March / April 2009
FREE MAGAZINE . ISSUE 1702 . Mar. – Apr. 2009 . UniLife Magazine is a rebranded version of Entropy Magazine.
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March / April 2009
Executive / Creative Director: Gjoko Muratovski Editor-In-Chief: Jasha Bowe Editorial Committee: Kelly L. Graham-Sutton, Matthew J. Harbinson, Kristine Thomson Graphic Design Consultant: Stuart Gluth Illustration Consultant: David Blaiklock Photography Consultant: Wend Lear Cover: Banksy Printed By: University of South Australia Published By: UniLife Inc.
THE MAGAZINE IS PRINTED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CREDENTIALS AND IS DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE ON SELECTED LOCATIONS.
We always excited to hear what you have to say. Email us on unilifemagazine@unisa.edu.au. For marketing enquiries, use the same address. View UniLife Magazine in digital form or download a PDF, from the UniLife website: www.UniLife.edu.au The next 4 issues for 2009 are available at a mailing cost of $10 AUD (overseas $50 AUD). For more details visit www.UniLife.edu.au Disclaimer: UniLife Magazine recognizes the wide and diverse range of viewpoints and beliefs on religious, political, social and moral issues. Equally, however, we feel that the notion that we need tiptoe around these beliefs for fear of offending is, in short, ridiculous. Nevertheless, we warn that reader discretion is advised
Contents:
ENTROPY MAGAZINE by Jasha Bowe WHALE MEAT ANYONE? by Greenpeace ADDICTED TO FLAT WHITE by Adrian Marshall RIDER SPOKE by Ekaterina Loy MAD MEN by Donna Stansfield GETTING THERE by Wend Lear COMIC BOOK MOVIES by Tom Dougherty OH HAPPY MEALS by Pamela Thompson THE SON WAS HOME by Anne McClelland PUT MY HEADPHONES ON by Tom Dougherty TECH VS. KIDS by Mellisa Behn ON THE CLOUDY AFTERNOON by Michelle Kate Drogemuller LIFT ANYONE? by Theodorre Russ FEELING CREATIVE by Gjoko Muratovski
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46 POSTERS by Tom Dougherty 48 STREET ART by Banksy 62 SO YOU WANT TO BE A FREELANCER? by Thomas Carnwell 64 FRINGING by Walter Burkinshaw 66 ADLEAIDE POWER TRIP by Kate Smith 68 BARINA REQUIEM by Erin Clarke 70 STUDENT LIVING by Pat Petronio 72 SA GOOD START by Michelle Kavanagh 74 THE CAT EMPIRE by Derek Tickner 76 THE RIGHT TO VOTE by AEC 78 SEX SA by Eliza Rada 80 YOU OUD IF YOU COULD by Greenoom 82 BE LIKE MANDELA by Andrew Mahone
March / April 2009
written by Jasha Bowe
Entropy magazine Greetings people of earth! I am your exalted leader… Well not really, but I really hate needlessly wanky or monotonously boring editors letters, so I thought I would try being witty, which I don’t mind so much. Anyway, down to brass tacks, and although I have never really understood that particular colloquialism (although I am sure it has something to do with shoes), it is time to talk turkey (please refer to my previous comment about colloquialisms).
2008 was a big year for the crew at Entropy Magazine with some pretty radical changes taking place across the course of the year. The magazine changed format, a number of times, and we have managed to take our readership from about 5 (give or take) up to somewhere in the vicinity of 8 000, which if I do say so myself is pretty bloody good. Hopefully this is an indication that we are doing the right things. But wait there’s more (thank you Demtel)!! As you have probably figured out by now the name ENTROPY is missing from the front cover, yep that’s right now we have changed the name too. As the magazine that speaks to the students of UniSA, we thought it only right that we rename the magazine after the organization that speaks for you at UniSA (as well as being our sugar daddy), UniLife! Indeed we are now called UniLife Magazine (very original), and along with this name change you can expect to see an increased emphasis on the issues that have an effect on and matter to you as students of UniSA. This is not to say that we are going to get all boring and loose our edge, we just feel that in theses heady times that we have to look after our own… so we hope you are cool with that. So in closing, with the sheen of OWeek and UWeek now well and truly wearing off and the slog of endless assignments and exciting group projects (booo) starting to kick in, take a few minutes to kick your heels up with a coffee or a beer and read your brand spanking new UniLife Magazine. Please enjoy responsibly.
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Greenpeace Design Awards 2009 January / February 2009 www.GreenpeaceDesignAwards.org.au
Written by GREENPEACE
Whale meat anyone? The whale meat industry in Japan is collapsing. Polls undertaken in Japan reveal that over half the Japanese people have not eaten whale meat since they were a child, while less than one percent of the population eats whale meat once a month. The older generation who grew up eating whale in the 1960s considers whaling to be a part of Japanese culture. The younger generation, by contrast, are almost entirely against it. Most view it as a barbaric practice and some are not even aware that it still exists, never having eaten whale meat.
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TO COUNTERACT this trend,, the Japanese government has engaged in a campaign to encourage the consumption of whale meat. It is even being offered to schoolchildren for lunch to promote awareness of the cultural heritage of whaling. Meanwhile, the Japanese government continues its whaling program in the name of “research” and culture. Each year, its fleet headsto the Southern Ocean and slaughter nearly one thousand whales, despite the global moratorium against commercial whaling. The Japanese claim to kill whales in the name of science, but two facts show the corruption that exists in its scientific whaling program. Firstly, in nearly 20 years, Japanese scientists have not released a worthwhile study based on their lethal research. Secondly, almost all the whale meat harvested is sold to assist funding the whaling research, or often being sold on the black market by crewmembers of the whaling fleet. Recently, two Greenpeace activists exposed the deep corruption that exists in the Japanese whaling industry. Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki obtained a box of illegal whale meat from a crewmember of the Japanese whaling fleet. The box, labelled ‘cardboard’, in reality contained over 23 kg of whale meat worth ¥350,000 (5,800 AUD). The Japanese government chose not to investigate the crime. Instead, the activists were arrested, held, and questioned for 23 days without being charged. The “Tokyo Two” are now under strict house arrest and face charges of trespass and theft, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The arrest and trial of the Tokyo Two shows the lengths to which the Japanese government will go to continue its whaling program. It has decided that it is more important to protect its whaling industry than to stop the corrupt practices that exist within it. Greenpeace refuses to let this go unnoticed and has initiated a global campaign to put whaling on trial. Protests have been staged at Japanese embassies throughout the world in the hope that the Japanese government will stop putting Greenpeace activists on trial and instead put its corrupt whaling industry on trial. Greenpeace is taking its campaign to the Japanese public. The Japanese government is attempting to use the trial to gain support for whaling in Japan and to turn public opinion against activist organisations such as Greenpeace, which it often labels as eco-terrorist. The only way to truly put an end to whaling is to convince the Japanese public that its country’s whaling program is impractical, expensive, corrupt, and barbaric.
Show your support for the Tokyo Two by signing our petition to put whaling on trial. Please visit www.greenpeace.org/australia/issues/whales/our-work/whaling-on-trial
March / April 2009
Written by Adrian Marshall
Addicted to flat white? The consumers of the knowledge economy need to find new ways of getting their fix. Paper consumption is tearing at the heart of this country’s natural beauty. The technology revolution and the information age have not yet cured our disturbing need to hold crisp white pages with neat black text if we are to read and understand that which we read.
