Empire Times 51.1

the photo album.

With over 80 different clubs to join, there are plenty of ways for you to get involved in uni life at Flinders! FUSA’s clubs and student communities are a great way to make friends, develop your professional skills, stay involved with an old hobby or try something new.

Collectively, FUSA clubs host over 1000 events each year run by over 500 student volunteers.

Don’t see a club that interests you?

Start your own! We support students in creating and leading new clubs.

Editors

Miriam van der Heiden (she/they)

Lachlan White (he/him)

Noah Montgomery (he/him)

Contributors

William Singleton (he/him)

Dominic Campaniello (he/him)

Chistopher Battams (he/him)

Evangelia Karageorgos (she/her)

Blake Walden (he/him)

Katia Muzik (she/her)

SJ Salmon (she/her)

Miriam van der Heiden (she/they)

Lachlan White (he/him)

Noah Montgomery (he/him)

Jana (he/him)

ON KAURNA LAND.

Nina Marni (translation: hello, how are you?).

Empire Times would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands in which the editors, contributors and readers live, and honour elders past, present and emerging. Bedford Park is a significant site in the complex Dreaming of the Kaurna ancestor Tjilbruke. We write on behalf of the students and faculty on this land, First Nations, Non-Indigenous and Immigrant, who work and learn here. Empire Times is edited and distributed on the traditional lands of the Arrernte, Dagoman, First Nations of the South East, First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee region, Jawoyn, Kaurna, Larrakia, Ngadjuri, Ngarrindjeri, Ramindjeri, Warumungu, Wardaman and Yolngu people.

We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded, and that this land is stolen.

Meet your editors

Noah

I’m a third-year film student on the Empire Times team. Focused on local interviews with artists, and completely out-of-the-blue articles on whatever niche I’ve found myself in, I also supply art for the horoscopes and various articles. I’m a massive fan of the A Song of Ice and Fire books by George RR Martin, the musical triumph Gorillaz, and out-there bizarre artistic experiments. I’m excited to curate each issue with contributors whether working inside the theme, or whatever is passionately written about. There is a great series of issues that can be built with the help of Flinders’ dynamic and enthusiastic student body.

For our next issue, the Empire Times team and I are putting together a parody/satire edition. Back in 2005, an issue of Empire Times mysteriously went missing, and we’re aiming to fill this gap with articles and projects that are a blend of outright fabrications and what can only be described as “wacky.”

Miriam

I’m a second year Law student on the Empire Times team. My focus is on gaming and pop culture, internet niches, and politics. I’m interested in local music and theatre productions in Adelaide and I enjoy writing and drawing (not at all professionally). This year, I’m looking forward to working with my team to make the Empire Times as entertaining and informative as possible. I’m passionate about what’s relevant to the student base of Flinders, and ways to help with the struggle of balancing work, a social life, and study in todays economic climate.

Lachie

I mostly handle the political corresponsive on the team, previously serving as a Student Council member in 2022 and from multiple spellingmistakes-filled live tweeting of Student Council to political articles such as LRC and student election results recap.

I know this is more Noah’s area, I like to dip my toes into arts and culture, being another passion of mine. If you walk past the ET office in the late arvo or night, that’s probably me with the light on (night-owl mode activated). My interests are making films, designing articles (and mattering on the mood writing), and lately I have been trying to create a camera lens from scratch.

We have crafted a companion playlist for this issue so please have a listen while having a read, brewed to mix. It’s been a busy few month for us at ET, with a trip to Ballarat to giving you the on-thegrounds reporting to whiteboard brainstorming. We have set of 3 pillars for the mag this year: Arts & Culture, Politics, and Community.

For next ‘ish’ (lingo for issue - I didn’t made that up *wink*)… it’s all about parody and satire, we’ll teleport you into the era of y2k.

Our aim for this year to make ET more community driven and involved, so events and comps from us and promoting your work and if you’re a club member, promoting your work.

The Long Long Long History of Zines

Punk, Poetry, and Everything in Between» by

Noah Montgomery

For newcomers to Empire Times, our university publication functions as a zine. A zine is a selfpublished and tightly-circulated work. Flinders’ zine has been running for ++ years, being linked all this time to the interests and needs of the university’s students. Zines, very much like this one, have a longstanding and integral history…

Beginning in the 1970s UK punk scene, zines were used as an underground publication linked to staples of the punk genre such as the Sex Pistols, The Ramones and The Clash. Sniffin’ Glue was a zine made by punk teenagers with xerox machines, which gained huge traction at the time. Later in the 90’s, the US Pacific north-west riot grrrl, founded by Erika Reinstein and May Summer, was another underground punk

publication with a huge focus on third and fourth wave feminist issues, using their platform to express these issues in what was seen as a largely male-dominated punk scene.

Going back to the early 20s of the US, the Great Migration beginning in 1915, moved African American populations from the South to California, Chicago, and Harlem in particular. This kicked off the explosion that was the Harlem renaissance, a huge shift in art, fashion and literature. FIRE!! was one of the first independent publications outside of the mainstream media to promote and distribute art, literature and poetry from Black artists of the time. Even as far back as the 1940s, science fiction zines were hugely popular from the literature and comics exploding at the time, but

starting with 1967’s Spockmalia, a Star Trek-themed zine, there birthed one of the first fanzines, being linked to a specific fandom or community. During this time, there were huge explosions in other fanzines surrounding the star trek fandom. When the show was initially cancelled after two seasons, the community was so organised around these zines, they helped contribute to the resurgence of the show, and the series continues today through a myriad of shows, films and comics.

