New Beginning by Metior Magazine

GENETIC EDITING

HILLTOP HOODS INTERVIEW SCALT PROJECT

FREE ISSUE #3 2019

METIOR.COM.AU

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ALEX SZABADICS BASEERAT TEO BRANDON DAY GEORGIA COTTNAM GEORGIA ROSE HUSSAIN ALATTAS ISAAC FULLARTON JED COWPER JOSH FRENCH KAYA ANYANG LAUREN PRATT LEON TELLER MICHAEL ZANKI MILARIE DOGELLO RINA BARRERA RYAN CALLOW SKEET SABRINA WYATT STEVEN CLARKE TOM BLAKE

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT EDITORIAL SINGLE LADIES REVIEW WHAT AFRICA DAY MEANS TO ME INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF PERTH C.S.I SINGAPORE: A MURDER AT THE LKCNHM THE TROJAN WOMAN – REVIEW HOW ARE WE FILLING THE SOCIAL GAPS A MURDOCH? – A SCALT PROJECT HE’S EVERY WOMAN… AND MORE! A CABARET REVIEW PETS OF MURDOCH MOTHERHOOD IS THERE A “NEW HORROR”? A GRIM TALE OF JOB SEARCHING, PART 3 GENETIC EDITING – CRISPR-CAS9 WITH APOLOGIES TO ROBERT DE NIRO POD-CASTING ON CAMPUS MURDOCH FILIPINO STUDENT SOCIETY (MUFASA) THE CENTRE FOR STORIES: WINTER/SPRING EVENTS CLUBS HILLTOP HOODS INTERVIEW GAMES

ARTIST LEFT: NINA DAKIN ILLUSTRATION FRONT COVER: Prachi Singh

EDI TOR Murdoch Empire Telegraph & Indian Ocean Review - Since 1975 METIOR is Murdoch University’s resident student magazine. METIOR has been a voice for the students on campus for 44 years, publishing student driven content from news, and commentary to comedy and short fiction. METIOR is funded by the Murdoch University Guild of Students, but retains editorial independence. The views expressed within do not reflect the views of the Guild, Murdoch University, or the METIOR editorial team, but are solely the views of the individual authors. METIOR acknowledges that this is and always will be Aboriginal land.

“METIOR is published by the Murdoch Guild of Students, Amenities Building, Murdoch University South St Campus. The METIOR’s operation costs, space and administrative support are financed by the Murdoch Guild of Students. METIOR is printed under the governance of the Murdoch Guild Council. All articles are published on the basis that they are not to be regarded as the opinions of the Murdoch Guild unless specifically stated. The Murdoch Guild accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions or information contained within this newspaper, nor does it endorse any of the advertisements and insertions.”

The last few weeks have been ones of joy. My inbox has constantly been inundated with offers to movies and plays, as well as to read books. To be able to experience some of these myself, has been amazing but what has been more enjoyable, is giving other people these joys. Nothing strikes me more than someone who has just seen an amazing show or got to speak to their idol. For all of us, a new semester is a new beginning. A chance to make new friends, or catch up with old. A chance to make goals and have good intentions for the semester, yet miserably fail to keep them. And that’s where the inspiration from this edition came from. LAURA / EDITOR

SUB EDI TOR We’re already at the third edition of METIOR, I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. I hope everyone did as well as they expected last semester, and if you didn’t, it’s okay. Work hard this semester, try your best, and if you don’t do well, I’ll still be proud of you. Also a big welcome to the new students for this semester, I hope university is everything you expected it would be. If it’s not, that’s okay too, there’s a lot of help and many other opportunities out there. You’ll be okay. Another huge thank you to Laura, who helped me out a lot when I needed it. Good luck everyone, let’s hope this semester is as good as I have a feeling it will be. BROOKE / SUB-EDITOR

Now to talk about the parts that I wasn’t sure about.

BY BROOKE HEENAN

In many comedies centred around single women, the plot is focused on when and how they will meet their perfect man. They have a perfect job, house and friends, but their life will always be lacking until that fantasy of a man bumps into them on the subway and realises that she’s the one he’s been looking for all of his life. Thankfully, this isn’t the case for the two single ladies who star in the new web series ‘Single Ladies’, which will be streaming on Hyvio by the end of July. This review contains mild spoilers, so if you’re planning on watching this show anytime soon, please skip this article. It was funny. I laughed a lot for a series that only lasted 48 minutes, and I’d be interested to see what the creators could do with more time. My favourite episode occurred when the power went out at the radio station where the women were working. Nina suggested that it could have been a former fuck buddy of hers who died while having sex with her, who supposedly haunts the station. “He didn’t get to cum, and now he’s taking it out on her.”

The dialogue was well-written, realistic, and funny.

The series also never focused on the lady’s lack of fulfillment because they weren’t in relationships, and they were always portrayed as strong and positive single women.

The episodes were each eight minutes, which is on the longer side for a web series. However, they still didn’t manage to fully explore the number of themes that ‘Single Ladies’ tries to. The show didn’t express anything that felt new to me. The themes of sex, friendships and relationships were touched upon only briefly. One understated moment that I really enjoyed was when Nina and Catherine managed to cause a pair of misogynistic presenters to go on a verbal tirade against them, live on air. This was one of the only ideas that I felt they managed to portray in a satisfactory way. They let it play out until the scene came to a natural conclusion, instead of just moving onto the next joke. It was still humorous, but also more satisfying. There were a number of scenes that fell flat, because the series tried to use shock value on a subject that wasn’t that shocking. However, for a series about sex, it was surprisingly tame. When compared with ‘Broad City’, another web series with very similar themes, it’s hard not to notice the lack of focus in the episodes. The plot was scattered, and although this was helpful was telling jokes, it wasn’t very coherent. All in all, this was a decent first attempt at a web series, and I recommend it if you want an easy laugh, high production value, and good acting. However, I won’t be watching it again as I don’t personally feel there is much to be gained from a second viewing.

