Woroni Edition Twelve 2018

woroni VOL. 68, Issue 12. Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

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BRUCE HALL WILL HAVE NO DEPUTY HEAD OF HALL PAGE 5

B&G WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE INWARD BOUND

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DEVELOPMENTS PAGE 35

HOW TO LOOK LIKE THE BEST FRIEND THIS EXAM PERIOD

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COFFEE FOR THE ANU STUDENT'S SOUL

Vol. 68 , Issue 12 News

REVIEWS

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Finally, in Canberra… There's an Election Coming Jasper Lindell

UNI LIFE

Sebastian Lawrence

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SCIENCE

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Sol Invictus - The Unconquered Sun

Controversial Opinions Ben Jefferson

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Why the South China Sea Remains a Flashpoint Tommy Chai 12

A letter on Kavanaugh's Nomination

Andy Yin ENVIRONMENT

staff and Sub-Editors

Brody Hannan 38

‘Oumuamua: Comet, asteroid or Other?

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Chew Jia Yi

Alia Huberman 14

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Sunscreen Canada Gavin 41

Harry Needham

The 'Ugliness' of Renewables. A RealDeal or Just Fugazzi?

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Prakriti Bhardwaj

The Meaning of 'Woroni' Coffee for the ANU Student’s Soul

No-Fin to be Scared Of: Shark Nets in Australia

Multilingual

Xavier Anderson

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BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

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The Table Asefeh Zeinalabedini 20

Shoes Simeng Sung and Linda Jian Woroni Pull-out Multilingual 29

The Question Simeng Sung and T. L. Edwards ARTS 30

The Forgotten Asia: From Nagini to Crazy Rich Asians Tiana Sun 31

10,000 Letters Tabitha Malet 32

Ode to the Water Gallery Anna Stewart-Yates 33

The Best Albums You Might Have Missed This Year Sebastian Lawrence

This paper is recyclable.

Protect the environment and recycle me after reading.

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ANU students

An Afternoon with Two Friends Charlotte Ward and Keri James

Board of Editors Editor in Chief: Mia Jessurun Deputy EIC: Ben Lawrence Managing Editor: Jonathan Tjandra Content Editor: Alisha Nagle Radio Editor: Steph David TV Editor: William He Art Editor: Sophie Bear News Editor: Noah Yim

‘CAFFEINE’ - Features Temperatures rising: the New Naval Cold War in the Middle East

We will honour the diversity of their stories.

Fighting Fire with Fire

Forestry Students in Mexico: Perspectives from ANU Delegates

Bella Dimattina

We would also like to acknowledge that this land – which we benefit from occupying – was stolen, and that sovereignty was never ceded. Within this ongoing echo of colonialism we commit, as writers and editors, to amplify the voices and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at our university.

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Sophie Burgess

INTERNATIONAL

We pay respects to Elders past, present and future.

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Karl Gwynn

Jessica Honan

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the traditional owners of the land on which Woroni is written, edited and printed.

Brandon Tan

How to Look Like the Best Friend this Exam Period

An Ode to The Fallen

acknowledgement of country

Arts Revue Review

Student Carers

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The European Union In Need of Review Felix Ryan 44

CBE Venture Lab: An Entrepeneurship Journey at ANU Soumyadeep Sengupta CREATIVE 45

Developments Ben Jefferson 46

Dear (Former) Best Friend A Little Fuji Apple 47

Magpies at the Pop-Up Zack Schofield 47

Dawn Phoebe Lupton SATIRE

Distributor: Jasper Lindell Business Development: Sumedha Verma Marketing Sub-Editor: Daniel Schuler Social Media Sub-Editor: Brandon Tan Instagram Sub-Editor: Sheawin Leong Photography Sub-Editor: Bryana Smith Photography Sub-Editor: Hannah Nigro Photography Sub-Editor: Callum Scarborough Senior Sub-Editor: Miriam Sadler Senior Sub-Editor: Caroline Dry Comment: Ben Jefferson International: Riddhi Mehta Features: Abigail Manning Multilingual: Melissa Nuhich Arts: Tabitha Malet Reviews: Surbhi Arora Uni Life: Madeleine Sinnis Environment: Xavier Anderson Science: Erin Ronge Business & Economics: Soumyadeep Sengupta Creative Writing: Phoebe Lupton Satire: Gene Pinter News: Aishwarya Taskar News: Caitland Coulson News: Dan Le Mesurier News: Jeffrey Weng News: Nick Richardson Executive Producer: Imogen Purcell Presenter Liason: Maddie Kibria Radio Technical Officer: Ben Donald-Wilson Music & Events: Albie Ryan Breakfast Producer: Sumithri Venketasubramanian Radio Producer: Patrick Bruce Radio Producer: Vikram Sondergaard Radio Producer: Maleika Twist Radio Producer: Gil Rickey Radio Producer: Claudia Weatherall Radio Producer: Jeremy Abdul-Karim Senior Art & Design: Maddy McCusker Art & Design: Jessica Benter Art & Design: Millie Wang Art & Design: Hannah Charny Art & Design: Clarence Lee Art & Design: Georgie Kamvissis Art & Design: James Atkinson Technical Manager: Bremer Sharp Executive Producer: Zachary Schofield TV Producer: Jasmine Ryan TV Producer: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng TV Producer: Ria Pflaum Video Editor: Cedalise Mariotti Video Editor: Aryanne Caminschi Video Editor: Savannah Benson Camera Operator: Derek Wu Camera Operator: Prakash Singh Camera Operator: Cathy McGrane

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The Signs as Coffee Orders Gene Pinter

Want to contribute?

Send words to write@woroni.com.au and visuals to art@woroni.com.au.

Woroni is powered by....

Meaningless political slogans, debates on what 'that' means... and donuts.

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

NO DEPUTY HEAD OF RESIDENCE FOR BRUCE HALL IN 2019

Text: Jeffrey Weng From 2019 onward, Bruce Hall will have no Deputy Head of Residence in addition to other residential staff structural changes.

This change was publicly announced three days ago and none of the Bruce Hall residents were notified beforehand.

Max Moffat, President of Bruce Hall’s Common Room Committee (CRC), said that one of his biggest concerns was that “as this announcement is very recent, there has not been time for students to workshop the role to ensure it is effective.”

Currently, the Deputy Head of Residence reports to the Head of Residence across ANU residential halls. The Deputy Head of Residence is responsible for taking care of the pastoral, administrative, and social needs of residents. The Deputy

Head is also the principal supervisor of residents in leadership positions including Senior Residents and Community Coordinators.

On the other hand, the Head of Residence carries overall responsibility for all aspects of residential life. Some of the tasks of the current Head of Bruce Hall will be assigned to other ANU residential staffs, including budget control and internal liaison. This leaves the new Head of Bruce Hall as the principal supervisor for both of pastoral care and academic development.

When the new Head of Residence is unavailable, residents with requests will be referred to the Head of Wright Hall. The Head of Wright Hall will be Samitha Ramanayake who is currently the Deputy Head of Fenner Hall.

In the 2013 report “Review of the Division of Residential and Campus (DRCC) Communities”, the Review Team

recommended that the University disestablish both of the Head and Deputy Heads of Residence and instead create a new role of Residential Manager. The panel noted that “there is an unnecessary degree of overlap in the two fulltime positions.” Furthermore, the panel suggested that the University change the reporting lines of the administrative support staffs which they believe “does not adequately recognise that there can be considerable overlap between ‘administration’ and ‘pastoral care’.”

But in December 2013, the University rejected these recommendations in the interim report. The University proposed to retain both of the positions and to let administrative support staffs continue to report to the Heads of Residence.

Last year, the Bruce Hall Common Room Committee sent a public letter to the Bruce Hall administration to express concerns about the selection process of Senior Residents who are pivotal to the

pastoral care system of each residential hall.

The current pastoral team of Bruce Hall consists of the Head of Residence, the Deputy Head of Residence, 2 Community Coordinators, and 13 Senior Residents.

The current Deputy Head of Bruce Hall, Cris Clucas, started her role in May 2018. Before her appointment, the position was unoccupied for months after the previous Deputy Head, Samantha Schofield, left towards the end of last year.

In 2019, Bruce Hall will return from SA5 to its original location on 40 Daley Road.

It will be home to about 400 students in addition to the Packard Wing.

At the time of publication, ANU has been reached for comment but did not provide any to Woroni. W

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SURVEY SUGGESTS HOW STUDENTS WANT $5.6M SSAF FUND DISTRIBUTED Text: Nick Richardson

The results of the ANU operated SSAF survey has highlighted ANU students’ desire for “sporting or other recreational” activities to receive a larger slice of the SSAF pie.

The promotion of student health and welfare came second in the survey, while the provision of food and drink to students rounded out the top 3.

Student debating received the least support from the 771 students who completed the survey, polling just below the assistance in the provision of insurance for students against personal accidents. The online survey provided students with the opportunity to decide how they wanted a hypothetical pool of $100 to be split between the 19 provided categories.

Despite the recent student accommodation problems that have plagued many students currently living in Fenner, and Burton and Garran Hall, students placed “helping students secure accommodation” as their fifth preference, just above available student legal services.

In stark contrast to the student support for sporting activities at ANU, the survey revealed that support for student art and artistic activities ranked a lowly 14th, just below the promotion of student media and the provision of more care to the children of students.

In 2018, the SSAF fund amounted to an astonishing $5,597,343.

Almost 63% of this fund was allocated to ANUSA and PARSA who received $1,997,923 and $1,521,484 respectively.

The Division of Student Life (DSL) was the third largest beneficiary of SSAF funding, receiving $642,195 (11.5%) in 2018.

ANU Sport was the fourth largest recipient, receiving $624,061 (11%) of the collective fund.

The two student media outlets, Woroni and ANU Observer, acquired a significantly smaller portion, collectively receiving $211,682 from the fund (3.78%).

Executive Officer to the Pro Vice Chancellor for University Experience, Dr. Luby Simson, stated that “This year’s survey was a pilot for the development of a more comprehensive survey for 2020 funding priorities,” but stated that “as only 771 students responded (4% of student population) it will be important for [the University] to use this data as a potential trend, but be aware of the need to get more respondents”. W

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

B&G WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE INWARD BOUND Text: Dan Le Mesurier

Burton & Garran Hall were announced last night as the overall winners of this year’s iteration of Inward Bound, with John XXIII College placing second and Burgmann College coming in at third.

Inward Bound is an “unique adventure footrace” with strong navigational and endurance running components, pitting ANU’s residential halls against each other across seven divisions. Taking place overnight on 5 October and going on until the afternoon of the next day,

teams this year ran a gruelling course through Namadgi National Park before arriving at the endpoint in Orroral Valley.

This is the third consecutive year where B&G has come first overall – and it is also the third consecutive year where both Johns and Burgmann have placed in the top three.

Ursula Hall placed fourth, improving upon their performance last year (5th) and matching their achievement in 2016.

markedly from their overall performance in 2016 – where they finished in eighth.

UniLodge came sixth, following the general trend of improving upon their previous two performances (coming in at 8th and 7th for 2017 and 2016, respectively).

Fenner Hall finished in seventh, matching their place last year, whilst Griffin dropped two places from last year and came in in eighth. W

Bruce Hall came fifth, dropping from fourth place in 2017 but improving

VOX POP: IS IB OVER-HYPED?

Content: Nick Richardson

Connor Wolfe Fenner Hall Well as a runner I have experienced zero, so no, it’s not over hyped.

Patrick Bruce Burton and Garran Hall Possibly, but it also quite a big event and the runners do go through quite a bit of pain to get to the end point. If you don’t really understand it, it could seem over-hyped.

Jemima Livesey Bruce Hall I don’t, I think so many people put so much effort into IB and they work so hard.

I think there is a lot of pressure and expectation put into it, but I don’t think it is over-hyped.

Lucy Xu Fenner Hall.

GOODBYE TO THE SEMESTER, YEAR AND NEWSPAPER Text: Noah Yim The ANU Student Media constitution states that one of Woroni’s objects is “to promote open public dialogue and debate in the University community”. This is a difficult task to fulfil when our campus community comes from so many different walks of life and caters to so many different interests.

Journalism and news reporting is what arms us with the information to participate in “open public dialogue and debate”. In the last year, I think that we’ve seen this to some extent: when ANU cut the Diploma of Languages, the Ramsay Centre negotiations, ANUSA and PARSA elections, and the cancellation of the Portuguese course. However, I recognise that we have not performed this function to our full potential. There are still stones left unturned, leads to chase and people to interview. We are constantly working to make sure that nothing goes unnoticed. This is how we stay relevant.

Journalism is a constant struggle to stay relevant: it is a constant search for what our audience finds interesting and important. This makes journalism very dynamic and time-sensitive. We must stay up-to-date in terms of the content we produce, but we must also stay relevant in the way we report it and the direction we take. It’s an institution designed to adapt.

In the theory of evolution, there is a concept known as ‘punctuated equilibrium’. It is where there are periods of relative calm, and periods of rapid evolution when the environment changes.

Good news: the times they are a changin’: Woroni will move from a paper to a magazine, Woroni will move from Barry Drive to Kambri, and the entire campus will be at closer quarters in Kambri. I am excited to see what direction the news team will take and what new forms Woroni news will take in the new environments presented to it. It will emerge better than ever: our fundamental assumptions, norms, and institutions will be rocked, but we will build new structures to support Woroni news and discard what falls away.

Tristan Shugg Off-Campus

Thank you for your continued interest in Woroni. It means so much to me that you’re reading this article in the newspaper or online. Woroni runs for you and because of you. I urge you to continue your interest in Woroni. We’ll be coming back with a full makeover, but we’ll still be the same wombats working quietly in the background..

Yes, I’m just going to dress up like the beach.

Noah Yim is Woroni's News Editor.

Considering how much goes into it, no. A whole year goes into preparation and if there wasn’t that kind of glory, it wouldn’t be worth running in.

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Vol. 68 , Issue 12

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FINALLY, IN CANBERRA...

THERE'S AN ELECTION COMING Text: Jasper Lindell Graphic: Maddy McCusker There have been a number of moments this year where the best response to politics seemed to be a retreat to a remote cabin in the outer reaches of Adaminaby.

High and cool alpine air seems like the perfect antidote to the regular bouts of stupidity seen in hemmed-in Canberra.

But that’s a cop out.

A lot of political decision making is done by people for whom the decisions are largely inconsequential. If you had the pleasure of listening to Senator the Hon Matt Canavan on one of 54 affiliate talk back radio stations across the country last Wednesday evening, you would have heard the Minister for Resources explain away this bother about climate change.

Coal being our biggest export, he said, renewables aren’t the answer to getting down household electricity bills. So onwards and upwards for coal and boo to renewables. At least, that’s the gist.

But Canavan doesn’t have to live very long with the consequences. Youth engagement is key on climate change. The recent and alarming IPCC report on climate change charts a clear path for our lifetimes.

Consider as well the question of whether we should raise the Newstart allowance.

Those who get to lock in the answer aren’t affected. Sure, they might know someone, perhaps even a close family member, who relies on a welfare payment, but they aren’t deciding whether they will be able to find accommodation themselves.

This process of decision making without consequences has been a theme I’ve returned to in this column all year. Climate change, drugs, government led by Newspoll and so on – all areas where decisions on the fly, policy on the run and politics by polling numbers dominate.

Can politicians, who are afforded a privileged position in society in order to be politicians, make empathetic decisions in policy when it will have the greatest impact on people whose experience are so far removed from theirs in this supposedly egalitarian country?

Yes, they can. But it certainly helps when voters reward that kind of behaviour. An election next year gives you a chance to show that’s what you’d like to see more of.

A new book featuring some ANU heavyweights – Professor Frank Bongiorno, Professor John Uhr and Dr Jill Sheppard, among others – argues that elections are key moments in our political history and really do offer voters a way to meaningfully engage with

politics and influence governments.

The book is called, perhaps unsurprisingly, Elections Matter and is edited

by Benjamin T. Jones, Bongiorno and Uhr. As Jones notes in his introduction, the book intentionally leaves out the Gough Whitlam’s 1972 “It’s time” election and other so-called landmark elections. “[E]lections can be important even when they seem relatively banal or routine,” Jones writes.

Speaking in his Coombs Building office last week after this columnist managed to locate it, Jones said that while Australians feel disempowered by their democracy, they are actually “extraordinarily” empowered. He also had a couple of pointers for political journalists. “[Fewer] predictions would be good,” he said. “Political journalists love having a punt. If it doesn’t happen it’s forgotten. But if it does, they pull out their article and say what a great political Nostradamus they are.”

Instead, there’s a lot to be gained from history. On the question of whether the internet and the 24-news cycle disruptor tornado has had a sizeable effect on the way politics is done here, Jones said it would be “great to wait nine years to answer that question.” If only there was such a period to cobble together this final column.

But Jones does identify the “new normal”: short term governments and a lot of quick change over. “The old normal would presume that an incoming federal government will set the agenda for a decade or more. … The most pronounced feature of the new normal is the apparent ease with which a prime minister can be replaced,” he writes.

Is there any guidance the book, which is published at the end of the month by Monash University Publishing, offers us going forward into next year? Can we reach into the past for answers? There are few hard and fast rules in politics among a smattering of constantly reworked precedents, but an election will always count.

Luckily, we won’t have to wait nine years to answer the question of what happens when we do get to vote. Will the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, storm the Lodge with his apparent golden ticket?

Or will Scott Morrison spin a masterful tale to win an election in his own right?

It’s been a bizarre year. Or in other words, we’ve had a year of politics. Another leadership spill. Oodles of nonsense produced by spin operatives on both sides. Close attention to the sex lives of politicians and their citizenship statuses. The very live prospect of a Peter Dutton prime ministership.

And, as ever, a trip further along the

road to oblivion on climate change.

There’s no need to suffer death by a thousand sound grabs, though. Retreat to the Adaminaby of your mind occasionally, but keep at it. Somewhere amongst all this noise there is something worth latching onto – and voting for, whatever side you come down on. …and lastly, a coda Chances are you’re holding the last Woroni newspaper in your hands. Perhaps use it to line a drawer as a memento.

It was killed off last week in a Special General Meeting, with only two votes to retain it (one of them was mine).

There’s a good chance next year that you’ll be reading some other undergraduate bang on about politics in a glossy magazine. It certainly won’t be me.

I’m sad to see the newspaper go. Front pages still have impact and there remains a strong appetite for the printed word. It’s certainly possible to cover the news in the brave new digital world, but there is something symbolic about a newspaper that Woroni will lose.

Woroni could be – and ought to be – Australia’s most prominent student newspaper. Fiercely independent, not beholden to a hostile student union and with access to a healthy budget, it could be strident and campaigning, with a real chance to hold power to account. It could put its money where its mouth is and

make a difference with its journalism.

Transforming into a magazine strikes at the heart of that. A magazine, if it’s any good, is a different creature that calls for a different kind of writing, a different view of the world.

So when student journalism matters more than ever and when professional media have fewer resources to cover the affairs of universities, the degradation of another campus newspaper into a less frequent publication is a poignant occasion.

No need to dwell. We must move on. It’s been a pleasure, but after one last press run, my time here has come to a close.