Each of these significant zines swim in an ocean of independent publications. Zines require only an idea and the ability to print, if even. People can, and have, and will always passionately express, and build communities through zines. Empire Times wants to continue with these principles, building a community of student readers and student contributors, and act as an open space for student expression.

Sniffin Glue 7, February 1977.

withJana preside ntialstatement

I’m Jana (pronounced Jah-na, with the hard ‘J’) and I’m the Student President for 2024. That means that I lead the elected Student Council who are here to represent you. In between all the meetings I go to as Prez, I study Computer Science. Fun fact - I’ve been in Australia for 2 years and I am the first international student to become Student President.

Your Student Council is made up of 20 students who are elected by the general student group each year to be their voice. Student Council provides governance and direction to the Flinders University Student Association (FUSA). You’ll hear from the rest of the team throughout the year as they

advance your rights and interests. Also the great thing is later this year - you’ll get to vote for your reps for 2025!

As this is my first column, I thought I’d share with you some of the issues that I’ve been looking at as President, so you get an idea of what your elected reps might focus on.

A big issue that we are gearing up to respond to is student poverty. Students are barely getting by with rent and food going up, so many students are having to work more, at the detriment to their studies and health. I’ve been working with my team on Student Council, FUSA staff, and other parts of the Uni

to see what we can do in terms of achieving practical support for struggling students.

I am also passionate about building up campus culture and communities. As someone who started uni as an offshore studentwith COVID border restrictions - I know the importance of clubs and societies for a sense of belonging. I also know that we need to make Flinders a place where students can easily find their communities –that’s why I’m focused on building up student collectives for students to come together.

Lastly, I am excited for the outcome of the University Accords this year. These accords

are being undertaken by the Government to review how higher education institutes operate in Australia. At the end they will release a report detailing their recommendations for the Federal and State Governments to adopt. I look forward to what these recommendations will look like and how they will benefit students.

If you’ve read this far into my column – thank you!

See you all next edition, and you can always contact me at: student.president@flinders.edu.au with any questions or ideas or you can follow me on instagram @janageeth

26th January? Australia Day? Invasion Day? Survival Day?

Written by SJ Salmon, FUSA First Nations Officer

A day so ingrained in history, a day so lost in history. ‘Australia Day’ doesn’t respect all people, doesn’t respect cultural diversity and doesn’t address the ongoing intergenerational impact of colonial violence and continued oppression. So why are we celebrating such a horrific tragedy that hasn’t always been celebrated?

We’ve been ripped, we’ve been shredded, we’ve been torn apart I hear the echo of the mourning land

The fight, the battle to find my path Has been Stolen….

Invasion Day has always been a reflection and mourning of illegal occupation, dehumanisation, genocide, colonial violence, dispossession and the desecration of land. First Nations people should be allowed to have this date to mourn loss and destruction and commemorate ancestors who displayed resilience and endless strength to fight for what was rightfully theirs. We have days in the calendar year such as ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day which are days of commemoration, reflection and mourning of our fallen soldiers who fought in countless wars which are now permanently a part of our history. There are also many other days throughout the year within other cultures and religions that consist of similar themes regarding mourning, loss and respect yet a day like the 26th of January is brushed aside.

Amongst the battle to change the date of Australia Day, the true meaning of what an ‘Australia Day’ means has been lost, warped and misconstrued. We see in the media and our surrounding environments countless people following traditions on this day such as adorning patriotic material made in other countries, eating ANZAC biscuits, celebrating and recounting European endeavours and sharing misinformation. Traditions that don’t empower us as a nation, traditions that don’t celebrate the true Australia and what we are. Australia Day should be a day of patriotism and shared pride across all diverse communities as we acknowledge the hard work and dedication of countless occupations that make us who we are, we should be sharing in Indigenous culture through truth and awareness and investing in small businesses, we should be acknowledging and reflecting on how far we’ve come on this beautiful land and how diverse we are as a nation. We should celebrate equality, diversity, shared joy, and pride in who we are.

Until then the 26th of January will remain a day of heartache, trauma, physical pain and constant fight for representation, rights, equality and justice.

Just recently on the 26th Of January, FUSA’s Student Council members attended the Invasion Day march/protest in Victoria Square, organised by the council’s First Nation’s Student Officer. On this day FUSA walked alongside First Nations people in solidarity, commemorating and mourning the pain and suffering that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people endured on and surrounding Invasion Day. It has been a big step for FUSA to take a strong stance in solidarity with First Nations people but it needn’t stop there; it’s about consistency, representation and ongoing advocacy. It’s important that as a student union, FUSA continues to stand up and show up in every way possible, particularly after a disappointing outcome in the referendum and a shamefully culturally unsafe year for Indigenous communities across Australia. As a Council, the hope is that the Indigenous cohort across all colleges at Flinders can take some respite knowing that their student union is committed to a Flinders where they are safe, welcome and equals.

It will be amazing to see an ongoing FUSA presence amongst First Nations events and initiatives within the university but also externally and continue to keep the fire burning, bla(c)k, loud and proud!

Q1.

What is your faction and its ideology?

Young Greens:

We are social democrats however we also encompass a wide range of left wing ideologies that align with our values. The charter of the Australian Greens identifies our four main pillars of the party's policy: "social justice", "sustainability", "grassroots democracy" and "peace and non-violence."