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ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, I sat up late and watched live TV, astonished as two downtown New York office buildings crumbled and amid the panic and tragedy sheets of white A4 floated down from the destroyed buildings. Could an office building be full of so much paper? It seemed the only thing recognisable in those terrible pictures other than terrified people and dust. During the 80s and 90s, social commentators thought that the advent of personal computers, email and the Internet would create the paperless office. As a student during the 90s, it was obvious that the much anticipated reduction in the office waste paper baskets wasn’t going as planned. The truth is that in the last 30 years, printers, copiers, faxes and multi-function devices have rapidly improved and can print, duplex, and staple numerous 30 page meeting agendas in black and white or colour with just a few mouse clicks in a few minutes. The truth is, paper users haven’t caught up with technology; we are addicted to the crisp white lines that flow freely from the office MFD. About two thirds of the paper consumed in Australia is grown in the forests of Victoria and Northern Tasmania; the rest is imported from overseas. Eucalypt hard wood forest provides the fine fibre needed for clean crisp white sheets of A4 copy paper because the coarse fibres of plantation pine don’t make the grade for fine quality office paper. The destruction of Victoria’s forests in bushfires this summer has further pressured an ecosystem stressed by drought and climate change. In 2008, UniSA students printed 16.25 million sheets of white A4 paper, enough to reach end to end from Brisbane to Perth via Adelaide. As an option, you could resurface the entire Adelaide CBD. In making 16.25 million sheets of white copy paper over 1,354 trees were felled, the same volume of water that it takes to fill 3 and half Olympic swimming pools was used and 130 tonnes of carbon emissions were released into the atmosphere. In environmental terms, this equates to flying between Adelaide and London 48 times, this is the price for our flat white addition. The answer to this problem is obvious. Read on the screen, store data rather than paper files and submit assignments on line. Do as the much ignored cliché says: “Be Green and Read on the Screen.” Students don’t want to be held responsible for excessive consumption and outdated consumerism.
March / April 2009
Written By Ekaterina Loy
Rider spoke My last attempt to ride a bike happened a couple of years ago and resulted in my having half a leg of a scary shade of aubergine. Nevertheless, when the art group Blast Theory were said to be visiting Adelaide with a cycling art project, I decided to try that suicidal means of transport again.
URBAN GAMERS Blast Theory are far-famed for their innovative citified art projects, such as Day Of The Figurines (Honorary Mention, Prix Ars Electronica in 2007), Uncle Roy All Around You (two BAFTA Awards nominations in 2004), Can You See Me Now? (Golden Nica, Prix Ars Electronica in 2003), and many more, as the collective has been performing since 1991. Back in 2004, Blast Theory visited Adelaide as Thinkers In Residence, and effected a new media performance I Like Frank. That would make the aforementioned cycling art project their second in our city. The art project is called Rider Spoke, and has been performed in London, Athens, Brighton, Budapest and Sydney. As described by Blast Theory, Rider Spoke is a game of hide and seek. But if you thought you had to gather about a dozen of your mates and start cycling around the city frantically trying to find each other, you would be wrong. Rider Spoke is a truly innovative and topical version of hide and seek – you play alone. You are given a bike and a computer device.. The device, complete with the hypnotising voice of Ju Row Farr and some neo-romantic imagery by Matt Adams, leads you through a trip (the quidance much needed for people with bad riding skills), and asks you to answer questions of a deeply personal nature while cycling around the city. The line is not difficult to toe, and sooner or later you catch yourself standing in the middle of the street recording phrases like “My biggest secret is...” or “... is what I fear most”. If you are not in the mood for confessions, you can listen to the answers other people left before. Altogether it adds up to approximately one hour of a theatrical and environmentally friendly game complete with the elements of self-reflection, voyeurism and fitness. Rider Spoke took place from 20 to 22 of February as a part of Fringe and Adelaide Film Festivals, and if you missed it, that L-plate on your car stands not only for ‘learner’. All of those, who took part in Rider Spoke, have left their mark on the map of the city with their virtual secrets hanging by the Torrens Lake or in the yards behind Chinatown.
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March / April 2009
Written by Donna Stansfield
Mad MEn Set in 1960s New York, the sexy, stylized and provocative drama Mad Men follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of the ego-driven Madison Avenue advertising world where key players make an art of the sell.
The series revolves around the conflicted world of Don Draper, (Jon Hamm), the biggest ad man (and ladies’ man) in the business. His employer, the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency, is New York’s most prestigious ad agency. The series follows Draper as he struggles to stay ahead both in the work place and at home. The series also depicts authentically the roles of men and women of this era, examining the life of the desperate housewife, Betty Draper (January Jones). Mad Men highlights elements of American society and culture of the early 1960s, contrasting it with the present and throwing into relief elements such as cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism, adultery, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and ethnic and racial bias.. Smoking, far more common in 1960’s United States than it is now, is featured throughout the series: almost every character can be seen smoking multiple times in the course of an episode.[6] In the pilot, representatives of Lucky Strike cigarettes come to Sterling Cooper looking for a new advertising campaign in the wake of a Reader’s Digest report that smoking will lead to various health issues including lung cancer. The show presents a subculture in which men who are engaged or married frequently enter into sexual relationships with other women. The series also observes advertising as a corporate outlet for the creativity of young, mainstream, middle-class white men. Don Draper observes at one point that Sterling-Cooper, “has more failed artists and intellectuals than the Third Reich.” However, the series also offers hints of the future and the radical changes of the later 1960s. Characters see stirrings of change in the ad industry itself. The Volkswagen Beetle’s “Think Small” ad campaign is mentioned, but treated dismissively by many at Sterling Cooper. This series is an unflinching look at the ad-men who shaped the hopes and dreams of Americans of the 1960s on a daily basis. For this reason, Mad Men is must see viewing for any students interested in advertising and public relations. However, there is no doubt that their lecturers will see straight away that this is a tobacco industry sponsored project. Anyway, the stylish cult hit has already won several awards in America, including Most Outstanding Drama Series at the 60th Annual Emmy Awards and Best TV Drama and Actor at the Golden Globes. It has received high praise for its accurate representation of the ad world in the 60s.
SBS is preparing for the release of the 13 part Mad Men series which recently screened on Pay TV. This is the first time it will screen on free to air TV. It all begins on SBS on Thursday April 16 at 8.30pm.
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March / April 2009
getting there by Wend Lear
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March / April 2009
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March / April 2009
Written by Tom Dougherty
comic book movies Cinema tends to go through trends. The 1970s were all about war movies, albeit some set in space. Films such as Deer Hunter, Platoon, Star Wars, and Apocalypse Now spring easily to mind. The 1980s, and a large portion of the 1990s, were flooded with the big-budget action flicks: most notably the Terminator, Die Hard, and Alien series. A few years ago we had the return of the epics with films such as Gladiator, Troy, and Lord of the Rings.
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AND NOW, we have the era of the comic movies. Admittedly, it was only recently that The Dark Knight skyrocketed the genre to acceptance in the eyes of the critics. But there have been so many of them since that it seems as if every second film released is an adaptation of a revered graphic novel or comic. I’m sure I don’t need to list the films, but the sheer number of them is mind-boggling. Spiderman, Hellboy, Daredevil, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Ghost Rider, Sin City, V for Vendetta … the list is positively massive. Some were done well, others were dreadful (and I think we can all conveniently forget Batman Forever and Batman and Robin). A recent trend has been to stick to the source material as closely as possible. 300 and Sin City are obvious examples of this. For fans of the original source material, this is a great thing. People who have never read the comics at least are given the opportunity to see some originality on the silver screen.(logic?????) Fans of such adaptations are led to wonder what’s next. Not what’s the next trend in movies, but what other comic adaptations are we going to see? What else should be made into a movie? Watchmen is the new movie out of the blocks, and it is set to shake the foundations of assumptions about what can be done with a superhero story. The Green Hornet, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the team behind Superbad), will be interesting, especially considering Rogen is taking the lead role. Finally a film is being made about the sick and twisted world of the Preacher (with American Beauty director Sam Mendes, no less, at the helm,). What should be made into a movie? Surely it’s only a matter of time before the highly respected series such as Transmetropolitan, Sandman, and Maus go into preproduction. And then there are the left field choices. I for one would love to see a movie of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. “It’ll never happen!” people have been saying for ages. But with The Dark Knight and Watchmen proving that anything is possible, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.