What Africa Day means to me BY KAYA ANYANG

Africa Day! Celebrated on May 25th, recites the annual commemorations of Africa’s independence, freedom and liberation from the strife of colonial imperialists. The reinforcement of this liberation was the first union of African countries on African soil; the foundation of the regional integration body; the Organisation of the African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963, which 38 years later, evolved into the African Union (AU). Today, the continental organisation celebrates 54 years of determined efforts for unity among the African people, and socioeconomic freedom from foreign dominion and exploitation. The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was formed in Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia, hosted by Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie. The OAU was formed in a meeting seating over thirty African nations with the aim to influence the decolonization of African countries including Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, and Southern Rhodesia. The organisation covenanted to support freedom fighters and remove military access to colonial nations, and a charter was established to improve the livelihood of member states across Africa, where Selassie pledged, “May this convention of union last 1,000 years.”

Murdoch Guild gave me the opportunity to organise Africa Day for 2019. The event allowed Murdoch student of all African backgrounds to come and celebrate with music, performances, food and dance. The day was filled with joy and laughter, with a sense of gratitude for our beautiful continent. We were able to come together and celebrate our identity and rich cultures. Many students found this day to be a stress reliever as exam were approaching, also giving them opportunities to meet other African Murdoch students of all disciplines. Africa Day continues to be celebrated both in Africa and around the world. Some parts of the continent and throughout the world, enjoy longer periods of celebrations stretched over a number of days or weeks, depending on the

programme at hand. For a number of Africans on the continent and part of the diaspora, Africa Day is a day when many different cultures of people from all African backgrounds come together to celebrate the diversity of Africa, the organisation of the African Union in its objectives for a decolonised African state. Although it looks to celebrate how far Africa has come, it is also a day to reflect on how far Africa still has to go in building a unified and decolonised continent. African countries including Ghana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Mali, and Zambia recognise Africa Day as a public holiday. Other countries have celebrations to mark the historical day, while international cities, such as New York, Perth, Melbourne, London, and Washington engage in academic gatherings and cultural showcases to mark the day.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF PERTH BY BASEERAT TEO

I made the decision to study in Perth back in 2017 because it was esteemed to have the lowest living costs across Australia. I also heard that you could swim with the dolphins, go whale watching, explore prehistoric caves and even walk in the treetops in ancient forests. We students have no shortage of things to do! There are also music and comedy festivals all year round. My first year at Murdoch was tough, as I met people with different accents and lingos. Over time, I got to learn these lingos such as ‘arvo’ and ‘tongs’. The term ‘tongs’ was pretty fascinating to me as I came to realise that it just meant flip flops.

I made friends from different backgrounds by attending parties and events held by the school. From there, my social circle widened. I also attend a wide array of food festivals held in Perth. I enjoy going to these as well, as they have different kinds of foods and drinks. I attended the Kaleidoscope Festival last year in Joondalup. It was a light and illumination festival which featured more than 60 food trucks. I enjoyed sipping my coffee during the cold winter while watching various performances. This is a different experience for me compared to back home. Amongst all, the idea of a road trip excited me the most. I drove down to Margaret River, York Town, Lancelin and Pinnacles. I enjoyed sand boarding at Lancelin and the wineries in Margaret River the most. There were so many different kinds of wines, and I could taste them all! There are so many more places I would love to explore! I am definitely enjoying my stay here in Perth and will make the most of my stay before I return home.

When I first got here last year, my biggest shock was the opening and closing times of the stores here. Back in my home country, everything is open 24/7. Though I was shocked, I grew accustomed to it and learnt how to manage my time well. I planned my schedule on when to get my groceries or visit the malls. I love the Scarborough beach, it has an amazing sunset view. I also love heading down to Fremantle markets during the weekends. The wide array of shops and merchandises are filled with diverse cultures. I fancy the Spanish paella – it is cooked fresh right in front of you! Once in a while, I head down to Little Creatures at Fremantle to enjoy the local brews. I also learnt how beers were brewed. If I am not at the markets, I will be at the City having dinner and drinks with my friends. My favourite hangout is the Bites Bar & Bistro located at Aberdeen Street. It has delicious Korean fried chicken with cheese and soju to knock you out!

PHILIP KALINOWSKI

C.S.I SINGAPORE: A MURDER AT THE LKCNHM BY GEORGIA COTTNAM

WHAT IS C.S.I SINGAPORE? I recently travelled to Singapore as part of the New Colombo Plan which aims to promote social development of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Myself and four other students were selected and tasked with designing a murder investigation interactive program. The program was designed to be run at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum to showcase how forensic science and nature can come together to help solve a crime. HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED? A notice was placed in the Murdoch Forensic Society by Dr Paola Magni asking for students to apply for the program and I decided to apply. WHAT DID YOU DO WHILE IN SINGAPORE? While a large portion of our time was spent conducting the program, we also got the chance to explore and see what Singapore has to offer, from the unusual cultural experience at Haw Par Villa to the breathtaking beauty at Gardens by the Bay, we were spoilt for choice. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE TRIP? My favourite aspect from the trip would be getting to interact with such a large variety of people from different cultural and academic backgrounds and getting to share my passion for all things forensic with them. In one of our first groups on the program I had a young girl come up to me and tell me that she wanted to be a forensic scientist just like me one day. It was incredibly fulfilling to hear, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m inspiring young girls to pursue STEM careers.

Top 5 Reasons to apply for that program you’ve been thinking about… 1. Even if you aren’t successful in your application you can ask for feedback on your application to improve for next time. 2. If you are successful it will look fantastic on your resume and to future employers. 3. You’ll create invaluable industry contacts and international connections. 4. Practical industry and real world experience will teach you more about yourself than university ever will. 5. It will be the experience of a lifetime.

