July / August 2009
FREE MAGAZINE . ISSUE 1704 . July – Aug. 2009 . UniLife Magazine is a rebranded version of Entropy Magazine.
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July / August 2009
Executive / Creative Director: Gjoko Muratovski Editor-In-Chief: Jasha Bowe Editorial Committee: Kelly L. Graham-Sutton, Matthew J. Harbinson, Kristine Thomson, Riki Owens-Bennett Graphic Design Consultant: Stuart Gluth Illustration Consultant: David Blaiklock Photography Contributors: Brent Leideritz, PETA, Sam Ryan, Greenpeace, University of South Australia Illustration Contributors: Petar Pavlov, Bryce Hammond Cover: meinspace.com/bruno Published By: UniLife Inc. Brokered via: UniSA Document Services
THE MAGAZINE IS PRINTED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS AND IS DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE ON SELECTED LOCATIONS. We are always excited to hear what you have to say. Email us on unilifemagazine@unisa.edu.au to do so. For marketing enquiries, use the same address. View UniLife Magazine in digital form or download a PDF, from the UniLife website: www.UniLife.edu.au Disclaimer: UniLife Magazine recognizes the wide and diverse range of viewpoints and beliefs on religious, political, social and moral issues. Equally, however, we feel that the notion that we need tiptoe around these beliefs for fear of offending is in short, ridiculous. Nevertheless, we warn that reader discretion is advised.
Contents:
GREETINGS by Jasha Bowe BRUNO by Liam Mannix MIDNGHT JEAN by Jade Buckley PETA by Jasha Bowe VEGETARIAN REVOLUTION by Tim Novak CUBA by Sam Ryan HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE by Sam Ryan POPULATE AND PERISH by Alicia Melville-Smith PLENTY MORE FISH IN THE SEA? by Rebecca Bliss (Greenpeace) TWILIGHT by Alicia Melville-Smith TRANSFORMING THE TRANSFORMERS by Ekaterina Loy HAVE A DRINK MATE by Tom Halley REQUIEM FOR JACKO by Riki Owens-Bennett SAMURAI JACK by Tom Halley
6 8 10 18 22 24 26 36 40 44 48 50 52 54
56 SNOB SCRILLA by Walter Burkinshaw 58 BREAK THAT DANCE by Kristine Thomson 60 ADELAIDE STREET ART by Leanne Cotter 62 CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS by Craig Pickering 66 BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS by Kristine Thomson 68 OAKTREE by Nina O’Connor 70 THE PERFECT CUP by Adrian Mule 72 SMOKING ZONES by Adrian Marshall and Mark Dorian 74 CURIOSITY by Julie White 76 SCHOLARSHIPS AT UNISA by Michelle Kavanagh 78 FEELING POWERLESS AS A TENANT? by Pat Petronio 80 AFTER MIDNIGHT by Pauline Bradford
July / August 2009
written by Jasha Bowe
Greetings Welcome to the 1706 issue of UniLife Magazine.
DEAR READER, In this issue we would like to make Bruno’s wish come true – to have him on a cover of a magazine with his baby O.J. As expected, the film is shocking and we would not recommend it to people that are disturbed by graphic images, explicit content, or people that are easily offended on religious, racial, ethnical, or for that matter, any other basis. Then again, these people shouldn’t be even reading our magazine, so I don’t even know why I am telling you this. I bet that YOU will love it! Head to Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas to see it. (That is if you are in Adelaide) Also, in this issue we are introducing People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - or PETA if you wish. We hope to have them on board in our future issues as well. You might be interested to know that the Greenpeace Design Awards 2009 (the project that we were endorsing together with Greenpeace Australia Pacific, UniLife Inc and University of South Australia) was a major success. 1500 creatives from 77 countries took part in the Awards. Currently, 29 finalists are exhibited at the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery (Hawke Building, UniSA) on North Terrace, and you are all welcome to see them. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on the 31st of July 2009, at the same place. We hope to see you there! And as always, here are some fancy photos for you to browse and few articles to read. So dig in, and enjoy! ...Responsibly.
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Written by LIAM MANNIX
brĂœno So hypothetically according to you (Church Pastor) I can admire a man’s penis in the shower but the moment I put it in my mouth some sort of line has been crossed? - Bruno
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MEET BRUNO. He wants to fuck you. In the ass. Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest creation to hit the silver screen, Bruno is to homosexual Austrians what Borat was to anti-Semitic Kazaks. Bruno (the movie) starring Bruno (the gay dude) opens nationally in Australia on June 29th, and promises enough redneck-baiting to keep any Greens voter happy for the better part of the next decade. The movie’s trailer (available at tinyurl.com/ozggqx) features Baron Cohen asking a self-defence instructor “how to protect yourself from being attacked by homosexuals”. The instructor appears to ponder the question for a moment, before answering, in his best Southern Drawl, “well, they prob’ly gonna attack you from behind”. Both manage to keep straight faces; it’s unlikely the audience will. Of course, the big problem with laughing at (or with, perhaps?) prejudice is that, after the laughter stops, one is left with a slightly uncomfortable psychoanalysis. When Baron Cohen brings cheers from a crowd with a rendition of the cult classic “throw the Jew down the well”, is it racist to laugh? How about just a giggle? Do we laugh because we are racists? Or worse, does laughing... make us racists? Putting this sort of awkward, uncomfortable question to Baron Cohen has a rather transformative effect on the man. Gone is the moustachioed Kazak with the poor grasp of English; in his place, a Cambridge-educated Londoner who holds a degree in history, and who wrote his thesis on the Jewish involvement in the American Civil Rights Movement. The astute intellectual at the heart of Baron Cohen doesn’t struggle with troublesome questions about racism and sexism; rather, he embraces them. In 2006, just after the launch of Borat, he told a BBC journalist that Borat was less a character, and more a tool. “By himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice, whether it’s anti-Semitism or an acceptance of anti-Semitism. I think part of the movie shows the absurdity of holding any form of racial prejudice, whether it’s hatred of African-Americans or of Jews.” Lets-laugh-at-discrimination comedy seems to be catching on. One of Bruno’s contemporaries, Sarah Silverman, has just had her series, The Sarah Silverman Program, picked up by Foxtel. Silverman preaches the same sort of ‘anti-racism’, or as Slate.com put it, ‘Meta-bigotry’, as Baron Cohen; she told Jay Leno her work “explored and ridiculed the racist thought process”. She is another transformative character; her alter ego tells crowds at a stand-up comedy performance, “I was trying to give my black boyfriend a compliment; I told him he would have made a really expensive slave”. Of course, all of these defences, these explanations, only work if the anti-bigotry is doing real good for society. If it’s causing movie patrons to recognise and confront the racism within themselves. Otherwise, its just plain old racism.
July / August 2009
midnight jean Photography by Brent Leideritz I Makeup by Mishka I Fashion by Jade Buckley
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July / August 2009
Interview by Jasha Bowe
people for the ethical treatment of animals In this issue, we have the pleasure to introduce you to PETA.