Young Labor:

We are progressive students who want to see pragmatic, realistic results. We believe in the ideals of trade unionism, social democracy, and making a difference for the average student. We support programs and initiatives that directly benefit the everyday student’s life, such as improving campus culture, establishing student pantries, providing period products just to list a few.

Young Liberals:

The Liberal Party of Australia is a values based party rather than a party structured upon a vague point on the political compass and transient policies. We build strong policies and a stronger Australia through ideals such as small government, personal responsibility and the importance of a free marketplace of ideas. Despite our reputation, we are an incredibly inclusive party at both a youth and senior level, championing a united Australia, valuing each voice equally, and working to ensure a fair go.

Socialist Alternative:

We’re the largest left-wing revolutionary group in Australia, organised around Marxist ideas. We think capitalism is the problem, and the only solution is to overthrow it and build socialism in its place. We’re involved in leading campaign groups for a range of issues from Palestine to the environment, and work to bring these radical politics to campus.

Q2.

In November 2023, during debates on the Public Holidays Bill, the South Australian Liberal Party tried to remove Easter as a public holiday, what do you believe of this action and that Easter should be a public holiday for workers

Young Greens:

We support the protection of workers’ rights such as public holidays and the benefits that come with those holidays. We condemn the constant attacks of the South Australian Liberal Party against workers in SA. We would support a more universal approach to public holidays such as having them centred around days that everyone can celebrate regardless of religion.

Young Labor:

This action was a last-ditch attempt by the opposition to bring workers pay down. It shows the true character of the Liberals, that they would fight to lower the pay of people working on public holidays, during a cost-of-living crisis. Easter Sunday is a widely celebrated, culturally significant holiday throughout South Australia, and workers taking that time away from their families to contribute to the economy should be compensated. These shifts are

also predominantly worked by students.

It would be unbecoming to not mention the effort of the unions in this campaign, most especially the SDA. Our government listened to their campaign and transformed it into legislation. Our faction believes that we should continue to support the campaigns of the SDA to improve young workers lives, such as full pay for people under 21 and better pay and work conditions.

Young Liberals:

No, the ABC has always been biased toward Labor and left wing ideals. This issue isn’t unique to the recent issue but rather the recent issue is a symptom of a larger issue of partisanship in the ABC more generally. This is pretty much always evident in panels and so on that the ABC hosts. The ABC ought be defunded if it is fundamentally incapable of having a balanced at the very least bipartisanship, if not nonpartisan, approach to journalism and broadcasting.

Socialist Alternative:

This would be a foul attack on workers’ conditions, and just a blatant attempt from the party of the bosses to take more money from workers and put it in the hands of businesses.

But before Labor gets too high and mighty about their record on workers’ rights, let’s not forget their own shaky history on the question of penalty rates. Premier Peter Malinauskas was in fact the head of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA) when it struck an agreement with Business SA in 2015 which provided a template for trading away penalty rates, abolishing them for Saturdays and halving them for Sundays. This undermined a longstanding condition for workers.

In a growing cost of living crisis, we need a fighting workers movement that demands real increases in pay.

club details:

Yellow Flowering Gum

Poem by Christopher Battams

The Yellow Flowering Gum holds its giant arms aloft as the great moon comes and in the eternal grey of night it sings about that sacred rite in cliffs and caves and waterfalls where ancient painted Gods are joined with sacred animals and what was done that night was not held by them to be sin nor the passing of the Waratah held within the clenched birth of its first flower primal surge and the cry of a mournful bird

Over hill and the marbled rock the sacred desert hunters came running in time to the sacred flame and in the still twilight of night they beheld creation and the sight and sound the voice of Tjukurpa Creation Spirits of the dark earth dancing tribes of the Spirit men spoke of legends of times when in rock and tree and sacred bird the first man spoke the first word

Darwin the Macaque’s Fashionable Rebellion

Words by Noah Montgomery | Artwork by Valdemar Lethin

It was a day like any other, the ninth of December, 2012. No one knew how ground-breaking and significant this day was. Not even the devious culprit himself, who changed the world as we know it. Lacking any formal introduction, I am of course talking about Darwin… y’know, that monkey from IKEA who wore the jacket…

Internationally, the story tore across headlines of every selfrespecting newspaper, the Japanese macaque, confirmed now as Darwin had triumphantly escaped his confines as an exotic pet in Ontario, Canada and bravely ventured into an IKEA store. He was later captured by the Toronto Animal Services, found in nothing more than a diaper, and a shearling double-breasted children’s jacket. Dubbed by The Globe and Mail as a “stylish but illegal monkey”, the Empire Times team wants to set the record straight dubbing him a maverick hero in the likes of Australia’s own Ned Kelly, and Robin Hood. Only seven months old at the time, Darwin was a brave explorer and fashionicon, who rocked the mainstream media’s expectations in an act we as an official Flinders University publication can only commend and celebrate.

The aftermath of the incident has gone highly unreported for some time, and we have uncovered the full story. To calm your worries, yes, Darwin is still safe and sound; thriving still at the ripe age of eleven. He now lives out a fruitful retired life at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, in Sunderland, just north of Toronto. Looming in the background of the incident, was a legal battle with Darwin’s former-owner, Yasmin Nakhuda, where the attorney fought for the macaque’s custody against Story Book Farm. But by Darwin’s own tenacity, with the court ruling “by virtue of his behaviour and qualities”, he has remained at Story Book Farms ever since.