THE TROJAN WOMEN REVIEW BY ALEX SZABADICS

Hauntingly beautiful. True to its name, The Trojan Women snuck into my heart and broke it from the inside. This play is well known for its incredibly nuanced and powerful retelling of the tragedy that befell Troy, and spins the classic Greek chorus into the central characters of the play. It’s a brilliant piece that was impeccably acted by this cast. Hecuba, played by Delicia Cooper, is an obvious standout. The dethroned queen of Troy is the closest The Trojan Women has to a central character, and Delicia plays it with power and humanity. The way she empathises and rallies for every woman around her is truly beautiful. In saying that – the cast had fantastic chemistry. It really felt like a community. The other huge standout was Amanda Ash as Andromache – the mother who cares greatly for her child. This was, without

a doubt, one of the most powerful performances I’ve seen in a while. Her character arc in the latter half of the play shook me to my core, and her incredible anguished scream truly shook me to my core. Her interactions with Hecuba and the rest of the cast were the best part of The Trojan Women, and the element I’m sure I’ll remember long into the future. Mazey O’Reilly was fantastic as the partially mad Cassandra, cursed by Apollo. Of course, every other cast member deserves a round of applause for their performances as well (there wasn’t a hint of bad acting to be found). The atmosphere and mood these characters were able to portray was truly intense and, I can’t stress this enough, sad. They very nearly had me crying in a public theatre and that doesn’t happen often. The staging and lighting was simple and effective, and the quiet backing music that played during integral scenes helped immensely in adding a sombre or powerful tone to the scene. It was only a short one-act play, but everybody put in their all – and it shows. One of the most powerful plays I’ve seen, and the all-female cast put on a remarkable performance. I’m looking forward to seeing the next thing that the Murdoch Theatre Company has to offer!

HOW ARE WE FILLING THE SOCIAL GAPS A MURDOCH? – A SCALT PROJECT BY ISAAC FULLARTON

What is your SCALT project? My SCALT project is the creation of a platform that looks to match students up with one another in an effort to form oneon-one peer relationships to help support each other during their time on campus. This is done using matching algorithms and an online database, and will allow students to match with one another to pursue whatever their interests are – be it just finding fries to get a drink with, or someone to practice their English speaking skills on, or even someone in their field who they can study with. What was your inspiration behind it? During my time with the Guild, I perceived a gap in the support offered on campus. Here at Murdoch we have a variety of programs that aim at improving academic health and physical/mental health. However, I felt like there was something missing when it came to social health, which is the way in which an individual ‘fits’ into life on campus. Students who are transitioning from high school, other cultures, or even rural areas can feel disconnected from their peers and this leads to drop outs and mental health issues. 20

What you would like to see as the outcome? I would like to see the program I have been developing taken on board by the University or the Guild, and given the resources it needs to provide this service to students. So far everyone has been tremendously helpful in getting things off the ground, and both the university and Guild have been allies throughout this process. What can we learn from other universities? Before constructing the main body of my program, I spent several months researching other universities as well as interviewing their professional staff to get an idea of what is already being done, and if there was elements we could adopt here at Murdoch. I found that mentoring programs are extremely popular in Australia and provide a crucial service. One thing I noted however was that often these programs were group based, and after consideration and research I decided our program needed to be one-on-one so we could focus on building strong relationships between individuals. How can students help your project? The only thing missing at this point is participants! Whilst it may not be run until next semester, having a roster of people who would either like a mentor themselves or be one to someone else, would be a great way to plan out the initial opening of the program. 21

He’s every woman and more A Cabaret review BY JED COWPER

Last Friday Night I was lucky enough to witness the indominable, Justin Clausen and Jamie Burgess, as they took viewers on a glittering journey of divas, big 80’s hair and songs from the soul. A Fringe World weekly award winner, He’s Every Woman, presented by Aces Cabaret, is a gorgeous homage to the talent and success of legendary divas such as Cher, Celine Dion, and Whitney Huston, among others. As Justin mentioned at the beginning of the night, “tonight is about the women!” This energetic performance was a funny, fabulous experience, with enough heart and soul to fill a stadium. Justin’s razor-sharp wit and Burgess’s incredible piano playing talent was a perfect combination. The show has been praised by Theatre People, and The Advertiser who both celebrated Clausen and Burgess’s vocal talent and commanding stage presence.

What I liked most about this show was how the duo involved viewers in their performance. It felt more like an intimate conversation, rather than an act performed before an audience. And the personality of the performance grew more engaging as the show went on. But alas, all good things must come to an end. The audience was ushered into a singalong, with a passionate Bonnie Tyler revival, and then we all had a bit of a boogie. Now I’m not normally a massive fan of heartfelt power ballads, but these men made me ‘turn around, bright eyes’! Unfortunately, the show did come to a close for Perth Audiences on July 13th, but never fear, I have a good feeling that these crowd pleasers will be back again soon with another spicy cabaret, so keep an eye out! If one thing is certain, Downstairs at the Maj will never be the same again! 10/10

PETS SARGE

LUNA

PUSS TIBO

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Motherhood MICHAEL ZANKI

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BO K FA CE N

My middle child had at least learned to ride a scooter, but that didn’t help the conversation move along swimmingly when a mother of two sat next to me on the wooden bench in the park, and started talking to me about the weather.

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Being a mother of three didn’t sound like such a hectic job when I realised I was pregnant with my third child; a daughter so cheerful and bright, like the glare off a rear-view mirror. My first child wanted the world, and he received that and then some. He was lucky to be seven years ahead of his younger brother because he was offered less than the meals served in almighty fancy restaurants, with the exception of the food on the plate. And this was when I became a deficient piece of steel. Motherhood was a closed barn full of hay. And I was a nail lost in it. I was lost in a competition between mothers and it was all because I had forgotten to teach my middle child how to ride a bike. I know, I know, it’s not the worst a mother could do, but on this particular afternoon, I was made aware of the fact I’d neglected my responsibility as a parent. To teach a skill which had become common practice between parents and children from a young age. And mine hadn’t even started.

