in her phone and a smile on her face.

She met with some friends at the campus pub, enjoying a few drinks over lunch and discussing what had just happened, which followed some 54

They strolled through her front door, cracked open some beers from the fridge and sat on her back porch. It took all of five minutes, for them to launch into what they had both been sexually suppressing for much of their economics class. She walked over to where he was sitting, took the bottle from his hand and placed it on the table, before throwing her legs over either side of his lap and straddling.

Her skirt lifted, giving him a slight glimpse of her inside thigh and white lace undies – before reaching for her face to bring it in closer to his. They tongue fucked. It was getting pretty hot; he began to run his fingers up

the back of her head, before giving her hair a slight tug.

Nick hardened in his pants. Leah looked down and could see what was happening. She undid his button and slid her hands down his undies.

His penis fell nicely into her hands and she began gliding up and down.

She could feel it pulsing in her hands while he was breathing heavily down her neck.

‘This feels so fucking good,’ he whispered. She lifted herself off him and knelt onto the ground. She placed her mouth ever so gently over the tip of his penis and began sucking and massaging with her tongue.

Moments later he fell onto his knees – pushing her back onto the ground.

He slid her white-laced undies to the side and inserted his fingers into her.

They began kissing. They couldn’t resist it anymore and while he was fingering her, he entered his penis into her. They both finished very soon after.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to fall into a relationship.

From an outsider’s perspective, they complemented each other well. They were both academic, both loved being outdoors, while still enjoying the finer things in life.

While they became two peas in a pod, the honeymoon phase eventually subsided. These little annoyances began frustrating Leah.

but every time she attempted to give him a second, third or even fourth shot – he would revert back to the little ignorant baby.

Nick was never very good at communicating when something was wrong. She seemed to be the one always doing all the planning of activities. And he couldn’t quite grasp the concept of ex’s being ex’s for a reason. Ex’s shouldn’t be hovering around and tantalising any old taste buds.

Her final straw drew him to say, ‘I will never make the same mistake ever again’. ‘You were the best thing that has ever happened to me.’ But the best one out of all of them was, ‘I’ll never forget everything that you’ve taught me.’ Thanks mate. I’ll pop that one in my diary and remember that you used me to learn a whole heap of relevant shit, to then leave me be single and lonely.

Leah knew that she had to say something to him, as the negatives started to become aggravating.

The first time they “chatted” about the situation, Nick was dumbfounded to even think that there were problems. He gave her that look where a boy just stares straight into your eyes and slightly tilts his head to one side, kind of like a puppy dog thinking, ‘I’m so confused. I thought you loved me.’ But as Leah kept reminding him that it wasn’t okay to have friendly relationships with his recent ex-girlfriends, or that bottling up emotions definitely wasn’t a thing, he began to understand the concept of a relationship.

Although, however much Leah tried to tell him about how she felt – he just couldn’t quite seem to grasp the actual problem with any of these negative elements in their relationship.

Initially, she thought that she was being that annoying girlfriend who wants everything to be perfect and needed to find hobbies, so she would stop thinking about them.

But she knew-bloody-damn well that they were prominent issues that do not make up a positive recipe for a healthy and prosperous life together.

After months of bickering and being unable to see eye-to-eye – Leah ciao’d the relationship and attempted at wedging herself back into the mainstreamed life of single ladies.

Nick groveled. He begged and cried over the fact that she had finally given up on him, by pushing him out of her life. He promised that he would change and do things differently –

She kept a tab on him though (we’ve all fallen victim), of the daily Instagram and Facebook check, monitoring the progress of his life since her. And then that moment that every girl dreads, it happened. He was tagged in a photo on Instagram with a stranger, a very beautiful stranger. Having a picnic, sharing a rug, munching on some cheese and biscuits, drinking wine and to add that icing – watching a cute, little adorable sunset. It couldn’t have screamed the word ‘date’ anymore than a drunken girl projectile vomiting into her handbag.

Nick had officially moved on. And as the photos began rolling in on Instagram of the most perfect couple in the world – he had evidently phased out his bad habits and rolled into this new relationship as fucking Dr. Phil. His ex’s had been abolished from his social media, and miss beautiful stranger enjoyed announcing to the world that he was full of a cute little mix-bag of surprises (how delightful).

Weeks later at uni, Leah had her fist up the back of her nose, picking away– she walked out of her classroom and into Nick’s chest. He was hand in hand with the stranger, this time she had a name, and she was ‘Bel,’ beautiful Bel. Of course the blonde, luscious locks girl with legs for days had a pretty ‘let’s run through a field of daisies’ name. She was beautiful. As he awkwardly did the introductions, Leah frantically suggested that she must be off as she

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was, “busting for the loo”. And to get rid of that mass boogie now dangling.

While Leah was on the toilet, she was staring at a stupid sign on the back of the door. It signified the proper way of using a toilet device – ‘do people actually attempt to stand on it?’ She questioned. ‘What about backsplash?’

That thought didn’t take long, before it drifted. Did her ex just shit her on?

Because it felt like it. Was she used as a tool for him to just release his entire negative crap onto, before moving onto his new beauty?

While finishing up, it had occurred to her that she was his lily pad, the toad just used his lily pad to hop along to his princess. She started to wish that while his bum was comfortably on top of her, that he had slipped off and she could have suffocated him with her leafy green flap. In an ideal world of course…

But unfortunately, she needed to suck it up. It was time to move into her next chapter.

Being the stepping stone/lily pad in someone’s life is never easy and unfortunately, in many cases we don’t actually realise that we have played that role until the relationship is done and dusted.

So, what do we do? We end the jagged mess – because quite frankly, life is better without it. Then comes the ‘salt in the wound,’ of your ex moving on, leaving you to question, ‘why couldn’t he be like that with me?’

Yep, it sucks.

In life, we’re all the foundation for someone else. We’re their rock that offers them the right support, advice and direction, so that they can keep developing into a stronger individual.

Being the stepping-stone does not make us the loser though; as good relationships aren’t designed to be won. We guide people for the better or for the worse AND even if we aren’t aware of it at the time, they’re actually doing the exact same thing for us!

If sharing your experience has improved life for someone else, inspired them or made becoming the person they want to be, then damnit – you should be proud!

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After all, someone was your steppingstone once, someone helped you along the way and someone gave you part of their story to tell.

The right person will come along, when you complement and challenge each other in a positive light.

Deep, I know – we’ve all got to be serious at times!

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