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March / April 2009
Tell us a little bit about yourself? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) US is the world’s largest animal rights organization. PETA works against animal cruelty wherever and whenever it exists, but mostly in the areas where the largest number of animals suffer for the greatest length of time: in factory farms, laboratories, the clothing trade, and the entertainment industry. Founded in early 2005, PETA Asia-Pacific is PETA US’ newest international affiliate. Located in Hong Kong, PETA Asia-Pacific is the base for PETA’s campaigns in 15 countries in Asia; as well as the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, a region that is home to more than one-third of the world’s population. What are PETA’s main objectives? PETA is dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of birds, and other “pests.” PETA works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns. PETA is a global organization, what are some of the greatest concerns you have Globally? The area of greatest concern is the animals that are used in factory farms, which is where much of the world’s meat, eggs, and dairy products are produced – for the simple reason that this is the largest number of animals being used and abused across the planet. Forced artificially to breed in their billions, they are kept confined, often in crowded dark sheds, living in stressful and filthy environments with their freedom to behave naturally taken away. Pigs have their teeth and tails cut and the males have their testicles cut off, all without anaesthesia. Chickens have their sensitive beaks burnt off, and cows are repeatedly impregnated so they produce milk only to have their calves trucked away to slaughter, not even a week old. Tell us about some of the major concerns PETA Asia Pacific has here in Australia (particularly SA)? In addition to the suffering that animals experience in factory farms in South Australia, it is also one of only two states in Australia where horse jumps racing is still legal. Just this year, in Victoria and South Australia, 9 horses have been killed in the pursuit of what is considered entertainment for a few. This gruelling and frequently fatal event is really just another way to try to make
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money from the many horses that don’t make the grade in flat racing, just like rodeos. Most “unprofitable” horses are killed for pet meat or processed in Peterborough for export for human consumption to countries where eating horses is legal. Outer Harbor is one of the few ports that sheep are loaded onto live export ships to the Middle East, where up to 120,000 sheep are packed onto over crowded ships and spend three weeks at sea only to be sold for cruel ritual slaughter in countries like Egypt, where during the Eid festival, the streets literally are awash with the blood of Australian animals. How does PETA manage to get support form so many celebrities? PETA works with celebrities to highlight particular issues such as the horrendous treatment of animals used for their fur, to promote the compassionate benefits of living a pure vegetarian lifestyle and in campaigning against companies that refuse to demand humane standards from their suppliers like KFC. Unfortunately, our mission—to get the animal rights message to as many people as possible— is not always easy and straightforward. Unlike our opposition, which is mostly composed of wealthy industries and corporations, PETA must rely on getting free “advertising” through media coverage. The celebrities who have chosen to lend their support to PETA have made an enormous difference in the amount of exposure the media has given to the animal rights message, since, as you have probably noticed, the media thrives on celebrity “doings.” People like hip-hop rapper, Suffa from the Hilltop Hoods understand how desperate the conditions are for animals and generously donate their time and skills to help PETA raise awareness about serious campaigns. “Even making the simplest changes—like boycotting KFC—can make a huge difference.” - Suffa of the Hilltop Hoods. How can the readers of UniLife Magazine help? There are a great many ways that you can help! • Learn about the plight of animals around us and the many simple things that you can do every day to help animals at www.petaasiapacific.com/issues.asp • Sign the Pledge to Go Veg! One of the most effective things you can do to help a huge number of animals is to go 100% vegetarian. Adelaide has an amazing range of wonderful vegetarian food and compassionate, healthy and environmentally friendly alternatives to killing animals as food. For more information, go to: GoVeg.com. • Join the Activist Network! Go to www.petaasiapacific.com/activist-signup.asp to get our e-alerts and become part of a network of caring citizens working towards ending animal cruelty.
July / August 2009
written by Tim Novak
vegetarian revolution The granddaughter of Ernesto “Che� Guevara, the Cuban revolutionary leader, is at the forefront of a campaign for a vegetarian revolution.
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LYDIA GUEVARA poses seminude in a PETA campaign that tells viewers to “join the vegetarian revolution,” said PETA spokesman Michael McGraw. PETA approached the 24-year-old in recent months after finding out she was a vegetarian, Mr McGraw said. “It very much evokes the tag line of the ad, which is ‘Join the vegetarian revolution,”’ Mr McGraw said. “It’s an homage of sorts to her late grandfather.” The advert is PETA’s first campaign promoting vegetarianism in South America. “We say the best way to save animals is not to eat them,” Mr McGraw said. In the advert, Lydia Guevara wears camouflage pants, a red beret, and bandoliers of baby carrots while standing with one fist on her hip and the other outstretched. The print campaign is expected to debut in October in magazines and posters, Mr McGraw said. It will be launched first in Argentina, where Che Guevara was born, and then internationally. For those of you born on a different planet, Che Guevara was a Marxist leader who played a pivotal role in Fidel Castro’s rise to power in Cuba. He was executed in Bolivia in 1967.
July / August 2009
text and image By Sam Ryan
cuba Cubans love life. If I learnt anything from my travels in the gorgeous Caribbean country, it was that the Cuban people are full of joy. This is despite the fact that incomes range from between $14 and $22 USD per month and many material goods are still widely unavailable, either due to governmental bans or a lack of economic means. For example, mobile phones and DVD players only became legal in early 2008 with the passing of power from Fidel Castro to his younger brother Raul.
HOWEVER, the lack of access to much of the technology we take for granted does not appear to dampen spirits. Children seem much happier playing with balls or dice on the street with their friends rather than sitting inside on their gaming consoles. The passion for music is also a major part of every Cuban’s life, with the hot sounds of salsa pouring out of houses and halls, and dancers spilling onto the streets in the pure expression of physicality. Cubans are extremely family-oriented, and this extends both to the avenidas and community, with hundreds of greetings and conversations occurring every day, even during the briefest encounters. Cubans are ingenious when it comes to skills Westerners now often rely on tradespeople to perform, with most having a good knowledge of mechanics, carpentry, plumbing, and electrics. This breeds a self-sufficiency and knack for invention of which I was certainly jealous. One interesting nuance of Cuban society was the lack of advertising for all but a few select products. Instead, a range of socialist propaganda is found on billboards and as communityinitiated messages throughout the streets, though the great majority of these messages are positive and optimistic - advising people that their life is fulfilled and happy. This is in stark contrast to most (Western) advertising which attempts to convince people they are unsatisfied and therefore need a product or service to make their lives complete. It would be dishonest to say that Cubans do not suffer or there is no room for improvement, but the island does offer a unique glimpse into a life less focussed on the material, and more on the simple joys of existence.
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July / August 2009
hasta la victoria siempre by Sam Ryan
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July / August 2009
written by Alicia Melville-Smith
populate and perish According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Australia’s current population stands at 21 591 843. With an excess of births over deaths and a ludicrously large immigration program our population increases by one person every ninety-one seconds. Whilst a large country only ten percent of Australia is arable land, this means that only ten percent of our vast continent is capable of growing crops and supporting grazing livestock. While our population increases the capability of our country to feed us all does not.