D UIL G H EMURDOC

It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon in the park when I realised I was a bad mother. Not necessarily to my children, but compared to every other mother, I was a nail in a haystack. A very rusty nail.

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Although irrelevant at first, the conversation escalated to a point where guilt began to set in and her words became smug and vaunted. I shouldn’t have mentioned anything to do with a bike.

an affectionate mother who lavished them with gifts, or one who yelled at them to clean up after themselves; one who was always angry? Suddenly, I was doubting myself, wondering if I was too strict or not strict enough. And this was all because of a proud mother who took her son’s training wheels off at two. “Mum, are you alright?” My thirteen-year-old asked as we walked home from the park. “You seem out of it.” “No, no, I’m fine. Just thinking.” “What about?” His younger brother came racing beside me on his scooter with his little sister trailing behind. “Well, do you want to learn how to ride a bike?” He cheekily grinned at me. “You asked me yesterday, mum. Of course, I do!” Two days ago, I asked him if he wanted to get rid of his tricycles for the council rubbish collection, which was collected the next day before the boys went to school. He said he didn’t mind, but he also suggested getting him a bike for his birthday, which was in a week’s time. It hadn’t clicked in my mind that I hadn’t taught him how to ride a bike, so the guilt of neglecting my middle child hadn’t settled in yet. All I wanted was to please him for his birthday.

I was admiring the long concrete pathway that stretched throughout the park when the thought came to me. “This’d be just the spot to learn to ride a bike!” The woman sitting next to me smiled and gestured to my daughter. “Your little girl?” I shook my head and laughed. “Afraid not! My six-year-old.” At that moment, I thought the mother’s guess of my threeyear-old girl was strange, but what she said next made me realise I was behind in the game called ‘Mothering.’ “Oh dear!” she exclaimed. “You’re a bit late! We just got our four-year-old a BMX. We took off his trainer wheels when he was two. People would stop to ask us how old he was!” “Nice…” I weakly smiled at her before turning away to stare towards my knees, wide-eyed. I really was a rusty old nail… The woman’s pride made me reconsider the way I handled my children. How did they want to be treated? Did they want

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My eldest son reminded me how mature children could be when he asked his younger brother a very important question. “What if you don’t get a bike for your birthday though?” My six-year-old smiled again and said something very smart for his age. “It wouldn’t matter. As long as I enjoy my birthday.” A week later, I bought a bike for my now-seven-year-old son. He was thrilled to learn how to balance himself on the bike, even going as far as to thank me constantly for helping him. I was determined to teach him how to ride his bike—because it was fun—but I didn’t feel the need to push him past breaking point. There was no need to hammer the nail into the wall so hard until it came flying over the finish line like Cadel Evans on a good race day. My only hope was for my little boy to enjoy it. I didn’t want to be strict with my children, by teaching them how to do things before they should ever be taught. I didn’t want to be ‘one of those mothers.’ I didn’t want to be subjected to competitions and guilt-trips, when I had my husband for that. I wanted to be the nail that was separated from the haystack. If anyone wanted to find me, they’d have to look for the nails hammered into the open barn doors of love and devotion, not competition.

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BY JOSH FRENCH

Like most genre-fiction, horror is constantly changing, yet considered and discussed as if held at a position of consistency. Like all genre fiction, it has its main intent or aspect that stays constant throughout all of its respective works: that being to scare the audience in some capacity. To horrify them, hence the name. Not too much though, just enough for a quick jump or a long cringe followed by a clutching of the heart and a lighthearted gladness that it’s over. Like the rom-com has the polar opposite lead characters, and the superhero film has the mish-mash unintelligible, unimaginative fight scene where nobody gets hurt, horror has ‘the scare’. Of course, ‘the scare’ is a wide category though. To ‘scare the audience’ can mean anything from gross them out, make them tense up through in-film tension, make them feel nauseous through a range of sensory exercises

(coupled with a nice epilepsy warning), force them into a slow anticipation of what they know is going to happen, shock them through graphic imagery or, just, well, make them jump. The amount of criticism thrown towards that last part certainly outnumbers any other criticism thrown towards any area of horror that could be considered contentious. Jump-scares are cheap – I bet you haven’t heard that before. In fact, you’ve probably heard it a lot, too much possibly. We live in the age of the bootleg reviewer (me included), any asshole with a camera or keyboard can stand on the high pedestal of sophistry and declare blatantly obvious observations on movies with enough passion to seem subversive (again, me included). Considering horrormovies are the punchbag of so much of this easily made criticism (bad acting, bad editing, bad “scares”, bad writing, bad, bad,

bad), and in lieu of the fact horror movies are pretty much accepted as being ‘The Bad Genre’, it’s worth asking…are things changing? Perhaps it’s worth giving some context. Over the last two years, I personally think it’s fair to say, a tendency has emerged within horror as a genre. This tendency can be explained in a few words: Horror movies are good now. Over the last two years multiple horror films have come out that have, bizarrely, rocketed to the status of household names in a genre where it takes a lot of effort and staying power over time do so. To become a household name in horror means to come up against some of not just the best horror, but some of the best films ever made (The Shining, Halloween, Rosemary’s Baby to name a few) and claim to be just as good as any of them, each which have been able to outlive the first scares they gave at their time of release. To focus on a few specific examples, we have