Jasper Lindell is a former news editor and Woroni’s political columnist.

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

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STUDENT CARERS Text: Karl Gwynn Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

When one thinks of issues of access and inclusion, student carers are unlikely to be the first group that comes to mind. The very role of a carer is relatively unknown to the public as their achievements are largely experienced by those receiving care. To clarify, carers are individuals who undertake caring responsibilities for a family member or significant other. Those being cared for generally suffer from physical or mental disabilities that limit their capacity to care for themselves.

Caring roles can be undertaken part time (sometimes shared between multiple carers) or full time where day to day care is provided by the individual. Those who undertake caring responsibilities do so out of family or friendship responsibility to the person being cared for. Caring is a selfless act as it has no immediate financial benefits and can be a substantial burden upon the carer.

This burden is most impactful upon youth carers and student carers, who generally lack the resources to balance caring responsibilities and other commitments such as work and study.

Research into youth and student carers shows that the role can create significant economic and social disadvantages. Maintaining employment can be challenging as a carer’s role can require them to be unexpectedly absent due to unforeseen caring responsibilities. The same is true of education, where absence can be unforeseen and difficult to discuss. Despite the disadvantages faced by carers, their unpaid work is estimated to contribute $13 billion of economic output. This is measured based on the cost of care if it was provided outside of family and friendship networks. Caring positively contributes to economic and

social welfare despite the limitations that the role places on carers.

Personal accounts of carers indicate the strain that caring places on the individual. Extra responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, administering medications and practical tasks take up so much time in the average day that it is completely unrealistic to expect carers to be able to meet all work and schooling deadlines. Carers express feelings of anxiety, depression and isolation as the burden of care takes a toll on overall wellbeing. The lack of structural accommodation of carers contributes to feelings of dissatisfaction and disadvantage. The current social understanding of carers is also detrimental to access and inclusion: carers can feel stigmatised or unable to ask for help as the role is frequently misunderstood. In many cases carers fear that their caring role will be perceived as a personal weakness.

This is due to a severe lack of carer assistance and public unawareness.

Caring should be reframed as a personal strength, as the role provides significant skills in organisation and management.

Youth carers aged 14 – 25 and student carers represent a particularly vulnerable section of caring roles.

The responsibility that caring requires can impact on education and employment, limiting the success a carer can have. This pressure placed on youth and student carers can have long term effects on qualifications and mental wellbeing. Despite the substantial burden that youth and student carers face, there is a lack of institutional support for carers that could help alleviate some of the hardship faced.

The Australian tertiary education system currently offers very little in the way of support for carers through access and inclusion. Some

crucial steps forward include modifications to current access and inclusion policies in general and greater awareness of the carer role. Clear policy guidelines are needed to specify the process of acquiring extensions and special considerations for assessment, and greater flexibility is necessary to allow for the extra difficulties carers face. This would work comparably to current extension and special consideration policies to maintain consistency in institutional application. At the moment this poses a challenge as extensions are generally granted on the basis of a medical certificate, and the caring role does not directly affect the condition of the carer.

Because of this, a method of carer appraisal is needed either internally through institutions or externally through certification of caring roles.

Increased financial support would also benefit carers in fulfilling caring roles and tertiary/employment commitments. The economic output generated by carers justifies increased funding to scholarships and assistance programs for student carers. Considering the importance of caring roles, supporting these individuals financially would subsidise their invaluable contribution to the economy and facilitate lower levels of drop outs within the carer population.

Awareness is another important element of improving study conditions for carers. One of the biggest contributors to anxiety/depression and feelings of isolation amongst carers is the limited understanding of the importance of caring roles among the broader population. Feelings of stigmatisation have been linked to carers reducing engagement with tertiary programs. In order to increase public knowledge of caring responsibilities, campaigns aimed at spreading awareness and generating discussion are needed. Melbourne

University has had success in campaign-based support through their website which contains important information and personal stories of caring responsibilities.

The ANU Carers Collective and Carers within ANU are seeking to engage the public through awareness programs similar to that of Melbourne University. By producing carer-based content and recognition, further advocacy of carer issues can be shared.

ANU should strive to be at the forefront of carer support and inclusion.

As a leading Australian university, it has the capacity to radically reform current standards of carer support nationwide. The introduction of effective carer policies here would mean the potential to implement successes more broadly. Extensions and special considerations are an immediate step forward along with initial planning of scholarships and support programs. Following in the footsteps of Melbourne University’s advocacy of carer issues would also increase awareness and public support. This could be achieved by providing an institutional platform to groups like the ANU Carers Collective for advocacy. With University backing, the issues would be more widely accessible and provide foundations for policy adjustments going forward. Student and youth carers are disadvantaged by a lack of structural accommodation through access and inclusion. The strength that carers provide through a supportive role should be recognized and supported by tertiary institutions. Doing so will reduce carer disadvantage and dissatisfaction promoting inclusivity and support.

ANU and universities in general should strive to support carers and their ongoing economic and social contributions to society.

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

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An ode To the fallen Text: Jessica Honan Graphic: Maddy McCusker Content Warning: Depictions of death, discussions of mental illness We are the dead.

Absent of pain, Harry feels hot blood bloom from his wound; down his uniform, from his lower gut. A single shot rings across the dawn. One soldier – one crumpled figure slumps down on the horizon. Harry can visualise the crimson blossom emerging from his thin frame.

***

The poppies are dead, crushed under heavy boots and endless shelling.

Wiping cold mud from the wrinkles between his eyes, Harry raises his distorted view above the decomposing sandbags, to glimpse across the barren wasteland. A foliage of bruised, bashed soldiers lie across the muddy vastness traversing the two narrow dugouts. Harry’s stomach cripples with impeding nerves. He was deceived and poisoned by the fear; the deafening, obnoxious noises; the inexorableness of injury or death.

The morbid location is overwhelming; a spoonful of opium with every blink. The smell of decaying human flesh reinforces the fragility of human life. The sound of bursting shells and blooming bullets lines the atmosphere with their dispiriting noise; the sight of decrepit, disabled,

disheartened

men

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

burns vividly red in his eyes. The only thing he can taste is a combination of blood, sweat and French mud. He can only feel numbness from the bitter winds.

The deep-scarlet dawn rises ominously over the French hills in the distance. Harry knows the attack looms present. His face twitches uncontrollably. His bladder contracts and expands violently. He knows the call is forthcoming, but disregards the cancerous, impending fear and instability growing in his chest.

Then came the call. Vibrating, pulsating across the empty expanse of the battlefield.

Harry’s insides crawl to his throat, threatening to submerge.

Clumsily bowed with bombs and guns, men jostle to meet the bristling fire. Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear, climb over the trenches just to be shot down again. But the monsters of the trench clasp Harry’s feet. His body has frozen. He is willing himself to rise over the mud, but his spine has locked. He can no longer contain his stomach; it comes flooding out. His feet are cemented to the mud. He tries to grip his gun. Movement. Is. Jagged. Pain. Hurt.

A captain barks. “Get going, private!” Harry’s body spasms uncontrollably. His eyes brim, the boiling tears flowering from his eyes. He can’t get going.

***

Shot at dawn. The glory of combat does not accommodate for Harry’s ‘cowardice’. He lost to his own comrades, unaware of Harry’s condition. Hands bound, Harry is led through fading poppies, to the site of his execution.

Harry is the dead.

***

During the First World War, over three hundred Allied soldiers were executed for ‘cowardice’, including Englishman Private Harry Farr, a twenty-five year old killed in 1916 on the Somme. These men’s names were left off memorials – they were considered ‘disgraces’ to their country.

Since then, they have been diagnosed with the medical condition asphyxia – a serious mental health issue.

This November 11th marks one hundred years since the signing of the armistice that ended the brutalities of the First World War. From 1914 – 1918, over 60 000 Australians were killed serving in Europe and the Middle East. Every year on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day we spend time reflecting on their sacrifice.

Whilst I certainly support the telling of this narrative, I think it’s also

important to remember the other sacrifices made in war. To remember the sacrifice of families, who must live their lives without someone they loved; the sacrifice of non-combatants, who saw and did things so traumatising they would never forget; and the sacrifice of people like Harry, whose stories have been forgotten in the breadth of tragedies emerging from war.

On November 11, voices around Australia will unite to recite The Ode, as a way of memorialising soldiers who have fought and died. I hope that this year in our commemorations we will also remember stories less told, ensuring our pledge – we will remember them, lest we forget – encompasses the true expanse of sacrifices made in war.

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Vol. 68 , Issue 12

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Controversial opinions Text: Ben Jefferson Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

I’ve only had a brief tenure with Woroni this semester, but with slightly more experience working close to the coal-face of student opinion, I'd like to finish with a few realisations that have struck me in the course of reading, writing and editing student media from ANU and beyond.

1.

Student media is not always impartial.

it’s very difficult to run a student media organisation without your political views leaking through into its content. The publication in the University of Sydney’s Honi Soit of an opinion piece that vaunted the “highly organised, egalitarian and energised society” of North Korea could be seen as an attempt to introduce a voice contrary to mainstream discourse.

It could also be seen as a piece with a political agenda strongly towards the left and against the United States. Similarly, the photo of a female suicide bomber on the cover of Honi’s Wom*n’s pull-out could be seen as a bold subversion of female empowerment. It could also be seen as the glorification of terrorism.

Publication of political content in student publications is not negative per se. However, what is negative is a consistent bias in a media outlet’s stance on political issues that is reflective of a small cadre of students’

political views. Student media should be a forum for the expression of differing views. Those views should be curated, but not censored. The establishment of political bias among the leaders of student media organisations dampens the free spirit of university journalism, and should be recognised and avoided.

2.

‘Fake’ news is not always fake.

Fake news has become a serious concern in the media world in general, let alone student media. However, as I’ve spent more time digesting and considering opinion media, it’s become clear to me that the present danger is often not fabrication, but opinion disguised as reporting. Commentary in mainstream media publications is often littered between pages of reporting; the prominence of soundbite pundits and talkback radio shock jocks has made it harder to distinguish between news reporters and commentators.

Following on from my first point, opinion journalism stacked with the same views end on end becomes so regular that it feels like the reporting of facts.

It is the responsibility of student media organisations to monitor the diversity of opinions they publish to ensure that an implicit bias does not develop.

Opinion should not be published as if it were fact:; opinions contrary to received wisdom should not be censored. It is easy to fear backlash when publishing an article that might be received poorly, but the purpose of opinion journalism is to provide a platform

for response, which brings me to my last point.

3.

A lot of us have something to say, but we often need prompting to say it.

Opinion journalism thrives on the back-and-forth of active discourse, but outside of Facebook comments it’s rare that anyone writes in support of their views. It’s important for student media leaders to be as impartial as they can:; it is important for them to represent a wide range of views – but without writers, nothing happens. Numerous times this year, articles have been published that someone has had an issue with. A few times, someone has replied with their own opinion piece. But on the whole, the feeling of frustration is not translated into words.

Every time I’ve asked someone if they’d like to write for Woroni, the answer has been yes – everyone has an opinion on something that they’d like to share.

But without being asked, those opinions often go unheard. My exhortation is: write! Our university thrives on the discourse between our newspaper’s pages, and the more open and active that discourse is, the more robust the formation of our perspectives. It is not only the responsibility of student media but ourselves to express our opinions to others.

Ben Jefferson is Woroni’s Comment Sub-Editor.

11

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

COMMENT // INTERNATIONAL

Why the South China Sea Remains a Flashpoint Text: Tommy Chai Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis The South China Sea dispute has been noted by many as one of the ‘four regional flashpoints’ in East Asia. At its heart, the dispute is concerned with overcoming the sensitive legacies of decolonisation, as nations jostle over their sovereign and historic rights with overlapping claims over the features, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and the outer limits of their continental shelves.

More broadly, it is about overcoming resource security (oil, gas and fisheries) and the geopolitical competition between major regional powers. This confluence of strategic interests and the multi-faceted competition among different players in the South China Sea makes the conflict intractable.

Amidst the political drama, there has been no effective legal or normative mechanism to peacefully resolve the dispute over the last five decades. International law has not prevailed in ensuring that dispute parties adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or the 2014 Hague Tribunal Ruling. Regional frameworks between ASEAN member-states and China, such as the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties and the emerging framework for the Code of Conduct, also lack enforceability with no binding agreement to resolve or manage disputes. This is in part due to the unwillingness of countries to subsume under a supranational polity as a result of their non-negotiable emphasis on sovereign territoriality.

Given the lack of effective dispute mechanisms, claimant states and regional observers have generally managed the South China Sea conflict under the broader political framework of regional power balancing and defence self-help.

This has meant a desire to militarise the South China Sea and bring in major external powers (i.e. the United States, India, Japan, the United Kingdom, France and Russia) in order to prevent one single hegemon from dictating the rules and dominating the region. However, changes in regional dynamics, especially China’s rapid rise and America’s relative decline, have encouraged greater assertiveness and provocations among observers and dispute parties, which

threatens to intensify the arms race and strategic competition in the South China Sea. This means that the South China Sea dispute has remained a dangerous source of conflict, with periodic clashes and near-misses between claimant and observer states.

Vietnam’s recent manoeuvres poses a pivotal crisis point that may warrant a standoff involving India and possibly the US against China over a contested oil rig. Such manoeuvres relate to Vietnam’s evolving maritime strategy, which over the last decade has seen an incremental expansion of maritime forces (air force, navy and coastguards) and installations of military features around the Spratly islands.

Of particular worry is Vietnam’s evolving military doctrine surrounding the ‘Law on Militia and Self-Defence Forces’ to combine national defence with maritime economic endeavours. This has allowed for the building of a modest fishing militia which would support not just fishing safety and navigation, but also confrontational operations during oil and gas contestations. Already, there has been an increasing presence of Vietnamese fishers around Vietnam’s Ladd Reef in close proximity to the disputed oil block 136/03. This has occurred against the backdrop of recent reported threats by Beijing to forcibly remove Vietnam’s joint exploration with Spain’s Respol in that oil block – a signal of Vietnam bolstering its support operations for resource exploration.

The development of a Vietnamese fishing militia is problematic It falls under the grey area between the civilian and the military which may complicate the principle of inviolability of coastal fishing vessels. Vietnam’s military also lacks detailed organisational procedures surrounding the role of fishing militia and the escalation of force.

Without addressing these issues, Vietnamese fishers may be unintentionally emboldened to pursue a more confrontational approach in the contestation for oil and gas explorations.

On top of this, Vietnam is enhancing its defence ties with regional powers to cement their strategic presence in the South China Sea. Vietnam’s relationship with India, in particular, has seen

greater arms sales and increasingly robust naval exercises as part of the 20152020 Vietnam-India Joint Vision Statement to strengthen capacity-building and joint-interoperability. The March meeting between Vietnamese President Quong and Indian Prime Minister Modi also underscored continued indifference among Vietnamese and Indian authorities over Chinese protests against their joint explorations, with the possibility of further explorations

by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and PetroVietnam extending to Vietnam’s continental shelf. Vietnam and India may therefore fail to take China’s increasing displeasure and assertiveness over the years seriously. This may provoke a confrontation with Chinese oil companies exploring near the vicinity of Vietnam-India joint exploration projects. With Quong’s recent passing, much will be seen as to how Hanoi continues to push the envelope in the South China Sea. Washington, on the other hand, has recently stepped up on its freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) and passed into law the symbolic National Defense Authorisation Act to expose Beijing’s assertive behaviour and ban China from the Rim of the Pacific Exercise. Much has been criticised about this ineffective move in pressuring China to rollback its military activities and land reclamation. But with the added interests to deepen defense partnership with Vietnam – as attested by the recent US aircraft carrier visit to Cam Ranh Bay – and elevate India as a major defense partner, it will be no surprise if the US interferes in a Vietnam-China-India standoff under the guise of FONOPs to uphold a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’.

This is just one of the many potential points of escalation in the region. Although the South China Sea may well be the least likely of all other flashpoints to erupt into a major war, one should caution against complacency when preparing for strategic shocks. We should bear in mind John Stoessinger’s warning when “few foresaw the world catastrophe that would snuff out the lives of an entire generation and consign the next to disillusion and despair.”

COMMENT // INTERNATIONAL

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

12

A letter on Kavanaugh's Nomination Text: Bella Dimattina Graphic: Maddy McCusker

Content Warning: Discussions of sexual assault, harrassment and victim-blaming, discussions of sexism A letter to my Dad, who wonders about Dr. Ford’s role in Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination (and some thoughts on gender, media and democracy): I call you. We talk family, friends and politics. We talk Brett Kavanaugh.

Playing the devil's advocate (a completely apolitical stance, of course), you wonder why Dr Ford only spoke up now. Isn't it proof that she's a pawn for the Democratic Party's elaborate game of chess?

Right off the bat, I acknowledge that no academic research has proven unusual levels of false accusations of sexual assault. The common rightwing narrative, that these stories are made up by jilted lovers to 'get back’ at their partners (in family law courts or publicly) has no scientific basis.

But these questions incense me - even if you do believe her. You demand a victim of a crime to behave a certain way, a way that appeals to a social order that has monumentally failed her, and countless victims and survivors before her. How dare you expect a vulnerable teen to speak up, against not only an individual but her entire social group, against the patriarchal values that led people to stand by and laugh, potentially against her own fears about whether she deserved it?

That you treat the reporting of a rape like a man treats a break-in to his house only affirms my fears that you don't understand sexual assault. Sexual assault is a violation of one's entire self, self-worth, and worldview. It is something you hide, and block, and pretend didn't happen.

It's something you don't tell anyone.

And I ask, if one can't tell their mother or father, how do they tell the police? Especially in the US, where 18 per cent of sexual violence reports end in an arrest (compared to 27 per cent of robberies).

Further, the idea that Dr Ford is a pawn in an elaborate political game is insulting to those who come forward with their stories. Dr Ford, by revealing her story, has committed a deeply personal act of empowerment, further establishing control over a narrative that played out in her head for decades, ignored by those who stood by and did nothing, or else perpetrated the actions.

“Okay”, you concede. The system is flawed for victims of sexual assault.

“But,” you counter, “what does this mean for the precious system of judicial appointment? Women can't

just hijack a man's job interview to air grievances from 30 years ago.”

Oh but they can. This job is one which will determine the rights of women throughout the US for potentially decades. This job is one of immense status and has massive ramifications for the futures of Americans. Why shouldn't we have a say?

In fact, the media plays a role in making sure our politicians know exactly

how we feel. The media, in this moment, reports on and expresses the social values that we want to see in the Supreme Court. It's representative democracy.

“What if you're about to be elected a federal judge, and someone calls you out for a racist joke you made in high school? Isn't it all just going too far?”

It's letting go of the fallacy that Supreme Court judges, decisions and institutions are apolitical interpreters and interpretations of law. In fact, the Court is more likely to be seen by the public as a moral compass.

Firstly, thanks Dad for reinforcing the idea that sexual assault can only be committed by men. Love the change in analogy. Secondly, if I did say something racist and offensive, something unrepresentative of the people whose rights I'll interpret, why shouldn't this be relevant? Maybe it's the belief that I'll never make light of racism, or maybe I understand. Judges' benches belong to those who respect those whose matters they adjudicate.