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March / April 2009
WHAT MANY CIVILIANS, politicians, and economists overlook when declaring there is ‘no such thing as a population problem in Australia’ is the carrying capacity of the earth. More people may equal more money and a booming economy but what needs to be addressed by our Government is that more people also equals more water usage, more demand for housing and land, more demand for fuel and more pressure on the limited supplies the planet provides. Eventually the earth may not be able to sustain our greed. Fortunately it seems that some big names are finally connecting the dots that many scientists and concerned individuals have been connecting without media attention for years. In their 2009 Submission to Department of the Treasury, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) outlined their priorities for the 2009/10 Federal Budget listing population increase as a main issue of concern. The ACF want to see a reform of the Government’s annual migration program and a movement towards stabilising Australia’s population at an ‘ecologically sustainable level’. After keeping quiet on the issue of population growth for many years the ACF under the guidance of Professor Ian Lowe has begun openly discussing Australia’s exponential population
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growth and its effect on our country. In a news release on their website the ACF stated that it supports the creation of a National Population policy that involves the ‘stabilisation of the Australian population and the resource use at levels that are precautionary and ecologically sustainable’. It also goes on to state that this population stabilisation should be between twentyfive and thirty million this century, however many environmentalists claim this is more than our country can safely sustain. The ACF believes a population policy that integrates an annual immigration policy ‘based on environmental, social, ethical and humanitarian obligations, rather than perceived economic needs; is necessary for the wellbeing of our country and climate. They further urge the Australian Government to lower the amount of migrant places in other non-humanitarian streams. What many Australians don’t realise is that the Government’s skilled migrant intake not only adds more people to our strained country, it also deprives many developing countries of their own skilled citizens leaving them with skills shortages more dire than our own. The ACF also calls for the Government to scrap the baby bonus and instead invest the money in education, health care, family planning, childcare and aged care, in an effort to begin caring for the current Australian population rather than increasing it. It’s a big step in the right direction albeit much later than some may like. Let’s put it into perspective. In the time it took me to compose these few paragraphs Australia’s population increased by fifteen people. That’s fifteen more people who demand on average over 400 litres of water a day to eat, drink and brush their teeth and yet you can only water your lawn between 6 am and 9 am Tuesday to Saturday. Perhaps Australia’s chronic water shortage would be less extreme if there weren’t forty new Australians each hour demanding their share? Now this is not an attack on migrants or families with more than two children. It is a question from a young woman whose future lies with the future of her country to the current Government of Australia. Why do we lack a population policy? Why did the intake of migrants increase by 37,500 places, eighty-three percent in the skilled migrant stream in 2008? Why a net total of 177,600 immigrants in 2008 and a five thousand dollar baby bonus? Why deny that population growth impacts upon our countries fragile carrying capacity and limited resources? Let’s be honest. No one can create water, oil or arable soil out of nothing and nature’s resources are undeniably finite. Environmentalists and authors O’Connor and Lines inform us that the world’s population is ‘turning resources into waste twenty-five percent faster than Nature can turn waste back into resources’. In other words population increase equals an increase in demand for essential resources, which in turn equals a demand in available supplies of these resources. Remember that old population motto that growth advocates like to declare en masse, ‘populate or perish’? With a growing global population and burgeoning global food crisis perhaps we could more accurately reverse the motto to reflect our current need. ‘Populate and perish?’ It’s a lot to worry about.
July / August 2009
Written by Rebecca Bliss (GREENPEACE)
plenty more fish in the sea? The world’s oceans are being fished out, and foreign fleets are moving in on the last surviving healthy tuna fishery: the Pacific. Now the world’s favourite seafood is in danger of being fished to extinction. Greenpeace’s Stolen Fish, Stolen Futures campaign wants to change the way you look at tuna.
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photo by greenpeace
March / April 2009
SCARY FACT: 76% of the world’s fish stocks have been depleted. The Pacific Ocean holds the only remaining healthy tuna fishery in the world, but overfishing by industrial scale foreign fleets and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing – otherwise known as pirate fishing – are putting the Pacific tuna in trouble. Commercially fished tuna are in dire straits. Already, many tuna species are classified as Fully Fished, Critically Endangered or Vulnerable to Extinction. The bluefin tuna, for example, has lost 95% of its reproductive stock. The world’s fondness for canned fish, and the booming sashimi trade, mean that other species of tuna are set to suffer the same fate unless drastic measures are taken. With their own waters already emptied of fish, fleets from the US, China, Japan and the EU are now filling their holds with billions of dollars worth of Pacific tuna, with little regard for the sustainability of the species, or the island nations that rely on fish for both protein and profit. Using giant purse seine nets and long-lines stretching over 100km in length, foreign fishing fleets are hauling up to 60 tonnes of fish a day and are depriving Pacific island nations of their natural food supply. To make matters worse, wealthy fishing nations exploit third-world coastal countries by brokering incredibly unfair licence agreements, offering aid, or a tiny percentage of the profits in exchange for allowing the multi-billion dollar industry to continue. SCARY FACT TWO: 25% of fish caught globally is unwanted bycatch, and is thrown back dead. Wasteful fishing practices are taking a huge toll on the ocean’s ecosystem, with whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and endangered fish species being swept up indiscriminately in the huge nets. The majority of the Pacific catch is skipjack (the most common tinned tuna), but young endangered
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bigeye and yellowfin tuna are also killed by unselective and destructive fishing practices like long-lining and trawling. Pole-and-line fishing is the most sustainable method as it is the most selective and doesn’t damage the seabed. SCARY FACT THREE: Pirate fishing costs the world US$9 billion a year. Modern-day pirates are plundering the Pacific, robbing the world’s fish supplies, and leaving communities without much-needed food and income. They transfer their illegal bounty to factory ships on the high seas to hide its illicit origins or smuggle it through foreign ports and then sell it around the world. Poor regulation and a lack of political will continue to perpetuate this illegal trade. So what can be done to ensure our favourite fish doesn’t disappear? Well, plenty. Greenpeace oceans campaigner Genevieve Quirk says the best thing people can do is to exercise their purchasing power when buying fish in restaurants, fish markets and at the supermarket. ‘Consumers should always ask how the fish were caught. By refusing to buy illegally caught fish, endangered species, or fish caught using destructive fishing methods, anyone can help stop our oceans from being emptied.’ This has been incredibly successful in the UK, with supermarket chains like Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Marks and Spencer all moving to stock sustainable tuna products. Genevieve’s suggestion is to ‘Ask your retailer to only stock pole-and-line caught tuna and ask them about the chain of custody of their fish. If they don’t know where and how it was caught, don’t buy it.’ Greenpeace is also working with Pacific countries to close the remaining two pockets of international waters in the Pacific to all fishing, after an historic move by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to close the two biggest fishing pockets in 2008. ‘We need a long-term solution to the exploitation of our oceans,’ Genevieve says. ‘Greenpeace is advocating that 40% of the world’s oceans be established as marine reserves to allow depleted fish stocks to recover from overfishing.’
What can you do? 1. Sign the Greenpeace petition calling on a global network of marine reserves to curb overfishing: www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/overfishing 2. Not sure what seafood to avoid? www.marineconservation.org.au 3. To find out more on Greenpeace’s Stolen Fish, Stolen Futures campaign, visit www.greenpeace.org/australia/issues/overfishing/overview
July / August 2009
written by Alicia Melville-Smith
twilight If you overlook the many, many shortcomings of Stephanie Meyer’s bestselling Vampire pseudo-romance series Twilight, then you can almost understand how it has become so popular.