Despite the long legal battle, and Nakhuda having to pay $83,000 in legal fees to Story Book Farm, she eventually moved to a province with a less prohibited exotic pets policy and has two new monkeys as we know currently. But Darwin, our brave adventurer, has thrived socially and basked in legacy and valour following the incident, endearing himself to fellow macaque, Maximus, who is now a best friend. Never has there been a truer, happily ever after.

“stylish but illegal monkey”

Decisive Democracy

Words by Katia Muzik

49% of the world’s population will be participating in elections across 65 nations this year.

Above: Malcolm Turnbull

Middle: Don Dunstan

Bottom: Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Richard Abbott, Doug Bishop and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

The power of a single vote echoes from local lanes to national laws.

Election season always brings with it a sense of nostalgia. I remember the day my teacher spent refreshing the Google page as my Year 6 classroom watched Trump and Clinton win various states across America, or the night in 2013 when I was allowed to stay up way past my bedtime and watch Channel Nine declare that the Liberal-National Coalition had taken enough seats to win back the majority under Tony Abbott. While I am not going to comment on whether either of these outcomes had positive or negative ramifications, I think that it is absolutely the case that they caused significant political changes. All elections have this potential and that is particularly important to remember going into this decisive democratic season.

Approximately 49% of the world’s population will be participating in elections across sixty-five nations this year, deciding positions in everything from federal to local government. While it is easy to get sidetracked by the bigger – and, frankly, more entertaining –federal elections in places like the United States or the United Kingdom it is equally as important to consider the smaller variants of democracy. Despite their meagre appearance, it is elections such as those for local council positions in Queensland and the byelection for the South Australian State Parliament seat of Dunstan which can create the most change in your local area, as these are the representatives with the power to advocate for your personal political needs.

Whether it is that local playground that could use a mow and a fresh coat of paint, or the yellow line in front of your driveway that is so faded everyone just ignores it, the responsibilities of local members are vital to improving your day-to-day life. That is why it is just as important to carefully consider your choices in small elections as it is during the big ones –meaning not letting your sixteen-year-old daughter fill in your ballot because she is the only one who cared enough to read to information booklet. Consider your choices when deciding who will best advocate for you when you write in those numbers on your form this year, and remember that, no matter how small it may seem, every vote counts.

horoscopes

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your friend’s respect your opinions. try playing devil’s advocate a little to see if they respect you for your words, or for your character.

balance is important for your happiness, but it isn’t key. try wearing odd shoes, name a better conversation starter.

reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while. you might rekindle something you had lost. then you can ask them for money.

life isn’t a straight path where everything goes as expected. sometimes it’s tough, and sometimes something magical can happen. try gambling.

don’t be so rigid. not everything is as important as you think it is. your tutors will understand if you’re too hungover for class.

aries

taurus

gemini

libra scorpio sagittarius

cancer leo virgo

do a project this year. do it, try it, maybe you’ll succeed and who cares if you don’t. the world might need that true murder podcast.

you’re a romantic in truth. follow your heart. that maccas is open 24/7. treat yourself, you troubadour.

you carry yourself with a weight on your shoulders. lighten yourself. delete snapchat. c’mon, you’re an adult.

capricorn aquarius pisces

being most popular is not what life is about. but second most popular? now isn’t that a remarkable reputation.

a fresh start in a fresh year. try something new. preferably not something you’re allergic to. we refuse to be liable for any of this.

tell someone a joke. if it falls flat then say you were being ironic. it’s a tried and true method.

Ever since my early years in primary school, the question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ has intimidated me. It would not be until years later that I would fully realise a potential pathway in filmmaking.

My earliest recollection of film intrigue and an appreciation for storytelling came around 2010 with the release of How To Train Your Dragon. I remember the excitement I felt when hearing my friends talk about the film, as well as the disappointment that came with my parents saying no to me seeing it due to its mature content matter. Regardless, I eventually received the DVD and fervently watched it over and over. The film’s light-hearted yet foreboding atmosphere, its creative visuals, and its themes about finding your place left an undeniable, lasting

impression on me. I believe the film propelled me into the world of creative arts and subconsciously instigated my pursuit of a career in that field.

Over time, and predominantly throughout my high school years, I aimed to explore cinema as an artform by watching movies highly regarded in the zeitgeist. These ranged from classics like The Godfather to more recent sensations such as The Social Network. While these films broadened my understanding of exquisite filmmaking, one film in particular, stood out to me: Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird. It evoked an emotional response from me, and I will never forget the solace I found in its optimistic ending sequence.

The film’s message, ‘everything will be alright,’ was comforting to

hear at a time when things were uncertain (i.e. life after school). Furthermore, Lady Bird helped me discover what type of stories I wanted to tell, as its grounded tone and well-realised characters created an undying love for character-driven films. Despite my admiration for narratives with an engaging and clever plot, the introspection that a character piece provides is simply unparallel.

I am currently participating in a film course where I have fortunately been able to enhance my knowledge and application of filmmaking, especially in the realm of character drama. Without films such as How To Train Your Dragon and Lady Bird, I do not feel I would be standing where I am today. They not only shaped my appreciation of cinema but also played a significant role in my upbringing. Hopefully, these films, along with others, will continue to inspire me to navigate the film industry and find satisfaction in crafting meaningful pieces of art.