March / April 2009
Written by Pamela Thompson
oh Happy meals They say that you should never work with children and animals. In that case, what happens when your whole study is based on two hundred 5-6 year old kids? You may shrug cynically‌ but this is just one challenge one person faced in her quest for higher knowledge.
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OPENING UP The Advertiser and reading the headline ‘Children copy their parents’ food choices, University of South Australia scientists have found’ may be nothing out of the ordinary for most, but when you are that 23 year old student ‘scientist’, it was definitely a story to cut out and stick on the fridge! Dorota Zarnowiecki with an interest in nutrition, decided to investigate the topic of ‘What do 5-6 year old children know about healthy food and what factors contribute to this?’ as her honours thesis. Honours in a nutshell, is a year long research training program undertaken after graduating with an ordinary degree. Getting answers to serious questions from kids who think a solid meal is a mouthful of dirt and the thing you can pick out of your nose was always going to be a challenge. This was made very clear when Dorota, asking a particular child if lollies were healthy and giving the example of ‘healthy is you eat it lots and unhealthy is you eat it sometimes’, received the reply: ‘Well sometimes we eat lollies lots.’ Oh and a tip from Dorota. When working with kids, don’t forgot your hand wipes! There are just a few bugs floating about when you are working with over 200 children, and the kids are more than happy to share. There were days that consisted solely of wake up, write thesis, eat, write thesis, go to bed (dream about thesis). However, there must be some good things to be said for research, because Dorota is going on to do her PhD (three more years!). When she is out on a Saturday night she can declare, with authority: ‘From my research I have found that children as young as 5 years old are capable of understanding the difference between healthy and unhealthy food’ – not a bad effort for a 23 year old! The study also found that parents’ nutrition knowledge correlated with their children understood about healthy food. This has important implications for obesity prevention programs, as it suggests that educating parents about nutrition can influence children’s knowledge of health foods and thereby contribute to healthier attitudes towards food. Good luck with your research, Dorota. Thanks for giving us some insight into the life of an Honours student and what goes into ‘finding things out’.
March / April 2009
Written by Anne McClelland
the son was home The son was home. He was everything he should be. A joy to have around. He saw the future clearly, something he could bend to his will, mould, create in his own image. He was going to have an orchard. It would be fruitful, but most importantly, it would exist. There would be two of every kind, with different bearing times, for perpetual fruit. Should there be two for reproductive purposes? Could he have a bay tree?
I wrote that piece just under a year ago. We had had good rains, we sowed the crop, we were full of cautious optimism, but if course, when the spring came, the rain didn’t. Wheat, barley and oats waited, struggled, and eventually yielded about one tenth of their potential. It’s been like that for years. The dying of the old year, the inevitable optimism of the new, spatterings of rain over the winter, just enough to get the crops up and keep hope alive. Then the crucial September/October period, the worst time, when hope still exists but gradually fades. Waking in the night, the anxiety knotted low in the stomach, preventing sleep, destroying peace of mind. The people of the Victorian Mallee are facing another year. Most of them are still there: born to it, loving it, hating it, knowing nothing else. Hanging on the weather predictions, preparing the ground, reading and listening to the thousands of articles about climate change and its frightening effects, hoping that, by some miracle, this year won’t be like the last ten. Wish them luck. They need it.
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March / April 2009
EVERY DAY she took the dog for a walk. Today, she walked round the new orchard. The dog scooted off towards his favourite patch of rabbit burrows, having long forgotten that his fat little brother had died there not so long ago. The newly-turned soil was a rich brown, moist, full of the knowledge that soon it would be growing the future. It would be fed by the new pipeline with its clean new water and assurance of growth. What matter if the rains didn’t come? The water would. The self sown pine had been spared as the tractor cut its swathe through the bleached and tufted grasses. It stood in stark contrast to its ancestors, dead from lack of rain, only a few steps away. Its brave young green threw their knots and twists into sharp relief. A new orchard with a new tree. Not far away, the bright acid of the emerging wheat cut sharply into the soft grey of the afternoon. She had walked this way countless times, watching the puffs of dust raised by her old, scuffed work shoes, the red ground familiar and accusing. Now, with the recent rain, her steps left a faint and welcome indent in the worn pathway. She left the orchard behind. The dog, abandoning his brother’s grave, rushed past, tail wagging, intent on his next destination, knowing that she would follow as she did every afternoon. She heard the sound of his retreat through the bush as he followed his long nose, disappearing into the sparse undergrowth which had also been given new life by the rain. The track passed by more dead pines, more testimony to the lean years. She wished they weren’t there to remind her. Rather, she concentrated on the small grove of native pittosporums which flourished or struggled depending on the season. Now, the thinned ranks looked ready to try again, given greater strength like the magic mosses on the ground beneath them. Her husband’s voice echoed in her mind: ‘Have you seen our magic moss? Just pour on a little water and watch it come to life.’ Sure enough, the dull grey patch on the ground would gradually brighten to olive, then to citrus. The trick never failed to impress visitors, usually from the city, for whom the patch of timber was alien, and often daunting, especially on a day in the middle of summer when the hot wind blasted from the north, skin-drying and dangerous. She didn’t see the fox until she was almost on him. Like all foxes, he tried to appear unconcerned, meeting her eye defiantly, managing to look as if she were the intruder disturbing a welldeserved afternoon siesta. She returned his gaze, prey to mixed emotions. She knew she should hate him, but there he was, richly red, full of pride, even if it was skin deep. Finally, he slid away, too smart to hang around for long. He knew the rules. She watched him go, somehow glad to have seen him. She looked around for the dog, but as usual, he’d missed the main event, distracted by minor calls to his attention. She called him and walked on. Eventually he appeared, enjoying his afternoon out as he always did. On they went, past the shameful rubbish dump, past
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the abandoned jays’ nest, round the curve at the top of the paddock to the ‘highest’ point of the farm which provided a vista towards the road. Not three weeks ago, the same vista had been ash grey, drained of all life; now it was a tableau of emerging green, quite literally as far as the eye could see. She considered this transformation. Of course, there was no guarantee of a crop. Yesterday’s rain may well be the last for the year. Or was she being alarmist? Not really, she decided. Not if last year were any indication. A lone truck edged its way along towards the crossroads, raising the automatic question of identity. How strange it was that out here on the farm she expected to ‘know’ any vehicle that passed: imagine knowing anyone who might drive down your suburban street. She made the turn into the lane leading down to the dam. The last fill before the pipeline. She tried to imagine its familiar contours softened by the trees they intended to plant there, and decided it was easy. Today a dam, tomorrow a plantation, parrots and honey eaters replacing the ducks that now took off in a noisy squadron as they approached. The dog barked enthusiastically, probably knowing the futility of chase, but revelling in the sound of his own voice just the same. She turned to retrace her steps, passing the goanna tree. Last summer she had watched a huge goanna make his elegant way up the trunk, his sharp claws making mincemeat of the vertical climb. Like today’s fox, he had conceded her dominance, but radiated confidence in his own ability to deal with her and whatever life threw in his path. She didn’t feel nearly as confident. The son had been away then. His return and the few months he had spent on the farm during sowing had been like an Indian summer, unexpected, a bonus. No longer Darby and Joan, as they had been for years, they had company. Home he’d come with all the confidence of youth, organizing the future, planning not only the new orchard but the other improvements the place needed. He was right. There was much to be done. Yesterday, they had cut down a large blue gum which had slowly, and in the way of its kind, died over the past two years. First, a thinning of the foliage, a browning of the smaller branches, then the realisation that it was, irrevocably, dead. In the end, it gave up its place in the garden, outside the kitchen window, without much of a protest. Some judiciously placed ropes and a chain, some debate about which way it should fall, the dog brought inside, and forty years of growth crumbled to a few scraps on the grass and the trunk a focus of debate. One of those chunky, rustic chairs, perhaps? An equally rustic table? A few chopping boards? Otherwise, careful stacking and firewood. What better end? The son said, ‘I never liked it anyway.’ The husband said, ‘That space is going to take a whole lot of getting used to.’ She said, ‘It was there. Now it’s gone. At least we can see through to the timber.’