Now that Kavanaugh has been confirmed, I worry. I worry that, like when Texas pro-choice lobbyists decried the restrictions of abortions, the storm will break, and our rights will remain in the hands of those who do not respect them.

That abortion clinics will close; affirmative action will be disallowed. Gerrymandering will increase and the death penalty will remain. I worry Trump will be allowed to pardon himself.

Mostly I worry that you think I'm uninformed, or weak for my position. But when you speak as devil's advocate, I speak from personal experience of alienation and harassment, of being silenced and bullied. You want me to see the bigger picture, but I want the bigger picture to see us, and to make changes so that a rapist doesn't get to the Federal Courts, let alone the Supreme Court.

This debate is not just a theoretical discussion of foreign politics, it is a debate that is playing out in our homes, campuses and news outlets. It affects our Australian values and expectations for the political landscape. It affects how I talk to you, and how you talk to me.

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

PROMPTED // FEATURES

Temperatures rising: the new naval Cold War in the Middle East

Text: Alia Huberman Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

“The Cold War in the Middle East is heating up”: a refrain parroted by Middle East pundits the world over.

In this modern reinterpretation of the Soviet-American original, Saudi Arabia and Iran play the lead roles of bitter geopolitical rivals. Dividing the region and drawing supporting actors into two opposing camps.

To those watching local headlines, it seems as though each daily news cycle produces a fresh story pointing to the rising temperatures. With tensions escalating, many debate how close the region is to boiling point.

But beyond superficial truisms, what does ‘heating up’ actually mean for the Middle East? And what might ‘boiling over’ mean for the rest of us?

Much like its 20th century namesake, this Cold War is dressed in the rhetoric of competing grand ideologies – in this case, Iran’s Shi’ism and Saudi Arabia’s Sunni Islam – both with a rival claim to global leadership of Muslims. At its core, however, the conflict is a geopolitical struggle for influence between two near-peer powers. Each being the only thing standing between the other and regional domination.

Saudi-Iranian confrontation is playing out across the battlefields of Yemen and Syria, of the Iraqi and Lebanese elections, of Hezbollah, Hamas and Israel. Other incidents that manifest the rising tensions read like a grocery list of Middle Eastern geopolitical stereotypes: assassinations, mysterious disappearances, terror attacks, missile strikes,

fire-and-brimstone rhetoric and accusations of political puppeteering.

Despite mounting hostilities, conventional wisdom holds that a direct clash between the two is unimaginable. Indeed, a continental armed conflict seems unlikely. The long and bloody war with Iraq remains fresh in the Iranian national memory, and the costs of the proxy war in Yemen are quickly adding up for the Saudis. Both powers are contending with domestic economic and political challenges. Neither is looking to pick a fight that might threaten the survival of its regime. But, in reaction to a number of factors, states across the region are gearing up for a different war, in a different theatre.

If there’s a great-power war coming in the Middle East, it’s going to be fought, not on land, but by sea.

The maritime Middle East has always been a critical international arena. But, developments of the 21st century have shifted the global centre of geostrategic gravity towards it more than ever before. The vast energy reserves needed to feed China’s explosive growth and its Belt and Road Initiative have raised the strategic significance of the Middle East’s key straits and the sea lines of communication connecting the Persian Gulf to East Asia. But as these vital trade arteries have grown in importance, they’ve also come under increased threat.

On both sides of the Arab Peninsula, Iran and its proxies wield the spectre of a crippling blockade. In July, the Iranian military threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz in response to President Trump’s reimposition of sanctions on Iran’s crude oil exports. On a number of

occasions, Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis in the Bab al-Mandab have attacked Saudi and US oil tankers as well as US, Saudi and Emirati naval vessels. In early August, these salvos led to a brief Saudi suspension of oil shipments through the strait. Most recently, on 7 October, Yemen’s Saba state news agency reported that Houthi rebels had detained 10 oil and commercial vessels at the port of al-Hudaydah, including an Indian-flagged fuel tanker.

These incidents have highlighted both the vulnerability and the strategic weight of the Middle East’s key waterways. In response, the region is experiencing an unprecedented naval military build-up. States both within and without the Middle East are desperate to re secure the flows of their trading lifeblood, deter attacks, and match their competitors’ growing maritime forces. And it’s this paranoid, hawkish drive that should scare anyone worried about a thawing regional Cold War. The rapid militarisation of an extremely volatile region increases both its flammability - and the chance of a spark to set it off.

On both sides of the Saudi-Iranian confrontation, regional powers have scrambled to modernise and expand their naval capabilities. In July, Saudi Arabia finalised deals with Spanish shipbuilder Navantia to purchase five Avante 2200 corvettes and with US firm Lockheed Martin for four slightly larger Multi-Mission Surface Combatants. In so doing, it’s also secured technology transfer agreements to develop its indigenous defence industry for the longer term. Turkey is expecting delivery of its first “light” aircraft carrier in April 2021, in a similar technology transfer agreement with Navantia.

Egypt has invested heavily in its navy, launching on 7 September its first home-built corvette. Concern over Iran’s small speedboat swarms has prompted the US to conduct defensive exercises against them using A-10 Thunderbolt II jets.

Heightened maritime tensions have also seen a rush on ports and military bases up and down the Horn of Africa. China chose to establish its first overseas military base in Djibouti; Saudi Arabia and ally UAE have claimed sites there and in Somalia, Libya and Eritrea, while more Iran-aligned Qatar and Turkey have begun construction in Somalia and Sudan. Further stoking regional instability, both Iran and Saudi Arabia have used ports along the Red Sea littoral to smuggle weapons and launch strikes against opposing sides of the Yemeni civil war.

While mutual military build-up never makes conflict inevitable, a maritime clash – by nature, more limited in casualties and scope, and slower to escalate – seems like an increasingly plausible eventuality.

It’d be a threat to the Middle Eastern shipping lanes that ballast the global economy, and thus a threat to all of us. Western navies are stretched, smaller than at any point since WWII, and preoccupied with East Asia. Our decision-makers desperately need to divert some of their policy attention and professional panic from overwritten flashpoints like the South China Sea to the difficult multilateral powder-keg that is the maritime Middle East. And they need to remember that Middle Eastern wars do not disappear just because the West is tired of fighting them.

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

PROMPTED // FEATURES

14

THE MEANING OF 'WORONI' Text: Harry Needham Graphic: Sophie Bear On 14 June, 1950, the student journal of what was then the Canberra University College announced a name change. In the search for something “more inspiring” than the original name, Student Notes, the editors decided to pick a title from an Aboriginal language, “because it is far more significant to us, particularly in the Capital City of Australia, than any word of foreign origin.” They chose the word ‘Woroni’, which they stated meant ‘mouthpiece’. Today, 68 years later, Woroni’s Wikipedia page repeats this etymology, declaring that the name “derives from an Indigenous Australian word meaning ‘mouthpiece’.”

Over the past 68 years, a key question has remained unanswered. There are estimated to have been 250 different language groups in Australia before European invasion, 120 of which are spoken today. If Woroni is genuinely derived from an Aboriginal language, which of these 250 languages does it come from?

Some past editions of Woroni have claimed that the publication’s name is derived from the Ngunnawal language spoken in the Canberra region. There is no evidence to support this claim, which appears to be based on guesswork. Woroni’s 1950 editorial team were following a long tradition of settler Australians appropriating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words to name a wide variety of things, from place names to literary journals such as Meanjin, as part of a broader search for an authentically Australian identity. A number of books were produced in the twentieth century to assist in this endeavour. One of the most popular was Sydney J Endacott’s Australian Aboriginal Native Words and Their Meaning, which went through ten editions between 1923 and 1973. Endacott praised “the use of musical native aboriginal (sic) names … with advantage to the furthering of the growth of a distinct national feeling.” He hoped to fulfil a “demand for a substantial and reliable list of pleasant-sounding words”. The Woroni editors most likely chose their publication’s new name from Endacott’s widely available compilation, where it is listed as meaning “mouth” - the extension of this to “mouthpiece” may be an example of the editors’ creative licence. Endacott gave no indication of the origin of the words he listed. Their cultural context

was of no importance: what mattered was whether they could be used as a “pleasant-sounding” name. Uncovering the true origins of 'Woroni' requires a little more digging.

Endacott claimed his book was the result of “much sifting of lists of words, and a good deal of research among old books and journals.” One of the sources he would have consulted was Edward M. Curr’s four volume work The Australian Race, published between 1886 and 1887. Curr was a major landowner in Victoria, who was intimately involved in the dispossession of Aboriginal peoples on the colonial frontier. As a member of the Victorian Board for the Protection of Aborigines, he advocated for the incarceration of Aboriginal Victorians who had survived the frontier wars, likening them to “children” and “lunatics”. Simultaneously, he dedicated a considerable amount of time to recording Aboriginal language and customs, believing he was preserving cultural relics of a people doomed to extinction. A major part of Curr’s work were wordlists of Aboriginal languages he had collected from three hundred correspondents across Australia. It is in one of these wordlists, contributed by a Thomas Macredie, that we find ‘Woroni’. Here it is defined as meaning “mouth”, and is said to come from the geographical area of Piangil, in northern Victoria.

According to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), the language spoken in this area is that of the Wadi Wadi nation. Wadi Wadi country straddles the Murray River in northern Victoria. Despite the effects of the colonial invasion of their lands that began in 1846, the Wadi Wadi people have survived and continue to care for their ancestral country. Descriptions of their innovative land management techniques can be found in Bruce Pascoe’s influential book Dark Emu. What are the implications of this? The name of ANU’s student newspaper was not chosen as a result of consultation with Wadi Wadi people. It is highly unlikely that the editors at the time were even aware of the Wadi Wadi language. In the words of historian Samuel Furphy, the use of Aboriginal words for naming by settler Australians “has very rarely been the result of sensitive and meaningful cultural interchange.” Referring to the use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words as Australian place names,

the Koori novelist and historian Tony Birch writes that “Houses, streets, suburbs and whole cities have Indigenous names. This is an exercise in cultural appropriation, which represents imperial possession and the quaintness of the ‘native’. For the colonisers to attach a ‘native’ name to a place does not represent or recognise an Indigenous history, and therefore possible Indigenous ownership.” Words are a vital part of Aboriginal culture, but many settler Australians have valued them only for their novelty. At a time when government policies aimed to erase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, the Woroni editors of 1950 chose their publication’s name without concern for its origins or cultural context. Many questions arise when considering this history, including: Given Woroni’s stated commitment to standing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in what ways can it ensure that this careless appropriation is not perpetuated, and that the Wadi Wadi origins of its name are honoured? Given the intimate links between Aboriginal languages and country, what are the ethics of using a Wadi Wadi name for a publication produced on Ngunnawal and Ngambri lands? Would a collaboration with the Ngaiyuriija Ngunawal Language Group, which has been working to revitalise the Ngunawal language, produce a more appropriate name?

There are no simple answers to these questions, but they should be carefully considered.

Note on Sources This article would have been impossible without the assistance of Michael Walsh of AIATSIS and David Nash and Harold Koch of the ANU School of Literature, Language and Linguistics. Macredie’s wordlist is on pages 448-451 of the third volume of Curr’s The Australian Race. The quote from Samuel Furphy is from his article “Aboriginal place names and the settler Australian identity” in Melbourne Historical Journal 29 (2001): 71-78.

The quote from Tony Birch is from his article “‘Nothing has Changed’: The Making and Unmaking of Koori Culture”, in Meanjin 51(2) (1992), 229246. There are numerous spellings of Wadi Wadi: I have used that used by the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations group.

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

PROMPTED // FEATURES

Coffee for the Anu student's Soul Text: ANU students Graphic: Maddy McCusker

Content Warning: Sexual abuse and harrassment

“I learnt about the wonders of caffeine from my dad. With his highly stressful job, early mornings and late nights, a cup of coffee or two a day was his saving grace. But it was not just that: he enjoyed the process of making coffee.

When I was 17 and in the midst of all the terrors that year 12 thrusts upon you, my dad’s love of coffee was passed on to me. He bought a new, fancy coffee machine and from that day on, he would use it every morning and act

“There’s something about looking across a coffee table to see somebody you love staring back at you, bout sitting for hours talking about the universe, or sitting for hours in each other’s silence.

There’s something about staying up late with you, fuelled only by instant sachets in Styrofoam cups, about working on a project that doesn’t feel like work at all. Not when I’m with you.

There’s something about dragging you to small cafes and obscure restaurants, about finding every excuse I can to share a coffee – a meal – a touch. A kiss.

There’s something about coffee you.”

“The other week I was at Coffee Lab with a friend, and I told her about the sexual abuse I’d suffered at the hands of my father. It hadn’t been an easy thing to talk about, but at uni that day, sitting in the café with my hands wrapped around a mug, I felt capable of sharing the whole truth with someone without succumbing to shame or fear. It amazed me that I could talk about something so horrendously traumatic in a public place – and yet the whole café felt so warm and relaxed that it seemed totally safe. One of the turning points of my recovery happened over a flat white, and I love that.”

“I go on coffee dates with people I meet on Tinder. The mistake I made on my first coffee date was to actually drink coffee. I was already so nervous meeting her for the first time and caffeine only amped up my nervousness. I was reduced to a sweaty, jittery mess, just hopefully in a cute way. First dates, first meet ups can be really scary. Sure, you’ve talked to them online, you’ve gotten to know their text vernacular, but what do they really mean when they send a crying-with-laughter emoji? What would that look like on their face? Getting coffee is a casual way to scope out the scene and potentially meet the love of your life. (But like, on the down low.) My advice for a coffee date: order chai instead.”

“Shuffling one’s feet through polished halls of the Crawford School on a Monday morning is one of the hardest feats that any Public Policy/National Security Policy postgraduate can do. Despite our complaining about workloads and lectures, it is safe to say we are extremely spoilt when it comes to the elixir of life: coffee. Sitting in the old governor’s house with the perfect cappuccino in arguably the prettiest place on campus, looking over the lake and mountains, is a pseudo religious practice that I do almost every day. It is safe to say that I can only do this degree with the help of decent coffee and the contemplation that comes with good friends, good conversation and a damn good view.”

“It starts with a need to stay awake in 8am lectures. Then it’s needing to buy something so you can sit for hours in a café with a nice atmosphere for studying.

A motivating factor to run errands, I’ll swing by a coffee shop on the way. A convenient default meetup with friends you haven’t seen in a while, or a good starting place with those you don’t yet know that well. Soon it’s become a reason to swing your legs out of bed in the morning and get to class, just to get a coffee afterwards. It tastes like productivity, even though it more likely just facilitates your procrastination. Even if you know that, it’s too late now, the deception is sweet enough and you’ll just keep going back for more.”

"I stayed up the night before a physics exam, cramming six weeks of content into one night. I remember I went to a cafe in the morning and asked for a coffee. When I asked the barista for a coffee, he took one look at me, and said, "extra shots are free. Triple shot?" That was the day I learnt that coffee induces bowel movements."

Prompted // MULTILINGUAL

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

16

Maliyaa bulaarr, ngadaa dhuni / An Afternoon with Two Friends Text: Charlotte Ward and Keri James Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

The Gamilaraay language is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup found mainly in south-east Australia.

Gamilaraay conversation script by Charlotte Ward and Keri James, as part of their work in Gamilaraay 2 (AUST2008) at ANU, a two-week intensive course held during the winter break. The script has directions for making a video. Part of the task was to include grammatical features of Gamilaraay, such as the inclusive/exclusive pronoun distinction and the ‘associated eating’ verb suffix.

--C: C:

Yaama baawaa. Gaba nginda?

Hello sister, are you good?

K: da?

K:

Yawu, gababan.gaan ngaya. Gaba ngin-

C: C:

K: K:

Gamilbala, yuulngin ngaya.

No, I'm hungry.

Yes, I'm really good. Are you good?

Ngarragaa. Yananga ngali dhaligu.

Poor thing. Let us go eat.

C: Yananga ngali Cafegu, ngiyarrma ngali dhali. Yaa, dhamaylanha (Girrinilgu yananhi...)

C: Let's go to the café, there we will eat.

Hey/oh, it's raining! (goes to the window...)

K: K:

Dhamaylandaay, gamilnga ngaya yanay.

If it's raining, I will not go.

C: Yanangabala ngali kitchen.gu, ngamiligu ngali minyagaa balanhiidha ngarriylandaay.

C: Let's go to the kitchen, to see what is in the fridge.

K: Gamil, yanangabala nginda balanhiigu, guwaalanga nganunda dhurraluwingindaay.

K: No, you go to the fridge and tell me when you return.

K: K:

(Calls out...) Ngay yuul Gaadhaya!

Bring me food!

C: Ngaayaybaay, yinggilbala nginda.

C: OK, but you're lazy.

(C leaves and goes to fridge and then returns with food for herself).

K: Dhalaa yuul ngay? Gamilaanda ngaama yuul gaanhi?

K: Where's my food? Why didn't you bring food?

C: Dhalaabay ngaya yuul. Galibala ngaya dhaay gaanhi, ngarugigu nginda.

C: I ate all the food. I have brought water for you to drink.

K: Wamba nginda!

K: You're crazy/an idiot. (we hit each other - then stop).

C: C:

Bumalaylanhi ngali.

We were hitting each other.

K: Yawu. (look at camera) bumalaylanhi ngalinya.

K: We were hitting each other. (This section has inclusive and exclusive pronouns) C: C:

Madja Keri.

Sorry Keri.

K: K:

Madja Charlotte.

Sorry Charlotte.

C: C:

Madja ngaliyuu ginyi Both of us are sorry.

K: Yanay ngaya Kitchen.gu.

K: I will go to the kitchen.

(Goes to kitchen and then comes back).

K: K:

Yuul ngalingu nginu nhama.

Food for me and you.

C: Giirr ngali nginda yuul dhali.

C: Me and you will eat some food. (they eat the food and then vomit –off camera!).

K: Dhaldaay ngali dhinggaa, wiibidhanhi ngali.

K: We ate the meat and then we got sick (because of the meat).

C: Gamilbala, ngadhan.gaa milgin ngarungindaay, wiibidhanhi ngali.

C: No, we drank the milk and got sick, I think.

K: Galibala ngarunga! Barraay, gali ngay wuudhaya.

K: Drink water! Quick, give me water.

(We drink water).

C: C:

Giirrnga ngaya gaba gidhanhi.

I feel better now.

K: K:

Burumagubula ngaya gali wuudhay .

I will give the dog water as well.

17

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

C: C:

Dhalaa buruma?

Where is the dog?

K: Dhalaawaayaa. Gamil ngaya ngamiy.

K: I don't know where the dog is. I have not seen it.

C: Ngaarrimanha, nguuguubaldanha nguru minyagaa.

C: She is chewing something over there!

K: K:

Gabanha, wana ngali yanay ngamiligu!

Oh no, let's go and see!

C: Nguwama nguru biiba nguuguubaldanha. Wanagidjay. Kipper, Buruma gagil, garriya biiba nguuguubaldaya - wanaa!

C: She's there and she's chewing the paper!