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NOTICE I said almost in the intro? It’s compelling stuff; Meyer is a reasonably capable writer, skilled at drawing the reader in. I have read all four books and wasn’t capable of putting them down. However, they also incite a passionate hatred deep in my heart. I almost can’t describe the level to which I loathe Twilight and its incessantly creepy sequels. Let’s begin with Bella. Poor Bella, the series’ tragic heroine unselfishly moves from sunny Phoenix to live with her single father in the dreary small town of Forks. Here she meets the beautiful (and how beautiful? Don’t worry. Meyer reminds us with every second sentence. Edward glistens with
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the fire of a thousand suns, Edward’s smile is capable of breaking the heart of the coldest widow, Edward’s beauty is the stuff of legends etcetera, etcetera, until you can barely keep from puking) vampire Edward Cullen and his equally beautiful coven. And so, the tormented romance begins. [Spoiler alert people!] Edward can’t resist the enticing scent of Bella’s blood. Bella can’t resist the perfection of his face. Edward and Bella begin an uncomfortable friendship. Edward and Bella fall for one another. Bella discovers Edward is a vampire. Bella apparently lacks a flight or fight instinct and doesn’t care. They to and fro for three quarters of the first novel before BAM! out of nowhere, we have an action-packed and incredibly rushed mythical standoff between Edward and a rogue vampire intent on killing Bella. That’s the thing about Bella; the girl is a magnet for trouble. Everything that could possibly go wrong - does. Everything that could possibly befall her - does. And that’s another thing, how does a girl who is constantly referred to as plain and boring, who acts plain and boring, who - let’s be honest - is downright annoying and ridiculously daft, win the heart of the most attractive man on the face of the planet whilst constantly putting herself into situations where he must play the hero and rescue her? The girl is a perpetual victim, a Mary-Sue if ever I read one. Wikipedia describes a Mary-Sue as ‘a pejorative term used to describe a fictional character who plays a major role in the plot and is particularly characterized by overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as wish-fulfilment fantasies for their authors or readers’. Bella has no flaws apart from a convenient clumsiness that provides Meyer with an excuse to shove Bella in terrible life-threatening situations time and again. Bella is the archetypal damsel in distress, she lacks smarts and she constantly blathers on about how nothing on earth is more important than the love she shares with Edward before repeatedly refusing to believe that he can truly love her because he could do so much better. Well at least here, she is correct. He can do better; he could fall in love with a girl with a personality and less willingness to constantly play the victim. And my issue with Twilight doesn’t end there. Edward Cullen is constantly being described as the embodiment of masculine perfection; his love for Bella is the thing dreams are made of. Ask any tween fan and they’ll say, Edward Cullen is to die for. You can buy an ‘I heart Edward Cullen’ t-shirt from Supré for eighteen dollars. But I feel that I really need to point something out, that I am aware, will have the Edward fan club banging down my door, armed with pitchforks and torches. If you watch a girl sleep, through her window, in the dead of night, and without her knowledge, that’s not endearing or romantic … its creepy and I will go so far as to suggest, makes you a stalker. My biggest issue with Twilight however, is that it has been done better and will continue to be done better in the future. Watch Buffy or read Anne Rice and I promise, the tormented love-story, the realism, the quality, the fantasy, the adventure and the characters will be done better.
July / August 2009
WRITTEN By Ekaterina Loy
Transforming the transformers June 24th was marked in Australia by the release of the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which contributed to quite a long story of the war between Autobots and Decepticons. So far, according to the NZ Herald, this movie launched the director Michael Bay in the Guinness Book of Records for “the biggest explosion on film with actors present”. Yes, the movie is big, full of graphics, explosions and epic music in all the right moments, but...
WHY TRANSFORMERS are called transformers? Cause they transform, that’s right. Don’t get me wrong, they do some sort of conversion in the movie, but it mostly happens like a trick in a village circus: now you see a car – now everything is hazy – and now you see some pile of metal, which, under a wicked angle, remotely reminds of its heavy machinery prototype. Numerous visual effects of the movie seem to dismiss the whole concept of transforming, which is not in the fact that A is suddenly becoming B. It’s in the way A is becoming B. However, visual discrepancy is generously compensated by extensive sound effects. Hordes of the transformers on the screen squeak and grate so authentically, that last 30 minutes of the movie become somewhat torturous. To soften the whole scrap metal drama, there are some human beings in the cast: Australia’s own Isabel Lucas (let’s wish her a better makeup artist for the next feature), Megan Fox (no reprimands there), and Shia LaBeouf (yes, ladies, he looks a bit childish, but he’s 23 and reached the age of legal maturity by all the international standards, with the exception of El Salvador). Despite its obvious fictional nature, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has a number of details, both intentional and unintentional, connecting it to today’s reality. Besides the usual mention of US president Obama and an instant joke about the swine flu, the movie highlights a new and more sensible post financial crisis and pre eco catastrophe conditions, type of car. Muscle car Camaro doesn’t sell anymore, but is a base of the central Autobot, Bumblebee. Therefore a couple of peripheral characters, Mudflap and Skids, being small engine cars, are absolutely unnecessarily stuck to the group of main characters. Throughout the movie they break one wall and one enemy Decepticon, as well as reveal the battle not less vigorous than the one between Optimus Prime and Megatron. A battle of Chevrolet, the best bet marque of General Motors, to stay afloat, and, if possible, not controlled by the government of the abovementioned president. The reasons of GM for such a plot manipulation are pretty understandable, but coming to watch the movie I somehow do not remember signing up for a 150-minute long commercial as well.
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July / August 2009
Written by tom halley
have a drink, mate? ‘Have a drink, mate? Have a fight, mate? Have some dust and sweat, mate? There’s nothing else out here.’
WAKE IN FRIGHT made its first appearance in Cannes competition in 1971. Australian cinematic classic Wake in Fright has been unearthed and digitally restored to pristine condition by Atlab / Deluxe and the NFSA. The film will now enjoy a re-release to enable a new Australian audience to discover this seminal film. This critically acclaimed landmark Australian film challenged the way Australians saw themselves and their environment. Based on the novel by Kenneth Cook and directed by Ted Kotcheff, Wake in Fright starred the late Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond and Chips Rafferty (in his last feature film role) and marked the first feature film appearance of a young Jack Thompson. Wake in Fright follows a young outback schoolteacher whose eagerly anticipated summer holiday becomes an alcohol-fuelled descent into violence and despair. Tiboonda schoolteacher John Grant is en route from the tiny outback town to Sydney for summer holidays when he stops over in the mining community of Bundanyabba. Drawn into “the Yabba’s” world of drinking and gambling, he drinks too much and loses all his money in a game of two-up. He misses his plane and the next day he is befriended by jovial Tim Hynes and his mates Dick, Joe and the inscrutable Doc. While the other men knock back the beers, John takes a stroll with Tim’s adult daughter Janette. After a failed seduction attempt, John passes out and awakens the next morning in Doc’s squalid hut. John joins a brutal kangaroo hunt with Doc, Dick and Joe. Their car hurtles through the bush to a pub where they drink until it is dark enough to trap kangaroos in the car’s headlights. Many beers and roos later, John crashes for the night at Doc’s place. Next morning, confused and violated, John escapes and hitches a ride out of town only to find himself accidentally back in “the Yabba”. Desperate, John attempts suicide and ultimately resigns himself to returning to his isolated schoolhouse, alone but wiser for the experience.
The film had its national release on the 25th of June 2009, and is screening in SA since the 23rd of July, 2009.