March / April 2009
Written by Tom Dougherty
i put my headphones on Music can form a huge part of our lives. The song that was playing when you first kiss your first love (Where Is My Mind – The Pixies, during the credits of Fight Club). The song that’s playing when you buy a beer in a pub just after you turned 18 (Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams). The song during the sing-along scene on the bus in Almost Famous (Tiny Dancer – Elton John). They will be remembered forever as great moments.
OBVIOUSLY, a song can be forever seen as garbage if heard at the wrong moment. My most hated song is Love Generation by Bob Sinclair, as I was woken by it every morning during O-Week at 6am. Sure, it’s a time I will remember fondly, except at the time I really didn’t want to get up at that ungodly hour. I’ll gladly take sleep over hearing that song ever again. It’s something I’ve come to realise can be forced. I always knew I’d like Radiohead. I had heard OK Computer, and quite liked it. But the following album, Kid A, is something special. I knew it was going to be amazing. So when I first listened to it, I put it into my CD player, cranked the fuck out of the volume, lay on my bed, cleared my head, and just listened. And it was great. Being aware of the significance music can have can really open your eyes. Or ears, if we’re being completely correct. What is, in essence, a collection of chords and melody, isn’t necessarily special. But be creating the right situation, you can create some sort of magic. Sure, putting the debut album by Balearic masters A Mountain of One on as background music while studying could be the right setting to make you enjoy it. But imagine if you first listened to it on Christmas Day. With your two best friends. With crazy visualisations. On five tabs of LSD. You’d love it forever. I first listened to it while studying. I still wonder what it would’ve been like in any other setting. Transcendental? I don’t know. Try it and let me know.
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March / April 2009
Written by Melissa Behn
tech Vs. Kids These days when a children say they are looking for a blackberry or an apple, no longer are they after the edible kind that are found in the garden. Blackberries, iPhones and Nintendo Wiis have become a child’s ‘must have,’ superior to dolls, bikes or skipping ropes.
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TECHNO-SAVVY children are a thing of now; not the future. This generation shift is causing concern that technology is taking over children’s lives. That concern is warranted. Sedentary lifestyles and obesity have become the norm for many children: 25 percent of all Australian children are overweight. I applaud Nintendo for creating a game console (Nintendo Wii) that gets kids off the couch – too bad it doesn’t get them out of the lounge room. And children plus mobile phones – never an equation I quite understood. Surely our shallow society hasn’t armed young kids with the knowledge of social status linked to technological devices! Technology has taken on the form of a double edged sword. On one side gleams convenience and fast communication, on the other; technology looms terrifyingly as our master. The world of social networking is usually reserved as an adult’s domain but children as young as eleven years seem to be super poking and adding friends as quickly as the phenomenon itself caught on. One would hope that this would not become a life consuming habit at the age of eleven , but, this behaviour putts a child in the hot seat of a consumer driven media world. Whether technology is taking over children’s lives or not, it’s certainly changing the way family time is spent within our homes. As television viewing becomes more fragmented, so does the family. With each member watching a separate set, the tradition of watching shows in the ‘family room’ fades. Technology has its place in a child’s education, with computers now a vital addition to the classroom. The tired old whiteboard has even taken an interactive step forward. In The Child and the Machine, author Alison Armstrong challenges the idea that computers make children learn more effectively and states that, “Introducing computers into classrooms led to one of the most expensive and least helpful revolutions in the history of education.” Technology has both us and our children in an iron grip. The role it plays in a child’s education far differs from the one it adopts in stealing away his or her childhood. Family social trends are changing as quickly as it takes a PC to out date, leaving us with smart, unsociable, mini-grownups who would rather see what’s new to download than spend quality family time.
March / April 2009
Written by Michelle Kate Drogemuller
On the cloudy afternoon On the cloudy afternoon, she sees, with old eyes becoming new, the ocean lurching grey and spilling on the shore. Struck by the restless beauty of the waves, her breath is taken and joins the wind.
MEANDERING to nowhere in particular, she feels every step, one and then another. Her mind ponders the way lone actions together create something that seems to flow. Unaware of where she is, but surrounded by life. Full of life. She is lost but she is home. Something disturbs her view. Pausing, she comes to the upturned remains of a fish. Swollen and strangled, it lies tangled, by the broken balloons. Deflated on the sand, artificial and gaudy, the unashamed irony. Created for the celebration of a birthday, the celebration of life. Yet needlessly bringing death. She moves on, silent. Without thoughts, she picks up the signs of pain along the way. Heart full of love, hands full of waste. She puts bottles, chip packets, broken balloons in the bins. She wonders why, as people just walk by. Another figure passes. She sees them reach and gather something twisted and plastic from the sand, carry it to a bin. Turning around, the person moves towards her. Hidden by hoods, beneath the beanies, their smiles meet. Her full eyes spill like the waves on the shore. The way lone actions together create something that seems to flow. The way the sun shines through the clouds.
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March / April 2009
Written By Theodore Russ
Lift anyone? Jason Stratham – the ultimate male archetype. He fights better then Jet Lee, Jackie Chan and Jean-Claude van Damme put together. And he drives better than Jeremy Clarkson. In addition, he also seems to be good with the ladies. In his latest film achievement – The Transporter 3 - he manages to tame yet another excellent example of German automotive engineering.
BORN IN 1972, Jason Statham has done quite a lot in a short time. He has been an Olympic Diver on the British National Diving Team and finished 12th in the World Championships in 1992. He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman and finally, of course, actor. The audition for his debut role as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) came as a result of his modelling for French Connection. Jason performed almost all of his own stunts in The Transporter 1, including car chase scuba diving and fight sequences, and he repeats the performance again now. The fight he sequence is absolutely amazing. I was not surprised to learn soon after that, prior to The Transporter, he already had a background in martial arts which enabled him to perform his own fights. Apparently, he was well trained in Mixed Martial Arts and is an expert in Kickboxing. It’s too bad that he rejected the offer to play Agent 47 in Hitman (2007) after Vin Diesel was dropped from the project. Timothy Olyphant eventually took the role and did a really good job, but I would have loved to see Jason Stratham doing that. Anyway, back to the film. back to the film now. If you have seen The Transporter 1 and you liked it, then you would also like The Transporter 3.You may want to skip The Transporter 2.The story in part 3 is unimportant: as no one goes to watch the Transporter films for that. What you need to know is that it has some awesome driving and fighting going on throughout Central and Eastern Europe (the more exotic parts of Europe). As always, there is a girl involved, whose life he will save... and in the meantime he will prevent a major environmental catastrophe caused by a greedy American corporation. An interesting moment in this film is that the main villain is the guy known as T-Bag from the series Prison Break. Nice touch.