Bad dog Kipper, stop chewing the paper - you mustn't do it!

K: Kipper, barraay dhaay 'nanga. Wana ngiyaniyuu yurrulgu yanawaabali. Yiyalngabala baluwaa dhamaylanha.

K: Come here quickly Kipper. Let's all go to the bush. It is only showering now.

C: Gadhabal! Gamilaa? Wana ngiyani yarraaman ngamilday.

C: Wonderful! Why not? Let's visit the horse.

(Cut to horse, dog and paddock) K: K:

Gamiluunha ngaya ngamildanha.

I can't see her yet.

C: Gamiluunga baadidhi wurunga. Ngayawaanda wurugi.

C: Don't go into the paddock yet. I will go in first.

K: Ngaayay. Ngaarrimanhabala ngaya ngamildanha. Dhirrabuu nhama yarraaman ngamiyaanha.

K: OK. I see her now over there! That horse looks totally flash.

C: Badidha ganmaymayaanhi Poppy, yarraaman ngay, burumagunha ngay gaawaandaay.

C: A few days ago, when my dog chased it, my horse Poppy got caught in the fence.

K: K:

Yilaadhu gaba Poppy?

Is Poppy OK now?

C: C:

Yawu, gaba ngaama.

Yes, she's good.

Prompted // MULTILINGUAL

K: K:

Gaan.giilinyi ngaya yuul Poppygu.

I brought food for Poppy.

C: C:

Yawu, gaba. Wuuna ngurungu yuul.

Yes, good. Give her the food.

K: Ngaayaybaay.

K: OK. (Gives Poppy carrots).

C: C:

Giirr maaru!

Good job!

C: Yilaa gundhigu ngiyaniyuu yanawaabali, ngadhan.gaa dhamangaylandaay.

C: We will all go home soon, because I think it will rain again this afternoon.

K: K:

Gaba, yananga ngali!

Good, let's go!

Gamilaraay will be taught (AUST1001, INDG2003) as an intensive in Sydney, January 14-21, 2019, as part of the Australian Indigenous Languages Institute.

prompted // multilingual

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

THE TABLE / Written and translated by: Asefeh Zeinalabedini Graphic: Millie Wang

Content Warning: Warfare, violence

18

19

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

The table was made out of wood. It had four feet just like any other table.

Sitting in the left corner of the guest room, the table was covered by a floral table cloth – on it were, a red TV and a light ...stereo. a red Toshiba TV set and a light brown and black stereo set. The table was often a generous host to other guests – sometimes plates of pink rose china plus sofre and a jug of cool eyran garnished with thyme.

The house had four rooms but the family had only resided in the guest room since the war started. The guest room was also next to the kitchen which opened on to the tight backyard. Downstairs from the backyard there was a way to the long basement.

Over time, the family left a small handy radio underground. The radio upstairs was used for the Red Alarm - warning them that the planes were close by and that bombs would fall on their lives soon. It warned them that they would have to find refuge. The radio downstairs was used for the White Alarm, announcing that the planes were gone after the bombs had rained down. Now, it was time to come back and find the ruins.

The family was living on high alert.

The radio was always on. You had to listen carefully. You could not take a few hours of quiet normal life for granted. The planes were somewhere around planning to ruin the

normality. The family was used to running to the basement several times every day. They even left a bed there so the children could sleep or play in safety.

But what about the night time? War planes also flew overnight. If one fell asleep and missed the red alert, the breaking of the sound barrier would come as a big shock. The noise was sharp, making the windows shake or smash. Waking up in horror caused skin rash, crying, terror or loss of bladder control. However, none of that mattered when your only thought was surviving day-by-day.

The only shelter for the family overnight was the big, kind wooden table.

He was so generous, like a huge old tree. Standing on his feet, sharing his endless shade with the family. The table was alive and their only hope. It was the closest shelter for refuge.

Once after midnight, the girl woke up feeling heavy. She found her dad blocking her ears with his hands. She was petrified thinking it is a nightmare. She tried to turn her head to the left. Her young brother was sleeping next to her. She found mum covering his ears.

The only words she could babble were: “Is it the Red Alert?”

Dad whispered: “Yes”. They had to stay in the dark and silence. Any light

prompted // multilingual

would have been considered a purpose for bombing. That night, the bombs made a noisy party! The planes took a long time to destroy the city. Mum and Dad were getting tired acting as live shelter over their children.

Suddenly, Dad said: “Table!” And they dragged the children under the table.

There, Mum could hold her young son’s body in her arms and the girl had her hands free to block her ears.

Then a feeling of responsibility kicked in - she could not find her black-eyed doll! Oh no, no this is not the rule of war! You should help others as long as you breathe. You cannot leave them behind.

Her hands fell to her lap. She was ready to jump out to save her doll when the explosion of a bomb broke into her heart! She was scared now, her hands back on her ears, hoping her doll would be safe. Filled with shock and worry… she found her doll put in her arms in the dark.

Dad was the savior, while the table was their shelter.

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

prompted // multilingual

Shoes 鞋 鞋 Text: Simeng Sun Translated by: Linda Jian and Simeng Sun Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

鞋 放眼望去，那些人的鞋， 这些人的鞋，别人的鞋。

My gaze wanders over shoes. Of those,

自由的选择 ：削去脚趾一截

Of these, of theirs.

抑或，多余的后跟，连同皮

It’s a matter of choice: to pare a toe

褶皱，娇嫩，红透在白里。

or the redundant heel

只需如此，便能穿上他们的鞋屐 （偶尔也是她们的）

or the skin, creased or tender or rosy 可是我已经剃去了满头长发——

Just like this, I can fit in their shoes, his shoes (On the rare occasion, they might also be hers)

还有多余的部分可以舍弃吗？

But I’ve already shaved the lengths of my hair

若没了鞋屐，纵使它

Is there still any part of me I can give up?

狭小，逼仄，窒息

Were I without shoes;

可还能走遍苍茫的山峦崎岖？

narrow and suffocating,

踏过垂着朝露的厚草地

Would I still find myself roaming the rugged ranges?

也嗫嚅着双足，迈起步子

Traversing the thick grasslands where dew adorns blades,

印上满路的碎石与淤泥，

My feet hesitant at first, step out,

只是为了赶路，何必

Stained by muddy gravel.

心急，硬塞进别人的鞋履

If only for the sake of moving ahead, getting on with life

（无人见过的那个“别人”， 却仿佛最像自己）

What point is there to force myself into unfamiliar shoes? 新鲜的伤口贴着粗糙的衬里，

(Why does the unknown ‘other’ resemble me most?) 左右每一步都伴着血与泪滴

fresh wounds graze the coarse leather inner

不如就此放松

every step drenched with tears and blood

敞开柔软的足底

Why not relax,

碎石的棱角嵌入肌肤

Soften the arches of the foot

再来一层灰尘填平缝隙

And let the gravel pierce through

细小的玻璃

Another layer of dust to fill in the cracks

划破，染红，愈合

Shards of glass

与双足融为一体

Scratch, turns crimson, heals

蜿蜒的疤痕，歪歪曲曲

Melding with the feet

失焦的双眼，泛起雾气

To form winding scars

稀薄的，模糊的，烫又冰凉的

My eyes lose focus, fog rises here

水滴，滴进

Subtle, blurry, droplets burning and freezing drip into

后现代的足印里。 却也披上满不在乎的神气

post-modern footprints 只是走着。走着，直到

Walk, walk, walk Under a façade of detachment, just walk (crawl, if necessary) 一天，磨平又生出的一片又一片

Till one day, calluses cover my feet

灰黑的老茧，坚硬的死皮

Grey-black, tough, thick skin wrapping every inch

包裹脚掌的每一处蜷曲

Just the right shoes for me

刚刚好的鞋底，

Just the right … me

刚刚好的自己。

20

THE

PULL-OUT Hello! Welcome to our Editor’s Pull-out, ‘Rebirth’ – so called because the paper you have in your hands right now will never be the same! Next year Woroni print will be updating to a monthly magazine, which means more time and care can be put into writing, and the wonderful art which accompanies our words will be displayed in a format that will finally present its full beauty.

While the change is long overdue and incredibly exciting, the work that I’ve seen everyone put into this paper over the course of the year is worth commemorating. It is with sadness that next year we must move on from our current team, our office space, and our familiar, endearing newspaper that ANU students have toiled over since the 1950’s.

I asked this year’s editors if they wanted this space to write something about the paper or their own experience at Woroni. It’s a sentimental tribute to editors past and present, to whom Woroni owes not only its existence, but also its spirit and heart.

I would like to dedicate this pullout to: The Board – Personally I was very intimidated to say the least joining this Board of Editors – the most intelligent group of people I’ve had the pleasure to work with in my life. I have to admit I’ve often felt quite out of my depth, and rather talentless, working among you. And, like all

Woroni editors know well, this role certainly took its toll on me at times. Doing four units while also working and being Content Editor was probably not the greatest idea. But the stress was worth it because you guys are brilliant and have taught me so many things – print weekends were gruelling but such a wonderful memory to have shared with you. Special thanks to Mia, our Editor-In-Chief, who gave me my very first role here, encouraged me to apply for Content Editor and spent hours of time she didn’t have to help me grow into the role.

My content team – The devotion I’ve seen you put into this paper has been phenomenal over such a short period, and I’m so proud to have seen you learn and succeed in what is an incredibly stressful job. I’m sorry if at times you were struggling and my responses were blunt or disengaged – I know very well how intense your roles are, and you don’t get the recognition you deserve.

But I hope that the stress was worth it and that you got some satisfaction, friends and skills out of this journey. Thank you for your enthusiasm and resilience over the semester – together you made these last six newspapers a delight to curate. And thank you to Sophie and her incredible art team. I don’t know how you make these incredible graphics when we give you so little time. It feels like a miracle whenever they’re sent through, but it’s not – you’re just insanely talented.

Our contributors – It takes a lot of guts to publish your words, and this isn’t something that readers necessarily understand. Creating an article can be a very personal experience even if you’re writing about history or business. Thank you all for providing me with so many intriguing perspectives to publish, even when deadlines were ridiculously tight and you had so much other work on your plates.

The payoff can sometimes feel non-existent and we’re often so busy ourselves that we have no time give you any appreciation or praise – but in the end Woroni print owes everything to you.

Woroni is one of the biggest student media organisations in the country, where ANU students can develop their creativity in a professional environment and learn vital communication skills.

If you’re reading this and considering becoming a part of what we do, then please push yourself and do it! It might seem closed off and intimidating – that’s how it seemed to me. But you can’t let fear stop you from finding out what you enjoy.

This has been one of the most special experiences of my life.

Thank you Woroni, and here’s to your future!

Alisha Nagle, Content Editor

Continuity and Change Woroni has a proud history of being the ANU’s student media outlet since 1950. This organisation, now in its late sixties, has constantly succeeded in its goal of promoting open public dialogue and debate in the university community. We produce interesting, entertaining, informative, recognised and regular content, as per the goals enshrined in the association’s constitution.

The diversity of opinions, stories and authors published within the pages of the paper has grown and changed to reflect that of the student body and the changing times and makeup of Australia. Social values, accepted norms and cultural understandings have moved forward in over half a century and likewise Woroni today is not what it was, it is a product of its time to be viewed as context for the fabric of student society. But we cannot stagnate and hold on to tradition for the sake of tradition alone, nor is the continuing development a bad thing. And so, we are moving forward, but don’t fear ANU Students – we’ll still be your Woroni who you know and love.

So we’re moving! Not just to a new office; at the beginning of next year our print publication will become a monthly magazine. All of the things you love about the content we produce, the art we showcase and the stories we share will be the same, they will just be printed on different paper.

We will still work to discover and develop the creative talents of students at the University in journalism and the media arts, even without a dedicated degree in journalism at the ANU. We will still provide events, professional development and a platform for your voices, we are just going to be doing it better.

We’ll have more time to work with you on your pieces, more ability to showcase your art, news delivered to you faster, and more capacity to support you when you work with the organisation.

Jobs and Growth And Woroni remains a growing organisation.

With the addition of Woroni Radio in 2012, and Woroni TV in 2017 ANU Student Media remains the only successful multi-platform, independent student media organisation in Australia. Woroni maintains a team of 70 regularly engaged volunteers across our platforms, nearly 100 radio presenters and literally thousands of contributors to the paper.

Print is Dead. Long Live Print.

The newspaper has been the cornerstone of the organisation since its inception, and an icon for many generations of ANU students.

Nonetheless, the media landscape is now changing and evolving to reflect the interests of the community and adapt to new ways in which people interact with news and media. Across the country, newspapers have edited their production processes and formats to respond to these changes. Student publications too have responded by transforming their printed format from the tabloid newspapers to producing magazines and emphasising creative content, leaving Woroni as one of the last student newspapers in Australia.

We should take pride in what the newspaper has achieved and how far it has come. We should take pride as ANU students that our student media organisation has for almost 70 years reported on, and held accountable the university, the government, and student groups for their actions. News reporting is an integral part of what we do, and it’s not going away any time soon. But to continue bringing you effective reporting, we need to ensure our news is timely. To this end, we are going to enhance our news platform by focussing on online news.

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death Woroni is more than just a newspaper or the content that is created, it documents the evolution of the Australian National University from its inception in the early 1950s to the leading university in Australia and ranked in the top 20 in the World. The oldest Woroni in the Trove online at the National

Library of Australia is from June 14, 1950, only six pages long, and under the masthead, “Journal of the Canberra University College Students Club.” By 1961 under a new masthead reads “The newspaper of the ANU Students Association,” and thus Woroni was incorporated into ANUSA until 2011 when it became fully independent. Independence has been a process of figuring out where Woroni’s place is as the student newspaper, how we engage with students and has resulted in the multimedia platform we have today.

Moving Woroni Forward With growth and change comes challenges, and structures and practices must be revisited.

Woroni has gone from an eightpage paper disseminated before the internet, to a major fortnightly publication focussed on amplifying student voices. We are going to create timeless publications, with greater relevance for longer. Which won’t yellow and age in only a year. Which won’t be known for the events of the time, but instead will give a snapshot of the student body’s thoughts, values and challenges being faced.

We won’t shy away from controversy. We won't hesitate to draw the line. And we won’t be going away any time soon. But we will be moving with the times. And we will still at our heart be Australian National University Student Media.

Respect Your Elders I’ll end by giving thanks to the thousands of writers, editors, artists, designers, contributors and, most importantly, students who have been part of the creation of hundreds of newspapers over the years. We commit to continuing the legacy of print as we move into the next chapter of Woroni’s history.

Ben Lawrence, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

What I Learned From My Year at Woroni Coming back from a semester abroad in England, I was more or less restarting my ANU life with a fresh clean slate as I began the year with no extra-curricular obligations. After seeing a Facebook post calling for new people to join the team, I decided to take a chance and apply for a role at Woroni. I started as a content sub-editor for the International section before moving onto a role managing social media.

Overall, I can say that I’m proud of myself for taking this leap!

Time has gone by quickly, and my one year here has been quite an eye-opening experience. As part of this Woroni-themed pullout I want to reflect on a few things I’ve learned along the way: Nice common room The Woroni office is currently located under Lena Karmel Lodge (in case you couldn’t tell by the outside markings). To an off-campus student, it’s a very nice and central location from classrooms and the bus stops.

Between the TV and radio studios, the biggest bonus is arguably the physical archives of every printed edition of the newspaper we’ve put out so far!

The most recent addition to our office décor are framed photographs of authority figures: the Queen and our very own Vice-Chancellor. Woroni will officially relocate to Kambri next

year, leaving me in anticipation to see what the new office will be like.

sadly this has not translated to me preparing for real world assignments.

Very wholesome bunch of people

You write a whole lot more

Starting out as a new addition to the team can be a little frightening at first, especially if it feels like there are a bunch of people who have known each other for ages. But hang around the office long enough, and you’ll meet some nice new friends to have a yarn about nearly anything with.

Plenty of evolution If you look at the previous editions of the newspaper, you’ll realise that gradual adjustments are made. Ranging from the subtle additions in more art to the introduction of the multilingual section, Woroni has certainly evolved to encompass great change.

Perhaps the biggest change: Woroni will be undergoing a shift to magazine format next year!

You learn plenty of new skills On the content team, being in charge of sourcing and proofreading led me to adopt skills aplenty. While it does take some time to learn, I’ve been able to pitch articles to people and work more collaboratively with different groups while suggesting improvements to be made. While sourcing for your next edition means thinking one step ahead,

Last year, I realised one of the many university bucket list goals I wanted to do was write for the newspaper. I managed to cop a movie review after being deeply fascinated by how it was shot cinematically. It took me somewhere between two to three days to write.

Now, after proper practice, it doesn’t take me longer than two hours to write something I’m proud of (with some procrastination in between).

We’ll (hopefully) hit 10,000 likes on our Facebook page next year!

This year, Woroni’s Facebook page experienced a small increase of 400 likes! While it sadly won’t happen in my term as a social media sub-editor, I believe we will soon be hitting 10,000 likes: a cause for celebration. Please invite your best friends, housemates, and worst enemies to help us achieve this highly coveted milestone!

Brandon Tan, Social Media Sub-Editor

Katie Ward

ANU Student (Multi)Media In the entirety of human history, only three Canadians have been culturally important enough to grace the repository of useless knowledge that makes up my memory: Celine Dion, Ryan Gosling, and Marshall McLuhan.

You may be wondering at this point – “William, I’m culturally attuned and up to date. Ryan Gosling’s an edgy triple-threat-wielding dreamboat and Celine Dion singlehandedly sank the Titanic with her operatic pop music. I know who the other two are, but who the fuck is Marshall McLuhan?”

This is a very good and well-timed rhetorical question – unfortunately, I’m not quite sure who he is either.

All I remember from my two years of a Media and Communications major at the University of Melbourne is a dramatized clip from a Canadian TV show showing “Marshall McLuhan” losing his maple-syruped shit over his most famous quote: “the medium is the message”.

I write this elongated introduction to the body of my text for two reasons: one, because I was raised a smartass, and two, because it works in print. See, the significance of this quote lies behind what McLuhan was trying to overdramatically convey: that each medium actively and significantly affects how a message is received by viewers/ listeners/readers/players.

Consider all aspects of each medium: audience, delivery, consumption, stimuli et cetera. and immediately we can see stark differences across each, with advantages and

disadvantages immediately following. These incredulously verbose and four-syllables-on-average sentences, for example, would never fly on TV – as a more passively-consumed medium, attention spans are short and precious, and with so many other aspects of the medium to pay attention to (the colours, the camera movement, the performance), there are few ways in which attention can be focused on 50+ words alone. In short, this sentence would have worked on TV, but that last one wouldn’t.

In light of that, I hope it’s obvious to see why Woroni having more than one platform puts us in a unique position. Beyond making us the only truly multi-platform student media body in the country, this gives Woroni the power to effectively disseminate far more student-focused content than just a regularly printed publication would allow. A quick glance across all platforms shows an incredible diversity of content that, as a board member, I am incredibly proud of. In print, we have everything between political analysis and poetry. On radio, we have shows which consist of anything between one-hour DJ sets and a weekly half-hour maniacal but in-depth rant about biscuits.

