GSM ed. 3 vol. 2 "Asia"

GSM reviews politics culture stories

“Asia” Ed. 2 Vol. 3

Regular Content 4 Editorial 5 Presitorial 6 Vox Pops 7 Letters to the Editor

Lifestyle 16 Campus Couture 22 Club Review - Jasmine Reilly 23 Suburb Review - Jack Sparrow 24 Arts: Tom Ballard interview 26 Book Reviews 28 Benjamin Law interview 31 Games: Starcraft - Brennan Peers 32 Film Reviews 34 Music Reviews 38 Politics: Giz Watson interview

Articles

8 Karaoke - Ashley Swetman 10 Culture Clash - Prayitno Wignjopranto 11 Made in China - Allyana Goff 12 Central Asia -Jesse Fleay 13 Chinese Food - Ashley Swetman 15 Ghost Stories - Jess Gibbs 18 Horoscopes - Allyana Goff 19 Asian Inventions - Delshard Mozhdehinia 20 Manga Vs Comics - Delshard Mozhdehinia 21 Origin Myths - Aldy Hendradjaja

About the cover: The cover photograph (“The Prayer”) shows a statue or praying Buddha among more than 500 other Buddha statues in Borobudur. Borobudur is temple built around the year 780-833 A.D. Borobudur’s name originally came from the village where the temple is located. It is a small village in the city of Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. Borobudur is surrounded by four volcanoes; Sumbing, Sindoro, Merbabu and Merapi. Covering a total area of 2,500 meters squared, the temple consists of about 1,600,000 blocks of andesite. The base measures 123 meters and the total height is about 31 meters. Borobudur has about 1,500 relief panels on 2,500 square meters of stone. As a symbol of the greatness of Indonesia’s past, Borobudur has become one of the UNESCO’s World Heritage sites. Borobudur is not only believed to be the highest symbol of Buddhism, it is also believed to be a replica of the universe. - Ali Alatas

Editor: Tom Reynolds editor.gsm@gmail.com GSM - ECU 2 Bradford Street Mount Lawley WA 6050 Cover: Ali Alatas (www.alialatas.com) Design: Tom Reynolds, pg 18 Allyana Goff

GSM is made possible by your financial support of ECU Student Guild. GSM is editorially independent.

Printed by Photos: pg 4, 5 & 30 Tom Reynolds, pg 6 & 14 Jasmine Reilly, pg 16 &17 Luke Pegrum, pg 22 provided with permission by Andrew Taylor Management, pg 23 Daniel Norman, pg 24 provided with permission by Ben Law, pg 38 Ben Watson Editing Team: Tom Reynolds, Jess Gibbs, Jasmine Reilly, Aldy Hendradjaja, Jesse Fleay, Divya Jankee & Delshard Mozdehinia

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Editor, ECU Student Guild or the advertisers.

The Editor reserves the right to make changes to material as required. GSM reserves the right to republish material. Contributors retain all other rights for resale and republication.

Arts: Ben Mitchell arts.editor.gsm@gmail.com Books: Jasmine Reilly books.editor.gsm@gmail.com Film: Larry Fife film.editor.gsm@gmail.com Games: Ana Victoria Neves games.editor.gsm@gmail.com Music: Ben Watson music.editor.gsm@gmail.com Advertising: Tom Reynolds (08) 9370 6609 communications@ecuguild.org.au

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Hey Hotties From little 24-page things 40-page big things grow! We’re less than a year old and GSM is punching well above its weight. The fact that each edition has been bigger than the last is a great testament to the pride and enthusiasm you guys (the readers, editors, writers, photographers etc) are showing in your student press. Your support means everything. Thank you to everyone who contributed and to those who offered their help. A special mention needs to made of Aldy and Jesse who put in an exceptional effort with editing.

The next edition of GSM won’t be out until August and I hope all of you have a most excellent semester break. Personally I’ll be ‘getting my Mong on’ in Mongolia. You can also follow me and hear my opinions about which personality is prettier than the other on Twitter.

Tom Reynolds (Twitter.com/tsareynolds) Editor-in-Chief

I first heard of Ben Law (twitter.com/MrBenjaminLaw) on the radio while driving to work. I was impressed by his articulate and engaging responses and immediately started following him on Twitter, completely forgetting to buy and read the book (his first) that he had been promoting. I’ve since read his book, it was hilarious and my review of it is on page 26. Part two of our interview will be in the next edition of GSM. Thank you for being so generous with your time Ben, if you ever come to Perth the offer to confront you with my best Margaret Andrews impersonation still stands.

Likewise it was lovely to interview and then meet with Tom Ballard (twitter.com/TomCBallard). Although less pretty than Ben, he has a pleasant handshake, which put me at ease given my anxiety about standing too close to the alarmingly tall (they’re so unsteady and prone to falling over). Again I initially only knew fragments of Tom’s work in stand up comedy and the radio before finding and following him on Twitter, (which he was gracious enough to return, the gentleman). Thanks for your time and also for indulging my mangled pronunciations of “warrnambool”.

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Hello again and

Having problems trying to find a job? Whether it be a seasonal short-term job for some extra money to a job working in retail or electronics, we can help!

welcome back, hasn’t time gone by fast!

Our employment newsletter will feature many places you can easily get a job, we plan to have this ready by the end of May. Conference rooms... You’ve got a group of about 10 students all working on the same project, where can you all meet and discuss your topic project?

I hope your studies are going well and you’re keeping safe. While you have been studying hard we’ve also hit the books too! I’m proud to announce our new initiatives for May 2011 such as emergency food drops; food is an essential part to ‘living’ and if you are struggling with finances for food, then that’s a problem we can help you with.

The Joondalup Guild has a meeting room now available. With seating capacity for 12 this room also features on-desk power points and internet LAN connections, no VPN or password required! Bookings are FREE and prioritised to Financial Guild Memebers. Upon request a projector is available.

It’s good to see so many faces popping into the Guild now and then. But there’s still more room! We’ve finally finished our IT upgrades at both campuses with some monster 8 series core2 computers and some water-cooled beasts of computers! We’ve also finally got a Wii to accompany our 50” TV at Joondalup... So any of you out there who think you can play Mario Kart? Guess again! First one to beat the President gets a free lunch!

The Guild Bi-Elections are coming up soon. Would you like to represent your faculty or a department? Keep an eye out for the full list of positions available!

Our emergency food drops will provide you with 5 days of relief food. Another great program is the Bike Hire, which we are about to commence trial at Mt Lawley. Free Bike-Hire for anyone, FREE! Hopefully our program will encourage you to help us decrease traffic nightmares on campus and help us pave the way for green ways to travel.

Ciao!

Timothy Sandhu, 2011 Guild Preisdent

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Vox Pops Questions & pictures by Jasmine Reilly

Name: Pat Cahill Age: ageless Year: 3rd year Study Type: Part time Degree: Bachelor of Writing How do you rate ECU out of ten: 8/10 What is your favourite beverage: Cappuc-

Name: Rob Age: 23 Year: 2nd year Study Type: Full time Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science How do you rate ECU out of ten: 7/10 What is your favourite beverage: Beer What is your favourite Asian country:

Name: Rhyannin Brown & Rebecca Dassens Age: 20 & 22 Year: 2nd year & 3rd year Study Type: Full time Degree: Bachelor of Arts & Part time How do you rate ECU out of ten: 8/10 & 7/10 What is your favourite beverage: Soy Latte & Mocha What is your favourite Asian country: Japan ^-^

Name: Jason Age: 18 Year: 2nd year Study Type: Full time Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science How do you rate ECU out of ten: 8/10 What is your favourite beverage: Coke What is your favourite Asian country: Japan

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Name: Adrian Age: 18 Year: 2nd year Study Type: Full time Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science How do you rate ECU out of ten: 8/10 What is your favourite beverage: Juice What is your favourite Asian country: Korea

Name: James & Rob Age: 23 & 20 Year: 2nd & 4th year Study Type: Full time Degree: Bach. Arts & Post Grad (honours) How do you rate ECU out of ten: 7/10 & 8/10 What is your favourite beverage: Scotch & Iron Brew What is your favourite Asian country: Thailand & Japan

Letters to the Editor Do you have a comment, complaint or compliment you want to share? Letters to the Editor is open to all members of the ECU community to discuss student issues and life on campus. Letters may be edited for clarity or brevity. Send your thought to editor.gsm@gmail.com I read Edition 1 of GSM with interest. However, I was very disappointed with the one sided book review of Road Wench. At first I wasn’t going to write to you about it because I didn’t want you to think it was a case of sour grapes, but on reflection I have decided to do so.

First, let me say that I acknowledge that your reviewer is entitled to her opinion. As an author obviously I would prefer everyone to love my book, but I am aware that it is not for everyone.

However, it is for some people. Your reviewer mentions as much in the first sentence (“if you are seeking a handbook covering life as a low-cost tour guide”). My concern with the review is that it was not even handed, and didn’t leave a door open for potential readers who would be interested in it. Instead, your reviewer cuts it to shreds on the basis that it isn’t literary, isn’t inspirational, and she doesn’t like the writing. Again, that’s her opinion, she’s entitled to it. (And it doesn’t claim to be any of those things anyway). However, what about potential readers? They’re left out of the rest of the review.

Tom, I would have expected a more balanced approach. Even if the reviewer hates a book (any book, not just mine), I would suggest that as a guide, one third of the review ought to be either some positive comments, or at the very least a neutral description of what the book is about, in order to let the potential reader make up their own mind.

I could’ve stomached the review if it had at least described the story (rather than the writing) for the potential readers, rather than spending the whole review on why not to read it.

There was no mention that - it was the inside story of 18-35 coach tours in Europe (the demographics is relevant to your student audience) - that it was written by someone who had led 50 After relecting on the letter from author Shannon Meadows about her self-published book “Road Wench”, I agree that she is correct in saying that in my review of her book I did not mention - and I quote: “- the inside story of 18-35 coach tours in Europe (the demographics is relevant to your student audience) - written by someone who had led 50 tours of Europe - describes the training and tours of my first season on the road - the training in particular would be of interest to tourism students - written by someone from Perth, and an ECU student

tours of Europe - that it describes the training and tours of my first season on the road (the training in particular would be of interest to tourism students) - that it was written by someone from Perth, and an ECU student (I’m sure you have budding writers and tourism workers in your readership) - that it is the first book of its kind since “Rule No. 5 - No Sex on the Bus” (again, potential readers who liked that book would be the kind of readers who would like this story) - that the cover was designed by a Perth graphic artist (NB: I was slightly disappointed that the carefully designed cover was stretched to fit the page, as this distorted the image) - or that readers can make up their own mind by reading the first 3 chapters for free at the blog on http://roadwench.blogspot.com There was no reference to particular stories, such as mentioned on the blurb. Even when denigrating the writing, a reference to a specific story might still engage the interest of a potential reader - and thus make the review more palatable to the author. (eg torturing with “awful intimate anecdotes” - if it had been added “such as getting naked in front of a group of clients in a Turkish bath”, that would’ve left the door open for interested readers - without it, the review is simply a roast).

would be appreciated. I have had a long and difficult struggle to compete with the major publishers, and was disheartened that the first time Road Wench had been brutally cut down was by a peer, in a way that didn’t allow potential readers to make up their own mind.

On a positive note it has been an incredible learning curve, and I have learned a lot about bookstores, distribution, marketing, reviews, radio interviews (most recently with ECU Joondalup 89.7FM), ebooks, graphic artists and book design, self-publishing, and the enjoyment of having my story read by suitable readers. Each of these could be potential topics for an article in GSM. Finally, I would like to retract my request that I get my review copy back. Instead, I would like to donate it to the ECU Mount Lawley student library, so other students can make up their own mind. If you are able to deliver it to the Library I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my feedback.

Regards, Shannon -------------------------------------------------------------Dear Shannon.

A quick google reveals the following synonym for review; ‘critique’: evaluate, pass judgment, judge

Tom, as GSM editor you have a position of great responsibility - and great power. It is not just up to the books editor, it’s your final call. As a fellow student, I don’t expect a puff piece or even a positive piece, but I do expect an evenhanded approach, one that still leaves open the opportunity for potential readers to make up their own minds. I do hope that you take on board my comments and concerns.

Reviews are opinions, not catalogues. It’s unreasonable to expect them to be “even handed” when they are inherently informed by subjective biasis (e.g. personal taste).

I’d wager that I’m the only author reviewed that actually reads your magazine - a fair approach

- Ed.

- the first book of its kind since “Rule No. 5 - No Sex on the Bus” - the cover was designed by a Perth graphic artist - readers can make up their own mind by reading 3 chapters free at the blog on http://roadwench. blogspot.com” My understanding about the review function I agreed to undertake was to provide readers with my own view of the books I am asked to review. My apologies if I have misinterpreted my role.

Best wishes with GSM, I think it is looking GREAT this year under your editorship Susanne Harford

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If a reviewer considers a book to be terrible they can say as much in the space we provide them. Reviewers are not obliged to invent positive points if they can’t fnd any.

Dear Mr. Editor Man, I am the Tap King, and so obviously taps are my business. I just wanted to say that the article by one ‘Larry Fife’ was really fantastic.

I feel that as of recently societies perception of taps has been dwindling.

It is people like this Larry Fife who will bring us back to the glory days of the 80s. Taps are such an important aspect of our lives, and all reasonable people understand how cool they are. I hope to see

more tap related articles, and will definately read future editions.

Keep on tappin’, Tap King Tap World, Street

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Faucet

----------------------------------Dear ‘Tap King’ You mispelt society’s.

- Ed.

Lost in Translation. Distributed by Focus Features.

In my experience, there are three types of ‘karaoke-

this unique form of torture. I saw a banner advertising it when I walked out of work the other week to catch the train home. But you’re only allowed to participate if you’re not a professional singer.

ers’: people that know they’re good singers and are just doing it to show off, people that think they’re good singers and are just doing it to show off and, drunk people.

If you’re like me and have no life you’re probably thinking “I’m completely safe from this travesty.” Well, if you’re a lot like me and play video games such as ‘SingStar’, ‘Guitar Hero: World Tour’ or (and I’m ashamed to admit this) ‘High School Musical Sing-A-Long’ for Wii, then you’re not. I often wondered why mum didn’t like us playing those games in the living room. Turns out you sound like crap, apparently. You’re not even safe if you opt to go for a day out at the markets catching up with your friends; I experienced a particularly nasty karaoke session after my one of my brother’s football games last year where my friend was serenaded by the guy running it and the same three people took turns murdering songs. Also, for those social networkers out there, you might want to take a look at internetkaraokeparty. tumblr.com – a collection of truly hilarious karaoke clips from the internet.