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July / August 2009
Written by Riki owens-bennett
requiem for jacko Michael Jackson has left the building…
FRIDAY June 25th 2009 will be remembered by so many and change lives forever. For others it will simply be another celebrity death shrouded in controversy, something often present in Michael Jackson’s life. Like him or not, you cannot deny his musical talent and inspiration to modern musicians, or his desire to help those in need through his various charities and wanting to overcome racial barriers with his music. This is not to say he was a saint and we should forget his faults. MJ was never what society considered normal, but how many celebrities are? Their world is far removed from what you and I know with no privacy, inconceivable amounts of money, and the constant pressure to perform better than last time. Do these excuse his actions? Certainly not, but you do have to feel sorry for him. When typing his name into Google the plethora of results cover the controversy over his death, his vast achievements, his falls from grace, and of course the conspiracy theories. There are numerous comparisons with other musicians iconic in their time who died tragically young – Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley - all of whom were amazing in their own right. MJ shares eerily similar characteristics with Elvis, and not just marrying his daughter Lisa Marie. Both Elvis and MJ brought African American music into the mainstream area, abused their body with food and drugs, troubled personal lives, and became recluses in their own hideaways. Finally, both died sadly from an overdose of painkillers and now the global population mourns MJs death as they did Elvis. Many believe MJ faked his death to escape his million dollar debt and escape the pressure of celebrity life, just as they believed the same of Elvis. We will never know. Wherever they are, alive or not, it is time for us to let them finally rest in peace. But I don’t think I’ll ever forgive him for inspiring drunk people attempting the moonwalk…
Michael Joseph Jackson 29.08.1958 – 25.06.2009
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July / August 2009
Written by tom halley
samurai jack Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish Samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Aku!
THIS QUOTATION begins each episode of Samurai Jack, which tells the story of a young prince (Jack) from Feudal Japan whose father’s empire is destroyed by the demon Aku. The child Jack escapes destruction and travels the world training his mind and his body for years until he reaches adulthood, becoming a legendary Samurai. Then, taking his father’s magic katana, he challenges Aku to a duel and defeats the demon. However, before Jack can deal the killing blow, Aku creates a time portal and sends his opponent into the distant future, anticipating that he would be able to amass sufficient power to deal with the Samurai later. The protagonist arrives in a hostile, futuristic Earth ruled by Aku and filled with his robot minions and a large number of alien immigrant races of various appearances. The first people he encounters in the future call him “Jack” as a form of slang, which he adopts as his name - his true given name is never mentioned in the series. Standard episodes follow Jack’s search for a way to travel back to his own time, where he hopes to stop Aku before these events come to pass. The cartoon depicts Jack’s quest to find a time portal, while constantly facing obstacles set by Aku in a classic battle of Good versus Evil. Samurai Jack is a 4-time Emmy award-winning American animated television series created by animator Genndy Tartakovsky that aired on Cartoon Network from 2001 until 2004, and thanks to the great wonders of the Internet, it can still be seen on sites like YouTube. The series is noted for its highly detailed, outline-free, masking-based animation, as well as for its cinematic style and pacing. The plots of individual episodes range from dark and epic to light-hearted and comic, but typically follow Jack in his singular quest to find a method of traveling back in time. Many of the battle scenes in the series are reminiscent of samurai films, and since Jack’s robotic enemies “bleed” oil or electricity and monsters/aliens bleed slime or goo, the series is able to exhibit the action of these films while avoiding censorship for violence. This is definetly not a cartoon for kids, and it is a shame that not many Aussies have ever heard about Samurai Jack, which is truly a timeless masterpiece of animated art.
Production on the show was halted in 2004, but it was never officially canceled. In return, Tartakovsky has announced plans to direct a theatrical film, but whether or not this will be used to resolve the series has yet to be announced. We certainly hope it does...
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July / August 2009
Written by Walter Burkinshaw
snob Scrilla If you like Lupe Fiasco, The Presets, N.E.R.D, Gnarls Barkley and the sound track to Ghostbusters I (particularly the song that plays after that asshole from the EPA, Walter Peck, shuts down the ghost containment grid as it nears maximum storage capacity causing the grid to collapse freeing hundreds of ghosts into the city) then you will certainly get a kick out of the new record form Californian-born Sydney-based Snob Scrilla.
THE ALBUM, Day One, is rad. Not much more I can say about it than that. If you have been near a TV or Radio anytime in the past 6 months then chances are you will have definitely copped an earful of this eighties synth inspired, beat heavy, hip-hop, pop fusion, particularly with the track “Chasing Ghosts” which is the one with the line that goes “forgo benevolence, these days its all ’bout them dead presidents”, which for some reason stuck in my brain long before I knew who the song was by. This will mean something if you have heard the song, and probably won’t if you haven’t… go figure. Look I hate music reviews that go into dissecting records and wanking on about the semiotics of the sound-scapes the artist has created, so I am not actually going to say much more about the record other than you should definitely get a copy if the statement in paragraph one holds true… and maybe even if it doesn’t, it’s infectious catchy and good. Make your own mind up. That said, if the adage that “great minds think alike”, then logic would suggest that you will definitely like this! It’s out on some record label and it’s available at places where Compact Discs can be purchased with dollars which come from the bank – mine is a dollarmite account – I am sure it can also probably be purchased for the interweb. Word.
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July / August 2009
Written By Kristine Thomson
break that dance Break-dancing is also known as breaking and b-boying and is said to have evolved as a part of the hip hop movement among the African American and Puerto Rican youths in Manhattan and the South Bronx of New York City in the early 1970’s.
SOME SAY it may have begun as an alternative youth culture to the violence of urban street gangs. Today, break dancing culture is a discipline somewhere between those of dancers and athletes. There are four basic elements that form the foundation of break-dance. These are toprock, downrock (also known as footwork), power moves and freezes. Toprock are any steps done from a standing position; these moves are usually done first and foremost opening with a display of style. Toprock is generally a warm up for the more acrobatic maneuvers. As implied, downrock is any footwork done on the floor. Usually the dancer has both hands and feet on the ground, and displays their expertise with foot speed and control by carrying out footwork. These combinations usually change into more athletic moves known as power moves. Power moves are combinations requiring lots of energy and physical strength to perform. In power moves, the break-dancer relies more on upper body strength to dance, and is usually on their hands during moves. One such maneuver is the “windmill”. The dance normally ends with dance movements called freezes. This move is as implied, the dancer halts all movements in a chic pose, and this may be a handstand or pike. Dances may also do a move called a suicide; this is when the dancer looks like they lose all control. However as break dancing is a culture in its own right, there is a certain type of music that needs to be played. This music is compiled by a DJ from looping certain aspects of a song together at the same time. Rap music was invented by a Jamaican named DJ Kool Herc when he bought two copies of one record so as to be able to mix between the same break. Then again, I am sure that at that time likeminded DJ’s were coming up with their own techniques to rap music.
Interested in breakdancing? Why don’t you join the UniLife Freestyle club and excercise your dancing abilities, or learn some new ones? Go to www.unilife.edu.au to learn more about the clubs have.
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July / August 2009
Written by Leanne Cotter
Adelaide street art If the city of Adelaide were an oyster: the sauce would be the people; the bacon the buildings; and the spice would be the culture. I was sucking this oyster down, existing and dwelling in the many flavours of this culinary delight, and found what I can only describe as a surprising, hidden pearl.