On TV – well, it’s a bit shit, really.

There’s a lot of stuff there, though.

With the advent of newer and newer forms of media such as the internet and MySpace, so too does the media landscape change accordingly. Tastes, markets, and audiences shift with an increasing spread across all media. Often, old traditions find themselves a new home in a new medium, as their

audiences move with the times.

Often, we also see adaptation, with both forms of media coexisting in evolved, complementary and distinct forms. These developments happen organically with human societal progress – the town crier lost their job at the advent of the printing press, the theatre became a distinct and focused genre with the advent of the “talkie”. Here at Woroni, we’re already leagues ahead of so many other student media organisations, purely because we run three platforms-worth of content.

We could always do more though – progress doesn’t wait for the timid, after all.

All I’m saying is, we should get a MySpace.

William He, TV Editor

Things that distract me when I’m trying to write Emails checked. Should I check them again? I should check them again.

Oh, a notification for a YouTube video, I can watch that, it’s only short.

That recommended video looks interesting.

So do those four.

And that song I’ve had stuck in my head.

The rain makes the lake look really dramatic.

I bet those joggers are doing IB.

It reminds me of a lake in a Scandi crime drama.

This magpie seems intent on having a staring competition.

I wonder if bodies have ever been dumped in the lake. Probably not.

Can it go swoop the joggers instead?

I’ve seen that police car three times now, that’s why there’s no bodies in the lake.

Plus a few more songs by the same band.

I wonder if I look weird to the police, do people often sit in their cars with laptops half propped on the steering wheel.

The cat is meowing. We really need a better way to communicate I have no idea what you want.

Well the rain’s stopped. It’s bright and sunny. How long have I been sitting here? Talk about volatile weather.

Maybe he’s hungry.

I should probably sit outside, just sitting in my car is a very poor effort as far as getting out of the house goes.

Maybe I’m hungry.

No, I’m not hungry but I would definitely concentrate better if I got a coffee.

Grass is still wet, that bench looks dry though.

Alright, out of the house, got a coffee, what a lovely day.

Ugh why is it so windy.

Maybe I should take my coffee somewhere pretty and write there.

The sun is nice.

Okay I’ve wasted 20 minutes finding a nice spot by the lake to drink my coffee.

The view is really pretty I should stare at that instead of writing.

Canberra is so beautiful.

The shade is too cold.

For five minutes and then it feels like I’m being slowly blowtorched to death.

But if I go back to the shade the wind is too brisk.

Darn my laptop is running out of battery and I’ve written one sentence. Better go home.

Okay I’m home, laptop has been revived from death’s door and the cat is still meowing.

Maybe I should sit on the balcony.

How long has it been since I watered these plants?

I’ll water them now.

While I’m at it the cat should have some fresher water in his bowl.

I should drink some water too.

All the living creatures are hydrated!

Okay it’s been six hours I really need to write something. …I should check my emails again.

Abigail Manning, Features Sub-Editor

Oh, look a swan!

Two swans!

Katie Ward

A Platform Will Always be Given to Those at ANU Who Ask for it

My time at Woroni started when I applied to be a sub-editor in the content portfolio. I was waiting for my flight at an airport terminal and was using the rare moment of free Wi-Fi. Since then, I’ve had a wild rollercoaster time at Woroni which has taken me to places I never thought I’d go.

Woroni holds a very special place in my heart: it’s an organisation I’ve spent many hours working for, I’ve stressed over, and that’s been baked into my everyday lifestyle.

I can’t help but feel slightly sentimental writing for this final edition of the Woroni newspaper. We will be back with the magazine next year, better than ever, but the newspaper has been such a constant presence during my time here.

I needed it. Your professionalism, drive and dedication made great leaps for Woroni and we would not be anywhere close to where we are now without your contributions.

My second expression of gratitude goes out to our two previous News Editors, Max and Jasper. You introduced me to news reporting on campus and the news team within Woroni, and the role of student media on campus. The work that you both did elevated the portfolio and shaped the fabric of the news portfolio.

Given that this change somewhat marks the end of an era, I’d like to take the time in this piece to give some much overdue expressions of gratitude. I wouldn’t be in the place that I am without all of you.

I’d also like to thank this past semester’s board of editors. You’ve all been friendly, professional, courteous, and unafraid to speak out. When I asked for it, you were there for backup, guidance and support. Woroni would not have enjoyed the success it did this semester without you, and I believe that we have continued on Woroni’s proud near-70-year history in stride.

The first of my expression of gratitude goes out to James, Nat and Kanika for making me feel welcome when I first came to Woroni.

I was quite alone and didn’t really know anyone. You welcomed me with open arms, encouraged me, and supported me. You helped me beyond your official terms and offered assistance and advice when

Woroni would be nothing without its community of contributors, and naturally, this piece would not be complete without a expression of gratitude to you. Every piece that you submit, radio show that you host, news tip you send us, are what make Woroni the platform that it is today. Our entire organisation depends on these, and for

that, I’d like to thank you for every little bit of it.

Last, but not least, I’d like to thank this semester’s news team: Aish, Caitland, Dan, Jeffrey and Nick (neutral alphabetical order with no favouritism). I remember interviewing you all, whether that was in person or online. I have enjoyed seeing you all step into your roles as news reporters and work on pieces that piqued your interest and passion. I am very fortunate to have been blessed with such an enthusiastic, understanding, and competent team of wonderful individuals.

Woroni is a platform which elevates small voices onto a larger stage. Its opinions, identity and choices are informed by the community it constantly works to fairly represent. In this sense, a Woroni paper is the result of the team’s efforts over two weeks to present a snapshot of ANU to the best of our abilities. The move to a magazine is part of this constant duty to fairly represent the campus community and I look forward to contributing to this arduous but noble endeavour.

Noah Yim, News Editor

In the entirety of human history, only three Canadians have been culturally important enough to grace the When repository I first wrote Woroni, I of for useless knowledge wrote that about my skin disease for Celine makes up my memory: the 2017 spoons nevDion, Ryan pull-out.

Gosling, I’d and Marshall er thought about showing my writMcLuhan. ing to someone before. It was an odd mix exhilaration and at fear.

Youofmay be wondering this point The fear of people I’m laughing at myattuned – “William, culturally writing;and theup fear sharing to of date.

Ryanmyself Gosling’s an with a edgy wide audience.

But I felt re-dreamtriple-threat-wielding leased.boat I had told my story; one of and Celine Dion singlehandedmy stories. ly sank the Titanic with her operatic pop music. I know who the other Since then, I’ve but written two are, whofor theWoroni fuck is Marmore times than I can count. About shall McLuhan?” light-hearted things, like TV and knitting.

And things, This is about a veryserious good and well-timed like disability.

Asquestion senior sub-editor rhetorical – unfortunately, I’ve also opportunity edit I’mhad notthe quite sure whotohe is either. articlesAllfrom a varietyfrom of sections.

I remember my two years of I’ve engaged from all maa Mediawith andstories Communications walks of about saving the planjorlife; at the University of Melbourne is et andaruined friendships andathe dramatized clip from Canadian joys ofTV trash TV.showing Without“Marshall Woroni I McLushow would han” neverlosing have his found my voice, shit maple-syruped or found thehis power tell my quote: sto- “the over mosttofamous ries. Woroni showcases stories the medium is the message”. stories of our community, the people andI write the things that are importthis elongated introduction ant to them. to the body of my text for two reasons: one, because I was raised Miram Sadler, Senior Content Sub-Edia smartass, and two, because it tor works in print. See, the significance of this quote lies behind what McLuhan was trying to overdramatically convey: that each medium actively and significantly affects how a message is received by viewers/ listeners/readers/players.

Consider Being aallsub-editor aspects offor each Woroni medi-is um: a lot audience, like riding delivery, a bike, consumpif that bike tion, wasstimuli made et of cetera. a dedicated and immedicohort of ately students we can pulling see stark rabbits differences out of hats at the last minute to produce brilliant content every fortnight. Each edition is a real team effort and I’m so glad to have dipped my toe into the madness that is Woroni. Stay golden, wombats.

across each, with advantages and disadvantages immediately following. These incredulously verbose and four-syllables-on-average sentences, for example, would never fly on TV – as a more passively-consumed medium, attention spans are short and precious, and with so many other aspects of the medium to pay attention to (the colours, the camera movement, the performance), there are few ways in which attention can be focused on 50+ words alone. In short, this sentence would have worked on TV, but that last one wouldn’t.

In light of that, I hope it’s obvious to see why Woroni having more than one platform puts us in a unique position. Beyond making us the only truly multi-platform student media body in the country, this gives Woroni the power to effectively All I’m saying is, we should get a disseminate far more student-foMySpace. cused content than just a regularly printed publication would allow. A William He, TV Editor quick glance across all platforms shows an incredible diversity of content that, as a board member, I am incredibly proud of. In print, we have everything between political analysis and poetry. On radio, we have shows which consist of anything between one-hour DJ sets and a weekly half-hour maniacal but in-depth rant about biscuits.

On TV – well, it’s a bit shit, really.

There’s aItlot stuffan there, though. hasofbeen amazing experience Looking forward to getting that With thefor advent ofbe newer newme to part and of the Woroni art eight hours of sleep every night er formsteam of media such as the in- Sophie, this semester, having again ternet and too does the MySpace, art editorsobeing considerate the media landscape ac- outside of my workingchange schedule Sophie Bear, Art Editor cordingly.

Tastes, I markets, and university, was able to make art audiences shiftcomfortably with an increasing more and creatively. spread across allfor media.

Often, old I have Grateful the experience at Woroni.

Millie Wang, Art Sub-Editor

Gene Pinter, Satire Sub-Editor

Woroni is the best, most creative and productive procrastation I have ever undertaken.

Maddy McCusker, Art Sub-Editor

traditions find themselves a new home in a new medium, as their audiences move with the times.

Often, we also see adaptation, with both forms of media coexisting in evolved, complementary and distinct forms. These developments happen organically with human societal progress – the town crier lost their job at the advent of the printing press, the theatre became a distinct and focused genre with the advent of the “talkie”. Here at Woroni, we’re already leagues ahead of so many other student media organisations, purely because we run three platforms-worth of content.

We could always do more though – progress doesn’t wait for the timid, after all.

I have loved being a part of the Woroni Art team this Semester. I have enjoyed the rewarding experience of working in a fun team, illustrating other students' articles and seeing it in print around campus!!!

Georgie Kamvissis, Satire Sub-Editor

Working as a Senior Sub-Editor at Woroni has been a rewarding and surprisingly educative experience. The job required me to comb through sections at Woroni which wouldn’t normally catch my attention, like Science and Multilingual. As I reviewed different pieces I found myself actively engaged with rap feuds, international disputes and dense scientific thought. Overall, my favourite part about working at Woroni has been the exposure to a wide breadth of student experience and thought.

Caroline Dry, Senior Content Sub-Editor

A More Innovative and Agile Student Media

Woroni is for everyone, from first year undergraduates and wizened PhD candidates to international students and part-timers. We represent the voices of the ANU student body. Yes, all of it—everyone is welcome to contribute to Woroni. People of all faiths and creeds, political opinions, convictions, ethnicities, identities and life experiences. We will always provide a platform for those who ask … within reason, of course!

University is a formative time for most students as ideas are tested, imparted, and refined. Our aim is to be a mouthpiece to nurture the student voice and provide the space for the flourishing of student identity and opinions at the university.

Our aim is to build a culture of inclusivity through the power of free speech. Located at the heart of Australia’s political landscape, ANU Student Media amplifies the voices of the weak so that they can be heard alongside the voices of those who walk the corridors of power. The media uncovers the things that those in power try to cover up and hold them accountable for their actions.

Woroni is proudly independent. Always.

But the media landscape is changing. Journalism is all about trust.

Trust and truth have become scarce resources. Quality journalism, investigative pieces, expert commentary, analysis, and opinion, have helped Woroni to underpin our trusted role at the ANU. The move to a magazine represents the revitalisation Woroni.

We are pivoting to focus on what we do best: timely and accurate news, quality analysis and opinion, and breathtaking art and graphics.

This means unshackling our news team from the rigid deadlines and structures of print so that we can invest more in the core business of news—communicating information to students and holding university leaders to account.

Woroni is committed to exploring new and emerging forms of media.

Our core expertise is equipping students with the abilities to flourish in the media industry. It’s about combining the art of story-telling with the facts. Woroni’s strength is the institutional memory that comes with almost 70 years of student media, and the sheer diversity of students involved. Both the University administration and the students place their trust (and money) in us because we have proven time and time again that student media is an essential part of university life.

Although there will always be a home for news in print publications, the best place for news is soundly in the digital space. Print is not dead, but it is reborn. We

need to expand beyond print to focus on our other platforms, including online, radio and TV. Students consume and produce content through a variety of different channels.

The rebirth of Woroni allows us to focus on our core business of communicating information to students and representing the student voice.

Jonathan Tjandra, Managing Editor

29

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

FEATURES // MULTILINGUAL

问题 The Question Text: Simeng Sun Translated by: T. L. Edwards Graphic: Jessica Benter

I have a question I cannot escape thinking about it It is like some huge stone

pressing heavily upon my chest If I don’t move it away, it‘s hard to breathe But it also relieves me of too much lightness or I’ll flutter about, not knowing where to go.

I have a question Sometimes I can escape from thinking about it I drink and be merry only wanting to joyously laugh

even if it is only for an instant

even if it only occupies a tiny corner

or but a moment of heartbreak Her smile gradually recedes

getting fainter and fainter Two hearts separated afresh once more from our chests Even though I once thought that

our melding together

could never be undone Taking stock of the broken fragments I finally realize that all this is just a finger travels along the tracks of this huge stone

coarse grains painfully felt by the fingertip The question has always been there

except that I occasionally forget – To look at it, is a choice.

Looking at it, it’s me.

问题 我有一个问题 忍不住不去想它 像一块巨石 压在胸口，沉甸甸 不挪开就难以喘息 只不过倒也不会太轻太轻 飘向不知何方去 我有一个问题 有时我也可以不去想它 把酒言欢 只想开心地笑 哪怕只是一瞬 哪怕只占据小小的一角 抑或是心碎的时刻 她的笑容渐远 渐渐模糊 两颗心又重新被胸膛隔开 尽管曾以为 融合在一起 就不可能再分离 细数着裂开的碎片 才知道这一切不过是，手指 随着巨石的纹路游走 粗糙的颗粒硌得指尖生疼 原来它一直都在那里 只是偶尔会忘记—— 注视是选择，也是我。

Culture // ARTS

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

30

The forgotten Asia: From Nagini to crazy rich asians Text: Tiana Sun Graphic: Maddy McCusker

To the uni students like myself who should be writing essays instead of browsing Facebook and Twitter: you’re probably aware of the recent controversy over the casting choice of the role Nagini in the new 'Fantastic Beasts' movie. Since the release of the trailer of 'Fantastic

Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald', fans have gone crazy over the choice to cast South Korean actress Claudia Kim as Nagini. The first issue fans have brought up is that Nagini is a snake, and firmly on the ‘bad guy’ side in the series. This draws on the stereotypical ‘Dragon Lady’ caricature which sees East Asian women presented as powerful but cold and deceitful. Worse, she is also a pet to Voldemort, a middle-aged white man. For many this brings to

mind the fetishising of Asian women which has long been seen as a problem in Western-produced media. Now you can see why critics call that false representation. J. K. Rowling responded to her critics in a tweet which read, “The Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name ‘Nagini’… Indonesia comprises a few hundred ethnic groups, including Javanese, Chinese and Betawi…” At first glance, this makes it seem quite reasonable to have an Asian actress cast in the role of Nagini.

But it’s not quite that simple. The Indonesian myth of Naga is actually derived from the Shiva-Hinduist tradition, where the nāga are a proud semi-divine race who can appear as humans, serpents or a mix of the two. In Asia at large, the Naga myth is associated with either Hinduism or Buddhism, which is perhaps something Rowling should have considered when casting her Naga. Furthermore, while it is true that Indonesia comprises highly ethnically diverse populations, Korean actress Kim is a strange choice to represent them.

95% of Indonesia’s 300 ethnic groups are of Native Indonesian descent, with Chinese Indonesians making up less than 1% of the population. This means that most of the Indonesian population have much darker skin tones than Chinese, Japanese and Korean people. If Rowling’s aim was to keep the role true to the origin of the myth, she missed the mark by using a broad brush to cast an Asian actress rather than considering her specific origin.

Of course, J. K. Rowling isn’t solely to blame for this issue. Not only Hollywood, but its audience, too often forgets about a large portion of Asia. Often when we talk about racial representation or racialism, the term ‘Asian’ is almost exclusively used to refer to Chinese, Japanese, South Korean and Singaporean people. It is almost like these 4 countries are the only countries in Asia. The justification that immediately springs to mind is that these countries represent a significant proportion of the Asian population. However, the population of India is 5 times more

than the population of Japan, South Korea and Singapore combined. South Korea is not even in the top 10 countries in Asia by population. And yet when it comes to Asian representation, especially in Hollywood, we can only think of Chinese, Japanese and South Koreans.

An example of this can be seen in the recent Warner Bros production of 'Crazy Rich Asians'. Singapore, where the film was largely shot, is more diverse than many assume: Malays, Indians and other ethnic minorities account for around a quarter of its population. But the film focuses on Chinese people, Singapore’s ethnic majority, at the expense of any representation of this variety. Ng Yi-Sheng, an Asian and gay rights activist, noted that the ‘brown Asians’ in 'Crazy Rich Asians' mostly perform menial tasks like driving and domestic work, and play (without fail) bit parts in the film. The film’s female lead Constance Wu noted in a tweet that the film won’t represent ‘every Asian American.’ Of course, there is a limit to the number of ethnicities who can be represented in a film. But is forgetting large swathes of Asia the way to go about achieving representation?

As someone from Hong Kong and a member of Asian community, I feel a bit hypocritical when we complain about Asian representation in Hollywood and demand for the world to stop ignoring our existence. While representation of East Asians like myself (a category seen to include primarily China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Vietnam) is certainly still lacking, when we mobilise to call for more we seem to ignore our neighbours.

Asians are more than just Chinese, Japanese, South Koreans and Singaporeans. Asians are more than pale yellow skin tones. The next time when we talk about the Asian representation, perhaps it is a good time to rethink what it means to have true representation.

31

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

10,000 LetterS Text: Tabitha Malet Graphic: Sophie Bear Ashley DeLeon is from South Carolina.

She writes like your grade two teacher: rounded letters with stripes through the ‘z’, and careful, consistent spacing. It makes the words look almost harmless: Christmas. Glass. Bullet. Last night, Ashley’s dad shot up the house. Guns and ammunition from his time in the Marines were laid out on his bed like a little black dress. She walked barefoot over shattered glass to wrestle him to the ground, preventing him from shooting his family and then himself.

And then she lay there, shivering on the front lawn, overwhelmed with the weight of it all.

Ashley doesn’t want anything in particular. There is no policy demand in the letter she sent to President Obama, which ended up in front of the 30 staffers, 500 volunteers and various interns who helped to manage the White House mailroom. Its powerful emergency message saw it filtered into the ‘red dot’ pile, to be replied to within twenty-four hours. The red-dot pile was for people who were a danger to themselves or others.