While out with my family celebrating my dad’s 50th birthday the past Saturday, guess what I had to experience?

Apart from my grandfather drinking too much and going on about how wonderful the food was, it was karaoke. I was a key witness to the intense and precise butchering of such classics as Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley and Baby, You Can Drive My Car by The Beatles. I listened to men sing Italian songs I don’t know the name of in what I can only imagine was what was supposed to be a sultry air. I’m sure my friends on Facebook must have gotten sick of my constant updates on which song was being hung out to dry next. And don’t even get me started on what they did to Bon Jovi.

Singing’s been around since Greek tragedies. It was used in mass in the Middle Ages so that religion was ‘more accessible’ to the people. People have sung without accompaniment before, and they’ll do it long into the future. So what’s the deal with karaoke?

Why have music without the words?

Singing has been scientifically proven to be good for you. The musician in me loves to sing, no matter how loudly or off-key it sounds. I sing along to basically whatever I’m playing on my iPod or YouTube. But why is karaoke so popular if you can just sing along? I can only guess it’s because people like to send their drunk friends up to the mic, video them singing and then use it as blackmail later, or even post it to Facebook and Youtube. We did it to my granddad once.

Well, karaoke was invented by a Japanese musician by the name of Daisuke Inoue in 1971. As a drummer, Inoue was asked to provide a recording of his performances at dinner parties so that people could sing along to the songs while they were on holiday.

For some reason, this became amazingly popular, and karaoke machines were placed in restaurants and hotel rooms. Inoue was awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Popular Karaoke Song choices:

Anything by Elvis Presley

Anything by The Beatles

Anything by ABBA

Unchained Melody

Livin' On a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler

I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion

Working Class Man by Jimmy Barnes

Any song that has Italian lyrics.

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

However, it was the Filipinos that developed karaoke as we know it today – the ‘minus-one music’ style, which was basically musical accompaniment recorded onto those old cassette tapes.

A Filipino inventor by the name of Roberto del Rosario developed a sing-along system in 1975 and holds the patent for the karaoke machine.

Nowadays, Karaoke is especially popular at clubs, pubs and parties. Those of you who don’t think that nights out or video games are enough might be interested in the Karaoke World Championships. That’s right, they have a world championship for

Ashley Swetman

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See reception for details: Bldg 22 Joondalup Bldg 21 Mt Lawley www.ecu.edu.au/sport 9

* Not valid with any other offer

Misconceptions about Asian Students Several nights ago, I was having a dinner with

both my Australian and Korean housemates. The later one finished a few minutes earlier before the two of us and left the table (after washing the his plate and utensils) and immediately went to his room without saying a single word. Any attempts to engage him in an intriguing conversation were futile. I personally felt that it was a bit ‘weird’ or at least something was not quite in the right place, but I was not able to put it into a sentence on how I felt about the whole situation.

My Australian housemate was visibly upset and finally he broke the silence by saying that what our housemate has done is considered ‘rude’ in the western world. Both my housemates actually have quite a history and I would like to take this opportunity to straighten up some of the misconceptions on Asian students.

Asians speak lousy English, they always hang out with people from the same country, and they do not improve their English. Why bother to study overseas? Such a waste!

While this sometimes can be quite true to a certain degree, I would like to explain my best on what might have caused this. I have lived overseas for quite sometime (even before I came to Australia). I have basically lived and worked with many people from different cultural backgrounds and frankly speaking, I am quite open-minded. However, adjustments still have to be made in some cases (e.g.: moving to a new house with different housemates, working with a new company/client), and sometimes I can be quite reserved and tend to keep things for myself. Homesickness is also another factor that many people fail to consider. When surrounded by homesickness, people tend to surround themselves with things that are familiar. My housemate surrounds himself with friends from his own country. His diet mostly consists of spicy instant noodle and other canned products from his country. Everybody require different length of time to adjust. If some of you see that I have no problem or whatsoever with social interaction, it is because that I have accustomed to live overseas for quite sometime, therefore I know how to present myself in front of others without looking awkward.

Asians have lousy (table) manners!

I felt that it could have been nicer for everyone to just enjoy each other’s company when having a meal together at a dining table, but it seems to me that my Australian housemate was clearly offended when a person just left the table without saying a single word. I am still uncertain on a few things about western cultures, but when common sense kicked in, I had to agree that it was a bit ‘impolite’.

I am pretty much certain that it is not just a part of Asian values, but every parent (regardless of what their nationalities) must have taught basic table manners to their kids. Let people who are older than you (especially relatives) start or serve themselves first; use the appropriate way of holding chopsticks, fork, and spoon; do not burp in front of others; do not slurp or make noise when you eat your meals; and many other things like that.

I (might) have subconsciously have done the same thing like what my housemate did on the first time I dined with other people from different cultural background. Being an outsider I felt completely out of place and being treated like an addition, so I believe it was quite reasonable to excuse myself because I totally felt awkward.

One moment I was having a meal with my parents and sister, and then suddenly I had to sit at the same table, which was full of strangers. But the moment I broke myself out of the isolation chamber, I started to open up and interacted with different people without being embarrassed or feel awkward. So once again it is just a matter of timing most of the time, but in my housemate’s case it was a bit more than that. The point is, do not treat people just because you feel that they are outside your circle. Try to put yourself into other people’s circumstances than perhaps (hopefully) you would gain some insight on why certain people behave that way.

Asians have their parents picked their subjects for them and they studied overseas just to fulfil the requirement of getting a green card or permanent resident status!

I am not going to deny this one fact: some of Asians have rich parents whose pockets are deeper than the Grand Canyon. In Asian countries if your parents are successful, it is in their rationale to keep the legacy/ business within the family. Some people moved overseas to escape their predicaments. Once again I am saying ‘some people’, OK? Not all of Asians!

Prayitno Wignjopranoto

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I’ve

always wanted to buy that particular jacket from Forever New on Murray Street ... Or maybe I should buy that pair of boots in Myer that I have been eyeing for the past week. Adding to my list of things to think about is the price, however afterwards I asked myself the question: “Is it worth the price and where exactly does this come from?” There are some of us that are ignorant enough to answer: “it comes from an Australian Factory of course, duh!”

Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

So… how many of you look at the price tag? Almost all of us right? Then, how many of you look at the “was made in” part of the product? I bet it has come from one of China, Indonesia or India’s sweatshops. One of those massive factories that massproduce our everyday-use objects or our most popular brands in the country. I always pictured crowds of people slaving away trying to make our products in a 12 to 16 hour shift.

The amount of workload that one person, let alone a whole staff can do is unimaginable and in return for their hard work is a low income and poor work conditions. I for one do not want to be in their shoes. Nonetheless, China may have the cleaner factories as places like Indonesia and India have a worse sense of hygiene. An example is the Third-World villages in India that strive to make a living scavenging scrap metals and refuse to make second hand computers.

India’s labour child workers begin from the age of at least 8 years old. These kids will roam around scrap yards risking themselves to deal with battery acid and other chemicals that are leaking from scrap parts. Inevitably this will lead these kids to become very sick in the process.

A hopeful prediction might be that the whole of China’s production line will close and go on strike because their wages are too low to make a decent living. Leaving us with less products on our shelves and higher prices; these would include our clothing lines,

food and even our everyday technology. Another prediction is that India’s poorest communities are undergoing a health epidemic from lithium and radiation poisoning that is currently spreading throughout the country. Although the previous prediction may be a stretch and rather over the top, it still points to the fact that the Asia-Pacific needs to be treated with respect and dignity.

Most First World countries like Australia and America lack the empathy or even the sympathy to those who work in these factories or these work environments. We take advantage of the great things that Asia has provided us in our everyday lives. Take for example our mobile phones and even the plates that we eat off every day.

These objects are made for us to use and to offer those on the other side of the world some way of surviving. Without these devices we would have never been able to communicate with each other in the way we do now. Other products include our mode of transportation: Hyundai, Honda and Mitsubishi. And our food. Uni students at ECU would never be able to heat up their Mi Goreng without Asia or ever be able to eat those cute wafer sweets like Panda and Pocky. It would become an epidemic where most uni students would suffer the cost of living in the process.

Personally, I cannot live without these products but now I have come to grasp the idea that people are making these products and they are not our own Western peoples. I also have the idea that kids in India and other less fortunate kids have chosen to risk their health to help them make a living. If I had the choice, I would strive to help them by making a cleaner working environment so they don’t have to get lithium poisoning. Okay... now that I have rambled on, I am going to sit and eat my Mi Goreng on the couch and watch some good anime.

Allyana Goff

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To the east of the Caspian Sea lies the Republic

of Kazakhstan.

With a land area of approximately 2.7 million square kilometres and a population of 15.8 million people (2010 estimate) it is the largest country in the region of Central Asia. Central Asia is a broad and ambiguous area; a crossroads enriched with a long history of trade and culture where the borders of Asia end and the borders of Europe begin.

Although the core countries and territories of Central Asia are widely accepted by most as the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Türkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, the area is from time to time associated with the North of the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan, the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of China as well as some parts of Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan and Russia.

A wide demographic of peoples in Central Asia are Turkicspeaking and Islamic in faith and in culture. Islam is the largest religion of Asia at large and in Central Asia, Islam has played a large role in the culture and identity of it’s countries and territories.

The ‘Great’ Silk Road For centuries, if not thousands of years, Central Asia has been identified as the crossroads between Asia and Europe. The legendary Silk Road has been a popular romance of tourists of the western world, most prominently British merchants and collectors in the early Victorian era who would ignite an international interest in contemporary times. Precious silks, gems, spices, historical artefacts and furniture were brought across through Kazakstan from areas such as Iran, Afghanistan and India, to Russia and on to Europe.

The exploitation of Central Asia by a foreign black market has resulted in many economic problems such as unfair trade. These problems impose a threat to the history, culture and economics of Central Asia. In modern times the trafficking of illicit drugs and sex slaves has also contributed to this threat.

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Studies conducted by The United Nations indicates that a staggering 80% of heroin consumed in Western Europe originates from the Silk Road (2000 estimate). Children as young as three years old, women and men, are sold as sex slaves and labourers all through Central Asia. Organisations such as Amnesty International and Oxfam work tirelessly to resolve these problems.

Cultures and histories are of a high importance as they give one an insight into their own identity as well as their similarity with other cultures in the world. The black market rapidly decays through cultures and if history is not preserved, the worlds nations may lose these identities and their unique place in the global community.

In The Face of Modernity Modern times call for an international global community.

Organisations such as the United Nations and the European Union are strengthening and collaborating effectively to bring communities and nations closer together than ever before.

In 1994, the democratic government of The Republic of Kazakhstan rid itself independently of the worlds 4th largest nuclear arsenal, and it’s government has since been commended internationally as a prime example towards a world with an international nuclear non-proliferation agreement.

In 2007, the celebrated democratic President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, proposed a Central Asian Union. The idea is likened by some critics to the European Union. It would enable the countries and territories of Central Asia to work towards economic growth, thus stabilising their independences internationally. However, the process of a stabilised international agreement between the major identified countries and territories of Central Asia has yet to be achieved.

Central Asia is a rare and beautiful place. The history of it’s tribes and peoples is rich in culture and art. With a combined effort of the government bodies of the counties and territories of Central Asia and international aid, this rich history might be preserved to be appreciated by future generations for generations to come.

Jesse John Lee Fleay

st: e W ets s Chinese e M t Eas “Chinese” i

Food?

How

There are many a question about Chinese food, from “Where is Chinese food from?” to “How do they turn a prawn into a cracker?” to my personal favourite - “How do they fit so much food into such a small container?” Indeed.

I may not be able to answer all of those questions (though if you’re still puzzled over the answer to the first one, I fear nobody will be able to help you), but I can answer a different one. “What is the difference between Authentic Chinese food and Western Chinese food?”

I know what you’re thinking – BORING! Let’s just skip over this and go to something exciting! Well, maybe it’s not so boring.

Because really, what is the difference?

Western Chinese food (or, American-Chinese food) was developed by Cantonese restauranteurs back in the 19th Century, at a time when Chinese restaurants and laundries were a small little niche for small businesses due to the Chinese being excluded from most other jobs due to racial discrimination and/or lack of fluency in English. They mostly cooked for railroad workers, and they established their restaurants in towns where people actually didn’t know what Chinese food was. So these chefs had to adapt their dishes to suit a more westernised palate and local agriculture. Because the ingredients available to them were different to what was available in China, a new style of Chinese food was developed; one not found in China.

Being the extremely lazy culture that we are, the preparation of our Chinese food reflects that. The most common techniques used to cook your food? Stir-fry, pan-fry and deep-fry, all achievable by using a wok. Chinese food also tends to contain monosodium glutamate, otherwise known as MSG, and high levels of it, to enhance the flavour. And do you ever feel slightly sick after eating Chinese? That would be the MSG, playing on any sensitivity you may have to gluten. There aren’t any scientifically supported health concerns regarding MSG, but customer demand has pushed many restaurants into making ‘MSG Free’ menus.

And you know those pesky vegetables that they keep putting in your sauce? It turns out that Authentic Chinese food is all about the vegetables! An authentic Chinese meal typically has leafy vegetables such as bok choy, pak choy and kai-lan.

Not only do Western cultures use vegetables as garnish, but they use vegetables that aren’t even native to China! These vegetables include carrot, onion (of the variety that makes you cry), cauliflower and broccoli.

Common dishes that you’ll find on your Chinese take-away menu include: - Chop suey, a mix of vegetables and meat in brown sauce.

- Chow mein, which means 'stir-fried noodles'. It can come with chicken, pork, prawn or beef.

- Fried rice, which is pretty self-explanatory. Usually, the rice is left overnight and then fried up and mixed in with some vegetables and prawns. Oh, and it's also made with leftover rice from the day before to help prevent wastes.

- Moo shu pork – generally sliced or shredded pork meat and scrambled eggs stir fried with wood ear mushrooms, day lily buds and bamboo shoots.

- Cashew chicken – chicken stir fried together with vegetables and cashews - Sweet and sour pork, which consists of deep-fried balls made of pork in a sweet and sour sauce.