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March / April 2009
Written by Gjoko Muratovski
Feeling creative? The problem that is most common in the designers’ world, particularly when a designer wants to make a difference with his work, is the common misconception of the profession. In most cases, designers are perceived as decorators, artisans or stylists. As Dieter Rams once said: “Most people think of design in terms of putting lipstick on a gorilla”.
Need adjustment to your degree? Re-align with Theory Spine. Go to www.unisa.edu.au/art/theoryspine
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September 2008
TECHNICAL SKILLS used by designers, like typography, production, drawing, model making, printmaking and layout have been, and still are, required in the design curricula and within the profession. When the designer develops his skills to a passable level, he can differentiate himself by excelling in a certain technique or style or work. The designers normally are hired based on their skills and creative capabilities. If a client believes that the design style of a certain designer can be used as a ‘profitable differentiator’ for its business or product, then the designer could make a living based on his skills and creative output. Problem solved. Or is it? Nowadays, with the development of computers and visualisation software, the technical skills of the designers have shifted from paper to screen., which opened the opportunity for everyone who mastered the software to act as a designer. So, how has that affected the profession? The industry has seen a need to make it obligatory for all young designers to be software literate. Unfortunately, in most cases it uses these young designers for their new technical, as opposed to their problemsolving skills. In the eyes of the industry they have became nothing more than a mere project executioners – creative henchmen if you will. In educational terms, design students have also put a tremendous focus on their software skills which has set them outside the investigative and analytical processes of design. Without any analytical and theoretical skills, one cannot become a design leader. Such a person is no more than a mere follower. Not a visionary. Nothing new and revolutionary comes solely out of development of technical skills. The film industry already trains software technicians who can work on special effects, purely from the point of view of the project execution. Such technicians have no need to be trained either as directors, cameramen, or photographers. This approach saves time in training, and creates vocational careers skills. I am not saying that designers should not possess software skills, but I would disagree with the widespread notion in the industry today, that they should be the only prerequisite for starting a career in design. In the nineteenth century, the invention of photography gave freedom to painting by removing the element of real-time documentation, and it allowed artists to explore new ways of expression. In the twenty-first century, design software should give freedom to the designers to explore new aspects of their work. Another misconception in the field of design is the notions of creativity and talent. People think of them as if they were a gift given at birth, and they are often viewed as unpredictable and mystical abilities normally associated with the arts world. Frequently, parents with underachieving children like to make the excuse that “this is the creative one in the family”, in the same manner that parents with physically non-active children say “this one is going to be a computer genius”. The majority of people do not consider themselves to be ‘creative’, and they claim that they can’t draw a straight line, or that they don’t have any new ideas because “everything is already invented”. David Canaan explains the ‘stereotypical artsy type’ as a person drawn to drama, music, or art classes, who dresses strangely, is a loner and does poorly in academic courses. Professional ‘creatives’ are considered to be ‘unconventional’, ‘unruly’ or ‘unpredictable’. Surely not a desirable position to be in. Having studied for a long time in Academies and Schools of Art and Design, as well as working in the areas of art, design, architecture and photography, I have encountered many people who liked to see themselves as ‘creatives’, even if they really were far from being that. People who are hiding behind ‘creativity’
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(and without anything substantial to back that up) are in fact trying to avoid the reality of life by declaring that people just don’t understand them; that critics are jealous and hate them. The difference between them and me is a solid knowledge of theory of the subject in which I am closely interested – design. I could never associate myself with such concept of ‘creativity’ or talent, since I have never felt that I possess a ‘divine’ gift to design and create. When I began studying design, I had to learn everything the hard way. I undertook a serious amount of drawing classes; I learned about the psychological meaning of colours and forms and how to use them accordingly. I had to learn typography from scratch. Design methods or skills did not fall into my lap by some mysterious process. I had to educate myself by practical work, as well as by reading many, many books on design, marketing, consumer behaviour, applied psychology and research on what a ‘real’ design is. That is why I don’t believe in the idea of ‘mystical talent’ and ‘unquestioned creativity’. I believe in education and the premeditated application of knowledge. The golden rule is that anything that is not a conscious problem-solving process is not design. David Canaan also gives a good overview on the concept of real creativity. He says that creative people share three common traits: an ability to make new associations from unrelated elements, a willingness to pursue an idea they know they will ultimately reject, and tolerance for ambiguity over time. People reorganize existing elements in order to create something. Creating means seeing a relationship between two elements,- ‘new information’ and ‘previous experience’ - and developing a fresh combination from the two. Creativity is not about how well you can draw or make something, but how well you can think. True originality may not actually exist, since everything that we create will inevitably bear some resemblance to something in the past or the present. We cannot escape history, the world or the language by which we understand what is or has been, and it is impossible to be aware of every conceivable combination or configuration out there. Breakthrough creativity can happen only when the capacity for seeing new relationships is relevant to the given opportunity, although is not so restrictive that indirect approaches cannot be explored. Creativity is not a search for the right answer, but an exploration of the range of possibilities. It is also the ability to pursue an idea that you know might ultimately be rejected. All of that is part of the process. The auto industry, with its practice of showcasing ‘concept cars’, or the fashion industry with their ‘haute couture’, the experimental theatre, themed art exhibits, and independent art films all occasionally deliver exceptional ideas that do not always have profit goals in mind, but serve as a playground for real creative minds. Individuals who are successful at making new associations from apparently unrelated elements have developed an attitude that leads them in such a direction. Creativity is available to everyone equally, because everyone has a unique set of past experiences to draw from. So train your brain. The ability to develop new concepts or solutions based on past experiences is what characterises those thought to be ‘creative’. That is something that can be learned through theory, history and research. For a change, read a book without pictures. Or join a Theory Spine seminar. Move to the next level of design before it is too late. You don’t want to have the title ‘Junior Designer’ forever. Do you?
March / April 2009
Written by Tom Dougherty
posters A surprising amount of information can be gathered about someone by simply looking at their wall.
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PEOPLE use posters to show their favourite movie or band. My wall is made up of Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Animal Collective and A Clockwork Orange. This is a far cry from what I had on my wall during my first year at uni: Metallica, Slayer, and Star Wars. While other people, who invariably turn out to be Arts students, display art prints. But notice that it never seems to be by someone who no one has heard of. It’s much easier to have an Andy Warhol print rather than trying to explain the significance of Francis Bacon’s Figure with Meat. Beware that a wall covered with David Lynch movie posters, a couple of Picasso prints, and a Jackson Pollack drip painting my give someone the impression of pretentiousness. That may not be something you want. But chances are, it’d be a more ideal impression than what would be achieved with a Wiggles and Destiny’s Child poster. Another thing posters can be good at showing is the current trends in popular culture. The sheer number of people with Family Guy and Futurama posters show that they have become the new South Park and Simpsons. You may also notice that there’s a lot more people with Presets posters than two years ago. Of course, always remember that someone may choose a poster just because they like the look of it. Sure, the new James Bond film was average, but fuck me it has a cool poster! You may even come across someone who has taken a whole heap of pages from magazines and put them together into a giant collage. In this case, the individual images are not the point of it, but rather how it all works on a grander scale. It may seem that I’m over analysing a collection of images. But if you think about it, your poster wall is an advertisement. It contains your idols and your interests. I’m not saying at all that you should judge someone entirely by the posters on their wall. Instead, these posters can give an insightful look into their character. Just be wary of anyone who has a poster of Che Guevara next to an ad for Nike.
March / April 2009
Street art by Banksy
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March / April 2009
Written by Thomas Carnwell
so you want to be a freelancer? Being a freelancer is a good well-paid, easy job. It’s a crazy fun loving world where nothing can go wrong… No. Wait. My mistake. That was if you had a Government job. In freelancing, just about everything can and will go wrong at some time.
