Vertigo Magazine - Issue 5 by Elle Williams

VERTIGO 2012

Issue 5 Street Art Around Campus The Future of 2ser The Procrastination Problem

WE’VE FOUND WIRELESS!

In Semester One, the UTS IT Division partnered with the Students’ Association to create WHERE’S WIRELESS – a campaign to hear and respond to student concerns with UTS wireless. Well, the surveys are in and there’s great news to report! We’ve got wireless! In direct response to student feedback, the IT Division undertook a huge expansion of the university’s wireless infrastructure, and they’ve nearly finished rolling it out! With the team putting in up to six nights of work a week, we will see a total of 382 new access points installed on the university's wireless network by late July. To date, Broadway Buildings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been completed, with a few more access points to be installed at Kuring-gai. The rollout was largely focused on teaching and learning spaces such as lecture rooms and theatres, but has also increased wireless coverage in the university’s public spaces and in a number of new office areas. And it seems to be working: we’ve already seen wireless-related traffic through the IT service desk decrease by a third. So from the Students’ Association and the IT Division, we’d like to wish you a very happy and well-connected Semester Two!

www.sa.uts.edu.au

editors Martha AZZI Jezelle Boughaleb Mariam Chehab Lisa Dieu Azal Khan Jessica Looi

CONTENTS

CREATIVE directors Ben WALKER Elle WILLIAMS Art & Design Johnny LE Contributors Kaitlen BASTION Joshua BOULIS Tabitha CHAN Sally COLEMAN Zeynab GAMIELDIEN Jackelyn HO Nazeeha JACOBS Derek LAU Sophie LIU Sean MALIN Melissa MANTLE Isabel NGUYEN Kahla PRESTON Alex RITCHIE Olivia SHEAD Tom SMITH John SOMERVILLE Bree SPARRE ADVERTISING Stephanie KING WITH THANKS TO JADE TYRELL ET AL. SPOTPRESS PTY LTD, MARRICKVILLE COVER ART ears

Vertigo and its entire contents are protected by copyright. Vertigo will retain reprint rights, contributors retain all other rights for resale and republication. No material may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the copyright holders. Vertigo would like to show its respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Land, the Gadigal and Guring-gai people of the Eora Nation, upon whose ancestral lands the university now stands. More than 500 Indigenous Nations shared this land for over 40,000 years before invasion. We express our solidarity and continued commitment to working with Indigenous peoples in Australia and around the world, in their ongoing struggle for land rights, self-determination, sovereignty, and the recognition and compensation for past injustices.

8 the future of 2ser Mariam Chehab

12 the procrastination problem Kahla Preston

26 STREET ART AROUND CAMPUS Sally Coleman

EDITORIAL WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HAPPENED CALENDAR IN A NUTSHELL THE DEFAMER INSIGHTFUL PHRASES SHOWCASE ART SHOWCASE WORDS 8 BALL COLUMNISTS DID YOU KNOW? FITNESS SPORT ENGINEERING, WOMEN & ENGSOC RECIPIES BEST OF REVIEWS GAMES RANDOM RANT SA & COLLECTIVE REPORTS

4 5 7 14 16 18 20 22 24 29 30 32 33 34 38 40 42 46 47 48

EDITORIAL A word from your editors

And we’re baaack! Hey Vertigoers! Hope you had an awesome/crazy/restful holiday! For those new-comers, we’d like to welcome you to UTS and hope you make some experiences you will never forget –unfortunately for the rest of us, it’s time to put those nerd glasses on and let our livers catch a break. Sure we’re facing a plethora of assignments, quizzes and monotonous lectures, but on the brightside we get to catch up with those friends we failed to see (due to a series of badly planned get-togethers). We’ve spent our holidays working hard to bring you an all-new Vertigo. From white borders to a new logo to a different typeface, we hope you enjoy this jam-packed Vertigo featuring content from you and your friends! Unless you or your friends didn’t contribute… *cough*. This edition will force you out of the classroom and into the streets with a guide to the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it street art around UTS. We also take a look at the changes that have occurred at 2ser – the community radio station and UTS neighbour – where many a budding journalism student has gone to finetune their radio skills. Issues around alcoholism in today’s youth is debated in 8-ball and Did You Know will have you self-diagnosing your phobias (always a good idea). We go to Chinatown in Best Of and nod in agreement to the Random Rant about customer service – ranting about the customers, mind you. Editor Lisa shares her love for photography in Showcase and we also get to read some amazing creative writing in Showcase Words. We have all our regulars and welcome our two new columnists, John and Joshua to the magazine. And, to warn you of what surely is to come, is an article about procrastination and why we do it. Ah, procrastination. It’s so uniting it’s almost beautiful. So if you’ve actually read all the way to this line flip the page and get to it! As always, let us know what you think by shooting us an email to editiorial@utsvertigo.com, or via facebook and twitter. Send us your work at submissions@utsvertigo.com. Have a great semester, Jess and Mariam

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DJ Comp 2012

WHAT’S HAPPENED

Uni Games 2012

WHAT’S HAPPENED

AUGUST

Words JEZELLE BOUGHALEB

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Ed Sheeran 7pm at Enmore Theatre. Tickets available from Ticketek.

1 UTS Olympic Games event

UTS Big Chill Ice Rink 11am - 9pm, running from 10th - 26th of August

8 Australian Business and Events Expo at Sydney Convention Centre.

Drive-in movies at Randwick Racecourse every Fri, Sat and Sun this month.

Hilltop Hoods 7pm at the Hordern Pavilion. Tickets available from Ticketek.

Welcome back to Uni Party

Sydney International Spa and Beauty Expo, this weekend at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Last day to be admitted to a course or to enrol in subjects for Spring semester 2012

UTS band competition at Glasshouse Bar.

Infusion week – UTS multicultural festival (until 30th)

5 City 2 Surf – Hyde Park to Bondi Cheer the UTS team on!

UTS Open Day, City campus

Daffodil Day

sunday

Darling Harbour fireworks at 8:30pm

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival Sydney until Saturday 25th at Town Hall.

saturday

UTS Vacation, Internship and Volunteer Fair

FRIDAY

Census date for Spring semester and August session subjects – last day to withdraw from coursework.

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THE FUTURE OF 2SER Changes to the news and current affairs programming at the community radio station have been met with surprise and anger by volunteers and FASS staff. The station is located just a couple of metres from the Tower and has been a go-to place for journalism students to hone their radio skills. What will the changes mean to future volunteers, and how will it affect 2serâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with UTS? MARIAM CHEHAB takes an indepth look at the issue and the reaction from stakeholders.

Nestled in between the Co-op bookstore and an optometrist on Broadway, the office of independent community radio station 2ser is easy to miss to students hastily making their way to and from the Tower building. But controversial changes within the organisation have made it a whole lot more visible, with threats of industrial action by some UTS staff and coverage appearing in print and online news sites like the Sydney Morning Herald, New Matilda and Mumbrella. At the heart of the issue is the redundancy of Talks Coordinator Mark Robinson, a 20 year veteran of the station as well as the only paid news and current affairs staff member. According to 2ser management, the restructure within the organisation was necessary due to the financial difficulty the station’s experiencing with revenue unable to cover increasing costs. Notice of the proposed changes and of his possible axing was made public on Monday May 14th – the same day it was announced to 2ser volunteers. From that day onwards, the consultation period and lead up to the implementation of the changes exposed a rift regarding the demands and understanding between 2ser management, station volunteers, FASS staff, journalism students and the Students’ Association. Allegations of an overall lack of genuine communication and consultation surfaced.

financial constraints: “It is always very unfortunate if savings end up costing people their jobs and there’s no other way of doing it.” This was reiterated within a statement sent to Vertigo by Withnall, where she states “no viable alternative to abolishing those positions was identified in the station’s consultation process with staff and stakeholders”. But the consultation management held over the proposed plans was another sore point, with various stakeholders complaining it was near to non-existent, ad-hoc and disingenuous. Consultation or ‘decision already made’? Four days after the news of the proposed changes broke, four volunteers, including Shant Fabricatorian wrote to Melanie Withnall asking for an extension to the two week consultation period in order to “allow all producers and contributors the chance to... view the proposal, provide feedback, and schedule potential meetings”. “This request was initially ignored and then later formally turned down without any reason given,” Fabricatorian wrote for New Matilda. Pressure increased in the following days and weeks, with over 200 UTS journalism students signing a petition requesting an extension as well as the UTS Students’ Association and 18 FASS staff members writing directly to UTS Deputy Vice Chancellor (International and Development) and 2ser Board member William Purcell. University members of The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) threatened industrial action over the station’s lack of consultation with academics, who according to Professor Bacon, “received no official notice of these changes or received a copy of the Change Proposal”. The extension was not formally granted. “When the Students’ Association, the NTEU, academic staff and alumni are all concerned, one would certainly like to think there could have been a serious review of the decision,” Professor Bacon says. This was echoed by Save 2ser Talks, who wrote an email to Withnall asking why management had not held a general staff meeting in order to address the “obvious and widespread concern” the volunteers had, which were then outlined in the email. Although Withnall says in her reply that she’s happy to discuss the issues raised and “to meet with any staff members and volunteers about the process,” the group was not placated by her advice to revisit the Change Proposal as “a starting point” in terms of addressing the issues raised. Their reply email, on June 21, asking management for a general meeting so all stakeholders could clarify issues that were not addressed in the Proposal, was not replied to. Mark Robinson, the Talks Coordinator, was then made redundant five days later. This lack of communication and genuine consultation

“2SER has lost a very valuable employee who deserved better treatment after his outstanding service to the station for more than a decade.”

Why the restructure? According to 2ser Managing Director Melanie Withnall, the restructure was necessary in order for 2ser “to remain viable and progressive” as “costs have increased substantially over the past few years [and] income from other channels has not kept pace with the necessary expenditure”. Although both UTS and Macquarie jointly own the station, they had not increased base funding despite an increase in costs. However the necessity of axing the position of Talks Coordinator has been disputed by some volunteers such as former Neighbourhood Watch Producer, Shant Fabricatorian. In a New Matilda opinion piece written a little more than a week after the Change Proposal was made public, he questioned how it was that “the suggested route to achieve this stability was not, in the first instance, savings across the board” but rather staff cuts. Although the Change Proposal states that 2ser’s “biggest real cost is wages, leaving this the only area where savings can be made,” Fabricatorian points out that while the Proposal indicated the loss of three jobs, two of the positions hadn’t been staffed for a period of five months to a year. UTS Professor of Journalism, Wendy Bacon, expresses the same sentiment, saying the removal of a key person in a restructure is “highly unusual”. Although she recognises the difficulty of operating within financial constraints, Bacon says “there are always a range of ways to save money...this was not a good move”. But 2ser board member and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Professor Theo van Leeuwen says the station had to make some tough decisions due to its

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with volunteers significantly impacted the station’s morale, Fabricatorian says, “especially in the news and current affairs division... I think there is real disillusionment that he’s been cast aside in this way”. The Change Proposal itself recognised the high impact level of staff morale and had a mitigation strategy in place – “clear, consistent and effective communication through the change process”. However in his New Matilda piece, Fabricatorian questions the degree to which the strategy and the consultation were “conducted in good faith”. “Lack of explanation has, in fact, been a hallmark of the feedback process,” he stated. He says the way management dealt with the restructure was the main reason as to why he left the station in early July. “I decided to leave mostly because I was disgusted at management’s handling of this issue. The overall lack of consultation is particularly galling - management didn’t even bother to acknowledge requests for a station meeting... which seems strange for a station that is almost entirely reliant on volunteers to generate content. I believe that the station’s most distinctive aspect – its specialist news and talks shows – will suffer without a dedicated staffer to oversee them.” Professor of Journalism, Alan Knight, says that although there probably should have been more consultation, the running of station is the responsibility of 2ser management and that it’s natural “that people are not entirely happy or united... basically everybody thinks they should run it, but then nobody takes responsibility for the punches”. But the lack of feedback has left many at the station, like second year Journalism student and Razor’s Edge contributor Tawar Razaghi, concerned for the future prospects of volunteers: “The lack of consultation of the volunteers has left many incredulous to the way the proposed changes took place. With many emails and requests unanswered 2ser’s volunteer community is still left in the dark about what will happen after Mark leaves us.” Jade Tyrrell, the President of the Students’ Association, says that although “students in particular and volunteers should’ve been consulted in a more significant way,” the decision felt like it was “pretty much in the pipeline”. Professor Wendy Bacon agrees: “After years of mutual support between 2SER and the UTS journalism program, management did not intend to inform us of the decision until after it was a fait accompli. “The loss of the Talks coordinator is a serious blow to 2SER. Mark Robinson was recognised by many alumni, students and staff to be a lynch-pin at the station.”

Journalism and International Studies student Sam Buckingham Jones. “I learned most of what I know from him – he showed me how to use the equipment, showed me examples of previous stories – practically gave me a lot of his time, and he did a lot. And it’s not just about what he did for me. Mark was the backbone of the operation.” The removal of the Talks Coordinator has drawn the most concern for stakeholders, who saw Mark’s job as essential to the mentoring of volunteers and to the quality of Talks (news and current affairs) shows. The belief that Mark is ‘the backbone’ of the station is a sentiment shared by Tyrrell, who questions how future volunteers will get the same one-on-one mentoring that Mark had provided. “I think the position is something that is really crucial to the station and particularly students’ relationships with 2ser. The Talks Coordinator appears to be glue that holds the Talks together so without that position you wonder what is actually going to happen and how students are going to come through and get the same level of experience.” Wendy Bacon says 2ser is a feature of UTS that’s promoted with pride and to prospective students, but says the station “will not be the same without Mark on staff providing hands on professional journalism support to our students from a wide range of Faculties. “2SER has lost a valuable employee who deserved better treatment after his outstanding service to this station for more than a decade.” In her statement to Vertigo, Withnall states the restructure is not anticipated to “impact upon the station’s ability to provide the current level of programming. “2ser remains committed to talk based programming and will continue to employ producers for 4 programs... as well as general programming staff. Specialist talks programs will also be continued.” However Fabricatorian does not think this is the case, and believes the quality and content of the 19 Talks programs will decrease, saying Mark was “essentially the only experienced hand overseeing the quality control, talent coordination, giving news and editorial advice so far as all of these programs rely on it”. He says it is certain that a number of the programs will suffer either immediately or in the longer-term. “I can tell you for a fact that it is hard to see how Razor’s Edge is going to survive on an ongoing basis because Mark Robinson volunteers on his weekends to actually come in and put that show together. I can tell you Neighbourhood Watch and Third Degree are absolutely going to be directly affected [and] I’m sure that that applies to a number of other shows as well.” On June 29, Save 2ser Talks reported on their Twitter page that the media news show The Fourth Estate didn’t go to air as a consequence of Mark’s redundancy, tweeting “No 4th Estate show IS a direct gap in programming! A direct loss in quality of talks content! And this is just day 3 of no Talks Co-ord”. Fabricatorian claims the restructure deprioritises news and current affairs, despite management saying in an email to volun-

“It is always very unfortunate if savings end up costing people their jobs and there’s no other way of doing it.”