- Won ton soup – pork and prawn dumplings in a chicken broth - Singapore noodes – rice nodes with beef and vegetables served in a curry sauce - Kung pao chicken – diced marinated chicken, stir-fried with skinless unsalted and roasted peanuts, red capsicum and other vegetables, rice wine, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and chillis - Lemon chicken – deep-fried chicken breast served in a lemon sauce Egg foo yung – a omelette like dish filled with eggs, vegetables and meat or seafood But for you Chinese speakers out there, I've heard of 'hidden menus', particularly in America, which consist of Authentic Chinese dishes. So maybe keep an eye out if you're after some real Chinese food.

Ashley Swetman

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There are hundreds of fables told in this same manner - gentle, observational, reverent. The ghosts in question are rarely violent or revenge-seeking; instead, they tend to float from person to person, merely existing in our world as if their purpose were to be documented by the author. A large proportion of these spirits are women who left life uncelebrated, and who finally receive the respect they have yearned for as they walk the Earth rattling metaphorical chains.

It’s possible that these women - forever young, beautiful and gifted with intrinsic power - were created in solidarity for the struggling Japanese women who faced similar dissatisfactions with life in a patriarchal society.

Who remembers campfire stories? The age-old classics that went around and around over gooey marshmallows and flashlit faces - “drip, drip, drip. She had tightened every tap in the house, what could be making that noise? Drip, drip, drip. She let her hand drop under the bed; her dog’s warm tongue licking her fingers always made her feel more comfortable...”

Earlier, I mentioned The Ring. Now, let’s not kid ourselves here.

This film was written specifically for the purpose of scaring the shit out of us. Like any horror movie, it was appealing to our crazy, masochistic desires to have nightmares and sleep with the lights on for weeks (oh, that’s just me again? Carry on.) And it was incredibly popular.

That one might not be so scary after the hundredth time (okay, so it was never really that scary, I was an easily-frightened child okay?) but Asia - Japan especially - has some killer ghost tales to share with the impressionable West.

But like I said, there are two kinds of ghost story. And my favourite thing about the way the Japanese tell this second kind of story is the manner in which they present their ghosts. As possibilities. Not as mythology, like unicorns and vampires, but as genuine entities that we could come into contact with at any time.

There is an interesting dichotomy in this ghost-story culture.

On the one hand, you have unadulterated horror. Hong Kong’s 2002 “The Eye” follows a young blind girl who receives a cornea transplant. She gets her sight back - and begins seeing abhorrent crime, murder, death and dying both in dreams and as she wanders through her life. And then there’s Japan’s infamous 1998 “Ringu” also known as “the scariest movie of all time.”

And not in the amateur way we might speak of our ‘encounters’ with the supernatural. These guys have a knack for story-telling; for whimsy, for emphasis on all the right points. For setting the mood and for drawing chills down your spine or leaving you melancholy. Because ghost stories so rarely have a happy ending - authors of the genre seem to feel that we readers would not benefit from a solid conclusion, nor does the villainous spirits ever seem to receive their comeuppance. They either win their battle or leave of their own accord; never destroyed, never halted. Simply bored of the fight they’re in and ready for the next.

On the other hand, however, there is an entire folklore dedicated to ghost tales that aren’t terrifying. One story from a series collectively known as Kwaidan involves a young woodcutter, who is saved from a snow storm by a mystery woman who swears to kill him if he tells anyone about her kindness.

He eventually marries, has children and one day tells his wife about the incident.

The Japanese seem to think that there’s no ‘cure’ for a ghost problem the way you can shoot werewolves with a silver bullet or throw holy water on a vampire, and with a history and culture as rich as theirs, I’d trust them to know what they’re talking about - now there’s a thought to keep you warm when that campfire goes out.

Unfortunately for him, the love of his life is indeed the beautiful snow-woman, but she decides to show him one more act of mercy and instead of ending his life, she disappears from it completely - blowing out the door in a gust of wind, never to be seen again.

Jess Gibbs

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Style

Owen Belfield Computer Science

Shontee McCourt Photography

Tasha Tania Bach. Broadcasting

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Adam Fyneman Man of Mystery

Caitlyn Boffett Broadcasting

Aaron Bradbook Photography/Journalism

Natasha Extract Communications

Tom Crammond Arts Management

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Photos by Luke Pegrum

Style

This is the year of the Rabbit, so hop to it because it will be a year of good fortune. Your ideas will be appreciated more and you will make a positive impact to someone that is special to you. Towards the end of the year your priorities may have changed and you may focus more on your family and home but December is slated to become an eventful month.

Most compatible with: Pig, Sheep, Rat, Ox & Tiger.

If you are born under the year of the Dragon then the fire must be put out and it is time to go steady. The year of the Rabbit is more balanced and can lead you to more opportunities for promotions that were likely missed during the exciting year of the Tiger. Romance and travel is also fruitful idea and the best time to book it in time is in September.

It is the year to slow down and make your plans better.

Your creative flair will excel during October this year and you will likely meet with someone you haven’t met in a while. However, you should take care of your health and not neglect it. Working long hours in front of the computer is a no-no. Bad!

A Bahhh... I mean a beneficial year for those under the sign of the sheep. This year things will fall into place during the month of July and it is the year to obtain new skills as they will take you far.

You will also have the opportunity to get a short vacation with friends and family and build new relationships.

Brilliant promotional opportunities are not hard to reach for these banana brains. Monkeys will reap the benefits financially and career wise. It is also the year to follow up on self-improvement ideas and leaving any disappointments and regrets behind. It is a very satisfying year.

More meaningful relationships are there for the Dogs this year and job and promotional opportunities are widening this year as well. To gain the respect they need from their colleagues, it is best to have the confidence and the self respect. If all else fails, it is important to voice your troubles to those close to you.

The year of the Rabbit will give this piggy some rewards for their hard work. However, they must be prepared during September as new work developments are likely to occur.

However, during July you just might find an enjoyable partnership with someone.

Enough of the ups and downs for the Ox and put them behind you. For those who are willing to change their career or its direction, September will bring exciting offers and progress. Romance will be highlighted in a special way for you this year.

Rat 1948 1960 1972 1984

Ox 1949 1961 1973 1985

Tiger 1950 1962 1974 1986

Rabbit 1951 1963 1975 1987

Dragon 1952 1964 1976 1988

Time to stop horsing around and time to achieve the goals you need to do at work. Also as an adventurous critter that you are, you are likely to travel to far off places as your earnings may increase but managing it is also an effort in itself.

Save! Save!

It is time to wake up and reap the opportunities that you Roosters may come across in studying or training. It will also be wise to work closely with colleagues and practice your networking skills. It is because there might be unexpected developments later this year. Otherwise it will be good for those underneath this sign.

Their wisdom and their knowledge will be called upon for those under the year of the Rat and some celebration might occur as well. It is also time for rats to have time for personal growth and health.

After an exciting year last year, the tiger will experience a so-so year.

Career wise, it would probably be best to stay under the radar and bring your brilliant ideas during your favourable months. You will also influence a few mood swings in your relationships so keep an open mind. This year, money will be better this year but do not give into life’s luxuries and save.

Allyana Goff

Snake 1953 1965 1977 1989

Horse 1954 1966 1978 1990

Sheep 1955 1967 1979 1991

Monkey 1956 1968 1980 1992

Rooster 1957 1969 1981 1993

Dog 1958 1970 1982 1994

Pig 1959 1971 1983 1995

I say “The East”, and what do you think?

Usually Japan, China, and Korea will be a standard answer from many people. Other who may know a little knowledge may answer with places like Israel, Indonesia, and Afghanistan. The worldlier of us could even offer up the UAE, Laos, Brunai, Georgia and Azerbaijan. But it’s the inventions of the nations of Asia that have helped to define our world today. Whether we know it or not, it’s thanks to Asia that we have a range of inventions.

From the opulent inventions (toilet paper, perfume, the magnetic compass, paper, and alcohol) to the practical ones (like flamethrowers, hypodermic needles, seismoscopes, woven cloth, and the wheel), there are so many that we can thank Asia for giving to the world, but here are a few that we wouldn’t have the world today without them.

The Mirror – 400 B.C. As far as we know, the first mirror-makers lived near the city of Sidon, in Syria around 400BC. Since glass itself was invented in nearby Lebanon, it’s reasonable to think that the first modern mirrors came from Syria. To make a mirror, they blew a thin sphere of molten glass into a bubble, and then poured hot lead into the bulb of glass.

The lead would coat the inside of the glass so that when the glass was cooled enough, it was then cut into convex pieces of mirror. Although these mirrors wouldn’t

have been perfect (think funny mirrors at the circus), they would’ve been far more clear than using a polished sheet of copper as was common back then! Later, gold, silver, or copper leaf was used instead of lead.

The Abacus – 190 A.D. It’s fair to say that the abacus (a calculating device made up of rows of beads) was probably invented long before 190 A.D. However, Xu Yue, the Chinese official who first documented the use of this calculation machine first documented the use of such a device in a book of records at this time.

Since the abacus is cheap, does not require batteries or an electric plug, and is highly portable, many merchants in developing countries still use them today.

Even experienced abacus users are faster at addition and subtraction than pocketcalculator users! (The abacus fares less well at finding cosines or calculating compound interest, however. Possibly a reason why they haven’t caught on for exam time) The Wheelbarrow – 118 A.D. Despite the fact you’ll probably find one in your parents garden shed, this particular item started out life at as top-secret military equipment of the Chinese Army. The original Chinese design had one (rather unstable) wheel right in the centre of the wheelbarrow. They were used to transport heavy loads of ammunition, food, and other materials as needed.

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Since then, the placement of the wheel has been moved forward a bit, and the wheelbarrow itself is often stabilised by the addition of two “feet” so that the user can set it down upright. Overall however, this secret weapon of the Han Chinese Army has found its way through history pretty much unaltered – except it usually carries geraniums now instead of gunpowder.

The Satellite – 1957 A.D. On October 4th, 1957 the Soviet Union launched Earth’s first artificial satellite .

The satellite, known as “Sputnik” (“Fellow Traveller) triggered the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the United States. Today, thousands of artificial satellites orbit the earth, gathering scientific and intelligence data, transmitting mobile and satellite phone calls, broadcasting digital content, and performing other tasks.

I could go on with more inventions that changed the world which originally came from the Asia – toothbrushes, landmines, metal movable type (leading to modern printing), paper money, silk, the collapsible umbrella, the crossbow and saddles and stirrups (from China), the number system we use today, the windmill and icecream (Iran)...and the list goes on. These of these listed are just a few of the inventions that have fundamentally changed our world.

Without them, it’d be a little different!

Delshard Mozhdehinia

Manga and Comics. East versus West. Let’s not get too

apocalyptic about it, but it’s a debate that you might hear fairly often: “which’s better?”. Yet a question that gets asked even more often than that is “what’s the difference, if there even is one?”.

It’s safe to say that there is a big difference in between these two. More than just Manga originally being a Japanese creation, and generic “comics” being very Western, the art styles between Manga, which is more exaggerated and American comics, which tend to be more “realistic” in comparison. There are also quite a few serious differences between the two types of comics. Some of the differences, just to mention a few keys one are the cost, creation process, target audience, genres, presentation and size.

To start off with, comics are read from the left to the right on each page, and start with the edges of the pages on the right. Manga books (on the other hand) are read in the direct opposite way: from right to left. When books are reprinted and translated in the West, they are sometimes ‘flipped’ to make more sense to Western readers. However, this can be fraught with complications; if they are just mirrored instead, images of maps won’t make sense, and features that are described in text won’t match their appearance in the narrative.

Manga books are generally printed in black-and-white, while their Western counterparts are printed in colour most of the time. Also, when you look at a graphic novel or Manga you will notice a difference in the size. Manga books are frequently smaller than traditional American-style comic books; usually each page is the size of an A5 sheet of paper. But comics are generally thin like a small magazine, running about 32 pages (that’s less than this edition of GSM), Manga comic books are thick and can be hundreds of pages in length!

Manga books fit within three subgenres which are aimed at different age groups, whereas western comics are targeted primarily at a young demographic. Shonen Manga is targeted at boys and action/adventure themed, with examples such as Bleach, Pokemon Adventures, and the Full Metal Alchemist series.

Shojo Manga are written for girls, and talk about relationships and love, such as the Loveless series. Finally, Hentai Manga are targeted at adults, and contain adult themes and sexual content.

In page count, Manga texts are quite similar to graphic novels, which are often just collections of the ongoing American comics. But unlike American graphic novels, which are usually a collection of monthly comics in a single unified story or story arc, Manga books are often apart of an even bigger story arc and a complete Manga storyline can run over thousands of pages.

Another difference from traditional comics is that they are created by a number of people who work together. They have a writer (who creates the story), a penciler (who does the initial sketches of the pages), an inker (who inks over the sketches, generally on a computer), a letterer (who adds the dialog) and a colourist (who colours the inked sketch). On the other hand most Manga books are done by a single person, who combines all these roles, except the colouring.

Companies like TokyoPop have been recreating stories from console games, films, and other media into books in recent years. White Dwarf Books in the Carillon City Arcade between Murray and Hay Street stock a reasonable variety of such books. Manga is never as cheap as generic comics – prices for Manga can range from $15-$30 depending on where you go.

The ‘difference’ between comics and Manga essentially is that Manga is a genre of the comic-book world. They consist of comics and print cartoons, but outside of Japan they refer to comics originally published in Japan. The style of publishing has become popular however, and has been exported around the world.

Despite being the price of a paperback novel, Manga will generally have less text than a western comic but with the storylines generally moving faster, you’re not missing out on much.

Delshard Mozhdehinia

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Pan Gu (P’an Ku)

and Kami-Musubi-No-Kami (divine producing wondrous deity). These three created the Passive and Active Essences of cosmos.

Origin: Chinese Taoist Once upon a time, there was a cosmic egg floating in the dark void of chaos. The egg contained Pan Gu, the mythical embodiment of the universe. He stayed inside the egg for 18,000 years, until one day he smashed the eggshell and light immediately flooded out, dividing the heavens and the earth. Then Pan Gu pushed the heaven with his head and the earth with his feet to make sure that these two places would never get mixed up.

When he had finished with his cosmic creation, however, Pan Gu had grown so old and was close to death.

There were once two sibling deities, Izanagi and Izanami, who then married each other. They were responsible for creating the world from the chaos. It was said that both of them stood on the bridge of heaven and stirred the primal waters with their spear. When they raised their spear again, one drop of seawater befell upon the Earth and became the first dry land: the mythical island of Onogoro. This initial place was then extended by the other seven islands, which then made up the OyaShima-Guni or Parent-island-country.