William Singleton is a third-year undergraduate student at Flinders University, pursuing a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen). He specialises in film production and analytical writing.

The Fall of Fortress Flinders: Student Elections

Reported by Lachlan White

Editorial Disclaimer: This article offers insights into the recent Student Council elections, authored by a student who ran under the "FIRE-UP" ticket. Given the author's direct involvement in the election, their perspective may carry inherent biases. Our publication aims to uphold journalistic integrity and transparency, presenting this piece as a firsthand account while acknowledging its subjective viewpoint. We encourage readers to consider this context, ensuring a balanced understanding of the events discussed.

Student Politics - The factions in 2024

FIRE-UP ran on some ambitious policies, key ones being creating an International Student Collective (now International Student Network), expanding free Period Products across to more campuses, accessible doors for the disability space, advocating for better parking at Tonsley and working to end student poverty. FIRE-UP is a merger between UNITE and Grassroots factions.

Left Action

The radical Trotskyist faction, with key issues running on fights for free education, and leading grassroot campaigns against bigotry, racism, and homophobia.

Activate,

Activate ran on a platform of inclusive accessibility educational practices to be implemented university-wide, improved consistent awareness campaigns, and the cost of living crisis grants and sustainable and affordable food options on campus.

“What was thought to be impossible, has just become reality” someone said to me on the night the student election results were released.

‘Fortress Flinders’ was a phrase often used to describe Activate’s firm grip on the Student Council at Flinders, however the 2024 elections changed that.

This coming year’s Student Council marks the first time in over a decade that a non-Activate majority governs. Previously it was Activate has

dominated Flinders Student Council, followed by UNITE.

There were 3 Factions that contested this election; Activate, FIRE-UP, and Left Action; with some independent candidates contesting the positions of Student President, Postgraduate Students Officer, International Students Officer and Queer Officer.The election was undoubtedly a resounding victory for FIRE-UP, who have captured a majority of the Student Council seats, NUS delegates and the student magazine Empire Times. FIRE-UP swept the office-bearing positions, winning 13 out of the available 14.

The position of First Nation Students Officer had no candidates from any faction, leaving the position vacant. When asked regarding the vacant position, Student President Jana commented “it is disappointing that no ticket ran a student for the role. It will be one of the first actions we take to start the vacancy process and begin taking in nominations. I think that this is indicative of the lack of representation of First Nation students within our community, and we want to work with whoever ends up getting the role on recreating a First Nation Students collective”. The role has now been filled.

STUDENT COUNCIL COMPOSITION

Results of seats

(number of members shown w/ changes from pre-election composition)

17 to FIRE-UP (+14*)

1 to Activate (-15)

1 to Left-Action (0)

1 VACANT - First Nations Officer

UNAFFILIATED: 0 (0)

*I have counted last year’s seats of Grassroots and UNITE to FIRE-UP as some of last year’s UNITE and Grassroots candidates ran this year with FIRE-UP.

KEY PLAYERS

Jana (FIRE-UP) - The World-Changer

Jana is the first international student as student president, the main man in council and the leader of FIRE-UP.

Nathaniel Winter (FIRE-UP) - The Promise-keeper

Nathaniel is the General Secretary, the whip on council, minute taker, keeping Student Council running smoothly, and the man keeping track of promises and ensuring they’re delivered.

Ben Grillet (FIRE-UP) - The Campaigner

Ben is the Education Officer, the bargainer between the factions, the architect and organiser of campaigns and operations.

Denzel (Left Action) - Comrade Councilor

Denzel is the key player in the role of council as the only Left Action member sitting of 2024 , a trotskyist that hopes to bring the radical history of student activism back to Flinders.

Alex Priest (Activate) - the Sole Survivor

Alex is the only Activate member sitting on the Student Council, it will be interesting to see what motions they put up. I wasn’t able to reach Alex for comment.

NUS COMPOSITION

(number of members shown w/ changes from pre-election composition)

FIRE-UP: 4 (+3)

ACTIVATE: 1 (-3)

LEFT ACTION: 1 (0)

UNAFFILIATED: 0 (0)

RESULTS OF THE DELEGATES

Also up for grabs in this election were six delegates from Flinders University to the National Union of Students (NUS). For those not familiar, the NUS is the peak representative and advocacy body for Australian postsecondary students. I often simplify it to non-student politics nerds too; National Union of Students (NUS) is the national Student Council, being a significant national body to lobby politicians and organise campaigns for students and their issues.

Final thoughts

FIRE-UP: A+

For a first election of this faction, they swept the student council with 17 spots (plus most likely an extra with the vacant spot), and took the majority of NUS Delegates.

Left Action: B

They didn’t lose or gain any positions on student council or NUS. So not much to say.

Activate: F

The election was a huge upset for Activate, their biggest ever in recent history. Resulting in the collapse of the so-called Fortress Flinders, and now holding only one out of the twenty seats on the student council and 1 delegate to NUS; however they almost took FIRE-UP’s final elected delegate in the NUS race, and surprising their vote for president increased from last year’s number so I can’t give them a F-.

For the full article - visit empiretimesmagazine.com

BEDTIME STORIES

GODS AND MONSTERS

Bedtime Stories is a 2008 family comedy featuring Adam Sandler in a fun adventure where the bedtime stories he tells to his niece and nephew become real.