Get Out, which in the space of one movie solidified Jordan Peele as a successor to the whole horror tradition (for fuck sake the guy made one movie and now he’s been given both Candyman and Twilight Zone), Hereditary (apparently the best horror movie of the last few years, it’s amazing, it’s on Netflix though so I’ll let you decide for yourself, mind you it’s not for the faint of heart), Suspiria (I already gushed about it before, so I’ll spare you the specifics) and Us, Jordan Peele’s second film. There are others (The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Witch, etc.) but the ones I’ve mentioned most exemplify this change, if you can call it a change. Because again, it’s still worth asking: Are things changing? I word this as a question for two reasons. 1) The idea that Youtubers and internet reviewers have solved the timeold issue with horror-movies, completely undercutting the

profit motive and forcing horror into a standstill where it is either artistically salvageable or gets the guillotine, is too ridiculous a point to make with a straight face. And 2) Are we just lucky? Trends come and go, as anyone knows, and so wanes the quality of mainstream cinema. There honestly are times in which film, industrial and soulwrenching in its management and manufacturing, just happens to put out a lot of good shit. Whole books and retrospectives have been written on how good a year 1999 was for cinema – 10 Things I hate About You, The Matrix, Eyes Wide Shut, The Blair Witch Project and many more being released in the space of a year. Is this all a fluke then? An industry wide coincidence of actually giving a shit about the filmed-picture for once, and horror as a mainstay of genre in film? Ha. No. This is the film industry you idiot, things aren’t made to be good they’re made to be profitable. Quality is only so good as to be a method to

attaining profit, and there’s a hell of easier ways of attaining profit than putting a specific type and amount of effort into the commodity, especially when marketing practically makes the product at this point. There are largely no refunds for watching movies, trailers can lie and do lie all the time. Hell, I talk-up all of those films while ignoring that both Us and Get Out are co-produced by Blumhouse Productions, a conveyer belt of cheap thrills that has a gargantuan monopoly on the genre. For every Get Out, we have the occasional bland sequel to a moderately successful horror movie James Wan made a few years ago, next to five identical films about ghosts or demons terrorising a group of 20-somethings. Great, now I sound like the Youtubers. Thank you Blumhouse. Still, it’s worth asking if a distinction can be made between this possible trend of ‘New Horror’ and the punching-bag of criticism that is the horror tradition. What do these films

have that others don’t? Perhaps this distinction lies instead in the notion of ‘the scare’ itself, where the fear comes from in each. For example, Get Out being labelled as a ‘horror movie’ by some has proven to be heavily contentious, cringeinducing even, to seasoned fans of horror. Included in these fans is Jordan Peele himself, who in an interview with Rolling Stone stated that “I’m such a horror nut that the genre confusion of Get Out broke my heart a little. I set out to make a horror movie, and it’s kind of not a horror movie.” He would even go on to state, dryly, “Us is a horror movie” on his twitter – be that a statement of comparison or otherwise. Is there therefore a difference, a bold line that can be drawn between Get Out and Us, branding one as not-horror and the other as horror? Article continued online at: www.metior.com.au/arts-film/ is-there-a-new-horror

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A GRIM TALE OF JOB SEARCHING, PART 3 BY BRANDON DAY

“The… the red one.” He paused to check his phone. “The big red one, in the middle, there.” For a small town, it was quite lavish, there were Jelly kids playing in the playground that was opposite the red cobblestone house, jiggling as jelly does. We didn’t have the most welcome greeting, the residents glared at us coldly as we walked through the town. We arrived at the wooden door, Charles knocked on it, his boney knuckles made a shallow tapping sound. A few moments passed. The knob began to move, then opened to reveal an elderly Jelly lady, her glasses floating around her Jeliten neck. “We’ve been expecting you,” she said through her croaky voice. Charles walked in first, I followed. The elderly jelly lady led us to a bedroom, family members had gathered around the bed, the elderly Jelly man in the bed looked very sickly. When he coughed, it made his body violently jiggle. “Well, how would you like to do it this time?” Charles spoke as if he knew what they were going to pick. The sickly Jeliten, with his harsh voice and violent coughs, said, “I choose rock, paper, scissors.” Charles grimly smiled in response. “For this game, I will not play, I shall leave that to my fellow reaper in training here.” I didn’t realise I’d have a part in this, I thought I was just observing. “Are you sure about this, Charles?”

“No! I would never cheat. You do not do this thousands of years only to cheat. I can just tell what someone will pick based on the kind of person they are.” I walked over to the Jeliten’s bedside, I didn’t realise till I got closer, but he too had the same smile Charles had. He had his fist clenched already, he raised it up. I matched him, with both fists ready. Charles counted down from three to one, on one we revealed to each other what we had chosen. I went with paper, the Jeliten’s little fist morphed into a pair of semi-translucent scissors. Our hands went back to the neutral fist pose, Charles counted down again, on one we showed our hands. The Jeliten’s fist morphed into something resembling paper, while I chose rock. It was the tiebreaker round, Charles yelled “ONE!” The elderly lady Jeliten jumped in shock and the sickly Jeliten produced paper again, I picked scissors. I looked over to Charles, that was a big mistake. I felt a surge of pain which started from a little above my elbow of my right arm, but I felt it in my fingers soon enough. Looking back to see that the sickly Jeliten had thrown himself onto my now melted arm. He had jumped to the bed, Charles had reacted almost immediately to the attack by cleaving the helpless jelly creature in two, severing the spirit from the almost humanoid jelly body. As the two slightly opaque green halves, my fingers and arm fell dead, all that remained was white bones. Charles looked at me grimly “Are you okay?”

“Of course, plus I’m pretty sure they think I will cheat.” “Well, do you?”

Genetic Editing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CRISPR-Cas9 BY HUSSAIN ALATTAS

HOW DO WE LOOK DIFFERENT? Have you wondered why people look different? We see people with different height, different hair, eyes and skin colours. The reason is that we have different DNA sequences, all humans have 99.9% identical DNA makeup, but the 0.1% is what makes us different. [1] DNA sequences that code functional molecules are called genes. [2] We get our DNA from our parents. But due to many reasons such as smoking, infections and UV lights, DNA can be mutated. WHAT IS GENETIC EDITING? WHY WE MIGHT NEED IT? Genetic editing started in the 1970s, and is the process by which genes are edited by insertion, deletion, modification or replacement of the DAN sequences. Several technologies have been developed by scientists to give them the ability to edit genes. [3] Sometimes changes in gene sequence does not cause any direct harm, such as changes in the ABO gene, this gene determines our blood type, a single base deletion of guanine-258, causes this gene to lose its function, which means this personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blood would be O type.[4]

But sometimes these changes are fatal. Such as mutations in the CFTR gene, which causes cystic fibrosis. This gene provides instructions for making channels that transport chloride ions into and out of the cell. Chloride ions help control the movement of water in tissue, which is important to produce thin and freely flowing mucus. [5] The most common mutation that causes cystic fibrosis is a deletion of just one amino acid. It causes channels to break down shortly after they are made and they never reach the membrane to transport chloride ions. As a result, cells produce mucus that is unusually thick and sticky. Adults with cystic fibrosis experience health problems affecting the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems.[5][6] Editing these genes to their normal healthy function can be the ultimate cure for these inherited diseases.