After his death, Pan Gu’s spirit roamed the Earth in search for a mortal carrier before finding a hermit of great virtue, who was both unsullied and hermaphrodite.

Izanagi and Izanami were said to produce many offspring, including Amaterasu the sun goddess, Tsuki-Yomi the moon god, Susano-Wo the storm god, Kagu-Tsuchi the fire god and O-Yama-Tsu-Mi the apotheosis of the mountains. Oh, and Izanami’s waste is pretty darn powerful – it was said that Kana-Yama-Biko and Kana-Yama-Hime (the god and goddess of miners) were born from Izanami’s vomit, Hani-Yani-Hime (the goddess of potters) from her faeces, and Mizu-Ha-No-Me (the senior water goddess of Shinto) from her urine. Izanami was burnt to death, though, when she gave birth to Kagu-Tsuchi the fire god. In another myth, Izanagi tried to follow her to the underworld, but the Romeo ran away when seeing her living corpse.

Purusha-Sukta

Amei Awi and Burung Une

His body, it was said, was destined to be part of the earth. His head became mountains, his teeth and bones became rocks, his eyes became the sun and the moon, his breath the wind, his beard the stars, his flesh the soil, his blood all water on the earth, his hair the greenery, his sweat the rain and his limbs the four quarters (possibly what they mean by quarters is North, South, East and West) of the Warth. Finally, from the lice that ran over his body, the human race was born.

Origin: Vedic and Brahmanic Hindu (India) Purusha is a gigantic being with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. In any case, he gave birth to Viraj, the active female principle of creation, whom he later made love with!

It was said that during their sexual intercourse, Purusha’s semen fell upon the womb of the earth, the yoni, and then became the Angirases, the mediators between gods and men. Another source said that when Purusha ejaculated, his semen became a lake and Agni the fire god surrounded this lake with his fire. As the semen ignited, the first part of it became Aditya (possibly an epithet of Surya the sun god), the second became Bhrgu (the ‘Crack of Fire’) and the third became the six lesser sun gods (which weirdly enough is also named the Adityas).

Purusha’s story, however, doesn’t end happily ever after. The other gods aren’t happy about Purusha committing incest with his own daughter. They then assembled all fearsome beings in the cosmos to create the malevolent storm god, Rudra. The gods, the demigods and the sages then dismembered and sacrificed Purusha to the funeral pyre. From the fat of the sacrifice, it was said, all living, inanimate and abstract things were born. From his mouth, arms, thighs and feet the four varnas (the classes of Vedic society) were born. From his mind the moon was born and from his eyes the sun.

Origin: The inland part of Borneo, an island that’s divided among three Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Borneo’s version of creation myth is something that Little Miss Muffet won’t like.

Once upon a time, before earth, sky and sea came into being, there was a celestial spider hung upon its web in the endless space. Then a piece of flat red coral fell into the web and grew until it filled the whole web. Following the coral, a slug and a worm also fell on the coral rock and crawled until they covered the surface with sticky brown trails, which later on became earth. Next, a sapling fell to the ground and bred until it became forests. Finally, a giant crab emerged from the heavens and sculpted the earth into river valleys, hills and mountains. Then the rain came and filled the river beds and the swamps, from which other kinds of vegetation sprang up.

After the world was created, a pair of formless beings descended from the heavens. They resembled man and woman but lacked the ability of reproduction. The male spirit created various tools, including a sword and a loom. From this loom, emerged two wooden human heads. I mean literally heads – they didn’t have a body, and they had to move with their necks. I don’t know how these heads could make love, but they nevertheless gave birth to the generation of other beings who had both head and body.

Aldy Hendradjaja

Izanagi and Izanami Origin: Japanese Shinto In the beginning, three primordial beings were born on Takama-NoHara (the plain of high heaven). Their names are Ame-No-MinakaNushi-No-Kami (the deity master of the august centre of heaven), Taka-Mi-Musubi-No-Kami (high august producing wondrous deity)

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picture by partsandlaborunion.com/

Clubs

The Gate Bar and Bistro on a Friday and Saturday night, and despite the pool tables and betting facilities, The Sports Bar still manages to be classy.

The food differs depending on which bar you go to, but all of it is worth the money, ranging from simple pub food to restaurant quality food. Not only to they provide food, but they also supply amazing cocktails that vary depending on the season, a range of beers on taps and a variety of spirits.

Unlike other local, suburban pubs around here, The Gate has a young crowd which dresses up to be admired and to perve on there desired sex. Because it is a pub though, The Gate closes at around 12am, meaning that there are lots of taxis waiting to take the young, energetic, people off to Northbridge, Fremantle or even Rockingham, whatever floats their boats.

A lot of you may not know what The Gate Bar and Bistro is; your loss. However, if you are a person who lives in or near the postcode 6164, there is no doubt that you know what The Gate is. In fact, I’d be willing to bet good money that most people over 18 in this area will have been to the pub at least once since it opened in 2008.

You see The Gate Bar and Bistro; nicknamed ‘The Gate’ is the place to be on the weekend. It has The Bistro (or what I call a restaurant), The Garden Bar, The Lounge Bar and The Sports Bar. The Gate is designed with the Australian ideal in mind, with most of it being outside under umbrellas and shades, but still practical for the rain. The Garden Bar and The Sports Bar are connected

So although this suburban pub isn’t close to anything else, it is the likely starting place of the local youth for a big night out. And for those who wake up with a hangover, there is a buffet breakfast on Sundays that certainly helps.

The atmosphere of The Gate is fantastic with live bands. The crowd is large enough that you won’t know everybody but local enough that you will know more than one person. It is loud, but not to loud, with a cosy, laid back feel all around.

Jasmine Reilly

This is where student culture goes without Guilds. Don’t forget to renew your semester two membership.

Don’t forget to like us on facebook and follow ECUGuild on twitter too.

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Subs

If you’re looking for a new place to live there’s a number of places

you could choose to change the scenery- Cottosloe, Dampier, Port Hedland, or maybe even Melbourne or Sydney, but if you’re looking towards such a lavish exotic move, why not really hit it out of the ball park and move house to Takadanobaba, Japan!

Of course moving countries requires a lot of applications and signing of forms but once you’ve waded through all the red tape of international home relocation, I think you’ll find Takadanobaba one of the most pleasant places on earth. That is, if you don’t mind living in a mega-metropolis with its fair share of pollution, non-stop traffic, and a population density much greater than Perth.

The greatest aspect of Takadanobaba is that it is the birth place of Osamu Tezuka’s manga character Astro-Boy.

Takadanobaba is located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, and is known to be a hub for educational institutions. In part that’s what makes it such a diverse place to live. Along the main street, Waseda Dori, there are various shops that sell affordable goods to cater to the students of the nearby university (Waseda University), and other education providers.

Another great thing about Waseda Odori is the alley ways that turn off it. It’s quite amazing to see a bustling commerce area change into residential areas just by turning a corner. That’s not to say there isn’t any commerce happening down these alley ways as there are quaint little cafes spattered among the houses, amongst other businesses; in fact some of the alley ways are little strips of trade with mobile phone stores, salons, and restaurants, not to mention the occasional public bath.

The infrastructure of Takadanobaba is an eye-saw in itself, as many of the buildings pre-date the neighbouring buildings by, oh I don’t know, maybe a century, or two. Being from a country that has only been concerned with infrastructure for just over two centuries (since British colonization) it’s a wonder that these buildings are left standing at all. I myself lived in an apartment that was built in the eighteen hundreds, and stood next to a 25 story building block built in what looked like yesteryear. It was an odd contrast.

My residents having been built before the birth of my grandmother’s mother meant the place was designed minus a western style toilet, and a shower or bath to clean my wearisome body. As a result I was known to visit McDonalds for my daily constitutional (plus Japanese McDonalds sell a teriyaki hamburger which is out of this world. I used the excuse that I couldn’t use their loo without a purchase, and bought those suckers daily. They’re a must try

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before you die). In an emergency I would use the squatter style eastern toilet, but only in an emergency. If you’ve ever had to crap in the bush, you would know it’s quite the struggle.

As for cleaning my wearisome body I would have to venture to one of the local baths. If you like looking at people of the same gender, butt-naked nude, washing their nether regions, then public baths are the place for you. Although you probably shouldn’t be there, pervert!

Although being a foreigner chances are all eyes are going to be on you to see if the rumour that foreigners are hugely endowed is true. Being only averagely endowed, I would shuffle around the baths covering myself with the provided small white towel, covering my family jewels, avoiding the glances, not wanting to let the foreign delegate team down. All-in-all, the variety of hot and cold baths provided in venues was a very relaxing experience each time I went.

The hot and cold outside of the public bath houses isn’t so nice. Weather defines whether a place is liveable, or not, and unfortunately the weather in Takadanobaba doesn’t compare to the sunshine summers, and somewhat rainy winters we have here in Perth. Takadanobaba’s summer is hot, humid and very sticky, and its winter is extremely cold, snowing on occasion, but never enough to be able to build snowmen, but just enough to leave a dirty melted smudge everywhere you walk.

All these things are foreshadowed by the second greatest part of Takadanobaba, which is its accessibility to other parts of Japan.

Takadanobaba is a stop on the Yamanote Line (i.e. a circle train line that stops at the best parts of Tokyo, that just goes round and round and round. Much like the 99, and 98 bus routes here, but a train, so better.) From there you can visit the great cities of Japan, such as Kyoto, and Osaka.

The greatest aspect of Takadanobaba is that it is the birth place of Osamu Tezuka’s manga character Astro-Boy. So the streets around the train station have murals depicting characters from the series; which is a lovely touch in a childish way.

Taking all this into account, one must see Takadanobaba with their own eyes to understand its beauty, much like the rest of Japan.

So if you’re thinking of travelling to Asia, I highly recommend a stop here. It’s the best.

Jack Sparrow

Arts

Tom Ballard

Country boy turned stand-up comedy superstar and now host of Triple J’s weekday breafast program, Tom Ballard has had a meteoric rise. Tom recently came to Perth for his show Since 1989. He caught up with GSM’s own country kid Tom Reynolds and talked about his career, coming out and the dangers of Political Correctness gone mad.

GSM: It’s said that there’s a grain of truth in every joke. Your performances are marked by being explicitly self-revealing and dealing with subjects heartbreak and coming out. Do you think there’s a type of therapy involved with doing stand up?

TB: Definitely, I think so. The show

I’m doing, ‘Since 1989’ is all about a break up and I think that for me it was very cathartic and it was really important to me to make something creative, make something positive come out of that experience you know?

It can only get better and yeah, love yourself and, uh, just get a lot of dick.

And also because comedy involves so much looking at your own motivations and your own actions and at different things from different angles that is really kind of therapeutic to look at it that kind of way and deconstruct and try and find the humour in it. Definitely with this last show it was really cathartic to produce something positive out was a bit of a shitty part of my life really.

GSM:Do you ever worry then that there might be a danger

in doing therapy on stage for the benefit of other people’s entertainment?

TB: Yeah, you need to have processed to the point of being able

to do it on the stage. Some people, almost legendary comics who would go out on stage and just talk about the things that were annoying them a lot of stage and to the point of it getting really raw and just not funny. And when you still need to keep in mind that you’re doing it for an audience, and you communicate ideas to that audience…

GSM: When things bomb, what’s your survival strategy?

TB: Swear! I tend to swear a lot. Try and belittle somebody

in the audience. Fuck them for being there and me not being funny. I regularly do, if I do talk to the audience, I do that thing of crossing the line and some people will take shit for a little bit and then you’ll say something and the whole audience will turn and I never know how to get the audience back.

I’m sure at some point I’ll figure out how to do that. I’m sure at one point I’ll figure out how to do that. Someone like Greg Fleet is just consistently amazing at that so I think it just come from time and experience and just figuring it out. Generally if things don’t go the way I plan them to go on stage I freak out a little bit, I find it very unsettling.

GSM:You wrote for your column in the Warrnambool Standard

a criticism about the Kings of Leon to not sing their hit ‘Your sex Is On Fire’ out of deference to the bushfire affected victims they were fundraising for. Do you think it’s right to say that nobody

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has the right to not be offended and if so what’s the difference between an offensive and a crass joke?

TB: In that circumstance it just seemed to me to be insulting

to the intelligence of everyone. You have instances were clearly certain songs are inappropriate around news stories of certain events. There was a radio story the other day about a news reporter talking about a guy jumping off the top of a building and then the radio station went to Van Halen’s Jump.

For someone like Kings of Leon when Sex On Fire was such a massive hit before any concept of the bushfires was created, it just seemed to me to be people being overly sensitive. Obviously people affected by the bushfires would have been especially sensitive but it just seemed political correctness gone a bit crazy or whatever.

I totally don’t think people have a right not to be offended. That’s what a lot of people seem to think, they seem to think that because something offended them it should never have existed and they should never have come in contact with it when, you know, you can’t just live your life like that. You never know what people are going to be offended by. Some people’s sensitivities are so finely tuned and affected by their own personal experience essentially you can’t allow for that or you’re never going to say anything that’s going to affect anyone in any way.

I’m certainly adverse to a lot of censorship of comedy and people watching their words I don’t think it allows for, you know, the best discourse. If people want to walk out of a comedy show because they’re offended that’s totally fine, even if you want to ask for you money back but people who disrupt the show or imply that comedians shouldn’t even be able to say certain things on stage I think that’s not helpful to anything really.

Arts

GSM: I grew up in a town very similar to Warranbool, right down to doesn’t end just because you’re gay. Times are fundamentally being “particularly notable for its roundabouts” and like you I moved to the nearest city straight after high school; so I was surprised you maintained links with your home town because my own experiences of living in that same kind of environment has a lot of negative associations to me. How did you find the experience of growing up gay and regional?

TB: It wasn’t great. I think generally I’ve been really fortunate you

changing; so much has changed for gay and lesbian people just over the last twenty years. It can only get better and yeah, love yourself and, uh, just get a lot of dick.

GSM: Great advice! Especially for the

lesbians, I’m really feeling we’re going to get some good feedback on that.

know, I’ve met so many people since I’ve come out and met people TB: Well you know, dick, vagina, itís all the in the gay community who have these really horrible stories about same really. We’re all going to die in the end. their background and, you know, how effectively the first 18 years of their life were hell until they got out but I certainly didn’t have that.