This is something the film’s wikipedia would want to push. Bedtime Stories was actually a cosmic horror where the laws of logic and reality were twirled around the fingers of two omnipotent beings beyond human comprehension. The film, intentionally or otherwise, manipulates its own reality in order to create an existential crisis that even Charlie Kaufman is dwarfed by this monolithic psychological spectacle.

To apply any conventional sense of logic or analysis to Bedtime Stories is comparable to trying to paint across the sky itself, but with this film’s boundless distortions that might circle back to being a regular way to start a paragraph. The film begins long ago with a father in destitute forced to sell his hotel to provide for his children. One of these children grows up to be Adam Sandler playing “Skeeter Bronson”, a name the film expects

Words by Noah Montgomery

us to both accept and move on from. Skeeter then goes to take care of his niece and nephew, telling them bedtime stories matching emotionally to key events in his life. Throughout the film he tells more bedtime stories to the children and more and more they become true eventually leading to a happy ending for Skeeter.

Now diving into what is really happening in this film, the kids, consciously or unbeknownst of their despotic grip on the universe, can change reality. This is also not limited to the preexisting rules of the universe, evidence being a scene where a group suddenly gets up and does the hokey-pokey, then are shocked at this divine possession. This proves that the children are capable of at least taking complete hold and control of a person, and potentially the ability to do anything in spite of logic. If they were to say a man were to turn into a horse, or suddenly have a heart attack then the rules of this movie abide by them. They are walking, breathing Death Notes. In the film’s final scene, it is told by the omnipresent

ghost-voice of Skeeter’s dead father from the beginning of the film, he tells us that the germaphobic hotel owner is now no longer scared of germs and is a school nurse, and how the kids’ adventures are just beginning. This is horrific; so with these powers, you can fundamentally change someone’s personality, and besides that fact also never die, supposedly.

I would also like to argue that more than fifty percent of this article is serious. There is a fascinating world you get to put in your story through wild concepts like this, and that the reader is able to dissect a story for any idea that is able to jump out at them. This is Death of the Author, the original 1967 French essay argues

against the author’s identity to find meaning in a work, for art to have a definitive answer. By putting out a story the author gives it all up for people to find their own satisfaction from their story, regardless of intent. This article argues to push this further, to find a fascinating niche in any form of art or expression. The example here being the distortion of reality in a story, though all stories are a distortion of reality and creatives constantly play with and find where on the spectrum of reality and lie to tell their story, a place we subconsciously think of as fundamental, is open to an audience’s interpretation. Maybe Bedtime Stories really is just a family comedy (wrong), but it can also be more.

Interview of Ben O’Connell by Noah Montgomery

How long has O’Connell’s been running, and how long have you been with the store?

Ben: So O’Connell’s bookshop is the oldest second-hand, rare antiquarian bookshop in South Australia. In 1957, my grandfather, Reg O’Connell, started it. So we’re coming up to about 67-68 years we’ve been trading. I’m the third-generation owner, my name’s Ben O’Connell.

What do you think is special or important about O’Connell’s?

Ben: We’re been described as scholarly bookshop, but we’re not intimidating. We cater to all kinds of people. We have books from modern paperbacks for ten dollars, to first editions that are many thousands of dollars. Printings from this year to some printed five-hundred years ago. We have a very strong relationship with our customers, some of which have been shopping with us for decades. Our stock reflects what people actually want because we care about providing a service here. We have no ideology here, this shop. Open to all kinds of thought and religious beliefs.

Have you noticed over time a shift in people’s interests in physical media?

Ben: As opposed to digital? In some genres, yes. But I suppose we’re different in that what we keep are collectible items, or photography books, a first-edition Charles Bukowski or something; the emotional interest in

“We’ve been described as a scholarly bookshop, but we’re not intimidating. We cater to all kinds of people. We have books from modern paperbacks for ten dollars, to first editions that are many thousands of dollars.”

those things doesn’t transmit digitally. There’s younger generations that have started to value that. A lot of our customers are university students or high school students who see the value in the history of these books that can’t be swayed by big corporations’ ideologies at any given time.

What have been some of your favourite books in here, fiction or otherwise?

Ben: Lots of things I’d like to keep, unfortunately we have to run a business. Lots of interesting things, autographed things. Dracula, a first edition a few years ago. I’ve got a book that was given to Bob Hawke by Paul Keating as a gift. It has this really interesting, funny inscription from Keating that’s one of a kind. A John Lennon autograph we’ve had before. The first book published by an Aboriginal Australian, David Unaipon, we’ve had that. Lots that’re over almost seventy years old.

O’Connell’s has a varied catalogue of novels, comics, vintage pamphlets; why is it important to have this sort of inventory?

Ben: There’s lots of reasons. There’s the business side of it, obviously if things don’t sell they become burdensome, it needs to be a commercial endeavour at the end of the day. But like I said earlier, we’re a resource where you can find information that isn’t controlled in any way by bigger interests, publishing houses, perhaps various political interests. We’re sort of apolitical. So I think having a breadth of stock is a valuable asset to any community. So people can learn various facets of history, and culture, and determine their own likes, dislikes, without having that dictated to them through more powerful medias.

BALDUR’S GATE 3 & THE CRUSHING WEIGHT OF GAME NOSTALGIA

By Miriam Van Der Heiden

Baldur’s Gate 3 hit the gaming scene hard at its full release in August 2023.

Excitement had been building since early-access in late 2020, but the game garnered a veritable landslide of positive reviews and publicity after its official launch. The game had various bugs, some unequal quest quality between Acts, and some pretty heavy lore changes, but criticism was little to be found.