Every day of his presidency, Obama received about 10,000 letters. And every evening, he read ten. Nicknamed the 10Lads (short for ‘ten letters a day’) they were chosen by the extensive team of mailroom staff for their emotiveness and power. Obama answered some himself, giving notes to his team to help them answer others.

The letters are a picture of an America torn asunder, but also one that works hard to put itself back together. Many were stories of a moment of despair: people who had lost a loved one, particularly a soldier, perhaps from suicide.

Sometimes people sent in their bills, their last chances, their mortgage statements. Sometimes they were proud: a man finally admitting to his wife that he was gay, a mother with her teenager’s spotless report card.

And sometimes they couldn’t stop seeing the America Obama had shaped, and continued to shape. “Sir, I was injured in Afghanistan in 2011…I am horrified at the thought of my future,” Patrick Holbrook from Hawaii wrote.

“YOU, Sir,” Bethany Kern emphasised, “are the one person that IS supposed to HELP the LITTLE PEOPLE like my family. In my neck of the woods…jobs are few and far

between.” “I miss my career and my old hands” said Bobby Ingram. “Thank you for listening to the citizen I am.”

Why write to the President? Volunteers suspected people felt more of a personal connection to Obama than previous presidents. Perhaps it was his relative youth and young children, they mused.

Perhaps it was the new direction he represented for the White House: the first black president might bring with him a habit of listening to the people who weren’t usually listened to.

And listen Obama did. In 2009, when Natoma Canfield wrote to the President about her enormous health insurance premiums (“I need your health reform bill to help me!!! I simply can no longer afford to pay for my health care costs!”) he framed it, and it hung between his private study and the Oval Office. Criminal justice issues had always made a heavy showing in hard mail, because it was the last resort channel of communication with those who had the power to change things. Fiona Reeves, the director of the mailroom, decided to include letters from inmates in Obama’s nightly reading. Obama’s 2014 Justice Department program which offered executive relief to federal prisoners serving for nonviolent drug crimes appeared to show he had been reading it. Another issue commonly raised in the letters was the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy around homosexuality. One painful letter was written anonymously because “the person I love can be dishonourably discharged for loving me back.” When Obama repealed the policy and legalised gay marriage, the same person wrote again. “On Aug 3 my husband…will be promoted to senior master sergeant, and I’ll be there to hand him his new shirt with the extra stripes on it.”

Even the order of the letters had power. Reeves, in charge of arranging them, did so carefully, sometimes point-

edly: three about the Dakota Access Pipeline in a row, two conflicting experiences of the Affordable Care Act backto-back. Obama noted that “occasionally, the letter is particularly, uh, pointed at what an idiot I am.” His favourite letters were those that “made a connection”.

He recalled stories, from Marines with PTSD to a man writing about his son’s friend, an illegal immigrant. In reading the letters, the line between person and President blurred. They contributed to a President who, when asked what he was proudest of during his time in office, noted that he didn’t feel like he’d lost himself. “I haven’t become cynical, and I haven’t become callused,” he said. “And I would like to think that these letters have something to do with that.”

Ashley’s letter was one Obama personally responded to. The last line of his message encapsulates what people seem to want from their letters to the President, even if the society he leads remains harsh. “Beneath the pain,” Obama wrote, “your father still loves his daughter, and is surely proud of her.”

Culture // ARTS

Culture // ARTS

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

32

ODe to the water gallery

Mihara Ken’s Kigen (Genesis) no 1 was one of the contemporary ceramics displayed in the Water Gallery until recently

Text: Anna Stewart-Yates Layout: Mia Jessurun “What we need more of is slow art – art that holds time as a vase holds water.” - Robert Hughes The Water Gallery is a narrow space hidden away on the lower ground level of the National Gallery of Australia. Floor to ceiling windows create the illusion that the pond, which laps against the building, is actually inside the space. Descending a staircase from the cavernous contemporary gallery into this intimate space makes coming here feel secret and special. I recently discovered that the works by contemporary Japanese ceramicists previously occupying this gallery is now gone, to be replaced by a new exhibition in December. I frequently visited this display, and its loss is one I feel keenly. For me, the space perfectly answered the call by art critic Robert Hughes for “slow art” as a response to the increasingly fast-paced commercial art world.

Popular philosopher Alain de Botton suggests that art can offer therapeutic benefits which ought to be accessible to ‘ordinary’ people as well as artworld-initiated audiences. These benefits include providing hope, making us feel less lonely, and showing us the value in “everyday things”. When people look at art they intuitively seek something that can help them make sense of the world, connect with other people, see their own experiences reflected back at them, and deeply engage with new ideas – but often contemporary art fails to deliver on these expectations. A lot of the art that fills the ever-expanding art fairs and biennales across the world instead leaves its audience (including me) alienated, disengaged and confused.

Art historian Julian Stallabrass criticised the young British artists (think Damien Hirst’s ‘shark’ or Tracey Emin’s ‘bed’) for producing work which ‘looked like’ contemporary art but failed to engage viewers deeply, describing this phenomenon as “High Art Lite”. Robert Hughes took aim at the work of Jeff Koons and other “fast art” for presenting mere novelty without really having anything “fresh and vital to say.” Often on the contemporary art circuit the hype around new media – be it consumer products, animal carcasses, video, or virtual reality – can disguise the absence of meaningful content. This ‘fast’ or ‘lite’ art fulfils the market’s demand for a fashionable product that has the look of contemporary art, but it does not follow through on showing us new ways to see, to live in and to understand our world. The outcome for audiences is that we go in looking for art which helps us make sense of things, but what we get instead is art which leaves as bewildered – or simply bored – instead.

The trend in contemporary art appears to be to emphasise the plurality of conflicting perspectives. Art focuses on the particularities of experience, which often require local knowledge to understand, and bombards audiences with a dizzying array of technological possibilities, moral conundrums and ambiguous political messages. Themes of alienation and the inability to communicate abound.

Compulsory postmodern self-awareness perpetually deconstructs but offers us no alternative structures through which to make sense of our world.

Undoubtedly this hopeless confusion reflects the reality of the contemporary world, but the problem for audiences is that we already know that living in today’s global digital world can feel overwhelming and uninterpretable.

Art which merely replicates this chaos becomes just another stream of conflicting information and imagery adding to those which already bombard us daily, and tells us nothing about how we might actually comprehend our lives.

The antidote advocated for by Robert Hughes is ‘slow art’. In 2004, he said that we need “art that holds time as a vase holds water” – a maxim I feel was embodied by the Water Gallery display. The contemporary Japanese ceramic works housed in this space do not “look new”, but they demonstrate that contemporary art needn’t rely on superficial novelty to continue to be relevant. They acknowledge the value of tradition, gradual refinement of artistic forms, and painstaking processes of creation. The pieces and their interaction with the space itself invited us to take pause from our fast-paced digitally-driven lives, be fully present in this meditative place, and contemplate the quiet works and moving reflections of water on the ceiling.

Take, for instance, Mihara Ken’s Kigen (Genesis) no 1. The work does not shout for our attention or instantly gratify us with spectacle, it emerges slowly.

Standing before the work, you would notice the gravity of the form in relation to your own body – the sense that it would be heavy to lift. I think that now more than ever in the context of our increasingly digital world we intuitively respond to that which is tangible and handmade. A work like this is something of a relief in an art landscape dominated by video and virtual reality.

Although the elegant form seems timeless, the work also speaks to the contemporary art world’s desire to embrace the cultural specificity of local and personal experience. Shinto culture is a key

inspiration for the piece, particularly the importance of ritual, which is echoed in Mihara’s repeated firing and grinding of the ceramic. The distinctive deep metallic tones come from the high iron content of the Izumo clay, local to Mihara’s native Shimane prefecture. The result is textural and architectural; the form gives us a tangible sense of the landscape from which it is formed, the physical hand of the artist in shaping it, and the repeated, ritualistic processes involved. The design of the Water Gallery display was an essay in sensitive curatorship. The gently rippling pond outside echoed the Shinto ritual of water purification and created a meditative atmosphere, which evoked the practice of worship at kami shrines that remains central to shrine-Shintoism in contemporary Japan.

Aided by careful curatorship, works like Mihara Ken’s allow us to deeply engage with new ways of thinking about the world and connect with the experiences of others instead of reminding us how disparate and disconnected we are. The Water Gallery offered respite from an alienating and confusing world. It was a space that showed us that there is more to life than our everyday concerns and needs – something that great art has always offered, and which will continue to be a relevant aim of contemporary art today and into the future. My sense of loss at no longer being able to visit this display demonstrates the success of the Water Gallery in facilitating a meaningful and personal experience of contemporary art. I can only hope that the new display will be just as moving.

33

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

CULTURE // ARTS

The Best Albums You Might Have Missed This Year Text: Sebastian Lawrence Graphic: Sophie Bear

We did it, team. We made it to the end of the year (sort of). Although 2018 has been fraught with increasing tensions between countries, an ever-revolving door of political scandals, and just about every natural disaster you can think of, it’s been a bloody good year for music. And I’m here to help you navigate the best stuff. Here’s my list of albums released this year that you may have missed and are now obligated to listen to.

Sons of Kemet – Your Queen Is A Reptile I’ve only started to discover jazz this year, and Sons of Kemet provided the perfect introduction in the form of Your Queen Is A Reptile. Hailing from the UK, the band blends African influence with a classic jazz sound (and two drummers!) to create diverse soundscapes unrivalled by previous years’ jazz releases and breathes life into a genre so many are starting to forget.

Best track: ‘My Queen is Ada Eastman’ Mac Miller – Swimming I’ll be the first to admit that Swimming didn’t initially click with me. It was good, that was for sure, but not something I saw myself coming back to.

So, when the announcement of Mac Miller’s passing came, I found myself wandering back and rediscovering the album in all its glory. Drenched in electronics and glistening with heavy bass lines, so much of the album connects personally with the listener. Mac’s signature singing/rapping style consistently outperforms itself

as the record rolls on, and his more traditional incorporation of instrumentals creates a perfectly mellow atmosphere unrivalled by many hiphop releases this year. Although Mac is gone all too soon, it’s nice to know he left such a fantastic album behind.

Best track: ‘Self Care’ – “You never told me being rich was so lonely/ Nobody know me, oh well/Hard to complain from this five star hotel” IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance Punk has been on its last legs for a long time now, but IDLES are here to tell you to take that thinking elsewhere.

With Joy as an Act of Resistance, they prove there’s still life in the culture.

Combining some of the catchiest bass lines of the year with genuinely confronting lyricism, IDLES dip into several genres to make their best work.

Addressing themes of toxic masculinity, classism, and xenophobia, and mixed with a diverse combination of aggression and more aggression, it’s an album filled to the brim with onthe-nose one-liners and just pure fun.

Best track: ‘I’m Scum’ – “Spit in your percolator/I am procrastinator/I overtip the waiter/Sarcastic amputator” Noname – Room 25 Never one to shy away from how she’s truly feeling, Noname holds her own in a genre dominated by male artists and proves that some of the best writing comes from the heart. Room 25 follows her brilliant Telefone mixtape by amping up the beautifully airy instrumentals, coupling them with almost spoken word-like flow to create a short burst of delightful energy. The introspection never feels forced, and almost becomes its own instrument in the sea of frenetic drum lines and measured bass playing. It’s glorious to hear an artist finally achieve their full potential, and

I hope you love it just as much as I do.

Best track: ‘Don’t Forget About Me’ – “I know my body’s fragile, know it’s made from clay/But if I have to go, I pray my soul is still eternal” Saba – Care for Me Finally, I cover an artist I truly hope is on the come-up: Saba. His unique blend of lofi with jazz-based hip-hop creates an incredible dynamic between instrumentals and lyricism all through Care for Me, and it results in one of the most enthralling listens of the year. Despite the warm surface of the music, the album conveys Saba’s battles with his demons, his close friends dying, and police brutality. But the at-times bleak lyricism is backed by chilled instrumentals, creating a dynamic unmatched by his contemporaries. It perfectly complements a rainy day, or even just a bleak one, but it warms the soul and leaves the listener hoping for a better future.

Best track: BUSY/SIRENS’ – “Surely deservin’ of all this lonely/You sad?

Tell me, how you sad? You got all these friends, you got all these fans”

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

CULTURE // REVIEWS

34

ARTS REVUE REVIEW Text: Brandon Tan

When I met with Arts Revue directors Synan Chohan and Stef Roberts-Thomson a week before the show, they shrouded their show in intrigue. Coming to see the show, I knew I would be in for a good time. How wrong I was. I had a fantastic evening that was a great breather from this stressful time of year at ANU. Arts Revue’s strength lies in its creativity and ability to use misdirection and subvert existing tropes. Reflected in the allblack attire of the crew, marketing, and the simple black stage, the show isn’t afraid to use people as props, such as when performers magically transform themselves

into machines or spider-alien-monsters from the third dimension. I walked away from Arts Revue knowing that creativity and passion behind the scenes were crucial ingredients to creating a show of this magnitude.

it act as a reflection of the bizarre narrative we’ve really experienced throughout this year.

The central plotline revolves around five Australian heroes trying to save Canberra from a freak flood disaster, but their journey takes them from our own University to the far reaches of the moon. While no actual water is used in the show, it was indeed a wild time.

Arts Revue explores it all, ranging from a character study of Elon Musk’s decline to the sudden reality that hits first years upon entering ANU (using a ‘Matilda’ song reference). Although elements such as making fun of ANU’s Wi-Fi outage are to be expected, everything feels fresh. I could feel the amount of dedication put into this show oozing out through the parodies of ASMR videos or ANU’s student stereotypes.

In addition, the show’s position as the final theatre production of 2018 allows

The musical direction provided by Patrick Haesler worked superbly with style

CAMPUS CLASSIFIEDS DAY OF THE DEAD FIESTA 2018 Experience the vibes and atmosphere of a Latin American Fiesta at this huge celebration of music, dance, art and the amazing tradition of "Dia De Muertos" over one day!

Featuring over 14 interstate and local live bands and performers, food stalls, Arts + Craft Market, face-painting for all (a must for Day of the Dead) and over 9 hours of cultural goodness + a huge After Party until 3am!

Saturday 10th November 2:00pm - 11:00pm @ Ainslie Arts Centre After Party 11:30pm - 3:30am @ Smiths Alternative TICKETS + INFORMATION @ www.fb.com/Day.of.the.Dead.Canberra Supported by the Latin American Students Association (LASA) + the National Centre for Latin America Studies (ANCLAS)

of the contemporary references in the show. You’re constantly laughing as parodies of ‘Pitch Perfect’’s ‘Flashlight’ and a freeze frame showdown to the tune of Baba O’Riley unfold themselves on stage.

At the end of the show, I was left craving more and couldn’t believe it ended.

We’ll never know what would’ve been in the 15 skits that were cut from the final product, but I’ve still never attended a more beautiful and well-written show that truly appealed to me as a student.

35

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

CULTURE // UNI LIFE

How to look like the best friend ever this exam period Text: Sebastian Lawrence Graphic: Sophie Bear

The end of the academic year is here.

The sparkles you once harboured in your eyes have turned to flames as you watched your study habits destroy themselves in exchange for a little more sleep. But, if you’ve made it this far, I commend you for it. It can be hard sometimes, and if you’ve stuck it out this long, you deserve a little extra.

Your friends are obviously in the same boat too, flames and all. And they too deserve something. And I’m here to give you some ideas. Here’s my list of gift ideas to help a friend in need this exam season.

Chocolate No brainer, right? Everyone is the world’s biggest chocolate fan, and gifting it to someone shows that you’re there to provide the goods when needed most. However, I suggest going for dark chocolate. Not just because I would die for it, but also because it’s been proven to help with mood and productivity.

So next time your friend says “I can’t catch up right now, studying hard :(”, give them some dark chocolate to help them through this troubling time.

Maybe even incorporate it into a hot

chocolate! The nights are still cold, and you’ll warm their heart twice over with both the drink and your kindness.

Flowers Maybe this one is just me, but flowers have such an inherent beauty, and provide some much needed colour in drab situations. Even if you need to not-sosubtly get your friend to take a Buzzfeed test to discover what type of flower they are, buying flowers for someone shows that you thought of them when seeing something so pretty. It also gives people a reminder that not all is bad, even if that 3000-word essay is staring you down, waiting for that one slip-up before it pounces. They’re pretty, just like you, so grab some next time you’re out shopping to show you care.

Coffee/Tea Okay, so you all saw this one coming, but this one can be a blessing and a curse. If you have my relationship with coffee, there’s a 50/50 chance that you’ll either feel the most productive you’ve ever felt, or crash so horribly that no amount of sleep can help you recover.

It’s important to ensure you know the risks of coffee, whether it be consuming

it consistently through a tough essay night to ensure it actually gets done and you don’t pull the “I’ll-wake-up-earlyand-finish-it” routine and feeling like garbage after, or drinking it before an exam to ensure a productive first hour but a tragic final hour. Tea is a fantastic alternative: it’s simple, easy to make, and there’s a tea out there for everyone. Add on the health benefits of certain teas, and you’ve got yourself a relaxing drink to sip through that essay.

Music Playlists This is such an easy one to do, and requires such little effort that you could create individual ones for separate friends and only lose about ten minutes of your day. And the best thing? Your friends will really appreciate the genuine thought that went into it. It isn’t hard to hear what your friend likes in passing, and attaching it to a playlist to help them get past that study brain melt is the simplest form of love and care, even if every single one of your playlists contains Mr. Brightside.

THINGS ARE GETTING BAD... PLEASE SEND CHOCOLATE

Baked Goods Now, if you’re like me, you sometimes get that itch to make something sweet to satisfy your cravings. So why not make it an event? Get your friends involved to make something you all enjoy, and share it over a hot chocolate while you reminisce about how you miss how easy things were in your first year. My suggestions? Although winter is leaving us all too soon, cinnamon scrolls are a go-to remedy for a chilly night, and provide some much needed warmth when you feel most vulnerable.

They’re also disgustingly easy to make: find a recipe that works for you and your pantry, and ensure you provide for your friends when they need you most.

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

Discover // Science

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Sol invictus - the unconquered sun Text: Sophie Burgess Graphic: Maddy McCusker From the very first automobile to cruise down the streets of Germany in 1879 to the little Hyundai Getz your parents bought you for your Sweet Sixteenth, society has long been dependent on a finite and growingly scarce resource to power our transport. With the world’s fossil fuels predicted to only last another 70 years, finding alternative energy sources is imperative. It is the young scientists and engineers of today that are tasked with the challenge of developing feasible technologies to satisfy our increasing energy demands, so that when the time does come, our society is not plunged back into the Dark Ages.

Students at ANU are joining the effort to develop renewable technologies to power the transport of the future. Team Sol Invictus - comprised of over 30 students from diverse backgrounds in varying fields of study - is one of many university teams worldwide focused on designing and building solar cars for the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.

This race, spanning over 3000km from Darwin to Adelaide, encourages bright and innovative young minds to perfect the application of solar technology and reinvent the way we consider transport.