GSM: Is there such a thing as too gay?

My family are just awesome and really lovely and understanding and also I guess I had the benefit of not being an obviously camp guy so people were quite surprised when I cam out, I think. It wasn’t like I walked down the street and would be regularly be pointed out as a faggot. And also, all my friends from Warranbool have been really lovely and supportive.

Itís like the sixth biggest city in Victoria, like 30,000 people itis not like a crazy backwater but it was more just frustrating and it made coming out scary because I maybe knew one or two other gay people my [entire] life, so was a really big deal in that sense. I really love Warranbool thereís lots of stuff going on there in terms of the gay and lesbian community, so thereís a pretty good awareness of young gay people in the south-west so it’s relatively quite a good place. Maybe not so much in your case.

some people will take shit for a little bit and then you’ll say something and the whole audience will turn

TB: No, I don’t think so. I mean there is for me, there’s a personal

limit of being to gay to me, I’m weary of being labelled or pigeonholed as a ‘gay comedian’. I think most comedians, most gay comedians, want to be considered as comedians first, who are gay.

Actually there are some people who really utilise or cash in on the fact, that target a market.

They talk about certain things to appal to that market – Julian Clarey is probably an obvious example of that – and that’s really important to me that I don’t go that way just because that’s not the comedy I’m really interested in. I just prefer to be really honest and if that involves me talking about being gay or having a boyfriend that’s cool but I don’t want that to be my whole thing.

I think Simon Amstell, he’s a UK comic, he used to host Never Mind The Buzzcocks, the UK version of Spicks and Specks; he’s just GSM: What motivated you to come out? awesome. I love him. He’s really smart and funny and talks about being gay because it’s just a part of his life, it’s not his whole thing.

TB: It was just sort of an inevitability. I was just kind of sick of lying. He’s kind of my hero in that sense.

Iíd started seeing this guy, the other gay in the village in Warranbool, it was just annoying and I just wanted that relief to say [it] to someone. GSM: I think it’s so great that in almost any field young Queer people It just kind of made sense. can find others who have been there before them, who they can look up to and learn from their experiences and take advice from.

I didn’t come out until I turned 18 so I’d finished high school and all that had happened. I guess I didn’t feel comfortable coming out in TB: I really think being a gay role model who isn’t fundamentally school because I think it would have been kind of intense. Once Iíd linked to being gay is, it’s really important because – that doesn’t finished that I just felt like I was pretty happy with myself then I felt mean how everyone should be. I’m just saying as a gay person in like I had the power to do that. the media who isn’t the most flamboyant or camp guy around I’ve had a lot of people both straight and gay approach me and say it’s GSM: What advice would you give to other young Queers living in been quite refreshing for them in that the idea of being gay isn’t such the Warranbools of Australia? a distant thing for some people in that they can kind of identify with me just as a person and are prepared to accept the fact that I’m gay.

TB: Fundamentally times are going to get much better, like that It’s a little bit of a point of difference I guess. campaign says; it does get better, it gets so much better once you come out. You know once you grow up into yourself it’s totally GSM: You’ve started your twenties with a bang, what do you want possible for you to have the happiest most awesome life ever. That to be doing by your thirties?

TB: Gosh! It’s this weird thing where I don’t want to sound arrogant

but it’s just like, you know, I’m twenty-one and I have a lot of crazy stuff going on. I feel like dealing with this for the next five years is going to be important and then yeah man… I want to go to uni at some point. I think going to university and getting a degree is really important and I’d like to read more books and travel a lot more.

I really love doing breakfast on Triple J but that does effectively tie me to Australia for at least the next few years. I think whenever we do wrap up this position I’d be looking to go overseas for a bit and have a bit of fun over there. That’d be good but, um, I don’t know, I’ll be a fireman or something. I’ll get really buff!

GSM: and of course if you go to uni you will join your student organisation won’t you Tom?

TB: Definitely, that’s definitely what I’ll do!

GSM:Tom Ballard it has been a real pleasure to have a chat with you today.

TB: Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.

Tom Reynolds Tom & Tom

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Parts of this transcript have been edited for clarity and spacing.

Books

The Stone Angel By: Katherine Scholes Rating: 4.5/5

The Family Law By: Benjamin Law Rating: 4.5/5

Murder at Mansfield Park By: Lynn Shepherd Rating: 3/5

The Stone Angel is the story of Stella, a freelance journalist who travels the world telling the stories of women and their struggles. While in Ethiopia, Stella receives a message from the town she’s been running from for fifteen years; her father has been lost at sea, and she’s going to help with the search.

The Family Law is a funny, adoring and reflective memoir covering the life and times of the Law family from the point of view of youngest son Ben. Known for his short and anecdotal writing style this is evident in the way the chronological and thematic narrative is structured around vignettes covering everything from his relationship with his father and the school camp from Hell, to his mother’s obsession with discussing vaginas with her five children… and friends… and strangers.

I chose to review Murder at Mansfield because it’s always interesting to see how people attempt to re-write Austen’s work. Although it was a well re-written novel, it started off at a slow pace.

Upon her return, many questions arise: what made Stella’s mother so angry at her daughter? Why is everybody acting like she’s a stranger? And what made Stella bitter enough to leave to begin with?

After the death of her father, Stella realises she can no longer travel the world in search of stories, accepting the role of looking after her fragile mother. While there, she has to find a way to make a living, deal with the consequences and memories of the Summer of 1975, and learn to soften her tough exterior.

Katherine Scholes visits with great care and detail not only what Stella comes back to find in her fishing hometown of Halfmoon Bay, Tasmania, but also goes back to fifteen years before, covering the chain of events that made her leave.

Scholes touches on topics such as poverty, traditional and strict parents, teenage love and heartbreak, unexpected pregnancy, teenage rebel and rebuilding after loss.

Stella Boyd has seen the worst of the world in her thirty years, and her story reflects this, being emotional, heartbreaking, full of secrets, and, most importantly, real. An inspirational tale, The Stone Angel is definitely worth a read.

Ashley Swetman

This is the tweet I wrote after finishing The Family Law: “@MrBenjaminLaw okay, confession. I hadn’t read your book. Finished it tonight. Laughed so hard I accidentally farted. On the bus. I hate you” There are very few authors I would ever offer this kind of feedback to, but after reading the book and enjoying its smorgasbord of Schadenfreude moments and frank self-revelations it somehow felt appropriate.

In many ways the various relationships and stories he provides are summaries, clearly written after a period of selfreflection, meditation and consideration.

The benefit to this is that his writing is silky smooth and easily digestible.

Having acquired a taste for his stories I sometimes finished a chapter wanting a little more, particularly with understanding the significance of the dynamics between siblings.

His ‘characters’ are endearing and although he writes with an obvious sense of adoration for his family the book avoids being overbearingly sentimental. Difficult topics like coming out are told in a calm but engaging style, despite the obvious drama of the moment. The great skill in this book is the way Ben acknowledges his otherness and then works through this by examining its qualities; which makes his experiences (and his family) relatable to everyone.

Tom Reynolds

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Being an avid Austen reader, the role reversals of characters, the changing of social status and manipulation of events were disappointing at first. It appeared to be an unoriginal work that simply changed Austen’s original work, Mansfield Park, around just enough so that Shepherd could put her name to it.

But then there is a turning point.

Somebody is murdered, which you can guess from the title. It is not, however, the murder that makes the novel interesting, but the events that occur because of the murder.

You’re left wondering: who’s been murdered, who’s responsible, and who’s supposed to find out who committed the crime? This is when Shepherd introduces the interesting character of Mr Charles Maddox who is a ‘thief–taker’. His profession is not very respected by the people of Mansfield Park, but there is no denying that he is a smart, resourceful and manipulative detective who always gets the answers.

It’s an extremely clever re-written version of Jane Austen’s novel, Mansfield Park.

Shepherd clearly has knowledge of Jane Austen’s work, and she skilfully writes the work in a convincing manner.

Excluding the fact that Fanny Price is changed into a selfish bitch, I enjoyed the interesting changes in characters once I was accustomed. Murder at Mansfield Park is certainly worth a read.

Jasmine Reilly

Books

The Kid on the Karaoke Stage & Other Stories By: Georgia Richter (ed.)

Rating: 3/5 This latest release from Fremantle Press is a short story collection by Australian writers. Seven of the contributors studied at Curtin University but the book also includes a story by Edith Cowan lecturer Marcella Polain. The best story of the sample I read is Sj Finch’s “The Kid on the Karaoke Stage Emptied His Beer and Cried. Men Threw Him a Line”.

It is the kind of story that sticks with you.

Indeed, that is the reason the editor Georgia Richter chose it. The subject matter is pertinent to college students and explores Yeat’s question “how can we know the dancer from the dance?”

A similar version of it exists on Curtin’s online creative writing journal Sitelines (Volume 5 No 1) under the title “The Only True Currency in this Bankrupt World.”

The collection is commendable for its consistency in the quality of writing but readers seeking fiction that oozes a more mature writing style should seek out short stories by Raymond Chandler, Joyce Carol Oats, Roald Dahl and Virginia Woolf. The collection could be inspiring for creative writing students because it shows that Western Australian writers are being published.

It also shows ways in which local subject matter can be harnessed to explore contemporary issues and concerns although none of the stories I read dealt with political issues like racism or refugees. The collection explores mainly family, crime and familiar social experiences and unfortunately avoids subjects like homosexuality, gender issues, and the gothic. The piece by JoAnn Whalley is interesting for the way it segues from memories to the present.

However it lacks the sensuality and creative elegance of her greatest work.

The collection’s value lies in its familiar content and the use of experimental forms.

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted By: Bridget Asher Rating: 4/5

You Lose These & other stories By: Goldie Goldbloom Rating: 3.5/5

“Everyone thinks that it is a gift to have someone love you, but they’re wrong.

The best gift is that you can love someone - like he loved you.”

It’s important to remember that short stories are different from novels. There’s only a short amount of space in which to tell the story, which means that there are parts of character, setting and plot that are left to the reader to decide. They aren’t written and nor should they be read in the same way as a novel.

This is the stand-out quote for me from this book and it does say a lot about the essence of the book itself. This book was overall a very pleasant reading experience. The protagonist, Heidi, is stuck in her life and cannot move on from the loss of the husband she loves so much.

Then, a journey begins... a journey of love, hope, miracles and self-discovery by going to a house in Provence.

This book is indeed about all of the above things- an appeal not to lose hope and that things can have a happy ending at the end of the day. What I liked about this book more than the message of positivity is the way the plot is well-thought out and the humanness of the characters in the book. Every event that happens is significant to the plot - nothing is unimportant and it all makes sense! And the characters... well, they just remind us of how vulnerable yet how strong every human being has the capacity to be. The style of writing flows and makes reading delightful.

That being said, the sea of self-pity, grief and hopelessness the protagonist wallows in through a lot of the book is understandable but overstretched. Also, the love between Heidi and her husband is so complete, so happy that it appears almost unrealistic and the way the house makes things work sounds too good to be true. This book is beautiful to read but should be avoided by cynics. It does remind us, however, that as human beings, we can all overcome our grief and aspire to happiness.

Jake Dennis Divya Jankee

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You Lose These + other stories by Goldie Goldbloom is full of extremely well written short stories that deal with disturbing and confronting themes and address parts of culture I certainly did not previously think about.

Goldbloom lived in both Australia and America, and uses this to her advantage in her stories, which delve into interesting parts of reality. They have a way with staying with you, making you wonder and question what’s really meant in the story. Things are left up to interpretation, and the way you read the story depends on if you’re an idealistic person or a realistic person.

The stories are about Australians, Jewish and Amish people, lesbians, the elderly and the insane. All of them are clever and enjoyable, but my favourite short story was C.H.A.R.M.I.N.G. I write a journal and can relate to the character in this way, which meant the character stayed with me a little more than the others.

Despite what your favourite short story is, the brilliant thing about Goldburn’s short stories is that they address the most vulnerable and realistic things that a person may not have thought of before. It is an fascinating look into different realities.

Jasmine Reilly

Books

GSM interviews

Benjamin Law

Benjamin Law is as regular contributor to Frankie magazine and has also writen for The Drum, The Monthly and Crikey. Still in his twenties last year he released his memoirs The Family Law detailing his experiences growing up as the son of Chinese migrants on the Gold Coast. He spoke to Tom Reynolds and Jess Gibbs about his experiences.

GSM: a lot of your writing deals with self-reflection and issues of

GSM: As you know I interviewed Tom Ballard earlier, and it was

identity. How would you then describe yourself?

interesting to note that he grew up in a regional town – so did I – and we both moved to the city as soon as we could. Likewise, you lived on the sunshine coast and headed straight to Brisbane. Do you think it’s inevitable that gays have to move to the cities to live fulfilling lives, and is that a bad thing?

BL: How would I describe myself? I guess in the way that most

poeple would describe themself. You start off with your name, you start of with your age. So, Benjamin Law, late twenties but I think a lot of my writing has to do with two things. One being gay and two being Asian or more specifically Chinese-Australian. And I think those two things often come out of the fact that those two elements aren’t as common. You know, it’s a double barrel of minority. So I guess that’s what I tend to write about.

people calling out Gook or faggot which will happen sometimes, you can brush that off more easily if you’ve got a tight band of family and friends

I talked about this recently in a forum or a public speech, about how a lot of us form our identities on the things that sort of marginalise us in some way, or aren’t common. If you’re told you’re a fatty at school you’re gonna sort of identify as a fatty, if you’re always known as that “asian guy” at school you sort of start building your identity around that. And I didn’t really know any other gay people at school and I certainly wasn’t out then, so that becomes a really big thing in your mind and I guess it always stays with you.

GSM: I think that’s really interesting; you touched on a topic I really like discussing which is internalisation. Bringing in other peoples’ prejudices and bigotries, and the insidious way they percolate within you and become expressed in this very bizarre concept, or things people say to you without a second thought. Especially on the scene, where there are a lot of guys who say “I don’t do fems,” it’s this almost ubiquitous catchphrase. Is that something that you’ve encountered?

BL: It’s funny, I say all of that with the footnote that in some ways,

the reason that I write about these things and am happy to is that I haven’t really copped too much flak for them. I sort of went through school in the late 80s, throughout the 90s, and especially in the late 80s in Queensland there was this really big embracing of multiculturalism. Everyone loved the little Asian kid at school, so even thought it set me apart it sort of set me apart in a good way.