Removal of the Talks Coordinator: Impact on Talks programs and UTS journalism volunteers “The loss of Mark is huge. Mark’s a great guy, who is always there for any and all of us. And I mean always,” says second year

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teers that the station “is committed to providing both talk and 2ser does for us” and has taken the idea directly to the board. music based content, and there’re no plans to cut any programs”. “If you look at the sort of things we’ve asked for, we’ve said “If you’re going to abolish the majority of the funding in the there must be a contact point; there should be regular training form of wages that is allocated exclusively to news and current courses so every student that goes into 2ser goes to a training affairs then I don’t see how you can possibly justify that as any- course. There needs to be a clear delineation of what’s been thing other than a deprioritisation of and the defunding of news offered to students, and we need to have an idea of how many and current affairs programming,” Fabricatorian says. students are going through each year.” Board member, as well as Dean of FASS, Professor Theo van Knight says the station was “one of the strategic advantages Leeuwen says that despite the loss of the Talks Coordinator, of UTS journalism” which he identified but is “not nearly as “there is no immediate reason to think” quality or content of the influential as it once was 20 years ago”. “Things don’t stay the news programming will decline “because all of the producers, same, and we’ll see. We’ll see what it’s like. Definitely we want the same producers must now produce the same programs. someone we can talk to, who we can basically work with, so “Mark was a liaison kind of person, you know, coordinator, that when students go and do work placements at 2ser they can not a producer”. be mentored and helped.” He says that although the changes may affect FASS “in This has been the assurance by Withnall: “Our commitment the sense that 2ser has really provided what in essence is free to providing training and helping to ensure that UTS Students tuition to journalism students” 2ser management had “assured are ‘job ready’ remains. What will change as a result of the us that although they are not happening exactly the same way, station’s restructure is how that training is to be delivered.” they will continue to provide this. So what we are waiting for There was no elaboration as to how this will be done. [is] to discuss the proposals from 2ser to see how they provide 2ser has a good reputation for fostering and mentoring that, and then we will assess that, and if it were less than what talent, and many volunteers have gone on to become foreign was provided previously then the faculty has to arrange for that correspondents and respected journalists. The restructure within and not 2ser, because we have no formal arrangement about 2ser has raised questions as to whether the station can continue that. We [FASS] really have no jurisdiction over of 2ser at all”. to provide the high quality of training it is known for, as well Journalism Professor Alan Knight sees the necessity for the as continuing to provide alternative, award winning news and informal relationship between the UTS and 2ser to change. He current affairs programs. l says there is a need for a formal agreement that states roles and responsibilities that “agrees on what we do for 2ser and what *Mark Robinson declined to be interviewed by Vertigo

‘‘

“Our commitment to providing training and helping to ensure that UTS Students are ‘job ready’ remains. What will change as a result of the station’s restructure is how thaT training will be delivered.”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT:

the dilemma of the procrastinator

Procrastination: how something so wonderful can make us feel so bad. Words KAHLA PRESTON After almost five years as a student of UTS, I have arrived at a ground-breaking and thoroughly scientific hypothesis: Facebook activity is directly proportional to the proximity of assessment and examination deadlines. Semesters of observation have indicated that when due dates loom, the student brain is somehow hardwired to compulsively hit ‘refresh’ to ensure that not one Game of Thronesrelated status update or grainy Instagram of a sunset (that undoubtedly looked more impressive before the filter was applied) goes un-‘liked’. This phenomenon can be summed up in one word: procrastination. Defined by the Centre for Clinical Intervention as “making a decision for no valid reason to delay or not complete a task or goal you’ve committed to, and instead doing something of lesser importance”, procrastination has a long and fascinating history. The word itself, derived from the Latin verb procrastinare which literally translates to moving something forward to tomorrow, appeared in the English language in the mid-16th century. Yet the idea has been referenced by many a historical proverb or saying: Shakespeare declared that “in delay there lies no plenty” while English historian Lord Acton believed “a wise person does at once, what a fool does at last”. Some would beg to differ with these views; Hunter S. Thompson and Bill Clinton are among several successful figures said to have been great procrastinators during their career (what does it take to be considered a ‘great’ procrastinator, I wonder?) Yet it seems procrastination is as synonymous with the university student experience as waiting café tables for a minimum wage. Studies undertaken in the US, UK and Australia indicate that over 70 percent of university students are ‘chronic procrastinators’, a staggering figure compared to the mere 20 percent recorded among adults in the general population. According to Vivilia Widjaja, registered psychologist and counsellor at UTS Counselling Service, humans procrastinate for an array of reasons, including difficulty with tolerating discomfort (for example boredom, tiredness or stress), poor time and task management, perfectionism and self-doubt. “When we are working on something less fun or difficult and the reward is not immediate, we tend to procrastinate,”

12 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

she adds. Research has also pinpointed ‘evaluation threat’ as a contributing factor to procrastination; people are more likely to put off work in instances where they know it will be intensively evaluated. Vivilia also says the university learning environment contributes to students being particularly prone to the ‘due tomorrow, do tomorrow’ attitude. “Students need to learn independently and feedback is not given very regularly – I mean, lecturers don’t sit down with students and help them with difficult assessments and they don’t give feedback every second week… this requires a lot of independent learning and self-motivation”. Annabelle, a final year student and self-described procrastinator, agrees. “It’s on me to get things done [at university]. I don’t have teachers or my parents standing over me saying ‘You have to study’. If I get a bad mark, it’s kind of like, ‘Well, your fault.’ Therefore procrastination is my choice as well”. Just as there are many reasons we procrastinate, the act itself takes a variety of forms. I’m convinced that if there was ever doubt over the diversity of the human race, one would only need to examine the different ways we avoid what we’re supposed to be doing. Annabelle admits to being distracted by “anything and everything” come assessment time, whether it’s movies, her housemates or the instinct to nap – “I can’t work in a room with a bed or a couch in it because I will go to sleep”. She also partakes in the popular and delicious art of procrasti-baking. “I get inspiration when I’m procrastinating… instead of just having a sandwich, I will have something slow-cooked or challenge myself to use every single ingredient in my fridge that’s about to go off, whereas in the holidays I just get pasta sauce from the fridge and whip it up and go about my way.” Emma, a recent graduate, devised a sneaky way to create frequent study breaks while preparing for her HSC (or ‘ATAR’ to all you youngen’s). “I would drink litres of water so that I’d have to go to the toilet all the time, even though the bathroom was only about two metres away,” she says. A quick poll revealed a myriad of other techniques, ranging from mundane to productive: trimming split ends, video gaming, meticulously arranging book collections by colour,

author and/or genre, yoga, making endless cups of tea, watching animal videos, undertaking a regular pilgrimage from desk to fridge and obsessively cleaning. One friend admits that she’s never procrastinated more than when working on a recent psychology lab report about, ironically, procrastination: “I spent most of my time complaining about the report on Facebook or calling people to whinge about how I hadn’t started. Failing that, I’d proof other people’s work”. There’s also the (hopefully self-explanatory) phenomenon referred to as, ahem… “procrastibation”. Undoubtedly, the Internet is a treasure trove of procrastination fodder, from YouTube and Wikipedia to the hilarious Animals Talking In All Caps tumblr (which I wholeheartedly recommend, having scrolled through all 60+ pages in one sitting. Oops). Yet the jewel in the online procrastination crown is Facebook, if the sheer number of status updates from people in the midst of avoiding study is anything to go by. One enormously popular Facebook page, UTS Memes, has provided procrastinators with a range of chuckle-inducing material since it started in March. “Our aim is to give insights on what students go through during university, from annoying tutors to procrastination, that we can quote from our own experiences or other students’ experiences,” says creator Faruque Ahmed, who runs the page with fellow students Patrick Vuong, Saieash Mohanadas and Stefan Caliaro. Tellingly, one of the most popular memes features a sleeping panda accompanied by the words, ‘Finals are approaching fast. I’d better rest now so I’m not tired when I decide to study.’ Other procrastination-specific memes include the ubiquitous ‘One does not simply… stop procrastinating’ and just about anything featuring the ‘Lazy College Senior’ image. Faruque says that these are regularly shared by students on Facebook because of their wide relevance. “Everyone procrastinates so I can see that anyone can relate to a procrastination meme or two… even the hardest of workers procrastinate,” he says. Despite their procrastination habit, most students will eventually manage to get work completed on time. “I’ve never missed a deadline because I’ve been procrastinating so bad … When it comes down to those last few hours I’ve got the fear

‘‘

Studies undertaken in the US, UK and Australia indicate that upwards of 70% of university students are ‘chronic procrastinators’

factor and I work,” says Annabelle. There’s even a name for this phenomenon; ‘student syndrome’ was coined by business management guru Eliyahu M. Goldratt, describing the tendency of students to fully apply themselves to a task at the last minute before a deadline. However, this attitude can have damaging effects. “For some students, they procrastinate so much that their academic progress is impacted,” says Vivilia Widjaja. The good news for chronic procrastinators is that help is available here at UTS. The Counselling Service started running procrastination support group workshops on campus back in 2010 with an aim to assist students in managing their procrastination habit. “During the group, students reflect on their own patterns of procrastination and strategies on how to manage it. They will then go home and practise the skills and the following week they review and learn more skills,” says Vivilia, adding that, unsurprisingly, there’s ‘no one size fits all’ approach to dealing with procrastination. Procrastination, if unmanaged, can be problematic. However Vivilia stresses that as long as a student’s quality of life or study is not being significantly impacted, there is nothing wrong with putting the books down and occasionally indulging in something enjoyable. “Remember, studying can take years for most students, so it’s important that they still have a life; [and] continue exercising, keeping in touch with friends and family, as well as enjoying pleasant activities,” she says. On that encouraging note, I might just squeeze in just one more episode of Community before finishing my final essay... (Information on the UTS procrastination workshops can be found at: http://www.ssu.uts.edu.au/counselling/workshops/ procrastination.html) l

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 13

IN A NUTSHELL

THE GOD PARTICLE

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to trawl through the stacks of newspaper articles to keep up-to-date with current affairs? In a Nutshell cracks those difficult issues and simplifies them into digestible, bite-size pieces. Words MARTHA AZZI

The discovery of Higgs Boson, dubbed the God particle, has ended a 50 year search. It is the beginning of a whole new branch of theoretical physics and ranked as one of the most significant finds in a century. In 1964 Dr Peter Higgs took note that an unknown field, the Higgs force, was in existence. He proposed this field to explain why some particles, such as electrons, vary in mass and why particles don’t all travel at the speed of light – concepts which scientists were unable to explain. This energy field proposed the notion that subatomic particles would interact with the field and give them their mass. Thus this mechanism helps us explain the basic building blocks of the universe by assisting scientists in providing an explanation of how particles acquire mass. To get a better idea of what this means picture a room full of people. The room represents the Higgs force (the field) and each person represents a Higgs Boson. If a celebrity and the Prime Minister were to walk into the room, people would naturally crowd around them, slowing their movement across the room just as the Higgs Boson slows down the movement of certain particles across the universe. Therefore the slower the movement of the particle, the heavier the mass; heavy mass particles would interact a great deal with the field while massless particles wouldn’t interact at all. Without the Higgs Boson scientists will have to question all their current theories on the nature of matter as well as come up with a new explanation on why all particles in the universe have a mass. These are just two of the reasons why so much time and money has been invested in the discovery of the Higgs Boson. The Higgs Boson is also one of the main reasons why the large $10 billion hadron collider - the world’s biggest atom smasher - was built deep underground, stretching between France and Switzerland. This collider releases protons at accelerations almost the speed of light at opposite ends of a 27km long ring in order for them to collide. The resulting explosion when collided will create approximately 100,000 times more heat than the sun. However it will be a billion times smaller than a speck of dust and will only happen for a fleeting moment. This collision is what scientists hoped will lead to the finding of Higgs Boson. Last December scientists using two detectors at The Large Hadron Collider announced that they had acquired tantalising hints that the boson existed, but their results weren’t statistically significant enough to declare that they had made a discovery. Since then they have increased the energy of the collisions and they have got twice as much data as they had before – this is why the world has been waiting for them to announce their results. Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research announced the discovery of the Higgs Boson at a press conference in Geneva on July 4 at a ‘sigma–four’ level, meaning they are 99.99 percent certain of its existence.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 15

the

Defamer

16 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

By Tabitha Chan and Mariam Chehab

Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr was commended for his role in negotiating the release of Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor, who was imprisoned in Libya. However, some claim Carr and the Australian Government have not placed the same urgency to help a fellow Australian in trouble abroad â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WikiLeaks editor and investigative journalist Julian Assange.

DISCLAIMER:

The images and text portrayed are not intended to defame any individual, group or organisation. This is our attempt at satire; apologies if our sense of humour is not in line with yours.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 17

you’ve got a way with words Insightful thoughts from someone who should know. Or maybe not? Words MARTHA AZZI

1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. Bob Smith 2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on my list. Unknown 3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. Albert Einstein 4. If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong. Unknown 5. We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public. Bryan White 6. War does not determine who is right – only who is left. Bertrand Russell 7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. Brian O’Driscoll 8. Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good Evening,’ and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t. Unknown 9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research. Steven Wright 10. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station. William Faulkner 11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks. Unknown 12. I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. Unknown 13. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman. Groucho Marx 14. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory. Unknown

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15. I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness. Unknown 16. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive more than once. Unknown 17. Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with. Unknown 18. I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not sure. Graffiti 19. You’re never too old to learn something stupid. John Fox 20. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. Daniel Rogov 21. A diplomat is someone who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip. Caskie Stinnett 22. Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even when you wish they were. Unknown 23. I always take life with a grain of salt. Plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila. Unknown 24. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water. Unknown 25. You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. Ayn Rand 26. It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. Ronald Reagan (also Harry S. Truman) 27. The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Michelangelo

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 19

showcasing

Lisa dieu

Photography is just another platform for me to express myself. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essentially presenting artistry in a different light. I specialise in portrait photography because I like to bring out the best in my subjects through capturing authentic emotions and personality. I like to experiment with different things so sometimes if I come up with an idea, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll simply go out and shoot it. I love taking photos that are poignant or seem intriguing because those are the types of photos that people are more inclined to revisit.

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VERTIGO Issue FIVE 21

A bloodstained reality Words NAZ JACOBS

22 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

I find it hard to accept that I live in a world where a mother has to hold the mutilated corpse of her child in her arms, screaming at the sky for some sort of retribution. I find it hard to accept that there are people with rifles, with nothing but shells of empty grenades for hearts, and mouths that only spit shrapnel. My soul aches and I can’t sleep at night. I feel myself suffocating, my chest compressed under the bodies of dead children. I am deeper than six feet under. I sleep on the floor of a mass grave, where the deaths of civilians aren’t even acknowledged, just hurled into a trench with no respect for their existence. Every evening I return from a life of inconsequential pursuits, and lie on a mattress with springs poking into my back; it feels like the gun of a soldier. A soldier who wants to kill me for no other reason than being human. And I cannot fathom the fear and despair of every person counting down the seconds before their blood becomes a new layer of paint on the walls. I’m haunted by the cries of the friends I have never known, and will never know. The tears of the orphans, the widows. Miles away, their echoes are like fingers trying to clutch onto me for crumbs of hope. But what can I give them? I see children running through the rubble, playing games in bombed out buildings, distracting themselves from the anguish in their veins. Too aware of life and its transience, too aware of death and its permanence. My mind is a television and I can’t find the remote.