The competition includes two classes: 1. The 'Challenger Class': one-seat aerodynamic vehicles are judged for their endurance and efficiency.

2. The 'Cruiser Class': practical and sustainable cars are evaluated for their commercial appeal,

in hope of them becoming the first generation of market solar cars.

ANU’s Sol Invictus competed in their first Challenger Class race in 2017, with the 'Sol Invictus Supercharge'.

They are now in the process of designing a new and improved vehicle for the upcoming race in 2019.

So, what goes into designing and building a solar car? What are the challenges? When will we be able to see practical, affordable and sustainable solar cars on the market?

Building a Solar Car When building a solar car, the main factors which contribute to design decisions are power efficiency, aerodynamics, weight and reliability.

The car must be able to: access enough power from the sun to drive at highway speeds, be as aerodynamic as possible to minimise drag, be as light as possible to maximise acceleration and reduce rolling resistance and stay in one piece during six days of driving across the continent. So, how do we achieve this?

Power The top of the car is covered in 4m2 of monocrystalline silicon solar cells, which rely on the photoelectric effect to convert the energy of incoming photons from the sun to electrical energy by the generation of a current. This process is highly inefficient, with only 24% of the total incoming energy providing power to the car. On average, the solar cells produce 900W of power

- 300W less than the average toaster!

hard work result in an unfinished race!

Aerodynamics

Current Challenges and the Future of Solar Cars

With such a finite amount of available power, it is crucial that the vehicle is designed to be as aerodynamic as possible, to minimise energy lost by air resistance. To achieve this, the frontal area of the car - which makes impact with incoming air as the car drives - is reduced and the shape of the car body is designed to mimic that of a teardrop.

Weight The heavier the car, the more energy that is lost to inertia and rolling resistance.

For this reason, the chassis and outer shell of most solar vehicles are built out of superlight composite materials, such as carbon fibre. The effect of this is significant – the average commercial car weighs two tonnes, while the standard solar vehicle weighs between 150300kg. In perspective, that’s the combined mass of two to four adult humans!

Reliability Even with over a years’ worth of planning, designing and building, things still go wrong. Our 2017 Supercharge once set itself on fire. UNSW's Cruiser car pulled out of the race due to faulty suspension. The car from the University of Cambridge crashed before the race had even begun. These risks are inevitable for such a project, but the best way to minimise them is rigorous testing of every step of the design and building stages - lest 12 months of

We are currently still a far way from being able to harvest the sun’s energy to power our commercial transport.

While the technology developed for the solar car competition is impressive, the conditions of the race are ideal - it runs on mainly a straight road through one of the sunniest locations in the world.

The obvious challenges still exist: the car cannot drive all through the night, it cannot reach full drive potential if the weather is cloudy or rainy, and the car cannot drive safely on uneven terrain. The list of feasibility complications stretches much further, however, several potential solutions are being explored, such as developing solar cells with increased energy efficiency and batteries with greater capacity for storage.

Although you may not find commercial solar cars with 'My Family stickers' cruising the streets of Canberra in the next couple of years, it is critical for society that we keep pushing towards a renewable and sustainable future. Maybe one day, our work at Sol Invictus and the work of dozens of other teams worldwide will contribute towards making solar cars a feasible, sustainable and affordable option for communities everywhere. Until then, we look forward to continue designing and improving our technological masterpieces to race on the world stage!

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

DISCOVER // SCIENCE

Fighting Fire with Fire

Text: Brody Hannan Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

Like many issues in contemporary science, fighting Australia’s ever-increasing bushfires is as much a scientific issue as it is a social and political one. We know that the First Australians used fire and back burning for millennia as a way of managing their land. What could both history and design teach us about our attitudes towards natural disasters?

And could we use it to fight Australia’s bushfires?

When listening to emergency dispatch tapes from large fires, you often hear people reporting houses that have been set alight before the fire front has even reached their neighbourhood! Generally, such houses don’t burn because a wall of fire has raced through the community. They burn because of something else: the embers.

The embers accumulate in crevices around dry wood shingles in the roof and set fire to the houses from above. Highly-flammable iron-bark wooden roofs were particularly common in 1950s rural Australia, and are responsible for much of the damage caused by bushfires in the 1970s.

Thus, while the idea that ‘wooden rooves catch on fire easily’ may not sound like a huge revelation, it actually helps us rethink our wildfire problem – not as an inevitable natural disaster, but as a design problem.

Our homes and communities are designed to burn.

Australia’s firefighting services has long been prevalent. Victoria’s Country Fire Authority was established in 1945 and the NSW Rural Fire Service has been around since 1896. Collectively the two organisations employ around 95,000 people and have an annual budget of $850 million – providing us with high tech planes, helicopters, and kitted fire crews designed to fight fires better than ever before. And for a while, these mechanisms seemed to work. Fires were put out, lives and buildings were saved. But the better we got at fighting fires, the stronger the fires also became.

By preventing fires, you also encourage tree re-growth and the accumulation of undergrowth and dead vegetation, making bushland denser. This means that when bushland does catch on fire, there’s more material to burn; fires burn bigger and hotter than ever before.

In the late 1990s, a researcher from the US Forest Service, Dr Jack Cohen, conducted a series of full forest fire experiments – sectioning off blocks of boreal forest in Canada and setting it alight to observe its behaviour. What he found in his experiments was that while an entire forest could be on fire, a building standing 10 metres away from it could be left unscathed if designed effectively.

Most ember fires can be stopped with some simple design solutions.

For one, replacing your wood roof is an obvious answer. Smaller-scale, more nuanced ones include ensuring your garage door has a tight, concrete seal to prevent embers from entering house and removing flammable items and undergrowth within 30 meters of your house. These design improvements mean that we can let more bushfires burn natural, and finally break free from the vicious cycle of fire suppression that leads to the largest infernos.

But there are many barriers to implementing these solutions. For one, it’s expensive to structurally alter your house, like replacing your roof.

You may not even have 30 metres of land around your house to clear, and if you’re a renter, you probably don’t even have the authority to make any changes at all!

Although design changes will lessen the effect of bushfires, we also still heavily rely on our fire services.

The NSW RFS ethos is to “[protect] infrastructure and environmental, economic, cultural, agricultural and community assets from damage arising from fires”. After all, when there is a fire, people demand an immediate and heavy response. We, the public, expect to see dramatic shots of helicopters flying over raging fires, dropping water over thousands of hectares of burnt bushland.

Because of climate change, the fire season is only getting longer. But instead of resigning to fatalism that ‘nothing else can be done’, we instead need to recognise that indeed, there is plenty to do. We need to ensure that our policies reflect the efforts we are making to effectively prevent bushfires. To do so, our attitudes towards managing our own properties, and the expectations we hold towards our governments and fires services need to change.

discover // SCIENCE

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

'Oumuamua: Comet, asteroid or other?

Text: Andy Yin Graphic: Maddy McCusker

Discovered in October last year, the interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 (more widely known as ‘Oumuamua) was initially thought to be a comet, only then to be categorised as an asteroid.

It made history when it was reclassified yet again as a ‘class I’ or an ‘interstellar object’ - the first object confirmed to have entered our Solar System from beyond.

‘Oumuamua was confirmed as an interstellar object because of the eccentricity of its orbit - ‘eccentricity’ in this context being a mathematical term, rather than the synonym for ‘strange’ (although it is rather weird!!) Eccentricity describes how close an orbit is to a circular shape. Zero is perfectly circular, while values greater than zero but less than 1 describe an imperfectly circular orbit - like one that mimics an ellipse or an oval. The greater the eccentricity, the more bulged and imperfect the ellipse becomes. At an eccentricity of 1, the shape fails to close up entirely. Rather, the orbit becomes a parabola. The gravity of the orbited object - such as the Sun or a planet can pull in the orbiting object, but as it is moving too fast to be trapped, it will then simply slingshot away. ‘Oumuamua orbit is like this – it’s so far from a closed loop that it can’t possibly have come from the Solar System.

However, based on the recent scientific findings of Micheli et al. presented in Nature, ‘Oumuamua is actually physically still a comet. Originally, as it lacked a coma - a cloud of gas which is formed when the comet is warmed by the sun and the ice on the surface sublimates – there were doubts surrounding this conclusion. But, the paper argues otherwise. Rather than directly investigating its composition, the scientists instead observed ‘Oumuamua’s motion. Objects within our solar system are accelerated by the gravitational force exerted by the Sun. But, it was found that if the attraction of the Sun was subtracted from the observed acceleration, there was still some ‘left over’ – meaning that the source of some of the acceleration is coming from elsewhere. Their best explanation for this: ‘Oumuamua releases gas that acts as a propellant. If it releases gas, even if there’s not enough for a visible coma, then it is a comet.

What will ‘Oumuamua be classified as next? Unfortunately, the window to observe it is just about gone – it’s hurtling away from our Solar System.

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

discover // ENVIRONMENT

FORESTRY STUDENTS IN MEXICO: PERSPECTIVES FROM ANU DELEGATES Text: Chew Jia Yi Graphic: Maddy McCusker

Recently, myself and fellow student Karen Khoo represented ANU Fenner School at the 46th annual International Forestry Students Symposium held in Mexico. The symposium is the most important event of the year for International Forestry Students’ Association (IFSA). It allows the various members from different local committees to gather together.

The symposium is important because it allows for students to determine the future directions of the organisation and to exchange knowledge, perspectives and cultures. We learnt so much in the span of two weeks. The weeks were filled with intense discussions, debates and plenary sessions.

One of the greatest things we gained from the experience was the Mexican perspectives on the environment. Students from the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo ran the symposium and taught us all about the Mexican perspective.

We were shown Ejidos, land shared and managed by the community. In Mexico, communal land management makes up 70 per cent of land use. Local people are highly dependent on forest resources, as well as livestock farming, which takes up 50 per cent of land use. Of the people who live on Ejidos, 50 per cent fell below the national poverty baseline.

During the symposium there were many insightful talks given by experts in environmental science. One

of these was Dr. José Sergio Barrales Domínguez from the University Chapingo who said, “You as a youth within the system are one of the alternative sources of knowledge for the country, and forces in demanding change in traditional practices.”

The speeches were very inspiring and heartlifting for me as a student. It gave us hope that we have the power to change things that we are passionate about, especially the environment and forests.

There were many discussions prompted during local forestry visitation.

through modern machineries use?

Many representatives provided their perspectives on the issues raised.

One of the key debates was the use of forestry in water conservation. As a forester, we were taught forestry benefits water conservation. However, South African representatives thought differently. They have strict legislation in South Africa that regulates forestry operations in catchment areas.

In addition, we also learnt that within a community, the members usually have great connections and trust in different individual members of the community. They undertake decision-making democratically and with transparency through general assembly with the presence of community members.

In Mexico, we also found that land managers were resisting modern technology to ensure employment opportunities and livelihoods for their local people. Consequently, this phenomenon prompted a deep discussion between representatives during the reflection session of the closing ceremony. How do we ensure diverse livelihood options for local people while increasing efficiency in production

This is an important facet of management that all land managers need to consider. I think IUFRO representative Dr. Sandra Rodríguez summed it up best: “Forests of the world needs to be conserved as well as the contributions to sustainable development through generating wealth, providing livelihood, and protecting social and environmental values”. By attending the symposium I have gained an invaluable global perspective on environmental management that I can now apply back in an Australian context.

For us, the main take-away regarding forestry management in Mexico was that forestry and land management in Mexico isn’t solely about providing economic development, income or employment; it is about long inherited cultural and historical values with social aspects, relationships between members of the community, passion in sharing and great hospitality.

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

discover // ENVIRONMENT

Sunscreen

Text: Canada Gavin Graphic: Jessica Benter Now that spring has sprung, and we are approaching the end of Canberra’s woeful winter, it is important to remember to slip, slop and slap. We need to protect ourselves from the harmful UV rays that accompany the sun’s return.

However, before you lather yourself in a bottle of Banana Boat, it is important to note what chemicals are going into your sunscreen. They can have serious impacts on the environment.

Oxybenzone is one of the main ingredients in sunscreen. It is found in approximately 3,500 brands of sunscreen across the globe. Oxybenzone has been discovered to cause deformities in the soft tissue of coral and exacerbates the impact of coral bleaching. This chemical significantly damages adult coral but also has catastrophic impacts on newborn coral. It acts as an endocrine disruptor, which inhibits a reefs ability to regenerate.

It is estimated that up to 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen end up in reefs across the world each year. Popular tourist areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Caribbean and Hawaii are particularly affected. Oxybenzone has such an impact on the health of coral that a single drop in a water mass the size of six and a half

Olympic swimming pools will have a devastating effect.

These impacts have prompted responses in countries such as the US and Mexico.

Mexico’s Pulmo National Marine Park requires all tourists to only wear biodegradable sunscreen products. In 2018, Hawaii also banned sunscreens that contained oxybenzone and octinoxate due to their detrimental impacts on their local coral reefs.

Despite these implications, it is still extremely important to block out those UV rays during the warmer months.

Many companies are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of oxybenzone and are developing sunscreens without the harmful chemical. If you are looking for the best sunscreens to buy, those with biodegradable ingredients such as titanium oxide or zinc oxide are great for shielding yourself from the sun and protecting our reefs. Cancer Council sunscreen products in Australia no longer contain oxybenzone and octinoxate is gradually being phased out. This is making sunscreen safe for both humans and the environment.

So as the temperatures begin to rise and the season of BBQ’s and pool parties dawns upon us, make sure to check what’s in your sunscreen before you slip, slop and slap. Help keep our reefs happy.

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

discover // Environment

The ‘ugliness’ of renewables.

A real-deal or just fugazzi?

Text: Prakriti Bhardwaj Graphic: Sophie Bear Picture this. You’re revisiting your favourite hill station since childhood.

But it isn’t the same anymore. The concrete rooves of the cottages and cabins are covered with a blanket of black photovoltaic glass to soak up the sun. The view of the horizon from your window is interspersed with a trail of tall white towers with rotating thin blades.

Do you find yourself pleased with such developments? Or do you cringe in your head?

As some of the world’s biggest economies progress towards cleaner energies, there is a growing opposition towards renewables. Interestingly, such aversion stems from the psychological phenomenon of NIMBY (not in my backyard). More and more residents are objecting to renewable energy installation projects in their vicinity. Yet, they are showing no such opposition if they’re built farther away.

Recent records show that solar and wind energy are bearing most of the brunt of NIMBY-ism globally. A staggering 45 per cent of the clean energy projects in recent years were shelved or delayed due to local opposition. In general, the reasons for disapproval towards solar and wind farms are related to aesthetics, environment or health concerns.

With solar panels, they are often perceived as ‘trashy’, with the potential to drive down property prices due to their ugliness. Instances of birds dying from collisions and immolation

on solar farms have also been rife.

Wind farms supposedly ruin scenic landscapes and are feared to cause health problems and adversities for humans and livestock. Proponents of the “wind-turbine syndrome” believe proximity to a wind turbine may lead to cancers, congenital abnormality or even death (yes, you heard that right).

Also, windmills are criticised for disrupting the channels of migratory birds and even killing them.

A survey published by the NSW government on community attitudes to renewable energy brings to light contrasting outlooks on cleaner energies.

An astounding 61 per cent of respondents expressed concerns over noise, cost efficiency and the visual impact of wind and solar farms. This percentage also increased as the proximity to clean energy farms increased.

The conversation around renewables is a rather contentious one but also one lacking evidence. We have no proof to establish strong hypothesis that relates observed health adversities to proximity of wind farms.

Having said that, we should also not dismiss the phenomenon behind the opposition. NIMBY-ists are all about preserving the beauty, safety and integrity of communities.

It is worth noting that new technologies have always been a cause of social anxiety for several decades. 19th century American neurologist Miller Beard argued that inventions of modern civilisation are key culprits of a range of symptoms of nervousness in the general public. A classic example is the newly popular cell phone in 1879 which was said to be the cause

of dizziness, nervous excitability and neuralgic pains. We’ve since had a host of evidence-free public anxieties about televisions, electric blankets, microwaves, computers, Wi-Fi routers, and now apparently solar panels and windmills.

What might explain the reports of several health issues ascribing to presence of renewables is the nocebo effect, the evil twin of the healing placebo effect. People exposed to frightening information about certain exposures tend to experience a detrimental effect on their health due to psychosomatic factors.

Studies have shown that support for development projects increases as community participation increases. Therefore, the need of the hour is to establish better communication channels between project developers and host communities. This can be done through the creation of benefit sharing groups. Through improved interaction among major stakeholders, specific locations that pose too many risks can be ruled out and the benefit can be maximised.

Renewable energy is our best bet to combat climate change. They form the backbone of not only mitigation and adaptation efforts but also national commitments submitted by countries under the Paris Agreement.

Although it may have a flip side, we still need to navigate our way through and reach all-encompassing solutions.

discover // Environment

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

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NO-FIN TO BE SCARED OF: SHARK NETS IN AUSTRALIA Text: Xavier Anderson Graphic: Jessica Benter

can’t put in shark nets or drum lines or surf life saving towers, or even have aeroplanes.”

net. This means that animals do not get caught up in the net, which reduces bycatch and mortality.

Cue 'Jaws' music. On average, three people in Australia die from a shark attack every year. Despite this, media coverage makes it appear much higher. And why not? Ever since 'Jaws' and the subsequent and less famous 'Sharknado', we have been obsessed with sharks. We all know the stats, but it is hard to think of them when a shadow moves next to you while swimming at a secluded beach.

Shark nets do not stop sharks from reaching swimmers. They are only effective at killing sharks, not in excluding them from an area. More research is needed to determine if it really is shark nets that are keeping shark attack numbers low. What isn’t contentious though is the serious negative effects shark nets have.

SMART Drumlines/ Tracking Another option that is used are SMART (Shark-Management-Alert-in-RealTime) drumlines and tracking technology. SMART drumlines are baited hooks that are not designed to kill a shark. According to NSW DPI, “when a shark is hooked, the pressure on the line triggers the communications unit which alerts DPI scientists or contractors via phone call, email and text message to the presence of an animal on the line.” The animal is then released by fisheries officers.

Luckily the Australian Government has stepped up to protect beachgoers.

Otherwise, whatever would we do?

Although, attitudes are beginning to change, the blanket solution has been to install shark nets. The idea seems simple; it’s a big net that stops big bad sharks getting in.

In practice, these arbitrary nets are not just ineffective at stopping sharks, but also have significant impacts on marine life.

Shark Nets The majority of nets that are used are Gillnets. These are walls of netting that hangs in the water and entangles sharks. They have been in use since 1936 and despite numerous research papers, are still used in NSW and Queensland.

It is important to note that shark nets are NOT shark barriers. They work upon the principle "fewer sharks, fewer attacks". They are designed to reduce shark attacks by killing sharks, not by excluding them.

Currently, there has been no shark attack deaths within shark netted areas.