WHAT IS CRISPR-CAS 9? HOW DOES IT WORK? CRISPR-Cas9 stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9. CRISPR-Cas9 technology was adapted from the immune system of bacteria. [3] Like many scientific and medical discoveries, the first hint of CRISPR was accidentally discovered by Yoshizumi Ishino and his colleagues in 1987, when an unusual repetitive DNA sequence was discovered in the Escherichia coli genome during an analysis of genes involved in phosphate metabolism. [7] The way the immune system works is that the bacteria capture snippets of DNA from invading viruses and use them to create DNA segments known as CRISPR arrays. The CRISPR arrays allow the bacteria to "remember" the viruses (or closely related ones). If the viruses attack again, the bacteria produce RNA segments from CRISPR arrays to target the virusesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; DNA. This guide RNA helps an enzyme, Cas9, to recognize a site within a viral genome that are supposed to be chopped of.[3][8] The first experimental evidence that CRISPR was an adaptive immune system was published in 2007. [9]

SOME APPLICATIONS FOR GENE EDITING: Gene editing has allowed unbelievable achievements such as genetically edited viruses which are used to kill bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.[14][15] And the first gene-edited human Lulu and Nana using CRISPR-Cas9 during standard in vitro fertilisation (fertilization occurs outside the body).Here, scientists edited the CCR5 gene, in order to render resistance to HIV infection.[16][17] Genetic editing is not only limited to human. In 2018, scientists genetically edited Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes to prevent their reproduction in order to stop malaria transmission.[18][19] CRISPR Cas 9 is being used commercially, and it has many invaluable applications such as basic research, improve crops, decaffeinated coffee beans, and even spicy tomatoes. The reference in full for this article can be found online at: www. metior.com.au/health/genetic-editing-crispr-cas9

Several studies and experiments have been done to understand CRISPR more. In 2012, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier re-engineered the Cas9 endonuclease into a more manageable system that could be programmed to target any DNA sequence for cleavage. That means Cas9 in a complex with a desired guide RNA can be artificially created to precisely find and cut DNA sequences not only in bacteria and human, but also other animals and plants.[10] In 2013, Feng Zhang's and George Church's groups simultaneously described genome editing in human cell cultures using CRISPR-Cas9 for the first time.[11][12] This ability to edit DNA allowed scientists to use CRISPR-Cas9 for therapy. By targeting the mutated genes and replacing them with healthy sequences, or i nducing a new gene into the body to help fight diseases.[13] 40

WITH APOLOGIES TO ROBERT DE NIRO BY LEON TELLER

Once, inspired by some Russian novel or other, I, Toby Gilmore, began a holy mission to destroy the debauched city and bring on the New Jerusalem. My credentials for the task were unimpeachable: half-bad, all mad, flabby, jobless, living alone in a diseased flat. But before I could smash the world to pieces, I had to prepare myself spiritually and physically. My plan was ambitious: sit-ups, followed by press-ups, followed by skipping and star-jumps, followed by heavy weights (focused on the biceps), followed by some lower body work, followed by a marathon or two around the flat, followed, while I was at it, with the Olympic gold medal in the steeplechase. And the icing on the cake, a deranged argument, Travis Bickle-style, with my reflection in the toilet bowl. "You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me, Toby? 'Cause I'm the only one here, but my name isn't Toby Gilmore, it'sVladimir Vladimirovich Vladimirovsky . . . ." Sadly, before I could finish the first sit-up, I ran out of breath trying to get myself onto my back, and spent the rest of the day recovering from the ordeal. When I got up again, I decided to just skip to the fun part, the standoff at the toilet rim. But that didn't work either, because the guy in the flat underneath, who also happened to be called Toby, thought I was talking to him, and I had to make a grovelling apology or else he was going to beat the shit out of me. The toilet, unimpressed, just burbled.

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Pod-casting on Campus Join Murdoch students Tom Blake, Sabrina Wyatt and, Steven Clarke for their new podcast Anything and Everything, about, well... anything and everything. Recorded on campus, the trip have covered a range of topics already, including Game of Thrones, Sex Education, and their collective love of Marvel. The dynamic mix of their personalities makes for an energetic, funny and occasionally intelligent listen, and the fun they obviously have when recording accentuates it all. You can find them on Apple Podcasts and Spotify at Anything and Everything to tune in next week for their Stranger Things Special. https://anchor.fm/steven-clarke8

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Murdoch Filipino Student Society (MUFASA) BY MILARIE DOGELLO & RINA BARRERA