Maybe I just feel too much. But how can I not be moved by all of this pain? While I haven’t been able to sleep properly for months, it cannot compare to the girl who stays up revisited by memories of the soldier with eyes of bullets, who pinned her to the dusty floor and destroyed her innocence. It does not compare to the boy with his limbs torn off, who sobs throughout the night with the most intense of physical agony. I wish I could somehow write letters to all these people, to let them know that I think of them every night and just wish them the strength to get through another day. It would not change their fate, but at least they would be aware that someone out there cares — as incapable as I am — someone who hurts at the mere knowledge of all they have to endure. It could have been me, out there. And it is me.    Pieces of me running for cover as the bombs explode. Pieces of me shaking my motionless brother, praying for another breath to escape his lips. It’s me. And it’s you too.

I am plagued by these images, projectiles ripping through my false sense of serenity. I’m tormented by the fact that humans with skin and scars just like me are subjected to such atrocities. And I cry at my own inability to save anyone at all.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 23

8 ball

Does Gen Y have a drinking problem? yes no Words OLIVIA SHEAD

We all know that drinking in moderation is fine, hell, it is even considered healthy. Yet for the majority of Gen Y, moderation is not something drinking comes down to. Nights out are fueled by alcohol, with 80 percent of 14-24 year-olds drinking at high-risk levels. If that does not deem a generational drinking problem, then I do not know what will. I think many people would agree that underage drinking is very much alive. For most of us, high school is not yet in the distant past and the blurry memories of 16th and 18th birthdays are only a click away on Facebook. But what may be surprising is that teenagers are not the highest group of binge drinkers in Australia, nor are they are the least sensible or the most risky. Instead, it is people in their twenties who are one and a half times more likely to binge drink. But how is this so? How is it that the older members of Gen Y are those with the biggest problem? We are well aware of the risks, we know our limits and as the idiom goes, we are now ‘older and wiser’. Clearly we’re not. All the facts point towards the harsh reality; as Australians we live in a culture driven by excessive drinking. You are frowned upon if you do not drink, you are labelled a ‘pussy’ if you choose to drive and our national holiday is flagged by drunken frivolity. For Gen Y, you only have to look at yourself or your friends to see that drinking is a problem, as a good friend stumbled towards me at a recent 21st and declared me “No fun” as I was “not drunk enough!” Issues surrounding our drinking habits have never been so clear. We drink to get drunk and it is simple as that. The more intoxicated you are the ‘more fun’ you are to be around and that’s the strange warped existence many of us live in. I will admit, at times, I too am unapologetically locked in this way of life, but it should not be declared normal. If anything, it should be highlighted as a problem.    By all means I do not think all teenagers and twenty-something’s are like this. I am well aware that even through these university halls walk students perfectly content in a life without a drunken haze. But facts and figures do not lie and what they say is loud and clear: Gen Y has a drinking problem.

Words Kaitlen Bastion

Like completing school and getting your licence, learning to drink responsibly is a rite of passage on our journey towards maturity. Bonding over a beer is part of the Australian way of life. How dare anyone suggest that Gen Y should not continue in this tried and tested social norm! Early settlement saw one hundred thousand gallons of wine and spirits shipped each year and our first wine producer was Governor Arthur Phillip. Is this generation remembered as alcohol-obsessed nuisances? No! Our post war periods saw a boom in bar visits from ex-servicemen, bonding with those likeminded over a beer. Would we label them alcoholics? We wouldn’t dare! They were our Australian heroes, using the time with their drink to bond with equals in a comfortable setting, yet Gen Y’ers catching up with friends at the pub is a sign of a drinking problem. Go figure… As the decades have passed so has the censorship of alcohol. Before the late 1980’s, a young person who had been drinking could get behind the wheel and drive home. While ridiculously dangerous, it did ensure that those tipsy after a big one were hidden safely within their cars and off the streets. Not loudly hailing taxis in the early hours of the morning. Where past generations could drink freely in parks and streets, legislation introduced in the early 1990’s restricted the consumption of alcohol in public areas, and hence narrowed the areas where Generation Y were allowed to drink. So is a group of 20-somethings with a glass of wine really a raging alcohol fuelled disaster? Or is it simply friends trying to catch up in one of the few places still permitted? Are we any worse than those who came before us? The World Health Organisation has noted that Australia has not increased in litres of alcohol consumption per capita in the past twenty years. In fact, globally, we have dropped from having the seventh highest percentage of alcohol consumption world wide to not even making the top twenty list. Perhaps it all comes down to the idea of perception. Papers bombard us with images of the Gen Y’ers smiling their alcopop stained faces on Schoolies week or New Years Eve, and news headlines scare us into believing that Generation Y are to blame for Australia’s hard partying reputation. Why does the media portray Gen Y as out of control alcoholics? Are they worried about our reputations? Perhaps. Are they concerned for our health? Maybe. Or does all this media scrutiny come from the reality that portraying young adults as alcohol-obsessed ratbags is more entertaining than the sad truth; many us are really just at home watching re-runs of Friends.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 25

the hidden gems around campus

Have you seen the occasional scrawl on a wall, door or bridge around campus? Well it’s probably a graffiti artist making their mark. Read on to find out more about graffiti around our uni. Words & Photography Sally Coleman

Sticker by Blomtrog

For many people, the word ‘graffiti’ brings to mind the hastily-sprayed scrawls that clutter Sydney’s streets, trains and alleyways. Fashion Student, Rebecca says, “It’s so ugly. People just write their name everywhere. Like, if you’re going to paint on stuff, you could at least make it look nice.” Engineering Student, Aaron, feels that we are lacking good artists. “I dunno [sic], I think good graffiti’s pretty cool, but there’s not much good stuff in Sydney. All the best painters are in the States and Europe and stuff. Here there’s just a bunch of crappy tags.” Although there’s skill in writing an elegant tag, inner-city scribbles are definitely not everyone’s piece of cake. However, being located in the heart of Sydney has endowed UTS with a number of aesthetic pro’s and con’s. Con: A campus that’s half nuclear bunker, half IKEA on steroids. Pro: Free access to the work of some of Sydney’s most recognisable street artists. Unfortunately, the transition between brown concrete and every conceivable shade of bright green seems to leave many students so visually overwhelmed that they fail to notice these artistic offerings. For those who keep their eyes peeled, however, the streets surrounding UTS are a haven for the urban pastime of Artist Spotting. This article provides a beginner’s guide to some of the most distinctive artists whose work can be found in the immediate vicinity of UTS. Before you know it, you’ll be a connoisseur of some of Sydney’s tastiest paste-ups, stickers, stencils, pieces and tags.

Kensington St, opposite the Tower Building

Above Ultimo Road

Kensington St, opposite the Tower Building

Overlooking passing pedestrians on Ultimo Road, Ears’ artwork might be a familiar sight for those who walk regularly between the Broadway and Haymarket buildings. Experimenting with more conventional tags and graffiti when he was younger, Ears also spent time studying at the National Art School in Darlinghurst, and is equally at home with a paintbrush as he is with a spray can. The sketches and paintings he creates in his Sydney studio are in high demand; however his commitment to keeping art on Sydney’s streets can be found in several locations around UTS. Those who enjoy gazing into the eyes of his long-necked and wise-eyed faces can also find them throughout Surry Hills and Newtown, or in the courtyard of the Sappho Bookshop on Glebe Point Road. Alternately, head down King Street to check out the Oh Really Gallery, which was co-founded by Ears and always has some great local artists on display.

EARS

Bunkwaa, AKA Waa

Originally hailing from Adelaide, Bunkwaa’s arrival on the Sydney street scene five years ago was marked by a trail of adorably wild-eyed characters. For a while, he could be found selling his cardboard pastel-coloured creatures on the streets of Newtown, but since then his creations have started mysteriously blooming on walls and street signs overnight. Distinguishable by their quirky style, you can find Bunkwaa’s characters lurking in the alleyways surrounding UTS. Most recently, they have been sneaking around the Clare Hotel and adjoining Kensington St, but if they choose to move on any time in the future you’ll have a good chance of finding them in their old haunts of Chippendale and Newtown.

SMC[3]

Facing Ears on the opposite side of Ultimo Road, just across the street from the library, a piece lurks high up beside the construction site. It belongs to SMC[3], one of the most prolific artists to be found on the inner streets of Sydney. With a cartoonish, boldly outlined style, SMC’s characters can be identified by some of his recurring symbols – brooding eyes, three-fingered hands, pyramids, the number three, and his trademark crown. As well as being handy with a spray can, much of SMC’s work can be found in the form of paste-ups and stickers, and he’s a frequent contributor to exhibitions and collaborations about town. You’ll find his work scattered throughout the city, especially if you keep an eye on traffic light poles and the back of street signs.

SMC[3]’s crown symbol out the back of the Clare Hotel

Piece beside Ultimo Road

Paste-up on Outram St., around the corner from the Clare Hotel

Kensington St, opposite the Tower Building

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 27

For those who keep their eyes peeled, the streets surrounding UTS are a haven for the urban pastime of Artist Spotting.

‘Sugar Shark’ tag on Kensington St, opposite the tower building

Street sign on Broadway – note SMC[3] on the left hand side

STICKERS

Slug, AKA Sugar Shark

Instantly recognisable by their snarling, horned faces, Slug’s work is an iconic feature of Sydney’s inner suburbs. However, the artist himself seems to be a kind of metropolitan yowie, being notoriously elusive and mysterious. Unlike many prominent artists, he rarely seems to collaborate or participate in exhibitions, although his work is often highly detailed and meticulously executed. Frequently tagging with the name ‘Sugar Shark’, you can find his wild, grimacing monsters haunting desolate alleyways throughout Sydney’s Inner West.

‘‘

Next to SMC3 above Ultimo Road, on the other side of the railing, lurks this gruesome face:

Like a dog sniffing at a fire hydrant, a quick examination of the street signs surrounding UTS will give you an indication of some of the artists that mark their territory nearby. Sometimes springing up on walls, drainpipes, parking meters and electricity boxes as well, sticker boards are the ‘Pinterest’ pages of the streets. They play host to artists, organisations, bands and magazines, all promoting their work through a well-placed piece of sticky paper. As a general rule, a slight overlap is a sign of respect for the pre-existing sticker, but it’s insulting to completely cover someone else’s work. Constantly changing, sticker boards are always interesting to keep an eye on – you never know who you might find.

There are many more artists to be glimpsed around UTS, many of whom have blogs, Facebook pages, and public profiles. Despite many students’ conceptions of what graffiti involves, their artistic offerings come in countless different packages. From traditional sprayed pieces, to stickers, paste-ups, and even small concrete sculptures, the street art surrounding UTS continues to change and evolve. Sydney’s relatively harsh approach to graffiti means that any artist daring enough to place their art in a prominent place will often see it removed in a matter of days; this makes finding your favourite artists something like catching rare Pokémon. It requires attentiveness and the odd adventure off the beaten track, but it can be incredibly satisfying. Despite being just a sample of the buffet, this article has hopefully stimulated your appetite for some Sydney’s visual diversions. With the line between vandalism, high art, and advertising becoming increasingly fuzzy, it’s gratifying to have access to images that aren’t created for commercial purposes. So here’s thanks to the artists who keep things colourful, and to UTS for her delightfully inelegant sprawl across Sydney’s inner streets. l

Boots on Outram St., around the corner from the Clare Hotel

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Abyss on Kensington Street, opposite the tower building

Words on a page

Don’t be afraid of a little spinach

A mule with a spinning wheel

The light at the end of the tunnel

Words Joshua Boulis

Words JOHN SOMERVILLE

Strutting past the attractive female on the street, she is sure to examine your every little detail, making sure to closely examine the flaws that accompany your otherwise orthodox exterior. A smile emerges from the exotic being, with her crystal-clear skin mirroring the angelic proportions of her carefully-crafted face. Your emotions bubble to the point where a smile soon follows. But alas, your teeth have been vandalized in a manner most unwelcoming. The spinach from your blissful lunch decides to meet your tongue, uvula and of course, the soon to be laughter of the passing crowd. The approaching beauty, who had previously seen no wrong, suddenly realizes the patch of grass amongst your teeth. She not only ceases to smile, but mockingly laughs and points to the unfortunate culprits, you and your spinach. Some would falter to the ground in utter embarrassment, chanting to the skies with pleas of reversal for the damage that has regrettably occurred. Others would soon laugh, have a steak, and continue with their day. The former signifies a person who cannot deal with being placed on a social hierarchy, realising their pride has been left in tatters. The latter sees the fun in the situation and, although being aware of his social demotion, has a persona brimming with confidence. The truth is, we are constantly being judged. It might be something as miniscule as spinach between your teeth, or it could be something paramount such as your past. We are all innate critics, with myself no exclusion to this rule. For this very reason, it is not an issue of whether or not we can stop people creating mental images of us, but a reason to simply ignore how, why and if these pictures can be altered in any such way. It is not unfamiliar to encounter people who lay comfortably in their shells, supremely unconfident in their ability to engage in conversation with a neighboring classmate. They fear the consequences of a mistimed sentence or a stutter lasting a thousand moons, not realizing that the only thing stopping them from achieving true comfort, and perhaps success, are themselves. You will possess certain characteristics and people will surely judge you on those characteristics. It is how you react to these judgments that truly defines the character that belies your spinach-filled exterior.

If you, like me, are blessed enough to walk through the central station pedestrian tunnel on your way to UTS you’ll notice - amongst those warning of Jesus’ impending judgements and various milk crates - Sydney’s most undiscovered talent. Chief among them, the ‘adorable senior inter-racial married couple playing folk music on keyboard and guitar’. Our very own Jack and Meg White of Devonshire street: he strums the acoustic guitar, she plays keyboard and sings. Her warbling tones are vague, lack definite syllables and I’m pretty sure are, for the most part, Cantonese. But within this grey area there is space for me to imagine she’s singing a ballad about me. The bourgeois tragedy of a third year business student trapped in an accounting major he no longer loves but can’t bear to leave. I’m deaf to the hiss of the Luneburger espresso machine, not bothered by the smell of sushi rice vinegar at 9am. I’m transported a million miles away, to the gorges of the Yunnan Province and the banks of the Yangtze. Her fragile Paul Simon tones echo up the tunnel, bouncing off the mustard tile walls, his Art Garfunkel strumming resonates in the background. There is something reassuring about a couple that reliably show up to share their passion for music with an audience who for the most part would wish to be anywhere but here. Those worrying about the commitment of marriage and the health of the Chinese folk music scene alike can be comforted by these two. Two participants in a tunnel of spectators, purveying the sound of silence.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 29

DID YOU KNOW?

curious phobias

Ever wondered what strange things lie out there? JESSICA LOOI takes a perilous step into the world of phobias.