IF YOU ARE thinking about starting your own business, then you better make sure that you know everything that is involved. And since there are million things you need to know, it’s a good idea to get hold of the book called Freelancing for Australians for Dummies. Yep. That’s right. For dummies. After reading this book, you will be surprised how few things you knew about what it takes to run your own business. As your step-by-step guide to success as a freelancer, consultant or contractor, this book provides you with everything you need to make the leap from employee to being your own boss. As a total guide to starting and running a freelancing, consulting or contracting business, it provides hard-won expert tips, whether you want to strike out on your own or give your existing business new oomph. When I first picked up this book, to be honest, I was a little sceptical. But I was wrong. It’s well written, with an entertaining laid back style of it’s own. It’s so readable that you could devour the 400+ pages in a few days. This book is squarely aimed at the person who is considering getting into freelancing or has just begun. Covers how to: form your business and budget your time; evaluate jobs and projects; organise your office; create a professional image; land new business and manage client relationships; build an extended staff; protect yourself legally; manage your money and pay your taxes; plan for your future using superannuation and secure insurance and stay current in your industry. You know what’s really good and annoying too (well for me) about this book? It is full of all those tips and tricks that I wish some freelancing mentor had given me all those years ago when I started freelancing. I enjoyed reading it to the point at which I found myself nodding and smiling in agreement as it pointed out the pitfalls along the way. Sometimes I was wincing as I realised that after 5 years in the game there are a few things even I can improve on! Overall, highly recommended. If you are a new freelancer, or old one, or maybe just considering freelancing, get this book and read it before going head first into the business.
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March / April 2009
Written by Walter Burkinshaw
Fringing Each year in February, I make a point of picking up a Fringe guide.
IN ALL HONESTY, I really don’t like the Fringe all that much. It seems to be half international comedians charging you $50 a head to see their warm-up shows for the Melbourne Comedy festival, and half local acts who no-one would give two shits for any other time of year. The Fringe is truly the spiritual cousin of the Olympic Games. I would never watch a burly Hungarian lady lift twice my weight any other time of year, and likewise I would never go and watch some dandy in a bowler hat recite the complete works of Shakespeare on a regular Friday night. Here is the description of one such event. Have you worked in hospitality or ever wondered what it would be like? Come behind the scenes of a cafe on the world’s most renowned musical strip. A show about the fun and frustration of crazy customers and cantankerous co-workers that includes tunes from all your favorite Broadway musicals. Please, shoot me now. And it’s not just the caliber of local talent that grinds my gears. The ‘Garden of Unearthly Delights’ is like a crappy version of an Easter Show in a small town, and I hate the way I can never get an outside table at the Exeter. I hate overhearing the wanky conversations between the middle aged man in the beret and the young lady with the legging/ miniskirt combo about how that Iranian short film ‘spoke to them’. It galls me how the people who go to the festival like to think so highly of themselves for being so cultured. I put the Fringe on the same level as ‘Australia’s Got Talent’ quite frankly. They are both base, lowest common denominator freak shows. Only one pretends to be anything more.
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March / April 2009
Written by Kate Smith
adelaide power trip I know this might sound a little “hypocritical� particularly for guys reading this, but bear with me for a minute as part of me does sympathise...
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I’M A YOUNG female living in Adelaide – born and bred – and for the past few years have come to realise that Adelaide’s night scene is more often than not, full of male egotistical bouncers on power trips. Bouncer, Security Guard, or my personal favourite “Door Bitch”; whatever you’re preference ultimately they all serve the same purpose - to protect us from hurting each other (and/or ourselves) during our drunken benders. Therefore if we (the party people of Adelaide) weren’t there to be “guarded” as security should do, then these guys would be out of jobs! It’s about time we’re all shown a bit of respect don’t you think? Last week my mate and I had a slightly tipsy D & M on this very contentious topic, right after I watched him feed some convincing story to the suited man guarding the door, just so he could walk back inside the place he’d been in no more than five minutes beforehand – (thanks to the ATM conveniently located outside). Apparently he was too casual in his new jeans, shoes & freshly ironed t-shirt, yet half of the beach had been let in, walking around inside the same club in mini shorts, havvys and hoodies. They were apparently more appropriately dressed... You’d want to question the meaning of a ‘dress code’ and probably agree with me in saying that’s absolute crap! What’s worse is when you’re inside waiting for your mates (mates being guys) after their convincing stories don’t seem to cut it and they’re then left to slowly work their way to the front of the line. It also doesn’t help when security hand picks all of the ‘good looking’ females from the back of the line, or even better, gives express entry to those who just rock up from nowhere. So you’re then left inside having a drink and shaking your thing on the d-floor wondering where the hell they are! It really is a tough world out there boys and I do sympathise. So yes, I’ll admit it’s unfair when “queue jumpers (namely females, sorry ladies!) strut straight into the comfort of the club, when the rest of Adelaide (namely males and quite often my friends) stare angrily, shunned, outside on the footpath, simply because they don’t know the bouncer on the door. And yes, I do feel for you guys. But then again, if it was you and you knew that “door bitch”, would you want to do the honest thing and wait in the freezing cold for an hour or more when you could just as easily put on your best fake smile, kiss that suited man’s cheek and kill the line?
March / April 2009
Written by Erin ClarkE
Barina requiem It’s been just 5 years since my first day at uni, but the memories are already reduced to vague flashbulb images and sensations. Tyrant buildings; A-N-C-I-E-N-T lecturers to match; strange faces everywhere - some calm, some nervous like mine - and an expansive foreign campus with a timetable that unfortunately required me to scale its every inch in search of my classes.
HOWEVER, despite these intimidating first impressions, my attitude was typical of me: brighteyed, bushy tailed and eagerly aggressively to prove my point. I was going to succeed. I knew it would be “challenging”, but at the same time I was in my element in the face of anything academic. I’d topped two of my classes in year 12 and achieved a TER that would comfortably get me into any of the courses of my choice. Perhaps that’s why it hurt so much when, a year and a half later, I was forced to make the decision to defer. I felt frustrated because I still didn’t “get” uni work, stressed from being in a constant state of “behind in the readings”, exhausted from trying to cram work and uni into the few useful hours of my day and depressed because I hadn’t been able to find a stable social group. Perhaps the signal for me to “take a break” came when I sported my first doughnut course score for Psych Statistics A. I hadn’t handed an assessment piece up all semester, nor had I bothered to show up for the exam. (Topped two classes in year 12, remember!). Or maybe it was when I found myself lying in a hospital bed with a large bump on my head. After pulling an all-nighter to struggle through yet another impossible essay, I had fallen asleep at the wheel on the way to work and crashed my car. You be the judge… Looking back now (second time round), it’s easy to see that my problem was simply one of pride. I was too stubborn and proud to ask for or even seek help - so I never did. If I had taken a big ego gulp and found the time to search, I would have realised that there are services at uni designed to help PEOPLE like me – yes people, as in “group” (It would have been reassuring at the time to know that I wasn’t the sole dumb-ass on campus). UniSA offers Student Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) , student-facilitated study groups in courses in known problem subjects such as microeconomics, accounting decisions and accountability and statistics for business. Students decide what will be discussed and the classes are informal and non-intimidating. You can discuss course content, ask questions or even get study tips from the students who have just completed it themselves. Perhaps if I had made the effort to find this first time round, my first experiences at uni would have run more smoothly and my shiny turquoise ’93 Barina would still be with us today.
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March / April 2009
Written by Pat Petronio
student living Are you the sort of person who trusts that things will work out? Do you believe what people tell you without checking reliable sources?