Murdoch Filipino Student Society is a club that brings Filipino students together and to celebrate the Filipino culture; not only does it unite Filipino students but also other cultures to know and understand our practices and traditions. Our first official event as a group, we decided to have a ‘Meet and Greet’ where we introduce the committee and invite new members to join. The event was practically an ice breaker where University students played traditional Filipino games, had Filipino snacks, and informed them of upcoming events for the club. This was a great way to let people get to know other students and also share our journey with them. The second event, ‘Hugot Night’, consisted of spoken poetry and performances from people who wanted to express themselves. It was a great way to share and relate to others who had the same situation through music and poetry. We were grateful enough to have more than 120 people attending the second event, which is a big jump from our first event, which started at 50 attendance. Everyone that joined that night had a great time; we got to share our feelings, jam with one another until we couldn’t speak and also ate some delicious Filipino food! MUFASA also had an opportunity to be invited by the Philippine Consulate Perth for the 121st Philippine Independence Ball at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, in which we hosted 30 Filipino University/Tafe students. Our end of semester one event, ‘FriNight Market’, consisted of entertainment and selling Filipino street foods, with the collaboration of the Murdoch DnD Club, and a breathtaking

performance from Murdoch Circus and Fun Times Club. We were so thankful to have an outcome of over 180 people from our end of semester event. We are so humbled from all the successful events and we hope that our MUFASA family will continue to grow throughout the years! Committee Members President - Cleo Opaon Vice President - Milarie Dogello Secretary - Patricia Tanteckchi Treasurer - Maricar Camaya Event Organisers - Jaztine Cusi, Rina Barrera, Fenina Estrella, Trisha Rinon, Armiel Diamante Multi-media Organisers - Micaelha Datu, Abi Abalos, Patricia Marteja, Jhix Javier Fundraising Organisers - Adrian Alegre, Dante Caballero Jr., Ezekiel Alvendo, John Clanza, Samuel Bareng On behalf of MUFASA, we would like to thank Murdoch Guild for their continuous support, and we would like to invite everyone to please like our page to be updated on our future events: facebook.com/mufasa.filo

The Centre for Stories: Winter/Spring Events BY LAUREN PRATT

A beautiful historical house, the Centre for Stories, is Perth’s heart for all things creative. It’s an inclusive space where you are encouraged to share your stories and learn from marginalised voices. With different events being held every month – it’s hard not to get involved, especially if you are looking for something different to do this winter! AUGUST 8TH: LITERARY MIXERS Kelly Van Nelson and Scott Patrick Mitchell The inside scoop about the lives of authors on their way to publication is within your grasp. Come and participate in an eye-opening group discussion with Kelly Van Nelson and Scott Patrick Mitchell about their lives as authors in Australia. You’ll hear, both, debuting authors and wellestablished authors talking their personal experiences of writing; ranging between the fantastic highs and the crushing lows. Copies of their works are available for purchase on the night! Cost: Under 25 = $12, Adults = $15 (Tickets can be purchased via the website*) AUGUST 9TH: THE BIG ISSUE Readings from The Fiction Edition Have you heard of The Big Issue but never really known what it’s about? Now is your time to learn. The Centre for Stories has partnered with The Big Issue to bring you an evening full of fiction readings from the 2019 volume. Local literary figures are sharing with you brilliant and charming stories by John Marsden, Melanie Cheng, Graeme Simsion and many more. Cost: $20 – The Big issue 2019 volume is included! (Tickets can be purchased via the website*)

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AUGUST 14TH: BREAD & BUTTER SPECIAL EDITION Sukhjit Khalsa and her mum Amarjit Join Sukhjit Khalsa and her mum Amarjit on beautiful Wednesday evening full of storytelling along with a delicious home cooked meal for a special edition of Bread & Butter. The evening will be dedicated to raising funds for Saga Sisterhood, a South Asian Women’s project, who will be performing at the Asian Arts Festival in Melbourne. Make sure you grab a ticket to share in an evening full of open-thinking and intimate discussions. Cost: $35 (Tickets can be purchased via the website*) AUGUST 21ST: FEM BOOK CLUB Room for a Stranger If you are looking for the ultimate women’s book club – this is it. The Fem book club covers books by women about women and delves into the experiences of women throughout history up to our modern lives today. It is an LGBTI+ inclusive event which discusses the importance of intersectional feminism in regard to writers and the texts themselves. So, come along for a two-hour evening discussing Melanie Cheng’s Room for a Stranger and bring a copy of the book with you too. (Check the website for details on how to get a discount at Boffins Books!) Cost: RSVP via the website*

On-going Events AUGUST 7TH AND SEPTEMBER 4TH: LIT LIVE A night filled with captivating stories is a night best experienced with wine and cheese. The Lit Live session celebrates different short stories from around the world which will be read aloud by local actors. If this is your ideal Wednesday evening – you better book a ticket because Lit Live is a very popular event! Cost: Student = $17, Adults = $20 (Tickets can be purchased via the website*) AUGUST 5TH, SEPTEMBER 2ND, OCTOBER 7TH, NOVEMBER 4TH: YOU ARE NOT ALONE PEN Letter Writing Night There is no better way to spend your evening than by sending encouraging letters to those who may need it most. The PEN letterwriting evenings happen every month and are dedicated to writing letters to imprisoned writers and journalists to give them hope. You also have the opportunity to write to governments, local and foreign, to ask for action on behalf of writers. Cost: RSVP via the website* AUGUST 13TH, SEPTEMBER 10TH, OCTOBER 8TH, NOVEMBER 12TH: WRITE NIGHT Write night is a monthly event where you can come and join other writers in your community and spend the evening writing in a distraction-free zone. The evening is set up in two forty-minute blocks where you are encouraged to write whatever you feel like; whether it’s a project you’ve been working on for weeks or something you are yet to start – this evening is set out to maximise your creative potential in a safe environment. Cost: $5 per person entry fee*

AUGUST 20TH, SEPTEMBER 17TH, OCTOBER 15TH, NOVEMBER 19TH: POETRY WORKSHOP Looking for an opportunity to work on your poetry and learn from other poets? This is the workshop for you. The monthly, evening workshop allows you to join other emerging poets and collaborate creatively in a safe space. The evening is spent discussing each other’s work and constructively learning from one another – whilst eating of course! So, bring along a plate of food and a poem you’ve been working on! Cost: RSVP via the website* The Centre for Stories is located at 100 Aberdeen St Northbridge and you can browse through a larger range of events, updated regularly, on their website centreforstories.com *double check costs on the website closer to the date of the event

CLUBS MURDOCH ROCKERS Murdoch Rockers is a club run by, and for, fans of all forms of rock music. Whether you’re into the latest radio hits or the most underground forms of death metal, there’s a place for you here. We run lots of events, ranging from weekly album review parties to quiz nights. Come see us at our weekly Marketdaze stalls or one of our many weekly gatherings and make some friends, meet new gig buddies and get ready to rock. Party on Wayne!