Akin to depression or schizophrenia, phobias are classified as a mental disorder. Common phobias include claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (fear of heights) and one often held by children - coulrophobia (fear of clowns). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation”. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, one in ten people will be affected by a phobia at some stage during their lifetime, however few sufferers ever seek help. It is difficult to ascertain the exact number of official phobias as new phobias are constantly being discovered. One of the most commonly held phobias is agoraphobia characterised by anxiety in a situation perceived as embarrassing or difficult to escape. While this would not be classified as weird or extreme, there are a range of phobias which may impact on your social life. Dancing not for you? Do you enjoy the occasional booty shake on the dance floor? Or maybe you just delight in crawling into dark caves filled with pounding music and bodies contorting to the beat of the music. For sufferers of chorophobia, a night out clubbing is not the ultimate stress relief. Most of us have a friend who has an irrational fear of or aversion to dancing. This phobia often stems from one’s unwillingness to become aroused, excited or ecstatic and is often associated with agoraphobia - fear of embarrassment. However, armed with some liquid courage, sufferers can be released from their prism of fear.

Time to relax? Fancy a little cloud spotting? You know, lying on your back on a patch of green grass staring up at the sky, while trying to create images of shapes, foods or people in your mind? Well you’d better not drag any friends with nephophobia along. ‘Nepho’ is greek for clouds, and those with nephophobia are accordingly scared of clouds. It is not wise to take a nephophobe on an overseas trip because you’ll be floating high up amongst the clouds... Don’t feel like learning? Now here are a few phobias that may actually prove beneficial to your social life. Epistemophobia and ergasiophobia are the fear of knowledge and fear of work, respectively. If you get diagnosed with one of these conditions you might be able to get out doing assignments, tests or group work! Now wouldn’t that be nice? Such a hottie If you’re one of those good-looking people who refuse to fraternise with anyone not similarly genetically blessed, you may have cacophobia. Alternately, you may not feel at home in your own skin because you feel you lack the necessary elements that make an individual aesthetically-pleasing. Either way, cacophobes have an overwhelming and irrational fear of ugliness. It is often a direct result of a real-life trauma for example being born with a disfigurement or simply working, living or socialising in a community considered to be within the lower echelons of society. Sufferers often experience anxiety and emotional turmoil that can disrupt their ability to function in day-to-day life. Am I not pretty enough?...

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, one in ten people will be affected by a phobia at some stage during their lifetime

Maybe you should get a snack? For others, there is no point dancing around the point with food. Cibophobia is the fear of food often associated with anorexia nervosa but they’re not the same condition. Anorexia is the fear of the effects of food upon one’s body image, whereas cibophobes fear food itself. However some are known to have both conditions. Cibophobes are often very concerned with food expiration dates and may refuse to eat food that has passed its ‘use by’ date by just a few hours. Meats and other raw foods are often overcooked to the point of burning or drying out for fear that they are not cooked ‘enough’. Those with cibophobia tend to form strict rules about eating behaviours for example avoiding certain dishes, refusing to eat food sourced from a particular area or throwing out leftovers after a set number of hours. Maybe I should check on the fridge…

Not so sexy Are you afraid of getting intimate with your loved one? Does the thought of seeing your lover’s nether regions give you the willies? You might just have Ithyphallophobia. Also known as Medorthophobia or Phallophobia, this phobia comprises of a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of an erect penis. Maybe you shouldn’t whip that one out in the bedroom… Are you scared yet? And if everything you’ve just read hasn’t scared you enough, there’s even a fear of fear of developing a phobia! Ok, so maybe phobophobia isn’t an official phobia yet, but soon enough...

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 31

fitness

cardio crazy Photography lisa dieu Words JACKELYN HO A lot of us live sedentary lifestyles. We sit down to eat breakfast, sit on the train to get to uni, sit down during class, sit down to eat lunch, sit down to browse Facebook….well, you get the point. This wasn’t an issue a couple of decades ago, but shocking studies are revealing that sitting down for more than eight hours per day increases your risk for mortality. Isn’t that a scary thought? We already know that smoking and excessive drinking can lead to a shorter life, but is it possible that too much time spent stationary will have a similar effect? I’ll leave it to the experts to further explore that thought, but in the meantime, I can offer you a quick and easy solution to get moving. Simply walk more. We live in the city of Sydney – everything is close and accessible. Plan your day so that you can walk to your destinations instead of getting stuck in traffic.

When you have no choice but to take the train, make an effort to stand instead of sit. You burn 50% more calories when you’re off your tush! When it comes to working out, make sure you minimize the amount of seated moves – biking, rowing or lat pull downs can be good for some people, but you’re just mimicking the same position you’ve held for the entire day. Get up and get moving with a nice run, performing a few reps of burpees or even heading outdoors for some soccer. I encourage you to incorporate more cardiovascular workouts in your routine i.e. performing a move that gets your heart rate up and blood flowing at a faster rate than normal. You’ll burn through calories and layers of fat with just 30 minutes of high intensity cardio per session. Check out a few of my faves!

Split lunge

1. Begin in a lunge position, with your right knee tracking above your ankle. 2. Now use your lower body muscles to bring yourself back to standing or hop to switch sides. 3. Perform 30 repetitions each side.

Mountain Climbers

1. Begin in a plank position with your hands right under your shoulders. 2. Draw your right knee into your chest while keeping the left leg back. 3. To switch sides, keep your hands planted and simultaneously bring your left knee in while bringing your right leg back. 4. Repeat for one minute. Photography Freddy Tennyson

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SPORT

to chance ball his isses of foot m Platini m out kick racis Photography Klearchos Kapoutsis Words TOM SMITH In the build-up to Euro 2012, the Germany, Italy, Holland and England squads travelled to Auschwitz to pay their respects to the victims of the Holocaust. The Nazi concentration camp is a heart-wrenching reminder of the international community’s obligation to stand up against prejudice and intolerance. Now consider Michel Platini’s reaction to Black Italian striker Mario Balotelli’s mooted walk-off protest as he was jeered by local fans in Poland and Ukraine at Euro 2012. It provided the UEFA chief with a gilt-edged chance to make an emphatic statement against racism. ‘Police will arrest abusive fans,’ he could have pledged. ‘UEFA officials will boycott matches if local authorities fail to act,’ or ‘We will slug confederations with fines if they’re unable to control their fans’ behaviour’. Bold, clear, principled. Instead, Platini shrugged his shoulders. He rubbished the idea of banning individual offenders. He deflected attention to less significant problems in France, England and USA, like a petulant kid justifying his actions by saying the other kids are doing it too. Most galling of all, Platini threatened Balotelli with a yellow card if he dare have the temerity to stand up to the region’s white nationalist thugs. Privately, Platini would be ruing UEFA’s decision to award the Euro 2012 hosting rights to Poland and Ukraine. The BBC’s ‘Panorama’ investigation triggered intense scrutiny of racism, an issue worsened by the resurgence of far-right white nationalist politics amidst the European financial crisis. Images of Metalist Kharkiv fans chanting ‘Siegheil’, performing Nazi salutes en masse, and attacking fans of Indian descent have eclipsed any positive PR Platini might have expected from taking a major tournament to Eastern Europe for the first time.

Fortunately, the impact of hooliganism on Euro 2012 was eased by the aversion of right-wing ‘kibice’ to all-seater stadiums, over-priced tickets and stringent policing. It was a shame these same ultras felt the need to storm a Dutch training session in Warsaw to hoot monkey noises at Black players, and turn Platini’s cheeks even redder. As well as this sinister racial undertone, there were plenty of other factors that made Poland and Ukraine inappropriate hosts for Euro 2012. Did UEFA expect supporters to forfeit their summer holidays on the sun-kissed Mediterranean for a walletgouging trip to drizzly Donetsk? England fans - who usually support their mediocre national team in droves - purchased only 3,000 of their allocated 10,000 tickets to the group games. Funny, that. And then there’s Ukraine’s delicate political situation, which saw former president Yulia Tymoshenko stage a hunger strike earlier this year. Her dubious imprisonment for abuse of office in 2011 prompted many diplomats to boycott Ukrainian games at Euro 2012. The decision to award the hosting rights to Poland and Ukraine is a particular head-scratcher when you look at the alternative venues on the table. Emerging power Turkey would have been an innovative choice, sunny Spain hasn’t hosted a major tournament since 1982, and a Nordic or Celtic bid would have been a left-field option not without merit. Any of these places would have been a more fitting scene for what was supposed to be a celebration of football and cultural diversity. Instead, Euro 2012 represents another dent in the already battered integrity of the code.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 33

Engineering, women and EngSoc: Clearing up the misconceptions

In our third edition Vertigo reported on campus safety, with a particular emphasis on women. Certain views were put forward regarding the treatment of women in the Engineering faculty. To get the other side of the story, EngSoc have provided us with a piece to debunk the myths about women in engineering and provide some information on the work they do.

Words Bree Sparre EngSoc Secretary

Photography Sodanie Chea

What is UTS EngSoc?

The UTS Engineering Society (affectionately known as EngSoc) is the largest society on campus. We organise and run two or three big social events each semester, which are aimed at everyone – not just engineering students – and we encourage you to become a member regardless of what faculty (or university, for that matter) you’re associated with: EngSoc is for you, too!

Socially

Recently, you may have noticed the Glasshouse bar filled with froth and bubbles at UTS’s first-ever Foam Party. This is an example of one of EngSoc’s big events and it wasn’t just engineering students getting involved! We had a blast and met a whole lot of new members who enjoyed a $5 discount off their ticket. That’s how our events usually run – everybody is welcome, we discount members’ tickets by $5, we hire only the best DJs and have some of the biggest bar tabs (just a few of the perks of being the biggest society).

Professionally

Because university is a place to further your learning, we are here to help our members along the way. Our older student and alumni members can provide assistance with a wide range of subjects because they’ve been through them before, and might even have textbooks or notes to pass on. EngSoc is great for networking socially and professionally. We have industry contacts in the engineering and IT professions who we often bring to UTS to talk to our members about the industry and careers. Non-members are welcome too, of course, but members are kept up-to-date about these events through our website and regular newsletters and invitations.

Upcoming Events

Stay tuned next semesterfor details, but here’s a sneak preview of what’s in store for Spring Semester 2012: • Talks from engineering professionals as part of our Industry Series – don’t miss the talks aimed specifically at your major • Team trivia at the Glasshouse • John Holland Tower Building Comp – a huge success last year and back again for some structurally-sound, friendly competition • Oktoberfest – next to O-Fest, UTS’ biggest social event of the year (and this year it is set to be bigger than ever before) • Engineering Ball – our annual formal evening event, including free membership for the following year

Women in Engineering

Girls? Engineering? Wait… what!? Yes, we exist. In my first year (2010) UTS had the highest ever female-male ratio in their first-year intake of 17%. That’s a fairly large minority, if you’ll excuse the oxymoron. Not only that, but the dropout rate for the course is slower for girls than guys. So why is it that, at

one in six, we’re always told “there are no girls in engineering”? Why are engineers supposedly “forever alone” and devoid of any contact with girls? There was a time when a career in engineering wasn’t an option for a woman. There was also a time when women didn’t have the vote, weren’t allowed to work after they were married and those that did work had lower pay rates. We’re now well into the twenty-first century and these stereotypes are becoming obsolete. Let me give you another example. We’re told by society and the media that everyone who spends time on the Internet for anything other than work is a geek. Well, by that definition, I’m a geek. You’re probably a geek. Even an Amish rebel could be a geek if they just got their hands on an iPhone. But by stereotypical geek standards, we’re supposed to be carrying pocket protectors and wearing thick-rimmed glasses and our pants must reach or exceed bellybutton height. That’s how stereotypes like this work, because, back in the 80’s only geeks emailed and engineers were men.

WiE&IT

According to their web page, “The Women in Engineering (WiE) Program at UTS is a long-standing initiative to redress the low rate of female participation in the field by communicating the opportunities of engineering as a course of study and career; by promoting the involvement of women in the course, in the Faculty and in research at UTS, and by networking with professionals from engineering and ICT fields and professional organisations.” These days, girls nearing the end of high-school who enjoy problem-solving or discovering how things work might consider a degree in engineering. Those that do are often encouraged by a WiE&IT talk at their school or attending one of WiE&IT’s Hands-On Day events, aimed at educating school-aged females about how rewarding a career in engineering can be. First-year female engineering students are welcomed with a free lunch and introductory seminar in their first semester. There are also scholarships and networking programs aimed specifically at female undergrad engineering students in various stages of their degrees. People (well, guys) will often ask why we ‘deserve’ special treatment. Why are there scholarships and opportunities given only to girls, when clearly, offering them specifically to their male counterparts would be sexist? The answer lies in the numbers. As WiE&ITstated, these initiatives are specifically to “redress the low rate of female participation” – merely to increase that 17%. There are certainly stereotypes and misconceptions that would lead a female potential engineering student to think that they might find engineering more difficult than a male, and these incentives are to offset that – to essentially say “we do care about females in engineering and we can help you if you encounter any difficulties”. Ideally, they will one day be obsolete because women will consider a degree in engineering or IT to be no more difficult, socially, than one in nursing, science, law or the humanities. Until then, WiE&IT is bridging the gap and their support and encouragement of female UTS Engineering and IT students is to be commended. Is a degree in engineering any more difficult for girls than

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 35

guys? In my experience, only if you wear open-toed shoes and refuse to tie your hair up in labs (a problem also encountered by long-haired guys in thongs).

engineering who just want to have fun! We value your feedback to help us make the society better for our non-engineering members as well.

MYTHBUSTERS: The Truth about Engineering and EngSoc

Myth: Engineering and IT are for men and women find it tough to make any headway in that field. Fact: The focus of WiE&IT is to promote opportunities for women to further their engineering and IT careers. The opportunities include networking and even scholarships specifically for female students. The reasons for WiE&IT and other incentives for females to do engineering aren’t to offset the difficulties in the course (which are the same for guys and girls) –it is merely to try and even out the numbers.

Myth: EngSoc is only focused on partying. It will take away time from studying and it won’t help my career. Fact: EngSoc helps run an orientation camp for first-year engineering students to ensure that they won’t feel lost when they start studying, which has been proven to reduce drop-out rates. Meeting older students early on in your degree through EngSoc helps you find out what to expect from your subjects, and sometimes they can offer help and advice that is useful when it comes to studying or a tricky project. EngSoc also cares about networking outside of uni, which is why we run industry talks with engineering professionals. Myth: EngSoc is full of guys, and all they do is drink beer. Fact: Because of the scale of EngSoc’s largest social events, they attract guys and girls in a pretty even ratio (and our bar tabs cater to the whole crowd). In addition, four of the seven members on our executive committee are female, including our President, Katie, and Vice President, Matina – so a female influence is always a large part of the creation and co-ordination of our events. Myth: EngSoc is only for engineering students. Fact: EngSoc has over the last few years focused on expanding our range of social events to cater to people from outside

36 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

Myth: Engineering workplaces don’t give women a fair go. They’d rather hire a man because they know what they’re expecting and they will fit in better with the existing team. Fact: Most bosses agree that the person who should be hired is the person who is best for the job, be it man or woman. There are those that are resistant to change which is the same as in any field, but they are the exception. If you can demonstrate that you are the best candidate, to most people it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female. l For more information on WiE&IT and the opportunities they provide, go to feit.uts.edu.au/women To join EngSoc, or find out more about us, join the EngSoc Facebook group fb.com/engsoc or visit our website at engsoc.org.au We value your feedback at utsengsoc@gmail.com.