TAKE ANDREW. Excited to be accepted into UniSA and leaving home, he knew that the move would to be tricky financially, but he was up for the challenge. He knew others who had managed well in share-houses. With all those students around at Orientation, it wouldn’t be hard to hook up with others wanting to share a place. And that’s exactly what he did. The sharehouse was cheap enough, but things were not as straightforward as he had imagined. Once assignments were due, his fun-loving, laidback housemates proved to be a real pain. He didn’t need the distraction. Tidiness and cleaning had never been his strong points, but one of his housemates didn’t even know the meaning of the words. The place was starting to look - and smell - disgusting. Paying the rent on time was getting tricky, too. The other guy was becoming just a tad elusive at that critical time. These blokes had seemed fine when they moved in but after two months Andrew was having serious doubts. Trouble was, they had signed a 12 month lease together, so he was locked in. Friends advised him to move out, but he wasn’t sure that would be OK. He liked the place and it was cheap. Peter, the landlord, was another headache. He was slack, some might even say dodgy. Initially, he said he was going to fix the air-conditioner and the lock on the security door. 8 weeks later, this still hadn’t been done. In the meantime, Andrew and his housemates had to p suffer the heat. When they’d talked to Peter about the repairs, he’d told them he wasn’t obliged to fix those things. Andrew’s housemates thought they should stop paying the rent until, the repairs were done, but someone mentioned that might be against the law. Their lease also required them to have the carpets professionally cleaned before moving out. That seemed unreasonable: the house hadn’t been clean when they moved in. Then Andrew vaguely remembered hearing about an Orientation workshop on accommodation & tenancy rights – a session he’d missed. He knew where he could go for some help, so he made an appointment to meet the Uni’s Accommodation Officer. Afterwards, he understood what needed to be done. If he’d followed his mates’ advice, he would have broken the law and risked eviction! He wished he’d informed himself earlier, rather than simply trusting that everything would be fine. .
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March / April 2009
Article by Michelle Kavanagh
a good start Your first few weeks at uni really set the pace for the year. Sure, it can be hard to get into the swing of things after a massive summer break, but it’s important to develop good study habits before the year gets going and you find yourself under the pump. Attending your classes is a step in the right direction, as is planning your time. But you have to keep a balance too. Read the top five tips to kick off your year and you’ll be off to a good start.
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1. Make friends You’re new to UniSA and you feel as if everyone around you has friends on campus – except you. You’re not the first student to feel that way. Studying at uni is a great way to meet new people and make new friends, Start by introducing yourself to other students before or after class. You may not become fast friends, but it can help establish study networks. 2. Get motivated Procrastination can rule, especially when you’re juggling multiple priorities such as completing your reading as opposed to planning your weekend. Everyone wants to get their assignments in on time, and most succeed. But if your motivation is lacking, try to focus on your goals, prioritise your study, and look after yourself. Drop in to the Learning and Teaching unit or check out their online workshop ‘Finding motivation to study’. Most students lack motivation at some point. It’s about how you manage it. 3. Manage your time Managing your time and workload can be tricky, particularly if you’re new to uni. Maybe you’re juggling work commitments, family, friends and your studies, and for the first time there are no teachers to keep you in check. It’s important to remember that being a full time student is pretty much the same as working full time: a study planner might help. Keep track of your assignments and map your commitments over the study period – disorganisation is not worth the panic. 4. Maintain a balance Eating well, getting enough sleep and making time to go out and have fun are all part of maintaining a balance. To be a successful student, clear goals and a well-balanced lifestyle are essential. Take time to work out what’s important to you and remember that maintaining motivation, rewarding yourself, and managing your stress levels are as important as completing your assignments. 5. Seek help Staff are available to answer questions and provide support; it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with what’s available. Campus Central is the place to start and the friendly staff at the ITHelpDesk, the Library, the Learning and Teaching unit and Career Services will be more than happy to help – not to mention your School office. Remember, it’s better to ask sooner rather than later.
March / April 2009
Interview By Derek Tickner
The Cat Empire The Cat Empire is one of the most successful bands in Australia. They’re currently touring the nation, promoting their new CD, ‘Live on Earth’. Their feel-good music draws on many influences: Latin, jazz, ska, funk and rock. The Cat Empire plays WOMADelaide on Sunday, 8th March. Derek Tickner talks to vocalist and trumpeter Harry James Angus.
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The Cat Empire played WOMADelaide in 2003: what’s the best part of playing Womad? All the performers at Womad are ambassadors for their musical style. You almost feel like a hack playing there, being in a western band. You’ve got Senegalese guys coming from a 600 year musical tradition that’s been handed down from father to son, Indians who study for ten years before they’re allowed to pick up the sitar, that kind of thing. Serious musicians. As a western musician, it’s just good to be playing at the same event. Then there’s the traditional jam on Sunday evening involving many of the artists. It’s a fantastic and spontaneous exchange of culture and music between the performers. Will you be playing any new songs on this tour? Not any new songs, but we constantly reinvent our songs when we play live; there’s new material within the songs. There’s lots of improvisation, we go off on musical tangents, we’re always changing it and keeping it fresh. So there’ll be plenty of music happening which will be new to the audience and us! What’s been your toughest gig, where you thought ‘I wish we hadn’t played that’? In the early days of a band, you do them all the time, you can’t pick and choose your gigs. Sometimes it’s humiliating, you’re like glorified clowns. Like at a wedding, you’re thrown $50 to keep playing for another hour because the drunks want to keep dancing. You now have bigger budgets for recording – is that a good or bad thing? When it comes to recording, previously we would have practised in the drummer’s basement. Now it’s two weeks in a studio because we haven’t really worked out what we’re doing, it’s like ‘maybe something will come of it’. The process becomes bloated;we could fall into the trap of losing the energy and being over-produced. The Cat Empire draws on many musical influences: how does the song writing process work in the band? The main songwriters are me and Felix. I write a song in terms of its melody and chords. It’s hard to say how it comes together: I have a vision in my head, but don’t know how it will sound or work until I take it to the rest of the band. The rhythm section adds changes and generally improves on it. Then we record a song, play it for six months live. It changes and gets many times better, evolving in a different direction. That’s when we should record it, after it’s been on tour!
March / April 2009
Written by AEC
THE right to vote Whoever you are, if you’re an Australian citizen aged 18 or over, you have to enrol and vote. But it’s important to get your enrolment right. Take the group of students pictured…
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GETTING ON THE ROLL. Rohani has just turned 18 and has yet to get around to enrolling to vote. She needs to get a move on, since enrolling to vote is compulsory for all Australian citizens aged 18 or over and some elections can be called at very short notice. Enrolling at 17. Matt is still only 17. Whilst he can’t get into the uni bar just yet, he can enrol now, so that he is ready to vote as soon as he turns 18. Staying enrolled at your permanent address. Madeline is a Nursing student at Whyalla campus, living in the Student residential village. She goes home to Coober Pedy during the uni holidays. She’s planning to return to live there after uni, as she feels that her skills will really benefit the area. Madeline is already enrolled to vote and can simply remain enrolled at her Coober Pedy address, as she intends to return there permanently. Updating your enrolment every time you move house. Aaron is studying at City East campus and living in a share house. He wishes his flatmates would do the washing up a bit more often, but he still doesn’t plan on ever moving back to his parents’ house. Aaron should update his enrolment details for his share house address, as it is his permanent residence. Sam is in the second year of his degree and he’s enrolled to vote. The house he was living in has been sold and the new owners decided to renovate and move in themselves. Sam is in luck though – he’s been able to move in to a place in the next street. To stay on the electoral roll, Sam should update his details by filling out a new enrolment form and sending it back to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). He needs to do this every time he moves house, even if it’s only around the corner.