THE ADELAIDE Festival Centre’s Dunstan Playhouse theatre has recently been graced by the world’s first female international beatboxing champion, Butterscotch. Her show was performed in front of a piece of art so outstanding and vibrant that it seemed to project a new persona onto the music and contextualised what could have potentially been ‘just another cool music concert’. It was covered with bugs, birds, characters and patterns that responded to the vibrant, delicious looking word Butterscotch in the middle of the piece. Upon investigation, I learned that the Festival Centre’s membership program for young people GreenRoom enlisted artists from local street art collective ST5K to facilitate a workshop for its members in aerosol and street art. Who are the creators of these pieces? I asked myself. The artists themselves are as elusive as their art is to the unsuspecting eye. They do not expect their work to be on show for extended time; they do not brand their work for maximum personal gain and they expect no compensation for their talent and time. Funnily enough, one does not have to venture far from their computer to be moved by the humour, emotion and personality that is so effectively portrayed through our free, public ‘street art’. Bugs, critters, aliens in cosmic landscapes, characters, interactive box constructions, slight social commentaries, and funky little inanimate hints can be found by simply logging onto flickr.com (the graphic version of youtube) and typing in something very general (try: Adelaide Street Art). We can scroll through the many artist pages and profiles and read comments, congratulations, and praise from their fellow artists. After spending a little too much office-time scrolling through and chuckling in awe at the creativity behind these works, I started writing down streets and locations around the CBD of where these pieces subtly dwell, and on the weekend took an out-of-town couple on a mini tour of the underground street art culture of Adelaide.”This has been the highlight of our trip!” they cried, “There is so much wonderful creativity here!”. And you know what? I was pretty proud of it myself. By virtue of this amazing backdrop, and through all the sauce, bacon and spice that we call Adelaide, emerged to me this inspired, free, and underground world that is, Adelaide street art. A true pearl of Adelaide.
For more information on GreenRoom visit www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/greenroom/
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July / August 2009
Written by Craig Pickering
Customer expectations When you enter a retail shop, you expect to be served within a reasonable time frame and with common courtesy.
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March / April 2009
WHEN WE ARE NOT served, and have to stand around waiting, we become angry. This anger is the result of us being made to feel irrelevant, because we are obviously not important enough to be asked if we need help. This perceived ‘snub’ may lead us to walk out, whether we wanted to purchase something or not. As they say, you only get one chance at making a good first impression. Our first impression of this particular shop is not brilliant, and we are therefore unlikely to return. If we became angry after only waiting for one minute, then our expectations were extremely unrealistic to begin with (the ‘blue rinse set’ come to mind). However, if we had waited for five minutes without acknowledgement we even existed, then our firmly declared vow to never return is perhaps justifiable. Whether we are the salesperson in the retail shop or the prospective customer, we should manage our expectations of what constitutes good customer service and what does not. For some, being approached within a minute of walking into a shop means the salesperson is ‘pushy’, whereas for others it is ‘slack’. This is where being able to read body language is extremely useful. If someone enters your shop and immediately begins looking around for someone, rather than casually looking around, then it is safe to assume they expect to be served immediately. For such a person, a one minute wait seems like five minutes, and they will insist it has definitely been five minutes already! However, if they slowly stroll in and lazily look around, then an immediate approach could be annoying to them. For salespeople it is critical to be able to ‘read’ your prospective customers. As a customer, it is also important to realise that our expectations may indeed be unrealistic. For example, to enter an extremely busy store and expect to be served immediately is obviously unrealistic, however it
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is annoyingly true that many people expect ‘VIP’ service no matter what the circumstances! What if salespeople could ‘manage’ customer expectations? How powerful would it be if they could change our expectations of them? Their secret is to under promise and over deliver. If you, as a customer, are annoyed at not being served and the salesperson knows they cannot serve you for another five minutes, they might tell you it will be close to ten minutes. Your initial anger could be overcome with some empathetic line such as “I realise this is very annoying for you and I do appreciate your patience, and apologise for the inconvenience’. Having stroked your ego and manipulated you into expecting a ten minute delay, they then approach in five minutes time saying something like “I made an effort to see to you as soon as possible as I know you are in a hurry. How can I help you?” Now, not only has your initial expectation of being served immediately been turned into a ten minute wait, but now the salesperson has ‘over delivered’ by seeing to you earlier than they had promised to. By manipulating customer expectations, the salesperson can make these expectations work for them. When you ask for a delivery date for something you just purchased, a good salesperson will add two or three days to the lead time. If you then complain they might offer to ‘speak to the manager’, and then return to say they have reduced this by a day. They have now won your admiration and made you feel as though you have received special treatment. Then, when they call you the next day to let you know your item can be delivered a day or two early, you are now thinking this is the best salesperson ever! As a customer you need to be aware of the games salespeople play, but the good news is that not many salespeople are actually good at their job, so you are unlikely to encounter such ‘manipulation’. Just in case you do though, at least now you know! Customer expectations? As customers our expectations are naturally extremely important, but for salespeople they are just an opportunity to make them look good!
Craig Pickering, the Managing Director of 3C’s Consulting, has over twenty years experience in sales and senior management, mostly in facilitating change, successfully implementing business plans and building productive teams. Craig can be contacted at craigp@3csconsulting.com.au or on 0438 030 008.
July / August 2009
Written by Kristine Thomson
big brothers big sisters As a child my parents were not always around and being a big sister meant looking after my younger siblings. So I grew up with them confiding in me and me in them. I remember when my younger sister kissed her first boyfriend and the how she came in and we talked about it for hours, it was such a special occasion (now we laugh about it but back then it was very special). Sometimes we would talk way into the night trying to find ways of handling life’s important stuff like what we would wear out on our next date, I couldn’t image it any other way.
HOWEVER there are many children who do not have this blessing as they may be an only child. Many children don’t have the support of their parents due to many things like, trying to find the money to pay for the rent or food. It would be so lonely not having someone to share lives ups and downs with. That is why programmes like the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program is so very important for children who aren’t as blessed as I was. Having a sister to listen and comfort when she needed me the most and vice a versa, made me the person I am today. I think that is the reason I am in my second year of a Social Work degree. The relationship I had with my younger siblings gave me the confidence to enter a University degree and keep going when it gets tough. There are many benefits of being bigger and lots of benefits of having a bigger sister or brother. Someone who is in the programme is Big Sister Laura. Laura states that as an only child she can understand the reality of not having someone to talk to which is as she say’s “why I got involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program”. Laura has made a big difference in a little child’s life by supporting her and being her big sister. Big sister Laura looks forward to her times with a lovely young girl named Keesha, who lives with her grandmother and seldom sees her parents. Keesha has Asperger’s Syndrome so she has a lot to contend with on her own. Laura and Keesha were paired up and their relationship has progressed in leaps and bounds. Big Sister Laura says that being a big sister to Keesha has helped Keesha become a confident young girl, who enjoys having a big sister to open up to. It has also given both Keesha and Laura a life long friendship that they can both count on in the future.
Big Brothers Big Sister’s youth mentoring program (Australia’s biggest!) is a way to help those less fortunate have a rewarding relationship. So if you have a few spare hours a day and the energy to help a little child. Why don’t you ring 8227 0155 or visit www.ywca.com.au. Remember you could make a difference not only in your little’s life, but also your own.
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March / April 2009
Written by Nina O’Connor
oaktree Who said saving the world wasn’t fun? Or, dare I say it, actually pretty cool? At some point after the seventies, it seems it’s been decided things like ‘charity’ and ‘advocacy’ has gone out of fashion. Well, I reject this notion.