Why? Baldur’s Gate 3 had succeeded at something far more important: it had a heart.

From the NPCs, to the quests, to the hundreds of hours of contentBG3 positively shone with the evidence of writing, art, and voice acting done with genuine passion. Add in a community frustrated

with the prevalence of microtransactions and the neutering of beloved source material for a wider appeal, and it’s easy to see why BG3 turned so many heads. Public opinion of AAA games had been falling ever since games like Fallout 4 and Mass Effect: Andromeda graced the world with their stunning lack of creativity or personality. Fallout: New Vegas garners the fond nostalgia it does because of its willingness to step into its own brand of weird. Skyrim was successful, but compared to the fever dream landscapes and alien cultures of Morrowind, it’s noticeably sanitized.

For a while CDPR took the stage for their work on the Witcher 3. All shiny AAA graphics but with the charm of a down to earth studio. With quality gameplay, quests, and

free DLCs— good DLCs— it was clear the discerning gamer had a new Favourite.

So, following CDPR’s tragic fumbling of Cyberpunk 2077, and subsequent decline in popularity as the Successful Underdog of gaming studios, was the gaming community simply looking for their newest Blorbo?

Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke even showed up to collect his GOTY award in a full chestplate. His commitment to the Vibe is certainly present.

Additionally, the unfortunately timed release of Starfield did little but seal the deal of the community’s feelings. If the Outer Worlds aimed for selfaware comedy, but still felt like

an underwhelming combination of Andromeda, New Vegas, and Fallout 4, Starfield didn’t even try for something new.

When its cast of lifelessly agreeable companions are compared to the complex and engaging ones of BG3, the difference is stark. Endless YouTube video essays can be found depicting the immersionbreaking experiences of the companions in Starfield trying and failing to have anything close to a cohesive personality.

Meanwhile, people were consistently finding new gameplay mechanics and dialogue between companions in BG3. Trying to bite the flaming Tiefling? You’re going to get burned, and she’s going to ask your character why they

thought that was a good idea when she’s literally on fire.

Even though BG3 doesn’t cover every possible player choice, the effort put into the myriad of options for countless minor interactions is admirable.

And really, it’s that care and respect shown for the lore of Faerun, the previous Baldur’s Dates games, and the dynamics of Dnd that made Baldur’s Gate 3 such a show-stopper.

…..I still haven’t forgiven them for Viconia, though.

Beer Drinking Angels

Poem by Evangelia Karageorgos

On a cool quiet night in an old house on a hidden back street a pilgrimage of friendship between two beer drinking Angels is about to begin.

The first bottles are cracked open and the reminiscing begins. Gigs played, music made, parties with drugs and girls that got laid.

A guitar comes out and songs are played from the days when busking was the only way money was made.

Laughter spills out throughout the night. Stories of mayhem and mischief are laughed about and denied.

The sun begins to peek over the back shed time to crack one last beer before home time and bed.

Seeking Comfort

In a year that presented itself with many new challenges and changes, I found myself seeking comfort in the long summer. The comfort of fire. The comfort of home. I sought Majula.

Majula is the hub of Dark Souls II. A cliffside refuge cast in perpetual twilight in which the disparate, lost souls you encounter in the collapsing reality of the kingdom of Drangleic gather. Here, you may find sustenance, refuge and peace from the rigours, treachery and horrors of Drangleic’s many magical locales.

I returned to Dark Souls 2 after many years, picking up where I left off with the same character in the same place I had left them; standing upon the precipice of a cliff overlooking the vastness of the jagged coastline in the same armour that had once been covered in the blood of kings and demons that once barred my path to the Throne of Want that lies at Drangleic’s heart. And so, I dived into New Game Plus.

But not all was as I remembered it…

This world was changed. Enemy locations were shifted. Item locations were different to how I remembered them. The foes I faced were stronger, as expected, but also appeared to use more advanced techniques I hadn’t seen them use before. As I struggled to adapt to this new version of this familiar thing, I began to doubt myself.

“Was I mistaken? Was it this hard the first time? Was that there or…”

In Dark Souls II, memory is a core theme. The world is collapsing in on itself. Hallways lead to abstract and impossible spaces, as though your character has forgotten how much time has passed whilst travelling. Throughout Drangleic impossible spaces challenge your perception of time, space and memory. But on a new game plus playthrough, these things DO change. Practically, this keeps the game fresh, but it challenges your perceptions of it and befuddle you as if it were a new memory. Together, these blend into a single puddle, blurring what was with what is as the ripples travel over the surface.

I sought comfort and found myself lost once again. And that’s okay, because as my grandmother oft said after her Alzheimer’s diagnosis: “Memories are just a collage of emotions anyway.”

Nostalgia As Dying

Only in the last few months has my dissatisfaction toward nostalgia developed. Where once I regarded it as a rare form of true beauty, I see it now as a crude, ugly, and dangerous falsity.

I quite explicitly (admittedly to a point of self-parody, which I must amend) acknowledge in my art that I have a tendency for self-cruelty and aggravating self-awareness. Because of such tendencies, most of my once-nostalgic thoughts have now stripped themselves of that veneer. The vague sensation of a fabricated, hopeful past is revealed as true, difficult specificity. I’m ultimately left with a mass of underwhelming or otherwise disappointing memories.