By Bert V. Royal

TICKET GIVEAWAY

THE ACTORS ASSEMBLY AND VERTIGO ARE GIVING THREE LUCKY READERS A DOUBLE PASS TO SEE DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD. TO WIN ONE OF THREE DOUBLE PASSES, SEND YOUR NAME, UTS STUDENT NUMBER AND PHONE NUMBER TO: STEPHANIE@UTSVERTIGO.COM

21st - 26th August King Street Theatre

kingstreettheatre.com.au/tickets

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. 2. COMPETITION COMMENCES WEDNESDAY JULY 25 AT 09:00 EST AND CLOSES WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15 AT 12:00 EST. 3. WINNER HOLDS RESPONSIBILITY TO COLLECT TICKETS. 4. ENTRY IS OPEN TO ALL UTS STUDENTS WITH A VALID UTS NUMBER. 5. THE JUDGES DECISION IS FINAL AND NO CORRESPONDENCE WILL BE ENTERED INTO. 6. PRIZES CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED FOR CASH.

recipes

Chicken Ballotine with Mushroom Sauce Words LISA DIEU SERVES 4 people Preparation 25 mins cooking 50 mins Ingredients 4 chicken marylands 500ml chicken consomme 400g mixed mushroom, including enoki 250g chicken liver 200g straw mushrooms 50g butter 2 eggs 6 cloves of garlic, diced Thickened cream Onion, sliced Shallots Duck fat Sesame Oil Seasoning Basil

38 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

Method 1. Preparing the chicken Remove skin from each maryland in one piece. Set aside for Step 3. Cut away the thigh section from the bone. Marinate the chicken with a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic, seasoning (Spanishstyle seasoning was used). 2. Making the mushroom sauce Melt butter in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion first and stir. Then add the mixed, enoki and straw mushrooms, shallots, dry white wine, and stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream until thickened then let it reduce. 3. Making the stuffing and ballotine Combine chicken liver, eggs, garlic, pinch of salt and pepper into a pan and fry until cooked.

Place the stuffing inside the meat and roll tightly. Wrap the skin removed in Step 1 around the meat, using cling wrap to keep it in place. Secure both ends. Place into a pot of boiling water and boil on high for about 10mins. Remove the chicken from the pot and peel back the cling wrap. Place the chicken in a pan to fry in duck fat. Cook the ballotines over a mediumhigh heat until browned. Slice and serve with mushroom sauce and basil.

Wholemeal Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramelised Bananas and Fresh Blueberries Words Isabel Nguyen Makes About 6 hearty pancakes serves 3 people Ingredients 2 bananas 1 cup wholemeal flour Â˝ cup milk Â˝ cup buttermilk 1 egg 20g butter 1 tbs honey 1 tsp baking powder 1 pinch salt Fresh blueberries

Method 1. Crack the egg into a bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, milk and buttermilk. Whisk together until the batter is smooth. 2. Place a large frying pan over medium heat and melt half the butter. Once it melts, spoon in the pancake batter so that each pancake is roughly the size of an orange (you should be able to fit two or three pancakes in the pan). 3. Cook the pancakes for approximately 2mins until tiny bubbles rise to the surface, then turn them over. Cook for another minute or two until golden. 4. Transfer to a plate and wrap in foil to keep them warm. Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper then add the remaining butter. Repeat the process of cooking the remaining pancake batter.

5. To caramelise the bananas, cut two bananas into slices. Melt a teaspoon of butter in a pan and add the bananas, and a squeeze of honey. Fry until they are golden brown. 6. Serve caramelised bananas with pancakes and add fresh blueberries (or other fruit you have on hand). Drizzle with honey and spread with butter. 7. Enjoy!

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 39

BEST OF: CHINATOWN

Make sure to bring an empty stomach - ZEYNAB GAMIELDIEN is taking us down to Chinatown.

MAMAK

Kiroran

MEET FRESH

15 Goulburn St, Haymarket

Shop 3, 6 Dixon St, Haymarket

13 Goulburn St, Haymarket

In the interests of avoiding hate mail, I am going to get this one out of the way before going any further with my spiel on Chinatown. Mamak is famous across Sydney for its Malaysian food, with regular long queues outside acting as a testament to its overall deliciousness. If you haven’t been there, you probably haven’t been to Chinatown since it opened five years ago, you poor thing. There’s not much to say about the roti here that hasn’t been said already. The Sunday Telegraph described it as ‘the best roti canai on this side of the Indian Ocean’, and who am I to dispute this claim when so many Sydneysiders are voting with their stomachs? I will say that the roti is fluffy and lacks the greasy sheen of its lesser counterparts, which is the mark of a fantastic roti. They’re absolutely perfect for mopping up the range of curries offered as accompaniments. If you’re not a roti fan (if so, I don’t care to know you) the satays and spicy prawns will be sure to please. This is street food served with a smile and on a clean plate, which is all you really can ask for from street food. It’s not the type of place you’d take a date, unless you already love them very much and want to show them your love by treating them to a great meal. Tear it up, mop up the juice and enjoy.

The Uyghur people hail from north-west China and are Turkic in ethnicity. As you can imagine, this makes for some pretty unique cuisine, with some lamb skewers, fragrant rice and hand-made noodles featuring heavily. Kiroran isn’t the flashiest of joints, but if you’ve been following this section then you’ll know I’m not into flash (and not just in camera settings). It’s down the very end of Dixon Street, so resist the temptation to go to Mamak and keep walking because it’s worth it. It’s cheap, humble food with surprising and bold flavours. The noodles here are the star attraction. They’re handmade, silky smooth and oh-so-long, perfect for soaking up the spicy sauces that accompany them in various permutations and combinations. The Gosh Naan, consisting of spiced meat encased in pastry, is perfect for those who like carbs with their carbs. If you’re a meat-lover you’ll feel right at home here. Uyghurs, like Australians, love their lamb, and the BBQ lamb skewers are another trademark dish. Eat them straight off the skewer, but beware of the gristle which is an unfortunate accompaniment to an otherwise quite delicious experience. Uyghur food is best to be enjoyed in a group, especially if you’re not familiar with it and like to try a bit of everything. Come with an open mind and an empty stomach, and you won’t regret it...until you look at the scales!

In 2010 the first Australian Meet Fresh was opened in Chinatown, and it hasn’t seen an empty day since. The Taiwanese dessert house has proven that it has staying power, with several franchises opening across Sydney since then. For a first-timer, Meet Fresh can be pretty intimidating. ‘Herbal’, ‘jelly’ and ‘green bean’ are not words you hear used in conjunction very often, after all. But if you’re a seasoned Chinatown dweller like me, you won’t be put off by strange and at times downright confusing dish descriptions. Trust your nose and not on your eyes and you’ll be just fine. In the meantime, you’ll have to wade through seven varieties of taro ball desserts, seven herbal jellies and ten of tofu puddings. Too scared? Stick to the teas with a dash of cream. But I’m more into Taro Ball Dessert 1: green beans + pearls + lotus seeds. The taro is lovely and soft, while the beans add grit to an otherwise mushy mess of goodness. The service here is quite efficient and helpful when it’s not busy (which is not often, admittedly). Things can get a bit crazy on Friday nights, but the ambience makes for a fun experience when shared with friends. The prices are studentfriendly too, which is always (literally) a treat. Sit outside with your chosen dessert and bask in the visual, sensory and auditory delights of Chinatown... now that’s stimulation for the senses!

Flavour H H H H Ambience H H H ½ Price H H H ½ Overall H H H H

40 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

Flavour H H H H Ambience H H H ½ Price H H H ½ Overall H H H H

Flavour H H H ½ Ambience H H H ½ Price H H H H Overall H H H ½

who’ s checking you out? Somehow Bunny felt that her secret admirer hadn’t been completely honest with her..

Have you been checking someone out at uni? too shy to let your feelings be known? take your admiration to a whole new level. SMS 0415 360 818 and let that special person know. also, Don’t forget to leave your name/alias and faculty.

There is nothing nicer than being appreciated. So why don’t you submit to Vertigo? It’s a fulfilling experience.

Submit to Vertigo Submissions@utsvertigo.com

FILM

reviews

Monsieur Lazhar

Director: Philippe Falardeau Running Time: 94 minutes Language: French w/ English subtitles Rating: MA

In selected cinemas September 6th

★★★★½ Words Sean Malin

42 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

When the face of Simon, a Quebecoise schoolboy whose turn it is to collect milk for his class, registers the loss of his teacher’s life, we see the pure fear of a person confronting his humanity. Simon’s instructor has hung herself from a rafter, for reasons unexplainable and incomprehensible. In this first scene of his thoughtful fourth feature, Monsieur Lazhar, director and writer Philippe Falardeau sets the stage – more intelligently and tenderly than can be predicted – for an exploration of the consequences of the teacher’s behaviour on the school. Bachir Lazhar, a French-Algerian émigré to Montreal, approaches the principal about filling the position. Lazhar, played by the noted humorist Mohammed Fellag, is a mass of contradictions. On the one hand, he is well spoken, conservatively dressed and naturally friendly. At the same time, his immediate attempt to clinch the job seems opportunistic, and the principal (the subtle Danielle Proulx) notes that his curriculum vitae seems fishy. But the school is in shambles, and Lazhar is both convincing and gracious – the job is his. From there, the film broadens its scope to present this man’s effect on a community suffering from sudden trauma and how, in return, his private life is rewarded. Bachir Lazhar’s need for the teaching position, we learn, comes from his status as a political refugee from terrorist Algiers. Just as the students’ teacher,

Martine – whose name haunts the lips of her former pupils and is regarded, in many ways, as unspeakable as the name “Voldemort” – lost her life before anyone had expected, her replacement family was assassinated in the recent past. But Lazhar’s motives are as complex as his intelligence and love of children; he is not rewarded with an easy Hollywood payoff at any point in time, finding difficult in the school and government systems. His students do not unanimously adore him, and nor do their parents or his colleagues. Only the audience, who witness Fellag’s stellar acting, can appreciate his experience fully. A striking cast of young actors run the gamut of performance styles as Lazhar’s pupils. Sweet Simon (newcomer Emilien Neron), who discovered Martine’s body, changes from the irrepressible class-clown to a violent pre-teen on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Matching Neron’s subtlety and sadness is Alice L’Ecuyer, played beautifully by eleven-year-old Sophie Nelisse. Alice cares deeply and easily for her mother, often absent, and for Lazhar, whose height and warmth remind her that her household misses a father figure. Their friends, including the spoiled Marie-Frederique and the overweight shlub Victor, remind deeply of the equally fretful but talented class at the center of Laurent Cantent’s 2008 Entre les murs. Like that French masterpiece, Monsieur Lazhar was

deservedly nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012 and taps into the depth of the social chasms between bright children and bright adults, both faced by the same adversities. The young are forced to remind the older that they also feel deep pain, understand the importance of death and experience great loss. Like Lazhar in his quest for diplomatic immunity from an escape from a former life in Algeria, his Canadian protégées fight an uphill battle. Working from a one-act play by Evelyne de la Cheneliere (who appears in the film as Alice’s flight-attendant mother), writer/director Falardeau never settles certainly the questions his film beggars on immigration, young love, death, and memory. When he presented the work In Competition to raucous applause at the 2012 Sydney Film Festival, Falardeau expressed his intention to move away from the simple answers to life’s questions that cinema often tries to provide. Monsieur Lazhar, with its controlled, dignified performances and mature script, is a unique film in that it refuses to look away in the face of death, the greatest adversary of vibrant life. Life has a habit of ending before those who experience it can prepare for its loss. Falardeau’s film does not seek to protect against such loss, but as a work of art, it sure helps.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 43

FLIGHT OF THE CONCORDS EVENT

6th July, 2012 Sydney Entertainment Center

Fuck Me I’m Famous 2012 David & Cathy Guetta MUSIC

EMI Records Out now

★★★★½

★★★

New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk parody duo finally hit our shores in their much-anticipated Australian Tour. Warming up the packed arena was a stand-up act from the duo’s good friend, Arj Barker, who performed the shortest but possibly most hilarious impression of the leads from Breaking Bad. After the cheers died down came the moment we were waiting for – Bret and Jemaine wrapped in makeshift Daft Punk outfits of spandex and cardboard, belting out Too Many Dicks (On The Dance Floor) with rainbow strobe lighting. The cheap props and epic showmanship were abundant as the two took stabs effortlessly at every genre and rock-star cliché. The show had a healthy mix of the new, the classics (Business time anyone?) and even some songs written for the tour. But between the songs the real treat was the endless banter between the soft-spoken duo, from Jemaine’s awkward sexual energy to Bret’s elaborately detailed observations, making the songs themselves seem like filler compared to their hilariously lame recounts of the “high-life.” Despite being in the nosebleed section, this reviewer had no issues with viewing Flight of the Conchords, with generous displays using on-the-fly cuts and smart framing. Though there were a couple of technical hiccups with lagging displays, they went mostly unnoticed. There was a moment when Brett forgot his lines, but the recovery from Jemaine riffing off this mistake was astoundingly smooth. It’s that level of improvisation that shows their professionalism: behind the silliness lies pitch-perfect harmonies, spot-on comedic timing and brilliantly written personas revealing clearly well-practiced musical communication. A spectacular, laughout-loud performance with genuinely impressive music-making was everything this reviewer could ask for. Simply put - only Flight of the Conchords could make whale noises in their microphones for over a minute and have the audience go wild over it.

The saucy title of this compilation is inspired by Guetta’s night hosting in the Ibizian club ‘Pacha’, which seems to be the Mecca of party-going twenty-somethings around the world. This fact probably makes the world-renowned French DJ in tune with what these people want to hear, but for a club wallflower like me it has some duds: If I ever peel myself off said wall to obey the suggestive exclamation in Sydney Samson’s ‘Get Low’, please send help. Though some songs sound disappointingly similar and repetitive, they meld into one another almost seamlessly. It’s actually a stellar collaborative effort, with names like Nicki Minaj, Swedish House Mafia and Chris Brown being predictable inclusions. ‘Turn Me On’ opens the set well; Minaj’s shrill call of sexual distress is a definite crowd pleaser. Sia’s sweet croon in ‘Wild One Two’ and its piano riff sound damn catchy against a Guettian beat. The enigmatic ‘Silhouettes’ is another standout by 21-year old Avicci, and it’s always a struggle not to break into interpretive dance for Calvin Harris’ ‘Feel So Close’. I love this song, as I’m sure anyone with functioning ears does. In fact, the good vibes this song emanates make the whole world seem like a good place. The alarmingly fast-paced ‘Quazar’ by Hard Rock Sopha takes me back to a cop-car chase where I am the car speeding towards some out-of-body experience, and the cop is reality: this remix is so crazy that it’s genius. My favourite, though, is Deadmau5’s ‘The Veldt’, a dreamy remix seemingly about the capacity of technology to create a paradise. The lyrics “so in love with the way we are here/ the world that the children made” will foster a sense of solidarity on dance-floors. However, discovering the somewhat dystopian story by the late author Ray Bradbury from which the song derives its name gives it an out-of-place existential edge. This melange of techno, house and mainstream electro music will be excitedly received with flailing arms and writhing bodies by creatures of the nightlife.