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SEE, I’ve noticed that even the word ‘NGO’ is connected with some pretty bland ideas for much of the general population these days. Many of my friends don’t even know what it stands for – “something to do with charity, some acronym…kinda like ATO, NATO or ASIO…” – a young man whose name I will protect once told me. Well sorry, but WTF? Saving the world is not a drag, it’s definitely not boring and it’s not just for do-gooders. At least twice a week I go into our Oaktree office on Kensington Road – an unassuming little building with a vine-covered fence and a castle-like roof – and what goes on inside few can imagine. Now bear in mind, this Oaktree I speak of is a gig run entirely by young people – all volunteers, all under the age of 26. I guess that’s why we get away with initiating 12 hour marathon ‘meetings’ with names like ‘Operation LSD’ (Locked Straight Down), for standard strategic planning. Although I shouldn’t say they are standard. One cannot leave the building without returning to find the team in a state of mayhem, usually involving some form of dancing or comedy, generally for the purpose of welcoming back the missing team member. But don’t get me wrong, youth-run doesn’t mean gets-nothing-done. Quite the opposite in fact, despite the hysteria involved in the process. In 2006, young Oaktree volunteers organised the famous Melbourne MAKE POVERTY HISTORY concert for over 15,000 people, featuring megabands U2 and Pearl Jam, and Australia’s greatest artists Jet, John Butler Trio, Evermore, Eskimo Joe, Paul Kelly, Sarah Blasko, Hilltop Hoods, Lior and more. The next year, 700 Oaktree Ambassadors road tripped through 17 cities and towns across Australia making themselves known to over 50,000 Australians directly, demanding that we give our fair share in aid to our poorer neighbours. The trip climaxed in Sydney with a JBT show at the Sydney Opera House and a surprise visit from K-Rudd, promising to do a better job than Howard’s miserable efforts in foreign aid. But the coolest moment for me was the final night of that road-tripping-campaigningphenomena. Squished amongst a crowd of these trippers from all around Oz, I watched Oaktree’s history-making photo-petition against poverty projected onto the sails of the Opera House. There were tears and cheers as images of our fellow Oaktree-ers and thousands of other people flashed before us, all facing up to the reality that 1.1 billion people live in poverty today and that there is something we can do about it. Pretty bloody cool.
The Oaktree Foundation is now running volunteer programs for fundraising, campaigning and school engagement, with a number of opportunities available for anyone interested. Contact Nina O’Connor, n.oconnor@theoaktree.org, 0448 415 218, or visit www.theoaktree.org for more information.
July / August 2009
Written by Adrian Mule
the perfect cup The art of making the perfect coffee is not easily learnt… It takes much practice, skill, and time. There are many ways to brew a cup of coffee, however the most popular method used in almost every café in Australia is espresso. There is something about the full flavoured, thick hazelnut crèma and technique involved in extracting a fresh shot of 100% Arabica coffee; blending it with sweet, silky smooth textured milk that makes it irresistible… our mouth waters and we find it difficult to function without it.
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THE DOWNSIDE to espresso-brewed coffee is the time it takes to perfect. The customer must wait on the coffee, rather than the coffee waiting on the customer, as is the case with other brewed coffee. What makes the difference? During the bean roasting process there are many chemical and structural changes that occur. One of which is the release of CO2. The first few days after roasting the coffee flavour will still be developing, after 2-6 days the bean flavour has reached it’s peak, and will continue to release CO2 slowly for the next 30 days. After this time the coffee’s flavour will begin to deteriorate from the loss of too much CO2 (among other elements). So why is Carbon Dioxide so important? CO2 traps the lipids (sense and flavour transporters that carry the flavour from the beans into the brewing water and into your cup). CO2 is the vital ingredient needed to bring these flavours and also create the delicious crèma that sits on top of a shot of espresso. The flavour and aroma of a coffee lives inside the crèma. So without CO2 we would have an espresso shot that contains no flavour or crèma. So what does this all have to do with me having to wait for my coffee? Grinding the coffee rapidly speeds up the loss of CO2. In fact, a recent study showed that within 2 minutes of grinding coffee it has lost 75 to 80% of its Carbon Dioxide. Once the coffee has been extracted into a cup, the flavours and aromas are trapped inside the crèma of the coffee, which will dissipate within 30 seconds. This means to ensure you receive a full flavoured shot of coffee with the best possible qualities the blend has to offer, your barista cannot extract a shot or even grind the coffee until you have placed your order. When selecting where to enjoy your coffee experience from, two important factors should be considered. First, coffee roasted overseas can take weeks to ship here so the CO2 has diminished considerably as has the flavor. And second, as a time saving process some coffee shops will extract 10 or so shots before they get busy. Yes, your coffee will arrive sooner but with less flavour. Your barista should always grind, tamp and extract your coffee as close to serving as possible.
Adrian Mule is a Master Barista at Aroma Café.
July / August 2009
Written by Adrian Marshall and Mark Dorian
Smoking zones A growing urban population brings a myriad of problems that stem from the diminution of one’s personal space and the right to be free from the influence of your respective neighbour. Fresh air enthusiasts have taken the fight outside to the street, determined not to be the receivers of side stream smoke for good reason.
CIGARETTE SMOKE has been classified by the US EPA as a Group A carcinogen, which means it can cause cancer in the smoker and the passive smoker. The list of cancer causing chemicals in cigarettes is long... And you don’t have to search far to find it. When you do, you will find chemicals that you would never find in food and never deliberately release into the environment, such as, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen oxide, formaldehyde, methane, arsenic, cadmium, nickel and naphthalene. Cigarette butts are an obvious form of environmental pollution and it could be said that the actions of a few littering smokers are giving all smokers a bad name. Cigarette butts get the infamous honour of being the most commonly littered item in SA according to KESAB at 38% of all items littered. And according to Planet Ark, 7.5 billion cigarette butts are littered in Australia each year. What happens after that butt gets casually flicked onto the street? Typically wind and rain carry the cigarette into the city’s stormwater system, where the toxic chemicals trapped in the cigarette filter leak out into the aquatic ecosystem threatening the quality of the water and aquatic life forms. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic and have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food. The biggest myth is that cigarette filters are biodegradable, however, cigarette butts can take up to 5 years to break down. Smokers may not realise their actions have such a lasting, negative impact on the environment. Smoke Free Work Environment by-laws have been in place at UniSA for some time now. The recently designated Smoking Zones at City East and City West campus are designed to reduce conflict between smokers and non-smokers and take smoking away from outdoor eating areas, and the zones also ensure the campuses now comply with the Smoke Free Work Environment by-laws. The question was posed, did the smoking zones go far enough? Well, you be the judge. Mawson Lakes Campus and Magill Campus are also smoke free environments but due the plentiful open spaces smoking zones will not be designated although UniSA’s Smoke Free Work Environment By-Laws are enforced.
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Image BY petar pavlov
July / August 2009
written by Julie White
Curiosity If curiosity is a driving force in your life then being a researcher would definitely suit you. The Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences has people undertaking honours and higher degree research into a breadth and depth of issues encompassing sleep deprivation, cyber bullying, film noir, literacy, play, social justice, sustainability, politics, journalism, food, schooling, gender, race and ethnicity, domestic violence, second life and avatars, visual arts and visual communications, industrial design and architectural history. Our researchers produce fabulous artefacts, exhibitions, and creative outcomes.