I came out relatively young as well, like seventeen, just when I’d finished high school and from there I sort of moved out of the sunshine coast where I was raised, a coastal sort of area, to Brisbane.

And suddenly I was this ‘out’ gay guy, going to a university where I met a lot of other gay men. Any discrimination I’ve gotten – people hurling abuse out of cars – people calling out Gook or faggot, which will happen sometimes, you can brush that off more easily if you’ve got a tight band of family and friends that are already there to support you.

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I think it’s almost necessary for a lot of gay people. I mean I was gonna make a grim joke out of it but for so many people it’s either get out of there or you’re gonna end up killing yourself. And I say that with all seriousness; if you do feel isolated, and certainly the sunshine coast is changing since when I grew up there, a bit more open minded and not a completely rural or regional place as such, but you do want to go to a place where a lot of likeminded people are around you.

GSM: Do you ever listen to Dan Savage?

BL: Yeah I love Dan Savage, and when you were saying get out of town, that’s often his advice to young people, to get the hell out.

And his whole “it gets better” campaign... I mean, I followed him for a really long time, his writing and his podcasts and stuff, and even before “it gets better” some of his advice for young people was like “suck it in, survive high school, then when you’ve finished high school get the fuck out of there” and I totally agree.

GSM: So when you use that word gay to describe yourself, what does it mean to you?

BL: I wrote a piece for Frankie about this, it was all about how straight guys always have that anxiety about ‘gayness,’ like shopping for clothes is gay, drinking white wine is gay...

GSM: It’s true though, it is.

BL: Yeah, it might not be homosexual but it’s pretty gay. And that

always amuses me; I wrote in that Frankie piece “you know guys, I am gay, and if you really wanna know what gay means it means this uncontrollable urge to place yourself in other men.” On a really fundamental level. It was a bit simpler, you know, I never really felt that pull towards girls... it was very very clear in my mind from a pretty young age that I thought guys were more attractive. And for me, on a basic level, that’s what gay is. I think what a lot of people don’t understand – even gay guys themselves who want to resist is that it’s a cultural thing as well. Whether you feel like you’re a part of it or not, there is a gay history that sexuality is a part of [it].

white heterosexual guys never think of themselves as having a race or a sexual identity, or having a gender.

But they do

Books

And I think it’s a major thing; we actually do need to recognise that race exists and racism does exist as well. When you start ignoring race you start ignoring racism too. I’m not sure it’s a central part of our identity and I’m sure if you talk to my parents, who came to Australia in the seventies, they will tell you about how they were welcomed so warmly, more than anywhere else before. It’s a tricky sort of issue.

GSM: Yeah. Some people see it as some-

thing that’s “attached to” Australian identity but others argue that it’s a fundamental, inescapable part of what it means to be a part of this society. It’s a really interesting debate to listen to.

BL: When you’re the ethnic majority of a country – when you’re

a white person – you never see yourself as ethnic. And especially white heterosexual guys never think of themselves as having a race or a sexual identity, or having a gender. But they do, everyone has all three of those things. And whenever someone raises “oh but you’re tackling this issue from a gay Asian male perspective” I’m like, “everyone has a perspective!”

GSM: Yeah, I remember having a discussion with a friend of mine, he’s white, he’s straight, he’s middle class, and I said that I consider my sexuality to be a type of ethnicity, there’s a culture and a history and a bit of a language to it. And he goes “I wish I could be ethnic.”

BL: But you’re white! You’ve gotta be proud of that, you’ve got a GSM: I wanted to talk about a little about race with you. you’re white!

You’ve gotta be proud of that, you’ve got a proud history of listening to Death Cab for Cutie and watching 30 Rock.

BL: Let’s talk race!

GSM: Yes, nothing controversial in there. You wrote a great piece in The Drum about the recent near-election of Pauline Hanson. Given her enduring popularity, and the unwillingness of the media to give focus to serious discussions at a domestic level about race, do you think racism at some level is an essential characteristic to the Australian “mainstream”?

BL: It’s a tricky question. The question often comes up, is Austra-

lia a racist nation? It’s a really difficult question and I almost feel like it’s this unfair question to ask, because you travel around the world and everywhere you go there will be people who are racist.

And I think it’s really hard to say that marks their whole cultural construct, their whole cultural identity, as racist. Certainly, you walk through Australia you’ll encounter people who have some outdated attitudes towards people of a different race. But I also think it’s trickier now days; I think there’s a general consensus that racism is bad.

No one wants to be called a racist, no one will happily admit to being a racist, and I think on that level it gets hard because people agree that racism is bad, and they say that they’re not a racist, but how do you interpret what they say? Someone like Andrew Bolt for instance, talking about aboriginality and how, at a certain point, a certain type of Aboriginal person is not Aboriginal anymore, is that racism? And I would argue that yeah, it is, but he’s not saying explicitly that Aboriginal people are inferior or stupid, it’s not as obvious.

proud history of listening to Death Cab for Cutie and watching 30 Rock. There’s a big strong white culture out there!

GSM: I think the new title of this article should be ‘Benjamin Law advocates White [Pride]’

BL: I am a total White Supremacist.

GSM: Touching on some of what we’ve talked about, there’s been a really obvious and fundamental shift in the portrayal of gays in popular culture. Do you think there’s been a similar shift for Asians?

BL: I actually did my doctorate on this, I did a post-grad on TV

screen writing and a part of that was looking at representations of Asians on television. I think American TV especially, in sheer numbers and visibility of Asian characters is much much more pronounced. You have actors like Sandra Oh and Lucy Liu who are very present. I think what’s changed on Australian TV is the rise of reality TV. In scripted narrative TV you’ll see not that many Asian characters. You’ll see some. Mainly on SBS. But you’ll see a few more of them on commercial. But every season of Masterchef, every season of Idol, is going to include quite a number of Asians. And that’s because reality TV is always going to reflect the way society is made up in Australia. And that is a significant Asian-Australian population.

Part two of our interview will be published in Edition Four. In the meantime you can follow @MrBenjaminLaw on Twitter.

Tom Reynolds & Jess Gibbs

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Parts of this transcript have been edited for clarity and spacing.

Books

The Hit Men: Australia’s Contract Killers By: John Kerr 5/5 When I first saw this book, I thought it was just another fiction. The Hit Men. Just from the title itself, I thought it would be about breathtaking gory that would satisfy my bloodthirsty self. But when I finally read the book, I was honestly surprised.

All the crimes in this book are real. True crimes of Australian contract killers. Yet, even with its sense of reality, the book doesn’t disappoint my original expectations. Each crime is written in a very engaging way that you can’t help but get drown in the facts provided. The murderers are varied from the ‘family man’ Chris Flannery to the ‘personable’ Sandy MacRae. Some of these cases are solved, some remain mysteries. Every case is written in a chronological order that’s easy to follow, even with my limited knowledge of criminal minds.

This book is an excellent example of a creative non-fiction. John Kerr did a pretty good job in his descriptions. I felt very, very disgusted when reading the description of Shane Chartres-Abbot’s victim – which, weirdly enough, kinda reminds me of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus.

Oh, and another compliment for Kerr’s respect on the privacy: he doesn’t reveal his sources’ names unless they want to. If you learn a bit of journalism, you will know this is a really important (yet sometimes abandoned) aspect in writing a non-fiction.

Especially recommended to those who study criminal minds.

Aldy Hendradjaja

A History of the World Since 9/11 By: Streatfield, Dominic 3.5/5 Although called ‘a history’ this book uses horrific real-life events to show how our lives have been afflicted negatively since 9/11 and to graphically demonstrate today’s changed ethical and moral climate.

Streatfield is a successful documentarymaker expert in the military and security worlds who relies primarily upon his own research and first-hand accounts. The text is peppered with quotes and interviews. Using his continuing on-ground experience Streatfield shows how the door of globalization has allowed a uniquely twenty-first-century threat to reach us all.

He reminds us the Global War on Terror allowed politicians and policy-makers all over the world to justify dodgy policies they had always fancied. He uses the words of leaders like Tony Blair “let us reorder this world around us” to build a strong case and shows today those policies continue an inexorable reduction in the quality of all of our lives.

The narrative is complicated, weaving through eight harrowing post-9/11 situations and events. Streatfield brings his message back to the surface again each time, counterpoising the famous US State Department 9/11 statement “History starts today” against his own ironic words “Old rules, drafted in a more innocent time, were no longer sufficient … they had to be changed …The law was, after all, a fluid thing”.

Streatfield asks us to focus, to identify this huge ethical and moral infliction, and each of us to make positive changes. He is right.

Susanne Harford

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A rumination from the Books Editor...

The last assignments are being handed in, and the exams are almost over. Soon we will have two months of the ever sought after, free time. And what are we going to do with this free time?

I don’t know about you, but I certainly plan to get my drink on and to catch up on my Television shows. Movies are always good to watch, but I also find that the holidays are the best times to start reading books that I am not required to read. Whether you are a Computer Scientist or a Literature student, you rarely get the chance during the semester to pick up a book that you don’t have to read for a class or an assignment.

Reading for pleasure can very relaxing and fulfilling, and when it is windy, cold and rainy outside, reading a book under the covers can be satisfying. So what should we be reading this winter?

Of course you always have your new releases, which you will be easy to find at your local bookstore. However, the classics are also good to catch up on.

I, for one, intend to take a look at the last Dymocks Booklovers Top 101 list. I intend to knock of a few of those over the winter. The thing I love most about buying your own books, other than being able to re-read them, is being able to share them out to your friends. If you find a good book, share it. Spread the books this winter.

Jasmine Reilly

Games

South

Korea is beginning to dispute what its national sport should be. While in the past competitive games like soccer and baseball have attracted large crowds, modern 21st Centruy games are attracting fans like no other in the younger generation and are also beginning to draw in crowds and competitors from all over the world. The game is punishing, complicated, calculating and dangerously fast, but luckily for eager young competitors, it’s all just a video game.

Since the release of Blizzard Entertainment’s Starcraft II beta the eSports scene has been completely revitalised. While the first Starcraft had captivated South Korea and become the first truly competitive video game, Starcraft II has brought the concept to the world that video games could be the next frontier (no, not final frontier, that’s not gaming culture you trog) for friendly competition.

The whole idea seems a bit nutty, but it’s a neat one nonetheless.

Anyone can play regardless of physical ability or location and at it’s core lies something wonderful; in a virtual world where factors such as speed and strength are literally static, players are rewarded for clever play, one of the key reasons people love to watch sport of any kind.

Starcraft is a science fiction real time strategy game, where in a distant part of the Milky Way a colony of humans called the Terran battle between the technologically advanced Protoss and a biological lifeform known as the Zerg. While the game features a story mode (not for the lactose intolerant), multiplayer mode is the game’s main attraction.

Players must focus on growing their team’s economy in the game to build a secure base as well as troops to destroy their opponent, and while this seems simple on paper, the ability to multitask these things with the additional pressure of someone working against you is a serious challange Trust me.

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Overall timing and economy in game seems to be a key focus, while a purchase of troops is usually seen as an investment; if these troops which are bought don’t do something against your opponent or aren’t needed till later in the game, then time and money has been wasted which your opponent could have used more efficiently.

Tech savvy South Korea may be the pioneer in eSports, but it isn’t the only country to have shown this trend: in China and the US there is continually growing public coverage and community for popular competitive games like DotA (Defence of the Ancients), Warcraft and Counter Strike. Each of these countries features sponsored teams for the games. Some of the highest ranked players in Warcraft and Starcraft receive six figure incomes for their pro skills.

Just before you go ahead and say “anyone could do that”, these games aren’t exactly Angry Birds or Call of Duty. Top level Starcraft play generally requires the ability to perform up to a ridiculous 300 calculated (like, you weren’t just banging the keyboard) actions per minute, which requires serious professional teams to constantly train at their games to refine their abilities, as well as to keep in the know with the games constantly shifting tactics and plays.

It all seems like the cultural move for a financially spoiled nation, but it’s origins which predate the ridiculous and expensive gamer gear and style speak differently. The release of Blizzard’s first game of the series happened concurrently to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, and in the middle of South Korea’s heavy recession Starcraft provided a quick, cheap and accessible outlet for relief, even those without a computer could play with their friends from one of the many local internet cafes, and in time the popular game’s interest exploded into to a fully fledged competitive sporting scene.

Brennan Peers

Film

Thor Director: Kenneth Brannagh Rating: 4/5 Stars: Chris Hemworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston

The Tempest Director: Julie Taymor Rating: 4.5/5 Stars: Russell Brand, Reeve Carney, and Felicity Jones

Sucker Punch Director: Zack Snyder Rating: 3.5/5 Stars: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone

Thor takes us to the realm of Asgard, kingdom of Odin, whose two sons, Thor and Loki later unleash chaos in the universe. Saying too much might spoil your ride through this movie. Let us just say that you know what will happen but the way it happens takes you by surprise.

The evolution of Thor from an impulsive, arrogant prick to a noble-hearted, humble warrior happens through the discovery of love with Jane, a scientist who helps him in his quest that is sprinkled with a dose of humour as Thor tries to adapt to his humanness when banished to Earth.

The barren black-volcanic-sands Mauii location is topped off with high-quality SPFX cinematography - and the beautiful, innocent young heroine (Felicity Jones) - and Helen Mirren as Prospera.

Sucker Punch is a movie that may seem absolutely frivolous when watching the trailers, but once one has had the chance to experience it properly (though not in 3D) one may enjoy it a little more than one should. Though the sound track is the best part of this movie, the story is one that can be quite “cool” and feminist… well, as much as a story told by a male director can be.

The story line manages to catch the essence of Greek mythology- great gods with admirable qualities and supernatural powers who are still vulnerable because they have one major flaw that brings them down. What make this more realistic are the graphics and the 3D effects. The fights are fast-paced, action-packed and thrilling whether they take place in Asgard or on Earth while the opulence, majesty and grandeur of Asgard takes you to another dimension altogether, in contrast to the cold, chilly and creepy home of the frost giants which is nevertheless just as effective.

However, the fights are sometimes so fast that you do not really know what is happening and most of the actors give a very average performance. Chris Hemworth as Thor does come as a surprise package for he actually pulls off the role quite well though he still has a long way to go. The stand-out performance is that of Tom Hiddleston, the right mix of good and bad- a human villain! Many have tried their hand to get the love-mythology-action formula right but Thor is more successful than many others.