Words DEREK LAU

44 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

Words Melissa Mantle

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

the comedy

E. L. James BOOK

Random House Books Out now

Directed by Rick Alverson FILM

Screened at the 2012 Sydney Film Festival

★

★★★★½

Fifty Shades of Grey follows the romance of college graduate Anastasia Steele and young business magnate Christian Grey. Steele’s innocence and naivety draws in the brooding and untameable Grey, whose “fifty shades of fucked up” dark side includes a taste for sexual dominance, bondage, sadism and masochism. Let me preface this by saying I can enjoy terrible yet addictive literature as much as the next person, but there isn’t anything new or creative in this trilogy that other addictively bad novels like Twilight nail to give you justification for reading it. Starting as a Twilight fan fiction (this is your first clue), author E. L. James doesn’t attempt to change the descriptions of the characters from their fan fiction origins – Grey described as a literal carbon copy of Edward Cullen. Not to mention the book is set in Seattle, which the author herself has stated she has never been to in her life. The 22 year old American uses English colloquialisms which see you flipping through your dictionary for their meaning and terms like “triple crap” in the same sentence (sure she’s a literature student, but come on). Steele’s innocence becomes nauseating as E. L. James attempts to write her protagonist being drunk for the first time (at 22 really?). In terms of feminist critiques of E. L. James’s attempt at a sub/dom contract, Grey’s character not only chooses when and what she eats but further completely controls her personal life – how romantic. In structural terms it just does not flow well. As a part of the erotica genre the sexually explicit content isn’t even that satisfying. Her first orgasm comes from him biting her nipples alone and further in one scene he takes her tampon out to have sex with her. You need to suspend disbelief and enjoy the fantasy sure but the scenes the book is infamous for are laughable at best. (I would have given it 2 stars but it lost a star since I have to come to terms with the fact my mum loves this book)

A title like The Comedy may suggest that the audience is just as deeply in on the joke as the filmmakers. But to run the point home, this “comedy” is much more ironic than funny. The casting of alt-comic Tim Heidecker in the role of slovenly yuppie Swanson suggests the blackness and sarcasm which awaits unknowing viewers. This combination had a peculiar impact in its Australian premiere at the 2012 Sydney Film Festival – audiences booed and applauded with equal measure – and that response is bound to be repeated. Rick Alverson’s The Comedy, written with Robert Donne and Colm O’Leary, is a dramatic work that generates laughter only as a viewer’s substitute for a nervous breakdown. Heidecker’s Swanson is a 35-year-old coasting through New York on his dying father’s fortune. He is jobless, sadistic and filled with equal parts ennui and whisky. Swanson and a small collective of likeminded individuals (Eric Wareheim, former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and the comic Neil Hamburger) use their time and money to prank strangers in the most humiliating ways possible. What makes Swanson the ringleader of his crew is the innate talent to get a rise out of his victims. One of the more inspired scenes (set as vignettes rather than plot points) occurs after a night of heavy drinking, when Heidecker’s character bribes a taxi driver into letting him drive. The poor cabbie, slave to his own greed, is brought to tears as Swanson zooms over the Brooklyn Bridge and slows down only to stalk roadside prostitutes. At the film’s centre is a layered, magnetic performance by Heidecker that somehow makes viciousness shockingly funny. Despite being overweight, the man’s sensitive features and entrancing gazes force you to empathize with him from the very first shot. He and his friends share an aura that only a camera is equipped to capture; appropriately, Swanson is in every scene. Heidecker is his own perfect foil, evil yet lovable, and he is a revelation. Without him, The Comedy would portray little more than impenetrable, emotional emptiness.

Words Alex Ritchie

Words Sean Malin

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 45

SUDOKU

Scoping out that hottie in your Econ 101 class? Didn’t have the nerve to ask them out? Send us a text on 0415 360 818 and let ‘em know.

MEDIUM

WHO’S CHECKING YOU OUT?

games

To the hot Asian guy with the stripey black and grey jumper on his macbook in Mondays engineering enterprise lecture. I’ll mac with your book anyday.

-J, Faculty Unknown

To the girl that sits near the concourse cafe every Wednesday, Chloe I think, coffee with me?

-Matt, Law.

To the Invisible Hottie in Issue #4, who was complaining how nobody texted about you. Well, this is for you ;-)

-James, Faculty Unknown.

To the sexy Co-Creative Director of Vertigo, my loins yearn for your sweet and tender embrace.

-L, Vis Comm.

46 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

ANSWERS [ISSUE 4]

To the hot Latino-looking guy with a tattoo across your chest that was at the UTS gym on a Tuesday, please don’t wear tight-fitted shorts. It gets me excited.

HARD

-Invisible Guy, Engineering.

Create and solve your Sudoku puzzles for FREE. Play Sudoku and win prizes at:

prizesudoku.com The Sudoku Source of “Vertigo”.

RANDOM RANT HOW TO PISS OFF A SALES ASSISTANT

Words SOPHIE LIU Don’t walk into a shoe store until it’s just about to close. Make sure the shutters are at least halfway down before you punch them up aggressively and barge in. The sales assistant might scamper towards you frantically to let you know that they’re ‘closing up in 5 minutes’, or they might deliberately turn off the music - except the silence isn’t awkward for you at all. It’s more relaxing if anything, really. Go ahead and walk around the store nonchalantly, and pick up some display items. Take excruciatingly long pauses to observe them. Ignore any impatient glares. Take the time to twirl those kicks around in your hands and admire them from all the angles. And those sky blue runners. And those amazing leather thongs too. Then put them all back – not where you found them of course. Try to hide them in unexpected places if you can, or at the very least deviously jumble up their spots. Pick ten different styles of shoes to try on. Ask to try them on in at least three different sizes because you just never know with your feet. You’ll also need to see every available colour. Relax and sit on the lounge while you watch the circus act of the sales assistant balancing all those boxes and hastily unpacking every single shoe. Remind them that you want to try them on both feet. Also, tell the sales assistant all about your exhausting day walking around the shopping centre, and how many people caught your eye. Insist that they help you tie your shoelaces. Then, make sure you strut your stuff and do a few laps around the store before admiring yourself in the mirror where you’ll ask for their advice because you just can’t

choose between the kicks or the runners, the black or the silver. Wrinkle your nose in abhorrence at every obliging comment and suggestion they make. Insist that you want to purchase brand new pairs, despite the fact that the ones right in front of you had been just that about five seconds ago. Be adamant about it and disregard their sighs and passive aggressive reminders about how the shop should have closed twenty minutes ago. Notice a tiny speck of dust on the new pair. Notice a little glue mark, a faint scratch on the base, a loose thread hanging out, and a just very slightly unruly zipper. Point out every little imperfection and blatantly complain about the horrific quality. This would never have happened at Wittner. Then demand a discount. Haggle like you’re in Balinese street stall and feign shock when you’re told the price. Jab your finger furiously towards the ‘75% off ’ posters plastered on every inch of space on every wall, and demand this reduction. Do not admit defeat even as they read out the fine print. Instead, make a ten minute speech about the evils of consumerism, capitalism, and misleading sale signs. Sneer at them as they haughtily tell you about their now ruined dinner plans. Then demand a discount. In the end, don’t buy anything. Tell them that you’ll ‘think about it’. As they shoot you their most loathing look, don’t bother to help them clean up the mountainous mess of footwear you’ve left behind. Walk out and watch them suffer with the task of tidying up from afar, and be satisfied that they now hate their job; and possibly life.

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 47

reports

JADE TYRELL SA President

Welcome to semester two! This year has gone surprisingly quickly (when did it become July?), and we achieved a lot last semester, but your Students’ Association has no plans to slow down. Remember that we are all students, and we fight for all students’ rights, so it’s a fight worth taking part in. Our collectives, volunteering opportunities and events centred on student activism provide you with a number of great options to get involved, and can help you to build valuable leadership skills that you will find extremely fulfilling (and future employers will appreciate them too!). Please contact us for more information. UTS Student Legal Service Many students this year have asked me about the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and in particular, they have asked what benefits they receive from the fee. I’m here to tell you that one of the most exciting results of the SSAF is the opening of the new UTS Student Legal Service, which the Students’ Association has been working hard to establish, together with UTS. As a direct result of the SSAF, any UTS student is now able to receive legal advice for free. Such a service has not been available since the previous Legal Centre was shut down in 2007 following the introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU). It is early days, but already the service is in high demand, and we are all very excited at the significant uptake, as this is something that all students should have access to – as a matter of course. This new achievement is a great example of students’ money going to students. For appointments, send an email to studentlegalservice@ uts.edu.au NUS Education Conference The UTS Students’ Association had the pleasure of hosting the National Union of Students (NUS) Education Conference in the holiday break at the beginning of July, right here at UTS - on two out of the three days (with the third day at USyd). We are grateful to have worked alongside the University of Sydney SRC for the Conference and it was a great success as a result of this. The theme for the conference was “Equity, Diversity, Quality”, which are crucial elements in higher education relevant to

48 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

all students across the country, regardless of degree or university. The Conference provided students with a great hub to share skills and brainstorm ideas to tackle concerns at their respective universities, including sustainability, promoting diversity, the future of honours, among others. It also gave students a chance to hear from a great set of speakers including Shirley Alexander, our very own Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching, Learning & Equity). Student feedback to date has indicated that (dis) ability activist Dougie Herd was a highlight of the Conference. He spoke about the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and the importance of recognising those with a disability as people, instead of perpetuating the marginalisation that in some circumstances unfortunately still occurs. The UTS Students’ Association was proud to promote the acceptance of student diversity and strongly supports students with a disability, especially through the Disability Action Group of Students (DAGS), which is involved in UTS Accessibility: http://www.accessability.uts.edu.au/ We would like to thank the UTS Equity and Diversity Unit, UTS and the University of Sydney for providing funding grants to help make the Conference possible. Future of Honours at UTS Thank you to everyone who contributed to our survey to collect your opinions about the future of honours at this university. We have gathered over 150 responses and will now be able to take these directly to the Academic Board working party on this issue. Your contribution has created a strong student voice. Watch this space for updates. Green Week Last but not least, the Students’ Association ran the extremely popular Green Week clothes swap in May, to promote sustainability. Many students indicated they would like to see clothes swaps happen more often, and we are also keen to run more than one this coming semester. Keep your eyes peeled for details, and your unwanted clothes at the ready! Until next time, Jade Tyrrell

lyndal butler Education Officer & Vice President

NUS Quality Survey I want to thank everyone who completed the NUS Quality Survey. Together we compiled over 800 surveys, which will give a better picture of what is happening at universities around Australia. Due to the large volume of responses we received we had quite a bit of information to send to NUS, so the Education Action Group held some Data Entry Parties! There was music, pizza and party action as we entered in the data to the NUS website. I think the Education Action Group should be congratulated for somehow managing to make data entry fun, and I promise we’ll have more exciting events and campaign actions coming up in semester 2! If you want to find out more about NUS, that’s your National Union of Students, be sure to check out www.unistudent. com.au and look them up on Facebook! Education Conference As Jade mentioned, the NUS Education Conference was held at UTS and USYD this year. This presented a great opportunity for UTS students to get involved and get educated! We heard from a range of speakers talking about the importance of equity and quality in higher education, and the need for greater diversity in the students enrolled at university and involved in student activism. We looked at the barriers preventing students from becoming active participants in university life and how these can be overcome. We also learned how to create a more and equitable university environment and more open and inclusive student unions and student run organisations.

It was great to see so many UTS students in attendance and actively engaging with the conference by running workshops, volunteering with the organising of the conference and UTS staff and students taking part in the various interactive panel discussions. Students of Sustainability Conference The SoS conference is run each year by the Australian Student Environment Network, a grassroots environmental activist organisation. This year’s conference was held at the Bendigo campus of La Trobe University in Victoria. It was great to be part of the largest UTS contingent to SoS in years which demonstrates a growing engagement amongst UTS students with environmental activism. The environmental movement is not one on its own, but is a movement that works as part of many other movements, including labour, gender and so much more. I ran a workshop on diversity in the student movement with the NUS National Environment Officer. We all gained a heap of knowledge and skills to bring back to the UTS Students’ Association which can only enrich our collectives and future campaigns. Lyndal Butler Education Officer and Vice-President, UTS Students’ Association

VERTIGO Issue FIVE 49

QUEER COLLECTIVE

WOMEN’S COLLECTIVE

Pride, not prejudice.

Hi everyone!

The UTS Queer Department represents those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans*, gender queer, intersex, curious or queer. Basically, we represent those who do not identify as straight, or as heterosexual. So, why do we need a Queer Department, and what do we do? The world is dominantly heterosexual. Even if you go by the old ‘1 in 10 people are gay’ idea, that’s still 9 out of 10 that aren’t. As such, society has been built up as a very heterosexist place. People are made to conform from an early age to fit a certain idea of how they should behave within broader society. For those that don’t feel comfortable with this, challenging these ideas can be daunting to say the least. There is a perception that Queer people at large only care about Same-Sex Marriage, and while it is an important issue, it drowns out a range of issues that many Queer people face as a result of heterosexist, transphobic and homophobic attitudes in society. For instance 30-40% of all queer-identifying youths will attempt suicide, a rate far higher than that of the general population. Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety are far more prevalent within these communities, as is the rate of substance abuse, both legal and illicit. This has been compounded by structural and institutionalised homophobia entrenched within society, which will only be eradicated once people are not judged on the basis of their sexuality and/or gender identity. Lofty goals, perhaps, but goals worth fighting for. But what does this mean for UTS students? Coming up in September, the Queer Department will be holding, in conjunction with the Women’s Department, a week of events that highlights some of these issues, as well as providing an opportunity to get to know other people who share concerns about these issues. Can’t wait till then? The Queer Space is a room on Level 3 of the Tower Building, opposite the UTS Students Association that is always open to anyone who identifies as Queer to meet people, socialise, relax or get away from the queerphobic attitudes they may be experiencing. It is a safe space, that asks all those who go in to treat each other with respect, and to refrain from discriminatory attitudes and prejudices. Come in; have a chat! If you have questions about the Queer Department, the Space or any upcoming events, please email the UTS Queer Department at shapesuts@gmail.com.

Congratulations to those who survived their first semester at uni! The Women’s Collective have enjoyed weekly meetings and are looking at introducing a second weekly meeting - a more ‘social’ event. We’re currently debating days and times for both meetings so if you’re interested in attending send an email through to utswomenscollective@gmail.com or head to the facebook group UTSSA Women’s Collective where we have a poll running. Recently we have faced two problems: male-identifying individuals entering the Women’s space, and vandalism of the space, mainly in the form of graffiti. The Women’s Space is strictly for female-identifying students only, except in emergency situations. In addition, those using the space are expected to respect the space and use it in an appropriate manner. The use of this space as a female-only space is supported by the University. This means that anybody found misusing the space, or any male-identifying students entering the space, may have a complaint lodged against them under the University’s complaint procedures. This could, in some circumstances, result in offenders facing student misconduct charges under the University’s Student Rules. The Women’s Collective has had to lodge a number of complaints recently because of inappropriate entry and vandalism to the Women’s Room. The space is open to any and all female identifying students, whether they’re members of the collective or not. We’ve been working on improving the space to make it more comfortable for members and females alike. Recently Jessica from the Students’ Association has sourced several new desks, a new lounge and is in the process of sourcing more desk chairs. We’re also looking out for more new (second-hand) lounges. During this semester the collective are looking at painting the space - as much as we love our wall art it’s time for a change. If you have any suggestions for the space we’d love to hear them email them through or join the facebook group.