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photo by university of south australia
KATE MIRANDILLA chose to come to UniSA from a lecturing position in the Philippines when she won a President’s Scholarship and the Donald Dyer Scholarship in Public Relations. Having given up family, friends and employment, is it worth it? Kate thinks so as she says it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, “everyday brings me closer to an appreciation and understanding of how varied, yet similar, cultures are in this multi-cultural society. Pursuing PhD studies far from home comes in a neat package of ups and downs. With the ‘ups’ cancelling out the ‘downs’, this Australia chapter in my life is definitely worth it”. Tammy Hand, was awarded a PhD scholarship as part of the prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project Early Intervention in Stopping Gendered Violence: Developing an Evidenced Based Intervention Program for Dating Violence. Tammy’s PhD thesis is concerned with the heterosexual dating relationships of 20-30 year old women. Hand says, “I am interested in finding out more about perceptions of relationship equality, dating practices and dating violence, including sexual violence. This study also seeks to explore what young women think is acceptable and unacceptable behaviours in relationships, including behaviours about the use/ abuse of information and communication technologies, like mobile phones”. Last year Helen Sims, was awarded a first class honours undertaking research into the print media’s representations of David Hicks from his internment in Guantanamo Bay to his return to Adelaide. Helen says “I believe it is important to focus on issues that you feel very strongly about, because this is an environment where you can develop research that will make a lasting, positive difference. Curiosity does spark the journey to become a researcher, but once begun, the passion felt about the subject area is what fuels the ride”. Every year the Division of Education, Arts and Social Sciences has over 600 hundred students at Honours, Masters, Professional Doctorate, and PhD levels undertaking research that makes a difference. Why not make your own contribution? For further information, contact your school office.
July / August 2009
Article by Michelle Kavanagh
scholarships at unisa Studying at university can be stressful for a number of reasons, but for some, the concerns can bring about a more serious decision: is university study feasible for me? Maybe you’ve had to relocate to attend university, are juggling multiple financial responsibilities as a single parent, or just need a bit of a helping-hand to deal with the financial strain that can come along with commencing your undergraduate degree. Whatever the reason, read on to find out what’s on offer.
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photo by university of south australia
APPLICATIONS are now open for UniSA Study Grants and the Commonwealth Scholarships program offered by the Federal Government. These schemes aim to provide financial support to undergraduate students in order to alleviate some of the financial stress that can go hand-inhand with university study. Depending on the specific scholarship, payments can be used for education costs such text books, course materials and other study-related materials, or accommodation and relocation costs if you need to relocate in order to undertake your program of study. With up to four years funding available, scholarship payments can make a huge difference. So who’s eligible? Financial disadvantage is the primary condition for both schemes, however, other factors are also taken into consideration. The basic eligibility requirements for a Commonwealth Scholarship are that you are an Australian citizen or the holder of a permanent humanitarian visa. In addition, you must meet the low socio-economic status criteria and full-time student requirements (except in exceptional circumstances). There are a number of Commonwealth Scholarships currently on offer, with the right one for you dependent on your individual circumstances, given each also has its own eligibility requirements. UniSA Study Grants are open to Australian citizens and permanent humanitarian visa holders; however, permanent residents are also eligible to apply. Furthermore, applicants need only be enrolled part-time (nine units per half year), but must still meet the low socio-economic status criteria. Other factors are also taken into consideration when you apply for a UniSA Study Grant, for example if you identify as Indigenous, are from a rural or isolated area, are from a non-English speaking background, or have a disability. Being eligible doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a scholarship however, if you think you might be a suitable candidate we encourage you to read the full eligibility requirements available online. New applications for Commonwealth Scholarships and UniSA Study Grants are now open to both new and continuing students for study in 2009, with further information on eligibility requirements, how to apply, and application deadlines available from: http://www.unisa.edu.au/ scholarship/applynow.asp And if you happen to miss the opportunity to apply this year, be sure to check online for the 2010 information early in the new year.
July / August 2009
Written by pat petronio
feeling powerless as a tenant? About 70% of UniSA students are living in private rental housing, this includes individual leases, co-tenancies & sub-letting arrangements.
ARE YOU ONE OF THEM? Are you embarrassed to admit that you haven’t got much of an idea about what to do if things get a bit bumpy? Do you have no clue where you can get help? Well, I’m sad to say, you’re not alone! If the 2008 UniSA Accommodation survey is an indicator, 1 in 2 students would not know where to get help in the case of a tenancy problem, or would avoid taking the matter further if talking to their landlord didn’t resolve the issue. No wonder all those maintenance, housemate, security bond issues, leave so many people with a bad taste in their mouths and feeling helpless. Do you want to join the ranks of those disgruntled renters?If not, head over to the Advice & Tips section of the UniSA Accommodation website for answers to your questions. You’ll also find links to the Tenancies Branch for related legal issues and downloadable forms, eg. Security Bond Refund Forms, etc. unisa.edu.au/accommodation/Adviceandtips Need to speak to someone about your situation? Just contact me to arrange an appointment accommodation@unisa.edu.au. Alternatively, you can drop in to the Tenancies Branch, Level1 91-97 Grenfell St, City, for free advice. They even run free information sessions for tenants. Don’t let a tenancy problem get out of control. I know it sounds like a cliché, but Knowledge is power!
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artwork by Bryce Hammond
July / August 2009
Written by pauline bradford
after midnight... For some of us, that’s when everything starts to gel. That’s when all of that carefully planned research pays off and the assignment starts to come together. It even looks like you might be finished a few hours before the deadline! Then you have another look at the reference list…
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“PEER REVIEWED…reputable…reliable…scholarly…must show evidence of broad research…” How many times have you seen that in an assignment description or marking criteria? You wouldn’t be the only one to wonder just exactly what it means and where you’re meant to start. There is a trap. It’s what I call the Google-World-View Whirlpool of Grade Reduction (no, actually, I just made that up. But I like it). Google’s served you well in the past; surely it wouldn’t let you down now? So you type in a few words and spend a few hours trawling through what you find. It’s a real jumble. There are sites trying to flog you stuff, sites with an ideological agenda to push, sites posted by someone who’d like to share the “facts” on a topic but forgot to say where these came from or who they are… I can’t knock Google. I use it every day. It uncovers real gems. What about the sites of research centres, unis, think-tanks, government departments, professional associations? But a simple search pulls up a lot of stuff you’d be (how shall I say this politely?) unwise to use in your assignments. There’s more to life than Google. There’s a whole world of “peer reviewed, reputable etc etc” stuff out there if only you know where to look. And because you’re a UniSA student, it’s free. Well, I guess you are paying for some of it with your Uni fees – so why not get value for money? Just imagine. There are millions of “scholarly” articles at your fingertips. Thousands of books, both online and in the old fashioned kill a tree format. Lists of “quality” websites that’ll save you having to trawl for them. You don’t have to work it all out alone. The Library website is overflowing with online vids, workshops, guides, resources. Then of course you could give the people at the Library a call, chat with them online, send them an email or even drop by the desk next time you’re in. They’re passionate. They’re friendly. And they’re here to help you make the most of your time at UniSA.
For more information check out the Library website www.library.unisa.edu.au or call 1300 137 659
July / August 2009
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July / August 2009
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