Divya Jankee

Yet do not mistake this movie as only entertainment. Remember this is Shakespeare, so along with the hideous dogs of war and the scary blackfeathered harpies there are many old, old - serious messages flying around, amongst them a reminder of the power of love. In particular Eliot Goldenthal borrows the Beatles’ enduring love affair with the mystical, and with the power of love, to create the score.

Big-canvas movie director Julie Taymor (“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”) has already created this final Shakespearean narrative three times.

Now she uses an extraordinary palette; diverse combinations of extraordinary individuals, powerful rhythms, rhymes and songs to present a spectacle; a barren and withered landscape and the light, the light, over all; people, places, events.

Into this Italian tale Taymor channels early Beatles’ 60’s and 70’s visuals and dress; Shakespearean-era influenced, along with Abbey Road and Magical Mystery Tour. Yet it is also Mad-Max; dirty-slick, all leather and metal - watch for Russell to outrageously ‘zip’ up.

Russell Brand describes his part in this movie as “A right laugh, a hoot”. I loved it. Go see for yourselves.

Susanne Harford

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The moral of the movie is to tell women that by using their sexual prowess, they can find a way to escape the clutches of misogynistic men. It’s kind of an oxymoron, seeing as they have to give in to what the men want and basically become slaves to them, so as to escape them… makes sense? A little bit.

The soundtrack is actually very impressive and has left me a little shocked, but it’s been done so well that it improves the story. Now, since it’s natural to me, I saw SO many video games in the dream sequences in this movie. It varied from Tekken, to Killzone, Zelda, Bioshock, Lord of The Rings (The Game) and then a Tron-like sequence.

Yet I find it quite hilarious that Zack Snyder, the director, referred to the movie as “a video game that doesn’t exist” in an interview with Spin-Off Online… So, I’m sorry, Mr. Snyder, it seems what you were trying to say was “it’s like a billion different video games that could be made better by being combined.”

Ana Victoria Neves

Film

Scream 4 Director: Wes Craven Rating: 1/5 Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette If you’ve seen ads for ‘Scream 4’, which you probably haven’t due to gross underadvertising, you’d know that ‘the game has changed’. Well, no. At the centre of the stage is Sidney, and around her murders take place. Things build up to a big climax where the baddy is revealed, who then goes on to explain their motives.

There are a few new characters. They are, however, completely two-dimensional and are out-staged by their older/ preused/ botoxed-up characters. This means that the new characters’ deaths mean nothing to the audience. There was only one memorable new character, but that’s because she was played by Hayden Panettiere, the cheerleader from ‘Heroes’, and because she was dressed as a lesbian. Enough said.

What’s worse then the plot and characters is the humour. Humour is used throughout the movie, in an attempt to make light of the horror genre. It is, however, awful. At the beginning of the movie we’re presented with a murder. It turns out, though, that it was only people watching a movie. The people watching the movie are then murdered, but it turns out that that also was just a movie. That happens a few more times. From the first few minutes in I was already thoroughly disappointed and bored.

If you want to be a little scared, watch the original (I didn’t talk about this movie being scary, because it simply wasn’t). If you want to have a giggle at the genre, make your way over to ‘Scary Movie’.

Either way, give this one a miss.

Larry Fife

Of Gods and Men Director: Xavier Beauvois Rating: 4.25/5 Stars: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, and Olivier Rabourdin

Pirates of the Caribbean: OST Director: Rob Marxhall Rating: 3/5 Stars: Johnny Depp, Penelope Crux, and Ian McShane

Of Gods and Men (Des hommes et des dieux), Xavier Beauvois’ Invoking and captivating film, begins within the reverent confines of a French Trappist Christian mission situated in rural Algeria.

It is a place of ethnic integration, where Christians and the native Muslims of the area live with a humanistic approach to one another. The viewer’s taken on a dark and emotional journey, that dances between cultural identities and contemporary realities.

Because three wasn’t enough, a fourth ‘Pirates’ movie is now in cinemas. The ads don’t hide what the plot revolves around, which is of course the Fountain of Youth. Everybody seems to be after it; the Brits want it because the Spanish want it, the Spanish want it because the Brits want it, Blackbeard wants it because he’s afraid that death is at his door, and Sparrow wants it because he hasn’t accumulated enough wealth in his last three ventures, of is that Disney?

Of Gods and Men is written by both Beauvois and Etienne Comar. The film is based on a true incident that occurred during the atrocious period of the 1996 Algerian Civil War, where a group of monks were taken hostage under the command of the notorious fundamentalist Islamic organisation, in exchange for hostages held by the French Government.

Whether for better or worse this is just another ‘Pirates’ movie. The humour, the action, the mystery, and the colourful characters. It’s all there and just as good as before, but doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. I’ll admit that when Blackbeard appeared on the screen, and when I saw my first glimmer of a mermaid, that I was impressed.

These are mere character additions, though, and don’t change the game; which I’ve already seen three times before.

Every frame contributes to a purposeful and vivid contrast between the world within the mission, and the world outside of it. The viewer is intimately drawn to the characters of the film. The character of Luc (Michael Lonsdale), was one of the most realistic and most likeable characters in the film. Alongside his warm and insightful nature, Luc’s character is relatively humorous, with some hilarious scenes throughout the duration of the film.

The 3D is done pretty well. Swords pointing at the audience and shots which make good use of foreground are neat.

If you want to save a few bucks, though, don’t hesitate to see the glassless version. It’s only really there to take a few extra dollars from your pocket.

I would highly recommend this film to people of all cultures and backgrounds.

It is a voice, perhaps even a cry for reason in a segregated world. If you are unfamiliar with world cinema, make this your first experience.

Larry Fife

Jesse John Lee Fleay

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If you’re like me and were growing a bit weary of the ‘Pirates’ movies, give this one a miss. If you’re a fan of the series, though, you’ll definitely get a kick out of it.

Music

Artist: Lady GaGa Song/film clip: Judas 3.5/5 Most of you’ll have watched Lady Gaga’s $10 million film clip, Judas by now. Lady Gaga’s a controversial singer and according to Time Magazine she is the fifth most powerful person in the world. The expensive film shows this power by portraying of Jesus, Magdalena and Judas, begging for a reaction.

Various opinions found on the Internet are interesting, and sometimes scarily ignorant. There’s a video by a girl with the user name “ssarahrooneyy” claiming Lady Gaga is condemning today’s youth to hell. Maybe I’d have given her argument some consideration if she hadn’t started with “Judas, which we all know is another name for Jesus.” If you’re going on a religious rant, know your facts (Judas betrayed Jesus), you just like a crazy religious person.

Then there are those who try to convince readers that Lady Gaga’s a puppet of the illuminati and worships Satan. Even though it seems a little strange to me, there’s a lot more effort and research put into this argument making it almost believable that her love for Judas is her way of embracing Satan.

Then there’s the belief that she’s an inspiration, trying to liberate people in today’s society. Princeofcups518 on Polyphony claims Lady Gaga plays Magdalene provide for women a connection to the patriarchal figure of Jesus.

Whatever you believe, you can’t deny that her songs and film clips are brilliant in grabbing the attention of people around the world. Lady Gaga makes people talk, and the lyrics and film clip of Judas certainly don’t disappoint.

Jasmine Reilly

Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray Seether 2.8/5 Disappointment fills my very being upon listening to this album. Seether sounds more commercial and pop-ish. All the tracks are still pleasing to the ears but my subjectivity is clearly hindering me from truly appreciating this album.

No Resolution has a promising opening as the whole band kicks in and the chorus is true to their sound but the verses turn me off. The opening of Roses reminds me Linkin Park’s earlier works as soon as the full band starts to play but when Shaun Morgan starts to sing, the songs sounds more like Evanescence’s songs in The Open Door with the gloomy minor tunes. The chorus breaks the deal for me.

Choosing Country Song for their first single of the album is probably a good move. Country Song introduces that different sound from their previous works but still has that bite of angry noise their fans would expect. Master Of Disaster and Desire For Need are everything I wanted to hear from them.

Here And Now and Tonight are not something you would expect from a post-grunge band. They are the very definition of commercial pop-rock and would suit artists like Avril Lavigne. While The Gift in Karma & Effect and Broken in Disclaimer II worked perfectly, the ballad in HOTBLTF Pass Slowly sounds like the kind of ballad MLTR would sing.

Recommended if you’re still dipping your toes into the post-grunge scene. Not so much if you’re an avid fan of Seether’s earlier works and Flyleaf.

Dina Waluyo

Drapht Life of Riley 5/5 Growing up, the music I listened to and loved, mainly consisted of rap. I’m talking the classics, like Wu-Tang, Snoop D-O double G, TuPac, and Biggie Smalls.

Call me unpatriotic, but to me it was a sound that couldn’t be replicated outside of the down-trodden areas of ghetto America. So when I heard Australian “hip-hop” I often dismissed it as reaching for something unattainable, and a gap that couldn’t be crossed by white-boys from downunder. Drapht has not only crossed that gap, he has built a bridge (and possibly burnt it down too).

Life of Riley is Drapht’s 4th album. I’m unfamiliar with his 1st, “Pale Rider,” but his following albums, “Who am I,” and “Brothers Grimm,” are the albums that converted me from being Australian hiphop nay-sayer, to a yay-sayer.

But enough about me; what about the album in review. “Life of Riley” is a 17 song CD that plays for 57 minutes. It doesn’t necessarily follow traditional hip-hop beats with a lot of acoustical sounds and synthesised melodies, which all sound sweet, and will keep your head nodding, and possibly have your body poppingand-locking.

It covers such topics as abandonment, going against society norms in pursuit of happiness, partying in Bali, and just partying in general. It also has a skit which plays off his last album, from which Drapht became somewhat of a household name with the radio hit Jimmy Recard. The skit is of Jimmy Recards eulogy.

So in the words of the late great O.D.B., “N**ga, please! Recognize!” Get this album.

Jack Sparrow

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Music

Beastie Boys Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 3.5/5

Architecture in Helsinki Moment Bends 3/5

Poison Double Dose of Poison 4/5

In Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, the Beastie Boys show that even after 25 years their sense of crazed-chaotic-anarchy that attracted us to them in the first place is still very much alive and grooving.

Architecture in Helsinki, a five-piece band from Melbourne. A band you’d hear on Triple J, but not really the mainstream stations. If you’ve heard any of their songs it would be Heart It Races, released in 2007 it was nominated for ‘single of the year’ by the ARIA people.

Does its new album take it out of the dark and push it into the light some more?

Rejoice for order has returned to the world- 80s hair rock is back! Bleached and permed, gelled and styled, Poison are ready to rock your socks off once again. Celebrating 25 years in the music business, Double Dose Of Poison- Ultimate Hits contains 35 kick-ass tracks, covering their biggest singles and fan favourites.

Well, no.

Smacking you straight in the face, opening track Nothin’ But A Good Time insists “It don’t get better than this”. But it does.

Classics Every Rose Has Its Thorn and Unskinny Bop don’t seem to age, perhaps due to their popularity in the karaoke scene. On any given Friday night you can be sure to hear the trademark exhale breath of a cowboy singing his sad, sad song.

Setting the tone of the album is the gloriously funky intro to opening track Make Some Noise. In classic Beastie Boys style we are hit with a multi-pronged aural assault; funked out, dirty beats underscore the bustling MCs as they seemingly burst out of the speakers to get their message across. This rapid fire explosion of lyricism is what Beastie Boys do best, and rarely has it been displayed as well as on this first track.

The riot continues throughout the rest of the album, with cameos by Nas and Santigold providing some interesting excursions along the way. In particular, the reggae influenced Santigold track presents a great aside to the rest of the album, and coming where it does in the middle of the 44 minute playback, works as a great segue into the more experimental second half that sees the Beastie Boys employing ever stranger samples and outlandish vocal effects. However, as strange it gets at times, and it does get pretty strange, the Beastie Boys ethos screams through loud and clear throughout the whole album.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two shows that the Beastie Boys are a truly timeless act. It is no easy task to recreate that same engaging energy after nearly 30 years in the game, but that is what he Beastie Boys have managed to accomplish here.

Aside from Heart It Races I hadn’t heard their material before. It’s pretty hard to describe, but soft pop alternative gets the job done. Whether or not you think this is a good thing is up to you. There are really only two songs that stand out on this album; Contact High and Sleep Talkin’. The former is very pop-orientated with unique blips and blops which seem to be AIH’s style, and the later is full of cool vocals, guitar, instruments which I’ve never heard before, and even more catchy plibs and plobs, its even a little epic. I love it. The rest, though, is forgettable.

And this is sad, because it could have been much more. That Beep is a prime example. About three seconds of it are purely epic, and live it gets the entire crowd pumping. But that’s it, it’s not repeated, and things never get to that level again.

The album is good, it’s polished, the lead’s vocals are nice, there’s a few keepers in there, but the band has held back and stopped it from being something spesh. Maybe next time.

Larry Fife

Luke Pegrum

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We’re An American Band, Ride The Wind and Fallen Angel have had newbies screaming alongside the die-hard fans of the last quarter of a century. Known for the provocative nature of their songs, in Little Willy the Poison boys sing “Little Willy doesn’t get nervous but he ain’t shy/Unless lovely ladies make fun of his size.” A little bit naughty, a whole lot charming: that’s Poison.

From their first single in 1986 Cry Tough, to cover tracks from their most recent release- 2007’s Poison’d, this two disc release showcases all that Poison have to offer. And I want more! Rumours are abound that their current tour with Motley Crue will lead to time in the recording studio . . . here’s hoping!

Jen Wake

Music

Gorillaz The Fall 3.5/5

Tim & Jean Like What 3/5

Yuck Yuck 3.5/5

Gorillaz are back only having released Plastic Beach last year in March. To be more accurate this is less Gorillaz, and more of a Damon Albarn solo experience. The album was recorded by Damon Albarn during the American part of Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour - October 2010, with only four guest appearances, most notable being Mick Jones and Bobby Womack whom were touring with Albarn.

I have to admit, electropop is not my usual thing. Synthesisers normally irritate me. But as I listened to album opener and title track Like What, I couldn’t help but get swept up in Perth’s own Tim Ayre & Jean Capotorto’s infectious hooks and gimmicks.

Drowsy, dreamy, whimsical. These are the words that come to mind when I think of Yuck’s self-titled debut offering. Opener Get Away sets the indie-pop tone for the rest of the album, which walks the line between cohesive and repetitive... and usually manages to keep itself in the former.