Success right? Well, not quite. According to Greens Senator, Peter Whish-Wilson this isn’t because of shark nets but rather, where they are placed. He stated that, “Luckily there were no fatalities inside shark nets [zones] but the reason for that is that most of the beaches around the country that are netted are also patrol beaches,” He then went on to say, “A lot of the fatalities we’ve seen are in really remote locations where you

Impacts The largest environmental impact of shark nets is its bycatch. The nets do kill a large number of the targeted sharks like Great Whites. However, other animals like whales, turtles and other marine life can also become entangled in these nets. In 2016, Queensland shark nets captured 82 animals other than sharks. Just under half of these animals survived. Of the ten dolphins that were caught, only one survived.

The nets in Queensland also caught 695 sharks, with most of the sharks dying.

Some of these sharks were endangered species. The Queensland shark net program is responsible for killing 36 hammerheads, 90 blacktip reef whalers, and three grey nurse sharks. All these sharks are listed as either endangered or venerable. Is all this worth it? Especially if the effectiveness of shark nets isn’t proven.

Alternative Solutions It may seem that I’m being a little too harsh on shark nets but it’s not like it’s the only solution out there. NSW and Queensland are currently the only states still using nets. Other states have adopted more humane and targeted shark management strategies.

Mesh Barriers Mesh barriers or ‘eco nets’ look very similar to shark nets but operate in an entirely different manner. They are used in parts of Western Australia and work like people think shark nets do. They create an enclosure for swimmers that excludes sharks. The mesh of these barriers is also much smaller than a shark

Along with SMART drumlines, captured sharks are being tagged and tracked. The database is still being built but this solution offers the most accurate and up-to-date information for fisheries. Rather than just hoping that a shark didn’t miss the shark net, fisheries officers can know exactly when to put out a shark warning.

Looking Forward The alternatives discussed are currently used in conjunction with shark nets in some states. We need to match science with policy. I know state and federal and state governments are struggling with it at the moment, but this is a loselose strategy. Shark nets are not effective at killing the right species, they are devastating for other marine life and do not fully protect swimmers.

I don’t think we can change everyone’s perspectives on sharks; they are scary.

But if you are really scared of sharks, then mesh barriers, SMART drumlines and tracking offer way more peace of mind. Shark nets are archaic. They were developed in the 30s before any significant shark research. With so much evidence supporting more humane alternatives we need to phase them out.

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

DISCOVER // BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

The European Union– In Need of Review Text: Felix Ryan Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

ago, were locked in brutal conflict.

Through free and unrestricted trade, Europeans began to develop a sense of community as economic prosperity bloomed.

The idealistic dream of the union of the European states has had a difficult decade. The shock of the global economic downturn in 2008 has lingered well into recent years; causing severe financial disruption that has irreparably damaged and destabilised European economies.

High unemployment, ballooning debt and sluggish growth have fuelled the flames of populist schemes across the continent. Policy makers have tried to combat these issues to the best of their ability, but have found themselves restricted by the incoherent structure of the EU economic apparatus. Specifically, the presence of a monetary union has prevented smaller member states from moving out of recession, leaving them conjoined at the hip and deprived of their monetary, and arguably economic sovereignty. The EU economy must undergo significant structural change to promote economic prosperity across Europe in near future…

From this agreement came the European Economic Community (EEC) in the 1957 Treaty of Rome.

It brought further reductions in tariffs and trade barriers to a plethora of different goods and services, extending the newfound diplomatic and economic harmony to these new member states. However, it was clear larger economies would dominate the proceedings. Agriculture that commanded France and Germany was exempted from trade liberalisation practices. German and French farmers had long operated in restrictive markets and made it clear that they would continue to do so to French and German policymakers. Consequently, EEC suffered from high and uncompetitive market prices for agricultural products that were ultimately reflected in tax burdens for EEC citizens. By the late 1980s, this had resulted in a huge unsold surplus of several goods; most notably over a million tonnes of excess butter.

The original design of the EU as a zone of economic cooperation worked effectively in the aftermath of World War II. Determined to rebuild relations, France and West Germany began economic cooperation through the creation of a common market for coal and steel.

Decreased tariffs and other trade restrictive practices allowed both the countries to regenerate their war-ravaged industries. By 1951, other European nations, including the Netherlands and Belgium, had joined in this agreement, creating the European Coal and Steel Committee to oversee the trade liberalisation of coal and steel trade between signatory nations. The benefits were twofold: not only did the cheap flow of steel and coal allow for the rapid rebuilding of European industry but also for healing the wounds between nations which less than a decade

But the real problems of the European economic cooperation were found in the undertaking of monetary union. With the collapse of the Bretton Woods agreement and the Keynesian system of fixed exchange rates, European policymakers began to look at ways to fix exchange rates between European countries to continue the prosperity. Once the 1973 OPEC Crisis had subsided, these discussions quickly turned into ideas for the monetary union. Theoretically, the monetary union does have an appeal. If every European country had the same currency, it would be easy to determine across the continent the most competitive prices and thus allow European consumers to reward efficient suppliers. Furthermore, it would eliminate fluctuations of exchange rates that would otherwise make it risky to invest in European

countries, thus encouraging a free flow of capital within the EEC. However, the loss of monetary sovereignty would entail poor policy outcomes for member states. A European Central Bank (ECB) would be focused not on domestic interests but continent-wide economic issues and would set interest rates accordingly. The danger is obvious: an economy that requires low-interest rates to engineer economic activity will have the same central bank as another that needs higher interest rates to curb inflation.The ECB must choose which state it favours by raising or lowering interest rates.

The results would be uniform wages, prices and market activity, with a high likelihood of labour and brain drain from one economy to another.

The significant disparity in the legal, linguistic and economic heritage of Europe makes this scenario likely and should have made it clear to policymakers that a monetary union was not appropriate for European economic success. Nonetheless, the Maastricht Treaty was signed by EEC members in 1992, establishing the ECB and monetary union.

The GFC in Europe brought monetary union problems to a head.

Member states were impacted differently by the crisis: Greece, Cyprus and Ireland suffered terribly while Germany and the Netherlands were quicker to recover. This proved extremely difficult for the ECB, whose policymakers are largely French and German, to assist all EU countries[1] . Commentators pointed out ECB policy largely favoured the larger economies at the expense of the small. Greece is the best example.

Under its own currency (the drachma) and central bank, it would have been able to devalue the drachma temporarily. This would have served interest on debt at a lower cost while increasing demand for exports and Greek tourism. Instead, Greece was forced to rely upon the ECB’s higher interest rate and later stringent measures attached to bailout packages that made the downturn

much worse. Cyprus faced a similar experience; with ECB and EU policy makers enforcing inappropriate ‘one size fits all’ solutions that only exacerbated the crisis. Even today, Greece and other such EU countries bear scars of the ECB’s inconsiderate policy making – contributing to the steady rise in extreme political and civil unrest across Europe.

Many have suggested that the solution to the EU’s economic problems could be to bring the EU to fiscal federalism as well as monetary unity to sync policy decisions. But this again ignores the distinct economic, legal and cultural heritage of Europe. Unlike the individual German, Italian or US states, each European country has substantially different economic requirements that simply cannot be met at the continental level. Depriving member states of fiscal powers will leave them completely defenceless against future crises, vulnerable to economic stagnation and entailing the potential collapse of support for European cooperation. The EU needs to re-examine its origins as an economic community – it must seek to maintain the prosperous trade liberalisation and economic cooperation of the EEC while acknowledging the economic and cultural personalities of its members. European unity is still an outcome to be strived for, but so long as the monetary, economic and political sovereignty of member states is restored, upheld and respected.

DISCOVER // BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

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CBE Venture LAB: an Entrepreneurship journey at ANU Text: Soumyadeep Sengupta Graphic: Sophie Bear Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing the man behind the creation of the CBE Venture Lab, Camilo Potocnjak-Oxman: an exciting new space for all the ANU students.

How did the concept of creating the Venture Lab come about?

“Two years ago, there was an initiative from the CBE mainly at the Research School of Management to set up an innovation hub, part of which would be an Entrepreneur’s room. When I heard about the initiative, I was excited and eager to help. It was quite an ambitious project, and unfortunately, it did not entirely go ahead. However, between the time it was announced, and now, I was given the opportunity to run several activities in the space that was going to be the innovation hub. Activities such as team-building events for the ACT Innovation competition, tutorials for Entrepreneurship course and seminars for the Postgrads New Venture course. I was using the room to see how people would react to this space.

“At the beginning of this year, two students from the previous entrepreneurship course contacted me as they were interested to continue to use the space for their project. That was where the concept of the Venture Lab came from in late February of this year. This generated a discussion with the people who oversaw the space. Then I had a conversation with the Associate Dean (Research) Emma Schultz who was supportive of the idea of creating an Innovation Hub. So, the creation of this Venture Lab is an amalgamation of my experience in teaching and developing entrepreneurship course, Emma’s support of championing the concept of the creation of an entrepreneur’s room and the students wanting a space to work on their projects.”

How long did it take to transform this idea into reality?

“Given the size of the institution, I would say it was fast. The project was proposed was on March 13 2018. But, it wasn’t until late June it got approved. It went into renovation at the beginning of week four of this semester. And now

in early October, we are just about to start running some activities. It is always important to undertake some low-cost tests to increase the probability that the solution will be adequate to the people which it is intended to serve. Before this space went into renovation, I engaged with a community of former students who participated in the Entrepreneurship course or the ACT entrepreneurship competition. I asked them several questions regarding; what kind of support you would have hoped to receive before graduation, what kind of equipment or resources the entrepreneurship space needs to provide and what kind of activities would you want to see running in the space. It was those conversations that began to shape this space.

So, it was very much a collaborative and co-creation activity with the former students.”

Were there any challenges that you faced when setting up the CBE Venture Lab? “No challenges as such from the CBE side, but rather from the learning to adjust to the dynamics of a larger institution. I was incredibly supported by all the executives, my colleagues, the academics and the RSM director in making this Venture Lab become a reality.”

What can ANU students and staff expect from the CBE Venture Lab? “That is a good question. So, firstly: what is a Venture Lab and how is it different from any incubator or escalator? I like this name, although it seems very generic, but it was chosen very strategically. When we talk about entrepreneurs, a lot of people think about it as ‘start-up founders’, but I think of it as people who can act upon opportunities to solve problems and serve needs or create benefits to the society.

So, based on this concept a venture is a daring journey and ANU being a research university, the lab will be a space to explore and experiment while undertaking daring journeys. The Venture Lab has mainly three objectives; to better support entrepreneurial activities among ANU students, to provide a context where one can study entrepreneurship and help people to

build a set of tools which can be used in entrepreneurial projects.

“The most important thing that the Venture Lab needs is ‘participation’.

So, we are running a series to events during this semester and even during the summer where students can come and not only work on their venture project, but also contribute in developing how the Lab would look like in next semester. The idea is not just to build a space but build a community.”

Recently, I saw a Facebook post about the first Venture Lab event on 10th October with only 15 students? Why only 15 and not have an open event?

“The lab is quite small, and the idea is to choose people who are committed enough to participate in undertaking the entrepreneurial activity. We are having multiple iterations of 15 people event rather than having a big 300 people event. So, this Venture Lab will be helpful for students irrespective of their study discipline to come together and co-create an entrepreneurial project.”

What is the future direction of the CBE Venture Lab? "Many exciting innovation-related activities are happening at ANU currently. The Venture Lab has “Immediate access to Business and Economic disciplines, Marketing, Business models, Corporate Strategy and Finance.

So, the vision of the CBE Venture Lab is to provide a space for ANU students and staff to explore, experiment and undertake daring entrepreneurial journeys. It will offer the opportunity to engage the CBE community and support your entrepreneurial projects.”

On a scale on 1 to 10, how excited are you to begin the CBE Venture Lab? “Probably, I would say, a 135 out of 10 (laughs). So, people who want to participate in entrepreneurial activities or want to learn about entrepreneurship, network with former entrepreneurs and anyone who has entrepreneur projects is welcome to join.”

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Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

Come; See the snake twisting through your hot, loose grains of desert, See the dry valleys and canyons of red-brown sand that he leaves;

CREATIVE

Developments Text: Ben Jefferson Graphic: Millie Wang

he weaves a landscape.

The sun inundates the land with hard, throbbing power; Men and women walk ancient paths in heavy, simmering heat.

Their tread is sure and fluid, scorching sand inviting to their worn and hardened feet.

Now come;

As the snake carves the earth, the people carve stories out of mem-

See hundreds of the spared spill from ships,

ory, sing to each other;

see them lapping at the shore.

Stalk in rings, by light of fires that burn from trees grown from the

Perceive their steel and vigour;

land;

The clatter of their guns and dreams of immortality,

Land that gives birth to them, and that will receive their deaths

The confusion; chop unfamiliar trees, build timber houses, plant

with gladness.

new roots.

Be sure and empty as you shoot.

Come; See eternal lands laid bare for farming.

See men break their backs for food and gold.

Wives and children live in a hand-made stick hut until they die, You go to the land to lie.

Come; See your letters pass in and out of grandiose architecture, Adorned with flourishes of ink.

See the steel-walled boxes of workers on docks, Men crammed into square offices, A triumphant strain echoes in the shallow Corridors of the cities: For long life, wealth.

Come;

An engine exhales steam, compressing itself.

See children sit patiently, neatly dressed and combed, Rigid-backed on eternal plastic chairs.

See mother and father laugh politely at the table; You avoid the tricky topics.

Now come with me;

Pleasant, proportionate bricks fill suburbs in rows;

See a snake twisting through our hot, loose grains of desert.

Over jungle, tree, creek, burrow, nest and earth: concrete flows.

Exhausted open-cuts leave deep gashes in the earth; we will hack a new landscape.

Deep-buried atomic debris inundates the land with hard, throbbing power; No-one walks ancient paths in heavy, simmering heat.

Our memories are extinguished like all the lights; death met by fresh buds of green, Despite the fires, pushing through the earth; Land that will receive their deaths with gladness; which gave them birth.

Creative

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

Dear (Former) Best Friend Text: A Little Fuji Apple Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis No warning, no preparation, Our unlikely meeting began, And the more I invested, The more I appreciated you.

There was nothing to reveal, As there was nothing to hide From each other.

Grateful for your trust.

We shared a path and walked, Strolled, sprinted, slipped Side by side.

And only when the blinkers finally wore down

We once shared a path.

In tatters on the ground, Dancing to a gentle breeze

When was it that the first shoot

As if laughing at me, did I realise…

Sprouted in that little crevice between us?

How did it root itself in such a confined space?

That I left your side long ago

We looked at it in awe and anticipation…

And the company I had was a full hedge Which split our path in two

Your silence nurtured it.

And barricaded you from me,

I went with the flow.

and me from you.

Our pride allowed it to thrive And …

I occasionally hear your voice and laughter Muffled by the voices of your new companions…

I waited, and you probably did too.

And the hedge.

The problems… I never addressed well

And a sad smile.

Grew with the eddying discomfort, Grew with the flood of time and memories.

That smile exudes conflicted emotions.

Impatience.

Sad that I ultimately let you go,

Frustration.

But relieved for your ease and happiness.

Rashness.

You seem more confident now…

Until at lastPerhaps we are walking the same path, or maybe it crosses beyond the hedge.

I was defiant against the current

But it obscures and I can only see you clearly

And immersed in fighting it,

In hazy memories.

Forgot to look back.

And I wonder if we will ever be able to share the same path again…

You slowed down and didn’t call out.

I wonder if you know that I am listening on the other side.

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47

Week 11, Semester 2, 2018

Magpies at the pop-up Text: Zack Schofield Graphic: Sophie Bear After I fed my them my lunch, I read. Their charm surrounded me, Eight strong, one spectator, who stayed When silence came to tell me His quarrelling, mutinous troop Had moved on. This pied captain pecked at Scraps too small to see, but the tap tap Of ancestral raptor claws on The ruddy earthen bricks, divorced Now from that lunchtime mercenary Operetta of sudden hurried Wings and warbled platitudes, Seemed to show an air of pagan Nobility I confirmed when I saw the empty button-hole Where his right eye ought to be. I Had to laugh. Even magpies can’t Defy metaphor

Dawn Text: Phoebe Lupton Graphic: Sophie Bear

I sipped my coffee as you walked beside me.

It was 5am and the dawn was behind me But the only vision I could see was you As you glided along, admiring the view Of the park as if you were new to this town.

At that moment, my life turned upside down Because everything had changed. Finally, my heart Was full of love. This was my new start.

You held my hand and I just couldn’t stop The smile that lit up my face as I dropped My coffee all over the pavement, then you Laughed until your sides split in two And now, at the end, as I sit by the side Of the bed where you, my first love, had died, I remember that coffee. I remember that dawn.

I remember that nothing is ever really gone.

Creative

CREATIVE // SATIRE

Vol. 68 , Issue 12

48

THE SIGNS AS COFFEE ORDERS Text: Gene Pinter Aries Cold brew, triple extracted, served in a recycled cough medicine bottle from 1880 that contains trace amounts of cocaine. Hasn’t slept in 48 hours. Probably relocating to a remote hut in Iceland as we speak.

Taurus The good ol’ flat white, tried and dependable. Everyone’s Mum friend, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve been slipping Bailey’s into their morning brew. Does not understand memes but posts them anyway.

Gemini Caramel latte, the coffee equivalent of that one girl you know who never really grew out of her horse phase. Has been at university for five years and is yet to declare a major. Unironically a fan of the CW teen drama 'Riverdale'.

Cancer The Unicorn Frappe from Starbucks.

Loves to criticise America and its political climate as if things aren’t just as bad in Australia. Vegan, and tells literally everyone about it. Have they mentioned

Edition 11 Solution

they went on a Contiki tour last summer?

Leo Cappuccino with extra froth and extra chocolate powder. They might as well order a hot chocolate, but they want to look like an adult. They drink beer around friends for the same reason, even though it tastes like shit.

Virgo affogato / they are / the next e.e. cummings / in this world of / rupi kaurs / and it’s / a real modern tragedy / that no one / understands the / unique perspective that / comes from wearing / birkenstocks and overalls.

Libra Green tea in an ethically sourced Keep Cup that promotes worker’s rights in, uh, Ethiopia? Maybe Thailand? They’re not sure, but they’re sure they’re doing something. What have you done for the environment lately? Huh? Scorpio Double shot espresso as bitter as your soul. Pair with a Bachelor of Philosophy for maximum Nietzsche aesthetic. Not

that anyone has asked, but they know they were born in the wrong generation.

Sagittarius Soy mocha, because they’re lactose intolerant and want everyone to know. Has been known to go on Wikipedia binges at 2am on a Sunday. Once fought the disembodied corporate entity of Ronald McDonald in a knife fight and won.

Capricorn Iced latte. Either you’re an Instagram influencer, or you’re gay. If you’re a gay Instagram influencer, you subsist entirely on iced lattes delivered intravenously.

Needs constant validation from strangers.

Aquarius Long black and has opinions on what real coffee is. Milk and syrup make them break out in hives. Nobody invites them out for brunch because of this. It’s like having Taylor Swift as a friend.

Pisces Piccolo, like an espresso but even more pedantic. Has to explain to the average barista what a piccolo actually is. Definitely owns a collection of vinyls they’ve never played. Compulsively mentions the fact that they vape in every conversation.

Edition 12 Sudoku