Yet, I find more volatile and frustrating forms of disappointment in contorting these memories to something more than what they were. A brief moment of escapism suppressed by the reality that I have to come back. And

then, after a few seconds, I do. All I’m left with is longing; a deep humiliation clouds me.

It’s a lie, a depressive, gluttonous half-sleep of milk and honey; it’s nothing that can ever, truly be. I don’t want escapism anymore, I can’t keep closing my eyes, everything passes by too quickly.

But nostalgia always comes back. Moments turn into legend; individuals appear larger and more flawless than they could have ever been. A long-dead life when all was well, when pure happiness filled my heart and sadness had no place. If I gave in to this completely, I know I’d never change - I wouldn’t see any need to. I’d believe who I was in those moments led back to that same happiness I had lost. I’d never stop searching, in the same films, songs, foods, drinks, places, people, things. Confident the happiness would return on its own. I’d never find it.

“It’s a lie, a depressive, gluttonous half-sleep of milk and honey; it’s nothing that can ever, truly be.”

Nostalgia is a plague of stasis. The past, appearing a shining star in the dark sky of present and future. It’s advertisement, a promise of retreat; beneficial to contentment but detrimental to change and improvement of almost any sort. It’s horrifically addictive, like stasis tends to be - a soft pillow of known factors. Eventually however, all satisfaction and intrigue will be eradicated; weariness will take the place of emotional pursuit. I myself am currently trying to find my way out of this habit.

Life feels like digging holes, then trying desperately to climb back out. The deeper the hole, the tougher the climb. Sometimes the climb seems insurmountable, maybe this time it will be. But there’s emotion too, overwhelming in its severity; complete joy and sorrow both. The journey can be so wonderful; it can also make continuing, justifying another year, incredibly difficult.

But it’s real, and extremely beautiful in its strength. That’s all there is to me, what I remind myself; everything is given weight and significance in these emotions. Stasis and nostalgia are as dying to me; and if I finally fall into it completely, I think I’d have had enough.

Words by Dominic Campaniello

Chants of Sennaar - Video Game Review

Reviewed by Lachlan White

The tale of the Tower of Babel has always fascinated me. If you’re not familiar with this biblical story comes from the book of genesis, it’s the origin story as to why people speak different languages, in which a group of ancient humans were united in speaking one language until God confused their tongues, for their hubris punishment in working together building a tower to the heavens.

Chants of Sennar, a puzzle adventure game was inspired by this biblical origin myth, As you explore the beautiful tower and its stunning views, you solve linguistic puzzles and chat to the people of this tower, however the catch is that you don’t speak their language and have to slowly decipher their language by learning patterns through trial and (much) error.

You are a traveller that has arrived to these lands on the task to re-unite the people in the ways of language. Many of the puzzles are written in unknown language of cryptic glyphs and symbols, you start with the only clue is a sign that’s written in an unknown language, which means that if you want to progress, you’ll have to decipher the unaided text, and figure out the meaning of these unknown symbols. You slowly build a dictionary of pictographs by developing memory of patterns of the symbols used in different, by assortment of actions, objects, social positions and linking ideas with association.

Slowly climbing the levels of the tower attempting to decipher the words and phrases of the people and then translate between the growing number of groups. Once you crack the base language, you climb one level higher in this tower and you meet a new group of people with a new culture and a new language, now having to translate between the groups which aids in solving the puzzles and so the game continues.

For a game about language, they have not skipped out on the “language of the soul”... Music, the soundtrack of the game composed by Thomas Brunet, which sets the aura of the gameplay experience, the memorable melodies brings you into the world of this tower. With minimalist aesthetics filled with warm tones changing chapters like a chameleon that is a real beauty behind the art design.

The complexity of the game keeps it from feeling like a grinding task however I always find myself returning to this game due to its fun puzzle solving, I guess that is a blessing of the switch. Best Switch game I’ve played, so I give this game a high review as it is always on the tip of my tongue.

5 Stars

sudoku.

Doing sudoku puzzles uses the same parts of the brain involved with working memory, attention, reasoning and decision making. You’re basically getting brain-buff by taking a break. Here’s how it works:

Sudoku is played on a grid: within the rows and columns are 9 ‘squares’ (made up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the row, column or square.

UNCLE VANYA

Reviewed by Lachlan White and Noah Montgomery

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild Society, utilises Annie Baker’s 2014 adaptation of Uncle Vanya to keep the original Chekhov stageplay’s character and drama, whilst bringing a modern dialect and tone to the story for contemporary audiences. “I didn’t want to do powdered wigs and frilly dresses.” says director, Connor Duncan. “I wanted to find a good medium ground because it’s such a new translation”. The production compliments the rejuvenated energy of Baker’s script with a full ornate set, and aptly anachronistic clothing giving a bare rawness to it’s characters, befitting their roles and performances with antique petticoats and strikingly monochrome, contemporary flares.

The Directorial debut of Connor Duncan, who found it much more fulfilling than acting (with a little more stress), performed in the University of Adelaide’s Little Theatre stage with the audience mostly looking down at the performance with amphitheatre layout. With the limits of this layout, Connor Duncan is able to capture a cinematic-like style by Duncan’s blocking and directorial direction in addition to being compliment with the

lighting design, ET editor Lachie notice that the Lighting changed depending on the character and their mood which shows that even with the limits of this stage Duncan is capture the audience in this world. Connor Dunstan told Empire Times that what he found interesting was how Chekhov wrote humans and life. This is a great performance of story about how human relationships while stuck in a country estate.

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