The most intriguing thing about The Fall is the method of production; the entire album was recorded in Albarn’s iPad then later mixed in England. Much of the album was worked on in Albarn’s hotel room as a means of warding away restlessness.

The Fall can be described as less of ‘proper’ album and more of a musical diary, an outlet of expression during long road trips through America.

Perhaps it’s the contrast from the rush and clamour of life, but I found myself enjoying the stripped back nature of The Fall. In an over-produced world, it’s refreshing to hear music stripped to the bare. The music has an alien quality, it’s mournful and wistful, perhaps a reaction to large expanse of land that is America and the alienation that an outsider such as Albarn, may feel.

This album lends itself to sitting in a comfy chair, getting some nice over-ear headphones and letting the music wash over, perhaps used in lieu of a meditation tape. It must definitely be experienced as a whole album, perhaps deterring listeners looking for that pop single nugget to play on repeat.

While not as good as Demon Days or Plastic Beach, The Fall is a reasonably enjoyable experience.

The album began well with clear standouts, the bopping I Can Show You and Come Around, having received generous airplay on Triple J. Tim & Jean make good use of bodily actions for percussion.

I enjoy this is at makes audience participation super easily, provided you can click your fingers (people who can’t tend to get defensive about their woeful snapping abilities). But it seemed like Tim & Jean had used up their dance floor tunes early and as the album progressed, it felt like a party that had come to the end and the host was playing songs suggesting it was time to either leave or grab a broom and help clean up.

Often the lyrics felt like they had been written purely for rhyming reasons.

Take Come Around, where Tim sings ‘When sunshine comes around will you still be with me / you know it’s not the same but you can count to three.’ Several songs had the same lyrical formula: verse, bridge and chorus, repeat. The Ramones might get away with this, but at least occasionally their third verse was different from the first. My personal favourite lyrics came from Afrika, about a girl who “gets all the boys but she wants the girls.”

I can’t criticise the first half of Like What.

For someone who is not particularly electropop-orientated, it made me want to jump on a bouncy castle. I don’t know why, it just did. All up, a great first effort from a promising home-grown duo.

They will fill many dance floors.

Becca Odelay

Kaprou Lea

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The bouncy second track had me concerned, lyrically, for the rest of the record after four verses of “try to make it through the wall/you can see me if you’re tall”, but there, nestled between firstgrade rhyming, lay what appears to be the heart of The Wall – “and I know that I need space/and I know that it’s not real/ it’s just the way that I feel”.

There’s plenty of that sweet, sunshiney love and affection we’ve come to expect from indie music on tracks like Georgia, Shook Down and Suicide Policeman, but by track four or five I’d started to drift off, not finding the variety I needed from Yuck to hold my attention. However, much to my delight, the album really finds its groove about halfway through, with Suck and the succeeding five songs being refreshingly different yet still clearly belonging to the same record. A highlight for me was the pretty, unexpected instrumental, Rose Gives a Lilly, and the ambitious final track, Rubber.

At its heart, Yuck is a wholesome sort of album that makes me want to braid daisy chains, hug puppies and bake cookies for my loved ones. It’s just that lovely.

Jess Gibbs

Music

Danger Mouse Rome 4/5

Scalphunter Scalphunter 4/5

The cover of Rome should carry the following warning label: ‘music may cause drowsiness. If affected, do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery’. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s homage to the Italian spaghetti western is the perfect antidote to sleepless nights, gently swaying you into such a stupor of relaxation that you won’t be able to reach for the OFF button on your stereo.

Almost outta nowhere Scalphunter have smashed their way onto the Perth scene this year, and have breathed a bitchin’ breath of fresh air into a genre (punk) that struggles constantly against the horrible concept of boredom… or the lack of fresh ideas. Not that Scalphunter are original, per se, but fuck me they’re exciting.

Inspired by the romance and crime of Italian movies from the 60s and 70s, musician/producer Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) teamed up with composer Luppi to create a 15 track score for a movie that exists only in the imaginations of the listener.

Opening track Theme of Rome sets the scene, and you can almost see the tumbleweeds dancing along the dry plains of the desert. Leading into The Rose with a Broken Neck, we move into town and the local drinking parlour. Vocals from Jack White and Norah Jones help Rome move from a glacial to a leisurely pace.

Stand out track Two Against One has White asking “And if you think there is shelter in this attitude/Where do you feel the warmth of my gratitude”? Burton’s gratitude would lie in the simple act of the audience appreciating the subtleties of each track, which take you along on his ambitious journey.

If you like your music hard and heavy, don’t buy this album. But if you’re into something new, something different, maybe even something epic, Rome is a great place to start.

Jen Wake

A few parting shots from the Music Editor...

Presumably named after either a Marvel Comics super villain or a DC Comics Wild West hero, Scalphunter bring that sense of duality to the table totally on this release.

On the one hand, the band is called fucking ‘Scalphunter’. It doesn’t get more badass than that. On the other hand, there’s an urgency and an angst in singer Steve Knoth’s soaring vocal attack. When he’s screaming things like “how many people have died in the name of religion?!” there is a hint of that social conscience which, let’s face it, underpins most punk rock even though it’s not always explicit.

It’d be great if there was a lyric sheet to help one investigate this further, but there isn’t, and that only serves to fuel the mystique.

I’m not going to blow too much smoke up the arse of this EP. As with most records there is definitely room for improvement.

But for those of us who dig loud fucking guitars with big riffs and the occasional mind-blowingly fast lead break, and an uncompromising vocal attack, this is a great CD. On tracks like Die For Lies, Desensitise and Ghost Of Rock’n’Roll, Scalphunter are quite simply unstoppable.

Ban Watson

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Alright you lily-livered bastards. Exam time is here. Christ, I’d say it’s here ‘at last’, but this has been the fastest semester in the history of me, at least, so get ready to CRAM. After that it’s pub time. At last. Heh. Anyway, so GSM is in its second year as an actual magazine and the improvements are palpable. We’ve got some good writers on board, and heaps of cool shit coming in for review. I want more though.

I want more local stuff, especially. I’m talking to you, with your new band and that EP you just put out. Put it forward and let’s spread the word.

Also, punters, let’s cut sick these holidays. See you all down at joints like the Rosemount, The Bird, Bakery, Ya Ya’s, the Rocket Room, Mojo’s and Amplifier and let’s go nuts for live music.

Happy holidays in general, yo. I recommend Jamaican rum with lime on the side. Get classy.

-Ben, Music Editor, GSM twitter.com/bennymayhem

Politics

Introducing Giz

Watson

This June will mark 14 years of advocacy, debate and legislating by Giz Watson in the West Australian Parliament where she has developed a reputation for her dedication to progressive politics. As a founding member of the Greens (WA) Giz is particularly well known for her work on social justice issues concerning the rights and protections of Women and the Indigenous and Queer communities of WA. there ever since, campaigning tirelessly for social and ecological justice, women’s rights and health issues, the environment and the rights of the WA’s gay and lesbian communities.

It is little wonder that, on International Women’s Day in March 2011, Giz Watson was inducted, along with 99 other women, into the inaugural WA Women’s Hall of Fame.

“There is a pressing need,” she explained back in 1997, “to revolutionise our values and create an ethic that values restraint over consumption, the collective good over individual self-interest and adversity over uniformity.

“This requires a fundamental change of heart in many areas. Essentially it requires us to think about our society and our world as a whole, rather than fighting for the biggest patch for ourselves.

“It requires us to acknowledge our common humanity with all peoples and our vital connection with the planet and its natural ecosystems, and to act accordingly.”

In 2011, Watson keeps a practical, neat office. She is, after all, an MLC. But her waiting room is packed to the brim with information on every kind of social justice issue imaginable.

“To be clear from the outset: I believe in revolution!”

So began Giz Watson’s career as a parliamentarian in the Legislative Council, the Upper House of Western Australia’s parliament. Her maiden speech to the house, on Tuesday, June 10, 1997, demonstrates that from the very beginning Watson planned to bring a different approach to parliamentary politics.

At 40 years of age, she was already a veteran of almost three decades of activism both at home in Western Australia and in her birth country, England. Since taking to the streets for the first time in Perth as a teenager protesting the Vietnam War, she had travelled extensively and been ahead of the pack most of the way.

Right from the start she was a trail-blazer. Accepted into the first intake at Murdoch University in 1975, she later became one of the first women to study carpentry at London’s City & Guilds College.

Her activism whilst in the UK helped win a massive 12 year protest, primarily by women, which eventually rid the British Isles of foreign nuclear weapons. Upon her return to WA in 1990, she became one of the state’s three registered women builders and joined the newly-formed Greens (WA) party.

At time of her election in 1996, Giz Watson was the first open lesbian to be elected to an Australian parliament. She has remained

Centrelink’s Guide To Australian Government Payments strikes this writer’s eye—it’s unlikely one would find that in many other politicians’ offices— and the shelf surrounding it is choc-a-block. Information on ethical coffee, a pamphlet titled Caring For Refugees… it would take an age to get through it all.

you literally had to jump on the bonnet of the car to stop yourself being run over, and I thought ‘well, this is interesting!’”

On the coffee table in the middle of the waiting room is a pile of anti-nuclear stickers, next to which is a large, glossy book full of beautiful pictures of the Kimberley region. It’s clear that photographers have joined in to help with the fight against that region’s industrialisation.

Watson obviously notices me reading it as she opens the door to invite me to her office, as she jokes playfully that it’s probably not the best idea to leave it out in the open in case someone nicks off with it.

That’s unlikely, of course, but the sweeping gloss vista of James Price Point with its rich red sands and deep blue sky are a reminder of the awesome meditative power of nature—the very inspiration that can prompt a person like Giz Watson into a lifetime of ecological politics.

As she seats me in her office—around another coffee table, this one free of distractions aside from a glass of water which is already waiting for me—Watson takes her preferred seat, explaining that she is a creature of habit.

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Politics Indeed, she is obviously a woman who has it together. Short hair, but casually dressed, everything is in place where it counts. She’s a true child of the ‘60s, yet there doesn’t seem anything remotely radical about Watson as we run through her life story.

Warm, articulate, and quick with a turn of phrase, she is not the least bit snooty about her achievements. It’s clear that, in her mind at least, she is simply doing what needs to be done. she laughs when I ask what inspires her.

“Sometimes I think it’s just the sheer terror that if we don’t do it we’re gonna be completely stuffed!”

But she quickly corrects herself.

“That’s not a good motivation: terror. Maybe I could put it a more positive way.

“If you had any ounce of political awareness,” she laughs, “that was something that engaged… certainly [among] students of my age.

“That would have been the first clear political issue that I got involved in. I was marching against the Vietnam War when I was probably thirteen, fourteen.”

Perth, at the time, was a city of just over half a million people and, according to Watson, a city divided. Despite there being a stronger leftist presence in the city than there is today, the general reaction to the Vietnam protests was not positive.

“It was the first time I realised that if you went on a protest you could actually get yourself into trouble!” she laughs.

“To be clear from the outset: I believe in revolution!”

“We’re in a certain point in history unlike any other time and we know things that weren’t known before.

“We have the capacity to make change in a way that we have never had before in terms of capacity to communicate, mass communicate, and change technologies much more rapidly than we ever could before.

“On the one hand, it’s very exciting to be here at this point in time, to be trying to shape that future. It is also very high stakes. So I suppose recognising the enormity of the consequences of not getting this right—that certainly keeps me going. It gets me out of bed in the morning.”

After a pause, she continues.

“And I suppose the other thing is, well, it’s an obligation to future generations that what we’re doing now is either going to expand their choices or limit their choices, and that’s a pretty onerous position to be in.

“And I think if you choose to take a public role in trying to voice that, and trying to explain what that actually means, it’s quite an honour, and it’s quite a responsibility at the same time.”

But it is something she has been working at for many, many years. Born in England in 1957, Watson is one of four children.

Her parents, both health professionals, emigrated to Western Australia in 1967 when her father took a job in the sleepy hamlet of Mandurah.

“I remember we were walking down St. George’s Terrace and the traffic was being held up as people went past, and somebody on the side street just decided they were going to drive through anyway.

“And so you literally had to jump on the bonnet of the car to stop yourself being run over, and I thought ‘well, this is interesting!’”

Watson laughs heartily at the memories. She is clearly a very determined person, but her sense of humour is unwavering.

After the war ended, Watson became involved in environmental politics. She was involved in the early actions to protect native forests at Wagerup in the late 1970s, where she was schooled in non-violent direct action—skills she was able to take to England.

Through the 1980s Watson worked at an anarchist building collective while training women protestors at the Greeham Common nuclear missile base in Berkshire.

“We organised some really big gatherings,” she says.

“There were a couple of protests where we encircled the base.

Now, the perimeter fence was something like eight miles long, but so many people rocked up that they could surround it twice.

“So there’s this line of sixteen miles of people, not standing with their arms outstretched but standing shoulder to shoulder like this!” she explains, bringing her arms in tight by her side.

Watson has clearly enjoyed reminiscing, but she reserves her heartiest laugh of all for my question about her maiden speech back in 1997.

How’s that revolution going, I ask.

“Oh! Mandurah was the most beautiful place in ’67,” she says.

“Just this very quiet little fishing spot. A lot of retirees. Very quiet in terms of cars. I loved it. You know, you could go to the beach every day after school and… you kind of thought you’d died and gone to heaven, really!”

Eventually the family moved to Perth, where Watson was educated at Penhros College, and soon became interested in politics.

“I think even from being at school there were things that came up that I got quite passionate about,” she says, “including things like whether people were treated fairly at school.

“So, if I reflect on it, I was fairly aware of justice and fair play, which… I can see, going on reflection, that I got from my parents.

They’ve got a very keen sense of those values.”

Barely into her teens, Watson’s attention soon turned to the Vietnam War.

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“Damn slowly! Yes, it’s not probably quite as I imagined it. I’ve often reflected on that. “I think what I was expressing, or trying to express there, is that I see my role and the Greens’ role in parliaments not just to do the same as everybody else and just do it better or slightly differently, it’s actually to challenge some of the fundamental ways that business is done.”

“And I think that’s what I mean in terms of perhaps taking a more radical approach, and I would see that in terms of trying to bring into that adversarial arena the concepts of non-violence and consensus and participation, in an arena which traditionally is associated with combative, argumentative [politics].”

Ben Watson

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