If you’re unsure about which enrolment option is best for you, or if you need to check your enrolment details, visit the AEC website or call the AEC on 13 23 26. Enrolment forms are available at any AEC, Australia Post, Medicare or Centrelink office, or from the AEC website at www.aec.gov.au
March / April 2009
Written by Eliza Rada
Sex SA I wonder if you can remember a time at which the ‘Jack and Jill went up the hill and came down with something they didn’t expect’. I certainly can. My university career began in 1968 – was it really as long ago as that? – and my lack of knowledge of sexual matters was profound, having been derived largely from novels.
I REMEMBER that our Biology teacher, using ‘The Web of Life’ text in Year 11, jumped the chapter on sexual reproduction; presumably even mentioning the subject would have been too much for the poor man. Things were like that in those days. A word of warning from my older sister; a few garbled conversations at High School and an hour’s Sex Ed towards the end of one school day– the boys of course, sent home - had done little to improve matters. I don’t think I’m revealing any secrets when I say that in my first year of university it didn’t take me long to find out the ups and downs of spontaneous sex. A pregnancy scare or two later I came to my senses, trotted off to a sympathetic female doctor nearby and life became a lot more simple. It is easy to assume that today, with sex and everything associated with it so prominent in our world, young people are in the know. Indeed, they probably are about the mechanics of it all, but it is clear that their approach to sexual health is cavalier at best. Shine SA, Australia’s leading sexual health agency for young people is well aware that their confidence – one might even say bravado – and carelessness can get them into trouble (no pun intended). A recent on-line university survey of contraceptive practices, knowledge, attitudes and decision-making found most had a “hit and miss’’ approach to safe sex. It also found that although most people were using some form of contraception, few were using it correctly and had very little knowledge of the wide range of contraceptives available. Shine recognizes the importance of individuals making their own decisions and know young people are at higher risk of unsafe sex leading to unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and sexual coercion and violence. Of particular concern is the risk of getting the sexually-transmitted bacterial infection Chlamydia through unsafe sex; 83% of cases are with people under 30. No doubt there was such an organisation back in 1968, but I promise you, gathering the courage to approach it took a monumental effort. Today it’s there for the taking and no-one will look sideways at you as you walk in the door. SHineSA offers a range of confidential options contact them www.shinesa.org.au or ph: 1300 883 793 or (country callers) 1800 188 171. An interpreter can be arranged free of charge if required. Or email your questions at sexualhealthhotline@health.sa.gov.au.
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SEXUAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK August 2008
Written by GreenRoom
you oud if you could At the northernmost point of Africa lies a culturally rich country nestled in the Atlas mountain range. This country is Tunisia. Here, in a small seaside town, was born a boy destined to create achingly beautiful music both with his virtuosic Oud playing and haunting vocals. This boy is Dhafer Youssef.
AT THE northernmost point of Africa lies a culturally rich country nestled in the Atlas mountain range. This country is Tunisia. Here, in a small seaside town, was born a boy destined to create achingly beautiful music both with his virtuosic Oud playing and haunting vocals. This boy is Dhafer Youssef. Dhafer broke away from expectations to use his God-given vocal gift when he fell in love with the Oud, a traditional middle-Eastern lute. He crafted his own Oud from any scraps of material he could lay his hands on. As his family was too poor to indulge in such luxuries. he taught himself to play by ear. A toy electric guitar fell into his hands for a limited time and so Dhafer skipped sleep to make the most of the precious time he had with the cherished instrument. This yearning and passion to play eventually lured Dhafer to Vienna, with its promise of the opportunity to study music. There he met many musicians from a range of traditions who taught him to read music and notate his compositions. Since then he has performed in jazz clubs around the world, from New York to Macau, Sydney to Vienna, Paris and all over Europ. He has released four immensely popular albums: Malak, Electric Sufi, Digital Prophecy and Divine Shadows. His fifth and latest album Glow, a duo with Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, was listed as one of Time Out Magazine’s jazz, folk and world albums of the year for 2007. As the lights dim to display a man on stage, Oud in hand, the members of the audience sit silent, holding their breath in anticipation of Dhafer’s music which draws on the evocative sound of his Islamic heritage and incorporating an Arabic lyricism that reveals an evocative dreamscape of melody and meditation. “It’s music that tethers Third world beats to First world technology.” Mojo
Dhaffer Youssef performs one show only at the Adelaide Festival Centre, on the 25 March in the Festival Theatre. GreenRoom member price is just $19.95. Book at Bass 8205 2220.
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March / April 2009
Written by Andrew Maloney
be like Mandela There are two types of people in this world: 1. People like Nelson Mandela. 2. People like his prison guards on Robben Island. Which are you?
Mandela spent 27 long years as a political prisoner of the South African government, mostly on desolate Robben Island, just off Capetown. Prisoner 46664 was classified as a D-group prisoner, based on his race, he received the poorest rations and had to do hard labour in the island’s lime mine. Prisoners were not allowed newspapers, radio, or TV - the policy was total isolation from the outside world. Occasionally tiny hand written notes were smuggled in with new prisoners. In a brief respite, Nelson Mandela and fellow prisoner Mac Maharaj were given permission to study a University of London Economics degree by distance education. And as part of this, allowed to subscribe to an economics journal. Mac and Nelson’s first choice for a magazine was easy. Top of the list was the “The Economist”. It sounded appropriately dull and academic and, well, very “economics”... The prison guards saw them voraciously reading it cover to cover every week for months and thought nothing of it. “The Economist” - it just sounds so... dull. Imagine the guards surprise and Mac and Mandela’s despair -when they discovered what was actually inside The Economist’s pages. The Economist magazine is the world’s pre-eminent current affairs magazine. It is read by Prime Ministers, Presidents and CEO’s world wide. In the words of the New York Times; “The Economist may be the most sensible publication in the English language” Newsweek described it as “required reading at the pinnacles of power. It is a weekend habit on Wall Street and in the White House”. It is packed full of science articles, literature articles, technology, cultural trends but most of all the most comprehensive summary of the week’s global politics and current affairs. The closest they get to economics is the business section. Even better The Economist is famous for its clear writing style and occasional irreverent wit. The lesson: Don’t make the same mistake Nelson Mandela’s prison guards made. Despite the name, The Economist isn’t about economics. Better to be like Nelson Mandela, hungry to broaden your horizons and connect with the great debates and issues of your time. If you are planning a career on a global stage, The Economist is the place to start. And like Nelson Mandela, as a student, you can save a huge $279 off the newsagent price. You are eligible for the studentsonly rate available through Magazines4Students.com.au.
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Subscribe and save $279. Student-rate subscriptions to The Economist available at Magazines4Students.com.au March / April 2009
If you are a student and looking for a great home, need help to find a flatmate or not happy where you are staying – we have a great solution to your problem! Location, location, location UniLodge @ Metro Adelaide(link) is only a short walk from the University of South Australia’s city campus. And, students will love living in the city being close to shops, cafes, cinemas and public transport – it’s a short stroll to lectures and easy access to all the wonderful attractions Adelaide offers. Contemporary apartments Apartments are fully furnished with bed, study desk and chair, kitchenettes, dining table and chairs and air-conditioning (you will need that!). Many have awesome city views and balconies too. There are one or two bedroom options. One bedroom apartments are from $300 and two bedroom apartments are from $195 (where students have their own bedroom). The property UniLodge @ Metro Adelaide is brand new, purpose designed, state of the art student housing in the centre of Adelaide, providing an off campus, home away from home for 400 residents. The property features a common lounge area with flat screen TV and DVD, roof top barbeque and garden terraces. There are also great common kitchens – students can whip up a treat! We have room for bike parking and an onsite laundry too. Bookings Flexible contracts are available – short and long term. You can phone 7 days a week on 8385 9000, or email metro.adelaide@unilodge.com.au.
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March / April 2009
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