JAMES WILSON, UTS Queer Officer 2012

50 VERTIGO Issue FIVE

Current campaign we love: One Woman’s quest to fund a documentary on gender tropes in video games has angered the trolls who have tried to destroy the documentary - which has only lead to more donations! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/566429325/tropes-vswomen-in-video-games/ In Equality, SARAH HENDERSON, UTS Women’s Officer 2012

Are textbooks crippling your budget? Save up to 50% at the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association Second-Hand Bookshop For some 20 years now, the UTS Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association has helped students save money on textbooks through our not-for-profit second-hand bookstore. Rather than spending hundreds on spanking new books which you probably only need for 6 months, you can buy up-to-date books at a reduced price, and then resell with us after your exams to recover your money.

Broadway Store Level 3, Tower Building near the foodcourt. Haymarkets Store Haymarkets Store Room 12, Level 1, Building 5A, in the green space.

For hours and catalogue go to sa.uts.edu.au/books

Students get the Herald for less Fri Jan 20 10:10

WHY THIS MAN SPENT $17,000 ON A NEW NOSE

LITTLE MASTER’S MISERY

GOOD WEEKEND

WEEKEND SPORT

2012 FACES TO WATCH SPECTRUM

WEEKEND

OVERSEAS INVASION

When children’s shows become naughty

2011 a year in weather NEWS, PAGE 7

summer

F Foreign-made car ttops sales NEWS, PAGE 3 Wednesday January 4, 2012

First published 1831 No. 54,366 $1.50 (inc GST)

There’s action aplenty as the five-day game takes its lead from Twenty20, writes Malcolm Knox.

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THE Prime Minister has dismissed a call by the Labor elder Bob Hawke to slash the power of unions within the ALP. Julia Gillard defended the factional and union influences that were responsible for the destruction of Kevin Rudd’s leadership in 2010. Mr Hawke, a former prime minister and boss of the ACTU, said in an interview with the Fairfax publication The Australian Financial Review that while his ‘‘first love’’ was the trade union movement, its influence over the Labor Party had grown to ‘‘suffocating’’ proportions.

‘Our great trade union movement is important to Australian society and to representing the needs of working people.’ Julia Gillard But yesterday Ms Gillard said the unions were the champions of ‘‘working Australians’’. ‘‘I believe our great trade union movement is important to Australian society and to representing the needs of working people,’’ she said. ‘‘It was the trade union movement, shoulder to shoulder with the Labor Party, that fought back and got rid of Work Choices.’’ Responding to Mr Hawke’s advice to the ALP to recognise the perceived negative association with the unions, Ms Gillard said the matter had been adequately addressed at the party’s national conference last month. She tried to soften the public rebuke to Mr Hawke, once the nation’s most popular leader, saying he was an important part of the ALP’s history. ‘‘Bob Hawke is of course a living legend,’’ she said. ‘‘Bob is right to say that the Labor Party needs to keep modernising.’’ His criticism of undue union influence within the ALP mirrored the view of another former prime minister, Kevin Rudd, who savaged the power of the unions

and factions in a speech to the national conference. Mr Rudd said the party had failed to take any significant steps to rein in the power of factions and union bosses. ‘‘While some claim we have moved forward on party reform, the truth is we have barely moved at all,’’ Mr Rudd said. ‘‘The stark alternative remains: either more power to the factional powerbrokers or more power to the 35,000 members of the Australian Labor Party.’’ An internal review by the former premiers Steve Bracks and Bob Carr and Senator John Faulkner recommended a guaranteed say for unions and Labor supporters in party preselections and aired dire warnings that the party faced a membership crisis. Senator Faulkner has repeatedly warned that the ALP risks a wipeout of its membership – as ‘‘a small party getting smaller, [and] an old party getting older’’. Ms Gillard welcomed the review but resisted the suggestion that the unions be given a say in policy and parliamentary decisions. ‘‘As Labor leader I will insist on the right to freely choose the executive of the federal parliamentary Labor Party,’’ she said at the time of the review’s release. ‘‘I have chosen my team of ministers and parliamentary secretaries and I will continue to do so.’’ Mr Hawke also addressed the leadership question that continues to dog Ms Gillard, saying he believed she was the best person for the job. ‘‘I don’t think they should change leaders,’’ he said. ‘‘There has been a lot of criticism of Julia, but you have got to give her credit for a lot of achievements and tenacity. ‘‘She has shown a lot of courage and determination, particularly on the carbon tax and the mining tax. When those things are bedded down they may even become positives.’’ Ms Gillard has refused to address questions about the leadership this year, telling reporters on New Year’s Day to ‘‘check the transcripts’’ of last year for her answer. It is more than 20 years since Mr Hawke was prime minister of Australia but the ‘‘Silver Bodgie’’ has enjoyed a resurgence in the media, most recently in a renewed spat with the former prime minister Paul Keating. The pair showed the passing of time had done nothing to ease the rancour in their relationship with Mr Keating this week blaming Mr Hawke for the wage explosions of the 1970s. Mr Keating said that Mr Hawke, as the ACTU national secretary, had ‘‘nearly destroyed the economy twice’’. The spat coincides with the release by the National Archives of the 1982 and 1983 cabinet documents.

AS IF obligated to compete with the evening’s entertainment, 22 Test cricketers of Australia and India romped through three bright and breezy sessions. The batsmen clubbed the ball to all corners when they weren’t losing their wickets. The bowlers served up bouncers, wides, late outswingers and unplayable in-duckers, with the occasional nagging length ball for variety. Fieldsmen fell asleep if the ball hadn’t come to them in an over. What is this new thing, and how can it be stretched to five days? Perhaps each team needs three innings in a Test. Perhaps there is no problem. Test matches have a natural duration of 31⁄2 days, and we should celebrate the plebeian uprising of the bowler. While M.S. Dhoni and R. Ashwin were together, putting on 54 in 81 balls for India’s seventh wicket, an anxious Australian voice in the Churchill Stand muttered, ‘‘They’re digging in now – we need a wicket, Hilfy!’’

Resurgent Punter holds key to series If the opening day was all about Sachin Tendulkar, the central character leading into today is Ricky Ponting. Summer – Page 26

How good is James Pattinson? ... Australia’s hottest new quickie celebrates the wicket of Virender Sehwag. Photo: Steve Christo

Bowler Ben Hilfenhaus did his bit, and concerns about a partnership lasting more than an hour were allayed. Mexican waves couldn’t even make a full circuit as a wicket fell first. When security guards seized beach balls, they weren’t booed, because something had happened on the field to distract the crowd’s attention. Bill Lawry surely couldn’t cry ‘‘It’s all happening!’’ for fear of understatement. When Dhoni won the toss, the crowd cheered – they were going to see Sachin Tendulkar. Of course, they never considered the Indian top three might bat all day, and they were right, though it did look, for a moment after tea, as though they might be back in for their second innings. Tendulkar did not make his 100th international century. Two constants of his career – that he scores runs in Sydney and that his teammates let him down – collided, resulting in his dismissal for 41. He came to the crease at 2-30 when not one ball had been hit convincingly in front of the wicket. From there it was a contest of his cover drive versus Australia. The bowlers fed the shot. He laced drive after drive between point and mid-off, then dragged one onto his stumps. As wickets go, it was a cheap buy. In general the bowlers didn’t have to strike any bargains. Hilfenhaus rediscovered his fast bouncer to remove Ashwin. Then, like a child who remembers last year’s Christmas present was even better than this year’s, Hilfy used Continued Page 2

Economic woes hit US defence ambitions Daniel Flitton ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

AUSTRALIA is about to confront the biting reality of US military decline as its cash-strapped ally moves to abandon the longstanding doctrine of being ready to fight two wars simultaneously on opposite sides of the globe. The New York Times reported yesterday on cuts expected to be announced this week by the Defence Secretary, Leon Panetta, to slash hundreds of billions of dollars in defence spending across ground forces, navy, air force and the nuclear arsenal. Coming after earlier reduc-

tions, the US’s formal strategy to fight two large adversaries at once – as it did during World War II against Nazi Germany in Europe and Japan in the Pacific – will also be surrendered. For 60 years the Defence chiefs in Canberra have had the luxury to assume Washington will be free to come to Australia’s aid, no matter what the US entanglements outside the region. But those days are gone as a teetering economy forces deep cuts to the US defence budget – at the same time as many are concerned about China’s growing military ambitions.

Buzzcut Pentagon prepares to slash spending. World – Page 8

The troubled F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, of which Labor has committed to buy between 14 and 100, is also reported to be targeted. Despite the cuts, the US would remain the pre-eminent military power with the ability to fight and win one major conflict and ‘‘spoil’’ a second adversary’s ambitions in another part of the world. But The New York Times

MEET THE $10b HEIRESS

PAUL McGEOUGH

BOMB BLAST THAT ROCKED THE WORLD NEWS REVIEW

NEWS, PAGE 6

Gillard Wickets tumble as Test cricket hits fast-forward button rebukes Hawke on unions Jessica Wright

FIRST PUBLISHED 1831 NO. 54,375 $2.50 (inc GST)

January 14-15, 2012

reported that the cuts inevitably posed questions such as whether a reduced aircraft carrier fleet could counter an increasingly bold China or whether a smaller army could fight a long ground war in Asia. Australia has already made plain its hope to see a greater US engagement in the ‘‘Asian century’’ as the Obama administration withdraws from Iraq and Afghanistan. The agreement to train up to 2500 US Marines near Darwin, announced during Barack Obama’s visit to Australia in November, was widely interpreted as

insurance against China’s rise. The US has also made clear a desire to shift the focus to Asia and Mr Obama used his speech to federal Parliament to pledge the US was ‘‘here to stay’’. The shift from fighting two simultaneous wars against major forces recognises the significant changes to warfare during recent decades, with insurgent conflicts the norm and the growing use of drones and other high technology. The Defence Minister, Stephen Smith, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kevin Rudd, would not comment on the change.

Year of job pain to hit banks, shops

Killer given passport, licence and freedom Saffron Howden and Alicia Wood

700 2100

Gareth Hutchens

TRENT JENNINGS packed his passport, driver’s licence and, unsupervised, took off in a stolen car from a prison psychiatric hospital. As authorities scrambled yesterday to shift the blame for the bungle that allowed the killer to walk free on Friday and outsmart police hours later, the nationwide hunt for him continued. Jennings, 26, stabbed a man to death eight years ago during a casual sexual encounter. He was granted day leave rights from Morisset Hospital, near Newcastle, only a month before he absconded from custody and allegedly arranged over the internet to meet a man, 50, at his home in Sydney’s Zetland. Last Thursday, Jennings, pictured, tied the man up with his consent then stole some of his belongings, including his black Mercedes four-wheeldrive, police say. That night he returned to hospital after curfew, having contacted staff to tell them his train was running late. Satisfied with this explanation, hospital staff allowed him out unsupervised at 2pm the next day, the eighth anniversary of the night he stabbed Giuseppe Vitale, 32, in the neck after binding him at the hands and feet in a park at Narwee. Jennings did not return on Friday evening and, four hours later, he was pulled over by police in the stolen car south of Coffs Harbour. His licence and vehicle registration were checked, he was issued with some fines, and allowed to drive off. Last night, police across Australia were searching for the former Sydney waiter, who in 2005 was found not guilty of Mr Vitale’s murder because a court concluded he was in a druginduced psychosis at the time. Yesterday the Premier, Barry O’Farrell, ordered a report from all relevant departments into the circumstances surrounding the getaway and the delay in notifying the public. ‘‘I share some of the concerns about the lack of information about his release or his escape,’’ he said. This week the NSW chief psychiatrist, John Allan, will review Jennings’ case and patient leave procedures at Morisset Hospital. The local health district Continued Page 2

AUSTRALIA is on the cusp of a white collar recession with insiders warning that thousands of jobs are at risk in the finance sector, after it emerged yesterday that ANZ planned to cut 700 jobs. But the Herald has established the job cuts will total as many as 1000 by the end of this year, which will be more than the bank shed at the height of the

ANZ jobs to go this year

Australian jobs cut by ANZ in past two years

global financial crisis. Tertiary advisory days: your five-page guide to starting university STARTS 12 They come a day afterPAGE the Roy-

summer FESTIVAL OF THE COUCH

The world of the box-set addict

THE TENDULKAR DYNASTY DY YNASTY

The son also rises SPORTSDAY

Monday January 2, 2012

Call to cut city speed limits to 40km/h Anna Patty STATE POLITICS ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

TRAFFIC across the city would be slowed to 40km/h as part of City of Sydney plans. Terry Lee-Williams, a transport strategy manager at the City of Sydney, told the NSW Parliament’s joint standing committee on road safety that the council would like a “blanket” 40km/h speed limit across the city in “predominantly residential areas”. He said 20 per cent of the existing city speed zones were 40km/h. ‘‘Once we do the CBD, that would take it up to about 35 per cent and we would progressively like to roll that through. I say progressively because it is a cost issue,’’ Mr Lee-Williams told the committee late last year. The costs include hundreds of thousands of dollars in studies ‘‘and hoops we must jump through for the RMS [Roads and Maritime Services]’’. The NSW Labor MP Walt Secord, who is a Staysafe committee member, said he disagreed with the council plan to introduce the 40km/h speed zone across the city, saying it would further congest traffic. ‘‘Recently at a Staysafe parliamentary hearing, the staff from Sydney City Council were advocating changing the entire city to 40 kilometres,’’ he said. ‘‘While I understand they have safety concerns, I fear that it could slow city traffic to a snail’s pace. ‘‘This would make journeys across Sydney even longer in duration and slower, especially at night.’’ A spokeswoman for the City of Sydney said it was the responsibility of NSW Roads and Maritime Services to approve any changes to the speed limit. “The RMS is responsible for signposting and speed limits throughout NSW,” she said. “The City of Sydney supports improving road safety and minimising the risk of injury and death in pedestrian areas

Howard honoured, for Queen and country

Weather, or not

through the reduction of speed limits, as is international best practice. On any given working day, there are 600,000 pedestrians in the city centre and 85,000 vehicles. The slower the vehicle, the less risk of severe trauma to the pedestrian.’’ A spokeswoman for Roads and Maritime Services said it had “received a copy of the concept proposal for a speed zone reduction from the City of Sydney on Christmas Eve and is reviewing it early this year”. The former Labor premier Kristina Keneally and the City of Sydney lord mayor, Clover Moore, agreed to a plan to slow traffic within the city centre to 40km/h by early 2011 in a memorandum of understanding dated September 13, 2010, when Mr Secord worked as chief-ofstaff for Ms Keneally. A spokesman for the NSW Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, said the minister had not yet seen the City of Sydney proposal. Mr Lee-Williams told the Staysafe committee in late November that someone hit by a car at 40km/h was far less likely to die than if they were hit at 60km/h. ‘‘Internationally it is 30km/h, but because it has taken about 12 years to get the RTA down to 40km/h, we did not want to push the envelope to 30km/h,’’ he said. ‘‘Traffic also flows better in crowded areas at a slower speed because . . . you do not get compression between intersections: the vehicles are moving easily; they do not have to accelerate, decelerate, accelerate, decelerate.”

The most miserable summer in Sydney in 50 years. The coldest autumn nationally in more than 50 years. Record flooding in Victoria. A Christmas Day in Melbourne with hailstones the size of eggs. Massive floods and cyclone Yasi in Queensland. What’s it all mean?