CLUB CLUB We have a trivia going on at the Tav on August the 22nd, from 5 PM to 7 PM! This is going to be the biggest trivia Murdoch has ever seen, organised entirely by your very own clubs. Several prizes are going to be awarded, not only for brains, but for charisma, dexterity, constitution and other defining traits! We’ll see you there, on the 22nd of August, at Club Club’s Trivia!

Memories of the Hilltop Hoods BY RYAN CALLOW SKEET

Let’s go back to 2007; it’s a cold Saturday morning during the school holidays. I’ve woken up at the crack of dawn, but it’s okay because my mum is up too. I exit my bedroom sleepy-eyed and yawning, still in my Spider-Man pyjamas I plonk myself down on the lounge. Mum has Rage going, eight year-old Ryan rolls his eyes. “I hate music,” I think to myself. Then a flash of orange and yellow light appears on the screen. It’s “Clown Prince” by the Hilltop Hoods pouring through the surround sound speakers. My ears perk up, I hear the song that quickly became the song of my youth. I am in heaven. Suddenly, I don’t hate music anymore. Hilltop Hoods brought something new and exciting into my life. Finally eight year-old Ryan had something to look forward to on those Rage-fuelled Saturday mornings. Fast forward 56

to 2012, I received an iPod for my birthday. The first album I bought an uploaded to it was Drinking From The Sun. It is still one of my favourite albums to this day. Back to reality, just a couple of weeks ago I got to interview Suffa from Hilltop Hoods. It was the best 20 minutes of my life. I got to converse with my idol. Someone whom I have listened to for 12 years now. Every time I listen to a Hilltop Hoods song now and I hear Suffa’s voice I can’t help but freak out. I can’t believe I got this chance.

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HILLTOP HOODS INTERVIEW

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SONG TO PERFORM? Probably the answer would be anything new (laughs). Apart from the it’s nice to have a challenge and figure out how to make something work. It’s nice having guests up as well, it’s sometimes the most fun part of the set. ON ONE TRACK, DEBRIS DID A VERSE, WHY HAS HE NEVER DONE VERSE BEFORE? You’ll have to ask Debris that man! We used to write his verses; we were like his ghost-writers. Today Debris barely says a word during interviews.

INTERVIEWER: RYAN CALLOW SKEET

YOU GUYS DO A LOT OF SOLO TRACKS, AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU DO A RESTRUNG VERSION, YOU’LL BRING ON ANOTHER BAND MEMBER. IS THERE ANY SOLO TRACKS YOU’VE DONE THAT YOU WISH FEATURED PRESSURE AS WELL? You know what? I’ve never thought about. I hadn’t thought about it until you just said it then. That might be cool. Originally some of the singles on the new album were single tracks, and Pressure ended up taking a verse out to perform. It was an opportunity to do something a bit different. 59

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT DOING A RESTRUNG OF ‘THE GREAT EXPANSE’? Definitely want to do another restrung, whether it’s off this album or not, we’ll definitely do it. WHAT’S THE MOST BIZARRE FAN ENCOUNTER YOU’VE EVER HAD? At a couple of shows people would give themselves nosebleeds while ‘Nosebleed’ actually plays. It’s odd stuff. It doesn’t get much weirder than that. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SONG YOU’VE EVER WRITTEN? I know it’s a bit of a cop-out, but any artist would say the same thing. Whatever is the most recent thing I’ve written. OASIS HAS WONDERWALL AND RADIOHEAD HAVE CREEP, IS THERE ONE SONG YOU HAVE THAT YOU DON’T LIKE TO PERFORM? There’s a lot. I don’t go back and listen to our older music. You get older, and you evolve into a human being, and you move ahead in your career. So, I have a lot of songs like that, too many to mention.

ARE THERE ANY PRE-SHOW RITUALS YOU PARTAKE IN? We always sing a Beastie Boys song before we go on stage. WOULD YOU EVER GET THE TWO REMAINING BEASTIE BOYS MEMBERS ON A TRACK? I would love to, I don’t think it would be possible. They don’t seem very interested in doing anything. I don’t think they’re going to jump onto some middle-aged rappers album. WELL, A BOY CAN DREAM. Yeah, well, I’ll dream of that. WHO DO YOU DRAW THE MOST INSPIRATION FROM? Well, you are what you eat. I try to listen to very lyrical things whenever I’m working on a new album. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE BIT ABOUT TOURING WITH EMINEM. When we played Wellington, we were a bit nervous about how the crowd would take an Australian hip-hop group. But the reception was amazing. To grab that crowd there was a really good moment.

Thanks you to Kanye club for supplying the Questions! 1: How many albums did Kanye produce in 2018?

word sleuth

2: What is the name of Kim and Kanyes newest baby? 3: What song is sampled on Blood on the Leaves, featured on Yeezus? 4: Which is Kanye’s best selling album? 5: Which trap rapper features on Kanye’s song Pt. 2? 6: Which hip hop artist did Kanye collaborate with for the album Kids See Ghosts? 7: Name 3 kinds of monsters that Jay Z name-drops on his verse on 'Monster' 8: Which indie singer/songwriter has Kanye collaborated with on his albums My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Yeezus? (4)

9: Which one of Jay Z’s solo albums did Kanye executive produce? (7)

Answers on Page 63

1: 5, 2: Psalm, 3: Strange Fruit by Nina Simone on her album Pastel Blue, 4: College Dropout, 5: Desiigner, 6: Kid Cudi, 7: Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, Loch Ness, Goblin, Ghoul, Zombie, 8: Bon Iver, 9: Blueprint 3, 10: Cameras

10: What does Kanye claim Lady Gaga has no knowledge on?

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