ANZ staff wait for axe to fall — Weekend Business

SILENCE LIKE A CANCER GROWS NEWS REVIEW

Who’s for a dip? But there is a dark side

Sun, sand and fun ... Tabitha Palmer, 6, centre, plays with Liv Knight, 7, and Harry Hamilford, 5, at North Bondi. The girls are in the under-7 nippers. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Economic conditions are preventing children learning to swim, writes Nick Ralston. LIFESAVERS have a simple explanation for the spate of near drownings and a record number of rescues in recent weeks. ‘‘There was pretty poor weather leading into Christmas and I think that everyone was frothing at the bit to get out to the beach,’’ said Dean Storey, the lifesaving manager of Surf Life Saving NSW. ‘‘Then the sun came out. At the same time we had the big swell . . . and it all came together to create a couple of weeks of

carnage.’’ The solution to the problem is not as simple. Water safety groups are concerned that pool closures and entry costs are denying young children the chance to learn to swim. While an estimated 1.2 million children have private lessons, experts conservatively predict that each year at least 50,000 children nationwide graduate from high school without being able to swim 50 metres. In NSW classes are offered

through an Education Department, two-week intensive program in schools for students in years two to six. The program – the most affordable in the state – is offered to 100,000 students but is not compulsory. The peak industry body AUSTSWIM said in recent years issues of cost had made some parents reluctant to send their children for lessons. The chief executive, Gordon Mallett, said: ‘‘If there is no local pool, despite any efforts the Department of Education may make, it starts to get more difficult. Then you’ve got the cost of

entry to existing pools, which is a barrier to some socio-economic groups, and the increasing cost of bus transport. ‘‘The Department of Education tries to minimise the cost but there are some limitations on that. It’s just a sign of our economic times at the moment. People are being pinched a bit.’’ On the plus side, Surf Life Saving is enjoying a boom in the number of young people becoming involved in the volunteer rescue organisation. This year it has 30,000 nippers on its books and the number has been rising annually for the past four years.

Dylan Welch SUVA, FIJI

Paul Sheehan, Opinion —

11 THE Fijian regime ofPageVoreqe ‘‘Frank’’ Bainimarama has reRoadmost toll falls cruited one of Washington’s The 2011 toll was the second notorious lobbyist firms – road that lowest since 1944, according to has been raided by the FBI and provisional figures from the NSW Centre for Road Safety. Last represents repressive regimes in year, 376 people were killed on NSW roads,–down the Middle East and Africa to from 405 the previous year. The toll has help manage its reputation and dropped from 524 overFrank the past Bainimarama ... advice. 10 years. lobby foreign journalists. News — Page 5 And diplomatic sources be- lations, only to enshrine them in lieve the firm, Qorvis Commu- a permanent law. First Tuesday nications, may be behind the The company is represented Mitt Romney and Ron Paul Exceptionally meritorious services ... Mr Howard at home in Wollstonecraft yesterday. ‘‘It’s a compliment to Australia,’’ he said of his award. Photo: Quentin Jones decision by Commodore BainiSuva appeared to be runningin neck and by a fresh-faced former neck in Iowa before tomorrow’s asmarama may have rendered exceptionKelly Burke to lift the widely conbusiness journalist, Seth Thomfirst vote on the candidates ally meritorious services in Our demned asParty’s Pietras, who has been in the IN GOOD COMPANY NOT since Sir Robert Menzies vying forreguthe Republican Crown Services public or towards emergency the ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

has the monarchy bestowed such approbation on an Australian politician. John Howard’s decade-long prime ministership and his dogged adherence to a constitutional monarchy have earned him admission to an exclusive club with a capped membership of just 24 after Buckingham Palace announced yesterday he had been appointed a member of the Order of Merit. Only Menzies’ Knight of the Order of the Thistle, to which the Liberal Party founder was invested in 1963, carries more kudos. ‘‘I’m very honoured,’’ Mr Howard told the Herald from his home in Wollstonecraft. ‘‘It’s a compliment to Australia and a recognition, among other things, of the respect the Queen has for this country. I’m very grateful for it.’’ Mr Howard, along with the British artist David Hockney,

On merit ... clockwise, from top left: Baroness Thatcher, Prince Charles, Sir Tom Stoppard, David Hockney and Sir David Attenborough. who was also appointed to the order yesterday, will join luminaries including the former British prime minister Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, the naturalist Sir David Attenborough and Prince Charles.

The Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, said she warmly congratulated Mr Howard on receiving such a distinguished award. ‘‘This is a rare and singular honour for his service to Australia,’’ she said. The Order, founded by King

Edward VII in 1902, carries no title but is considered an extremely high mark of honour and a personal gift from the Queen. According to the Royal Family’s website, it is to be given ‘‘to such persons, subjects of Our Crown,

advancement of the Arts, Learning, Literature, and Science or such other exceptional service as We are fit to recognise’’. Although writers and artists have traditionally dominated the field, politicians appointed to the order have included Sir Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee and Baroness Thatcher. Mr Howard becomes the ninth Australian appointed, following in the footsteps of the philosopher Samuel Alexander, the intellectual Gilbert Murray, scientists Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, Howard Florey and Robert McCredie May, former chief justice of Australia Sir Owen Dixon, artist Sir Sidney Nolan and soprano Dame Joan Sutherland. Mr Howard is expected to receive his Order of Merit – an eight-pointed cross bearing the imperial crown to be worn around the neck – at a ceremony later this year.

Only available at

presidential nomination, with Rick Santorum mounting a late charge. Contenders have been blitzing shopping malls, public meetings and local media. World — Page 8

country on and off since October. A contract published by the US Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act reveals that in October the Fijian Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, signed a deed with Qorvis worth $US40,000 a month for a year. In return, Qorvis has agreed to provide ‘‘public relations services relating to business and investment to the government of Fiji’’. But it appears to the Herald, which spent the week in Suva being lobbied by Mr Pietras, that his ambit is far greater than spin. It is likely Mr Pietras, described

as Qorvis’s chief speechwriter, helped draft Commodore Bainimarama’s recent speeches, including his New Year’s Day address announcing the lifting of emergency regulations. Several countries with an interest in Fiji expressed a belief to the Herald that, given the timing, Qorvis might have played a role in Commodore Bainimarama’s decision to lift the emergency regulations. A diplomatic source also expressed concern that the kind of role played by such lobbyists in the Middle East and Africa was being imported to the Pacific.

News Review

‘‘We have kids who are doing nipper training, who are rescuing kids their age on days when the surf is a bit tricky,’’ said the nipper manager at North Bondi Surf Life Saving, Jim Walker. North Bondi has 1400 children doing nipper training, up from 850 a few years ago. A Bondi resident, Julia Palmer, was raised in England and wanted her daughter, Tabitha, to gain a better understanding than she had of safety at the beach. ‘‘We offered for her to do it and she loves it. She’s much more confident now in the surf than she was,’’ Ms Palmer said.

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Come in spinner: Fiji pays Washington lobbyists for image makeover

ROAD RULES Pedestrians in the city centre: 600,000 Vehicles in city centre: 85,000 International safety speed: 30km/h City of Sydney safety speed: 40km/h

200

al Bank of Scotland announced Local jobs lost in Bank of plans to close its investment Scotland closure banking business, leading to the loss of more than 200 jobs in you count all those jobs since Australia. Economists have warned Aus- October, along with what will be tralia is vulnerable to a recession announced in the next week . . . this year with a wholesale fund- we will lose more staff than we ing squeeze in Europe raising did as a result of the GFC.’’ The national secretary of the debt costs for banks such as ANZ. Experts have warned thous- Finance Services Union, Leon ands of jobs will be lost from the Carter, criticised the bank for industry this year as banks shedding jobs when it had scramble to adjust to an era of record profitability. ‘‘Yet again low credit growth and higher the first time anything gets tough in finance the only trick in funding costs. their locker is to put jobs on the This comes on top ofNo. cuts of $1.50 First published 1831 54,364 (inc GST) 2150 jobs between March 2009 line,’’ he said. ‘‘It continues to be a highly and last September in ANZ’s INSIDE Australian division. ‘‘We have profitable organisation that is run a policy of shedding jobs Bowser bluesmaking multibillion-dollar prothrough attrition since October NSW drivers could facefits. more They have an obligation to price rises whenkeep the everybody employed.’’ last year,’’ an executivepetrol said. government bans regular ‘‘Temps have not been rehired unleaded fuel, pushing up The Financial Services Minisdemand for ethanol-blended and once their contract has expired. ter, Bill Shorten, said: ‘‘We premium unleaded, the industry has warned. From July,haven’t petrol been briefed specifically Secondments have been stopstations will no longer be allowed any decisions of the ANZ in ped. We have outsourced two to sell regular unleadedon in a bid to promote renewable term biofuels. of jobs.We regard any job whole floors of operations staff News — Page 3 from a [Melbourne] office to losses as unfortunate.’’ Experts say banks will be forManila [in the Philippines]. If

ced to cut staff numbers for the next few years to protect profit margins. The high levels of consumption and lending they enjoyed in recent years will not continue. At the start of 2007 Australia’s banks, excluding ANZ Asia, employed 155,000. Four years later that figure had grown to 178,000 people, an increase of 23,000. In ANZ alone, the number of employees in the group’s global operations increased by 12,000 since September 2008, from 36,900 to 48,900. But ANZ’s Australian division has shed more than 2100 jobs in the past two years – from 19,922 to 17,768 – as it sends more jobs to offshore. The job losses could exacerbate conditions in Australia – already vulnerable to recession. The chief economist at JP Morgan, Stephen Walters, said: Australia has not undergone adjustments observed elsewhere ... it remains vulnerable to shocks. Economists also say we might expect a further shake-out in the retail industry, which employs 1.2 million people, following the jobs losses last year. The Grattan Institute’s Saul Eslake said: ‘‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised if 2012 was a year in which some of the almostinevitable consequences for employment in retailing of the deterioration in retail trading conditions over the next couple of years came to a head.’’

ANNE SUMMERS

Last year, during the Arab Spring, Mr Pietras was Qorvis’s spokesman when its role in defending Middle East regimes was the subject of debate. ‘‘Our clients are facing some challenges now,’’ Mr Pietras told The New York Times. ‘‘But our long-term goals to bridge the differences between our clients and the United States haven’t changed. We stand by them.’’ In 2004 when Qorvis was raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into whether an advertising campaign it helped run broke federal law by not disclosing Saudi funding.

At the time, Qorvis was the beneficiary of a six-month contract with the Saudis worth almost $US15 million to help improve its reputation after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Last year an Egyptian steel tycoon with ties to the Mubarak regime retained Qorvis to manage his public relations during a trial regarding claims of widespread corruption. He was eventually sentenced to 10 years in jail. The company has also represented the man widely known as ‘‘Africa’s worst dictator’’, Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

SYDNEY CITY shower or two 19°-23° LIVERPOOL shower or two 17°-24° PENRITH shower or two 18°-24° WOLLONGONG showers clearing 18°-21° GOSFORD few showers 17°-23° NEWCASTLE few showers 20°-23° CANBERRA shower or two 12°-24° ARMIDALE showers, storms 12°-22° DUBBO shower or two 15°-31° COFFS HARBOUR storms 19°-26°

Summer Holi days Digital Acces s

Fiji’s future of uncertainty

Mr Pietras, an executive vicepresident of Qorvis’s geopolitical solutions section, is at least the second Qorvis employee to travel to Fiji, after Tina Jeon, an Olympic archer and Qorvis spinner. In early November Ms Jeon posted on Twitter a photo of herself and Commodore Bainimarama aboard a boat in Fiji with the caption: ‘‘No better place to write a press release’’.

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Classic stoush

Chloe Hosking won a thrilling first race of the Bay Classic and promptly called Union Cycliste Internationale boss Pat McQuaid ‘‘a dick’’ for failing to implement a minimum wage for women. Third placed Rochelle Gilmore also called for change.

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Harbour rubbish pile on the rise after prison drain gangs get the brush-off Debra Jopson ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

THE amount of litter and waste Sydney Harbour garbage collectors pick up each year has plummeted to the lowest level in more than a decade after NSW Maritime suspended a long-running clean-up program that used prisoners on periodic detention. The environmental services team, which clears debris ranging from plastic drink bottles to fallen trees from more than 5000 hectares of waterways, collected just 2284 cubic metres of waste last financial year, almost 500 cubic metres less than the year

Dirty business ... litter lines the foreshore at Iron Cove. Photo: Jon Reid before, NSW Maritime’s latest annual report reveals. ‘‘One can draw the conclusion that there would be more litter in the harbour,’’ said Peter McLean, the NSW chief executive of Keep Australia Beautiful. ‘‘I hate to see

programs like this not continue in some form. It would certainly be very detrimental. We have millions of people living in that catchment.’’ Research indicated it was likely that since the end of the

drought more rain has meant more litter washed into waterways, he said. Most of the man-made refuse consists of food and drink packaging dropped on streets and swept into the harbour through stormwater drains, a NSW Maritime spokeswoman said. While the fall was partly caused by Maritime’s environmental service losing its flagship vessel for more than six months as a replacement was built, it also followed a decision in December 2010 to stop using detainees provided by the Department of Corrective Ser-

vices for the foreshore clean-up, she said. Minimal risk detainees began working with government waterways cleaners 17 years ago and the program has contributed between 12 and 28 per cent of the volume of waste collected every year up to 2008-09, official figures show. However, the program was suspended when the Department of Corrective Services began to phase out its periodic detention program last October, according to NSW Maritime. The Herald understands that staff were unwilling to work with

higher-risk detainees receiving intensive correction orders, which have replaced periodic detention. The detainees’ assistance was hailed as a success in previous years, as NSW Maritime crews worked to remove boating hazards and rubbish from Sydney Harbour and the navigable waters of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers over a combined foreshore length of 270 kilometres. Four minimal risk detainees worked three times a week with government staff to clear debris in areas inaccessible to boats,

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SYDNEY CITY sunny 18°-26° LIVERPOOL sunny 15°-31°rate is based on a secured loan of $150,000 over the term of 25 years. WARNING: This comparison rate is true only for the examples given and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. UBank is a division of National Australia Bank Limited ABN 12 004 044 937 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 230686. Rates current as at 13 January 2012 . The comparison sunnyfor 16°-33° You should consider the terms and PENRITH conditions UHomeLoan, available from ubank.com.au, before making any decisions regarding this product. Fees and charges and lending criteria apply. UBA526/smhfp1_G3982327AB such as mangrove swamps, the WOLLONGONG sunny 18°-26° NSW Maritime spokeswoman GOSFORD sunny 15°-28° 1HERSA1 A001 said. NEWCASTLE sunny 18°-26° The agency expects to restart CANBERRA partly cloudy 15°-35° the program using volunteers ARMIDALE mostly sunny 10°-27° provided by a non-government DUBBO sunny 17°-35° organisation in the first quarter COFFS HARBOUR partly cloudy 16°-26° of next year, another spokesman said. Mr McLean said volunteers were difficult to attract. He warned that the loss of extra assistance with garbage collection coincides with the NSW government setting a target in its new state plan of achieving the lowest litter count per capita in Australia by 2016.

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